Welcome, everyone! Prepare your teeth, because the sweetness of this chapter might be enough to kill you. Enjoy!
It was common to hear about mental breakdowns and similar events when in college. Stories of students not eating or sleeping enough were told so frequently, they generally failed to evoke surprise. The heightened suicide rates during finals weeks, while viewed with a certain sense of horror, were generally processed through minds already numb to such things.
When Pyrrha entered college, she had told herself that she would be above such blatant stupidity, that she'd take care of herself and not overburden her body and mind with malnourishment and stress. That vow was kept until the second week of November.
She was staring at her computer screen with bleary eyes, focusing half of her energy on typing another sentence and the rest of it on stopping herself from nodding off on her keyboard. The words were starting to meld together into a jumbled mass of nonsense. Groaning, she sat back and rubbed her face irritably.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" Weiss's concerned, motherly voice broke through the haze in Pyrrha's brain. "I know you only slept for two or so hours the previous night."
"I need to finish this for Sunday," Pyrrha murmured, shaking her head. "I sent it to my prof, but he said it would only get a C if I left it as is. I need him to check it one more time before the due date on Monday."
"How many times have you sent that in for him to look at?"
"Uh, twice. Three times? I don't know right now."
Weiss huffed irritably. "What kind of professor is this, anyway? Wait…Is it that one Honors professor with the brown hair who always looks like he's smelled something unpleasant?"
Pyrrha was too tired to laugh. "That's him." She added a parenthetical notation to the paper, breathing another heavy sigh.
"Hmph. I've heard of him. He makes at least three students cry a week. He must be on tenure or something." Weiss pulled Pyrrha's chair away from the computer and looked at her face. "Okay, you are to take a break. Lie down and take a nap."
Pyrrha shook her head. "I'm fine, Weiss. Besides, if I sleep now, I'll miss Dag."
"I think they'll understand one absence."
"Dag is the only thing I've been looking forward to all week," Pyrrha complained. "I even cancelled on Pathfinder last night." She forced a smile. "Trust me, Weiss. It'll be good for me."
She pointedly ignored the instincts that had been ingrained in her during her time playing sports in high school. Every single one of them was telling her that she was in no fit state to fight. She mentally retorted that she deserved to go to Dag and could handle a little sleepiness. Being on the field in the cool fall air would wake her up, she reasoned.
Checking the time, she saved her file and went to the dresser to get her Dag garb, aware of Weiss's disapproving glare behind her.
When the two got to the field, Pyrrha felt slightly better. The chilly breeze in her face definitely helped. Seeing Jaune's bright grin was even better.
"Hey, Pyr!" Jaune ran over and pulled her into a tight hug. He looked at her and his smile faltered. "Those are some pretty intense bags under your eyes. Are you okay?"
Weiss coughed pointedly, giving Pyrrha a look as she walked past the two to greet Ruby, but didn't say anything.
Jaune frowned, glancing from the heiress to his girlfriend. "Did you not get any sleep?"
"I'm fine, Jaune," Pyrrha assured him, resting her cheek against his chest. "I've just been busy."
"It's not that same essay, is it?" Jaune snorted when he felt her nod against him. "Jeez, that prof is crazy. If I were you, I'd just turn it in at this point and take whatever he gives you."
"It's too important of an essay to do that," Pyrrha mumbled. Leaning against his warm chest was causing her to feel drowsy, so she reluctantly drew back. "Don't worry about me, okay?" She caressed his cheek soothingly.
Jaune lightly kissed her palm. "Okay, but don't push yourself."
"Fighters to the field!" Barty called out, summoning the fighters and ending the conversation.
It was decided that the first game would be a slave battle, which had become a favorite among the members. Eagerly, they fanned out into a circle and readied their weapons.
"3, 2, 1, play on!" Barty shouted.
Pyrrha went for Ren, who was standing near her. He jumped back before darting forward, stabbing her chest easily with his dagger. "I fight for Lotus Boy!" she shouted, smiling at the eyeroll she got in response.
When she turned to fight Velvet, she stumbled a little, but was quick to play it off as simply tripping over a bit of uneven ground. She noticed that her arms felt rather "noodly" compared to how they usually were. It wasn't until she was in a scuffle with Ruby that things started to go wrong.
Ruby's red sword hit her hard in the side, causing her to fall to the ground. She put her own sword over her head. "I fight for the Rose Knight." Her voice came out much quieter than she had intended. She saw Ruby's concerned look and started to stand up.
Her head felt light. Her legs trembled. She blinked.
At least, she thought she had blinked. When she opened her eyes, however, she was lying near one of the trees at the edge of the field and surrounded by her friends. Jaune was dabbing her face with a moist cloth.
Jaune noticed Pyrrha's eyes opening and his shoulders relaxed. "Oh, thank god." He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You okay, Pyr?"
Pyrrha tried to sit up, only to have Jaune's gentle hand push her back down. "What happened?"
"You passed out on the field. You were only out a minute, but that's enough to cause concern," Barty said crisply. He was holding her wrist, touching two fingers to the pulse. He clicked his tongue before turning Pyrrha's face toward his. He looked at her eyes for a moment before shaking his head. "Sleep deprivation. Probably some malnourishment, too. What is it that I keep telling my students, Miss Nikos?"
"That we need to take care of ourselves," Pyrrha answered. She stared at the ground, a hot flush of shame creeping up her neck. "I…I had an essay and didn't sleep last night, but I really wanted to come to Dag."
"Yes, yes, of course," Barty muttered, handing her a water bottle. "Take small sips. Don't think I don't understand. I too was a college student once, believe it or not." He sat back. "I'm going to have to forbid you from fighting anymore today. Also, don't you dare restart that essay when you get home. Eat something that isn't junk food and then get some sleep. Doctor's orders."
"But, you aren't a medical doctor, sir?" Pyrrha replied, cracking a slight smile.
Barty rolled his eyes. "Well, a sense of humor is a good sign. Think you're okay without us calling the hospital?"
The thought of a hospital bill almost made Pyrrha faint again. "No!" she quickly said. "Please, don't call the hospital!"
"Understood." Barty nodded before looking over his shoulder. "Miss Schnee, do you think you could take her back to your dorm?"
"I can do it, Barty," Jaune quickly volunteered. "I'll make sure she stays away from her laptop."
"Very good, very good." Barty stood up. "Take your time. Don't try to stand right away, and do get better."
Pyrrha nodded. "I will. Thank you, sir."
"Don't mention it, Miss Nikos. Just doing my job." Barty clapped his hands. "Okay, everyone else to the field!"
Weiss lingered for a moment. "See that she actually goes to sleep, Jaune. She's incredibly stubborn." She fixed Pyrrha with a stern glare and shook a finger at her before walking toward the field.
After a few more concerned words and glances, the others followed, leaving Jaune with Pyrrha. He sat close to her, gently petting her hair. "Let me know when you're ready to go."
Pyrrha nodded and yawned. "I'll be okay to walk in a minute, I think." She wrapped an arm loosely around his middle. "I'm sorry I worried you."
"I'm just glad you're okay. Please don't do it again, though." Jaune kissed the top of her head and waited patiently for her to be ready.
After a few more minutes, Pyrrha stood, leaning against the tree. The water had helped immensely and she felt capable of closing the distance to her dorm. Still, Jaune kept his arm around her shoulders and made sure to walk slowly the entire way there.
Since it was still daytime, there was no sign-in process, and they were able to go straight up. After Pyrrha sat down on the futon, Jaune went through her fridge. "You have practically nothing in here."
"I haven't been able to go shopping," Pyrrha muttered. "There are some granola bars on top of the dresser."
"Not sure if I'd call that food, but okay." Jaune grabbed a handful and gave them to Pyrrha, watching intently as she ate two of them.
Pyrrha noticed his look and rolled her eyes. "Jaune, I'm not going to hide them under my pillow."
"Sorry." Jaune glanced to the side. "You really worried me, that's all." He noticed her gaze traveling toward her laptop. "Ah, ah, ah! Don't even think about it!"
"If I could just-" She started to stand, only to get pulled into Jaune's lap. "Jaune, really?"
"Sorry, Pyr," Jaune said, hugging her close. "You're not allowed on that laptop until after you've slept. And no, the fainting spell doesn't count."
Pyrrha struggled for a moment before sighing in defeat and slumping back against Jaune. "Oh, fine." As she relaxed, she felt Jaune's comforting warmth already beginning to soothe her. She started to nod off where she sat.
Jaune grinned. "That's what I thought." He laid Pyrrha down on the futon and sat on the floor nearby. "I'll stay here till you're asleep. And don't try faking it and going to the essay when I leave, because I'll make sure Weiss kills you if you do."
"Is that a promise?" Pyrrha asked in a slightly disgruntled voice.
"Absolutely!" Jaune said, smirking a little. "And I always keep my promises." He imitated Nora's signature gesture and tapped her on the nose with his forefinger.
Pyrrha couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose it's out of my hands, then." She allowed her muscles to relax and leaned back on the futon. Sleepily, she looked up at Jaune's eyes, which still held traces of concern. Her heart warmed as he grasped one of her hands in his, and she started to sit up again.
"Pyrrha, don't try to-" Jaune put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder to push her back, but froze when she moved, not toward her desk, but toward him. Her eyes closed and her lips pressed against his. His eyes widened. A sharp jolt traveled from his lips to the rest of his body. His mind went completely blank. He felt the hand on her shoulder moving, so that his arm was wrapped snugly around her upper back, pulling her closer. At some point, his eyes closed of their own volition.
It was a first kiss for both of them, so it was chaste and a little uncoordinated. Their noses bumped a few times and their lips were chapped from their time outside. Just the same, it was utterly perfect.
Pyrrha snuggled as close as she could to Jaune, resting one hand on his chest while continuing to hold his free hand in her other one. She was so warm and content, yet somehow more awake than she had felt in two days. After a minute or two, she and Jaune drew back a few inches, both panting. She could feel his warm breaths mingling with hers as she stared at his half-lidded eyes. As soon as she caught her breath, she leaned in again.
Jaune felt so lightheaded, he wondered if he'd end up following Pyrrha's example by fainting on the ground. He held her close, kissing her gently and trembling at her eager response. Their second kiss quickly made way for their third. Then, their fourth. Jaune honestly lost count after that. Numbers were the last things on his mind. All that mattered was Pyrrha.
Finally, the two drew back one last time, looked at each other, and smiled simultaneously. Jaune brushed his lips against her forehead before coaxing her to lie down once again. Neither one said anything. They didn't need to.
Pyrrha closed her eyes, still holding one of Jaune's hands as she started to drift off. She touched a few sleepy kisses to his knuckles before finally falling into a well-deserved slumber.
Jaune sat by her for a long time, watching the slight rise and fall of her chest, the way her expression subtly changed when she started dreaming, and the slight fluttering of her eyelids. He held her hand as he leaned down, whispering something into her ear, something he had wanted to say to her many times before now. As he watched her sleeping face, he vowed that he would soon say it to her while they were both awake.
The fainting spell and the essay that the prof just isn't satisfied with are both situations that happened to me during my college career. I sure as hell won't be missing that! Anyway, I think that you'll be seeing maybe two or three more chapters in this fic before I'll mark it as completed. After that, I'll probably post stuff for Red String and Espresso Shots while I polish up chapters of the Werewolf AU. Until next week, peace out!