#y'all THOUGHT ... i was giving up ivy ...

[brainmuncher]

So I've been thinking about DC heroes and what ghosts from Danny Phantom would be the worst ones for them to fight. (Or maybe just someone that would give them a hard time.) Like if there were a ghost that they were fighting, who would be the worst one for them?

For Cyborg I immediately thought of Technus. Technus is the ghost of technology, so surely he would have some kind of control over Cyborg, right? Depending on the origin, Cyborg was either made entirely of machines from Earth or has alien technology in him. Would Technus be able to manipulate alien tech? Would Cyborg end up adding Fenton tech to what he already has? It's interesting to think about.

For Flash, I was thinking about one of the cold ghosts since he'd have a hard time with the cold. Honestly, I was thinking of Klemper. Klemper is used as comic relief in DP, always shown desperately wanting a friend. I feel like Flash (And I'm going to leave it up to interpretation of which one.) would be sympathetic to it but would also realize that Klemper is harming him, no matter that it's not on purpose. That dynamic is something I'd love to see explored sometime.

For Green Lanterns I was thinking of Spectra. At first, I considered Fright Knight since he's the ghost of Halloween and has the soul shredder. But then I realized that unless GL got stabbed by the sword and was sent to the dimension that shows them their greatest fears, it really wouldn't be much of a fight. Spectra though, she is a pretty emotion based villain. She purposefully tries to bring out the pain and suffering within a person to feed on their misery. She would try to get into their minds and break their willpower from the inside out... and isn't that a terrifying thought?

Despite not knowing too much about Shazam yet, I'd really enjoy a battle between him and Youngblood. Youngblood is a ghost that looks and acts like a child and can only be seen by other kids. He's a prankster who gets really into different roleplays (Like pretending to be a cowboy or pirate.) but tends to take it too far. I just think the idea of Billy trying to take down someone he can only see when he is Billy Batson, and not Shazam, to be intriguing. How would he handle that?

I'm not sure if this one counts really but another one is Poison Ivy and Undergrowth. A lot of people think of them and think that they'd get along really well but I feel like that would end up being short lived. Eventually, Ivy finds out that Undergrowth is a lot more into plants than even she is and recognizes that those she cares about would be killed. Undergrowth only cares about the lives of plants, nothing else. (And unfortunately, people like Harley don't fall into that category.) I think she'd become a begrudging hero at that point. And how is she supposed to fight with plants against a ghost that controls plants?

I'm sure there's more that I haven't thought of, and if I have any I'll be sure to share. If y'all have an idea don't be afraid to add on. Even if it's just a pairing that seems intriguing I'm all ears.

[ghostofviriena]

“How to Fix a Bad Day”

KALIM AL-ASIM X READER

Synopsis:

You never told Kalim you were upset— but he��s been watching closely (not in a weird way, just a mere observation of his!), as he quietly crafts a plan behind that ever-sunny smile. With silks, laughter, and a sunset that only he could summon, Kalim shows you the kind of joy that asks for nothing in return. Just to see you smile again.

‎Labeled as : ONESHOT, Comfort, Soft Romance, Fluff, Emotional Stress Relief, Wholesome Sadness, Sunshine x Raincloud Dynamic, Gentle Intimacy, Found Warmth, Slow Healing, ‎Platonic-leaning-to-romantic (Ambiguous Feelings) & SFW [🧸🍓].

💭: I lost & accidentally deleted my dividers so please do bear with me on this new one as I am also learning on how to write here on Tumblr, y'all write so well.. 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

The day begins with a heavy, dark-clouded rain— not in the sky, but in your chest. It’s the kind of heaviness that clings to your ribs like fog, the kind that makes everything sound like it’s happening underwater. Classes blur together, your notes are a mess of half-written lines, and Grim’s usual chaos only adds static to the noise already howling in your brain. You don’t talk about it. You don’t need to. The halls of NRC aren’t made for sadness. They expect you to grin, to shoulder it, to keep up.

So you do.

Until you actually don’t.

You’re sitting under one of the marble arches behind the Mirror Chamber, somewhere between hiding and hoping someone finds you.. but not just anyone. Your head rests against cool stone, shoulders curved in, listening to the wind rustle through the ivy. You don’t cry. You’re too tired to cry.

Then: a shadow flickers at your feet, warm and golden.

“Kalim..?” you blink, surprised. He’s crouched in front of you, hair glowing like sunlight under the afternoon haze. His earrings chime softly as he tilts his head.

“There you are!” he says with a grin that doesn’t quite match his eyes. “I’ve been looking for you all day.”

You open your mouth.. maybe to lie, maybe to tell him that you’re fine— but he doesn’t ask. He just reaches out a hand.

“Come with me, please?”

And for some reason, you do.

Kalim’s POV — Earlier that Day

Kalim notices everything.

He notices how you didn’t laugh when Grim got stuck in the laundry chute. He notices how your answers in class were slower, quieter, like they were stuck in your throat. He notices the shadows under your eyes, the way you rubbed your wrist like something was weighing you down. Most people would think you were just tired.

But Kalim knows you very well and has a plan.

“‎>💡Operation: Make Them Smile Again!💡”

‎‎Step 1: Don’t ask what’s wrong!! (Jamil says some people get sadder when you ask 😥)

‎Step 2: Secretly fix it with LOVE 💖

‎Step 3: Sunset. Camels. Snacks. Magic carpet + Them = HAPPY:D !!

‎Step 4: Tell the best story I’ve ever told in my LIFE.

‎Step 5: If they cry again, give them the sparkly juice (the really good one & totally not their fav— except it is).

‎Step 6: Make them laugh before the stars come out. That’s the rule. Stars = smile time 🌟🌟🌟

Back to You

By the time you realize where he’s taking you, the sun is a warm amber globe dipping below the horizon. The carpet floats low over rolling dunes— a desert conjured just for you on the outer edges of Scarabia’s magic-sculpted courtyard.

A small table, laden with pomegranate juice and sugared dates, waits beside plush cushions embroidered with threads of gold. You blink. There’s music somewhere, soft and stringed. There’s wind. There’s peace.

And there’s Kalim.

He doesn’t push you to talk. Instead, he points at the sky.

“See that star?” he says, grinning. “One time, I thought I could catch one. Jamil had to tackle me to stop me from climbing the palace tower.”

You huff out a laugh— a real one as Kalim beams.. His smile also grew wider than ever.

He keeps going. Story after story, each one a thread. And you don’t realize it until later, but he’s weaving a net— a soft, invisible thing to catch you before you fall.

Eventually, you lean your head on his shoulder. The cushions are warm beneath you, the sky stained with violet and gold.

“I didn’t want to ruin your day,” you mumble.

“You could never,” he whispers. “If you’re hurting, then I wanna be there. That’s what friends no, people who care alot— do.”

You pause. You feel the beat of his heart where your temple rests, steady and strong.

“Even if I don’t say anything?”

Kalim’s voice turns quieter than you’ve ever heard it. “Then I’ll listen with my eyes.”

He doesn’t say it— doesn’t say how long he’s been watching you shrink inside your own silence. Doesn’t say how he spent all day building this moment for you, stitch by stitch without ever expecting anything in return. He just smiles wider when you reach for his hand.

You don’t talk much after that but the silence is softer now.

When the stars come out from the sky, he tugs a blanket over your shoulders and leans back beside you, humming something ancient and sweet under his breath.

And you realize: maybe he didn’t fix your day.

Maybe he just reminded you that it’s okay to have bad ones— as long as someone’s waiting to meet you in them.

[sunflowersandsapphires]

Heaven Help the Fool

Of Oak and Ivy, Chapter 5

Series Masterlist         Next Chapter

pairing: Matt Murdock x fem!reader 

summary: In college, Matt Murdock had two best friends, Foggy Nelson and you. However, life had no intention of letting you graduate with him. When he reconnects with you in adulthood, he is troubled to see the hand God has dealt you and vows to use every tool at his disposal to save you from damnation.

warnings: swearing, angsty matthew, hints of matt's jealousy, cuddling? idk this one is relatively tame (especially compared to Ch 4)

a/n: This chapter is pure sugary fluff. I ended up cutting this chapter in half because it was approaching 10k. This is the 1st half :) I hope you enjoy!! Thank you to @madschiavelique for helping me rewrite this multiple times!

Side note: I will probably wait a month or so before updating this again. I'm trying to get 5-7 chapters written so that I can post biweekly for the rest of the year to keep y'all fed!

w/c: 4.2k

Despite the brief hiccup in your friendship–courtesy of one douchebag boyfriend–you, Matt, and Foggy had been getting along swimmingly recently; so well, in fact, that Foggy would only refer to you as “The Three Musketeers”, complete with embarrassingly clumsy fake sword swishing, of course. The thought of the two of you air-fencing as you giggled to each other never failed to make him smile. 

By some miracle, the conversation he’d initiated with you about your growing distance had actually gone well and sparked a positive change. You’d apologized profusely, asking a number of questions, about how Matt was feeling and why, to guarantee your understanding. And, thankfully, he’d been able to answer them without exposing his feelings for you. In the end, you’d promised to return to your original schedule of study sessions, as well as give Matt and Foggy notice if you would need to cancel. Nothing outrageous, just being more mindful about communication and the time you were spending with your friends. 

Unfortunately for Matt, and Foggy who was slowly stepping aboard the “Everett Sucks” train alongside his roommate, you’d also suggested that the two of them hang out with you and Everett in order to get to know him better. The idea was harmless, even adorable if you asked the love-sick part of Matt’s brain, but the outcome was hellish. 

About a week ago, Matt and Foggy had accompanied you and Everett to a haunted house–listening to the macho third year “protect” you from strobe lights and masked actors despite you not being all that scared. Though he had brought a date himself, Matt had barely even smiled at the poor girl, preoccupied with Everett’s fingers brushing over a patch of exposed skin on your waist at every opportunity. Clearly, he hadn’t been inconspicuous about his attention being elsewhere, given that the night had ended with him getting a face full of hot chocolate from his snubbed date. The sticky droplets soaking into his clothes were nothing compared to the irritation he felt when Everett slapped him on the back—shaking his head as he imparted his wisdom to the first year. “Sorry man. Girls will be girls.” 

Then, of course, there’d been last night. The three of you had attended a halloween party at Everett’s place, and the guy had refused to walk you home even though it was cold, dark, and dangerous considering how tipsy you'd been. If Matt and Foggy hadn't been there, who knows what harm could have befallen you? Even before that, Matt had been clenching his fists all night, hearing Everett blabber over you and swat your hands away in front of his peers, claiming he wasn’t in the mood to hold you. If Matt was in his place, he’d–

No. These were the exact thought patterns he needed to avoid to prevent another…mistake like the night at Fogwell’s. He'd been doing a decent job not falling down the same rabbit holes–that would all be for nothing if he started fantasizing again now. 

But how could he not? You were so thoughtful, and intelligent, and adorable, and goddamn magnetic. Every action you took reeled him further into the treacherous web he was trapped in–unwittingly intoxicating him with your kindness. You were unlike anyone he’d ever met, that fact had only been highlighted since he’d embarrassed himself at Clinton Church. 

Shuddering against a gust of wind, Matt continued his brisk pace down the sidewalk as his fingers grew numb around his cane. He was quickly regretting his decision to leave his jacket behind. Hopefully, the bookstore was willing to shell out the extra bucks for a decent amount of heat and he wouldn’t find you as a popsicle when he took shelter.

Huffing out an irritated breath, Matt rounded the corner towards your place of work. It had become almost a habit for him to accompany you during your shifts, keeping you company and working through assignments together. Honestly, it was the best part of his day. 

Matt frowned as he closed in on the bookstore. He was having a difficult time hearing your heartbeat, which was usually pattering away, steady as rain, a few feet from the entrance of the store. As he pushed open the glass door, he could finally make out a steady thump accompanied by your familiar scent in the far corner of the shop. 

The constant smell of ink and stale paper, now mingling with the slightly acrid smell of dust burning in the vents, stuck in his nostrils—as it always did when he arrived here. It was comforting, in a way, reminiscent of both you and the library at the orphanage, where he’d spent much of his freetime as a child.

Smiling to himself as he approached you, he folded up his cane and let his body relax in the warm bubble of generated heat. You were asleep, curled up around whatever project you’d been working on like a cat on a sunlit patch of carpet. Settling on the floor beside you, Matt propped himself up against a bookshelf before unzipping his backpack as silently as he could. It wasn’t the most organized set up to work with, laying his textbook on the floor and holding his computer in his lap, but after the late night you’d had, there was no doubt you needed the rest. 

Body twisting in sudden discomfort, you whimpered beside him, unwinding from your bent shape and towards his body. Readjusting so that your nose was pressed against his thigh, you sighed, brow unfurrowing. Even unconscious, you appreciated his presence. 

The denim of his jeans couldn’t have been comfortable for the delicate skin of your nose, but he was hesitant to move an inch if it meant waking you. Besides, the small pinpoint of heat against his thigh was rather pleasant. 

Listening to your slumbering breaths, Matt was reminded of his childhood meditation sessions–the sound acting as a barrier between him and the rest of the world, clearing his mind without any effort on his end. He matched his breathing to yours, heart rate slowing to mirror yours as he ran his fingers along the lines of braille in his textbook. 

As Matt worked his way through two separate reading assignments, you slept peacefully, nuzzling into his leg every so often with a soft puff of an exhale. It felt like Matt had only spent mere seconds in this unintentional paradise when you began to stir. 

With a stuttering breath, you stretched, the sound of your muscles tightening akin to plucking a guitar string rapidly. As you regained awareness, Matt could hear the spike in your pulse–you must have noticed him, then. 

“Morning, bug.” He murmured. On a whim, he ran a hand over your shoulder gently, not wanting you to feel unwelcome or embarrassed for lingering in his personal space. “Have a good nap?”

Beneath his palm, you relaxed, your lashes fluttering as you hummed appreciatively. “Hi. Sorry for using you as a pillow.”

“No apology necessary. You ok?” He squeezed your shoulder as you sat up, pulling at your clothes to unfurl the wrinkles from them. 

“Yah, just tired after last night.” You laughed, but the sound was a step too high in pitch to be genuine. 

“Ugh, I feel you. I think both Foggy and I spent more time in the bathroom than in our beds last night.” Matt chuckled, trying to quiet the devil inside him with a reminder that you’d come to him if something was actually wrong. 

Grimacing, you knocked your shoulder against his. “God, Murdock–” You giggled, pressing a palm to your stomach. “My hangover is much too present for that image. Warn a girl next time.”

Shooting you a bashful smile, he nodded dutifully. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok, trouble. No harm done. Well, not much.” With a heavy sigh, you rubbed at your eyes, leaning to grab something that had slid beneath the bookshelf Matt was seated against. “Damn, this manual must have been more boring than I originally thought. It knocked me right out.” 

“Learning astrophysics on the side?” Matt jested, smirking at you.

“Oh yah. Astronaut is my backup career.” You laughed, the sound beautiful, and real, this time around. “No, um, setting up a new printer, actually.” 

Confusion pooled in Matt’s stomach, for some reason you were embarrassed by the machine behind you, if the heat flooding your cheeks was any indication. 

“Oh, did the old one break?” He asked, tilting his head.

“Er,” You paused, looking between him and the plastic box beside you. “No, well not yet, but…just promise me you won't be mad. Well, you’re entitled to anger, I guess, because I may have overstepped?”

Thoroughly bewildered now, Matt swiveled his chin so that his attention could focus on your general area. “Overstepped how?” 

“I sort of badgered my boss into buying a braille printer?” The sentence was phrased as a question, but the thing was there, beside you. It's existence evidence that you had definitively obtained one. 

Matt was silent for a moment, processing the new information. It suddenly felt like he had swallowed a golf ball. He could barely make out the pounding of your heart over the blood rushing in his own ears. “Um...”

“Shit, Matt, I'm sorry. I should have asked you before I did it. I meant to, I just—” Your nervous ramble was punctuating with small wisps of heat emanating from your gesturing hands. 

“Sweetheart,“ He interrupted, snatching one of your dancing hands out of mid air and holding it delicately. ”Please breathe. I'm not angry with you.“ 

”Oh thank god.“ Your body slammed into his, nearly bowling him over, as you tackled him with a hug. Your nose was chilled as it bobbed up and down the skin of his neck. ”I don't know what I'd do if you were mad at me. I care about you a hell of a lot, trouble.“ Your lips tickled his throat, breath ghosting over his shoulder as you murmured. 

”I care about you too, sweetheart.“ His voice was strained, his thoughts consumed with surprise and adoration. He didn't deserve you. 

”Hey, don't say that!“ Shit, he must have said that out loud. ”Of course you deserve me, Matt. And you deserve Foggy, and anyone else who you enjoy being around. You're a good person, Matt. You deserve happiness.“ You spoke firmly, not leaving room for his internal doubt. 

Constricting your arms, it seemed like you were trying to meld your body with his. One of his hands pressed into the grimy carpet as he held the two of you up, the other rested around your shoulders, his thumb rubbing circles into the fabric of your shirt. 

”Shut up.“ He muttered, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he turned his focus to the rough threads of the stiff carpeting beneath his hand. 

”Never.“ You giggled meekly, squishing him to your body one final time before releasing your grip. ”Now I should probably get back to building this printer, if you ever want to be able to use it.“ 

”Did you want a hand?“ He offered, sniffling discreetly. 

”I'd love one! Will you read me these while I reorganize? I got to step 7 already.“ Handing him the packet of braille instructions out of the manual, Matt skimmed the bumps until he found the proper section. 

”You attached the paper tray?“ He asked, waiting for you to confirm before reading the next step aloud.

A few days after painstakingly building a new printer together, you found yourself sprinting for the door to Matt’s building, which was rapidly closing and just out of your reach; you stifled a victory squeal when you were able to step into the threshold of the dorm before the door locked on you. Now you wouldn’t have to ask Matt to let you in the building, and that was pretty fortunate given how on edge the poor kid seemed already this morning. 

You tended to rise early, given your rigid schedule of classes and work shifts, preferring to start your day just after the sun rose and have as much time to accomplish things as possible. Matt wasn't as much of an early bird as you were, but he tended to wake up before 9am on weekends, while his blond roommate would sleep well past noon if he had the option. Because of your similar schedules, you weren't surprised that Matt had called you; you were surprised, however, that he sounded so miserable before 9am on a Friday. 

The conversation hadn't been long, just Matt asking if you'd like to come over and a small warning that he'd ”woken up on the wrong side of the bed“, but you weren't phased. While the handsome law student tended to be on the more reserved and sarcastic side, he was rarely noticeably irritated—tending to play it off with quips to keep his cool around anyone he didn't know too well. There had been a handful of days where you had witnessed his anger slipping through the metaphorical mask that he wore, but he never aimed it at you. Every once and a while, his tone would get a bit snappish, but it never went further than that, and you trusted him to keep his wits intact when he was upset. 

So you came quickly with hot breakfast as a peace offering to provide the help he'd asked for, in his own non-descriptive way. Taking the cement steps two at a time, and deftly avoiding the perpetually damp spots on the landing (ew), you were able to make it from your place and to Matt's door in under 30 minutes. 

Raising a fist to knock on the thick door, you jumped in surprise—nearly spilling the coffees—when Matt yanked the door open before your knuckles had even skimmed the surface. 

”Christ, Matt!“ You squeaked, shaking off the residual adrenaline as he beckoned you inside and shut the door behind you. 

If he hadn't already informed you that he was feeling out of it, his lack of opaque lenses would've immediately alerted you of the fact. Matt was very averse to interacting with people without his glasses covering his eyes, even when the only people around were you and Foggy. You'd never brought it up before, not wanting to add to his clear discomfort about the topic, but you assumed he was self-conscious of the way he looked without them.

Regardless, seeing his hazel eyes darting ambiguously around you made you catch your breath. You'd only caught glimpses in the past, but uncovered? They were stunning. The brown of his irises was flecked with green and the reflection of sunlight made them look like pools of honey. 

Hearing your choked inhale, a peach-colored blush bloomed across Matt's cheeks. “Shit, hold on, let me find my glasses. I set them down last night and I—” Pacing around you, Matt began to frantically rummage around on his bed, where he'd dumped a pile of what looked to be most, if not all, of his belongings. “They're here somewhere, I know it.“ 

Setting the paper cups on Foggy's nightstand, you walked a wide arc around the anxious boy as if he were a startled animal, gently laying your hand on his wrist. ”Matt,“ 

Looking up dolefully, Matt's eyes were glassy as he rambled. ”I'm sorry. I misplaced them. I should've warned you—“ 

”Matty, stop for a minute please.“ You encouraged, waiting for the boy to pause and take a breath before you continued. ”You don't need to wear your glasses around me, trouble. I'm sorry if I seemed thrown off, I was admiring your eyes.“

”You were...admiring them?“ Matt's voice broke around the question and your heart squeezed. 

”Yah, Matty, you have beautiful eyes. I've never seen them up close before.“ Taking his hands, you ran a thumb over his knuckles as he processed your words. 

After a minute of silence, you tugged him towards his desk chair. “Why don't we sit for a minute and have breakfast before sorting through your stuff.” 

Letting you maneuver him into the threadbare seat, he tilted his head as you placed a paper bag and disposable cup on the desk next to him. “You brought me breakfast?”

Chuckling at his genuine confusion, you nodded. “I did. It would help me feel better if I 'woke up on the wrong side of the bed', so I figured it couldn't hurt. It's just a muffin and a latte from Blue Java, nothing special.“ 

Matt didn't say anything, his lips still pursed as he opened the bag and began unwrapping the pastry. After breaking off a few pieces to eat, his frown ebbed. ”Thank you.“ 

”Anytime! So, doing some reorganizing this weekend?“ You sipped your own coffee, trying not to laugh as he wolfed the rest of his muffin down. 

”Something like that,“ Matt grumbled, tossing his balled up trash into the plastic bin across the room with ease. ”Our room was just, I don't know...gross, I guess? It needed to be cleaned and when I realized I couldn't find my glasses, I just freaked. I woke Foggy up, and neither of us could find them, so I started putting everything on the bed.“ 

Matt's lips quirked into a tiny smile. ”I think I scared him because he said he had to study and just disappeared. He's probably asleep in the library by now.“ 

You chuckled, picturing the blond passed out in the rows of old books. ”Well, his loss. I'm a hoot to clean with.“ 

”Is that so?“ Matt remarked, grinning fully now.

“Just you wait, Murdock. I have been told I am a fun AND efficient cleaning partner. Let's get this party started.” Standing up and brushing your hands together, you turned towards the items haphazardly stacked on Matt's bed. “How can I help?” 

Retreating into his shell a bit, Matt scratched at his neck. “Um, are you sure you want to? I mean, Foggy isn't here to confirm, but I have a really specific method for organizing my belongings, and I would understand if you didn't want to be bossed around.”

“Matt, it's your stuff that we are straightening up. You're allowed to be bossy.” You assured, silently cursing everyone who had planted seeds of doubt in this wonderful man’s brain. 

“Ok, just tell me if you want to leave.” Matt ordered. You mock saluted in response.

“Yes, sir!” You giggled as he shuddered with a scoff.

“You asked for it, sweetheart.” 

The next several hours were spent sorting through the deceptively small pile on Matt's bed. Matt tasked you with sorting things into categories, which mostly meant separating clothes from school supplies, while he put things back in their designated areas. After finding his headphones tangled, one of his binders broken, and still having no clue where his glasses were, Matt was sliding back to the edge of his rope. 

His jaw tensed as he grit his teeth, running his fingers along the sleeves of the sweater he was trying to fold in an attempt to straighten them. Growling in frustration he tossed the sweater back onto the bed and ran a hand over his face. 

“C'mere, trouble.” You extended your arms to him and he gratefully collapsed against you. Rubbing small circles into his tight shoulders, you felt a burst of pride as he relaxed against you. “You getting fed up again?” 

Matt nodded, face still buried against your neck. You frowned understandingly, untangling the tousled hair along his nape. “Hmmm, I guess we could take a break, what do you think?” 

Matt whined, tugging your hips toward his bed. 

Laughing at his reaction, you scratched at his scalp. “Ok, Matty. Why don’t we stop for a bit, then? Sound good?” 

“Mmmhmm.” Matt murmured, legs turning to jelly as you massaged his pounding head. 

Using one hand to shove aside the remaining items on his bed, you crawled up to the headboard and positioned yourself against the wall, letting Matt cuddle up to your side. 

You immediately ran a hand back up to his nape, resuming the rhythmic touches that you knew would calm him down. Matt shuddered, rubbing his face into your shoulder as he stifled a yawn. Chuckling at his oddly adorable actions, you wondered if he’d slept at all last night. “You tired, bubs?” You asked softly, grinning knowingly at his affirmative groan. 

“Go to sleep, bubba. I don’t mind.” 

He must’ve been exhausted because his mouth stayed closed, though you had fully expected an argument. After a few minutes of deep breathing, his body began to slacken against your side. Pressing a kiss to his forehead, you adjusted the covers as best you could, given that they were covered in a couple dozen pounds of stuff, and tucked him in. And, with Matt dozing at your side, you continued sorting through the pile spilling across your lap. 

Matt didn’t dream much. Occasionally, he’d have a nightmare; his body experiencing phantom sensations like being hit or feeling someone’s pulse slowly fade, but that was the extent—until he’d met you. It was like you knew you had a direct line to his brain. Your soft touches lingered for hours after the contact ended, his frayed nerves still firing rapidly, replaying the feeling of your fingers in his hair, your lips on his forehead. 

He wasn’t meant to feel the kiss. Not that it meant anything more than platonic affection—he was fairly certain it didn’t—but that didn’t mean it didn’t electrocute every cell in his body, vaporizing the immense heap of irritation that had been building since he’d started his day off so poorly. 

You had that power over him. Haunting his every waking moment and chasing his subconscious while he slept. You were his constant. 

Wedged against you and his headboard, he felt safe, and fatigue had quickly overtaken him. He slept more peacefully than he had in weeks because of you, though the lack of Foggy’s sleep apnea definitely helped. Wading through a field of mental static, he rested, until your subtle movements beneath him popped his bubble of solace. 

“Matt?” You murmured, stroking a finger along his cheek. 

“Hngh?” He uttered, blearily. Was that a word? He was pretty sure that was a word. 

It must not have been a word because you shook with a giggle. Rubbing his cheek with your thumb, he could hear you nibble on your lip. “I gotta leave, trouble. I’m sorry, I’m meeting Evs soon.” 

The mention of your obnoxious paramour drew him fully out of slumber. He dug the heel of his hand into his eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. “Shit, I’m up.” 

“I’m really sorry to wake you up. Did you sleep ok?” Your voice wobbled with guilt and he tried to give a convincing smile. 

“Yah I did. Thank you for staying.” 

“Of course! It’s almost 3:00 pm. I texted Foggy and asked him to bring you food, he’ll be here with it soon.” As you spoke, you slid off of his thin mattress, adjusting your clothes and hair. 

“Crap. I didn't mean to hold you hostage.” Matt grumbled. “I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be! I enjoyed being your pillow.” You chuckled, but the statement held nothing but honesty, and that knowledge made his heart flutter. “I, um, I finished sorting your things. I didn’t put away anything unless I was certain of where it went, but…” You trailed off excitedly, snatching his hand from the mattress and placing a lightweight item in his semi-open palm. 

“I found your glasses! They were behind your mattress, I almost missed them.” 

Tracing the metal frames slowly, Matt choked on a breath. “Thank you, sweetheart.” 

“Oh you don’t need to thank me, Matt. We take care of each other, remember?” Your smile was evident in your voice. 

He stayed silent, far too concerned with preventing a voice crack to speak. 

Realizing that you may have overwhelmed him, you hovered in front of the bed. “Sorry to throw all of that at you right after you woke up. Did you want me to show you where I put everything?” 

“No,” He spoke raggedly. Clearing his throat, he started again. “No, I can figure it out. Thanks, sweetheart. For everything. Have fun on your date.” 

Your heart stuttered as he mentioned your date. “Thank you, Matty. I will. Call me if you can’t find something?” 

“I will, bubs.” With that final promise, he slid on his lenses and jumped out of bed to walk you out. Waving his final goodbye, he closed the door, falling against it as he gathered his thoughts. 

Striding back to his bed, he let his fingers waltz over the meticulous stacks of his belongings. You’d straightened up his notebooks, folded his clothes, even arranged his textbooks in alphabetical order. All just because he’d been frustrated and asked for your help?

Running his fingers over the sweater at the top of the column of clothes, his throat constricted as wet trails formed down his cheeks. Pulling the garment to his face, he inhaled faint traces of your soap and natural fragrance, the scent embedded in the fabric. As the warmth from your body faded from his sheets, Matt crumpled to the floor, still clutching the woven sweater in his fist. 

Thanks for reading!!!

Taglist: @eugene-emt-roe@abbyhaslongshorts@mrs-bellingham@abucketofweird@yeonalie@jadeunstablexx@spider-murdock@0ctober-writes@danzer8705

[missjomarch]

Hello my lovelies! I hope you had a fun and safe New Years Eve! I wanted to make a little post just showing my appreciation for the last year on Tumblr! I will admit that I am not the best at re-blogging posts that I love. Usually I'm reading between classes, assignments, or right before bed and don't often take the time to share my thoughts on some of the incredible literature on this site. With that being said, I wanted to make this post highlighting some of my favorite works, authors, and stories of 2024. As with all things of this nature, I am very sure some things got left out. This is in no way a comprehensive list of all the works I have enjoyed this year, but just a few I wanted to highlight. If I am in your likes or following, trust that I love and appreciate your presence. So without further ado...Here is Jay's 2024 Tumblr Favorites!

First and foremost is my favorite (only) big sis, of course. If you have not stumbled upon @ladylooch 's blog yet, you are missing a vital part of life. Her AUs are a literal rabbit hole. I started reading about Nico Hischier and I am now emotionally invested in the lives of two original character's and their love story. I love everything B publishes, but this year she gave us a beautiful new story of love and loss, and exploring that world with her has been the highlight of my year. Head over to her blog and jump into an AU, literally any of them. You won't regret it.

@puck-luck...guys. Andy is INSANE!!!! Everything she puts out is delicious, but I specifically fell in love with her 'New Beginnings' series this year and cannot recommend it enough. I don't even like Trevor Zegras like that y'all, but Andy is a literary genius so I fell in love. I have to save her writing for when I am home & in bed because I WILLLLL have a physical reaction. I kiss your brain, Andy girl. Mwah mwah mwah.

@star2fishmeg and @wineauntie , MEG AND IVY! My (sub) Luke Hughes loves and the leaders of the sub! Luke agenda. GOD!! I love you. Your writing, of course. But I also love that you share my most unhinged sentiments about Mr. Baby Hughes. Check out their blogs, friends. The vibes are good and the writing is even better.

This next one...you guysssss...@tkwrites. TK's 'Snap Shot' series had me HOOKED all year. I love Sarah and Quinn. The emotional turmoil and angst mixed with the heartfelt romance is a complex masterpiece. PLEASE go check it out if you're a Quinn Hughes enjoyer, or an enjoyer of good fiction. Also sub! Quinn agenda!!!!

@theemporium!!! I eat up everything my girl Cece writes, but Luke and Cherry specifically had me by the throat this year. Go read 'The Mortifying Ordeal of Being a 20 Year Old Virgin' NOWWW! RIGHT NOW!!

@mikkomacko...you GENIUSSS. Mob Boss Nico Hischier. Need I say more? I don't think so. If I could have a real Tumblr wrapped, part 4 & 5 of that series would be my most reread fics for 2024 I promise you. The dynamic of Nico and reader, bestie Timo, baby Alex (RIP, give him back Vegas). It is all perfect girly pop. Everyone go read.

I started reading for Will Smith this year because @yankstrash and I cannot be normal about Boston College hockey. @peachhcs Will Smith AU gave me everything I needed and MORE. I can't decide if I want to be Samy or be WITH Samy. They are just sooo *heart eyes*. Also Sub! Will agenda. (Damn, can y'all see a pattern?) Em, I love you and your work. Keep it up lovely.

Alrighty, that about sums it up. I know there is a million more authors and fics I missed, but these have been in the forefront of my mind for a long while. I hope you have all had the best holidays, and here is to another great year of escaping reality with y'all in 2025!! MWAH!

[hookedsworks]

Edge(ING) Fitness - Chapter XXVIII

y'all might want this

ao3

masterpost

At 5:24, Ivy watched the bright red Mustang slide into the lot. At 5:26, he watched III stride into the gym on long confident legs. Legs that had been wrapped around him not three days ago. At 5:27, he watched III chat animatedly with II, little braided buns bobbing when he spoke. By 5:28, he couldn't focus and dismissed the class. He slithered into the back office, hoping III hadn't seen him. He slid into the nicest clothes he had on hand, which was just jeans and a black shirt. At 5:31, Ivy gathered his bag and walked toward III. III was in pants that were almost casual, but almost dressy at the same time. He had a black button down with dark gold designs on as well and Ivy knew he was underdressed. 

“Should I go home and change?” III turned to him and checked him out. Those pretty blue eyes slid up and down Ivy's body in a slow observation. 

“Nah, you look good,” III grinned. He stepped forward then and enveloped Ivy in his long arms. “I'm happy you said yes,” III whispered into Ivy's hair. It was sweet, III looked romantic and Ivy could feel his anxiety rising. This is gonna hurt, he realized. “Are you alright?” III asked when he looked at him again. 

“Uh, yeah, totally,” II was looking at him now. 

“III, can I please steal Ives for just a moment?” II had a warm, firm smile on his face as he guided Ivy back into the office for a second. The smile dropped from II’s face. 

“I can see the self sabotage glimmering behind your eyes. You promised you'd give this a shot if III was interested. Which, he IS! He literally showed up here because you didn't reply to an Instagram message. I don't know what you learned when you were in school, but if you genuinely think III is going to hurt you, you need to get your money back. A banana could intuit that he likes you. A BANANA!” II tapered off on his tirade. He ran a hand through his hair and Ivy could see just how tired he was of his shit. 

“Alright. Alright. I just… it's hard. Ever since she-” 

“She's gone. She didn't want you. He does. Go get him, go on this date and just have fun. Please. For you,” he looked at II. And nodded. 

“Okay, fine. Just this once,” at that, II rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah and I'm only ever going to go on one date with Vessel. Fuck off, man,” Ivy took that as a dismissal and walked back out to where III was waiting. 

“Did he give you the safe sex lecture?” III laughed. He then offered his arm out and Ivy threaded his arm through. 

“No, he thinks I'm in my head about this,” 

“Oh, don't worry. I'm not a first date you need to be jittery about. We're just going for gyros and then I'm taking you to a planet show,” planet show? 

“Sounds great, honestly,” Ivy inhaled and tried to push all the bad thoughts away. III led him out to the red Mustang. III opened the door for him and cupped his head as he got in, so he didn't bang it on the door. That act kind of made Ivy's heart melt into a puddle of goo. III walked around to the driver’s side. While he did that, Ivy inhaled the scent of old leather. And something sweet like vanilla. III was next to him, and started the car. It roared, almost as loud as II's bike. 

“So, what do you think?” III asked, turning toward Ivy. 

“Of..?” 

“The car! Her name is Candy,” 

“Oh, cuz of the color? Um. She's cute,” Ivy replied, awkwardly using the vehicle's pronouns as III had. III grinned. He was always grinning. It made Ivy's chest feel tight. III leaned over and kissed Ivy's cheek. 

“Thanks, peaches. Let's go get some food. I'm starving,” III threw the car in drive and took off on one of the most harrowing rides of Ivy's life. III clearly knew his car, and knew exactly how to drive with a perfect carelessness that terrified Ivy. When they arrived at the restaurant unscathed, Ivy wondered if he should kiss the ground.

“Wait here, I'll open your door,” III jumped out of the vehicle and came around to open Ivy's door. It was romantic. Just. Plain. Romantic. Ivy could feel his fear about this fading. III was just so kind, he was starting to see why II yelled at him. I am not going to let Roxy ruin another good thing. Ivy resolved as III opened the door. 

Dinner went by quickly. III was a talker, and Ivy loved to listen. He peppered III with questions so that he would continue. He was almost soothed by III’s voice, animated and happy. It was nice. Things felt… normal for the first time since she’d told him she was leaving him for his best friend. He still remembered II calling him to say he’d thrown her out onto the street, and that he’d never do that to him. He still remembered everything afterward. Crying in II’s arms for days. 

“Ivy?” III broke into his thoughts. “You’ve been staring,” shit. 

“Ah, sorry, babe. You’re just so nice to look at,” III turned pink. He bit his lip. 

“Well, the show is going to start soon. Are you ready to go?” Ivy nodded. Now he was excited. A real planetarium! Excitement shot through him as III took his hand to walk to the car. 

The walk to the auditorium was lined with giant, sparkling rocks. III pointed at one, tugging Ivy to the side to look at it. 

“This one matches your eyes! It’s a..um.. Paraiba tourmaline,” III looked back at Ivy, clearly pleased with his find. Ivy thought his heart was going to combust. He couldn’t take III being any sweeter. 

“The one next to it matches your eyes,” he pointed out, to distract from how hot his face was getting. He was actually starting to feel guilty about all the negative things he’d thought about today. III was kind of oblivious to all the darkness in his head, and guided him away again. They were almost to the auditorium, when the floor changed to a plush, squishy carpet that Ivy could feel even with his shoes on. “This floor is nice,” 

“Super squishy. Are you excited for the show?” an attendant asked as they approached the doors. “Kinda quiet in there tonight, but we’re still going to show you the heavens,” just like I showed him the other day. Ivy giggled at his own thought. 

“What are you giggling about?” III asked, again right in his space. His mouth hovered near Ivy’s ear, damn height difference. 

“Nothin,” he whispered back. They found their seats. The show was projected onto the circular ceiling. It showed them what they would be seeing through the telescope in twenty five minutes, and then showed about two thousand years worth of constellations. Ivy was getting more and more excited. He was going to be looking through a real telescope. Once the show ended, they followed the small group down several hallways, including one that had a bunch of pulley and lever systems, like a big Rube Goldberg machine. They must have crossed half a mile before finding the actual planetarium. Once Ivy saw the telescope, he looked up at III. Man it’s actually really nice to look up at someone. He knew he was smiling ear to ear. 

“Thank you,” III shrugged and smiled again. 

“It was nothing,” Ivy wished he could explain that it was kind of everything.

[dimention-l]

Girlfriend reveal :P

(she's the one in the purple dress and the butterfly hairclip) (I love her so much)

Also I guess my face reveal pfft-

I went on a walk after dying my hair, and I thought I should give her a visit!! LOOK AT HOW PRETTY SHE IS!! She's SO AMAZING!!!!

Oh yeah, did y'all seriously think I just showed up again randomly? Nah, I've been around since that wedding, and I've never really left, I just stopped and recharged.

-Ivy/Chaos

[OOC]

I didn't add a background because my ability to draw backgrounds is non existent, so I just put black and white and played with it a bit

no matter how hard I looked or how many keywords I tried in the reverse image search, I couldn't find the credits to the base :(

That's what I get for searching bases on Pinterest..

If anyone knows who made it, PLEASE TELL ME

[wayslidecool]

how do y'all feel about Blaseball Story Time, because i saw fan art of Fish Summer in a Georgias jersey and it got me thinking about the Georgias' quest to have a Hot Fish Summer. putting this all under the cut because it's a Long Story

so! the Georgias are a new team, and we are Not Very Good. we aren't that keen on trading our players, but after a few seasons with little in way in results, it's clear that we're gonna need to if we ever want to get ahead. thankfully, it didn't take a lot of time for us to find a player that most Georgias fans could agree on: Fish Summer.

there was a lot we liked about Fish Summer. obviously, the name and theming were on point for us, but they were also a notably minmaxed player, with some of the best batting in the league, but really low stats in everything else. this might not sound attractive on paper, but with the Equivalent Exchange will in play, it meant that we wouldn't have to give up one of our best players if we wanted Fish to join our team, letting us give up a mediocre player in favor of one who would be a massive boon to our lineup.

still, we were a bit hesitant -- Fish Summer was on the Moist Talkers at the time, and Talkers fans were very attached to Fish. we wanted to maintain good relationships with the rest of the league, and if we stole a Team's fan-favorite player, what would the chances be that they'd just reverse the trade in the next election? fortunately for us, a wimdy would send Fish from the Talkers to the Crabs, and we decided that would be our time to strike. we put up our Season 16 voting guide, encouraging fans to trade Mordecai Kingbird for Fish Summer.

unfortunately, the Georgias were very prone to weird wimdy trades at the time, and instead of trading Mordecai for Fish Summer, we traded him for Montgomery Bullock, a pitcher from the Fridays who couldn't bat to save their life. we didn't particularly care for Monty, so when the end of the season rolled around, we traded them off to the Crabs in order to finally enjoy a Hot Fish Summer. this trade would be intercepted by the Crabs however, who put in a wimdy vote that would trade Fish for Wyatt Mason IV (aka Ivy), a Tacos pitcher who also couldn't bat to save their life. hilariously, this triple-trade left all three players involved in a position they absolutely sucked at, benefiting no one.

that being said, after that mishap, we were kind of over Fish Summer. we moved Ivy to our rotation, and by that point, we had partied enough that our roster was actually looking pretty good. it was time to put Fish Summer behind us.

this would not last for long. our respectable rotation would soon give up Ivy and Jan Canberra for Dickerson Morse and Goobie Ballson, who are more recognized for "Dick and Balls" jokes than their pitching talent, and respectable small-ball leadoff hitter Niq Nyong'o would be incinerated and replaced with Ji-Eun Clove, who could only hit the occasional triple once in a blue moon. the Georgias were once again Bad, and with a bunch of newbies we didn't particularly care for, trading for Fish Summer was once again on the menu.

and this time, it went off without a hitch! in Season 21, we traded Goobie Ballson for Fish Summer, who thanks to our new Fax Machine and Voicemail, had a quick path to the Georgias' lineup. this was it. the Georgias were finally Good again.

or so we thought. while Season 22 was the best season of the Georgias' career, a new problem would plague us, which was Flooding. Flooding was rampant in the Expansion Era, and players were being sent Elsewhere left and right, with Fish Summer being no exception. Fish Summer would end up spending the majority of their Georgias career Elsewhere, playing a total of 58 games for us over the course of three seasons. Atlantis may have loved Fish Summer, but Fish Summer decidedly did not love Atlantis.

anyway, after a long siesta, Blaseball would return with Fall Ball, which would send Fish Summer to the Shoe Thieves, which would be their final team as Blaseball would end two seasons later, ending the Georgias' Hot Fish Summer once and for all.

and you wanna know the funniest part? i don't think the Georgias even did that much with Fish Summer's lore after getting them! i mean, i would frequently forget Fish was even on our team, and i'm not sure how much they were developed past "lol a player named Fish on the ocean team" and "man Fish really hates it here huh". and despite this, Fish managed to leave one heck of a legacy on the team.

[a-wins-a-win]

mouse's attempted B;APO timeline

aka i was writing an irrelevant detail in a silly little fic and it occurred to me that oh wait i could actually think about this!!

credit where credit's due - i am using this timeline right here (from @hearmyvoicee) as a base, but i have some particular thoughts/interpretations of my own + felt like using 2001 dates! (bc why not, ya know? keep it basically of the time it opened) so this whole thing is mostly for my own reference, but if it makes sense to any of y'all as well? great <;3 [keeping it under the cut for my own sanity + yours]

.✨.

Sunday, January 7 [the feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th, or the closest Sunday to that date - in the case of 2001, that's the 7th]

Epiphany

Monday - Friday, January 8 - 12 [ i swear on my life someone mentioned to me once that it's generally accepted that You & I spans several days?? i cannot find who or where but someone tell me i'm not going insane ]

You & I

Friday, January 12 [the friday is entirely arbitrary, just seems the type of day you'd hold auditions - give it a week to stir interest, cast on friday, start up your rehearsals from the next monday onwards] [i have never been in theater though, so don't hold me to that]

Role Of A Lifetime

Auditions

Plain Jane Fatass

Thursday, February 22 [to me the phrase "we'll meet in Tanya's room on Friday night" implies that it's not yet Friday + in theory the song takes place during study hall, so an actual weekday? so to that end it could be any day monday-thursday, the specifics not mattering in particular, but i arbitrarily went with thursday so that Ivy’s birthday lines up right]

Wonderland

Friday, February 23

A Quiet Night At Home

Rolling

Best Kept Secret

Wednesday, February 28 [borrowing from the previous timeline for this one - the Lent + Ash Wednesday significance makes sense] [to that end, Ash Wednesday 2001 was in fact February 28th]

Confession

Portrait Of A Girl

Thursday, March 1 [in Wonderland they reference the fact that "Ivy's birthday's in a week", ergo wonderland date + 1 week]

Birthday, Bitch!

One Kiss

Are You There?

911! Emergency!

Friday, March 2 [peter mentions 911! Emergency as being "last night"]

Reputation Stain'd

Ever After

Saturday, March 10 [generally, the Spring Break week is from March 11 to March 17, so in my head it makes sense for them to be leaving for their spring break the day beforehand - ergo, March 10th]

Spring

One

✨ spring break / intermission ✨

Sunday, March 17 [the sunday makes sense in my head to mirror Epiphany]

Wedding Bells

Monday, March 19

In The Hallway

Monday, March 26 [ as claire says - "gone a week, i miss you already". so if classes started again on the 19th + 1 week is the 26th ]

Touch My Soul

See Me

Warning

[sidenote, easter 2001 was sunday april 15. to that end, to account for the Easter Monday holiday, likely they had the 16th off also]

Friday, May 18 [okay listen!! i know it crowds A LOT of act 2 together but!! the way sister chantelle says here "if you decide you want to get together one more time" implies to me that they aren't going to be having more Official rehearsal time before the play actually gets performed] [it all has to occur between monday may 14 & sunday may 20 for jason's "graduate next sunday" line to be technically correct] [rory's decided that they'll "meet back here. seven o'clock" - which i was always under the impression is the supposed to be rehearsal that sets up Promise] [Nadia's "call me tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever" to me implies that she won't see him tomorrow? so probably they don't have any classes or rehearsal the next day]["i know it's late" in Cross is such a little detail, but to me it just ties it all up]

Pilgrim's Hands

God Don't Make No Trash

All Grown Up

Promise

Once Upon A Time

Cross

Saturday, May 19 [saturday night seems a reasonable time to put on the show, right? like in order to make it accessible to family + friends outside of the school?]

Two Households

Bare

Queen Mab

A Glooming Peace

Tuesday, May 22 [a {catholic} person is buried between 2 and 7 days after their death, typically around 3. i always got the vibes that Absolution was supposed to take place on/around jason's funeral, ergo the play + 3 days]

Absolution

Sunday, May 27 [going with the assumption that they graduate on the last sunday in may, in 2001 that date was the 27th]

No Voice

.✨.

wanna make it super clear that i a) am australian and b) am not catholic and c) have never been to boarding school or in theater so a lot of dates were found via google search, and/or arbitrarily assigned weekdays

also also at the end of the day i'm not sure the specifics of the timeline super duper matter, it was mostly just for fun - but like. feel free to share ur thoughts!

[whatiwillsay]

Well now that Speak Now Week is officially over I wanted to put all the Episodes in one place for y'all to check out!

Breaking My Silence... - Cara joins me to finally spill our John Mayer tea and we follow up on the recent Toe tea I got.

Houghlor Tea Party - Naudia joins me to break down the gossip I got about Julianne Hough and Taylor along with a review of their timeline and songs that may tie back to Julianne.

The only thing that matters is food - Cara joins me to rank purple snacks and have a fun chat about food.

Speak Now Tour Review - Gabbie joins me for an in-depth breakdown of the Speak Now Tour.

The Dear John Manifesto - Torry of Ready to be Petty joins me to deep dive Jessica Simpson's book, especially the John Mayer bits.

One Last Episode!!! - Shannon of Fluently Forward joins me to discuss Karlie allegedly Kaylor Baiting, the Matty Healy news of the moment, and other current Taylor and Gaylor topics du jour! (Yes I think when we played Ivy was GAY!)

Speak Now Taylor's Version First Thoughts - Cara joins me to discuss Speak Now TV! We talk about the easter eggs (1989 clues all over the place!) we saw in the new Music Video, our reactions to the vault tracks, give some gay rankings to the new songs, and try to discern the muses!

All in all, it was a wild week and SO MUCH FUN. I'm already chomping at the bit for 1989 week it is truly going to be unhinged. Thanks to everyone who listened, and participated with comments, questions, and anons and just a huge general thank you to you guys for making this the amazing niche fun kooky gay little community that it is!

[acourtofwhatthefuck]

The way I'm not reading the new acotar book WHEN it comes out, I feel like sjm completely ruined the characters for me specially elain. Another of my problem is this stupid weird love triangle between azriel elain and Lucien like miss girl you already did that with feyre, tamlin and Rhys, why make another fucking one?

I think the whole situation is stupid just let one fucking character move on, grow up and becoming stronger without a MALE to help them or on their side, let her show her own worth by herself. Elain doesn't need anyone. A lot of people have been cuddling her, she needs to learn how to take care of herself for once ( I'm saying that to be mean btw ). I just want to see her doing something by herself once( for fucks sake my girl has plant knowledge she can make poisons and shit and she's silent and very attentive make her a spy or something or FUCK IT MAKE HER POISON IVY. )

Another one is I felt Azriel gave playboy vibes? And I can't tell you why he just did and that greatly turned me off ( not sexually lol ) from his character, like okay he's the quiet bad boy everyone is attractive to because he's hot and powerful and gets all the ladies and is supposedly good in bed....Kay what about his personality? his character? his inner thoughts? his overall character growth? that I know he won't get because he's a possible love interest ( like Rhys and his abuse and rape by the red headed grimlin) and she's ( sjm ) for some reason doesn't seem the need to envolve the love interest? They suffered! where's the healing woman!? Are their only worth being a love interest with amazing bedrooms "skills"? Just leave the characters alone not everyone needs to be in a relationship? Just give us the healing and good character arcs ( and I'm not saying the spicy scenes ain't hot because by all means give me some Azriel smut but with someone newwwwwww ) you know what's gonna be a better love arc? Elain and Gwyn getting together now THAT is spicy.

Also the major thing

Ain't no way you based a lot of the spicy scenes out of you and your husband?!! Hell nah immediately outta there, I'm sorry I just don't need to know that? And if it isn't true and people are fucking with me then....

Fuck y'all 😂

Sorry for my rant and if anyone has a different view by all means, pls give me something because I swear I can't read anything from her anymore I'll just take my favorite fanfic authors and be on my merry way.

Gonna continue to leave these asks for everyone to see, feel free to interact/share your opinions! 💕

[chemicalarospec]

Woke up early again and reflected on some of the Social Network fics I read yesterday noting Mark got a 1600 SAT -- i know there's been inflation + increase of kids going to college, but I'm pretty sure that everybody at an Ivy except for legacies and athletes was already 4.0/1600 before 2010 lol. But I was also thinking about how lots of kids in my town retook the SAT multiple times to get a high score, but then I realized I only heard about perfect ACTs, not SATs. Now the 36 kids were not all the best in the grade, so the top students probably got 1600s I didn't hear about, but I wondered if the ACT was easier that year -- I had always thought I did better just because I took it second. And holy cow y'all it's because the ACT is the blue collar test. Why didn't I realize we had an advantage earlier. Did I forget? Or did I believe the guidance counselors that there wasn't a skew between who took what anymore? I just looked it up and the ACT is scaled nationally, and has single-digit rates of takers in the competitive states but is nearly universal in the other ones. So most of who we were competing with were kids from states on the opposite end of state education system ranking -- the ACT and the SAT have very close score distribution, but the students testing are so different, so it is easier for a high-scorer to score even higher on the ACT than SAT. Wow.

The guidance counselors said "sometimes one test works better than the other for some people, colleges don't judge you based on which one you took, so give them both a try" -- I wonder if they realized this and knew that almost everyone would do better on the ACT than SAT... The difference was always chalked up to the science section. Anyways another reason 36s are easier than 1600s is just that the scales are very different -- SAT covers the same ground in percentiles from 1500-1600 in increments of 10 (11 scores) that ACT does from 33-36 (4 scores).

Uh moral of the story there's definitely something up because I've been walking up before dawn every day, and take the ACT unless you're undereducated and not a stand-out genius and would just be part of the crowd either way. however if colleges adjust for this (i'm sure they know, but they like to have #diversity so they might consider it good that disadvantaged kids get their own scale -- the the absence of evil people like me telling you to game the system lol), then it doesn't matter

[callmeizukunotdeku]

The worst part, of course, is why they notice.

It's because Robin got in over his head during patrol and Red Hood broke his no-kill streak.

Bruce's rules snapped back into place, just as taut as before.

Jason pulls back. He doesn't visit anymore and then Alfred's giving him the cold shoulder too. Dick is insisting that he get over himself.

"What was it that made you accept him? What made you okay with him before, B?"

"I...just got some good advice before."

"From who?"

Quietly, he admitted, "Tim."

The name jolted Dick, as he realized that his brother had slipped his mind.

He couldn't remember the last time he talked to Tim.

He couldn't remember the last time he thought about him.

"Call him," Dick said, "and put him on speaker."

If Bruce had taken Tim's advice just once--taken it and implemented it long term--then that was more than he'd ever done for Dick.

Bruce took out his phone.

It rang and rang and then--

"This number is not available."

Bruce furrowed his brow and muttered, "No, that can't be right. This is his contact..."

He messed around on his phone for another minute before calling again, and--

"This number is not available."

Dick swallowed, and thought, bitter and hopefully, that maybe Tim blocked Bruce, before remembering that they didn't want any more problems. Their family couldn't handle going back to the way they were before Bruce came back.

Dick couldn't handle a return to the way things were.

He'd break under the pressure. He knew he would.

Dick called Tim, but--

"This number is not available."

He didn't get a response.

"Try his secretary?" Dick suggested and Bruce called Tam.

And again, the phone rang and rang and--

"You're speaking to Miss Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, how can I help you?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Bruce."

"And Dick," he added, "hi, Tam, how've'ya been?"

"Busy," she said, with some amount of humor in her voice, "Tim wasn't kidding when he said this job was grueling. I still wanted it though, and he thought I was the best person for it, so...here we are, I guess. Why are you calling, though? Y'all never call."

"Um," Dick started, not trusting Bruce to form a proper answer, "we were wondering how Tim was doing. We couldn't get ahold of him."

"Oh," she said, voice flatter than it was before, "yeah, he has a new number. I'll tell him you're trying to get in touch with him--"

"Give us the number," Bruce said.

It was silent on the other side of the line before there was a brief beep.

Tam hung up.

Bruce tried her number again, but it went straight to voicemail.

Dick was in the middle of trying to figure out a reasonable plan when Bruce called out, "Clark."

The man was there not a moment later, "Bruce. What do you need?"

"Where's Tim?"

"Ivy, I presume. Why do you ask."

"What's he doing with Pam?"

Clark gave him a confused look. "Who?"

"Pamela Isley? Poison Ivy?"

"He's...I meant to say that he's in Ivy Town. He's been attending university there for a few months now. Kon visits him often--brings him back to the farm, sometimes. Ma loves him--says he's a natural baker but Tim just always argues that it's because he's studying chemistry and--I'm sorry," he cut himself off, "why are you asking?"

Again, it was quiet for a moment before Dick said, "We were just trying to get ahold of him."

"Ah," Clark nodded, "his number changed again, didn't it? Do you want his new one?"

"No," Dick said at the same time that Bruce said, "Yes."

Dick glared at him, "No. We'll wait for him to call us."

Bruce comes back from the dead and wants to make things better. Bruce comes back from the dead and Tim was the one who brought him back, so it's obviously Tim who'll know best how to help him reconnect with everyone.

It's Tim who should give him advice on how to bond with Dick. Dick has always been his idol, after all. Tim would know best how to bring him back, and he does. He gives good advice and the two of them begin to get closer.

So Bruce asks about Jason, too. Asks about how to bring his son back into the fold and Tim wished for a brief and brutal moment that it weren't so obvious who the favorite was.

Tim told Bruce to give Jason his space, to loosen his rules, and make it clear that no matter what the Red Hood did, no matter what the Batman believed in, Jason was always welcome. Bruce would always want him.

It worked. Bruce wasn't surprised. Tim was a special sort of bitter.

Bruce asked again for Damian and Tim had to push down his anger. "That boy tried to kill me," Tim wanted to say. "I hate him and I want you to hate him too so that I can remember a time when we had something in common," Tim didn't say, but he got close.

He instead told Bruce how Damian liked art and animals and loved hearing stories of the wonders of Batman.

He told Bruce just how much Damian loved being Robin. Told Bruce to tell Damian what a good Robin he was.

God bless or maybe damn him, but he did and it worked and Tim wanted to start screaming and clawing at something because that would have never worked if Tim tried it and it wouldn't have stopped Damian from cutting his line--something Bruce did not and would never know about.

Bruce asked about Babs. How should he make sure she knew that she was a part of the family? They they loved her and not just for the work she did?

He asked about Steph. How should he make sure she knew that she was more important than his rules and that, if something else should go wrong, she didn't need to run away?

He asked about Duke. He never got the chance to get to know him before leaving--not as well as he wanted to, at least. How should he let him know that he was just as much a son as everyone else? That, whether or not his parents woke up, he'd always be welcome?

He asked about Cass. How should he show her that he loves her even though he has nothing to teach her? How can he convey how much he cares about her, his first daughter?

Bruce gets brought back from time and he makes things better. He brings his family back together by following Tim's advice.

And Tim?

Tim brings his dad back from the dead and Bruce changes, becomes a better father.

Bruce changes, but not everything can.

That, Tim thinks, is why Bruce never calls Tim his son.

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Bimonthly Media Roundup

Less than usual today as I really haven't engaged in too much since last time.

- The S classes that I Raised (Webcomic) - Yup.

- Bucchigiri?! (Anime) - Turned this on in the background while watching my dogs as it's by the SK8 team and I thought it would be entertaining. It is certainly something I'll give it that. The character designs and extreme homo eroticism are fun, but the protagonists selfish incel energy is pretty annoying even if it is textually supposed to be a character flaw. I might watch more to see if they resolve that but eh, I'm not feeling it too much at this point.

- Delicious in Dungeon (Anime) - Yep yep.

- Choose Your Hero's Carefully (Webcomic) - Binge reading material this week was a ongoing webcomic that has the premise of "what if you were isekaid into Genshin Impact where the wish and level system were in Universe parts of the world and also you are a gay twink" which is. An interesting premise. I think the main characters have some chemistry so far though there's currently only 1 interesting side character to speak of. The art style is quite cute as well. Nothing spectacular so far but I'll come back for some updates.

- One Piece (Anime) - Got farther into One Piece and am finally getting to know this Law guy y'all are crazy over. And you know what you're right, I love him. He has a great dynamic with the Straw Hats in trying and failing to apply logic to them and his abilities and design are both very cool. I also like that he's a loser. Anyway Robin has been getting more screen time lately which is nice, and I'm liking the gag where Ceaser just keeps being their hostage even when they don't want to.

- Genshin Impact (Video Game) - Lantern Rite was fun! It was nice seeing a lot of the characters again (or for the first time in some of the Fountain characters cases) and the dialogue was pretty fun. I need to get level up materials for all my new characters and I might try an aggravate team.

Listening To: No One Else Is Singing My Song and I Hate Everything But You from Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Rose Colored Boy by Paramore, Peace and Love from Steven Universe, Cruel Summer and Ivy by Taylor Swift, Runaway by Aurora, World's Smallest Violin by AJR, The Greatest Show by Panic! At The Disco, Almost by Hozier

[mrsbsmooth]

So we know you love Lewie 💗💗 Any thoughts on the other islanders, the season so far, the twin twist? And what steamy fics can we expect from you 🔥🔥My request is for a threesome with Ozzy and Marshall 🥵👯‍♂️ Wait, am I Kat?! 🤣

tbf a LOT of the islanders are fire this season, so I’ll take them all! Ok, FB has turned me into thirsty Kat.

I MEANNNNNNNNNN

Honestly, thoughts are all over the place. But thank you so much for asking!!! Here they are as of today:

The Game:

The first 3 chapters - 8/10 I was going to give it a 7.5, because of the repeating dialogue and a few spelling mistakes, but so far, I think it's better written than Seasons 4 and 5- maybe on par with S3 which is a season I really enjoyed. I'm really liking how Amelia seems to be responding to how you treat her, especially if you look at the scripts. Whether or not that will affect her actions remains to be seen.

The MC - 8/10 I gotta say... she's pretty cute. It does take some fiddling to get her the way you want her, and some of her facial expressions make it look like she's had botched lip job, but overall, she's definitely prettier than S4 and S5. (Except your S5 MC ^^ wtf she's so pretty???)

The LIs - 9/10 So far, I'm really liking what I'm seeing. Yeah, some of their dialogue is the same. But I think they're different enough in personality and where it matters that it's not as noticeable as it was in say, Season 4, where James and Bruno shared a whole heap of the same dialogue, but it was clearly written with Bruno in mind, so it just seemed OOC for James. We've got a cocky dancer with a hopeless romantic streak; a golden retriever boyfriend with a soft spot for his Nan; a funny, cheeky skateboarder with a 'why-don't-you-make-me' level of flirt; and also Ryan is there. The personalities are distinct, the character designs are great, I'm really looking forward to finding out more about them

Overall design and concept- 7/10 I gotta say, I'm optimistic. It's starting out really strong for a new season. I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea, as it's a little 'gimmicky', but that's the road Fusebox are going down with the past few seasons. They're not just doing an 'open play' like S1, 2 and 3 where you come in as an OG and play all the way through. 4,5, and 6 are all 'themed', and I think having a twin in the villa is a cool concept that'll be worth exploring. It's been easy in previous seasons to just play for yourself, and say 'fuck these hoes' and just take whatever LI you want. But when it's your own sister, I think it'll make it harder to go after what you want - a moral dilemma with a family flavour. I kinda love it. Plus, if you have an identical twin that's as hot as you are, I doubt this is the first time you've had men confused about which one of you to pick💀

The Islanders:

Bella - hot. flawlessly hot. incredible rack. Her character design is absolutely gorgeous, and she is gonna be a fan favourite for sure. She just seems so fun, similar to Cora from S4, but more mature and ready for a romantic relationship. Can't wait to watch her bloom.

Grace - FB I will never forgive you for not making her a LI. I want her, those curves just *chefs kiss*. But honestly, if anyone's gonna be my bestie, I'm feeling it ith Grace. Yeah, she seems to like Ozzy, but she doesn't seem like the type to get her claws in and latch on for dear life a la Kat or Hope. Let's just hope and pray and beg that they're not making a brown girl villain again.

Ivy - I told y'all from the moment I saw her that I didn't trust this bitch. She looks too much like my cousin and my cousin is a backstabbing skank. I'm loving the concept of her though, this super type-A girl who (I almost guarantee) is either going to a) get kicked out early for being too picky, or b) have the most beautiful redemption arc where she ends up with a guy who ticks exactly zero of her boxes but she falls for him anyway. However, given Fusebox's history, I'm gonna predict she's the villain for about 2 days, then gets booted, same as Lexi from S4.

Jamal - Boys with J names 🚩... but honestly he seems nice. He's my backup LI at the moment. I'll see how things go with my #1 and might start again with Jamal instead. I think you're gonna get some wonderfully steamy scenes with this one. He's giving Bobby x Arjun, and that is something that deeply appeals to me. Cheeky, cheeky, cheeky. He's a saucy little minx and he's gonna be trouble, I just know it. Love his design, love his character so far, really happy.

Lewie - I thought he was a little baby-faced to start with, but honestly, I look at him and my brain screams husband. I'm getting Bruno x Gary x Ciaran from this one, and oh dear me, if that's not a combo that makes me swoon IDK what is. Love him so far, he's such a sweetheart but I love a footy lad.

Ozzy - I'm suspicious. I know he's already captured a few peoples' attention, but I was a little dismissive with him and he seemed a bit... red flag-y. Just a little too arrogant, you know? A little too flirtatious for someone who's very aware of how into him Grace is. I did like that he'd never had a one night stand though, although not sure how that meshes with the celebrity he apparently hooked up with in the dance studio? Because in the challenge he said he'd never dated a celebrity, but he also said he's never had a one night stand, so did he have a celebrity FWB????? The stories just aren't adding up to me. I don't trust him. Also his jaw's too sharp. And his flirty face looks like Rocco from S2. This one:

🥴

Ryan - Literally who? I keep forgetting he exists. Take your Timothee Chalamet ass away. IDK why but I'm getting Nicolas vibes from this one. 0/10 do not trust. It's something about the face.

Fics:

You want steamy fics? The @litgwritersroom asks are open, just sayinnnn

[jjksblackgf]

me and mr. jung | jhs (m)

My embarkation ticket to The Seven Seas Collab hosted by @ressjeon. The deep blue waters can be just as messy as solid ground.

pairing — investor!hoseok x singer!reader summary — Looking to diversify his investments, Jung Hoseok decides that cruise ships are the way to go. To get the lay of the land, he embarks on a promising ship, where one of the beautiful performers has his attention immediately. genre — smut, fluff (ish), forbidden love, love at first sight au rate — 18+ word count — 7.2k warnings — explicit sexual content, pov switch, alcohol intake, power dynamics, masturbation (f), unprotected sex, creampie, cum eating if you squint. author’s note — this fic had so many plot changes, y'all 😭 Alas, it's here with all it's glory. Shoutout to Yannie for putting together this amazing collab, and for brainstorming with me <3 And yes, there will be a part two in the future.

The indigo blue stress ball was at its last leg in Hoseok’s hands. He sat behind his mahogany desk, listening to his financial adviser babble about his personal portfolio. He’d seriously considered spiking his cup, but no amount of bourbon on his coffee could make this meeting interesting.

“Listen, Derek,” Hoseok started, “As much as I love talking about money with you, we’ll have to finish this another time. I have another meeting to attend.”

“Oh, of course, Mr. Jung,” Derek said apologetic, already getting up from his seat. “I’ll reschedule with your secretary.”

With Derek out of his office, Hoseok could finally roll his eyes and take a deep breath. How his father managed to get by day in and day out in this company was a mystery. Taking a short minute to rest, he placed his elbows on his desk, looking at a photo of him and his father. His mom took it on a trip to Disneyland when he was five. With big Mickey Mouse ears, and a smile that looked soldered to his face, all Hoseok wanted was to be like his father. He was sitting on his father’s lap, and the picture looked a little blurred, like he’d be jumping up and down, too excited to sit still. 

Many times over the years, Hoseok would come to this very office and see this picture that never left his father’s desk. When dad was in a meeting, he would sit on his leather chair and pretend to make important calls, sometimes indulged by dad’s secretary. All that little boy dreamed about was to be important like his father and make him really proud. 

If he only knew then about the boring meetings with stuck-up business associates, and the bootlicking, barely competent employees, maybe he’d rethink his decision to be a hedge fund manager. Yes, he did get the fun part of dressing in tailored suits every day, but the fun would end there most of the time.

Even with a boring job, Hoseok hadn’t noticed that he’d become a workaholic just like his father. Getting home too late to cook dinner, leaving too early for a proper breakfast, eating lunch at a restaurant every day. How does one become a workaholic with such a boring job? Boring job, but having a talent with numbers. Boring job, but being trained by his Ivy League education. Boring job, but being able to accurately predict the market for his clients. Boring job, but fulfilling his own dreams and his father’s dreams. Boring job, nonetheless.

“Amanda,” Hoseok called through the speaker, “Please reschedule my agenda for this afternoon, I’ll take the rest of the day off.”

“Yes, sir. What should I tell them?”

“Just make up an excuse. Once you’re done with that, take the day off as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hoseok didn’t give a second thought to his decision, just grabbing his coat and wallet before leaving. His apartment was the only place that came to his mind at that moment. No place else sounded interesting enough. 

Turning the keys to his apartment, the first thing he noticed was the mail, piling up on top of his foyer’s accent table. He took them to his couch, determined to sort them out today. He didn’t have anything to do anyway. But by bill number three, he’d given up, laying down and whining into the cushions.

Too many thoughts, too many decisions to make. Should he change his career? If yes, would that tarnish his father’s memory? Would his mom think of him as a traitor? What else was he good at? If he was going to stir the pot, it would have to be something he’s really good at, right? His mind gave him no rest, yet somehow he managed to fall asleep.

Three hours later, his body still felt tired. Hoseok opened his eyes, his gray walls looking like an infinity pool. He had promised himself to buy some art as soon as possible when he moved in. Yet another chore that got pushed back to make room for meetings. He didn’t know if the sun was still up, but the pink hues of the sky clued him in.

Through his peripheral vision, he spotted something colorful on the floor. It was a little too distracting to his eyes. He was still a little disoriented, a little sleepy, but the colorless apartment helped his search. 

With blue and gold letters, an invitation.

Sweet Night Cruise Line would like to formally invite Mr. Jung Hoseok to embark on his next business adventure…

The plane from New York to Lisbon went like a blessing. No screaming babies, no dogs, no fighting couple one seat behind, no chatty passenger by his side, he even slept through the whole 7 hours. A first for this Jung. The flight from Lisbon to Málaga went much the same, fairly empty for a Friday afternoon. Hoseok wanted to take this as a good sign.

But the real showstopper was provided by Mr. Kim, sending a limousine for the one hour drive from the airport to the pier. To take the fastest route, the driver avoided the coast, driving through a small highway. He regretted he didn’t get to see much of Málaga, but that went away as they reached Venus Beach. From his window he could see the locals and tourists enjoying the beach views restaurants. He’d promised himself to come back here before his “business trip” ended.

With a keycard in hand and his luggage being delivered to his cabin, Hoseok followed the young concierge escorting him to Mr. Kim, who was hosting a crew member party before the guests arrived the following day.

“Hoseok, look at you all grown up!” Mr. Kim said, coming to greet him at the deck. Hoseok laughed as they shook hands.

“It’s been too long, Mr. Kim. I hope everything is going well,” Even if not fond of small talk, Hoseok always knew to be polite to everyone, especially to his father's close friends.

“They certainly are. Here, have some champagne,” Mr. Kim offered, waving at a nearby waiter. “If you’re not a party man, Hoseok, my crew will most certainly make one out of you,”

“I can imagine, this is looking impressive!” The party was already a rave. Cameras flashed everywhere, and the music was not awful, vanilla jazz like at his office. That already set them apart from the office crowd he knew. The canapés were to die for, the bottles of champagne just kept on coming, and he couldn’t quite see from that far, but he thought he saw some guys setting up a karaoke machine.

“There’s no crew party like Sweet Night’s. Here, let me introduce you to our staff captain.” Mr. Kim guided him towards a tall man. His black hair was carefully pushed back, and he wasn’t wearing his uniform, or anything super formal for that matter, just a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow and gray slacks. He noticed Mr. Kim was also dressed like the captain, just with blue and black variations of colors. He immediately regretted his choice of dressing in a three-piece suit.

“Hoseok, this is our Staff Captain and my nephew Kim Namjoon,” Mr. Kim introduced, “Namjoon, this is Jung Hoseok, a dear friend of mine, and possibly a future investor. He’ll be staying with us for the first half of our trip.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Jung, I’m very pleased to have you aboard. I’m sure you’ll find our accommodations to your taste,”

“Thank you and please call me Hoseok. I’m already feeling like an old overdressed man, and I’m not even 30 yet.” Hoseok joked and they politely laughed.

“Nonsense, you’re dressed just fine. You have good taste in tailoring,” Mr. Kim encouraged. “Would you like a short tour of the ship? I’ll give you a proper guide as the week progresses.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

Mr. Kim showed very little of each floor. He started by going down two levels and introducing the restaurant and dining hall. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he could see the massive staircase leading to the level above it. The walnut wood was delicately carved into banisters and chairs, probably the tables too. The tables were set with cream colored linens, complimenting the blue curtains and the deep brown of the chairs. 

Going up a level, he could feel the mood switch. The stage perfectly fitted the space. What Hoseok assumed was a dancing floor, was surrounded by small black tables with four seats each, and two circular bars, with at least fifteen seats. The stage was currently tinted with blue light. It had a piano with a 50’s microphone by the side, with two more on the back. The bars were impressive, each with many LED panels on the back and glass shelves by the sides holding many brands of different liquors. 

“This place is bigger than what it looks like right now,” The nephew explained. His deep voice made an echo as they left the empty room. “I would suggest for you to come tomorrow night. It’s 50’s themed, we’re expecting for the dance floor to be full.”

“I’ll certainly come,” Hoseok promised, even though it didn’t sound that promising, as the elevator doors closed behind them.

“And we reach full circle,” Mr. Kim finished the tour. They reached back to the deck, where a big pool and two bars were located. Getting familiarized with the deck, Hoseok looked around, before locking eyes with a familiar face. He knew her from somewhere. He looked puzzled at her, and the woman looked puzzled back. Then realization hit him as they walked closer.

“Daena?” he asked, unsure if it was really her or not. A childhood friend, someone he hasn’t seen in at least 15 years. He saw her last at a pool party at her parents mansion, the summer before 8th grade. Her father was his father’s closest friend in the business world. They’d become attached at the hip for years before Hoseok went to a boarding school in Switzerland.

“Hoseok?” she asked back. When he smiled as a yes, she ran to his embrace. Her hug was as tight as he remembered and she still wore the same floral perfume.

“I’d wager you two know each other,” Mr. Kim joked, and they laughed, pulling away from the hug.

“Yeah, since we were kids, actually. Our fathers were close,” Daena explained, stroking Hoseok’s arm gently. Even if time drove them apart, Daena would know that his father’s passing would always be a sore spot for Hoseok.

“Ms. Daena, I don’t think I introduced you to our staff captain. This is my nephew Kim Namjoon,” Mr. Kim introduced them, and Hoseok noticed as she got shy. Her smile was curt and didn’t reach her eyes. They only nodded to each other.

“What are you doing here anyway, you workaholic?” Daena asked Hoseok, teasing him with a slap to his shoulder. “Don’t you have a country to buy or something?”

“I’m actually here as a possible investor, thank you very much,” Hoseok indulged her teasing, putting his hands on his pockets and leaning forward.

“A powerful man never stops working, I imagine,” she said tantalizingly.

“Hoseok is a man that knows how to work hard while playing harder,” Mr. Kim joined in their banter. He continued to explain how Hoseok’s visit would take place, but Hoseok was too far gone to pay attention. 

Only 10 feet away, standing by one of the bars with a drink in her hand, there was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her skin glowed and contrasted with the pink and orange shades of the sunset, as if she spent the last week being pampered by the sun. She was laughing with her friends, her summer dress flowing with the soft breeze, but still clinging to her figure. She looked well rested, her face showing nothing but enthusiasm and curiosity. 

Her lips looked soft and inviting as he noticed the shimmer of her lip gloss. What a smile.

Hoseok wanted to know that woman. He wanted to know if she smelled of fresh gardenias like he was imagining. Her eyes glistened as she spoke to her friends, and he could tell they were entranced. Must’ve been an interesting story. Or she could just be saying some bullshit. He wouldn’t judge her friends for being hypnotized. It wasn’t their fault. He turns to his group, already engrossed in another conversation, yet he wasn’t ashamed to interrupt their discussion.

“Excuse me, who is that woman in the pink dress over there?” 

“Oh, that’s Y/N, she’s one of our performers. She has a lovely voice.” The nephew, whose name he would make a note to remember, answered.

“I’m sure she does.” He could no longer take his eyes off of her. He felt Daena nudge him in the ribs with her elbows, but he didn’t care if she was going to tease him.

The singer was sipping a delicate looking drink. Maybe a Cosmo? Cranberry vodka? But that was only an afterthought. Hoseok was mesmerized by her body. Her shoulders were exposed, and that already made him salivate. Let alone the curves of her breasts, peeking through the opening of her cleavage. Her legs were another thing entirely; a central feature in Hoseok’s mind. They would be the star of his imagination for many days to come. Her beautiful feet were adorned with delicate heels, with thin straps that swirled around her calves. Sexy. Beautiful. Hot. Goddess.

“Do you want to meet the crew?” Mr. Kim asked, and Hoseok snapped out of his trance.

“If that’s not too much,” Hoseok agreed, trying his best to not break into a victory dance.

The soft wind shifted in their direction, and with it came the most delicate sweet scent. It had to be her perfume, no questions about it. Once they reached her, Hoseok had to concentrate very hard to not drool at her feet.

“Ms. Y/N,” Mr. Kim called, “This is Jung Hoseok, he’s a dear friend and he’ll be our guest for the first leg of our trip.”

“Hello,” she said, and Hoseok felt like he could melt right there. Was that shimmering bells he heard when she spoke? “Is very nice to meet you, Mr. Jung.” she offered her hand with that kilowatt smile. Concentrating very hard in forbidding the excitement in his stomach to travel to his pants, Hoseok shook her hand with both of his. Better to focus on her soft hands instead of the thrill he felt when she called him Mr. Jung.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Hoseok almost whispered, his voice thick with satisfaction. 

“And this is Ms. Lee Daena, another dear friend and our guest,” Mr. Kim intervened.

“Is very nice to meet you, Ms. Lee,” Hoseok was completely hypnotized, only looking at Y/N as she spoke to Daena. The softest voice. The sexiest voice. The reincarnation of Aphrodite herself. 

“Please, call me Daena,” she said, shaking the hand Y/N extended. Daena also pinched Hoseok’s arm and whispered “Get your shit together.” He didn’t. 

“I heard you have a lovely voice,” Hoseok complimented Y/N. Anything to distract the butterflies in his stomach. If it was anything like her speaking voice, Hoseok could only imagine the hold she had on the other guests.

“That’s what I hear too, but I don’t think I can agree that much,” she said with humility.

“Maybe I’ll just have to hear it and judge for myself, then,” Hoseok teased, focusing on keeping a smirk off his face.

“I guess that would be best,” she agreed, and her eyes sparkled. Hoseok couldn’t help but pay attention to the beauty of her face now that he could see it up close. Her cheeks looked as soft as her hands. He wanted to see it for himself. He almost slipped in his composure. Maybe some other time. 

“Well, let me introduce you to the rest of the staff,” Mr. Kim said, taking Hoseok off his trance again. 

Mr. Kim was right about the crew party. There would be no other like this. The food kept coming, along with the champagne. He was partly expecting to see a beer keg somewhere, and he had to remind himself he wasn’t at a college party in the 90’s. The karaoke was set at a makeshift stage, and various staff members took their turns. Hoseok also expected for Y/N to go up there and sing too, but she kept her place amongst her friends.

Hoseok was torn the entire night. He knew he was on vacation, but to everyone else he was a guest. And to stare at a staff member was wildly inappropriate. But he couldn’t help it, she was just too magnetic. She was probably a siren, taking him off his normal routes and alluring him to his death. Hoseok fidgeted the entire time he was accompanying Mr. Kim as they made the rounds. Every now and then, he’d look at her direction like a lunatic. 

“Stop staring or go talk to her. Either way, stop squirming like a little boy,” Daena whispered by his side, only playfully annoyed.

“First of all, I’m not staring, I’m just making business observations about the deck. Second of all, not while Mr. Kim is looking,” Hoseok whispered back.

“Afraid of getting caught, Mr. Boy Scout? Not much wild in you, huh?”

“Stop talking like that. We’re not in the 60’s,” Hoseok hissed, and she chuckled. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Just because,” she said, shrugging. “Don’t worry about that. I'll distract Mr. Kim now, make a run for it.” Daena offered and immediately started an animated conversation with Mr. Kim. Hoseok didn’t waste time, and in seconds he was at Y/N’s side.

“I thought I was going to see you sing tonight at the karaoke,” he said, making her turn to look at him. 

“I thought I could give the other a fighting chance,” she answered, taking the last sip of her drink. 

“What if I was Ebony and you were Ivory?” he joked, and she snorted, rolling her eyes. “Maybe some Endless Love if you’re feeling really corny.”

“Oh, that would be just fantastic. But between you and me, I don’t know if you can hold an E-flat,” she teased, leaning into him.

“Try me,” he leaned forward too, whispering the words to her. He looked into her curious eyes, and for a moment he forgot where they were. Her cheeks looked tempting again, but they were overshadowed by her lips, plump and soft, almost parted for a kiss. He leaned even more, throwing caution to the wind.

“Hey, are you ready to go?” someone asked by their side. A tall male, one of her friends, stood there with his hands in his pockets. Y/N corrected her posture, and Hoseok was quick to do the same. The friend looked suspiciously at Hoseok, before doing the same to Y/N.

“Yes, I’m ready,” she announced, grabbing her phone and adjusting her hair. “Have a good night, Mr. Jung.” she said politely.

“Have a good night, Y/N.” 

A lot of mantras went by Y/N’s head during the past three weeks. Ignore the way he’s looking at me. Do not bite your lip right now. Stop imagining yourself on your knees. Stop staring at his lips. Dating a guest is wrong. Dating a guest is wrong. Dating a guest is wrong. They all seemed worthless in the end. She could only listen to the last one. 

“Again, another great set,” Hoseok complimented, reaching for her hand. She took it as she walked down the stairs by the side of the rehearsing stage. Ignore the way it feels when he holds your hand. If he could only read her mind… “You do know how to put a setlist together.”

“Well, thank you,” Y/N said, “I am a fan of the 70’s, so I had to go all out.”

“You say you’re a fan of the 70’s and yet I see no Bee Gees in there,” Hoseok teased.

“That’s because I actually have a personality.”

“Oh really? With all that ABBA? You say I don’t have a personality, but if you really want to talk about something generic…” Hoseok continued, shrugging his shoulders.

Y/N gasped, pulling her hands off of his to playfully slap his arms multiple times. “You did not just call ABBA generic!”

“I’m sorry,” he laughed freely, trying to avoid her hits.

“Just when I was starting to like you, and you say stuff like this,” Y/N whined, crossing her arms. She pouted, shaking her head. She thought she was looking pathetic, but anything to flirt with him.

“Aw, look at you pouting,” Hoseok whined, teasing her. “Would you forgive me if I apologized?” he said softly, stroking her arm with one hand, grabbing her chin with the other. She let him guide her eyes to him, and he smiled softly. 

“Maybe,” she encouraged him, maybe batting her eyelashes a little. He squinted his eyes when he saw the playful smile on her lips.

“I’m sorry for thinking ABBA is boring and generic,” he said mockingly, a big smile plastered on his lips.

“Because they are influential to pop music to this day,” she said, and he rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying that,” he countered, with the bickering yet defying voice he always had.

“Yes, you are,” she chanted, her smile only getting bigger. She thought he would be used to it now. It’s not like that was the first time he made fun of her musical taste.

“Because they are influential to pop music to this day,” he said, sighing heavily after.

“How did that taste like?” she asked, already knowing he hated saying those words.

“Like vinegar,” he frowned. “So, am I forgiven?” he probed.

“Yes, you are,” she said softly.

“That’s good,” he whispered. She then felt Hoseok caress her cheek, ever so tenderly. His thumb left her chin and grazed her jaw, before his hand traveled to her neck. 

She took in a sharp breath. No one was around to witness any of that, Y/N was always careful to talk to him without anyone around. She wanted this to be the moment where she finally gave in to her desires. To finally kiss his lips, that looked so soft and inviting. He leaned forward, his nose touching hers, his sweet breath hitting her face.

“We can’t,” she whispered. He took a deep breath, but he didn’t move an inch away from her.

“Why not?”

“You’re a guest,” she started, “And I could-”

“Don’t think of me as a guest,” Hoseok interrupted, taking a step back to look into her eyes.

“I don’t have any other way to see it,” she continued, shrugging, “I can’t jeopardize my job like this.”

“You won’t,” Hoseok said, taking her hand back in his. “I kind of work here anyway, so you should think of me as a coworker.” He insisted and she laughed nervously.

“I can’t, that’s not what you are. You are a guest, and possibly my future boss. My love life needs to be separate!” 

“I get that, I really do,” Hoseok sighed. “I’m sorry for putting you in this position, I’m not thinking clearly.”

“You’re forgiven,” she said, kindly. She sighed and he joined her. Maybe if her decisions existed in a bubble, where one couldn’t interfere with the other… 

“In the spirit of being honest, I just wanted you to know that I find you really attractive,” Hoseok said, sounding apologetic. “And I see that it was very unprofessional of me to put you in this position, and I respect your decision. And when I was flirting with you, I thought you were flirting back. It’s my mistake that I-”

“I was flirting back,” she whispered, not wanting him to apologize for something she also had a hand in.

“Okay then,” Hoseok sighed. She looked deeply into his eyes. She could feel the sorrow being expressed in her own face. “I really wanted to kiss you,” he said softly, “and maybe do some other stuff too,” he continued jokingly, and she chuckled.

“I really wanted to kiss you too,” she reassured him.

“So it’s a no to the other stuff?” he teased, making her roll her eyes. “If you change your mind…”

“You’ll be the first one to know,” she promised.

Y/N spent the rest of the day in her cabin, thinking about Hoseok. She was starting to regret her stupid, stupid decision to not kiss him. His lips were right there, no more than an inch apart with his hand at her neck. All she had to do was lift her chin a little to reach paradise. The lips she had been dreaming about for weeks. She could finally pull his hair and moan to his lips. So what if she was going to lose her job? She could always find another one. She would not find another set of arms that she would like to be in. At least not this much. The arms that would pull her to his chest, maybe even squeeze her hips. 

But that door was closed. It needed to be.

Laying down on her small bed, she closed her eyes and traced all the memories she had of his hands with her own. Those damn hands. The way he touched her neck with just the tip of his fingers, his thumb caressing her cheek and jaw. He was driving her to insanity. His hands would also caress her arms, tender strokes that she wanted to feel in every inch of her body.

She wished he was there with her. She wished she could guide his hands through her body. If he was going to drive her to insanity, at least drive her to orgasm too. Too worked up to look back, she imagined his hands cupping her breasts. Her breath caught, and she felt her nipples getting hard through the fabric of her dress.

She also wanted him to touch her thighs. His palm would travel up and down her legs, before settling at her hips. She quickly pulled down her underwear, not wanting to lose the momentum of her imagination. She also wanted him to kiss her inner thighs, but her fingers would do for the moment. Moving up and down softly through her inner thighs, she whispered his name.

Her fingers reached her folds, and she hissed once she realized the pool that formed. Slowly circling her clit, she moaned his name again and again. She imagined what his lips would feel like. She wanted to grip his hair for him to stay put, and his tongue would go up and down per her request. 

Her fingers picked up the pace, and she curled the sheet with her free hand. She wanted to feel him moan against her cunt, beg for him to suck her clit. The knot in her stomach got tighter and tighter, and she couldn’t control herself anymore. She moaned his name again, loudly this time, as the climax reached her body. 

“Shit,” she whispered. She knew at that moment it was impossible to ignore the way he affected her. She honestly didn’t want to.

“I ain’t got no money… I ain’t like those other guys you hang around,” Y/N sang the first lines of her last song of the night. The crowd was exceptionally encouraging, she would give credit to her stage presence. At first they mostly drank at the bar, and some couples danced together, but at that moment they all paid attention to her performance, she was giving it her all. She could pull all that passion from personal experience. “I Wanna Be Your Lover” was only the cherry on top, to end the night in a funky mood. But the true crowd pleasers were “If You Really Love Me”, “If I Were Your Woman”, “Let’s Stay Together”, and “Touch Me In the Morning”. Oddly timed.

Did she really have to set up all of those love songs on the same night she decided to not deny her desires? And to make matters worse, she knew he was watching. She moved her body the way she knew he liked it too. Swinging her hips this way and that. Dancing and tapping her hips to the beat of the drums. She was also feeling herself in her bell bottom jeans with bell sleeve tie top. A dangerous combo, but she wanted something out of that night. She wanted him. 

So she decided to let him know. He would need to pay attention to that moment.

“Before we end this beautiful night, I just wanted to dedicate this next song to a friend of mine,” she started saying before the band could leave their marked places. She found him in the crowd quickly, locking his eyes easily. The unscripted message got his attention. “I hope he’s paying attention. I’ll know he’ll like this one.” She took a deep breath and started acapella.

“Me and Mrs. Jones,” she started the first notes and the crowd cheered, some couples went back to dancing, enjoying the slow pace of the song. “We got a thing going on,” the band followed her lead, one by one until the song was luscious and lustful.

“We both know that it’s wrong,” Piano.

“But it’s much too strong to let it go now,” Base.

“We meet every day, at the same café,” Guitar.

“At six thirty, and no one knows she’ll be there,” Sax.

“Holding hands, making all kinds of plans, while the jukebox plays our favorite song,” The song progressed and Hoseok got closer to the stage, leaving the shadow of the bar where he sat every day to watch her perform. “Well, it’s time for us to be leaving. It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside.” He was standing in front of the stage by that point, hands in his pockets, a confused look on his face. She needed to make herself clearer. 

“Now she'll go her own way and I'll go mine,” She stared directly into his brown eyes, she said everything she wanted to in her head, in hopes it would translate to her eyes. He had to understand. “But tomorrow we’ll meet at the same place, at the same time,” The confused look was gone, and a smirk replaced his features. He winked and she fell like swooning, but she could only watch while he walked away, “Me and Mrs. Jones…”

The song ended, and she wished the crowd goodnight, excusing herself before the band could ask any questions she didn’t want to answer. She started to walk around the bar and the dance floor, politely nodding while people congratulated her performance. He was nowhere to be found. She would scream his name on every floor if it were necessary. 

She walked towards the elevator, but the influx of people was too big, it would take forever; she’d have to do a one-eighty and bolt for the stairs. Looking at her feet, trying not to fall in heels, she went up the steps as fast as she could.

“Excuse me, miss,” she heard a male voice in front of her, but she didn’t look up. The man was insistent and held her arm, halting her steps. She turned to face him, angry words almost coming out of her lips. But at the step behind her, Hoseok was smiling angelically, his eyes glistening under the lights of the room. “Can I have your autograph?” he continued, climbing up a step to get leveled with her.

“Yes, you can,” she replied, all traces of anger gone from her features. 

“I don’t have pen and paper with me. Do you mind going to my cabin so we can find one?” He whispered to her ear, before quickly kissing her earlobe. A shiver went up and down her spine, and she had to control every movement of her body. Having sex in public was still illegal. 

“Yes, we can do that,” she whispered back. 

Hoseok wasted no time in guiding her to his cabin. They walked through a secluded hallway from the bar to a private elevator. She’d never been there before, but she knew it led to the VIP lounge. She barely saw the keycard hit the touch screen, and Hoseok pressed the buttons quickly. He was in a hurry too. They stood on opposite sides of the elevator, facing each other.

“Are you sure about this?” Hoseok asked, tapping his foot to the ground, he looked a little nervous.

“I’m sure.” 

The elevator door opened, and he guided her through the lounge and inside another hallway. They walked too quickly, she was certain someone was watching closely through the security footage, but her decision didn’t waiver. He opened his door for her, and she stood facing his ocean view window. She could only see the blackness of the night, but she was sure it would be beautiful during the day. She heard noises in the back and turned to see Hoseok pouring two drinks from his mini fridge.

“For confidence?” He offered her a glass, but she shook her head.

“I don’t need it.” She whispered, the shaky feeling of what she was about to do finally setting in. He put the glasses down and came to her side, holding her hands to his heart.

“It’s okay if you change your mind,” he said, and she chuckled, but her stomach felt restless. She was finally getting what she wanted. His lips were close, and this time she didn’t want to say no. She didn’t have to. She was committing to that moment.

“I’m not going to change my mind,” she answered, taking a step further with a small smile. Her breasts touched the fabric of his light blue suit, and she remembered earlier in the day, with her imagination unfettered. She closed her eyes. It wasn’t going to be only imagination anymore. “Hold me,” she ordered. She didn’t open her eyes when his arms held her waist, hugging her figure to his chest. “Kiss me,” she whispered. And he did.

His warm lips were just as soft as she imagined. His tongue caressed her bottom lip, and in a quest to taste his breath, her own tongue met his. Her hands, firmly pressed against his arms, went to stroke his hair and neck. She pulled his hair, and he moaned at the sensation, holding her tighter against his body. She bit his lower lip, doing the best she could to press her hips against his own. She had his help when his hands gripped her hips and ass.

They both let loose. His jacket was on the floor in a second, and his hands were quick to untie her blouse, exposing her bra. Her hands traveled down his chest as she opened the buttons of his shirt. He stripped her pants and panties off while he kissed her jaw and neck, until he could lick and suck on her cleavage. She opened his belt and unzipped his pants in the process, massaging his cock as soon as she reached his boxers. 

In a flash, she dragged his pants and boxers down his legs, and found herself to her knees, reenacting the most famous scene of her imagination. He hissed when she kissed his tip and licked his length. She spat in her hand and stroked him up and down, before doing the same with her mouth. He growled, and his deep voice excited her even further. Her walls clenched when she felt his full size inside her mouth. It filled her perfectly. She sucked him faster and faster, getting aid from her hand. She was salivating for more, clenching in anticipation. Her hand left his cock to massage her own clit. She needed no support from her wet hand, her folds were already pooled. 

“Yes,” he hissed, moving his hips in harmony with her mouth, “touch that pretty cunt, baby,” he held her in place by her neck, thrusting his hips further down her throat. They moaned in unisson. He took his cock out of her mouth, the long saliva trail dripping on the floor. “Let me fuck you,” he whispered, begging. She nodded her head fiercely.

He helped her get up to her feet and guided her to the sofa by the window. She took her top and bra off and laid down, eyes wide with expectation. He opened her legs widely, and placed himself in between, holding one thigh to his waist. He used her wet labia to lubricate himself, sliding his dick up and down. She hissed as his tip stroked her clit. She clenched as he slowly entered her core, and her breath caught. She moaned his name.

“Yes, baby, call for me,” he said to her ear, catching her earlobe with his teeth. She moaned his name again and again as his strokes got faster and faster. His hand squeezed her thigh, and he grunted. The vibrations of his voice sent chills down her spine. “Fuck, you’re so hot,” he whispered.

His pace never slowed, and they moaned each other's names. She felt the knot build up in her abdomen, and her breath got shallow and quicker. “Fuck me,” she scremead, breathing harder. His hips picked up the speed, the sound of their hips meeting getting louder. She felt free to moan louder as he grunted more and more. “I’m close,” she whispered, “Let me cum on that dick, Mr. Jung,” she whined. He squeezed her thigh harder, grunting incoherently. She then felt the warmth of his jizz inside of her.

“No,” he said, breathing heavily. His hips settled still.

“W-What?”

“You’re going to cum on my mouth,” he said, readjusting her body so she was sitting. He kneeled on the floor, placing her thighs on his shoulders. His tongue went to her clit, and she gasped, placing her hands on his hair. He swirled the tip of his tongue, sliding two fingers inside her filled pussy. She hissed with the sensation. He curled his fingers, massaging her spot.

“Suck on it,” she begged. He complied immediately. His free hand massaged one of her tits, and she pulled her head back, overwhelmed with pleasure. The familiar knot came back, and she sucked a quick breath. “I’m so close,” she repeated, and Hoseok increased the pressure. She tugged his hair as she felt the warm release of the knot, and in a final moan, she fell limp on his couch.

Y/N heard the birds chirping outside. Was it morning already? She felt an unfamiliar stroke up and down her back, and was suddenly alarmed. She sat up quickly in the bed, only to see a confused Hoseok laying down by her side.

“Nightmare?” he asked, worried. She rubbed her eyes, looking around his room. The memories started to flood her head. The unplanned serenade, the quick walk down his hallway, the couch. The shower that led to a second round. The bickering over her use of his shirt to sleep. “Y/N?” he repeated, sounding a little alarmed.

“I’m okay,” she affirmed, she looked into his eyes, and he was still not convinced. “Really, everything’s fine. I’m just not used to waking up with someone else on the bed,” she confessed.

“Come here,” he asked, patting the place she’d just left. She agreed, laying her head against his chest. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said, kissing her forehead.

“Mornin’,” she replied, stretching her arms and legs.

“How are you feeling?”

“Feeling good,” she replied, stretching her neck to kiss his lips. “Real good,” she continued playfully, wiggling her eyebrows. He chuckled.

“How about some breakfast in bed?” he offered, hugging her tighter to his side.

She felt her body tense, and she stayed silent. As good as it was, there were still consequences she would have to deal with. What was going to happen to her job? For all she knew, Mr. Kim could be right outside waiting to fire her while she was dressed in her panties and Hoseok’s button up. And what about the future? What did the future held with this strange man she just had unprotected sex with?

“I don’t know,” she finally answered.

“Are the regrets knocking at your door?” he asked softly, back to stroking her back.

“Yes, and no,” she admitted, and Hoseok took a deep breath.

“Talk to me,” he prompted.

“My job…” she started, sorrow seeping through. 

“Don’t worry about it,” he said matter of fact. “Your job is safe.”

“What do you mean?” she probed.

“Just trust me,”

“I want to, but you’ll have to tell me,” she pushed, getting up and supporting her weight in one elbow. “What did you do?”

“It’s a long story, okay?” he answered, pushing his hair back. “I can tell you what I know over dinner, tho,” he offered, smugly. “Tomorrow night. Let’s take advantage of the fact that we are in France, and I’ll fly us to Paris for a date. What do you say?” he continued, his eyes sparkling like a puppy dog.

“I say you’re insane,”

“Well, at least I’m hot,” he joked, and she snorted.

“Hoseok, be serious.”

“I am,” he declared. She started to get up, but he stopped her, holding her arm. “Please, just listen to my offer. Let’s just say that in the hypothetical situation where your job is safe, and no one knew we just had the hottest sex of my life, would you go out with me?” She looked at his begging face for a minute, and he pouted cutely as she pondered. “Or was this just a one night thing? You don’t have to pretend you have feelings or anything. I’m a grown man.”

“I don’t want this to be just a one night stand,” she confessed.

“Okay, good, neither do I. Then back to the hypothetical scenario,” he said, cheerful, sitting up by her side.

“And that’s only if my job is safe and sound,” she threatened. 

“Okay. If your job is safe and sound, would you be willing to date me?” he asked.

“I guess…”

“You guess?” he asked, shocked.

“If my job is safe and sound, I don’t want to jeopardize it…”

“So?” he prompted.

“So, any dating would have to happen far and outside from the ship.”

“Fine by me.”

“And while inside the ship, we have to pretend like nothing is happening between us.” she continued, a little more shy this time. Maybe this would be too much for him. Maybe this would be too much for her. She didn’t know if she was capable of pretending nothing was happening.

“That’s also fine by me,” he promised. “With that out of the way, do you want to go to Paris with me?”

“I’ll meet you outside of the pier by 5.”

[heart-wit-strength]

I did write a bit of a small drabble for this au once I'd be happy to share :3

Pls know this writing is from 2 years ago so it's nearly not as good lmao

~~

"We've never been in such a bind before, and I thank you for the consideration, Ms. Boonchuy, you really saved the day." Marcy said gratefully as she led the blond woman down the hallway.

"Yeah, of course. No problem." Sasha smiled at her, tucking her hands behind her back. "So...how does this work? Are you gonna pay me up front?"

"I-I don't understand." Marcy blinked.

"Oh y'know…It'd be great if you could pay me right now in cash." Sasha replied, nervously ruffling a hand through her hair.

"Don't worry. We can get to that by the end of the day."

"And when is the end of the day?"

Marcy paused in track, continuing to eye her deadpanned, which almost made Sasha fluster. "3 o'clock. Thought you'd know that."

"Do you mind if I can cut out a bit sooner? I have some other stuff to do." Sasha paused as she saw Marcy giving her a firm look. "I mean-"

"Ms. Boonchuy," Marcy stated, voice firm with authority, the gentle tone vanishing. "This is considered the best elementary school in all of Newtopia. And I hope you understand we have a reason to maintain a strict code for our reputation. I expect you to take this seriously."

Sasha blinked, unsure whether to be jittered or intrigued by her sudden change of attitude, "O-Of course I'm taking this seriously. And you don't have to worry about me, I'm a hard-ass and if a kid misbehaved I'll gladly make them fall in line," she rolled up her sleeve, only for Marcy to immediately cut in.

"Please, no. We don't do anything like that here. Ms. Boonchuy, if you have a problem with any of your students, just send them over to me, and I'll do the disciplining."

"Works for me." Sasha finger gunned with a wink.

Marcy led her into the classroom, the kids who were running around quickly rushed to take a seat at the sight of the principal. "Please take a seat everyone." She announced cheerfully.

"Miss Wu, is that our new teacher?" Ivy sat in the first row and was the first one to speak up.

"I'd like to introduce you to your new substitute teacher. Miss Boonchuy." Sasha slowly walked into the room, giving a stern gaze to each of the kids in the room, some of them looking down or away in discomfort. Marcy sensed the tension and gave them all a pleasant smile before turning to the girl. "Why don't you write your name on the board?"

"Yep, sure. Why not?" Sasha walked over to the board, grabbing a piece of chalk and began writing her name.

'M-I-S-S B-O-O-O…'

Sasha really wished she had learned better how to spell right now. She couldn't risk the embarrassment of misspelling what was supposed to be her own name in front of the principal. "Y'know what?" She erased the board. "Why don't you just call me miss. B? It's more efficient." Marcy nodded in approval and turned to the students.

"Miss. B has never taught here before so I expect y'all to be on your best behavior." She stated, getting some nods from the kids and turned back to the teacher. "That's all, are there any other questions you've got?"

Sasha stood sloppily with a foot upon the table and gazed at Marcy. "Yeah, dude. When's the lunch?"

Marcy's smile vanished into an annoyed grumble. "The kids just had their lunch." She hissed. "Anything else that you need?"

Sasha scratched the back of her neck and shrugged. "Well, I'm a teacher, all I need are minds to mold." Marcy forced a smile herself and left the room, closing the door behind her. Awkward silence filled the room before Sasha eyes the students and let out a heavy sigh. This was gonna be a handful.

So apparently I had an amphibia school of rock au long ago with Sasha being a jobless rock artist freeloading in Anne's apartment and this close to getting kicked out by the Plantars, impersonates Anne to be a substitute school teacher, falls in love with principal Marcy while teaching the kids rock music in secret