Archive of Our Own

“Am I in trouble?”

Grace looked over his glasses at little Ava Fischer who was sitting sheepishly at her desk, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. She darted a nervous glance over at him before looking straight back at the table, her black hair hiding her face.

“No, Ava. You’re not in trouble. I just wanna talk to your dad about a couple things, okay?”

“Bad things?”

“No. Not bad things. I promise.”

Ava sniffed, tucking her hair behind her ear, and Grace put his marking down, rolling on his chair over to her table. He tilted his head at the small girl before him, wishing he knew what was going on inside that head of hers.

“Ava, I just want to make sure you’re okay,” he said softly, which made her look up at him through her bangs. “This drawing you did today… Well, I want to talk to your dad about it, okay? We need to understand what’s going on.”

Ava dropped her gaze again. “I don’t want my daddy to worry though. I’m okay! I am.”

“Ava, he’s your dad,” Grace sighed. “He needs to know what’s going on.”

Before Ava could reply, the door to the classroom swung open to reveal a rather dishevelled looking Simon Fischer. 

“Hi, I’m so sorry I’m late. Was held up by a client,” he said, walking into the room and taking a seat beside his daughter. “Hey sweetheart. You alright?”

Ava nodded, leaning against her dad the moment he sat next to her. Grace however, lifted an eyebrow at her, silently imploring her to tell the truth. She just scowled at him, so Grace shook his head and reached back over to his desk, picking up the piece of paper that had started all of this.

“No worries. Thank you for taking the time to come in,” Grace started.

“Of course. What’s the problem? Is Ava in trouble?”

“No, of course not. I want to talk to you about something Ava did today.” Grace unfolded the piece of paper and turned it to face Simon and Ava, who had buried her face in her dad’s chest. His arm was around her as he studied the contents of the page: a drawing of Ava riding a dragon that was breathing fire down onto a few of her classmates. Simon raised an eyebrow at the page.

“Oh. Well. This is certainly very creative,” he said slowly, and Grace snorted.

“Incredibly creative. Ava, you have such an artistic flair, but that’s not what I want to talk about.” Grace pointed at the kids who were on fire. “These are a few of Ava’s classmates. I wouldn’t say they’re friends, but I’ve seen them talking a few times. So I want to know why, Ava, you’re getting a big dragon to set them on fire in your drawing?”

Ava stubbornly refused to answer, keeping her face pressed against Simon, who looked down at his daughter, a worried expression on his face.

“Hey, what’s happened?” He asked her quietly, his hand coming up to stroke her hair. “You can’t really be setting your classmates on fire in your drawings.”

“But they’re meanies,” came Ava’s muffled voice. “They deserve to be on fire.”

Simon and Grace shared a look and Grace leant forwards on his elbows. “Ava, what do you mean they’re meanies?” 

Ava sniffed, turning her head to the side so she could talk to Grace. “They’re not nice to me, and not nice people are meanies and meanies need to be put on fire.”

“You can’t put people on fire-” Simon started, but Ava cut him off with a whine.

“But they’re so mean to me!”

“How have they been mean to you?” Grace asked his student gently. He had a bit of a soft spot for her, and he’d be damned if anyone was going to hurt her. “Are they saying nasty things?”

“Sometimes,” Ava admitted, her eyes filling with tears. “They’re mean about my accent. They say I don’t belong here. And then they say I should run home to mommy, but then they say oh wait, you don’t have a mommy. So I drew them on fire because they deserve it.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Simon said, his voice cracking. He gathered Ava up in his arms, pulling her into his lap and rocking her gently as she buried her face in his neck, starting to cry. Grace’s heart hurt for the poor girl, and he was absolutely furious at the kids who said such things to her. 

“Thank you for telling us this, Ava,” Grace said, folding the paper up so they didn’t have to look at it anymore. “That is absolutely awful and I am very angry at them for saying things like that to you. They should not be picking on you like that.”

“They definitely deserved to be set on fire,” was Simon’s contribution, and while Grace shot him a withering look, Ava let out a quiet giggle through her tears. “But maybe instead of drawing them on fire, you should’ve spoken to me or Mister Grace. Then we can deal with them, alright?”

“And then I can draw them on fire at home instead of at school where Mister Grace can’t find it,” she stated, and Simon chuckled at her.

“Exactly.”

“Well anyway,” Grace cut in, not really wanting to condone drawing images of setting people on fire, but also entirely understanding why she did so, “I will deal with these kids, okay? You absolutely do belong here, Ava. And if they’re going to make fun of your accent, then they’re really making fun of my accent too.”

“But you’re not from America,” Ava pointed out, lifting her head to squint at Grace, who grinned.

“No, but I’m Canadian. Us North Americans gotta stick together, right? I will sort them out, and from now on, if they say anything mean to you again, you come and tell me straight away, okay?”

“And draw them on fire when I’m at home,” she replied, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. Grace just shook his head exasperatedly. “I will, Mister Grace.”

Simon procured a tissue from his pocket, using it to wipe up Ava’s face, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m gonna make miyeok-guk specially for your dinner tonight, because you’ve been so brave and told us what’s going on.”

“With mussels?” Ava asked, a hopeful note in her voice. Simon just smiled at her.

“With mussels,” he confirmed, and she nestled back into him, a small grin on her face.

“Thanks Daddy. I love you.”

“I love you too, kid.”

Grace smiled at the pair of them, his heart absolutely melting. “You’ve been so brave, Ava. Why don’t you go and grab your things then you and your dad can get back and have that delicious sounding dinner?”

Ava nodded. “Miyeok-guk is my favourite food ever.”

“I bet it is.”

She scrambled down from Simon’s lap and ran over to the little cloakroom to the side of the classroom. The two men stood and Simon reached out, grasping Grace’s hand in a firm handshake.

“Thank you for looking out for her,” he said quietly, his expression forlorn. “God, I can’t believe this is happening. I mean, we got enough of that shit in the States, but to get it here too? And all that with her mom… I just want her to be happy.” His voice broke a little as he finished, and Grace squeezed his hand.

“She is happy,” he reassured Simon. “She has a couple of friends, and she has you. It sucks that it’s happening at all, but I promise you, Simon, I’ll get this sorted out, okay? Encourage her to talk to you about it, see if there’s anything she left out. I’ll deal with it here, and if it worsens or happens again, then I will escalate it to the head. I will take care of her, alright?”

Simon’s expression softened and he nodded, squeezing Grace’s hand before letting go. “You’re so kind. This must be why you’re her favourite teacher.”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “I’m her only teacher.”

Simon grinned cheekily. “Well, you sometimes have that sub covering for you. What’s her name? Mrs DuBois. I don’t think Ava likes her very much.”

Grace laughed, tucking his hands in his blazer pockets. “Doesn’t she now? I thought all the kids loved Mrs DuBois.”

“Ava just loves you more, I guess,” Simon said, his eyes sparkling, and Grace found himself blushing with the way Simon was looking at him.

“Well, she is a very sweet kid, and an exemplary student, when she’s not setting her classmates on fire.”

“I said I only did that ‘coz they were meanies! I wouldn’t do it to my friends!” Ava cried, appearing at their sides and making Grace jump.

“I know, kid,” Simon said fondly. “Come on. Let’s go have some miyeok-guk at home.”

“Okay Daddy. Can we watch The Tigger Movie as well?”

“Sure we can. Say bye to Mister Grace.”

“Bye Mister Grace!” Ava threw her arms around Grace’s middle. “Thank you for being so nice to me.”

Grace startled a little at the contact, not really used to hugs, but he patted Ava’s head and smiled down at her. “Of course, Ava. I’ll sort it all out, don’t you worry. See you tomorrow.”

Ava let go of him just as Simon took his hand, squeezing quickly. “Thank you, Ryland.”

Grace squeezed back before letting go and taking a step back from the family, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Of course. Bye now.”

Simon scooped Ava up in his arms and the two of them waved at Grace before heading out of the classroom, chattering away to each other. Grace watched them go, a flutter in his stomach that he hadn’t felt in years.

God, he really didn’t stand a chance, did he?

***

Friday afternoons were Grace’s favourite time of the week, as he didn’t have playground duty after school, and he went to the bar with his friend Marissa. Plus, he always made sure he got all his marking done before Fridays, so the only work things he had to do over the weekend was his lesson plans for the beginning of the next week.

As of right now, however, he was standing in the playground with Ava at his side, waiting for Simon to come and collect her. He wanted to update Simon on the bullying situation, and this was the easiest way to do it. He didn’t want to have to call him in for another meeting, as nothing of note needed discussing, just a simple update.

Ava yawned and dropped her book bag by her feet. “Daddy and I are going to Longleat this weekend,” she told Grace. “He said it’s a treat for being so brave at school.”

“Oh, that’s super cool, Ava! I’m very jealous,” Grace said, grinning at her. “You deserve it. You have been very brave this week. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks Mister Grace!” She said happily, before letting out a squeal of joy. Simon had appeared before the two of them, a soft expression on his face as Ava jumped into his arms.

“Hello Daddy. I missed you today!”

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” he replied, kissing her cheek. “What’s up, Mister Grace? Are you giving Ava a personal escort or are you here to see me?”

Grace had no idea why he blushed at that, but he cleared his throat and loosely folded his arms across his chest. “Ah, I just wanted to give you an update on Ava’s situation.”

“Oh, right!” Simon nodded, setting Ava back down on the playground. “What’s happened? Has it got worse?”

“No, no. The kids who were bullying Ava have been given lunchtime detentions for all of next week, and there is going to be a racism and inclusion lesson circulating all the classes to teach them about how it’s bad and you should never judge someone based on their skin colour or accent.”

“That’s brilliant,” Simon said, his relief clear on his face. “I’ve been so worried about it. But I’m glad they’re getting what they deserve, and that they will be educated on it all. Thanks for all this. It means so much.”

“Ah, don’t worry,” Grace returned. “I hate seeing any of my students upset, so… And racism is inexcusable. We have a zero tolerance policy here.”

“Well, thank you anyway.” Simon’s smile nearly wiped Grace out. “Has Ava told you what we’re doing this weekend because she’s been so brave about all this?”

“Longleat!” Ava exclaimed. “Yes, I told him Daddy! I’m very excited to go swimming and paint pottery. That’s what Daddy said we could do. And we’ll go on a walk to see deer!”

“It all sounds incredibly exciting,” Grace said with a smile. “I hope you have lots of fun.”

“We definitely will,” Simon said.

“I wish you could come, Mister Grace,” Ava piped up, and Grace’s eyes widened. “Daddy, can Mister Grace come too? Please!”

“Erm-”

“Mister Grace has other things to do this weekend, Ava,” Simon told his daughter, an amused expression on his face. “He’s your teacher. He deserves a break from you too.”

“Ugh.” Ava threw her arms up dramatically, before darting in to give Grace a quick hug. “Sorry you can’t come to Longleat too. I’ll tell you all about it on Monday.”

“Y-yes, you do that,” Grace said, patting Ava’s head before she pulled back. “I hope you have a very lovely time.”

“We will!”

Simon stuck his hand out and Grace took it, surprised when Simon only squeezed softly. “Thanks again, Ryland,” he said quietly. “You’re so wonderful.”

Grace blinked. “Er- it’s no problem, really.”

Simon smiled and squeezed his hand again before letting go. He grabbed Ava’s book bag from the floor and took her hand. “Bye! See you later.”

“Bye bye Mister Grace! See you on Monday!”

“Bye you both. Have a nice weekend!” Grace watched the two of them leave the playground, feeling thoroughly discombobulated.

***

Tucked away in their usual booth at the back of the bar, Grace sat nursing a beer, staring at the table in front of him as he attempted to organise his thoughts. Marissa was running a few minutes late so he took the opportunity to sit with himself and try to work out what on Earth was going on.

Simon Fischer was an objectively handsome man. He was slightly shorter than Grace, usually with his hair tied in a half up half down style, and a smile that lit up any room he was in.

He was also a parent to a student that Grace taught.

And yet sometimes it seemed like Simon was flirting with him.

Now, Grace wasn’t the best person to spot any signs of romance. He’d had one failed attempt at a relationship during college, but that didn’t last very long at all. Since then, he’d been perfectly content living his life as a bachelor. He wasn’t jealous of Marissa and her boyfriend, nor did he look longingly at the happy families in the playground after school.

But then Simon Fischer crash landed into his life when Ava started in Grace’s class in September. The two of them had had many interactions between then and now, and Grace always made sure to keep them professional. But there had always been a slight flirtatious undertone in Simon’s speech. Grace usually ignored it, yet it was becoming harder and harder to push aside.

“So sorry I’m late.” Marissa’s arrival made Grace jump and he looked up to see his best friend plonk herself across from him, her gin and tonic on the table before her. “Lost track of time yapping to Jamie. He cooked the most delicious steak for our dinner. Y’know, Ry, I’m only gonna accept a proposal from him if he does it with a nice slab of steak. God, the shag I’m gonna give him when I get back-”

“Hello Mari, I’m good thanks, how are you? Oh wonderful to hear you and Jamie are getting along so well. I’m sure you’ll be a very happy couple-”

Marissa swatted at him from over the table, making him laugh. “Shut up you. Am I not allowed to gush about my incredible boyfriend?”

“Gush all you like, but I’d prefer to be a few drinks in before you start telling me about your sex life,” Grace responded with a grin. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him, settling into the booth more comfortably. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good, thanks! Work’s been busy. We’ve had a transfer over from one of the private schools and he’s being a bloody nightmare,” Marissa complained. “I get that transferring schools in the middle of the year isn’t ideal, but c’mon. I need him to work with me here.”

“Give him time. He’ll come around eventually,” Grace reassured her and she sighed over dramatically.

“Yeah. I guess.” She sat up straighter in her seat and pointed her finger in his face. “Now. You. How’ve you been? You looked awfully broody over here while I was getting my drink. What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

Grace blushed, trying to hide behind his beer. “Ah, nothing really. Just- this kid I teach has been bullied and I’ve had to sort it out.”

“Oh no! That’s awful. Are they okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. It’s all sorted out and she knows to come to me if anything else happens.” He paused then sighed deeply. “It’s just her dad…”

“Don’t tell me,” Marissa sneered. “Is he one of those arsehole dads who’s all up in your business ‘coz his precious baby girl is being bullied?”

“No, no, quite the opposite really,” Grace said. “I think he’s flirting with me?”

Marissa blinked, before her face broke out into the most magnificent grin. “Oh my gosh, Ry! This is wonderful news! Wait, hold on, firstly, I can’t believe you’re actually picking up on the romance vibes from him.”

“Hey, I can pick up on romance vibes-”

“You absolutely cannot. Remember Amy? She literally had to spell it out for you because you weren’t getting her hints.”

“Well, Amy was being very subtle,” Grace said defensively, but Marissa just raised an eyebrow.

“She was always trying to touch you. Oh my god, she was constantly by your side when we hung out as a group. I have no idea how you didn’t pick up on her hints.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Grace said, feeling his cheeks heat up. “Forget I said anything.”

“Wait, nooooo! Ry! A man is flirting with you! This is huge news.”

“I don’t actually know if he’s flirting with me though, that’s the thing.”

Marissa narrowed her eyes. “Okay, what’s made you think that he could possibly be flirting with you?”

“Well… I mean he’s always been overly friendly when we’ve spoken at school. I thought that was just ‘coz he’s American, but he’s never that chatty with anyone else I see him talk to. And recently, when I’ve had to speak to him about his daughter’s situation at school, he’s looked at me a certain way that’s made me feel weak at the knees, and he’s been squeezing my hand when he gives me a handshake, and he’s so soft, which is a bit mad because holy moly the muscles on that man…” Grace trailed off with a blush as his mind went to entirely inappropriate thoughts about Simon’s muscles.

“Oh my gosh. Has little Ryland got a crush?” Marissa teased, and it was Grace’s turn to swat at her.

“Shut up Mari. I just- I don’t know what to make of him. Is he flirting with me? Or is he just very thankful that I’ve been helping his daughter?”

“Well I don’t know. I’ve never met the man.”

Grace groaned, taking his glasses off and burying his face in his hands. “That’s not helpful. Maybe I’m just imagining things.”

“I doubt you’re imagining things, hun” Marissa said gently. “Why would you imagine this? You’ve literally never been interested in anyone like this before. You always turn people down who ask you out. You’ve never once complained to me about being single. And, as previously stated, you never pick up on romantic hints.”

“I don’t know, Mari. Maybe because humans are sociable creatures and this is my body’s way of telling me I need someone else in my life?”

Marissa just rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re thirty. You’ve never wanted a partner before. I think you definitely have a crush and I think it’s highly likely that this man is, in fact, flirting with you.”

Grace groaned again, slumping back in his seat, and he took a miserable gulp of his beer. “But he is literally a dad to a kid I teach.”

“And? School teachers deserve romance too!” Marissa sighed and leant across the table, taking one of Grace’s hands in both of hers. “Ry, darling. Does he make you happy? Do you look forward to seeing him? Do you seek out conversation with him?”

Grace sighed but he nodded. Any day where he got to see Simon was instantly one of his favourite days. The man was just so lovely.

“Then I don’t see why you can’t lean into it a bit. Ask him on a date and if he says no, then he says no! But what if he says yes?” Marissa squeezed his hand. “Think of how wonderful that could be!”

“It will be so humiliating if he says no,” Grace grouched. “Especially ‘coz of his daughter. How am I supposed to keep teaching her knowing I asked her dad out?”

Marissa raised an eyebrow. “You’re a professional. You’ll figure it out. But you deserve to be happy. If there’s anyone in the whole godforsaken world who deserves to be happy, it’s you. I think you should go for it.” She squeezed his hand again and swept up their empty glasses. “Next round is on you. I’ll get this one.”

“Thanks, Mari. You’re a gem.”

She grinned at him. “I know I am! Now think about it. You deserve this, hun.”

Grace watched her head to the bar, a smile on his face. This was why she was his best friend. What he would do without her, he had no idea. Because she was right, wasn’t she? Grace did deserve this. Just like how Ava deserved to go to Longleat because she was brave, Grace deserved to give it a go with Simon. Never once had he asked for anything romantic in life. Well, he’d never needed it before. But now Simon was in the picture, and Grace couldn’t imagine anything better than making him a permanent feature.

***

It wasn’t often Simon was late picking Ava up. Usually, he was outside in the playground at quarter past three on the dot. But today, Grace had received a message from reception that Simon wouldn’t be able to pick Ava up on time, and would Grace be so kind as to keep Ava in the classroom for an extra half an hour before he could come and pick her up?

Of course Grace said it would be no problem, so here he was, sitting at his desk doing some lesson planning while Ava lay on the floor, her eyes glued to the big screen. Grace had found some Bluey episodes on YouTube, so stuck them on for her while he got on with his work. He liked spending time in the classroom when everyone had gone to get things done, but having Ava here made him feel happier about staying in school.

He glanced over at her to make sure she was still okay and smiled softly. His mind flicked over to what Marissa had said when they were at the bar last week and he sighed, looking back at his computer. He couldn’t ask Simon out. Not with Ava on the line. The last thing he wanted was to make things awkward. Of course, he’d interact with Ava professionally, as he always had been as her teacher, but he didn’t want things to be weird between him and Simon.

Maybe it was for the best if he just tried to get over it. The feelings would fizzle out on their own eventually and then he could get on with his life. Plus, Ava was only in his class for another couple of months, so he wouldn’t have to deal with Simon for much longer in this state.

It would be fine. He would be fine. Only a couple more months of this and then he could go back to how things had been before Simon had entered his life.

A small sniffle made Grace look back up from his work and he saw Ava wiping her eyes as she watched Bluey. His eyes widened and he pushed away from his desk, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“Hey, hey, Ava, what’s wrong?” He asked gently, his heart breaking when she looked over at him, tears trailing down her face. Her lower lip wobbled and she buried her face in her arms. Grace quickly paused the show, abandoned his work and sat next to her on the floor, desperate to help his student.

Ava just shook her head, burying her face deeper into her arms. Grace put a hand on her shoulder, rubbing in what he hoped was a soothing manner.

“Talk to me, kid. Is it those bullies again? Are they saying nasty stuff?”

“N-no,” Ava said, her voice muffled. “I-I… I miss my mommy.”

“Oh Ava,” Grace whispered, feeling awful for the girl before him.

“It’s n-not fair!” She cried, lifting her head to look up at him and pointed at the screen. “They have a mommy and a daddy and they’re sisters! I always wanted a sister. Or a brother. And I want my mommy but I don’t have a mommy! And- and I love Daddy so much, he’s the best daddy in the world and I love him, but I want my mommy.”

“Kid, that’s okay, it’s alright,” Grace said, squeezing her shoulder. “It’s okay to miss your mom. I still miss my mom.”

“Y-you do?” She asked, sniffing.

“Of course I do. It’s normal to miss your mom.”

“But I feel bad because I love my daddy and he’s the best daddy in the whole world!”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that, he’s an amazing man,” Grace reassured her, “but you missing your mom doesn’t mean you don’t love your dad.”

“My daddy is amazing,” Ava sniffled, pushing herself into a sitting position and leaning against Grace. “He lets me draw Max and Emily and Billie and Jonny on fire.”

Grace let out an amused huff. “Well, what you do at home is your own business. And I’m sorry for upsetting you by putting Bluey on-”

“No, no! I love Bluey. It’s my favourite. But sometimes I wish I had a mommy and a sister too.” She rubbed her nose on her sleeve, making Grace pat his pockets for a tissue that he handed her. “I know Daddy wishes it too. He gets sad. I know he loves me and I love him very, very much. But he misses Mommy too.”

“Being lonely is completely normal in this situation,” Grace explained softly. “But you and your dad have each other. You can keep each other company.”

“Can you keep us company too, Mister Grace?” Ava asked, turning her wide eyes on him, making his heart melt. “I like you because you’re my favourite teacher ever, and I know my daddy likes you too. You can keep us company. Please, Mister Grace?”

“Oh kid.” Grace shook his head, a small smile on his face. “It doesn’t work like that-”

“Why not!” Ava whined, slumping into him with a huff. “My daddy likes you and I like you… Don’t you like us?”

“Of course I like you! You’re an awesome kid, and your dad is very lovely,” Grace said. “But I’m not- I don’t know, Ava. It’s just not that simple.”

Ava groaned. “It’s not fair. Adults always say that.”

“Yeah. We do. We’re just looking after you kids.”

“You can look after me! Spend time with me and my daddy.”

Grace sighed. “Again. Not that simple.”

“It could be though.”

They both jumped at the sound of Simon’s voice, and Grace felt his cheeks heat up as Ava ducked out of his embrace.

“Daddy!” She threw herself at her dad, burying her face in his chest as he scooped her up. “I missed you very much. And I love you so, so, so much.”

“Oh yeah? Well I love you more,” Simon replied.

“No! I love you mostest,” Ava exclaimed, pressing her face against Simon’s cheek. She frowned as she did so. “Daddy are you crying? Are you sad? Don’t be sad! I love you mostest. So, so much. To the moon and back!”

As Grace approached the two of them he did notice that Simon’s eyes were a bit red and his cheeks glistened with tears.

“I’m not sad, sweetheart,” Simon told his daughter, kissing her cheek. “I promise. And I love you to the moon and back too.”

Ava nodded, satisfied with his answer before burrowing back into his embrace, sighing happily. Simon looked towards Grace, who shifted on his feet, not knowing what to do with himself.

“Thank you for being so kind and understanding,” he murmured, “about everything. You’re just… You’re incredible.”

Grace’s eyes widened. There was an intensity to Simon’s gaze that was a message in of itself, and Grace wasn’t sure how much it implied. Had Simon heard their conversation?

“Erm- it’s okay. I just- I hate seeing my students upset.”

“Mister Grace is very kind to me,” Ava said, though she didn’t move from her position against her dad, so her voice was a bit muffled. “I love Mister Grace very much.”

“I know you do,” Simon replied with a soft smile directed at Grace, who felt his knees go weak. “He is a very wonderful man.”

“Well- er- thank you? You’re wonderful too,” Grace rushed to say, wincing as his words came out kind of jumbled together. “And- I like you too, Ava.”

“And my daddy?” Ava said, lifting her head to narrow her eyes at Grace, who gulped but nodded.

“Yes. And your dad. I like you and your dad.”

Ava nodded, satisfied, before leaning into her dad with a giggle. “Mister Grace likes us, Daddy.”

“Well, what’s not to like?” Simon drawled, but there was a smile on his lips. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you home, hm? Thank you for looking after her. I’m sorry I was late.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Grace said, blushing. “I don’t mind sitting with her.”

“Thank you anyway. And here, this is for you.” Simon procured an envelope from his pocket that had Grace’s name penned on the front in fancy handwriting.

“Oh. Er- thank you?” Grace said, taking the envelope, a confused expression on his face. Simon’s smile just widened.

“Of course. Now. Ava, where’s your book bag? Let’s grab it so we can go home and have bibimbap for dinner.”

“I left it on the floor down there,” Ava said, pointing to where she had been lying while she watched Bluey. Grace quickly grabbed the bag and passed it to Simon.

“Thanks. Right, let’s get home, shall we?”

Ava nodded. “Yes. And thank you Mister Grace. You’re very kind. I love you.”

Grace chuckled. “Bye Ava. See you tomorrow at school.” He watched the two of them leave before closing the door to his classroom and sitting back at his desk. He stared at the envelope, trying to gather up the courage to open it. The thought of what the contents could be made him nervous, but then he remembered Marissa’s voice telling him to go for it.

Ryland,

I find it hard not to keep thinking of you when Ava comes home and tells me how wonderful and kind her teacher is. She adores you and I finally realised that I do as well. After all, what’s not to like about you?

I’d like a chance to win your heart as you won ours. Say Friday? 7pm at the Italian down the road. Let me know.

07XXX XXXXXX

- Simon x

Grace’s heart practically rabbited out of his chest but he couldn’t bring himself to care as he reread the letter for the third time, a shy smile creeping onto his face.

‘Oh Simon,’ he thought as he pulled his phone out to add Simon to his contacts. Did he not know that he’d won Grace’s heart a long time ago? 

***

Grace’s students were usually quite mellow, quiet even. He took pride in how calm his students were when it was learning time. But today it seemed that they were in no mood to be quiet. No, they were being rather noisy with their whispers and giggles as they paid attention to each other, rather than Grace.

“Right. I don’t know what’s gotten into you all,” he said after two boys burst into muffled laughter when he looked over at them, “but can you please be quiet. You’ve got important learning to be doing!”

Something had to have set them off, and right on cue, the entire class turned to look at Ava, who slid lower in her seat to try and hide from Grace’s gaze. He raised an eyebrow, peering at her over the top of his glasses.

“Ava,” he said calmly, “do you, by any chance, know what’s going on?”

Ava pressed her lips together and shook her head fiercely, looking anywhere except Grace.

“That’s a lie!” Carl argued, jabbing a finger in Ava’s direction. “Ava said that you and Mister Fischer are going to get married!”

“I did not!” Ava yelled, slamming her hands onto the table. “I said they might.”

Grace let out a deep sigh, counting to ten in his head as Ava and Carl began to bicker between themselves and the other students’ whispers had started back up again. Blimey, he hadn’t even gone on a date with Simon, and already this had been blown out of proportion. Marriage! Honestly. Ava had such an imagination. Although, now he thought about it…

“Homework!” He called over the chatter in his class as he realised there was only a few minutes of class left. “For your homework, I would like you to write a paragraph about what you’re looking forward to about the half term holiday. And please illustrate it. Draw something nice as I will be hanging these on the wall, okay?”

“Oh! I’m going to draw my dog,” Carl said. “He’s very cute and I love him very much.”

“I’m going to draw my flowers in the garden!” Annie added while she helped Carl clean up. “Mummy and I planted wildflowers and they look very pretty.”

Grace grinned as the kids cleared up and got their things from the cloakroom. He spotted Ava trying to blend in with everyone else as she scooted past him, her hand held up to hide her face.

“Hey, not so fast kid.”

She groaned at being caught, dropping her book bag on the floor by her feet in a form of protest. Grace just glanced down at her amusedly while he waited for the rest of the class to leave. Once they were alone, he ushered her into a nearby chair and knelt in front of her, hooking his glasses off his face so they were hanging off one ear.

“Alright then,” he started when Ava refused to meet his gaze, “what’s this about me and your dad getting married?”

“I didn’t say you were getting married,” Ava explained stubbornly. “I said that you might. One day. Maybe.”

“Ava, we haven’t even gone on our date yet,” Grace said gently. “Just because we’re going on one, doesn’t mean that we’ll get married.”

“But why though!” Ava whined, slumping down in her seat.

“Because it doesn’t work like that.”

“It could though!”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you want?”

Ava crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want Daddy to be alone.”

“Oh Ava.” Grace’s heart hurt for her and he had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around her. “He isn’t alone, remember? He has you.”

“I know. But it’s not the same,” she pouted, kicking her legs. “He gets lonely without Mommy. But- but he likes you.”

“Does he now?” Grace allowed a small smile to slip onto his face.

“Yes. He told me so himself.” Ava sat up a little straighter, looking worried. “And- and you like my daddy too. Right?”

“I do.”

A brilliant smile overtook Ava’s face and she threw her arms into the air. “So then it’s all good!”

“Not quite.”

She groaned and slumped back into her chair. “That’s not fair, Mister Grace. It’s so easy!”

“It’s not though, but that’s okay.” Grace sat down as his knees were beginning to ache. “We will go on our date tonight and see where we go from there, okay?”

Ava sighed dramatically. “Okay then. If you say so.”

“I do say so. Now will you stop telling people your dad and I will get married?”

“If I have to.”

“You do have to.”

Ava narrowed her eyes at him. “Can I pretend you will? Please?”

Grace just sighed. “As long as you don’t tell anyone. Alright? And ask your dad first. Make sure he’s okay with that.”

Ava’s face lit up and she slid down from her chair. “Okay! Thank you Mister Grace. You’re my favourite.”

“Favourite what? Teacher?” Grace asked as he pushed himself to his feet.

“Favourite person.”

Grace’s breath caught in his throat as he watched Ava gather up her book bag. No-one had ever told him that he was their favourite person before. He’d been a favourite teacher, but never a favourite person.

He felt his heart melt into a puddle. There was no way he was getting out of this unscathed. God he hoped his date went well tonight.

“What about your dad?” He said, voice cracking slightly. Ava tilted her head to one side and reached up to take Grace’s hand.

“Well. Daddy is number one. Daddy has to be number one. But you can be number two.”

“Second place is still a loser though.”

Grace and Ava looked over to where Simon was leaning in the doorway, a fond smile on his face.

“Daddy!”

“Are you speaking from experience?” Grace asked as Ava flung herself at her dad who easily caught her, lifting her in his strong arms. Grace absolutely was not watching the way Simon’s bicep flexed, no sir he was not!

“Absolutely not. I always come first. I’m the best.”

“You’re modest too, aren’t you?” Grace said, an amused lilt to his voice.

“I missed you today Daddy!” Ava interrupted, claiming Simon’s attention, and Grace felt himself melt as Simon’s face softened.

“I missed you too sweetheart. How was your day?”

“Mister Grace gave us homework!” She exclaimed, sounding thoroughly putout. She threw her arms in the air for emphasis, causing her to drop her book bag. Grace laughed and bent down to collect the bag, and when he straightened, he noticed Simon’s softness directed his way. He had absolutely no idea how to deal with that.

“Well, it is Friday. You always get homework on Fridays,” Simon pointed out, pressing a kiss to Ava’s cheek. “You’ll have to do it with Aunty Elle today though.”

Ava’s pout morphed into a cheeky smile. “Because you have a date!”

“That I do,” Simon replied, glancing over at Grace with that same softness. “Seven, right?”

“Yup. At the Italian?” Grace asked, as if he didn’t have Simon’s letter memorised and tucked away in his inside blazer pocket. Simon stepped up into Grace’s space.

“May I?” He asked quietly, and Grace let out a squeak as he nodded. Simon leant in and pressed a light kiss to Grace’s cheek which had Grace fighting to keep his knees from giving out beneath him. His blush returned in full force and Simon smiled amusedly at him.

“Wait! Me too! Can I kiss your cheek, Mister Grace?” Ava said, reaching out to him, and Grace cleared his throat before nodding.

“Er- yes. Okay Ava.”

She grinned at him and pressed her face against his cheek affectionately.

“Now you have to kiss our cheeks,” she demanded with a cheeky grin.

“Oh? Do I now.”

“Yes. That’s the rules,” she told him, and Grace saw Simon practically melt with love for his daughter. He decided to take a big chunk of bravery and grinned back at her.

“Well, if that’s the rules!” He kissed her cheek quickly before looking up at Simon, who turned his face, offering his cheek to Grace. Grace lifted one hand to Simon’s shoulder as he kissed him before stepping back, out of his space. Both men had shy smiles on their faces and Ava was beaming at the two of them.

“Okay! Bye Mister Grace! Have a nice time with my daddy tonight!”

Grace chuckled. “Bye Ava. I will.”

“See you at seven, Ryland,” Simon said, before he turned, making his way out of the classroom. Ava poked her head up over Simon’s shoulder and waved at Grace, who returned the gesture. He realised in that moment, that he was, in fact, entirely whipped for not just one, but both Fischers.

Oh no.

How on Earth was he supposed to survive his date?

***

“I’m gonna screw this up so badly,” Grace said nervously down the phone. He’d shown up far too early, so had called Marissa because he was so damn anxious about this. “He’s gonna hate me. Mari, I can’t do this.”

“Oh hush up,” Marissa snapped, but there was no venom in her words. “Pull yourself together man. You’re going to be absolutely fine, Ry. He’s the one who asked you out!”

“Exactly. I’m gonna get in there and make a complete fool of myself and then he’ll never want to see me ever again. I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this.”

“Look, if you want me to come and sit on a nearby table-”

“No! No. God, I’ll just be even more of a mess if I know you’re watching.”

Marissa sighed and Grace half wished it was just a regular Friday with the two of them at the bar.

“You’ll be absolutely fine. It’s okay to be nervous, hun. But I promise you, you’ll be a-okay. Alright?”

Grace let out a breath and his eyes landed on Simon walking up to the restaurant. “If you say so. He’s on his way now, I can see him.”

“Okay! You got this, lover-boy. Love you, bye!”

“Love you too!” He hung up just as Simon approached.

“Hey, Ryland,” Simon greeted, leaning in to kiss Grace’s blush flushed cheek. “Who you sweet talking there?”

“Hi, Simon. And my friend Marissa. She- she was calling to say she hopes we have a nice time. Well, actually it was more of a threat, because she and I usually get drinks together on a Friday, so she said that we better have a good time, else she’ll be upset that I will have wasted one of our Fridays.” Grace trailed off, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck as he realised he was rambling. Simon absolutely did not need to know all of that. “Sorry. I’m- sorry.”

Simon sent him an amused glance. “It’s okay. You’re cute when you ramble.”

“I-” Grace’s blush deepened and he looked away. Dear Lord, he really didn’t stand a chance. Simon just reached out and squeezed his shoulder before moving past him to open the door. Like the gentleman he was, Simon held it open for Grace and they waited for a waiter to greet them and take them to their table.

Grace sat and immediately hid himself behind the menu, needing a moment to compose himself. He needed to pull himself together. This was no way to be acting on a date. He was a grown man, for crying out loud!

“Ryland. Are you okay?”

Belatedly, he realised Simon had been talking to him, and he flushed in embarrassment.

“Sorry, sorry. I just- I need a minute.”

Simon’s lips thinned and he looked down at his menu, entirely unaware of the internal battle Grace was fighting with himself. Grace took his glasses off and covered his face with one hand.

“Sorry, Simon. I’m really nervous.” He looked up to see concern on Simon’s face. “I just- well, I really like you. And I want this to go well.”

Simon’s concern melted into a warm smile and he reached across the table to take one of Grace’s hands in his. “I really like you too. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Grace let out a shaky breath and nodded, squeezing Simon’s hand, grateful for the line of comfort. He only needed a moment more to compose himself before he put his glasses back on in time as the waiter came over and took their food and drinks orders.

“Did you always want to teach?” Simon asked as they settled into their chairs. Grace snorted at the question, shaking his head.

“No, not really. I mean, it had always been at the back of my mind, but it was something I would consider after a long career in molecular biology research.”

Simon leant forwards on his elbows, tilting his head and gesturing for Grace to continue his story. He looked genuinely interested in what Grace had to say.

“I was such a science guy back in Canada,” Grace started, smiling fondly at the happy memories of his uni days and his PhD study. “I was specialising in molecular biology, and my PhD was all about how I believe that somewhere out there is a life form that doesn’t need water to survive. God I loved studying that. Except no-one else loved it.”

“What do you mean?” Simon asked with a frown and Grace flushed, slightly embarrassed.

“I wrote a section in my paper about how ‘The Goldilocks Zone is for Idiots’ and name dropped a bunch of prominent scientists and how I thought they were all narrow-minded and stupid. Ah, understandably, they didn’t like that. I was in the middle of a pretty big controversy and no-one was really supporting me. So I left that field and moved here from Canada.”

“Huh.” Simon pondered his words with a grin. “I love that. You absolutely seem like the kinda guy to get in the middle of a massive science fight because of a paper you wrote.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Grace complained defensively and Simon laughed at him.

“It means I think you fight for what you think is right, fuck what everyone else thinks, and I love that.”

“I- well. Thank you.” Grace sent a shy smile Simon’s way, squirming when Simon grinned back at him, a shine in his eyes. “I appreciate that.”

“Of course. Can I read your paper one day?”

Grace felt himself light up as Simon said that. It was quite possibly the most attractive thing anyone had ever said to him.

“Oh, yeah! Sure! It’s available online, or I have a copy back at mine. Though I have scribbled all over that copy so maybe it’s best you read it online.” He grimaced, thinking of all the crossed out sections and angry notes he had written to himself after he’d been ejected from the field he wanted to spend his life studying.

“Awesome! I look forward to reading it.” Simon grinned and tilted his head onto one side. “So, what, out of all of that, made you get into teaching? Especially primary school teaching. Did you not wanna be a GCSE or A-Level biology teacher? Hell, even a university professor.”

“Well, I can’t be a university professor. I’m disgraced, remember?” Grace reminded him with a fond eye roll. “I was volunteering at a charity book shop while I tried to find my feet here and my favourite part was chatting to the kids about what books they wanted to buy. I found them so much easier to get along with than adults. Then I saw an advert for a primary school teaching assistant job and thought why not? I had nothing to lose, and I fell in love with the job. Worked my way up from TA to teacher and here I am.”

Simon smiled softly. “That’s really sweet. I’m glad you found something you enjoy here. You’re certainly good at it. Ava literally adores you. She always comes home gushing about you.”

Grace blushed and smiled shyly. “Well. I know I shouldn’t have a favourite student, but between you and me, Ava is absolutely my favourite.”

“And you’re not just saying that because I’m her dad?”

“No! No, of course not, I-” Grace cut himself off with an unimpressed glare at Simon, who was laughing at him.

“I know, I’m only teasing. You’re so cute when you’re flustered. I love it.”

That only made Grace blush harder and he averted his gaze down to his food. “Stop it,” he joked, then softened and shrugged his shoulders a little. “I didn’t realise you paid so much attention to me.”

Simon scoffed. “Are you kidding? The moment I laid eyes on you in September, I knew you were going to cause me trouble. Then I saw you and Ava having a dance party in your empty classroom to those stupidly cute primary school songs and I was absolutely gone for you.”

“Oh.” Grace couldn’t look at Simon, flapping his hands away when Simon laughed and poked his cheek. He’d never felt like this before. “I didn’t realise you saw that.”

“Oh my gosh, it was so fucking cute. I actually had to force myself to knock so I could pick Ava up but I’d have stood there all day if I could.”

“Oh my god.” Grace buried his face in his hands as Simon chuckled at him. “No. Don’t laugh at me. I hate you.”

“Aw, c’mon! It was so sweet.” Simon’s fingers poked under Grace’s palms, forcing Grace to look over at Simon. “It made me happy that my daughter was so comfortable with her teacher that she could have a dance party with him… Ryland, you’ve changed Ava so much. I mean, God, when we first moved here, she was so quiet. She barely left my side. I was so scared for her starting school, but then I met you and I knew she was in the right hands. And I was right, because now my baby girl is the happiest I’ve ever seen her. She laughs and sings and dances all because of you.”

“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” Grace countered, blushing as Simon’s palms cupped his face.

“Yes you can. I was a mess when we moved. I didn’t know what I was doing. But you did. You took Ava and brought her right back to me. My happy, wonderful daughter. I can’t thank you enough.”

Grace had absolutely no idea what to say. He had the strongest urge, however, to kiss Simon. But he thought that would be inappropriate to do over their food. Maybe at the end of the date, if he was lucky.

Simon sat back in his chair, his hands dropping from Grace’s face as he regarded Grace with a warm look. “You’ve had the biggest impact on us since we came here. Our knight in shining armour. Or knitted wear. Our knight in handmade knitted cardigans.”

That startled a laugh out of Grace and he shook his head, looking down at his favourite fox cardigan. “Hey, I like my handmade knitted cardigans.”

“I do too.”

A comfortable warmth spread through Grace as he watched Simon, open adoration written all over his face. He was head over heels for this man and he knew it. He was just beyond excited that Simon felt the same.

“What do you do for work?” He asked as the conversation lulled, the realisation hitting him that he had absolutely no idea what Simon’s job was.

“Ah. I’m a handyman at the garage down the road. Fixing cars and shit.”

“Oh, that’s cool. Did you have the same job in the States or…?” Grace trailed off when Simon grimaced.

“No. I worked as a mechanical engineer for submarines in the States,” he said shortly. “It- ah. I dunno. It was fine. But here, obviously, we’re not near any ports, so I applied at the garage and they let me in without an interview.”

“Nice. So I guess I know who to come to when my car breaks down huh?”

Simon nodded. “Oh yeah. And ‘coz you’re so pretty, I’ll even do yours at a discount.”

“I’m honoured,” Grace laughed, though he squirmed in his seat at being called pretty. No-one had ever called him pretty before.

“You should be,” Simon said with a grin. “It’s a privilege to be served by me, let alone having a discount too.”

“I do feel very privileged to be around you,” Grace replied, resting his cheek on his palm. His glasses slid down his nose a bit. “It sounds like a good job then?”

“Oh yeah. And they’re so understanding when it comes to Ava,” Simon explained. “I think they’re all a bunch of ass lickers in head office, but ‘coz I’m so good at my job, they don’t mind that I knock off at three to spend the rest of the day with my girl. It’s a good job.”

“Do you think you’ll ever go back to sub engineering? That sounds so awesome,” Grace asked, but he regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth as Simon deflated.

“No,” was his curt response. “I like working with cars. I won’t go back to the subs.”

“Oh, that’s fair enough,” Grace said softly, his hand inching across the table, desperate to hold Simon’s to comfort him. Simon spotted this and took his hand gratefully.

“Sorry, it’s a sensitive subject,” he murmured, his thumb running over Grace’s knuckles.

“That’s okay,” Grace replied, lifting their joined hands to his lips in a moment of bravery. “You don’t have to tell me. We can talk about something else.”

“Please,” Simon said, a relieved expression on his face. Grace kissed his hand again before lowering their still joined hands to the table. He struck up a conversation about the performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show he saw a week ago, because that was something he loved, and he wanted to share the things he loved with the person who he was starting to love the most.

Their hands remained joined for the remainder of their date, which Grace didn’t mind at all. He was used to eating with one hand anyway, bent over his laptop writing while shovelling instant noodles into his mouth in his college days. This, however, was a much more preferable situation to be in.

Their date came to a close far too soon for Grace’s liking, and after he and Simon argued over who should pay (Simon paid and Grace left the tip) they found themselves outside on the pavement, hands still joined, smiles etched into their faces.

Grace gathered all of his bravery and stepped up into Simon’s space, his face hovering near Simon’s.

“I had a very lovely time tonight,” he said. 

Simon’s grin dazzled him and he had to make a conscious effort not to let his knees give way beneath him.

“I also had a wonderful time tonight,” Simon said, moving his face closer to Grace’s. “I’d like to do this again sometime.”

“Me too,” Grace replied, his other hand coming up to cup Simon’s cheek. Simon leant into the touch, looking up at Grace with a shine in his eyes and a smile on his lips. “I’d also very much like to kiss you now.”

Simon’s smile only widened. “So kiss me.”

Grace leant down, pressing their lips together and finally everything clicked into place. This felt so right. Simon’s lips, though chapped and bitten, slid against Grace’s with such tenderness that Grace thought he’d cry if he wasn’t so happy to finally be kissing him. Simon’s other hand came up to rest on Grace’s waist, caressing his body through his cardigan. He smiled and leant into the kiss, cherishing this stolen moment outside of the restaurant.

When they broke apart, Simon beamed up at Grace, who smiled shyly back, before tucking a stray strand of hair behind Simon’s ear. Simon turned his head to kiss Grace’s palm, a tenderness in his expression that had butterflies erupting in Grace’s stomach.

“Are you going my way?” Simon asked, the words a stolen breath against Grace’s hand.

“I better get home,” Grace replied, smoothing his thumb across Simon’s cheek. “Marissa’s been texting.”

“Ah.” Simon smiled knowingly. “Well, don’t keep the lady waiting.”

Grace grinned and he stole another quick kiss from Simon before he stepped away.

“Give Ava a hug from me,” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”

“See you, Ryland.”

Grace waited until Simon turned and started walking away before he brought his fingers up to his lips, still buzzing with the feeling of Simon’s. He hid a secret smile as he started to make his way home, beyond happy with how the evening had gone.

***

Unfortunately, Grace had playground duty on a Monday morning, which meant that instead of being inside prepping his classroom for the day, he was standing around, hands in his pockets as parents dropped their kids off for the day. His favourite colleague (though he would never tell her that to her face) Eva Stratt was over the other side of the playground, looking, as always, like she’d much rather be somewhere else.

He caught her eye and smiled at her, happy that she returned the gesture before she was accosted by a rather flustered looking parent. He chuckled as she resigned herself to deal with whatever was the issue over there, and he was so busy laughing at her that he didn’t notice a certain Ava Fischer until she stood right in front of him.

“Hello Mister Grace!” She chirruped happily, making him jump. “I missed you over the weekend.”

Grace smiled down at her, patting her head as she threw her arms around his waist. “I missed you too, Ava.”

She squealed happily, letting go of him to tug at her dad’s sleeve. “Daddy! Did you hear that? Mister Grace missed me too!”

“I heard, kid,” Simon said, turning his twinkling eyes to Grace, who wished they were anywhere but the playground so he could lean in and kiss him. “Hey, Mister Grace. How was your weekend?”

“Hm, well, it was alright I guess,” Grace said casually. “Nothing important really happened…”

“That’s a lie!” Ava cried, grabbing his hand. “You went on a date with my daddy.”

Grace laughed and squeezed her hand. “Yes I did. And I had a very lovely time.”

“Yay! Does this mean you’ll get married now?”

Grace only sighed as Simon let out a loud guffaw. “No, kid. That’s not how all this works.”

“Ugh. Adults. I think you should get married. I know Daddy will say yes,” Ava informed him.

“Hey, why do I have to be the one to propose?” Grace protested. “Your dad is perfectly capable of getting on one knee and asking me.”

Ava wrinkled her nose. “No. His bones make funny noises when he bends down.”

Simon let out a long suffering sigh while Grace looked on in amusement. “I’m literally only thirty. And I’m a mechanic. My bones aren’t that bad.”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Why, Simon Fischer. Is this your way of asking me to marry you?” He teased.

“Yes, yes it is!” Ava crowed, but Simon laughed and shook his head.

“Nah. I’m gonna blow you away when I ask you to marry me. You won’t even know what’s hit you.”

Grace blinked. “When?”

Simon only grinned. “When.”

Ava threw her arms in the air with a happy cry. “Yay! Mister Grace and Daddy are going to get married!”

“Oh no, Ava no!” But Grace couldn’t stop her as she dashed off to Carl to tell him the news. He sighed as he turned an unimpressed glare on Simon. “Now look what you’ve done! I won’t be able to teach them anything today.”

“Oops,” Simon said, sounding entirely unapologetic. He stepped closer to Grace and nudged their shoulders together as he leant in. “I hope you know I really want to kiss you right now. But I won’t because we’re in the school playground.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing,” Grace whispered back, one hand sneaking down to squeeze Simon’s quickly. “Still on for Wednesday?”

Simon grinned. “You bet.”

***

“Why haven’t you and Daddy got married yet?”

Grace sighed, looking up at Ava who had wandered into his classroom and taken a seat at the table she used to sit at. She was in Eva’s class this year, but she always found time to come into his classroom and bother him throughout the day.

“Why aren’t you in the playground waiting for your dad?” Grace countered, his mind still thinking about the lesson plans for the next couple of days. They were going to be moving his things into Simon and Ava’s house over the weekend and he wanted to make sure he was all caught up on his work before he was too wiped out from moving to think about anything to do with school.

“Because he emailed to say he’d be late so I was waiting in Miss Stratt’s classroom, but I got bored and she said I should go and bother you because you love me. And she’s doing work.”

Grace hooked his glasses to hang off one ear and tilted his head at her. “I too, am doing work.”

“But you love me,” she replied, grinning at him. He just shook his head fondly at her.

“God knows why.”

“Because I’m so amazing.”

“Ah, yes of course. That must be the reason.”

Ava beamed at him. “See! You love me and you love my daddy, so now you need to get married.”

Grace sighed deeply. “No. We’re not getting married. I haven’t even moved in yet.”

“But you’re moving in this weekend! And you said ages ago that you would get married.”

“Did we?”

“Yes! In the playground. Daddy said he would propose to you.”

“Well he hasn’t yet, so I guess no marriage,” Grace snickered and Ava let out a groan of frustration.

“I’ll tell him he has to do it soon,” she said. “When you’ve moved in.”

“Alright kid, whatever you say.”

Ava was quiet for a moment, before she next spoke up. “I’m really excited for you to move in. I miss you lots when I’m not with you.”

Grace softened. “I miss you lots too. And I am very excited to move in.”

“Good. As you should be.”

Grace’s heart skipped a beat hearing Simon’s voice, and he grinned as Ava threw herself from the table and at her dad. Simon caught her easily, twirling her in the air before putting her back on the floor.

“Hello Daddy!” She giggled, leaning against his leg.

“Hey sweetheart. Miss Stratt said I’d find you in here.”

“Yup,” she replied, popping the ‘p’ loudly. “I like being in here.”

“As long as you’re not bothering Ryland too much.”

“Ava could never bother me too much,” Grace piped up as he closed down his computer and tidied his desk ready for the next day.

“You’re going to regret saying that,” Simon informed him, reaching out and taking his hand. Grace only grinned, taking Ava’s hand with his other.

“Nah. Never.”

He walked out of his classroom between his two favourite people, knowing that this was exactly where he needed to be.

***

Waking up with his back pressed against a firm chest and an arm around his waist was, in Grace’s opinion, the best way to wake up. However, opening his eyes to see Ava’s face inches from his own made him jump and he let out a rather undignified squeak.

Ava grinned while the arm around Grace’s waist tightened and Simon groaned loudly.

“Be quiet,” he grumbled, his words muffled as his mouth was pressed against Grace’s shoulder. “‘S too early.”

“Okay! Sorry Daddy,” Ava whispered before looking back at Grace, a cheeky smile on her face. He squinted at her, raising an expectant eyebrow.

“Whaddya want?” he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. “Time z’it?”

“I want you and Daddy to get married,” Ava told him. “And it’s eight fifty-three.”

Grace chose to ignore the first half of that sentence. “Go back to bed, Ava.”

“But I’ve been up for aaaages,” she complained. “I’m hungry.”

Grace sighed. He would not be getting a lie in today, it seemed. “Alright. What do you want for breakfast?”

“For you and Daddy to get married,” was her immediate response. He rolled his eyes as he grabbed his glasses off the bedside table.

“Pancakes, then,” he countered, and she seemed happy with that idea.

“Can I have maple syrup on mine?” She asked as Grace wriggled out of Simon’s grasp, kissing his cheek before ushering Ava out of the bedroom so Simon could sleep in.

“Yeah, sure. Want bacon too?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No. That’s gross.”

“It’s literally delicious,” Grace said with a frown. “It’s a Canadian delicacy!”

“It’s really gross,” Ava replied, plonking herself down on a chair at the kitchen table.

“It’s really not.”

“Is too.”

“Is not.”

“Is too.”

“Alright, fine!” Grace flicked Ava with the spatula he was holding, getting a smear of batter on her nose. She grinned at him as she wiped her nose. “You think it’s gross.”

“I do. But you know what isn’t gross?”

“What?” He asked, already preempting the answer.

“You and Daddy getting married.”

“Ava,” he said wearily. “Please.”

“What!” She complained. “I want you to get married! I also want a sister and Carl says that only people who get married can have babies. But then he said that ‘coz you’re two men you can’t have babies, which is very sad because I really want a baby sister.”

Grace sighed. This was really too much to unpack at nine o’clock on a Sunday morning.

“Not everything Carl says is true,” he explained, mixing up the batter for the pancakes. “Firstly, people who aren’t married can have babies. Secondly, two men can have babies. They just need a woman to help them out. Or they can adopt.”

“So I can have a baby sister!” Ava said happily, drumming her hands on the table.

“We will revisit this conversation later,” Grace said, “when the three of us are more settled here together, okay?”

“Ugh, you’re no fun.” Ava slumped down in her seat.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say kid. Now are you gonna help me or what?”

“Can I flip a pancake?” She asked excitedly, sliding down from the table and standing next to him. 

“Sure. Just be quiet about it. We don’t wanna wake your dad.”

When Simon did get up only half an hour later, there was a stack of pancakes on the kitchen table surrounded by an assortment of spreads. Grace had also fried some bacon, because even if Ava didn’t like bacon and maple syrup on pancakes, he loved it and he’d be damned if she was going to stop him from enjoying it.

“What’s all this then?” Simon asked through a yawn as he padded into the kitchen.

“Hi Daddy! We made pancakes!” Ava chirped and Grace snorted.

“We? I did all the making!”

“I flipped one pancake,” Ava replied defensively, pointing at a rather misshapen pancake. “I saved that one ‘specially for you, Daddy.”

“Thanks sweetheart. That’s very kind of you,” Simon said, an amused smile on his face. He kissed the top of Ava’s head before leaning in to give Grace a sweet kiss, his hand coming up to cup Grace’s cheek. “Morning babe.”

“Hi Si,” Grace mumbled against his lips. “We didn’t wake you, did we?”

“Nah.” Simon yawned again and stretched his arms above his head, making his shirt ride up slightly. “I’ve only been dozing. Not really asleep. But I wanted to come and spend time with you guys.”

“Is that ‘coz you love us?” Ava asked cheekily.

“You know I love you,” Simon replied with a fond eye roll. 

“I love you too Daddy! And I love you as well, Ry-ry.”

Grace’s heart melted and he welcomed her into his embrace as Ava leant against him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I love you too, kid. I love you very much.”

Simon’s arms encircled both of them, his head coming to rest in the crook of Grace’s neck.

“You got anywhere you need to be today?” Grace asked, his lips brushing Simon’s forehead.

“Nah. Why, you got plans?”

“Maybe,” Grace said evasively with a cheeky smile.

“Does this mean you’re going to propose today?” Ava asked, looking up at Grace, her chin resting on his stomach and he sighed deeply as Simon laughed.

“No it does not. And even if it did, I wouldn’t tell you or Simon because I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Simon lifted a hand to guide Grace’s face towards his. “You’re so fu-udging cute. I love you so much, Ry.”

Grace raised his eyebrow at Simon’s near miss, but he smiled at him anyway. “I love you too, Si.”

Their kiss was more smiles than anything else, but Grace didn’t mind. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

***

Ava was practically running circles around Grace and Simon as the three of them made their way up a little coastal path. They’d spent the day at the beach, which Grace had absolutely adored. His favourite place with his favourite people. Life didn’t really get any better, did it?

Except he would feel much better if Ava calmed down a bit. Her running was making him nervous that she would slip and fall down the cliff face and into the sea. He tightened his grip on Simon’s hand and grit his teeth when Simon let out a quiet chuckle.

“Let her run. She’ll be fine,” he said. “She’s got all this energy-”

“That’s my worry though,” Grace complained. “She’s spent all day swimming and now she’s up here running around. What if she runs out of energy and collapses and falls-”

“Alright Mom,” Simon snickered and Grace shot him a withering glare. “Hey, Ry, it’s okay. She’ll be okay. She knows her limits.”

“She should be a little slower,” Grace grumbled, thumb running over Simon’s knuckles fondly. He was endlessly grateful that he got to experience these days. He was all too aware that it could be snatched from him at any given moment, so he treasured the time he spent with his two favourite people. The man he loved most and the girl who stole his heart.

Simon kissed his cheek reassuringly. “She will be okay. Honest.”

Grace only shook his head, watching as Ava disappeared around a corner a little way ahead of them. He loved her to the moon and back and if anything bad ever happened to her he didn’t know how he’d cope. She was, along with Simon, his top priority, and he would do everything in his power to assure her safety.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Ava came streaming back around the corner and barrelled right into him. She clung tightly to him, burying her face in his stomach and he shared an alarmed look with Simon.

“Ava? Hey kid, what’s up?” He asked gently, trying to keep the worry out of his tone, though he wasn’t sure it worked as Ava’s arms tightened around his middle.

“Something scared me up there!” She exclaimed, not lifting her face from Grace’s stomach. “I couldn’t see what it was but it growled and I think it’s a bear that’s going to eat me!”

Grace’s free hand was rubbing her shoulder. “I’m sure it’s just a dog,” he reassured her, but he looked up at Simon, who nodded.

“I’ll go and check it out,” Simon said, letting go of Grace and giving Ava a quick kiss on her forehead. “I’m sure Ryland is right and it’s just a dog, but I’ll have a look anyway, okay? You stay here and I’ll call when I find it.”

Ava nodded against Grace, peeking her eyes out to watch Simon go around the corner. “My daddy is very brave,” she said softly, and Grace had to agree with her.

“He is very brave. Though whatever it is up there will most likely just be a dog that got loose, I bet you,” he said, smiling down at her when she looked up at him. “This is literally an English beach. There aren’t any bears hiding in the shrubbery.”

“But how do you know that?” Ava whined.

“Because England doesn’t have wild bears,” Grace explained, an amused expression on his face. “The States and Canada do, but England doesn’t. England just has dogs that get off leash.”

Ava giggled quietly, a sound that Grace cherished, and she nodded, finally letting him go.

“Okay! I believe you.”

“As you should. Just ‘coz I’m not your teacher anymore doesn’t mean I can’t teach you things.”

“You teach me lots of cool things,” Ava informed him, taking his hand. “I like it when you teach me.”

He smiled at her. “I like teaching you too.”

“Okay! It’s all okay!” Came Simon’s voice from around the corner. “It was just a dog.”

Relief filled Grace and he squeezed Ava’s hand. “See? Just a dog. C’mon, let’s go catch up with your dad.”

“Okay!” Ava skipped along at his side quite happily for a girl who had just been convinced that a bear was going to jump out of the bushes and eat her. Grace narrowed his eyes at her but decided not to comment. If she was happy, what did it matter? Her happiness was all that was important here.

He let her lead him around the corner and came to a complete stop as he took in the scene before him. Ava let out a soft giggle, leaning against him as he stared.

Simon was standing behind a picnic blanket covered in all of Grace’s favourite foods. There were flowers in a vase at the centre of the blanket, as well as a couple of candles at the edge and a wine cooler with a bottle of white wine in it.

Ava tugged Grace’s hand gently. “Come on Ry-ry!” She led him over to the blanket and plonked herself down as Grace stared at Simon, who had the softest look on his face.

“Oh, Si… You did all of this?” Grace whispered, awe and love filling his voice. “Oh, you’re so wonderful.”

“I wanted to spoil my favourite man,” Simon replied, pulling Grace in by his waist. “I love you so much, Ryland. You’ve literally transformed my life. Ava’s too. You’ve done so much for us, and I know there’s only one way I can repay you.”

“Oh Simon don’t be silly!” Grace said, lifting his hands to cup Simon’s cheeks. “You don’t need to repay me for anything. You two have been the best things to come into my life and I cannot thank you enough for how happy you’ve made me over the last couple of years. I love you so, so much.”

“I want to repay you,” Simon replied stubbornly. He leant in and gave Grace a quick kiss before he pulled back and Grace could only watch on in complete disbelief as Simon sank to one knee, producing a small black box from his pocket. Grace’s hands flew up to his mouth and he heard Ava clap her hands, squealing with delight.

“I- Ryland Grace,” Simon started, his voice wobbling slightly, “I love you. I love you so much. You- God, you’re incredible. I can’t even put it into words how amazing you’ve been, I-” Simon cut himself off as tears started trailing down his face.

“Oh Simon,” Grace murmured, tears falling from his eyes, his heart filled with love for the man kneeling before him.

“God, I had this whole speech planned,” Simon said with a wet laugh, wiping his eyes. “I was gonna blow you away with how awesome it was.”

“I don’t need a speech, love,” Grace said, voice choked with emotion, a beaming smile on his face. “You- I love you.”

“Ryland Grace. Will you marry me?” Simon asked, and Grace laughed.

“I will.”

Ava cheered happily as Simon stood up and slipped one of the rings onto Grace’s finger. Grace took the other, sliding it onto Simon’s finger, before taking his face in his hands and crashing their lips together. Simon’s hands landed on Grace’s waist, sliding around to his lower back to pull him closer, ever closer. Grace laughed against his lips, his fingers winding around Simon’s hair.

“Yay!” Ava yelled, crashing into the two of them. “I knew you’d get married one day! Daddy and Ry-ry married finally!”

The two men laughed and Grace scooped Ava up into his arms so that he and Simon could both press kisses to her cheeks as she giggled away. She wrapped her arms around their necks with a delighted squeal.

“I love you both so, so, so much!” She exclaimed.

“We love you too, sweetheart,” Simon said and Grace grinned.

“We love you to the moon and back.”

***

Grace loosened his tie and undid his top button with a yawn as he arrived back home. Inset days were his nemesis, because what do you mean Ava got to stay at home all day with Simon while Grace had to go into school? Adult cruelty, honestly!

Well, at least he had the rest of the day to spend with his husband and Ava.

He grinned to himself, looking down at the two bands on his ring finger. He had a husband. Simon was his husband! Good Lord, he was never going to get over that. It filled him with joy every time his eyes caught the rings on his finger, making him feel like a lovesick fool. But he wore that badge with pride, as it made him the happiest man on the planet.

Wandering into the kitchen, he was ready to make a cup of tea and join in with whatever Ava and Simon had been doing but he stopped short when he entered the room. Simon and Ava stood side by side by the door while Carl was in the corner with a camera, the biggest, cheesiest grin on his face. Grace blinked.

“Hello,” he said cautiously. “What’s all this then? I feel like this is some sort of intervention.”

Simon raised an eyebrow. “Does there need to be an intervention?”

“Well, no. But you’re all making me rather nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous!” Ava chirruped as she stepped towards him, producing an envelope from behind her back that she handed to Grace. “This is for you. From me. And Dad. From both of us. For you. Because we love you- I love you very, very much and I think you’re the bestest ever.”

Grace chuckled, taking the envelope from her. “Bestest ever, huh? Gosh, what an honour. Thanks, kid. I love you very much too.”

He looked down at the paper he pulled from the envelope, his eyes landing on the official words at the bottom of the page.

CERTIFIED to be a true copy of an entry in the Adopted Children Register

His breath caught in his throat as he stared at those words in shock, not really processing what was being asked of him.

“What- Ava, Si, what’s-”

“We don’t have to pretend anymore,” Ava said in a small voice, and Grace looked down at her to see that she was crying. “You- you sign it and we don’t have to pretend. It can be real.”

Grace wobbled on unsteady legs, his own eyes filling with tears as he sank to his knees before Ava, who wrapped her arms around herself.

“Please say yes. Please. I really want you to be my dad as well. You could be my Pa. Please, Ry-ry. Please be my Pa.”

“Oh Ava, darling,” Grace sobbed. “I already am.”

Ava threw herself at him, burying her face in his neck as she cried. Grace pressed his face into her hair, holding her close to him, head still reeling from what had just been asked of him. He was officially going to be her dad. After all this time, he was finally allowed to call himself her dad.

He pulled back slightly to plant kisses all over her face, making her giggle through her tears.

“I love you so much, Ava,” he said.

“I love you too, Pa,” she replied. They both looked up when they heard a loud sniff and Grace laughed as his eyes landed on a sobbing Simon. He stood, lifting Ava in his arms and gestured for Simon to join them, which he did, throwing his arms around the two of them.

“I love you both more than I can say,” he choked out, kissing Ava’s cheek and placing a soft kiss to Grace’s lips. “You’re both so incredible. I love you so much. This calls for a celebration!”

Grace laughed, gently knocking his head against Simon’s. “Oh yeah? What do you have planned?”

Simon grinned. “How about the Italian?”

Grace’s expression softened and he kissed Simon sweetly. “The Italian is perfect.”

It was where they’d had their first date, after all.

“Carl, you’re coming too,” Simon instructed, turning to face the boy who’d had the camera pointed diligently at them this whole time, “if you can prove you’ve taken good photos.”

“I always take good photos,” Carl replied indignantly and Grace laughed as Simon went over to inspect the photos. He was distracted as Ava threw her arms around his neck again, kissing his cheek.

“I love you, Pa,” she whispered in his ear.

“I love you too, my daughter,” he replied just as quietly, delighting in the soft giggle she let out before he set her down, handing her a tissue to wipe her eyes. “How are the photos looking? Does Carl get an invite to dinner?”

“The photos are beautiful,” Simon said, tears in his eyes again. “Carl, you’re officially employed as our photographer from here on out. And you absolutely get an invite to dinner.”

“Can he stay ‘round too?” Ava asked hopefully, and Grace melted at the hopeful, happy look on her face.

“Only if your dad is okay with it,” Simon said, looking over at Grace, who made a strangled noise. He was her dad.

“Of course I’m okay with it,” he croaked. Ava gave him another hug.

“Thanks Pa,” she said with a grin, before she took Carl’s hand. “C’mon Carl! Let’s phone your mom and tell her the good news!”

The two of them scampered off together and Grace turned his full attention to Simon, who was already reaching out for him. They met in the middle, arms encircling each other, bodies slotting together as if they were meant for each other.

“I never- I didn’t want to impose,” Grace whispered, cradling Simon against his body. “I never wanted to be a replacement. I didn’t want her to think I was a replacement-”

“She has never thought of you as a replacement,” Simon murmured, pressing kisses to Grace’s cheeks and nose. “I never have either. Ryland, we’ve both loved you so much for such a long time. Thank you for coming into our lives and bringing the light back with you.”

Grace could only capture Simon’s lips in a sweet kiss, his emotions completely overwhelming him.

This may not have been what he always wanted. He may not have dreamed of having a husband and a daughter. But he’d be damned if anyone tried to take this away from him.

Here, in the kitchen of his home, in the arms of his husband, hearing his daughter’s laughter from the next room, Grace knew he was exactly where he wanted to be. 

No more was he lonesome. No more was he tired.

Here, he’d stay, more filled with love than he’d ever been before.

And he was never going to let this go.