She Likes You Better - Part 1.
Ledger Ward x Reader.
⤷ Diem starts every sentence with your name. Ledger tells himself it doesn't mean anything. The problem is, he's starting to look forward to hearing it too.
warnings: mentions of grief, loss, and canon-typical references to kenna, swearing. otherwise this is just mostly ledger ward getting bullied by Diem :))
a/n: in this fic, ledger is diem's guardian (jus like scotty's parents are in the movie) and so she calls him daddy, and it's lowercase intended!! enjoyyyyyyy!
the first thing ledger noticed was that the classroom lights were still on.
most parents had already come and gone. the hallways of the elementary school had emptied out twenty minutes ago, the excited chatter of children replaced by the distant hum of a janitor's cart and the occasional squeak of shoes against polished floors. diem had never been one of the last kids left behind before. she was usually waiting by the door with her backpack already on, bouncing on her toes the second she spotted him through the glass.
today, though, the doorway stood empty.
ledger frowned, and adjusted the strap of his duffel bag higher on his shoulder before making his way toward the classroom.
the door was cracked open.
he stopped before pushing it wider.
inside, the room glowed with the soft gold of the late-afternoon sun. construction paper projects hung from the walls, colourful alphabet posters curling slightly at the corners after months of use. tiny desks sat mostly abandoned, chairs tucked away for tomorrow.
at one of the tables near the windows sat diem.
and beside her sat you.
neither of you had noticed him.
diem's tongue poked out in concentration as she dragged a pink marker across a piece of paper. the drawing itself was impossible to make out from where he stood, but whatever it was seemed very important.
you certaintly treated it like it was.
"no, no," you said gently, smiling as diem groaned in frustration. "look at it again."
"it doesn't look right."
"that's because you've been staring at it for ten minutes."
"it still doesn't look right."
you pressed your lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
"diem."
"what?"
"if Picasso could hear you right now, he'd be very offended."
the little girl blinked. "who's Picasso?"
you gasped dramatically.
ledger watched diem dissolve into giggles. the sound echoed through the classroom.
easy. bright. carefree.
for a moment, he simply...stood there.
watching.
because there was something about the scene in front of him that felt unexpectedly precious. not because it was extraordinary.
quite the opposite.
it was ordinary.
a teacher staying late after school.
a student finishing a drawing.
the sunlight slipping lower outside. nothing special. and yet ledger couldn't remember the last time he'd seen diem look so completely comfortable.
so completely seen.
you leaned your chin into your palm, and looked at the drawing with the same seriousness someone might reserve for a museum exhibit.
"i think," you announced, "that this is the best purple horse i've ever seen."
"it's not a horse."
"Oh."
you nodded solemnly.
"a purple giraffe, then."
"it's a dog."
"right. of course."
diem laughed so hard she nearly slid off her chair. the sound finally made you glance toward the doorway. your smile faltered in surprise. then softened. "there he is."
ledger's chest did something strange.
small.
brief.
still noticeable.
diem spun around.
"daddy!"
she was out of her chair immediately.
the drawing? forgotten. the markers? abandoned.
one second she was across the room, and the next she was launching herself into his arms. ledger caught her automatically.
"hey, d."
"look what i made."
"you mean the horse?"
"it's a dog!"
you laughed.
and for reasons he couldn't quite explain, ledger found himself smiling too.
*****
ledger set diem back on her feet, though she immediately latched onto his hand again, her excitement apparently nowhere near spent.
"it's a dog," she informed him for the second time, as though he'd committed a serious offense.
"my mistake."
"a very serious mistake."
"i can tell."
you were still smiling as you began gathering the scattered markers from the table. there was something easy about you, ledger thought. not loud. not attention-seeking. just... warm. the kind of warmth that made people unconsciously lean toward it.
the kind diem seemed completely incapable of resisting.
"i should probably let you both go home," you said, stacking papers into neat piles. "i've held your artist hostage long enough."
diem gasped.
"you didn't hold me hostage."
"good. that's definitely what i was worried about."
the little girl giggled.
again.
ledger had spent fucking years memorizing every version of that sound. the fake laughs she gave when she was trying to be polite. the mischievous ones that usually meant trouble was seconds away. the tired ones that came right before bedtime.
this one was becoming increasingly familiar.
and somehow, it always seemed to happen around you.
his eyes drifted back to the drawing still sitting on the table.
the purple dog.
there was a gold star sticker in the corner.
"that's new," he said.
you followed his gaze.
"oh."
a sheepish smile tugged at your mouth.
"diem's started collecting them."
"i have seventeen."
"eighteen."
diem immediately brightened.
"eighteen."
ledger looked between the two of you.
you knew the exact number.
for some reason, that sat heavily in his chest.
not in a bad way.
just enough to make him notice.
"well," you said softly, slipping your bag onto your shoulder, "i'll see you tomorrow, diem."
the reaction was immediate. like someone had flipped on a light.
"tomorrow?"
"mhm."
"promise?"
ledger watched something shift in your expression. a tenderness. a softness.
the kind adults usually reserved for children they loved. and maybe that shouldn't have surprised him. teachers cared. that was their job.
but somehow this felt different.
more personal. more genuine.
"i promise."
only then did diem seem satisfied.
the three of you left the classroom together.
the hallway had grown quieter now, most of the staff already heading home. the afternoon sun streamed through the windows, casting long golden rectangles across the floor.
you walked beside them for a moment before stopping near the front doors.
"have a good evening."
"you too."
your eyes met ledger's briefly.
only a second. just long enough for something strange to happen in his stomach. then you were gone. walking toward the staff parking lot.
ledger watched you disappear before he could stop himself.
"daddy." he looked down. diem was staring.
hard.
"what?"
"you like Miss Y/N."
the words hit him so fast he nearly laughed. "what?"
"you smiled."
"i smile all the time."
"no, you don't."
"bug."
"you don't."
ledger sighed. children. they noticed everything. especially when you didn't want them to.
"get in the truck."
she climbed inside, still looking entirely unconvinced.
*****
the problem started after that. or maybe it had started before.
ledger couldn't tell. all he knew was that suddenly your name was everywhere.
"daddy, Miss Y/N says caterpillars turn into soup inside their cocoons."
"daddy, Miss Y/N likes strawberry ice cream too."
"daddy, Miss Y/N laughed when I told her that joke."
"daddy, Miss Y/N—"
"daddy, Miss Y/N—"
"daddy, Miss Y/N—"
every day. every single day.
it became background noise. a constant presence in their lives. not unpleasant.
just... constant.
then one morning he arrived early. five minutes. maybe ten.
the parking lot wasn't fully crowded yet. parents were still dropping kids off. the morning air carried the smell of coffee and damp pavement. ledger was helping diem out of the truck when he heard her gasp.
that familiar gasp. the one that meant she'd spotted something exciting.
or someone.
"Daddy!"
before he could respond, she was already running. straight toward you.
you were standing near the school entrance balancing a coffee cup in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. the second you noticed her, your entire face lit up.
and that was the moment.
the moment that would come back to haunt him later.
because as he watched you crouch to greet her, watched diem launch herself into your arms like she'd been separated from you for years instead of twelve hours, ledger felt something settle quietly into place.
not attraction. not yet. not even a crush.
just a simple realization.
diem trusted you. completely.
and somewhere along the way—
without him noticing—
he had started trusting you too.
