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“We need to go.”
They had stayed on the ground until long after their legs had gone numb from the position and the cold. The sobs had subsided finally, though, and Yang felt like staying in this spot would only prolong the pain. Besides, the others might need them.
Blake pulled away and wiped at her eyes.
“Right,” she agreed.
The blonde leaned back on her heels and stood up before taking her partner’s arm and hauling her up to her feet.
Blake was still shaking and Yang realized that she had to be cold. There was snow on the ground and the mist from the waterfall couldn’t be helping. Without a word, she slipped her jacket off and wrapped it around the other girl’s shoulders. Blake made a noise of protest but Yang touched her lips to stop it.
“It will make me feel better if you wear it,” she told her. “Humor me.”
A small but grateful smile answered her and she knew that the cold wasn’t going to compare to the warmth it brought. She watched Blake slip her arms through the sleeves before she took her hand again.
“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get out of here.”
She tugged on Blake’s hand and they started to walk. The first few steps were difficult but the farther they went, the less she had to pull Blake along.
For Yang, Adam had always been evil. He was the man who had taken her arm, the eyes that had haunted her days and nights. She hadn’t wanted to have to kill anyone, but his death came with a sense of relief for her. She knew that it was not as black and white for Blake.
Blake had been sucked in by this man’s lies when she was young. She had followed him unquestioningly and had even loved him for a while. So much of her formative years had been affected by Adam. He had had his claws in her so deeply that it crippled her current relationships. While his death meant freedom for her, Yang knew that it was also the closing chapter in a long story for her. It was bound to be overwhelming.
“I… I hope Ruby and the others found a way to get by with the tower active,” Blake said quietly after a while.
“Hey, you don’t need to do that,” Yang replied, nudging her with her elbow but never letting go of her hand. “We don’t need to move on from what happened yet. Take your time.”
Blake shook her head. “People are counting on me.”
“Let me handle it,” the blonde said. “I can be strong for the both of us right now.”
“I know… I know that you can be,” Blake answered softly. “But you shouldn’t have to be… I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me… It’s over and… I should be happy… I just feel so weak…”
Yang could see tears well up again in Blake’s eyes and she stopped walking. She let go of her hand to hug her again.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she insisted. “You’re one of the strongest people I know. This isn’t going to be something that we just get over. We’re just going to take this little by little and it is going to take time. But I’m right here beside you and we can handle it together.”
Blake hugged her back tightly and she could feel her nuzzle into her neck.
“And hey, if I get to hug a pretty girl every time you need comfort, that’s a plus,” Yang tried to tease to lighten the mood.
It managed to pull a surprised laugh that had clearly stopped a sob from Blake’s lips and Yang grinned, knowing that she had done that. The faunus shoved her playfully but without the strength it would take to push out of her arms. Blake shook her head.
“I missed you,” she said after a minute.
Yang knew that she had been different with Blake since she had come back. Honestly, she had been different with everyone, but she had managed to laugh and tease with the others when they were reunited. Blake was the only one she still acted guarded around. This was the first time that she had joked around with her since the Fall of Beacon and she had done it without trying. She had told her on the train that it would just take time, and she was glad to see that she had been right.
“I missed you, too,” she responded with a smile. “We’re going to be okay.”
Blake nodded and pulled out of her arms. She took the blonde’s hand again.
“We will be,” she agreed.