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The classroom was unusually quiet. The only sounds were the humming of a fluorescent lamp, a fly buzzing in the air, and Clancy’s heart pounding hard in his chest.
His worst nightmare had come true.
Professor Nico announced that students would be called up to the board today. There was nothing unusual about it; after all, it was a normal way of checking knowledge.
The problem was that Clancy was absolutely terrible at math.
No matter how long he studied it, he just couldn’t wrap his head around it. Unfortunately, it was a mandatory subject, and whether he liked it or not, he had to somehow pass it to pass the year.
That’s why now, when Professor Nico opened the grade book, a cold sweat broke out on Clancy's forehead. He was completely unprepared. He could only hope for a stroke of luck that Nico’d pick someone else.
Everyone in the class was probably hoping for the same thing, judging by how some of the students had their eyes glued to their desks, while others pretended to be incredibly interested in rummaging through their backpacks.
“Hmmm…” The professor scratched his chin thoughtfully through his veil, tapping his finger on the desk. His gaze scanned the list of students from top to bottom and bottom to top, trying to choose his victim.
Clancy lifted his eyes toward the ceiling, repeating a mantra in his head.
Please, not me, not me, not me.
“Clancy, come to the blackboard,” the teacher said in a flat, emotionless tone.
A shiver of fear ran down Clancy’s spine, and the fur on his tail bristled from base to tip. Fuck. Of course professor’d picked him.
“M-me?”
“Is there another Clancy in the room besides you? You, obviously.” His tone brooked no argument.
“Um…” Clancy stammered uncertainly. “Is it still possible to say I’m unprepared for the lesson?”He looked nervously at his professor, but met only a stern gaze.
“You’re supposed to report that you’re not prepared at the beginning of class. It’s too late for that now, Mr. Clancy. Please come to the board.”
Clancy swallowed hard and eventually got up from his desk. He couldn’t hide it, he was shaking like a leaf under the professor’s fierce gaze, his ears pinned back. His legs felt like jelly as he made his way towards the board. Fear gripped his stomach so tightly that he felt it might twist itself inside out at any moment.
“The problem will cover material from the previous lesson, so you shouldn’t have any trouble at all,” Nico began.
Oh no. That was the very class Clancy had skipped, and of course he hadn’t asked anyone for notes or caught up on the material.
Nico probably knew that and was deliberately trying to make him fail. The Bishop’s blood-red robes seemed to herald the hell he was about to unleash on him in front of everyone.
“All right, then. Here's the question. A certain Ned bought 21 Cheesy Gordita Crunches at Trench Taco Bell. On his way home, a dog stole 4 of them, a rabbit ate 1/7, a dragon devoured 13%, and 2137 exploded during a rebel’s escape in the Bishops’ only car. The remaining tacos were divided equally among the four other Neds in his family. How many kilometers is it from Voldsoy to Trench in a straight line?”
Clancy felt sweat forming under his mask. His mind was a blank. He had gotten lost at the very start of the problem, not to mention how to solve it. And that car? Nico was totally bringing up that incident when, as part of a bet, Clancy had “borrowed” his car and accidentally caused it to explode. He had almost been expelled for it, but that’s another story.
“Um… ” Clancy faltered. He had to come up with something, or he’d get an F.
Think, Clancy, think… it can’t be that hard.
“The answer is… ” he began, his voice trembling with fear. He should have worked through the data step by step on the board instead of guessing, but he didn’t even know where to start. Desperately, he glanced around the classroom, searching for any hint of help. Everyone, however, was staring stubbornly at their desks, pretending they weren’t there. As usual, when he needed help, there was no one he could count on. “Well…”
All hope had already left him when his eyes suddenly landed on the last desk. Sitting there was none other than the infamous Torchbearer, known to everyone as the leader of the Banditos, a rebel who constantly skipped class and dodged most lessons. And also Clancy’s secret crush, in whom he’d been smitten for several years. Torch was usually absent, so his presence surprised Clancy.
Torch, sprawled on his chair with his feet on the desk, held up two fingers.
Clancy’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh. Was his crush really helping him out…? Clancy knew he could count on him. Torchbearer was different from everyone else. An angel, not a human.
“Two!” he said confidently, holding up the number to the professor with his fingers as well.
Please let it be right, let it be right.
“Two…?” Nico raised an eyebrow. Damn, so that wasn’t the right answer after all?!
In a panic, Clancy glanced back at Torch. Now he was holding up ten fingers. So was it two or ten?! Was he trying to make him look like an idiot…? That couldn’t be, he had such a warm expression on his face. Wait, maybe it was about something else entirely.
He’d turned his head too quickly, and Torch had meant a different number!
“Twooo-elve!” Clancy exclaimed, extremely pleased with himself for having solved the riddle.
A deep crease appeared on Nico’s forehead.
Ha, take that, geezer!
Bishop pondered for a moment, scratching his chin. “Can you explain how you got this answer?”
Oh. Clancy had celebrated his victory too quickly. It was as clear as day that he’d given the correct answer. Who cared how he’d figured it out?
He didn’t even have a way to get help, this time Torch couldn’t pass him the solution. He had to handle it on his own. Okay, fake it till you make it.
“I swam across the Paladin Strait myself, so I know. I did the counting.”
Well. Actually, no, that would be crazy. He wouldn’t dare plunge into the raging waters. Unless it was for Torch… For him, he might just swim the Paladin Strait without any flotation.
“You’re guessing, Clancy.”
“Umm…No?” Clancy nervously swished his tail from side to side. There’s no way Bishop won’t leave him alone after all that effort!
Nico sighed.
“I’m afraid I have to give you an F. If this continues, I won’t even let you take the final exam, let alone advance to the next grade. You need to get to work. Sit down, Clancy.”
Clancy returned to his seat with a grim expression.
Well, shit.
┍————- /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\ ————┑
He had no idea why math was a required subject in the music department, but one thing was certain: the devil himself must have come up with it.
It was 2 am, and Clancy sat in front of his textbook, trying to make sense of anything in the subject. His eyes were gluing shut, the desk was littered with empty Red Bull cans, and he felt like tearing his notebook to shreds with his claws.
It made no sense at all. There was no chance he could understand it. If only there were someone who could explain it to him, so he could finally see a light at the end of the tunnel…
Wait.
A light bulb appeared over Clancy’s head as this wonderful thought struck him, and his ears perked up in excitement. Of course! Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Torchbearer could help him! When he was giving him hints, he looked like he knew exactly what Professor Nico was talking about! Maybe he could give him a lesson and help him pass this wretched subject.
Clancy slammed the textbook shut and, pleased with his flash of genius, flopped down on the bed. He’d ask him tomorrow. With that thought, he yawned deeply, curled up comfortably, and drifted off into a blissful sleep.
┍————- /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\ ————┑
Standing in front of Banditos’ camp, Clancy suddenly wasn’t so sure about his plan. He only came here occasionally, mostly for student parties that were famous throughout Trench, but never under normal circumstances.
Banditos didn’t have a good reputation on campus. Mostly because they refused to follow the strict dorm rules and camped illegally in the nearby forest, stealing electricity from the college with an extension cord, which kept blowing fuses and driving the Bishops up the wall.
Clancy swallowed loudly. Would he summon the courage to talk to his crush for the first time in his life? Over the years, they’d passed each other, exchanged glances, but never said a single word. Okay, he could do this; this time he had a perfect excuse to start a conversation. I mean, what excuse? He was here to learn math, of course.
With a slightly more confident stride, he headed toward the tents. What could possibly go wrong? At worst, he’d be turned down-
“Stop.”
Suddenly, two men stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Yellow bandanas. Banditos. Clancy stopped, a bit taken aback by their suspicious expressions.
“Password,” said one of them, a tall, burly man.
Clancy blinked. “What password?” he asked, puzzled. “There’s never been a password here.”
The Banditos scrutinized him closely. “New security protocol. Ever since Dema started sending his spies here, we don’t let strangers in.”
“Spies…?” Clancy blurted out.
“Vultures…” Bandito said, suddenly his gaze settled on the top of Clancy's head. After a pause, he added “Could just as well be cats now…”
As if on cue, Clancy's pupils narrowed and his ears flattened back. “I just wanted to speak with the Torchbearer. I come in peace,” he stuttered, nervously twitching the tip of his tail.
“With our leader?" the other Bandito asked. He didn't even bother to look at Clancy. He just watched Clancy's tail, seemingly mesmerized.
“I have a request for him.” Clancy said, biting back the urge to hiss.
The Banditos exchanged glances before turning back to him. “And who exactly are you?” they asked in unison.
“Clancy” he stated, straightening up and perking ears up. “Torchbearer is a good friend of mine!”
Could watching the Banditos’ leader for several years really count as being friends…? Let’s say so. But he wasn’t about to get kicked out that easily.
The Banditos raised their eyebrows in shock.
“Wait. Clancy? Torchbearer’s cru-” They were cut off by a loud clearing of the throat. Everyone instantly turned their heads.
A few meters away stood none other than Torch. Bare-chested, he was wiping his sweat-drenched face with a towel, his well-defined pectoral muscles gleaming in the sunlight.
Clancy was speechless, staring at him like a deer caught in headlights. His mind went completely blank, filled only with the image of his crush’s perfect chest. He didn’t know whether to thank himself for coming here and experiencing such sights, or to curse himself, because any moment now he might make an irreversible fool of himself, forgetting how to even speak.
Torch looked him straight in the eyes, their gazes meeting in the middle. Clancy could swear the corner of his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly. He felt his stomach do a somersault.
“Let him in,” he said. “He’s our guest.”
Banditos immediately obeyed, stepping aside. Wow. So this is what it’s like to be a respected leader… No one even questioned his order. Clancy hadn’t expected to admire Torch any more than he already did, and yet here he was.
“Clancy, right?” he asked as the Banditos dispersed and they were left alone.
“You know my name?” Clancy was genuinely surprised.
Torch snorted with laughter. “Hard not to. You’re the guy who blew up Director Nico’s car, right? Man, that was sick.”
Clancy’s face burned a deep shade of red. Right… they’d written about him in newspapers all over Trench. He scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Yeah, haha… Thanks.” Being recognized by his crush made butterflies erupt in his stomach, but he was still embarrassed. He preferred to change the subject. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
Clancy looked around the camp. Banditos were bustling between the tents, doing small chores; others were sitting cheerfully on logs, vaping or drinking alcohol before noon. Some were making grilled cheese, proudly increasing Dema’s electricity bill.
It was a stark contrast to the gray walls of the college.
“I know, right?” Torch flashed him a wide smile. “I’m proud of creating this place. You came here because you want to join?”
Clancy’s eyes widened in surprise. Was Torch actually offering him the chance to become a Bandito? Few people ever got an offer like that. A thrill ran from the top of his head all the way to his tail, making his fur ripple. Unfortunately, his mind quickly dampened the surge of excitement. After all, he was already on bad terms with Nico. If he found out Clancy had joined the Banditos, he really might not pass the grade. His ears drooped a little.
“I’d love to, but actually, I came here with a different request…”
“Oh? What is it?” Torch cocked his head, clearly intrigued.
“The thing is…” Clancy’s cheeks burned a deep red, visible even through the mask, and his ears twitched nervously. Articulating his request was becoming increasingly difficult. Torch fixed him with an intense gaze, as if Clancy were about to propose that they lead a rebellion against Dema together, marching toward the rising sun to the accompaniment of dramatic music, just like on the way to defeating the final boss.
He squeezed his eyelids shut to muster his courage. “Can you help me with math?!” he blurted out in one breath.
The seconds dragged on as he waited for an answer. 1, 2, 3… Why wasn’t Torch answering? He lifted one eyelid to peek at him. Maybe Torch was angry that he had come to him with such a request?
But Torch didn’t look angry or annoyed. Instead, he went pale, as if he’d seen a ghost, his mouth slightly open in shock. When he noticed he was being watched, he immediately returned to his usual stoic expression and, bringing a fist to his mouth, cleared his throat.
“Um… math? Where did that come from?” he scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.
Ooh. Torch must be modest. He was probably too shy to admit that, despite being a rebel, he was actually a good student.
“You helped me back then, in math class, remember? I, um… sorry, I never thanked you for that.” Clancy started nervously fidgeting with his fingers.
“Y-yeah, no problem.” Torch seemed to wipe away an invisible drop of sweat.
“So I was thinking… maybe… since you’re so good at math, you could help me? Please. Otherwise Nico won’t let me pass to the next year.”
“Me…?” Torch’s face flushed pink. “I mean… yeah. Totally. Sure.”
“Is that a yes?” Clancy’s ears perked up with so much excitement that they stretched his mask.
“I’ll see how I can help. Come to my tent.”
“Like…right now?”
“I mean… yeah. Why not? It’s a long way from Dema to here. You must be tired.”
“Ah. Yeah! That's true!”
Clancy decided not to mention that he'd gotten here without much trouble on an electric scooter.
“I’ll lead the way.” Torch sent him a smile. “Oh, and the password to the camp is Sahlo Folina. Just so you know for the future.” he winked.
Clancy halted for a moment. For the future...?
“You coming?” Torch turned around, noticing that Clancy had fallen behind.
“Yeah! Sorry!” Clancy caught up to him and matched his pace. He smiled to himself. For the future, huh…
┍————- /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\ ————┑
Torchbearer was doomed. Completely doomed.
He had never expected that his crush, the one he’d been too afraid to talk to for years, would show up at the camp today and ask him for help. It was like a dream come true. He had only one tiny little problem.
He didn’t have the faintest clue about math.
Everyone in the camp had different talent. Crafts, cooking, economics… Torch, for example, had a talent for being a great leader. But math… Math was handled by the supply guys… He passed his exams only because Banditos blessed with that mystical skill shared the answers with the group. On that fateful day in class, he had also been warned by those who had already taken the course, and he was perfectly prepared for it. Nico never bothered changing the problems. His behavior followed a pattern, which allowed Banditos to predict his moves.
Torch hadn’t expected that by giving Clancy the answer, he’d create the impression that he actually knew what he was talking about. But now it was too late to undo it.
“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab the materials,” Torchbearer gestured to a chair in his tent, then stepped outside, leaving Clancy alone.
Once Torch was by himself, he let out a silent scream. He was in deep trouble. He could have told Clancy the truth, but the way he was looking at him with such hope, as if Torch were his only light in a dark, math-filled world that he didn’t have the heart to reveal the truth.
He could have told him to come back later, maybe then he could have prepared and actually learned it himself, but his mind was clouded by the thought of spending a few hours with his crush.
What’s done is done.
Torchbearer would have to figure out how to tutor him without making a fool of himself in the process.
┍————- /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\ ————┑
Taking a deep breath and forcing a smile onto his face, Torch lifted the flap of the tent. For the past fifteen minutes, he had been gathering every cheat sheet and answer to the problems he could find. Unfortunately, to his inner panic, he hadn’t been able to locate a single calculator and was entirely at the mercy of an old abacus that had probably been sitting there for several Cycles.
Clancy was sitting at the desk, looking around the tent with curiosity, his fluffy ears (now exposed without a mask), twitched in Torch’s direction, picking up on his footsteps. He turned his head toward him and gave him a hesitant smile.
“Okay, we can get started,” Torch summoned the most professional expression he could manage at that moment and placed the textbooks on the desk.
Clancy looked around.“But Torch… there’s nowhere for you to sit.”
The only chair in his tent was the one Clancy was sitting in.
“It’s fine, I’ll stand.”
“But it’s your tent… come on, I’ll move over.” Clancy scooted to the side of the chair to make room.
The chair was slightly wider than standard, but certainly not wide enough to comfortably fit two grown men.
“Okay,” Torch mumbled, feeling himself grow hot. He sat down right next to Clancy, so close that their hips and shoulders were touching, both of them half-suspended in the air. But that didn’t matter right now. They both held their breath as they felt the warmth of their bodies flow between them.
Torch, what have you agreed to… you can still back out…
“So… which part don’t you understand??” he said instead, hammering a nail into his own coffin.
“Dunno… there’s so much, I don’t even know where to start,” Clancy said, nervously nibbling his lip with his fang.
Phew, Clancy was giving him free rein; he could start with something simple, something even he could handle.
“Let’s start with the basics,” he smiled and opened the textbook to one of the first pages. Clancy nodded eagerly.
Woah, from the side he looked even more perfect, with his slope-shaped nose-
Torch.
Focus.
“Ahem, maybe this problem then?
“Two vultures on a wire. One tried to… Ah, that’s easy. Keons used to sing it to me as a bedtime lullaby,” Clancy laughed.
Keons what? Why do the Bishops tell math riddles at bedtime? Is this some kind of cult of mathematicians torturing you with math at every hour of the day and night?
“Okay… Then maybe try another one...”
“Fractions.” Clancy's ears flopped. “I hate fractions.”
Okay, Torch can handle this. Probably.
“Hmm, let’s make a deal then. For each correctly solved problem, you get one wish. A little morale boost.”
“A wish?!”
Torch loved when Clancy's ears perked up whenever he was excited.
“Mhm. Whatever you want.”
Clancy eagerly read the question, clearly excited by the prospect of a reward.
“A certain Bandito sent a letter by secret mail. However, instead of using a carrier pigeon, he entrusted it to his friendly cheetah, Jason. He didn’t expect that Jason would tear up 1/6 of it along the way and eat another 2/3… How much of the letter will the recipient receive? This is stupid… cats don’t eat paper.”
Torch glanced at Clancy, who was currently chewing on the strings of his own hoodie, and smiled to himself.
Clancy started counting on his fingers, concentrating intensely as he tried to bring the fraction to a common denominator. Torch turned to the side, moving the beads on his abacus himself and checking the answer in his cheat sheet. He just hoped Clancy had calculated it correctly, because he didn’t really know what he was doing.
“I think I got it…” Clancy finally said, his tail flicking and accidentally brushing against Torch’s back.
Phew, the answer was correct.
“Great! You can ask for anything as a reward.”
“Really… anything?”
“Mhm. For example, as many Red Bulls as you want.”
Or for me to kiss you… he added in his thoughts.
“Anything…” Clancy paused for a moment, considering his endless possibilities. “Then… I want you to scratch me behind the ear” he suddenly blurted out.
“Scratch… your… ear?” Torch flushed. His brain short-circuited for a moment. Oh, he hadn’t expected that.
Clancy immediately turned scarlet as well. “I mean… you don’t have to do it if you don’t want-”
“I do!” Torch admitted a little too quickly, not even letting Clancy finish.
Clancy blinked. “O-okay.” He gently tilted his head.
Torch swallowed hard and reached out his hand. He ran his fingers through the strands of Clancy's silky hair until he reached his furry ear. It was just as soft, fluffy, and delicate as it looked. Fascinated, he scratched it at the base. Clancy shuddered as if a current had passed through him and leaned closer to Torch, so close that their cheeks were almost touching. A low, vibrating sound emerged from his throat, and oh my god, Clancy was purring. Mesmerized, Torch moved from the base up to the tip of his ear, squeezing gently. The purr grew louder, and Clancy practically pressed himself against him, leaning into him in the narrow space and-
Clancy suddenly cleared his throat, straightening up. “Uh… sorry. I got carried away.”
“It’s fine.” Torch said, with a touch of regret that the moment had ended so quickly. “M-maybe we should move on to the next problem.”
“Yeah…”
The further they went, the harder it started to get. Torch was beginning to lose track of what was going on, even with the supporting materials, and Clancy wasn’t doing much better. After 15 minutes of intense effort and overthinking what the Neds needed 40 watermelons for, they finally managed to arrive at the correct answer.
Clancy glanced hesitantly at Torch. “Can… can you scratch my chin now?”
“Sure…” Torch nodded.
Clancy must really like scratches… He really is like a cat, he thought, watching as the boy practically melted under his touch, his tail twitching with excitement.
“Sorry. Isn’t that too weird for you?”Clancy asked after a moment, as they once again got a little carried away, briefly forgetting about the math.
“No. I like your purrs.” Only after the words left his mouth did he realize what he’d said. “I mean…” he cut himself off when he saw the peachy blush on Clancy’s face.
“T-thanks.” Clancy gave a small, shy smile and lowered his eyes to his book, quickly moving on to the next problem.
Silence stretched. Torch didn’t even know what he was reading, his mind replaying the embarrassed expression on his crush’s face. He couldn’t have imagined that, could he?
“Arghhhh!!! This is giving me a migraine! There’s no way I’m going to figure this out!” Suddenly, Clancy shouted, breaking the stream of Torch's thoughts.
He leaned over the task, berating himself and bringing himself back to reality.
The height of the tower in Dema is 67 meters. The first rebel, climbing its wall, reached the top 10 minutes faster than the second rebel who used the stairs. The average climbing speed of the rebel on the wall was 3 km/h faster than the speed of the rebel on the stairs. What is the surface area of Dema’s walls?
Quadratic function?! Shit. Torch didn't understand that.
“Okay, it’s a tough one. But even if you don’t know, you can still get a reward for it.”
“You sure?” Clancy asked, surprised.
“I don’t want you to get discouraged.” He just didn’t want to look like an idiot for not being able to solve that problem.
“Th-then… ” Clancy’s eyes flicked between his eyes and his lips.
He was so close that if Torch leaned in, he could feel his lips on his. He wanted to kiss him so badly right now.
Clancy seemed to be reading his mind.
“Should we kiss now?”
“I thought you would never ask.”
Torch didn’t know who made the first move, whether it was him or Clancy.
Their lips met in the middle in a soft, slow kiss.
They were like two parallel lines that for so many years had only watched each other from afar, but finally met at a single point.
“Clancy…” Torch muttered, unable to hold back a smile that spread across his lips like the upward arms of a parabola.
Clancy captured his lips again, with more fervor, climbing onto Torch’s lap “Math can wait.”
Torch couldn’t have agreed more.
┍————- /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\ ————┑
Torch glanced at his math exam paper and breathed a sigh of relief. Barely made it. All thanks to the cheat sheets hidden under his bandana.
He wondered how Clancy had done… He really hoped their study sessions had been useful and that Clancy’d passed. Granted, there had been more stolen kisses than actual studying, but…
As if on cue, he saw his boyfriend running toward him with his paper in hand. His ears were perked up with joy, his hair tousled, and his eyes sparkling with happiness. He threw his arms around Torch’s neck.
“I did it!” Clancy planted a kiss on his cheek and laughed. “One point above the passing mark!”
“That’s my boy.” Torch wrapped his arms around Clancy’s waist and kissed him right on the lips. His boyfriend immediately relaxed in his arms, deepening the kiss.
“I could never have done it without you. I love you so much, Torchie.”
“We did, together. I love you too, Clancy.”
“How did it go for you? Bet you got a perfect score.”
“Me…? Yeaah, I did great!” Torch tucked the paper with his poor score behind his back and ruffled Clancy’s hair. “We have to celebrate your victory.”
“Our victory” Clancy laughed and kissed him again.
Maybe they still weren’t great at math, but they had found each other.
Well.. the truth was, Clancy only passed because Keons took pity on him and gave him extra points when no one was looking.
But let’s not mention that to the boys.
And definitely not to Nico.