Milo sat on the edge of the fountain, arm across his knees, chin propped in his other hand as he thought. Had he imagined the invitation? He thought that Dare had leaned in, he seemed to be enjoying it at first. At least until.. Well, maybe grabbing his dick had been a little premature, but they were both naked and kissing, it seemed so right at the time. Fuck, Dare was just so confusing. One moment he could seem like he's about to open up and be the friendliest guy in the world, and the next moment he's teasing you about a tusk lisp and calling you pig. Or just pushing you away.
The sounds of a party from the nearby dorm did nothing for his spirits. Isn't that what they should have been doing as roommates? Cruising the campus looking for parties to crash? He had so many ideas of what coming here should have been that everything just seemed off. He sat up and rubbed his arms with his hands. Up in the mountains nights got chilly, even in late summer.
"Taking a break from the party?" Asked a voice as a figure sat down on the edge of the fountain. Average height, there was something off about the guy, and not from being part animal. He was human but seemed older than the other Freshmen. He wore a knit cap on his head, but Milo could tell his head was either shaved or buzz-cut from the bit he could see. The guy's eyes were also a bit sunken, his cheeks hollow. He didn't look at all well. But he smiled as he sat down holding out a can of beer with a wiggle. He had a second in his other hand. "Can't blame you, music was giving me a headache. I even live on that floor now, so I couldn't avoid it."
Milo took the beer with a nod of thanks. He popped it open and took a sip, wrinkling his nose. He had had beer before, back at the home when a few of the kids swiped some. He didn't like it any better this time. "Acquired taste." The other figure said as he took a sip. "Everyone says that. But it's true."
Milo looked at the man, then at the dorms. "Those aren't the Freshman dorms. But you're.."
"A transfer student." He replied. "There's apparently a few of us every year. Sophomore. Though I skipped a year and a half between my Freshman year and now. Name's William." He held out a hand to shake, and Milo took it. "So. I'm guessing it's a boar then?" Milo started and looked at him. "Oh, didn't notice. It's that or an orc and I don't think that's an option." William tapped his lips.
"Milo." He offered back. Milo reached up and felt about half an inch of tusk sticking out past his lips. "Oh, they got bigger. Yeah, that's what my RA thinks. Not the most glamourous animal but I dunno, it might be nice."
"Smart animals, and strong. Brain and brawn, you could do worse." William crossed his legs and rocked his foot in time with the unfamiliar tune.
"No sign of yours yet?" Milo asked. It seemed the most common question when meeting someone on this campus, or at least a human.
"Nope." William said with a grin. "I'm hoping for something cool."
"Roommate?" He asked with a flick of his eyes towards the building.
"A local, or at least someone who's already been through this. Supposedly arriving tomorrow. So I've just been kind of ghosting around the place alone. Did give me time to unpack." William looked over to Milo. "Not to dance around the small talk, but you seem kind of bummed out."
"I think I might have fucked things up with my roommate." Milo admitted as he took another sip of the beer. Maybe it was growing on him. A little. Milo didn't know why, but he decided to open up to this guy, he shared what had happened in the dorms and William nodded a long.
"Well, that guy is an idiot if he thought naked kissing wasn't going to lead to a little dick grabbing." William said with a laugh that turned into a cough. Milo shot him a glare that turned a bit concerned as the coughing went on for a bit, but the other guy waved him off and took a sip of beer. "Sorry, didn't mean to insult your friend, but come on."
After a moment's thought, Milo was forced to agree. "If there's one thing I've learned in the last couple years, it's that sometimes you just have to take the leap and do what you want. My advice. Don't chase him. People don't like being chased no matter what half the rom-coms out there say. Show that you're not upset, but you're still willing to have a relationship. He's probably just confused, or discovering something. We've all been there. But if it's something you want, don't give the fuck up."
"I'm not sure it is, he's kind of an ass." Milo said, but he could feel the smile forming on his face as he thought about him. And the worry gnawing in the pit of his stomach.
William went into another coughing fit and Milo put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
He shook his head as he managed to catch his breath again. "Fuck no, I'm dying." He said with a much to jovial laugh for the words. "Overworked myself today unpacking I guess." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and took a deep breath.
"You're not actually.." Milo started, then William nodded.
He tapped the side of his head and looked over at Milo with a grin that was a bit unsettling with his sunken features. "Tumor. It's killing me. Now.. I have a little bit of hope. Just need to hold out."
Milo blinked a few times then felt the tusks in his mouth. "You think changing will fix you?"
"That's the hope. I asked around, a few people have had issues resolved during their changes. Nothing else has worked, might as well try." William confirmed as he rested his beer on his knee, looking back towards the party.
"But.. how did you even know about this place? About what happens?" Milo asked, genuinely confused.
"I didn't." William looked over to Milo then let out a little sigh. "Story time I guess. So my senior year of high school I was touring colleges in this area and stumbled across a brochure for this place. Decided to visit, it was on the human side at the time, but I fell in love with it. The nature, the quirky people, the air of mystique this place has. I'm a fantasy nerd, you know, and something about this place put its hooks in me. So I applied when I got home. Never heard back, got into a good Ivy league school, so I went there instead."
He wet his pallet with a sip of beer before going on. "Found my buddy up here Freshman year." He tapped his head again. "Started treatments, started Sophomore year but got to sick to continue. Had to drop out. Spent the next year trying all types of treatments, nothing stuck, and its not in a place they're willing to stick knives. So, I was given a few more months and set free. Then I got the letter from this place. My application had gotten misplaced, and if I was still interested, they'd hold a spot for me. And I thought to myself, well, I only have a few months, lets go live my dream. One semester."
"And then." He mimed a head explosion. "Gift of the Goddess. The exact thing I needed falling in my lap when I needed it. Or so I'm hoping." He rubbed his hat against the top of his head with a bright smile and a laugh. "That's why I'm telling you not to give in. This place is magic. How can anyone look at anything this wonderful and not believe things will work out for the best?"
"I bet you're gonna end up something great." Milo said.
William just laughed. "I'd settle for a near-sighted, half-blind naked mole-rat if it fixed my brain. There's one in the Senior class, everyone calls him Skins, but he's a nice guy. Say hey if you see him. He's one of the funniest dudes you'll ever meet." He stood. "I think I'm going to take a walk and wait for the party to die down a bit. Just, remember my advice. Don't give up. If a sad sack like me can manage it, you should be fine." Then he pointed at the dorm. "Second floor, last window on the left. Drop by if you want to chat."
Milo nodded his farewell, and watched William wander off, humming a song. Milo stood and headed back to his own dorms, feeling in a particularly better mood.