Maybe'll it'll work this time...?

@unfcrunateScn

"...'Cause they're kind of right?" Jaune answered. "I mean, I've just barely started clawing my way away from the title of dead last mega-failure." Besides, what was he going to do? Beat them up? Even if he could, what would be the point?

Jaune glanced at the other boy, wondering why he cared. As a rule, people didn't really care if someone was speaking poorly of Jaune, and he was well aware of that.

Continued from: (X)

“Ruby! Don’t you think Atlas might not like you examining their brand new, bleeding edge, state of the art, weapon systems that are packed to the gills with their state secrets?”

She was glad when he offered to make the cocoa. With her luck, she’d get distracted and screw it up, and that wouldn’t bode well for her mood. She carried her heels carefully in front of her, setting them down at the base of the stairs before padding over to the kitchen with Jaune. Realizing she was more than likely to get in the way, she reconsidered following him.

“I’ll, um… go make sure everything’s good in the common room,” she offered, offering the tiniest smile before she ducked out of the room to let him work. There was one large blanket on the back of one of the couches, and she managed to put one more log on the fire, settling herself down on the floor in front of it. As it crackled, she couldn’t help but stare at it, remembering the hot, searing pain in her side that day… again.

She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her arms on them and leaning forward to rest her forehead on her arms. She was sitting on the floor in front of the fire, curled up and wishing she could forget. Hopefully the warm cocoa would be enough to lift her spirits, if only a little.

“I’ll meet you there...” He said dreamily, thought preoccupied on how best to make their drink with what they had.

Jaune bustled around the kitchen, though he made sure to keep quiet. Cocoa, milk sugar, salt, water, chocolate and a pot. It didn’t take him long to whip up a batch of hot chocolate. It wasn’t the best he’d ever made, but it was the best he could do with what they had on hand. He knew Weiss was used to a level of creature comforts he could hardly imagine, but he hoped she’d enjoy the drink he’d made her in spite of that. He hurriedly poured water in the pot so it wouldn’t set, then started towards the common room.

 He emerged from the kitchen with a pair of steaming mugs. His face crumpled when he saw her defensive posture. He asked himself, not for the first time, if she’d be better of if he’d never come to Beacon. As always, he didn’t have an answer. He shifted the mugs around to single hand, so that he could grab a blanket, then approached her.

He sat next to her, placing the mugs of drinking chocolate in front of them upon the fire places’ hearth. He settled the blanket on her shoulders.

She held his hand all the way to their rooms at the academy, which like when they were at Beacon were situated across from one another. Once they reached it, she stopped, though she didn’t quite let go of his hand right away.

“Oh–I just…” She paused, thinking “I just don’t know how long it’s going to take, so I want to make use of as much time as possible. We have the evening to ourselves, so… Might as well make the best of it, right?” With a shrug, she reluctantly let go of his hand, smiling and folding her hands in front of her.

“I’ll just be a few minutes. Don’t want to wear all of this out, you know?” She’d still bring Myrtenaster with her, but this clothing was more suited to combat and less suited to social outings. Ducking inside her room, she quickly changed out of her outfit and into the other one, meeting Jaune back in the hallway.

“There… All good.” It wasn’t much, but it was definitely more comfortable.

Jaune felt disappointed when she let go of him. He mentally dealt that part of himself a dropkick. “Of course.” He began with a smile, “It’s your night, you know? We’re celebrating you, after all. I mean. you’re victory.”

“Take your time!” He called after her as her door shut. He was- well, to be honest he had his armor and practical clothes. Nothing fancy enough for a date. He cringed at the thought, reminding himself that a date wasn’t what was going on. He felt a sense of crushing guilt a moment later.

I’m sorry...

He closed his eyes, wrestling with self loathing while Weiss changed. How dare he?

She was silent for a moment, trying to get her thoughts in a coherent manner. Despite her habitual unwillingness to open up when things were bothering her, she could tell he knew there was something wrong and he genuinely wanted to fix whatever it was. Through the year they had been paired together he had slowly proven she could trust him, even when it was so incredibly hard to let herself do so. It was getting easier and easier to let him in, she guessed that was something she needed practice to improve. 

“I’m thinking about how I can help you the most. I feel like I’m doing a terrible job as your partner.” Oh light, was she going to cry? Her voice just broke a little as she confessed her current fear to him. “When you get down, I want to help so bad, but no matter what I say all I do is make it worse.”

She bit her lip, focusing on the city lights against the darkened sky. If it had been difficult to look at him before, it was impossible now; she would undoubtedly cry if she did and that was the last thing she wanted to do around him. She began to shake slightly, holding it in was proving difficult even without seeing the way he was most likely looking at her. She all but whispered her next sentence. 

“Please tell me what I can do to help.”

Jaune looked at her incredulously. “You’re doing a terrible job as my partner?”

He was shocked. How in the world could she think that? She, who had given him everything, though he’d done nothing for her in return? He was a leach, and she was goddess that helped him despite having every reason not to.

Jaune scooted closer to his partner, and threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into a one armed hug.

“Pyrrha- you’re doing all you can. And that’s a whole lot more than I really deserve. I mean, yeah, it sucks to be so far behind. But. But. Who is is that’s dropped a ladder down into the pit I was in? It was you. I’d still be down there, clawing at the walls if you hadn’t helped me, despite me being a big jerk.”