Moments Of Comfort (ch5)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

Sort of like the Monochrome drabble, this one is a bit more tense or more likely to actually happen in canon, I'd say.

For Bumblebee Thursday.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

---------

														Chapter 5.

Yang had gone out to get some fresh air, and it was killing Blake that she hadn't tried to go with her.

Even though they'd finally found each other again and had said everything they'd needed to say, the guilt that ate away at her was still there, gnawing at her from the inside out.

It eventually got to the point where she couldn't just say in the house any longer. With her stomach in knots, Blake ventured out into the quiet afternoon in search of her partner.

The property of the safe house they were staying at now was surrounded by a small forest, but she didn't even have to go that far. She found Yang sitting on a small grassy incline just shy of the treeline with her back to the house.

Blake's heart was in her throat. She still felt like a criminal around her. Part of her knew it would be better to just turn around and go back inside to leave Yang to her own devices.

But for once the coward in her was outmatched by something else.

She wouldn't exactly call it courage. Defiance, perhaps. Whatever it was, something was telling her to go to Yang now. Her partner's lonely back seemed to invite company.

So Blake drew in a deep breath and started forward, her boots making soft footsteps in the swaying grass.

Yang clearly heard her and clearly knew it was Blake approaching, but she didn't turn around or ask for her to leave. She just kept looking out into the trees.

The greatest relief of all for Blake was not being refused.

After she'd abandoned her, caused her so much pain and grief, she deserved to be turned away.

But Yang didn't do that to her.

Blake reached her partner's side and stood there, her gaze fixated on the trees as well. The anxiety was killing her and she felt she was going to be sick until Yang greeted her quietly.

"Hey."

It was just enough to remind Blake how to breathe again. She found her voice, ears flicking.

"Hey..."

Yang patted the grass with her prosthetic, an invitation Blake was relieved to see. She sat down, though it was risky business. She wasn't sure how close or how far she should distance herself, so she settled for a foot, give or take.

She drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees and leaning forward into them. She could feel herself trembling slightly and her ears kept swiveling. She'd always been one to enjoy the silence, but this was the one time when she couldn't stand it. It was almost unbearable, and before long she caved and had to break it.

"Yang-"

"So what do you think of it?" The blonde lifted her right arm experimentally, casually, turning it over and allowing Blake to inspect the mechanics. "I think it's pretty neat. Almost as good as the original."

Her tone was light and easy in spite of what she was talking about. The pounding in Blake's chest lessened just a little as she realized what her partner was doing. Blake wasn't about to deny the unspoken offer. She shifted closer, just an inch, and focused her attention on the prosthetic.

"I think it's very fitting for you."

She wasn't sure if that was too much or too little. She was scared of saying something wrong in a way that might bring up worse memories of how the prosthetic had come into existence, so she just stopped herself after one sentence.

She was nervous to look up, especially if it meant she might meet Yang's eyes, so she just kept her gaze on the metal. There were a few dents and scratches from the most-recent battle, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be polished up and mended.

Her eyes traveled down from Yang's elbow, and she pushed away the images of the time when all she'd seen there was blood. They continued down until they came to a halt at her hand-

"No," Yang said. "I meant like... well, what do you think of it?" She turned her hand palm-up in the grass, and Blake wasn't sure what any of it meant.

"Huh...?"

Yang shrugged a bit.

"Gotta spell it out for you, huh?" She moved her hand closer to Blake, covering the distance between them. The invitation was clear as day now. "What do you think of it, Blake? How does it feel to you?"

Blake felt her heart skip and stop at the same time as Yang reached out for her. She froze in a bit of panic and a bit of confusion, praying she wasn't reading this wrong.

Slowly, Blake extended her left hand and slid it through the grass, until her fingers came to rest hesitantly on Yang's palm. When she wasn't rejected she moved her hand entirely onto Yang's, threading their fingers together carefully. The metal wasn't cold at all. In fact it was rather warm.

"It... It feels nice. I think it's perfect."

Yang smiled, giving a small tug on her hand to draw her closer.

"That's a relief."

And just like that, the knots in Blake's stomach unfurled and eased away.

Yang pulled her in a little, allowing the Faunus girl to rest her head on her shoulder.

Blake bit her lip. There was so much more she still wanted to say. But right now the silence seemed to be fine.

Her fingers kept tightening or loosening their hold on Yang's hand, and she felt Yang doing the same, trying to adjust and find the perfect grip.

They stayed like that for a while in comfortable silence, until Yang gradually coaxed them to move into a more relaxed position. She let go of Blake's hand only to curl her arm around her shoulders, though she was cautious with it.

"It's not too hard, is it? Does it hurt?"

Blake shook her head immediately.

"No. It feels fine."

Yang let out another sigh of relief. Slowly she leaned herself back in the grass and Blake went with her. Yang's arm provided a sturdy cushion for the back of her neck, but with her hair softening a bit of the hardness it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

Yang pulled her partner a bit closer as she trained her eyes up at the sky. Blake turned her head in her direction and watched her.

It was only then she realized the one thing she didn't like about Yang's prosthetic. When she turned her face, her Faunus ear didn't brush against a pulse. It was just silence. That was going to take some getting used to.

And it was the same for Yang. When they'd done this in the past, she'd been able to feel Blake's heartbeat by holding her like this. But now her arm couldn't detect any rhythm.

It was making them both a little uneasy, and they both caved at the same time.

That was when their eyes came together for the first time all morning, and it made them realize how many months they'd gone without seeing this.

Without a word, Yang pulled her closer and Blake complied. She pushed herself up just a little and laid herself down partially on top of Yang. The blonde draped both arms across her back and shoulders, holding her firmly in place while the Faunus girl buried her face in Yang's scarf.

It had been so long.

So long since they'd lain like this together without anything else to disrupt them.

So long since they'd been able to feel each other's hearts.

Yang kissed in between Blake's ears, nuzzling them each softly.

Blake managed to lift her head a bit, and two tears dripped down her cheeks. But she was smiling, and Yang was too.

Yang cupped the side of her face with her flesh hand, and Blake let out a rusty little purr as she leaned into it.

Blake leaned forward and Yang pulled her down gently.

It was the first kiss they'd shared in over half a year, one they'd both feared would never happen after everything else that had transpired.

But here it was.

And it was perfect.

--------

A/N: I've had the idea/concept for this in mind for a while, mainly the idea of Blake being uncomfortable with Yang's prosthetic only because of the fact that she can't detect her pulse. And the same for Yang being unable to feel Blake's.