Lullaby

RWBY

Written from the perspective of Blake Belladonna

Summary: Post-Ep5 spoilers. Blake has been having trouble sleeping and gets irritated with her team for worrying about the dance. When she happens to run into a dejected Jaune on a jog, Blake's sleep deprivation leads to… Based on an idea from God Emperor of Chaos.

Author's Notes: Based on an idea from God Emperor of Chaos. THE IDEA HAD EVERYTHING. Waff, light-hearted, potential ecchi. Exactly the sort of stuff I love to write.

As always, feel free to PM or leave an idea in a review.

Evil… they're out there. Plotting their next move. Waiting in the shadows.

White Fang. Torchwick. They're out there and my team does nothing to stop them. All that's on their mind is that stupid dance and who they're going to take as their stupid date and being like stupid children. They don't understand how serious this all is. We can't be goofing off while the enemies of the world gather. Ready to strike.

So stupid…

There's a limit to what I could accomplish cooped up here in the library, but after the incident with the mech Ozpin forbade any movements back. Indefinitely. So until he feels he can trust us again to go to town to shop for shoes and dresses instead of investigating, the best I can do is research everything I can.

I've gotten through seven books on the history of the White Fang tonight. By this point, I probably know more about it than its mid-level hierarchy. I knew every leader of the White Fang since its inception and everyone in the inner circle. I knew their childhoods and pasts and what discrimination they suffered. How the human rule oppressed them. Forced them to live in shadows.

Correction. Forced us to live in shadows. The empathy leaks out from time to time.

I groaned in my armchair, tucked away in a reading corner of the library. The library was empty, naturally. Nobody here took anything seriously, including studying. In a sense, I'm grateful for that. The library's become a bit like my private sanctuary. I'm here so often, the elderly librarian lady offered to make me a student librarian. I declined. I'll be busy soon.

Another page. Another headache. Another page. Another headache.

These books just drone on and on about how much the White Fang has suffered. They rarely discussed tactics or motivations and head into speculation of future strategies. These books are stuck in the past while I'm worrying about the future.

Worthless writers.

"H-Hey Blake," came a voice behind me.

"Sun? What do you want?" I added a bit of a growl to my voice, hoping he'd take the hint. "Make it quick," I said flipping a page. The headache spiked. "I've got research to do."

"S-so… remember earlier today I said that dance was lame…?

"It is indeed lame."

"Yeah, totally lame. But I'm thinking… dinner? You. Me… less lame?"

"No."

"But Blake-"

"No. No talking in the library. Leave me alone."

"O-Okay. I'll see you around…"

I hope he never does, I thought watching his tail limp to the ground. When Sun left, another distraction was gone. Good. He wasn't taking this seriously. Then again, nobody was. Just me. All alone, trying to make sure there'd be no more senseless bloodshed.

Even if I'm the only one bleeding. No one else will have to suffer. I'm fine with that.

The librarian lady came by to tell me it was late but as I could say as long as I wanted. She handed me to the key and said enjoy before departing. She left a plate of cookies and milk for me. She also had a small note that read: take a break!

Sigh. I do kind of need a break.

The hours went by and it became the dead of night. Sleep didn't come easily to me anymore. My stomach would hurt. My limbs would become sore and my back aches. Then, of course, my head would experience splitting headaches and I'd see doubles or visions. Hallucinations from those I've stolen from, those I've beaten. Those I've… killed.

Because once, I hated humans. Detested them. Loathed them. They oppressed us and made us slaves. Lesser beings unworthy of any rights or respect or decency. It makes me smile when the memory of them crying and begging for mercy returns. Sometimes in class, I absentmindedly doodle images of their graves in the hundreds or the look of oh-so-proud politicians and businessmen reduced to sobbing messes when their families are found in pieces.

Ha.

Can't sleep. Need a drink.

There was no drinking fountain inside the library so I went outside to the courtyard. The air was cool and helped clear my mind. I've only ever really felt alive at night, when everything is so quiet. Taking a drink, I was glad that there's no idiots talking.

"Yo Blake. Drinking water?"

I looked up from the fountain and saw Jaune, sweaty and in a jogging outfit. Normally my nose could pick up on odors, especially a smelly one like his. I guess the lack of sleep is messing with my senses.

"Jaune, what are you doing here?"

"Taking a jog to clear my mind."

"What's bothering you?" I asked out of courtesy. I wasn't really interested.

"Oh it's… Oh. You weren't there at the dorms were you? Well, I had this funny idea to serenade Weiss with a song right? So I stole-I mean, I borrowed Ren's guitar and went at it. Yeah, didn't fly so well and she shot me down."

"What do you even see in her?" I asked out of instinct. I was annoyed because such a little problem was bothering him when there's bigger issues out there in the world.

"She's a good person."

"That's it? That's all you see in her?"

Jaune shrugged. "I'm no love expert. Hey, I think Yang said you're a fan of kinky romance. Like… with samurais or shoemakers?" Yang. I'm going to murder you. "Wait. Blake. You can coach me on how to woo Weiss!"

"Woo her? That's an old fashioned term."

"My dad says it. He's always 'gotta woo her' this or 'try this to woo her' that. I think if he was here he'd tell me to just give up and go for the next girl on my list."

"And what would be…?"

Jaune shrugged. "Interested, Blake? Want some 'one on Jaune' time?"

"Think I'll pass…"

"Eh. Worth a shot. So what about you, Blake? You look terrible."

"I haven't been keeping up appearances."

"And it shows!"

"Jaune, you absolutely no sense of tact."

"What's a 'sense of tack'? Is it one of those things you use to pin up posters? Like… I can sense when I'm about to step on something pointy? Because sure I step on sharp, pointy things a lot but still. It's not like I'm trying to step on them. They just keep ending up under my foot."

I'm wasting so much time talking to this idiot.

"I'm going to back inside the library now," I said turning around. Jaune followed me.

"Hey! I'm not doing much. Mind if I stick around?"

"Sure… why not. Just be quiet."

Making my way back to the comfort of my arm chair, I took a seat and plucked another book from the pile. So begins my watch as I began flipping through the pages. I had a thousand and eighty-two to burn through before morning on 'Terror or Madness: The Leaders of the White Fang'.

Jaune read comic books. Naturally. Quietly, at least.

My eyelids had grown weak. But each time they came closer to shutting for good, a sharp pain from the back of my head brought me back awake. My head was drooping but my mind wouldn't go along.

Classic insomnia.

"Can't sleep?" Jaune asked as he put down the comic and helped himself to some of the leftover cookies. "You know what helps me? Besides a nice glass of milk?" Jaune asked as he took a drink of my glass of milk.

"No. What?"

Yes. I was very annoyed.

"A lullaby."

"That's stupid," I said. "I'm not a child. I don't need a stupid lullaby to go to sleep. I can go to sleep if I tried…" I closed my eyes and forced myself to dream. It became dark. Before an instant had passed in the dream world I woke up, Jaune over me and his arms gripping my shoulders.

"Blake! Blake!"

"J-Jaune?" I was sweating and panting. I could feel my face flushed red as blood rushed towards it. I looked to my hands and found my palms wet. "Wh-what happened?"

"You went to sleep for literally a minute because you started screaming."

"I d-did?"

He nodded, checking my pulse and putting his palm to my head. Jaune was worried.

But, for some reason, it felt nice.

"Good thing I had a towel for my jog. I didn't use it, I promised." Jaune took a towel tucked in his pocket and used it to wipe the sweat from my head, neck and hands. "Oh, you might want to do this yourself."

The taste in my mouth was bitter and sulfuric. I need to brush my teeth. "It's okay," I said taking the towel from him. "Thanks. I'll handle it." I undid my collar and unbuttoned my shirt to slide the towel down into my chest and towards my heart. It felt refreshing.

Forgot Jaune was there. He got a decent look.

"B-Blake!"

Ugh. What can I say? Sleep deprivation made me forget. It was also making me feel more primal. More feral. Running on fumes made me think I was more of an animal living on instinct. Licking my lips, I asked him a question:

"Enjoy the view?"

"Y-yeah," he stammered. Oh, what an innocently honest boy. I pulled Jaune by the scruff of his shirt and stood up. Pulling him downward, I threw him onto the chair. He once looked worried, he now looked terrified. Good.

Lack of sleep was making me lose my mind.

I pounced on him, feeding off his warmth. I wanted sleep. I wanted something. My mind wasn't thinking but my heart told me Jaune had what I needed.

"Sing me that lullaby."

Jaune was quiet. Then he tried to reason. I told him to shut up and sing. He sang.

"Happy?"

His arms were wrapped around me and my head resting on his chest. Resting. That's something I haven't done in a while. His heartbeat felt like a simple, rythm. It reminded me of nursery rhymes for children. The kind that helps them sleep through thunderstorms and dream of snow angels.

"It was nice."

"Thanks. Mom sang it for me when I got nightmares."

"What did you have nightmares about?"

"I went to school in just my underwear. It did happen a few times…"

I laughed. "That's silly…" I said cuddling deeper into his chest. He was slowly becoming my nest. The library was my sanctuary, but Jaune was the lair of the beast within.

"Ha. You should get some sleep."

"I should… this is nice… you can be my personal full-body pillow."

"Only if you help me woo Weiss," said Jaune stroking my head.

"Forget Weiss," I said.

"But who am I going to take the dance?"

"No one," I said. "You're going to be here in the library with me while all the others are at their little dance with their stupid dates."

"Oh," Jaune patted my head gently. "Sounds fun."

"Liar."

Sleep had begun to drift upon me as Jaune continued to hold me. My mind had yet to take the leap to the dream world but already I was feeling my strength rejuvenated and the temporary madness of mind settled.

Well. The madness was almost over.

"Say… Jaune…"

"Hm?"

"I've been working on a book… and I was thinking instead of the dance, we could re-enact some scenes I've been trying to write… to get the feeling of it just right."

A soft pad on the head. "Sure."

I smiled. Now where did I leave my manuscript of 'S-Mutt'…?

Lullaby Fin