Chapter Text
Another warm day at Beacon Academy. A perfect excuse to cool off with a refreshing cold fizzy drink. Nothing like a good soda pop for huntresses in training and in need of a little sugary jolt.
Ruby, Yang, and Nora had taken refuge in the shade of a tree near campus with a cooler chock full of soda cans. Cracking the cooler open, Yang handed a strawberry flavored one to Ruby, a pink-colored drink that was loaded with far too much sugar to Nora, and picked out a lemon-lime one for herself.
"Mmm yeah, that hits the spot," Yang sighed after taking a hearty swig.
Ruby and Nora took way bigger swigs of their drinks, each having a similar response of "Ahhhh!!" Despite knowing full well that giving any overly caffeinated to Nora usually spelled disaster, Yang was unable to resist her demands - and if nothing else, it would be funny to watch Nora start zooming around after another sugar rush. She was used to such things with Ruby, though Nora took it to a whole other level.
As they basked in the shade and talked of nothing in particular, Pyrrha walked past, looking like she had just done yet another workout. Yang had to admire Pyrrha's drive and dedication to keeping up such impressive physical fitness and stamina, even if she thought it was a bit nutty to go out for a jog or whatever she did on a hot day like today.
Ruby spotted the tall redhead and threw up her arms, almost forgetting she had a can of soda in her hand. "Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha turned and waved with the bright smile she always had for her friends. "Hello again!"
"Hey, Pyrrha, why don't you come over and rest a bit? Have a drink on us." Yang beamed with her own sunny grin, gesturing to a vacant spot beneath the tree.
Pyrrha approached but looked uncertain when she registered what they were drinking. Being a champion athlete meant a rigorous diet on top of her regimen, and that meant avoiding sugary drinks like sodas. "Oh, that's very nice, but I don't think..."
"Oh, come on, Pyr!" Nora interjected, reaching up to tug on Pyrrha's shorts. "Sit down and stay a while."
"Well, if you insist." Pyrrha took her seat as Yang fished out a can for her. The Amazon didn't look too closely at the label, partly because her hand nearly dwarfed the ice cold can so much of it was covered up. The coolness was rather pleasant, and she had to admit she could use something cool right now despite her misgivings. Cracking it open, Pyrrha slowly raised the can to her lips and took a sip.
She barely got it down before she spat it back out. The other three girls looked at her with alarm.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" Ruby exclaimed. Nora was by Pyrrha's side in a flash and Yang was about ready to dive behind and performing that maneuver to save someone who was choking.
Wiping her mouth, Pyrrha apologized, "I'm sorry... just... so much sugar..."
Yang blinked. "Uh... Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha coughed. "Hm?"
Yang simply pointed to the can. When Pyrrha held it up to read it, she noticed beneath the fancy label the words 'Zero Sugar.'
An awkward silence hung over the four aspiring Huntresses. Pyrrha felt her face simultaneously blanche and then blush, the can seeming to mock her the longer she stared at it.
"Umm... what?" was all Ruby could say.
"Maybe it's the carbonation?" Yang offered, rubbing her neck. She had picked out that one specifically for Pyrrha as she had suspected anything loaded with sugar would not be welcome, but this was still quite the surprise. After all, Yang had noticed that Pyrrha did enjoy the occasional sweet treat, especially baklava or milopita, so it wasn't like she avoided sugar entirely.
"Seriously, how is THAT too sweet for you?" Nora asked, dumbstruck that anyone could find a drink with zero sugar to be 'too sweet'. Without thinking, she added, "Guess that explains why she took such an interest in Weiss."
Ruby went "Huh?" A little too naive to grasp the meaning.
Yang snorted. "Yeah, like there's anything sweet about Weiss. If anything, it's Pyrrha who is the sweet soda pop in that situation."
Heart suddenly racing, face heating up, Pyrrha made a gulping sound at the implication of those words, teasing as they were. Unfortunately, she got so tense that her Polarity flared up and she accidentally crushed the can in her hand, causing zero sugar soda to spew everywhere.
What followed were shouts of surprise, bursts of laughter, and one very apologetic Pyrrha crying out "I'M SORRY!!" above the mayhem.