Moving Forward (ch6)

EARLY RELEASE FOR PATRONS! THANKS, YOU GUYS!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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						Chapter 6. A Frantic Search

For the second morning in a row, Blake found herself waking warmly, and despite the events of last night, she felt oddly refreshed.

There was no doubt in her mind it was because of Yang that she'd managed to get some of the best sleep of her life even after running several miles in the middle of the night to a boisterous college party and then back.

There was an effect Yang had on her that no one else ever had or likely ever would.

Yang was snoring softly, still snuggled against her chest, and Blake petted idly through her hair as her eyes went to the alarm clock beside the bed: 7:38AM.

Usually, Blake would wake around this time to start on her writing, but she was more than willing to make an exception this morning. It had been a long night for the both of them, and she knew Yang both needed and deserved the rest.

Blake kept quiet, allowing herself to be lazy for what would probably be the last morning she'd share together with Yang, as the building's heat was guaranteed to be fixed by noon today. She merely watched the other girl as she slept, her shoulders rising and falling softly with every breath, the faint scent of citrus filling Blake's lungs.

Yang slept for about half an hour longer before Blake felt her stir.

"Good morning," she murmured to the disheveled blonde.

Yang groaned definitely and nestled closer into her chest.

"Mm, can we just sleep all day?" she begged.

Blake chuckled softly.

"Tempting," she hummed. "But I should probably try to get some writing done. But by all means, you can sleep the day away. You worked hard last night."

"Ugghh don't leave me," Yang moaned playfully. "Yer so warm, Blake..."

"I'm glad." She hugged the blonde's shoulders again.

They stayed that way for a few moments longer before Yang relinquished her grasp.

"Sorry..." she mumbled. "Go write! Do yer thing, Blake! I'll be here... rootin' ya on..." she trailed off, yawning sleepily.

"Right."

Blake slipped away from her and stood slowly, letting the blood flow into her legs as she stretched. Making her way toward the desk, she grabbed her notebook and headed back to the bed, intending to sit there beside Yang as she did some writing.

But the second Blake picked up the notebook, she knew something was wrong.

A nauseating dread gripped her heart as she quickly flipped to her most recent page, but it wasn't as easy to find as it should've been.

Her voice slipped out, thin and broken.

"It's gone..." she gasped.

Yang could sense the atmosphere in the room grow suddenly heavy with trepidation - and even worse - fear.

She pushed herself up immediately, throwing the covers off herself and stumbling over to the girl's side. Blake was frozen in place, her back and arms trembling, her voice fumbling as she mumbled incoherently to herself.

"Blake?" Yang reached her quickly, but refrained from touching her, not knowing what contact might do to her right now. "What's the matter? What's goin' on?"

Blake spun around to face her so swiftly that Yang actually jumped a bit. But she was wide awake now, on high alert and ready to bolt if Blake said the word.

But the dark-haired girl couldn't even speak for a good minute, her golden eyes wide and scared and threatening tears.

Despite Yang's best efforts, she simply couldn't stop herself from touching her after all, draping her arm across the girl's shoulders, guiding her over to the bed, and sitting down beside her.

"Hey..." Yang murmured. "Blake, it's okay-"

"No!" she cried, and it was louder than Yang had ever heard her before. She flinched without meaning to and instantly kicked herself when she saw the guilt in Blake's gaze. "Y-Yang, I'm sorry..." she whimpered. "I just... I-It's gone, Yang, it's gone-"

"Hey, hey, hey!" The blonde pulled her into a soft embrace, relieved that Blake wasn't pushing her away. "It's alright, Blake. Don't apologize. Just... tell me what happened, yeah? Ya can't just leave me hangin' like this..."

She felt Blake nod against her shoulder, but it was clear she wasn't able to compose herself enough to speak just yet. She sobbed again, and it was all Yang could do to keep herself from doing the same.

It was another minute before Blake pull herself back enough to look up into Yang's eyes.

"Yang... it's gone..." she rasped. "My flash drive... I-It had everything..."

Yang inhaled sharply when Blake explained things.

She didn't know exactly what was on the flash drive, but she knew it was of immense importance to Blake. Why else would she keep it within her most treasured notebook that she took absolutely everywhere with her? Yang knew it must've had all of her writing on it, and probably other things as well.

"My photos..." Blake gasped, confirming Yang's fears. "I had... all these photos of my family. Videos a-and my writing. M-My laptop crashed a few months ago, so I lost everything that was on the hard drive so now it's only on the flash drive a-and I-"

"Easy," Yang soothed. "Geez, I know that was really important to ya. And it's 'cuz you went out last night lookin' fer me that ya lost it."

"No, it's... not-"

"And that's why..." Yang said with a soft tone, cutting her off gently. "I'm gonna go look for it, kay?"

Blake's eyes went wide again.

"What? N-No, I couldn't ask you to-"

"Ya don't hafta ask me to, Blake. I'm gonna do it. 'Cuz I wanna do it," she said. "It's gotta be between here 'n where we were last night, right? So it shouldn't be too hard ta find!"

"B-But, Yang-"

"No 'buts'! It won't be a problem ta go lookin' fer it. All I know fer sure is that I can't just sit here doin' nothing when yer so upset like this. I'll do whatever I can ta help ya out."

There were a few tears running down Blake's cheeks, and Yang reached up a hand to brush them away with care. "It's gonna be fine, Blake. Ya don't have ta cry, kay? I mean, I know it helps ya feel better, but don't do it so much ya end up hurtin' yourself more than helpin'."

It was instinctive for her to lean down and kiss Blake's cheek, and she didn't feel nervous in doing so either.

Blake hadn't refused her last night, and she didn't now either. The dark-haired girl merely struggled to control her breathing, the panic in her chest hot and painful.

Yang pulled her in again, patting her back. "Hey, shh, shh... It's gonna be okay, Blake. Just calm down, 'kay? Just take deep breaths."

For a moment, Blake felt disgusted with herself for overreacting like this; it was almost shameful, and no doubt had Yang not been so understanding and willing to help, Blake would've crumbled altogether.

But Yang was only concerned for Blake, and that much was obvious by her words and protective hold. There was no doubt in the young writer's mind that she would've suffered a full-on panic attack had it not been for Yang's presence right now, but with the reality being what it was, Blake felt herself start to calm down before long.

Yang waited patiently for her, until she could breathe normally again, before she pulled away.

"You alright?" she murmured.

Blake wiped her face again and nodded.

"Okay," Yang said, patting her shoulders. "Okay, that's good. Then I'm gonna head out 'n start lookin', okay? You wanna just hang out here 'n rest a bit?"

Blake swallowed thickly around the lump in her throat, but shook her head.

"No... I'll come with you," she decided. "I can take you exactly where I walked and everything."

Yang gave a little grin and nodded.

"Ah, okay. I'm kinda glad, actually. I didn't really like the idea 'a you stayin' here by yourself when yer so worried. I'd feel better if I was there with ya."

"...Me, too," Blake admitted. "I know I'll feel better if you're with me." She tried out a smile, one that only lasted briefly, but Yang saw it all the same.

"Okay," she said, hugging her friend once again. "Alrighty then. Let's get goin'. Just put on the same stuff ya wore last night."

They didn't bother changing out of their sleep clothes as they pulled coats on over themselves and slipped into their boots. Yang peered outside to find it was another grey morning, and she turned back to Blake a little urgently.

"Let's hurry a bit. Looks like it might rain soon 'n I don't want yer flash drive ta get damaged."

Blake stood quickly and nodded, her eyes now more determined than distraught. She grabbed her notebook and headed for the door, but Yang stopped her before she could step out. Without a word, the blonde offered her hand and gave a reassuring smile.

/It'll be okay,/ the action said.

Blake inhaled slowly before accepting her hand.

"Thanks, Yang."

Together, they hurried down the hallway and the stairs, keeping their eyes open for any small objects on the floor, but they found nothing along the way.

Yang asked at the front desk if anyone had turned in a flash drive, but the woman there shook her head. Blake bit her lip, trying to control herself, but a gentle squeeze to her hand reassured her more than anything.

"That's okay," Yang said to the woman. "We'll just keep lookin' then."

And Blake knew that Yang was talking to her as well.

They turned away and headed for the door, stepping out into the cold, misty day. Blake took the lead from there, though she didn't ever once let go of Yang's hand; she needed that support to keep herself grounded so she wouldn't lapse back into a panic.

It was much easier to see now than it had been last night in the darkness, but despite that, Blake didn't catch sight of the familiar shape of her flash drive.

All kinds of scenarios were swirling in her mind. What if someone had found it after the party and taken it? She didn't know a single one of those people or how to contact any of them. Or any morning jogger could have stumbled upon it, or people walking their dogs. A bird could've flown off with it, or it might've fallen into the street and been crushed by a tire-

"Blake? Hey, you okay?" Yang's concerned voice pulled her from her thoughts, and the writer shook her head to clear it.

"S-Sorry," she stammered. "I'm just th-thinking too much..."

"That's okay. Just don't jump to the worst-case scenario so soon, alright? We only just started lookin'."

"Right... you're right." Blake shook herself a little, subconsciously giving another squeeze to that hand. When she was ready, she spoke more levelly. "Let's keep looking."

Yang nodded, and together they continued onward.

Blake stayed on the sidewalk while Yang treaded in the grass beside it, both looking downward and keeping their eyes open. They went slowly, ensuring they didn't miss scouring an inch of pavement or a single blade of grass.

There were a few false alarms of a pebble or piece of litter, and every time Blake's spirits lifted only to be crushed once again. When that happened, she'd bury her face in Yang's coat and do her best not to cry for a minute.

After ten minutes of fruitless results, Blake could feel her heart rate starting to quicken again. Her eyes were flashing wildly along the concrete as inaudible mumbles fell from her lips.

Yang sensed her tension and paused, drawing her nearer to hold her for another moment.

"It's okay," she said. "We're only halfway to the house. There's plenty of space we didn't search yet."

Blake clung to her coat, nodding meekly against her shoulder. Yang patted the girl's back, grimacing a little; she was counting on them finding this flash drive.

If they didn't...

She didn't want to think about what that could mean for Blake.

Even if they failed to find it, Yang vowed to do whatever she needed to in order to make Blake feel a bit better.

They soon continued onward, never letting go of each other's hands until-

"Blake!" Yang cried. She knelt down so un-expectantly that Blake fell beside her in the grass. Yang scrambled to help her sit up again before pulling up Blake's palm and dropping a small object into it.

The writer's eyes went round, making it clear to Yang that she'd been beginning to think they'd never find it.

"Y-Yang, you-you found it..."

"Is it damaged?" she asked.

"No..."

"Phew! That's good! I'm so gla-"

She was cut off as Blake quite literally tackled her to the ground in a fervent hug.

"Thank you, Yang!" she sobbed. "Thank you... so much..."

Lying face-up on her back with the girl on top of her, Yang chuckled as she returned the embrace.

"It's no problem," she murmured. "No problem at all. I'm just so glad we found it. Ya worked hard on all that stuff 'n I know it means the world to ya."

"Yeah..." Blake sighed. "And I know that... if I'd been alone, I wouldn't've even been able to go looking for it, I would've just shut down and-"

"Well it's okay now!" Yang grinned. "Ya don't hafta think about any of that stuff, 'cuz it didn't happen! We got back your flash drive safe 'n sound! But most importantly, you're okay, aren't'cha?"

Blake nodded again and slowly pushed herself up off the blonde girl.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm okay now. Thanks to you."

Yang sat up and hugged her yet again.

"It was my pleasure."

Blake clipped her flash drive back into her notebook and closed it securely before standing. She helped Yang up and couldn't stop herself from hugging her one last time before they started back to the apartments, hand-in-hand.

Upon their return, they started to realize just how hungry they'd both become, and Blake insisted they get some lunch.

As they ate, the landlord caught Blake's eye and went over to inform her that the heat on her floor was working properly again now.

Once they'd finished eating, the pair went back to Yang's room so Blake could give back the borrowed coat and shoes and collect her things in her bag. She stepped back into her slippers and put on her robe, but she couldn't stop herself from inviting Yang to come back to her room with her.

"I want to thank you for everything today," she said. "I don't know. We can watch a movie again or something if you'd like. I'll make you some tea. I just... want to say thank you."

Yang went to her and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Ya really don't need ta thank me, but ya already probably have a million times," she chuckled. "But I'd love ta spend another evenin' with ya."

Yang brushed her teeth before taking a change of clothes and meeting Blake at the door. They were both getting rather used to room-hopping by now, but neither minded the exercise up and down the stairs, or the company.

Blake let them in and was more than relieved to find the room pleasantly warm again. She did as Yang had done for her two nights ago, preparing a movie for them to watch and insisting the blonde rest on the bed.

"I'm just going to shower," Blake told her.

She was only gone for twenty minutes, but when she stepped out in her sleepwear with a towel over her hair, Blake found her guest sprawled out on the bed, her feet by the headboard, dead asleep.

Blake chuckled as she crossed the room, turning off the TV and dabbing through her hair before going to the blonde. After the party last night, waking so early, and then searching hectically all day together with Blake, she knew Yang was exhausted.

Blake sat on the bed beside her, pulling Yang up entirely onto the mattress. The writer curled her legs beneath herself and positioned Yang into her lap, gazing fondly down at her as she slept. She ran her hands through that golden hair, her lungs catching the faint scent of citrus yet again.

Blake leaned down slightly, chuckling at the little snores escaping the girl's lips.

"Thank you, Yang," she murmured.

Blake kissed her cheek lightly before recoiling.

It would be too much trouble to wrestle the both of them beneath the blankets without risking waking her slumbering guest.

So Blake decided they could change things up a bit tonight.

She took her pillow and placed it at the foot of the bed instead, carefully turning Yang onto her side and resting her head on top of it. Blake grabbed her extra blanket and turned off the lights before lying down opposite of how one typically slept on a bed.

She draped the blankets over Yang and herself before slipping beneath the girl's arm and pressing closely to her.

Curling up together had become routine for them for the past several nights, but it hadn't always been about necessity more than simply wanting to do so.

And Blake was more than willing to let it become something that didn't require questions or demand answers.

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A/N: Well, as I've said, this fic is just 8 chapters, so it's drawing to a close soon! There'll be just one final climax, so prepare yourselves!