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.
-Story Start-
-Third Person POV-
Following a celebratory welcome feast for all those who passed initiation at Beacon's Cafeteria, the new teams were given their curriculum and timetable as they were guided into their respective dorm rooms.
Currently, Team RAWP is nearly done unloading all their luggage and staking claims on which bed will be theirs.
Alex didn't really care so he got the one that wasn't picked by anyone.
Standing in front of the blank-faced Alex who sat on his bed, Weiss continued, her tone lecturing as she glared at Alex. "When we want to change, you are to leave the room and wait for us to call you back. Oh, and you must always wear pleasant deodorant. I don't want the smell of a sweaty boy in my room."
"Mhm. Sure." Alex nodded his agreement, although it was clear he was responding absentmindedly.
Having decided that her demands were becoming rather ridiculous after the establishment of the 8th "Rule Of Living With Weiss."
Pyrrha observed from the sidelines, her expression a mix of pity and amusement towards Alex, her thoughts drifting.
'At least some of her demands make sense... But that's just common sense? Does she think Alex lacks that?' Pyrrha internally added, she took a secondary glance at the sagelike Alex.
Pyrrha's intuition proved correct, as she discerned subtle nuances in Alex's behavior that hinted at a deeper understanding beneath his stoic exterior - Not limited to just "Common Sense".
...She was imagining it.
Narrowing her eyes at the impressive warrior she'd had a flashy first impression of, Pyrrha couldn't help but wonder about the layers hidden beneath his indifferent facade.
'Absentmindedness doesn't equate to lack of common sense, right?' she pondered, having second thoughts about her prior conclusion when gazing at Alex.
Oh! She's getting the bigger picture now!
As she observed further, Pyrrha found herself intrigued by the complexity of her new teammates.
'Perhaps there's more to him than meets the eye,' she mused, acknowledging the possibility of overlooking Alex's depth.
...There wasn't much complexity in the male of the team, so her intrigue is half justified.
Then Weiss's glare turned arctic, "You will be taking showers after all of us. So don't get any ridiculous uncouth ideas in that mind of yours... And if I ever discover a filthy stain in there, I will report to Headmaster Ozpin immediately." She threatened, forcing Alex to face the brutal fate of not having any warm water left for a shower.
Naturally, Alex hadn't heard any of it.
"Oh is that so? Well, okay." He continued with his oblivious agreement.
At Weiss's rather unfriendly threat, Pyrrha chimed in, "Don't you think that's a bit far, Weiss?" Her tone was skeptical.
Weiss huffed as she folded her arms, directing a questioning look at Pyrrha as she sighed, "And how would you react if he had done any of those crimes?"
Pyrrha gave it a momentary thought, her head tilted, "Crime is a stretch, but I'd-"
Ruby's voice echoed through the cramped dormitory as she clapped her hands to gather her team's attention, "Okay, team!"
She gestured towards the cluttered room with a theatrical flourish, "We've got a problem... Where are we gonna put all this stuff? There's barely any space to walk around!"
She got up and tried walking through the random furniture and decorations each of them brought with them.
Honestly, it's impressive how Team RAWP has managed to clutter the entire four-person dorm room with their luggage.
Especially considering that Alex's only significant contributions to the clutter effort are his clothes and his "Old" Coffee Machine.
Pyrrha smiled, her expression warm yet contemplative, "What do you suggest then, Leader?"
Ruby, beaming at the calling of her title, although rather awkwardly as she was still uncomfortable with that whole arrangement, responded, "Ah, thanks! Hehe..."
Weiss gritted her teeth rather audibly, causing Ruby to straighten up, "Bunk beds could work?" Ruby suggested rather hesitantly.
Pyrrha nodded, "Let's vote for it."
Exclaiming energetically, Ruby's arm stretched up immediately, "I'm for Bunk Beds!"
Nodding, Pyrrha silently lifted her arm up.
This caused Weiss to frown as she sighed audibly, "Really?"
She turned to glare at the monklike Alex who was currently undergoing an accidental Deep Mindful meditation as he became one with the universe.
It's impressive how little thought passed by those dull yet sharp amber eyes.
"Well? What are you voting for?" Folding her arms, Weiss asked with a threatening tone.
"Indeed. What you say has some merit. I completely agree." He nodded once again, no hint of intelligent life behind his words.
"...What are you talking about?" Weiss's face cringed a little, as she gazed at him slightly bewildered.
Ah, now she noticed.
Ruby shot forward, her enthusiasm palpable as she grabbed Alex's arm and lifted it in the air.
"He's voting for bunk beds," she announced with a wry grin, her tone playful yet determined.
Alex responded as prompted, "True, true."
Weiss turned flabbergasted, "What?! T-That's cheating!"
Pyrrha, officially announced with an apologetic expression at Weiss, "Bunk beds it is. Sorry, Weiss."
Weiss huffed in indignation as she grabbed her forehead as if attempting to suppress a great migraine.
'Why is everything going wrong? I at least partnered with Pyrrha yet things are only getting more and more irritating...'
Then, they all began constructing somewhat of a functional bunk bed, that doesn't follow any bunk bed safety regulations - If there are any, I suppose.
Of course, uncaring of what bed he got to sleep on, Alex slept on the bunk with Ruby, on the top bed.
Luckily for the guy, he sleeps like a rock, so there's no chance of rolling and dropping to the ground... Probably.
It was in this atmosphere that Team RAWP finished unloading their luggage and promptly went to bed.
-----------------------------
Dawn greeted the Kingdom Of Vale as the sun peeked over the horizon.
Beacon Academy was soon to be graced by the benevolence and warmth of the sun.
Only the most diligent and most satisfactory of Hunters and Huntresses awaken before this cyclical event occurs once more.
Or so it goes...
With a groan, Alex reluctantly opened his eyes, to stare at the ceiling from the top bunk bed he slept on.
'...Fuck my life.' Tired and especially sensitive during awakening, Alex once more momentarily shed his stoic skin to reveal his feelings that lay not so thinly veiled underneath.
[A timely awakening, Master~!]
'Double fuck.' He confirmed.
It seems, that his previous body's owner's habit of awakening early in the morning struck Alex once again.
Much to his dismay.
Sluggishly blinking his eyes, Alex contemplates his next moves with the utmost care and precision.
Turning his head to take a glance through the window, he laments about his internal suffering at the confirmation of the time of day.
'It's got to be like 5:30 AM. Classes start at... 8:00?'
Upon confirmation, Alex has developed his most outstanding and brutally efficient plan to maximize the extra time on his hands until class.
'I'm just going to lay here until someone bothers me about class. It'll happen eventually.' He planned meticulously.
There was the tiniest bit of hope that if he lay still long enough, he'd eventually fall back to sleep.
...He knew himself well enough that such a thing was quite unlikely.
[That's a little irresponsible, don't you think? Master?] The System commented with a disappointed tone.
'Don't know? Maybe? Can't be bothered really.' He responded halfheartedly and proceeded to try his best to ignore the System from then on.
At least it didn't force some kind of obsolete quest just to irritate him this time.
Was Alex's thankful thought at the System's subsequent silence.
Thus, Alex lay on his bed, still as a rock, his thoughts empty of anything productive or interesting, besides satisfying his baser instincts like:
Getting breakfast.
Taking a piss.
A nice, warm bath to lay in and chill for a while.
And other miscellaneous and questionable desires that passed him by.
Which, were all met with indifference as he'd preferred simply relaxing on his bed.
It's not a matter of still not having accepted this absurd reality he'd been unwillingly thrown into two days ago, mind you.
That's a different issue.
He was simply much the same man even back in his first life.
In this manner, roughly two hours have passed before...
A loud screech reverberated in the room.
The source of the screech was easily discerned.
"IT'S 7:30 AM! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATEEEEEEEEEE! WAKE UP YOU UNPUNCTUAL DOLTS!" Weiss shouted in a panic.
The still-laying Alex blurted out straightforwardly, having been completely awake all this time, "A little hypocritical missy."
Weiss was too fixated on getting ready to hear his quip, "GET OUT OF THE ROOM YOU BRUTE! WE NEED TO GET DRESSED!"
Ruby had already woken up and squeaked, "Y-You're right we are late!"
Alex turned around, still lying on the top bunk, his back towards them and his face towards the cold wall in front of him.
He replied to Weiss's demand, his tone tired and nonchalant, "Can't really be bothered. Here, I turned around. You can get dressed, I won't peek."
Holding her folded uniform in her hands, Weiss, clad in her pajamas approached the bunk of Ruby and Alex, looking up at Alex, much to Ruby's bewilderment who was sheepishly glancing at Weiss.
Weiss's face twisted in anger, her tone losing patience, "D-Did you not agree to this yesterday?"
Alex hummed in confusion, "Hmm... Did I? Can't recall."
Weiss began to growl, prompting Ruby to try to intervene, chuckling nervously and her hands held up in front of Weiss in an attempt to calm her down, "Hehe, we're teammates! Let's just calm down and-"
Only to be cut off by Weiss's glare redirected at her in disdain, "Now look here, Team Leader." She mocked and emphasized.
Weiss could only veil her frustration, 'This little girl is our Leader? MY Leader? If she can't handle this much...'
Pyrrha jolted at Weiss's aggression, causing her to direct a glare at Weiss.
And before she began to chastise the grumpy and moody Weiss - Alex intervened.
Unknowingly putting a stop to the storm that was about to unfold.
He continued his prior point, and stated impatiently, "Whatever. Here, I'll do you one better. if you catch me taking a peek - You're free to chop them off. Just get on with it." He waved at her with his back still facing her.
[Why? Master! You're losing your chance of getting a glimpse of Heaven!]
'The headache and sophisticated insults she'd throw at me as a subsequent result of peeking isn't worth the hassle. Especially when I consider risking a severe migraine for the sake of seeing her... Lacking assets.'
A mental lightbulb lit up when he considered the System's undesirable comments.
'On second thought, System. I think your description of Heaven is really light. Maybe Hell would be just as light?' Alex hoped.
Perhaps Eternal Damnation isn't as bad as it sounds? Alex pondered.
[...That was an obvious joke, Master. I find it irritatingly hard to extort amusement off of you. But, Eternal Damnation is as bad as you think it is. Remember~! The penalties adjust to you, Master!]
'Sure.'
[...Are you perhaps interested in men, Master?]
'No, I like women. And leave me alone.'
At Alex's bold declaration, Pyrrha's and Weiss's eyes widened.
Ruby simply tilted her head, "Them? What's the-"
Weiss sighed, her tone progressively cooling down, "Don't bother. Fine, we'll change here."
Shifting her gaze towards Alex's back, her eyes narrowed, "I'll remember your remark."
"Yeah, yeah, get changed already."
'I have to do the same I guess.' His inner voice came out reluctant - The bunny pajamas were oddly comfortable.
...The previous Alex had a very odd taste for clothing.
But they could agree that comfort always beats aesthetics.
Ruby turned with a thoroughly perplexed expression towards Pyrrha, silently seeking guidance from her teammate.
The informally designated paragon of wisdom, experience, and balance in Team RAWP, Pyrrha carried herself with a quiet confidence that Ruby admired.
Much to Ruby's disappointment, she found herself equally puzzled by the situation, realizing the weight of her new role as team leader.
At Ruby's questioning look, Pyrrha offered a reassuring smile, though her own uncertainties lingered beneath the surface.
...It appears being a Leader is going to be a lot more troublesome than Ruby ever anticipated, she realized, feeling the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders.
And Pyrrha realized being a member of Team RAWP wasn't going to be any easier.
Though, she found it incredibly comforting that she wasn't the center of attention among her teammates.
That earned them some points, at least.
'Be strong, Alex.' She encouraged him internally.
...He doesn't need any encouragement.
-----------------------------
"Come on, Alex! We're already late for our first class!" Ruby's voice echoed through the halls of Beacon, filled with urgency and frustration.
The scene was quite odd for the onlookers:
The duo of Ruby and Alex leisurely? making their way to class in the halls.
And by leisurely - I mean Ruby pushing the reluctant and stonefaced Alex across the hall with great effort.
Alex raised an eyebrow as his legs moved forward without any exertion of his own effort, "You say that, yet you're pushing me along. Told you to chill, they aren't going to kick us out of this place for being late."
An arrangement Alex was content with - He was going to class without doing anything.
Truly, it is a masterclass in energy conservation.
Albeit, performed unintentionally.
Here was Ruby, encouraging Weiss and Pyrrha to go on ahead without them.
"It'll be fine! I can convince him! I know him well enough!" Ruby confidently announced in the face of skeptical gazes from Weiss and Pyrrha.
Weiss needed no further prompting as she grabbed Pyrrha and charged ahead.
Leaving Ruby to deal with Alex, having attempted to appear as a reliable and resourceful Leader.
Emphasis on attempted...
'Nice job, Ruby.' She chastised herself internally.
Ruby frowned, her frustration evident, "And I say it's a bad impression! Our grades will drop!" She tried to reason once more, her voice tinged with urgency.
"So what? Impressions can be fixed. And you've joined Beacon as a 15-year-old. There you go, a convenient excuse for your low grades," Alex retorted, his tone indifferent and unyielding.
Continuing to push him along, Ruby's eyes narrowed, "What about you?"
Alex shrugged, "Meh, I'll cruise by. More importantly, if you're that worried we'll be late you should push a little faster."
...
Ruby was growing increasingly frustrated, her patience wearing thin.
Eventually, they reached class as Ruby was internally fuming and Alex kept his content silence.
Unfortunately for Ruby, though, all this effort was for naught.
In any scenario, Alex would still arrive late.
Ruby's efforts, albeit well-intentioned, proved futile as they both ended up tardy.
Once again,
Ruby's frustration grew as she struggled to understand Alex's indifference towards punctuality... And just about anything.
Little did she know, this puzzlement would resurface cyclically, serving as a recurring source of frustration for the young Rose.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Honestly, I wasn't expecting to update this any time soon.
But surprise surprise! Here we are!
I've been sitting on the draft for this thing for quite a while, not really sure what to write and progress this where I want it.
What was sure to come though, was a hefty amount of Slice Of Life before any action or major plot thingy.
And personally, I do like writing slice of life, but it'd be a tad boring for you readers in my opinion - But meh, I did it anyway.
After reading a real real good RWBY Fanfic - I'd gotten some motivation to write this, so I put in the effort lol.
When will this update next? I really have no clue.
I've got work on my other fics that needs to be done.
So yeah.
Also, feedback on how I wrote the Canon Characters thus far would also be much appreciated! Any other criticism, ideas and other feedback is also welcome! Team RWBY and JNPR Characters are extremely important so I hope I'm doing them justice, of course other Canon characters are important but for now they take center stage.
Feedback is the method to improve, people! Yeah!
Have a great day!
See you in a day/week/month/year :P
-Author Note End-