Ho boy, this has been a long time coming. Let me tell you a story (not counting the one already featured below): once upon a time, I promised my friend WarrenDSherman an Arkos one shot for Christmas based on a small prompt he gave me.

That was back in 2017...

Hehe, uh, Merry Christmas, bud.

Cover art - MRK50

Sparks flew as their blades clashed. The sound of ringing metal filled the air.

Pyrrha had to grit her teeth as she pushed back against his sword. Her knees trembled from the effort. There was no denying it - he had gotten stronger. A fact that filled her heart with pride and her face with sweat. Her muscles tensed against the strength of his strike.

Blue and green eyes locked gazes under the starlit sky. She could see the excitement in his features. He thought he had the upper hand. Her competitive nature flared. What kind of champion would she be if she let him walk away with an easy win? It was time to wipe that smirk off his face.

She kicked him back with her own strength. He stumbled, feet wobbling. No time for recovery. She immediately closed the distance and lunged at him with her spear. His eyes widened and he quickly rose his shield. The spear scraped harmlessly across it. She used her momentum to roll to the side.

He tried countering with a downward slash, but missed and hit the ground instead. Before he could recover, she planted her boot down on his sword. The weapon was stuck underneath her weight. He gasped, got on his knees and tried to pull the sword out from under her. The fight was paused as he huffed and heaved, tugging at the sword like it was stuck in concrete.

After a few failed attempts, he looked up at her with a doomed expression. Now it was her turn to smile.

Her knee collided with his jaw. As he flailed backwards, she swept his legs out from under him. He fell like a house of cards in the presence of Nora Valkyrie, landing on his back with a loud thud.

Groaning, he looked up to see her standing over him with her spear at his neck. They both knew it was over. He had put up a good fight, but victory belonged to her.

He smiled weakly at her. "Truce?"

She chuckled. "Depends. What do I get for winning?"

"Come down here and find out."

How could she say no to that? Putting her spear aside, she crouched down and kissed him. He met her lips willingly without resistance. She hummed happily when his hands went up to stroke her back and hair. Hers came to hold his face and move him closer to her.

Prizes were always the best when they were earned through hard work. And whilst it hadn't been too hard to beat him, making Jaune Arc her boyfriend had been another battle entirely. Working up the courage to ask him out and being prepared to face the consequences if he said no had been a hard time for her. But it was a battle she was glad to have fought and she was still reaping the rewards of it to this day.

She pulled back with a happy sigh and lay on the ground next to him, her head leaning against his shoulder. His hand brushed against hers and their fingers entwined with each other. The two stared up at the night sky, the stars gazing down at them. They seemed especially bright tonight.

"I will beat you one of these days, you know," Jaune said, tilting his head to look at her.

"Maybe," she hummed, "Or maybe you'll keep throwing matches until we graduate." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'm starting to think you like losing to me."

"It's certainly better than losing to Cardin," he laughed. "Although if you start giving me wedgies, then we'll need to have a talk."

Their eyes looked back up to the stars again. One of the best things about training on the roof was the view. Not only could you see all of Vale, but you were so far above the street lights that you were able to see the stars. It was a spectacular sight.

"I love stargazing, you know." He suddenly said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Growing up, me and my sisters did it all the time on summer nights. We'd try and see if we could make pictures out of them. I used to have a book on constellations… until I dropped it in a river…"

"I didn't know things like that interested you."

"Oh, you know it. My dad used to tell me that the stars were actually legendary hunters looking down on Remnant from the heavens. He said they kept us safe at night from the Grimm while we slept."

She giggled. "That is definitely something someone like you would believe."

"Aww come on, I was, like, six at the time." A light blush grew on his face. "I told him that when I became a hunter, I was gonna be the biggest star of them all."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're adorable?"

"You may have mentioned it once or twice."

"Because it's true," she smiled, giving him another peck. Even as he grew stronger, she hoped he'd keep that adorably precocious side to him. He wouldn't be Jaune without it.

"What about you? Did you do any stargazing as a kid?"

"Not really," she sighed. "Mistral can get pretty chilly at night. Not as much as Atlas mind you, but still pretty cold. It makes you want to stay indoors when the sun goes down. Plus, staring up at the sky for too long just hurts my neck."

"No kidding. So what did you do as a kid?"

That was a no brainer. "Training," she said immediately. "Every morning I'd go for a thirty-minute jog, then after a quick break, it was time for combat training. I'd practice every opportunity I got. I kept that routine going almost every day."

Jaune laughed. "This was all for your tournament fights, yeah?"

"Absolutely," she beamed. The fame could get tiring at times, but she would never deny her pride in being the Champion of Mistral. She came out on top all thanks to her hard work and discipline. It was a title she wore proudly.

"I mean besides that."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, that was just training, wasn't it? I meant what did you do for fun?"

She wasn't sure she understood the question. "I had fun whilst training."

"I'm sure you did. But what did you do besides that? What were your hobbies growing up? I mean come on, you couldn't have been training every single moment, could you? I don't think even you could manage that."

He was right about that. She was dedicated to her training, but not allowing yourself to relax after a workout was a mistake. She knew she hadn't been training every single moment, but for some reason, her mind drew up blanks of what else she did in her free time.

"I barely remember much of my childhood," she sighed. "It feels like a lifetime ago." Besides, coming to Beacon was happier for her anyway. She did enjoy her time growing up in Mistral, but it was only when she joined Team JNPR did she really start to begin living.

"Come on, there's gotta be something," he pressed. "There's no way you forgot everything you did."

"Alright, give me a moment to think." She sat up, closed her eyes and concentrated.

He wasn't gonna stop asking her until she talked about something, but she was having such a hard time remembering. She could always make up something to entertain him, but she never was a very good liar. He'd be able to see right through her.

Think, Pyrrha, think.

It's not as if she had no memories of her growing up. She remembered fighting against the sparring dummies, as well as practising her aim at the shooting range. And she would never forget the way her muscles ached after an intense workout. They were tough times for her, but she wouldn't have traded them for the world.

But there had to be something else besides that. Anything else.

Think.

"Pyrrha?"

"Ssh, I'm thinking."

"O-Okay."

There was that time when she killed her first Grimm. No, wait, that was technically training. Okay, there was the time when she spent all night practising a new technique- no, that was also training. How about… oh who was she kidding, whatever it was, it was probably training related.

Why was this so hard?

Her mind was turning fuzzy the more she concentrated. It was actually starting to hurt her head. She must have done something with her friends. Even just simple things, like going to watch a film. Yeah, she must have done that with them. Now, if only she could remember their faces… and their names...

Wait a minute… did she have any friends growing up? There was no way she couldn't have. She was a good person and certainly not a bully of any kind. So why couldn't she remember hanging out with anyone aside from her parents and her friends at Beacon? She tried really hard remembering anything but to no avail.

All she could remember was training. It was useful and fun at times, but it was still just… training. It was there to serve a purpose. It was never there for her just to simply have fun. It had all been methodical and calculated. As for hobbies, games, even friends…

Nothing.

"Pyrrha?"

She slowly opened her eyes and saw his worried expression. "I can't remember anything," she said quietly.

"Nothing at all? Come on, I don't believe that. There's gotta be something."

"I'm trying to think of something, I really am. But the more I think about my childhood, all I can remember is training and even more training. I don't have any memories of doing anything else."

Something about that made her feel hollow on the inside. The adrenaline from their training session wore off and she felt the chill of the cool night air blowing against her skin.

"That must have been a lot of training," Jaune muttered. "Still, that's not a bad thing. Look where it got you. You're a tournament fighter and the best student in the school. You're probably gonna be the greatest huntress in the world. That means it was all worth it."

"I suppose…"

She got up and looked over the edge of the roof. They weren't so high up that they couldn't see the streets below them. She saw a couple of children running through the street with toy planes in their hands. She saw a young group of friends laughing and going into a restaurant together. Normal things.

This was the kind of stuff that the rest of the world wouldn't bat an eye at. To her, it was like seeing a whole new world.

She heard Jaune coming up behind her. "Pyrrha, what's wrong? You can tell me."

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just being silly."

"You're clearly down about something. If you tell me, I might be able to help."

It was a ridiculous thing to be sad about. It was as he said - she had everything she aspired for. All those hours of hard work and training all paid off in the end. And yet she couldn't rid herself of the empty feeling of longing in her heart. She was either ungrateful or foolish.

She looked down at the street again. "You ever get that feeling that you might have missed out on a big opportunity?"

"More times than I can count," he chuckled. "I'm the kind of guy to throw away a golden ticket by mistake."

"I'm serious," she sighed. "All my life, people have treated me like I'm something special even before I became a celebrity. I've done everything I can to try and show people that I'm a normal person like everyone else. That I'm not some untouchable idol they've perceived me to be. Just because I've got a bit of fame doesn't mean I'm any different from someone else my age."

"But looking all around me, I realise I don't know what normal is. Think about it, what normal girl wakes up at the crack of dawn to train until her body collapses? What normal girl devotes countless hours every day to practising the same techniques until she gets them absolutely perfect? What normal girl removes herself from the world so she can focus on training alone?"

She remembered all the stares she got from the other kids at school. It always hurt when they looked at her with envy, but somehow the ones who looked at her with awe were just as bad. She remembered the other students talking about birthday parties and meetups, none of which she was invited to. That cold feeling of isolation made her train even harder.

"Even for a huntress-in-training, I went a little extreme with my training regime. I just wanted to be the best huntress I could possibly be. It was my dream. It was all I could think about."

"And you are," Jaune said warmly. "Pyrrha, what are you talking about missing an opportunity? As far as I'm concerned, you've seized every opportunity you've had to be the best at what you do. You're better than most of us combined. There's no way you've wasted anything."

Her boyfriend's words were touching but left her feeling bittersweet. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of all my achievements," she said. "I don't regret all those hours I put into achieving my dream. I'm talking about… other stuff."

"Other stuff?"

She let out a weak chuckle. "Did you know that you, Ren and Nora are the only true friends I've ever had?" She laughed even harder when she saw his baffled expression. "That's right. Before coming to Beacon, I didn't have a single friend growing up. I had acquaintances, fans and rivals, but never someone I could truly call a friend. Even with some of my rivals who I shared a mutual respect with, it was more out of sportsmanship rather than friendliness. I just never made time for them."

Pyrrha loved winning. Athletes had to be competitive if they wanted to be successful. And yet as she got older, the victories didn't feel as satisfying as what they used to. With every person she fought in the tournaments, she knew that they all had a life outside of the ring. They had friends and lovers who loved them, who would hang out with them, who would do anything other than train with them.

She had none of that. Aside from her parents, her social life was non-existent and no amount of optimism or kindness could change that.

"I spent so much time focusing on my dream that I forgot to consider other important things; how to make friends, how to talk about different topics, how to not make myself so single-minded. I've gotten better at these things now, but it took serious practice."

"So what?" Jaune shrugged. "You were goal-driven. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I think goal-obsessed is a better way of describing it."

"Same difference. You were disciplined and focused and that's why you succeeded. You've got the kind of drive that others can only dream of having Pyrrha - myself included. That's brilliant."

"But at what cost?" She cast her gaze to the people below and stared at them longingly. "Before Beacon, I had the social skills of a plank of wood. I never got to experience things like playing with friends, going to the movies with friends, or any of that stuff. You think you were awkward in the beginning? You should've seen me before Beacon. Even now, I still have a long way to go."

She shuddered as she recalled the early memories of her trying to talk to someone. Atrocious. It wasn't even a charming kind of awkwardness. Speaking to her, you would think she had a mental disability of some kind. How could she be so brave in the ring and yet so cowardly with other people?

"They call me the Invincible Girl," she muttered. "I used to dislike that nickname - it felt like they were adding more height to the pedestal they put me on. Now though, I can't blame them. I mean, how can I call myself normal when I don't even behave normally?"

"But it was normal." Jaune wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. His warmth shielded her from the cold wind. "You were doing what you wanted, Pyrrha. That was normal for you," he said, his chin resting on her shoulder.

Pyrrha's body felt light. It was hard to feel bitter when he was close like this.

"And besides, what is 'normal' anyway?" he scoffed. "We all do things differently. Life would be boring if we were all the same. Blake and Yang are two completely different people, but that isn't a bad thing. They just have their own way of doing things. Normal's just what you make it."

"I'm being stubborn, I know," she sighed. "But whenever I see people do what I guess you could call 'normal' things… as much as it pains me to admit it, I feel envious. I never did any of those things growing up and I feel like I've missed out."

There was a pause. She felt Jaune's arms stiffen. His steady breath tickled the side of her neck.

"So, what you're saying is you just need someone to show you a good time for once?" he said slowly.

"Um… I suppose?"

She felt his hold on her loosen, something she missed instantly until she saw his hand on hers. When she turned around to look at him, he was beaming a smile brighter than his hair.

"That's all I needed to hear," he winked. "So then, are you ready to go?"

She blinked. "Wh-What? Go where?"

"You'll see. Come on, let's go."

He dragged her out of the school and through the courtyard before she could ask any more questions.

[/]

The last time Pyrrha had been surrounded by dazzling lights and a crowd of people, she had been competing in the Mistralian Regional Tournament. Now though, it's because she was at a funfair.

With the Vytal Festival on the horizon, people from all over the world were flocking to Vale to see all the action and cultural festivities the city had to offer. So it took other entertainment companies five seconds to figure out a way to cash in on the buzz. One such attraction was a huge funfair that established itself in the park.

The place was swarming with people. Carnival music echoed all around them, coupled with the laughter and excited cheers of people on the rides. Stalls selling overpriced food and toys were everywhere, though somehow they all seemed to be owned by the same elderly man. If she weren't holding Jaune's hand, Pyrrha would've likely been swallowed up by the crowd.

Luckily for her, everyone was having such a good time that they failed to notice the renowned celebrity among them. They probably thought she was just playing dress up. That had happened before. Some of her fans liked to cosplay her when they watched her fights. It was charming if a little creepy, like looking at a bizarre reflection of yourself.

"What do you think?" Jaune said. He had to speak loudly to make himself heard over the sounds of everything around them.

"I, um, I don't know," she replied. "I've only been to one of these things once with my parents. And it was nowhere near as big as this one."

It also wasn't technically a funfair. It was more like a small cultural festival. Basically a funfair without the fun.

He laughed. "Then you're in for a treat. There's enough stuff here to keep us busy for the whole night. So what do you want to do first?"

Her head was spinning from it all. There was so much to choose from. Everywhere she looked there were all kinds of attractions. She didn't know where to start. "I'm not sure." She felt and sounded like an idiot.

"No worries. I'll pick for us. This was my idea, after all." He took her by the hand and gave her that smile that always made her heart skip a beat.

He led her like a lost child through the crowd. He eventually led them to a large stall with a small rifle on the counter. Several small targets shaped to look like Grimm stood in the back. Hanging from the wall were toys in various sizes.

"Roll up, roll up! Come try your hand at the rifle range!" called the stall's owner. "Do you consider yourself an eagle-eyed sharpshooter? Prove it by shooting down some Grimm! Only one lien! You gotta shoot big to win big!"

Shoot big? What did that mean?

"Ooh, let's try this first. You'll be great at this." He dragged them towards the stall. "Hey, buddy. Which one's the top prize?" he asked the owner, already handing over money to him.

"First prize is any of the giant stuffed animals you see on the rack. All you gotta do is hit all the lil' Grimm in the back there. Whaddya say, son? Thinking about winning one for your lady friend here?"

"Thanks, but it won't be me playing." He gently pushed her a little closer to the stall. "Knock 'em dead, Pyrrha. This one's all yours."

"Oh! Um, alright then." She approached the counter curiously. "So… what do I have to do?"

"It's really simple," Jaune told her. "Just shoot all the targets on the wall. If you get them all, you win the big prize. I'm no good at shooting games, but you're a top marksman. I know you can do this."

"Oh, so it's like target practice then?"

He shrugged. "I guess? But I wouldn't view it like that if I were you. This isn't some training exercise. It's just a fun little game. You don't have to take it seriously."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

"Don't worry about it. Just have fun. I'd say good luck, but you don't need it."

She felt like an utter fool for comparing a silly game to her training. She needed to work on rewiring her thoughts. The last thing she wanted was to ruin the date because she couldn't get her head out of the combat zone.

She picked up the rifle. It was light. Far lighter and smaller than her own and not nearly as elaborate. It felt more like a toy than a weapon. The targets were too close to be any kind of challenge. She was used to shooting at targets from great distances - sometimes they would even be moving. The only way this could be easier is if she were standing inches away from them.

She raised the rifle, rested her shoulder against the butt and aimed down the sights. She was confident she could hit these targets with her eyes closed though.

PTANG

Six shots were fired. Six targets fell. Not a single shot missed.

"Well, blow me down," the stall owner whistled. "You got 'em all on your first try. You're a natural, girl. Your boyfriend's lucky to have you."

"Told you you'd be great," Jaune beamed. He came up behind her and hugged her like she had accomplished some grand task. "To the winner go the spoils. Which toy do you want?"

"I can pick anyone?"

"Anyone you want."

She looked at the prize rack. Honestly, she had no need for toys, especially ones that size. They were massive, like each one had consumed a real animal in order to get that size. She wouldn't know what to do with one of them. But it made no sense refusing a winning prize, so she looked carefully.

She saw one in the shape of a giant puppy. "That one," she said, pointing to it. She could give it to Nora when they got back.

"Coming right up." The man took it off the rack and handed it to her. It weighed more than the gun and felt twice as lethal. You could crush someone to death with this thing.

"You made that look easy," Jaune said. "Guess it's my turn to show you how it's done." He handed over another lien and picked up the gun.

She hid her giggle when she saw him. His hand wasn't steady and his aim was all over the place. He had obviously never held a gun before. It'd be dangerous in any other situation, but here it was adorable to watch him.

PTANG

He didn't even graze the targets.

"Dang it," he grumbled. He actually looked a little disappointed. "I thought for sure I'd get at least one."

"Don't feel bad, Jaune," she said in an attempt to console him. "As you said, it's just a game."

"Yeah, I know. But I wanted to win you something."

Another giant toy? That wouldn't be necessary.

"I don't care about prizes. All I care about is you being here with me."

He looked like a puppy that had been called 'good boy' by its master. "Aww, you mean that?"

She kissed his cheek. "You mean more to me than any giant animal."

"Oh, Pyrrha…"

"Good Gods above, if you two keep acting like this I'm gonna take that rifle and shoot myself in the face," the man groaned. He was starting to sound like all of Team RWBY.

The two of them left and saved the owner from getting infected by their sickeningly sweet feelings. Jaune insisted on carrying the toy for her. They found themselves lost again in the sea of people and funfair attractions.

"So how was your first funfair game?" he asked, his voice a little strained from carrying the weight of the toy. The thing was heavy even for him.

"Compared to my training, it was a breeze. I barely had to aim."

"Did you enjoy it though? Was it fun?"

She thought about it for a moment. The game had finished before it had even begun. Her skills had made quick work of it.

But yes. Yes, she did. It was nice to turn her brain off for a change and not worry about beating previous records. And she did get satisfaction from watching all the Grimm drop. Winning always felt good.

What sold it though was his reaction to losing. That's not say she enjoyed watching him fail. It's just that his attempts to win her a prize were adorable and flattering.

"I had a great time playing it," she said truthfully. "But it was made even better because you were there. Had I been playing by myself, it wouldn't have been nearly as fun."

"Well, duh. Of course, it wouldn't have. That's why we go to these things together. It'd be boring if we did everything on our own."

"That's how I've always been doing things until recently…"

"Then keep holding on to that feeling of fun because as long as you're with me and everyone else, this is how it's always gonna be. I'm afraid you're stuck with us now."

The future was going to be a bright one. She could feel it.

"Anyway, where do you wanna go now?" he asked. "I'll let you pick this time."

She looked around. She saw a large building with spooky pictures of ghosts and monsters decorating the walls. A carriage drove people inside and she heard their screams from within. A ghost train.

"Let's go on that," she said, pointing out the ride to him.

He followed her finger and frowned. "Oh, uh, that? Are you sure?"

"It looks fun and everyone sounds like they're having a good time."

"I don't know…"

Her boyfriend looked nervous. "We don't have to if you're scared," she said.

He looked at her like she has said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Are you serious? Me? Scared of that? Pfft. You gotta be kidding me if you think I'm scared of some kiddy ride."

"Then what's wrong."

"Well, it's just… you know how my stomach gets when I'm on something fast moving. Could lead to an unhappy accident."

Pyrrha looked back at the ride. It was riding slowly along the tracks. She could walk faster than the speed it was going.

He must have seen the way she was looking at it and said, "Well, if you really want to go on it we can. But we gotta do something about this toy first. There's no way we can fit it onto the carriage."

After one quick scroll call and a very disgruntled Weiss arriving to bring the toy back to Beacon, the two got in line for the ride.

"Bet you haven't had to do this in a while," he chuckled.

"Do what?"

"Waiting in line. I bet you normally get to skip right to the front of things."

Now that he mentioned it, he was right. She usually just had to show her face and she'd get first class access to everything. Things like that were one of the few advantages that came with being a celebrity.

"I hadn't realised until now," she giggled. "This is rather exciting."

"Only you could find waiting in line exciting," he scoffed.

"I do. You don't understand all the little things you miss out on until they are gone."

"Yeah, I don't think I'd ever miss waiting in line. When you live in a house with nine other people and only one bathroom, you learn to hate lines."

She giggled again. "Your family sounds like fun."

"We need to have a long talk about your definition of 'fun'."

"Oh look! We're at the front now."

Before them was an empty cart with the face of a cackling goblin. The bored-looking supervisor told them it was okay for them to sit down. Conveniently, there was only enough space in the cart for the two of them.

Jaune had a bit of a hard time getting into his seat. He had always been tall, but her training had made him more muscular compared to when he first started Beacon. Pyrrha laughed and tried to help him get comfortable. He looked like a giant trying to squeeze his way into a toy car.

The supervisor pressed a button and the ride started to move. A sound effect of a deep evil laugh was heard as they drove through the gates and into the building. She swore she could feel Jaune flinch a little.

The walls on the inside were painted a green colour that glowed in the dark. Actors dressed as ghosts and other monsters popped out at them from the shadows as they rode slowly along the tracks. Somewhere there was a fog machine that occasionally unleashed a wall of mist to make the place seem scarier.

But it wasn't enough to frighten the likes of her. How could it? She was a huntress who slew real-life monsters as part of her education. Instead, she found herself laughing when the next jumpscare popped out at her. It reminded her of childhood memories when she would go out trick-or-treating during Halloween. The costumes the actors were wearing were only slightly better than the ones she wore as a kid.

"This is wonderful," she laughed and turned to Jaune. "What do you think they'll do next?"

Curiously, her boyfriend was being strangely silent.

"Jaune?"

She tapped his shoulder. He yelped but quickly calmed down when he saw it was her. She could see how pale his face was even in the dark.

"Uh, yeah! T-This is so much fun!" he stammered.

She frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah, fine. Just enjoying the ride."

"You look pale. Is your motion sickness acting up?"

"Uh, yeah sure, let's go with that. Motion sickness. That's what it is."

His teeth were chattering like a xylophone. His eyes were darting all around the room. Pyrrha had a long and unfortunate experience dealing with his motion sickness and he had never displayed those symptoms before.

Wait a minute…

"Don't tell me you're actually scared of this place?"

His eyes widened. "W-What? Scared? Don't be crazy. I-I'm not scared of anything!"

"Then why are you shaking so much?"

"I told you, it's because of my-"

Another actor in a werewolf costume jumped out at them. The scream that left Jaune's lips was not unlike that of a little girl as Yang would put it. He would've lept out of the cart if she hadn't quickly held him down in his seat.

"You are scared!"

"No, I'm not! He just got the drop on me, that's all!"

"You look like you're about to pass out."

"I do not!"

He crossed his arms and pulled that adorable pouty face he did whenever he was frustrated. His eyes still occasionally looked around for any potential threats. There was no point in trying to hide it. He wasn't fooling anyone.

"Aww, is my big strong boyfriend feeling a little nervous?" she teased.

"Don't be ridiculous," he huffed.

"Would you like me to hold your hand?"

"Always, but not for the reason you're implying. I'll show you. I'll show the whole world how brave I am!"

"It's okay to admit that you're scare-"

"Upupup! I'll hear no more of this. Now sit back and watch how fearless I really am!"

Apparently being fearless meant trembling in your seat and whispering 'it's not real' every five seconds to yourself. Pyrrha spent the rest of the ride in amusement; both from enjoying the ride for what it was, and from watching her boyfriend cower at the sight of rubber masks and cheap makeup.

As they passed through the exit gate and got off the ride, he looked relieved when the 'horror' was finally over. He left with shaky knees and wouldn't let go of her hand. She didn't have the heart to tell him how sweaty his palms were.

There was a photo board that had photos of everyone's reactions when they were on the ride. Pyrrha found theirs displayed at the end. She had a big smile on his face while he was desperately trying to hide his terror next to her. She decided she absolutely had to have it and paid for it before Jaune could object.

"I can't get over your face," she chortled, pointing at his expression in the photo. "You look more scared there than what you did during initiation."

He blushed fiercely. "Geez, Nora's gonna tease the hell out of me when she finds that photo. Oh Gods, we can't ever let Yang or Ruby see it. They'd never leave me alone."

"That whole thing about your motion sickness at the beginning was a lie, wasn't it? You didn't want to go on it because you were scared to?"

"... maybe…"

There was nothing 'maybe' about it. It was the truth.

"I don't understand. We fight Grimm on a daily basis. How can something like this spook you?"

He seemed to be shrinking every second. If his face got any redder, she was certain his head would explode. "You remember how my dad used to say the stars were former hunters? Well… my sisters used to tell me that things like vampires and werewolves and other movie monsters were real, and that they liked to eat little boys who didn't do whatever his sisters told him to."

She was going to erupt into giggles. "And you believed them?"

"I was very impressionable as a kid."

"And you still believe them?"

"Look, we live in a world where monsters made of living darkness exist. Who's to say there aren't a few vampires running around too?"

The next cart came out of the exit gate. It had been carrying a group of small children. They all got off laughing and joking about how cheesy it all was. She saw Jaune had noticed them too. If a vampire or werewolf were to suddenly eat him now, she had a feeling he wouldn't mind. He might even embrace it.

"Then why did you get on the ride if you were scared?" she asked.

The red in his face dimmed, although he was still tickled pink. "Because you wanted to go on it," he said with a small smile. "I want to make this night special for you. And if that means going on something that scares me, then so be it. Now, I'm not saying it did scare me, but if it did then I- mmmph!"

She stopped him with a swift but firm kiss on the lips. When she pulled back, he wasn't the only one who was looking a little red.

"I shouldn't have teased you," she said, suddenly feeling guilty. "Thank you for doing this for me, Jaune."

"Ah, well, it's no big deal. You know I'd do anything for you."

Yes. Yes, she did.

After doing a little more exploring they found another game for them to try out. It looked like a long pole with a bell on top of it. People were hitting the base of the poll with a hammer and a ball would shoot up. None of them were hitting the bell though. First prize went to the person who could.

"Alright, this looks like my kind of game," Jaune grinned, rolling up his sleeves. "Time to put these new muscles to work. I'm gonna win this thing."

He handed over the lien to the owner and took the hammer. Pyrrha watched from the sidelines as he strutted over looking very confident. He took his position and then swung the hammer down as hard as he could against the base.

The ball raced to the top like a speeding bullet and smashed against the bell.

PAAANG

Oh, he hit the bell alright. But the strength from his strike caused the bell to shoot off the poll and blast off into the night sky. It went so high up that it disappeared from their sight. All that remained of it was the metallic echo of when the ball had hit it.

Jaune stared dumbly like he had been caught sticking his hand in the cookie jar. "Uh… oops?"

"Hey, you broke my job!" yelled the now very angry owner. "You better pay for it, you little punk!"

"Pyrrha, we gotta run!"

Before she could say anything, he grabbed her by the hand and ran, dragging her along at his demented pace. They could hear the owner shouting at them to come back.

"Why are we running?" she panted as they pushed through the startled crowd. "Why don't we just apologise?"

"Trust me, Pyrrha. You may have an easy time dealing with a Grimm, but you've never faced an angry old man with a stick. There's no reasoning with them. We gotta hide."

"Hide where?"

She could hear heavy footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw the man chasing them and waving his stick furiously in the air. Oh wow, he actually did look scary in an old, frail kind of way.

"There!" Jaune pointed to a large ball pit with several children playing in it. "Into the pit! If anyone asks, we'll just say we're freakishly large kids!"

"Jaune, wait-!"

But it was too late. He let go of her hand and dove into the pit without hesitation. It was like a bomb had gone off inside. Balls exploded all around him as he sunk deep within the ocean of plastic spheres. The children wisely backed away from the huntsman-in-training who had jumped into their ball pit like a crazy person.

Every logical circuit in her brain was telling her not to jump in with him. It was ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous. But on the other hand, she really didn't want to deal with any confrontation tonight, and her reputation was already in jeopardy from running away…

"Where'd you go!?" shouted the man.

Gods give her strength…

She threw pride out the window as she jumped into the pit. It was through some miracle that she didn't land on Jaune. The heavy weight of her shame allowed her to sink quickly beneath the balls. She was painfully aware of the judgemental gazes from both the children and their parents drilling into the back of her head.

She was the Champion of Mistral and one of the top students at Beacon, an icon of strength and bravery to people worldwide. And now she was hiding in a ball pit from a cranky old man. If this was rock bottom, there were a lot more balls than rocks.

To her right was her boyfriend holding his breath and trying not to move a muscle. He didn't look too bothered about the position they were in. If anything, he adapted to it quickly as if this wasn't the most embarrassing thing he had done. Then again, he was the boy who wore a dress to the dance based on a silly promise. This was probably second nature to him.

"Mommy, what's going on?" said one of the children above them.

"Get out of the pit, Jimmy. These people are clearly on drugs," the mother replied.

When this was over, she was going back to that shooting gallery and firing the gun in her own mouth.

They eventually got out once they were sure the coast was clear. Jaune stepped out and shook himself off with grace while she slinked behind him like a whipped slave. He was grinning like he had won the lottery.

"Whew. That was a close one," he chuckled. "We're lucky none of those kids gave us away."

"Did we just hide in a ball pit from an old man?" Pyrrha muttered.

"We sure did. And we got away with it too. We're the best!"

"We're supposed to be defenders of humanity…"

"I know! Hilarious, isn't it?"

He certainly thought so and began laughing his head off. How was this funny? This was behaviour was not fitting of a hunter! They behaved like common hoodlums! It was beneath them! It was idiotic! It…

It…

Her moral compass was obliterated as she laughed alongside him. She couldn't help it. The absurdity of it all must have crushed all her common sense as she was splitting her sides laughing. If they didn't look crazy before jumping into the pit, they definitely did now.

"Oh Gods, we shouldn't be laughing," she said in between fits of giggling. Imagine if her mother had seen that. She wanted to feel ashamed and yet she didn't.

"Did you see the look on his face? I've seen Grimm more pleasant-looking than that guy."

"I mean, you did break his stall."

"I hardly touched the thing. It's his own fault for investing in faulty equipment."

"You're awful."

"I sure am." He came close to her and pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist. "And you're my beautiful partner in crime. Together we'll take on the whole world. What would our crime duo name be? Shield and Sword? Ketchup and Mustard? Oh, I know! The Junipers!"

She playfully slapped him on the back of the head. "That's the last time I'm ever getting involved in anything so uncouth. We could have gotten into serious trouble."

"We're teenagers. Society already knows we're trash. It's pretty much our civic duty to get into trouble from time to time."

"I can't say I've had any experience."

"Well, I'm not saying I'm Roman Torchwick levels of jerk. Buuut I may have played the odd game of ding-dong-ditch when I was a kid. Nothing wrong with a bit of mischief so long as no one gets hurt."

"If that's what's considered normal for you, then I'm glad to have had no part in it."

His grin didn't falter. "You talk, but I know you enjoyed it."

"I most certainly did not!" she gasped.

"Not even a little bit?"

"... well, I suppose it was a little fun-"

"Aha! That's what I thought. We'll make a delinquent out of you yet."

"Oh hush!"

They eventually left when Pyrrha caught him eyeing the now empty ball pit. It took her one second to realise he was thinking about going back in. She dragged him away from it and ignored his protests that those things are a lot more fun than they look. She had enough experience with them for a lifetime thank you very much.

They ended up buying candy floss. Jaune insisted that it was a requirement every time you went to a funfair. It was a rather expensive requirement though; each stick cost three lien, and they weren't even large ones. As fun as this place was, it was designed to bleed people of their money.

"Ever had it before?" he asked her.

"Of course. I wasn't that sheltered," she scoffed. "But I was on a strict diet when I was training for my tournaments. No excess sugar was allowed. I'd only have something like this as a really special treat."

"Well great. Now you can go wild. Here's to a happy life full of cavities. Cheers."

She rolled her eyes as they 'clinked' their candy flosses together. She took a bite out of it. It should've been disgusting. The unhealthy treat looked like an oversized pink feather duster. Yet each bite made her crave more as her taste buds sang songs of praise over finally having an overdose of sugar again. She did her best to eat it as gracefully as possible.

By now the funfair was swarming with people. It had already been busy, but now it was like a hive full of bees - the people buzzing around with no sign of resting. Everyone was looking to get on as many rides as they could before the fair closed for the night.

"Where to next?" Jaune called out. Everywhere had huge lines waiting outside them. If they were to get on anything now, it would be their last ride. Then they'd have to go back to Beacon.

Pyrrha looked around carefully. There was no point going on something they had already been on. She wanted to pick something new and easy to get on. It was a hard thing to find amidst all the madness.

"There!" She pointed to the first thing that caught her eye- the Ferris wheel. There wasn't a line, the carriages were perfect for couples, and it was going a slow-enough speed to prevent Jaune's stomach feeling unhappy. It was perfect.

He followed her finger. "Ferris wheel, huh? You sure?"

"Unless you're scared of heights too?" she joked.

"Only if you throw me off of them. Quick, let's head over before anyone else gets the same idea."

They moved quickly towards the ride, paid the elderly ride-operator who had to be related to every other one in the fair, and sat down in their seats. To Jaune's relief, the carriage had more legroom compared to the ghost train, so his legs were no longer hunched against his chest like he was trying to smell his own kneecaps.

After a typical and droning health-and-safety talk from the ride operator about 'keeping hands and legs inside the carriage at all times', they finally started move, climbing at a steady pace until the people below them were starting to look like dots. They rose to the highest point on the wheel.

Then they stopped.

Pyrrha swore she could hear someone say, "Aw crap" beneath them, then came the sound of the ride operator's voice through a speaker. "Ladies and gentleman, we're experiencing a few technical difficulties at the moment. Just stay put and do not try to leave. We'll get you moving again soon."

"Sounds like we'll be up here for a while," Jaune said happily

"Oh dear, what a terrible shame," she said in a sarcastic tone she didn't know she possessed.

Her head was tugged by the gravitational pull of his shoulder and rested comfortably there. Her hand naturally found his. It should have been cold this high up. It wasn't. Whenever she was with him, the cold never touched her. Whenever she was with him, all she knew was warmth.

His head leaned on hers. "The view's not as glamorous as the one from Beacon," he said.

"It'll do for now," she smiled.

"Yeah. It will."

She closed her eyes. Even with them open, the rest of the world was lost on her. All she was aware of was his presence. The way his warm hands looked so strong, yet had such a gentle grip. The way it felt just so right being around him. That wonderful sensation knowing whatever she felt for him, he felt the same way to her. Her life felt like a jigsaw puzzle that had finally found its missing piece.

"This has been really great," he said warmly.

"The best."

"I never thought I'd see this point in my life. You see it all the time in movies. Everyone finds that special someone that they never knew they needed, and they go on all these happy little dates that seem too good to be true. I thought all that stuff was reserved for everyone else. Spent the last seventeen years thinking it. But here I am. Feels weird. A good weird, but still weird."

She nuzzled deeper into him. "Maybe they should make a romance film about us?"

"Maybe. We need a few more cliches to qualify though. We still haven't said 'I love you' to each other in the rain while the entire school applauds."

"We don't need any of that stuff."

"Nope."

She was dimly aware of her candy floss slipping out of her other hand and onto the floor. To hell with it. It was bad for your teeth anyway.

"So, what do you think? What's it like feeling normal for once? Is it every bit as mundane as you dreamed it'd be?"

Good question. This surprise date of his was his attempt at making her feel normal again. In a way, it worked. Nobody recognised her. Nobody charged at her begging for autographs. Everyone saw her as just another face in the crowd. It was a breath of fresh air to experience.

But did she feel normal?

The way he laughed with her. The way he held her close. That look he gave her that turned her legs to jelly.

Her heart didn't lie. She knew exactly how to answer that question.

"I didn't feel normal for a second," she said with the full weight of her happiness rising to the surface. "And I'm glad I didn't. That wouldn't have been right."

He looked surprised. "Oh. Well, as long as you're happy. But I thought you wanted to feel normal?"

"I thought I did too. I told you how I hate the way the public treats me. I can't even go to the shops without a journalist turning it into an article in some tabloid magazine. They don't see me as a person. They see the Invincible Girl, just like everyone else."

She leaned up to look at him. Her eyes locked with his. She needed him to understand what she was saying. To understand the true weight of her words.

"You don't do any of that," she whispered. "You're the first person in a long time to treat me as an ordinary person. Someone you can talk to, someone you can be friends with. For the longest time, that's all I ever wanted."

"But it's more than that. When you look at me, you make me feel like the most important person in the world, and I do mean me. Not the Invincible Girl, not the Champion of Mistral, me: Pyrrha Nikos. You have no idea how important that is; to meet someone who sees you for who you truly are. To find someone who sees past titles and reputation. It's like a breath of fresh air."

"Tonight was just the icing on the cake. You didn't have to do any of this, yet you did. Because Pyrrha Nikos matters to you. And all I had to do was be myself. You... you make me feel truly special, Jaune."

They sat in silence for a moment. Pyrrha hoped she made her point clear. Public speaking was never her strong point. She was a warrior, she let her weapons do the talking. But she had poured all her passion into that speech because every word of it was true.

Jaune's face was complicated. She could see in his eyes that her words had touched his heart. But there was a sadness in his expression, though thankfully it wasn't directed at her.

"It sucks that you have to deal with that," he sighed. "You're already a fantastic person, Pyrrha. It annoys me that no one else can see it."

Her hands held his cheeks. "I don't care anymore. As long as I'm with you, the rest of the world can see whatever they want. I only want your eyes on me."

Her face inched closer to his. She could smell the sweet scent of candy floss on his breath, making his lips seem even more inviting.

"You know what I see?" he said in a quiet, firm voice. "The most brilliant girl in the world who I still can't believe is my girlfriend."

He made the first move, leaning his head up and capturing her mouth with his own. Her mind switched off as she savoured the soft feeling of his lips. She loved it when she kissed him like this. Hungry quick ones were fun, but it was these slow lingering kisses that truly allowed her to express her feelings for him.

That said, she did have a few words left for him. Only him. She broke away and pressed her lips to his ear so that the rest of the world couldn't hear.

"And she loves you."

Thanks for reading.