- - - YOU AND YOUR WICKED WALK

[jethro]

I WANT TO PROWL WITH YOU AND LATER
under the half moon i want to howl with you

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • FELICITY HOFFMAN ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

It wasn’t every day that Jethro got out of the house for reasons other than work and fetching things for his son. It wasn’t every day that Jethro got to socialize with adults outside of the teacher’s lounge. The fact that who he was going to socialize with was a teacher as well was beside the point. It was also beside the point that Jethro had to bring his little boy with him because the babysitter had homework. Given that this was a student from the high school he taught at and a student who took classes with teachers Jethro talked to quite often, he believed her. Usually Jethro didn’t really mind having to bring Charlie around with him, since it came with being a dad, but sometimes he just needed a break. Sometimes he needed to step away from the toys and cartoons and have some time to himself. Time that didn’t involve marking assignments. While school and work would definitely be coming up on this evening’s conversation at least once, Jethro was still pretty eager to get out of the house and do something. It was an added bonus that he was spending time with Felicity, who in his eyes was one of the most good looking people who worked at Riverdale high. (Himself excluded of course.)

The man had left the school rather early this afternoon, driving home to shower and change his clothes. It didn’t matter if he was lecturing all day or actually helping the students work on the machines, Jethro always came home covered in saw dust and oil from the machines. Today had been no exception, coming home with his hands and clothes covered in grime he didn’t remember being near. He showered, threw on jeans, a tee shirt and a button up shirt then went to pick Charlie up from day care. The life of a single father wasn’t all that bad actually. Every time Jethro went to pick up his little boy from daycare he got to be one of the few dads that were there, having his son run and embrace him as if they hadn’t seen each other in years. It became routine for Jethro to show up on the playground that the daycare center had and just kneel there and wait to be noticed, nearly getting knocked onto the grass every time Charlie went to hug him. Today was, as said earlier, no different. Charlie’s arms latched around his father’s neck and he immediately started blurting out everything he had done that day, including won a stuffed dog from a claw machine at the store that he had named “Aliem”.

The boy was informed of the plans for the evening and pretty excited to be able to meet someone his daddy worked with, nattering on during the entire car ride about this, that and everything else. He pointed out a dog on the street that looked like Aliem and wondered of the three dogs at their house had had the supper yet. Yes, he had fed them, and no they couldn’t get one that looked like Aliem. No, they couldn’t watch Balto when they got home, the sky was blue because it was jealous of how pretty the water was, the water was blue because it was the artist’s favourite color, and he had no idea what an appendix was for. Charlie was at the stage of his childhood where he asked questions about everything and everyone that he saw, unaware of personal boundaries because he was too young to understand them. Finally they arrived at the place he agreed to meet Felicity at, getting out and holding Charlie’s hand as they walked.

“Who are we meeting?”

[/color] the boy asked innocently. “Felicity,”[/color] he answered as he walked inside of the little shop and looked around for her. She hadn’t arrived yet to he got them a table, handing Charlie a coloring book and some crayons so he would be preoccupied.[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 663
outfit: this
lyrics: the matches, wicked walk
notes: - - - [/blockquote]

[Felicity Anne Hoffman]

Felicity, on the other hand, had nothing holding her back from being social with her coworkers and even some of her students. Well, nothing but Claudius. Claudius was much different than a four year old boy, however. Four year olds required almost constant attention. All Claudius really required was a change in bedding every once in a while and a fresh supply of crickets to eat. Every once in a while she'd even give him a grasshopper as a treat.

As such, it did not take Felicity very long to get ready to go out for coffee with one of her coworkers. She didn't think much of it, to be honest. Yes, Jethro Marish was rather attractive, and yes, if he asked her on a date she wouldn't refuse, but she didn't consider this to be a date. Not yet at least. Even if this was a date, she wasn't going to wear formal clothing unless the situation called for it. She didn't walk around in formal clothing all the time, after all, and unless the dress code specifically called for it, she didn't plan to. She threw on a t-shirt and a skirt with spider web designs on it (shoutout to Claudius, of course). She'd worn the skirt before to school, when her biology class studied arthropods. Of course, in that case she'd also added spider webs and even plastic spiders to her hair, which she'd curled on purpose to better hold the webs. Thank goodness the class had been around Halloween, otherwise her hair adornments might have been a lot harder to find - and a lot more expensive.

Felicity headed out and soon pulled up to the coffee shop, wondering if Jethro would already be there waiting or if she'd have to take the role herself. She didn't mind much either way, but the woman did have a tendency to be impatient. Fortunately, it appeared as though she wouldn't have to wait, and she strode off from the sign declaring that one had to wait to be seated, obliviously failing to notice that the hostess, who was approaching with a menu, shot her a dirty look as a result.

She slid into a seat across the table from the man and his son, not even realizing that a 'hello' might have been a good start before just up and taking a seat with no mention at all. She smiled to Jethro. "Hello."[/color] She stated simply before turning her attention to her coworker's son. "You must be Charlie! I've heard a lot about you. Here, I bought this for you!"[/color] Felicity dug into her purse and pulled out a bug catcher (that probably shouldn't have been able to fit into that purse in the first place). She then looked back to Jethro with a smile. "He looks like his daddy."[/color] And yes, that was most definitely meant as a compliment.

Word count: 499
To: Dee/Jethro
Notes: Least she didn't bring the spider? XD

[jethro]

I WANT TO PROWL WITH YOU AND LATER
under the half moon i want to howl with you

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • FELICITY HOFFMAN ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

To be honest, Jethro had never really seen himself having kids. He had been one of those people who had hated whenever people brought their children out in public. He would be at a restaurant or the mall with some buddies and he would be cursing under his breath at all of the children that were running around. He had found them irritating and messy and bratty. Children were annoying beyond all reason. Yet, he was a teacher and a father. Obviously he had warmed up to the idea of America’s youth, otherwise he wouldn’t be here in Riverdale. He couldn’t tell you when his mind about children had changed though. He had had a lot on his mind while he was making his life choices, but in his opinion when his mind had changed didn’t really matter. It was made up now, settled on teaching American’s adolescents and raising a boy that was a whole other kind of unique.

Charlie was an eccentric kid and he always had been. Even as a tiny little thing he had always had a strong personality, sassing his papabear in baby babble before he had been able to formulate words. He would remember times when he had been given “the hand” for giving Charlie a food that the baby boy didn’t approve of. He could see his son growing up to be one of those people who if they received their coffee made the wrong way would demand that it be sent back immediately and shooing away the intern. Did Charlie’s eccentricities worry Jethro? You bet they did. He was afraid for Charlie’s future, afraid for how others would react to his son’s weird tendencies. Every now and then at the daycare he was told of “minor incidents” where a kid would say something mean about Charlie’s painted nails (a task that Jethro had now perfected) or a girly toy he would bring with him. Every time he was informed of one of these incidents he turned into over protective papabear, but there wasn’t much he could do given that the kids doing it barely knew their own names. It was people like Felicity that gave Jethro hope for his son’s differences, given that she decked herself out in plastic spiders. (Which, for the record, had freaked him out.)

The man couldn’t help but chuckle to himself as he watched the red haired co worker walk right past the hostess, causing the boy’s head to perk up from his coloring. Felicity’s habits didn’t bother Jethro in the slightest. The fact that she hadn’t greeted him before sitting down wasn’t even something that registered to him. “Hey,”

[/color] he greeted in return. Charlie, in the mean time, smiled his giant child smile. “The one and only!”[/color] he chimed happily, putting down his crayons and taking the bug catcher. “Can this catch monsters too?”[/color] the boy asked in astonishment, turning it around in his hands. “If they’re small monsters. I don’t think the big ones would fit very nicely.”[/color] Jethro smiled that proud parent smile of his. “What can I say, I make handsome babies,”[/color] he laughed, unaware of how suggestive that might be taken.[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 529
outfit: this
lyrics: the matches, wicked walk
notes: my first few posts are going to be a bit wonky, still getting into his character [/blockquote]

[Felicity Anne Hoffman]

Felicity, on the other hand, could easily see herself as a mother. She enjoyed being around children (and adolescents, obviously, or she wouldn't be a teacher). The only thing that worried her was the chance that she might have to 'settle down' after having a child. She wanted a child, yes, but the last thing she wanted was to be relegated to the role of a stay at home mom. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to deal with the pregnancy aspect - although knowing her, if it ever happened, she'd make due in some way or another. Maybe walk in with her heavily pregnant belly pretending to be the sun or something.

She chuckled at the boy's exuberance as he took the bug catcher. Had she known that Jethro had a fear of spiders, she might have given the boy something else, but she figured that he would be perfectly happy with a bug catcher. What little boy wouldn't? (Aside from those afraid of insects, of course.) Sure enough, the way that Charlie studied the bug catcher with those wide eyes clued her off that the little boy definitely intended to use the catcher, and would hopefully gain much enjoyment out of it in the future, catching bugs and monsters and whatever else he decided to stuff in there.

Another chuckle came forth when Charlie asked if the little bug catcher could catch monsters. "You know, it might be. I haven't tested that one out, but I think it would be able to hold them. Like your daddy said, though, they'd have to be small monsters. The big ones might break it."[/color] She looked up to Jethro with a large smile at Jethro's own proud smile. She rarely saw Jethro outside of school, though if all of their meetings were like this she honestly wouldn't mind doing it more often.

Felicity laughed at her coworker's next statement. Oh yes, that could be taken very suggestively, but Felicity wasn't going to acknowledge that in front of a four year old boy. Even if the boy was primarily focused on coloring and the bug catcher and whatever else, kids could pick up on conversations much easier than most adults thought. Charlie may look busy but if Felicity and Jethro said something intriguing, he might drop whatever he was doing to ask questions. So instead, she concentrated on a more innocent comment. "Well, I would expect that. He has to get his good genes from somewhere."[/color] Innocent, yet with a hint of something else. Perfect.

Word count: 424
To: Dee/Jethro
Notes: Same here, as evidenced by shortness.

[jethro]

I WANT TO PROWL WITH YOU AND LATER
under the half moon i want to howl with you

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • FELICITY HOFFMAN ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

It was funny how things turned out, how the cards you were dealt weren’t the ones you predicted getting. All Jethro had really wanted was someone to settle down and have a family with, but sadly he hadn’t gotten that option. He wasn’t hopeless about being able to settle down with someone else though. Jethro was too much of a romantic to feel that all hope was gone. He had everything planned in his mind to find the perfect woman, marry her, keep teaching and have a happy little life with her and Charlie and any kids that they might have, and retire when he got bored of teaching. He used to consider opening up an auto shop of his own but that wasn’t on his mind so much anymore. He liked teaching too much to give it up for a shop. Thinking back his plans had changed a lot, given that when he was five he wanted to drive fire trucks, and at six he wanted to sweep hair at salons. He couldn’t help but wonder what Charlie would end up doing as a career, given that his mind changed every day. Today he wanted to race cars, yesterday he wanted to be a foot model, the day before a superhero. Of the blissful ignorance of children. He adored it. He adored his son and how incredibly lively he was. Whatever silly dream Charlie decided to chase, Jethro would be behind him entirely. If Charlie’s girlish likes and qualities ended up in him being transgender he would most likely be alright with that. He liked to think he would, but that was something you had to experience to know. Either way, Charlie was Jethro’s son. His world. He wasn’t going to give up on his boy over an unrealistic dream. If Charlie told Jethro he wanted to be a mermaid he would be going to the closest Disney store to buy a Ariel costume.

It looked like tomorrow’s dream would have something to do with capturing bugs or animals. The nest Steve Irwin perhaps? The boy was intent on the little pictures on the side of the bug catcher, opening it with his little painted fingers and making sure he knew how the device worked. It was set aside once he was sure of it but the smile on the boy’s face was still large. As long as spiders weren’t being kept in there Jethro could handle it. “We can catch the big monsters with the dog’s cages,”

[/color] he reassured his son, who seemed to like what he was being told. “Little monsters in there—“[/color] he tapped the bug catcher with his hand. “And the big ones in Sash’s and Gumby’s cages. Good plan!”[/color] He nodded and proceeded to tell his stuffed dog about what tomorrow’s agenda held. “Exactly,”[/color] he then said to Felicity, not wanting the conversation to be entire based around Charlie. By now Jethro was a master as subtly, knowing that Charlie tended to hear anything. It was much easier to speak in code when his son was around. “Your skirt is, uh, cute unique,”[/color] he chuckled. His fear if spiders wasn’t exactly as much of a secret as he wanted it to be.[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 539
outfit: this
lyrics: the matches, wicked walk
notes: - - - [/blockquote]

[Felicity Anne Hoffman]

Settling down. It was a phrase that didn't seem to suit Felicity Hoffman well at all. Did she want to have a family? Well, yes, she did. Like most others, she fantasized about having a family. However, never did her fantasies interrupt her ability to follow the rest of her dreams. One of Felicity's worst fears (and probably the major reason that she had yet to 'settle down', so to speak) was that she'd be relegated to the position of a stay at home mother. That was the last thing she wanted. She definitely wanted to spend time with her children, if she had any, but she'd worked hard for these dreams.

Charlie was adorable, though, she couldn't lie. She was falling for the boy's charms hook, line, and sinker. Not that Charlie's charms were the only ones she felt that way about...

"That's a good idea, Jethro."[/color] Felicity remarked with a smile, meeting Jethro's eyes as she said this. She wanted to let him know that she thought he was a wonderful father. In some ways she marveled at his ability to balance his child with his career. Whatever he was doing was working, clearly. He and his son had a wonderful relationship, and Jethro was still able to conduct his career as a teacher at Riverdale High. It was exactly the balance that Felicity was looking for. The redhead looked up when a waitress came to the table asking for a drink order. Felicity turned the menu to the drink options and perused over them for a few moments before answering. "I'll have a lemonade."[/color] The woman responded before looking back at Jethro and his son. She grinned as the two continued to discuss how they would catch monsters in their cages. Of course, in the eyes of some, insects were monsters in themselves, so they might be using the bug catcher for it's intended purpose. Go figure.

Then Jethro commented on her skirt. This was unexpected, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Felicity grinned widely, clearly pleased with the compliment. Felicity had a wide variety of odd skirts that she'd purchased over the years, so hearing a compliment about one of her favorites was definitely a plus. Especially as it happened to be coming from Jethro. "Well, thank you!"[/color] She did notice his hesitation, however. Realizing that Jethro felt uncomfortable for some reason or another (though in her love of spiders she didn't see that it was Jethro's own fear of spiders causing him to hesitate), she decided to switch to a different subject. "How are your classes going? Anything interesting happen?"[/color] Even the normals in Riverdale realized there was something unique about Riverdale.

Word count: 466
To: Dee/Jethro
Notes: None

[jethro]

I WANT TO PROWL WITH YOU AND LATER
under the half moon i want to howl with you

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • FELICITY HOFFMAN ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

In case it wasn’t made obvious, Charlie was important to Jethro, more important than his own life. Media constantly told stories about mothers who gave their lives for their children, women who sacrificed themselves to keep their children alive. Well, that was Jethro, more than willing to jump in front of a bus if it meant his boy’s safety. He wanted the world for his kid. He wanted his life to be perfect and free of trauma, though the mother thing would probably be an issue. Jethro was conflicted when it came to Charlie and his mother. What was he to tell the boy when he got curious? He didn’t want his son to know that she hadn’t cared for him but he didn’t want to cause any mental harm by lying about her either. It was a lose-lose situation really, and hopefully he would have a while before he was faced with that decision. For now he would work on taming the boy’s sass and ability to hear everything that ever left his father’s mouth. Several serious moments had been ruined by Charlie’s innocent habit of repeating things he had not supposed to have heard. Please, Charlie don’t do this to him tonight.

He caught the look in her eyes and smiled knowingly, always a sucker for compliments on his parenting. It wasn’t exactly an easy job being a single father and even if the compliment was silent it was still greatly appreciated. It was no easy task with a kid as saucy as his, but he tried. “I’m sure Sash can go without her cage for the sake of monster busting,”

[/color] he shrugged modestly. “It’s not like she’s chasing the monsters away, which was why we got her in the first place.”[/color] He chuckled and ruffled Charlie’s hair, who swatted his father’s hand away and proceeded to comb it back in place with his fingers. “Can’t a boy talk to his puppy in peace?”[/color] he scoffed. “I honestly have no idea where he gets it from,”[/color] he chuckled with a shake of his head. He turned to the waitress when she came over. “Apple juice and an iced tea.”[/color] Ten points if you could guess which drink went to which of the boys.

“Actually, not that bad,”[/color] he replied, glancing over to see Charlie attempting to make a paper airplane out of a napkin. You had to give the kid points for trying. “Rather normal all things considered. Mostly just some of the boys taunting some of the girls, who happens to be top of that class. It doesn’t seem to be bugging her though and I try and reprimand them for it.”[/color] Which was obvious really given that any half decent teacher would do it but still. “How about yours? They finally discover that you’re secretly Miss. Frizzle?”[/color] He laughed, having made Magic School bus comments before. It was a compliment in the way that he always made the remarks, given that Miss. Frizzle was the best fictional teacher in history. Even Charlie thought she was awesome, catching Magic School Bus re-runs on television in the mornings.
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 521
outfit: this
lyrics: the matches, wicked walk
notes: - - - [/blockquote]

[Felicity Anne Hoffman]

Felicity could tell just by Jethro's actions that Charlie meant a lot to him. She also knew that Jethro was a single father, though she'd never asked where Charlie's mother was. She was curious - who wouldn't be, after all? - but it just seemed incredibly rude to ask such a question. As forward and sometimes obnoxious that Felicity could be, even she had her limits. She wasn't big on ruining a nice day out with a (rather attractive, in her opinion) coworker and his son. If things grew more serious, maybe. Just not at the moment.

"Sounds like she does a good job of keeping the monsters away. Just make sure you keep the cage away from her, or she might start pawing at the cage. Don't want to lose your monsters after catching them so soon." When Jethro ruffled his son's hair, the boy let loose a retort that caused Felicity to start laughing. "He's going to be a handful when he's a teenager, I can see it already."[/color] She stated in a joking tone, with a large grin. He might be a handful, but she was also fairly certain that the boy would remain loyal to his father. When Jethro placed the drink orders for himself and Charlie, Felicity tried to figure out which drink belonged to which in her mind. She figured the iced tea was to Jethro and the apple juice was to Charlie, but then started to second guess herself. Jethro did have a kid at heart attitude to him, after all, and Charlie seemed like quite a smart boy for his age. So in that case, it could logically go the other way.

Not that it really mattered at this point. Felicity was curious, but she figured that she would receive her answers soon enough. In the mean time, there were other things to discuss.

Felicity glanced over to Charlie and noted the little boy attempting to make a paper airplane out of his napkin. "I should have this boy in one of my biology classes show him how it's done. He's done things with paper airplanes I've never seen before."[/color] She laughed, then returned her full attention to Jethro. "I get a few like that too...I try to tell the kids who are getting it that there's more out there, though. Think it helps them knowing that there's someone on their side. We should find a way to cross classes some time." That would certainly be an interesting class. Felicity let out a laugh when Jethro asked his question and held a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't want that one to get out just yet."[/color] Part of this was for Jethro's benefit...and part of it for Charlie's.

Word count: 482
To: Dee/Jethro
Notes: None

[jethro]

I WANT TO PROWL WITH YOU AND LATER
under the half moon i want to howl with you

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • FELICITY HOFFMAN ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

Questions about Diana were always sensitive ones for Jethro. He had gotten over what she had done to him and their child, but it was still a difficult thing to talk about. And with reason, really. Jethro was a man after all, and that meant that he was rather proud. He was a bit too proud to admit that he had let someone take advantage of him and hurt him like she had. It was rather common to hear about men abusing women, but uncommon to hear of women who abused men. Well, Jethro was proof that it happened, silent proof that is. For now he would just stick to telling people that she wasn’t ready to be a mother, and maybe later he would be able to tell the full story. “She tries,”

[/color] he chuckled. “Her and Gumby, Schneider is useless for chasing monsters given that he’s a weinerdog,”[/color] he added. “The other two are big mutts.”[/color] He gave a light shrug given that they weren’t an important conversation topic for him. He proceeded to ruffle Charlie’s hair only to get sassed, which he should have seen coming really. “Oh yeah,”[/color] he agreed, nodding lightly and chuckling to himself.

He attention was grabbed, not that Felicity didn’t have it before, when she mentioned a boy in her biology class. He knew exactly which boy Felicity was talking about, having had him in one of his tech classes. “Yeah, I know exactly who you mean,”[/color] he nodded with a crooked smile. “I’ve had to keep a close eye on him in classes for the safety of the other kids,”[/color] he chuckled again. He didn’t have anything against Oliver by any means, the kid was a genius, he just had a habit of accidentally having his work go wrong. Fires in his classroom were not appealing to him. “Most of them are too afraid to come to a teacher too, so you have to step in on your own. Kids these days are so cruel to one another. I miss the days when bullies just shoved you into a locker and called it a day. Now it’s all gossip and rumors and destroying one another.”[/color] He shook his head and sighed softly. “A girl at preschool spills juice on your pants. Makes it look like you went potty,”[/color] Charlie butt in with his two cents, giving a little scoff to show that he didn’t approve. “Has she done it to you?”[/color] the concerned father couldn’t help but ask. “No but I put sand in her milk for being mean.”[/color] Charlie was a little too proud of that, and as much as Jethro thought it was wrong he couldn’t help but snicker. The boy didn’t even acknowledge the Miss Frizzle comment, instead getting distracted by the return of the waitress with their drinks. “Thank you,”[/color] he remarked as he took the drinks, handing Charlie the iced tea.
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 500
outfit: this
lyrics: the matches, wicked walk
notes: - - - [/blockquote]

[Felicity Anne Hoffman]

The redhead listened as the two boys discussed their dogs and catching monsters. It reminded her a bit of her own childhood with her older brother. Felicity's tomboyish nature could be attributed to following Murphy around for most of her childhood. As such, she had almost no qualms about bugs and spiders (centipedes were a different story, however...having that many legs was just not natural). She also didn't mind getting dirty. Listening to Jethro and Charlie talk about the dogs, however, made Felicity curious. "Maybe you could introduce me to Sash, Gumby, and Schneider some time."[/color] This was partially so that she could put a picture in her mind to the names that the boys were discussing - but also because she was genuinely interested in getting to know them better.

Felicity grinned when Jethro figured out the identity of the boy she was referring to with just that descriptor. "He can do some crazy things. I could see him designing some crazy gadgets when he gets older. Then again, I see potential in a lot of these students. It surprises me when other teachers say that they don't hold out much hope for the next generation. Honestly, where are they looking?"[/color] Now, there were some kids that did qualify under that description. As (almost exceedingly) optimistic as Felicity was about her students, even she had to admit that there were some kids that she just could not reach. She tried her best, though, and rarely took no for an answer. Unfortunately, this was something that might very well lead to a restraining order between Felicity and a certain sophomore.

"I hated that growing up. Both versions, really, though rumors tend to dig deeper. It used to bother me until I realized that there were people out there who could care less what others said about you - they wanted to know you for you. That's why I feel we have a duty to our students to let them know the same thing."[/color] Yes, Felicity had been made fun of as a child. There was a point where the crazy redhead cared a bit too much about what people thought. Then, she met some awesome people in high school, and really came out of her shell. She just hoped that some of her students could do the same, with time.

Felicity nodded to the waitress when she came out with the drinks. She watched as Charlie was handed the iced tea, and chuckled a little "You know, I kinda figured that might be his. You don't really seem like the iced tea type of guy."[/color] It was just meant as an innocent comment, though the look on her face betrayed that it was a bit more than that. Was there a little bit of flirting mixed with that?

Word count: 482
To: Dee/Jethro
Notes: None

[jethro]

I WANT TO PROWL WITH YOU AND LATER
under the half moon i want to howl with you

[/font]
• • • • • • • • • • • FELICITY HOFFMAN ![/font][/color][/font][/size][/center]

Jethro’s relationship with his little sister was similar to the average brother-sister relationship. Even as children he would gladly do anything for her, but there had been countless times when Khala had gotten on his nerves, showing up and ruining fun times with his friends by being clingy and the little girl that she was. She borrowed his stuff without asking and went in his room when he told her no, but at the end of the day he was always more than willing to chase away the monsters under her bed. While they weren’t the best of friends they still cared for each other, which had been proven with all of the crap that had happened with his ex. She had been there for him and that meant a lot to Jethro. “They’d definitely love that,”

[/color] he nodded. “They love making friends!”[/color] Charlie agreed happily. Really, this was just one more reason to see Felicity, who Jethro most certainly wanted to see more of. She was unique and very fun, refreshing given the kinds of people Jethro was usually around.

He nodded, completely understanding where Felicity was coming from with seeing potential in everyone. Even the worst of the students had potential, they just needed to learn to see it in themselves. Some of these kids came from horribly broken homes, you couldn’t blame them for being so unmotivated and angry. “Everyone has potential,”[/color] he agreed. “It’s just a matter of if they embrace it,”[/color] he finished. He always felt like he was failing as an educator if his students failed or didn’t apply themselves when he knew they could be amazing. “If the next generation fails it’s because they weren’t properly educated and encouraged.”[/color] Jethro firmly believed in what he said too. The man knew that he couldn’t possible touch the hearts of every kid he taught and spoke to, but he could damn well try. He didn’t necessarily feel guilty if they failed either, given that some of the kids simply didn’t wish to succeed. Maybe someday they would be able to see what they were capable of.

“I wasn’t picked on much as a kid, just for being short. It used to bug me, especially when they tried to put me in a locker, but I learned that if you stopped showing that it bothered you then they got bored and left you alone.”[/color] Honestly, Jethro was damn proud of Charlie and the sand comment. He was damn proud that his boy was fighting back for the sake of the other kids. He liked that the boy was so protective of others. “Just...make sure you don’t get caught,”[/color] he encouraged, though he probably shouldn’t be rewarding that sort of behaviour. Oh well. No parent was perfect. “I won’t!”[/color] he enthused before attacking the straw in his iced tea. “I’m not really a tea fan,”[/color] he replied, catching the hidden flirting and giving a bit of his own.
[/justify] [/blockquote]words: 500
outfit: this
lyrics: the matches, wicked walk
notes: - - - [/blockquote]