- - -
It had started very simply. They were on a field training mission outside of Vale's walls. A Grimm had shown up, a new species: A giant tarantula that fired off hairs like shrapnel from a mine. Jaune hadn't lost his cool though: He'd come up with an effective plan. Lure the beast over to an abandoned steel mill, where Pyrrha would use Polarity to drop metallic beams on the beast. Jaune had served as the bait, and the rest of the team had boxed the Grimm in to let Pyrrha make the final kill.
It had worked... But due to Pyrrha having to concentrate on essentially creating a giant spear of metal with her Semblance, she'd left herself open. Several of the Grimm's razor-sharp hairs had hit her, and the Invincible Girl was knocked off the steel mill tower to the ground.
She'd blacked out, and slowly come to Jaune holding her in his arms.
Something she would have killed for back in the day, but not quite like this. Not while in excruciating pain, anyway.
"Hang in there, Pyrrha," Jaune had said urgently, "Hang in there! A Bullhead is on the way!"
He was applying pressure to her wounds. Her Aura had been low from the stunt to take out the Grimm. She could see guilt in his eyes. Suspected he was beating himself up. She held up a hand to cup his cheek.
"N-No... Don't blame... Yourself..."
"Pyrrha, I'm sorry, it's all my fault," Jaune murmured, even as Ren and Nora waved down the Bullhead. "If I wasn't so useless, you... You'd be...!"
He began to glow. Pyrrha gasped. She felt her Aura surge, felt a warmth and affection and pleasure she had never before thought possible go through her...!
Everything felt... Good. No, everything felt great! WONDERFUL! Her eyes rolled back into her head as she smiled.
She had never felt so amazing...!
She looked down at where Jaune had been pressing his hands. Her skin was unblemished, absolutely healed. Not a trace of her injury could be seen.
Jaune stared in shock at this. Nora gaped. Ren blinked several times in quick succession.
"Holy..." Jaune mumbled, "P-Pyrrha! Are you okay?"
Pyrrha grinned lazily up at him, and hugged him tightly. She had never been so brazen, but with the way she felt...?
"Never better!"
- - -
Pyrrha stuck close to Jaune throughout the whole journey back to Vale. Nora and Ren of course were just as happy as Jaune that he'd discovered his Semblance. And that it was immensely useful. Ren was speculating about the usage and how it might be further developed, which Jaune paid attention to raptly.
Yet Pyrrha could only pay half attention to it. He... He was holding her hand! And he hadn't let go! It was enough to make her swoon!
Sure, she had insisted he do so, just in case his healing had missed anything (and how naughty was it of her to lie like that? So naughty! So bad!) but it was worth it! So worth it!
His Semblance... It had felt so wonderful! Even now she was tingling in the most wonderful of ways!
But more than that was just her pride in Jaune. He'd done it! He'd figured out his Semblance, and it was magnificent!
She kept giggling every so often, she felt so good...!
He was so concerned over her, he wasn't even getting air sick! Oh, this was the best day ever!
The Bullhead touched down, and they exited the vehicle onto the landing pads. Nearby, a number of nurses were wheeling out members of Team RWBY. Jaune, immediately concerned, walked over to Professor Goodwitch, who was supervising things.
"What's going on? What happened?" He asked urgently.
"Team RWBY was caught in an ambush, some White Fang operatives attacked with some Grimm while they were out on field exercises," Goodwitch said urgently, "They're in critical condition."
Pyrrha's heart clenched when she saw Ruby on a stretcher, covered in bruises, bandages, and on life support. Nora grimaced, as Ren frowned.
Jaune frowned more deeply. He flexed his hands.
"Professor, I just figured out my Semblance," he said, "I can heal people. Let me help."
Goodwitch's usual frown became more severe.
"Mister Arc, even if that's true, I don't know how-"
"Let me try, at least!" Jaune insisted.
"He healed several critical injuries on me and restored my Aura to full, Professor," Pyrrha said quickly with a nod, "Please, he can help!"
"Totally! We all saw it!" Nora chimed in, as Ren nodded.
Goodwitch frowned, but nodded.
"Get to it, Arc!" She ordered.
Jaune was by Ruby's side in an instant. She weakly looked up at him.
"J-Jaune..." She whispered.
"Hang in there, Crater Face, I've got you," Jaune said reassuringly. He pressed his hands to her side, and focused. His Aura flared, and his hands glowed. That same white energy flowed into Ruby. The little reaper gasped. Her bruises vanished, her breathing became normal, and her eyes widened.
"Ohhhh... Ooooh... Ohhhh wowwwwww~!" Ruby cried. She sat up on the stretcher, and flexed her arms. She grinned woozily at Jaune.
"J-Jaune... I... Wowwwww!" She giggled drunkenly. "I-I feel amazing!"
Jaune hugged her tightly, and she hugged him back. Goodwitch looked amazed for a moment, as Pyrrha smiled in pride. The Assistant Headmistress shook her head, and prodded Jaune.
"Heal the others, Mister Arc! Quickly!"
"Yes ma'am!" Jaune said with a broad grin. He went to work, healing Yang, Blake, and Weiss in quick succession. Weiss herself sobbed in joy as she hugged Jaune after her healing. He awkwardly hugged her back, patting her on the shoulder.
"Thank you... Thank you... I-I take back every bad thing I ever said about you!" Weiss blubbered. Jaune chuckled.
"It's fine, it's fine...! I'm just glad you're all right!"
Jaune was immediately pulled aside and interrogated by the medics and Professor Goodwitch. Pyrrha looked on with pride.
She knew Jaune would do great things. She truly did believe in him, and her faith had been rewarded.
- - -
The next day, the teams were on break. They met in the cafeteria, relaxing and eating together. Pyrrha approved greatly: Especially at how much more respect they showed Jaune. He was no longer the Dead Last, the Dead Weight in their eyes. They saw him as an equal, and it filled her heart with joy to see him open up and show a little confidence.
Now Team RWBY were looking at him with similar pride and affection, just as Ren and Nora did. Ha! Served Weiss right. She'd despised Jaune, and now she was looking at him with respect.
"Ow!"
Ruby had gotten up, walked around behind Jaune... And tripped. She'd fallen to the floor. Jaune was by her side in an instant, looking concerned.
"Hey Rubes, you okay?"
"Oh, uh, y-yeah," Ruby said with a nod. She winced as she held her wrist. "I might have twisted my wrist though... Um... You mind...?"
Jaune grinned guilelessly, even as Pyrrha frowned. She shouldn't have taken that much of an injury just from falling, should she?
"Sure thing!" He said.
He gripped her wrist, and focused. Her Aura lit up. Ruby's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she bit down on her lower lip.
"Better?" He asked.
"Ohhhh yeaaaahhh," Ruby sighed happily.
"Hey!" Yang growled, yanking her little sister up, "Ease up! I mean... I'm suffering from lower back pain!" She beamed at Jaune. "You mind helping me with that, Stud?"
Jaune blinked.
"Er, sure... What's with the nickname change?"
"You've been promoted from Vomit Boy to Stud," Yang practically purred, even as Pyrrha's fist bent her fork, "You know why~."
"I-I don't think you should abuse Jaune's new Semblance like that!" Pyrrha insisted.
"He needs the practice," Blake said calmly, though she was hiding a blush behind her book, "Yes... We should test him today. Work with him to see how well he can heal various injuries."
"Absolutely!" Weiss added, her pale cheeks red, "As well as discover any limitations or-or problems with it! Extensive testing is required!"
"Ooh! Ooh! Can we help?" Nora asked happily. "I wanna feel magic hands on me!"
"Phrasing," Ren sighed.
Pyrrha slowly looked around the table. Yang was licking her lips as she gazed at Jaune. Ruby was blushing and giggling. Blake was eyeing him like a cat might a tasty treat, while Weiss bit her lower lip as she stared intently at Jaune...
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed.
"Certainly," she managed, "Under my supervision. After all..." And she couldn't help being a bit smug, "He healed me first."
"You're always with him!" Ruby growled. She grabbed Jaune's hand and pulled him close to her. "It's not fair! He should train with me, his bestie!"
"That's hardly fair, Ruby," Weiss retorted. She got up and took Jaune's other hand. "He has always wanted to be closer to me, has he not?"
"Oh please," Yang snorted, wrapping her arms around Jaune's waist from behind, "Neither of you knows how to take any real damage. You don't have the experience. Leave him to me! I'll test his Semblance, right to its limits. He'll get the Yang of it." She grinned and winked.
"I have more combat experience than all of you combined," Blake interjected, getting over the table and pressing up against Jaune from the front, "As well as unique insights and experiences. He'll get bored working with you."
"He's my partner!" Pyrrha snarled, getting up to join the argument. The bewildered Jaune was tugged, pulled and yanked this way and that between the squabbling Huntresses-in-Training, while Nora and Ren watched.
Nora pouted.
"Aw... I wanna fight over Jaune, too!"
"I think he's a bit occupied right now," Ren deadpanned.
Nora nodded.
"We'll have to make a sign up sheet!"
"Most likely," Ren sighed.
- - -