Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Summer break.

To Yang and Ruby, this meant heading back home to see their Dad and go on some surprise trip he had planned for them. To Weiss, this meant heading back to her family mansion, as unpleasant as that might be. But there were also quite the benefits as well, from cake butlers to swimming pools to reconnecting with her siblings.

Personally, Blake would love to just sit outside on a lawn chair and read her latest book.

The idea of summer was amazing to Blake. Away from schoolwork with plenty of time to herself for whatever she wished? (Really, that mainly consisted of reading but that doesn’t matter). The reality of it, however, was a whole different situation.

“What are everyone’s plans for summer break?” Asked Ruby with a clap of her hands and a wide, excited smile on her face as she practically bounced in her seat.

Currently sitting at their usual lunch table was a total of eight people. This was the friend group that Blake had somehow a part of, consisting of her team RWBY and their sister team JNPR.

She wasn't exactly the most social, mainly preferring to stick to herself nowadays. Which was what made her inclusion in this group…surprising. Then again, she had practically been dragged into the group by her team.

So while she was part of this group, she was mainly acquaintances at best with the JNPR side of the group. Honestly, even that might be overstating their relationship.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy being in the group. She actually found it refreshing in a way, observing and listening to the numerous random conversations the others would get themselves into. She preferred observing over being a direct participant, and got a good deal of entertainment from that.

So as a result, she knew a lot more about JNPR from random conversations than they knew about her. She didn’t think that counted as being friends, let alone acquaintances. But she was content with this. It was just how she liked it.

“I’m heading back home to Atlas.” Stated Weiss with a sigh.

“Isn’t everyone heading back home?” Yang asked. “Pretty sure Rubes meant interesting plans. Like vacations? Parties? Anything?”

And there was her problem this summer break.

Blake wasn’t going home.

Why? Well, it was simple. She didn’t want to see her family. She loved her family, she truly did, but after the last conversation they had and how it went…

She couldn’t just arrive on their doorstep and hope they’d take her back in for the summer. Even if she did separate from Adam and the White Fang and all of that.

They say that time heals all wounds but so far this one still felt fresh. That meant she just needed to wait a little longer. Then she’ll talk with them! Sometime…

So instead, she decided to stay in Vale for the summer season. Meaning she was going to have to find a temporary apartment in Vale for the two months of summer.

So, that was it. That was her summer this year. She was going to spend her first summer since going to Beacon alone, staying in some random apartment, with some random, boring summer job. What a great summer.

Honestly, it actually wasn’t the worst. She really liked being by herself and her alone time. And she definitely wasn’t going to miss her team at all during the two months of summer, no way.

The biggest headache of this plan was just the extra expenses she was going to have to spend this summer thanks to the apartment in Vale.

She wasn’t exactly in a place of having a lot of money considering she cut herself off from her parents by running off with the White Fang. All the debt she was racking up from semesters at Beacon she was going to have to pay off once she became a huntress.

Not exactly favorable, but it worked since Beacon provided shelter, food, knowledge, and everything she would need to survive.

But she wasn’t going to have Beacon during the summer. Hence the need for a summer job, to pay for the apartment as well as everything else she would need for the two months.

And if she could get some extra to start paying off her debt, however small the amount may be, that would be worth it.

Yeah…other than her books, it was going to be a boring summer.

“Actually, I’m not going home.” Jaune let out an awkward chuckle as he lightly scratched the side of his head.

Jaune, leader of team JNPR. A sweet and harmless guy. Well, to his friends at least. He was best buds with Ruby, the two of them often playing games and reading comics together. He was goofy, sincere, a little too confident at the wrong times, and the absolute incarnation of a golden retriever.

Blake barely ever interacted with him. Actually, scratch that, she’s not sure she’s ever spoken a word to him. That sounds kind of bad, now that it’s on her mind.

She never really found Jaune too interesting. Okay, that sounded worse. The more interesting thing was the whole love triangle he was an unknowing part of. He’s crushing on Weiss, while his partner Pyrrha is absolutely down bad for him. Now that whole mess was like something out of her books.

Anyways, that was surprising. From the conversations Blake remembered, Jaune had quite the good relationship with his family. Well, he didn’t seem like the type to avoid them by staying at college during summer. Unlike herself.

“What? Why?” Ruby blinked in surprise.

“It’s just going to be easier to stay and get a job than go back.” Jaune replied with a light shrug. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just going to rent an apartment for the next two months. And catch up on some studies to get prepared for the next year.”

Huh, the same as her.

Wait.

Blake had a terrible idea.

An absolutely, ludicrous, terrible idea.

“Uh, since when were you so studious?” Yang raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not like I want to study, but I’m so far behind…” Jaune sighed, slumping onto the table.

Pyrrha let out a small smile as she lightly patted his arm.

With that Jaune turned to the rest of team JNPR and started talking to them.

This idea is terrible. So terrible.

Absolutely ridiculous.

But she could save some serious expenses…

If she and Jaune combined expenses and rented one apartment they could save some serious money. They could even go with a bigger apartment than what she was originally planning and she would still be paying less!

Okay, maybe it was a little crazy to try and room with a guy she was the equivalent of acquaintances with for two months. They've only ever talked like once. Twice at best. Maybe. She’s still not sure if she’s spoken to him ever.

But Jaune would be absolutely harmless to her, she knew that from the countless conversations she’d listened in on.

It’s not like she even had to interact with him much. Just get an apartment that has at least two bedrooms and then stay in there the whole time. She goes about her business and he goes about his. Boom. Problem solved.

Look, she’s a broke and desperate student, alright? Sue her.

Also, to be fair, she felt like she knew him a little more than just an acquaintance. It’s just that he didn’t know her more than an acquaintance at all.

Well, he was probably going to refuse.

But hey, it was worth a shot! But absolutely not in front of anyone else, no way. There was no way she would let Yang hear about that. Yang would probably chastise the idea like she was her mom and then never let her live it down. It would be an embarrassment for the rest of her life.

Blake patiently waited throughout the day for her chance. Instead of staying in her room or spending her time in the library, she ended up staying a short distance away from Jaune as she waited for him to be alone.

She wasn’t stalking, okay? This was a strategic and tactical operation.

But damn it, why was he never alone?! Did he have to be so personal? Does this man never want free time?

The two of them are truly opposites, that’s for sure.

Finally, she was able to catch him alone as he went for a jog around the outside of the school. She watched from her perch atop the tree, making sure no one she knew was around.

Perfect. Time to strike.

She stealthily dropped down, lightly jogging after Jaune. She caught up to him, tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around, eyes meeting hers, and gave an awkward smile in response.

“Oh hey, Blake…” Jaune nervously spoke. He looked at her as if a question was on the tip of his tongue.

“You said you were planning to rent an apartment over the summer, right?” Blake stated. “Well…”

Shit. No one was around and this was still embarrassing. Her throat was closing in on itself, trying to save her from making this mistake.

“…so am I.” She finally forced out. “And I was thinking maybe we could split expenses and share an apartment?”

Jaune stared at her in bewilderment for a good few seconds while Blake fought the urge to run away.

“You want to…” He slowly spoke. “…share an apartment this summer…with me…to save money?”

“Yes.” Blake hissed, her face burning with embarrassment. He really didn’t have to repeat her request right to her face.

“I mean…” He scratched his neck. “…if you’re alright with sharing with me, sure. It would be nice to save some money.”

“You and me both.” Grumbled Blake. “Have you found an apartment yet?”

“No.” Jaune replied. “You have one in mind?”

“Maybe.” Blake nodded. “I’ll send you the details. If you don’t like it, we can find another one.”

“Alright.” Jaune agreed.

The two stood there for a moment longer, stuck in awkward silence. Blake opened her mouth to say something, anything, only to quickly swivel on her heel and start walking the other direction.

It actually worked.

Holy shit, it actually worked.

She felt like she made a mistake. But at the same time, she’d be saving some serious money. She was sure she could suffer living with Jaune for two months.

. . .

Jaune laid on his bed in his dorm, blankly staring up at the ceiling as he came to terms with what he just agreed to.

Was he crazy? Why did he agree?

He barely even knew Blake! Sure, she was his friend and they were part of the same friend group, but she barely ever interacted with him or team JNPR.

She was always reading or only talking to the rest of her teammates. There was nothing wrong with that, of course, but he had no idea why she came to him for splitting costs on an apartment.

Surely she had better options! Other people she was closer to! After all, despite her quiet and reserved nature, she seemed quite popular. Her team certainly loved her.

And what if Weiss heard about it?! He wouldn’t want her to get the wrong idea! He had a teeny weeny itsy bitsy crush on her so it would suck if she thought he liked Blake. Seriously, just a tiny crush.

Well, he would be saving some good money. Only paying half of an apartment rent would already save a decent amount.

And maybe he could use this as an opportunity to get closer to Blake? He hardly knew anything about her other than her love of books, after all. Blake was really cool and kinda mysterious, so he certainly wasn’t against it.

Were either of those reasons enough to accept her offer? Probably not, but for some reason he actually did.

He felt his phone buzz.

Blake sent him a message, creating a new message log between the two of them. Yeah, they’ve never texted. Now that he thinks about it, he can’t even remember the last time she messaged in the group chat.

Maybe this was a prank Yang set her up to or something. But is that really the sort of prank Yang would pull? And Blake didn’t exactly seem like the pranking type…

He clicked on the message, seeing that she sent him an apartment in the area. Okay, she’s actually serious.

He took a deep breath, deciding to check the apartment.

A little more expensive than what he was planning to get, mainly because it has two small bedrooms. But, in the end, it would be cheaper than his original plan if they split costs.

It seemed to be in a pretty good location too. He had been looking at possible summer jobs already and they wouldn’t be too far from the apartment, so that should work out pretty well.

You know, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to accept her offer after all.

. . .

Semester finals are over. Summer break has arrived. And now Blake and Jaune were standing in front of their new rented apartment room. Silently. Awkwardly.

You didn’t just go from acquaintances to living together. Well, unless you were that desperate to save money. And both of them were apparently that desperate.

Okay, maybe both of them were starting to regret this already. And maybe the both of them were dying a little on the inside.

But surely they could make this work!

Surely…

Chapter Text

This was the most awkward week of her life. Living with Jaune was fine. He hadn’t caused her any real issues other than the sheer awkward tension they held whenever in the same room.

They mostly stayed in their own rooms when at the apartment for this very reason. At least, she did. That was her original plan anyway. She couldn’t speak for Jaune but she figured he probably felt the same way.

And, god forbid, they exited their rooms at the same time to eat? She had no problem with eating in silence usually but she could barely last sitting in the dining room with him.

So, at the end of the day, they didn’t actually see each other too much. But his presence was unmistakable. Dirty dishes she didn’t use appeared in the dishwasher. Shoes at the door that signaled he was in the apartment. Lights turned on or off when she had them the opposite. Hearing him playing games in the evening with Ruby or talking with his team over the phone, his muted voice coming through the wall.

All the little tells that she wasn’t living alone. All the little tells that Jaune was the one living with her. It felt like he was around all the damn time even though she rarely saw his face.

And it just made her even more awkward whenever she did see him. Because what was she even supposed to say to him?

Good morning? Good evening? Welcome home?

God, she sounded like a housewife. She couldn’t even imagine getting that far with anyone. Not after her last relationship.

The only conversation they’ve had was agreeing to not tell the rest of their friends about this arrangement. They hadn’t even talked about any “house rules”!

She shook the thoughts out of her head as she approached the door. She had just finished her classes for the day and was so ready to dive back into her book.

She put her key into the door, unlocking it, before slowly opening it to a lit room. Jaune’s shoes sat by the now open door. He was here.

She closed the door behind her, locking it, and placing her own shoes next to the closed door. She walked into the kitchen, only to freeze as she made eye contact with the man she had thought more about in the past week than the rest of the time she had known him.

“Hey…” He awkwardly waved, a plate in hand with a sandwich on it.

“Hey…” Blake replied back, any other words dying in the back of her throat.

The two of them stood there, silent, stuck in the confines of the awkward tension. Jaune’s eyes darted back and forth while Blake clamped her teeth shut, sucking in a harsh breath.

And then she scuffled past him, entering her room and closing the door behind her. She threw her bag on the floor and then proceeded to face plant into her bed.

She knew she was a little socially awkward but she didn’t know it was this bad. Maybe Yang was right, maybe she did need to go out and make more friends.

Then again, what’s wrong with wanting to enjoy alone time with books?! What’s wrong with not wanting to go out and party with strangers every weekend?!

Forget about it. Why is she even fussing about this so much? Who cares if it’s awkward around Jaune, she’s saving money. That’s why she did this in the first place. She can bear the embarrassment for that. It was worth it.

She flopped onto her back, reaching to the small bedside table and grabbing the book that she left there last night.

Her current read, Shadows of the Stars, was a gripping narrative about a ninja trying to avenge her annihilated clan. But throughout the story she learns how to live a life that’s more than just revenge and how to love.

Okay, maybe the beginning plot was basic but the execution was great! And ever since Ninjas of Love, she’s loved stories involving ninjas and the like. Those kinds of stories were right dead center in her strike zone, and Shadows of the Stars was by an author she quite liked. It wasn’t as…steamy as Ninjas of Love, but the twists so far have been quite engaging and she was rooting for the romance.

The great thing about her new summer job, working at Tukson’s Book Trade, was that she was able to borrow books from the bookstore to read for herself. And her newest grab was this recently released book!

Honestly, it had been so good so far she was probably just going to buy it after.

The assignments can wait.

. . .

Blake shut the book with a satisfied smile. Hours later, when the day had already turned to night, and she had finally finished the book. And holy cow, it was so good. It’s definitely one of her top forty books, but she’s not quite sure where. She’d have to do some reevaluation of her list.

As always, this author writes a wonder of a story.

She hopes that the author decides to make a second book. She can already think of where they could build off of this first book and she’d love it if this world was explored again.

Honestly, she could gush about this book for hours upon hours. But she doesn’t. Mainly because she can only gush to her own mirror.

Yang isn’t a book person, like at all. She often teases Blake about stupid romance tropes that are definitely not in her books at all. Okay, maybe a little, but they’re done well!

And when it’s not that, she’s teasing about her taste in books like Ninjas of Love. Which isn’t the only kind of story she reads! Also, it’s a work of art! Sue her!

Ruby, like her older sister, isn’t a book person either. She will read stories if they’re in the form of comics. Mostly. She mainly only likes superhero stories.

Weiss does read books, but not even close to the same area as Blake’s reading range. Weiss almost only reads nonfiction, meaning the fiction romances that Blake reads are off the table.

So there’s no point in gushing about the book to them. They won’t get it, and they won’t care.

Blake was torn from her thoughts as her stomach grumbled at her. Yeah, maybe she shouldn’t have skipped eating to continue reading. She was going to just read one more chapter, which became one more chapter, which then…

Blake sighed, pulling herself off of her bed, book still in hand. She opened the door, leaving her room and entering the kitchen. Placing her book on the dining table, she started rummaging through the cabinets and fridge for her food.

She suddenly realized that Jaune and her hadn’t even discussed rules about food. They both just bought their own stuff and then used it. No issues so far, so no need to bring it up. Don’t want to make things even more awkward than they already are.

Blake wondered if Jaune cooked for himself. He bought a lot more ingredients for stuff than she did. She just kinda ate pre-made food or easily made food.

And now she’s placed her premade meal into the microwave, heating it up. Hopefully this would be enough to sate her for tonight, but she might need something extra since she ended up skipping a meal.

“Catrina Vercent, huh?” A voice suddenly murmured from behind her. She jolted upright, looking behind her in surprise.

Jaune was looking at the book she had placed on the table. He was looking at Shadows of the Stars.

“Haven’t read one of her books in a while.” He spoke to himself. His eyes darted upwards, staring straight into hers. His eyes froze when they connected with hers, the rest of his body following suit.

What…did he just say?

“You’ve read Catrina Vercent’s books before?” Blake questioned, her tone coming off more accusing than she had meant it.

“Oh, uh…yeah.” Jaune nodded. “I’m a fan of her Silent Masks trilogy.”

Right, one of her previous book series, revolving around a mute superhero’s descent into the dark side of their city and fighting to become a beacon of hope within it.

While it wasn’t her favorite of Catrina Vercent’s works, it was definitely an enjoyable read and not one she regretted. Blake didn’t dislike any of Vercent’s books. Part of why Vercent is one of her favorite authors.

“What’s your favorite part?” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she even realized she said them.

Jaune blinked away his surprise. “The plot twist in the first book. Threw me for a loop.”

“Mine is the ending of the second.” Blake replied. “You read books?”

It probably sounded more condescending than she meant it, but she couldn’t stop her voice of surprise.

“Every once in a while if I find one that sounds interesting.” He stated, lightly scratching his neck. “Or if one of my sisters demands I read one.”

She stood there, awkwardly standing there in silence. Jaune fiddled under her gaze, repeatedly glancing to and from her. He looked like a startled moose in headlights.

“You should read that one.” Blake suddenly spoke aloud. “It’s her newest work. It’s good.”

Jaune glanced down at the book, then back at her. “You sure?” He asked.

“Just finished it.” She nodded. “Just, uh…it’s a bowered book, so be careful.”

“Right…” Jaune glanced back down at the book, slowly picking it up. “…I’ll read it then. Thanks.”

Blake nodded to herself, grabbing her heated premade meal and quickly scurrying to her room. She shut the door, placed her premade meal on her counter, and face planted onto her bed.

Why did she do that?

Was she that desperate for someone who likes the same books as she does that she’d turn to Jaune? It’s not like she had something against the guy, but...

She never planned on talking to the guy much. She thought it was sometimes entertaining to listen to his and Ruby’s conversations, as well as witnessing the whole love triangle thing going on.

But that was her hobby of people-watching at play. She never planned to let him borrow a book to read! She’s just a whole slew of great ideas this summer, huh?

Please leave her precious book in one piece, Jaune…

Later that night she didn’t hear Jaune play video games like he did on many of his nights. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was reading the book.

Chapter Text

It was a week later when Blake would finally see her book again.

She was sitting on her bed, reading one of her old favorites, when there was a knock on her door. She jumped in her bed, almost throwing her book.

She was used to knocking on her door back in the team RWBY room, but that immunity had washed away over the summer because they just didn’t happen. Only one person could be knocking on her door…

She slowly opened it, and just as her heart dreaded, there stood Jaune. She had no idea what he wanted, but it was certainly cause for alarm.

This whole time, he had never approached her once. Never knocked on her door before. What could he possibly want…?

“Hey. I finished reading it.” He greeted with a small smile, Shadows of the Stars in his hand.

…Oh, right.

“How…was it?” Blake slowly asked.

“It was really good!” Jaune exclaimed. “I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! I’ve never really been into ninjas but now I wanna see more of them.”

Blake let out a breath of air she didn’t even know she was holding.

“I hope it gets a sequel.” Blake admitted. “They set up some interesting things for the next one.”

“Definitely.” Jaune nodded. “I think it’s going to happen. There were too many little hints. But it’s her newest, right? Probably won’t come out for a few years then.”

He passed the book back to Blake, who clutched it against her chest securely.

“Got any more good stories with ninjas?” Jaune wondered.

He…asked for recommendations?

“Yeah…” Blake meekly replied. “Let me grab the other one I have on me.”

She darted back into her room, putting away Shadows of the Stars and pulling out a book titled Twin Daggers: One Night. She then returned to the door Jaune still stood at, recommendation in hand.

“Here.” Blake handed him the book.

“Thanks Blake!” He grinned, walking back to his room.

Meanwhile, Blake stood there, questioning what just happened.

She took a moment, before shaking herself out of her stupor and walking back over to the book. She picked it back up, examining the cover and back closely. She did a quick flip through the pages, a broad check of all of them.

Huh. He kept it in pristine condition.

. . .

The next week passed about the same as the previous. Blake would work at Tukson’s Book Trade, come back to the apartment and read, procrastinate on her assignments (preparation for the next year didn’t need to be done until the end of summer, she had plenty of time) and every once in a while be roped into a call with the other members of team RWBY.

It wasn’t the most interesting summer, but she was content with it. She had all the alone time she ever wanted now. She found the perfect part time job in Tukson’s Book Trade (seriously, there couldn’t be one better than that for her). Sure, she was missing her team just a little bit, but seeing them through a scroll call helped alleviate the feeling.

Even things with Jaune had set into a sense of normalcy. They didn’t see each other any more often than before, but things were less awkward. Now whenever they happened to run into each other they’d give the other a simple greeting. Blake usually nodded, while Jaune often gave a small little wave.

She was getting more comfy with him being around, oddly enough. All of the little tells didn’t bother her as much as they did before. There were more nights where she couldn’t hear his muffled voice and she definitely wasn’t wondering if he was reading the book during them.

So yeah, things are good.

A little slow, a little boring. But that was perfect for her.

Well, that’s how the week was going until another knock sounded on her door the evening right before the weekend.

A pit didn’t form in her stomach this time as she walked over to the door to open it. There was a hesitation as she reached for the doorknob, but she quickly threw that away and opened the door back up.

“I finished it.” Jaune stood there with a small smile, Twin Daggers: One Night, in hand. “It was really good! But how could they leave us on that cliffhanger?”

He let out an audible groan as he shook his head. “Seriously, that was utterly despicable.”

Blake could feel the corners of her mouth tilt upwards.

“It is, isn’t it?” Blake said as she took the book from him. “Luckily for you, the sequel is already out. I had to wait two years.”

“Really?” Jaune grinned. “Awesome! Mind if I borrow it?”

“Oh, uh…I don’t actually have it on me.” Blake awkwardly replied.

She remembered reading Twin Daggers: One Night while she was in the White Fang. For the small times when she did have alone time, she would read books from her parent’s library.

She remembered trying to gush about them to Adam. He would let her talk about them, but he didn’t really listen. He was always focused on something else. She couldn’t really blame him, he was working his hardest for the White Fang’s cause.

But she couldn’t lie and say it didn’t hurt. Eventually she stopped talking about her books. He never said anything.

Ilia listened. She was the only one other than her parents who did. Blake wishes she said something to her before she separated from Adam on the train and ran away…

…but she was too much of a coward then to do so.

Well, not like that’s changed now.

She’s still just as much of a coward.

The bow is all the proof of that needed.

“Hey, you okay?” Jaune’s voice entered her ears.

She blinked, glancing up at Jaune who was now looking at her with a tinge of concern in his eyes. His hand was outstretched as if to put his hand on her shoulder, but it hovered a short distance away instead.

“You zoned out for a moment there.” Jaune softly said, staring into her eyes. They both stayed there for a brief second, making more eye contact than they had for the past year in the span of a single moment.

He had quite the dark blue eyes.

“I’m fine.” Blake shook her head. “I was just…thinking.”

“Alright.” Jaune replied. He didn’t look convinced, the man wore his heart on his sleeve. But he didn’t pry any further.

“Well, I guess I’ll just go and borrow the sequel from the library tomorrow then.” Jaune changed the subject back to what it originally was with surprising ease.

Blake wasn’t quite sure what motivated her to say the words that came out next. All they would bring was extra trouble and interaction. But for some reason, the words were blurted before she could stop them.

“I could get it for you.” Blake stated. “I, uh…I work at Tukson's Book Trade and I can borrow books from there. So I could just grab it and bring it back after my shift tomorrow.”

“Really? Thanks!” Jaune let out a bright grin that almost blinded her.

“Yeah…no problem…” Blake inwardly sighed.

Why has she done this to herself?

. . .

Seriously, why did she do this to herself?

She shouldn’t have made that stupid comment.

Because here she is, standing behind the counter at Tukson’s Book Trade…staring straight into the eyes of a Jaune Arc that just walked into the building.

“Why are you here?” Blake asked, her stare practically a glare.

“I was curious about the place since you mentioned it.” Replied Jaune, looking around the small store. “Looks like I picked a good time, it’s not that busy.”

“Well, it wasn’t busy a moment ago.” Blake simply stated.

Jaune was literally the only customer in the store right now. And here Blake was having a good time dissociating…

“Hey, I’m a customer, don’t be rude.” Jaune grinned.

“You haven’t bought anything.” Blake retorted.

“Yet.” Jaune smugly smiled.

Blake rolled her eyes in response.

“So, how are the books organized?” Jaune asked, leaning against the counter.

“There are signs for each section or genre. Then they’re in alphabetical order by the author’s name within the section.” Blake explained shortly.

“Gotcha.” Jaune nodded, pushing himself off the counter. “I’m gonna do a bit of exploring.”

He waved as he walked into one of the aisles, disappearing from her view. But she could still hear him shuffling through the store. The sound of a book getting picked up before being placed on a shelf. The sound of his footsteps as he walked down the aisle.

Despite the fact he wasn’t in her sight, she couldn’t feel anything other than his presence.

“Oh, I love this one!” Jaune’s voice resounded from further in the store.

He popped his head out from the aisle, waving a book in her direction with a goofy smile. He quickly walked back up, placing the book on the counter.

“The Man with Two Souls…” Blake muttered in surprise, looking up at Jaune. “You’ve read this one?”

“Of course, it’s a classic!” Jaune replied.

“Well, yeah, but…” Blake hesitated. “…I didn’t think gothic horror would be something you’re interested in.”

“Is that the genre?” Jaune mused to himself. “Explains why I found it in the horror section.”

Blake mentally facepalmed.

“My sister, Violet, demanded I read this one.” Jaune smiled to himself, an endearing look in his eyes. “I didn’t think I’d like it, but I actually really enjoyed it.”

Blake looked at him as he said those words and thought to herself that maybe she’s been underestimating him this whole time.

Not in combat. Not in studies.

But in the pure fact that she assumed Jaune was boring and uninteresting.

“What did you enjoy about it?” Blake softly asked.

“I enjoyed the whole mystery and horror aspects of it.” Jaune explained. “I definitely think this book opened me up to more media in those genres. And now I’m a decent fan of horror.”

“That, and the message of the book. At least, the message I perceived.” Jaune awkwardly chuckled.

“How did you interpret it?” Blake pushed further.

“Oh, well…” Jaune blinked in surprise before a warm smile overtook his face. “That there’s a darkness in all of us, and repressing it only makes it worse.”

Yeah, Blake certainly underestimated him.

“I can see that.” She nodded. “I’ve always read it as a personification of a man’s inner demons. I think we viewed this book similarly, in a way.”

“I guess so.” Jaune chuckled. “Oh wait, give me a moment!”

He grabbed the book, dashing back to where he found it and placed it back. He then quickly moved to another aisle and Blake could hear him as he looked through the books.

“Found it!” She could hear the grin on his face.

He came back up to the counter with a new book in hand, placing it down in front of her.

A Rusted Sword on Bloodied Tile.

“This is one of Violet’s favorites.” Jaune stated. “Have you read this one?”

“No, I haven’t.” Blake raised an eyebrow at the book. “What is it?”

“It’s like if someone took the Rusted Knight from The Girl Who Fell Through The World and dropped him into a modern crime novel.” Jaune explained.

Blake blinked at him. “…what?”

“Yeah, maybe not the best way of explaining it, but it’s best if you just experience it for yourself.” Jaune chuckled.

Blake looked down at the book, gingerly taking it into her hands. She ran her fingers along the cover, taking in the fact that for the first time in a long time…someone else recommended her a book.

“I’ll check it out.” Blake decided.

The bell above the door chimed as someone walked into the store.

“Now shoo, I have a customer.” Blake continued. “I’ll bring you the sequel to Twin Daggers after my shift.”

“How much longer is your shift?” Jaune asked.

“A half hour.” Blake replied as she glanced at the clock.

“Then I’ll just wait for you.” Jaune smiled.

Before she could voice an objection he walked back into the aisles of the store and the new customer approached the counter.

What?

. . .

Blake walked out of Tukson’s Book Trade, two books in hand. The sequel to Twin Daggers, along with the book that Jaune had recommended to her.

She wasn’t sure what was more unbelievable.

The fact that Jaune recommended her a book, or the fact that Jaune was currently walking beside her as they headed back to the apartment.

And they were actually talking. Actually having a conversation. She’s talked to him more today than in the past two weeks. She’s talked to him more today than ever before.

And it was actually pleasant. She wasn’t minding it as much as she thought she would. And that was actually the most unbelievable thing.

Jaune was currently talking about this superhero book he read a while back and she found it mildly interesting. Enough not to dissociate in the middle of their conversation. While she wasn’t saying much, she was actually listening.

As they arrived at the apartment and entered it she couldn’t help but feel how strange it was to return not by herself, but with Jaune next to her.

Jaune wrapped up what he was saying as she passed him the sequel. With a wave and a hop he entered his room.

Blake opened the door to hers, closing it gently behind her. She walked over to her bed, immediately throwing herself onto it. She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

And then she looked at the book still in her hand.

A Rusted Sword on Bloodied Tile.

And she opened to the first page.

Chapter Text

Peace. Quiet. Shade.

Three of the greatest elements to an enjoyable experience reading outside. Blake had perched herself up into a tree, reading this new book that Jaune had recommended her.

The sun was shining and it had been quite hot this summer so far and it was only going to get worse. But thankfully she found quite the large tree with a surplus of leaves to provide a nice, shaded cover.

Blake enjoyed reading outside. It provided a much different atmosphere compared to reading inside. It was funny how doing the same activity in a different environment made it feel so different.

Blake liked reading in multiple places. It got too boring and constricting if she could only read in one place.

Back in the dorm, that wasn’t a big issue. Of course there was her bed in team RWBY’s dorm room, but she also found her own little spot in the library, a few different spots in trees across the campus, and even an abandoned classroom.

Point was, she had her escapes for when she needed peace and quiet or wanted to read somewhere else.

But not having access to Beacon removed all of those spaces from being options, and she had been confined to only using her room in the apartment she was sharing with Jaune.

There was one common room, part kitchen, but they didn’t have anything in there. There hadn’t been any point in getting any furniture, so the non-kitchen part of it had been left mostly empty.

And even if there was furniture there, she wouldn’t have read there anyways. Jaune could enter the apartment at any moment and come across that. It would be awkward.

She’s been searching for another spot, and finally she found one! A really nice, large, sturdy tree in one of Vale’s parks. This park wasn’t the closest to the apartment, but it wasn’t too far. Not convenient, but worked for when she really had that itch to change up scenery.

Such as now.

And it wasn’t too busy or loud at this time. Of course there was some level of noise, that would be impossible to escape at this time of day in the park. But compared to the other parks, this was more peaceful.

So here she was, perched up in a tree, reading that book Jaune recommended.

A Rusted Sword on Bloodied Tile.

She was about halfway through the book and had some…thoughts.

Frankly, the book was a mess. She had no idea what would happen next because the story was going in all sorts of directions. The small explanation Jaune gave for the story, as strange as it seemed, was perfectly accurate to the story’s premise. At least, until things got crazier.

She’s sure there’s been three different plot twists so far and she’s only halfway through the book. She hasn’t even hit the climax!

It wasn’t the sort of book she would usually read. In fact, if she had read the back of the book herself, she probably would’ve just put it back onto the shelf.

While Blake didn’t only read romance, it was what she looked for first. If there wasn’t romance, a story had to have a really catching premise for her in order for her to pick it up. She was strangely picky when it came to non-romance stories.

There was probably a subconscious thing there, about how despite how much she doesn’t show it, romance actually matters a lot to her and that’s something she desperately wants some day.

But she could unpack that a later day, she’s busy reading this strange story.

The book wasn’t her style at all.

But, strangely enough…she was enjoying it.

In fact, she was even looking forward to telling Jaune her thoughts about it. Since when has that occurred?

Anyways, it was nice to read something outside of her usual. Especially since she was actually having a good time reading it, contrary to what she expected.

She could definitely see why Jaune liked it, and if his sister was anything like him, why she did as well. But she never expected that to cross over with her tastes.

She was cut off from her thoughts as her scroll started ringing. She placed her bookmark in the book, closing it and leaving it in her lap as she pulled her scroll out.

It was a call from Yang.

She answered it, Yang’s face appearing onto the screen. She had a large grin on her face as her eyebrow perked up.

“Are you in a tree right now?” Yang amusedly grinned.

Blake rolled her eyes in response. “Yes, and it was quite peaceful as well. What is it, Yang?”

“Just checking on my sweet little Blakey.” Yang said in an exaggerated, overly sweet kind of way.

“Blake!” Yang’s head was suddenly shoved to the side as Ruby appeared on the scroll. “How’s it going?”

“Just the usual, Ruby.” Blake smiled lightly. “How’s it going with your trip?”

“It’s been awesome!” Ruby excitedly replied. “There was this one guy with this unbelievable weapon! It was all like swoosh-“

“Anyways-“ Yang pushed her way back onto the screen, ignoring Ruby’s indignant squeak in response. “You do anything other than reading this summer yet?”

Blake sighed. “Yang, I’ve been having a perfectly fine summer just reading. It’s a blessing actually, not having to deal with your noise.” She ended her sentence with a smirk, trying to make it abundantly clear it was a joke.

“Yeah, yeah, but you love it.” Yang smirked back. “Seriously though, you should do something different! I don’t know how you don’t get bored doing one hobby every day.”

“Because it’s not the same. Each book is its own experience.” Blake replied. “I’m reading something different right now.”

She held the book up with her other hand, waving it in front of the scroll to show Yang and Ruby.

“Oooh, that one sounds cool!” Ruby chimed in.

“So what’s the romance plot of this one?” Yang chuckled.

“No romance plot.” Blake corrected.

“Really?” Yang quirked an eyebrow up. “That is different.”

“I read other books than romance, you know.” Blake replied.

“Not that I’ve seen!” Yang barked out a laugh. “What got you to try that one?”

“Ja…just really liked the synopsis, I guess.” Blake quickly corrected herself.

If either of them noticed the slight slip up, they didn’t say anything about it. Yang started talking about something else, and the three of them got lost in conversation for another half hour.

Eventually Yang and Ruby had to hang up, leaving Blake alone again in the tree. She leaned her head back against the trunk, closing her eyes as she took a moment of pure silence.

Yeah, she did miss them.

Just a little.

Only a little.

She checked the time on her scroll. It was starting to get late, she should probably head back to the apartment now.

It was getting to the point where the sun was starting to set. Slow, and late, just as it always was during summer. But setting nonetheless. And she’d rather not walk the dark streets of Vale alone.

She hopped down from her tree, putting her scroll away and tucking her book under her arm. She proceeded to head back to the apartment in silence.

It was when she finally made it back to the apartment, opening the door quietly, that she was met with a strange sight.

She silently shut the door behind her, watching as Jaune paced back and forth in the empty part of the apartment. One hand cupping his chin, the other on his hip as he walked in circles.

She doesn’t think she’s ever quite seen him like this.

She's seen him when he was goofy, joking around at the lunch table. She's seen him be focused, desperately studying in the library before exams. She's seen him be reserved when there was that whole bullying thing with Cardin. She’s seen him be confident when leading his team in practice or strumming his guitar outside their room to try and woo Weiss.

But this?

He was uncertain. Worried. Neither of that was new, exactly. Everyone had their moments. Jaune especially had more as the leader of JNPR.

So that wasn’t new either.

And yet, despite that…this time was different.

She wasn’t sure how she could tell. She just could. Maybe they had grown a little closer. But something was bothering him, and in a way different from what she’s seen before.

Blake walked past the kitchen, slowly approaching him. Should she say something? Would it be better to just leave him alone? She wasn’t exactly sure what the right move was here. Someone like Pyrrha or Ruby would’ve been better suited for this moment.

Instead, all he had was Blake.

“Hey.” Blake softly greeted.

Jaune froze for a moment, shoulders tight with tension, before he sighed and they slumped forwards. He looked back at her with a tired smile, eyes wavering. “Hey Blake.”

“Something’s up.” She said, placing the book on the kitchen counter.

That was not the right thing to say. She should’ve asked if he was alright or something. Even though obviously something was going on.

“That obvious, huh?” Jaune weakly chuckled.

“Yeah.” Blake simply replied.

They stood there in silence for a moment. Blake mentally berated herself for doing such a shit job at the moment. She was terrible at this!

“You, uh…can talk about it.” Blake finally got something out. It didn’t come out right. It sounded hamper half-hearted than she meant. “I don’t mind.”

“Thanks.” Jaune simply said, walking over and leaning onto the kitchen counter. He stared out into space for a moment, another silence overtaking the two of them.

Blake subtly shifted back and forth on her feet. She was so out of her depth here. She was good at observing people and interacting based on that. She hadn’t ever observed Jaune like this. And she wasn’t exactly that good at comforting either.

Her parents were, but she decided to go and run off with a terrorist boyfriend who would’ve blown up a train if she hadn’t fled with it before she could learn from them. So yeah, her lack of comforting skills was on her.

“My parents called.” Jaune finally spoke, breaking the silence.

“I thought you had a good relationship with them?” Blake blinked in surprise.

Again, not the right move Blake. Come on!

“I do.” Jaune lightly smiled. “But I…”

He sighed, drumming his fingers against the counter. He glanced her way. “I ran away from home to come to Beacon and kinda haven’t talked to them since.”

Blake blinked multiple times in surprise.

That hit too close to home.

That was surprisingly similar to herself.

She hadn’t thought Jaune and her had any similarities at all. Then he showed enough of an interest in books. Okay, sure. Surprised.

But this?

This was something different.

“Then the call…?” Blake whispered.

“I didn’t answer.” Jaune shamefully replied, looking away. “I…I couldn’t bring myself to.”

Silence washed over them.

“You okay with…telling me this?” Blake asked.

It was a foolish question. He had already shared it. But to share such a thing with her was surprising. Something deeper with him than she’s ever heard from him before.

Especially when it rang so close to her heart.

“Of course.” Jaune weakly smiled in response. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Friends.

Friends.

Friends…

Jaune truly did see her as a friend, didn’t he?

Even though he barely knew anything about her. Even though they’ve barely talked. And sure, they’ve talked more because of this whole weird apartment arrangement.

But she could just tell he would’ve said that before this summer as well.

That was who Jaune was.

Kind to a fault. Overly trusting. Pleasant and noble. A golden retriever in human form.

“Yeah. We are.” Blake lightly smiled.

Jaune nodded, looking back out into the distance. She wondered if a war was raging in his mind. Of shame, fear, disgust, anger, sadness.

Because that’s how she felt when she thinks about how she ran away from her parents and hasn't gotten the nerve to talk to them since.

Cowardly.

Alone.

“I ran from home too.” Blake suddenly stated.

Jaune looked at her in surprise.

“I also haven’t talked to them since.” Blake stated. “It’s…I just…I understand.” She finally settled with.

Silence overtook them once again. But this time it was different. It wasn’t awkward and suffocating. It wasn’t off and disrupting.

It was peaceful. Understanding.

Jaune was smiling at her, looking the brightest he had his whole time. And Blake couldn’t help but feel herself letting a small smile slip as well.

In that moment, they understood what the other was feeling.

It was strange.

But nice.