Chapter Text
The Monsters University campus was a chaotic mess of roaring engines from cars and trucks, dragging suitcases from incoming freshmen, and enthusiastic orientation leaders shouting through their megaphones.
It was currently spring semester, which means that the incoming transfer monsters were getting the bare-minimum of the welcoming committee compared to the massive rush the semester before. Except for a couple of Greek life volunteers who were assigned to handle the heavy lifting and a couple of leaders giving tours, the new monsters were practically left to fend for themselves.
YN stood beside a mountain of large cardboard boxes and suitcases outside of the freshmen dorms, checking a campus map on her phone. Her father had tried his best to stay and help his daughter unpack, but a sudden, massive scheduling issue at Fear Co. meant he had to rush back to his car before he could even lift a single suitcase up the stairs. He had given her a rid-crushing hug, a quick yell that made a few passing students look at him scared, and a promise to call her the moment he was let free.
“Alright, Malefor,” YN muttered to herself, looking up at the three-story brick building. “Time to see if all those push-ups my father forced me to do paid off.”
“You know, if you keep staring at the building like that, the boxes might actually move themselves.”
She blinked, turning her head toward the smooth, deeply resonant voice. Standing just a few feet away was a monster who practically radiated effortless campus prestige. He was massive—easily hitting about seven feet tall—with brilliant purple fur, sharp horns curving gracefully from his head, and that jawline… He was wearing a red and gold sweater, the Greek letters RΩR proudly at the center of it. His posture was relaxed, a confident, dazzling smirk playing on his lips as he looked down at her.
Johnny Worthington III, a rising star in not only the MU campus but in the Roar Omega Roar fraternity as well, had officially entered her orbit.
YN didn’t skip a beat, though. Matching his confident gaze, she let a slow, playful smile spread across her face. “Oh, thank goodness! An actual knight! Are you here to rescue me, or are you here to look incredibly handsome next to my things?”
Johnny’s breath caught for a fraction of a second, his smirk faltering just a tiny bit before returning full force. He wasn’t used to freshmen hitting back with that much immediate charm. Usually, they stammered or shrank back under his gaze.
“A bit of both, honestly,” Johnny replied, stepping closer. He casually places his claws on his sides, leaning down slightly to get on her eye level. “Johnny Worthington III. My frat got stuck with move-in duty today, and it looks like you need a professional’s touch.”
“YN,” she introduced herself, tilting her head up to see him more clearly. “And by ‘professional touch,’ do you mean you’re actually going to carry my things, or you’re here to flex your muscles for me?”
Johnny let out a genuine, hearty laugh, the sound was rich and vibrant. “Tell you what, YN… For that comment, I’m going to carry three of these boxes at once just to prove a point to you.”
True to his word, Johnny easily scooped up three of her heaviest cardboard boxes in his massive arms as if they weighed nothing. He didn't even break a sweat, tossing a backward glance over his shoulder. “Lead the way, freshman.”
The many trips to and from the third floor became a masterclass in mutual bantering. Johnny deployed his signature high-society charm, asking her about her major and her hometown, and eventually expecting her to fawn over his growing status as a RΩR. Instead, she kept him completely on his toes, dodging his smooth compliments with witty counters, a dry joke that made him chuckle under his breath, and even asked him if carrying a girl’s luggage counted as a fraternity hazing ritual.
“It’s a tough job, but some monster’s got to do it.” Johnny grinned, setting the one of the many waves of boxes down on her new dorm room floor. He wiped a non-existent speck of dust from his sweater, looking incredibly pleased with himself. “Especially when the girl in question has been keeping me entertained.”
“Don’t get used to it, Worthington. The entertainment fee goes up after the first hour,” YN teased, leaning against the doorframe as he walked past her to grab the final suitcase from the hallway.
Within twenty minutes, YN’s entire life was neatly stacked inside the room. Johnny stood in the center of the space, claws on his hips, looking around like a ruler who had just claimed a new territory.
“And that,” Johnny announced smoothly, turning back to her with a blinding, movie-star smile. “is the official RΩR premium service. Another flawless execution.”
"I have to admit, I'm thoroughly impressed," YN said, walking over to him. She stood just a foot away, looking up into his sharp eyes. "Most monsters would have complained about the third-floor stairs during the first trip up those stairs."
"Well, I'm not most monsters," Johnny purred, his voice dropping into a deeper, lower register that vibrated right through the small room. He leaned in a fraction of an inch, his eyes gleaming with playful arrogance. "And a service this exceptional usually requires a pretty hefty reward, don't you think, YN?”
He was clearly teasing her, fully expecting her to offer to go out with him or play the shy, flustered freshman. Instead, YN just smiled.
“You know what? You’re right!”
Before Johnny could process the words, YN stepped up on her tiptoes. She places a gentle class on his broad shoulder for balance, leaned in, and planted a soft, lingering kiss right on his purple cheek. The scent of his expensive cologne hit her just as she pulled back, dropping smoothly back onto her heels with an innocent, bright smile.
The legendary, unshakeable Worthington was entirely paralyzed. His eyes widened, his lips parting slightly as a faint, dark violet flush rushed up his neck and flooded his cheeks. His claw slowly rose, his claws hovering just a millimeter away from the exact spot her lips had just touched. He blinked down at her, completely stripped of his smooth frat-boy script for the first time in his entire college life.
“There you go! Reward delivered,” YN said cheerfully, patting his arm. “Appreciate the heavy lifting, Johnny.”
Johnny swallowed hard, his brain scrambling to reboot. He cleared his throat, desperately trying to pull his signature smirk back onto his face, though it came out a little loopier than usual.
"Right," Johnny muttered, his voice cracking just an octave higher before he smoothed it out. "Yeah. Uh... anytime, YN."
He backed toward the door, his movements slightly less coordinated than his usual athletic stride. He pointed a finger at her, trying to look cool. "Don't think this means you get free labor next time."
"Oh, there's definitely going to be a next time," YN called out playfully as he reached the hallway. "In fact, you should probably just take me out to dinner on Friday so we can negotiate this contact."
Johnny let out a sharp, surprised bark of a laugh, his composure finally snapping back into place as he leaned against the doorframe one last time. "You're terrifying, you know that? See you around campus, YN." As he walked down the hallway, she could hear him muttering something to himself, a wide, slightly dazed grin plastered across his face.
The game had officially begun.
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