From A Distance
Emerging from the guest bathroom in nothing but a new pair of jeans, Sun languidly walked into the adjoining bedroom, which now served as his temporary home. A gentle island breeze blew through the open balcony doors and Sun took a moment to enjoy the cool air's kiss upon his damp skin, happy that the sweat and blood he'd shed during his encounter with Ilia was now completely rinsed from his body. If only the residual sense of hurt pride could be washed away so easily, Sun thought to himself. The boy wouldn't forget the unexpected sting of Ilia's weapon against his skin, nor the way he'd so foolishly let his guard down. He'd nearly lost his life that night because of his own carelessness.
"Well, I guess there's nothing better than a warm shower and some clean clothes to brighten up one's near death experience" Sun said, shaking his head in self-disappointment.
Walking towards the foot of his bed, where he'd laid out some new bandages and a clean shirt, Sun caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above his dresser. Looking into the reflective surface, Sun examined his wound. Red, inflamed and mangled, the skin just above his heart looked like a complete mess. The discoloration of the electrocuted flesh making a stark contrast against his sun-kissed skin. The boy grimaced at the sight, it hurt just as bad as it looked. "I'm so getting you back for this ninja girl" Sun said, though his threat seemed to lack a certain degree of conviction. He had no one to blame for his injury other than himself. It won't happen again.
The sound of a quiet knock at his open door jerked Sun away from his musings. Blake stood in the doorway, a guilty look in her whiskey colored eyes. "Blake" Sun exclaimed.
"I-I just came to see how you were doing. My mother said you might need some help with the redressing of your wound." She paused, "Sun… I'm so sorry that this happened to you." Her voice wavered and her eyes failed to meet his own. It was the first time Blake had taken a really good look at the injury. The sight made her heart clench; if she had waited just a few moments longer, that wound would have been the death of him…he would have bled out and died right in front of her. The young huntress couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have been like had Sun died that night.
"Hey" he gently prompted. "I'm alright. See, still as kickass and good looking as ever" the boy joked as he gestured to his exposed chest and abs.
Silence was all he received in reply. Looking at Blake, he saw her eyes were still downcast and her shoulders were slumped in defeat. His heart sank, did she still blame herself for his injury? He hated that she shouldered the blame for what happened to him, especially when it was his own carelessness that had gotten him hurt. He hated the worried frown that settled over her beautiful features. All he wanted was to take away the burdens she carried, all he wanted was to see her smile…God knew she deserved to smile every now and then.
"Blake, I made the choice to pursue you and Ilia, I made the choice to fight alongside you, and it was my thoughtlessness that put me in harm's way. You shouldn't feel responsible for my actions…the consequences are my own" the girl's eyes shot up to his own at that last statement. Yes, he was using her own words against her, but only to make her understand that if anything ever happened to him it was because of his own doing. "Besides" Sun continued in a hesitant manner, "this thing will make for an awesome scar someday. The ladies will love it!" The boy's absurd comment caused the corners of Blake's lips to turn up in what made for a barely perceptible smile, but a smile nonetheless. Sun grinned back in accomplishment. So, maybe his jokes weren't always the best, maybe they weren't always appreciated, but none of that mattered if Blake found them reason enough to smile. Whether her smiles were born out of amusement or not, they were rare and Sun cherished every single one of them.
However, the huntress still had some doubts to voice. But, as she opened her mouth to do so, Sun quickly pulled her from the doorway and into his room. He was desperate to change the subject. "You know, your timing is beyond perfect. Your mom did tell me it was important to keep this covered for the next couple of days. And, if I want to avoid any infection, I should treat it with the antibiotics. But I'm…well, I'm not exactly sure what to do with all of those." He let his gaze drift towards the overwhelming collection of ointments spread across the top of his dresser.
Blake let her gaze travel from the pile of bandages on the bed to the multiple bottles of herbal, antibiotic ointment her mother had left. Looking back at Sun, she saw that he had taken to sitting on the edge of his bed, an expectant look upon his face. She stifled a laugh, he looked so childlike in that moment and Blake had to admit it was… kind of adorable. Perhaps, just this once, she'd let the Faunus boy get away with diverting her attention. Besides, despite her residual feelings of guilt, she was beginning to understand the point of Sun's argument.
With a shrug of her shoulders, Blake rolled her eyes at the boy and grabbed several of the bottles spread out on Sun's dresser. Walking over to Sun, she stood before him and placed a few of the bottles in his hands. "You know, considering your penchant for thieving and mischief, I'm surprised you haven't had more experience with dressing your own wounds."
Sun let out a quiet sigh of relief, she was going to drop the conversation. "Ha, well I think you underestimate my skills when it comes to the art of diversion and sleight of hand." To prove it, Sun quickly, but quietly, reached for one of the pouches on Blake's belt, planning to pickpocket the huntress as she began to medicate the gauzy surface of a clean bandage. However, the intuitive Faunas sensed what Sun was planning and quickly grabbed hold of the tail that had just tried to pickpocket her utility belt, giving it a playful tug. "Hey!" Sun exclaimed, a small chuckle escaping him.
"Some master thief you are" Blake remarked laughingly.
"I'll have you know that I…well, I am just taking it easy on you" the mischievous boy stated, a twinkle of mirth in his electric blue eyes.
"Oh really? Because it seems to me that you don't possess the level of skill…"
The sight of her scroll secured within the hand of an extremely self-satisfied Sun stopped Blake mid-sentence.
"Well, what do we have here? Looks like I do have skill" Sun said, a triumphant smile plastered across his face.
"Sun! Give me my scroll!"
"Why? Trying to hide something, Blake?" Sun said teasingly. His now impish grin grew wider as he took in the look of utter disbelief so plainly displayed across Blake's features. Her golden eyes were as wide as the moon and her rosy lips were slightly parted, forming a small 'O', and a subtle blush dusted the pale skin of Blake's high cheekbones. She was beautiful…and quickly becoming annoyed with the boy's refusal to give her back the scroll.
"Sun, I said give it back" Blake stated peevishly, clamoring atop the boy's lap in a childlike manner, her hands outstretched for her scroll. Sun simply took this as another challenge and quickly transferred the scroll from one hand to his tail, stretching the Faunas appendage high above both huntsmen's heads. To create further distance between the scroll and Blake's reaching hand, Sun leaned back on top of the bed… but the boy realized his mistake too late, as did Blake. In the struggle over the scroll, Sun and Blake had inadvertently put themselves in a rather compromising position.
Stretched across the bed, sans shirt, was Sun who lied beneath Blake as she straddled his hips. Their faces mere inches from one another as Blake leaned over Sun, her hands pinning the boy's forearms to the mattress, her chest nearly resting atop his own.
Pressed into the softness of the mattress, Sun could only stare up into the eyes of Blake. A mixture of embarrassment and surprise swirling within her gold orbs. He could feel the playful grin melt from his expression, suddenly feeling that same hesitation that seemed to have a hold on Blake. He hadn't meant to ruin the playful atmosphere, he hadn't meant to erase the smile from Blake's beautiful face, he hadn't meant to cause the twinge of fear he saw in Blake's eyes. His heart sank. Had he undone all the hard work he'd put into building a trusting friendship with the huntress before him? Had he lost her again? If he had, he wasn't sure he could forgive himself so soon.
With slow and gentle movements, Sun released his hold on Blake's scroll, placing it down somewhere above his head. Blake remained motionless atop Sun, though her eyes followed his movements. Both were as quiet and still as the grave, each of their hearts pounding wildly within their chests. Sun gently began to rise from his position on the bed; Blake remained unmoving in his lap. The two were now seated at the edge of the bed, their faces mere inches apart and a mixture of fear and hesitance still in their eyes.
Acting on instinct, Sun slowly stretched out a hand towards Blake. The huntress remained frozen. Gently, Sun laid his hand upon Blake's and traced the outline of her until his hand came to rest upon her shoulder. As the warmth of Sun's hand moved along her skin, Blake's eyes slid closed and she allowed herself to take in a breath.
"Blake." Sun's voice was gentle and barely audible, the sound just above a whisper.
The huntress met Sun's intense blue eyes, which were open, honest, and concerned. How different they were from his eyes. "Blake, you…you don't have to be afraid with me…afraid of me." The boy's eyes carefully searched for any sign of Blake's understanding, nervously awaiting her next move. Blake was his most trusted friend, aside from Neptune and his team, and he couldn't bear the thought of doing anything to make her distrust or fear him.
"I…I…", Blake tried to speak, but it seemed the words dyed on her lips. She wanted to explain, wanted to let him in, wanted to reassure him, but she couldn't. She couldn't talk to him about any of it, couldn't explain her past, couldn't explain him. If she let Sun in, then there was no going back… and if she let him in it could hurt the both of them.
In the end, all Blake could manage was an 'I'm sorry' before removing herself from Sun's lap and retreating from the room.
"I love you." Sun whispered into the still room, his eyes lingering on the doorway which Blake had disappeared through. Seeing Blake retreat from him in such a manner had pierced Sun's heart as sharply as Ilia's blade had pierced his chest.
Silently, Sun collected the bottles of herbal medicine and the bandages that had been scattered across the bed, took them to the restroom, and began to dress his wound haphazardly. It would be a long night for the Faunus, with the pain in his chest and his heart keeping him from sleep.
End of Chapter 1
(A/N): And I'm back with another BlackSun story! Here is the first chapter to this (hopefully) two chapter fic. Hopefully I can get started on the second chapter soon and get it posted within a couple weeks. I am back to school for the Spring semester and I'm taking 15 hrs so finding time to write will be a little difficult. Anyways, for those of you back in school, I wish you luck! Please follow or favorite this story and don't forget to review! Constructive criticism is welcomed. Let's spread some BlackSun love shall we?