Chapter Text
Derapchu is in a bad mood.
It's obvious to everyone — especially his friends — so they all give him a wide berth. And that does not help in the slightest.
Sighing, Derapchu stops and turns to his friends, giving them a flat look. His friends, Parrot and Spoke, also stop, looking at him with pity mixed with confusion.
"Bro, stop acting like someone died." He scolds them. The two glance at each other, then look back at him.
"Hard to do that when you're literally radiating misery." Parrot speaks up.
"Yeah," Spoke says, "by the way, what got you so down?"
Derapchu sighs again. It's not a dramatic or overemotional reason. The reason he's so down is because he has to get tutoring. His teacher said he's failing calculus and he needs to get his grades up. Now, he doesn't really mind getting tutoring, he needs all the help he can get with math, but it's because Wifies is his tutor.
What's wrong with Wifies you ask? Oh, not much — just that he's annoying, and that he has the audacity to claim that HE'S Parrot's best friend. Not Derapchu. Him. He's also annoying and did he mention he's annoying? Because he is. That's exactly what he tells Parrot and Spoke.
There's a moment where all three of them just stand there awkwardly. Parrot breaks the very awkward tension with a shrug.
"Well, it's not like you can do anything about it." Derapchu is about to argue but of all times the bell rings at that exact moment and now they have to rush to their next period.
Just as he's about to turn, he almost runs into someone. And since Derapchu is the unluckiest person alive, it's Wifies. They look at each other for a beat, then awkwardly — on Derapchu's end — shuffle to the side. Scowling in embarrassment, he walks away with a little stomp in his steps.
Clearly, the universe hates him.
————
The last bell rings and every student is rushing to get home. Derapchu is too. He sees Parrot and starts walking towards him.
"Parrot!" He waves his hand. Parrot stops, turning his head slightly and waits for him to catch up.
"What's up?" Parrot asks.
"I'm just saying," Derapchu starts, falling into step beside him, "out of everyone they could've assigned, it just had to be him."
"You've said that four times already."
"And I'll say it again." Parrot sighs but doesn't argue. "Anyway — you free later? We could run a few rounds before I have to deal with," he gestures vaguely, "all of that."
"Sure," Parrot says. "What time?"
"After dinner, maybe? I don't know how long this is gonna take."
"Oh, and can you log on later tonight?"
"Don't forget we have a tutoring session."
"HOLY SH—" Derapchu jumps, spinning around to find Wifies standing there. "DUDE! Since when did you get here?!"
"He's been there since we started talking," Parrot says, matter-of-factly.
"And you didn't think to tell me?!" Derapchu flails his arms. Parrot gives him a look that says, I thought you knew.
Realizing that his best friend is, in fact, somewhat useless, Derapchu slumps. He shoots a glare at Wifies. Wifies looks back at him, unbothered.
"Why are you here?" Derapchu snaps. And if anyone asks — no, he is not pouting.
"To talk about the tutoring session." He doesn't say obviously but it was clearly meant to be there.
"What about it?"
"Where we're staying for it." Derapchu thinks for a moment.
"We can't go to any cafes — which would've been nice." He'd wanted to, but his wallet had other opinions. "Library's still open though."
"I don't assume you like public spaces," Wifies says. "And if we're going to someone's house, it should be mine. I don't imagine you keep your room clean."
"Hey! My room is clean. Enough."
......
"Mine is cleaner."
Derapchu rolls his eyes. "Fine. Yours it is," he grumbles.
He's about to ask Parrot his question again when he realizes he's not there.
"When did he go.." He mumbles to himself.
"Let's go." Wifies urges.
"Yeah yeah."
————
They arrive outside Wifies' house and it looks like every middle-to-upper class suburban home — clean front yard, neat pathway, a very normal welcome mat at the door. Honestly, Derapchu doesn't even know what he was expecting. 4.0 GPA, rich, and nice house? All of those can apply to Wifies.
Since the universe still hates him for some reason, he'd lost one of the keychains on his bag on the way here. This, of course, dampens his already dampened mood. He almost doesn't want to continue this tutoring session.
The lock clicks open and Wifies walks in first, stepping aside to let Derapchu through. Derapchu walks in without a word, a little begrudgingly. Then, somehow, he feels less tense almost immediately. Whether it's the lighting or the smell, something about this place makes him calm down against his will. He wants to say he hates it here but he can't.
Wifies walks down a hallway and leads him to what must be his room. They sit down at a table there and Derapchu takes out what little notes he has.
"So, where exactly are you having trouble?"
"Uh. Everything?"
...
"Let's start at the basics then." Wifies begins explaining and,
what the hell.
Derapchu actually... understands it. He, who has been barely passing calculus only because of homework he's copied from other people, finally understands it.
"Do you get it now?"
"Yeah, actually." Derapchu looks at the paper filled with formulas and equations and feels a little proud of himself.
"Good." Wifies smiles — slightly, briefly — and it disappears so quickly it's like it was never there.
Derapchu stares at the paper in front of him. He definitely saw that. He's not sure what to do with that information so he files it away somewhere in the back of his head and decides, firmly, to leave it there. He uncaps his pen.
"Okay. What's next?"
They continue the session. They slowly get through the lessons, Wifies explaining and Derapchu asking.
"Wait, I don't get this part."
"Let me see." Wifies leans over, and Derapchu freezes. He's suddenly hyperaware of everything — Wifies' hair brushing against his cheek, how clean he smells for some reason, the way his voice sounds different up close. Pleasant, somehow.
"...and then you get the final answer." Wifies tilts his head, staring directly into Derapchu. "Understand?"
"Uh—" Derapchu blinks. A few more times. "Yeah... Yeah."
They stare at each other for a beat too long. Then Wifies leans away and Derapchu quietly lets go of the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"...right," Derapchu says, to no one in particular. He looks back down at his paper. His handwriting suddenly looks unfamiliar.
Wifies doesn't comment. He just slides the next problem towards him like nothing happened, which is somehow both a relief and deeply annoying. They continue. Derapchu focuses very hard on the math and absolutely nothing else. He almost succeeds.
Until the clock reads 7:00.
"We're done for today." Wifies glances at the clock, then back down at the papers between them. "Good work."
Derapchu blinks at him. "Did you say something?"
"It's nothing." He pauses. "You can keep the notes if you want."
"Thanks, I guess." Derapchu gathers his notes slowly, tapping them against the table to straighten them. His eyes drift around the room once — the desk, the shelf, the dim hallway light still on — before landing back on Wifies.
He doesn't know why he's still standing here.
"See you tomorrow?"
Wifies looks at him for a moment, expression unreadable.
"See you."
Derapchu nods, slowly stepping out. The door clicks shut behind him and the evening air is cooler than he expected. He walks home with his notes tucked under his arm, thinking about calculus and absolutely nothing else.
He almost convinces himself.