Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and places belong to Rooster Teeth.

A/N: I really wanted to do a take on other people's thoughts on Blake and Sun's relationship, and then it kind of ran away from me, as most of my stories tend to do. I was really hesitant to use Ilia in the last blurb, but I couldn't think of another significant character who would have insight on Blake and Adam's relationship, so I kind of got stuck.

I. Yang Xiao Long

Blake looked up from her book and eyed Yang suspiciously as she plopped down in the seat across from hers. Her apprehension had less to do with the fact that it was Yang – she was her teammate, after all – and more to do with the fact that they were in the library. And if there was one thing that she knew about Yang, it was that she hated the library – you had to be quiet (not something Yang was particularly good at doing), and being there usually involved some form of studying or reading.

She sighed and put her book down when Yang continued to stare at her without saying anything. "Did you need something, Yang?"

"Nope," Yang said, casually shrugging her shoulders. She held up a plastic bag and slid it across the table towards Blake. "I got you something."

Blake frowned at the smile on Yang's face – it was one that she had seen quite often, usually when Yang up to something. More often than not, it was something destructive, something that would probably get them all in trouble. She pulled the bag towards her slowly, like one wrong move could make it explode, and cautiously peered inside. Of all the things that she had been expecting to be inside, this wasn't it.

Her face reddened at the implications that Yang was trying to make and threw the bag back at her. "Yang, what the hell? I don't want or need that!"

"You sure about that?" she asked, an amused smirk making its way onto her face. She caught the bag easily and pulled the box out of it.

"Put that thing away!" Blake snapped; she could feel the heat spreading from her cheeks down to her neck. She glanced around the library to make sure that nobody was watching or listening to the two of them, but the few people that were still there were either passed out from the exhaustion of school, or too busy cramming to notice Yang trying to embarrass her.

"I'm just saying, Blake. You and Sunny boy seem to be getting awfully close. We don't want any accidents to happen because you guys were careless." She waved the offending object in Blake's face. "I'm just looking out for you."

Blake scowled and smacked her hand away from her face. "Yang, I swear to dust."

Yang shrugged indifferently and sat up in her seat. "I don't want to wake up one day to find you throwing up in the washroom. I don't know if you know this, but when a boy and a girl like each other –"

Blake's ears flattened against her head and she let out a strangled shriek – this could not be happening. It had to be some sort of twisted nightmare, and she would wake up any minute now. "No. Please stop. I will do literally anything to make you stop talking."

"Look," Yang said, unperturbed by her reaction, "I never got the talk from my parents – my mother left before I could even talk, and my father's way too awkward to talk to me about something like that. Not that I need it – I doubt Weiss has the capability to get me pregnant. But I'm sure that growing up in the White Fang, nobody really sat you down and gave you the talk either, so I'm taking it upon myself to have this conversation with you. You know, just to make sure you know how these things work."

Blake planted her face onto the table and let out a soft groan. She knew Yang was only doing this to get a rise out of her (it was working), but she wasn't wrong – nobody had ever sat her down and explicitly given her the talk, because her parents had left the White Fang before she had reached the age where they had to worry about it. But she wasn't stupid – she'd read enough books to know where this conversation was going, and she didn't need it.

"Me and Sun aren't dating," she mumbled into the table. "There is no need for you to have this talk with me now. Or ever."

"Maybe not now, but I've seen the looks you two give each other – I swear, the sexual tension makes me want to lock you guys into a closet until you sort things out. I'll be surprised if you haven't jumped his bones by the time we leave for Atlas."

When she's sure that the redness in her cheeks had subsided, she lifted her head up. "Yang, I'm begging you. Please stop talking."

"Objectively speaking, he's a good-looking guy," she continued, ignoring Blake's words. "You must have a hell of a lot of self-control if you can ignore abs like that."

This conversation made Blake want to hide away in her room and never come out – she didn't want to discuss Sun's abs, or any part of his body for that matter, or just Sun in general, with anybody. Especially with Yang. She covered her face with her hands and barely managed to conceal the scream that threatened to spill out. She wondered if Ruby and Weiss would mind much if she stabbed Yang with Gambol Shroud. But then, she would be down a partner and teammate, so maybe that wouldn't be the best idea.

"And have you seen his staff?" she asked, completely oblivious to Blake's inner turmoil. "Seriously, that thing is long, and if it's any indication of the size of –"

This time, Blake didn't bother muffling her scream – she would do just about anything to keep Yang from finishing that sentence. "Shut up, Yang!"

Yang watched her with an amused gleam in her eyes, knowing that she had succeeded in what she had come to do. "I'm serious! Haven't you heard the rumours?"

At that point, Blake didn't think her face could turn any redder without exploding into flames. "No! And I don't think –"

"Ahem."

Blake looked up, face still burning, to meet the angry glare of the librarian.

"Out," the librarian snapped, pointing towards the exit. "Now."

Blake didn't need to be told twice. She gathered her books and bolted from the library as quickly as she could, partly because she wanted to get away from Yang, and partly because she wanted to find some place away from the prying eyes of other people (because she knew she wasn't going to lose Yang that easily, and some privacy would be nice). Half the occupants in the library had probably heard her outburst, and were probably watching her as she ran. She was going to die of embarrassment.

Yang easily kept pace behind her, the plastic bag swinging innocuously at her side.

"Throw that damned thing away before somebody sees it," Blake growled, gesturing violently at it.

Yang pouted. "I'm trying to be helpful, Blake. You're going to need it eventually. Well, when one of you finally gets it together and asks the other out. Maybe you should just walk up to him and plant a wet one on him – if he still doesn't get it after that, he's a lost cause."

Blake grabbed the bag and threw it into the nearest trash can with so much force that she's surprised the bottom didn't crack. She turned back to Yang and opened her mouth to yell some more, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned around and was met with Sun's cheerful smile. 'Oh, no,' she thought, her cheeks burning with mortification. His appearance would only give Yang more fuel to add to the fire.

"What's this I hear about you kissing somebody?" he asked teasingly, nudging her in the ribs with his elbow.

Blake wanted so badly to just sink into the ground and never resurface. The evil glint in Yang's eyes made her wonder what on Remnant she had ever done to her to deserve this kind of torture. "Nothing," she cut in hastily before Yang had a chance to say something to embarrass her further. She grabbed the back of Sun's shirt and started pulling him away from Yang. "Let's go get tea."

"Looks like you'll need them after all, Blake!" Yang called after them. "But don't worry, I already gave Sun a box."

The scream that followed afterwards could be heard all across Mistral.

II. Adam Taurus

'No. Not again. I won't let him – not this time!' Blake thought as she tore through the alleyways of Atlas, searching for any signs of Sun or Adam. She clutched the hilt of Gambol Shroud so tightly that her knuckles turned white. A flash of red and the familiar sight of Sun's gunchucks sent her skidding to a halt.

"Sun!" she screamed before she could stop herself. "No!" She desperately threw herself between Adam and Sun, and raised her weapon to block Adam's attack, but the sheer force of it sent her tumbling backwards, right into Sun.

He curled himself around her as they both went flying into through the window of a nearby building, taking the brunt of the damage. He landed roughly on his back and lost his grip on Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, sending the staff flying across the room. He grunted in pain when she landed on top of him.

She scrambled off him to kneel down next to him. She gave him a quick onceover, taking inventory of his injuries. She took solace in the fact that there seemed to be no life-threatening wounds on his person. She exhaled quietly as he sat up – he was fine. She ran her hand over the scar that along the length his arm, wiping some of the blood away.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he glanced at the bruises lining her abdomen. He gently touched the rip in her shirt.

"Sun," she breathed, momentarily forgetting about Adam. She shook her head and gave a watery laugh – leave it to Sun to worry about her when she was the one who landed on top of him. She stood up. "I should be asking you that."

He grabbed the hand she offered and let her pull him up. "I'm fine –"

"I always thought you were smarter than this, Blake," Adam said, cutting him off. He laughed, and it was so cold and sinister that it chilled her to the bones, cut through the air.

It worried her, because she knew why he was laughing – she had just given him exactly what he wanted. The last time he had seen Sun, Adam had called him her classmate, and she'd been content to let him think that, because classmate was a far cry from something she loved, and she thought that, somehow, it would keep Adam from going after Sun. She should have known that it was a naïve thought – Adam had always been good at reading her, and her feelings for Sun weren't an exception.

He had probably known all along that Sun was much more than a teammate to her. But he had wanted some kind of admission from her – proof that he meant something to her – because it would hurt all the more when followed through on his threat. And her scream, desperate and frantic, even to her own ears, and the sheer relief in her voice as his name fell from her lips – that had been enough; she hadn't said it in as many words, but her reaction had told him everything he needed to know.

'Actions speak louder than words,' she thought regretfully. It had been something Adam had taught her a long ago, an excuse he had has used when he had started turning the White Fang into the violent extremists that they were today. She didn't have to tell him that she might love Sun – her actions were proof enough of that, and she might as well have painted a target on Sun's back.

"I thought you would have learned your lesson the last time, my dear," he said, his voice eerily calm, his sword drawn, and his rifle pointed straight at Sun's chest.

Blake froze, because his words still haunted her nightmares, keeping her up for nights on end. He never was one to make a threat he didn't intend to follow through on. There were still nights where she woke up from those nightmares with the desire to run, because she knew – no matter what they said – that if Adam hurt them, it would be her fault. There were nights where the panic was so bad that she practically tore down the hotel room doors to make sure that her friends were still alive; she'd woken them up time and again in the middle of the night, and none of them ever complained.

But right now, as she stared Adam down, she knew that couldn't let that fear control her. Not when her friends were depending on her. Not when there were so many people at risk. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin in defiance. "I'm done running, Adam," she said, her voice fierce and determined. "I'm still scared – I'll probably be scared long after you've been put away for good. Your words will probably haunt me long after our battles are done, but I will never let that fear keep me away from my friends again. This is my life, and I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing it fall apart because of you. You can threaten everybody that I care about, you can try and destroy everything I love, but I'll be right here, fighting you every step of the way." She raised Gambol Shroud and glanced back towards Sun.

He gave her a nod, and she knew what he was trying to say. I'll always have your back. And she's grateful – so, so grateful – that he's here, despite the risks that he knew he would have to take.

She opened her mouth to tell Sun to be careful, but Adam didn't give her the chance as he charged at her. His sword crashed against hers with so much force that she was sent skidding backwards, and she was forced to dig her heels into the ground to keep herself from being knocked back again.

"Imagine what his blood will look like on my sword." His voice was quiet and calm despite the harshness of the words coming out of his mouth. "Imagine the pain and fear in his eyes as he bleeds to death, and you can do nothing but watch as his life fades."

Blake faltered, and she barely managed to bring Gambol Shroud up in time to block Adam a second time. She stood, rooted to the spot, because she could imagine the red of Sun's blood glistening on the red of Adam's sword. She didn't need to imagine Sun bleeding out in front of her, because she had seen it happen. And then she'd seen it night after night as she relived the moment over and over again in her dreams.

"You might not be running now, Blake, but when you see him –" he jerked his chin towards Sun, who had gone to retrieve his weapon – "lying in a pool of his own blood, you will be. You'll run because it'll your fault that he's dead, just like it was your fault that your friend lost her arm. And you should run, because I won't stop until –"

She pushed back, just hard enough to send him back a couple feet and leveled her sword at him. She looked at him, her gaze steady and unrelenting. "I know," she said quietly. "I know you won't, but neither will I."

Before he had a chance to respond, he was sent flying back by the full force of Sun's weapons. "Leave her alone." He leapt back and fell into place next to her, followed by the rest of her teammates, and Ilia.

Adam snarled – he knew he wouldn't be able to take all of them on at once. He slowly backed away towards the window, his eyes never leaving the group.

Blake watched him until he jumped out the window and out of sight before she let Gambol Shroud clatter to the ground and she ran over to Sun. "I told you not to run off on your own!" she scolded. "He's dangerous – he'll kill you if you're not careful! Don't you have any sense of self-preservation?"

He winced at her angry tone. "Sorry, Blake, I couldn't just let him get away."

"You stupid idiot," she sighed. She leaned over and pulled him into a hug, her heart still pounding from Adam's threat. She forced herself to swallow the sob that was threatening to bubble over and buried her face into Sun's shoulder. "Don't do that again," she mumbled, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Okay," he said quietly as he smoothed her hair down. "Okay. I won't."

She was still gripped by the fear that Adam would keep hunting him – and she would probably feel that way until they put him away for good – but for now, she took comfort in the warmth of Sun's embrace.

III. Neptune Vasilias

"Hey, Blake," Neptune said as he jogged up to her and grabbed her sleeve.

The tone of his voice – guarded and apprehensive – put her a little on edge. "Is something wrong, Neptune?"

"I need to talk to you about something – about Sun."

She groaned. How many more times would she have to listen to other people talk about her feelings for Sun before she finally snapped? "Go bother Yang about Weiss instead," she grumbled. "I'm sure she'd be more than happy to share the details of their relationship with you."

He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not here to tease you about your relationship, Blake. Or should I say your lack thereof? Because you guys really are taking your sweet time with that."

"Neptune," she said impatiently.

"Okay, okay," he said as he noted the annoyed expression on her face. "I'm really not here to talk to you about that. Look, before I say what I came here to say, remember that I like you, Blake. All of Team SSSN does – you're like a sister to us. Although I'm sure the only member of Team SSSN whose opinion you really care for is Sun's.

"And I'm only saying this because I know he'll never have the heart to do it himself. Sun likes you a lot, Blake. Probably more than he cares to admit to any of us. He didn't take it well when you abandoned everybody after the fall of Beacon. I'm not saying it was wrong of you to do it – I don't know why you left or why you came back, but Sun spent a lot of time looking for you because he didn't think you should be alone. He cares about you a lot. More than he's cared for anybody or anything before. And I don't want to see him get hurt again."

"I'm not going anywhere this time," she said quietly.

"That's probably true," he acknowledged. "But I'm sure you can understand my apprehension after what happened last time. The fight isn't over, Blake, and I'm sure Yang isn't going to be the last of your friends to get hurt. You can't decide that you're going to run away every time somebody is injured."

She seized with terror – this was what she'd been afraid of. This was what she had feared when she had come back, when she had faced her friends – that they would shun her, that they wouldn't forgive her for running away and that, if they did, that their friendship would be fraught with the fear that she would run again at any given moment. Sun had assured her over and over again that it would be fine, that her team would never abandon her like that, but it had never occurred to either of them that Team SSSN might.

"Don't get me wrong, Blake. I'm not mad at you," he added hastily when he saw the terrified expression on her face. "I'll never really understand what you've been through, and I'm sure you had your reasons for leaving, but Sun is more important to us than anything else in the world. I'm sure you understand – after all, he's probably one of the most important people to you too." He made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it made her wonder if she was really that transparent.

"My point is, I don't want to see Sun get hurt again. None of us do. So just – please don't hurt him. I think I speak for all of Team SSSN when I ask you not to hurt him again. He's not fragile by any means – he can't be, not after all that he's been through."

Blake didn't know what he meant by that – a stark reminder of how little she actually knew about Sun's past.

"But if you left him again, I'm not sure it wouldn't break him," he continued. "You – you didn't see how upset he was, Blake. He watched you take off – he wanted to follow you, but people were dying. By the time everybody had been transported to the hospital, you were long gone. We searched for you for hours – there was four of us and one of you; how hard could it be? It turned out you're really good at running away, because we couldn't find any trace of you. Sun nearly fell apart with fear –he had no idea where you were going, or if you would be safe. I think that scared him the most – not that you could run away and leave everything behind so easily, but the fact that you could get hurt."

She stared guiltily at her feet – she hadn't thought about how her leaving would affect her friends; all she had cared about then was getting as far away as possible from them so that if Adam came back for her, at least she could be content with the fact that they were safe. At the time, it had been all that mattered – that they were alive somewhere, safe from Adam, other consequences be damned.

"He's lost a lot of important people in his life, and he's somehow managed to get past that and still keep his sunny disposition, but losing you – well, that might just push him over the edge. So try to keep that in mind.

"I won't threaten you, because quite frankly, you kind of scare me. But more importantly, Sun would be upset if I tried to hurt you. It's not that he doesn't care what you do, and he might not always be happy with all the choices you make, but the only thing that matters to him is that you're happy and safe."

She knew he was right about that – whatever she chose to do, Sun would support her. If she wanted to be with somebody else, he wouldn't hesitate to let her go; if she showed even the slightest hint that she would be happier without him, he would leave. He would always put her first, regardless of how it made him feel.

"I know," she said, clasping her hands together. "I – I don't know what I did to deserve that."

"It's not about deserving something – that's not how love works. He chose you – there probably isn't a single reason why, and there doesn't have to be. I'm sure if you asked him, he could list ten reasons off the top of his head, but there doesn't always need to be a one. Sun sees the best in everybody, and you aren't a bad person, Blake – I'm sure Sun tells you that all the time. You're just a little rough around the edges, and that's fine. It's who you are. I didn't come to give you a lecture on who you should be – I just want you to think about who you'd be hurting if you ever think about leaving again. And just remember, Sun isn't the only one worries about you – we all do."

She let out a breath. "I know, and I am sorry," she said remorsefully. "I thought – I thought I was protecting you guys by leaving. But I'm not going anywhere this time – I can promise you that."

"Good, because I think our team would fall apart if Sun had to leave to haul you back again." He smiled at her to let her know that he was only kidding.

"Thanks, Neptune," she said, returning his smile with one of her own.

IV. Kali Belladonna

"So, when should I expect grandchildren, Blake? You're not getting any younger."

Blake sputtered and nearly choked on the tea she was drinking. "Mom!"

Kali calmly sipped her cup of tea as she regarded her daughter. "Or at least a wedding invitation?"

"Mom!" she exclaimed again. "Sun and I aren't dating, and nobody is getting married!"

Kali hummed quietly. "I never said anything about Sun though," she said smugly.

Blake opened her mouth, but closed it again when she couldn't find of a proper response to her mother's words, because she was right – she hadn't mentioned Sun's name.

She placed her cup onto the coffee table and turned to Blake with a knowing look in her eyes. "That boy is clearly in love with you, dear – he looks at you like you're the only thing in the world that matters." She gently placed her hand on Blake's face. "And why wouldn't he? You've grown up to be a lovely, wonderful woman, and anybody would be lucky to have you. I know you're still fighting with that part of your past, but you do deserve to be happy, Blake. And I can tell that he makes you happy."

She smiled softly at the surprised look on Blake's face. "You might not wear your heart on your sleeve the way he does and you're certainly not as obvious about it as he is, but I think it's pretty clear that you love him. Maybe not as a lover, but the way you tore the house down that night, the way you stayed at his side and held his hand until he woke up – you might not even know what your feelings mean yet, but you must care for him a great deal."

She flushed. She had always been good at hiding her emotions behind a wall of indifference – it was something she had learned during her time in the White Fang, because she couldn't afford to let her emotions overcome her while she was on the battlefield. Letting that happen could be fatal. But it was becoming apparent that no matter how hard she tried, she was absolutely terrible at hiding her feelings for Sun.

"He cares about you a lot. I think he's good for you," Kali said.

"I don't think dad would agree with you on that," Blake mumbled.

"Well, he certainly didn't make the best first impression on your father," Kali agreed.

"No, he really didn't," she said, her lips curling in distaste as she recalled Sun's nervous ramblings.

"I don't blame him." Kali nudged her teasingly in the ribs. "Everybody gets nervous when they meet their in-laws – I think I'd be more concerned if he wasn't nervous."

Blake let out a defeated sigh; she couldn't decide what was worse – her mother trying to interfere with her love life, or her best friend trying to get her to jump into bed with Sun.

"But first impressions are first impressions," Kali continued. "And I think Sun has done more than enough to show your father that he's not just some stupid boy with a big mouth. He might not show it, but I think your father actually likes Sun, despite his initial misgivings about him."

Blake shook her head and gave her a look of disbelief, because she thought that her father had made his feelings about Sun pretty clear.

"Sweetheart, your father has nothing against Sun specifically. It doesn't matter who it is, he's never going to be completely happy with whoever you bring home. You're always going to be his baby girl, Blake, and no boy or girl is ever going to be good enough for you." She placed a gentle hand on Blake's shoulder. "You're just growing up so fast and he misses his little girl. But he's going to have to let you go eventually. I do want grandchildren one day, after all. You're both very good-looking – can you just imagine how cute your children will be?"

"Grandchildren?" Blake cried. "Mom, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself!"

"Do you think his Faunus traits are stronger or yours?" she asked, ignoring Blake's outburst. "You were supposed to have a brother or a sister, you know, but your father and I never quite managed to do that, and I've always wanted another cat baby to play with."

"Mom!" She covered her burning face with her hands. She was starting to think her mother was worse than Yang.

"And have you thought about what kind of wedding you would want to have? Because I have some ideas. Yang's your best friend, right? She would probably be your maid of honour. You should have it here in Menagerie – it's beautiful here in the fall."

"Sun and I aren't getting married!" Blake grumbled, her voice muffled by her hands.

"I'm just kidding, Blake. But maybe one day, you'll consider it," Kali said, winking at her. "And if you ever do get married, he'll be my Sun-in-law."

Blake slammed her head against the coffee table as her mother laughed.

V. Ilia Amitola

"So, you and Sun, huh?"

Blake groaned in annoyance. "Please, not you too."

"What?" Ilia asked. She leaned against the kitchen counter and watched Blake out of the corner of her eye.

"Nothing," she sighed. It wouldn't be fair of her to take out her exasperation on Ilia. "Nothing. Just – can we not talk about Sun?"

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Because everybody seems to have something to say about our relationship. As if they know better than us how we feel," she huffed.

Ilia shrugged. "I mean, you two are pretty oblivious."

"Did Yang put you up to this?" she grumbled. Ilia and Yang had become best friends since they had all arrived in Mistral, and that had only meant more embarrassment for Blake. "Because she's already humiliated me enough as it is."

"Oh, she told me about that," Ilia said as she tried to hold back her laughter. "That might have been my fault."

"What?!"

"I may have asked her when you started sleeping with Sun."

"Ilia!" she exclaimed, her face colouring with mortification. She pinched the bridge of her nose – Yang and Ilia were going to be the death of her.

"Sorry! I just – I thought he was your boyfriend. Or that you guys were at least dating."

"No, no. We are definitely not dating." Blake buried her face in her hands.

"But you could be – I think he would be good for you."

"And now you sound like my mom," she mumbled.

Ilia grinned at her, but her smile faltered. "It's just… I never saw what you saw in Adam. I always hated patching you up after your fights – you were always so hurt. More hurt than you should have been after a simple sparring match. And I – I didn't know what to do."

Blake fell silent, because looking back now, she couldn't see it either. "It wasn't always like that," she said quietly. It hadn't always been like that – he hadn't always been so aggressive with her. There had never been an exact moment when things had changed, no specific point in time where she could definitively say 'yes, that was when he became a monster'. It had been a gradual process, one that was so slow that she didn't see it happening until suddenly everything was different. And by then, she had gotten so used to having Adam by her side that any other option had seemed unfathomable to her.

"I can't – won't – justify his actions. I can see it now that he was wrong, but back then? Back then, I was young, and stupid, and naïve. And he was all I knew. I was so blinded by my feelings that I couldn't see that he was changing until it was too late."

"Adam never was good enough for you," Ilia said. She didn't sound bitter, just resigned.

"Ilia, I – I am sorry. I wish… I wish I could have given you a chance." If she hadn't been so wrapped up in her feelings for Adam, if she had known about Ilia's feelings for her, would things have turned out differently?

She put a hand on Blake's shoulder and gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Don't be sorry – you should never apologize for loving somebody. At least, this time, you chose somebody who actually loves you the way you deserve to be loved. Sun is the complete opposite of Adam, and I really do think he's good for you, Blake."

"Maybe that's why I like him – because he's nothing like Adam."

"And he likes you, so what's keeping you from being with him?" Ilia raised a questioning eyebrow. She never understood why people were so hesitant to do something about their feelings, and she especially didn't understand why Blake didn't. After everything they had all been through, after Sun had almost died – why was she still hesitating when she knew that everything could slip right through her fingers at any given moment?

"I – I don't know," Blake said, her hands trembling.

"You're scared," Ilia said as realization dawned on her. "You're scared, and I don't blame you; the last time you loved somebody, they broke your trust, and you probably never want to put yourself in a position where somebody has that much power over you again."

"I am scared – I'm terrified. But not for the reason you're thinking. When I was with Adam, I probably would have done anything for him, and I – I didn't realize I had started changing into something I didn't recognize. What if I twist him into something dark?" She looked down at her hands and curled them into fists. "How – how can I hold him with the same hands that I used to kill people? How can I – how do I hold something so pure and bright without shattering it?"

"So you're not scared of him breaking your trust – you're scared of breaking his," Ilia summed up.

"I guess," Blake said hesitantly. "I guess I'm worried, because Sun has a lot of unwavering faith, and that kind of faith is dangerous. It's the same kind of trust I had in Adam, and look where it got me."

"Is he worth it?" she asked.

"What?"

"Sun – is he worth it? Is he worth the risk? Do you love him enough to be with him despite your fears? Because I think it's pretty obvious that he loves you enough not to care about what you think you're capable of doing."

Blake opened her mouth and then closed it, unsure of how to answer.

"I've seen you fall in love before, Blake," she said gently, "and I've seen what you were like when is you were with Adam. You always seemed different with him somehow – more violent, more aggressive – like you had something you needed to prove to him. You never had much reason to smile when we were in the White Fang – there was always so much death and destruction – but even when you were with Adam, you never seemed quite happy. But this is different – you're different when you're with Sun. You seem lighter somehow – happier. And Sun – I think he brings out a softer side in you, one that I never saw when you were with Adam.

"You're not the same person you were back then, and Sun isn't Adam. I don't think you realize it, but you smile more easily when you're with him. You're gentler, less violent. And I doubt that boy has a mean bone in his body. I don't think he knows how to hold grudges, to be honest. I tried to kill him, and he forgave me. So if you're worried about breaking him, don't be. I don't think you're capable of doing something like that, and I don't think Sun's capable of becoming a monster the way Adam did."

"I know," Blake said. "I know that – I've told myself that over and over again."

"You don't have to get over your fears overnight, Blake. But you should tell him – he might wait forever for you, but he deserves to know that you at least love him back."

"I know," she repeated, giving her a weak smile. "I – I will. Thanks, Ilia."

A/N: I tried to make this crap fluffy - I really, really did! But obviously, I'm absolute shit at it, because 2/5 of these did a complete 180 on me. I'm so sorry I don't know how to write anything lighthearted; I must be dead inside or something.