Honeycomb Hearts

Sewn Together

Blake was the first to step back. Her eyes still wide, she gave Yang a once-over. Her hair was dirty, she was wearing thick, leather gloves, and her clothes had dirt stains all over them – and most shockingly, her shirt has a huge tear in it down the left side.

"Yang, are you okay? You look like you just got into a fight!" Blake said.

Yang laughed. "Unless you think strawberry plants could best me, I'd say I won the fight." She asked if she could come in, which Velvet agreed to. Yang shook off her dirt-filled shoes outside and lay them on the front porch before stepping inside. "Sorry for making an appearance with this... appearance."

Velvet chuckled, but Blake and Coco groaned. Blake wasn't sure what was worse, the tear in Yang's shirt or her jokes. "But you're okay, right?" Blake asked, "The tear is what got me worried."

"Nah, I just ripped it a few minutes ago while Ruby and I were gardening. She told me that Coco could maybe help sew it up, since I don't exactly wanna go all the way to town to get a new shirt." Yang said, "Not that I'd want to buy a new shirt just to get it dirty."

Coco shrugged. "I've actually never been good at sewing, but I always keep some fabric and sewing needles around just in case I wanted to learn. What about you, Velvet?"

Velvet shook her head, then turned to Blake. "Maybe Blake knows?"

The three pairs of eyes seemed to burn into Blake from all angles, and she felt her face heat up. She wasn't sure how to respond. "I mean my mom taught me when I was little, but it's been years since I've tried."

"Well no better time to have a pop quiz!" Yang laughed, "C'mon. It'll be better than nothing at the very least."

Before Blake could even reply, Coco left to get the materials. Within seconds she reappeared with a basket of thread of all varying colors and thicknesses. It looked like a grandmother's collection rather than a fashion model's.

"Now we just gotta find the right color! Might be hard to find this specific shade of gray though." Yang said, pulling her shirt away from her stomach. While she wasn't exactly careful, she was lucky not to make the tear any larger.

Blake turned towards the basket and grabbed a spool of thread. "Would this work?" She asked, holding it up to Yang's shirt. "It seems a bit too light."

Velvet held up another. "This is the only other one close to that color, but yours does look closer Blake."

The four women spread out, all allowing Blake to concentrate on the task at hand. Velvet went to turn on the weather channel, always looking for the perfect climate to take the best pictures. Coco meanwhile went back for a second, maybe third cup of coffee. Maybe she'd drink the whole pot, but who was Blake to say?

Blake took hold of the hem of Yang's shirt, inspecting the tear closer. It wasn't as big as it looked the first time, and the shirt was single-layer so it'd be much easier. She recalled her mom telling her about which way the fabric in a shirt went when it was made, and she noticed the fabric was going horizontally, while the tear was vertical. She couldn't help but smirk. This is exactly what she used to do all the time.

Yang turned slightly, careful not to have Blake lose her grip, and pulled her phone out. She tapped a few buttons and held it up to her ear, and soon she started talking to Ruby. Blake, meanwhile, looped the gray thread around the eye of the needle and knotted it off. She felt prepared for anything, but she was soon mistaken. She could handle the shirt and the tear perfectly fine, but what she couldn't handle was the fact that she could see Yang's stomach through the tear perfectly – and that Yang had a six pack.

Her hands froze, needle halfway through the first hole. She shook her head slightly, causing her hair to become messy, but she didn't care. She had to focus. Focus on the needle. Focus on the thread, Don't focus on how the girl she possibly has feelings for is absolutely shredded. Don't think about how Yang would look sweaty after a workout. Don't imagine her in the place of the story she's writing. Don't focus on-

"Ouch!" Blake cried out, more in shock than anything. She'd just nearly finished the sewing job without incident when her hands decided it would be better to pull the thread through her fingertip than the shirt. She dropped the needle, which fell onto the floor – somehow coming undone from the knot she'd put into it earlier.

Yang had just finished the call, and luckily at that. "Are you okay?" She asked, pulling Blake's hand up to her face. The two looked at Blake's finger, seeing that there was a lateral cut, which had begun to bleed slightly. However, while Yang was focused on the cut, Blake's eyes trailed to Yang's – who were intent and... apologetic? "Sorry Blake," she said, "This wouldn't have happened if I didn't tear my shirt."

"It's fine, Yang. Don't worry." Blake retracted her hand, and somehow managed to look away from Yang. "It's just a small cut."

"Let me go get you a band-aid, okay? Stay right there." Yang stood up, "Hey Coco, you have band-aids somewhere right?"

"Bathroom cabinet above the sink, left mirror. Bathroom is first door on the right in this hallway." Coco said, waving her arm unenthusiastically towards the dimly-lit hallway. As Yang walked to the bathroom, Coco waited to hear the click of the light switch before she nearly threw herself across the counter at Blake.

"That was quite a look in your eyes Blake, see something you like?" Coco teased, putting her head in her hands. "Or am I wrong?"

Blake's eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned a deep red. "C-Coco? I-I don't know what you mean." Blake then turned away, coming eye-to-eye with Velvet, who also had a slight smirk. "Not you too!"

The couple righted themselves as Yang came back into the room, brandishing the almighty band-aid that many commercials had told everyone about. She unwrapped it single-handedly and applied it on Blake's finger with ease, and unconsciously gave it a light kiss.

Blake froze.

Coco froze.

Yang froze.

"Uh, sorry. I did that to Ruby all the time, I just kinda did it out of... reflex, I guess." Yang said, "I'm really, really sorry."

Blake's eyes were locked onto the newly placed – and kissed – band-aid, but she managed a response. "It's okay, don't worry."

Yang started to walk towards the door, nearly tripping over herself several times. "I should probably get back to Ruby, don't want to make her wait!" She then took her leave and began to scream extremely loud at herself inside her own mind, which is also exactly what Blake was doing. One thing Blake was sure of, however; she didn't want that to be an accident.