"So, are you… gonna see her again?" Sun asked, slightly winded from the pace Blake had set. Blake shrugged as best she could while maintaining her speed.
"I'm not sure." She thought about how she'd like to. Yang hadn't traveled far from her mind after she'd slipped away for the night.
Maybe Blake had thought about how her car still smelled like sex all the way home. Maybe she'd thought about how Yang had looked underneath her last night, as she stripped down for her shower. Maybe she'd thought about just how hot and wet Yang had been, when her fingers dipped between her own legs, bringing herself to the brink almost too quickly.
Blake huffed, breath coming shorter for reasons other than her morning run.
"I mean… these past… couple days… you – you've seemed… a little… shit, can you slow down?"
Blake sighed, slowing to a jog before stopping completely. Sun stopped just behind her, his hands on his knees. She turned to face him, hands on her hips.
"A little what, Sun?"
Sun looked up at her, eyes partially blocked by shaggy blond hair. Blake shrugged when he didn't answer and Sun stood upright, running a hand through his hair. He let out a large breath.
"Well, I was going to say 'happier' but…"
Blake rolled her eyes with a huff, turning up the beach and starting to run again, the sound of breaking waves drowning out Sun's voice as he called after her.
The ocean breeze felt good against the burn of her legs and abs as Blake picked up the pace, nearing a sprint against the give of the sand beneath her feet.
Blake had always liked running. There was something freeing about it. About the breeze on her exposed skin, the smell of the salt in the air; plus, it helped her clear her mind, burn off excess energy, and left her feeling higher on life after every solid workout.
But today, none of it seemed to be working. Even through the burn of her muscles, Blake was reminded of the night before. Of the last time her chest heaved with every breath, the last time her pulse hammered through her head, the last time her ponytail swished across her shoulders – stray hairs getting stuck to damp skin.
She grunted under her breath, pushing herself harder until she reached the lifeguard stand a little way down the beach. Slowing to a stop, Blake rested a hand against the splintering white paint, her other hand settling on her hip as she lifted her head to squint out over the ocean in the dawn of the morning, the sun just barely starting to show hints of rising on the horizon, painting the sky in dark violet and blue.
Blake swallowed and brought her hand up to run over her face, letting out a slow breath as she shook out her legs. She looked up at the stand for a moment – contemplating whether or not she wanted to break yet another rule in the span of three days – before taking a deep breath and hoisting herself up the few planks of wood to sit down atop it. Looking out over the dark water, white foam hissing with every crashing wave, Blake leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.
After a few moments, of her mind continuously flashing to blonde hair and breathy moans and soft kisses, she finally let out one long exhale.
"Fuck." Her head fell to rest in her hands and she rubbed at her eyes.
"Wow, that – that bad, huh?" Sun sat himself in the spot next to her with a huff, far more winded than she had been – giving her at least something to feel good about. Blake groaned into her hands. Sun scratched the back of his head. "What… happened exactly?"
Blake hadn't gone into too much detail with Sun when recounting her two late night trysts with Yang – brushing it off as "it went well" and "she was beautiful." The second being said with a silly, lopsided smile, Blake's clothes still soaking wet from the bay. She was starting to think, however, that telling Sun might be the more beneficial way to find herself out of this god awful situation. It was with that decision Blake mumbled into her palms.
"We had sex." She didn't look up. If she looked up, she'd either be embarrassed enough to want to throw herself back onto the sand, or pissed off enough at Sun's reaction to push him off the lifeguard stand.
"Well," he said, his tone already arrogant. "That certainly explains the hickey." And fortunate for Sun she'd chosen to keep her face buried, since it would've been the latter.
Instead, Blake's hand shot to her neck as she pushed Sun lightly with her other.
"Shut up." Blake's ears flicked down and out to the sides as embarrassment washed over her. She'd been too distracted that morning to remember to cover it up again… apparently. Sun laughed, hugging one of his knees to his chest.
"I just… I gotta say, I didn't think you'd actually… I mean—" Blake raised an eyebrow and Sun halted his thought. "You know what I mean. I didn't think you'd have it in you to uh… do it so soon. You're usually a more…" Blake's gaze hardened as she squinted at him. "You know what? I'm just gonna stop talking."
Blake stared at him a moment longer before she sighed, her shoulders sagging as she looked away from Sun and out at the water yet again.
"No… you— you're right." Blake shook her head. "I don't know what I'm doing, Sun. We've only gone out a couple times… hell I've barely known her two days. But…"
"But…?"
"I don't know," Blake finally relented with a sigh. "I've never just slept with someone before. It was always this long drawn out process. There were dates and a relationship and…" Blake hesitated to say 'love.' Unsure if what she'd experienced could ever be called that. "I just… I don't think I have it in me to do the… 'summer fling.'" Blake tossed air quotes around her last couple of words, before hugging herself, her thumb rubbing uneasily at the skin of her arm.
Sun nodded, thoughtful. "Then you should probably tell her."
Her ears drooped down, following the frown on her lips. "Y-yeah…" The thought of not being able to see Yang like that again though… it didn't sit well in Blake's heart.
"Or… you could always ask her out again…" Sun said, his leg that still dangled over the edge of the seat swinging lightly. Blake scoffed, hugging herself a little tighter.
"How would that fix anything?"
"Well, I think this could be good for you, is all," Sun said, carefully. Blake glanced at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "I mean… you like this girl. She clearly likes you, sure, maybe the idea of a summer fling isn't your ideal. But I think as long as you guys are like, on the same page, it could be something good for you. Hell, even if you just call it and make it a friendship…"
Blake stared at Sun for a long moment, considering his words.
"How can you even say that? You… you don't know anything about her." Her words were curious, but not harsh. Blake was floored by Sun's seeming approval of a perfect stranger. Given his usually protective side, seeing him so openly say she should pursue Yang was a shock.
"I can tell she's been making you happy," Sun said with a shrug. "Like… real happy. And that's only after two days."
"What? I wasn't happy before?" Blake asked, quirking an eyebrow. Sun's lips tugged into a thoughtful frown.
"Well, I mean you weren't all sunshine and rainbows," he said. "Blake. You hate it here. You hate your job. The only thing you look forward to every summer is hanging out with me or Ilia, and getting to see your parents."
"Can you blame me?" She asked, a humorless smile gracing her lips.
He hadn't mentioned the main reason she hated coming home to Menagerie, but they both knew it. Knew the set of cold blue eyes. Knew the cutting words. Knew the scars that laid beneath Blake's skin and wound around her heart.
"No," Sun said. "But you know what I mean."
Blake sighed, a small sad smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. "Yeah…"
"Look, I just want you to be happy, and if this girl makes you happy then… I don't think you should bail out just because it's something new. You just… need to be honest with her."
Blake stared at Sun for a moment, a small endearing smile on her lips as she looked at her friend. He flinched back a little once he noticed her stare, his brow furrowing.
"…What?" Sun asked, cautiously.
"Nothing," Blake said with a shake of her head. "I just… sometimes I forget how nice you can be."
Sun grinned wide. "Yeahhhh, I am pretty great, aren't I?" He tucked his hands behind his head and puffed out his chest. Blake rolled her eyes and chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his hair and push him gently. Sun made a sound of protest, swatting lightly at Blake's hand.
"Don't push it," she said with a smirk. Her eyes found the horizon again as the sun finally broke over the ocean, starting to cast gold that bled into the dark violet of the morning sky.
She sighed, jumping down off of the lifeguard stand as Sun tried to fix his hair.
"Race you home?" Blake looked up at him with a smirk, stretching an arm across her body.
"You're actually insane." Sun laid down across the seat, one leg dangling off the side. "I'm gonna take a nap until I can actually breathe properly."
Blake chuckled. "You're a surfer and you have abs, how are you so out of shape?"
"Do you run on waves, Blake?"
"Start working on your cardio, Wukong," Blake said with a smirk. "No one likes a guy who has no stamina." She started to back away towards her path home as Sun pointed in her general direction, his eyes still shut.
"You're lucky I'm tired."
"Case in point!" Blake called as she started jogging away. She didn't catch what Sun said over her laughter, but she thought it might've been something akin to "I'll case your point!" which only made her laugh harder as she kicked up sand behind her.
A few hours later Blake found herself back in her old ice cream truck routine. Busy days were probably the worst. Sure, it made time go a little faster, but honestly it wasn't worth it. Even the cold escaping the cooler didn't help when she was constantly running back and forth between it and the window. If anything, the drastic changes in temperature only served to give her a headache and make her sweat even more than usual, if that was even possible.
Blake pealed back the wrapper on another popsicle shaped like a cartoon character and cringed as the beady gumball eyes stared back at her. Why children found them amusing she'd never know. She put on her best smile as she handed it to the excited child in front of her; but was sure, if she wasn't wearing her sunglasses, she wouldn't have fooled anyone.
She quickly wiped her hands on a towel behind the counter as she spoke to the next – and thankfully last – customer in line.
"Hey, what can I get you?"
"Are you Blake?"
Blake's ears twitched up as she glanced at her next customer. She didn't recognize her, and she was definitely someone she'd remember. Her hair was white, and the paleness of her skin didn't seem much darker. Her ice-blue eyes were curious but not as cold as Blake half-expected from her proper demeanor. She looked hilariously uncomfortable in the Menagerie sun, a large hat casting shade over her face and a sheer blue wrap tied around her waist that covered most of her legs.
"Um… can I help you with something?" Blake asked, turning slightly until her nametag wasn't visible as she leaned against the counter.
"Yes, actually. If you're Blake would you please text Yang already? She's been absolutely insufferable since she got back last night and honestly, it's ruining the vacation vibe."
Blake blushed. "O-oh. Yang was…? Um… I mean—"
"Weiss!" Blake's gaze snapped to the right as Yang came rushing towards them. "What are you—Oh, h-hey, Blake."
Blake quickly took Yang in. She looked amazing as always, and Blake was having a hard time remembering why she was feeling so conflicted on the beach that morning with Sun. Yang's hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, her sunglasses settled atop her head as she glanced up at Blake with shy eyes, her cheeks flaring the most adorable pink Blake had ever seen.
For a woman that had usually been so confident, it was a drastic switch to see this side of her, but Blake really liked it.
Blake smiled down at her, perhaps a little softer than she intended, perhaps her gaze lingering just a little too long.
"Hi."
The woman – Weiss – cleared her throat after a moment and Blake snapped out of her daze.
"Oh, right," Yang said with a slight shake of her head. "Uh, Weiss, this is Blake. Blake, Weiss. My friend."
"A pleasure," Weiss said, sticking a hand out. Blake shook it once, grimacing as she pulled back and realized her hands were still sticky with half-melted cartoon popsicle.
"Sorry," she said, reaching for some napkins. She grabbed a few and held them out for Weiss who took them with a small frown.
"It's… alright." She looked at Blake with a forced smile before shooting a look over at Yang, as if asking her if she handled the interaction correctly. Yang nodded once, subtly.
"So, are you the… 'associate'?" Blake asked with a smirk. Weiss gave her a curious look and Yang chuckled.
"I… that would be the one, yeah," Yang said. Weiss just shook her head, and Blake got the sense Yang and Weiss had known each other long enough that Weiss knew better than to ask certain questions.
"So, did you guys want anything, or…?" Blake asked, trying to wipe her hands clean again.
"Oh. No, I'm fine," Weiss said, waving Blake off. "I'll just leave you two to it. It was nice meeting you, Blake." Weiss stopped as she started to walk away, grabbing Yang's arm and mumbling something under her breath that even Blake couldn't hear, but whatever it was caused Yang's eyes to dart up at her and her face to turn a shade redder as she mumbled something back.
Blake's eyes followed Weiss as she walked away, until Yang cleared her throat. She looked down at her and smirked as she leaned against the counter.
"So, can I get you anything, Yang?" Her voice was smooth and part of her wanted to kick herself because she was supposed to be dialing it back. But with the way Yang looked up at her… soft, with just a hint of sin in her smirk…
"I actually wanted to talk," Yang said. She glanced around before looking back up at Blake. "I know you're working but uh… maybe I could come back later?"
"Oh, just… hang on." Blake was making her way to the door of the truck before she could even think about it, swinging it open and gesturing for Yang to come in. Yang glanced over her shoulder before hesitantly making her way to the open door, looking up at Blake as she stepped up into it.
"Uh, am I allowed to be in here during like… your hours?"
Blake shrugged. "Sun does it all the time, so just a different blonde today, I guess," she said with a chuckle. Yang cocked an eyebrow, a curious look in her eye as she finished climbing up into the truck, resting her knee on the passenger's seat to help her balance in the small space.
"Sun, huh?" She asked, and Blake smirked at the slight jealousy laced into Yang's tone. She leaned forward, her face only inches from Yang's as she tugged the door shut behind her.
"Yeah, we've lived together a few years now, so he thinks he's allowed everywhere." Yang's face soured a little and Blake's smirk only grew. "Don't worry," Blake said, eyes darting briefly to Yang's lips before looking up into her eyes again, "he's not."
She backed away from Yang in the next second, hearing Yang's sharp exhale and grinning to herself as she started to make her way to the back of the truck.
"Watch your step this time," she called out as she hopped up to sit on the cooler.
"I'm more than capable of walking, Blake. It was dark last time." Yang stumbled into the back of the truck only a second later, only slightly shaky and Blake chuckled. "Shut it, Belladonna," Yang said, though her seriousness was lacking and it only made Blake laugh harder.
Yang stood in front of Blake and looked at her for a moment, arms crossed, a smile starting to etch its way across her face. Blake felt her cheeks heat and she was suddenly very grateful for the fact she was already flushed from the heat of the truck.
Blake cleared her throat, looking away. "So… what did you want to talk about?" she finally asked.
"Oh, right," Yang said, shaking her head. Her hips cocked to one side, then the other as she fidgeted. "Um… so, about… about last night…"
"Right into it, huh?" Blake said with a smirk. Honestly, it was probably a good thing they were going to talk about it, but Blake wasn't sure she wanted the conversation to happen, considering she wasn't even sure where her own heart stood on the matter. Yang chuckled.
"I… yeah," she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "I just… I mean it all kind of happened really fast and I guess I just wanted to make sure you were… okay?"
Blake's heart stuttered. She couldn't quite place why and she wasn't going to think too hard about it, for her sanity.
"Oh." Was all Blake could manage to say. Which… nice, smooth, very adult, Blake.
When she didn't continue, Yang started talking again.
"Yeah, um I just… well, I didn't want you to feel like we have to do anything like that again, you know?"
Blake's ears flattened against her head. "Oh, do you… would you rather not?" Blake wasn't sure why she didn't like the thought of not being able to touch Yang again, considering she'd thought about calling everything off only a few hours ago, but it bothered her.
"What?" Yang's eyes met hers, surprise settled in her body and eyes. "No! That's—That's not what I—" Yang took a half step forward before she sighed, shaking her head. "I just meant… I don't know? You… you didn't want me to… like…" Yang blushed, making a vague gesture with her hand and Blake caught on to what she meant, her own cheeks coloring to the point she felt the heat probably didn't excuse it anymore.
"Oh." Blake wanted to die. Honestly, could she say literally one full sentence like a mature adult?
"Yeah… so I just thought maybe… maybe you weren't like…" Yang sighed. Blake cleared her throat, fidgeting on the cooler. Honesty was always the best, right? And Sun had said she should tell Yang what was up…
"No," Blake said, finding her voice. "I mean, no, I was… I was definitely into it. So, don't worry about that." Yang's shoulders relaxed a fraction as she let out a breath, but Blake felt the flood gates open and she really needed to lay down the truth before anything else could happen. She sighed. "I wasn't kidding when I said I don't usually sleep with girls after two days. The truth is… I've never… done anything like this before."
Yang's eyebrows shot up. "You… you were a virgin?"
"I—n-no not…" Blake sighed, sometimes being an adult was… really uncomfortable. "I've had sex before, it just… it wasn't… I'm not used to the 'casual' thing, and it just makes me a little nervous."
"Oh." Yang nodded. "No, I get that. It's not for everyone."
"Yeah…"
Yang sighed and nodded her head once, making a decision. "So, we won't do it again if you're not comfortable. I know I'm… temporary."
Blake's heart cracked a little as the word passed Yang's lips. But Yang continued.
"And I don't want to hurt you so…" She smiled softly at Blake, looking a little disappointed but ultimately understanding. Blake wanted to kiss her. "But, do you think maybe we could still like… hang out and stuff? As… friends?" Yang asked, her smile growing a little more hopeful. "I just really like you and I've had fun, so I'll take what I can get." She added with a chuckle.
Blake swallowed with a frown. "I… yeah. Friends."
She was suddenly very aware of just how bare Yang was at the moment, and she bit down lightly on her bottom lip. Bathing suits really didn't leave much up to the imagination and Blake's already knew what was laying beneath the scraps of Yang's bikini top.
She blinked hard behind her sunglasses, her grip digging into the edge of the cooler.
Friends did not think that way about friends.
"Friends…" Yang drew the word out slowly and Blake didn't miss the bob of her throat or the way her eyes hooded as they flickered over her body. Apparently, Blake hadn't hid her own reaction as well as she'd thought.
"Yeah."
There was a beat of silence and Blake honestly didn't remember moving, but she must've, because the next thing she knew Yang's back was against the wall of the truck and Blake's tongue was in her mouth. And she was swallowing Yang's whine. And her hands were cradling Yang's jaw.
Yang's hands quickly found her hips as she kissed her back and Blake's arms slid around Yang's neck instead, to press the length of her body fully against her. She was vaguely aware that this was probably not the best idea in broad daylight in the middle of her shift but— oh my god, how did Yang do that with her tongue? Blake's mind wandered to what it would be like to have it do that elsewhere and she couldn't suppress her moan that only caused Yang's grip on her hips to tighten.
Blake's teeth dug gently into Yang's bottom lip as she pulled back for a breath only to catch her lips once more. Yang's skin was hot against hers, tacky from sunscreen. And… perfect. Just… perfect.
When they pulled back again, Blake didn't stray far and Yang's head tilted forward to press their foreheads together. Blake looked up at her. Her eyes were still closed as their breath mingled in the air between them.
"I—" Yang chuckled and bit her lip and Blake wanted her teeth there again. Instead, Yang continued. "So," she said, "friends that make out?"
When Blake pressed her lips to Yang's again, it was with a smile.