Slowly, like the fluttering wings of a Butterfly, Pyrrha's emerald eyes drifted open. She felt a...warm, that was the only way she could describe it, warm, feeling all over her sweat-coated body. She wasn't sure if she had ever felt so exhausted in her life.
Nor could she recall ever feeling happier.
[=]
It had been a hard fight, a long fight: for almost two weeks straight, catching sleep and stuffing down food wherever they could, teams RWBY, JNPR, C_VY and SSSN had aided the Atlas armed forces and fellow Huntsmen teams, including their close friends on team FNKY, in a protracted battle against Cinder Fall's Grimm legion. it had been a costly battle: casualty lists were expected to be long, and Weiss herself had, upon their return, immediately rushed to the city's central hospital to see to her older sister Winter, who had been severely injured in a duel with the maiden-empowered Cinder. If not for the intervention of Qrow Branwen, she might have joined those long lists.
Cinder's enthralled White Fang forces, making use of captured Paladins and even a hijacked battleship, had torn open the defensive walls of the newest of Remnant's kingdoms, and even the frigid conditions hadn't been enough to keep the Grimm away. They'd even encroached upon the Schnee estate, despite it's fierce security defenses.
But they'd won. against all odds...against all HOPE, they'd won. A massive duel in the crumbling ruins of the old city of Mantle had carried the young teams to the brink...but not over it.
and most of all, it had carried Pyrrha BACK from a brink, one she'd not even known she was edging up against.
The return to Atlas after the triumphant battle against the Grimm legion had been highlighted by the news from Vale: the Grimm had been completely cleared from Beacon Academy, and reconstruction was already underway. The sense of euphoria, of TRIUMPH, that filled the hearts of everyone who had engaged in the heated battle made the mood light, airy and joyous: no grimm would menace them tonight.
Nora, with her seemingly endless ability to provide the right resources for the moment, had produced a large keg of Mistral whiskey, and immediately declared celebration. In spite of the icy air that filled the streets of the arctic city, the thronging crowds had carried on singing and celebrating well into the night.
and, despite the exhaustion she'd thought she would feel...Pyrrha had actually been the one to "make the first move" as the old saying went.
[=]
The darkness that surrounded her told her it was still night…and the pair of familiar and oh so welcome blue eyes that met her own told her she was perfectly safe.
She smiled dreamily as she gazed into Jaune's tired expression. Her partner-in more ways than one-smiled back as she shifted slightly under the sheets.
"Hello again." she whispered, her tired voice seeming to echo in the vast room at the Schnee estate: the Academy grounds were in ruins, so Weiss had offered her friends use of her vast, castle-like home. Eisen Schnee hadn't been around to protest, and Willow, Weiss' mother, and Whitley, her brother, were more than pleased to finally meet some of Weiss' friends.
[=]
Yang, Nora and Ren had quickly disappeared into one of the many guest rooms of the house, raucous singing quickly giving way to more...intimate sounds that even Schnee soundproofing couldn't dampen.
Weiss and Ruby had crumpled in the living room, curled up together under a blanket, Zwei sleeping draped across them. Blake had accepted Sun's company, but by the LACK of sound from their chosen room it seemed they had simply drifted off into exhausted sleep. Neptune, Sage and Scarlet were drooped across the massive dining hall table, several bottles of Atlas wine clustered around each of them.
Coco, Velvet and Yatsu sat in the living room, a large log fire in the fireplace keeping them warm. the two girls were curled up against their bear of a teammate, who sat in meditative silence...while still making sure his partners were well-covered by the blankets. Weiss' Butler, Klein, simply smiled as he moved about cleaning up the mess.
[=]
"How do you feel?" Jaune asked quietly. he let his free hand gently caress her arm as he smiled lovingly at her.
For a moment, her gaze became thoughtful. She shifted weakly under the thin sheets, her body perfectly outlined by the dark material that glowed in the moonlight that streamed through the skylights above.
"Sweaty, a bit sore, my head is all fuzzy, my legs feel like spaghetti and the sheets are sticking to my skin."
She adjusted the sheets, pulling them higher on her bare torso.
"And I'm a little chilly."
She smiled sleepily as she reached out, her fingers idly caressed his cheek.
"So on the whole, I'd say perfect."
Jaune almost snorted, instead settling for a contented "hmm..." that seemed to Pyrrha like as profound as any poetry. for a long moment, the two lay there, gazing into each others eyes. the hours before had almost seemed like a culmination of their two year long relationship...though Pyrrha's feelings for her partner went back long before that fateful kiss outside Beacon tower...
"Hey Pyrrha..." Jaune suddenly asked, "...could you pinch me?"
"Pinch you?"
"Yeah, real quick, right on the cheek." Jaune replied, looking at where her fingers were still caressing his soft skin-slightly marred by the peach fuzz he was starting to sprout at last.
Not that Pyrrha didn't think it was adorable, even as, still puzzled, she briefly gripped the skin of his face, tugging lightly at it.
"AH-ah! yeah, that's good!" Jaune said, flinching slightly as she released him. His smile seemed to grow as he lightly massaged the affected spot "that's real good..."
"If you like that, Jaune, maybe I should pinch you more often..." Pyrrha murmured...she was starting to drift off again, her words slightly slurred. Despite her drooping eyes, she could still see him shake his head, his smile still present.
"I'm just making sure this isn't a dream." Jaune replied. She looked at him, her tired eyes confused. He almost looked sheepish.
"I mean, out of all the guys in the world, out of all the warriors and heroes and self-made guys out there…I'm the one Pyrrha Nikos started crushing on."
"How lucky you are." Pyrrha replied sleepily as she kissed him again "your girlfriend, The Pyrrha Nikos..."
She was suddenly wide awake, however, as his face abruptly became serious. His smile fell away and his eyes became dark.
"Jaune?" she asked, worried. Had she said something wrong-?
She continued staring at him, concerned, as he shuffled over and pulled her into an embrace. As his strong arms wrapped around her, she breathed in his scent, felt a blush erupt on her cheeks. He pillowed her head on his shoulder, his blonde hair tickling her ear.
"Honestly?" Jaune said suddenly, "Your name doesn't seem to fit a "the" prefix. It just feels…wrong to me."
"Wrong?"
"Yeah…" he replied, holding her close, "I mean, when you're "The" Pyrrha Nikos, then you're the pedestal-planted girl who is the icon of the whole world, a symbol…a THING, something beyond a person. It dehumanizes you…and I won't insult you like that."
Pyrrha's eyes widened as she listened to Jaune's words, her expression morphing to one of amazement. he continued speaking as she held him closer.
"You told me once you always felt isolated from the real world, that no one could see you for YOU, and because of that you never felt close to anyone."
"Well...I could see you, when you fought and when you were at peace: In battle you seemed to exude confidence, strength, an image of invulnerability that everyone idolizes. And I think they do that because they don't see you when you're off the battlefield."
He turned his head, planting a few quick kisses into her scarlet locks.
"Because if they did, they'd know you were an awkward, charming, hesitant, somewhat introverted snuggle bubble that looks quite fetching in a plaid skirt, hates the cereal she advertises and is a secret fan of sappy romance stories."
Pyrrha snorted laughter as she pushed away from Jaune, letting her fingers trail across some of the scars on his back...and a few fresh scratch marks from earlier in the evening...
Jaune stared into her eyes as she giggled, his smile returned as he reached out and caressed her cheek.
"When you're just Pyrrha Nikos…you're not only a person…you're my girlfriend...no"
He gently cupped her cheek in his palm, feeling the warmth within as he stared lovingly at her.
"You're the woman I love…"
A hand flew to Pyrrha's mouth as Jaune gently caressed her cheek, letting a few fingers dance into her hair. Her emerald orbs, huge and full of emotion, locked onto his sky blue gaze.
He paused for a moment, letting his words trail away as, to Pyrrha's growing shock, a few tears came to his own eyes.
"I think it was after I brought you downstairs, the way your face lit up when you saw everyone waiting for you. when Nora threaded your circlet back into your hair, when your face lit up with that beautiful smile and seemed to glow, that I realized something: when you were gone, after Beacon's fall…something was missing. A piece of me that I didn't know was there. It felt like…like a piece of my soul had been ripped out."
He let a few of those tears dribble down his cheeks, briefly staining the white sheets as he leaned in close to his partner.
"And that was when I realized something else, even though it's taken me so long to make sense of it."
Gently taking her head in his hands, he leaned in close, pressing a gentle kiss to Pyrrha's lips.
"I love you, Pyrrha Nikos."
"oh…Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped, her smile wide even as tears fell from her eyes. Allowing Jaune to pull her close, she hid her face in his neck, letting her tears flow freely. He didn't say a word as she briefly trembled, squeezing her eyes shut even as the widest smile she'd ever felt crossed her lips.
"It's so strange…" she whispered as she nuzzled Jaune's neck not caring about the hitch in her voice, "I'm so happy…but the tears just won't stop…"
"Anything i can do to help?" Jaune asked, whisper quiet in the empty night. Pyrrha leaned back, staring into his gaze with her wide, wet eyes.
"Say it again…"
"I love you." Jaune repeated with a loving smile as he placed a gentle kiss in her hair.
"Again..." Pyrrha repeated as she let Jaune hold her closer, his hands sliding down over her shoulders.
"I love you..."
"Again!" Pyrrha almost cried out, as she felt the same surging warmth from earlier in the evening boiling up as Jaune's hands traveled lower, over her-
[=]
Jaune was surprised when Pyrrha suddenly giggled excitedly, tucking the sheets up to her face as she pulled away from him and folded in on herself slightly.
"Oooh, No No, don't do that!" she giggled "My nerves are all supercharged, that tickles!"
Jaune stared in amazement at the redhead as she trembled under his touch, her melodic laughter filling the room. A mischievous smile came to his lips as he stopped, let his hand hover over Pyrrha's tummy.
"You're telling me…" he said, "That your weakness…is a ticklish stomach?"
"No!" she replied, her eyes wide in fear even as she smiled, "Jaune Arc, don't you dare-!"
The rest of her statement was lost in a fit of helpless laughter as Jaune's fingers suddenly danced up and down her tight stomach.
And that dancing went a little lower...and before long, they discovered hey, they weren't so tired after all.
[=]
A cute Arkos oneshot set in my "Mother Maiden" RWBY AU. More info can be found on My Deviantart page (same username)
"Mother Maiden" is a long-term post-V3 "Pyrrha survives" AU that isn't connected to my other RWBY stories.