the veteran.

"Always nice to have, yeah." Though Johnny didn't have a preference on what his children ended up doing. He imagined with five of them, there would be enough career choices to go around. What mattered the most to him was that they were happy. "Not an easy feat, especially at this age." He joked with a laugh pushing over his lips, knowing that he was still younger than Keith. "Let me know if you need any help planning," Johnny offered, "I never mind lending a helping hand." @keithxjohnson

"Hey, hey," he shook his head, holding out his hand as a way to indicate that she did not need to get up. "No need to hurt yourself more." Johnny assured, not wanting her to get up on his behalf. "You just tell me what you need and I will bring it to you." That was part of why he showed up, with lunch. Not that he didn't believe Zoe to be perfectly capable, but as a stubborn person himself, he knew that he'd have a hard time sitting still and resting if someone wasn't directing him to do so. @zoexhawkins

📍kismet harbor w/ @johnnyxwagner

Stevie Wagner has uploaded a new Instagram post!

Johnny didn't spend much time on campus during the summer, but there were times in which it was easier to do so. They had received an email that they had a new colleague starting and if they could make it to campus, they were encouraged to do so. Johnny had stepped into his office early that morning to get some work done before meeting with the dean. "Nice to meet you," he responded, shaking her hand in return. "I'm glad to have a fellow biology enthusiast." His smile was warm, "Though admittedly, it wasn't a subject I was all that good at in high school, I've taken a liking to it." He chuckled softly, nodding his head as she asked about the tour. "How long have you been in Kismet?" He questioned, wondering if she had settled in for a few days before jumping into getting the tour. @jamesxadams

"Yes?" she paused, eyes focusing on the other as he mentioned knowing her niece. She was half expecting her to niece to have been causing trouble - not that it would've made any sense to Chiara for that to be the case - but she wanted to know if there was an issue so she could talk to her niece. "Yeah, Celina." she smiled. "She doing okay?" she paused, not wanting to be nosey, but, wanting to check that she didn't need to step in. She'd made a promise to her sister Alessia that she'd always look after Celina, and now that Alessia wasn't here she felt even more so that she needed to follow through with that promise. "I remember taking Biology in college myself; I was awful at it." she laughed. "I was much more into the business side of things." she admitted. "Do you find it harder to grade the papers of the ones that are only there because they have to be? Or the opposite?" she paused, looking at the other. It was only once he apologized that she let herself shrug. "Thank you." she sighed. "It's not been. I'm determined, but, I feel like we're getting farther and farther away from that." @johnnyxwagner

"Oh, yeah, she is." Johnny, admittedly, had not had any problems with the young woman. He just thought it was the easiest way to connect the two. "Honestly, I get that. I was never good any sort of schooling. I was good enough to keep my grades up for football." In which he would and always had given Stevie credit for the knowledge to keep the grades at a passing level. "I think, harder. You can tell they don't really put a lot of effort into it. Though," he let out a soft chuckle, "the ones that need the class and want to be there tend to put in so much work the papers are twice as long. I had to start putting a cap on how long they were." He said with a shake of his head, though he were smiling still. His expression softened with Chiara's words, "I'm sorry. That can't be easy. Determination can go along way, though. I have faith." Not that he'd consider himself a religious man, but he knew that when someone set their mind to it and had the backings of people in Kismet Harbor, it could go a long way. @chiaravitale

Johnny nodded to Keith's word. "Yeah, I'm sure that's a nice thing to have." He doubted it had anything to do with them living in Kismet Harbor and had more to do with good luck and good caretaking of mother's in this day in age. "I'm no stranger to your hiking trips," he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You've forgotten I'm used to roughing it from my days in the army." Though he had been out for almost five years now, it wasn't something that one forgot. "If you do, let me know. I'd love to get in on that." @keithxjohnson

"I'm sure," he chuckled, doubting that there was any normal time for a baby to come. Johnny knew all too well, just having kids of his own, how unpredictable it could be. "Understandable." He nodded his head to Keith's words. "It seemed to all work out for you in the end." Johnny felt the same way about his own life, even if he held some regrets for the way that it had got there in the first place. "I think that's important," he said with a nod of his head, "that you are passionate about what you're doing." @keithxjohnson

"I do think the connection with the students would be the biggest reason I'd enjoy the job." Chiara nodded. She knew that she wasn't built to be a teacher, as much as she loved children and loved building a relationship with children that frequented the restaurant, she knew that she was not cut out to be a teacher. But she was happy there were people in the world that were, someone had to be there to teach America's youth, and the adults that agreed to continue their education. "I'm sure you've had your fair share of the students that are only taking the class because they have to?" she paused. "Or are you teaching one of those required pre-" she paused, suddenly forgetting the word in English. "Required classes, the beginner ones." she paused. Hopefully she was clear enough in her question; sometimes she hated that English wasn't her first language, even if she had been in America for over twenty years at this point. It was only when the other asked about the restaurant business that Chiara felt herself exhale a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. "It's not doing well if I'm being honest." she admitted, probably for the first time out loud. "Trying to keep things going, but it's harder and harder every day." @johnnyxwagner

"It is great to have a connection with them. I think I know your niece?" Johnny questioned, taking an assumption. "Celina." He offered the young girl's name from the classes. "Oh yeah." Johnny nodded his head to her question. "Biology is one of those core classes that everyone has to take for their degree, or so it seems like." He chuckled softly, "But yeah, you can usually tell which ones are just in the class because someone said they had to be versus the ones that are taking the class as part of their degree but because it's something they're interested in." Johnny explained to her with a shake of his head. It, however, didn't bother him. He'd never been the best of students himself. His smile fell as she spoke of the restaurant. "I'm sorry, Chiara." He thinned his lips with the thought. "It's a fantastic place, but I'm sure it's not easy to revive." @chiaravitale

Alex couldn’t help but want to cheer when he agreed to go ahead and end their session, however, her amusement was short lived when he mocked her. Frowning slightly, it got bigger when he said they could do forty minutes outside. Whining out loud, before she nodded. “Fine. I will accept it.” She said as she mentally prepared herself for what she was about to endure. “However, we will be walking. Not running unless it’s in intervals and few and far between.” Crossing her own arms over her chest as she mimicking him on purpose. “What are you doing at the theater?” She asked curiously. “Are you in like a play or is one of the kids?” Wondering if she had missed something along the way and made herself a bad aunt. “Also— can I ask you something? Can you help me with a gift for Stevie’s birthday? She mentioned her birthday the other day." Alex commented. "I mean I want to get her something special but I’m not sure what to get her that reads best sister ever and makes up for all our lost time, you know? So I figured who better to ask than the person who knows her best." Alex rambled on for a long moment, then stopped herself. "Actually, when is your birthday too? I have get you a gift too." @johnnyxwagner

"That's fine by me," Johnny answered her with a nod of his head. "I'm not an avid runner, anyway." Not unless he was with one of the dogs. He preferred to focus on strength training and less on the cardio. Though, he still had to participate in cardio because of his involvement with local search and rescue. "Logan does theater." He told Alex, "So I just like to help out when I can, whether it's kid wrangling or even sometimes parent wrangling. Some want to be far too involved and take away from the kids having fun." A crease formed between his brows. At her question, he immediately nodded his head. His expression softened and he offered her a smile. "Of course I can." He paused for a beat. "Mine is July eighth." A date that was quickly approaching. "I don't know that there is a gift, however, that can make up for lost time. Trust me, I've tried to find one myself." For all the years he had spent in the army and not in Kismet with her, "but best sister we can work with." @alexandraxrivers

"It's certainly a form of personal hell." In the moment, even Johnny hadn't been that thrilled with how the day had panned out. In hindsight, there wasn't much he could have done to change the outcome in the moment so he found himself able to laugh about it. "Yup, four hours." He nodded his head, letting out a soft laugh. "That was something else, I tell you." Johnny looked down to his watch as it lit up. "I've got to run back to class. Office hours." He smiled at Cisco, "Nice running into you." @franciscofontenelle

"Yeah, I'm sure that it is luck being on your side." He didn't know what else it would be, frankly. "A pharmacist, right?" Johnny thought he had remembered Keith mentioning something about that before. "I'm sure, yeah," he nodded his head. "It's nice when you have supportive parents, too." He gestured to the space between him and Keith. "I was lucky in that way, too. Neither of my parents were mad at me for joining the army. It was about as much of a directional path as I could have taken at the time. No one should have to know what they want to do at eighteen." Johnny chuckled softly, shaking his head as a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Did you always know what you wanted to be?" @keithxjohnson

"I thought that was you." Chiara smiled, eyes focusing on the other as she made her way closer to the table he was sitting at, tucking her wallet back into the purse she'd been carrying around. It had seen better days; the fake leather on the strap was starting to wear and the buckle had seen better days, but, she had other things to focus on and buying a new purse wasn't one of them. "I didn't want to interrupt, you look like you were concentrating." she admitted, pulling the chair out and taking a seat, letting her smile widen as he mentioned looking up citations and the works that came along with grading college level papers. "You know, there's a reason why my calling was in the restaurant business and not college papers." she admitted. "I would've made it halfway through the first one and passed out." @johnnyxwagner

Johnny's laughter was soft with Chiara's words. "Honestly," he shook his head, "I never really thought teaching was in my career path." All the years that he spent in the army after high school were supposed to give him the clarity he needed for the rest of his life. They hadn't. Not in the way that he wanted, though. "It's not a bad gig, at least most of the time." He chuckled once more. "I've taken a liking to the students every semester and some repeat students if they take the second one." Johnny smiled with the thought. "How is the restaurant business going?" @chiaravitale

Who: @johnnyxwagner

Alex wasn't one to work out, in fact she hated it, but with a new life came trying new things; even if they weren't her favorite. While it was easier bonding with Stevie she still went out of the way to make an effort with Johnny too. Wanting to know more about him than just the fact he was Stevie's childhood sweetheart. "So Corey," She had affectionally called him Corey after learning about him and Stevie being childhood sweethearts like in Boy Meets World. While she didn't exactly believe in love like they had was something she'd ever obtain, but she had watched it on TV enough and with them over the past year to know that some people just had it.

"How much longer are we doing this?" Looking down at her smart watch to see the time and they'd only been here 19 minutes. "I mean, I know working out is good for you and all, but maybe we can try outside? You know in fresh air, not this used up stinky gym air?" Asking as she put a hand on her hip and looked over at him.

Johnny looked down to his own watching, seeing the time that they had been at the gym. His lips twitched with amusement. "Alright," he said with a nod of his head, placing his hands on his own hips in a playful mock. "We can go outside if you agree to a total of forty minutes. That's good enough to call it a day for me." Johnny admitted, his arms now lifting to cross loosely over his chest. "I've got to help at the theater later and I will make up the rest of my workout doing that." He teased, the corners of his lips curling upward. @alexandraxrivers

"Mhm, I'm sure." He nodded his head along to Keith's words. Timelines were something that were given as a suggestion rather than a rule to follow when it came to birth. Frankly, because no one really had control over the situation. Not as much as they would like, anyhow. "Yeah, I'm not ready for mine to go off to college. Luckily, I've got a few more years before that's even the case." The twins were in their teenage years, but were not quite graduating high school anytime soon. He knew that it would only be a matter of time, though. "I'm looking forward to it. Or whatever they choose, really. They're growing into their own people every single day and it's great to see." @keithxjohnson