Chapter Text
William slouched on the couch, scrolling through his phone, ignoring the buzz of his brother's voice in the background. Nathan, his older brother by four years, was pacing the living room, trying to convince him to come along to some stupid hangout. "Come on, Will, you're gonna rot in this house if you keep saying no to everything," Nathan said, tossing a cushion at him.
William dodged it without looking up, "I'm fine right here, thanks. Go bore someone else with your 'fun' plans."
Nathan groaned, "You're such a brat, you know that? I'm trying to get you out of this cave you call a life."
"Call it whatever you want," William shot back, "I'm not in the mood to third-wheel your bro-fest."
Nathan rolled his eyes, "It's not a bro-fest, it's just a few of us grabbing food. Est is coming, by the way."
William's fingers froze on his phone screen. Est. The name hit like a spark in his chest, and he hated how it made his pulse jump. Est Supha, Nathan's best friend, the guy who'd been a fixture in their lives since William was a scrawny freshman. The same guy who showed up to William's high school graduation two years ago, all sharp cheekbones and easy smiles, making William's brain short-circuit. Since then, every time Est was around, William turned into a mess, half-shy, half-snapping, always trying to play it cool while his insides did backflips.
He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on his phone, "Est, huh? What's he doing slumming it with you?"
Nathan smirked, sensing the shift in William's tone but too used to his brother's antics to care, "What, you got a problem with Est now? Thought you liked him."
"Like him?" William scoffed, tossing his phone onto the couch, "He's your friend, not mine. He's... fine, I guess."
"Fine my ass." Nathan muttered. "You coming or what?."
William opened his mouth to say no, but the front door swung open, and Est walked in, all casual swagger in a black leather jacket and jeans that fit too well for William's sanity. His dark eyes scanned the room, landing on William with a grin that felt like a dare, "Yo, Will, you joining us?"
William's stomach twisted, but he schooled his face into a scowl, "Don't call me Will. And no, I'm good."
Nathan snorted, "Told you, Est. He's allergic to fun"
Est shrugged, leaning against the wall, "Suit yourself, kid. More food for us."
William bristled, "I'm not a kid."
Nathan cackled, "And there's the brat. Told you, Est, he's a nightmare."
Est's grin was lazy, unbothered, "Yeah, I've noticed. Always snapping at me like I stole his lunch money."
William's face heated, and he hated how Est's teasing made his chest tight. "Whatever," he muttered, standing to escape, "I'm not hungry anyway."
Est raised an eyebrow, "You sure? Nate says you're basically a vacuum when it comes to food."
"Shut up," William snapped, brushing past him toward the stairs, ignoring the way his skin tingled when their arms grazed. "Have fun with your bro date."
Nathan laughed, "Bro date? You're so weird, man."
Est just chuckled, following Nathan out, "Later, kid."
William waited until the door clicked shut before groaning, dragging a hand down his face. Why did Est have to be so... Est? It was infuriating, and the worst part was, William couldn't stop thinking about him.
---
William was drowning in calculus. His final was looming, and his grades were a mess. He stared at his textbook, the numbers blurring into nonsense, and slammed it shut. His dad had been on his case about getting a tutor, but William wasn't about to let some stranger lecture him like he was an idiot.
Downstairs, Nathan was sprawled on the couch, eating chips, when William wandered in, looking for a distraction. "You still failing calculus?" Nathan asked, not looking up from his phone.
"I'm not failing," William snapped, flopping into an armchair, "I'm just... not acing it."
Nathan snorted, "That's one way to put it. Dad's gonna hire someone to fix your GPA, you know."
"I don't need a tutor," William said, crossing his arms, "I can handle it."
"Sure you can," Nathan said, tossing a chip at him, "That's why you're stress-eating my snacks."
William caught the chip and ate it, "Screw you. I'm fine."
Nathan shook his head, "You're so stubborn. Good luck with that final."
William flipped him off, but his stomach churned. He wasn't fine, and he knew it. But the idea of some random tutor scolding him made his skin crawl. He'd rather fail than deal with that.
---
A week later, William was in the kitchen, arguing with Nathan again. "I told you, I don't need a damn tutor!" he yelled, slamming his water glass on the counter.
Nathan threw his hands up, "Fine, fail then! See if I care!"
"I'm not gonna fail, you moron!" William shot back, his pride stinging.
Nathan grabbed his phone, scrolling through his contacts, "You know what? I'm done. I found you a tutor, but never mind, deal with it yourself." He hit call, and William's heart stopped when he heard, "Hey, Est, you free to talk?"
William's eyes widened, and he lunged for the phone, "Wait, who's the tutor?"
Nathan held the phone out of reach, frowning, "It's Est, you idiot. Who else?"
William's brain short-circuited. Est? Tutoring him? Hours alone with Est, leaning over textbooks, close enough to— He shook the thought off, trying to keep his voice steady, "Fine. I'll let him teach me."
Nathan's jaw dropped, "Wait! What did you just say?"
William rolled his eyes, "You heard me. Tell Est I'm okay with it."
Nathan stared, "Okay, who are you, and what did you do with my brother?"
"Just make the call, dumbass," William snapped, storming to his room. The second he was alone, he started frantically tidying, shoving clothes under the bed and stacking his books neatly. He caught his reflection in the mirror and groaned, "Get it together, Will. It's just Est."
---
Friday evening, Est showed up, and Nathan was lounging on the couch, barely looking up from his phone, "Will's upstairs, just head up, man."
Their mom smiled from the kitchen, "Such lazy boys. Est, do you want me to show you to William's room?"
Est waved her off, "No worries, Aunty. Just point me in the right direction."
She beamed, "Such a polite boy," and gestured toward the stairs.
Est climbed the steps, his boots heavy on the wood, and knocked on William's door. No answer. He knocked again, then a third time, before pushing the door open, "Will, you in here?"
The room was empty, but before he could leave, William stepped out of the bathroom, shirtless, a towel slung over his shoulder. Est's eyes widened, and he quickly turned away, "Shit. Didn't know you were... uh, busy."
William smirked, leaning against the doorframe, "It's fine. Gimme a sec to get dressed."
Est kept his eyes on the wall, "Yeah, take your time, kid."
William's smirk faltered, his cheeks flushing at the casual dismissal in Est's tone. He yanked a shirt over his head, muttering, "I'm not a kid."
Est turned back, unfazed, "Sure, whatever you say. Nice touch with the organized desk, though. Trying to impress me?"
William bristled, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Est chuckled, dropping his bag on the floor, "Right. Ready to tackle some calculus, or you still gonna pretend you've got this?"
William glared, but his heart was racing, "Just teach me something useful, alright?"
Est pulled up a chair, "That's the plan, kid. Let's go."
- - - - -
William sat at his desk, pencil tapping against his notebook, trying to focus on the calculus problem Est had scribbled out. Est was leaning back in a chair, arms crossed, looking bored but patient, like he was humoring a younger sibling. His dark hair fell into his eyes as he tilted his head, watching William struggle, "You're messing up the chain rule again."
William's pencil snapped, "I'm not messing up anything. This problem's just dumb."
Est raised an eyebrow, "The problem's fine."
William glared, "If you're so great, why don't you do it?"
Est shrugged, "I could, but then you'd learn nothing. And I'm not here to do your homework, kid."
William's jaw clenched, "Stop calling me kid. I'm nineteen."
Est snorted, "Nineteen's still a kid, Will. Deal with it."
William's face burned, and he hated how Est's casual dismissal made his crush feel even more pathetic. Est didn't see him as anything but Nathan's annoying little brother, and it stung more than he'd admit. "Whatever," he muttered, scribbling furiously to hide his embarrassment, "Just explain it again."
Est leaned forward, pointing at the notebook, "Alright, pay attention this time. You're skipping steps here. Slow down, and it'll click."
William tensed, hyper-aware of Est's arm brushing his as he pointed. He tried to focus on the explanation, but his brain was stuck on how close Est was, how his voice was calm and steady, like he didn't even notice the effect he had. "Got it," William said, his voice tighter than he meant.
Est sat back, "Good. Now try the next one."
William grit his teeth, determined to prove he wasn't some helpless kid. He worked through the problem, his heart pounding every time Est glanced at him, but Est's expression stayed neutral, like he was just doing Nathan a favor. When William finished, he shoved the notebook over, "There. Done."
Est scanned it, nodding, "Not bad. You might actually pass this thing."
William smirked, "Told you I didn't need a tutor."
Est rolled his eyes, "Sure, keep telling yourself that. You're lucky you know, I don't do this for just anyone."
William's stomach twisted, but he played it off, "Yeah, well, don't expect me to thank you."
Est laughed, "Wouldn't dream of it, kid."
---
Downstairs, Nathan was eating chips when their mom walked in, "Nathan, why aren't you helping your brother with his studies?"
Nathan snorted, "Because he's a pain in the ass who'd rather fail than listen to me. Est's handling it."
Their mom smiled, "Est is such a nice boy. So patient."
"Yeah, he's a saint," Nathan muttered, "Meanwhile, Will's probably up there throwing a fit."
Upstairs, William was not throwing a fit, but he was close. He'd solved another problem, and Est gave him a curt nod, "Better. Keep it up."
William leaned back, crossing his arms, "See? I'm not as hopeless as you think."
Est smirked, "Never said you were hopeless. Just stubborn."
William's heart did a stupid flip, but he pushed it down, "Whatever. You're not exactly a great teacher."
Est raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I'm sorry, your highness. Want me to roll out the red carpet next time?"
William flushed, "Shut up. Just... keep going."
The session dragged on, with William hyper-aware of every move Est made, the way he tapped his pen, the way his voice dipped when he explained something. Est, meanwhile, was oblivious, treating William like he was just another chore. By the end, William was exhausted, not from calculus but from trying to act normal around the guy he was stupidly, hopelessly crushing on.
Est stood, stretching, "Alright, that's enough for today. You're getting there, kid."
William glared, "Stop calling me kid."
Est grinned, unbothered, "No promises. See you next week."
William watched him go, his chest tight. He collapsed onto his bed, groaning, "I'm so screwed."
---
The next tutoring session came too fast, and William was a wreck. He'd spent the week replaying every moment with Est, hating how much he cared about someone who barely noticed him. By Friday, he was determined to keep his cool, but the second Est walked in, all leather jacket and easy confidence, William's resolve crumbled.
"You're late," William said, crossing his arms.
Est checked his watch, "By, like, a minute. Relax, princess."
William's jaw dropped, "Princess? Seriously?"
Est grinned, dropping his bag, "What? It fits. You're all prickly and dramatic."
"I'm not dramatic," William snapped, his cheeks burning, "You're just annoying."
Est shrugged, "And yet, I'm here. You're welcome, by the way."
William muttered under his breath, turning to his desk to hide his flush. Est was doing this for Nathan, not him, and that stung more than he wanted to admit. "Just start teaching," he said, voice low.
Est pulled up a chair, "Yes, sir. Let's get to it."
The session was brutal. Est was patient but firm, pointing out every mistake with a casual bluntness that made William want to scream. He was trying so hard to impress him, but Est didn't seem to care, just kept explaining things like he was talking to a kid. William's crush made every correction feel personal, and by the end, he was frayed.
He shoved a solved problem at Est, "There. Happy?"
Est scanned it, nodding, "Not bad. You're getting the hang of it."
William smirked, "Told you I'm not an idiot."
Est snorted, "Never said you were. You're just... a lot."
William's heart skipped, but he played it off, "A lot? What's that supposed to mean?"
Est leaned back, "Means you're a handful, kid. Nate wasn't kidding."
William's stomach sank. Of course, it was about Nathan. Always Nathan. "Whatever," he muttered, "You can go now."
Est stood, grabbing his bag, "See you next week, princess."
William threw a pencil at him, but Est dodged, laughing as he left. The second the door closed, William buried his face in his hands, muttering, "Why do I even bother?"