Angels Chapter 3, a rwby fanfic

So I had this ready on like Saturday or something but my beta reader had life issues getting in the way and I wanted to wait till I had his opinion first, even if it probably wouldn't change that much of the chapter anyway. (Nope, my grammar has improved. I now write 'okay' instead of 'ok', much improvement, such wow) Sorry about the slightly longer wait than normal for anyone that actually cares about this fic. XD

Thank you all you nice people that clicked follow and or favorite! And I'm even more grateful that there haven't been any unnecessarily mean and rude flamers in the review(s)! Glad some of you enjoy this little story, makes me feel good! (Yes, just a few follows and favorites are enough for me, I am aware that is lame but I take what I can get. XD)

So, remember when I said the JaunexPyrrha chapters, and all the other chapters would be short? Well, the former is correct, the latter is false! Change of plans, it's really just the JaunexPyrrha chapters that are short! (My plans with this story keep changing…) I had few ideas for the various chapters at the time that I said that, but that changed quickly, and now I have multiple ideas for the AJxBlake chapters, ideas which you will see in a moment. So yeah, this chapter isn't going to be short. BUT, I'm pretty sure the 5th chapter will be short! And I'm also pretty sure I'm gonna have a 6th chapter, for reasons. That chapter will probably be short as well. FYI. (You could consider this the climax of the story and after this is the falling action. I can't believe I still remember that from school…)

I'm not one to do progressive and "realistic" romances, as any of my readers would know. So, you don't need to tell me this is unrealistic, I never said it was. (I am very much aware this is unrealistic, but it's the only way I can think of to get the ending I want) Also, my story is trying to explain what I think the song means, but it doesn't exactly follow the theme of the song. There is depression, and humor, and mentions of thoughts of suicide (not in this chapter though), and other things that don't fit the song. I'm not trying to fit the song, I'm just trying to explain it… with a story that doesn't fit its theme… ok that seems kind of weird now that I think about it, but that's how I do things!

I'm rambling again! I do that a lot. It's kind of my thing. On with the "show"!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this story and the OC(s), obviously. I do not claim to own anything I reference, use, etc. In my opinion it's just kind of silly to even have to say this but I've done it too many times for it not to be normal for me. XD

And every day

I'm learning about you

The things that no one else sees

And the end comes too soon

Like dreaming of angels

And leaving without them

"You think you're being pretty sneaky aren't you?" Yang asked AJ when she found him walking away from the others.

"Excuse me?" AJ asked, confused.

"I saw the look on your face the first time you saw Blake." Yang explained, noticing him tense up ever so slightly. "You can hide it all you want, but I see how hopelessly love-struck you are with her!" She teased.

"No I'm not…" AJ plainly denied.

"Why have you not asked her out yet?" Yang asked, not believing him for a second.

"Because she doesn't like me that way." He answered.

"How do you know that?" Yang asked.

"Cause there's no way she likes me that way."

"That's not a good answer. You don't know that." Yang argued.

"It's just a stupid little crush that will pass in time." AJ said strongly before walking away.

'I don't think this is just a little crush, Big Guy.' Yang thought to herself. 'He gets Jaune and Pyrrha together, yet insists that Blake doesn't like him? I thought he told Jaune he could see the look in Pyrrha's eyes, just like I could!? So how come he doesn't see it now!?'

'And that was a month ago.' AJ thought, looking up briefly from his book and seeing Blake across the table, reading her own book. He looked down quickly before she noticed. 'Why the hell would she like me?'

"So, do you have a thing for the new guy?" Yang asked Blake as they walked to their 6th period class.

"What!?" Blake was too shocked by the question to answer.

"What? It's only been a month and you always seem to glance at him when he isn't looking. I'd say that's a pretty big sign." Yang said teasingly. "Not to mention you started wearing that cute little black bow not long after he joined our group." Yang said as she reached for said bow located just above Blake's left ear.

Blake leaned away from her grasp. "I just wanted to try wearing this." She explained.

"Suuuurrreee. It's not because you're trying to get his attention or anything!" Yang teased, getting a slap on the arm from Blake.

'And that was a month ago.' Blake thought as she looked up from her book, seeing AJ reading his own across the table. She quickly looked back down before he noticed. 'And she managed to convince me to hang out with him in the library! Nothing even happens here! It's not like it's a place to talk or anything!' Though she had to admit, she did enjoy being around him, even if he never said anything to her.

(So it's a month after the last chapter, which ended after going forward a month. Do the math and you get?... Two months since the beginning)

The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. They both closed and put away their books and stood up from their seats.

"Well, see you tomorrow!" AJ said as he walked out the library and towards the place where his mom would pick him up.

"So, how'd it go?" Yang asked her with her usual grin once she came out of the library.

"Nothing happened." Blake answered. "We didn't say anything to each other the entire time."

"Well how does that look to the guy!?" Yang asked. "You had broken the anti-social thing a year after I met you! Come on, Blakey!" She scolded.

"I don't even like him that way! Can we please just stop this!? It was really awkward…" Blake begged.

"How did it feel being around him?" Yang asked, but Blake was very hesitant to answer. "Did you enjoy being near him?"

"…Yes." Blake answered hesitantly.

"Did you glance up at him a lot?"

"…Yes…"

"Those are signs that you like the guy!" Yang said a bit too loudly, getting a few glances as they neared the class.

"Yang! Shut up!" Blake scolded.

"Sorry!" Yang whispered, realizing she was a bit too loud. "I'm telling you though, you like him. Love at first sight I bet." She said at normal volume. "Just, talk to him! Learn more about him!"

"But he isn't showing any signs that he likes me that way!" Blake noted sadly.

'Huh! Maybe she's finally accepting that she likes him.' "Maybe he just isn't one to show signs?" Yang guessed. "Maybe he actually doesn't like you yet?"

"Yet?" Blake asked curiously.

"Love doesn't have to be at first sight. He could still fall in love if you just hang out with him." Yang pointed out. "It's only natural that your bond will grow stronger if you are around someone often."

"That's true." Blake said, seemingly in thought. "So, just hang out more?"

"Yes! And maybe try talking to him more?" Yang suggested.

"But you've heard him and Jaune! They only like talking about video games…" Blake pointed out.

"Well, either find something else that he likes talking about, or talk about video games." Yang said. "I know you play video games more than you let on." She teased.

"Yes, but I don't talk about them beca-"

"Because you like books more and you want to make sure people see you as a book reader, I know." Yang interrupted. "I totally get not wanting all the gamer nerds to be after you, but now you have a crush on one, so maybe stop hiding that you like games?"

"But, then those other guys…"

"Just make it clear to them that you are interested in AJ and not them." Yang said. "Only talk about video games around him, and with him. If you two hang out a lot, then anyone else will think you like him, and leave you alone."

"Wow, that is… actually a very well thought out idea." Blake commented.

"Hey! I'm not stupid or anything!" Yang said, offended.

"I didn't say you were!" Blake said quickly. "But, you know we've been standing outside the class this whole time, right?"

The bell rang right after she said that.

"Aww crap!" Yang said and they both rushed into the class.

"How does it look to the girl when you don't say anything to her!?" Yang texted AJ after school.

"She doesn't like me like that!" AJ responded.

"How do you know that!? Have you tried asking her out!?" Yang asked.

"I'm not gonna waste my time!" AJ responded.

"What? Afraid you'll get rejected?"

"YES!"

"You won't know unless you try!"

"Why not use your own words instead of quoting people!?"

'He avoided the question.' Yang mentally noted. "Do I have to ask her out myself!?"

"You swore you wouldn't tell her!"

"Yeah, and I'm asking if I can break my promise!"

"No!" AJ denied.

"Why are you making this harder for yourself!?" Yang asked.

"Why are we yelling over text!?"

"I don't know! Answer the question!" Yang demanded.

"Because I don't believe it's better to have loved and lost." AJ answered.

"Why?" Yang asked.

"Because it already happened once and I am not going through it again!"

"Wait, you've been in love before?" Yang asked, got no answer.

"AJ!? Answer me!"

"AJ!?"

"ANTHONY!?"

"Asshole!" Yang said to herself as she realized he was ignoring her. 'Why am I keeping my promises!? Since when do I do that!? If I just ignored their pleas and told them both they had a crush on each other, those two would finally be happy!' She sighed. 'But they would both hate me for breaking a promise, that's a really big thing for them… I'm sure they would get over it and we would be friends still, but they would always remember that I broke the promise, regardless of the reason behind it…' "Damn it! I'm stuck!" She said to herself.

"You okay?" Ruby asked as she opened the door to her sister's room.

"Yeah Ruby… just fine." Yang lied. Luckily her younger sister believed her and closed the door.

"So, did anything happen with Blake?"

"Jaune, please don't. I just went through this with Yang." AJ said into the mic with an annoyed tone.

"Are you sure? I can help you." Jaune suggested.

"I thought I said I didn't want you to pay me back for getting you with Pyrrha?" AJ asked.

"I know. This isn't about that, it's about helping you be as happy as I am now!" Jaune said persistently.

"I'm fine, Jaune…" AJ said but couldn't stop the depressed tone from being present in his voice. Jaune decided it was best to just drop the issue and play the game, hopefully that will cheer him up.

Two weeks later, in Earth Science class, they were given a project. They were supposed to describe the geography of an area in the city or in the forested mountains that surround it. You work with a partner of your choosing, and take measurements, describe an area with words, name a few plants and animals nearby if you can, even though it's Earth Science and not Biology. Oobleck doesn't really teach Biology so they add in anything they can for a Biology score.

The chosen partners point immediately meant that Jaune and Pyrrha were going to be partners. Now at first, AJ thought he had only them as friends in this class. But a few days in AJ noticed Blake was in this class as well. Currently Blake was turned around in her desk near the front of the class, looking straight at him. She gave a questioning look, asking if he would be her partner, completely ignoring another guy that was currently asking her. AJ nodded and quickly looked away at the other students. It was really hard to look her in the eye and focus at the same time, just looking at her face made focusing difficult.

"So, any idea of a good place to check out?" Blake asked as she took a nearby seat.

"Umm… There's a big grassy hill not too far from the school. We could go there?" He suggested, only looking at her for a moment before looking around the classroom again.

"Sure! That will work." Blake gladly agreed. "Do you know the names of any plants or animals near there?" She asked after a time of silence.

"I know of the Ground Squirrel and the Grey Squirrel." AJ answered. "Don't know any plants though." He added.

"Alright, I know a few plants. That should give us a good enough Biology score." Blake said. "So, will we just walk there after school? Or will your mom pick us up?" She asked.

"I'm sure my mom won't mind picking us both up and taking us there." AJ answered.

"Alright, Good." Blake said, then ran out of things to talk about and they both just sat in silence while the rest of the classroom was full of chatter. The silence was awkward for her, and she wondered if it was for him as well. "Hey, um… What video games do you play most often?" She asked hesitantly.

AJ raised an eyebrow in surprise at the question, but answered quickly regardless. "Destiny mostly, since the game is new to Jaune. What? Do you play video games at all?" He asked.

"Sometimes…" She said hesitantly. "I didn't play Destiny much though. I was only level 5 or something before I stopped."

"Huh, I didn't know you played video games at all." AJ said with a chuckle, finally looking at her directly and not looking away. She wasn't sure if she preferred when he looked at her, or when he didn't. She could actually think when he didn't, but got butterflies in her stomach when he did.

"It's not something I do often. I prefer reading more than gaming." Blake said. "But just by a little." She added.

"Really?" He asked, honestly surprised. "I like gaming more than books, but I only read because I can't play games at school. I don't mind reading, but games are more fun for me." He explained and smiled.

Blake smiled as well, glad she was finally getting somewhere with him. "I guess if I only had video games and no books, I would still have fun. I suppose if it was reversed for me, and I could only play video games here, and had the option to do both at home, I would definitely be seen as a gamer at school." Blake said and they both laughed a little.

"Yeah. I guess if it wasn't for me always talking about video games, I would be seen as a book person since I'm always in the library if I'm not with the others." He realized and they both laughed again.

"Alright class! Now that everyone has their chosen partners, we can get back to reading. You all can go where you want too after school for the project. Anyway, turn to page 245…"

"Oh my god! This is perfect!" Yang cheered. "You two got something to talk about, you get meet his parent, if you could just find a way to go over to his house this would be truly perfect!"

"First you said it was perfect, now you're saying it's not. Make up your mind!" Blake joked.

Blake had told Yang about her and AJ's plans with the project on the way to 6th period. AJ said he would just stay in the library for 6th period since he didn't have a 6th period class. He had texted his mom and told her that she would need to take him and Blake over to the hill near the school.

"Oh hush you! Things are going perfect between you two!" Yang cheered. "I think things will work out in the end. Just try to find a way to come over to his house sometime! Then try to make it a common thing of coming over to his house every weekend or whatever!" She couldn't contain her excitement. Things were going well and at this rate her BFF since 7th grade would finally find a nice guy to be with.

"Why are you so sure that he won't turn me down?" Blake asked.

"Umm… Hey! We need to hurry up and get to class! Come on!" Yang said before speeding away. 'Real smooth, Yang. Real smooth…' She mentally criticized herself. 'She won't suspect a thing!' She thought sarcastically.

Once class was over, Blake met up with AJ, went outside the school and met his mom, then she took them over to the grassy hill a few blocks away from the school, and said she would be back when he called for her. 'He really takes from his mother.' Blake noticed.

"Alright, so what should we do first?" AJ asked her as they began walking towards, and up, the tall hill.

"I guess we should just start with describing the area in words." Blake answered. "You can do that while I look around for animals and plants in the area."

"Alright, but it's just a hill. Not much to say, not many animals to see." AJ noted.

"Squirrel." Blake said matter-of-factly.

"Where!?" AJ said excitedly as his head spun to where she was pointing. The squirrel that was sitting there spun its head to face them and froze for a moment before running and hiding in the hole nearby. "Oh, you were serious!" AJ realized before laughing.

Blake laughed as well. "Were you referencing a movie?" She asked.

"Yeah. You know which one?" He asked.

"Yeah." She answered with a nod.

Once they reached the top of the hill, AJ sat on the boulder that was at the top and began trying to write while Blake walked around and looked for various plants and animals.

"Ugh… I'm not good at elaborating more than necessary." AJ complained to himself, not knowing that Blake could hear him. "Come on AJ! You read a lot of fanfiction! Some of those people were ridiculously descriptive! Just try to be like them!" He said confidently. "Ah who am I kidding?" He whined.

Blake giggled lightly, and quickly covered her mouth in hopes that he didn't hear her. She looked back down at the paper she had which had Ground Squirrel and Grass listed on it. 'He's right, there isn't much to this area.' She thought. 'I guess it makes things easier for us.'

"A beautiful green hill, nothing but beautiful grass on all sides of it. There's a boulder at the top of the mini-mountain that's mostly flat on top."

*BOOM*

"Recent development: There is a small crater in the South side at the bottom of the hill. The explosion is courtesy of… Hey Blake! Who is that girl down there!?" He asked her.

Blake walked over next to him and looked down his side of the hill. "That would be Oobleck's daughter, Nora."

"Come on Ren! You have to admit that was awesome!" The girl at the bottom of the hill said.

"Let's agree to disagree Nora…" The boy next to her said.

"How can you disagree though? EXPLOSIONS!"

'I can hear the resemblance…' "The things I find normal!" AJ randomly shouted up to the sky before looking back down at the paper in his lap. "Courtesy of Nora Oobleck. The crater looks to be a decent size from up here…"

"Do you know what bird that is?" Blake asked.

AJ took a moment to look away from his paper to turn in the direction of her voice…

…and find a small black bird with a bit of red on its wings standing on the boulder, right next to him, and just staring at him.

"Well hello there." AJ greeted the bird with surprise evident on his face and in his voice.

The bird tilted its head at him before flying away.

"Red-Winged Blackbird." AJ named, looking at her with a pleasant smile on his face from being so close to a wild bird.

That smile made her knees feel weak and made her feel warm inside. "A-Alright." She said with a nod and wrote the name down on her list before turning away from him. 'Oh hey! Dandelions!' She wrote them down as well, trying to focus on the project, and succeeding only for a few minutes. 'Maybe I should just ask him, since he might just not be the type to ask me… then why am I hesitating!? Why not just do it!? WHY!?'

"There isn't anything else to say!" AJ whined. "Alright, my job is done. Do you think you'll find any other plants and animals here?" He asked her as he stood up from his stone seat.

"N-No. I already wrote down the different flowers I could find, and a few birds as well. But we've only been here for half an hour! Maybe we should stay awhile longer?" She suggested.

"I don't want to have to keep writing more changes because of Nora's explosions." AJ said. He looked out at the side of the hill he hadn't really looked at and saw various bright colored flowers scattered throughout the grass.

"It's really pretty, isn't it?" Blake asked, looking out at the flowers as well.

"Yeah…" AJ stared out for about 15 more seconds. "Well, I'm gonna text my mom and have her come get us now." He exclaimed while pulling out his phone.

"Okay…" Blake said, trying to hide the disappointment in her tone. 'Why couldn't we stay for a little longer?' "Are you just not an outdoors person?" She asked.

"Not really, no." AJ answered. "To be completely honest, no." He added with a chuckle. Once he texted his mom he did take a few pictures of the flowers.

"But you take pictures of it?" Blake asked curiously.

"If it's a pretty enough scene, yeah." He answered. "If there weren't any bugs outside I might be more inclined to go outside." He said jokingly, but was serious about what he said. "Like, if there were ants on that boulder, I would never have sat on it."

"Phobia?" She asked.

"No, I just don't want them to touch me. I'm fine with watching bugs, but I'm not fine with them touching me. I always feel like they're going to bite me." He explained.

"I understand. I've been bitten a few times before, when I was reading outside." Blake said.

"Heh, at least you aren't allergic, right?" AJ said with a chuckle.

"Right." She said and chuckled as well.

There was a moment where they both just smiled at each other before they both blushed and looked away simultaneously.

"Umm… AJ?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you…" She was interrupted by AJ.

"Oh hey, mom's here. Come on." He said and motioned her to follow. Her shoulders sank but she followed none the less.

"Want me to drop you off?" His mom asked her when they both got in.

"No, it's okay. I like the walk." Blake answered.

"If you say so." His mom accepted her decision hesitantly.

They eventually arrived at AJ's house, Blake mentally noted where it was and how she would get there from her own house. It was just an average two story house in the suburbs.

"I hope your house isn't far if you plan on walking." AJ said as they got out of the truck.

"It's fine." Blake said as she brushed some hair back behind her ear. "It's not that far, actually."

"Oh, good! Well, be safe." AJ said to her before turning to walk away.

"AJ?" He stopped and looked back at her. "I… I don't really have anything to do at home… would you mind if I could come hang out sometime? Like the weekend?"

"Um, sure! I don't mind." AJ answered.

"Are you sure? Wouldn't I be interrupting your weekend?" Blake asked shyly.

"If you have nothing to do at home, then you can come here when you want too." AJ answered with a smile.

'Oh, if only you knew what you were doing to me with that smile…' "It's just… I don't really… like being home…" Blake said hesitantly.

"Why not?" AJ asked, looking quite concerned.

"I… my parents are always… gone… on the weekend." Blake explained hesitantly.

"Oh." AJ said sadly. "Then feel free to come over anytime!" He said confidently.

"Really?" Blake asked curiously and slightly hopeful.

"If you are alone during the weekend, then absolutely come over if you want!" He said surely. 'Don't get why she doesn't just hang out with Yang instead, they're better friends than I am with her.' "Just text me before you do in case there is something happening here that would cause me to say no." He added.

"If you're ever lonely, just come on over." His mom added with a soft and friendly tone.

And with the parent's confirmation, she knew it was okay.

"Alright! Thank you very much!" Blake said before turning to begin her walk. "See you later, AJ!"

"See you later!" AJ called back.

"So, is she your girlfriend?" AJ's mom asked.

"No, she's not!" AJ replied and his mom laughed at his denial.

"Why not? She's pretty."

"Mom!" AJ whined before walking inside while his mom laughed.

Blake was currently on her laptop. It was the weekend and she was currently sitting on AJ's bed while he played his games. She had thought about what Yang said about getting to know him, so she decided to search up ways to understand people. Ways to understand people, what different things mean about people, what certain behaviors can mean for example. There were a couple useful sites, a couple good suggestions from people on the internet, but it was one quote she found that stuck with her as she stared at it.

'That's just the kind of thing he would agree with. I'm sure he would like to see this quote.' Blake thought. She couldn't help but wander in her mind when she read the last part. She can't even think/see/hear the word "Love" without thinking about him. 'And I suppose it kind of fits him, he does get angry quite a bit when he's playing games…' She thought with a chuckle.

AJ was quiet at first when she came over. He and his mother were friendly and welcoming, but when he started playing games he was quiet. His annoyance only being heard as an annoyed growl, or a frustrated sigh. As he got used to her being near while he played, he stopped being quiet, and started being more like himself.

"Goddamn it!"

And that meant a lot of swearing…

"Son of a!"

"Hey, AJ." Blake leaned towards him and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

He looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah?" It had gotten easier for her to look at him. She didn't feel an urge to look away, she didn't lose focus if she kept staring, and it seemed to be the same with him. He maintained eye contact more often and for longer, and he seemed happier around her, she noticed.

"Come look at this quote, I think you'll like it." Blake said, motioning him over to the other side of the bed, where she sat.

It had been three weeks since she started coming over on the weekends. Sometimes she played games with him, but most of the time she would do other things while he played like read a book or search the web, occasionally watching him play as well. They got along just fine, but she wished for more than just this. 'I really should just tell him.'

"That's a nice quote. I definitely agree with it!" AJ said before crawling across the bed and back to the side of the bed that faced the TV. "People really should take the time to understand others more." He added.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Most people don't think about stuff like this. What certain behaviors mean and all that."

"Yeah… Most people just see you get angry and assume you have anger issues…" AJ said. She noticed the tone in his voice. That's the tone he uses when he describes things he doesn't like, things that annoy him.

"I don't think you have anger issues. I get how annoying it is to play these games sometimes." Blake said comfortingly, crawling over and sitting next to him after closing the laptop.

"And I really appreciate that." AJ said thankfully. "And yeah, it's pretty annoying that the only way I ever die is getting shot in the back… LIKE THAT!" He said with a laugh and she giggled at the timing.

Blake sat in thought for awhile, glancing at AJ while he was focused on the game. They were getting along so well, there really was no reason not to try. So she opened her mouth to speak, but his luck with timing in video games is like her luck with trying to admit her feelings to him, because her phone went off. 'Every time I actually find the guts to say it!' She mentally whined.

"AJ."

"Yeah?" AJ asked, not looking away from the game as he was in the middle of a gun fight.

"The location we chose for the project was too simple, so he wants us to do something a bit more for the project." Blake said. "He suggests doing something like drawing or painting an area, or doing the whole project again in another area."

"Yeah, no thanks." He interrupted. "I swear that guy gives me more work on purpose or something."

"There are a few things we could probably do, but I can paint and draw, so let's do that!" Blake suggested.

"If you say so. Wait, what am I supposed to do then? I can't even draw a stick figure." AJ pointed out.

"I could put you in the picture?" Blake suggested.

"Do I have to stand still the whole time? Cause if I do, that isn't going to work…" AJ deadpanned.

"No." Blake chuckled. "We just need to find a nice area, and I can add you in." She explained.

"Alright, good." AJ said after sighing in relief and then going back to his game. "Son of a bitch!"

Blake put a hand on his shoulder and noticed his whole body visibly relax.

"It's too late to head out now, let's go tomorrow after school, alright?" Blake asked with a smile.

"Monday, yaaayyy." AJ said sarcastically, getting a chuckle from her.

Too much time had passed now and she had lost her nerve, she would just have to hope for the next time.

The next day, at lunch.

"Hey! AJ!" AJ spun around at the voice to find Cardin standing before him while the others were getting food from the cafeteria.

"Cardin? What do you want?" AJ asked, not hiding the hostility in his voice.

"What!? Can't a guy just say hello without being assaulted!?" Cardin asked, quickly dropping the casual and friendly act. "You're a real asshole! You know that!?"

"You are so much worse Cardin. You have no idea." AJ stated.

"Fuck you dude! At least I have a girlfriend!" Cardin shouted.

"And?" AJ asked, unamused.

"And, all you ever do is talk about video games with Jauney-Boy!" Cardin said. "You're never gonna have a girlfriend, you know that?" He asked.

AJ turned away from Cardin and began rummaging through his backpack. "Yeah, and?"

"You're gonna die alone, asshole!" Cardin was getting annoyed with AJ's lack of reaction.

'Man, he really just personally hates me.' AJ sighed. "And?"

"You're just a lazy nerd whose never gonna get a girl! You have nothing! No one likes you! Not even Blake, she's just being nice because she feels sorry for you!"

"And how would you know that?" AJ managed to say, the careless tone replaced with a monotone one.

"She told me!"

"I'm sure she did…"

"How can you stand being so fat and lazy!? Don't you hate yourself!?"

"Yeah. What of it?" A bit of hostility seeped into AJ's tone. 'I'm ridiculously thin, you idiot…' He thought.

"I don't think you're even hearing me, so I'll say it again! You're a lazy nerd whose never gonna get a girl! You're never gonna be in love! You're ugly and you're gonna die alone and never be happy!"

"I KNOW!" AJ yelled at the top of his lungs as he spun around and punched Cardin in the face, knocking him flat. His whole body was shaking in rage and tears were starting to appear in his eyes. He quickly put on his backpack and ran… out of the school.

"AJ! WAIT!" Blake called out as she ran after him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to say that to him!?" Yang yelled as she picked up Cardin by his shirt. They had seen the whole thing, coming back just before the line that made AJ react. Normally she would never swear around Ruby, but she would make an exception this time.

'Geez! For someone who puts himself down about being out of shape, he can run pretty fast!' Blake thought as she chased him down the streets, all the way back to his house.

AJ collapsed against the door to his house and cried. 'Nice job looking like an idiot in front of everyone!' He slapped himself for being weak, and cried more. He heard footsteps coming close to him but kept his head between his arms, not daring to look up. "Just go the fuck away…" He said weekly as he sobbed. Instead of the person leaving, they came closer, as he predicted. He wasn't really going to do anything if they didn't listen anyway. The next thing he knew the person wrapped their arms around him and hugged him. He opened his eyes and saw he was looking over the person's shoulder, their bare shoulder, and he only knows one person that wears anything sleeveless.

"B-Blake?" He asked. She had recently stopped wearing the uniform and started wearing her own personal clothing to school. When asked why, she never gave a real answer.

"It's okay AJ. I'm here." She said comfortingly and hugged him tightly.

For some reason the comfort and safety he felt being this close to her made him more willing to stop hiding his emotions and he broke down again and cried into her shoulder for the next few minutes while she whispered calmly into his ear. "It's okay… It's okay… Just let it out." Rather than do as she said when she said that, he leaned away from her shoulder to look up at her.

"C-Can we g-go inside?" He asked between sobs.

"Of course." Blake nodded and took his hand and guided him inside, then up the stairs, then into his room, then they both sat down on his bed where he started crying into her shoulder again.

Blake didn't even know how long he cried for, but eventually he stopped crying and only sobbed, then awhile later he stopped sobbing and only sniffled occasionally. Seeing this tall, nice, seemingly carefree guy clinging to her and crying like this really got to her, and it made her want to beat Cardin, badly.

"Don't worry. I took care of Cardin." That was a message from Yang that she had gotten awhile ago, but only now checked while AJ was resting after the whole event. Blake was sitting on the edge of the bed while AJ was resting his head on the pillow on the other side.

"Good." Was all she sent back.

"Did you find him?" Yang asked.

"Yeah." Blake answered.

"How is he?" Yang asked in another text.

"Better now, but he would have been much worse if I hadn't come over and comforted him." Was Blake's response.

"What happened?" Yang asked.

"He just cried, for a long time." Blake answered hesitantly.

Yang's next text took a few moments longer than the others, probably from surprise that AJ could even cry.

He was nice. Overall he really was just a nice guy, like Jaune. He just tried to make them laugh all the time. He was funny, friendly, but scary when he was angry, which was something they only saw when Cardin was around. Of all the things they saw from him, sarcastic, funny, annoyed, stressed, cocky sometimes, happy, angry… sadness didn't even seem to be a thing for him. They had never once seen him sad, a little depressed maybe, but never truly sad.

"That would explain why you didn't respond till now." Yang texted.

"Exactly."

"I'll leave you alone for awhile then." Yang texted, so Blake put her phone away.

If sadness was something he never showed, it must have taken a lot to get him to be sad, and when he was, it apparently wasn't pretty.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Blake said. "I would never ask you to, after all this." She looked down at her shirt and saw it was wet from his tears.

*Sniffle* "Thank you. I don't really want too anyway." AJ said, wiping away the last of his tears and sitting up to look at her.

She crawled over to him and sat down in front of him. "I hate seeing you like this." She said, concerned for him.

He looked down and away from her in shame. "I wish you didn't have too…" He said sadly.

She grabbed his chin and pulled his head up to look at her. "No. As much as I hate seeing you like this, I'm glad I was here to help you."

"I'm… glad you were too." AJ said, finally gaining a smile.

She smiled as well seeing this and let go of him.

"Should we… go find something for me to paint soon?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"Soon, but not yet. C-Can we just rest for awhile?" AJ asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Blake answered. They both lied down on the bed but just as Blake was about to question what they were doing his arms wrapped around her and he buried his face into her shoulder, much like when he was crying. The way he was holding on so tightly, like he was afraid to let go, made her hold him just as tightly, hoping it would comfort him. They lied like that for another 30 minutes before she decided she should wake him up and get ready to go so she could paint something.

He lazily opened his eyes and looked up at her, his eyes a bit less red they were before from crying.

"I know I place we could go to." AJ said tiredly.

"You do?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. My mom would make me go on a 'forced march' there sometimes, like on Mother's Day. It's a pretty place, should make for a nice picture." He explained.

"Alright then, whenever you get ready we'll go." Blake said and they both got up and got ready for the long walk.

It was a short distance into the forest. A dirt path, a boulder on the right side, a small creek on the left side with water flowing through it, and a beautiful, large tree on the other side of the creek with light shining between its leaves.

"Wow, you weren't kidding! This place is beautiful!" Blake said in awe.

One thing she had noticed throughout the walk over to here, he wouldn't leave her side. He either was holding her hand, or he had his arm wrapped around hers. And if he wasn't touching her he was staying really close to her. 'He really needs me right now, doesn't he?' She thought as she walked over to the boulder on the right side of the path.

She sat down there and got out her canvas, paint, and paint brush, and took a good look around her before preparing to start. AJ took a seat next to her and looked around and looked at her, he didn't really have anything else to do.

It was a long and boring time for AJ, just sitting there and watching her paint only entertained him for so long. He felt he could pass the time easily if he stared at her for a bit, he would get lost in her features pretty quickly, but he couldn't do that. It would be weird, and rude, and make things awkward. He eventually decided to suck it up and walk away from her so he could take a closer look at the tree.

Blake was surprised that he walked away, she figured he would be basically dependent on her comforting presence for the rest of the day. She looked up from her painting-in-progress and was stunned by the sight. AJ was standing at the edge of the creek, staring up at the tree and smiling. The light that was making it through the leaves was shining right on him, making his eyes sparkle.

Blake shook her head so she could focus. 'For the work I'm putting into this, and the fact that we had done the project already and the teacher just wasn't satisfied, we better be getting extra credit for this!' Blake thought as she began putting the scene into her painting.

"Do you do other forms of art besides painting?" AJ asked as he sat down next to her again.

Blake looked down the path and noticed two people walking their way, so she figured he had gone back next to her for safety from them. "Yeah. I also draw." She answered. 'He hasn't said a word since we began this walk.' She noted. 'Well, until now at least.'

"Why not just draw this then? It would be less work." AJ said.

"If I draw it I won't get all the color. I mean look at this." Blake motioned at the scenery around them. "I wouldn't really capture the scene if I didn't add the color. I don't draw with colored pencils, just regular pencils, so there wouldn't have been any color." She explained.

"That makes sense." AJ said before going silent and sitting close enough so that their shoulders were touching. Others would find this to be invading their personal space, but Blake was barely hiding her smile, and her blush. She wasn't complaining about his clingy behavior, she thought it was cute. She also understood the reason for it. If you are feeling down you either want to be alone or you want someone to be near you at all times.

Eventually Blake finished the beautiful picture, with AJ added in as well, staring up at the tree. With that finished they headed back to his house and relaxed like on the weekend, even though it was Monday. Blake was careful and stayed next to him while he played his games, making sure to comfort him if he ever got frustrated.

He had been yawning a lot for the last half hour and he looked really tired, but kept playing none the less.

"I think you should go to bed soon, you're tired." Blake suggested.

"No I'm not." AJ said and then immediately yawned again after saying that. "I'll be fine until you head back to your house."

"I think I might stay, make sure you're okay." Blake said.

"I'm fine." He insisted. "And I'm not tired either." He said as he yawned.

"You need to sleep, now." Blake insisted and went to turn off his video games.

"No, I don't. I'm not gonna fall asleep while a guest is here." AJ said argued, too tired to actually stop her.

"But I'm not leaving today, I'm staying." Blake argued.

"No, you're not staying. You need to go home." AJ said tiredly.

"I'm staying here because your mom won't be back till like, midnight." Blake said insistently.

"I can take care of myself." AJ said with yet another yawn.

"Just come on and go to sleep." Blake insisted and went to grab his hand and drag him over to the other side of the bed.

"I'm fi-" He was silence by Blake pressing two fingers against his lips, making him freeze and blush.

"Just shut up and listen to me." Blake said softy and rested his head in her lap.

"I'm not tired though…" AJ denied but spoke barely above a whisper as his eyes started to close.

Blake ran her fingers through his hair, which had grown a bit longer and thicker over time. The action seemed to be relaxing him as he closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep. She took a moment to look around and the room, which was now lit only by moonlight coming through the window. When she looked back down she saw his half open eyes staring up at her.

"Thank you…" He whispered.

She wondered if he was asleep right now for a moment but decided to respond. "For what?"

"For… being there… for me…" He whispered before closing his eyes again and it was clear this time that he was out.

Blake hated what she was about to do right now.

She had waited about an hour before she was sure that AJ would stay asleep before slowly and carefully moving him. She set his head on the pillow, got up, and walked over to a blank book on a nearby table in the room.

She was about to read his diary. She told herself not to, but still found herself reaching for, and opening, the book anyway. 'This is so wrong! He would never allow me to do this, so I shouldn't break his trust by reading his inner thoughts like this!' No matter how bad she felt about doing this, her curiosity got the better of her. She was very careful to check on him in case he woke up and was ready to quickly put the book back if he awoke.

"Yay! New fucking city! Oh joy! No friends here! Oh well. I guess I'll just power through the school year and after that I'll ask mom to have me home-schooled." 'What a way to start a diary.' She thought sadly. "How could I lose my best friend's number!? IDIOT! Now I can't even text with him and laugh away a bad day… Welp! Back to shitty public school tomorrow, let's see how that goes!"

She turned the page to the next passage, as there was only one per page, even if the passage didn't take up the whole page.

"Ok, maybe I should have started my first diary on a more positive note, like this one! Why not just pretend this is the first passage? Ah, I don't really care that much about it. ANYWAY, first day of school was great! Those sisters are really nice, a bit annoying in their own ways but that's how people are! And then there's Jaune. He's a nice guy, and he plays video games! I gotta remember to ask him for his gamertag so we can play sometime!"

'What? Nothing about me for the first day?' Blake thought as she turned to the next page.

"I certainly didn't think I would even make friends with a girl this year, yet that's what most of the group consist of! It's kind of funny, really. At least Jaune is there! He loves video games as much as I do! It would have been really weird it I was the only guy in the group, but that's what Jaune has been going through for awhile now probably."

"I feel like I'm just getting in the way sometimes! XD Like, these people have all been friends for years, and then I just come in and I don't know anything about any of them! At least I was able to figure out that Pyrrha likes Jaune, that much I could tell. What do I know about them? Jaune is nice and the kind of guy I can actually get along with. Pyrrha is really polite and professional unless she's around Jaune. (More proof right there!) Ruby insists on making sure I feel welcome in the group, she's just so nice to me. She is clearly just an innocent little soul that likes being nice to people, and she made my first day a lot better than I thought it would be. Yang… Yang is Yang, and she's definitely not my type, let's just leave it at that! XD"

'Is he purposely leaving me out or something?' Blake thought and turned to the next page, seeing that there was a jump in the date by about a week.

"Of course with my luck I manage to have a crush on a girl in only like two weeks! Stupid crush! Go away! I'm trying to get through the school year here! Now that I think about it, I think it was love at first sight! HAH! And I thought that didn't exist! XD DAMN IT! Why do things have to be so difficult for me!?"

And with each passage there was another jump of a week or so.

"AGH! Why does she have to be in the group!? She barely ever says anything to anyone other than Yang! I can feel my heart beating faster just at the thought of her, and I thought there was something wrong with me! IDIOT!"

"I don't even get why I like her! She's ridiculously beautiful and it's hard not to get lost in her eyes, but that doesn't mean anything! She likes books, but definitely doesn't like video games, and she definitely doesn't like me!"

'Why would he think that?'

"Another day. HOW CAN I SAY THAT!? This school is freaking crazy! Especially Port and Oobleck, like what the fuck!? XD Oobleck's class is awesome though, not gonna lie. But if you take a moment to think about how a teacher is creating small explosions in his classroom, how is that even allowed!? Sigh… Another thing, I'm glad I helped Jaune and Pyrrha get together. I'm especially glad when I think about how they've known each other for 3 or was it 4 years. Despite that, I would be even more glad if they went somewhere else when they got all fluffy… Like seriously guys, trying to get those thoughts out of my head, and you're also depressing me here."

The next one was written when Blake started coming over on the weekends.

" 'So, did your crush go away yet?' NO YANG, no it hasn't! If anything it's gotten worse! I can't focus near her! I just want to stare at her all day, and I wish she would like me back but that would never happen! Get your stupid head out of those stupid love fantasies of yours, AJ!... Why do I find it so weird to say my own name?..."

"I can't say we don't get along well now. At first she didn't even talk to me, now she's like a completely different person. She smiles a lot, laughs more, almost like Pyrrha with Jaune… pft! Yeah right! Well, at least I can look her in the eyes and not get nervous."

'Wait… this next one was written today! When did he write something today?' Blake thought as she looked at the next passage. 'He must have written it when he asked me to step out of the room so he could change.'

"I really just need someone to cuddle with and I could live happily… I'm not even comfortable writing that down, I want it to stay in my mind and never leave. She stayed and comforted me while I cried all over her, and never complained. She's beautiful, sweet, and nice to me. She was around me when I was at my worst and still stayed. If anyone was 'the one' it would be her. I need to just tell her already, but I never will. I'm just gonna think of another stupid reason not to, or there won't even be a reason and I just won't…"

'He… he really does just want someone to love.' Blake thought. 'Someone to love him, outside of family of course. If he gets angry over small things, he needs love…' She looked up at the sleeping boy. He looked so peaceful, you could barely tell he had cried earlier today. And, he looked really cute curled up in a ball like that. 'Someone to cuddle with, huh? That's what he wants the most, someone to comfort him. I suppose we all would like to have someone to cuddle with every once in a while.'

She remembered his mom and looked out the window to see if she was back yet. 'Nothing? Oh right, he said she was always late for things.' She remembered, seeing it was just after midnight and his mom still wasn't back yet from whatever she was doing. 'Guess that's a good thing this time.' She thought as she looked back at her sleeping crush.

Blake crawled into bed with him, pulled the blanket over them, and hugged his face to her chest. His unconscious reaction was to wrap his arms around her and snuggle more, to the point where she was a bit worried she might smother him. 'Isn't it normally the guy's job to comfort the girl? Well… not this time. He's the one that needs comforting this time.' She thought before falling asleep.

They woke up in that same position, and Blake gently shook him awake. "Good morning."

"Morning." He lazily responded, but didn't move.

"AJ… what do want right now?" Blake asked suddenly.

"To stay like this forever." He said as his grip tightened around her. 'He really is afraid to let go.'

"You know you can't do that, right?" Blake asked cautiously.

"Yeah, but I can dream." AJ said with a chuckle before letting go of her and getting up to stretch, so she did the same. Despite how quickly and seemingly easily he let go, it wasn't easy for him to leave the comfort he felt in her embrace. 'Her skin is just so soft!' He thought but quickly tried to focus on other things.

'He's hiding behind that laugh and smile again.' She thought, and walked over to him. "AJ?"

"Hmm?"

"If you ever need anyone to talk to, to comfort you, I'm here, okay?" Blake said.

"Okay." He said with a nod and a smile. "Thank you." And he kissed her on the forehead, leaving her frozen in shock and blushing. "For everything you've done for me, especially yesterday." He said before walking out to head downstairs and get something to eat. 'I was right, I don't need love. I just need someone to care for me as much as she does, rather she has feelings for me or not.' AJ thought, satisfied and happy.

After recovering from her stupor, Blake remembered that they are both in love and just haven't admitted it yet. She could just admit it now and all would be well, but his mom doesn't know she's here, and she might assume they did something. First, she needed to sneak out of the house without his mom knowing she was ever there. Then, she could plan how to tell him, and she had an idea of what she wanted to do. Anything would have to wait till next weekend, then when she comes over, she would tell him. 'If we're both in love, than I guess there's nothing wrong with waiting till the right time, when his mom wouldn't assume anything. Besides, I still need to get ready for school!'

"Oh, good morning Sweetie!" His mom said when he walked into the kitchen. "I walked up to your door when I got home but didn't hear anything, so I left you alone."

"Oh, thank you. I was just really tired yesterday and decided to just go to bed early." AJ said, mentally very thankful that she hadn't opened the door. "It wouldn't have been great if you had woken me up then." He said with a chuckle.

'Going to sleep before midnight is early for him!? Oh yeah, he did tell me that before.' Blake realized. She had overheard the conversation on her way out, using her supposed ninja skills to get out without his mom ever knowing. She looked back as she walked away, like she did every time. She couldn't help but hate every time she left that house.

"Well that's good! You really should get more sleep than you do on a school night." His mom said.

"Yeah yeah." He waved her off jokingly.

"So, pancakes or ramen?" She asked.

"Do you even have enough time to make ramen that I can eat, and then have me get dressed, all with enough time for you to get me to school?" AJ asked.

"Good point. Pancakes it is then!" His mom agreed and got to work on said food item.

When AJ had a moment he quickly went back up to his room and picked up his diary. He didn't know if he would even write anything else for this passage but he decided to start it off with the one thing that was in his mind.

"Despite the sadness and anger and hate, it really felt good to cry for once." He wrote down before quickly heading back downstairs and getting in the truck to head out for school.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yang asked AJ the moment he stepped into the school.

"You didn't ask Blake that already?" AJ asked casually.

"Of course I did! But we're all really worried about you and we wanted to make sure you were okay!" Yang said seriously.

"Yeah! Are you sure you're okay?" Ruby asked as she ran up to them.

"Besides the fact that I don't look forward to the looks I'll be getting in this school, I'm fine." AJ answered, although they weren't sure how truthfully the answer was.

Jaune and Pyrrha shared their concerns during the break, Yang scared away anyone that looked at him wrong, Blake stayed nearby rather than going to the library, Ruby was being her childish and cheerful self in an attempt to get him to laugh, which she succeeded in. 'Usually he's the one trying to make us laugh.' They all thought as they watched him laugh at her childishness. She was somehow able to balance a ramen noodle cup on top of a pencil, which was on top of a book, which was on top of a pen, which was on top of another book, which was on top of another pencil, which was balanced on her finger. Oh! And all that was while she was balancing on one foot and making silly faces, all to get a laugh out of him.

He really appreciated how much they all clearly cared for his wellbeing. All of them cared for him in their own way. All of them tried to make sure he was happy and that he knew they cared. It truly touched him to know they all really did worry about him when he ran away like that. He never thought that many people would worry about him. Maybe one or two, his best friends, but not a whole group like this. Even more surprising was that a few random people got past the glare that Yang gave them to express their concern for him! Since they were outside when Cardin began antagonizing him, many people saw it or heard about it from others who did, and more than a few people actually felt bad for him.

'I guess some people are starting to grow up.' AJ thought. 'I figured they would all just laugh at me for crying. Usually people think that's real fucking funny, but I have noticed stupid stuff like that less and less since I started going to high school at all.'

What surprised him even more than strangers caring for him was that the school had said nothing about it! Usually, even if you had good reason for it, you would get in trouble for hitting another student, but he wasn't going to question it. He would simply assume that it was either going to be an issue for him later, or they actually realize he shouldn't be in trouble and are leaving him alone.

Later at lunch it was the same thing, especially with Ruby and her silliness.

"Guys, I'm not gonna break down suddenly. You don't have to worry so much anymore." AJ chuckled.

"We are just making sure you're okay." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah!" Ruby agreed.

"And I am okay." AJ said.

"I'm staying near in case Cardin comes back." Yang said with an annoyed tone just from the thought of Cardin.

"Yeah. I don't think he learned from the lesson we gave him." Jaune said with a similar tone.

"I want to ask Mr. Port something. Blake, you wanna come with?" AJ asked as he stood up.

"Sure." Blake nodded and follow him to Port's class. "So, what is it you want to talk to Port about?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I really just want to pet Edgar." He explained. "I really like animals so I just kind of want to do that right now."

They walked into Port's class and were greeted by Mr. Portly Man himself- I mean Mr. Port!

"Hello there students! Is there something you need?" He asked them.

"Not really. I just wanted to pet Edgar." AJ answered and the pig gladly accepted the contact.

"Oink! Oink!" Edgar oinked.

"Haha! He remembers you as the one that likes to pet him the most!" Port translated, which was frankly a bit odd.

"Actually, is there any reason why you named him Edgar?" AJ asked.

He suddenly felt the overwhelming sense that he shouldn't have asked that as Blake backed away slowly and Port suddenly went dead silent for a minute.

Then he began whispering gibberish to Edgar as he pet him.

"Could you speak up a bit?" AJ asked.

Port suddenly got in his face and creepily whispered. "Edgar… always Edgar…"

"O…K…" AJ began backing away slowly as well before they both ran out the door to get away from the clearly insane teacher.

I felt like this chapter was 2serious, so I decided to lighten it up with that reference! XD

Well, hope you enjoyed. Sorry about any moments where I vented a little, everyone has their ways of venting.

I am actually unsure about how long the next chapter (Which is a JaunexPyrrha chapter) will be. It could be short, could be a bit longer than the last one. It will go back in time though. Back to the last JxP chapter to be exact, and then will catch up with this chapter time-wise. It definitely won't have as much content as this one did though, like, at all. (I didn't mean for this chapter to end up the size of a normal chapter for me, it just kind of happened. "You could have done it in two parts." Yeah, but I don't really need to. I'm trying to make a point in this chapter. I'm not gonna split that point into two chapters. None of the other chapters are getting that treatment)

If you do review, don't flame. (Not gonna ask that you review cause it didn't end well last time I asked) If you enjoyed, follow and or favorite, and check out my bio if you read my other fics. (I made a change to the bio. Changed what it says for when I post, along with a few other changes and an extra thing that gives a bit of backstory to my other fanfics. Specifically The Plus One series and Team SPWM.)

Whatever you do, have a great week everyone!

"Psychologists say: If a person laughs too much, even at stupid things, he is lonely deep inside… If a person sleeps a lot, he is sad… If a person speaks little, but speaks fast, he keeps secrets… If someone can't cry, he is weak… If someone eats in an abnormal manner, he is tense… If someone cries over little things, he is innocent and soft-hearted… If someone becomes angry over silly or petty things, it means he needs love… Try to understand people." I would appreciate if you all could take this advice to heart, especially the one about anger. Don't laugh at people's anger or make fun of them for it, cause that doesn't help, you're just being a jerk and you're only making it worse.