Hi! I'm writing a college AU for RWBY! Yay! This fic will center around Pyrrha and Jaune as take on every teenagers greatest friend and greatest enemy: College. BTW- keep in mind, this is an AU. The characters will be canon in some aspects, but for the majority of the time, they're gonna be somewhat OOC. If you can get past that, you'll enjoy the Arkos.

Anyway, enjoy!

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while… you could miss it."

Jaune Arc let his head bang against the cold glass window of his father's black SUV. His eyes were locked onto the blurred road, a passing car disrupting the seemingly relaxing sight every so often. The sky was covered by thick, dark sheets of grey clouds. The pitter patter of the rain and squeaks of the windshield wipers could be heard, but only faintly over the loud samba music on the radio that filled the interior of the car. The song finally ended, but, to Jaune's dismay, another samba song began to play right after. He let out a loud sigh; the burning feeling of anxiety that sat in the pit of his stomach would not go away. He knew that eventually he and his dad would reach their destination, and he couldn't tell whether he wanted to get there right now or not at all. He reached for the tuning dial, but his dad playfully swatted his hand away.

"C'mon, boy! You know you can't mess with my samba!" his father shouted over the music, using the hand he swatted Jaune with to do a little dance. "Aye! Aye! Aye!" his dad shouted, pretending he had maracas of his own. Jaune groaned loudly.

"Dad! This shit is AWFUL! Why aren't we listening to what we usually do?!" Jaune argued, opening the center console and selecting one of the many CD's. The CD gel featured a man that looked to be transforming into some sort of insect, the word "Chimaira" across the bottom. "Can we please put this in? I forgot my ePod in my suitcase!"

"Negative, boy!" Jaune's father tapped along with the rhythm, grinning as he successfully annoyed the living hell out of his son. Jaune could only roll his eyes and smile; somehow, his dad managed to be a bigger dork than he was. As the song ended, Jaune's dad stopped doing his little dance and decided to turn down the radio for a bit. He glanced over to his son, whose head was now back to its original position on the glass. His mood took a slight plummet as he saw the blank expression Jaune wore, his parental instincts kicking in and instantly he changed from "friend" mode to "father" mode. "Something on your mind?" he asked cautiously as his hands grasped the steering wheel.

"W-what? No, no," was all Jaune could manage as he tried to hide his obviously nervous tone. "Just thinkin'."

"About what? You don't have to be scared, Jaune. You know we only live an hour away, and I can come and get you at any time."

"Dad, I said nothing was wrong."

"Well you're a terrible liar."

"Well you're a terrible liar, and I'm a big ol' bitch," mocked Jaune playfully in a deep tone, a slight grin forming on his face as he sat up against the leather seat. "Look, I guess I'm sorta nervous. This school is one of the top schools in the nation… what if I fail, or something?" Jaune's smile soon turned to a worried expression, looking down at the glove compartment. He wasn't wrong- Beacon University was known for its prestigious academic programs. Not to mention, almost every sports team the University had to offer were Division 1. It was nearly impossible to make a team. Only the best of the best were accepted into the programs, but Jaune did the impossible by making his way onto the D1 wrestling team, earning many scholarships in doing so. His father was only paying for a fraction of the amount he would normally have to due to his son's excellence in the sport; that being said, he was only average when it came to the books and studies. The thought of seeing an F on his transcript worried him immensely.

"Nonsense. Jaune, you're the hardest working bo-," his father stopped mid-sentence, clearing his throat, "man I know. You've already surpassed me in academics… and you're only going to get better. Just know that while I hope you maintain good grades and do well in your tournaments, no matter what happens I'll support you." His father placed a reassuring hand on Jaune's shoulder, feeling his son relax a little bit.

"A-Alright pops, thanks," Jaune replied, a bit surprised by his fathers words. Ever since his mother left the picture, Jaune and his father had developed more of a best friend relationship rather than a father-son relationship. They swore at each other, fought, even drank together. To hear his father go into, well, "father" mode from time to time was awkward. Only in times of complete seriousness did it happen, and Jaune was pretty grateful for it.

"Have you talked to your mom?" Jaune's father suddenly asked, the tone of his voice a bit more stern than before.

"Nope."

"You didn't tell her you left?"

"Why the fuck should I have?" Jaune bitterly shot back, crossing his arms. "A phone works both ways. If she gave a shit, she would have asked." Jaune's father knew he was walking on hot coals at this point and dropped it. Today was a day to be celebrated. He knew that if he pushed the issue any further, Jaune would probably snap out of anger like he had so many times before. He didn't want to spoil the mood, so he decided to change the subject.

"Well, alright. That's fine, I was just asking. Anyway, you said Sun was your roommate?" Jaune took a deep breath, relieved that his father was never too persistent when it came to sore subjects.

"Yeah, he is. Thank God. I wouldn't be able to deal with someone random," Jaune answered, arching his back in a stretch, "Everyone said it was a bad idea and 'I'd start to hate him', but that's bull. He's my best friend, and if something comes up we'll squash it." Jaune's father nodded in agreement, flicking his blinker on as he carefully changed lanes. He ignored the blaring horn behind him, and continued the conversation.

"I like that boy. Did he make the track team like he wanted?"

"Yep, he did!" Jaune replied happily, "He was so pumped when he found out. Full ride and everything, lucky faunus bastard."

"Well, that's good. I think you guys are gonna have a great semester." With that, Jaune's dad turned the radio back on and flipped through the radio stations until he heard a familiar song- "To Plant A Seed" by We Came As Romans. The two sat in silence as the song played out, tapping along with the drums. Thinking about what his father had said while he listened to the song, Jaune's confidence about college boosted; the song just happened to be one of his favorite metal songs, which melted his fear as a feeling of excitement began to grow.

"Remember," Jaune's father said suddenly, "if you find a girl, be confident, but also be a gentleman. However, if you're gay…" Jaune immediately punched his dad in the side, causing him to let out a "oof!"

"Shut the hell up." Jaune smiled at his father as they continued to sit in silence, eventually passing a sign that read "Beacon University: Exit 24A."

"My future started with the first note that I ever played, the first note that was ev-ver saa-ang."

One of Pyrrha Nikos' favorite songs was on the radio as she and her parents as sat in traffic off of exit 24A. Pyrrha looked out of her rain-covered backseat window at the display of bright red taillights, refracting in the droplets of water that ran down the glass. The traffic only heightened the suspense- she couldn't contain her excitement as their car moved inches upon inches closer to her #1 school choice. Actually, every single school she applied to accepted her- her application was one of the best any school recruiter had ever seen. She was the valedictorian of her high school class and, paired with the countless extracurriculars and volunteering hours, she got in to each and every institution with no problems. She received so many scholarships that she actually made a profit; her parents didn't need to pay a cent. The school itself did not have an official program for her sport of choice, so she prayed on multiple occasions that there would be a club team for it.

"Honey, this music is… a bit scary," her mother, Alexandra, stated from the passenger seat.

"Your mother's right," her father, Phelix, added from the drivers seat. "How can you listen to such devilish music? Jesus, such terrible, terrible taste." She didn't know why, but whenever someone insulted her favorite music genre Pyrrha became somewhat offended. Angry, even.

"It's NOT devilish, father! The lyrics have deep meaning, not to mention it gets me prepared for fights!" Pyrrha argued, resting her head against the window as the song ended. Phelix looked into the rearview mirror, catching Pyrrha's green eyes in his own. He frowned, causing his daughter to avert her gaze. While he loved that she was an MMA fighter, but he wasn't satisfied with where she was within it. Sure, she was a good enough fighter to compete in the men's division, but that didn't impress him. Until she was a champion, he wouldn't see her as anything but immature and undisciplined. She needed to get her act together, if she was to ever amount to anything. He eventually returned his eyes to the road, honking the horn loudly at the black SUV that just cut him off.

A new song came on, and Pyrrha's face instantly brightened as the first verse of screaming vocals came on. She began to bob her head, losing herself in the calamity.

"Don't you think that boy, oh who is it, Justin Beaver? Isn't he good?" Alexandra asked politely, leaning back and turning to face her daughter as she turned the music down.

"NO!" Pyrrha screeched, jerking her body into an upright position. "AND TURN THAT BACK UP!" Her mother chuckled as she was met with her daughter's rare smile.

"Well, no matter, perhaps those roommates of yours can change your taste," Phelix said calmly, pressing on the gas pedal to move another three yards before halting the sedan once again.

"Yang likes metal too!" Pyrrha defended, "She prefers electro and dance, but she and I listen to metal all the time together when we train! I don't know what the other two like, we only talked once when deciding who would bring what," Pyrrha continued, vehement that, even after all these years, they still didn't approve or even accept her choices in music. "Even so, I doubt they'll have any influence."

"Whatever you say. Now, remember what we agreed to grade wise?" Even though the topic changed, Pyrrha was still fuming. All her dad did was toss her opinion to the side, and it drove her nuts. Also, the subject of grades was always a sore one in the Nikos household.

"Straight A's …. with the exception of only one B+," Pyrrha muttered the last part, hoping her parent's wouldn't catch on. One could say her parents were… strict, when it came to both her grades and her fights. Her father more than her mother; her mother supported her in every way possible. Pyrrha could end up homeless and her mother would still accept her with open arms. Her father, however… Pyrrha let loose a weak smile as her father's furrowed brow turned and met her.

"I didn't catch that last part. What did you say?" The venom in his words sent shivers down her spine.

"I-I said straight A's, Daddy," Pyrrha stammered, sinking into her seat. Her father turned back around to the road, his cold voice still ringing in Pyrrha's ears.

"Good, that's what I thought. If you get a B+, don't bother coming home." The next few moments were silent; no one was ready to speak just yet. Eventually Phelix was the one who broke the silence, "Now, did you memorize the training schedule I gave you?" Despite his seemingly upbeat tone, Pyrrha saw through his facade. She had gone through this countless times, and knew that all it took was one wrong answer for the man to revert to his cold, unforgiving self. While he couldn't be bothered to show up for her 16th birthday party, when it came to her training nothing took priority. In a way, she was grateful. It was some form of him caring, although his brutal workouts would surely put most Olympians to shame.

"It's packed away, the exact one you wrote for me Daddy. I won't miss a day, I promise," Pyrrha said in her best voice, hoping to impress her father. Her efforts were, per the usual, in vain.

"I know you won't. The Regional tournament is coming. If you don't place first-"

"That's enough, Phelix. Can't you lighten up for ONCE!?" Alexandra cut the man off short, and Phelix's stone faced expression stared angrily ahead in silence. Pyrrha slouched into her seat, taking out her ePod as her parents began arguing. She plugged her earbuds in, and began playing the song she always went to when her father's lazy heart put her through hell. "Broken Angel," by Boyce Avenue.

"Still you try to impress him, but he never will listen."

So, yeah. If you like it, give it a follow. I'll update when I can.

See you in the next chapter.