Chapter Text
This chemistry course was going to be the death of Ablaze. He’d never been one for science, that was more Trickee’s thing. The only reason he was in the course to begin with was to fill in a gen ed credit. Up until about 3 weeks ago he’d been all set to take a really cool course about sports nutrition that would have filled his science credit but apparently the professor for that course had to take an emergency sabbatical so everyone who had been signed up for that course was out of luck. Ablaze had to scramble to find something else that would work at a time he could make between his Fraternity duties and Rugby practices.
Which was why he ended up here, totally lost in a chemistry class. It wasn’t even that he was stupid! Well, according to his friends he was…but that's besides the point! Something about this class just didn’t click with him, whatever it was that the prof was lecturing about went in one ear and out the other.
He was lost. There was no denying that as he looked down at the graded exam he’d just gotten back.
40%. He scored 40%. He was screwed. This wasn’t even the first test he’d bombed for this class but it was by far the worst. Maybe he just needed to drop this class and try to get into something else next semester. If he kept up like this he was going to fail and he did NOT need that on his transcript. He didn’t know how anyone could be excelling in this course, but clearly people were.
Like the guy who sat across the aisle from him, Ablaze learned that his name was Floyd the week before. Not that he was trying to or anything. Well maybe he was just a little. What could he say, the guy caught Ablaze’s eye for… reasons. Said reason being that he was cute. He had the cutest magenta eyes and his nose scrunched in such an adorable way when he was concentrating.
Trickee told him that if he stopped ogling pretty boys in his class then maybe he wouldn’t be failing. Ablaze didn’t have a good answer for that. He was pretty sure that his budding crush on Floyd wasn’t the reason for his poor academic performance. Sure Floyd was distracting, but not that distracting. Ablaze just likes to look at him. And think about talking to him. And maybe going on a date with him. And possibly marrying him. He was getting a little bit ahead of himself there. He hadn’t even had a conversation with the guy yet and here he was planning their future and thinking about baby names. Maybe Trickee was right and Floyd was the reason for Ablaze’s poor performance in the class.
Ablaze didn’t even know that much about him. But he wanted to. He wanted to know more about Floyd so bad. Preferably to learn more about him over dinner, maybe a nice walk where they held hands, or a stargazing session where they both looked over at the same time and met each other's eyes.
He really was getting ahead of himself wasn’t he?
He didn’t know much about Floyd, but what he did know was that Floyd was doing well in the class. Ablaze wasn’t trying to spy on him but he did happen to see the last assignments and exams that Floyd got back and he was doing a hell of a lot better than Ablaze.
How was it so easy for him? Ablaze hardly knew what the professor was talking about. Just today when their exams were handed back he’d stolen a glance at Floyd’s. The other troll scored 88%. Over double what Ablaze scored. That reminder soured his mood. He would have to withdraw from this class if he couldn’t turn his grade around. And the way it was looking right now he was growing more and more sure that fixing his grade wasn’t possible. He had notes, pages and pages of scrawled writing that meant nothing to him. He had even tried reviewing the lectures at home and still didn’t absorb anything from them.
Feeling hopeless, he tucked his test into his bag. He didn’t think that he could fix his grades on his own. Maybe if he had help he could-
Maybe if he had help…
A thought struck him. He could ask for help from a classmate. He could see if someone in the class who knew what they were doing would be willing to help him.
And he knew who he wanted to ask.
He was practically shaking in his seat for the rest of class. He tried his hardest to focus on the professor, it wouldn’t do him any good to fall further behind. He scrawled down notes for what he could, but even then he didn’t fully understand the concepts. He should ask for help. He should ask Floyd for help. Sure they’d never shared an actual conversation and Ablaze was practically a stranger to him but hey! Wasn’t this how college friendships started?
Ablaze was hoping for more than a friendship but once again, that was beside the point. The point for right now was that Floyd understood this course and Ablaze did not.
As soon as the professor dismissed the class Ablaze jumped on the opportunity to talk to Floyd before he was able to leave. He leapt out of his seat and crossed the aisle as Floyd was putting his notebook into his backpack.
“Hey, you’re Floyd right?” He asked, drawing the troll’s attention.
“Yeah?” Floyd looks unimpressed, Ablaze can tell that he’s losing his focus. Floyd looks to the door, almost as if he’s willing Ablaze to move with his mind. More and more students trickle out of the class and if Ablaze lets his nerves get the better of him any longer he’s going to scare Floyd away.
“Ummm…you get what’s going on in this class right?” He asks nervously. Floyd nods, still looking unimpressed. Ablaze scrambles to continue. “Well…I kinda don’t. And I swear I wasn’t spying but I saw that you did pretty good on that last exam and I was wondering if maybe you’d help me?”
Floyd looks stunned now. He doesn’t answer right away and Ablaze starts to worry that he’d done this all wrong. “I mean, you don’t have I was just wondering if maybe you could. I think I might have to drop this class if I can’t turn my grade around.”
“I could try?” Floyd says it like it’s a question.
Ablaze needs to do something to make it worth it to Floyd. Of course he doesn’t want to help some stranger without an incentive. “I’ll buy you dinner!” He blurts out. As soon as he does his face grows warm.
“That’s-” Floyd stammers. “You don’t have to do that.” Ablaze isn’t hearing a no.
“I want to.” He didn’t exactly hear a yes either but he’s hopeful.
“I’ll help you study.” Floyd says. “I don’t have anything after this class, how about you?”
Ablaze shakes his head, this is his last class of the day. His heart is hammering in his chest. This is it, this is the moment he’s been wanting for so long.
“Good, next time we meet we can go study in the library after class.” Floyd says. He picks up his backpack as he does and slings it over his shoulder. “I’m meeting someone today, but next time I’ll help you out.”
Ablaze smiles brightly. He could hug Floyd right now. Accept he won’t since this is the first conversation they’ve held and he doesn’t want to come off as a total creep right away. Still, he’d overjoyed. He really might be able to turn his grade around at this point. And on top of that he gets to spend more time with Floyd.
“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver.” Ablaze gushes. “I’ll get you dinner I swear, just tell me the place.”
“You really don’t have to.” Floyd says again.
“But I want to, if you’re going to help me pass this class I’m gonna owe you.” Ablaze points out.
“Well…let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Floyd says. “We’ll study together for the next exam and see where things go from there.”
“And if I get higher than a 70, I’ll buy you dinner.” Ablaze offers a compromise. It’s a tough call, he doesn’t think that he’s scored higher than a 70 since the second week of classes. But he’s feeling optimistic today. Maybe it won’t happen, but he thinks he’d still try to convince Floyd to go out for dinner anyway.
“Fine.” Floyd relents. The conversation took less than 5 minutes but by now they’re the only ones left in the classroom. “But I really do have to go now, I’m meeting someone.”
He repeats that again. Ablaze can’t help but read too much into it. Floyd’s meeting someone, and he keeps bringing it up. Is he trying to signal that he’s taken? Ablaze hopes not. Not that he’s worried about that. He’s doing this to bring his grades up. No other reason.
Ok maybe there is another reason but that’s not his priority! His priority is passing this class. Though a date with Floyd, preferably one followed by many others, would make things a whole lot better. But he could work his way up to that. Starting with their first study session.
He was on cloud 9 walking back to the apartment he shared with his friends and frat brothers, it was only once he got halfway back home that he realized he’d never asked Floyd for his phone number. He cursed internally, he’d just been so happy that Floyd said yes to studying together that it slipped his mind. He tried to reason with himself, it was fine. He’d ask Floyd for his number during their study session. Just the mental reminder that they were in fact going to study together was enough to have him feeling like he was floating again. He talked to Floyd today, and not only that he also made an arrangement to meet up after class. Everything really was falling into place.
He slammed the door open once he reached his apartment, surprising the three others who were inside. His best friends, frat brothers and roommates all in one stared at him like he was crazy as he smiled widely at them.
“He said yes.” He said, as if that explained things.
“Guys, I think Blaze might have finally gone crazy.” Trickee said sarcastically.
“You might be right.” Hype backs Trickee up, “Come on give us something to work with Ablaze, who said yes? And to what?”
Ablaze knows that he sounds crazy. “Floyd.” He says, as if that answers everything.
“The guy you stare at during chem?” Boom asked with a raised eyebrow. “He said yes? To what, a restraining order?”
Ablaze shakes his head. “No, to study together. I asked him after class and he said yes!”
That doesn’t make his friends look any less confused. “Dude, you’re literally failing the class. How are you going to study together?” Trickee asked.
“Well, I kinda asked him for help with studying.” Ablaze admitted. “After telling him that I was failing.”
“Well, congrats?” Boom says. “But this is about studying right?”
“Of course it’s about studying.” Ablaze says, acting mock offended about his friend's insinuation that he would be doing this for any other reason. Trickee didn’t need to know that Ablaze was secretly hoping for something more. Knowing how much Ablaze had talked about Floyd he was pretty sure that Trickee had already guessed as much. But he didn’t have to admit anything just yet.
“Fine, good luck.” Hype said. “Just focus on studying.”
“I will.” Ablaze protested. “You guys suck, I bet when I tell Branch about things he’s gonna be proud of me.” Branch didn’t live in the apartment with the rest of them, they’d only really met him the semester before but he’d easily found his way into their friend group. Already they were talking about living together next school year, currently Branch shared an apartment with 2 of his brothers who were attending the same school but both were set to graduate this year and Branch would need a new place to stay. Ablaze still hadn’t met any of Branch’s brothers yet, Branch didn’t really talk about them much aside from vague mentions that he had some that were older than him. Ablaze didn’t mind it much, Branch was the one that he was friends with.
Speaking of his friend Ablaze shot him a quick text filling him in. Branch responded nearly right away with a simple thumbs up text. That was so Branch. Ablaze would have to talk to him about it more later, they usually got lunch together a few times a week. He’d already told Branch about his struggles in Chem, and had mentioned his classroom crush at least once. Yeah, he’d tell him later.
He went up to his room, setting his backpack down as he does. He pulls out his notebook, scanning the notes he took in this past Chemistry class. Just as he expected they don’t mean much to him. He’s so lost in that class, he’s been lost for weeks now.
But maybe he can turn things around with the help of Floyd. At least he hopes so.