Blake: My gods. They say it's always the quiet ones, but the sweet ones have us beaten, man.
Weiss: “When one sees this level of degeneracy, it makes one think, even if to keep their mind off what they just saw drawn/written. . . Who else could be similar?”
Pyrrha: “G-guys! Sorry but could give those back! You weren’t supposed to see them! Please!”
Blake: “The other most sweet one is Ruby. . . One has to wonder.”
Yang: “My little sister would never stoop to a level like this!”
Pyrrha: “It’s not that bad!”
Blake: “It’s impressive, and that’s coming from me.”
Nora: “I am at the same time impressed and disgusted.”
Blake: “I’m just impressed.”
Ruby, getting out of Yang’s grasp: “Now what is all of the-. . . Oh. . .”
Yang: “No! Not her absolutely still there innocence despite the internet and her fighting people almost to the death!”
Ruby: “. . . . W-well. . . Is this really, you know, that bad? . . Some of its sweet.”
Pyrrha: “S-see! Even Ruby agrees with me.”
Weiss: “. . . Guess it is the sweet ones, filth sticking to it like sugar candy.”
Yang: “Nnnnooooo!”
Blake: “More to the smut side, yes.”
Jaune: “Uhm. . . S-so. . . Pyrrha. . . Just so that you know, I don’t think it’s bad. . . And, in fact. . . If you want to try some of this. . .”
Ren: “Please, make sure to do it when we’re not in the room.”
Jaune: “Of course! . . But, yeah. . . I would even agree to, want to do actually. . . Handholding. . . Without our gloves.”
Pyrrha: “. . . I no longer know if this is a dream or a nightmare.”
Blake: “Clearly it’s probably a wet dream. . . But anyway: I must say I’m impressed. You really built on that smut you commissioned from me really well. And illustrated some of those scenes masterfully.”
Pyrrha: “. . . Still leaning towards nightmare now.”
Jaune had experienced a lot of things in his short life, getting new siblings, having the girl he was in love with step all over his heart, having his eldest sister knock him around like a rag doll. Each of those times had stolen his breath away, only one of those had given him a good feeling afterwards. However, for the first time since he’d been alive, he REALLY felt his breath stolen. HIs heartbeat slowed as the vision of the goddess or near goddess in front of him took all of his attention, his peripheral vision blurring out everything else. “Wow…” Truly he was a poet.
Still, he found himself nearly unable to speak or move, despite the distance he felt her gazing into his soul, much like he was doing with her. His stomach flipped, he felt butterflies swarming around his gut, his heart flipped as his breath became ragged. He’d never experienced feelings like this before, and despite how embarrassed he was. He still found himself unable to look away, he half expected her to do the same, but she simply watched him, watched him with an increased amount of interest.
She was absolutely stunning, in a lot of ways she reminded him of, “FLANNA!” her, ya her. Jaune’s attention snapped to Nora, who was practically fuming. Before he could stop his exuberant sister she darted off.
“This appears to be bad.” Jaune turned his attention to his brother, an exasperated look on his face. Lie simply shrugged as he began to walk after Nora.
“You! What are you doing here?!” Nora was practically steaming, how dare this harlot show her face here! She thought they’d left her behind back home, but no here she was! Though… she looked a little different, possibly going for a new look, well she’d have none of that.
“I… I’m sorry?” Pyrrha was incredibly confused, and a little scared. She’d been watching the newcomers with piqued interest, well she’d been staring at the blonde boy possibly a little too much if she was actually being honest. Then all of a sudden the orange girl made her way towards her, calling her Flanna? She’d never heard that name before, how peculiar. Right back to the girl in front of her.
“You’d better be sorry! What did I tell you about staying away from us?!” Oh this was bad, Nora was angry, and when she was angry bad things happened. Jaune hurried forward, Lie on following along in pace.
“Nora!” Both boys grabbed a side of their smaller sister. “Nora!”
“What?!” She struggled against the two boys, pulling them along with her.
If there was one thing Pyrrha understood from this strange encounter, it was that the smaller girl was strong, strong enough to drag her two male friends along with her. She herself hadn’t realized she’d sensed the danger till she noticed that she’d already taken a defensive stance just in case an altercation happened. She just hoped they wouldn’t bother the other students too much.
“Nora that’s not her!” Jaune was doing his best to calm his little sister, hopefully she’d listen to reason.
“What?! What do you mean it’s not her! They look exactly the same!” Thankfully Nora had stopped, her attention now fully on Jaune.
“What? No they don’t! Flanna’s hair is nowhere near as gorgeous, and her eyes aren’t even close to how shining hers are!” And like that, Jaune realized he was talking aloud, his mouth snapping shut shortly after.
.
Nora paused, turning towards the girl she started to see it too, “Oh…” That’s really all she could say on the matter, she hadn’t meant to scare anyone! She just thought it was that harlot who broke Jaune’s heart, and she’d be damned if she let her or anyone else do it again!
Still, she wasn’t sure she could trust this newcomer, she saw the way her big brother looked at her, even more so she saw the way she looked back! That was just asking for bad news, he’d been burned before, and again she’d be damned if she let anyone else hurt him. “Sorry…” It was a half hearted apology, but it was the best the girl in front of her was going to get. Still, she silently fumed, at least till she felt Lie’s hand on her shoulder. Turning towards her other brother she calmed down as they met eye contact. “I’m sorry… I thought you were… someone else.”
“I apologize on her behalf as well.” Lie simply smiled, choosing to keep his apology for Nora on the short side.
Pyrrha simply nodded, she was feeling many things right now, confused, a little exhausted, and a little scared. But, at the very least it didn’t seem that the orange haired girl… or Nora as they’d called her, well it didn’t seem like her anger was actually directed at her. She was curious, but it was impolite to ask these things of people she’d just met. “I uhm… that’s alright, apology accepted.” She finally relaxed, lowering her guard.
Jaune took a breath, at least Nora’s little rampage had done something good. He felt his heart calm, and a new found amount of courage entered his chest. “I’m sorry too, please forgive us, well… I mean you already did… but still! Uhm… sorry…” Wow he was finding it rather hard to talk. “Nora’s… she’s just an overprotective sister”
“Sister?” Oh! She hadn’t meant to say that outloud, but the two didn’t look anything alike. Though if she squinted she could sort of make it out. Nora did have turquoise eyes, and the boy had, well he had the most stunning clear sapphire colored eyes, Pyrrha had never seen eyes like his before. “I’m sorry!” Her face flushed in embarrassment, perhaps this wasn’t something she should be asking aloud, or at all.
The trio simply chuckled in response, “It’s okay, we get that a lot. Oh uhm… I’m Jaune, Jaune Arc. Short, Sweet, Rolls off the tongue lad… OUCH!” Jaune jolted up as Nora slammed her heel into his foot.
“Jaune! What did I tell you about that terrible line?!” Nora obviously didn’t want to hear it, neither did Lie apparently, he simply rolled his eyes at his siblings antics.
“But! Dad said…”
“Jaune… dad’s advice isn’t meant to be taken literally. Like, when he says all you need is confidence, he means confidence in yourself, not to fake it. You should listen to mom’s instead.” Lie’s words caused him to pause, right Lie was right…
“Right I’m sorry… I’m just a bit nervous.” He didn’t really want to expand on why he was so nervous, not when the reason he was nervous was the incredibly gorgeous girl in front of him. “I uhm… I’m Jaune Arc, third child and first son of the Arc family.”
As Jaune reached his hand out, Pyrrha found herself a little flustered, and a little lost. People rarely approached her, she’d always come off as intimidating, and scary. She couldn’t even remember the last time someone had gone out of their way to introduce themselves first. As she took his hand she felt her heart flip in her chest. This was a nice feeling, hopefully her parents were right, maybe she’d be able to make friends after all. “I’m Pyrrha… Pyrrha Nikos.” She smiled, and for the first time in a long time her smile reached all the way. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Jaune Arc…” She paused, “and for what it’s worth I quite like the name.” Crimson began to spread across her cheeks as she realized she’d just flirted.
Crimson also began to spread across Jaune’s face, he hadn’t expected that to work, his track record with flirting was non existent, mostly cause he hadn’t bothered in a long time. “I… thank you… Pyrrha’s also an incredibly gorgeous name.” Oh… “I… uhm… u… I meant pretty…”
Both of them stood there, frozen as to what to do next, till Nora spoke up instead. SNAP Both statues turned towards the sound of a scroll taking a picture. Nora stood there with a massive grin on her face. “Heheheh~ Wait till mom sees this!”
If their faces had been simply crimson before, they were now an intense and dark scarlet.
“Good job Jauney~!” Nora was obviously happy for her brother, though she was over exaggerating at the moment, but this was nice! Jaune never talked with other people, well people that weren’t family. Heck, he did so less than herself or Lie! Stuffing her scroll in her pocket she stepped forward. “Howdy Pyrrha! Again sorry for threatening ya like that before! Though if you break Jauney’s heart I break your legs!”
“I… uh… uhm….” Pyrrha felt like she was a deer lost in the headlights. She didn’t even know if she liked Jaune yet! Though he was quite dashing, and appeared to be rather kind, if not a little dorky. Though, that wasn’t a bad thing, not in the slightest.
“Alright Nora that’s enough.” Jaune had finally snapped out of his stupor. Withdrawing his hand, regrettably, from Pyrrha’s grasp. “UHm… right, well the short orange haired tiny person you’ve been speaking to is Nora Valkyrie Arc, my younger sister.”
“OH! Getting brave in front of your new girlfriend are you? You’re in kneecap popping distance Jauney~!” Though she spoke, her voice was far from threatening, more jubilant than anything else.
Jaune simply rolled his eyes, “And the silent one over here is our brother Lie Ren Arc.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Pyrrha. I apologize for our sister’s… behavior.” Lie simply eyed Nora who shrugged in response.
“It’s alright. It is a pleasure to meet you three~” Despite everything that happened, Pyrrha was happy! People were talking to her, though she was curious, none of them looked even closely related but they all had the same last name and had introduced themselves as siblings. For now she’d stow that away for later, she was just happy she’d gotten to meet new people.
The lights began to dim as the headmaster made his way out to introduce himself. Jaune paid no heed to the dimming lights or the headmaster, instead he continued to watch Pyrrha. She was really pretty… and she seemed really nice. Though, even as his hopes grew he still heard the little bit in the back of his head. You’re going to fail, don’t bother, she’ll just leave you too~ He bit his lip as he turned his attention towards the front. His heartbeat slowing to a near stop, right he didn’t have the best luck with these things, best not to try.
So @mrk50 and I decided to collaborate on a little project! I know it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written anything for Arkos but I was feeling up to it and it felt like a good opportunity. So here’s a one shot I wrote! Also: HERE is the song I listened to while writing it. xD
XxXxXxXxX
Jaune paced back and forth in front of the aquarium, trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He had shown up fifteen minutes early, knowing he still had a bad habit of being a little late to appointments. This was much more important than any appointment so far though, he was on a date with Pyrrha. Just thinking those words made him stop pacing and he felt another wave of nerves wash over him. His scroll buzzed and he saw a message from Pyrrha.
P: I'm sorry! I'm on my way! Yang and Weiss kept fighting about my hair.
Jaune just smiled and sent her a thumbs up emoji in return. At least her delay would give him a chance to compose himself.
It was still hard for Jaune to believe that he was actually about to go on a date with his amazing teammate. It had taken a while, and a lot, a lot, of not so subtle hints from his teammates and friends before he finally started to get a clue. The dance had kinda helped him get over his crush on Weiss, and it was subtle, but he had started to look at his partner differently. Once his crush had passed, and after an honest talk with Yang and Pyrrha, he had even gone and apologized to Weiss for taking so long to get the hint and they were on good terms properly. Of course, this now meant that all those nerves were starting to blossom around his partner. But after an extremely awkward confession from both parties involved and one wonderful but confusing night, they were about to go on their first date.
Their friends had been extremely supportive, and apparently relieved that they were finally going out, and had kidnapped Pyrrha in order to help “prepare” her. This left Jaune alone, but Blake apparently had already thought about that since Ren wasn't exactly the best person to ask for advice on what to wear, and Sun and Neptune had shown up at a request from her. Soon enough Neptune had helped him pick out something that was “totally cool.”
Fidgeting the with the zipper on his zip up, he hoped he had been telling the truth. It wasn't too different from what he normally wore, jeans, high top shoes, and a zip up hoodie. Jaune had wanted to dress up in his dress shirt but Sun had just brushed off the idea, mentioning how “Pyrrha liked you for you, so don't try and be someone you're not.”
A part of Jaune reminded himself to make sure to make it up to them, they had really helped calm him a bit before his date.
“Jaune!” Pyrrha's voice called out from across the courtyard. Looking up, Jaune felt his face flush and his mouth suddenly felt very dry. Pyrrha was making her way towards him, an apologetic and worried smile on her face as she waved. Stopping a few feet in front of him, he saw her eyes trail up and down him once and her own face went a shade closer to her hair. “Sorry for being late! They wouldn't let me go, Ruby had to sneak me out to get them to stop bickering over what to do with my hair.”
“They did.. wow. You look won- beautiful. Just... wow.” He fumbled, wincing as he realized the very first chance he had to make a good impression on this date was blown. Most people couldn't blame him though.
Pyrrha was wearing a beautiful sundress that was a gradient from gold to white. Over it she wore a simple brown jacket and a red sash clipped by a pin of her emblem. Over a pair of stockings she was wearing a pair of high boots and Jaune could only really think of one way to describe her outfit. Cute.
Jaune felt his throat go a little dry as he met her eyes again, and she was just staring at him with a cute, curious smile, if not with a little blush on her cheeks. “Are you ready to go in?”
Jaune blinked and nodded, glad for an excuse to stop talking for a moment. I already got the tickets, so we can go straight in.” Pyrrha nodded and turned, starting to walk towards the doors. Taking a deep breath, Jaune put a hand on his chest. “You can do this.” He muttered to himself. He wasn't going to screw this up.
“Jaune?” Pyrrha called, confused as she noticed he wasn't at her side.
“Coming!” He called out as he quickly jogged to her side. Pyrrha just smiled and, thanking him as he held open the door for her. Immediately walking through the door, they both gasped as they looked around. Right in the center there was a massive towering aquarium filled with thousands of small, brightly colored fish. The scale of this aquarium was already impressive. “It's so pretty.” Jaune said after moment.
“Gorgeous.” Pyrrha agreed. Looking over, she saw Jaune stepping forward and she had to admit the childish look of awe on his face was unbearably cute.
Jaune rested a hand on the glass as he saw the myriad of colors swirling around in the water. His eyes were drawn to a slightly larger scarlet fish, which instantly reminded him of his partner. With a start he turned around, seeing Pyrrha watching him with a strange smile he couldn't quite place. “Uh... sorry. I got a little distracted...”
Pyrrha just smiled, walking next to him and brushing some bangs behind her ear. “Don't be. We're here to enjoy ourselves after all. I don't blame you, it's like it's own little world in there.” She said, her own eyes getting lost in the aquatic world. Jaune bit his lip as he looked at her, finding her look heartwarming.
After a moment they looked around. “This place sure is big.” He mumbled after a moment.
“Let's see... there should be...” Pyrrha said, scanning around. “There!” She said, quickly hurrying her way to a stand. Jaune saw her walk back a moment later, unfolding something. A map, apparently.
She leaned into him, showing him the map too so they could both get a good look. Jaune would be lying if he said half of his mind wasn't solely focused on the fact that Pyrrha was leaning into him so much, that her shampoo smelled like strawberries, and it was a little hard to focus until he saw one of her fingers point at an exhibit. “Otters!” She squealed excited, causing a smile to grace his lips again. He recognized that tone of voice, where the usually stoic but friendly Pyrrha was pushed aside from the easily excited girl that she usually kept repressed. “We have to see them.” She pleaded, her eyes shifting to his. He nodded quickly, trying not to get lost in them again. “Of course.”He said, scanning the page properly. “Penguins!” He exclaimed as he pointed, feeling Pyrrha shift slightly as she chuckled. “We'll make sure to see those too.” They spent a minute or so huddled together as they both pointed out exhibits they wanted to make sure to see and debated the best path to take.
Eventually they decided on a good path, making sure to time it so they can check out the Otter show, and started off. As they walked off, Pyrrha lead the way, commenting on the tropical section they were going to first. Jaune saw her hand dragging a bit behind her as she pointed with the other one. He was suddenly overcome by a desperate urge to hold her hand. Something that had been on his mind since their confession. Sure it had happened occasionally on a mission, or if leading someone somewhere from day to day but never in a romantic sense. It suddenly felt like a massive leap of faith. Hesitating, his hand inches from hers, he slowly pulled his hand back and caught up to her as they walked, checking out each of the tanks. They had gotten their rather early in the day, so they weren't really in any rush. They took their time enjoying the exhibits, and Jaune soon learned Pyrrha was actually very interested in the plaques that gave information. Her curiosity was adorable to him, and he found himself eagerly listening as she would read out facts she saw interesting.
A little further in, they had a mini aquarium with a little tunnel that you could climb through and pop your head up to look like you're in the center of the tank. Smiling, Pyrrha immediately started pushing him towards it. Jaune was a bit confused as to why she was trying so hard to get him in there.
Still, Jaune wasn't about to ruin her fun so he waited for the little kid to leave before he crawled through the small hole. When he poked his head up, he immediately two things. One, seeing fish swimming all around him was actually really cool. The second was he saw a distorted picture of Pyrrha on the other side, holding scroll up. It took him a moment to realize she was taking pictures, then what looked like a video. His eyes widened, before he offered her a small smile. After a moment, he climbed back out, joining her as he saw her scrolling through the photos, uploading a few.
Then he pulled out his scroll and Pyrrha stared him confused for a moment. “Your turn.” He offered plainly, and he saw her eyes widened before a blush creeped on her face and she nodded. Waiting patiently, and even letting another kid go first, she climbed through the tunnel and poked her head up. Jaune took a generous amount of photos, saving one especially where she through up a peace sign.
Pyrrha climbed back out and looked at them, blushing slightly.
That set them off though, soon they were taking photos everywhere.
It pretty much became a game between them. Every little plastic animal was posed next to, they both take turns posing in front of various tanks, and Pyrrha had even asked someone to take a photo of them two together. Once they had finished the second wing of the aquarium, they both decided they had been feeling a bit hungry.
As they pushed their away against the growing crowd to try and make it back to the food court, Jaune trailed a bit behind Pyrrha letting her part the crowd. He saw her hand trailing behind her a bit, and his eyes were locked on it as he bit his lip. He really wanted to reach out and hold it again, but it was still their first date. Was it too forward? Was he rushing things? He knew Pyrrha was as inexperienced as he was with relationships, and really didn't want to ruin the day for both of them. His hand hovered a few inches from hers, before he sighed and pulled it back. As he was moving his hand back, he felt Pyrrha's grab his wrist tightly as she looked at him with a smile, apparently unaware of the fact they were almost holding hands.
“Stay close, it's busy and we don't want to get separated.” She offered.
Jaune nodded, his gaze lingering on where she was holding his wrist. Eventually they breached through the crowd and managed to get in the food line, taking a deep breath.
“I'm glad we got here early, we had plenty time to see some of the exhibits before it got crowded.” She offered, before her gaze followed Jaune's down to where she was still holding his wrist. She quickly let go, holding her hands behind her back and she smiled at him, that dust of pink on her cheeks again.
Jaune just took a deep breath, forcing the nerves from his face. “We just have to make sure to get to the otter exhibit before the show with enough time to find seats. We-” He was cut off as his stomach let out a massive growl. He flushed, but Pyrrha just giggled. “We can worry about that after lunch, I'm starting to get hungry too.” They continued to chat idly about the exhibits they saw, checking out the photos they took. As they neared the end of the line, they both looked up at the board, debating what to get. Eventually their turn came up and they both looked at each other to go first, finally Jaune stepped forward. “I'll have a hot dog, a lemonade and... a chocolate muffin.” Pyrrha stepped up next, pausing. “I'll have... a BLT, a side of fries and...” Jaune noticed her gaze lingering on the desert section. He leaned over and whispered. “Do it.”
“A chocolate milkshake!” She blurted out suddenly, before covering her mouth like she had something scandalous.
Jaune just laughed and stepped forward, pulling out his wallet at the same time Pyrrha did. They met eyes for a moment while the guy working the counter just sighed at the lovey dovey antics the couple in front of him was going through, glancing up at the clock to figure out when his shift was over.
“Let me.” Jaune said, a challenging look in his eyes.
Pausing for a moment, Pyrrha stared at him and he honestly expected more a fight but she just smiled and put her purse away. “Thank you.”
Jaune smiled and handed him the Lien as they paid.
They got their number and waited off to the side for it to be called. Jaune's scroll buzzed and Jaune pulled it out for a moment, before he glanced at Pyrrha and put it away. Pyrrha just tilted her head curiously. Jaune's scroll then buzzed four more times in the next minute and he let out a frustrated sigh and punched his pocket as if to stop his scroll.
“Why don't you check it?” Pyrrha asked, her brows furrowed.
Jaune shrugged. “It's cause I'm on a d... date with you.” He said, only pausing for a moment when he actually said it out loud. “I don't want to be rude.”
Pyrrha looked at him with a smile that made his heart feel way too warm. “You're very considerate Jaune.” She said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “But it could be important, it's okay.”
Hesitating a moment, her words of course planted the seed of doubt in his mind and he had to check it. Opening his messages, he sighed and hurried typed up a reply.
“Everything all right?” Pyrrha asked.
Jaune just forced a smile to his face. “Yeah. My sisters are a little... eager to hear about how the dates going.”
This caused Pyrrha to laugh at his expression. “And what did you say?”
Jaune shrugged, ignoring another round of buzzes from his scroll. “That it's going amazing so far, and they're ruining it.”
His redheaded partner just giggled. “I'm sure we'll get just as many questions when we get back to the dorm as well.” Jaune nodded, before shrugging. “I'm in no rush to go back.”
This caught Pyrrha by surprise for some reason, confusing Jaune and slightly worrying him until he saw a smile creep onto her face. “Neither am I.” Their number was caused and Pyrrha glanced at him, a playful look on her face. “I think the date's going amazingly as well.” She offered with a wink, before she quickly walked off to get their food leaving a blushing Jaune behind.
Jaune followed her after a moment so she didn't have to juggle all the food herself, catching up and taking a tray and his drink. They made their way to a table after stopping for utensils and sat down. It was a small two person table, and while their proximity was very close, he had to admit he didn't mind. If they started to play footsie under the table after he kept accidentally bumping her knee while they ate, then their friends didn't need to know about that.
Their conversation fell into a comfortable lull as they both quickly devoured their food as they finally realized how hungry they actual were now that the pre-date nerves were settling. Jaune stole a fry as he listened to Pyrrha talk about one of her trips to an aquarium as a kid in Mistral. He loved hearing stories about Pyrrha growing up. While not all the stories were exactly pleasant, they all helped illuminate a little of the life that lead to the creation of the wonderful woman he was falling deeply in love with. Pyrrha just finished her story, before she glanced at her scroll. “We need to go! We'll be late!” She said, standing up quickly and piling their garbage onto the tray. Jaune joined her, tossing the trash as the ever-proper Pyrrha tidied up their table before they quickly hurried across the space. Jaune was a little lost, but Pyrrha must have planned it out earlier because she knew the way perfectly and hardly a minute later they were heading to a decent pair of seats for the show as they saw the trainer starting to get ready and prepare the otters.
Jaune could practically see the energy radiating from his partner. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at all the cute creatures swimming happily in the water. She had pulled out her scroll and was taking what could only be described as an alarming number of photos of them. Jaune just smiled, and even when the informative show started, Jaune had to admit he was too distracted to pay proper attention. In his opinion, his partner was far cuter than those critters.
The show wasn't too long, but Jaune did learn a lot about the creatures, and had even seen them preform some tricks. The crowd was leaving the seating area, but Pyrrha seemed interested in staying until the show was completely over and Jaune didn't mind. His main goal was to ensure she had the most fun she could after all.
Eventually the creatures were herded back to their normal habitat and Pyrrha stood up, stretching out her back. “I take you enjoyed the show?” Jaune asked, unable to keep the smirk from his face. Pyrrha nodded, brushing some bangs back. “Yes, very much so. I'm sorry for being so distracted.”
Jaune just laughed. “It's fine, you were very cute.”
The compliment lingered in the air for a moment as they both realize what was said again. Jaune realized it would probably take them both a little getting used to open affection like that. Feeling the need to move the conversation along he coughed once. “I need to use the restroom so before we head to the penguins, we should stop somewhere.”
Pyrrha nodded. “I agree.”
They made their way off to the side of one of the main paths. They found a single person bathroom, and of course Jaune had insisted she go first, so Jaune waited outside, taking the chance to reply to the myriad of messages his sisters had sent him, ranging from encouragement, jokes, to advice, and even a request for a souvenir.
Before long Pyrrha emerged again and Jaune smile, before walking in.
XxXxXxXxX
Pyrrha took a deep breath as she sat on the bench, taking the brief moment she was away from her crush... boyfriend to calm her nerves. The date had just been... wonderful. She couldn't really think of any other words to describe it.
While Pyrrha had always tried to stop herself from being lost in childish dreams of “perfect dates” with a knight in Shining Armor, now that she was with Jaune, she had to admit it felt a lot like that. Only... more natural. While they both definitely still had some nerves, today felt like all the wonderful days she had spent around him, only more intense and... personal. Jaune was hers, the same way she was his. Their attention was on each other, for these few hours Grimm weren't their problem, they didn't have to deal with teasing friends, she didn't have to suffer through an unrequited love. They were just enjoying themselves, together.
Just thinking about it brought a smile to her face. After how long she had yearned for it, it was finally hers and it felt more satisfying than her shelf of trophies. Especially since her partner was someone she had come to admire so much, seeing him grow from a clumsy boy in way over his head as he slipped into beacon, into the man she saw work harder than everyone else to be the man she saw deep within him. Plus, she had to remember to have Blake thank Sun and Neptune for her. She always found Jaune cute, even hot sometimes, but today he looked even cuter than normal.
He had been behaving so sweetly too. Even with his dorkiness she had grown quite fond of, he still treated her with respect and acted like a gentleman. Not babying her, but she had to admit some part of her liked being treated like someone special by someone who cared for her, not because of her accolades but because of their bond.
She sent a quick response to Ruby assuring that the date was going well, knowing Yang and Nora were too risky to try and talk with at the moment.
Jaune emerged not long later, smiling that same goofy smile that caused her heart to skip a beat.
“Ready?” He asked.
Pyrrha nodded and followed him as he lead their way to the start of another path. Things were a bit more crowded so they had to be a little more patient in order to check out all the exhibits, but Pyrrha was just happy being there. They were both much less hesitant about taking photos by now so they were both giving into their more childish whims and taking photos of all the exhibits. As they made their way towards where the Penguin show would start in a bit, Pyrrha noticed a few life size statues of large penguins. Immediately she gasped and pointed, and Jaune followed her gesture, until he saw and understood the message she was trying to get across. Immediately he moved over towards them, getting place to pose with them. He was smiling, but Pyrrha pouted, shaking her head and staring at him challengingly. After a moment he seemed to get the hint, and pause for a moment before he leaned and straightened his body to look like he was waddling too. Pyrrha laughed and took a few pictures for good measure. She paused, quickly sending one to her mom, and another to Ruby, figuring she'd get a laugh out of it.
Jaune seemed to get the idea of what she was doing and rushed over, nearly tripping over a baby penguin statue on the way. “You didn't send those!” Pyrrha just laughed, covering her mouth. “I'm sorry! You just looked so cute.”
Jaune groaned, though the smile never left his face. “I look like a dork.”
Pyrrha saw him pout slightly and couldn't resist. She reached out, tussling his hair slightly. “Maybe, but you're my dork.”
This caused them both to blush, but she saw Jaune's smile grow and she decided it was worth it. Then Jaune pulled out his scroll and she decided fair was fair. Moving over, she posed next to the penguins as Jaune took a few photos. They heard an announcement over the intercom about the show starting soon, they quickly hurried over to the bleachers to get some good seats. They sat down, and this time Jaune was the one who was incredibly excited. He was taking some pictures of the penguins, and Pyrrha had to take one of him. It was a little unfair how cute she found him.
The show was brief, but interesting for sure. A lot of explanation of how Zoo's were important for animal research, and preserving wildlife that human and fannus expansion had threatened their habitat in conjunction with the Grimm. Plus seeing them waddle around was just adorable. Almost too soon, the lady leading the show bid them all good bye and soon the crowd was leaving. Jaune just looked at her, a smile resting on his face and Pyrrha was happy to see his unbridled joy.
While they had both obviously been enjoying their date, it was clear Jaune was carrying with him a sort of expectation of making this date great for her. She was just happy to be with him. She was afraid to confront him about it, worried she'd just make him more nervous.
Things were going well though, and she was sure she'd remember this day the rest of her life.
“That was the last of the events, right?” Jaune asked, pulling out the map and checking it. Pyrrha nodded, leaning over to check it with him. She may have leaned a little closer than she normally would, but she was pretty sure neither of them really minded. “One path left.” Jaune offered.
“Then let's go!” Pyrrha offered, smiling as she started to walk towards the start of it. While she was sad their day was starting to wind down, it had been a long day and she almost felt greedy with how many wonderful memories and photos had come from it. What almost felt overwhelming was the fact that there would be plenty of more days like this now that they were together.
They went through this last path a little slower than usual, but neither of them seemed too eager to change that. They took plenty of pictures, reading each of the plaques on the various creatures.
Near the end of the path there was a massive tank. They both slowly walked up to it, jaws dropping. It was massive, and there were a lot of species swimming around. The room was dim, so the light from the tank was bathing everything in a soft blue. A massive sting ray was swimming along the side of the tank and Pyrrha felt an overwhelming peace. She nearly jumped when she felt Jaune's hand snake into hers, gently squeezing it. Her face flushed red, but looking over she saw him looking at her with a worried expression. He was clearly nervous and asking for permission. Pyrrha just smiled and squeezed his hand in return, running a thumb reassuringly over his knuckles. They both realized things were fine. Even better than fine. Pyrrha leaned a bit closer to him as they both looked up at the massive sting ray swimming by. They were quiet for the first time in a while, neither of them really having anything to say. Just being around each other was enough for now.
They weren't exactly sure how long they had been watching the fish swim at that tank, but eventually they both realized they should be moving along. They both turned and started walking, and for a fearful moment Pyrrha was worried he was going to let go of her hand, but she seemed content on holding it, and she found she was getting greedy for his touch.
They paused by the center tank again, looking up at it. They just enjoyed each other's touch again, feeling like they were in their own little world but they knew they had to get back soon. They had been gone for quite a while, and life wouldn't stop for them to just enjoy their date forever. They made their way to the gift shop and Jaune released her hand, making her pout for a moment, but he looked at her with an understand smile. “I want to grab a souvenir for my sister.” Pyrrha nodded, and an idea of her own formed in her head. A few minutes later and they both met outside the gift shop, holding their own bags. When she walked up, Jaune was turned away, holding something.
“Jaune?”
Jaune turned around, and his face was red as he held out a little creature for her. It was a stuffed Otter. Her eyes went wide and she nearly dropped her own bags. “Is this for me?” She asked, slowly reaching for it. Jaune nodded.
“I know you love them, and I thought... maybe to remember today...” He offered, stumbling a bit over his words.
Pyrrha couldn't quite find the words to express the joy and warmth she felt in her chest. All she did was reach into her bag and hand him a stuffed penguin. “I was going to wrap it, but... I also wanted you to remember today.”
Jaune stared at the penguin like it was gold, before he took it and smiled, hugging it. Pyrrha instantly wished her hands weren't full because she desperately wanted a picture of that, finding he was once again unfairly cute hugging the penguin.
Pyrrha just buried her face into the otter, already debating on names for it. “I will never forget today, I now it.”
Jaune just grinned at her. “I won't either.” He shifted his penguin to one hand so he could hold hands with Pyrrha as they walked away from the aquarium. Right before they reached the shuttle that would take them back, Pyrrha suddenly turned and lead them a bit off the path. Jaune looked at her confused, but she stepped forward and leaned up to kiss him quickly. Fueled by passion, the kick was quick, chaste, a little clumsy, but full of love before she pulled back.
“Sorry, I...”
Jaune just smiled, and leaned forward to quick for a quick kiss.”It's okay. I... really wanted to do that too.”
Pyrrha couldn't help the blush on her face so she buried her face into his neck until she could calm her heart. Jaune just laughed and wrapped an arm around her.
Eventually they had to get back on the shuttle to head home, but they were definitely closer together now, and if they had shared a kiss or two on the trip no one would blame them. They knew they both would have to field plenty of questions when they got back, but today was one of the best in Pyrrha's life, and she was glad she was finally with her partner, and judging by Jaune's look, he was feeling the same. Resting her head on his shoulder, Pyrrha smile and squeezed his hand. Things were good.
XxXxXxXxX
Thank you for reading! Make sure you check out their work! This was fun to write. I know I don’t post here as much any more but I hope you enjoy this old writer’s dip back into arkos for a moment!
This is a callout post of @mrk50 and their undying thirst for Jaune Arc and his booty. Thank you for listening, and have a lovely rest of your day. (It’s not a bad thing, just funny)
I have been following you for a while now and decided... to speak up! Hello, fellow noodle supporter!! Let us stay strong and love our good boy Jaune!!! He needs... ALL THE HUGS!!!!!! Please, ignore any weird negative asks you get and know that there are people who will support you :D
I’m glad you’ve stuck around! I’ve been doing a really good job of staying positive when it comes to this blog because I know a lot of people need something like this to let them know that they aren’t alone, nor that their feelings about the show and Jaune in general, are bad.
I’ll continue to reblog and make posts about positivity for the long run, and though I won’t be constantly posting, I am on tumblr practically all the time and can see whatever messages you send me.
Negative messages won’t bother me so long as I know you guys feel the same way I do. You guys are as big a part of my positive outlook as Jaune is.
