The Serpentine Charmer

Gifts

The Naga didn't know how much had passed since he had fainted, he was too tired, he wanted to rest, to sleep.
Only when he came back to his senses, he stirred with a soft moan and opened his serpentine eyes, now back to their usual brown shade. It took a moment to focus and take consciousness of his surroundings...

It was a clear room, he was resting on something soft, there was something light on his human part and there were distant muffled voices.

"Uhm... Mh... Wha-Where am i?" He rubbed his eyes, blinking and shaking his head. Damn, it hurt.

"Oh, good, he's awakening!" the first clear voice he heard came from his left, he saw something dark coming to him... Were they feathers? No, it wasn't a bird...

"Principal Crowley?" He groaned, trying to sit up but feeling too weak to do so

"Mr Vishvaas, slow down, you haven't been conscious in two days"

Two days? How...? His memory was all fuzzy and confused... He couldn't remember much, except that he was so angry, scared, and he wanted justice for his species and himself. Then he remembered a euphoric sensation that made him feel good but hurt him at the same time, then an unbearable stomachache and sadness, so much sadness and guilt.

"What happened to me?"

"You went Overblot..." Crowley sighed, but smiled at him anyway "You didn't hurt anyone, it's all right"

Kalyan's eyes widened in shock and then realized he still was in his real form; his tail had been neatly placed all around the infirmary bed and his human part covered with a bedsheet. He curled up in the little bed, his gaze was exactly like a scared cub/offspring of whatever species existent.

"Oh no, no, I told you. We're not here to hurt you" Crowley reassured the fearful Naga

"We?"

Lots of heads peeked from the infirmary door. It was the Dorm Leaders, Yuu, Grim and the other students were there, except the Diasomnia ones. This only made him shrink more and cover his head with the white bedsheet. How embarrassing...

"WAAAAAAAAAAH! Kalyan I'm sorry you had to go through that!" Kalim glomped the snake person while sobbing, making him let out a loud "OOF!" He then hissed in both alarm and confusion and used his tail to wrap Kalim up in a couple loops, lift him and put him down.

"Save it..." He laid back on the bed, his face filled with melancholy "I screwed up so bad... I took advantage of almost all the school, I almost killed all of you, damaged school property" he buried his face in the pillow, praying for the ground to swallow him forever "I didn't listen to my parents' advice, once again"

"Hey" Yuu approached cautiously "We've all been through some mess, you can ask all the dorm leaders here"

"Some time ago i almost caused the apocalypse because I wanted to reunite with my dead biological brother..." Idia admitted, rubbing his arm with his hair turning of a more reddish hue.

All right, maybe this was much worse than what he did, but anyway, he couldn't stop feeling guilt and anxious for the fact that now all the school knew he was a Naga "They probably all hate me"

"Actually..." Ruggie pointed at a table filled with gifts "I envy you, Noodle-Man"

Kalyan's tail tip grabbed one of the gifts and curiously unwrapped it, there was a whole salted caramel and chocolate tart inside.
The sudden noise made all the people in the room look outside, thinking there was a storm or a thunder, instead it was the Naga's stomach rumbling like a car engine.
Next thing they heard was a loud hiss and a biting sound: Kalyan had bit half of the dessert and was savoring it with spiraling eyes, after the first gulp, he also ate the second half and then relaxed with a happy sigh.