Chapter Text
Duke is a science whizz, but what he is more—is awkward.
Gotham Academy held a small competition between the second year classrooms to see who deserved a paid trip to Gotham’s science museum. It was a set of 5 games—three trivia games, two P.E games.
The first four games were really just for fun, to get the students motivated to participate in the one event that actually mattered—the science trivia. Duke sat out for most of them and let the other nerds and sport players of his classroom grab the participation for those games.
Today however, was the science trivia. General science.
They were so close, so ridiculously close to winning.
Gotham Academy’s auditorium is set up with 4 podiums. Three on the right and one on the left. The coordinator is standing behind the one on the left. He’s on a podium with two other students. Daniel and Locket, classrooms A and C.
Daniel has 14 points, both Duke and Locket have 15. This last question would end up either with the three in a tie, or Duke or Locket winning.
They were staring at each other, both visibly shaking in anticipation, waiting for the coordinator to ask the final question to see who answers first.
“Okay, last question. Are you ready?”
Both of them nodded, the movement jerky from how much they were tensing. Damnit, get it over with! He thought.
She cleared her throat. Was she just trying to waste time? Get them so nervous so they mess up? Come on!!!
“How many radioisotopes are seen in nature?”
He knew this. He knows this. His hand shot out to press the button in front of him… but his arm froze up, a sudden cramp shooting through him.
Fuck.
Locket basically punched the button, he noticed her wince slightly as she turned to the coordinator to answer. Her voice boomed and came out a high pitched shriek.
“84!”
“Correct!”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Damnit. He lost, he lost to some girl who sounds like a chain smoking raccoon.
He groaned, scratching the back of his neck and looking down.
“Thank you everyone for attending. You may stay outside for the rest of the class hours, the classrooms will be closed until 2:50 when it’s time to leave. Locket, Duke, and Daniel, please follow me to the office for the prizes.” The coordinator stepped off the stage and gestured for the three students to follow.
They hurried off the stage, following the coordinator to the office.
Daniel looked defeated, tired and resigned in leaving with the least amount of points. Locket was about to prove that all matter is always vibrating with how hard she was trembling, she could win an award for phasing through the floor. She may have won, but that didn’t seem to settle her nerves at all.
Duke walked in front of both of them, also feeling defeated, but probably not as bad as Daniel was feeling it.
The office wasn’t anything that big, just four desks for each coordinator of whatever they did and a second office for the principal.
Their coordinator’s desk had many decorations, mostly having to do with her pets. But one of them had the writing ‘best teacher, Ms. Taylor.’ He really needs to learn his peers' names.
“Alright. Congratulations to the three of you for being able to stand on that stage, brave youngsters.” She chuckled. “Locket, as promised, your classroom has won a trip to Gotham’s science museum,” she turned to Duke and Daniel. “Congratulations to you both as well, I’m sure getting up there wasn’t easy, but you still did very well! So you’ve been granted a free hour at the end of class for next Monday.”
Generous, all three of them got a prize. Duke will take it knowing he’s leaving immediately and going on patrol. “Thank you, Ms. Taylor.”
Daniel didn’t answer, simply nodding and looking down with his eyes closed. He looked nauseous, Locket also did.
Was competing that nerve wracking for them? Maybe his sense of anxiety decreased with becoming Signal. Maybe.
They left the office and Duke placed his hands on their shoulders. “Hey, congrats to both. You did very well.”
Daniel smiled at him, muttering a quick thanks. “You did great too, fifteen points, not bad.” He patted Duke’s back.
Locket just nodded, still trembling and looking away while holding her stomach.
They just stood there, looking at everything but each other. There wasn't much to look at, however, just an empty hallway that was outside.
Fuck. He probably made it awkward.
“I’ll, uh, go back outside. Enjoy the museum trip.” Locket quickly shrugged off his hand and sped off, frantically fiddling with her hands before rounding the corner while holding her stomach.
“Nausea nerves made her forget she won. Hah.” Duke tried to joke, alleviating the tension a bit wouldn’t hurt.
Daniel huffed out a laugh, dragging out a quiet ‘yeah’ and looking to the exit. There was some more awkward silence before he spoke. “I’ll leave too, two free hours for the event. Gotta enjoy it. Stuff. Bye.”
He also walked away quickly.
Duke sighed to himself, walking off as well once he deemed them at a safe distance to not run into them.
———
Steph met Duke at the entry gate of Gotham Academy.
“Booooo!! Tomato tomato tomato. You losssttt.” She was basically yelling it for all to hear as she approached the front gate
Way to rub it in.
“Yeah yeah, you escaped the day shift. I lost because I cramped up, I knew the answer though.” He tried to defend himself.
“Sure you did, I believe you.” She clearly didn’t. She rested her elbow on his shoulder, leaning against him and yawning dramatically. “Alfred’s not picking you up, I knew you wouldn’t win, so I volunteered.”
Great. So nice. This is awesome.
"Hey, what do you mean you 'knew I wouldn't win?'"
“Your arms have been twitchy since morning." Oh. "So what was the question? How many bones are in the human body? It’s 216, everyone knows that, stupid.” They walked together, Steph tried to keep her elbow on his shoulder despite him being taller.
“What? No. It’s 206, idiot.” He shoved her off, both of them laughing before he groaned. He was frustrated. “It was how many radioisotopes are seen in nature.”
“Ohhh, no wonder you didn’t know the answer. I don’t remember what those are.”
“I did know the answer! 34, it’s 34!” Protesting was useless against Steph, he knows it, just like he knows the answer!
“Sure, sure. I’m sure you remember it now that the winner yelled it.”
He buried his face into his hands and sighed. Fine, he’ll give up, there’s no winning when you play against Steph.
“Watch out.” Steph called out a little too late. He hit himself face on with a metal pole.
“…”
He isn’t taking the loss well. He really wanted to see the science museum, patrol doesn’t really give him much of an opportunity to enjoy himself that way.
———
8:45 pm. Wayne manor kitchen.
“Hah. You have to stay for the night shift.” Duke weakly said as he slumped against a chair, having just changed into his pajamas a few minutes ago.
“Hah. I know how many radioisotopes are found in nature.” Tim was eating spoonfuls of…
“Is that drugs? Also, I do know how many there are.” He glanced at Tim. “How do you know about that? I haven't told anyone besides Steph."
“Powdered sugar.” He tapped his ear twice, comms device.
What was that supposed to mean—?
“You were listening into my comms device during the trivia.”
Tim just nodded and grabbed another spoonful of powdered sugar. “Basically everyone was, those who weren’t can just look back at the recording.”
Fuck.
“Master Tim, if you would please put it away. I suggest you get energy from sleeping, not from higher sugar levels.” Alfred walked in. He placed a metal tray in front of Duke and removed the powdered sugar bag from Tim’s hands; whatever protest he wanted to make died the moment he looked at the tray. “Master Duke, welcome back. Master Damian brought in vegan biscuits if you’d like any, he didn’t finish them.”
“Thanks, Alfred.” He grabbed one and bit into it. It was salty, they were good. “So, you were listening in to make fun of me?”
“We’re nosy, you should know this by now. We were either going to make fun of you or congratulate you.” Tim’s right, they have every resource at their disposal to be nosy and they take advantage of it. Barbara and Damian specifically.
“I just wish you’d maybe wait a day or two?” Wishful thinking.
Tim chuckled, filling up a cup with water as he walked out. On his way, he patted Duke’s shoulder and stole a biscuit.
“We’ll try.”
Maybe not so wishful.
“Speak for yourself, Timbit.” Jason roughly ruffled Tim’s hair as he passed by, the younger simply grunted in annoyance and kept walking, nibbling on a biscuit he’ll probably leave on his nightstand. “I’ll make fun of Mr. My arm cramped up for however long I want.”
Slightly wishful.
“Should we get you a science tutor? Maybe it’d be beneficial for your grades, they have been dropping lately.” Says the man who can’t go to college.
“My grades are perfectly fine, better than perfectly fine considering how often I have to leave mid class because of my day shift.” Duke rested his head against the hardwood table. It was cold and hard (as the name suggests), perfectly representing what he felt like at the moment. “They dropped by a decimal, I went from a 9.8 in Literature to a 9.7.”
“Blasphemy.”