Work Text:
Here School was an… odd place. Not a lot of staff, weird students, odd rules. Unfortunately, you worked there. You were an assistant math teacher. You had great eyesight, you were funny, you were fun but firm. The students loved you.
Your boss? A bald man named Baldi Baldimore with a green turtleneck sweater and blue jeans and brown shoes. His outfits were always along the lines of that basic look. His voice… you wouldn’t say it was nasally, but that was the only way to put it. He was tall and honestly kinda scrawny, but he was strong! He was funny, good at his job, and had great hearing. The kids respected them as far as respecting a teacher can go.
You two were a power duo! You helped each other through things. If he was upset, you calmed him down. If you were freaking out, he reassured you. Simple things that just make you feel seen. You have been his assistant for, what, 8 years? You knew his schedule, his students, his personality. You knew his mood swings and how to calm him down. You knew everything.
It was 3:00 pm, just after school. He was grading papers in his office when you came in.
“No, nono… That’s not right at all! How did you even-..” Baldi mumbled under his breath, tapping his red pen on the desk, narrowing his eyes at the paper like it personally offended him.
“Is something wrong?” You asked, stepping into the room and shutting the door. He looked up at the sound of your voice, almost instantly un-tensing but only slightly.
“These papers are terrible! Ghh.. It’s like they didn’t even pay attention!” He said, pushing away a paper. You couldn’t help but feel bad, not just for him but for the students too.
“Hey… It’s okay! Here, how about we take a break? We can finish the papers after. I’ll help you.” You smiled reassuringly at him, leaning over his desk slightly and pushing his stack of papers away. “Need anything? A drink, a snack, anything?”
“Hm… Can you get me a B-Soda..?” He placed a quarter in your hand. You nod, standing up again.
“Of course. I’ll be back!” You smile fondly, before turning and walking out the room.
Once you got to the soda machine, you kneeled down and pushed the quarter in. You heard a can fall from inside, you groaned knowing it would explode. You grabbed the blue can anyways. You walked into a staff room, grabbing a roll of paper towels just in case. You also grabbed a small gift that you had saved for Baldi, stuffing it in your bookbag with the paper towels.
“You didn’t shake it, did you?” Baldi asked almost immediately once you came back, making you chuckle.
“No, but be careful. These things come preshook. I grabbed paper towels just in case. Be careful.” You handed him the soda. He turned away from his desk, just in case it did explode, before slowly opening the can.
The satisfying crack of the can opening did not make up for the mess, because it sprayed all over him. You laughed, immediately rushing to his side.
“I told you!” You giggled, grabbing the can from him and putting it down on his desk. You grabbed your paper towel roll. His green turtleneck was now tinted sticky blue, and it was all over him as well. You kneeled down to help wipe him down, attempting to soak it up from his clothes and wiping over his cheek as you giggle at him.
“I brought you a gift to make up for this.” You suppressed your laughs as you grabbed the gift from your bag. A shiny, rich red apple.
“An apple? For me? Thanks!” Baldi grinned, snatching the apple from your hands. He waited to eat it until you were done attempting to clean him off. “Thank you, by the way. I definitely need to change my clothes now, though.” He chuckled.
“Ehehe, yeah… How about you do that, okay? I can finish the papers.” You offered with a fond smile.
“Huh? You sure? I can handle them!”
“I’m sure! I’ve got it, trust me. You need to clean off and eat your apple.” You nodded, grabbing his hands and pulling him up. “I’ve got it, okay?” You repeated, more firmly but still caring.
Baldi sighed, slightly a chuckle. “I’m not gonna get away from this one, huh..? Alright, alriiight. Thank you. Just don’t finish the work. I don’t want you to overwork yourself, you know.” He smiled.
You nod once more as he leaves the room. You steal his seat, turning back to the desk and grabbing papers.
You ended up finishing the papers despite him telling you not to. You grabbed a sticky note, placing it on the stack of graded papers.
heya! i finished the papers… dont worry about the grades, okay? i’ll handle it from here. i hope your apple was good <3
And you went home, thinking about his reaction with a soft grin.