A/N: And thus, we have reached the end! If you have any suggestions for other stories/AUs, let me know! I might just take it on.

Shameless plug time! If you want more of Pyrrha (and budding Arkos) but in canon, check out:

Laws of Attraction- a full canon-compliant retelling of RWBY Vol. 1-3 from Pyrrha's POV, focusing on her life/struggles. Comes with multiple oneshots in that universe.

Also, I'm currently working on a longer canon RWBY fic from Nora's POV in Vol. 4-6:

What We Call Home- If you want more of Nora and want to see a cool canon-complaint backstory for her and Ren/an actual mission for JNR through the later volumes, that's the best way to find her :D

And my next AU side-project:

Of Complacency and Conspiracies - If you want more real-world AU, light-hearted Renora/slow-burn Arkos, this'll be the next little challenge project to myself. First chapter is up!

This was a fun project. Leave a review with your thoughts!

Thrown to the Wind

Zero

And so, they started from scratch. They hugged, and promised to see each other the next week in Pyrrha's favourite study spot. Her busy season was going to end soon, and she needed to focus on her classes while she could so that her final few meets went well. She also made him promise to not distract her, though- the second round of midterms would be upon her soon, and she needed to focus. He laughed, and nodded, and promised firmly to sit on the opposite side of the oak tree, should he be tempted to steal her attention.

He didn't follow through. Pyrrha didn't mind, though. The next week, he began to sit closer and closer, and by the time Nora walked in on Thursday after a huge technical rehearsal for her theatre club's upcoming performance, Pyrrha was leaning her head on Jaune's shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The orange-haired girl immediately squealed, calling Ren to loudly announce the fact that they were "finally gonna get to go on double dates, Pyrrha isn't going to be alone anymore, and oh my god we can go to that all-you-can-eat place that needs four people minimum now whenever we want!"

Ren's quiet, fairly unenthused, "Yay," audible from the other end sent the redhead and the blond into a fit of giggles, and just like that, Jaune was accepted fully into their inner circle.

Mercury was taken care of- at least, that's the nicest way Pyrrha could put it. In what felt like an oddly-neat way to get him off her back, she told Nora everything. One thing led to another, and suddenly, Neo's Harley Quinn mallet was stashed under Nora's bed for a few days, and Mercury was limping away from them for weeks after. Pyrrha didn't approve of her methods, but there was a part of her that relished in the bitter fear that flashed in his eyes whenever their paths crossed.

That following weekend was another competition. A number of their housemates had come out to support those on varsity teams, cheering despite the chilly weather. "It's too cold to play Werewolf outside this week," Ruby explained as she wrapped herself up in a red, cloak-like blanket that morning when everyone headed out with the athletes to the field. However, there was something mischievous about the smile the younger girl shared with her older sister and friends, something that Pyrrha just couldn't place.

Their scheme was quickly unveiled once the competition started. Seated beside the younger girl was Jaune, the blond boy bundled up to his ears in warm clothes. Pyrrha flushed, waving shyly at him as she took her place on the sidelines with her team. He waved back wildly, inciting a chorus of cheers and hollers from her friends, who were more than happy to see their Invincible Girl supported by her first true crush.

And when Pyrrha finally took her place on the running line, javelin in hand, she had to pause momentarily before running- before she could go, she needed to calm herself down, the laughter wracking her body nearly bringing her to tears. In the stands, Jaune had stood up, holding up a sign with her name on it. It was decorated like the chocolate bar she always bought from him.

He still doesn't know I haven't ever even tried it, let alone like it… oh goodness.

Velvet destroyed her opponents in the long jump, the quiet girl beaming at her teammates when the final scores were announced. She was just one of many Beacon athletes who competed admirably that day. And, of course, Pyrrha demolished her opponents, all of her confidence and strength back now that she knew that the blond was unconditionally by her side. She even managed to set a new personal record, much to everyone's surprise and awe.

After the awards ceremony, Glynda patted the girl on the back. "So, all of the distraction over the past few weeks really has been because of that boy, huh?"

Pyrrha immediately backpedalled, trying to come up with an excuse for the blond's presence- but the woman merely smiled, uncharacteristically gentle. "If he hurts you, you know, the girls will gladly take him down," she said, oddly sweet despite the foreboding connotation of her words.

The redhead chuckled before her meaning dawned on her. "I… I think Jaune will be fine," she giggled. "No need to worry."

"Jaune, huh? Nice job." And the woman sent her a wink that lit a fire in her cheeks, the mortified girl covering her face in her hands and hunching over in a corner while her coach merely walked away, laughing airily.

That evening, after her team had grabbed a few drinks to celebrate and the festivities had carried them to a nearby bar, Pyrrha finally managed to sneak away. Running back to her room, she packed two bowls, two spoons, some of the chocolate (still woefully uneaten), and her wallet into her bag, then jogged off into the night.

Jaune was surprised to see her. "Shouldn't you be out celebrating?" he puzzled. "Ruby said everyone was going out-"

"I am celebrating," she called playfully, wandering to the back of the store. Grabbing a Pumpkin Pete's box and a small carton of milk, she brought it to the front, letting the blond scan them quickly. After paying, she asked, "When's your break?"

He shrugged, confused. "Whenever I want, basically."

"Cool." Wandering over to the front, she turned the shop's sign to show he was off for the next thirty minutes. Opening up her bag, she pulled out the bowls and set about making them a late snack. Then, she hopped onto the counter, sitting cross-legged despite his protests, and handed him a bowl.

After a few moments of quiet crunching, he murmured, "…Why are we eating cereal?"

"I think I've earned it, right?"

He frowned. "But… isn't this really bad for you?"

She shrugged, smiling gently. She took a little nibble of a chocolate bar too, indulging in the rich flavour, just to make her point. "I figured it would be okay to cheat calories a little for our first date."

The blond's face reddened so much he almost fainted, and all Pyrrha could do was laugh and enjoy the sweetness. And when he walked her back to the dorms after his shift, their goodbye kiss under the yellow-tinted entryway light tasted like marshmallows and milk and chocolate, and she wouldn't want it any other way.

-fin-