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Deuce had never wanted to bash his own skull in more than he did right now. His physics assignment was due tomorrow, and the first question might as well have been written in some hieroglyphics. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, messing it up even more than usual, the bleached strands poking through the blue. This is what I get for falling asleep in class, he thought bitterly. Some honours student he was, alright—a real role model for slacking off and screwing up. The shame burned hotter than the frustration.
He sat in the library, glaring daggers at the paper in front of him as if sheer anger alone could make it answer itself. Of course, it didn’t. The numbers just blurred together until they mocked him outright, and the pencil in his hand trembled with the urge to snap under pressure. He was so consumed by his misery that he didn’t notice you passing by, though you certainly noticed him. His scowl was so fierce you half-expected the desk to burst into flames. Either that or he’d burst an artery and you did not want to risk either outcome, so you called out to him.
“Hey, Deuce? Are you okay?”
Almost immediately, he scrambled to sit upright, nearly falling out of his chair in the process, as he looked up at you eyeing him. His own eyes widened at your presence. “[MC]? H-how long have you been here?”
“Long enough to see you nearly turn the desk into rubble with just your glare.” Deuce blanched at the comment, his mortification only deepening as his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “I—I wasn’t—!” he started, but you corrected yourself in one breath before he got the chance to spiral further. “Of course that was just an exaggeration! Uh, anyways, what’s troubling you?”
Deuce sighed, his shoulder slumping under the weight of his own stupidity and negligence. While he did appreciate how you didn’t want to make him feel worse about himself, he knew he brought this suffering upon himself. “It’s the physics assignment.,” he said with a wry laugh. “I fell asleep when I should have been paying attention. And now I don’t know anything. And don’t ask me why I’m like this, I don’t know either.” He didn’t know why he said that last bit. Aside from Kalim and Silver, you were among the least judgemental people he knows. And you raising an eyebrow at it just made him blush a deep crimson.
You did empathize with him, though, and you didn’t want your friend to spiral any further, so you came up with an offer. “Yeah, electromagnetism is a bit tricky, but I can help if you want. I already finished the assignment.”
Deuce blinked at your offer, his blush still lingering. “R-really? You’d do that?” His voice cracked slightly at the end, and he immediately wanted the ground to eat him alive. Of course, you had to show up right now, when he was already drowning in his own failure. But much to his surprise, you giggled and confirmed that you were indeed willing to help him out.
Were you always this good with numbers and science? The thought gnawed at him as he watched you effortlessly explain the concepts he’d been banging his head against for hours. He remembered how quickly you’d picked up potionology too—so quick, it rivaled even Ace’s speed. It wasn’t just impressive; it was maddening. He did find himself feeling quite envious of how quickly nigh everyone else could grasp these “basic” concepts faster than him, and looking back, it did slightly scare him how much he let his own self-hatred fester. In the past he lashed out at his own inadequacy, his self-loathing fueling his outbursts and his own meanness, and paid dearly for that and his misbehaviour. But now lashing out is something he absolutely cannot afford to do, especially now that his mother had witnessed his 180. And definitely not now that you’re here helping him to understand the content. His mother’s happiness was enough of a motivator to keep him going through tough times like these and at least try to emerge victorious, but you here by his side gave him even more of a reason to power through. Becoming an honours student wasn’t just about proving himself. It was about the people who believed in him. Especially you. You’ve been there by his side since day one, so he feels like he owes it to you to become the best honours student he can be. He clenched his fists to ground himself and took a deep breath before proceeding.
He hung onto every word you said, his attention laser focused, though not without the occasional struggle. Any time he found himself not understanding the topic, you’d sit there explaining it as thoroughly as possible, visualizing every part of the problems he found difficult until the pieces clicked. Thankfully for him, he was well-versed in mending electronics, so that really came in clutch for understanding the workings of these principles. He nodded along, his expression shifting from furrowed concentration to bright realization as understanding dawned.
He chimed in every few moments with an “ohh!” or “now I see!” His left hand punched in the numbers in his calculator while his right hand scribbled down the answers. The sound of pencil scratching against paper and the soft beeps of the calculator filled the air, a steady tempo that matched the flow of his thoughts. He paused a couple times to ask you to confirm if you got the same answers as he did, and to his delight, almost all of them matched.
Deuce really had no idea what he did to deserve you. Your kindness really knows no bounds when it comes to him, and it never fails to make him feel warm and fuzzy inside, and frankly he felt kind of unworthy of it at times.
He took one look out the window and noticed how dark the sky became. “Oh, no!” he said. “I’m gonna miss the curfew!” But as quickly as the alarm flared, it softened when his gaze returned to you. He straightened up and said, “But I should probably walk you back to your dorm first.” He reached for his phone, fingers already typing out a message to Riddle. “I’ll text him and let him know where I am. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Even as he said it, relief flooded through him, not because he might avoid Riddle’s wrath, but because he had an excuse to repay, in some small way, the kindness you've shown him tonight. The thought of leaving you to walk back alone didn’t sit right with him. You deserved better than that—you always did.