In the heat of the summer…

It was hot.

Unbearably hot.

Excruciatingly hot.

The hottest day of the recent heat wave to hit Vale, and Beacon was taking the brunt of it.

Students tried everything in a desperate attempt to cool down: the central air conditioning for the campus was overworked within the first couple of days and broke down, the dress code was temporarily lifted since the full Beacon uniform was a miniature sauna under the sun, and showers were rationed due to the high demand for cold water.

"I can't take this anymore!" the blonde shouted as he lay on the floor, limbs spread apart in front a rotating fan that billowed his damp white tank top and navy blue basketball shorts.

His redheaded partner sat at her desk, trying her best to focus on a report for Oobleck's class; which was becoming more and more difficult as the temperature of the dorm room only rose.

"I know how you feel Jaune, believe me, but this is the best that we can do for now. The air conditioning is still being repaired and the showers automatically shut off after fifteen minutes," she said, gently flapping the bottom of her orange spaghetti strap top in an effort to get some relief from the heat. "…though I have to agree that this heat is getting the best of me."

He looked up at her from his spot on the JNPR dorm room floor. He eyed the length of her pale legs from the tip of her toes all the way up to her exposed thighs until they reached her amber shorts. Jaune rarely saw his partner wear anything outside of her usual combat gear and uniform, and the chance to see her in casual clothes was an opportunity that was not lost upon him. Of course, Pyrrha always looked amazing no matter what she wore, and the last time he had seen her wear anything different had been the dance, where he was stunned by the sight of her in a long sleeveless red dress.

Jaune kept his eyes on her legs before averting his gaze at the slightest movement of Pyrrha's head. God, what would she think if she caught him checking her out? She'd probably think he was being a total creep. He was her partner, after all; the person that she was supposed to be able to trust the most. And here he was, ogling her like any other ludicrous fan they would meet on the street. Jaune stood up and started slowly pacing in the space that he had previously occupied, trying his best to snap himself out of his own unsavory fantasies and come up with a plan to alleviate the both of them from their hot torture.

Pyrrha stared at him, starting at his broad shoulders that had slowly become more prominent. Jaune entered Beacon frankly hopeless in any physical combat prowess but slowly started improving under her tutelage. Now, he could even hold his own against an Ursa and Pyrrha felt a small swell of pride for her sometimes student. Pyrrha's gaze descended down his back where the musculature had finally set in. Some of the credit was due to Pyrrha's training on the roof but a lot of it was due to Jaune's own endurance and desire to better himself. His shoulder blades popped out under his smooth almost tan skin, moving about anytime Jaune so much as lifted his arm, and a crevice began between them; one that led all the way down his spine before disappearing into the white fabric of his shirt. It was clear that Jaune was making an effort even outside of their sessions together.

Pyrrha's eyes snapped back to Jaune's head as he spun around to face her. She hoped that she hadn't been caught blatantly checking him out. God, what would he think if he caught her? She was his partner. He was supposed to be able to trust her in and out of battle and here she was peering over him like he was a piece of meat. She could handle if he didn't return her feelings, but she would never forgive herself if it ended up ruining one of the only genuine relationships she had.

"Okay, I'm making an executive decision as team leader. We're gonna go for an ice cream run." Jaune announced, standing proudly with his chest out and his knuckles on his waist.

Pyrrha looked at him skeptically before retorting, "Jaune, the cafeteria ran out within the first couple days of this heat wave. There's no more ice cream on campus." She hated dashing his hopes when he was just trying his best for the both of them.

Jaune slumped his shoulders and frowned. "Oh no, you're right. Why didn't I think of that? Whatever shall we do…" He put the back of his hand to his forehead and acted the part of a damsel in distress before following up. "…except we're not going to the cafeteria."

Pyrrha quirked her eyebrow, curious about what his plan was. Jaune knelt in front of Pyrrha, taking her hands into his own and looking directly up to her emerald eyes. She fought to steady her beating heart from its erratic pace at the contact.

"Let's go into town. Find an ice cream shop. Treat ourselves to something nice."

Pyrrha looked away, towards the unfinished assignment on her desk. "Jaune, I don't know." He followed her gaze.

"C'mon, Pyrrha. This is the perfect weather for it! It's way better than sitting here and slowly melting into your chair."

Pyrrha had to admit that he was right. Something cold sounded fantastic at the moment; but she didn't want to abandon the assignment before it was finished.

"Besides, it's not like you're getting much done right now anyways." He pointed out. "I know you're having trouble focusing on that report with the heat the way it is, I can see it on your face. Plus, you've been stuck on the same sentence for the past twenty minutes."

Pyrrha smiled. Of course, he had noticed. He always could read her like book, knowing exactly what was wrong with her without her having to say a word. Which was frustrating, since he could notice everything about her except her feelings toward him.

"C'mon," Jaune insisted, "doesn't a big sundae sound awesome right now? We've been stuck with cafeteria food for, like, a year! When was the last time you went out and had some real ice cream? Not the packaged stuff they serve us?"

"Jaune, I've never been to an ice cream shop."

There was no reply and after an uncomfortable pause, Pyrrha looked at his face worriedly. Jaune's face had frozen up at her revelation, like his brain had shut down at hearing what she said.

"I'm sorry, what?" He finally responded after a beat.

Pyrrha's cheeks became the slightest tint of pink. "I've never been to an actual ice cream shop. My parents always said that it was unnecessary sugar growing up. I needed to keep my body in shape for the tournaments."

Jaune quickly let go of her hands and stood. "You've never had ice cream?!"

Pyrrha shook her head and looked down, ashamed. Why had she said that? It was just another reminder of how starkly different her childhood had been compared to others, and Jaune's reaction only proved it.

He couldn't believe it. What kind of parents didn't let their kids have ice cream? It was practically inhumane. What else had she missed out on growing up? He couldn't imagine his own parents forcing him to constantly watch his diet and withholding him from something as fundamental as ice cream.

"Then that's all the more reason we have to go!" Jaune exclaimed.

Pyrrha's eyes widened in surprise as she looked back up at him. "What do you mean?"

"This isn't just about beating the heat anymore! It's about you trying ice cream for the first time!" Jaune replied, returning to his kneeled position at her feet. "Jeez, I can't imagine someone never having ice cream. It's just so…" He waved his hands in front of him, trying to find the right word, "…essential."

Pyrrha's eyes fell again as a small pout started to form on her lips. Jaune immediately realized his mistake and scrambled for damage control.

"Sorry, Pyr. I didn't mean anything mean by it." His apology wiped the pout from her face and replaced it with a smile. Pyrrha's heart swelled whenever he called her that. It was his little pet name for her and she loved it. Sure, she was everyone's 'Pyrrha', but she was only Jaune's 'Pyr'. "I'm just really excited for you to try it out."

"I know you didn't." She replied. Pyrrha knew Jaune would never deliberately hurt anyone's feelings; he was simply too kind for that sort of thing. He never said anything ill-spirited, even to his enemies. Though they definitely deserved it.

He took hold of her hands again. "Pyrrha, I would be honored if I could accompany you on your first time."

Pyrrha's hesitations faded away as she felt Jaune's warmth in her hands spread throughout her body. He had been concerned for her, but only because he thought that she shouldn't have missed out on something as simple as ice cream. That was just how Jaune was with her. She was never the invincible Mistral champion. She was just his partner, his friend. She deserved to have all the little pleasures that she had missed out on because of her upbringing. She didn't belong on the pedestal that others trapped her on; she belonged on the ground with everyone else, living a normal life and being treated like a normal girl.

"What do you say?" He asked once more.

Pyrrha once again met Jaune's eyes. His deep sapphire orbs stared back at her with excitement, with anticipation, and with a slight gentleness that she couldn't quite place.

"That sounds grand."

xxx

Jaune fought through his motion sickness during the airship ride into Vale, distracting himself from his queasiness by regaling Pyrrha with stories of his childhood. He was firmly invested in trying to catch her up, attempting to persuade her on how amazing the creamy dessert was. Not that she minded, of course. It was endearing how hard he was trying for her, condensing seventeen years of memories into a ten minute airship ride just so that she could have a taste of what it was like to grow up out of the spotlight. She enjoyed hearing Jaune talk about his upbringing, his family, his home; anything that let Pyrrha get to know him better.

And if their legs brushed against each other every so often, so what? It wasn't a bad thing. In fact, it was a really good thing if you asked her. Electricity moved through her thigh anytime it touched Jaune and she reveled in how close it made her feel to him. But she would never say that out loud. Instead, she settled for quietly enjoying the small chances at skinship.

It wasn't long before they exited the airship and entered Vale, much to the relief of Jaune's stomach.

"Oh thank God!" Jaune sighed as he breathed in fresh air. "I don't know how much longer I could have lasted."

Pyrrha giggled at his antics, ever the drama queen that he was. "Oh please, it's never as bad as you make it seem."

"Excuse me!" Jaune held a hand to his chest. "I barely held it down this time. The power of ice cream just kept me together during such a trying time." He replied, wiping away a fake tear.

Pyrrha rolled her eyes before playfully punching his arm and walking towards the town. His face lit up as he flashed his teeth in a trademark Arc smile and he moved to catch up to her. Stupid Jaune and his stupid cute face, she thought. "So, where is this shop at?"

Jaune froze in his tracks as a sudden realization hit him. Pyrrha looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, questioning what was on his mind.

He brought a hand up and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Um, about that…I...don't actually know any ice cream shops around here."

Why did he still look completely and utterly adorkable even when he basically told her that he had no idea what he was doing?

"What would you do without me?" Pyrrha sighed before walking towards him and pulling out her scroll, searching for any local ice cream shops in the vicinity.

"Believe me, I ask myself that every day." Jaune said, silently thanking Pyrrha for helping him out as she filtered through the results that popped up on her screen.

It had only been a few months ago that any help from Pyrrha would have made Jaune feel inadequate. He had the asinine idea that getting help from a girl somehow made him less masculine. However, as he grew closer to his partner, he realized that there was nothing wrong with getting help when you needed it, especially when you were getting help from the most beautiful and capable girl at Beacon. Though, she didn't need to know that he had recently been faking his own helplessness to spend more time with her. What kind of guy didn't like getting the attention of the person he likes? So, sue him!

"Here, this place looks nice!" Pyrrha didn't notice as Jaune moved to her side, craning his neck down to get a better look at her screen. She managed to fight back the small "eep!" that caught in her throat and tried to control the blush that crept onto her face. She looked over at him, his kissable cheek within mere centimeters of her lips. The way the dimple formed as the ends of his mouth curved upward confirmed it: he was absolutely begging to be freaking smooched.

"Yeah! Sounds great! Let's head over!" Jaune affirmed and started walking in the shop's direction, taking his cheeks with him.

Pyrrha cleared her throat, mentally congratulating herself for her own self-control and rushed to catch up with her stupid adorkble partner and his stupid kissable cheeks.

xxx

The shop had surprisingly not been crowded, though it made sense that no one wanted to leave their air conditioned homes in this heat.

The interior of the shop was mostly painted white, with pink and green stripes running along the sides to break up the monotony. To the left of the entrance was the glass display of numerous ice cream flavors, several sizes of waffle cones standing on top, and a register at the far end. To the right were a small group of tables and chairs for patrons to sit down and enjoy their frosty treats, a few of them already digging into their scoops.

Jaune's skin sprouted with goosebumps as soon as he felt the cooling embrace of the shop's air conditioning. "I never want to leave this place."

Pyrrha sighed in relief, agreeing with him. She wanted to cool down in here for as long as possible, though she knew that doing so would probably get them kicked out for loitering.

They walked over to the display, two pairs of eyes roaming over the selection of ice cream. Jaune, truly a veteran in ice cream consumption, only needed to look over the display once before coming to a decision. However, his partner looked apprehensive over the multitude of choices before her.

"Everything okay?" He pried.

Pyrrha turned towards him and hesitated before answering, "I guess I'm just kind of…overwhelmed. I mean, there are so many to choose from. And I don't really know which one to get seeing as how it's my first time."

He nodded in understanding, and directed her attention towards the display.

"Well, if I can offer a bit of advice…" He paused, waiting for Pyrrha's consent before continuing, "…I personally really like cookie dough. It's not too sweet since it's just vanilla, but the bits of cookie dough make it kind of new and interesting. I'd recommend it since you don't really know what you like yet. Plus, it's not too out there that it'll overwhelm you for your first time but it's not a boring basic choice either."

She grinned at him, appreciating his concern and his accounting for her tastes.

"That sounds grand."

A hefty middle aged man made his way towards the duo, donning a white paper hat, a white polo and a white apron with pink and green stripes running vertically down the front. He wiped his hands on a towel before throwing it over his shoulder and setting his hands on the chillled metal at the top of the display, "What can I get for you two?" His voice came out peppy and the gray mustache at the top of his lip bristled as he spoke.

"Uh, can we get a single scoop of cookie dough for her and a single scoop of birthday cake for myself?" Jaune spoke up.

"You got it!" the man said, grabbing a utensil behind the counter and forming a ball in a vat of cookie dough ice cream. "Are those going to be in cups or cones?"

"It's ice cream! You gotta have the cone!" Jaune replied with excitement in his voice.

The man let out a hearty laugh. "That's right! I like the way you think, young man!"

Jaune looked back at Pyrrha who looked unsure of the decision and gave her a small wink, "Trust me, you won't regret it." She smiled back at him and nodded. If he said it like that, how could she disagree?

"Now are you going to be paying for this together or separately?" The man asked as he handed the duo their cones.

"Oh, sep-," Pyrrha was cut off as Jaune handed her his cone to hold.

"Together!" He interjected and took out his wallet.

"Jaune, I can't let you do that. I can pay for myself." Pyrrha tried to insist.

"No way! I don't mind. Besides, I was the one that invited you out here in the first place. It's on me." Jaune countered as he fished out some lien.

Pyrrha moved to argue, but a voice cut her off. "C'mon, little lady! It's your boyfriend's job to pay for things like this! Just make it up to him later!" The man said with a wink.

The two of them blushed and Jaune hurriedly handed the man his payment. Pyrrha relented and celebrated inwardly at the fact that Jaune hadn't corrected him on the nature of their relationship. At least now she knew he wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of people thinking they were together-together.

She handed him back his cone after he retrieved his change and they sat down at one of the tables on the other side of the shop.

Jaune had already bit into his scoop and let out a chuckle. He knew this had been a good idea.

Pyrrha observed her partner before glaring at her own scoop. She had faced down numerous strong opponents in the past, and here she was, scared of biting into some dessert.

Jaune noticed her nervousness and placed his free hand over her own on the table, reassuring her with his eyes that it would be fine.

She smiled warmly at their joined hands before returning to the cone and taking the plunge.

She moved the cool treat around her mouth as her eyes lit up.

The vanilla coated her tongue in sweetness, but hadn't assaulted her with it. And the small bits of cookie dough added texture. She bit down on the tiny pieces as they moved over her teeth and she marveled at their soft chewiness.

"Wow…" she finally said, in awe of how many years she had gone without this in her life.

"I told you so." Jaune replied smugly and flashed another confident grin. He eyed the cone in her hand and went over the idea that popped into his head. It was normal for friends to do that, right? He worked up the courage and he lunged forward, stealing a bite.

Pyrrha gasped and pouted at him in mock anger. "Mr. Arc, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you recommended this for me just so you could have a second flavor to eat from."

Jaune didn't meet her gaze and looked to the side as he savored the flavors in his mouth, trying his best to look innocent.

He felt a squeeze in his hand and looked back at Pyrrha, her gentle smile assuring him that she wasn't upset and only poking fun. He returned the smile and tilted his own cone towards her.

"Here, so we're even." Jaune said, offering her a taste.

Pyrrha eyed his cone, curious at its vibrant blue color. "What flavor was this again?"

"It's birthday cake." He answered. Pyrrha raised her eyebrow at this.

"How do they do that? Does it actually taste like birthday cake?" She inquired.

"Well, why don't you just try it and find out for yourself?" Jaune said, nudging the cone in her direction.

She slowly took a bite of the blue cream and smacked her lips gently as she analyzed the taste.

"Oh! It actually tastes like cake!" She piped up, surprised but clearly enjoying herself.

Jaune beamed at her before digging back into his ice cream, and looked towards the opposite end of the shop. The man who had served them was standing behind it, flashing him a suggestive grin. Oh god. Jaune whipped back towards the table and tried his best to ignore the silent implications being sent his way.

Pyrrha continued ravishing her own cone, reveling at how the coolness of the dessert and the warmth from Jaune's hand fought over her body. Her first experience having actual ice cream had been unforgettable and it was all because of the boy that she adored from across the table. Jaune made sure that nothing ruined this for her and she knew that she would remember this day for years to come. And if anyone made a comment on how cute they looked together, it wasn't like she was going to correct them. She encouraged it, even.

Although, the way that he kept her hand in his own was more than enough for her at the moment.

xxx

Hi, my first fic here. I've been in a big Arkos mood for like two months straight.

This was inspired by the song SUMMER by BROCKHAMPTON. I know that the song is sung from the perspective of a man singing to another man, but I couldn't help but connect the lyrics with Pyrrha's perspective on her relationship with Jaune.

I'm not trying to erase gay experiences with straight ones. Not trying to be problematic.

Just manifesting an idea that I had and became very passionate about.

This is just the first part, I'm planning two more parts. This was mostly to establish Jaune and Pyrrha's feelings for each other. The next part is hopefully going to focus more on the two of them making their feelings known to each other.

If you liked this, but can see how I can improve, I'm hoping to get some second opinions going forward to help me edit my work better.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.