A/N: Yes, I brought him back as a villain. I adore him. Fight me.

Also, since there's a decent amount of people following along, shameless plug time: I'm currently working on a longer canon fic, What We Call Home. It's a rewrite of RWBY Vol. 4-6 through Nora's POV, fleshing out JNR's full story whenever they're not onscreen. Check it out if you're interested!

Let me know what you think!

Thrown to the Wind

Explicit

"…Why are you coming to this store?"

The question left her floundering. How could she possibly answer that?

But the blond wouldn't budge, gaze hard and cold and frustrated as he slammed down her chocolate bar onto the counter. It was the third time she had come to this store. It had been an impulse visit this time- she hadn't expected him to be there on Saturday night shifts, too, but after the night before, she had been too worried to sleep properly.

Who had hurt him like that?

"No reason," she murmured, avoiding eye contact. You. It's you. I wanted to see you.

But she couldn't just say that. Nor could she say anything about the contents of her backpack- about the painkillers, the small heating pad, the aloe gel. The bruise on his cheek had begun to heal, turning bluish-green around the edge, but it clearly still ached- he flinched anytime he accidentally brushed the injury when pushing hair out of his eyes.

Nora had laughed relentlessly when she saw Pyrrha leaving earlier. "I don't think you can justify going to see him just to buy chocolate," she had giggled. "Like, there's a million-and-one better stores to buy generic chocolate from. And if he hasn't figured out who you are yet, then he'll figure it out soon enough for sure." Her eyes had filled with sympathy. "And… to be honest, Pyrrha, I'm not sure if he's a good enough guy to suffer for if he ends up being… y'know…"

If he's not a good person. The thought had crossed Pyrrha's mind countless times already. What would she do if he actually was an awful person? What if he didn't actually go to school, like she thought he did? What if he was a murderer? What if his clumsiness was all just an act, trying to lull her into a sense of security?

Before doing what? What could his 'master plan' be? It was a stupid thought, but the idea kept percolating in the back of her mind, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that he was… just too good to be true.

At least Nora had agreed- he was cute, 'in a generic sort of way'. Pyrrha couldn't explain why she was so smitten.

The entire floor by that point knew about her little crush. Everyone cooed over how the unflappable Pyrrha Nikos, the one woman who could not be taken down by the sweet seduction of any of the most attractive boys on campus or in varsity, had fallen in love with some cashier.

Yang had murmured, "You know good ol' Glynda wouldn't be too happy to hear that you've been distracted all week because of a boy."

"It's like Romeo and Juliet! Forbidden, star-crossed lovers!" Ruby had squealed excitedly, using the gossip as the perfect excuse to neglect her opened textbook.

Weiss had just rolled her eyes as she typed away on her laptop, working on a paper. "It'll only be a Montague-versus-Capulet situation if he goes to like… Haven U or something." Slamming her phone onto the table, she cried, "Oh my god, he's not from Haven, right?"

And Nora had butt in and cried, "Who cares? Pyrrha can just distract the enemy while she gets it-"

Pyrrha had shouldered her bag and bolted at that, tucking her hands into her varsity jacket and jogging down the hall.

"At least, buy something you'll actually eat! They've gotta have like, nuts or something!" Nora had called after Pyrrha.

The redhead had almost made it out of the building unseen. Unfortunately, fate could never be too kind. She had somehow managed to run into her least favourite resident in the building as she reached the side door. "Ooh, where's little Miss Nikos going, hm?" the grey-haired boy had crooned, holding the door open chivalrously for her as she passed.

And she had sighed, pulling out the most polite smile she could to hide the contempt in her heart. Straightening her shoulders, she had looked level into Mercury Black's dark eyes, ignoring the leer always lingering on his lips. "Enjoy your night, Mercury," she said, ducking under the arm he held out to block her way.

The boy's voice had carried through the residence commons. "Be safe, Pyrrha! Don't talk to strangers!" And his voice had been filled with snide contempt and predatory undertones through the thin veneer of friendliness, and Pyrrha had rolled her eyes and shuddered, trying to wipe the sick unease that his presence always caused from her mind.

If the blond boy who stood in front of her acted like Mercury, Pyrrha might've been uncomfortable. But he wasn't- he just stared at her from across the counter with the most confused, concerned expression.

She asked quietly, "What's your favourite chocolate?"

He frowned, but after she refused to pull out her card to pay at the waiting debit machine, he pointed mutely at a little milk chocolate brand in the corner. Nodding, Pyrrha grabbed one, adding it to her pile. The blond silently scanned it, and she finally paid properly at the machine. Then, she took a deep breath in, out- 1, 2-

And she opened up her bag, removed the supplies she had brought for him, and put her chocolate bar inside. She placed his favourite one on top of the pile and gently pushed it towards him.

The blond frowned, utterly baffled. "Um…"

"I'm not going to ask what happened," she murmured at last. "If you want to talk, I'll gladly listen. But… until then…" She smiled shyly at him. "I had a good Friday night, thanks to you. I thought I should return the favour- you have to enjoy your Saturday now, okay?"

He blinked long and slow, taking in what she had brought with a critical eye, making no move to reach for it.

I shouldn't have done this.

But then, his face exploded into the most tender smile, and she knew it was all worth it.