Page 10 of All Orc Nothing

The guy tilts his head to the side, looking confused. “I’m a fire elemental. The fire can’t hurt me.”

“I understand that you can mix with fire,” I say, holding up my hands. “But what about all the alcohol in your system? You know what alcohol does when it’s splashed onto fire, right?”

I watch as the guy’s eyes widen. “Well fuck,” he says, slurring his words. “Didn’t think of that!” Then he mimics an explosion, including the sound effects with his mouth. “Okie dokie! No fire jumping tonight,” he murmurs to himself, wandering off.

Letting out a deep sigh, I step away from the fire. That’s when I see him; the hot orc teacher from yesterday walking into the area.

My first thought is how nice it is to see some more adults here. Not that these college kids aren’t adults, but it’s nice to have some older people here, like me. The second thing that flits across my mind is how hot this guy is.

Mister Attous is dressed in dark jeans that fit him just right, a black hoodie with a dark red flannel over top. His hair is done in a braid that falls over his shoulder. He’s wearing the same jewelry as yesterday, rings around both his tusks, a nose ring in one nostril, and hoops throughout both of his ears. The golden jewelry shines from the flicker of the flames.

Dean Yaga has good taste in staff apparently.

I stay near the bonfire but my eyes follow the orc as he makes his way through the scene. He’s accompanied by the same young man I helped yesterday and I’m happy to see the fairy doesn’t go towards the alcohol table. He’s also with an orc woman who has a striking resemblance to Mister Attous. I wonder if they’re siblings or maybe even twins. The only difference is the type of jewelry they wear and that she wears her green hair in a short pixie cut.

“Are you the school doctor?”

With great reluctance, I turn my eyes away. I look down at a girl with a gash on her forearm, like maybe she tripped into a tree.

“I am,” I say, already digging into my bag for an alcohol wipe and a bandaid. I carefully take care of the cut and send her on her way, telling her not to drink any more tonight and come back to the clinic if the gash starts to look infected.

Once that’s done, I look around the crowd, trying to find that teacher again. I find him off to the side, nursing a drink in his hand. The two with him have wandered off, leaving him all alone. Seems like a perfect time to properly introduce myself.

I adjust my bag higher on my shoulder and walk around the fire towards Thane. I don’t want to scare him so as I get closer, I clear my throat, letting him know I’m approaching.

I watch as Thane turns towards me. He smiles, like he’s ready to talk to whoever is coming over but as soon as he spots me, his eyes widen, that smile falling away.

Well, that’s not a great start.

“It’s nice to see another grown-up here,” I say with a grin, nodding towards the fire. “I didn’t know teachers usually frequented these types of things.”

I watch as Thane’s eyes somehow widen even further. His green complexion seems to take on a new shade, the balls of his cheeks blooming with the prettiest purple shade as he blushes. I stare up at him, waiting for him to respond. His mouth opens a few times before snapping shut.

The whole ‘deer caught in the headlights’ look is really adorable but I’d also love it if he could tell me why he’s looking so adorably out of his depths. Does he never get approached by other people? I guess orcs can look intimidating but so can humans or any other species for that matter. Maybe he’s just really shy?

“Shit,” he says under his breath, rubbing at his face with his free hand. “About that.”

Okay. What the hell is going on?

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m not actually a teacher,” Thane blurts out. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to lie! You assumed, and before I could correct you, you were taking Simon to the back of the medical center and how was I supposed to casually bring it up later? By the monster gods, you must think I’m an idiot.” Thane covers his face with his hand, his face a deep purple color from blushing.

I blink, processing everything he’s just said. He downs the rest of his drink in one gulp. He looks like he’s about to bolt if I don’t hurry up and say something.

“Okay,” I say slowly, unable to keep myself from chuckling at how absurd this moment is. “Right. So you’re not a teacher. Sorry for assuming.”

“It’s umm, it’s fine.”

“I guess orcs just age differently. You look older, that’s all.”

If anything, my reassurance has made him even more embarrassed. I don’t have time to kick myself because Thane is finally opening up and talking.

“I’m a thirty-year-old freshman,” he says, squeezing his now empty cup. “You weren’t wrong; I am older than most of the other students.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s really admirable, if you ask me.”

Thane looks at his feet, kicking at a rock in the grass. He smiles softly. “That’s really nice of you to say, Dr. Lee.”