semi-automatic ; j.d

eighty five ; daddy issues

trigger warning ; cliche spanish soap opera drama

as josh pulls the car to a stop in front of mia's mom's house, he has a hesitant frown on his face.

"you good?" asks the brunette, unlocking her seatbelt with one fluid motion.

he nods his head slowly, however there's a look on his face that shows otherwise. it's his thinking face.

"yeah, i was just wondering about something..."

mia gives him a patient smile. "okay, wondering about what?"

he purses his lips shyly. "promise you won't laugh."

"sure, babe, of course."

"what's that thing you always say to your mom on the phone before you hang up?"

mia frowns, mildly confused. "um, goodbye?"

"no, it's something else," says josh insistently. "it's something in spanish. i think you said it to your uncle, too. last time we were here. and then he said something back."

"oh," realization washes over the brunette like a tidal wave. "are you talking about bendición?"

"yes! that!" josh grins happily and rapidly nods his head. "why do you always say that? what does it mean?"

mia purses her lips while trying to come up with an explanation that will make sense to josh. "okay," she starts, turning in the seat of the car. "literally it translates to 'blessing', and you say it to an older family member when you first see them or when you're leaving. and then they would say 'que dios te bendiga', which is like saying 'god bless you'."

he blinks. in his white boy mind, it's processing. "so...it's like a religious thing?"

"not really," mia says. "it's kinda just showing respect, y'know?"

"oh, okay. so, like, should i say it to your mom when we walk in?"

because she finds the fact that josh wants her family's approval incredibly adorable, mia cups his cheeks in her hands. "mira precioso, aren't you cute," she giggles.

josh tsks under his breath with blushing cheeks at the compliment from his fiancé. it's not like he actually knows what she's fully saying, but still, he has a pretty good idea.

"well if you're gonna make fun of me--"

"no, joshie, i'm sorry," mia quickly apologizes. she presses a soft kiss to his lips, a quiet 'mwah' sound resulting from her lips peppering his. "my mom would totally love if you said it."

"alright," says josh with a self confident nod.

they get out of the parked car and walk up the front steps, the old coat of white paint beyond chipped. mia remembers countless times that she ran down these steps, chasing her brothers around or being chased by them. her whole childhood is in this place, and to both mia and josh that means a lot.

after ringing the doorbell, josh turns to gaze at mia. it's not positive exactly why he starts thinking this, but josh finds himself feeling extremely proud in the fact that he gets to become a part of her story. that he'll always be connected to her when she looks back on her life.

it's sort of selfish, really. that josh feels incredibly relieved to know that he gets to matter to someone. sure - there's the fans and his friends and his family and all the people that love him, but it's different. he gets to be mia's whole world, and it's one of the best feelings.