"Hey, do you know where Ruby is?" Yang asked as she came out of the hallway.
"She left awhile ago with Weiss. Weiss said something about taking care of some more of the wedding shopping," Blake replied as she looked up from her book. "Why? What's up?"
"Ah…" Yang started but trailed off. She glanced at Blake before fixating her gaze on the ceiling. "I have something to tell you." Blake's eyebrows furrowed. What could she possibly have to say that would have Yang so nervous?
"What is it?" she prompted. Yang glanced at her again.
"The guys are arriving today." Blake's heart stopped. There was only one "guys" Yang could be referring to. Yang looked to Blake when she didn't say anything. "Ruby barely let me know last night," she explained. "I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you since she told me."
"That's a week early. Why are they here a week early?" Blake managed to get out. She was trying to keep calm, but she knew no matter what, Yang would be able to pick up on her panic.
A week early.
She was going to have to see Sun a week early.
She wasn't ready.
Ever since Weiss had announced her engagement to Neptune, Blake had been stressed about what it meant. It meant she'd have to come face to face with Sun after four years. She was happy for her friend, she knew how in love Weiss was with Neptune, but a part of Blake wanted to be selfish and take no part in the wedding.
She didn't want to have to see Sun. She had spent so long and so much energy staying away from him and now all that work was going to go down the drain. So when she finally came to terms with the fact that she was going to have to see him and be around him, Blake started to stress. How was she going to act? Would she avoid him? Avoid talking to and looking at him at all costs? And if she did talk to him, what was she going to say?
Blake knew it was something she was going to stress about up until the very moment she saw him. And now that Yang was telling her they had come in a week early, it felt like the earth was knocked out from underneath her. What was she going to say?
"Nep wanted to help Weiss out a little more now that the wedding is only three weeks away so he figured they'd come in a week earlier to do so," Yang explained. Her violet eyes were still searching Blake's face, trying to gauge exactly how distressed she was. Blake swallowed the lump in her throat.
"What time are they supposed to be here?" she asked. She glanced to the door as if they were going to come in right that second. Yang looked to the clock on the wall.
"Their train should've gotten here about an hour ago, so I'd say in about twenty minutes." Blake's stomach dropped. She had twenty minutes to prepare herself. "I'm sorry. I should've told you sooner," Yang apologized.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I understand," Blake dismissed absentmindedly, looking back down at her book. What was she going to say?
Blake's attention snapped to the door when the sound of a key jingling the lock sounded. A second later, it opened to reveal Weiss and Ruby with three familiar boys behind them.
"Hey, guys!" Yang greeted brightly as she went over to them. Blake was hardly aware of the greetings exchanged as she searched the small group. Her heart was pounding and it nearly stopped when she realized she didn't see a fourth, blond head with them. She looked again, but sure enough, Sun wasn't with them.
"Hey, Blake!" Scarlet greeted, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked to the redheaded boy and blinked.
"Uh, hey!" Blake said, trying to return his smile.
"Long time no see." He came over and hugged her.
"Yeah, it's been awhile," she said distractedly as she searched the small group again.
"How have you been?" Sage asked when he went to hug her.
"I've been well. And you?"
"Been good besides this guy," he replied, jerking his thumb back at Neptune, "suddenly deciding we're coming in a week early."
"It was planned, thank you very much," Neptune retorted as he nudged Sage out of the way. All it took was one look from Blake and he knew exactly what she was wondering. "He said he'd be down at the fountain in front of Beacon," he told her, his voice quiet. "He said he'd be down there for a little while if, you know, you wanted to go down there to see him."
Blake glanced to the side to see Yang watching them. She looked back to Neptune.
"Thank you. If anyone asks, can you tell them I went out for a little bit?" she asked. Neptune nodded. She gave him a tight smile before slipping past him. She wasn't going to give herself a chance to think about what she was doing.
But once she was outside, it was all Blake could think about. What was she doing? She hadn't seen Sun in four years let alone talk to him. And here she was, running to him as soon as Neptune told her he was waiting for her. She didn't even have anything to say to him. Would he even have to have anything to say to her? He must have if he wanted to see her. He could have easily just had this confrontation in front of everyone. Sun must've had a reason to specifically ask to see just her.
What would he tell her? Make small talk about the weather? Ask about recent missions? Tell her he wouldn't be moving with his team to Vale like Neptune had told them they would?
Tell her he's found someone else?
Blake immediately shoved that thought out of her head. She didn't care if he had someone else. She had broken up with him. He had every right to find happiness somewhere else.
But she should turn back. She shouldn't go see him. She should just go back to the house. But going back meant answering awkward questions. Going back could mean a disappointing look from Neptune and she didn't want to disappoint him.
She had managed to stay good friends with the blue haired boy despite breaking his best friend's heart. Blake would usually be the one to hang out with Neptune or pick him up from the airport or train station whenever Weiss got caught up in business for the Schnee company. It was a little awkward at first, especially when Blake first broke up with Sun. But it was eventually smoothed over and Blake was glad to still have his friendship. And even though she tried hard not to think about Sun, Neptune was kind enough to slip in kernels of information here and there throughout their conversations to let her know he was still doing well.
Blake looked up when the sound of rushing water reached her ears. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized she had arrived at Beacon. She swallowed hard when she saw someone sitting on the edge of the fountain.
It was Sun.
Sun was waiting for her.