Chapter Text
“Ms. Y/N, watch me, watch me!” Gabi calls, waving her arms in the air to catch your attention.
“I’m watching, go ahead.” You encourage her, smiling brightly when she does a successful cartwheel, her hair spilling from the loose braid one of her classmates had done for her during quiet reading.
You know teachers aren’t supposed to have favorite students. You tell each and every one of your students that you don’t have favorites, that you adore all of them equally, but Gabriella O’Hara holds a special place in your heart.
“Did you see, did you see?” She asks excitedly, running up to you, dark curls tumbling wildly around her shoulders.
You kneel down, and brush the hair back from her face, still smiling brightly. “I did, that was amazing, who taught you that?”
“My dad, he helped me practice.” She says, giving you a toothy grin, one front tooth missing from where she’d knocked it out eating an apple yesterday.
A tear-filled lunch that'd been until you reminded her that now the Tooth Fairy would come visit her. The idea of a sparkly fairy leaving her money in exchange for her tooth dried her tears quickly, and soon enough she was proudly showing off her lost tooth (safely contained in a Ziploc bag) to anyone who would listen.
“Well, it seems like your dad is a very good teacher, then.” You say, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze before her friends drag her back onto the playground.
You stand back up and rejoin the other first grade teachers.
“She’s adorable.” Janey says, nodding at Gabi, who's playing tag with a few other girls.
Janey teaches in the classroom next to yours. You both started teaching at the same time, but she’d been hired at Steve Rodgers Elementary a year before you. She's the first friend you made when you got hired, and soon you became close friends in and outside of work.
“She’s so well-behaved, too; I wish I knew who her mom was, so I could thank her.” You say, a slight grimace on your face, as you watch two boys from your class begin to shove each other.
You call out to them, and they stop, giving you guilty looks before running towards the swing sets.
“There’s no mom, she walked out on Gabi and her father after she was born.” Melissa says, her arms crossed over her chest as she watches her kids.
Melissa is a senior teacher at Rodgers Elementary, one of the best, a legend. A tough love works best kind of teacher with the confidence of a god, and a nose for gossip like you can’t believe.
“Oh, that’s so sad.” Your heart hurts for the sweet little girl who always wants to sit next to you during story time. Gabi has told you about her dad many times, but never mentioned her mom. You just assumed she was away for work often, or that they didn’t have many things in common, you never thought she just up and abandoned her.
You look at Gabi, watching as she helps one of her friends tie their shoes. Sitting beside them and patiently demonstrating on her own sneakers. How could anyone walk away from her?
“It is, but her dad…he’s hot, I’ve seen him in the pickup line, he’s like a male model or something.” Melissa says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
You give her an incredulous look. “Melissa! That’s a parent you’re talking about.”
She shrugs. “Hey, I’m married, I’m not gonna do anything, but one of you could.”
Janey turns her head to hide her laughter, and you smack her arm. “Janey, hitting on a child’s parent is wildly inappropriate, besides I have Todd.”
Melissa snorts, and you bite the inside of your cheek. Todd isn’t a popular man around the school, especially after what he pulled on your birthday.
The bell rings signaling the end of recess and your kids begin to line up, ending your conversation as the three of you are pulled in different directions.
There’s a knock at your door, and you look up from grading papers, to see Janey. “Hey y/n, Gabi’s father is here to see you?”
You shoot her a look of confusion and begin to tidy up your desk, then stand, smoothing out the wrinkles in your baby pink dress. “Oh, yeah, sure, let him in.”
Janey disappears, and the space is filled by a giant of a man. He towers over the desks, making them look even tinier than they already are. His shoulders are massive, his biceps you swear are bigger than your thighs, though you could be exaggerating, but you’re honestly not sure, and when he fixes those dark brown eyes on you, suddenly the floor beneath you feels unsteady.
“Mr. O’Hara, how can I help you?” You manage to get out, motioning for him to take a seat in front of his desk.
“I’ll stand.” He says curtly. His voice is deep, settling in your bones, the faint whisper of an accent, and confidence behind his words makes you nervous for a moment, then you recognize the feeling, not nerves…something else, something much more inappropriate.
“Oh—okay, is there something you need, is Gabi okay?” You ask, realizing she isn’t in the classroom with him.
“She’s fine, just sitting outside with her book.” He explains, his eyes piercing straight through you.
“Margaret and Margarita, right? Your daughter an exceptional reader, in both English and Spanish, you should be very proud.” You say, giving him a smile, hoping the compliment will soften his expression and make him look less like he wants to murder you.
Melissa was right, Mr. O’Hara is gorgeous. With a strong jawline, high cheekbones, a mess of thick dark hair, and perfectly formed lips, all tapering down to the body of an Adonis, clothed in a white button up that stretches across his broad chest, and black slacks that cling to his muscled legs like it's their job and rent is due next week. But his expression is flat, his eyes cold, his stance rigid.
“Why did you lie to my daughter?” He asks flatly, looking down at you, as if you're a bug on his windshield.
You blink up at him in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“You should be.”
An indignant expression flashes across your face before you can stop it, and you see Mr. O’Hara’s lip twitch. “I’m not apologizing, I’m asking for clarification.”
“You told Gabi that the Tooth Fairy was going to visit her, I wasn’t going to do the Tooth Fairy, she doesn’t need false hope.” He snaps, leaning forward slightly, towering over you.
The hair on your arms stands up, but you brush it off as a stab of guilt goes through you. He’s a single dad, maybe he can’t afford such frivolous traditions. “Mr. O’Hara, if this is a financial issue, I am so sorry. I should’ve tried to comfort her another way, my sincerest apologies.”
“This isn’t a financial issu—comfort her?” He stops midsentence, his brows furrowing.
“She was upset because she lost her tooth. It’s her first one, a ton of kids get a little scared, but the promise of a reward usually clears those tears right up.” You tell him, holding your hands up in a pacifying way as you talk.
His eyes dart down to your hands, then back to your eyes, lingering for a moment on your lips. “I didn’t—Gabi didn’t tell me she was scared.”
“She was probably a little embarrassed. She talks all the time about how brave you are and how she wants to be just like you when she grows up.”
His expression softens.
“I actually—you turn to rifle through your desk until you find Gabi’s latest assignment—have something for you.”
He takes the paper from you, and you can’t help but notice how his hands dwarf yours, his tanned skin is scattered with small scars, and his calloused fingertips brush against yours. “What's this?”
“I had the kids draw a picture of their hero and then write a few sentences about why that person is their hero. I think she was one of a few who didn’t draw Spiderman.” You laugh softly.
He cradles the paper and a soft smile spreads across his face as he reads her writing under his breath. “Porque mi papá lucha contra los monstruos en mi armario.”
“I had to look that one up, my Spanish is terrible.” You admit sheepishly, watching as he reads her words over and over again.
“Thank you, for this, and for comforting Gabi.” He says, folding the paper carefully and sliding it in his pocket.
“Of course, I love Gabi, she’s such a pleasure to have in class.”
He looks at you, really looks at you, and you’re struck by how similar he and Gabi are. They have the same nose, the same almost curls that frame their faces, and when he tilts his head ever so slightly to the side you almost burst out laughing. You can’t count the number of times you’ve seen Gabi do that exact same thing.
“You know Gabi talks a lot about you, how pretty you are, she was right.” His voice is low, smooth, and sends a jolt through you. Then he takes his leave, with you standing there stunned, wondering what the hell just happened to you.