To Fly and Fall

Disclaimer: RWBY is the intellectual property of Rooster Teeth. I claim no ownership.

I had wings once. They were strong.

I didn't always have them. For a time, I could only crawl through the dirt and look up enviously at those who soared high above me.

Then one day, my wings appeared.

Jaune tugged fruitlessly at the javelin that kept him stuck to a tree. He knew who it belonged to, if only because she had done the exact same thing earlier that morning. While he was extremely grateful to her for keeping him from becoming a stain on the ground, he wasn't quite comfortable being pinned to a tree in a Grimm-infested forest.

A rustling in the bushes sent a a horrified shock up his spine and he tugged at the weapon even harder. Rather than a hulking beast, though, the beautiful girl in white appeared from the foliage. Relief immediately flooded into him as he waved at the lovely angel that came to save- and she was walking away.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune called out to her retreating form, "Come back! Who's gonna get me down from here?!"

The blond almost slumped in disappointment. He supposed he couldn't blame her, he wasn't the most impressive person. Still, it would have been nice if she had at least given him a chance.

"Jaune?"

Said boy blinked and looked down to the ground to see who had called. It was the redhead who had managed to put two holes in his sweater in one day.

The young woman was smiling coyly up at him as she spoke again, "Do you have any spots left on your team?"

Unwilling to take the teasing laying down, Jaune crossed his arms and looked away petulantly, "Very funny..."

His frown lasted only for a moment before it slid into a smile and looked back down at his savior. The sly smile on her face hadn't budged.

He wouldn't realize it until much later, but in that moment Jaune had made a connection that would change his life.

These wings were beautiful and strong. They shone brightly in the sunlight and glimmered elegantly in the moonlight. Anyone who saw them had no doubt that they could lift anyone high into the sky; and they would gladly accept them.

Slaying massive Grimm and saving the day was exactly what Jaune had imagined his new life would be like. Going head-to-head with a mature Deathstalker shattered those childish fantasies in an instant. Looking into those soulless red orbs that passed for eyes made him all too aware of his crippling inadequacies, and he would be eternally grateful that his infinitely more skilled teammates were there to cover for his weakness.

As the Deathstalker removed lifted its stinger from the bridge and the structure started to crumble, self-preservation kicked in and his brain started to fire on all cylinders. The first thing to burst out of his mouth was an order that could have been made by someone with only two brain cells.

"We gotta move!"

He would later berate himself for suggesting something so obvious to people who were far more qualified than himself, but it seemed his teammates didn't think anything of it. They charged forward, and Pyrrha was the first to engage the horrible creature in their path. She easily parried a blow from a pincer before batting it away with her sword. Jaune dove in to block a strike from the other pincer, which jarred his armed and sent heavy vibrations through his frame. Before he could pull himself together Pyrrha leaped in seamlessly to take advantage of the opening and batted that claw away.

As Ren leapt upon the Deathstalker and opened fire on the stinger's joint and Nora distracted it with blasts from her weapon, Pyrrha threw her javelin with such accuracy that it slipped through the Grimm's guard and impaled one of its eyes. The pain caused it to throw Ren off, but it drew Jaune's attention to the stinger hanging limply from its tail.

"Pyrrha- !"

"Done!"

His partner threw her shield before he could even register how quickly she had understood what he was getting at. It sliced through the last bit of flesh keeping the stinger attached and bounced back towards Pyrrha who expertly caught it. The stinger fell and pierced through the Deathstalker's armor and into its head.

After Nora had sent the beast falling to its doom, Pyrrha was the only one to land with any dignity. She hardly looked winded from the fight. She was reminiscent of a warrior-goddess from legends.

Anyone except me.

Even if these wings could bring me into the clouds, what point would there be if I could not do it myself? Would it not be thanks to the wings and not thanks to any effort of my own?

So obstinate was I that I continued to trudge through the mud, vainly attempting to get up into the sky and cursing my own weakness.

"Jaune, I know you're having a difficult time in class, and that you're still not the strongest of fighters," Pyrrha began. Her words and the careful tone with which she said them caused a pit of self-loathing and anger to form in his stomach.

"So, I want to help you," the redhead finished, smiling brightly at him. Some small niggling part of his brain told him that she was trying to be supportive. The rest screamed that she pitied him and his pathetic attempts to better himself. Young, socially-inept Jaune latched onto the part that allowed him to vent his own feelings.

By the end of their conversation, he had driven away his closest friend and incurred a debt of silence to the one person he least wanted to deal with.

I soon realized I was being foolish. One who envied those who could fly had no right to scorn the assistance of that which could help him do the same.

With that realization, those wings began to lift me up.

A grunt flew from Jaune's mouth as he was thrown onto his back for the sixth time that night. His sword had been thrown from his grip and now lay several feet off to his right. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head to dispel the stars circling it. A hand entered his vision and he followed it up to the smiling visage of his partner-cum-teacher.

"You did very well that time," she said. "You kept your shield in the proper position the whole time and parried two of my blows with your sword. I'd say you earned a break."

The Huntsman-in-training accepted the praise with a sheepish smile and accepted her helping hand. Each and every training session was rigorous and exhausting, but night by night he was improving, if only a little bit. Of course, using Pyrrha's impeccable skill as a measuring stick probably wasn't the smartest thing for a rookie like him to do.

As the two of them sat side by side on the ledge of the roof, he was once again overcome with gratitude. It came to him after before, during, and after every session, but he never vocalized it. Looking sidelong at the elegant beauty looking out over Beacon, he decided this night was the night to do it.

"Hey, Pyrrha...," he began uncertainly. Pyrrha turned to look at him curiously, making him further doubt if he could word his gratitude correctly. As silence stretched for a moment too long, he decided to stop thinking too hard and just come out with it.

"I'm...really thankful that you're taking the time to train me. I don't...I don't know what I'd do without you."

His heart skipped a beat at the smile that graced her face. It almost stopped outright when she set her hand on top of his and gently squeezed it.

"I'll always be here for you, Jaune."

Words escaped the blond at such sincere words, and he could only stare in shock at his beautiful partner. Pyrrha merely tilted her head in understanding and turned her face forward again.

The next several minutes were filled with silence as one person basked in her feelings and the other tried to make sense of his.

Before I knew it, I was soaring. Flying high above the ground was a breathtaking feeling, one I will never forget. They were no longer just any wings, they were my wings.

They carried me through the softest of breezes-

How he had gotten so lucky would always escape him. Jaune Arc was dating the strongest, smartest, most beautiful woman he had ever known.

"Say 'Ah'," Pyrrha said, holding out a fork with a cake impaled on the end of it.

Jaune blushed lightly in embarrassment opened his mouth, "Ahhh..."

That she was the poster girl for girlfriends made him wonder if he wasn't just trapped in a coma. The young Huntress took great delight in doting over her boyfriend, and Jaune tried to reciprocate by being the best boyfriend he could possibly be. Unfortunately, he had fallen back on his wannabe macho behavior to do so.

That lasted until the incident in the park. He'd rather not think about that.

Now he just settled for making sure she was happy. The radiant smile on her face told him he was at least doing that much for her.

-and the most terrible of tempests.

Jaune struck down another Ursa before twisting around to behead a Beowolf that was about to take a bite from him. Everything had gone to Hell. The wall had been breached, and Cinder and her lackeys were attempting to rally everyone around their banner of 'protection' in the chaos. Team RWBY had ran off to deal with her personally while he and his team attempted to hold a vital chokepoint against the horde of Grimm pouring into the city.

Sudden movement to his right caught his attention and he jerked to defend against the charging Creeper. A loud report and a flash of crimson saved him the trouble. Pyrrha appeared at his side and retrieved her weapon using her Semblance. She gave him a chiding look he knew all too well.

"Jaune, focus. You're better than this," she scolded.

Even now, after he had proven himself to be a competent Huntsman and leader, she managed to make him feel like the fumbling boy he used to be.

Rather than taking it personally, though, he just winked at her.

"Good thing you're here to save my bacon."

An exasperated smile and a shake of her head was her response before they were once again embroiled in combat.

My wings were strong. They were faithful. They brought me to heights I never even dreamed of reaching.

Pyrrha held Jaune's hand as they both waited for the doctor to come back with the results. She had been feeling under the weather lately and after a few days of puking, they finally decided to see a doctor. Jaune was noticeably more worried than his wife, though. He wouldn't stop fidgeting and his forehead was dotted with cold sweat.

When the doctor came in, Jaune shot up out of his seat.

"What is it?! Is she fine?! Is there something wrong?! Whatever the price is, I'll pay it! Just- ACH!"

Pyrrha nodded apologetically at the overwhelmed doctor as she squeezed Jaune's hand painfully.

"Please, go on, doctor," she said.

The man nodded and gathered himself before speaking, "Well, to set your minds at ease, I can assure you there's absolutely nothing wrong with you, Mrs. Arc. You're a perfectly healthy woman."

The news had the effect of immediately calming the writhing blond. Seeing that he was no longer going to cause a scene, she eased her grip and he slumped into his seat. A great weight had clearly been lifted off of his shoulders.

"As to what's causing your symptoms, though, I can only offer you my congratulations."

Jaune blinked in confusion but Pyrrha caught on immediately.

"You mean...?" she started, hope brimming in her voice.

The doctor smiled and nodded, "Yes. You two are going to be proud parents soon. Congratulations."

There was a thump as Jaune lost consciousness and fell to the floor.

As with all things, though, they could not last. As the unstoppable march of time continued, my wings began to tire. Slowly, ever so slowly, the beating grew weaker and weaker. I knew what would happen. I rejected it. I raged against the heavens that I once coveted. They could not, would not, take my wings from me.

My wings knew, though. They accepted the inevitable with the calm grace that embodied their very existence.

Defeat was not a foreign concept for Jaune. It had been one of his closest companions when he was younger. He had quickly learned to accept it when it happened, and learn from it. This defeat...this was one he could not accept. There was no lesson here.

Here lies Pyrrha Arc

Cherished Friend, Loving Wife and Mother

A weathered, wrinkled face stared solemnly down at the fresh patch of soil that interned the body of his beloved. Gray hair had long won the battle for his scalp, and he could feel each and every one of them poignantly. For Jaune, the weight of time bore heavily on his shoulders in this moment.

He could not remove his eyes from the epitaph that did not do his wife's life justice. He knew his wife, however. She would have wanted something simple and elegant. No flowery prose or tales of her heroics. Just a simple tombstone inscribed with her most treasured identity.

A hand touched his shoulder, but still he did not look away.

"Jaune..."

It was Ren, his voice unmolested by time. It was deeper, but it remained smooth and comforting.

"Yang and Ruby are comforting your kids- "

Jaune felt something akin to amusement bubble in his chest. His children might take offense to being referred to as 'kids' at this point. His grief reasserted itself and squashed that feeling without mercy.

"-so...do what you need to do."

The hand left his shoulder and Ren left, leaving Jaune alone with his wife's grave. He didn't know how long he stood there after that. It could have been years for all he cared.

Finally, he lowered himself onto his knees and spoke softly to the woman who was his everything.

"I wondered for the longest time...what I would say when this moment came. Would I reassure you that we would be fine? Would I sit here and reminisce on our life? Or would I rage and curse at the world that would take you from those who loved you?"

As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. He had tried to remain strong for his family and friends; to be a rock in this trying time. Now, his sorrow came full force, and he could not find it in himself to stop it.

"Even now, I'm still not sure what to say. I'm just...saying things..."

The thought of Pyrrha's smiling in exasperation at his words brought a sad smile to his face. Tears ran down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground.

"You...you're the greatest person I've ever known, Pyrrha...and I just don't have the words to say how much I love you..."

It was becoming hard to speak. His grief was lodged stubbornly in his throat and it would not be denied.

"But I guess you don't need an-anything special...you were always so happy t-to just hear me say 'I love you'. And...I was always so happy to he-hear you say the same."

Jaune shut his eyes tight as his tears poured out unhindered. He lowered his head and forced back the first sob just so he could get these last words out.

"I love you, Pyrrha...a-and I promise, w-we'll be okay. I promise!"

With that, Jaune Arc surrendered to his grief and mourned the loss of the wonderful woman that had given him everything.

I had wings once.

They were strong.