Story Material

Depravo's Becoming, Part 1

It was Depravo's junior year. The name was Latin for "Corrupter".

Depravo was an incubus, a male demon hellbent on seducing mortal women. Sort of. Not quite in his case. Since he started attending the university, he had worked hard in his classes, and bent over backwards to keep hidden his biggest secret.

In the university, incubi were taught to seduce women, and succubi were taught to seduce men. Any incubus caught learning from the succubus curriculum was expelled from the university. In cognito, Depravo objected to the stipulation, but to no avail. He was to learn to seduce women according to the curriculum.

Depravo wasn't particularly muscular. He was lean, but not skinny. He groomed well, he studied hard, and worked to become one of the top of his class both his freshman and sophomore year, neatly avoiding the scorn of the archaic headmaster, a well-built incubus with a legendary track record.

With a yawn and a stretch, Depravo sat up in bed. Discolored light shone through the faded green tint of the window and settled itself on his bed in an argyle pattern. He carefully rubbed his eyes, and eyed the ubiquitous pattern. Something in the back of his head stirred, making him uneasy, but what was there to fear? Nothing was different this morning.

He remembered having felt the same feeling the morning a surprise exam was assigned in class, which he barely passed. And again, when the feeling greeted him upon waking on a different occasion, he had lost his notes. What was it warning him about this time? It couldn't be nothing...

With a shake of the head, he shook off the nervousness, donned his scarf and robe uniform, and began meandering his way down to the common area. Oil portraits of famed alumni hung on the walls, and tall windows let light in from outside. Dark velvet carpet covered the stone floor, muffling Depravo's footsteps. The entire campus was ancient, used to teach incubi and succubi for thousands of years. It had an air of quiet dignity and proud decorum about it. Ten minutes was the only thing between Depravo and the morning class, so he spent no time in the common room. He rarely ate breakfast anyway.

*        *        *        *        *

"Today, an alumnus from this university will be speaking in class,"

Depravo thought nothing of it, but opened a notebook and readied his quill to take notes. He heard the incubus enter, but didn't look up until his notes were ready. Immediately, his mind froze and his heart skipped a beat. Students were strictly required to wear a uniform, but the rule didn't apply to graduates. The speaker wore trousers, and nothing else. The speaker had a stunning form, with kanji symbols tattooed down his left side, accenting his defined muscles. Depravo caught himself staring at the demon's muscular form, and quickly pretended to ready his notes further, face flushing red.

The class began, and Depravo managed to keep himself in check by avoiding looking at the speaker at all. Several minutes passed with Depravo furiously scribbling notes in an effort to get his mind off of the guest.

"You, with the mark on your forehead." The speaker said. In alarm, Depravo realized that the demon was referring to him. He looked up, trying ardently to conceal his fright.

"Yes?" He responded coolly, barely keeping it together.

"You're the student who made the top honor roll two years in a row. You should know, what are signs of acute infatuation?" the shirtless incubus asked. Words caught in Depravo's throat, as he struggled to push them out, but he did know the answer.

"Increased breathing and p-pulse, stuttering, d-decrease in coordination, dilation of pupils..." He managed to say. He had hit enough of the answers to get a nod from the speaker, but not before a strange look. Depravo's heart sped up more as he realized that he was exhibiting these traits exactly. The speaker approached his desk.

"Good. Now name the hormones involved in romantic chemistry," He said. This had nothing to do with the lesson; in fact, it was material to be covered in a later lesson. But Depravo had read the textbook already and knew the answers.

"Oxytocin, o-opioid neuropeptides, dopamine, epinephrine..." Depravo trailed off, daring not to speak further and betray the shakiness of his voice. He could tell the incubus was impressed.

"The field needs more like this student in it," The speaker said to the class, who apparently had struggled to answer his questions. He placed a hand on Depravo's shoulder, and nodded approvingly. Depravo couldn't help but blush, and tried to cover it with his hands. This drew jeering from classmates. Someone pointed out above the chatter that Depravo was aroused.

"Hey look, he's got a boner!"

"Ooh, his pupils are dilated!"

He could only bury his face deeper in his hands, like hiding his red face would fend off the noise. Laughter ensued, and the speaker withdrew. Depravo knew that it was true, but hated the attention it elicited from his peers. At the end of the class, Depravo quickly picked up his textbook and notes, striding out of the classroom ahead of everyone else, taunts bouncing off his back.

He retreated to his room, where he spent the rest of the day, not coming out for lunch or dinner. Opening the door to no one, he sat on his bed and paced around the room. Restraining tears, he reflected on the unfortunate happenings. Everybody now knew his secret. He was gay.