What If

Portrait--Bumbleby

It was a Saturday with no classes, a perfect time for team bonding. Usually the weekends found students milling about campus, enjoying the break in their extensive training, but this weekend had all the teams hiding in their rooms. The week before had been heavy with classes and training, all the professors putting in a final push for the end of the semester. 

Ruby, usually bouncing off the walls on weekends, allowed them to sleep late into the morning. It wasn't until noon that everyone was up and dressed, each retreated into their separate corners of the room. Blake read, Weiss studied, Ruby polished Crescent Rose, and Yang sketched. Ruby didn't like being idle for long though, and soon she was pacing around the room, peering over Blake's shoulder to see what she was reading, or poking Weiss to distract her from her studying.

"Ruby, please. I'm trying to work here," Weiss snapped, swatting away Ruby's finger and giving her a cold glare. Ruby pouted and sprang up to Yang's bunk, settling into her sister's side.

"I'm bored," Ruby whined, nudging Yang impatiently. "We've slept, let's do something!"

"We'll do something tomorrow," Yang reassured her, keeping her eyes fixed on her sketch. "Let's just rest today."

"Ugh," Ruby groaned, huffing and flopping back onto Yang's pillow. "Worst Saturday ever." When no one bothered to respond, she dragged herself up and rested her head on Yang's shoulder, watching her sketch. "That looks really good," she said after a while and Yang glanced at her.

"Thanks. It's the first time Zwei actually stayed still long enough for me to draw him." 

"Wait, you can draw?" Weiss asked, turning in her chair to look at Yang quizzically. 

"A little," Yang said with a shrug, but Ruby pushed her playfully.

"A little? You draw all the time!" Ruby beamed but Yang just shrugged.

Weiss approached the bunks "Can I see?" Yang passed Weiss her sketchbook, and when she saw the picture of Zwei, her eyes widened. "Wow, Yang, I'm impressed."

"Oh, well, you know," Yang laughed sheepishly while Ruby hugged her tightly.

 "Do you draw people too?" Weiss continued, and Yang nodded.

"A little, though it's hard to find the time or the reference," she answered.

"Well, how about Blake?" Weiss flicked her hand at Blake, who up until now had been quietly curled up with her book, pretending like she wasn't listening. Now she sat up, her eyes wide and alert.

"No, it's fine, I don't have to," Yang said quickly, snatching her sketchbook from Weiss's hands. It's not that she didn't want  to, it was just that... well... it was Blake.

"Wait!" Ruby cut in, bouncing a little on the bed. "This could actually be a really good team building exercise! One on patience." Yang gave her sister an incredulous look, but Blake was shrugging.

"I'm okay with it either way, so long as I get to read my book," she answered, her expression devoid of all emotion. Inside she was screaming. Blake repositioned herself, sprawled out on her side with her nose in her book. Yang, closely followed by Ruby, hopped from her bed and sat on Weiss's, flipping to a clean page in her notebook.

First she sketched the outline of the face, the curve of the cheeks and the sweep of the jawline. Once she had a basic shape, she moved on to the neck and the shoulders, deciding she'd focus on the book and Blake's face. She found herself smiling slightly as she traced the wisps of dark hair framing Blake's face, the way it curled gently and fell around her shoulders. When it came time to do her facial features, she hardly needed a reference. Yang was a bit surprised by how easily the shape of the eyes came, the worried, serious tilt of her brows and the way her mouth pinched when she was reading. All the while, Ruby and Weiss were watching the sketch unfold.

Blake kept her eyes on her book until she heard Ruby laugh, and Blake let her gaze flick up. Yang's face was close to her sketchbook, her brows furrowed in concentration and her lips moving slightly as she muttered something to herself. It was cute to see how she had smudged a bit of graphite on her nose somehow. Yang's eyes flicked up and Blake quickly glanced away, blushing slightly and trying to focus on reading. But she soon found herself watching Yang draw again, admiring the way her violet eyes got all sparkly when she was focused. Blake stared until Yang straightened her shoulders, flipping her sketch around for Blake to see. She couldn't help it--she gasped.

Blake doubted it was a particularly accurate depiction--she looked so elegant and thoughtful in the picture. The shading around one side of her face made her look mysterious, as if the book she read was full of secrets instead of the smutty romance it was. It made her blush to think this was how Yang saw her.

"I'm so proud of you!" Ruby gushed, her eyes glowing. Yang grinned and rolled her eyes, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Hello!" Pyrrah sang, sticking her head through the door. "We were just going to spar and wondered if you would like to come?" Ruby was already grabbing Crescent Rose before she even finished.

"Ladies," their team leader began, turning to face them, "this will continue when we get back. Weiss, you're next." With that, she turned and hurried to follow Pyrrah out the door. Weiss and Yang quickly got their weapons, but Blake hesitated, pausing to look at Yang's sketchbook, still laying on Weiss's bed with the picture of Blake.

"It's really pretty, don't you think?" Weiss said with a knowing smile. Blake just blushed and rushed out the door to join team JNPR waiting in the hall.