Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
I'm also exceedingly exceedingly exceedingly rarely chilling in JaxWolf4's (Author of Nah, I'd Adapt and Zenin Days) Discord Server. It's a chaotic lobotomy mess. Not for the faint of heart.
Here's the link:
Disc: HrPrTeam
-Story Start-
Lunch was an orderly affair, almost ritualistic for Teams RAWP and JRNY.
Well, for the most part.
Alex and Pyrrha never moved from their usual seating spots at the edge of the second-to-last long table, and the exceptions could be counted on a single hand.
And of those times, it was simply because Ruby or Weiss or anyone else from JRNY dragged the both of them to sit with their upperclassmen or classmates for one reason or another.
Alex and Pyrrha herself agreed to steadfastly hold their position; if anyone wanted to talk to them, they could just sit with them.
"How could we talk with each other? They're long tables, not round tables! You gotta move from your little corner!" They protested, pointing at Alex and Pyrrha sitting at the exact edge of the table, to minimize possible chatty partners.
Today was no different, at least, at first.
Alex and Pyrrha held their hefty trays, one appearing particularly more gluttonous than the other, and sat down across from one another, trying to ignore the mild structural change of the Dining Hall.
The two of them nodded quietly as per habit to one another and began their sacred ritual.
Given they both required substantial sustenance, it took them the longest to actually fill up their trays from the buffet.
Minus Weiss, who was simply indecisive and very picky with her food.
As for Ruby and their usual dining party of JRNY?
The noise of conversation and uncouth munching was exceptionally loud in their close vicinity, as Pyrrha smiled in light amusement. "They sure look eager; they aren't even chewing their food properly." Her fork pointed to their left.
Alex's neat corner seat was no longer a neat corner seat belonging to one of the only four long tables in this hall.
Now that there were both international students and professors in Beacon, the previously cluttered but manageable dining hall turned downright suffocating.
Makeshift tables were added to extend the current long tables that already almost stretched the length of the hall, and a few more small tables were sprinkled wherever possible.
Alex could feel endless movement behind his back as he ate, and instead of having to, at worst, listen to nonsense from his right, now he had to hear it from both his right and his left.
Pyrrha's pointed fork demanded attention, so he lightly turned his head to the left, seeing Ruby and Weiss discussing with a bunch of Haven, Shade, and Atlas students.
Ruby was probably gushing about their weapons, making exaggerated hand gestures that all but told him exactly what they were talking about.
And Weiss, well, she seemed to do that young-lady gossip expression, laughing politely and aristocratically into her hand alongside some of the Atlas girls beside her.
Yesterday's Professor's Aide from Haven also seemed to be present, talking with Ruby this time.
Alex hadn't noticed her alone, as she was an outlier in the sea of students. "She must be really close with the Haven Trainees to be joining our table." Pyrrha voiced her opinion, her tone favorable.
Usually, professors sat with professors, staff with staff, fourth years with fourth years, etcetera.
Exceptions existed, of course, but that's what the underlying etiquette was in Beacon Academy.
Nodding, Alex agreed. "She looks close to our age, so maybe that's why." He hazarded a guess.
Most professors, barring Glynda and a few others, were afflicted with white hair, lacking any immunity to aging or having that rare natural color of their hair.
"Hmm, I'm not too sure that's a valid reason." Pyrrha disagreed with a tilted head.
"Don't think too hard, Pyrrha." With that, he continued eating his meal alongside Pyrrha, amid the unusual racket.
To his right, however, the racket consisted of a similar sight with a few additions, with JRNY making similar conversation with the international students.
"So, blondie... what makes this guy tick?" Sun's wicked grin met with Yang's own mischievous leer, as Alex felt a finger pointing at him.
Eyes widening, Yang turned to momentarily look at Alex, with him unfortunately now turning into the current topic of conversation.
A poor man who was peacefully and ignorantly eating his food, ignoring all surrounding disturbances.
Her voice turned spooky as she made an exaggerated gesture with her hands. "A sacrificial lamb for the Mighty Mooch, you seeketh to be?"
The spooky hand movement hadn't ceased, as she continued. "Beholdeth! My comrades! For a foolish foreign disciple of the Hunting Arts courts death with Beacon's Renowned Alex Andrite, all before even attempting to vanquish the great Cereal Champion Pyrrha of Nikos!" She stated dramatically.
A voice snapped them back to reality from the theatrics, "I'd advise you to refrain from doing that-" Ren's sage advice was immediately dismissed by his not-lover's palm blocking his lips. "Don't listen to silly Renny! I wanna see him get mad! I've never seen him mad!"
Calmly lowering her hand with his own, Ren supplied. "We have, actually."
That had made Nora pause for a moment as her lips quivered in a rare hesitation. "Tha-That one doesn't count! It was an emergency!"
"I didn't mean that, I meant yesterday."
"He got mad?"
"Weren't you listening-"
Jaune sat close, answering Sun's inquiry while the love birds argued, "Ask him to do things? He looks like he's bitten a lemon when you ask him for a favor-" He paused, sandwich in hand just before taking a bite, adding sharply. "B-But he usually pulls through! R-Right guys?"
"..." He received mixed expressions from his team as they partook in their meal, with Yang's so-so hand gesture being the seeming consensus.
"...I've been doing that. Looks like he's not pulling through at all." Sun's expression hardened in deep contemplation at Jaune's keen advice.
"Weren't you looking to piss him off? What were you trying to get from him?" Yang's curiosity piqued.
"A fight. Or more accurately, a friendly spar."
Yang's features softened in understanding. "Ah. Sorry to disappoint, but our good buddy Alex has a distaste for combat."
She clicked her tongue repeatedly, with a pitying shake of her head. "Tsk, tsk. The poor soul, not knowing how satisfying and enjoyable it is to be able to kick butts." She smirked lightly, as she gave a wink at the eager Sun. "And knowing you can."
That had come as a genuine surprise for the monkey faunus, as his eyes widened considerably. "What? He doesn't like fighting?"
"I don't either." Ren supplied lightly.
"Silly, Renny, it's because you're almost as emotionally stunted as Sleep Neighbor! EVERYONE likes a little violence~."
"For the record, I don't like fighting either." Jaune lifted a hand as he took a bite of his sandwich with another.
Nora paused at that, humming aloud as she tapped her chin with her finger. "...Well, I've got no excuse for you, Jauney, you might need a Nora-makeover-"
Before Jaune could regret asking Nora what that would even entail, Sun interjected. "I mean, given he's supposed to be so strong, how could he not enjoy fighting? I bet he's dying to let loose!"
""Not a chance/Nope."" Was their eager reply, which had made Sun's eager excitement die a horrible death.
Seeing his despair, Jaune gave it another thought, a gasp leaving his lips as he remembered something.
Something that would surely allow Sun to reach Alex, or at least, get a reaction and that fight he wanted.
"No, no, wait. Actually, there was yesterday's-" Jaune added, giving him a warning look. "His coffee machine, that's what makes him mad."
"Oh, yeah. He did get pissed at that." Yang hummed as she recalled, whilst the others nodded in agreement.
"Coffee machine... interesting." Sun seemed to fold that nugget of information into his mind.
"...He's not going to kill him if he does something to it, right?" Jaune cautiously whispered to Yang, who sat beside him.
Unbeknownst to them, Alex's fork stilled for but an instant.
His selective hearing only grasped that word, and nothing else. They were probably discussing yesterday or planning something stupid. Either possibility required him to join the conversation, so he returned to his meal.
Ren seemed to be the only voice of reason. Or perhaps an angel, trying to save a life from committing a fatal error. "Is irritating him the only alternative you've considered?"
Sun shrugged helplessly, "I want to fight him, but he ain't agreeing to it, so I gotta make him agree. Ya get it?"
Ren considered it for a moment, and had a peculiar hunch. "I understand. Can't you wait for the joint training later this week with Miss Goodwitch? Requested Spars are possible, and Goodwitch is pretty good at putting him on a leash... for lack of a better term, so he won't avoid it."
Ren's hunch seemed to be correct. "...There's joint training?" Sun blinked, his oblivious countenance clear to all.
""Yeah/Obviously/Of course? Y-Yeah, obviously!""
He blinked again, smiling broadly, "Nice, thanks for the info!" He rose up from his seat, his food unfinished. "Be back in a minute, gonna check this with Neptune. You should get to know him when you've got the chance; he's pretty cool."
With that said, Sun practically bolted from their vicinity, quietly passed Alex and Pyrrha, and left JRNY on their own to join the sea of students that Ruby and Weiss swam in.
"Why'd you not tell him to challenge Alex in the joint training?" Ren's hunches were quite on point today, as he asked.
"I wanted to see him do something stupid," Yang admitted with a sneer.
"I second my Wise Leader's sentiment!" Nora mirrored Yang's expression.
Ren's disappointment was almost transparent, as he turned to look at the last member of their team.
Jaune was quietly digging into his sandwich, not a care in the world, ignoring Ren's questioning look.
"You didn't know about the joint training, did you?"
An ashamed, awkward nod answered Ren's query.
"You're all hopeless."
"But you just looooooveeeeeeeeeee, us. Don't you Renny? Some of us, of course, a bit more than the others but not tooooo much, that it would be MORE than friends but-"
...
Alex was on his fifth plate, and a familiar blonde's mirthful tone rang out from his right.
"Yo Alex, there's this Haven guy who wants to cave your teeth in~."
Before automatically spewing out, 'What'd I do?', the 'Haven' part of her sentence clued him in to who wanted a piece of him.
It was the same guy as yesterday.
"You wanna substitute for me?"
"Oh, no! I wouldn't dare substitute in the name of the Mighty Mooch... Pfft." Yang broke into an almost audible cackle.
Pyrrha offered, having finished her food already as she leaned her face into her hand. "I can substitute for you if you don't want to spar with him, Alex."
He gave her a look as he noticed her almost excited grin.
The kind of grin that wanted a fun, challenging fight.
He couldn't tell whether she was offering this out of the goodness of her heart, or simply because she was a battle freak.
...Actually, he had known her well enough to know the truth.
For her sake, he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
"All yours." He shrugged indifferently, turning back to his food, as Yang and the rest of JRNY knew well - minus Nora - not to be too nosy during his precious mealtime, turning to the other students seated to their right.
Once more, in their little foodie world, the two members of RAWP sat peacefully, with Pyrrha, as always, politely awaiting him as he finished his meal.
There was always a distinct gap between him finishing his meal and the rest of his team. In that time, specifically if it was only with Pyrrha, she'd exchange very few words, and their talks were short and sweet.
She just sat quietly alongside him, her eyes directed around them and at times crossing his with some sort of amusement probably dancing in her emerald eyes as he relished his meal.
The two of them, enjoying the tranquility amid the chaotic racket.
No Ruby rushing him to eat faster, or less.
No Weiss nagging about his adoration of good old English delicacies.
They really ought to cultivate some patience, those two.
He was quite fond of this time, if he were to be honest.
His eyes locked onto his last plate, his only conscious effort expended on directing his hand where to stab his fork, and before he knew it...
Something strange and soft enveloped him, a foreign warmth. The sensation of arms wrapping around him followed immediately; he felt a head nestling casually atop his head and a soft weight pressed against his back.
It came with no warning, no statement.
He froze instantly; his instincts had not warned him of someone sneaking up on him, but they never did as long as no hostility or danger was present.
His eyes narrowed lightly; he could see in slow motion how Pyrrha's soft expression contorted into slack-jawed shock, her mouth hanging loose.
A second later, he could feel a dozen gazes directed at him, or specifically whoever it was that invaded his personal space.
Gasps filled the air, as only the distant, deeply conversation-engrossed, or indifferent diners hadn't really realized what had just occurred.
"W-Wha-" Pyrrha stuttered, her lips quivering as she pointed sharply at the... girl that had hugged Alex so tightly.
"Alex Andrite, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance~" A sultry feminine tone slithered into his right ear.
His lips lowered to a frown. "Can you get off of me? I'm still eating." His voice, although quiet, was almost deafeningly loud amid the tense silence around them.
"Hmm? What, are you getting shy? Wouldn't you like to know who this pretty girl is-"
"No. Stranger Danger. Off of me." He pointed above his head with the fork held in his right hand, not even turning around to regard her.
Pyrrha's shock was exchanged with a closed-eye smile; it almost appeared kind of scary. "You heard him~" She stated lightly with a certain smugness, but her tone was a distressing warning.
'Appreciate her getting mad for me about my personal space. Not necessary, but nice.' Alex commented to himself absentmindedly.
"Aww, well, I guess I'll just have to-" He felt the soft embrace leave him, as the sounds of the touchy stranger's hasty steps reverberated and all the eyes around them followed her movements.
A rustling of a chair, and a second later, Pyrrha found herself suddenly close to a violet-haired girl taking a seat beside her.
Her uniform and emblem indicated that she was from Atlas, either a Huntsman trainee or a tag-along staff, though the former seemed more likely given her age.
An admittedly attractive girl with a moderate figure and lithe physique, she was as pale as Weiss; her eyes were of the same color as her well-kept long hair that reached her waist, a striking amethyst.
She had that radiant confidence in her own looks, a vibe to her that was unmistakably similar to an irritating upperclassman he got to know, unfortunately - namely Coco, minus the gruffness.
Anyway, he'd had his fill of nosy strangers from just that girl and the Haven guy; he didn't need more.
"Get to know you the old-fashioned way." The girl smiled broadly, completing her statement as her eyes narrowed at him in a strange, almost predatory manner.
Her tone was cutesy and loud, almost demanding attention amid their shocked surroundings. "That way, we won't be strangers, right~? I'm Violet Saradeen." She introduced herself with a proud lift of her lips and a hand elegantly gesturing to herself.
Before Alex could even say anything, the silence around them shattered like glass.
"Yo Andrite! Nice one!" A comment from one of the freshmen of Beacon, who wasn't so wary of Alex like the rest of the international students, reverberated amid the silence.
"Score, brother! I knew you had it in you!" Was another one.
"Long distance makes the heart go the distance!" Was yet another one, commenting on the international status of the bold girl who sat beside Pyrrha, making the stuffy seating arrangement even more stuffy.
"You lot are taking the piss at this point; get a hobby," Alex muttered out a bit louder for all to hear, an edge of annoyance clear in his tone.
Strangest of all, the boys among the freshmen and some of his Beacon seniors held no hint of envy or spat venom at his seeming luck-out.
[It's because you're the opposite of a Casanova. Despite having all the physical and status prerequisites to allow you to become one.]
Ignoring the parasite, Alex decided to do the next best thing.
He met the girl's bold look, then turned to Pyrrha's bewildered state as her body fidgeted with uncertainty or something, and...
Nothing.
His fork continued its journey to his plate, ignoring the air around him.
"Oh, I like a man who can act coy~" She practically purred.
Pyrrha shifted uneasily in place as Violet was uncomfortably close to her; the purple-haired girl's attention remained fixed on Alex, something oddly deliberate beneath her playful smirk.
Pyrrha seemed a bit lost on what to do, or perhaps contemplating something unpleasant.
Noting this, Alex huffed through his nose, lifting his head from his plate and meeting this Violet girl's sultry look head-on.
When it came to shady people, he was a professional, so he knew what she was doing.
A daring seduction attempt was more than enough to tell him she wanted something.
But that almost calculating, inquisitive, eager look in her eye was more than telling.
Clearly, she was a girl who liked to hog attention, fooling around at his expense, or a complete novice at this poor attempt to sell him stuff.
"Are you seducing me? Cause I'm not interested in what you're selling."
Violet's smile hadn't fallen; in fact, it only widened. "Is that any way to talk to a love-struck maiden?"
"Love-struck? Pyrrha repeated, unconvinced. "Already? You just met him." Her eyebrow arched, and her lips formed a tight line.
Alex's answer was straightforward, before Violet could retort to Pyrrha's logical claim:
"Yes."
To Be Continued!