Arc 3 - Chapter 2 - And I Tried to Buy Your Pretty Heart, but the Price Too High

Blake woke up trapped in Adam's loving embrace.

She lay there, in the darkness of their bedroom, trying to find a reason to get up. Adam certainly didn't make it easy, given his immense strength and propensity for unrestrained clinginess in bed, but technically nothing was preventing her. Nothing except her flaky motivation. Once up, what would she even do with herself?

She did have class today, and class would kill time. It was worth it for that, at least.

So Blake gently peeled Adam's arm from around her, or at least as gently as possible with what her meager strength could do. It certainly said something for her physicality that she probably could not win a contest of strength against him even in his sleep. After a bit of effort, she slipped free and groggily sat up, black hair falling over her shoulders.

Of course, at school she would see people.

More specifically, people she knew. People that were, or had been, her friends once. She'd see their surprised, confused stares. Is that Blake? She still comes to school? Be asked their concerned yet no less nosy questions. Where have you been? Why don't we see you anymore? Some days, Blake had no patience for them, and those were days she skipped school. Sometimes for days at a time. If only to spare herself a potentially bad day. At least by staying home, she made Adam happy. As she had done a hundred times before at this very same crossroads, Blake considered crawling back into bed to nap all day.

Adam was off today, though. He'd either spend the day at the center or stay home all day. No way to know without asking, and once she did ask, he'd start asking questions. Why? Do you have plans? Meeting someone? Wouldn't you rather stay home with me? Blake had no patience for it. Those were the days she was happy to go to school. Considering it all, Blake didn't linger a decision for long.

With hope, today would be a better day than most.

She found the strength to stand, her skin chafing at the cold air, feet hissing across the cold floor. Adam liked to always have the air conditioning on for some godforsaken reason.

Once in the bathroom, she set her hands on the sink to steady herself, looked into the mirror to see what everyone expected to see, yet we're no less fascinated by. For better or worse. So it was that Blake saw herself. And so it was that Blake saw nothing worthwhile.

Negative thinking, that. And negative thinking generally got you nowhere. Blake had so much to be happy about, so much to love and appreciate. A loving mother and father, who'd trusted and supported her decisions all throughout her life, including the ones they'd had serious reservations about. A beautiful home, having everything she could ever want or need. A blessing of a lover, who'd changed her life since the first day they'd met. Brave, strong, passionate, intelligent, and an absolute treat to look at. Blake had once thought he was so gorgeous that when the gods sculpted him, they sent him down to Remnant for the express purpose of showing off. It still made her smile to think about. Yes, so many things to be proud of. To be happy to have.

It was just that, sometimes, it was very hard to feel it. With some reluctance, Blake started preparing herself for the day.

It was after she'd pulled some hair care from the cabinet that she stood back up, and shrieked. She saw Adam in the mirror, standing in the doorway, staring at her like he had caught a stranger in his house and was more curious than scared.

He smirked at his stupid little prank. "I can't look that awful in the morning, can I?"

That sounded like a joking tone. He'd woken up in a good mood then. Somehow, that was enough to put Blake in a lighter mood too. "I'm afraid only one of us can have all the looks."

He drew close and kissed her on the cheek. It warmed her from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. He whispered in that way she liked. "What are you up to today?"

"Just school, really. Otherwise, I'll be home all day."

"Hm. You've got your art class today, right?"

Right, that. Blake put on a smile and began brushing her hair. "Yeah. I'll have that talk with my teacher and see what I can do about a different elective."

Adam went back to leaning against the door. "You sure?"

"I'm sure. Promise."

He considered her for a moment and Blake couldn't help but swallow. Then he shrugged. "Well, it's up to you. I'll be at the center most of the day. Maybe we can finally get the rest of the walls untagged. I swear, we clean them up and they come right back. The wall I did a few days ago already has a replacement." He rubbed his forehead like his nerves were already being tested. "Well, I suppose I should be used to it by now. Anyway, what do you want for dinner? I can pick something up on my way back."

"Don't. I'm making dinner tonight. Trout."

"I swear you should just become a fisherman. Or a fish yourself."

"Fish need water to survive. I will never dive into any body of water bigger than a bathtub."

Adam let out a laugh, and Blake found herself laughing with him. He had such an infectious laugh, and it was extremely rewarding to pull one out of him. Very few people could. When Adam had told her that she was the first girl to genuinely make him laugh, it was one the best things someone had ever told her. Second only to him asking her to be his girlfriend.

So they conversed with the same ease and joy as they had the first few weeks they'd dated. Floating from topic to topic, an endless stream of jokes and jabs and laughter. It damn near made Blake want to skip school and just go to the center with him, milk this good energy for all it was worth.

"Oh, looking to impress someone?" said Adam.

Blake froze. She had pulled out her makeup kit, but it had hardly been an accident. Part of her has thought that with Adam in such a good mood, he might not care too much. She'd thought wrong, apparently.

Blake tries to approach it with a smile. "No, Adam, of course not. I'm just putting on eyeshadow."

"What for?"

Blake took a moment to consider her answer. "I just like wearing makeup, Adam. It makes me feel, I dunno, in control of how I look."

"You don't need it," Adam's tone was still light, but there was an edge to it now. Like starting to file a butter knife sharp. "You're a natural beauty, my love. There's no need for any of that."

Blake felt a wave of irritation well up within her. She could never tell Adam he was wrong for what he believed, and so she didn't. But still, someone else saying you're beautiful could never substitute how you saw yourself, even if you believed them. What was so wrong with giving herself a bit of a lift up? Putting on makeup let her feel like she was in control of how she looked. That she could make herself as beautiful as she wanted to be. It was like painting, in a way. Expression. She put on makeup for herself. Was that really such a bad thing?

Blake put up a reassuring smile for her love and hoped like hell that it worked. "I just like wearing it, okay? It's a girl thing, Adam. Nothing to worry about."

Adam's smile was gone now, but it hadn't quite become a frown yet. His face was set in this tenuous in-between state, as if he was deciding whether to let the topic go, or to do the exact opposite. Blake felt like she stood there for an eternity, staring at Adam through the mirror, watching him work his jaw side to side in uncomfortable silence.

In the end, Adam shrugged. "I can't say I get it, but alright. If that's what you want to look like."

Blake had only noticed now that her heart was pounding. "Look like what?"

Adam waved a careless hand, as if dismissing her question. "Like one of those women on the corner. Dolling up their faces with cheap cosmetics, even though that is hardly what their customers come for. That's what it looks like to me, if I'm being honest. But it's your choice, my love, and I'll respect it."

Blake looked at the eyeshadow pen in her hand, then at her reflection. When she put them together, she saw a pale, dark haired girl with too much blush, too much lipstick, and hair made wild and greasy from a heavy coating of hairspray. A girl so desperate for a couple of lien that she leans through open car windows and names her price. Who gets dolled up for someone else's pleasure. That girl was ugly. That girl was disgusting.

Blake did not want Adam to think of her like that. Not again.

"You're right," she said, as she packed up her makeup box and put it away. She gave Adam the most appreciative smile she could. She fought to keep her lip from trembling.. "Of course, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

The smile returned to Adam's handsome face as he smoothly came up close. He embraced her from behind and kissed her again on the cheek. It did not fill her with the same warmth as before. "You are beautiful as you are. Leave the face paint to those who need it, alright? You're perfect."

Blake held her smile until he left the bathroom, leaving her to, once again, stare at herself in the mirror. Adam was right, obviously. No one else's opinion mattered when she had his. Not even her own. Adam was right.

So why, instead of seeing herself again, did she still see that dark-haired whore, selling herself to random passersby for the price of fast food?

"Yes, Mister Fairs, I'm sure." Blake said again.

One might have thought she had just delivered the news of his wife's death, rather than simply expressing the desire to discontinue his art class. That was the picture of horror on Mister Fairs' face. It was hard not to feel some measure of guilt. Mister Fairs had been her art teacher for years. It was he who had helped her cultivate her skills to levels beyond her years. He had encouraged her to pursue the artistic field. He had said her paintings could end up on art shows, in museums, on the walls of the rich and famous. It was he who had encouraged it all.

But all of that was over now. It was time to move on to better things. More important things.

Mister Fairs shook his head as though this was all a terrible dream. "Blake, I thought you loved this class. I mean, I used to see you drawing at lunch every day of your freshman year. You literally never stopped. What's changed?"

A lot of things. For one, a lot of things had happened during and since her freshman year. Things that could change how a person thinks and feels. Change what they want in life. But Blake did not feel like going into any of it. She had loved drawing once and enjoyed her time doing it, but now she had moved on to other things. To more important things, like her relationship. That was her sole focus right now.

So she said, "I'm just not interested in it anymore, sir. That's all. May I leave the class?"

Mister Fairs scratched at his heavy beard. "Unfortunately it's too late. You're locked in for the semester, but if you put in a request at the office to change your elective then you can choose something else for next semester."

"That's all I can do?"

"It's out of my hands, Blake. Look, if this is what you want, then just get through this last class and you'll be done. No more art, if that's what you want." A worried look creased his old face. "Is this what you really want, Blake?"

Blake nodded, even though her stomach churned. "I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't, sir."

He sighed. "Alright, well I'm sorry to hear it. I hope you won't be offended if I pray you change your mind. Your skills could take you to many places."

None of which interested Blake, but there was no point in saying so. She would just have to endure the rest of the class, then she could cut herself off from all things art related for good. She could focus on figuring out better ways to put her talents to use. A career in art was a pipedream. She had to be realistic. That's what Adam had stressed to her. And he was right about a lot of things.

At lunch, Blake saw the group that had once been her friends and wondered if she should try to join them. It wasn't as if any of them had kicked her out or told her to stay away. Technically she was as free to sit with them as she'd always been. In fact, her usual spot was open as if everyone was expecting her return. She could join them.

Then Blake saw Sun and Yang burst into laughter together. And that reminded her of their talk. Seemed so long ago now, even if it was only a couple of weeks.

Blake decided to leave them alone.

She found a seat out of their line of sight and pulled out her book. The ambience of a thousand students' conversations was the perfect buffer for any intrusive thoughts, allowing her to slip into focused zen with ease.

She was rereading a favorite of hers today. A book called Almost Heroes. A classic medieval concept but with a more modern spin to it. There were three main characters, all a couple of years older than her. A racist witch who believed herself to be the chosen one, who reminded her very much of Weiss. A passionate girl-warrior with big dreams of becoming a hero, who reminded her a bit of Yang. And a mysterious mute boy with a good heart, but a dark past. Blake had to admit to being obvious with which character was her favorite.

The mute boy, named Toothless, was just so fascinating and relatable. Because he was mute, he didn't have any traditional lines to express his personality. But when in his perspective, he had some of the funniest, wittiest, and most thought provoking dialogue. Things Blake sometimes thought in her own head. He was a very talented fighter and assassin too, but was doing his best to avoid his past mistakes, and to keep his secrets buried. Blake knew what that felt like. She knew what it was to be haunted by past mistakes.

What she did not like was thar the author portrayed this desire of Toothless's as a flaw in later books. More than that, Toothless was framed as a coward who only cared about himself. I mean, she sort of understood the trajectory of his arc. Face your problems instead of running away or whatever. But to call Toothless cowardly? Despite how intelligent and capable he was? It just didn't seem right to her. He simply dealt with his problems on his own and did not require help. Blake felt and connected to that. She wanted to be like Toothless.

Oh well, at least this first book was good. The rest of the series had gone downhill since.

Blake read in peace for a while, but sometimes she would find her thoughts stray. To thinking about Adam and if his day was going well, to wondering if her mom and dad were okay and how she needed to call them soon, about if she'd forgotten to leave the fish out to thaw.

Then, her thoughts went to Jaune, of all people. There was no speculation needed to figure out why.

He was there at the table with the rest of the group. Neptune, Sun, Yang, and Nora being loud and cracking at each other, while Ruby, Weiss, and Ren mostly watched, laughing at their insanity. Jaune was the only one who did not laugh, but at least didn't look like he was hating his time there. Right now he was on his phone, staring into it with the same cold expression he always wore. Blake couldn't say she cared much about Jaune at all. He seemed one of those good but not nice kind of people and that was respectable. Kinda similar to Adam in that regard.

But she cared quite a lot about what Jaune had recently seen. About what he could tell the others he'd seen.

He could already have told them, there was no way to know. She had no idea why he'd been at the community center that night, but she did have some suspicions.

He was there for her.

It was getting around lately that Jaune was known for poking around in people's business. In Neptune's parents divorce and breakup with Weiss, and in Ruby's family troubles. No doubt Yang or Sun or both had told Jaune of the things Blake and they had gone through, and from their quite biased perspective. So now Jaune was seeking to get to the truth of the whole ordeal. To investigate Blake Belladonna. It made sense.

But if that was Jaune's plan, it was poorly thought out.

Still, he had seen Adam and her together. Something Sun and Yang could never be allowed to know. Blake had to talk to him before it was too late. Try to win his silence. She'd brought two hundred lien just in case she had to resort to a bribe. It was none of Jaune's business so he would be the lion's share of the deal. And she had to do it today, or else risk a sleepless night. So Blake returned to her book and put the matter aside until an opportunity presented itself.

But every so often she'd glance at Jaune again, and her anxiety would flare up, and and she would pray that two hundred lien was enough.

So it was that when the cat found her chance to corner the bunny alone, she pounced. Sort of.

She spotted him sitting on a bench in the courtyard, likely waiting for his aunt to pick him up. All around, people shuffled and scrambled in their attempts to escape the confines of school, meet up with their friends, go to clubs or whatever else. Good cover, honestly. She wouldn't stand out much for looking like just another person talking to a friend. He was alone, having just waved off his friends as they went about their day, meaning no one else would be around to interrupt. He was defenseless, meaning he would have to answer her questions, so long as she was firm and intimidating.

Blake nodded to herself about all these facts. Confident that things would go her way, she began to make her way toward him.

Wait. What if he wasn't intimidated?

Blake stopped. Jaune wasn't exactly known for being easily scared. It was hard to say if he even knew what that feeling was. The guy was not shy with violence, as could be gleaned from his first day. Then there was the whole almost being murdered thing. She imagined you weren't scared of much after going through something like that. Adam has almost been killed several times hroughout his teenage life and it had hardened him. Sure, Jaune was far from anything like Adam.

But that cold look of his. He was not a guy to get on the wrong side of.

Blake's hands began to quiver. Maybe she'd better leave him alone. The last thing she wanted was to piss him off. To make an enemy of him. Maybe it wasn't a big deal if he told everyone about Adam. Except that it kind of was. Blake took a book out of her bag and clutched it to her chest so her fingers would not shake. It was fine. She was in control. She just had to act like it.

Mustering up some bravery, Blake approached Jaune. He showed no immediate reaction even after he looked up at her. Blue eyes like Adam, but a shade darker, sadder. He looked at her as if he was the main character of this story and she was the latest supporting character, whose only purpose was to compliment his development. The nerve of that look. Like Weiss' used to be.

Blake might have felt offended and maybe called him out on such a rude look, but instead she just felt guilty and looked away. It was hard to hold people's eyes. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

Jaune watched her for a moment. "Sure, I guess."

Blake nodded. Best to get right to it. Make the offer, extend the deal and look serious. In the end, the most Blake could do was look at her feet. "It's about, um, that night. At the center? I saw you."

"And I saw you."

Blake swallowed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't see me."

There was a moment of silence. And Blake felt Jaune's eyes boring into her, as if he was working out how to best take advantage of this situation. Blake feared for what he might demand. Feared even nor how far she might go to get his silence. Perhaps her rear end would be sold out for free today. Adam had always told her how many men were just looking for a chance to get some 'tail', as he so delicately put it.

"And that's if you haven't told anyone about it yet," Blake sputtered. "That's all I want, is just for you not to mention it." Blake had to fight to keep her hands from trembling as she reached into her purse. "I don't expect you to do it without a fair reward. I can give you fifty—"

"No."

Blake looked at him. His expression was unchanged. "Fine, a hundred."

"No."

"One fifty then. As long as you—"

"I don't want your money."

Blake's fingers closed tightly around the money.. "Then what do you want?"

"For you to get out my way. You're blocking the sun."

Blake blinked, almost forgetting that they were still at school. Hastily, she stepped out from in front of Jaune. Only to realize his bench was set under a tree, which already kept out most of the sunlight. "Why are you sitting there then, if you want sunlight so much?"

Jaune glanced at her. "I didn't see anything."

Blake paused. "You… didn't?"

"Nope. I've never seen you anywhere but at school."

"And you don't want something for… not seeing anything?"

Jaune shook his head. "How could I need a reward for something that never happened?"

Blake was so surprised that she could hardly contain it. It wasn't supposed to be this easy. "I thought you might, I dunno, try to get something out of me." She figured that was why he was at the center anyway. To try and get to her, based on things Sun or Yang might have told him.

Jaune frowned. "Well, I'm not. I saw nothing. You can leave me alone now."

It was like getting exactly what you wanted, but then realizing actually receiving it was not very fulfilling. She'd expected to have to bargain, to plead. But Jaune had seen her with Adam and he did not so much as care or He even seemed to question it. It was possible that he was lying. Then again, even if he took her money, there was no real guarantee he'd stay quiet. Somehow, Blake believed him at his word.

Baffled, Blake turned on her heel and walked off. Only got a few steps away before coming right back. "It's not what you might be thinking. It's just… something the others wouldn't understand."

Jaune sighed. "I didn't ask, and I don't care. I'm just at the community center to work out my punishment."

Oh. Well somehow that was very believable. Jaune didn't seem like a troublemaker per se, but rather someone who found trouble hard to resist. Blake found herself relating to that. "What did you do?"

Jaune's frown set in deeper, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Blake had a lot of experience with looks like that and felt no shame at backing down. "Sorry, I'll leave you alone. But um, thank you for… yeah."

It was almost surreal how Blake did not walk away from that awkward conversation, having gotten what she wanted at no cost, feeling scared that Jaune wouldn't keep his promise. Nor was she relieved at the weird certainty that he would. Instead, she felt utterly and completely humiliated.

And that was somehow worse.

Blake supposed she'd gotten her wish for one good day. Even if looking back on it didn't exactly paint a happy picture.

Yes there had been some things about the day that were inconvenient, and more than a little annoying, but on the whole it was on the positive end of the scales. Adam had been in a good mood this morning and an even better mood returning from the center. He'd loved dinner and they'd stayed up doing puzzles and watching movies together. A nice, peaceful night with her love. Blake's days didn't get much better than that.

But the night wasn't quite over. There might still be… that. If Adam was in the mood. Blake was hoping he wasn't.

She slipped on her nightgown. The long one that went down to her ankles, with long sleeves and a high collar. Decidedly unsexy. Even if she did prefer the ones with thinner fabric and more freedom. Still, if Adam was not in the mood tonight, then she certainly didn't want to seem like she was trying to tempt him. If they could simply go to bed tonight, Blake would consider it the best day she'd had in a long time.

Blake headed into the bedroom, where Adam was already set down in his nightclothes, which was little else but his boxers. He put up a smile. "Well look at you, Miss Modest."

Blake crawled into bed and laid next to him. "I'm not as good with the cold as you."

"Fair enough," Adam turned onto his side to look at her, propping his head up on one palm. "You never told me about your day."

Blake laid on her back, stared down at her cold toes. "Just class. I talked to my art teacher. Looks like I can't change electives until next semester."

"I figured. Sorry."

"It's fine."

"Better to get into something more productive for the future. Art is a cruel field, you know."

"I know." He had told her many times, after all. It was impossible to forget at this point. "Besides that, my day was kind of dull."

"Hm. Well, someone at the center mentioned you. A new kid I'm mentoring. His name is Jaune, do you know him?"

Blake stiffened. "Oh, Jaune? I can't say I know him well."

"Guess it makes sense he recognized you. You go to the same school."

Right, that made sense. "Yeah, he was a new student this year. Made quite the impression by getting in a fight on his first day."

Adam sighed. "His aunt told me about that when she brought him. I swear, you can feel the anger coming off that kid just by looking at him."

If that wasn't the unquestionable truth. Blake had to admit to being a little afraid of him. It always felt like he was a short fuse waiting to blow, and she dealt with enough of that at home.

"Still, he seems to like community work. He's a good kid. Just needs some guidance, that's all."

Guidance. Well, she certainly wished Adam luck with that. As for Blake, she would be happy to put Jaune and her old group of friends out of her mind. Today had been a good day, all things considered. All she wanted was more of that. Adam certainly was happy.

And if he was happy, then so was she.

Adam pulled the thick blanket up and threw it over them. "Let's get some sleep, huh? Got a long day tomorrow."

Blake turned over and allowed Adam to fold his arms around her. His embrace was strong and warm, but not the most gentle. It was not a very comfortable way to sleep, with one arm under her waist, but she could bear it. There were a lot of things she could bear for Adam.

She felt him breathe into her ear. "I love you." he whispered.

Blake felt her eyes water. Was it from joy or because his grip was too tight? She didn't know. "I love you too." she said. And it was no lie, she did love Adam. With all her heart.

But was love supposed to hurt this much?

Well, I didn't expect the second chapter to come out this quickly, but here it is.

This is all still done on my phone mostly. Still no computer yet.

I forgot to mention that there will be timeskips in this arc. And those timeskips will be designated by an interlude chapter focusing on a different character. The timeskips themselves are small, but do serve a specific purpose that necessitates their inclusion.

Glad to see such a positive reception so far. I'm excited to bring more.

Well, she y'all in the next one.

ISA