Work Text:
“This is probably gonna be the most boring field trip ever” Candace grouched from where she was sitting in the back row of the smelly school bus. Next to her, her friend Allison nodded.
“Yeah, probably. I mean, who even comes up with an idea like that?”
“Mr. Novak, who else? Who in their right mind would plan a field trip for high schoolers to a salvage yard? I’m way too old for this crap.” Candace had thought she hadn’t heard correctly when her home room teacher, Mr. Novak, had announced that their class would be taking a trip to the local salvage yard. According to him, the trip had a dual purpose. On the one hand, the seniors were supposed to learn about the trade (who of them had the dream of becoming a scrap yard owner, really?!); and on the other hand, they were supposed to pick up materials for their art class. That’s why Ms. Milton, the grade’s art teacher, accompanied them.
“I kinda wish I was back in chemistry class right now.”
“Right? Whoever puts up with Mr. Novak’s crazy at home deserves a medal!”
Allison looked over at her friend, her brows raised in question.
“You think he’s in a relationship? Mr. Novak seems more like an eternal bachelor with a dozen cats to me!”
Before Candace could answer, their friend Brandon leaned over from the seat in front of the pair of girls.
“My older sister used to be in Mr. Novak’s class, but in her senior year, he was on paternity leave for the year. So I guess there has to be someone he comes home to every day. Poor woman!”
“You know who would make this field trip actually fun?” Noah from across the aisle now joined the conversation. Allison tried not to roll her eyes. Why had the chat with her best friend turned into a full on class discussion all of a sudden? As much as she was annoyed at their home room teacher, she didn’t want to get in trouble with him for gossiping about personal matters. “Mr. Winchester. He actually knows about cars. I mean, have you seen that beast of a car he drives?”
“Too bad he’s on a sabbatical this year. I wonder what he’s doing… He’s too hot to spend it researching some boring historical facts. You were in his history class last year, right? Did he say anything about why he was taking the year off?” Candace asked the boys in front of them.
“Nothing specific. He just said it was a personal matter and he would be back next year. Much good that’s gonna do us!”
“Alright everyone!”
The group of teenagers shifted their attention from their private conversation to the teacher at the front of the bus. Mr. Novak wore his usual shirt and tie combination, but also wore a tan overcoat with it. You know, one of those flasher coats. Not the best choice.
“We’re gonna arrive any moment now. I want all of you to head over to the main office once we’re off the bus. Mr. Singer, the owner of the salvage yard, is going to talk a little bit about the business, and then he’s going to show us around the property. Once we’re done with the tour, you will have time to search for the materials for your art projects. I expect all of you to listen and behave. No running off or anything.” The teacher levelled one of his piercing stares on to the class. Candace and her friends were almost compelled by force to follow his words. It was weird how powerful that stare could be!
The bus slowed and turned on to a property at the outskirts of town. The main building was a dilapidated wooden structure, flanked on all sides by towering heaps of scrap metal and bent out of shape cars.
“This is a dump.” Candace muttered as she stepped off the bus, but made her way over to the rest of the class that had gathered around the porch of the main building in a semi-circle around an older guy with a frown etched onto his face.
“Everyone, this is Mr. Singer. He owns the salvage yard and is going to talk to us a little bit about his trade and business” Mr. Novak explained once everyone had gathered. The older guy began talking about buying crashed cars and what he was doing with them, but Candace and Allison successfully tuned out the presentation.
“Just imagine Mr. Winchester working on one of these rusty pieces of crap. All sweaty and dirty, I bet he would make an excellent grease monkey!” Allison whispered into her friend’s ear, and Candace immediately burned up around her cheeks. She did not need a visual like that!
“Stop it, Al! Picturing Mr. Winchester in his usual attire is bad enough, but now you’re putting pictures into my head that I will never get out again!”
“You’re welcome” Allison muttered with a devilish grin. She knew exactly how big Candace’s crush on the popular history teacher was. It was not her fault, really! Teachers should not be allowed to be that handsome!
“You know you love it when I put pictures like that into your head, Candace. Mr. Winchester, all sweaty, peeling out of a dirty overal, with nothing undernea-”
“Ladies, I would advise you to listen to what Mr. Singer has to say. I don’t think your conversation is quite related to the subject at hand.”
Both Allison and Candace turned around in a flash, faces bright red. They had not noticed Ms. Milton standing behind them.
“Sorry Ms. Milton” they both muttered sheepishly.
“Just make sure this doesn’t happen again. Your conversation was entirely inappropriate.” With these words, Ms. Milton moved further along to a different group of students intent on talking instead of listening.
“This is so your fault, Al! If I get detention because of this, I’m taking you down with me” Candace muttered, but tried to focus her attention on the presentation now. If only the topic wasn’t so boring…
***
Twenty minutes later, the presentation on the scrap metal trade was finally over. Candace was looking forward to getting to move around, even if it was a scrap yard.
“Guys, I want you to actually take notes on the tour, okay? We are going to talk about the structure of the yard in class next time. This is not just a field trip to pass the time outside the classroom, you can actually learn about business structures here. I know some of you will enter the field of business ownership sometime in your future, so it will be useful knowing the basics” Mr. Novak instructed the students.
With a groan, Candace and Allison took out their notepads, intent on actually listening now. If there was going to be a discussion in class later and they didn’t take any notes, they would be screwed.
“I’m telling you, only Mr. Novak could come up with a trip like this. I mean, yeah, learning about business models is important and useful, but why does it have to be at a scrap yard?! Aren’t there more reasonable choices?” Allison muttered while trudging along with the group. So far, she had taken notes on the different areas the yard was divided into: arrivals, demolition, spare parts and an area for sellable pieces and cars.
“Now, whenever we get a new income, me or one of my employees will inspect it as to its state. If the car is only minorly damaged, we will make up an estimate of reparations and then decide whether or not it’s worthwhile to fix it up for reselling. If not, then we will salvage it for parts and - “
“PAPA!”
Mr. Singer stopped in his explanation at the soprano voice of a child, a little girl with bright blonde hair, to be exact, who was bowling her way through the crowd of teenagers and aimed for - Mr. Novak.
Candace’s mouth dropped open when her teacher’s face broke out in a bright smile and he dropped down into a crouch and scooped up the little girl.
“Hey baby girl! What are you doing here?”
Candace could see that it wasn’t just her who had shifted her attention from the words of Mr. Singer to the display from their teacher - and apparently his daughter - in front of them.
“I go to grandma” the little girl explained, her voice steady and carrying across the lot.
“You’re visiting grandma? And what, did you walk from home all alone?” Mr. Novak asked, all serious, but then looked up to review his surroundings.
“I apologize. This is my daughter. Apparently she is visiting her grandmother today” Mr. Novak said in explanation, but then motioned for Mr. Singer to continue.
“Okay, this is just so weird. I never would have thought Mr. Novak is this good with children. I bet his wife had to teach him a few things. But it’s kinda cute” Allison whispered, glancing back at their teacher every other moment. Mr. Novak was busy keeping his daughter from using him as a jungle gym, which was all kinds of adorable.
“So, all the parts that are salvaged from the cars we can’t resell are catalogued and then stored so we have an inventory for whenever someone comes by looking for a specific car part -”
“Claire!!”
Candace’s head whipped around so fast, she thought she might actually have hurt her neck. She knew that voice - in fact, it had had a starring role in a few of her more ‘nsfw’ dreams.
“Is that-”
“Mr. Winchester!”
“Daddy!”
Daddy?!
Candace’s head swam as she saw the little girl squirm in Mr. Novak’s arms, sliding down to the ground, only to run across the yard towards the man who was very much their favorite history teacher, Mr. Winchester.
Mr. Winchester, in washed-out jeans, a plaid overshirt and a baby strapped to his chest in one of those ergonomic baby carriers.
“What the fuck?!” was all Candace could get out.
Clearly the distribution of car parts was the least of everyone’s interest right now. Mr. Singer seemed to notice that as well.
“Boy, if you want to usurp my shining moment, by all means, here’s the stage!”
Mr. Winchester seemed to have the decency to look sheepish.
“Sorry Bobby. Didn’t know you’d be in the middle of a performance” he said, then turned to the gathered group of seniors. “Hey guys! It’s nice to see you all.”
“I think I’m about to pass out” Candace whispered. She didn’t know what was happening. Had that little girl, Mr. Novak’s daughter, just called Mr. Winchester ‘daddy’?
“I guess we know now why Mr. Winchester’s taking that sabbatical, huh? That ‘personal matter’ seems to be that bouncing baby strapped to his oh so muscular chest” Brandon stated drily.
“Mr. Winchester and … Mr. Novak?”
“Well, opposites attract, I guess.”
“Everyone, I think we need a moment to take a break, alright? How about we all reconvene in 10 minutes” Mr. Novak announced then. He seemed slightly flustered as he strode across the yard towards… his family?
Candace lowered herself onto a pile of rusty car parts, her head still reeling. She had not expected to be confronted with these revelations today.
Were Mr. Novak, crazy, awkward and socially inept Mr. Novak, and amazing, goofy and super popular Mr. Winchester actually a couple? And not just that? They were parents? This was seriously the last thing she had every thought would be true!
From her perch she could see her two teachers talking a little ways away. Mr. Novak was standing close to Mr. Winchester, leaning into the slightly taller man and looking intently at the baby in the carrier. The little girl was hanging off Mr. Winchester’s arm, swinging around like a little monkey.
Grease monkey. Heh. Candace’s never been that embarrassed about her own thoughts.
“I did not see that coming, to be honest. I mean, who even knew they weren’t straight!” Allison mused, also watching the familial scene unfold in front of them.
“Well, Mr. Novak is the faculty advisor of the GSA, and last year, Mr. Winchester gave Cole three weeks worth of detention for using the ‘f’ word” Noah reasoned.
Candace continued watching her teachers, who, in turn, were giving their students a once over. Apparently, Candace and her friend group weren’t the only students watching the adults in their midst.
“Everyone listen up!” The sudden voice of Mr. Novak had the last few stragglers also focus on the pair in front of them.
“I guess, this is a revelation that has a few of you surprised” the English teacher started, only to stop when Mr. Winchester guffawed next to him. An elbow to the gut stopped his laugh, however.
“I still want you guys to focus on the topic of this field trip, but I guess we need to clear the air for that to happen.”
“This is just so weird, man” Brandon muttered, but like everyone else, his attention was on the teachers as well.
“As you might have combined, and I’m sure it’s a surprise for many of you, albeit not -”
“What Mr. Novak is trying to say is that we are married and these are our kids, Claire and Jack” Mr. Winchester interrupted his - husband? Mr. Novak in turn shot him a glare that could cut glass.
“Yes, that. I would appreciate it if this wouldn’t end up on the front of the school newspaper. I mean, it’s no big deal, but it’s really no one’s concern other than ours.”
“Right, as if this isn’t going to make the rounds on campus by the end of the day” Mr. Winchester said to his husband, a wide grin on his face. “Anyways, this little man here has a doctor’s appointment, so I will make good use of my paternity leave and try not to beat up any doctors who make my son cry. And this little lady needs to go visit her grandma.”
If there was any way Candace’s crush on Mr. Winchester could have deflated and increased at the same time, these words out of his mouth would have made that happen. The fact that Mr. Winchester was actually a married man, and married to Mr. Novak of all people, instantly quelled her crush on the teacher. The way he doted on his children, though? Butterflies were nothing compared to the swarm of lovesick bees that had taken up quarters in her stomach.
“I think my head just exploded…”