✘ ✘ well, i never really ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ that you'd come 𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 when the crown hangs 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 on 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 give me one l̶a̶s̶t̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ while we're ｆａｒ ｔｏｏ ｙｏｕｎｇ to die isaac upton. english lit professor &. loving father.
“ that’s what dads are for isn’t it ? “ katie puts out both of her hands, the bleach mainly on her fingers and a little bit on the palms of her hands. “ it’s okay dad, we’ll figure it out together. hopefully we can figure out some way to stop the burning. and i can honestly say ? i’ll never do this again. not without gloves.“
“have you tried just washing it off ??” isaac suggested, sure that he would easily win the world’s dumbest dad award for a comment like that. he was clueless. “maybe we could ask your sister--- or we could facetime mom ??” he truly felt out of his depth here. parenting normally didn’t stump him in the slightest, but hair bleach ?? “look katie, i’ve only been near this stuff once, and it’s when a girlfriend bleached my hair in high school. i never even touched it myself !! um... would aloe vera do anything ?? aloe vera works on burns..”
“So, according to Lizzo’s ‘Truth Hurts…” He began, glancing down at the social media feed on his cellphone, mindlessly scrolling through some of the singer’s most recents posts. “She took a DNA test it turns out she is 100% that bitch, right?” Biting the inside of his lip in thought, he let out a soft laugh, realizing how silly this must have sounded to his friend sitting with him, but he proceeded anyway. “Is it a 50/50 split of various bitchiness from her mother and father, or do ‘that bitch’ qualities transcend normal genetics? Do you think that the DNA test she took was administered at her home, or did she go to a lab dedicated to finding out your ‘that bitch’ percentage?” He questioned, taking a sip from his drink before setting it back down on the table. KC clicked his tongue, peering up at his new friend from across the table, adding, “Much to think about.”
“maybe it’s a new test, like a new 23andme-type thing ??” isaac suggested, looking absolutely puzzled, but nonetheless trying to follow the other’s train of thought. “i think it’d be 50/50, though, definitely,” he decided with a nod. he swirled the coffee in his hand, if only to take his mind off how absolutely perplexed he was by the seemingly random musings. still, he couldn’t say he wasn’t amused. “i don’t think singers actually put this much thought into their songs, though. i think your questions will remain unanswered..”
“ figures the one time i need mom she’s not here.“ it’s a huff that leaves katie’s mouth, although she’s just frustrated. “ i don’t know.. maybe ? you know of anyway to get bleach off my hands ? “
“that’s always the case, isn’t it ?? the person you need not being there.. hence why i’m always here,” isaac chuckled. he reached out a hand, wanting to have a look at hers. “i really don’t know much about this kind of stuff, katie love. i’m sure there’s a way, though. i doubt you’re the first person to have done this.”
✦ ——— • Now she can judge. Not that she would verbally say anything. ❝I hope you aren’t clumsy all of the time.❞ Casual even when she has this want to mainline caffeine and finish the notes she has stashed in her back waiting to be redone because there isn’t enough information to help her plan her essay, which had to be perfect. ❝I got it..do you want help carrying this to your room?❞ Because that is the polite thing to do. Aurora can’t help but give a soft smile. She was always either too late for a class or too early for one.
“i was just in a hurry,” he explained with a sigh, getting down on his knees to collect some of his paperwork. “you know you’re not supposed to see any of this, right ?? top secret professor stuff,” isaac spoke jokingly, trying to stuff some things back into his previously overpacked bag to no avail. “i’d appreciate the help,” he nodded, now instead settling for balancing as much stuff as he could into his arms. “god knows i need the help, actually,” he chuckled.
“ whoever said bleach comes off hands, is lying.“ katie says in disappointment, she had been trying to bleach her roots and now she had bleach stained fingers. “ guess that’s what i get for listening to reviews online that said this hair dye wouldn’t do this.“
“to be fair, seeing as mom’s not here right now, it was either asking google or asking me. neither would’ve gotten you the right answer in this scenario,” isaac mused, trying to hide the grin on his face, “is there anything i can do to help, katie ??”
✦ ——— • Aurora was just trying to find a new normal since she took a SLIGHTLY less hectic course load this semester in hopes of not running herself into the ground or worse, her mental health tanking, she is gonna do it for herself. Watching as SOMEONE drops the contents of the bag on the ground and who is the one to dive to get it? The nineteen-year-old who is way too short and already “halfway there”. ❝Clumsy or just a bad day?❞ Aurora is quick to start gathering items into her arms so that she will be able to hand it back. ❝Because I can’t judge.❞ @arlesreblogs·
he was in hurry. of course he was in a hurry, things only go wrong when you’re in a hurry. he had a coffee in one hand, open bag in the other, trying to find that one specific book that he just needed right now. he’d been running late for class, rushing just a little too carelessly in his current setup. then, expectedly, everything came crashing down, the contents of his bag spilling onto the floor, his coffee going right after them. isaac counted himself lucky for the coffee not ending up all over his works, but rather it being spilled on his feet. he grimaced. “can i say both ?? i’m gonna say both.”
― ✮ [ MUSE 61, CHRIS EVANS, HE|HIM, CISMALE ] hey, check it out! it’s [ ISAAC UPTON ], the [ 42 ] year old [ COLLEGE PROFESSOR ]. some people might say they’re [ - OVERPROTECTIVE ] and [ - ANXIOUS ], but their children will swear they’re [ + ELOQUENT ] and [ + GENEROUS ]. and you didn’t hear it from me, but rumor has it, they’re hiding [ HE’S BEEN SLEEPING WITH A STUDENT ].
hiding in itchy sweaters, shoes off in front of the fire, the smell of old books, bitten nails, egg salad sandwiches, saying you don’t drink but still having a good scotch, always having buttery sweets to hand out, being everyone’s shoulder to cry on, panic attacks in the bathroom, waiting all night for the kids to come home, unnecessary glasses that are just there to look pretty, you are just there to look pretty.
this is isaac upton. he was born to a single teen mom in new york, and was always desperate for her approval. his mother was a lovely, but very misguided woman, often bringing home men at inappropriate times and in inappropriate situations. isaac often felt like he had to compete to get her attention, and it hurt. when he wasn’t trying to win her over to play his mom instead of play a party girl, he’d be fending for himself, finding that easier than waiting for someone to care for him.
he dealt with anxiety issues from very early on. he never had a lot of stability, people in and out of his house, no idea of when there’d next be food, no clue if he’d be comforted when he cried. isaac’s panic attacks got more and more intense, until someone at school started noticing he didn’t seem to be doing too well.
he was placed into the foster system at age 9, after a traumatic separation from his mother. sure, she hadn’t been providing for him well enough to thrive, but she was still his mother. isaac hadn’t felt safe before, and now definitely wasn’t going to feel safe again, moving from place to place every time he got rejected after lashing out at his new foster families.
his one escape was literature; the books he got, he got to keep. the stories an escape from his real world, a constant. it was no surprise he grew up to be an english lit professor.
he met the love of his life at 17 and clung to her like she was his whole world. they ran away together, grew up together, ended up fostering together. and that was important to him, the fostering. he never felt understood while going through the system himself, he needed to be that figure for others, if only to suppress the frustration he felt about the whole situation for years.
he loves his wife and his children more than anything, he really does. but he just feels like he can’t be anything but strong for them. he needs to be someone his wife can rely on, someone his children can talk to without worry. and in order for him to be that person, he needs his own issues and anxieties to take a backseat. and it’s hard. it’s like he’s putting on a mask most of the time.
he’s now found an escape, though. one he feels incredibly guilty about, but a habit he just can’t seem to kick. he’s been sleeping with one of his students, confiding them in how he really feels about his life, allowing himself to be vulnerable for once. he’s an awful person for it, he knows it too, but he can’t see a way out at this point.
Loneliness is like a drug. You know it’s bad for you, yet you keep going back because it feels good. When you are on it, you feel like you are invincible. Nothing can hurt you. But then suddenly you realize it’s not real.
