It didn't take long for the rest of Team RWBY to return to their room and begin blowing off steam, as they always did after suffering through Professor Port's class. Yang was laying down, playing some sort of fighting videogame on her Scroll. Ruby sat on the floor, tinkering with Crescent Rose and mumbling to herself (or maybe to the scythe-rifle, Blake couldn't tell) about potential upgrades. Blake couldn't help but be impressed at their leader's devotion to improving her skills and equipment. Did that girl ever get sick of seeing Beowolves torn to pieces by impossibly ostentatious weapons? Weiss was the only one still attempting to study, but Blake could tell from the glazed-over look in her eyes that she was almost at her breaking point for the day.

Blake sat atop her bed, absentmindedly flipping through her notebook. Her head pounded. She didn't know why she bothered, she already knew every sketch by heart. Maybe she just liked torturing herself by imagining Sun's shocked reaction to each lewd drawing.

She turned the page. Sun stretching with his arms above his head, drawing particular attention to his cut abs and that tortuous 'V' just above his waistline. The drawing cut off right before anything inappropriate would have been revealed down below. It was one of the more tame entries, Blake realized with a stab of self-consciousness. It wasn't uncommon for her to spend time staring at the graphite depictions of her crush - Blake had finally surrendered to labeling it as such - but before today it was solely for her own pleasure. She loved fantasizing about those handsome pencil markings coming to life and making her desires come true. She even had stories and conversations she played through her head for each sketch, little erotic scenarios where she and Sun delved into heated passion together, their words lustful and their actions smooth as silk.

Blake snorted at her musings. 'Yeah right. It turned out smooth as sandpaper in real life.'

She closed the book and hopped off her bed, the anxiety building once more. She'd wasted enough time putting this off, and Blake knew the tension in her bones wouldn't go away until it was over. She took a deep breath.

"Hey, Yang. Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.

Yang sat up and paused her game. "Sure," she replied, tossing her Scroll aside and patting the spot next to her. "What's up?"

Blake took her seat slowly. Yang was the obvious choice as her go-to friend for relationship advice. Ruby's age and Weiss's less-than-favorable attitude towards most guys (including Sun) gave Blake pause when considering talking to them about her feelings. Not that she didn't trust them, but Yang definitely had the most charisma with the opposite sex out of anyone in the room.

"You're... good with boys, right?" Blake asked.

"One could say so," Yang replied coolly, brushing her fingernails across her chest. She raised an eyebrow. "Why? You got someone in your crosshairs, tiger?"

Blake's face grew warm and her ears twitched beneath her bow. She suddenly felt shy. "I-I wouldn't say it like that, but-"

"Well then, you came to the right place!" Yang exclaimed, jumping up and drawing the attention of the whole room. "With my help, you'll have him practically eating out of your hands in no time."

"Says the only one who couldn't get a date to the dance," Weiss piped up.

"Hey!" Yang cried. "That's because I was planning the dance, thank you very much. And Ruby didn't have a date either!"

"Way to throw me under the bus, sis..." Ruby mumbled, looking slightly dejected. Memories of her socially-awkward night still did not sit well with her, Blake had noticed.

"Ruby's two years our younger," Weiss replied matter-of-factly. "She's still inexperienced with that kind of thing, and plus, she was busy fighting that woman in black." She smugly flipped her hair. "Meanwhile, I had plenty of time to plan the dance and have Neptune swooning in my arms as we swayed the night away. You have no excuse."

Yang bared her teeth and glared. Blake tried to say something before it turned into another Yang vs Weiss rhetorical battle, but she was too late. She supposed it was unavoidable when Yang's nature most closely personified fire and Weiss's ice. Fated to clash, or something like that. "Oh yeah?" Yang fired back, her hands on her hips. "I bet I've gotten ten times as many dates as you this year!"

"Ah, guys-" Ruby started. She and Blake made exasperated eye contact. Always having to play the peace makers...

"Oh please!" Weiss jeered. "You haven't been on a proper date since you enrolled here, same as the rest of us."

"You don't know that!" Yang cried.

Weiss humphed. "Of course I do, Ruby told me so."

Yang's eyes narrowed and darted over to Ruby, who 'eeped' and, in a flash, was suddenly cowering underneath her bed sheets. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" she stammered.

"Rubes, how could you!" Yang exclaimed in feigned indignance. She clutched her heart. "Betrayed by my only sister to a heartless Ice Queen!"

"Shut it you brute," Weiss grumbled.

Blake cleared her throat and caught her teammate's attention once more. She was starting to regret this. Why did she ever expect a serious and fruitful conversation to come out of talking to this hapless lot?

She inwardly sighed. Because they're my family...

"Sorry, back on topic," Yang said, taking her seat next to Blake once more. Ruby peered over her sheets and Weiss continued to act uninterested behind her homework, though Blake knew she was stealing sideways glances at the conversation. Yang and Weiss would no doubt have more words later, but in the meantime they both seemed to settle for an unspoken truce.

Blake nodded. "So there's this boy. And... I really like him."

Yang nodded. "Mhmm, we know."

"I-" Blake was about to continue but stopped short at Yang's words. "Wait, know what?"

Ruby gave a 'psh' and rested her head on her elbows. "C'mon Blake, it's not like we haven't noticed."

A warm, embarrassed blush began to grow across Blake's face. Even Weiss nodded in agreement with Ruby's words. "K-Know what?" Blake stammered, her eyes darting around the room. Her stomach bubbled as the grins growing on her teammate's faces told her she was caught red-handed.

The other three shared a puckish look before answering in unison, "Sun."

Blake groaned and let her face fall into her hands. "God, was I that obvious?" she mumbled too low for anyone to hear. The embarrassment that would normally course through her veins was now replaced by exhaustion and resigned annoyance. After the whole debacle of a confession with Sun and the awkwardness that followed, she simply did not have any more blushes left to give. She looked up at her team, surrendering herself to complete emotional exposure. It made her skin tingle with slight discomfort, but strangely, a sense of relief also washed over Blake. It felt nice not to hide her feelings and thoughts for once. She felt lighter, freed in some way.

She smiled despite the warmth in her cheeks. If she was going to ask for help, she might as well accept the fact that there would be some teasing. "Okay, you got me," she admitted.

Ruby gave an adorable squee at this. "You two will be so cute together!" she cried.

"N-No!" Blake stuttered, caught off-guard by Ruby's assumption. "We're not... not yet at least... I mean-"

"Ohhhh man," Yang drawled. "You two just went through something super-awkward, didn't you?" Blake nodded, shivering slightly as she realized she still clutched the piece of erotic contraband that started this wonderfully terrible mess. "I knew something was up when I saw you running around like a maniac earlier. Well, why don't you take it from the top? And don't spare any of the details."

Blake paused for a moment before replying with, "Okay." It was a half-lie. No way was she going to reveal the existence of her sketches to her teammates. But she could give them a clear picture of the situation with some clever substitution...

Her mind made up, Blake began explaining. "This morning, Sun found out that I like him. You know, as more than a friend." She paused for her teammates' reactions. She expected some sympathetic groans, or at least wince from Ruby, but instead she was met with only expectant looks.

When it became clear that Blake was pausing for failed dramatic effect Weiss raised an eyebrow. "And this is a problem how?"

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "You two have been smitten with each other since last semester. If he found out you like him too, isn't that a good thing?"

"It..." Blake felt a lump in her throat as she attempted to dance around bringing up the sketches. Time for another half-truth. "I wasn't that he found out. It was... how he found out." She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, hoping her team attributed her uneasiness to the day's events instead of her fabricating the story. "He... read my diary."

Yang, Weiss and Ruby let out the collective groan Blake had been expecting earlier. Of course, she didn't actually own a diary, but the personal nature of such an object was similar to her notebook. It would suffice.

"But why would he do that?" Ruby asked. "Sun always seems like such a nice guy."

Weiss huffed. "If it was me, I'd teach him a lesson!" she exclaimed. "Crush or not, nobody violates my privacy like that!"

Blake shook her head. "It wasn't on purpose, not entirely. Actually, the whole thing was my fault..." She sighed. "So, yesterday Sun asked if he could sit in on Professor Port's class..."

This was going to be a long story.

"...and now I'm sitting here, in my room, wondering what the hell I should do," Sun finished.

Neptune crossed his arms. "Well, considering it's you we're talking about, I'd say it went pretty well."

Sun huffed. "Yeah right. I just blurted it out like an idiot. Seriously, 'You're my crush'? I've daydreamed about telling Blake how I feel a thousand times, and when I finally get my chance that's all I come up with?!"

"Hey, if it's the truth then it can't be all bad," Neptune replied.

"I dunno, it was pretty bad..."

After Blake left, Sun had wasted no time in beating himself up over just about everything. Neptune re-entered the room to find his partner repeatedly thumping his head against the wall, and after making sure Sun hadn't smacked a hole in the plaster, he sat down one on one with the distraught boy. Sun recounted the day's events, making sure to leave out the exact details of Blake's sketches. Neptune seemed satisfied with Sun's explanation and didn't ask any further questions, and now Sun felt utterly spent and hapless.

"What am I gonna do?" Sun exclaimed in anguish.

Neptune shrugged nonchalantly. "She asked for some time right?" Sun nodded. "Then there you go, just give her some space until she's ready to talk."

"But what if she's never ready?" Sun replied, his gut wrenching. "What if I scared her off? What if she just said that so she could get away from me?"

"Dude, are you serious right now?" Neptune cried. "She kissed you!"

"Yeah, but..." Sun's head was spinning. Hours later he still could not process his conversation with Blake and the kiss that it ended with. Dozens of emotions raged inside of him. Excitement, bashfulness, doubt, nervousness, giddiness, hope, fear, they all crashed against each other in one gigantic torrent. And it confused him, so much so that he could barely separate reality from the musings of his hysteric mind. "It could've been like... a friendly kiss? What if - ow!"

Sun rubbed his head where Neptune had smacked it. "Stop being an idiot," Neptune replied.

He put his hands in his lap. "Yeah... sorry. I just really like her. I've never felt like this about anyone before. She's smart, and beautiful, and driven, and down to earth, and she actually lau-"

"-Laughs at your jokes, yeah. You've mentioned it only like a hundred times."

Sun sighed. "I can't help but thinking, what if I screw it up? I've wanted to be with her for almost as long as I've known her, but now that something might actually happen between us..."

Neptune nodded, processing his words. Sun felt empty inside. What did he really have to offer Blake? She was so strong, and cool, and driven. Exactly what he wasn't. How long before he said the wrong thing and she got sick of him? How long before she grew tired of his jokes and he couldn't make her smile anymore?

"Did I ever tell you why I changed my mind and asked Weiss to dance with me that night?" Neptune suddenly asked. Sun shook his head. "It was because of Jaune."

Sun recoiled. "Jaune? Our Jaune? As in the one Yang always calls vomit-boy Jaune?"

Neptune nodded. "I didn't originally go to the dance with Weiss because I didn't know how to dance. I was worried that once Weiss realized I wasn't some cool, edgy bad boy that she'd laugh at me and never talk to me again. You know what he told me?"

"Jaune Arc's ten steps to dealing with rejection?" Sun replied amicably.

"Haha, very funny," Neptune deadpanned. "But no. He told me to go talk to her. Without any pickup lines or suave moves. And it worked, dude. It really worked. Like, better than any other way I've hit on girls before. Just be yourself and stop worrying."

Sun gave a gloomy half-smile and sighed. "Thanks, but I think my problem is a little more complicated than that."

Neptune shrugged. "Hey, it doesn't have to be." He clapped Sun on the shoulder. "You like her, she likes you, you're already glued together at the hip. Just take what you and Blake have now and add in some mushy stuff and a couple of kisses."

Sun felt the reassurance finally lifting his bad mood. "You really think it's that simple?"

"Trust me dude, I've seen the way you two act around each other. I know you'll both be really happy together. Just give Blake some space until she's ready, and everything will work out fine," Neptune said, standing up.

Sun remained sitting for a moment before saying, "Yeah... you're right. You're absolutely right!" He jumped up, invigorated. "And when she is ready, I'll be the best, most caring guy she'll ever know!"

"Aaaaand my work here is done," Neptune said. He grabbed his backpack and made for the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a class to sleep through."

Sun nodded, a powerful beating in his heart. His adrenaline pumped at the thought of finally asking Blake to be with him, but Neptune's pep talk made him realize that he was ready. He and Blake had dance around each other - and with each other - for too long now. It was time to make his daydreams and fantasies a reality. He smiled. He had great friends, ones that he knew would always have his back, whether he was fighting against a horde of Grimm or stumbling for relationship advice.

"Thanks man, I mean it," Sun said.

"Anytime," Neptune replied. "Oh, and... let's keep this discussion between us, okay?"

"Why's that?" Sun asked.

"Because I can't have people knowing that vomit-boy gave Neptune Vasilias romantic advice, that's why."

Sun chuckled and held up his pinkie finger. "Cross my heart."

"Blake wri-ites smuuuuut! Blake wri-ites smuuuuut!"

Blake flushed, her blood boiling from equal parts indignance and mortification. "S-Shut up, Yang! No I don't!"

"Pa-lease, Blake!" Yang cried through her frame-shaking laughter. She was practically on the floor turning in circles. "I think we all know what those 'entries you would rather have kept private' are."

Her plan had backfired spectacularly. Apparently, it didn't matter what medium in which she allegedly expressed her unresolved sexual tension, it was all fair game for those with a cheeky sense of humor. When it became apparent Blake was beating around the bush with the exact details of the 'diary entries' that led to the awkward confessions, Yang wasted no time jumping to the worst possible scenario. Of course, Yang was only trying to tease Blake as she normally did, but this time she had no idea how close to the truth she actually was.

Blake glared and poked Yang in the chest. "I. Do not. Write smut," she growled through clenched teeth. So what she technically drew smut? Yang was still wrong!

"Aww, it's okay Blake," Ruby piped in. Her words would have seemed innocent were it not for the mischievous grin plastered across her face. "Look on the bright side. If becoming a huntress doesn't work out, you could write the next installment of Ninjas of Love!" At this, the two sisters erupted into laughter once more, and Blake felt her cat ears folding down against her head in hurt and frustration. She began trembling.

"Knock it off!" Weiss cried. "Like you two have never thought about boys that way! It doesn't matter what's in Blake's diary because it's none of our business. Now stop harassing her when she's coming to us for help!"

The room was silent for a moment, and Blake didn't know what surprised her more; the fact that Weiss was defending her, or the fact that Weiss was empathizing with her. Either way, Blake gave the heiress a grateful smile.

Blake caught a glance of Ruby and Yang, who both now looked sick with guilt. She flashed them a smile too. She knew her team didn't mean to make her feel bad, but unfortunately the four of them were still learning the boundaries of each other's comfort zones. Blake's just happened to be narrower than most.

Ruby bowed her head. "Sorry, Blake."

"Yeah, you've had a rough day, and we went a little overboard there," Yang added.

"It's okay," Blake replied. "I'm just on edge after... well, everything."

Weiss shrugged. "Well, I still fail to see the problem. Honestly, if you had the confidence to kiss him, I can't see what you have to worry about."

"It's not that..." Blake said.

"Then what is it?" Ruby asked.

Blake's eyes closed as she flashed back to all the moments with Sun she loved and cherished. Like bright, happy little lights flickering against the rest of her dark past. She wasn't just existing here, she was living. She was happy. Sun made her happy.

"I really, really care for him..." Blake whispered. "I just don't want to lose him."

"Why would you?" Ruby asked. "I mean, I've never really had a boyfriend or anything, but you and Sun seem like you're already together."

Blake stopped to consider this. "To tell you the truth, it almost felt like that to me as well. I think we both knew where our friendship was heading, but..." She scowled and let out a frustrated groan. "It was supposed to be so easy! I always imagined one day we'd be hanging out, and... I don't know, if we were going to be boyfriend and girlfriend, that it would just happen." Her heart grew heavy as she got the core of her fears. She closed her eyes as the stabbing pain of her past returned. "The last time I felt this way about someone... it ended in tragedy. It scarred me for a long time. What if this ends the same way? What if what happened between Sun and me today means it's not meant to be?"

The rest of the room was quiet for a moment before Yang slid over and wrapped her arm around Blake's shoulders. Yang pulled her close, and Blake felt a trickle of comfort inside her partner's embrace. "You know," Yang said, "the first time I asked my mom what it felt like to be in love, she sat me down and wrapped her arm around me, just like this. And she taught me a lot of things about love and commitment that day. But you know the one thing she said that stood out to me more than anything else?"

Blake shook her head. "What?"

"She said that love requires more effort than just hoping things are 'meant to be'."

Blake shook her head. "I don't know what that means, Yang."

"Sure you do," Yang replied. "It means that worrying about whether or not you and Sun were 'made' to fit together by fate or whatever is pointless. What matters is how you are when the two of you are together. And if you haven't noticed, Blake, you freaking glow every time you're with Sun."

"Yeah," Ruby said. "You're like, way more chill and smiley and less... erm, Blake-y, like Sun said. And even Sun behaves himself when he's around you! You make each other better!"

The two sisters glanced at Weiss expectantly, and the heiress sighed before answering, "I suppose the two of you are much less insufferable while in each others' presence."

Yang ruffled the hair on Blake's head between her covered cat ears. "The past doesn't have to define you. That's something we've all been trying to get through that thick skull of yours."

Blake playfully elbowed Yang away and smiled. Even though she still had her doubts, she knew in her heart that her team was right. The last year had been a perpetual transformation for Blake, like tearing off layer after layer of ugly, calloused skin. Her past outside the kingdoms of Remnant had created a withdrawn, untrusting, cynical girl who kept everyone at arm's length. Coming to Beacon, meeting her team, had changed all of that. She trusted people now, she had friends that she wasn't afraid to confide in, she carried hope instead of skepticism. And most importantly, she fought not because she wanted to escape her self-loathing and atone for her sins, but to protect the people she loved.

And now, Blake realized what was holding her back. She was never truly happy with Adam. Being by his side didn't make her feel good about herself. Sun did. In order to take the next step, she had to allow herself to be happy.

She nodded, a solemn but peaceful fire in her heart. "You're right," she replied as she stood up. "Thanks guys. I'll see you later."

"W-Wait!" Ruby said. "You're leaving? Just like that?"

Blake smiled over her shoulder. "Well, I can't keep Sun waiting forever, can I?" She walked out the door, knowing what she had to do.

No sooner than the door had closed did Weiss find Yang standing in front of her wearing a shit-eating grin.

"Pay up, princess," she said.

Weiss grimaced and produced a fist full of Lien, which Yang more than graciously accepted. She began leafing through the bills while whistling a spunky tune.

"For the record," Weiss stated, "If they had waited until next semester, I would have won."

Ruby appeared utterly confused. "Um, guys... what am I missing here?"

Yang flopped down on her bed and casually replied, "Weiss and I had a bet on when Blake and Sun would finally get together."

Ruby's eyes widened. "But that's - I - you can't just bet on stuff like that!"

"Oh relax, Ruby," Weiss chided. "We were betting on when, not if, they got together, so it's harmless."

"Besides," Yang added, "We have several of those bets ongoing for other friends too."

"What?!" Ruby exclaimed.

Weiss nodded. "Let's see, there's Jaune and Pyrrha, Nora and Ren, Coco and Fox-"

"I still maintain that I've already won that last bet," Yang said.

"You hush, we haven't confirmed it yet," Weiss fired back.

Ruby shook her head. "You guys are terrible!" Her eyes widened as something occurred to her. "Wait, do you two have a bet that involves me?"

Yang shrugged. "Can't remember."

"Oh come on!" Ruby cried. "Weiss, you'd tell me right?" She put on her best puppy dog eyes.

"No clue," Weiss replied coolly.

"This is so unfair!" she shouted, falling onto her bed and pressing her head into her pillow. "First someone eats my secret stash of cookies and now this? This day sucks..." She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, pouting at her minor misfortune. Once the mood passed, she gave a small smile.

"Guys?"

"Yes?" Weiss asked.

"Do you think Blake's talk with Sun will go well?"

"Don't worry, Rubes," Yang said. "I have a feeling they'll be just fine."

A/N: Thanks to BatmanOtaku, browniej126, Tomson321, Agemo5000, OneLegasy, Kuroiikawa, GrimmLocke420, frik1000, jkphantom9, workeranomalie, Foxgun223, Smooth Flying and my one guest for reviewing last chapter! Please take a few seconds to drop me a review on this chapter, I really appreciate your feedback and I respond to every review I receive.