Blake was having a very good couple of days. Her team wasn't being very intrusive, she got to find a good corner to read her books in, her lunch for the past few days consisted of nothing but seafood. Oh yeah, things were going her way, without a doubt.
Granted, classes went by slowly, quite literally in Professor Port's case, but Blake really didn't like to dwell on Port's class. Not because he was a bad man, quite the opposite, if any of his overinflated stories held any weight. But Blake felt like Professor Port always had a story to tell when there was something important to go over. They could be going over a new Grimm type in class, and before they could even learn about the bare minimum that they knew about its anatomy, Professor Port would ramble about his times as a young man.
That made for some strenuous note taking. But Blake was fairly experienced at isolating important information from Port's ramblings, so she took it in stride, unlike her partner who sat beside her, struggling to keep her head up as Port's voice droned into both of their ears.
As Blake scribbled notes down into her notebook, barely paying attention to the boisterous professor, she heard her partner quietly groan as she gently slapped the side of her face. Blake took a moment to look away from her notes, staring up at the clock on the wall. Only five more minutes before she could leave.
Blake let out a breath as she shoved her pencil into her skirt pocket, flipping her notebook shut. After pulling her hand out of her pocket, she gave Yang a comforting pat on the back. "There, there." She quietly muttered to her as she waited for the clock to strike 11 AM. She heard Yang let out a sob as she buried her head into her forearms.
"It's just so boring!" She quietly whispered back, not bothering to cover up her displeasure with the situation. Blake couldn't blame her partner for speaking the truth. Professor Port's stories dragged on for too long, tended to go off topic very easily, and by the time the story had ended, everyone was either gone, or asleep. If their Professor was self aware, he took it well enough.
But as her thoughts on the easily distracted Professor went on, the sound of the bell ringing filled her ears, along with her Professor mentioning something or other about vigilance. Blake wasted no time before picking up her notebook, using her right hand to shake her partner out of her grogginess. It took Yang a moment before she lifted her head from her arms, outstretching her arms before letting out a quiet yawn.
"You know," Yang started, her voice quiet and strained, "I still don't know how you manage to stay awake during his lectures." She heard Yang say, her eyes still squinting as she readjusted to the bright lights.
Blake giggled to herself, it was easy to stay awake through an old man's ramblings after having to deal with late night sentry duty one too many times. But those times were long past. "You get used to it." She spoke easily, a small smile on her face.
Yang couldn't help but groan in response to her partner's statement, "God, I hope not," Blake heard her Blonde partner say as she ran a hair through her long flowing, Golden locks. "I'd still like to live a little more before I have the energy sapped from my body."
Blake only rolled her eyes at that before standing up from her seat, her notebook gripped in her hand as took a moment to examine the room. Most people looked as though they were just waking up from some kind of rest, whether it be that they shut their brains off, or actually fell asleep, she couldn't tell. But what she did notice was that team JNPR had been missing a letter today.
A very specific, blond letter.
Blake couldn't help but quirk a brow as she stared over at their sister team, letting out a hum as she stared on. She let her eyes run over the rest of the room, just in case he had decided to not sit with his team today, but even then, he was nowhere to be found.
She let a few thoughts bounce around her mind. Could Jaune have just decided not to come to class today? They had just gone out and bought a couple of new books no more than maybe four days ago, so it wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Then again, Jaune could also just be skipping class. No, no, that didn't make sense, she thought. It didn't fall within Jaune's character to ditch class. Not that his grades allowed him anyway, but she digressed. That left only one plausible possibility.
Jaune had gotten sick.
Of course, that was all only speculation, and her theory could be subject to change, but as of now, it felt the most grounded. But Blake was never one to form a theory and roll with it without concrete evidence. So, she did what anyone else would do in such a situation.
"Hey, I'll be right back." Blake told her partner before walking off, making her way towards the majority of team JNPR. The sound of her shoes clacking against wooden laminate blending in with everyone else's footsteps as they slowly made their way to the door, hoping to get lunch while it was fresh.
Yang gave Blake a confused look as she walked away, but only shrugged as she got up from her seat, joining the rest of team RWBY as they made their way out the door. After all, it was just Blake being Blake, ever the quiet loner. But there was a strange comfort in that, knowing that her teammate would never change in that regard. But if she did, then that meant the world was ending.
As Blake inched closer to the undermanned team JNPR, she could hear Nora ranting as she waved her hands wildly with her words, "Alright, so no kidding, there we were, right? It was the middle of the night,"
Ren quickly interjected, "It was around 6pm."
"We were on a trip with the express intent of hunting King Taijitu," Nora continued, a wild look in her eye as the smile on her face grew wider.
"We were hunting beowolves."
Pyrrha had to blink a few times as she looked between the two of them, "Wait, I'm confused, which one was it?"
Nora leaned forward, barely inches from Pyrrha's face, "Both!" She yelled out.
Pyrrha only looked to Ren out of the corner of her eye, chuckling awkwardly as she silently pleaded for help. A shame for her that he only shook his head as he shrugged his shoulder.
Nora backed away before getting back into her seat, "They were Beowolves, but with Taijitu heads! And massive necks so that they could snap at you!" She yelled out, and Blake had to admit that the idea of Taijituwolves sounded terrifying. But she was still curious, so she kept her distance, sitting above and directly behind them.
"But with my and Ren's-"
"Ren and I's." Ren quickly interrupted once more, much to Nora's annoyance, if her curled lips had anything to show.
"Renny, it's my story, I'll tell it however I want!" She responded, folding her arms over her chest.
Ren could only raise a brow as he stared at Nora, "No it's not, you stole this from a prompt on your scroll during the lecture- hmm?" Ren was quickly cut off by Nora, whose hand was firmly placed against Ren's mouth. If he was annoyed, he certainly didn't show it.
Nora let out a forced laugh as she stared at Pyrrha, using her free hand to thumb at Ren, "Hahaha, get a load of this guy, saying I stole this idea. I would never steal a story idea! That'd be- that'd be silly!" She stuttered out as her smile started to falter, the corners of her lips twitching slightly.
Pyrrha only giggled at the interaction of the two childhood friends, "I'm sure you wouldn't, Nora."
Nora let out another forced laugh as she stood from her seat, "Wow, would you look at the time! Time for lunch, come on Ren!" She yelled out after taking her hand off Ren's mouth, wrapping her right arm around his left before bolting out of the room, Ren being dragged behind her.
Blake knew that Nora was strong, but that was ridiculous. And hilarious. But with Pyrrha alone, along with being somewhat shocked, Blake felt like it now or never to confirm her suspicions. So, she stepped down from her spot above her, landing behind her seat quietly.
Although, as Pyrrha got her books together before leaving, Blake tapped her twice on the shoulder. Pyrrha jumped under the sudden contact, letting out a yelp as she slammed her knees into the table in front of her, placing a hand on her chest in the vain attempt of slowing her beating heart.
As Pyrrha turned around, taking slow, deep breaths, she stared into the slightly familiar golden eyes of the quiet, raven haired girl. "Oh, it's just you, Blake." Pyrrha spoke through ragged breaths, "You scared me for a moment."
Blake's normally stone-like face turned to one of amusement, a small smile resting on her face as a hint of mischief danced around her eyes. She didn't know what it was, but scaring people was always a little satisfying.
"So," Blake started, figuring she'd just cut straight to the point, "Where's your leader? I noticed he wasn't here for class." She spoke, and she wanted to ask about if he was alright, but she already had a feeling that he wasn't.
She watched as Pyrrha's eyebrows shot upwards, her eyes slightly wide as she took in the information. "Oh, Jaune?" She started, curious if nothing else, "He wasn't feeling too well today, so he decided to stay at the dorm. Why do you ask?" Pyrrha retorted. She hadn't figured Blake would actually care about Jaune. So the fact that Blake bothered to ask questions about her leader and dearest friend had her curious.
Blake quirked a brow at the response, "Jaune's my friend, Pyrrha, I'm going to ask if he's doing okay when he's not here." Blake spoke calmly, trying not to come off as confrontational. She didn't know why, but Pyrrha's question as to why she asked nearly set Blake off. Of course she was going to worry about her friend, it wasn't because she felt responsible in some part that Jaune was sick or anything like that. That would be ridiculous.
Pyrrha couldn't help but force out an awkward laugh as Blake stared at her with her trademarked deadpan expression, "Ahaha, I suppose you would ask, wouldn't you?" Pyrrha spoke, kicking herself around in her own head. When had Blake and Jaune become friends? It was the first that she had heard of it, and she lived with Jaune.
Pyrrha cleared her throat as she brought a fist over her mouth, "But he said he would be fine, and be 'right as rain by tomorrow.'" Pyrrha said, using her hands to make air quote signs. "I wanted to stay behind and help him recover, but all he told me was to take notes for him." Pyrrha finished, shaking her head before letting out a sigh.
Blake felt an eye involuntarily twitch as she listened to Pyrrha, a scowl forming on her face. Don't mistake her ire to be directed at Pyrrha, she was more upset with Jaune if anyone else, "That stubborn, stupid-" Blake had to cut herself off before she continued, taking a breath as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her skirt, "Listen Pyrrha, it was nice talking, but I've got to go." Blake spoke urgently, trying to wrap up the conversation.
Pyrrha tilted her head slightly in confusion, "O-oh, yes, well, it was nice talking to you too." Pyrrha politely replied, even if she was confused. Confused by what, Pyrrha didn't know. Perhaps it was Blake and Jaune's sudden friendship, or the concern Blake was showing? Or the fact that Blake just dropped out of thin air to talk with her.
Blake only nodded before walking off, making her way to the door with her notebook in hand. With the back of her head facing Pyrrha, she didn't bother hiding the scowl on her face. That stupid, stubborn, blond idiot. The least he could have done was gotten help from one of his teammates, and not have Blake go out of her way to help him.
Blake let out a breath as she marched to the cafeteria, she needed to grab a few things.
Jaune was not having a good morning. As he laid in bed, he couldn't help but sneeze, his sinuses burning as used his right sleeve to cover his mouth. His nose was congested, he felt fatigued, and his body was burning up. The breaths that he took were slow and raspy, and had to be taken in from the mouth. And then there was the tightness in his chest, and the soreness of his arms, mostly in his biceps and triceps.
Needless to say, Jaune wasn't feeling well. At all.
As Jaune laid beneath several layers of blankets, he looked to his left, staring at his end table, along with the half empty bottle of water. That bottle of water, it was the center of all of Jaune's desires. As he took another raspy breath, the back of his throat scratching as he breathed, he stuck his left arm out from underneath the covers, reaching with all of his might to grab the bottle.
Jaune wanted to inch closer to the bottle, but couldn't muster the strength to do it. But then, he felt his fingertips brush against the side of the bottle, and he felt hope. All he needed was to stretch a little more, and then he would have his drink. With another stretch, Jaune felt his skin pulling and tugging at him, but he paid it no mind, and as his fingers brushed against the side of the bottle once more, he went to grasp it.
But tragedy struck, the capped bottle falling to the floor, and as Jaune looked over the side of his bed to pick it up, it vanished.
Jaune let out a whine as he placed his head back onto his pillow, "It must've fallen under my bed." He muttered, his voice quiet and strained, trying to minimize the pain he felt in his throat. It was just his luck that something that dumb would happen.
Although, as he laid in his bed, his right forearm resting on top of his forehead, he could hear the sound of knuckles wrapping against the wooden door. As he forced himself into a seated position, he brought his hands up to his face, pressing them against his eyes, a dull, throbbing ache forming behind his eyes.
He let out a groan as he pulled his blanket over his legs, revealing his simple, black polyester shorts, along with the fact that he wore no shirt. Hey, he was sick, he didn't care about wearing a shirt today. Besides, it's not like anyone outside of his team was going to see him today. Although, as he pushed himself onto his feet, wobbling slightly, he heard another set of knocks on the door, "Hang on-" he tried to yell, only to find himself coughing up half a lung in the attempt, the back of his throat burning as he regained his ability to breath.
Jaune slowly stumbled over to the door, reaching for the door handle, sliding the lock open before twisting the knob. As he pulled the door open, he let out a yawn as he closed his eyes, "Alright, who forgot-" Jaune started speaking, his voice nasally from the congestion, he thought Nora had forgotten something, or that Pyrrha needed an extra pen or pencil, but as he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a very annoyed Blake.
"...something." he muttered the last part.
As Blake stared at Jaune, she noticed several things that felt like cause for alarm. One, Jaune's puffy eyes, likely from some kind of irritation. Two, his nasally, raspy voice, likely due to sore throat and congestion. And three, Jaune was not wearing a shirt, which could indicate one of two things. Either he didn't like wearing shirts when he slept, or he had a fever.
"You, in bed, now." Blake quickly demanded, much to Jaune surprise. If Jaune wasn't sick, he would've thought of something perverse with his teenage mind, but luckily, he was sick.
"Gee, nice to see you too, Blake." He sarcastically remarked as he leaned on the door frame, if only to keep himself upright.
Although, as he looked away from Blake's eyes, he turned his attention lower. In her right hand was a small, brown paper bag, the top of it being crumpled by Blake's tight grip. But he didn't get much of a chance to dwell on it when Blake started pushing him deeper into his dorm room.
"Get in bed, Jaune." Her voice filled with its usual Blake-ness. You know, how she sounds like she feels both nothing, while also feeling every sort of irritation known to man. Jaune couldn't describe it as anything but that, lest he do a disservice to himself for dealing with it, and Blake for having it.
Jaune didn't bother to fight back against Blake, who was still pushing him to his bed; seven sisters had already gotten him used to the pestering and concern. But at least with Blake, she wouldn't coddle him like he was some defenseless kid.
As Jaune crawled back into his bed, Blake pushing him as he went, he covered himself back up with his several blankets, letting out another couple of raspy breaths. To Blake, this was the worst that Jaune had ever looked physically, his hair was a disheveled mess, as though he had a rats nest in it, his eyes were puffy and had dark outlines around them, and the tip of his nose was a dark crimson color from the irritation.
Blake would never say it out loud, but she felt a little worried for Jaune, but only because they were friends. That, and she felt like she had to repay the favor. But with Jaune in bed, his eyes closed, and his breathing steady, she let herself relax a little.
If Jaune was going to be honest, Blake being in his room was not a surprise he was expecting. Yet there she was, dressed in her Beacon Uniform, a paper bag gripped in her hand as she sat on Pyrrha's bed, which was across from him.
"So, are you going to tell me why you're not in class?" Jaune asked, figuring he should at least know her motivations for being in his room. She was probably just using him as a way out of being in class or something, he wouldn't put it past her. Then again, she could have also been here out of the kindness of her heart, but Jaune felt like that kind of treatment wouldn't normally come with a scowl.
Blake only gave him another one of her patented deadpan expressions, "Do I really have to spell it out for you, Jaune?" He heard her say, and that alone let him formulate his own assumption.
So, she was just using him for the sake of ducking out of class, huh? Jaune wouldn't lie, the thought stung a little, but it wasn't exactly something he hadn't seen coming. That was the basis of his relationship with Blake, they used each other. Sure, they may have certainly had some touching moments between each other, but at the end of the day, their friendship was still different to any other.
Jaune curled his lip inward, "Right, well, feel free to use the room however you want. Just don't be too loud, I want to get a little bit of rest." Jaune spoke, rolling on to his right side. To Blake, his voice sounded beyond fatigued, it sounded dejected and heavy. She didn't know why either. It was certainly not the first time she had caught Jaune in a moment of vulnerability, but this didn't feel like then. It felt tense and distant.
But on the surface, she expressed curiosity, "Why would I want to use your room? Mine is just across the hall." Blake asked, she didn't understand where Jaune was coming from, but she figured that it would be best to come up with a light retort. Maybe he was just tired or something.
Jaune had a blink a few times before pushing himself upright, bringing himself to a seated position, "Aren't you just using my room to ditch class?"
So that was why he seemed so dejected only moments ago?
Blake only deadpanned as she stared at Jaune, "So anyway," she quietly spoke before tossing Jaune the brown paper bag, to which he fumbled with it for a moment before properly catching it, "I got you a sandwich from the cafeteria. It isn't much, but it's all I could grab."
As Jaune leaned against the several pillows his teammates had stuffed behind him, he looked down into the brown bag, finding a sandwich wrapped by a thin layer of see-through plastic. Although, as he reached down to pull out the sandwich, he heard the sound of something roll around at the bottom of the bag, shaking and clacking as it went. Out of curiosity, Jaune pushed aside the sandwich, and beneath it was a small, white, cylindrical bottle.
Jaune slowly pulled the bottle out of the bag and held it out in front of him, the dim light from a lamp across the room giving him just enough light to read the bottle. "Hey Blake," he started before shaking the bottle, "is this for-"
"Yes Jaune, it's for you." She started, placing her hands on her hips as she stared down at him, "I figured you could do with some cold medicine, so I dropped by the infirmary and picked something up."
Jaune couldn't help but feel bad as he listened to Blake. She went out of her way to get him lunch, and pick him up some medicine, and all he'd done in return was treat her poorly. It left him feeling nauseous, his stomach tossing and turning as his heart dropped.
As he looked up from the white bottle, along with his sandwich, he tilted his head up to look at Blake, his puffy eyes wide as his eyebrows tilted upwards, "Blake, I-I don't know what to say." He croaked out, staring into her incredible, golden eyes.
She quirked a brow in response, her hip subconsciously moving to the side, not that Jaune had noticed, "You could always say 'thank you.'"
The sickly swordsman felt as though he was just punched in the jaw by her words. Maybe it was because he hadn't seen her over the past few days, but Jaune had forgotten just how blunt Blake could be.
It took Jaune a moment to recover from the verbal jab, but recover he did. He tried to laugh off Blake's comment, but it came out forced, and stung the back of his throat. It forced him to cough up all of the phlegm that had been pooling along the back of his throat, scraping and irritating him all the more as he brought his sleeve up to cough.
As Blake looked down at him, her deadpan expression had morphed into something else entirely. Her eyebrows had tilted upward, a frown tainting her features as she quickly kneeled next to his bed, rubbing semi-circles into his back as his breathing slowly returned to him, leaving slow and raspy breaths.
He felt her left hand press against his shoulder as she gently pushed him down against his pillows, "Hey, take it easy for a second. Just lay back down and focus on breathing, I'll be right back." He heard Blake say as his head was gently set against the soft, cloud-like pillows, and with every breath he took was like a thousand razor blades cutting along his esophagus.
As his eyes slowly flit shut, focusing on the sounds of his breath, along with trying to ignore the tight, sore feeling in his upper arms and his calves, he could hear the sound of his door slowly creaking open before the sound of it clicking shut. He couldn't help but let out a groan as he flipped over on to his left side, tucking his hands against his abdomen as his breathing grew quicker, sweat trickling off his brow. Man, he thought, whatever it was that was messing with him, it sure was giving his immune system one hell of a go at it.
Truth be told, Jaune felt like death itself was really trying to ring his bell a little early. His chest ached with every breath, sweat poured from his forehead, his throat burned with the heat of a thousand suns, and he felt like he was stuck into one of those old ancient torture devices. You know, the ones that yanked on people's limbs until they popped out of their sockets. Or were just torn off, whichever came first. And then there was the terrible, dull ache behind his eyes that seemed to throb whenever he looked in the general direction of light.
He let out a half hearted whine as he brought his hand over his eyes, hoping that it might alleviate whatever pain he was feeling. It didn't, but it was certainly worth trying.
Although, as his forearm was draped over his aching, firmly shut eyes, he could hear the sound of his door handle turning, the hinges on his door creaking as it was slowly pushed open. Jaune opened his eyes slightly to look at the door, watching as Blake stepped back into his room, carefully closing the door behind her. Through his squinted eyes, he watched as she gracefully walked over to his bedside before kneeling down next to him, a plastic black water bottle in her hand, the cap spanning the radius of the bottle.
He felt her hand reach out and grasp at his shoulder, giving him a light shake. "Jaune," she spoke, her voice calm and quiet, "I need you to sit up for a moment."
Maybe it was because Jaune was sick, but he felt compelled to listen to her. There was just something about how she spoke, her words danced around his ears, gently floating in his mind, as opposed to how she normally spoke. Instead of her words causing his headache to worsen, he felt the tense feeling in his forehead and behind his eyes slacken slightly as he pushed himself into a seated position.
"That's good, Jaune." He heard her say gently. She then reached over Jaune, grabbing the brown paper bag from off of Jaune's bed, along with the bottle that came with it. She then pressed down on the cap before twisting it, the sound of the cap cracking as the lid came off causing Jaune to flinch in pain, his head throbbing at the sudden sound.
Blake slightly jumped as Jaune placed a hand on his forehead, rubbing it slowly. She set the water bottle in her hand on the end table next to her before holding her hand out in front of her, shaking two tablets out of the white plastic container. She set the medicine bottle down on the end table before grabbing Jaune's hand, holding it out in front of him before gently placing the pills in the palm of his hand.
Jaune stared down at the small tablets in his hand before looking back up Blake, staring into the Golden eyes he was so used to seeing, his eyebrows tilted upwards in silent questioning. He watched as Blake gave him a quick nod, and it was all he needed to place the pills in his mouth.
But before he could pass them, he felt Blake shove the gym bottle into his hands, a small smile on her face, "You might need this." He heard her say lightheartedly, to which he smiled back. He quietly unscrewed the lid to the bottle before knocking it back, the cool liquid filling his mouth before he swallowed it, along with the pills.
He let out a breath as he put the cap back on the bottle, setting it on the end table before letting out a cough, bringing his fist up to cover his mouth, each cough causing a sudden pain behind his eyes. Drinking cold water with his medicine was a bad idea, he had now learned.
Through the corner of his eye, he saw Blake's look of concern burning into the side of his head. It made him feel bad, having her be so concerned over him. But at the same time, he didn't see the fuss. It was just a common cold, nothing too serious.
"The way you're looking at me, you'd think I was dying." Jaune jested, laughing as his dry throat scratched and scraped.
"The way you are right now, I'm pretty inclined to believe you are." Blake responded, dead serious in her tone, her eyebrows remained unmoving.
Jaune could only laugh in response. She wasn't wrong, Jaune did feel like death, but she was blowing it out of proportions. Seriously, it's like no one in his life has ever gotten sick before. First Pyrrha, and now Blake.
Jaune could only chuckle at her response, "Geez Blake, are you my mother, or the girl who lives across the hall?" He asked sarcastically, much to Blake's displeasure, if the frown on her face was anything to go off of. Really, he was fine! He didn't understand why she was freaking out so much.
Blake only shook her head as her frown deepened, pulling her scroll out of her skirt pocket to check the time. Ten minutes until History, great. As she stuffed her scroll back into her pocket, she looked back to Jaune, "Well, as fun as it was playing nurse for you, I've really got to get to class." She replied with her own bit of sass, not as friendly as Jaune's was by any means, and she knew it.
She just wished he would take his health a bit more seriously. Here he was, coughing his lungs up as a fever cooked him alive, his voice sounding as though someone shoved sandpaper down his throat, and he was laughing and joking about it. Truth be told, Blake wanted to ring his neck out for taking it as a joke.
But she didn't, only because he was still sick.
Jaune seemed to fumble for his words as Blake turned around to face the door, her raven locks flowing behind her, but before she could move away, Jaune reached out for her sleeve, tugging on it gently. "Hey uh," Jaune stuttered out, much to Blake's confusion, her brows quirked curiously as she looked over her shoulder.
"What is it, Jaune?" Blake asked patiently, crossing her arms as Jaune let go of her sleeve, turning to face him once more.
Jaune brought a hand to the back of his head, rubbing it as he looked for the words he so desperately sought out. "Well, listen," he started, his eyes wandering away from Blake and down at his blankets, "I just want to say thanks. For coming by and looking after me." He spoke, his hand scratching at the back of his head.
But before Blake could get a word in, Jaune looked up at her, his eyebrows tilted upwards as a frown rested on his face. It was a bad look for him, she thought. "And that I'm sorry." He finished, his words heavy, as though he was being weighed down by several dozens of anvils.
Blake couldn't help but bring herself back down to a knee, looking at Jaune from eye level, "What for?" She asked. She didn't know
what Jaune had to be sorry for. If anything, Blake felt like she should be the sorry one, what with barging into his room and forcing pills down his throat. She couldn't help it though.
Loathe as she was to admit it, she was worried about her friend. She admitted it. And there was not an ounce of shame in that fact. But she couldn't help but feel weird about it. She'd known Jaune for a little less than two weeks now, and despite knowing little more than what he'd told her, she couldn't bring herself to not care. The few moments they shared together was always good fun for her, and seeing Jaune sick just drove her blood to boil.
Was it an unhealthy reaction to what could possibly be a miniscule thing? Perhaps, but Blake was willing to bear with it, if only so that Jaune, stubborn as he was, would let her take care of him. If only for a little while.
Jaune grumbled slightly under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck once more. It was a tick that he seemed to have whenever he was uncomfortable, she noticed. She'd have to make a note of that. "I don't know," he started before turning his head away, "Forget I said anything."
Blake rolled her eyes at Jaune's grumbling, "Come on, Jaune. I'm not mad if that's what you're worried about." She spoke lightheartedly, even if it did sound a little stiff, at least she was trying.
She watched as Jaune let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped, "I just feel bad having you look after me, you know? And how I treated you when you showed up. I mean, you came out here during your lunch, and knowing you, you didn't eat anything." He spoke melancholically, much to Blake's surprise. He was right about her not eating lunch, but she didn't mind.
Blake snorted under her breath as she used her right hand to jostle Jaune's left shoulder, "Jaune, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be." She said with a laugh.
Jaune didn't get it. He'd been horrible to Blake over the span of the last half hour or so, how was she not mad? She'd gotten mad at him over much less, how was this any different?
"Who are you, and what have you done to Blake?" He asked wearily as he leaned away from her, much to Blake's annoyance, the small smile falling from her face as she used her long nails to pinch the skin on Jaune's exposed shoulders, digging deeply into the top layer of his skin as she twisted with no remorse. "Ow ow ow, okay sorry!"
"You better be." He heard her calmly say, a small smile coming back onto her face as he rubbed his shoulder, the feeling of her nails digging into his skin wasn't going to be forgotten anytime soon.
Jaune couldn't help but smile back, if only a little. "But still, the only reason I came to Beacon was, for the most part, some independence. And here I am, still relying on- hmph?" Jaune spoke through the smile until Blake shoved her hand over his mouth.
"Shut up," she said with an eye roll, "If I'm going to come over and take care of you while you're sick, there's nothing you can do to stop me. You can complain, and you can whine, but I'm still going to be here. So stop talking, and get comfy." Blake drilled into him with her normal, monotonous tone, but the smile on her face spoke volumes of how much she meant it. "Besides, I know you'd do the same for me."
This was the most he'd seen Blake smile in a while, Jaune thought. Was it really that funny to see him sick? Or was she just having fun telling him off?
Probably both, knowing Blake.
Jaune only let out a sigh as he plopped his head back down onto his pillows, "I don't think I get you, Blake." Jaune said in resignation, his head sinking into the fluffy pillow, letting out a raspy breath as the slow throbbing behind his eyes slowly began to subside.
Blake snorted under her breath as she smiled, "Good, it's more fun that way."
"For who?"
She only shook her head as she pushed herself onto her feet, digging her scroll out to check the- 11:45?
"Uh, I've got to go, Jaune. Class starts in five minutes, and if I'm lucky, I might just make that sprint." She quickly spoke as she rushed to the door, "I'll see you later, let me know if you need anything." She wrapped up as she placed a hand on the door knob.
"Um, could I-" Jaune started before cutting himself off, no, what was he doing? Blake had better things to be worried about.
Blake looked back at Jaune for what felt like the tenth time today, somewhat impatiently. "Go on." She nodded in acknowledgement. She only hoped that he wouldn't waste her time, she had to get to class, and soon.
Jaune bit into the side of cheek as he took a moment to think. On the one hand, the question he had in mind was horribly selfish, and Blake had already done enough. But at the same time, he just couldn't stand to not ask it.
He let out a groan as his shoulders slouched, "Can I ask you a favor, Blake?" He reluctantly asked. He was torn, but he figured that Blake would probably deny his request, regardless if he asked or not.
"If it's something I can do, then I'll try." Blake gave her word, and she meant it. Jaune was ill, and no one else was really there to take care of him, and she felt some kind of obligation to do something.
Jaune's eyes rested on his blanket as a sole thought sat in Jaune's mind. He let a breath as he looked back up at Blake, "Please don't go." He croaked out as he looked up at Blake, "I'm so bored, and life just kind of sucks right now."
Blake had to swallow the weird knot in the back of throat as she looked down at Jaune from the door. The logical part of her mind told her to turn him down, to walk out of that door and go to class. These classes were supposed to be their future, where they would both use the knowledge acquired to become great hunters, it was imperative that she go to her classes.
But somewhere, gnawing at the back of her mind pleaded with her to stick around. Seeing Jaune be deprived of any kind of energy, left as nothing but a husk of his normal personality, had Blake a little sick herself. The Jaune she was looking at, in contrast she normally knew, were nothing all that alike. Whereas Jaune was normally energetic to some degree, always talking about something, he was now mostly quiet, leaving Blake to do most of the talking. It was a shift in dynamic that she didn't want to keep going, she much preferred to be the quiet one.
Blake let out a deep sigh as her shoulders began to sag, digging her scroll out of pocket and staring at the home screen. The time read 11:48. Blake couldn't help but suppress another sigh as she pulled up her messenger, scrolling over to Yang's name before tapping it.
Blake typed in her message, the sound of her scroll vibrating with every character input.
"Hey, take notes for me." She sent before turning her scroll off. She knew Yang, she was going to blow her scroll up with messages about something or other, and how she would fail without Blake's note taking and yada yada, it didn't matter.
She then carefully put her scroll back into her skirt pocket before turning the knob, "Let me go get changed out of my uniform." She calmly said with a smile before walking out of the room.
Jaune blinked once, twice, then thrice. What just happened? Was that her way of saying yes? Or was she just using that as an excuse as a means to leave for class while she could? Then again, would Blake really lie to Jaune while looking him in the eye? He didn't think so. What good would come from Blake lying to him about anything, he wondered.
Then again, it wasn't like Jaune was the most straight forward about his own secrets. The only person he'd told about his less than credible way of entering Beacon was his partner, and he felt justified in that regard. No one else really had to know, not even Ren and Nora. Pleased as he was by their friendship, he didn't know how either of them would react to his illegal activities.
Truth was, Jaune was tired of keeping secrets. It was all he had done for the past quarter of the year, making excuses for his lack of progress in Combat Class, along with trying to justify his lack of what was considered to be run-of-the-mill Huntsman knowledge. Needless to say, Jaune always got off by the skin of his teeth, always going by some kind of flimsy, half-baked excuse about how he was sick that day, and would receive remedial work as a means to catch up. There were some days where even Ms. Goodwitch would help him with his work, guiding him to progress.
Granted, there was only so much his incredibly patient teacher could do for him, and he knew that, so he tried his hardest in response. But he always felt like he was falling short, no matter how far he leaped.
Was that his eventual destiny? To always fall a hair too short?
The sound of the door clicking shut woke Jaune from his deep thoughts, and as his head flicked towards the sound, he watched as Blake strided into his room wearing- Hey, that's the hoodie he bought her a few days ago.
Jaune couldn't help but smile to himself as he saw Blake wearing the hoodie, along with some baggy polyester shorts, her bow still sitting comfortably atop her head. "I told you it was a good look on you." He quietly rasped out, laughing as he stared at her.
Blake only smirked before shaking her head, "I'm trying to be comfortable, not look good." She voiced with a roll of her eyes, she had been doing that a lot lately. But, not in a bad way. It was more of a 'I can't believe you' kind of gesture. "But," she continued, a smile gracing her face, "I'm glad to know that I don't have to try too hard."
Easily, Jaune wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. He didn't want to make anything weird out of the atmosphere, even if he was still dying slowly of his throat, along with his lungs filling with phlegm, but he digressed.
"Blake," Jaune started, using his arms to push himself into a seated position, "Any guy with two functioning eyes and a brain in their skull could tell that you'd look good in just about anything." He spoke matter-of-factly, as though it was nothing more than objective fact. And he meant it too, nearly all of the girls at Beacon were as pretty as Fashion Models or… Jaune couldn't think of anything quite as pretty, but he knew that whatever he could think of, Blake would beat easily in the looks department.
Blake was flattered by Jaune's very… forward compliment, she would call it. Granted, it wasn't anything eye opening or heart pumping, but she appreciated the kindness nonetheless. She tried to laugh off his compliment, "Jaune, I'm not that good looking, I just take care of myself. I'm sure you'd be able to find a prettier girl in the school-"
"Nope, couldn't think of one." Jaune quickly interjected, speaking bluntly and honestly, much to Blake's surprise. That was her thing! When had Jaune picked that up? Then again, he was sick, maybe he was just working off of the adrenaline or something? Or he was just very tired.
It may have seemed like Jaune was very hasty in his decision to shoot down Blake's comment, but the truth was, he had already done the math. See, the reason he was so uncomfortable around Blake when they were out buying books was because she was, speaking objectively, one of the prettiest girls in the school. She had a lot of those proper lady sort of things going for her. The long flowing, undamaged hair, a calm, cool and collected mind, an incredible strut that screamed out 'I mean business!' She had it all! The only one who was neck and neck with Blake in the last two regards was Weiss, but he was biased towards Blake because she was actually his friend.
It had nothing to do with the fact that he felt a little spiteful at his lack of a chance with Weiss, but whatever. See? These were all the objective facts for Jaune, and in no way had to do with personal biases and preferences. Nope, none at all.
Jaune then took the moment to think on just how long he'd thought out that whole process. He took a whole afternoon to figure out why he thought Blake was pretty, that wasn't a thing friends would normally do, right? Then again, he thought, he'd never had a friend like Blake before! It was unmarked waters, and there was no map to get through it. Of course, it didn't stop him from being incredibly self-conscious about it.
He kind of wished the cold was fatal now, at least then he wouldn't have to live with the embarrassment of thinking his newest friend was mind numbingly cute.
Jaune coughed into his hand as Blake rubbed the back of her head with her right hand, her bow twitching every once and a while as a short silence loomed over them. Blake felt a little embarrassed by the sudden compliment, but took it in stride.
"Uh, I didn't say anything weird, did I?" Jaune felt the need to ask, if only to not ruin the atmosphere they had going.
Blake quickly shook her head from side to side, "I mean, did you mean anything by it?"
Jaune brought up a hand before rapidly shaking it from side to side, "Uh, no, not really. Just kind of said what was on my mind, you know? It's nothing crazy deep or anything, it just kind of slipped by." He explained, lying through his teeth. He'd gotten really good at lying on the fly, much to his own disappointment. He really didn't mean anything by it- really, he didn't. But he spent a little too much time thinking about it, and that felt like the weird part to him.
Blake let out an awkward laugh as she tried to shake that weird feeling that weighed her shoulders down. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not so bad off yourself." She spoke, trying to defuse the situation. Although, as the words left her mouth, she snorted as her eyes drifted up to Jaune's bed head, "Well, you normally look good. But the bed head is really bringing you down a letter grade." She joked, which brought out a laugh from Jaune in turn.
Sure, it scratched at his throat, and it left him parched, but he was starting to get used to the feeling, "And what letter grade am I normally at?" He asked with a quirked brow.
Blake had to ponder a bit on that one. Jaune wasn't exactly a bad looking guy. It was clear that he used some kind of conditioner for his hair, so he clearly took care of it regularly. He was also clean shaven most of the times she had seen him, so there was no uneven, scruffy teenager beard on his face, and he looked cleaner for it. And his physique wasn't anything to scoff at either. Sure, he wasn't as toned or as built as some other people in the school, but he certainly wasn't the noodle that he started the school year as.
"Hmm," Blake hummed to herself as she leaned forward, looking Jaune in the eye as she took in every detail of his face, "B plus, I'd say."
Jaune's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Well, that was certainly a better score than he was expecting. He figured he would be in the lower C's, but to his surprise, he was a grade above- wait, didn't Blake say the bed head knocked him down? Did that mean he was an A? Or was he a B?
Jaune was confused, in that he had no doubt. But he took the grade in stride, "Well, it's certainly better than C." Jaune remarked jovially, in spite of the thousand, thousand razor sharp knives that plucked at the back of his throat. Jaune felt the need to cough, but he pushed it down. He grew tired of coughing anyway.
Blake let a breath as she sat down on Jaune's bed, sitting at his side, "So, you convinced me to stay because you were bored. I don't suppose there's anything you want to do for fun, is there?" She asked curiously. There had to be something Jaune wanted to do that he couldn't do alone, right?
Jaune smiled at Blake's curious stare, "Come on Blake, you already know what I want to do." Blake heard him say, and she had to blink as she registered his words. Now, there were two things that could happen right now. Number one, Jaune wants to read. And number two, Blake didn't want to say, but all she would mention was that she needed to put down the Ninjas of Love series, at least for a few weeks.
She only quirked a brow at his statement, not allowing any of her thoughts or emotions to slip through her stone-faced facade, if only to save herself the embarrassment of a misunderstanding. Jaune's smile only grew wider as he leaned over the edge of the bed, and from one of the drawers from his end table, he drew the book they had spent so many hours reading only days ago.
Blake let her facade crumble as she smiled back, but there was one hole in his little plan. "Jaune, you're not going to be able to read with your voice the way it is. You know that, right?" She asked rhetorically, certain that he'd agree with her. Probably.
Instead, however, she watched as Jaune's bare shoulders only shrugged, his face indifferent to her prediction. "I'll just tough it out. Besides, with my throat the way it is, it might let me get some of the more gravelly voices-"
"Yeah, that's not happening." Blake calmly interjected. As interested as she was to hear how Jaune would sound with his raspy voice, trying his hardest to nail a gravelly voice, his throat would probably just die on him half way through their session.
Jaune rolled his eyes in response, crossing his arms across his chest, "Blake, I'm not going to sit here in silence while you read without me," She stated. He wanted Blake here so that he wouldn't be bored and alone, not so that she could skip class and read the book without him. Granted, he already knew the plot from start to finish, but the way it was told in a sort of hindsight, first person perspective lended to some very interesting descriptions and narrations, and he didn't want to miss out on them.
Blake fell into a deadpan as she gave his shoulder a quick wallop, her knuckles wrapping against Jaune's aching, tender shoulder. He hissed as he brought a hand up to rub his achy shoulder, giving Blake a stink eye as he did so. "You know there's more than one way to read a book with someone else, right?" Blake asked, the sarcasm dripping from her voice like water droplets off of a rapidly melting icicle.
The sickly swordsman's eyebrows tilted upwards in question, it had certainly been a first that he had heard of it. "Enlighten me, then." He spoke in a challenging tone, and Blake's only response was to quirk a brow before shrugging her shoulders.
She placed her empty hand on Jaune's left shoulder, pushing him back down onto his bed, his head landing back on his pillows with a soft 'woomf.' He felt his head throb slightly at the sudden contact with his pillow, but aside from that, little else. Before he could ask why Blake had pushed him down, he watched as she took a seat at the edge of his bed, sitting right beside him. As she looked down at Jaune, she carefully flicked to the bookmark that they had made sure to both share. Ah, page 42, Chapter three: Fresh Waters in Aguas Frescas.
And so Blake began to read aloud, "And thus the two brothers Vaquero rode into their home, the sound of their horses' hooves clopping against dirt and stone roads sounding as Miguel's bandolier clinked against his chest. It was almost poetic, I thought, how we both slowly rode into town as the sun had just begun to peer above the horizon behind us..." She began to narrate.
Ah, so that was how it was. Jaune didn't waste any time in getting himself comfortable as he brought the blanket over his chest, being encompassed by the warmth that it provided to him.
Jaune settled in for a long session, because from the way Blake was looking, she was already fully engrossed into the book, reading the words off the page with near professional skill. No stutter had slipped past her, not once had she thrown aside tone as she read aloud the descriptions the author had put onto paper.
Maybe he needed Blake to read to him more often? He snickered to himself as his eyes slowly shut, imagining the sight of the two cowboy-like individuals of the book. Two brothers, yet polar opposite. One gungho, hot blooded, balls to the wall older brother, and one Calm and Collected, well meaning, calculating younger brother, both on a personal journey to find their mother to live in relative peace and prosperity.
He could see it now, shifting dunes, the blistering clear sky, the heat boiling his blood from the outside as his mouth begged for hydration, the back of his throat scratching desperately for a cool drink to deal with the smouldering heat-
Oh yeah, Jaune had forgotten he was sick.
Then he supposed he'd just have to settle for the immersion the feelings provided.
"-And as his hand wrapped against the wooden door of the 'Taxman', he boasted, "Oh come on, is this about the time we shot your goons?" Banging the grip of his revolver against the door before-" Blake narrated, but was cut off by the sound of… a snore?
Blake looked over her shoulder as she set the book aside for a moment, staring at Jaune's face. His eyes were shut, his chest slowly rising and falling as all of the muscles in his face relaxed and- was he drooling?
Blake felt a little offended that he'd fallen asleep during her narration, but she couldn't really stay mad. After all, Jaune was sick. It wasn't his fault that he couldn't stay awake through her reading, sleeping with a serene look that Blake dared call cute. He was curled up along his side, his left hand under the bottom of his pillows as his right arm was draped over his chest. He looked comfortable, this much Blake knew.
She couldn't help but smile as she stared down at his sleeping form, but was quickly snapped away from her thoughts by something that demanded her attention. The book, Blake thought, what was she going to do with it now? Of course, she could always set it aside for when Jaune woke back up. But then again, she did want to go to Combat Class, and that class started in around half an hour.
As she looked at the book next to her, the pages set face down so as to not lose track of her spot, she let out a hum. "Maybe just… a little more." She muttered as she picked the book back up, her eyes flicking along the pages as she took in the information.
Where she was now, the two brother Vaqueros had just gotten back to their hometown, searching for their Mother before finding their home ransacked and empty. Miguel, the eldest of the two, had taken them to find an old friend. He led his younger brother to a quiet and secluded spot in the innermost parts of town, not far from the market. The place between adobe buildings was covered in simple carpets, wooden seats strewn about, seemingly at random as a fire pit sat in the middle of it all.
The man Miguel had led them to was named Marco, and from what Blake had gained through context clues, the two had grown up as delinquents together, stealing food from stands for the sake of stealing. Miguel had asked about his mother, and Marco had gone about explaining how a 'Taxman' had been seeing families and offering to buy their homes. If they accepted, they were given a fraction of the money they were promised before being thrown out by suited goons, and if they refused, the families would seemingly vanish without a trace.
Blake felt as though there was a mystery coming on- she let out a yawn as she placed a hand over her mouth, throwing her out of her thought process. She had to blink a few times as she tried to shake the fatigue off, goosebumps running up along her arms and back. Maybe she was more tired than she thought?
As she looked back at Jaune, then to her book, she had a thought. Jaune looked really comfortable, like he was sleeping like a baby.
She wanted that feeling.
Against her better judgement, Blake found herself laying down next to him, the book held above her as her eyes continued to skim over the pages. She felt warm near Jaune, in a physical sense.
But everytime she tried to get further into the book, she ended up looping right back around to the exact! Same! Line! Blake let out a sigh of frustration as she gently closed the book before setting it down on the end table, maybe she needed to let her brain reset first? Yeah, that was probably it.
Though, Blake couldn't help but feel that her eyelids felt heavy, as though someone had glued five ton weights to them. Maybe… maybe she should close her eyes?
Blake gave in to her body's demand, her eyes flitting shut for what felt like a moment. If she did fall asleep, she was confident that she would wake up before Jaune, so there wouldn't be any weird, awkward moments. As the dark overtook Blake's sight, her breathing came to a slow as her heart gently beat in her chest.
She could feel Jaune's warm breath against her neck as he slept next to her, but she paid it no mind. It was nice, in its own way. Like a cool breeze on a summer's day. For a moment though, Blake thought of nothing at all. It was just serene. The warmth that radiated from Jaune's unconscious form, the temperature of the room being in that perfect spot between too warm and too cool.
But after a blink, it was gone. That warmth that she felt had suddenly disappeared. She reached an arm out to touch where Jaune was, but it was empty.
Cold. Blake felt cold.
She went to reach for the blanket draped over her and pulled it up, but she still felt- wait, blanket? Blake's eyes shot open, staring at the dark, colorless room which was now devoid of life. But her ears twitched slightly as she heard the sounds of voices across the hall.
One specific voice that she knew fairly well by now. If only still a little groggy.
She quickly threw the blanket off of her and put her feet on the floor, pushing herself off of the very comfortable bed. As she stood up, she began to walk over to the door before twisting the knob, pulling the door open with a quiet creak, closing it behind her as she walked out.
As she walked over to the adjacent door, she let her hand rest on the door handle before giving it a turn, walking into her own room with a yawn. As she rubbed her eyes, she spoke groggily, "Jaune, come back, I'm cold-"
She quickly cut herself off as her eyes widened. Everyone was in her room. Not just her teammates, but Jaune's teammates too. Everyone was in a different state of surprise, Ruby being absolutely shocked as Blake walked in with her messy bed head, her eyes flicking back and forth between her and Jaune.
Oh no.
As Yang sat on her bed with a cheshire grin, she brought a hand up to her chin. "You know, swapping spit with a sick guy is a pretty quick way to get yourself sick." Yang said matter-of-factly, much to Blake's dismay.
Blake had to blink a few times as she tilted her head, "What, swapping spit- No!"
Jaune quickly stood up from his seat, which sat next to the desk Blake had occasionally used to study. "Woah, hey, that is not what we were doing!" He yelled out as he shook a hand in front of him. "She just came by to check in on me, and when she found out I was sick, she helped me feel better." Jaune explained.
This only made Yang's grin grow wider, "Helped you feel better, huh?" She asked teasingly as she stared at Blake, not that Jaune understood why. "I guess it is customary that the girl takes the guy's hoodie as proof of conquest." Her words caused Weiss's face to turn a deep crimson as she gave Blake an aghast look.
Jaune only tilted his head as he quirked his brow, "Huh? Oh, no, I gave her that one." He stated as he thumbed at her hoodie.
"Jaune, stop talking, you're not helping!" Blake yelled out in despair as her bow felt flat.
"Blake," she heard Ruby begin, and as she turned her attention to her young team leader, she noticed a look of deep concern on her face, "Are you… pregananant?" She heard Ruby asked.
"Uh… what?"
"You know," Ruby continued, her face growing more red with each passing word, "Pregart?"
Blake's brows furrowed in confusion, her mind still in a haze as she was still waking up from her cat nap. And then it hit her, "Wait, do you mean pregnant?"
Ruby's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree as she jumped down from her bed, "So you are pregnant?"
"What? No!" Blake screamed out, her face feeling warm. Jaune wasn't fairing much better either.
Ruby's eyebrows shot up as the light in her eyes dimmed, "So, you were safe?"
"No!"
Ruby was confused, "So, there's a chance that you're-"
"We didn't do anything!" She yelled out. She was going to throw herself through the window if this kept up. "Jaune, please tell them we didn't- achoo!" Blake cut herself off with a sneeze, her eyes widening.
"Jaune," Blake slowly started, "I think you got me sick." She said, her voice full of dread, Jaune's face turning a stark white, the blood rushing away from his face.
Yang only snickered to herself, "Very poor choice of words." Neither of them exactly knew why she said that, until it clicked. Swapping spit.
The two made an active effort to make sure to not make eye contact, "Shut up, Yang! We didn't do anything weird!" Blake yelled out, to which Jaune soon followed.
"Y-yeah, all she did was push me into my bed, and read from a book I bought for us." Jaune added on, his voice shaky as he tried very hard to iron out this horrible misunderstanding.
Yang nodded her head in acknowledgement, bringing her hands up before clasping them, "I see." She said with a smile.
Jaune let out a sigh of relief, "Glad you see it our way-"
"So what you're telling me," Yang started, a grin on her face, "Is that two teenagers, both of which are hopped up on hormones, disappeared for eight hours, and locked themselves away in a room. And you're telling me that all you did was read?"
"Yes!" Jaune exclaimed, "That's exactly what happened!"
Yang let out a hum as she stared at him, "Nope, don't believe it." She said, and Jaune's shoulders sagged.
Blake was growing quickly impatient with Yang's teasing, "What's so unbelievable about us reading?"
Yang only quirked a brow at Blake's question, "Blake, I've seen what you read." She simply stated, and Blake's face quickly flushed as her eyes went wide.
In response, all she did was grab at Jaune's wrist and pull him along as she made for the door, Yang laughing as she dragged him away. "Woo, she's going for round two!" The blonde brawler yelled out as Blake flung the door open, ushered Jaune through, and then slammed it behind her, the frame shaking from the force behind the slam. It was her door, she'd do what she wanted to it.
Jaune let out a deep sigh after a moment, "So, what do we do now?" He asked, honestly curious.
Blake let out a sigh of her own, a frown on her face as she shoved her hands into the front pockets of her new hoodie. "I'm going back to sleep. Can I borrow your bed until your team gets out of my room?"
Jaune only nodded as he opened the door to his room. At least he wasn't sick anymore. Blake soon walked through the open door and flopped onto Jaune's bed, throwing the sheets over herself before getting comfortable.
Jaune had to wonder though, when had the two of them grown close enough for Blake to get comfortable in his bed? It couldn't have been long ago. Oh well, a friend is a friend, and Jaune would never dare turn one of those away.
However, unlike Blake, Jaune decided to sit on his partner's bed, which was adjacent to his own. Although, as Blake's head began to sink into the pillow, she quirked a brow at Jaune. "Aren't you tired?" She asked.
Jaune nodded to Blake, a tired smile resting on his face as he slouched in his spot, "Yeah, a little, but I can wait until my team gets here." He spoke lightheartedly, his voice coming out relatively clear, compared to earlier in the day.
Blake may have been awake, but her mind was hazy, and she was still exhausted. And she did miss when Jaune was a pillow. So, Blake did something that she thought was stupid, not that she cared. She lifted up the Blanket and wiggled over to the opposite edge, "Then can I borrow you for a bit?" She asked. She didn't want to outright say she wanted to use him as a pillow, that would have been embarrassing. This felt like a much nicer fallback for Blake.
Jaune had to blink as he let the information sink in. Blake had just given him the choice of sleeping with her. Well, not sleeping with her, but sleeping next to her, being comfortable and all.
Jaune only let out a sigh as me made his decision, standing up from his seated spot before crawling into his own bed, next to Blake. Blake smiled as she set the blanket over him, her arm still over his torso along his back. She didn't want to move from that spot, if she was going to be honest.
It was warm, like bathing in the sun on a hot beach. As she looked up at Jaune from where she laid, she asked, "Is it alright if I keep my arm where it is?"
Jaune had to suppress a chuckle as he looked down at her. The more he hung out with Blake, the more she reminded him of his little sisters. The way that they asked questions was almost like verbally twisting his arm so that he couldn't say no, not because it was against his best interests, but because he couldn't say no.
"I don't see why not." He casually said. Truth be told, Jaune just really appreciated the extra heat. It didn't get cold at night, but Blake being there just applied that extra comfort factor.
And so the two of them laid there, Blake's arm draped over his torso, touching his back as the two laid closer than either of them thought they had any right to be, Blake's head resting in the crook between Jaune's head and right shoulder. But in their minds, a question lingered as they both began to lose consciousness.
Was this a thing friends did?
Yeah, probably.
And that's that. I'd like to thank all of you, the newest followers, along with the oldest followers, for joining me in the story thus far. I've been having tons of fun writing Jaune and Blake, and their little interactions between one another.
I'd also like to thank everyone that reviews this story, your kind words give me all the more incentive to keep writing this story. I know I haven't exactly been the most interactive with you, the audience thus far, but considering that I've been writing on average 10k words per chapter in the span of a week, I'd like to think you ladies and gentlemen would forgive me for that.
I may not respond via pm or anything like that, and I may not even respond to reviews via chapter, but I do read all of them, and they normally get me to smile. But the reviews that make me smile the most is when you guys and gals explain why you like the Chapter or story, or whatever else. It's those that let me dissect what works, along with what doesn't. But it seems to me that I haven't done anything wrong yet, so I'll just keep going.
Anyway, I'll just go ahead and wrap this up. If you liked this chapter, please follow, favorite, and review, it tends to really help with getting this out to people, and it gives me my weekly fix of dopamine. And if you don't have an account to do it, I highly recommend you do, there's no shame in liking Fanfiction so long as you enjoy it. I know it took me a while to figure that out, so I figured I'd throw my two cents into that.
So yeah, that's about it. Ciao, and Buenas Noches.