Sun turned the silver circlet in his hands around yet again, inspecting the oval-cut gemstone inlaid in the center and looking at his reflection within it. Something about putting it on felt final, as though completing his new outfit for the trek to Vacuo would lock him into a new phase of his life. The clothing selection that Neopolitan had brought back from her little shopping trip out in Mistral had been hit and miss, but somehow, everyone had found a set of items that not only fit, but seemed to fit. Sun couldn't help but think that the girl was more observant than she let on, taking in facets of their personalities that they never made overt.
It also didn't escape him that the gem within the metal headband was a ruby. The choice didn't seem like a coincidence.
With a weary sigh, Sun pulled the accessory down into his shaggy hair and took a step back to look himself over in the mirror. For the first time in a while, he felt truly clean, rejuvenated, and ready to go. It was like the new look was a conscious decision to turn a new leaf and refocus, and he had a feeling that he wasn't the only one with such sentiment. Everyone had chosen to go and spend some time alone just getting ready to head out, and he knew he wasn't the only one agonizing over the available clothing. Finally, he felt like he had gotten it just right.
Sun had kept one of his old red bracers and Ghira's pauldron with the attached gauntlet, along with the chain securing it to his shoulders and the older faunus' heavy belt buckle. Beneath the weighty armor, he had chosen a faded, sleeveless shirt of faded yellow mesh, tucked into a pair of baggy off-white harem pants with red armored kneepads. A deep purple sash held the garment up, the Belladona emblem emblazoned on its end. It had been one of Blake's accessories that she hadn't utilized up to that point, but one that he seized immediately upon seeing it. Upon his feet and out of view of the mirror were low-cut red shoes with textured grips on the soles, affording him an easier time climbing and vaulting around. All in all, the outfit made him feel almost regal- it was a look that would fit right in with the mercenary huntsmen of Vacuo, though with bits of flair that would make him stand out.
It was the look of a leader from the desert, and one that made him feel confident going forward… until a series of knocks clattered against the bathroom door.
"Are you done?" Blake asked from the bedroom. "Whatever you picked, I'm sure it looks good. Just let me see already!"
"Coming!" Sun announced as he folded a few pieces of clothing he had elected not to don, including a black thong with a banana printed upon the front that Neopolitan had personally handed him without breaking eye contact. "Sorry, I just…"
Without actually trying to justify his delay any further, Sun stepped out into the bedroom to look Blake over. She, too, had made some changes… and also decided to show some more skin in preparation for the coming desert heat. Other than a pair of tight black and purple wristlets, Blake wasn't wearing much on her upper body at all. A light, airy, sleeveless button-down vest in a color close to Sun's pants hung open, showing off a strapless support bra that accentuated her chest. Her lower body was much more protected in a pair of long black pants with thigh windows featuring crisscrossing black fabric in X shapes that hugged her sides. Just like Sun, she had gone for a sash over a traditional belt, though hers was in a deep red much more fitting of him. A belt buckle with his emblem and purple wraps on her feet were the only other things Blake was wearing, and the sight of her caused Sun to just stop and stare as his tail lightly swayed through the carpet behind him.
"Uh… wow," was all that Sun could think to say as he looked her over, his eyes lingering upon Blake's exposed stomach and chest for longer than he had planned. "You look… hot."
"Like you don't," Blake commented as she sauntered over, nearly pressing herself against him as she lifted a hand to run through his hair. "I'm liking the wild, shaggy thing you've got going on. Maybe you should bring back the chinstrap at some point…"
"Maybe," Sun considered, his tail jerking to one side at the sensation of Blake's cold fingers kneading against his scalp. "Still think your new hair is super cute, too."
Blake pulled a face, looking away for a moment as she brought her hand up to the side of her head to scratch at the mostly exposed skin.
"You don't think I went too far?"
"Nah," Sun deflected, fully closing the distance and pulling Blake into a loose embrace with his hands upon her waist. "Besides, it's a time of extremes. Might as well get a little wild."
"Speaking of getting wild," Blake began, a telltale shift in her tone, "I've always had this little… I guess fantasy that we might be able to re-enact out in Vacuo, if we find the time."
"Do you, now?" Sun asked his interest piqued.
"Mm-hmm," Blake acknowledged as she brushed a bit of Sun's hair aside so she could lean in and begin to whisper in his ear.
The words caused the faunus boy's breath to catch in his chest as he listened to the details. He almost forgot to breathe entirely for a different reason as Neopolitan appeared in the doorway and rapped her knuckles against the side of the frame wearing her own new outfit.
Neopolitan, too, had changed up her hair, electing to shorten it into a two-toned bob with the colors neatly separated on either side of her head. She primarily wore a white one-piece bathing suit with pink mesh over the top of her chest in a deep V cut, showing off far more than Sun was used to seeing. Over the suit was a light blue button-down shirt decorated with little ice cream cones left hanging open, the origins of which the faunus could only dream to guess at. The outfit was topped off by black denim short-shorts, an ankle-high version of the woman's usual lace-up boots, and a pair of single-lens soft pink sunglasses. A grey ascot was tied around Neopolitan's right thigh, and though Sun recognized it, he couldn't quite place it immediately.
"…hey, Neo," Sun said to alert his partner, well aware that he was blushing profusely after hearing of Blake's naughty idea. "That's… certainly a look."
Blake turned around to face the other girl as she walked on into the bedroom without a care in the world, tapping at her scroll before holding it out for the couple to read.
Thanks. Made it myself.
Blake stared at the message for a moment before meeting Neopolitan's eyes and raising a brow.
"So… it's an illusion? Does that mean if someone hits you hard enough, your clothes will just shatter…?"
Neopolitan merely smirked and shrugged, refusing to commit to an answer as Sun's blush deepened.
"A-anyway… uh, have you seen the others? Is everyone else ready to head out?"
Neopolitan offered Sun a thumbs up and beckoned him to follow, heading back out into the hallway.
"…I hate how cute she looks," Blake said under her breath as she turned her attention back to Sun. "How can someone so messed up be so adorable when she's just hanging out?"
"You're cuter," Sun reminded as he moved to pick up the various duffel bags and suitcases they had packed the night before. "Speaking of, are things at least stable between you two? Ish?"
"Yeah, I'm over her grabbing your junk," Blake said with a sigh as she picked up the remaining bags. "I'm pretty sure almost everyone in this house would if they could, so… whatever. Her situation sucks. I get it. I've done worse."
"…not gonna ask," Sun said quickly as he followed Blake out of the room.
"Please don't."
In the living room was Harriet, looking rather out of place compared to the rest of the group in her heavy leather jacket. Somewhere in the house, she had found a matching pair of black and blue pants, giving her a look more befitting of a security officer or riot police than someone headed for the desert. The Winter Maiden was busy checking provisions as Neopolitan moved a few bags about beside her in order to sort their supplies.
"Hey," the older woman offered as the faunus couple arrived. "Raven just left. Marrow's going to patch through drone footage so we can watch the efforts in Mantle on the way out to Vacuo. You two ready?"
"Ready," Blake confirmed as she set her bags down next to Neopolitan's pile. "What's the ETA for Vacuo?"
"In the aircraft we took? Sometime tomorrow morning," Harriet answered as she stood up into a stretch. "Assuming we leave within the next two hours or so at the latest. No idea what the other three are doing upstairs. Probably don't want to know."
Neopolitan turned her scroll toward Sun, offering him another incredibly helpful message.
My money's on make-up sex.
"…I doubt it," Sun as he rolled his eyes, only for Neopolitan to try again.
Makeup sex, then. Jaune would look good with lipstick and eyeliner.
"Okay, moving swiftly onward," Sun declared as he walked out of the sightline of the scroll to focus on Harriet. "How are we on supplies? Anything last minute we need to grab on the way to the plane?"
"We're pretty well stocked, actually," Harriet answered as she folded her arms across her chest. She turned her attention toward the staircase as footsteps began to echo down it, signaling the rest of the party's arrival. "Granted, we're stealing a ton of shit from Qrow, but given that we're entering an end-of-the-world scenario right now, I don't think he'll be that upset when he finds out we took all the toilet paper and granola bars from here. If he is, he can send Ironwood the bill later."
"How convenient, I plan on billing Ironwood for therapy after all this is over," Yang half-joked as she led the missing trio down the stairs. Each was carrying even more supplies, and all three of them looked exhausted. "I think we've managed to pilfer everything useful. Sucks that this couldn't just be a vacation."
Yang looked every bit ready for the weather of Vacuo, moreso than almost anyone else in the group. Her upper body was almost as bare as Blake's, with just a large leather bikini-style harness that looked almost like a chunky bra supporting her and showing off her toned abs. Over her brown and gold shorts was a bright orange and yellow patterned fabric sarong, her emblem emblazoned upon it and yellow tassels hanging from the lower fringe. She wore braided knee-high sandals akin to those of a gladiator on her feet, leaving her legs largely exposed to the air. Finally, despite both Jaune and Corsac advising her otherwise, she had kept her entire mass of hair, only tying it back instead of cutting it.
"I think we could all use one, at this point," Jaune agreed as he set down a box next to the couch.
His outfit hadn't changed much- he had kept his armor, though added a chainmail shirt beneath it that peeked out from beneath Pyrrha's old sash around his waist. He wore a new pair of rough brown fire-retardant pants and an orange sleeveless undershirt. The biggest change was his hair yet again, which he had let Yang mostly shave off into a one-sided fringe.
Jaune didn't want to talk about it. He could tell that the rest of the group did, but was thankful that they only stared for a moment before deciding against it.
Corsac cleared his throat to draw attention away from the newest travesty atop Jaune's head, mercifully cutting through the awkward silence. He hadn't changed his clothes on account of his injuries, retaining his monk-style robes and gauze wrappings around his torso.
"Once this is all over, we should all go somewhere together. Everyone. Somewhere far away from everywhere we've fought."
"Agreed," Sun replied with a firm nod. "But for now… if we're good to go, let's get moving. Team… whatever the hell we are, here goes everything."
With that, Sun picked up as many bags as he could carry and led the way out the door, only for Neopolitan to jog up alongside him and thrust out her scroll expectantly.
Okay seriously. What the fuck is that on Jaune's head?
Sun merely walked faster to avoid the question, doing his best to keep a straight face as his companion began frantically typing again.
Author's Note:
If you're a Fanfiction reader, you should definitely jump over to AO3 for this one. There's a huge art spread of the Vacuo Arc/Final Battle outfits, along with a commission of Astrid, all by Iza!
-RD