Chapter 6: The Lighting of the Candle
The next morning, Beacon Gym, 13th September 18 BBY, 8:30 am…
Nathan's fist hit the heavy bag hard, followed by a left blow to what would have been the gut of Nathan's proverbial opponent. Quickly, Nathan landed a left jab to where his opponent's head would be, followed by a series of strikes; overhands, hooks, jabs, elbow strikes, knees, high kicks, roundhouses, and all manner of strikes.
Finally, Nathan landed one final blow to the bag, letting out a loud shout of exertion as his fist made contact. Taking a step back, Nathan exhaled softly as he walked over to his things, grabbing his towel and wiping his face before taking a drink of water.
"I think the heavy bag gives up."
Nathan spun round to find himself faced with Sun, at which he frowned. "Hey, Sun." He said. "What's up?"
"Just woke up, figured I'd slip in a morning workout." Sun replied, gesturing to the bag. "You sure did a number on that bag. Remind me never to get on your bad side."
You already are, Nathan's jealous side said. Ignoring it, Nathan replied: "Better pray we aren't pitched against each other in the tournament, then."
Sun nodded. "Yeah." He said. "Hey… can I ask you something?"
Nathan sighed. "What?" Nathan asked.
Sun rubbed the back of his head nervously. "It's… about Blake. I really, really like her, and I wanna ask her out to the dance, but she blew me off yesterday, and today when I asked her again. You're one of Blake's best friends, so… any ideas on what I'm doing wrong?"
Nathan scowled as once again, his jealousy rose up. "Well for one, you still haven't ditched the 'chickenshit stripper' look you have going on, so you still look like a douchebag mixed with overconfident fuckboy, and second, you're failing to realise that Blake just isn't fucking interested in you!"
Sun backed away, saying: "Dude, where is all this coming from?"
Nathan saw this, and took a deep breath. "Look. You're a nice guy, Sun. And I'm sure that Blake would love to have attended the dance with you. But… from what I gather, she just… she isn't interested in you to that degree. There's every chance she is, but… but there's things she doesn't tell even me."
"Oh." Sun said. "So… no advice?"
"Just… just cut the shit, Sun. Cheesy pickup lines and all this bravado only nail chicks in stupid low-budget B-movies that might as well double as porn movies what with all the nudity in those kriffing things." Nathan says. "Be yourself. Be honest. And… in the event she doesn't feel the same way; don't go batshit insane and stalk her. Blake's not the only girl on Remnant, and you're not a bad looking guy by any means. There's plenty of fish in the sea. You'll catch the one eventually."
Sun nodded. "Thanks, Nathan. I'll keep that in mind." At that, Sun headed off to a separate area of the gym to start working out.
Nathan nodded and headed to the exit. He'd hit the showers and rejoin his teammates for a bit. He could use some hangout time with them.
Outside JNNPR's dorm, 9:20 am…
Nathan rounded the corner towards his dorm and found himself faced with Jaune.
"Hey Nate!" Jaune said cheerfully. He looked to be in a very good mood, given his body language and the cheerful smile crossing his face.
"What's up, Jaune?" Nathan asked. "You're looking awfully chipper this morning."
"I think I've finally got it all figured out when it comes to Weiss." Jaune declared. "No more cheesy pick-up lines, no bravado, just be me. I can't get it wrong if it's the truth."
Nathan's heart sank at that. Pyrrha had said those exact words to him the previous evening after they had finished sparring. Regardless, Nathan forced a smile to cross his face. "Yeah, that's great. Go get her, Jaune." He said, lightly punching Jaune on the shoulder.
Jaune nodded and headed off, presumably to ask Weiss out again.
Nathan waited until Jaune was out of earshot before letting out a sad sigh. Please don't say you've given up, Pyrrha. Nathan thought to himself as he turned and headed into his dorm.
Stepping inside, he spotted Pyrrha sat on her bed, a sad expression on her face. "Pyrrha?" Nathan said.
Pyrrha looked up and sighed. "I'm guessing you passed Jaune on the way here." She said sadly.
Nathan nodded. "Please don't tell me you've given up on him, Pyrrha." He said. "I have a feeling Weiss is gonna reject Jaune just like every other time he's tried to woo her."
"Has that stopped him from trying again?" Pyrrha asked. "He said so himself; he's head over heels for Weiss, Nathan." Choking back a sob, Pyrrha added: "I might as well not go to the dance tomorrow. I don't think I can handle seeing him with Weiss all night."
"Hey… don't be like that, Pyrrha." Nathan said gently, sitting on the bed and pulling her close. "If anything, the dance is the perfect opportunity to shoot your shot with Jaune. Start a fucking catfight with Weiss, if you need to."
Pyrrha snorted, and Nathan could sense she now had a mental image of her and Weiss rolling around the dancefloor, pulling each other's hair, slapping each other and trying to scratch one another's eyes out.
"Look, Jaune will realise you like him eventually." Nathan said softly. "But you can't give up yet. Trust me, seeing Blake with Sun and seeing how well they gel together in some respects makes me want to give up. But I'm not giving up. Because I've faced worse odds than a monkey boy with terrible fashion sense."
Pyrrha giggled at that, and Nathan could see the traces of a smile beginning to form on her face.
"There you go." Nathan said, pushing the corners of Pyrrha's mouth to form a smile. "There's that smile everyone loves to see on your face."
Pyrrha nodded before she then snuggled up to Nathan, laying her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Nathan." She said. "What would I do without a friend like you?"
"Still be a hopeless romantic, pining hopelessly after Jaune with no-one around to actually give you the push you need?" Nathan replied.
Pyrrha rolled her eyes and gave Nathan a gentle punch on the shoulder. "You're right. I still have a shot to be with Jaune. I just need to be patient with him."
"Yeah." Nathan said, reaching over and beginning to softly stroke Pyrrha's hair. "And if I recall, he did say he'd wear a dress to the dance if you failed to show up with a date."
Pyrrha snorted. "Do you really think he's actually going to go through with that?" She asked.
"I'll make sure he does." Nathan replied. "Even if it means I need to threaten him with what I call the Baseball Bat wakeup call at five in the morning."
Pyrrha giggled. "I'll lend you Miló as well for use as a baseball bat if you cannot find a conventional one."
Nathan chuckled. "You have an evil mind, Pyrrha Nikos."
"I learn from the sickest mind I know." Pyrrha replied, eyeing Nathan with a smile.
Nathan returned the smile and held Pyrrha close. He was grateful to have a friend like Pyrrha in his life.
Later that day, 11:30 am…
Nathan let out a satisfied breath as he relaxed, laying back on the bench and soaking up some of the sun as it bore down on him. Nothing like soaking up some early fall sunshine, Nathan thought to himself.
"Enjoying the sunshine?"
Nathan looked up from his spot to see General Ironwood stood there, watching him curiously. "Yup." He replied. "Nothing like soaking up some early autumn sunshine." Pausing, Nathan gestured to the ships. Still looming above Vale. "Looks like you've still got your occupational force around." He remarked.
Ironwood sighed. "It's not an occupational force, Nathan." The head of the Atlas military replied. "I'll admit; it is a lot of men, but I'm merely being cautious."
"Tell that to the people of Vale." Nathan countered. "Was out in Vale the other day, and I could hear a few people muttering about how that many Atlas ships was a message to how powerful you guys are. Nothing about how safe they feel or anything like that."
"Give it time." Ironwood retorted. "They'll see soon enough."
"Do you really believe that?" Nathan asked. "Or are you just telling yourself that because you're trying to justify making the people of Vale nervous about you and your troops?"
Ironwood scowled at that, and walked off, leaving Nathan alone once again.
Nathan sighed and laid back on the bench again, beginning to close his eyes.
"Hey."
Nathan's eyes shot open and he sat up immediately, finding himself faced with Blake. "Hey Blake." He said, smiling as he faced her. "What's going on?"
Blake looked around and said: "I… I came to tell you that I now plan on attending the dance tomorrow."
Nathan's heart skipped several beats before he stood up. "Really? That's great!" He said loudly.
Blake narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow, at which Nathan said:
"Sorry." Nathan said. "I'm just glad you decided to attend the dance."
A pleasant smile crossed Blake's face at that, and she said: "Thank you. The only issue is… I don't have a dress to wear."
"You don't?" Nathan asked. "And you're telling me this… why?"
"Because I want your help finding one." Blake replied. "I'd ask Yang, but she and the rest of the team are getting the hall ready for the dance tomorrow."
Nathan nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?" He asked.
Vale Commercial District, 12:10 pm…
Nathan jumped down from the shuttle and turned to face Blake, holding his hand out to help her down the steps.
"Such a gentleman." Blake said, smiling at Nathan.
Nathan could swear he saw a slight blush forming on Blake's cheeks, but declined to say anything. "Just being a decent person by helping a lady down some steps." Nathan said.
Blake snorted. "Lady? You must have me confused with Weiss." Blake remarked.
"Well maybe I hold you in as high a regard." Nathan replied. "Actually, scratch that. I hold Weiss in such low regard I doubt I hold her in any regard to begin with."
Blake chuckled, shaking her head. "You're never going to pass up a chance to roast Weiss, aren't you?"
"Not my fault she opens herself up so much." Nathan answered. "Am I not meant to take advantage of the opportunities afforded me by the Ice Bitch?"
Giggling, Blake then blushed as an unearthly growl emanated from her stomach.
Nathan looked, snorted, and added: "Guess we had better get some lunch."
Blake nodded. "Yes… I think I have worked up an appetite over the past day or so."
At that, the two turned and headed off in the direction of the nearest diner.
"You know; this feels almost like a date." Blake remarked as they walked.
"Well… I am the romantic type." Nathan replied, not noticing Blake blush at that.
They continued walking in silence, taking in the city of Vale as they passed through it in search of somewhere to eat.
Once again, they found themselves occasionally turning to look at each other, only to then look away.
By the Force, Blake's beautiful, Nathan thought to himself. He could swear he saw a blush appear on Blake's face the moment they looked away from each other once or twice
Before long, Nathan felt a hand take his. Looking down, he saw that Blake was holding his hand.
His eyes quickly met Blake's, and they quickly recoiled from the touch, both blushing madly as they looked away.
Nathan thanked the Force that he and Blake were alone. He had a feeling that if someone like Yang had seen that little exchange, neither he nor Blake would hear the end of it.
Maple's Diner, 12:40 pm…
"Swear we ate here like; the first day we met." Blake remarked as they entered the diner.
"Yeah." Nathan said. "Whilst I came here several times with Yang back before we started at Beacon, then continued to eat here with JNNPR whenever Ren can't be asked to cook lunch."
Blake chuckled. "I can actually imagine days where Ren is just too worn out from having to deal with Nora to make lunch."
"Trust me, it's happened." Nathan replied as they both sat down.
Before long, a waitress joined them, an attractive young lady in her late teens to early twenties.
"Hello, Nathan. Back again?" She asked.
"Sure am, Lacey." Nathan replied. "I'll have my usual, thanks."
"Sure thing. I'll let Maple know you're here so he can get started. And how about your beautiful lady friend here?"
"I'll have the grilled fish burger with fries and an iced tea, please." Blake replied, blushing a bit at the waitress' comment.
"Sure thing. I'll get your drinks ready, and we'll get those out to you ASAP." Lacey replied before she headed off to give the order.
Nathan's eyes soon met Blake's, and he sat forward. "So… what finally convinced you to attend the dance tomorrow?" He asked.
"Well; I was thinking about what you said about what happened with your friend, but… I wasn't quite convinced." Blake replied. "In the end, Yang was the one who ultimately convinced me."
Nathan nodded. "You know; I'm kinda hurt I wasn't the one who convinced you." Nathan remarked in a mockingly hurt tone.
Blake giggled. "You did play a part in convincing me though, so… thank you." She replied.
Nathan smiled at Blake at that, a smile he was happy to see her returning. She's so fucking beautiful, Nathan thought. Hopefully, I can tell her how I feel at the dance.
Blake looked down, then met Nathan's gaze again.
They shared a long look before Lacey arrived with their drinks.
"Here you go." Lacey said, handing them both their drinks. "Your food won't be long." At that, she walked off again.
Sipping his drink, Nathan blinked when Blake added:
"You know; you've never actually told me much about any of your friends from before you came to Remnant." She said.
"No, I haven't." Nathan says, nodding. "Just, never really had the chance to talk about them until now."
"So… any friends in particular I should know about?" Blake asked.
"Well… Aside from my master, Killian Drake, you'd have typically see me around several people." Nathan replied. "They were Ahsoka Tano, Jason Stone, Tristan 'Ghost' Kast, and my Jedi Master, Killian Drake."
"Tell me about them." Blake said.
Nathan nodded. "First off, there was as I said; Killian Drake. He was the Jedi that trained me after I was assigned to him when I was around fourteen." He replied. "He was a great teacher; and not just about being a Jedi and the ways of the Force. He taught me a lot of other things as well."
"Such as?" Blake inquired.
"Well for one; he taught me to consider the Jedi Code; that being the 'rules' of being a Jedi; as more of a set of guidelines as opposed to actual rules." Nathan stated. "As such; whenever we were off duty or not on a mission, you'd often find him hanging about the lower levels of Coruscant; getting drunk off of whiskey or finding a fresh woman to sleep with. It was his way of destressing. In doing so, he taught me how to approach pretty girls and strike up a conversation with them." Nathan sighed. "Gods I miss that bastard. He taught me a lot; and I wish I still had him around to help guide me."
"I can imagine." Blake said. "Having a mentor like him would be a great help."
The two sat in silence for a number of moments before Blake finally asked:
"How about Jason?"
"Well… Jason was my master's Padawan learner before me, so he's already a trained Jedi Knight." Nathan replied with a hint of resentment. "He's about seven years older than me, so he's about twenty-four right now."
Blake frowned, cocking her head to one side. "The way you talk about him suggests that… that something happened between you two."
Nathan sighed. "Jason… he was always one to try and be polite and follow the rules and keep his opinions to himself, despite what our master taught him about viewing the Jedi Code as more a set of guidelines than rules. Compare that to me."
Blake nodded. "What happened?" She asked.
"It was right after the whole Ahsoka debacle." Nathan said. "When I found out what happened, I was furious. I marched into the Jedi Council chambers and spent fifteen to twenty minutes tearing those bastards a new one. Imagine my worst tirade amplified to eleven. That was how badly I was ripping into the Council. Long story short, I nearly got kicked out of the Jedi Order. Afterwards, me and Jason got into a pretty bad argument. Sooth to say, words became fists, and fists would have become lightsabers if Master Drake hadn't intervened. We… we haven't talked since; not for a lack of Master Drake trying to get us to talk."
"Sounds like your master really wanted you two to make up." Blake remarked.
"Yeah." Nathan answered, his tone sombre. "Before that; me and Jason were really good friends. Master Drake would often tell me how our banter would have him laughing every time he listened in on us." Pausing, Nathan added: "But after what Jason said to me the last time we spoke… I didn't want anything to do with him. He could die in battle for all I care. And I still think that to this day."
Blake sighed. "How about Tristan?" She asked.
"Not really much to say about Tristan, to be fair." Nathan replied. "He's a Mandalorian soldier."
"Mandalorian soldier?" Blake asked.
"The soldiers that the clones were based on." Nathan replied. "Some of the best soldiers you'd ever find in the galaxy. Anyways, Tristan, or as we called him, 'Ghost', he used to be part of this hardline group called Death Watch. They were basically the Mandalorian equivalent to the White Fang."
Blake frowned. "I see."
"But things changed after he went through some personal issues I'll not disclose out of respect for him." Nathan went on to say. "He began seeing what Death Watch were doing and what it was doing to the common people of Mandalore; the people Death Watch wanted to rule over. The final straw came when they ordered him to participate in a bombing of a school where an important government official would be appearing. Ghost refused on the grounds that there was seemingly no regard towards the children that'd also be hurt. They tried to kill him, so he fled, and began a series of clandestine solo operations against Death Watch; earning the name 'Ghost' because of his ability to appear out of nowhere, raise hell on Death Watch; and then leave. They eventually caught up to him and tried killing him; which was when me and Jason saved his life. He vowed to help us win the war as a repayment to that debt. As a result, we became good friends, and he remained true to his word, giving our men more training and making us one of the more effective combat units during the Clone Wars."
Blake smiled. "That's good." She said. "And… what about Ahsoka?"
Nathan chuckled. "Ahsoka Tano…" He muttered. "Where to start with that fucking bitch?"
Blake giggled. "I take it you two were close." She said.
Nathan nodded. "Ahsoka was my best friend throughout my days in the Jedi Order. We were the same age, and we spent whatever time we could together during the Clone Wars." Nathan sighed. "When she left the Order… it hit me hard, to put it bluntly."
Blake met Nathan's gaze. "Were… were you two… together-together, as Nora would put it?" She asked.
"Fuck no." Nathan replied. "We were close, but we were nowhere near that close. I guess the best way to describe our relationship is similar to the one I have with Pyrrha; very good friends who playfully flirt from time to time. There's no attraction between me and Pyrrha, and it was the same for me and Ahsoka."
"Fair enough." Blake remarked, smiling.
"What about you, Blake?" Nathan asked. "Any people you remember fondly from the White Fang? Besides your psycho ex-boyfriend who just so happens to look like my evil twin?"
Blake giggled. "Besides Adam… the only real friend I had within the White Fang was Ilia." She said. "During my time in the White Fang, we became very close. I guess she became the twin sister I never had." Blake sighed. "But now I've left the White Fang, it wouldn't surprise me if Adam has turned her against me."
"Simple, then. We work on a way to get her back on your side." Nathan declared. "If you were as close as you say you two were, she'll hopefully at least listen to you."
Blake smiled. "I hope so." Blake said. "She's the only thing I really miss about the White Fang."
"I can imagine." Nathan remarked.
Shaking her head, Blake added: "Aside from that… I regret even staying with the White Fang after my parents left five years ago. They warned me and everything, and… and I didn't listen to them."
"Your parents?" Nathan inquired. "That's the first time I've heard you mention them."
Blake nodded sadly. "I've… I've not seen nor heard from them in five years. I doubt they even want anything to do with me after all that."
"Blake… you're their daughter." Nathan replied. "I'm willing to bet they've wanted to hear from you all throughout those five years. So why not write a letter to them? Let them know you're okay, how you've been doing, and tell them about what you're up to, now."
Blake met Nathan's gaze again, saying: "You think they'll even bother?"
"Blake, any decent pair of parents will read something their child sends to them." Nathan replied. "And if they don't reply, or send any indication that they want to re-establish contact and forgive you, then fuck them. But until then… it wouldn't hurt to try and mend that relationship, would it?"
Blake bowed her head, nodded, and smiled. "You're right." She declared. "I'll start writing a letter after we're done with our first missions."
"Good." Nathan said, before sighing. "At least you have parents to contact."
"What do you mean?" Blake asked.
"I… I have no idea who my parents are." Nathan replied. "My earliest memory is of Plo Koon, the Jedi Master who discovered me as a baby and brought me to the Jedi Temple. The best I can piece together is that my parents abandoned me and left me to die, either because they couldn't afford to raise me, or because they didn't want me."
"That's terrible." Blake remarked.
"So… I envy you, for having parents." Nathan says. "I grew up with no idea of who my parents were, only that Plo Koon was the Jedi who found me, and that my name was Nathan. My last name, Phoenix… That was my own selection, because I thought it sounded cool, and because I liked the idea of me rising from the ashes to become something better. Something more than what I already was."
"Well… you certainly have, Nathan." Blake said. "You're a former Jedi, military commander, and are in the process of becoming a Huntsman. I'd say you have risen from the ashes in spectacular fashion."
Nathan chuckled and looked to the kitchen area, seeing their food was nearly ready, before meeting Blake's gaze once again. "Thanks, Blake." He said. "I appreciate that."
"Nathan; you're one of my best friends, if not my best friend, period." Blake replied. "I figured you deserved some credit for all you've achieved, too."
Nathan smiled at that, meeting Blake's gaze as they shared a warm smile with each other.
Before long, their food arrived, and they started eating.
Damn, that was almost the perfect moment to tell her, Nathan thought.
Not long later, 13:50 pm…
Nathan scowled as he and Blake neared the next dress shop along the way.
It was a nice shop, chock-full of dresses that Nathan had a pleasant time imagining Blake wearing.
The only problem was the big 'NO FAUNUS' sign emblazoned on the front of the store for all to see.
Blake sighed, saying: "That's the third shop we've passed."
"You know, you could always call up some buddies and torch the fucking place." Nathan joked, at which Blake rolled her eyes.
"Nathan…" Blake chided softly, though her smile was playful.
Nathan chuckled and patted Blake on the shoulder before saying: "Come on. There's bound to be a shop that serves faunus somewhere in this city."
Blake nodded as the two of them kept walking.
"Nathan?" Blake asked.
"Yeah?" Nathan said.
"You said… you said you were nearly expelled from the Jedi Order after your rant against the Jedi Council." Blake said. "Did… did you actually want to leave?"
"For a brief moment, I did." Nathan replied. "Without Ahsoka, a life in the Jedi Order was daunting to me. But then… then I realised that if I turned my back on the Jedi, then… then I'd be leaving the only family I had ever known behind." Pausing, Nathan added: "I often wonder whether Ahsoka had similar feelings behind her departure from the Jedi Order, and was just able to deal with them better."
"I wouldn't be surprised if she did." Blake remarked. "I dealt with feelings like that when I abandoned the White Fang. I felt a little guilt initially, but I kept reminding myself that I did it all for a good reason." Blake sighed. "Sometimes, the guilt does come back, though."
"Well, look at where you are now." Nathan replied. "You're not as antisocial and moody as you used to be, and I'm not as outspoken as I used to be. We're both better people than we were, and it shows." Pausing, Nathan added: "Sometimes, it helps to look back on where you were and see how far you've come since then."
Blake smiled. "That's actually a good way of putting it."
"Positive thinking. That's the key sometimes." Nathan stated, patting Blake on the shoulder. "Speaking of…"
Blake looked to see that they had come across another dress shop. This time, there was no 'NO FAUNUS' sign displayed, meaning she could go in.
"Well… shall we?" Nathan asked Blake with a smile.
Later, inside the dress shop…
"What about this one, Nathan?" Blake asked as she stepped out of the dressing room.
Nathan had to admit, the dress did look nice. It was black with a downward colour gradation to purple at the hems, with a white piece of fabric tied around the waist and a sweetheart neckline. Nodding, Nathan said: "It's certainly an option. Do you feel comfortable wearing it, though? I know you're not big on showing off too much skin."
Blake looked down at the neckline and nodded. "You're right." She said. "It's nice, but not really my style." At that, she stepped into the dressing room again.
Nathan sat back again, waiting as Blake tried on another dress. They had been at this for a solid forty-five minutes. The first fifteen had been spent gathering dresses for Blake to try on, and they had spent the past thirty minutes going through certain dresses, trying to pick out Blake's ideal one.
Shortly thereafter, Blake stepped out of the room again. "How about this one?"
Nathan nodded agreement. "Looks pretty nice, to be fair." It was all purple, hugging her figure and covering up most of her body, although it bared Blake's back for all to see. Frowning, Nathan said: "Still; could always be the chance some asshole unzips it from behind and causes you to bare all, accidentally."
"True." Blake replied before stepping back inside.
Nathan waited another minute or so before Blake emerged yet again. The moment he saw her dress, he had to force himself not to blush.
It was jet back and reached her knees, baring the bottom half of Blake's slim and well-toned legs. Once again, Blake's back was bared for all to see, but the main problem was the neckline. It plunged down past her chest and ended just above Blake's belly button, and was held together by black lace, pushing up Blake's breasts and making them far more prominent. Furthermore, the dress was rather tight, and hugged Blake's figure immensely, meaning all of her assets were far more prominent.
"Nope!" Nathan managed to say. "Nope, nope, nope! Way too revealing!" All while fighting tooth and nail to stop himself from blushing too hard.
"Sure." Blake said, once again returning to the changing room.
Nathan took a deep breath and looked down, groaning as he saw a familiar bulge in his trousers. "Great…" Nathan muttered as fresh dirty images, this time of Blake wearing that dress in various states of undress filled his mind once again. He repressed them as best he could, and prayed Blake had not seen his boner.
At that, the curtain opened, and Blake stepped out once more.
Nathan had to fight not to let his jaw drop to the floor.
Blake was wearing a short, purple, asymmetrical, halter neck dress that was split up the right side with a black collar. Translucent black mesh covered her shoulders, chest and back, and decorative black swirls covered the left side of the dress and continued up the left strap. Completing the look were black pumps.
Nathan found himself struggling to form words, as he simply gazed upon Blake. Somehow, the dress made her look even more beautiful than she already was, and Nathan could only imagine him and Blake dancing the night away.
"Nathan?" Blake said, snapping him out of his awestruck musings. "What do you think?"
Shaking his head, Nathan took a deep breath. "You… you look… You look beautiful, Blake." He finally said. "I… I think we've found your dress."
Blake smiled. "Glad to hear it." She said. "I might change my bow colour on the night itself, too. Just to offset all of this."
"Cool." Nathan says. "Get changed and we'll pay for the dress then get back to Beacon."
Blake nodded as she headed back inside to change.
Nathan exhaled as he did. Blake looked like a goddess in that dress. Hopefully, he could tell her how he felt sometime soon. Part of him wanted to get a photo of him and Blake together, with Blake wearing that dress. Somehow, he knew he would.
Later, back at Beacon…
Nathan and Blake walked under the archway leading to the entrance to their dormitory, a large bag in Blake's hand that contained Blake's dress for the dance.
As they headed up the steps leading to the main door, Blake stopped.
"T-Thank you for taking the time to help me find a dress today." She said. "I… I also really enjoyed having you there with me."
"It's no problem, Blake." Nathan replied. "You're one of my best friends. Maybe even my best friend besides Pyrrha. And even then; it's like I always say: I've always got time to help you, Blake. Always."
Blake smiled warmly, and closed the distance between them, pulling Nathan into a hug. "I know. And I always appreciate the fact you're so willing to help."
Nathan returned the hug with a smile, before part of him banged hard on the door to his head, screaming:
Ask her, you dull-witted cockfag!
"Blake?" Nathan said.
Breaking the hug, Blake asked: "Yeah?"
Nathan swallowed. "I… I was wondering if… if you were… if you would be willing to accompany me to the dance tomorrow?" He asked.
Blake's warm smile deepened. "I'd love to, Nathan." She said. "Although you may have to wait a while. Yang promised to save me a dance."
Nathan found himself smiling. "Yeah…" he said happily. "That's not a problem."
At this, he and Blake found themselves locking eyes, staring one another down.
"So… see you tomorrow night, then?" Nathan asked.
Blake nodded. "See you tomorrow night, Nathan." Blake said with a warm, happy smile as she leaned in and kissed Nathan on the cheek. Taking a deep breath, Blake then turned and walked on into the dorm.
Nathan blinked several times as he tried to remember his own name. He was sure his brain had melted and was currently oozing out of every orifice on his head.
Blake had kissed him.
Nathan's heart hammered against his ribcage as all the feelings he typically felt around Blake arose more powerful than ever before. Another, powerful urge filled Nathan, one urging him to rush in after Blake, confess his feelings to her and kiss her right then and there.
Nathan forced the urge down as hard as he could, instead settling for a fist pump and an elated cry of: "YES!" Jumping up into the air as he did before sighing happily. Reaching up and touching the spot where Blake had kissed him, Nathan said something he had previously dared not utter out loud:
"I love you, Blake Belladonna."
Taking a deep breath, Nathan continued up towards the dorms. He had his chance. Now all that remained for him to do was seize it.
Nathan has a chance to win Blake's heart, finally! Will he seize it? Or will he let it slip?
Also, I decided I'd use this chapter to better develop Nathan's character more, and show more of what made him the way he is. Turns out, his mentor was a terrible influence on Nathan. Or was he?
Furthermore, I've noticed a distinct lack of reviews for this story. Whether that's due to the fact I was absent for a long time before starting to publish this story on here or other factors, it's kinda disheartening for me. I really enjoy responding to people's reviews on my page, since it gives me something more to do other than ramble on about this and that, and it's a way for me to interact with the people reading my stories. So I'd really appreciate some reviews.
Regardless, thank you for reading, and I shall see you all tomorrow with the next chapter, which sees Nathan dancing the night away.
T-Rock14