#It does suck not having a car in l.a even though it's saving me a ton of money

[nadjasantipaxos]

That (now deleted) post I made last night about applying for a job that I have zero chance of getting an interview for, much less get? Well they want to do a zoom interview with me tomorrow morning lol

I'm gonna do it, even though the job would require a super long commute down to Venice. At least I tried, right?

[forgadgetsandgizmos]

‘Cause You’re A Sky Full of Stars (I’m Going To Give You My Heart)

My fic for Day 1 of Alex Manes Week 2020 | Prompt: Home Can Be A Person

Read on AO3 Here

It was nearing sunset when Alex pulled his jeep beside the familiar, fading colors of Michael’s white-and-blue truck and cut off the engine. Looking around from where he sat in the driver’s seat, the place hadn’t changed in the decade since he’d last been here. He had been a hopeful 17-year-old in love, high on dreams of the future, carving A M into tree bark.

Alex chuckled under his breath. They hadn’t been brave enough to add the plus or a heart. With only two letters, it could easily be mistaken for Alex’s own initials, but Michael had left an empty space between with whispered promises of someday and after.

Someday, if they were braver.

After, when they’d be adults and free.

It was a sweet kind of irony that the reason they had always came here then was the same reason he was here now.

Michael had always found comfort in the desert.

Alex stepped out of the jeep, the uneven sand beneath his feet sinking in greeting. He sent a quick prayer of thanks that he had the sensibility to put on boots this morning - his prosthetic would be hell to deal with if sand got in it - before locking the car and heading forward.

A heavy breeze brought the sound of tree leaves ruffling, their healthy emerald color shimmering under the orange desert glow. It also brought sharp clinks of glass hitting rock from where Michael sat facing the sunset.

His body was a dark shadow against the tan background, the light illuminated stray curls escaping from under his trademark black cowboy hat. It reminded Alex of a scene in an old western.

Michael had to know he was here - he couldn’t be so drunk that he missed the loud rumble of Alex’s jeep - but he hadn’t turned around. Alex supposed that means he has to go to him. Though if he’s being honest with himself, the only somewhat flat part of the stone that can be used climb to Michael looked a lot more daunting at 28 than it had at 17.

Probably because the last time he’d climbed up and down that rock it had been with two steady legs and a sober Michael to lend a hand.

Banking on familiarity with the path and muscle gained from a decade of military training to compensate, Alex ducked under the tree blocking his way and started up. It was slow going, frustratingly slow, but he made it to the top without any injury to himself or his leg.

“You climbed up.”

Alex took that as an invitation and sat down, his legs (all one and a half) joining Michael’s in dangling off the edge. “I did,” he answered.

Michael grunted and offered him a bottle. “Whiskey?”

Alex took the bottle from him but shook his head. “I shouldn’t. One of us has to drive back eventually.”

“Then give back the bottle.”

Alex tipped it over the edge, far enough that sand would cushion the fall and it wouldn’t break. If the level of whiskey and the bottle opener he had scene in the truck were any indication, Michael was at least three shots past tipsy. He didn’t need to drink anymore.

“Or do that,” Michael scowled.

“You’re drunk enough already. It’ll be hard enough to climb off this rock sober, I don’t want to have to carry you.”

Michael flung a hand forward, “That’s what jumpin’ is for.” Obviously, his tone said.

Alex raised an eyebrow and gave the rock a kick with his bad leg. Boots were okay for walking, but they couldn’t keep all the sand out if he took a 15-foot drop into it. This was a new prosthetic too, and his doctor at the vet hospital in Albuquerque would kill him if he ground down the joints in less than a month.

Michael’s face clouded over, jaw clenched shut.

“We gonna talk about why you’re up here?”

”I like the view,” he drawled, tipping his hat with a playful smirk.

“You seem upset,” Alex prodded.

Michael snorted. “You’d think. I’m not.”

“Oh?”

Michael’s eyes crinkled in the corners. “Really, I swear,” he laughed. “Look,” he whispered, pointing head of them.

The sky was glowing.

As far as Alex could see, the sky was a myriad blue, purple, and pink shades. Where the sun still hit it, the sand, so often harsh and burning, reflected the colors back to the sky as if it was waving to an old friend. The rest formed a black contrast that seemed to deepen each shade. They set in comfortable silence in their oasis, watching the colors merge and morph on the horizon as sun inched down lower.

“Before I joined the Air Force, I assumed I’d never leave the west coast. I wanted to be a musician, so kid-me just knew that all I’d have to do was go to L.A. and never leave. I’ve never even been to L.A.” Alex remarked to himself, eyes still on the horizon. But in between the camouflage of fatigues and the gunpowder smoke, I saw so many different people, so many cultures.” He let his awe fill his voice as he spoke. “And I’d catch myself missing this ... empty desert that I grew up miserable in.”

Michael glanced at him with a confused smile.

“What?”

Michael shook his head softly. “I never thought of Roswell as home. I didn’t even live here until I was eleven. And Max and Iz tried their best but,” he shrugged.

“But you wanted to search the desert for pieces of an alien spaceship,” Alex finished. Michael wanted to leave. He still does, and Liz might have destroyed his best chance at Crash-Con.

“I worked so hard. The consul Liz destroyed would have killed a lot of people and I don’t wish it had, don’t get me wrong,” Michael rushed to say, alcohol slightly blurring his words together as he tried to speak too fast.

“It’s okay to mourn a dream,” Alex reassured him. He tried to project acceptance and comfort instead of the sick loneliness that always settled in when he thought about Michael leaving Earth.

“No, you don’t get it,” Michael exclaimed, knotting his fingers in his hair and knocking his hat behind him in the process. “I’m not mad, not pissed, and I should be so that’s why I’m drinking on a rock on a Monday.”

He must have scene a puzzled look on Alex’s face because he started to clarify.

”You said when you were a kid and home in Roswell, you wanted to see the world and once you did, you missed home, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Alex nodded. How did that have to do with anything?

“I always felt like I was already seeing the world and I was always missing home, even if I didn’t remember it. I don’t know when it changed but when I realized that consul had blown up and I hadn’t even tried to save it, I just ran off to help you and then Maria?”

He gestured to the whiskey bottle laying in the sand. “Yeah, I’m mourning, but I’m mourning my chance to see my past and to visit that world. I don’t feel like it’s my home anymore.”

The sky had lost its color now. If the sunset had been an old western, this was a black-and-white picture movie. Everything he saw was monochrome, washed out in grays and blacks.

“Roswell still sucks,” Michael continued. “but that’s okay. It’s not my home.”

Alex took a deep breath as if steadying himself for the answer. “What is?”

Michael met his eyes with a steady gaze. He looked confident, the slight glaze and wide eye-look from alcohol making his irises shine as if the moon itself was looking at him under the colorless sky.

He smiled sadly. “Home can be a person, Alex. I found mine when I was seventeen. It’s just taken me a little while to realize it, is all.”

Oh. Oh. Alex didn’t say anything, just stared at Michael in wonder. He didn’t think he could speak if he tried. He never expected, he, that - he never expected this. That he loved Michael more than Michael loved him was a fact that he had come to terms with. He didn’t know what to do with this.

Would Michael regret this in the morning?

Alex knew he was too afraid of the answer to ask.

After long, Michael’s face lit up with relief. His emotions had always changed often and quickly, even when they were kids. He understood the need, of course, to project a feeling you thought someone wanted from you, but unlike Alex, Michael seemed to actually feel it.

“You don’t need to respond. Really, you already have,” he pointed out.

Yeah, maybe.

“Let’s just lay here, yeah?” He leaned back, head to the sky.

Alex joined him, still silent. Words echoed in his head, each thing taking on a new meaning he hadn’t seen before.

They’re my family, Alex! All right, maybe. But you’re mine.

I loved you. And I think you loved me.

I know you loved me.

I know what he means to Alex

You are the best of me.

“In a little bit, I’ll be sober enough to move you down,” Michael whispered. “Until then, the stars are out.”

He meant float him down off the rock with telekinesis, Alex realized. For some reason, the notion warmed him almost as much as Michael’s earlier confession had.

Alex nodded, and they lay together under the stars illuminating the sky, Michael’s low humming joining the sounds of desert coming to life.

-

I don’t care, go on and tear me apart.

And I don’t care if you do.

‘Cause you’re a sky full of stars,

I think I see you.

Such a heavenly view.

Also on AO3

[mskinkyafro]

Until Then (RoD x OH Crossover)

A/N: I’ve been wanting to make a crossover fic for some time now and I’m excited to have written, planned, and created such backgrounds to interweave the two MC’s and their books together. This originally was only going to be a simple one-shot but over the last week and a half I spent writing, I’ve been inspired to make spin-off/continuation fics centered around these two MCs. I fell in love with their dynamics and I have to explore them more. Big thanks and shoutout to @jakemckenziesprincess for basically being my beta and making this a better, more concise, and great fic. 

Summary: Aunt and niece, Dr. Katrina Michaels and Chelsea Michaels reunite after years and find themselves bonding over the struggles and pain of forbidden romances.

Side Note: This fic takes place after the finales of both RoD and OH 1, and prior to beginning of OH. 

Implied Pairings: Logan x MC & Ethan x MC

A soft breeze rustles Chelsea Michaels’ brown, curly tresses, slowly pulling her out of her thoughts. She gazes out at the sight of a tranquil lake that typically is filled  with people on a summer day, but today she finds herself alone sitting on the hood of her car. She thinks of how she left the dual lives she was leading behind and now embarking on a whole new adventure. Although adjusting to life in Connecticut and proud of how far she’s grown in the last few months, a part of her lingers elsewhere. 

The sound of whimsical chiming interrupts her time of reflection and she looks down at her cell phone. She swipes on the screen and smiles as the image of a middle-aged man with dark brown skin and kind eyes just like hers appears.

“Hi, Dad!”

“Hi, Sweetheart!”

His eyes look tired, yet there’s still a smile that graces his face as he sees his daughter. Through the time she’s been gone, he’s evaluated his parenting and is learning from the mistakes. There’s still things he’d wouldn’t change but overall, he wished it all went differently. But he can’t change the past nor the pain his little girl went through. He can only be better moving forward.

“How’s the east coast treating you, Chels?

“It's been an adjustment, but good so far! The honor’s summer engineer program is amazing! It’s so much excitement, I’m still processing it all. I mean I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I left.”

“I can,” he interjects with a sad smile.

Chelsea pauses speaking and runs her hand through her hair as she looks away from her father’s  misty eyes.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know things between us are slowly...well you know--and you’re an adult now. But what can I say? I’m still struggling to see my baby girl all grown up.”

“Oh, Dad. I know...I know things were hard. I didn’t make it easier and I know we have a long way to go but we’ll get there. Besides, I may be getting the hang of this new routine but...well I mean it’s--”

He watches his daughter stutter and can see the lack of spunk she usually has. He cuts her off.

“Something’s off though, isn’t it?”

“How’d you know?”

“You forget. I’m your dad. I know when something is bothering you.”

She cracks a light laugh.

“I guess some things don’t change.”

“Me knowing what upsets my baby girl? Not a chance. So is it making friends? Because your old man had trouble meeting others when I first went to school.”

“No, my roommates are cool. And the other students in the program are nice. I really can’t explain it...it’s just I miss-- well I just...” she trails off and looks down at her phone screen. Her hazel eyes connected with her father’s and at that moment he knew what was upsetting her.

“I see.” he murmurs. His tone was a little rougher than he anticipated.

Chelsea briskly turns away from the screen and clears her throat. Her voice is tight.

“Thanks for checking in Dad. I’ll text you later. Love you. Bye.”

Chelsea ends the call before he can say anything else. He sighs to himself and rubs his hand over his face, frustrated. It was moments like this that he wished Nia was alive. Every day he missed his wife and although he managed to raise Chelsea through a challenging time, a girl still needs her mother. Not happy with how things were left he decided to call his sister. At times he didn’t know what to do, and when those times came, he would call his sister. Without any hesitation, he scrolled through his recent call list until his finger hovered over her name and pressed down on the screen. The dial tone rang three times before he heard a familiar, tired voice say,

“Dr. Michaels speaking.”

“I get it, you went to medical school so you’re the favorite between Mama and Pops,” he says with feign annoyance.

“Keenan, I’ll have you know I’ve been Mama and Daddy’s favorite without even having to become a doctor, thank you very much.”

“Sure, Kat. Keep telling yourself that.”

“Oh, I will. So what do I owe the pleasure of this call? It's been a minute since you’ve called. All I got was measly texts here and there.” Katrina says.

“You could’ve called me if you were missing my voice, Kat.”

“You know how busy I am, saving lives and all. You know, no biggie.”

Keenan scoffs and retorts.

“And me being a decorated detective in L.A. leaves me with an ample amount of time?”

“Who’s bragging about accomplishments now?” she teases.

“You know what? You ain’t no good.”

They two siblings laugh together, drowning out the other by their bellows of chuckles.

“But in all seriousness, are things okay? Is my niece okay? I’m sorry again I couldn’t make it to her graduation. I didn’t go into detail at the moment because of how stressed I was on my end, but I…almost lost my medical license.”

Keenan fumbles with his phone at the news before returning to his ear.

“Woah! Hold up?! What?!”

“Calm down, Keenan. The keyword is almost.”

“Kat, when I used to say ‘don’t kill anyone’, I was just teasing but now I’m starting to think I should’ve been serious.”

“Ha-Ha very funny. It's a long story but in the end, I won my case. Also, I got a promotion.”

“Well, that’s a complete 180. What a first year, I’m glad to hear you worked it out. And congratulations sis! I’m proud of you. So, Ms. Big-Shot what’s your new position?”

Katrina clears her throat before she mumbles.

“I, erm, got a spot as Junior fellow on the Diagnostic team. You know, the team that the Dr. Ramsey--”

“The team Dr. Ramsey is a part of. I know of it well. You forget how much you used to go on and on about how great this Ethan Ramsey was throughout your time in med school. You lived up to the annoying little sister in those moments more than when we were kids and you used to follow me around trying to measure my vitamin intake.”

“I was that bad, was I?”

“You were. But forget that, you’re working with your idol. Are you excited?”

“Well...having him as a mentor and other things has been quite the um-- experience. I can only imagine working with him on a new scale will be just as interesting.”

Keenan noticed a hesitation but didn’t press it.

“I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.”

“And to answer your previous questions, Chelsea’s doing great. She’s settled in Connecticut. In a town called Manchester, not too far from you I believe. And if I’m honest the last few months between me and her haven’t been the best. They were the worst.”

“What the hell? You two are like peas in a pod. What happened?”

Kennan sighs, “I rather let Chelsea tell you the details. It's mainly her story to tell. Speaking of, she’s why I called. I was hoping you can invite her up to visit you in Boston for a few weeks. I know her program is having a month-long break and from our last conversation,  I think she could use some woman to woman time.”

“Of course. Anything for my niece. Does she need a lift? Manchester is about two hours and with my student debt, a car is not a luxury I’ve invested in but one of my friends has--”

“Chelsea has one.”

“What?! No way. You finally taught that girl to drive? Much less bought her a car?!

Katrina couldn’t hide the disbelief in her voice. She knew after the passing of her sister in law her brother struggled with letting Chelsea onto the busy roads.

“You know after all that happened, I was worried that you might never--”

Keenan interrupts her again.

“No. I didn’t.”

“Oh? From a friend then?”

Katrina hears her brother suck in the air.

“You could say that.”

She doesn’t mention the way he sounded as he answered her.

“Well, in that case, tell her that I’d love for her to come visit. My roommates and I have an extra room she can stay in too. Tell her to meet me at Edenbrook in a few days whenever she gets her things together for a stay.”

“Thanks, Katrina. I think her spending time with you will help.”

“Her and me both.”

The two stay on the phone for a few more minutes before ending the call.

Before long a week passes and Chelsea finds herself five minutes away from one of Boston’s greatest hospitals, Edenbrook. She hadn’t seen her aunt in so long. Her being in medical school in the past years had cut down the amount of time she could visit. Chelsea parked her car in the visitor's parking lot and got out. Once out of the car, she brushes lint off her dark wash denim jeans, adjusts her red tube top and ties the laces on her white converse. As she pulls her hair up into a messy bun she looks in her sideview mirror. Approving what she sees she heads to the entrance of the hospital.

Once inside she’s taken aback by how large and modern the hospital is. After taking it all in she looks around the semi-quiet place in search of someone to help her find her aunt. And as if someone was reading her mind, an older man with a friendly smile noticed her uncertain expression and approached her.

“Do you need help, miss?”

Chelsea smiles gratefully.“Hi! I do. I’m here to see my aunt--”

“Oh is she a patient? If you go to the front desk a few feet in front of us--”

“Oh no. She’s a doctor here. Do you know her? Her name is Katrina Mich--”

“Ahh! Dr. Michaels! Of course, I do my dear. I’d be a terrible man if I didn’t remember the woman who saved my life. She’s made quite the name for herself here at Edenbrook.”

Chelsea was surprised to hear such news from this man but it made her happy nonetheless.

“Wow! I had no idea. It's been a while since I’ve seen her but I’m supposed to meet her right now.”

The man extends his hand and introduces himself.

“First, my dear. Hello, I’m Dr. Banerji.”

“Chelsea. Chelsea Michaels. Nice to meet you, doctor.” she says as she shakes his hand.

“Now that I have a better look at you, I can see the resemblance.”

“I get that from time to time. So, did you have any idea where she could be?”

“Well it's 6:00 pm now and her shift ended a little earlier so she’s probably at Donahues. It's that little Pub across the way.”

“Thanks!”

“My pleasure.”

Chelsea waves at the kind doctor as she walks back outside. As she walks closer to the bar, a man calls out, stopping her in her tracks.

“Hey there, what’s a pretty little thing like you doing all by herself?” he asks, his speech slurred.

Chelsea crinkles her nose in disgust and ignores the intoxicated man as she keeps walking forward. As she reaches for the handle to open the door, the man puts his hand on top of hers, and inches forward. The alcohol on his breath assaults her nose as he continues to speak.

“Hey, don’t be so cold. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

“Well, I don’t want to.”

Chelsea yanks her hand free and takes a few steps back to distance herself from the man.

“Come on, a beautiful girl like--”

“Exactly, A girl. I’m eighteen, creep.”

“Last time I checked, eighteen is legal, sweetie.” he attempts to reach out to grab Chelseas’s arm but is interrupted by a gruff voice.

“Is there a problem here?”

Chelsea turns around and behind her is a tall man in a gray sweater, possibly in his thirties, with piercing blue eyes and a stern expression on his face as he stares down the other man.

“Nope. Just having a friendly conversation.” the man replied, his speech slurred even more than before.

“Why don’t you stop making an ass of yourself and leave this young woman alone who is not interested in partaking in any conversation with you.” the man says as he takes a commanding step towards the drunk.

The drunk man steps away from Chelsea and begins to walk off, muttering under his breath. Once he’s a distance away from the pub, Chelsea turns to the stranger.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to get involved. If he got any closer, he would’ve ended up across the street. ” she says as she lifts her balled fist.

The man’s eyebrow lifted slightly, an amusement flash from his eyes as soon as it was there.

“That’s exactly why I intervened. We don’t need any more PITA patients. ”

“Pita? Erm, never mind, so you’re a doctor at Edenbrook?”

“ Yes. And you should run along. You’re a bit young, aren’t you Bambi?”

“Bambi?”

Right as she was going to question the man, he started to head inside, ignoring her confusion.

Inside, it's decently filled with  patrons but not overly crowded. The biggest gathering is a group of doctors sitting in the center talking and sipping their drinks casually.

As they stand by the entrance, Chelsea squints as she searches through the dim-lighted space. The man was beginning to question her but she spoke before he could get a word out.

“I’m here to find my aunt. I was told she’d be in here and I was supposed to meet her right now.”

She walks forward toward the group, with the stranger lingering behind.

“Who is your aunt--”

He’s cut off by Chelsea’s excited squeal.

“Auntie Kitty!”

Katrina startled by the almost forgotten name, looks up and smiles widely and gets up quickly from the table as her eyes land on her teenage niece.

“Seashell! How are you? Is it six already? I hope you had no trouble finding me.”

She says excitedly as she pulls her into a big hug.

“I’m great! And it’s no biggie, auntie. I got here in one piece. There was a slight hiccup outside this place, but I had it handle--”

“You called that handled, Bambi?”

Chelsea breaks away from Katrina and turns around to gesture to the man behind her who is hidden from Katrina’s view.

“I did. But your assistance was appreciated, Mr...I didn’t get your name.”

Before he could answer, Katrina speaks as she moves closer to the two.

“Dr. Ramsey.”

“Rookie.”

His eyes bore into Katrina’s and the two stare at each other for a while, almost for too long. As Chelsea stood between the two, she noticed a spark between her aunt and Dr. Ramsey. It was so visible she felt as if she was intruding on something intimate, something only for the two of them. She clears her throat, bringing the two back into reality.

“I didn’t realize you two knew each other,” Chelsea says, her eyebrow quirked at the two.

“Rookie here has been a colossal pain in my ass this past year.”

Chelsea could hear the touch of fondness in his voice despite the words he used.

“What happened to being Edenbrook’s brightest, Ethan?”

He rolls his eyes and barely hides a smile. He turns to Chelsea.

“Please tell me big egos don’t run in your family, Bambi or is it strictly exclusive to her.”

“Wait--Bambi? How’d you give my niece a nickname already?”

He shrugs as a man in a wheelchair rolls up toward the three. He faces Chelsea and extends his hand out. Ethan takes this time to excuse himself from the two women.

“Bambi, Rookie.”

Katrina watches him retreat to the bar as Elijah introduces himself to Chelsea, waving the others to come do the same.

“Hey, I’m Elijah Greene. One of your aunt’s roommates, best friends, co-workers, and partners in crime. You know, the entire package.”

“Chelsea Michaels. You all, partners in crime?” she asks with a laugh.

“Oh, Elijah is just exaggerating. I’m Sienna Trinh, nice to meet you.”

A petite Asian woman steps up next to greet Chelsea. Soon, a Black woman, a Polynesian man, an Indian woman, and a Porteguese man follow suit. Kat points at each one and introduces everyone to her niece.

“Aurora Emery.”

“Bryce Lahela”

“Jackie Varma.”

“Rafael Aveiro”

Jackie then turns to Sienna and says, “Elijah has a point. I mean we’ve done some questionably legal things.” Her eyes land on Katrina.

Brye chimes in, “Are you a criminal mastermind like Hotshot over here, Chelsea?”

Chelsea rubs her arms shyly. She stammers a bit before Rafael interjects.

“I wouldn't be surprised if she was.”

“Enough teasing, you two,” Katrina says.

The group laughs as Katrina’s eyes her niece skeptical as she notices her sudden quiet and skittish behavior. Looking her over she finally notices the colorful pattern of pink flowers surrounded by tendrils of blues on Chelsea’s right arm. Staring the teen down, Kat’s voice interrupts all of the side conversations.

“What the hell is on your arm, Chelsea?! Don’t tell me what I think that is!”

Immediately the rest of the friends look toward her arm and look back towards Katrina. Curious to see her in such a parental role.

“In that case, it’s definitely not a tattoo.” Jackie murmurs sarcastically.

“Not helping, Jackie.” Sienna says as she elbows the woman.

Chelsea nervously looks at her tattoo and rubs it absentmindedly.

��So, this is one of the new things that’s happening with me.”

“It has to be fake. One of those semi-permanent tattoos that last a month, right?” her aunt asks insistently.

Her niece avoids eye contact and looks to one of the others, hoping to get a little help.

Elijah chimes in, “You know, I think it looks really badass. Not everyone can rock a whole sleeve tat.”

Katrina glares at the man and he raises his hands in mock defeat. Before she can lay more into her niece Aurora speaks up.

“I was pegging you as a goody-two shoes like your aunt here. You both have the miss congeniality vibe but clearly there’s more to you.”

“I don’t mean to pry but we heard something about this past year has been crazy for you, but I’m thinking that it's crazier than imagined.” Rafael says.

Chelsea shrugs her shoulders and grabs a nearby chair to sit in.

“That’s one way of putting it. This tattoo is nothing compared to the other things that happened. I can’t talk about much because well-- to answer your question, they for sure dance on the line of legality.”

Katrina crosses her arms over her chest.

“Oh boy, how illegal are we talking?.”

Everyone shuffles a little closer to Chelsea, wondering what’s about to come out of her mouth. 

She coughs out “Like...I don’t know, I may have been a part of a crew that may have stolen approximately in total ten million dollars worth of cars.”

There was silence before everyone started talking over the other, however not much longer Katrina’s voice overwhelmed the others.

“What the fuck?! You did, what?!”

Chelsea leans forward and points her finger at her aunt.

“Allegedly.”

“Allegedly my ass! How did you…” her aunt tried to ask but Bryce cut in.

“Woah! Okay so that’s some next level, Fast & the Furious shit. The lives of teenagers nowadays. When I was in high school, the craziest experience was on prom night.”

“Prom. Now that was quite the time. I can tell you must have had some wild ones, Meathead.” Jackie teases.

The others get caught up in reminiscing about their prom days that it gave the two Michaels women time to chat briefly.

“Okay, so now that I’ve digested all of this. All I can say is wow. I’m going to need details later on though.”

“So how mad are you?”

“I’m not mad, I’m concerned. Plus, I can’t have you be the one to freak your dad out,, that’s my job.” she jokes.

The two chuckle and are back to the main conversation when Sienna asks.

“What about you, Katrina? How was your prom? I bet you were Queen.”

“Is it that obvious? I was, but it wasn’t a glorious reign. After the crowning, during the royal first dance, the King got too handsy so I stepped on his foot and caused him to crash into the snack table which split hawaiian punch all over the DJ booth.”

Everyone laughs and Kat’s retelling and Elijah then asks Chelsea,

“So how was your prom, Chelsea? Was it more on the normal side? Handsome date, tux, corsage  the usual set up.”

Hearing Elijah’s question sends flashes to Chelsea’s head of that night with Logan. How surprised she was to see him at Riya’s door. From the magical way it was being so intimate with him to the dangers that were awaiting them after. She shakes her head and gives a simple answer.

“It was fine. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Her aunt raises an eyebrow at her niece but the expression is lost due the growls that roared over the conversation. With a blush on her cheeks, Chelsea speaks.

“I guess it’s time for dinner.”

“My stomach seemed to agree as well.”

Katrina holds out her arm and Chelsea gets up from her chair, links her own arm into Kat’s and  smiles at her.

“McDermots?”

“You know me so well.”

The two say their goodbyes to everyone as they made their exit, Chelsea looked back to make sure Katrina followed and she caught once again her aunt exchanging heated glances with Ethan. She noted to herself to ask more about the two.

“Auntie Kitty, you good?”

With a nod, the Michaels women left Donahues and headed toward Chelsea’s car.

As they approached the bright neon pink 2015 Stuttgart 999 Widow, Katrina’s gait slowed down.

“You’re kidding? This is your car?! There’s no way my brother cosigned on this baby, even though she’s gorgeous.”

She slowly rubs her hand over the hood of the car.

“He didn’t. It was a gift from a friend.” Chelsea says quickly as she unlocks the doors and gets into the driver’s seat and starts the ignition.

The hum of the engine shook Katrina from her inspections and she entered the passenger seat, failing to keep her shock off her face. As Chelsea pulls out of the parking lot and cruises down the road, Katrina’s eyes lock on a picture strip that hangs on the visor. In it, she saw different poses of the same couple. Chelsea and some young man with chocolate brown skin, dark hair with a matching beard. In each photo, the two were pressed together smiling or laughing and in the last still, the two had their foreheads pressed against the other as their lips were inches apart.

“Who’s that?”

Chelsea looks up to what her aunt points at and mentally curses for not hiding the photo.

“He’s...he’s no one.”

Concerned at a cold response, she pressed further.

“I doubt it. He looks like someone important. And you look important to him too,”

Chelsea presses on the gas pedal and Katrina holds her door handle as the car begins to accelerate faster and faster.

“ Looked. E-d as in past tense. Either way, it doesn’t matter.” she replied sharply.

“One, watch the attitude and two, slow down. And clearly, it does.” Katrina chides.

With her patience running thin and out of frustration, Chelsea veers off to park in an empty spot on the side of the road with a harsh brake. The two jolt forward and then back into their seats.

“Drop it!” She squeezes the steering wheel tightly, ignoring the crazy look her aunt was giving her. In a small voice, she continues.

“...Please.”

A tense silence fills the air as they sit momentarily. After a few minutes, she pulls back into traffic and sighs.

“It all started with my clumsiness and not watching where I was going.”

An hour passed as the two found themselves out on the balcony of Katrina’s apartment looking over the city. Katrina sips slowly on a glass of wine as she leans onto the rail next to her niece. The lights below them dazzle into the night. Chelsea breaks the silence.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“Now I forget you’re grown up now so I really can’t pull the ‘I’m the adult’ card but just don’t get used to raising your voice at me.”

“Of course, but--”

Katrina waves her hand dismissively.

“I shouldn’t have pushed too far. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Chelsea shoots her small smile and she shakes her head in disagreement.

“I appreciate it, but it still isn’t an excuse for me to lash out.”

She then pulls her scrunchie out her bun and runs her fingers through her curls as she continues.

“Talking about Logan, just thinking about him at times is hard. Many would brush it off as a whirlwind romance or young stupid love, but I know they’re wrong. Deep down-- deep down what we had is real. Well, it was.”

She wanders from the railing and sits down, her back against the windowpane.

“I know I have my whole future to look to. I know there will be other guys but then again I don’t want there to be anyone else. And I don’t want my future to not have Logan in it. What can I say? I love him. I love him so much.” she admits, her eyes glisten at the weight being lifted off her heart.

Katrina sets down her glass as she crouches closer to her niece and holds her close, rubbing soothing circles on her back. A quiet cry flows out as she sits in the arms of Katrina. She whispers into the crying teen’s ear.

“It’s okay. Love is beautiful and at times, a painful thing. Especially when it’s your first love. I know it seems like--”

Through sobs, Chelsea chokes out.

“That’s the issue though! This wasn’t some typical boy meets girl. This was special! Right now he’s out there-- somewhere and I’m missing him so much, wondering if he’s safe. Secretly hoping he didn’ forget me. This hollowness that’s settled is suffocating me. I feel so incomplete. In my mind, only one person can make me whole again. No one seems to understand that. Do you know what it’s like to want someone so bad but can’t be with them? Because if you can’t then I don’t want to hear some patronizing--”

Katrina lets go of her niece so that she’s looking directly in her eyes. As she cuts her off.

“You’re not the only one.”

Chelsea wipes her eyes as her aunt turns away to look out to the city skylight.

“You feel like you’ll drown under these intense emotions. No matter how hard you try, every thought leads back to him. When the wind lightly caresses your skin, you remember the way he’d kiss you softly. And it takes everything in your power not to run to them, risk it all just to have their love even though everything points to why you can’t be together. So yes, I know exactly how you feel.”

She turns back to find Chelsea’s eyes glue onto her.

“It’s him, isn’t it. Dr. Ramsey.” Chelsea whimpers.

Her aunt scoots closer to the teen and rests her head on top of hers.

“Yeah. Ethan and I...well it’s complicated.”

“I could tell. You both stop when around the other, you forget anyone else is even near.”

“I never thought the man I looked up to would become my colleague, much less someone I’d care so deeply for.”

Chelsea traces small patterns on her jeans as she asks.

“Are you sure you two can’t work something out?

“At the moment, no. There are too many variables. Politics of the hospital, gossip, my reputation, the list goes on.” she sighs.

“So there’s two Michaels women shit out of luck in the romance department?”

“Misery loves company. You see, we’re victims of circumstances and fate’s misfortune. We were dealt a shitty hand and this part of life folded.”

The two sit in small silence, letting the hums of street life surround them. Not too long Chelsea speaks.

“Will it ever get better? How do we cope?”

Katrina reaches to grasp her niece’s hand and squeezes.

“ With time, it will. To cope is another battle within itself. I think for that, we have to do something slightly dangerous.”

Chelsea lifts her head, forcing Katrina to lift her own and look down at the teen.

“What’s that?”

“Hope. Hope that one day that our loves still have a chance. To believe that in time, they’ll come back to us.”

Chelsea takes in what her aunt says and with no hesitation latches herself onto the older woman, hugging her tight.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you. It's nice to have someone who understands.”

“It is.”

The two sat there in their embrace, filled with a new kindle of optimism that only lingered before.

Tagged: @silverlitskies​

End Note: If anyone else reads this and enjoys and like to be tagged in any future crossover fics, just let me know!

[artificialqueens]

Houroubing to Aruba, Chapter 1, (Branjie) - Blackhighheels

They are off to Aruba for their first vacation together

Belongs to the “For they know what they do now”- verse

Chapter 1 : Pepito

“You got everything? The presents, wallets, cellphone?” Brock asks and looks around the room, making sure they don’t forget anything important. They are in Orlando, their first quick stop on their way to Aruba, because Jose decided it would be a good idea to visit his grandmother and Alexis. Therefor instead of just changing planes, they stay for the night and then continue their flight tomorrow. Not that Brock minds, because he’s all for splitting up the close to 14 hour journey. It helps a lot with his nerves and anxiety.

“Yup, packed everything. You got the car key?"

Brock holds it up to show it to him. "Alright, then let’s go or we’ll be late.”

“Calm down, boo, it’s just a twenty minute drive from here and also it’s just my grandma. She knows I’m always late.” Jose tells him and closes the door of their hotel room behind him, follows him to the elevator.

“Really just twenty minutes? I thought it’d be farther.” Isn’t it also another town, he wonders.

“Nope, we gonna go south on Jeff Fuqua Blvd, which becomes Access Road and then stay on and we’re basically there.”

“It’s kind of weird that you suddenly know your way around and can even name the streets. Usually you need navigation to find the Starbucks around the corner from our house,” Brock teases him.

“Bitch, I grew up around here,” Jose turns around in the elevator, facing him and taking his eyes off the mirror for once. “And I find the Starbucks without navigation… now.” He admits with a chuckle. Brock makes use of the otherwise empty elevator and pulls Jose close by his suspenders for a quick kiss.

“You wanna drive?” he offers, which is unusual, because he hates being a passenger when Jose is driving in L.A, or anywhere for that matter. If Brock had the power, he would have already confiscated Jose’s driver’s license. It remains a mystery to him, how his boyfriend doesn’t get into car accidents on the regular, his driving erratic and sometimes even careless. The only reason he’s been without a driver’s license his several DUIs.

“Nah, you good. I’m just gonna pretend I’m Siri and tell you where to go. Maybe that could be a new business idea? Miss Vanjie navigations?”

Brock laughs. “Turn right… no the other right, bitches. Imma tell ya what to do now… and I look good doing it,” he tries to imitate Jose’s Vanjie voice and makes him laugh.

“You better not do Vanjie at Snatch game ever, boo. You suck! Oh, and it’s a toll street so we’ll need quarters. Dunno, if they accept credit cards now.” They get out of the elevator.

“I think I got some. Can you check?” Brock unlocks their rental car that they’ve reached by now. They both get in and buckle their seatbelts before Brock drives out of the garage while Jose digs through his backpack, looking for Brock’s wallet.

“Yup, should be fine.” He states when he has found it. “Your wallet weighs a ton. What have ya got in here?”

“Still got the tip money from the last gig,” Brock shrugs. “Left here, right?”

“Yeah, it’s a one way street, so you need to do a u-turn here,” Jose confirms after looking up for a second. Then he focusses back on Brock’s wallet and checks each compartment, takes the papers out and looks at the cards.

“What are you doing?”

“Snooping.” Jose admits it with a bratty smirk and isn’t ashamed at all. “Got something to hide? Better confess it now.”

“Not that I know of.” He knows that there’s nothing in there that he needs to hide. Not that hiding anything from his boyfriend is ever a good idea.

“You got a condom in there? No, wait, two? What’s next? Lube?"

"Of course, I got condoms in my wallet. Where else would I keep them?” It was kind of obvious. But then he remembered that his boyfriend stashed them wherever convenient, sometimes even his cellphone cover, under his hat or in his shoes- Brock wasn’t sure how save that really was. Yet, the easy access was the reason why Jose was in charge of these things.

“Where were they when we needed them that time in London, when everything was closed and we were desperate?”

“They were most likely already in there, but I was too drunk to think of it.” Brock tries to remember what happened back then, but the nights in London during their first tour together, are still kind of a blur.

“Child, I will remember from now on! Won’t happen again,” Jose huffs and puts his feet on the dashboard of the car, after he threw the wallet back in the backpack.

“Yeah, just one thing,” Brock grins and quickly looks at him before concentrating back on the traffic.

“What thing?”

“We stopped using condoms months ago?! You remember the testing and discussions?"

"Took us long enough to rid off these romance killers,” Jose rolls his eyes, but can’t hide the small smile.

“You think it took us long?” Brock asks curiously.

“Yeah, we’ve been back together eleven months and we stopped using them like what? Two months ago?”

“Bit more. I remember we discussed it right after your birthday and then got tested just to be sure. We didn’t bring any condoms on tour. November maybe? So more like four months.”

“Mmh.”

“How long did it usually take, until you stopped using protection with your ex boyfriends?”

“Never… like… No wait. With one I did, but then we broke up shortly afterwards. But the others were always cheating… or I thought they were cheating and then it turned out later I’d been right.”

“Oh, ok.”

“What? I won’t let any fuccboi gamble with my health. If I wanna fuck that up, I can do it on my own. Don’t need anyone tell me about love and trust and shit and then stick his dick somewhere without a cover.”

“You know I agree with you.” Brock points out. He’s never been one to skip protection the few times he actually had real sex with a random guy. And since he’d never had a boyfriend before Jo… and he still got tested regularly.

“I do. And I trust you, so no raincoat needed… well, other than for practical reasons.” The smirk is back on Jose’s face. “We can throw ‘em out?”

“We probably should anyway. I can’t remember when I put them in there. Better check the expiration date,” Brock laughs.

“Not like one of us can get pregnant, cause if we could… girl. We’d have grand-babies by now.”

“No, but if they rip, it kind of defeats the purpose, no matter which one we might have in mind.”

Jose wrinkles his forehead, then nods. “Turn right here on the 417 and the toll station should be right ahead.”

“Ok, papi,” Brock nods and does what he is told. “Can you hand me the quarters?”

***

They reach their destination fifteen minutes later, park the car and both get out. It’s a narrow street with small houses left and right and an apartment complex at the end of the cul-de-sac. Children’s toys seem to sit on nearly every free strip of lawn, along with grills, chairs and the odd dog on a chain. It’s obvious that it’s not a rich neighbourhood, but Brock doesn’t feel unsafe either.

“You grew up here?” Brock asks and looks around.

“Lived over there for a while,” Jose points in the general direction of a couple of houses. “But we moved a lot. Longest house we stayed in was on the other side of the lake. Five years, maybe?” He takes Brock’s hand in his and leads him down the street.

“Because of the divorce?”

“Divorce, break-ups, money or the wrong people around us. My mom didn’t want a repeat of what happened with her brother, so she tried to keep us out of trouble.”

“You know I’m glad my parents are finally divorced because they weren’t good for each other and everything, and are much happier now, but the whole moving thing is a reason why I’m glad they didn’t get divorced until we were all grown up.”

“Yeah, it sucked sometimes. Not always.”

“Any last warnings?” Brock asks then when they reach a small blue house. He is suddenly overcome by nervousness.

“Just do you, boo,” Jose smiles and they exchange a quick kiss before he knocks on the mesh screen door, because the main door is already open. “Abuela?” Jose yells.

“Come in, Pepito,” a female voice calls from the inside.

“Lita!” Jose exclaims when they walk inside and a tiny, dark haired women rushes towards them once they have crossed the small living-room and reach the kitchen.

“Pepito!  Cariño!” She squeezes him tightly and holds him, tears in her eyes. “It’s been so long”

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” he agrees, wipes his eyes and sniffs. “Grandma, this is Brock,” he introduces them. Before Brock can react he is pulled downwards and into a bear hug. The small elder woman has a lot more strength than he suspected.

“So nice to  finally meet you,” he tells her when she lets him go.

“Que hombre bonito,” she says to Jose, but Brock understands enough to blush.

“He not too bad,” Jose teases with a nonchalant shrug and winks at his man.

“Neither are you, Pepito,” Brock teases right back, because he hasn’t heard this nickname before, even though he spends a lot of time around Jose’s mother.

“Oh, stop. Only my abuela is allowed to call me that.” He turns back to his grandmother. “We brought you a little something something. The green one is from us and the pink one from mom.” He hands her the wrapped gifts that are still for Christmas.

“Thank you, mi corazon.” They both get kisses on the cheeks before she sets the gifts aside without opening them.  "You want something to drink before we leave?“ she asks the both of them.

"We leave? Where to?” Jose is as puzzled as Brock.

“The BBQ spot by the lake. The others will be here in a minute, food is done.”

“The others?” Jose doesn’t look too happy.

“Lita?” another male voice yells from the front door and then steps can be heard coming towards the kitchen where they are standing. Brock can feel Jose tense up even though they are not touching. He looks like he might run any second and shrinks into himself. “Oh, you already here,” the man says. He is about Jose’s height, maybe a bit taller with tan skin, dark short curls and Jose’s eyes. Tattoos cover his hands, arms and what can be seen of his chest and his neck. He is wearing Nike’s, grey baggy sweats and a white wife-beater. Two little girls are by his side.

“Yeah.” Jose just nods.

“Uncle Jose!” one of the girls storms towards Jo and jumps up to hug him. That’s when Brock finally understands that he’s just met Jose’s older brother.

“Vicky! You so tall now, girl! Look at that! You nearly as tall as Brock here,” Jose jokes as he holds his niece, her legs slung around his stomach. Her skin is a bit lighter than Jose’s, but the family resemblance is uncanny. Her dark curls are done in complicated braids on her head.

“Hi!” The girl smiles charmingly up at him, still in Jose’s arms and Brock smiles back. She’s really cute and Brock realises she has bright green eyes.

“Hi,” he replies and then turns to the man staring at him. “Hello, I’m Brock,” he holds out his hand. It takes a moment but then Jose’s brother shakes it.

“Hi, I’m D. Heard a lot about you, man. Mom sure can’t shut up about your house with the pool and all the other rich shit.”

“We just rent it.”

“Hey, Feli, do you remember me?” Jose puts his older niece back down on the ground and crouches down in front of the younger one, who seems to be about four or five. She looks a lot like her sister, but her eyes are as dark as Jose's  and her hair is simply pulled in a tight pony-tail. She shyly shakes her head and clings to her father’s hand more tightly, hides partially behind it.

“That’s uncle Jo, Feli. Miss Vanjie!” her sister informs her.

“How do you know about Miss Vanjie, little lady? How old are you?” Jose puts his hands on his hips and plays it up for her amusement.

“Everybody knows about Vanjie. You famous now, uncle J! And I’m ten!”

“Ten? When did you turn ten? Wasn’t it just yesterday that we played with your my little ponies and braided their hair?”

“You’re silly.” She giggles. “Look, I’m even wearing mascara and nails!”

“I can see that,” Jose smiles, but the look he gives his brother is disapproving. Then he holds up a hand towards Brock. “Help me up, boo?” he asks and Brock knows it’s only because his knee is still hurting after the six hour flight earlier in the morning. Brock pulls him up.

“Lita, you riding with us or Jose?”

“You can ride with us, if you want,” Jose offers.

“Ok, then we’ll meet you at the park.” Without another word Jose’s brother takes his daughters by the hands and leads them out of the house.

“Esper… we need to take the arroz con guandules,” grandma sighs.

“In the caldero?” Jose’s eyes widen and he looks over to the oven where a huge metal pot is standing.

“Can we even lift it?” Brock laughs when he sees the size of this thing.

“You a tall man, mi amor. You can do it,” Jose’s grandmother seems to have confidence in him and the term of endearment doesn’t miss its’ aim either. He walks over and tests it, manages to lift the heavy pot off the stove.

“Pepito, ven aqui,” she waves Jose behind her and when they come back they each hold two large  bowls with even more food. “Let’s go!” she smiles and follows them out to the car.

***

“That your ride?” Jose’s brother asks Brock when they reach the picnic area at a lake not too far away from the grandmother’s house. He doesn’t help with the heavy pots though.

“Rental. We’re only here for a day.”

“Only a day? Why’d you even come here then? Or you owning your own jet now and just don’t care?” he laughs, but Brock recognises a dig when he hears one.

“It made sense to stop here or in Miami, since we need to change planes here anyway on our way to our vacation.”

“Where you going, man?”

“Aruba.”

“Sweet.”

“Yeah, we think so.”

“Must have cost you a couple of coins.”

“A couple. The flights and part of the stay is paid for, however. I won it on the show.”

“The show?” he seems puzzled for a moment. “Ah, right. You’re one of those as well.”

“One of what?” Brock stands up to his full height after he’s finally managed to put the pot down on one of the tables. He tries not to be offended and give him the benefit of the doubt, but Jose’s stories about his brother combined with the way he just said it, rub Brock the wrong way.

“Hombre!” A loud scream interrupts them and they turn around. D smiles and walks over to the ten to twelve men coming his way. Behind them a couple of women follow, most of them with children in tow. Brock feels like he’s watching a documentation about hispanic gangs in the Bronx or something. For a second he wonders how many of them are armed, but then he pushes the thought away as quickly as he can. As a Canadian the thought of guns all around him always freaks him out.

“Fuck, he brought his whole posse,” Jose mutters and shows up beside Brock, but doesn’t touch him.

“They’re family, too?”

“Some of them are cousins, yeah. Rest friends. All of them as fucking dumb as my brother.” Jose seems angry. Or annoyed?

“You ok, papi?”

“I’m fine… just… ignore everything they say and remember we’re only here for today, k?” Jose looks up at him, a strange look in his eyes.

“Same goes for you,” Brock points out and wraps one arm around Jose’s shoulder and pulls him into his side. For a moment the tension leaves his body as he melts against Brock’s body.

“Oy, loca!” Another scream from one of the guys and the tension is back in Jose’s body, fists clenched.

Brock holds him tighter and massages his shoulder with the one hand resting there. “Breathe.”

***

A while later Jose and Brock have sat down to eat, Jose’s grandmother at their table, his nieces there as well. The other men have retreated to a table at the edge of the picnic area and Brock can’t say that he minds in the least. The longer he’s been around them, the less him likes them. The women left after a while, taking most of the kids with them after they’ve served their men with drinks and food.

“Oye, Jose!” a guy that was introduced as Tivo, a friend of D’s, yells over without getting up.

“What?”

“Bring me another beer.”

“Please,” Brock adds with quiet sarcasm, can’t help it. He waits for Jose’s sarcastic reply to the unfriendly request, but he just gives Brock’s leg a squeeze underneath the table, then gets up and brings him the requested drink. There is some laughter at the table when Jose gets there, but Brock can’t hear or understand what’s being said. When Jose comes back with an empty plate, he refills it and carries it back over. Brock can see that he’s still slightly limping, his knee still acting up.

“Sit down, babe, I’m gonna get you some ice,” Brock decides and gets up himself to fetch some ice from where the drinks are. He places the cubes on a towel and then hands it to Jose.

“Thank you, boo,” Jose replies and pecks Brock’s lips a couple of times. Wolf-whistles can be heard from the other table.

“Jose! No delante de mis hijas!” Jose jerks back from Brock at his brother’s angry command, the ice falling to the ground.

“What did he say?” Brock questions.

“Nothin’” Jose mumbles and tries to pick the ice back off the ground.

“I’m gonna get you some fresh ice,” Brock shakes his head, takes the dish towel, gets up and refills it.

“Jose! Bring the bread over.”

Brock isn’t even back at the table yet when the new command comes from the table of guys and the whole table erupts in laughter. Brock had the feeling before that they were doing it on purpose, making Jose serve them, since their wives and girlfriends were gone, but now he knows. And he is furious.

It also puzzles him why Jose is obliging them and doesn’t say a single thing. His usually so feisty and hot-tempered boyfriend is acting like a scared little kid, which adds even more fire to Brock’s anger.

He stops Jose from getting up by placing a hand on his shoulder. “Stay, I’ll do it. Put the ice on your knee.” He grabs the bread and marches over to where the guys are sitting. “Here,” he pushes the bread in the hands of a guy whose name he has already forgotten. “And now get the rest yourself."

"Ooooh,” the other three men howl and laugh.

“Mind your own business, sissy.” More boo-ing, more laughter. “We not talking to you, white boy.”

“Sissy? Fine by me, but maybe you should man up. You can’t even get your food or drinks yourself.”

“Jose! Your loca is running her mouth!” One guy calls.

“We can, we just don’t want to. That’s what you guys are for,” another one says. Brock looks at Jose’s brother, who hasn’t said anything and doesn’t holler and laugh as loudly as the others. But neither does he stand up for his brother and stop this.

“Mmh, and apparently we’re also here to pay your phone bill debts, right D?” Brock knows and addresses him directly. “How about you earn your own money first and stop relying on your little brother? How’s that for man-ing up?” More howls, boos, this time directed at D.

“Fuck off, maricon!” Brock knows that word. If there is one thing every gay man knows, it’s insults and slurs in all kinds of languages, the cruder the more familiar. And this time it came directly from D.

“What did you just say?” he asks unnecessarily, dares him to repeat it.

D gets off the bench and stands in front of him. D’s best friend Felix does the same, steps closer and puffs out his chest. “Chupa mi huevos, maricon!”

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” Jose’s furious threat echoes  as he rushes over, already halfway there, even limping. He must have started his way over when they called him. Brock holds him back though, when he basically flies towards his brother and Felix, ready to tackle them. With both arms wrapped around his waist from behind, he is reminded how strong Jose really is. He has trouble holding him back, his boyfriend set on a physical fight with all ten of them, if he has to.

“J, you really wanna try me again?” his brother laughs, comes closer and steps in front of Felix. Brock knows that even though he doesn’t have any experience in fist fights, he will step in front of Jose and try to protect him, before he will stand idly by and watch them hurt Jose even more than they have in the past.

“Siétate! Ahora!” Suddenly Jose’s grandmother is by their side, glaring at his brother and his friends. They obey and no one dares to laugh this time. A fast rant, that Brock doesn’t understand a single word of, starts and at the same time she waves him and Jose away, signalises them to go back to their table. Brock isn’t sure if that’s a good idea though, grabs more ice as they pass the drinks and leads Jose away from the picnic area and towards a small park by the lake side.

“You ok, papi?” Brock asks when Jose is still silent once they reach a wooden bench underneath some trees, hidden away from sight.

“Did they hurt you?” Jose asks instead of answering the question.

“No, they didn’t even touch me.” Brock pulls him down onto the bench and into his lap, then places the ice on Jose’s knee for the third time. “Has it always been like this?”

“No, not when we were younger. I always wanted to be like him, all manly and cool and shit. But when he found out I was gay… at home it was ok and when we were alone, but when his friends found out…”

“Did they hurt you? Physically?”

“Sometimes.They thought they could beat the gay out of me or some shit. Until my mother found out. Then she beat the crap out of them.”

“I can imagine,” Brock chuckles, because he can imagine well how that went down.

“She took my side and he thinks she loves me more, like, I’m the favorite. When the Vanjie thing happened and they moved to L.A. for me… D really hates me now.” Jose slumps sideways against Brock’s chest. For a while they just sit there, Brock rubbing Jose’s arm and placing kisses on his forehead from time to time. Jose is deep in thought.

“You wanna go back?” Brock asks when Jose starts responding to his caresses and starts sucking on his neck.

“Mmmh, I wanna talk to my grandma some more.”

“But Jo? If they start bullying you again, we’re leaving. I will not sit idly by and watch it. We’ve come too far in our life to go back to who we were ten or fifteen years ago.”

“Thank you.” Jose kisses him gently before they both get up and walk back to Jose’s family, their fingers tightly linked. They haven’t reached their table yet when D walks towards them. Brock slightly steps in front of Jose. The fact that he is already injured makes him protective in a way he usually isn’t. Or maybe it’s just the company they are in?

“Mira… Jose, can I talk to you?” Jose looks to Brock.

“You want me to come with you?” he offers.

“Nah, we gonna be fine.” He decides and looks around.

“Stay where I can see you, please?” Brock requests quietly.

“Will do, boo.” Jose gives him a small smile and then points to a swing set not too far away. His nieces are playing there now and Brock thinks that hopefully they won’t get too intense in front of the kids. When he looks around he sees that the other men have left and only Jose’s grandmother is sitting at a table.

“They gonna be fine,” she tells him when he joins her and refills his cup.

“Thanks for stepping in. I’m not really good at fist fights,” he tries to joke.

“Tu sabes, D is here 'cause he wanted to talk to Jose. It wasn’t my idea. He’s changed a lot since they all left, his mother, his brothers… his girls. He only sees them once a month.”

“Mmh.” Brock makes, doesn’t really know what to say.

“You found a house yet?” She changes the topic.

“Not really. But we’re in no hurry. The lease isn’t up for another there years, so we’ve got time to wait and see what comes up. First we needed to hash out what we even want,” he explains and smiles, remembering their different ideas about what they wanted to buy.

“Send me some pictures when you found something. I’d like to see where he lives.”

“You could always come and see us. We have a guest room.”

“I know, my daughter told me. But the long flight… it’s expensive, you know?”

“We could book it for you. Both Jo and I have so many points saved up we barely know what to do with them. Would be first class, too.”

“Points? No entiendo.”

“Like, when you fly with certain airlines you get points for flying with them and rewards. After a certain amount of points you get better rewards, don’t have to pay certain fees, get free food and drinks. And because we’re always flying somewhere, we can basically never use up all our bonuses.”

“So you don’t pay money for my flight?”

“No, we wouldn’t.”

“Ok, I will think about it,” she finally accepts and Brock is impressed by this very proud and humble woman. “I could cook for you when I visit you. You’re both too thin.” She adds and Brock knows that he will have to tell Jose that his grandma is going to visit them soon. This is as close to accepting the offer as it gets.

They are interrupted when Jose, his brother and the girls come back. Neither is hurt, but Brock can see the storm of emotions in Jose’s eyes. He looks upset, but not angry, which he takes as a good sign.

“We should get going, boo. Have to get ready for our night out with Alexis,” Jose tells him quietly. “You got this here, D?” He motions to the pots and plates everywhere.

“Si, you go. I take care of it,” his brother confirms and his tone is much softer than before.

“K, bye Lita. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye, Pepito. You tare care.” They hug for a long moment. Brock is next, gets the same bear hug he was greeted with earlier that day.

D holds out his hand when they pull back. Reluctantly Brock takes it, not sure yet what to make of it. He is pulled in a manly hug, with a couple of pats on his back. “I’m sorry about before. And please take care of him, man. His knee really doesn’t look good.”

“I will,” he vows, surprised by the concern, the apology and the approval.

After saying goodbye to the girls, they make their way to the car in silence and Brock has to turn on the navigation, because Jose keeps staring out the window, deep in thought.

“Baby, you’re ok?” he asks him when he can’t take it anymore and touches one of Jose’s hand with one finger.

“Yeah. It was good, the talk and all. Just… a lot. He apologised for the shit he’s done to me and for not protecting me. I told him he needs to apologise to mom, too, for all his fuck ups. It was hard on her. But he doesn’t feel like he part of the family no more and … he done a lot of work, did some therapy, has his own Dr. Laurie. He’s always been a bit of an ass, but he my brother, you know? He’s family, even if he don’t get me or why I’m gay and why I’m so extra all the time.”

“Sounds like a good start,” Brock comments.

“Said he should come to L.A. and see us all. I wasn’t sure if you want him at the house though.”

“I’m not sure either. He’s kind of scary.”

“He wouldn’t do nothing. He still on probation.”

“What?” Brock squeaks and does a double take. Maybe he should have been given that info before he nearly got into a physical fight with the guy.

“Long story with a mug shot and all, y'all.” Jose chuckles.

“Talked to your grandma; she might want to visit us too. Maybe they can come together? We take your grandma and your mom can take your brother?”

“You talked my abuela into visiting us? I’ve been begging her to come see us since I moved to L.A. How’d you do that?”

“I can be charming, too, pepito.” Brock laughs.

“Haha! Baaabe!” Jose laughs loudly, his scream echoing through the car. “I think I’m gonna call Alexis and tell him we not coming tonight. I don’t feel like clubbing anymore. That ok with you?” Jose surprisingly asks when he has calmed down.

“Sure. We’ll see him in L.A. in a couple of weeks anyway.” Brock agrees and stops at the tolling station.

***

Jose remains unusually quiet when they get back their room. They each take a shower and dress more comfortably and chill on the bed before ordering room service later that night. Jose isn’t really hungry, but Brock makes him eat, since he didn’t eat much during lunch either.

Once they are done, they retreat back to the bed and start the next episode of whatever show they are watching in Netflix. Brock doesn’t pay attention.

He doesn’t really know how to deal with a quiet Jose. He’s asked him several times if he’s ok, but beside a short confirmation, he hasn’t added anything to what he said in the car. He calculates how late it is in L.A. and if they should maybe call Laurie, but then decides against it, because Jose moves closer to him and places his head on his chest.

“Today was the first day I felt like that fucking kid again, the one who fucks up at school and goes to therapy for his ADD and knows he’s gay and who is weird and loud and shit. My own brother didn’t want to be around me, 'cause I was so not cool. And now, we here and you… the hottest guy I’ve ever dated, saw all of that shit today.”

“You scared I don’t find you cool and hot anymore?"

"Dunno. Do you?” He looks up at him, a small smile on his face that is also a bit insecure. And Jose should never ever feel insecure about Brock’s love for him.

“How about I show you?” He smiles and presses his lips against Jose’s for a moment, pulls back with a loud smack.

“Starting the romancing early? We not even in Aruba yet, hot stuff.” Jose kisses him, a bit longer, but just as intensely.

“Got a problem with that?”

“No, you go ahead, boo. Show me.” The next kiss leaves them both breathless. When Brock teases him with the tip of his tongue, runs it over Jose’s lips, he lets out a soft laugh before he moves up a bit more, slips his tongue in his mouth and gives back ten fold.

Brock rolls them over, so that Jo is underneath him, lying on his back. Without breaking the kiss or looking, he slides one hand underneath his shirt and moves upward, the fabric bunching up on his wrists. Brock enjoys the feeling of his smooth, hot skin underneath his palms, muscles contracting where his light touch tickles.

He clutches the white shirt, breaks the kiss and pulls it over his head, Jose’s arms lifting on autopilot. While he’s at it, he loses his own shirt and dives back down to kiss him some more. Jose’s lips are always plump, delicious and the little noises he makes shoot straight to Brock’s groin, making him painfully hard.

They pant slightly and look at each other when they have to break the kiss again.

“I love how you always gasp when I do this,” he says and places a kiss in the middle of Jose’s chest; smiles when he hears the sound he just talked about. “So hot.”

A lick of his nipple follows, then the other, the same sounds filling the room as Jose’s hand tangles in Brock’s hair. Next he drags his scruffy cheeks down across his stomach and watches the slight red, that colours the tan skin. “I love it when you’re loud and shit,” he repeats his earlier words back at him. “Tell me what you want… talk to me."

Jose groans loudly. "Your tongue… your teeth,” he says and directs Brock’s head up. They’ve been doing this often enough that he knows exactly what his man is after. He has a go at his nipples, knows they are incredibly sensitive. Jose groans again, his voice high pitched and needy as he raises his torso off the bed, apparently stuck between wanting to pull away and pulling Brock more to him. He sucks, licks and even bites a little as Jose moans, swears and even half-laughs. Brock can feel him hard and hot through his sweats, against his leg.

He slips his hand in Jose’s pants, pulls them down with one tug as he raises his hips without prompting. The sweats join their shirts on the floor.

“How do you want me?” Brock asks him. “What do you want me to do? Suck you? Fuck you? Let you fuck me?” His right hand is wrapped around Jose’s hard shaft, teasing him further with slow and steady movements.

“You’d let me fuck you? Feeling like being a bottom today?” Jose teases and pulls Brock’s shorts down over his hips, pats his naked butt cheeks before he runs his hands over them, squeezes.

“Today I’ll do whatever you need me to do, to show you that you have the power now. No one can tell you what to do anymore, no one can talk down to you or bully you.” He rests his chin against Jose’s chest and waits for his verdict. Giving all the power away is kind of sexy too and Brock has troubles keeping his hips still.

“There’ll be enough time for me to fuck you. Maybe on the beach? Or against a palm tree?” Jose muses, clearly teasing Brock now. “I just want you to fuck me… been waiting all day… got ready while you were in the shower,” he confesses and makes Brock scramble up and get out of his pants in seconds. He grabs the lube from underneath the pillow, where one of them always puts it, and is pushed on his back. He grips the bottle hard when Jose’s wet, hot mouth suddenly surrounds his hard dick, his tongue teasing him. He sucks him, the sounds loud and obscene as he doesn’t hold back. He watches him bop up and down, cheeks hollow from time to time and sometimes his tongue peeks out, swipes over his head, tastes him, before he takes him deep again. Brock’s hips lift off the bed and he hopes he’ll hold out long enough and not come in his mouth. Saliva is covering his dick when Jose finally stops and takes the lube from him.

“You so fucking sexy.” The bottle hits the floor and Brock hopes he closed it properly, the stain disaster on a carpet not something he wishes to repeat. “Should I get the condoms or ride you like this…?” Jose asks, even though they both know it’s not really a question. The intimacy of going bare something they discussed in detail, after they had both been surprised by the effect it had on them once they’d done it the first time. For Brock it was the proof he didn’t know he’d needed, that Jose trusts him and knows he is being faithful.

Jose climbs on top of him and then slowly sinks down with a loud groan.

“God… fuck, papi.” Brick grips his hips tightly and digs his fingers into Jo’s skin. There are no more thoughts about the past, the family, nothing. Just this, his beautiful man on top of him, dominating and directing, trusting him with his body the same way he does trust him.

“I fucking love you fucking me… love you!” Jose leans down for a wet kiss, tongues battling. When he sits back up, taking him fully, he starts moving, eyes closed. “You feel so fucking good!” He gets louder. Brock starts pushing up, making the thrusts harder, deeper. “Yeah! Fuuuck!”

“Jo, yes.” There is no way he can form a full sentence. A couple more thrusts and he’s reduced to simple moans and rhythmic grunts that are drowned out by Jose’s enthusiastic and filthy commentary. That’s the confidence he knows from him, all sexy and not holding back. That’s how he wants him, no needs him, to feel every fucking second of every fucking day. Just when he’s about to come, Jo slows down, then stops and grins at him. He knows exactly what he’s doing, little shit.

“Not done with you yet. I want to come first. Show me you can get me there. Make me come! And maybe I’ll let you come, too. Might be in a giving mood.” Brock pushes up, as hard as he can and surprises him, makes him yelp. For a second he’s scared he’s hurt him.

“Yeees!” The scream is enough to make him repeat the movement, slam him down by his hips.

Their bodies glistens with sweat and he has no idea how long they’ve been at it. The muscles in his legs are shaking and burn, and he knows he can’t keep going for much longer or he has to change their position. Jose wouldn’t approve, though. He lets go of his hips with one hand and wraps it around Jose’s leaking cock, strokes him in the same rhythm as he’s riding him, as Brock’s slamming up into him.

Two, four, eight… “Fuck, yes, Brock!” Jose comes all over his stomach and chest and Brock follows him, still deep inside of him.

“Fuck,” Brock pants, giggles, his arms falling to his sides. Jose lifts his hips and lets him slide out, then moves up, lays down on top of him and kisses him, just once, because they are both still too out of breath for more.

“This was a worthy first fuck for our first vacation together.” Jose sighs into his shoulder and rests his head there. Brock just laughs and wraps his arms around him. They lay like this for a moment.

“You know what this reminds me of, us going away for a break after all of this goddamn mess today?”

“Mmh?”

“When I was still living with Alexis, Jeffrey used to watch these Arabic series sometimes. They like telenovelas but shorter. I got sucked in with one, 'cause the actress was so fucking gorgeous. It was about a woman in Lebanon, who had so much shit going on with her family that she didn’t know up from down. And then her handsome hero came in, swept her off her feet, but her family didn’t like it. And child, that guy was hot! Her brother was an asshole and all… and then they just ran off to Paris for three months and called it 'Houroub’. That was also the name of the show. Jeffrey said that means 'escape’”. I feel like that what we doing. Houroub-ing from drag and our families and fans and every day shit… I think we earned it.“

"Yeah, we do, papi,” Brock agrees and closes his eyes. “Houroub-ing to Aruba.”

Jose makes an attempt to sit up, but Brock tightens his hold around him and keeps him there. “Bitch, if you think we going to sleep with cum glueing our chests together, while I’m leaking all over the place, you better think again. You wanna be lazy like this afterwards, we better go back to the whole condoms discussion.” Jose untangles from him and cleans himself a bit with his shirt. They also had this talk before, more than once.

“I’m exhausted. You just fucked all energy out of me.” Brock sighs.

“You wanted me bossy, you get bossy: Get up! We taking a bath.” Jose decides and tugs on Brock’s arm until he reluctantly sits up.

“You gonna be bossy in the tub, too?” he asks as he follows him into the bathroom and swats his naked ass playfully.

“Maybe. But maybe I just want you to hold me,” Jose shrugs and starts the water.

“Whatever you want, papi. Whatever you want.” Brock tells him and pulls him into his chest as they watch the tub fill with water.

“When’s our flight leaving tomorrow?” Jose breaks the silence just before he turns the water off.

“Twenty past one. We should be at the airport around eleven.” They both climb in, Jose finding his spot, sitting between Brock’s outstretched legs.

“Thank god, mama. We can sleep in and get breakfast at the airport. I’ll need my beauty sleep to be ready and repeat our performance in paradise, as soon as we get there.”

Brock laughs. “You have this all planned out already? What happened to checking in, unpacking and then explore your surroundings a bit?”

“Oh, I’m gonna be all Dora-explorer on your dick, boo… all over our room and bed.” Jose’s boisterous laughter fills the room and Brock presses a kiss to his temple. What a great way to start their vacation.

TBC

[lost-n-stereo]

draw back your bow (let your arrow go)

Summary: Clarke Griffin doesn’t want to join Cupid’s Arrow, Los Angeles’ newest online dating site but her mother insists she at least give it a try. Enter “Fake Blake”, a man claiming to be Bellamy Blake, TV’s hottest new up and coming actor. With a profile photo that can’t be found on the internet, to stories only the man himself could tell, Clarke starts to wonder if her online crush could be her celebrity crush too. Modern Romantic Comedy AU

Part 1 - [Tumblr] [AO3]

Part 2 - Bellamy

Bellamy is always surprised when people stop him and ask for autographs.

He’s currently stopped in the middle of Target, a group of teenage girls surrounding him, but he loves it. The fact that people care enough about him to want a photo or his signature on some random scrap of paper is humbling.

“Can you sign my pop figure?” A girl no older than twelve or thirteen hands over a Robert Moore boxed figurine that Bellamy has at home, sitting next to a framed copy of the pilot script.

“Yeah, of course,” he grins and signs his name over the plastic sheeting on the front of the box. “This thing is pretty cool, I have one too.” The girl blushes when he smiles at her.

Her mother thanks him after they take a couple of selfies and then he’s making his way around the circle until everyone has gotten a photo with him.

When he’s alone again, and he hates to think finally because he loves his fans but yeah, sometimes it’s a little overwhelming.

Eight years ago he was auditioning for anything and everything, working as a waiter to make the rent. Six months after moving to Los Angeles he auditioned for The Ark, a new CW show that had high hopes of being the next Battlestar Galactica. He won the role of Robert Moore, a young but determined Ark guard, and almost a year to the day after he moved here the first episode premiered.

Seven years later and he can honestly say he never thought any of this would be happening.

His phone buzzes in his pocket and he grins when he sees a text from Clarke.

Clarke: Morning Fake Blake. How goes the “entertainment business” on this fine Friday afternoon?

This girl, he thinks as he thumbs in a response. She’s so quick to assume that he’s not being truthful with her but she still makes a point to text him. It doesn’t make any sense but he loves it.

Bellamy: I just got cornered in the cereal aisle by fifteen teenage girls.

Clarke: Ooh. And what kind of cereal did you decide on?

Bellamy: Chex .

Clarke: Gross! What are you, 50 years old?

Bellamy: I’m 26, brat.

He laughs at her response, a series of side eye emojis, and pushes his cart to the checkout. His phone buzzes again but this time it’s a call from his ex that he immediately silences. Why she would be calling him when they have been broken up for weeks is beyond him.

There’s another text from Clarke waiting for him when he’s done packing his groceries up in the back of his Jeep.

Clarke: So tell me the truth…when are you going to give up this Bellamy Blake thing?

Bellamy: Uhh…when I’m dead, I guess?

Clarke: …….

Clarke: I wish you could just be real with me.

Bellamy sighs and rests his head on his seat. He really likes this girl but he doesn’t know how to make her take him seriously. They have been texting back and forth for a week, after she agreed to give him her phone number so they didn’t have to use the Cupid’s Arrow app anymore. He saved her profile photo so it pops up whenever she texts him. He even asked his little sister Octavia the best way to go about this. Her advice was to man up and ask her to meet which he’s starting to think might be his only option.

Bellamy: Have you stopped to think, even once, that maybe I’m telling you the truth? Honestly, Clarke. What do I have to gain by lying to you?

Clarke: I really don’t know.

His phone rings, his manager this time, and he rolls his eyes as he takes the call.

“Blake, do I have news for you!”

Bellamy switches from his phone to Bluetooth and starts the drive back to his place.

“What’s up, Tom?”

“How do you feel about starring in a romantic comedy?”

Bellamy groans as he gets on the 101. “Is it a lame romantic comedy?”

His agent laughs. “No! It’s going to be hilarious. Written by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.  This could be great for your career, Bell. The audition is next Thursday but it’s just a formality. They want you, so think about it!”

Tom hangs up without saying goodbye, which seems to be the L.A. way, and Bellamy does think about what a movie of this caliber could do for his career. So far he’s only starred in a few features, low budget horror films or indie stuff he did with friends. This could be his chance to break into mainstream movies, even if it’s not necessarily in his wheelhouse.

When he’s stuck in traffic, he looks around to make sure no cops are in the general vicinity before pulling his phone into his lap.

Bellamy: Do you think I could pull off a romantic lead?

Clarke: If you’re asking if I think Bellamy Blake could be a romantic lead, then sure. I don’t see why not.

Bellamy rolls his eyes. There she goes again with the distrust.

Bellamy: Thanks. I think.

She sends a string of laughing emojis, so he calls her a brat again and tosses his phone in the passenger seat so he doesn’t get a ticket.

***

“That’s a wrap for today! See you all tomorrow, bright and early at 8 am.”

Bellamy sags against the prop couch he’s sitting on and pulls his phone out of his pocket. There are no less than thirty new notifications since the last time he checked but none are from Clarke.

His best friend Monty drops down onto the couch next to him and sighs. “These seventeen hour days are fucking killing me.”

Bellamy nods and puts his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah, they suck. I just want to go home and crash.”

Monty grins and nudges him with his elbow. “Don’t lie to me. You want to go home and message the hot girl from that dating app.”

Fuck, he never should have told Monty about Clarke. The only reason he did was because Monty caught him sending her a text in the middle of a scene when the camera wasn’t on him.

“She doesn’t believe that I’m me,” Bellamy tells him. “Basically all of our messages so far are me telling her that I’m being real with her and then her telling me that I’m some crazy guy trying to lie to get girls.”

“So, send her a picture. Won’t that prove it?”

Bellamy thinks it over and then shrugs. “Maybe but anything can be photoshopped these days. I doubt anything I send would be real enough for her.”

He’s not really sure why he even cares. Yeah, Clarke is gorgeous. The photo she posted on Cupid’s Arrow, with her windblown blonde curls and shy smile made him instantly want to get to know her.  There was something about how free and calm she looked that made him wonder if she could be different than most of the women that he knows in this town.

Women like his ex, Echo.

The complete train wreck that was their relationship is the exact reason he stepped away from the Hollywood dating scene in the first place. They got along great at first, having met when Echo played a character on his show before moving on to the spinoff. It was the long hours on set that bonded them quickly and they went from coworkers to lovers in a very short span of time. He thinks not truly knowing the other person was the reason for their breakup. She took it harder than he thought she would when he ended things, and he’s still dealing with the repercussions today.

He tells Monty he’ll see him tomorrow as he pushes himself off the couch and calls for a car to drive him back to his house. It’s nearing one am and there’s no way he trusts himself to drive even though it’s barely a fifteen minute trip.

To say he’s surprised when he gets a message from Clarke on the ride home would be an understatement.

Clarke: Let’s pretend for a minute that you ARE Bellamy Blake. Tell me something only he would know.

He laughs out loud and thumbs in a response.

Bellamy: And how would you know something that I would say when you don’t know me? Also, why are you up so late?

Her message comes back right away.

Clarke: I don’t know, figure something out. And I’m studying for a test. Why are you up so late?

Bellamy: Pushing 12+ hour days this week filming. Today ended up being almost 17. I’m just now heading home.

There’s no response for awhile so he pockets his phone and rests his head back with his eyes closed until he reaches his place. It’s not a huge mansion or anything, just a decent sized house that he purchased when The Ark went into its third season. The network had basically promised them at least six seasons so he figured it was a good time to put down some roots. Now they are in their seventh season with no end in sight so he’s happy to have a real home to come back to every night and not some shitty apartment in the city.

Clarke still hasn’t responded by the time he’s getting into bed almost an hour later. After he showered and washed off the past seventeen hours of work, he practically fell into bed. He lies there for awhile, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what he could tell her to make her believe him. A thought pops into his head and he smiles, reaching for his phone to send her a message.

Bellamy: Are you a fan of the show?

He doesn’t have to wait long before her reply comes through.

Clarke: If I’m being honest, it’s my favorite. Why?

He mentally pumps his fist in the air because this? This he can work with. His sister was right. The only way she’s going to believe him is if she meets him.

Bellamy: Come by the set and visit me. I can get you and a friend day passes to come meet the cast.

Her response is immediate.

Clarke: There is no way this is real. I can’t give you my address to send some imaginary passes to my doorstep.

Bellamy: I’ll send you an address. Give them your name and they will let you in. Next Wednesday?

It’s less than a week away and he hopes that she’ll give him a chance to prove he’s telling the truth. He doesn’t know why he wants her to believe him so badly, maybe because he really thinks there could be a connection there.

Clarke: Fine. But if I show up at some abandoned warehouse, I’m out.

Bellamy laughs and types in the address of the studio, tells her to be there Wednesday at noon.

Maybe, just maybe, when she sees her name on the approved guest list, she’ll finally see that he’s been telling her the truth all along.

[aleksandr-is-probably-gay-blog]

Trevor x fem!Reader // Pizza

Anon on Tumblr ~~

Could you write about being a new intern for CC and noticing Trevor slowly crushing on you, then getting really close, start having movie nights with him & his buddies like jakob n stuff and finally becoming a couple? (That would most likely come with james & aleks poking fun @ trevor for finally getting a gf and just reactions from ppl around the office) And since he's a shy boi most likely there will be fluff, but maybe some smut too? Bless

This sounds really amazing so I can't wait to write it.

Enjoy :) ----------------->

"Alright gents and ladies! Our first intern of summer is here. Introducing Y/N!" Brett yells, pulling you from the hall and into the main warehouse. Everyone gave either quick acknowledgements or even nothing, but you noticed Trevor's eye linger just a little longer. A small blush crept across your face as you turned away.

"Okay, you'll sit here." Brett says, pulling you to a desk that is close to Trevor's. You put your bag down and plopped into the chair, logging into the computer with the credentials James emailed you earlier in the week. You had nothing to do but learn how to edit for this first week, so you just scrolled through some random drawings, desperate for a cool and unique wallpaper.

You settled on fan art of Ein from Cowboy Bebop. You saw Trevor look over his shoulder at you. He rolled his chair over. "Cowboy Bebop?" He asks, intrigued.

You smile at him. "Yeah, it's my favorite." You reply. A smile spreads across his face.

"James made me watch a few episodes before I got settled in. It's really good." He adds. You nod, reverting your eyes to the desktop. The day passed slowly, getting faster when James and Aleks recorded a 'Wrong Side of Youtube' video.

They asked you to overlook Asher and take note on how to record. About halfway through, Asher trusted you enough to take full control. You took the camera from him and filmed, doing better than him.

Soon, they finished up and handed everything off to be rendered and edited. Asher showed you how to save them to external hard drives. You went over to Trevor and he showed you the editing style.

You understood exactly what to do and began to edit a fairly short video.  Before the end of the day, you had the video checked and ready. Trevor applauded you for the speed.

At the end of the day, you walk out to your car, but Trevor stopped you at the door, pulling you aside. "Do-do you have a ride?" He stuttered.

"Yeah, I do. Thank you, though." You reply, smiling at him.

"Oh," he muttered, defeated. "Would you want to-to get pizza some time?"

"Sure, Trevor. Can I have your number, ya know, so we can coordinate?" You reply, handing him your phone. He punches his number in and returns your phone.

"I'll see you around, Y/N." he smiles.

"See you, Trevor." You reply, getting into your car and driving back to your apartment. You thought about the way he said your name. It was...different. It was full of so,etching you couldn't quite put your finger on. It stuck in your mind.

You drove to your apartment. It wasn't in the best side of town, but it was all you could afford here. It was enough for you and your dog, Aria. She was a German Shepard and protected you in the dead of night.

Pulling into your designated parking spot, you pulled out your phone and left a small text to Trevor.

Just got home. It's Y/N btw :)

You put the phone away and exited the car, locking it behind you. You walked upstairs to your second floor apartment and unlocked the door, Aria greeting you at the door. "Hi pup!" You exclaim, scratching behind her ears.

You put your bag on the counter and sat on the couch, turning the TV on. Checking your phone, you notice a text back from Trevor.

Hey, home too. Does tomorrow night after work sound good?

You type out your reply.

Yeah, as long as you drop me back off so I can drive home.

You put the phone back down and flip through random channels, cuddling with Aria on the couch. Your phone vibrates again.

It wouldn't be a proper date if I didn't pick you up and drop you off.

You feel a blush sneak across your face. You weren't aware it was an actual date. Plus, you were a little ashamed of where you lived. You texted him back.

I can meet you at the pizza place. I'll see you tomorrow at work :)

Setting the phone back down, you walk into the kitchen, getting ready to make dinner. You threw something together fast and sat down at the small dining table, scrolling through Instagram in your phone. Your phone vibrates again.

That works too. I'll see you :)

You finish your dinner and lean up the small pile of dishes. You feed Aria and shower. You realize how much time has gone by and get ready to head for bed. Aria follows you to bed as you double check your locks on the door and windows. That's has become a ritual for you as crime is just too high in these parts of L.A.

You pass out, ready for tomorrow.

A mix of your alarm and Aria wake you up in the morning. You put some clothes on and walk her downstairs and to the green area near your apartment. She does her business before you both return to the apartment and finish getting ready, eating breakfast and applying light makeup. You dressed special for the day, looking forward to the date tonight.

As you finish breakfast, you clean the dishes and kiss Aria goodbye. You lock the door behind you on the way out of your apartment. You walk downstairs and get into your car, turning the key in the ignition and driving away.

You pulled into the lot at work. Exiting the vehicle, you grab your backpack and enter the building. You sit down at the desk and notice Trevor eyeing you. "Good morning, Trev." You say, giving him a new nickname.

He smiles at the nickname. "Good morning, Y/N." he replies, smiling. He always smiles bright around you and you definitely noticed this.

Work passed agonizingly slow today, probably because you had a date tonight. Trevor told you time and place so you could be there on time. You left work right on time. You drove to the pizza place and parked, exiting the vehicle.

Entering the building, you sat at a booth tucked away in the corner. You texted Trevor to tell him where you were and he walked in moments later. He sat at the booth with you. "Have you ordered yet?" He asks.

You shake your head. "No, I was waiting on you. I'll have what you're having." You reply, smiling. He leaves for a moment to order you both a pizza. He sat back down as you both waited for the pizza to arrive.

You both go into life stories, favorite colors, foods, and so much more while waiting for the pizza to arrive.

By the time the pizza was gone and you were full of pizza, you had both learned everything about each other. And you, for sure, knew you liked this kid.

You're both 20 and get along swimmingly. You were certain you liked him and almost certain he liked you.

After four hours (and the owner kicking you out) you said your good byes. You brought him in for a tight hug and he reciprocated. He walked you to your car and closed the door for you. He smiled and waved good bye as you drove back home, ready to gloat to Aria about how amazing your first date went.

-------2 months later-------

Trevor invited you over for movie night. This was the first time you'd be at his house. You knew he had roommates, although you knew one was just Joe. You hadn't met the new one quite yet.

He drove you both to his house after work. He let you, as the guest, pick the movie. You chose your go-to movie.

You and him sat on the couch under a blanket. Once Joe got home and Jakob left his room, you started the movie.

As the movie was finishing, you started to drift off and fall asleep on Trevor's shoulder. During your slumber, you felt his arms snake around your waist, pulling you closer.

"Gross! Get a room!" Jakob yelled, waking you up. Trevor quickly shushed him as they all broke out in laughter. You woke up to shush them and shoo them away.

"You guys are so cute!" Joe exclaims, shoving his phone in your face. You knew that was going to end up on Twitter. A blush creeps across your face and you tuck it into Trevor's chest.

"You suck." Trevor argues, glaring at all of them.

Soon, they did leave you alone, but you fell asleep at their house. Trevor picked you up and tucked you into his bed before he left and passed out on the couch.

Movie night with Trevor and the gang became a weekly feat. Joe and Jakob eventually made Trevor ask you to be his girlfriend. That most definitely got a lot more teasing.

"Wow! You finally scored a girlfriend, huh?" James exclaims.

"Stop, James. You're just jealous I got one before you did." Trevor snapped back. You couldn't help but laugh. James looks offended.

"You got a good one, Trevor." Aleks said suggestively, lightly hitting his arm. Trevor just rolled his eyes.

At work one day, Aleks approached you. "So, Y/N. You wanna be in a video?" He asks. You look at him weirdly.

"Um. Sure. Why not?" You reply.

"Cool. It'll be you and Trevor. It'll be a video for the love birds." He yells.

"Oh shut it!" You yell back.

You and Trevor end up on the couch. "Sit closer together." James says, looking through the camera. You look at him quizzically, but oblige. You scoot closer to your boyfriend. "Closer." He demands. You look to Trevor. "Closer!"

"Fuck off, James!" You yell, flipping him off.

You and Trevor finish filming the video, which was you both reading comment and scrolling through your tag on Tumblr. It was a weird video. The video also featured the taunting from James and Aleks.

You return to your desk and place your headphones back on, getting ready to edit. Asher tapped your shoulder. "You guys have good chemistry. I like you two." He says, smiling.

"Thank you." You reply, smiling.

"Really. I think you two will last."

"Thanks."

You put your headphones back on and start working. You realized you got really lucky.

[ricebunni24]

James’ hair down is my aesthetic.

so this is a fic i asked people if they wanted, some said yes.

i guess this is a warning: choking, name calling, Sir and Kitten names and rimming. idk.

 "Why are you so turned on right now?" James whispered in Aleks’ ear at the CC office.

 "No I'm not. Shut the fuck up."

 Aleks is a fucking liar.

 Sweating everywhere, his hands (more than usual), his forehead (aside his greasy forehead normally), and his thighs. Plus, the fact that James is really close to his ear doesn't help. This all started when Aleks first walks into the office, he fumbles his phone out of his hands.

 James' hair is down and not tied up in a bun today.

 Aleks has a thing with his boyfriend's hair, he guesses. He knows it called like a 'kink' or something, but it sounds too much like twink so he doesn't wanna use the word to describe it.

 James doesn't know about this 'thing' he has about his hair, all he knows is that they have amazing sex at the end of the day every time it's down.

 "You're lying," James sneaked a hand down Aleks' thigh. "I can feel the heat right now. You're so turned on right now."

 "Shut the fuck up. It's L.A., it's like, a hundred degrees out here." Aleks explains, pushing James' hand away.

 "Please," James huffs. "It's 'cause of my hair right?"

 Aleks freezes. He's, at this point, embarrassed and he's half chubbed right now and just wants to get out this situation.

 "Leave me alone," He tries to cover his quiet moan as James rubs at his clothed dick.

 "It is, isn't it?" James smirks and snickers. "Explains. When you walked in, you couldn't stop looking at me. Interesting."

 "Shut up, James." Aleks looks around to see if anyone is looking at them horrified at all. Because they would. "Don't you have something to do?"

 God damn it.

 "Oooh," James rubs a little harder. "I definitely have something to do."

 Aleks tips his head back onto the chair and bites his bottom lip to hide a moan. "Stop. Not here."

 "I wanna know, it makes you real hard, huh?" James growls aggressively into Aleks' ear. All he did was groan.

 "I asked you a question, Aleksandr." James places his hand around Aleks' throat and squeezes lightly.

 "Fuck. Yes. I'm so hard for you." The blonde chokes out.

 "Cool." James lets Aleks go and gets back to his computer across from him.

 Aleks just sits there. Confused. Still turned on. Confused though. James doesn't look at him or even have a smile. Just continues his day like nothing happened.

 "Fuck you." Aleks blurs after calming down enough to talk.

 "Shut the fuck up." James says back.

 Aleks glares at James and James' left corner of his mouth twitched up a little.

 And that's when he decides to fuck it. He saves to what he was doing, turns off his computer and stands up. James looks at him from the sudden change.

 "We're going home." Aleks says to James.

 "Why? I'm not done." James acts innocent.

 "Shut the fuck up and get in my car." Aleks alphas for a bit.

 All the dark haired did was chuckle. James also saves and turns off the computer. He then grabs his stuff and walks out with Aleks.

*

 "Don't you ever boss me around like that ever again. You hear me?" James growls again.

 Aleks and James basically ran to the house, unlocked the door and went up stairs to the bedroom.

 "Yes." Aleks whimpers. Aleks was already naked and his hands tied and connected in the middle of the head board. Room for his arms to move. Aleks felt a stinging on his right cheek. "Yes, Sir."

 "You know I did this on purpose. Made you look hot and sweaty and eager to see me with my hair down." James was still in his white briefs. "I kinda like it, ya know."

 Aleks stays quiet. All he knows he's hard and wants to get fucked right now.

 "Aleks, you also got harder there when I started to wrap my hand around your throat. Hmm? Kinky." Aleks groaned a little louder then before.

 "Spread 'em." James ordered him. Aleks brought his knees up and out.

 James kisses and gives little licks to the blonde's thighs then proceeds to lick the rim on Aleks' hole. Aleks bites his lip and covers another moan while he flings his head back onto the pillow. "Don't you hide from me, you understand me?" James talks over his hole.

 "Yes, Sir." Aleks can feel his hot breath which makes Aleks clench.

 James smiles at that.

 He continues to lick Aleks' hole and goes all the way up to the tip of his dick and down again. It makes Aleks shiver. "James fuck you. I fucking- nng- hate you."

 "What did you say to me?" James growls and slaps hard the side of his white thigh. Aleks groans at that as it creates a red mark.

 "Sir," Aleks breathes hard. "I want you to fuck me." Aleks' face get a bright red.

 "That's what I thought."

 James continues to lick Aleks' hole and loosens him with his tongue. The blonde's chest heaves and he whines James to fuck him. "Sir, please. I've been good. Please" Aleks feels another sting on the side of his thigh.

 "You've been good? You? Really?" James smiles and teases his sensitive hole with his thumb. Aleks hisses.

 "All you've done is complain and whine. I don't think good boys do that. Do they?" Aleks groans and tossed his head back.

 James slaps right on his ass hard and it leaves a red mark right away, "Do they, I asked."

 Aleks hisses again, "Ye- no Sir. No, they don't. No, they nfmmm no." James rubs lightly over the mark.

 "Good Kitten."

 Aleks loves when James uses 'kitten'. He rolls his eyes back and does a breathy moan. James snickers and climbs over Aleks' left leg and opens the first drawer.

 "Thank you." Aleks whispers.

 "I'm sorry, what was that?" James opens the lid with a pop.

 "Nothing, Sir." Aleks grips the rope around his wrists.

 James first spreads lube onto his two fingers and starts to rubs the rim of Aleks' hole. The natural blonde begs again. "Sir, please. Sir, please. Sir, please. Put it in me, please. Please."

 "My my. You are desperate today, huh?" Aleks nods quickly. "Just because you begged so pretty."

 James finally pushes both fingers slowly in and it causes Aleks shake and groan a bit. He then began to stretch Aleks wider by scissoring him. "Fuck. Oh fuck."

 Once James thought he was all stretched out, he pulled his briefs down slowly. Aleks was biting his lip and eyeing, waiting for it to come out. Aleks involuntary licked his lips and whimpered once it all came down. James threw his briefs off the bed and took some lube covered himself with it and then just waited like he wanted-

 "Sir.... Please... look at my hole. It so stretched out for you. Sir. I want you to fuck me hard. Please. Fuck me like you wouldn't want me to walk normally for the next few days, Sir. I would do anything for you-"

 "Anything you say?"

 "Anything please, Sir." Aleks was completely gone at this point. Moaning, begging, whimpering? Sign James up.

 "All you have to do for Daddy is to not cum until I say so."

 Aleks groaned. "I fucking knew it."

 "You what now?" James slapped hard onto his face.

 "Y-yes Sir. I won't cum until you say so."

 "Good Kitten."

 All Aleks could do was make noises, shut his eyes and to listen to James.

 Aleks loved all of it.

*

 "You like this, don't you?" James asks him while he's balls deep into Aleks. He waits for his reply.

 Aleks cannot answer. He's all tired out but wants more of him. He can't answer so he nods.

 "God. Who would've thought you were a whore?" James slides out and slides back in. "Aleksandr Merchant a slutty whore for dick. How does that sound?"

 He loves it.

 James knows he can't talk so he keeps thrusting faster into the hole. Aleks tugs harder onto his ropes. He just needs to cum. His cock is red and rock hard. Fuck. He really needs to cum.

 "Aleksandr," He fucking loves when he uses his full name. "How do you feel? Like you're full? Like my dick is stretching you out wider and wider and I'm the only one doing. No one else. Right?" James then connects his hand onto Aleks' sweaty neck and this time he doesn't care about the sweat. Aleks inhales sharply and tilts his head a bit more and whimpers.

 "You love all of it. The hair, the choking, the full name? What else? What other kink do have?" James squeezes harder around his neck and Aleks moans louder.

 "I-I wanna cum... please Sir."

 "Of course you do kitten, but guess what? You aren’t allowed." James slides his cock out of Aleks and sits back. "But maybe, something will change my mind?"

 "Sir? Did you want me to suck your dick? I can't." Aleks pulls on the ropes around his wrist.

 "Suck?" He chuckles. "Nobody said anything about sucking." James puts his knees on either side of Aleks' torso and his cock is right on the blonde's right cheek.

 "Choking is the word I would use instead."

 "Sir..."

 "What is it Kitten?"

 "Please fuck my mouth. Let me choke on your cock. I want it please Sir." Aleks felt James rub his cock slowly on the side of his face.

 "Fuck." James groans. "How do you do this? Get me all rattled up at work like you're the alpha, next you're begging for my cock. Jesus. How much of a slut can you be?" Aleks eyes James' dick that's right in front of him.

 James slaps Aleks again, "How much?" Aleks hisses.

 "This much." Then Aleks tilts his head forward and gets James' head in his mouth and sucks. James, of course, moans but then forces himself to back away. Aleks looks up at him.

 "You are a naughty slut, aren't ya?" Aleks looks down again at James' dick and licks his lips in hunger. James uses his other hand to open Aleks' mouth wide and then slides in.

 Aleks rolls his eyes back and his lids closes when it finally goes in. James could see the tip of dick in Aleks' throat and it makes him drip. "Fuck." James pulls out again and pushes in.

 He goes faster and Aleks starts to gag, but Aleks doesn't seem to mind. James almost feels bad, but he knows Aleks wants this. He begged for this. He rams his cock back in Aleks' wet hot mouth and James moans louder. He knows he close, but he wants to last it longer and watch Aleks wait in torture. He's a little sadistic, but just a little.

 "Sir? Are you close?" Aleks looks up at James with wet eyelases and says innocently. "Are getting close?"

 "Yes, kitten. You want me to come?" James strokes his dick in front of Aleks face.

 "Yes, sir. I want you to come, please. Anywhere," Aleks begged. He wants him to cum so bad. "please."

 "Fuck. Kitten. You make me wanna come so hard." James strokes his dick faster. "I'm gonna come right on your pretty face. Fuck."

 Aleks nodded and opened his mouth wide. "Please. All over please, sir."

 James finally came and groaned in pleasure. James' come got everywhere. His eyebrows, his eye lid and actually some in his mouth. Aleks immediately licks the cum that was above his lip. "Sir, p-please? Can I come for you?"

 James comes back in between Aleks' legs and starts to stroke his cock. James kissed Aleks' neck and he forms hickies. "Ha... fuck, Sir. It's so gOOD!" James prods Aleks' sensitive hole and he yells. James strokes and fingers Aleks while he watches Aleks' face contort in pleasure. James' finger goes deeper in his hole and hits Aleks' prostate. "Sir! Fuck! I'm gonna come. I'm gonna fucking come. Oh, please."

 "Go ahead, kitten. Come for me." James rubs the side of Aleks' tip slowly. The blonde arches his back and sobs James' name out.

 "Shh. Shh. It's okay, Aleksandr. I'm here." James calms Aleks down as he comes. "It's alright, kitten."

 Aleks comes down from his high and his chest heaves, "Fuck. Come 'ere" He reaches out for James' face.

 James gladly leans down and they lock their lips to start kissing. James flips them around to where Aleks is on top of him, his legs on either side of him.

 Aleks still fucking hates him.

[joneswilliam72]

Meet Dominique Purdy, writer and star of the fiercely comedic dark satire, Driving While Black.

With February being Black History Month – honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history – we caught up with Driving While Black star and writer Dominique Purdy for a chat on acting, the film, the experience of people of color in dealing with the police, what births the "fuck the police" attitude in youth, what we can do about it as individuals and much more.

Driving While Black is a fierce, truly Kafkaesque satire that everyone should see. It is based on real experiences Purdy has had with the police from his teenage years to today and is ever so relevant in an era where deadly experiences with police and people of color seem to be happening with increasing regularity since Michael Brown and Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. The whole thing is Kafkaesque when often the people being singled out and harassed by the police as bureaucratic enforcers, are targeted for no other reason than their race.

We should all be upset when that kind of treatment occurs, no matter the color. Yet, police harassment can and does happen to more and more people precisely because of over-policing as a result of the Drug War and the cops being weaponized when they are in the role of collecting revenue for the state for non-crimes like not wearing your seat-belt or in the abuses of civil asset forfeiture; to even the police shooting the wrong people when executing a no-knock search warrant on the wrong house entirely. Even pets are often not immune with some officers executing dogs with impunity – there's even a national database tracking these "puppycide" numbers.

All those things are directly attributable to over-policing. When you make nonsense things – like not wearing a seat-belt or possessing a little pot – crimes you still create real criminals. The way those "criminals" are handled is always harassing, and far too often that harassment is based purely on the race of the "suspect". This is a problem we should all be worried about and doing what we can to stop.

In Driving While Black, Dmitri (Purdy) is a pizza guy who would rather smoke weed and suffer for his art, but his mom and his girl won't stop nagging him to get a real job. When he's offered a gig mouthing off to tourists behind the wheel of a Hollywood "star tour" bus, it looks like everyone might get what they want. Trouble is, our man can't seem to step out the door to get to the interview without endless complications: busted radiators, simple weed scores gone sideways and LAPD cruisers seemingly everywhere. Dmitri's skill at going unnoticed by cops is honed by painful experiences growing up black in L.A., but even his keen survival instincts won't save him from the week from hell.

Dominique Purdy in the behind the scenes shot from DRIVING WHILE BLACK.

With a jovial swagger to its walking pace, Driving While Black is half comedy of errors and half hard-bitten realism, tucked into a sly treatise on 21st-century over-policing. Enjoy the interview below and catch Driving While Black on digital now.

Hello Dominique and welcome to The 405! To start things off, what initially inspired the film? DWB is so timely not just from (sadly) what is happening in society but also in film with movies like Green Book and BlacKkKlansman. Seeing especially the racism and discrimination in Green Book paired with the racism in Driving While Black made me wonder, have we really come that far from 1962?

The inspiration for Driving While Black came from just that "Driving While Black " It's my experiences growing up dealing with the cops in LA since being a kid up to the present time. Police prejudice against black people and other people of color is always gonna be a timeless topic in the culture!

A sad thing indeed.

This movie was shot in 2014 and first premiered at the El Rey Theater on Wilshire Blvd. [Los Angeles] on June 30th 2015 to a packed house. We had to turn people away to not violate the fire code on capacity.

Great you had that kind of turnout.

I believe we sparked a wave with DWB in this era of Hollywood wanting to invest in more black stories on film and TV. Look at some of the most popular movies and show since 2016: Insecure, Atlanta, Random Acts of Flyness, Get Out etc.

From DRIVING WHILE BLACK.

We definitely have made a lot of progress since 1962 . Niggas couldn't even eat at the same restaurants as white people without gettin' sprayed with a hose or the Ku Klux Klan burning a crucifix in front of their house later that night.  Racists never went away – just got quieter because it became less cool to be so blatant. Is there whole lot of progress to be made? You damn right!!!

I'd add in a movie that DWB kind of reminded me of: Boots Riley's incredible satire Sorry to Bother You. Of course, DWB didn't go full-on surrealist like Riley's movie but I see them as both very satirical.

The rest is true too. I suppose it can be just hard at times to be hopeful in the current cultural climate. What did your collective process look like on writing the film with Paul [Sapiano]?

I've known Paul for a cool minute so when we would kick it I would always be telling him some shit that happened to me with the cops. Even though it was wild shit, I'm so used to it I can see the humor in it of how ridiculous it is that black people have to have these feelings and take certain precautions when dealing with the police. So we would start writing some of these stories down to start forming what would become the film.

DWB was a fiercely satirical and darkly comedic piece (in a sort of neo-Kafkaesque absurd way) that is sadly far too true to life. Dominique, what would you like our readers to know who don't have to go through these kinds of harassing experiences on a daily basis? Not just while driving but I'm sure while doing other everyday things too. As I am not a person of color, I can't really speak to it, but I can do my best to listen and learn.

For people who haven't really  experienced any police drama in their lifetime and want to just get an understanding of it from the perspective of a young black male watch the film it shows you with humor better than I can explain. I've had elderly white people come up to me after seeing the film during a film festival saying when they saw this police issue we deal with through a new set of eyes. It changed how they thought about situations they had previously saw only from the cops side.

From DRIVING WHILE BLACK.

That's fantastic that people have been touched like that and I can certainly see why, having watched the film. What can people who don't have to go through these kinds of experiences do to help those who do and help make the social climate better?

Watch DWB and spread the word.

What do you think can be done on a community level to fight the kind of discrimination the film shows?

I don't know the answer but everyone becoming more aware of what's going on. Meaning ALL people not just people of color. We ALL have to understand the history to be able to create change.

So true. I think steps like having mandatory body cams and citizens' review boards to oversee them may be good first steps too. But certainly everybody has to pitch in on this. Any funny or memorable moments that stick out from the process of filming?

When we were in the editing process for the film, I was coming in to the office to do some voice overs one day. The whole area was surrounded by cops. I guess they were searching for someone.

Oh shit.

I called the office and said "Yoooo the whole area is crawlin' with police how can I get through to the office?"

Someone said I could cut through the alley and it would let out right by the office. I drive in this alley and as soon as I come out the other side more cops are right there…

Damn.

…they pull out guns and ask to search the car. They thought I might be hiding the person they were looking for in the backside. Cops were like "What are you doing over here?"

I said "Yo, I'm actually going to this right here. I'm working on a movie about y'all".

Then I hopped on the phone and called Paul to come outside and vouch for me. One cop was a straight asshole claiming I fit the description on the suspect they were looking for. The other cop was chill apologizing for the hostility.

Wow. Good cop/bad cop quite literally.

When Paul came out they realized I was telling the truth and let me go. When I went inside the office, there was another actor in the film – a black guy – who was like " How come the cops didn't harass me like you? They just let me right in…"

He was offended that they didn't harass him at all. I was like "You a clean cut nigga! I got too much of that hip hop vibe they had to fuck with me&".

Damn. Glad it didn't get much beyond that. Still sucks you were hassled though. What do you hope audiences will ultimately take with them from the film?

I'd like for black people and other people  of color to be happy seeing a story being told focused on something we deal with in society from a fresh perspective that they relate to. There has never been a film like this.

From DRIVING WHILE BLACK.

Absolutely agreed. It was refreshing, brave, and very funny. And I'm a white guy.

I'd like for white people and others who have never had experience any kind of police prejudice to leave understanding the psychology of how the FUCK THE POLICE attitude is born in a black child and how it grows. Through humor we can make people laugh and then think deeply at the same time. The uneasy feeling I get when I see the police never is going to go away but that's just life for a lot of black people... ain't that a bitch?

It sucks. Not to say others (particularly white people) who go through shitty experiences with the cops have similar experiences to people of color here, but I often wonder why more people aren’t instinctively worried when they get pulled over – especially when you see increased enforcement of more BS “non-crimes” like seat-belt laws. But I've also had my share of bad experiences there too like the cop who grew increasingly agitated because of my hands after he pulled me over. I have a hand tremor similar to Parkinson's and I tried explaining that but he didn't care, made me do the field sobriety test because of it in fact. So absolutely those shitty experiences are universal. But, I digress there…

A question I ask everybody: what makes a great film?

A great idea and unique execution of that idea makes a great film. Don't try to be like anyone. Take risks. Trust your instincts and keep them parallel with your vision.

Very well said. And all marks that DWB absolutely hit.

And another question I ask everybody: what films and performances have really stuck with you over the years and influenced you as an artist? A big question as well I know.

Shit, that's a tough one because my influences are all over the place. So let's do off top of my head…

Definitely.

…the Japanese Samurai Saga film Lone Wolf with Child and Ice Cube's Friday.

Cool. Final question, what is next for you?

I've got a lot of fly music shit coming this year! Catch me on the gram under my moniker: @KTOWNODD.

from The 405 http://bit.ly/2BkymY6

[desireesroadtrip]

Episode III: Return of the Jetta

It is now July 2018. I have gone on two major road trips in my life thus far. I am about to embark on the third. But before I tell you about that, let’s reflect on those first two I’ve taken…

Hello, all.

My name is Desiree Echevarria and I have wanderlust.

I’m 27 years old and have lived in Southern California my whole life. I’d like to get out immediately please, if only for a little while. And here’s why.

Every day, I go to a job that, admittedly, I like a whole lot. I have family and friends that I like a whole lot. I have a life that I sure do like a whole lot.

And yet…

I gotta get the fuck out of here.

At the end of every day, in order to get home, I drive east on one the many freeways in Southern California that are in a perpetual state of apocalyptic clusterfuckery. I sit in traffic. I dodge assholes who are seemingly using their BMWs to try to commit vehicular manslaughter on everyone else on the freeway. Sometimes, I’ll admit it, I’ll add to my own anxiety by being the asshole who’s trying get ahead in traffic using my clearly superior weaving skills. OUT OF THE WAY, JERKS, I HAVE TO GET TO MY HOUSE BEFORE YOU GET TO YOURS. I NEED THAT EXTRA 2 MINUTES TO SIT AROUND AND BE TOO LAZY TO SHOWER.

I look out the car window and see the same scenery every day. If it’s not the crumbling concrete of the rough, grey L.A. freeways, it’s the boring, well-manicured, strategically landscaped, but grotesquely artificial, ambiance of Orange County. And every day, while sitting there in traffic, I think to myself: “What if I just kept driving? What if I didn’t stop at my exit and I just kept going east? Who would stop me? No one, that’s who.”

That’s what I wrote five years ago in my mission statement (you can re-visit that lengthy manifesto here) prior to embarking on a three-week road trip across the country and back. It was a trip that, when I returned, a friend of mine referred to as a “walkabout.” I liked that. So that’s what I call it now.

I drove my Volkswagen GTI (R.I.P.) from Los Angeles through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.

Pictured: Black Magic the GTI, the most beloved of all my Volkswagens.

I didn’t have any deadlines or any real destinations. I went just to see what I could see. I stopped and pulled off the road to take photos whenever I felt like it. I talked to strangers. I blogged a lot. And it was fucking awesome.

(I won’t rehash the happenings of that first trip because literally every post on this Tumblr prior to this one chronicles them in detail. I created this Tumblr specifically for that trip and am reviving it for this next one. Scroll back to read about my exploits if you’d like.)

That first trip was a major turning point in my life. It got me out of my lifelong comfort zone and made me a little more fearless in general – and that alone has had far-reaching effects. That trip shook all my shit up, in a good way.

Today, I’m 32 years old and a lot has changed since then.

For starters, I don’t like the word “wanderlust" anymore. Makes me cringe. Please forget I ever used it.

But also, I don’t live in Southern California anymore. I live in Austin, Texas – a place I encountered on that very first megatrip.

This might seem surprising because in my post-roadtrip recap back in 2013, you may recall I returned from that trip with grand plans to “kick down Hollywood’s door and take the motherfucker over.”

Narrator voice: She did not take the motherfucker over.

So how did I end up in Austin? (I get this question a lot. So, finally, here’s your answer. *Clears throat.*)

Throughout my twenties, I worked in Hollywood. When you work in Hollywood, your friends and family love to hear stories about the most glamorous parts of your job. Everyone loves hearing a story with a famous person in it, even if the story is simply, “I got an email from Jennifer Lawrence today. She seems nice.” See, there’s a famous person in that riveting story about a work email. That makes it a good story. It’s very cool to come home from work and tell people that you spent the day with Clint Eastwood or that Jay Leno showed you around his fancy car garage or that Bradley Cooper asked you for a bottle of water and you handed it to him and you will both cherish that moment forever.

It’s very cool to tell people those parts of your job. But those aren’t even the everyday moments. Those are the sometimes moments. They’re awfully cool, but what happens when the day-to-day of your job is in no way fulfilling and, in fact, sucks so much ass? That’s much less cool.

It’s a tough trade-off. Because you like being able to tell your family and friends your Hollywood anecdotes. It makes you seem interesting. You like being able to watch a movie and see your name in the credits. It makes you feel important.

And it’s a hell of a thing to have to admit to yourself that it’s not actually what you want at all.

But that’s exactly what I did at the end of 2015.

Hi, I’m Desiree Echevarria. I’m sure you remember me from The Hunger Games. I played Katniss.

Here’s where I was: American Sniper was finally finished. I worked through TWO releases of those DVDs, one per year. So I had SOMEHOW been working on American Sniper for a damn year and a half (looooong after the film had left the theaters and lost all the Oscars). So I was bored and ready for something new.

My boss came to work one day and very excitedly told me that the next movie we would be working on was Clint Eastwood’s new film, Sully, starring Tom Hanks. It was our job to produce the bonus features for it, as per usual. The film would likely be a hit, like anything else Clint Eastwood or Tom Hanks does.

And yet I felt nothing. I did not feel excited. I did not feel awe. I did not feel that Hollywood magic that I know I felt at some point in my life before.

A Clint Eastwood/Tom Hanks joint walks through the door and I feel nothing.

I was burnt. out.

Sorry, Clint. 

It was time for a change, and not just on a three-week walkabout to recharge my mental batteries this time. For one thing, I was broke af (because the thing everyone loves to downplay about working in Hollywood is that the pay is shit and if you don’t like it well, fuck you, there’s a line of about a thousand suckers right behind you just BEGGING for a shot at your gig). But also, I didn’t want to have to come back to this place — not just this production company, but this Hollywood. It was time for a REAL-ASS CHANGE.

Austin, Texas was about as much of a 180-degree shift from my status quo as was possible. So that’s where I set my sights.

I moved out of my expensive-but-still-somehow-in-a-bad-part-of-town Los Angeles apartment and into my parents’ house 50 miles away in Orange County for a few months to save what little money I could (and braving the 4-hour round trip commuting to the production office in Glendale daily as a trade-off).

I remember the day I put in my two weeks’ notice at that production company. My boss, a producer who had done pretty well for himself, had gone on vacation (he went to his vacation house at least once a month, otherwise he would “go stir crazy!” he often said). I remember I was alone at the office on a Friday. And I mean ALONE alone. I had no co-workers. It was just me and my boss. Though, most days it was just me. All alone. In a small room. My boss liked to work from home mostly, and he had the freedom to do so.

On this particular Friday, I asked if I could work from home. Doing so would save me four painful hours of driving in L.A. traffic. We weren’t a busy office. People didn’t stop by. People didn’t call. We seldom got packages and if they were important (a delivery of assets from a studio or something) I sure as shit knew if they were coming. But my only project on that day was writing research reports for Sully. So, yes, I could have done my job from home. My boss could have done me a HUGE solid by just saying yes to my simple request.

Still, my boss said no. He didn’t feel “comfortable” with me working from home even though it was 2016 and the internet had been invented decades earlier. Besides, what if an office emergency came up?!

Narrator voice: An office emergency had never come up.

I said, “Okay.” And I spent that day in the office. By myself. Pouting. Lamenting my lack of freedom and control over my own life. All while my boss was sitting in a hammock, strumming one of his many vintage guitars at his vacation cabin in the mountains. This seems like a relevant time to add that this job did not come with health insurance.

I put in my two weeks’ notice that day.

I was 30 years old. And this shit was no longer worth it.

Two weeks later, I packed up my Volkswagen Rabbit (R.I.P.) with everything I owned. I didn’t own much. A friend would later call the fact that I was able to fit my entire life into a car “romantic.” I call it “poor.” I then embarked on the second major road trip of my life: the move from my home in California to my fresh start in Austin, Texas.

I didn’t know what the fuck was going to happen, but at least I was free.

Pictured: Tibor the Volkswagen Rabbit, named after the German man who sold him to me (and who replaced the Rabbit decal with a Golf decal for some reason).

Road Trip 2: The Great Escape

I drove from California to Texas in two days in a car that I wasn’t sure would even survive the trip.

The trip HAD to be two days because I didn’t want to blow what little money I had staying in hotels over the course of several nights. I didn’t have a job waiting for me in Austin – in fact, all that was waiting for me there was just one friend from California and a cheap two-month sublet to share with a stranger from Craigslist.

On Day One, I drove from Orange County, CA to Flagstaff, AZ because my friend Camille lived in Flagstaff and I stayed at her house. However, Flagstaff was nowhere CLOSE to being the halfway point between California and Austin. So my first day’s drive was just 7 hours. Meaning my second day… well, my second day was 15 hours and 1,026 miles of pure hell.

For one thing, the aux input in my car was broken and the only CDs I had with me were five Taylor Swift CDs. I know on the surface, that doesn’t seem THAT bad (after all, it’s better than silence, right?), but I listened to those five Taylor Swift CDs over and over and over again throughout the course of 22 driving hours, pushing myself to the brink of madness and back again several times over.

I tried listening to the radio, but when you’re driving through endless zero-population towns in West Texas, you can’t put a lot of faith in radio stations that play music even EXISTING. (Though, there are plenty of radio stations with loud preachers yelling about how most things are The Devil™.) So even though I was on a tight schedule, I made the time to pull over at a Wal-Mart and buy a CD – ANY CD – that wasn’t Taylor Swift. I purchased a Luke Bryan CD.

By the end of this ordeal, I would come to hate Luke Bryan as well.

(Note: I have since forgiven both Taylor Swift and Luke Bryan for what they did to me that day.)

But deeper than that, my Road Trip 2 lacked all of what made that first road trip great. I didn’t enjoy it the way I had before. This time, I didn’t take the trip slow and stop along the way to smell the roses and take pictures of interesting rocks I saw. This time, the trip wasn’t a walkabout. It was a mission, and a scary one at that.

What if I failed? What if I got to Texas and hated it, or couldn’t find a job, or ran out of money, or became a Republican? There was a lot for me to worry about on that drive.

After 15 hours, I was physically and emotionally exhausted. I thought the drive would never end – especially in the late hours driving down endless empty two-lane roads in the pitch-black darkness of West Texas, with what I still maintain to this day were UFOs in the distance. I showed up at my Craigslist sublet at midnight, immediately rolled my sleeping bag out on the floor, cried for the 90 seconds I remained awake, and then passed out.

Pictured: my first Austin apartment. I slept on a mattress on the floor for longer than I care to admit.

The first thing that made me feel better after that sad-ass moving night was waking up the next day and being able to see some familiar faces. My friend Krista, who had moved to Austin not long before I did, swung by my empty apartment, picked me up and gave me a tour of the city. That helped make the transition remarkably easier. 

Pictured: my first meal on my first day in Austin at the now-defunct restaurant Bacon (R.I.P.) courtesy of tour guide, @kristadoyle​.

Also, as luck would have it, my friends from back home, Kyle and Iris, happened to be on vacation in Austin during that very weekend and we were able to meet up and do some touristy shit together. And again, that familiarity in a strange new place calmed my nerves immensely. I value my friendships above pretty much everything in the entire world and things like this are why. I like to think I’m pretty resilient on my own, but I’m far more resilient with help from my pals. I highly recommend friendship A+++ 11/10, 4 stars.

Pictured: Kyle, me, and Iris during my first weekend in Austin in the quintessential tourist destination -- Dirty 6th.

But once that introductory weekend was over, I had a lot of hustling to do. I didn’t have a job AND I only had enough saved to live comfortably for two months — which meant I had two months to make it work in Austin or I would have to crawl back to my parents’ house in California with my tail between my legs. The clock was ticking.

That Monday was the first day of SXSW, Austin’s major annual music, film, and tech festival. I had decided to move to Austin in time for SXSW because people on Reddit told me that if I wanted to network in Austin and find a job, I needed to be at SXSW. But badges to get into SXSW run upwards of thousands of dollars (which I did NOT have). So I got in the only way I could – by working for free. I volunteered for a week at SXSW and got a badge in return.

And for once, Reddit was right. I got two job offers that first week.

I knew then that everything was gonna be okay.

Still, the offers I was able to get weren’t ideal. I took a job doing customer support at a website in Austin while patiently biding my time for the job I REALLY wanted to open up: a content writer position at the startup where my friend Krista worked (also as a writer). She raved about how awesome it was and how, someday soon, they would probably hire more writers. So I waited all spring and summer for that probably. For six months, I looked something like this:

Then, finally, a writer position opened up and I pounced on it. I got the job and can honestly say, it’s one of the best things to ever happen to me.

This sounds pretty anticlimactic, I’m sure. There was this thing I wanted and I was patient and then I got it. But to me, it’s been pretty life-changing.

Working as a writer at a great company (Aceable – we’re hiring) is what I wanted all those years in Hollywood. And I just never quite found it. Sometimes I worked on projects that didn’t inspire me, sometimes I was doing work I was capable of, but not passionate about (hello, post-production), and more often than not, I worked for companies that didn’t challenge me or offer an actual career path. It wasn’t their fault necessarily, but a symptom of the small-production-company-grind that plagues much of Hollywood.

But by sticking around that kind of environment, I would always be doomed to this cycle of burning out and getting out, burning out and getting out, repeat times infinity. I’d always be looking for a temporary escape and it would never be enough – because I would never truly feel like I have control over my life.

Getting my job at Aceable was the validation I needed to finally stop feeling as though I was moving backwards rather than forwards.  

I never would have imagined as a kid who was OBSESSED with making a name for herself in Hollywood that I would find everything I was looking for in a career in the middle of Texas.

Oh yeah, and now I get to work from home WHENEVER I WANT.

There’s a saying that goes: Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it.

I won’t say that my time in Hollywood was a “mistake” because, in reality, I HAD to do it – all of it. If I hadn’t, I never would have learned that it wasn’t what I wanted. Some alternate universe Desiree is out there, writing a blog where she laments never having taken the chance to pursue her film and TV dreams and then leaves behind her job as an astronaut to make it happen (what an idiot).

Besides, I had my fun. I did work on cool stuff. Working on the first film I co-produced, The Hopeful, gave me some of my all-time favorite memories and left me with some awesome friends that I still have today. I got the chance to work on my favorite show of all time, The Simpsons, and for that I’ll always be grateful. But all those pursuits had significant drawbacks and, ultimately, weren’t sustainable, like a lot of film/TV career paths (but that’s a whole OTHER conversation for another day). It turns out my heart just wasn’t in it.

I also want to say, as I’ve said many times before (and y’all are probably sick of it but this is my blog, get your own) Austin is a really fucking great place. I like it here. I feel a sense of community and pride in my city for the first time in my life. My list of restaurants to try in Austin is NEVER-ENDING.  It’s gotten to the point where I feel guilty going to the same restaurant twice now because I’m always thinking, “Shit, I could be trying a new place instead.” Put simply: it rules.

So I’m in a uncharted territory going into the third major road trip of my life…

Road Trip 3: The Everything’s Actually Pretty Okay

For the first time, I’m not using a road trip as a motif for some kind of escape. Progress!

I’m packing up my Volkswagen Jetta for a trip across the southwest that will be part walkabout, but also part of it will include some much needed quality time meeting up with some good friends from California. It’s a regular, good ol’ fashioned vacation. And I’m super pumped.

As always, I’ll take the time to be alone with my thoughts because while I’m at a place in my life where I feel pretty settled in a lot of ways, let’s never lose sight of the fact that I am an always-buzzing ball of anxiety and need these little jaunts as a way to reset my brain. It’s for this same reason that I like to go camping a lot (though camping in Texas seems abysmal DON’T @ ME.)

I’ve always appreciated road trips for the head-clearing they allow me to do.

I’ll take little weekend trips here and there for a breather.

There was the time when, on a whim, I drove from L.A. to the Grand Canyon because I had spent months pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into writing an awards show that turned out ABSOLUTELY AWFUL (read aaaallllllll about it here). 

There was the time I drove from Austin to Scott, Louisiana (the boudin capital of the world!) to clear my head after a summer on the dating apps broke my brain – damn you, Bumble!

And then there was the time I spent an entire day driving aimlessly through the rural areas outside of Austin the weekend after the 2016 election (ugh) to calm my nerves with the sight of pastoral landscapes and the taste of out-of-town BBQ before the impending unraveling of American democracy began.  

Road trips clear your head, man. They’re underrated. Whenever I tell people I’m going on a road trip, they tend to say things like “Oh no, all that driving! Hope you have plenty of audiobooks all lined up!”

And I’m like… no.

I don’t want to distract myself. The whole point is the solitude. I like the solitude.

I like that there is NOTHING to see sometimes.

I LIKE THE NOTHING.

I really believe that being in new places forces you to think differently than you normally do, and from those departures away from your normal thought patterns come your best ideas and your inspirations for growth.

My life is definitely FAR from perfect and I still have about a MILLION flaws that I have to constantly work on, but with freedom comes the time, energy, and ability to do just that.

So I guess that’s what makes Road Trip 3 different – I’ve got some freedom in my life and with it, I just want to see some cool shit and spend time with people I love, relax out on the open road, take some pictures of some interesting rocks I see, and know that when I get back to Austin, I’ll be happy to be back in Austin.

I can’t say that things will always be like this (who can?), but this is how things are right now.

Also I wish to purchase one (1) marijuana when I arrive in Colorado. IT’S LEGAL, MOM.

[lazytacomoon-blog]

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Being kicked off my parents health insurance plan at age 19? I don't know how I can afford insurance?

MY parents have been getting notices from their insurance company telling them that when I turn 19, I'll be off the insurance plan. It's because my dad has young ...show more""

""Adding driver car insurance, average cost?""

if you add another driver to your insurance like your brother, or sister or son, who is a new driver, and your insurance costs $350 for six months. how much do you think would be additional cost to this insurance? if you can share ur experience it would be nice. i know it all depends on the history of the other driver, but say the other driver did not have any accidents or anything. i need to get a general impression... Thanks in advance.""

I need health insurance. and advice?

i am 20 and want to get affordable good health insurance but i only want to pay like 75$ a month is that reasonable? what should i be expecting to pay and what providers are good?

Paying car insurance 2 days late?

What happens if you pay your car insurance 2 days late? I have it automatically debited out of my account on the 15th of every month, and I get paid every 2 weeks. This month I get paid on the 17th...two days short of my due date. So what do I do? I have paid my insurance late before (3 days) and they didnt even mention it to me, they just took it out when I had the funds available. and I have Liberty Mutual car insurance by the way...""

How much (approx) would insurance be for a 1.1 saxo?

The exact car is '2000 CITROEN SAXO 1.1I DESIRE BLACK VTR REPLICA' a few modifications (cd player with bluetooth, black front lights, smoked rear lights, front fogs, full colour coded vtr body kit, DTM mirrors, vtr alloy wheels, lowered on 40mm G-max springs) i'm not even 17 yet but i was wondering what would the cheapest possible *(legal) insurance be on this car thanks :) !!""

Cheapest Way for an international student to Drive a car with an international License?

I will be staying in the UK for 1 year and need a car cuz I will be driving around 50 miles a day. I looked to buy a cheap car but the insurance is around 6000 to 8000 a year cuz i am young and driving with an international license. The cheapest thing I found was renting a car for 13-14  a day. Is there anyway I can drive cheaper in the UK? If renting is the only choice, what is the cheapest renting diesel car can I get in Birmingham?""

Got a fine for no car insurance.?

I got a fine for no car insurance in CA, what will possibly happen to me? I'm fearing the worst...although there should be no excuse for it I didn't have the money at the time.""

Where can I find public actuary data for car insurance?

where can I find public actuary data for car insurance. i need that to develop models

What is the cost of general liability insurance for park rental?

need the insurance to cover a softball tournament

Me and my dad are arguing about the cost of car insurance? Please have look?

On the final quote page it said that my full annual quote would be 611.49. I just paid a 101.49 deposit via my debit card. It says that my direct debits will be taken each month, next month 54 and then 8 months of 57. My deposit and the direct debits add up to 611.49, exactly as the quote stated. So what is that box (with the red arrow pointing to it); http://img829.imageshack.us/f/screenshotdi.png/ Can they take more money without saying? Can someone please explain what that means?""

Need SR22 insurance quotes?

I'd like to have an idea of the total fees for SR22 car insurance. If I can get a price range that would be great! thanks.

What are the pros and cons of purchasing a car and leasing a car. Also how to purchase insurance.?

what are the pros and consof purchasing a car and leasing a car. And how do you purchase insurance?

What medical tests should a 53-year-old man have?

I know there's tests that men should have when they're around the age of 50. My dad hasn't been to the doctor for years because he doesn't have health insurance or a job(he's living with my grandma who's 76). He's resisted going to the doctor and says I'll go once I get a job but he's not really been trying. My brothers and I are worried and some have even offered to pay for a doctor's visit but he's just said no and that he can wait. I'd like to know what tests he should have and how much they cost on average. He's been a generally healthy man, but skin cancer runs in our family and when he was around 40 he had a thing growing on his neck that was some sort of cancer. He had it removed and it hasn't come back but it there some sort of test for things like that? All three of my brothers and I are either English or History teachers and if what my dad needs is affordable we'd all like to pitch in. I know this is sort of scatterbrained- I'm in a rush, so thank you if you can answer this in advance.""

How much is motorcycle insurance compared to auto insurance?

Just wondering because one of my friends says she only pays half of her auto insurance a month and she is paying $300 and that seems pretty steep.

How much will my auto insurance be on a 2013 Kia rio5?

How much will my auto insurance be on a 2013 Kia rio5?

How to get health insurance for my wife.?

Just found out my wife is newly pregnant. I just switched jobs and am not eligible for insurance for 90 days (at which time I'll add her). Unfortunately though, we obviously need to get to the doctor before 3 months from now and have the preliminary check-ups and stuff. Is there anything I can do?""

M2 and G1 car insurance?

As I noticed in drivertest.ca site that if you a holder of M2 you can drive G class vehicle under the condition of getting G1. So that means M2+G1 == G2 in one way (I mean G2 won't equal M2 + G1) So anyone have an idea how much insurance I have to pay for getting a car (i know a lot of details here but consider cheap car and no experience at all)? This info about M2 + G1 = G2 is from here: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/gradu/index.shtml Note: Class M2 and Class M licence holders may also drive Class G vehicles under the conditions that apply to a Class G1 licence holder. Thanks in advance

What is a good long-term health insurance policy for international stays?

I am planning to move to Germany in spring and require acceptable, long-term and affordable coverage. What is a good company and policy for me to look in to? I've seen several offers but only one I could afford because it had a deductible of 10k$. Is there better?""

How much do speeding tickets effect your insurance ?

I got 2 speeding tickets, my first and second one of my life and im only 17. How will these tickets effect my insurance ?""

Do Police Officers have to pay for their police car & insurance?

Im wondering if police officers have to pay for the police car they use, and if they have to pay for the insurance, or is it covered by the police department? and do they receive gas money or you have to pay for it out of your own pocket?""

Does the insurance cover my car after i just barely bought and crashed the next day?

My Uncle bought a car one day and the next day he crashed. So I was wondering if his old car insurance which he is still paying for can cover the car.

Cheap insurance?

i am looking to buy a chevy camaro RS and i know the insurance will be high does anyone know how much it will be? if there is a way to get less then i will buy the Z28 which would be more because of the V8 right?

How much does car insurance cost for a 16 year old?

I drive a 98 Toyota Avalon, I heard ur grades affect the rates but I'm not a straight A student, I don't really do really well in school so you don't wanna know my grades. But how much would my parents have to pay for my insurance? We live in California""

Car Insurance Quote so high?

I'm an experienced driver here in Ontario Canada. I'm 26 years old and own a full G level driving license. My record is clean. I'm looking to get my first insurance coverage, with a used Toyota Sienna CE 2005. I would be the sole owner of the vehicle and only driver for the most part. Wont even be driving too often. However, I got two quotes and they are outrageous. about $350 a month for only liability coverage and the other even more. How come a clean record first time insuree ca get such bloated quotes?""

Insurance doesn't want to fix car?

Ok, So I have insurance through UAIC. I was not aware till the research i've done they are the biggest losers in the business. Here's my issue, my car was vandalized on november 12 of this year. I have full coverage insurance. Prior to insurance, we agreed to have photos taken by the local insurance so they can note any problem.. Car clear perfect which it was. No a scratch, ding or dent showroom conidition I would say at the time. I filed the claim the same day of the 12th of November. It took them 2weeks just to come estimate the car, estimate was 1500 and let me tell you. My smallest quote was 2900$ so immediately I was a little worried about it. Well I finally got a call back today on december 13th. Telling me the insurance estimator for them said the car had prior wear and tear. Which it was absolutely not! i treat my car great and have pictures to proof it. What can I do, and I see no point in full coverage with these guys! I don't know if i should be angry, do a legal matter or just cut my losses and switch back to liberty mutual""

blue cross blue shield florida health insurance quotes

blue cross blue shield florida health insurance quotes

""Can you help me-insurance, cars, and money?""

Okay, I'm planning on buying a car soon. My family is in a very deep hole financially, so I'm going to ask my grandparents to help me, because they are doing fine. I need a car to get to school, get to my current job on time, and have another job (along with 2 AP classes and babysitting!) I never ask them for anything, not that I've ever wanted to, so I'm really scared to ask them for this huge favor. I'm planning on paying them back for every single penny I borrow plus interest. So I want to know an idea of how much money I'm going to need to borrow. Okay, for insurance...I'm planning on buying a toyota yaris, matrix, or camry. Or a honda civic (perferrably hatchback). Or a volkswagon beetle. But right now, anything will do as long as its reliable. For a 16 year old, A average grades, living in KY, about how much would monthly insurance be? For payments, I know about 2000 for down would be good. But how much (about) would interest be on monthly payments? I'm planning on finding a car that is about 7000-8000 dollars. And lastly, how should I ask!? They know I'm mature and responsible, but I don't think they are willing to help me out. I absolutely hate asking for things from people, but I really need help so that I can help my family. So how should I do it? Thank you so much! :) I'll choose best answer!!!""

I am foreigner 68 jear old Can i buy one insurance for hospital in Cebu?

I am foreigner 68 year old Can i buy one insurance for hospital in Cebu ?

""RX8 or BMW Z4, who has the highest insurance?

Does the 2004 RX8 (lol used for racing) have higher insurance than the 2004 BMW Z4?

Can i own a bike without insurance or license?

ive got my mod 2 soon and will have my license soon enough. ive seen a bike that i would like to buy and am going to buy it. can i have the bike in the garage? it wont be ridden until i have my license and insurance. just wondering if its against the law yet to own a bike without insurance

Should I Get Title Insurance?

I have an opportunity to buy a lot near a lake in Missouri from a lake association for $300. There has been no other owner of the property in the past 30 years or so (since before the lake itself was created and the association was established). As great of a deal as this price sounds, I have the option to pay another $125 for title insurance. Would it be worth it to pay for that insurance considering the amount I am paying for the lot itself? Also, I am not planning to build on the lot any time soon, I just want it to allow for access to the lake and the priveledges of the lake association.""

Do I need car insurance to rent a car?

If I have a valid license but do not have insurance, can I rent a car?""

Someone hit my bumper. Car insurance question?

I was in traffic today and someone hit my car from behind , damaged my bumper. I have statefarm and fully covered. I have never been in this situation , and plus i think it's getting a little bit complicated. Because the guy who was driving the car doesn't own the car. And the guy who owns the car's name doesn't seem to be the one who's insured with the car(it seems to be his wife or someone ) Usually does this matter?? What are the procedures I should take to get this done asap . I want honda to fix the damage. Will the other person pay for this damage. What should I watch out for ? any kind of traps? I have a small backpain. is that covered under insurance also ? I think they have allstate. please help !!""

How much would insurance for a 2002 chevy tahoe cost? ?

ok im 14 and im taking drivers ed this summer when im 14 1/2 to get my learners permit and for my car im getting a 2002 chevy tahoe or a 2004 Cadillac escalade and i was wondering how much the insurance would be for them? not the full coverage but the liability insurance and we're on state farm insurance and i live in a pretty low crime town in montana so my car probably wouldn't get stolen or broken into

New Car with Hail Damage - Insurance?

I am looking at buying a new car that has minimal hail damage to the bonnet and roof. About 10 tic tac sized dents all up, extremely hard to see. They are discounting it heavily and I really like the car but when I rang up the insurance company today they said they will not insure it. Does anyone know any companies that will insure a BRAND NEW minimally HAIL DAMAGED CAR? (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)""

Car Insurance????

Hi does anyone know any cheap car insurance companies. Thankyou

What is the cheapest van to insure?

Ive just passed me test (finally, at 21) and i havent had a car or van insurance quote under 1900.... The cheapest ive had is a peugeot partner pre yr 2000, even smaller fiestas and ka vans are 2000+ are there any vans out there at prices that arent gonna cost me 190 a month""

Acting career where do i start?? where is safe and affordable places to live in LA?

Hi everyone first let me just say thank you for your time in advance. I want to move to LA and start my acting career but i have never been in LA so i dont exactly know where would ...show more

Why are my home insurance premiums so high?

When we bought our house we were paying 350 a year, we have not had any claims at all and insurance kept going up. so we swiched companies and now paying 720 a year, and when im quoted from every other company its anywhere from 700-1000 a year. our house is only worth 70000, my mom pays 350 a year and her house is worth 250000 with outbuildings. Why are my prices so much higher when i have not had any claims? we are in illinois""

Affordable Health Insurance?????

hi everyone...im asking this question for my parents. they are 56 (dad) n 53 (mom)....both of them are permanently disabled. my mom has been on ssi and disability since i was 5 (now 23) due to a severe back injury that left her unable to work. my father was forced to retire about a year ago due to a hip replacement, crooked spine and back surgery that left him crippled for months. my father now receives his retirement and ssi as well...however due to extreme circumstances they both just lost their medical insurance from another provider. what options do they have??? how can they get coverage??? thats affordable...??? medicare doesnt kick in for my father for 24 months after he first started receiving his ssi benefits. n my mom said for her to get it its very expensive. what do they do???""

Car insurance for a first time driver?

i am currently looking for cheap car insurance but i can't get it any lower than 3,060 does anyone else know companys that specialize in first time drivers ?""

As a new Driver when should I expect my insurance costs to lower?

Here is the background: I am 27 years old and I just learned to driver a little over 7 months ago. I know that as a COMPLETELY new driver my insurance costs weren't going to be the best so I was surprised when most if not all companies I went to quoted me at about 400-450 for 6 months of full coverage. I thought this was very very good because that is about what my husband pays and hes had an perfect driving record since he was 17. Well when I went in to buy my first car ( brand new and financed, so I needed full coverage based on my state laws. ) Before I left the lot I called my chosen insurance company and they activated my insurance for me. To my dismay but not complete shock they told me they would have to raise the quote because I didn't have a driving record yet. ( At this point I had only had the license about 3-4 weeks I don't quite remember ). I was told this should clear up the next time I renew. Well my premium has actually gone up fifty dollars ( instead of down 150 )! I was shocked. So, out of curiosity I got quotes from other places now and it was just as expensive if not more so. What happened? I've had no moving or parking violations, my driving record is perfect. I thought I would ask the yahoo community before I call my insurance company to point fingers.""

Car Insurance ???????????????

if i get on my moms insurance for her car it shuldnt go up that much right?????????

Health Insurance for new born after job loss....?

Situation... We had a new born almost three months ago. She was on my wifes insurance while she was on maternity leave. Now she (my wife) will only be going back to work part time ...show more

1 Month Car Insurance?

I'm looking to insure a car for 1 month only, I have did all the search engine checks but most sites want 180 + which is far too expensive. I'm 41 and have held licence 20+ years so no young driver problems. Any ideas??????""

""Why is it that I am still able to be sued for an auto accident if I live in Florida, a no-fault state?""

I've been in 2 accidents. The first was very minor; I rolled into the bumper in the car in front of me at a stop light and scratched their bumper. No damage was sustained to my car, but I am at-fault. The second I was cutting through an intersection that was at a red light and was about to pull into the left-turn lane when the woman in the car that was coming down the lane wasn't looking forward and hit the driver side door of my car. I was already halfway in the lane trying to straighten out into the left-turn lane but I couldn't move when she was coming, because if I moved back I might have hit someone and if I went forward she would have hit me anyway. At the scene the policewoman told me I was at fault, but when I talked to my claims adjuster, she told me that there is some negligence on the other party's part because if I had just randomly pulled out into traffic, the other party would have hit the front of my car, not the driver-side door. I am being sued by the first person and I found out just now I am being sued by the person in the second accident as well. I was told that since I am registered under my parents insurance, the other party can see that they have a lot of assets they can sue for from my parents. My question is, why are they able to sue me so easily? I've done research, and I know Florida is a no-fault state, meaning drivers cannot sue each other unless serious injury occurred, such as loss of life, limb, permanent injury, etc. In both accidents, I did not get ticketed, and I believe no police report was written, only exchanges of information.(Police were called, however. I did not leave the scene) Also both of the other parties did not ask for an ambulance or medical assistance(I know about the feeling pain later thing) but I'm sure if someone was suing for something as serious that can be listed as loss of limb or death, they would have showed some indication of injury at the scene. Both people stepped out of their cars and were fine, however.""

How much would the average car insurance for a 17 year old be with a 2000 model mazda protege?

How much would the average car insurance for a 17 year old be with a 2000 model mazda protege?

Where can I find low cost health insurance in Florida for kids?

Where can I find low cost health insurance in Florida for kids?

How much would it be for a 20 year old male car insurance?

I am 20 , male in California driving a 2000 Honda civic how much will my insurance be ?? First time being under insurance . And please don't send me links trying to bribe me with your insurance . Please help""

Help! I dented a car and need an idea on how much it will cost without going through insurance...?

I have a picture of the damage. I am still shaking so worried, it is my first year of driving so am looking to deal with it privately, luckily my car wasn't damaged, however it was my fault so I am going to have to do the paying! <a href= http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Gothixpixie/?action=view&current=Photo-0107.jpg target= _blank ><img src= http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Gothixpixie/Photo-0107.jpg border= 0 alt= Photobucket ></a> http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/Gothixpixie/?action=view&current=Photo-0107.jpg Not sure if these hyperlinks will work! Any help would be great!""

""Can I lose in small claims court if I got into a accident that wasn't my fault, but I didn't have insurance?""

Can I lose in small claims court if I got into a accident that wasn't my fault, but I didn't have insurance?""

blue cross blue shield florida health insurance quotes

blue cross blue shield florida health insurance quotes

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-recently-got-dui-crashed-my-car-how-much-insurance-go-jayden-graham/"

[smartshopperteam]

My Husband Earns $170,000 — & I Make $45,000

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Illustrated by Paola Delucca.

In our series Not A Trophy Wife , we ask women how they feel when they earn less than their significant other. We’ve chatted with a marketing analyst dating an investment banker, a woman who moved to Rio for her husband, and a server marrying a man who makes twice her annual income.

In our sixth installment, we talk to Shirley, a 28-year-old nonprofit worker making $45,000 and flipping houses with her pharmacist husband.

Tell me about yourself.

“We live in Los Angeles. I’m 28, and I work for a nonprofit. I’ve been there about three years, and I make $45,000 right now. My husband is a pharmacist, and he is 29. He took home about $170,000 last year, but a lot of that was overtime so it was unexpected. We’ve known each other three years, and we’ve been married one year. Our first baby is due this month. “

What were your situations like when you first met each other?

“They were pretty much what they are now. I was making about $40,000 to $45,000, and he was making $140,000. But he had only been making $140,000 for six weeks. “

Financial transparency has always been really really big in our relationship.

What do you mean?

“When I met him, he had just finished school. He was just getting his first paycheck as a pharmacist, so he was going from living the student life to living the six-figure life in six weeks. He had also just moved back to L.A. so he was living with his parents. It was really funny because he was like, Oh my gosh, I’m not paying rent because I’m still living at home, I’m eating half my meals at home, I’m saving $5,000 every month! He didn’t really know what to do with the money, so he just put it all into savings and then used it for a down payment. He told me, I’m so glad I’m working now because my first goal is to buy my parents a house.

“Financial transparency has always been really, really big in our relationship. After we met, I saw he posted on Facebook about getting pre-approved for a loan. When I congratulated him, he told me he had over a quarter-million dollars of student debt, so even with his really high income, it was hard for him to get a loan. Luckily, my mom does loans, and I told him my mom could help with that. So before we even started dating, my mom and I had already seen all of his bank statements and pay stubs.”

What did you think of his decision to buy a house for his parents?

“We’re both Chinese-American and taking care of your parents is a very traditional, cultural notion that isn’t always accepted. I know people who have broken up because one party paid for their parents’ rent and the other party didn’t agree with that. So when he said that he wanted to buy his parents a house, that showed me that he was family-oriented and responsible. You know, his parents have had a really hard life. His mom worked in sweatshops her whole life in America, with no benefits and no holidays. So he really respects his parents for their sacrifice. Sharing that with me, I was like, ‘Wow, this guy is really different.’”

What about your financial background?

“My dad is a doctor but he didn’t become a doctor until the year before I started college. So we were very middle class; my dad was making $40,000, maybe $50,000 a year. We had enough but we weren’t baller. He started making his six figure salary right when I went to college, and all the excess went to my tuition. So I’ve never lived with financial pressure, but I’ve also never been a big spender.”

What happened when you started working?

“I was living on my own when I met my husband. My parents gave me the down payment for a condo. After I started working, I spent all my money on travel or eating out, and I was living paycheck to paycheck with a small emergency fund, not really saving for the future and just enjoying being a young person in Los Angeles. That is until I met my husband.”

What changed?

“This whole thing started when I thought, If I spend less on food maybe I can go on more weekend trips. I was spending over $1,000 on food just for me. So really early on, we put both our credit cards on a shared Mint account so we could both track our money — at that point, three or four months in, he was spending five nights a week with me. We set up a food budget for two people for $1,400, and once we hit it, we lowered it to $1,100. Once I started budgeting, I realized, wow maybe if I don’t buy this purse, or this new car and lease something instead, we’ll have a bigger down payment for a house. It was really shallow thinking that led us to realize what we could do if we were responsible. During one of our early conversations, he said something like, ‘I think it’s so romantic that you want to sit down and budget with me.'”

It’s so funny that finances became a part of your dating life so early on.

“Money and family are such a source of tension. When I met him, I was getting over a long-distance boyfriend, and I was totally pissed and jaded. I was like, I’m 26. I don’t want to waste any more of my youth with people who suck. I told him, I’m going to give you six to nine months and after that, we will either break up or get engaged. I don’t know why he went along with it — I think I was a little crazy. But from the beginning I was clear: I want to know everything about you. I want to meet your family. Why wait until you absolutely love someone before you go down that path of discovery?”

Money and family are such a source of tension….Why wait?

How have your spending habits together changed over time?

“In the beginning, we were splitting pretty evenly, and we weren’t doing too many crazy expensive things. If we went on a road trip, he would pay for it, but we wouldn’t eat out at fancy places very much. So I wasn’t living a lifestyle I couldn’t afford myself. Of course, he would take me out to eat for my birthday or something, whereas if I was giving him a present it wouldn’t be something monetary.”

So now you’re married…

“Now that we’re married, we have our mortgage, his parents mortgage, and his student loans, but I signed up for it. That first house he bought for his parents? We sold that, doubled our down payment, and bought a bigger place for his parents, with an extra two bedrooms we can rent out. So that lowered our expense by $1,000 — and I’ve already lined up tenants for the next six months. You definitely get a higher return [with renting], but it’s more work. Both of us see me as financially just as important to our household, even though I’m not bringing in the paycheck. He’s the one who brings in the steady paycheck, that allows me to make our money work for us. Our financial goal is to buy or upgrade a house every two years, which is really ambitious, but so far we’re on track.”

Now you’re expecting a baby! That’s a new expense. How has that been going?

“I’ve started stockpiling baby things, like when things go on sale. I’ve been stockpiling since I was about four or five months pregnant. But we’ve had disagreements. I want everything to be organic cotton, the best of the best, and he’s just like, Why does it have to be organic cotton? But if I can get it on sale at a comparable price point, it’s okay. And honestly, my husband probably hates researching and making decisions more than actually spending money that he doesn’t want to spend. Our disagreements are like, ‘You’re not helping me decide which Best Carseat of 2016 we should get,’ and he’s like, ‘I really don’t care. Just buy one! Why is this so complicated?’ But I just want our baby to be safe.”

Can you talk a little bit more about situations where you disagreed?

“This stupid baby monitor called ‘Owlet.’ It’s a sock that the infant wears which monitors blood oxygen level. If the baby stops breathing in his sleep, it sends an alarm through a wireless connected base station. Positive reviews from many parents online, with scenarios where the baby choked on his own vomit and the parents were alerted in time. It costs $250. My husband argued that we probably wouldn’t need it. My argument was, ‘BUT THE ONE TIME WE NEED IT WE WILL REGRET IT!’

“We ended up making a list of ‘Baby Wants’ and ‘Baby Needs.’ We are not getting a changing table. We are not getting a baby bath tub. Instead of swaddles and blankets and burp clothes and wash clothes, we just bought a bunch of large muslin cloths (organic cotton) that are multi-functional. The baby monitor was a high priority item to me, and I made room for it by considering things that I don’t really need.”

We’re like, ‘How many houses do we need to buy before the passive income will feed our private school tuition?’

What about schooling? Have you two discussed that?

“I live in Chinatown in downtown Los Angeles, and we don’t have very good middle and high school options at all. But I got a perfect score on my SATs and I’m very confident that I’m going to ‘tiger mom’ my kid into shape. At the same time, however, I want my kid to have a really competitive school and encouraging environment. I think a lot of the high schools in LA are competitive, but too competitive. So we wrestle with how we want our kids to go to school. We want to give them a challenging environment but not a cutthroat environment, and we don’t see that in a lot of public schools in Los Angeles. So I want my kids to go to a public magnet, but that’s not just about ability, that’s also a lot of luck. So the backup is a private school. We’re like, ‘How many houses do we need to buy before the passive income will feed our private school tuition?'”

And what about college? Are you setting up a fund for that?

“Yeah, but honestly I do expect my kids to get scholarships.”

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

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from My Husband Earns $170,000 — & I Make $45,000