Make a Wish
AndrewJTalon
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It wasn't often that Pyrrha asked Jaune to accompany her on her "celebrity work". He understood that she wanted to keep that part of her life and her life at Beacon firmly compartmentalized. He wasn't stupid.
... Totally. Completely.
Okay in this instance, he wasn't stupid. He got that she wanted to be more than just a face on a cereal box. She wanted to help people, protect them.
He didn't think he'd really fit in at a commercial shoot anyway. Nor would Ren or Nora. Well mostly Nora. He loved her to death but taking her out in public was sometimes fraught with peril.
Pyrrha though had asked him to come with her. And so he'd agreed.
They'd been taken in a private limo to the Canta Children's Hospital in downtown Vale. Pyrrha had gotten out in a hat, sunglasses, and a trenchcoat, along with Jaune, and they'd gone up to the fourth floor. Jaune's jaw tightened as he read the sign on the ward entrance:
Terminal Section.
They went into a small room filled with stuffed animals, toys and cards. Along with several posters, holos, and even figurines of Pyrrha. In the center of all this was a little bald girl who looked no more than eight. She had a pink headband on, the only spot of color in her white bed. She looked up from a book with wide brown eyes that lit up, despite the breathing tubes in her nostrils.
"M-Miss Nikos?" She asked, awestruck. Pyrrha smiled and pulled off her baseball cap and trenchcoat, revealing herself in her full armor.
"You can call me Pyrrha, Melody," Pyrrha said warmly. She walked over and knelt next to Melody. She reached out and hugged the child, who eagerly returned it. She looked up in curiosity at Jaune, who smiled and waved back.
"Who's he?" Melody asked. Pyrrha chuckled.
"He's my team leader at Beacon. His name is Jaune."
"It's nice to meet you, Melody," Jaune said warmly. Melody gave Pyrrha a shy look.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Pyrrha flushed. Jaune chuckled and shook his head.
"Nah. She's too good for me," he said. "She's amazing, isn't she?"
Melody nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah! She's just the coolest! Like when you fought Ragriz Harodrim in the finals last year! It was so scary! He was super strong and threw rocks around-Were you scared?"
Pyrrha smiled gently.
"A little here or there," Pyrrha said. Melody's eyes widened.
"You?"
"Everyone can be scared sometimes," Pyrrha said softly, "But being brave is about pushing past that fear. It's not that you're not afraid. It's that you need to fight past it. That's what being brave is."
Melody frowned.
"Everyone says that's what I am, brave," she said glumly, "I don't feel brave."
Pyrrha smiled and hugged her again.
"It's not always a feeling, Melody. It's just what you are. And I think you're very brave."
Melody's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Really really," Pyrrha agreed.
Melody smiled. They chattered eagerly for a while. Pyrrha let Melody hold and examine Milo and Akou, even let her transform them. She got to take pictures of herself with Pyrrha, and their weapons. Pyrrha also told her about her early fights, and training, and even some of her misadventures with RWBY. Jaune hung back, quiet, letting them have this moment.
Pyrrha had a lot of smiles. Some when she was trying to hide her anger, some when she was trying to be nice. Here though... She felt more genuine, more sincere. Yet she also felt very sad.
He couldn't blame her.
Finally, Melody was exhausted. Pyrrha helped her lay back so she could sleep. Melody smiled back up at her.
"Can... Can I see you again?" She asked quietly. Pyrrha nodded.
"I'll make time for you, I promise," she said. She beamed. "Before I go though..."
She pulled out a red sash from her trenchcoat. Melody gasped in delight, and took it reverently. She looked at Pyrrha in worry, but the redhead's smile soothed her.
"It's all yours," Pyrrha said softly. Melody beamed, and laid down. Her eyes slowly shut as she went to sleep, holding the sash in her arms with a content smile on her face.
Pyrrha slowly stood up. She pulled her trenchcoat, sunglasses and hat back on. Jaune waited for her as she gave Melody one last hug, before she turned and walked towards him. He joined her as they walked out, down the hallway, to the elevator, and then out the lobby to the limo. They sat in the back in silence, as the driver took them away.
Her hands twitched in her lap as they sat... And Jaune reached out rest his over them. She started, and looked at him questioningly. He smiled sadly.
"... I read her chart," he said quietly, "Her parents were killed in a Grimm attack. Their estate is funding her treatment but... She doesn't have long."
Pyrrha looked ahead, silent.
"No," she admitted softly. "I... I don't know if I'll make it, with the tournament coming up and... And..."
"We'll find the time," Jaune said softly, "I promise."
Pyrrha sniffled. She bowed her head.
"I don't... It's so hard," she whispered, "They look to me like I'm some kind of goddess. Like I'm something... Something special and I can't even... I can't..."
"You make them smile and laugh," Jaune insisted, "you made her happy. That's the important thing. So that they know they are loved and someone cares about them. That's amazing and wonderful, Pyr."
Pyrrha sniffled again, her shoulder shaking.
"... It doesn't make it any easier," she whispered.
"No," Jaune agreed, "But it makes you kind and strong to keep doing it."
She leaned in against him, sobbing softly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and held her hands with his. All the way back to Beacon.
- - -
I just thought that this might be an interesting thing to do with Pyrrha's celebrity status.
... Totally. Completely.
Okay in this instance, he wasn't stupid. He got that she wanted to be more than just a face on a cereal box. She wanted to help people, protect them.
He didn't think he'd really fit in at a commercial shoot anyway. Nor would Ren or Nora. Well mostly Nora. He loved her to death but taking her out in public was sometimes fraught with peril.
Pyrrha though had asked him to come with her. And so he'd agreed.
They'd been taken in a private limo to the Canta Children's Hospital in downtown Vale. Pyrrha had gotten out in a hat, sunglasses, and a trenchcoat, along with Jaune, and they'd gone up to the fourth floor. Jaune's jaw tightened as he read the sign on the ward entrance:
Terminal Section.
They went into a small room filled with stuffed animals, toys and cards. Along with several posters, holos, and even figurines of Pyrrha. In the center of all this was a little bald girl who looked no more than eight. She had a pink headband on, the only spot of color in her white bed. She looked up from a book with wide brown eyes that lit up, despite the breathing tubes in her nostrils.
"M-Miss Nikos?" She asked, awestruck. Pyrrha smiled and pulled off her baseball cap and trenchcoat, revealing herself in her full armor.
"You can call me Pyrrha, Melody," Pyrrha said warmly. She walked over and knelt next to Melody. She reached out and hugged the child, who eagerly returned it. She looked up in curiosity at Jaune, who smiled and waved back.
"Who's he?" Melody asked. Pyrrha chuckled.
"He's my team leader at Beacon. His name is Jaune."
"It's nice to meet you, Melody," Jaune said warmly. Melody gave Pyrrha a shy look.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Pyrrha flushed. Jaune chuckled and shook his head.
"Nah. She's too good for me," he said. "She's amazing, isn't she?"
Melody nodded eagerly.
"Oh yeah! She's just the coolest! Like when you fought Ragriz Harodrim in the finals last year! It was so scary! He was super strong and threw rocks around-Were you scared?"
Pyrrha smiled gently.
"A little here or there," Pyrrha said. Melody's eyes widened.
"You?"
"Everyone can be scared sometimes," Pyrrha said softly, "But being brave is about pushing past that fear. It's not that you're not afraid. It's that you need to fight past it. That's what being brave is."
Melody frowned.
"Everyone says that's what I am, brave," she said glumly, "I don't feel brave."
Pyrrha smiled and hugged her again.
"It's not always a feeling, Melody. It's just what you are. And I think you're very brave."
Melody's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Really really," Pyrrha agreed.
Melody smiled. They chattered eagerly for a while. Pyrrha let Melody hold and examine Milo and Akou, even let her transform them. She got to take pictures of herself with Pyrrha, and their weapons. Pyrrha also told her about her early fights, and training, and even some of her misadventures with RWBY. Jaune hung back, quiet, letting them have this moment.
Pyrrha had a lot of smiles. Some when she was trying to hide her anger, some when she was trying to be nice. Here though... She felt more genuine, more sincere. Yet she also felt very sad.
He couldn't blame her.
Finally, Melody was exhausted. Pyrrha helped her lay back so she could sleep. Melody smiled back up at her.
"Can... Can I see you again?" She asked quietly. Pyrrha nodded.
"I'll make time for you, I promise," she said. She beamed. "Before I go though..."
She pulled out a red sash from her trenchcoat. Melody gasped in delight, and took it reverently. She looked at Pyrrha in worry, but the redhead's smile soothed her.
"It's all yours," Pyrrha said softly. Melody beamed, and laid down. Her eyes slowly shut as she went to sleep, holding the sash in her arms with a content smile on her face.
Pyrrha slowly stood up. She pulled her trenchcoat, sunglasses and hat back on. Jaune waited for her as she gave Melody one last hug, before she turned and walked towards him. He joined her as they walked out, down the hallway, to the elevator, and then out the lobby to the limo. They sat in the back in silence, as the driver took them away.
Her hands twitched in her lap as they sat... And Jaune reached out rest his over them. She started, and looked at him questioningly. He smiled sadly.
"... I read her chart," he said quietly, "Her parents were killed in a Grimm attack. Their estate is funding her treatment but... She doesn't have long."
Pyrrha looked ahead, silent.
"No," she admitted softly. "I... I don't know if I'll make it, with the tournament coming up and... And..."
"We'll find the time," Jaune said softly, "I promise."
Pyrrha sniffled. She bowed her head.
"I don't... It's so hard," she whispered, "They look to me like I'm some kind of goddess. Like I'm something... Something special and I can't even... I can't..."
"You make them smile and laugh," Jaune insisted, "you made her happy. That's the important thing. So that they know they are loved and someone cares about them. That's amazing and wonderful, Pyr."
Pyrrha sniffled again, her shoulder shaking.
"... It doesn't make it any easier," she whispered.
"No," Jaune agreed, "But it makes you kind and strong to keep doing it."
She leaned in against him, sobbing softly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and held her hands with his. All the way back to Beacon.
- - -
I just thought that this might be an interesting thing to do with Pyrrha's celebrity status.