Chapter Text
The Mistral Central Station was bustling with people going to and fro, picking up tickets, grabbing something to eat, or meandering around waiting for the departure of their train. Yang sat with the others, chatting with Ren and Nora while they waited for Blake to say her goodbyes to Ilia and for Ruby to get back from…wherever she went. Speaking of which. She turned her head to Oscar, the boy reading a magazine while he leaned back against Jaune who was playing a game on his Scroll.
“Hey, Oscar,” Yang called, smirking in amusement when the boy jumped and looked at her like a deer in headlights. It was kind of cute that, despite him having the soul of their headmaster in his body, he was still nothing more than a skittish country kid.
“Y-yes?” He blinked, straightening a bit.
Yang leaned an elbow on her knee as she pitched forward a bit. “You know where my adorable baby sister went?”
“Oh, y-yeah,” Oscar stammered, clearing his throat. “Ruby went to the station gift shop. Said something about getting you a present.”
Yang beamed. “Wait, seriously? That’s so cute.”
“Right, though?” Nora laughed. “Ruby is so precious. You should have seen her when we got to the costal city in Vale. She found a little shop and got us these as a present for making it so far.”
Nora held up a little keychain she kept on her belt that was a wood carved turtle, Ren holding up his as well.
“I almost forgot about those.” Jaune admitted, holding his up as well. Upon closer inspection, Yang realized that each of them had Team RNJR engraved on the underside of the belly. She’d seen Ruby wearing one on her belt as well, a memento to the time spent with the other three. Something painful twisted in Yang’s chest, thinking about her little sister desperately trying to fit into another team, leading their friends on a cross-continental trek for answers as to why their entire lives had been shattered. It gnawed at the guilt inside her soul, and awoke the little voices that whispered that she was a failure. She had done to Ruby exactly what she feared others would do to herself - abandoned her when she needed her sister the most. Ruby was still just a kid, barely 16, struggling to take on so much weight with a smile and a laugh and a gleam of hope to pick up anyone who fell down. Ruby never would have needed to get little turtle charms to remember her time with another team had Yang simply been strong enough to reach out to her instead of shove her away. She’d promised Mom she would watch out for her, raise her right, be by her side no matter what. Would she be disappointed to know her eldest daughter had failed?
She couldn’t think about that now. It was done and over with. Regretting the past was not going to get her anywhere, and certainly wasn’t going to help Ruby. Yang shook her head slightly, plastering a smile on her lips. “That’s Ruby for you.”
As if on cue, a whisp of red blew into the food court where they were sitting, Ruby materializing with a beaming grin on her face and hands behind her back, feet dancing back and forth in excitement.
Yang rose, eyeing her with a humorless look, “And?”
Ruby brought her hands forward, holding a bag from the Mistral Train Station Gift Shop. “Ta-da!”
“What a waste of time,” Weiss snorted, rolling her eyes fondly.
Yang broke into a grin. “What did you get me?”
Ruby pulled the bag back when she tried to grab it, smirking mischievously. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Pouting, Yang tried to lung at her to grab it. “Hey, no fair!”
“You’ll get it on the train!” Ruby yelped, pushing her foot into Yang’s stomach as she tried to keep the bag out of her reach.
“You girls heading to Argus?”
Yang paused in her playful fighting with Ruby to glance over, seeing two men approach them. Yang pushed Ruby’s ankle down, sneering at the way they leered over the both of them. Her body moved, shifting between the men and her sister.
“So what if we are?” Yang shot back.
“Well, we’re the Huntsmen on duty.” The brown haired man with a spiked club said, leaning forward as his eyes roamed over Yang. He winked at her. “And we have a deal for you.”
“It can get pretty rough out there,” the other man with a black and gold rifle said. “But, for a special price we can make sure your train car gets a little extra attention, if you know what I mean.”
The brown haired man glanced at Ruby with interest and Yang’s blood boiled, eyes going red. She shifted to block his view, glad when she caught Ren moving out of the corner of her eye to wrap an arm around Ruby and pull her half behind him as well. Jaune shifted an arm in front of Oscar, Weiss and Nora reaching for their weapons.
“I got an idea for ya.” The familiar voice calmed some of Yang’s rage, Qrow sauntering his way over with a hand in his pocket. He glared at the two Huntsmen, a sneer on his lips. “Back the fuck off before I break your legs.”
The guy with the rifle glared at Qrow. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“I see Mistral is scraping from the bottom of the barrel these days.” Qrow grunted, “What? All the good Huntsmen taken so they had to pick Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb to cover the train? Sure feel safe here.”
The brown haired man with the club scowled, growling, “Watch your mouth!”
“Maybe we think you have something suspicious on you,” his partner said, “As Huntsmen, we have a right to deny you access to the train.”
“Yeah?” Qrow challenged. He pulled out his Scroll, holding it out to show his Vale Huntsmen license. “Sure would look suspicious to have two Huntsmen stopping another that out ranks them, wouldn’t you think?”
The two men paled, backing up a step.
“Whatever.” The one with the club said. “Let’s get out of here.”
“We won’t forget this.” The other grumbled as they walked away.
Jaune sighed, slumping in his seat. “Well, that…happened.”
“Guys!” They all turned to see Blake jogging over. She noticed the way Ruby was shaking slightly behind Ren, frowning worriedly.
“Did something happen?”
“Two disgusting men happened.” Weiss said disdainfully.
Yang moved over to Ruby, hugging her close. “You okay?”
“Fine!” Ruby perked, smiling slightly. “It’s alright. They were just full of themselves is all.”
Yang frowned worriedly, brushing a hand through her sister’s hair. “Yeah, good thing Qrow showed up to put them in their place.”
“I’d rather have put a bullet through their face.” Qrow grumbled.
“Or break their legs.” Nora added.
“Violence wouldn’t have solved the issue,” Ren said wisely. “It would have merely gotten us banned from the train.”
Oscar shifted nervously. “I don’t like that they’ll be the ones in charge of security, but I don’t think we can do anything about that.”
“It’ll be alright.” Jaune reassured. “No one will be sleeping alone, and we just make sure to always move about the train in pairs. They kind of remind me of Cardin. Don’t want a fight with too many people, nor with too big of a crowd to see it done. I don’t think they’ll try anything on the train, but we’ll just be prepared.”
Yang nodded in agreement. She kissed Ruby’s head, letting her slip away as she plopped beside Weiss, talking excitedly about being able to see Argus, wondering what it was like. Lavender eyes glanced over to Blake who was watching her worriedly.
“What?” It came out a little harsher than she would like, Blake flinching.
“I just…” Blake took a breath, rubbing her arm. “Are you alright? After that?”
“Yeah,” Yang brushed her off. “It doesn’t phase me much, but…”
“You were worried about Ruby,” Blake said knowingly.
Yang rubbed the back of her neck. “Yep.”
It wasn’t much longer before their train was called, the group of them carrying their luggage to the train and passing their tickets to the conductor. They had to undergo a search before being allowed on, all weapons stored in cargo instead of with their personal affects. Ruby hugged her collapsed scythe to her chest.
“Do I have to?” She whined.
“I’m afraid so, Miss.” the security officer said.
Ruby made a face, clearly not wanting to release it. Weiss sighed and came by, snatching Crescent Rose from Ruby to hand over to the officer. She yelped, trying to grab for it, but Yang hooked her around the waist, hoisting her over her shoulder.
“Let’s go.” She said.
“No!” Ruby whined, trying to reach for her weapon as they passed. “This is cruel! You can’t part me from my baby! She needs me!”
“She’ll be fine.” Weiss half-heartedly comforted her. “Quit whining.”
“Uncle Qrow gets to keep Harbinger.” She pointed out.
Qrow snorted. “Cause I got a license, Pipsqueak.”
“What about Oscar? He gets to keep his.” Ruby frowned.
“It’s really just a cane.” Oscar admitted sheepishly. “Nothing sharp and pointy about it.”
“Crescent isn’t sharp and pointy!” She argued.
“You have a collapsible, fully-customizable, high-impact sniper rifle scythe,” Jaune said. “Anyone would be concerned.”
“Yang gets to keep Ember Celica!”
Yang snorted. “Only half, and that’s because they cannot take off my literal arm.”
“I hate you all.” Ruby whined.
Yang chuckled, patting Ruby’s back as she carried her through the train. “Come on, I’ll give you a cookie if you behave.”
“I’m not five,” she huffed. After a beat, she murmured, “And I want two.”
The others laughed.
———
It started to snow within the first few hours of the trip.
Blake watched out the window as the snow drifted in thick flurries along the ground, covering the cliffs and mountainsides in blankets of pure white. She hadn’t seen much snow in her life, Menagerie always ridiculously warm. The first time she’d really seen it was last year when they were at Beacon, the campus covered in ice and wet snow making it difficult to get back and forth between classes. She remembered how she’d shivered, unprepared for the biting cold of Vale in the midst of winter. Yang had wrapped an arm around her, flaring her aura to help keep her warm. It had been nice, the way she’d always migrated to her side, making jokes, a comforting presence she could always rely on.
Now, there was a chasm between them, a gorge that she didn’t know how to cross. Blake had hurt her. For a while, she didn’t even know if the others would ever take her back. On the way to Mistral, she’d been fraught with worry, fearing the day she would reunite with the rest of her team. Would Weiss shun her like she had when they’d first met? Would she use her absence as confirmation that Blake was not to be trusted to have their backs? Would Yang ever forgive her for leaving her that day? For being the cause of her missing arm? Ruby…Ruby was the worst. She was petrified to face the young girl again, so terrified to have that bright smile turn into an angry frown. She’d not only abandoned their team, but hurt her sister. It was Blake’s fault Yang almost died. It was Blake’s fault she suffered so much pain. Would Ruby ever be able to look at her the same way again, or would she always stare at Blake with disdain? Would she swear against her ever returning to team RWBY?
It had been a shock, to say the least, when Ruby had been the first one willing to extend her arms and welcome Blake back to the team. She had been the one to squeeze her a little tighter, to smile at her a little brighter. Where Blake had feared retribution, she had only been met with relief. It had taken a conversation with Jaune to realize why. Ruby had missed their team something awful, a shell of herself through most of their travel to Mistral. Ruby loved their team, their family. A young girl who had lived with such a broken home for so long, desperate to find something stable, something lasting. Over the last year and a half of being at Beacon, Blake had begun to think of Ruby as a little sister herself. Never much one for tactile connection, Blake would find herself brushing an arm against Ruby’s, standing closer to her in dangerous situations, always looking to make sure she was okay. It had extended to Weiss as well, a friend she confided in, trusted. So many days they’d shared tea, studied together, even gone shopping. And Yang…she’d been so much more. She’d been a solace in the darkness of her nightmarish past. She’d been an anchor, keeping her from drowning in her own self-loathing, her despair at the things she had done, the person she’d been. Yang had seen her for who she truly was ever since the start. She’d believed in her, supported her, cared for her.
And Blake had done the one thing Yang had begged her never to do - abandon her.
Where Ruby and Weiss had been quick to accept her back, Yang was a cold as the Solitas Tundras. Their conversations had been brief, stilted. Gone was the warmth and the ease built in their partnership. Now, it was replaced with a reluctance, a forced tolerance. It hurt. It hurt more than Blake could ever put into words, but it was a bed of her own making. Blake knew it was going to take time to get close to Yang again, that was if Yang would ever let her. She may not want anything to do with Blake again. It would be her right. Blake just hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could prove to Yang she would never leave again. That maybe she could show her, earn her trust back, be someone she could rely on again instead of fear.
She sighed, turning from the window. Weiss was reading a book beside her and across the table Yang sat staring out the window herself, eyes distant and lost in whatever was running through her head. Ruby, on the other hand, had abandoned whatever game she’d been playing on her Scroll, slumped against Yang’s shoulder and snoring softly. It was only now that Blake noticed the soft bruises under their young leader’s eyes, the exhaustion written into every fiber of her person. Blake had been filled in on what had happened the last 8 months of their separation, the trek to Mistral, Yang’s recovery, Weiss’s dismissal from her position as heiress. They’d all been through so much, changed more than they ever had. Ruby, it would seem, had changed the least, still as optimistic as ever and determined to shoulder the weight of everyone else around her. It had to have been taking a toll on her, the physical symptoms only just now starting to show.
Ruby shifted a bit, curling up more against Yang. The movement seemed to pull her from her thoughts, looking down as her eyes softened at Ruby’s sleeping face. Yang shifted her arm around her sister, resting her hand on her stomach to keep her close and better cushioned on her chest. She grabbed the edge of the cloak, tugging the red fabric over Ruby’s body before pressing a kiss to her hair.
“I’m glad she’s finally getting some sleep,” Weiss murmured, careful to keep her voice quiet. She reached over to turn Ruby’s Scroll off, collapsing it back down to its smaller form.
Blake nodded. “She’s been the one getting up early every morning to prep for training sessions and making sure everyone is alright from the battle. I’m sure it’s been a lot on her too.”
Yang gave a noncommittal noise. Blake softened at the little cocoon Ruby had become, though upon closer inspection she realized the other girl was a bit pale in contrast to her cloak.
“Yang,” Blake said tentatively. She tried not to flinch when those lavender eyes turned hard as they glanced her way. “Check Ruby’s temperature.”
“What?” Yang frowned. “Why?”
Blake shifted, shrugging slightly. “Just…a gut feeling. Please?”
Yang arched a brow, but complied. She slipped her human hand up to her sister’s forehead, a deeper frown settling onto her lips.
“What’s wrong?” Weiss pressed, closing her book.
“Ruby’s running a fever.” Yang said, turning her eyes back to Blake. “How did you know?”
Blake rubbed her arm nervously, cat ears twitching. “Heightened senses, remember? I could hear a little hitch in her breathing, and she’s a bit paler than normal.”
Yang marveled at her a moment, eyes wide. “You can do that?”
She shrugged, blushing. “Remember how I was able to tell you were hiding three broken ribs after you got back from your fight with Neo? Or that I knew Weiss had sprained her ankle after the Mountain Glen trip?”
Both Yang and Weiss seemed to finally connect the dots between those incidents and Blake’s cat-like senses, looking rather embarrassed with themselves.
“Ugh,” Weiss set a hand on her face. After a moment, she rose. “You know what? Before I manage to realize anymore embarrassing mistakes, I’m going to go hunt down Jaune to see if we have any medicine for Ruby. You two get her to bed.”
Before either could protest about her going alone, Weiss was already making her way out of the train car. They glanced at each other, gazes quickly averting. It was quiet for a long moment, save Ruby’s soft breathing. After a time, Yang sighed and shifted.
“I, uh…” she stopped and sighed again. “I need your help. Can you get Ruby so I can stand?”
“O-oh, sure.” Blake quickly climbed out of her chair, coming around. Yang pushed Ruby up a bit so Blake could grab her around the shoulders, sliding an arm under her knees to lift the younger girl up. She frowned.
Yang was just climbing out behind her when she noticed, brows furrowing. “What?”
“She’s lighter than usual,” Blake said. “I know we’ve all gotten stronger, but I think Ruby’s lost weight.”
Worry etched itself into every line of Yang’s face as she looked at her sister. “I…I helped her with her corset the other day. I did notice that it needed to be tightened a bit more than it used to…”
“And she has her belts on a tighter notch as well,” Blake murmured. “Do…do you think she hasn’t been eating?”
“Her appetite has been a bit off since Weiss and I found them,” Yang admitted. “At first, I thought it was just the shock of everything happening. I never noticed that her weight had changed since I’m used to picking her up she always feels light to me.”
Blake carefully transferred Ruby into Yang’s arms, taking out her scroll to pull up everyone’s Aura readings. Jaune, Ren, Nora, Oscar, and Weiss were all at full. Same for Blake and Yang. Ruby, however, was at 75%, dropping to 74% before her eyes.
“Oh, Ruby…” Blake murmured, putting her Scroll away. “She needs rest, and to eat a good meal.”
Yang tightened her hold on her sister ever so slightly, a pained look on her face. She said nothing, merely nodded, before turning to head towards the sleeper cars. Blake trailed along, getting doors for her and helping to unlock their room. Yang brought her in and set her sister gently down on Blake’s bottom bunk, taking off her boots, cape, and corset, before tucking her into the blankets. In the meantime, Blake slipped off to the bathroom, returning with a cool cloth in hand. Yang accepted it gratefully, gently smoothing it over her sister’s forehead and eyes to help soothe the light swelling from the fever.
Ruby shifted slightly, a small whimper in her sleep. Yang sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing soothing circles into her sister’s stomach.
“It’s okay,” she soothed. “I’m right here. Shh. It’s alright.”
The young Huntress whimpered once more, before settling back into her sleep. Blake was no stranger to Ruby’s nightmares, having woken up many a night to either Yang moving across the way to her sister’s bed, or Ruby climbing into Yang’s. She’d heard the little cries, the way Ruby tried so hard to be quiet so as not to disturb her and Weiss. She had seen how - though rare as it was - when a fever would hit their young leader she would be wrought with nightmares so vivid and strange Ruby would come awake screaming herself hoarse. On more than one occasion, Blake herself had slipped into Yang’s bed beside the young girl while her sister was out for a moment, holding Ruby through her cries and comforting her as best she could. Despite their history, it never ceased to amaze Blake how effortlessly Yang’s presence brought comfort to their leader. Though, Ruby responded well to her and Weiss, it would never compare to the pure ease in which Yang’s touch could melt the girl into utter safety. Blake suspected it had something to do with what Yang had told her about their past, being the only mother figure Ruby ever truly knew. It made sense, their relationship often mirroring that of a mother and child far more than two sisters.
“She’s worried about us,” Yang said suddenly, catching Blake off guard.
She blinked, floundering to find her voice a moment. “I-w-what? How?”
Yang didn’t look away from Ruby. “I see it in the way she looks at us, a constant hint of concern and fear that things will fall apart again. I think she’s afraid we won’t get along like we used to.”
Traitorous hope bloomed in her chest. Blake swallowed thickly. “You…you think we can?”
Yang shifted, glancing at the floor, then the window at the snow covered trees flying by. “I…don’t know.”
There it was. The truth. That hope fizzled and burned within her chest, Blake looking away as her ears pressed to her head. She should have known. She never should have allowed even a spark of hope for something different. She didn’t deserve things to be that easy. Not after what she did.
“I’d like to think we can. One day.”
Blake’s head jerked to look at Yang, finding her staring back with a cautious sadness in her lavender eyes. Blake opened her mouth to speak, only to find her voice frozen in her throat. It took a moment before she croaked out, “Y-you…you do?”
Yang sighed, coming her metal hand through her messy blonde hair. The strands ruffled like wind through wheat, and Blake could recall the memory of the heat burning off every lock of hair nearly enough to burn. She missed running her hands through those curls, feeling her partner close.
“I would like to,” Yang admitted. “One day. I-I miss you. I’ve missed you for so long.”
Blake blinked, tears burning her eyes. “I missed you too…Gods, Yang, not a day went by I didn’t think about you, worry about you. I…I’m so sorry, for the way I left. I thought…it doesn’t matter what I thought, I left, that’s all that matters and I am so horribly sorry.”
Yang nodded, seemingly more to herself than anyone else. She pursed her lips, heaving another sigh through her nose as she clasped her hands together.
“I know you are,” she said after a moment, “And I know there was a good reason. You have no idea how glad I am to see you back in one piece, to know you’re safe. I worried for so long that Adam would find you, hurt you, or someone else would. I’m happy you’re here, I really am.”
Slowly, Yang turned her eyes up to her. “But I’m not ready to forgive you. Not yet. Is that…okay?”
Blake didn’t think it would have been possible for her heart to break any further, but those words deepened the cracks, leaving a painful throb behind. She swallowed again, bile burning her throat. It hurt, to be so close, yet so far from someone she cared about so much. However, it was her burden to bear, her retribution to suffer. There was hope, a silver, a thread, but it was there. Yang had said not ‘yet’, which meant maybe one day she could earn that forgiveness. Maybe one day, she could prove to her partner she was here to stay for good.
Blake would take whatever she could get. So long as she had a chance, she’d do anything she asked.
Nodding, Blake stuck her hands into het coat pockets.
“It’s more than okay,” she promised. “I can wait. However long you need.”
Yang nodded in return. “This…doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk to you, or work as a team with you. We still fight well together, and the others need us to be at our best. I think…it will just take a while before I’m ready to move on elsewhere.”
“I understand.” Blake said. She smiled ever so slightly. “Thank you, Yang, for telling me this.”
Yang chuckled humorlessly, a small smile at the edge of her lips. “Look at us, actually communicating. Maybe you can teach a dog old tricks, or rather, a cat.”
Blake couldn’t help the snort-laugh that bubbled in her chest, half hysteric and half relief. She covered her mouth, trying not to disturb Ruby. “That was so bad.”
“I know.” Yang grinned. “Got you to laugh though.”
“Only because your jokes are as bad as your puns,” she teased.
Yang mock gasped, looking fake offended. “Blake Belladonna, you take that back. I will have you know I’m the funniest girl alive.”
“Whatever makes you happy.” Blake chuckled.
The door to their room opened and Weiss slipped inside with a package of peanut butter crackers, a water bottle, and a bottle of medicine. She glanced between the two of them, a small relieved smile on her lips, before she crossed to Yang. Blake couldn’t help the small blush on her cheeks. Had Weiss been worried about them too? Just how obvious had they been?
Yang accepted the items from Weiss, looking over the medicine bottle.
“Jaune said this should help with her fever, and any other aches she may have. It’s an herbal remedy Ren’s grandmother used frequently in his village.” Weiss said.
“Can’t taste great, then,” Yang snorted.
Weiss crossed her arms. “Hence, the peanut butter crackers.”
Yang set the items in her lap, shifting the cloth up on Ruby’s forehead as she gently rubbed her sister’s shoulder.
“Ruuubbyy,” she called gently. “Ruby-roo. Can you wake up for me?”
Ruby shifted, making a noise. Tired silver eyes slowly opened, unfocused and glazed with fever.
“Huh?” She murmured. “Yang…? What…what’s going on?”
Yang smiled gently. “You’re running a little fever. Weiss got you some medicine from Jaune to help break it. Think you can sit up and eat a little to take it?”
Ruby whined shifting half on her side. “I’ll be okay…just need’a nap…it’s fine…”
Weiss frowned. “Ruby, you need to take your medicine so you can feel better.”
She pouted. “No…not bossy Weiss again…bring back nice Weiss…”
“You little…” Weiss huffed, trying to keep her temper in check. “Always so stubborn.”
Blake smiled slightly and came over, shifting to ease an arm under Ruby to sit her up anyway. Ruby made a noise of protest, but Blake was already sitting on the bed and letting Ruby lay against her for support.
“Just a little bit,” Blake said softly, “Then you can go back to sleep. Promise.”
Ruby blinked slowly, taking a moment to register that Blake was behind her. When she did, she leaned back and snuggled against her, a weak smile playing against her lips.
“Hey…I missed how comfy you are…” she hummed, tipping her head against her shoulder.
Blake chuckled, gently rubbing up and down Ruby’s arms. “Glad to help.”
Yang already opened the package of crackers, handing one to Ruby. Reluctantly, she took it to nibble on. It was a slow process, Ruby kept nodding off and Yang would have to shake her awake again. Blake pressed the cool cloth against Ruby’s cheeks to help quell some of the heat. Weiss opened the water bottle to encourage her to take a few sips. When she was down to two more crackers, Weiss measured out a cap full of the green herbal medicine and handed it to Yang. Blake could see her doing everything in her power not to make a face at the sludge, not wanting to give Ruby even more of a reason to refuse it.
“Alright, Rubes. Here ya go.” Yang said. “Just gotta take this and then you can go back to sleep.”
Ruby took the cap and made a face of her own at the medicine. She obviously didn’t have the energy to keep fighting as she quickly tossed it back, swallowing it. Her hand covered her mouth and a full body shutter ran through her frame as she kicked her legs, whimpering at the foul taste. Yang quickly took one of the last crackers, giving it to her.
“Here, here, eat this to get rid of the taste.” She said .
Ruby wasted no time shoving the cracker into her mouth, chewing it quickly and trembling at the awful taste. Yang gave her the last one to help cover it, Ruby eating that one a bit slower and drinking more of the water.
“Ugh…” she groaned. “Medicine is so gross…”
Yang chuckled. “Especially, when it’s a Ren recipe.”
“That explains it,” Ruby grunted. Her eyelids fluttered tiredly. Blake softened and shifted to help Ruby lay back, getting an extra pillow to prop her a little more comfortably. The young girl snuggled on her side, looking at the other three sleepily.
“Will you all stay…?” She murmured. “I…I don’t want to be alone…”
“Of course, you dolt.” Weiss said gently. “We won’t leave you.”
“Never,” Yang said, reaching to hold Ruby’s hand.
Blake smoothed the cloth back on her forehead. “We’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Ruby smiled slightly and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Glancing over, Blake noticed the worried expression on Yang’s face, the concern for her sister palpable. Instinctually, she reached out, holding Yang’s free hand. The gesture seemed to startle her, but before Blake could pull away, Yang’s fingers tightened around hers.
The surprise wore off quickly and Blake smiled gently at her partner, “She’ll be okay. I promise.”
Yang glanced at her softly. “I believe you.”
Blake’s heart throbbed, but this time in a good way, a hopeful way. It would be a long time before things were truly fixed between them.
But right now, it was a very good start.