Over a Stick of Ice Cream
Ruby skidded to a halt at a store-front that featured an emblem of ice cream on the glass window. She enthusiastically(childishly) pointed, earning a roll of eyes from Weiss. "Look, this is the new open shop I've been telling you, guys!"
"I for one think that it wouldn't be wise to eat something cold after lunch," the heiress, as usual, always negate the brunette's ideas.
That elicited an exasperated groan from the youngest member of their team. Ice blue eyes glared, trying to ignore Ruby's Zwei-approved puppy eyes. Of course, not even the fiercest of glares could win against the cutest eyes in the world-aside from Glynda's glare, obviously. Knowing her defeat was all but certain, Weiss facepalmed and sighed.
She relented, "Very well, I suppose I can order something hot instead."
"Yeah, Ice Queen's paying for us!" Yang's celebratory whoop got a protest from the heiress; 'Hey!'
Weiss rebutted, "I didn't say I'll cover all the expense!"
That, as usual, went ignored. It's not like she won't be paying anyway. As an heiress, she'd always put her ego first. Paying for her friends instead of letting them do it was one of that. Darn Schnee's ego.
Yang turned to her partner, who was-and always- nose deep in her novel. "What about you, Blakey?"
As expected, it took the raven-haired Faunus a few seconds to register that the question was directed at her. When she did, the girl looked up from her book. Amber eyes widened for a fraction as she asked back, "Huh?"
The bombshell blonde beamed, too used to her partner's reaction. "Which flavor do you want as your ice cream?" Then, she added teasingly, "Don't tell me it's tuna."
Blake's gaze turned toward the menu board, before going back the decoration of fake ice creams placed on the storefront's glass shelf.
She remembered that. And she suddenly felt lost.
~-x-~
It was a hot day with the glaring sun over their heads. Too hot, even for Blake who rarely complains. She sat cross-legged on the floor under the protection of the minimarket's small canopy, but even the usually cold tiles were warm. There were beads of sweat on her exposed skin, but that wasn't enough to help cool down her body. She glanced at her partner-slash-mentor.
Even Adam donned his gloves off from the excess of heat. He still had his mask on, covering whatever expression he wore behind it. A scowl, perhaps? Blake wondered. That didn't seem to be the case, though. They succeeded in their mission. Their first mission alone, without any supervising from the senior members.
While it was a hard one, she was proud they managed to overcome the challenge. And even if Adam doesn't express it through words, she knew he felt the same.
Suddenly, the crimson-haired young man spoke, "Wait here."
Without saying another word, he flung his black gloves near Blake and went inside. She didn't follow him. Only her feline ears, hidden under the bow, followed the sound of bell chime and glass door closed. The cat Faunus sighed, then began toying with the ribbon coiled around her wrists.
Adam.
The name had rolled off her tongue many times. First, it's full of curiosity and nervousness. And then she became fonder as they got closer as friends during their training. Adam was more than just her mentor. He's the only person she could come to after the disagreement with her parents. Whenever she needs it, he becomes her rock.
Blake's gaze trailed off to the gloves. She couldn't believe it. What started from a friendship forged over mutual needs bloomed into something... nobler. She didn't know when she started having feelings for him. The worst thing was that she wasn't sure what could possibly make it happens in the first place.
They'd only share moments together as a pupil and mentor. They had never talked anything personal, only about fighting and missions. How could she feel that? It must be just a simple admiration of Adam's undefeatable skills and powerful charisma. She must've been awed by those. Or was she?
Soft steps approached the pale-skinned girl, taking her off from her distracting inner thoughts. Adam sat down with a stick of ice cream in his hand. A strange sight that made her pupils widened in surprise. It was so other-worldly to see him holding a childish treat when he usually wields the deadly red katana of his; Wilt.
"I'd buy two for us, but..." Adam trailed off. He seemed loathing to admit in front of her, "My Lien isn't enough."
Blake didn't even bother to hide her amused smile. It's a rare thing to see Adam admitting something, especially if that something was a simple matter like this one. It made her feel that their bond was a lot more personal than business.
"That's so sweet, Adam," she praised.
"Of course, it's vanilla. I've never liked the other flavor," he said, too distracted from the heat to properly comprehend her praise.
She rolled her eyes in amusement but said nothing otherwise to correct her meaning. The cat girl simply watched as her partner took a bite out of the frozen snack. A bit of it dribbled, quickly melting due to the hot air. Adam sighed, enjoying the chill feeling. He leaned a little toward her and wordlessly offered it.
Blake glanced at the treat. She'd never liked icy things. She'd opt for a chilled soft-drink instead. But Adam was offering her. That counted for something since he rarely shared. Her eyebrow rose with a questioning expression. She stared at him, wondering why he did that of all sudden.
He answered, "You deserve this."
An ice cream for a successful mission? How cute.
Nevertheless, she mutely accepted and nibbled on the ice cream. The vanilla taste blossomed on her taste bud, followed by the sickeningly sweet sugar and milk. Unconsciously, Blake hummed as she ate. It was, indeed, delicious for a hot day.
"I'm sorry," Adam spoke, surprising her even more with that out of blue apology.
"Why?" she asked, passing the ice cream back to him.
"About those guards," he started.
Blake immediately caught what he was getting at. During the mission debriefing, they've been told that there could possibly security guards guarding the Dust warehouse of the Schnee Dust Company. She already prepared herself for a fight but didn't expect to confront twice as much as their numbers than on the paper.
It was a tough fight, but she and Adam managed to dispose of them eventually. She almost expected them to be overrun, so imagine her surprise when they managed to hold their grounds against so many guards, even after being separated. She could feel Adam's relieved gaze from behind his mask when they reconvened together.
Adam's head dipped down as he looked at the ice cream. For once, he sounded remorseful. "I should've seen that coming, even though they didn't tell us." The young man gritted his teeth in anger. "I almost lost you."
"Adam," she reached out to touch his arm. "That's not your fault."
He ignored that and bit another chunk of the ice cream, before swallowing it. "Still, I was proud that you made it out. I thought I'd never feel fear like that, before."
Right now, she wasn't sure if she should feel grateful or offended. To think the very person who taught her how to fight feared she couldn't do it, that was something she'd deny forever. Blake looked the other way and bitterly said, "Thanks."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. I always believe that you're a strong fighter, Blake. That we're meant to light the fire of revolution together. But sometimes, I had my doubts. So, thank you for proving them wrong," he told her, passing the icy treat once again to her hand.
Oh?
Blake wordlessly ate the ice cream, savoring the cool respite from the killing hot air. She was deep in her own thoughts, not actually focusing at what Adam was talking about. One thing for sure; Adam was concerned about her. Maybe now is the right time to tell him? She asked herself.
Half of the ice cream was gone when Blake passed it back to her partner. She stared longingly as he took another bite. Not at the ice cream, but at the man himself. The girl counted; they've been training together for years, even before her dad, Ghira Belladonna, stepped down from the leadership of White Fang.
They've known each other even longer when the organization got her a fighting tutor. Over times, be them hard or not, their friendship to morphed into a one-sided infatuation on her side. She has a crush on him; she admitted that to herself. Maybe he too has feelings for her. Blake wasn't sure about that part, yet.
There's only one way to find out, but she hadn't done it. She hasn't confessed that to the very person. The question was, how much longer will she wait?
"Adam?" the raven-haired girl called his name.
"Hmm?" he hummed an acknowledgment since his mouth was full of ice cream.
Ignoring that comical sight, she gently wiped the dripping liquid from his lip.
The cat girl bit her trembling lower lip. Amber eyes looked nervous when the owner finally said, "I have to tell you something."
~-x-~
Blake shook her head gently, purging her brain from that particular memory. She turned to her blonde partner, who's still featuring a trademark grin on her face.
"So...?" Yang asked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully.
The cat Faunus rolled her eyes and gave the brawler a knowing smirk. "You almost read my mind, but no, I don't want any ice cream right now. I prefer tea."
Yang taunted jestfully, "Lame!"
Blake gave her partner a small sad smile, one that escaped the blonde's notice.
That time is no more. It's already over.
~-x-~
A/N: I was shopping with my mother some days ago when I saw two middle-aged couple chatting and sharing a chocolate ice cream. The sight made me smile, even though, they weren't even being romantic. So, let's just say I got inspired and decided to pour the inspiration into this story.
It took me two hours and a half, including the edits and at that point, I knew how rusty I am at writing. Also, I know the ending was disappointing, but yeah, this is not a pure romance. It also contains angst. I like angstiness, so deal with it. Next time, don't let the nice title deceive you. XD
P.S. As I said, I'm learning to write romance, so pardon me if this ain't romantic!
~ Karvost (Kronosmond)