Luc sits on the top level of his bunk bed. The fennec anxiously taps his footpaw against the mattress as he reads through the lines of the new script he’s meant to memorize for his theater class. From just outside his field of vision, Buck tries to play a tune on his guitar. The deer immediately cringes as the string produces a false note, after which he quietly mumbles an apology.
‘Why are you saying sorry? If you gotta tune your shit, you gotta tune your shit,’ Luc asks.
‘I know, I’m trying. I just don’t want to distract you from your studies,’ Buck replies as he reaches for a clip-on tuner from his desk.
‘Shut up. This script kinda sucks ass and I don’t really, like, associate with any of the characters? How am I meant to audition if I can’t take these roles seriously?’
Buck shrugs as he plucks a note—still out of tune—and twists a tuning key tighter.
‘Idunno. Sometimes I gotta play songs I really don’t like either. That’s just part of life, man. The setlist has to contain some filler songs too.’
‘Are you just… saying musical metaphors for the sake of fitting into an archetype? Or what?’ Luc asks as he raises an eyebrow, sitting upright on his bed to look down upon his deer roommate.
Buck grins.
‘You see right through me, theater boy.’
Luc rolls his eyes, suddenly noticing a stack of pamphlets on their shared desk.
‘What’s that?’
‘Ah, they arrived in our joint mailbox today. Three invitations, one for each of us. I think all students got one? I can’t go, though,’ the deer says dismissively.
Luc hops out of his bunk bed agilely, grabs the pamphlet, and climbs back up. His eyes travel across the paper as he carefully reads the invitation. He reaches for his phone, compares his schedule with the exchange program dates, and shrugs.
‘I think I might apply, actually,’ the fennec says as he scans the QR code.
‘Convenient, sounds like you just want an excuse to skip out on that new play you’re studying,’ Buck responds.
The fennec throws a glare at his roommate.
‘Listen, if I can get the same amount of credit with an artistically enriching exchange program, and get to be away from your nasty deer musk for a bit, that’s a win for me,’ Luc grumbles as the QR link opens on his screen.
Buck smirks, winking at Luc. The fennec’s gaze appears to be locked on his phone screen, though, completely missing the wink. ‘Do you know when Austin is coming back? I wanna grab some dinner, with the three of us,’ Buck asks.
Luc remains quiet.
‘Okay…?’
Buck returns to tuning his guitar for a while, while Luc remains hyperfocused on his screen, the glow illuminating his face. The fennec’s azure eyes are glassy and distant as he lazily taps the screen occasionally. After a while, the fennec moves his handpaws to his belt. He unbuckles his pants with slow movements and slowly kicks them down his legs, after which his paws move to the hem of his shirt. Slowly, he tugs it over his shoulders and tosses it onto his bedsheets. With just his underwear on, the Fennec puts his phone away, tucking it halfway into his underwear.
‘I have to go do something,’ Luc says absentmindedly, before he’s interrupted by a knock on the door. The fennec blinks, takes a second to get readjusted to where he is, and then looks down. A wave of confusion hits him as he notices he’s in just his undies, a small wet spot at the tip of a noticeable bulge in his underwear. Still though, someone’s at the door. And that takes priority.
‘Come in!’, the fennec says, noticing the pamphlet on his bed. His mind blanks out trying to remember what the pamphlet said again, and he reads over it for the second time as his eyes glaze over.
Happy Hypnovember everybody! For 2026, I am writing a sequel to my story Exhibition Match, featuring the athletic Austin, theater kid Luc, and many many many cameos with my fans, friends and followers! --- Chapter 2: Before Austin got to his room, Luc and Buck already discussed the pamphlet at length. Buck pesters the fennec, but he seems hyperfixated on the invitation itself.
![Akko's Hypnovember 2026: Chapter 1 - Invitation [A]](https://sf.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/6216/6216657_Akkobold_chapter_1_-_invitation_a_.jpg "Akko's Hypnovember 2026: Chapter 1 - Invitation [A]")
![Akko's Hypnovember 2026 Chapter 3 - Onboarding [A]](https://sf.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/6219/6219276_Akkobold_chapter_3_-_onboarding_a_.jpg "Akko's Hypnovember 2026 Chapter 3 - Onboarding [A]")
