A/N: Hey guys. Back in weissrabbit's roadtrip AU again. I decided to make this a separate fic from Car Roofs are the Perfect Place for Bonding because I felt that the tone and feel was different enough to justify it and it is significantly later in the plot of the roadtrip, so I would be jumping a lot of important things if I decided to put these both in the same fic. That being said, reading the above fic is not required to read this one. I reference it a little bit, but a new reader will totally understand everything I am saying in this fic. There are a few mentions of alcohol and later in the fic, I essentially give Blake a panic attack, so be warned. Enjoy.

"So does Yang know you like her yet?"

Blake looked at the person sitting next to her, a hint of surprise playing at her lips despite her not wanting it to be there. Sun Wukong, one of the surfer dudes that Yang and Blake had met three days ago, was sitting there; staring straight ahead, off the pier and into the horizon of the ocean. While they hadn't started off on a good foot when Sun had aggressively flirted with both Blake and Yang at the same time; he quickly amended his ways and became a friend. He was everything a surfer dude could be; tan, blonde and, a little clueless; but his heart was in the right place and that was the important part.

"Excuse me?"

Sun leaned forward and scooted a few inches so that his bare chest was pressed against the guardrail of the pier and his legs were dangerously far off the edge. He folded his arms and rested them on top of the rail and then placed his head on those. Maximum relaxation. "Have you told Yang that you like her?" His voice wasn't laced with anything other than curiosity. Almost like a child, but not quite since Sun had an uncanny ability to be aware of things he shouldn't be.

Blake rested both her elbows on the bottom rail and then grabbed the rail above with her hands and began pulling, rocking herself back and forth. Almost without thought, she began swinging her legs in time with her rocking and her fingers began tapping on the metal of the bar. "Well I would hope that I liked her since I'm on the other side of the country with her."

"That's not what I meant."

Of course not. Blake knew that Sun was implying something more. She was hoping that she would be able to dodge the question though. "I don't know what you are talking about." Lying wasn't something that Blake liked to do, but it had become second nature to her as she had grown up in the foster system. Sun didn't deserve to be lied to, but it was just easier to lie than to acknowledge the question he was trying to get at.

Sun sighed, eyes still watching the waves just off the coast. "Oh come on," He didn't sound annoyed, but careful instead." Let's be serious and honest here. You're totally in love with Yang."

There it was. The hard L-bomb. The thing that Blake didn't want to hear almost as much as she did want to. Love Yang. Love Yang. Love Yang. It sounded weird no matter how she thought it. Not a bad weird, but Blake couldn't tell if it was a good weird either. It wasn't like anything she had ever really felt before. She couldn't even really describe it if the last week and a half had been any indication to herself. It was just something that Blake felt. Unmoving and firm that gave her occasional bursts of anxiety and butterflies in equal proportions.

"There's nothing wrong with liking Yang I mean it's totally-"

Blake let go of the railing and brought her hand down to hit Sun's shoulder. "It's the twenty-first century. Of course there is nothing wrong with being gay, Sun. Don't be stupid." Her voice had a bit more venom in it than she had meant to, but she didn't really feel like apologizing and Sun hadn't even registered the hit based on his reaction. He was probably used to being hit and slapped by girls.

Sun shrugged. "Well that's good. I've met way too many people from ultra-conservative households who think it's not okay." He turned to Blake to give a smile and a thumbs up, mirroring Yang's go-to move. "This just makes my job easier."

Blake let go with her other hand and crossed them in front of her chest, leaning forward and onto the railing there. The cool metal soaked through the fabric of her tank top and she shivered slightly, wishing that she had Yang's jacket. "You're job?"

Sun turned back to the ocean, a tanned hand coming up to rub at the beard that occupied his face. "Neptune and I like to help people out when we can." An ambiguous answer to say the least and Blake was about to interrupt, pointing out his vagueness when he continued; "Sometimes it's just buying a meal for someone on the street. Sometimes it's a day at the beach with some strangers. Sometimes it's a nine-and-a-half-hour drive to get someone home for the holidays when they miss their plane." Sun focused in on a hair and pulled it out, eyeing it suspiciously before putting it in his mouth and chewing on it. "You and Yang looked like you needed some help, so you know." He shrugged again, as if his confession was nothing to be concerned about or impressed with.

Blake finally turned her head away from her companion and to the ocean. The Sun had set not too long ago, but the last rays of light were still playing at the surface of the water, dancing and sparkling over the tops of the waves as they crested and foamed. It really was beautiful and for a second, Yang crossed Blake's mind before she pushed it out and suppressed that feeling in her stomach. Absent-mindedly, Blake began tapping her fingers on her forearm.

"As nice as that is Sun," Blake wasn't trying to make her voice sound so tired; or was it always like that? "Yang and I are fine. We hit a rough patch before, but that was last month, like a week after we left. It's been pretty easy since then." More avoidance, maybe Sun would just give up eventually.

"Christ, Blake, you're making this way more difficult than it has to be." Sun was certainly persistent, Blake could give him that much.

Sun let out another sigh. This one sounded like he was trying to come up with the right phrasing to what he was about to say. "Look," Sun moved his head and tapped it against one of the metal bars, causing a small thud to sound. "Both of you are obviously interested in the other, and Neptune and I just want to help you guys figure out if that's what you want. I'm not trying to pry or be an asshole or anything like that, so if you tell me right now, that you want me to stop, I will."

Blake decided not to comment on the last part, unsure of whether she actually wanted that or not. "She isn't interested in me; and Neptune is having this same conversation with Yang? You two are like cops." A smile played at her lips since last night the four of them had been running from a pair of cops who had caught them in the abandoned warehouse, but she suppressed it. Old habits die hard.

Sun tapped his head on the bar a few more times. "You can't be serious? Yang is all over you. She's so into you."

Blake turned to face Sun and found that he was already staring at her. "I don't know what you're talking about." At least this time it was the truth.

Sun brought a hand up and dragged it down his face, stretching out his features. "She's always looking at you and smiling at you and touching you and hugging you and laughing at your jokes. Don't you think that means something?"

Blake frowned and thought for a minute, turning away from Sun. It was true that Blake had caught Yang staring more than a few times, but she had always been able to think up a valid reason why Yang could be staring. A stray hair, a fallen piece of ice cream, something happening behind her that Yang had seen. There had never been a time when Yang had been outright staring was there? Not that Blake could think of.

And the touching? That was just Yang. Since they had started talking, Yang had always been very touchy-feely. It wasn't really Blake's style, but she let it happen. Hugging and fixing Blake's hair or wiping her face with a napkin had always been a norm between them. Nothing unusual there. The amount of heat and electricity Yang produced under Blake's skin was a bit unusual, but that could be dealt with at a later time.

The jokes? Yang laughed at everything. Every chance that Yang got, she would laugh and fill the air with that musical tone of hers. Just because she laughed at Blake's jokes, on the rare occasions she made them, didn't really mean anything special.

Blake turned back to Sun, his face expectant and a little smug. "That's just Yang." She nodded a few times. "All those things are just part of Yang's personality. She does that with everyone."

Sun snorted. "If Yang was half as flirty with Neptune and I as she was with you, I guarantee you would notice it and comment on it. It's just because it's you that you're trying to invalidate all these things you've noticed, but are too afraid to acknowledge."

That was quite the deep statement coming from the surfer dude who had dropped out of high school to work on the shore at a random restaurant flipping burgers. It was far too philosophical for the guy who had just picked a piece of hair out of his beard and then had proceeded to eat it.

"Even if that were true; which it's not," Blake made sure to emphasize that last point, "Yang isn't into girls so it doesn't matter how I feel anyway." She turned back to the ocean, a weird pit having formed in her stomach for saying that out loud.

Sun laughed. It was a weird noise, somewhere between a gasp and a shout, but it was certainly a laugh. "I think that Yang is into anything that catches her attention."

It was Blake's turn to snort. "I don't know why you would think that."

"I asked her."

Shit. Blake bit at her lip. Well there went that defense. Blake knew that Yang was bi, but she had been hoping that Sun didn't and that it would foil his plans. He was dangerously perceptive and accurate with what he was saying and it was making Blake worried that she was being obvious.

She shook her head. She couldn't be obvious because she wasn't doing anything. She wasn't in love with Yang. It was just that they were in so many new places so often. Or that she had eaten some bad sea food. Or the colder air at night conducted more electricity and that's why she always got goosebumps when Yang brushed up against her or decided that Blake would make a good pillow.

"Well," Blake was trying to dance carefully with her words. Sun was really good at this. "It doesn't matter, cause Yang isn't into me. Simple as that."

A sigh. There was a little frustration behind it, but not too much. "Fine." Blake blinked in surprise, she didn't think she would win with a statement with no back-up or data to support it.

"But even if she's not, you're into her."

Well. She was close. Blake moved her arms again so that she was grabbing a top bar while her elbows rested on a lower bar again. She started rocking again, trying to get rid of the small pit of anxiety having formed in her stomach. Blake felt her fingers tapping against the metal of the bar, the tips already sore.

"I'm-" Before she could answer, Blake paused. Would it be a lie if she said it? Did she care if it was? Sun was just trying to help and he was a nice enough guy. He didn't deserve to have Blake lying to him and that's all she had been doing. A pang of guilt went through her chest. "I'm… it's… I don't know." Blake sighed heavily. "It's different with Yang."

Sun slouched forward, pushing his head under one the guardrail and resting the back of his neck on it, pushing his throat out. "What do you mean?"

"I-" Blake wasn't sure what she meant. She was no stranger to crushes and having 'things' for people, but it was different with Yang, as much as she didn't want to admit it. It wasn't a crush. It wasn't a 'thing.' It was just different and it frustrated Blake beyond belief because she didn't have the right words to describe it. She had read a thousand books in that damned library back home and none of them had given her the right words for what she was feeling.

"I don't know. I'm not into Yang." Blake sighed, frustrated, trying to formulate the correct sentence as she saw Sun's eyebrows go up out of the corner of her eye. "Being into someone implies that you're just in it for their body." If she couldn't describe how she felt, she would just have to eliminate what she didn't.

Sun nodded a slightly. "Fair enough," he paused for a second, "So you 'like' Yang?" Sun provided the air-quotes around the proper word and applying the proper emphasis; as if they were still in grade school.

Blake shook her head. "No. That's not right." Her thoughts raced, trying to define the implication of 'like.' "Like implies that there is something I don't like about Yang."

"Isn't there?"

Blake pulled herself up and rose to a standing position. As soon as she was standing, she began pacing, her sandals slapping against the wood loudly. Was there anything that she didn't like about Yang? Was there really? There were a few things that she didn't really care for, but nothing that she outright hated. When Yang was overly friendly with other people, when Yang commented on someone walking by, when Yang decided that something was more important than their roadtrip. Those were all annoying. But now that Blake thought about it, those were all very obvious signs of jealousy.

But what about when she pulled Blake's arm out of its socket when she got excited? Wasn't that annoying? Blake shook her head unconsciously. It wasn't. It was endearing. Yang could get so excited about things and just wanted to share that excitement with Blake. But what about when Yang nearly smothered Blake in her sleep when they had shared the backseat that one time? Not really, cause it fit Yang so perfectly. Of course she would be a bear in her sleep. And of course she would apologize in the morning but offered to tie her hair up if Blake wanted her too, implying there would be a next time without ever saying it explicity.

Blake bit her lip.

"No. There isn't."

Sun pulled himself up from his seat and stretched. He casually strolled over to where Blake had stopped to stare over the railing and at the sand. It was dark now, but a few lights could be seen along the beach; fires for the parties no doubt. They would burn all night long and then probably be forgotten in the morning.

"That's called love Blake." Sun gently rested one hand on Blake's shoulder. "You should probably tell her how you feel."

Blake shook her head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

The campfires only lit up a portion of the beach, the rest of it covered in a shroud of blue-ish light. The waves could be heard washing up on the shore, cresting gently and spraying foam everywhere. But in the morning, all the campfires would be out and the tide would wash away the ashes and trash that the delinquents left lying around. In the morning, it would all be gone. Forgotten.

"What if she doesn't-"

"Then she doesn't and at least you got it off your chest." Sun pinched Blake's shoulder gently. His hands were cool and calloused and they felt strange on Blake's shoulder. They weren't uncomfortable, but the weight was weird and unlike Yang's, who was usually the only one allowed to touch Blake.

Blake grabbed the railing tightly and wrung her hands on it. "But I've never had someone like her. I don't want to lose her because I'm being stupid and can't keep it in my pants. What if she leaves? What if…" Blake didn't finish her sentence, but couldn't stop thinking about the fires on the beach in the morning. Forgotten.

Sun sighed happily and turned hopping up onto the railing and angling his head to the stars. "Blake, what if I had finished high school?" She was confused but decided not to interrupt. Sun seemed to be going somewhere. "What if I had gone to college and become the engineer my father wanted me to be? What if I had never met Neptune after I lost my job at the restaurant?" Sun leaned back, using his arms for support and balance. "I could spend the rest of my life wondering, what if, Blake; but there's nothing I can do about the past and only I can control my future. If I had sat around and wondered what if? about my future instead of just doing what I had to; I probably would have never moved to the coast. I would have never met Neptune. I would have never seen the joy of a man who was on his way to see his dying father when his car broke down, only to be offered a ride by two strangers. I would be in a cubicle somewhere, hating my life and designing bridges." Sun turned and looked down from his perch at Blake. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and if Yang leaves and never speaks to you again, I'm going to guess that she wasn't worth it."

Blake felt something twist in her stomach. Sun made a lot of sense. He was probably right. But something was holding her back. Something in the pit of her stomach. She knew that Yang would never just leave her, no matter what happened. But what if…

"Thank you Sun. But there's just… I don't know…" Blake bit her lip. She was being so stupid. This wasn't even a hard thing to accept or think about or anything.

Sun placed a hand on Blake's head and ruffled her hair like he was petting an animal or messing a small child's hair up. "Think about it. You'll feel better if you get it off your chest."

"I will."

Earlier in the Night…

Neptune slid the burger and fries across the picnic table to Yang, who gratefully accepted it. They hadn't eaten all day, opting to rush ahead of Blake and Sun to the beach to catch a few waves rather than eat breakfast. And now that they were thoroughly wiped from the day; nothing could be more perfect than burgers, fries, and milkshakes.

Yang grabbed the burger and bit into it, the meat piping hot and juicy; complimented well by the sauce and lettuce and slight bit of onion that she tasted. A few drops of something came off the burger and threatened to stain Yang's brilliantly yellow tank top, but she moved at the last second and they fell onto the table instead. She swallowed the bite and grabbed a fry eating it whole and burning her mouth in the process. Lastly, she took a sip of the milkshake, the thick liquid taking forever to travel up the straw. Chocolate and delicious. Great food. All of it. Yang approved and prepared for her next round.

Neptune swallowed enough of his burger so that he could speak and pushed the rest to his cheek, "So are you and Blake a thing?" With his free hand, Neptune turned his palm upward in question, as if he was shrugging.

Yang swallowed her bite of food and paused for a second. It was an understandable question. Blake and her were traveling across the country together and sleeping, presumably together, every night. But Yang thought that it had been established that Blake was just a friend at some time during the past few days. Guess not. "No, why?"

After a second's pause, Neptune shrugged, placing his milkshake back on the table. "I dunno. You guys just give off those vibes I guess."

Did they? It didn't seem that way to Yang. As ruthlessly as she flirted with Blake, it never seemed like it was reciprocated in any way. It usually just ended up being Yang hugging Blake, who remained stiff as a board. Yang laughing at Blake's jokes only to get weird looks in return. Not to mention the fact that Yang had been caught staring more than a few times but had never been called on it.

"Yeah, I guess so." Yang absentmindedly ran a hand up the back of her neck and through her hair. It got caught on some curls several times, tugging angrily at her head, but eventually it came free from the golden prison. "You're probably not the first person to think that."

Neptune nodded his head a few times, puckering his lips. "Understandable."

The two ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable or unpleasant, just a simple silence between two people who were eating their food. In the distance, Yang could just barely hear the waves on the shore. It was amazing that the boardwalk wasn't busier for this time of summer, but somehow, Neptune had managed to find a table that wasn't near anything and no pedestrians were walking by.

"Do you want to have a thing with Blake?" Neptune's voice wasn't necessarily innocent and devoid of suspicion, but he certainly put on a good act. All that time in theater probably didn't hurt either; though Yang had to wonder how many parts he could get with that blue hair of his.

Yang thought for a second. There wasn't really any harm in answering the question. But could she answer it? Did she really know? After another second, she answered, "I like Blake, a lot. But I don't think she wants a relationship or a thing or whatever, so I'm not going to bring it up." That made sense. It made Yang a little sad, but if she had to be a little sad to make sure that Blake wasn't uncomfortable or anything like that, then that's how things were going to be. Self-sacrifice wasn't a concept that was entirely foreign to her after all.

A few more nods from Neptune. Yang had noticed that he liked to do that. Every time he got an answer he liked, instead of answering immediately or pausing the conversation, he nodded several times as if to say "okay." "Have you asked her about it?"

Yang shook her head while she finished chewing the last bite of her burger. "Nah," she swallowed, savoring the heat traveling down her throat. It was starting to cool down on the boardwalk and she had left her coat with in the car with her other things.

Neptune waited for a minute, probably expecting more of an answer, but didn't get it. "Why not?" He popped the straw of his milkshake into his mouth and sucked up the last dredges of the drink, the cup starting to make that obnoxious sound that Yang couldn't think of a name for.

Yang shrugged. "I dunno." If she thought about it, she was sure that was an honest answer instead of an immediate reply. Yang hadn't been shy about asking about Blake's life in any other aspects or areas; just cautious and understanding when the quieter girl didn't want to share. But since the beginning of their trip a month and a half ago, Yang couldn't think of a single thing that she hadn't asked Blake about or gotten a definitive answer to eventually. Blake had really opened up the past few weeks and Yang was no different. Blake knew more things about Yang than her parents probably did. Nobody knew Yang like Blake did, and Yang was almost positive the opposite was true.

"You think she's not into girls or something?" Another innocent question. A bit annoying considering that it was a very 'guy' way to ask, but Neptune meant no harm so she decided not to call him on it.

"Honestly, I just figured she wasn't into relationships in general. Regardless of gender." Yang shrugged. "It's never really come up."

The nods came again. God. What a bad habit. Yang finished the last of her fries and sipped up the last of her milkshake, but the tastes of either were lost on her tongue.

Ever since Blake had first helped Yang get home after that party, Yang had known that she liked her. For someone who wanted to be a loner so bad, why would she go out of her way to help a drunk stranger? It takes a special kind of person to do that. It wasn't even romantic interest at first. Yang had just wanted to give Blake someone that she could talk to if she ever needed it. Yang had just wanted to help Blake any way she could.

So she had forced them to hang out. Every chance she could, Yang hung out with Blake. At the library, at the diner, in the park, at lunch. And she pieced together bits of Blake's story from what she got and left it alone when the wounds were too raw to be picked at. But it worked. Blake got friendlier. Blake got nicer. Blake got funnier.

And then they had left town together.

That's when Yang had known she was down the rabbit hole. At first, Yang had played everything off as a coincidence or alcohol or something affecting her to make her think that Blake's forehead wrinkles were cute. Or that her skin was like electricity. Or that Yang's heart fluttered every time that she smelt lilacs.

But she had very quickly abandoned the mentality of lying to herself about this particular aspect of her life. She could lie to herself about being depressed, but not about Blake. Everything about her was just so amazing, and the more that she opened up, the more Yang fell. Every day they traveled together, every night they slept remotely near each other, every time they sang 500 Miles together; Yang felt like she had been hit by an emotional hammer. It was just so crazy that it had been a completely random thing that had brought them together, and now Yang would never want to be apart.

But something pinched at her stomach. Yang wanted more than friendship. Yang didn't want to be sleeping near Blake, Yang wanted to be sleeping with Blake. Yang didn't want to be walking down the road with her arm around Blake's shoulder, Yang wanted to be walking down the road with Blake's hand in her hand. Yang didn't want to get caught staring at Blake, Yang wanted to be allowed to take in the beauty that would be her girlfriend.

But that wasn't the way Blake was. Every time that Yang made any sort of advance, it was always met with neutrality. It was never negative, but Blake almost never invited or requested the advance again. Every flirt Yang threw, every shoulder touch, every subtle inch closer was met with indifference.

And it made enough sense that Blake would do that. While Blake certainly had no qualms about calling strangers out on problems and things that were not okay, she probably wouldn't want to do the same to a close friend and risk losing them. Blake had lost a lot of people in her life and the idea of losing one more would probably scare her to death. So she would just kind of let Yang be flirty so that their friendship would survive. That was probably exactly what Blake was doing. What Yang was making her do.

A pang of guilt attacked Yang's heart upon her realization. She didn't want to be doing that to Blake. She didn't want to be forcing her into this situation where she was afraid to speak her mind because she was afraid of losing Yang. That wasn't okay. That wasn't what friends did. That wasn-

"You're thinking about this too much." Neptune interrupted Yang's thoughts by interjecting his own. "If she wasn't interested, why would she let you get away with all that flirting? She told Sun and I to eat shit and die not ten minutes after we met her."

Yang stifled a laugh and disguised it as a cough. Blake had done that. "Well I dunno. What if she just doesn't want to make me feel bad? Like, she just kinda deals with it because she doesn't want to deal with me getting upset about it? I wouldn't be upset if she told me to stop but I mean-"

Neptune held up a hand to interrupt her. "That is really arrogant. I don't really know, but I get the impression that Blake has been looking out for herself for a long time. I doubt that she would let something happen if she really didn't want it to."

That was a good point. That was a really good point. Yang bit her lip at how good of a point that was. He was right. Every time that Yang had seen Blake uncomfortable in any way whatsoever, it had always, always, resulted in her telling off the culprit. It's how they got fired from their jobs at the diner. It's how they nearly killed a hitchhiker who was getting creepy. It's how Neptune and Sun had learned that there were boundaries. Why would Yang be any different? Cause she knew Blake well? That made no sense. And if she knew Blake so well, wouldn't she know what would make her uncomfortable? God, sometimes Yang felt so stupid.

And that was another thing; Blake didn't need someone like Yang. Blake didn't need the cheerleader who would never be around to listen to her. Blake didn't need the busybody who had way too much on her plate. Blake didn't need the party girl who can't handle her alcohol.

What Blake needed was someone who would could hang out and chill with her in the library. Blake needed someone who could understand what she was talking about when she got into one of her nerdy tangents. Blake needed someone who could be there at a moment's notice.

A memory flashed across Yang's mind and she grabbed onto it. Five days into the trip, after they had stopped and Yang had gotten a bit tipsy, Yang had made a remark that had earned the sarcastic comment, Yeah, cause that's what I care about. A hot piece of ass in response. And that's exactly what Yang was and nothing more.

Blake didn't need or want someone like Yang.

It hurt to think that. Yang felt her chest pang with something that didn't feel good. But it was the truth. Yang had to accept the fact that Blake would never need someone like her to be 'with.' They could be friends and they could go on amazing adventures, but it could never be something more. It could never be what Yang wanted, and even though that tore her up, if that's the way it had to be for Blake to be happy, then that's the way that Yang would have to live.

And it sucked to think that they would never kiss. It sucked to think that Yang would never hold Blake's hand romantically. It sucked to think that Yang would never pull Blake closer in the middle of the night because one of them was having a bad dream. But that's the way it had to be and-

Neptune held up his hand again. "Uh, I don't know what you're thinking, but if you haven't talked to Blake about it, how can you be so sure about what she wants from a relationship?"

"Well," Yang paused for a second, "I mean, I know her pretty well so I feel like I should know what she would need from something like that. And I'm not the right one for her. That much is for sure."

Neptune's nods came again, but a frown was plastered over his face. "I think that's kind of presumptuous. And you know what they say when you assume? You make an ass out of you and umption."

Yang quirked her head and frowned getting the feeling that wasn't the correct expression, but didn't say anything.

Instead, Neptune continued, stiffly ignoring the look he as getting. "And I don't think Blake would approve of you deciding what she needed from a relationship or who could give that to her."

Yang bit her lip. "Yeah, but-"

"No buts." Neptune grabbed Yang's basket and drink container, placing them in his own and standing up. He shrugged, "Besides, relationships aren't about what someone needs. They're about what someone wants. And the needs come if the person is a good match for you." Neptune swung one leg over the bench of the picnic table and then the other. He began walking towards the trash bin but called back to Yang over his shoulder, "Or at least that's what I think."

Yang heard him, but didn't call back as he began walking away, probably to go reunite with Blake and Sun on the pier. She placed her head in her hands and let out a heavy sigh. She had to think about some things.

Later in the Night...

Sun and Neptune had gone back to their rundown apartment about four hours ago, saying how they needed sleep so that they could catch the good waves tomorrow. It wasn't the best excuse in the world, considering the four had stayed out until five am the previous night, but Blake let it slide since she knew what they were trying to do. They were trying to get Yang and Blake alone for an extended period of time in hopes that they would talk about their feelings for each other.

She didn't know why the guys felt that was necessary since ninety percent of the roadtrip was Yang and Blake alone in the car with nothing to do but talk and sing 500 Miles, but making fun of them probably wouldn't be an acceptable thank you.

Blake looked at her phone; 5:00 am. She put device back into the pocket of her jean-shorts and moved her head so that she could see Yang from her position on her back in the sand. The blonde girl was sitting a few feet away, digging her hands and feet into the sand, covering them with the coarse material. Despite the low light, Blake saw Yang shiver. They hadn't been back to the car and the ocean breeze was brutally cold. Just seeing Yang shiver reminded Blake of the temperature and she mimicked the motion.

Somehow, Yang caught the shiver out of the corner of her eye, "If you're cold, my body totally makes a good heater." Her voice was playful with only a hint of exhaustion. Blake didn't know how she managed it, but Yang always seemed to have enough energy when she needed it.

A bit of heat rose to Blake's face as she thought of the implications and she was suddenly very grateful for the dark covering her face. "You're cold too Yang." She tried to lace her voice with the kind of playfulness that Yang did, but it ended up neutral. Sometimes, Blake really hated herself.

"Yeah, but two negatives make a positive right?" Even in the dark, Blake saw the outline of Yang's smile and thumbs up in her general direction. And even though she couldn't see it, Blake felt the waggle of Yang's eyebrows; trying to insinuate something lewd about her invitation. And succeeding.

Blake took a deep breath and let it out, hoping that it wasn't as loud as she thought it was. She didn't want Yang to think she was doing this begrudgingly after all. "Yeah, I guess you're right." From her spot in the, Blake rolled over and sat up. She dragged her knees through the sand and moved over to Yang's side; promptly curling up next to her and propping her head against Yang's shoulder. The blonde smelled like salt and something else that Blake couldn't quite put her finger on. Roses?

While she wasn't surprised, Blake smiled at the fact that Yang had created an excuse to get close to her. Yang usually tired that kind of stunt whenever she could. But, usually Blake declined. Usually, Blake preferred to be alone. But sitting pressed up against Yang, the excess heat rolling onto her body, Blake couldn't help but think that she could get used to it.

After a moment's pause, Blake felt Yang's left arm wrap around her left shoulder and gently pull her closer. Yang's hand was a bit rough and was still covered in sand, some it surely haven fallen down the side of Blake's shirt, but she didn't mention it. Instead, she wrapped her own arms around Yang's center and connected them against Yang's ribs, weaving her fingers together to prevent any tapping. She was nervous and didn't want Yang to get the wrong impression from her tapping, which was more than likely to happen if her fingers were free, so confining them was the best option.

Blake swallowed at the lump in her throat. Now was as good a time as any. Confessions like this were supposed to be romantic and stuff right? What was more romantic than on the beach right before sunrise? Basically nothing. But the lump in Blake's throat was unbearably huge and as much as she tried to swallow it, she couldn't. She opened her mouth to try and say something, but the words couldn't come out. She tried again, and failed to make a noise, air only whispering out of her mouth. Anxiety was locking her vocal chords down.

"Neptune and I talked about you when we got dinner earlier." Blake could feel Yang's voice vibrating through her body. She shivered again, prompting another gentle pull closer by Yang. Goosebumps formed on her skin. Blake's heart began to pound and the blood in her ears started to throb loudly.

A cough. Hopefully it would be enough to jolt herself into speaking. "Talking smack behind my back? That's cool." Success. But now Blake had a new problem, she had to act normal. She had to be casual. Blake couldn't fuck this up. Not this. It was too important. "What'd you say?" She felt her fingers trying to break free of their prison but she quickly subdued them. If she started tapping, Yang would change subjects, just like she always did.

A thoughtful hum vibrated Blake as it rolled from Yang's chest. "Oh you know, the usual stuff." A laugh cut into the night air, separating the darkness and keeping it off the pair of girls on the beach for a second before rushing back in.

A breeze came with the darkness and swept up the beach, blowing the salty air inwards to the city. Blake felt her companion shiver as the chill passed over them both, wiping away the small bubble of heat that they had created. With only a pause for second thoughts, Blake pulled Yang close, meshing them together so that instead of two shadow persons, they simply looked like a rough shadow-ball silhouetted against the ocean to anybody who walked by. Not that there were any.

Blake licked her lips anxiously. Her stomach was crawling at her insides and trying to break out so it could run down the beach and be as far away from this conversation as possible. "What's the usual?" She licked her lips again and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. No luck. She stopped her fingers from trying to escape their prison again by pressing them against Yang's side, earning a small laugh and cringe away from the fingers as reward. Apparently Yang was ticklish.

"I don't know, the usual stuff. Like how beautiful you are and how smart you are. Like I said, just the ushe."

Blake bit back a noise that spawned from the bottom of her throat before it came out. It had felt suspiciously like a squeal, but Blake was not keen on finding out if that was true or not. Not to mention the fact that half the blood in her body was probably residing in her face right now. Blake was fairly certain that not even broken microwave in their car could produce something as hot as her face felt right now.

After a moment's pause so that she could regain what little composure she had, Blake decided to continue her charade of being cool and collected and casual; "Don't lie, Yang. Friends don't do that to each other."

"You're right, I lied." Blake's stomach flipped violently and the lump in her throat nearly started choking her. Something jerked at her heart but before she could interrupt, Yang spoke again, her voice low, just above a whisper.

"I was thinking it the entire time though, so like, same thing."

Goddamn it.

Yang was so fucking smooth and Blake was having a meltdown and panic attack and any number of other things all at the same time simply because she was pressed up next to the girl she was going to confess herself to. After a moment's pause where her brain had to restart, Blake tried to think of a smooth counter or reply to Yang.

But her anxiety was crippling. The heat, her stomach, the lump in her throat and the pain in her head that was starting to form; all of them prevented Blake from thinking clearly or speaking. She was paralyzed. Yang hadn't meant to do it, but she had paralyzed Blake with how smooth she was.

But time was ticking and the moment was passing. If Blake didn't say something or do something, anything, the moment would pass and Blake would be back to square one. She had to step up. She had to bite the bullet. Anxiety be damned, she had to-

"Blake."

Blake felt something rough on the bottom of her chin and all of a sudden her head was being turned up to face Yang's. Sunlight was beginning to stream out from behind the town's buildings and it was passing through and illuminating all it touched. Everything absorbed the light. Yang's hair began to glow as a few rays bounced playfully off of it. Yang's face was caressed by the light and Blake noticed that a pair of purple eyes were staring intently into her.

And in a flash, everything was gone. All the anxiety. All the worry. The lump in her throat and the pit in her stomach. All of it was gone. Gone with the last dredges of darkness as the sun began to ascend into the sky. Blake licked her lips. Yang was so beautiful.

Apparently, Yang's hand that had guided Blake's face up and was cupping her cheek, the few particles of sand still there rubbing against her skin.

Apparently, Blake leaned forward and closed her eyes, hoping for the best and fearing the worst.

Apparently, Yang did the same.

It wasn't Blake's first kiss. Adam had that title. Adam's kiss had been an experiment between friends. Neither of them had wanted to deal with other kids teasing them about it, despite that being the least important issue pressing on an orphan's mind. But Adam's kiss had been curt and brief and weird and had left Blake unimpressed with the experience. So unimpressed that she had never really seen the point to seeking someone out to repeat the experience.

Yang's kiss was different though. If there was a scale to rate kisses on, Blake was fairly certain that Yang's would be at the top, and Adam's somewhere near the bottom.

Yang's kiss was electric. As soon as their lips connected, Blake felt a shock run down her neck and spine, causing her to shiver and press closer to Yang, crushing her chest against the blonde's. Blake moved her hands instinctively; one up to Yang's face to cup her cheek and the other behind the base of her spine. But her hands were not exempt to Yang's presence and the shocks traveled up her arms as well, earning more shivers and a bout of heat where the two's skin touched.

Yang's lips were gentle at first. They probed and they questioned for a second, ensuring that what was happening was okay before succumbing to something else. It burned away to a hunger and desire that Blake could feel crawling just underneath Yang's skin. Without a second thought, Blake returned the passion, feeling it under her own skin as well. For a second, their lips broke contact and they each took a pair of short breaths before they connected again, renewing the heat and sending another series of pulses down Blake's spine and sending out a wave of pleasure.

A moan escaped restraint and was muffled by Yang's mouth. Blake felt heat rise to her face but she didn't care about that. All she cared about right now, was Yang and Yang's lips. Blake pressed upwards, trying to push their lips together harder, but Yang leaned back, trying to keep the kiss under control. But that wasn't enough. Blake pushed farther and farther, eagerly trying to be as close as possible to her partner. Yang continued to give way until, eventually, she couldn't balance with her arm anymore and the two fell back. Yang's back pressed into the sand as Blake fell on top of Yang's chest. For a split second, Blake could hear Yang's heart beat as it pounded away.

Stunned silence followed their fall. But then, Yang laughed. It rang through the night and echoed up the beach, carrying on the wind. For a second, Blake was insulted, but then; she started laughing too. Genuine laughs. It had been such a long time since she hadn't needed to fake a laugh that she was surprised to hear it again.

All of it was gone. All the anxiety. All the nervousness. All the ceremony. Blake could think again. Blake could breathe again. Blake could feel the relief sweeping through her as she her mind caught up with her body, telling her that Yang liked her.

And she was happier than she had ever been.

A/N: What a long fic. This thing got so out of control and I couldn't stop it. Whoops. Drop a favorite, a review, a flame or whatever if you want to let me know how you liked it. Thank you so much for making it this far and reading this fic. I spent way too long writing it. Until next time...