A/N: God, how I wish that Merc would become a protag in RWBY eventually. I adore him.

Let me know what you think!

Thrown to the Wind

Landscape

The moment she stepped outside, however, the weather decided to not cooperate. She barely made it past the end of the dormitories before a torrential rainfall suddenly unleashed its wrath upon her, forcing her back inside. Walking to see him through the darkness was already a little unnerving- she certainly didn't need to compete with storms, too.

So, the rest of the weekend passed uneventfully. Nora kept nudging her to text the blond, to which she outright refused. It grew to the point where she ended up heading back to the track on Sunday night to run, just to distract herself from the ever-present number sitting in her phone's contacts.

It was nearly noon on Monday, over textbook readings and lunch, when she received a message from the blond simply asking where she was. The redhead nearly leapt three feet off the ground in shock, shakily typing out a response- there was a little grassy knoll where she liked to spend her one hour between practice and class every day, eating lunch and enjoying the weather. There was a small gazebo nearby, too, which made it a viable spot year-round. She didn't mind the winter rains, though- hiding underneath the branches of a tall oak tree provided more than enough shelter, the scent of damp earth and nature enough to make her heady. No one else was usually around, and it was right behind the building which housed the majority of her classes, so she relished in the quiet. Only a few other people from her dorms knew that they could always find her there during lunch, since they had dropped by to drop off or pickup study materials.

The light crunching of dried leaves underfoot caught her attention barely five minutes later, a familiar grin accompanied by bright blue eyes peeking around the trunk of the tree which served as her backrest. "Hey! You mind if I hang out?" Jaune asked.

She flashed a glance at her phone screen briefly- she had texted Nora about the boy's message, her friend only replying with confetti, thumbs-ups and reminders to ask about Neon's party- before tucking it away in her bag. "Hey, Jaune," she murmured, cursing at how breathlessly the words slipped past her lips.

But as he settled down beside her, her heart froze in her chest. "Jaune, what…?"

This time, it was a black eye. Thankfully, the eye wasn't swollen, but the dark-purple bruise was still tinged with red, burst blood vessels evident through his fair skin. The boy's smile grew sheepish. "It's bad, huh?"

On instinct, she reached out a hand, cupping his cheek and running a thumb lightly over the injury. "Jaune, what happened?" she whispered.

The boy's cheeks grew warm and flushed under her sudden touch, and she instantly pulled back, shocked at how close their faces had drawn. Shifting away as if burned, she threw her back against the trunk once more, picking up her lunch once more.

Jaune shook his head, recovering with an awkward chuckle. "Wow, you really are an athlete, huh?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, taking another bite of her chicken and spinach salad. He reached into his bag and pulled out his own food- a bag of dry cereal as if to demonstrate his point. She nearly choked. "Okay, you don't need to be an athlete to know that that's not okay, Jaune!"

He snickered. "But it was one of your boxes, Pyrrha!" Pouring a handful of dry marshmallow flakes into his mouth, he flashed her a wry grin. "So, really, it's your fault."

"I did not pack you cereal."

He held up his hands defensively. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to meal prep chicken breast and avocado, oh healthy one."

She rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, Jaune." She giggled anyways. Her pocket vibrated- likely Nora bugging her further about the party. The event was only a few weeks away. She wanted to ask- oh, how she did- but it was far too intimidating to bring it up. How did people ever manage to ask out others in the first place?! Even the mere thought of it made her cheeks flush red.

Suddenly, a nearby voice drawled lazily, "Wow, Em was right. Look who's here."

The redhead sat up and swivelled in her seat instantly, the hairs on the nape of her neck bristling. She knew that voice. "Hey, Mercury," she called as the grey-haired boy came into view. "What brings you here?"

Mercury strolled in front of her, raising his brow when he saw the confused blond seated by her side. "Who's this? Don't tell me- Miss Nikos has found herself a boyfriend?" Clutching a hand to his heart dramatically, he sighed, voice mournful. "How could I lose my chance?!"

"Cut it out," she muttered, climbing to her feet. Her heart jumped into her throat at his words. Don't say that. Don't scare him away. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Oh?" He raised a brow, intrigued, a coy smile on his lips.

She crossed her arms, leaning back against the tree. "Did you need something?"

"You didn't answer my question," he sang lightly, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked over to Jaune. His voice grew hard. "So. Blondie. What's your name?"

Jaune frowned, understanding that the newcomer wasn't welcome. He stood, drawing himself up tall by Pyrrha's side. "Jaune. Can I help you?"

Mercury chuckled, shrugging. "Em wanted me to tell you that Glynda wanted to talk to you tomorrow before practice," he said innocently. "Just wanted to let you know!"

Pyrrha frowned, pulling out her phone once more. Indeed, the last message was from Velvet, not Nora- it was conveying the same message. "She didn't need to get you to tell me," Pyrrha murmured.

The boy shrugged again, walking back towards the path leading out of the clearing. Waving carelessly over his shoulder, his words left a sour taste in her mouth. "Maybe I just wanted to see you, little Miss Invincible."