Author's Note: As promised, here is the next chapter.
Pyrrha stood as still as a rock, mouth left hanging open slightly in what was possibly the worst pose for a statue that anyone would have ever seen. Any effort to close her mouth was quickly halted by the fact her brain was barely able to form thoughts.
"W-what?" Pyrrha's finally managed to force out the word.
"I said," Coco swallowed, looking back to meet Pyrrha's eyes. The determination in her eyes was mixed with embarrassment, but she managed to hold her gaze as she said it. "I like you. Do I need to spell it out?"
"No, I just…" Pyrrha paused. What did she say?
Coco sighed, looking away once more as the embarrassment became too much. "I tried to stay back. You had your eyes on someone else and I wanted to support that. You deserve that happiness." She groaned softly, bringing a hand to her face to cover her eyes. "I didn't know you were just gonna play it by ear. If I did, I would have been a lot more assertive."
Pyrrha shuttered at the idea. Coco was flirty and blunt at the best of times, she dreaded to think what the girl would do when she wanted to show her more involved interest. The two of them stood there in silence for a while. The air should have been awkward, but honestly, it didn't feel like that.
"When did you…" Pyrrha didn't know how to say it, thankfully Coco seemed to catch her meaning.
"Fall head over heels in love?" The smirk on Coco's face betrayed her teasing, even if it was at her own expense. Pyrrha chuckled softly, but felt her face heat up, nonetheless. "It might sound cheesy, but from the moment I met you."
Pyrrha groaned. "You were right, that does sound cheesy. I'm pretty sure I've heard that line in a romance movie."
"Maybe, but it's true." Coco smiled and shrugged. "It wasn't love at first sight or anything like that, but seeing you in those shorts in the middle of a workout? Let's just say I was impressed." Coco winked, causing Pyrrha to blush and look away. "Got to know you after that, but by the time I thought we knew each other well enough to make a move, you were already pining after Jaune."
"I wasn't pining." Pyrrha grumbled. "And you could have said something anyway."
"Yeah, but I didn't want to get in the way," Coco nodded, laughing warmly as she turned to lean her back on the rail as she looked towards the dance hall. "Just like you in that regard, I guess."
Just as Pyrrha had been willing to step back for Jaune and Weiss, Coco had been willing to do the same for her. The humor wasn't lost on Pyrrha and she joined Coco in her laughter, as brief as it was.
When the silence threatened to take over once more, Pyrrha asked the obvious. "So, what now?"
Coco shrugged. "That's up to you."
"What are my options?" Pyrrha asked. It was a little awkward to ask, but as far as she was concerned, this just wasn't something she knew how to handle. She didn't want to ignore it though, after how long she and Jaune had danced around the issue, she wasn't willing to go through all of that again.
"We can ignore it," Coco looked over towards her, clearly doing her best to keep a straight face and largely failing. "If that's what you want."
Was that what she wanted? She didn't know. Before her time in Beacon, she hadn't even been able to imagine making the friends she had now, let alone falling for her partner. The thought of her and Coco hadn't ever crossed her mind. It was not, however, an idea that put her off.
"And if that's not what I want?" Pyrrha wasn't sure why she asked. She didn't know if she even could return Coco's feelings, let alone if she wanted to. She was a friend, somebody that Pyrrha trusted, cared about, and enjoyed her time with. Honestly, it wasn't so dissimilar to how her and Jaune had started.
Coco looked away, a bright blush working its way onto her face as she tried to hide it. "W-well, we are at a dance…"
Pyrrha couldn't help but smirk at her friend's stutter and embarrassment. It was usually so difficult to get one over on her, and now that the tables were turned, Pyrrha could see why Coco enjoyed messing with them so often.
"Are you asking me to a dance?" Pyrrha teased. The request had been obvious, but watching the usually confident girl struggle was beyond amusing. It was only fair play for all of the times she had done the same.
Coco hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'm not asking for a dance," She took a breath, looking over to meet Pyrrha's eyes once more. Her face was still red, and her shoulders stiff, but the look was determined, only made more distinct by the way that her eyes caught the moonlight. "I'm asking you to be my date."
Pyrrha laughed, she couldn't help it. So many things had changed since her first life, and yet some things remained painfully the same. Both times she had come to the dance without a date, only to have someone spend the night with her as something more than friends. It was beyond ironic at that point, and a part of her couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't some force at play making it so that her life could never be simple. She didn't laugh long however, not wanting to make Coco think she was laughing at her.
"I would love to." Pyrrha stood from the railing, taking a few steps over towards the dance hall before pausing. Turning back, she offered a hand for Coco to take. To her credit, she didn't hesitate long, and slowly, Pyrrha led them to the dance floor. "I'll be honest, I'm not sure which of us is supposed to lead." Usually it was the man, though that was more just a custom than anything else, as it helped make the moves more obvious.
"I'll lead." Coco replied, and though her face was still a little red, her smile was confident. "I'm the dominant type." Her wink had Pyrrha rolling her eyes, but she didn't complain.
The song that was playing was a moderately fast paced song, though not nearly as energetic as the one that Team JNPR had danced to in her own life. It was slower paced and meant more for couples, a fact Pyrrha did her level best to ignore and simply focus on the dance instead. It came as no surprise that Coco knew how to dance.
Pyrrha had learned out of a necessity for charity events and, naturally, her competitive nature had taken over and forced her to give it her all. She was far from the best, but she was more than good enough to keep pace. Coco was the same, leading Pyrrha through the motions with ease. It looked amazing compared to those around them who did little more than flail their arms around or shuffle their feet.
Coco's greatest strength came in the sheer fluidity of her movements, but her balance was something to be admired. It was little surprise either, and greatly reassuring, as if either of them had lacked that sort of balance, they probably wouldn't have been able to keep up with each other so well.
Slowly, as the two of them ramped up their pace, it started catching the attention of those nearby. Mostly in the form of jealous girlfriends glaring at their dates, or guys looking towards them in irritation at being shown up. Pyrrha paid it no mind, focusing instead on her partner.
Her dance partner, that was.
Pyrrha felt her face heat up at the thought, but she pushed that aside before Coco could notice. She did of course, that glint in her eye saying she was thinking of some joke or quip that would leave Pyrrha even more embarrassed.
"I didn't know you were such a good dancer." Pyrrha cut Coco off before she could finish thinking of the idea.
"I had lessons when I was younger." Coco pulled Pyrrha in a little closer as the song slowed for a moment, resting her hands on Pyrrha's waist. "My mom and dad taught me mostly. Though I did get a lesson or two from Fox, he's a surprisingly good dancer."
"I wasn't too different." Pyrrha replied quietly. They were close enough that, even with the music, they didn't have to speak very loudly to be heard. "My father paid for lessons the day after I won my first tournament. Dancing was part of it."
"What else were these lessons about?" Coco held her arm up and out for Pyrrha to twirl.
"How to deal with news reporters and tabloids, how to be polite and maintain a public image," Pyrrha shrugged softly. "Public relations mostly."
Coco pulled her back in. "Practical, I guess, though I hope he actually took you out to celebrate."
"My mom did." Pyrrha dodged easily. Coco didn't miss it, but she didn't point it out either. "She was so proud; she took me out to one of the food centers near our house to get whatever I wanted." Pyrrha smiled fondly at the memory. "I don't think I've ever eaten so much ice cream in my life."
Coco chuckled softly. "A good choice."
"Dad didn't think so," Pyrrha kept smiling, despite how her mood fell. "He made me work it off that night. They had a big fight about it, they weren't ever the same after that."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Coco's hand moved up to rest on Pyrrha's shoulder and she gave it a tight squeeze.
"Fame… it changes people." Pyrrha replied. "My dad was always… driven, by our family history. 'A Nikos is a fighter' he always said. 'A Nikos is a winner.' It was always about the family." That was the way it had been for him growing up, and so he had forced that ideal onto her. There were a lot of families like that in Mistral, though not all of them. "My mom's side was different. She taught me about honor and doing what was right. My dad never cared much about them though, they weren't a Nikos, they were too unimportant, too… insignificant."
"I like your mom a lot more." Coco said simply.
"Yeah, so did I." Pyrrha chuckled softly. "The Nikos name carries weight in Mistral, it did even before my time in the tournaments, although we had fallen from greatness, according to my father." That was part of the reason she had been so insistent on going to Beacon over Haven. She had wanted to escape her name, and the expectation that came with it.
"Why bring this up now?" Coco asked.
"Conversation mostly." Pyrrha shrugged softly. "There is a lot we don't know about each other."
"We can learn." Coco replied quickly, before wincing softly. It was a small thing, but Pyrrha noticed it all the same. "If you want to, I mean."
Pyrrha wasn't certain whether she wanted something more than friendship from Coco, but to this she could easily agree. She nodded her head, smiling softly up at Coco. "I'd like that."
"And hey, fame isn't all that bad." Coco said. "You turned out pretty great. Your dad just sounds like a dick."
Pyrrha kicked a heel lightly against Coco's shin but couldn't help but smile. "That's my father."
"Still an asshole." Coco said, stepping back as the song ended.
The two of them moved to step off of the dance floor as another song took over, eyes falling on the group gathered over by their table. The group that was currently trying to look like they hadn't just been watching them.
Coco sighed, turning towards Pyrrha with a single raised eyebrow. "Another dance?"
Pyrrha met her eyes with a smile. "Gladly."
"We won't be able to ignore them forever, there will be questions." Coco said as they moved deeper into the crowd of dancers.
"It's not the questions I'm worried about, those are easy." Pyrrha could explain that she didn't know how she felt, and that would be that. "It's the jokes."
"I'm sorry." Coco apologized.
"Didn't you once say I apologize too much?" Pyrrha smirked.
"You do." Coco moved a hand up to flick Pyrrha's forehead. "But I was apologizing for them, that's totally different."
"Ah," Pyrrha's smirk took on an edge that, for anyone observant enough who was watching, would have looked like Yang or Qrow when she had someone exactly where they wanted them. "And here I thought you were apologizing for letting me come to the dance alone. I could have been a laughing stock you know."
Coco didn't fall for it and looked back with a smirk of her own. "You're the one who needs to get their signals straight. How was I supposed to know what team you played for?"
Pyrrha felt her face heat up, but she buried it in Coco's shoulder before she could enjoy the result of her work.
One more dance turned into two, and then three. By the time the night was over, Pyrrha could easily admit that it had been a fun night. Coco and she were far from a couple, but then again, her and Jaune hadn't been after the dance either. There was plenty of time to figure that out, however, and as the night came to a close, Pyrrha had much to think on.
Pyrrha slid her boots on, tying them tight before standing. Laid out on her bed was her body armor and Allos. Quickly putting her hair into a ponytail, she slipped on the lightweight material gifted to her by General Ironwood. Despite everything that had happened, she wasn't willing to throw away such a valuable piece of armor. Allos' sheath was strapped to her belt, and with a deep breath, Pyrrha turned to look at the rest of her team.
Team CFVY's dorm looked to be in chaos, each member, plus Penny, running around as they tried to make whatever last minute preparations they felt were necessary. A good night's rest, the last promise done for a while, had given them all the time to relax, even if Pyrrha had struggled to fall asleep.
The dance hadn't gone as she planned it to, but she also didn't feel the need to complain. Jaune was happy, and so was she. That was enough, and with the next week having the possibility of combat, she focused on the present, just as her friends did. It was that fact alone that let Pyrrha get ready unbothered. Were it any other day, she knew that Velvet, Fox, and even Yatsuhashi would have cornered her and Coco to demand an explanation of the previous night's events.
The Breach offered a perfect distraction, at least for now, both for them and herself, and it was that which she threw herself into. She hadn't had enough time to think about the idea yet, but there would be time. Coco and she had ended the night on a high note, and while there hadn't been any kisses or secret confessions of love, they had agreed to a date in the coming weeks. Pyrrha was surprised by how excited she felt about it.
"I am combat ready!" Penny exclaimed. She had been pretty much prepared since the moment she arrived; her weapons being secured with her at all times. She had spent the majority of the time helping Coco and Velvet prepare, the former securing her ammo in her weapon while the latter took a number of pictures of the girls' weapons. It never hurt to be prepared, and Penny's weapons were a pretty good one to have back ups for.
"I believe I am as well." Yatsuhashi moved over to stand next to his partner.
Fox sat up from his bed with a groan, having been ready for the last half an hour. "Finally."
Coco moved over towards the door, stopping to look each of them over before her eyes settled on Pyrrha. There was no awkwardness there, nor any hesitation. She smiled and nodded.
"We will wait at the Headmaster's office." Pyrrha told them. She had received a message from Qrow first thing in the morning. The idea was to wait for any sign of trouble from there, and then move to act as quickly as possible. It was difficult to say how long the wait would be, considering that there would be no Mountain Glenn mission for Team RWBY to undertake on account of the fact said team didn't exist.
Until then, however, things had to seem like they were going according to plan. Teams were set to be assigned to missions that morning and sent on their way over the coming days. With Atlas withdrawing its ships at the same time, the opportunity for an attack would be perfect. When exactly the attack would take place, and where, was still something they were uncertain of. This White Fang wasn't the same one as what she had fought previously, nor the one that had launched the attack on Vale in her past life. Adam Taurus was not an incompetent leader, having managed to evade capture for years now.
He would have noticed if they did something suspicious, and so would Cinder. If Vale pulled its defenses together too much, it would tip their hand and warn their enemy not to attack. When the attack came, they would be ready.
The group stuffed themselves into the elevator to the Headmaster's office, stepping out to see Qrow and Winter standing to one side of the Headmaster's desk. General Ironwood stood across from them in silence. The room was silent when they entered, betraying the awkwardness that must have plagued the room before their arrival.
"Ozpin." Pyrrha greeted as she stepped over. She sent a smile to Qrow and Winter, before giving a polite nod to the General, who returned the gesture.
"Miss Nikos." The Headmaster nodded back. "I see you have brought your team with you, as I asked. Very good. Have they each been informed of the danger?"
"Yes sir." Pyrrha nodded.
"James," Ozpin turned towards the General, holding a hand out for the man to step forward. "Your report."
The General stepped forward and, if he felt at all awkward standing before them so soon after the three of them had just resigned their positions, he didn't show it.
"We believe the attack is still imminent." The General delivered his news with a calm certainty. "Our intelligence networks have noticed a sudden shift in the activity of the White Fang as they settle into position."
"Any idea when?" Qrow asked easily.
"It would make sense for them to wait until Atlas has fully withdrawn." The General didn't sound happy with that fact, but he didn't make any suggestion to change that. "Were I them, I would wait until I depart for Atlas, then attack at my desired target."
"The city?" Coco asked. "That was the goal before, right? To cause chaos."
"We do not believe that was the intended objective." General Ironwood said with a shake of his head. "The capture of Roman Torchwick was what enabled our enemy to hijack the Knight network, while such is impossible now, it is our belief that there was a more in-depth plan behind the attack than simply a terror strike."
That wasn't hard to believe. Everything had seemed to go wrong in the span of only a few days, that kind of attack had to have been planned. Cinder had thought it through, but now she was the one at the disadvantage. That did raise another question, however.
"If that plan is no longer valid, how do we know that the Breach is going to happen at all?" Pyrrha asked.
"The White Fang's movement suggests otherwise." The General repeated.
"While the plan may have changed, the attack itself is still likely." Ozpin added. "With the tunnels between Mountain Glenn and Vale secured, however, the question of where the attack may come from has yet to be answered."
"In the meantime, all there is to do is wait." General Ironwood sighed, his mood matching the overall air of the room. Waiting was always the worst part, the steady buildup of dread, tension, all as the mind ran wild speculating about what terrible things were about to happen.
"You may spend your time as you see fit, but we ask that you stay within Beacon." Ozpin said. "We will alert you as soon as there are any developments, and a Bullhead will be deployed to take you to the site of the attack."
Pyrrha nodded firmly. She could see Qrow and Winter do the same from the corner of her eye and, although she couldn't see them, she trusted that her friends were doing the same. They had spent weeks planning for this, they had gone on missions against the White Fang before, and they had spent time training. They were ready.
Now all that was left to do was wait.
Author's Note: The ship between Coco and Pyrrha was not in the original script, in fact, very little of this story was. I went into this story with an incomplete idea of how I wanted things to go and so things like this probably haven't landed as well as I would have liked. I know it will be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think it's one that is too out of character, and I have decided this is how I want the story to go.
There are bits and pieces here and there for hints of a Coco x Pyrrha (Curious what that ship name is given that Pyrrha looks like Amber) but it is not as developed as I would have liked, but before you say anything in the reviews, keep in mind that this has not been set in stone. Coco is interested, but Pyrrha is only willing to try it out. They aren't about to get married by any means. I am very curious to see what people will think.
This is also the first chapter wherein we get an idea of Pyrrha's home life. I'll be honest, I had avoided this like the plague for the longest time because, when starting this story, I thought we would learn more about Pyrrha and her family. Sadly, that never happened and I kept putting it off. Well, here it finally is. Probably too late but hopefully not bad.
I hope you enjoyed and as always be sure to let me know what you think in the reviews.
Sincerely, SE