Studying in the library

Blake sat at a table in the corner of Beacon's library, alone. With Ruby and Yang being so loud all the time, Blake sometimes found it difficult to focus on actually getting her schoolwork done. She didn't resent her teammates for this. She just did her work better when she had relative silence.

And it was during this time, while she was finishing up her work for History of Remnant, that she received a text from her friend, Sun Wukong.

S: Hey! Are you busy right now?

Blake hesitated before responding. She knew he was of a more high-spirited nature, similar to Ruby and Yang. He often tried to be calmer when around Blake, but he couldn't keep his true self down. As such, he'd likely try to rope her into some insane scenario that had gotten out of hand. Like last month, which started with him and Neptune having a video game tournament in their dorm, and ended with Sun in the hospital with broken glass in his hand.

Ultimately, her curiosity won out, and she sent a text back.

B: No. I'm just finishing up my class work. Why?

Sun's response was almost instant.

S: Great! I actually need some help with my homework for history. Do you think you could help me?

Blake stopped and re-read the message twice, to make sure she understood. Sun was actively seeking help in his studies? He wasn't a bad student by any means, but he just seemed like the type to be satisfied with B's and C's. If he was asking for help, he must really be struggling.

B: Sure. Come by the library. I'm in the back corner, by the emergency exit.

Sun sent a thumbs up emoji, and Blake sat back down, waiting for her new study partner to arrive.

To her surprise, Sun arrived in only a few minutes. He had his backpack slung over his shoulder, setting it down on the floor and taking a seat across from Blake.

"Hey! Thanks for doing this," he said, pulling his notebook out of his backpack. "I thought I understood this stuff, but then I totally blanked when I actually sat down to do the work."

"It's no problem," Blake said neutrally. Truthfully, she did want to go back to her dorm and relax. However, she didn't mind staying a little longer if it was to help a fellow student.

"What, exactly, are you struggling with?"

They then spent the next hour or so going back over the material from class. Since they were in the back corner, they weren't disturbed by anyone else. Also, Blake was a surprisingly good teacher. Sun found himself retaining what she told him far better than when he was in class.

"...and then after that defeat, General Wachin returned home in disgrace with only a tenth of the men he left with."

"And then he retired right after that, right?" Sun asked, feeling proud he knew this story enough to finish it for Blake. "And he spent the rest of his life in Argus?"

"Well, it wasn't called Argus at the time, but yes. He died in his sleep almost three years later."

"Got it," Sun said, making a note in his book. "And...I think that's it! That's the whole lesson!"

"And you think you understand it all, now?"

"Yep! I've got it now." Sun smiled at her. "Seriously, Blake, thank you so much for doing this. It was a big help."

"You're welcome," Blake responded, gathering her items and loading them back into her bag. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be getting back to my team."

"Yeah, for sure," Sun nodded. "And, hey! If there's anything I can do to return the favor, just give me a call."

Blake wasn't sure if she'd take him up on that, but she appreciated the offer all the same.

"I'll be sure to keep you in mind," Blake said, turning and walking out of the library and back to her dorm.

Once she was gone, though, Sun stood and started to walk out himself when something caught his eye on the floor.

"What's this?" he asked to no one in particular as he bent down. Picking it up, he quickly saw that it was a book. Given how close it was to the table, it could only have been one of Blake's books that had fallen out of her bag or something.

"Huh. Well, the least I could do is get this back to her," Sun thought out loud. It was at that moment, though, that he noticed the cover. Ninjas of Love: Vol 8.

"Ah, a romance novel. Not a bad choice."

As he walked out of the library, Sun idly read the synopsis on the back, curious if it was something he might be interested in. He was always down to try something at least once.

However, as he did this, he realized it wasn't a romance novel in the traditional sense. It claimed to have romance, yes, but that wasn't the focus. No, the main draw was more...adult.

Blake's into this stuff? Sun thought, stepping out of the building and into the cool evening air. Shit...