Falafel

Disclaimer: RWBY is the intellectual property of Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I claim no ownership.

It was a snowy Winter evening when Jaune finally decided. He decided this was the day. Today, he would take the next step in his relationship with Pyrrha.

He would tell his beautiful, amazing partner he loved her.

They had already been dating for a few months but neither of them had committed to that intimidating four-letter word. Jaune knew he loved her - at least, he thought he knew he loved her - but the idea of dropping the L-bomb on her so early made his nerves coil in his stomach. He was in a relationship with the most amazing person on the planet and he didn't want to ruin that by scaring her away.

The time now felt right, though. They had been through a lot together and he couldn't hold back any longer.

His whole team was in the room, relaxing in their own ways. Ren had chosen to read on his bed while Nora was fiddling around on her laptop. Pyrrha - ever the diligent Huntress - had laid a towel on her bed and was thoroughly cleaning her weapon. Jaune himself was flipping through a comic without actually comprehending anything. He was too focused gathering the courage to put his plan into action.

Finally, he put his comic down and turned to his girlfriend.

"Hey, Pyrrha, wanna go grab a bite to eat?" he asked.

Pyrrha looked up from her disassembled weapon and smiled gently, "Some food sounds lovely, actually."

She partially reassembled Miló and wrapped it up in the towel to keep anything from going missing. As she did so, he grabbed his coat off of his nightstand and motioned for Pyrrha to do the same.

The redhead tilted her head questioningly, "Aren't we just going down to the cafeteria?"

The question wouldn't have been a cause for concern if it didn't immediately grab Ren's attention. He merely glanced at the two of them before continuing to read, but it was enough to make Jaune feel suddenly self-conscious.

"W-Well, I just...thought we could go get some real food down-...down the cliff, but uh..."

'Crap, he's looking again!'

To his relief, Pyrrha just smiled again and grabbed her coat, "That sounds grand, Jaune."

The nervousness fled his system. He shouldn't get so worked up about this. It was just supposed to seem like a normal date, nothing special except-that-it-was-special-he-was-about-to-tell-Pyrrha-he-loved-her-oh-crap-what's-he- ?

Two thin but toned arms wrapped around his left one, breaking him from his spiraling train of thought. Pyrrha looked at him with those bright emerald eyes he loved so dearly, unknowingly bolstering his resolve. He wanted to look into those days every day of his life, and he'd be damned if he got in his own way.

"Shall we go?" she asked brightly.

Jaune smiled, blushing lightly, "Y-Yeah, let's go."

'So far, so g-uugh'

He couldn't even catch a break from motion sickness in his own head.

Pyrrha - sweet, understanding Pyrrha - was rubbing his back to help him through the nausea-inducing flight down to the city. He'd be lying if he said it didn't help, but it just wasn't enough.

Having someone to care for him when he was at his weakest was nice, though. Jaune lifted his head to look at his partner and grinned weakly.

"Sorry..."

Pyrrha leaned forward and kissed his clammy forehead, "I've told you before, you don't need to apologize."

The blond looked down shamefully. He wished he felt the same way. The boyfriend of the beautiful and talented Pyrrha Nikos suffered from motion sickness every time he stepped on an airship. If he were in someone else's shoes, he'd wonder why such an astounding young woman would choose such a loser. In the darkest depths of his mind, he always wondered if she was secretly ashamed to have such a pathetic beau.

One look at her dispelled his worries once again. Concern blanketed her face; concern that hadn't abated in the year they'd known each other. Even after putting up with his fits of nausea for so long, she still stayed by his side to try and help him. For the second time that night, simply looking at the lovely warrior assured him of his decision.

He smiled again, this time with a little more strength behind it.

"Thanks..."

Pyrrha just smiled and planted another kiss on his forehead.

"So, you wanted to come down here when it's...thirty-three degrees to get some hotdogs for dinner?"

Jaune blushed in embarrassment and shrugged, "I just really like these hotdogs..."

In retrospect, maybe he should have planned for a fancy dinner. Added a little romance before the big moment. He was just afraid making such a pomp display would psych him out, or worse, rub salt in his wound if she didn't reciprocate his confession.

Pyrrha continued to look oddly at him for a moment before shaking her head and giggling. She pulled herself closer to him and took a bite of her hotdog.

This was the moment. It was just the two of them, snow covered the ground in a rich, white blanket, and the rising moon provided the perfect lighting.

He took in a breath, but that was as far as he got. He suddenly felt a deep, primal fear clawing at his lungs as he tried to force out the words. It was almost as though the air itself was conscious of what it was about to be used for and was fighting tooth and nail to not leave in the form he wanted it to. Unwilling to hold his breath lest Pyrrha grow suspicious, he silently let it out.

Jaune felt lightheaded as soon as he finished exhaling. His knees suddenly felt weak and he had to make a conscious effort to keep his legs moving.

'What the Dust just happened?' he wondered.

Okay, so clearly it wasn't going to be as easy as he had hoped, but he already knew that. So why was it so hard to say?

...Okay...so he knew why. Despite being so sure of his feelings, he was still afraid. He was afraid of taking that one extra step, because it was a step from which there was no return. If he went through with this, there would be no turning back. He would be committing himself to her, and if it didn't work out, they couldn't just go back to being friends. Everything would change as soon as he uttered those three words.

For the third time that night, Jaune looked to the young woman at his side to guide him.

She was looking forward and chewing on her hotdog, looking for all the world like she didn't have a single care. He stared out of the corner of his eye, hoping, praying that she would look at him. That she would give him some sort of sign. When it was clear she wouldn't, Jaune looked back forward, biting into his hotdog in an attempt to keep that tickling in his throat from forming into a lump. He would just have to try again some other time, then.

Pyrrha finished up her hotdog and leaned her head against Jaune's shoulder. His head jerked slightly and he looked over at the red hair that blocked her face from his vision.

"Thanks for taking me out."

He continued to stare as they walked. Finally, he turned away.

"It was just hotdogs," he said sheepishly.

"Yes, but it was hotdogs with you."

He could practically hear the smile in her tone. It was enough to push him over the edge. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Pyrrha lifted her head and looked at him in confusion.

"Pyrrha."

She blinked, taken off guard by the sudden firmness of his voice.

"Y-Yes, Jaune?

The young Huntsman-in-training turned to look straight at her. All his worries, all of his doubts were gone. He steeled himself and opened his mouth to let her know exactly how he felt about her.

"Falafel."

. . .

Pyrrha's mouth worked lightly, likely trying to work out a sentence but unable to in her confusion.

Jaune felt his cheeks burn with the rush of embarrassment. All that courage that he had not even three seconds ago was gone, leaving him horrifically aware of the garbage that just spewed from his mouth but unable to amend it. So he did the first thing that came to mind to save face.

"It's- I just-...we should've gotten falafels, not...hotdogs...let's just get back to Beacon..."

He didn't even want to wait for her response. He tried to keep walking forward, hoping she would just write it off.

Pyrrha tugged his arm, bringing him to a stop. He refused to turn around and face her, though.

"Jaune."

He hesitated for a moment before resigning himself to an awkward explanation. He slowly turned around, expecting to see worry etched onto Pyrrha's face.

To his surprise, there was a beautiful smile stretched across it instead, and her eyes were shimmering with tears.

"Falafel, too."

She threw her arms around his neck and met his lips in a searing kiss that made fireworks go off in his head. Jaune was frozen in shock for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her waist and returned it with equal fervor.

From that point on, they made it a point to to eat falafels on their anniversary.

A/N: Look at that, I actually got my mojo back.

I dunno about you guys, but I always felt like "I love you" is deserving of a certain reverence. It's something you have to mean when you say it. It just doesn't work as an offhand comment or a conciliatory phrase. And it's certainly not something you can drop on people you barely know. When you tell someone you love them, you're telling them that a piece of your heart is in their hands, no strings attached. You're making a promise to them that you'll do everything in your power to make them happy.

So guys, girls, please be careful about who you tell "I love you" to. A piece of your heart isn't something to give away lightly.

If you're wondering about my other stories, I've been facing motivational problems in regards to writing. I'm putting Heart's Desires up for adoption if anyone's interested. I'm trying to grind through The Legend of Jaune in the hope that I get back into a groove.

I hope you've enjoyed this one-shot.