The air in the hallway is laced with homicidal tension as you and Louis glare at one another. Though you are hiding your obvious distaste far less than the red deer, it is very clear that neither of you want to even share the oxygen in such close proximity to one another.

"Louis," You greet.

"Y/n."

Poor Sanu can do nothing but watch you two with weary eyes, awkwardly fiddling with his clipboard between his hands.

"So uhm,... Y/n, due to your suggestion, I think it is best to put you in the art departement or more specifically, on the stage crew. I've spoken to Dom and he's willing to help you if you need anything, seeing as he's the head of the stage crew. He's also mostly handling the decorations and costume designs, so you'll be working closely with him. I'm positive that you'll be a good addition to the club."

He smiles while the deer nods stoically and you roll your eyes.

Why again does he have to be here?

"Unfortunately, drama club has already finished for today, so we'll have to introduce you to the other members tomorrow. You also won't have a lot of responsibilities except for a few minor things, seeing as everything is already planned out for our performance tomorrow evening. Sorry about that, Y/n."

"Oh, it's totally fine, I actually think it's a great way to find my place in the club and get used to it."

"That's a great way to see it!" Sanu praises, surprised at your positivity, then he glances on his watch, "Oh shoot, I still need to do my biology hour! It's best if I leave now! See you, tomorrow!"

Crap, I still need to do mine as well! I completely forgot that today's biology day!

And off he goes, leaving you with the one and only red deer Louis.

"I better get going as well, I also need to complete those dreadful sixty minutes," he says and with clear unhappiness, you guys stare at one another before he starts to walk away as well.

Unfortunately, you're at a metaphorical crossroads now.

Scowling, you abandon your pride and follow after him, trying to be discreet about your steps. Due to your bad luck though, he notices.

"Why are you following me, human? What do you want?!" He demands, his voice stern, cold and arrogant. Again, you pout childishly and turn your face away from him as you come to walk right beside him.

You mumble something under your breath, only irritating him further.

"What?!"

"I forgot where the biology rooms are!" You yell, your cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

It's silent for a few moments as he stops and stares at you like you just told him unicorns control the government. Then, he sighs and chuckles under his breath.

"Just follow me," he commands quietly, only to look back at you when he realizes you're not actually following him, too stunned about his response.

"You coming or what?"

Shaken from your thoughts, you're at his side in a second, shyly trying to keep up with him. Of course, he notices and slows down his pace.

"Do we even have a room for humans?" He questions, genuinely curious.

"No," you answer, crossing your arms in front of your chest, "Since I'm the first human here, there wasn't any time to build one and even then, humans don't work like you animals do."

"Oh really? What do you mean by that?" Louis finds it amusing how prideful you are and how high you seem to value your species. It reminds him of carnivores once again but he remembers that you aren't one. Truly, he felt guilty for what he did to you. He had been so self-absorbed that he didn't even think about how unsafe you must have felt to be cornered by a male animal with so much influence and popularity such as himself.

"Well," you begin, ready to explain the uselessness of biology hour for humans to the deer, "For starters, Humans are unlike any other species. We have no set environment, like a wolf or a zebra for example. Our species has adapted in such a way, that we are basically able to survive in every climate except for extreme ones like in antarctica, though the different races of humans all have specific traits that aide them in their habitats. At the stage of evolution we are at now, every individual has their own characteristics that make them different and more fitting in certain environments and situations."

You're so focused on explaining, that you miss the spark of awe in his honey-coloured eyes.

"Let's take red deers for example; you feel more comfortable in forests and fields, thanks to your biology. Well, for humans, we are able to feel comfortable in all environments. Some of us feel the safest in forests as well, others at the ocean whilst some prefer the city or the desert. It's entirely up to the individual. Some humans are generally unsocial and tend to stay alone, others reach their full potential in groups; some of us are physically strong, others mentally. Certain humans prosper on a carnivore diet, others on an omnivore or herbivore diet. You cannot make a fitting biology room for humans because my species is so complex."

Louis blinked rapidly, trying to comprehend every piece of information you had thrown at him and when you noticed, you blushed again, "Sorry, I tend to ramble."

"That was...,"he paused to find the right words to describe it, "That was a lot but also very informative. Where did you learn all of that?"

"My parents," you lie. Truth be told, you'd learnt about this in school, especially in relation to the evolution of human speech.

A somber expression falls on your features at the memory of your family and the deer doesn't question you on that subject further.

"So where will you go during biology hour?"

"Uhm, Humans have a symbiotic relationship with canines," you blurt out, hoping you can prevent yourself from rambling again, "We tend to calm down in their presence and in the wild, canines and humans often form a bond to aide each other for safety and hunting. Generally, canines take very positively to us, especially dogs. Therefore, it's kind of easy for a canine to be taken in by a human family and a human to be taken in by a canine family. So I'm expected to spend my time in one of the canine rooms."

Finding your playful side, you nudge him and smirk slyly, "Any species you can recommend?"

Once more, he sighs in annoyance, yet there's a slight smirk on his face, "Dogs don't have biology hour, they attend special classes during that time. I'm not that well-versed in canines, so I can't help you there. Doesn't help that basically all of them are carnivores."

"Well, guess I'll just have to improvise," you mutter.

The deer stops once again and turns to you, a mournful look in his eyes.

"I need to sincerely apologize for how I treated you during our last encounter. I treated you unfairly, more so even, I touched you in a manner that you could have seen as threatening. I know now that, as a male, I scared you immensely. I can only imagine how terrifying that situation was for you and I...I deserved your aggression. But I hope we can move past this, especially if we'll be in the same club from now on. Once again, I'm sorry."

A dark look crosses your eyes and a part of you wants to slap him, to tell him that you could never forgive him for that. But you also know that in rare cases, an individual can change for the better.

"I...I am willing to forgive you, however, I need time. I'll still be weary of you for a long while, so don't expect hugs and stuff. Just... just don't do it again."

When you two finally arrive at the biology rooms, it's hard for you to decide which species to accompany. So, after some long decision making, you say goodbye to the deer and enter the room of your choice.

Legoshi had also started his biology hours, sitting silently among his fellow grey wolves. He's the tallest out of all of them, thanks to his genes. He's lost in his thoughts again, relishing in the cold air and the glow of the moon-resembling light. After his encounter with Louis, he's unsure of how to perceive the deer.

I could smell the medicated compress Louis was using. And he was acting weird.

"So do you guys think that humans really live on the moon?" A female wolf asks from beside him, looking up to the light.

"How are they supposed to breath up there?"

Now, Legoshi's eyes stare up at the glowing lamp as well, remembering his encounter with the rabbit and more importantly, his conversation with you on the bench, caring enough to talk to him and ask him if he's alright.

That was the first time anyone's ever treated me as a male animal, as a person. Is it...true? What I told Louis? That I'm not just a monster lurking in the darkness. I'm a mammal, carnivore and part of the Canidae family. And....

He stands up abruptly from the couch, catching sight of his reflection in the mirror.

I'm also a male wolf. I'm also....

Locked in his mind, the wolf leaves the biology room and wanders to the roof, humming a peaceful, airy tune as he approaches the sky. It's colours tinted purple as the last light of day begins to vanish in the distance, painting the world in a soft orange and pink.

The sun shines brightly on his fur as he leans against the stone balcony, staring off into the world.

What's this emotion I'm feeling? I feel like I saw...a glimpse of myself. I'm at a brighter place, feeling the drive to move forward.

Finally, he glances behind him, at his grey, fluffy tail, slowly wagging in the wind.

Ah, I get it! I'm feeling happy. Then I'll accept this other feeling, too.

I want to see her again.

Of course, his responsibilities don't just vanish into thin air. As school rules tell him to, he goes back to the grey wolf room, feeling lighter and...happy, for once.

So imagine his surprise, when he enters the room and sees you, skin almost glowing in the pale light of the moon-lamp.

Your scent hits him and the sweet Vanilla drives him mad. He can't stop himself when his body moves and he sits down in his old spot, which is directly beside you.

His dark eyes are fixed on your body, your chest rising and falling in a hypnotic, even rhythm. Your eyes are closed, he notices, face tilted upwards and your hands resting in your lap. The strands of thick fur protruding from your head remind him of a lion's mane, yet so much more beautiful and alluring. They frame your face perfectly and his hand twitches; he wants to touch it.

With a content sigh, you open your eyes, aware of the familiar feeling of eyes staring at you. However, you also don't expect to see your wolf sitting right beside you when you glance at him out of the corner of your eye. Squeaking, you blush and try to focus your stare forwards, only to meet the gaze of an irritated wolf. At this, you decide the floor is the safest option to look at.

"Hi," you whisper, "Seems like we're meeting everywhere nowadays, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," he stammers back, still awestruck by your almost magical appearance in the cold, blue light, "So...what are you doing here? Not that I mind, I'm just....I-I'm just curious."

You giggle slightly, which is music to his ears, and keep your grin as you answer, "Well, there's no room for humans and even though we're kind of related to apes, humans don't tend to feel calm around them. W-We do, however, feel really comfortable with canines."

"I just wasn't in the mood to handle coyotes or foxes, mainly because the first one's room is too hot and the second one isn't too fond of humans," you continue, "So I decided to go relax here. I'm glad I did."

"Why?" He inquires before he can stop himself.

"Because I got to see you again," You admit, your blush growing darker. It's the truth tough; the fact that you got to talk with your wolf again awakened butterflies in your stomach.

After that, it stays quiet. Both of you are at a loss for words, unsure of what to say in the presence of all these strangers. It's not an awkward kind of quiet though; it's pleasant. Both of you stare at the moon, legs touching slightly due to the lack of space.

But even though Legoshi may seem calm on the outside, he's once more freaking out on the inside. Because there's still one major question he needs answered and he's not sure if he has the strength to ask it.

He glances at your peaceful face, eyes closed once again and enjoying the calming effect of the silent, dark and calm room.

He continues to ponder in his head, unaware of the occasional glimpses you take at him whilst you fiddle with the bandage on your hand. You want to ask about his quick escape the last time you guys talked but you don't know how. But you're determined to befriend him, despite your motto of "I don't need friends".

Thus, once the hour has finished, even though Legoshi stayed longer just to be by your side, and you stand outside of the door. Filled with Determination, you turn to the wolf.

"Man, I'm starving. Have you had dinner yet? 

***

Welcome back, homies! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 11!

This and Chapter 12 are a little shorter than usual because they're too long to put into one Chapter, so I decided to post them both today. I went on a writing spree and I feel really accomplished that I got the eye contact scene (Ch12) done, cause now we can get started on the good stuff!

In many x Legoshi fanfictions, the MC basically just replaces Haru in every situation and I don't want that because it just doesn't fit into my plans. There's nothing wrong with doing that but it would kind of destroy the plans I have for the MC and how I write her as a character.

Seeing as she will be a part of the drama club, I had to pull the eye contact scene forward because that is how I wanted them to tell each other their names. I couldn't do that though if I introduced her to the club first because at some point, the names woule have to be used in that arc.

So now we've got this and honestly, I'm happy with how it turned out. I also did a bit of nsfw research that I will get  into in the author's notes in Ch.12 👀 So look out for that if you want some juicy stuff.

I'm also on a netflix anime movie binge and today, I watched 'In this corner of the world'. 10/10, great movie, am still crying. Why are animes so fucking heartbreaking?!

Anyways, I hope y'all are safe and healthy!

See you in Chapter 12!