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After about eight hours of restless sleep, half a pot of coffee, and a rerun of The Office, Simon Fischer came to the conclusion that he needed a wardrobe refresh. Why he didn’t go shopping for clothes the day before, he didn’t know. Almost every article of clothing was bound to give him heat stroke in the hot California weather (that he was not used to yet), and the clothes that were a little lighter weren’t exactly middle school teacher appropriate. How would his students treat him if he just rolled up in jorts and a gauzy button up?
Five outfit changes later, Simon settles on a pair of brown slacks, a crisp, white, long sleeve button up, and his worn and loved loafers. Simple enough to start the school year. His number one priority for the weekend is to find clothes a bit more suitable for the weather. Simon attaches his prosthetic arm, grabs his reading glasses, and ties his hair up. Gathering his belongings, he makes his way out the door and into whatever the universe will throw at him.
As Simon gets into his car, he can feel the pit in his stomach grow. He’s in an unfamiliar area, starting a new job with no one he knows, and no one to write home to about it either.
Simon left his hometown in Maine about two months ago after an incident with a coworker at his old school district. This coworker was friendly with everyone, but with Simon especially. Simon, not being one to make friends, rejected their advances. After many painful conversations and failed attempts at asking Simon out, they ended up with a broken nose, and Simon ended up jobless. Not exactly teacher material. Thankfully, on the other side of the country in San Francisco, a school district was willing to look past Simon’s mistakes, given his track record as a teacher and scholar. Which is how he ended up in the sweltering heat of California, instead of the cold air in Maine.
White-knuckling the steering wheel, Simon pushes away any thoughts of his past and tries to get into the right headspace for his students. As much as he hated his experience at his old school last year, he always loved working with kids. Ever since he was younger, he knew he wanted to be a teacher. Helping children learn and watching them grow into themselves always makes his heart swell. The thought of having a new class with (hopefully) an eagerness to learn excites him, and practically washes away any dread he had in the morning.
“Just another start to the school year,” Simon mutters to himself. “Just get through today.” With a sigh, he steps out of the car and walks through the doors of Grover Cleveland Middle School.
——
A few miles away, Ryland Grace wakes up about half an hour late.
“Fudge!” he yelps as he looks at the time. He only has forty-five minutes to get ready and to get to his class on time.
Grace runs to his dresser and throws clothes around haphazardly, and settles on a basic pair of khakis, a light blue button up, and his blazer for his cold classroom.
He makes no effort to do his hair, and throws his white sneakers on before grabbing his backpack and running out the door. Grace hops on his bike and heads off to school.
As he’s biking, Grace lets the wind wake him up more. This year will mark his seventh year of teaching, one of his only joys in life. Sure, hanging out with his brother Colt, his sister-in-law Jody and his best friend Rocky was always nice, and watching sappy rom-coms was great, and hell, even biking was fun sometimes, but teaching always made Grace happy. After years of studying science in college and writing paper upon paper on god knows what, Grace has no regrets on choosing to be a teacher at the end of the day. Teaching kids new things about the planet and space and science in general always made him happy.
So as he comes up to the entrance of the Grover Cleveland Middle School, Grace can’t help but smile to himself, thinking about how this year will unfold. Grace, ever the klutz, didn’t even think to look up before bumping right into the man in front of him, and subsequently falling flat on the ground with his papers fluttering about.
——
If there’s one thing you should know about Simon, it’s that he doesn’t like talking to people. Usually.
So when this tall, lanky man runs straight into him and falls on his ass, Simon’s first instinct is to roll his eyes and say something curt.
This time, however, he bites his tongue.
The man in question is by far the most beautiful man Simon has ever seen. Wide blue eyes stare up at him, a blue that Simon wants to wade in. They practically sparkle. His mouth is agape, whether in embarrassment or an attempt at an apology, Simon doesn’t know. He doesn’t care if he’s being honest. All he’s thinking about is kissing that mouth. The stranger’s cheeks are tinged pink, as well as the tips of his ears. His glasses are slightly askew from the collision. Before he can even realize he’s staring, the man starts cleaning up the mess he made. Simon snaps out of it and immediately drops to the floor and helps.
“Jeez, I’m so sorry! I should’ve been watching where I was going, I’m so so sorry-“ Grace starts.
“Don’t worry about it,” Simon interrupts gruffly. “I should’ve moved out of the way.” Of course he’d blame himself for the mess. No way he would let this angel on earth apologize for anything.
The two men finish gathering their papers and make their way back to their feet. As they get up, Simon can’t help but notice how the other man is taller than him, and how charming his messy hair was. He even has some muscle, which was unfairly attractive.
Fixing his glasses, Grace apologizes again. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even realize you were there.” Before Simon can interrupt again and say it was okay, Grace continues and holds out his hand. “My name is Ryland Grace, but my coworkers just call me Grace. Are you a new teacher here?”
Despite his desire to just keep staring at Grace, Simon forces himself to talk. “Simon Fischer. I’m a new teacher in the English department. It’s nice to meet you.” He takes Grace’s hand in a firm handshake. His hands are so soft and warm, he thinks to himself. Definitely not turning red at the thought.
“Oh, I heard they hired someone new this year! If you want, we can walk there together! I’m a science teacher, and my classroom is right by the English department rooms,” Grace babbles for no particular reason.
Simon silently cheers at the concept of Grace’s room being close to his. “Sure,” he replies, trying to hide any excitement. God, I’m acting like a high schooler with a crush! What the fuck is wrong with me!
As the two walk the corridors, Grace tries not to word vomit all over this man he just met. But it’s hard to keep quiet when the man happens to be lethally hot. If he stays silent, Grace might blow a fuse.
Grace stole glances as they walked side by side. Simon had dark brown eyes, a pair that Grace wouldn’t mind getting lost in. His brows were furrowed, but he didn’t look angry. It was almost as if that was his resting face. He had a few ear piercings, and a scar just below his eye. His dark hair was tied up into a bun, and Grace wanted to do nothing more than take it out and run his hands through it. Not to mention the man is built as hell. He’s not grossly buff, but Simon has muscles that Grace would love to sink his teeth into-let’s just stop talking about that for now.
Simon snapped him out of his thoughts. “How long have you taught here?” he asks.
“This will be my seventh year here! I really like the school and the area, and the students are always great,” Grace says enthusiastically.
Simon looks him up and down. Not necessarily to admire him more, though it’d be a lie if he said it wasn’t entirely that, but because he noticed Grace’s choice in clothing. A blazer? In this heat?
“You’re wearing a blazer in this weather? How are you not fucking melting?” Simon asks incredulously, forgetting to filter his words for a second.
Grace laughs in response. Simon turns a bit red, not out of embarrassment, but more because Grace’s laughter is a sound he will always want to hear. Alas, he’s still confused.
“Simon, it’s barely 79 degrees out! It’s not that hot! If you think this is hot, you’re really in for it when summer’s actually here,” Grace says with a giggle.
Simon gawks at Grace. “The fuck do you mean it’s not that hot?”
“You’re just being dramatic.”
“No I’m not! I’m practically soaking this shirt right now!”
“Are you from Alaska? Why are you so sweaty?”
Simon sighs. “No, I’m from Maine. It gets pretty chilly there this time of year. And I’m now realizing that maybe this isn’t a good conversation to be having if I want to make a good first impression with you.”
Grace blushes slightly at that. Why would he care about making a good first impression? He shakes away the thought. Right as he’s about to ask why Simon moved across the country, he notices students walking around. Grace checks his watch. It’s 8:15 already, fifteen minutes before the bell rings.
“Ah, I’m sorry Simon, but I should really get going. It’s already going to be time for class to start and I haven’t really finished setting up yet.”
“It’s okay, I should be going now too,” Simon says. What he doesn’t say is how much he wants to stay talking to Grace and learn more about him. “It was nice meeting you Ryland. I hope to see you around.” And for the first time in months, Simon smiles. Not a big, beaming one, but a smile nonetheless.
Grace’s heart skips a beat hearing Simon call him by his first name. He realizes he only ever wants to hear his name from Simon’s lips and no one else’s.
As the two part ways, Simon and Grace try to steady their thoughts, and focus on the day ahead of them.
——
During his prep period, Grace goes through his mess of a bag and tries to sort the papers he stuffed in there earlier when he ran into Simon. Rifling through them, he finds some that don’t belong to him. They’re riddled with handwriting that’s neater than his, and they seem like lesson plans for a reading assignment on Pride and Prejudice. Grace knows a certain English teacher who might be frantically searching for these plans. He gets up and walks over to Simon’s class.
At the moment, Simon is going over his rubric for essays, when Grace knocks at his open door. Simon practically stumbles at the sight of him.
“Okay class, now tell your table group what you understood from my rubric and grading scale,” Simon instructs. As the room fills with the chatter of students, Simon walks over to Grace. “Hey Ryland, how can I help you?”
There it is again. His first name, Ryland. He says it so nicely. Before Grace can dwell on it more, he holds the papers out to Simon. “I found these in my bag. I think I might’ve taken them by accident, I’m sorry.”
Simon’s shoulders sag in relief. “Thank god! I was looking everywhere for these! Thank you Ryland.” He takes the papers from his hand, fingertips brushing on accident.
Grace swallows a gasp from the touch. It’s electric. He quickly hides his shock and beams back at Simon. “Of course! It’s my prep period right now, so if you need any-“
“Ooooh, Mr. Grace and Mr. Fischer are talking!” One of the students sings out. Soon enough, the classroom is giggling about how their teachers are “flirting” and singing songs about kissing in trees and baby carriages.
As annoyed as Simon is, he’s also incredibly flustered. The concept of Grace flirting with him is pleasing. As he turns to look at the other teacher, he finds Grace is blushing and covering his mouth from giggling.
“Don’t egg them on, Mr. Grace!” Simon exclaims.
Grace lets out a snort. “It’s not my fault they’re so funny!”
Simon rolls his eyes. “Okay everyone, say bye Mr. Grace!”
Grace is met with a chorus of voices saying goodbye, and as he walks down the hall, he can hear Simon’s booming voice talking about essay structures and more writing stuff that isn’t Grace’s expertise. He laughs to himself, and can’t help but wonder if it actually looked like they were flirting, or if it was just an eighth grade thing to do and tease your teachers.
He decides it must be the latter.
——
Grace all but collapses into his chair at 3:45. The last of the students left the school, and now he has time to prep a little for tomorrow and unwind from the crazy day. One of his students didn’t know how many continents there were, which was incredibly disturbing to Grace as someone who teaches the eighth grade. Another student thought it’d be funny to throw a giant wad of wet paper towels onto the ceiling. And finally, one of his students asked him to “do six seven,” and when Grace said he didn’t understand, his classroom started laughing and saying “Mr. Grace, you’re unc!” Whatever that means.
Grace sighs and rubs his face. It’s all worth it thought. Where the day had its downs, it definitely had its ups. Right as he opens his laptop, he gets a knock on the door. “Come in!” he shouts.
——
Simon also had a tough day. When going over the books he had planned to read with his class, he was met with a mix of groans and questions like, “Why do we have to read these boring books?” and “Do we have to write essays?”
Simon was exhausted, to say the least. Maybe kids in California were raised to be more vocal, because he doesn’t remember his students in Maine complaining so much. So when his final class was over and the stragglers left campus, he decided to go straight home.
As he walked out, he passed by Grace’s door. Simon stood and stared for a cool minute, debating on whether or not he should knock. He was worried he’d knock and Grace would be annoyed that he interrupted his prep time, or that he’d be so tired he didn’t even want to talk to Simon.
Swallowing his fear, Simon knocked instead. He heard a faint, “Come in!” and opened the door. He found Grace sitting at his desk, looking a little drained from the day, looking at his laptop. When Grace saw it was him, he straightened up a bit.
“Oh, Simon! I wasn’t expecting to see you,” Grace said, trying to keep calm. He for sure wasn’t freaking out over the fact that Simon came to his classroom. What are you, crazy?
“Yeah, it was kind of a long day. I just wanted to see if you were still here and…uhh…” Simon started. He wasn’t exactly sure why he came to see Grace. Well, he knew why, but he didn’t have a good lie. He can’t just tell Grace that he thinks he’s gorgeous and he wanted to ask him out. Before he could come up with something, Grace beat him to the punch.
“I had a long day too. I had a student who thought the Earth had just one big continent. That might be one of the worst moments ever in my teaching life,” Grace said with a sigh.
“Jesus, aren’t they thirteen?” Simon scoffed.
“Yeah, well, we didn’t get into this job for the money I guess,” Grace replied with a sad smile.
Simon smiled softly in return. They stood in silence for a moment, until they both tried to talk at once.
“So I-“
“Ryland-“
They laugh, until Grace prompts Simon, “What were you going to say?”
Simon swallows the lump in his throat. Suddenly, his mouth is dry and his hands start to sweat. He wants to ask Grace out so terribly, but all he can think about are the millions of ways it can go sideways. What if Grace says no? What if he reports him, or worse, never talks to him again?
He takes a breath.
In the short amount of time Simon has known Grace, he knows he doesn’t seem like the type to be cruel about something like that. Plus, he seemed entertained when his students were singing the childish song about them dating.
Rather than thinking about it more, Simon just goes for it.
“I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to get coffee sometime? I know we just met, but I’m interested in you, Ryland. I’d like to know more about you,” Simon all but blurts out.
Grace is, for the first time in his life, speechless. Simon doesn’t take this response well.
“Or not, it’s okay, I get it. It’s only my first day so I understand. I’m sorry I even asked, you can just forget about-“
“I’d love to go out with you.”
Simon’s brain goes kaput for a moment. “W-what?”
Grace shyly smiles. “I’d love to go out with you and get coffee. I want to learn more about you too, Simon.”
Simon is ready to melt into the floor. He smiles, truly, genuinely smiles, and says, “I’d love that too.”
The two men stare at each other for a bit. Not in uncomfortable silence, but companionable silence. A silence that doesn’t need to be filled.
Simon is the first one to say something. “Are you free tonight?”
Grace stutters out a response. “Yes! Is that too eager?” he giggles.
Simon chuckles. “Not eager at all. Are you ready to go now?”
Grace is already out of his seat and putting his blazer on. “Let’s blow this popsicle stand.”
Simon can’t help but laugh at that. “Okay, Veronica Sawyer, let’s get outta here then.”
The two walk down the hall with their bags in hand and debate on where to get coffee. Simon claims to know a good spot, but Grace ultimately gets the final decision because he’s been in San Francisco longer (and because Simon can’t say no to him).
As they swap stories over steaming mugs of coffee, Simon can’t help but feel thankful to the universe for sending this clumsy, beautiful, charming man his way. The two men talk with their hearts full, and how they never want this moment to end. When they go to bed tonight, they’ll think of each other, and when the next time they can see each other is, even if it’s a bit desperate.
And for the first time in a long time, they’re both truly happy.