Hey. About the day after tomorrow. Want to grab some breakfast? (Read at 11:45pm)
. . .
. . .
. . .
Sure. Where would you like to eat? (Sent at 3:12am)
Great! I heard about this place. Midnight Dew? (Read at 9:15am)
Moonlit Dew. Excellent choice. (Sent at 9:17am)
Can't wait to try it! Eight work for you? (Read at 9:19am)
Weiss looked at the phone in disbelief, not quite believing what she was reading. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard on her scroll, and she tapped out a reply.
Eight is perfect. See you then.
Send.
At the press of a button, her heart dropped to her stomach, her adrenaline kicked in, and Weiss felt a bit nauseous.
She was getting breakfast tomorrow. With a girl. At her favorite spot!
Oh shit.
Panicked, Weiss ran to her room and started tearing through her closet, laying out blouses, skirts, pants, tights, and shoes on her bed like she was at a sorority clothing swap. She started picking through the pile. Too risque! Too meek! Too bold! Why was everything she wore fucking white!?
Frantically, she picked up her phone and dialed. The phone rang.
Good morning." Sun answered blearily.
"Ruby just invited me to breakfast tomorrow morning and I don't know what to wear!" Weiss said frantically, staring at her bed.
"Oooooooh, really?" Sun said, yawning.
"Help me! Please!" Weiss begged.
"Sure, sure. Let me make some coffee and-"
"FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK I WILL MAKE YOU BREAKFAST AND COFFEE WILL BE READY WHEN YOU GET HERE JUST COME OVER."
"All right. Free food." Sun yawned. "I'll be there in twenty." He hung up.
Weiss stared at her bed, running her hand through her hair. She looked around the room. What to do? What to do!?
She took a deep breath, and let it out.
She already took a shower this morning, and luckily today was the day to wash her hair. But, if she's going out. . .
Weiss went and put the drip coffee on, the one she used when she was too lazy to make her own. Then she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She checked her nose. No hairs, but better safe than sorry. She ran a trimmer in there, then took a look at her eyebrows. Still sharp and clean, but it had been a little over a week since she'd groomed them. She plucked a few of the longer hairs and evened them out with a brow brush.
What makeup should she wear?
She opened her drawer, clean and organized, and picked out some blue, white, red, and yellow polish. She painted two nails blue and took a look at them. Calm. Serene.
She painted another two yellow. A bit more risque. Energetic?
She painted two more white, and put the bottle back. No impact. Like paper in a blizzard.
She painted two red. Now, that really drew the eye. But Ruby would probably wear red. Should she wear red accents?
Weiss went back to her room and pulled a small dress coat with a red collar from the pile, and wrapped it around her shoulders.
It looked. . . Nice? Maybe the red nail polish was too forward, but red accents in the coat could work. But what kind of message would that send?
If she went all white, she would look cold. If she had an accent of some kind, it could draw Ruby's eye. Maybe telegraph Weiss being more open to Ruby?
Weiss palmed her face, running her hands down her cheeks in exasperation. Maybe she was giving Ruby too much credit, thinking she would read into Weiss' color choice as some kind of message.
How did one even communicate with such a creature?
Weiss put her fist under her chin. Ruby was relatively straightforward and competent. But how did she communicate?
That's too bad. I kinda like it when my hair's pulled.
Weiss blushed. Subtlety was not exactly Ruby's forte. So if she was going to catch Ruby's eye, she had to be bold enough of a presence to catch.
Weiss ran back to her room and grabbed a red scarf. She looked in the bathroom and wrapped it around her neck. Yes. Yes, wrap it, and wear a ruby necklace underneath. She could use it as a prop, slip it right down her neck.
Speaking of eyes, Weiss pulled some eyeliner from her drawer. If she's going red, maybe blue eyeliner to contrast? Or white with some red dusting? Weiss quickly drew a thin black base around each eye, then patted a soft red around one eye and a soft blue around the other. She dusted red on both, then covered one eye, then the other.
"Fuuuuuck." Weiss groaned. She didn't know! Was it too much? Too little? Would Ruby even care? It was all too much to take in! She didn't even have pants yet! Or a skirt! If she wore pants, does that mean she wants to take charge? Would the skirt paint her as submissive? The skirt leads to pantyhose, which she had many, many kinds to wear, but pants could offer a bit of mystery.
Weiss snorted. Ruby had already had her mouth on Weiss' pussy, even though she had worn panties at the time. Some fucking mystery.
She went and grabbed a skirt, pulling it on over her pajama bottoms. She twirled in the full-length mirror in her room. If she wore a longer coat, she could roll the skirt some and get it just past her knees-
Ding-dong
Weiss ran to the front door and pulled it open.
Sun, wearing his trademark vest, opened his mouth, took one look at Weiss, then promptly shut it, covering it with his hand.
"What?" Weiss asked.
"You look like a fucking clown." Sun mumbled through his hand, trying not to laugh.
Weiss, standing there in pajama bottoms, a tank top, a white skirt, dress coat, red scarf, with mismatched eyeliners and four kinds of nail polish, huffed.
"Just get in here. Coffee's done. I'll put some oatmeal on." Weiss left the door, leaving it open for Sun. "And feel free to pull it out." Weiss called, smirking.
"Don't mind if I do!" Sun said jovially, shutting the door behind him. He loosened the belt on his pants and shifted them down. His long tail sprang out, waving back and forth. "Bliss." He said, running his hand to the tip. "Like taking your shoes off after a long day at work."
"I bet." Weiss called back, smiling. She walked into the kitchen. Sun followed.
"Soooo." Sun started. "Nervous?"
"I stooped so low as to ask for your help. What do you think?" Weiss snapped.
"Hey, I can be a fashionista." Sun said, indignant.
"Of what? Surfer boy magazine?" Weiss shot back. "With your slabs of abs?"
"They're not slabby." Sun said, patting his belly. "I prefer cheese grater. Or washboard."
"And I prefer them with a shirt on."
"Warms my heart knowing you prefer them at all." Sun grinned, his tail flicking back and forth.
Weiss rolled her eyes. She filled a pot of water and tossed in oats, salt, butter and cream.
"Do you want fruit?" Weiss asked.
"Please." Sun said, grabbing a mug from the cabinet.
Weiss pulled out a cutting board and quickly diced strawberries, apple and a peach. She put the medley in a bowl with some salt and a touch of sugar, tossed it, then set it aside.
While Weiss worked, Sun poured his coffee, mixed in cream and sugar, took a deep whiff, and sipped.
"Aaaah, that's the stuff." Sun said, smacking his lips. "Nothing like the first cup of the morning."
Weiss nodded, leaning against the counter, lips pursed, watching the oats sit in the pot.
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you so flustered." Sun said, taking another sip.
"I'm not flustered." Weiss denied.
"Oh. My mistake. Un-flustered people always wear four shades of nail polish." Sun said, grinning.
"Don't make me throw this at you." Weiss said, jerking her head at the pot of oats.
"If you blind me, I can't help you choose an outfit."
". . . You'll be useful a moment longer." Weiss begrudgingly admitted.
A moment of silence stretched between them.
"It's kinda interesting." Sun mused.
Weiss stayed silent, not giving him the satisfaction.
"You're doing this backwards." Sun clarified.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you fucked someone. Now you're going on a date with them."
"This is not a date!" Weiss insisted.
Sun pointedly glanced at her skirt. Then her coat. Then her scarf. Then her nails. He raised one brow, eyes glittering with amusement.
"It isn't." Weiss said, hiding her hand behind her back. "She just. . . Asked me to breakfast." Her voice grew small. "It doesn't mean anything."
"No. I guess not." Sun took another sip of coffee. "Neptune talked to me."
"Of course you talked, you live together."
"We talked about how you're not handling this very well." Sun continued.
". . . I know." Weiss snorted. "He told me not to fuck up, and that's what I did."
"Yup. Could've just been happy with what you got." Sun shrugged. "But you always like doing things the hardest way possible."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, cocking her head. The oats were beginning to boil.
"I remember when Neptune and I got hired at the Gele. You worked for a month straight before handing Neptune the reins."
"He doesn't exactly make the best first impression." Weiss grumbled, reducing the heat on the oats, letting them simmer.
"And it took you a minute to relax and let someone else carry the burden." Sun gently punched Weiss' shoulder. "And now I'm telling you to do the same here."
The oats were done. Weiss turned to the stove, killed the heat, and poured them into a bowl, topping it with fruit.
"Do what?" She finally asked, handing the bowl to Sun.
"Ruby already likes you. You don't have to push her away just to see if she'll stay." Sun accepted the bowl. "And you don't have to push yourself to prove your worth to her."
Fucking Dish Jesus.
"I'm not - I - I'm not trying to prove myself." Weiss said weakly. She bristled at Sun's stare. "I'm not! I'm gorgeous! I'm talented. I'm smart."
"You're lonely. And terrified." Sun took a bite of food, and groaned. "Oh this is fucking good. Thank you."
"You're welcome." Weiss said softly, arms folded. She looked at her nails, shining like a crippled rainbow.
"Take it off." Sun said, tapping the back of his licked-clean spoon against Weiss' forehead.
"Gross." Weiss said, pushing the spoon to the side. "Take what off?"
"All the make up. It's your armor, gives you something to think about besides what you're actually afraid of. So take it off, do something basic. Don't paint your nails. Wear a nice skirt, basic shoes, and a blouse." Sun took another bite. "And keep the scarf. You can use it as a prop."
"That's what I was thinking. . ." Weiss said, hand reaching to her neck. "But, what if she thinks I'm-"
"Stop it." Sun cut in. "You're intimidating as fuck. If you go all out to impress her, she'll be too tongue tied to relax around you, and where does that get you?" Sun wagged his spoon at Weiss. "Nowhere."
"But-"
"No buts, except looking at hers when you're in line to order." Sun grinned. "Trust me. I'm a man of the people. You're an heiress. The subtle tides of souls are beyond your reach as you are."
"Sorry, am I talking to Sun, right now?" Weiss said, blinking. "Because that sounded less like a stoned dishwasher and more like William T."
"I know a few bookworms." Sun shrugged. "Everyone we meet changes us." He pointed his tail at his face. "I've got better words thanks to you. Neptune is a better cook because of you. And now you're gonna learn to relax a little because of me." Sun grinned, taking another bite.
"I think you're a little too confident." Weiss grumbled.
"Hm. Nah." Sun sipped his coffee, completely relaxed.
"I need a cigarette." Weiss said. She grabbed her pack from the table, went out to her apartment balcony, and sat down on a chair. The sun was shining. White, fluffy clouds rolled by in the sky.
Sun followed, sitting on a chair, setting his bowl on a small table between them.
Weiss sparked a stick, and took a breath. The nicotine rushed into her. She sighed, and offered her pack to Sun. He took one, lit it, and sighed, coffee in hand.
"Why do you think she asked me to breakfast?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know." Sun shrugged. "Maybe she wants to reach out. Maybe she wants your cookie recipe."
"Yeah. . ." Weiss took another drag. "That makes sense."
"Even if it doesn't work out the way you want to," Sun said gently. "It's still a step. It's an opportunity."
"How did you get to be so wise?" Weiss said, feigning sarcasm.
"You're not the only one who makes mistakes, Weiss." Sun said quietly, looking out into the sky.
"Tell me about it." Weiss prodded.
"Maybe some other time." Sun answered.
"Fine. Keep your secrets." Weiss huffed, rolling her eyes.
Together, they watched the clouds roll through the sky, exhaling soft smoke to join them.