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

A/N: Have some blacksun word vomit, because I am trash and their interactions are killing me this season.

Blake groaned sleepily as the familiar vibration of a scroll call pulled her from her dreams. She rolled over onto the other side of the bed, half expecting to snuggle into Sun's warmth, only to find his side of the bed empty. Sighing as she remembered that Team SSSN was still away on a mission, she sat up and grabbed her scroll off the dresser. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was four in the morning.

She frowned – phone calls at this time of night usually didn't amount to anything good, especially for a Huntress. "Hello?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Hey Blake." Sun's voice carried through the scroll.

Had she been a little more alert, paid a little more attention, she would have noticed the slight tremble in his voice, the quiet, but sharp, intake of breath at the end of the greeting. But it was the middle of the night, and her sleep-addled brain let the small details slip under her radar.

"Sun?" she blearily tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Is something wrong? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yea, sorry. I woke you, didn't I? Of course I did – it's four in the morning. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. Being woken in the middle of the night kind of comes with being a Huntress. What's wrong? Are you and your team okay?"

"Yea, no, no. We're fine, everybody is fine." A muffled grunt. "I just couldn't sleep, that's all. I think I miss you too much."

She smiled, faint blush colouring her cheeks. "I miss you too, Sun." Quietly, she slipped out of bed and padded, barefoot, across their apartment to the kitchen. She squished her scroll between her ear and shoulder, and started filling the kettle with water. "How much longer do you think you and your team will be out there for?"

"A couple more days at most," he said, his voice sounding oddly tinny.

Blake frowned. Was it her imagination or did it sound like Sun was running out of breath? Or was it just bad connection? She opened her mouth to ask, again, if he was alright, but he spoke over her.

"There's just a lot of Grimm here… More than we'd been expecting. We were hoping to get back last week. I think we're all really excited to be coming back to see some familiar faces. Especially Neptune. He really wants to get back so he can tease Weiss and Yang."

Blake let out a soft chuckle. "Who spilled? Weiss has been working up the courage to let him know when you guys got back."

"Scarlet – you know how he loves to run his big mouth."

"Are you sure it wasn't you?" she teased. "You always were terrible at keeping a secret from Neptune."

He let out a breathy laugh. "Yea. Yang made me promise not to say anything. Well, she threatened me, really, and I really don't want her to break my legs. But I can see why they wanted to tell him themselves, Neptune being Weiss's ex-boyfriend and all."

"Hmm," she hummed in agreement, and the conversation dropped off into a comfortable silence, punctuated only by Sun's heavy breathing.

"Are you making tea?" he huffed out when the shrill shriek of the kettle pierced the silence.

"I'm tired," she retorted as she poured the boiling water into her mug and watched the tea leaves float to the surface. "You did wake me up in the middle of the night, after all."

"Coffee works wonders."

She made a face, even though he couldn't see her. "It's also disgusting. I don't know how you drink that stuff." She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and headed back to the bedroom. "I will admit that I miss the smell of your coffee in the morning, though. It certainly smells better than it tastes."

He chuckled, but it came out sounding a little watery.

She frowned. "Sun? Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yea, m'fine," he mumbled. "Just… miss you a lot. It feels really good to hear your voice."

"You'll be home soon; hopefully just a couple more days."

Home, she mused. She wondered when she had started associating the word 'home' with Sun – with the way that he seemed to always know what she was thinking, and how to cheer her up; with the way that he would wake her up in the mornings by peppering kisses along her cheeks and jaw. Home was the way he would pull her away from her paperwork, and into his arms. It was the way he would twirl her around the living room while he hummed whatever cheesy song he'd heard on the radio that day. Home, she realized, was Sun's smile that radiated warmth and happiness, bringing joy to everybody around him. He might have been the one on a mission thousands of miles away from their apartment, but she was the one who wouldn't feel at home until he came back and wrapped her up in his warmth.

"Blake?" Sun's voice pulled her from her reverie.

"Yea, sorry." She put her mug down on the bedside table and pulled the blanket around her shoulders in an attempt to stay warm. "What was that?"

"You said 'home', and it made me think… I've never really had a home before. I mean, Vacuo was… just a place where I grew up. I was always moving, and never stayed in one place for long."

"And Mistral?"

"Mistral and Haven Academy were always meant to be temp-temporary. Just a stepping stone to get stronger – to help me survive. Neptune, Sage and Scarlet – they're a big part of my life, but… I still felt like something was always missing, and I would never be home until I found it. Maybe that's why I never managed to stay put – because I was looking for something."

"And? Did you find it?"

"Yea. Yea, I think I did. Have you ever been with somebody, and it just feels right? Like you could spend the rest of your life with them?"

She paused before answering. "Yes. You, Sun. You've always been there for me, despite how many times I pushed you out, despite my flaws and my broken past. You took those broken pieces and you glued them back together. I don't tell you enough how grateful I am that you never gave up on me."

"I would do it again, and again, and again, if it meant you would be happy, because I'm happy as long as you are. I've never felt like I ever belonged somewhere until I met you. You're home, Blake, and I love you so much."

"Sun…" she breathed out, touched at how earnest he sounded. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you, Blake," he repeated. "I am always going to love you."

She sighed, contentment and warmth washing over her. "I love you too, Sun."

She could hear a rustle from his end of the call, before he said, "I have to go. I need to wake Nep so I can get a bit of rest."

"Be careful on the rest of your mission, Sun. Good night."

"Good night, Blake. Sweet dreams." And then the line went dead.

"See you soon," Blake whispered into the open air, even though she knew he'd already hung up. She set her scroll down next to her untouched cup of tea and snuggled deeper into the blankets. It didn't take long for sleep to overcome her once again.

Having finally hung up the phone, Sun let out a pained gasp and coughed, blood spilling out from the corner of his mouth. He pressed his hand, already slick with his own blood, against his abdomen, where Wilt and Blush had pierced him – in the exact same spot where he had stabbed Blake all those years ago. He couldn't help but think that Adam was trying to make a statement, and he knew exactly what it was – this is your fault.

And, hundreds of miles away from the nearest city, and miles away from where his team had set up base for the night, he knew he wasn't going to make it out alive. Nothing his team had in their meager first aid kit could stop the amount of blood that was flowing out of his wound. So he'd called Blake – if only to hear her voice one last time, and to tell her that he loved her.

"Sun!" Neptune's voice, filled with concern, reverberated through the night. "Sun!"

Sun let out another cough, blood spurting out. He could hear the familiar footsteps of his teammates rushing to his side.

Neptune landed next to him. "Sun!" His voice was panicked as he took in the site of his best friend, lying in a pool of his own blood, an open, gaping wound in his abdomen, and blood dribbling down his chin. He had his scroll clutched in his right hand, Blake's smiling face the only source of light illuminating the dark (Neptune can remember the shenanigans his he and his teammates had gotten into to get her to smile like that). His other hand was clamped over the wound, trying futilely to staunch the blood flow. His face was contorted in pain and his breathing was heavy.

"Sage, Scarlet, call for help! Now! Yang and Weiss are on a mission near the outskirts of Vale – see if they have anything better than the first aid kit we have back at camp!" Neptune yanked his jacket off and pressed it against Sun's wound, applying as much pressure as he could.

"You guys found me." He let out a grunt of pain and let his eyes fall closed – he was starting to find it hard to concentrate, and his eyelids were starting to feel heavy.

"Sun, open your eyes!" Neptune said in a rush, his voice panicked. "I swear to dust, if you don't open your eyes, I'm going to sic Blake on you when we get back to Vale. She's going to let you have it for getting yourself so injured. Open your damned eyes!"

Sun struggled to pry his eyes open. "I'm okay," he mumbled.

Sage jogged up to the pair. "We called for help – they're sending in an emergency chopper from Vale, but it could be hours before they get here. Yang and Weiss are…" his voice trailed off when he saw Sun's condition, and panic flashed across his usually calm façade. He swallowed loudly. "Keep him talking, Neptune. Don't let him lose consciousness. I'm going to tell the girls to hurry." His voice, usually calm and collected, was starting to take on tones of desperation.

Neptune nodded numbly as Sage took off towards Scarlet, who was giving the girls details about their location. He turned his attention back to Sun, whose breathing had started to turn shallow. "What happened? Why didn't you wake us?" He asked, grasping for something – anything – to talk about in his panic-induced state.

"D-don't know," Sun sputtered, choking on his blood. "Was a noise – went to investigate. Caught me by surprise."

"Who?" Neptune could feel fury building in his chest – he was going to find the monster who did this to his best friend, and make them pay. "Who was it?" he growled.

"A-Adam," he slurred. "Don't – don't tell Blake. Promise – promise you won't tell her." He coughed again, spraying more blood everywhere.

Neptune wanted to scream. Even now, as he was laying there, his life slowly seeping out of him, Sun was thinking of Blake. He couldn't promise that – he knew why Sun wanted him to, but he couldn't. Blake would never forgive them if they kept something this big from her. But she would also never forgive herself for something that wasn't her fault.

"Can't – I can't do that, Sun."

"Please! You h-have to. She can't know. She doesn't – doesn't deserve to…" his voice trailed off into a shallow exhale as his eyes started to close again.

"Sun! Stay with me! Open your eyes, Sun! Tell me about Blake – you always want to talk about Blake, right? Tell me about your first date, what your wedding will be like, anything!"

"S-sorry, Nep. I don't think I can – tell Sage and Scarlet that –" he let out a pained breath. "You guys were the – best team I could've asked for." He forced his eyes open and gave Neptune a weak smile. "Thanks for – putting up with all my crap."

"You can tell them yourself when we get back into the city! Just a little longer, Sun! Yang and Weiss will be here soon with help!" Neptune looked around wildly, as if it would somehow make the two girls magically appear. "Sun!"

"Tell Blake I love…" his words trailed off as the light faded from his eyes.

Blake was pulled out of her slumber again, when she heard somebody loudly banging on her apartment door. She buried her face into her pillow and let out a muffled groan. Maybe if she ignored them, whoever it was at the door would go away. But the knocking didn't cease and, with an irritated growl, she tossed the blankets aside and stormed across the apartment. She threw door open, forgetting that she was in nothing more than one of Sun's old t-shirts (which she had donned because she missed him, and it smelled like him – not that she would ever admit that to anybody).

"What do you –" her words died in her throat when she took in Yang and Weiss's disheveled state. "Yang? Weiss? What's wrong? Aren't you guys supposed to be on a mission? Are you guys okay?" She asked in alarm when she finally noticed the dried blood on their hands and sleeves.

Yang looked at her sadly. "Blake – I'm so sorry. Something's happened and –" she broke off as a sob overcame her.

Weiss, whose eyes were uncharacteristically shiny with unshed tears, gave Yang's hand a comforting squeeze.

Blake could feel dread pooling in the pit of her stomach. She had never seen Yang at a loss for words before, and Weiss had never been one to show intense emotions. Something was definitely off. She clutched the doorknob so tightly that her knuckles started turning white. "Guys?" she prompted, her voice cracking.

Weiss glanced at Yang and, seeing that her girlfriend was in no state to talk, turned back to Blake and mumbled something. But the only thing Blake managed to make out through the buzzing in her ears was the word Sun.

She could feel the strength leaving her legs, and she reached out blindly in front of her for support before she completely collapsed.

Yang and Weiss immediately leapt forward, each clasping one of her arms to hold her up.

"What – what happened to Sun? Is he okay?" How could something have happened to him in such a short time? She had spoken to him a mere few hours ago!

"Let's go inside," Weiss said, a slight tremble in her voice despite her attempts to remain calm and unemotional. She and Yang led her to the couch and sat her down. "We should have sent Neptune," she grumbled under her breath.

Yang elbowed her sharply, and glared at her through the tears in her eyes. She sighed heavily. "Blake…Sun is – he went to investigate something during his night watch. Things…things didn't – they didn't go well."

Blake felt herself seize with terror. "Sun – where is Sun?" she demanded frantically.

Yang and Weiss shared a look before Weiss spoke up. "Blake … he – Sun didn't make it."

"No…no, that's impossible! I just spoke with him. He was fine!" She shook her head in denial.

"I'm sorry, Blake," Yang whispered, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"They called us in the early hours of the morning, asking us to bring help. We got there as fast as we could, but… w-we were too late. He'd already –" Weiss cut herself off and took Blake's other hand.

"He was… He was in really bad shape." Yang swallowed the lump in her throat. "He didn't go down without a fight, Blake. He did everything he could to make it back to you, but…"

Blake was stunned, frozen to the spot. "How? How did he –" she stopped, unable to bring herself to say the word 'die', as if uttering the word would make it more real.

"We don't know," Weiss admitted. "Neptune was the last one to speak to him, but he refuses to say."

"Blood loss," Yang said. "He had a severe wound in his abdomen. On the left. I – Sage said it was probably from a sword."

Blake felt like somebody had poured a bucket of ice over her. Unconsciously, she reached down to touch the scar on the left side of her stomach, a scar from a wound that haunted her even to this day, and would probably haunt her for the rest of her life. Her stomach rolled, and she struggled to keep herself from throwing up all over the rug. "No," she whispered. "No."

'I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love,' his words echoed through her mind and her heart clenched. Was he still trying to haunt her? After all these years, was he still trying to take away everything that she loved? Would her friends – her family – ever be safe?

"Blake?" Yang glanced worriedly over at Weiss who looked just as lost and miserable as she felt.

"Adam," she managed to get out through clenched teeth. She felt like she was suffocating, like the world was closing in around her. "It was Adam."

Yang stiffened, her eyes going instinctively to her robotic arm. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," she growled, her eyes flashing dangerously red.

"My fault," Blake said as if Yang hadn't said anything. "It's my fault. I killed Sun."

"No," Weiss whispered. "It's not. It's nobody's fault but whoever did it."

"It was Adam! Why else would Neptune keep it a secret? That – his wound – was a message. He's telling me it's my fault." She gestured wildly to Yang's arm. "That's my fault too. This is why I left! He won't s-stop until you're all dead." She buried her face in her hands as she tried to keep the tears from falling.

Yang sighed. She took a seat next to Blake and wrapped her arm around her. "Nobody blames you, Blake. Sun – I know Sun wouldn't blame you either, and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. It was out of your hands. Adam is – he says he's doing it to hurt you, but if Sun had nothing to do with you, and he was on the same mission, and confronted Adam, do you think Adam would have just let him go? Just because he had no connection to you?"

"Yang is right, Blake. It doesn't matter who it is or who they are to you, Adam will kill everybody who gets in his way. It is not your fault," she emphasized. "So please, don't run from us. You don't have to do this alone, but we can't be there for you if you don't let us in." She sat down on Blake's other side and put a comforting hand on her back.

Blake looked up, a desperate look on her face. "But Sun –"

"Sun wouldn't want you to do this alone," Yang said firmly. "Please, Blake. Stop pushing us out. We want to help you."

Blake's breath hitched at the familiarity of the words – the very words that Sun had used to get her to stop running away, and to bring her back to the people she loved. "Okay," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Thank you."

"You're our family, Blake. You know we'll always be here for you, no matter what."

She gave Weiss and Yang each a tight hug before bidding them goodbye. She shut the door and leaned against it, letting herself slide into an exhausted, defeated heap on the floor of their apartment. Her apartment now, she realized as the sinking feeling in her gut grew. It wasn't theirs anymore; it would never be theirs again. Only hers.

She replayed their last conversation in her head, and she wondered how she could have missed all the signs. The watery laugh, the way he sounded like he was running out of breath, the fact that he hadn't said 'see you soon' like he always did. He had known – when he'd called her, he must have already known then that he wouldn't come back to her.

And if he had known, then his telling her that he loved her hadn't been a spur of the moment thing. He had called her with the specific purpose of telling her that he loved her, that he would always love her (but, she thought bitterly, the ache in her chest growing more and more painful, always didn't last very long), to make sure that she knew. And she was certain that Neptune refusing to tell them what happened had everything to do with Sun telling him not to. Even in his last moments, he had put her first. He always put her first, and for once, she wished that he had put himself first.

She buried her face in her hands and let out a broken, heart-wrenching sob, finally letting the tears fall. Sun was dead. How could Sun be dead? After so many years fighting extremists, Grimm, after defeating Salem, how could he be dead? After everything they had all been through, she supposed she had started thinking that they were invincible. But they weren't. And now… now Sun was gone, and she would never see him again. She would never again see his smile that shone brighter than the sun; she would never get to walk down the aisle to see him in a suit; she would never again fall asleep to the sound of his beating heart or wake up to his warmth. She would never really, truly be home again.

A/N: Half inspired by Blake's "word for a person" thing. I know every blacksun shipper probably wants it to be "love", but I'd like to think Blake thinks of Sun as "home".