is the trolls purring/growling/bug trilling noises/whatever headcanon blatant fandom wooby bait garbage on the same tier as sensitive horns and drone season mating cycles etc etc. yes. definitely. will I ever give it up. no
may i,,, request jack and deuce scenario with them studying in the library,,, they touch hands,,, and they all nervous and shy together,,, romantic-like- but they're not dating yet HAHAHAHA thank you plz take care of urself~
Hello!! This is my first shipping request to have received qvq! I’m very sorry that this took so long but I hope you enjoy it !! （=´∇｀=）/
Warnings: none!
Tags: fluff, idiots pining, study date
“The braincell gets passed around here” GROUPCHAT
[Isekai Therapist: Hey guys! Sorry, I can’t come to our study group rn. Grim threw up a whole lunch and I have to take him to the infirmary.]
[“I’m gonna bench press a thousand truck”: Vil is being a pain in the fuckin ass as usual :) ]
[“I’m gonna bench press a thousand truck”: Sorry]
[Cabbage boy: Lilia-sama called me for an important duty! My apologies!]
[🐣Chicc baby🐣: Yeah, that’s okay! I think I got here early anyway]
[🐣Chicc baby🐣: And Ace?]
[♥️Bitchppola♥️: I forgot im on flamingo duty. Sorry babe]
[🐣Chicc baby🐣: Did you call me babe?]
[♥️Bitchppola♥️: Not like anyone is going to be jealous ;) ]
[Isekai Therapist: no flirting pls]
[Isekai Therapist: Jack, Deuce, we’re sorry for not coming!! I hope you two find some time to study]
Around fifteen minutes before their meeting time on a Thursday, the ones they anticipated to come did not come at all. Well, it is not that surprising, but still, the two of them were still surprised.
Jack knows that Epel will be particularly busy at this time of the month. Deuce knows that Ace does have a habit of canceling at the last minute, but he will not do that if he is the one organizing a study session. Both of them knows that Sebek and Yuu do have their own endeavors to attend to.
It is somehow underwhelming.
“Well…” Deuce sighs, tucking his phone back inside his pocket dejectedly. He and Jack had been standing in front of the library doors for quite some time now and waited for their friends to show up. They agreed to meet there at around 4 PM at least to study. Authentic assessments and written tests are starting to loom over them, and they did not want to fail, so Ace suggested they “combine all their braincells on Thursday 4 PM and teach each other.”
But there is no sign of the redhead nor any of their peers. “I guess we can try and meet up again tomorrow.” Deuce gives Jack an apologetic smile. He was looking forward to studying with the wolf. In their last study session, he had learned so much when Jack was leading. Deuce is also excited to show Jack his own set of organized notes. Unfortunately, your plans do not always go smoothly. That is why there is a next time. Hopefully always a next time.
“You’re leaving?” Jack asks when Deuce is about to take his leave. The Heartslabyul first year looks at him with mild surprise. “Uh…yeah? We can’t really do a “study group” when there’s no group to study with,” he tries to answer lightheartedly but hearing what he said somehow sounded a bit rude. Deuce grimaced. “I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
Deuce is not sure what kind of reaction Jack’s natural scowl is suggesting. “It’s fine, you didn’t mean anything wrong,” Jack assures him. “Besides, you’re kinda right. Though, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t cancel our session.”
The suggestion catches his attention and Deuce feels his energy come back with renewed vigor. If Jack wants to continue with their study plan then that means Deuce will be able to learn more from him and he can show Jack what he had learned!
“Even if it’s just the two of us?” Deuce asks, nearly bouncing on his feet despite his cautiousness. Jack gives him a grin—a voice at the back of Deuce’s mind comments how cute it is—and shrugged. “Yeah, why not? It’s still a study session.”
“Then let’s do it!” Deuce pounds his fist into his open palm, a grin stretching across his face as relief washes over him.
Jack feels his ear suddenly tug down when he sees how excited Deuce is that their study session is not canceled. He has to admit, his eagerness is admirable. Deuce takes the chances of being a great honor student wholeheartedly. Sure, he cheated one time, but he was serious when he said he would not do it again. Jack can see what a hard-working person Deuce is. It is what made Jack suggest that they could study together instead. It is not for anything else, come on, he is just helping a friend out.
When Deuce is motivated to study because he is with a trusted friend, Jack is motivated to teach him because he is willing to learn.
They entered the library quietly and behaved, not letting their shoes squeak against the floor unlike a few second years at the end of the room. The two first years greeted the librarian right after Professor Crewel left. Deuce thought it would be rude to interrupt the two adults that were seemingly caught in their own moments.
When Professor Crewel passed by them, he gave them an approving glance at their studying materials. It is not too ambitious to hope for extra credit points because a teacher saw you studying, right?
After signing their names on the logbook, they took a seat on one of the long tables juxtaposing the bookshelves. Deuce still feels a tingle of déjà vu when he visits the library. It feels like long ago when he, Ace, Yuu, and Grim were discussing their plan of fighting Riddle during a magic duel. Now, here he is, sitting beside one of the people he admired to study for a test.
Does Deuce think that Jack does not notice his staring? Jack wants to ignore his friend and continues to lay out their study notes neatly on the table to avoid clutter. Yet, when he is finished, Deuce is still dazing out. Only then did Jack stares back at him did he blinked out of his starry state.
“Was there something on my face?” Jack asks with an arch of his eyebrow. Deuce shakes his head, chuckling awkwardly, and looks away with pink ears. “N-No no! I was just lost in my own thought. I’m sorry for staring,” he apologizes and lays out his own study materials to start. “Do you want to start with Potions first?”
He changed the subject to put behind that brief awkward moment. Jack has no complaints about that and opens his book. “Sure. Ace mentioned you have some notes about the uses of dragon blood?”
“Twelve—I mean yes!” Deuce reaches for his Potions notebook, immediately flipping over the pages where he wrote the information. From the blur of white pages, Jack notices how organized Deuce makes his notes are. When he truly wants to understand something, Deuce does his best to create his own little keywords and highlights that connect to the topic he took note of. Jack’s ears twitch at the arrows and underlines across the page. Deuce sounds to be rambling about the dragon blood, but Jack is more interested in what he wrote in his notebook that he leans forward in interest.
The proximity startles the Heartslabyul student that Jack straightens his posture when Deuce squeaked. They look at each other, equally surprised. “Do…do you want to look at my notes?” Deuce offers, assuming Jack wants to for he leaned his head so forward they nearly bumped temples. Deuce could not help but feel pride warm his chest. Wolves have good eyesight and Jack could have scanned over his notes without leaning over. But the fact that he did lean over just shows that Deuce’s notes had intrigued him!
In contrast to the happy taps of Deuce’s heart, Jack’s is hammering. He could not believe he appeared so entranced by the patterns on Deuce’s notebook. He is about to apologize for his rudeness when he sees the twinkle of happiness in his friend’s eyes. The peacock greens appear brighter and rounder that Jack might as well see imaginary stars pop up beside Deuce’s head.
His adorable expression makes his ear twitch and for some reason his cheeks warm. Deuce does not notice this. He is waiting for Jack’s answer who blinks and looks away. “Uh—yeah, sure.”
The cute smile Deuce wears on his face is very similar to a puppy who just got rewarded. Seeing him get happy over praise and recognition stirs something in Jack’s chest. He does not understand why his tail is idly wagging at seeing Deuce’s smile and eagerness as accepting praise over one’s hard work should be natural. He should not be this adorable.
Wait—adorable? Jack, this is not the time to be dumbstruck! They have a test to study for, Seven’s sake. Jack should get serious. He wants Deuce to pass his test as well, so he should not get distracted and help out his friend to the best of his abilities.
It is challenging when it should not be. Deuce is an easy student to teach. He listens and asks questions for clarification when he does not get it the first time. Jack could say this study session has been going smoothly so far…with a few minor bumps. Metaphorical and literal bumps.
The table is not occupied by anyone else but them. However, they still need to speak in hushed tones to avoid distracting the other visitors in the library. Because of this, their proximity progressively narrows, occasionally brushing elbows or shoulders with each other. Do they shy away from this? No, of course not. Jack and Deuce are buddies. Being close just means they are comfortable with each other. So where did the awkward atmosphere come from?
Deny it as much as he will, but Jack has a crush on Deuce. Their closeness would not have been a problem if the slightest brush would not send sparks up Jack’s nerves. It does not make him jumpy or snappy, but it does make him a little tense that he had to brush it off to Deuce as being cold. Which, to normal people, would be a far-fetched reason, but Deuce seems to take the excuse anyway.
Deuce is equally tensed as Jack is but only a little bit. He is used to the subtle kinship for he sees Jack as a close friend. This just means that they are comfortable with each other as bros. There is no hidden feelings or subtext with their simple study session. In fact, Deuce welcomes the warm feeling over his chest. He feels absolutely elated to be able to learn more with Jack. Perhaps their other friends being unable to come is meant for this moment to happen.
And it seems Jack shares the same thoughts as he does for the realization hit him harder than the level of intimacy they are sharing. The Savanaclaw student stops his teeth from gritting. Those guys…they can be smart when they want to. Jack does not want to assume but he can deliberate that they purposely did not attend so they can set up Deuce and him on an impromptu study date. Well, not really impromptu, but still.
Even without confessing it out loud it seems that they had caught on that he likes Deuce. Jack tries not to be transparent and keeps up a front, but Ace pointed out that his ears and tail had snitched on him. It takes anyone with eyes to know he is into his best friend, as Ace had said.
Had Deuce caught on like he did? Jack does not think so. His friend’s nose is buried deep in his Magic History book—the next subject they are studying on. Jack stops highlighting some important pointers on his own book and stares at how the peacock green color of his eyes seems to flutter as it absorbs the lesson. Jack notices that Deuce’s eyebrows crease slightly when concentrating and he even mutters the words to understand them better. His voice makes Jack’s ears twitch. He is so curious to watch and soon Jack feels the tense air thin out between them.
Deuce’s scent is comforting. When he is idle, like this, Jack could feel the coolness of his scent, almost like mint. It is not a bold scent but rather a soft one. Like timidness waiting to slowly burst.
Like his bubble when those peacock greens swiftly stare back at him.
His tail stops wagging—it was wagging?!!—and his eyes quickly dart back to his own textbook. That was a close one. He cannot let himself get distracted again. Infatuation is alright but Jack doubts it will develop into something like puppy love. Better to focus on the origins of Merlin than the origin of their love story.
Deuce feels himself flinch a little when Jack looked away. His guarded expression makes him feel distant. The library is already quiet yet the silence falling unto them makes it more awkward. Deuce, while hoping his friend does not mind, inches his seat closer to Jack. The proximity from before made him feel comfortable and he wishes to feel that comfort again.
However, Jack flinches from the sudden brush of their arms. Deuce internally panics and stuttered an apology. “S-Sorry—it’s just, well, it’s—” He is cut off from Jack holding onto his arm before he can even scoot away. The warmness of his chest creeps up to his cheeks. Jack’s ears fold briefly before it points up. “You can stay close…so—so we can hear each other.” Jack looks like he is pouting but it might be Deuce’s imagination.
Well, nonetheless, he softly smiles at his friend, thankful that Jack did not push him away.
Jack removes his hand from Deuce’s arm so that they may focus on their lesson thoroughly. There is a little part of them, however, that wishes they may able to hold each other closer during their study session.
