Promises Kept (ch1)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU!

Guess what's back? That's right! RWBY Week! This is round 4, all of them set during or directly after the vol6 finale. All of these are very brief, but things I wanted to address anyway!

Starting off with Ladybug Sunday!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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														Chapter 1.

After things had ended with Adam, Blake's fears weren't of him anymore.

Instead, she was scared for her friends, her teammates, who had been relying on her to complete her task of disabling security.

A task that she'd failed.

If they were delayed or prevented from getting to Atlas now, it'd be all her fault.

Yang helps her to her feet, and with one last emotional glance between them, they begin to run.

Blake can hear a great commotion at the cliffs even from deep within the forest. When they finally find the others, all seems to be stilled in brewing chaos. Cordovin's robot is disabled and useless, and the Grimm are swarming overhead. And one much larger heading towards them from the sea.

And it's her fault.

Blake knows it's on her shoulders that they aren't able to leave on time with their stolen ship.

When Ruby calls her name and hurries forward to meet her and Yang, Blake nearly breaks down into apologies right there in front of her leader.

She'd failed her. She'd let her down. Ruby's plan had been so clever and well thought-out, and everyone else had successfully played their part in it except for Blake.

Somehow she swallows back the apologies, at least until they've all boarded Maria's ship. Once inside, Blake sits heavily on the bench. Her head is spinning slightly, and her body is aching from the loss of aura. She can hardly bring herself to lift her face. She knows she has to apologize to them, and her voice wavers when she tries.

"I'm so sorry..."

And of course Yang is there to support her, in more ways than one.

"Don't be." The cool metal of her hand spreads gently over Blake's arm. Her lavender eyes are earnest. "This isn't on you."

Blake hiccups in a breath.

"But-"

"You're safe."

Her ears perk up a little at the sound of Ruby's voice now. Blake turns her face and watches her leader kneel down before her. Ruby covers Blake's hands with her own, letting their soft warmth spread to her chilled skin. Blake feels a pang shoot through her chest, and her vision blurs.

"Ruby-"

"You're safe," she repeats. "That's all that matters."

Blake lifts her gaze and finds silver – compassionate and honest. Ruby had never cared more for her plan than for anyone's safety. Blake knows that.

She sniffles, smiles, and then reaches out.

Ruby happily reaches up for her too, pulling Blake close, letting her know just how worried she'd been, and just how relieved she is now. Blake quivers against her, unable to stop the feelings of guilt from spilling out.

"Ruby... I'm sorry. I ruined your plan... if it weren't for-"

"You didn't ruin anything, Blake," Ruby stops her, squeezing a little tighter. "That was him." She isn't sure if saying his name will only hurt Blake more, so she refrains. Ruby needs Blake to know she isn't at fault. For anything. "You did what you needed to do, Blake. And I'm so glad for it. I really am."

Blake feels a ripple inside her chest as the hiccups start bubbling up again. She buries her face in Ruby's shoulder and cries softly to her.

"Thank you..."

Ruby smiles and shifts closer for a moment, waiting until Blake's regained her composure. When she finally eases back, Blake's eyes are still tearful, but the guilt has vanished. Ruby brings her hands back on top of Blake's for reassurance.

"And besides, my plan isn't ruined," she smiles. "It's just been... modified."

Blake feels her smile returning. She dips her head and takes in a deep breath, tuning her ears for whatever brilliant ideas her selfless leader will come up with next.

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A/N: I LOVED their canon hug and I am so thankful. I just wanted to add a tiny bit more, and also give a bit of insight as to how Blake was likely feeling.

Tomorrow is Monochrome Monday!