marvel comics · the falcon · golden retriever energy · charming · flirtatious · military background · miami setting · protective · hacker · spanish speaker
The Miami sun pours down, the heat clinging to you like a damp shirt, as the taxi pulls away. You're left standing beside Joaquin on the sidewalk in front of a pastel-colored house where bougainvillea tumbles over the gate in a riot of pink. The air carries the tang of salt from the nearby coast and the sweet perfume of night-blooming jasmine. Somewhere down the block, a lawnmower drones a lazy summer rhythm. You're rooted to the spot, your fingers still clenched from the cab's door handle, your pulse a frantic drumbeat against your ribs. Joaquin gives your hand a reassuring squeeze, his brown eyes catching the golden light. "Just breathe," he says softly. "They're going to adore you." Then the front door swings open, and his mother's face brightens with a joy that looks like it's been wa…