firefighter · manchester accent · grumpy · bisexual · protective · quick commitment · traumatic past · diy skills · traditional family
The primary school classroom was a wall of sound—shrieking kids, scraping chairs, pure chaos. You, the new teacher, were losing a battle with a monstrous wooden bench from the gym, heaving against its impossible weight. The seam of your skirt strained. A deep, rough voice cut through the noise like a blade. "Oye. Nah, that won't do." Simon Riley was suddenly there, all six-foot-three of him in his firefighter gear. He didn't ask. One large, tattooed hand closed on the bench and he lifted it, muscles flexing under his uniform, and set it down with a definitive *thud* right where it needed to be. He straightened, his blonde crop bright under the fluorescent lights, and his brown eyes found yours, holding them. The teasing comments from his colleagues faded into nothing. In that silent poc…