Reaching for Daylight

prompt 25: Trouble Lurking.
summary: There's a storm right around the corner, so they take advantage of the calm that comes before.
words: 780+
disclaimers: I do not in any way own or its characters.
A/N: This is the first of many RWBY pieces that I will be writing. This will sort of be a drabble series of Blang one-shots because I ship it so hard. They're my RWBY OTP. So, please follow this story! I will try really hard to post updates every day and I plan on writing around 20 or more of these, so stay tuned!

They often found themselves in this position, Yang's head in Blake's lap, golden hair fanned out across the couch cushions, a book in Blake's hand, and the glowing flames in the fireplace keeping them warm. It was familiar; it was home.

Ruby and Weiss had spent their last half hour before going up to bed encouraging them to sleep. Eventually, they abandoned their cause and went up to their respective dorms. Weiss had been reluctant to leave them alone together, but Ruby managed (as she always did) to force her away.

Blake absentmindedly stroked Yang's luscious hair as her amber eyes flitted over the words on the pages before her. The fire burned bright (it always seemed to be more so whenever Yang was around, but maybe that was just Blake's imagination) and cast dancing shadows along the walls. Every once in a while, she would glance down at Yang and find the blonde girl staring right back up at her.

Yang was very proud to say that she was one of the few people to have the ability to make Blake Belladonna blush.

The orange-ish glow of the fire seemed to ignite Yang's lilac eyes. She watched Blake with an intensity that might've seemed possessive to someone who didn't understand. Despite her warmth, Yang had to suppress a shiver whenever Blake toyed with her hair in a certain way. It was a habit Blake had gotten into; it was a weakness of Yang's that she only ever exposed to Blake.

Beacon had been under siege for weeks. The Grimm and rebelling Fauna had banded together and attacked the Academy in ranks. The students quickly took arms, but many were injured and some had even fallen.

Ozpin had taken action quickly. He and Glynda formulated a plan and cast magical barriers to protect the entire school. Their 'final attack', as Ozpin had called it, would take place tomorrow.

No one would admit to being scared. No one had to. All of the students, even the senior members, could feel the terror running through the halls. Blake, Yang, Weiss, and Ruby, were in their third year at Beacon. The new kids (including Ruby due to her age) were given the option to fight and most took up the opportunity. The others chose to stay behind as healers for the injured. Those above first year knew of their obligation to participate and obliged with gusto.

Blake had been doing so much thinking about it that she surprised even herself. Normally, she charged into battle with a clear mind and her head held high in confidence. But lately, she found herself charging just a little bit slower and her focus in combat wavering ever so slightly. She soon realized that she had Yang to worry about.

It wasn't that she thought Yang was incapable of taking care of herself, not by any means. Blake knew exactly how capable Yang was, but the fear was like a parasite biting into the back of her head. She had been managing to suppress this feeling, but with the final attack only hours away, it was becoming increasingly more strenuous.

Little did she know that Yang had been feeling the same way all along.

Only after reading the same sentence over again thirteen times in a row did Blake realize that her focus had flown out of the window. With a heavy sigh, she closed her book and set it down. Her other hand continued running through Yang's blond locks and her eyes shifted to the fireplace. She could feel Yang's gaze on her face, the familiar tingling sensation blending pleasantly with the heat of the flames licking her face.

"Yang?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes were half-lidded. It must've been at least one in the morning. She was close to sleep.

"I love you," Blake said steadily. Never before had she ever been so sure of one statement. It was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time.

It felt as though a sudden double shot of caffeine had been shot into Yang's veins. She no longer felt sleepy; she was wide awake. An ear-to-ear smile slowly spread across her face. She reached out to take hold of Blake's free hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I know."

Blake smiled.

"I love you, too," Yang responded. Her hold on Blake's hand didn't relinquish and she kept it between her warm palms. "We'll be okay tomorrow."

"I know." She meant it.

The embers in the fireplace slowly began to die. The room grew darker and the shadows grew taller. The shadows raged on outside their window. They could fight as long as they wanted. Their fire was lit and it wasn't going out.

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