Stamina Training

Prompt: "When Pyrrha blushingly added "stamina training" to the program, Jaune hadn't said anything, but now they've been working on their stamina for two months, and the Dance is approaching ..." –Lord Farsight

Response:

Jaune ran the towel over his hair, once again thankful for Beacon's amazing water pressure. It really helped relax the muscles after an intense workout. And by Oum was this intense. Jaune had though the weight training was tough when they first started. However, he had quickly gotten used to the demanding pace. When Pyrrha added Yoga training, to help keep them limber and flexible, JNPR's leader had welcomed it.

Stamina training, however, was a completely different matter. Jaune knew he lacked muscle tone, that's what the weight training was for. But if there was one thing Jaune had thought he could be proud of, it was his stamina. He was an interkingdom dancing champion, after all.

Turns out, he had a lot to learn. Pyrrha had him doing everything from squats, shuttle runs, and scissor kicks to six different kind of burpie combinations! Six!

Luckily, the Beacon Dance was soon approaching. After two months of brutal training, Jaune was finally ready to show the results of all his hard work. He was going to show everyone, and especially his partner that all his training had paid off. And he was going to do it where it really counted: The dance floor.

Of course, to do this properly, he needed a partner. Luckily, Beacon had seen fit to already provide him the best one, and all it had taken was being hurtled off a cliff into a forest of deadly Grimm. 'A small price to pay for having the perfect partner,' Jaune thought as he finished getting dressed.

Now he just had to hope that none of the other guys had also wised up and realized how amazing she was, or his plan was over before it began! Jaune made sure to brush his teeth twice, and gargled with mouthwash for a full minute before finally leaving the bathroom. He had even forgone his onesie pajamas, instead opting for one of his old t-shirts, and a pair of sweatpants. Thus, armored up for battle, the knight strode forth from the bathroom with purpose, and proceeded to sit on his bed to wait.

Apparently, Pyrrha wasn't out of the bathroom yet.

He didn't have to wait long though, as the door to the girls' bathroom swung open, revealing Nora with toothpaste foam around her mouth, and a giggling Pyrrha brandishing a washcloth. "Nora, if you don't wipe off that tooth paste, you'll get it on your pillow!"

"Never! I'm a wild animal! I cannot be tamed! Look upon my froth covered cheeks and despair!"

Ren calmly took the washcloth from Pyrrha, and approached his partner, who was in the process of making faces at herself in the mirror and giggling. "Okay, time to cure the rabid beowolf."

Nora turned toward him, blushing at how close he was. She gave another nervous giggle as Ren gently wiped the corners of her mouth. When he was done, he gave her a gentle smile, "There, all cured."

Ren's hand seemed to linger at her cheek, wiping it again, even though the toothpaste was already gone. Nora blushed hotly before giggling, "Thanks for saving me, Ren!"

The ninja of Team JNPR gave her another smile, finally removing his hand from her cheek, "Any time."

While Team Sloth was being their usual selves, Jaune finally had the chance to talk to Pyrrha, and enact his master plan.

"So, Pyr, I had a question..."

The Mistral champion turned to him, smiling brightly as she combed her hair, "Yes, June?"

The blonde gulped, suddenly now even more aware of how amazing Pyrrha looked wearing her silk camisole pajamas. The fabric clung to her in ways that were proving to be...distracting.

Jaune sent off another silent prayer to Oum that he was not too late.

"So, Pyrrha, the Dance is coming up, and I thought it would be a great way to show off the results of all our training."

Pyrrha graced him with a smile, but Jaune noticed that it didn't quite reach her eyes. There was some emotion there that he couldn't place. He wasn't sure what it was, but it he didn't like it.

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Jaune! A very creative use of training. I had no idea you were a dancer."

The blonde gave a sheepish grin, "Well when you grow up with seven sisters, these sorts of things tend to happen. Anyway, I was bringing it up because in order to do many of these dances properly, I need a partner..."

Pyrrha could hardly believe her ears, was this really happening? Surely, she must have misheard, her heart was beating loud enough for it. She could feel the blood pumping in her veins, and for once it had nothing to do with a tournament match. Instead it had everything to do with the fact that her partner's training was paying off noticeably. At the beginning of the year, that shirt hung loosely on his frame. Now it looked almost painted on.

Pyrrha had to call upon her prodigious self control to avoid drooling. There's no way Jaune was trying to ask her out, she was certain he was likely swamped with offers from many vapid, shallow little tarts that saw only his chiseled abs and gorgeous eyes.

There was the drool again. 'Focus, Nikos!'

Pyrrha brought herself back to reality in time to hear her partner ask, "So would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Dance so that we may show off our awesome dancing skills?"

Pyrrha resisted the urge to pinch herself, but only just. Though she could hardly believe her ears, she still had the presence of mind to rapidly nod to her partner's request.

Jaune smiled at her, a mix of relief and happiness.

Behind them, Nora let out a high pitched squeal, before furiously hugging them both, "Ren! Let's go together as partners, that way we can have an awesome team dance, and show everyone just how awesome JNPR is!"

The two young men of JNPR glanced at each other, giving a nod. How could they resist the urge showcase their amazing skills?

And so Team JNPR attended the Beacon Dance where they kept their promise, dominating the dance floor with a completely spontaneous dance routine.

Later, during the couples dances, all the twists, dips, turns, and grasping took on a very intimate turn as the two couples continued to press against their partners to the rhythm of the music.

Luckily for all the other couples that night, this brought many repressed feelings to a head, leaving the two couples to depart the dance early for more private venues.

This led to an entirely new way to test their endurance, one that was very satisfying and fun for all.

END