Do you ever have a moment when you see screenshots or art of Pyrrha and just feel the sadness and rage at her death rising anew within you because she was a freaking goddess who deserved so much better? Yeah. I had one of those moments a little while ago. Honestly, RWBY AU fics and fics taking place before Volume 3 are making up most of what I read and write for the fandom nowadays. Speaking of which, I have three chapters of the Werewolf AU drafted. Are you feeling the hype? I know you are! Enjoy.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The high-pitched exclamation of glee could probably be heard all over campus and in some parts of downtown Vale.

Jaune rubbed one of his ears. "And now I'm deaf. Thanks, Ruby."

Ruby put a hand over her mouth, stifling a series of excited squeaks. "Sorry, sorry! I'm just really happy for you!"

"I couldn't tell. Speak up next time." Jaune rolled his eyes. "But seriously, do you think it's too soon? I've thought about it throughout Thanksgiving break, but I'm not sure."

"Pfft, no." Ruby waved a hand dismissively. "I've seen couples in high school saying it to each other within two weeks of dating. It's almost been a semester at this point. Besides, you two are like soulmates!"

Jaune's face flushed. "I…I wouldn't go that far," he muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Oh, sure you are." Ruby nudged Jaune playfully with her shoulder. "Look at you two! You get along so well, are super comfortable with each other, talk about everything, and even sleep together without things getting weird. How much more perfect can you get?"

"I dunno. Calling us soulmates seems a little sappy."

"Says the King Sap himself," Ruby declared, giving him a dry look. "Anyway, I think you should say it to her. Even if she's not ready to say it back, I think she'll be happy. Isn't honesty a big thing in this whole relationship thingy?"

Jaune snickered. "Yeah, honesty is important to the 'relationship thingy.'" He gave Ruby a sly look. "So, when are you going to ask Weiss out?"

Ruby looked away, her own face starting to heat up. She pulled her scarf up to hide it. "I dunno. I want to see what acceptance letters I get first."

"Oh, I know Beacon will accept you," Jaune said. "They accepted me, after all, and you're way smarter than I am."

"I hope so. Going here will mean way less student loans, and still being able to hang out with you guys." Ruby looked up at Jaune. "I applied to some other places, too. I might talk to Weiss if I end up going here. If I go somewhere far away, there's not much point."

"I guess I understand that," Jaune allowed. "I'll hold off on the nagging until then." He laughed when Ruby pouted at him. "Come on, I think I get to have some fun after you and Weiss eavesdropped on my confession to Pyrrha."

Ruby's brows scrunched before she started laughing. "Okay, you got me there."

They got to the field, where a few other fighters were sparring in pairs. It was the middle of the week, but a bunch of people wanted to take advantage of the weather before it started to snow and the group would be forced to rent out one of the sweaty gym rooms. Even though it was nice for the beginning of December, most of the fighters still wore sweaters and scarves instead of their regular Dag garb.

Nora waved as they approached, rushing over to Ruby. "I heard an 'EEEEEEEEE!' What was it for?" Her gaze flitted eagerly between Ruby and Jaune.

"Oh, nothing," Ruby said, smiling mysteriously. "I'm sure Jaune will tell you all about it later."

Jaune shot Ruby a venomous look before noticing Pyrrha and Weiss approaching from their dorm. "Hey, guys!" he called, hoping that Ruby and Nora would take the hint and shut up. "How were classes today?"

"Ugh. Don't get me started," Weiss said, rolling her eyes.

"You really shouldn't get her started," Pyrrha added, mimicking Weiss's eyeroll and smiling when her roommate glared at her. "You already emailed him. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"What happened?" Jaune asked.

"Well," Weiss began, folding her arms. "Today was a review day for a test, so of course all the dolts who skip every other day showed up. One of them sat in my seat, and I was forced to sit in the back. Since I wasn't in my seat and since my professor clearly needs new glasses, I was marked absent."

"Absent?! You?! Oh, the humanity!" Nora cried, putting a dramatic hand on her forehead.

"Thank you! At least someone gets-" Weiss stopped when she saw that everyone was barely holding back snickers. She folded her arms. "Are you mocking me?"

"Mock you? That's absurd," Pyrrha said, winking at Nora. "Why on earth would we do that?"

"Hmph. I'm glad that the high standards I've set for myself during my education are amusing to you all."

"Ooh! Are we messing with the Ice Queen?" Sun asked as he joined the group. Blake stood nearby, holding one of Barty's loaner swords. "Can I join?"

Weiss stomped her foot irritably and started toward the field, only for Ruby to zip over and hug her from behind. "Aw, don't be mad, Weiss! We're just fooling around. You know we love you."

"Yeah, loosen up." Sun playfully poked Weiss's face. "Let's see a smile. Come on."

"Don't poke me," Weiss said flatly, her frown turning into a disgruntled pout. She didn't say anything about Ruby hugging her, though. She tried to beat down the blush that was growing on her cheeks by glaring at Sun.

"Okay." Sun started waving a hand over Weiss's head repeatedly. "I'm not touching you! I'm not touching you!"

"I think she might actually kill you," Blake warned. "And I'll just stand here and watch."

"Save the killing for the field," Pyrrha said, nudging Sun away from Weiss. "Come on. We have enough people for a battle. Let's pick teams and start hitting each other."

Since it wasn't a full practice, they did a simple two-sided respawn battle. After a few rounds, they took a break, most of the fighters shedding their sweaters as the increased activity caused them to sweat.

Jaune pulled Pyrrha close with one arm and kissed her cheek. "Hey, you!"

Pyrrha giggled, brushing her lips softly against his. "Hello."

"Are you coming to Pathfinder this week? The party's gonna need its Cleric for what I have planned."

"Definitely. I don't plan on missing any more sessions unless I absolutely have to," Pyrrha promised.

"Good. And I hope there haven't been any other dizzy moments." Jaune raised a stern eyebrow.

"No dizziness, fainting, or sleep deprivation," Pyrrha recited. "Don't worry, Jaune. I'm not letting that happen again."

Jaune hugged her close, nuzzling her shoulder. "Just making sure."

Pyrrha sighed contentedly at her boyfriend's closeness. "You've been more affectionate than usual lately," she noted.

Jaune's grip loosened. "I'm not getting too clingy, am I?"

Pyrrha pressed closer to him and kissed the side of his neck. "I didn't say that."

"Yo, saps! No kissing on the field!" Coco's familiar, teasing voice called.

"We're not on the field, so nyuh." Jaune stuck his tongue out at her while still holding onto Pyrrha.

"Nyuh? Really, Jaune?" Coco snorted. "Going 'Nyeh-heh-heh' is getting too boring?"

Jaune gave her a withering stare. "Please, Coco. That laugh is only for when I'm a skeleton. Duh."

The banter continued for a few minutes before the group fought one more time. By the time that battle was over, it was getting to be too cold and dark to continue. The group went their separate ways, Ruby getting picked up by her sister, Weiss going to the library to study, and Jaune and Pyrrha hitting Starbucks before going to her dorm.

"Winter days are the worst," Jaune complained as they sat down on the futon, sipping their coffees. "If you sleep in just a little, it's dark within a few hours and you feel like you've wasted the whole day."

"And waking up early is harder, because it's still dark." Pyrrha pulled her math book out of her backpack. "Ready to study?"

"No," Jaune said flatly. "Can we just not?"

"Sorry, but science hasn't come up with a way to beam book information directly into our heads." Pyrrha ruffled his hair before opening the book and starting to recite problems.

Jaune took another drink of his latte, trying to focus on their classwork. Unfortunately, between his internal struggle on whether to tell Pyrrha the full extent of his feelings, his tiredness from practice, and Pyrrha's closeness, he was finding that almost completely impossible. Soon, he found his head resting on her shoulder and his eyes starting to droop.

"Hey." Pyrrha jerked her shoulder, causing Jaune to sit up again. "I know this isn't very exciting, but try to stay awake."

"Not my fault." Jaune shrugged. "You have a soothing voice, and that book is boring. Anyone would fall asleep."

"Okay, then." Pyrrha placed the heavy textbook on his lap, causing him to let out a loud "Oof!" "You read it."

"Me and my big mouth…"

After half an hour of studying, Pyrrha took pity on her boyfriend and allowed them to take a break. She smiled when Jaune immediately set the book on the floor and wrapped his arms around her, plopping his cheek on her shoulder. Gently, she started to pet his hair, causing a series of contented noises to rise in his throat. Does he not know how cute he is, or is he doing this on purpose? she couldn't help but wonder.

Jaune closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Pyrrha's hand in his hair and the quiet sound of her breaths. "I love you," he sighed.

And, just like that, he had said it. There went the weeks of agonized planning, the dozens of daydreamed scenarios, and the ongoing question of when the right moment would be. He had just blurted it out after a dull study session. What kind of idiotic-?

Before his mind could start freaking out too much, it was quieted with a warm kiss from Pyrrha. Her lips moved insistently against his, causing them to part. Tongues brushed briefly for the first time and Jaune was pretty sure he made an embarrassing moaning noise when that happened. His hands ran slowly up and down her back as he pulled her onto his lap.

Pyrrha hummed happily as she nestled against his chest, gladly erasing any distance between them. Her heart felt like it was floating. Those three whispered words repeated themselves over and over in her head. Pressing closer, she continued to curiously stroke Jaune's tongue with hers, smiling as the soft sounds he was making.

Eventually, the two became too short of breath to continue and reluctantly ended the kiss, though their faces remained mere millimeters apart.

Jaune had a dazed look on his face and his eyes were half-lidded. Pyrrha rested her forehead on his as she looked into them. "I love you too," she murmured. "In case that wasn't clear."

"Wow…" Jaune breathed, blinking slowly as he stared at Pyrrha's shimmering emerald eyes. "I…wow." He touched a quick, chaste kiss to her lips. "That was…wow." Words suddenly weren't relevant or even present in his mind.

Pyrrha chuckled, rubbing her nose against his. "I agree." She continued to play with his hair for a few more minutes. "We're not going to get any more studying done, are we?"

Jaune grinned and tightened his hold on her. "Not if I can help it!" With one foot, he shoved the math textbook clear across the room, listening to the satisfying thud of it hitting Pyrrha's dresser.

I thought about how to have the actual L-word brought up, and realized that Jaune would be the type to just blurt it out randomly. He's just too much of a dork to do anything else! Either that, or he'd plan out a whole thing and find himself incapable of speaking when the big moment arrived. I'll see you next week with the last chapter of this little fic!

In other news, I started a bank account solely for commissions, , and other such sites and hope to have a set up soon. For commissions, I'll likely set up a GoFundMe page for my trip to Europe next year and use that to accept payments (since hates me). If you think you'll want to commission something from me, start coming up with ideas, because I hope to open up for them soon.

Until next week, peace out!