Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Why did it feel like you were the one in trouble?

Your heart was racing, your stomach in knots as you pulled on the front door to the school,  heaving it open and slipping nervously inside. The receptionist smiled at you as you approached the desk, and you grabbed the pen attached to the clipboard so you could sign your name and your reason for visiting.

Parent-teacher conference.

Except – it’s complicated. We’ll get to that later.

“Thank you,” you murmured as the receptionist handed you a visitor’s badge. After unpeeling the sticker and pressing it onto your shirt, you asked her where room 1219 is. You thanked her again before following the directions she’d just given you, letting out a soft sigh. The sound of your shoes echoed through the nearly empty hallways, and you wondered how many times you would have to come here. Was this a one-time thing? Or just the first of many?

The last time you’d been here was just last month when you’d come for registration; the school seemed a lot bigger now that there were hardly any people here. You passed a couple of teachers and a custodian, but there were no students or other parents to be found. By now, they were either home or at after-school sports practice.

Well, not all of them.

“Mr. Kang,” you whispered to yourself as you approached room 1219, reading the sign hanging above the door. “English.”

Oh, great. You’d always been terrible at English.

Not that this had anything to do with why you were here now, but still. Going to English had always made you nervous back when you were a student, and it was making you nervous all over again as you stepped in through the slightly open door.

“Hi,” you greeted nervously.

A young man stood up - the teacher, apparently - shooting you a small smile and gesturing for you to sit down next to a sullen, slouched over twelve-year-old boy.

“Hi, thank you for coming,” the man said as he reached out to shake your hand. “I’m Brian Kang, Samuel’s English teacher.”

“Y/N,” you replied, and you could hear your own nerves in your voice.

You slid into the chair next to Samuel, feeling him actively avoiding your gaze.

“I wanted to talk to you about…” Mr. Kang cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. “Samuel’s behavior in class has been very disruptive lately, and he hasn’t been turning in his work on time. The work he does turn in, it’s clear there’s been very little effort.”

Your heart sank.

You glanced over at the sulking pre-teen sitting next to you before shifting your gaze back to Mr. Kang.

“I’m so sorry,” you breathed. “He – by ‘disruptive’ you mean…?”

“Mostly just not paying attention. Sometimes calling out, making unnecessary comments, shooting his trash like a basketball instead of getting up and throwing it away,” Mr. Kang shrugged. “Very typical teenage boy stuff. Just not appropriate while I’m trying to teach about poetry.”

“Poetry sucks,” Samuel muttered under his breath.

Your brow furrowed immediately, and you shot him a very disapproving look.

“Please tell me he’s not that disrespectful in class,” you pleaded, already feeling guilty.

Mr. Kang simply smiled. And it was a smile meant to soften the blow.

So… the answer was ‘yes.’

“I’m just very concerned,” he told you. “I can tell he’s a bright boy, he just –”

“We’re working on it,” you assured him.

At least, you were trying.

Or I guess I should say: at least, you were trying.

After a few more minutes of listening to everything Samuel was doing wrong, nodding quickly, apologizing, and trying not to sound as guilty as you felt, you shook Mr. Kang’s hand again.

“Thank you,” you told him with a wrinkled forehead. “Thank you for all that you do. I know teaching can be a pretty thankless job, so I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything. The kids do, too, of course, they’re just –”

“They’re twelve and thirteen years old,” he finished for you, his lips pulled into a slight smirk. “Don’t worry. I knew exactly what I was getting into when I started this job.”

A soft chuckle escaped your lips, and you thanked Mr. Kang one last time before putting a hand on Samuel’s shoulder. You squeezed it gently and murmured a ‘Come on, let’s go home.’

You couldn’t wait to have a talk with him about all of this…

The walk to your car was absolutely silent.

Obviously, you were trying to think of exactly what to say and how to properly punish him for acting out like that in class.

Samuel, on the other hand, was most definitely not thinking about any of this.

If you had to guess, he was probably thinking about his video game. Either that or the best way he could escape, run away, and never come back.

Once you’d unlocked the car, Samuel opened the passenger side door and flung his backpack into the backseat. He let out a groan as he plopped onto the seat, and you robotically took your spot behind the wheel, sticking the keys into the ignition.

“Sam,” you started, reaching back for your seat belt.

“I know,” he spat. “You’re disappointed in me. I’m a failure, I’m stupid, and you wish you weren’t stuck with me.”

Your brow furrowed deeply, and you immediately turned to look at him. “Sammy! That’s not true! You know I love you, and I’m not disappointed in you. I’m disappointed that you’re acting like that in class. It’s one thing to be disrespectful to me at home, but it’s a whole other thing to be disrespectful to your teachers. That can’t happen anymore!”

“Or you’ll do what? Ground me?” he grumbled. “I don’t have to listen to you, y’know. You’re not my real mom.”

You let out a frustrated sigh as you put the car in reverse and began to back out of the parking spot. “I’m not your fake mom, either, Sam. I’m your aunt. But I’m also your legal guardian, remember? You do have to listen to me.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have any idea what you’re doing!” he pointed out. “Just like I don’t have any idea what I’m doing in English class.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing softly at his comment, and while you knew you shouldn’t humor him… you did see a very faint smile tug at his lips.

“I was never good at English, either,” you admitted. “But I can still try to help you with your homework if you want me to. Or we could look into getting you a tutor, maybe?”

“No,” Sam answered firmly. “No tutor. I – I’ll just… try harder.”

“Mr. Kang seemed really nice,” you added with a half-shrug. “I can tell he cares. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have called me in.”

“I mean… yeah, he’s pretty cool, I guess. For a nerdy, old guy.”

“He is not old!” you laughed. “I doubt he’s much older than I am!”

Sam quirked an eyebrow over at you before letting out a sputtering chuckle. “Like I said. An old guy.”

“Hey!” you cried, reaching over and giving his arm a gentle pinch. “Do you want pizza for dinner tonight or not?”

“Not old! Not old at all. Very, very young.”

You hummed a somewhat sassy ‘mhm’ as you drove back to your apartment. You’d at least managed to break the ice some, but you honestly had no idea if you’d handled that well. Or even handled it at all. But… right now, you just wanted to take what you could get.

“Yeah,” you said with a smirk. “That’s what I thought.”

Not even two seconds after stepping in through the front door to your apartment, you remembered the reason you’d told Sam you could get pizza for dinner.

You had no food whatsoever.

A trip to the grocery store was extremely urgent, so once Sam got settled on the couch with his homework, you grabbed your keys and some reusable bags.

“I’ll be checking that homework when I get back, okay?” you warned with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam muttered, his eyes not even leaving his math textbook.

You reached for the doorknob but paused for just a few moments. You then turned on your heel, strode over to the couch, took hold of Sam’s head and planted a kiss on his forehead.

“I love you,” you told him.

“Ew! Yuck, ugh! Please don’t ever do that again!”

In pre-teen speak, you knew that meant he loved you, too.

“I’ll be back soon,” you grinned as you headed back to the door. “Call me if you think of anything you want. Or if someone breaks in and tries to kidnap you.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Sam called out after you. Apparently, that was his favorite way to respond to you.

Since you now had the car to yourself - and you were no longer nervous about having to talk to Sam’s teacher - you took the opportunity to blast your favorite songs and sing along. 

Music had always been a stress reliever, so you’d found yourself listening to a lot of music these days. Whenever you had a spare moment by yourself, whenever you drove to and from work, whenever Sam went to a friend’s house for the night, you put on some music. Singing, dancing, acting like you’re in a music video - you name it, you did it. And you probably disturbed your neighbors, but oh well.

Even once you arrived at the grocery store, you continued singing to yourself, humming under your breath as you pushed the cart in through the sliding doors.

Just like listening to music helped relieve your stress, so did grocery shopping. Walking up and down the aisles and seeing all of the different choices of cereal should have actually added to your stress, but it didn’t. Because at the moment, so much of your life seemed out of your control. You had very little opportunities to actually make choices, but you did with grocery shopping.

You very much enjoyed standing in the coffee and tea aisle, deciding which flavors to buy. Chamomile? Rooibos? Earl Grey? Vanilla Hazelnut? Dark roast? Blonde roast? Green? Pumpkin spice? Cinnamon?

Sometimes you didn’t even need coffee or tea, but you still enjoyed pretending to pick one out.

…Yeah, it’s kind of weird, but oh well.

You had just left the coffee and tea aisle, in fact, a box of Rooibos and a canister of Vanilla Hazelnut in your cart, when you turned down the breakfast aisle. Somebody was standing right at the end, though, and you almost ran into them with your cart.

“Oh, sorry!” you said immediately. 

And then your eyes landed on a young man.

Or maybe an old man, according to Sam.

“Mr. Kang,” you grinned.

“Oh, hey,” he smiled back, lifting up a hand in a little wave. “Mrs. Y/L/N, nice to see you again so soon.”

“Sam’s back home doing his homework, I promise,” you assured him, feeling a slight pang of guilt in your stomach. “And – it’s, uh – it’s Miss. Not Mrs. I – I’m not married.”

God, this would all be a whole lot easier if you were, to be quite honest.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Mr. Kang apologized.

“No, it’s fine. I mean, Sam and I have the same last name, so it’s easy to assume.”

And… I don’t know. There was something about this junior high English teacher that was just… comforting. Was it his eyes? Or his smile? The way he seemed to really be intently listening to you?

Either way, you felt it.

The word vomit.

“I’m not actually Sam’s mom,” you began. “I don’t know if you know anything about the situation… I’m his aunt. His dad was my brother, so there’s the last name thing explained. But, uh, his parents – there was an accident not even four months ago. And I’m kind of the only family Sam has? I mean, around here. His mom’s side of the family lives halfway across the country, but they wanted him to stay in the same area. He did have to move schools, which I know sucks for him, but – yeah. So, I think his behavior – the way he’s acting in your class – I mean, he never talks to me about them. He never tells me he misses them, but I know he has to. I ask him, but I just can’t get him to talk about anything. He has to be just holding everything in, and it all comes out at school, y’know?”

Mr. Kang’s brow had furrowed as you spoke, and he nodded at your question. Truly, it really did seem like he was interested. Even though you were most definitely bothering him and telling him way too much information that he did not even ask for, he seemed like he was really listening. Like he actually wanted to know all of this.

Of course, tears had pricked your eyes the second you’d said the word ‘accident,’ and you were currently trying to swallow the lump of emotion lodged in your throat. Your voice had gotten choked up, but you carried on.

“I just don’t know how to help him. I try, I really do. I’ve known Sam his whole life, but I’ve always been the Cool Aunt. But now I have to be the Mom, but I know I’ll never be his mom. And now he’s not doing his homework and he’s being disrespectful, and I just –” You let out a shaky breath. “It’s very overwhelming.”

Mr. Kang reached out and put a reassuring hand on your upper arm. “I am so sorry,” he murmured, his words very clearly showing on his face. “I had no idea. I teach so many kids, it’s difficult to know about every one of them.”

And then he looked at you. He studied your face carefully before taking a breath and letting his hand fall from your arm.

“Would you like to get some coffee somewhere? I feel like there’s just… a lot more you need to talk about.”

Boy, was he right. He didn’t even know how right he was.

You reached up to wipe a stray tear threatening to slip from your eye and nodded.

“I would like that,” you answered.

A tiny smile appeared on Mr. Kang’s lips, and he moved to hold onto the handle of his shopping cart. “Do you know that shop The Grind?”

You nodded, humming positively.

He pushed his sleeve down to check his watch, brow furrowing slightly in thought. “How about 7?”

“Perfect.” It would give you plenty of time to get back home, stop for the pizza, put the groceries away, and shove a slice or two down your throat.

“All right, 7 it is.” A full-on smile came to his lips then, and you realized just how good-looking he was. You would bet all the money in your wallet right now that a lot of girls at Sam’s school (and some boys, too) had a crush on him. Sam, himself, had said he was ‘pretty cool,’ so that had to account for something.

“See you then.”

And before you let yourself apologize for being a bother - I mean, the man had simply been trying to grocery shop and then you’d come and started crying, for Pete’s sake - you pushed your cart down the aisle and continued on with your shopping.

There would be plenty of time to apologize later.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for the pizza,” Sam said before pushing himself up off the couch to go put his empty plate in the dishwasher.

“You’re very welcome.” You were already in the kitchen putting the leftover slices in a Ziploc bag so he could take them for his lunch tomorrow. (Side note: that had been something which had been a little difficult to get used to - giving the leftovers to him instead of keeping them for yourself. But, according to Sam, the school lunch was ‘horrific’ so…)

“Are you watching anything on TV tonight?” your nephew asked in the most casual of tones.

You knew exactly why he was asking: because he wanted to play his video game, and you couldn’t afford to buy a TV for his room at the moment. Until you could, the two of you had to share the one in the living room.

“No, I am not,” you smirked. “I’m going out again, actually.”

“Where are you going?”

“So, I ran into your teacher at the grocery store,” you told him, reaching for your purse on the kitchen counter and rifling inside for your lip gloss. “Mr. Kang. I ended up explaining things to him more, and he asked me for coffee so we could talk.”

You heard Sam choke all of a sudden, and your head snapped up to see he had been taking a sip of his Coke.

“Ew!” he coughed.

“What? Ew, what?”

“You’re going on a date with my teacher?!”

“No!” you cried immediately. “It’s not a date!”

The expression on Sam’s face was one that clearly said ‘You’re kidding, right?’

“He asked you out for coffee! That’s a date!”

You pursed your lips as you tossed the tube of gloss back into your purse. “We’re going to be talking about you, and trust me, I would not talk all about you on a date.”

“Gee, thanks,” Sam deadpanned.

“You’re welcome, sweetie.”

“Well, if he pays for your coffee, then it’s a date.”

“I’m sorry,” you scoff-chuckled. “Are you a dating expert, then?”

“Everyone knows the guy always pays on the first date!” Sam retorted with raised eyebrows. 

“It’s not a date,” you assured him for the last time as you headed over to the couch where he was setting up camp for the evening. “I won’t be out for long, but if I’m home after 10, you had better be in bed. You got it?”

Sam rolled his eyes, but he still murmured a ‘Yes, ma’am.’ And you still bent down and pressed a loud, wet kiss on his forehead.

“Twice in one day?” he grumbled, squirming away from you.

“I love you,” you told him with a chuckle before turning back around to grab your purse and keys. “Call me if you need anything or if someone breaks in and tries to kidnap you.”

You were already on your way to the front door, your back to him when you heard him actually say it. Like, he said the real words.

“I will. Love you, too.”

They were faint and his tone was pretty begrudging, but… The sound of them still made you pause, and your heart skipped a couple of beats.

Six months ago, you never would’ve guessed that hearing a twelve-year-old boy tell you he loves you, too would fill you with so much warmth.

But here we are.

It had actually been so long since you’d been to The Grind, one of the local coffee shops in town. You’d had to make the financial sacrifice of artisan coffee in favor of simply making your own for over a year now, and frankly, no one had even asked you out for coffee since then…

Kind of sad when you really think about it.

Mr. Kang was already there, sitting in one of the plush armchairs, but he stood as soon as he saw you come in through the door.

You grinned, though you had definitively decided not to bring up Sam’s idea that this was a date. That would make things sufficiently awkward, and you were already going to be talking about less-than-pleasant topics.

“Hey, Mr. Kang,” you said as you approached him.

He smirked at you and replied, “Please, call me Brian.”

You’d been out of school for ages now, but it still felt weird to call a teacher by his first name. Even though he hadn’t even been your teacher!

“Sorry,” you chuckled. “Force of habit, I guess.”

Brian simply smiled at you before turning and gesturing toward another part of the shop. “There are a couple of open chairs back there. If you want to go save them, I can get our drinks.”

Your first instinct was to refuse because - well, he was offering to buy your drink. And that made you think it was a date. But you knew it wasn’t. You’d just met him earlier today, and he’d only asked you for coffee because you’d started pouring your heart out to him at a grocery store. You accepting his offer would not solidify this as a date. Not in the least.

“Sure, okay,” you nodded. “I haven’t been here in a while, but I remember them having really good Chai lattes.”

“One Chai latte,” Brian nodded before he headed off to the counter to order.

You, in turn, headed back toward the two open chairs in the back corner of the shop. Brian had obviously suggested them because they allowed you a fair amount of privacy. It was a Thursday evening, so it wasn’t particularly crowded, anyway, but still. You would rather not concern the customers who were there when you inevitably started crying.

After settling down in one of the navy blue chairs, you set your purse down by your feet and began to survey the shop. It hadn’t changed as far as you could remember, at least not the layout and decor. The employees had probably changed, though the only one you could really remember was the handsome, slim manager.

Yet another handsome, slim guy caught your eye, though; he was walking around talking to the few customers occupying the shop and enjoying their drinks. Maybe he was the manager now? He had a sort of managerial aura about him, in any case. 

You thought he would meander over to you, but he stopped and sat down once he approached a girl around your age - or maybe a few years younger. Her smile lit up her face when he slid into the chair next to her, her eyes gazing at him adoringly.

You had no idea what their story was, of course, but you couldn’t stop yourself from speculating. They were obviously dating, maybe even in the beginning stages of a relationship? Or maybe they were just so in love that he still made her smile like that? Either way, you couldn’t help but be jealous.

It had been so long since you’d been in a relationship. You’d pretty much forgotten how it felt to smile at someone like she’d just smiled at him. How it felt to look at someone like she was looking at him.

And… lowkey… you did kind of wish this was a date.

Not that you were into Mr. Kang – Brian!

I mean, yes, you thought he was good-looking. And, so far, he seemed like a high-quality person. But you had no expectations or fantasies that he was interested in dating you in any way. He was your nephew’s teacher! Didn’t that mean he was off-limits?

And he probably had a girlfriend, anyway!

Before you could fall farther down this particular rabbit hole of thinking, Brian arrived with two mugs, setting one down carefully on the small table in front of you.

“Thank you,” you murmured with a soft smile, slipping your fingers through the handle and lifting it up to take a sip. The spicy warmth filled your chest, and you almost let out an audible sigh of contentment. It was just as good as you remembered.

Brian let out a soft groan as he sat down, and he took a sip of his own drink, his eyes meeting yours over the rim of his mug.

You cradled your own mug in your palms, drumming your fingers gently on the ceramic surface and biting the inside of your cheek nervously. 

Well.

Here goes.

“So, I guess it really all started a few months before the accident,” you began, trying your best to maintain eye contact. “My grandma was the one who raised me, and she got really sick. My brother was quite a bit older than me, so growing up, it was really just me and my grandma. When she got sick, I knew I needed to be the one to take care of her. It’s not like it was an obligation or anything; I wanted to do it, and my brother was busy with his own family. You know how much of a handful Sammy can be.”

Brian chuckled, tipping his head in a little nod.

“I was in school at the time - dental school. But…” You let out a very heavy sigh, already feeling the tears stinging your eyes. “Things got – she wasn’t getting better, and I couldn’t deal with school and taking care of her. So I put school on pause for a bit. Or what I thought was a bit. I got a part-time job at a dentist’s office as the receptionist so I could help her out financially as much as I could but still have time to take care of her.”

You paused to take a sip of your drink, though the huge lump of emotion in your throat made it difficult to swallow. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Brian adjust in his seat, moving like he was getting something out of his pocket.

And when you looked back up, you saw he was holding out a tissue for you.

“Thank you,” you murmured, taking it and clutching it in your hand. “Anyway. She didn’t last much longer, but it was still in the middle of a semester, so I couldn’t just go back to classes right away, you know? I stayed at my job, and I had every intention of quitting and picking my classes back up once summer was over. And then…”

“The accident,” Brian whispered.

“The accident,” you choked out. “All of a sudden, I didn’t have a grandmother, I didn’t have a brother or a sister-in-law, and I had a twelve-year-old I had to take care of. If I go back to school, I won’t have any money because I’m not working. My brother left a small inheritance for him, of course, but they wanted it set aside for college. And I totally agree with that. But it does mean I have to have a job, and if I’m working, I can’t go back to school. I don’t have time, I can’t afford it. But this receptionist job pays less than half what I would make if I had finished my degree in dental school and could work as a dental hygienist. Right now… I’m just kind of stuck. I can’t really do anything to help myself, and I feel like I can’t even help Sammy. I can’t afford to send him to see someone he might talk to, someone to help him deal with everything.”

You had to stop and press the tissue to your eyes, lowering your head and holding yourself back from letting out a huge sob.

Brian reached out and laid his hand on your arm, squeezing it just like he had at the grocery store earlier.

“Oh, my god,” he murmured softly. “I am so, so sorry.”

“Nobody ever told me life could be this hard,” you said with a sad chuckle. 

“I know. And there’s not a lot you can do at the moment, huh?”

You shook your head, glad he understood that and didn’t tell you something like ‘things will get better’ or ‘everything will work out.’

“Well, I can’t help all that much,” he told you with a shrug, his brow furrowed deeply. “But we have a school counselor. I can email her and ask her to talk to Samuel.”

Oh, god! Why had you not thought of that?!

“Really?” you asked hopefully. “That’s not – I mean, I don’t have to –”

Brian shook his head quickly. “No, of course not. It’s part of her job.”

A very big sigh of relief escaped your lips, and you threw Brian a watery smile. “Thank you. That would be such a big help.”

Things had been difficult before, but now that Sam was acting out and getting into trouble at school? You weren’t at all sure that you were equipped to handle that. You didn’t expect him to be a perfect angel, of course, but you were still trying to adjust to everything. trying to figure things out. At the moment, it felt like you were just barely holding your head above water. 

If you could just get Sammy’s life more sorted out, then that would help things tremendously.

Honestly, thank god you’d run into Brian at the grocery store. As lame as it sounds, it kind of seems like it was fate. He was going to help Sammy in a way you couldn’t, and you were already more grateful than he could ever know.

Chapter Text

Of course, the first thing out of Sam’s mouth after you’d arrived home from The Grind had been, “Did he pay for your coffee?”

You’d had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes, and you’d simply answered with, “It wasn’t a date. Get ready for bed.”

Thankfully, he hadn’t brought it up again the next day or over the weekend, and it had now been almost a week since you’d told Brian your somewhat tragic life story over hot, caffeinated beverages.

You were currently on your lunch break at work, trying to pay some bills online while devouring a PB&J. Just after you let out a sigh of relief when the final bill transaction went through (it was payday in a couple of days, so you were severely struggling), you remembered you’d seen a couple of email notifications from Sammy’s school.

You quickly tapped on your mail app, opening the first one you came across.

It only took a few seconds of scanning the message to realize he’d gotten in trouble again. Math class this time. His teacher wanted to meet with you after school - today if that was possible. You let your head hang, squeezing the bridge of your nose with your thumb and index finger.

“What’s wrong?”

You jumped, lifting your head up to see one of the dentists on the other side of the desk. She was dropping off a patient’s file, but she knew you were on your lunch break, so she simply set it off to the side so you could put it away later.

“Oh,” you breathed. “I – I got another email from Sammy’s school. I have to go meet with one of his teachers again. Is it okay if I leave a little early? I’m so sorry.”

“Y/N, of course, it’s fine,” the dentist assured you with a nod. “I think we only have a couple of appointments this afternoon, anyway.”

You thanked her profusely, promising you wouldn’t keep having to leave early for these parent-teacher conferences.

But then you remembered there had been two emails from the school.

You shifted your gaze back to your phone and clicked on the second one, reading it as quickly as you could.

Instead of making your heart sink, though, this one lifted your spirits. It was from the counselor, and she had just wanted to let you know that she had seen Sammy for the first time today. She wanted to see him twice a week from now on, so you knew that meant he was in need of some serious help.

Of course, he was. The boy had just lost both of his parents at once. Sometimes, when you cried yourself to sleep, it was only because you felt so bad for him. 

He was an annoying pre-teen most of the time, a serious little shit some of the time, but underneath it all, he was a sweet kid. And he was your nephew. He was family. You loved him as much as it was possible to love a kid you didn’t physically give birth to. All you wanted to do was help him, and you felt really good about this counselor. You felt, for the first time in a while, like there was actually hope.

So, at least it wasn’t all bad news coming from school today. That was a small victory you were more than glad to accept.

---

A few hours later, you found yourself in a time warp. Except, rather than experiencing something which had happened years or even decades ago, you were repeating something which had happened just last week.

You parked at the school, signed in at the front desk, asked the clerk for directions, met Sammy’s teacher, apologized for his behavior, promised he would do better, and…

Well, you just felt completely incompetent. Again. Useless as a parental figure. Again.

You had one hand on Sammy’s shoulder as you walked in the hallway, headed toward the exit. Neither of you had said anything yet; you were still trying to figure out exactly what to say. Apparently, what you’d said last time hadn’t quite worked, although he’d gotten in trouble in math this time - not English.

And speaking of English…

You saw a very familiar figure up ahead, walking toward the two of you, and a smile came to his lips when he realized who you were.

“Br – Mr. Kang,” you greeted when he got close enough, mustering up the best grin you could at the moment.

“Hey,” he replied. He slowed to a stop in front of you, his hands casually slung in his pockets. And then he nodded toward Sammy. “Hey, Samuel.”

“Hey,” Sammy replied darkly, just barely meeting his eye.

“I really enjoyed the poem you turned in today,” Brian continued. “You did a great job.”

You squeezed Sammy’s shoulder, wanting him to know you were proud of that - even if you were still upset with him.

“Thanks,” Sammy murmured. He then glanced up at you, shrugging your hand off. “I’m gonna go to my locker. I’ll meet you at the car.”

You simply nodded, your eyes following him as he headed off down the hall and turned the corner.

“I guess he’s moved on from disrupting your class to disrupting his math class,” you said softly, though you tried to keep your tone light.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, he’s been a lot better since we talked.”

“That does help, actually. Hopefully, I won’t have to meet with all of his teachers, though. That would be just a little excessive,” you chuckled.

Brian let out a breath of a laugh before his expression turned into one of soft concern. “How are you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m all right,” you replied with a shrug. “Doing what I can. Oh! I got an email from the counselor today. She said she met with him, and she wants to see him two times a week. I’m sure I won’t hear anything about it from Sammy.”

“No, probably not,” Brian chuckled. “I’m glad she got to him so quickly.”

“Seriously, thank you.” You reached out and put a hand on his arm in just the way he had done to you more than once last week. “You truly don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“Hey, it’s the least I can do. I know I have a lot of students, but I really do care about all of them. I want to help them in any way I can.”

You couldn’t stop a very admiring grin from appearing on your lips, and in the back of your head, you wondered if you were kind of looking at Brian the same way that girl had looked at her manager boyfriend at The Grind last week.

“I sincerely hope there are more teachers out there like you,” you told him, feeling your cheeks get just a bit warm.

Brian quickly looked down at the floor then, shuffling his feet as a bashful smile pulled at his lips. “I just love my job, is all,” he told you with an embarrassed chuckle. And then he changed the subject, his eyebrows raising when he asked, “Can I walk you out to your car?”

You let your hand fall from his arm, moving it to clutch your purse strap a bit awkwardly. “Yeah, sure,” you answered.

Brian turned around, allowing you to lead the way before falling into step next to you.

“So, Sammy really turned in a good poem today?” you asked a bit skeptically.

“He did,” Brian affirmed. “I don’t know what you said to him after our meeting, but whatever it was, it worked. He’s been showing a lot more effort in his work the past few days.”

“Really?” you asked, surprised. “Honestly… all I said was it’s one thing to disrespect me at home, but he can’t disrespect his teachers. It can’t happen anymore.”

“That’s all?”

“Well, I told him I wasn’t good at English, either, and maybe we could get him a tutor. But he said a definite ‘no’ to that. And then he called you kinda cool for a nerdy, old guy.”

“What?!” Brian laughed. “He called me a nerdy, old guy?!”

“Don’t you worry, I got onto him for that,” you grinned. “I said you were definitely not that much older than me, and if he wanted pizza for dinner, he would take it back. And he did. He said we were both very, very young.”

“See? I told you he was a bright boy.”

You felt pure, genuine laughter bubble up in your throat, and you honestly wondered how long it had been since you’d laughed. Really laughed. You and Sammy had some good times - especially when you got him to let you play video games with him - but you still couldn’t quite remember the last time you’d laughed until you cried. Or until your stomach hurt. Or until you couldn’t breathe.

You also wondered how long it would be until you laughed like that again.

Brian opened the door leading to the parking lot when you arrived at the front of the school, and you murmured a soft ‘thanks’ after you waved good-bye to the receptionist at the desk.

“Hopefully, I won’t run into you again like this,” you said when you saw Sam leaning against the passenger side door of your car. “I would very much like to not visit the school again. Unless it’s to chaperone a field trip or something. But it was still nice to see you.”

“It was nice to see you, too,” Brian replied.

You could’ve sworn he purposely slowed his steps, so you did, too. And then he took one giant step forward, enough to get in front of you, and he turned around to face you.

“Do you think – could I get your phone number?”

Your brow furrowed, and you tilted your head slightly in confusion. “Did I forget to fill it out on the registration form?” you asked, racking your brain to try and remember. I mean, you had only gotten emails from the school so far…

“No,” he answered with a barely detectable grin. “You didn’t forget. I just… didn’t want to text you out of the blue.”

“Ohhhhh, gotcha.”

But… wait - did you really get it? What did he actually mean?

“You want to text me?” you asked, just in case you’d heard him incorrectly.

“If it’s okay with you.”

You honestly had no idea why Sammy’s English teacher would want to text you, but… okay. “I mean, yeah. Why not?”

That barely detectable smile turned into a real one, and Brian turned back around so he could finish walking you to your car.

Once you’d unlocked the doors, Sam wasted no time in scrambling inside, completely ignoring both you and Brian (though, you weren’t surprised).

“Thank you again,” you said a bit softly as Brian opened the door for you.

“You’re welcome,” he nodded, one corner of his lips lifted into a rakish half-smile.

After you sat down, started the car, and buckled your seat belt, you waited for Brian to be safely out of the way before backing up and starting your drive home.

“Why did Mr. Kang walk you out?” Sam asked, his gaze focused on the moving scenery out of his window.

“I dunno,” you shrugged. “Because he’s polite.”

“…What did you talk about?”

“He told me how well you’re doing in his class,” you said, deciding to leave out the part where he’d asked for your number. Sam would totally get the wrong idea.

“…He did?”

“Yep,” you answered casually. “And I’m very proud of you for that. I would love to hear things like that from your math teacher, too.”

Sam simply sighed, and that was the last noise he made until you were pulling into the parking lot in front of your apartment complex.

“I think Mr. Kang likes you,” was the first thing he said to break his silence.

“What?!” you laughed. “What are you talking about?”

“He walked you out to your car. He was smiling at you!”

“So? That’s called being friendly and having manners. You’ve heard of those before, right?” you teased. “Manners?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Sam waited until the two of you were out of the car before continuing. “He’s into you. First, he asked you out for coffee, and now he’s walking you to your car. I’m telling you, he likes you.”

You pursed your lips and shook your head, letting out a little giggle. “That is not correct,” you said in your best impression of that one Chrish Vine.

Sam let out a dismayed groan. You laughed out loud before stepping over to him and hooking your arm around his neck.

“You love me so much, don’t you?” you beamed.

“No, but Mr. Kang does.”

“Sammy!”

“I mean, I do love you!”

You simply rolled your eyes. Twelve-year-olds have some imagination, huh?

“What do you want for dinner?” you asked as you unlocked the door to your apartment.

“Pizza.”

“What else do you want for dinner?”

“McDonald’s.”

“Spaghetti it is.”

Sam, knowing you were going to tell him this as soon as you closed the door behind you anyway, went straight to the couch and unzipped his bookbag. And while he got started on homework, you got started on dinner.

---

It had been a long week - and it was only Wednesday - so after Sam had helped you clean up after dinner, you’d proclaimed he could play video games since you had plans to do a face mask and catch up on your favorite sitcom.

“Did you know you’re the best aunt ever?” he’d asked, pointing a finger at you.

“Yes, I did, but it’s nice to hear someone else say it,” you’d replied. And then you’d checked your time on your phone. “You have two and a half hours.”

Sam had immediately scrambled over the back of the couch, grabbed the remote, turned the TV on, and got his video game controller ready.

You had turned toward your bathroom, opened one of the few sheet masks you owned, and got ready to relax.

Now, ten minutes later, you were leaning against your pillow with your head tilted up to keep the mask on, pulling up the latest episode of your TV show. Just after you pressed ‘play,’ though, the sound of a text message coming through on your phone pierced through the air, your screen lighting up with the notification.

You quickly paused the show, lifting your phone up to your face and seeing it was a message from an unfamiliar number. Your brow furrowed as you slid your finger over, waiting to read this mystery message.

Oh! Duh. He’d just told you this afternoon he was going to text you. You’d completely forgotten, but now you were curious all over again.

You typed out a quick reply, even sending an emoji because you were cool and young and hip, just like him.

You were just about to lock your screen after changing his contact name, but you noticed he read your message almost immediately and started typing something within seconds.

Your brow furrowed slightly as you waited, and when his message appeared…

What in the world could he be talking about? You were about to reply with “Okay, I’m listening…” but you saw he had already started typing again.

You held your breath as you stared at the three little dots, an anxious bundle of nerves starting to form in your stomach.

…Oh, wow.

 

Chapter Text

Oh, god.

Sammy was right.

Brian - Mr. Kang - his English teacher - was into you. He liked you.

And it’s not like he had just asked you for coffee again. He hadn’t done something you could make an excuse for or say ‘it’s not a date!’

He had come right out and told you. I’m interested in you.

You sat up, your sheet mask sliding off your face slightly, so you decided to go into the bathroom and take it off. And as you stood at the sink, patting in the essence, you thought about what to say back.

Brian was interested in you, but if you felt he was crossing a line, all you had to do was tell him. If you weren’t interested in him, all you had to do was tell him, and he would back off.

So the questions were this: were you interested in him, and did you think it was crossing a line?

Well, you knew for certain he was good-looking. That had never been something you’d denied. How could you see the man and not think he was good-looking?

And, the few times you’d talked with him, he’d made you feel incredibly comfortable. He loved his job, he was kind to Sammy, he was smart and generous…

Did that constitute at least being interested?

He wasn’t asking you to marry him or even be his girlfriend. He was simply saying he was interested. And by the time you slipped back into bed, underneath your blanket, you knew what you would say to him.

First, you would just make sure that he had really meant to send that message to you. Nothing would be more embarrassing than to give your answer and then find out he’d sent it to the wrong person.

Your heart sank a little. He was right, of course.

I mean, were you really thinking the two of you would go on a date, and Brian would somehow fall in love with you and you would get married and live happily ever after?

Yeah, right.

Just like your heart had sunk not even a minute ago, your heart now soared.

It had been way too long since talking to a guy had stirred up this kind of reaction in you. It was thrilling but terrifying.

And it was then you realized that just because your life was kind of in shambles right now, and you really had no control over anything, that didn’t mean you had to hold yourself back from happiness. Hold yourself back from being with someone who liked you. Hold yourself back from… love?

Probably not love, but a girl can dream.

You glanced out toward the living room, wondering if Sammy somehow knew what was going on in here. Like he had magically been able to read your messages and now knew you were going on a date with his teacher for real.

Obviously, he didn’t know. Otherwise, he would’ve been gloating and saying ‘I told you!’ right in your face. I mean, there was no way he could know.

And… for right now, you wanted to keep it that way. You didn’t want to tell him just yet. Because what if your date turned out horribly? What if there was absolutely no romantic chemistry between you two, and you ended up never wanting to see Brian again in your life?

No, you would only tell Sammy if your date turned out well, and you planned on going on a second one.

So, instead of continuing to watch your show, you closed your laptop. You put your phone face down on your nightstand. And you rolled out of bed, heading into the living room.

“Up for a two-player game?” you asked with an angelic smile.

You expected him to let out a sigh or a groan or a ‘do I have to?’ but, surprisingly, he scooted over on the couch and said, “Sure.”

I mean, I’m not saying you were trying to get in his good graces just in case he didn’t like the idea of you dating his teacher, but… I’m not saying you weren’t, either.

---

After you dropped Sammy off at his friend’s house on Friday afternoon, you hurried back to your apartment to get ready.

For your date.

God, your stomach was doing somersaults just thinking about it.

If you really thought about it - like really, really, really - you honestly couldn’t remember the last time you’d been on a date, let alone a first date.

You’d been busy with university and dental school for so many years, and then you’d gotten preoccupied with taking care of your grandmother and now taking care of your nephew.

So dating? You didn’t know her. At all.

And there was an extra layer of anxiety because the guy you were going on a date with was your nephew’s teacher.

And, like… extremely handsome.

So… yeah. To say you were nervous was kind of an understatement.

But you dressed in your favorite cute, casual outfit. You put a little extra effort into your makeup. You blasted music and sang and danced along.

And by the time you heard a knock on your front door, you were actually… kind of… relaxed? And ready?

A bright, handsome smile appeared on Brian’s lips as you opened the door, and the sight of him caused all of your nerves to come rushing back.

Great.

“Hi,” he greeted, his nose scrunching slightly as he spoke. “You look great.”

…Oh, god. Was this what it felt like? Somebody making your heart flutter? You’d completely forgotten.

“Thanks,” you replied breathlessly, holding back a very goofy smile. “You look great, too.”

Because, of course, he did. His dark hair was combed back from his forehead, and he was wearing a casual but also very cool blazer over his dark-wash denim button-down.

“You hungry?” he asked, his eyebrows raising.

“Pretty much always.”

Brian chuckled softly, stepping back to allow you room to exit through the door, and he waited patiently as you locked it behind you.

You decided not to wait too long to just come right out and say it. In fact, you hadn’t even gotten to his car in the parking lot before you blurted out, “So, I haven’t been on a date in a long time. I’m super nervous, so I’m probably going to be painfully awkward.”

“I teach young teenagers,” Brian replied with no hesitation. “Trust me, I can deal with awkward.”

You pressed your lips together to keep from bursting out laughing, and then you let out a sort of groan-whine hybrid. “Okay, comparing me to a young teenager. Not a great start!”

“No, no, no!” Brian laughed as he fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car. “You’re not like a young teenager at all, I promise. I just meant, if you are awkward, I know how to handle it and make you feel comfortable because I literally deal with awkward every day.”

He had opened the passenger side door for you, but you paused before actually getting into his car. “I guess that does make me feel better,” you admitted, trying to hold back a smirk.

Surprisingly, the car ride to the restaurant wasn’t as uncomfortable as you imagined it would be; Brian had been totally and completely right about knowing what to do and say to ease your awkwardness. He kept the conversation going, but it didn’t even seem like he was trying to keep it going. He just talked.

Well, he didn’t just talk. He joked and teased and asked questions and listened, too. Even though it took less than ten minutes to travel to the Mexican restaurant the two of you had chosen over text message earlier that day, it seemed your conversation had lasted hours.

When the two of you sat down at a table, you forced Brian to talk more about himself. He’d heard all about your life by this point, but you knew almost nothing about his. You knew he was a teacher… and that was about it.

So, with what seemed like very little hesitation or lamentation, Brian told you his story. He talked about his parents and the loving, comfortable childhood they’d provided. He talked about his schooling and how he’d attended high school overseas. He’d gotten his university degree in Creative Writing but only realized after graduating he wanted to be a teacher. So, he’d gone straight to graduate school and had received his Master’s degree in Teaching. He landed this job at Sammy’s school not long after graduating, and the rest is history.

“So, you’re a writer,” you said just after the waitress had delivered your enchiladas.

“Well, I guess you could say that,” Brian chuckled, his cheeks flushing a little. He waited until you took a bite of your meal before picking up one of his tacos and tilting his head to feast.

“What do you like to write?” you asked in-between bites.

“Everything, really. I mostly write poetry, though.”

“Oh!” you grinned. “Speaking of poetry, I was super nosy and looked in Sammy’s English notebook. I think I found that poem you were talking about.”

“It was good, wasn’t it?” Brian smiled, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

“It was! I was surprised. I had no idea he could write like that.”

“Me neither, to be honest.”

“I guess he has a really good teacher,” you said with an embarrassed smirk.

And… you realized you were talking about your kid on a date. You had told yourself you wouldn’t because this was a date. You wanted to focus on you and Brian - not Sammy.

But it was difficult not to bring him up! First of all, Brian knew him - he saw him every day at school! And second of all, he was just a big part of your life now. It was kind of wild how little time it took for your life to change. You’d only been Sammy’s legal guardian for a few months, but you already tended to think about him before you thought of yourself. You would more easily spend what little extra money you had on him than you would on yourself. I mean, you gave him all the leftovers! That says it all right there.

“I also guess he has a really good aunt,” Brian replied, though the smirk on his lips was definitely not embarrassed like yours was. His was flirtatious, and it made your cheeks blush like crazy.

“Oh, god,” you murmured through a giggle.

A giggle. How long had it been since you’d giggled?

---

Not even halfway through your meal, you’d totally forgotten that you’d ever been nervous about this date.

As it turns out, Brian had a way of not only making you comfortable while he listened to you talk, he also had a way of making you comfortable listening to him talk. He was probably one of the most outgoing, friendly people you’d ever met, and you totally understood why he was such a good teacher.

You were also surer than ever that a hefty percentage of his students had a crush on him.

Because you had a crush on him. In less than two hours, Brian had managed to level up your interest from simply ‘I mean, he’s definitely good-looking’ to ‘he’s kind of perfect?’

As he drove you back home after your meal, you were already starting to wonder if he would ask you out on another date. But then something caught your eye outside of the car window, and you realized the first one wasn’t even over yet.

“Ooh, karaoke!” you cried, pointing to the building with the neon sign just up ahead.

“You like karaoke?” Brian asked, obviously amused.

“I love it. I’m not a great singer, but I love music. Man, it’s been so long.”

“…You wanna go?”

Yes, of course, you wanted to go. That was your whole reason for pointing it out! But you decided to play coy.

“Go sing karaoke? With you? Right now?” you asked with a shy grin.

“Yeah! I’m down.”

You waited a few moments, and then Brian said, “We’re about to pass it. Yay or nay?”

“Let’s do it,” you nodded.

Brian let out a little whoop of joy before pushing on his turn signal and pulling into the parking lot of the karaoke place.

You followed him inside, and the employee took the two of you straight back to a private room, handing you each a microphone and turning on the fun disco lights as she closed the door behind her.

“You get first choice,” Brian said, flipping open the huge binder of song selections.

“Okay, well, I have to go with my default karaoke song.” You searched for the song, managing to find it quickly enough and entering the number into the remote.

“Celine Dion?!” Brian laughed as the music for ‘My Heart Will Go On’ began to flow through the speakers.

“Go big or go home!” you cried defensively (a joking kind of defensively, of course. A flirting kind of defensively). “Please sing with me, I’m too nervous to – Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feeeeeeeeel you.”

Brian quickly put his microphone up to his lips and began the duet. “That is how I know you… go on.”

Your jaw immediately dropped, and it hung open for almost thirty whole seconds as Brian continued to sing.

“What?” Brian asked in-between lines. “What’s wrong?”

“YOU CAN SING LIKE THAT?!” you shrieked.

You weren’t a terrible singer by any means, but you were definitely average. Slightly above average, at best.

But the sounds coming out of Brian’s mouth?

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “Come on, chorus time!”

“Near, far, whereeeeever you are..”

You managed to sing the rest of the song with him, though you kept getting distracted by how amazing he was. Truly, you almost fainted when he hit the notes during the big, swelling bridge. Hit them perfectly!

Who was this guy?!

He was good-looking, nice, smart, funny, friendly, and could sing Celine Dion at karaoke?!

If you let him get away, you would be pretty mad at yourself, you weren’t going to lie.

Brian chose the next song, an easy Beatles song, though he still managed to sound absolutely incredible. In fact, no matter which song either of you chose, he sang it easily. And very, very well.

There was one song he picked about halfway through your allotted hour that you’d never heard before, a song called “She’s Gone.” You sat down when the first notes started, letting Brian take center stage for this one.

And it did not take long for you to be incredibly thankful that you’d never heard this song before. Because there was absolutely no way you could’ve sung this.

But, Brian, of course, was acing every single note.

When the song was over, Brian plopped down next to you, breathing heavily.

“Are you kidding me?” you asked, biting back a playful smirk.

“What?” he gasped.

“You are amazing. I can’t believe you just sang that!”

“I mean, I’m not bad…” Brian shrugged as he reached out for one of the complimentary water bottles on the table.

“Listen, I wanted to do karaoke so I could impress you but it is clearly the other way around,” you chuckled.

Brian was silent for a second, but then he asked in a quiet voice, “I’m… impressing you?”

A very cheesy grin appeared on your lips as your cheeks flushed, and you nudged his arm with yours. “Yes. Very much.”

---

As Brian was walking you to your door after a fun-filled hour of singing (and a fun-filled ten minutes of singing in the car), you realized you… actually didn’t want the date to end.

You wanted to do something else with him. And then something else after that. And another something else, another something else…

You would say it had been a long time since you’d felt like this, but had you ever felt like this?

Still, though, it was just your first date. You didn’t want to get too carried away, let your imagination run away with you.

“I had a really good time,” Brian said softly as you began to fish around in your purse for your apartment keys.

“Me, too,” you grinned, turning to face him, clutching your keys in your hand. “A really good time.”

“I… would love to take you out again. If you’d like to.”

You didn’t waste any time in nodding. You had literally just been thinking about not even ending this first date, why would you say ‘no’ to a second one?

“I would invite you in,” you began, letting out a shaky breath. “Since Sammy’s not here, but…”

“First date. I get it,” Brian smiled. And then he took a few steps backward, obviously allowing you to unlock the door to get ready to go inside. “Have a good night.”

“You, too.”

You watched as Brian turned away and began to head out to his car… but then he stopped. He turned back around. 

Without a word, he strode up to you and took you in his arms. He wrapped them around you tightly and buried his face in your hair.

For a split second, you’d thought he been going in for a kiss, but… no. He was simply hugging you, holding you.

And you were loving it.

You’d hugged countless people at your grandmother’s funeral and then again at your brother and sister-in-law’s memorial service. But you hadn’t been hugged like this in years.

You’d felt so many things tonight on this date with Brian. Completely new things, old things you hadn’t felt in a long time…

But this hug took the cake. All at once, you felt loved and safe and secure and cherished and – you felt like everything was really and truly going to be okay.

All because of a hug. Because Brian had his arms around you.

When he stepped away, the cold air of his absence hit your body and physically made you shiver. You immediately wanted to pull him back in again.

“I just –” he began quietly. “I’ve wanted to do that since you started crying in the grocery store.”

A soft chuckle escaped your lips as your mind filled with memories from that day. How easily you’d told him everything and, apparently, it hadn’t scared him away.

“Well, feel free to do it again,” you told him unashamedly. “Whenever you want.”

So, of course, he stepped back up and hugged you again.

And when you set foot in your apartment a few minutes later, closing the door gently behind you, you let out a very long, heavy sigh.

Yeah, you were definitely going to have to tell Sammy about this. Not only were you going on a second date with Brian, but you were fairly sure you’d be going on a third… and a fourth… a fifth, sixth, seventh…

Chapter Text

You would be lying if you said you slept soundly the night after your first date with Brian.

Not only were you anxious about this… thing you’d started with him, but you were incredibly nervous about telling Sammy. You really hadn’t been able to tell if he’d been okay or not okay with it when he’d brought up the idea of his English teacher liking you…

I mean, he had choked on his soda and said ‘Ew!’ when he’d thought your coffee date was a real date.

So that didn’t bode well.

But he’d also said Brian was “pretty cool.” Or maybe he’d said “kinda cool.” Either way, the word ‘cool’ had definitely left Sammy’s lips when he’d been describing his English teacher.

So that did bode well.

Maybe.

Okay, but let’s rewind and go back to the fact you were almost 100% positive you’d started a thing with Brian.

After just one date, you just had this feeling that things would work out. Maybe not in the long run because the happenings of the last six months had taught you not to plan too far into the future, but Brian was definitely going to become a part of your life. You just knew it, which was kind of strange since you’d never in your life just known something like this.

It should have scared you. And it kind of did, but the thought of being with Brian filled you more with contentment and excitement than it did with dread and anxiety.

When you woke up from your extremely restless sleep, you did what you always did - what everyone always did upon waking - you reached over to your nightstand and checked your phone.

And, lo and behold, there was a six-minute-old message from Brian.

The cheesiest grin pulled at your lips, and you snuggled into your pillow before typing out a reply.

When you saw Brian start typing, you figured he would ask what your plans were for the day. Or maybe he would ask about your second date.

Instead, you got this:

You could feel your cheeks warm instantly, and you pressed your lips together to keep from squealing like a smitten schoolgirl.

A soft chuckle escaped your lips, and you simply sent back a heart emoji before forcing yourself to get out of bed. It was Saturday, after all, and Saturdays were now your cleaning day.

You and Sammy usually vacuumed and picked up your clutter and dusted and did laundry and all that fun kind of stuff. And, normally, you would wait until Sammy got home from his friend’s house to get started because he needed to learn responsibility (but also you just didn’t like cleaning, and you didn’t want to do everything by yourself). But today you figured you would let him off the hook.

Yes, it was because you wanted him to be in a good mood when you told him about you and Brian.

Apparently, you were not above a little bribery when it came to parenting.

By the time Sammy got home, basically the whole apartment was sparkling clean, and you had just gotten started on making lunch.

“Hey, Sammy Sam,” you greeted cheerfully, smiling over at him. “Have a good time?”

“Yeah,” Sam murmured as he closed the front door behind him. His eyes narrowed a bit as he began to go back to his room to put his duffel bag away. “Did you clean already?”

“I did,” you nodded. “I didn’t touch your room or laundry, though. That you have to do yourself.”

“Oh,” Sam replied with just a hint of surprise and happiness. “Thanks.”

He disappeared into his room for a minute, and when he came back out, he asked optimistically, “So, can I play video games for a little?”

“For a little, yes,” you agreed. “And then clean your room and start your laundry after lunch.”

“Thank you!” he beamed, shuffling joyfully over to the couch and hopping over the arm. “What are you making?”

“Grilled cheese –”

“And tomato soup,” Sam finished for you. “Can we have ice cream for dessert?”

“Sure!”

Sam let out a victorious whoop as he turned on his video game, and he glanced over at you curiously. “You’re in a good mood.”

“I am now that you’re back,” you said with a cheesy grin.

Sam simply rolled his eyes and suppressed a little smirk.

You heard the sounds of his video game, and you continued to butter the bread and stir the simmering tomato soup in the pot for a few minutes.

And then you swallowed your nerves and went for it.

“Actually, there is something I want to talk to you about,” you called out, glad to hear your voice wasn’t shaky.

“Hmm?”

“So… as it turns out… you were right.”

“Ha! I knew it,” Sam crowed. And then after a few moments, he added, “Right about what?”

“About… Mr. Kang.”

“What do you mean? That he’s a nerdy, old guy?”

“No!” you laughed. “That he likes me.”

Sam’s brow furrowed, and he paused his video game to look over at you fully. “What?”

“We – we went out on a date last night,” you informed him, turning down the stove so the grilled cheese and soup wouldn’t burn. “I wasn’t going to tell you in case it didn’t go well, but it did, and now –”

“You’re dating my teacher?” Sam asked, his forehead wrinkling ever deeper. “Seriously?”

“Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it dating yet. We went on one date, and –”

“You’re going on another, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

You could hear a tinge of anger in his voice, so you tried to stay calm and reasonable, not wanting to escalate the situation.

“Because he’s a really great guy, Sammy,” you said gently. “You know him. And you know I wouldn’t get involved with someone if he wasn’t good for both of us.”

“Mr. Kang is good for me?” he scoffed.

“Yes, he is. He’s the one who talked to your counselor –”

“I don’t want you to date him,” Sam interrupted, his anger now very clear.

“What? Why not?”

“All the kids will make fun of me! They’ll tease me and call me teacher’s pet because you’re dating Mr. Kang. Just like they’re going to call me crazy for seeing the counselor!” he yelled.

…Oh. So that’s what this was really about.

He was mad because of the whole counselor thing.

“Why did he talk to the counselor?!” he spat. “I don’t need to see her, I’m fine.”

“Sammy, he’s trying to help.”

“He doesn’t need to help!”

“He wants to!”

“Yeah, because he wants to get in your pants.”

“Sammy!” you cried, eyes widening. “He talked to the counselor because I asked him to! I’m worried about you, but I –”

“You don’t need to worry about me!” he huffed, standing up and throwing his video game controller down. “Stop messing with my life! Just stay out!”

You opened your mouth to reply, but he was already stomping off to his room.

And right before he shut himself inside, he yelled out, “I hate you!”

The slam of his door echoed through the silence.

You waited a few moments before turning back around and starting to cook your lunch again.

Well, then.

You decided to just eat in your room, leaving the door open a crack in case Sammy decided to show himself. Not that you expected him to talk to you, but you still wanted to make sure he didn’t try to leave or anything.

You only managed to get through about half your sandwich before you lost your appetite, though, and you found yourself picking up your phone.

“Hey,” Brian greeted when he answered your call.

“Hey,” you sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I told Sammy, and it ended with him saying he hates me.”

Brian was quiet for a second, and you were starting to feel tears forming in your eyes.

“Has he ever said that before?” he asked softly.

“No.”

“Then I think you’re a bona fide parent now.”

A chuckle bubbled up from your throat. Of course, Brian would manage to make you laugh right now. “Honestly, though, I don’t think he’s actually mad about… us.”

“No?”

“I think he’s mad about seeing the counselor. Like he’s afraid the kids will make fun of him.”

“Ah, yeah… that makes sense.”

“He was angry with you for interfering and said he doesn’t need your help. And then he was angry with me for interfering and told me to stay out of his life.”

“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “That’s rough.”

“Yeah… I’ll try to talk to him later, get him to understand that he really does need to see the counselor. He’ll probably still be mad at me, but…” You shrugged even though Brian couldn’t see it. “Hopefully, I can get him to not be mad at you anymore.”

“Listen, if you want to wait until the school year is over…”

“That’s not for months,” you pointed out. “…You would really do that?”

“Do I want to? No way. But yeah, I would.”

You were still pretty upset about Sammy, but Brian’s words made your heart grow wings and flutter around in your chest.

“I’ll work on it and let you know,” you told him, a bit breathless.

“Good luck,” he murmured. “And if you want me to come over, all you have to do is ask.”

You’d only been truly on your own for a few months - no parents, no grandparents, no older siblings to help you out. But it felt like it had been years. And just hearing someone offer you help like that, say ‘All you have to do is ask,’ was enough to bring tears to your eyes.

Sam barely left his room the rest of the day, though you did hear him in the laundry room a couple of times. So, apparently, he was still doing his chores.

He just wasn’t talking to you. Or looking at you. Or coming near you.

You decided to make pancakes and bacon for breakfast the next morning, knowing the smell of frying bacon would at least lure him out of his room.

Not even five minutes after you started cooking, you heard a door creak open. You heard soft thuds across the floor. You heard him slide into a chair at the kitchen table.

“You don’t have to say anything, Sammy, but I need you to listen. Just for a minute.”

You hadn’t turned around to look at him, figuring he would be more likely to stay if you weren’t face-to-face. And you didn’t hear any movement, so you continued on.

“What you’ve been through… it’s – it’s horrible. It’s not something a lot of kids go through, and I know it’s hard on you. But you won’t ever talk to me, and that’s fine, but… you do need to talk to someone. You can’t hold everything in. I know you, Sammy. You never got in trouble like this in school before, and now all of a sudden, you’re being rude and disrespectful. That’s not who you are, and that’s why I asked Br – Mr. Kang to talk to the counselor and see if she could help you. Because I don’t know how to. If I could afford to take you somewhere outside of school, I would, but I – I just – I can’t. I’m sorry. You deserve so much more than I can give you, I know that, but –”

You took a deep breath, lifting a hand to wipe away a tear before you flipped one of the pancakes.

“Please, just… just give it a try. Talk to her for a month. And if you really feel like it’s not helping, then you can stop. But try for a month. One month. Okay?”

You still hadn’t turned around, and by now, you were afraid of what you would see if you did. Maybe Sammy had left while you were talking or maybe he had fallen asleep… or maybe he was crying.

But then you heard a soft sigh.

“Okay.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, trying to hold yourself back from cheering or sighing or sobbing with relief. You took a deep breath in and said, “And you don’t have to tell anyone about me and your teacher. He won’t tell anyone, either, and he won’t treat you differently. I won’t show up at your school unless I have to, I won’t do anything to embarrass you. I promise.”

Sammy didn’t respond to that, but when you went over to the kitchen table to put the food down, he slid out of his chair and stepped up to you. He didn’t hug you necessarily, but he did lean into you. He let his forehead drop onto your shoulder, and you brought your arms up and around him.

“Do you know how much I love you?” you asked quietly, emotion straining your voice. “I know I’m not your mom, but I couldn’t love you more if I was.”

Sammy simply nodded, though you felt him shudder a little. He was probably desperately trying not to cry.

“You will always be my priority. No matter who I’m dating, you will always be more important to me. I just want to help you feel okay again.”

And then you could focus on feeling okay again.

He nodded once more. You squeezed your arms around him before pressing your lips against the top of his head. “You want some chocolate milk?” you murmured.

Another nod. And when you stepped away, you saw him quickly lift his arm and wipe his eyes with his sleeve.

He had only said one word that whole time, but hey – he hadn’t yelled at you or said he hated you! Progress!

Sammy still kind of kept his distance for the rest of the day, but the tension in the atmosphere was barely even noticeable anymore.

Still, you waited until he was getting ready for bed before calling Brian again. 

“Everything okay?” Brian asked in lieu of a greeting.

“Actually… yeah. I think so.”

“Good,” he replied, and you could hear the smile in his voice. It made you want to see his smile in person.

“But I told him nothing will change at school for him. You won’t treat him any differently, and none of his friends will know unless he tells them.”

“Of course. And he’ll keep going to the counselor?”

“Yeah,” you sighed. “At least, he said he would try for a month. And if he really feels like it’s not helping, he doesn’t have to go anymore.”

You heard Brian take a breath, and your brow furrowed slightly as you waited for his response.

“You know you’re doing an amazing job, right?” he asked with a gentle, disbelieving chuckle.

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like. Going through what you went through and now having to become a parent? To a pre-teen?”

“Well,” you blushed. “I mean, he’s my nephew. It’s not like I don’t even know him…”

“Yeah, but still. I get the feeling nobody in your life is telling you that you’re doing a great job, so I’m going to. You’re doing a great job, and I feel very lucky to know you. And Samuel may not say it, but I’m sure he thinks he’s lucky to have you, too.”

You bit the inside of your cheek as tears pooled in your eyes, and you had to sniffle before you could speak again.

“Well, you probably know a little more about what twelve-year-olds think, so I’ll trust you,” you said with a watery chuckle. “And… thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he murmured affectionately. “So… about that second date.”

You moved to sit on your bed, curling up against your pillows and biting back a dreamy, cheesy grin. “I’m listening.”

Chapter Text

So, like, you figured that dating when you were a (kind of) parent would be hard… but you didn’t realize just how hard it was going to be. And, honestly, it was probably a lot easier because Sammy was twelve and old enough to stay home alone and take care of himself.

But, still.

It had been just a little over two months since your first date with Brian, and you guys had only been on three more.

Just three.

Three! In two months!

The two of you talked every single day, of course, and Brian had even come over to your apartment a couple of times (though Sammy mostly stayed holed up in his room while he was there). But you really only ever went out to dinner or to a movie when Sammy was hanging out with a friend.

Granted, this was sort of your choice because you’d told Sammy he was your priority, and that was still very true. What would he think if you kept leaving him home alone to go on dates? It just felt a little irresponsible, and luckily, Brian completely understood.

A lot of things had happened in those two months, though.

You and Brian had kissed, obviously. Your second date had been just a week after your first, and he’d taken you to the city’s botanical gardens. All of the beautiful plants and flowers and topiaries and walkways had been so romantic, and you hadn’t been able to stop yourself from kissing him in the butterfly garden.

You had even met some of his friends, though it had been purely by accident. The two of you had been out on your third date to see a movie, and two guys had started throwing popcorn at Brian’s head. He’d murmured something about the fact they were probably students, but when he’d turned around to look, his face had lit up. And so you’d met Jae and Wonpil, his best friends from college.

You had almost met his parents, too, but you’d had to postpone because Sammy had twisted his ankle during soccer practice, and you’d taken him to an urgent care clinic just to be on the safe side.

Speaking of, soccer was something new for Sammy. The counselor had recommended trying some sort of physical activity to help deal with stress, and when Brian had suggested trying out for soccer… well, at first, Sammy had rejected the idea.

But the next week, he’d come home and announced out of the blue that he’d made the team.

And remember that little deal you’d made with Sammy? He had to try going to the counselor for a month, and if he didn’t feel like it was helping, he could stop?

Well, it was two months after that, and he was still seeing her. Only once a week now, and he didn’t ever talk much about it, but you could already see a big difference. He just seemed… happier. 

Although he still had never verbally approved of Brian, and he never talked about him or asked about him… Honestly, you weren’t quite sure why he didn’t like the fact you were dating his English teacher. Was it simply the fact it was his teacher? None of his friends were aware of it, as far as you knew, and if he got teased at school about it, you’d never heard. And you would’ve heard; the counselor emailed you updates every so often, and she had never once mentioned teasing.

So… did he just not like Brian himself? Did he not like the idea of you having a boyfriend?

Would you ever really find out?

“What are you thinking about?” Brian asked, the sudden sound of his voice making you jump a little.

“Hmm?” you asked, turning your head to look at him as he drove you back to your apartment. “Oh… what else?”

“Sammy’s fine,” he assured you with a little chuckle, reaching over and taking your hand. He brought it up to his lips and placed a few kisses along your knuckles.

Tonight was the first time you’d decided to leave him at home while you and Brian went to go see a play downtown. Sammy had been set to go over to a friend’s house, but the plan had fallen through. You’d fretted about leaving him alone, but Sammy had assured you over and over he would be fine. He would most likely be playing video games all night, and he would keep the front door locked. He wouldn’t open it for anybody.

“I know, I just –” A sigh escaped your lips, and you simply shrugged. “Am I ever not going to feel guilty? He’s still not happy about the fact you and I are dating, and I don’t really know why.”

“He’s twelve,” Brian reminded you. “And it’s only been two months. It’s going to take him a while to figure out all of his emotions and feelings, even with the counselor’s help. Just give him some time.”

A tiny smile tugged at your lips, and you leaned your head back against the headrest as you gazed over at your wonderful, handsome, brilliant boyfriend.

“Truly, I’m really glad you know so much about pre-teens. Yes, I was a twelve-year-old once, but I was a twelve-year-old girl. I knew nothing about boys - I still know nothing about boys. Your wisdom and insight are more appreciated than you know.”

Brian laughed, rolling his eyes just a little as he kissed the back of your hand again. 

You then suddenly realized you hadn’t checked your phone since getting out of the play; you weren’t expecting anything from Sammy, but… you never know!

After sliding your phone out of your purse, you scrolled through the notifications to look for anything important. Your eyebrows knit together when you saw that Sammy had actually called you not too long ago…

You hummed curiously before sliding the alert over and calling him back.

…But he didn’t answer.

You let out a low, inquisitive hum, and you saw Brian glance over at you.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Sammy called me a little while ago. He didn’t leave a message, and I just tried calling him back, but he didn’t answer.”

“He’s probably asleep,” Brian suggested.

It was 9:30 on a Saturday. He wasn’t asleep. But he could just be caught up in his video game so you would wait to worry more until you got home.

Except… you would worry. Because you were a parent. It’s what parents do.

Brian could obviously tell you were worried because he offered to come up with you when he did finally arrive at your apartment. Normally, you would assure him it was fine, he didn’t have to.

But tonight you accepted.

You felt his hand on the small of your back as you walked up to your apartment, and it didn’t leave as you unlocked the front door.

“Sammy?” you called out immediately after stepping inside. 

The lights were still on, and his bedroom door was open, so he obviously wasn’t sleeping.

But your call received no response, so you tried again.

“Sam!” you repeated, a bit louder this time.

…Again, nothing.

“Sammy?!”

Brian walked in past you into the apartment, heading quickly to his room to check in there. Meanwhile, you took your phone out again and called him.

Not even a second after you heard the ringing in your ear, you heard –

Sammy’s ringtone.

Brian stepped inside Sammy’s room, appearing a few moments later with Sammy’s phone in hand.

“Oh my god,” you breathed. “He’s not here, he doesn’t have his phone.”

Tears immediately filled your eyes as your heart began to hammer in your chest, panic rising up your throat.

And then you suddenly realized something.

“Oh my god, Brian,” you stammered, hardly even able to get coherent words out of your mouth. “Whenever I leave, I – I always tell Sammy to call me if he needs – needs anything or if –”

You choked back a sob just thinking about it.

“Or if someone tries to break in and kidnap him. It’s a joke, of course, but what – what if that’s why he called me earlier?! And now someone took him?!”

Brian strode over to you, reaching out and placing his hands on your shoulders. “It’s okay, just try to calm down,” he said in a firm, clear voice. “The door was locked when we got here, remember? The apartment doesn’t look like anyone was here who wasn’t supposed to be here.”

“Then where is he?! Where’s my kid?!” you cried semi-hysterically, the tears streaming down your cheeks.

“We will find him,” Brian assured you confidently. “His friend probably called him and said ‘never mind, you can come over,’ and Sam forgot his phone or something.”

You tried to take a deep, calming breath. You tried to tell yourself Brian was right. But your maternal instinct was too strong; all you wanted right now was to see Sammy in front of you, safe and sound and not kidnapped.

“I’ll look through his phone and call his friends, okay?” Brian gazed into your eyes, his eyebrows raised as he awaited your answer.

You nodded, and Brian leaned in to place a reassuring kiss on your forehead.

Your hand flew to your mouth when Brian stepped away, and you began chewing on your cuticles as you paced around the living room.

“Which friend was he supposed to hang out with tonight?”

…Your mind went completely blank.

“Uh…”

“I’ll just try all of them,” Brian interrupted. “It could’ve been a different friend, anyway.”

He clicked on Sammy’s phone screen and brought it up to his ear. You paced some more.

How had this happened? Why had this happened? What if he had actually been kidnapped and now he was in a van or a basement somewhere, blindfolded and terrified, and –

Just after Brian greeted whoever picked up the phone, you heard a faint jingle of keys. And then you heard a key slide into the lock.

Your heart, which was already pounding, started racing even more, almost to the point where it stopped beating altogether.

The doorknob turned, and when the door opened, you’d never been more relieved in your entire life.

The sight of Sammy made you burst into tears, and you rushed over to him, grabbing him and wrapping your arms around him.

“Oh, thank god you’re all right,” you wailed.

“Wh – I – Aunt Y/N, what’s going –” Sam stammered.

You pulled back, cradling his bewildered face in your palms and trying to speak clearly through your tears. “You called me but you weren’t here and you left your phone and I thought you had been kidnapped but you’re back and you’re okay and don’t you ever do that to me again!”

“I’m sor –” But you pulled him into another hug before he could even finish his sentence.

“Where were you?” you finally asked, though you didn’t pull away from him even one centimeter.

“I went to the grocery store,” he explained. “I really wanted some mac and cheese, but we didn’t have any. I tried to call you to ask permission, but you didn’t pick up, and I really thought I would be back before you got home. I’m really sorry.”

“No, it’s fine, I’m just glad you’re okay,” you sniffed as you rubbed his back.

But tomorrow you would probably have to scold him a little for going out at night all by himself. Granted, the grocery store was literally right down the street, but still.

You finally pulled away, giving him a little space to breathe, and you noticed he was holding the bag with the mac and cheese in one hand… and something else in his other hand.

“What’s that?” you asked, even though you could see very clearly what it was. A bouquet of flowers.

“…Oh.” Sammy’s cheeks flushed, and he immediately avoided eye contact with both you and Brian. “I… uh… I was going to say they’d been delivered while you were away. From… from Mr. Kang.”

Your brow furrowed, and you quickly shot a glance at Brian.

Sammy had bought you flowers and was going to pretend they were from Brian?

“Why would you –”

“He hasn’t gotten you any!” Sammy pointed out a little defensively. “He’s your boyfriend, he should be buying you flowers.”

Okay, you were still a little confused… but your heart had just broken in the best way possible. Because it was actually really sweet of Sammy to even think of that.

“Ouch,” Brian chuckled, looking successfully admonished. “You’re right, I’ve been extremely lacking in that department.”

“You’re welcome,” Sammy retorted with a hidden smirk.

You watched as Sammy headed into the kitchen to make his macaroni and cheese, Brian following him to take the flowers and put them in a vase.

More tears streamed down your cheeks because, after a few minutes of total and utter panic, you were now happy. Happy as happy could be. Sammy was okay, Brian had been willing to do whatever he needed to help, and you were fairly sure there were no two other people you’d rather have here with you right now.

Once the flowers were sitting on your kitchen counter, Brian clapped Sammy on the back before making his way over to you.

“I’m gonna head out,” he murmured before pressing his lips to your cheek. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

You nodded, your eyes pleading as you shifted your gaze to him. You wanted to make sure he knew just how thankful you were for everything he’d done, for being with you and helping you.

Brian simply smiled at you and took a few steps toward the door. You followed him, and once he was out in the hallway, you grabbed the collar on his blazer and pulled him down for a real kiss.

“Thank you,” you whispered against his lips. “You are amazing.”

A bright smile lit up his face (and your heart), and he kissed you again.

And before he could pull away, you wanted to make sure he knew. “You don’t have to buy me flowers. Don’t give in to peer pressure.”

Brian had opened his mouth to reply, but he froze after hearing your second comment.

“…Sam is not one of my peers,” he pointed out with a very quizzical expression.

“You know what I mean,” you laughed, swatting playfully at his chest. “I’m not expecting a huge bouquet of flowers tomorrow or anything, I promise.”

“Okay,” Brian teased. You could tell he 1) did not believe you, and 2) was definitely planning on buying you flowers sometime in the very near future.

But rather than dissuade him of this notion, you simply kissed him one last time and wished him a good night. Because your nephew was safe and all in one piece inside, and you needed to remind yourself of that.

After locking the door behind you, you hurried over to the couch where Sammy was starting on his fresh bowl of mac and cheese. You still couldn’t quite believe this whole fiasco had started because of mac and cheese, but… what are you gonna do?

You slid onto the couch next to him, curling your legs and scooting as close to him as he would allow - closer, actually. You were a little afraid to let him out of your sight.

He cast you a suspicious glance when you reached out and began combing his shaggy hair back from his forehead (and you made a mental note to yourself to take him to get a haircut tomorrow).

“Aunt Y/N, I’m fine,” he mumbled, mouth full of elbow macaroni and fake cheese.

“I know,” you retorted with pursed lips. “Just let me be clingy for a little bit, and then I’ll be fine.”

A strangled groan escaped from Sammy’s throat… but he didn’t move away. He just kept on eating.

“So…” you began after a few minutes. You had let Sammy eat most of his meal in silence, but he was almost done, and you just couldn’t take it anymore. “The flowers. Were you… trying to help Brian?”

“Yeah,” Sammy murmured.

“Does that mean you like him now?”

“I’ve always liked him.”

“But as a teacher. You haven’t always liked him as my… boyfriend.”

Sammy let out a soft sigh, setting his fork down in his empty bowl and leaning forward to put it on the coffee table.

“I was just mad at him for making me go to the counselor,” he explained, much to your surprise. “I didn’t want him to think I was… weird.”

“He definitely doesn’t think that, sweetie,” you told him softly.

“I know. And I’m not mad at him anymore. I… going to the counselor has helped me a lot. I’m sorry I yelled at you about it that one time. I’m really glad you made me give it a try. I… I still miss mom and dad so, so much, but I’m starting to feel a lot better.”

Obviously, his words brought tears to your eyes, but you tried to hold them back. You didn’t want to embarrass him and discourage him from talking like this.

“And also…” he turned to face you a little better, his brow furrowed and his expression a bit bashful. “I can tell you really like him.”

“You can?” you asked with a tiny, sniffly chuckle.

Sammy nodded, an almost-grin appearing on his lips. “Yeah. You smile whenever you talk to him. And… you just seem really happy. I’m feeling happier, so you should feel happier, too. And if Mr. Kang helps you feel happier, then… I’m okay with it.”

It was no longer possible to keep the tears in your eyes from spilling over, so you quickly pulled Sammy into a hug before he could see (though you were sure he had, anyway).

“I love you,” you whispered, holding him tightly. Your heart leaped when you felt his arms come around you and hug you back.

“I love you, too,” he replied. And he didn’t even sound begrudging or embarrassed or sarcastic or anything!

There had been quite a few times over the past two months when you’d felt like things could be okay. When you’d felt a small glimmer of hope.

But right now, you actually knew things could be okay. But not even just that they could be okay.

They would be okay.

As you got ready for bed not too long after your heartfelt conversation with Sammy, you heard a buzz on your nightstand. And after rinsing off your toothbrush and patting in your moisturizer, you hurried over to your bed to get snuggled in and see what the notification had been.

A smile immediately came to your lips when you saw it was a text from Brian. You didn’t hesitate to open it, of course; you’d never been one to play that kind of game. ‘Hard to get’ was not your thing.

…Did you notice? Notice what? What in tarnation was he talking about?

But the really annoying part about all this?

You did dream about him.

…Ugh. You hated when he was right.

Chapter Text

After the whole kidnapping incident that wasn’t really a kidnapping incident but felt like a kidnapping incident, things changed. Probably because Sammy’s attitude about your relationship with Brian had officially shifted, so you felt more comfortable inviting him over to the apartment. But also maybe because Sammy was happier and you were happier and… I don’t know. 

But the fact Sammy actually liked having Brian come over was definitely a big part of it.

In fact, not too much longer after that night, Brian began coming over every Friday evening for dinner. He would either bring takeout (which was Sammy’s preferred choice, of course) or cook for you, and it did not take you long to get used to this new tradition.

Oh yeah. Brian also started sending (or hand delivering) flowers to you once a month. At first, you tried to tell him it was an unnecessary expense. You didn’t need flowers! But your protests fell on deaf ears, apparently, because you got yet another bouquet the next month.

By the time Christmas came around, you and Brian had been together for just about four months. 

To be honest, you hadn’t been looking forward to Christmas. It was the first major holiday without your grandma and Sammy’s parents; hearing about all the holiday joy just didn’t feel right, for either of you.

Plus, you had no idea how you were going to afford presents. You did get a small holiday bonus at work, but it was only enough to cover presents for Sammy with some left over to put in savings.

Brian, being the perfect man he was, had assured you over and over again he didn’t need anything. He didn’t want any presents from you because you, yourself, were enough of a gift for him.

But, of course, you still felt guilty. You felt guilty for not being able to buy him anything for Christmas - and his birthday which was around the same time. You were upset and angry and a little depressed, to be honest. You weren’t sure why you let it get to you so much because the amount of money you spent on someone did not correlate to how much you cared about them, but still.

What kind of girlfriend were you?! Brian bought you flowers, he bought you dinner, he bought you Christmas presents, he bought Sammy Christmas presents.

And what did you buy for him?

Absolutely nothing.

But between rent and bills and groceries and new clothes for Sammy who seemed to grow an inch every week… there was hardly anything leftover each paycheck.

You did actively try not to let it get to you because that’s just the way your life was right now. No matter how many times you thought about it, you really didn’t have any other option. You had to wait to go back to dental school until Sammy was old enough to get a part-time job after school somewhere (then, of course, you would be up to your eyeballs in student loan debt, but that was a problem for future you to worry about).

Brian could tell you were letting it get to you, though. Every time the two of you (or the three of you) were out somewhere, he would always insist on paying. He even paid for your groceries or new clothes for Sammy a couple of times, and if you weren’t so hilariously poor, you would’ve firmly refused. But you had just enough shame to let him. You did try to stop him, of course, though he never relented. And then you thanked him profusely.

Once you’d gotten past Christmas and its many melancholic factors, you figured the next big thing you had to worry about was Sammy’s birthday in May. The accident had been last June so this birthday would be the first without his parents, and you, obviously, wanted to make it special for him.

Which meant you would have to start saving now.

But then, one day in March, Sammy had come home and started talking about all the spring break trips his soccer buddies were taking, and your stomach dropped down to your feet.

Oh, great. Spring break.

You’d forgotten how big of a deal spring break was; Sammy’s friends were going on cruises or to the beach or overseas or to Disney World.

You could never afford any of those, even if you saved everything you could for a whole year.

He didn’t bring up any trips he wanted to take because, apparently, he knew the state of your finances even though you never actually talked about money with him. I mean, you did but you never provided numbers. Maybe when he was a little bit older, but not yet.

This made you feel guilty all over again because he had to have wanted to go somewhere! But he knew he couldn’t so he didn’t even ask.

So not only were you a terrible girlfriend, you were a terrible parent, too. Great.

Coincidentally, you got a call from your sister-in-law’s mom the very next day, offering to fly Sammy out to visit them for the whole week. You had no idea if Sammy would be excited in the least or even want to go, but it was something!

Besides, he did need to spend some time with his mom’s side of the family. He actually had grandparents and cousins he could be with instead of being holed up in this apartment with just you.

Thankfully, Sammy didn’t seem too upset when you told him about the trip. He wasn’t necessarily eager, but when you’d brought up how it would be good for him to see his mom’s family, he seemed to understand.

Man, for a twelve-year-old, Sammy was pretty great, wasn’t he? I mean, kind of. Besides the fact he would go to the grocery store at 9:30 at night just to get mac and cheese when you weren’t even home.

But whatever.

When you told Brian that night about Sammy’s spring break trip, he brought up a point you hadn’t even thought of.

“So… we have the whole week to ourselves?”

Of course! How could you have forgotten?! Brian was a teacher! He got spring break off, too!

“You’re not going anywhere?” you asked, your heart starting to beat just a little bit faster in anticipation.

“Nope. I wanted to be free just in case you needed me to watch Sammy or something.”

Even though the two of you had been together for over six months, Brian still found ways to surprise you. I mean, you weren’t surprised that he was willing to spend his spring break with one of his students - he was just that kind of guy. But it was kind of surprising that he had offered.

“Well, then, I guess we have the whole week to ourselves,” you affirmed with just the slightest hint of a smirk.

“Ooh, I’ll come and take you out to lunch. Then you can show me off to your co-workers.”

“Y’know, sometimes I do wonder if they think I’m just making you up,” you chuckled. “I know they’re saying ‘there’s no one way a guy can be that perfect.’”

“And, yet, here I am.”

“Here you are,” you grinned. “And… you can actually stay over.”

Because that hadn’t happened yet. Nothing at all had happened in the bedroom yet. How could it have? You lived in a fairly small apartment, and Sammy’s room was just a bathroom away. And while you could have gone over to Brian’s place the nights when Sammy was sleeping over at a friend’s house… I don’t know, it just hadn’t felt right yet.

But, for some reason, it did now.

“You mean, like a week-long sleepover?”

“A week-long sleepover.”

“I will be there,” Brian stated. You could hear the grin in his voice, and it made your heart both race and flutter at the same time.

When the day came for Sammy to leave, you were way more nervous than you’d anticipated. And you’d already thought you were going to be nervous.

But a twelve-year-old flying across the country on his own?!

You knew he would be fine; they had special procedures for unaccompanied minors to ensure their safety, and his grandparents would be there to pick him up on the other end. You would be with him until he boarded, and – I mean, it was good for him to learn some independence and responsibility.

But you were still really, really nervous.

Brian had offered to come with you, of course, but you’d politely turned him down. It wasn’t Sammy’s first time flying, but it was his first time flying by himself. It was a big moment, and you wanted it to be just between the two of you.

“Call or text me as soon as you can turn your phone back on, okay? Or if they have WiFi on the plane,” you said, your hands on Sammy’s shoulders as you stood near the gate.

“I will,” Sammy promised. “I won’t talk to or take candy from or look at strangers either.”

“Okay, okay,” you chuckled. “I’m sorry. Just… be safe.”

“I promise.” He nodded before stepping up to you and wrapping his arms around your waist. “I love you, Aunt Y/N.”

You let out a breath, ruffling his hair as tears filled your eyes. He’d been easily saying those words for a few months now, but they still made your heart clench.

“I love you, too, Sammy Sam. Have a good time.” You pulled away as the flight attendant announced the boarding of unaccompanied minors. 

You nodded at the staff member walking toward you before leaning in and placing one last kiss on Sammy’s forehead. 

“Don’t be any trouble for your grandparents. I want them to know I’m raising you right.”

“Okay!” he chuckled. “I promise. And I’ll text you every day.”

Your throat began to close, and all you could do was nod in response. When the staff member came to take Sammy to the plane, you had the strongest urge to pull him back in and never let go.

But you did let him go because that’s what a good parent would do. You knew you couldn’t protect Sammy from everything in the world, even though you wanted to. You knew you shouldn’t protect him from everything because that’s how children learn to be adults.

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you watched him hand over his boarding pass and walk down the hallway leading to the plane. He didn’t turn back to wave, but a few minutes later, as you were walking down the concourse, your phone rang.

“Did you forget something?” you asked after picking up.

“No,” Sammy replied. “I just… Thank you, and I love you, and I’m going to miss you.”

You had to let out a breath before you could speak, and you could just imagine Sammy sitting in his seat, rolling his eyes at you.

“Me, too,” you said softly, your voice strained with emotion. “Me, too.”

“Okay… bye.” Click.

The call had lasted less than a minute, but it was enough to keep a smile on your lips the whole drive back to your apartment.

I’ll cut right to the chase: Brian did a pretty fantastic job of distracting you that first night after Sammy left.

He cooked you dinner - your favorite meal, to be specific. He let you pick a movie on Netflix. He cuddled you, he did a sheet mask with you, he gave you a shoulder massage, he kissed you…

And we can all guess what happened after that, right? 😉

But that’s not the even most important thing that happened during the week.

Not even close.

You ended up having a pretty stressful day at work on Wednesday. A couple of patients ran into some trouble with their insurance, and as the receptionist, you’d had to deal with it. You’d also had to handle some reschedules, some late arrivals, and Internet issues.

Plus, to top it all off, you got a notification from your bank that your account was overdrawn.

And you also really missed Sammy.

So by the time you got home, all you wanted to do was crawl up in bed and cry.

Thankfully, Brian understood, and he was right there to hold you. He didn’t ask any questions, he didn’t tell you everything was going to be okay. He simply rubbed your back and let you cry into his chest.

You cried so much that you ended up falling asleep, and when you woke up, Brian had dinner prepared, ready for you to eat in bed.

You told him everything while you ate, even the part about your bank account. You didn’t talk money that much, but he was your boyfriend. If you couldn’t be honest about how poor you were with your boyfriend, who could you be honest with?

Mainly, Brian just listened. He offered some words of comfort, but that was about it.

He also offered to clean up after you’d finished eating, an offer you readily accepted, and when he was done, he came right back to your bed to cuddle you.

The way he gently combed his fingers through your hair as you snuggled against his chest almost made you fall asleep again, but then you felt him take a breath.

You felt the vibration of his body as he began to speak.

“I love you,” he said.

Your heart stopped, and you pulled back to look at him.

A grin tugged at his lips as he returned your gaze, and he said again in a clear but soft voice, “I love you. So much.”

“I love you, too,” you told him, your own lips forming into a smile.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to your lips, and you assumed his kiss would deepen, leading into something more…

But he pulled away after only a few seconds.

“I love you, and I need you to hear me out.”

…Oh, god. Now you were terrified.

“Okay,” you whispered.

Brian took another deep breath, his lips straightening into a more serious line. But he never lifted his hand, he never stopped touching you. In fact, he slid it around from your hair to cradle your cheek, his thumb gently starting to caress your skin there.

“I want to help you,” he told you, his brow furrowing slightly. “I can’t stand to see you stuck like this, and I don’t want to just keep paying for dinner or things here and there whenever I can. I want to really help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You need to go back to school. It’s your dream to be a dental hygienist, but you can’t finish your degree right now because you need to work and earn money to take care of Sammy. I know that, but it – it doesn’t have to be like that. I’m a teacher, but I probably make more money than you think. I have a Master’s degree. That adds a pretty big chunk to my paycheck. I’ve worked it out, and I can afford it. I can help you –”

“Afford what?”

“I will pay for whatever you need. Rent, bills, food – I’ll even pay for your tuition if you don’t want to take out more student loans.”

“Brian, are you –”

“Please,” he pleaded, his eyes filled with emotion as they gazed into yours. “It’s not fair that you’re stuck, barely making enough money to get by while I have more than enough for all three of us. I am so in love with you… but you’re not happy.”

“Yes, of course, I –”

“Not fully.”

“But I love you, too,” you interjected. “Please don’t think that I’m not happy with our relationship.”

“No, I don’t think that,” he whispered, tilting his head to press his forehead to yours. “But your paycheck is your biggest worry, your biggest problem. And I can help you fix it. I want to help you fix it.”

You let out a soft breath, your eyes shut tight as a million thoughts raced through your mind.

“But – I mean, it’ll take me probably two years to finish my degree.”

“I know, and I am more than prepared for that.”

So… basically, he was telling you he didn’t foresee your relationship ending anytime soon.

Or… ever?

Because what he was proposing was a big commitment. A big financial commitment, which was just a little bit scary.

A lot bit scary.

“I don’t know –”

“Please,” he repeated. “I want to do this for you. I can’t bring your grandma back or Sammy’s parents back. I can’t make your life easier in that way. But I can do this for you. I can help you get your life back on track, and I promise you, Sammy will get everything he needs.”

You’d still been wavering because this was a pretty huge offer he was making. But hearing him say that Sammy would be well taken care of?

A short huff of a breath escaped your lips before you leaned in to kiss him. And when you pulled away, you said, “Okay.”

Brian’s head jerked a little in surprise. “Really?”

You nodded, chewing the inside of your cheek a bit anxiously. But then Brian began to pepper your face with kisses, and you couldn’t stop a grin from breaking out on your lips.

Well. I guess tomorrow you would email the dean of admissions about re-enrolling next semester. And let your boss know you would be quitting.

Chapter Text

About Two Years Later

Honestly, you could’ve sat in your car for about an hour and just cried. Cried with joy, of course, because you’d just finished your very last final of dental school. You were officially done, graduating in just a few days.

It had been a long, difficult two years, but you’d done it.

Not without some help, mind you. A lot of help.

Brian had made it seem like it would be no trouble at all to help you out financially, but he had obviously been very optimistic. It hadn’t been easy; he’d had to make a fairly large dent in his savings, but he also hadn’t let you stop him. He had continuously made the argument that it would all be worth it in the end.

Plus, he’d ended up moving in with you and Sammy before the end of your first semester, which had lessened the load quite a bit.

But now. Now, it was all over. No more classes, no more tests, no more practicums, no more tuition.

All you had to do was find a job.

Sammy had helped, too, of course. He’d helped you study as best as he could, and he never complained when you took your textbook to his soccer games. He’d even pestered you to contact your old work to see if maybe they would re-hire you as a hygienist, something you planned on doing tomorrow.

Truly, how could you have survived this on your own?

A very long, heavy sigh escaped your lips as you headed to your apartment, clutching your keys. Now that you were done with school, the urge to leave this tiny, old place was overwhelming; you could barely wait to find an actual house with a yard and a garage and privacy.

Speaking of privacy, you figured you would get some for a little while seeing as the middle and high school were still in session; both Brian and Sammy would still be at school.

It would be nice to have some alone time, but… you’d been so busy the past two years, you were very much looking forward to spending more time with the two guys you loved most in this world.

You unlocked the front door of your apartment, letting out another sigh as you walked in.

But then you froze when your gaze landed on just the two guys you’d been thinking of. They were standing in the living room, and the apartment was filled with streamers and balloons, and a big banner that read ‘YOU SURVIVED’ was hung up on the wall.

“Wha –” you gaped, your brow furrowing.

All of a sudden, Brian and Sammy erupted into cheers. Sammy even blew a noisemaker while Brian threw some confetti into the air.

“What is this?!” you chuckled, setting your bookbag down and making your way over to them. You held your arms out and wrapped them tightly around Sammy (who was now a couple of inches taller than you - don’t get me started). 

“You’re officially done,”  Brian grinned, accepting your embrace once you’d finished hugging Sammy. “It’s time to celebrate.”

“Both of you are supposed to be in school!” you pointed out, trying to scold them but failing miserably.

“I got a sub for the rest of the afternoon and checked Sammy out early,” Brian explained with a casual shrug.

“We weren’t going to miss this momentous occasion!” Sammy cried before blowing the noisemaker again.

You leaned into Brian, one arm around him with your hand clutching the back of his shirt. You hadn’t been expecting to see them until later, so being greeted by their smiling faces right as you walked in the door? You were already a bit emotional from having finally finished school, but now you were simply overcome.

Brian squeezed your shoulders when he heard you sniffle, and Sammy blew the noisemaker yet again to try and liven the mood.

“What are we doing to celebrate?” you asked with a watery grin.

“Whatever you want,” Brian replied. “We can have a night in, we can go out, we can do anything your heart desires.”

“Ooh!” Sammy gasped. “Can we invite Jae and Dowoon over to play League of Legends?”

Brian let out a single, very amused ‘ha!’ “We’re celebrating your aunt, not you.”

“No, that’s fine,” you chuckled. “Invite Sungjin and Wonpil, too, we can have a little party.”

Brian had a solid group of friends from college, and over the past two and a half years, you’d gotten to know them pretty well. After you’d run into Jae and Wonpil at the movie theater, Brian had introduced you to Sungjin and Dowoon over lunch. They had quickly accepted you into their friend group, and you’d even introduced them to Sammy on Brian’s birthday that first year (you hadn’t been able to get him any presents, but you had thrown him the best party you could at your apartment).

And now, hardly a weekend went by when Sammy didn’t request inviting over his two favorite video game partners. You’d even asked Sungjin to stay with Sammy one weekend when Brian had insisted on whisking you away for a brief romantic getaway in the mountains. You’d basically been on the verge of a mental breakdown at that point; the stress of school and money had gotten to you, but Brian had successfully calmed you down in the span of two days. He had a way of doing that, actually -- making you focus on the positives to help you overcome the negatives.

It was just one reason why you loved him so much.

“Are you sure?” Brian asked as Sammy pumped his fists in the air and whooped victoriously. “I mean, they’re coming to your graduation party next weekend, you’ll see them then.”

“I’m sure,” you replied, trying to hide a sly smirk. You stood on your toes as Sammy grabbed Brian’s phone from the kitchen counter and presumably began to type out an invite text to Jae. You placed your lips close to Brian’s ear and whispered, “You can ask one of them to take Sammy for the night.”

Brian’s eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead. And his lips curved into a smirk to match yours exactly.

You could see it now: Jae would ask Sammy if he wanted to continue their video game back at his place, and while you knew this meant Sammy would stay up until almost dawn playing, Sammy didn’t know you knew. So he would think he was getting away with something, and you and Brian would have the place to yourselves to celebrate in a different way (if you catch my drift).

It was a win/win scenario in every possible way.

Except for the fact that Sammy would be gone. You cherished alone time with Brian, obviously, but you still missed Sammy when he wasn’t around. After almost three years of being his legal guardian, you realized it was sometimes kind of hard to remember a time when Sammy hadn’t been yours. 

The two of you talked about his parents a lot, of course - Sammy’s counselor in middle school had urged him to bring them up at home since you were one of his only connections to his parents. But it had gotten to the point where you laughed more than you cried. You had more good days than bad days.

You’d gotten so close with Sammy these past three years, and he just felt like… yours. Like he was your son. And you knew your brother and sister-in-law would’ve wanted nothing less.

But anyway. Enough emotional talk and back to your current situation.

All four of Brian’s friends were able to come over, and the evening played out exactly as you’d imagined. Brian ordered about five pizzas for everyone, and Sammy was at a stage where he was eating so much, you honestly wondered if it would be enough.

Jae and Dowoon plopped right down onto the couch with Sammy and picked up a game controller. They would only set them down to eat and again later when it was time to leave.

Sungjin and Wonpil kept you and Brian company, talking about this and that, congratulating you on completing your degree finally, asking about your future plans. (Side note: you noticed Wonpil started to ask a question - “When are you going to –” and Brian cut him off. You tried not to think too much about it, but it was fairly suspicious…)

Once all of the pizza was gone and the sun had gone down, you watched as Brian shuffled to the couch and bent to whisper something in Jae’s ear. Jae nodded, winking conspiratorially at his friend before setting down his controller.

“Well, who’s up for continuing this at my place?” he asked, turning to eye both Dowoon and Sammy.

Sammy immediately spun to look at you with hopeful, pleading eyes, and you pretended to let out a ‘well, I guess’ sort of sigh.

“Sure,” you relented. “Just don’t stay up all night.”

Sammy sprung from the couch and ran into his room to pack an overnight bag as Sungjin and Wonpil began to clean everything up.

As soon as the door closed behind them about ten minutes later, Brian’s lips were on yours, and he promptly picked you up and carried you into the bedroom.

It had been a while since either of you had spoken. You were cuddled up in bed, and you were fairly sure Brian had fallen asleep. But when you turned over to face him, his eyes were on you, warm and curious as they always were.

“What is it?” he whispered, raising a hand and smoothing your hair back from your forehead.

You simply gazed at him for a few moments, taking in his handsome face while you had the chance. And then you whispered back, “Thank you.”

“For what?” he murmured before leaning in and pressing his lips to your forehead.

“For everything. I don’t think I can ever put into words how much it means to me that you –” You took a breath, already feeling the lump of emotion forming in your throat. “God, this sounds so cheesy, but you changed my life. If it weren’t for you, I would still –”

“You would’ve found your way here eventually,” Brian interrupted. “You didn’t need me.”

“But you came into my life at just the right time. I… I was struggling. I didn’t even know how badly I was struggling, but you helped me. I don’t know how I can ever repay –”

Brian stopped you with a kiss, and you knew if you tried to bring it up again, he would just keep kissing you.

So… 

“No, really, I am going to –”

Your lips curved into a smile as Brian pushed you over onto your back, attempting to deepen the kiss through your grin.

Did you know your boyfriend or did you know your boyfriend?

You’d heard Brian and Sammy’s cheers as the dean read out your name and you began to walk across the stage to accept your diploma. Your cheeks warmed, and you lowered your head a little in embarrassment.

And then their cheers got even louder when you shook the university president’s hand and smiled for the quick photo op.

You knew they were proud of you, but did they have to be so loud about it?

When every single student in the auditorium had walked across the stage, you followed your classmates out, trying to keep an eye on your boys so you would be able to find them in the crowd of people.

As soon as you stepped out into the sunshine, you heard two voices calling your name, though one was saying ‘Aunt’ in front of it. You stood on your toes, trying to see over all of the graduation caps surrounding you.

All of a sudden, Brian’s arm shot up through the crowd and waved around. You began to weave your way through to get to him, your lips pulling into a smile as you shuffled closer.

“There she is!” Brian crowed the second he saw you. “The graduate herself come to grace us with her degreed presence.”

“Shut up,” you chuckled, your cheeks pink as you tilted your head to accept his quick kiss.

“All right, come on, picture time.” Brian slid his phone out of his pocket and waved Sammy over to you.

Your nephew came to stand next to you, putting an arm around your shoulders. You put your own arm around his middle as you held your black leather diploma envelope against your chest.

Brian took about a dozen pictures, instructing Sammy to hug you, kiss your cheek, look at you with fond pride - and by the end, he even had to instruct Sammy to smile.

“Come on, Sam,” Brian chuckled. “Look like you’re proud of your aunt, at least!”

“I am! I think it shows in the previous twenty pictures,” Sammy pointed out with a roll of his eyes.

“Okay, okay, fine,” Brian relented. “You come and take the pictures, then.”

So Sammy and Brian switched places, Sammy taking the phone while Brian took his place at your side.

Unsurprisingly, Sammy didn’t have to tell Brian how to pose in the pictures. He hugged you and kissed you and looked at you with fond pride and smiled all on his own.

“Okay, I think that’s good,” Sammy said impatiently after probably the fifth pose.

“No, just one more,” Brian requested.

Sammy groaned.

“Just one! It’ll be a good one, I promise!”

“All right,” Sammy sighed, lifting the phone up yet again.

You stood there smiling, waiting for Brian to put his arm around you or hug you or something. But you didn’t feel his touch. You only heard him say your name.

“Hmm?” you hummed, turning to face him.

But he wasn’t there.

Your eyes shifted downward, and the sight of Brian kneeling on the ground next to you made your heart stop.

Wait, not only was he kneeling – he was also holding a small, black box in his hands, opened to reveal the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen.

You immediately gasped, your diploma envelope falling to the ground as your hands flew to cover your mouth.

Brian, meanwhile, was smiling as brightly as he’d ever smiled. Sammy was cheering, and you glanced over to see he still had Brian’s phone up, recording everything.

“Y/N,” Brian began when you turned to look back at him. “Will you marry me?”

Your eyes filled with tears, and you wasted no time in nodding your head.

Before you knew, Brian had swept you into his arms, holding you tightly and murmuring how much he loved you into your ear.

And the ring was on your finger.

The past three years had been the most difficult, challenging, heartbreaking, and rewarding years of your life. You’d lost your grandmother and your brother, the only family you’d ever known. You’d struggled living paycheck to paycheck, your bank account going into the negatives too many times to count. You’d worried and cried and stressed more than any person should.

You’d lost a lot of things, but you’d gained Sammy. You’d gained a son - a wonderful, amazing, perfect son. And now you were gaining a husband. A wonderful, amazing, perfect husband.

Most people did it the other way around - gain the husband first and then the son. But you couldn’t remember the last time your life had been normal. 

Maybe now it would be.

We’ll just say… you were working on it.

Chapter Text

The past two years, you and Brian had celebrated Valentine’s Day not on actual Valentine’s Day.

Since you’d been in school and Brian had been supporting himself, you, and Sammy on his teacher income, you had insisted on holding off on any kind of celebration. You just couldn’t afford it! You’d even gone so far as to make Brian wait until the next day to buy you chocolate since that’s when it all goes on sale.

The next year was more of the same; on February 15th, Brian showed up with newly purchased chocolate, leftover flowers, and a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli.

And… honestly… you kind of loved it.

But this year was different. Like everything was different.

You were no longer in school, and you were working as a dental hygienist. 

Meaning your little family of three was now living off double the income you had been for the last two years.

It was glorious. Truly, since you’d been barely scraping by for so long, it almost seemed like you had more money than you knew what to do with. What a good problem to have, am I right?

But also this was the first Valentine’s Day you and Brian were spending together as a married couple.

Some days you still couldn’t believe you were actually married. To Brian. The most annoyingly perfect guy in the universe. (You could definitely also label him as the most perfectly annoying guy in the universe, especially when he randomly decided to start copying and repeating everything you or Sammy say.)

Valentine’s Day fell during the week this year, so both of you had to work. You figured maybe Brian would have chocolates and flowers and dinner waiting for you when you got home from work, and even though that’s what he’d done before, you were looking forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day on the actual day.

You were currently assisting the dentist with a cavity filling, though, and your mind was on a completely different wavelength.

One of the other hygienists popped her head in through the doorway, raising her eyebrows at you.

“Y/N,” she said quietly, not wanting to disturb the dentist while she had a drill in her hand. “There’s a delivery for you.”

Your brow furrowed in slight confusion. “A delivery?”

She nodded, and you could see she was trying to hold back a sly grin. “I’ll take over for you if you want to go up front.”

Your gaze shifted to the dentist, and she tipped her head in the slightest of nods, her concentration laser-focused on filling that cavity.

The other hygienist stepped in, taking the equipment when you handed it to her. You slid the gloves off your hands, depositing them into a trash can before making your way up to the front desk.

Before you even arrived, you saw them.

The most beautiful bouquet of flowers you’d ever seen.

The receptionist was standing up, clutching a card in her fingers and practically jumping up and down with excitement.

“These just came for you,” she gushed.

You took the card from her when she held it out, your cheeks already warming. You didn’t even need a card, of course, but you opened it, anyway.

To my lovely wife on Valentine’s Day - the real Valentine’s Day. The 14th. Not the 15th. But I can send you flowers tomorrow, too. Just let me know. You can tell me when you get home from work or something. Okay. See you later. Oh, yeah, and I love you.

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes as a soft chuckle escaped your lips.

See what I mean by ‘perfectly annoying’?

As you reached out and grazed your finger over the whisper-soft petals, you quickly devised a plan in your head.

You’d had no idea he was going to send you flowers at work (which is probably what he’d planned), but that meant you hadn’t planned any special surprise for him!

Quickly, your glance darted to the clock in the waiting room. It wasn’t even 11… you still had time.

Within the hour, you’d managed to ask your boss for a tiny bit of time off, go to the grocery store, buy a rotisserie chicken, and drive over to the middle school.

Brian’s lunch was around this time, so if he was going to surprise you with flowers at your work, you would surprise him with food at his work.

The receptionist at the front desk recognized you by now - thankfully, not from Sammy’s parent-teacher conferences but from the times you’d come to pick Brian up from work. The two of you had gone down to a single car at one point during your schooling, so you’d traded off who dropped off and picked up whom.

Plus, Brian was kind of one of the more popular teachers among students and faculty, and he, apparently, talked about you a lot? It was super embarrassing but also really sweet.

When you walked up to sign in, she kind of gave you a funny look. You normally didn’t show up in the middle of the day, and you certainly never showed up with… a rotisserie chicken. You grinned sheepishly, holding up the chicken container and explaining it was sort of a tradition for Valentine’s Day.

“Well, I’m sure I’ll hear the cheers from his students all the way up here when you walk in,” she said with a little snort after handing you your visitor’s badge. “Those kids will be excited to meet you.”

A quick glance at a nearby clock told you it was almost Brian’s lunchtime, but not quite. He would still be teaching, but… hopefully, you wouldn’t be interrupting something too important.

You nodded your thanks to the receptionist before heading down the hall to the classroom you once needed directions to find.

A bit surprisingly, your heart started to race as you approached his classroom door; you’d never done anything like this before, so you were mainly just hoping it wasn’t a complete and utter disaster.

But you were already here, so no turning back now!

You lifted a hand and knocked gently on the door before opening it, sticking your head in with an angelic smile.

The first thing you saw was Brian’s shocked – and very handsome – face. The first thing you heard was 

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

“MR. KANG’S GIRLFRIEND!”

“NO, IT’S HIS WIFE!”

“OOH, SHE GOT CHICKEN!”

Obviously, your cheeks turned bright red as you made your way over to his desk to set the chicken down.

“Sorry!” you chuckled as he approached you, though he was smiling pretty widely so you knew you didn’t have anything to apologize for.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, leaning in and kissing your cheek.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

“You surprised me with flowers, so I’m surprising you with chicken,” you explained. “I know I’m a little early. Don’t let me interrupt.”

“Ah, they’re too far gone now,” he scoffed. “I’ll never get ‘em back.”

One glance over his shoulder, and you knew he was right. They were all clamoring to see you and hear what you and their teacher were talking about.

“Can I introduce you?” Brian asked eagerly, eyebrows raised.

“Wha –? Me –? I mean… sure,” you nodded.

He took your hand before turning around and taking a few steps closer to the middle row of desks.

“Okay, settle down,” he called out. “Everyone, this is my wife - who is definitely real, as you can see.”

Before you could even ask, he glanced back at you and said, “Some of them thought I was making you up even though I have about five pictures of you on my desk.”

You pressed your lips together to hold back a snicker as he told his students your name, and you waved a bit shyly at them.

“Are you a doctor?” one of them asked.

“Yeah, why are you wearing doctor clothes?”

“Guys,” Brian sighed. “I’ve told you this. She’s a dental hygienist. Do you never listen?!”

“Why aren’t you letting her talk?!”

“Because you guys are annoying, and she deals with enough annoying at home.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from bursting out laughing, and you leaned forward to press your forehead against the back of Brian’s shoulder.

The piercing shrill of the bell rang through the air, and Brian began to wave his students toward the door.

“Sorry about that,” he laughed once the last one scrambled out, closing the door behind him.

“No, it’s okay,” you assured him, squeezing his hand before pulling him a little bit closer to you. “I’m the one who got here early. I should be apologizing for riling them up.”

Brian let go of your hand but only so he could bring his hands up to cradle your face gently. “You sneaky little angel,” he murmured, his nose scrunching as he leaned in to kiss you on the lips.

“I should say the same about you! Those gorgeous flowers!”

“I know we started a little tradition with the day after thing, but…” he sighed softly as he moved to wrap his arms around your waist, pulling you close to his chest. “I mean, it’s our first married Valentine’s Day. And I can afford to buy you full-price presents this year.”

You gazed up at your husband with a look of pure adoration, your hands resting on the lapels of his blazer.

“We can start a new tradition then,” you said quietly, barely able to speak through the huge grin on your lips.

“A new tradition of… celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14th?” he asked with a smirk.

Well, there went that moment. You rolled your eyes, stepping away from him and heading over to his desk.

“Come on, Romeo, let’s eat.”

It didn’t take long for the aroma of rotisserie chicken to fill Brian’s classroom, and you almost felt like leaving an apology note on the board for his next group of students. But the chicken was so delicious, any guilt you harbored fled just as quickly as it had come.

Brian sat at his desk while he ate, and you sat on the edge of his desk, lightly knocking your heels against the side.

After he finished a wing, a sly smirk appeared on his lips, and you furrowed your brow.

“…What? Why are you smirking?”

“Sammy told me something… interesting when I dropped him off at school this morning.”

The motion of your legs froze, and your brow furrowed even deeper.

“What do you mean by interesting?”

“Well,” Brian began smugly. “He told me he has plans tonight.”

“…Plans? Tonight?”

“Mhm,” he nodded. “With a girl.”

You almost choked on your chicken.

“Excuse me?!”

“I think your son has a girlfriend.”

“He does not!” you cried, clearly affronted by even the idea.

“What do you mean he does not?!” Brian laughed. “I just told you he does!”

“He’s fifteen! He’s too young for a girlfriend!”

“That’s not too young for a girlfriend.”

“Is, too! Besides! He hasn’t told me about any girl, so he definitely does not have a girlfriend.”

Brian quirked an eyebrow at you, and you could tell he was barely holding back a laugh. “You think he tells you everything?”

“I don’t think, I know,” you replied with pursed lips. 

“Uh… no. He doesn’t.”

Your heart stopped, and you reached out to grab Brian’s arm. “What do you mean? What do you know that I don’t?”

Oh, god, your mind was racing with the possibilities.

“Calm down, nothing major,” he assured you. “Just that… he has a girlfriend. And I remember being fifteen. I definitely did not tell my mom everything.”

“But Sammy and I are different! We’re more like –”

“If you say ‘friends’–”

“Well, we are!”

Brian stood, leaning over and placing an amused kiss on your forehead. “Oh, I love you. You never cease to make me laugh.”

“I’m telling you, Sammy doesn’t have a girlfriend. He would’ve told me!”

“Well, girlfriend or not, he has plans tonight,” Brian repeated. “So… you know what that means.”

He had just been teasing you about Sammy, so it was now your turn to tease him right back.

“Netflix on the couch and an early night,” you nodded.

“Exact – wait, what?”

“If Sammy’s not going to be hogging the television playing video games, we can watch Netflix!”

“Honey, we have a television in our room. We can watch Netflix whenever we want,” Brian pointed out - like you’d actually forgotten.

“Okay, then - what does it mean?”

“It means…” Brian put his hands on the desk on either side of your hips, leaning forward and brushing his nose against yours. “We can talk some more about that baby you’re wanting.”

“Only talk?” you teased, whispering over his lips.

“Mm, maybe a little more –”

Brian’s classroom door suddenly opened, and both of you were more than surprised to see Sammy standing in the doorway.

“Aunt Y/N,” he croaked, eyes squinted against the bright light. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” you asked.

“I have a really bad headache, so I was coming to see if Uncle Brian can take me home.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Brian physically deflate.

Well.

There went those plans for tonight.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry, sweetie,” you said, sliding off Brian’s desk and heading over to your nephew. “I can take you home.”

“You sure?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, I’ll just call the office in the car, it’ll be fine.”  You reached up to comb his hair away from his forehead, quickly checking to see if he had a fever - just in case.

“All right,” Brian sighed. “I’ll see you two at home then.”

You turned and shot your husband an apologetic look, mouthing an ‘I love you’ before ushering Sammy out the door.

You were sorry, of course. As much as you loved your nephew, you cherished your alone time with your husband. Especially since you’d decided you wanted to have a child together.

But… now was your chance to get Sammy to confess his secret girlfriend to you. You were determined to prove Brian wrong, and that would probably be the best Valentine’s Day gift you could receive.

Chapter Text

Your eyes flitted to the door as you heard the jingle of keys and the clicks of someone unlocking it. It could only be one of two people, and based on the time of day (currently 3:15pm), it was probably –

Sammy stopped short when he saw you, his brow furrowing.

“What are you doing home?”

It was a Thursday, so you should have been at work for another hour and 45 minutes, at least. Not camped out on the couch watching a Disney movie.

“I’m not feeling too great, so I had to leave early,” you explained as you reached for a cracker from your plate on the coffee table. Your stomach had been bothering you since yesterday, so you’d been downing saltines and ginger ale and pretty much nothing else for almost 24 hours.

Hopefully, it hadn’t been something you’d eaten because that meant Brian and Sammy would probably fall captive to the bug, too.

But, I don’t know… this stomachache felt a little different than food poisoning. You weren’t sure what it could be, though.

Sammy slid his backpack off his shoulders and let it fall into an armchair in the living room. A frown had appeared on his lips, and you were about to comment on how sweet it was that he was worried about you.

“So… you can’t come to curriculum night?” he asked.

Your eyebrows shot up your forehead, your jaw dropping open as you let out a gasp.

“Oh, no!” you lamented. “Sammy, I forgot, I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head, a tiny smile now tugging at his lips. “It’s okay,” he assured you with a wave of his hand. “I’ll just ask Uncle Brian.”

As Sammy began to rummage around in his backpack for his homework, your expression slowly morphed into one which clearly said ‘oh my god did he just say he would ask Brian to go to a school-event?’. Your forehead wrinkled, your lower lip jutted out into a slight pout, and tears just slightly filled your eyes.

Because, up until now, Sammy had always asked you to go to any sort of parent-involvement thing at school. You had never made a big deal about it or asked him to ask Brian instead because it was probably still awkward for him. His friends would be asking their actual moms and dads while he couldn’t.

You, at least, were actually related to him. You were his aunt by blood; Brian was his uncle by marriage.

You sniffed, feeling a tear spilling out onto your cheek.

Sammy quickly looked up, quirking one eyebrow at you. “…Aunt Y/N, are you okay?”

“Yes,” you assured him quickly, pressing your knuckle to your eye. “I’m fine, sorry.”

Really, though, why were you crying? I mean, you were an emotional person (you’d cried buckets on your wedding day), but… crying because Sammy was going to ask Brian to go with him to curriculum night?

That was a little overboard.

“Okay…” Sammy replied uncertainly. But he continued on getting out what he needed for his homework and headed across the hall to the office.

When you had been looking for a house to move into right before you and Brian got married, one thing you wanted was a separate room for Sammy and Brian to get their school work done. You just felt that Sammy needed a quiet space to do his homework, and Brian needed a quiet space to grade papers. 

Both of them had deemed it unnecessary, but within a week of moving in, they were both using it almost daily. It had taken everything in you not to gloat.

When Brian arrived home about an hour later, his reaction to seeing you mirrored Sammy’s almost exactly: His brow furrowed with concern, and he dropped his briefcase into the armchair by the living room doorway.

“What are you doing home so early?” he asked, heading over to the couch.

You’d laid down about half an hour ago, the churning in your stomach having increased. Now even saltines were unappetizing.

Brian perched on the edge of the couch, reaching out and smoothing your hair back from your forehead. “Still feeling bad?”

You nodded, letting out a pathetic sounding hum.

“I”m sorry,” Brian frowned before bending over and placing a kiss on your temple. “You don’t have a fever. It’s just your stomach?”

“Yeah,” you croaked. “I still haven’t thrown up or anything, though, so I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Do you want anything? Ginger ale? Gatorade?”

“Mm, no, thank you,” you shook your head and turned to look up at him. “Maybe just a kiss?”

A tiny smile tugged at Brian’s lips, and he bent down again to fulfill your request.

“I missed you,” he whispered against your lips. And then he moved to place kisses all over your face, kissing your cheek and nose and chin and forehead. “I missed you so much.”

A giggle escaped your lips, but before you could say or do anything, you heard the office door opening across the hall.

Brian sat back up, his gaze shifting and his lips forming into a smile. “Hey, Sammy,” he greeted. And even though he was looking at Sammy, he still moved one hand to your back, rubbing it comfortingly.

“Hey,” Sammy replied, leaning against the living room doorway. “I have curriculum night tonight. Can you come?”

“Oh, yeah,” Brian answered with raised eyebrows. “Yeah, sure. What time?”

“It starts at 6.”

“Cool, cool. You want to get something for dinner before?”

“McDonald’s?”

Brian let out a soft chuckle and nodded. “We can get McDonald’s if you want.”

“If you’re going to talk about food,” you interrupted with a slight whine. “Please do it somewhere else.”

“Sorry, baby,” Brian chuckled guiltily, giving you one last forehead kiss before pushing himself off the couch and heading over toward Sammy.

“Did you finish all your homework?” you heard him ask as they walked into the office.

“Not yet,” Sammy replied. “I’m stuck on this paper about The Great Gatsby…?”

“You’re speaking my language, my man.”

You heard the click of the door closing, and you felt your heart positively glowing.

But there was also a whole new slew of thoughts churning around in your mind…

Brian and Sammy were gone for about three hours, and when they arrived home just before 9… Well, you’d had quite the evening.

You were already in bed because your stomach hadn’t let up (though you now knew why), and there had been no one at home to judge you for changing into your pajamas at 8:30 so, why not?!

“Hey, how’d it go?” you called out when you heard two pairs of footsteps heading up the stairs.

“Good, good,” Brian answered. “I’ll give you the details.”

“Night, Aunt Y/N,” Sammy said as he passed your doorway to go to his own room. “Feel better.”

“Thanks, sweetie! I love you, good night!” You craned your neck to see if he was coming back to respond, but you heard his bedroom door close.

As soon as Brian stepped foot in your shared bedroom, you scooted to sit up, trying your best to hide a smile.

“Hey, I have something to tell you,” you said, watching as he headed to the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

“Me too,” he replied with a smile of his own. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m all right,” you shrugged.

Brian reached out to feel your forehead again, moving his hand to cradle your cheek when he was satisfied that you still didn’t have a fever.

“So, I overheard Sammy talking to some of his friends,” he said quietly, his eyes bright and sparkling.

“You did? And you didn’t butt in and try to be a cool kid like them?” you teased.

“Not this time,” he retorted, “One of the guys said ‘Your dad seems really cool.’“

“Ooh,” you replied, obviously very impressed.

“And Sammy said, ‘Yeah, he is.’“

Your brow furrowed, and you tilted your head curiously. “He… I mean, he didn’t –”

“He did. He said ‘He’s really my uncle, but yeah. He’s cool.’“

“But he didn’t say that right away?” you asked with tears pooling in your eyes.

Brian nodded. The very small smile on his lips was a total cover-up; you could tell he was actually extremely excited, and you didn’t feel like an idiot for tearing up.

You sniffed, leaning forward and taking Brian’s face in your hands. You planted a nice, long kiss on his lips, though you began to smile too goofily to actually kiss him properly.

“What did you have to tell me?” Brian asked softly when you pulled away. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear, his eyes searching your face.

“Well,” you sighed. Your heart began to speed up, and a few butterflies formed in your stomach. “I figured out why I haven’t been feeling well.”

“Oh, yeah? Did you eat something?”

You shook your head.

“What is it?” Brian asked curiously.

You opened your mouth to tell him straight out, but you quickly decided to have a little more fun with it.

“It has to do with what Sammy said.”

“…That I’m cool?”

“That you’re a cool… what?”

“A cool uncle.”

You shook your head again. “What his friend said.”

“That… I’m… a cool dad?” he asked, utterly confused.

You pressed your lips together to keep yourself from smiling like an idiot, but you were practically vibrating with excitement.

You nodded.

“A cool dad. What are you –”

But then understanding lit up Brian’s face.

“Wait,” he stammered, scooting closer to you. “A cool dad? Like – you mean – I’m going to be – you’re –”

“You’re already Sammy’s cool dad, but you’re going to be another kid’s cool dad, too,” you beamed, even more tears forming in your eyes now.

“You’re sure?”

You nodded. “I went out and got a pregnancy test while you were gone. I could tell that something was off, and when you called me ‘baby’ earlier, I thought maybe -– and it was positive.”

Brian burst out in an excited laugh, immediately reaching for you and pulling you close to him.

You heard a door opening suddenly, followed by hurried footsteps.

“What is it?” Sammy asked when he appeared in your doorway. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh,” you sniffed, unable to wipe the smile from your lips. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just –”

Oh, geez. You hadn’t quite thought about how you would tell Sammy.

Brian moved to press his lips to your cheek, apparently too excited to hold it in.

“Sorry, Sammy,” you giggled, trying to lean away from your husband’s affection. “I just – I’m… you’re going to have a little cousin.”

Sammy’s eyebrows shot halfway up his forehead, and his mouth formed a small ‘Oh’ of surprise.

“Get over here, Sammy boy,” Brian called out, turning around and waving him over.

“Brian, don’t embarrass –”

But Sammy was shuffling into your room.

And he actually leaned over and hugged the two of you.

Which, of course, made you cry even more.

“So… I’m going to have a little brother or sister?” he asked a bit shyly.

You would have to blame the number of tears spilling onto your cheeks on the pregnancy hormones. Because hearing Sammy say your baby would be his sibling instead of his cousin…

“Yeah,” Brian answered, looking at Sammy with nothing less than complete pride and adoration. “You are.”

Sammy’s shy smile turned into a full-blown one, and you were fairly sure your heart melted.

A memory suddenly flashed through your mind: the first day you met Brian. The parent-teacher conference where you found out Sammy was taking out his emotional frustrations at school.

In the car on the way home, Sammy had told you that you weren’t his real mom. You’d reminded him that you weren’t his fake mom, either; you were just his aunt.

But now, a mere three or so years later…

He didn’t call you ‘mom,’ but that’s what you were.

You were his mom now. He was your son. Brian was his dad.

And with a new little one on the way, you were pretty sure your heart was going to stop working because it was too full.

You had absolutely no idea how you’d gotten to be so lucky. You just knew that your year of struggling, your year of experiencing the lowest of lows… was worth it. Because look at how your life had turned out.

You had Sammy. You had Brian. You had a future child. You had a job you loved. You had a house with two stories and a garage and a really nice kitchen and a backyard and probably a dog soon because Sammy had been wanting one for months now. 

It just goes to show you that hard work really does pay off.