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Things change and move on as time moves forward. People are no exception. Maybe it had been because his first love ended so tragically, that he had trouble moving forward. Though it had only been for a short while, he could say that he truly did love Pyrrha Nikos. As the time passed onward, he slowly came to terms with her death, and lived with the fact that she wouldn’t come back.
“You were her first love, you know?” A question once thrown at him by someone very close to Pyrhha. While visiting her grave at her parents’ home, her mother presented a question dripping with weight. Unable to form words at the oh-so-obvious revelation, he merely nodded. Of course, he knew. It was something he didn’t want to think about. For all his shortcomings, all his flaws and imperfections, the list of good things he could rat off on one hand—that Pyrrha Nikos still loved him, and loved no one else. It took all he had not to break down into tears on the spot.
“She never stopped talking about you. It was always ‘Jaune this, Jaune that.’ I thought to myself, ‘Who’s this inept fool trying to snatch away my daughter from me?’ I’d half a mind to pay a visit to the school and give you a real walloping,” came a deeper voice from the doorframe leading to the terrace, where Pyrrha’s gravestone was displayed. It was her father, this time, and he put a hand on Jaune’s shoulder. “But I’m glad I didn’t. You’re a fine young man. Come visit any time you want—it’d feel like she was with us. You’ll always have a home here, son.” The owner of the voice thumped his chest and gave a toothy grin. Jaune couldn’t help but laugh.
“Thanks, pops.”
And with those words of encouragement, Jaune Arc had transformed. When he returned to his team after that short trip, he felt almost brand-new. In the same way that the body will fend off poison and become immune to it’s toxic effects, in the same way that a broken bone will repair itself stronger than before, Jaune’s trauma gave birth to a newfound mental fortitude.
After months since things had settled down, and the fighting all ended, when the nightmares stopped, and everyone could laugh again, just like they used to, Jaune found himself reminiscing on the balcony of a ballroom. He’d been invited to a party by Nora and Ren, which he never minded. The team had disbanded formally as a band of huntsmen (Ren and Nora decided to settle down, to no one’s surprise, and neither wanted the other to risk their life when they could lead a safer life and get a safer job, though Jaune was still a huntsman), but they maintained contact via group chat. It contained the remaining members of team JNPR, as well as the members of RWBY.
“Incessant training isn’t good for you, Jaune,” Ren would scold him. But he needed the strength. Strength is something he wished he’d had two years prior. Ren understood, and didn’t stop him from honing his body and technique daily, but did remind him to pick up another hobby if he needed to pass the time. Coming to these parties with the two of them was a good way to kill time, and people worried about him ever since Pyrrha died, seeing as he took it the hardest. He understood that people worry about him because he meant something to them, and so as to not give them reason to worry, he would attend social outings as often as he could. Movie nights on weekends, the sudden “Jaune come quick Nora has gone psycho and all the pancake mix is gone!”-’s, the even more sudden “Jaune come quick Ruby has gone psycho and all the cookie dough is gone!”-‘s (it was rare for anyone from that team to contact him outside of Ruby), accompanying friends like Sun and Neptune on double or triple dates or to mixers… the list goes on. It helped him forget the pain of loss. He would never forget Pyrrha, and he would never forget the feelings she left him with, but being surrounded by friends helped him fill the void she left in his heart. Maybe they also realized that it was helping, and sought to help him, he wondered, but shrugged it off.
“They really are the best friends I could ever ask for.” He said to himself, smiling.
“You said it,” came a reply from a familiar voice. He didn’t turn around to look at the owner. “The bags under your eyes have disappeared, you know? A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body.” The voice giggled.
“Nice reference. I guess that big sister of yours rubbed off on you.” He groaned out a response.
“You don’t like Soul Eater? I thought you were the type to sit all day behind your computer and watch anime... Hmm…” The owner of the voice scratched her chin in feigned contemplation.
“As if. I don’t have that kind of free time. And Soul Eater is totally rad, but I know you’re just making the reference because one, you just recently watched it, and two, you are also a female leader with a scythe. Don’t references have a little more to it than just puns?”
“You’re no fun when you’re being introspective. Who cares, though? Which is your favorite character?” The voice’s owner bounced with excitement.
Jaune pondered for a bit, then “Maybe Black Star? Through hard work and dedication, he managed to surpass even the God of Death himself… That’s admirable, don’t you think? I’ll tell you more about it later. I’d like to get away from all the talking for now.” He gave a soft smile and turned his head to meet Ruby’s eyes.
“Yeah.” She was stunning in the moonlit night on the balcony of that ballroom, he thought. “I wouldn’t want to be caught absconding from dancing just to chat about some weeb show. It’d make me look socially inept. And like a nerd. I don’t want to look like a nerd,” she said, then recoiled with a retching motion at the notion of being referred to in such a manner. Jaune’s laugh clawed its way out his throat, despite his best efforts to keep it down.
“What’s with that? The great Ruby Rose, defeated by a word?” He laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Don’t laugh at me you jerk!” A playful punch was then launched at his chest. After that, dead silence. Companionable silence, but silence all the same. And then, after what could have been mistaken for 30 minutes, a question:
“Are you doing alright, Ruby?”
The girl in question’s lips curled into a small smile. “Peachy. Why, what’s up?”
“You’re usually so much more bouncy and talkative. I did just practically tell you to can it, but you can talk if you want to.”
“No need. I came out here for the same reason as you. It’s a good feeling to sit in silence with someone and not feel awkward at all.” Maybe it was his imagination, but she seemed to flush a pale shade of red.
“Agreed.” He gave a short response, but all he could think to say. A silence ensued, followed by a deep breath.
“I’m totally not inviting you on a date or anything, but if you ever want to go out some time, I wouldn’t mind it… no, that’s not it, I’d enjoy it, but—no, wait,” she stumbled. Jaune laughed.
“I’ll take you up on that offer. If you ever want to come to my apartment there’s always room for a visitor or two. And you can talk about all the ‘weeb’ shows you want to.” He was unusually relaxed. Maybe it was the fresh air that boosted his confidence, or maybe it was another thing that Pyrrha had left him. Perhaps both.
“Oh, geez. When did you become such a smooth talker?” Her face was visibly a shade redder, but she tried her best not to act flustered.
He laughed again, and then looked up at the moon. “You can thank Pyrrha for that. I wouldn’t be half the man I am now without her.”
“Ah, yeah. Of course. When the school’s idol admires you from up close like that, it’d be hard not to develop some confidence, wouldn’t it?” Ruby nodded her head understandingly.
“Something like that. There are a lot more feelings that go into it than just that but that about sums it up.” He nodded as she nodded.
“It’s been a while. I’m sure they’re wondering where we went off to.” Ruby made no attempt to return to the ballroom.
“If she really wanted to know, Nora would be watching us right now, and she’d probably have made a bet with Ren that we’d kiss. 20 lien on it.” Jaune rolled his eyes playfully.
“Are you betting me?”
“I’d kiss you for 20 lien.” A cool response. “But no, I was not betting you. Nora would bet Ren 20 lien. You look good in that dress, by the way.”
She blushed and then playfully punched him in the chest. “Flattery with me will get you everywhere!”
“Noted.” A smirk danced across his lips. “Then, Miss Rose, may I have this next dance? This song is my jam.” Jaune extended a glove clad hand to the shorter woman.
“Of course, Mister Arc. I love this song too. I’d have this dance with no one else.” She gave him a gentle smile, then took his hand and they made their way to the ballroom, to join in the festivity.