Sanders Sides Parenting/Kids One-Shots

(127) Teacher and Zookeeper - Intruality

Summary: Remus and Patton met on an online dating site and had been chatting for a couple of weeks. Now they were thinking of getting serious they wanted to show each other their jobs and their passions in life.

TW - Dirty animal facts (since Remus is a zookeeper - plus I had to learn all these facts for a module at university and it wasn't in the exam so the knowledge has to go somewhere)

Words: 2280

Remus had not driven to an elementary school ever - not even when he was in elementary school himself (even though he begged his mother to). It was not for nefarious reasons that Remus was driving to the local elementary school, of course, he was purely going to visit a man he'd been chatting to on Tinder for a couple of weeks. They had decided to start their first date with Remus picking Patton up from work where he was a teacher.

It was a little weird that Remus was so close to an elementary school teacher, possibly romantically close, but a good kind of weird. He'd had several boyfriends throughout high school and college but he just could describe the difference this new relationship caused him in his life. This one just seemed different. He wasn't Remus' usual type of edgy, punk rock, part-time boxer; he was just too soft for any of that. But he was nice and kind and had an amazing sense of humour consisting of Dad jokes and puns that Remus couldn't help but laugh at.

When Remus finally arrived to the elementary school he went straight to reception, smiling at one of the ladies before speaking. "I'm here to collect Patton? I don't know if he is still here..."

"Last name?"

"Uh... Piper?" Remus was lucky to remember that, and he only remembered it because of the countless nights he'd spent staring at the man's profile to hype himself up before messaging him. The receptionist hummed and furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the computer screen in confusion. "This is Great Joan Elementary right?"

"What grade is this Patton in?"

Oh - that explains it. Not many people collected teachers from school grounds it seemed. Remus let a small laugh go before quickly correcting. "Oh, no, no. Patton Piper's a teacher here right, first grade?"

Recognition fluttered in the receptionist's eyes as she nodded, standing from her seat and grabbing a visitor lanyard. "Yes he is, what relation are you to him? I don't believe he told me he had a brother..." While that comparison was new for Patton and Remus it wasn't the first time someone made that mistake to Remus' face. Unfortunately the possibility of two men dating wasn't immediate to everyone's minds.

"We're just a couple of buddies. Just wanted to surprise him after his work." Remus said as they walked down the corridors. It would not be a good idea to out his man he met through online dating to his colleagues on the first date. That would not be good on his dating resume. 

Patton was sat in his classroom marking papers silently, one student staying with him as his parent hadn't collected them from school yet. Needless to say he was surprised to see Remus at the archway of the door with a soft smile and dressed in his favourite spiked jacket. The teacher smiled wide seeing the man.

"Hey Pa... Oh, hi kid!" Remus started and then flinched when he saw the curious boy playing in the corner. He had encountered children before in his area of work but he always knew when to prepare them. It seemed as though kids were around every corner in Patton's job. "Um... When do you get off? I have an idea of where I want to take you, if you don't mind."

Patton gleamed and smiled at the strange boy, pushing worksheets to the side as he spoke. "I'm just taking care of Tommy here until his Rennie picks him up. Right kiddo?" The boy wearing a Steven Universe t-shirt nodded, running around the classroom like Remus did back in the day. "But as soon as Tommy's safe I'll happily go wherever you want to go!"