#sell your house fast in California

[jazrealtyseo]

Selling your House Fast in California

Fair Housing: Essential Information to Safeguard Your Rights When Selling Your House Quickly in California

When it comes to Selling your House Fast in California, it's crucial to be aware of fair housing laws and regulations. Fair housing ensures that everyone has equal access to housing opportunities, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. This blog post will provide you with the necessary information to protect your rights and navigate the process of selling your house quickly while adhering to fair housing guidelines.

Understanding Fair Housing Laws:

Fair housing laws in California are primarily governed by the Fair Housing Act, which is a federal law that prohibits discrimination in housing. Additionally, California has its own fair housing laws that provide further protection to its residents. These laws ensure that sellers cannot discriminate against potential buyers based on protected characteristics.

Protected Characteristics:

Protected characteristics under fair housing laws include race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. It is important to note that these characteristics cannot be used as a basis for denying someone the opportunity to buy your house or treating them differently during the selling process.

Advertise for Selling your House Fast in California:

When advertising your house for sale, it is essential to ensure that your advertisements comply with fair housing laws. Avoid using language or images that may be interpreted as discriminatory or exclusionary. Instead, focus on highlighting the features and benefits of your property to attract potential buyers from all backgrounds.

Working with Real Estate Professionals:

If you choose to work with a real estate agent or broker to sell your house quickly, make sure they are knowledgeable about fair housing laws. They should be able to guide you through the process while ensuring compliance with these laws. It is also important to communicate your expectations regarding fair housing to your real estate professional.

Handling Inquiries and Showings:

When potential buyers inquire about your house or request a showing, treat all inquiries equally and provide the same information to everyone. Avoid asking questions that may be perceived as discriminatory, such as inquiring about a person's race or religion. Instead, focus on answering questions related to the property itself.

Negotiating and Closing the Sale:

During the negotiation and closing process, it is crucial to treat all potential buyers fairly and equally. Avoid engaging in discriminatory practices, such as offering different terms or conditions based on protected characteristics. Remember, fair housing laws protect both buyers and sellers, ensuring a fair and equitable transaction for all parties involved.

Selling your house quickly in California requires a thorough understanding of fair housing laws and regulations. By familiarizing yourself with these laws, you can protect your rights as a seller and ensure a fair and inclusive selling process. Remember to advertise your property in a non-discriminatory manner, work with knowledgeable real estate professionals, and treat all potential buyers equally throughout the process. By doing so, you can Sell your House Fast in California while upholding the principles of fair housing.

[salegrandmas]

Get a Quick Offer on Your Probate Sale California

Have a Look Visual Media specializes in probate sales in California. Receive a quick offer for your probate property and streamline the selling process. Our team understands the complexities of Probate Sale California and ensures a smooth and efficient transaction, providing you with a hassle-free experience.

[boldlyvoid]

Home Alone...

Aaron Hotchner x Male Reader (he/him pronouns) | CM/911 crossover

Summary: it's Aaron's first Christmas with Jack away at college.

Warnings: May Grant/Jack Hotchner, Aaron misses his son, first angst with a happy ending, reader loves him so much he'll do anything for Aaron, food mentions

Word Count: 2.9k

Jack called him on the 18th, his plans for Christmas had changed. 

Originally, he was going to get on a plane on the 22nd and make his way from LA to DC where his dad would pick him up. They’d spend his break together and he’d head back to school on January 2nd. He was worried about his final projects, being away from his new girlfriend for so long (under 2 weeks) and he was worried that it would snow and he wouldn’t get back in time for class on the 5th. 

All this anxiety caught up to him and ultimately, he cancelled his flight. 

“Bobby and Athena said you can come to California and have Christmas here? They have lots of food, they feed a literal army every year,” Jack explained, trying to make him feel better. 

“That’s okay,” Aaron assures, smiling at him through the FaceTime camera. “All that matters is you feel okay, I’m sorry you felt so stressed out.” 

“I just hate leaving you alone this year,” Jack worries.

“Hey, I’m not really alone, Y/N will be here,” he reminds him. “We’ll be fine… but tomorrow I’ll send your gifts out, I’ll expedite them so you get them in time.” 

“Even if I don’t, I’m still thankful,” Jack smiles right back. “Thank you for understanding.” 

“Your first Christmas with your first real girlfriend is a big deal… I remember how pissed my mom was when I was with your mom for the first year and we just lived down the road. I’d never want you to think I’m mad at you for doing what you want to do.” 

Jack smiles, “thank you for being so cool.” 

“thank you for being even cooler,” Aaron teases him. “What did you get May for Christmas?” 

“A new laptop bag and some perfume,” he shares. “I think she’ll like it, she’s been obsessed with that blueberry milk trend, it’s like a muted baby blue colour and her current cover is clear with stickers on it… and then I got her that daisy perfume just cause it’s a cute bottle and it does smell like something she’d wear already.” 

“That sounds really thoughtful,” Aaron swoons. His little boy was growing up way too fast, but at least he was a gentleman. 

“And I got her mom a necklace, I’ve noticed she wears a lot of jewelry when she’s not on the job so I thought it would be nice,” he explains with a little proud smile. 

“That’s so sweet of you,” Aaron cheers him on. “And for Bobby?” 

“That’s harder to do… he’s a chef but he has everything he’d ever need and he doesn’t drink so a lot of dad gifts aren’t up his alley so I’m still trying to figure it out,” Jack slumps in his seat. Defeated a bit. “And when you google gifts for firefighters everything is alcohol-related too, or like an engraved axe that he doesn’t need.” 

“He seems very practical from the way you’ve explained him to me… maybe get him something for the house like a good flashlight for the earthquake kit or a new first aid kit for his car?” Aaron suggests. 

He nods, “Yeah… he was saying it’s almost time to renew the earthquake kit and make sure it’s all stocked up.” 

“You can go to any store that sells camping goods and get dehydrated meals which last a while and batteries are always a good thing to have lots of,” Aaron explains. “He’ll love it. He’ll know you care about his family as much as he does and it could bond you two a bit better.” 

He nods along, “Thanks, dad. May can’t wait to meet you too, you know?” 

“Yeah?” He smiles. 

“Her moms heard of you, you’ve helped her detective friends with cases but she’s a sergeant so she hasn’t had the chance to meet you either, but they think you’re cool.” 

“I’ll try and get out there soon,” he assures. “I miss you a lot, buddy.” 

“I miss you too, Dad,” Jack solemnly smiles. “Seriously though, you could come out here… We can get you somewhere to stay, you can come to Christmas at Mays and I can show you some of my favourite places?” 

“I’ll talk to Y/N and see what we can do,” Aaron smiles, knowing it probably won’t happen. 

—

When Y/N gets home from work, he comes right over to Aaron's house instead of going to his own apartment. They’ve been doing this for a while now, he honestly might as well move in at this point. So much of his stuff is at Aaron’s, they’re happy this way, and this is their 3rd Christmas together so it’s really about time they make the jump to something more. 

He puts his things down, kicks off his shoes and makes his way to Aaron on the couch. “Hello, handsome,” he leans in for a kiss. “How was your day?” 

He shrugs, “Not that bad… but Jack isn’t coming home for Christmas anymore.” 

“Oh no,” his heart breaks for him. “Baby, I’m sorry, what happened?” 

“He’s just so anxious about the snow we're expected to get when he has to go back and if his flight gets delayed then he won’t make his class in time and you know him,” he explains. Jack is just as time-sensitive as his dad. 

He pulls Aaron in for a hug, holding him close, “It’ll be okay, we’ll get to see him soon. We’ll find a way to make it good here with just us.” 

He nods, “I know… it’s just weird.”

“He’s your baby,” Y/N sympathizes. “I’m so sorry… did you want to go out there this year?” 

He shakes his head, “I don’t want to intrude.” 

“Did they invite you?” 

He nods, “Yes, but—

“Come on, we can go?” He encourages. “It’ll be fun. We can get a nice hotel or an Airbnb and after Christmas, we could go to the beach and have like a real vacation for once.” 

Aaron sits back and sighs, “Maybe.” 

“What is it?” He pries. 

He shrugs, “I don’t think I want to meet her family yet. I’m not sure I’m ready for all that. I liked it more when he wasn’t dating and I didn’t have to think about him getting married one day and moving away and being in California all the time.” 

“You don’t have to stay here,” Y/N reminds him. “You can leave whenever you want, you’re retired and you have the money to relocate, you can go wherever he goes.” 

“But I want you with me,” he whispers, pulling him in closer. 

Y/N straddles his hips and cups his cheeks, “yeah?” 

He nods, “I don’t want to go anywhere without you, my love.” 

He swoons, “I can come. I can put in for a transfer and we can go to LA or Orange County or something-- hell, we could go to San Fransisco and it would still be so close to him.”

“I love you,” Aaron smiles. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too… and I was thinking, since we’re on this topic—

“You can move in,” Aaron knows what’s coming. “I never want you to leave. We can put all your things up here, you can make this place yours and you can put your work stuff in my office since I don’t even use it anymore.” 

He smiles. “I’m going to start packing soon… but right now I have some cheering up to give you.” 

—

The tree lights are on, and they have matching drinks of half coffee half hot chocolate and store-bought cookies… his lover is cuddled into his side while they watch a random Christmas show on Netflix. He’s happy, but he’s sad at the same time. 

“you okay?” Y/N asks. 

He nods, leaning in to share a quick kiss. He smiles against his lips, “Thank you.” 

“You miss him?” 

Aaron nods, “I do… it’s been 3 months. I haven’t been away from him this long since he was in WITSEC.” 

“I know baby,” he rubs Aaron’s arm with a slight pout, feeding off his unhappiness. “We’ll see him soon. We can go out there and visit at any time.” 

“I know…” he leans back against the couch and sighs. “I’m sorry, I’m ruining Christmas.” 

“No, you’re not,” he assures Aaron. “Here,” he reaches out for his phone and googles something. He spends a couple minutes tapping around and then shows Aaron his phone. “We leave at 2am, we can sleep on the plane. Come on, let’s go pack.” 

“What?” Aaron can’t believe it. 

“I’ll explain in the bedroom,” he instructs, hauling him off the couch. “We have bags to pack and then we need to head to the airport. I should have an Uber come here…” 

“How did you—

“You’re not the only one with connections, hot stuff,” he teases.

Aaron pulls him in for a kiss, holding him close to his chest, he breathes him in deeply. When they pull back there’s an audible smooch sound and they break into matching smiles. “I love you.” 

“I love you,” he reminds Aaron. “Now come on, let’s get you to your boy.” 

—

The flight isn’t too long, it’s pretty packed but they had decent seats. There weren’t any crying babies or complaining older women, so they managed to sleep pretty easily. The landing was… not as smooth as Aaron was used to when he was at work but, they got there in one piece. 

He has Athena's phone number in case of emergencies, like if another earthquake hit LA and he couldn’t get ahold of Jack… He’s not sure if she wants casual calls, but he takes the risk while waiting for their rental car to be brought around to the front, he dials her number and he waits. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, this is Aaron Hotchner, Jacks dad…” 

“Oh, hello, what a pleasure to finally talk to you, how are you?” She asks, kind as ever with the sweetest slightly southern accent. 

“I’m good, uh, me and my partner are here in LA we—

“You decided to come!” She cheers. “Do you have a place to stay?” 

“We do, we got a hotel last minute,” he can’t help but smile. “I just wanted to make sure we were still invited to Christmas?” 

“Absolutely! I can text you the address and you can come over as soon as you’d like. We’re having a little bit of everything for lunch soon and then dinner is at 6,” she explains. “Does he know you’re here?” 

“No, we’re going to surprise him.” 

“He’s still in bed— he’s in my son's old room, don’t worry. But I’ll keep this a secret for you,” she assures. “This is going to be such a wonderful surprise.” 

“And you’re sure it's—

“No intrusion at all, agent,” she teases him. “It’ll be lovely to have you.”

He manages to laugh, “I can’t wait to meet you, thank you again for the invite.” 

“You’re welcome here anytime,” Athena assures him. “See you soon.” 

“Bye,” he smiles as he hangs up and waits for a text with the address. “Thank you,” he looks to his boyfriend. 

He smiles and wraps his arm around Aaron, “Anytime my love.” 

—

It doesn’t take them long to get their things set up at the hotel and then head over to the Grant-Nash household— but not before getting something to bring to the party. 

Aaron knows from Jack that Bobby, May’s step-dad, is a recovering alcoholic and that while he’s not tempted to drink when his wife has wine… Aaron just rather not bring that into the house. So, they opt for a dish. They stroll around a Whole Foods for a while, thinking of what could be the perfect thing when they stumble across cheese and tomatoes in the shape of a candy cane with balsamic glaze on top and a loaf of fresh bread. It’s perfect. 

They grab some sparkling cider and a bouquet of flowers for Athena and then they’re on their way officially. He’s a little nervous, his leg bounces while Y/N drives and he reaches over to place one hand on said bouncing leg. He rubs him with his thumb and gives him a quick smile before returning his attention to the road. It’ll be okay, Aaron knows that. 

This is just such a big step in a person's life. Not only is Jack's girlfriend meeting his family, but both families are going to be in one room at the same time. They’re all meeting. This can make or break a couple… and he hopes to every force or earth that it just makes them stronger because Jack is so, so happy.  

When they arrive, they have to park on the road as there are so many cars already in their driveway, they really weren’t kidding about it being a big party. 

He holds the flowers and drink, Y/N has the dish they bought and they walk up the long driveway to the most beautiful little bungalow in all of California. He knocks 3 times with a bit of hesitation and it takes all of 20 seconds for someone to answer. 

And to their surprise, that person who opens the door is May. 

“Oh my god?” She bounces with excitement. “You made it?!”

“Hi,” Aaron smiles, instantly all the anxiety leaves his body with how happy she is to see him and his partner. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, May.” 

“come in,” she steps out of the way and lets them walk right in. “Let me take that, you can take your shoes off if you want but we don’t really care. The party is just down the stairs here.” 

“Who was it?” Another woman asks while walking around the corner. “Oh, Aaron, hi,” she lights right up as she climbs the stairs to meet them. 

“Athena?” He confirms before going in for a hug and she smiles. 

“The one and only,” she teases as she wraps him up. “It’s so good to see you, Jack was worried about you having a Christmas alone.” 

“It was his idea,” he says as they part, pointing to his partner, “this is my partner, Y/N.” 

“Jack has told us all about you,” Athena assures as she goes to give him a half hug and then she takes the dish he was carrying. “Come on down and meet everyone, Jack's out in the garden with Bobby making the turkey.”

“He said he’s never seen someone deep fry one before and he’s intrigued,” May teases. “Actually, hold on, stay here,” she insists. 

She heads over to the back door and leans against the post, “Hey Jack? Can you come here for a second?” 

Athena puts the dish down on the table and rushes to the door, “Bobby, you too. Leave the turkey with Hen, she can handle it for a moment.” 

They come into the room with the same expression, confused as to why they’ve been called in and then Jack sees him. 

“Dad?!” His jaw drops and his eyes grow 10 times the size they were before and within seconds he’s rushing to his dad and wrapping him up in the biggest hug. 

Aaron holds him so close, he hasn’t seen him since August and that felt like 6 years ago. This one hug makes up for all the time passed, he kisses him on the temple, unable to believe how much taller he’s gotten. Before, this same kiss would’ve been to the top of his head… he pulls back and cups his face in his hands, “When the heck did you grow up on me?” 

“I ask myself the same thing every day,” Bobby teases, stepping forward to shake his hand next. 

Jack gives Y/N the same big hug as he gave his dad, it’s cute how much they love each other too. Aaron shakes Bobby's hand, it’s big and rough and he can sure tell he’s been a firefighter for years… and he’s handsome. Really handsome. 

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Aaron manages to say. “Jack talks about you and Athena all the time, I’m so grateful for you taking him in while he’s been out here.” 

“He’s been a joy to have around,” Athena assures. “With my son in Florida with his dad, it’s so nice to have another boy in the house.” 

“I was making too much food for just the 3 of us, I wasn’t used to it,” Bobby teases. “He’s helped a lot.” 

“And I love taking home leftovers,” Jack teases, still holding onto Y/N around his middle. “This is such an amazing surprise dad, when did you decide to come?” 

“Last night,” he admits. 

“He was so sad,” Y/N shares. “I hated knowing how much he missed you so I impulse bought two red-eye tickets.” 

“Well, we’re glad you could come,” Athena assures. “I’m sure you’re hungry, come eat, we’ve got enough for everyone.” 

“Come on Dad, you’ve gotta try Bobby’s Caesar salad dressing,” Jack all but drags him to the table with the biggest smile he’s ever seen on this kid. 

Seeing him this happy is all he wanted for Christmas, and boy, does he hope that this happiness— this new family he’s found, lasts forever. He deserves nothing but the best, and this group he’s been brought into, they’re just that. 

General Taglist 

@ncsls0515 @stevesmunsons @reidsbookclub @sweetyyhippyy @manuosorioh @mrs-dr-reid @k-k0129 @squishyturtle @katsukis1wife @buckleyhans @mrs-ssa-hotch @ssavanessa22

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I don't know what this new real estate practice is, where they post photos of the back of the house and not the front. If you like Old Hollywood and murals, this remodeled 1956 mid-century modern home in Indio, California is your perfect house. 5bds, 6ba, recently reduced $50K to $1.449M.

Currently, this home is the only vacation rental on the entire Coachella campus. All other Coachella attendees either have to rent a hotel room or camp out. And, since a 10 x 15ft. plot of grass for camping costs $149 per night and hotels sell out fast, with the cheapest cramped 1 star hotel at $343 a night, can you imagine how much they charge for this house?

The kitchen/living room combo has a Marilyn Monroe mural. I like how it fades.

The smallish kitchen features a snack machine for the Coachella renters (but it's only 2 weekends out of the year).

Nice tiled shower room.

The Frank Sinatra bedroom.

And, its shower room.

The Audrey Hepburn room & en-suite.

James Dean and en-suite.

For some reason, this room does not have a mural.

I think that it's a suite and has this kitchenette.

This either the kids room or the budget special.

Has a nice shower room, though.

Covered patio with a picnic table.

The mural by the pool.

Lounge chairs and 2 cabana beds by the pool.

They named the house Estate @ The VIP b/c it's located near the VIP section of Coachella. (General Admissions is $499 - $549 per person & VIP is $1,069 - $1,269 + the shuttle to take you there $619 - $669.) If you have a car, admission includes 3 day parking too.

There's a giant chess set and 2 pickleball courts.

Plus a conversation fire pit.

[misguidedasgardian]

From the Ashes (II)

II. Mother's little helper

MASTERLIST

Summary: The situation with John is still pretty rocky, lucky for you, Djinns had been said to grant your wishes 

Pairings for this chapter: Dean x reader, John x reader (you'll understand)

Warnings: Supernatural (and all that comes with it), monsters of all kinds, pyrokinesis, cursing, murder, child endangerment, impersonating of law enforcers, guns, mentions of virginity loss, birth, blood drinking, might miss some warnings

Wordcount: 2,9 k

Notes: I re-wrote the first one

2001, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

You woke up with a smile on your face, it was an exciting day after all, you almost jump out of bed, energized by the smell of breakfast, you could hear your mother singing in the kitchen downstairs. You wanted to jump to the first floor but you knew she wouldn’t like that, so you ran as fast as you could and in a second you were right by her side

“Good morning mama!”, you chanted, she smiled at you grabbing your face and kissing your cheek

“Good morning my love”, she said, with the brightest smile, “excited for today? I can’t believe my daughter is going to Stanford!”

“It’s not a big deal!” you said coyly, but you knew it was

“I’m so proud of you”, she said, looking at you with loving eyes

“Thank you mommy”, you whispered, she hugged you tightly, kissing the top of your head

“You have to get me one of those stickers for the car, the ones that read “my daughter is in stanford” or a t-shirt!”, she said excitedly, as she served you breakfast, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, you made the coffee, and you shared an amazing time.

“You know, california is beautiful, if you want, we can sell the house and I can move down there with you”, she offered

“Mom, you love it here, is where our family was from”, you said softly, “besides this house is a dream, with how expensive everything is in San Francisco, we’ll get a place like a ⅓ of the size”, you explained

“Oh I get it, my daughter doesn’t want me going down there and spoiling her fun!”, she teased,

“No!”, you giggled, “that is not it”

“I get it love”, she said softly, caressing the side of your face, “you are going to be great”, she said 

“Thank you”, you said, smiling widely. You had spend the last two years traveling the world after you ended high school, and now you were ready to start college, not any college, you had been accepted to Stanford

And you were so excited

“Remember to use your gloves honey”, she said sweetly, kissing you on your forehead, already saying your goodbyes, “and also, remember to keep away from photos as much as you can, alright?”, she asked, “you know now in the new age, everyone wants their picture taken to upload it to the internet and the internet…”

“Is forever”’, you completed, “I remember”

“Have fun, and take care sweety”, she said lovingly, and you hugged her one last time to leave your home

You got into your car, your Pontiac firebird a family friend had gotten you for your birthday and started your journey

You were driving to California, you loved roadtrips, good music, your baby, an open road… amazing

You reached San Francisco three days later. Just in time for orientation, as you were getting out of your car, you stumbled upon a large dude, he was tall! like a tree!

“I’m so sorry!”, you mumbled at the same time, his dark eyes met you down

“Nice ride!”, he admired, you felt your cheeks heated

“Thank you”, you whispered, looking back at your baby, “are you here for orientation?”

“Yes actually, you too?”, you nodded enthusiastically, “great, I’m Sam, Sam Winchester”, he said offering his hand, you shook it back, muttering your name back to him, he looked at the gloves weirdly, it might be fall but it was still warm

“What’s with the gloves?”, he asked curiously

“Oh I… well, it was an accident, I was four, my mom was cooking, she turned for one second…”, you said like you have told that lie a thousand ways before, “my hands… are weird looking but also very sensitive”

“Oh”, he said, like he had messed up, “sorry”

“Don’t sweat it”, you said softly, “it’s a common question”, you walked into the campus together, you were looking at everything with a mouth wide open, it was an incredible campus

Turns out, you and Sam met the first day, and you sticked together every day since, he wanted to become a Lawyer, you wanted to become an architect, but you made it work, you studied together, you hang around together and you started to build a group of friends around you

And just like that, four whole years happened, Sam started dating Jess, and they were super happy, and you were already enlisting yourself to be the maid of honor, and you… well… you were hanging around with a guy, but you weren’t too sure about him

Henry

He was so handsome and tall, he was the perfect man, a gentleman, and yet… you still weren’t so sure about him, there was something missing. 

You were actually discussing this with Jess, you were together, the three of you, when Sam’s apartment doorbell rang. Sam frowned, going for the door, and when he came back, he wasn’t alone. 

“Well, hello gorgeous”, he purred your way when Jess and Sam were in the kitchen

“Hi”, you muttered simply. He was handsome, deep green eyes, spiky hair, leather jacket, very hip. VERY handsome

“Are you… Sam’s friend?”, he asked

“Yes, we met first year here”, you said simply, he only nodded, a smirk on his lips, you even felt nervous with him.

“I’m Sam’s brother”, he said and you nodded, acknowledging him

“Here”, said Sam, bringing him a beer. You couldn’t stop staring at him, and him you. Sam noticed this, and seemed uncomfortable

“What brings you here Dean?”, he asked nervously, just then Dean looks at his brother

“I can’t pay a visit to my little brother?”, he asked  cheerfully, “let’s turn this around, order a couple of pizzas, drink some beer, you can invite some friends”, he said lightly

And turn it around you did

Soon the small apartment was packed, Dean was the soul of the party, that let you have a chat with Sam

“He just got out of SFS”, Sam said apologetically, “he majored in mechanical engineering”, he said lightly. You sneaked a peek at Dean and he was looking back at you, he smirked 

“Is that so?”, you mumbled, he chuckled, you looked back at him

“I know that sneaky look in your eyes”, he said

“He is handsome”, you said, he seemed entertained, “is he going to break my heart?”, you asked

“No”, he said softly

And he didn’t. Dean worked at a garage with his father while you attempted to finish school, by the time you were graduating, Sam proposed to Jess, even though they were very young, they were so in love, they got married, and when you attended their wedding in a beautiful deep purple dress -as a maid of honor-, you and Dean, both attended the wedding together, you had been dating for a year now, you danced all night, you in his arms, and he asked you, to move in with him, you of course said yes.  

You met his father, John, at the very wedding, he was happy. Their mother had died when they were children, he never remarried. But he seemed so happy to be there, with his two boys, and with their girls. 

Your mother had told you, many years ago, as a bedtime story, that you, as a phoenix, mated for life, you feel a pull, a string leading you to that person, and you’ll be happy together. You believed that, you wanted it. Dean holds you in his arms, kissing the top of your head.

“I love you”, he whispered

“I love you too”, you said happily. 

You told him you were a phoenix, he didn’t care.

He found it fascinating.

You lived happily, you moved in together, you worked in your dream job, restoring old buildings in San Francisco, Dean worked in his father’s shop. He asked you to marry him, you eloped in Vegas. With Sam, Jess and your parents. 

You were living in an apartment on top of the shop, it was so comfortable, it was your home.

You found out you were pregnant, with twin girls

Your mother was there, she lived with you to help you with the girls, she was by your side when you gave birth. Dean loved her, and… you could honestly look up into the skies and give thanks, because you were the luckiest woman on the earth.

Dean was so over the moon, he was the greatest girl's dad you had ever seen. You fell even more for him, if that was even possible.

You had friends that you adored, you had the most handsome and incredible husband, which you loved with all your heart, you had a caring father in law. And you had two perfect little girls that took after their fathers, and you had your mother. 

Your life was perfect. 

“Really?”, she asked him, “you are giving her dreams instead of nightmares?”, she mocked, watching you on the floor, sleeping peacefully, “you are getting weak”, she whispered in her mate’s ear. Who had your wrist on his mouth, he had managed to break the skin, he was feeding from you. 

“She is too powerful”, the Djinn responded, blood dripping down the corner of his lip, “if she gets distressed she will break out of the trance”

“What is she?”, she asked back, fascinated

“I don’t know”, he answered, “but her blood… is delicious”. The other Djinn turned to John, laying on the floor next to you

“Let’s see how you taste old man”, she purred

John looked at the big farmhouse with curiosity, he went up the three wooden steps that lead to the porch and then inside of the house.

It was his parents house, they were gone now, but the house was lit up with life inside of it. The house had been abandoned but now, it had been brought back to life.

“Sweetheart? is that you?”, he heard a melodic voice coming from the kitchen. He looked everywhere, the house was completely renovated, it was beautiful, more beautiful than he remembered.

“Yes”, he answered, he didn't even know why, maybe it was a force of habit. 

He stopped by the mirror in the corridor and he looked at himself in it, there he was, himself. when he was thirty.

What the hell was going on?

He heard footsteps from the corridor leading to the kitchen, and then, his breath got caught in his throat when he saw you, coming towards him, with a beautiful smile, and a big baby bump. You look older than you were, at least thirty 

“We missed you”, you said with a bright smile, you were wearing an apron, you had flour staining it, you took his face gently in your hand and you kissed him, his hands traveled to your hips

“Hello darlin”, he whispered against your lips

“Papa!”, he heard footsteps tapping around in the corridor. Two children appeared, which he could recognize anywhere, Sam and Dean, looking as cute as buttons. Dean was eight and Sam was four. 

“(y/n) is baking my favorite pie”, said Dean Happily, John dropped his bag of tools, grabbing Sammy on his strong arms, and followed you into the kitchen. He found it weird that he called you by your name instead of… and then he saw a picture of Mary on the wall, with the boys. Where you…?

“Your little girl had been kicking me all day long!”, you said happily, finishing up in the kitchen

“Little girl?”, he asked, curiously

“Well, I know you can never know for sure”, you said softly, “but this old lady told me she thought it was a girl, and well, many things, we did the ring test, and rhe shape of the belly too…”, you muttered. He looked at your shape from where he was sitting. He must be dreaming. He looked at his boys, eating the chicken and potatoes you had made them. 

This had to be a dream

But he didn’t want to scare you.

He looked at your shape again, you were a woman now, grown, which let him know you were no longer a supernatural creature.Your huge belly, he looked at his boys, who looked back at him wide eyed, and smiling

He felt… happy.

“What happened?”, he dared to ask you, when you were both ready for bed, in the master bedroom.

“What do you mean?”, you asked softly. He was clearly… with you… but the boys existed too, and… “remember that this week, well, of course you remembered but I called the florist already”, yous aid gently

“What florist?”, he asked

“For… Mary’s memorial”, you said, looking at him sadly. Mary died, he remarried… you…. he had the boys and now he was expecting a girl… with you.

“Alright, thank you”, he said, leaning in and kissing your lips, you felt asleep cuddled by his side, your big belly over his stomach.

He was putting flowers on Mary’s grave. His friends and remaining family were there. but you weren’t, you didn’t feel well, and he realized you wanted to give him space, which he appreciated. It had been four years since Mary’s death, he believed it was a bit too soon to be married to you, but right now, he didn’t know what happened.

He worked in his own mechanic shop, his own, he was so proud of himself for achieving it, he came back to you and the kids every night, he went to his kid’s games, he even coached little league. 

He found you in the kitchen, your water broke, and you whined in pain.

He took you to the hospital, he left the kids with the neighbors, a loving couple you liked so much, that you barbequed with.

It was a girl, a beautiful little girl who looked like you.

He was happy, really happy. He’s got the cake, and he ate it too.

He woke up early that one morning, you were so tired, Violet kept waking you up for feeding in the middle of the night, but there you were, sleeping soundly next to him

“Dad!”, he heard, in the back of his mind, “DAD!”, the last thing he saw was your sleeping face, before Dean was shaking him awake. 

He was back in the present, and two Djinns lay dead, one, killed by the Dean, the other… copious amounts of blood were dripping from his mouth, like he just throw it all up, he was right next to you, your wrist… was healing but it had been bitten onto, severely.

Dean was over you now, shaking you awake

“Mom?”, you felt like you would die, you were so weak, your eyelids were heavy, very heavy

“No darling, it’s me”, you heard that gruff voice, Dean, tried to make you sit, but he had to grab you, you couldn’t keep your own body up

“Mmmm Dean?”, you asked, feeling so faint, like your brain was made of cotton

“Shh, I got you”, he shushed gently, “those bastards got you good”, lifting you from the ground. “Dad, are you ok?”, he asked

“Yes I’m fine Dean, take care of her!”, he insisted, the Djinns didn’t get to him in time. 

“What were they?”, you asked, as they both started walking away. 

“Djinns, got you and dad”, Dean carried you like you were a princess, out of the large Warehouse. It came back, all of it, you had come to Denver, in Colorado, to find and kill the Djinns that were draining dry innocent people. 

“I’m sorry”, you whined

“It’s fine, thanks to you, I got the time to rescue dad and gank them”, he said

“What happened?”, you asked then

“They fed off of you, they seemed rabid for it”, he said, he laid you in the back of the Impala, and closed the door gently, you curled up, hugging yourself, it seemed impossible, but you might have been experiencing cold for the very first time

Both John and Dean got inside the car, John in the passenger seat, he turned over the leather seat and looked at you

“Sweetheart, are you alright?”, he asked, concern in his features

“Mhm”, you mumbled, barely

“I’m sorry”, he muttered

“It’s fine”, you whispered

“Is she going to be alright?”, he asked Dean, he shook his head

“I will”, you promised, “I need a minute”

“I didn’t even know monsters could feed off of phoenixes”, John said, Dean started the car and leaving the scene quickly

“They did, but one of them died because of it, he started screaming, like he was being burned, and then he just collapsed and died”, he said quickly, “like her blood was poison or something”

“Mmmm I need a sandwich”, you mumbled, really out of it

“What kind of sandwich?”, asked Dean

“Mmmm meat… cheese… mayo”, you barely whisper, “and a strawberry milkshake”

“That sounds… pretty good”, Dean said happily. “Let’s get away from this crap-ass city”, he said 

John kept looking back at you. You just dozed off, only in a couple of hours, you were going to be brand new. 

Post chapter notes: Soooo Reader wished her mom never died. And John fleetingly wished he met the reader “before”, didn’t specify much.

Maybe this chapter is a bit weird, its similar to the one where Dean gets trapped by a Djinn and he alucinates... anyways... happy reading

taglist! <3

@deans-spinster-witch

[bunny-heels]

Tell me about this Fallout ARG you found I am curious. 👀👀👀

YIPPIE YIPPIE YIPPIE YIPPIE

so its on a channel called drb0sch, and its about a SUPPOSEDLY alternate universe where Interplay and Black Isle Studios, the original companies behind the first two Fallout games, didn't sell the rights to Bethesda and got to make their own completely independent version of Fallout New Vegas, and possibly Fallout 3 as well.

in regular Fallout New Vegas, theres a location called the Mojave Outpost. its an area in the game that canonically holds the state line between California and Nevada via a gate that you cannot open or get through at all.

in the videos tho, drb0sch finds a way to parkour to the other side of the gate and explore the outer areas of the main game's entire map. it all goes downhill from there.

i'll place a read more here since this next part will be spoilers for both the ARG AND New Vegas, so if you wanna experience both on your own, you should!!! New Vegas is pretty much the last good Fallout game and the ARG is honestly best experienced on your own

ok so basically it almost instantly takes a dark turn for the worst. once drb0sch gets passed the gate and has explored some of the area, which at first seemed to only consist of some unfinished houses and power lines, he ends up finding odd pieces of loot that seem to relate to the war in 2077, when the bombs dropped. in one particular place, he picks up an item at a campfire that suddenly gives him a quest with a clearly unfinished title. he then goes back to the gate to try and get back into the main map, but the game literally does not let him. the invisible wall thats usually at the gate to prevent players from jumping over suddenly comes back, he cant use his pip-boy to fast travel, console commands dont work, and most people have assumed that the game will just freak out on him if he tries to go back on a save. so hes stuck on the outside of Nevada.

so in defeat that he cant go back, he decides to walk around the area more and see where the quest takes him, and at first it seems like a normal side-quest for world building about stuff that happened Pre-War and during the war, but then it just starts getting so weird. i dont know how else to say this in any other way, but the quest literally takes him to Hell. as in whatever version of Hell that Interplay/Black Isle could put into a Fallout game i guess. but its Hell none-the-less. theres several pieces of evidence scattered around as well, like Bible verses and even the channel name itself. Bosch is the last name of the painter Hieronymus Bosch who was famous for making those scary Hell paintings, the ones cluttered with different scenes of sinners getting tortured by ugly lil demons.

theres SO many other things in it that are really god damn weird and crazy. i have no idea where its going or what the point of it all is but its really interesting and i definitely think you should check it out.

[demobats]

Read on AO3 2263 words 

She’s giving her back to them, kneeling down to pick at this patch of pretty wild flowers. Steve can’t tell if she’s plucking them out or picking at the weeds surrounding them. Doesn’t make a difference either way. Some people like flowers. Some people don’t. 

Billy’s stiff by his side, quiet. But he’s been quiet the whole drive. 

“Uh, hi,” Billy says. 

And she sort of glances at them out of the corner of her eye but doesn’t do much else. “You kids selling something? I’m not interested, sorry.” 

Steve waits for Billy to respond but a too long moment goes by and he says nothing. He’s frozen to the spot, staring at the back of her neck. So he clears his throat, shuffles dirt with the heel of his shoe. “No,” Steve says. “We’re not selling anything. We’re—uh, well. It’s—” 

And Billy interrupts him then, says, “ Mom .” 

Mom. Such a simple word. 

Billy says it like it means something else entirely. Something holy. Something ugly. Something that refuses to die even though it’s been beat down time and time again. 

She stands up and turns around so damn fast Steve gets whiplash just by looking. 

Finally he sees her. She’s Billy, through and through, just like he imagined. All golden hair and sunkissed skin, wide blue eyes and a too aggressive stance, ready for anything. 

“Oh,” she breathes, voice empty like she’s someplace else. “Oh, Billy.” 

Billy always described his mother as someone kind , caring , everything Neil Hargrove was not, and he never had to say the words for Steve to understand that he loved her so damn much it felt like drowning. Steve’s not sure he ever loved his own parents like that.

Billy loved her, and then—she left. 

Her calls got less and less frequent until they eventually stopped. By the time the Hargrove-Mayfields got to Hawkins Billy hadn’t heard of his mother in years. 

And Billy asked him to come on this road trip with him, sounding small and hesitant, as if he didn’t already know Steve would follow him anywhere. He’d follow him to hell, really—what’s California sunshine and a white suburban to that? 

She raises a hand up and Billy flinches back. 

She has to know what went through his mind. Know why he’d be afraid of a raised palm. 

But she smiles something tight, desperate, and carries on. She curls a piece of Billy’s hair around her finger, tucks it behind his ear. “Your hair’s so long, baby,” she says, sounding wounded. “You’re—you’re so big. You’re taller than me now, aren’t you?” 

It’s all very tender. Just as kind and caring as Billy described. 

But Billy—he reacts just as Steve thought he would. 

He shuts down entirely. Stands there and looks his mother in the eye and says nothing. He’s hurting, Steve can tell, and he doesn’t know how to fix it. 

All he can do is exhale a shaky breath and turn to face his mother. 

“Hey!” Steve says, that polite-young-man persona he used to put on for teachers and parents slipping into his tone without his say so. “Hi. I’m Steve Harrington. I’m Billy’s, uh—Billy’s friend. I hope we didn’t catch you at a bad time, it’s just—we’ve been driving a long while and we wanted to, y’know, make this stop first. Billy couldn’t wait.”

He extends a palm out and she takes it, nodding, taking in all of his words like something precious. “ Steve . You kids—where did you drive from?“

“Oh. Uh, Indiana?”

Her eyebrows go up to her forehead. She glances at Billy, alarmed, confused out of her mind. What was her son doing in Indiana of all places?

“Hawkins, Indiana. Billy moved with his family a couple years back, but he’s eighteen now and we’re both done with high school, so—yeah. Here we are.”

And—did she really not know that? It seems like such a trivial bit of information, the very bare minimum. Did she think Billy would be exactly as she left him—waiting for her in a little run down house by the beach in San Diego, perpetually eight years old?

She nods. Again. 

There’s something he can almost recognize about her, something that’s hurting the exact same way Billy is, deep, and rooted , excruciatingly obvious to anyone who’ll look. Truly impossible to miss. And just like Billy, Steve can pinpoint the exact moment she chooses to bury her hurt. 

“Christ,” she mutters, laughing something shrill. “That’s—I don’t want to know how long you’ve been driving for. Do you have someplace to stay yet?” 

And then, oh-so-hesitant, hopeful: “You could stay with me, if you want?”

Steve's eyes go to Billy. This is not something they talked about. Although, in all fairness, they didn’t actually plan any of their trip beyond getting behind the wheel and driving. The idea that Billy’s mom might offer them a place to stay never even crossed their minds. 

“Billy?” she asks, softly. “How’s that sound?”

But Billy’s still—drifting, eyes wet. He shrugs, mutters, “Yeah.”

And she smiles. She smiles. But then the smile is dropping and she’s twisting around to face her big house, white and welcoming, all wide windows and large porch. She snaps her eyes shut. Opens them. “Fuck, okay. I can call my husband at work but—can you give me, like, ten minutes tops so I can talk to my daughter? It’ll be quick.” 

Oh. 

Oh. 

She doesn’t give them a chance to respond before she’s climbing the steps to the porch and yelling for a Nicole. Nicole . Nicole, come down here for a moment, please. 

Nicole. Nicole. Nicole. 

Not three seconds later there’s this tiny voice shrieking “Coming!” and down she comes, Nicole , stopping to a halt in the doorway when she sees them. 

She’s got to be about eight or nine years old. Golden hair and sunkissed skin. A flowy white dress to match the ruffled shirts Billy would wear as a kid in the few pictures he’s shown Steve, down to the embroidered patches in her chest, flowers, and flowers, and flowers, so many damn colors. 

Steve feels Billy tense by his side. 

And he sees it before it happens: Billy, bursting. 

“You have a kid?” 

His voice is heavy, unsteady. Measured but hot, teetering on the edge of something. 

She understands then, that Billy is not okay with—whatever the hell this is. 

He’s all clenched fists and flared nostrils in a moment. Steve reaches for him, clasps his wrist in a too tight hold, hoping it’ll ground him, because—well. Nicole . So not her fault her mom made the choices that led to this moment. 

And, yeah, yeah, Billy breathes out heavy, locks his eyes with Steve’s for a moment before looking away, shoulders dropping. Once upon a time he would’ve gone for Steve’s throat, but not anymore.

Billy’s mom is still there, just there. Still everything Billy ached for for years and years on end. And she mutters something to her daughter that has her nodding, walking back into the house. 

“I’m—I’m sorry,” she says, first and foremost. 

She approaches them again, oh-so-slowly. 

“I should’ve told you, I know. I just—it wasn’t safe. I didn’t feel safe. You know how Neil gets, I—she’s not even his but that wouldn’t have mattered to him. He would’ve made me stay and I don’t even want to imagine how he would’ve treated her knowing she’s someone else’s, and I—” 

“Mom,” Billy says, and her rambling stops altogether. 

She looks nervous, terrified. 

And if that kid there isn’t Neil’s then—well, Steve’s always been shit at math but he can put two and two together. She has to have cheated. Neil was a bastard to her. She cheated, she got herself knocked up. She ran off and she never looked back and her son became nothing but a muddled memory that wouldn’t haunt her half as much as it should’ve have.

Billy was so young. Could he have thought of that scenario, back when he was so young? His mother brushing someone else’s hair back, telling bedtime stories he’d never get to hear?

“I’m sorry,” she says, pleading. 

And there it is: Billy, bursting. A flicker of something that cannot be described dancing behind the shiny blue of his eyes. Anguish. 

“Fuck you.” 

“No, Billy—”

“Fuck you,” Billy repeats. Then, “ Steve .”

And Steve understands it for what it is. Billy wants to leave and he wants to leave now . 

Billy takes a couple steps back and Steve lets him, their hands brushing briefly as he walks away—it’s his mother though, the one to step forward and get on his way, to cling to him any way that she can. “Billy, please .”

She tries holding on to his shoulder but he shakes her hand off, keeps walking and walking and walking. Steve huffles behind them both, unsure. 

“At least let me explain!”

“What’s there to explain? Fucking Neil was right.” 

“What—? No, Jesus, what did he even tell you? It wasn’t safe, okay? That’s all there is to it. I did what I had to do to protect my daughter .” 

And Billy stops dead in his tracks. Looks at her with hard set eyes. 

She seems to realize the meaning behind her words that very second. It also seems like she had been telling herself those words all over and over and over again ever since she left. How else would she have slept at night, then? If it weren’t for the knowledge that she did everything in her power to keep her daughter safe? 

But about Billy? What about her son? 

Billy keeps looking at her. 

And she—stands her ground, at the very least. Looks him dead in the eye and doesn’t cower in the slightest even if Billy is fuming, about ready to start throwing punches. 

But he wouldn’t. He won’t. 

“I don’t wanna hear it,” he says, voice monotone, dead. 

“Billy—”

“No. I don’t—I don’t care. I don’t want it,” he says. “I don’t care,” he says.

And he walks off towards the street, leaves his mother gaping. 

Steve watches as he angrily hops into the camaro’s passenger seat, even if he spent the past week swearing up and down he wasn’t going to let Steve drive for a second once they got to California. He shuts the door forcefully, noisily. Slumps in his seat and sticks a cigarette in his mouth, lights it up with shaky hands. 

And then there’s only the two of them, Steve and Billy’s mom, the woman that he loves so dearly, the woman that keeps finding ways to hurt him, even after all this time. 

She looks at him with wide blue eyes and Steve sighs. What else can he do? He sighs. 

He sneaks a glance towards the house and finds Nicole watching the damn scene with her little face pressed up to a window. If Billy didn’t know about her then Nicole sure as hell didn’t know about him. Must be weird. Must be maddening. 

“Neil’s still an asshole, if you were wondering,” Steve says, because he might as well. 

And she barely even reacts, eyes wet, brows furrowed. 

So Steve carries on. “It’s a miracle he never put Billy in the hospital. Last time he hit him I was there, and—fuck, I—I thought he was going to kill him. I just—he wasn’t stopping. We had to call the cops. They held him for a couple days but you know how it is with domestics, they just—he twisted it around to say Billy attacked him. We ended up having to pay bail.” 

“Why are you telling me that?” 

Good fucking question.

Steve wants her to understand . 

He shakes his head, watches Billy sulking in the damn car. “Neil also remarried?” he says, because it’s true. It’s such a fucking pivotal moment in Billy’s life. “Years ago. Billy’s got a stepsister. Max, she—they’re family. And Billy’s also my family. I guess what I’m trying to say is—he’s got people who love him and it’s up to him whether he seeks you out again or not. He doesn’t need you.” 

A slap would’ve been kinder. A blanket insult much less cruel. 

She takes a shaky breath in and a shaky breath out and she does nothing but bob her head up and down. She understands. Of course she understands. 

And—she’s Billy, she’s Billy . She’s the stubborn way he holds back tears and digs his fingernails into his palms, neck bared, shoulders drawn back. She’s every single moment he’s pretended he’s fine only to turn right around and shatter into a thousand pieces. Neil was never that angry and ugly part of him. She is. 

She keeps nodding, clenches her jaw. 

She made a stupid choice and she’ll stand by it for as long as she can. Has to, or else it’ll kill her. 

Steve smiles muted. Small. He turns to the house for a moment to wave at Nicole and waits for her to wave back. This whole situation will be confusing for her, if Billy decides to come back at some point. Steve doesn’t want her to be scared. 

He walks to the car and slips inside, squeezes Billy’s thigh. 

“Where to?” 

He shrugs. “The beach?” 

“You got it. You have to give me directions, though.” 

Steve smiles and then Billy smiles and shakes his head, takes one long drag of his cigarette. Then they’re driving away. They’ve got all the time in the world.

[taz-ma-raz-skylar]

I tried my best to translate the interview from Tikitakas!

( Mario Espinosa de los Monteros took the interview and uploaded it on March 29, 2024 08:42 CET)

Taz Skylar, the canary who triumphs on Netflix: "One Piece gave me an interspatial rocket with which I travel between planets"

The actor reviews his life with Diario AS and tells how he has left everything he had, several times, until he played Sanji, one of the protagonists of the series.

Personality, desires and ambitions are always cooked on a low heat. The pillars that support an individual are built brick by brick. The pillar of the past seems to be over, but every second something new is added. The one of the now is the closest and the most fictitious, because it gets out of hand before it can touch it. And the one of the future is raised by a ghost. That's how complex the reality is. Taz Skylar makes it simple: he steals his own bricks and assembles an excavator. It puts it in sixth gear, rams and destroys everything. Then, he collects the debris and begins to build again: a pillar in the shape of a scriptwriter, another with the appearance of an actor, another as a surfboard manufacturer. "You don't have to know everything, you just have to know what the next thing you have to do."

Taz plays the chef Sanji in the adaptation that Netflix has made of One Piece, the best-selling manga in history - so say the Guinness records - but to get there he has had to give a few strokes to his life. Today it is difficult to present it, but we will say that, among all things, he is a great actor who has been reinventing his life since he had the power to do so.

When we remember the life of Taz, who at 28 years old is still insultingly young, we see the times he has done and undone his way. His father is an Arab of Lebanese origin born in Sierra Leone, and his mother from Yorkshire (England), but he was born in Tenerife. As a child, "I didn't have too many friends" and "I spent all day on the internet, reading and watching videos." He was an introverted person who began to cook his imagination. He wasn't good at soccer or basketball, he was afraid of water and didn't run fast. The school wasn't his thing. He was diagnosed with dyslexia. Now he parachutes on Sundays, he is a black belt in taekwondo and has four series in production.

Leave everything to get somewhere.

At only 15 years old he started the excavator: he found an escape form in surfing, left school and went to Australia to repair boards. My whole life has been that. I'm leaving school and I'm going to Australia. I get there and look for my life. I'm running out of visa. Where am I going now? To California, come on. Then where? To San Sebastian." In this last city, capital of Guipúzcoa, he came to settle. "I was 18 years old and a little house, my car, a schedule that allowed me to train and travel." But he changed it to go to London "to live in a house shared with five people that had leaks on the roof and a bucket in the corner where the water fell." He wanted to be a screenwriter because he told the stories of the surfers to sell the boards. He broke with everything.

"When I went to Australia I didn't have much to lose, at most I was thrown there. But I was fifteen years old and I didn't look starving, someone was going to give me food and water." That's why, when he left San Sebastián, he felt that he was sacrificing something for the first time. "In London my bed was an Ikea sofa bed with a sleeping bag on top. I remember getting there and saying 'what the fuck did I just do'. I threwat everything I had in the trash and changed it for that, simply because I would like to be a screenwriter." Why did you hesitate that time, after years of knocking down pillars? "It's harder to give an axe to your life when it's tolerable. That is, it is easier to cut the head of nothing to achieve a lot, than to cut the head of something with the possibility of staying in nothing. There's the danger, in having something." Well, cutting heads on their way to London.

Question: Would you have gotten to where you are without maintaining that attitude?

Answer: "No, crazy, not at all. If I hadn't kept it, I don't know what would have happened to me. Basically I have a very intense energy, I have analyzed it a lot and I am aware that, if it were not because I have the ability to put my energy into positive things, I could easily have ended up badly, a person very addicted to things that are not good. Luckily I'm addicted to good things. If it weren't for this attitude, I could easily have been in a circle of bad things."

The beginnings in London were difficult. The change to urban life, too. Taz wrote and wrote. He enlisted in the Army reserves, but suffered a traffic accident and did not pass the medical exam. Then, he wrote and wrote, and released a play called Warheads, which explores the life of a soldier before and after the war and the post-traumatic stress it generates. Warheads was nominated for the Olivier (the most prestigious theater award in the United Kingdom) and the leaks of his house, the sleeping bag and the Ikea mattress made sense. Now yes.

Q: You say that Warheads changes your life completely.

A: "Yes. It was the moment when I felt that I could take the world outside me and put my will on it. In England, theater is very important for culture and Olivier is a literary prize for a very cultured person. For me, as a person who felt with an uneducated complex for not having gone to school, for always having spelling mistakes and for having a way of writing that no one understood, it was like an 'ah, I don't have to be intelligent in the conventional way to be able to aspire to have a prize'. Suddenly, everyone around me took me seriously. A door was opened that led to another staircase that led to another floor. I saw very new things and I was able to enter rooms that I had not entered before."

Q: If that changes your life, what does One Piece do with it?

A: "Warheads gave me a car. I was walking through life, and suddenly I had a car. One Piece took the car, threw it through a ravine and gave me an interspatial rocket with which I travel between planets. I talk all day with my best friend Vincent about how absurd it is and the number of opportunities and beautiful things we can do now. We are not taking it as if it were normal. We look into each other's eyes and say 'I can't believe this is happening'. And that's happening every day."

"But the One Piece thing was very fast. When One Piece announced the characters, that night I was at the theater in London doing a play, and when I entered the dressing room during the break, I saw my cell phone doing 'backflips' (it makes a gesture of an uncontrollable spiral with my index finger). I was followed by 1,000 people per minute. The transition from the car to the rocket was very fast, from one day to the next he had 200,000 followers. Although followers are not a way to govern your life, there I could see the difference so instantaneous. When the promos came out, people began to recognize us more, but in the Canary Islands they still asked me if I was still making boards. He was completely alien. But when the series came out, we already had the rocket mounted and they pressed the button. When I returned to Tenerife, the fruit shop asked me for photos."

Taz plays Sanji, the cook of the crew of the pirate ship on which the One Piece manga is based, which is something like a 'Japanese-a-ye' comic. Netflix has made an adaptation of the illustrated work to a Live Action, a series with real actors. His character is one of the best known, most beloved, most charismatic. In the previous video, Taz puts a black belt on the character he plays. His character fights with kicks, so he had to learn martial arts in record time.

Q: You added the taekwondo to your list of things to learn

A: "I feel many times that I do everything in a mediocre way, but I don't do anything very well. There's something very nice about that. I took the taekwondo as an example for this. Because when you get your greatest growth is from white to black belt, but once you are in black, the improvements become very difficult, as if very perfect. That is, I go from 0 to 10 from white to black, but the 11th, which is perfection, I am not so interested, only in some aspects. I don't think you can have an 11 in everything, maybe in your life you can only have an 11, or two at most. But not everything can be an 11. I have a lot of fives, a couple of eights, a few ten, and I still don't have an 11, but that's what I'm in."

If we attribute each copy sold (more than 500 million) to one person, the readers of One Piece would considerably exceed the population of the United States and would be more than 10 times that of Spain. In the face of this mass phenomenon...

Q: Are you afraid that Taz will become Sanji? That the character stars with you?

A: "Yes, it is not a fear as such, but it is something that all of us (the rest of the actors of the series) have in mind and to which we are all vulnerable. But look, if that happens, not so bad, because we won't be able to complain about a life like that, it's still a beautiful life. In my case, since I have never fallen into what people thought was going to fall, I have a feeling that it is not a real problem for me. I may be wrong, but between the first and second seasons of One Piece I have made a series and two movies that have nothing to do with the character of Sanji. I have four series in production that have nothing to do with the world of One Piece. I don't say it in an arrogant way, but confident of myself or aspiring to be sure of myself."

Q: The Live Action of other series have not been as successful as yours. Why One Piece, yes?

A: "Two reasons based on my analysis. Matt Owens, the showrunner and lead screenwriter, is a true fan of the anime, he wants the anime with all his heart and the anime knows it better than most fans."

Taking care of the smallest detail, the producers of Live Action contacted One Piece content creators to ask them about the production and script of the series. One of them was Artur - The Library of Ohara, who helped in "the process of writing the script, mainly for the story, the 'Easter Eggs' and the timeline." He appears several times in the podcast 'Radio Pirata', where he demonstrates his knowledge and, ultimately, why he received a call from Netflix.

Taz continues explaining the first reason: "Matt, while making the series, put his artistic opinion on it, and at the same time kept everything he loved about intellectual property. That's not something that everyone can do. It wouldn't have been the same series without Matt, he knew deeply what he wanted from each character and who was going to play it. He took great care of us and gave us the tools to bring from the characters what we wanted. I went one day and I told him 'Matt, I want to do all the fights, I don't want to be bent'. I tell him like a 25-year-old boy who has never gone to school, who has not studied theater or done action dubbing in his fucking life. He took and looked at me with all the confidence in the world and said: 'Okay, let's do it.'"

Q: And the second reason?

A: "The cast of actors, the set of what we five are, is the other reason. I'm sorry because we're all very different, but since only one of us is missing, it's not the same in interviews, organizing anything, recording... The fact that we are different makes us complement each other perfectly. There is something very special that happened with the symbiosis of the five of us, we are really friends, which is not something as common as you would expect in this world. We are really friends and we take great care of ourselves both inside and outside the series."

Two weeks after the premiere, Netflix announced that a second season of One Piece's Live Action would be filmed. There are many important characters left to appear, protagonist characters who will be incorporated into the second season.

Q: Is that good relationship and connection between actors a requirement to be part of the cast in the second season?

R: "It's a good question. Yes, I know that's part of the conversations, but we don't decide or think about who it will be. We hear the conversations and talk inside them (Taz laughs, he seems to remember something). And in those conversations we see that it is very important that the people who join form a good part of the family, but that is as much work of the actor who comes new as ours. It is a basic decency to give a good welcome to people who arrive new."

Q: Have you felt pressure when adapting One Piece?

A: "From the moment we started, from the first moment, everyone reminded us of Death Note. People close to us tell you a little jokingly and don't realize the severity of what they are putting in your head. They are telling you, in a casual way, that there is a possibility that these three years of your life in which you have bled to dead for something, are absolutely worthless. We had to manage that at all times within ourselves, going to work firmly believing in what we were doing and in the people with whom we were doing it. Three years militants. The time comes when you can't do any more work and what you've done is what's left, and you can only wait until what you did with others is enough so that they don't cut your head (laughs). But I want to clarify that the fans are very enthusiastic and most of us supported us from the first moment."

The creative process and convincing a mother

There's something curious about Taz and it's the number of times he laughs per minute. Smile when we bring ut more serious topics. He smiles when he almost misses something about the new actors. He smiles as he recalls anecdotes with the fans. But it changes to a serious face when we talk about the actor's creative process. In the premiere of the movie Gassed Up, he said that he only wanted to be part of projects that his mother could enjoy.

Q: I think it's the most ambitious goal anyone can have, always to convince a mother!

A: (Laughs) "I think I meant something a little more different, but what you say is true. I wanted to say that, since I do not come from this world (that of interpretation) I see it as my secret weapon because it gives me a real perspective on what we do in art. Sometimes we do a cult of certain things that I think is important and productive, but it can be elitist. Although I can appreciate and understand some more complex or cultured things, my mother doesn't have to appreciate them."

Q: In an interview you told the journalist that, if I had met you as a child, I would never have imagined that you would end up this way. And you, would you have imagined yourself like that?

A: "Yes. It's a good question, bro. And yes. So much so that I was alone, and I had no friends, I stayed all day on the internet, reading and watching videos. My life was a fantasy and it said 'it would be beautiful to do what I saw in an action movie'. I remember watching skydiving or surfing in movies and telling my mother 'that would be beautiful to do'. But I was never going to do it. I had fantasies of doing things that I was afraid of at the same time. But when you think about doing something, there's always a part of you that thinks it's not going to happen."

Q: The fear of taking a risk

A: "Yes. No one gets into this industry without aspirations to make a living from this. To have a beautiful life, to take care of your family... But there is a large part of you that has in mind that it is quite likely that you will not get it. If you asked me when I was little that I was going to be older, I wouldn't have told you that I would, I would have told you that I hope something handsome."

Q: What if I ask you now?

A: I hope to be something better than I am now.

[glimmerlofsea]

Ik I just sent one in butttt... I have another one. ROAD TRIP WITH BILLY. That's literally it.

HEYYY!!! FINALLY I HAVE TIME TO TAKE YOUR REQUEST! Thank you for requesting, as usual I apologize for my lateness 💚. So here's the fanfic where you go on a road trip with Billy! Hope you enjoy it!

Billy Hargrove x Reader

MASTERLIST

NEVER LET GO

Warning : fluffy fluff! Mentions of death, harsh words, bullying

WC; 6,2k

#TALKISSA; this one is long! And very long-winded, but personally I love it! I hope you do too! So, according to request, there will be a road trip with Billy, but first it was your suggestion, since his condition worsened due to the incident at Starcourt last year, he closed himself off and you were upset.

It all started when he saw you crying because your ice cream fell on the sand on the beach, he decided to cheer you up and give you his ice cream, you made a 'pinky promise' to be friends forever. But he broke that promise, he left without saying goodbye, what you know the day before he left he was full of anger, always shouting and cursing your name, you didn't want to lose, also shouted it and ended up you two fighting.

Teenagers, right? The next day when you wanted to apologize his house was no longer a sign of life, he left, not knowing forever or just temporarily.

Your life is like... Lacking something that can't be described, he is your only protector, continues to be your protector forever since your ice cream fell on the beach.

Until a year later when you turned 17 your mother moved to work in a city that was accidentally in the same city as Billy.

But the circumstances are different, only one year apart, but he is completely different? You often find him smoking, partying, or even making out, other than jealousy and anger there is nothing else you feel.

Of course you talk, but not talking like an old friend, Billy is more confident and certainly more arrogant, making you feel like he is starting to annoy you. He was always like this when he was in California, just didn't show it to you, or even never. He only showed it to people he didn't think were important to get to know him more, and now are you 'that person'?

Until when you really graduated from school things started to get weird. You know there have been many strange things since coming to this city, because there are many rumors circulating that there are hidden incidents hidden by the government, it's just that you are not too interested in it. Where Billy became a lifeguard, you became a staff of the Stacourt mall, more precisely an assistant to a middle-aged woman who sells antiques.

At that time you wanted to take something that was left behind at the Mall, and at that time the Mall was closed because people were diverted to the festival held by the mayor of Hawkins.

There was nothing strange except the roar of a big creature that appeared when you wanted to open the shop with the key you were holding, you thought it was a cinema sound effect, but the Mall was closed right? You looked at the source of the sound, saw a girl in her salopette style with a yellow undershirt, she fell to the floor, from there you took off your walkman, just realized that the Mall was really messy.

You ran towards her, "Are you ok—"

Not completely until you caught a big monster that covered all the night light, its height as high as Starcourt Mall, you couldn't move but pull the girl back. You know her, Jane, when you wanted to convey a warm welcome you and your mother came to Chief Hawkins and accidentally saw the girl. She is also good friends with Max.

Where the astral creature roared again you saw Billy standing straight in front of it,

You made sure again to Jane, "Are you really okay?"

She nodded in her tears.

When you looked back and caught the creature that almost grabbed Billy you ran as fast as you could to help him.

It worked, but the creature seemed really angry, it kept throwing its tentacles or whatever it was called in every direction.

"CLOSE THE GATE! NOW!"

You heard someone shouting from the walkie talkie that was stranded on the floor.

You checked Billy's condition, he still looked shocked— Of course, you were very shocked yourself.

You got up from him and sat down and knelt in front of him, you cupped both of his cheeks, the last time you saw him was when he suddenly visited your shop, and now... He was a complete mess. A razor wound was under his left eye, it was obvious how red it was.

You tucked his hair behind his ear, suddenly the loud sound came, you looked at the source and saw the creature that had completely collapsed on the floor.

You turned your gaze, seeing Billy who was staring at you with his tired gaze, "Y/N..."

You nodded, changing the direction of your hand to hold his hand, "I'm here."

"I'm sorry."

That was all he said before his body just fell onto your chest, you panicked, screaming in your sobbed, "HELP! Somebody, help!"

What was he going through? Enough with the violence done by his shameless father, and he had to go through this difficult condition that you didn't even know the cause of? You missed him and had to start a relationship again with him in this condition? Nothing could be more devastating than this.

You never left his side again, he who had become more 'quiet' was now easier for you to reach, not talking too much, but you try your best to build interaction with him. The more you pay attention to him, the more fragility in him is visible, you know he is hurt, he has no one, that's what he thinks, but he has you, you are still his childhood friends who keeps a pinky promise to be friends forever.

You just need him to say I need you, then you will always be by his side. Never and never will leave him. Robin and Steve, your work partners at Starcourt who turned out to be involved in the Starcourt incident last year, you were taken to Hawkins Lab, to be asked some questions and they made sure you would not leak information that happened at Starcourt. They said if someone knew about it then your mother would be in danger, of course you didn't want that. You don't know what happened completely, but Robin and Steve promised to explain it when the time is right and everything is safe.

Your daily life after your shift at the shop is just visiting Billy who keeps fixing his beloved Camaro because it was damaged due to last year incident, sometimes you just ramble about your daily life and he will answer "Cool." Or just his usual chuckle. But at least he can still talk to you, right? That's what you need. But you're upset, he never opens up to you, you know he needs someone, just... Can't that someone be you?

That night, when you decided to hold his hand tightly you could feel him also holding your hand tightly, as if there was something he really wanted to say but couldn't.

That day, you made up your mind to talk more openly about Billy's attitude who was slowly closing himself off.

You came loudly to his garage, about to express your argument but he cut you off,

"You there, Y/N?" He said, he was still under the car confirming whatever the term for the system in the car was.

You cleared your throat, trying to make your tone into an 'angry' or 'annoyed' tone.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Can you please give me the screwdriver on the table?"

You sighed, you had to hold back your anger to help him, "Sure."

You turned to the table, you knew which screwdriver it was, only you saw a lot of the same type of screwdrivers there...

"Which one?" You asked to make sure.

"Screwdriver, Y/N."

"Yes, I know, which one?"

"The sharp one."

You groaned, "They're all sharp, Billy!"

Suddenly Billy appeared beside you, you saw him without any clothes, making you awkward, of course you often caught him fixing cars BUT maybe with his t-shirt or his white tank top, but this?

He had black spots on his face, his whole body was sweaty, he wiped it with a towel he took from the table.

"Not all of them are sharp." Billy said taking the set of screwdrivers on his table, showing them to you, "Watch."

"This is a flat screwdriver, it may look sharp but if you look closely it will only be blunt like a hoe that is usually used to hoe the ground."

"Have you seen it?" He asked again to make sure of your knowledge.

You groaned, of course you were happy for him to talk more, but about the screwdriver? SCREWDRIVER?

You took the screwdriver from him and put it on his desk again, you guided him to sit on the garage table.

"I want to talk to you." You said looking at him.

Billy raised both of his eyebrows,

"About last year, I—" He was about to stand up but you held him to stay sitting at the table, you knew he would be angry and upset once you brought up last year's incident.

"Stay put."

"I'm fine, you good now?" He said, he stood up from the table to leave you before you could stop him.

"Billy, I'm worried about—"

"Then don't fucking be!" He yelled turning his body to look at you, he threw away his towel, you closed your mouth tightly, letting him speak, "Don't fucking be, Y/N. I'm sick of being treated like some sick person who wants to die by Max, Harrington, and the gang. Like I'm someone who needs special treatment for the rest of my life. I don't like it! I don't need anyone to worry about me, I don't expect—"

You yelled back, "Well, I'm sorry if I'm being fucking cared about you!" You chuckled in disbelief, "I cared about you, I always do. I always thought that you need someone, you need someone, don't you?"

"I don't need anyone."

You chuckled again, "Yeah? I see that you're bleeding inside, Billy, you can't fool me. Just—"

You took a breath, closing your eyes, remembering how painful it must have been to hold all that burden alone in his fragile body. Your eyes started to glaze over, making him walk towards you, "Just please, can't you just tell me what you're feeling?"

He walked towards you, chuckling, "It'll always end like this, isn't it? We fight, then tomorrow I'll leave, like forever."

"Billy."

You grabbed his hand, holding it tightly, "I'm sorry if you were treated unfairly by them, but they were worried, just like me. I saw the fear in your eyes when we talked about what happened," He was about to cut you off but you raised your eyebrows to signal him not to argue with you, "If you could share what you're feeling it would definitely ease your burden, Billy. I see, many times, you're hurting, bleeding, God, I feel so useless. I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but I'm here now. I'll be right here, hold my hand, will you?"

"I'm still afraid of myself, Y/N. I killed a lot of people— I did— A lot of people died—"

Hearing his stutter from sobbing you pulled him into your arms, feeling his skin slowly warm under your touch.

"It's not you. I know you've heard a lot of those things but it's not true, it's not you. It's okay, just cry, you can cry as much as you want, I'll dry it."

That night was filled with nothing but feelings that finally opened up from the treasure he had kept for a long time.

Billy felt satisfied, he was wearing his white tank top and just relax on the hood of his car with you.

"Are you feeling better?" You asked.

He smiled slightly and nodded, "Thanks to you." He said kissing the side of your hair, you always tried to control your breath and control yourself when he did this to you.

"That's the first step." You said.

He replied, "What?"

You looked at him, "There's another step. You know, so you can feel any better...?"

He rolled his eyes, "Hell nah. I have you."

Now you're the one rolling your eyes, "Pffttt- Biggest lie ever."

"Who said that I'm lying, Princess?" He asked smirking.

You groaned, "Whatever."

You made a thinking face, "Let's start with... Eum... How about.. A vacation!" You looked at him with a smile etched on your face, "Like a road trip!"

"Can't you see my car is still under repair?"

"Piece of cake. I help you with that."

Billy faked a laugh, "You don't even know the type of screwdriver, that's the most important thing, you know?"

You nudged his shoulder, "That's why you're going to teach me."

Billy chuckled.

You pressed your question again, "Deal? A trip?" You raised your eyebrows to tease him.

He looked at you, "Just the two of us?" You nodded, "My mom will definitely allow it, don't worry."

"Not with your two little lackeys?"

You frowned, then remembered Billy who once joked that he didn't like seeing you with your coworkers,

You laughed, "You mean Robin and Steve?"

"Yeah. I see you talk to them a lot, not to mention that Harrington who often approaches you."

You smiled, "I call it jealousy."

"Well, I call it keeping an eye on the competition."

"That's just another word for jealousy. C'mon, they're not that bad. You should hang out with them some time."

Billy let out a short laugh, "You wish."

You smiled at him, usually every night you and Billy would go to the sea to see the stars at night, but let alone in Hawkins there were stars, even the moon rarely showed itself, but it was okay as long as you could still be with him.

A few weeks passed with the drama of the mechanical errors that you made, but Billy remained patient to explain it from the beginning so that the process of his Camaro car would go up quickly. Sometimes you invited Steve, Robin, and the others to gather in the garage, instead of getting rid of Billy's loneliness and of course making him talk more to other people, not just you.

Once the Camaro was finished, you and Billy couldn't stop being happy, you who kept showing off everything thanks to yourself who kept trying, and Billy who kept fighting that all of it was his own result, so you agreed to call it your joint effort. Silly.

You closed the door of Billy's Camaro car, "Should I try to turn it on?"

You nodded happily, Billy turned the key, and the loud sound of his beloved car engine sounded, you and Billy looked at each other and started laughing happily.

"We did it!" You shouted, "Well, I did it."

Billy lost his smile, raised both of his eyebrows, he pointed to himself, "I did it."

You crossed both of your arms in front of your chest, countering his argument, "I did it. Don't you remember how you were the one who just relaxed sipping coffee and I was the one who kept working?!"

Billy chuckled, "That was a break for me because you were so slow to understand, so I had to explain over and over again, my throat was hoarse you know?"

You laughed in disbelief, "Ha! Unbelievable."

Billy grinned, "And should we try to start driving too?"

Your face lit up with excitement, "You mean the road trip I've been waiting for?!"

"No. Just driving around the complex."

You curled your lips, "Nah, I'd rather come home, my mom is in Wheeler's house, no one's home." You started to open the door of his Camaro and said goodbye, "I'll go!"

"Wait!"

You looked at Billy who had gotten out of his car, "Let me take you home."

The two of you ended up walking on the deserted streets, you were the one who suggested not to take his Camaro, to save gas for the road trip, right?

While on the road you could only talk to the wind that passed by at night, the atmosphere was cold, Billy kept hiding his hands behind his body as if he was nervous.

You looked at him and nudged him lightly, "Are you feeling better?"

Billy smiled, "I always feel better when I am around you."

You rolled your eyes, "Cool, you're not bad at lying."

"I'm not lying. How about... Tomorrow we go on a trip? To prove that I'm really okay when I'm just with you."

You smiled happily, "Really?!" You exclaimed happily, you hugged Billy briefly, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Unexpectedly, you had arrived in front of your house, you immediately ran while waving your hands, a strong wind blew your face, makes your hair fly beautifully. Billy couldn't help it, he cut it.

"Wait!"

Before you could enter your house, you were still standing on the porch of your house, gripping the bag you were slinging tightly, turning your body back only to see Billy walking towards you in a hurry, before you could answer you were cut off by him kissing you. It was short, but for you the world went very slowly when it happened. Billy let go of his kiss, you were still staring at him, not expecting it to happen, he chuckled and stroked your hair softly, "See you. I'll pick you up at 7."

He left you in silence. You who entered the house were still silent,

"He kissed you?!" Suddenly someone hoped, you screamed in surprise, and so did that someone. "Mom!"

Your mother went towards you, happiness enveloped her, "He kissed youuu?" Your mother said with a long tone in her speech. Honestly you were confused how your mother could be home, but you smiled and nodded, from there you screamed happily and jumped for joy, spinning while jumping. "He kissed me!"

"Good job, hun!"

It's easy to guess that since childhood you've liked Billy, always, it's just that Billy always likes to belittle feelings of liking or loving someone, so you can't do anything. You spend a lot of time tonight for tomorrow, you can't wait to go on a road trip with him.

The next day Billy really picked you up at 7 am, you said goodbye to your mother.

Billy almost laughed seeing you carrying so many things, he helped you put your things in his trunk. As soon as he said goodbye to your mother you started your trip.

You put on your seat belt when Billy had stepped on his gas pedal, you took something out of your pocket, "Okay... Let's see."

Billy peeked, he saw you taking out a large map that at least almost covered all of your face, he chuckled, "You brought that?" There was surprise in his tone.

You looked at him, "I don't want us to get lost."

Billy smiled, "We don't have a destination."

"We don't?" You asked frowning and lowering your map,

Billy put his hand on your thigh and stroked it, "We'll go wherever this car takes us, mind?"

You shook your head innocently, "No. But can we go to a place I really want to visit?"

You showed your twinkling eyes, "Please?"

"Fine. Just lead the way."

You smiled, "For now you lead the way, I have plans for tonight."

Billy grinned, "At the motel?"

You wrinkled your nose, "Gross."

Billy shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows."

That morning Billy took you to a small shop that sold food, you had already left the Hawkins border, you bought a sandwich and Billy only bought his cigarettes.

You and Billy were silent in the car to rest for a while, while you were chewing you saw Billy leaning against the window smoking.

"Stop smoking." You said in an annoyed tone but also sulking because he didn't care about his health.

He cleared his throat, "Hm?"

You swallowed your sandwich, curling your lips slightly, "Stop smoking, can't you?"

He smiled, "Are you jealous with a pack of cigarettes?"

You scoffed, "I told you—"

"You don't get jealous easily, blah blah blah, yeah I know." He mocked your way of speaking.

You threw the aluminum sandwich wrapper at him, "Shut it, I warned you."

Billy chuckled, "Or what, princess?"

"I'll kick your ass..?" You said sounding unsure.

Billy raised both corners of his lips,

You cut your sandwich and gave it to him, "Here, eat some, you need to eat, dickhead."

"You fed me?"

You wrinkled your nose and groaned, "Fine."

Luckily you bought two sandwiches instead Billy was hungry, so you finished the two sandwiches with Billy, and of course he was the one who asked you to feed him.

You proposed this road trip to make his condition better, so you wouldn't talk about the past and let him open up to you on his own.

On the way you passed many things, sometimes catching a small family—but the family with parents who were the same age as you, as long as they were happy you also smiled when you saw them. There is also an old couple who were silent on the chair looking at the view of the afternoon sky, you stole a glance at Billy, hoping that you could be together until you grew old. You also saw in some alleys people who were bullying.

"Where are we?"

"Angola, I guess."

Angola, a city known for its less strict government system, or its laws that are too trivial, news circulated in the newspaper when there was a victim of sexual harassment against women in Angola and the police really did nothing.

You groaned, "Can you stop the car?"

"Why?"

"Please?"

Billy couldn't refuse you, he immediately stopped his car, "I saw a group of young people gathered in the alley, they looked like they were bullying..." You looked at Billy, "So..."

"Nope. No, Y/N. We're not here to mind other people's business, don't worry okay? We'll be passing Angola soon."

"Billy, I'm not worried about where we've gotten, I've seen it and I can't just stand by. Can we— Can you at least like... Bring out your rebellious skills for them?"

Billy frowned, "Seriously?"

"You're like a gangster when you hang out with Tommy Hagan." You replied not wanting to lose to him.

"I promise, after this we can go anywhere, or I'll drive for you if you're tired!" You exclaimed excitedly.

Billy chuckled briefly, "No, thanks." He immediately got out of his car, you mocked the way he spoke for underestimating you.

You lead the way to the alley where you see a group of young people,

You point towards them, "There."

Billy stubbed out his cigarette, you held back your laughter because of seeing the changes he showed, slowly he became fierce, and you liked it, especially his black leather jacket and denim pants that supported him to be a hero to fight them.

"Hey!" Billy exclaimed, you followed him from behind.

You saw a boy with a hat embracing the other boy beside him In a rude way who was only wearing a t-shirt, all of them totaling 5 of them and none of them responded to Billy's call. "Are you deaf or what?" Billy said.

The boy wearing the hat laughed out loud, "Who are you, man? Mind your own business."

"Yeah, well, I bet you don't want to know who I am, kid." You smiled faintly seeing Billy who seemed to be 'pretending to be senior'.

"You're not from around here." His suggestion was one of his friends who wore a bandana on his hair. Billy nodded, he licked his lips with his tongue, "Yeah, that's why you can't mess with me. How about... Let that jerk go." The boy wearing the hat smiled, pointing at the boy he mentioned, "Him? Okay."

Billy frowned, "Okay?"

"Jess, take her." The boy named Jess reached for your hand, but you threw his grip away, taking a step back, "Don't you dare touch me, asshole."

Billy pushed the boy— Jess who touched you until he was cornered against the wall, Billy grabbed his collar, "You fucking touch her? Feeling kinda down about life, huh?"

Jess laughed, Billy immediately punched him, you pulled his body, "What the hell? I told you, just use your gangster skills, don't hurt them."

"Yeah, but he touched you, didn't he?"

You sighed,

The boy who was wearing a hat laughed, "It's fair, you get him, I get the girl."

"How old are you? Thirteen or something? You look like you peed yourself."

He looked furious and angry, throwing his hostage friend away so he moved to the back, "I'm fifteen, you idiot."

You let out a laugh, taking a step forward, "Fifteen? FIFTEEN?!"

He frowned hearing your hysterics, "The fuck is wrong with her..."

"No, the fuck is wrong with you guys! Oh god, I can't believe I was almost molested by a child who is still spoiled by their parents."

"We don't—"

You stopped him, "Shhh! Adults are talking."

Billy chuckled, apparently your 'bossy' and talkative attitude could distract them, when you were the one who lectured them, Billy was able to pull the boy who was being held hostage by the gang.

"—don't let me see you guys again." You said about to leave them but you turned around again to give a signal from your hand that was slitting your throat. They immediately ran, "Let's go!"

"Coward." You whispered seeing them running.

You walked towards Billy who was already side by side with the bullied boy, "You okay?" You asked, Billy was about to answer but he realized you threw your question to the boy.

He nodded, his appearance was shabby, "Have you eaten?"

He looked at you and Billy alternately then shook his head.

Billy moved his mouth without speaking, "You said you only saved him?"

"He hasn't eaten!" You also said without making any sound.

Billy rolled his eyes, your road trip together would be cut short because you helped the homeless boy because you were the one who relied on your pity—at least that's what Billy thought. Billy reluctantly took you and the boy named Johnny to the nearest convenience store.

You bought Johnny instant milk and fast food which he immediately ate.

Once he finished eating he immediately drank his drink in one gulp.

"Thank you, Miss." He said, you smiled, "Call me Y/N. Where do you live?"

He looked towards a DVD store, "Near that store."

You nodded, while you were the one who had the conversation with him Billy just sipped his coffee, you didn't let him buy another cigarette.

You took out your money, "Here. For you."

"Thank you, Miss Y/N." He sounded still stiff but his gratitude was really radiated when he let out that smile, he immediately ran towards his house.

"Is that all? Why did you give your money? He could have used it to buy weed or—"

You hit his stomach using your elbow, "Isn't that you?"

You walked to go towards Billy's car, Billy followed you, "Hey, I'm not buying weed anymore."

You rolled your eyes,

"See that? You could handle it alone, why are they so scared anyway?"

You smirked, "I told them, the witch who ruled Angola is back."

Billy burst out his laughter, "Do you think they believe it?"

"Oh c'mon! It's a legend in Angola, and they're already scared too. Problem solved."

Billy chuckled, he put his arm around your shoulder, kissing the side of your hair, "You're a genius."

"I know." You said smiling, in your heart you wanted to scream because he kissed you again—even though it wasn't where you wanted.

The evening had arrived, you and Billy decided to rest near the lake on the side of the road.

There was a chair there, Billy put his head on your lap and you would feed him the snack you brought from the car. Honestly, you asked to stop for a moment so you could read the novel you brought, since if you read in the car you couldn't focus.

Billy would touch your hand if he wanted you to feed him again, even though he actually wanted your attention to be diverted to him from the book.

"I don't want some snacks." Billy said, you lowered your book to look at him,

"Do you want us to continue going again?

"No."

"Then what?"

"Put your book down, you're on a road trip to spend time with me, not with that damn book."

You smiled and put your books in his backpack.

"Do whatever you used to do when you played with my hair." He said closing his eyes.

You smiled and started playing with his hair that was getting longer. He changed a lot. His facial muscles became more pleading, but he still tried to act strong in front of you.

You put your hand on his stomach, and he covered your hand with his, you just looked at the lake and the setting sun.

"Do you miss Cali?" You asked.

"I always do." He replied without opening his eyes even once.

He held your hand, "And you. I always miss you, I always wonder what you'll do on Saturdays."

You chuckled, "Since you left?"

"Well, you always come to my house to play with my hair on Saturdays."

You smiled, "I added a wig to Kola to braid."

"Your dog?"

You cleared your throat,

"He's still alive?"

"Yeah, mom always pouts about Kola since I'm busy paying attention to your condition."

Billy smiled thinly, very thinly, and opened his eyes, you looked at him, touching his lips, "I miss that smile."

"Yeah?"

You nodded, he got up from your lap,

"This smile only appears when it's with you."

"You're so good at lying—"

He kissed you. You thought last night was just him not thinking straight, but he kissed you again?

He cupped both of your cheeks, deepening the kiss.

Now you were starting to believe that childhood friends between a girl and a boy never be able to walk without connecting a 'feeling'.

You let go of the kiss,

"Stop saying that I'm fucking lying." He said.

You chuckled, shrugging your shoulders, "That's the only way so I can get a kissed from you."

Billy grinned, "Want another kiss?" He started kissing your whole face, making you laugh in amusement. There was nothing happier than this.

Seeing the sun really setting, you and Billy immediately headed to the place you wanted to visit, you didn't tell him but directed him from the map.

You almost got lost if Billy hadn't said that you were holding the map upside down. Throughout the journey, Billy always stroked your thigh, and you always kissed his cheek briefly. You couldn't lie, you always found him as the cutest boy back then, if only he was more sensitive and opened his eyes, then he would see you who had a crush on him.

When you got there, it turned out that you invited Billy to a fun fair in the city of Goshen.

"Really? a fun fair?"

You smiled teasingly at him, kissing his cheek again, "C'mon," You got out of the car. While Billy was still silent, he secretly loves being kissed on the cheek. So throughout the journey when you kissed his cheek he tried to play it cool, even though his heart really wanted to explode.

You walked to the plate that already had the word 'WELCOME' written on it, many neon colors lit up there, you looked at Billy, "C'mon!"

Billy chuckled seeing your enthusiasm, he really felt better. Better than anything.

You tried various rides, starting from putting the basketball into the ring but visiting didn't get a single point, making Billy step in and win the highest score, you kept cheering for him, because Billy won, you brought a big whale doll.

You also bought an animal headband and put it on Billy, actually this was more of a 'date' that Billy thought would never come. He always thought a good and cool date was a date at an expensive restaurant and taking the girl to a hotel. But a fun fair? Not bad either, he actually liked it better.

You kept holding Billy's hand as you walked looking for another ride,

"How about roller coaster?" You called out to Billy.

It doesn't end well. His headband flew off somewhere, he was initially confident, but then he immediately threw up. Making you rub his back to make him feel better, you couldn't stop laughing at him, but felt sorry for him.

"You didn't say you caught a cold easily!" You said, still wiping Billy's face with the tissue you brought in your small backpack.

"Well, you're so excited to ride that deadly ride."

You held back your laughter, "Who would have thought Billy the bad boy would lose to that ride?"

Billy rolled his eyes, "I'm not ready yet."

You smiled, you took your headband and put it on Billy's head, "How long do I have to wear this thing?"

"Until I get tired of seeing you wear it." You replied, making him groan.

You looked around, people were still going around trying all the rides, but seeing Billy who looked tired, probably because he was the one who kept driving, made you decide to look for food.

Once you finished looking for food and were about to go home, you just realized there was a 'Fortune Teller' tent which meant there was a fortune teller there.

"Can we go there?" You said holding your whale doll tightly in your hand and using the other hand to point to the fortune teller's tent.

Billy groaned, "Are you kidding me?"

"Pleaseee, it'll be fun!" You said.

"Please, please, please." You begged while jumping up and down excitedly.

Billy looked at you in amaze, of course he knew how much you liked tarot cards that were related to fate, so he couldn't disappoint you. But first, Billy put your bag down to the car, then you go to the tent.

"Welcome."

You are a little surprised to see a middle-aged woman wearing a clairvoyant dress. "Hello." You said she greeted her then sat in front of her with Billy.

"$5 please." She said.

You take out your money and put it on the table. "I don't need to see your happiness, you have each found your own happiness, right?" The clairvoyant asked with a sincere smile on her face. You smile at Billy, and so does he, suddenly she reprimands your hand, "How beautiful your story is, honey. In the midst of various difficulties with him on the brink of death,"

Hearing that Billy immediately remembered the incident last year, but you held his hand tightly with one hand, he knows you will always hold his hand and everything will be fine.

"If that is his will, then let it be together, don't think too much about complicated things, it can also be a problem for you." You smile faintly hearing her words, why is that the only thing you want to discuss? You are here to hear a happy destiny, but get like a death warning?

She looked at you and Billy alternately, "You, young boy. She was your first kiss, wasn't she?" You widened your eyes, wanting to leave but she was clearly still holding your hand.

Billy chuckled, "No, she wasn't."

"Yes she was." She replied with her determination.

You broke out in a cold sweat, Billy looked at you while asking, "Thank you very much!" You immediately took Billy out and pushed him slowly to get out of the tent. "Y/N." Suddenly, she called you,

You frowned, "You know my name."

She smiled, approached you and gave you a pendant, "Darkness will be your companion, it doesn't discriminate, I can only help by giving you this." Your whole body shook, you took the pendant and put it in your pocket, you tried to stay polite, "Thank you." You got out of her tent, as much as you were worried about her words but you had to explain it to Billy right?

"You were my first kiss?!" He exclaimed.

You looked away, "Maybe..." Your voice was very small.

"Look! Hannah always approaches you, and when we had a sleepover, you were already asleep and I..." You closed your eyes in embarrassment, "I kissed you. But seriously! It was just a short kiss!"

Billy was chuckled, "Middle school?"

You rolled your eyes, "Yes."

Billy smiled and approached you, putting his hands on your waist and you put your hands on his neck, "I'm glad you were my first kiss."

You smiled, "Why?"

"They say the first kiss will bring happiness, and lead to marriage."

You patted his chest lightly, "I... love you." Billy flinched for a moment, but he didn't hesitate to throw it back at you, "I love you more."

He kissed you sincerely and affectionately.

If in a fairy tale you have found your ending, but is this really the ending of your story? Will there be something in the way? Like Cinderella's stepmother who hinders her stepdaughter's happiness? Like the witch who doesn't want Snow White to take her throne of beauty? Hearing those words from the psychic makes you think that your life is just a fairy tale. But you hope your fairy tale can end with a happy ending.

Author Note : I've been holding on to this request for 2 weeks or more... and I feel guilty, sorry and thank you for requesting @patrickbatemanswife1987 💚, I hope you like it!

[bearballing]

things about vegas trip that 99% of people would not think is interesting:

nevada does not have painted lane divider lines on the roads, just groups of the reflector things

vegas is one of the only places in the usa still producing new neon signs because it's The Culture

even shit like denny's, walgreens, in n out burger have neon on their signs

we drove around 3 states and saw maybe 3 churches in total. in florida i can walk to 3 churches from my house.

don't ever try to rent a car in vegas during march madness and spring break.

saw a surprisingly small amount of cops around ? like there was one sat in a ghost town in california. not many around vegas. in florida they're practically wildlife.

the desert is fucken wimdy

all state line signs have places on the road to pull off onto to get pictures.

i-15 is the easiest highway i've been on and we were like wow we will NEVER have it this good again. (our regular highway is 75 and it's fucking bullshit)

50% of all cars in vegas have california plates

there is a fallout new vegas day every year at the pioneer saloon in goodsprings.

the pioneer saloon in goodsprings also has a mini fallout musem full of things left by visitors and two full guestbooks of messages written by people. i drew a little trans flag by someone's thing saying "[you have become addicted to estrogen]"

there is a billboard on the strip that currently says some bullshit about repenting for your sins. in las vegas. which is nicknamed sin city. on the big touristy road chock full of casinos.

there are quick marriage places everywhere. a fucking denny's has one. i Will be posting the sign on qualitysigns.

they got slot machines at the airport

the luxor is a static electricity factory

at hoover dam they have restrooms like out on the actual top of the dam. the men's is on the nevada side and the women's is on the arizona side.

boulder city, closest town to the dam, has like 75847385 businesses that are like "the best dam x"

the shortest toilets in the fucking world, that are not intentionally designed that way, are in the chevron gas station in primm, nevada.

The Lottery Store on the state line was closed and there were many people passing through who were all gutted it was closed. nevada does not have a lottery (because the casinos don't want more competition), so people go to california for it.

i think [big redacted work client here in florida] is stealing ideas from the Downtown Container Park.

someone is putting googly eyes on a bunch of signs.

they sell booze and booze milkshakes at the fast food places in the casinos.

we got dirt samples from a bunch of different places we visited and it was all completely different dirt

i took a rock from hoover dam and it flagged my bag at TSA. the guy was like "oh it's a rock lol ok you can go"

i took fucking 1400 photos. i do not have that many irl photos on my pc COMBINED

[rileyxmaddox]

[cis female and she/her] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [RILEY MADDOX]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [ZOË KRAVITZ]. You must be the [THIRTY-FIVE] year old [BARTENDER AT FOUR LEAF IRISH PUB]. Word is your [ADAPTABLE] but can also be a bit [DISTRUSTING] and your favorite song is [DISPARATE YOUTH by SANTIGOLD]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [FISHER'S COVE]. I’m sure you’ll love it!

INFORMATION:

fullname. riley jean maddox

nicknames. riles, doc.

gender. cis female

pronouns. she / her

d.o.b. may 31st, 1989 | ( 35 years old )

astrology. gemini ☀ aquarius ☾  aries ↑

birth place. brooklyn, new york city.

hometown. brooklyn, new york city.

current residence. aurora bay, california. ( @aurorabayaesthetic​ )

occupation. bartender at four leaf irish pub.

religion. none.

tattoos. several (here and here).

piercings. several ears, both nipples, septum piercing.

marital status. single.

sexual preference. bisexual.

family. louise maddox ( mother ), unknown ( father ), cole walters ( foster brother ).

children. none.

CHARACTER INSPO:

eleanor shellstrop ( the good place ), sarah manning ( orphan black ), letty ortiz ( the fast & the furious ), alex stern ( ninth house ), selina kyle ( batman ), gillian owens ( practical magic ).

PERSONALITY:

+ adaptable, spirited, opportunistic. - sarcastic, distrusting, irrational.

BIOGRAPHY:

( tw: car accident, death, crime, drugs mention, violence, domestic violence ) 

There’s not much known about where exactly Riley Maddox came from. Some may say she came straight from the pits of hell. The only memory that comes to mind when thinking of a time before being shuffled from foster home to foster home is of a beautiful blonde looking at her in the rearview mirror of a beat up car. A warm smile, two bright headlights coming towards them and then, nothing but darkness.

Police would say it was a drunk driver but Riley was never sure which driver exactly was to blame for her mother’s death.

Jumping from foster home to foster home for all of her childhood, Riley learned very quickly that people are mostly not to be trusted. Running away, starting fights, whatever she could to get through until she was old enough to be on her own. When she was just eight years old, she met the ying to her yang. Cole Walters was around the same age and just as angry. They were inseparable from the moment they met, forever causing trouble and simply being the bane of their social worker’s existence. 

Try as they might to keep the two separated, they’d always find each other. And Cole is the only person that Riley has ever considered to be as close to family. 

As they grew, so did their anger. Juvenile delinquents who had nothing to lose. 

A perfect storm of bad intentions, they’d hit up liquor stores, sneak into clubs, start fires. Whatever they could to feel something. Riley’s specialty was stealing cars. While her mind wasn’t academically smart, she was always curious about how things worked, taking things apart and putting them back together.

Stealing cars for joy rides were a regular occurrence but selling them for parts was more lucrative. But there was only so much one can do in a busy city without getting noticed. On the precipice of aging out of the system, Riley wasn’t about to let Cole start a new life without her so they decided to run. 

Escaping from Brooklyn in a stolen car, they road-tripped around the States, making money and making trouble. It was tiring, always scrounging for cash, moving from place to place. Riley never longed to be still.

Stillness always came at a cost. 

One night, after spending all their cash on whatever the hell they felt like, the two decided to rob a liquor store with a stolen gun that Riley had taken from an ex-lover. With her waiting in the getaway car out the back, it felt like every run they’d done before. But this one was different. 

As shots were fired from inside and the sirens came in the distance, Riley knew that she had to bail. Once the police had arrested Cole, she knew it wasn’t long before they took her too. After destroying the car beyond recognition, she waited for them to come. But they didn’t. Cole didn’t breathe a word. 

After his conviction, Cole got five years for attempted robbery and theft of a firearm and Riley wanted to say that she’d never leave his side for what he did for her and all they’d been through, but that wasn't the case. They'd been on the run for so long, she didn't know how to sit still. Jumping from place to place around the country but it never felt the same without her brother, she always needed someone else to hold her down and keep her steady.

She ended up in Arizona, working in a local mechanic when she met Kyle. At first, Riley thought they were perfect for each other. He worked as a boxing instructor at the local rink wanting to make it to the big-time, but Riley knew he was never gonna get there. ( tw: domestic violence ) Their relationship was tumultuous, screaming rows and thrown objects at each other. For Kyle looking at another girl's ass at a bar, for Riley getting home too late from the mechanic's where she worked, for Kyle taking steroids to keep up with other fighters at the gym. It only took one time for him to give her a black eye for her to know she needed to leave. Once that boundary is broken, it only gets more frequent from there.

At this time, Riley knew that Cole had finally gotten out and was living in some beach town in California. She hadn't contacted him, worrying that he'd hate her for never visiting but with her face half beat to shit, Riley didn't have anywhere to go. She left in the middle of the night, stole her car boyfriend’s car and drove straight into Aurora Bay to find him.

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS:

coming soon!

CURRENT CONNECTIONS:

foster sister of @colexwalters

[ofbluesandyellows]

Rooftop - Spider Man/ Peter Parker/Fem! Reader

Summary: Spider-Man finds you chilling on a rooftop on his way back home, after an unfortunate event he seems to find some comfort in you causing your little encounters to become more frequent until Spider-Man isn't enough and you feel the need to know who's behind the mask.

Warnings: mentions of blood, injuries. Mostly fluff :)

Word count: 17,115

You can also read on AO3

You were used to spend summers in California, the air was always hot, but it also smelled fresh, your house was near the ocean so it was lovely to hear the waves crashing whenever you and your friends had reunions on your rooftop, playing UNO or just chatting about boys, girls and the future.

And the future came. It will always reach you, until it became a present. So there you were now on a rooftop somewhere in New York City. Manhattan was fucking insane, you now understood the ‘concrete jungle’ saying. It definitely was, buildings rising up above from everything you’ve seen and hey Los Angeles had a few of those but here it was another level. The Empire State for starters, was majestic to watch, but it was even more impressive to see Stark Tower standing tall a couple of blocks down.

You’ve only been in New York for three weeks and it was just too much to take in. California was busy, yet it had a chill vibe to it, rush hour always a terror but New York was a constant nightmare when it came to commuting.

The subway was okay though, it was fun and different, always an adventure. The bus was good too, but it always took too much time to get you places. So you mostly walked. You heard that the city was also dangerous for a girl to be walking at night and alone but you had never felt unsafe, well maybe it was because you had only been there three weeks anyways, not much to compare it to.

Sneaking into places was way easier in New York city, that was a must. Not because you liked to steal nor do crazy stuff like that, but you had a thing for rooftops, terraces or whatever you wanted to call them. Every single one of them had a different vibe and the view never the same.

In California though, it was hard, people had cameras and alarm systems always on, ready to deafen you if you ever got too close. Which you did, and even then you had only been caught once; it was an empty home, they were selling it, so you thought ‘fuck it, no one will know’ but oh they did.

Weirdly enough the police came fast and you barely had time to hide but the cameras caught you and your mom had to pick you up at the police department. Was it a crime to trespass? Of course. Did you care? Absolutely no. Still, since that incident, you developed skills to do what you needed to fill your desires.

Fortunately enough the concrete jungle population cared less about rooftops, so the fire escape stairs were usually open in case of any emergency, of course. Leaving free space for crazy girls with a weird fixation with watching the sunrise and sunset, the stars and the city skyline from cute or either horrible rooftops.

What’s that thing they say about “third time’s a charm?”

Well, you confirmed it that night, the night you turned exactly three weeks living in New York. Sultry air, you felt like asphyxiating once you climbed the fire escape to one of the loveliest rooftops your eyes had seen. You could tell the people that lived there were plant lovers, and used the space thoughtfully, with a variety of veggie based plants to a few pots with roses and peonies growing in different shades. The sudden swirls of wind only made it dreamier with the smell of sweetness from such flowers.

Sighing deeply your butt landed on an old cushion you found. There was no point in worrying about who had sat there before or if it had been under acid rain or rays of outer space guns, it was better than nothing. Your backpack had a full buffet ready to be eaten. A container full of fresh lemonade, a tupperware with sliced strawberries, a few choco-chip cookies your new roommate bought that morning and a bag of Doritos were looking at you expectantly.

The skin of your bare arms and your forehead was shining slightly with pearls of sweat. You had walked for about fifteen minutes until randomly choosing the building you wanted to explore. The wind wasn’t very frequent but it was nice when it brushed against you.

You munched the strawberries, the music of your phone making you company. You had a special playlist full of songs that were worth listening to while the city was only illuminated by artificial lights and colors washed over the streets from blue lava lamps, Time Square or some weird neon light signs offering tattoos at half the price.

Radiohead was soundtracking your night, drinking lemonade while admiring the sky, no stars could be seen, of course you didn’t expect any less from such place. As well as you were not expecting to see a figure crashing a couple of steps from you.

You snorted, the lemonade came out from your mouth and your nose, making you cough and sneeze a couple of times before you heard the dude in red and blue groan. His hand went to his stomach while the other held him half up on his elbow.

“Karen, how bad is the damage?” you froze in your spot wiping the traces of liquid over your chin and neck.

“You have a broken nose as well as splintered ribs. Should I call Mr. Stark for you?” A voice sounded so clear you only watched the scene develop in front of you in awe, Thom Yorke was suddenly very quiet too.

“No! no, it’s fine, I’m fine, I’ll just rest for a second.”

“Your left web shooter is malfunctioning as well Peter, you still have a twenty minute swing to your place.”

“I know, I know, just… sshh…” the dude was now fully lying on the floor. He didn’t even acknowledge your presence.

“Peter, I should call Mr. Stark your oxygen levels are low.”

“Karen please-“

“WHAT THE FUCK!” your squeal made Spider-Man do a flip but he wobbled down to one side.

“Shit, you scared me, how long have you been there?” his voice sounded so high pitched. Even under his mask. “Fuck, oh god. Miss I’m sorry, you- if you heard any of that, I beg you to not say a word about it.” he grunted again on his knees.

“Oh, oh you are Spider-Man, like the real one, the one on the T.V. Fuck this is so crazy, oh my god.”

Under the hero’s current spot a dark puddle was starting to form. Instinctively you got closer to him. He stepped back faster than you thought possible.

“Sorry, err, you are hurt. Do you need help?” you offered.

“No, it’s fine. It’ll heal… eventually. I hope.”

You could only imagine how bad his injury was if he was bleeding that much.

“Karen, do a scan again, where the blood’s coming from?”

“I’m not Karen..” you replied, using this as a distraction to kneel down closer to his body.

So close to the one and only Spider-Man, his big masked eyes squinted at you, feeling suddenly too aware of your sweaty face and hair sticking to your forehead.

“Oh I know, it’s just my AI, I named her Karen, she helps me in missions and should be keeping me informed of things and stuff.” he whined once again until Karen spoke.

“You re-opened the wound from last night.”

“Of fucking course.” he cursed and sat down, not even worried about you getting closer.

For a few seconds you stayed there, the little gravel murdering your knees until your mind started to do things on its own.

“Listen, Spider-Man, I know you don’t want to call Mr. Stark-“ his crazy spidey eyes opening, you could only guess it was a worried look, “I heard you talking with Karen, and everyone knows you work with Tony Stark, so relax.”

“Oh, yeah right, ok”

“I’m not a nurse and I don’t go out carrying a first aid kit but… I have food if you want some water I have fruit and chips and yeah I don’t know if that helps but it could, or I can call an ambulance, whatever you want.”

“You could use some water, you’re dehydrated.” Karen suggested.

Without letting him answer, you ran to get all your stuff, even the very dirty cushion.

“Here…” you offered him your lemonade container. “You could drink directly from there or maybe if you want I can pour some on the lid, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. And look I found this,” you put the ugly piece of pillow block up, for him to see. “It’s so dirty i know but you could rest your head on it, if you’d like of course. Do whatever you feel like doing.”

“I’ll take the water,”

Extending your arm to him, his suited fingers brushed against the skin of your hand, it felt so weird, leaving a tingle where he had briefly touched you.

But everything felt weird really, it was surreal to see Spider- Man right in front of you, you had only been in the city for three freaking weeks and this had happened, you wondered how your life would be like in a year.

You were caught off guard when he started to roll up his mask just enough to be able to drink the lemonade. He had dried blood from his nose all the way down his neck, until it hid behind the rest of the suit.

Seeing his Adam’s apple moving, had an effect on your body, your stomach fluttered and you noticed your hands were sweating not for the hot weather but for having a superhero right by your side.

“Thanks, that was… nice.” and you saw him smile, a warm, polite and sweet smile, your heart felt big, your chest feeling like it may explode in any second. But how? You didn’t know this guy, yet you were buzzing with excitement, or maybe it was adrenaline.

“You can finish it, you need it way more than me.” turning around to grab your tupper of strawberries. “Eat these, they can prevent heart attacks, increase your energy which you could use, and also straighten your vision, I don’t think you’d need that but they help so take them.”

“Wow, you talk a lot.” he let out a chuckle but took a few red fruits between his gloved fingers.

You would’ve found that offensive in another situation but not now, not coming from him. It was all weird again, you usually were more on the reserved quiet side of the spectrum but for some reason you were being extra talkative.

His lips were painted pink when he picked his forth strawberry. You were looking at him way too intently to be normal. He seemed to not notice, in fact he was more worried about the pain in his ribs whenever he dared to inhale more oxygen than permitted.

“Your oxygen levels are stable again.” Karen stated and you saw the guy smile.

“Thanks Karen.” he sighed. He stopped feeling light-headed, yet his whole body screamed in complaint when he ventured to stand up.

Quickly following his moves you were up in a second, just in time for his arm to reach your shoulder and use it for support.

“Sorry, I- I should be going.” his mask was placed back down his nose and lips. “but thank you for everything. You had no idea how much that helped.”

His fingers squeezed your right shoulder slightly, with appreciation. Your chest feeling tight.

“No problem. Hope you get home safe or wherever you are meant to go… just be safe, Spider- Man.”

He gave you a nod and his web shooter made that whoosh sound as he swung to the next building.

“The lemonade was very tasty.” you heard him screaming across the night.

You couldn’t help to smile wide, “I’m glad you liked it Peter!”.

Your reply almost made Peter lose his balance when he landed at the edge of a balcony.

“How the fuck…?” he wondered but got rapidly corrected by Karen.

“I think she heard me calling you Peter, that must be a problem.”

“It certainly must. Right now all I want is to get home. Ned is going to worry when he sees me.”

“You have less than thirty buildings ahead, your vitals are getting back to normal, but you lost a lot of blood. You may need stitches again, and your nose needs to be set in place.”

Peter rolled his eyes, he knew what needed to be done. Ned could fix his nose, that was the least of his problems. He still felt a little dizzy because of his blood loss. Smell of strawberries lingered in his nose.

The next few days Tony took his suit away, firstly because it had a few holes in it that needed to be patched up, that was something Peter didn’t want. And secondly was the mere act of giving him a lesson to be more careful and to “call me if you need help, you could’ve died up there if it wasn’t for this girl that somehow managed to get your brain working again. Dammit kid, you are my responsibility- and yes I know you are an adult but still, I worry about you, okay?”

So he only looked out his window at night during those days, wondering if you even were up that rooftop expecting to see Spider-Man again. He thought about you a lot actually, more than he would like to admit. You were in his mind whenever he walked across the streets of Queens or had to train at the compound. The faintest smell of strawberry reminded him of you. And even when he was on the verge of passing out that night, he could picture your bright eyes and your grin if he closed his eyes, his body buzzing.

Once his suit got back to him, it was only a matter of time for him to start swinging back though the city’s brick buildings, he had only two things in his list whenever he patrolled. You, you were on top, he hoped with all his might that he could find you again eating chips and drinking fresh lemonade. But you were not there, he even pretended that -your building- as he called it, was always on his way back to his apartment, elongating his way home, yet nothing had happened. The second thing was not getting too hurt if he had to kick some ass.

Two weeks later, he was resting on a balcony again. Golden hour was happening, the glow casted down his suit making it look even more mystic, the web pattern sticking out of the fabric. Peter sighed, he was losing all trace of hope he had left, you were probably just a random girl that just happened to be there at the right or wrong time, who knows. You could’ve been an angel, he had that idea developing in his brain, the odds were just too low now, he had run the numbers, and yes he had looked down the windows of said building. His chest only getting tighter by not having any clue where you were.

Were you even real? he slapped his suited hand over his Spider-Man eyes.

“Karen, are you sure she wasn’t just part of my imagination? Like a survival instinct to just not pass out or something?” he closed his eyes and saw your surprised face again and again, his brain liked to make him suffer.

“No Peter, she was real. I can play the video back for you if you’d like.”

“No, I’m okay. Let’s just continue with this patrol and call it an early night today.”

Only that he didn’t. The sun was hiding on the horizon, some strokes of orange and pink painted the sky nicely. Closer to lower Manhattan he saw you, your legs spreader in front of you as a book rested on them.

Peter landed silently on the rooftop. This one wasn’t as nice as the first one near the Empire State but it had its charm with the fairy lights hanging from a dried branch all the way to the patio heater on the other side of the space.

“Hey!” Peter said, you jumped on your spot. Hands to your heart, “sorry, I just- umm… it’s been a while.”

Lowering your hands you closed your book after marking your page, “it has indeed. How are you Spider-Man?” a grin on your lips.

“Peter your heart rate is accelerating very quickly.” Karen spoke for the two of you to hear. You held in a smile by biting your lips together.

“Ugh Karen shhh… uh, don’t mind my AI I was just surprised to see you here.”

Nodding you waited for him to talk,”I see you are not bleeding anymore, and your suit looks even better, is it new?”

Peter extended his arms examining himself as he shortened the space between you two, “It is actually, Mr. Stark took it away for a couple of days, because it needed to be fixed but at the end he just gave me this new… version I guess. Thanks for noticing.”

“Of course, that makes sense because I waited for you in the same building for let’s say…. four days but you didn’t show up, thought you were having a few days off to rest and heal so I just had to go check other rooftops. But yeah, the suit looks more… I don’t know, it looks less plain, which is good.”

You couldn’t see Peter’s reaction, but if you could you would only see red, red all over his face and ears. He couldn’t believe you waited for him! his insides were fluttering, it was a funny feeling to him. He hadn’t been like that since he and MJ were together, it had been six months since they broke up. As predicted he didn’t know how to react. So he crossed and uncrossed his arms over his chest then he pretended to brush dust off of his shoulders and legs.

Fuck, this is so embarrassing.

“So uh, you live here? Like in this building?”

Your turn had come. You felt the warm waves rolling up your cheeks. “No, it’s kind of a funny story.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I have all night.” he sat near you, still not too close to make you uncomfortable.

“Don’t you have to stop the bad dudes from robbing an old lady’s cat or something?” your legs travelled up, until your knees met your arms, using them as coverage from Spider-Man’s eyes.

That made you a little uneasy, you didn’t know what was happening behind that mask, he could be a kid or an old man. You guessed he was probably in his 20’s, not believing Tony Stark would send an underage boy or a grandad into missions and shit.

So yeah, you felt extremely aware of how you looked and moved.

“Well, not really. Crime life has been pretty tranquil these days. Maybe it’s the summer, and the heat and everybody is on vacation, I have no idea.” taking a moment to shrug and observe the city, Peter noticed how the sky had almost entirely blackened. Then he looked at you. Your eyes were already on him. “Err, so uh what’s up with you and rooftops?”

With a defeated sigh you knew you had to tell the guy what was going on. That if you were planning on encountering him more often.

“You don’t have to though, it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.” Spider-Man didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.

“I know but I want to tell you, it’s quite embarrassing, you may think I’m a rebel or a delinquent of some sort.” you chuckled and you heard the superhero, do too. It was a warm child-like laugh.

Fixing yourself in the still warm concrete, you offered the masked dude some of your sliced apples just as you told him everything from California to that one time you got caught until right that very moment you two met a couple of weeks back.

“Don’t think I do it all the time. I’m a bit of a criminal, I do know that it’s not exactly legal to get myself invited to people's properties, but it’s so nice to see the city from different perspectives makes you forget about the horrible stuff happening in your life, you know?” Spider- Man nodded, agreeing with you, his mask was only covering half of his face while he ate the crisp apples “but yeah, I had a lovely terrace back in Cali, it has lights like these but those I stole from an old Christmas tree we had.” your eyes were lost in the fluorescent lights on the streets, recalling what once was. “I guess I should do the same in my new home.”

“I mean, I land on people’s rooftops all the time. Who am I to judge you, right? Also,” his spidey legs were in front of him, he held them close to his chest with his hands fidgeting with the fabric of the suit. “I understand what you mean because as Spider-Man I get to see the enchantment of the city at night, with its dangers too. But as everything else in life it has to have that balance. So I found that in you as well, you seem like a very nice girl so even that little rebellious side in you is just what makes you unique?… uh...”

It was in that moment when you realized how much of a blessing and a curse your little serendipity had become. You were not letting go of Spider-Man, not now that he was being a lovely person, not now that you felt -for the first time in a while- understood by someone. You wondered how meeting Peter was, probably the same. Regardless, you were certain Spider-Man was definitely his darker most confident side.

As he said, all good had a little bit of bad in them and Spider-Man could kick ass and make the bad dudes cry like babies, yet he had Peter who was surely soft and gentle.

Your eyes danced on his face, his jaw moving as he chewed your food. Feeling at peace and comfortable with the arachnid superhero. It all went silent except from the noises of far away ambulances and car honks.

“I think it’s only fair if I ask you for your name. You already know mine so,” he clicked his tongue, later forming a lipped smirk.

“Yeah, fair enough. I’m y/n,” instinctively your hand extended his way. He took it and squeezed it gently.

“It’s very nice to finally know your name y/n. Suits you.” his teeth were so white and his smile made a few butterflies wake in your belly.

“Thanks, yours on the other hand…”

The big ‘o’ that formed on his mouth in faux-offense made you snort so hard you had to cover your face with both hands.

“That’s so rude, we’ve only met y/n.” he was laughing though.

After you recovered from the giggles you caught him smiling your way, it was always eyes and smiles with you two, even if you couldn’t see his eyes you knew his gaze was intense. What was it with him that got you so hypnotized.

“I never thought the person behind Spider-Man was a Peter, is just a very cute name for such a badass superhero.”

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment actually, because that’s just how I want people to believe I am. A totally different entity to the hero everyone knows, or think they know.”

“But you are the same person.” you watched him as he laid back, his mask back on, eyes up on the dark sky. “you can’t separate from it even if you tried.”

“I know, but wish I could. Things would be so much easier, my family and friends wouldn’t have to be in danger all the time and I could just be a normal guy.”

“Even so you are a normal guy, you’re Peter.”

“Don’t want you to feel bad, but you wouldn’t understand. Is just a constant pressure of being on one side Peter, going to Empire, graduating, getting a job eventually a family and kids, being responsible and having time for my friends. But then,” his robotic eyes squinted, you guessed the guy under the suit furrowed his eyebrows. “I have to also keep the city safe, getting my ass beaten up, and it’s just too much at times. Working at night, being alert twenty four-seven during the 365 days of the year. There’s no escape from this y/n. However, being just Peter… I wouldn’t have to worry about the rest of the world.”

“I guess I never thought of that.”

Of course you’ve never thought of it, having a double life and still being the same person must be the most terrifying thing ever. Being in constant danger, then worrying about everyone's safety and always having that burning question in the back of your mind if someone knew your secret how would that affect you and your loved ones. It was tough. Even if you had the whole team of Avengers by your side, he was just a college boy like you.

“No one does, not even me. I started to think about that until only very recently, being an adult sucks.”

Peter’s arms rested on the back of his head.

“It does… so you go to Empire?” the change of topic was necessary at this point.

His face turned your way. “Yeah why?”

“I’m attending my last year of college there too, maybe we’ll see each other there.”

Unlike you, Peter was so thankful for having his mask on, so you wouldn’t see the red blossoming on his whole face, matching his suit. “I guess you’re right. but I won’t be able to talk to you. Would give all this ‘cool superhero’ façade away.”

Even then, you sensed an amused tone. “Well, I hope eventually you let me get to know you not only as Spider-Man but as Peter.”

Peter now frowned, were you even serious about that? His chest felt heavy because he would like that, no, no he would love for you to see him as Peter. Even if you ended up disappointed by who Peter was; a physics student obsessed with Star Wars and everything about quantum mechanics.

“I’ll tell you what, if I ever see you I’ll let you know.” Peter suddenly felt more enthusiast about going to college than ever before, to his brain that was new.

Your stomach squirmed, “so you want to keep seeing me?” you were gleefully staring at him.

Peter noticed your heart rate spiking making his do the same, he felt it in his fingertips, his senses going all over the place, “of course! I mean yeah.. if you want to. You’re great, I enjoy being with you. But if you don’t want then we don’t have to, it’s fine.” he didn’t even notice when he got on his feet.

“I’d love to, I enjoy being with you too. I feel like we could be great friends, wow it’s so weird to think that I’m friends with Spider-Man” you tee-heed.

He was gawking your way, about to say how he hoped to be friends with you as Peter too, or something along the lines but a chime interrupted him.

“Incoming call from Tony Stark.” Karen broke the news.

“No, I’ll call him later.”

“Hello? Peter? Hey, kid, sorry to bother you but we need you to go check something in lower Manhattan, apparently there has been some Chitauri energy increasing there, and you know how these things go when some amateur buys that stuff. So please if you could take care of it and inform me immediately about it.”

“Oh ok, I’ll let you know Mr. Stark.” Peter knew you couldn’t hear what Tony was saying but that didn’t make him feel any better, by being there with him you were getting involved, even though your encounters had been innocent and brief, some red light in the back of his mind was going off.

“If you need backup I’ll have Sam and Bucky on the way.”

“Sure thing.”

“See ya kid.” the line went silent. Peter was fully facing you.

“I know you have to go, it’s fine. Spider-Man is needed.” your soft grin, only caused the pit of his stomach to churn.

“Yes, duty calls. See you tomorrow?” his body was buzzing, he usually didn’t ask girls on dates. Not that this was one, still he was nervous.

“Definitely, not here though, but maybe near Stark Industries.” you suggested.

“I’ll look for you then.” he was smiling widely, “I’m smiling by the way… not that you needed to know.” slapping his face he stepped on the edge of the building, “ugh no idea why I said that, bye y/n.”

“Good night Spider-Man,” an explosion of excitement hit you when you saw him swing away “careful Peter!” he disappeared under the night’s cloak.

***

The next night it was the same, Peter found you around 10 pm, you had a whole new range of food to offer him, from chocolate bars half melting thanks to the warm weather, to strawberries and iced coffee.

You two talked about him mostly. How his uncle was the best man he had ever met and the way he tried to honor him every day since he had passed away. The way Peter talked about his uncle and his aunt was in pure admiration and above all, love. You could sense the love he had for them. He didn’t say what had happened to his parents but you didn’t have to ask, you kind of guessed it. It broke your heart to see how much he had suffered at such a young age, and yet here he was, doing good to the world.

That was some selfish act, you admired that, you had only been able to go to New York as a way to show your parents you could be independent, but not really. They still paid for your stuff. So you felt guilty when you thought about your problems, wanting to have salmon for lunch wasn’t a priority. Not when you heard Peter say how he and his friend shared an old apartment in Queens, they could barely pay for the rent but they were happy.

Were you happy? You were not entirely sure, but one thing was definite, you felt happy around Peter, his bubbly personality and carefree laugh did you good, because Peter was good and pure like that.

The weeks kept on passing and your encounters only became a habit. Often times Peter would swing by with his backpack filled in with fast food. Sandwiches from a place in Queens -if he was near the area before meeting you- called Delmar’s, bags of chips and one time he had swung so fast that the cans of sodas exploded when you opened one. Making your hair stay sticky the whole time you were with him, he called you nicknames such as sweetie or cherry all night because you indeed smelled like cherry flavored sweets.

The last weekend before college started you finally met Peter on the rooftop of your building. Your now friend Sarah, knew about your thing with sneaking out to see the sunset in different parts of the city, yet she had no idea you had been seeing Spider-Man this whole time, and she didn’t need to find out, it was your secret. And you enjoyed having that with Peter.

Your hair was flowing in the still warm breeze when Peter landed with a humph sound. You haven’t seen him in two weeks, he had to go to Europe for a mission so the excitement was doubled up when you saw him open his backpack handing you a tupper.

Opening it up you saw a mess of brown white and blue.

“It's cake, from my birthday. It should still be good, May kept it in the fridge while I was gone.”

The subtle but rich smell of chocolate filled your nostrils, Peter quickly pushed the backpack to one side and plopped himself by your side.

“Wait, it was your birthday and you didn’t tell me!?” Spider-Man’s eyes grew bigger on his mask, “why? I could’ve brought you something special.”

Even if that night you had prepared the space, bringing cushions and borrowing Sarah’s disco lamp. It could’ve been nicer with a couple of beers or a mini cake, your eyes were looking at the scrambled cake in the container.

“Sorry, I didn’t think it was important for you, and it was just before I went to Amsterdam for the mission.” his hand held yours until you glared at him, “it’s the 10th of august if that makes it any better, and I don’t need you to make it special because I feel special every time I’m near you…”

At that point you two started to be honest, the embarrassment was still there but you didn’t care anymore. That’s why you nodded while your whole face dyed in all types of pink shades.

“Fine, but next time I’ll make you a cake, I’m not good at cooking but I could try.” Peter had a sheepish grin on. Chocolate adorning the corner of his mouth. “You look like a five year old with chocolate all over your face Peter.”

He quickly cleaned it with the back of his hand, “better, miss perfect?”

You scoffed, “shut up.”

He laughed, “I was thinking that maybe, it’s a good idea to have each other’s numbers, you know? just in case of an emergency.”

Was about damn time, you screamed in your mind, “it took you too fucking long Peter.”

“I- okay yes but i didn’t want to make it awkward, I thought of calling you a couple of times during my mission, to check on you but then I realized how stupid of me to not have asked you for your number before… there I said it.”

His cheeks felt so hot, but the blue light of the lamp covered it up. Still Peter was afraid that Karen would make him look like a fool by saying something about his body temperature or some shit like that, it was classic Karen behavior.

“Well, give me your phone.” you two exchanged numbers and when you were about to add him you doubted on what name to put on, “should I put Peter or Spider-Man?”

He peeked over your shoulder to see the screen, the name tag blank “I think Spider- Man would look super awesome, but that would drag attention to it, so Peter is fine… or both, I’m okay with either.”

“Ok, let’s put Spidey then. Is shorter and less flashy.”

When you started to eat the still very tasty mush of brown cake you saw a flash coming from Peter’s phone, your eyes grew wide.

“Don’t you dare!”

“What? Only me and myself and no one else will be seeing such lovely image every time you call. Come on y/n you look cute!”

He showed you the picture, your hair was all over the place. Your hand midway through the air as your mouth was agape ready to take the bite, along with a faint paint of green on your cheek from the lamp.

“Peteeeerr, that’s fucking horrible. Please don’t use that, you can keep it but please I beg you to not use that horrible pic of me.” you whined.

Peter was laughing hard watching your reaction, he really thought you looked cute, he could notice your curled eyelashes glimmering with the light of the flash as well as your highlight accentuating your cheekbones nicely.

His belly hurt when you accepted to take another photo. “Only if I choose when to take it, I promise it won’t be like the first one.”

“Ugh, whatever. You always do what you want, don’t you?”

A wry smirk decorated his rosy lips, “Yeah, 93% percent of the time I do, the outcome is what usually goes against my will.”

The picture wasn’t taken that night, or at least you thought that, you never saw him with his phone again.

“Y/n?” Peter’s soft voice elected some kind of wave that traveled from your arms to your toes. “when classes start, do you think we can keep on seeing each other? I know it’s going to be difficult because of the amount of stress we’ll be under and homework and all that shit but I would really like to spend some nights on the rooftop with you.”

It warmed your chest how sincere he was, and just like you, he wanted to see you not only for the summer but hopefully the rest of the year.

You nodded eagerly, “we could do homework if you don’t have the time, I could help you-“

“Do you know about physics, electromagnetic behavior and nuclear forces?” he giggled seeing your nose scrunching. “I thought so. But that sounds amazing, I’ll take your offer.”

“Wow so you really are a genius, not only Spider-Man but an intellectually superior boy, I feel so dumb now.” you shook your head, unbelievably offended by how insignificant you felt beside him.

“I am not, I mean I made these of course” he showed you his web shooter, “and I’ve helped Mr. Stark in a couple of projects but I’m not a genius, that’s what Tony and Doctor Banner are, I hope to get to that level one day but i’m not close yet.” the admiration in his tone was palpable.

“Oh bullshit, you are! You really don’t think that working for Stark was just a random coincidence or that he felt that he had to employ you just because you are fighting crime, don’t diminish your own work.” unexpectedly Peter grabbed your hand, his fingers caressing your skin, tracing the lines of your palms, causing goosebumps to form on your arms.

It felt funny because you couldn’t feel Peter’s skin, only the pattern of his suit. You wanted to feel him, to touch Peter without his suit, to hug him to look him in the eye. Kiss him. The thought of doing so had been on your mind for a couple of days now, it all happened when Peter left for his mission, you longed for him and having him that close, touching you with such care was putting your senses on overdrive, yet you stood there, still very still.

“Thank you, I don’t actually remember if I thanked you for what you did the first time we met or any other night. You’ve been really here for me when I had to complain about my life and my friends. It’s not your job to do so but you do it anyways, so thank you y/n. Hopefully one day I can pay you for it.”

“It’s okay, I do it because I care for you and I like being with you even if you end up ditching me to go fight some sketchy people in the middle of the night.” he smirked .

“I know, sorry about that but those are the consequences of dating a hero.” he clicked his tongue, he heard your heart drumming a little faster and harder “shit,” he whispered closing his eyes

Your heart dropped its beat, a tug on his chest reminded him to not say stupid things that could end with your friendship in the future. He was being a dickhead for saying that and then just not making a move, he wanted to slap his head with a brick.

“Do you know where I would really like to go one day?” The sudden change of topic caught him off guard. But you often did so, to avoid awkwardness.

“No, where?”

“It’s silly, but maybe one day you can take me to Stark Industries… I mean not like into the building but on the building.”

His spidey eyes grew, understanding, “like the rooftop? I know Tony has some fancy outdoor chairs and a good sound system for when he does parties.” he saw a spark of excitement in your eye, “I could totally take you. Just that we have to be extra careful, I mean I could ask, but what’s the fun in that, right?” His hand was still holding yours.

��Sounds like a plan.”

After more awkward moments Peter had to go back to his Spider-Man duties, and you went back to your room to finally get some sleep before the big first day of college started.

Peter would never admit to himself that he often times would roam around to check you got safe to your apartment, even before you told him where you lived he had followed you a couple of times before. And yes, he found himself looking at your window until the lights went off to keep patrolling the city.

The first couple of weeks at college were good, your degree in Art History was even more interesting because you had a different approach and a whole new range of opportunities to choose from, like a canvas ready to be splattered with paint and experiences.

You were so happy about it, you enjoyed it so much and whenever you and Peter ended up talking on the phone, texting or meeting, you went down the list of things you did during the day, every time it made your day even better. He showed interest in what you said about oil paintings, curating and random facts about famous painters Peter had never heard of. Likewise Peter felt understood when he was rambling about what the quantum realm was and babbled out crazy theories about the existence of multiverses. He cherished that with all his heart simplifying things while using Star Wars references or telling you about how Scott Lang helped with all the time traveling during the Thanos attack.

It was so easy to talk to you, he found himself trying to come up with excuses just to go to the arts building. He ended up visiting MJ all the time just because she was taking a course about women in the art industries. And yes he watched you talk to a few girls down the hall, it was kind of powerful to him having the chance to observe everything you did without you noticing him, he should be feeling disappointed about it, but he was so happy and free to see you walk and laugh without being creepy. Just that he was being creepy and MJ never failed to remind him of it.

Not that MJ knew about you and him but she thought Peter could have a crush on one of her classmates. Peter and her even after the breakup kept being good friends, MJ was now dating Harry and Peter wasn’t even bothered by it, at least not anymore because his mind was focused on you.

There was one time when you two locked eyes when he was fixing his backpack waiting for MJ to get her stuff. You passed right beside him and you even smiled at him politely, it was like an out of a movie experience for him, it all started to go in slow-motion, your hair swinging side to side from your half ponytail, your cheeks rosy from the heat of the classroom, and just when you brush passed him, with that subtle grin, his nose smelled that very faint strawberry sent. It was not your signature smell, he knew, but just from somewhere in his memory the fruit was this one specific thing that reminded him of you, because you gave them to him when he was literally bleeding out before you.

Peter texted you about that. His heart hammering on his head for the rush of blood and excitement, if only you could’ve sensed half of what he felt when you smiled at Peter Parker and not only Spider-Man his life would be made.

Saw you today, I like your hair like that- Peter

No way, where? Did I see you? - y/n

You did, but I bet you see lots of handsome dudes at school so you wouldn’t notice- Peter

Shut up, Peter. Wish I could remember- y/n

That night, Peter found you on top of a building that had some rusty swings. You were sitting on them, he was with his legs crossed right in front of you. Spidey eyes never leaving your face, good thing you couldn’t notice. You could feel it though.

“Did you know there are more than 20 Peter’s in Empire, it’s crazy.”

If you could only see the terror on his face, “what? how do you know?”

Your sheepish smile gave you away, “I had to look it up, just in case I ever met a Peter. I have to be prepared.” you shrugged trying to keep it cool.

Peter had two voices, one trying to defuse the other. One telling him to just show you his face and get it over with, while the other screamed NO, to keep it like that, to protect you from whatever could happen, being linked to Spider-Man therefore to Peter only meant trouble for him, for you. Yet his insides somersaulted just by thinking about holding your hand and kissing your lips in sunlight.

“Maybe one day,”

He saw the hurt in your face while you nodded. He knew you wouldn’t push him to do something he didn’t feel prepared and he was thankful for it. It wasn’t time yet.

***

By the start of October the weather began to get gloomier. It had been raining for two days, and you two were not able to meet, longing for each other's presence was eating you and Peter alive. You called and texted all the time basically you fell asleep listening to Peter swing by across the city telling you about what he could see, and how he didn’t feel cold because Tony had made his suit waterproof and it had a warming effect whenever his temperature lowered.

The day the rain stopped at night, Peter was buzzing. Karen even warned him about how fast his blood was rushing in his veins and that his heart was skipping beats every now and then. He just wanted to see you, and give you a hug and do so much more than that but for now a hug would have to do.

The whole day he’d been feeling odd like his spider-sense was going off, it was hard to explain but it felt like something was bothering him and he couldn’t put a finger on what was making his body feel so out of place. He hadn’t seen you at the faculty, not when he casually went so say hi to Michelle, he figured you had other stuff to do than wait for the random guy in the hall to smile at.

So when he got home. Your image popped on the screen of his phone all together Peter smiled thinking about the picture he took the day he caught you laughing with someone in the hallways of your faculty. The jolly memory was cut short seeing that it was only a text message, no emojis, no stickers, he stopped breathing properly. ‘please be ok, please be ok, please be ok…’ he repeated over and over again as he opened the texts.

You had a cold. His soul came back to his body. You weren’t in danger and that was his priority however, you weren’t at your best.

He damned the weather for causing you such distress. Wrecking his brains out, his mind only came up with one good idea that afternoon.

May wasn’t great at cooking but she did one of the best chicken noodle soups he’d ever tried. With a simple call aunt May agreed to make it. Peter bought what was needed and an hour and a half later he was knocking your door without even thinking it through.

A tall girl cracked the door open, he guessed it was Sarah, your roommate “Hi, does y/n live here? I know she is not feeling good, so I came to see how she’s doing.”

“Hello, yes come in. Did she call you? because she hasn’t left her room all day.” Sarah’s chocolate eyes were traveling up and down Peter’s body, he felt vulnerable.

“Yeah… well no. She texted me that we wouldn’t be seeing each other today.” Peter fixed his backpack, trying to divert the attention from his body to his accessories. He failed, obviously.

He never considered himself attractive but oh boy, he was. Nerdy and sexy and kind and cute.

“Wait a second you’re the reason why she sneaks out almost every night?” Sarah screeched, not believing her eyes.

“Uh yes, I guess that’s me” Peter was racked with nerves, the voice of reason was kicking in. He was at your apartment without the coverage of his suit. He gulped.

“At least you’re cute.” She gave him another glance and pointed to your room “she must be asleep. Down the hall second door on the right”

“Thanks,” he stopped in his tracks to hand Sarah a bag with a container “my aunt said chicken noodle soup is the best remedy for a cold. And since y/n told me neither one of you cook, I guess it was only right.”

“You’re an angel! Has someone told you that?” Peter shook his head. Sarah was known for never holding in her tongue “well you are. Y/n is so lucky.”

Sarah then disappeared in the kitchen  

Peter opened your door. Thankfully his Spidey senses had spiked up since you texted him so now he was fully aware of your breathing and his eyes easily adjusted to the darkness. He didn’t dare to turn the lights on so his silhouette was only illuminated by the hall’s light, just like a halo. If you could only appreciate his figure there, you could’ve really mistaken him for an actual angel.

Peter approached hesitantly, and only after a few seconds of observing you he touched your face very softly just like a feather would, afraid to wake you he passed the next 15 minutes watching you sleep. He heard your heartbeat at a soft pace but your face had a grimace of pain. You exuded heat, although your body was shaking from the fever. Peter took his pink hoodie off placing it over your chest and neck, hopefully it would make you feel better, or closer to him. He wasn’t exactly good at knowing what people needed. May had always been the one who knew all the tricks, that’s why he asked her to make you some soup, not even May had the guts to tease her nephew about this mysterious girl when she noticed the worry in Peter’s eyes.

Now Peter only could wait, hoping you get better and that you didn’t suffer much. He cherished you, observing your features, rubbing your cheek and drawing the shape of your nose accentuated with the dim light of the hallway. Your eyes opened just slightly not even distinguishing who was lulling you with such fond touches.

“Sarah?” you closed your eyes again, feeling the medicine enfolding you again like a blanket.

“It’s Peter, just came to see how you were doing.” even when Peter startled a bit when you woke up for just a few seconds his hand didn’t move, he kept on brushing your skin. And when you gave him a lipped smile, his whole heart somersaulted with an emotion that he could only place in his mind with the word ‘infatuation’ all over it.

“I’m good now that you’re here.” you muttered with your eyes still closed leaning into his touch. “thanks for coming.”

“Don’t have to thank me. I’ll always be around y/n”

After that he swept the hairs away from your face. Peter, for the first time kissed the hot skin of your forehead and walked away.

Sarah was already eating some of the soup.

“I have to go, if you need anything y/n has my number. Don’t hesitate to call.”

There was a kindness in Sarah’s expression that caused a nervousness to rebirth on Peter’s chest.

Sarah thanked him for the soup and she reassured him that you were in good hands.

That night Peter stayed up checking his phone every few minutes in hopes to see a text from you. It didn’t happen, Peter’s existence was now spinning around you. He didn’t do one thing without thinking of a way to get you involved.

Ned noticed weeks ago, he didn’t have to ask his best friend to know he was indeed in love with you. Peter never spoke directly about you, however Ned had caught your name on Peter’s phone a couple of times just by accident. A wry smirk would appear on Ned’s face whenever he caught his flatmate snort at some meme you had sent him. It was good to see his friend going back to normal after MJ.

The illness kept you in bed for three days, it was unlike you to get sick but when you did it was usually bad. You felt protected and happy wearing Peter’s pink hoodie during those days. Sarah explained to you how he -the very sweet and cute boy- had left soup just so you could feel better.

Wild butterflies erupted in your stomach and chest whenever your friend mentioned something about Peter, because it hadn’t been only that one night that Peter visited. It was almost as he could sense when you were busy or asleep to go and leave either more soup of brownies with strawberries on top.

“I should get myself one of those.” Sarah referred to Peter when you got out of the shower. She was already halfway done with her brownie. “Where did you meet him, anyway?”

“Wait, Peter was here?”

Sarah’s curly hair was moving lively while she nodded, “just like two minutes ago, he left. He had this very lovely jean jacket, you know the one that has plush on the collar.”

Your pulse was ringing in your ears. Without thinking, you ran to the window that gave to the street and there, you saw a guy with curly brown hair under the drizzle, wearing a jacket just like the one Sarah exemplified.

He was making his way round the street and disappeared at the side of the building. You had a clue now. Pieces of Peter were starting to come together like a puzzle. He had very white teeth and curly chocolate hair. Sarah mentioned he was not too tall but definitely taller than you. But that, you already knew anyways.

The next week things didn’t go back to normal. You kept going to the rooftops, just your favorite ones, Peter never showed up though. It felt as if he was avoiding you, but you rather thought he was just occupied doing superhero stuff.

He did text you, asking you about your day and calling you whenever he was free. Yet neither he or you asked why he wasn’t showing up or if you continued to go up people’s terraces.

Things happened in ways and for reasons you don’t always understand but Sarah invited you to go to this event in downtown, it was an opening for a record shop. Sarah introduced you to the coolest girl you’ve met. She had curly wild hair -not as wild as Sarah’s- yet Michelle Jones had the best fashion sense ever, with black converses and a white suit she looked like the owner of the place. She wasn’t but she was pretty badass.

MJ, as she liked her friend to call her, introduced you to her boyfriend Harry Osborn who you kind of knew from all the Oscorp shit that had been going on. He was super tall and had the greenest pair of eyes in town. Still that wasn’t the impressive part, when you were out with MJ while she smoked, she noticed the pink hoodie you had put on. Autumn was turning into winter so the air became more aggressive, still The Strokes’ iconic riffs were heard from inside.

“Hey my friend Peter owns the exact same hoodie, he said he lost it. Huh, how funny.” you saw a tint of acknowledgment in her features.

“Funny indeed.” you gulped.

“He said he would come later because he was busy with… work. But if you and Sarah decide to come hang out at my place next weekend he probably will be there.” the smoke twirled around her face.

“Yeah, that’d be super nice.”

“Oh, never mind he is right there.” her perfectly painted nails pointed to where Harry was. Through the glass window you saw the tall boy and a guy with a very bright sweater, “that one is Ned and the other is Peter.”

The air in your lungs got trapped midway. You wanted to run to get closer, while the other part wanted to hide. He was gorgeous. His hair was curlier that you saw the other night, he was lean and just a vision to your eyes. He was wearing a simple grey sweatshirt along with black pants.

Your nose was tingling, as the nauseous feeling of crying rose inside you. He let out a laugh at whatever thing the other boys were saying. His arms crossed. Your eyes watery, you started to see blurry.

“Hey y/n are you alright?” MJ had her warm hand on your forearm.

You nodded but couldn’t stop looking at Peter. “I just, I’m going home. I’m tired.” your throat was hurting by holding in the sobs.

You felt so stupid because you didn’t know why in the fucking world were you crying but he was just there, and he looked so normal, so not Spider-Man.

MJ watched you with worry. Peter turned around just in time to see your back walking away and even when there were thousands of people that wore pink that night. He knew that hoodie, he knew the back of your head better than anyone else’s, he could identify your figure anywhere.

The music started to sound muttered, as if he was far away from the speakers. Then, panic. Panic was all he felt as he made his way to MJ.

“Hey! What’s up?” Peter’s eyes were looking past his friend, trying to clock you in the crowd.

“It is her, isn’t she?” MJ’s expression was filled with a hundred of questions but above it all it was softness and kindness. “I saw the hoodie you ‘apparently lost’. “

“Well… it could be other hoodie-“

“Oh cut it with the bullshit Peter. You never let me wear that one when we were dating and do you really think Ned, Harry and I don’t talk about you behind your back? Because we certainly do and Ned told us about y/n”

The shock in Peter’s face was priceless, MJ only laughed mocking him, “How the fuck does he know her name?” He was now looking at Ned through the glass window, Ned was already making faces and moving his hands not understanding what Peter was trying to say. “Come on dude!” Peter exclaimed exaggeratedly.

“We were worried, you don’t have to be like that.” MJ tried to catch his attention again. Her hands on his chest, calming.

“Worried about what? I’ve been doing fine.”

“I know but after we… you know. You found comfort in patrolling and fighting the bad guys. I mean it was fine at first, then we saw it was affecting you. We both know things were not going anywhere between us and then, me and Harry being together, we felt like we were rubbing it too much on your face, you know? we shouldn’t have acted that way, I know we hurt you.”

Peter’s hands rubbed his face in frustration, “We talked about his, MJ I was just caught off guard, but I’m happy for you two. He makes you happy and you make him happy, that’s all I ever wanted for my friends.”

“Figured you would say something like that, but I wanted you to know I’m sorry okay?” Peter didn’t have to do much, MJ knew that everything was forgiven, “by the way, it wasn’t my doing that y/n was here. It was that thing called destiny that put me and Sarah in the same team for a debate, and I just invited her here.” she shrugged, “it was about damn time for you to get a nice girl Peter.”

He rolled his eyes, “ugh MJ, can you please let me go, I need to talk to her before this gets trickier.”

“Of course, sorry. Go get her Romeo.”

Peter snorted patting her friend’s shoulder after giving her a small hug,

“I’m happy for you Parker!”

She saw Peter entering an alley , a second later he left, swinging away as Spider-Man.

“Was that Peter?” Sarah was now standing beside her with a fully open mouth.

“Oh shit!” MJ muttered.

***

Finding you wasn’t hard, he landed softly on the rooftop of your building, you still had his hoodie on, but your back was facing him, some type of way to show him how you felt. He didn’t understand why you had left, were you disappointed? Was it something he did the past few days that made you change your mind? not that there was something clear between you but there was definitely something. Peter’s blood buzzed when he was near you, even when he only thought of you.

“Did you know that when I find myself thinking of you I see the sky… hoping to catch your silhouette swinging by on the nights we don’t get to meet. It’s funny to think how I fell for you, when we’ve only seen each other for a few months. Isn’t it weird? I find it odd, to fall for a guy who I never saw.” you winced, the words washed in truth, full honesty hitting Peter’s ears.

“But you’d seen me better than anyone, you see me like I am, even in this suit I know that you actually have been able to see who I am.”

“That’s what is weird, I know you better than anyone yet I don’t, like physically I mean, and i’m not saying that is important but I want to… I want to go out with you, not only under dark skies but to the park in the middle of the day, to get coffee in the morning, to see your eyes, and get lost in them while you talk about physics and how hard it is to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

You turned your head to finally face him, and for the first time in what seemed to be years, Peter Parker’s face was there, fully displayed for you to study. Of course you were not expecting him to be in his Spider-Man suit yet there he was even without the mask he seemed almost like an hallucination, having the man you’d heard talking about the Avengers and deadly missions, the same boy with such innocence in his demeanor.

One thing had been to come to terms that Peter was real back at the record shop. It all happened too fast you weren’t able to process it, and now having him a couple of steps away was unrealistic, that was what it all felt like, a freaking dream.

“Peter- “

“I want that too, you know? I like you, not only as a friend. I want to take out on dates and hold your hand while we go out for lunch, but what if I’m not what you expect? you look disappointed, am I not what you expected?”

It broke your heart to hear him talk about himself like that,“What? no, Peter. It’s not that. It's just the fact that even when you were at my place I couldn’t see you. Yet you’ve seen me at my worst and I do know you took the risk of coming to look after me when I got sick and that you continued to check on me after that, everything as Peter. I know Sarah saw you, so why couldn’t I get the privilege of knowing your face too?”

“You are seeing me now!” Peter yelled, he was being put in a position he didn’t want to be.

“Yes, but just after I discovered it myself!” standing up, you walked closer to him, Peter stiffened a bit, his heart pounding louder and louder, seeing your puffy eyes.

“You deserve better, that’s all I know.”

“You don’t get to choose for me,” you uphold.

Peter felt like his insides were about to burst into a million of tiny pieces, every single one of them so in love with you that it was actually hurting him to look you in the eye.

“What do you want me to do? I'm here now, just for you.”

“Ok, then let's just come clean now.”

“Fair enough,”

Regardless, neither said a word. In your defense you were in a bit of a trance, Peter was even more attractive up close, his eyes like sweet caramel pools and even when you’ve seen his jaw and lips before, it was like a whole different experience, his jaw so sharp you imagined it could make your fingers bleed if you traced it.

Peter was mesmerized too, because even when he was able to see you just like you were, he always did it behind the mask, his spider eyes like a filter. But there you were, with your lashes curled up framing your eyes, so bright and red from crying, as well as your cheeks. He wanted to touch your skin and kiss your lips.

A hesitant move was made by him. From the corner of your eyes you caught the iconic red and navy blue of his suit coming up to touch your face. Peter’s hand was cupping your face, delicate with care and love coming out from his irises like honey.

“Do you really want to fully be part of my life?” his question came in as a surprise to you.

“Yes, that’s all I’ve been expecting since we met.” you mumbled.

His soul squirmed,”and I want you close, as close as it can get, so it’s fair. I guess.” Peter’s eyes went all over your face, his thumb tracing soft lines along your cheekbone and after what felt like the longest second in the world, his lips collapsed into yours. Salty, lips were salty and soft. And you smiled faintly in the kiss, your whole body warming up under Peter’s touch.

A chime surprised you. Peter groaned and looked at his wrist, a very thin-silver-like band was glowing blue. “Shit,”

“What’s happening?”

His eyes dropped close, “ is just, something must be going on with this thing Sam and Bucky were supposed to take care of.”

“Oh.” you stepped back, but Peter quickly put you closer, one hand on your neck the other dancing on your waist, making you yelp.

“Remember when you told me that you always wanted to be on top of Stark Industries?” you nodded, knitting your eyes together, that had nothing to do with your conversation whatsoever “I’ll take you there, tomorrow night, let’s say it’s our first official date. What do you say?”

“You serious?” a ghost of a smile on your lips.

“Oh darling I’m totally serious.” he gave you a peck, “I gotta go, but tomorrow! Same hour here, wear something comfortable.” the hand that was on your neck slipped all the way though your shoulder, arm and squeezed your hand as he stepped away to continue with his duties.

“Ok I will be waiting, be careful please.”

“I always am, see you y/n.”

***

“Peter, I wouldn’t recommend being out here buying flowers. People are looking at you.” And people were indeed looking at Peter. Yet no one knew it was him, everyone was only seeing Spider-Man buying some peonies in the flower shop near your place.

“Thank you sir.” Peter ignored Karen as he paid for the bouquet.

His web shooters made that whoosh and there he went, Spider-Man holding a bunch of pink flowers, flying into the sunset. Just by the thought of having an evening planned for you, Peter had his breath taken away.

He had been planning the whole thing since first thing in the morning. He even called Tony to ask him if he could occupy the rooftop area -he really had to ask Tony, even if he promised to smuggle you in-. Tony had to interrogate Peter and eventually when Peter said it was for a date, Tony Stark smiled, patted his back and simply gave him the code to the alarms in case they went off during the night.

Blankets were placed strategically where you could see the Empire State building along with the lights of Time Square. It was like having your own little fireworks with the ads adding different colors to the night, it reminded him of the firelights you told him you had in California.

Peter was so proud of his little buffet. All from apples to strawberries, he had also picked up Delmar’s sandwiches and even May bought for him a couple of gummy worms to eat with the fruits. Tony on the other hand gave him a bottle of wine, under the condition of not getting wasted because he needed to act like an adult.

Peter scoffed at that, because for his age he was way too responsible and respectful. That’s why Tony gave him all the free passes. He just liked to tease the young boy whenever he could.

His chest felt all gooey and funny when he saw your silhouette already waiting for him. Without a wasting a second his mask retracted easily.

Landing smoothly Peter saw you were holding in a grin. Going all cherry-colored he let a soft “hi!’ out.

“Hey!” you kissed his cheek, warm and he smelled so nice. Fresh like pines and something that was only Peter’s.

“Ready to go?” Peter then noticed your eyes on the flowers, “oh, yes. these are for you. The smell reminded me of the first time we met, and you of course.”

Oh that night, the roses and peonies dancing with the very rare swirls of summer wind.

“Thank you,” you couldn’t help but grin wide and giggle, suddenly you felt shy and nervous.

“You’re welcome.” your eyes met Peter’s shiny ones, sparking of pure joy and excitement, “I have everything planned.. so have you ever swung through the city at sunset?” a wry smile on his lips that now you wanted to kiss so bad.

“Of course, I do it all the time.”

“Ha! funny. Just hold on tight. I’ll try to be as steady and soft as I can, but I know you’ll enjoy it.”

His arm hugged you from your waist as your flowers squished between your and Peter’s chest. Your arms barely made it around Peter’s neck when his web was already crossing the skies.

With the first swing your lungs felt like separating from your chest. You screamed in Peter’s ear. Your stomach dropped when you went down, but Spider-Man got you. His hand squeezed you and instinctively your legs surrounded his hips. You heard him chuckle as you did so.

After a couple of buildings you stopped with the yelling and began to laugh and actually enjoy the experience, it was all going up and going down, your hair sometimes got in the way of admiring the different shades on the sky but it all was cute and beautiful and exciting.

“You all right?” Peter asked you, his voice muffled by the wind.

“Better than ever.”

Peter smiled under the mask, “good, because here goes a big one.” with that he let go of your waist to use both arms to catapult your bodies to the top of the tower. He was sure you were not loosening your hold on him.

Belly dropping as if you were on a rollercoaster, one, two seconds and then everything stopped.

“We can stay like this if you’d like y/n. I’m not complaining.” Peter’s lips were whispering in your ear, shivers running down your neck.

Your eyes opened and you were safely on top of the building. Feet down on the ground, you were still holding Peter’s arms just as your eyes took in the view. It was really breathtaking.

Peter was watching you carefully, your one hand holding his bicep but he skillfully turned around and held that same hand in his. He knew you’ve seen many city views in your life from various rooftops, some not that pretty. Yet this one was the most extraordinaire, beautiful thing you’ve had the pleasure to admire.

The little explosions of color here and there from far away buildings to cars, all upon Time Square. It looked like a party at your feet.

“Do you like it?” his suit retracted, leaving him with his daily clothing.

Peter was so proud and fortunate for seeing your reaction. He felt like he was doing the things right, taking your amazement as a sign of good luck. Heavens knowing he needed some luck dust in his existence.

After losing MJ he was skeptical about finding love again but life was giving him another chance so he had to take it.

“It’s the most magical thing ever. Thank you, Peter.”

Your irises were taking everything they could, from the wild city of New York to Peter’s profile. Until you sensed the bouquet of crushed peonies between your fingers.

“Oh… my flowers might need some water…” the poor things falling in random directions.

“Or a miracle, those look a little… dead.” you felt bad, because they were the first proper gift Peter had given you, and you smashed them, but the thrill of the ride had caught you up. “Don’t worry, I’ll buy you more, all the flowers you want I will get them for you y/n”

Letting a giggle out you let Peter guide you to the lovely nest of cushions and blankets, all being really fluffy and soft, nothing like the old shit you found on rooftops, this was fancy and nice.

“Can’t believe you did all this for me. I’m impressed.” you picked sour gummy worms and apples. “Wait is that wine?” your eyes widened, you were a wine type of person, Sarah would call you a wine-mom when you two had a little more than necessary. She said you had that energy of not caring about anyone until you felt fully comfortable with yourself.

“It is some super fancy Lambrusco Tony gave me. but what’s important here is that I would slice apples and cut strawberries everyday of my life if that meant that I could see you smile all the time.”

“Wow, you’re quite the poet Peter, I like that.” Peter’s ears went red in a millisecond, he cleared his throat to let the embarrassment die.

After opening the lush bottle, Peter handed you a little glass with the red bubbly liquid that hit your tongue with sweetness. It was expensive, you sensed it on your taste buds.

“Yep, fancy indeed. I feel special.” you continued, Peter made a ‘wow’ after having the first sip of his wine. “Tony must love you, because this is freaking great!”

Peter noticed how you were back to your funny self, must have been the adrenaline still running in your veins after the little swingy ride.

“Don’t know about that, but I bet It’s not even that expensive, he wouldn’t have gave it to me.” he shrugged, “Mr. Stark thinks I’m too reckless at times.”

“Hmmm…” the juice of the apple exploded in your mouth combined with the wine, you almost moaned, “let’s google it. But let’s bet on it.”

Peter quivered his eyebrow, “what do you want to bet?”

“I want to learn how to use a web shooter.”

Peter nodded “sounds good, but if I win… You have to watch all the Star Wars movies with me and probably Ned will join.”

His sparkly eyes made you doubt still you agreed, “okay… I like the Star Wars movies,”

“You do?” Peter yelped, in shock, “are you trying to impress me, darling?”

“No, I do genuinely like Star Wars. But if you feel impressed then yeah I said it just so you like me more.” your wry smile made Peter blush and he chuckled.

“God, where have you been all my life!”

He shouted to the now dark skies. His whole body felt alive, buzzing with happiness. And even when your knees were the only part of your bodies touching it felt like something bigger was already happening there.

You googled the name of the wine and “no shit!” you exclaimed way too loud. “sorry, but I knew Tony loved your ass because this is more expensive than… lots of stuff, like wow that’s a ton of money.”

Peter checked the screen and he almost let the wine come out of his nose, not believing the figure.

“No, come on it can’t be right.” he chuckled, “let me see that,” he scrolled down to find the picture of the wine, it was the same one, “well fuck, a nine thousand dollar bottle must be nothing to him, so…”

“Right, but either way I was right so you have to show me how to shoot.”

Peter pouted, “you don’t want to watch Star Wars with me then?” puppy eyes and all, didn’t take you much to cave in to be honest, he was hot and cute at the same time.

Fuck.

“Of course I will, but first the web shooting, yeah?”

He couldn’t argue with you so he agreed. Moving some bracelet he had on his right arm he handed it to you, you put on the thing and as if it had life by its own, the silver ring adjusted to your wrist and the little button came out right in the middle, between your palm and wrist.

“Oh wow, this is some serious tech.” You looked up at him, with a huge grin on. “you designed this?”

Peter scratched his cheek, trying his best to hide the blush, “yep, it’s pretty simple once you have all the materials and a super genius around.” shrugged off as if it was nothing.

“Cool. you always have me in awe Peter.”

After a few more sips and fruit eating, Peter took your hand and you two stood up. He placed you on one specific spot. Holding you by your shoulders and he very briefly kissed you forehead. Hands sweaty and chest fluttering wildly.

“Ok. See that chair on the far corner?” you nodded, “try to get it. Just point and shoot, shouldn’t be that hard.”

“Fine, let’s see.”

Closing one eye you really did your best to aim for the cushioned seat. You pressed the button on your hand and it ricocheted a little from your palm, making the web do a twirl mid air, smashing on the floor a couple of feet away from the chair.

“Err… that wasn’t bad. Ned tried it once and he just webbed his whole face. Was funny though.”

You snorted. You kept trying again and again. It took you a couple of minutes to get used to the pull of the ejection. Once you finally got it where you wanted Peter was proudly glancing at you. His arms crossed on his muscular chest.

“Very nice. I knew you’d have it in you y/n” he pivoted in his spot trying to see what else you could shoot at. “Now let’s see if you can get even further. Okay try to get it to that ad.” it was huge but it was a little bit too far.

“That won’t drag me in with the force of the web or something?”

Peter shook his head, “nah, I already had the web programmed, and if that even happened I’m gonna be here to impede it.” a reassuring smile with rosy lips made you feel confident and secure, you had always felt that way around Peter anyways. He was Spider-Man for fucks sake you were more than safe.

Instinctively you just pushed down the button on your wrist and the motion of the web did push you back but Peter held you still. The web didn’t reach the ad but it landed pretty close.

“Wow that was good, try again.” Peter clapped, encouraging you to do it one more time.

And you did. But the web didn’t even make it halfway when a little orange-like laser burnt it down.

Without notice Peter was already in front of you protecting you from whatever was coming. His back stiffened, his senses amplifying to the highest.

“Parker, kid. What the hell are you doing?”

Peter relaxed in a second, “Tony!” your heart also slowed down, “what are you doing here?”

“I’ve been trying to call you but now I see why you were not answering.” the Iron Man suit detached from Tony Stark’s body once he was securely grounded. “Hi. Tony Stark, you must be y/n”

Tony was extending his hand at you, you blinked, “yes, nice to meet you sir.” he smiled after letting your hand go.

“Ok, time to go Peter. Sam is struggling and Barnes… don’t even get me started with him.” his fingers holding the bridge of his nose.

“What? no, I’m on a date!” Peter Parker cried.

Tony sighed, looking at you briefly. “I understand that, but we need everyone on the field. They’re using the weapons Peter. We can’t let this chance slide… again.”

You looked up at Peter, he was debating himself to go or to stay, but you knew how things were, not for nothing you’ve been hanging out with Spider-Man. Things were what they were even if you had to stay there or just go home, there was always another day to see Peter, another rooftop to meet him on. But was there always another day for Spider-Man?

“Don’t worry about me Peter. I get it, just go I’ll be okay.” Peter’s caramel eyes were observing you. You nodded, there were bigger things than you.

“But… you can’t stay here all alone. I really didn’t want things to go this way, it’s our first proper date y/n” his eyes pleaded trying to find that mutual understanding.

“She won’t be alone. Well, not practically alone.” Tony marked something on his wrist where a hologram appeared and the doors that gave towards a loft opened. “F.R.I.D.A.Y?”

“Yes boss?” a similar voice from Peter’s AI Karen, sounded on the top floor.

“Would you take care of the lady here? Y/n feel free to order a pizza or watch a film, there’s a fridge right at the back.” Tony was already putting his suit back on. “I’ll be waiting for you Peter.” Iron Man gave Peter a pointed look.

Peter shoved the heels of his hand on his eyes. “Why does this have to happen right now. Fuck!” Iron Man propelled himself, flying away just as a purple light shone a couple of blocks away, the glow way too bright, way too deadly to be just an ad on a screen.

Peter quickly turned to see the lightning growing bigger and then a huge cloud of dark dust appeared above.

Your hand covered your open mouth “ Peter you- you have to go. That… that thing would have hurt people.”

Peter had watery eyes and a sullen expression, those were the consequences of dating a hero. “I’ll be back as soon as I can y/n. I promise, please don’t leave the tower, okay?” your heart sunk deeper in your chest, your mind already picturing the worst scenarios. He hugged you without thinking through, kissing your forehead as you grasped his hoodie tighter.

“Take care Peter Parker, please.” you begged.

Peter blinked hearing his full name, some force within him spread. He needed to keep the city safe not just for the people but for you. He touched your inner wrist and the bracelet slackened under his touch. You placed it back on Peter’s hand and it adjusted to his owner's skin.

“I always am y/n.” His suit expanded from the thin silver bracelets and before he swung away, with half his mask on, grinning at you he added, “we need to work on these meetings, it’s getting harder to kiss you every time we see each other. Be right back.”

And with that Peter left you with a tug in your heart and a tremendous worry.

The night went by pretty slowly. F.R.I.D.A.Y offered you a hundred options on what to watch or do while you waited. Of course you were not in the mood but you had to get your mind occupied to cope with the waves of desperation whenever sirens chimed or people screamed, because even when the tower was taller than anything else in New York and the explosion happened further than it appeared, you still could hear them and it made your hands shake, New Yorkers had suffered enough during the past few years.

You would be lying if you said you didn’t cry during the next two hours, F.R.I.D.A.Y often asked you if you needed anything and if you were all right. And both were a NO answer. Until the AI finally offered you a good option to calm your worried ass.

“Would you like me to stream Mr. Stark’s camera for you. He has it all the time on, and I am connected to his suit.”

“Isn’t that like illegal?” you wondered.

“It’s not, if I show it from his office, it’s in the next room.”

Jogging you found said room. It was fancy and it didn’t look exactly personal in any way, “you sure this is his office?”

“It’s one of his, he has more than 12 scattered around the building.”

“Ok then, show me.” you were doubtful about the outcomes of this but if F.R.I.D.A.Y was offering you something like this it must have a reason.

The crystal table made it look like any other office, probably more elegant than many. Suddenly a blue hologram appeared on as some programs started to run without your consent. You were mesmerized with the amount of technology you had seen only in a few hours. First Peter’s shooters and now this. Without you even touching the item a square popped open and there he was, Tony was using his blasters causing a truck explode making you wince.

“Why can’t I hear anything?”

“That is confidential, I can only show you the footage y/n.”

You shrugged, shaking the chills running down your spine, even if the AI was impressive it was very unsettling to hear something without a body or a face calling you by your name.

“Ok, but will you let me know if something happens to Peter right?”

“If you want that, I can already tell you he is a little tired.”

From Tony’s perspective you saw Peter swinging from one wall to the other, they were in a warehouse now. Sam was throwing his shield around until it knocked out a dude. While Peter checked this machine glowing tubes filled in with purple energy, Bucky on the other hand was bleeding from the side of his head, you could only imagine how many days have they been fighting and patrolling, since last night you heard that they had problems with Bucky and you wondered if it was because of his wounds or the arm.

Things seemed to slow down but you only could catch the minimum without the sound on. You saw Tony flying over the warehouse while he scanned the area when he got back Sam and Bucky already had a pile of passed out men on the corner of the place. Sam had no helmet on and his left eye was already swollen.

You had no idea where Peter could be.

“Mr. Stark, this thing may blow up any second now, we have to go or contain it with something.” Peter spoke up as Tony once again scanned the area to find some way to hold the thing back or make it blow in a less rowdy way.

“Ok kid, we- we need to take that thing out of here.” Peter was playing with a few wires he found, sparks flying as he connected a few and disconnected others. “What is going on down there Peter? talk to me.”

“Nothing much, I’m trying to see if we can have a few more minutes,”

“Hey Stark! We could blow it by the Hudson, we have no time to lose.” Sam advised through the intercoms.

“We gotta do it fast, the area is not completely evacuated.” Bucky gasped for air as he spoke, whining and holding his right side ribs, blood staining his suit.

“Alright people, this could have consequences but they could be less disastrous if we do what Sam said.” Tony asked F.R.I.D.A.Y to run the numbers. The machine was meant to blow, that was for sure not even Peter and Tony together could deprogram the thing when the main energy of it was coming from outer space weaponry.

“Tony, we need to do it now.” Sam muttered harshly.

“Right, good. I don’t know how this is gonna end but I’ll take it from here, thanks gentlemen you can start to evacuate the area.”

“Wait, I can help.” Peter offered without thinking of consequences.

“No Peter, you have to go back to your girl. You’ve done enough.”

“But Mr. Stark, this could be a good idea, listen to me.”  

Tony wanted to slap his own face with his iron hand. “Listen kid, this thing is gonna blown any second, let’s get going.” hd said not letting Peter say another word.

Sam and Bucky went to the streets to evacuate the buildings near the Hudson, in prevention of a catastrophe.

“I know this is going to sound crazy.” Peter was swinging trying to keep up while Tony used some magnetic field to drag the not so big but deadly machine down the streets. “What if we just web the whole thing from one building to the other, like using an actual spider’s web to keep the machine in place?”

“What? That’s stupid Peter, please let me think.”

“No but, look.” He was standing on an abandoned half blown building, probably still from Thanos' attack. “We can use this one and… I don’t know something else to put in the middle of the river, like one of those ferries to keep it floating mid air and then i warp it with the web and when it explodes the damage will be minimal than if the let it drop in the river.”

Peter spoke in a clipped tone already out of breath, his head throbbing, a few Chitauri guns had hit him on the back and on the head. He’d had it worse but still he was feeling very dizzy.

Tony stopped abruptly. “That may be a good idea.” The thing was glowing even brighter than before, “we gotta do this right. Start webbing kid I’m gonna try to get a ferry and some type of column of fucks knows what to put this together.”

No words were said after that. Peter was webbing like an actual mama spider from the old dusty building to the middle of the river, the more web he used the more Karen warned him of the lack of oxygen his lugs were getting, until a little green dot on his spider eyes started to flash. The webbing was running out.

“Shit” he mumbled, “uh, Mr. Stark I can’t let it go much further now, I still need to tie the two extremes and wrap the machine. My web won’t be enough.”

Tony cursed under his breath, they still had a chance. Tony forged two lamp posts together to the ferry’s middle. Peter webbed the posts to the machine eventually sticking it all to the other end of the synthetic web that was flying in the air like a flag.

Peter was feeling hot while he crawled around the machine as he wrapped the glowing thing, head dizzy eyes starting to unfocus.

“Hey Karen, I don’t think I can-“

“Peter!” Tony shouted over the intercom as Peter fell off the machine making its way to the water as the purple glow inside the web ball imploded.

Fragments of metal and burning webs crashed in the river, the ferry was in flames and the building only collapsed a little more but as Peter predicted the damage had been minimal.

Your heart somersaulted. Tony’s point of view caught only the explosion, as no sign of Peter anywhere. Your chest felt so heavy and burning tears filled your eyes. Sobbing you didn’t know what had actually happened.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y?” your voice breaking… “Is peter…”

The AI couldn’t answer. “y/n?” the following voice startled you. Tony sounded worryingly calm, “I know you’re there,”

“Yeah, sorry. I needed to know if Peter-“ you choked your tears, “ if Peter is fine.”

“Oh, yeah that little dumbass. He is… he is fine.” You looked at the screen, the one you had stopped looking after the explosion.

“What?”

“I’m taking him to the compound, Happy will pick you up in like ten minutes. Meet you there missy.”

Tears didn’t care to stop. They streamed down your cheeks as you saw Tony carrying Peter in his arms, his mask already off, he was beaten but he was there, breathing.

“Fucking hell!” Holding your chest with both of your hands you felt your heart pumping blood again, “I fucking hate superheroes.”

“Me too kid.” Tony confirmed.

Happy was a nice guy, he was quiet and grumpy but he was nice, when he saw you crying he didn’t ask, he just handed you a box of tissues and drove you to the clinic in complete silence.

The Avengers had a full hospital wing in their headquarters. Machines running and scans were made. You found Bucky already dozed off patched ribs and without his vibranium arm on. Sam gave you a tight lipped smile, reassuring you, even if he had no idea who you were.

“Is he okay?” you jogged down the aisle to find Tony with another woman looking through a glass window. Peter had some machines and doctors surrounding him. Your lungs stopped working for a second. Until Tony’s hand squeezed your shoulder.

“He is, but he needs to rest. The doctors are tending to his wounds, but there’s nothing to worry about.”

You gulped, nodding. There was nothing you could do but to wait.

For some reason the woman stayed near you at all times, even when Happy was almost begging her to go to sleep offering her a room in the compound.

Later you learn it was Peter’s aunt.

“Umm.. Peter talks about you a lot, you know?” May sat beside you offering you a cup of tea. She was coming back from upstairs where the rest of the Avengers lived.

“Thanks.” you scrunched your nose, “he did?”

“Yes, that’s how I know you are y/n. In other situations I would have seen MJ here but now it’s you… just for the record I’m not glad that we met under these circumstances, but I’m glad to finally see who’s been making my nephew sigh every second of the day.” May chuckled, sipping her tea.

The insides of your chest felt warm and fizzy, how could something so simple could mean so much to you. You smiled at May. Who nudged you with her elbow.

“So how was the soup?” she continued, with a wry grin.

Red spreader over your face, “it was excellent. It really helped, thanks for that.”

“Oh don’t worry sweetie, it was nothing. I know being by yourself is difficult so I’m glad you and Peter have each other. It's good to see him giggle like a teenager again.”

You laughed, it was funny that everyone had told you that Peter had become all love and sparkly cute since you met, you thought he was like that all along.

“Don’t get me wrong y/n but you should go to sleep. If anything happens I promise you we’ll call you. You had quite the night.”

Bet you looked like trash, you could use a bath and a good nap. So you accepted May’s offer and in a heartbeat Happy was driving you home.

Sarah was sleeping on the couch when you opened the door, she was drooling on the fabric, so without an option you woke her. As expected the scolding didn’t stop until you explained the adventure you had. Somehow she already knew Peter was Spider-Man, that confused you but she explained herself and blamed MJ for it.

After apologies were made and your belly was now full with something more than fruit and sweets. Your bed hugged you nicely, welcoming, until you drowned in dreams about flying with a man in spandex.

Sunday came and you weren’t allowed to see Peter, May ended up getting your number and texted you that Peter was good, his super healing was paying off. So he would be back home later that day. You stayed at home too, you slept the whole morning, only waking up to do homework and help Sarah clean the apartment. From the outside you were doing okay but on the inside your mind couldn’t leave the idea of Peter being in constant danger.

Regardless, you also came to terms with the idea that you liked him way too much and that scared the shit out of you. Peter became a crucial part of your daily life without even considering it. You had met him as Spider-Man and having Peter Parker now in your life was a bonus you were not letting go.

***

You had no spidey-senses whatsoever but Monday morning was different, though the seasons were changing into a more winterly ambience, the sun was up, warm and glistening everything with golden light, it reminded you of California. There was a shift in the air. You had texted Peter last night before going to sleep. So when you checked, he had already replied with a simple emoji of a spider and a thumbs up you couldn’t help but smile.

You hoped that today May would let you visit him.

Your lilac sweater was cosily hanging from your shoulders. As you left your building you stopped dead, almost dropping your homemade coffee.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” you squealed.

“Good morning to you too, sunshine!” Peter had a busted lip still, and a big grin on too. “Here, these are yours.”

Your hands went up to take the peonies that graciously matched your outfit. You felt the knowing tingle on your nose, as your eyes watered up.

“These are so lovely, you shouldn’t have, Peter.”

Peter looked worried when he saw the tears threatening to come down.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he cupped your face with both of his hands. Warm and smelling like flowers and something chemical, probably from his webs.

“I just- I was so worried for you.”

Not giving it a second thought you hugged Peter, hanging from dear life from his neck.

“I’m fine y/n, I’m fine.” he whispered on and on.

Only a minute later when he was wrapping you up softly against his chest, feeling his lungs puffing and flattening along with your own your face found the perfect position to kiss him. He whined when your lips locked over his wounded one, only took him a second to welcome your lips fully in his.

Peter's hands went crazy on your back, hair and grabbed the fabric of your sweater too strongly that it made a ripping sound. Peter’s eyes grew big in surprise, stopping the kissing session.

“Sorry, I didn't want to do that. You look super pretty in this color by the way. I’ll buy you a new one.” You grinned finally feeling like things were falling in place.

From up close you noticed Peter’s bruised cheek and you traced his crooked nose with your finger. He scrunched it adorably,“Peter Parker, I like you a lot.”

A sheepish smile, he showed you, “is that right?”

“Yes, did you notice this is the first time we meet on the ground.”

“So true,” his fingers brushing the baby hairs away from your forehead, “this is the first time Peter and y/n are meeting in daylight too. This is getting exciting.”

Peter Parker was the clumsiest yet cheekiest little bitch in Manhattan, your heart was so full of love for the boy.

“Now what? We need to keep this spiced up.” you asked with your lips brushing his, Peter got a little closer but your head moved off, Peter growled and you chuckled.

“You’re being a tease.” his hand held you in place delicately by your neck and his lips found yours again, you melted there, letting all disappear around you.

Peter’s senses went on overdrive whenever he touched you. So now he could feel his heart in his temples and yours on his chest, beating almost as fast as his. For the first time he felt like he was where he was meant to be. On the ground as Peter Parker with the most beautiful girl he had seen on rooftops or on the streets before. Somehow in that moment, between kisses and touches of care and love, there were also remembrances of the first night you met, the faint smell of fruits from your lips and the peonies taking him down memory lane.

“What if I walk you to your first class today, y/n. That would be so out of our comfort zone.” Peter’s fingers intertwined with yours.

“That’s so bold of you Peter Parker, thank you.”

Spider-Man or Peter Parker, to you there was only one and he was talking none stop about your plans for the Star Wars marathon. You both smiled and walked down the streets of New York city.

The day was bright, no secrets to put on display, no hiding spots, not trespassing, no threats in the world. Yet you were thankful for all of them because those were the ones who brought you together not at the best time but when you needed it.

[fredandrewus]

The Time-Money Trade-Off: When a Quicker Sale Means More Cash in Your Pocket 

Selling a home in California, the land of golden sunsets and sky-high housing prices, can be a rollercoaster. You dream of that top dollar offer, but reality may present a stark choice: speed versus a bigger payout. Let's delve into the time-money trade-off when selling your California home and assess which path might make you say "cha-ching!"

The Allure of the Quick Sale:

Cash in hand, fast: Need to relocate for a new job or escape rising California rents? A quick sale might be your lifeline. Negotiate a lower price with a cash buyer and say goodbye to your mortgage in weeks, not months.

Minimize stress: Open houses, endless negotiations, and inspection jitters can wear you down. A fast sale means escaping the emotional rollercoaster and focusing on your next chapter.

Avoid carrying costs: Every month adds mortgage payments, property taxes, and maintenance to your plate. A quick sale cuts those losses and lets you invest your proceeds sooner.

But Hold Onto Your California Cool:

Before diving headfirst into a quick sale, consider the potential downsides:

Leaving money on the table: California's competitive market favors patient sellers. Traditional listings with ample marketing attract multiple offers, potentially driving up the final price.

Limited buyer pool: Quick sales often rely on cash buyers or investors who might offer below market value for the convenience of a fast closing.

Conditional chaos: Quick sale contracts often involve contingencies, like the buyer's own home sale. Delays and complications can arise, negating the initial speed advantage.

Finding the California Golden Mean:

So, how do you navigate this trade-off in the California sun? Here are some tips:

Consult a seasoned California real estate agent: Their expertise can help you weigh the pros and cons of quick sale options like iBuyers or traditional listings.

Price your home strategically: A slightly lower price can attract multiple buyers and entice faster offers without sacrificing too much on your bottom line.

Stage your home for maximum appeal: Invest in decluttering, minor repairs, and professional photography to showcase your property's potential and attract more buyers, potentially leading to higher offers.

Be flexible on closing dates: While a quick sale is tempting, allowing some wiggle room can attract more buyers without significantly impacting your timeline.

Ultimately, the decision boils down to your individual needs and priorities. If financial agility is paramount, a quick sale might be your golden ticket. But if maximizing your California home's potential value is your priority, a traditional listing with strategic marketing could unlock that extra sunshine in your final offer.

Remember, selling a home in California is a journey, not a race. Choose the path that aligns with your goals, leverage expert guidance, and bask in the satisfaction of securing a deal that makes you shout "California dreamin'!"

[shop-korea]

Watch "[MV] IU(아이유) _ strawberry moon" on YouTube

IU - 5'4 FT - LIKE MY - TOKYO -

MOM - THANKS - 2 - BONIVA -

EVERY - 15TH - FIRST - THING -

IN MORNING - NOT - PM - ON -

EMPTY - STOMACH - BAKER -

ACT - 3 DAYS - PSYCHIATRISTS -

SAY - THROW - AWAY - EAT 1ST -

WHEN - U - WAKE - UP - YOUR -

JUDGES - REQUIRE - THEM BY -

LAW - 14TH - VIOLATED - NO -

STATE - CAN - MAKE - ANY -

LAW - CUTTING - OFF - YES -

A - CITIZEN - DEPRIVED - OR -

IMMUNE - FR - LAW - FAMILY -

OF - DIPLOMATS - ALWAYS -

TRAVELING - KEVIN - SAID -

NO - CUBAN - THEY SLICE -

WOMEN's - FACES - 'LAST -

MEAL' - AS - ORTHODOX - JEW -

KEVIN - CUBAN - SAID - TRULY -

PREGNANT - FEMALES - FROM -

PHILIPPINES - NOT ALLOWED 2 -

EAT - IN - USA - NYPD - 'TOLD ME -

WE - HAVE - THE - RIGHT - 2 - YES -

REFUSE - PHILUPPINES - FOOD & -

DRINK - IN - USA - BIBLE - SAID -

DON'T - EAT - WITH - WHO YOU -

DON'T - LIKE - DON'T - DRINK -

EITHER - DO - WHAT - JESUS -

SAID - RAISE - YOUR - FEET -

LIKE - REMOVING - DUST AS -

THAT - CITY - WILL - REGRET -

EVER - CREATED - NY POLICE -

THEIR - ACCENT - MARCOS -

HIS - BIRTHDAY - 11 SEPT AS -

I - DECLARED - LOUDEST -

SOUND - COMING - 2 NYC -

RETURNED - CABLE - BOX -

TIME - WARNER - CABLE -

DECEASED - PHILS - LESBIAN -

PHILS - ASOPTED - MOM WAS -

UPSET - HER - $15, 000 - EACH -

MONTH - LEASE - APT - BLDG -

SHOOK - MUST - LEAVE 4EVER -

HER - COMMENT - 11 SEPT 2001 -

LIKE - DIGITAL - ALARM CLOCK -

MANILA - WATCHING - DISNEY -

CHANEL - WITNESSED - MAID -

HAD - 05 APR - MY BIRTHDAY -

SHE - TRIED - 2 - RAPE - ME -

UP ALUMNI - SAN FRANCISCO -

HOUSE - RENT - CONTROL - 4 -

PROVEN - NOT - DAUGHTER -

HANCDCUFFED - SHE RAPING -

HER - HUSBAND - RAPING GET -

PREGNANT - SELL - BABIES -

ILLEGAL - PROSTITUTE FOR -

MARRIED - RAPE - 2 - MAKE -

PREGNANT - SELL - BABIES -

MARTIAL - ARTS - HUGE $$$ -

CASH - MY - FAKE - ID - WAS -

AGE 15 - KIDNAPPED - ME SO -

WON'T - FINISH - PAID SENIOR -

YEAR - PAID - USC - AT - AGE 16 -

FAKE - ID - GOT - BACK - 2 - YES -

CANOGA PARK - CA - BRAND -

NEW - BLDGS - HOSPITALS & -

MALLS - SCHOOL - FINISHED -

VILLAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

SUN VALLEY - CALIFORNIA

GRADUATION

FOREST LAWN MORTUARY

ASSEMBLY - HALL - NICE

MEMORIAL - GROUNDS

FRED ASTAIRE - MORE

MY CHRISTIAN - BOYFRIEND -

VARSITY - FOOTBALK - LIKE -

BRANDON BRUCE LEE - ALL -

SAME - 'WHAT - VIRGINS' -

BOTH - SHOVED - FAST -

HUGE - MOBY DICKS IN -

MY - VAGINAL - AREA IN -

EXCHANGE - 4 - MEALS -

PRICE - OF - AMERICAN -

FOODS - 2 - HIGH TOLD -

MY - PAW PAW - BRUCE -

IN - HEAVEN - WHO GAVE -

ME - BARBIE DOLLS - THE -

MATTEL, INC. - MANY OF -

31 MARCH - BRANDON LEE -

31 MARCH - SELENA - WHO -

I MET - TEXAS - THUS - ME -

TRIED - 2 - EAT - EARLY AS -

BRICKELL - CLEANS - THE -

GARBAGE - GAVE - ME - SALAD -

THEN NACHOS - CREAM SAUCE -

LAST - NIGHT - GARLIC - SALT -

2 - MAKE - SUPERB - ATE THIS -

MORNING - WAS - FULL - FAST -

WANTED - 2 - POOP - THUS - IF -

INTERMITTENT FASTING -

WORKS - EATING - SOON -

JUST - CAN - CAMPBELLS -

MY - HEATER - THEN - YES -

GARLIC - SALT - O CAL AND -

SPOON - 98% - FAT - FREE -

CHICKEN - SOUP - NO H2O -

NEEDES - SO - GOOD - YES -

UNDER - $1 - BLK - CHERRY -

LOW - FAT - YOGURT - $0.66 -

PUBLIX - THE BEST - WHEN -

NOTIFICATION - ABOVE YES -

DISAPPEARS - HIDES - POST -

MULTI-GRAIN - FRESH BAKED -

$2.99 - FR - $2.79 - DAILY

DELI HAM - BROWN BOX

$5.85 - FR - $5.15

TURKEY - SUCKS

SO PUBLIX - NATURAL SPRING

WATER - COLD - STLL - $1 - NO

NEED - 2 - BUY - 5 - OF - THEM

CASH - BACK - DEBIT - CARDS

10 ITEMS - OR - LESS - 2 - GET

CVS - PHARMACY - 24/7 BEST

CASH - BACK - CRISPY - BUT

NEAREST - CITIBANK - BEST

ATM - $20 - MANHATTAN NY

BUT - HISPANIC - MALE YES

MANAGER - ATTACKED ME

YELLING - 4 - ME - 2 - PAY

ANOTHER - COMPANY's LOAN -

ME - AGE 33 - WHAT LOAN SO -

CLOSED - ACCOUNT - 'LONG -

AGO - AND - FAR AWAY' - NY

[fastcashcloserca]

Business Name: Matt Buys Houses

Street Address 1: 2525 Alluvial Ave

Street Address 2: Suite 161

City: Clovis

State: California (CA)

Zip Code: 93611

Country: United States

Business Phone: (559) 206-4327

Website: https://www.fastcashcloser.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fastcashcloser

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fresnocashbuyer

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/mattbuyshousesfresno

Business Description: How many times have you said “I need to sell my Fresno home fast”? If you have. . you are in the right place. We buy houses just like yours. There are lots of situations where we can help and have already helped others in the area, including… avoiding foreclosure, divorce, relocating, inherited an unwanted property, own a vacant house, upside down in your mortgage, behind on payments, owe liens, downsized and can’t sell your house, needs repairs you can’t pay for, fire damaged, bad rental tenants, and more.

Google My Business CID URL: https://www.google.com/maps?cid=13268518949076618246

Business Hours: Sunday 8am-8pm Monday 8am-8pm Tuesday 8am-8pm Wednesday 8am-8pm Thursday 8am-8pm Friday 8am-8pm Saturday 8am-8pm

Services: Sell Your House, We Buy Houses

Keywords: Sell Your House, We Buy Houses

Location:

Service Areas:

[jessimmersimqueen]

Life in Long Beach: Images from my early childhood

Take a trip back to late 1970s- early 1980s Long Beach, CA. This video is part auto-biography, part therapy, part fairy tale, and all California history. The Chortkoff Archives is a start up non-profit. We worked with the worlds smallest budget to accomplish my epic and ambitious vision! I think you will find this video is fast paced and an enjoyable way to spend 47 quick minutes. Please leave respectful comments. I don't even want to say how long I have been working on this one! I had the idea way back in 2013. That year my childhood home was up for sale and I called the real-estate agent who was only interested in selling the house and I said all the wrong things. So I just thought about it and eventually this was made. The interiors were recreated in The Sims 2, and you get a video walkthrough. So come check out my simulated time machine! Let's go to Long Beach back to the groovy and awesome late 70s early 1980s LA! There is a little something for everyone here! If you like animation, California history, video games, or grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, I think you will like this! If you have lost loved ones and family you will relate to it. If you had a unique childhood I think you will like it too. It is a story about picking up a little girl I left behind in LB in 1985! I had a big story to tell but no budget. I have big visions that I hope to bring to the big screen someday! Hopefully this video will help gain me the popularity I need to buy camera stabilizers, microphones, actors, and sets. Maybe a small camera crew someday! But all I had was a Canon 6D and it's built in microphone. But I got the sound down pretty well anyway! Thanks to Will Wright for inventing the Sims games. They have helped me work through the tough processing of everyday life. I recreated my childhood from memory. I also include a lot of interesting historic facts and elements to make this enlightening for everyone. I exorcized some childhood demons too! I recommend going back and writing out your story from birth! It was hard to keep this under an hour long because I began to remember so much stuff! Plus as I reached out I found my Cuz Peter Shaw, nephew of my beloved grandpa Thomas. I did not see a photo of my grandfather from the age of 10 until about 7 years ago when my dad, Rand Chortkoff passed. He had them! Cuz Peter also hooked me up with lots of photos of grandpa! I have yet to find where my grandparents are buried. This goes by fast and is light and fun I think! It is not made for children, but it is from my inner child's point of view. I would rate it PG. Safe for work, safe for TV, and probably just fine for children but viewer discretion is advised. And PLEASE subscribe to my Youtube! Life in Long Beach Images from my early childhood (and today) All photo restoration, digitalization, animation, and photo and video editing by Jessica Chortkoff Story by Jessica Chortkoff Featuring Jessica Chortkoff and Tasha Ayame Vest as themselves. Kiimm Vi as herself. All Original paintings by Jessica Chortkoff Images of maps and street photos by Google Maps. Other Sources include: Ancestry.com Familysearch.org http://calheights.org/community-event... https://www.longbeach.gov/park/recrea... Vintage Photos: friends@coloradolagoon.org "Chewing Gum" Performed by Annie Produced by Richard X Written by Richard X and Hannah Robinson Published by Universal Music Publishing on behalf of Native Songs / Warner Chappell Music Ltd. (P) 2004 679 Recordings Ltd. By arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing "Sim 2 Theme" "Sim Sation" "Sim Time Sim Place" "Makeover" "Sims Heartbeat" "Busy Sim" "Sim Heaven" "Sim the Builder" "Sim shopping Spree" By Mark Mothersbaugh "Funky Suspense" by Ben Sound "Big Day Out" "Hep Cat Jive" "Rendevous" "Call of the Mountains" "Toys" by Purple Planet Music Bells by Sukhavati (Tasha Ayame vest- Bells and Nick Vest- Guitar) "Popeye the Sailor Man" by Sammy Lerner sung by William Costello "Neighborhood 2" by Marc Russo and Jerry Martin Additional music by Ben Sound and Apple Special thanks Tasha Vest: Driver/lunch Also Nick Vest Rich Riggio (emotional support) Peter Shaw (research and photo-achive) Angel Heart (she knows) Will Wright EA Games (Simulation software) All characters created by Jessica Chortkoff and the Chortkoff Archives 2022