๐ฐirl ๐ญad 01 โฉ miguel o'hara
โกโย summary:ย miguel comes to his daughter's school to pick her up but seeing you was an unexpected and nice meeting. โกโย pairing:ย single dad! miguel o'hara x teacher! reader โกโย themes/tropes:ย father/teacher relationship, friends to lovers, family fluff, smut / romance
miguel remembers why he avoids driving around the city in the late afternoon.
he stares out the front window with a frown, boredom settling over his features. one hand rests on the steering wheel while the other props his elbow against the door, supporting his face. itโs typical nueva york trafficโhorns blaring, drivers weaving and ignoring every regulation imaginable, pedestrians wandering into the street without a care.
miguel sighs in frustration. he still canโt believe his friend jess deals with this every weekday just to pick up the kids. he resists the urge to smack his palm against the wheel and yell at the cars ahead to move. instead, he endures. minutes crawl by like hours as the line inches forward. when he checks the time, itโs ten minutes to four. the only thing keeping him sane is reminding himself why heโs doing this in the first place.
gabriellaโs school is just a few blocks aheadโbeyond the mess of cars.
a smile crosses his face at the thought of her. his daughter. his light. his joy. as much as he loves her, he rarely picks her up after three in the afternoon. being a geneticist sounds flexible, but itโs really a strict nine-to-six job, monday through friday. even so, he squeezes in every moment he can with herโbefore work, after work, on weekends.
but today, he breaks routine. today, heโs picking her up. and gabriella has no idea heโs coming.
traffic finally loosens. cars begin to move, and miguel presses forward, weaving carefully through queens until he reaches the familiar streets surrounding her school. he parks, gets out, and locks the car behind him. itโs already four-thirtyโdefinitely late. he glances at his reflection in the window: blue jeans, a white shirt under a black leather jacket, black sunglasses. he looks like any other dad picking his kid up, not a man who just left work.
itโs been a while since miguel last stepped foot on campusโprobably the parent-teacher conference. inside, the building feels quiet and strangely vast, the halls empty of students and staff. he doesnโt remember the layout well and isnโt sure where to go, so he wanders, hoping to stumble across someone who can point him in the right direction.
the hallways grow eerily silent as he continues. everything looks unfamiliar. he considers calling gabriella, but he decides against it. he wants to surprise her after soccer practice.
maybe a teacher is still around.
he looks down the hallway and chooses the farthest door on the right, unsure why but following a hunch. he knocks twice, then turns the knob and peeks inside. empty. he frowns and starts to close the doorโ
โhi, can i help you with anything?โ
he steps further in and finally sees herโyouโbehind a desk he hadnโt noticed. the locker behind you sits open, full of papers and boxes. he mustโve interrupted your organizing.
โhi,โ he says.
โhello,โ you reply with a small smile, setting a box on the desk. miguel removes his sunglasses out of courtesy, taking you in. youโre dressed casuallyโa polo shirt and white jeans. definitely a staff member. โis there something i can help you with?โ
โiโฆโ his voice trails off. you seem young, probably in your twentiesโseveral years younger than him. likely a teacher. he clears his throat. โsorry, i think i got myself lost. iโm looking for the sports field. iโm picking up my daughter. she has soccer practice today.โ
โoh, right,โ you say, smiling apologetically. โyouโre pretty far from it. the fieldโs on the other side of the building.โ
he nods. of course. schools are always mazes. โthank you. i hope you enjoy the rest of your afternoon, seรฑorita.โ
he turns to leave, but you stop him. โi can show you, if you want. so you donโt get lost again.โ
he hesitates, studying you. you donโt know him, yet youโre willing to help without hesitation. you shut the cupboard, lock it, and turn to him with another warm smile. he nods. โiโd appreciate it.โ
โsure thing,โ you reply, grabbing your keys. you circle around the desk, and miguel immediately notices the height differenceโyou stand around his chest. โshall we?โ
he opens the door for you, and you lead the way. he follows, observing your strideโconfident, elegant, unhurried. he wonders if you might be one of gabriellaโs teachers. something about you draws his attention, a quiet pull he doesnโt try to explain.
โso, whatโs your daughterโs name?โ you ask as you walk.
โgabriella oโhara,โ he answers. โseventh grade, brown hair, purple backpackโabout this tall?โ he gestures.
your face lights up. โoh! gabi oโhara. sheโs one of my students,โ you say. โiโm her homeroom teacher. she talks about you a lot.โ
miguel blinks, surprised. โshe has?โ
โshe sometimes stays to help me tidy up when she doesnโt have practice,โ you say. โusually while waiting for jessica to pick her up.โ
before he can say more, you speak again, a bit hesitant. โsorry if this sounds assumptive, butโฆ is jess gabriellaโs mother?โ
โno,โ miguel says with a small laugh. โjessicaโs a close friend. i usually work late, so she picks gabi up. but todayโs different.โ he smiles faintly. โitโs a surprise.โ
โi think sheโll be thrilled,โ you say gently. โshe told me you havenโt seen her new kicks yet. sheโs a star on the girlsโ team.โ
โiโm looking forward to it,โ miguel replies.
you reach a large door at the end of the hall. โthe girlsโ soccer team is just outside.โ
you push the door open, revealing the breeze, the field, the track, and clusters of students and teachers. miguel scans the field until he sees a familiar girlโbrown hair, purple shirt, white shortsโdarting across the grass. she kicks the ball straight into the goal. her teammates cheer. he canโt help but smile.
โoh, look, thereโs gabi,โ you say. โgabi!โ
gabriella turns, spots you both, and her entire face lights up. โpapa!โ
โmija!โ miguel calls back. she sprints toward him.
she greets you too, shouting across the field about her game. you laugh and tell her you saw everything. miguel smiles at the scene before she jogs back to finish practice. he gestures to a bench. โwant to sit while we wait?โ
โi donโt mind,โ you say.
you sit together. miguelโs gaze stays on gabriella, pride softening his features. โsheโs a great kid, isnโt she?โ
โdefinitely.โ
after a quiet moment, he turns to you. โso, how long have you been teaching?โ
โtwo and a half years,โ you say. โi started as a substitute after moving to the states.โ
your accent and mannerisms suddenly make more sense to him. โand what do you teach?โ
โmostly biology and chemistry,โ you explain. โsometimes english and reading enrichment. english isnโt my first language, but i like helping kids feel confident in it.โ
โyou speak it very well,โ miguel says. โgabi and i switch between spanish and english a lot. sometimes spanglish.โ
you laugh softly. โsome things just feel more natural in your mother tongue. although my family says i get a bitโฆ expressive.โ
miguel chuckles. โi always encourage gabriella to speak more spanish at home. itโs important not to lose your roots.โ
โi agree,โ you say. โyour roots never leave you.โ
โwhat made you move here?โ miguel asks.
โi wanted adventure,โ you say simply, smiling. โi moved on my own.โ
โthat takes courage,โ he replies. โhow old were you?โ
โnineteen when i left home. i stayed in canada two years, then came to the states at twenty-one. iโve been here three years now.โ
he notes the age differenceโjust seven years. young, brave, independent. intriguing.
silence settles comfortably between you. the sky is bright, the sun warm. miguel feels oddly relaxed beside you, a rare sensation with someone heโs just met. you sense his gaze and glance over with a smile. heโs grateful for his sunglasses hiding the warmth creeping up his cheeks.
gabriella runs over, and you stand first. miguel follows.
โpapa! i canโt believe youโre here!โ she beams.
โi wanted to surprise you,โ he says, lifting her into his arms. โyou did great today. iโm proud of you.โ
โgracias, papa.โ she kisses his cheek, then turns to you. โdid you see my moves?โ
โthey were impressive, gabs,โ you say warmly. โyouโll be a star on sports day.โ
miguel notices the sun dipping lower. โwe should head home.โ
โcan we stop at wendyโs?โ gabriella asks.
miguel considers. he forgot to prepare dinner. โwe can do that, sweet girl.โ
he turns to you. โthank you for your help.โ
โno problem, mr. oโhara,โ you reply. โi hope we meet again. it was nice getting to know you.โ
he nods, ignoring the faint sting in his chest. gabriella gathers her things, then waves wildly. โbye, miss! see you tomorrow!โ
โsee you tomorrow, gabi! enjoy your dinner!โ you call back. โsee you again sometime, miguel!โ
he waves and walks away with gabriella. but the farther he gets, the more he thinks about you. he glances back. youโre laughing with another teacher, sunlight catching your face. when you notice him looking, you offer the sweetest smileโone that lingers even after he turns away.
โpapa, letโs go to wendyโs now!โ gabriella urges.
he smiles down at her. โalright, princesa. letโs go.โ
when he looks back, youโre gone. but your smile stays with him.
later, at wendyโs, gabriella happily digs into her kidโs meal, and miguel watches her with quiet joy. no matter how busy he gets, these moments matter most.
โyour teacher is nice,โ he says casually, though youโve been on his mind since he met youโyour kindness, your patience, the way you interacted with gabriella. refreshing. sincere. unlike the people who try to approach him at school just because heโs a single father with a reputation.
โmiss [last name]?โ gabriella says through a mouthful of ice cream. miguel rolls your name around in his mindโyour first name with your surname. it fits. โsheโs nice. and pretty too.โ
miguel pretends not to react, though he agrees. โhow come you never mentioned her when i asked about your day?โ
gabriella gives him a look. โpapa, i have. like, a lot.โ she crosses her arms. โi told you she brought mr. oscar for show-and-tell, and that she likes to bake and brings treats every month. and sheโs from englandโremember?โ
miguel presses his lips together. he vaguely remembersโฆ something. gabriella talks about so many things that itโs hard to keep track. but stillโheโs sure heโd remember someone like you.
gabriella giggles. โpapa, are you getting old?โ
he sighs dramatically. โit seems so, princesa. iโm sorry.โ
โitโs okay! i forget things too.โ then, just as quickly, she changes the subject. โi really like miss [last name]. sheโs the best teacher ever.โ
โtell her that tomorrow,โ miguel says. โiโm sure sheโd love to hear it.โ
โi will!โ
meeting you was unexpected. if he hadnโt picked gabriella up today, he wouldnโt have crossed paths with you at all.
a small part of him hopes heโll see you againโmaybe sooner than chance alone would allow.
ยฉ swaniette.















