When you were a child, your parents adopted a child you all found on the beach. There was lots of beach in Australia, so where did a baby come from? But you all got older, never told your younger brother the truth about his origins (not that you had the truth), and your parents died. From that day, you took over custody for Zac and you were a grown up.
It was hard to believe it had only been seven years since that fateful night. It was no one's fault. An accident. You dropped out of school and got a job, got more mature, and he was living his best life. You couldn't be more proud he got the adolescence he deserved.
"I don't need a ride," Zac insisted.
You shrugged, gathering your things. "Then walk. However, today is my first at your school. Suit yourself without the company, but it'll be faster." Pulling the heavy satchel over your shoulder, you walked out to the car.
Not ten seconds later, Zac was running out behind you, locking the door. He threw himself into the passenger side. "It really would be faster. Thanks, sis."
You smiled and winked at the boy. He explained the project held delicately in his hands on the way and you didn't understand that marine biology stuff, but you were happy he enjoyed it. You dropped him off at the student's drop off so he wasn't embarrassed, getting out of a grown woman's car who was also going inside. He was a teenage boy. The simplest things embarrassed him. You parked and got out yourself, checking your supplies one last time. Not that a different result would mean more than stress. You'd never make it back to the house for what you would have forgotten. However, your hands hovered over every instrument at your disposal. You worked with technology, something to be kept away from the marine. So mostly, you possessed the tools to physically open the computer or electronically hack in through a backdoor. Then, there was your monitor, a tablet which allowed you control over anything with a computer chip with the right programming. You zipped the bag shut again and pocketed your wallet and phone, attaching your keys to your bag. You took a deep breath.
It was odd, walking into the school you'd dropped out of. There was an odd reminiscence, the similarities and little changes made in seven years. But you remembered the way to the principal's office. Your heels clicked on the tile floor as you walked down the hall and turned. The wooden door stood in the middle of the hall just as before. You felt like a nervous teenager again.
Rita Santos had been principal of Suncoast High for the past fifteen years. You had had a semi-complicated relationship with her. You were brilliant and never had a problem with your grades, a trait Zac also had, but sometimes you got into fights. Mostly, they were to protect another student particularly from bullies. You were often outnumbered, resulting in a trip to the nurse and a visit from the principal. She was a beautiful woman, with red hair and green eyes that glimmered like seaweed under the sea level. She was known for being a hard-ass and stern. Her happiest days were indicators that school was about to get very challenging. But she was fair and she cared for her students. She seemed distant and cold, but you never let that impression stick, always defending her. Of course, you hadn't seen her since the day you told her you had to drop out to take care of your little brother. You had cried to her on the loss and the failure to execute your dreams, and the kind woman gave you a tissue, holding you tight during your goodbye. She seemed to understand hard decisions and she fully supported you.
Raising your fist, you set a single knuckle against the solid wood three times. The door swung open and there she was, not changed a day, but dressed just as immaculately. Her red locks were halfway braided behind her in an oddly whimsical do, but the front hairs framed her face and the expression which seemed to mirror yours. Her green eyes were glued to your face, but they lacked the hardness you recalled as a student. If anything, they seemed a bit out of it, almost dreamy as she greeted you. "Ms. Blakely. It's so nice to see you again," the principal said, holding out her hand. Her long sleeve hung loose around her wrist and the deep red matched her hair. She wore a black pencil skirt that could make you choke and little accessories to keep your gaze entertained and on her.
You fought the abashed reaction, taking her hand in return. "It's good to see you too, Principal Santos."
Rita pulled on your hand in hers, bringing you inside her office. She shut the door behind you, taking you in like you were old lovers. "Please, you're an adult. You can call me Rita." She turned around. "Here's the offender. It's locked all our records out of my hands." She lifted said hands to be more showy than you recalled, if not a bit cute.
You smiled, following her. You pulled the strap of your back down and set up on her desk. "Well, if I'm being so informal..."
You had never seen the woman smile, but you saw much of her teeth that day and there was a lightness to her that entranced you. Perhaps it was because you were a grown up she was speaking to and not one that she was responsible for the child of, but Rita was much more relaxed and personable than you had ever thought she was. It made your feelings more complicated. But the redhead saying your name made it impossible to ignore.
You pulled out your monitor and connected to her computer. "Ah, I see the problem. You've got a bug." You hissed through your teeth, tapping the screen quickly.
Rita frowned in concern for her system and came to stand beside you. Her not exactly tall stature made it so she had to tilt her head over your shoulder to eyeball the complicated screen. As a mermaid, she didn't understand any of it. Her hand came up to rest on your back, slotting you firmly together. "Oh, no," she verbalized softly. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was faking. "Can you fix it at all?"
You stopped typing and controlling the screen. "All?" you asked. "You said this was the problem." You set your hand on her screen.
"It was... the start," Rita corrected.
You winced. "Your teachers have paper backups of assignments, right?"
That seemed to remind the woman that she was at work and she stood straighter, sterner, resembling the principal you remembered. "If they value their positions, they do."
You bobbed your head in understanding. "Well, it may take a while to debug the entire system."
She finally retracted her hand, folding them both together in front of her. "How long?" she asked more seriously.
Baring your gritted teeth, you confessed, "A week? Longer depending on how bad it is."
Rita sighed. "Do you have the availability?"
You softened, staring though you didn't mean to. You doubted Rita meant to stare back. "For you?" You nodded gingerly.
Rita smiled, feeling like one of the teenagers she minded.
*
It was a long and arduous task. You rarely saw the principal or many students. Off to yourself, you were seen but to focused to care. Students wondered who you were and Zac told his friends, but no one bothered you. Surely, they noticed the technical difficulties and wanted their luxurious Wi-Fi back. But Rita Santos came to you every afternoon and insisted you take a break to eat. You were half bound in wires and your hair looked run through too many times, but Rita found it adorable. You rarely even stood or moved from your work station, eating half buried in your work station. Today, Rita wasn't allowing your tunnel vision.
She was wearing another loose top, something you noticed more around yourself now than you had as a student, but a longer skirt. Her heels still gave her away, the strong and confident walk as she walked to the library, where you were currently working on your monitor. At least she didn't have to detangle you. She knew you heard her, though you tried very hard to focus around her. She knew you couldn't, proudly. "Ready?" was all she asked.
You nodded idly, still typing.
Rita was half turned to retreat again, but you didn't move. With a sigh, she approached you all the way. She waited until the active app was closed out, meaning you'd gotten through another task, and she took the monitor.
You jumped, paranoid, and reached out for the device. "Careful!"
She easily put it back in the padded case you brought it in. "Darling, it's me. Come eat."
She was right. She was extremely careful with everything she did and you had nothing to worry about. In your defense, you didn't know it was Rita despite her speaking to you. You nodded, locked the screen (both), and followed with your bag over your shoulder. It stayed hung up with your jacket at the entrance of her office, but you were still paranoid so it went with you everywhere. You would have to take out a second mortgage on the house to pay for another monitor.
Rita sat on the couch with you, a platter on the coffee table. "I hope you don't mind. I ordered lunch today. Do you like lobster?" she asked.
You shook your head at the minding bit, smiling like you always did around Rita. It was strange. You couldn't make this smile when you weren't looking at her. "Do we live on the coast?" you asked rhetorically.
Rita grinned. You rarely brought your own lunch; you'd work through it if Rita let you. The brilliant thing about lobster, well one Rita corrected herself, was neither of you could possibly eat it gracefully and so neither of you had to worry about appearances. You spoke about Zac and his oddities and she explained how common they truly were among the teenagers she minded. Soon, you moved on to more personal stories and you were both laughing hysterically. "And he- he kept falling like Bambi," Rita stated, quite unprofessionally. Personally, you adored it. Her eyes were watering she was laughing so much and she used her never ending storage of tissues.
You propped your hands on your knees, posing dramatically. "You can call me flower if you want to," you sang in a soft voice.
That started the ginger's laughter all over again. She was leaning on you by the end of the hour and her hand was on your knee. Slowly pulling herself back together, Rita was very calm looking you in the face.
You felt something was in that eye contact, but couldn't translate it. Your own gaze roamed the woman. You slowly raised your hand and pushed some hair over Rita's shoulder. It wasn't very long though and the front piece fell back where it was. No matter, you held the side of her face tenderly. Rita looked almost scared at the affection, like it had become an impossibility for her and she didn't know how to deal. In actuality, she was terrified one of the few people she brought herself to personally care for would be ripped away from her. Choosing her first love had cost her her pod. Now, all she had was the life she built, and she was worried about losing you. She didn't even have you. You could cost her her safety. You tilted your head as your eyes followed the path of her skin, the pattern of nature, sewing flesh together to make this specimen. "I've almost finished... with the computer system," you confession quietly, not wanting to break apart the energy.
Green eyes fell and sadly glued to the carpet of her office. She started to nod, but your hand held her face still. Not that she tried to pull herself from your grasp.
"Would you like to go out next Friday?" you asked. Your anxiety made you push back the date, as it was Friday. But you didn't know. She could have plans that night or she might want more time. She might have anxiety too and have to think if she even wanted to date you or what she might wear.
With that, her expression lifted.
You leaned sideways and pulled your phone from your back pocket. Unlocking it, you handed over the new contact page. Rita put in her information and handed back the phone. Of course, you had to have an ID photo. You grinned while Rita tried to sternly glare. Oh no, her powers of intimidation were turned way down now.
*
Dating Rita was odd. She was smart and worldly, funny and serious. You never knew what she advocated for strongly, especially when it contradicted her love of seafood. She was also mysterious. She disappeared at times, sometimes running off. It made you a bit unsure, but so long as you were patient, she usually came back. She didn't like being questioned, but she was never rude or defensive. She was calm and level headed and wise and it made you jealous. You were a bundle of nerves, terrified you would say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. Her running off didn't help. She eventually told you about her lost love and you never would have guessed, making you wonder what else you couldn't imagine. But Rita would tell you what she wanted you to know in her own time, you respected that.
But Rita respected this about you. You were still so much younger than her, but you weren't arrogant or pretended you knew everything. You didn't even think you did. You were very good at communicating, especially when one of her learned mermaid traits put you off. The mature woman was pleased you could come to her and clarify. To be fair, there was a few reasons she lied and said there wasn't as to why she did these things, but you never pushed. You were good at changing the subject or lightening a mood Rita might be in. She couldn't discuss all of her problems or worries with you, but you always made her feel better.
She decided never to tell you her aquatic secret, but after a year of dating, relationships progress. Of course you two had sleepovers. You cooked supper at her house and she met with Zac on a more personal footing. God bless your pure brother. He was weirded out, but didn't let it affect him much at all. It helped that he had his own building in the back yard. Not that he needed it. Soon enough, he would have the whole house to himself.
You stress-loved the cat in your lap as you drove to your girlfriend's large beach house. One antsy foot kept rolling while the other drove. Your toes curls anxiously and your fingers tapped on the wheel where you held it. You tried to feel the music, but you had big feelings for Rita and it made you nervous around her, even after all this time. You still got butterflies when she opened the door, the involuntary smile pulling her face. You loved it. "I brought clothes," you announced.
Rita's smile lit up a thousand-fold. It seemed impossible. You had tried out living together for longer periods of time until you finally decided to move in with her. Rita really didn't fancy leaving her home, but you understood. It was bigger.
You would bring a few personal furnitures, but you didn't want to change her space much. You would have mismatched nightstands and Rita gave you a spare room for all your gadgets, where you'd put your desk. You had your favorite lamps and blankets. And Ivy's stuff. She had almost as much as you. Poseidon was Rita's white haired Persian cat. Ivy was your British longhair. Ivy was very antisocial with anyone not you so you were a bit worried about the merge, but Poseidon loved you.
Rita took a step back and held out an arm. As you walked in, the ginger came up behind you, holding your back. "You can put her down anywhere."
Nodding, you set her on the couch and gave her a reassuring pet.
Her floofy white furred boy came running up like he sensed a disturbance in the force and he jumped onto the couch with Ivy. They staked each other out for a moment and your girlfriend held your arms from behind as you reviewed the meeting together. Poseidon caught on pretty quick that Ivy wasn't used to other animals when his attempt to sniff her behind was rebuffed. Instead, he jumped down onto the cushion and merely laid down. Ivy leisurely made her way down and sniffed Poseidon to her heart's content before laying literally on top of him.
You gasped and reached for Rita's shirt, fisting it in excitement. "She never warms up to anyone. This is..."
Two fingers held the bottom of your chin and turned your head to face the woman. She kissed you in complete confidence. Rita had your other luggage in her hand as she led you to her room. "We can bring your dresser if you like or I can clean out some more closet space," the lovely woman offered. Three of her dresser drawers were also open, empty.
You checked out the closet and sighed in relief. "This will be fine," you admitted. You set down the suitcase and turned to Rita, stepping closer. She also had her entire focus on you. Time would prove to be challenging and Rita still had her secrets, but for now, this was enough.
Ok but Rita Santos angry… bitch stooop that’s so hot, and her looking like a lil cinnamon role? God my heart.
Ngl kinda upset no one has written any Rita x reader fics or Rita x oc about the character ending up living with Rita and slow burn and fluff and angst and-
Ok well you get the picture but stillllll
We need more Rita Santos content on here
And on a side note, I’m literally binge watching mako mermaids just to see Rita…
Cause like I said in my other post, you Stan one… you end up loving them all and I needed to show my Rita stan self some love
