The stars were beautiful, as always, and the shattered moon hung low in the sky. Pyrrha stared into the blue-black sky and sighed, wistfully. She'd just talked to Jaune and it seemed like he still didn't get it, would never get it. Ever since she'd laid eyes on him, he'd been the sole focus of her attention. He hadn't even known who she was. His awkwardness was so adorable and the way he tried so hard struck a chord within Pyrrha's heart. She knew what she wanted, as she often did, but she couldn't bring herself to chase after it.
She wanted Jaune to realize by himself; she wanted him to want it just as much as she did. She loved him and the absence of his returned affection felt like a hole had been punched through her chest.
The tears fell freely now, tracing wet lines down her cheeks and staining the marble railing with her sadness. A voice from behind her startled her, "Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha straightened and wiped her eyes and cheeks with the palms of her hands, careful not to smear her makeup. Turning, she saw Nora standing in the balcony doorway, Ren close behind her. "N-Nora? Y-Yes, what is it?"
Nora walked forward and placed her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, squeezing gently, reassuringly. "You might want to come in and see this."
The taller girl tilted her head quizzically but Nora just turned and disappeared back into the ballroom, leaving Pyrrha no choice but to follow. With a finally glance at the bright moon hanging low in the sky, Pyrrha closed the doors to the balcony and made her way through the crowd.
She'd nearly reached the center of the dance floor when she heard laughter erupting around her. She turned, scanning the room for the source when she felt a familiar presence behind her. She turned once more and found herself face-to-face with Jaune…in a dress.
"Jaune?" she asked, incredulously. To be fair, the dress was pretty cute—white with a blue ribbon, exposing his unexpectedly muscular chest and arms.
"Eh," he shrugged, "a promise is a promise."
Pyrrha fought it, the smile then the gentle giggling then the full out laughter, but the sight of her crush in such a ridiculous outfit was too much. Jaune! You didn't have to!"
Jaune smiled and extended his hand to the woman in red. "Hey, an Arc never goes back on his word. Now," he flashed her a smile, his blue eyes sparkling, "do you wanna laugh at me, or do you wanna dance?"
Pyrrha's heartbeat quickened and she accepted the hand, her fingers clasping his. "I would love to dance."
With a tug, Pyrrha was whisked onto the dance floor. Nora grabbed Ren, shouting, "Ren! This…is…happening!"
Team JNPR hit the dance floor and the students parted to make way for the team who began to dance to the upbeat pop music. After giving the other teams a show, the group split in half as the other students took the floor as well.
Pyrrha whirled around, Jaune's hands feeling strong and confident around her waist and she laughed with glee as he danced expertly with her. "I had no idea you were a dancer!" she exclaimed.
"yeah, well, these things tend to happen when you grow up with seven sisters," Jaune grinned and finished the upbeat song with a flourish, his hand that was on her hip ran quickly over her rear and down her thigh until it held her by the knee, the dress parting around her bare leg. His other hand held her neck and he dipped her low, forcing her to grab onto his neck and hold on, their faces mere inches apart.
Pyrrha's face turned beet red and every fiber of her being wanted to look away or bury her face in his neck, but she didn't. She held his gaze until he lifted her back up and she fell forward into him, breathing hard from the exertion and excitement.
"Jaune…" by now she had forgotten the fact that he was still wearing a dress. Catching sight of it once more, she stifled a giggle. The next song was a slow one and Jaune held her close to him as they danced. Neither of them spoke for fear of ruining what seemed like a perfect moment. Heavy violin swells and deep cello thrums permeated the air as the couple danced. Slowly, carefully, Pyrrha laid her head down on Jaune's shoulder, closing her eyes and trusting him not to let her fall. He smelled good, a faint scent of cedar spiced cologne wafting from him.
Three more slow dances and Jaune never once let his hands fall from Pyrrha's hips. She felt the firm grip through the thin red fabric of her dress and sighed in contentment.
"Pyrrha…" Jaune's voice stirred her from her thoughts and she realized that the dance was nearly over and that the DJ was preparing one last pop song for an encore.
Neither of them was up for any more energetic movement, so Jaune escorted her off of the dance floor, still drawing a few giggles from the other students as he paraded through the room in his dress.
Pyrrha let him guide them out of the recreation center and across the campus, into the dorm building, until she realized where he was taking them. He opened a door and their balcony awaited them.
They sat together on the edge, Pyrrha still leaning on Jaune, who had his arm around her shoulders. "Mmm," she sighed once more and smiled. "Jaune?" her voice was barely a whisper.
"Yeah?"
"I have to know, what made you do it? What made you come back?"
Jaune smiled and stared up at the moon. "Well, Neptune helped a lot, actually. I found out that he turned Weiss down and he said I could ask her if I wanted to. But he got me thinking… All this time I've been chasing Weiss and she's never given me the time of day, yet…" His voice trailed off and he stared out into the night sky.
Pyrrha shifted her head so she could gaze at him, and he turned his head to catch her eyes. "Yet…?" she asked, her voice low and quivering slightly, anxious of his reasons. She was terrified that this perfect night, this wonderful evening, would be a one-time thing.
"Yet, it was then I realized that it wasn't Weiss I wanted. Sure, she's pretty and smart and rich and famous—" Pyrrha elbowed him, "ow! But! I realized why I chased after her, despite her being way out of my league. It's because…it's hard to word it, but I wasn't afraid of being turned down by her. She had every reason to. And I thought you did too. I was afraid that if I asked you out, I'd be rejected by you as well. And…and I didn't want to split our team up by acting on my feelings and having them rejected."
"Jaune…" Pyrrha started, but Jaune stopped her.
"Pyrrha, I've had a crush on you since we met. I just...it's like you said, I thought I wasn't good enough for you."
"Well," Pyrrha said, turning back to the skyline, eyes closed, her arms folded over her chest, "I hope you've learned your lesson."
"Yes, ma'am," Jaune said.
Pyrrha turned to grin at Jaune but found his face only inches from hers. His eyes gazed deep into hers and she swallowed hard. Slowly, they leaned in, both still rather afraid of taking that first step.
Finally, Jaune pushed against Pyrrha and pressed his lips to hers, their lips colliding, and Pyrrha literally saw sparks as the fireworks started going off—all thanks to Yang, no doubt.
Pyrrha pushed into the kiss, desperately pressing her body to Jaune's trying to get as close to him as possible, a movement answered in kind by Jaune as he put a hand on the back of Pyrrha's neck, pulling her in. They kissed for several, long minutes before finally pulling apart, breathless and flushed red. Jaune's sapphire eyes bore deep into Pyrrha's emeralds before they crashed together again, a little more desperate than before.
Nearly two semesters of pent up feelings made Pyrrha ferocious as she finally claimed her prize, while two semesters of rejection caused Jaune to be more enthusiastic.
Once more they pulled apart, and Jaune ran his hand over Pyrrha's soft cheeks, a thumb wiping away the small tear he found there. "Why are you crying?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
"Because I'm so happy," was her reply, as she laughed softly through the tears. Jaune pulled her in once more, albeit with less desperation and more purpose. The kiss was softer, gentler, and lasted the entirety of the grand finale, the smell of gunpowder settling over their rooftop perch. The heavy booms and crackles settled down and cheering could be heard beneath them as the students celebrated together.
Up here, however, in their private spot, Jaune and Pyrrha felt separated from the world below.
"Jaune… you're still wearing a dress," Pyrrha noted.
Jaune looked down, raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Yes, so it would seem.
"Come on, Arc, let's get you out of those clothes," Pyrrha said with a sly grin.
"Never thought I'd hear those words from you, Nikos," Jaune answered, just as slyly, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Come on, Jaune," she stood and stretched out her hand, and Jaune took it.
They walked together, arms around each other, back to their dorm. Pyrrha's hands would wander and Jaune would push it away, yet as they made their way back to their shared dorm, Pyrrha wasn't worried about the future. She'd won. She'd gotten her prize. And she would treasure him every day, forever, and always.
Author's Note: Damn, I've been wanting to do that one for a very VERY long time. You're welcome, Arkos shippers. Oh wait, I'M an Arkos shipper. Thanks, me! You're welcome, me.
I'm not crazy...