Chapter Text
It was actually quite a nice day, a mere quiet one. Late March, deep during the spring month, classes had been going fine for every single one of them. Spring semester and all, so when they had all met in the dining hall to talk, catch up about what was going on.
Loud chatter, of course the topic of discussion would be diverted to another discussion.
“You know…out of all of us,” a remark from Cassidy. Catching the attention of all of them in the dining hall. “Damon is the only one I haven't seen genuinely smile.”
A mere silence among them. It was the truth-their classmate is usually stoic, quite stubborn, and very opinionated. Which makes sense as he's the Ultimate Debater.
“So?” Wenona questioned, clearly agitated. Damon was the only other person they weren't too fond of. “Why does that matter?” She asked. A snicker escapes from Cassidy. Which does make a few of them groan. It was clear that she had an idea.
“A competition!” Cassidy yelled, a wide grin upon her face. A challenge?
“Come again?” Grace raised an eyebrow. A giggle from Cassidy, as she continued to talk. “A competition, a little light-hearted challenge, first to get an actual genuine laugh and smile from Damon-wins!”
They all stare at their classmate with different expressions upon all of them. A challenge involving another classmate of theirs? Specifically, Damon? It was…a bad idea.
Still, it intrigued them. Damon with a genuine smile? It seemed impossible.
“Also…” Cassidy trailed off. “Winner doesn't have to pay for their dinner.”
Of course, a lot of them couldn't turn that down.
Free food…especially when everything is becoming very pricey.
“Pardon me.” Wolfgang’s voice cut in. A few of their heads turned in his direction as he stood up from his seat. “Yeah? What is it?” Cassidy asked, eyes all peering at him.
“Ah…well…” He started, clearing his throat. “I was curious about something.” Wolfgang gave a small smile.
“Sure, what is it?” Cassidy tilted her head, curiosity in bucked in her voice. Wolfgang didn't think it was the best idea, but he knew that he couldn't stop this from happening.
“Since this is a challenge-will there be a time limit?” Wolfgang asked. Cassidy hummed, her index finger against her cheek, thinking.
Finally, after a few seconds she spoke. “Three days!” She exclaimed. They all looked at each other, and then back at Cassidy.
“Seriously?” Grace commented. “Only three days?” She questioned. Cassidy huffed in response.
“It’s a perfectly reasonable time frame! Some of my streams can go for as long so I can beat some games!” She yells, as a few of them avoid eye contact.
“That isn't really all that healthy…” Desmond speaks up. None of them are new to an all nighter but for many nights. Even that seems a little excessive.
“You probably should get checked out, that is seriously dangerous.” Diana's voice, a stern tone. An audible sigh escapes Cassidy. “Fine,” she reluctantly agreed.
Still, having confirmation about this “competition” is a good thing. A time frame so that people can prepare and think of strategy. Three days for them to try to get their classmate to smile, and laugh.
“So…” another voice interjects. “Does anyone know what Damon likes?” Jett asked, and awkward silence between them. What Damon likes?
It's definitely something that they all need to take into account. Which given by the looks of confusion, their lips contorted into tiny pouts.
Not that surprising. Hardly any of them talk to him. Some of them would address him as “rude” and “a prick” as the conversations they did have with him weren't all too pleasant. Though, even then Damon does seem to be nice at times.
He talks and being a Debater does offer some good advice. He's also very keen on details.
“You might have a clue right, Eva?” Diana asks, her gaze locked on the otherwise quiet and straightforward girl. Eva quickly glanced away, a complexed look on her face, eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Her thumb and index finger around her chin, deep in thought, before finally speaking. “Why would I know?” She asked. Diana chuckled, nervous laughter. “Well…I do see you and Damon hang out quite often, so I thought…” Diana's voice went a little quiet.
“He likes studying.” Eva stated, and with that she stood up from her seat, walking away from them, as she left the dining wall.
Many of them looked at one another, processing what their classmate had said.
“That can't be all he likes, right?” Chimed in Cassidy. A few eyes drift to her, as chatter erupted amongst them once again.
Thus, the competition of getting Damon to smile had commenced.
Three days should seem like more than enough time to complete this challenge. But, it's not. For the simple reason of because the challenge is impossible. Making Damon genuinely smile and laugh? Sure, they've seen the boy smirk and such-but it's only ever been a wide and few.
The smirks have only ever been when someone does something he didn't suspect. A laugh, though? It's not something they’ve witnessed.
However, even though the challenge seems pretty much absurd, at least to Wolfgang that is. The way everyone had talked during dinner, coming up with strategies, it was clear that they were enthusiastic about this.
Mostly for the prize.
The first to try was Jett.
And well…
“Dude, are you okay?” Upon entering the dining hall for lunch the next day, the sight of a dejected Jett was the last thing any of them expected to see.
“I…uh…just fine.” He replied. His voice clearly wasn't the same upbeat and casual tone he had. Something was bothering him.
“Jett, what's wrong?” Diana asked. It's really out of the ordinary for him. He looked up at her and spoke.
“I talked with Damon.” Oh! Well, that surely was a way to start their day. About the competition a little.
“And how’d that go?” Desmond raised the question they all had. A loud sigh from Jett raised. Signaling that it did not in fact-go well.
“He snapped at me.” Jett replied, hands resting on the clean dining table. That's not too surprising.
“What did you do?” Wenona asked. Jett, despite having a helmet on, looked at her.
“Why are you assuming I did something wrong!? ” Wenona pinched the bridge of her nose. Her lips curved into a frown.
“It’s always you or Cassidy doing something. Clearly, I'm not wrong since Damon was in a pissed off mood when I saw him.” She retorted, eyes narrowed-an icy glare.
“Seriously, what did you do to piss him off so badly?” Desmond questioned. Sure, Damon isn't the most outgoing, that's no given. However, he doesn't get mad unless you do something to make him get that way.
“I was just talking to him about studying.” Jett responded. Harmless it seemed, but clearly many of them didn't think so.
“But?” Eva was the one to question. He had to have said something.
“All I said was that it seemed a little boring…”
Ah, there it was. The truth of the situation.
“Dude, I do agree with you but like…what were you expecting him to do?” Kai said. The sound of disappointment and discomfort that came from Jett certainly confirmed it.
“Calling his hobby boring. Yeah, you messed up.” The sound of his helmet hitting the dining table rang throughout the room.
No one appreciates having their hobbies called boring. Jett should've expected that.
“Did you even ask if he liked anything else?" Wenona's voice interjected. Jett lifted his head briefly from the table. “No?” He replied, hesitation in his voice. Wenona let out a sigh. There was no progress on learning anything about Damon.
“That was pretty stupid not to ask.” Kai spoke. Which it was , but nobody else would vocalize that. Eva glanced over at him.
“Need we remind you about your tweet the other day…” She proposed. Of course, which made Kai freeze up and soon followed by nervous laughter.
The laughter soon ceased, and Kai responded. “I'll…keep quiet.” A couple of sniffles from him. They all saw it, a little drawing that was supposed to be Damon and the little caption that he wrote.
The tweet didn't even stay up for ten minutes.
“There is still room for success…the first day isn't even half over!” Cassidy held herself up proudly. “Just because one attempt failed doesn't mean other ones will. Just like in games!” Except, you can get multiple chances in games with no repercussions. It's Damon.
A person whose patience is very thin. Badgering him endlessly will do nothing good for any of them.
It will just be harassment. “I doubt anyone is going to succeed.” Wenona commented. Cassidy pursed her lips, arms folded over each other. “Don't be a killjoy.” Cassidy replied. Wenona's fingers rubbed at her forehead, frustration building up.
“Is anyone else going to try today?”
From what Jett had explained, he was pissed off. It wouldn't be wise to try to talk to him about certain things in particular until a little later. He might just get more agitated.
“Me and Kai will!” Cassidy exclaimed happily. She took hold of Kai's right arm, interlocking it with her left one.
“I wish you both the best of luck.” Wolfgang said, a gentle smile on him.
“Thanks, Lawyer man!” Cassidy responded, as she started dragging Kai away. Presumably to go talk with Damon.
“We'll see you all at dinner!” Cassidy yelled, waving goodbye with her right hand, and then quickly left the dining hall with Kai.
“This will most definitely not end well.” Wenona spoke. A subtle hum of agreement from a few of them.
“You think so?” Diana questioned. The silence from Wenona and the obvious look of disapproval spoke volumes.
“It’s going to be a disaster.” She stated. Nobody chose to question her about that.
The next to try were Cassidy and Kai.
Dinner time rolled around after a couple long hours, and they were all once again back in the dining hall. With a certain sight.
“Are you crying?” Desmond's voice, peeking from behind Wolfgang and Wenona. Kai's loud sniffles were all heard. Diana sitting down next to him, trying to comfort him.
“Let me guess.” Wenona chimed in, sitting down across from Kai, Diana, and Cassidy.
“You both failed.” She commented, with that Kai's sniffles halted for a moment. “Failed is a strong word!” Kai yelled, which did not in fact help their case at all.
“So, I’m correct, I’m assuming.” She replied. Cassidy groaned in response. Not pleased with the result.
“We just asked if he liked anything else,” Cassidy responded, a pout on her face. “That's all.” She finished.
It was clear that something had to have happened.
“Did you two piss him off even more?” The look of guilt flashed on their faces for a brief moment, and the confirmation was apparent.
“Seriously?” Wenona was now agitated. Of course, of course-they did something.
“How’d you manage to do that?” She questioned. Kai mumbled something, which made Wenona raise an eyebrow at him.
He spoke louder this time. “We asked him if he liked anything else other than studying.” He replied to her.
“And?” Kai let out a sigh at that. “He told us ‘No’ to that question." Cassidy folded her arms, slumped a little in the chair.
“So, what? Did you guys keep badgering him or something?” The silence that followed, confirmed the suspicion.
Did they really harp on Damon like seagulls? Sure, Damon can annoy them at times and piss them off occasionally. However, this definitely just made the challenge more difficult.
Trying to get a smile, much less a laugh from someone like Damon. Might as well kiss the price goodbye.
Eva gave Kai a look. “Then, why are you crying?” She asked, the tear-stained cheeks of Kai quite noticeable.
Cassidy spoke up. “Damon yelled at us both. However, it was more about that social media post towards Kai.” She stated and quickly continued. “He insulted the drawing.”
“I see,” Eva replied, as Kai cried a little.
“Was it that bad?” He asked out loud. They all knew what he was asking about-the drawing. Which looked like it didn't take any longer than five minutes.
Diana did her best to reassure him. Though, the damage was done.
“Still no progress, it really is impossible.” Wenona remarked. This competition was nothing but rigged.
“It is getting late, there is always tomorrow!” Diana clasped her hands together. Her lips formed into a beam, pleasant and sweet.
“Yes, it is quite late. Tomorrow everyone can try again with this challenge presented.” Wolfgang concluded. Small chatter erupts from them.
The first day definitely wasn’t the strongest, as not just one but three failed attempts aren't a good sign. It's not wrong to believe that maybe tomorrow will provide better results.
He is kind of tired from all constant bickering that his friends get into at times.
They all soon bid goodbye to each other. Late in the night, having dinner and then proceeding to talk for the remaining hours. About this competition that was being hosted.
Wolfgang knew he wasn't going to participate. He could admit that he is indeed curious too about how Damon looks when laughing. However, with today's failures-Damon would certainly still be in a relatively bad mood.
He was just going to check in for the night. That's all.
But-he certainly wasn't expecting to see Damon still out, but he was certain that Damon was just heading to his own dorm.
Still, “Ah. Damon.” He called out to him. He's not all too sure why.
Damon stopped in his tracks, and turned around. Wolfgang gave a small smile, as Damon pinched the bridge of his nose-his left hand resting on his hip. Wolfgang carefully made his way towards him.
Standing by his right. Damon let out an annoyed sigh, looking at Wolfgang. Evidently clear-he was still agitated.
“Are you here to bug as well?” Damon spoke, and Wolfgang shook his head at that.
“No, I did hear about what happened though. They crossed a line; it was uncalled for.” Wolfgang replied, and Danon let out a breath.
Wolfgang had built up patience due to his occupation. How else is supposed to do his job well, especially to represent those that he knows are innocent? He can admit that he does get a little frustrated in there but letting that affect him will do nothing beneficial for anyone.
“So, what do you want?” Damon asked.
Wolfgang stared for a moment, thinking. What did he want? He stopped Danon, but it was basically for no reason. Well…he could just ask.
“Is there something else other than studying that you like?” Despite what he had said, there was also a curiosity that he had.
“Seriously?” Ah, the annoyed look in his eyes said a lot. Maybe, this wasn't the best idea to do. However, it would be good to learn a bit more about his fellow classmate.
“I could also tell you something that I like in return.” Wolfgang proposed, and Damon went quiet for a moment-looking away from him.
Damon's eyes shifted back towards Wolfgang, and he mumbled. “Spring…”
“Ah?” He wasn't really expecting an answer from him. Though, he couldn't quite hear what he said.
“I like spring.” Damon said a bit louder. Wolfgang went from confusion, and soon a smile appeared on his face.
“I see,” lips turning upwards into a small, sweet smile. Though, the way Damon looks, it's not that cocky and confident personality that he displays almost every day.
His lips are contorted in a thin line, eyes narrowed and away from Wolfgang’s gaze. The surprising thing is the tint of pink that seems to be spreading through Damon’s cheeks.
It's strange, is he embarrassed? There really isn't anything to be embarrassed about. Damon’s eyes avert back to Wolfgang, and he clears his throat.
“What about you?” Damon asked.
“Eh?” Wolfgang let out a sound. The flushed pink on Damon’s face fading away.
“I shared about my likes, now-it’s your turn.” Damon stated. Wolfgang chuckled, right-he did say he’d also share one of his likes.
“Ah, let's see…” Wolfgang said, letting his mind drift for a bit. There are two things he likes, but he did say he'd only share one of them. Either one of them would be fine to say.
It's just something he likes. Though, the way Damon’s eyes are focused, waiting for an answer. Wolfgang says before he could think even more, “I like gold.” Damon’s arm lax at his sides.
“Is that so?” Damon questions, and Wolfgang hums in agreement. His mother had a few jewelry pieces that Wolfgang quite liked, gold with multiple gemstones.
Ranging from bracelets, necklaces, and rings. They were a beautiful sight.
“Glad I could learn a bit more about you, Damon.” Wolfgang commented, and his eyes closed. Peeking through them, the same shade of pink that was on Damon’s face before, returned.
He folds his arms. “Whatever…” Damon replied. It really is a sight to see Damon flushed. Strange, but not unpleasant.
“Goodnight, Damon. It was a pleasant conversation.” Wolfgang said, followed by another smile.
“Goodnight.” Damon responded. Wolfgang gave a small wave and walked past Damon. Heading towards his dorm room.
The sight of a flustered Damon plagues his mind throughout the night.