Several possible scenarios played out in a flash within the young faunus' mind.
Option one. "I, uh… gah! I was, um, I was looking for the bathroom," he lied, in a most transparent attempt. Ghira stood with a snarl, and then called him out immediately.
Option two. "Oh, you know, I was just checking up on you! I saw a light on, and I figured you'd be working, and maybe… needed… some help? Or something?" he cringed at the unlikelihood of his own answer, given that he neither knew what Ghira did in his office, that this was his office to begin with, or how he could possibly help. Ghira rolled his eyes, and launched into a lecture.
Option three. "What are you doing out of bed so late, Mr. B?" he said with requisite finger guns, before finding himself flying across the room as the result of a mighty toss from the much larger male.
He quickly decided that option three was most certainly off the table.
Of all of the various jams that Sun's natural curiosity had gotten himself into over the years, this particular one was by far his least favorite. He slipped past the edge of the door and moved to stand inside of the office itself, buying himself precious seconds to think. The action did him little good, as he found none of his imagined retorts satisfactory. Ghira quirked a brow at Sun's movements, and titled his head slightly downward. There was only one thing left to do.
"I was… I saw a light on, across the house, and I figured… uh, I kinda figured it was coming from Blake's room. I was going to check up on her," Sun began, feeling his cheeks start to warm. In his heart, he knew that he was likely about to die as Ghira stood, folding his massive arms across his chest.
"And do what, exactly?" he rumbled. Ghira towered over both the desk and Sun himself. Somehow, he made everything in the room look smaller, almost as though the decorative plants, chairs, and other accents within the office were meant for a doll house, rather than a real one.
"I…" Sun looked off to the side as he brought up a hand to scratch awkwardly at his neck. "…I honestly don't know. She's seemed kinda upset ever since we set out, and it's only gotten worse since we made it to Kuo Kuana. No matter what we did, though, I wanted to apologize to her for embarrassing her in front of you, though." Sun dared to look up and meet Ghira's eyes, hoping that his gambit paid off. While he always did value sincerity, being fully honest with someone so intimidating and invested in Blake's wellbeing seemed incredibly risky.
Ghira opened his mouth to reply, only to close it again almost immediately. He began to slowly walk toward Sun, and the younger male decided to hold his ground- or, less decided, and more found himself frozen in fear. As the patriarch of the Belladonnas approached, Ghira heaved a great sigh, before putting a massive hand upon his unwilling companion's shoulder.
"While I appreciate your honesty," he began, "the last time I saw my little girl before today was several years ago, when I stepped down from my position of command within the White Fang. Blake chose to stay behind and continue the fight, regardless of their harsh methods… and she chose to stay behind with Adam Taurus. That man saved my life, once… and even so, I do not like him."
Sun laughed nervously, offering an uneasy grin despite himself. "Wow. High standards to live up to, huh?"
"High standards indeed, Mr. Wukong." Ghira clenched his right hand around Sun's left shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to cause a bit of pain. The younger faunus fought back a yelp, and settled for gritting his teeth behind closed lips. "Since you're in an… honest mood, there is something I would very much like to know. Are you and my daughter in a relationship?"
"No!" Sun shot back, eyes wide. He wasn't sure what answer Ghira wanted, but common sense compelled him to immediately tell the truth yet again. "No, we're… we're just close friends. No romance going on here, Mr. B. I mean, look at me, right? And look at her. There's no way anything's happened between us. You know me… or, I guess you don't really know me, but you know how I am… kinda?" Sun tilted his head, unsure himself. "Do you really think she'd… go for that?" The inflection of his voice dropped a bit, as the truth in his words hit him like an oncoming truck.
Did he have a chance with Blake? Could someone so dour and saddled with guilt learn to love an upbeat, optimistic young man like him?
"Look at her, you say. Just what are you implying?" The grip tightened as Ghira narrowed his eyes while leaning in, and Sun began to fear for the safety of his clavicle.
"I… I just… you know, she's kinda…"
"If you're going to become a temporary member of this household, young man, then I suggest that you begin to get used to the idea of learning from me. Your first lesson is to learn when to stop talking." The grip released as Ghira pulled his head back, and Sun let out a haggard, desperate sigh of relief at the action. "Nothing I have asked you necessitated more than a few words of response, and yet you continue to dig yourself a hole."
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir," Sun offered, as Ghira folded his arms across his chest once again.
"I don't want your apologies. I want you to listen. I know that my daughter is approaching her later adolescent years, and I am also well aware of the fact that she and Adam were… close. Closer than I would have liked. Given what kind of man he has turned out to be, I can only imagine the damage that he has done to Blake already. Knowing that such a situation is something that she would never feel comfortable discussing with me only makes the matter worse, and also makes trusting any other… male companions of hers that much more difficult."
"Well, I can guarantee you that I'm nothing like A-" Sun paused mid-gesture, his hands out in front of him in an attempt at reassurance. He stopped short as Ghira put up a hand, commanding silence.
"Have you ever met Adam?"
"Uh… no, but she's t-" Sun said, only to be interrupted.
"Then stop talking." Sun nodded, feeling ashamed of his stupidity. Somehow, no matter what he did or said, it only seemed to make the situation worse.
"…yes, sir."
"I am going to tell you three things, and then, you are going to go back to your room, and you are not going to mention this conversation to my daughter, or my wife. Is that clear?" Ghira punctuated the last word by raising his voice just enough to rattle Sun's bones. Suddenly, the monkey faunus felt that he might faint, right then and there.
"Crystal, sir," he said with a salute. Sun then immediately dropped the hand down to his side, that familiar sensation of feeling very stupid creeping into his chest once again.
"First, you are to stay away from Blake at night, and should the two of you be in a room together during the day, the door to that room will be open. While you two are apparently 'just friends', I, too, was once a teenage boy, and I do not want you to instigate anything untoward in my household."
Sun's blush intensified to a furious scarlet, and he tried to channel his inner chameleon faunus in hopes that he could simply melt away into the shadows. It didn't quite work.
"Got it. Message received," he replied, keeping his eyes on anything but Ghira. What a nice, expensive looking carpet the Belladonnas had in the office. A rich purple, embroidered with a golden pattern of-
"Second, if this 'close friendship' of yours does blossom," Ghira paused, narrowing his eyes at the thought, "or from my perspective, decay into a relationship, if I ever find that you have broken her heart, then I will break the rest of you."
"Yeah, I, uh, had a feeling that was how something like that might go." Sun dared to glance back up at Ghira, only to be met with the most intimidating stare he had ever received. He flicked his eyes back to the carpet immediately.
"And, finally… I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that I do not like you," Ghira finished, before turning his back on Sun.
The teen suddenly very much felt the need to find a bathroom, though he wasn't exactly sure what he would do if he found one. He guessed that it would involve some sort of ungodly mess, a rancid smell, and potentially his entire body melting into a pile of gore and shame.
"…that's… fair." Sun couldn't think of anything else to say- after all, he didn't like himself very much either, in that moment.
Ghira sat back in his chair, behind a mountain of paperwork. Despite Sun's desperate wishes that it would hide the massive man from view, the stacks didn't even come close to doing so. A booming voice interrupted his thoughts.
"…why are you still here, Mr. Wukong? Don't you have a bed to be in, about now?"
"Yes!" he replied emphatically, while nodding his head. "Right you are. Goodnight, Mr. B!"
He didn't wait for a reply, though nothing more than a grunt was offered anyway, before he disappeared through the door and closed it with just a bit too much force. Sun's entire body felt like it was on fire, and he did the only thing he could think to do- he ran.
With his heart trying to escape through his throat, Sun sprinted down the halls of the Belladonna mansion, his body on autopilot as he let some primal instinct guide him back toward his room. Priority one was to get as far from Ghira as humanly possible, and he thought that he was doing a pretty good job of it.
Thoughts swirled through his mind as quickly as he pumped his legs throughout his desperate escape, and his head began to pound at the mere thought of Blake, or her incredibly unsupportive father. After what seemed like half an hour of sprinting, Sun slowed and doubled over in the middle of a hall, clutching his stomach as he tried desperately to catch his breath.
"Oh, god… not good… really not good…"
By that point, Sun was pretty sure that his stomach and intestines had turned into some vile, heavy liquid that his legs were forced to carry forward. He began to walk, making for his room as he kept an entire arm braced around his stomach, and the other on the wall. Just ahead, he could see the outline of the door to his bedroom, and only the thought of fresh air on the balcony was enough to drive him forward. He hobbled his way to the door, and slid the frame aside.
There on his bed with a curious look on her face and a small silken robe covering her body was Blake Belladonna.
"…Sun?"
"Oh, shit!"
Author's Note: Part of me wants to make this something like 50 chapters of Sun going back and forth and finding people he doesn't want to encounter at a given moment in various rooms. I promise that won't actually be the case.
Probably.
-RD