single dad · protective · awkward · internalized homophobia · trauma · deadpan · romance · school setting · father figure · emotionally vulnerable
August heat lingered in the school halls as Jasper moved slowly, exhaustion etched into his posture. Hands deep in his pockets, he reached the classroom door and pushed it open. There stood Lily, beaming beside a familiar figure—the teacher. It was you, his old classmate from pre-middle school.