#would minimum wage fix them

[wouldminimumwagefixthem]

Siffrin(ISaT)

[izzy-b-hands]

I will be forever grateful i can be on this new med. it's one a lot of folks also need and can struggle to have access to! It's important i be on it, especially if i start doing any vid collabs

(some of which, really, all of which, i unfortunately actually need to cancel that were in the preplanning stages, bc the election results have me wanting to wait and see how the general atmosphere of the country is before i agree to meet up with anyone. I feel bad for cancelling, but also i just can't know for sure how safe things are/might be going forward and I'd rather avoid the potential of. ya know. various not great things that could happen at a meet up, tho i would certainly hope they wouldn't. i don't feel like actually addressing them rn, u guys know what i mean)

That said, if the truvada initial side effects could fuck off asap would be so lovely. three weeks at worst, then they should be gone/much better or so i am told. really hope that's true bc losing my mornings to being dizzy and nauseous is Not Working for me lmao. im on week two, and now understand why my new doc said to call if i needed any 'cheerleading' and support to get thru the side effects, bc apparently she's done that for several ppl to make sure they actually make it thru the three weeks and keep on it (lovely of her!!)

[silverislander]

i've been thinking a lot recently abt how different my current job is to my first job and how much more i like it and why, and it really just comes down to like. basic humanity. at the hardware store, it was a really intense "time to lean time to clean" mentality, we weren't allowed to chat with the other cashiers even during slow days, we couldn't get caught reading/drawing/goofing off while on cash, we weren't even allowed to leave the corral. at the supermarket, we're expected to take our time w the customers and talk to them. the managers and other departments come out when they're bored to come chat w us! i read the local paper during slow hours and draw in between customers, and its great! everyone is also just really nice and friendly which is fantastic, i can't name one person over there i don't get along with

and i happened to remember the first meeting i had to go to for the hardware store lmfao. i showed up in uniform bc there was no indication that it was a meeting instead of a regular shift, we were basically told to go stock the shelves/face items for an hour (? still not sure why. they did this to all of us and it did Not need to be done) and while we were paid for that time i was NOT trained for it, so when customers came up and asked like "hey wheres the plumbing section" i had to go "um. i don't know :) let's go find someone else" and had no way to deal with it when they inevitably got really fucking mad w me for not being able to help them

and then when the meeting finally actually started, it opened w the manager going "ok i heard some of you had some things you wanted to discuss!" and a couple of the other cashiers reading off a list of issues they wanted to address. none of which were actually addressed. it was shit like "when you guys come down to customer service and immediately disregard the policies we've just explained, it makes us look like the bad guys and gets us treated very poorly by future customers" "ok well are we supposed do about that :)"/"you need to give us our breaks on time. if managers have to be in charge of telling us when we're allowed to go on break, they need to make sure they're not hours late when doing that" "well we're really busy so sometimes we forget but i guess we'll try :)"

... yeah. if i had been a little bit smarter at the time, i would have realized 2wks in that this was a baby union, we were being exploited and i was abt to have the shittiest fucking summer lmao

[undyinglantern]

logically I don’t even think I’m doing horribly (the guy training me told the manager I was doing “pretty well” about handling a “mini-rush”) but mentally my mind keeps telling me oh he’s just lying because we keep getting out breaks at the same time and since I’m practically tailing him of course he’s say that to be nice during the only opportunity to speak to the manager. Only since I’m around and can listen in is he saying something nice.

[medicinemane]

Honestly both my mom's parents just kind of suck and made things a lot worse, while not realizing how much they specifically are the problem

Like oh, you're daughter's a fuck up who can't manage money? Wonder who she picked that up from

[skypperlegacy]

Hello. I'm really sorry I haven't updated here, I really don't know how many people are going to see this. The place in the photo above is called Catia, it is a popular lower-middle class area close to where I live.

Currently in Venezuela the largest electoral fraud in its history is occurring. Thousands of people around the country are protesting against A DICTATORSHIP that has left the minimum wage in misery, economic support for elderly adults in almost nothing, and universities in ruins thanks to the fact that the governors steal the money. money that is destined to fix them. There are few artists or public figures in my country who say anything about it, since many of them have bought their silence. Please, many in our peaceful protests have been kidnapped by the national guard, and they are minors. They are transferred to El Helicoide, the largest torture center in the country.

I am currently serving first aid during the protests, but I also fear for my life. There are seniors and many young people with us. Today a guard almost stole my cell phone.

You would help us a lot as a nation by reblogging this and spreading it, thank you very much. May the virgin bless you.

[harunayuuka2060]

Crowley: MC? MC? I have a new job for you—

Grim: The hench-human is at the roof, fixing the holes.

Crowley: Oh. Would you tell them to get down so we could talk?

Grim: Nah. It's raining. I don't want to get wet.

Crowley: I'll just wait here then. And ooh~ Looks like they've made some changes already.

Grim: They said it was barely habitable. They got a few things from the storage room to renovate the dorm a little.

Crowley: What a talented individual.

Grim: So, what do you want from my hench-human?

Crowley: You see, I'm thinking of turning you both into students of Night Raven College.

Grim: Mryah! Really?!

Crowley: Yes. I've realized that it would be a waste to just have them work as a janitor.

Grim: Mryahah~! Wait. *frowns at him*

Crowley: Is there something wrong, Grim?

Grim: You want to exploit my hench-human!

Crowley: Wh— Of course not! Where does that come from?!

Grim: They're already cleaning the whole school and that isn't enough for you?!

Crowley: I have provided you food and shelter!

Grim: Hench-human has to work outside the school mryah! Because the food you're giving us ain't enough!

Crowley: They still have time for that— *clears throat*— Well, they could've asked for more. That shouldn't be my problem.

MC: *walks in* *dripping wet* Hey, Grim. Can you grab me some towel— *noticed Crowley*— What do you want?

Grim: *flies to their side* He wants to exploit us!

Crowley: Certainly not! I'm here to offer you to officially become a student of our school. *smiling*

MC: *raised an eyebrow*

MC: Yeah. Grim sure could use that.

Crowley: H-How about you? Are you not interested?

MC: Nah. I'm good. I had vocational courses in my world. No need for me to have a diploma here.

Crowley: Oh. I did hear from Grim you got a job outside the campus.

MC: Yeah. I realized I can't live off solely from your benevolence when I'm feeding a glutton.

Grim: I'm not a glutton!

Crowley: ...

Crowley: I see. But as you've said, Grim could use this opportunity. So would you be taking the job I'm about to offer you?

MC: *smirks* Sure. I can use some extra income.

Crowley: ...

Crowley: I can only offer you a minimum wage.

MC: I'm not picky.

Crowley: Wonderful!

Leona: Huh? Who's that?

Ruggie: Don't you know? They're the janitor.

Leona: What are they doing here in Savanaclaw?

Ruggie: They've come to inspect each dorm in Night Raven College.

Leona: Huh?

MC: Some of the rooms here are full of shit.

Savanaclaw students: Why do you care?

MC: Shitty rooms, shitty people. *yawns* I feel like burning this whole place down.

Savanaclaw students: You can't do that!

MC: I can, pals. If you don't start cleaning right now.

Leona: ...

*In the housewarden meeting*

Leona: Hey, Crowley. What's up with that?

Crowley: *smiling* Is there a problem, Kingscholar?

Leona: Why does that punk get to do a dorm inspection?

Idia: Yeah! They have no respect to anyone's privacy!

Vil and Riddle: ...

Riddle: That isn't true at all.

Vil: Heartslabyul and Pomefiore were commended for their unwavering commitment to cleanliness and orderliness.

Vil: And they had asked for permission beforehand.

Azul: Though if you were to decline, they would persist and resort to using force to gain entry.

Kalim: I got scolded for keeping bugs in the kitchen...

Riddle: What the hell—

Crowley: MC's job as a dorm inspector only happens every end of the week. So you have nothing to worry about regarding invasion of privacy. *smiles*

Grim: Hench-human... *seems exhausted* *flies to their arms*

MC: You alright, buddy?

Grim: I hate classes... I give up.

MC: *chuckles* Looks like your preschool brain can't handle college classes.

Grim: Mryah! What did you say?!

MC: *pets him* Told ya to learn your ABC's first.

Grim: MRRAAAAHHHH!!!

MC: Easy, bud. Easy. I got you some food.

Grim: Take back what you said!

MC: Nuh-uh. Just prove me wrong.

Grim: I'll prove you wrong! Watch me!

[dare-to-dm]

I voted earlier today. There were a lot of big things on the Missouri ballot other than the presidential election, such as ranked choice voting, an abortion amendment, sports gambling and increasing minimum wage. So even though I know my state is going to swing red, I don't feel like I wasted my time going to the polls.

However, there was a snafu at the polls. Basically the machine that we feed our paper ballots into jammed. I wasn't too nervous though, because I saw the poll workers there react quickly, calmly and professionally. They immediately started gathering the ballots of those who hadn't been able to put them in the machine, and assured us all that the ballots would still be counted as normal. And they replaced the ballot of the poor guy who jammed the machine, because it was completely shredded.

I reached out to my housemate who was also working the polling place to see if he could give me further insight on how our ballots would be treated. I was a little nervous that my ballot might be treated like a provisional ballot since it wasn't being counted by the machine. Provisional ballots are perfectly legitimate of course, but I just know the Republicans are going to throw up a stink about them this year and try to paint them as a source of fraud.

Anyway, my housemate got back to me to let me know that they had fixed the machine as quickly as possible. And that all the ballots that were collected during that time would be fed into the machine at the end of the polling period and counted as normal.

It's a lot easier to have trust in the system when you're not afraid to ask questions and make sure you understand the process. From what I observed, I have trust that my local polling place is being run ethically and efficiently. I am very grateful that someone I trust is directly involved in overseeing the process. This is the value of community involvement.

[kafka-ish]

I think if Art wasn’t as serious about tennis he’d be such a coworker. Maybe it’d be in between summers at Stanford and it’s your first week there. He’s scheduled to train you, show you the ropes but when you first walk in he thinks you’re just another customer, a really pretty customer that’s got him changing up the script. Hey! How’s it going? What can I do for you? Find everything alright? He’s already thinking of ways he can slip you his number, maybe he’ll write it on your receipt. And he’s typing in his ID to give you his discount, anything until you say, “Actually, I work here.”

Art stops typing. Looks up, completely dumbstruck because you’re too pretty to be selling yourself out for some minimum wage corporation, to be doing any sort of labor. You need to be taken care of; any reason you should step foot in here would be to pick out a new tennis racket for a match you have. But you’re here. You work here. So he cancels out the order and says something about how he’ll get you a t-shirt, stay there.

He’ll take you to the back where the employee bathrooms are. You watch his fingers when he punches the numbers. “It’s like a six,” he says, and you think about that every time you use the code to get in. He waits for you outside the door while you’re changing, wishing he could get a glimpse, wishing he could be on the other side. He gets hard just thinking about it. He thinks about the kind of bra you’re wearing, if you’re wearing one, what you look like underneath the fabric. And he thinks you look so cute in that work-issued uniform even if the collar of your shirt isn’t folded over correctly - it only gives him the urge to reach over and fix it. Sorry, he says when he retracts his hand and sees the look you give him. He doesn’t mean it, not entirely, by the way a smile starts working its way on his face.

Art would give you a tour before you get started. He wants to show you around and he loves that he gets to be the first one to make an impression. Fucking revels in it. But he’s also weighted with the worry of making a good impression so some of his delivery is awkward: this is the stockroom it’s where we get stuff to… stock / we separate brands in sections so if someone asks where adidas is you can point to the three lines back there / managements making us ask everyone if they wanna round up their change but you don’t have to. I just ask anyone who’s paying cash. Or if they’re cute. The system makes you put their email in. He flushes a little because he doesn’t know why he says that last part.

I think Art would be so patient when he’s training you. He would take his time to over-explain everything and he doesn’t realize he comes off sounding like a douche. Telling you what all the buttons mean and asking if you want to come with him when he’s about to stock something just so you can see where it is for next time, obviously. But it’s just an excuse to talk to you!! He doesn’t know how and he figures since you both work there it’s an easy in and you think it’s so adorable that because it’s a slow day he’s pretending to be your first customer, gathering random items, having you scan them, and reminding you to ask if he wants to round up his change for charity.

“Not today”

“Okay, your total will be—”

“Hold on. You don’t want my email?”

“Well, you said no so…”

“No. Convince me. Really try and convince me.”He wants to know what lengths you’d go for him if this is how you’d happen to meet. So you say, okay it’s for this charity you guys are having.

“Say it’s for homeless animals. They eat that shit up,” Art lets you in on this piece of information like the manipulator he is.

“Is that what you do?”

And Art would make sure to stay near you just in case you need something, always bags the customers’ items so you can focus on the transaction. He loves the way you say his name, how timid you are when you whisper Art when you need help. He imagines that’s how you say it when he’s eating you out.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am I the asshole for refusing to help my friend out financially after they got a new dog even though they need financial help often and are currently in debt?

Everyone is this story is mid to late 20s.

I have a friend in America who is on social benefits. So I know they don't have a lot of money. I'm also not rich but I earn minimum wage in my country and can afford to pitch in a little sometimes which I don't mind doing generally. I'm also not a big spender at all and I'm able to save up something every month.

In the past I've helped them with buying groceries and even gave them some so they could buy a laptop for art commissions and some games. I don't mind doing that at all. When their old dog got sick I helped out as well. Since I figure some people are going to want to know, in the last 5 years I have given maybe about 2000 dollars.

They got a new dog after the old one passed, which I get. A dog can be a good companion. I did find it a little irresponsible to get a new puppy when they at the time needed several hundred dollars for rent. I told them it might be better to wait until they where no longer in debt with their landlord before getting a new dog. They told me they understood my concern but they got the puppy for free from a friend so it would not be a big deal and they would be able to feed the puppy.

I did tell them puppies can get sick and end up costing a lot more than anticipated but they told me they were willing to take that risk and I decided to not push any further. I had given my opinion and there is not much else I can do. I did tell them not to count on my help financially especially since I had some things of my own that needed fixing and they told me they understood and not to worry.

But then a few weeks later the puppy ate their medicinal weed, which for some reason was within reach of a puppy, and had to get it's stomach pumped and stay overnight at the vet clinic for a few nights.

They came to me and asked if I could help out with the bill and how they would pay me back in part. The bill was over 4000 dollars. I told them sorry but no I can't. First of all, I don't even have that much, I'd have to take out a loan. Second, I warned them this could happen and that I would not be able to help out financially. They seemed a little pissed at that but I just thought it was because of the stress of the situation. They said they would try and get the funds elsewhere and asked me to share it around, which I did.

Unfortunately they didn't manage to get enough to pay the vet and ended up having to give the puppy to a shelter. It's a cute and calm pup so I have no doubt it will be adopted out quickly but it's still sad and I do feel for my friend. But now I'm being blamed for it. I've been getting several angry messages from mutual friends about how I'm the reason my friend lost their emotional support and how I'm the reason they are having a breakdown and suicidal thoughts.

I feel really badly for my friend but I also don't think it's fair to put the blame on me. The reaction from my online friend group makes me feel like I'm missing something that does make me the asshole.

[wouldminimumwagefixthem]

Javert(Les Misérables)

[scoatneyhall]

This news has people saying they'd like to see more from AFC Richmond (obviously) including the creation of the women's team. This is kind of a nightmare idea for me, because one thing I, as a football nerd, need people to understand about the concept of an AFC Richmond Women's Team is that they absolutely definitely already should have had one during seasons 1-3 of the show? Which made the pitch from Keeley in the s3 finale montage land SUPER badly for me. Like, a nice idea, easily conveyed, but nope.

Because the "football canon" of the situation is that every established Premier League club now has an affiliated women's team. And like yeah, Richmond aren't very good. But most other clubs going down the ladder into the Championship, League One, etc, also have women's teams. Richmond, when the show started, had been in the Prem without relegation for a long time. They would not be the only Prem club without a womens team!!! They would have been constantly called out for it, it would have been a huge criticism and pressure point.

(Side note: same goes for a youth academy - clubs are required to have one. So you can imagine that off-screen, AFC Richmond is operating an academy, a Development/ Reserve men's team, and a women's team, it just has nothing to do with the squad Ted coaches and their training may well be housed elsewhere.)

The WSL (womens top tier in the UK) doesn't have as many teams in it as the Prem due to structure (12 vs the Prem's 20), so the levels the men's and women's teams play at can vary drastically within the same club. Not all Prem clubs have the womens team in the WSL. But any club you (or the TL writers) may have compared to Richmond, or based them on? They do have a women's team, whether they play at the top level or not.

So for me, the moment with Keeley works okay as a "don't question it" thing in the context of a harmless series finale montage, but it doesn't work as something to build new stories off, at least not in the simplistic way it was presented. Because any extension of the Ted Lasso Universe, or a Ted Lasso season 4, that would possibly incorporate the "starting of a women's team" would be the show going SO far outside the realm of football realism that it feel like a major contrast to how the show has approached the football element before - including like, what division or tier a newly launched team would even be allowed to start in, and all that. You're not meant to dig into the moment in the finale, just process it as a nice, fuzzy concept. But if there is more show to come, with a plot line that tackles the idea pitched in the finale, it could never match the level of football realism that was applied to the show before, because they've invented a totally fake situation that just doesn't work like that. They would be lowering their own bar. I know that many elements of TL, like Ted coaching, are already extremely fake, but their dedication to most of what counts is very good and very specific. Following through on what the finale implied about the women's team would be a drop in football realism from their existing standards and I am suuuuper not interested in that happening. It would be a quality drop for sure.

This is a bit of a rant and I am possibly the only fan who cared about this, but that Keeley and Rebecca scene was honestly one of the worst finale moments for me just because it implies something soooo wroooong.

HOWEVER, there's a pretty easy fix, and it would be cool if they went in this direction: the only reasonable explanation is that Rupert ran the women's team into the ground/never funded it, just met the bare minimum requirements, and they were currently playing below FA level, like in the 5th tier with only semi-pro players who don't get a professional wage - basically hobby players, and Keeley’s pitch was about reviving them and getting promoted up the tiers ASAP, Welcome to Wrexham style, with new funding, recruiting etc. Sucks that they got no attention from Rebecca before now but they may not have had money to spare for it during season 2 or before Rebecca sold shares in the club... dealing with that, and the fact that Rebecca had to knowingly leave them on the back burner and neglect them... that could be interesting. There's a story to be had about the women's team, don't get me wrong, but it isn't as simple an idea as the finale implied and that the fans have since run with.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Another interesting Disney character is Scrooge... In just how UNREALISTIC he is nowadays in the characteristics everyone agrees to, though he used to be better back in the day, when he could have realistically got rich in the Klondike Gold Race.

This guy is rich... And mostly honest. Even in stories by Guido Martina, where he's objectively at his worst, he's fundamentally honest: aside for the one robber baron incident that he regretted even before the victim sicked Bombie the Zombie with a shrinking potion on him, the worst thing he did was to sell to Rockerduck the house Donald lives in in exchange for a valuable painting, only to annul the sale at the last moment when the painting turned out to have been stolen.

This duck demands hard work and insanely long hours from his direct collaborators... But that's because he puts in the same hours and works even harder, keeping up is a basic requirement.

He doesn't pay much in money... Because when you work for him he already provides all necessities and then some, and insures better living conditions than what HE enjoys. Case in point is his butler Quackmore, that doubles as tester for Scrooge's luxury products and keeps them to live like a billionaire while Scrooge's only luxury is his large and soft bed. He also pays more than minimum wage, not only because it motivates his employees but most importantly because he remembers when HE was poor and would rather avoid inflicting that on others.

When it comes to pay for something he'll demand an explanation for anything he has to pay... And once you explained him why every single screw is necessary he'll pay for it, as it's better to pay for something of quality once than cut corners once and then pay again and again to fix it.

His big flaw is how harsh he is on Donald... As he doesn't understand that his nephew doesn't WANT to be rich (one classic moment had Scrooge brag of his wealth and Donald dismiss it as a "disgusting ostentation of plutocratic self-conceited arrogance").

In short? Scrooge is everything a billionaire could be, but modern days ones aren't out of sheer greed and small dick syndrome.

Though it would be funny to have Scrooge live in the modern world and accidentally take over Bezos and Musk's economic empires by opening competing business and get everyone to ditch the two guys because he simply pays slightly better but honestly and offers far better benefits...

GOD I wish someone Scrooge-esque would show up and actually use his money to help people

[she-is-ovarit]

This is for all the younger gen Z women, particularly those of you within the ages of 17 to roughly 23. This is written from an American perspective, things might be a little different depending on where you're from.

I graduated high school with the unconscious assumption that certain systems will take care of me. The medical system would educate me on proper nutrition and health issues was probably my largest underlying assumption, but really I just had trust in institutions generally.

This isn't true. You are responsible for learning. As an example, I have been vegetarian since age 14. Nobody talked to me about proper nutrition, they just told me I needed to eat more protein.

I lived a decade of my life having shortness of breath, sleeping issues, clumsiness, cold hands and feet, having brain fog, extreme fatigue, heightened anxiety, etc. My period was extremely light and brown, it'd last for about 2 or so days. I'd go and talk about these problems, and telling doctors that I was vegetarian was one of the first things that came out of my mouth just with any visit because I knew at least that piece was important to communicate.

There was really no action taken over the span of about 10 years. I was told the period thing was normal, that changes for women. A sleep specialist let me know that feeling exhausted was also normal. The brain fog was probably due to anxiety. Here, try allergy medication (tbh that did help for other reasons). Then one day I just asked them to check my vitamin and mineral levels. Prior to this I didn't think you can make requests to doctors, I thought you showed up and they performed tests on what they recommended. With some reluctance from my primary care physician and some compromise because she said my insurance wouldn't cover testing things like B12 levels (I later found out from a nurse that, they would, she would have just needed to fill out extra paperwork), she did some tests.

I found out both my iron and D3 levels were low. What else could be?

I later learned pretty much all the vitamins common to be low for vegetarians were low. D3, magnesium, vitamin Bs, iron, and healthy fats. Bought some liquid vitamins (because the body only absorbs 10% of the pill supplements), began eating an avocado a day, my period became normal for the first time in nine years, and I am able to function.

Another example of how human systems won't educate you: I don't have feeling in some of my toes due to wearing incorrect sized footwear for years resulting in permanent nerve damage. I'm size 11.5 in women's, and I was relying on someone to tell me how proper footwear worked, because surely the guy in the minimum wage position working the footwear section would know.

Don't trust human systems to guide you through how certain things work. Seek specific specialists and experts when you can, and inform yourself on your own. Don't blindly trust search engines like Google, it's not like how it used to be when I was growing up and many millennial adults will tell you to "just google things" because we're used to finding actual substantive answers when we do. However, now, usually whoever pays is who makes the first page or two of search engines, it has nothing to do with what information is "most correct". Don't be afraid to request certain tests be done by doctors or certain referrals made to different specialists.

Edit: And also, I've found general practitioners are terrible when you walk in and tell them about several different symptoms at one time. They're more used to treating one symptom at a time, and they treat the symptom not the root cause. If you go in with a runny nose, general practitioners are going to throw medications at you to try and treat the runny nose, not look deeper into what's causing the runny nose. It's equivalent to if you're in a boat and it's sinking, they're bailing out water without actually fixing the hole or trying to figure out where it is, with the exception of emergency situations and even then it depends.

[nothorses]

RE: Valorized teachers - I was a teaching assistant who was put into a self contained special ed room. I'm also a wheelchair user with several neurodevelopmental conditions. The way that I was guilted by peers for not staying to shield kids from the abuse they dealt with that was both a) triggering to see/intervene in (since I went through similar shit) and b) minimum wage so I could only afford to eat once every 24 hours was really damaging to me. "If you don't stay and keep the kids safe, they'll just be abused worse." Yeah. They will. And within a month I'll probably kill myself and that'll traumatize them too. I still love those kids and I still lose sleep over "abandoning" one of them in particular but I wanted to survive. So I did everything I could to show them I loved them and they are humans and should be treated like humans, and I left. Other physically disabled people, interestingly, did not have the same hang-ups about self sacrifice (in my experience, obviously everyone is different).

god. yeah.

I'm substitute teaching in a few schools right now to supplement a part-time job I actually love, and while I initially planned to work with the local public school system, I've ended up in a private/independent schools instead. and like.

I grew up in public schools, I have so much beef with private/independent schools (and even more with charter schools, lol. but I'm not working with any of those) and I very much know that the students I'm working with now aren't the ones who need support the most. hell, I'm not even making as much as I could be in the nearest public school system!! private schools pretty much always pay less than public schools do, and that's definitely true here.

I feel bad for not working in public schools, and I could justify that (I turned down one offer from a district because they pay even less than the private schools do, plus the commute would be a nightmare; the other district is so underfunded that they keep firing admin people and they can't get their shit together to onboard me properly, so I now literally can't work there until I get a new passport) but also. like.

I've worked with public schools before, and frankly, I don't love it. The class sizes are twice as large, the schools themselves can't really do anything innovative on a larger scale, and the teachers pretty invariably don't love working there. They love their students, but the school?? There's always something to complain about.

One of the schools I work at right now is doing shit no public school can do, the entire student population is less than 50 kids, and the kids and teachers are genuinely happy there. Like, truly, honestly love being there. And I do, too! It's my favorite school to sub for, and it's not close.

Idk. I feel guilty sometimes, but also, like... it's not really fair to ask teachers to sacrifice their own happiness for the sake of protecting a few students from a broken system. I commend the people who do it, they're making an important difference, but it's really not enough to fix the problem itself. And it's not fair to expect it to be enough.

We need systemic change. We need better funding, better pay, smaller class sizes, people in charge who know what the hell they're doing, and we need to scrap current professional development practices and invest in long-term, ongoing coaching and mentoring practices for teachers so they can (and are accountable for) staying up-to-date with evidence-based (read: student-centered!!!) pedagogical approaches.

That doesn't just happen from inside one classroom, or even on the backs of the genuinely great classroom teachers currently making that sacrifice for their students. Other people- more people than just the education field itself- need to give a shit and make an effort, too.

[bteezxyewriter12]

Rocky

Pairing- San x Named Reader

Word count- 6.2k

Includes- Angst, physical fighting, underground fighting, mentions of blood, blow job, deep throating, cock riding, missionary, love making, multiple orgasms, lots of fluff at the end

Tag List- @mingtina @jaxminnie @yeosayang @delightfulmoonbanana @tannie13 @y00nzin0 @marsstarxhwa

@yeosxxx @seokwoosmole @jjongsbebe @wisejudgedragonhairdo @meowmeowminnie @woo-stars @borntowalkaway @usagionthered @san-realblkwife @seonghwasstar @jejeyeppeo @soulseobi05 @kpop-bambi @prayerofthehaim @realisticnotes @pinkies-things @insomniacatiny @stephy-nicole13

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📝Masterlists 📝ATEEZ Masterlist 📝San Masterlist

San POV

"Is she here?", I ask Wooyoung

"She's coming. Don't worry about her. Focus on winning the match"

I glare at him

He knows I can't not worry about her

She's my life, everything I do is for her, of course I'm worried when she's not here yet

All my fights are in warehouses in bad seedy neighborhoods and I get really worried when she doesn't get to the fight with me

She had to work late today and she's coming from there

She's taking the bus here and I won't relax until she's next to me

"She's coming San. She always comes right?"

I nod

"She'll be here"

I know she will even though she hates when I fight

She hates watching me get hurt, get hit, bleed

She always has tears in her eyes during the match and she cries when she's fixing my injuries after the fight

I hate making her cry but we need the money I win from these fights

My minimum wage job as a cook for a noodle shop isn't cutting it

I can't get a better job because no one wants to hire an ex-convict

I was arrested for assault and battery when I beat the shit out of a guy who dared to touch her

Just walked up to her outside of a club while she was waiting for me and grabbed her ass like it was nothing

I was on my way back to her and saw him do that, saw her yell and slap him

Then he shoved her, she fell and I saw fucking red

I got to him and all I beat him to an inch of his life

If the cops didn't pull me off him, I would of killed him

I was arrested, charged with assault and battery and was sentenced to three years in prison

He was also arrested after he got out of the hospital, charged with sexual harassment and sexual assault

She told me he was sentenced to five years in prison

She waited for me, visited me in prison and when I got out no one wanted to hire me

Especially because I have a violent charge

I can't afford a trade school and I don't have the time because I have to make money for us to survive

The cook position is cash only and the only place that would hire me

She's a nail tech in a salon and doesn't make that much either

We don't have a place to live and instead live in Wooyoung's van

When I first got out of prison she moved me into her studio apartment but her neighbors found out I was an ex-con and complained to the landlord

The landlord told her I had to leave

Instead she left to be with me

I insisted she stay in the apartment but she refused

Her sister was nice enough to let her use her address so she could keep working but wouldn't let us move in

Her sister hates me

Tells my naekkeo that I'm ruining her life and I can't disagree

I am ruining her life

I tried talking her into staying at her sister's apartment, which her sister agreed to but she flat out refused, saying that she's staying with me no matter what

She told me she loves me more than anything and she's never going to leave me

Honestly I cried at that

No one, besides Wooyoung, ever cared about me, ever loved me, ever thought I was worth it

And hearing that from the one person I love most in the world made me so fucking happy

I know I'm bringing her down with me but I can't let her go

I can't survive without her

She is my absolute everything

I was looking for more ways to make money and Wooyoung told me about the fights he goes to and offered to get me into them

I agreed and have been doing this for six months aside from the cook job

Wooyoung became my manager, he gets a cut from the winnings but I take a bigger portion of it

He rents a room in an apartment so that me and my naekkeo can stay in his van for now

We got a cheap mattress that takes up the back of the van, our clothes and blankets, shoes, necessities strewn in every place they can be

We have a very small walk way right in front of the bench seat

The van is long so we have some room and it's the best we can do for now

Our problem isn't getting a place, it's continuously paying the rent that's the problem

I really don't know what to do about our situation

She works all day, everyday, at the salon and she's started taking private clients too, going to their places to do their nails

I work all day and do these fights at night, as often as I can

We're stuck and it sucks

"Can you go check outside and see if she's here?", I ask

He sighs, "Yeah ok. I'll be right back"

He leaves and I look around for my opponent

I'm not sure who it is as there are multiple fights tonight

She will only let me do one fight at a time and I give into her because I know she doesn't want me to do this at all

Scanning the room, I see big guys on one end of the room and normal looking guys like me around too

I've fought a few of the guys here before

I mostly win all my fights except in the beginning, when I first started

Aside from then, I make sure I win because we need the money badly

"Sannie", I hear behind me

Turning around, I smile at my naekkeo

"She was already coming inside when I got to her", Wooyoung says

"Hi naekkeo", I say, leaning down and kissing her soft sweet lips

"Hi Sannie", she says, anxiety in her voice as she looks around

"You ok baby?", I ask, knowing she's worried

"Yeah Sannie"

She's not a very good liar

"How was your day naekkeo?", I ask to take her mind off of the fight

"Oh, it was ok. Same stuff. Painted nails. You know", she says softly

I nod, "And the private clients you had this morning were good?"

Her salon opens at 10am and closes at 8pm

She mostly takes private clients from 7am -9:30 am and from 8:30pm to sometimes midnight

Except for days when I have fights, then she doesn't schedule any late night appointments so she can be here with me

Today she had just one at 8:30 and it's fine because the fights start at 10

"Yeah it went fine. One of the girls liked the nails I did on her and she posted it on her social media. She mentioned my name and what salon I work at"

"That's good baby!", I exclaim, smiling, "Did you put our phone number on the post too?"

We share a prepaid phone because we can't afford anything else

It's a cheap dial phone that can only make calls and texts

No Internet connection

She has a tablet her sister gave her, so to use the internet and check emails we go to a cafe that has wifi and use it there

Or she uses it on her lunch hour at work

"Yeah Sannie but you know how I feel about that"

She doesn't like to have our number out there for everyone to see but it's something we have to do for now

It increases her chances of getting extra clients

"I know baby", I tell her, "It's just for now"

"Yeah", she answers

"Did you post the picture on your Instagram?"

That's the only social media she has and it's full of pictures of her work

Sometimes she gets hired by people from there too

"Yeah Sannie", she says

"Good baby. Maybe an idol company will see it and want to hire you", I smile

She is really good at nails, she knows how to use all kinds of nail polish and the designs she does are so pretty

She definitely should be working for idols

"I wish", she giggles, coming closer and laying her head on my chest

I hug her tightly, kissing the top of her head

"I love you Sannie", she says, making me smile

"I love you Jo", I answer, "More than anything"

Words can't describe the love I have for her

She is everything to me

"So much", she whispers, looking up at me

Leaning down, I press my lips to her in a soft kiss

After the kiss, we go sit against one of the walls waiting for my fight to start

-------------------------------

Lifting my arm, I block my opponent's hit then shove his arm away

Pulling my own fist back, I slam it into the side of his head, his body following the direction his head snaps

The fight started three minutes ago and already I'm getting my ass kicked

If course I'm up against one of the biggest guys here

I already got punched in the face twice and once in the stomach, not to mention my arms while I block my face and head

This is the first hit I got in

My opponent rights himself and lunges at me, his fist grazing the side of my lip

Pain hits me hard

I already got a cut there from a previous hit and it fucking hurts

I move back from him, ducking under another swing and punching his stomach

As he doubles over, I kick him hard in the ribs

He roars in pain and the bell rings before I can get another hit it

Fuck

Going to my corner of the ring, I sit in the stool, breathing hard

"Sannie", she whispers, tears on her face

"I'm ok baby", I tell her, turning to my side where she's standing

"You're bleeding San"

"Just little cuts naekkeo", I assure her

I don't want to tell her how much pain I'm in

She worries enough

"You need to knock him the fuck out", Wooyoung growls from my other side, as he pours water from a water bottle in my mouth

I swallow quickly so I don't fucking drown from this dumbass

"No shit", I growl

"Well stop fucking around. You're fighting like shit today"

"Do you want to fucking fight him?", I snap, "You think you can do better?"

He snorts, "I'm not an idiot, I'm not getting in there with that huge oaf"

"Gee thanks", I say sarcastically

"Just go knock him out and win", Wooyoung says dismissively, waving his hand at me

Sometimes I want to punch him

The bell is gonna ring any second and I turn to her

"Kiss me baby"

She immediately pressed her lips against mine in a soft kiss

I feel better, like her kiss is renewing my energy

The bell rings and I pull away from her, getting up and going towards my opponent, my hands up in a fighting stance to protect my head

My opponent comes at me swinging and I parry his punches as best I can but he still gets hits into my body

I try to hit him back but my hits just graze off him because he blocks me

I'm getting frustrated and sloppy

We just really need that money

He hits my ribs and I yell in pain, then swing and smash my fist in his eye, his head snapping back

I advance towards him, moving my arm to land a right hook to his body

He blocks my hit, leaving me wide open and his fist connects with my chin, upper cutting me

Agony explodes in my face as I fall on my back

"Sannie!", I hear her scream through the pain, "Oh my god, Sannie!"

I moan, lifting my head but the pain increases and I lay back down

"Get up Sannie! Please baby, get up"

She sounds so scared

Forcing my eyes open, I turn my head to find her in the crowd, making my swimming vision focus on her

She's grabbing onto the metal chains that make up the ring perimeter, Wooyoung's arm around her waist, holding her back as she struggles against him

It takes me a second to register that she's trying to get into the ring to get to me

Thank god Wooyoung is there to hold her back

If she ever got hurt I'd never forgive myself

"No, don't hit him!", she shouts, tears pouring down her face, "San, move!"

I move to gaze at my surroundings, seeing my opponent walking towards me

"No. Wooyoung let go!", she sobs, "I have to get him, he's not moving. Let me fucking go!"

I have to get up now

She cannot come in this ring

She cannot get hurt

My opponent gets to me, pulling his fist back

My body screams in pain as I roll away just as he brings his fist down, punching the floor, a loud crack sounding in my ear, followed by his screaming

I get up, my vision swimming for a second, the crowd cheering loudly

But all I can hear is her crying my name

I need to finish this fight and get to her

"End it now San!", Wooyoung yells

Forcing myself to stay up, I head to my opponent who's holding his arm to his body

I'm pretty sure he broke his hand

As I get to him, he tries to block me but I get a hit to his face in

He swings his uninjured arm hard while still keeping his injured one close to his body, trying to hit me but misses, his body going with the momentum and he stumbles

I move quickly, punching his ribs, then backing away, circle him then hit him in the same spot

He growls, straightening up and coming at me but he's leaving himself open because he still has his injured arm at his side

I take the opportunity to move quickly to him and jumping, I do a turning kick, smashing my foot into his face

I land on my feet as I hear him fall and I turn around immediately

He's laid out, his eyes closed, not moving

Everyone screams and cheers but I keep my eyes on him in case he decides to get up

He doesn't and the organizer of the fights declares me the winner

I breathe in relief, glad we at least have some money that can last a bit

Turning to the crowd, I find her in the same spot, clinging onto the chains, crying

While I got us money, I hate that I have to make her feel this way to get it

Moving, I stumble over to her, her arms immediately around my neck, hugging me tightly to her as she sobs in my neck, the chains between us

I move my arms around her, holding her tightly, "It's ok naekkeo. I'm ok"

"Come out of there now", she sobs, "Please Sannie. We're leaving right now"

"Yeah naekkeo. Ok baby", I agree, "Just let Wooyoung get the money ok?"

She nods then lets me go, holding up the chain so I can squeeze through

Once I'm out of the ring, she's immediately back in my arms, hugging me tightly

Hugging her, I run my fingers in her hair, whispering to her, assuring her I'm ok

I am ok, just a little beat up

I'll be sore tomorrow but it's nothing some Tylenol can't fix

Wooyoung comes over, handing me an envelope

I quickly stuff it in my pocket then tell her, "C'mon baby, let's go"

Taking her hand, the three of us leave the warehouse, heading for the van

--------------------------------

She sits across from me in the van, on our cheap mattress, looking down

"Here naekkeo", I say softly, giving her the envelope with the winning money

She takes it, opening it

"It's 600 for this fight"

She nods, taking out 200 and putting it in the little safe we have in the van

The rest of it she puts in her bag so she can deposit it into her account for us

She raises her eyes to me, tears pooling in time

"Naekkeo-", I whisper but she shakes her head

She reaches next to our bed, taking out the first aid kit, then moves next to me on the seat

She opens the kit, taking out some paper towels and wetting them with bottled water

Her eyes raise to mine again, gently turning my face towards hers

She gently presses the wet paper towel to the corner of my lip, dabbing the blood away, tears falling down her face as she does

My heart falls, hurting because she's hurting

I wish I could do something, anything to make everything better

Better for her

But I don't know what to do

She cleans my mouth, then uses more wet paper towel to clean the cut on my cheek

She slides my tank top off, more tears falling as she looks at my bruised body

She checks everywhere, wiping blood away from scratches and cuts on my arms, neck and chest

Then she puts all the bloody towels in a plastic bag

"No more Sannie", she whispers

"Naekkeo-"

"No more", she repeats, her eyes full of unshed tears, gazing into mine, "Please Sannie. I can't....I can't keep watching you get hurt baby. You've been so lucky nothing serious has happened to you so far. But you don't know what these hits to your face, to your head are doing to your brain baby. I can't lose you"

"You won't naekkeo", I tell her, "I'm ok"

"For now", she whispers, "But what if you get knocked out and don't wake up? What if you break something? We don't have money for a hospital Sannie and I don't know how to fix broken bones"

I shake my head, "Nothing like that is going to happen-"

"You don't know that!", she cries, "You don't know what effect this is having on you because we can't afford to get you checked out!"

I breathe in, trying not to get frustrated, "I'm doing this for us baby. So we can get out of this van"

"I don't care about getting out of this van!", she sobs, "Don't you get it San? I don't care about money, I don't care about living in an apartment. I care about you! All I want is you!"

"It's because of me you have such a shitty life!", I yell, losing it, "It's because of me you're living in a fucking van instead of a house! It's because of me you got kicked out of your apartment! It's because of me you're poor! It's because of me you don't have a fucking shower or a toilet to use, because of me we have to use gas stations and public restrooms. You don't even have basic things like a real fucking bed to sleep in! It's because of me you aren't living with your sister when you should! You're in this shitty situation because you chose me and I'm such a lowlife screw up that I can't even provide a fucking basic life for you. And it won't get any better. We'll always be fucking poor. Any apartment we get will be shitty in a crap neighborhood. Your sister is right, I ruined your life"

I close my eyes, leaning my head back, trying and failing to stop the tears that run down my face

I love her so much but she should not be with me

I'm just dragging her down

Her small hand touches my cheek, turning my face to her

I open my eyes, her beautiful face blurred through the tears

"I love you Sannie", she says, "I will always choose you no matter what"

"You shouldn't naekkeo", I whisper, "You should run far from me. I'm not good for you"

"Yes you are", she argues, "You are baby. You went to prison for me, because you were protecting me baby"

Of course I did

She's my everything and I'll be damned if anything or anyone hurts her

I'll always be there to protect her

"You are the best man for me San", she continues, "You love me more than anyone ever has. You take care of me the best you can. You're willing to get hurt to try to make a better life for us"

"I'm failing naekkeo"

I'm failing at taking care of her so fucking badly

I'm failing at everything a boyfriend should do for his girl

She shakes her head, "No baby. Please listen to me San"

I just nod, not knowing what she can say to make me change my mind that I'm no good for her

"I don't care if we're poor. I don't care if we have to live in this van or a shitty area. I don't care about using public bathrooms or sleeping on a crappy mattress. My life is not shitty because I have you San. I can live without a bathroom or an apartment or a bed. I can't live without you"

I feel more tears leak out at her words that I know are true

She doesn't consider her life crappy because she has me

I don't know how I still have her love or why she loves me as much as she does but I'm so grateful for it

"I love you Sannie, more than words can express baby. You are my everything. I swear I will always choose you, I will always be right here with you, by your side, wherever you are. I will never abandon you baby. Never"

I take her hand, holding it as I break down, sobbing, her free arm hugging me to her

I can't explain how I'm feeling, just a mixture of happiness, relief, gratefulness, sadness, despair all swirling inside me

Just knowing she's here, she's never leaving me no matter what is more than I deserve

"You're worth anything and everything Sannie. As long as we're together, we'll be ok baby. I promise"

I nod, wrapping my arms around her, holding her tightly, my face buried in her neck

Her arms move around me, her fingers gently running in my hair

"Please Sannie. No more fights baby. We'll find another way ok? Please baby", she begs

I nod, whispering in her neck, "Ok naekkeo. No more"

She's never asked me to stop before, just silently taking care of me after the matches but I know she didn't want me to continue the fights

And even though we need the money, I'm going to stop because she's asking me

I can't deny her anything, especially when she's going through all this to be with me

I will never break her trust, never go back on my word

Not when it comes to her

So if she wants me to stop, I will

Lifting my head, I look in her beautiful eyes, softly cupping her cheek, "I promise, no more fights naekkeo"

She nods, relief in her face

"I love you Jo. More than anything"

She smiles softly, "I love you Sannie"

She kisses me softly, her arms moving around my neck, warmth crawling up my body as my head spins

I pull her into my lap, deepening the kiss, her tongue against mine, her fingers in my hair

Moving, I get us on our bed, laying next to her, our bodies turned to each other as we kiss

Her hands gently touch me, her fingers leaving heat in every cell on my skin

She gently pushes me to my back, hovering over me, her lips pressing to my neck

I close my eyes in pleasure as my naekkeo's soft lips kiss me

I move my hands under her shirt, feeling her soft warm skin as I travel up her back, pulling her shirt up at the same time

Taking it off her, I move my hands around her again, undoing her bra, her big boobs immediately in my hands

I squeeze softly, feeling her nipples harden against my palms

She sits on my lap, looking down at me, her fingers gently touching a new bruise from tonight's match

I have lots of bruises on my body, old ones and new

I know she hates it but at least there won't be new ones anymore

She leans down, her lips pressing the softest kiss she's ever given me on the bruise

My breath hitches as she moves her lips to another bruise, this time an old one, kissing there too

She continues to kiss each and every bruise on my body, a wave of utter acceptance and love crashing into me

Tears spring to my eyes and fall as she presses her lips all over my chest, my stomach, my arms, her hands softly trailing in her kisses wake

"My strong Sannie", she whispers, kissing my palm, making me cry more, "My baby"

She presses a kiss to each of my finger tips, then moves to my other hand doing the same thing

"My love of my life", she says, her eyes on mine, "My everything"

I can't stop the tears that are flowing

I'm just in awe that this amazing woman loves me this much

That she considers me her everything when I can't give her much of anything

That she just wants me when she could have a better life without me

That she's willing to give up that better life to be with me

She's completely extraordinary and I thank my lucky stars she's mine

"I love you Sannie", she says, her hands gently wiping the tears from my eyes

"I love you Jo", I cry, "I love you so much naekkeo"

She smiles, her lips against mine again and I fall into her kiss

I slide my hands down her back, pushing her pants and panties down as far as I can

She smiles into the kiss before moving off me and taking the rest of her clothes off

She reaches for my pants, dragging them and my boxers down and off

I watch her lean down, her tongue slowly running up my hard cock, pleasure humming in my body

She licks up my dick again and again, her tongue feeling so fucking good, so wet, so firm against me

Her tongue licks along my slit, making my body shiver

"Mmm yummy Sannie", she murmurs, swirling her tongue around my head, "My baby always tastes so good for me"

I whine as her mouth wraps around my head, soft sucking sensations taking over my body

She slowly moves down my cock, giving me long sucks that has my body trembling against the bed, my fingers gripping onto the sheets

"Baby, fuck", I moan, her mouth feeling utterly amazing, her tongue against my cock as she sucks

She finally moves all the way down, deep throating me, my cock nestled and throbbing in her throat

When she starts bobbing her head, I moan loudly, the feel of sliding out of her throat then going back into that tightness so fucking pleasurable

Her head moves faster, taking me in and out over and over, my head and body filled with bliss

She is so fucking good at blow jobs it's amazing

She watches me, her big brown eyes teary, bringing me closer with each move

I run my fingers in her hair, stopping her

"Need you", I whisper

She nods, pulling me out of her mouth

Getting in my lap, she holds my dick up under her, sitting on my head

Her tight hole spreads open for me as she sinks down on my length, slowly taking an inch at a time

"Naekkeo, fuck", I whimper, watching her cunt take me, completely drenching me, "All the way baby"

She smiles, her hips moving as she wiggles down my cock, "Always Sannie. Always want all of you inside"

I know she does

We can't get enough of each other and living in a van hasn't dimmed down our sex life at all

She bottoms me out, her hips immediately grinding so slowly on me, driving me crazy

"Baby", I whine

"Shh baby", she smirks, "I'm gonna ride you the way I want to but don't worry Sannie. You know I'll always make you feel so good"

I nod, knowing she will

Both of us are all about the other when it comes to sex

She wants to make me feel good and I want to do that for her

It's why sex with her is the best I've ever had

Her small hands move onto my stomach, leaning on me as she slides up my length, leaving my cock a wet creamy mess

"Baby fuck, so wet already", I moan

"Mm can't help it", she whimpers as her cunt tightens around my head, feeling so good, "You're cock is the best baby. So hard. Feels so good"

With that, she slides back down slowly, clenching my cock over and over as she goes down, pleasure blasting into every cell as my length pushes through her tightness

"Oh my god naekkeo", I pant, feeling every inch of her pussy smother my cock as she bottoms me out

She grinds on me, my head rubbing against her spot, her beautiful body shaking on top of me

"Mmm Sannie", she moans softly, starting to bounce so slowly on my length, making sure she squeezes hard as she moves up and down, feeling incredibly good

I watch her, hypnotized by the way her gorgeous body moves on me, by the pleasure on her face

I slide my hands up her body, starting from her thighs, feeling her soft skin tremble against my fingertips, soft sighs of bliss coming from her slightly parted lips

I'm so fucking lucky this amazing woman is mine

My hands move around her bouncing boobs, squeezing gently, rubbing my thumbs across her nipples

Her hands wrap around my wrists, her bounces going just a touch faster but still agonizingly slow

"Sannie", she whimpers, her body arching in pleasure, her cunt throbbing hard and completely creaming my cock, beads of sweat slowly rolling down her perfect body

"Cum for me naekkeo", I whisper, wanting to feel that pleasure her orgasms give me, "Fall apart for me baby"

"Sannie", she moans, taking my entire cock inside her, her orgasm starting

Intense pleasure washes over me from her pretty pussy squeezes my cock in a vice grip, flooding my dick and lap in her cream

I watch the stunning sight of my naekkeo coming and I swear I've never seen anything so fucking beautiful

"Good girl", I praise her, "My good girl. Fuck naekkeo, feels so good"

"So good Sannie", she whimpers

As soon as she finishes, I'm sitting up, crashing my lips to hers, kissing her passionately

Pulling her sweaty body right against mine, I lay down with her and roll us over, getting on top of her

Her legs wrap around my waist and I can't describe how much I love that feeling

Thrusting into her, I bottom out quickly but stay buried inside her, just wanting to feel her pulsing pussy wrapped around me for a minute

Her small hands lay flat on my back, slowly sliding up and down, sending chills down my spine and heat through all my nerves

As I kiss her, I slowly pull out, loving the feeling of her pussy tugging on my dick, wanting to keep me inside

When I move back in, her hips lift, meeting my stroke, letting my cock plunge deeper inside her

She moans in my mouth as my head hits her spot, her legs tightening around me

We move together, meeting each other as I go back in, my pelvis rubbing against her little clit with each move

She breaks the kiss, moaning my name, as I move my arm around her waist, keeping her right against me while we make love to each other

I lean my forehead against hers, her hand sliding in my hair, holding on, our breaths mixing with each other's, pure bliss running through my body

"Sannie", she whispers, opening her eyes and locking them on mine, "I love you Sannie"

I smile, love for her filling my body, "I love you Joanne. More than anything naekkeo"

"So much baby. Forever", she whispers

I nod, "Forever naekkeo"

I know I will never stop loving her

It's just not possible

She's my absolute everything

"San", she whines, both of us right there, her pussy spasming so hard, soaking every inch of me

I slip in, rubbing her spot and she cries my name as she cums

Her cunt chokes my cock, ecstacy tidal waving into every cell in my body and I hold her so tightly, moaning her name as I cum

"Joanne, naekkeo. Fuck baby", I whimper, closing my eyes while the fucking pleasure increasing as her cunt milks my cock for all my cum, her repeated whispers of my name washing over me

"San. My Sannie. Sannie"

We cling onto each other as the pleasure fades, my eyes opening and meeting hers again

I press my lips against hers in a kiss as I pull out of her

I shift to lay next to her, her body turning and entangling with mine as our lips stay locked together, her fingers slowly running up and down my back

When the kiss ends, I lay on my back and she cuddles against me, her head on my chest, her leg moving over my body

I grab the blanket that was pushed to my side of the bed and get it over us, then play with her hair as we lay together

"I love you", she whispers, kissing my chest right where my heart is, making it skip a beat

"I love you", I tell her

A silence falls but my mind is running a mile a minute

"Naekkeo", I whisper, deciding the time is right

"Yeah Sannie?"

"Would you....would you want...to marry me?"

There, I asked

Her breathing still as her head tilts up, her eyes immediately looking into mine

"Are you serious?"

I nod, one hundred percent serious

I've wanted to ask her for awhile but I can't afford a ring and I didn't want to do it without one but the reality is I doubt I'll ever be able to afford one for her

But just because there's no ring doesn't mean we can't get married

"Yeah naekkeo. I love you so much Joanne. I never want to be without you", I tell her, "I don't have a ring and I don't think I'll ever be able to get you one-"

"Shush Sannie", she says, softly touching the side of my face, "I don't need a ring San. I just need you"

"You have me baby. Always", I assure her

"And you have me Sannie. Always too", she says

After tonight and everything she said, I know for sure I have her forever

There's no doubt in my mind that I'm always going to be with her

"And yes Sannie. I want to marry you"

"Yeah?", I ask, smiling

"Of course Sannie. When are you going to realize you're my everything baby and I only want you?"

"I'm starting to get it naekkeo", I tell her, "I'm getting it"

"Good", she smiles happily, "When can we get married?"

I laugh, "Well naekkeo, we do have some money now and I don't think it costs too much to get married in city hall"

"Hmm yeah. I think I'll research everything online tomorrow during my break and I'll let you know what we have to do"

"Sure baby. Then we can figure out when-"

"Hopefully this month", she says, "If that's ok with you"

"Are you kidding? The love of my life wants to marry me asap, of course I'm more than ok with that"

"Yay", she cheers adorably, "I can't wait to be a Choi"

Did she say..

"You....you want to take my last name?", I ask softly

She smiles at me, stroking my cheek softly, "Of course Sannie. I want my last name to be the same as yours. Unless you don't-"

"No I do", I say quickly, "I do want that baby, I just want to make sure it's what you want"

"It is. I want to be Choi, Joanne, the wife of Choi San. I want that more than anything baby"

My heart swells with love, happiness and gratitude that I have the best girl on this planet

She is extraordinary and precious and I will do everything in my power to take care of her, protect her and make a better life for her

I swear

"I want that more than anything too naekkeo", I tell her

"Well it's good that we're going to get what we want baby", she answers

"Yeah, it's good"

She leans closer, kissing me softly, her kiss feeling like heaven

"I love you Sannie"

"I love you Jo"

Cuddling into each other, I hold my naekkeo, happy and hopeful for our future