Blake Belladonna's eyes fluttered open as the rays of sunlight seeping in through the paper walls of the guest room finally reached her face. Instinctively, she closed them once again and buried her nose deep into the pillow held firmly in her grasp, before rolling over to put the early morning sun behind herself. With a wide, drawn-out yawn, she opened her eyes once again and looked at the clock on the far wall- it was 8:39 in the morning, and her cuddle partner was long gone.
As the disappointing realization that she was alone washed over her, Blake let go of the pillow and leaned up on one elbow to take in the features of the room- everything seemed to be in place, bar one curious addition. Sun's white shirt was draped over the back of a chair near to the door, as though it had been hastily tossed from the doorway. Blake smirked to herself as she wondered what circumstances led to him leaving the house with her father while shirtless, and resigned to leave it a mystery as she dragged herself to the edge of the bed to let her legs dangle.
With her toes pointed downward, Blake was just barely able to run them along the cold, wooden surface of the floor. In one smooth motion, she pushed herself up and off the bed to land on the balls of her feet with catlike grace, making almost no sound as she balanced, heels off the floor. Slowly, she lowered them onto the wood and brought a hand over to the silken strip of fabric holding her nightie together before undoing the knot and pulling it free of the loops around her waist. Blake let the fabric naturally spread and fall to the sides, and then shuffled her shoulders while moving her arms out to let the entire robe fall to the floor in a pool of black silk.
Blake stood almost completely naked bar a small black thong, and reached her arms high as she rose onto her tiptoes, stretching fully with a grunt of effort. As she felt the pleasant ripple of effort coursing through her muscles, she let out a breath and allowed her feet to fall flat to the floor once again. She strode forward toward the chair supporting Sun's shirt, and lifted the garment with her right hand to inspect it. The material was slightly wrinkled, and probably in need of washing soon. She didn't imagine that his shorts were in a much better state, and a plan began to formulate in her mind. Blake made a cursory check of the room to make sure that she was alone before she brought the shirt up to her nose, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply.
If someone had asked her what Sun smelled like, she would have had no idea how to answer. Not once had she actively taken note of his natural smell, and yet, the aroma of the shirt was unmistakably him. There was something masculine, warm, and comforting about it that she couldn't quite put her finger on. While she wouldn't be caught dead sniffing his shirt, or any other part of him, Blake made a note to start paying more attention to the pleasant smell when she could.
After relishing his scent for a moment, Blake whipped the shirt up and over one of her shoulders as she made her way to the bathroom. With a twist of the handle, she let herself inside, only to find that Sun had definitely made himself at home and bought the essentials while out shopping with Kali. A new-looking toothbrush rested on the porcelain rim of the sink, with the head balancing over the basin itself. A full tube of toothpaste rested on the other side, as did a small black manual razor. The towel rack across from the toilet played host to a brand new, sky-blue towel, and unfamiliar bottles of shampoo, body wash, and a black pouf were waiting inside of the shower.
Blake draped Sun's shirt over the doorknob as she pulled the door closed behind herself while flicking on the lights, and turned to lift Sun's toothbrush. She thought about going to get her own to add it to the bathroom, but found that such a thing would have taken far too much effort. She considered brushing her teeth using her finger and toothpaste, but thought better of it. After all, Sun didn't seem the type to be bothered by a few germs, and after she had so valiantly sacrificed her toothbrush for him, he owed her.
A devilish smile crept across her features as she squeezed a generous amount of toothpaste onto the brush and slid it into her mouth. She looked herself over in the mirror as she got to work, and found that for the first time in a long time, she actually looked as though she had gotten a full night of sleep. Being around Sun and having someone to hold again at night seemed to be what she had been missing, and she resolved to move herself into the guest room regardless of whether or not her father allowed it. For a moment, she considered the idea of moving Sun into her room instead, but the proximity to Ghira's office made the option less attractive.
That, and the fact that her sheets didn't smell like him, while the ones in the guest room probably already did.
Blake spat into the sink and washed out her mouth with water before placing the brush back where she'd found it and reaching up a hand to rub at the side of her neck. She had a feeling that Sun would still be away for at least a few more hours, and she wanted to spend a little time at the market herself, both in preparation for pampering Sun on the following day and to familiarize herself with the changes to Kuo Kuana.
Naturally, that meant that she needed to make herself presentable. Blake made her way across the small room and looped her thumbs into the straps of her underwear as she began to slide them down her legs. With two large steps, she walked her way out of the thong and placed it upon the counter as she slipped into the shower. She slid the glass door shut and closed her eyes as she turned the dial to 'H'.
A waterfall of warm droplets descended onto her bare skin, and Blake couldn't help but let out a small, appreciative moan as the sensation washed over her. She briefly ran her hands through her hair and over her faunus ears as she worked out a few tangles, and then opened her eyes to blink away some of the droplets from her lashes. Blake began the process of showering properly, and snatched the bottle of shampoo to squeeze a large pool of green liquid into her hand before running it through her hair. She massaged the goop into her locks and raked her scalp with her nails, all the while thinking through her journey back home.
Had Sun not followed her, there was a good chance that she would have been either shipwrecked or injured by the massive leviathan grimm that had attacked her vessel. After the fight, she hadn't spoken to him for two days, and yet, he had waited patiently for her to break, going so far as to bring food from the cantina to her room on board when she refused to leave. Silently, she had been grateful, while outwardly she protested. Each night since then, she found her thoughts drifting to how thankful she was to have him at her side, and how he had helped her see that she could be better.
Blake grabbed for Sun's pouf, and squeezed the other bottle present in the shower to coat the mesh with a thick, yellow liquid that seemed to shine in the light. Curious as to what she was about to rub all over herself, she lifted the bottle closer to her eyes and squinted. The label identified the liquid as being scented with buttermilk and honey. Blake lifted the pouf and gave it a sniff, only to find that she definitely approved- doubly so if she could bury her face into someone's chest who smelled as good as the body wash.
Eagerly, she began to run the pouf over her skin as she set the bottle down. While she kept up the cleansing ritual, her thoughts drifted to her conversation with Sun earlier that morning. The memory came rushing back, seemingly unbidden as she worked to clean her chest and stomach. For the first time since Sun had joined her side, she had mentioned Yang. When he had first brought up team RWBY while on the ship, she had snapped at him and told him that such a thing was off limits, indefinitely. She knew then how wrong that was, and nothing had made it any more right up to that moment.
Soon, she decided, she would have that conversation with him. She would admit to what she was feeling about her tendency to run away, and Blake prayed that Sun would have some magic words and a soft embrace to make her feel better. In truth, Blake ran because she knew that none of them, be it Ruby, Weiss, or Yang herself could have done anything to lift her spirits and make what she had seen and suffered through at Beacon something capable of facing. As the days dragged on, however, she was feeling more and more that if anyone could do it, it was him.
Blake hesitated as she found her hand and the pouf making its way over the vicious scar that Adam had left her with, not even a month before. The flesh where his sword had pierced her had turned ugly and raised into a jagged, lumpy keloid, and the sight of it brought her shame and a grim reminder of how much pain she had caused her friends. Blake looped the pouf around the shower dial and brought a hand down to gently touch the surface of the scar. The feeling of her fingers over the warped flesh brought her no physical pain, but she could feel her heart sink as she examined the wound.
Thoughts of Adam swirled through her mind as she let her hand drop to her side, and she once again closed her eyes to try to shut them out. Blake strained both sets of ears to let the resounding deluge of water against the bottom of the shower overtake her mind, and she focused only upon the noise until she found the horrifying image of the grimm mask and black horns fading away. Once she had successfully blocked him out of her thoughts, she opened her eyes and wrenched the dial back to the middle, killing the downpour of water immediately.
Blake let out a heavy sigh and shook her head as she slid the glass to the side and stepped back out into the warm air of the bathroom. She reached over and grabbed for Sun's towel, before slinging the fluffy material over her head and beginning to ruffle her hair. It was only then that she realized she would need to make a trip to her bathroom after all to retrieve her brush, a bra, and some underwear. Blake groaned at the inconvenience, but decided that if she was going to walk all that way, she would definitely be making the return trip to claim half of the guest bathroom with her own supplies.
After thoroughly drying her skin, Blake brought the towel down and around her waist to tie it off into a makeshift skirt. With a small chuckle, she lifted Sun's shirt from the door handle and slipped her arms through the holes. The garment was far too large and hung down to her upper thighs, but Blake didn't mind at all as she secured a few buttons in the center to cover her chest. She moved a hand to flick off the lights before noticing her thong, discarded upon the counter, and lifted it with two fingers. Slowly and carefully, she looped it around the door handle where Sun's shirt had been.
Blake allowed herself a toothy grin as she turned the lights off and stepped back out into the bedroom. Sun was in for one hell of a surprise, the next time he brushed his teeth.
Once again, Blake found herself in the guest bathroom. She had successfully claimed a portion of the space as her own by adding her toothbrush, hair brush, pouf, makeup, and towel to the room, and decided to keep the thong on the door handle for later. Before leaving, she checked herself over in the mirror once again, and found that she was very satisfied with the result.
Blake had chosen to keep her thigh-high, dark purple boots and black pants, but discarded her crop top in favor of Sun's shirt. She had experimented for several minutes with how she wanted to wear the garment, and settled for half-tucking the overlong tails of the shirt and leaving the top buttons open just enough to show off the edges of her lacy black bra. Her look was topped off by light purple eyeshadow, Gambol Shroud strapped to her side, and more confidence and self-assured smirks than could be reasonably allowed to one woman. Blake shot herself a wink in the mirror and turned to hit the lights, before leaving the bathroom.
The clock read 9:47 as Blake spared it a glance while leaving the room, and her stomach growled in protest at putting off breakfast for so long. She made her way down the hall and to the stairs, finding her mind in agreement with her body as she thought through all of the available food options in the home. As she descended the steps, she decided that she would try to cook something on her own, rather than ask an attendant, but found her hopes dashed as she nearly ran into her mother while lost in thought.
"Careful, Blake," Kali teased. She was holding a tray with a glass of orange juice and a plate of sardines, buttered toast, and bacon, seemingly on her way to the guest room. Kali did a double take as she looked over Blake's new outfit, and her lips broke out into a mischievous grin. "…that is one hell of a strong signal to send, both to Sun and Ghira. Nice," she said with approval.
"Mom!" Blake whined with a scarlet blush as her ears flattened to her skull. She held on to the banister with her feet on different steps, blocking her mother's path.
"What? Maybe don't wear your friend's clothing if you don't want me to start getting naughty ideas, hm?" Kali lilted with a quirked brow.
"You always have naughty ideas, about everyone and everything. I'm only now starting to realize just how filthy they are," Blake replied while rolling her eyes.
"That's because you're finally old enough to catch on. Come on downstairs, and eat something. Sun and Ghira are still out, chopping wood." Kali turned and made her way down into the dining room.
"Chopping wood? Can't the house staff do that?" Blake asked incredulously. Kali set the tray down at a table and waved a hand with a heavy sigh, as though the question had been asked several times before.
"Of course they can. It's some stupid, primal… man thing. I stopped bothering him about it ages ago." Kali slid into a seat and put an elbow up on the table while using her hand to cup her chin as Blake sat across from her. "Honestly, I think it's a good sign. If he's inviting Sun out for some macho woodcutting bullshit, that's most likely his way of trying to bond. I just don't know if Sun is into the whole manly-man thing."
"Sun is absolutely manly," Blake replied defensively. Her blush deepened as her mother looked at her, amused.
"Is that so? His abs are to die for, but I just can't see him with a beard, or swinging an axe around and grunting," Kali said through a smirk.
"That's not manly. That's just dumb," Blake shot back as she sipped from the glass of orange juice.
"You only think it's dumb because that's your father, dear. I think it's hot."
"And this is the part where I start ignoring you, and eat this toast," Blake replied as she lifted the bread and took a bite.
"I took the liberty of buying you condoms, while Sun and I were at the market yesterday. He has no idea," Kali let on as she drummed her fingers against the side of her cheek. Blake took a deep breath mid-bite, and swallowed hard before setting the toast down, her cheeks burning.
"…I was so ready for you to say something like that. You're going to have to try harder to catch me off guard. You were trying to make me choke, weren't you?" Blake accused.
"It would've been funny," Kali admitted with a small giggle.
"It's so not funny that it's painful." Blake took a deep breath, and stared her mother down. Kali looked unfazed, and Blake fought back the urge to leap the table and try to strangle her. She settled for putting her hands on the table and pressing lightly into the wood. "We're not having sex, Mom."
"To be honest, I didn't think you were, but it's my job around here to stir the shit for my own amusement… and also to check in on you." Kali allowed her hand to fall from beneath her chin, and let it rest lightly atop her daughter's as her tone changed to one of sincerity. "So, seriously. Take them, and hide them somewhere in your room. Ghira doesn't know, and he doesn't need to know. It's better to have them, just in case."
As much as Blake wanted to lash out, she took a calming breath before slipping her hand out from beneath her mother's to take another swig of orange juice. She set the glass down and tried to get her blush under control, with little success. "…okay. Just… don't push it too hard, alright? We're just friends. Close friends, but… friends."
"I understand, Blake. Part of being an adult is knowing when to back off, and you know I'm just teasing. Mostly." Kali brought the hand back to rest beneath her chin as she watched Blake eye up the sardines and then begin to pile them onto a slice of toast. "But seriously, honey- are you interested in him, as more than a friend? He's an absolute prize, and I'm not just talking physically."
Blake kept her eyes on her fish-toast as she bit into it. "…Sun and I had a long talk, last night. I'd be lying if I said no." She took another bite, and used it to buy herself some time to think. "He's in love with me. I think… I'm in love with him, too, but it's… not that easy."
"It never is. Get over your feelings of hesitance and jump him, dear," Kali offered with a flick of her free hand. Blake paused, and her expression changed to a deep, melancholy frown. Kali sat up straight as she noticed immediately, and folded her arms atop the table while leaning in, her own ears wilting slightly. "Blake?"
"…you cannot tell Dad," Blake stated in a nervous tone. She slowly brought her eyes up to her mother's, and Kali returned the glance. She nodded slowly, despite her confusion. "Adam hurt me, Mom. I don't mean… 'I have a few bruises' hurt. Some of the things he said and did toward the end of our relationship changed me. They left physical and emotional scars, and they're scars I'm terrified to show Sun, or anyone else. He has some idea of how serious it is, but… he doesn't know just how deep it goes. The thought of being with someone else again scares me. Adam did things to me that I never thought someone could do to another they claimed to love."
Kali's intense expression of concern shifted to a deadly, venomous glare. "…I'll rip his fucking balls off," she spat with an alien harshness. Blake narrowed her eyes.
"No, you won't… because I will."
"…fair. Unsatisfying, but fair," Kali replied. It was her turn to heave a great sigh. "You don't need to tell me anything more, but I'm here for you. You know that."
"I do," Blake nodded as she began to tear into her bacon. "But… nothing has ever made me feel better, in all this time. Nothing but Sun. I want to talk to him and just… lay it all on him, but I don't want to scare him off, either. It's pretty much the ultimate baggage test."
"Then you need to take it slow. Unloading all at once could paralyze him… but at the same time, if you need to unload, then unload. If he really does love you, he'll at least stay, even if it takes him time to process it all," Kali said.
"Well, at least you're not feeding me bullshit and saying it's all going to be okay," Blake sighed.
"That's not my job, as a mother. My job is to support your decisions, and offer advice. Ghira told me that you barely mentioned Sun at all, to him."
"Of course not. I can't," Blake said with exasperation. "He's so caught up on 'defending my honor' that anything I say is just going to sound like it's targeted at pissing him off."
"Maybe not, after today. Let me talk to him again, before your next encounter. A big part of a loving relationship is trust, and he trusts me. I know what buttons to push and angles to approach from to get him to lighten up," Kali said in a soft tone.
"Thanks, Mom. I'm actually going to head to the marketplace for a bit this afternoon, and then tomorrow… I'm taking Sun out. Just us. Maybe talk to Dad then…?" Blake pleaded.
"Perfect timing. Is it a date?"
Blake looked down at her finished plate, her shoulders tense. "…yes."
"I have a feeling that telling Sun that would go a long way toward making him feel better, and able to support you. He looked awful when he came downstairs this morning."
Blake shivered, and ran the collar of Sun's shirt between her thumb and forefinger as her ears drooped. "…I know. I saw him, briefly, as he was getting ready to leave. You really think I should just… go for it? Even if I don't feel ready?"
"You know what they say about jumping in pools. A 'date' is harmless. Just wade in up to your ankles, for now. It's pretty clear that you like the water," Kali sang.
"…I do." Blake stood, and pushed away from the table. "I guess, calling it a date won't hurt. You're right. Maybe… things just haven't worked so far because I don't fully trust anyone, anymore? Maybe it's me that's holding us back, and not my situation."
"Maybe it is. The decision of whether or not to let him be 'yours' is entirely up to you. The one upside is that if things do fall through, you have Ghira and I right here." Kali stood with her daughter, and took the finished tray before Blake could grab it. "I'll take care of this."
"Thanks, Mom. And… you're right again. I do. I think I need a little more time."
"Then take it. Just try to have fun, while you're waiting. I'll see you later tonight, honey?" Kali transitioned one of her hands to the underside of the center of the tray, and began to fish around inside one of her pockets with the other.
"You will. Thanks for everything, Mom," Blake replied as Kali tossed a small, green box over the table. Blake caught it, and looked it over. It was exactly as she feared- a box of condoms. "…you are the worst."
"Oh, I know," Kali said with a wink as she disappeared through the kitchen door.
With a roll of her eyes, Blake headed for the stairs to hide the box in the guest room before heading out into town.
Sun's head throbbed as he walked back into the Belladonna manor in the afternoon. His time with Ghira had culminated in small talk over lunch, though he had to keep talking to steer the conversation anywhere but to himself. Every fiber of his being hated that he had decided to bare his soul to Ghira, and his nerves were too shot to meet any of Ghira's attempts at compassion with anything but avoidance. In the end, Ghira had offered to haul the logs back himself so that Sun could get some sleep. Sun vehemently refused, and did his part to pull the six fallen trees back to the manor with him. It was a move that he had already come to regret.
Everything about Sun's body ached from carrying the heavy logs over his shoulder. Though they had been somewhat trimmed by himself and Ghira, they were still very heavy, even for two muscular males. Each trip was harder than the last, and by the final tree being dumped off behind the manor, Sun felt that he was ready to die. Fortunately for him, Ghira had lent him a key to enter through one of the back doors, and he took the opportunity to head inside immediately.
Sun trudged through unfamiliar halls, and made a note that he really needed to learn the layout of the manor. After several minutes of trial and error, he found the dining room and the fateful staircase. He began to make his way upstairs, half hoping that he wouldn't run into Blake or Kali. Fortunately for him, he didn't, and he pushed his way into the guest room with a noise of disgust. He spared a quick glance at the clock, and found it to be barely 2 o' clock in the afternoon. Sun let out a groan, and reached down to undo his belt.
Cargo shorts hit the floor as Sun continued to walk, paying no attention to the dirt-covered garment as it left him. He ended up in his boxers as he made his way to the bed and flopped down onto the mattress with a noise of contempt. Though his skin was caked with sweat, it was far too early for bed, and he had left the door wide open, Sun passed out almost immediately into a hard, necessary sleep.
Author's Note:
Well, here we go. The stage is set for Blake's big 'date', provided something doesn't go horribly wrong.
That would never happen, right? Find out on Valentine's Day.
-RD