Chapter 1

He hadn't even been here for a day but he already knew how much fun he was going to have.

The maroon furred monster looked about the quad- outside what he first thought was the architecture building but was actually psychology- where a plethora of different sized and shaped monsters mulled about. Either on their way somewhere, lazing around or looking as lost as he was. He supposed the latter were freshmen too.

Picking up his case he rushed over to the small gathering of puzzled faces and nervous fidgeting. Although, like all other freshmen, he'd been given a tour of the campus, it was so big they hadn't gotten through the entire thing and much was simply explained verbally. He wasn't too good with that sort of thing. Neither were these guys either apparently.

"Hey, you guys freshmen?" He strode up to the nearest one, a short yellow creature who was typing at his phone. He looked up.

"Yeah. Psychologist major." The monster replied monotonously before turning his attention back to his screen.

"Oh, makes sense I guess," the red furred monster laughed, looking up at the building. They must all be psychology students then, "names Thomas." He stuck out a clawed hand to the other monster, who took a moment to reluctantly take it.

"Can I do something for you, Thomas?"

A little disappointed he didn't give his own name in return, Thomas continued.
"I'm also a freshmen, was wondering if you knew where the scare building is?"

The yellow monster thought for a few seconds before pointing behind the psychology building.
"That way."

"Thanks." Thomas strode off. Although a little put off by the lack of friendliness from a fellow freshmen, he knew things would get better from here. It was his first day of college, first real taste of freedom and adulthood. First real step in the direction he dreamed of.

Thomas circumnavigated the building, coming across many other students, seniors and freshmen alike, and found himself before the gargantuan structure. His breath hitched slightly as he gazed up at the magnificent architecture that formed the scare building. The gargoyles set on either side of the staircase, watching ominously as students climbed up and down them. The pillars keeping part of the very heavy looking ceiling up were equally astonishing. To think mere monsters did this with a couple of tools and machinery.

When he realized he probably looked like an idiot, Thomas quickly hurried off in the direction of the dorms. He knew his way from here. The scaring building was one of the first places the tour arrived at. Monsters University was famous for producing some of the best scarers and also acted as a connection to Monsters Incorporated, the best scaring company around. Of course it was the first place they were going to visit. Thomas didn't remember admiring the architecture during the tour though.

The red monster took some comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only one carrying luggage. Unfortunately for him, Thomas had more than just a simple backpack and togbag like many of the other had. He felt somewhat over prepared. Better over prepared than under prepared, he supposed.

He approached the receptionist, a cyan monster with thick horns on either side of his head.

"Hi there." Thomas hoped he was in the right place. He reacted with a large smile to which Thomas broadly reciprocated.

"Thomas Ghola. This is the right building, right?"

He chuckled while reaching below the desk.

"Don't worry, you're not lost. Ghola, huh? Sounds familiar."

Thomas' brightened even further.
"The scarer. He's my dad."

The receptionist chuckled again.
"Who knew. You're a scaring major huh? Crazy small world, you're the second son of a scarer to have come in today."

"Second?"

"Bill Sullivan's kid is also staying in this building, a freshman like you. And…" he continued, searching through the a folder "on the same floor too it seems. You're on floor three, room three twenty seven." He looked up from the folder, swiftly disappearing beneath the desk and coming up with a key. He handed it over to Thomas' open hand.

"You're roommate is up there already."

Thomas felt a slight twinge of nervousness and he walked up the stairs. He was worrying for nothing though. He'd gotten along with majority of of monsters most of his life, this one would be no different. The corridors were packed with luggage and monsters, either mulling about talking or looking for their rooms. He made his way around and through them, throwing a few greetings here and there.

Three twenty four.
Three twenty five.
Three twenty six.
Three twenty seven. Here he was.

Thomas knocked before going in, finding a slimy, slug-like monster making his bed. He introduced himself as Edward Simmerman. Thomas would have properly introduced himself were it not for the slugs constant speaking. Apparently he liked to hear himself talk. Thomas' luck hadn't been good after all.

While replying with a few 'yeahs' and 'interesting', Thomas managed to unpack all his luggage and sat across his bed with a sigh. Edward had also finished unpacking and went down to the café on campus for some dinner. Fortunately, he hadn't invited Thomas to tag along, he didn't know how he was going to deal with his constant yammering. The room felt sweet with the silence that permeated it. It wasn't long before he found himself asleep.

The alarm blared angrily in Thomas' ears, which shifted back to escape the screech. Begrudgingly, he shifted up in bed, turning it off. Thankfully he remembered to put it on in the first place. Edward was out already, probably for breakfast.
Checking the time on the clock, Thomas found that it was eight thirty.

He hadn't eaten since he got here and his body had realized it. He could definitely go for a big breakfast.

So with some unhappiness, Thomas left the warmth of his bed, tried to comb down some of his fur, threw a jacket on and exited the building. If he thought monsters were up and about yesterday, they were walking in the masses today. Huge numbers of students were around, many of them just hanging around on the park benches. He didn't see a familiar face from the tour. He'd met a lively girl there who was also a scaring major and had spoken on and off with her during the duration of the tour. She was very sweet. He hoped to see her again.

Now all he had to do was find the café. After receiving some directions - he didn't take much note during the tour- he eventually located it. Just outside the entrance to the park beside the medical faculty. Turns out its name was the United café, and sold just about any food you could dream of. Well, almost, they didn't have any a good range of salads. Not that Thomas was complaining, he enjoyed the pizza he got instead. As he consumed slice after slice he realized how lively the entire campus really was. His father had told him how boring university life could be, but Thomas was beginning to doubt that.

He attempted to chat up the waitress to no avail. She refused to give a stranger her number so he promised to make himself familiar. She laughed and walked off. Thomas left feeling energetic about the day ahead of him.

Soon it was time for his first class: scaring 101 with professor Knight. He returned to his dorm to get his books, running into Edward before quickly hurrying off. Climbing up the stairs of the scare building was just as amazing as looking upon them. He eagerly slapped the claw of the gargoyle as he passed, feeling ready for anything.
Until he took his seat and begun to feel fatigue overcome him. He supposed it was a subconscious response since he would fall asleep in nearly all his classes in high school. His academics weren't the best they could be. At least that's what his father said.

He had to suck it up and pay as much attention as he could. He looked sidelongs, watching a monster a row down sipping a coffee and envy filled him. He should pick one up before every class.

Then professor Knight came in and introduced himself. Thomas felt slightly better about being taught by an actual scarer. Just as he finished stating that nothing scared him, he let out a yelp as the window atop the hall was opened and one by one, each curtain closed. Thomas looked up in confusion along with many others to see the origins of this new disturbance.

"The Dean…" He heard someone behind him whisper harshly.

As if summoned, the Dean appeared beside professor Knight, leveling a stern gaze upon the students. Good God was she horrifying.
Thomas looked on with his teeth clenched in anticipation. He wasn't sure why the monsters around him were so nervous, the Dean was obviously an imposing figure, but that was her job. Not only was she a big time scarer a couple years ago, she was a scare record holder. He hadn't expected this much action on his first day.

"I don't mean to interrupt. I just thought I'd drop by to see the... terrifying faces joining my program." Her eyes survey the room, running over many of the students, Thomas included, causing the red monster to shift eagerly in his seat.

"Well, I'm sure my students would love to hear a few words of..." Professor Knight paused for a moment, "inspiration?"

"Inspiration?" The Dean spoke the word like she didn't understand its meaning, "very well. Scariness; is the true measure of a monster. If you're not scary…" she glared in the direction of a green monster in the front row, "what kind of a monster are you? It's my job to make great students greater. Not make mediocre students less mediocre. That is why at the end of the semester there will be a final exam. Fail that exam, and you are out of the scaring program."

A cacophony of harsh whispers and gasps filled the room. Thomas' small smirk disappeared, replaced with wide-eyed fear. Never had he taken into account that he'd come out his degree without- well, a degree. Was she even allowed to do that? There was no way it could be legal. The centipede-like monster continued through the confusion.

"So, I should hope you're all... properly... inspired." The humor in her eyes Thomas had perceived when she arrived was utterly gone, replaced by a cold, calculating look.
The Dean's wings spread behind her with ominous timing and she took off, flying around the room once before exiting through a window.

"What the hell?" Thomas whispered to himself, dumbstruck. This had to be some sort of prank, something the professors pulled on the freshmen each year. Professor Knight's expression didn't reflect any humor however.

"Alright, alright," he tried to calm the class down, "who can tell me the properties of an affective roar?"

Thomas head was still reeling from Hardscrabbles announcement. He couldn't think of anything relevant. Suddenly a hand went up.

"Yes?"

The green monster in the front row was the owner of the hand. He got up off his chair and Thomas saw how diminutive he really was. Was he seriously here to become a scarer? He didn't look in the least bit scary. What was scary however was how pretentious he sounded.

"There are actually five: those include the roar's resonance; the duration of the roar; and the-" before he could complete, a ground shaking roar sounded at the back of the room. Everyone whirled around to see an imposing figure standing against the light from outside, arms in the air- claws out. The room fell eerily silent after the roar ceased, but not for too long because the monster who roared came in to the light and revealed himself as a blue and purple, well built monster with two small horns on either side of his head.

"Oop! Sorry, I heard someone say 'roar' so I just kinda went for it." The monster said with a smirk across his face. He begun making his way to a free desk, passing through a few monsters, making quips along the way.

Thomas had calmed enough to realize how fast his heart was beating.
"Douchebag." He muttered under his breath.

"Very impressive, mister…?" Professor Knight acknowledged the new arrival.

"Sullivan, Jimmy Sullivan."

"Sullivan? Like- Bill Sullivan? The scarer?"

"Yeah, he's my dad." The room broke into another round of hushed mutterings.
So this was the son of Bill Sullivan? Thomas crossed his arms and huffed.

"I should've known. I expect big things from you."

"Welp," the furry idiot fell easily into a chair, throwing his arm lazily over its backrest, "you won't be disappointed."

Thomas felt a little disappointed.

The green sphere had been silent until now.
"Um, I'm sorry. S- should I keep going?"

Professor Knight waves him off.
"Nah, nah. Mister Sullivan's covered it."

On cue, Sullivan winks at the professor, clicking his tongue as he does so, coaxing a chuckle from him. Thomas shakes his head in annoyance, then looked down at the green monster below who had taken his seat quietly and felt a small pang of pity. First day in class and already embarrassed. And by an obvious douchebag no less.

"Everyone take out your scaring textbooks and open them to chapter one." Knight turns to the board and the lesson commences.

"And since then, I've never forgotten to pull up the handbrake!"
The three monsters around Thomas burst into laughter. The red furred monster let the laughter run over him like a shower of acceptance.

"Damn, Ghola, I didn't realize you were that bad of a driver." Cal, a short brown monster chortled as he took another sip of his beer.

"Neither did my dad." He answered with a dumb smile on his face, earning more laughs from the small group.

Somewhere along the line, Thomas' last name had been passed around through campus and, just like Sullivan, he had become somewhat like a celebrity among the freshmen. He enjoyed the attention but throughout the week it had grown annoying. It seemed useful however, when he was invited personally to a sorority and fraternity party hosted around the JOX frathouse. Naturally, he came.

He wondered about a little bit, making small talk with a few monsters here and there, before finally approaching a PNK girl. Normally he wouldn't be so bold but she was alone, leaning against one of the walls staring into nothingness. He decided if he was going to make friends outside the freshmen that knew him, he'd have to put himself out there.

With a sizable swig of alcohol, he walked over and introduced himself. The girl turned out to be Naomi Jackson, definitely a PNK girl. They chatted for a bit and Thomas' confidence had begun to falter. That is until her friend, a diminutive purple furred monster came over and sparked up the conversation again. From there, Cal, a fellow freshmen in Thomas' scaring 101 class joined in and before Thomas knew it he was telling them the story of how he learned to drive and the subsequent disaster afterward.

"So thinking of joining a fraternity anytime soon, big guy?" Naomi's friend asked.

Thomas thought for a moment. Although he hadn't thought too hard on it, he was definitely interested. He'd heard about the various frats around campus but hadn't thought as far as making a move to join any of them. He decided to answer truthfully.

"Who knows, if someone will have me then sure." Thomas shrugged.

Naomi smiled and winked.
"Maybe I can mention your name to a friend."

Thomas didn't want to get in because of any special treatment but he wasn't going to pass up the chance. He gave her a smile.

"I can't tell you how much I'd appreciate it."

Her smile turned sly.
"I'm sure you can."

Thomas' smile became mischievous as he crossed his arms.
"Oh? Do tell."

Before she could answer, a scuffle was heard in the front of the house. It wasn't enough to deter Thomas from his gaze upon the PNK girl however. It was only when her three eyes widened and a sudden rush of movement behind him, did he turn his eyes away from her. He caught sight of a blue blur come running out the adjacent room, giggling as he came by. Thomas' tail was shoved out the way, causing him to reach out and grab the wall to regain his balance.

"The hell?" He tried to catch sight of whatever bumped into him.

"Was that- Sullivan?" Cal asked bewildered.

Sullivan, here? Just when Thomas thought he'd escaped the blue lug from class he comes in hot and ruins his game. A loud bang sounded outside on the back porch, through which Sullivan had barged, and a couple of gasps and snickers were heard. Thomas huffed and walked out onto the porch, spotting Sullivan chasing… was that Mike Wazowski? Riding… a pig?

"What the…" Thomas' eyes narrowed as he watched them disappear.

"That was insane." Naomi's friend said beside the red monster. All of them had followed him out onto the porch.

"Oh no." Naomi gasped, rushing up to a familiar lithe figure, "are you okay?"

The purple lizard that Thomas recognized from his scaring class- a freshmen like him- had what looked like cake frosting all down his front and face. Two HSS girls on either side of him were snickering openly. Naomi came up to his side and tentatively touched his shoulder. He recoiled, moving away from the touch, whilst simultaneously trying to rub the frosting out his eyes.

"No!" He shouted, "just-"
And then he was off, rushing down the steps and away from the house, everyone's gaze now lingering on him as he scurried away.

"Wow." Cal simply stated.

Naomi, beside Thomas, tutted unhappily.
"Poor guy. I saw him earlier with cupcakes, they must have bumped into him."

"Cupcakes?" Thomas raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen any cupcakes inside.

"Been offering to everyone here." Naomi's friend spoke up.

Thomas was about to speak up, the words 'what a dork' on his tongue, but Naomi said sadly, "It was sweet. I hope he's alright.'

Normally, Thomas would of scoffed and reassured whomever was saying that that the other monster would be fine in time. But now, it was different.

"I'll go check up on him." Thomas said suddenly, already beginning to make his way down the steps.

Cal laughed.
"Really, man? I'm sure he's okay."

"You're a sweetheart, Thomas." Naomi smiled endearingly at the red monster. Bingo. He gave her a small smile back before jogging after the lizard. He didn't like this whatsoever but what did he care, Naomi seemed to like a caring guy. He could be a caring guy.

Soon the ruckus of the party died down as Thomas left the vicinity, eventually relying on small trails of frosting to follow the freshmen. His patience grew thin quickly and when he was about to call off the hunt he entered the park, which was absolutely derelict. Except for one figure on a bench.

Being as quiet as he could, Thomas toed closer to the bench, stopping just outside the circle of light which came from one of the lamps. The lizard sat miserably on the bench, arms draped around himself as he stared at the ground before him.

He sniffed a couple of times. Was he crying? He just got some cupcake in his face, it wasn't that bad. Eventually, Thomas grew tired of watching the lizard wallow and stepped out, no longer trying to hide his presence.

The purple monster immediately saw him and with a gasp, disappeared.
Just- disappeared.
Thomas stopped and blinked in confusion.

"Wha-" he frowned. He couldn't just disappear. Wait.
Frosting?
There was just frosting floating there on the bench. Then it occurred to Thomas.
Invisibility.

"Hey, you're still here, right?" He called out.
No response.

"Whats your name?"
Nothing.

"I just wanted to check on you, make sure you're… fine." Thomas continued to stand there, staring at the space where the lizard should be, quietly debating what good would come of this. He huffed, ready to turn and return to the party, already coming up with something to tell Naomi that would win him more points.
'I ran after him but by the time I caught up, he'd vanished. I'll find out how he's doing in class tomorrow.'

With a satisfied smirk, Thomas turned on his heel.

"Randall." A quiet voice said in the night. Thomas froze, brow furrowed. He hadn't left?
The lizard suddenly reappeared on the bench, eyes still on the ground and arms resting at either side of him.

"Randall?"

"My name," he replied, looking up at Thomas, "Randall Boggs."

The red monster sighed and walked over to the bench, trying to put on a friendly smile.
He extended a clawed hand.

"I'm Thomas- Thomas Ghola."

The lizard didn't bother taking his hand, instead chuckling a bit.
"Everyone knows who you are."

He supposed they did. Thomas looked about awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. He couldn't go back to the party without some kind of good news. He sat down beside Randall.

"I guess so, but not everyone knows my middle name."
Thomas left the bait there, hoping the lizard would take it. He did.

"Middle name?"

"Yeah, don't laugh-" he said very seriously before dramatically sighing, "it's Susanna."

Randall let out a laugh. It rolled out his mouth, like small waves and had a pitch that was far from obnoxious- reserved perhaps. It withered away quickly, and the lizard cleared his throat, attempting to cover up. Thomas' mother used to tell him that you could tell a lot about someone by their laugh, he didn't quite understand the concept, but listened out for it anyways.
Randall looked at Thomas, who was pouting. His amused expression suddenly disappeared and he grimaced.

"Oh God, really? I'm sorry."

Thomas' mouth broke into a wide smile of teeth. His father often told him not to show off all his teeth whilst smiling since it was unsettling. Thomas had taken great offense to that and smiled as often as he could around his family in that manner. He didn't do it much around strangers, but he wanted to see this guy squirm. He did, and it brought Thomas a mountain of pleasure.

"Don't stress," his smile brightened into something somewhat more friendlier, "its not Susanna." He laughed at the perplexed face of the lizard.

"It's not? What is it then?" Randall gave a weak chuckle.

Thomas waved his question away.
"I only give that information out on serious dates. Its not as bad as Susanna but its close." He laughed again and so did Randall.

Whelp, mission successful. Now he could go back to the party with good news and hopefully Naomi appreciates the effort. He was, however, curious as to why exactly the lizard would bring cupcakes to a party.

He voiced his thoughts a moment later.
"So Randy, how'd you end up bringing cupcakes and why wasn't I offered one?"

Thomas really didn't care whether he was offered one or not, he never had much of a sweet tooth in the first place. What he did care about was leaving this guy in a better mood.

Randall fidgeted, running at his hands.
"I just- I…"

Thomas raised an eyebrow. How'd he get flustered so quickly. This better not be what he's like all he time.
"Yeah?"

"I like to bake."

"Oh, so you made those yourself?"

Randall nodded.
"Just needed a conversation starter."

It was a conversation starter, alright.
His mood was darkening, Thomas had to think of something. He suddenly reached out and dragged a finger across the top of the lizards head, gathering a small lump of frosting. Randall pulled away quickly, eyes wide and questioning. Thomas inspected the frosting. It looked normal, not like he was an expert on any of that stuff regardless, he pretended to inspect it.

"Consistency's good. Nice colour," he brought it just below his nose, "smells like hard work."

Randall watched on, a slowly spreading look of amusement appearing in his eyes. Thomas finally stuck it into his mouth and immediately tasted a sweetness he couldn't fathom. He pushed down the urge to cringe and instead made deliberate motions with his jaw, like he was taste testing a fine wine. He swallowed quickly.
Randall looked on expectantly.

"Its definitely frosting," Thomas concluded, resulting in a small chuckle from the lizard, "but it's seriously sweet, like I'm not sure if its just me or…"

The lizard nodded in acknowledgement.
"It's supposed to come with a cupcake as well. Eating frosting alone isn't as good. But it kinda explains why so few took any, probably put too much icing sugar in."

'No, they just weren't lame enough to indulge' Thomas thought.

"But I guess I know for next time." Randall shrugged.

Was he seriously going to try that again?

"I guess," Thomas said, scratching at his ear, "but I'm keeping you, you should go get cleaned up." The red monster stood, followed shortly by the purple.

"Yeah," Randall said sheepishly, "thanks for coming after me."

"Don't mention it, buddy."

'But a good word here and there wouldn't hurt'.

"Have a good night." Thomas waved as he begun to stride away. He wondered what he missed out at the party, he hoped the others hadn't left yet.

"Uhh- Thomas." Randall called.

Thomas looked over his shoulder, eyebrow raised.

"Maybe we can… hang out some time?" The lizard grimaced, almost like the awkwardness of the words hurt him. It hurt Thomas too.

"Sure thing, buddy." He chirped before continuing on. He actually had no intention of following through with that and would forget all about his conversation late into the night when he'd be busy playing beer pong, drunk out of his mind.

But if he'd looked behind him one last time, he may have caught Randall's gleaming, frosting covered, face.

I rewatched Monsters University and got a surge of motivation. This story is a thing now. Kind of an alternate universe, but also not really.

Just trying my hand at something sort of like a romance.

Will see what it becomes.