Taboo

by Beasty (BeastyXOXO)

Summary:

Monsters had always been there-- all throughout history their names were whispered in the night, carried through the wind to strike fear in the hearts of children. Stories of heroic characters who slew great and evil monsters were praised in the storybooks. Perseus and Medusa, Beowulf and Grendel, Bellerophon and the Chimera.

When you were a child you always had a strong distaste for these stories, after all, why did monsters deserve any less respect than humans? Why were they always depicted as evil, vindictive beings? Every monster you had ever met had been gentle towards you-- though you had to admit- other than your aunt, your experiences with monsters were few and far in between.

It was often that monsters and humans didn't get along very well, and this caused a quick divide in populations. Some cities were always human cities. Some cities were always monster cities. So what happens when your world is flipped upside down and suddenly you find yourself surrounded by new, inhuman faces?

Notes:

• For Teratophilia fans.

This story is an AU of my creation where the characters from the anime "Haikyuu!!" are monsters from several different types of mythos and the reader is a human.

All of the Smut in this story is optional and has been posted as separate works under the same collection (and are linked in chronological order throughout the chapters.)

This work is something that I've worked on for many years now. I hope you all enjoy!! ♡♡

- Beasty

Chapter 1: I | The Exchange Program

You weren't expecting it to be so… extravagant…

The driver who pulled you up to the campus got out to open the door for you, and you grabbed your suitcases before stepping out onto the grounds of your new home. Everywhere you looked there were monsters traversing the grounds. More than you had ever seen!! There were Centaurs racing across campus and Werewolves having picnics. Vampires carried parasols to protect their sensitive skin from the sun's rays, and you couldn't help but go slack jawed at how peaceful everything appeared.

"Oh! You must be Y/N L/N!"

You came to your senses hearing your name, finding the source of the voice approaching you. He was tall, very tall and very blonde. His footsteps were heavy, and by the time he reached you, you finally noticed just what he was. Gray blotted his skin, and large horns reached from his head but that could hardly distract from his giant stoney wings. A… gargoyle?

"My name is Ukai. Headmaster Ukai. Welcome to Teraschola Academy!"

You could feel your face heat up in embarrassment. The Headmaster saw you standing there with your mouth open like a fool…

You bowed quickly. "Good morning, sir! It's very nice to meet you!"

He looked taken aback. "Oh-- please stand." He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck, clearly not used to that behavior. "I take it you were able to get plenty of rest on the drive here?"

You nodded happily, a bright smile on your face. "Mhm! I'm really excited to be here, Sir!!"

He laughed heartily at your excitement. "I'm glad! Well, I'm sure you're ready to unpack and settle in before your first class! Let me give you a rundown on some things!"

It still felt so surreal to you-- y'know, being here and everything. It felt like just seconds ago you were back home in your old headmaster's office…

--

"You're sending her where?"

The entire room was tense from the tone of your father's voice, the Dean of your current academy in the small human town of Brooksville pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"Sir-- I assure you that this is a completely necessary measure! Your daughter is our only option! I have to send some-"

"You HAVE to send her? Or you're sending her because it's convenient?" Your father's fists slammed against the heavy mahogany desk, making you and your mother jolt in your seats. Neither of you had ever seen him this angry.

"You're sending my daughter a hundred miles away to a university full of DANGEROUS CREATURES and you didn't think to say ANYTHING?"

Your mother let her brow furrow. "Now honey, we don't talk about monsters like that in this family. That would really hurt Lilith's feelings." She was frowning, her hand wrapping around your father's wrist. However, calming him seemed pointless.

"To hell with Lilith!! She's a monster, but she's domesticated! This is our baby, Mai!! Our sweet Y/N! You really think we can send her so far away?" There was an edge of hurt in your father's voice, his expression desperate as he stared back at your mother, almost hopelessly.

You stood abruptly from your seat, and suddenly all eyes were on you. "Dad. I've already signed the waiver. I'm going-- I WANT to go! This place isn't where I belong! Everyone here is so closed minded…" you sighed, looking down towards your feet. "I'm sorry, but I wanna taste the city! They're offering a human exchange at no cost! Think of everything I'll learn! All the people I'll meet!!"

"People? You'll be the only person there!" Your father sighed, holding his face in his hands before he finally swallowed his pride. He realized that this is what you wanted. Who was he to keep you from your dreams? However, at this moment, he was seriously regretting letting his sister in law tell you all of those stories.

Your father stood, looking you directly in the mind. "You'll call- or at least text once a day. And you'll come back for holidays… and breaks… and any free time… and I'll let you go."

Your face lit up in a smile as you jumped forwards, wrapping your arms around him in a bone crushing hug. "I promise!! Thank you dad, thank you!!" You pulled away, adrenaline rushing through your veins. "Oh my god, I have to pack!!"

The Dean let out a nervous laugh, obviously put off by the quick change in atmosphere. This family sure was strange. He'd never met an interracial family like yours. A vampire for an aunt. Honestly, you belonged in the city. "Well- we've already arranged transportation. The Headmaster of Teraschola Academy is apparently very excited for a human to finally be joining their program. I trust he already figured out proper boarding and meal plans."

You couldn't help but smile at the name Teraschola Academy. Teraschola. The entire name was basically a pun in itself. You picked up your book bag, throwing it over your shoulder. "How will I be transported?"

The Dean sighed. "Well, I have a driver who's going to get you to the University. After that you're no longer my liability."

You gave the Dean a glare, shaking your head. "Fine. I'm guessing your driver is going to show up at my house?"

All it took was the Dean to give you a nod before you were exiting the room. Your parents stood quickly, your mother thanking the Dean before following you out of the office.

"Y/N! Y/N honey! Wait for us!" Your mother called after you as your father and herself struggled to catch up to the way you were stomping towards the exit of the academy.

Eventually your father reached you, stopping you with a hand to your shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong with you, kiddo?"

You froze, starting to break down at his words before you fell against your dad, sobbing silently against his chest. He said nothing, only patting your back gently. He was confused when you pulled away, smiling. "I'm so excited…"

The truth was you had wanted to get out of there for a very long time. Many of your peers were strictly hateful towards monsters, and when they had discovered you were related to one, even if only by marriage, they marked you as an outlaw. A weird freak. Even the teachers had mistreated you. Finally you were going somewhere where you might belong!

The ride back home was full of chatter, your mother on the phone telling every single family member she could call about the sudden news. Your father was silent in the driver's seat, and you were on your phone, sending texts to the few friends you did have. It wasn't anything much. You were just updating them on your transfer and move.

When your father pulled into the driveway you were inside the house as quickly as your feet would carry you, running straight for your room and throwing open your closet to grab two plain suitcases. You started throwing your necessities into them, humming to yourself before there was a knock at the door.

You called out a small "Come in!" Before the door opened. You turned around to see a dark haired woman in the doorway, giving you a small smile. "So, you're transferring huh?"

"Aunt Lilith!" You rushed forwards to hug her, and she laughed happily at the contact, patting your back. "I came as soon as I heard! Did you know I used to go there too?" She smiled, walking into the room with you to sit on the bed. "Your mother wanted me to give you advice and help you out anyway I could. I didn't know they were accepting humans now."

You shook your head. "They aren't. It's an exchange plan. Apparently I'm going to help the world take large strides in ending the segregation between humans and monsters."

Lilith laughed at the righteous tone in your voice, smoothing her hand gently down your back. "Well, I don't have it the hardest as a monster. I look considerably human, but I know a lot of friends who still experience a ton of prejudice." She reached into her purse, the same one she's always carried since you were a child. You could never get over how ridiculously large it was. It could probably fit a microwave oven inside, but thanks to her superior strength she had no trouble lifting it. She pulled a thin box from the bag, handing it to you. "I decided I'd get you set up a little early.

You looked at her in a bit of surprise before opening the box and gasping at its contents. The first thing you immediately pulled from the bag was a breton cap decorated with the school's colors. The main cap color was a deep charcoal black, and in the middle of the cap was a circular shaped embroidery in white that contained the Teraschola Academy logo of a black clawed hand hanging over a bold 'TS'. When you pulled the cap from the box and placed it on your head, you noticed another item in the box. It was a thick leather journal, also crested with the college's logo. You pulled it out, noticing the crisp ink writing out Lilith's full and maiden name. "Thank you! But- what's this?"

Lilith gave you a smile. "Well, I was going to save this stuff for your cousins but I think you'll need it more." She ran her sharp nails across the back of the book, humming softly. "When I was younger I wanted to attend this college so much that I compiled everything I could learn about it in here. I continued to fill it out throughout my stay. Anything you could ever need to know is in there."

You opened the journal carefully, flipping through the pages of seemingly endless information and smiling. "It's wonderful…"

Your aunt nodded. "Of course… anything for my favorite niece! Now… let me help you pack!"

--

You smiled fondly at the memory, looking back up at your new headmaster as he explained the school's hours to you.

"Now, we realize that human sleep schedules look very different from our monsters, so we have you on a split day schedule. Today your classes will be in the day, but tomorrow they will be night classes. This is so you can truly experience everything our academy has to offer without having to sleep at atrocious hours of the day."

You nodded, brows furrowing when he handed you an envelope and a large backpack.

"Here's your schedule and almost everything you'll need for class is in that bag. Oh, and congratulations on your enrollment. Was the selection process rigorous?"

You looked up at the headmaster's smiling face, and decided it best to swerve the question. You'd rather not get into how your old academy was full of humanity supremacists. "Oh- well I was a likely candidate… my uhm- grades were good and I have an aunt that graduated from here…"

Headmaster Ukai lifted a brow. "An Aunt? That's interesting. Well, I just want you to know that even though we are a monster academy, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're well accommodated for! If you ever have any problems don't hesitate to come straight to my office!"

He looked off behind your shoulder, raising a hand to someone behind you. "Speaking of accomodations! Y/N! Meet your new roomie!"

You spun around on your heel, coming face to face with a short girl. She had golden blond hair styled in a young looking, half up side ponytail and big, round eyes that resembled the color of tree bark. Her pupils were large and made her eyes appear bug-like, and her skin almost sparked in the sunlight. However, the thing you found most enticing about her appearance was the silky, see through baby blue material draping down her back. It took you a moment to realize they were wings.

She gave you a small nod, reaching out to shake your hand in a surprisingly human manner. "Y/N it's so nice to meet you! My name is Hitoka Yachi! I'm your roommate!"

You could see her cheeks tint a little brighter when you took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "Likewise!"

Headmaster Ukai laughed. "Well, I hope you two can get along. I specifically chose Yachi because of her experience with humans!"

Yachi nodded. "I was actually raised by humans! I've never even met my monster kin…" she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I look the part but I don't know much about my own kind, so I was relieved to find out I'd be roommates with a human girl! It'll be just like home!" She took one of your suitcases for you. "Thanks for your help, Headmaster Ukai! I'll take it from here!" She gave him a smile, and he nodded before turning to walk back into the academy.

"Well, let's get you over to the dormitories. I'm sure you really wanna unpack before you have to get to class. I can help you too! Don't worry, us pixies are notorious for our cleaning skills!"

You smiled as you walked after her, taking in the scenery. "That's great because I got a little over excited and packed a lot…"

Yachi laughed. "Oh, I did too! But don't worry! The dorm rooms are very nice!" You followed behind her, and while taking in the scenery you couldn't help but notice all of the strange looks you were getting from the monsters on campus. Some of them were glaring, and some of them looked as if they were trying to discern whether or not you were actually human. While you were paying attention to the strange looks, Yachi was explaining the dorm systems.

"Now there are four dorm buildings. They are split by gender, and then they are split by whether you are diurnal or nocturnal!" She approached one of the large dorm buildings, swiping a card and having the doors unlock so she could walk you in. "We're in the female nocturnal dorms. Not only am I typically nocturnal, except for well-- today-- the Headmaster set this up so while you had day classes you could sleep at night unbothered, and the same for the other way around."

She led you to an elevator at the end of a hallway, pressing the up button. "We're on floor 3, room 213! Also, our neighbors can be pretty cranky so I'd just avoid them." She stepped inside once the doors were open, and once you were inside she pressed the button labeled with the Roman numeral for three and you watched the doors slide closed. Everything here was so much fancier than your old school.

"The campus has maps everywhere so if you get lost, look for one of those! Uhm--- what else?... Oh! All of the professors are pretty nice!" She looked at you and how you stayed quiet, placing a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, am I talking too much?"

You looked back at her, quickly shaking your head. "No, not at all! I'm just distracted by how nice everything is…"

She smiled, laughing once the elevator doors opened and she started leading you down the hallway. "Yeah, that's exactly what I thought when I first enrolled!" Eventually the both of you stopped outside of a half decorated wooden door. "Here we are! I left half the door clean in case you wanted to personally customize it!"

You giggled at how cute Yachi's detail work was before she used her key to unlock the door. When you stepped inside you saw just how exquisite her side of the room was. Her bed had a silk canopy, and she had many plants decorating the room. However, your side of the room was completely blank. All you had was a bed, a dresser, a desk, and of course a computer. You sat your stuff down, looking around in awe.

"Everything is so pretty in here… I would definitely like your help with decorating!!" You unzipped your suitcases and immediately started packing your clothes away into your dresser, noticing half of it was already packed with crisp, clean uniforms. You hummed, and Yachi came over to help you by hanging the few pictures you brought with you of your family.

It didn't take very long for the both of you to finish unpacking, and while the room still looked very plain, it definitely made you feel more at home. Besides, you could always add more later on! You slid your suitcases under your bed for safekeeping before opening the backpack you were handed. Inside was a school laptop and a plethora of different interesting textbooks. You pulled them out before Yachi stepped over to pick up the envelope the Headmaster handed you, flipping it open and pouring out it's contents.

A key, some slips of paper, and a key card on a Teraschola Academy lanyard. Yachi hummed, attaching the key to the lanyard. "That's your student ID and your dorm room key! And this-!" She picked up the papers. "Is your schedule and all of your account info. She handed you your account info before looking through your schedule and humming to herself.

"He really did give you a balanced schedule. I'm not sure how you're going to do in Intro to the Arcane Arts, but I'm sure you'll figure it out!" She gave you a smile before handing you your schedule. "You might wanna get your uniform on! I need to escort you to your first class."

You stood up quickly and nodded, rushing over to your dresser. "Right! Uhm--- I could use some help though…"

Yachi laughed, nodding. "Yeah I figured. The thing has like-- eight layers…"

As she was helping you pull your uniform from your dresser you finally took everything in. You were really here. Teraschola Academy. Ready to start a new adventure of academic learning! You were going to learn things other humans could never even dream of! And maybe, just maybe, you'd meet some very interesting people along the way...

Chapter 2: II | Rituals of the Occult

Summary:

Okay-- so I realize some stuff in her may not be accurate to real life-- which is intentional. This is a fanfiction so it isn't meant to be realistic. Still, I hope you enjoy anyways!

In this chapter you attend your first class and meet a certain snake boy and vampire 💕

"Wow! Y'know, the human uniform they designed is quite pretty!"

You stood in Yachi's full length mirror, examining exactly what you had on. A uniform that looked eerily similar to Yachi's except with inverted colors. The blazer black and the skirt white, your shirt white and your bow black. You had paired the uniform with a few of your own accessories, like the cap from your aunt and a pair of dark tights. Yachi walked over to your drawers before pulling the top one open. When she reached in her hand quickly recoiled. "Eek! Oh, Y/N! They gave you an enchanted band!" She pulled you over.

You pulled it from your drawer and slipped it onto your wrist, brow furrowing. "it doesn't do anything…"

Yachi laughed. "Because it's unactivated! And that's a good thing. Those help if you're ever in danger. Headmaster Ukai is probably worried you'll have trouble with some other students."

You looked at her with concern. "Why? Is there someone I have to worry about?"

She nodded. "Oh there are some mean monsters here! There's this one dragon- he's tall and has glasses! He's always scowling… and there are a few vampires who hate the cafeteria blood as well…"

You listened carefully, nodding before you looked at the clock. "Oh-- we should get going!!"

Yachi looked at the clock as well before jumping to grab your lanyard and your schedule.

"Let's see again-- oh we only have one class together…" she frowned sadly and you could feel anxiety creep up your spine. You were going to have to go it alone? "Well… don't worry! I have a special guide pass from the Administrators, so I can walk you to all of your classes!" She took your hand, smiling at you gently. "First class, Rituals of the Occult!"

Your brows raised at the name. "Rituals? Aren't those bad?" And Yachi laughed. "Not all rituals are bad. Some rituals raise the dead, sure, but others can send someone good fortune! You just have to pick and choose the right ones." She stepped out of the dorm with you in tow, walking towards the elevator. You smiled at the way her wings flit behind her like a cape in the wind. "Rituals of the Occult is actually a class you can participate in! Anyone can perform a ritual because they use magical artifacts instead of energy like spells."

The both of you stepped out of the elevator, walking towards the entrance of the dorm building. While paying attention to Yachi and walking you accidentally ran straight into someone, falling on your bottom.

"Ugh!! Watch it-" you looked up to see the face of a golem girl. She was incredibly tall and broad, and when she looked down at you and noticed you were a human she shut her mouth and walked away. You frowned when Yachi gasped. "Oh! Y/N, are you alright!" She leaned down to help you up, and you sighed while dusting off your skirt. "Yeah I'm fine… let's just go…"

Why did she go quiet like that?

The walk to the main campus building was short, and when you stepped inside you were suddenly enveloped by a sea of endless monsters scurrying about to their classes. Yachi held tightly onto your hand, her small form making it easy to weave in and out of others towards your first classroom. You however couldn't count how many fluffy tails had smacked you in the face.

Eventually Yachi came to a stop in front of a large door, you stumbling behind her trying to spit werewolf fur from your mouth. On the outside of the door you could see a small wooden card reading Mrs. Allium. "Well! We're here! You can head on in and I'll pick you up once class is over!" She gave you a little wave and a hug of good luck before she was gone.

You took a deep breath, staring at the door before throwing it open. You were met to a large lecture room full of chatter. In front of the chairs you could see an open area, presumably to write runes or circles in. You stepped inside, looking around, and it was like clockwork when suddenly all went quiet and everyone was looking directly at you. A woman with lime toned skin and long, dark hair that was adorned with many flowers looked up from a book at the sudden quiet, noticing you standing awkwardly at the door.

She quickly stood, approaching you. "You must be Y/N? Welcome! I'm the Rituals professor, Mrs. Allium!" She shook your hand politely, giving you a bright smile. "We're so happy to have you-- would you all quit staring at her like you've never seen a human?"

Suddenly the chatter returned and she sighed. "I wonder if some of them aren't still highschoolers. You can take a seat anywhere you like. I recommend the front row however."

You nodded, whispering a small thank you before approaching a front bench. You could hear a quiet hissing as you got closer to the corner, and when you finally arrived that's when you saw him.

A Gorgon sat at one of the desks, completely engrossed in whatever he was doing on his computer. The beautiful golden snakes on his head also watched his screen, some of them looping down near his chin to frame his face, and his face stayed completely blank as he tapped away, his reptilian eyes shifting around quite languidly.

You were immediately intrigued, moving over to his bench, and when you walked around you noticed how he wasn't sitting on it. Instead of legs his lower half extended from his blazer into beautiful golden scales that matched the other snakes, dark rings decorating the back. A Gorgon Naga? His snake-like lower half was wrapped into a perfect perching spot and you couldn't help but notice the rattle that extended from the end of his tail.

You moved to sit next to him quietly. Only then did you see his eyes shift from the screen over to you, a few of the snakes that hung around his chin lifting in alarm toward you. You were just a little startled when the rattle at the end of his tail shook quietly, almost unnoticeably. He tucked his rattle under himself, a single hand reaching up to soothe his snakes.

"Uhm- Hi. Sorry if I startled you… I'm Y/N by the way…"

He nodded. "I heard…" before he looked back at his game. Now that you got a better look you could see what he was playing. It was some kind of fighting game. You frowned at how he went quiet once again, sitting your bag next to your feet.

"Y'know, this is the part where you tell me your name."

He looked back at you, a small puff of air leaving his lips before he spoke again. "Kenma…" his voice drawled off into a small hiss, and you couldn't help but shine him a bright smile. "It's nice to meet you, Kenma!"

You could see his lips quirk up into a tiny smile, his attention returning to the screen in front of him. One of the golden snakes however kept it's eyes on you, head tilting ever so slightly to the side.

You found it incredibly cute, and had to hold back from reaching forwards to stroke it's head. You had to remember there was a person attached to that snake, and it would be incredibly disrespectful to just touch him.

The professor stood from her seat, walking to the podium at the front of the room. Eventually everyone slowly fell silent, their undivided attention.

"Welcome, everyone, to day one of Rituals of the Occult!" She stepped forwards, a vine extending from around her ankle to curl around a piece of chalk red and slither towards the open space in the room. It slowly started to draw an intricate circle upon the floor, and the professor continued to speak. "In this class you will be learning helpful rituals, how to avoid dangerous ones, and the history of rituals all together!"

You noticed that Kenma had closed his laptop, watching the demonstration intently. When the vine had finished its work, you watched in awe as, after the professor whispered something, the circle began to glow. The light was bright, and pink to match the chalk. Many students covered their eyes from the lights, including you, and when you looked back up you watched as tiny flowers had begun to pop up from the floor.

"Rituals can give you a beautiful life like these flowers…" The vine then reached to mark a harsh line across the circle and you watched in pity as the flowers began to wilt. "Or… they can very easily kill you."

Everyone began to clap at the demonstration, Mrs. Allium laughed softly, waving her hands to stop the applause. "Oh don't clap yet! That was nothing compared to some of the things you'll learn here!" She smiled, stepping back over to her podium to flip open a large grimoire. "Now, I want everyone to open their textbooks to page octōgintā septem! That's 87 for our Non-Latin speakers, and I highly suggest you pick up one of my Latin books on the way out to study. We speak a lot of it here."

You could hear a few groans from around the room as you flipped open your textbook, brows furrowing as you saw what looked to be a ritual for putting someone else to a sound sleep.

"Now, today we're going to start with something simple and harmless! Sleep! Everything sleeps!" She had her vine wipe away the magical circle she had made, stepping out from her podium to address the entire class. "You're going to be paired with the person next to you, and one of you will be the sleeper, the other the sleepee! Decide that now."

You looked to your left nervously, noticing that Kenma was already watching you expectantly.

"I'll cast the incantation. I'm assuming I have more experience." He waited silently, almost as if waiting for you to object. You swallowed hard, nervous with the implications of being spelled on before nodding.

"Sure! I- uhm… I trust you'll take good care of me…"

You watched his brows furrow, a small blush tinting his cheeks at your words before he sighed. "Yeah… sure thing…"

"Alright! I want everyone down in the open area! Come with your partner and pick one of the little marked squares!"

You stood up, and Kenma followed you down to the open area, and you shined a bright smile at every person who looked your way. Once you made your way to a circle, Mrs. Allium continued. "Now! I'll give a demonstration!" She pulled one of the girls from her partner, taking her to the front of the room. "First you need permission. So ask." She turned back to the girl in front of her. "Charlie, do I have permission to put you to sleep?"

The girl, Charlie, nodded. She looked completely out of her element. The professor nodded. "Now that I have permission I can say the incantation! It is 'oportet te dormire'! However please remember this incantation will not work without the proper circle being underneath your target!"

The professor braced her hand on Charlie's back, leaning into her right ear to whisper the incantation. You watched as the girl's eyes began to flutter and it wasn't but half a second before she was sinking to the ground, being caught in the professor's arms and laid gently on the ground. Everyone watched in awe as the professor stood back up. "As you can see, Charlie is unconscious. After this I want you to wake up your target!"

Vines moved busily around the room carrying small vials, and you watched as one was handed straight to Kenma. "You will want to apply the oil from this vial right under the nose. You'll learn more about this oil in alchemy!" Mrs. Allium popped the cork from her vial, pouring some of the oil onto her finger before smearing it right under Charlie's nose. She stirred in her rest before she groaned, slowly sitting up. She then began to laugh.

Some other students joined in her laughing, and even Kenma couldn't help but smile. Charlie stood, nodding at the professor before stepping off into the crowd. The professor then gave a nod. "Now, you all may begin!"

You turned back to Kenma. He was toying with the vial of oil, one of his snakes moving forwards to let his tongue flick gently across the glass. He looked back to you, tilting his head. "You ready?"

You nodded, stepping closer to him with a deep breath. "You have permission to put me to sleep." You placed your arms at your sides, and shivered when Kenma nodded, leaning in towards your ear. The incantation rolled off of his lips with a slight hiss, and you could feel yourself falling towards the floor halfway through. Your eyes had felt as if they were sealed shut, and you could feel yourself land on something cold before you lost yourself to the darkness behind your eyes.

"Y/N?.... Y/N…"

You let your brows furrow, trying to discern where you were in the infinite void of darkness you were currently experiencing. You felt something tight around your body, sighing softly at the gentle weight before you felt something shaking you by the shoulders.

"Y/N…"

There was the voice again, sounding quiet and desperate. You could feel something cold and gooey slide down your upper lip before you felt an incredibly warm touch to your cheek. Well, at least it was warm compared to the weight surrounding your body.

"It's okay, Kenma. This happens sometimes. Wake up Y/N, dear."

You took in a deep breath, finally feeling the seal on your eyelids disappear. They fluttered open, your vision coming back together as you took in your surroundings. Kenma was looking worriedly down at you, his eyes filled with panic as his clawed hands grasped hardly at your shoulders. When you looked next to him you could see Mrs. Allium, her hand resting gently on your cheek.

"Hello darling. Gave us all a little scare, hm? I didn't realize it would be this effective on you. Is this your first time being spelled?"

You nodded and tried to sit up before you realized you could not, looking down in a slight panic to see gold and black scales coiled tightly around your frame. "Uhm- Kenma… can you let me go?"

He looked back at you, his face going red before he quickly uncoiled, causing your aching frame to hit the floor with a thud. You could feel everyone's eyes on you as you groaned and stood to your feet, dusting yourself off before wiping your lip. "I'm sorry… I should have said something…"

Mrs. Allium shook her head. "Oh don't worry you weren't the only one. Kaito is still asleep. I just didn't know Kenma was that powerful with incantations. He only now told me he and his parents use them all the time." She laughed, patting your back. "Class is about to end, but you did good kiddo."

With that she stepped away towards Kaito who was still on the floor, his partner giggling at how he tossed around. You walked over to the bench to gather your things, seeing Kenma's stuff was already gone.

You noticed him making his way out of the room, and rushed to follow after him. "Kenma! Wait up!" Once outside he stopped and turned to you and you flashed him a smile. "Sorry for not warning you first! I didn't mean to scare you."

He shook his head. "It's alright. I should have told you about my experience in more detail…"

You laughed. "Maybe… let's just say we both made a mistake today."

"Oo~ what kind of mistake?"

You heard a smooth voice from behind you, spinning around to see a tall man with messy dark hair and a penetrating gaze. Glinting white fangs peaked from his lips when he flashed you a grin.

"You didn't hurt the little lady, did you Ken ken?"

"Shut up, Kuroo…" Kenma glared at the tall vampire, and you moved to let him step passed you and approach Kenma and yourself.

"What? I just didn't expect you to make a friend so fast. Especially not a cute human girl." He laughed heartily, holding a hand out to you.

"I'm Kuroo. Tetsurō Kuroo. It's nice to meet you."

You shook his head. "Nice to meet you too. I was just apologizing to Kenma for what happened in class. I made an error of judgment."

Kuroo laughed. "Well, I can't wait to pester him about it later until he tells me. Say, I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon. What do you say sometime me and you--"

"Hey, Y/N!!"

You turned around at the familiar voice, spotting Yachi before giving her a wave. She rushed to you quite quickly, wrapping an arm around your waist protectively.

"Boys. Good morning. I'm taking Y/N to her next class. Maybe you can talk later." She started to drag you away, and you could only helplessly wave them goodbye. For such a small girl she was pretty strong.

Once a safe distance away she turned to face you. "What're you doing!? He's a vampire!"

You quirked a brow. "So is my aunt. I don't see a problem here." Yachi shook her head. "Your aunt is your family-- you're his diet!!" She sighed, rubbing at her temple "Just try to be more careful… I know you have your enchanted band but I just freaked out a little. I'm sorry…"

You laughed softly at her anxious, flitty behavior. "Don't worry about it, Yachi. I understand…" you gave her a hug. "Thanks for worrying, though."

She returned the hug before laughing when she pulled away.

"Now… let's get you to your next class…"

Notes:

So! That's chapter two!! I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter when you met two of your bachelors!!

Next class you'll get to meet some more ❤️

Anyways, I hooe you liked, and I hope you'll tune back in when I post chapter 3!! Love you all :D

Chapter 3: III | Sports and Physical Education

Summary:

In this chapter you meet three new leading characters! And another character that I may or may not make important. I haven't decided quite yet!

If anything feels fast paced, I promise the story will start to slow after I've introduced all of the main characters! This chapter is especially fast paced because I introduced three new people instead of just two.

"Sports and Phys Ed?... Why do I feel like I'm in highschool again?..."

You sighed at the idea. You remembered the endless squats and running all while being ogled by the creepy old soccer coach. The thought of going back to something like that as an adult was--- less than ideal…

Yachi laughed at your noise of disapproval. "I don't know how human schools do sports education, but for monsters it's very different." She hummed, pushing open the doors to the outside of campus. The sun had risen much higher and it's warm rays heated your skin quite nicely. You followed her, quietly taking in the scenery around you. "Actually… I'm not sure how they're going to accommodate a human… the monsters in this class are pretty extreme…."

Your eyes went wide. "What do you mean? Am I going to work so hard that I die? I'm not an athlete or anything…"

Yachi laughed as the both of you approached a gated area and stepped inside to see a vast field. You were positive it could work for any sports, and this wasn't even the stadium… "No… it's just-- this hour is for the-"

She was cut off by a low rumble and for a second you thought an earthquake was happening before the noise got louder and louder. Before you knew it you saw them, a herd of Centaurs running across the field and at that very moment you felt as if you were dreaming. Not a single one of them had a top on. It was like an ab party…

"For the Centaurs…" Yachi finished with a light flush to her cheeks. You could feel your own face heat up completely when another one came from behind them, crossing the field over to you very quickly. He was older and thankfully fully clothed. He had a whistle dangling around his neck and a smile growing on his lips when he saw you.

"You must be Yachi and Y/N! The Headmaster warned me that you guys would be showing up!!" He skidded to a stop in front of you, strong legs shuffling under him. "I'm Coach Cirocles! I handle all of the university's sports activities… and all of the Centaurs! Other than my wife who handles the females I'm the only Centaur on the staff board…"

You couldn't help but look up at him in awe. You'd never been this close to a centaur before… they were absolutely massive… "It's nice to meet you sir… I'm Y/N…" you blinked up at him a little dumbfounded, and he laughed, turning to look at Yachi. "Well, I think I can take it from here! Thanks for walking her here. We'll be done in a few hours so you can come get her then!"

Yachi had to tear her eyes away from the Centaur students who were racing each other across the field and gave a small nod. She flashed you a thumbs up before she turned around to rush off. You frowned nervously as your single lifeline left you, and you were now alone with a myriad of huge Centaurs.

"Follow me Y/N. I wanna introduce you to everyone." Coach Cirocles turned to start a leisurely trot towards the students, and you bit back your anxiety as you trailed behind him. He blew hard on his whistle and it slightly startled you to see the Centaurs look over and get themselves into a line. You could see a few of them shoving playfully at each other, stumbling in the line before the Coach cleared his throat.

"Now I told you all about the exchange student, didn't I? This is her, Y/N, and she's going to be helping us out. The Headmaster wanted her to learn about this class but considering she's human she can't participate… so she's going to act like an assistant from now on." You tried to ignore how some of the Centaurs whispered to each other. A few of them were surprised you were female but all of them were surprised at how tiny you were. You knew however that they were just huge.

There was one particular Centaur that immediately caught your eye. He was tall-- perhaps the tallest one there, and unbelievably broad. His hair was short, and had a dark olive color. His coat matched the color of his hair and his tail had been trimmed to a neat middle length. The hair around his hooves fluffed out like a shire, and he was staring at you very intensely. You shuddered under his gaze, trying to give him a small smile and wave and in response he looked away.

Coach Cirocles glanced down at you, his hands holding his waist. "You took that one first aid class in highschool, didn't you? That's what I heard from the Headmaster." And you looked up at him before nodding quickly. He smiled, stepping over to a table to grab a box and a whistle before bringing them back to you.

"You'll need these as my assistant. It's a first aid kit and a whistle. I'll teach you the whistle signals eventually but since you know first aid you can help us with sprains and scrapes. The nurse gets sick of Centaurs in his office all the time after awhile. Says he's got more pressing injuries to attend to." You shoved the whistle into the pocket of your blazer before staring down at the first aid kit in your hands. You learned about human first aid… but certainly not centaur. You were starting to feel like you needed time to just… study everything. There was so much you didn't know.

You shook your head, pushing your stress into the back of your mind. What were you thinking? You told your father, your aunt, your mother… you told everyone that this is what you wanted! So you were going to strive to be the best at it! Sure, the information shock was a little overwhelming but this is what you wanted! You wanted to meet monsters and learn more about them! You needed to thank Headmaster Ukai for giving you so many amazing opportunities…

"I'll do my best, sir!" You stood up a little straighter and the coach laughed at your seriousness. "I like you kid… Well, we're going to do a few laps round the field and then we'll do some archery. You can sit your stuff by the table. If you could, would you open those coolers and line up some water for everyone?"

You smiled brightly, giving the coach a nod before walking past him to sit your bag down by the table next to the first aid kit. You shook off the fact that the Centaurs all watched you curiously as you popped open the coolers and started to line up the ice cold bottles around the table. The coach rolled his eyes, blowing his whistle. "C'mon guys! Don't just stand there staring, get to running! Last one to three is cleaning the gym!!"

It wasn't long after that that everyone got to running, their powerful hooves beating the ground and causing a slight shake in your step. You couldn't help but watch in awe as they ran, setting up the waters in neat rows. None of them looked even slightly bothered with your presence, and they moved with a sort of joyful gracefulness that you forgot you had work to do. Once you had set up all of the water bottles you stepped over to a chair to sit and watch them run, and eventually to keep yourself from staring like a weirdo you had started to read.

You reached into your bag to grab your aunt's old journal, flipping through before you found a section dedicated to Centaurs. You read her notes carefully, smiling gently at the detailed sketches she had drawn, learning not just about their history but also about the class you were currently in. Apparently your aunt used to hang around the archery club meets…

You had gotten so engrossed by your reading that you hadn't noticed the Coach leading the Centaurs back to the tabled area, and you slammed your book shut when you were startled by a new voice addressing you.

"Hey! Y/N, right? I scraped my side. Mind checking it out for me?"

You looked up to meet the owner of the voice, your face heating up in embarrassment when you realized he'd been standing there for a while. He was tall, and had mocha brown hair and a mischievous smirk on his lips. You stood up, giving him a nod before grabbing your first aid kit and walking around the table to see his side.

The color of his coat surprisingly took a lighter shade from the hair on his head, and it was very shiny. You could tell he took meticulous care of it. You leaned in a little to inspect his side. "I'm sorry… I don't see anything here?"

He gave you a nod. "Yeah sorry. I was just trying to start a conversation with you." He leaned forwards to rest a hand against the table and you smiled at him. "You could've just said hi."

"I could-- but if the coach knows I'm just talking to you, he'll get mad at me for slacking."

You hummed, closing up the first aid kit. "Well, it was nice talking to you but it's looking like the Coach is coming back…"

The boy looked up suddenly and turned, stepping away from the table. "Uh- right… talk to you later!" He ran off and you watched a few of his friends start to swarm him with questions and it made your face heat up. You didn't think a human like yourself would be interesting to them in the way they were interesting to you.

"Hey, Y/N! We're going to start archery! Wanna give me a hand with setting out the arrows?" Coach Cirocles waved you over and you hurried in his direction, smiling when you were met by two of the students who pulled out a cart from the neighboring gymnasium that had multiple bows and many sets of arrows.

"You just sit them next to the standing line here. Hopefully we'll have it ready by the time they finish their water."

You nodded, reaching to grab a few sets, carrying them towards the standing line and sitting them in the proper position. Eventually you had set most of them up, moving over towards the cart to grab the last set. You knew you'd made a mistake when you heard the coach's whistle and suddenly you were being swarmed by Centaurs. You grabbed the final set, making your way through the crowd before you were harshly bumped into by the back leg of one of the Centaurs. You couldn't stop a squeal from flying from your lips as you clutched the set of arrows to your chest, landing on the ground a few inches away from where you stood before. You sat there in shock, and you heard a few gasps as many of the Centaurs stepped back to see you on the ground. The one who had bumped you, a blonde, started to apologize profusely before looking behind you and going a little quiet.

You assured him it was okay before you looked over your shoulder, your eyes met with the strong olive-colored legs of the guy who had been staring at you before. You looked up to see his face, noticing the cold expression he had towards his peer who had bumped into you so carelessly. He looked down at you with a small frown before holding out his hand towards you. Your brows shot up as you placed your hand in his own, and couldn't help but take note of just how large his hands were. He pulled you to your feet with one powerful tug, and you braced yourself against his side when you stumbled.

His coat was soft under your fingers, and you patted him softly before quickly pulling away when you noticed how you had touched him. When you looked to his face again however he looked rather unbothered.

"Are you alright?"

His voice was quiet and quite deep, and it shook you to hear him speak to you so closely. You went silent, giving him a nod while still clutching the arrow set to your chest. You were embarrassed when you saw how all eyes were on you once more, and Coach Cirocles came rushing over after the commotion.

"Y/N! Did something happen? Here- let me get that for you." He took the final set of arrows from your hands and you took that opportunity to brush the dirt from the bottom of your skirt. "Everything is fine, coach. I fell is all. Mr… uhm-" you turned to look at the man who had helped you up, silently asking for his name. He tilted his head curiously. "Ushijima."

You nodded. "Ushijima helped me up." Your voice went quiet, embarrassed at the fact you had already been bumped into twice today. Were you really that hard to see?

The coach sighed in relief, glad that you hadn't been trampled before reaching to clap Ushijima on his bare shoulder. "Thanks for making sure she was fine. The Headmaster would've had my hooves…" he moved to engage you specifically.

"I hate to cut your time short but my wife is requesting you inside the gymnasium… at the pool… she oversees the swimming hours."

You were confused. Swimming hour? You didn't realize that was a thing. You had figured Centaurs weren't very good swimmers.

"She said she'll send you back before the hour is over so you can collect your stuff. Just go through that door there and to the left you'll find the hall to the pool."

You nodded, turning to give Ushijima a wave as well as the Coach before turning to make your way towards the gymnasium. You walked through the hall quietly, your shoes clicking against the floor before you reached the door that was appropriately labeled with the word pool. You could already smell the water and hear the splashing and talking inside, and you chewed gently at your bottom lip before pushing it open.

When your eyes had adjusted to the sudden change in lighting you couldn't help but be a little surprised at the apparent lack of Centaurs. Instead you saw a pool like none you'd ever seen before. It was gorgeous, and absolutely huge with crystal clear waters and what felt like an endless amount of caverns. You looked around in awe until you noticed a female centaur approaching you.

"Hello Y/N. I'm Mrs. Cirocles. I'm sorry to ask this of you but do you think you could maybe help me out with getting my student's after swim snacks ready? I have a meeting in a few minutes and I'm short on time." She looked a little flustered for having to ask for a student's help, and you assured her you didn't mind before being just a little confused.

"I don't see anyone in here…" you frowned, looking around the pool before noticing a row of wheelchairs around the pool. That only confused you more.

She laughed, leading you towards a room that contained a refrigerator. "That's because they're all underwater. It's like they hop in and then I don't see them for two hours until they get hungry." She hummed, pulling it open and taking out a few plastic containers. "The cafeteria supplies the meals but I still have to label them and set them up. Some of the Sirens are pretty picky…"

That explained it. This wasn't a class of Centaurs. Instead, the monsters inside that pool were considerably more dangerous. The only thing you'd ever heard about Sirens were that they tricked humans into being eaten…

She popped open each container and you stepped over to pull the paper bags containing the meal components from the refrigerator. You helped to place one of each food item into the containers, and watched as Mrs. Cirocles went through to switch out the stuff she knew would be a problem.

"Seems like you know your students well."

She hummed. "Well, I manage the swim team so I pick things up after each practice." She placed the lids over the meals, sliding a few of them over to you before you walked back out into the pool area. Surprisingly enough multiple Sirens had already hoisted themselves out of the pool, either leisurely talking in their chairs or sitting at the edge of the pool. They thanked Mrs. Cirocles as she handed them their food packages, and you had to hand out the ones you had grabbed by calling out names. You were surprised by how nice the Sirens were being to you. They weren't anything like the stories.

Eventually you only had one left, and you looked down at it a little nervous. Everyone already had one. You decide to approach one of the Sirens you had handed food to before to ask him.

"Uhm- excuse me… is there a…" you looked back down at the package to read the name displayed on the top. "A Suna…? Suna Rintarō?"

The siren boy laughed, pointing towards the one empty chair on the other side of the pool. "Yeah-- he's always out a little late. You should just be able to sit it over there for him." He gave you a sharp toothed smile, and you nodded before carefully step over towards his chair. You wheeled it closer to the pool's edge, and stepped around it to adjust the towels on it.

You heard movement in the water behind you, and before you could turn you felt something cold and sharp grasp at your ankle. You gasped loudly, spinning around and carefully avoiding slipping to see just what, or rather who, had grabbed you. Before you could say a word your eyes met with hypnotic silvery golden ones, and your protests died in your throat. He was absolutely gorgeous, wet dark hair framing a perfectly sharp jawline. You noticed the silver scales that ran down his cheeks and shoulders, shiny fins lifting calmly at the sides of his face.

"You're human?" He cocked a single brow, his expression still an almost perfect deadpan as he pulled himself from the water to sit at the edge of the pool. His silver scales caught the light, and you were mesmerized by the beautiful white fins that decorated the length of his tail.

You shifted uncomfortably before handing him a towel and trying to avoid his bare torso. "I am. I'm helping Mrs. Cirocles today." You watched as he toweled off his hair and back, leaning forwards to get his tail before tossing it onto his chair and hoisting himself into it. He grabbed his button up from the armrest and slipped it on, buttoning it carefully. You would've ripped every single one with claws like his.

He pulled his blazer over his shoulders before looking towards you expectantly. You stared back before noticing the shift in his eyes towards the food box in your hands. You felt flustered, handing it over to him before stepping back with a frown. He could have at least asked. You turned away from him, moving towards the doors of the gym that went into the school to prop them open, effectively making it easier for the Sirens to exit when the time came. Mrs. Cirocles was already gone.

Suna followed after you silently, draping his towel over his lap while trailing you around. At some point he decided to speak up. "Will you help out often?"

You stopped, turning to look at him with a confused expression. Why was he so dead set on talking to you over his teammates? "Maybe. I suppose it just depends on the class activities. I was helping Mr. Cirocles before this."

His expression went a little sour at the mention. "The Archery team?" You nodded, stepping back over towards the other Sirens to make sure everyone had their food, and when you walked towards the door you were surprised to have Suna follow you once more. He didn't say anything however, just watched you exit the pool with a frown etched into his lips.

You made your way back out into the field, walking towards the table to grab your bag before you saw Ushijima standing next to a tree and looking upwards to it. You decided you wanted to thank him for earlier, stepping towards him before you could hear him talking.

"I would suggest you get down before you injure yourself…"

You heard a laugh coming from the tree, and a voice. "You're so uptight, Wakatoshi!!"

Your brow furrowed, and you couldn't help but freeze when you saw long black limbs stretch down from the tree. Eventually you saw the owner of the limbs, a tall Arachne with spiked red hair and a strange smile. The two talked a second more before the redhead had caught onto your presence, his brows raising as he made his way over. You stood frozen in a weird mixture of confusion and fear as he approached you, and when Ushijima saw you he followed, keeping a close eye on his friend.

"You didn't tell me you met the human girl! I was so curious when I heard about her transfer…" The Arachne gave a pout before he held his hand out to you, clawed fingers splaying open, and you cautiously shook his hand. "Tendō Satori! I'm Wakatoshi's friend." He smiled at you, and your eyes caught onto the black-tipped fangs that had once been hidden behind his lips.

"I'm Y/N. I just wanted to thank Waka- er, Ushijima for helping me earlier…?" You turned to the Centaur and gave him a smile. "If you wouldn't have helped me up I might have been crushed. I appreciate it."

He nodded softly, and you felt a little bashful under the eyes of both monsters as you shuffled your feet. "Well, I suppose I should get going… it was nice meeting you both."

Tendō nodded, waving his fingers at you. "Nice meeting you too, little human!~" he cooed, and you could see Wakatoshi waving you away as well as you took your bag back towards the entrance of the school where you would meet Yachi before your next class.

You knew you would be meeting a lot of people, but you were only half way through your day classes and your brain was already stuffed with so much new information. You couldn't wait to tell your aunt and parents about everyone you'd met and everything you'd learned...

Notes:

Hello everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed this faster paced chapter where I introduced Suna, Ushijima, and Tendō!

I figured it would make things easier to introduce them during early on in your day classes, but we still have plenty more characters to meet in the near future!

Also I would like to apologize that this took a little longer to get out. I'm working on getting caught up in AOT and to be honest it isn't good on my mental health. Season four is bonkers.

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! 💕

Chapter 4: IV | Divination & Arithmancy

Summary:

I'm back guys!! Back with another chapter of Taboo! In this chapter you get to meet two new people and experience a new class setting, as well as the dining hall!!

Next chapter will be your last day class, and then soon we'll be getting into your night classes, so stay tuned for that!! :D

"Hey, Y/N!! How'd your second class go?"

Yachi caught you by the elbow as the both of you hurried down the hall towards the stairs. You had seen on one of the maps around campus that your next class was upstairs and your feet were already aching. Your body clearly wasn't well adjusted for campus life. That, and Teraschola Academy had one of the biggest campus grounds ever… but you wouldn't let it get to you too much.

"Well, I met a lot of new people. Almost got trampled. So it was chaotic."

You watched Yachi's eyes go wide, her pretty wings fluttering behind her as she gave your elbow a squeeze. "Oh god-- are you alright? I mean that sounds dangerous."

You laughed, shaking your head. "Yeah, I'm alright. That Ushijima guy helped me up."

She shuddered. "Ushijima Wakatoshi? He's terrifying…" and you laughed. "Really? I thought he was very gentle."

Yachi gave you a strange look as the both of you made your way up the stairs, the heels of your shoes clicking with each step.

"There were also a lot of Sirens in the pool. They were pretty nice. I helped Mrs. Cirocles make their meals."

Yachi laughed. "Sounds fishy. Did you meet the whole swim team?"

You nodded. "I think so. I only really talked to Suna though."

Yachi's brows shot up. "The captain? I hear he's a primadonna."

The stairs were surprisingly empty considering the high student density of the academy. You felt relaxed here.

Of course, that safe feeling immediately disappeared when you stepped onto the next floor and you were immediately overwhelmed by the presence of so many students.

You searched for doors in the crowd. "Divination & Arithmancy with Mr. Tempus. Hm- fitting name." You had heard of divination. There was a fortune telling club at your old academy, but you couldn't help but think this class was going to be very different from that club.

"Fitting class. Anyone can practice divination. Humans can even excel in it." Yachi gave you an excited smile, trying to pull you through the crowd ever so slowly. She didn't realize it would be so difficult. If you thought you were short, Yachi was definitely shorter. She was better at dodging the other students than pushing through them.

The thought of a class you could excel in made every nerve in your body light up with excitement. Your last two classes seemed pretty difficult, but if this was something in the realm of possibility for you, then you would definitely give it your best!

Eventually the both of you finally found the door, and Yachi patted your back. "Good luck, Y/N! I'll see you soon." She left you alone in that moment, and you watched as she rushed off into the crowds to get to her own class. You sighed. You were starting to lose hope of having a class with her.

Your hand took the knob, and when you stepped in you couldn't help but be incredibly freaked out to see everyone already in their seats. The layout of this room was unlike any class you had been in before.

"Ah, and here's Ms. L/N right on time." A tall, slender man stood near the door, approaching you and you couldn't help but admire how his dark hair looked against his golden skin.

"I'm Almura Aurum Flos Tempus. But I know it's complicated so just call me Mr. Tempus." he gave you a smile, shaking your hand. He then turned to face the class and you only now noticed the point of his ears. "Now, the human exchange student is here. I expect complete respect for her. No poking and or prodding!" He led you further into the classroom, scanning around to find somewhere for you to sit. "Let's see… Mr. Konoha had his schedule moved around. So there's a vacant spot in between Bokuto and Akaashi."

Your eyes followed the length of his finger to see the vacancy between two other students. The first one stuck out like a sore thumb. His hair was silvery and laced with dark streaks, and tall fluffy ears peaked at the top of his head. He had huge, round and golden eyes that made his face look bright, and his sharp smile looked a little goofy on him. The man next to him however looked almost human. Almost because he was disturbingly perfect. Dark hair and an almost alabaster complexion. He didn't have a single blotch or freckle and what was even stranger was the fact he had a few stark black butterflies clinging to his skin. Their wings beat calmly, and they looked almost at peace being with him.

His eyes reminded you of diamonds, and were drawing you in as you nodded to Mr. Tempus and started on your way towards your seat. You could feel your pulse skyrocket when you sat in-between them. You could feel their eyes on you, and even though they both wore friendly smiles you couldn't help but be incredibly nervous. You had never been this close to a werewolf before and you could hear the way he was already sniffing you. And now that you were closer to him you could see how absolutely huge he was. His shoulders were broad and he was tall. Not as tall as Ushijima had been, but maybe similar in height to Kuroo, who you had met earlier.

The three of you didn't exchange any words, and Mr. Tempus started to speak.

"Since we have new students today, I'm going to introduce you all to my class! Welcome to the Beginnings of Divination and Arithmancy course. Yes, yes I know. As a required course I know some of you aren't exactly excited to be here…"

He stepped down the aisle of seats, his hands behind his back. "Like Ms. Revren here who would much rather be tapping away at her smartphone!"

You watched as the Selkie in a big fluffy coat rolled her eyes and shoved her phone back into her pocket. You knew she was a selkie because of her big dark eyes, pointed teeth, and the pretty, silky looking spots that littered her cheeks. You'd seen pictures in your textbooks, and you had always found Selkies to be quite cute.

"This course isn't going to teach you any flashy magic or how to brew a love potion… but what you will learn are very practical methods of divination that you just may end up using in your everyday life as a monstrum…" the professor's eyes skimmed over you "or while living with monstra…"

Your brow furrowed and you could feel yourself shrink under more watchful eyes. You supposed this is how it felt for monsters who lived near humans. Everyone is always watching. However-- their eyes were less filled with disdain and more with wonder.

"We're going to start off the course strong with everyone's favorite. A pod project!!"

You could hear a few groans throughout the room, but next to you you could hear a skittering against the desk as something brushed, once, twice, thrice, against your back. You looked to your side to see the aforementioned werewolf grinning at the man on your other side, his claws clicking the desk and… was that his tail hitting you?

"Oh, yes yes. I know, we all dislike pod projects, but you should get to know your peers anyways. Can't all be reclusive forever." Mr. Tempus lifted a brow. "Well? Go on now! Mingle!"

You felt your throat tighten. You were quite sure you'd mingled more today than you had in your entire life. You were quite tired of mingling. Still, you put on your best smile and looked back to your side. Then, you almost immediately had a heart attack to discover the werewolf's eyes were already boring into your own.

"Hi! I'm Bokuto. Kōtarō Bokuto! That's Akaashi. I guess you're joining us for this course?"

He leaned in closer to you, and you swallowed hard as you tried to mutter out a response, but those big, pearly white, razor sharp teeth had you a bit stunned.

"Bokuto. You're being somewhat overbearing. She looks terrified." The other man, Akaashi, voiced his wisdom while flashing you his own gentle smile. You felt at ease now. What made you so nervous? Clearly Bokuto was just excited. He wasn't going to hurt you…

"Sorry. Hi, I'm Y/N. It's nice to meet you both." You gave a small nod, and tried to ignore the coo that left Bokuto's throat.

"Look at her, Akaashi! Isn't she just so tiny? What a cute little human!" His laugh was boisterous, and his eyes stared at you the same way you would stare at the puppies in pet stores. It felt weird considering he was the lupine and you were the human.

Your brows furrowed. "I'm not small, you're just big." A grin broke out across your cheeks. You watched as Bokuto's huge ears turned at an angle and faced you. They reminded you of satellite disks. Akaashi smiled, one of his black butterflies twitching it's wings before fluttering over from his cheek to his shoulder. They made you increasingly curious but you didn't say a word. You'd just have to do some more research.

"You'll have to forgive him. He gets excited when meeting new people." Akaashi gave you an apologetic nod, and you couldn't help but think of how similar to a puppy Bokuto actually was.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Now. Open your textbooks to page trecenti quadraginta duo. That's three-hundred and forty two! We're going to start simply with some easy palm reading! Get to know your group mates more intimately."

Your brows furrowed. Palm reading? Was that stuff real? You reached for your textbook, opening it to the proper page. Colorful palm diagrams littered the page, text explaining what multiple different lines meant. It all looked more confusing than Mr. Tempus was putting out.

"Now. You'll start with the non-dominant hand. This will reveal your partner's natural characteristics. Then the dominant hand will reveal how those traits have developed in practice."

You were stunned when Bokuto's large left hand fell into your eyesight on top of your book, shiny claws flexing and making you shudder.

"Me first, Y/N!! What does my palm say?" His eyes regarded you with great excitement as you took his hand into your own, staring down at the lines etched into his palm and smiling at the small chuckle Akaashi let out next to you. You glanced back at your textbook, nibbling at your bottom lip.

"Now, you must remember to take absolutely everything in account while performing a divination. Look at the hand's texture, the manner of the nails. Pay attention to any details."

You hummed, letting one of your hands slide over his palm. The skin was rough, and you couldn't help but let your fingers prod at the callouses he had. Very clearly a hard worker. You could hear the obvious swishing of his tail, his eyes staring into your own as you studied his palm.

"Well… the book says you have 'fire hands'... Means you are passionate and driven. You have a prominent wave in your head line which suggests passionate thinking!!" You were quite proud of yourself from learning all of that from something as simple as a palm. Of course, you wouldn't be able to do it without your textbook.

"That's me!! Passionate and driven! Definitely accurate." Bokuto looked proud. "Your turn, Akaashi. Give Y/N your hand!"

Akaashi smiled and turned his wrist to lay his hand, palm side up, in your own hand. A black butterfly beat its wings on his wrist before scurrying it's way up his arm. You watched it with great wonder before drawing your attention back to his hand. His palms were square and he had long, pretty fingers with prominent knuckles, blushed fingertips and carefully manicured nails. They were so pretty they made you jealous. "Book says you have 'air hands'... You have innate analytical abilities and communication skills. Oh! And your heart line has breaks which can suggest transformative bonds, or even heartbreak…"

You couldn't help but frown at that one, glancing up at Akaashi who said nothing and only smiled sadly at you. You couldn't help but wonder if you had accidentally brought something up that he'd rather not disclose, but he instead changed the subject.

"Would you like me to read your palm, Y/N?" Akaashi took your palm in his and Bokuto nodded.

"Yeah! I'm curious what your hands will mean!" His voice shot up a bit, also aching for a subject change from Akaashi's fractured heart line. You nodded, turning your hand over in his.

You could feel your face go hot at the way his hands held your own, and the way his fingers ran across your palm. "You have water hands. You're fueled by compassion and you're very sensitive." He pressed at your dewy hand, humming softly. "Your dominant Mount of Apollo suggests optimism, vitality, and dynamic essence. Finally, the depth of your life line suggests the richness of your experiences."

He flashed you a pearly smile, and you stared down at your hand in complete surprise. You couldn't lie, everything he had said sounded completely accurate to yourself as a person, and you had to agree your life experiences had been quite rich lately…

"You're really good at that Akaashi!" You gave him an eager smile to which he released your hand, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"I've had practice before. I thoroughly enjoy divination." A butterfly lingered near his nose, and you wanted so badly to ask about them before one fluttered over and landed at your knuckle. It's proboscis kissed at your skin and you couldn't help but giggle when Akaashi started to apologize, scooping the delicate insect into his hand. "My apologies. They get quite curious sometimes."

You shook your head. "Not at all. I think they're beautiful… what are they, if you don't mind my asking?" You watched how they littered his porcelain skin, before your eyes met those shiny crystal blue ones that looked like they could glow. He hummed, almost as if searching for the right words. "Let's just say they're restless souls I take with me until they are satisfied with their worldly experience…"

Your brows furrowed again. That didn't help you at all, but you decided not to pry. Restless souls?...

"Alright! I sure hope this experience was enlightening for all of you! I know I enjoyed the extra organizing time. Please write a short summary of what you learned about your own palm and email it to me when finished." Mr. Tempus began to pack his things, prompting the rest of the class-- including yourself-- to follow suit.

You stood up, swinging your book bag over your shoulder before following Bokuto and Akaashi out the door. "Y/N! Do you have anywhere to sit in the dining hall?" Bokuto fell into step next to you, his ears twitching. You smiled when Akaashi fell into step on the other side of you.

"Dining hall... Is it lunch time already?" You glanced down at your phone to check the time. Already 12 pm. Definitely lunch time. Wow, time flew. "I mean, I can sit with you guys!" And then you remembered. "Oh! Wait-- Yachi!" Akaashi gave you a strange look before you could explain.

"My roommate. I'll probably meet her there…"

Bokuto shrugged. "No worries! You can just hang with us until she shows!" To which Akaashi nodded. It was a lot easier to navigate the halls when you were following a big guy like Bokuto. People moved out of the way for him….

The three of you found your way towards the dining hall, and when you stepped inside you couldn't help but be blown away by the grandeur of the room. Long tables and crystal chandeliers stole your attention as your eyes immediately found the food bar serving a large assortment of all kinds of delicious foods… and some not so appetizing meals as well. You could feel your stomach rumble loudly and your face went hot with embarrassment.

Akaashi laughed, leading you towards the food bar. "Let me take you towards the more… human options." He smiled as he placed a hand on your lower back to help move you through the crowded hall. Even in such a large hall you could see the way the students all sectioned themselves into cliques-- almost like some kind of cheesy highschool movie. A whole table of werewolves in jerseys. A group of dark haired students in the corner, swirling red stained glasses.

Bokuto followed behind the both of you, sniffing the air and letting his nose lead him to a primarily meat based area of the bar while you and Akaashi found yourselves looking at more dairy, fruits and veggies. You grabbed a plate, and wasted no time piling it high. After all, your food expenses were covered by the exchange program. Akaashi watched you with amusement, placing a shiny apple on his plate next to a delicious looking quiche, topped with chopped green onions. It was very appealing to the eye.

Bokuto eventually returned to the both of you, plate piled high in a similar manner with a large steak that had been absolutely smothered in sauce. You both giggled at each other's plates before finding a table to sit at and start eating. Your mother used to say you could learn a lot about someone from their table manners. You definitely weren't perfect, but you tried to be neat. You could see Akaashi maneuver his own plate perfectly… but Bokuto was the odd one out in the way he let his teeth do most of the work, ripping through the meat and licking splotches of sauce from his lips.

"You didn't get a lot, Akaashi. Are you alright?" Your brow furrowed looking at his plate and he smiled. "Oh, I don't need to eat. It's more of an enjoyable thing than an actual necessity for me." He bit into his apple, and it looked incredibly saturated against his pale skin. You wondered what he meant by not having to eat.

"Oh!! Y/N!!"

You turned to face the familiar voice, seeing Yachi make her way over towards you. Her plate was piled high with sweets, and she smiled gleefully at the sight of you interacting and making friends. She sat down next to you, nodding at Bokuto and Akaashi.

"Yachi! Glad to see you! This is Bokuto, and this is Akaashi. We share a class together." You gestured to the two, and Bokuto paused his ravenous munching to wave hello to Yachi, mumbling a hello with his cheeks stuffed to the brim. She had to fight back her giggle.

"It's nice to meet you both. Thanks for helping Y/N find her way here. I got caught up in my last class with some extracurricular…" she mumbled, taking her fork to bring a bite of cake to her lips before humming at the taste.

"It's our pleasure. Y/N is our pod partner after all." Akaashi nodded at you as you ate, smiling at you. Bokuto swallowed, and you were astonished at the sight of his plate that had already been kicked clean. "And she's a human, which is interesting. I heard about the exchange program but I never expected anyone to go through with it."

Akaashi turned to look at him before scoffing softly and grabbing a napkin. "You have sauce all over your face, Bokuto." He lifted the napkin to wipe at Bokuto's face, swiping under his chin before placing it back down. You couldn't hold back your laugh at that.

"So, Bokuto. Do you ever sit with the other werewolves?" Yachi finished her cake, moving onto the ice cream next to it. "I thought the children of the moon did everything together."

Bokuto shrugged, glancing across the dining hall at the other boisterous werewolves, scratching at one of his fluffy ears. "Eh-- I don't get along with them much. Besides, I'd much rather hang out with Akaashi! I know him better."

Your eyes followed his gaze to the other werewolves, swallowing hard at the sight. Most of them looked terrifying. You could understand why he'd rather find solace with Akaashi, whose presence is calming and quiet. He's just a reassuring person in general.

Yachi nodded in agreement. "I can understand that. I don't get along with my kind either…" she frowned. "The only thing we have in common is a sweet tooth."

You frowned at that, thinking of your own relationship with your own kind as well. You too always figured that you didn't fit in much with your peers. You were always ostracized by other kids in grade school when you would stand up for Medusa in the tales of Perseus. After all, she was just a tortured soul. She was never inherently evil. You felt like you were different for having monsters in the family, and while their jests never bothered you they made you sad for different reasons.

How could humans misjudge all monsters as a singular group of people. Sure, bad things happened in the past but… that didn't mean things could change. You always realized this problem went way deeper than simple elitism. It even happened in your own family. You remember vividly how furious your grandmother was when your uncle married your aunt.

It got you thinking… the headmaster had said this program would make a difference… but would you really be able to make a difference in the grand scheme of things?...

Notes:

In this chapter we got to meet the lovable duo of Bokuto and Akaashi. Big fluffy werewolf and... Whatever Akaashi is? He's certainly curious, isn't he? ;)

Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I know it was a long wait, and I won't delve into my hectic life and bore you. Instead I'll just apologize by feeding you more work! :D ❤️

Also I should probably mention I'm by no means an expert on palm reading!! I consulted a friend who's quite good at it while writing this chapter, so none of that knowledge was my own!

Thanks for the read. Have a great day, darlings!

Chapter 5: V | Herbology

Summary:

In this chapter you attend your final day class, and meet a new friend as well as a very interesting professor! You also get to spend a little extra time with the werewolf, Bokuto! Seems you're fitting in just fine, hm?

"Oh! Oh!! What if we went home and met each other's parents? Wouldn't that be so cool? I mean, you can see what werewolf families are like, and I'll get to meet two more humans!"

"As nice as that sounds Bokuto, we just met…"

You watched as his big frame slightly deflated, his tail going stiff. You had only known the wolf for a few hours, and already you had watched him experience four different mood swings. You watched as Akaashi placed a hand on the taller male's shoulder.

"All in due time, I'm sure. I think we all get along quite nicely."

You watched as those crystal eyes shifted from Bokuto to yourself, and you couldn't help but quickly turn your face away in slight embarrassment. How long had you been staring?

"I agree! I think we'll be great friends! I'm sure Y/N is glad to have met so many people today." Yachi fluttered at your side, a smile beaming on her lips.

You nodded. It was a little overwhelming, all of the new names and faces swimming in your mind. Bokuto, Akaashi, Suna, Ushijima, Tendō, Kuroo, Kenma, and Yachi. You had met so many people, learned a lot of new things, and it had only been your first day… You couldn't help but be incredibly nervous for your next day… four new classes…

Your little group eventually came to a crossroads.

"Well, I have to go this way for my next class… and Herbology is that way…" Yachi frowned softly, and Akaashi shared her sentiment.

"I also have to take a left here. Worry not, though. Bokuto's next class is just past Herbology." He gave Yachi a gentle smile and Bokuto bounced on his feet, tail wagging up a storm behind him. It was a wonder he didn't start flying away…

"Oo! Yes! I can walk Y/N to class!! Great idea!" Bokuto slung an arm around your shoulders in a sort of side hug, a grin on his lips. It was warm against him, and being pressed against his side made you feel quite small.

"Alright. Keep her safe, Bokuto!" Yachi waved and stepped off with Akaashi in the other direction, and Bokuto released you before starting to lead you in another direction.

"Have you ever had Herbology, Bokuto?" Your voice was a little softer now that the halls had calmed down, and Bokuto was a relaxing presence.

"Oh, me? Yeah. I'm in my third year, so I have." He gave you a toothy grin, and you couldn't help but fixate on those fangs again. You wondered for a second if the story of Little Red Riding Hood was true. If so, the last thing she saw were probably big, glistening teeth just like his. You were feeling less relaxed now…

"What kind of stuff happens there?" You tilted your head to the side. You were curious. It sounded like a class you would be able to excel in… that is, if it was actually just the study of plants…

"Eh, plant stuff. Learning about herbs and raising some leaves and such." He waved his hand around as if Herbology was the most uninteresting topic in the whole universe. It was in character though. Werewolves didn't tend to be very interested in plants.

You nodded to yourself, clutching your bag tighter in your hands as you let your eyes drift for the ground. "I don't think I ever asked- what are you studying here?" You both continued walking. "I mean I never really thought about what I intended to do after this, but you probably have! So maybe you could indulge me-- of that isn't too--"

"Comin' through!!! Outta the way!!"

The loud voice cut you out of your thoughts, and when you looked up, to your absolute horror you could see a tall, broad figure barreling towards you. For a second you resigned yourself to it. This was about to be, what? The third time someone had run straight into you today? You let your eyes squeeze shut as you braced for impact, and yet…

It never came…

Instead, when you opened your eyes your ears were met with the sounds of growling. Bokuto had taken a protective stance in front of you, and the figure from before had his collar clutched in his fist. Growls rumbled from their throats, and where Bokuto's shook through your body, the other guy's made your spine sting. You'd never heard such terrifying sounds.

"The hell ya' think yer doin'? I'm tryin' to get to class!" The guy was tall, pointy blonde ears pulled back against his head. Red ink marking littered his face and his lips were pulled up into a snarl.

Bokuto didn't back down, his own ears flattening. His eyes looked fierce. There was a certain wild quality in them now. Something untamed. "You almost ran straight into Y/N! You should apologize."

"Y/N? I don't even know a Y/N! Now, why don't ya' get the hell…"

It took you a second to notice his eyes were on you, brows twitching in confusion before he huffed, releasing Bokuto's collar. He clicked his tongue as he stepped past the werewolf, and you noticed the way Bokuto's fur stood on end. His eyes left you eventually as he walked past, fluffy tails swishing behind him. Another guy of similar stature followed after him, harshly clapping the back of his head. You didn't pay much mind. You were worried about Bokuto.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't notice! He didn't hurt you, did he?" You stepped forwards to fuss with Bokuto's uniform, frown etched into your lips.

Bokuto's chest heaved for a few seconds longer before a small chuckle left him, his tail back to it's normal, wagging behavior.

"You're worried about me, Y/N? Don't worry! I promised Yachi I'd take care of ya! What kind of upperclassman doesn't keep to his word?" His smile was calming and you felt better about the entire interaction.

"Thanks for looking out for me then, Bokuto." You gave him a smile, and couldn't help laughing at the way he sputtered, his face going red. He clearly wasn't used to being praised as an upperclassman.

"It's nothing really!! Let's just get you to class before you're late…" he rubbed furiously at the back of his neck, leading you off towards the end of the hall. Eventually you arrived at your classroom, twisting your shoes against the floor.

"Well… this is it… thanks for walking me, Bokuto." You smiled up at him, and he reciprocated.

"No problem, Y/N. I'll catch you later, yeah?" He waved before heading off for his own class and you sighed. You'd have to do something later as a proper thank you. He saved your bottom from hitting the ground once again today. You were starting to wonder if you were cursed…

You opened the door to the classroom-- at least, you were EXPECTING a classroom. Instead, you were pleasantly surprised by a room with a wall of windows. Sunlight shined through, giving the entire area an ethereal glow. You stepped in nervously, the entire class having conversations of their own. You looked around the room, noticing a figure at the front of the room, of which you presumed to be the professor. You decided to approach.

"Uhm- Hi. I'm the human exchange student?"

The figure turned around, and you couldn't help but be stunned by their beauty. They had an androgynous face-- in fact everything about them was androgynous. So much so that your brain felt like it was malfunctioning.

"Oh? Welcome Y/N! I was expecting you!!" They smiled at you, holding out a hand. "I'm Professor Trab!"

The professor's skin had a greyish tone to it, with long, blunt nails that scratched your palm when they shook it.

"It's nice to meet you, M…" you trailed off, scratching at your hand. The professor laughed.

"Oh dear. You can use whichever you like! Ms., Mr., Mx. I don't exactly fit a human's natural gender scale." Professor Trab gave you a sharp toothed grin, and you couldn't help but smile back. It felt quite warm. "I'm glad to have you in class! Fresh faces are always a joy! You can take whichever desk you prefer."

The separate desks were a welcome sight considering every other class had you sharing. You grabbed an open spot at the front of the room next to the windows, sitting down on your seat. You couldn't help but stare out that same window into what appeared to be some sort of greenhouse. Some of the plants appeared to be moving… and that was more than alarming…

"Alright, class! Let's all take our seats. Get out your books and open up to page viginti unus!" Professor Trab stepped up to the front of the class and waved a hand. "I'm Professor Trab. And before you ask, yes, I am a mimic, and no, I will not be changing my form anytime soon."

You flipped open your book. A mimic, hm? That made a lot of sense as to why the professor said they didn't have a particular gender… technically the professor could be anything they pleased…

You looked down at your book, and felt your blood run cold at the chapter header. Carnivorae Plantae? Isn't that a bit advanced??...

"We will be starting with carnivorous plants! If you're wondering why… well… it's because you'll be raising one." Professor Trab smirked as some of the students shrunk away in fear, and some puffed up with excitement.

"This plant raising experience will be worth half your grade, so prepare for that!" You were starting to think the professor was a complete sadist.

"Today we will go over the two different species you get to choose from, and you'll get to pick your plant partner!"

Your face fell as you noticed you knew no one in the room, and everyone else was already eyeing their potential partner. You were starting to despise group projects.

"Let's start… Please pick up your books and follow me into the greenhouse." Trab stood and made their way out to the door at your left, opening it and stepping out. You scrambled to follow with the test of the class. As soon as you stepped into the greenhouse you were hit with a wave of moisture. The smell of grass and an aroma of honey swirled around you and suddenly you very much liked this class.

"I've always preferred first hand experience over textbook images. Why not introduce you to the adult stages of the plant options."

You noticed three containers sat out at a table, and your eyes grew wide at all of their movement. When the professor said carnivorous plants, you were expecting a Venus fly trap. These things were making noise…

"First, we have Duplexcaput Flos. More commonly known as Toothroot!" You followed the professor's hand gesture, eyes locking onto what looked like some kind of creature. It had what looked like two flowering heads that were full of rows and rows of teeth. Thick brownish roots twisted around it's base and it's heads snapped in the air. "This plant lives on a diet of large insects and sometimes mice. Can't handle too much water but has a hearty appetite!" The professor stepped forwards.

"Your other option is the aquatic plant, Aquaflos Quattleg! Also known as the False Frog!" This time the plant was submerged in water, and the professor reached in and pulled out a small creature no bigger than, well, a frog. These names were starting to be fitting. You could have sworn you'd never seen a plant look like an animal before. The only difference it had from a real frog were it's lack of eyes and the thin twisty green roots that curled around it's spindly limbs. It was almost kinda cute… "This plant feeds on small water dwelling insects and fish eggs!"

You watched Professor Trab sit the plant back into its container, wiping their hands on their pants before turning to the class. "Now I suggest picking a plant that will suit your schedule. Both are pretty beginner level plants and so long as you feed them they'll survive. Now, pick your partners and then we can distribute the seeds."

The room erupted into talk, monsters scurrying about and immediately finding their partners. It was just as you feared, you were the odd one out. No matter how hard your eyes searched you saw nobody you could partner with.

That was… until your eyes found a tuft of orange hair. You noticed that a student stood off to the side, and he was all alone. He was looking around desperately, just like you were, and you felt a sense of relief to see you weren't the only one. You approached him with an air of confidence, standing in front of him.

"Hi! Do you have a partner yet?"

He jumped at the sudden attention. "Who, me? Oh-- no. No I don't!" You watched him ruffle his own orange feathers, and you could guess why he had no partner. Raising a plant as a Harpy must be difficult, considering he had wings in the place of arms.

"Let's be partners then! I'm Y/N L/N!" You gave him a smile, and had to fight the urge to hold out your hand for him to shake.

"I'm Hinata! Hinata Shōyō!" His smile felt like a beam of sunshine and you couldn't help but feel your face grow warm. He was quite cute.

"It's nice to meet you, Hinata! You wouldn't mind if we picked the False Frog, right? The Toothroot is kinda scary with all of it's… teeth.." you glanced back at the plants at the front of the room, your skin crawling at the sight of the Toothroot.

Hinata shook his head. "I agree completely. I was going to ask the same thing…"

The two of you stepped up towards the professor, smiles on your faces.

"Ah, Hinata and L/N then? Did you decide on a plant yet?" Trab smiled, holding two small boxes. One in each hand.

"We'd like to have the False Frog!" Hinata let his chest puff forwards, a confident air surrounding him, and you gave the professor a nod of confirmation.

The professor nodded, placing one of the boxes into your hand before pointing towards a separate table holding different pots and soils. "Excellent choice! You're going to want to grab one of those clear pots of water and add some of the soil to the bottom. After that drop your seed in the water and wait."

You nodded, stepping out of the way with Hinata so the next team could receive their seed. You grabbed a floral vase, and Hinata pushed a package of soil towards you with his wing. You thanked him, pouring the soil in and watching it sink to the bottom before you popped open the box you were handed.

Inside was a bulbous little green seed, spindly little roots circled around it, and you smiled when you dumped the seed into the water. You and Hinata both watched as the seed almost doubled in size, the roots unfurling from around it to grip onto the soil at the bottom of the glass. They pulsed, almost as if they were taking in the water before filtering it back out and you and Hinata were immediately transfixed.

"Should we name it?..." Hinata's question caught you off guard, a small giggle leaving your throat.

"Why not… What do you wanna call it?"

Hinata hummed for a minute, talons clicking against the floor in thought before his eyes lit up. "Oh! How about we call it Lil' Green?"

You were a little stunned by how literal the name was before you laughed. "Well, it is little and green. Sure!" You leaned in closer to the vase, poking at the grass. "Nice to meet you, Lil' Green. We're your parents now…"

Hinata laughed, grinning from ear to ear. You could tell he wanted to hold the glass too. Sadly, he'd have to be sitting to do so. The only thing close enough to hands he had were the talons of his feet. "I hope you like your name, little buddy. Make sure you grow big and strong!"

You glanced back at him. "So… if we're going to be co-parenting this plant… Maybe we could exchange numbers? It could be useful in case we ever have to take it home…"

Hinata went bright red. "Oh uhm…. I don't have a phone."

You felt like an idiot. A very stupid idiot. "Oh right!! Um- you don't have hands…" you smacked your palm against your forehead. "I'm so sorry…"

Hinata laughed, lifting his wing to brush his shoulder. His feathers were quite breathtaking. You'd never seen such orange feathers… "It's fine! Uhm- maybe we could just meet up more often? The school library could work?"

You nodded, still flustered from your mistake. Eventually Professor Trab interrupted discussion. "Now! It seems like everyone has their plants planted, class is almost over. I'll ask you to leave them here until next class, and you will be quite surprised by their growth!" The professor led everyone back towards the classroom, and you waved to Lil' Green as you left. You grabbed your stuff and found Hinata in the back of the classroom, giving him a smile. "I'm glad we were able to partner up! I was worried I'd be alone."

Hinata looked sheepish. "I can understand that. I didn't think anyone would be willing to work with me. You really are an angel!" Once he noticed what he said, he went red again. "I mean-- well- not like that!! But you are pretty! It's just--"

You couldn't help but laugh at his stuttering. "It's alright Hinata! I get what you're saying." Your heart felt warm at the compliment, and your fingers twisted at the bottom of your skirt. "I'll see you next class?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes! Definitely!" His bag had been strapped to his shoulder. He waved a wing before rushing out the door with the rest of the class.

You sighed, glancing out of the window once more to see Lil' Green's vase. Who knew this class would make you a plant mom? Bokuto made this class seem a lot less interesting…

"Y/N…"

You turned your head in alarm, feeling relieved when you noticed it was just the professor.

"Thank you for partnering with Hinata. I was worried he would be left out."

You smiled, shaking your head. "It's nothing really. I know how it feels to be left out all the time. I kinda just saw myself in him." You shrugged your bag higher on your shoulder.

Professor Trab wore a sad smile at your sentiment, rubbing a hand against their trousers. "Well, if either of you ever need any help, don't hesitate to ask."

You smiled. "I won't." And with that you stepped out of the classroom. It was time for you to meet with Yachi near the front entrance. Finally your first day has come to a close. Four classes, and a ton of new faces. What else would Teraschola Academy have in store for you tomorrow?

Notes:

Phew!! New chapter huh? How do you guys feel now that you've met Hinata and finally completed your first day of classes! Next chapter will be a sort of review and chill chapter were you get to spend more time with your skittish roommate, Yachi!

I hope you guys enjoyed this most recent instalment and are excited to be a plant parent with Hinata! Also please don't analyze my made up plants too harshly. I kinda came up with them on the fly, and no, they don't exist at all. Not that it matters though- because neither do most of the things in this story!

Anyways, love you guys! Have a great day 💕

Chapter 6: VI | Dinner

Summary:

In this chapter you'll meet two interesting people and spend more time with you're lovable roomie, Yachi! You'll also get to have a chat with your family.

You carried your book bag close to your chest as you made your way towards the front entrance of the school, where you promised to meet Yachi. You were able to escape your first day without any homework and for that you were grateful.

You had met so many people, and you had promised to call your family after your first day. Honestly though, you were just excited to finally spend some free time with your new roomie. You and Yachi seemed to have so much in common, and it had been a long time since you met someone who you could relate to so much. Thinking back on it, your aunt was probably the last person you could relate to at all.

Eventually you pushed through the crowd, exiting the front doors and feeling almost refreshed by the warm sun gracing your skin.

"Y/N over here!"

You looked down from the sky to see Yachi a few yards off. She waved you down and you couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. You approached her, bag slung over your shoulder.

"Hey, Yachi! How was your last class?" The two of you started off towards your dorm building, and she giggled.

"Oh, I was fine! I'm more concerned for you. How did that walk with Bokuto go?"

Your brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" You had figured the walk was quite fine, and Bokuto seemed like a pretty trustworthy guy… were you missing something.

Yachi snickered, her expression shifting ever so slightly. "C'mon! I saw the way you were ogling him and Akaashi… not to mention I heard you got pretty comfortable with Kenma Kozume in your first class." You felt a little stunned that she had not only noticed your subtle ogling, but had also heard about what happened in your Occult class. Then again, if she were able to notice you probably weren't being so subtle. She wiggled her eyebrows at you playfully. "Do you have a thing for monster guys?..."

Your throat felt dry at the accusation, your face heating up to impossible levels. "I-- what? I was just-- I don't know--"

Yachi cut you off with her laughing, small hand moving to pat at your shoulder. "Relax, Y/N!!! I was only teasing!"

You sighed in relief, swallowing hard. "Right… yeah…" you glanced down at your feet, hands feeling clammy. You couldn't help but delve into the thought a little further. You had to admit you'd been feeling a lot differently since you first arrived on campus. Your entire life you'd never really been too attached to human men. Even the boys you messed around with in highschool weren't any good… but every time you met a new, stunning monster you could feel your pulse quicken. You could hear your heart pound.

Maybe… maybe you DID have a thing for monsters…

It felt weird coming to the realization. You would have never known before, considering the only monster you had ever known was your aunt… but then again it did run in the family. Your uncle married a vampire after all…

"In all seriousness though, did the walk go well?"

You were pulled out of your thoughts, reaching up to scratch at the back of your neck. "It went well. Some guy almost bumped me again, but Bokuto took care of that."

Yachi's brows shot up towards her hairline.

"Took care of that? What'd he do, kill the guy?" She looked a little afraid of your answer. You laughed.

"No. They just kinda growled at each other… looked ready to throw punches." You tapped at your chin recounting what happened. "You could almost smell the testosterone."

Yachi laughed again. "I'm sure. I noticed that wolves tend to do that whole grandstanding thing a lot." She nodded to herself, swiping her student ID to get into the dorm building.

You laughed a little, following her inside the building. The both of you walked past a few vending machines, and you smiled at the girls surrounding them before you both made it to the elevator.

"Wonder why they're awake. You said this was the nocturnal dorm, right?" You watched Yachi press the button for your floor, readying her key in her hand.

"Oh, they're in the agriculture club on Mondays." She smiled up at you, wings fluttering behind her, catching the fluorescent light from above.

Soon the door opened and you made your way to your room, stepping in with a small sigh. You immediately fell face first into your bed, dropping your bag on the floor with a groan. "This campus is sooo much bigger than my last one..."

Yachi snickered, sitting her own bed down before moving to sit on her bed, pulling out her phone. "Yeah, it's pretty big huh…"

You eventually sat up, reaching for your laptop from where it sat on your desk. "You don't mind if I call my family, do you?"

Yachi lifted a brow. "Of course not! I call my family all the time too. My dad is a huge worrywart."

You hummed. "Mine too. He thinks I'm gonna be eaten." You flipped open the device, booting up your video call app and clicking on the group chat with your parents and aunt. You clicked the video call icon and watched the little icon swirl on the screen before your aunt's face popped up on screen. She had your youngest cousin on her shoulder, twisting his tiny fingers through her dark hair.

"Y/N!! How are you, my darling? How was your first day?" Her smile beamed, sharp fangs gleaming and making her face look much brighter.

"Aunt Lilith! It was great!! I met so many great people!" Your smile matched the intensity of hers, and you moved to pull your TS hat off of your head.

"That's really great, honey! Oh I remember when I attended the academy. Is it still being run by the Ukai's?"

You nodded. "It is! This place is so big! I got lost more than on-"

"Y/N!!!" You were cut off by your mother's voice, and her and your father's faces popping up on screen next to your aunt's. "How are you!? Are you safe?"

Your aunt shifted in her seat, scratching at her arm. You sighed, shaking your head. "Mom, Dad. I'm fine. My first day went perfectly and I've made so many friends."

Your dad smiled. He looked relieved. "Good. I'm glad you're getting along with some girls your age."

You didn't have the heart to tell him only one of those friends was a female.

"What are your classes like?" Your aunt's voice cut back into the conversation, a small smile on her lips. "Have any favorites?"

You chuckled, rubbing at the back of your neck. "Well I have eight classes. Four a day. Today I had Occult, Physical Education, Divination and Herbology."

"Occult? What are you doing there?" Your mother had this strange, slightly scared look in her eyes at the sound of the class. "You're not making some kind of sacrifice, are you?"

"God, mom! No! Not all rituals are like that." You huffed, slightly embarrassed at the snicker Yachi let out at the sound of your mother's question. "Even if it was, I'm a grown woman. I can handle myself."

"No one has messed with you… have they? No bites or anything like that?..." Your father looked suspicious and you groaned in annoyance at their blatant disrespect while your aunt was on the phone. "Y'know what, I'm getting hungry. I think I'm gonna go." You gave a curt wave and disconnected the call before your mother could protest. You immediately texted your aunt an apology for their behavior.

You could tell it upset her when your parents acted so cold towards other monsters. She only reassured you that it wasn't your fault, and that she was used to it. Just because she was used to it didn't make it okay.

You groaned, scrubbing your fingers against your scalp. "Sorry you had to hear that, Yachi."

She smiled. "No, don't worry at all. My parents are the same way. To them I'm the only monster that isn't… well, monstrous." She stood up. "Do you wanna go out and grab some dinner?"

You stood as well, brushing off your thighs. "Definitely. Do you know any good places?" You started to change out of your uniform, instead pulling on a simple pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. The weather was getting a little chilly, but you still wanted to be comfortable.

Yachi nodded. She had opted to simply pull a coat over her uniform blazer. "There's a diner a few minutes away if you walk. That's where I usually eat. They have a great selection of deserts."

She noticed the worried look on your face and laughed. "Don't worry! They have human food too! I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise."

You let out a breath of relief. Your biggest fear about moving out here in a monster city was to go somewhere that only had things you couldn't consume. That would be pretty embarrassing, you had to admit. Then again, even the town you lived in had monster friendly restaurants and cafés. You would eat there all the time and just enjoy the atmosphere. You were always too nervous to say hi to anyone, even though so many of the people who came in looked so interesting.

You grabbed a clutch and shoved your billfold inside before following Yachi out of your dorm and towards the street. Eventually you reached a student parking lot. Your breath left your lips in puffs that swirled around your face. Wow, was it chilly…

"Brr! Well, the walk isn't too long so I'm sure we'll be fine!" Yachi gave you a smile. The tip of her nose was already going pink. "I'm sure we could probably catch the bus? If you're too col-"

"Hey, Yachi!"

The both of you stopped and swung around at the sound of someone calling Yachi's name, and when you swung around you saw two people. One was a boy who looked seemingly normal at first before you got a look at the horns on his head, and that was before you noticed his fluffy, digitigrade legs and hooves. A Satyr.

The figure next to him was significantly taller but still very slim. He also had horns protruding from his head, but he wasn't a Satyr. Huge leathery wings rested against his back, a thick tail swinging behind him and for a minute you thought you were in a fantasy novel. You would've never guessed a dragon hybrid would be attending this school. Your aunt had told you they were incredibly rare.

"Yamaguchi!!" Yachi stopped to wave, and you had trouble discerning which one was Yamaguchi… and you felt incredibly awkward.

The two reached you, and it was only now you could see just how unbelievably tall the dragon hybrid was. He glared down at you over the rim of his glasses, and you remembered something Yachi had said to you earlier today. She mentioned a mean, scowling dragon with glasses. This had to be him.

"You and your friend headed somewhere? It's cold out. We could give you a ride?" The Satyr smiled and you knew immediately that he had to be Yamaguchi.

"Oh! This is Y/N, my roomie! We were headed to the diner down the street." Yachi noticed your awkwardness and decided to wrap a thin arm around your shoulder. You gave a small smile and a nod, trying to avoid the dragon's scrutinizing eyes.

"Oh! It's nice to meet you, Y/N. My name is Yamaguchi and this is Tsukishima. We were heading to the grocery store, so we can drop you off on the way." Yamaguchi jabbed his thumb in the direction of a car that you assumed was his.

"We'd... uhm- We'd really appreciate that." You rubbed your hands together, frowning at how your fingertips had become numb.

"Just make sure you don't get in the way." The dragon, Tsukishima, huffed out. His voice sounded slightly hoarse as he stepped away towards Yamaguchi's car. Your frown deepened at his attitude, but you bit your tongue. They were doing you a favor, after all.

"Tsukki!- I'm sorry about him! He's, well… grumpy?" Yamaguchi frowned as well, hooves trotting against the pavement as he led both you and Yachi towards his car. The both of you climbed into the back seat, and Yamaguchi took his place as driver. Tsukishima had already busied himself with putting on a pair of headphones.

"So, Y/N! Uhm- are you the human exchange student everyone's been talking about?" Yamaguchi started a conversation as soon as he started the car, and you could tell he was the kind of guy who couldn't handle long silences.

Your face felt hot. Has everyone really been talking about you? You weren't sure whether you should be worried or embarrassed.

"I am. Today was my first day." Your voice was small, and you couldn't help but pick at your nails.

"That's exciting! I hope our school's treating you well." His smile was kind, and you could tell why he and Yachi were friends. Yamaguchi seemed like a genuinely good guy.

"It's been great! Everyone has been very friendly and the classes are very interesting." You watched Tsukishima's eyes shift towards you in the rear view mirror. You said nothing, just flashed him a grin. He averted his eyes.

It wasn't long until the car slowed to a stop.

"Well, here we are. It was nice meeting you, Y/N!" Yamaguchi flashed you a smile as well. You found his lack of canines interesting, but it made sense. Satyrs were herbivorous after all.

"Nice to meet you too Yamaguchi! You too, Tsukishima." Your smile was a little more mischievous when you said the dragon's name. You were mostly doing it to get under his skin. Both you and Yachi got out of the car, and waved as it drove away.

"That was nice of them… anyways, let's get inside and order!" Yachi opened the door to the diner, and the jingle of the door gave you plenty of nostalgia.

The dimly lit diner felt like the perfect place for dinner, and you immediately felt at ease just stepping through the door. A girl moved around the establishment, and stopped when she saw you. "Table for two? Follow me." She gave you a smile, and both you and Yachi followed her deeper into the building. She sat you both by a window, handing you menus. "I can get ya started on drinks?" She pulled out a small notepad. Yachi just smiled at her.

"A chocolate milkshake with two cherries. What about you?"

You were confused. Yachi hadn't said anything… but you supposed she was a regular.

You flipped open the menu, you thought for a minute, but before you could open your mouth to speak the waitress talked again.

"Iced tea? As you wish. I'll get that out to you in a bit."

She stepped away, and her silhouette looked a little smokey as she left your eyesight.

"How did she know that?" You were a little freaked out.

"Oh! She's a djinn! She can read what you desire. It's like mind reading."

"Huh… interesting…" you watched as Yachi sat her bag down, before she crossed her hands and brought her attention back to you.

"So, Y/N! Considering we're going to be roommates for a while, we should get to know more about each other!" Her voice was chirpy, and it made you smile.

"But let's skip the small talk and jump into the interesting stuff! Why'd you come to Teraschola?"

You hummed. "Well, it's a long story. I really just wanted to expand my knowledge and meet new types of people. My hometown is full of closed minded people and I didn't really fit in much."

You continued to search through the menu, finding in surprise that they had your favorite. You absolutely had to order it. "Why did you come to Teraschola?"

Yachi sighed. "Honestly? To get some time away from family. My parents are pretty suffocating." She looked as if she hated saying that, but it was most certainly true.

The djinn girl brought you your drinks, and neither of you even had to say anything. She already knew what you wanted and so she took your menus and stepped back towards the kitchen to put in your orders. You took a sip of your tea, pleased with the taste spreading across your tongue. It was the perfect flavor for unwinding.

"Next question! Do you have a boyfriend?"

You almost choked on your drink, coughing as you hurried to regain your composure. "A- A what?" Your voice was choked.

Yachi squealed, reaching over to fuss and try to help you. "Oh! I'm sorry! I should have warned you before being so forward! It's just… I don't usually have girls my age I can gossip with." She looked embarrassed, and you sighed.

"No, no. I'm sorry, you just caught me off guard." Your face felt hot again. "I don't. I have before but it's never been serious."

Yachi looked interested in that. "What's it like? I've… never had one." Her laugh was soft and almost a little bashful. "If I ever had a boyfriend my dad would've killed me."

"Well, I've only ever dated human guys… and the guys I dated all sucked. I've been single for a while because of it. Your parents sound even stricter than mine."

Yachi sighed. "They're pretty overprotective. They never had kids of their own so they got super protective when they adopted me." She smiled as she reminisced. "They're good people, though. They just don't know much about monsters and it scares them."

You nodded. That's exactly how you would describe your parents. Good people that didn't hate monsters. They were just afraid of things they didn't understand, whereas you were intrigued.

Eventually your food arrived, and you noticed that Yachi had ordered a slice of chocolate pie.

"Dessert?" You looked confused, taking a bite of your food. Yachi hummed before noticing you were talking about her food.

"Oh! I didn't think to mention it! My diet-- well-- my species' diet consists mostly of sugars and sweets." She took a bite of her cake and you nodded.

You never knew. Yachi seemed like a very interesting person. You couldn't wait to get to know her better.

The both of you talked well after you finished your meal, and late into the night. You shared childhood stories and interesting facts before the diner came to close and the both of you walked home. The walk home was also full of chatter, and you were surprised to find your dorm building bustling. That is until you remembered it was a nocturnal dorm. Girls were everywhere and you and Yachi had to squeeze around to get to the elevator to make it to your dorm.

By the time you got in, you felt like a zombie. Your eyes were droopy and your feet were heavy. Both you and Yachi exchanged yawn filled goodnights while changing into your pajamas before falling into bed.

Yachi was asleep in seconds. She would have to get her sleep schedule back on track with you tomorrow considering she usually only had night classes. You were thankful she was kind enough to mess up her own schedule to help you.

However, even though you were tired, it took you a while. Excitement was still thrumming through your veins at the possibilities of your night classes the next day. Who all would you meet, what would you learn? Everything was all so new and exciting at Teraschola Academy. You opened your phone to send your parents a goodnight text, even if they were probably already in bed.

After that it wasn't long until you were snoring, drifting off with thoughts of your day and all of the friends you had made.

Notes:

Yay!! New chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this simple segway chapter into your night classes! Next chapter will be you attending your first night class, so I hope you're all just as excited as I am for that!!

I wanted to make this chapter simple, but also it gives you a little more insight into Yachi's life, and how she came to be at Teraschola! Also, you got to meet Yamaguchi and Tsukishima! (One of your eligible bachelors XD)

Thank you so much for reading, my loves! I hope you all have a wonderful day or night or afternoon!!

Chapter 7: VII - Intro to the Arcane Arts

Summary:

In this chapter you attend your first night class and meet an interesting pair of monsters. You also reunite with someone you met the day before after an unfortunate mix-up.

You awoke to the sound of your phone blaring in your ears. You smacked your palm against the screen with a groan, turning back onto your side when the alarm silenced to let your eyes slip closed once more. You relinquished your body to the euphoric throws of sleep once more, going limp under your covers.

This time when your alarm sounded, it came back with a vengeance. You squealed, shooting up from where you laid to clutch your hands over your ears. You reached over to fumble with the device, thoroughly awake and quite annoyed by the disturbance.

The clock read five post meridiem, and you rubbed your eyes in disbelief. Five pm!? Had you really slept for that long.

You looked across the room to Yachi's bed, finding it empty. She must have already headed out for her own classes. It would be smart if you got ready as well.

You drug yourself out of bed into the bathroom of your dorm, finding a cute pink sticky note on the mirror. It was handwritten and addressed to you.

'Y/N,
Sorry to leave you on your own! I had to head in early to discuss something with my professor. Text me if you need help finding one of your classes! I'll see you in History!
-Yachi'

You smiled at the rounded handwriting and hearts scribbled onto the paper. "Oh Yachi. You're adorable." You hummed to yourself, reaching for your toothbrush to prepare yourself for the day-- or rather night ahead.

Finally you had gotten your teeth cleaned and your appearance to behave. You grabbed a clean uniform, dressing yourself. You still couldn't get over how proper you looked in the Teraschola Academy uniform, with its crisp blazer and shiny buttons. You looked like a bonafide private school student.

Well, technically you were one now, even if this was only an exchange plan. You placed your aunt's hat on your head, chewing at your bottom lip as you looked over your night schedule and packed your bag accordingly. First up was Intro to the Arcane Arts. It was probably one of the more unnerving classes in your schedule. Still not as terrifying as Combat and Defense. Would you really have to fight someone?

You shuddered at the thought, pulling your bag on your shoulder before grabbing your student ID and keys. You headed down the elevator for the dorm's communal lounge. As you entered you could feel eyes following you. You tried to pay them no mind, walking over to the vending machines and trying to swipe your ID to get something to start your night. You groaned in annoyance when the machine beeped at you, almost taunting you with the fact you were getting frustrated.

You could hear snickering behind you, and you clenched your fists in annoyance. How could they be making fun of you? It was childish, really.

"Do you need any help?"

You turned to see a woman staring at you, and you found yourself enraptured in her eyes. Wow, she was gorgeous… "Uhm-- yeah I'd love some help." You stepped to the side and allowed the woman to step in front of you.

"You're supposed to just tap it against the card reader." She hummed, demonstrating the actions before clicking the same numbers you had been jamming before and handing you the snack that was vended to her. "Here you go."

Her smile made you a little nervous, but you returned one anyway. "Thank you. I'm Y/N."

"I know. Everyone is talking about you." She sounded somewhat nonchalant, but she spoke very quietly. She was also quite tall but she somehow still appeared strikingly human. She adjusted her glasses on her nose. "My name is Kiyoko. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. Thank you for your help." You gave a small bow, standing back up with your snack before turning to head towards the door. You did wave her goodbye, though.

You checked your phone, softly cursing to yourself when you saw the time. If you didn't hurry you would end up being late. You snacked on your gift from Kiyoko while walking across campus. Even though the moon was gracing the sky the campus was still as rowdy as ever. That only made sense, considering half of the campus was strictly nocturnal.

You checked the room number again as you passed by a map of the campus, only to realize that you had walked to the wrong building. Classrooms 430-621 were on the other side of the campus!! You groaned once again, for the upteenth time tonight. Must you keep making mistakes like this.

"Rough Night?"

The familiar voice behind you struck your ears and you felt a strange sense of deja vu. Hadn't this happened once before?

"Pretty much." You turned around to see a familiar figure with a head of messy black hair. "Oh. Kuroo, right? I uhm- may have gotten lost and walked to the wrong building so I'm definitely going to be late."

Kuroo looked a little surprised you remembered his name, flashing you another fanged smile like before. "Hey-- I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I may have come across a little too strong. I tend to do that when I'm teasing Kenma."

You felt a little warm. Was he really worried that he made you uncomfortable? It was honestly pretty sweet. Not the kind of behavior you would have expected from a vampire. "Don't worry about it. You didn't upset me or anything. I promise!" You smiled back at him, shifting your bag higher on your shoulder. Kuroo looked down at his watch, fangs peeking out from behind his lips. "Where are you heading?"

"Intro to the Arcane Arts." You looked at him with a strange sense of curiosity. Did he know a faster way there?

"I can get you there in a minute or two… if you trust me? It's a lot to ask but I figured I'd still offer." His expression was nervous, and you felt a sense of relief fill your chest.

"Oh at this point I'll take anything. I trust you." You smiled at him and he nodded. He looked a little shocked that you confirmed so quickly but moved towards you anyways.

"You might get a little bit dizzy." You didn't have time to ask what he meant when you were lifted into the air, and suddenly wind was whizzing past your ears. Your breath caught in your throat as everything seemed to move one hundred times faster, so fast your eyes couldn't rationalize what was happening around you. Everything was a swirling blur.

Your fingers clenched tightly to the surface under you, fabric soft under your fingers and grounding you. What was happening? Had he picked you up? You knew vampires were fast but this took the word fast to a whole new level.

Suddenly time froze and it took you a second to realize nothing froze, but instead returned to normal. You gasped, chest heaving when Kuroo lifted you from his shoulder to steady your swaying frame back on your feet.

"There you go… are you alright?"

You know how cartoon characters turn green when they get queasy? Yeah, that's how you felt at that moment. You clutched your tummy, pressing a hand against Kuroo to try and remain standing.

"A-already here? Wow… thank you…" Your speech was just slightly drawled out, and you were clearly incredibly dizzy.

"Y/N? Are you gonna be okay?" Kuroo looked worried that he may have accidentally hurt you, and you shook your head as you finally regained your composure.

"No! I mean yeah! I'm fine! I'll be fine." You smiled at him. "You really saved me there. I appreciate it."

Kuroo's cheeks flushed, bringing color to his pale face as he averted his eyes. "Oh-- it's nothing. Listen uh-- I gotta get going but have fun in class."

"Alright! Well you to-"

He was gone before you could finish your sentence.

Why was he acting so strangely?

You sighed, rubbing at the back of your neck before finally turning towards the door in front of you and stepping into the classroom. Just on time. The set up of the classroom was very interesting. There was a large open area in the middle that was boxed in by rows and rows of students, almost like an academic colosseum.

A man stood in the middle of the class, fussing with a stack of books. You assumed he was the professor. You saw other students picking their own seats and decided to do the same, finding a nice spot in the front with a good view and taking a seat in the row, placing your bag under the table. You could feel eyes burning into the back of your skull as soon as you sat down. Was everyone going to just stare at you?

Someone eventually stood next to you, staying silent. You looked at him, noticing the pointy grey ears on his head and letting your eyebrows knit together. He looked incredibly familiar. Haven't you seen him before?

"Oi, girl. What do ya' think yer' doin'?"

A familiar voice filled your ears and you looked up to see the guy from before. The blonde that had gotten in a fight with Bokuto. He was standing next to the guy who sat next to you, glaring daggers at you before his nose started to twitch.

"Oh, you're that human from before? Now ya' think you can sit in my seat just because ya' got all stinked up by that dog?"

You inhaled slowly, looking around the room.

"I'm sorry? I don't see any names on these seats. The professor certainly isn't enforcing a seating chart." You glared up at the blonde from where you sat, and the guy next to him smirked at your response.

"Huh? Listen here-- I won't go easy on ya' just because you're a human. Why are you even in this class? Humans are completely mundane!"

You were going to shoot back when the grey haired guy, who you were just now noticing looked strikingly similar to the blonde, spoke up.

"Damnit Tsumu, quit makin' a scene and leave the little human be. Just sit on the other side of er'." The grey haired guy's voice was full of annoyance as he plopped down next to you, slotting his bag under the table just like you had. "Sorry about him. Doesn't know when ta' keep his mouth shut." You didn't miss the three bushy tails that waved behind him. The fur was incredibly silky looking.

The blonde, Tsumu, huffed and walked around to sit on your other side, effectively boxing you in. You regretted not moving at this point. "Y'know Samu, I'm a few minutes older than ya'! You oughta quit bossin' me around!" His fluffy tails smacked your back and you tensed in your seat. You did notice, however, that the blonde only had two.

"I would very much like if you'd keep your tails to yourself Tsumu." You turned to look at him, and the other guy, Samu, laughed at your usage of his brother's nickname.

"Wha- it's Atsumu to ya'! At-su-mu! You don't get ta' call me that!!" His blonde ears pulled back flat against his head as he went red in the face. If steam could come out of his ears, it would be.

"I don't know, At-su-mu. Seems to me you liked her callin' you that."

"Shut yer' trap, Osamu!!"

You giggled a little at their bickering, deciding that the two weren't that bad despite Atsumu's stubborn behavior.

"Are you two twins?" Your voice picked up, drawing their attention back to you.

"Yeah. Whaddya' care?" Atsumu's brows pulled together as he loomed over you, only for Osamu to reach around and push at his shoulder.

"Would ya' quit doin' that ta' her? It's immature." Osamu glared at his brother.

"Oh, Miyas! You came to class on time today! I would however appreciate it if we kept our arguing to a minimum." The professor spoke up from the middle of the classroom, seemingly ready to start his lecture by effectively shutting the twins up. They went as straight as boards next to you, and you had to bite your tongue to keep from laughing.

"Welcome any freshman to Teraschola Academy's very own Intro to the Arcane Arts course. I am Professor Thunoth and in this class we'll be doing magic." The professor opened a book from the pile, clicking his tongue "We'll start very simply with light manipulation. This is probably the easiest form of magic considering we'll be using simple refractions to trick our mind's eye." The professor turned to look at you with a gentle smile. "Oh, and Y/N, I'll be grading you on observation and research. Don't worry about being unable to actively participate."

You nodded, opening a notebook and your textbook. Looks like you're stuck to note taking. Not that you minded. You decided almost immediately that being able to watch this magic and make observations on it was perfect for sating your curiosity.

"Can we start with fire instead? I'm much better with fire." Atsumu's voice rang through the classroom as other students, including Osamu, were busy flipping to the light manipulation chapter in their textbooks.

"Miya Atsumu. Wouldn't it be unfair to start with fire, one of the most uncontrollable and dangerous magics, simply because you have an innate talent for fox-fire?" The professor rolled his eyes. "Quiet yourself and open your book."

Fox-fire? Were they kitsune? That would explain the ears, multiple tails, and distaste for werewolves. You couldn't help but wonder how much shedding their parents had to deal with.

Atsumu huffed, his nose scrunching as he listened to the professor's orders. "Suppose I'm good with illusions too…"

"Now, most of you probably learned about some of this in highschool so I'll keep it short. Most magic requires knowledge, natural affinity, innate ability, and or relentless practice." Professor Thunoth lifted a finger in the air. You felt a little amazed seeing the ball of light accumulating at his fingertip. "As an infernal, I can innately channel magic like this. Most of you will need to use different devices to channel magic. You've probably already rented your channelers. Please get them out now if you have one."

You watched as multiple students started to rummage through their bags, pulling out what looked like normal rings and slipping them on their fingers. Neither Osamu nor Atsumu reached for anything, and you assumed that meant they didn't need the rings.

"These channelers will help you add some actual power to any incantations or symbols you'll be making in this class. Please be responsible with them, our disciplinary code doesn't take improper magical conduct lightly." Professor Thunoth said that as if he had to deal with troublemakers frequently.

"Now I want you to copy the symbols in your textbooks with your fingers, and try to channel a concentrated ball of light to your index finger."

You looked into your textbook, reading the pages with a small smile while quickly jotting down small sketches of each symbol. You were surprised when a clawed finger wiggled it's way into your vision, a ball of light dancing around it.

"Why dontcha' look at real life examples instead, Y/N?" Atsumu smirked at you. "You're probably jealous, huh? Considering you can only take notes?"

"I'm quite fine taking notes, actually." You smiled at him, pushing his own hand into his chest. "And if I need an example I'll pay attention to the professor."

You busied yourself with your writing once more, deciding to make another note of how certain people could naturally use magic without any enhancers. Seems a little unfair but that's life.

Many other students in the classroom were eventually able to put the textbook visuals into practice, and the classroom was suddenly much brighter than it had been before.

"Very good everyone. Now we're going to take this chaotic concentration of energy and shape it into something new and focused." You watched the professor use his free hand, and suddenly the light looked like it was changing form. It became loose and waved and suddenly it was moving in a similar manner to water. "Controlling energy is completely up to your mind. Think about what properties you're changing. Is the light loosening? Condensing? Try to see it in your mind and reflect on what you're seeing."

You were nothing short of amazed, writing down every word that left the professor's lips. You felt like a very giddy child. Something got much brighter to your left and you turned your head to see Osamu holding something in his open palm. You leaned in closer, surprised to see that he had quickly managed to shape the light in his hand into a tiny fox. The animal bounced weightlessly in circles, impossibly lifelike.

Osamu smiled softly in amusement when noticing your curiosity. "Open your hand."

You looked at him with a bit of uncertainty, opening your hand. You watched as the little ball of light hopped from his hand to yours. You noticed immediately how warm the accumulated energy was, and how it pulsed away when you tried to poke it with your finger.

"Wow… that's amazing…" you watched the fox curl itself up and eventually returned to the simple, lifeless sphere it was shaped from before fizzling out and leaving your palm somewhat cold.

"It's nothing really. Kitsune learn it early on from their mothers." He smiled at you, eyes gone soft, and you had to Avert your eyes to keep your face from heating up. You returned to your notes, quickly writing what you learned. Your mind was like a sponge as you tried to absorb every little sliver of information the class and it's students were offering.

"Hey Y/N look. There's a spider on your book." Atsumu giggled and you looked at your book to see that Atsumu had shaped his sphere into a spider that was skittering across the words on the pages in your book.

"Nice try, Atsumu but a light spider isn't going to freak me out." You rolled your eyes and watched Osamu reach over to flick the glowing arachnid at his brother. Atsumu made a strange bark as the light hit him and fizzled out immediately, the fur of his tails sticking straight up.

You laughed softly, jotting down that Osamu was able to manipulate the energy concentrated by his brother. You wondered if that was possible between anyone who could use magic, considering you couldn't even poke the light Osamu made.

You decided you would have to ask the professor about it.

"Don't worry if you're struggling. We're going to work more on light manipulation. Once you master it you will have mastered the foundations of energy manipulation. It will eventually open new doors for you as we move on to more complicated spells and elements." The professor smiled and you looked around class to see what everyone else was doing. A girl across from you had somehow managed to write something in the air using the light she had concentrated, but due to it being inverted you couldn't make out what it said.

Another boy on the other side of the room made the shape of a palm tree, and you were impressed by how the leaves were able to sway as if being blown. There was also no shortage of amateurs as well, only able to shape simple things like cubes and stars. It made you feel a little less out of place.

Time went on by taking notes and interacting with the two kitsune who were flanking you. You reckoned you had filled about seven and a half pages of pure observations from one class period alone. Good thing you were using a thick notebook.

It wasn't long until the professor called the class to a close, students starting to pack up as the professor stepped over to where you sat.

"Y/N. I hope you enjoyed your first class?"

You nodded, handing him your notes so he could see how you had done.

"Oh, yes sir. It was very interesting. I've never seen anything like it."

You watched his expression morph to one that showed how impressed he was. "Well these notes are excellent. You even included diagrams from the textbook. Keep up the great work." He returned the book to you, and you were left with a sense of pride as you packed your bag.

"Hey, Y/N! C'mon I'll walk ya' to your next class." You were surprised that the twins hadn't yet left and instead hung back to wait for you. You wouldn't complain though. In fact, you were definitely thankful for the guidance.

Notes:

Yay! New chapter! ❤️

So you've properly met the Miyas now! Two new bachelors to add to your list! Also I decided I wanted to give them their dyed hair to make character design more interesting!

You also got to talk to Kuroo again and even met Kiyoko, which is fun! Next class will be Alchemy so stay tuned for that! 🙌

Eventually when I finish introducing your classes and characters the chapters will get much longer so be prepared for that. I also did decide I wanted to write stuff for this series that doesn't affect the main plot (smutshots and such👀) so if any of you have any specific characters you wanna see that for let me know! It doesn't have to be the main date ables either. I could probably write stuff for Yachi and such. 😅

Anyways, let me know if that's something you guys want. I hope you all enjoyed!! ❤️❤️🤭

Chapter 8: VIII / IX - Alchemy & Combat and Defense

Summary:

WARNING! This chapter is 7.1k words long! That's double a normal chapter because it's two conjoined chapters! So make sure you settle in for a long read! I wanted to treat you guys this time 💕🥰 (also this chapter is just a little bit spicy 🔥)

In this chapter you meet your final two bachelors! And obviously it's Iwa and Oikawa. No use in trying to keep it a secret anymore. Have fun!!~

"Ya' got Alchemy next? Boooring!" Atsumu threw his head back when he talked, and you couldn't help but let your eyes drink in the sight of his Adams apple straining the pretty skin of his throat. You quickly turned your head, coughing softly as you tried to conceal your expression.

"Try not to make er' feel miserable, Tsumu. Listening to your voice is probably enough already."

You laughed at Osamu's comment, and Atsumu scoffed.

"Yeah right! My voice is incredibly sexy! She'll be seein' me in her dreams." The blonde wiggled his eyebrows at you and you shook your head to deny your embarrassment.

"More like nightmares~" you teased, grabbing a tighter hold on your book bag. So far you have been able to find a friend in every class. You couldn't understand why it was so much easier to be outgoing around monsters. They were so much easier to talk to. If luck was on your side you would keep making new friends.

You had always had trouble getting along with other humans, probably because they already shunned you for being related to a monster, but they had all been so closed minded where you were from. You had learned more in the last two days than you had learned in your whole life of living with humans. How could they ostracize so many interesting and wonderful people just because of their DNA?

Atsumu rolled his eyes, placing a palm against his chest while feigning offence. "Yer' not foolin' anyone, Y/N."

The kitsune continued to lead you closer and closer to your classroom, and it was a sort of strange feeling, being able to walk without worrying about being bumped into. The twins flanked you closely from both sides, and with fangs and claws like theirs you could understand why nobody was willing to bump into them. Osamu looked like he paid attention to his three huge, fluffy tails while walking. Atsumu, on the other hand, whipped his two around with reckless abandon. They often smacked at your back, and you could have sworn they hit other students at least once.

None of the students said anything about it. Most of them avoided your eyes and moved about their day. It was weird how you were able to walk with everyone in the halls and still not see any other people you had met before. Then you remembered most of them had day classes and it was currently 6:30 pm. You lifted your bag once again, annoyed how the straps continued to slip down your shoulder.

"Here."

You felt a weight lift from your shoulder and looked to see Osamu pulling you bag into his own shoulder, smiling down at you. You could feel your heart pick up before you smiled and thanked him. When did your life become a romance manga?

"Here we are! The Alchemy classroom." Atsumu clapped his palm against the wall next to the door, grinning down at you slyly. "Aka, the class you will definitely fall asleep in. Just don't get those pretty fingers singed off when you do."

The kitsune gave you a wink, and his twin handed you your bag back, giving you a nod.

"Thanks for walking me guys. I'll talk to you later." You smiled at them and Atsumu laughed.

"Yeah ya' will. I put my number in your blazer pocket." He turned to walk away, Osamu following after him. Your brow furrowed as you lifted your fingers to your pocket to feel around inside. You retracted your hand, and with it came a small scrap of paper with hasty pen markings.

"Well I'll be damned…" When did he have time to do that? And how did you not feel it? Sneaky fox…

You shook your head, stuffing the paper back into your pocket before grabbing onto the door handle and stepping inside. You could feel your anxiety lessen with each new classroom. This crowded university was slowly becoming more comfortable.

When you stepped in, you were immediately struck with how dark the classroom was. You were momentarily stunned, allowing your eyes to adjust. The room looked medieval compared to the other classrooms, candles providing the sole light source. You squinted to find your way through the dark, trying to find a place to sit.

You glanced around, catching two glowing pinpricks across the room, lighting up the rims of a familiar pair of square lenses.

"Tsukishima?" Your voice was soft, as to not disturb the other students, and you heard a sigh not long after.

"Great. You recognized me." The half-dragon rolled his eyes and your brows furrowed once more, this time in annoyance.

"Oh stop. Help me sit." You felt your way in his direction, and he laughed when your hands hit something that must have been his uniform blazer.

"Can you really not see? You're helpless, huh?" You couldn't see it, but you could tell he had that stupid smirk on his stupid face.

"I can't help that I'm human. Now help me out here!" Your feelings were only a little hurt by his teasing, but you pushed on anyways and eventually he crumbled.

"Fine, fine. Here."

You could feel his clawed hands take hold of you, guiding and lowering you down into the bench next to him. His hands were cold to the touch, but you supposed that was normal for a reptile. You dropped your bag at your feet once you steadied, and heard a hiss next to you.

"You dropped that right on my tail…"

"Shit-- sorry."

You felt genuinely bad about that one.

The classroom door opened and closed once more, the chattering of the students around you quieting. All you could see was a multitude of taunting, glowing eyes and it was more than unnerving.

You could hear loud, heeled footsteps clicking through the room, and you felt goosebumps rise up and down your spine. The sensory deprivation made you feel like a horror movie protagonist.

Eventually, in the middle of the room a light flared, and the room grew brighter and brighter. It was still incredibly dim, but at least you could see now.

The light was caused by a lantern held in the slender fingers of a tall, well groomed woman. She was dressed in Victorian style fashion, and she was incredibly pale. Her lips were a stark purple, and her features were gaunt.

"You may call me Mistress Clemente. I will be teaching you alchemy and brewing. I expect that you all work to your highest potential. This class will be difficult if you do not pay attention."

She had a loud, commanding voice. She reminded you of the disciplinary officer from your highschool. The no nonsense, strict type. But she didn't look mean…

"Now, hopefully you all have your textbooks? Pull them out now."

You nodded to yourself, reaching down to grab your bag. You could see this time, and successfully avoided any further assault to Tsukishima's scaly tail. You were able to open your bag, pulling out your alchemy textbook and setting it up on the desk in front of you. You looked around your surroundings, finally able to take in where you were. Tsukishima was next to you, headphones on and eyes scanning over his book. He glanced down at you when he caught you staring, and huffed a plume of smoke in your direction.

You coughed, waving it away while shaking your head. Was that really necessary? You looked forwards once again, taking note of your table. There was a small cauldron situated in the middle, and a mortar and pestle in front of it. Different labelled herbs and spices lined each wall of the room and you smiled at the sight. This all felt like a fantasy novel. Humans didn't engage in the same alchemy monsters did. They claimed that it was of the devil and shouldn't be tampered with.

You often got in trouble for sneaking into the restricted sections of libraries to read about it. You thought that monster alchemy was incredibly interesting, and you were ecstatic to actually brew your own potion! Now that you were in a school with actual demons, something being of the devil was the least of your worries.

"Open to page centum decem. We'll be starting with burn elixirs."

Burn elixirs? You couldn't help but feel just a tad disappointed. You were hoping for truth serums or something to turn your worst enemy into a frog… but you figured Tsukishima was already kind of a frog so it would be a waste. Maybe truth serums needed more skill. You were willing to work hard to eventually achieve that skill!

You opened your book to the right page, eyes going wide at the very graphic depiction of a third-degree burn. Could this elixir really heal a burn that severe?

"Now, if you look to the bottom left of the page you'll see the ingredient list. Please collect the required ingredients from around the room. And please, don't get the wrong ingredients and blow up my classroom."

You stood up, basically leaving Tsukishima in the dust as you stepped off to gather. The dragon hybrid called after you, but you ignored him instead working your way towards an aisle of balms.

"Let's see… Balm of toad. Ew… Balm of squid? Can you really balm a squid?... Hmmm… Ah! Balm of icecap!" You grabbed it, picking out three cubes like the recipe suggested.

"Next on the list… Mix of Sealing… would that be in the powder section?"

You stood up, making your way across the classroom from the other students who were also currently hunting for materials. You stepped into the powder section, staring around at the tall shelves. You pouted softly when you realized you had found the Mix of Sealing. It was on the highest shelf.

You couldn't reach it on your toes, and it was even helpless while jumping. In this moment you wished you could grow a foot or two taller. You looked around only to find this section's ladder was in use. That person wasn't even looking in the right place!!!

You sighed, propping your foot up on the shelf. Looks like you were climbing. You didn't know why you thought this was smart. You had been rock climbing once and it's safe to say… it didn't end well…

"Hey! I was looking for yo- what are you doing?"

You squeaked, letting go and completely removing yourself from the shelving. "Nothing! I uhm-... I was trying to get that." You pointed up at the glass, powder filled jar and Tsukishima laughed.

"Well you ran off without me. We're supposed to be partners." He stepped up to you, claws clicking the floor and you backed up against the shelves in his approach. He looked absolutely predatory. His eyes still slightly glowed in the dim room and the way he towered over you left you shuddering. Your back hit the shelving behind you, face heating up.

This was terrifying… So why did it feel so delightful?

Tsukishima smirked at the look on your face, pressing closer and closer until he stopped, reaching an arm up to grasp the glass jar in his clawed hand.

He looked back down at you, cocking a brow at your expression. "What? Did you think something was going to happen?" He let a clawed finger lift to poke at your chin. "Maybe you were hoping I'd eat you?"

You swallowed hard, feeling your chest heave. He was close, so close you were positive he could hear your heart thundering in your chest. His nose twitched and his expression morphed into one of confusion before he stood up straight and pulled away.

"I mean- I might have done it if I was sure you were clean." He quickly turned away from you, free hand covering his lips. "Never know these days."

You glared at him, scoffing. "Me? Not clean? You're the one that smells like a fireplace. I bathe regularly, I'll have you know!" You stepped forward and haughtily pulled the jar from his grip before stomping back to your seat. Any sort of arousal you had been feeling from the previous moment vanished with his comment… though you had to admit replaying the scene in your mind made your throat feel dry…

You sat the ingredients down on the table, returning to your textbook to look over the ingredients once more. You sighed when you realized you forgot one of the herbs only for a clawed hand to hit the desk in front of you.

"That's the last ingredient."

Tsukishima's face was completely flushed, and his nose was twitching like crazy. It kinda freaked you out. What was he smelling?

"Okay… thanks…"

You were still a little sore from him calling you dirty. Did you stink? Is that what he was smelling? Tsukishima stepped around the table to join you as you read the brewing instructions on the page.

Mistress Clemente spoke up.

"Now make sure you follow the instructions. I would give you a demonstration but you're hardly children. If you make a mistake I'll take points from your grade so work diligently!" Her voice was like the crack of a whip, and you jumped in surprise. Looks like you weren't getting any baby steps.

You looked back at the instructions, frown creasing your lips. "First we boil the roots in solvent…" you reached to the bottle of solvent on the table, pouring a little in. You looked around for a second in confusion.

"How are we supposed to light it?"

Tsukishima looked down at you, rolling his eyes before leaning down. You saw a flash of light when he breathed out, the wood under the cauldron lighting a flame to heat the metal. You felt a little embarrassed you didn't think of that.

"Perfect. Then when it boils we drop these roots in!"

Tsukishima's expression went plain.

"You sound like you're having fun right now."

You looked at him with shock.

"Are you NOT having fun? This stuff is awesome!!" It was almost like you had sparkles in your eyes. Tsukishima sighed.

"This stuff is a chore. I've been doing it since first grade."

You felt a little stupid for being so excited now, but ignored it anyways. "Well this is new to me so I'm still excited!"

The solvent started to pop in the cauldron and you dropped the roots inside. You grabbed the wooden spoon, stirring the contents. You were surprised when the roots started to fall apart and dissolve in the solvent. Apparently you didn't know a lot of things…

You hummed softly, looking to the directions once more. "Wait for a few seconds then add the balm cubes one by one and slowly stir… that shouldn't be too hard!" You slowly dropped the cubes in, stirring the mixture slowly. It was surprisingly watery…

"You're good at following directions. I guess that isn't surprising for a human." Tsukishima's voice was cold and you couldn't tell if that was meant to be a compliment or an insult. Most likely the latter.

"Aren't you half human? Not sure you have any room to talk." You grumbled. He shut up after that. You figured that would get him to leave you alone for a minute.

"Now I have to add the Powder and stir until it has the consistency of… frosting?... Okay." You grabbed the glass jar with two hands, pouring the contents into the cauldron. Tsukishima took the spoon, starting to stir very slowly. You could see the mixture thickening right in front of your eyes. It reminded you of all the times you would bake with your mother.

Your mother always made this really sweet homemade icing for her cupcakes. It was a really pretty shade of yellow, and she was a marvelous cake decorator. She always talked about how she had wanted to open her own bakery, but she didn't go to culinary school. She married your father instead. You couldn't even imagine doing that. Throwing away your dreams to marry some guy? But hey, your mother and father loved each other very much, so it all worked out in the end…

"After that it says we need to pour it into a glass and let it cool." You reached for one of the rounded vials behind your table, slowly spooning the mixture into the glass. You didn't dare touch it though. It would probably scorch your entire hand off. It was being heated by dragon's fire after all.

"Surprisingly enough you didn't mess up. I'm somewhat impressed."

You looked up at him after corking the mixture and setting it to the side.

"I'll have you know I'm quite good at baking." You placed your hands on your hips. Tsukishima looked confused.

"Baking? Is that some kind of human version of brewing?"

You froze, staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Tsukishima… Do you not know what baking is?..." You had to hold back your laughter, and you were currently experiencing a mixture of horror and absolute delight.

Tsukishima looked embarrassed, almost scandalized at your question. "Why would I? It sounds unimportant to me."

"It's a method of cooking! It's how you make cakes and cookies!!"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "I'm carnivorous."

You decided then and there you absolutely had to make him some kind of baked good.

"Alright! Time's up! I hope everyone had enough time to make their elixirs because I will be testing each and every one of them after the engineering club finishes the next meet. They're always covered in burns and if your elixir works I'll give you some extra credit." Mistress Clemente gave her verdict and you frowned. Did she just use the class to do her work?...

You couldn't blame her honestly. That was incredibly smart thinking.

"With that, you're all dismissed."

You hummed to yourself as you packed your bag, swinging it over your shoulder. Tsukishima stared down at you for a second. He looked as though he was contemplating something.

"Are you okay?" You nudged him and he snapped out of his haze. His expression was surprisingly soft.

"No. I'm fine. I'll talk to you later."

He didn't say anything else, just turned and left the classroom with the other flood of kids that were all headed to the cafeteria.

You sighed as you walked towards the classroom.

"Hey, Y/N?"

You stopped when you heard Mistress Clemente call after you, and when you turned around she gave you a beautiful smile.

"Thank you for working with Tsukishima. He always looks so lonely."

You smiled to yourself, giving her a nod. "Of course."

With that you stepped out into the chaotic halls and made your way towards the cafeteria, a satisfied expression on your face.

---

The walk to the cafeteria was lonely, and this time when you arrived you didn't see many familiar faces. You walked through to gather yourself a tray of mouthwatering food, but as you looked around the cafeteria you couldn't find anyone to sit with… Well, that was until you heard your name.

"Oi!! Y/N! Get yer' cute human butt over here!"

Atsumu…

You were going to kill him…

The entire cafeteria was staring at you now! Had he been looking at your butt?!

You turned to see him waving you down, Osamu smacking the back of his head. That must be common practice for those two. Across from them you saw another person sitting, his head in his hands. You couldn't see his face but that dark hair definitely looked familiar…

You made your way over to the table, and it wasn't long until you could recognize the person sitting across from the twins. One look at those silvery fins and you knew it had to be the Siren from the pool you met yesterday. The one with the perfect deadpan. What was his name? Sun? Sooma? Suna!! Yeah, that was it. Suna Rintarō… He was the captain of the swim team. You could see his annoyed expression as he exchanged hurried whispers with Atsumu before you arrived at the table, and you had a feeling they were talking about you.

"Osamu. Suna." You gave them a kind smile before turning your eyes on the blonde. "Atsumu…" you said his name with a healthy dosing of grit.

"Y/N! Great ta' see ya'! Hey, you never mentioned you and Suna met before!" Atsumu's voice was as boisterous as ever. You heard a movement under the table and you assumed that was Suna hitting the kitsune with his tail. They were definitely talking about you.

"You never asked." You furrowed your brows at him, and Osamu sighed.

"Ignore him. Sit down, Y/N. Share a lunch with us."

You smiled, giving the grey haired brother a nod before moving to take a seat next to Suna. The siren looked somewhat flustered by your presence.

"Suna told us you gave him a meal. That true?" Atsumu decided to open his mouth again and you frowned. Suna hissed out his name, eyes all sharp and pupils dilated. It looked like the shark was about ready to taste a vulpine snack.

"Yes. I was assisting Mrs. Cirocles that hour. Why?" You were confused. Is THAT what they were talking about? All of the scandalous things they could talk about and they were talking about the food you handed him? You didn't even cook it!

"No reason. Atsumu has no idea what he's talking about, and if he's smart he'll stop." Suna's teeth were bared, and for some reason the sight of him looking so animalistic made you bite your lip.

What has been wrong with you lately? Yachi must have unlocked some kind of secret attraction you had to monsters with her earlier accusation. Speaking of Yachi you wondered how she was doing with that meeting of hers. You wondered what it was about.

"Alright, alright! I'll give ya' a break, fishy. How was alchemy, Y/N?" Atsumu picked at his food, and you hummed when you finally got to take the first bite of your own. He sure knew how to keep people talking.

"It was great. I made a burn elixir with no trouble at all." You smiled triumphantly, and Osamu nodded.

"Good for you. Mistress Clemente is strict but she cares a lot about her students. So long as ya' do the work she'll have no problems with ya'."

Atsumu shook his head. "Yeah right!! That lady is pure evil!! She would cook me over a fire if she got the chance!"

You laughed "Well, I have a bit of trouble believing you excelled in brewing potions. You aren't exactly patient." Atsumu just huffed at your comment, continuing to eat his food.

Surprisingly, Suna spoke up.

"We didn't get to talk much yesterday…"

You turned to look at him as you ate. Was he talking to you? You swallowed your food, nodding in agreement.

"That's true. I was in a rush to get to my next class. I'm surprised you're here. Are you nocturnal?"

Suna nodded, picking at his food with his webbed fingers. It was some kind of fancy sushi. Not surprising.

"I am. The swim team practices in the mornings so we get plenty of sleep before our classes."

You supposed that made sense. It wasn't very different from human athlete schedules, but you couldn't help but be curious as to if that sort of scheduling actually made a difference in the long run of training.

"What about you? Last time I checked humans weren't nocturnal."

You giggled a little, and you noticed a slight shift in Suna's expression.

"No, we aren't, but I'm currently on a special schedule so I can take extra classes. I alternate from day to night classes every day."

Atsumu let out a strange whine, his ears pulling back. "Really? I was hoping I'd see you every day."

You shook your head. "Now THAT would be miserable."

Both Osamu and Suna chuckled that time, and for the first time in a long while you felt like you finally fit in somewhere. You belonged at this school surrounded by all of these people.

"Imagine how I feel." Osamu winked at you, and your face felt a little hot. Atsumu was a bit of a flirt, but it seemed like Osamu didn't even have to try to get you embarrassed.

"Why is everyone bullyin' me now!? Not cool!" Atsumu's whining was enough for you to feel bad and cease the slander, a smile in your lips as you all finished your food in a state of peace. It was surprisingly serene for a table of three monsters all known for eating humans and a human.

Atsumu's mouth was full of his last bit of food when he spoke. "Sfo! Fwhat fwass fo foo havv fnext?"

Your brows furrowed. "What?..."

Atsumu swallowed, his eyes finding yours once more. "Class. What class do you have next?"

You thought for a bit before swallowing hard. This is the class you dreaded.

"Combat… Combat and Defense…" you shuddered just saying it. Combat!? Were they seriously going to make you FIGHT MONSTERS!? You weren't some Greek Olympian chosen by the gods to be a monster slayer! You were some random small city girl!

Suna Almost choked on his food, having to beat a fist against his chest to get the fish down. "Next period? Oikawa is in that class."

You were puzzled. "Oikawa? Who's that?"

"Only our school's biggest superstar, surpassing even Suna and Ushijima. He's the captain of the drama club. He's even been in a few movies." Osamu spoke very matter-of-factly and it seemed his honesty wounded the siren next to you.

"So he's just some hotshot actor? What's so crazy about that?" You couldn't wrap your head around a pretty boy actor being too physically dangerous.

"The guy's an incubus! And I mean that literally! I don't trust him around ya'!" Atsumu decided to join in. His eyes looked wild.

"That's rich coming from the guy who looks at my butt all the time." You laughed. "I can't just judge a guy depending on what kind of species he is. I mean, you all are supposed to eat pretty little humans and I'm doing just fine with you."

Suna nodded. "Yeah, she does have a point guys. And none of us really know the guy that well."

Atsumu shook his head. "Well, Y/N, I still want you ta' stay away from him! He's not ta' be trusted! He could put you under some spell and you wouldn't even notice!!"

Osamu sighed. "To be fair, we could do that too… but that doesn't mean I disagree. Just… be careful around him."

You nodded. "Alright, alright. I promise I'll be careful around the super sexy uber-talented acting incubus."

The three of you, excluding Suna, stood as you all finished eating.

"Well, let us at least walk ya' to class again. That way we can keep ya' safe." Atsumu positioned himself behind Suna's wheelchair, moving as if he was about to take hold of it's handles. The Siren hissed.

"If you try to push me, I'm going to bite you." Suna's voice was low, and you laughed at the way Atsumu retracted his hands.

"I know you can probably do it on your own, but it's good to relax after a meal. Can I push you instead?" You gave the siren one of your award-winning smiles, and that was the first time you got to see Suna's expression truly break. His face blushed and his pupils blew out, the deep black overtaking his usual glittering irises.

"I'll… allow it…"

You laughed at Atsumu's noises of disbelief, taking hold of the handles to Suna's wheelchair. The twins flanked you once more as you pushed the chair forwards. It was surprisingly heavy, but then again Suna's tail was quite large and muscular, and his protruding dorsal fin didn't make things easier either. How did he sleep with that thing?

The hallway was quiet, considering the four of you left the cafeteria early for a head start. You all decided it would be smart considering your next class was in the main building across campus, and this time you didn't have a speedy vampire carrying you on his back.

The walk was peaceful, and you all shared some of your hobbies and passions. You were surprised to learn that Suna had a younger sister, and when you mentioned your hobby for baking the boys all decided they needed to try one of your pastries even if they were all carnivores. Maybe you should just make one for every friend you meet. They do make good gifts.

Eventually the halls started to get more crowded as it was almost time for class to begin. You eventually reached your classroom, your nerves spiking when you remembered what this class was for. Osamu must have noticed your anxiety because he placed a reassuring palm on your lower back.

"Hey, if anything goes wrong just remember ya' always have the professor and the headmaster. Or you can text Tsumu. I'm sure he'll come runnin' and barkin' up a storm."

Atsumu growled. "I don't bark! I ain't a stinkin' dog!" His ears pulled back before he leaned in to give you a nice long sniff, his breathing and blinking slowing. "Oh no-- that won't do."

You felt a little crazed. "What? Do I smell bad!?" You pulled up your blazer to smell it. You smelled fine? These monster guys were starting to make you feel self conscious with their super smell.

"No, ya' smell delicious! It's like yer' screamin' 'Hey look at me I'm a cute, submissive little human!! Eat me!!'" the kitsune grabbed one of his fluffy blonde tails. "Here let me fix you up--"

You didn't have time to protest before Atsumu was rubbing his tail all over your clothes and face. You sputtered, spitting fox fur from your lips. Suna reached up to cover his nose as Atsumu's scent multiplied on your own skin.

"Atsumu!! What the hell are you doing!?" You pushed him away, shooting him a vicious glare.

"Savin' yer' skin! Duh!" He had this self satisfied smirk on his face now that you smelled like him. Osamu sniffed you from behind and you went stiff.

"Couldn't hurt, could it?"

This time you could feel Osamu, trying to scent you as well but he was much more discreet. Suna was left to watch this with an odd expression on his face.

"You two do realize this will do nothing for monsters without amazing noses… right?" Your voice was annoyed. You would have to scrub extra hard in your shower to smell normal again.

"But it will ward off Oikawa so it's good enough for me." Atsumu pressed his nose to your shoulder, humming when he could only smell himself and his brother. "Much, much better." He pushed you forwards. "Have fun in there, human!".
Osamu took hold of Suna's wheelchair, pushing him away with Atsumu and you decided to save your breath. The damage had been done.

You opened the door to the classroom, surprised to see multiple students already. It seemed you could never be early enough to speak alone with the professors.

You tried to wipe the scent of fox off of you as you entered, but from the way a group of werewolves immediately looked your way you could tell it definitely wasn't working.

You saw a man standing with crossed arms and decided to approach him. His badge did suggest he was the professor after all.

"Uhm- excuse me sir? I'm Y/N. The human exchange student?" His sharp eyes shifted down to you, tall broad frame bending to see you better. Definitely a golem.

"Ah! Human girl! Yes, I was warned about you! My daughter wanted me to apologize on her behalf for bumping into you!"

You had to think pretty hard to remember that. It was at the beginning of your first day.

"Oh, tell her there's no hard feelings at all! I understand I'm hard to see sometimes…" you felt a little sheepish, scratching at your arm. "So, I had a few concerns. I'm not very… strong? I'm not sure how I'm supposed to fight. Maybe there's been a mix-up?"

The golem laughed. Clapping one of his big, stone hands on your back. "Of course not, my girl! That's why you're here! To learn!" You almost fell over when he clapped your back. Goodness he was powerful. "Don't worry, I'll have my students go easy on you! I was hoping to let my daughter be your usual sparring partner but she isn't here today, so on account of Oikawa's ankle injury you'll be sparring with his partner."

The professor lifted his hand to point across the room, and proceeded to point at one of the students. And it would be an understatement to say your heart stopped when you saw this guy.

He had to be at least seven and a half feet tall. He looked to be made of pure muscle, spiked, dark hair and rippling back muscles only visible from the angle he was using to pound the punching bag in front of him. If you followed the lines of his back downwards to the hem of his low hanging pants you could see the cute nub of his tail as well. His skin was a beautiful shade of blue, and how could you not notice his second set of arms? He had arms for days. You could almost start drooling…

"Iwaizumi! Get over here for a second and introduce yourself!"

The man paused, turning around to face the professor, and now you could see his sweat glistening frame in all of its glory. He had two strong horns protruding from his forehead, and you wanted to smack yourself when your first thought was of wrapping your hands around them. His eyes eventually landed on you, and he arched one of his thick brows. You felt embarrassed being so small under his eyes. They had a beautiful olive color to them. You had never heard of a monster with four arms before… but his skin suggested he was some type of Oni.

You didn't know much truth about Oni. Your first grade teacher always told Oni horror stories about how they were evil, disgusting creatures… but what you were seeing in front of you couldn't be farther from disgusting. This man looked like a sexual fantasy turned real. God, maybe there was something wrong with you… what would your parents think of this?

He jogged over, immediately dwarfing your form next to him. The Oikawa guy sparred with this absolute beast? Either he was even bigger (highly unlikely) or he could seriously take a hit.

"You're probably my most disciplined student. The only student I could trust with this. Y/N here is a human, and I need you to help her learn how to defend herself without killing her." The professor laughed, and Iwaizumi cracked a smile. You could swear butterflies set off in your chest.

"You can rely on me, sir. I'll take good care of her."

He crouched down to be eye level with you, and you felt incredibly embarrassed.

"It's nice to meet you, Y/N. I'm Iwaizumi Hajime." He held out one of his large hands, and you shook it. His hands were so much bigger than yours. He looked like he could split you in half.

"Likewise…" you weren't sure how you were supposed to talk. Maybe this class wouldn't be so bad after all…

"Alright! Now that that's settled let's get this show on the road! Everyone, get in position, we'll stick with some simple stretching today!"

Suddenly the door to the classroom opened, and giggles filled the classroom. You watched Iwaizumi's expression shift into a grimace and looked at the door. You were met with the sight of a brunette man's back. Wings fluttered behind him and a tail swayed at the bottom of his blazer. He looked to be waving off some girls at the door, his frame supported by a pair of crutches.

"Fare thee well, ladies! Thank you for walking me to class!"

"Oh, it's nothing Oikawa! You're injured after all!!"

The man laughed. "That I am! I'll see you three later, hm? Bye now, lovelies~..." He closed the classroom door, sighing softly before surveying the room.

"Wonderful of you to join us, completely late, Oikawa. Y/N is taking your spot with Iwaizumi today, considering you're not in fighting shape."

So this was Oikawa. The incubus. His eyes shifted to you at the mention of your name, and suddenly he looked very interested. Most of the class had already fallen back into their stretching, and Oikawa slowly made his way across the room to you.

"I'm wounded, Iwa. How could you replace me so quickly." He had a childish pout on his lips before looking back at you. "Though I can hardly blame you. Cute little thing, isn't she?~" he leaned in to see you, a little too close for comfort. "Yes I've heard about you. The sweet-faced human that's been charming everyone she meets. Are you sure you aren't a succubus? We'd make a beautiful mated pair."

Your face felt like it was on fire. "Wow-- you're forward, huh? I'm quite sure I'm not a sex demon, but I'll let you know if that changes."

Oikawa smirked. "No need to get all feisty… you smell like kitsune. Was it those Miya brothers? They haven't plucked you yet, though. Oh no, I would be able to smell that~..."

You scoffed, shoving the incubus away from you and he stumbled backwards. He was lucky you still had some sort of self restraint. You wanted to smack him.

"That's enough, Shittykawa. You're being a bit too much. She's human." Iwa's deep voice rang through the room as he reminded him, and Oikawa pouted once more.

"I was only playing with her. What kind of Incubus would I be if I didn't tease just once?" He faced you again. "Sorry if I offended you, pretty one. Nice meeting you, but I'm going to go take a nap over there." He hobbled away on his crutches and you took a second to straighten your blazer. How embarrassing for him to just announce that about you.

"I apologize for him. He can be pushy but I promise he isn't bad." Iwa shook his head as he led you towards one of the mats in the room. "How flexible are you?"

You shook your head. "I'm not sure. It's been awhile since I've tried anything…"

Iwa hummed. "Can you do any kind of split?"

You chewed at your bottom lip. "I can try?" With that you lowered yourself onto the mat, letting your legs spread the lower you got. There was a pleasant, tingling burn in your groin and you hissed at the feeling. Surprisingly enough you were pretty close to completing a Hanumanasana position.

"That isn't bad. Here." Iwaizumi got on his knees behind you, large hands wrapping around your waist. He slowly started to press you down, further and further towards the mat. Your legs felt like they were on fire now, a throaty gasp leaving your lips at the feeling. It was painful, but somehow you found yourself not caring due to being in his grip.

It was short lived however, considering the Oni released you at the first sign of pain.

"Are you alright? Sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

You shook your head as you eventually lowered yourself into the proper position, amazed by how you were still able to do this. "No, I'm okay. Can you… help me up?"

Iwa nodded. "Of course." And when he helped you up your feet completely left the ground for a second or two before you were returned to your proper bipedal stance.

"You're surprisingly flexible for a beginner. I'm impressed. Let's try a Halasana."

A Halasana? Didn't that position make you put your butt in the air?

"Sure but… I'm in a skirt?"

Iwaizumi blushed when you pointed it out to him, his cheeks blushing a beautiful deep blue. "Right… uhm… here…" he walked over to a shelf and pulled a pair of joggers from it. They were surprisingly close to your size. Just a little small. "Just slip these on over your skirt."

You did as he asked, feeling much more comfortable as you laid down on your back, splaying your arms out. "Can you help me fold?"

You didn't have to say anything else before his powerful hands were on your calves, flipping them over your head and lighting a fire in your belly and shoulders. He was on his knees, leaned over you, and you got the perfect view up his body. Not to mention his groin was incredibly close to your body.

"Not bad, but I think we can get you lower…" his hands slid up and he started to apply pressure to the backs of your thighs. You gasped again at the stretching sensation, a tiny moan leaving your lips at the feeling. You could tell he heard it because his grip on your thighs tightened ever so slightly. You were going to lose your mind if you had to stay like this any longer.

"My uhm-- neck hurts?" You came up with a quick excuse, and Iwaizumi nodded, hand moving to press your tummy and flip you back over. Your new position was somewhat straddling his muscled thighs, and you had to pull yourself away. You were incredibly embarrassed.

When you looked across the room you could see Oikawa watching the both of you, eyes full of amusement, and you stood up.

"Let's stretch our arms instead!"

The rest of the class went on. You and Iwaizumi would work together to test the ability of your body, and you figured this was much better than being punched in the face. Besides, Iwaizumi was quite gentle for someone as large as himself. And he was quite large.

When class was over you were incredibly sweaty, heaving, and you had to deal the joggers off of you before stuffing them in your bag. No use in giving them back now when they were soiled with sweat.

"Y/N! You did great! You're in better shape than you appear!" The professor's voice was booming, and you frowned. What's that supposed to mean?

"You did quite well, little one. Though I did think you were about to break a few times." Oikawa gave you a wink and Iwa, regrettably fully clothed now, nudged him harshly.

"Well, I think I'll do even better next time, with Iwaizumi's help." You gave him a smile before looking at the clock.

"Oh! I need to get to class!" You grabbed your bag quickly, and Iwaizumi stopped you, taking the bag.

"Let me carry it for you. You're going to be sore after that." He gave you a smile and you could feel your face heat up again.

Your life really was a romance manga, huh?...

Notes:

sOOOOOO what did you guys think? 👁️👁️

I think I'm definitely being self indulgent by making Iwa a sexy blue Oni, but I feel like it definitely fits his character! Also Oikawa is an Incubus but that one felt obvious to me.

I hope the big reveal Isn't disappointing :/ and I hope you guys enjoyed the extra long update!! It took me a little longer to write though haha.

The reason for this super long release is that I'm kinda homeless rn so it might take me longer to write the next chapter. To compensate for that I decided to give you guys extra now! Hope you don't mind :P

Also I'm worried about how you all will react to the shift from my normal writing style to my smut writing style. I write very... Graphic smut so I'm worried I'll gross some of you out 😭 but that doesn't mean I'm not writing smut! I have a few WIP smutshots already saved in my brain! Let me know how you feel about super graphic smut haha. 👁️👁️

ANYWAYS I LOVE YOU GUYS THANKS FOR READING, MWAH MWAH!! 🤩🤩😝

Chapter 9: X - History

Summary:

I wanted to link Iwa's smutshot!!

You can read it HERE it's called "Pretty Little Thing" in case the link doesn't work! This chapter has your FINAL class!! So now you will have taken all of your classes at least once!

"Uhm- sure! Alright!" Your face felt hot. Even if he was just carrying your bag for you it made you a little embarrassed…

"Iwa! Carry my bag for me too! I'm injured over here." Oikawa let out an exaggerated whine, and the Oni rolled his eyes.

"There's like, one hundred girls who would actually like carrying this for you." He grumbled as he pulled the bag over his other shoulder. For a giant Oni it was really no difficult feat. You figured if you were holding that many bags you would immediately topple over.

The incubus adjusted his crutches under his shoulders and shot you a playful grin. "The pretty human is stealing away my Oni friend, hm? I don't mind if it means I get to look at you more, Y/N."

You sputtered, brushing your hands over your skirt. You weren't sure if you should take him seriously, or if he was just doing this to feed off of your current sexual frustration. That sparring with Iwaizumi certainly didn't help your situation from Tsukishima.

"Look as much as you'd like. That doesn't mean anything." You huffed a little, clearly completely embarrassed now.

Iwa smiled, finding your huffy sass to be quite adorable. "Don't worry, Y/N. I'll hit him for you when his leg heals."

Oikawa feigned offence, hand hitting his chest. "I can't believe you'd hit me, your dear childhood friend!" The Oni only rolled his eyes.

"I'd do more than hit you…"

You pretended not to hear what Iwaizumi grumbled under his breath, giggling softly to yourself as you walked with the two men towards the door of the classroom.

Stepping into the hallway felt strange at this time of night. It was much later now, and your bones and muscles ached with fatigue. You still weren't used to this new sleep schedule. You would probably have to give it another week to cement itself in your routine.

Other students in the hall seemed to make a path for you, Iwaizumi, and Oikawa. You could feel eyes on you from all around, and this time you weren't sure if it had to do with Oikawa's fame, Iwaizumi's size, or your status as the lone human on campus. It was a little nice, because you felt less like an object to be stared at when more attention was on the two men you were with.

Iwa walked directly next to you, left arms situated near you as he hovered above your frame protectively. When the onlooking eyes met his they would turn away out of any fear of confrontation, and it made you feel safer that Iwaizumi's respect in the school kept eyes off of you.

Oikawa lingered a little further behind you. You weren't sure if he was slowed because of his injury, or if he was just trying to catch a glimpse of your ass under your skirt but for some reason you couldn't get angry at him for it. Maybe it was his sex demon influence… or maybe it was just because he was incredibly attractive.

You glanced up at one of the clocks in the hallway, satisfied with the time you had left. Satisfied enough to make a little suggestion you wouldn't usually consider.

"Uhm- do you guys maybe wanna stop and have a snack? From one of the vending machines or something?" Your voice sounded a tad shaky and nervous.

Oikawa looked down at his watch, which you noticed was designer, (how pretentious) and let his head fall to the side as if weighing the idea.

"I suppose we could, if we aren't late…" the incubus tapped his chin. "Oh, but my class is a little ways away. If I end up being late I may just have to punish you, little human~"

Iwaizumi gave his demonic friend another nudge before turning his attention onto you.

"What he means to say is that we'd love to." Iwa gave you a nod and you smiled up at him. The three of you made your way towards a group of tables, sitting down for a minute. Your walking times were quite long to make up for the multiple campus buildings, and since your history class was in the same building as your combat class you had plenty of time to have a snack and get to know the two men you had recently met.

The both of you grabbed a table, Iwaizumi setting the bags down and heading for the vending machines. You tried to hand him your student ID, but he just shook his head and insisted that he would treat you for 'taking it easy on him and Oikawa.'

If anything he was taking it easy on you, but that was probably just his way of thanking you for not smacking Oikawa for the multiple comments on how pretty and little you were. You had to say you were getting used to it after spending time with Atsumu. But you weren't used to getting so much attention from men. When with humans you tend to be an outcast.

You were always reading myths that romanticized monsters, and you loved to study monster culture. You had a general distaste for racism, and unlike your peers, held every species at an equal level together. It wasn't fair to you that someone could romanticize a Centaur and then call a Satyr a freak.

Because of this, YOU were often ostracized as a freak. They would slander you and call you a weirdo. Some of them said you should be burnt at the stake like in the old fable of the beautiful woman who fell in love with the beast. You argued that they were just as much of people as humans were, but it didn't really make a difference.

You can't change the mind of a bigot, and you can't open the eyes of a racist. Some humans were raised to think they were superior. Sadly, that's just how the world worked. You were lucky enough to grow up with a monster in the family who you held above the moon and stars. Your aunt was an awesome mother, aunt, wife, and person in general!!

"So, Y/N, I'm really curious. What brings you to an all monster academy?" Oikawa leaned across the table and crossed his hands as if he were giving you an interview. You laughed a little, being pulled away from your thoughts.

"Oh? Well, I'm from a small, bigot filled city… I never really fit in there, and because my aunt is a vampire I never had any friends-"

"Your aunt is a vampire?" Oikawa looked intrigued at that, and you nodded. "Yeah, she is. She married my uncle a few months before I was born. She's a huge support in my life." You pulled your Teraschola cap off of your head. "This was actually hers. She attended this academy too."

Oikawa smirked a little at that. "So you two are close?" He seemed satisfied with your answer, handing your cap back to you. "Nice to know open minded humans still exist."

You nodded a bit, looking down at your shoes. You had heard multiple times about the riots and violence that happened against monsters at the hands of humans. You couldn't imagine what kind of horrors they faced just performing everyday mundane tasks. You felt incredibly sorry for the actions of your species.

Iwaizumi returned to the table, immediately sensing the drop in attitude.

"Oikawa, what did you say to her now?"

The Oni sat down, handing you the snack you had asked for, glaring harshly at the incubus next to him. Oikawa threw his hands up.

"Nothing, Iwa! We were just making small talk about our families!" Oikawa looked off at nothing for a second before gasping and shoving a hand into his pocket to pull out his phone.

"That reminds me!!"

He tapped a few times before flinging his phone around and shoving it in your face. "This is my nephew, Takeru! Isn't he just the cutest?"

Your eyes focused on the image. You could see a smiling Oikawa with his arms wrapped tightly around a young boy. The boy was giving the camera a peace sign with his uncle, and the picture made your heart melt. He looked very young. His horns had barely come in and you couldn't even see his wings in the picture.

"Aweeeee, he is very cute!" You pulled out your own phone, pulling up a picture of your aunt's kids, Don and Maze. In the picture the older Maze was holding her baby brother in his swaddle. She had her tongue stuck out in disgust at the drool running down Don's chin.

"These are my younger cousins, Don and Maze! My aunt Lilith's kids. I adore them."

You turned it around to show Iwaizumi and Oikawa, and Oikawa smiled as he found something the both of you had in common. You both adored your younger family members.

"They look like vampires." Iwaizumi entered the conversation, and you laughed.

"They are! My aunt is a vampire." You smiled. "We were all surprised though, because Don got my Uncle's eyes."

Iwa took your phone from your hands for a better look as you started snacking. A small smile lifted his face when he handed it back.

"That's nice…"

The three of you finished chatting and snacking and made your way towards the History classroom. Both you and Oikawa told each other stories about family gatherings, and Iwaizumi would occasionally chime in to mention his own family.

The halls were less populated than they had been before, and moving through them closer to your class was a breeze.

"Oh! Y/N, I was looking for you!"

The familiar voice of your roommate made the three of you turn around.

"Yachi! There you are!!" You waved and started towards her, Iwaizumi and Oikawa behind you. The young girl froze and her face went white. She looked absolutely terrified.

You realized then just how tall Iwaizumi was compared to her. That had to be what had her looking so terrified.

"I-I uhm- I got out of my meeting- uhm- e-early…"

Her voice got all choppy as she avoided the Oni's eyes. He looked a little confused at her behavior.

"There's no need to be afraid little blondie! Iwa doesn't bite!" Oikawa chimed in, sending Yachi a wink and the girl grew surprised.

"Torū Oikawa?! What are you doing with Y/N? Aren't you like- famous??

Oikawa waved his hand. "Famous? Nonono! Just popular. Besides, Y/N here is a bit of a celebrity herself!" Oikawa let his arm wrap around your shoulders, shaking you a bit. "Everyone's talking about this gorgeous human who seemingly fell from the sky."

You rolled your eyes with a laugh, nudging the incubus off of you. "I certainly didn't fall from the sky."

"But you are gorgeous." Iwaizumi handed you your bag with a grin and you could feel your face heat up.

"Thanks…"

"Well, it was nice meeting the both of you, but I'm going to take Y/N inside. We have a lot to discuss about her classes and extracurricular. Have a great day!" Yachi pulled you closer to her, and you waved Iwaizumi and Oikawa away with a smile on your lips as the girl pulled you into the History classroom.

"You're making pulling me away a habit, huh?" You teased Yachi with a smile and she laughed.

"I guess I am, huh? My bad." She giggled softly as she led you to a table in the classroom and sat down with you. "So about my meeting! I lied when I told you it was with my professor."

Your brows furrowed. "Alright? Why did you lie?"

"Well, I didn't want you to get your hopes up, but my meeting was actually with the headmaster! And it was about you!" She gave you a smile as she pulled a beige folder from her bag.

"About me? Why are you talking to the headmaster about me?" You felt a little nervous about that. Why not invite you to a meeting like that? It seemed like something important. "Did I do something wrong?"

"On the contrary! You're doing awesome here! Headmaster Ukai is super impressed with the progress you're making with the other students in just the first two days. I wanted to suggest club activities."

"Club activities? You want me to join a club?" You were puzzled. What kind of clubs did a monster school even have? You knew about the track team, drama club, swim team, and archery but that was it…

"Not exactly! We figured you could check out any of the clubs you're interested in! Whatever you wanna do to meet more people! After all, the social aspect was a huge reason for your enrollment."

You supposed that made sense. The headmaster did mention you were part of a sort of social experiment. You didn't mind, this would get you a super prestigious scholarship in the end, and all that meant is making friends along the way.

"Okay. I like the sound of that!"

Yachi smiled. "That's great! After class we can go have a drink somewhere and look at some of our options, then!"

More students flooded into class and took their seats while you and Yachi prepared. You barely noticed the two people that were across from you until you heard a familiar voice. You have been hearing a lot of familiar voices lately.

"Hey, you're the human right? Y/N?"

You looked up to see the golem girl from before. She had her long auburn hair tied back and a smile was on her face. "I'm really sorry for bumping you yesterday. I had an argument with my boyfriend and I was feeling really pissy…"

"She has arguments with him a lot." The woman next to the golem was immediately recognizable from earlier tonight.

"Kiyoko. We met before, in the dorm. This is Mika." Kiyoko gestured to the girl next to her and Yachi cocked her head.

"Kiyoko! I didn't know you met Y/N!" She then turned to Mika, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

You smiled. "It's nice meeting you both! Also, don't worry about bumping me. We all have bad days!"

Mika sighed, slumping in her seat."You can say that again! I love my boyfriend but he can be so mean sometimes! I swear he doesn't appreciate me at all."

Kiyoko patted the golem on the back, shaking her head.

"It's nice that we all have a class together. Are you two doing anything after class?"

"Oh yeah! We were going to grab drinks and talk about Y/N maybe joining a club!" Yachi piped up and you nodded.

"You both are welcome to join us! The more the merrier!"

Mika smiled. "I could certainly use some drinks to be honest. Boy drama is the worst. Everyday I wish I had a relationship like Kiyoko and her boyfriend. They never argue."

Kiyoko shook her head. "The only reason Ryū never argues with me is because he is afraid to get on my nerves. Arguing is healthy if kept to a minimum."

You smiled. So they both had boyfriends? They would be great people to ask for advice from if you ever got in a relationship. Friends like that are good to have.

The professor entered the room and started class. This class was quite normal, just a simple world history class from the perspective of monsters. It was really interesting hearing about events you learned about from a different perspective. You got to hear a less biased opinion and version of the story.

Mika was tapping away on her phone, and her huffing suggested she was arguing with her boyfriend again over text. Yachi and Kiyoko were both studiously taking notes in a similar manner to you. You noticed you had written a lot more about the specifics, probably because human history classes mostly skimmed over or even villainized the monster's sides of things.

You could feel your phone vibrating in the pocket of your blazer. The buzzing seemed never ending, one blink after another and then another. You tried to ignore it, forcing yourself to continue your notes. It just kept buzzing and buzzing and eventually you were fed up, reaching to pull it out and silence it.

When you turned the device on you noticed that all of the notifications were coming from your social media app. It puzzled you. You never really had many followers, and you only ever randomly posted small things but all of the sudden you were getting all kinds of likes, comments and follows. You pulled your brows together, swiping it down to look at them all.

You read some of the comments, and all of them were talking about some movie you had never seen before. It didn't take long for you to notice that many of your new followers attended the academy, and you opened your mentions to see one from a very important new follower.

There was a post that had a picture of you and a very familiar blue skinned Oni posted by a user with the tag @MilkBread. The post tagged both you and Iwaizumi, with the caption. 'Finally met the human girl! Isn't she tiny?'

It took you a second to realize this post was made by Oikawa and you clicked on his profile. He had a butt load of followers. The number was incomprehensible to you, but his following list was much smaller. It consisted of Iwaizumi, a bunch of brands, some other Teraschola Academy students and… you.

How had the incubus even found your tiny account? It's not like you ever promoted or mentioned it! You only ever really used it to follow your aunt and see new pictures of your cousins on their travels. You sighed, following him back as you came to terms with the fact that this was your life now.

You turned your phone off, frowning softly. You wanted to smash the thing when you got ANOTHER notification. This time however, it was just a text. From Atsumu.

You only felt a little bad for ending the conversation so quickly, but you really did need to get back to work. You were behind.

It wasn't long until the class ended, everyone packing up to get out of the academy. It was a Friday night so you figured other people were going out for drinks, just like you, Yachi, Kiyoko and Mika. You hadn't ever had a girl's night out. This was your first time even having a real friend group. To say you were excited would be an understatement.

The four of you walked out of the building together, chatting and deciding where you wanted to go. Eventually you decided on a local pub that was across from the diner you and Yachi visited the night before.

As you all were walking you felt something hit your ankle. It felt strangely sticky. You stopped, reaching down to grab whatever was sticking to your leg. It was pale in color and rolled into a small ball. It looked like string and was very silky. You shook your head, dropping it and turning back to keep walking.

That was until you felt it hit your ankle again… in the same spot…

You stopped again, and this time Kiyoko turned around to check on you.

"You alright, Y/N? You're stopping a lot."

You shook your head. "Yeah- uhm… I'm fine. Why don't you guys head on without me? I'll catch up!"

Yachi looked unsure, and only agreed when you insisted.

"Alright, don't leave us waiting too long, Y/N! Stay safe!!" Mika waved you off and the three girls continued on their way to the pub. You turned around, looking around you for whatever was throwing the sticky balls of string at you.

When searching the ground you could see a tiny trail of them leading towards a large oak tree and you frowned, following them. You eventually reached the tree, running your fingers over the rough bark. There wasn't anything weird about it. Just a plain, normal tree.

"Hello, Y/N!"

You screamed and fell on your bottom when a familiar head of red hair fell in front of you, many dark eyes blinking as that strange smile somewhat mocked you.

"Jesus, Tendō!! You scared the hell out of me!" You sounded out of breath, and Tendō laughed as he made his way out of the tree to help you to your feet.

"Sorry. I was napping in that tree and I heard your voice and decided I wanted to have a little chat."

"Are you always just-- hanging out in the trees around campus?"

"Pretty much."

You brushed yourself off from the dirt and sighed. "You didn't have to pull a Hansel and Gretel with the bread crumbs…"

"Bread crumbs? You mean my silk?" The arachne reached behind himself towards his spinnerets, and when his hand came back he had thin ropes of silk attached to each of his clawed fingers.

"It's top of the line, really. Full of all kinds of protein."

He started to use his fingers to braid the silk, slicing it from its spot and handing the beautifully spun silk to you. He wasn't lying. It was soft, and flexible, and less sticky than the little balls of it he had thrown at you.

"Keep that if you want. I know that kind of stuff is interesting to humans." The arachne gave you a wink, which was funny because of his additional eyes.

"Thanks." You placed the braid in your pocket, smiling. "I have to go to the pub. I'm having drinks with some friends."

Tendō shrugged his shoulders. "I could walk you there. Not safe for a young woman to walk alone at night."

You smiled. "That would be appreciated. You could join us if you'd like." You fell into step next to him, the both of you headed down the sidewalk in the direction the girls had left in. Tendō shook his head.

"No thanks. I'm not a huge fan of alcohol. Or pubs. Just not my thing." His legs clicked with each step he took, the sound was soothing, and had a great rhythm. You took a deep breath before sighing.

You felt incredibly tired and could only hope the buzz of liquor would serve to wake you up enough to survive. Too much socializing always drains you...

Notes:

SOOO!!! LOTS OF NEW STUFF IN THIS CHAPTER!!
I was going to wait until I finished Tendō's smutshot and post them together but it is taking longer than I expected to write it because I'm trying some new things with him :// for now please enjoy actual story content!! You got to formally meet some friends and I also included a little text conversation!!

(Tell me if you guys think I should keep including photos or not-- idk if that's something you would like but I thought it was cute so why not lol of you don't like it just lmk this was purely expirimental.)

ANYWAYS!! I hope you liked this chapter and enjoyed some plain ol' bonding! I wanted to use this chapter as a sort of segway. Hope that's alright. I'm going to get back to work on Tendō now! Bye bye ❤️

Chapter 10: XI - Ain't It Fun?

Summary:

Tendō's smutshot is published!!!

You can read it HERE

 

This is a chill chapter where conflicts will start to slowly bubble... That's about it.

"Y'know I'm curious. You and Ushijima. How did you two meet? You seem…"

"Like an unlikely pair?"

You nodded, figuring it was a good voicing of your question without sounding somewhat offensive. "Not to be rude at all. Just wondering how an up-beat, nocturnal Arachne met a stoic, serious Centaur."

Tendō laughed a little to himself, going quiet as if he were pondering the question himself.

"We went to highschool together. He was always eating alone and I guess I saw myself in him…" Tendō drew out his words, a small, familiar smile on his lips, mandibles resting in a relaxed manner.

Your heart felt warm at that and you felt like you were still missing a huge part of that story. It sounded incredibly personal to him, and you didn't want to push so you didn't.

However you did notice that this was the first time you'd ever seen him out of uniform. He had a dark grey sweatshirt on and you felt a little weird seeing him so casually, but you didn't mind.

"That's sweet. What made you decide to come to Teraschola Academy?"

Tendō shrugged a little. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I couldn't tell you what I'm here for. Probably to make my parents happy. Ushijima though? He's an amazing archer. He belongs here."

You frowned. "And you think you don't?"

Tendō whipped his head to look at you, expression morphed into surprise as a high pitched chitter left him. "Well…"

You cut him off. "You got in, didn't you? You belong here just as much as everyone else does."

You quite literally stunned him into silence, and he paused to think to himself. Eventually he smiled that strange smile again, walking not faltering.

"Yeah… Yeah you're right. Thanks."

You gave him a nod, opening your mouth to speak again before you felt your phone start buzzing again and again. You sighed, pulling it from your pocket.

An unknown number?

You sighed, shaking your head as you pocketed your phone once more.

"One of the girls from before?"

You looked up at him in a little surprise. "How did you know?"

"I'm rather good at guessing…" he gave you a smirk. "How long have you known them?"

You smiled. "Two days, give or take? I uhm- I've never had many friends, which I get is lame- so uh, this kinda thing is new to me."

Tendō looked intrigued.

"Really? You're a human. And you're attractive. You seem smart too. Why didn't you have friends?"

Your face felt a little hot at that. He barely knew you and yet he was laying on the compliments… it made you a little giddy. But you decided it might be a bad idea to tell him you had no friends because every other human you had ever met was a racist…

"I guess I was just a little weird. That's alright though, I'm making up for it now!"

Tendō looked at you a little longer. The both of you fell silent, but the night's ambience kept the walk comfortable. The crickets sang in the grass around the sidewalk and the moon hung with the star, dousing everything in a gorgeous hazy glow. You didn't look into his eyes, instead looking up at the stars and counting them in your head. You used to do that a lot as a child with your aunt. Counting the stars and slowly drawing out your own constellations with your finger tips.

Your favorite constellations were always the ones you made up in your mind.

You could see the pub, fast approaching, and you felt rather sad that your talk with Tendō was ending so soon.

You stopped outside of the door, twisting your hands with a smile.

"Well, this was nice. Thanks for walking me all the way here, Tendō. I appreciate it."

Tendō shook his head. "It's nothing really, I enjoyed the company." He shrugged again and started to move away, giving you a lazy wave. "See ya' later, tiny!"

"See you- wait I'm not tiny!" You called after him and he just laughed as he continued his walk. You sighed, moving to open the bar door with a mumble under your breath.

Stepping in you were immediately hit in the face with the smell of alcohol, and it made your eyes water.

"The human of the hour!! There you are!"

You looked over to see your friends at the bar, Mika waving you down energetically as Kiyoko talked to the very animated bartender. Yachi's head whipped over when she heard that, and she looked extremely relieved to see you well and breathing.

"Y/N! You're alright! Come have a seat!"

The speakers were softly humming a slow, relaxing jazz tune and you slinked through tables of people who were watching different sports on the multiple TVs to plop down next to your friends at the bar.

The bartender looked at you with a smile on his lips, starting to pour something for Kiyoko. Was she a regular?

"Is this the girl? Not what I imagined. Welcome to the Dentes Lounge!"

He looked quite skilled at making drinks, sliding one over to Kiyoko, giving the girl a wink. He then made his way down the aisle to hold his hand out to you. He had a very boisterous air to him.

"The name's Tanaka! You can call me Ryūnosuke if you prefer that, though. Thanks for keeping my girl company."

It took you a second to realize that this guy-- this HUMAN guy working behind the bar-- was Kiyoko's boyfriend. You got a strange feeling in your chest at the thought. Maybe you weren't so strange after all.

You shook his hand and gave him a smile. Wow. A real monster/human relationship right in front of you. You almost HAD to know how they met but you kept your curiosity to yourself.

"It's nothing really. It's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise! Now, what can I get you?"

You bit at your lip, unsure if a predominantly monster lounge served different types of liquor; Mika, who was already sipping on a cocktail, leaned over to assist you.

"Want something tame? Go for the Pink Delight. It's light and sweet, Yachi orders it all the time."

You thought about it for a second, nodding. "Okay. One Pink Delight then!"

Tanaka smiled, turning to grab a few bottles off of the beautiful shelf behind him.

"One Pink Delight for my fellow human, coming right up!"

He started to make your drink and you took that as a chance to finally take a real look around. You couldn't see every booth but the place seemed pretty packed. Waitresses carried drinks around to groups of friends, most of which wore Teraschola uniforms. The atmosphere was lovely and cheerful, and different groups would boo when the opposing team would score.

The sport in question seemed to be something with a ball, and most of the people in the bar were very passionate about it. Itade you wonder what kinds of teams Teraschola had.

Tanaka slid you your drink, and it pulled you back to your friends who were having a conversation about the school's clubs.

"Hey. Earth to Y/n? We need your input." Mika giggled at your distraction, and you shook your head.

"Yeah- uhm, what's up?"

Kiyoko took a sip of her drink, sighing at the burn. "We're talking about the clubs we should help you try out. Teraschola has a lot of them."
Tanaka leaned over the counter.

"Well, I don't go to Teraschola, but I can only imagine a lot of those clubs aren't very human friendly…"

Yachi snickered. "I've already marked anything off that Y/N couldn't function in without inhuman capabilities, as per the headmaster's request."

You took the list in your hands and immediately a few caught your eye. Cooking and Baking, especially. It was something you were already good at, but part of you wondered whether or not you should experiment with something you've never done before. The thought was exciting.

"I think I'm going to need more time to decide. Is that alright?"

You were feeling somewhat indecisive at this point, bringing your cup to your lips to take a sip. The liquor hit your tongue and exploded in your mouth with playing flavors of sweet and tangy. You'd never tasted anything like it before.

"This is good. What's in it?"

Tanaka shrugged. "Trade secret. I can't give customers the recipes." He placed a finger on your lips and you snorted at him.

This felt nice. You were finally relaxing with people you knew and you felt as though you were no longer an outcast. People were accepting you and willingly spending time with you.

"Uhm- hey, Y/N? That guy is staring at you…"

You looked up from your pink drink to Mika before looking around.

"Booth in the corner. In the sweatshirt." Kiyoko chimed in and you followed her directions.

Your eyes met a familiar pair of honey drizzled ones, a few other glowing golden eyes peeking from inside of the figure's hood. You giggled when he tried to duck away from your eyes, standing from your seat with drink in hand.

"I'll be right back."

"Do you know him?" Kiyoko looked a little confused.

"I do. I'm gonna say hi."

You started to make your way across the room, and from the way he moved you could tell Kenma was completely distraught that you noticed him. You slid into his booth across from him and smiled when one of his snakes poked out of his hood to greet you.

"Hello, Kenma. I wasn't expecting to see you here!" You looked around. "Are you here alone?"

Kenma sighed, tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie with a frown. "I am. Kuroo was supposed to be here, but I got here too early and he ended up having to cancel… and I didn't wanna look weird by leaving without ordering so I've just been sitting here."

You giggled at his honesty, taking another sip of your drink.

"You could've joined us, you know? We're all friendly! We don't bite." You smiled at him and Kenma grimaced.

"I do. Not sure how your friends would like that."

You shook your head. "Mika's boyfriend is a Naga. I doubt she would dislike you. You've met Yachi already, and Kiyoko is very reserved for the most part. You would be welcomed very warmly, I'm sure."

Kenma sighed, swirling the drink he had in his hand. It was a deep golden color like his eyes, and it was iced.

"I'll keep that in mind…"

You noticed how, even out of class, Kenma's voice was very quiet. You had to lean in just to hear him sometimes. It was soothing but also a little troubling to you, but you supposed it made sense. Kenma seemed to be a very introverted man, keeping to himself and a select few friends. Not that it's a bad thing. You often felt a little introverted yourself.

"So you and Kuroo, huh? You two seem close. I actually bumped into him earlier tonight."

Kenma looked interested.

"You did? When?"

"Before my first class. I went to the wrong building and he helped me find my way to the right place." You shrugged, taking another sip of your drink.

Kenma's face went as white as a sheet, his fingers started to fidget.

"He didn't uh-- mention me… did he?"

Your brow furrowed.

"Not really. He did apologize for being forward."

Kenma gave a sigh of relief, his chest relaxing and his form slumping a little more.

"Good."

You frowned. "What? Do you have a secret identity or something?" You smiled. "You're a spy here to kidnap me and experiment on my innate ability to manipulate minds." Your voice took on a silly, dramatic quality.

Kenma laughed, and it was the first time you had ever heard him laugh. He had a cute laugh that sounded a little more like a mix between a hiss and a cough, but it was endearing and it only made you smile bigger.

"I wish that's what it was. But no. No secret identity. Just embarrassing conversations…" he trailed off rubbing at his cheeks. His eyes caught onto a clock on the wall and his expression shifted.

"Hey, uhm… I just remembered I have something coming up in an hour and I need to get home… but we could… I don't know…"

You giggled softly. "Do you want my phone number?"

"...Yes…"

You took a moment to exchange numbers, and you eventually watched him leave as you finished his drink. He would sometimes randomly flick his rattle as he slithered away and it made you laugh a little.

You decided to return to your friends, and Yachi gave you a little smirk. "Exchanging numbers, huh? And sparring intimately on social media? You're making a reputation." She teased.

Your face lit aflame with heat, and you waved your hands.

"C'mon Yachi! You know it's nothing like that! Quit teasing me!"

The pixie laughed at your flustered state, standing to pat your back. Kiyoko was packing up her bag and Mika was texting rapidly on her phone. It seemed everyone was ready to head back to the campus.

Kiyoko kissed Tanaka goodbye before the four of you took off down the street towards the Academy. Your phone was chiming quite often, so you eventually set it on silent so you could talk with your friends in peace.

Eventually Mika split off from you to meet up with her boyfriend, so it was just you, Kiyoko and Yachi headed back for your dorm building. Campus was like a ghost town. Everything was very empty as many people stayed away for the weekend.

You reached the building and Kiyoko let all of you in. You chatted in the elevator before you had to leave here to get on your floor, and as you and Yachi walked to your dorm room, tipsy and extremely tired, for some insane reason you got the idea to check your Twitter.

It was a bad idea, that sunk in the second you plopped into your bed. There were definitely going to be people disagreeing with your stay at the academy, monsters and humans both upset with your exchange program.

Yachi almost immediately passed out, which seemed to be common for her. What a heavy sleeper.

You pulled out your phone to open the app, immediately swiping to news and hashtags that concerned your recent activity.

Well… it certainly wasn't wrong but you definitely wished it wasn't right…

C'mon? #HumanInvader? If you were an invader then you were a pretty lame one. The other few hashtags were rather normal-- well, as normal as they could be for a topic about a human Attending an all monster academy.

Scrolling through the tweets it somewhat hurt your feelings to see some of the mean things people were saying about you. People who hadn't even met you. But, you supposed, that was life.

You turned off your phone, plugging it in as you decided that was enough electronics for the night.

Your eyelids felt incredibly heavy and it wasn't long until you were slowly losing yourself and drifting off into the claws of sleep.

While you slept, fires on the internet only burned higher and higher about your arrival, hashtags blowing up as the college quickly became a trending topic. All of this so late in the night after one social media post from a single Incubus.

The internet really is a scary place...

Notes:

A rather short chapter today! But hopefully the smutshot can make up for that!!

I also want to let my readers decide something in the story:

What clubs do you want Y/N to participate in?

Comment and let me know what you wanna see if you have a preference! I'm open to anything, I just thought you guys might enjoy putting your own input into something!!

I hope you liked the relaxing chapter! Goodbye loves! ❤️❤️❤️

Chapter 11: XII - Troublesome

Summary:

You awake from a strange dream and discover a conflict has bloomed thanks to a certain social media post.

Queue a meeting with the Headmaster and the mysterious head of the twin's clan!

All you could feel was a burning, searing heat. It surrounded you; engulfed you-- it suffocated until you couldn't breathe. It made your nostrils burn and your lungs throb and beg for oxygen.

You opened your eyes and found yourself in the dark, well, as dark as it could be. You could see everything, illuminated not by the moonlight but instead by the angry red flames that devoured and crawled their way up the buildings surrounding you.

A cacophony of screams and shattering was all you could hear. It made your ears ring and your head spin. The smoke made your eyes water, and a pain in your calves reminded you of how you ran. Of all the running you had just done. All of the running, and screaming and crying as everyone scrambled to escape the burning dorm buildings. It reminded you of your peers being trapped inside, falling to the ground and trying so hard to get away from the campus.

Smokey grey towers billowed into the sky, signalling that help was needed, and sirens pierced through the screams surrounding you.

Your legs went wobbly and you gasped as you fell for the ground. You could feel your own tears sliding down your face. Or was it blood? You weren't sure any more.

"Y/N-"

You could hear your name.

"Y/N!! Are you-"

Someone was calling out to you…

"Wake up! Y/N! Wake up! Wake-!"

You awoke with a start, eyes opening to the sight of your dorm room as your chest heaved. Yachi's fearful expression hovered over you, tears lingering in her eyes as she shook at your shoulders.

"Yachi? Why are you crying?"

The girl sniffled, her wings fluttering behind her as she moved to wipe at her face.

"You were having a nightmare, I think? You started thrashing around and saying 'stop' over and over again. I got really worried…"

She moved off of you so you could sit up, taking a deep breath as you steadied your breathing to a normal rate.

"I'm sorry… it was a wicked nightmare…" you rubbed at your head, feeling quite sore all of the sudden and you weren't sure if it was the hangover from last night or the sirens from your nightmare that had your head spinning.

Yachi frowned. "Do you maybe wanna talk about it? I'm willing to listen."

You nodded, "Yeah uhm… I was at the academy and…"

"And?"

You reached deep in your brain, brows furrowing as you tried to recall what was happening in that dream you were having…

You were drawing blanks…

"Y'know… I can't remember…"

Yachi hummed, patting your leg gently as she smiled, her eyes still slightly red from her earlier crying. "Sometimes it's better that way…"

You agreed silently, pulling yourself out of bed to grab a change of clothes and trudge into the bathroom.

You flipped on the light and barely recognized yourself in the mirror. You were a disaster. A messy-haired, red-eyed disaster. You groaned, turning on the sink to wash your face and prepare yourself for the day ahead. Your head thrummed, and if felt like the sheer force could beat the water droplets from your face.

Once you were dressed and ready you stepped out to Yachi, who was typing away at her laptop. You smiled at her, your phone buzzing on your bedside table. You moved to pick it up.

You sighed, shaking your head. Three days in and you were already experiencing backlash. Oikawa truly should have thought before he posted that. You could already see your father going into cardiac arrest seeing the way Iwa held onto you in the photo. It was embarrassing, and even worse, Suna and the twins were being dragged into it as well.

You shoved your phone into the pocket of your pants, slipping on your shoes and grabbing your handbag. Yachi perked up at the sound of your keys jingling.

"Y/N? Are you heading out?"

You nodded, focusing on tying your laces.

"Headmaster Ukai needs me in his office. Oikawa's post blew up and someone called the police. The human police."

Yachi gasped softly at that. "You don't have to leave, do you?" She looked worried, afraid that you might have to go so soon. You shook your head.

"I hope not. I'm miserable in human schools." Your chuckle was humorless, and could hear Yachi slam her laptop closed, a glare creasing the space between her brows as she got herself ready.

"I'll come with you! I'm giving him a piece of my mind!"

You watched, slightly awestruck as she feistily rushed around the room, thrusting her arms into her sweater and pulling it over her head, threading her wings through with something less than poise before she grabbed for her own keys.

You were amused by her cute expression of anger, standing and leading the way out of the dorm. She followed you, eventually stepping ahead of you. Her wings were buzzing and you could swear she had smoke coming out of her ears…

You both skipped the elevator, opting for the stairs to reach the lounge. On the couch Mika sat next to a dark-haired Naga, leaning her weight against him and talking about something. He said nothing, just toying with her hair, a relaxed smile on his lips. Looks like she and her boyfriend made up. The two of them went silent when they saw the furious Yachi storming past, muttering under her breath. Their eyes followed her exit before they fell on you, the sheepish looking human, following after her.

"Is she okay?" Mika had a confused smile on her face, a giggle leaving her.

"I didn't think I'd ever see a pixie angry like that…" Mika's boyfriend looked rather amused as well, a smirk playing at his lips. Honestly, the expression kind of annoyed you.

"Oikawa's post blew up and now I have to be in the Headmaster's office. She's pretty mad about it…" You waved them bye, chasing after the little blonde woman who had gotten surprisingly far from you on the way to the building. By the time you caught up to her you were out of breath, and you could see the boys at your scheduled meeting spot.

Suna was the first to notice you, raising a webbed hand to wave you over. When Atsumu saw the gesture he swung around, a smirk on his lips, and after that Osamu noticed you as well. Osamu was the only one in uniform, so it was really interesting to see how Atsumu and Suna dressed outside of school. The Siren dressed rather warmly, which was surprising, while Atsumu wore a pair of dark jeans and a sports shirt. His entire outfit hugged his body, and it was only now that you realized how shredded he was.

His abdominal muscles showed through his shirt, and the defined muscles of his legs showed in his jeans. You tried to ignore how nice his ass was, too, but you were just fighting a losing battle. He noticed, too. Sneaky bastard noticed everything.

"Y/N! You made it! Do you like my outfit?" He wiggled his eyebrows at you, tails flicking behind him. You lifted your gaze to avoid watching the way his hands ran down his body.

"S-Sure. It's great. What do I need to worry about before we go in there?" Your voice had a stutter in it, and you moved to grab Suna's wheelchair, pushing him inside the building as the other three followed you. Being outside of the Headmaster's office now made you nervous...

"If anything we should be worried. Our clan leader is here which could spell bad news for us." Osamu scratched at one of his tall, silver ears. His own tails were completely still, all three of the fluffy limbs bristling behind him. He was clearly put off by all of this.

The only calm person out of all five of you was Suna. His fins rested against his cheeks, that deadpan ever present on his face.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Your clan has to get involved with stuff like this. Is Oikawa in there?"

You nodded. "He is."

Yachi huffed and wasted no time pushing the door open. The three men you were with looked at each other in surprise as Yachi marched into the office. The man at the front desk, a timid looking Cyclops, scrambled to his feet.

"You must be Y/N… and Yachi!... And- friends?" He looked among the five of you, swallowing hard. It seemed he felt just a little intimidated. "Uhm, the Headmaster is in conference room 3…"

"Thank you." Yachi's voice was stern, and she led the way to the conference room, not stopping at all before she threw the door open. She was being very reckless with the Academy's doors…

All five sets of eyes in the room were immediately turned to Yachi, who paid no mind. She marched right on up to Oikawa, who stood somewhat confused next to Iwaizumi, and jabbed a tiny finger into his chest.

"Who DO you think you are!? Didn't you realize that post going viral could put Y/N in danger!?!"

Iwaizumi stepped back, surprise laced his expression as Oikawa could do nothing but open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. His hands were raised in surrender and Yachi pressed forwards.

"Why, I oughta clobber you! You can't just post whatever because you're in a movie or two!" She was fuming, and the baffled headmaster had to step in to separate the pixie and the incubus.

"Woah, woah. Yachi, I think you need to cool off in the hallway." Ukai put an arm around her, leading her to the door where the Cyclops from before took the seething pixie away from the room.

Suna was actually smiling, and Iwaizumi was trying to suppress laughter at Oikawa's dumbfounded face. There was another small chuckle, one almost completely unnoticeable if you weren't listening very closely, and you turned towards the noise.

He was angelic, ethereal even, and he radiated a sense of power and control that you had never seen before. His eyes were deep and brown, and yet they could still pin you to the wall with a single glance. White, black-tipped ears sat upon his head and the nine fluffy tails that framed him suggested that THIS was Kita. His tails caught you off guard. Atsumu had two, Osamu had three… and yet this Kita had nine. You'd never seen so much fur in one place...

He was dressed very traditionally, a paper fan hid the bottom half of his face, and once he regained his composure, he handed it off to the man next to him.

The man next to the kitsune was taller and had dark hair. His facial hair was nicely trimmed and his expression, while stern, was warm. While he was clearly not a human, you had trouble discerning what he was. Well, that was until a second look told you he was a golem, or at least part golem.

Ukai noticed your staring, and he saw the way the Kitsune had directed his attention to the twins who stood meekly behind you, ears drawn back, and tails tucked. Just who was this guy? Suddenly you felt as if you needed to be on guard, if not for yourself then for the twins.

"Uhm- right! Y/N! This is Kita Shinsuke. He's the current head of the clan the twins hail from. He has been for about a century now so he's relatively young." The Headmaster nodded at the man across the room and your jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"A century??" RELATIVELY YOUNG!?! WHO CALLS ONE HUNDRED YEARS 'YOUNG'??

"A century of leadership, not of living. I've lived far longer, my dear."

"Oh yeah, he's ancient. Kitsune live for a very long time. Especially if they have a lot of tails." Suna spoke casually, and Atsumu kicked the side of his wheelchair, desperate to keep him quiet.

"So you're Y/N?" The man looked intrigued, and he crossed the room so elegantly you wouldn't be surprised if he were floating. He peered into your eyes, clawed hands moving to cup your cheeks. His expression wasn't dangerous, in fact he looked more like a child on Christmas than anything else. This was a monster who you were told ate the corpses of humans… a nine tailed fox that lived off of the absorbed life force of hundreds. Being so close to him made it feel like everything you had ever learned was a lie.

"I can see you…" he leaned in closer, and your breath jumped in your throat. His ear twitched and you knew he could hear your heart pound. "Why are you here?"

You felt incredibly nervous, and you could feel a finger hook into your own. You could tell from the feel and direction that it was Osamu trying to calm you. You took a deep breath, exhaling from your nose.

"I don't have any specific reason. I wanted to broaden my horizons…"

The kitsune searched your eyes longer, his tails flickering behind him like fluffy white flames. Eventually he nodded, releasing you.

"Well, I don't see why we can't just mark this up as a simple misunderstanding." The kitsune gently settled a hand over your head, and it made you feel like a child. His eyes, those scrutinizing eyes, fell upon Oikawa. "I trust you will take more care to be careful of what you disclose on the internet?"

The Incubus nodded, standing sheepishly next to the Oni who was rather amused by his friend being in trouble. The kitsune nodded, satisfied. "Thank you for handling the human police with efficiency, Ukai. We'll be off now." Kita looked at the twins. "Now that I see you three are close, I expect you both to take good care of this human."

With that he was off. The taller man gave you a smile and a nod, following after the Kitsune and closing the door behind him. The twins, the headmaster and Oikawa all let out relieved sighs at the kitsune's exit. They were clearly thankful for a lack of reprimanding.

The Headmaster groaned, pulling his headband from his hair. The bleached locks fell into his face. "I swear, stress like that is gonna kill me." He looked back at Oikawa, brows drawn together. "No more social media for at least a week. You've stirred up enough."

The Incubus opened his mouth to argue, but he quickly shut himself up before he could even start. The Headmaster was right. He needed to let things cool off. Even if it was a mistake, he should have thought longer before posting a picture like that. The whole human in a monster academy thing was still taboo.

You hated that it was so deeply frowned upon. These last few days have been the most exciting of your entire life! You would love for every human to experience all of the wonderful things monsters can add to society-- and yet, still, no matter how intriguing or interesting or delightfully wonderful monsters are… humans just don't want to listen.

You clenched your fists, and Osamu sighed at the sudden pressure on his finger. He used the link to pull you closer, wrapping his arms around you tightly. You were frustrated, he could smell it on you, and in an attempt to soothe your shot nerves he held you close.

You pressed your face into him, exhaling. Your arms wrapped around him in return and you muffled your frustrations against his chest. You were so angry you could feel hot tears prick at your lash line, but you held them back. The last thing you wanted to do was cry in front of the Headmaster.

"Y/N? Are you okay?..." Atsumu's voice was soft and full of worry. His ears were pulled back and you could feel his hand soothing down the back of your neck. You sighed, pulling yourself away from Osamu to nod.

"I'm fine… I- I just hate it." Your anger had bubbled over and died, leaving nothing but an exhaustion that oozed through your veins and rotted your energy.

The Headmaster agreed. "I hate it too. The whole point of this program was to kill that kind of reaction…" He scratched at his scalp. "I'm going to have to tighten things though. No more social media posts about the program for now." You could tell the Headmaster hated restricting you like that, but you understood it was for your own good.

"Also, Try not to stray too far from campus without supervision. I worry for what might happen if a scornful human gets hold of you."

You realized then that not only did you have to worry about monsters who didn't trust you, humans now saw you as a traitor; someone who turned your back on them in favor of monsters. Neither side truly loved you.

You nodded, and Iwaizumi shook his head.

"I can guarantee I won't let anyone get their hands on her."

"Don't jinx it."

Yachi was back at the door now, a sheepish smile on her face as she gave Oikawa a bow. "I apologize for my earlier outburst."

Oikawa rubbed at the back of his neck. "Don't. It was deserved. Sorry again, Y/N."

Yachi came over to take your hands into her own smaller ones.

"Now, let's get on a happier note. Wanna check out some clubs?"

Your mood brightened at the word. There were so many on the brochure you wanted to see!! "I do!"

"We'll come, too!!" Atsumu's tails swayed and he jumped forwards at the opportunity. Yachi shook her head.

"Bokuto and Akaashi are already accompanying us."

Atsumu's fur bristled. "The dog!? Yeah, nevermind. Have fun with that Y/N. Text me later." He gave a salute and took Suna's wheelchair into his hands, leading the way for him and his brother to leave. Suna simply waved, but Osamu took a minute to stare into your eyes before he left.

You looked back to Yachi. "They'll be joining us?"

Yachi nodded. "Bokuto said he missed you. And Kitsune are scared of dogs. It's a win-win." She winked. "Someone else will be with us as well. I'm not sure if you've met him, but his name is Hinata."

Hinata! The cute harpy from Herbology? "Yeah! The redhead? We met!" You smiled and Yachi exhaled.

"Yeah, he said so but sometimes he gets excited and will claim to have met you even if he only barely saw you in the halls…"

You smiled at the thought, and waved Oikawa, the Headmaster and Iwaizumi goodbye. Seems the Headmaster had more scolding to do...

And you? Well, it was time to go club scouting!

You could only hope that conflict wouldn't continue to grow...

Notes:

OMGGGGG THAT TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE--

So I started another job and I've been super busy lately :( I've also had a few family emergencies that are still pending outcomes! This chapter was originally going to include the club scouting but I decided to update sooner rather than later! So sorry about that wait my loves, I've been struggling 🥺❤️

I hope you enjoy this one! Hopefully I can get back into the flow of weekly updates but at this point I can't make any promises. Working like this to care for my family has me dead tired all the time.

Thank you all for being so patient and loving towards me. I love you all very dearly and sincerely hope you are doing wonderfully! ❤️❤️❤️

If you have any suggestions or even just wanna tell me about your day, comment below! I love hearing from you all 😊 Have a nice night/day!!

Chapter 12: XIII - Clubs, Clubs, Clubs

Summary:

After handling Kita and that situation, you have a conversation with your parents and check out some clubs! You even join a certain club that could either solve your problems, or generate even more. Who knows?

Please read Suna's Smutshot, "Symphonies" here!!

You followed Yachi out of the office clinging onto your heart while it tried to jump out of your chest. The gravity of the situation was finally hitting you and you suddenly felt a strong urge to contact your family and let them know that you were alright. You knew they were definitely stressing.

Your phone told you they had the same idea.

You quickly turned your phone off, shoving it into your pocket with a huff. Must your mother always say something embarrassing like that? You definitely weren't about to subject yourself to anymore of that torture.

You continued to follow Yachi, your face hot with the strange conversation you just had with your family. The two of you made your way down the hall near one of the main buildings' many lounges. There you saw the three men you were meeting.

Bokuto and Hinata were talking animatedly while Akaashi silently read to himself with a small smile. It didn't take long for Bokuto to lift his nose to the air, taking a few sniffs before his tail started to flail around. Hinata was preening his feathers when Bokuto spun around to bound in your direction excitedly.

"Y/N! There's my favorite undergrad!!"

His hug was bone crushing and lifted you from the ground. All you could do was laugh and hug him back. "Hey, Bo! It's only been two days!"

He shook his head, his nose pressing against your nape. You could feel the tickle of him sniffing you. "Two days is too long!!" He pulled back, keeping you in his arms with a skeptical look on his face. "Why do you smell faintly of Kitsune?"

You lifted a brow. "Does everyone just sniff me now? Is this my life?" It was amusing how he scrambled to apologize.

"I'm sorry! I don't really think when I do it- it's more instinct- I didn't mean to upset you- y'know It just kinda happens and I-"

"Bokuto! I was joking! It's alright." You giggled to yourself, lifting a hand to scratch at the space between his ears. "Really, if it made me uncomfortable I would have said so earlier, and honestly it's pretty cute so I-.... What are you doing?"

The Werewolf in front of you had a glossy look in his half-opened eyes, huffing from his nose even while his lips parted. His tail was swinging so hard it shook his hips, and his shoe scuffed the ground.

"That… feels good-" he leaned into the touch and you realized now you had been petting him as if he were a domesticated dog. Your hand retracted. How embarrassing. Now YOU were acting on instinct.

"Oh my god I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking- here- just let me-" you muttered to yourself as you tried to fix his hair. He was acting so much like an excited pet that you kinda just pet him.

"Nono- that was AMAZING! What was that!?" He looked like he had just discovered something incredible. "I thought it felt nice when I did it, but that was magnificent!!"

You looked at him strangely, unblinking before you laughed, covering your mouth.

"It's uhm…. A human thing! I forget you don't have much experience with humans…"

"Hey! So it's a greeting! Here, let me do it too!" Bokuto reached towards your head but you stopped him. "It's not something you return. Just receive."

"Too bad I don't have hands. I wanna try the Human greeting…" Hinata approached with a small frown. His feathers perfectly in place from his recent preening. The same couldn't be said for his hair, which was endearing in its messiness.

"I suppose I could pet- er- greet you, Hinata…" you reached up to ruffle his hair, smiling at him before you looked towards Akaashi.

You found him already looking at you, an amused smile on his face. He had plenty of experience with humans and he knew that what you were doing was in fact not a greeting, but an affectionate touch used on a pet. His shoulders shook with small laughs as he closed his book, lifting up a cardboard hanger with two unopened cups of coffee.

"I got something to wake you both up." His eyes were kind, and you could feel your heart flutter at the gesture. The four of you moved to sit at the table with him, grabbing for your drinks, three of which had already been opened. No wonder Bokuto and Hinata were so energetic at the moment…

"Thank you, Akaashi! Here, let me get you a-"

"No, Don't. It's on me." His brows furrowed, and took a sip from his cup. "After all, I didn't ask you first. Just accept it as a gift."

You smiled, cheeks heating as you took a sip of the coffee. You had never had this flavor before. It was incredibly smooth and sweet, and you could taste the fluffy whipped cream that was concealed under the lid. Its warmth spread through your bones and you sighed, melting into your seat.

"Wowwwww, that's really good!"

Yachi giggled, taking a sip of hers and shuddering. "Full of sugar! It's perfect, Akaashi." She smiled, and Akaashi smiled back. He must have been really perceptive to order the perfect coffees.

"So! Y/N! Are there any clubs you're already interested in?" Yachi slid you a piece of paper with a smile on her face. "Most of the clubs are meeting today, so if there's anything you might want to try out we can get you there."

You glanced down at the paper, staring down a long list of clubs. "These are all clubs in the school? There's so many!"

Yachi laughed. "There are more. I took out all of the clubs you wouldn't be able to attend. Anything that requires innate magical ability."

You nodded, running your finger down the list as you read different options. Well, the culinary club immediately caught your eye. You decided to stay away from the different sports-- you would immediately be outclassed there…

You decided it would be best to check out one or two clubs. Too many clubs would take away from study and free time. You already had eight classes.

You pulled a pen from your bag, beginning to cross out anything you knew was a definite no. Just things you weren't necessarily interested in. In the end you found two clubs you definitely wanted to see.

One was the culinary club. You definitely wanted to see it, and maybe even get some baking in.

The next one was a public speaking club. Your mission in the school was to reach as many people as possible, so doing some public speaking was the perfect opportunity for that, even if it made your nerves slightly shot. You had never been very good at public speaking. Hell, you were always introverted as a kid… but maybe it would be good for you? You had already done so good making so many friends!!

You underlined them, sliding the paper back over to Yachi. "I think these are my top three."

Yachi took another sip of her coffee, leaning over to check out your picks with a thoughtful nod. Hinata let out a noise of surprise.

"You were able to narrow it down to two!? I could barely pick less than six when I first looked at clubs!!" The Harpy laughed. "That was before I realized most clubs require hands, though." He gave you a wink and you giggled. For as much as not having hands seemed like a handicap, Hinata really did make the best out of it anyways. You were sure nothing could ever hold him back.

"Well, I think her choices are good. Which one should we start with, Akaashi?" Yachi slid your paper across the table you were sitting at to the pale man across the table. He gave it a once over.

"Well, Y/N has previous baking experience. We'll start with culinary and end with public speaking?"

Bokuto's tail thumped against his chair. "Does this mean we'll get to try some of your baking, Y/N?"

You pondered for a moment. "I might be able to make something quick while I get a feel for the club…" you gave the Werewolf a smile and his excitement increased tenfold.

The walk to the club room was rather therapeutic. The five of you chatted in a very lively manner, going over the process of club joining and scouting. You would spend a few minutes or so with each club, maybe participate in an activity and then you would move on before deciding which clubs you would join.

The culinary club room was in the main building and was right off the cafeteria's kitchen. It did make sense to keep kitchens close together.

You could already hear a chatter and ruckus inside, music floating from under the door. Your nerves spiked at the prospect of meeting new monsters until you opened the door and immediately saw someone you recognized.

He stood in the middle of the kitchen, absolutely covered from head to toe in various dry ingredients. He was blinking stupidly as people around him giggled. A once over told you that the bowl on the ground, which had different sugars and flours in it, had been spilled on him. His red hair just barely peeked out from under his hat and his legs skittered under him as he tried to stay upright on the newly powdery floor.

You laughed softly at the scene, Yachi covering her mouth with an expression of worry.

"Tendō? What on Earth?..."

His head whipped over to you at the sound of your surprised voice.

"Y/N?" The arachne shuffled to try and make himself slightly more presentable, laughing softly. "I didn't know you would be visiting…" his blush was deep as the group of you stepped inside, Bokuto and Hinata giggling at the mess.

"What happened here?" As you got closer, you noticed another detail. "Did you have an accident with the automatic mixer?..."

He pulled a hand behind his head, laughing softly. "That obvious? Yeah uh… I did." His fangs poked from his lips when he spoke and you laughed.

"Should I come to expect this in the culinary club?"

"Yes. You should." A messy haired Cervitaur stepped up to you, the clicking of his hooves making you think of another hooved person you hadn't seen in a bit. "We make a lot of messes here." He held out his hand. "Eita Semi. I've heard a lot about you."

You shook his hand with a nervous smile. "All good things, I hope?"

"I'd say so. What do you think, Semi-Semi?" Tendō cackled a bit and Semi's expression changed to one of anguish.

"Again with that awful nickname? I hate it." He huffed, soothing his hands over his soft, spotted pelt. "For a guy who usually doesn't talk a lot, Ushijima had things to say." He winked at you "and of course this arachne never stops."

You went hot at the thought. Ushijima had talked about you? Even after such brief meetings, YOU were on the Centaur's mind? Huh…

"I'm wounded, Semi! Well, if Y/N will be joining us we should give her the warmest of welcomes."

Most of the other students had gotten back to their baking of what looked to be cakes, your specialty!

"It smells very sweet here. What are you making?" Bokuto, presumably unhappy with a lack of attention, had stepped forward to drape an arm over you. He had a smile on his face, and Hinata hopped up from behind with a chirp.

"And can we have some of it?" His inquiry made you giggle, and Yachi had decided to keep her distance. You could tell from one look that she was decidedly terrified of Tendō. Her eyes darted up and down from his inky black legs to the fangs behind his lips.

"Well, we're making cakes. Mine was a bit of a disaster but maybe Y/N can help me fix that." The arachne let his eyes glaze over Bokuto to land on you. He gave you a strange wink.

You felt a little embarrassed, nodding. "Uhm- yeah sure! I can help!" You stepped over, grabbing an apron from the rack and strapping it on over your uniform.

Stepping over to pick up the old bowl that had been dropped, you discarded it into the sink. Semi stepped over to hand you a new bowl, showing you to the ingredients-- and for a second you pondered on what kind of cake you would bake. You decided to bake mini strawberry shortcakes, and to start you began to throw in ingredients for your mother's sponge cake recipe.

You knew her recipe by heart, and so it took only a few minutes to whisk everything into a batter. Then, pouring the batter into the circular molds, you slid them into the oven and punched in the time. Your "monstrous" friends watched you while in your element, humming as you moved to find some strawberries to start chopping. Tendō was falling just a little behind you, insisting that making chocolate was his real specialty. It was just the luck of the draw that today the club was practicing cakes.

Your cake was the only one incorporating fresh fruits, and many of the other monsters stopped to watch you teach Tendō how to make a human strawberry shortcake.

Bokuto and Hinata even pulled the cakes from the oven for you, and Akaashi sprayed the whip cream while you layered. It really was an interesting time assembling the little cakes and giving them out for everyone to try.

First bites were taken, and your anxiety reached an all time high until pleasured hums and sighs filled the air; suddenly, you were filled with pride. You didn't know many humans who could make a room full of monsters sigh with cake. In fact, you didn't know any.

"Wow!! Y/N, you weren't lying! Your food is delicious!!" Yachi had a squeal in her voice as she munched on the cake, her wings fluttering. "So sweet!!"

Hinata was unceremoniously struggling to lick whipped cream from his lips, and Bokuto was licking the same cream from his fingers. Akaashi was the only one eating the cake with a little bit of restraint, and even he seemed to be amazed.

"Have you all really never had a strawberry shortcake?" You laughed at the incredulity of it, and suddenly thought of a certain bespectacled dragon who may enjoy your cake as well.

"I haven't had it, either. Yours is really good, though." Akaashi's voice was soft, and his compliments made you swoon. You were surprised though. You had always thought strawberry shortcake was a common snack! It was very common in your home, and many of your friends had also enjoyed it in childhood.

"Well, I'm glad everyone likes it nonetheless!"

Yachi nodded. "Sadly though, we should probably get moving on to Y/N's second pick."

"Awee, what a shame! I was looking forward to spending more time with you, tiny." Tendō gave you a smirk, and Bokuto stepped forwards to puff out his chest.

"Well, we have many other clubs to showcase! Better to get a move on!" He exclaimed, and Hinata agreed, flanking you and allowing one of his wings to gently guide you towards the door. You found it funny how they tried so hard to usher you away from Tendō. You had plenty of time and only one other club! Were they getting jealous?

Next on the list was the public speaking club! You were already terrified, but whatever. You supposed you would do alright! As long as you weren't immediately thrown into anything crazy…

The walk wasn't very long at all, considering it was in the same building, and when you arrived you could hear arguing even before entering the room. Things sounded heated, and somehow Yachi felt no fear when she pushed the door open.

The arguing slowly fell silent at your interrupting, and all eyes were on you. Your nerves were shot and you were already shaking under watchful eyes.

"Y/N…"

A quiet muttering of your name stopped you in your tracks, and that was when you noticed the huge Centaur who seemed to be silently governing the conversation.

"Ushijima? I wouldn't expect you to be in the public speaking club. Aren't you the captain of the archery team?"

Yachi shook her head. "He is, but his mother funds the school's public speaking club, so it's only natural he participates."

Even if he clearly doesn't want to? You could tell just from the way he sat that he was uncomfortable, his hooves shuffling and his spine completely stiff.

"What's the human doing in here? Aren't we talking about the problem with this right now?" One student spoke up, anger evident in his voice.

"Yeah! So we can't share their restaurants, their pools, their bathrooms-- but they can intrude in our schools? Our clubs?" Another girl spoke up and suddenly the room exploded into conversation again, and Bokuto and Akaashi both stepped forwards to hide you from the glares of the angry students conversing.

A part of you was hurt. What had you done? Did you do something wrong? And then you dug a little further into their words, and pushed past the two men in front of you to join the fray.

"Wait, what do you mean you can't share bathrooms and pools?" Your voice was full of uncertainty, and the man from before scoffed.

"You mean you don't even know how much trouble you've caused? That little stunt that had the police here has human owners forbidding monsters from their establishments! Do you know how rare monster-owned establishments are?"

You felt a sudden anger in your belly. An anger at not only yourself, but at every human in the world! How could one lie cause so much trouble?

"You can't seriously think Y/N had anything to do with that, can you? You know how some humans can be! They'll say what they can to put us in fear! We've lost wars because of this." Hinata spoke up in your defense, his orange feathers puffing wide with the sudden spike in his blood pressure.

With Hinata's statement the room suddenly started to cool down, and many students gave his words thought.

"The Harpy is right." Ushijima stood up, immediately towering with his full stature. "We can't get angry at humans stereotyping us and then do the same to them. Not all monsters hurt humans, and not all humans hate monsters." His deep voice held a certain authority to it that had the other students in a reluctant agreement. And then, his attention was on you. "What brings you here?"

"I was thinking about joining the club… that is, if you'll have me?" You felt even more nervous about asking after the sudden outbursts.

Ushijima nodded. "You're in. We could use a human speaker for an event we were planning to combat the discrimination we're currently dealing with. Having human support for our cause could help quell fear for both parties."

"So we aren't even going to have a vote? She's just on?" The guy from before spoke again, but his lips clamped shut at the searing glare the Centaur sent his way.

"She can get us closer to our target audience. Humans." He kept his words quaint, and then turned his attention on the friends who had guided you here. "If you could leave us we have much to discuss. Club matters. We should be finished in an hour or two."

Yachi went straight as a board, chuckling nervously. "Oh-- uhm yeah! Sure. Let's go guys, bye bye, Y/N! We'll pick you up shortly! Have fun?" She pulled the reluctant men from the room, and Ushijima pulled a chair to the round table next to where he had been sitting for you.

Being a Centaur meant he didn't use a chair, instead opting to rest on his haunches.

"Well, since we have a new member we might as well let her know what our first act is." The woman who had opposed you at first now seemed on board with your joining after Ushijima's statements.

You felt like things were moving incredibly fast, but you were glad you had been immediately accepted. This was a club that felt necessary. You could make real change here!

"We want to hold some kind of public speech. Maybe a protest. The news will be there if things go right. We'll get to share our sides of the story so any human with half a brain can sympathize." The man crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. "We don't have anything in stone yet. Mostly drafted."

Ushijima huffed. "But we have a speaker." His eyes fell on you.

"Y/N will do it."

Notes:

FINALLY SHE POSTS!!

I'm so sorry it took me so abhorrently long to post this! Work has been kicking my ass lately, and I never really get free time so I write in between breaks and such :((

I hope this is alright for now, with Symphonies, so I can finish Kenma's smutshot and the one I've started for the twins!

I already have the rest of the story planned out, and we're getting closer and closer to the climax!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!! More is coming soon ❤️

Chapter 13: XIV - Deeper

Summary:

Classes start up once more after you discuss your arrangement with Ushijima further. Your life is slowly but surely changing. If it's for the best, you're unsure...

Please read Kenma's smutshot here!

Please read the twin's smutshot here!

You couldn't believe your ears.

"You can't be serious? That's a lot of responsibility. I haven't done anything like this before!" Your voice came out an octave higher, your mind just a bit fuzzy at the sudden weight on your shoulders.

You hadn't even read a speech since highschool!! And now you were supposed to address hundreds of people!?

"They'll receive you better than anyone else. Anyone is more comfortable listening to someone they can relate to. Humans can relate to you." Ushijima had a small smile on his lips as if he were amused by your sudden fussing.

You huffed, but decided not to argue any further. You knew exactly what he meant. Even if you all breathed the same air, walked the same streets, and lived in the same neighborhoods, some humans would still be too stubborn to accept monsters into their lives.

"Well… I guess I'll just suck it up then…" you kept your voice low, and you pondered on the thought a bit. You did suppose it was only fair that you face the wrath of your race, and not the monsters who don't deserve it. After all, you were here for the whole point of spreading awareness. Why not do it? "Has the speech already been written?"

Ushijima shook his head. "No. We haven't decided where to hold it yet." His gaze was intense. Always intense, and full of emotions that were nearly impossible to decipher.

"Well, we can start by scheduling somewhere in the capital." You stepped over to the computer in the clubroom. "Can you log into this?"

Ushijima stepped over, typing in his login info with one pointer finger-- it made him seem old.

Once you were inside you immediately went to the browser, typing in the capital and any possible open listings within the month.

"Oh! Here's one. On the square too. Will we have enough time to prepare this quickly?"

Ushijima nodded. "If we all work together, we can write the speech in a day or two."

Well-- it seems you now had a solid plan.

You received Ushijima's number after that, and found a text from Yachi letting you know everyone had headed home, and so you did too.

You didn't realize it was already so late!! You had spent so much time with Ushijima and the rest of the club that it was already getting dark. The moon was battling the sun towards the horizon, and the stars had already begun to sparkle in the sky. It was a gorgeous sight.

When you got to your dorm, Yachi was already tucked into bed. Her soft snoring filled the air, and you laughed as you got dressed into your pajamas and fell into bed.

You couldn't stop thinking of your quickly fleeting nightmare, terrified that it would return to you once more. Though, it was even scarier that you couldn't remember what had happened within it. What if it was something important? You decided to stare up at your dark ceiling a little longer. Counting sheep was doing no good, so when your phone began to buzz, you were caught off guard. But, you were glad for a distraction from your heavy thoughts.

You giggled a little at the overly formal message, and made a side note to snag a picture of the serious Centaur at some point. Maybe you had a question about meetups or something… but really at this moment, you just didn't want to be alone…

How could you word that to him? Possibly, being direct was your best approach? To be open and honest.

No way you could let the conversation end like that. It was far too stale, and you were still feeling far too alone…

You weren't sure if your goodnight was too forward, but you figured as his new friend, you ought to call him something less formal than "Ushijima".

You laid back in your bed, setting your phone on the bedside table to take a few deep breaths, and close your eyes. It wasn't long until you drifted into slumber.

--

Your rest was fulfilling. The nightmares hadn't returned to you, thankfully, and you now could focus on returning to your classes and getting back into the flow of things. You hadn't been at the academy for very long, but you were seeing now that Teraschola Academy was a very fast-paced environment. If you didn't step up, you feared you might be left behind…

You got yourself out of bed, registering that Yachi was no longer in the room with you. You smiled at the thought of her leaving early to get a head start, grabbing a clean uniform from your dresser drawers and moving into the bathroom to do the essentials. Brush the teeth, mess with the hair, and step into the clothes.

Things had been feeling… better recently. Your time at Teraschola had been drastically improving your quality of life, and even with a few hiccups, you were glad to have been accepted into the Academy. You had noticed some changes, though.

Humans had been… avoiding you. It was strange. Something you hadn't been used to at first. Why would anyone go out of their way to avoid you? It just felt like a waste of time. There's no way the news of your exchange program had spread so quickly.

Your old "friends" were the first to drop all contact. You hardly minded. Besides, you had plenty of new friends at Teraschola!! You figured that maybe they were busy… until you noticed that certain family members had begun to avoid you as well. Your parents still actively talked with you. You still video chatted with your Aunt, your Uncle, and your baby cousins… but anyone else? It was like you were a stranger.

It definitely hurt, but it did nothing to kill your conviction. If anything it lit a bigger fire in your belly for justice. They wanted to be petty? Fine! Just wait and see how they'll avoid your face broadcasted on every news channel.

If they wanted to be hateful, you would just have to dial up the heat.

The first class of the day, Rituals of the Occult, went by rather smoothly just like it had before. You and Kenma focused as well as you could to complete your tasks for the ritual. The ever-observant hybrid had noticed your distraction throughout class. He had asked you directly what was wrong a few times. You opted not to tell him too much, after all you didn't want to make it seem as if you were sad. If those people hated monsters, they were better out of your life anyways! It was more of a frustration…

A frustration that boiled and bubbled up under your skin until your brain got so overheated you couldn't even see.

Kenma didn't ask any more questions, but you noticed him watching you a lot closer. You noticed how he seemed to stick closer and help you out with even the most mundane of your ritual tasks. Clearly, your distraction was worrying him…

Sports and Physical Education was just as interesting as it had been before. Ushijima made good on that promise of letting you watch him shoot, and it was a good distraction for a while. After all, how could it not be distracting? That broad, muscled torso laid bare as he held the bow in his hands. The way the muscles in his arms flexed when he drew back the string and the way his abdomen went rigid the second he released the arrow.

He had hit dead center, like he promised he would, and you gave him a playful clap with a bright smile.

Heading into the pools again was also an experience. You allowed yourself to watch the Sirens swim a little longer, and all of the mermen had noticed you immediately. They seemed to remember you really well, calling out to you by name as they requested your help or even just your attention. You were sure a few of them were even flirting before Suna breached the water from deep into the pool.

Those icy eyes of his glared away his teammates, and he approached you with no competition. You noticed the tiny satisfied smirk on his lips that told you his interrupting was completely intentional. You didn't mind though, helping him out of the pool before handing out everyone's meals. You had brought your own snack to share with Suna, chatting away and completing everything Mrs. Cirocles had left on your checklist.

When you returned to the archery range you couldn't help but giggle when you noticed how Tendō and Ushijima seemed to be waiting for you. Ushijima had already dressed himself, and Tendō was somehow full of energy despite definitely skipping out on a few naps. The two had walked you to your next class, and once there Ushijima let you know of the date for your speech. It was to be a week from now, giving you plenty of time to arrange for transportation to the capital and write the speech you would be addressing the public with.

You could feel excitement burn in your chest at the thought. You were terrified, but eager to show everyone how wrong they were about monsters.

Divination and Arithmancy was just as interesting as it always was. Bokuto and Akaashi always made great company while the professor led the class in many more methods of reading. It didn't take long for your friends to distract you from your troubled thinking.

Lunch had been delicious, Yachi joining the three of you as she always did. You had tried a chicken curry on rice this time, and the experience was life-changing to say the least.

Bokuto had walked you to Herbology again, and this time when you encountered Atsumu there was far less growling. There was still growling between the two men, but nothing had been directed towards you and with that you were satisfied.

Seeing Hinata again had brought immense joy. The two of you embraced at the beginning of class, and you were both eager to get into the greenhouse to see Lil' Green. The professor mentioned that the plants had probably reached their sproutling stages.

When you did enter the greenhouse, you saw immediately that Professor Trab hadn't been lying. Lil' Green had, in fact, sprouted. You noticed that the seed had popped open, and from it-- connected by a root symbolical of an umbilical cord-- a tiny, almost tadpole looking creature flickered through the water.

Dipping your fingers into the tank would allow the tiny plant to flutter around your nails.

You hadn't expected the plant to be so sentient. You had never seen anything like it, and Hinata hummed, transfixed as he watched you interacting with the little creature. He had let his own feathers brush the water after your encouragement, and was absolutely ecstatic when Lil' Green bumped against him.

After class the professor had broken the news that all of you would be taking your plants home to your dorms. You immediately volunteered to hold Lil' Green first, considering Hinata's lack of hands to carry the tank. The Harpy had agreed, and the two of you carried the little plant all the way to your dorm room. Hinata carried the separate care package which consisted of a water skimmer to remove uprooted dirt and multiple packages of fish eggs to feed the plant.

You would have to bring Lil' Green back to class once every week for the Professor to survey its growth and mark down your points for the project.

After feeding Lil' Green the both of you heated up some microwave meals and shared them on your bed while watching some corny movies on your laptop. It was a sweet experience, the two of you cuddled together in your respective blanket bundles, watching awful movies and laughing the night away.

Eventually though, Hinata had grown tired and left to return to his own dorm. You weren't alone for long, though, because Yachi got home soon after. She apologized for her absence. Apparently she had a meeting with the Headmaster, and was letting him in in your speech plan. You were surprised to learn that the Gargoyle was all for it, in complete support of a little peaceful protesting.

Falling into sleep was easier than you had expected, and you lost consciousness to the background noise of another trashy romance film.

Notes:

Hope you guys liked this shorter chapter and the Smutshots! I worked pretty hard on them and I'm rather proud of how they turned out!! I plan on ramping up the story pretty quickly with the next few chapters, and also-- Ushijima's smutshot will be next!! 😋❤️

I love you guys and hope you all have a wonderful day!! I'm going to go pass out now... Probably 😅😅

Chapter 14: XV - You Can't Be Serious

Summary:

You get the chance to visit family after something shocking happens to Lilith. Your parents aren't acting right... In fact, they're acting rather strange...

Notes:

Read Ushijima's smutshot here!!

Read Bokuto's smutshot here!!!

The nightmare had become a recurring instance. You had that same nightmare every night, of billowing smoke and burning buildings until you woke up in a cold sweat. It was curious, really. Why was it happening? You never even had nightmares as a kid! At least not frequent ones, and even then never recurring!

As the nightmare came night after night, you would slowly remember more and more details. It felt terrible, waking up terrified every night, either in tears or with a worried Yachi over you. She had urged you to go to the nurse, but even he chalked it up to stress.

Still, despite your curious mental state, things continued in the academy.

You were excelling in your studies, learning more and more every day! Spending more time with your friends helped ease your worries, and doing extracurricular certainly changed your thought process.

Speaking of extracurriculars, with the date scheduled for your first speech, it was now just a waiting game. You had been testing the waters by posting activism posts regularly on your social media, and while you had a regularly positive response?... It was easy to say the negative comments outweighed the positive.

If there was one thing you had learned from your time at Teraschola Academy it was this: The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

It takes a lot of passion to love, but it takes even more to hate. Hateful people dedicated an obscene amount of effort and time to tearing others down. Indifferent people just stood by to allow the damage to happen.

But you? You had the passion to show love, and you weren't going to back down because of a few hate comments.

Today was particularly special for you. Not because of school, but because the Headmaster had arranged for you to have a driver. You were going home!! Finally, even if it was just for a day, you would get to visit your family in person! See them with your eyes and not on a screen! Hug them in your arms!

Words couldn't describe your true excitement at the mere thought!!

"So, when was the last time you talked to your parents?" Kuroo's voice was languid, relaxed as he walked next to you. It was almost comedic seeing him walk around with a parasol to avoid being burned by the light. Kenma flanked your other side, eyes glued to the screen of your phone.

You sighed.

"Two days ago. Apparently things are getting worse in my hometown."

Kenma glanced over at you, quirking his brow. "Worse? What do you mean 'worse'?"

Your eyes landed on your feet, scuffing the concrete underneath you. "Well… don't be alarmed by this but– anti-monster rallies are popping up all over the place; Most prevalently in my hometown due to my attending Teraschola."

Kuroo's head swung over. He stopped in his tracks, reaching forwards to lift your chin so your eyes could meet his.

"Isn't your aunt a vampire? Are your little cousins safe?"

The genuine worry in his eyes made your face heat up. You couldn't help but rub at the back of your neck.

"Our last text conversation was… worrying…"

Thinking back to it made your stomach churn…

"She told me they were fine after everything but I'm skeptical."

Kenma frowned. "I understand now why you're dragging us to the store to get everyone gifts."

You nodded.

"That, and I did miss everyone. I promised I'd get my cousin's souvenirs. They've never been out of town– so me leaving so far was a big deal to them." You smiled to yourself at the thought of their excited little faces.

"Really? I heard some vampires settle down these days– but I've always traveled." Kuroo spoke casually, and yet the mention of anything regarding his past or personal life immediately caught your interest.

"Really? What made you decide to go to college?..." You tried to mask the excitement in your voice. You had no idea how old Kuroo was, or even how he came to be a vampire. You knew your aunt was born one, and that she was one-hundred and six years old.

What if Kuroo was older?... That would certainly be interesting. He somehow kept his youth about him.

"I like to do it ever so often. See how things change. Besides, it's not like I have anything better to do." He shrugged, and Kenma rolled his eyes.

"Maybe use your money for something more helpful?" The Naga looked at his best friend with a sarcastic smirk. Kuroo only laughed.

"Knowledge, my sardonic friend, is always helpful." The vampire gave you a wink, and you looked away to mask your laugh.

Arriving at Kuroo's car, you couldn't help but be filled with a sense of anxiety. You had never been in a car, alone, with two guys your age. Kuroo offered you the passenger seat, and Kenma happily took the back to have more room.

You couldn't help but be surprised by his gentlemanly gesture, slipping into the seat with a small 'thanks.'

Kuroo got in and started his car, immediately starting on the way towards the nearby grocery store. You decided some chocolates and flowers would do the trick. Extra for your aunt.

You had never known a vampire would like chocolate, but your aunt preferred it over all presents. As for souvenirs you had already purchased those the day before. You picked them up from a local shop, and they just so happened to be snowglobes. You always loved snow globes, and you were sure your cousins would be infatuated with the tiny sculpture of the academy inside.

The time you spent with Kenma and Kuroo was relaxing, and a highlight of socialization before you would have to endure the long and boring car ride home. You had an overnight bag and your gifts prepared. You met the driver in front of the Academy, Yachi and Headmaster Ukai seeing you off. The next time you would see everyone would be the day of the speech.

The speech. Just the thought of it gave you nervous jitters. If everything went as planned, it would be a huge deal… you just might be making history.

At some point during the ride your thoughts got the better of you, and you drifted off into sleep. The nightmare didn't come, and you were relieved to finally get a restful sleep. You instead had a dream that… Well, it was rather interesting in nature. Who knew you would be seeing him in your dreams…

When you woke you had just entered your hometown. Staring out the window and watching as the familiar surroundings flew by had a nostalgic feeling bubbling up in your chest. Your favorite gas station, your old elementary school, the diner where you had your first date, the theater where you had your first kiss… Being back after so long had memories surging through your mind like a waterfall.

It was strange. It felt like you had been gone forever… and yet you felt a strange sort of emptiness as well. Being here without your friends, without Yachi, without Mika, without Kenma, or Kuroo, or Suna. Without Tendō or Ushijima, without Tsukishima and Hinata. Without Oikawa, or Iwaizumi, or Bokuto or Akaashi. Without Atsumu and Osamu…

It just– it didn't feel right. It felt wrong- bad. It even felt lackluster.

In such a short time the monsters at Teraschola had become such a huge part of your life. What was the point of your little hometown anyways? Other than visiting family you saw little purpose.

You shook those thoughts from your head, feeling slightly appalled. You never realized how strong your distaste for home really was… or maybe it was your love for Teraschola…

Eventually you were in your neighborhood, and soon your driveway. The door opened immediately, your mother stepping out and running over to greet you. Your father stood in the doorway, eyeing your driver. Something immediately felt wrong. The atmosphere was off… where was Aunt Lilith?...

"Ohhh, Y/N!!! Honey, we missed you so much!" Your mother jumped to give you a tight squeeze. The familiar scent of her shampoo had tears tickling the corner of your eyes. Your love for your parents outweighed your unease… and still your father stood in the doorway. He didn't even smile.

"Hey mom. I missed you too." You hugged her back, pulling your things from the car before thanking your driver and sending him off.

Your father moved to let the both of you in, his eyes scanning the street before he closed and locked the door.

"It's so good to see you again my dear! I'm making your favorite for dinner! It's already in the oven! Oh, and I made your bed just the way you like– organized your desk and everything!-"

You laughed at your mother's excitement. "Thanks mom, I appreciate it. I really do." You sat your things down in the living room, slipping off your shoes.

"Uhm- hey dad. You good?..." You were worried about your father's behavior, and when he looked at you you watched as the tension left his shoulders.

"Oh, uhm. Yes. I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's good to see you." He gave you a hug and you relaxed. You couldn't help but wonder what had him acting that way…

Your mother stepped off into the kitchen, and you picked up your bags to move them into your old room. Being back was nostalgic and for a second it was like you never left. You dropped your bag, flopping into bed. You took in the smell of your sheets before flipping onto your back.

You wondered if you could ever have your parents meet your friend's from Teraschola. They were a huge part of your life now, and sharing them with your family felt important. It felt necessary. But you were especially wondering… where was Aunt Lilith? And Don and Maze? Where was the rest of your family? Surely they wanted to see you too…

You sighed, deciding not to dwell on it as you stood to return to the kitchen. Dinner was ready, and your mother was by the stove.

"Oh, come in darling! Take a seat and I'll make you a plate."

You did as she asked, and your father sat reading his newspaper. You always found it funny that he still opted for the old newspaper over the digital news.

Soon dinner was served and you wasted no time in digging in. The food at Teraschola may have been gourmet, but nothing could beat the familiarity of your mother's homemade dinners.

"So, honey! Talk! Tell us everything. I really am so curious! You mentioned something about that new club you joined. How's that going?" Your mother sat down, clapping her hands together to break the tension in the room between you and your father.

"Well, our first public address is happening this week. We plan to broadcast it live. I was hoping that… maybe you guys could come?" It really was important to you and it would mean the world to have them there.

"Oh certainly, sweety! We wouldn't miss i-"

"I'm sorry, hun. It seems your mother's forgotten. We won't be able to make it as we'll be busy with work."

Your mother looked a little appalled at your father's words. "What he means to say is yes. Yes, we will be coming to your speech and that is final." Defiance entered her voice, and your father looked at her over the rim of his glasses before sighing in defeat.

What on Earth was his damn problem?....

"Oh, well Ushijima already let me know that we can reserve you guys a VIP spot so you can-"

"Ushijima?... Why is that name familiar…" Your father cut you off and you looked his way.

"Ah, well his mom is in politics. Ayaka Ushijima?..." You twiddled your thumbs and your father hummed.

"Oh, that crazy Centaur woman. I can't stand her. Always pushing that purity crap."

You scoffed, rolling your eyes as you continued eating. Your mother glared.

"I can't believe you. Could you stop that? You know Y/N doesn't like that talk!" Your mother huffed and your father only sighed.

"It's fine mom…" you trailed off. Finally, you decided to ask.

"So. Where is Aunt Lilith? She was supposed to be here."

Both of your parents stiffened at the mention of her name.

"Ah, well, you know how things have been lately honey. Uhm, Aunt Lilith can't come around very often anymore."

Your expression grew puzzled. "No, I don't think I do. She hasn't moved, why can't she come over?"

"Well, we're just taking some precautions– after what happened at her home we-"

You cut your mother off. "What happened at her home wasn't her fault. At all– and what does that have to do with dinner?"

"We can't keep associating with monsters, Y/N. We'll be the next people replacing windows."

You froze at your father's words, and after a second of digestion you could feel rage bubbling up in your stomach.

"Are you guys seriously ostracizing the best people in our family because they're MONSTERS? Have you not noticed that everyone else has abandoned us?"

"Y/N, it isn't like that dear. We just… it isn't safe for us-"

You dropped your fork and quickly stood.

"Is it safe for Don and Maze, Mom? Is it safe for your niece and nephew?" You stormed off towards your room, and your mother and father followed after you.

"Y/N, you apologize this instant. That's no way to talk to us." Your father's face was going a little red and you laughed.

"And that's no way to treat our family, father. Monster or not they've been here for us. When we couldn't keep the lights on, when we lost grandma, when YOU lost Uncle Kai! They were here for us! They were the only people who cared– how could you drag them through the mud like this!?"

You grabbed your bag and your mother's eyes went wide. "Honey, where are you going?"

"I'm going to see Aunt Lilith. And Don. And Maze. I need to make sure they're okay since you two don't seem to care." You stormed off towards the living room, stepping into your shoes. You could hear your mother sobbing and your father yelling but you were out the door before he could do anything about it.

You ran as fast as your legs would carry you , whipping out your phone to dial your Aunt's number. The phone rang once. It rang twice.

Then, Lilith picked up.

"Y/N, how are you, honey? Sorry we couldn't visit, your parents are being complicated." She sounded exhausted. You could hear your uncle talking in the background.

"Can you come pick me up? I'm at the bus stop next to Chester's…"

—

You sat silently in the passenger seat of your aunt's car. Soon, she decided to speak.

"What happened, Y/N? I sure hope you didn't upset your parents for our sake…"

You only huffed.

"I can't forgive them. Treating you like that… treating monsters like that…" your voice had a certain grit to it. Lilith looked at you with a small frown.

"Oh sweetheart, you care too much…" she continued driving before breaking the thick silence once more.

"Have you met someone, Y/N?"

You looked at your aunt curiously.

"Of course I have. I've met a lot of people in Teraschola."

She laughed at your answer, shaking her head. "No silly, I meant have you MET someone. A particular monster-someone who is very important to you and is shaping these feelings of yours?..."

You felt your face go hot with embarrassment, and only felt worse when your mind immediately trailed to him.

"I-... Aunt Lilith, the point is that they were being awful. I wasn't about to allow it."

Lilith smiled, pulling into her driveway and turning off the car. "Well, let's go inside and try to salvage today, why don't we?"

It was nice seeing your little cousins again, and they quite loved the souvenirs and snowglobes you brought. Your aunt, of course, loved her chocolate. Your uncle loved the new calligraphy pens and you enjoyed the hamburgers he had grilled.

You told your aunt about everything, and in return your aunt told you about everything that had been unfurling. She told you about the protests, the bar fights, the boycotts. She told you about all the racism, and about how people have been much more open about their true feelings. With every little thing she told you, you could feel your blood boil hotter and hotter. All of this because you were finally addressing an issue that should have been resolved one hundred years ago? Fucking unbelievable.

Your Uncle told you about how he was laid off from his job. About how finding work was hard because nobody wanted to hire someone who had been tainted by monsters– at least– not in this town. And that's when your aunt dropped the bomb.

"We're probably going to move."

You almost spit out your drink, but that would be a waste of good wine.

"Move? Where? Where would you guys go?"

"Anywhere but here. We'll have to downsize, and the kids will have to share a room but… it's better than this. I can't raise them in a house that has bricks flying through the windows…" Lilith sighed. "A fucking brick. Never in all my years…"

You felt a pain in your heart immediately. And now this town was going to push away your family as well? You could swear that this place, no matter how nostalgic, was a plague to the Earth…

"You won't have to move anywhere, Aunt Lilith. Not if I have anything to say in this." You shook your head. "When I give this speech… this speech, it will change everything. I'm going to fix all of this."

Your uncle sighed at the sentiment.

"We appreciate it, Hun. Why don't you get some sleep for now, huh? All that fighting with your parents probably has you tuckered out."

You nodded, finishing your wine. Lilith took your drained glass. "We got the spare room ready for ya'. Make yourself at home, sweetheart."

Notes:

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter will be the speech, I hope you're ready for that! 🤪

I will be taking a break from writing chapters so I can knock out and finish some of these smutshots I've started!

Also-- I randomly named Ushijima's mom Ayaka because I don't think she has a cannon name... Correct me if I'm wrong lol.

Anyways I hope you all enjoyed! Have a great day/night!♥️♥️

Chapter 15: XVI - Start a Riot

Summary:

Read Hinata's smutshot "Cupid" HERE!!

Read Oikawa's smutshot "Infernal Desires" HERE!!

The day of the speech has arrived...

Notes:

WARNING THIS CHAPTER...

...Has mentions of blood and violence...

Is this foreshadowing?... 🤔🤔🤔

NAHHHHH

"So, they want to pull you from Teraschola?"

Your aunt's voice is bitter as she sips from her coffee. Her eyes are marked in dark circles you haven't seen her bear before. It made them look dark, and unfamiliar. Recent events must be weighing heavy on her.

You gave a nod, jaw clenched as you tried to suppress your rage. You would hate to wake your cousins so early in the morning because you raised your tone of voice.

"They do. Jokes on them, I'm a grown woman, and they have no control over me anymore. I don't care about their opinions anymore."

An unhealthy amount of resentment for your parents was rising in your belly, and it was born when you stayed up all night. You tossed and turned, and practiced your speech a gazillion times because today was the day.

It had been two days since you stormed out of your parent's house and stayed with your Aunt. You had kept in close contact with Ushijima, and as it turns out preparations had gone rather smoothly. There were multiple news channels in attendance. The thought of Human law enforcement made you nervous, but you supposed it was a requirement.

All that's left is arriving and giving the speech.

"Now, come on Y/N. I-... I don't want you to sever your relationship with your parents over us. It's not that big of a deal." She sighed in the middle of her words.

"It's not just that, Aunt Lilith! I… it's so much more than that." You fell forwards, head in your hands as you tried to calm your thoughts. They flew around your brain like a rapid, untamable hurricane.

"Going to Teraschola… I have learned so much! I've met so many wonderful people– people I care for deeply! And… there's truth in saying I've met someone special…" You could feel embarrassment burn in your throat at the admission. "If my parents can't accept this new side of me– these new values I hold and these new people I love… Then I can't accept them in my life. No matter how bad it hurts me, that's just the truth."

Your voice broke, and a new feeling burned in your throat now as you suppressed the urge to cry. You would rather not give a speech with puffy eyes and a tight throat.

"Awe, sweetheart. Please don't cry…"

Lilith moved over to sit at your side, arms pulling you into her chest and fingers rubbing at your spine.

"It's going to be alright. They'll come around, I know they will. We just need things to die down."

She placed a kiss on the top of your head, and you nodded into her shirt before pulling away.

"I just hope my speech will do something…"

After learning more about the current situation from your aunt, you realized now that you had been too optimistic before. It was a miracle the speech would still be held with how awful things had become.

"It will. It's going to force people to hear you. They might not listen, but they can't ignore you– and the change may not be immediate but I think something will come out of it. I'm so proud of you, Y/N."

You looked into her eyes and now, despite the dark circles, you saw the eyes of your Aunt Lilith.

"Thank you, Lilith."

Your uncle was going to keep the kids, and watch the speech from home. Your aunt was going to drive you there and watch from the VIP section. And you would be on the stage, in front of everyone, reading this speech.

The two of you were soon sitting in the vehicle, and you were focused on calming your nerves as she started the drive towards the reception of the speech. Traffic got denser the closer you got, and that could only be a sign that many people would be in attendance. You held your folder to your chest nervously. Your speech sat inside, the same speech you had gone over a thousand times to ensure it was perfect.

"Don't be nervous. I know you'll do great, sweetheart. You have enough fire in you. Y'know, I used to be an activist about sixty years or so ago. Of course, my kind of activism was very different from yours…" She gave you a smile from the driver's seat, the knee she didn't use to drive bouncing. Even she was getting anxious.

You sighed, turning towards the window. Was it selfish to feel regret swelling in your tummy? You would be on that stage preaching about an issue you never truly experienced, simply because humans would listen to you. It felt stupid, but at the same time it made you feel good to be able to help in some way.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Lilith? I… is this good?" You looked at her, terrified of her answer but at the same time anticipating the truth.

She turned her head to look at you, her face soft and full of love.

"Ignore your brain, my love. Your brain is logical, and will distract you from the truth. Do you feel like you're doing the right thing?"

You paused for a second to ponder her question. How did YOU feel? When Ushijima suggested you give the speech, you accepted in the belief that you would do something to help… but, did you actually feel good about this?...

What were you thinking– of course you did! This is what you were doing to make a difference! This wasn't a rite of passage– this was your way of showing love to your friends.

"I do."

She gave a small laugh, her eyes directed back on the road.

"Then it's the right thing."

You smiled to yourself, staring out the window and watching trees fly past as you drove into the capital. Soon you would be surrounded by those you loved, giving a speech.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket.

You smiled at Yachi's optimistic outlook, putting your phone away.

"Wow…"

You looked up from your aunt's astounded tone.

There were people everywhere. Monsters and humans all crowding around a central stage where you could already make out the shapes of Ushijima, Yachi, and the Headmaster. You could feel bile rise in your throat at the sight. You were about to give a speech to ALL of those people.

Your aunt parked her car in the space saved for you, one closest to the back of the stage for easy access. You got out, brushing yourself off and walking with your aunt up the stairs to meet your friends.

"Y/N! Y/N is here!!"

Yachi rushed forwards in a flurry of black, arms around you before you could blink. Everyone was in uniform, and so were you.

"I'm glad you're here on time! I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sure they'll understand."

"Why, if it isn't Lilith Church! You're Y/N's aunt?"

Ukai stepped forwards, a big smile on his lips. Your aunt smiled back.

"Keishin Ukai! It's Lilith L/N, now." She shook his hand firmly

"You two know each other?" You were puzzled, and Lilith laughed.

"The Headmaster and I attended Teraschola at the same time. We were both on the student council."

You hummed at the thought. How long ago had that been? Both vampires and gargoyles had rather insane life-spans… or would it be considered a death-span for vampires? You made a note to ask Lilith about that some time.

"Well, now that you're here Y/N– you should get prepared. I'm going to go ahead and give our opening." Ukai brushed himself off, stepping up to the podium.

The crowd was already erupting with noise, and the sound made your spine prickly with anxiety.

"Well, Y/N. We've made it this far." Ushijima placed a hand on your shoulder, a gentle smile on his lips. "Are you feeling alright?"

You took a deep breath, looking up to lock your eyes with his.

"And we're here for ya, Tiny! All of us! Some of us are in the crowd… but I'll be up here right next to you~" Tendō's cooing in your ear made you jump out of your skin. He was very good at sneaking up on you, huh.

"Thanks, you guys. I… I think I can do this. I think I'll be fine."

The crowd screamed with the mention of your name. Whether they were in favor or against you, every word blended and melted together until nothing could be heard at all. You swallowed hard again before trading places with the Headmaster. He gave you a single pat on the back before retiring behind you.

Looking out on the crowd was like nothing you had ever experienced before. At least over six hundred pairs of eyes stared back at you, bated breath and clenched fists accentuating their appearances.

For a second you were paralyzed by the fear, silence falling over you like a storm. You turned around, your eyes finding Yachi and her encouraging smile. Suddenly, you found your words.

"Take a moment to look amongst yourselves...."

You glanced up from the paper on your podium, watching the crowd. Some people did as you suggested, and some stood still. You continued.

"When I look into this crowd, I see not a separation of monster and of human. I see a sea of people. I see a myriad of us, all of us standing here in this same square listening to the same speech written by the same group of college students."

Eyes found you again as you spoke, people glancing at one another– mostly humans– as if to say 'what is this girl talking about?' And with the laziness in their eyes you found anger.

"Would you be here if a human weren't reading this speech? If instead I were a monster, would you be in your homes right now? Would you still find the issue as pressing if the roles were reversed?"

Silence continued to swallow the crowd at the new conviction in your tone. They already knew their answers. The reason you had drawn this crowd was a human speaking in defense of monsters. It was new. Almost unheard of.

"Would I be the criminal if I were to attend an all human school as a monster?"

Just as you had hoped, your words were inspiring conscious thought.

"Scary thought, isn't it? That no matter what these people do they are the bad guys? Why do we feel this way?"

You looked to where the humans had congregated away from the monsters, and then your eyes focused on the middle of the crowd where the two blended as a medium.

"Can we think of any real reason? We've been enemies in war... But we've also been allies. I mean-- even as you stand separate now, you are never truly apart." You shook your head. "When you went to the café this morning and bought your coffee... Was it a human or a monster who handed you your cup? Well, tell me now, was it a human or a monster who made the cup? And who cut down the tree to make the paper for that cup?"

The silence left you in your own thoughts, your own feelings on the topic overtaking your mind as you struggled to remain calm.

You remembered your friends behind you… and when you searched harder on the monster side of the crowd you saw them.

Your friends had congregated together, eyes facing you and bright smiles on their lips.

You could see the twins, and Suna. Bokuto and Atsumu we're getting along– and Akaashi flashed you a thumbs up.

You could see Kuroo and Kenma. You could see the way they focused on you so intently.

Iwaizumi stuck out like a sore thumb in all of his blueness, Oikawa standing next to him, giving you a wave as your eyes scanned over him.

Hinata jumped up at your gaze, and even Tsukishima– who stood with Yamaguchi– had a small smirk on his lips.

You took a deep breath.

"You are unsure because it doesn't really matter. You never worry about who's making cups in a factory, you just recognize that it happened so you can have your cup of coffee in the morning. The average person may even feel grateful." You lifted a brow. "Would you no longer use your cup if it were a monster in that factory? You wouldn't know either way, would you?"

"And when you buy a used car, would you not buy the better car simply because it had been driven or manufactured by a monster? That thought process is ridiculous, is it not?"

You could see people agreeing with you in the crowd, and you smiled. You gestured to the people behind you.

"I have learned so much during my short time at Teraschola Academy. I've been taught about different medicines. I've learned about magic, wars, and food. But most of all, I've learned about people. I've learned about myself just as much as I've learned about all of my new friends. I've learned that in truth, our differences are too miniscule to cause a divide like this one."

When you turned to look at your friends again, Yachi had tears in her eyes. Ushijima and Tendō looked as proud as can be. You had never seen such a big smile on the Headmaster's face.

"And in truth? I feel more at home with all of these monsters than I did in an all-human classroom."

There was surprise among the crowd, pride with the monsters and shame within the humans. How could you say you were more at home without your own people?

You weren't sure yourself, but it was true.

It was raising voices, and many people had begun to shout at one another. You shook your head.

"Let's look across this crowd at one another. I want you to find someone in this crowd who is different from you and just... Just look"

You paused for a moment to let them do as you asked, looking towards the middle-front of the crowd. Your eyes fell on a little girl, staring up at you brightly. She was a werewolf, with tall red ears situated upon her head. She looked to be struggling with her transformations, as many young wolves do. She couldn't have been more than twelve.

You gave her a little wave, and she waved back, shaking with the movement of her bones. You felt sorry for her struggle, but you weren't too worried. It was normal and she would be fine. Being in the daytime meant she would have much better control over herself.

She stood with her parents, and next to them stood a human man. He glared down at her in distrust, eyes full of hate and a rock resting in his clenched fist. Anxiety spiked in your heart but you kept your calm.

"Notice your differences, and notice that most of all that person shares a similar mind. That person is just as–"

It happened before you could even comprehend the movement.

The little girl had a particularly awful wave, her back snapping straight and her jaws snapping in a tiny, vicious snarl. Just as she was calming the man next to her lunged forwards.

To your absolute horror he lifted his arm, arcing it downwards to slam the rock into the side of her head.

Her scream was heartbreaking, tiny frame crumpling towards the ground. The sight of blood was almost immediate, and your gasp tore all of the air from your lungs.

The crowd immediately broke into chaos. Enraged roars filled the air from the insolence of that man, fighting immediately breaking out. You watched the girl's father lose himself to a fit of rage, Lycan urges overtaking him as he tackled his daughter's attacker to the ground.

You didn't think, jumping down from the stage to reach the injured girl. Her mother sobbed, shakily dialing the number for an ambulance.

"Y/N! Damnit, wait!" Tendō and Ushijima rushed after you, opting to take the stairs instead.

"Fuck- Is she okay!? Is she breathing??" You dropped to your knees, pressing your ear against the girl's chest. You could feel the steady thrumming of her heart against your ear, relief flooding through you. "She's breathing! Oh my God– I can't–" your voice stuttered as sobs wracked through you.

You felt like an idiot, crying over this child that wasn't even yours– but you couldn't stop the tears that flooded down your cheeks.

"My– my baby girl. Why??" The mother's ears were pulled back against her head, and you shook your own.

"Y/N! Is she– is the girl okay?" The best way to describe Ushijima's expression would be pure panic. His own ears had flopped downwards, hooves scuffing against the ground.

"She's breathing. Please- Help her mother get her to the police. She needs a hospital!" You lifted the unconscious girl into Ushijima's arms, and with the girl's mother he galloped towards the edge of the crowd.

Tendō swooped in just in time, ripping the girl's father off of the attacker. He had mauled him pretty good, blood dripping from his fangs. The man could hardly defend himself against the father's new, beastly appearance, so Tendō used his web to restrain the both of them.

"I need to go make sure everyone is safe! Watch him for me, Tori!" You started off into the stampeding crowd, Tendō screaming after you not to go.

However, you hardly listened. You stepped in further, trying to dodge the fighting and scrambling feet in every direction.

You fought towards where you had seen everyone in the crowd, nearling tripping over yourself with every step. You probably looked awful with tears and snot covering your face, but you could hardly feel anything but the guilt and terror flooding your veins.

"Y/N! Y/N!"

You whipped your head to the side, and before you could speak his big, leathery wings had been wrapped around you. Emerald scales shrouded your vision, and to your surprise Tsukishima took your shaking form into his arms.

"What are you doing you idiot? Running into this dangerous mob…" He murmured his words against your temple, using his own body to shield you from the fighting around. You looked up from his chest.

His glasses had been cracked, a purple bruise forming around his left eye. You gasped at the injury

"Tsukishima are– are you okay??"

"I'm… I'm fine. I'm alright. Don't move, you'll be trampled."

You listened, staying concealed in his wing-cocoon.

"Is everyone okay? Did the other students get out okay?" You were interrupted when you heard another familiar voice.

"Did you get her, Tsukishima?"

It was Iwaizumi. You couldn't see him, but you recognized his tone.

"She's in my wings. I'll hold her, don't worry."

"Y/N, we're trying to calm this down. Don't get yourself in trouble. Stay with Tsukishima."

Iwa commanded you with an urgency you had never heard from him before. Then, it seemed like he was gone.

You could still hear the screaming, and the yelling of law enforcement as people ran in every direction. Headmaster Ukai's voice blared through the speakers as he tried to calm the panic running through the crowd. It was insane how one man's actions could inspire a full-blown riot.

Even worse? Most of these people probably had no idea why they were fighting. Especially everyone near the back who had never seen the attack go down. They were all fighting for the sake of fighting.

"Tsukishima, what's going on?? I can't see anything!!" You struggled to break free from his grip at the sound of people being restrained.

"I… I don't know. Why- why are they only arresting monsters?"

Your blood ran cold at the confusion in Tsukishima's voice. Was your speech seriously turning into a real life example of discrimination? It had been a HUMAN who started this!!

"Hey!! LET HIM GO!" Suddenly a roar tore from Tsukishima's chest. He released you in favor of rushing forwards, and you quickly followed him with your eyes.

"Tsukki? No! Don't– stay over there!" Tadashi was in the middle of being cuffed, hooves scuffing the ground as he tried to keep his friend from helping him. Tsukishima didn't listen, clawed hands reaching forwards to pull at the Satyr's handcuffs.

"Oh, no ya' don't, Scaley!!" You could see one of the officers approach the dragon from behind, securing a huge iron-clad collar around his throat. You shrieked at the sight, running forwards.

"NO!! NO, GET THAT THING OFF OF HIM!!" You ran forwards to shove at the man who was currently arresting Tsukishima, and before the cop could retaliate you felt yourself being pulled back.

"Don't, Y/N. Don't do anything else or we'll be in worse trouble."

You recognized the cold grip as Kenma, hearing the vicious shudder of his rattle as the office took a step towards you.

"Don't fucking touch them. We'll walk ourselves to your cruisers, bastard." Kuroo took a step in front of you, baring his fangs at the man before you and Kenma followed towards where most of your classmates– and other monsters who attended the rally– were being brought.

Was this it? Were you seriously being arrested for the very first time because of a peaceful rally? Because a fight was started by a human, they were putting monsters in chains??

You could feel nothing but a numbness that stemmed from your pure, unbridled rage.

You took one last look at your sobbing aunt before you took your seat inside of the cramped police cruiser.

Notes:

😁

Y'all wanna scalp me yet? 😅😅

I'M SORRY IM SORRY I KNOW BUT I NEEDED THE DRAMAAAAA!!!

Feel free to yell at me in the comments! ❤️❤️

Kuroo and Akaashi's smutshots will be next!!

Chapter 16: XVII - To the Rescue

Summary:

After being locked up in a holding cell with your friends from Teraschola you await the arrival of Ushijima and the Headmaster to release you. Surely things will be just fine.

Notes:

Read Akaashi's Smutshot "Physical Therapy" HERE!!

Read Kuroo's Smutshot "Light Headed"

HERE!!

Thick, black smoke blotted the light from the stars in the night sky. Your eyes stung with tears as it swirled around you– as it clung to your lungs and plagued you with an angry cough. The pain in your legs was familiar as they fought to carry your forwards.

You would lose your strength– you would crumple to the ground, and then you would fight back onto your feet.

You dragged yourself forwards, fist rubbing the hot tears from your cheeks. All around you people screamed. All around you voices were silenced by the cackling of the starving flames.

People pushed passed you– some carrying the limp bodies of their friends. Injuries stopped none– even as the blood leaked from their bodies and stained the ground below. The constant fight towards the paramedics continued.

You ran in the opposite direction, and yet nobody stopped you in their panic to escape. Running towards danger. The heat licked at your skin and the sirens made it feel as though your brain had been put in a blender.

You had a mission– you were doing something. Something important and yet you weren't sure. You had to be somewhere, in fact your body was unable to stop in it's pursuit. You ignored your pain, chest heaving as you moved. You were unsure if you had been speaking– possibly screaming– as everything bled together in an uncharacteristic mush.

Your shoulders shook– pressure enveloping them as a sharp pain prickled at your skin. It was as though you were being squeezed, the phantom grip shaking at your shoulders as you continued your mad dash.

"It… onl-... A nigh…tmare!"

You froze as lucidity seized you.

"It's only a nightmare!"

That same familiar voice. A nightmare? Was this a nightmare? But everything felt so real…

"Y/N? Hey, wake up!!"

A new voice now– had you been sleeping?

A quality changed as now you felt as though you were drowning. Your eyes finally sealed shut, chest heaving and shaking with the voices that tried so hard to rouse you from your slumber.

Finally waking was like being electrocuted. You took little time to recognize your surroundings, eyes shooting open and body jolting up.

"Woah! Y/N, are you okay?"

You furiously rubbed at your eyes, breaking the seal trying to keep them closed so that you could feel out your surroundings.

"Goddamn, that is really freaky."

You made out the body you rested against, freezing, webbed fingers touching your skin. They cooled the heat the fire left burning through your bones– or was it a fever instead?

"Suna? How long have we been in here?"

The siren smiled sadly as you sat up from his lap, his tail having made a surprisingly suitable pillow for your slumber.

"A few hours. The clock in here is broken, and they took away our belongings. We have no solid tell for time."

"And it passes slow as shit in here. Borin' as hell waiting for someone to come pick us up." Atsumu layed flat against the bench, tails whipping under him. Osamu sat next to him with his head in his hands.

"Kita is going to skin us… put our pelts on the wall." His voice was muffled by his hands. The twins looked worse for wear– as did everyone with you in the cell. Getting your friends beaten up by humans was the last thing you intended to do.

Everyone was hurt, one way or another. Kenma was probably the worst. You hadn't noticed in the cruiser, but one of his snakes had been struck in the face with something thrown. Thankfully the little guy wasn't hurt too bad. The blow could have killed him, but instead only damaged his eye.

Kenma was fine, bandaged and resting in the corner of the holding cell. You couldn't even imagine how awful things would be if that blow had killed the snake.

You hadn't been harmed, thanks to Tsukishima's protection. Even the dragon had sustained a black eye. Your only pain had come from your scraped knees. It made you feel guilty.

"You guys I'm sorry… I should have never… I should have-"

"Y/N. This isn't your fault. You couldn't have known that man would do such a thing."

You looked up, Hinata offering you a comforting smile. You had never heard such a serious tone from him, and that made a huge difference.

"Bird boy is right. It's not like you can tell the future." Tsukishima chimed in, nursing an ice pack over his blackened eye. It really was a shame considering he had such beautiful eyes.

Hinata huffed "Don't call me that. But for once we can agree on something." He was sporting a smaller smile now, but it hadn't faded.

"Well, I can confidently say I don't regret a thing! Sitting in this cell? Totally worth it." Bokuto shrugged as he leaned against the wall, Akaashi giving him a strange look.

"Well, I do regret getting clocked in the jaw. It's going to hurt my revenue…" Oikawa's whine made you giggle.

"Sorry, Torū. If it makes you feel any better, I don't think that bruise hurts your handsome face too much." You grinned at him, watching the way his wings fluttered behind him at your compliment.

"Well, if we're lucky Ushijima will be here with the Headmaster any minute now. And my mother is going to kill me for getting arrested." Tendō's fingers scrubbed through his scarlet hair, a strange mix between a smile and pain gracing his features.

The Centaur had avoided arrest by staying with the Werewolf girl at the ambulance pick-up. You were glad. Out of everyone in the room, his mother would be the most severe after something like an arrest.

You sighed.

"They have to let us go. You all didn't do anything except defend yourselves." You crossed your arms, a deep set glare creasing your face. You tried to push your nightmare from your head. It was progressing now– no longer just recurring but also almost… prophetic.

"If only other humans would see it that way. We just have to wait for everyone to realize why the riot started in the first place." Yamaguchi let his freckled face press into the corner of the cell, his horns clicking against the stone. You nodded.

"Right. Once they realize we were just trying to calm everyone down they'll set us free." You set your jaw, trying to convince yourself of it more than anything. You didn't feel the tears burning at your lash line until they were sliding down your cheeks and plaguing you with hiccups.

You must have been more overwhelmed than you thought.

You could hear the clicking of his legs before he pulled you into his chest, claws soothing at the back of your neck to calm you. "Shhhhh- Shshsh… it's alright, Tiny. Everything will be okay. You have nothing to worry about…"

You pressed your face into the silkiness of his blazer, and Tendō didn't mind your tears staining the fabric. He only pulled you closer so you could listen to the steady thrumming of his heart. So you could focus on catching your breath. The strength in his arms had your toes leaving the ground, and it was just the thing you needed to lead yourself out of the confines of your mind.

"Students of Teraschola!! Get yourselves up– you're being released!!"

You could hear the voice of a presumed officer, listening to everyone around you scramble to stand or just generally ready themselves for freedom after hours in the cell. You remained in Tendō's arms, not ready to face your family or the Headmaster. You definitely weren't ready to face Ushijima after making such a failure out of his meticulous planning.

"Told you so, didn't we!?! In your face!!" You could hear Bokuto barking at the officer, a tiny grin finding your lips with his rambunctious behavior.

You could hear the door clanging open, the clopping of hooves and the tapping of footsteps entering the cell.

There was a sharp gasp, one that you immediately recognized. It made you draw your brows together as you pulled away from Tendō.

Now, standing in the center of the cell, was a new group of friendly faces.

Ushijima stood next to a nicely-dressed Centaur woman who you assumed was his mother. Then, there was Yachi and the Headmaster. Next to them Kita, the leader of the twin's clan, stood looking as ethereal as ever. Then you saw your aunt, who looked like a mess. But, surprisingly enough, she stood next to your father and mother.

Your mother held a hand over her mouth seeing you in the claws of a giant spider, her anxiety soothing when Tendō willingly released you. For a moment no one spoke. Silence suffocated you.

Your father was the first person to move, his feet scrambling to carry him across the floor and to you. He immediately pulled you into his arms, hands squeezing at you as if he had never been more terrified in his entire life. You could feel his body shake as he tried to hold back his tears.

Your mother joined the embrace a second later, in the same predicament of trying to keep her cool.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I was cruel, and I was an idiot. Please forgive me…"

Your father's voice shook as he asked for your forgiveness, your mother only pulling you closer. You accepted the embrace, fighting the tears from returning. You nodded.

"I forgive you, Dad. But I want you to apologize to Lilith and her kids. They were the ones who were truly hurt…" you pulled away to look him in his eyes. He nodded, hands gripping at your shoulders as his jaw went tight.

"I'm so relieved to see you safe. You have no idea how worried I was seeing all of that on the news!! Oh, that man was just horrible. You were right, honey, this stuff needs to end!" Your mother's voice continued the conversation, her own hand clasping your cheek. You gave her a smile.

"Atsumu. Osamu."

All eyes in the cell turned to Kita. Suddenly, it was like he commanded the attention of every single eye in the vicinity.

The white of his fur glowed in the light as he stepped forwards. The twin Kitsunes bowed their heads as he approached, tails tucking and ears drooping.

"I remember asking the both of you to look after Y/N during her stay… imagine my surprise when I see her in the middle of all of the chaos." His stare was freezing cold, and it made you shudder. The twins both winced in unison.

You frowned. You couldn't sit and let the twins take the fall. You jumped into the chaos willingly.

Shaking legs pulled you from the arms of your parents, and slowly you intercepted the lecture.

"U-uhm… no disrespect, and I hate to interrupt but, well, it isn't their fault I was in the crowd." You swallowed hard, trying to calm your shaky voice as you raised your eyes. His gaze was terrifying. The man that once looked so kind was now so very scary. "I jumped in of my own volition. The twins put themselves in danger to help me… so if you should be angry with anyone, it's me… Mr. Kita… sir…"

You stared at him, terrified for whatever response awaited you. To your surprise, the fox only shifted into a gentle smile.

"Well… I suppose I can't be angry with them then, can I? And you were only trying to help as well…" he sighed, folding his hands. His claws shimmered. "Well, with the help of Lady Ushijima you are all free to leave the cell. No charges will be filed on any of you."

It was like the entire room let out sighs of relief. Ushijima's mother stepped forwards.

"I would also like to inform you all of the condition of the young girl who was attacked. She's currently making a full recovery in the hospital, and will suffer no long-term damage from the injury."

Another sigh of relief. You could feel your own heart swell. The thought of that girl had been eating away at you. You couldn't stop seeing her pudgy little face.

"The human man who attacked her is going to be charged. Heavily. He'll likely spend some time in federal prison for attempted murder and battery."

And then your heart swelled with the thought of that monster being brought to justice. Werewolf or not, she's just a child. It's never okay to hit a child.

Ushijima cautiously stepped around his mother, moving to where you stood between Kita and the twins. He didn't say anything, letting his actions speak first when his hands moved to hold your face. He examined you for marks and bruises, a frown finding him.

"You could have been seriously hurt, you know? That mob was dangerous." His brow was set in a way that made him look incredibly stern. Your mouth went dry.

"And you all the same. You could have been hurt too, Wakatoshi." Your hands moved to rest over his. "I'm sorry for ruining the speech. I'm a lousy club-member, huh?"

Ushijima glanced at his mother, and he quickly released you seeing her scandalized expression. "You didn't ruin anything, Y/N. You did amazing. You have everyone in a buzz."

You smiled, locking eyes with the Centaur in front of you. The contact was broken when a new voice erupted.

"Okay, Okay! I've waited long enough! My turn now, big guy!" Yachi was practically shaking and jittering when she collided into you and took you into her arms.

"I thought you would die, Y/N!! You scared the life out of me! I think I had four panic attacks in that damn waiting room!!" She nuzzled her cheek into you, and you couldn't help but laugh at her accusatory tone.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it." You grinned at her when she pulled away, and she huffed.

"We'll have to get lunch to make up for it. So I know for sure you're alright."

You laughed at her sly way of asking you to buy her lunch, feeling rather grateful to have so many wonderful friends.

The Headmaster smiled as everyone's spirits rose, but the question still remained.

"Where do we go from here?"

Both Kita and Ms. Ushijima turned towards the gargoyle. Kita's ears pulled back.

"I suppose that you all should return to the academy. Continue classes as normal and try to lay low with the activism until things calm down." The Kitsune held his jaw as he explained, and the Centaur nodded.

"Any more work at the moment would only put the students in unnecessary danger, and I want to avoid my son ever experiencing something like this again. I agree with Kita." She nodded sternly, and Ukai ran his clawed fingers through his hair.

"Right. Well then, I should get the transportation sorted out." And with that he stepped into the hall to make a few phone calls.

Your parents awkwardly stepped through the crowd with your aunt towards you. You had occupied yourself with fussing over Kenma's bandages.

The Naga Hybrid was still sleepy from the pain medication, allowing you to adjust the wrappings on the injured snake. Kuroo sat nearby, watching with a small smile as you worked.

"Y/N, honey. Your father and I decided we would give you a ride back to the academy."

You looked up at the sound of your mother's voice, Kenma's eyes lazily following yours at the sound of newcomers. You smiled, ignoring the rattling from his tail. It made your parents and aunt jump.

"That's good. Aunt Lilith probably wants to check up on Don and Maze."

Lilith nodded. "Yes. The sooner the better after all of this."

It only made sense she would be worried after something so severe. You couldn't blame her, but to have your parents offer to come so close to a monster academy? It was strange… but welcome.

"From what I know, I'm taking Kenma home, Tadashi is taking Hinata, Bokuto, and Akaashi– much to Tsukishima's distaste. The twins are going with Kita, Ushijima with his mother, Iwaizumi with Oikawa– and then everyone else is going with the Headmaster." Kuroo stood, brushing himself off. Your parents looked at you in surprise.

"All of these monsters are your friends? We weren't expecting so many." Your mother gave a nervous smile. You couldn't help but beam with pride.

"Oh, well I have a few more that couldn't attend! I told you guys, I'm doing very well at the academy."

Kuroo nodded. "Your daughter is delightful. Really a wonderful person. We all feel lucky to have met her." And then he was leading Kenma out of the holding cell to the comfort of his car.

You could feel your face heat at the Vampire's shameless compliments in front of your family, rubbing at the back of your neck. "Well, I guess since everyone is sorted out we can make our own way to the academy?"

The four of you exited the now empty holding cell, meeting everyone out in the parking lot of the jail. People were loading up to head to the same destination– Teraschola Academy. You found yourself missing your dorm room after laying on that awful bench. Even when Suna sacrificed his tail as a pillow it was uncomfortable.

You gave Lilith a hug, relishing in her touch.

"I'm glad you ended up safe, Y/N. I want you to text or call as soon as you get settled in. We'll all be waiting to hear from you." She pressed her shapely lips against your forehead in a gentle kiss before retreating to her vehicle.

As you and your parents made your way towards your own vehicle, you were stopped by Akaashi.

"Hey, Y/N…" He gave you a small smile, ignoring the way Bokuto yelled at him to hurry and get in the car.

"Akaashi! Did you need something?"

He shook his head. "No, not me. I noticed your… nightmare. Yachi mentioned them to me, but that looked far worse than she had explained." His expression was full of concern, and you sighed.

"You aren't wrong. I think the stress isn't good on my head." You picked at your nails, feeling a little awkward to have the phenomenon discussed. You were so used to ignoring it afterwards.

"Well, if those get worse… I would suggest maybe having it checked out. It's never a good sign." He gave you a pat on the shoulder.

"Akaashi!! Come on! I'm afraid Tsukishima's gonna eat me if we don't start driving!!"

Hinata's voice interrupted the moment, the both of you laughing at his tone.

"I'll see you at the Academy, Y/N."

"Same to you, Akaashi. Thank you."

Climbing into your father's car was nostalgic. The last time you had been in it was the day you transferred to Teraschola. It felt like forever ago.

You buckle your seatbelt, watching your parents do the same. Then, the three of you sat in a short silence.

"All of those monster friends huh?..." Your father turned to look at you from over his seat. "Even the spider?"

You sighed with a nod. "Yes, Dad. Even the spider. They may look scary but they're the greatest people I've ever met."

Your mother let out a hum. "Well, that's a relief. I thought he had been trying to eat you!"

Silence fell again, and it was a few seconds before your father broke it again.

"You know, an alarmingly large number of men were in that cell with you…"

"Dad!! Can you just start driving, please?" You hid your face in your hands. Of course he had to make a comment.

"Alright, alright! Let's get you back to school…

Notes:

... :D....

So remember when I said it would be a short Hiatus? Well-- it's going to be longer than anticipated. We've had a lot of storms where I live, and because of my phone provider being garbage I have to get a new phone and all of that crap 😭😭

I only have internet now because I'm at a friend's house, but I still wanted to post something so you all know I'm still alive!

Love you all! Stay safe and warm this winter-- or whatever season you're experiencing where you live! ❤️❤️ And Happy Holidays!

Chapter 17: XVIII - Failure Is A Temporary Thing

Summary:

You arrive back at the Academy, and are tasked with the monumental test of settling back in as though everything is normal.

You hardly feel normal.

Notes:

Read Tsukishima's smutshot "Strawberry Shortcakes And Potion Mishaps"

HERE!!

💕😈

(So sorry for the stupid, ridiculous wait 😵😵)

"Oh, wow!! It's so much bigger than I thought it would be! Look at those spires, honey!"

Your mother had her face pressed against the window like a child, eyes full of wonder as she watched the students walking around campus and the huge buildings that loomed over all below them. Your father followed behind Yamaguchi's car, leading you back to the Academy.

Lines of monsters watched the procession of vehicles full of students they saw on the news. Students they watched get injured and arrested fighting for the greater good.

"I see them, love. I do…" Your father squinted as he tried to focus on his driving. It was a real challenge considering Bokuto was hanging out of Yamaguchi's car window, hooping and hollering as if to soak in all of his new found glory. You couldn't stifle your laugh.

"Oh! Y/N, I think this is parking! Almost time to go…" Your mother frowned now, turning in her seat to look at you. "You really should call more often. And send pictures! I miss your smile, dear."

You nodded. "I will, Mama. But only if you and Dad apologize to our family."

Your father nodded. "I promise… but your uncle may actually kill me. I'm- well- less than proud of my actions."

"All the more reason to make peace." Your tone was serious, and your father pulled into the parking lot before stopping his car.

He sighed, and then all three of you were opening your doors to step foot on campus.

The enchanted band on your wrist felt hot after your return. You had almost forgotten you'd worn it. How unfortunate your true danger was from other humans.

You pulled your things from the car, slinging your bag over your shoulder. You watched the rest of your friends also exit the various vehicles you all arrived in. Your eyes found Yachi, and she stopped to smile and give you a wave in the middle of her conversation.

You felt a sudden headache coming on, throbbing in your ears. You made a small wincing noise, clasping your hand over your eyes.

"Are you alright, Y/N?"

You could feel your father place a hand on your shoulder, but you could tell the voice questioning you wasn't him. You slowly removed your hand, looking up.

Iwaizumi had cast a protective shadow over you, blotting out the sun which you suspected caused the sudden pain.

"O-oh, Iwa. Yes, I'm fine." You shook your head, stepping out from underneath your father's hand. You approached the Oni, a smile lifting at your lips. It changed into a frown seeing up close just how bad the bruise on his jaw was.

You reached up, getting on your toes to examine it. "How did a human even get high enough to hit your face?"

He chuckled, crouching a bit so you could comfortably look over the contusion.

"I'm not sure, but it's somewhat impressive, huh?"

You shook your head, eyes meeting him again. The two of you maintained eye contact for a few seconds, making your face feel hot.

Your father cleared his throat.

"So, you're the boy who was in that photo with my daughter?"

Iwaizumi shot up straight as a rod, a blush hitting his cheeks after he had lost himself in your eyes.

"Uhm- Yes sir. That would be me." Iwaizumi held out one of his dominant hands, and your father shook it in his. "My name is Hajime Iwaizumi. I apologize for all the trouble that picture caused."

"Oh, well I liked the picture. It was very dynamic. And I've always wanted Y/N to explore more…" Your mother smiled.

Your father hummed. "Well, Y/N is adamant in favor of all of you…" He paused for a moment, tossing the word around his head. "Young men… so I can't find it in myself to stay mad."

The Oni let out a breath you didn't know he was holding, and nodded firmly. Before you could speak though, Yachi jumped into the conversation.

"Y/N! I know I already said this– but I'm so glad you're alright." She launched her smaller body into your arms, a smile on her face as she nuzzled into your shirt. You laughed, hugging her back.

"I already told you I'm perfectly fine." You released her, frowning a bit. "Everyone else was hurt a lot worse…"

Yachi shook her head. "That may be true, but you getting hurt is far more dangerous. Monsters are more resilient than humans."

You could definitely agree with that.

"I'll see you back in our room." She nodded to you, waving to your parents before turning on her heel to leave.

You sighed a little, Iwaizumi nodding along.

"I should probably do the same. I'll see you tomorrow when classes resume." The Oni gently rubbed a palm over your head before walking off towards where Oikawa stood, attempting to hide from the gaze of your parents.

Your brows furrowed. "Classes aren't in session?"

"No, not at the moment."

Headmaster Ukai joined the conversation, smiling at your parents.

"Kita and I decided that the students of Teraschola should have a nice, simple break after recent events. Classes will continue as usual in the morning tomorrow."

You supposed it made sense. Time for everyone to recuperate after such riveting events. Events that likely affected the mental states of many monsters…

"Have a nice day, Miss L/N. You too, Mr. And Mrs. L/N." And with that the gargoyle was headed for the main campus building. "If you need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me."

And you were preparing to say goodbye to your parents…

You visually deflated, choking back any tone that would reveal your feelings. Slowly, you moved to face them.

When you met their eyes they were already watching you– pitiful expressions on their faces.

"Mom… Dad…"

Your voice was small– but when your mother cocked her head and opened her arms with that sad smile she always wore when she was hurting, your resilience finally wore out.

You crumpled into her arms, sniffling against the fabric of her top. She held you, nails running gently over your scalp to soothe you.

"It's alright, Y/N. You did good. We're so proud of you." Your father placed a hand on your back, your mother nodding in her embrace.

"We couldn't wish for a more wonderful daughter."

Her words tore another sob from you, tears staining her shirt as she held you close. After your disaster of a speech you had been feeling pretty terrible. Your parents reassuring you that they were proud wasn't magic, but it was enough to soothe your aching mind.

Soon, you pulled away. You rubbed at your eyes, unable to erase all the evidence of your crying before you nodded.

"I promise to text more often. To call when I can." One final hug, and you were helping them get ready to leave. Last goodbyes, final "I love you"s, and then you watched the car leave the academy.

You took a deep breath before your retreat to your dorm building. For a while it was just you and silence. As you got further and further onto the campus, however, monsters started to notice you.

Chins jutted upwards, hands waved, and your name was shouted from jaws of razor-sharp, smiling teeth. You didn't know any of them– not a single one of the monsters acknowledging you knew who you were seconds before your speech. They knew you were an exchange student. A human.

But now they knew you were brave, and kind, and willing to leap into a riot of fighting to help an injured little werewolf pup.

It was certainly new, all of these people suddenly acknowledging you– being all nice. You weren't adverse to it though, even if you felt your reaction was what anyone would do in that situation.

Your heart still felt as though it were seized by a terrible guilt. It made tears burn behind your eyes and your throat tighten with shame– still you tried to smile back. As disheartening as everything had been, you had to keep stepping forwards.

Reaching the dorm building drew a long and heavy sigh from your lips, and stepping inside had a heavy weight manifesting in your gut. Something about being back after everything… It felt very strange. Or perhaps it was because of your nightmares? But why would it be because of your nightmares?

You couldn't remember them most of the time. You supposed there was a chance your subconscious could remember the dream but… it felt far-fetched.

You trudged towards the elevator, jamming your finger into the button before stepping inside. Unlike the elevators in your hometown, Teraschola's elevators had an absence of the dull and tacky music that would worm into your ears and grip your mind. They were filled with a suffocating silence that left you swearing your ears were ringing.

However, now the silence felt comfortable, only accompanied by the occasional beep noting the floors you had climbed.

When the doors slid open and revealed your hall, your feet felt heavier than they had before.

You mustered an incredible strength to lift them, moving forwards step by step towards your dorm room. You could see the door before you even reached it– the dual-colored paper decorations you fashioned with Yachi shooting aches into your heart. It said your names, and the door was decorated with pictures of the two of you together. At the diner, at one of Suna's tournaments, at an archery meet. The one in the middle stood out the most. It was taken on your first day at the Academy.

You took another deep breath, opening the door to step in.

Yachi stopped messing with stuff the second you met her eyes. She just froze, an awkward smile on her face as she watched you take off your coat, blazer, and hat.

You felt like you didn't deserve to wear it.

"Uhm, welcome home. I hope you don't mind- uh- I made your bed for you…" huge eyes darted between you and the wall next to her, feet shuffling awkwardly.

You tried a smile, and the muscles in your face told you it was positively pathetic. You tried one anyway.

"Thanks, Yachi. I really appreciate it."

She seemed a little relaxed by your response, her shoulders losing their signature stiffness. Her eyes finally met yours and a frown tugged her lips down into an uncharacteristic frown.

She just watched you for a second, and you stood pinned under her gaze. Your body felt like a creaky, rusty machine and it was ready to collapse.

"Y/N… you don't have to keep pretending everything is okay, yknow…"

Her words were like a bucket of icy water to the face.

"I'm sorry?"

Yachi shook her head.

"What happened– none of it was okay. None of it was normal. None of it should have happened and– well, it's okay to not be okay."

You felt lost, eyes wide and unblinking as she spoke to you. Your shoulders slumped, your back bent, and knees half-buckled under the pressure holding you down.

"I know you're trying to look strong in front of everyone. I know you feel like you shouldn't be upset– like you don't deserve to feel anything you're feeling. Well, you may feel that way out there but you aren't allowed to feel that way in here."

She stepped forwards to wrap her arms around you, fingers soothing over your spine.

"You can be honest here. Everything's going to be alright."

You couldn't help but blink in surprise, but you felt the hurricane of your emotions swallowing you in no time. A sob broke your silence, and you crumpled into the smaller girl's arms. Everything burned. Your eyes from tears, your lungs from sobs, your throat from wails. Yachi held you through it, unwavering as you let everything out.

You felt like a child again– and even with all the crying you had done today, nothing felt quite like this. You hadn't cried like this in years. The snotty, loud, unabashed kind of crying that comes from an unimaginable weight finally leaving you. It was like a boot being lifted from your neck.

Yachi helped you to your bed, sitting with you as you slowly came down from your crying, sniffling and wiping your face dry. Her smile made you feel somehow worse as she handed you a bottle of water from your bedside table.

You popped it open, chugging it down like oxygen. The coolness soothed your raw throat, and it left you sputtering. After that there were a few seconds of silence. Yachi watched you with a conviction in her eyes that killed all chances of silence.

"I… I wouldn't have done it, y'know?" You looked away, screwing the cap back onto the bottle. Yachi let a look of confusion cross her face.

"The exchange program, the public speaking club, the speech… if I knew all the trouble I would have brought upon all of you, I would have stayed away."

Yachi shook her head. "Y/N-"

"No, you don't understand–" you cut her off, voice frail under the staining of your throat. "I've failed everyone. I failed all of you. Every single time I try to help, I only bring trouble. You all have enough humans ruining your lives–"

"Now Y/N, you know that isn't true!" Yachi spoke sternly, her hands grabbing yours and holding them tight.

"You've given all of us something we could have never hoped for without you. Even if you're just one person, you've given us hope. You've shown us love and acceptance. You've shown us that anyone has the ability to change…" Tears glimmered in her eyes like fallen stars. "You've given us all an incredible gift…"

You met her gaze, heart stuck in your throat at her reassurance. Finally, you smiled. It felt right this time.

She embraced you again, and when she pulled away she let out a long sigh that blended with her next words.

"Hooohkayyyy. We need to get out of here. Have some fun, huh? Distract ourselves."

You nodded in agreement, and just before you could make a suggestion, your phone buzzed on the bed next to you.

You apologized, picking it up and swiping it on. You were a little surprised by the text conversation that followed…

After the conversation you got an address sent to your phone, and you chewed at your lip before handing your phone to Yachi.

"Well, we've been invited to a party."

 

Yachi read over the conversation before looking over the address.

"Oh, this address isn't far from here. We could probably walk."

You stood, pacing a little. "Should we go?"

She smiled.

"Definitely. We're going." She stood as well, sitting your phone on your bed. "Let's pick out something cute to wear, hm?"

The two of you took a few minutes to browse through your options, and eventually you both found something that suited both the weather and the occasion.

You put on shoes suitable for walking, and you grabbed your things. "Is now an appropriate time to tell you I've never been to one of these things?" You wore a nervous grin. Yachi laughed.

"I haven't either. We'll figure it out together, yeah?"

You nodded in agreement and the two of you left your room, giggling and laughing all the way down to the street. You felt like new, getting all nice and pretty to do something fun. It felt normal after all the drama you'd been dealing with.

The night sky was absolutely full of stars. Beautiful stars. They twinkled and glowed and stole your breath away as you both walked on the cold concrete.

"I think it's only a few minutes off campus." Yachi tapped away at her phone to pull up directions as you two turned onto the sidewalk to begin your journey.

"The sky is so beautiful here…" a smile warmed your face, and Yachi looked back at you with a matching expression.

"It is, isn't it? Teraschola is surrounded by nature and life. It's a great place." Yachi glanced up at the great, big moon. It shone down on everything, gracing the world with its gentle blessing and filling your heart with a love for life.

"I agree."

The silence was broken by your ringtone exploding in your bag. Yachi laughed at your startled expression. When you pulled it out, your brows scrunched together.

Akaashi? He never called this late…

You held up a finger to Yachi, continuing to walk beside her as you clicked the accept button and pulled the device to your ear.

"Akaashi? Is everything alright?" Your voice was laced with worry, but before he even acknowledged your question he was already speaking.

"Feeling a bit cold out there?"

There was a playful lilt in his tone. You could practically hear his smile. It was a bit uncharacteristic.

"Excuse me? Kaashi, what are you talking about?"

Yachi looked over to you in worry. You could hear giggling on the other side of the line. A faint "Oh, she sounds maaad…" making you choke back a laugh.

"You look pretty- er uhm. You look nice, y'know? Too cold to walk tonight though."

Confusion bubbled up in your mind, but soon a sudden flash of light from behind surprised you. Both you and Yachi flung around, Kuroo's car sitting behind you. Running and scarily quiet in the silence of night.

You laughed a little to yourself, hanging up to make your way over to the vehicle. Yachi followed you.

Once you reached the side Kuroo rolled down his window, arm hanging reaching out to rest on the cool side.

"Hey, human. Want a ride?" His grin glowed in the moonlight.

"Are you all going to the party, too?" Yachi placed her own phone back in her bag.

"Hell yeah! We're celebrating our freedom!!" Bokuto threw up his hands with a howl, and you giggled at his excitement. The window behind Kuroo's rolled down to reveal Akaashi.

His glasses were a bit fogged, and his hair was messy. He smiled when he saw you.

"Hey… you hung up on me."

You laughed a little. "Hey. I did. Are you drunk?"

He popped open the car door just a bit, stepping out to invite you in. There was a stumble in his step.

"No, no… no I'm not. I don't drink."

The lie was so obvious you couldn't contain your laugh, but he seemed unbothered as he just sighed.

"You have such a pretty laugh, Y/N. It's contagious."

Bokuto leaned back in his seat. "Akaashi! Get back in the car, you lightweight!"

Kuroo laughed, looking at Yachi. "He had one beer. Goes right through him."

The pixie laughed, getting into the car. "I can see that."

You followed after your friend, and Akaashi followed after you. He closed the door, and Kuroo continued his driving towards the party.

The three of you got buckled up, Bokuto switching the radio back on.

You were wrong earlier.

You would do it all over again.

This is where you belonged.

Notes:

Hello everybody!! I am sosososososo sorry for being gone... again. 😅😅

I've been in a killer writing slump lately, and I had no motivation and hated everything I wrote. I rewrote this chapter a few times and I'm finally (somewhat) satisfied by what I got! 🙃

I know I've kept you all waiting long enough for my return! I plan to (finally) be back with more regular (or my usual) updates! 💓

I have other things than Taboo also in the works, like the Pirate AU fic for Lev and Kageyama I mentioned earlier! Chapter one of that might be out soon, let me know if you're interested!

I also plan to have the next chapter of Taboo out ASAP. We're almost at the endings 🥶🥶 I'm scared but excited at the same time!!

I hope you all have a lovely day/night! Much love ☺️

Chapter 18: XIX - Ablaze

Summary:

After a terrible continuation of your nightmare-- of which comes to a garish conclusion-- You and Oikawa seek out the Divination Professor who tells you about the possibility of your dream being a premonition. You all go to the headmaster to raise your concerns.

The heat was unbearable. In fact, you had never felt something so hot before.

It singed at your fingertips and licked its way up your bones. Starving flames lapped at your flesh and gnawed deep under your skin. The sensation had become familiar, despite having never experienced it before.

Your legs were wound up, feet pounding against asphalt. Your heart– in a similar state– slammed into your ribs in a desperate flurry to escape. Your vision was blurred– by smoke or exhaustion, you weren't so sure.

Your destination was in sight, teasing at the edges of your clouded eyesight until it was close enough to touch.

What should have been the frosty burn of brass was instead a blazing ball of fire against your skin. You could smell it burn, but even as the tears ran down your cheeks and provided the slightest relief you trudged on. Through the door the heat was only worse– the suffocating blur of smoke surrounding you in giant black plumes. You trudged on.

The door to the stairs had been blown open– laying off its hinges in the rubble. You weren't sure if the pressure from the flames was what had bowed it into an arc– or if a student had rammed it down in an attempt to escape. You didn't care, either, running forwards like a desperate fool.

Your feet slammed into the stairs, sheer willpower propelling your forwards as you traveled up, and up– your destination seemed impossible, even as it drew ever closer and dangled in front of you like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.

And like that clock, your strength slowly ticked away. Tick, tick, tock, tick– and you fought forwards through the thick, black plumes that were desperate to snuff out your life like they had snuffed out the light in the hallway.

Up to the third floor, down the hall to room 213. A shriek on the inside tore through your heart, and your own scream tore through your heart as you forced open the flaming door. That's why you were here. Someone was inside– someone was trapped in your room!! You needed to help her!

Her– who was she?

You forced yourself inside, calling out.

"I'm here! Where are you?– Yachi!!"

Yachi? How did you know it was Yachi? Why was she still inside?

"Y/N? Y/N!!" She called back to you, barely audible over the popping of the flames. And then you found her–

She was stuck, standing behind a billowing line of flames that puffed up in your face in response to your approach. She clutched something to her chest. You couldn't tell what it was– but it stood as a black blot against her sleepwear as she looked at you with wide and terrified eyes.

"Yachi, I'm gonna get you outta here! Don't worry, I'm here now!" You fought forwards, and she screamed.

"No! Get out of here, Y/N! L-leave me here, run!"

You shook your head. Even your tears ran hot as they slid down your skin. Or was it really blood sliding down your cheek?

You continued forwards, but finally the grandfather clock ticked out in your heart.

"Y/N!!"

A voice called out to you– but it hardly sounded like Yachi. It was hard to recognize.

It was cut down by the sickening splintering of wood as it cracked and rained down. The thick pillar fell down over where she stood. Your throat burned with your scream.

"Y/N!"

You shot up, eyes adjusting to the dim room surrounding you. Something hot and solid to your right– a blazing glow in front of your face that sent your heart into a frenzy.

You jumped, swerving in your seat when something snaked around your waist to hold you in place.

"Y/N, calm yourself! You are safe!"

Once your eyes adjusted, the worried expression of Mistress Clemente holding her lantern towards your face became known to you. You relaxed into the arm stilling you.

Tsukishima let out a plume of smoke, sighing in relief as you calmed yourself.

"I'm… I'm in class…"

You spoke softly to yourself in disbelief. In your mind the fire was still bubbling under the sensitive skin of your palms.

"You were having a nightmare." Tsukishima looked down at you. His expression looked stern, but worry swirled in his eyes. "Was it the same one again?"

You swallowed hard, letting out a shuddering exhale.

"Y/N, why don't you… excuse yourself? Take some time to calm down. You've had a rough week."

Mistress Clemente was right. All week you had been sleepless, riddled by this same nightmare. However, this time Yachi was in your nightmare. She was put in direct danger. The thought terrified you.

You nodded slowly, standing up on shaking legs and leaving Tsukishima's embrace to hobble towards the door.

Mistress Clemente stopped the half-dragon's chase, and you were left on your own as you entered the freezing halls of Teraschola Academy.

The temperature was a welcome change from the flames that licked up your spine in your sleep. How long had you been out? It felt like seconds ago that you were preparing to work with Tsukishima on your project. Why hadn't he awoken you?

Your shoes clicked against the floor as you made your way to one of the small study lounge areas in this building. The dull, buzzing lights of the vending machines were the only thing to guide you. You closed the door behind you with a sigh, fumbling towards where the light switch should have been.

You could feel yourself sniffle, still upset as you remembered the contents of your nightmare. How long were these awful visions going to torture you?

Your tears were just as cold as the air around you when they fell, and you tried to keep your sobs quiet– but as you walked the toe of your shoe was caught by an unfamiliar presence that sent you flipping over the back of a sofa.

A low groan and the stirring of fabrics under you sent your heart into silence as it dropped into your stomach. Had you just… landed on someone?...

You shifted, moving so your knees hit the couch– but a movement from under you revealed that you had, indeed, landed on someone. Now, you were straddling them.

They exhaled softly, cold minty breath hitting your face– and suddenly your tears were forgotten. This day couldn't get more embarrassing…

The person under you rolled around, a deep yawn permeating the air of the room. You heard a clicking against the table next to you, an annoyed hiss when the fingers missed the lamp before they clicked again and suddenly a dim light illuminated your surroundings.

You blinked to adjust, looking down to discover the sight of your accidental victim.

His uniform was rumpled by sleep, tail curling and unfurling just above your knee. Your eyes slid up, avoiding the fact that his button-up was partially unbuttoned– and soon they reached his face.

Lazy chestnut eyes blinked open, a tiny smirk finding his shapely lips as he recognized you. His hair– that same mocha color– was just as messy as his clothes.

"Well… who knew the infamous Y/N would ambush me while I slept?" Oikawa's lips curled around each syllable, taunting you with the look in his eyes. "Isn't that my job? I am the demon, after all…"

He trailed off when you snuffled, rubbing at your eyes. Suddenly, his expression was full of worry. Soft hands connected to smooth forearms tapped at your hips.

"Hey… have you been crying?"

You paused your fretting– staring down at him with big, red-rimmed eyes. His face morphed again as he sat up, knocking you back further into his lap, and his hands pulled you against him in a tight hug.

You could no longer shed any tears, settling to cling to him and shudder through your dry sobs.

The flames, the doors, the beam, the windows, Yachi. The school and Yachi. The beam and Yachi. The fire and Yachi. The fire. Yachi.

"Shhhh… it's going to be alright."

Oikawa eased you down from your painful hyperventilating, a gentle hand steadying you between your shoulders.

Sobs turned into breaths, and soon you had returned to a close to normal state of being. Oikawa stayed silent aside from his shushed hums to keep you steady– like a pillar beating back a tidal wave.

"We don't have to talk about it." He spoke suddenly, but something in his eyes told you he wanted to know everything. Did someone hurt you? What happened? The questions swirled in his eyes and made you sigh.

"It's… my nightmare. It's progressing… the same thing every time but… continued…" You whispered. Looking into his eyes had the tears returning, so you leaned in to place your chin on his shoulder. He huffed, his hand finding the back of your head as you followed on.

"There's fire, here, at the school…" Your voice trembles, and you pull back to look at him. "And Yachi… she-"

You can't bring yourself to say it, gasping. Oikawa's eyes go wide, his grip on you tightening. His expression is alarmed, almost terrified to hear the details of your nightmares for the first time.

“And… it repeats like that? The same dream every time…?”

You nod quickly, calming yourself as you look into his worried gaze. He rubs his eyes, scratching at the base of his horns.

“I think you need to come with me. We’re long overdue for a little chat with Professor Tempus.” Oikawa huffed, gently moving you so he could stand. His tail curled around your wrist as he straightened out his uniform. It was comforting.

“Tempus?... The Divinations Professor? Why?” You asked suspiciously, fear lacing your tone.

Oikawa hummed, pulling your bag and his own onto his shoulder.

“Because I fear these terrible nightmares could be more than nightmares.” He whispers, holding out a hand to help you up. He pulls you to your feet, and you shudder at the possibility.

“You think they could be…”

“Premonitions?” He interrupts, a grim expression on his face. “Yes. I think so.” He sighs.

You have always known Oikawa to be playful. Flirty. Fun. Now, he was deadly serious. It was incredibly scary.

“If anyone would know anything about premonitions, it would be him. I see him a lot about my movies– ask what roles I should agree to and potential media outcomes.” He admits, and if you weren’t so terrified you would have laughed at him.

You heaved a sigh. A sigh wracked with exhaustion, and fear, and grief. Oikawa placed an arm around you, wings fluttering from your proximity as you set out on your journey.

The walk was silent– and yet it was not unnerving. With the warm presence of a friendly incubus at your side, the silence was like a fluffy blanket lulling you into sleep– a sleep without the terrifying nightmares of all of your friends dying.

Soon you reached Mr. Tempus’ classroom. The tall, slender man was seated at his desk– a book in his palm as he read. He had no class at this time of the day– a perfect opportunity to raise an inquiry with him. Oikawa stepped forwards to speak with him first, but was interrupted before the professor even looked up from his reading.

“I’m assuming the two of you are here with some heavily lined questions?” He asked, standing and snapping his book closed before he turned to look at you. “You’ve been ailing with nightmares as of late?”

You were frozen with surprise, soon giving in to slowly nod at the golden-skinned man before you. Of course he would know about your problem before you said it. Divination.

“Thank you for bringing her here, Oikawa. She’s been troubling my mind, as of late. You’re a good friend to care so deeply about her.”

The incubus visibly prickled at the word friend, finding it distasteful for some reason unknown to you.

“I… I just want her to get some good rest. Surely there’s something we can do to help ease her fear?” He asked, stepping closer to you– almost like he instinctively craved your closeness.

“I’m hoping the same. Tell me about some of your dreams, Miss L/N.”

 

Professor Tempus was deeply engrossed as you recounted all of the details to your multitude of nightmares. He remained engaged, asking you a myriad of strange and sometimes obvious questions– almost as if testing your memory and recollection.

You remembered most of the nightmares like they were real. The earliest ones– the ones that began just as you were enrolled into the academy– had been long forgotten. It’s like something had changed after the riot at your speech. The dreams felt more real– almost like something had been confirmed.

You could remember every single little, miniscule detail.

It was terrifying, really. They were inescapable even as you were awake because they were always on your mind. They were too real– too strangely tangible to be forgotten– and so they plagued your mind for a majority of your days, and spoiled any sleep you attempted to catch up on.

The professor heaved his own deep sigh as you finished your explanation, dragging his palms over his long face in a motion of exasperation as he put all the intricate little puzzles of your mind together in his own.

“Yes… I think… I think these nightmares of yours are cause for concern.” He muttered, raising to stand. He brushed his hair back as he stepped around his desk.

“Your recollection of the dreams is far too accurate– scarily accurate. I fear that Oikawa may be correct in his assumption that you are receiving premonitions. Furthermore, the question really paining me is why?”

“I've been asking that question myself for ages now…” You mumbled exhaustedly. You sat on a chair in front of his desk, leaning sleepily against Oikawa who comfortingly rubbed his fingers along your spine.

“I worry that in the worst case scenario– these are direct premonitions of misfortunes for the school involving fire… There is a possibility that your premonitions are warning of a more broad number of events that have been simplified into the destructive and hungry nature of fire. That is common, but with the disturbing repetition and accuracy of the fire… I’m certainly fearing the worst.” Professor Tempus sounded seriously upset by his conclusion, taking another sip of the tea on his desk.

“Then we need to be cautious. We should raise our alarm with the Headmaster– isolate anything that could be a fire hazard in the school.” Oikawa spoke up, finally breaking his silence. Professor Tempus shook his head.

“As I said before, fire is too broad. It would be impossible to eliminate all fire threats on a campus this large. Even if we could, we cannot rule out… unfortunate outside influence.” He mumbled softly, seating himself on the edge of his desk.

“Are you suggesting someone might… attack Teraschola?” You asked the question– absolutely terrified by the simple prospect. Horribly enough, the event seemed completely plausible with how things had played out as of late.

“It isn't very far-fetched. I think it’s something that… well– it can't hurt to be cautious about it. To be aware of the possibility.” He spoke softly. Then, he quickly stood. He placed his things back down on his desk, and then turned to face you and Oikawa.

“At any rate, I believe it would be best for us to report all of this to the Headmaster. He’s the one with authority over our next course of action.” He hummed.

The three of you prepared, and Oikawa gathered your things before you set out on another walk to see Headmaster Ukai.

The Incubus slipped his palm around yours, pulling you close as you walked. You released a breath you didn’t realize you were holding, leaning into him. Inhaling his scent. He smelt so good…

“Everything is going to be alright, Y/N. I won't let anything happen to you… you know that, right?” He asked softly, looking down at you with an endless tenderness in his gaze.

You nodded, chewing at the inside of your cheek anxiously. “Yes– but it isnt me that Im worried about you. It's all of you guys. The school, my friends– you all have changed my life. I can't imagine it without you.” The mere thought made you want to cry again– such a hideous thought that you wished you could scrub it off of your brain entirely.

Oikawa sighed. “I can't imagine my life without you, either…” He smiled, eyes going wide before he quickly altered his speech. “I mean to say– we all care a lot about you. You've changed all of us for the better.”

The blush lighting his pretty cheeks made you giggle, and you gave his hand a quick squeeze.

“Thank you, Kawa. That… it really means a lot to me.” You smiled, Oikawa practically purring at the nickname and the beautiful smile on your lips because– for the first time in a long time– you looked like you again.

 

Professor Tempus pushed open the door to the main office of the academy, stopping by the desk of the bespectacled cyclops you had met earlier in the year after the incident with this same Incubus’ social media posts.

“Good morning. Is the Headmaster in his office?”

The cyclops looked up from his computer, jumping a little– as if startled by your sudden presence.

“Oh– yes! Yes, he is. I’ll let him know you’re coming. Go on in.” He gave the three of you a smile and nod before quickly turning back to his computer.

The Divination professor led both of you two Headmaster Ukai’s office, all of you stepping inside after a collective deep breath.

He pushed the door open, and you stepped in to find the Headmaster already standing as he awaited your arrival.

“Tempus. Oikawa. L/N. What brings the three of you here today?” He smiled, stony wings twitching as he glanced at Oikawa. “I trust we don't have any new… rabble rousing social media posts?” He asked, a warning in his eyes. Professor Tempus spoke up first.

“No. I’m afraid we have much more… dire circumstances at hand.”

Headmaster Ukai frowned at this.

“Well then. Please, sit. Let's discuss.” He spoke calmly, but tension was set in his brow.

The three of you sat, and the professor spoke again.

“I'm afraid Miss L/N has been having a recurring nightmare of the academy burning down, and her friend– Yachi– being… injured in the process.” He sighed. Something in the Headmaster’s expression changed. Professor Tempus continued.

“We sat together and analyzed the dream. She can recall it with so much finesse and accuracy that… Well, I fear this could be not a dream, but instead a premonition.” He spoke softly, clearly worried about the Headmaster's response.

The gargoyle gave a rumbling hum, running stony claws through his hair as he took in the story.

“What kind of accuracy are we talking about?” He questioned.

You spoke this time.

“It’s always my dorm building. It’s always a fire. I always enter the building… I never see a clock or a calendar but it's always night…” You whisper, recounting some of the recurring factors of the nightmares.

The Headmaster heaved another sigh.

“Listen… I'm not at all discrediting your worry… but I just feel a premonition is far too little for me to build a case out of. We have no idea when this might happen, how it might happen– if it does happen.” He spoke softly. “I’m afraid there just isn't much I can do…”

“There’s nothing we can do to prepare for the possibility of this? It just feels too convenient for this to not be something… well, something real.” Oikawa huffed, his brows drawing together.

Ukai sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“This premonition could be happening years in advance. After all, this is only Miss L/N’s first year of schooling here at Teraschola. There’s no way to prepare for such a vague premonition… and no real proof to suggest this is a premonition at all. Have you considered this might just be stress after what broke out during her speech?” He asked.

Professor Tempus sighed. “Of course I have. We only felt that we needed to make you aware of the possibility.” He spoke carefully, shooting you a comforting look.

Ukai hummed softly, nodding.

“Well, in any case, one thing is certain.” He looked at you. “You need to get some rest. Some real rest. Go to your dorm and take it easy today, okay kid?” He hummed, giving you a smile in an attempt to ease your concern.

No amount of rest could erase your worry.

“Sure… alright, I will…” You sighed, standing. You looked at Professor Tempus, smiling.

“Thank you, Professor, for your help.”

And you moved to exit the office.

Oikawa quickly stood, following after you diligently.

“Y/N! Hey, I'm sorry the Headmaster couldn’t be any more help…” He spoke softly. “Would you like… Do you want me to walk you to your dorm? I could hang around a little longer for you? Help you relax?”

You shot him a look, suspicious of the last bit of his speech– surprisingly though his gaze held only pure intentions. You sighed deeply.

“That’s okay, Kawa. I think I'm gonna trek on my own for a bit. I appreciate your help, too.” You smiled, moving to hug him.

He purred in your embrace, holding you against himself and breathing in your scent– taking in your touch.

“Text me if you need anything. I mean anything. I'll be there before you can blink.” He hummed, chest rumbling against your cheek as he held you close. You returned with a hum of your own.

 

You weren't going to your dorm to get some rest. You would only be plagued with nightmarish premonitions, anyways…

Notes:

I DID IT! I DID IT! I actually sat down and wrote a chapter today! I'm so proud of myself, haha. Beating my writer's block one word at a time!

I'm glad to be back guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know a few people were hoping for details of the party, but I couldn't think of any way to fit that in without disrupting the plot! So, because of that I think I may write the party into a smutshot later... 😏😏🥴

Buttttt... one more chapter left!! 😱😱😱

Of course, I still have all the endings after that, but you know what I mean! We're in the final stretch!

I love you all! Kisses! Have a lovely day/night! <33

- Beasty

Chapter 19: XX - Ashes

Summary:

How could you possibly sleep with a premonition like that hanging over your head?

Instead, you wander to the first place of solace that comes to mind in an attempt to decompress from the eventful night.

Peace had become a rather... hot commodity...

There was a melancholy quality to the world as you slowly inched yourself down the lonely pavement.

Your shoes scuffed the concrete– the only sound to accompany you as it seemed even the birds and the wind were too upset to convey any sort of delight in their symphonies.

You were absolutely and utterly alone.

Well– at least it seemed that way. You had bonded with so many of the monsters you had come to live with. Formed intricate, intimate, special connections with each and every one of them… found a place where you finally felt right. Like you belonged.

The thought of losing that place loomed over you like an unconquerable mountain. Or an impregnable fortress.

You couldn't fault Headmaster Ukai for not holding your nightmares to great importance. The idea even sounded strange to you.

Before you moved to the Academy, your life was entirely mundane. The most interesting thing about you was the fact your aunt just so happened to be a vampire.

You always imagined yourself living a rather plain life.

You would graduate school with a degree in something that would support you. You would move out somewhere quiet– get a nice job and maybe a pet. If you were lucky you might fall in love. Get married– start a family of your own if it came to that.

Things had happened so… differently.

You had been catapulted to the forefront of the media. You delivered a public speech– you were featured in news articles and on television.

You were here, attending a grandiose academy– prestigious as all hell– as the only human student surrounded by a myriad of monsters who had all accepted you with open arms.

You didn't deserve this. Any of this!

You weren't particularly special. Your most defining quality was the sole fact that you had a heart willing to open up to people who were so different to you. You didn't think it was all too revolutionary… but apparently it was.

Attending Teraschola had really changed you for the better.

You had learned so much about- well- everything. Most importantly you had discovered so many things about yourself. That you had so much more conviction than you originally thought. That you could be capable of so much more than you ever imagined. That you were much quicker to love than you initially realized…

But also that you were far more alone than you had hoped in youth. That while loving and being so convicted there were some things you could never hope to change. That sometimes stories can have unhappy endings.

You took a deep breath, fighting off the urge to crack open the dam in your eyes and release another waterfall of liquid stress and anguish.

There was virtually nothing you could do.

The inside of your mind was like being trapped at the bottom of a well– the depth of which bore a likeness to the insurmountability of your troubles. You could open your mouth as wide as possible, scream as loudly as your throat could manage. You could claw at the cracking, mossy stones until your fingers broke and bled. You could thrash, and stomp, and be so loud that the echoes shook everything around you and ran through your bones like they were made of string.

Still, no one would hear.

You would stay trapped at the bottom of that bottomless well– almost like you simply ceased to exist under all of the pressure.

What could you do?

You ran yourself ragged in mental circles as you walked, the dimming sun hardly fighting off the chill in the air that gnawed at the tips of your fingers and nose.

Each step carried you closer to an unknown destination. You simply decided to walk– your body doing the rest as it guided you to a place you were too caught up in thought to think about.

You could look around the well. Perhaps you would find something. Something like a pair of stakes so you could scale the wall. Something hidden in the murky waters at your feet so that could solve the puzzle of your escape.

Or perhaps, you were blind.

You were blind– so caught up in your fall and your trap that you failed to notice the old, wooden pail dangling at the end of a rusted chain. A rusted chain that reached up, up, up, all the way up to your freedom.

The solution was resting just in front of your face.

Your legs stopped, body trembling as the thin blazer of your uniform did little to fight off the chill. You finally blinked awake, looking around yourself as your heart thrummed in your ears.

The Dentes Lounge stood in front of you– intricate wooden sidings building up the walls towards the sign that displayed its name. The windows had frosted at the edges– a warm light piercing through its darkening surroundings as the tired sun fell towards the horizon like a pillow beckoning rest.

It was inviting– a warm solace calling you closer until your nails brushed the cold brass of the door handle.

You stepped inside, shaking off your trouble at the door and wiping the worry from the bottom of your shoes.

The lights were dimmed– not loud enough to burn behind your eyes, and for that you were grateful.

Your shoes clicked the ground as you walked past the lobby, gravitating towards the counter like the moon does with the Earth.

Ryūnosuke had his own chair dragged up on the opposite side of the counter. His chin balanced in his palm as he tapped away on a small, silver laptop.

The lounge was barren of any patrons– a majority of its academy customers dutifully attending their classes. Similar to what you should be doing.

The human bartender seemed to be startled awake by your sudden, unwarranted presence. His eyes blinked– wide and owlish as you moved to sit across from him.

He seemed to relax when he realized it was only you, surprise morphing into an obvious confusion.

"Y/N? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in class?"

Your only response was a drawn out sigh, body slumping against the counter as you crumpled forwards into your folded arms.

Your evident exhaustion and distress puzzled Ryūnosuke, his brows furrowing as he ran a hand over his hair– which you noticed was always cropped down to the scalp.

"I… this week has been a lot, lately. Too much."

He watched you for a bit, almost as if he were analyzing your emotional state to figure out how he should respond.

Then he nodded, leaning forwards to rest his chin against his palm once more.

"Well then, you've come to the right place!" He tried a grin, and it made you feel just a little better.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

You huffed, head immediately flying to your first time here in the lounge. You had been here multiple times since then– but that first time really was special. To think, that was before you even joined the public speaking club…

"Yeah… y'know what, get me a Pink Delight. But– hold the liquor. I'd rather be sober tonight."

You simply weren't in the mood for any alcohol– and you knew for a fact a hangover tomorrow morning wouldn't make you feel any better about your current predicament.

"One virgin Pink Delight, on the house."

You paused in fumbling for your billfold, smiling a little to yourself as Ryūnosuke turned around to start making your drink.

It hadn't been very long since you started attending Teraschola. Still though, it somehow felt like it had been yesterday– and three decades from now– simultaneously. You weren't sure why.

Perhaps it was because of how far you've come. How much you've changed and grown as a person since that day in your old headmaster's office. That day you left the school and wept with relief that maybe, there was more for you. More than the tiny, bigoted town you were born in. A town in which you stuck out as strange in the same way an orange tree would look in an apple orchard…

You had let yourself grab onto a tiny smidgen of hope– an inkling– that perhaps you were destined to make a difference. Do something big. Be one of the greats...

And now you had to grapple with the notion that in elevating yourself, you might have to burn the entire world to a crisp first…

You weren’t strong enough to do that… or perhaps a better explanation would be that you were not ruthless enough.

Ryūnosuke sat your drink in front of you with a grin, then moved to close his laptop and sit it just under the counter.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted you working or something. I just… I think I need to talk with a like-minded friend…”

You didn't want to clarify that you meant another human who wasn’t a racist and was even in love with someone of another species. That might make things awkward.

“Aw, nah. Just- homework and such. We usually never get customers at this time so I use it as paid study hours.” He pulled his chair over so he could sit across from you, cracking the stiffness from his neck.

“And you never have to apologize. You’re always welcome here. I’m sure it gets overwhelming to be the only human in the room for most of your day.”

You loved being surrounded by your monster peers. It was such a gratifying experience to live among them… but Ryū was right. It did get overwhelming. It was so much harder to relate to and understand the life experiences of all of your new friends– and no amount of love or study could make you really understand their struggle. Being able to sit with another human– a human who wasn’t holding on to everything you thought was wrong with the world– was nice. Simple. Satisfying.

You give him a smile, taking a sip of your Pink Delight and humming as the sweetness hits your tongue and shoots energy all the way down to your toes. You were starting to feel the effects of your lack of sleep, and a sugary little drink was just the pick-me-up you required.

The televisions droned on quietly in the background– a pleasant buzz that secured the room from ever falling completely silent.

“Teraschola students are our only real clientele. You wanna know something fascinating?”

Your attention was drawn back to him from the many televisions in the lounge, head tilting in a silent question.

Something in his expression softened, and his smile became more relaxed as he leaned forwards.

“Every single group that comes in here has something to say about you.”

Your eyes went wide, heat burning under your skin with embarrassment at the idea. You had thought the novelty of your enrollment had worn off… perhaps not.

“Surely not…”

The bartender laughed, raising his palms as if to emphasize his honesty.

“I mean it! They all have something to say about you! Typically, it’s something about all of your recent attempts to educate humans. They talk about how strange you are– how they’ve never met a human with so little fear of monsters.

They have no idea how you could grow up hearing nothing but horror stories about them, and still be able to fight tooth and nail on their behalf…

So many of them are taken with you. I have not yet heard a single one slander your name– even after what went down at the speech.”

You felt rather bashful from the confrontation, hiding your face in your hands.

You certainly wouldn’t hold such simple actions to such high regard. Then again– when every action committed upon them by a human is so awful, even a simple kindness would be life-changing.

Honestly, you often asked yourself the same question. How were you able to grow up as a woman who somehow escaped the early human indoctrination to hate all monsters? Perhaps it was because your aunt was a vampire… or maybe, it was something deeper inside you. An instinctual acceptance or love?

Or maybe fate was real, and everything in your life was predetermined to occur…

Your mind throbbed with the implications, a tiny groan leaving your lips as you took another sip of your beverage. The mind could be an unforgiving mistress.

“It’s hard hearing all of that praise from them. They should receive this kind of treatment from all humans. It… it really hurts that they mistake me simply respecting them as some sort of saint-like trait…”

Ryūnosuke nods, leaning back into his palm.

“I agree… but we have to make change one step at a time. Hopefully one day humans will understand what kind of horrible things their treatment of monster kind causes. Until then, we select few gotta keep helping them in the fight for it…”

You hummed in agreement, popping an ice cube from your drink into your mouth to crunch down on it.

“I know it probably feels like you’re just messing everything up…” The bartender starts, eyeing your drink.

“Like the speech was a total mistake and caused nothing but chaos… but things will get worse before they start to get better. Unfortunately, change like this isn’t gonna come to us in a day. I just don’t want you to tear yourself down, or start thinkin’ that you aren’t doing the right thing. You were brave enough to start correcting an injustice you saw in the world… and that’s something to be proud of.”

Your eyes met his again, that same urge to cry strangling you. That tsunami beating at the dam in your eyelids– begging to cascade down your cheeks.

Before you could respond– to thank him for his support and his reassurance in a time where you felt very vulnerable– something… strange happened.

From the corner of your eyes you could see all of the television screens in the lounge flash either the same, bone chilling white and blue screen.

You could hardly register the giant letters blocked across each huge, flat screen before the visual shifted to something familiar– and yet absolutely crushing.

Fire.

Ravenous, golden flames licked up against an empty, black sky.

You could only hear your heart– the news anchor silently mouthing her words at you to no avail. She was human.

There was a strange, animal fear in her eyes. Eyes glowing from the flaming backdrop behind her that seemed to engulf the entirety of the screen.

A split second later the angle had switched– pilot cameras that circled the scene of the massive fire. Your lungs deflated like balloons that had just been popped– instantaneous and thunderous in a way that made you gasp for air and somehow left you frozen. The White of your eyes must have swallowed almost the entirety of your terrified gaze.

Your entire body shook, powerless as the scene unfolded on the screen before you.

Giant, murderous flames devouring the dorm buildings of Teraschola Academy.

Your heart pounded– a train colliding with your ribcage in each beat.

The screen flashed again, two terrified women– two familiar women on the scene.

Kiyoko held a sobbing Mika against her body, eyes wide with panic. You had never seen this woman– typically so calm and composed– she'd even a single tear. Now they poured from her– left her inconsolable.

Inky blood ran down from her hairline, so thick it almost appeared as tar. It had doused the right half of her face, staining the white cotton of her sweater.

A strong grip to your shoulder, and suddenly you could hear again.

You could hear the sirens from the broadcast. Ryūnosuke's shaking breaths. The words Kiyoko spoke over Mika's sobbing.

"We– we were on the third floor when we first smelt the smoke. We ran to get out… but our friend… our friend, she–"

The next words broadcasted across the network had the enchanted band on your wrist sizzling like a cast-iron skillet.

Mika weakly lifted her head, revealing her soot-dusted cheeks that were marked with lines from her tears. She opened her mouth to interrupt Kiyoko with a blood curdling whine.

"Yachi is still inside the dorm building!!"

The next few minutes of your life… they were blotted out in your memory– almost as if you had blacked out. You could remember bits and pieces.

You could remember scrambling out of the lounge with Ryūnosuke. Collapsing into the passenger seat of his car.

You couldn't remember anything from the drive there. The next moment of recollection was pulling up to the scene of the fire.

First responders were everywhere– wheeling monsters out of the burning buildings and off of the scorching sidewalks at a breakneck pace.

A police barricade had formed around a few masked men who were being escorted into cop cars. A circle mob of students had surrounded them– cursing and screaming and trying to get at the attackers.

After that, there's another blank. You can only assume that in that blank, you and Ryūnosuke had found Kiyoko and Mika.

When you finally came to, you found yourself drowning in a combined sense of déjà vu and dread…

 

All you could feel was the burning, searing heat. It surrounded you; engulfed you-- it suffocated until you couldn't breathe. It made your nostrils burn and your lungs throb and beg for oxygen.

A cacophony of screams and shattering was all you could hear. It made your ears ring and your head spin. The smoke made your eyes water, and a pain in your calves reminded you of how you ran. Of all the running you had just done. All of the running, and screaming and crying as everyone scrambled to escape the burning dorm buildings. It reminded you of your peers being trapped inside, falling to the ground and trying so hard to get away from the campus.

The pain in your legs was familiar as they fought to carry your forwards.

You dragged yourself forwards, fist rubbing the hot tears from your cheeks. All around you people screamed. All around you voices were silenced by the cackling of the starving flames.

People pushed past you– some carrying the limp bodies of their friends. Injuries stopped none– even as the blood leaked from their bodies and stained the ground below. The constant fight towards the paramedics continued.

You ran in the opposite direction.

Your feet slammed against the concrete, one foot in front of the other in your mad dash towards what could most certainly spell your doom.

Your entire body throbbed from the pain, and yet the only sound you made was the erratic puffs of your lungs as you pressed on. The familiarity of this situation was not lost on you.

The heat of your own blood poured down your knees and stained your socks like rivers of molten lava. When did you fall?

The air made the wounds sting– palms buzzing from where the skin had been marred by the street.

Still, you couldn't help but let your mind drown in guilt.

Something in you knew that your nightmares had been something more sinister before even you yourself could acknowledge the thought. Perhaps that is why you simply couldn't return to your dorm room. You knew that there was something wrong.

The rational part of your brain forgave you. Sure– you had an idea that your nightmares were premonitions– but you could have never concluded this attack would happen today. There truly was nothing you could have done to prevent this…

The animal part of your brain, however, disregarded that. You should have been more open. More forceful.

Headmaster Ukai didn't take your visit seriously. You should have made him see the severity of your visions.

But would that truly have made a difference? In a way, the entire purpose of a premonition is to give fair warning… and yet for the life of you, you couldn't recount a single time where a premonition allowed for deviation from fate…

Torturous, cruel, almighty and unforgiving fate…

A scream tore through the membranes in your throat when your hand wrapped around the burning brass of the door handle to your dorm building. The smell of your own burning flesh had acidic bile rising in your throat. Still, you pulled open the door.

The blast of heated air that flew from the open doorway practically cooked you on the spot. Still, you somehow pushed forwards as if your body had a destination and nothing would stop you from reaching that goal.

The door to the stairs had been blown open– laying off its hinges in the rubble. The metal was bowed in an arc– a familiar sight that almost chilled your bones, even in this superheated environment.

You let your legs pump you up, knees almost hitting your chest as you ascended each stair. You tried to lean low– tried to breath as little as possible to avoid the black smoke that swirled towards the dark ceiling of the stairwell from the hellish, white flames.

Up to the third floor, down the hall to Room 213. A familiar scream sounded from inside the wooden door. You tucked your face into the crook of your elbow, turning around to lift your leg and slam your foot against the sizzling doorknob.

The fire weakening the door, paired with the adrenaline strengthening your body allowed you to kick open the door. You wasted no time to step inside the once familiar dorm room that had now been shrouded in smoke.

"I'm here! Where are you?– Yachi!!"

You gasped out when a new wall of flames flared up at the tip of your nose, stumbling back to avoid being burned.

You knew what happened next. Your nightmare told you a million times what would happen if you couldn't do something about it.

"Y-Y/N???"

A voice weakly called out to you– and when the flame wall finally seemed bored and decided to die down and move on to swallow a new area, you could see her.

"Y/N, are you crazy!? G-go! Get out of here!!"

The Pixie had huddled herself against a wall, standing up on her wooden nightstand to avoid the burning floor.

"Yachi– why are you still here?? Why didn't you leave with Kiyoko and Yachi??"

You had to scream to reach her over the cackling flames and the shattering of glass around you. She shook her head, clutching her book bag to her chest.

"He-... Headmaster Ukai! He texted me about your visit-"

You stepped forwards, frantically searching through the room for something you could use to block the flames and provide her safe passage to the exit.

You coughed, swatting the smoke from your face as you draped your body over your dresser.

"I thought you were still inside!!"

Yachi squealed, and your heart dropped when you realized what had happened.

She had run to your room– hoping to save you. She put her own life at risk simply because she believed you to be home. The building was on fire, and she thought of you.

You wrapped your fingers around the mirror of your dresser, wrenching it from the wall with a newfound vigor.

"We… we're gonna make it out of here, okay?? Listen to me, Yachi!!"

New conviction found you, the pixie nodding as her big eyes poured tears down her cheeks. She kicked her laptop onto the floor, hopping from the nightstand and ignoring the sickening crunch of the electronic as she used it for a platform.

"I'm listening!! I'm so sorry, Y/N!!"

She sobbed, still holding onto her bag. You shook your head.

"I'm gonna hold the mirror against the flames! Run through the opening!!"

You lifted the mirror, feeling the fire burn against your fingers and even begin to seep through the soles of your shoes. The pixie nodded, shaking as she prepared herself to follow your instructions.

It happened within a two second interval. You jumped forwards, flames beating against the mirror and shattering it as you used the backside to provide Yachi safe passage through the flames.

She jumped forwards half a second later, arms flying out as she pulled you from the mirror just as it was engulfed.

The two of you stood in each other's arms, sobbing. You smacked embers of flames off of her silken pajamas. They had originally been a champagne color. The smoke had stained them with giant, black smears.

"The door! We have to get to the door!"

You nodded, releasing her and taking a step forward.

An icy chill raced up your spine.

A sudden contrast in temperature like that… it stopped you in your tracks and Yachi let out a whine of your name.

No…

No, you wouldn't let it happen this way!

Fuck fate! Fuck destiny, fuck the gods, or the muses, or whatever cruel, unloving force thought it could subject you to this never-ending torture. This stupid assumption that it could control your actions. Control your future.

Fuck. That.

Perhaps it was a selfish urge, but you weren't going to let this stupid, invisible string pull you around any longer! You would make this choice. You would make this change. You would make this sacrifice.

You grabbed Yachi by her waist, using all of the strength you could muster to practically throw the smaller woman in the direction of the door.

You bowed over towards the floor when she screamed, the toss taking every last bit out of you. You could see her hit the floor of the doorway, spinning around frantically to find you. Her eyes were glazed with fear and confusion.

Then– there it was.

The expected splintering of wood. Shards flew off– cracking and raining down over where you sat on your knees. At this point the tears had stopped falling down your face.

You knew what would come next.

Strangely enough, at that moment… you were perfectly content with it.

This was it. You had defied your fate– a final laugh in the face of your nightmare as you looked up to finally face the predetermined ending to your story.

The thick, wooden beam from the ceiling had been blackened with flame. Tiny whispers of the invader still clung to its sides as it dipped. It continued to dip, until it eventually snapped.

Yachi screamed your name.

The sound was probably the most haunting thing you had ever heard in your entire life– but somehow it was comforting because she was still breathing. She wasn't going to be killed in this fire.

It finally felt like you had made the right choice. This wasn't something that filled you with doubt– only satisfaction that you had succeeded in making a difference… if only a small one.

This would be your bittersweet conclusion. Your unhappy ending.

The ceiling beam came careening upon you. It almost moved in slow motion– like even gravity was in awe in the face of your mettle. You let your burning eyes squeeze shut.

There was the whizzing of a fast moving object– quickly approaching.

There was another scream of your name– so drowned out by the sound of the flames that it could barely be heard.

There was the enchanted band blazing against your skin, hands folded in your lap as you waited.

There was an influx of emotions. Regret, love, joy, pain, pride.

There was a brief thought of history. A reminder of laughter, of tears, of drinks and of embrace. Of infatuation.

There was acceptance.

 

Then,

There was nothing.

Notes:

Welp... that's it, guys.

The final chapter of Taboo.... that's the end.

I really hope you all enjoyed this story, be sure to leave comments telling me what yo--

LOLL NO I'M JUST KIDDING DONT KILL ME 🤭🤭

I still have to write all twelve endings before we can put a ribbon on this story! Don't let this little, dramatic cliff hanger stress you out too much 🤣🤣🫣

Anyways, I'm sure you all know that these endings will take me an ungodly amount of time to complete. I don't know how long they will be, but I'm going to try to keep them around 3k words for my own sanity or else i will deffo burn out and leave it it unfinished.

This is really the final stretch, so i would hate to burn out like that 😭

I have to undergo a minor surgery next week, so while I'm recovering i think I will have more time to bang out some of the endings as most of them are still in the drafting stage.

Let me know if you guys want me to release them as they are finished, or to release them all in bulk after finishing all of them!! :DD ♡♡

This story has been worked on over the progress of what... three years now? I mean lord-- it's been forever. I know when I go back and read chapter one, even I can see the huge change in my skill an style.

I'm so grateful so many of you have stuck through this journey with me. Surprisingly, it has been so much more than just monster porn. 🫡

I love all of you so much. Please keep yourselves safe. I'll catch you all in the next one!! Or should I say, in the END 🥴🫶🫶🫶

Chapter 20: XXI - Flowers, and the Subtle Stench of Smoke

Summary:

The aftermath.

Notes:

So… it's been nearly two years since my last update! That's a long time.

Yikes, I feel so out of place posting another part to Taboo. I feel like it's been so long. A LOT has changed– not just since chapter twenty, but since I have written anything at all!

I know already that some people will be dissatisfied with how this is going to play out, but anything worth doing should be done, even if I no longer have the capacity to do so as I had once wished. I promised an ending for every character, and even started work on most of them, but I know if I hold strong to that ideal I will never complete Taboo.

I know I would prefer to tie up any loose ends with one final chapter to the main story. Also, this isn't a final declaration that the Taboo AU is over and never to be seen again. I may write more in this AU, I may not. I know if I do, it will be new characters, a new setting, and probably a new Y/N. But, that won't be coming in the near future.

Lately I have been so withdrawn from writing that I'm just itching to throw myself back into the game, but I fear I no longer have the drive to release twelve chapters that are more than two thousand words– so instead I'm leaving it with one chapter that will tie a neat little ribbon on this beloved story.

It would pain me to simply leave it unfinished, so I want to give everyone solace by finishing it off with some sort of dignity!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ♡

There was nothing. And there was nothing for a very, very long time. It seemed like an eternity of black, deafening, and suffocating void. You couldn't decide if death was more suffocating than the smoke you had been choking down a lifetime prior– but it certainly rivaled it well.

You had never thought about what it might be like to be dead– but you certainly never expected this. You were hoping it may be more of a spectacle, or more dramatic. But this? This was awful.

Just this empty, frozen feeling. The heat from the fire and the crushing pain from the splintered beam had died lifetimes ago. Now, it was just you and your thoughts in the vacuum of this void. Absolute isolation without feeling or senses– nothing left but your mind.

You wondered how long it might last– how long your mind would function after your last breath before slowly sizzling out like a dead candle wick.

But then– there was something. Something alarming. Something incessant.

It was beeping at you. High pitched and evenly spaced. A never ending beep, beep, beep, beep.

What an awful sound, you thought, to be the last thing you ever got to hear. The last sound in this cold, dead void of nothingness.

An obnoxious, villainous machine. It was like the tape recorder of your life whining from low battery power. You wondered for a painstakingly long time when those batteries would die. When the last sound you ever heard would fade into nothingness like the rest of you.

Except– it wasn't the last sound you got to hear. Because ever so slowly, almost at a snail's pace, you could slowly make out more. The shuffling of rushed footsteps. Muffled conversation. Numerous unintelligible voices.

And slowly those sounds grew until they were deafening. A cacophony of ruckus– but at the same time the most wonderful melody you had ever heard– because you were alive! You must be alive!

The longer you wasted away, the quicker it became clear that you had not gone to nothingness. You had not faded away. You had defied fate– sneered in her face– and lived!

Whether you were alive enough to still tell the tale was beyond you. You could hear, and slowly you could feel the pieces of your body tethering back together in your middle. There was no pain– only a certainty that you had your body. That you still had limbs.

You only hoped you had all of them.

As what felt like days passed, the sounds around you would fluctuate. Sometimes they would disappear, but would return just as quickly with a newfound fervor. Eventually, you could remember every sound.

You had begun to remember names. You had begun to see flashes of faces smiling at you in your void– faces that didn't match the sadness in the voices, but warmed your soul all the same.

“Do you remember the time we went on that roller coaster? Oh, what was it called…? The Twister! Do you remember when you laughed so hard you threw up your funnel cake all over the concrete?”

She laughed a sad laugh, before sighing deeply. You could hear faint snoring from across the room.

“I'll take you again when you wake up, sweetheart. You've always been a thrill seeker, even if you'd never admit it.”

You were a silent observer, restricted to what only your ears could register. You listened to laughter and tears. You listened to apologies and pleas.

People begged you to be okay. People implored you to open your eyes. You could never muster enough strength to do so– no matter how badly you wanted to. You wanted to scream out to the world that you had lived. That hatred had not taken you. That you refused to submit.

Alas, you were nothing but a body floating on voices in a colorless abyss. But– at least you were less alone. You were never alone, always listening to the beautiful music of those who loved you as they came in and out of your abyss.

You were never alone, until you were.

You didn't know what time it was. You didn't know what day it was– but suddenly all those voices that had kept you sane had gone silent. You were once again alone in this void, with nothing but the incessant beeping of your heartstrings corded into what you could only assume must be a monitor.

Panic gripped you like talons digging into your heart, the beeping speeding. It raised, faster and faster until you could barely tell the beginning of one beat from the end of the next.

Everything blurred together, your fear of nothing in the beyond shooting through you like lightning. You had to do something. You couldn't let them leave. You couldn't be alone like this!

The whiteness of your room was blinding. It was like someone had held a torch directly against both of your eyes, searing the sterile environment into your retinas.

After a few slow blinks the bleary light dissipated, and you could slowly look around. You could see tubes, and the bright florescent light.

A sharp, guttural noise had drawn your eyes to your left, where your hand was held in two far larger ones. You followed the smooth skin up tanned arms to come face to face with shock, and soft, dark olive hair. Your eyes were wide with horror, flashing back down to rake over those forearms and hands once more.

The skin was no longer as smooth as you remembered, raised lines marring the flesh and staining it a pale and ghastly white. Sickness washed over you as you came to realize that burn scars rolled up his arms and disappeared under the cuffs of his sleeves. You could barely meet his eyes again, suddenly filled with an unbearable shame.

Ushijima was expressing more emotion than you had ever seen on him, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. He blinked wildly, hooves clopping loudly against the floor as he took abrupt steps backwards.

You would have jolted at the clanging of chairs if you had any control of your body. The centaur scrambled back, four long legs becoming a mess as they tangled in steel chair legs, flipping them and landing him flat with a huff.

Worry surged through you, and yet he didn't seem hurt– only in shock as chairs pressed into him and tangled in his limbs.

You heard the pounding of many footsteps after the clanging of chairs and all the noise the centaurs massive, muscular body made as he tripped.

Four people flew into the room like a storm, eyes prepared for the worst. Your mother and your aunt were at your side in an instant, eyes full of shock and rimmed red with old tears as they examined you.

“Oh my god…” Your mother gasped, eyes flashing towards your father who stood next to a little blonde at the door.

There was a scream as the pixie shot out of the hospital room, hair bouncing in her strides.

“She's awake!! Y/N is awake!”

You watched your father make quick steps, reaching out to try and help the massive, uncharacteristically clumsy centaur to his hooves. Looking at him you opened your mouth, brow furrowing in your attempt to speak.

At first, you let out only frustrated and mangled groans. Your throat was like sandpaper as you fought to speak for the first time in what felt like years, fire rising like bile in your throat– or maybe it was bile.

All eyes were on you, shock and relief surging through the room as you coughed out the only thing you could manage.

“Ow.”

Everyone came over you like a flood, a stampede of hands and voices cutting each other off, before Yachi rushed back in with a handful of nurses and a brigade of monsters fighting to get inside.

Atsumu peered over the shoulder of a male nurse blocking his entrance, fluffy tails swinging with his frustration as he called out to you.

“Hey! Let me in here, ya ass!” He hissed at the nurse, ears perking at your labored coughing.

“We hear ya in there, beautiful! Good mornin’!” He exclaimed, something grateful and also terrified in his voice and expression.

Everyone was soon ushered from the room, Ushijima the last to leave before casting a forlorn glance over his shoulder.

The next few hours were a flurry of chaos and hands as several nurses ran tests on you. Your wound dressings were changed, and more drugs were shot into your bloodstream to numb the stinging pain of leftover fire in your limbs.

You gagged and coughed as the feeding tube was pulled from your nose, a damp towel wiping away residue from the removal.

After declaring you to be in stable condition the nurses sat you up in your bed, granting you the gift of water as explanations started to come.

“How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”

The male nurse questioned, shining a pen light into your eyes.

You squinted, taking another sip of water as talking suddenly became possible. Not easy– but possible.

“The medicine is working. How long was I out?” You huffed, bandaged hand trembling as you raised the cup to your chapped lips once more.

He pursed his lips, giving you this pitiful look. He eyed the other nurses, as if to say “Should I?”

Then, he spoke.

“It's been about a month.”

And just like that, your whole world came crashing down.

An entire month of your life was spent wasting away in that void. It felt like years– but it was still a continental shock to have it confirmed that you had lost an entire month.

You winced, shoulders shaking as tears streamed down your cheeks. A month of nothingness. You cried for what happened. You cried for what you lost. Most of all, you cried for your family and friends who spent a month trying to drag your limp body from the jaws of death.

The medical staff murmured quick apologies, humane sentiments, before leaving the room and leaving you in your sorrow.

You weren't alone for long, a parade raining into the room as soon as they were allowed. Yachi was the first to reach your bedside, her tear stained cheeks raised by her smile as she wrapped her thin arms around you.

“Oh my god– I thought I'd never get to speak to you again!!” She wailed with relief, clinging to you. You cried as well, holding her tight.

You had watched this girl die. You had watched her crumple into flames and disappear for all eternity– but she was here. She was here, alive in your arms.

“I thought the same thing.” You croaked, pulling back to stare into her big, brown eyes. You felt a surge of pride. You have finally done something good. You had saved her life.

“Oh– I was so scared when that thing fell on you! And then it snapped, and before I knew it I was pushed out of the door by flames.” She recounted, throwing her arms up to symbolize the wall of fire that had separated her from you.

“I thought we were done for, but then here comes Ushijima!”

You pause, eyes wide. Ushijima?

“Yeah yeah, we get it. The horse is a big hero. I think we're all more worried about Y/N.” Atsumu huffed, narrowing his eyes at the doorway as if he could see Ushijima even in his absence.

“You're just mad it wasn't you. You were busy messing with those singed tails.” Osamu retorted, nudging his brother with a grin, who barked angrily at him in response.

“Wait– I don't understand. What did he do?”

Your voice broke the tension immediately, Yachi continuing her retelling of events.

“He just came charging in. I have no clue how he even got up the stairs– but he got to us.” She mumbled, looking off through the window. “He practically swam through the fire. He didn't tell me what he did, but judging by his arms, I think he lifted that beam off of you.” She shrugged.

“He got us both out safely.”

You stared at the pixie in astonishment, eyes wide and mouth agape as the image was painted in your mind. Ushijima charged into imminent danger, and wrenched a flaming beam of wood off of your unconscious body.

You shook your head, slowly trying to push your blankets off of your body, a determined expression taking over.

“I need to see him-”

Your aunt cut you off, blocking you and putting you back in bed.

“You're not strong enough to walk on your own yet, dear.” She ushered you back, pulling the blankets back over you and your flimsy hospital gown.

“He's in the cafeteria. He said he figured you might want some real food.” Akaashi spoke gently, leaning against the window with his arms crossed.

“Besides, you haven't walked in a month. You're going to need some serious physical therapy.” Suna muttered, wheeling himself closer to your bedside. “So, I won't be the only one in a wheelchair for a while.”

His deadpan shifted to an almost imperceptibly tiny smile. You rolled your eyes, smacking his hand away playfully. You could see in those golden eyes that he was shaken. You could see it in everyone's eyes. You almost died.

You sighed, flopping back onto your pillow.

“Food does sound really good right now…” You sighed, eyes slipping shut as if you could see biscuits and muffins behind the lids. You could feel your stomach growl.

When you opened your eyes, the room practically released a unanimous breath of relief. It was like your eyes closing– even for a moment– was a bad omen.

The twins slinked closer to your bed, looming behind Suna with careful movements. Osamu leaned in, sniffing slightly at the air.

“You don't smell like fire anymore. Just medicine.” He murmured, absent-mindedly brushing the knuckle of a clawed finger across your cheek bone.

You flushed, looking away from him.

“Was anyone else hurt? What happened to the perpetrators?” You muttered, the questions finding you like a bullet to the chest. You had been terrified to ask. What if someone else had died? What if the attention you brought to Teraschola caused more harm than you could fix?

“They're going away for the rest of their lives.”

A low voice sounded from the doorway, drawing attention to the Centaur holding a tray of steaming breakfast foods.

Ushijima's ear flicked as he ducked into the room, making slow and careful steps in the crowded room to reach you.

“As for injuries, there were a lot. But no casualties.” He handed you your meal, unwrapping the plastic fork before placing it in your palm.

Your stomach grumbled again, eyes flashing with joy at the sight of the food– and even more joy at the realization that everything had miraculously turned out alright.

Your mother smiled, nodding. “Well, I think it's time we all got some breakfast. Let's go, everyone.” She murmured gleefully, giving you a sly wink.

She linked arms with the kitsune twins, dragging them out fighting with her as most everyone followed. Yachi lingered for a moment longer, pressing her hand to the circular burn scar around your wrist where the enchanted band had been superheated. That burn had already healed.

“Don't eat too fast. Your stomach needs to adjust to solids.” She grinned, before fluttering out of the room.

Everyone looked like they had aged. Tired, hungry, and scared. You wondered just how long everyone had been coming and going just to visit you.

Ushijima grunted as he took a seat at your left once more. You decided that he looked the most worn out. His eyes looked heavy– like he hadn't had a full night's sleep in weeks. His entire body was rigid, and of course you couldn't forget the burn scars littering his arms.

He stared at you, unwavering as you ate and sighed. After a few moments, he spoke.

“I'm sorry if I scared you when you woke up. I wasn't expecting you to look at me.” He explained, his head cocked as he crossed those arms over his chest.

“No, Wakatoshi. You never have to apologize to me again. You ran into a fire to save my life. I'm forever indebted to you.” You spoke between bites, voice muffled by food before you swallowed. “You look tired. Have you been sleeping?”

“I've been sleeping here.” He stated matter-of-factly. “We all have.”

You blanched, freezing. Everyone had stayed here? Everyone put their lives on hold while you recovered.

“Listen Y/N-”

“Why did you do it, Ushijima?” You cut him off, setting your empty try to the side before turning to face him. “You could have died.”

You reached out, carefully splaying a hand over one of his scars. He flinched under your touch, soon relaxing with a huff of breath.

“You reminded me one night that dreams are worth fighting for.” He grunted, staring down at the floor.

You reminisced to the conversation you had shared over text so long ago, confiding in one another about uncertain futures and dreams. Realizing how long it had been absolutely shook you to your core.

“Your dream… it's too important to fizzle out.”

Tears bubbled in your eyes once more, and you sniffled as you quickly wiped them away with a giggle.

“That's the most poetic thing I've ever heard you say.” You chuckled, and he rolled his eyes.

 

You spent five more days in that hospital room, being visited daily by your friends and family. Your room was constantly filled to the brim with flowers and gifts.

Over those days you had learned that you had been broadcasted on live television running into that building to save Yachi. You were receiving flowers and cards from every person within a hundred miles of the academy, and you weren't sure what you were going to do with yourself.

For a while you wondered if this was how Oikawa felt whenever he hurt his leg– but he had assured you that your stardom was outshining even him in the “Get Well Soon” card department.

You had been spending grueling hours in physical therapy trying to teach yourself how to walk again. Eventually, you had regained enough strength to get around with a rollator walker. At that point, the hospital decided you were in good enough health to go home.

The ride home was something you couldn't quite come to terms with. You were still grappling with everything that had happened and everything you had missed. Kenma had told you the exact number of hours you had spent in the hospital judging from his hours in a game he had been playing at your bedside. Seven hundred and forty five. That's how many hours of your life that fate had stolen away from you.

Still, fate had planned to steal every hour from Yachi, so you quickly decided this was a more than fair trade off. You would have done it all again in a heartbeat. You did find it a little ridiculous that Kenma had logged your hospital stay with a video game save– but it was so in character for him that you could let it slide.

Your first days back at the academy were like stepping into a new world.

The dorms were slowly being rebuilt over the last month, the fires doing irreversible damage to the historic buildings. In the meantime, hotels near campus had been lending out rooms to displaced students free of charge.

Local cafés– human and monster owned– had been feeding the student body when resources were scarce. There was a newfound sense of unity and community you had never quite seen before between humans and monster kind.

Everyone seemed to band together against the notorious hate group that had started the fires. Apparently they had been behind the attack at the speech, and had been waiting for the perfect time to strike Teraschola directly.

They called themselves revolutionaries– the humans that would eradicate monsters. The man at the speech had been a member, but he had refused to give out any information in regards to whether or not the attack had been premeditated. This “revolutionary” group, however, had been operating for years under the noses of law enforcement.

In truth, they were nothing more than hateful, scumbag bigots. Their asinine beliefs had them resorting to attempted murder and arson, and it would seem everyone found them contemptible after such a hate crime was conducted.

The energy of the entire city had shifted in a way only a tragedy can bring about.

You had been busy since your discharge from the hospital. From press conferences to news appearances, you were quickly becoming the face of fully fledged integration.

Over time, things slowly went back to normal. You attended your classes with your friends, slowly working towards getting your degree. Everything that happened in the Teraschola fires had shaped you so deeply that you finally decided exactly what your dream was. Ushijima's mom had been offering you an internship for months now, and you decided the best way for you to keep encouraging positive change would be to do so by directly injecting it into the veins of your home.

There was something so insanely satisfying about watching all of your friends flourish in their chosen fields of study. The future had never been so bright and clear, and it was obvious that this graduating class of Teraschola– shaped by every experience and hardship these past years had brought about– would go on to do great things in the community and the world.

Your graduation ceremony was something you had spent years looking forward to. It was just as wonderful as you had imagined, too– the historical tradition of Teraschola blending with the newfound culture the sudden influx of human students had introduced. The academy was finally being appreciated for its true academic marvel rather than being held in disgust as a monster only school.

Ushijima gave the student body speech at your graduation. He used his time to address the bravery and resilience of the graduates, and spoke highly of everyone he could think of. You couldn't have been happier with his speech– but were quite embarrassed when he pointed you out in specific. It was a monumental historic achievement, though– being the very first human to attend Teraschola. It simply had to be mentioned, and if it made your friends happy, you could put up with the embarrassment for just a few hours.

After the ceremony and everyone receiving their degrees, Kiyoko had surprised everyone by booking party reservations at the Dentes Lounge to celebrate.

You felt it was a very fitting place to end this chapter of your life. After all, you had visited within the first week of your time at Teraschola, and many times throughout.

Stepping into the lounge was just as familiar as it had always been, a cozy warmth settling into the depth of your chest and belly. This time though the warmth was accompanied by a strange melancholy. This could very well be the last time you saw all of your friends together in the same place. The thought alone had your eyes feeling misty and your chest feeling tight.

Someone nudged your shoulder before you could give in to your emotions. You turned your head, looking up to be met by a tall vampire and his cool expression.

“Come on, Y/N. Don't tell me you're getting all teary-eyed now.” He smirked, tilting his head as he gazed down into your watery eyes. “We made it. All of us!” He exclaimed.

A chuckle sounded, another person entering the conversation.

“We're all also alive, which is a miracle considering what happened three years ago.” Iwaizumi nodded as he crossed his arms, towering over both you and Kuroo as he spoke.

Three years ago. It had been so long, but the event was still very fresh on everyone's minds. Still fresh on some other's bodies, if you count burns and scars.

You clenched your own fists, feeling the worst of your own scarring. Your palms had been completely scorched. It even left very little of your fingerprints. You decided it was likely from the searing doorknob you handled on your way to Yachi, and the other things you touched when the adrenaline was pumping through you like a pain killer. Bokuto had once joked that you would make a good spy with hands like those. Atsumu had added you could also get away with murder.

You didn't think you'd ever find yourself doing either of those things– but who knows what the future may hold. You never saw yourself going into politics, either.

“I know, I'm just… I'm going to miss you guys.” You muttered, sighing deeply as you scuffed your heels against the floor. Iwaizumi laughed.

“Oh, none of us are going anywhere. You've made many friends for life. You know that, right?” He nodded, gesturing to everyone in the party room.

You took a moment to take in everything and everyone.

Your friends had crowded the party room in the most perfect chaos you had ever seen. Ryūnosuke was trying his best to keep the liquor flowing. In the corner, Bokuto and Hinata were having an eating contest. Akaashi was at Bokuto's side, clearly forced into keeping score. He looked exasperated. They were making a mess all over the table, but you couldn't help but to smile just looking at them.

At another table Kiyoko, Yachi, and Mika were deeply engrossed in a set of coloring books that felt hilariously out of place in the rambunctious energy of the room. Or maybe it was just all the men and their partying that made three girls coloring seem a little funny.

Everyone was having a good time, and warmth would swell at the realization that you really had made it. The worst of it was over and through– and now you could celebrate with your friends that everyone had made it out happy and healthy.

You lifted your gaze up to Iwaizumi once more, rolling your shoulders as if to bring about a manual reset of your body.

“You're right. These last four years were just the beginning.”

There was a newfound conviction in your voice, and you stepped into the party with the intention to fully embrace and celebrate the life changes awaiting you now.

You settled in at a table of the most unlikely group. Colorful cards were strewn about the table as you sat between Oikawa and Tsukishima. Across the table Kenma and Tendō mulled over their hands with serious expressions on their faces.

“Can someone deal me in?”

Your presence caused a short pause in the game, Tsukishima sighing softly as he passed you a full hand. He pretended to be annoyed, but the subtle smile on his lips was clear.

And so you partied. You all partied until the sun disappeared under the horizon and the moon called for the stars to blink awake– neon signs in the sky urging the party to its end. And then you all partied some more.

Weeks from now you'll all be in different places, working towards different things and hitting different goals. But now? Now you were all here, all together, and all accomplishing the same goal together.

You stood now, clustered with your friends for a group photo. You smiled, the flash of the camera making your heart skip a beat. You took in the presence of all of these people. These friends you had grown to love so dearly, and would always carry in your heart. You shared in the laughter and tears, and felt deeply every embrace that was gifted.

You had found your home in the people you had met at Teraschola Academy, and you couldn't be happier.

Notes:

Thank you all for reading this story! ❤️

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Taboo (The Series)