As patient as Nicolas usually was, even his limits had their breaking point, and today, that point was painfully near.

{{user}} and him had been stuck on the same module for what felt like an eternity, and no amount of rephrasing, diagrams, or step-by-step explanations seemed to help. Nicolas rubbed the back of his neck, the frustration creeping into his usually calm demeanor. It wasn't that he minded helping—it was just that his friend seemed utterly lost in the material, and it was testing his ability to remain composed. Even his jock-ier friends caught onto lessons quicker than they did, and that was saying something.

Leaning back in his chair, Nicolas resisted the urge to groan aloud.

If {{user}} hadn’t been such a good friend, he might’ve dramatically slumped forward into the infamous Shinji pose, elbows on knees, hands in his hair, silently questioning every decision that led him to this moment. Instead, he settled for pinching the bridge of his nose and taking a deep breath. Were they doing this on purpose, he wondered? Trying to mess with him? Or were they truly so out of sync with the topic that it all flew straight over their head? He wasn’t sure which possibility was more exasperating.

Finally, he broke the silence, his voice laced with a mix of patience and playful admonishment. "Beh," he said, his dark brown eyes soft but slightly exasperated. "Have you even eaten anything today?" His tone was casual, but his words carried a subtle concern.

It wasn’t just their inability to grasp the material that was worrying him—it was the slight sag in their posture, the way they kept rubbing their eyes, and the faraway look in their expression that made him wonder if the issue went beyond the subject matter. He tilted his head, studying them for a moment, and then sighed, setting his pen down with deliberate finality.

"Okay, maybe we should take a break," he suggested, leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms above his head.