There were some days in which Blake just felt down.

Not as in the physical version, although her posture was probably suffering from all the slouching she did while reading. No, Blake was feeling depressed. Not quite depressed, I suppose, just down.

It was days like these that Blake retreated into the world of the written world entirely. True, she spent a lot of time in the library, reading from the myriad of books that the Beacon library held and true, to the average passerby, it wouldn't seem any different from how Blake normally was. But to Blake it was different.

As Blake turned page after page, she wasn't so much trying to enjoy the fairy tale she read as much as she was trying to get lost in it, pulled away from reality and its melancholy ways, by fully immersing herself in the struggles of the fictional characters. It barely mattered what the story she was reading about even concerned, all it mattered was how much she could escape life by delving into it, by losing herself to a book's tales.

If I had to be completely honest, it's a coping mechanism.

Over years, Blake had turned to books when life hadn't been even remotely fair. While she may have been considered a terrorist or even less-then-human because of her ears, books held a solace to Blake, a place where none of that mattered. The books and their stories didn't care if a human or a Faunus read them. A book couldn't discriminate. It just… was.

Perhaps that's why I like them so much? Blake idly mused as she turned the page, it's one place where all are equal. Blake had dedicated her life to fighting for equal rights for her people, yet it was only in the confines of the pages of musty tomes that she found that equality in effect.

Those musty tomes held stories of intrigue, of battle, epic adventures and of romance. Stories that were timeless in their telling… even after reading them several times, Blake always found a new tidbit, or a new angle in them when she reread them. It was… nice. More than nice, it provided a safe haven for Blake to be in, a place where her mind could roam freely, exploring the narrative without having to feel that downward feeling. To feel that her struggles for most of her life had been pointless endeavors, that they only made humans hate and mistrust the Faunus more.

The others are probably worried about me. At first her teammates and friends didn't know what to do when Blake went off to the library on her own, day in and day out. Most of them probably assumed that Blake was just doing what she normally did, spending most of her waking time reading… that there was no difference between the urgent speeds at which she read now compared to her usual leisurely pace.

Weiss left Blake to her own devices the vast majority of the time, so it really was not difference in that regard. Blake's own partner had probably picked up on it… there had been a number of times when Yang had joined Blake in her library excursions. As much as Blake appreciated her partner's support, she'd also wanted to be alone. Yang seemed to have figured it out after a time, although she still checked up on Blake every so often. Ruby was different.

I might consider her the person I am the closest to, but I wish sometimes she'd notice. It was a selfish thought to be sure, but there were times when Blake felt very selfish. It wasn't that Ruby didn't notice so much as she seemed to give Blake an inordinate amount of space. Which, was nice in its own way, Blake would rather have the opposite at times like these. Perhaps I'm just being selfish, Blake shook her head before turning the page only to find she was at the end of the book. Setting the book down, Blake got up to get a new one. I suppose I just try a new one for once, instead of rereading wh-

Blake's thoughts stopped as she swore she saw a red blur dart into the aisles of books.

I could have sworn that was Ruby… Shaking her head at what must have been a figment of her imagination, Blake settled back down in her chair with a new book and started to read.

That must have been my imagination... or could it have been her? Blake peered over top of her book, only for the red blur to briefly appear, disappearing once more into the aisles. This isn't my imagination is it?

This time Blake started to walk as silently as she could towards the aisle before looking around the corner. The only occupant of said aisle was a cloaked shorter girl, with red tinged hair who was doing a remarkable job at hiding in the hood of a red cloak. "Ruby?"

"Oh, Hi Blake, um, fancy meeting you here…" Ruby awkwardly shuffled her feet. "I…um…uh… I was reading this book!" The teen held up a small book, whose title Blake could barely make out.

"You were reading a book on lion taming?" Blake raised an unamused eyebrow. "Interesting."

"I..um…" Ruby's shoulders slumped. "No, I wasn't."

"…"

"...you were being sorta kinda moody and I was worried, okay?"

"Moody?" The eyebrow continued to be raised.

"Yeah." Ruby slowly nodded as she nervously fiddled with the book. "Sometimes you get really quiet and just start reading. Yang said that's when you wanted to be alone, buuuut I'm the team leader and you're friend, so I wanted to make sure you were okay." At this point Ruby had started to ramble at a speed that hinted at her semblance. "But you looked like you were really into the books and I didn't want to disturb you but I wanted to check on you an-"

"Wait." Blake held up her hand finally stopping the myriad of words, her brain slowly processing them. "How long have you been here?"

"Um… since two books ago?"

Blake thought for a moment. "So about six hours?"

"I… guess?" Ruby shrugged.

Blake sighed, and all this time I thought she was just avoiding me. "You know you could have come at any point…" Blake tried to give Ruby a reassuring smile, although it felt like a weak one, even to herself. "I don't mind you when I want to be alone." With that, Blake turned around to walk back towards her chair…

…Or would have, had two small arms closed around her, a red cloak wrapping around her. "You know we're worried when you get like this, right?" It was Ruby's voice to be sure, but it sounded smaller than how it normally did, almost fragile. "I… I worry a lot."

That small, fragile voice tugged at Blake, her arms wrapping around the smaller teen, the two almost entirely covered in Ruby's cloak. "I don't… I don't want you to worry Ruby, I'm fine." Blake slowly shook her head. "I'm fine."

"A-a-are you sure?" Ruby's head shifted, so the two were face to face. "Do you… do you want me to go then?"

The Faunus shook her head vehemently. "No. No I don't." A small smile tugged at the corners of Blake's mouth. "Actually… would you like to read with me?"

"Only if I get to pick the book…"

"Deal."

AU: Heeeey look at this. It has feelings and stuff. Yay.

I have to imagine that Blake reads a lot for why I did in middle school and highschool, as a form of a coping mechanism with life. I'm not saying my childhood was bad, just I had social anxiety and it helped me deal with that. Blake probably has other issues, but the effect is the same. Dunno, it's a headcanon of mine.

This is mostly inspired by Dani (booksandweapons)'s doodle of Ruby hugging Blake and covering her with the cloak. Also sorta a belated birthday present for her. Happy extremely belated birthday Dani!

Next chapter I will post will be Spoon Equality on Friday, and Dilation will next in a week, so next Tuesday!

Thanks for reading everyone, and have a great day! :D