Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"The grief counseling center is closing!?"

"I'm afraid so, Rose..."

Rose and her other co-workers are shocked at the news: the grief counseling center is shutting down. The news was rather sudden for the naïveté. She was having a wondrous time ever since she got this job a few years back. Helping other people who are either in mourning for their spouses or their loved ones, or who are having problems whatsoever with their mental thoughts—depression-wise. She knew that it was a joy to work in this kind of field every day...

Until now.

"What are we going to do?" one of her co-workers popped up a question after a sheer moment of silence. 

Their boss shrugs, "I'm afraid we'd have to find new jobs soon enough."

After his final word, the employees thank him and started to leave to pack their stuff already. Just as Rose was about to leave, the boss calls out to her.

Rose turns around, startled, "Y-Yes, sir?"

"Since you have worked so hard for all of us and the people who have consulted you for help and advice here in the center, I think I can offer you a position."

"But you said that we'd have to find jobs of our own."

"I know that, but I can see this potential in you, Rose. Which is why I believe you are fit to be a guidance counselor."

Rose's eyes widened, "A... guidance counselor?"

Her boss nods knowingly, "I recommended you to the principal there, who also happens to be one of my colleagues. When I told him that you have this charm that could captivate the hearts of the students who are in dire need of your advice, he took the bait! Plus, he said that the guidance counselor position is open and is in need of one just before school starts again in a week. Whadya say, will you take this offer?"

The naïveté just stood there, the offer still sinking into her mind. A guidance counselor? Can she really take this job? Not to mention that she had the highest suicide rates in the office.

She actually wants to take it immediately, but something is stopping her.

"But sir, I don't think I'm capable for this job... Not to mention the—"

"That stupid rate is now in the past, Rose," her boss cuts her off, "Besides, I believe you love children more than life itself."

It's true: Rose loves children—and anything child-like. She loves to get involved in whatever kiddie activities there are in Miami. She even forced Dorothy to celebrate her own birthday in Mr. Haha's Hotdog Hacienda, which the teacher absolutely hated the naïveté for because of putting her name in the birthday list. Though, if there's one thing Rose is afraid to commit to, that is to handle all the emotions that these students will express towards her. It might involve anything out of the ordinary: strict parents, bad education, evil-looking teachers, a lot of schoolwork, and anything alike. Hell, the naïveté might explode as well to the student, which is absolutely not in her nature to do. 

Well... She has no other choice but to take it. She needs a new job in this immediate time, after all.

"I'll take the offer, sir. Thank you very much."

*1 week later*

It's back to school for every kid and teen out there. Some are excited to arrive to their classrooms while some are devastated since they knew this day would come. The teachers—even the substitute teachers—had already prepared their lessons plans ahead of time and they made sure that they will not teach anything complicated on this day. Just orientations and all that will be fine for this first day.

Meanwhile, Rose just walks around the school to breathe in that warm, morning air. Luckily, she got the hang of things around the finest school in Dade County. She had to be toured around the school a few days prior upon settling her things in her newly-furnished and squeaky clean office. She even read the school's handbook so she can understand the rules and regulations to be followed. The naïveté actually considers this new job a good one because she believes that this position will lead her to something much more challenging than her last job—something more interesting out of the ordinary. A change of pace.

Her mind wanders around as she observes the chirping birds on the largest of trees surrounding whatever greenery there is. She walks as her heels click-clack on the concrete and brick floors of the hallways, just before she thinks of walking through the classroom corridors.

As she entered inside the school, some of the kids and teens walked and ran past her as they all walk into their respective rooms. Upon seeing them from the class door windows, some of them smile and laugh as they meet their friends once more and some of them just did their own leisure activities before waiting. When she went up to the next floor and passed by some of the rooms, she then saw a familiar figure from one of the classrooms. Rose backed up a bit and observed the classroom and it's teacher. The teacher looked awfully familiar from her back: salt-and-pepper coiffed hair, large pastel clothing, and that emerald ring that she wore on her right ring finger. As she faced to the students of that class, Rose's eyes widened and she swiftly moves away from that classroom, hoping that they would not notice that.

When Rose finally went downstairs and towards her office, she loudly slams the door shut and leans back upon it, panting from running away from that classroom. She then asks herself...

"Dorothy's also here! What will I do!?"

Chapter Text

"Shit!"

Rose suddenly covers her mouth from what word she blurted out. It's unlike of her to swear, but she did it for a reason: Dorothy's also here. Of course, the naïveté had almost forgotten that she's a substitute teacher... but for how long? It's often for Dorothy to substitute for either a couple of semesters or the whole school year. Rose has assumptions, but she wishes not to dwell on it that much. Oh Lord, Dorothy will also be shocked that the naïveté suddenly got a new job out of the blue.

Rose then sits on her office chair, her hands covering her shaking head, "Oh, God. What'll I do? If I tell Dorothy about this, she'll also be appalled..."

As she thinks of ways to cover this whole thing up, someone knocks on her door softly. The naïveté then looks up to the door, standing up and fixing herself a bit, "Come in."

The door swings open to reveal a student. An elementary student, to be exact. She appears to be sad from the tear stains glistening from the sunlight on her cheeks. 

Forget the thought of Dorothy, for now...

"Well hello there, sweetheart," Rose says, "I-Is there anything that I can talk with you about?"

The girl nods.

"Please have a seat, darling. We can settle this out," Rose replies just before she lets the student in and close the door afterwards. Once they both settle onto their respective chairs, the naïveté again asks, "Now tell me everything you want to tell me."

"I'm not used to being alone, ma'am!" the girl began, "When I asked if I could bring my doll to school, my parents said no!"

"Oh. What about this doll that you've mentioned about?"

"It's my favorite doll in the world. I never leave home without it. With that doll, I never become lonely."

"So what you're telling me is..." Rose says, "This doll means special to you, and you will not leave for school without it, right?"

The girl nods, "Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"

Rose then furrows her brows, her thinking gears beginning to churn. Thinking of a piece of advice just to help this girl to cheer up...

Until her mind wanders to St. Olaf. Eureka!

"Say, honey," Rose smiles warmly at the girl, "May I tell you a story?"

"Umm," the girl shuffles in her seat, nodding after a few moments, "Okay."

"Alright. Let me tell you a story similar to your situation back in St. Olaf."

*20 minutes later*

"What happens next to little Gunilla?" the girl giddily jumps from her seat as she is fully anticipated with this story that Rose tells her.

"Well, little Gunilla got her baby pig back, but she then realizes that she cannot cling onto him anymore because he's gotten all so big!" Rose gesticulates as she almost concludes her story.

"Poor little Gunilla," the girl sinks into her seat, "I wished that she would cling onto him forever because they've been through a lot together!"

"I wished so too, darling," the naïveté seconds the notion, "but the main lesson of that story is that... No matter how much you love something that means very special to you, you just have to let it go and move forward without forgetting what it meant to you, just like how little Gunilla lets her baby pig go with his family without forgetting the memories they shared together."

"I love that story, ma'am," the girl says, "Thank you very much for telling it to me. I feel better than ever!"

Rose warmly giggles and smiles at her, "I'm glad I could help, sweetheart."

The naïveté glances at the clock on the side of her desk, "Well, darling, it's time for you to go to your classroom! Recess time is over."

"Awww, bummer," the girl pouts her lips just before it turns to a smile, "May I go here again to listen to your story?"

"You may, sweetheart," Rose replies, "and I'll tell you a lot of wondrous stories of little Gunilla and all of St. Olaf."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Darling, please call me Ms. Rose. And what would your name be? I didn't catch it earlier."

"Lily."

"Well, Lily, I'll see you around, then!" Rose waves at Lily before the girl leaves her office.

As her door gets shut, Rose then sighs and leans back on her chair.

"Well, that wasn't bad... Okay, now to deal with covering this up from Dorothy!"

*A few hours later*

"Class is dismissed."

After the students left the classroom, Dorothy sits back on the teacher's chair and looks outside her window to see the gorgeous sun beginning to set. She smiles, the thought of teaching for the whole school year sends her into cloud nine. It's a dream of hers to become like a fully hands-on teacher who has lessons plans on her shoulders and lift those of one by one. That's what sparks the joy of teaching for the one and only Dorothy Zbornak—not to mention she's going to teach full-time for the finest school in Dade County. Though her students are mostly bored and feeling done with their lives, that never stopped the teacher to teach them.

Throughout her experience with this school, she had had sent students to the guidance counselor. A dozen of times. As much as she wanted to tolerate these little rascals who make fun of her or pull the most ridiculous practical jokes out there on her, she needed to make a move. It was tough for Dorothy to do so, but she had no choice.

Well, that's all in the past now for her. It's a new school year, and a new start for the teacher.

She needed to plan her next lesson further, so Dorothy packs her stuff and heads out to the park just outside the school. As she was jotting down whatever topics are needed for the next succeeding days, she listens to the students' banters with each other, their parents, and to their other siblings about their first day of school. She snickers secretly when some of them vent out like it's their last day on earth. She shakes her head when some of them say that their teachers are the worst—

"Did you have fun today, Lily?"

"Yes, mom! The best part of my day is when Ms. Rose tells me this story about..."

Dorothy looks up, "Ms. Rose..?"

Damn, she didn't get to hear what the story is all about; but, what really sparked her is the name.

Rose.

Her mind then pictures the Rose she knows: the sweet naïve St. Olafian who is as jolly as can be. Dorothy knows that Rose is busy with her grief counseling job, so assuming that she's in a guidance counseling job is pure ridiculousness—the teacher knew beforehand about the guidance counselor position being open. Besides, it's impossible for Rose to change jobs in a snap in a time like this.

Unless...

Dorothy then decides to pack her things again and begins to walk inside the school once more.

From the lobby...

To the school hallways...

To the class corridors...

Just until she reaches the guidance counselor's office.

"Odd... No name tag yet, and no one's here."

Dorothy squints at such oddity. She guesses that the guidance counselor must have left.

She then shrugs as she leaves the school and drives her way home. Though, a question then lurks around her mind...

"If that guidance counselor isn't the Rose I know, then who is Ms. Rose?"

Chapter Text

*Later that night*

The girls had finished their supper as they talk about how their days had been for this day. Sophia won during her bingo game earlier that day, while Blanche finally accomplished to set up a date for herself with a man she had found wandering around the museum. Dorothy then tells the big news that she's going to teach for the whole school year because the teacher who's supposed to teach about American Literature backed out at the last minute for God knows what reason. As for Rose?

Oh no... What do I tell of the girls? It's not in my nature to lie.

She cannot blurt out the sudden change of jobs in this kind of conversation, since considering that Dorothy teaches in the same school she's also now working at. The three girls are now anticipating the naïveté's interesting parts of her day, either expecting her to tell a St. Olaf story similar to her situation today or to share something unique that she had found interesting—like some sort of an unknown artifact or relic. Of course, Rose wanted to tell the truth, but it's best to lie. Besides, the sudden revelation that the grief counseling center is shutting down hasn't been out on the newspapers yet. With that, she takes a deep breath...

"Well, my suicide rate at the office lowered down," Rose shrugs and smiles.

Dorothy congratulates her, whereas Blanche patted her at the back before grabbing a beverage from the refrigerator. Sophia, being the mean old lady she's perceived to be—which is true, just says, "At least the airhead now gives decent advice these days."

A wave of relief flows through Rose's veins. That'll at least cover up what she's been doing nowadays. Though at the back of her mind, a small pang of fear lingers...

The truth about the whole situation being found out.

*The next day.*

"Class is dismissed."

Dorothy's had it.

She had sent some rowdy students from some of her classes to the guidance office. Honestly, she tries to tolerate it; but hell, every class she had taught today was a riot in itself. Well, she cannot change the fact that it's still a fresh new start for these students, so they still need to adjust. Though, she cannot help but think of why she had sent them to the guidance office ever so frequently. Dorothy reflects that it may be because of her past experiences with substituting in rowdy and noisy classes. The teacher then shrugs it out before she had to fix her things and plan another day of classes at the park.

After a few moments of walking through the hallways, she had spotted her place from last time and decided to sit there once again. As she jots down the additional topics and activities needed to be done in the next succeeding days, Dorothy then hears the students' chatters with each other. Just like yesterday. It's the same usual conversations in the first few minutes, then—

"Ms. Rose made you a bit happier at the guidance today?"

"She did, dad! Ms. Rose told me this story about... this girl whose name is..."

Dorothy lifts up her pencil from her planner.

Ms. Rose... again?

Dorothy overheard her name again from one of her students' conversation with his father. That's odd... Usually, from her experience, guidance counselors give rather bland advice to these students, but now they come in forms of stories? The teacher looked up to see the student that she had scolded earlier... a bit happier and behaved? She may not believe in magic, but there's some essence to this Ms. Rose's stories that turn rowdy students into—

Dorothy, don't jump into conclusions! Let's just wait until we get to hear from more students in the next few days...

In the next day, after school, Dorothy then decides to sit in her usual spot again and does her planning the usual way. Of course, as usual as it can be, she overhears the students' after-school conversations. There's a twist: The teacher's waiting for that name to be mentioned in a conversation and see what pieces of stories she can catch from it. Not to mention, she had sent a few more rowdy students today to the guidance office. Typical behaviors were the reason: doing practical jokes on whomever is a potential victim and passing out notes of whatever gibberish sayings are in there. 

Upon writing her last plan, she hears a familiar voice. A voice of one of her students.

"Then what did Ms. Rose say next?"

"She said this girl was... coming from the most beautiful flower of all flowers."

Hmm... that lacked substance. Let me try again tomorrow.

And so Dorothy did that. She tried and tried again to find out who Ms. Rose actually is.

The next day went by.

"Then there's this other girl whose name..."

And another one.

"Is founded on bricks..."

And another.

"These two people fall in love.."

And until it became her habit to hear bits and pieces of these stories.

"However, there occurred a maze..."

"One was lost, and one wanted help..."

"So these hummingbirds realized they needed to guide each other..."

"No matter how long or short their singsongs may be..."

"They had one goal..."

"To find each other..."

"And be together through thick and thin..."

"'Till the old days..."

"Always."

Then the bits and pieces suddenly stopped.

Dorothy had expected more and more of these bits and pieces, but her feeling of disappointment now surges through her mind. It's like this Ms. Rose's stories also appealed to her. Like magic. 

The teacher began to wait.

...

And wait.

...

Until she slowly gives up.

Well, it was worth the try.

*A week later*

It was her lunch break, so Dorothy decided to buy something at the school's canteen to replenish her hunger and hang around for a bit. While she walked, all she heard was silence. Pure silence. The whirs of the wind only distracting the quiet atmosphere of the school. Just before she had entered...

She heard laughter. Genuine laughter from voices of the youth. 

Dorothy was about to step into the canteen, but something stopped her: Curiosity.

No. The teacher shakes her head, but her heart started to pound like the beat of the drums.

lub-dub! lub-dub! lub-dub!

She steps back, her attempt to emerge to the canteen atmosphere being a failure.

tap... tap... tap. tap. tap.

She starts walking towards the sound. The giggles and chuckles and growing louder and louder in volume with every step she takes. As Dorothy searched and looked towards the direction of the source, her heart races. Her mind is now filled with curiosity. A desire to know who made these children laugh like they feel genuinely happy once more. It's unlike of Dorothy to be like this. What made me this way? Why am I following the sounds of those students' laughter? Is—

Is that who I think it is..?

Dorothy stands behind a pillar, peaking through the side and looking towards a crowded bunch of students looking up at...

Rose... Rose Nylund herself. Talking gracefully and with class to a bunch of students who are now enjoying what she's telling them.

Dorothy leans her head back a bit. She doesn't believe it: Ms. Rose is the Rose that she actually knows. Her friend... who's now the guidance counselor to these kids. If this is the case, then why didn't Rose tell them the truth about this matter? The teacher doesn't believe it too that Rose lied. Rose, the truthful naïveté, lied to her, Blanche, and Sophia! 

She needs to do it: Dorothy needs to talk to Rose and ask her to explain all this.

"Alright, you little schnauzers, take your lunch break now!"

"See you tomorrow, Ms. Rose!"

Rose waves at the kids goodbye before packing her things and walking back to her office. Weirdly for Rose, she expected this job to be hard. Though, after a few weeks had passed and talking to these students about their problems, she realized that her field with counselling is much better for children than it is for ones who are grieving for whatever losses they had had. The naïveté felt much more genuine and much better, considering the fact that her St. Olaf stories now have essence. She can tell these stories to them without expecting a groan or an eye roll from them! They actually do enjoy these stories—

"Ms. Rose?"

"Yes—Dorothy!"

Rose flinches back as her eyes widen to see the person she's been avoiding since the first day of classes. Oh no...

"Can we talk?"

Chapter Text

"I can't believe this..."

Rose just shuffled on her office chair as Dorothy shook her head in confusion. Earlier, the naïveté explained everything that happened prior to the first day of classes to the teacher. Rose even admitted to her that she lied about her suicide rate because it was one way for her to cover up the whole thing—not to mention that lying isn't Rose's forte.

"So, let me get this straight," Dorothy said, "So the grief counseling center got shut down for some reason, your boss immediately told you that you are hired for this guidance counseling job, and you decided not to tell us the truth about it because it was all too fast for you?"

"That's about it, yes," Rose nods.

"W-What made you get this job in the first place?"

"My boss told me that I have the potential for this job since he saw me like children and do whatever makes them happy."

Dorothy just looked at Rose for a few moments, the teacher sensing the genuine tone in her answer. She knows how Rose acts around children considering that she's happy as she can ever be. 

"I... see," the teacher says as she crosses her arms.

"Which reminds me, Dorothy," Rose sits upright, "You're the one who had sent these students to my office, right? Those little kids told me so since they got sent here for the sake of being rowdy, but some of them actually weren't."

Oh no...

The teacher realizes something: She had sent students to her office just for the sake of finding out who Ms. Rose is. Oh, how stupid of her to do that. Dorothy grimaces and squints her eyes shut at every memory of her sending each and every one of them to Rose just to grab snippets of her stories.

"Uhh, about that," Dorothy bites her nails momentarily, "Yes... but I did that just to find out who you are."

Rose's eyes widen, shaking her head in disbelief, "Dorothy Zbornak, I cannot believe you..."

"Believe me, it's true."

"Then why would you ever do such a thing!?" Rose then stands up, "You aren't the kind of person to just... send your students to me just for the sake of it!"

"What was I supposed to do at that time!?" Dorothy's voice becomes a tad louder, "Given the fact that I do not know yet since the first day of school that you took this job!"

"I was supposed to tell you, Blanche, and Sophia about this whole thing in time! If I were to tell you this after the first day, then you guys would think that this is all too sudden!"

"That's because IT IS SUDDEN!!!"

sob...

Rose sheds a tear. Dorothy's expression soon turns sympathetic as she witnessed the naïveté breaking down. The teacher slowly approaches her, her large hand nearing to grasp her petite one. The naïveté pulls her hands away from hers, glaring at Dorothy.

"Look, Rose, I—" the teacher, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you that way... I should've understood sooner that you reasonably wanted to cover this up."

"I hope you're happy in sending all those students just to get to where we are now," Rose's voice shakes, her lips now quivering, "Those kids were right about you, Dorothy: You've taken this too far. And considering the fact that you are a teacher, you're just like the bad teachers they told me they had before."

THUD!

And just like that, Rose slams the door shut, the naïveté now out of the picture. Dorothy bows her head down, realizing that she should have done another way just to know who Ms. Rose was in the first place. She should have asked who Ms. Rose is instead of sending students—half of them for being rowdy and the other half being the opposite—to the guidance office.

"Why did I do such a thing..?"

*A week later*

It's been one week since Dorothy and Rose argued. The teacher contemplates for a while as she writes down on her journal at the teacher's lounge. Her thoughts flowed like water. She really didn't mean to yell at Rose like that. She knew better. Dorothy knew that she needed to be rational in that situation, but her anger got the best of her. The teacher was upset for Rose not telling them the truth about it sooner, but she cannot blame her for her actions because—like what Rose said—it was too early to speak up. She should have known since the crack of dawn that Rose was still constructing her thoughts about it...

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Zbornak?"

Dorothy looks up from her journal to see a fellow teacher—one who teaches in kindergarten, "You're looking at her right now. May I help you?"

"I'm sorry for such short notice, but I have an emergency to attend to—a medical emergency about my mother," he explains, "So, can you take over for me?"

"Have you asked others already?"

"Yeah, and they all told me that they're too busy as of the moment..."

She thinks for a moment. Considering that she's a substitute teacher after all, she decides to take the offer.

Dorothy nods, "Sure, I can take over."

"Oh, thank you so much, Ms. Zbornak!" the kindergarten teacher bows at her before handing out an already filled-up substitution slip, "I'm supposed to teach the little kids something new today, but I'm afraid I'd have to miss a day to see their smiling faces for once."

"I'm glad to help, and I wish your mother well, Mr..?"

"Oh, Mr. Stevens! David Stevens," David offers his hand for Dorothy to shake.

"Glad to have met you, Mr. Stevens," she smiles warmly as she shakes his hand.

"Well, I'd better be going," he said before bowing at her once more, "Thank you once again!"

After David leaves the teacher's lounge, Dorothy then reads the contents of the substitution slip...

"Teach a nursery rhyme, huh..?"

"Ms. Harper, where did Mr. Stevens go?"

"I'm sorry to say, children, but Mr. Stevens is away for a while because something came up," Ms. Harper, David's kindergarten assisstant, explained to the kids—all of them saying "Aww..." in response, "But don't worry, Ms. Zbornak here will take over in the meantime."

Dorothy waves at the kids, the latter shyly waving at her back.

Then, one kid raises his hand to speak up, "But Mr. Stevens pwomised to teach us somethwing new to us!"

The other kids second the notion by making noise, which Ms. Harper tried to stop by telling them to calm down.

Dorothy thinks of a way to make the kids listen to her when Ms. Harper approached her, "Ms. Zbornak, what do we do? I'm sorry that these kids can be rowdy sometimes when Mr. Stevens is absent to teach them for today..."

The teacher looks around the classroom for a bit... until she spots a piano near the corner. Bingo!

"Don't mind me asking, Ms. Harper, but..." Dorothy begins, "Do you play the piano for these kids?"

"Oh, yes I do! Mr. Stevens always asks me to play it for the kids to follow along the nursery rhymes he taught to them easily," Ms. Harper says, "Is there any nursery rhyme that you'd want me to give an accompaniment to?"

Double bingo!

"Yes I do," the teacher then whispers the name of a nursery rhyme to Ms. Harper, the latter nodding engagingly before the walks to the piano and plays a few chords. As the kids heard this, they quickly approach to the sweet tunes of the grand instrument and sitting around to it. Dorothy then places a chair in front of the kids and sits down while waiting for Ms. Harper to finish telling them to give their eyes and ears to the teacher in front of them.

"Okay, kids," Dorothy spoke up, "Are you feeling happy lately..?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

One kids speaks up, "because Mr. Stevens is not here with us today!"

"I see, but you know what? I'm sad too because he's not here with us today, but that's okay! Maybe I can cheer you all up... with a song!"

"Another nursery rhyme, Ms. Zbornak?"

"You bet it is! Here's how it goes."

As Dorothy cleared her throat, she looks to Ms. Harper and nods, giving her the signal to tickle the ivories.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

Dorothy claps her hands twice, some of the kids looking intently at her and being amazed at it.

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

The teacher then repeats the line and claps twice more, some of the kids barely clapping to the beat but they're still following. Dorothy then sings the whole nursery rhyme to them, all of the kids laughing and clapping in joy after she finished singing.

"Sing it for us again! Sing it for us again!"

Dorothy gazed at the little kids in awe. She cannot believe that they became happy the instant second when she started to sing. The teacher then smiles and brings her high-spirited energy once more.

"Alright, make sure you kids clap to the beat this time

"See you again, Ms. Dorothy!"

"Bye bye, Ms. Dorothy!"

Dorothy waves at the kids goodbye as they all leave once the class was dismissed, and to be frank, she actually enjoyed teaching them. Like something that was longing to bloom out of her suddenly did. A new kind of charm that would appeal to the little ones. Sure, she's used to teaching students who are much older than them—teenagers, young adults, and even older adults. The latter usually get either bored or irritated by how she teaches since it's mostly straightforward—yet clear—teaching. The reason for this new kind of teaching seems unsure, but she's sure as hell to find it out. 

When all the kids left, Ms. Harper approaches Dorothy, "Well, Ms. Zbornak, I must say: You sure taught those kids well today. Not even Mr. Stevens could top that."

"Oh, well thank you, Ms. Harper," the teacher replies back, "Usually when I substitute for a class, the students don't have the same kind of energy as those kids have. Plus, they usually don't like how I teach around here."

"Really? I don't think you we're bad at teaching those kids. As a matter of fact, I saw how genuinely happy they were today after to turned their sad frowns upside down. They even decided to call you Ms. Dorothy  instead of Ms. Zbornak!"

"Yeah... I hope this question doesn't sound rude or anything, but..." Dorothy furrows her brows, "Are these kids usually sad when Mr. Stevens is absent..?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Ms. Harper answers, "but it's the first time for them to become that happy after a substitute takes over for him."

"I see... Well, I have to go now since it's time to—"

"Ms. Dorothy?"

Dorothy glances down when she sees a kindergarten student yanking her cream-colored pants. It's a little girl, holding something behind her back. The teacher smiles then kneels down to reach her height.

"Hey there, little lady," the teacher greets the kid with a warm tone in her voice, "I thought you're going home already. What's the matter?"

"Well... I wanted to give you this."

The girl then shows her hands to reveal an origami crane. Dorothy gasps as she gently holds the crane onto her own large hands.

"It's a paper crane... Why'd you want to give me this..?"

"I hope you like it. I made it after we sang that nursery rhyme you had taught to us earlier."

"May I ask what's your name, dear?"

"Daisy."

Dorothy then brings the crane gently to her chest, "I'll make sure to cherish this always, Daisy. Thank you."

Daisy smiles, "I hope you can teach us a new nursery rhyme again sometime, Ms. Dorothy. I have to go to my mom now, bye!"

Dorothy then waved goodbye at her as she stood up. When she looks back at Ms. Harper, whose smiling and tearing up from the warm exchange of words, Dorothy then asks.

"Ms. Harper?"

The assistant teacher flinches back to reality, "Oh! Y-Yes, Ms. Zbornak?"

"If the kids ever need me to teach new nursery rhymes, can you please send me a call?"

Chapter Text

"Class is dismissed."

Sigh... so much to do.

Dorothy leans back on her chair once she had finished piling up the papers of this day's quiz in American Literature from some of her classes, and it's sheer hell for her to check all of them. Boy, she'll be busy all afternoon in checking all these by herself. As a matter of fact, she has no choice but to decline Mr. Steven's offer today to substitute for the little kindergarten kids in the afternoon. For the past 2 weeks, she had been substituting for them and, frankly enough, she actually enjoyed teaching new nursery rhymes and—subconsciously—tagging along with those little kids' chitter-chatter about toys, dreams, and even Dr. Seuss stories that she never knew that they know. Though, she was a bit tempted to send some of these kids to the guidance office; but, the conscience inside of Dorothy prevents her to do so. A kind of essence that would somehow be described as some sort of magic. 

It's like something—or someone—stopped her. 

Her thoughts then gaze to Rose. The person who had known her misdeeds upon admitting them. Dorothy recalls the argument they had a few weeks prior, specifically what Rose had said to her with finality.

"Those kids were right about you, Dorothy: You've taken this too far. And considering the fact that you are a teacher, you're just like the bad teachers they told me they had before."

Her students' thought of Dorothy being one of those "bad teachers"... crushed her.

For the first time, she became aware of how she teaches these students. Is there something wrong with how I teach? What did I ever do to make them feel miserable? Am I always mean 24/7? To everyone's eyes, Dorothy is one to be described as someone who doesn't give a damn about everything. Her physique contrasted with the other ladies out there: tall, strong-looking, and definitely has a deep voice. Maybe she no longer gives a damn after realizing all the unlucky things that had happened to her. That night with Stan. Her dates with some men. Her dreams fading away in just a snap. And now, this...

Until those kindergarten kids gave her hope. A realization. Something to hoist her back up to her feet and begin to guide herself once more to teaching what is okay and right. Slowly but surely, through those kids alone, maybe Dorothy can teach better. If possible, to learn better from the students she had taught. 

Although, she doesn't have time to check-in with these kids, for she needs to give all her attention to checking all the quiz papers. She ponders for a moment of whom to ask to take over... until her mind led to the only person who can do that. Heck, they haven't said a word to each other ever since their argument, but it's worth the shot. Dorothy then takes a deep breath and stands from the classroom desk.

"Let's do this."

knock! knock! knock!

"Come in."

"Ms. Rose?"

"Just a minute!"

As Dorothy enters the guidance office, she spots Rose fixing something underneath her desk. She waited for a short while just until Rose pops up from the desk as she fixes her dress.

"May I help you—Dorothy?" the naïveté's eyes widen as she did not expect the teacher to enter the room.

"Rose."

Rose's head drops, remembering what had happened between the two of them, "... May I help you, Ms. Zbornak?"

Just as I thought, Dorothy mentally mutters, "I needed someone to take over for me for this class I've been teaching. I had tried to ask everyone else in the faculty, but not one is available for the job."

"Oh... Is this another one of those classes where some of their students were sent to me?" Rose says with stress in some of the words.

"No, it's a different one," the teacher nonchalantly replies as she slides the substitution slip across the naïveté's desk, "It's a kindergarten class. They wanted to learn something new and exciting today..."

Rose reads the contents of the substitution slip, her brows furrow as she scans through it, "Mr. Stevens?"

"He's the teacher for this class, but he asked me to take over for a little while because of family matters."

"You took over?" Rose asks, "I thought you hated dealing with children, especially the rowdy ones."

"I thought so, too..."

"Wha—"

The school bell rang like crazy, making the two of them flinch. As Dorothy checked the time on her wristwatch, she knew that she needed to go check the exam papers immediately.

"Unfortunately, I have to go. Will you take over for me, Ms. Rose?"

"I—Umm... Sure, I can take over for a bit."

"Thank you, Ms. Rose. Excuse me," Dorothy says with finality and formality as she rushes to the door.

When the door finally closes shut behind the teacher, Rose was left there like a balloon in the air. She then ponders as to what Dorothy said that was trailed off like a tractor across a farm. Did she have a change of heart during these past few weeks?, the naïveté asks herself. Rose then glances over to the slip that the teacher had given to her just moments ago: The class is before dismissal time... What can she do to kill the time?

knock! knock! knock!

Crap... What if that's Dorothy?

She then fixes herself a little bit before giving the person behind the door the permission to come in.

"Hi, Ms. Rose!"

Oh... It's just Lily.

"Oh, hi Lily! What can I do for you?"

"So Ms. Dowothy is awlso away? Just wike Mr. Stevens?"

"Sadly, yes, dear. She said she's busy at the moment, so she asked me to take over."

The whole class sat still in silence, even Ms. Harper. The latter waited outside for Dorothy to come in the classroom since the kids were anticipating for the teacher to come in. When Rose came and explain to Ms. Harper that Dorothy was apparently busy with things, she understood as they both entered inside. The kids screamed happily when their classroom door opened, only to be halted when an unknown figure like Rose came into their picture. As Ms. Harper introduced Rose to them, the kids then questioned why Dorothy wasn't around, the whole room earlier filled with banters.

Then, a girl in a yellow jumper weakly mutters something that Rose eventually heard, "I miss Ms. Dorothy already..."

"Me, too. Especially when she sings those nursery rhymes to us," another kid—a fellow friend of the girl, perhaps—chimed in.

Rose widens her eyes. She then asks, "Kids, don't mind me asking but... Ms. Dorothy sang nursery rhymes to all of you when she was here most of the time?"

"Yeah! She also told us really awesome stories!" A boy with a shaggy hairdo added.

The naïveté slowly understands now why Dorothy trailed off during lunchtime, but cannot fully wrap her head around it. So she asks further...

"Tell me, kids, what other things did Ms. Dorothy teach you?"

"Hi, kids. Sorry if I didn't come to your class today, but I had to—Oof!!!"

THUD!

"Ms. Dorothy!!! You're the coolest teacher we ever had!" The kids continually gave compliments to the teacher that just came in.

When Dorothy, as she was fixing her outfit, entered the room, all of the kids practically tackled her into a group hug, making the teacher fall back to the floor. The pain was now subsiding, but Dorothy didn't care since she was laughing at the fact that the kids did that just for a hug.

"I-I am? I just entered the room!"

"You taught us a lot of things! Like awesome and cool things!"

"I take it that you all missed me when I was gone," Dorothy chuckled a bit more before she embraces all of the kids with her long arms. When the hug ended, Dorothy sits upright to level with the kids, asking, "So tell me, was Ms. Rose a cool teacher like me, too?"

"Yeah!" Daisy, the girl who consistently gives her paper cranes after class, says, "She also told us funny stories about you!"

Dorothy searches for Rose, who's now standing across her and looking down at the kids. Unbeknownst to her, she smiles warmly at the naïveté, the latter now flushed in red as she shyly looks away, "Oh, did she?"

"Ms. Rose told us that you yawn like a bear in the mornings!"

The kids then continue filling on what Dorothy had missed, just until Ms. Harper told them that it's dismissal time for them. They said "Aww!" in unison, but had said their goodbyes to both Dorothy and Rose. Of course, Daisy then gives another paper crane to Dorothy who then thanked her for it. When all the kids—and Ms. Harper—left the room, Dorothy stood up.

"Oh, those kids are a bundle of joy to my day," the teacher said as she shakes her head before glancing back to Rose, "So you told them that I loudly yawn in the mornings?"

Rose shuffles from her spot, "They asked me what funny things you do... so I shared that to them."

"Don't worry, I'll share to them the funny things that you do the next time I substitute here again for Mr. Stevens... Frankly, I didn't regret taking over for him."

"Dorothy, I... umm..." Rose trails off, finding the right words to say.

"Yes, Rose?"

"About what you said before..."

Dorothy flinches, her heart practically jumping from her chest when her mind recalled their argument, "What was it I said before? There were a lot."

"The one about thinking that you hated children?"

"Oh, that... W-What about it?"

"You... you got through them," Rose says, "The kids said they missed you, and they said that you were one of their best teachers ever."

The teacher then shakes her head before bowing down, "I doubt it. That's what the students usually say just to cover up what mean things I did to them... like... what I did a few weeks ago."

"But it's true!" the naïveté's blue eyes sparkle with awe, "I saw through those kids how much they love you, and they do mean it."

"Please," Dorothy says, her eyes starting to fill in with tears, "You told me that I was one of the bad teachers here, and that practically is true since I teach... poorly."

"I—Are you crying?" Rose tilts her head to the side to see Dorothy's face, the latter looking away at the naïveté.

"No! I just have... something in my eye," the teacher's voice cracks up a bit, "Oh God, I'm a horrible teacher..."

Seeing Dorothy's vulnerable side crushes Rose to the core. She knows that she's a substitute teacher and it's her dream too to teach a lot of classes, especially ones that'll last a whole school year. Rose doesn't want to see Dorothy break down just because her teaching is horrible. Not only that, it'll also break her heart to see the teacher manifesting in her mind that thought that she told her during that argument: Being one of the bad teachers that the students had experienced. 

yank!

"I'm sorry if I ever told you that," Rose also tears up as she hugs Dorothy tightly.

"No, I should be the one who's sorry," Dorothy had lost it when she hugs her back, her arms tightly wrapped around the naïveté as she feels the warm streams of tears trickling down her cheeks, "I'm sorry if I didn't accept immediately that you were the new guidance counselor! I'm sorry if I made the students miserable just because I had sent them to you!! I'm—I—"

"Shh... Just let it all out with me, Dorothy. I'm here to cry with you for a moment," Rose says before they both stood there for a while.

They both didn't care anymore about their argument. What really cares for them now is their presence with each other. Both being each other's shoulders to cry on. Rose doesn't want to be mad at Dorothy any longer; she wants to help her become one of the best teachers that the students will ever have. Dorothy, on the other hand, no longer wants to be a bad teacher just because of sending students to the guidance office for no particular reason; she wants to teach them about the lessons of life and just wants her students to make things right for themselves. 

When they both broke the tightest hug they could ever manage, Dorothy speaks up, still holding Rose around her arms, "Rose, I hope you can forgive me for being irrational a few weeks ago."

"I forgive you, Dorothy. I can't stay mad at you forever," they both managed to laugh before they wiped their tears away.

"Same here, darling," the teacher says back.

"Oh, I have a wonderful idea!" Rose's sparkle now perks back up.

"What is it?"

"Let's help each other through this whole school year!" the naïveté says, "I want to help you become one of the best teachers out there! Or better enough, the bestest teacher!"

"Firstly, bestest sounds redundant to me, but it is a word. Secondly, I was about to ask you to help me in being a decent teacher."

"I really do mean it, Dorothy! What do you say, promise to help each other?" Rose holds up her pinky finger in the air, hoping for Dorothy to also swear to what will seem like a promise to keep.

"Are you sure, even if I will screw up at times?"

"Even if I also screw up at times..."

Dorothy then slowly intertwines with Rose's short pinky finger with her longer one.

"Okay then... I promise."

Chapter Text

Why am I even here? ... I shouldn't be here.

"C'mon, Dorothy!"

Dorothy's mind still drives with anxiety as Rose yanks her to their designated cab in the ferris wheel. A few weeks earlier, while Dorothy was still being conscious of how she teaches, Mr. Stevens surprisingly came back from the hospital, the kids immediately hugging their original kindergarten teacher upon entering the classroom while the substitute teacher was reading a storybook to them. A few minutes later, Dorothy then watched the kids chat with Mr. Stevens, telling them how much they had missed him. Just like how these kids did when Dorothy had asked Rose to take over. Feeling the urge to go somewhere else, Dorothy left the room unnoticed, like the breeze of the wind. Her feet felt like they had nowhere to go, the environment around her seeming to become a desert of some sort. Though, her feet kept on moving... and moving...

Until she decided on where to go... to the person she needs the most now.

Upon spotting the enormous tree right in the middle of the school, underneath it was Rose, probably relaxing for a minute or two. When the naïveté heard the familiar sounds of her footsteps, opening her eyes as she glanced to the side. The teacher just sat down beside her, her expression blank.

"Dorothy, i-is everything okay? I thought you're still substituting for Mr. Ste—"

"He's back..."

"He's... back? From her mother at the hospital?"

Dorothy can't speak further, so she pursed her lips and nodded, her hands starting to tremble. Rose acknowledged this immediately, so she wraps her petite hands around Dorothy's rather larger ones.

"You're shaking."

"I'm sorry, I—I don't know how to react awhile ago before I unknowingly left. I feel foolish."

"Honey, you're not foolish," the naïveté tilts to the side, trying to be face-to-face with the teacher, "You're just stressed with unexpected events, that's all..."

"It's not just that," Dorothy mumbles, "Those kids mean something to me."

Knowing Dorothy's struggle to get the words that she wished to say, Rose gently hugged her, the teacher placing her arms on top of the naïveté's in return. 

Some time had passed by when Dorothy and Rose—eating lunch at that time underneath that same tree—were approached by Mr. Stevens, telling them that the kids had missed them after he came back and inviting them to a field trip. The two ladies looked at each other, taken aback by his sudden appearance. 

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Mr. Stevens, but where will we go in this field trip?"

"The kids told me they want to go to Disneyland."

And everything led them both to where they are now.

Of course, once they were there, the kids requested—more like forced—Dorothy and Rose to join them in some of the kiddie rides around the park since those kinds of rides we're the only ones suitable for those little bundles of joy. Since they have their sweet teeth still, they all decided to chime in and buy cotton candy along with other sweets. When the kids wanted Mr. Stevens to accompany them in watching a circus act just nearby, Dorothy and Rose were left behind, standing in the middle of what seemed to be nowhere. Dorothy shuffled from her spot as Rose suggested the rides she wanted to go with the teacher. The naïveté listed down every exciting ride she could possibly think of, the teacher declining and complaining each ride being too wild, too scary, or too boring. When Rose suggested the ferris wheel, Dorothy stiffened, a phobia now trickling down to her spine: fear of heights.

Oh, Jesus.

As they both sat beside each other, Dorothy is still pondering with her own thoughts as Rose is grinning giddily, waiting for the ferris wheel to hoist them up in the air. The teacher's heart is pounding, her fear now starting to trigger. She doesn't want to do it. She wants to lea—

Dorothy, no. Do this for your own good. Do this for Ro—

"And up we go!"

Rose raises her arms up high as they start to move up. Dorothy's breathing became heavy at first, but as they ascended even higher, she starts to calm down. The sounds around them are fading, and the only thing that she can hear is Rose's laughter and remarks on how fun this ride is so far. The teacher closes her eyes for a moment, reminding herself to breathe deeply, her hands now gripping and fidgeting the rim of her rather loose blouse. She begins to remember that she had conquered her fear of heights once when she was with her mother Sophia when they both granted the latter's wish to ride Space Mountain. It was fun and games because she had realized too that "quality time" is every single time that her and Sophia get to do things together, whether it's special or not—well, she digresses at this point in her thoughts, but what the hell? It calmed her pretty good.

When Dorothy had opened her eyes, her mouth opened in awe as the view in front of her unfolds like a beautiful book. She can see the whole park from up here! The people eating turkey legs. Mickey and Minnie Mouse hanging out with the other guests in one side. She can even see the kids watching the circus act! 

Dorothy begins to lean forward, but a hand stopped her. She glances to the side to see Rose with her eyes shut and breathing heavily.

"Oh, my God, Rose. Are you alright?" She asks, interlacing her long and slender fingers around the naïveté's petite hand.

"I... I'm petrified of heights," Rose mutters under her shaking breath.

"Rose, you invited me to this ride, and now you tell me you're afraid of heights!?"

"I just wanted to cheer you up!" The naïveté loudly says, trying not to yell so the people won't hear it, "Y-You looked down these past few days, and I wanted to make you happy."

"W-What..?"

"I just thought that you're still bummed by what had happened recently, and I wanted to make you feel better. Hell, I'm trying to conquer my fear of heights for you!"

She did all this... for me?

Dorothy's heart quickly beats. Was she really that obvious as to looking down in the dumps all the time? She let Rose know how disheartening it was to see Mr. Stevens come back, but the thought really consumed her. It made her a bit numb and distracted in teaching at times. Her students even wondered if she's okay. Most of the time, she lies about it, but it failed to cover her up. She cannot believe how much it meant also to Rose... to see her down like that and decided to make her chuckle or at least smile...

and now, Dorothy wants to reciprocate Rose's gesture.

She holds both of her petite hands with her larger ones, leaning closer to the naïveté, "Rose, I have a confession: I'm afraid of heights, too..."

"Y-You are..?" Rose's eyebrows raise up, her eyes still shut.

"Mhm," she hums in response, "Now, I want you to look at me."

"I don't want to look do—"

"You don't have to look down. Face me fully."

Rose does as told.

"Now open your eyes slowly and just look at me. On three..."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three."

As the sun begins to set, the rays shine on Rose, who slowly opened her eyes to see the woman sitting in front of her. Rose's heart began to calm down.

"Now take deep breaths."

They both inhale and exhale in unison. Rose begins to stop from trembling on her spot. This is working. They are both conquering their fears together, guiding each other through it all. 

"Feeling better?"

"Mhm..." Rose nods.

"Good."

and Dorothy smiles for what seems the first time in days.

Rose sits there in awe, realizing that she had done it. She cheered Dorothy up somehow... The teacher's brown eyes look deeply into her crystalline blue ones, the message becoming clear that she had made her happy. Rose... feels a bit flustered. The naïveté's heart quickens, her cheeks beginning to feel flushed. She slowly smiles back at her, shyly as her pursed lips curve lopsidedly. Dorothy begins to chuckle lowly, her hums gradually turning into giggles. Rose snorts, then begins to join in the laughter with her friend. She knew that, through her presence alone, Dorothy looked like she doesn't really care if she had a struggling start when it comes to trying to teach well. Teaching really mattered to her, and she bets that Dorothy wanted to express this to her along the way.

Welp, they still have a long way to—

SKRT!!!

Something landed on both of their lips. They opened their eyes and—

Oh, my God.

Their lips landed on each other by accident. The ferris wheel had abruptly stopped for a moment, the sudden impact forced Rose to move towards Dorothy. Fortunately, Dorothy grabbed her by the waist at the last second. Both of their eyes widened in shock, their cheeks now turned into deep shades of red. Though, they did not recoil immediately. They let the feeling of each other's lips linger there. They both felt a sudden spark pierce through their chests, like an electrical jolt that made their hearts beat. 

One of Dorothy's hands slowly reach for Rose's cheek. When she had finally cupped it, she tilts her head a bit to the side, debating to herself if she will shut her eyes or not from seeing how Rose will react. When she saw the naïveté close her eyes tenderly and sighed deeply into the kiss, so did Dorothy. Rose then placed her hand on top of Dorothy's that held her cheek.

Strange, Rose had never felt being kissed by a woman before. Though, how come Dorothy kissed her so tender and so sweet like it's as if she had already experienced it before? It felt insane for the naïveté to feel this way, but why doesn't it feel so bad? Frankly, it felt nothing but good. Real, damn good... Rose actually wants to stay like this forever. The sudden feeling of Dorothy's touch changed her. She...

She began to feel something for Dorothy.

Something along the lines of—

SKRT!!!

Chapter Text

"Ms. Rose... are you okay?"

"O-Oh! I'm sorry, where did we stop?"

"You stopped at the part where Gunilla kissed Ingrid back."

"Oh... Say, um, can we continue this tomorrow? The break's almost over, kids."

The kids—and surprisingly, other teenagers—said their Aww's sadly, but they shrug it out when they just say their farewells to what seems to be their favorite guidance counselor. After they completely left the spot underneath the giant tree in the center of it all, Rose deeply sighs and touches her cheeks, which were heating up from the thought that made her trail over her St. Olaf story. It's been two weeks since she had last spoke with Dorothy: the time where they accidentally kissed as the sun went down... and verbally expressed how much she fell in love with the substitute teacher. Well, not in so many words that Dorothy expected to hear, but she knew what Rose had meant.

Rose cannot believe it herself, too: She's falling in love... with the woman who would usually smack her with a newspaper in the morning.

The sheer memory of it now flows within her mind, her heart now beating quicker as the moment resurfaces in her imagination.

They immediately withdraw from each other, fixing themselves as they try to calm down from the flustering feeling of that kiss. When they failed, Rose breaks the silence, still wrapped around Dorothy's rather longer and slender arms. It soon became a banter between two distinct voices as both the teacher and the guidance counselor speak in unison.

"I-I'm sorry, Dorothy! I didn't mean to—"

"Rose, I—"

"The ferris wheel suddenly stopped then I—"

"I didn't expect the ferris wheel to abruptly stop, but—"

"When I kissed you, I felt a spark—"

"I didn't expect for us to kiss, but—wait... Rose?"

Dorothy then pushes herself up with her elbows, with Rose still on top of her, "You... felt a spark?"

Rose flushes in a shade of red, the heat from her cheeks starting to grow, "I-I know, but it was a little accident!"

"But you kissed me back!"

Rose widens her eyes in realization. She cannot believe that she ever did such a thing. Maybe it was sheer instinct to kiss back because of her kisses with her former husband Charlie being sweet and tender. Maybe it was the only option to choose because pulling away would make things awkward even though the aftermath of their kiss seems much more awkward than it really is. 

The naïveté then sits back upright, now fidgeting with the bracelet around her right arm, "I-I'm sorry if I did... I-I didn't know what to do."

Dorothy follows suit, placing her hand gently on Rose's right thigh which made her jump a little bit, "I know..."

"The kiss felt nice..."

After sitting in a rather uncomfortable silence, Dorothy begins to blush when she heard Rose mutter something under her breath, "... It did?"

The naïveté looks at the teacher, "Y-you heard what I said?"

"I did... h-how do you feel..?"

"... Do you want me to be honest, Dorothy?"

"Yes, Rose. As honest as you can be."

Rose tries to take deep breaths for a few moments. Should she really say it? That she wanted to fall in love with the woman right beside her more? It's odd for the naïveté to fall in love with her best friend, not to mention the one that you spend most of your days with when it comes to work. Well, it won't hurt for Rose to try to get to know more of these feelings with Dorothy. Although these feelings grew quicker than expected, Rose feels like she is sure of these feelings for Dorothy.

With that, ever-so-subtly, the naïveté gives a small shy smile to the woman in front of her, laying her hand on top of the one placed on her thigh. She then looks right at her deep brown orbs with her crystalline blue ones, sensing anticipation for her answer. Rose longs to feel those lips of the teacher once more as she leans in slowly, feeling Dorothy's warm breath as she draws closer to her, their lips barely brushing.

"I feel like I'm falling for you..."

After school, Rose sees Dorothy waiting for her outside the teacher's car, smiling giddily as she saw the gray-haired woman waving at her. The naïveté then runs towards her and suddenly wraps herself around her arms, the teacher recoiling back from the impact. Dorothy lowly chuckles as she places a kiss on top of Rose's head, inhaling the scent of strawberries that made her blush a bit.

As Rose lets go to look at Dorothy, she giggles, "Hi, Dorothy. I miss you."

"Hi, Rose. I miss you, too," the teacher replies before she strokes her back with patterns, "How did your day go with the kids?"

"I felt flustered when I remembered the day we were at Disneyland while I told that St. Olaf story about Gunilla and Ingrid that I completely trailed off!" Rose laughs while she plays with the collar of Dorothy's long and brown cardigan, "How about yours..?"

"Hmm, same-same. Minus those kids..."

"You miss 'em?"

Dorothy nods, "I adored those kids while Mr. Stevens was away."

"Do you want to talk about it now?"

"Maybe later when we get home, hmm?"

"Okay."

As they went home, Dorothy held Rose's hand, the naïveté reminding her that she is still driving. The teacher didn't care and reassured her that everything will be fine. After a long comfortable silence, Rose speaks up.

"Dorothy?"

"Yes?"

"May I talk to you about something?"

"Sure, what is it?" The teacher says, her eyes still looking at the road in front of her.

"I... I hope us falling in love with each other doesn't bother you in any way."

"Of course it doesn't. What makes you say that?"

"I-I don't know," the naïveté shrugs, looking down at her feet, "falling in love with another woman, for me, is still new."

"It's okay to feel that way, honey," Dorothy reassured her, "Besides, I never expected you to fall in love with me that fast."

"I know. We're friends for a few years now... It took me that long to realize that."

"... Y'know something?"

"What?"

Upon pulling up infront of the garage, Dorothy looks at Rose lovingly, still holding her hand from the drive and blushing at what she's about to say.

"It... also took me that long to realize how much I want to fall in love with you."

"Really? I expected for you and Blanche to fall in love with each other and not me... since, y'know, I'm just an airhead to you both... and Sophia, apparently."

"Hey, don't deprive yourself, Rose," the teacher then holds her cheek, her face filled with concern and adoration for this bubbly guidance counselor, "I tell you what: I'll make sure not to call you names or tell you to shut up anymore. I'll do whatever I can to let this love of ours blossom, just to let you know that falling in love with me... is the same way as falling in love with Charlie."

Rose then places her hand on top of Dorothy's, her breath hitching on her throat as she feels tears beginning to swell up from her eyes, "You... you would do that for me?"

"Sure. I mean, it sometimes is tempting to do those kinds of things to you, specifically whacking you with a newspaper everytime you speak of something dumb," the teacher laughs at her own honest remark, "but I'll tone them down to a minimum, just to show you I really care."

The naïveté sniffles as she undoes her seatbelt to reach towards her for a hug, "... T-Thank you. I don't deserve this kind of treatment from you."

"Honey, you do. Don't tell yourself otherwise."

"But—"

"No buts, Rose. Now c'mon, let's get inside the house before Blanche and Ma suspect us coming home late."

As they both get out of the car, Dorothy remembers something that Rose mentioned earlier.

"Wait a minute... did you say that you expected me and Blanche to fall in love with each other?"

Rose became flushed, "It was an assumption of some sort."

"Blanche only has her eye on men, y'know how hungry she is for them."

They both laugh as they went inside the Miami abode. For Rose, it feels really unexpected for Dorothy to also fall in love with a woman like her. Before she felt this kind of love for the teacher, the latter just whacks her in the head and tells her to shut up most of the time because of how terminally naïve she could get—she frequently asks what the girls mean with some of the things they retort about anything under the sun and tells her long, boring stories about St. Olaf. Rose doesn't know yet what Dorothy sees in her that made her reciprocate these feelings back. She ought to ask, but now's not the time. For now...

She wants to get to know this feeling a bit more. The feeling of falling in love with a woman of Dorothy's stature.

Chapter Text

tok! tok! tok!

"Come in."

Rose pops her head out from Dorothy's door, "Hi. I didn't expect you to be awake by this time."

"Same sentiments to you," Dorothy replies as she looks up from the papers on her desk, "Did you have a bad dream again?"

"No, I just thought of visiting your room silently, but it seems like you have a lot on your plate tonight."

"Yeah. A lot of lesson plans, that is..."

It's been hell for Dorothy. She had a lot of lessons to plan since the finals week, or "hell week" according to the teacher, is drawing near. Rose looks around the desk, which are mostly full of white papers filled with some of her students' answers on a seatwork, handouts, and other lesson plans. She then stumbles upon one corner of the teacher's desk a colorful set of papers underneath a stack of clearbooks. Rose moves the clearbooks away and slides the set of papers carefully.

"Dorothy, what are these?"

"Hmm—Hey, don't mind those!"

"Not until I look at them first!" Rose swiftly moves the papers away from Dorothy, holding them up in the air while the latter stands from her desk chair and begins to reach for them. The naïveté then runs away from the teacher and around the bedroom. She then starts to giggle as she jumps and runs on top of the bed while Dorothy stopped following and ran the other way around. Rose suddenly stops when she realized what the contents are in the—

"Oh!!!"

Rose screamed in shock when Dorothy tackled her down to the floor. As the naïveté recovered from the impact of the fall, her breath hitches as she realized that Dorothy was on top of her, who immediately and shyly snatches the colorful set of papers from her before she stood and fixed herself up. 

"You made lesson plans for those kindergarten kids..."

"Why would you even care to look at them?"

Rose then stands up, shuffling at her spot, "I'm sorry. I didn't even know what the contents were in those papers."

Dorothy just looks at Rose for a long time just before heaving a sad sigh and sitting on the edge of her own bed, "And now I feel ashamed of what I did."

The naïveté then sits beside the teacher, stroking her back, "Dorothy, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're a teacher after all."

"A teacher who is a hopeless dreamer for her students... especially those little ones."

"... Seems like you really care for them."

The teacher glances towards the blonde woman beside her, slowly nodding in agreement, "I do..."

"Do you want to talk about it now? I mean you told me a few days ago that we can talk about it once we're at home. Well, here we are now: at home."

"I don't know how to articulate this into something that I want to say out loud."

"If you don't know how to, then it's okay. I've listened to people feeling the same way back when I still had a job at the grief counseling center... All they wanted was company and someone's shoulder to cry on."

"... Rose?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you accompany me tonight?"

"If you're okay with it..."

Dorothy then opens her arms wide enough for Rose to wrap herself around in. When the naïveté gently rubs her back, she felt the teacher tighten her own hug around her. As Dorothy closes her eyes shut, she exhaled shakily when the tears underneath her lids began to fall and drop onto Rose's shoulder. As much as she tries her best to hide her hurt from the moment that Mr. Stevens came back from his visits to his mother at the hospital, there were times that she'd usually cry alone in her own room before Rose even knew. Those kids uplifted Dorothy's spirits in teaching. She began to have hope for making teaching worthwhile. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement whenever the teacher takes over for Mr. Stevens. They would let Dorothy teach anything under the sun. Name it: nursery rhymes, riddles, fairytales and comics, or even as far as to knowing more of Dorothy's life through numerous anecdotes.

It became important for her to establish a bond with them. A bond that would make her inspired to get up every morning and prepare herself to teach another day. She often wonders if she can establish the same kind of bond to the students she'd been teaching since day one. Since the day she got excited to teach them for the whole school year. 

Often times, she tried... 

and often times, she failed.

"God, I miss them already..."

"I know..."

tok! tok! tok!

Dorothy looks away from the whiteboard and to the window of the class door to see—

"... Rose?"

Rose pops her head out of the door and waves at her. Some of the students in the classroom had their faces light up as they see their favorite guidance counselor.

"Ms. Rose!!!"

The naïveté giggles and waves back at them all, "Hi, kids! Mind if I pull out your wonderful teacher for a minute or two? I need to talk to her about something really important."

"Only if Ms. Dorothy approves to that, Ms. Rose."

Dorothy looks to her students, who are pleading to take a break from learning with puppy eyes. The teacher snorts and nods, making the whole classroom cheer in delight. 

She then sets her textbook and whiteboard marker down the teacher's table before walking towards Rose. Before she totally goes outside, she says her final word to the students, giving a knowingly smile at them, "You kids behave now while I talk to your favorite guidance counselor, you hear?"

As they both exit the classroom, Dorothy is the first to speak up, "What is it that you want to talk to me about, Rose?"

Rose looks and jabs her thumb to one side of the hallway, "Look who's come to visit you."

"Ms. Dorothy!!!"

Those voices. Dorothy follows where Rose is pointing at and widens her eyes to see the—

"Kids!!!"

The kindergarten kids began to run towards their substitute teacher, with Ms. Harper giggling behind them. Dorothy then kneels down to reach their level as she tightly hugs all of them in one swoop. She cannot believe it: the kids in the kindergarten class she had substituted in came by to see her! The teacher then cries in joy as she gets to wrap her arms around them and chuckles at their cute little demeanor. On the other hand, Rose smiles warmly at the sight of her love mingling once more with the class she has cared the most. Besides, she wants to do something for Dorothy in return of the favor that she'll teach her how falling in love with a woman of Dorothy's stature is ever so similar to the one with her Charlie. 

Once the teacher lets go of the kids, they all speak up to her.

"We miss the nuwsewy whymes you teach us evewyday!"

"I'd love to know more of your awesome stories!"

"I want to know what it feels like to have a cool grandmother like Sophia!"

Dorothy laughs at them before she raises her hands up in attempt to make them quiet, "Kids! One by one now! We won't talk properly if we all speak up at the same time."

Ms. Harper calls out to the kids and winks at them, "Kids, don't you want to give something to Ms. Dorothy as a gift to thank her?"

"Oh!"

The kids each pull out from their pockets paper cranes of various colors and sizes to Dorothy, who widened her eyes in disbelief.

"W-What is all this?"

"It was Daisy's idea since you always thank her for the paper cranes she had made for you," Ms. Harper replies while she gently brings Daisy to stand in front of the teacher.

"Ms. Dorothy, I hope you'll come back to teach us again. Guys, let's all say it to her!"

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

"We love you, Ms. Dorothy!"

sob!

Dorothy sheds a few more tears and hugs them once more for a moment before accepting the paper cranes, "Thank you, kids. That's sweet of you all to do that."

"Come along now, kids! We need to go back to the classroom," Ms. Harper says to the kids, who groan loud enough that Dorothy and Rose were unable to hold back their laughter.

"Ms. Harper, we want to spend some time with Ms. Dorothy more!"

"I'm sorry kids, but I'm afraid I'm still teaching in the middle of another class here," Dorothy tilts her head to point to the classroom beside her.

"Kids, if you all go back to your classroom, I'll make sure to treat you all some ice cream after dismissal time!"

As Rose said that, the kids cheered and ran back to where they came, waving their hands goodbye to Dorothy. When Ms. Harper chases after them, they were back to being alone. Dorothy looks at Rose in shock, raising her brows. The naïveté shrugs and smiles.

"I asked Mr. Stevens earlier to let me substitute for his class... just to do all this or you."

"Really?" Dorothy says before raising her arms a bit to show the paper cranes to her, "Even this?"

"Mhm!" Rose hums in reply, "I figured that... this is the right way to thank you for letting me learn how falling in love with you is."

"But... we haven't done anything yet."

"Nope, we did do something... at least for each other."

"Which is?"

"Solving problems together," Rose says as she looks down and fiddles with the ring on her own ring finger, "To be frank, your problems mean much to me as much as mine to you... and I want to deal with all of them with you."

yank!

Dorothy then pulls Rose into a hug with one of her arms.

"Rose, thank you. That really means much to me, and I'm not going to hit you for that."

"I bet."

"Oh, shut up."

"Dorothy, you promised not to shut me up," Rose giggles a bit.

"This doesn't count."

Once they bid farewell to each other, Dorothy goes back inside the classroom to see her students smiling giddily at her. Dorothy sets the paper cranes down onto the teacher's table before raising a brow and smirking at them.

"Okay, what are you kids smiling at?"

Chapter Text

"Simon?"

"Yes, Garfunkel?"

"To the eighty-eights!"

"Yes!"

Finally, the first term of classes is officially over, and everyone is given two weeks to recuperate and even spend some time with their friends. This time for Dorothy and Rose was spent mostly, especially this first week, to write a song for Miami in a songwriting contest that they joined for the sake of grabbing that large sum of money: $10,000. Of course, the pair both had their ups and downs upon composing the right lyrics to describe this wonderful place in Florida. Hell, they had to argue a lot of times for the kinds of words to rhyme with some others... Talk about Miami being cuter than an intrauterine. 

After what seems to be a few more wee hours into the night, with Blanche still out of town to talk to her Big Daddy and Sophia just enjoying her slumber, Dorothy and Rose finished composing and practicing their song. They both let themselves drop onto the wicker couch as their eyes linger onto the piano and sheet music right before their eyes, feeling all tired... but not quite. They still had energy in them after they both hugged it out and celebrating a bit by congratulating each other. The adrenaline still flows in both of them, which made the teacher speak up.

"I actually don't feel tired yet."

"Me too... makes me want to go to the beach."

"Please, I bet this is all because of the lyrics, 'lie on the beach"?"

"Well, that kinda influenced my wishful thinking... though, it's a bit late."

They both sat in comfortable silence, until Dorothy breaks it once more.

"Say, Rose... why don't we go to the beach now?"

"A-At this time of night?"

"Sure, why not? Besides, I still got some adrenaline in me."

"... Oh what the heck, you only live once!"

"Great! Let's not waste our precious energy into sitting all night!" the teacher then pulls the naïveté up on her feet and ran fast to the front door.

"Oh, the sand feels great when you walk barefoot, right, Dorothy?"

"Truly is, Rose..."

Upon parking the car right by the white sands before them, Dorothy and Rose immediately went out, removed their footwear, and ran towards the salty waters, having fun with one another as they  take quick turns into splashing water across each other. They don't really give a damn if their clothes got all too wet. What mattered most to them now is that they are finally finished with their song for Miami, and they cannot wait to strive for that cash prize that's within their reach. 

What also mattered, especially for Rose, is that she got to spend time with Dorothy more as a bonus—which is truly what Rose wanted after seeing the teacher really busy with checking the final examination papers prior to the two-week break. While missing Dorothy's presence during those times, she got numerous visits from most of her students, telling them that the final exams week felt like hell for them and that they are scared to even answer those exams. The naïveté had to make sure to calm these students down and tell as much St. Olaf stories as she could muster for them. She had spent most of her lunch breaks with these students more than Dorothy, and that made her a tad worried and sad for the most of it. 

The thought still lingered with Rose until now, as well as the sheer memory of that time when her and Dorothy accidentally kissed in the ferris wheel. 

Meanwhile, the sounds of beach waves and crunches of the sand beneath their feet soothed them both like a musical symphony. Like a silent orchestra playing for them from a distance. As Rose skipped along the sand and twirling around ahead of her, Dorothy can't help but smile warmly at the woman in front of her. The woman who confessed that she fell in love with her since the field trip. The woman who would pick her back up from the pains of teaching again and again. The woman who made her feel whole despite all her idiocy and cheerful dispositions every single day at the Miami abode. As tempting as it is for the teacher to whack the naïveté in the head most of the time with a newspaper, she promised to herself to keep it to a minimum for Rose's sake. 

Even if Dorothy felt frustrated all those times when Rose would tell numerous St. Olaf stories to her, Blanche, and Sophia, she cannot help but secretly snicker at how ridiculous most of them are. Particularly the one about The Great Herring War  that made her and Blanche burst into handfuls of laughter. 

It sounds unusual as it is for Dorothy, but she feels like she's also falling in love with Rose a lot more than her.

Upon walking in silence for a few minutes, they decided to sit across the sea before them, their shoulders almost touching as they look up and stargaze. Rose asks questions to Dorothy from time to time about the kinds of constellations that make up the midnight sky. Of course, the teacher expects the naïveté to tell one of her St. Olaf stories about people who hurt themselves from trying to reach the stars with their bare hands, so it's no surprise to her since Rose subconsciously shared about it to her anyways. Although this time, the stories sound much more interesting to her now than before; she felt like it's as if she's one of Rose's students during her lunch break who also tune in to her stories and ponder anything about life. That same magic since the first day of school somehow stayed with Dorothy out of all of this time...

They sat in silence once more, the stars still twinkling above them. Dorothy was about to lie down when she suddenly glances to Rose being lost in thought, her lips frowning as the naïveté wraps her arms around her legs and squeezes them tightly.

"Rose... are you alright? Seems like you're a bit lost in thought."

She flinches, glancing to her side to see Dorothy wearing a face full of concern, "I... I'm alright."

"Whatever it is that you're thinking, you can always confide with me."

"I know," Rose says, laying her chin above her knees as she stares at the horizon, "It's just that..."

"That..?"

"I don't know if falling in love with you was right for me to do."

Dorothy stares at her wide-eyed, leaning her weight onto her hands, "What made you say such thing?"

"It triggered me to feel like I'm falling in love with because of... of..."

"... Our kiss?"

Rose felt jolts of electricity flowing through her body as Dorothy mentions that, making her nod, "I-I know it felt nice, but I've never felt that way before for... a woman like you. The last time I felt this way was when I was still with Charlie. He made me feel like..."

"Like you're the most beautiful lady to ever grace upon this earth?"

The naïveté then looks at the teacher, her eyes widening as it made her remember something, "That's exactly what he told me before."

Dorothy then smiles warmly at Rose and holds both of her small hands with her larger ones, "Rose... do you want to know something?"

"... What is it?"

"I feel like I'm falling in love with you, too... I really do this time."

Rose was certainly sure that her heart skipped a beat upon hearing those words. Her cheeks then flush into a shade of pink underneath the moonlight. 

"R-Really?"

"Mhm," Dorothy hummed in reply, "I didn't expect it to happen, but it absolutely did when we kissed back at the ferris wheel... It's not what I imagined for our first kiss to be, but yeah."

"So you feel the same way for me? I'm not dreaming, am I?"

The teacher shakes her head, "No, I'm not dreaming either. So, that makes the two of us."

The naïveté looks down at their intertwined hands, then upon Dorothy's brown eyes that show how sincere she is with her feelings. Upon landing her gaze onto her lips, Rose bites her own, tempted to wanting to be kissed by them.

"Dorothy?"

"Hmm?"

"... I kinda want to relive that kiss from that day."

Dorothy lowly chuckles, "You mean you want our first kiss to be tonight instead of then?"

"I suppose..."

Dorothy smiles and then lets go of her grip on Rose's hands to cup her soft face, slowly leaning in. Rose's breath hitches as she slowly feels Dorothy's warm breath on her lips. Her eyes subconsciously close as to expect the teacher's soft and tender lips to brush against hers.

Her lips comes closer...

And closer...

Until it halts to a stop, the distance dangerously short that Rose can barely feel Dorothy's lips. The naïveté then senses the teacher smiling at her. 

"Rose?"

"Y-Yes?"

"... I love you."

Before she could even respond, she immediately felt Dorothy's lips, her heart suddenly beating fast and the same jolts of electricity from earlier flowing through her veins. She feels as if her cheeks started glowing pink underneath the moonlight. Her kiss felt warm and welcoming, the comfort of her touch bringing Rose to hum and kiss Dorothy back. The message suddenly becomes clear: They're in love with each other! It made the world close in and the time much slower, the atmosphere only for the two of them. The feeling of butterflies now begin to surge and flutter around their stomachs as the moment felt more intimate than before. Rose smiles through the kiss which made Dorothy warmly giggle, a first for the naïveté to hear. It made her want to kiss Dorothy and be this intimate with her from now on. Rose made sure that her feelings of bliss and romance reciprocated with Dorothy as she proceeds to sit on her lap and gently lay her own hands on the ones that caress her plump cheeks. She will never get over her kisses from now on.

Ah, l'amour...

tsup!

As they both withdraw from the kiss to catch their breath, they let their foreheads touch and linger for a moment, Rose opening her eyes to also see how flushed Dorothy is from it. They longingly stare at each other for a few moments... until they burst into giggles. Once they calmed down, Dorothy speaks.

"Rose?"

"Mhm?"

"I said, 'I love you.'"

Rose smiles warmly back at her, making her caress Dorothy's right cheek.

"I love you, too."

"That makes two of us, then."

Rose lets herself indulge into Dorothy's hug, her warmth that made her feel whole. Protected. Safe. Blissful. Dorothy plays with Rose's blonde locks of hair, the latter sighing in response. The naïveté felt the teacher's heartbeat in sync with her own as they look at the sea together, the sun now beginning to rise—a symbolism to the dawn of their love. Maybe the dawn of their relationship, perhaps. As the first few rays begin to change the hues of the sky to shades of warm orange and yellow, the stars now beginning to disappear from view, Dorothy leans away to look at Rose endearingly, the latter looking back at her.

"Thank you, Rose."

"What for?"

"For letting me love you."

"... Me too."

"Do you want to go home now, my sunshine?"

"I kinda want to stay for a bit longer."

"Alright, just remember we have a competition to attend to in a few hours."

"Okay."

The night of confessions comes to an end, and the morning of their new love begins to ensue.

"Dorothy?"

"Yeah?"

"That kiss earlier... is the first kiss that I wanted with you."

"Hehe... same here, darling."

As their last parts of their separate lives come to an end...

A new part of their life being together begins.