My Darling Feline (Bill X Fem! Reader)

Chapter Two: Drama Llamas

The girls were already giggling as we stepped into the cafeteria, their excitement bubbling louder than a soda can dropped down a flight of stairs. Like clockwork, they veered off toward the herbivore line, chattering away about some tofu special or maybe a new type of salad dressing. 

"Aren't you coming?" Anya called over her shoulder, a gentle tilt in her voice.

I flashed her a quick smile and shook my head. "I think I'll check out the carnivore line. I'll catch up in a bit."

She nodded with a smirk that said, suit yourself, before disappearing into the sea of herbivores.

Turning, I made my way across the room toward the line filled with claws, fangs, feathers, and low-key growling. The vibe was different over here, less pastel picnic, more edgy food court where you might get side-eyed for looking too delicious. Naturally, I drew stares. Lots of them. It was like being the only item on the menu no one was quite sure was legal to eat.

I stepped into line behind a towering eagle with an impressive wingspan.

And then, of course, came the voice.

"So we meet again, Y/N."

I turned halfway, already bracing for that cocky grin. "Bill."

He stepped into line next to me like we were old friends who didn't just meet a few hours ago. His presence was just slightly too close and far too smug.

"A carnivore meal, huh?" he asked, clearly amused. "Didn't peg you for a meat-eater."

Before I could answer, he raised his voice. "Hey, Aoba!"

The eagle in front of me turned slightly. Sharp beak, sharper gaze. He nodded coolly at Bill.

"I want you to meet Y/N. The newbie," Bill said, gesturing at me.

Aoba's eyes flicked toward me, his expression shifting for just a heartbeat, wide-eyed recognition quickly morphing back into an icy neutral.

"Right. The human," he said, like he was confirming a myth. "You're the talk of the school. Well, besides the devouring."

Casual. So casual.

I gave a small shrug, forcing a polite smile. "Something like that."

"Yikes. Speaking of the devouring," Bill muttered, eyeing the crowd of herbivores seated as far away from the carnivore section as physically possible. "I had hoped the news of a human transferring in would take the heat off a bit... but nope. Everyone's still on edge."

"Yeah, that's just great for us, isn't it?" Aoba added dryly. "Now none of the herbivores want to come within a foot of a carnivore."

Bill let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. "Yeah, just fucking perfect."

I grabbed my own tray, loaded with something that looked suspiciously like synthetic meat and mashed... something. The air around us was thick, not with tension exactly, but with the kind of awkwardness that comes from sitting at the wrong lunch table on your first day. And I wasn't about to ride that wave any longer.

I turned to go.

"Hey, where are you going?" Bill called after me.

I glanced over my shoulder. "Just going to find Ellen."

His brow arched. "What? Afraid of fraternizing with us now too?"

"Scared? Of you?" I scoffed. "Don't make me laugh, kitty. I couldn't care less about the whole battle of the species drama you all have going on right now."