"Heeey, you've reached Yang! Well, actually, you didn't reach far enough, 'cause I'm not here right now! But don't yang up! Just leave a message on this baby, and I'll get back to you soon enough, okay?"
[ Truthfully, she'd like to. If just because she wants it to stop hurting so damned much, and it won't stop, not with Naoki holding her and murmuring reassurances. With every pass of his thumb, more tears stream down, and it's at least a good five minutes before she's a quietly shuddering mess slumped against him. ]
[Naoki's been speaking all that time, softly, nonsensical. He hasn't been thinking about it. But, when she's quiet, when those sobs have abated, his fingers slowly comb up through her hair, gathering it back, tucking it out of her face as much as he can.
He moves, to lean his forehead against the crown of her head, his eyes shut.]
... It's been months, [ she finally says, softly, closing her eyes against the gentle pressure of his fingers sifting through her hair. Stopping the Grimm from invading the city. Preparing for the tournament, the subsequent rounds, what had thrown her under suspicion, another invasion, and everything terrible that had happened after that. ]
[Naoki's fingers twitch. Months, she says, and his stomach drops, plummets. He swallows against his suddenly dry mouth and blinks hard. Months. His fingers comb through her hair again and he doesn't say anything yet, waiting to see if she is going to continue, or if she isn't.]
[ She isn't. He can ask questions, but recounting everything all at once is a little too much for Yang right now, and she's hardly in a state to try, even listlessly. It's all she can do to not let herself fall back into that almost comforting sense of numbness, because Naoki doesn't deserve that.
... When she thinks about it, Ruby hadn't either. ]
[As much as Naoki wants to know-- he doesn't want to ask. So there's a struggle, as she doesn't continue, as he continues to let his fingers drift through her hair. He doesn't know what he would ask, honestly.
So, he doesn't, he just shifts to settle close and presses a gentle kiss against her cheek.]
[ Ruby will tell him, she thinks-- or eventually, she will, because he was friends with Pyrrha, and if nothing else... he ought to know that. But then she'd have to explain what had happened with Cinder, what had happened with the tournament, what had happened with Blake, and there's a miserable little noise trapped in her throat as she automatically curls closer. ]
[ She can remember it, faintly-- sharing a bed with him, the first time they'd fallen asleep together on his couch, and how hard it had been after a while not to have Naoki there, drawing on his warmth. She hadn't remembered, back home, but there had been a thought... that something important was missing.
Yang finds it here, and it's not as though it really solves anything or snaps her out of the weary hopelessness that's been plaguing her for the last while... but he's here, and that helps. ]
[Naoki's palm smooths up her back. His touches, everything, they're gentle right now. But, at the same time, there's no give to them. He presses his palm against her back like there's a lingering anxiety, a recollection of waking up with her gone.
His eyes are closed and, whether she realises it or not, he's feeling as much from her emotions as he can. He's letting all of them wash over him, pained as many may be. He's not a mind-reader... but this will do.]
[ There sure are a lot of emotions he'll get to contend with. Grief. Anger. Frustration. Fright. Betrayal. A lot of things that Yang doesn't usually feel, let alone at the same time, and it may bring up more questions than it clarifies anything.
[It's definitely a lot, and ones he's not used to feeling from her. Betrayal most of all-- even if it's hard to make that one out. It helps that he's felt something similar in the past.
His eyes open and he stares off at the wall over her head with a frown. What's happened to her? he can't help but think. Why did things have to happen to her to make her feel this way? He rubs his palm along her back.]
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He moves, to lean his forehead against the crown of her head, his eyes shut.]
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... When she thinks about it, Ruby hadn't either. ]
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So, he doesn't, he just shifts to settle close and presses a gentle kiss against her cheek.]
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[He'll finangle his way underneath the blankets with her. That way, there won't be any space or anything in the way for him to pull her in.]
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Yang finds it here, and it's not as though it really solves anything or snaps her out of the weary hopelessness that's been plaguing her for the last while... but he's here, and that helps. ]
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His eyes are closed and, whether she realises it or not, he's feeling as much from her emotions as he can. He's letting all of them wash over him, pained as many may be. He's not a mind-reader... but this will do.]
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Someone had a rough time. ]
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His eyes open and he stares off at the wall over her head with a frown. What's happened to her? he can't help but think. Why did things have to happen to her to make her feel this way? He rubs his palm along her back.]
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At any rate, Yang may explain things eventually, but for now... nothing. No words. Just weariness.
Sorry, Naoki, your girlfriend may be useless today. ]