The Strength of a Soldier: Male Reader x Pyrrha Nikos (Part I)

Chapter VII: Introductions

The sun began its climb over the edge of the horizon to begin the day anew. As its warm glow slowly began to spread over the grounds of Beacon Academy and shine in through the windows of the dormitories, the sound of alarm clocks echoed through the halls, muffled by the wooden doors which acted as barriers between hall and room. (F/N)'s eyes slowly blink open, the suns rays giving the room a gentle golden glow. Sitting up, he throws the covers off his torso and jumps out of the bed to stretch. Moving to look out the window, he smiles to himself. It was his first day of school. It was funny really, most people his age were probably dreading going to class. Being excited about your first day at a new school just seemed so... childish. Listening to the birds chirping as the sun reflected off the pools around the school, it seemed to dawn on him; he was free. Sure, he may be on a mission, but that didn't change the fact that for the first time in forever he had woken up in an actual bed and not a rusted cot. The sounds of gunfire and screaming wouldn't fill his day and the red stains on his clothes would be from ketchup and not blood. No gunpowder underneath his fingernails, no stench of decaying corpses in his hair. No war to fight. He could just be a kid. So, he did what he hadn't done since he was a small child. He jumped on his bed.

Though the ceilings were too low for an eighteen-year-old to really get any height, they were still high enough for (F/N) to jump a good foot into the air, so long as he stooped his head. Each leap into the air filled (F/N) with a sense of childlike glee. He could recall a time, just ten years ago it seemed to him, when he and his best friend would do this very act, though, being considerably shorter at the time, the heights they reached seemed much greater. Slowly, (F/N)'s smile fell from his face as he remembered his best friend, how he was dead. How everyone he ever knew was dead. His mother and father, who would have reprimanded him for jumping on his bed. His younger brother, whom he taught how to gain access to the cookie jar on top of the fridge. His best friend, the stupid adventures they used to go on, getting lost in the Kingdom, and his best friend's little sister, whom he knew had the biggest crush on him. A sad sigh escaped (F/N)'s lips, his head hung low. Lost in thought, (F/N) didn't hear the knock on the door, and he didn't notice it open until he heard the voice.

"Oh... I-I..."

Raising his head slightly, (F/N) sees Pyrrha standing just inside his room, her face beginning to flush until it is the same color as her hair as she quickly shifts her gaze to the corner of the room, looking anywhere but at (F/N), still standing on his bed in only his boxers.

"Pyrrha!" (F/N) shouts in surprise.

He straightens his body and jumps slightly, banging his head on the ceiling. Clutching his head in pain, he slips on his covers and topples onto his stomach, landing on the edge of his bed. His hands desperately search for anything to prevent him from falling off the bed, but he only manages to pull the covers with him as he topples to the hard floor, the blanket landing over his face. Groaning in pain, (F/N) pulls the blanket off his face and tosses it to the side. Pyrrha's face slides into view as she moves to look down at him, her green eyes full of concern.

"I'm sorry." She says sheepishly.

Pyrrha steps to the side as (F/N) pushes himself to his feet.

"Did you uh, need something?" (F/N) asks, trying his best not to sound rude.

"I was just uh, I was supposed to help you find your way around the campus today." She answers.

Right. (F/N) thinks to himself. That.

"I knocked on the door, but you didn't answer. I thought you might have overslept so I came in and... um... I'm sorry, could you put on some clothes?" Pyrrha asks, red in the face.

(F/N) looks down at his semi-naked form and, releasing a small noise of panic, searches around desperately for something to cover himself with. Grabbing the blanket, he quickly picks it up and uses it to cover himself. Unfortunately, Pyrrha just so happened to be standing on said blanket, and as it is yanked from beneath her feet, she stumbles backwards and threatens to fall.