Troubled Hearts: Let It All Out

Oh my god. I didn't just do that. Pyrrha Nikos was always a very prim and proper woman, the limelight had demanded as much form her. Her time at Beacon was one of the most freeing and exhilarating times of her entire life. No managers, no family, no cameras or people who really knew her. Just Pyrrha's team, her friends, and her leader. Oh, her leader. Jaune Arc, the nervous charlatan who had scammed his way into an academy. She enjoyed every second of it.

But now, now she wished for the cold hands of fame to wrench her upright and return her modesty. Laying in bed, Pyrrha looked up at a low ceiling and pondered the act that she'd just committed. Or acts, it was a good two hours since she'd accosted Jaune and... Now it was time to decide whether it had been a good idea or not to bed him so soon. A good idea? This is what I've wanted since I met him, got to know him. The trace thoughts faded, and Pyrrha tried to recall what triggered them in the first place. For that matter, what had caused her to attack Jaune in such a manner?

"Jaune, are you up?" she asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm up."

Pyrrha laid her hand across the gap, resting on his stomach. So soft. We should fix that... no, no that's not right. "Was... was it alright?"

"I think so. Hard to tell from a first time," Jaune whispered, trying to hide some of his shame. "But the eleventh felt good."

Heat exploded on her face, memories of minutes earlier flitting across her mind. "That's good. Um, are you alright?" She had been quite rough at first, hopefully he wasn't too hurt.

"I'm ok Pyrrha. I'm not sure why we're laying in this bed right now, but I'm ok with it."

"You're awfully calm for what's been happening."

Jaune chuckled a little. "Well, my father once told me about something like this. Said to just go with it. So when they treated me like someone important I went with it. When Cinder showed up I went with it. And then you came back..."

"So you just 'went with it' just now?" She was a little annoyed at the notion. It was her first time as well.

"Not exactly, I did hope to one day get the chance. So, I guess you could say I went along with what I wanted as well." An amused lilt was in his voice, like a kid wondering how he ever got so much ice cream.

Pyrrha turned over in the bed, finally laying eyes on her companion. Golden locks were plastered across his forehead, sweat holding them firm and away from calm blue eyes. An arm lay casually behind his head, propping it up and into a lounging position. Jaune looked over at her, and she felt the fire on her cheeks rolling ever hotter. Glassy blue studied her frame outlined in the blanket, lingering on her mid region before slowly climbing back to her face. She met them with her own verdant green and held his gaze, watching his lips slowly curl into a smile.

"So what brought all this on in the first place?" he asked, settling a hand on top of hers.

That was the question still rolling through Pyrrha's mind as several strands ran through her head. Cinder's no doubt, her mind worked in simple ways. "I'm not sure, this feels very new to me. I've been... chained for so long. Only recently did I start fighting back, when we reached Vale."

"I'm not sure I follow. Fighting back how? When we saw you in the alleyway you seemed to be as stiff as a board. The laughing was the only thing that saved us." Jaune searched her face, looking into the portal to her soul.

Pyrrha thought about that time, what she'd done specifically. A feeling of pity, but not her own. And it was funny, not funny enough to laugh about, but she forced herself anyway. "I think it might have been the way my emotions were. I remember an intense feeling of humor, but I don't think it was a very funny thing."

Jaune gripped her hand, feeling roughened fingers encase her own smooth. He's gone through much more than he's letting on. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're back. I can't ask for anything else." He looked upward for a moment. "Except maybe to go out. I'm having a hard time breathing."

The smell invaded her nostrils as soon as he mentioned it, and Pyrrha quickly nodded her assent, removing the covers and bee-lining straight for the bathroom. A thought of her exposed figure in plain view flitted across her mind, and a returning strand marked Cinder's continued contact. You've already done worse, far worse things girl. A quick look at your behind is the least of his wants now. Again she shook her head, trying to ween out such thoughts. They weren't normal at all, the very darkest parts of her desire locked away normally.

Inside, Pyrrha quickly found the knobs for water and heat, letting the shower run for a moment while she walked up to the mirror. A pale face reflected back at her, crimson locks held in check by a strange bun. It was a lot to take in, her face wasn't quite the same but still hers. She wore her death like a badge, open for the world to see with their eyes. Eyes, she met her own. And found the same bloody, searing red of the one who brought her back. Pyrrha brought her hands to her mouth, trying to stifle a cry at her fate.

The door opened and shut quickly behind her, and a loving pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her away from the mirror. "It's ok, it's ok. It's just a color."

Pyrrha shuffled around in his grip, resting her head onto his chest. "It's not just a color. This... why is this happening? We were supposed to-"

"We are, or did you forget the last couple hours?"

"That's not what I mean!" She buried her face into his shoulder, letting some of the tears roll out. "I just wanted to give it all up, to be with you and live a normal life. If there had just been some more time."

Jaune pulled back, tipping her head upward. "We've got time now. Come on, let's get cleaned up."

It was so strange, walking around the city without a care for what people saw. Pyrrha was strolling behind Jaune, taking in the midday air as they walked past crowds of people wandering around. The safe zone, she'd seen a small amount of it through the haze of the collar. A small worry always crept up that someone would recognize her or Cinder, that she would be forced to fight against innocent people. But that wasn't now, now she could be a normal girl walking with a normal boy.

"What about this one?"

She looked over to the shop he was pointing at, a lovely little cafe with only a few people inside. "Sure, I could go for a treat."

They entered to the tune of a quiet sonnet slowly drifting out from overhead speakers. Pyrrha looked around at the place, noting the elegance of everything. Jaune took a seat at a high table, and she followed suit. It was a quiet wait, they'd ordered when a nice young woman had come over and asked. Jaune ordered a small sandwich while she pondered how she felt. A bowl of pasta, that would do. The nagging in her mind returned, different though. Something from long ago, said by a very excitable person. So she also ordered a parfait.

"It's nice, being able to go out and just do things," Jaune said, peering out the window they sat next to.

"I guess we should get caught up. How... how have you been?" Pyrrha feared what the answer would be. The faint fog of him speaking with the short girl came back.

Jaune looked back at her, a slight frown appearing. "It's been tough. Since... you know. The Grimm were everywhere, and everybody was exhausted from the fighting." He clenched his hands in frustration. "But the wall needed to go up. I was one of the only ones still standing, so they asked me what to do. I did the best that I could."

"Jaune, that sounds like something to be proud of."

"We lost a lot of people, some Huntsmen and a lot of normal people trying to live their lives." Jaune shook his head. "I should have done more. But it hurt too much."

Pyrrha tried to reach over, but he pulled inward more. A quick impulse forced her hands outward, snatching his. "You shouldn't worry now. Things have changed." The words came out more sinister than she wanted.

"I don't know, I still feel like it's the same. With her here." The name went unspoken between them. "But I can't lose it, I can't go into a panic over her or else it'll all collapse in on itself."

She knew what he meant, another panic, another opportunity for mayhem. Pyrrha had been privy to some of Cinder's reminiscing on the long journey here, her plan vaguely shining through. She was a cunning fox, one of the worst opponents Pyrrha could imagine having in life. She played by no rules, took every advantage and crippled her opponents in every way she could. Then she would deliver the coup de grace, ending the competition in one fell swoop. But Pyrrha had an advantage, the will to keep going even in the face of overwhelming adversity.

"I won't let her win, you're mine."

"Uh... Pyrrha? What do you mean by that?"

Her eyes shot upward from their resting point straight into Jaune's. Why did I say that? This isn't a competition... is it? A sharp line drove through her mind, confirming her fears. But then, why do I feel like I'm defending myself from you? I'm not worried about Jaune. Come to think of it, why did Cinder still have a link like this? The collar was off and she was free to move as she pleased. The lines curved along in her mind, a meandering yet forceful pattern that implied confusion and frustration. Pyrrha felt relieved at knowing she wasn't the only one confused by these happenings.

"I'm sorry. It's just been a long road for me Jaune."

His eyes reflected back worry, but he left her hands on his. "Alright. But you'll tell me if anything... else comes up?"

Pyrrha felt the shame rise again. There was no pride in how she handled the Maiden debacle, or her feelings. "I promise, Jaune."

The waitress arrived with their food, settling the small plate in front of Jaune before gingerly handling the bowl of pasta onto the table. It tasted divine, the mushy pasta covered in exquisite sauce and topped with several herbs. It was a treat Pyrrha had been denied for so long, the common fare of the road too familiar to her tongue. She devoured the meal without a word, focusing all her might into destroying this delicious food. There it goes again. Stop being so aggressive, she chided herself while finishing the last dregs.

"Well that was something to watch. I take it food wasn't a high priority earlier?"

Pyrrha smiled, letting the feast settle into her belly with a satisfied pressure. "It's just good to eat with a friendly face again." The waitress came over with her parfait, setting the treat down before her. "Oh, but this is something I didn't think I'd get again." She swirled the spoon around, getting a sticky glob together before pulling it to her lips.

Jaune laughed a little, hollow and far away. "I didn't think I'd get another chance either." He looked at her with solemn eyes, and the way he looked that day came back to her.

Pyrrha thought about it a lot, her decision so long ago. She wanted to keep him safe, and Cinder wasn't going to pull any punches. It was the right call, but the pain of it was clear as day on his face. She swirled the spoon again, pulling out another glob, a second one. "Jaune, would you like some?"

His eyes widened, and a broad smile replaced the sullen frown from earlier. Jaune let out a slow laugh, shaking his head before looking back at her with whimsical eyes.

"Did I say something funny?" Pyrrha asked, still holding the sticky mess out for him.

"No, I'm just being constantly reminded of something a little thunderbolt said to me a day or two ago." And he leaned over, greedily chomping on the spoon of parfait.

It was late. Too late, if she had him pegged, but it was possible she was wrong. Neo sat in the lobby, waiting for Jaune to get back from his usual evening walk. He'd left alone, a good sign since she watched the woman he was with leave with him earlier in the day. They'd returned together as well, but she parted ways after twitching slightly in the lobby. Is this really what I want to be doing with my day? I suppose it's better than drifting around, but still. The thoughts had crossed her mind a few times, and she shook them off in favor of one more shot. The fear of being alone again haunted Neo day and night.

"Ah, mister Arc. How are you this evening?" the skinny female attendant called out. Neo looked over at the double doors to see him walk through. Jaune looked okay, but there was a slight sag in his shoulders.

"I'm okay, it's just been a long couple of days. I need some rest."

The woman looked slightly alarmed, dropping her work hastily on the counter. "Oh, is there anything I can do?"

Jaune walked over just in front of Neo, not noticing the slight distortion in her illusion. "That's alright, I just need to take it easy."

"Ok, well I'll be here all night just in case. Take care." She looked dejected at his words, turning back to her work. I don't think he quite gets it. Good.

Neo got up as Jaune turned around and stepped in front of him and out from under her cloak. He jumped back at her sudden appearance, the attendant glancing over to see what the commotion was. Her eyes widened as Neo stepped around to regard her. The attendant didn't really catch Neo's eyes, and she smiled a wry smile in mocking triumph. Returning back to Jaune, she pulled her Scroll out and tapped on the screen. He watched her with wide eyes, mouth hanging open slightly with a question at the edge of asking. She finished, handing the device to him.

'Follow me, we're going to relax like you said.'

He handed back her voice, and Neo spun around to walk off toward the hallway to her room. Muffled footfalls assured her that her demand was being met. Good, this is more like it. Flipping her voice over her shoulder, she heard him catch it with slightly less scrambling this time.

'So did you have a good day? I'm not needed at the wall it seems, so here we are.'

"I did. Um, Neo, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to offend you, but... what you asked seems so sudden."

It didn't seem sudden to her. After all, she'd been in another's bed before and it felt like the most natural thing. Neo snatched up her voice, tapping and returning in one smooth twirl. 'It's alright, it was a request. You can deny a request.'

"Oh ok, but I still don't feel-"

They'd reached her door, the secret room none of the staff ever noticed or cared about. Pressing a small pad in the wallpaper, the wall slid apart to reveal a door like any other room. Neo opened it up and motioned for Jaune to enter.

"Please, I just want to go back to my room and lie down. It's been... anyways. Please?" He shuffled away from her slightly.

Oh no, not this time. Not when I'm so close. Neo stamped over to him, smashing the screen on her Scroll and holding it up to his face. 'This one is not a request. Scoot.'

Jaune puffed up his chest for a minute, before deflating and lightly stepping around her into the secret room. Neo followed and closed the door behind her, pushing another pad to slide the cover closed. Inside she took his hand, feeling a slight warmth on her cheeks as she did. Past the walls of weaponry and stolen Dust to a large bed, the same one she'd used alone for almost a month. Neo tried to ignore the stains on the pillows. A different time, a different life. She pushed Jaune down slightly on to the bed before settling next to him.

'Alright, here we are. Now you can just let it all out. I know you've got some things bothering you.'

Jaune looked at her, doubt playing across his face. "I really don't know what to say. And it's not like this is the most comfortable I've ever been."

Neo fluttered her eyes playfully, relishing the victory in snaring him into her room. 'If you feel that way, we can just go to bed. I'm kind of tired myself.'

"I didn't mean that!" He tried to stand up, but a quick tug of his sleeve brought him back down. "This is just... fine. If that's what you want."

Neo felt her heart skip as he finally assented, clearly not enthused to be doing this. Isn't this what we're supposed to do though? I thought this is normal. She watched as Jaune doffed the plates strapped to his chest and pulled the hoodie off revealing a toned torso. It was something nice to look at while she waited at least. Jaune turned around and climbed into the large bed, Neo sliding over and out of her shoes. Night dress always came later, clothes would do for now. He sunk under the covers facing her.

And she dug herself in, snuggling tightly against that toned chest. Oh, firm. It reminds me of you. Finally finding a good position Neo let her breathing slow and the calm rhythm of rest wash over her. Jaune lay still, not quite settled in from her guess. Had he not done this before? Neo knew about the woman, how... noisy they were. But she figured he'd at least snuggled before with her, maybe even talked about themselves. Her Scroll was in hand.

'What's the matter? I thought you'd have done this before. Or was that woman not up for a snuggle?'

Jaune looked down at her bundled form huddled against his chest, shock lighting up his face. "What woman? And a snuggle?"

'The red haired one with you today. And yeah, you snuggle people you like, let out your feelings to them in a safe space.'

His cheeks reddened, a deeper shade than Neo had ever seen on a man. "Oh, her. I've... never done that before. Maybe once? And it wasn't for long."

Neo reached up and laid a hand on a warm cheek, smiling with affection toward this person who had changed her life's direction just a little. 'Well, we can just take it slow. You can talk as much or as little as you want, I'll listen.'

Jaune relaxed, letting his arms wrap around Neo in a protective embrace that she had looked for for so long now. He finally got into a something that Neo thought was comfort, his breathing slowing and growing deeper. That's it, just let it out.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. Cinder came back, only Coco is up and able to really do anything. I'm just not able to do anything and..."

And on he went, Jaune poured everything out that had been bothering him. Neo lay there in his arms, soaking in all of his worries and fears. She learned so much about him, how he'd snuck into Beacon, how he was really not that strong of a fighter despite leading a team. He spoke about the way he was treated now that so few people were left in leadership positions. And he spoke about the woman, Pyrrha. Neo felt a slight twinge as Jaune recalled his time with her, his feelings for her.

"But most of all, she believed that I could make it here. She was the first one to ever do that, even my own parents were skeptical about me being a Huntsman."

Neo thought back to the time when she laid in a similar bed with Roman, listening to his heart while he spoke about his father. There was so much bad blood between the two, the older trying to determine the younger's path in life. And then his mother getting between the two before eventually leaving. That was before they'd made it big, small cons just barely keeping them ahead of the competition. But they were good times, and Jaune was bringing all those feelings back. But differently.

'You love her, don't you?'

Jaune looked down in her eyes once more, the color changing to a deep brown of Neo's own will. "I don't know. I felt that way, before she sent me away to fight Cinder. Now... I don't know. I never thought I'd get a chance to try again."

Neo felt her heart skip a few beats. A funny thought entered her mind. 'And if you didn't? Cinder?'

His eyes widened a little, pulling back slightly at the absurd notion. "I think she'd sooner kill me than fall in love. But... she is beautiful." Jaune shook his whole body a little, rustling Neo in their embrace. "Ah what am I saying? I've been going around in circles like this for a few days now."

Neo didn't hear any of it, the sound of blood rushing through her ears. But I've only known him for a few days. I can't really... maybe. What would you do? He'd follow his gut.

'What about me?'

Pools of azure fell back onto her face as Jaune looked in her eyes, a puzzled look in his own. "I don't know. But I think you're a person who could do so much more. And-"

She held up her voice again. 'Do you think you could love me?'

Jaune held her there for a moment. And another. "Yes."

Neo scrunched upward, feeling the light taste of his lips with her own. A chaste kiss, nothing more. But it was something more, the start at least. She got up to change into her night dress, looking back at her once unwilling guest. Jaune laid there watching her go, making no motion to leave.

It has been a long day, one Cinder Fall would regret for the rest of her life. Still, it was only fair to allow her minion an equal opportunity in the contest to come. Pyrrha lay on the mat beside her bed, slowly breathing in and out in a methodical rhythm. Was freedom sweet? Did you enjoy the treat you offered? Answering red and yellow tinged with white spread at the edges of her mind. Good, she would not know them for long, only until this competition was concluded and Cinder had notched another mark in her long history.

Still, he was a sweet boy. A bit of a doof from Pyrrha's thoughts and emotions, but a good man. In another time it would probably have drawn her from the path she'd chosen. How destiny had played its cruel hand against Cinder, numbed her to the atrocities she'd committed. Wait, why am I suddenly having regrets? I enjoyed the looks of horror, the screams of dismay. A light yellow pervaded her mind, the inquisitive feel mimicking her own concern. Sorry it's been this crazy for you as well. The thought wandered around in her mind.

Wait. What?

Pink invaded her every conscious thought, drowning her mind in mirth. The woman beside her was smiling. Salem, your useless trinket is going to be the death of me. No matter, she had her date tomorrow to look forward to. A lightness tugged at her heart, something long forgotten but not unwanted. Cinder chalked it up to the strange thoughts she'd been having all day, rolling over in her bed to sleep off the memories. He isn't the type to fall for a pretty face and an empty word. Alright, we'll lay it all on the line.