KITY / I'm 18 and in college writing for fun ⭒ entj ⭒ pan + poly ⭒ she/her
Warnings / Some of my writing is suggestive and may contain spoilers. I warn for everything triggering at the top of the post.
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Multifandom blog mainly for Peter Parker, David!Superman, PHM, Cod, etc. I always warn for triggers and nsfw my key is in my masterlist. I would love to take requests or write from ideas you all have. ❤ I write mostly afab reader, some is gender neutral. (I will write dif genders on request)!
Extra info / If I ever make a mistake or you want to correct me on something feel free to reach out I want this to be an inclusive space and I don't want to hurt anyone with my writing!
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I hope you like my blog! Don't be scared to reach out ❤
Can folks stop turning Joel Miller into a shredded gym bro? This man does NOT have abs. He's soft-bellied, got that dad bod, and that's exactly why he's hot. Even the game proves his middle is pudgy. Stop rewriting him into something he's not. Keep this man simple and human.
watching the world cup has got me thinking about simon and kyle playing for england. and basically just being the bellingham/kane type duo just absolutely smashing it every game
john being england’s manager. retired player, one of the best to ever play. johnny playing for scotland. known for his temper and roughness on the pitch, loves going toe to toe with simon during matches
Idk if anyone else does this, but online I kinda just picture everyone as their pfp. Wdym there's a human writing ryland x reader fanfic and NOT a friendly Orca with cat ears 😨
Lol! I totally do that too! I'm definitely a friendly orca wdym human??
Okay okay idea for Mr. A. Reader and Ryland are in an awkward position bcs of the date and they kinda both haven't been talking with each other much and then y/n develops a bond with Mr. A bcs he's giving her advice and keeping her company to cheer her up and Ryland takes this the wrong way and BOOM misunderstanding angst 🤫🐟
I love the way you think anon! I used your recommendation to write chapter 12 and its out now! I hope you like it! :p
🍦🫐 Teacher!Ryland Grace x f Teacher!Reader
tw: Age gap (8yrs), Teacher inaccuracies (I’m not a teacher), slowwwburn, Grace being dorky, reader is super cute and silly, angst, flirting with someone who is not the person you are dating
wc: 2.5k
Plot/notes: After the awkward date you still have to go to school the next day.
The next morning is the first you’ve had where you aren’t looking forward to seeing Ryland at school. You crashed in your bed right after the date, not wanting to think about it.
Thank god you didn’t have his number and there wasn’t a whole ghosting ritual happening, would a thirty-four year old even partake in that? Either way you didn’t need your heart hurting even more.
When you got to school you made sure to get into your room quickly. You were maybe ten feet away when a kid comes up to you and asks if you can give them a final look over on their research paper.
“Of course Stephanie.” You grab the one page paper from her. When you look up you see Ryland with a mug in his hand and folders clasped in his arm. He looks like he was walking back from the teachers lounge. Before he can give an awkward smile or say hi with a cracked voice you turn into your classroom.
And it’s like that for the rest of the day. Awkward glances and tummies full of something that is definitely not butterflies.
Thats when Mr.Adam steps in. You know it’s wrong to flirt when theres still unfinished business with Ryland but you feel like he left you out on the curb just when it started to rain, and Mr.A is holding out an umbrella.
“You look great in blue. It’s definitely your color.”
Your cheeks burn with embarrassment… or guilt. “Oh, thanks!” You perk up as his shoulder brushes yours in the cafeteria.
Maybe if you don’t flirt back it’s okay.
“You like watching the littles?”
You nod. “Gives me something to entertain my brain, plus then it’s less work on the cafeteria workers.”
“Yeah, me too.” He leans against the brick wall with you, almost like how Ryland once did but Mr.A is a bit more agile and charming. “Any summer plans?”
“Um,” you find yourself thinking of something fun to say, something sexy, something that would keep him on the scent. And that just makes the pit in your stomach just a bit deeper. “Not much honestly, you?”
“Ah, I’ve got a marathon and some family visits.”
“Oh wow a marathon?”
“Yeah, I do it every year.” He shrugs. “For pediatric cancer.”
Of course.
Part of you wants to roll your eyes but the part of you thats in charge decides to coo at the twenty-something man instead.
“Thats so great of you. I’m not much of a runner.”
“Oh, it’s great. I’m sure you would love it if you got into the habit.” He bumps his elbow into your arm and you look up at him almost expecting to see pretty eyes behind gold rims but you’re met with Mr.Adam instead. He has on a devilish smirk, one that’s more playful than anything. “And I bet you look great in leggings.”
That gets a bark of laughter out of you. You almost snort, having to hide your face in your hand as you collect yourself again.
Ryland hears you before he finds you, in your usual place, against the cafeteria wall. He’s sat at a lunch table playing a card game with four other kids, that he eventually loses because he can’t pry his eyes from you. Or more accurately; the way you giggle around him.
He grimaces at the fact that you look happy standing next to Mr.Adams. He knows he should just talk to you, apologize for the bad date and make up again. But if you don’t want to talk to him then he won’t push it.
He was right. You weren’t after a man his age. Maybe it’s good that you finally figured that out.
-
Finally it’s the end of the day and you’re packing up to go home. The last Tuesday of the school year can be marked off on your calendar.
“Hey,” You hear a knock on your class door frame and spin to see Ryland. “Just wanted to remind you that we’re setting up the gymnasium tonight.” He gives an awkward smile and leaves before you can say you forgot about it.
“Shit.” You want to walk out of your class and take a left to the parking lot but you know that would just make this worse.
You drop your bag and leave your class, putting your hair up and away from your face.
Your sneakers squeak all the way to the gymnasium and when you get there you see Ryland moving folded up tables.
“You got here fast.”
“Oh, yeah.” He places another folded table on the floor in a pattern and leaves to grab another.
“Can I pop these up?”
“Yeah, that’d be great.”
The first table goes up with a couple clangs and a thud. Then the second, third, and so on. Soon you’re on auto pilot, setting up plastic tables is another thing you should put on your resume, you could win a race.
“I think that’s it.” Ryland dusts off his hands and places them on his hips as you lean against a table.
He’s at the south side of the gym, you’re right in the center.
“Now it’s time for table cloths.” He’s holding the list of supplies and steps that you wrote out for the two of you just a couple days ago.
“It’s better to be prepared!”
“But we could be doing more fun things right now.” He smirked at you.
“I thought we had a rule about kissing in school?”
“Huh, I don’t remember that one.” He grabbed your sides, making you squeal as he pulled you into his grasp.
You watch as he disappears in the big closet once more and you’re alone in the gym.
The white plastic of the tables has scratches, crayon marks, and whatnot. But seeing the sea of empty tables makes you feel a bit empty too.
Soon you’re following where Ryland went and turning into a large storage area.
“Ryland?” You call for him before you hear a clang. You wince before continuing on. “Where are you?”
“Over here!”
You turn a corner and see him trying his hardest not to knock over a pile of boxes while reaching for the table cloths.
You remember the boxes you have stacked in your closet. And you remember the jolt of electricity you felt as he would graze past you while the two of you moved boxes from his closet into yours that one Thursday. You went home with a giddy feeling after going to that cafe together.
And that was only a couple days ago.
Why couldn’t the cafe had been the first date? It worked out perfectly.
“Would you mind?” He smiles at you before moving a box out of the way. “You might have better luck.”
And you do. You’re able to tuck around a box and a tree that you think was from this year’s play. You grab some of the table cloths, handing them to him as he creates a box full on the other side of the barrier.
As you passed the black fabric from your hands to his you felt the warmth that left him. He paused the third time it happened, looking up with hopeful eyes.
“I think that should be enough yeah?” You look at the full box, then at him.
When he clears his throat you try to get out of the little spot you’ve gotten yourself into. He’s in front of you, the storage behind. You’re stuck between a box and a hard place. “Yeah, that should be enough, at least to start.”
He has a hand out for you as you try to step over another prop from a play.
“Thanks.” When you take his hand he holds you steady.
“No problem.”
Then you’re standing tall again, brushing off the dust from your pants and looking at Ryland like this is the part where something is supposed to happen.
Apparently Ryland notices too but instead of doing anything he lets you walk out of the storage area first.
The rest of the set up is silent. You grab some table cloths, covering some tables. He does the same. You watch his biceps as he lifts a table to check stability or when he throws the fabric in the air.
The end of the night comes faster than anything.
Students are able to set up the rest later, their projects, some props that the drama club made, you’ll have judges and posters and signs but thats all for tomorrow.
Right now you and Ryland are standing in a quiet, lonely gymnasium and both wondering how the teacher from just across the hall got so far away.
He says your name. You catch it immediately, it’s the one thing you’ve been waiting to hear from him all day.
“Ryland.”
“I’m sorry.” Or maybe thats the thing you’ve been waiting for all day, more like all weekend. He has a sincere voice, but it’s not quiet.
And as he walks closer to you he starts to explain.
“I really wanted that date to go well.” He clears his throat. “And I know it didn’t. The food was crappy, it was kind of boring, I’m sorry I was nervous-“
“It was okay.”
He laughs at that, a full belly laugh and some small part of you lets you laugh too. “It was not!” He has a big grin on his face but you can tell he’s still upset. “The kids talking about marriage threw me for a loop, and then the restaurant was horrible, I’m never trusting my friend for restaurant recommendations again-”
“Ryland. I know- I know it was bad. I was there. But I more so didn’t like that we weren’t us.”
You take a breath, you need to get your point across to him or you’re going to go home tonight and spend the whole night staring at your ceiling wishing you could talk to him.
“We are friends, yeah?”
He nods.
“So, we should be able to talk and joke and yeah dating is nerve racking sometimes but I’m just me. And you’re just you.”
As he crosses his arms and contemplates what you’re saying you watch his t-shirt get pulled tight and rise up showing his jeans on the edge of his hips.
“It just felt like you were trying to be better than what you are but I like what you are. You don’t need to impress me.”
He smiles at that, a grin that will help you sleep at night. But then it’s gone. “I feel like I do have to impress you. A guy who runs marathons to cure kids with cancer was flirting with you all day.” He practically throws his hands in the air to prove his point.
You want to roll your eyes, say that he has to be kidding. But you know what you did. “I’m not impressed by that.” You take a step closer.
“Really? Because he seemed to be coming onto you and you were doing nothing about it.” He sounded like a kid at the beach who was just a bit too overprotective of his sand pail.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I should have told him to stop, that I was dating someone. I’m sorry.” You take another small step forward. “But you didn’t talk to me all day.”
“You didn’t talk to me either.”
“That’s fair.”
Soon you’re right up in front of him, looking up past his gold rims. “You don’t want a guy who runs marathons to save children with cancer?”
You almost laugh, but the question still has a serious undertone. “No, I want you.” Your hands are on the collar of his shirt and his are cupping the back of your head all too fast. His lips are on yours, yours on his, he’s grabbing your ass and lifting you onto a table, you’re praying it doesn’t break.
You breathe into the kiss and moan as his lips trail down your neck. He isn’t as gentle as you thought he might be. He sucks and nips and then presses a kiss to the area, something to soothe the burn.
Your arms are wrapped tight around his broad shoulders and his are around your waist.
When you moan his name into his ear he pulls away. “We can’t do this here.”
“Do what?” You tease.
“Someone could walk in.” He takes a step back and runs his hands through his hair. The next time he speaks his voice is a bit louder and he forgets to breathe. “What even are we?”
“You don’t need to yell.” You hop off the table and cross your arms across your chest protectively.
He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. He just scoffs and turns away from you with his hands in his hair.
“Ryland.”
“Yeah?” He spins around, arms now at his sides. He looks disheveled or upset or confused.
“I like you.”
That gets a small smile out of him. “I like you too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry.” He lets out a big sigh and you watch his chest deflate.
You take a second to collect yourself. You don’t want this to end. You’ve come this far. “Will you still go to the dance with me?”
The gym is silent.
The table that Ryland is leaning against squeaks on the floor as he stands up. “Yeah?”
You nod.
He walks closer. “I’d love to.”
You don’t know what to say, so you just smile. You want him to ask you out on another date, a date that goes well. But you don’t push it.
“I never thanked you for your note.” Your voice cracks in the middle of your sentence. “I was gonna, on the date-”
“Oh, that.” He looks sheepish.
“It was really sweet.” You close the space between the two of you. “You’re really sweet.” He looks down at you and looks away when you compliment him.
“Good, I’m glad.” He clears his throat, with a hand on the nape of his neck.
“So, thank you.”
He hums. “Yeah- for sure.”
The gym is quiet, almost eerie.
“Ryland?” His eyes find yours again. “Do I make you nervous?” Your devious grin can’t be contained and he can’t help but smile as well.
You laugh at him as he blushes a deep cherry red.
-
Soon the two of you are packing up your stuff in your respective rooms. You pretend to be busy, fidgeting with something in your bag.
It’s easier for him to come to you than for you to go to him. And the air still isn’t perfectly clear, he’s better at walking in the fog than you are.
You hear a knock on your door frame.
There he is leaning against the wood like that one Monday that he asked if you were busy.
“Hey, can I take you out on another date.” It comes out as almost one word with how fast he tries to spit it out.
“Yes.” You smile, slinging your bag across one shoulder and meeting him in the doorway. “If I get to choose the place.”
He laughs. “Deal.”
Authors Note!
౨ৎ‧₊ . Whoa its been a while! I survived finals just to get a cold smh but I'm back! And I will try to make chapter 13 fast :p thanks for the support! . ₊‧౨ৎ
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Next chapter! <- not currently posted
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🫐🍦 Teacher!Ryland Grace x f Teacher!Reader
tw: Age gap (8yrs), Teacher inaccuracies (I’m not a teacher), slowwwburn, Grace being dorky, reader is super cute and silly, jealousy, angst, first dates, awkward but cute, fluff, cute flirting, they are so awkwardddd
wc: 3.3k
Plot/notes: Now that you and Ryland are... whatever you are, you decide you deserve a real first date.
The whole weekend you spent running errands trying to forget about the kiss. Not that you wanted to, god it was unbelievable.
Your school crush had confessed and kissed you after hours. It was everything you had ever day-dreamed about, while sitting at your desk during lunch, and more.
Maybe it was the age gap, or maybe it was that you worked in a middle school but you just felt so young when you were with him, like a teenage girl who had a crush on an upperclassman.
You had to pretend that you weren’t chewing your cheek waiting to get back into school on Monday. But, trying to play it cool was not your strongest talent.
Instead of going to your classroom you made a beeline for the front office.
You sorted through your usual flyers for different school events, mail from the school district and some notices about the PTA before you saw something a bit unusual.
It was a piece of journal paper, that was horribly ripped out of a ringed notebook, folded into thirds and closed with a ‘A+!’ sticker. Part of you thought back to the note you got from those three girls and thought better to throw it away than let it cause chaos. But you were too curious a person.
You pack the other pieces of mail under your arm as you rip open the letter.
It started by naming you with your teacher name before continuing on in a sweet slurry of emotion. And there was only one teacher you knew here that would write so romantically to you.
Dear Ms.Whyen,
I had the best night helping students finish their projects with you and I hope we can do it again sometime (possibly with dinner instead of staying late at school).
P.s. Looking forward to judging the science fair with you.
‘Ry’ was written in the boy-ish handwriting at the bottom with a small heart next to it.
You didn’t know how hot your face was until another teacher noticed the blush across your cheeks.
“You alright there Ms.Whyen? Did a student write you a note?” Ms.Brooks smiles as she empties out her own mailbox. “I love when they do that.”
“Yeah… they’re so sweet.” You smile to yourself as you wave her a small bye and head to the library.
You shove your mail in your backpack before clocking in as the lead librarian for the morning shift.
You thought Mr.Grace might come through and say good morning but you didn’t see him, not even facilitating the cafeteria at breakfast.
Instead you focused on your cataloguing of books, filing a cart and making sure they were put back in the right order, finding some mismatches of titles in the wrong spots along the way.
Soon it was class time and you were letting the other part-time librarian know of your departure. She waved you off and continued with her tasks.
The hallway was bustling with students doing the wrong thing but when they saw you they started to behave, you’ve Pavloved these kids pretty well.
Before you got to your room you peered into Ryland’s. He was fixing some diagram he had on his ceiling. You saw his shirt ride up and his belt low on his waist.
Before your face got too hot you decided to make your way into your room.
-
First period was a lot of kids running around scared that they only had two more days until the science fair.
Ryland had made awkward eye contact with you across the hall in that first period than he could count on one hand.
There was glitter and pencils and glue and cut out pieces of every cardstock color imaginable all over your room. Second period was rough, but third was the worst.
Finally it was lunch and your room was messy, but empty.
“Whoa it looks like a glitter bomb went off in here.” Ryland had his arms crossed, button up shirt pulled taught as he walked into your room.
“Oh gosh, I know!” You shake your head at the little delinquents that left your room only 5 minutes ago.
The lunch bell rings and you’re left with the man across the hall, in your room… Alone.
“What do you have for lunch?” He sits at a student desk and places his lunch box on the table. It’s an old thing, probably what he was using when he was a kid. But he pulls out glassware and starts munching away.
“You know… I don’t think these lunch dates really count.”
“No?” He sounds like you’re saying something absolutely ridiculous. He had been eating lunch in your room, on and off, since the start of the project.
“No!” You laugh, grabbing your own lunch from your bag.
“How about we have dinner tonight then?” He holds his sandwich in his hands like a squirrel holds an acorn.
“Tonight?” You place your hands on your hips. “Now what if I’m busy?”
“Are you?”
You can’t help but look at the way his body contorts to be able to fit into the small desk. “No.”
“Then let me take you out for dinner.” His cheeks blush but he doesn’t back down.
-
You found your self in the teachers lounge during the other half of lunch, holding your empty mug and waiting for Mr.Adams to finish pouring his coffee. “Can I pour you some?”
“Oh, of course.” You gladly hold your mug to him as he pours the liquid that will hopefully keep you up late tonight so you don’t fall asleep at an Italian restaurant across from Ryland.
“You look particularly gorgeous today.”
You haven’t talked much to Mr.A but you do know that he flirts with every woman he sees. Ms.Betty told you to worry but you kind of found it charming. And it’s harmless.
“Why thank you.” You smile up at him as he hands you the sugar.
“I know how you like it.”
You laugh at that. “Oh gosh, well I am a sweet tooth.”
Ryland had caught sight of you as soon as he walked into the room. But he heard your voice long before, wondering who was making you giggle like that.
Of course it was Mr.Adams. Suddenly the school year was ending and he was making a move? What did he want from you? A summer fling?
Mr.Grace kept his distance, knowing that if he got too close he might lose it.
He was good at keeping his distance, most of the time.
When you threw your head back with yet another laugh he decided that was enough.
“Hey Ms.W.” He remarked with a smile as he went behind you to grab a mug. Because you were leaning on the counter he had to slightly reach over you, but you didn’t mind.
“I have a cat too! Aww what’s their name?” You coo’d at the teacher, almost like you used to do with Ryland.
“Want to see a picture?” Mr.Adams smirked.
“Oh yes please!” You moved out of the way of Ryland so he could grab the pot and instead went closer to Mr.Adams.
As he showed you the cat and told you that her name was raisin you couldn’t help but laugh.
“That is too cute!” When you looked up from the phone you saw Mr.Grace with one hand on the counter, one hand holding his mug of hot coffee. You smiled at him but you were pulled back into your conversation by Mr.A.
“Hey, Ms.Whyen, I need your help with the logistics of the fair. One last thing you need to check. Do you mind?”
“Oh, for sure.” You gave Mr.A an apologetic look and told him you would love to talk later, something that Ryland grimaced at.
As he led you back to his room he was racking his brain for something that he could use as a diversion but nothing came up.
Finally you were in his empty room and he was stopped by his desk, watching you walk over to the windows.
He placed his mug down on the old wooden table top and crossed his arms.
“So, what did you need me to look at so eagerly?” When you twirled around to face him your smile got replaced with confusion.
“Nothing, sorry.”
“What?”
“You know he’s a tool right?”
You laugh at that. No way Mr.Grace, the sweet man across the hall was jealous! “You know I have a date with you tonight right?”
“...yes.”
“And you do know that we’ve kissed, yeah?”
“Right.”
“So, I can’t talk to men anymore?”
“I bet that’s not even his cat, he probably looked up an image of a cat and chose one. Raisin my ass.” Ryland tried to change the subject, make his hatred known, but you were too busy giggling over him to really care.
You hum, walking towards him. there was a clock above the door, behind him. It told you that there was one more minute of lunch, which meant six more minutes until kids started coming through that door. Perfect.
When you get close enough one of your hands comes behind his head to lean him down and your other clasps his shoulder for support. You kiss him, just like on Friday.
His hands don’t know what to do until the second kiss and then he sets them on your waist. He pulls you a bit closer, and leans down a bit more. Your lips interlock in a third kiss and he can’t believe he got you. Maybe the jealousy was immature.
“Mr.Grace? Ms.W?” You pulled away to see a four foot nothing standing in the doorway. Shit.
Before you could tell her that you were helping Ryland with a fluff that was stuck in his hair or some other excuse that wouldn’t have worked anyways, the little girl is booking it outside to the field.
And when you walk into your next class you know what’s waiting for you.
-
The end of the school day could not come fast enough. Ryland decided that a joint class where he came in to help teach might be a bit too much for the students and would cause more harm than good. And you agreed. Although, he did come in for five minutes to watch your kids as you went to the bathroom and the oo’s and ah’s were enough to make his ears red.
As you collect your things you thanked whatever overlord there was (Mary at the front office) that decided you didn’t have bus duty today.
You are finally free and ready for your date. Thank goodness you already knew he was a good kisser.
He met you in your room, watched you run around grabbing last minute things and shoving them into your bag. “Sorry! Last period was a lot!”
“No worries.” He just leans against the doorway, watching you with a dorky grin.
“You know where we’re going?” You ask as he helps you with your coat and holds your bag while he does. ‘What a gentleman’ you want to joke but you know it will go straight to his head.
“Yup, a little Italian place, I’ve never been but I’ve heard it’s good.”
“Ooo, I’m excited.” You smile up at him and are led out of your room and to the end of the hallway where he opens the door and follows you to your car.
“Look it’s Mr. and Mrs. Grace!”
What?
You look behind you to see a group of kids, with Rekha, of course. They all coo at you and joke about the marriage that is soon to come.
Marriage?
“Where are you two lovebirds going?” One boy asks.
“Is it true that you kissed!” One girl almost has her eyes pop out of her tiny head.
“We are going to do official teacher business. And no, that’s not true.” Good one Ryland, that’s definitely going to get them off the sent.
You roll your eyes. You can see your car across half the parking lot and start walking towards it. They might follow you but, they’ll probably move when you start the engine, hopefully.
Mr.Grace runs after you, joining at your side. “No, no. We didn’t kiss.” He tries to reassure again but the littles won’t let it go. He’s not great at lying in the first place, but especially not about this.
The small crowd waddles their way behind you. Who knew middles schoolers would be so good at hunting their prey?
When the two of you reach your car they are being called over to join the bus lines that they strayed from.
You shut your car door, now trapped in the metal tin with Ryland… in silence.
You look over at him, wondering what is keeping him so still. Then he slowly looks over at you. His face looks shocked at first but his mouth can’t help to hide his grin.
Soon he’s laughing and shaking his head at the oh so strange situation. “Oh gosh! What is it with those kids!”
Your laugh follows his, “I know! What are they feeding them in the cafeteria!”
“It’s like they can smell fear!” That earns another bark of laughter from both of you.
-
After Ryland gives you some directions and thanks you profusely for driving him you both stand in front of the restaurant.
His hand finds the small of your back and you look up at him with wide eyes.
He grins down at you, all toothy and dorky. When he opens the door for you, you call him a gentleman, and then again when he pulls out your chair and when he finally sits it’s like you’re back in the car again.
Except this time there aren’t silly kids to laugh bout, theres just the two of you, in an Italian restaurant.
You open your menu, trying to act normal. Maybe a glass of wine might be nice.
“Hello, welcome in.” A man in short stature starts talking about specials and the wine selection before you can give a worried look to the man across from you he’s already ordering wine.
Oh thank goodness.
“Red is alright?”
“Mhm.” You smile at him.
“So,” You try to get the conversation started and eventually fail, finding solace in the quiet.
“You look great.”
You look down at the outfit you wore to work, then back up at the science teacher. “Thanks.” You take the meek compliment and decide that he’s just as nervous.
Your eyes wander back up to his. You take a second to drink him in, he’s still wearing what he had on at school; jeans, a button up, a quarter zip, and his yellow rain coat is on his chair.
You liked him. This was a well known fact but if you had told yourself a month ago that you would be on a date with him you would have flipped out.
Now you were here, sitting across from your crush waiting for wine and an appetizer.
“What’s on your mind?” You hear him and then your eyes climb up his body and you see him squint his eyes with a small smile.
You shrug your shoulders. “Just happy.”
His lips curve up at that, but he doesn’t quite know what to say.
It’s almost like imposter syndrome. He feels okay at school, that’s his work place after all. But, actually being sat across from you at a nice restaurant almost feels like too much.
Theres subtle conversation, nothing crazy. Both of you are trying to find your footing again after the wave of awkwardness pushed you off of your comfortable spot.
When the wine comes Ryland watches as you try yours and the small bead of dark red coats your lips before you lick it off. You don’t notice his wandering eyes but you hear him clear his throat before picking up his own glass.
When the food comes you try your best to act like it’s good. But the noodles are overcooked, your sauce tastes… interesting, and you can only wash it down with wine so much until you start to feel tipsy.
Finally the waiter comes with the dessert menu.
“I actually have an early morning tomorrow.” Will he notice you’re lying? You both work at the same place.
“Right, no problem.” He asks the waiter for the check instead and he nods before rushing off.
The silence between the two of you isn’t just thick, it’s harsh.
When the check is brought back to the table he’s told to pay up front and does so.
You say you could split it but he waves you off. “Are you sure?” Your voice is laced with worry as he reassures you that it’s okay.
You watch him pay at the bar and wonder how you were able to keep your crush to yourself all year. He looks so good leaned up against the bar and maybe its the wine in you but you feel a surge of heat run through your body.
Then you remember the mood set between the two of you. The anxiety of all of this had ruined the friendly foundation you both laid down at school. And it’s all your fault, you were the one that needed a real date.
The two of you walk out of the restaurant, barely eaten and now there’s faint stars coating the sky.
He hated that the restaurant fell through, that the one thing that was supposed to work, and was vetted through a friend, was actually ruining the whole date.
Or maybe it wasn’t the food, maybe you were really only interested in flirting at work. He wouldn’t
blame you, why would a twenty six year old be looking for an eight year age gap anyways.
First you go out of your way to get an older man, and now he’s a disappointment.
You watch him look over at you as the two of you walk to your car. It feels like his same gaze from when he would see you from across the hall. Longingly, with something hidden in his eyes. You would try to ignore him in class; focus on the lesson, like you were right now; staring at the car across the parking lot and nothing else.
You spin around when you reach the trunk of your car. You can see his bike that he crammed in the back during his free period and you realize you still have to drive him home.
Going on a date with your coworker should come with its own list of warnings. One of them being that when the dates are awful you still have to wake up and see them first thing next morning.
You’re standing with your back to the trunk of your car and Ryland can’t help but think about your ass pressed up against it, him in front of you, fixing the stray strand of hair that came undone with the wind.
He wants your hands on him, clawing at his fleece and your lips on his, moaning into his mouth. But he doesn’t move, hands placed in his pockets, shoulders high.
“Ryland?”
“Yeah?”
You tilt your head at him, waiting for a single thought to come to your head but when nothings there you shake it off. “Never mind.”
The drive back to his is worse than sitting in the restaurant. His voice cracks as he gives you directions and you feel like you want to cry. You really wanted this to work.
When he finally gets into his building you don’t have time to take a deep breath before you start hurriedly driving away.
And you didn’t even get to thank him for the note.
Authors Note!
౨ৎ‧₊ . This is lowkey unedited so if you see any errors dm me :) but I thought you guys deserved another chapter! Finals are done so I will be getting the rest of the series out to you soon! Somone requested jealousy and angst so >:) there you are my sweet there is more in store as well! . ₊‧౨ৎ
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Next chapter! <- not currently posted
° ⊹ ⊱ Please don't steal my work. Other interactions like reblogging, liking, and commenting are super duper appreciated. ⊰ ⊹°
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🍦🫐 Teacher!Ryland Grace x f Teacher!Reader
tw: Age gap (8yrs), Teacher inaccuracies (I’m not a teacher), slowwwburn, Grace being dorky, reader is super cute and silly, slighttttt angst, but mostly fluff, we are so back!!
wc: 2.5k
Plot/notes: After your confession to Ryland you find yourself within a new dynamic.
There was something special about the school air on a Friday. It was buzzing with dreams about the weekend, the energy that you held when you had a pep in your step.
Or maybe it was the giddiness you felt the whole drive here, thinking about your confession last night. The way Rylands eyes sparkled with the street lamps and the sickening need to have more to have him look at you just like that all over again. Your car still smelled like him when you got in this morning making your brain run wild.
“Mr.Grace?” You knock on his open door.
The blonde looks up from the book he’s reading to see you. You still have your coat on, bag slung over one shoulder. You came right here, you didn’t even stop in your room first like usual. Something about that sent the confidence in him right where it needed to go.
“Yeah?” He smiles, a knowing grin of what you were thinking.
“Oh, um. I just wanted to say good morning.” You cleared your throat.
“Oh, well good morning Ms.W.” He set his book down on his desk and swiveled his chair to get up. He walked towards where you stood in between his room and the hall.
“And I wanted you to know that I’ll be in here after school for the review session.” You look up at him as he comes closer.
He gives you a small nod. “Sounds good.”
“So, just… I hope you remembered.”
“I did.” You don’t know if it’s your heart hammering in your ears or his voice really is just deeper.
“Good.” You give a small nod, barely meeting his eyes as you turn away to go to your own class.
“Hey, Ms.W?” You spin around in the middle of the hall, surrounded by a sea of students.
“Yeah?”
Mr.Grace has his hands up high on either side of his doorframe, it makes his tall stature that much bigger. His sweater rides up to show his belt and an inch of skin. He doesn’t say anything but his smile grows bigger as you stare at him. Knowing where your eyes glance.
“Ms.Whyen no standing in the halls! The halls are for moving!” A student uses your own words against you before you could stumble back into your room.
Since when could he flirt?
-
In between each class you monitor the halls like usual, giving students fist bumps, high fives and compliments as they filter into your room.
And you notice Ryland doing the same. He would mirror your pose, sometimes saying exactly what you were saying to the kids.
“You know, I am the hall monitor.”
“Hm, no I don’t think it’s a role you can just take.”
“Nope.” You shake your head. “It definitely is. I was the one that made it up.” You jokingly turn your nose up at him.
“Alright, well I mean… I can leave.” He hooks a thumb in his shoulder towards his room filling up with students.
“Hm, but then you’d lose the view.” You give him a pouty smile. He’s not the only one that can flirt.
He grins at that, crossings arms and leaning against the brick. You can almost see his pecs beneath his button up but his biceps that strain the fabric distract you.
Just wait until the kids get a whiff of this, maybe some rules should be put in place.
-
When lunch rolls around you’re right back outside in the hall and Mr.Grace is in his room, shuffling papers and moving equipment.
You want to go to say hi. The halls are pretty empty now, every kid makes their way to the cafeteria pretty fast. But you don’t want to impose.
Soon you’re standing in an empty hallway watching his movements. Just like old times.
“You know you can come in.” He doesn’t look up from his work but you know he’s talking to you. Before you can squeak an apology or find your way into his room, or yours he speaks up again. “So, I guess you also like the view.”
He crosses his arms, standing near his doorway.
You take the ten steps to reach his doorway so you aren’t flirting in between your classrooms. “I was that one that said it first.”
“Ah, that’s not fair.”
“Oh it’s not?” Your arms cross over your chest and you see Ryland eyes dart down and then away.
He clears his throat as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “No, I couldn’t.”
“Hm, You thought you couldn’t.” You roll your eyes.
“Eight years?” He shakes his head. “Not small.”
“Does that matter to you?” Your eye brows raise with a questioning tone.
He pauses, his brain trying to catch up from the bantering to the questioning. “No.”
“Good.” You grin up at him and even though he doesn’t fully believe himself he grins back. “Because it doesn’t matter to me.”
He wants to believe you. Of course theres the flirting, the asking out to dances, the stolen glances and such, but when things get serious are you going to leave?
-
At the end of school you bounce into Ryland’s class and set up your notebooks, laptop and other materials at a desk in the back of the room. “Ready?”
He nods your way with a dorky expression that’s supposed to look serious as some students filter into the class.
Oh, you thought there would be more.
You help the students that are there, making sure you can send them on their way soon after and not keep too many kids in the room.
Soon it starts to feel packed and when you look around with a concerned brow your eyes meet Rylands and his face looks the same. You can barely see him over the see of poster boards and equipment.
‘Help!’ He mouths the words to you and you laugh, trying your best to finish up your work with one student so you can go to another.
About an hour later the students start to wither down to just a few left and you’re able to breathe again.
As the last two kids sit in the class and slowly start to finish up their work you and Ryland glance at each other.
At first it’s a small peak. Then it is a stare and then a longer stare. Soon you’re just making faces at each other until one of you gets pulled back into work by a question.
Sure he’s eight years older. And thats not small, not something you can really ignore. But he makes you feel so young. With the jokes and the
When the two students finally are sent home you lean back in the chair you’re in.
“Whoa I did not think that many kids would be here.” He hits his palms together almost like he’s cleaning off dirt.
You laugh at him. “Of course, they are all going to wait until the last possible second to do their work. Have you met middle schoolers?” You get up to walk to the front of the room, eventually spinning around and sitting on the front of his desk.
He laughs, sitting on a students stool. He looks way too big for the science desk and topples over on it.
“You alright?”
“Yeah definitely.” Something about your sweet tone flips a switch in his brain and suddenly he’s right back in the teacher’s lounge not knowing how to act.
You both finally feel the weight of last night. It’s like deja vu, how you’re stuck in yet another awkward situation with the man from across the hall.
You watch as he takes his glasses off and looks up at you. Your nerves try to settle, knowing he can’t actually see you.
“Ryland?”
“Yeah?” He answers a bit too fast.
You try to think of something to say, but nothing works.
When he puts his glasses back on and looks up at you he rakes a hand through his hair. “Is this weird?” He laughs at himself.
“Yeah, a little.” You nervously laugh as well, looking down at your shoes as you sit better on his desk.
“I’m sorry.” His head is in one of his hands.
“No, no. It’s no one’s fault. Just a weird situation to be in.”
‘A bad situation?’ Ryland wanted to ask. But he knew the answer was no. Part of him just questioned everything, it was the scientist in him.
Sometimes he wished he could turn it off. Like if the questioning and overthinking in his brain stopped then he could finally be at peace. Maybe he would have decided that he could make a move sooner, maybe he would have completely backed off and been able to be just your friend sooner, but who knows how that would’ve worked out.
He gave you a dorky grin after taking a deep breath. It calmed your nerves just a bit, there he was.
“Maybe we should make some rules.” He sits up a bit straighter, hands clasped together, shoulders tall.
You nod eagerly. “I was thinking that too.”
“Anything in particular?” His brows quirk.
“Maybe…” You think for a second, not wanting to take away your fun. But you know it’s for the best. “No flirting at work?”
He nods at that, agreeing with your first rule. “Sad but necessary.”
Theres a mall pause. You kick your legs off his desk and click your heels together.
“Sorry I’m having like deja vu.” You let out an awkward laugh at yourself and wonder if he feels the same.
“Yeah, don’t worry I feel it too.”
“Okay, glad it’s not just me.” You lean back a bit more into the desk, kicking your feet again and he watches as you grip the side of the wood.
“I liked the nickname you made up. It’s very rare that I’m called Ry.”
“Yeah?” You smile at that, happy that you could do something sweet for him, even if it’s small. “Do you think that I could call you Mr.Ryland in front of the kids?”
“Does that count as flirting?”
You think for a moment. “Possibly.” You grin at him, unable to contain the mischief that was brewing in your head.
He smiles at you, a knowing smile, then you can’t.
He stands from the wooden stool he was sitting on (the same one he sat at when he helped you grade papers a week ago), making sure to push it under the table.
When he starts to walk towards you you’re worried he’s going to tell you to get off of his desk.
When you hop off of the tabletop he squints, but ignores your confusion.
“I wanted to ask you something.” He stops a foot in front of you, hands in his pockets.
You nod, giving him the little courage he needs to get through this.
It’s been stuck in his throat since last night. “Can I take you out for dinner sometime?”
Your ears perk up and your smile widens to them. “Of course!”
Okay, this is reasonable. Ryland tries to take a breath, he tells himself this isn’t moving too fast. Restrictions are good, but you can’t have advancement without pushing the boundaries a bit.
Last night was hard. He was trying his best to give you space, but he missed his friend.
When you step forward and close the distance he can’t help but stare into the puppy eyes you’re giving him.
“What are you-”
“Can I kiss you?” You look up at him through lashes combed with mascara and your hair looking slightly a mess after a full day of work. When he doesn’t answer and instead you watch his Adam’s apple bob you decide to back off. “If thats too fast thats alright too.”
He doesn’t want to say no, he wants to kiss you until you’re dizzy. But, he doesn’t know exactly how. He spent days trying to tell him to cut it out, have boundaries, don’t make it weird. And all of a sudden you want to kiss him?
“Y-you want this?” Your ears picked up on the strain in his voice, like if allowed tears would start rolling down his pink cheeks. And the confusion in his tone wasn’t masked very well either. The sheer amount of emotion between the two of you was enough to break his quiet reserved demeanor he’s had for the past couple of days. But, this broke him.
“Yes.” You whisper as you reach up closer, maybe if he lets you you’ll lean in a bit further and press your lips to his.
He’s pulls back slightly, just to see you better. “Are you sure?” His brows are knit together, his lips almost quiver at the thought of you laughing in his face and telling him that of course you don’t want a thirty-four year old teacher.
Your words cut through his jungle of thoughts before they could close him off from you. “Yes, of course I am.” Your hands rest on his chest. You feel the warmth, and hope that just maybe it would stabilize him, but you can hear the pace at which his heart is beating and it is anything but stable.
“Me?” He looks down at you through his glasses, his chin doubles up and you can see he hasn’t shaven in a day or two.
“Yes you! You dork.” You grin at him, regardless of his notion. But, when he doesn’t grin back, when he’s still unsure, you question him. “Don’t you want me?”
That catches his attention and pulls him out of his trance. “Yes, of course-”
“Then shut up and kiss me.” Your sentence starts of strong but ends soft and quiet.
“But-” You don’t know if he has serious insecurities or if theres a thought behind the way his eyes puff up at the bottom from his unsure expression. But you can’t help but want to clear those away. To hold him and tell him that everything will be okay.
“No buts.” Your palm grabs the back of his hair, pulling him lower so you can kiss him. Just before your lips meet, you stop, staring into his eyes as your breath mingles with his.
You let him close the distance. Your lips are soft against his and they make him feel something he hasn’t felt in a long time.
His belly is warm, his head is hazy. His fingers tingle as they finally touch you, almost as if you shocked him. The electricity runs up his arms and sends the signal to his brain to pull you closer. To wrap his biceps around your back and practically smush you against his chest.
You gladly accept the warmth of his body, grinning into his mouth, as you rest your arms on his shoulders, tangling your digits in his short hair.
Your mouths both open into each others, sharing breath and spit and the soft sounds that leave both of your lips.
“Shouldn’t there be a rule against this?” He whispers into your mouth before looking into your eyes, still holding you in your arms.
“There isn’t yet.” You give him a mischievous grin before reaching up just a bit for another kiss.
Authors Note!
౨ৎ‧₊ . I hope you liked the smooches! Thank you all for your requests and ideas! . ₊‧౨ৎ
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