Chapter Text
Scott was thankful he got into L.I.F.E High School- he was, really!
It was just that the entry building was huge and he’d be a new kid in second year and the glittering, stained-glass paneled doors of the lobby seemed to be staring him down in a rather personal way, like they were annoyed they had competition for who was the sparkliest in school. Really, it was rude, for the doors to be so judgmental. He was already self-conscious enough, thanks. Scott didn’t need any help with that.
Really, he shouldn’t be complaining. He should be glad he was out of the near-deadly chaos of Empires Academy, where he’d been for his first year of high school. Should be glad there wasn’t a Fwhip throwing highly explosive redstone components at the classroom walls, and that he was finally, finally away from Xornoth.
Xornoth, his half brother, who was most definitely scarily intelligent and more than a little bit of a pyromaniac. The same one who, despite getting good grades, had nearly been expelled fifteen times over the course of three semesters because of the amount of damage he’d managed to do to the school’s laboratory. Or the auditorium. Or the sports field.
The amount of damage he’d been able to cause to anything, really.
Scott took a deep breath, forcing his tail to quell its nervous flicking. Steeling his nerves, he trotted towards the entrance, reaching for one of the pull handles- and thanking himself for subconsciously noticing that it wasn’t a push door. Before he could swing it open and duck inside, though, he was rather jovially greeted by a teetering stack of books as the doors were slammed outwards.
He stumbled backwards, equine-like ears pinning flat to his head. It was in his best interest to not get killed by literature- especially before he’d even taken a philosophy class.
“Oh! Sorry, sorry! Didn’t realize someone was coming through here,” a cheery voice said, muffled by the many pages they were speaking around.
Scott paused. He knew that voice. That bouncy tone, how excited it always was. He’d recognize it anywhere- even muffled by unreasonable amounts of thick-bound writing guides.
“Shelby?” He gasped.
Two smaller pamphlets fell off the side of the pile and Shelby deftly caught them with one foot. Their mushroom-capped head and round, golden-brown eyes were now just barely visible over the edge of the newly topmost book, and those same eyes widened visibly when she saw him.
Knowing Shelby, Scott should’ve expected her to turn on their heel, set down her books on some side table he couldn’t quite see, and then leap at him with far too much vigor for seven-thirty in the morning.
“Guh,” he said, very eloquently, as she wrapped her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug.
She grinned. “I know, right? I can’t believe you’re here too! L.I.F.E High School! Didn’t think you’d be choosing this one when you told me you were changing schools.”
He blinked, then, uncoiling his tail so it could sway relaxedly behind him, shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t think so either. I didn’t expect my application to be accepted.”
“Same same same same SAME! I applied because they have a biochem lab! Biochem, Scott! And a greenhouse! I can do all sorts of plant-based experiments!” Then, out of breath, Shelby stepped back. “And they accepted. Dream come true, honestly.”
Scott smiled. “At least we’re in this together, right?”
They both turned to look up at the huge welcome banner that was strung across the top of the outside wall, above the door. Its jovial lettering fluttered in the early September breeze.
After a moment of gazing up at it, she nodded. “We are,” Shelby murmured. Then, after that brief pause in their energy, she twirled around, ruffly cream-white skirt flowing as she bounded up the steps into the school.
Scott followed a bit more slowly, taking in the high ceilings of the entrance lobby. The secretary’s office was to the right- which he only knew because of the large plaque saying ‘Secretary’s Office’- and two staircases swept upwards, twisting in opposite directions out of view. Banners decorated with the school’s colors and symbol- a red poppy crown on a striped yellow and green background- hung serenely on support columns. The room was relatively quiet- they were there a half-hour before classes officially started, so it made sense. A small group of what he assumed were faculty stood in a corner, speaking quietly.
Other than that, there was very little activity. A couple of students sitting on a bench, a janitor with eagle-spotted wings spread wide as she hovered, dusting off the tops of cabinets, and the faint chik chik chik of a printer emanating from the dreaded abode of the Secretary. No nether-cursed emblems drawn onto the walls, no scorch marks on the carpet, and no ‘Vote For Xornoth!’ class president posters hung around every corner.
All in all, it was quite peaceful, and Scott appreciated that.
Beside him, Shelby stooped down to collect her books once more. “I’m just gonna run to my dorm real quick, ‘kay? I’ll be back soon, and then we can explore! Together! Just gotta drop off these bad boys,” they said, before vanishing out the door once more, left-behind spores the only sign of her ever being there.
He turned back towards the innards of the school, ears flicking around to catch the few sounds that echoed through the space. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he trotted towards a board with what he could only assume were schedules pinned up on it.
There turned out to be far more than schedules. A drama club poster, three competing study groups (all claiming they were the best and that the other two only laid around gossiping), and several extracurricular application forms scattered amongst the far more official-looking calendars. Feeling rather overwhelmed, Scott decided it’d just be best to grab a welcome pamphlet and scram.
Now safely back by the door and away from the clamoring text of advertisements put together at three in the morning by sleep-deprived juniors, Scott relaxed, flipping open the guide he’d grabbed and skimming over the details until he found a map. Narrowing his eyes at it, he found the homeroom assigned to his group.
Room 2B. Apparently it’d be used for math as well. Convenient, since their first proper class was math- it meant far less walking for him, as he quickly deduced there was no elevators and many of the classrooms were on different floors.
He was interrupted from his thoughts by the clamoring voices of a group outside. Scott sidled over towards one of the benches positioned along one of the walls, glancing up from his schedule to watch the arriving students from a safely out-of-the-way distance.
Fire flickered at the edge of his vision, and for a moment, he panicked- before remembering he wasn’t at Empires Academy, and that there was no arsonist brother to constantly worry him. Even still, it took him a moment to relax his shoulders as he watched two netherborn sophomores walk by him. A blaze-born and some kind of imp- they both had far lower magical signatures than he did, although the blaze’s flares sparkled brightly in his senses.
His eyes flicked to look at the next bundle of people striding in from the doorway, silently assessing each one. A duo of avians, one with bright, macaw -like wings and the other with golden feathers- shining brightly in the lighting of the school- swept in, conversing quietly. Behind them came… the quiet clattering of hooves?
Scott bit back a gasp as a tall cervitaur ducked underneath the doorway, elegant deer legs folding to let her stoop low enough as to fit. Long, flame-orange hair flowed in waves down her back, jasmine flowers braided elegantly into it, and her large, greenish-gold eyes calmly surveyed the space. When they caught on him, they both paused.
He gave her a respectful nod which was returned, much to his relief. He did not want to make an enemy of a Taurid.
It was not only due to the rare nature of cervitaurs, and Taurids in general, that he was so interested in this student. Scott carried a deep-rooted love for deer, and, really, what with his cloven hooves and sensitive ears, they were not so dissimilar.
And, also, a cervitaur. Why wouldn’t he be at least a bit awed?
Shaking off the lingering surprise of the deer-hybrid’s appearance, he turned his attention back to the door, now more focused on watching for Shelby than anything else. A couple of moth hybrids passed, one’s scarlet hoodie catching his eye, as well as a tall, willowy man with long blonde hair who stared at him rather inexplicably, pointed ears perking. Other than that, none of the students paid him much mind.
In a sweep of flurrying motion, Shelby returned, their spotted mushroom cap glowing slightly and her arms now freed of books. She glanced around wildly before their eyes settled upon him, tucked in the corner as he was, and she practically bounded over.
“Hi! Sorry that took me a little longer than anticipated,” she chirped, then, pausing, she glanced around. “Boy, it’s crowded in here. Well, at least compared to how it was.”
Nodding, he swept his tail towards the cervitaur. “And look, a Taurid!”
Shelby gasped. “Oh my gods! It- wow. She’s so pretty! A cervitaur! Wow,” she breathed.
He chuckled slightly. “I think I made a good impression on her. Hopefully.”
“I’m sure you did. You have that natural unicorn charm,” she said encouragingly.
“Whatever you say.”
“Don’t act like it’s not true! You smooth-talked like, three people, into believing in your plan for that one semester.”
He winced. “I’d rather you not remind me of… that. Especially since it didn’t even work. He still set fire to that entire row of lockers, remember?”
“But it was five less rows than usual!” Shelby grinned.
Shaking his head, Scott stood up, tail swaying behind him as he steadied his cloven hooves on the polished tile floors. “I found a map,” he said, subtly changing the subject.
Shelby snatched it from him- though not unkindly- and began flipping through it. “We’re in the same homeroom! Math, too,” her eyes narrowed. “Different times for biochem, though,” she murmured, eyes drooping in a pout.
“You’ll have to tell me about your explosive spore adventures after, then.”
She groaned. “That was one time!” Then, grabbing his hand, she yanked him forward. “We should get moving. Don’t wanna be late!”
Scott rolled his eyes, and, glancing at the large clock displayed on the wall, confirmed his suspicions. It was only seven forty-five. “We have plenty of- AHHCk!” He yelped as he was dragged, rather unceremoniously, through the crowd. He muttered an apology to the blonde student he’d seen earlier- who only gaped at Shelby before he was dragged out of sight- as they hurtled towards the staircase. Or rather, staircases.
This seemed to give Shelby pause, and she stared, brow furrowing, at each one in turn. Like she was inspecting them and was quite unenthused by their quality.
For once, Scott was the first one to make a decision, and, rolling his eyes, he pulled Shelby up the left staircase. “Don’t scrutinize them too much,” he chided, “they’ll get nervous and start doing loops.”
Shelby stared at him, and he shrugged. “I knew a guy who had this one enchanted staircase in his building, and you’d have to give it sincere compliments in order for it to go to the right level. Otherwise, it’d teleport you to the roof, no questions asked.”
The mushroom witch didn’t even have time to say ‘Oh,’ before he was swinging around a corner and staring at the plaques on the doors.
1A. 1B. 1C- ah. He was on the wrong level.
Shelby, seeming to get the gist of their dilemma, began skipping up the stairs as if the possibility of faceplanting was only a comedic joke used in shows and not a very real, incredibly embarrassing possibility. Scott, more carefully- and with a second check that he was no longer holding on to her hand- cantered up them himself, weaving around the thickening throng of students.
He only got that brief respite, though, before Shelby latched onto his forearm and practically wrestled him towards the next hallway. They skidded past 2A, slid gracefully past 2B, and then, quite sheepishly, turned around and walked back to the room they’d just passed.
Or, well, Shelby looked sheepish. He just sighed, and, tucking his hands into his pockets and mentally going over what he had in his satchel, followed, taking care to quiet his hoofsteps on the hallway floor.
Shelby bounded ahead of him, joyfully slamming into the door. The push bar clattered in complaint as her vigor swung it wide open.
For a moment, everyone inside seemed rather like statues as their jaws dropped in shock at her sudden arrival. In the back, somebody cheered.
He wasn’t sure why until he stepped behind Shelby and tried to hold the door- which was a gods-awful mistake. It was heavy, and, with a wince, he quickly stepped into the room and let go of the handle, trying to shake out his wrist as subtly as he could. From the quiet snicker of a boy in the front row, he assumed he wasn’t subtle enough.
When Scott shot him a glare, his scimitar-like horn flickering with glamor, the other shut up real fast.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being the unicorn of high school after all.
Shelby, thankfully, seemed to realize it’d be embarrassing for both of them if she dragged him towards the back row, so instead she just waved her hand towards Scott with a small smile, pointing to a duo of empty seats.
Dutifully, he sat down in one of them and glanced over to the boy sitting next to him.
Longish, two-toned hair- brown and a kind of ashy, greyish shade- tied back by a red bandanna. Glowing greenish-brown eyes and a cape that was almost certainly both made of moss and a health code violation. When the rascal mutant grinned at him, slightly sharp teeth shined back- though one pointed canine was missing.
As Shelby passed behind the rascal, she somehow managed to perfectly catch an offered fist bump. Scott could only assume it was due to her impressive display of strength from their heroic door-opening performance.
For a moment, everyone sat in silence as a couple students twisted in their seats to do a once-over of him and Shelby. Scott quelled his urge to squirm uncomfortably and instead bared his teeth at that same boy who snickered at him, ears pinned. He shrank back. Good.
For now, it was the best way to be the quiet kid. Silent, but scarily so- it was a game he could play, especially without his brother there to undermine him. Shelby, to their credit, repressed any sign of amusement at his behavior.
There was a thump from outside the door, and Scott straightened, ears swiveling forwards even as he surveyed his classmates.
That golden-winged avian, blonde hair slightly mussed, who was staring out the window, looking like he’d rather be flying. He was almost perfectly in front of Scott, which he noted.
The rascal hybrid beside him, moss shifting unnervingly.
The two netherborn, sitting next to each other in the second row to the front, the blaze-born’s flares whirling quickly in a dancing motion above his head.
A tall, muscly guy with golden rings rotating around his head, blue eyes peeking out from underneath a triple set of wings. Scott winced, then, rather self-consciously, realized that the seraphim would’ve seen that.
Embarrassing.
Next to the seraphim, the moth hybrid that had caught his eye earlier. Her red hoodie was lowered around her neck now, Luna moth wings neatly poking through the slotted seams in the back of her garment. Pale, fluffy antennae flicked restlessly at the top of her head, and a tiny pair of butterfly-like headwings fluttered at the sides of her face.
That was about all he could observe before the door went swinging open again, this time far more slowly. Scott locked eyes with the newcomer and froze, ears pinning once more.
It was that blonde, who had stared at him so clinically at the beginning of the day. Scott internally cursed as he realized the seat to the right of Shelby was available- and watched, helplessly, as he sat down next to her and began to rebraid his hair.
Straining his magic and glamor, he tried to sense the boy’s origins- but it was… more than a little difficult. He could get the vaguest inkling of the sea and hollow, underwater echoes, but that didn’t narrow much down.
It’d be helpful if the guy had been more like Lizzie- tall, imposing, so very obviously from the sea- instead of serenely human-like and yet so very not.
It couldn’t be helped, though, and Scott could only hope that it’d turn out the other student was just interested to see a unicorn hybrid and didn’t actually have some sort of grudge against him.
He really, really, really did not want that to be the case.
Tearing his gaze away from his hopefully-not-a-rival, he focused on the door, which, as it so happened, was clattering at that very moment. After hardly a second of the infernal noise, though, it swung open, revealing a tall, mustached man wearing a dapper suit and a small smile.
And, coincidentally, not wearing a soul.
For the second year in a row, he’d gotten an automaton for his starter teacher. He could only hope nobody there had the same explosive tendencies as Xornoth.
Although, if this poor professor’s redstone got ‘accidentally rewired’, as it were, it wouldn’t be Scott paying for the mechanic.
Small mercies, he supposed.
He glanced at the clock. Seven fifty-nine exactly, and, as the teacher sat down, it clicked to eight.
Perfectly on time, as any machine should be.
Scott allowed himself a small smile. Maybe this could work out.