The Tutor

(A/N: Meet Sawyer Hayes and Griffin Reece. I had no idea where this was going when I started it. It was more of a writing exercise, attempting to tell a decent and full story in these small, word-limited chunks (with one exception) of text where I had to be more intentional with my words.

It's definitely a slow burn, so if you're looking for immediate sexy times, this one is not for you.

I would love to know what you think. Thanks! - J)

***

1: Griffin thought he was good at math until he took Calculus. He understood the algebraic parts, but the Calculus concepts went over his head. He'd managed a D the first time, but since "D's don't get degrees" he was back for round two. The second time around wasn't going any better which meant tutoring, especially if he didn't want to get kicked off the football team.

The text from Coach Bennett read:

You'll meet with Sawyer Hayes every T/R until your grade comes up. Library. 8:00 PM. Study room 301. Be there.

Resigned, Griffin approached the small room at 8:15. Lights were on, but the room was empty. He stepped inside and saw a note taped to the whiteboard. In neat script, it read, "I don't appreciate having my time wasted."

Griffin crumbled the paper and threw it in the trash, letting the door slam behind him when he left.

***

2: On Thursday, Griffin walked into study room 301 at 7:55 PM.

A skinny, blonde dude looked up from his computer. He gave Griffin what felt like a once over before he stood. Extending his hand, he said, "You must be Griffin. I'm Sawyer."

Griffin didn't take his hand. Folding his arms across his chest, he gave Sawyer his own once over. He had to be about 5'10", a few inches shorter than his 6'3". His hair was neat, like he took time to style it. Gray eyes. No visible mass to him, unlike his own thick arms, but the button-up he was wearing made it hard to tell. Still, he looked small enough that Griffin could kick his ass.

"You leaving on Tuesday wasn't cool."

Sawyer mirrored his pose. "Neither was your not showing up on time."

"I was fifteen minutes late! I got caught up at practice!"

"Not my problem. Our tutoring session started at 8. I waited ten minutes; then I left."

"I really have to pass this class!"

"I assume that's why you're here early today."

"You're a dick, bro."

"And you're still failing Calculus." Sawyer gestured at the empty chair across from him. "Shall we get started?"

***

3: "Reece!"

Griffin slowed to a jog, running in place to keep his heartbeat up. "Yes, Coach?"

Looking up from his clipboard, Coach Bennett asked, "How's tutoring going?"

He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "It could be better."

"Meaning?"

"I mean, he knows his stuff, but he's kinda rude."

Coach Bennett squinted at him suspiciously. "That doesn't sound like Sawyer. It's been two weeks. What'd you do to piss him off already?"

"What--" Griffin pushed sweaty hair off his forehead. "You know him?!"

"He was Bree's tutor last semester. He's working with you because I asked him to, so whatever your problem is with him, figure it the fuck out. If you don't get at least a C on your next exam, I'm benching you indefinitely."

"Coach--"

"I said what I said. Now, go, and take two extra laps while you're at it."

Fuck

, he thought.

***

4: With Coach's words in mind, Griffin got to the library at 7:30 on Tuesday. Sawyer hadn't arrived yet, so Griffin made himself comfortable, studying the practice problems they'd reviewed last week.

Twenty minutes later, the door opened behind him. Sawyer started, "Sorry. This room is reserved--" When he saw it was him, he finished, "Oh, hi, Griffin."

He stood, meeting the blonde's wary gaze. "I'm sorry for being an asshole. Can we start over?" He held out his hand.

Sawyer waited a count, smiled, and then extended his own. "Yeah."

Griffin noticed that Sawyer had a very nice smile.

***

5: Now that Griffin had stepped off his high horse, he realized Sawyer was good at his job. He was enthusiastic, gave good examples, asked questions, and wasn't condescending.

He reminded Griffin of his high school trig teacher, Mr. Sheppard, blonde hair and all. He hadn't always understood what was going on in that class either, but Mr. S was cool. During the off season, he let Griffin hang out in his classroom on his free period. Sometimes he even worked out with the team. He'd been surprisingly shredded under his suit and tie. Which made Griffin wonder...

"Do you work out?"

Sawyer raised an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me?"

"Do you work out? Or are you"--Griffin gestured aimlessly--"all numbers and variables?"

"Not so much in the weight room. I run and swim. Why?"

"No reason." He shrugged. "Curiosity."

"Okay. Well, back to continuity?"

"Yeah, yeah. Back to continuity."

***

6: "Griffin, where is your head?"

It was the end of October, and the weather had dipped--low sixties during the day, mid to low forties after dark. The library had cranked the heat up, making the small study room just shy of uncomfortable. Sawyer had come out of his button-up, wearing a form-fitting gray t-shirt that revealed lean muscles and brought out the color of his eyes.

He'd been talking about parabolas and hyperboles (though that didn't sound right), but the only curve Griffin could focus on was the swell and flex of Sawyer's muscles as he wrote on the whiteboard.

But that was weird, so he said, "Halloween is on Thursday, and I still don't have a costume!"

Sawyer sighed, running a hand through his hair, causing his muscles to bunch. "You have a quiz tomorrow. I know Coach said he was worried about your exam scores, but your quizzes count toward your final grade, too.

"So, I'll make you a deal." He leaned against the wall. "If you get at least a C tomorrow, we'll skip tutoring on Thursday,

and

I'll bring you any leftover Halloween candy I have when we meet again on Tuesday. Deal?"

"Yeah. Deal."

***

7: Griffin fist pumped, screenshotting the 76 he received on his quiz and sent it to Sawyer.

No tutoring toniiiiiight!

Good job, Griff!

No one called him Griff, but from Sawyer, he didn't mind it.

Any candy preference?

Anything Reese's!

😃 How fitting! Noted. Have a good weekend! See you Tuesday!

***

8: "Sawyer?!" Griffin shouted over the pounding music.

Gray eyes peered at him from under a golden helm.

"Oh, hey, Griffin!"

If Griffin was speechless, it was because he was surprised to see his no-nonsense tutor at a Kappa Gamma Tau Halloween party and not because of the miles of skin exposed before him.

"What're you doing here?!"

Sawyer's eyebrow disappeared under the lip of his helmet. "The party was an open invitation!"

"Yeah! I guess you didn't strike me as the party kind of guy!"

He took a sip from his red solo cup and said, "We haven't really gotten to know each other!"

"You're right!" In the back of his mind, he thought he'd have to change that. Not wanting the conversation to end, he said, "Epic costume, by the way!"

His eyes flit over his costume, allowing himself time to look while also trying not to linger on his athletic chest. Despite the chill weather, Sawyer was dressed like an Ancient Greek warrior. From the red-crested helmet to the shield and spear crossed over his back, the leather armbands,

periskelis

, and Gladiator sandals, it was clear his costume hadn't come from Spirit Halloween. Griffin was no history expert, but he'd seen

300

enough times to appreciate a good Trojan costume.

"Thanks! I have a friend who's a theater major. He put this together, sans breastplate even though I asked for one!"

"This"--Griffin's eyes danced over his body (costume!) once more--"works for you!" He cleared his throat. "I mean, I bet you caught the eye of one of the Zeta Mu girls!"

Sawyer gave him a knowing smile and said, "Thanks! You look great, too! But I'd be lying if I said I knew who you were!"

Griffin looked down at himself, clad in a two-piece floral-print shirt, unbuttoned about halfway down his chest, and shorts and Sperry boat shoes. "I'm just Ken!" He shrugged. "It was all I could manage on such short notice!"

"Very go with the flow! I like it!" But Sawyer's attention was no longer on him, his gaze focused somewhere over his shoulder. It took all of Griffin's willpower not to turn around to see who now held his attention.

Those gray eyes flashed back to him. "A friend is waving me over, but it was good to see you! See you around!" He patted Griffin on the shoulder as he passed.

*

8.5: Girls in thongs and fishnets, skintight bodysuits and bikini tops barely containing their tits swarmed around him, but Griffin only had eyes for Sawyer.

He'd never felt weird complimenting other guys, whether it be on their outfits or physicality, so he meant it when he told Sawyer he looked good... but this was different.

Because he'd never given a guy this much attention, and he'd never wanted a guy to give him attention back. Griffin would never admit that he'd been trying to catch Sawyer's eye, but when he realized he didn't know what he'd say if he did, he stopped.

Leaning in a doorway, he sipped his Sprite and watched Sawyer get dragged to the makeshift dance floor by someone dressed like a Greek God.

Couple's costume?

he wondered.

The song was high energy; the two of them bounced along to the tempo, but when the song merged into something sexy, Zeus or Apollo, or whoever the fuck he was supposed to be, pulled Sawyer in by the waist and left his hands there. The gesture was familiar and intimate, and Griffin's hand closed too tightly around his Sprite cup, sending soda everywhere.

He went to find paper towels.

***

8.9: Griffin's phone read 4:07 AM. He should've been exhausted, but he was wide awake. Thinking about Sawyer.

He didn't know why. It would be easy to chalk it up to curiosity, but he'd be kidding himself if he tried to pretend that's all it was.

He'd lost sight of Sawyer and Apollo after the whole crushed cup incident. It was both a relief and disconcerting because he started thinking about all the places they could've gone and what they might've been doing.

Thankfully, he'd collided with his teammates. They distracted him for a bit, but about an hour later, on his way back from the bathroom, he saw Sawyer and Apollo tucked into a corner. Sawyer had lost his helmet; his back was against the wall, relaxed and smiling. Apollo was close, that hand

still

on Sawyer's hip. His head was ducked, saying something in Sawyer's ear.

Griffin knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't stop watching. Not when Sawyer nodded at whatever Apollo said. Not when Apollo closed the distance between them. Not when they were chest to chest, but when it was clear they were going to kiss, when Apollo's other hand cupped the side of Sawyer's face, he finally looked away. He had to. He wasn't sure what he would've done if he hadn't.

Griffin didn't think he was queer. He'd had a range of girlfriends and hookups since he was in ninth grade. He'd recently been in a dry spell, though, but that couldn't have anything to do with Sawyer. They'd only met earlier this month. Add in the time they'd been spending together and that Griffin had always been into blondes and it made sense, right?

He just needed his dick (which had been chubbin' as he sorted through his thoughts) to get the memo.

***

9: Griffin was determined to go into Tuesday's session and not make things weird (since Sawyer seemed to inspire the quality time his hand and dick spent together this weekend). But no matter how hard he tried to focus on derivatives and primes, all he could think about was Sawyer and Apollo and bare chests and--

"Sawyer."

"Hmm?" Inquisitive eyes peered at him from over his shoulder.

"I, uh, I saw you and your boyfriend at the party, and I wasn't sure if that's something you wanted me to know."

"Oh." Sawyer turned, his expression unreadable.

"And since you said we didn't really know each other, I just wanted you to know that I know that you're gay, and I'm cool with it! In case you thought I wouldn't be." He snapped his mouth shut so forcefully that his teeth clicked together, knowing that he had not succeeded in not making things weird.

"Thank you for approaching the subject respectfully."

"Of course, man. I didn't wanna overstep any boundaries."

"I appreciate that, but to your point, I'm bi, and Derrick's not my boyfriend." He shrugged, turning back to the whiteboard.

Griffin pretended to learn Calculus for the rest of the hour.

*

9.5: Griffin's thoughts were an echo chamber as he walked back to his dorm that night.

I'm bi, and Derrick's not my boyfriend. I'm bi, and Derrick's not my boyfriend. I'm bi, and Derrick's not my boyfriend.

It should mean nothing to him, but somehow it meant everything.

***

10: After practice, Griffin let his eyes roam over his teammates. Strong shoulders. Defined chests. Thick torsos. He even quickly glanced at a few dicks.

Objectively, they were nice--their bodies, not just their dicks--but none of it felt like it did with Sawyer, whose stupid (not stupid) smile was tattooed on the inside of his eyelids. Whose bare skin came back to him in his dreams. Whose lean body could (probably) handle all 237 lbs. of him without complaint.

When his own dick twitched between his legs, he tightened his towel around his waist and headed for the shower.

***

11: Griffin was about 87% sure that he had a crush on Sawyer, and he didn't know what to do.

When he'd been into a girl, he'd just go for it--let her know he was into her, flex a muscle or two, and ask her out, tell her he wanted to get to know her better, whether that was true or not.

Even if the rules were the same for guys, with Sawyer being his tutor, he couldn't exactly make a move. Sawyer was the only reason he was passing, and Griffin couldn't mess that up.

So, he did the next best thing and tried to figure out ways they could spend more time together that didn't seem like he was reaching.

While working on some practice problems, Griffin asked, "Do you ever come to any of the football games?" He consciously didn't say "my football games".

"I've been to a few, but this semester has just been so busy. I haven't had a lot of free time."

"Well," he started, hoping he sounded nonchalant, "if you ever have the time, you should come to one. It would mean a lot to me."

Griffin was learning Sawyer's smiles. This one was new; it was playful and pleased and made Griffin's stomach flutter?

"Yeah?"

He could feel heat in his cheeks, but he kept his cool. "Yeah. You're helping me stay on the team and on the field, so it'd be cool if you came."

"When's the next home game?"

"This Friday."

"Hmm." He picked up his phone and swiped through a few screens. "I should be able to make it."

"Yeah?" Griffin tried not to sound too eager, fighting the smile threatening to unfold across his lips.

"Yeah."

Griffin was about 94% sure that he had a crush on Sawyer.

***

12: Griffin didn't get nervous before games. He understood why some people did. All those watching eyes. One wrong move could tip the scales toward winning or losing, but Griffin knew his capabilities and trusted his team.

He didn't do nervous, but tonight was different. Tonight, his body was vibrating for a whole other reason.

As they jogged onto the field for their warm-up, he tried not to make it too obvious he was scanning the crowd. The stadium was a wave of red and white--hoodies and pom poms, foam fingers and jerseys.

Sawyer said he'd make a sign so Griffin would know he was there.

Between the shifting crowd and his steady pace, he was on his second lap around the field before he spotted it:

G(O) G(R)iFF(i)N!

If one of his teammates looked hard enough they would see his blush. He'd never been more thankful for his helmet.

*

12.5: Griffin's phone buzzed loudly from the top shelf of his locker. The screen showed a new text from Sawyer. He quickly punched in his passcode.

GREAT game, Griff! That last pass was so smooth.

Erickson bumped him roughly with his shoulder. "Who's got you grinning at your phone like that, Reecey?"

"It's nothing. Nobody."

"Those red cheeks say otherwise!" He poked him in the side but, thankfully, he didn't push any further.

Thanks! I'm glad you came! Your poster was very... functional.

Sawyer laugh reacted to his message.

Glad you liked it!

Griffin more than liked it. He wanted to hang it on the wall of his room. He wanted to see Sawyer. Instead, he asked:

Coming to the bonfire?

Can't. Early morning but enjoy your night. You deserve it! 😊

His smile fell.

Bummer. See you Tuesday.

This time he got a heart react, and Griffin's smile was back.

***

13: "Sawyer." Griffin ran his hands over his face, pressing fingers into the bridge of his nose. "I need a break."

"Okay. Let's take a break."

Griffin nodded toward the door. "Take a walk with me?"

"Yeah. Sure. Do I need my coat?"

"Nope."

Griffin had never been a study-in-the-library kind of guy. He'd mostly studied in friends' rooms or at the café, and since he had a single this year, he didn't feel the need to find other places to work. So, when he started leading Sawyer through the library shelves, he had no idea where they were going.

It didn't take them long to find a quiet, unoccupied corner. The books and shelves were covered in a layer of dust that suggested this section wasn't frequented. Griffin slid down the wall and rested his arms on his knees. Sawyer followed his lead. Their shoulders were brushing when he settled in beside him.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Griffin said with a sigh. "It's been a long week, and I need to think about non-school related things for a few minutes. So, please, tell me something about yourself that's not related to school or tutoring. Something I'd never guess."

"Okay. Well, only six other people on this campus know this, so if it gets out, I'll know who to blame."

Griffin held out his fist. "Bro code."

Sawyer returned the gesture and said, "I am professionally trained in ballroom dance."

"No fucking way. Really?"

"Yeah. My mom is a dance teacher, so, naturally, my sister and I were trained. I competed up until I graduated high school." He leaned into his shoulder. "Your turn. What's something about Griffin I'd never guess?"

I like you.

Sometimes, you're all I think about.

Griffin quickly glanced down at Sawyer's mouth.

I would kiss you, if you'd let me.

"I love K-pop. BTS. Stray Kids. BLACKPINK. TWICE. It's my favorite thing to work out to."

Sawyer grinned. "You're right. I would've never guessed that."

"Yeah. It's upbeat, fun, and something you could probably jive to." Griffin gently shimmied his shoulder into Sawyer's.

"Oh, what do you know about ballroom dancing?"

"Only what I've learned from watching

Dancing with the Stars

with my grandma."

"Oh, my God!" Sawyer exclaimed, turning into him and laying a hand on his forearm. "That is so stinking cute."

Their faces were millimeters apart. Sawyer's eyes were storm clouds, captivating and electric. He didn't want to look away, but Griffin's gaze dipped to Sawyer's mouth long enough that it couldn't have gone unnoticed. If he just leaned in, he'd

finally

know what Sawyer's lips tasted like but--

He cleared his throat and leaned back, dropping his head against the wall. There was still about a month left in the semester, and Sawyer was his best bet at passing.

"Next question," he said, hoping to ease the tension. "What's your favorite holiday tradition?"

"Well, it's not a holiday tradition, exactly, but..." Griffin breathed a sigh of relief when Sawyer answered without commenting on what almost happened.