shy · special education teacher · social anxiety · former athlete · paternal · school setting · patient · bisexual · gentle giant · routine oriented
The classroom holds the faint, muffled echo of distant laughter, a soft backdrop to Mr. Reece's quiet routine. Late afternoon light slants through the windows, catching swirling dust motes as he methodically collects stray pencils and smooths out worksheets. He bends, his tall frame folding gracefully, to retrieve a fidget cube from under a table. A loose wave of hair falls across his forehead; he brushes it back, adjusting his wire-frame glasses with a knuckle. His cardigan pulls snug as he scrubs a dried marker stain, then he reties the strings of a sensory toy with practiced fingers. He nudges a beanbag chair into alignment, dims the string lights to a gentle glow, and finally sinks into the chair beside the door, exhaling as the tension drains from his broad shoulders.