College Reunion (Oneshot Fanfic)

College Reunion

WARNING: some swearing.

It was 15 years ago today that Mike Wazowski went to Monsters University. He and his best friend, James P. Sullivan, were both kicked out of the university after their first years, however. Needless to say, it surprised the green cyclops when he and Sulley, as his friend became nicknamed, received an invitation to a college reunion.

On the way over to the campus, he couldn't resist drifting into thought about all that had happened. His initial rough start with Sulley, getting kicked out of the Scare Program, but probably most significant to him, participating in the Scare Games with the Oozma Kappa fraternity.

Looking around upon arrival, he was surprised to see that he didn't see any Roar Omega Roar members of his time around. Then again, he knew the fates of two of them. Johnny Worthington III had recently been imprisoned for assaulting his manager at Fear Co. Randall Boggs was a different story, one that he wished to forget about in retrospect.

Seeing the Perry twins managed to get his mind off his increasingly troubled thoughts, however. They managed to speak for quite some time despite seeing each other at Monsters Inc. occassionally (they both worked there). After a few minutes, however, he felt drained again.

"I think I need some time to myself," he stated. It was a rather quiet voice in contrast to the loud nasal tone many expected from him.

Terri was quick to sense something wrong, but a look from his twin convinced him that he shouldn't enquire.

Having been let go, Mike walked away from the focus of the crowd. He was finding it difficult not to think about all the tragedies and failures that happened to him here. Sulley, frankly, was a sleaze at first, even if the two did reconcile. The late Dean Abigail Hardscrabble of the Scaring program had no confidence in him until he committed a crime of entering the human world as a student. And the members of ROR would never give him a break until the Scare Games ended, and even then, Sulley had rigged Mike's score so that they'd win.

The only thing that managed to distract him was the feeling of being watched. Turning around behind him, he saw no one. He finally took note of where he was: in front of the main MU residence hall.

He didn't know why he did it, in retrospect, but he did: he entered the building with the intent of visiting the room he was in in his first semester. Soon enough, he found room number 319. For minutes he stayed outside of the room, standing and staring at the door. This room may have represented one of his worst memories in college, if not the worst.

He took a deep breath, and he grew the guts to open the door. He nearly screamed, fumbling against the door when he saw him.

A lizard monster lay on the floor, facing the window, which was opposite the door Mike opened. A few of his eight limbs looked damaged, and all were limp on the slumped purple body. He could not see the face, and he may not have wanted to, but he knew who it was almost immediately.

"Randall?" He asked incredulously.

The lizard monster made no response, still staring into the moonlight glazing his bruised scales.

"How did you get back?"

"Does it matter?"

Mike cringed. Randall's voice was not cold, for once, but it was extremely hoarse, even for the lizard monster he was familiar with. The cyclops was getting increasingly weirded out.

"Why are you here?"

"I'd ask the same of you."

Mike began to say he was invited here and that Randall was not even allowed to be here because of not being invited. This guy had harrassed him multiple times while they worked at Monsters, Inc., even making a few attempts on his and Sulley's life, and Mike knew that murder, even if attempted, was essentially unforgivable.

Yet something held him back from revealing that reason. Shutting his mouth, he chose to say nothing, instead. The lizard monster tilted his head slightly to glance at Mike. The cyclops may not have said anything, but his expression was enough for Randall, who then turned back to the moon.

An awkward silence broke out between them for what felt like hours. By the time it was broken, Randall was the first to speak: "Why?"

"Why what?"

Randall's upper arms began to curl into fists. "You know damn well what."

It took Mike a few seconds to know what this monster was talking about.

"Don't bring me back there, Randall. Not once did you do anything for me once you joined that fraternity."

Randall could not hold it in any more. He whipped around, yelling at Mike. "Yeah, well, you're only saying that because you have no idea how a REAL fraternity works! Do you have ANY f*cking idea what it's like to live a life of fear of getting beaten up for doing something wrong? Soon as Sullivan humiliated me in the Scare Games, I needed to go to the hospital for the injuries Johnny inflicted on me!" He gestured his sides of his body as he mentioned his injuries.

"But did you care about your old friend? NO! You were too caught up with yourself and that jerk Sullivan to care about anyone else! Need I remind you that it was his bullying us that got you both kicked out of the Scare program in the first place!?"

"You honestly think I'm supposed to think of you as a friend after your pouring stuffed animals on us in that prank!?" Mike retorted.

"Even if I was the one in charge of that prank, that happened AFTER you knew I was with those a**holes! Do you have any idea how much I wanted to do something to stop it!? To stop them from humiliating someone who I honestly felt helped me with my confidence!? Again, you don't know what's it's like being in something like the Mafia, so I guess you don't!"

Mike could see a tear forming on Randall's face as he yelled at him, as quick as the lizard monster was to wipe it away. It still made an impression on the cyclops, however. Thinking about it, he admitted he never really did pay much attention to him once he knew he was in ROR. He immediately assumed he was just another one of them. Yet....Randall called them a**holes, now....

"What did they do to you?" Mike asked.

Randall calmed down only slightly, realizing Mike wasn't trying to egg him on for once. "You don't want to know. Not like you'd care about someone outside your own fraternity, anyway...."

"Well, if you hate everything here so much, then answer me: why are you here!?"

Randall hesitated and paused. Clearly, it was a difficult question for him to answer, at least to Mike.

"I hate everything that happened after you got kicked out of the program, Mike...."

Mike's eye widened. Randall hadn't addressed him by his first name since they were in college. Randall turned away as he continued.

"...and I miss everything before that point....I miss not being feared....I miss not looking like a joke....I miss my innocence....but most of all...."

He hesitated for even longer. Mike did not push it, however; the guy needed his time to explain his side.

Finally, the lizard monster had the courage to finish: "....I miss having a friend."

Randall slumped onto the floor by the window again, just as he was when Mike first saw him tonight. For minutes, Mike stayed there. Did Randall really have a soft spot for him even after all of those years?

"Randy..." Mike started.

The lizard monster winced at his old name, but did no more.

"Did you really consider us friends?"

Randy glanced at Mike again. His look this time, however, was not cold, or even monotone. To the cyclops, it actually looked somewhat heartbreaking, no thanks to the tears reforming in the lizard monster's eyes.

Mike made a rather bold move: he walked over and sat down next to his ex-enemy. Neither said anything, focusing their gazes on the moon.

"Do you want us to be best chums, Randy?"

Randy turned to him, his eyes reflecting a mix of disbelief and hope.

"Why are you here?"

Mike realized he didn't answer his end to the question upon being asked again. It took the second ask to also make him realize the answer himself.

"Because I miss those days between us as well."

Randy stared at Mike, and the cyclops looked back. The lizard monster had enough dignity not to cry on Mike's shoulder, but he felt the tears pour, anyway. Squinting down to his lower set of hands, he saw his old glasses he wore when he and Mike first met.

"It's up to you whether you keep them," Mike said, seeing them for himself.

Randy looked at Mike and his glasses. After a few minutes, he made his decision. Slowly, he put his glasses back on after years of not using them. They spent the rest of Mike's reunion there, watching the moon together.