A/N: Confession time: Pyrrha's stupidity about this whole thing is just… me. I'm awful at figuring out people's affections/interest in me. With other people? I can spot it a mile away. With me? I swear, if I was in her shoes I'd just say wow Jaune is such a nice boy. Good friend o' mine, nothing more, until Nora beat me to death for being a blind idiot.

Let me know what you think!

Thrown to the Wind

Offset

"You know what that feeling's called, right?"

The sound of sizzling recommenced as Ren, hunched over their illicit griddle, poured another ladleful of batter onto the greased surface. Pyrrha pouted, crawling underneath the curtain hung around the bottom of Nora's bed. She clutched her pillow to her chest, sighing tiredly as Nora immediately latched onto her shoulder, snuggling contentedly.

"You're making it a big deal," Pyrrha murmured, holding out her plate. Ren flipped the pancake, a perfect golden brown, onto her plate. How he managed it with his eyes half-closed, still in a stupor from his late marking session the night before, she'd never know.

Nora shook her head, opening her mouth. Pyrrha dutifully cut her a piece of the pancake and fed her friend before taking a bite herself. The girl hummed happily before replying around the food, "Look, Pyrrha. We all know how you feel about him. Even Ruby must've figured it out!"

She blushed darker than her roots. "There's no way. You're exaggerating-"

"Except I'm not," Nora insisted, "and you're head-over-heels. I get it. He's the perfect kind of stupid for you."

Pyrrha sighed, eating her pancake woefully. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way?"

The orange-haired girl snorted around her pancake. "Are you kidding me?! Ruby apparently has been trying to get him to come hang out for years, and he's never taken her up on it until now! What's changed?" She jabbed the redhead in the stomach, startling a yelp out of her. "It's you! It's 'cause of you!"

Yet, her doubts wouldn't fade. What if Jaune was just… the world's nicest boy? What if he just wanted to be platonic friends, nothing more? What if everyone was imagining the hints he was dropping, and he just wanted to hang out and that was it?

The fear of rejection- being rejected by anything in a lifetime of victory, of self-assured confidence- was terrifying. She had no idea how to deal with it.

So, she stayed her hand. The worries haunted her, but she said nothing. Her mind kept spinning in circles, her desperation to spend time with him trumping her need to take time off and study quietly. She met up with him throughout the next week, hanging out despite her midterms going into full swing, her papers piling up relentlessly. The boy noticed how stressed she was growing, and he happily offered to help her study during their meetups. Yet, by the end of the week, when she met up with him after her Friday evening training, she was utterly exhausted. Her performance was falling, and she didn't know what to do.

It was when she received a surprisingly low quiz mark online that Saturday, a week before the fated party, that she truly understood what she needed to do- either resolve the situation with Jaune now, or give herself time to get her work done independently without having to worry about the blond.

And yet, when she visited him that evening, wanting to bring up the idea of studying in the library that week during her breaks instead of with him, he was sporting a split lip, and all words died in her throat. While Nora and Ren and, joining them for once on their little adventure, Ruby, were scanning the shelves for hidden treasures, Pyrrha could only whisper, "What happened this week? Jaune, you have to tell me. I'm worried about you."

And the blond sighed, running his hands through his hair. "My older sister volunteers in a shelter nearby," he finally explained, tired. "I usually pick her up on Friday nights- well, Saturday mornings, after my shift."

"Okay," she murmured, tapping the counter anxiously.

"And, well… lately, her ex has been lurking outside, waiting for her. I've been trying to get him to back off, but… unfortunately, Cardin's kind of an ass." He gestured bleakly at himself. "Every time I tell him my sister's dating someone else now, he gets pretty offended."

"Haven't you told your sister that he's there?" she spluttered, utterly confused.

He shook his head. "You don't understand," he murmured. "Saph just wants to make a difference. I don't want some scumbag to change that. And, it's good that I'm clumsy! She just thinks I trip a lot at work." He snickered at that. "It's not like it's never happened. And I'm slowly convincing her to only work during the day. It just takes time."

And she groaned, instantly losing her confidence. How could he just say that? How could he just keep that smile on his face when he was suffering?

"Tell her," she urged. "It's not worth you getting beat up!"

The boy shook his head. "She's got enough on her plate," he insisted. "And I'll be fine."

Her friends returned to the front of the store, goods in hand, effectively cutting off the conversation. Nora lined up everything with a smirk, elbowing Pyrrha, sending her a knowing grin. When the redhead's distressed gaze fell upon her, however, Nora sobered up, tugging Ren's sleeve. Ren nodded, helping the blond bag the items while Nora pulled the redhead out of the store. "What's going on?" she murmured,

Pyrrha sighed. "I just…"

"That boy better not have said anything-"

"Don't say that," Pyrrha interjected. Her heart had fallen into the pit of her stomach, heavy and pained. He's stronger than any of us. How can he handle everything? I just don't get it. Because no matter how much Nora teased her for liking such a dense human, Jaune was still working two jobs, managing five classes, and taking care of his siblings more than anyone could ever ask him to. He was able to handle so much, and yet, Pyrrha struggled to handle a simple crush on top of her normal classes and athletics.

With great shame, she realized the truth. She felt confused, conflicted- inferior. For the first time in her life, she truly experienced shame for feeling weak.