This is based off a comic by Cadhla182 on Tumblr. Please give them a look as they're a great artist that deserves some attention.
Another stifled moan of discomfort before a grunt of pain sounded out throughout the alley. Nobody could hear it; they didn't venture out of the safe zone this far at this hour. She could feel her teeth grinding into the wood she bit down upon as the needle dug into her wound again. It had reopened for a third time this week, the second since she left, mainly from pushing herself too far and not letting it heal properly.
A final muffled scream and she was done. Placing the needle down, she reached for a clean pad of gauze at the edge of the unfolded cardboard case she lay on and pressed it against the gash on her stomach. The medication already on the pad made it sting like a dozen rapiers pricking the already tender wound. She winced as she finally spat out the small piece of wood, then reaching for a roll of bandages next to the satchel she secured a few days ago. An overcasting shadow, blocking the moonlight over her, stopped her as she quickly turned to see who dared approach her.
"You...replaced your stitches on your own?"
Sun. Again, he ignored her warning and showed up to pay her a visit. The young man may be a Monkey faunus, but he was as stubborn as a mule, especially when it came to her.
"Blake, I could've helped you with that, you know." he chastised, no anger or sort of disappointment in his voice.
"I don't need help." Blake finally said as she went back to dressing her wound.
"Ya know, the whole 'tough as nails' thing is getting old." Sun joked as he sat down next to her, placing a plastic bag behind them and next to the dumpster Gambol Shroud was stood against. "I prefer the 'emo teenage angst' Blake with a hint of your average teenage happiness underneath."
"Sorry to disappoint." Blake mumbled in response before the two were silent for a moment. "How's Yang been?"
With a sigh and a faded smile, Sun gave her an answer. "She's woken up, finally. She came out of it a few hours after you left, after Weiss' dad took her home." He paused, looking dead on at Blake as he continued. "You'd expect her to react as she normally would, right? Welp, she didn't. I expected the whole medical tent to go up in flames with her rage when she found out about everything that happened, but...it's like she shut down."
"That's what Adam does to people." Blake said sharply.
"Wait, your old boss?" Sun asked, never getting the answer as Blake continued her tirade.
"And that's why you need to leave!" she snapped. "You saw firsthand what he did to Yang! This is the girl that got back up after being smashed through a highway support beam and crushed the mech that did it, and now she was nearly killed in a battle that was over in an instant!"
"I get that..." Sun tried to say, reaching for his bag.
"Do you?" Blake asked inquisitively. "He's made it his mission to destroy everything I know and love! He's already taken Beacon and Yang! If he finds out about you, he'll hunt you down next! I care about you too much to lose you!" she cried, tears starting to fall from her face. "What about me is so important that you risk your own safety to-"
She was cut off as the blonde stopped rummaging through his bag to hand her a green apple. She froze as she looked at his face. Deadlocked with her, he gave a trademark grin as he gestured for her to take the fruit. "I stole some food for ya." he said, his hand not waivering as the apple still sat in his hand.
Blake stood silent for a moment before something happened to her that hadn't occured since the Vytal Festival: she smiled, letting out a small chuckle to accompany it. She leaned into Sun, feeling content to be around a friend for the first time since the fall of Beacon. "What is it with you and theft anyway?" she asked, not getting an answer at first. "Well?"
"I'm not sure I should respond." Sun admitted. "Last time I made a remark at that question, you glared at me."
"Don't ruin the moment." she smirked, taking the apple and placing it back in her satchel. "I'm not hungry...but thank you, Sun."
"Anytime." he replied.
They sat together like that for what felt like hours, where time dragged on with just about nothing to interrupt them. There must have been a point he nodded off, as the instant he blinked, he suddenly found himself leaned against the dumpster under the mid-morning sun. Quickly looking to his side, he found Blake had already left sometime while he slept. She had however left a calling card. Where she once sat with him on the remnants of the cardboard box, now remained an apple core, seeds neatly piled next to it, and placed to hold down a note left on a napkin.
"I can't face my team until it's done, but I wouldn't mind running into you again. Thank you.
-B"
Sun smirked as he pocketed the note and moved to head back to the safe zone, only for a buzzing in his other pants pocket. Reaching into it, he took a look at the caller ID on his Scroll and answered.
"Sup, Scarlet?" he asked with a grin.
"Sun, where the bloody hell've you been?" the privateer's voice asked on the other end of the line. "It's almost noon and nobody's seen you since last night!"
"Don't worry about me. I just went for a run. Must have been out longer than I thought I guess." he shrugged, lying somewhat."
"Well, hurry back. Neptune's been covering for you, but the army's sending out a recon team for you soon if you don't get back." Scarlet explained.
"I'm not that far out. I'll head back now." Sun nodded, hanging up and walking out of the alley. He could've sworn he saw a familiar silhouette on a rooftop adjacent to where he stood on the ground, but it was gone in an instant as it disappeared in the morning sun.