#yangonfire

and don't forget the people who said blake and sun were basically a couple after volume 1 afsfhskgdkgd

I’m TRYING to forget that.

oh yeah definitely, that whole thing was very much Old Flame vs New Flame in a lot of ways. and the whole set up, the deliberate choice to use ‘love’ (it’s used for the first time in a romantic context in the show, in that episode, but then followed up with a threat at everything Blake loves when ‘everything you care about’ would’ve sufficed), that it was running parallel to a Jaune/Pyrrha scene (this happens a lot in the show - Blake/Yang scenes getting parallels and similar story tools with Jaune/Pyrrha scenes) where there was definite romantic tension, it’s all deliberate directorial choices to clue in that you’re supposed to be making the romantic connection

and then the parallels, which had been set up in volume 2 when we learned how Yang’s semblance worked, building up but Blake making it very clear that despite the incident reminding her of Adam, Yang isn’t him - and we see that, even in their semblances. Yang puts herself in harms way for her semblance to work, which reflects her self-sacrificing nature (another layer to that is she dodges more when she’s alone. callback to their discussion in Burning the Candle, “if we destroy ourselves in the process, what good are we?” Yang tries to avoid getting hurt when fighting alone, but when others are around she can be of some ‘good’ for them there). meanwhile Adam has to put his sword in the way to charge up - similarly, he puts Blake in danger fighting the spider droid until he’s ready to make the winning attack. Yang is selfless, Adam is selfish. and the actual scene we get with the two of them makes it very clear which one actually cares about Blake as a person

finding out that Adam was abusive also gives some additional context to Burning the Candle. when the argument escalates to shoves, and Blake is pushed into the table, and Yang approaches her again, Blake flinches. she shrinks away and is clearly very surprised when Yang hugs her. that seems to be an indication that on at least one occasion, Blake argued with Adam and there was a point where she pushed back at him, went ‘too far’ and was punished for it

even their reactions to Blake leaving - Adam is angered and he’s very clearly possessive of her, Yang is just... sad. being left behind is something she’s used to, but what hurts her the most is that she’s never given an explanation

follower appreciation - make me choose: @yangonfire asked “this life is mine” or “red like roses part ii”

The trees have eyes and mouths and claws. Snow blows stark against the black sky, flurry hurtling towards the windowpanes the way ghosts manifest, unexpectedly and full of terror. She expects faces with hollow sockets and jaws gnashing wildly to rise from the storm. Death never ends. It only consumes.

The fire’s flickering - she should get up and stoke it, disturb the embers enough to catch, but there’s a foot of space between the bed and the floor and her ankles are exposed, nightgown resting just above her knees. She thinks of fingers curling around bone. She thinks of how branches snap. The fire stays smoldering, trying its best alone.

The knock at her door manages not to be startling, light and quiet, knob turning a moment later. “Blake?” a voice whispers, blonde hair still bright in the dull glow. “You up?”

“Yeah,” Blake says, arms hooked around her knees, chin resting between them.

Yang takes a short glance back, slips into the room, door closing quietly behind her. The lock clicking manages to keep off stereo. It’s not as if they aren’t allowed to be doing what they’re doing, but sneaking into each other’s beds is likely not the best way for the information to be found out.

“I can’t sleep,” Yang says, automatically picking up the poker and crouching beside the fire when she notices the chill of the room. They’re obstacles that make sense to her, but are far easier for her to conquer. The flames flare up against the unburned parts of the wood.

“Me neither.”

She drops the poker back onto its hook, flashes Blake a glance, bottom lip held loosely between her teeth. Already the room is warmer, but, Blake thinks, that probably has more to do with who’s in it rather than the fire itself. Yang says slyly, “Got any room over there? I know you like to take up the entire bed, but--”

Blake’s sudden giggling jars her into reality, interrupts the rest of Yang’s sentence. The floor comes into view again, the locked door, the tightly-latched windows. Nothing waits beneath her; nothing hovers outside the walls. It’s strange to be present. “Shut up,” she says, lifts her head; her knees slip cross-legged. “I don’t take up the entire bed.”

“Last night I woke up hanging off the edge.” Yang ambles closer, steps solid against the wood. She’s brave in the face of empty space, of nooks and corners and hiding places. “With you curled up against my back.”

“Yes, because you throw yourself around in your sleep, and I was just trying to stay warm.” Blake’s voice hinges defiant, but she’s smiling. Yang mirrors her mouth, settles comfortably in front of her, one leg crossed and foot pressed against her thigh.

“Mhm,” Yang says. Her eyes glitter more than the amount of light washing across the room should allow. “Sure, baby.”

Blake’s lips snap shut, her heart thumping against her ribs. It’s still so new; casual endearments, light touches, kisses when she isn’t prepared for them - her body packs her brain up, sends it on a break. She takes an embarrassingly long time to reply, blood settling in her cheeks. Yang’s much, much faster than her, and she likes to prove it.

She leans closer, spine curving, hair dragging against the sheets. Her smile is both blithe and wicked, one of her palms wrapping against Blake’s knee. “Baby,” she murmurs again, and Blake holds her own breath hostage. “Wanna sleep with me?”

The noise Blake makes isn’t known to mimic any human sound - Yang cracks wide open and laughs at it, Blake’s blood now a cry for help underneath her skin. “Fuck you,” is all she can say, but her eyelids flutter when Yang dips in for a kiss.

“I meant literally, you fucking pervert,” Yang whispers as she pulls away, all faux-innocence and density. “I’m exhausted. Big day ahead of us tomorrow.” Her pupils dart to Blake’s mouth and back, kissing her again, decidedly more bold. Blake’s bottom lip throbs against her tongue; Yang always manages to leave her aching.

“It’s always a big day,” Blake says, finally opening her eyes. “And I’m always exhausted.”

Ah, the truth of it all; Atlas is harder on her than it is anyone else, except perhaps Weiss herself. The line of Yang’s mouth softens at the statement. “We really should sleep, then,” she says, flirtatiousness fading easily from her tone. She’s only care, concern, empathy. “How’s that sound?”

“Good,” Blake says, tips forward into Yang’s arms, buries her face in the crook of her neck; Yang enfolds her, hands counting every layer of her spine. Now, she thinks, now there is nothing to be afraid of in the dark. All this room is full. “Don’t let go of me, okay?”

“Oh, baby,” Yang sighs into her hair, the tip of her ear, lowers Blake back against the mattress as carefully as she can manage. Blake adjusts herself in Yang’s embrace, their bodies intertwining the same as that ember into coal, flickering from orange to black. “I won’t. Even if I have to stay awake all night to ensure I don’t fling myself off the bed.”

Blake laughs tiredly against her collarbone. Outside, the snow has lost its teeth, and the wind no longer screeches as if in pain. Everything is a ghost until it is seen in the light. She says, “You know I love you, right?”

“Yeah,” Yang says, quiet as afternoon, tender as summer. Everything Blake misses lives inside of her. She kisses the crown of Blake’s head, draws a heart with her prosthetic fingers against the dimples of Blake’s lower back. “I know.”

“This is the part where you say it,” Blake mumbles teasingly, her eyelashes like ash against her cheekbones. The shadows have all fled, weak in the face of sun.

also the one person she wants to be strong for is the one person who keeps accidentally implying that she thinks yang is weak or at least saying things that yang INTERPRETS that way