Chapter: Sun

Being soulmates does not equate to love.

'Could you make a little noise next time?'

Sun knows this. Having a soul mark does not even come close to meaning love.

But it does mean acceptance.

'Dude, that was the greatest kip straddle cast handstand I've ever seen!'

Neptune is his best friend. Neptune is the one to pull him back when he ends up over his head. Or when Sun can't see past his too-compassionate heart. And if Blake wasn't another of Sun's soulmates, Neptune would have been telling the blond Faunus to stop focusing on her. It's not love. It's not a crush. The soul mark is the reason Sun follows her around so often, trying to become her best friend like he is to his other soulmate.

So, Neptune takes it upon himself to keep Sun away until Blake is ready for the too-compassionate blond's friendship.

What kind of best friend would he be if he didn't?

And Sun - after taking a moment to really consider why Blake keeps pushing him away - doesn't hold it against him.

But it takes ice cream with Ruby to understand it all.

"Don't look so guilty," Ruby says around a mouthful of strawberry ice cream. She swallows and motions to her compacted weapon. "You'll see him when you go to your dorm tonight. I bet you another scoop that he'll forgive you in a second."

"I know," Sun groans, staring dejectedly at his melting banana ice cream. "He says I'm the too-forgiving one, but that guy couldn't hold a grudge for his life."

Ruby shrugs. "Well, that's what best friends do."

He gives her a look. "Like you and Weiss?"

Ruby snickers, almost choking. "Sun, you haven't even heard of half the things we've forgiven each other for doing. Do you think she likes all these team activities I drag her to? Nah, we might be besties one day, but for now I do it to mess with her."

"Who's your best friend, then?" Sun asks, head on hands while using his tail to spoon an ice cream scoop.

"I've got two," Ruby says with a soft smile. Sun nods and hums as he eats. "The first one I grew up with, but I haven't seen or heard from her in years. The second one is Lupus, and he lives in Vacuo."

"Wait," Sun holds up a hand, not knowing whether he's more worried of concerned. "First, how are you best friends with someone you haven't seen in years?"

Ruby looks utterly devastated and he regrets asking. "It's… the reason why she left that I still consider her my best friend. I know she would have visited if she could."

Before she can tear up, he changes the subject to the worrying part. "Okay, okay, so second, you don't mean Prince Lupus, do you?"

Ruby smiles weakly, ducking her head. "Maybe."

"The son of Vacuo's dictator, Lupus?"

"That's the same thing my dad said when I told him we're pen pals," Ruby says off-handily.

Sun groans, burying his face in his hands. "Now the hawk makes sense."

"Oh!" Ruby perks up and animatedly starts waving her hands. "You've met Hai?"

"He almost knocked me off the wall outside your room," Sun admits, drowning his sorrows in ice cream. "Ruby. Why are you friends with that guy?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby says innocently, and very confused. "We met when we were kids, and never really stopped writing to each other since."

Sun makes a noise that's crossed between a whine and a laugh.

"And he's my soulmate," Ruby says in between bites of ice cream.

Sun throws his hands up in the air. "You realize who his parents are, right? What they did?"

"Yah," Ruby chews thoughtfully. "Your point?"

Sun makes a confused sound, waving erratically at her. "Your you! How are you soulmates with that guy?"

Ruby looks amused. "I think it's the same way you're soulmates with Blake and Neptune."

"That's-" different. He wants to say different. It's on the tip of his tongue, but won't come out.

"Sun," Ruby says seriously, folding her arms over her dessert. "At first glance, I'd never have thought you and Blake would be soulmates. It's like night and day, watching the two of you. But then there was the fight at the docks, and it just clicked.

"You… do know all this soulmate stuff has nothing to do with who we are as people, right? It has to do with how well we fight with each other. Just because you and Blake aren't best friends right now, doesn't mean you can't fight perfectly together. That's why soul marks are there. To keep each other alive."

"Yah," Sun sighs, stirring his melted ice cream thoughtfully. "Thanks, Ruby. Doesn't really help, but thanks."

"Sorry," Ruby shrugs and finishes off her ice cream. "But, hey, don't you feel better?"

Sun smirks a little and nods.

"And you're going to make up with Neptune, right?"

"…maybe we can hang out here a little longer?"

"As long as you need, Sun."

A/N: Thanks for reading! So, I wasn't going to do team SSSN until I finally got the story to volume two-ish, but then inspiration and here we go! So, yah, hope you enjoyed Sun's chapter.

Next chapter should be out in August