#sunxblake

Though it was still fresh in their minds, time and distance had passed them by since the attack on Haven. And in that time, team RWBY had caught up and began to mend their weathered bonds. It seemed they’d all grown a lot since the tournament. And now, for the first time since the chaos, sitting in a familiar way with the company of the one who’d seen her at her worst, Blake felt content. It was like the first embrace of her mother when she’d gone home, but more subtle, more at ease. A home away from home.

The faunus girl took the steam into her lungs and brought the cup up to her lips. The tea went down smooth, leaving a coolness in its wake and a warmth in her core. The cup was held between both her hands, her gaze caught in the rippling reflection inside. “… I should thank you and Yang both for that.”

“For what?” Sun blinked. “We wouldn’t be here in Atlas if it weren’t for you either, you had as much a part in it as the rest of us.”

“No- uh, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” Sun watched Blake with an amiably cocked brow, head tilted in a way that nearly let the messy golden strands fall into his eyes. His cup was held off to the side by his tail, idle, thoughtlessly. Blake had his attention.

And it was a funny thing, now with Blake getting that set expression like she was deep in thought amidst the plot of an engaging book, but there were no words in front of her; nothing but warm tea and the table space between them. She gathered her own, and spoke slowly again. “All of my teammates have shown me kindness that I couldn’t have ever imagined myself. But you and Yang have given me the kind I can’t repay.

“Yang talked me down when I was destroying myself trying to track down the White Fang. I couldn’t sleep, didn’t want to do anything but work towards stopping the violence.” Sun watched attentively as a small smile grew over Blake’s lips. “But she convinced me to take it easy, that it was okay to not always be preparing for a fight. If she hadn’t given me that talk, I never would have given the dance a chance.”

It seemed like so long ago- yet with the warmth of the tea radiating to her hands, Blake could almost feel Sun’s sturdy grip while they moved along Beacon’s hardwood floor, two parts moving as a whole. She could recall his smile, up to his eyes, when they got that dance. There really was something to tea and recollection, wasn’t there?

Sun remembered it as the surprise, the moment his entire night had turned around with those simple words- ‘I knew you’d look better with the tie.’ Dressing up wasn’t Sun’s favorite thing, but he’d do it a hundred times again if it meant one more night with Blake dancing with him. But they were here now, weren’t they? The silence of the pause that had encompassed them wasn’t uncomfortable. They both felt the nostalgia in the air.

It was such that when Blake spoke again, her voice came out quieter than before. “I ran away from everyone- twice since I started at beacon. I turned my back on my team, my school, and all my friends at beacon, out of fear. And both times, you were there for me, even when I didn’t want you to be.”

Maybe it was the tea, or the events of the months that had passed. Or maybe it was the reunion with the others from Beacon. But regardless, Blake seemed more open now, more vulnerable than Sun had seen her allow herself to be since their talk the day he came too after Ilia had wounded him. His cup was gently set aside with a gentle tap on the table without a thought.

“Sun… I didn’t think I could trust again the way I learned to trust you. And you’ve surprised me with your kindness each time- you’ve done more than I could ever thank you for, and I…” And now, after so many words had been spilled, Blake found herself at a loss for the right ones. Sun watched as her grip tightened around her cup and- gods, were her hands shaking?

I love you. The words were a lump in her throat that no amount of tea could wash down. She hadn’t realized she’d been so nervous until then, the warmth in her core turning to something dense, the subtle sweetness of peppermint turning dry on her pallet. “I’ve… never said it, but it’s meant a lot to me.” An unsteady breath. “You mean a lot to me.”

Sun could’ve swore that her nerves had been contagious with the blooming of butterflies in his stomach and flush in his cheeks, but he’d taken to it with a genuine smile. He bridged the distance between them with the soft but firm embrace of his hand over one of hers, steadying her as seemed to be his habit.

“You mean a lot to me too,” he reaffirmed, and when Blake lifted her gaze to meet his, she would be greeted again with a happiness that reached the blonde boy’s eyes. It was embarrassing and wonderful all at once, and the warmth shared between their hands was present in their cheeks. “I mean,” the blonde continued with a gentle laugh after a moment, “I did cross an ocean following you. I think that’s a pretty good sign that you’re important to me.”

“Not the first time you stowed away on a ship, Sun,” Blake reminded him with a more playful smile.

Sun conceded, shrugging his shoulders and lifting his cup again. His tone was light and airy, and his smile was comfortably warm. “Hey, but it turns out, your ship was much more exciting.”

First real contribution to the blacksun ship, huzzah!