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caramara3 · 3 months ago

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Just Friends...? [1]

a Damian Priest x Reader Amani Cove fic

Summary: After a drunken night out, WWE Superstars and estranged friends Amani Cove and Damian Priest wake up to find themselves naked in bed together with no recollection of what happened the night before. They both choose to go on pretending as if nothing ever happened, but soon find out it’s easier said than done, especially when the lines of friendship begin to blur around them…

Warnings: plot, slow burn, angst, language, mature sexual content 18+, ofc, fluff, semi-friends to lovers

Word Count: 2.5k

**Partially Edited and Proofread**

**Interactive**

Notes: Thank y'all so much for reading!! Leave a comment, heart, share, and enjoy the ride!!!

Italic writing signifies an inside thought.

The Playlist | Meet Amani Cove | Amani’s tattoos | Meet the Cast

Chapter 1: The Morning

~Morning after Backlash Puerto Rico~

“Uugh… oww.”

You groaned softly and shifted your body, regretting that decision almost immediately. It’s not like being a wrestler for nearly two decades now, you weren’t used to a little soreness and tension after a match, especially one as rough as last night’s Last Woman Standing match against your current and all-time favorite feud partner/bestie Bayley.

But Lord was this a different kind of sore.

Every single muscle in your body felt like they had been stabbed with the tiniest needle ever created while also being set on fire. Your back felt like you’d been thrown through plexiglass over a dozen times. In your mind you made a mental note to have your chiropractor send Bales his thanks for keeping him in business.

“Ow… oww… argh, ow!”

You winced at each small movement as you opened your eyes only to be met with a soft but heavy material. You began to pull it from over your head and was immediately met with the morning sun shining its insanely bright ass through the hotel window.

“Ah, oh God! Absolutely not!”

You grimaced and pulled the material back over your face, sinking deeper and deeper into the fluffy fortress as you waited for the throbbing pain in your head to subside.

Great, you thought to yourself. Sore and hungover: the perfect combination.

You laid your head flat against the mattress as you tried to remember the events of last night. But as you did everything felt like a jumbled and confusing blur. Tequila is an evil bitch from the depths of hell…

You remembered leaving the arena and catching a ride back to the hotel with Zelina as well as getting ready with her to go out for the night to celebrate. You remembered spending way too long trying to find the perfect look, something that screamed "newly single and looking for revenge" before Zelina pulled out a khaki little cutout number from your suitcase that screamed "freak'em dress."

You remembered pre-gaming with Zel and the guys from LwO downstairs at the hotel bar before catching a cab into the city. You remembered, though you wish you didn't, the phone call on the way to the club with your lying, cheating bastard of an EX-fiancé Marcus Frost and informing him that he had 3 days to clear his things out of your home before you had the locks changed.

Fuck you Marcus…

You remembered getting to the club late and having shots immediately pushed in your face by Bianca, the mere thought making your stomach queasy. You remembered being pulled onto the dancefloor by Cruz and Carlito. Or wait, maybe it was Carmelo. Or was it Santos? Maybe Knight?? You remembered when your best friend Rhea Ripley finally showed up along with the other members of The Judgment Day. More shots. You remembered kicking your shoes off somewhere on the dancefloor because the DJ was on one, playing banger after banger. Was this when Finn was dancing with you?? But wait, was this before or after Sami kept stepping on your foot while you tried to teach him how to salsa?

More shots. You danced atop the bar with Samantha, Bianca, & Zelina like some bad Coyote Ugly remake and damn near slipped off. More shots. You got cheered on in the ladies room by your girls and others as they recorded you flushing your engagement ring down the toilet. Again, fuck you Marcus. More dancing. Even more shots. There was some random local who reeked of cheap tequila that kept grinding on you on the dancefloor and trying to cop a feel, you remembered that. You also remembered him getting snatched up by both Damian Priest and Finn Balor.

And after that happened you remembered... pulling Damian onto the dancefloor and dancing with him? Why the hell would you do that?

Or was it some other outrageously tall good-looking guy who resembled a younger Undertaker but Puerto Rican and from the Bronx…?

Even more dancing.

Shots. Shots. Shots.

Ugh, god why did I keep letting Rhea feed me all those damn shots? I swear I’m gonna kill her next time I see her. But how did I get back to the hotel?

Suddenly a flash of a memory appeared through the blurry fog of your mind. Lights. You remembered lights, streaks of gold and white hues racing past you. Was this from the time when you were in the cab? You wrapped yourself in the memory, hoping more would come back.

Touch. You remembered hands; rough and calloused with the softest touch brushing against your skin and pulling you onto their lap. Their touch traveling up from your neck down your open back before resting on your bottom, kneading your ass firmly. Caressing your skin as if it had been made of silk.

Taste. You could still taste his lips on yours. You felt as they traveled up your neck to your earlobe, nibbling on that tender spot that made you weak in the knees. Brushing against your shoulder, along your collarbone, between the valley of your breasts, softly biting your nipple, trailing down your stomach… the action sending vibrations up and down your body.

Sound. A deep and foreboding voice in your ear, whispering the dirtiest things you could ever imagine, you softly moaning against his chest as his fingers… his fingers…

“Ugh.”

Just like that the memory is gone, leaving you even more frustrated but also turned on. What and who did this to you? You groan softly and go to rub your temples, a wave of nausea washing over you as the after effects of your night out begin to hit you for the first time since waking up. You couldn't remember the last time you’d gotten this drunk. Yes you could, two years ago during the weekend that Marcus proposed. He had booked this gorgeous resort in Barbados for the two of you with a private pool overlooking the beach. The night he'd asked you, the two of you had gotten so drunk you ended up running down to the beach, stripping down to nothing but your bra and panties, jumped into the ocean & then the two of you…

Your eyes widened instantly at the thought, your heart drop down to your stomach.

Oh. Oh god no… Amani Jade please tell me you didn’t…

That nausea from earlier began to creep up once again. You knew you had to look, but you didn’t want to. After a few moments, several deep breaths, and inner monologue pep talks, you psych yourself up just enough to do it. You released a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding and slowly lifted the comforter and gazed down at your body.

Fuck. Me.

It was bad enough that you were as naked as the day you came into the world, but from the look of things, whatever you got into last you had a pretty good time doing it. Your eyes moved down your body, navigated by the trail of small purple marks decorating your lower half. There was one just above your collarbone and one dead center between the valley of your breasts, thankfully blending into your sternum tattoo. One hiding just under your left nipple, two on your stomach, two or three up the side of your hip bone just near your tattoo, and several scattered along your inner thighs.

Shit, shit, shit. What the fuck Ani? You’ve only been newly single for all of three days and this is how you decide to celebrate? By getting shit faced and letting some random dick cover you in hickies?!?!

You ignored your body practically screaming for you to be still and move into a seated position in the bed, hand raised to shield you from any amount of sunlight creeping in. A soft hiss left your mouth as your bare back pressed against the cold wooden headboard. On sheer instinct you grabbed the sheet from the bed and pulled it up to cover your body.

Oh, now we wanna be modest. It’s a little too late for that don’t you think?

You looked over to your left, expecting to find your phone on the nightstand charging, alongside your iPad with the light purple leather cover and your glasses. But your phone’s not there, neither is your purple leather covered iPad or your glasses.

Oh no. No no no no...

You looked around the room, a quiet gasp leaves your mouth upon the realization: this was not your room.

In fairness, after spending nearly two decades on the road there gets a point where all the hotels room you've stayed in all begin to blend together. But no matter what you were always, ALWAYS, able to tell which was your room and which wasn’t. And this was NOT your room. None of your things were here. Your gym bag with your backup ring gear for last night wasn’t laid out on the couch near the window. Your laptop wasn’t sitting open on the desk just as you had left it before leaving. There was no makeup or various hair products stretched out along the top of dresser, and your lavender carry-on and backpack wasn't not tucked away in the corner by the settee.

This wasn’t your room. It was the same hotel, but a completely different room. What you did notice was your purse, your dress and your heels from last night alongside a very large set of men’s clothes creating a trail starting at the door and led towards the foot of the bed.

You also couldn’t help but notice that there were not one…

not two…

BUT THREE shiny, reflective, and OPEN gold foil packets tossed along the ground and nightstand.

Three? Goddamn Ani… I mean, at least you were safe right? That has to count for something… right?

You groaned and brought your knees up to your chest, placing your head atop them as you tried yet again to remember what happened last night.

Come on Ani, I need you to think. What exactly happened from leaving the club to getting back to the hotel that got you here? How did you get back? Who did you ride with?? Please tell me he was at least hot and very well-endowed.

Stadium. Club. Dancing. Shots. Bye bye ring… blank space.

Stadium. Club. Dancing. Shots. Bye bye ring… nothing.

Stadium. Club. Dancing. Shots. Bye bye ring… nada.

“Ugh. This is a nightmare.”

This wasn’t like you, you were not this kind of girl. Sure, you had a couple hookups here and there in your early twenties, but you outgrew that! You were a grown-up now, and grown-ups don't do nothing so crazy that you can’t remember it the next day! And they especially don’t hook up with random strangers while technically on a goddamn work trip!!

Through all the emotional and mental chaos currently going on in your mind, you felt a sense of heaviness across your pelvis. For the first time since waking up you noticed the very large, very muscular, and very tatted arm stretched across your stomach. The sound of soft snores filled the once quiet room, like a faint rasp blending seamlessly with the stillness of the moment. You took a breath, held it, and slowly turned your head to the left. You couldn't see a face, rather a large figure sleeping peacefully, engulfed in the warmth of the hotel linen.

You went to move your hand to remove the blanket, a low grumble stopped you dead in your tracks. The body under the blanket suddenly shifted and turned over on their side, their back now completely facing you, and settled after a few seconds. You froze and waited for a few seconds for the sound of soft breathing to know they were still asleep. You hadn’t the slightest idea what you would say to if he were. It had been a long time since you’d had a one-night stand and weren’t really sure if the rules were still the same.

Do you start with a “hi” or “Good Morning random dude?” Do you thank Mr. Random Dick for the sex? Could you possibly try and sneak out before they wake up?? Like, what was the standard practice and protocol here??

Once you were absolutely sure he was asleep you gripped the blanket and slowly pulled it away, revealing your mystery dick and his giant back. You gasped loudly and practically jumped up off the bed and right onto the plush carpeted floor, landing hard on your ass with a heavy thud.

“Ah, son of a bitch!” you shrieked, wincing at the pain of the impact.

You ignored the immediate pain and sprung up to peek over the bed, your eyes peering over the edge of the mattress as Mr. Random Dick on the bed started to wake up. He groaned and moaned, stretching his body out as if he’d just been awoken from a long deep hibernation. You couldn’t move, all you could do was sit there like a weirdo, buck naked on the carpet watching him. He sat up and stretched yet again, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. You watched as every single muscle on his back spasmed and flexed from the movement.

But your eyes were fixated on just one thing: his back. His back had looked like he’d gone ten rounds with a mountain lion and lost. Indents in the shape of crescents decorated the back of his shoulders while the sides of his back were painted in streaks of pink and red. Some welts looked like the result of being hit with something multiple times, others looked like the result of fingernails being dragged down his skin. But your eyes couldn't help but keep going to the giant piece of art that was etched into the center of his back.

From afar someone could easily mistake it as just a standard skull tattoo, but up close it revealed something more. The skull made way for the inside art, resembling that of a dark grim reaper.

You’ve seen that grim reaper before. Many times in fact.

I mean why wouldn’t you? After all, the two of you worked together.

And up until about ten months ago, you had considered him to be one of your closest and dearest friends.

His eyes began to open and you quickly ducked your head back down, pressing your back to the carpet and covering your face with your hands like that would actually hide you in this moment.

This was a joke. This had to be a joke.

Some sick, twisted, perverted version of a prank that the universe was playing on you. Of all the men in the world you could have slept with, all the random dick being slung around desperately begging to be some woman's drunken mistake... why did your drunken mistake have to be with him?!?!

The room had gone a little too quiet for your liking so you peeked through your fingers, gasping as his head emerged from over the edge of bed to look down at you. His dark brown eyes widened in shock at you lying on the floor of his room; naked, disheveled, and covered in purple marks.

“Oh my god-,” he trailed off, the panic and exhaustion seeping to the surface. His voice cracked slightly, the usual confidence he exhumed nowhere to be found.

“Amani?”

You tried to avoid his gaze, but couldn't look anywhere but his eyes. You slowly released the breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding all this time, your voice soft and slightly shaky as you spoke.

“Hey Damian.”

Tag List:

@beibigirl124 @bonni-98 @bossbitch-22 @queencherryberry @blueblazezz @mzv11 @theworldofotps @eringobragh420 @babiidee28 @jstarr86 @madhatterbri @southerngirl41 @abadbitchblogs @retro-rezz-the-est @shamaness11 @damiansgoodgirll @rootedinrevisions @thedeboniardevistation @lavitabella87 @kultklassickiller @chaneajoyyy @yana3sworld @writinglionqueen @gold--gucciempress @sassymox @msbigredmachine @terrortwinunicorn @cookiebelle @flawlessglamazon @wrestlingbabe @adriennegabriella @joy-of-life88 @daniiwrites @glitterquadricorn @lorena26 @ambreignsfan4life @jazzy-tzw @emjayewrites @ramp-it-up @mauvecherie-writes @trippinsorrows @simplymyself29 @beas-mind @disc0fairy @wrestlingprincess80 @misskukinz95

@joannasteez @hotmessexpressssss @queenofthearchitect @queenoftheworldisdead @msnikkimoneypenny @ms-wwe @skyesthebomb @chaneajoyyy

#cara mara fics #damian priest #damian priest fanfiction #damian priest fanfic #damian priest imagine #damian priest x reader #damian priest smut #damian priest x female reader #wwe damian priest #wwe fanfiction #just friends #black writers #damian priest x oc #damian priest x black reader #wwe imagine #wwe fic

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billboard-hotties-tourney · 7 months ago

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Okay, folks, the mini-tourney is inching closer to the finals, so I'm going to give a list of the competitors in the Miss Billboard Tourney in order to give everyone a chance to submit more propaganda. The nominees are:

Lale Andersen

Marian Anderson

Signe Toly Anderson

Julie Andrews

LaVerne Andrews

Maxene Andrews

Patty Andrews

Ann-Margret

Joan Armatrading

Dorothy Ashby

Joan Baez

Pearl Bailey

Belle Baker

Josephine Baker

LaVern Baker

Florence Ballard

Brigitte Bardot

Eileen Barton

Fontella Bass

Shirley Bassey

Maggie Bell

Lola Beltran

Ivy Benson

Gladys Bentley

Jane Birkin

Cilla Black

Ronee Blakley

Teresa Brewer

Anne Briggs

Ruth Brown

Joyce Bryant

Vashti Bunyan

Kate Bush

Montserrat Caballe

Maria Callas

Blanche Calloway

Wendy Carlos

Cathy Carr

Raffaella Carra

Diahann Carroll

Karen Carpenter

June Carter Cash

Charo

Cher

Meg Christian

Gigliola Cinquetti

Petula Clark

Merry Clayton

Patsy Cline

Rosemary Clooney

Natalie Cole

Judy Collins

Alice Coltrane

Betty Comden

Barbara Cook

Rita Coolidge

Gal Costa

Ida Cox

Karen Dalton

Marie-Louise Damien

Betty Davis

Jinx Dawson

Doris Day

Blossom Dearie

Kiki Dee

Lucienne Delyle

Sandy Denny

Jackie DeShannon

Gwen Dickey

Marlene Dietrich

Marie-France Dufour

Julie Driscoll

Yvonne Elliman

Cass Elliot

Maureen Evans

Agnetha Faeltskog

Marianne Faithfull

Mimi Farina

Max Feldman

Gracie Fields

Ella Fitzgerald

Roberta Flack

Lita Ford

Connie Francis

Aretha Franklin

France Gall

Judy Garland

Crystal Gayle

Gloria Gaynor

Bobbie Gentry

Astrud Gilberto

Donna Jean Godchaux

Lesley Gore

Eydie Gorme

Margo Guryan

Sheila Guyse

Nina Hagen

Francoise Hardy

Emmylou Harris

Debbie Harry

Annie Haslam

Billie Holiday

Mary Hopkin

Lena Horne

Helen Humes

Betty Hutton

Janis Ian

Mahalia Jackson

Wanda Jackson

Etta James

Joan Jett

Bessie Jones

Etta Jones

Gloria Jones

Grace Jones

Shirley Jones

Tamiko Jones

Janis Joplin

Barbara Keith

Carole King

Eartha Kitt

Chaka Khan

Hildegard Knef

Gladys Knight

Sonja Kristina

Patti Labelle

Cleo Laine

Nicolette Larson

Daliah Lavi

Vicky Leandros

Peggy Lee

Rita Lee

Alis Lesley

Barbara Lewis

Abbey Lincoln

Melba Liston

Julie London

Darlene Love

Lulu

Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Barbara Lynn

Loretta Lynn

Vera Lynn

Siw Malmkvist

Lata Mangeshkar

Linda McCartney

Kate McGarrigle

Christie McVie

Bette Midler

Jean Millington

June Millington

Liza Minnelli

Carmen Miranda

Joni Mitchell

Liz Mitchell

Marion Montgomery

Lee Morse

Nana Mouskouri

Anne Murray

Wenche Myhre

Holly Near

Olivia Newton-John

Stevie Nicks

Nico

Laura Nyro

Virginia O’Brien

Odetta

Yoko Ono

Shirley Owens

Patti Page

Dolly Parton

Freda Payne

Michelle Phillips

Edith Piaf

Ruth Pointer

Leontyne Price

Suzi Quatro

Gertrude Rainey

Bonnie Raitt

Carline Ray

Helen Reddy

Della Reese

Martha Reeves

June Richmond

Jeannie C. Riley

Minnie Riperton

Jean Ritchie

Chita Rivera

Clara Rockmore

Linda Ronstadt

Marianne Rosenberg

Diana Ross

Anna Russell

Melanie Safka

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Samantha Sang

Pattie Santos

Hazel Scott

Doreen Shaffer

Jackie Shane

Marlena Shaw

Sandie Shaw

Dinah Shore

Judee Sill

Carly Simon

Nina Simone

Nancy Sinatra

Siouxsie Sioux

Grace Slick

Bessie Smith

Mamie Smith

Patti Smith

Ethel Smyth

Mercedes Sosa

Ronnie Spector

Dusty Springfield

Mavis Staples

Candi Staton

Barbra Streisand

Poly Styrene

Maxine Sullivan

Donna Summer

Pat Suzuki

Norma Tanega

Tammi Terrell

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big Mama Thornton

Mary Travers

Moe Tucker

Tina Turner

Twiggy

Bonnie Tyler

Sylvia Tyson

Sarah Vaughan

Sylvie Vartan

Mariska Veres

Akiko Wada

Claire Waldoff

Jennifer Warnes

Dee Dee Warwick

Dionne Warwick

Dinah Washington

Ethel Waters

Elisabeth Welch

Kitty Wells

Mary Wells

Juliane Werding

Tina Weymouth

Cris Williamson

Ann Wilson

Mary Wilson

Nancy Wilson

Anna Mae Winburn

Syreeta Wright

Tammy Wynette

Nan Wynn

Those in italics have five or more pieces of usable visual, written, or audio propaganda already. If you have any visuals like photos or videos, or if you have something to say in words, submit it to this blog before round one begins on June 25th!

If you don't see a name you submitted here, it's because most or all of their career was as a child/they were too young for the cutoff, their career was almost entirely after 1979, or music was something they only dabbled in and are hardly known for. There are quite a few ladies on the list whose primary career wasn't "recording artist" or "live musician," but released several albums or were in musical theater, so they've been accepted.

#long post #miss billboard tourney #i wasn't originally going to list them all but i decided to do so because there are so many without propaganda

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kinomorebi · 3 months ago

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a study in how your muse carries emotion.

BOLD whatever applies | ITALICS what sometimes applies | STRIKETHROUGH what doesn't apply.

Kyrie Santos

Anger. jaw clenching, hands balling into fists, teeth grinding, yelling, going nonverbal, stuttering speech, rushed speech, slow concise speech, rambling, quiet, arms crossing, shaking head, tearing up, animated, expressionless, projects, internalizes, vents, withdraws, tighter movements, passive aggressive, direct, physical outbursts, verbal outbursts.

Joy. easy smiles, fighting back grins, suppressed laughter, loud laughter, giggles, chuckling, smirks, whole body laughs, covers mouth when laughing or giggling, throws head back when laughing, slaps leg, touches people around them when laughing, looks down when laughing, looks for eye contact when laughing, sparkling eyes, bubbly happiness, quiet subtle happiness, obnoxious happiness, wants to spread joy, quietly savors joy.

Sadness. crying, bottling it up, seeks distractions, wallows, meditates and processes, avoidance, seeks out comfort, withdraws, swallowing thickly, talks it out, internalizes it, sad smiles, depression naps, seeks out sources of joy, fidgets with sentimental item, sits in silence, broods, gets moody, wants someone to share the misery, tries to hide negative emotions, nurtures others to make themselves feel better.

Fear. trembling, crying, sarcasm or sass to cope, rambles, goes silent, gets angry, fidgeting, impatience, clenching jaw, picking at nails, chewing at lip, pulling at clothes, adjusting jewelry or clothing, fidgeting with hair, swallowing thickly, eyes widening, over-reacts, under-reacts, calm, logical, panic, irrational, overthinks, carefully analyzes, talks to themselves, breathing exercises, flight, fight, withdraw, fawn.

tagging: @nightmarefuele , @petitsdieu , @deficd , @tracingink , @sceyth

#kyrie | 𝘈𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.#kyrie | cs.

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uummyuu · 1 year ago

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de los santos romantic headcanons

ask and you shall receive, fair warning there's a slight bit of nsfw/suggestive themes in these so if you're not too comfortable with that i suggest skipping this for now (nsfw stuff is in italics so you can scroll past it easier)

this man literally towers over everyone and his s/o is no exception, santos was practically born to have a size kink.

wants to be your strong protector, the type who would literally shelter you from the rain with his body. but you know that his strong side was only one of the many facets of his personality.

aligned with his protective nature he tends to keep your relationship a secret from the press, his profession is known for attracting unwanted attention and honestly he just wants to live a comfortable life with you.

your relationship is the greatest source of comfort to him, it's so hard when he needs to fly to different locations for away games and where he can't just fall into your arms after a long day (especially when he loses).

as much as his team is his family, you've become his home. he's extremely vulnerable when it comes to knowing where he belongs, he's already lost his hometown so what now? your love is the one thing he can proudly own and he'll do anything to keep it.

on the topic of loss, when his team faces a devastating (and i mean devastating as in they're officially out of the running for the super league cup) the one thing he needs is your comfort. physically and mentally just be there for him because god knows he can't be there for himself.

in spite of how big he is sometimes he just wants to hide in your arms y'know

his mindset just becomes very pliant and he really doesn't feel like thinking or reflecting too hard, very much a service top when he's like this. use him however you wish in this state, it turns him on and takes his mind off of things.

loves focusing on making his s/o feel good, with his size he's scared of hurting you too much but you definitely knew what you were getting into when you started dating him so go wild bestie.

surprisingly weak during sex, make him lay down on the bed and ride him hard so that all he can do is sit still and take it, his brain easily becomes a pile of mush and all he can focus on is how good you feel around him.

play with his pecs and leave hickeys all over his neck he wants to be yours and feel claimed in every sense of the word.

aftercare is the one time he'll let you place his care above yours, gently run your hands through his hair and tell him how good you felt, it makes him melt inside.

morning after sex is a totally different thing though, santos also loves positions where he can keep you close to him. so the moment you and him wake up you'll be seated on his lap and on his cock, chest-to-chest as he grinds into you while kissing you senseless. think of it as him saying thanks for taking care of him last night <33

(cough cough breeding kink)

in conclusion i present to you mexican puppy man who just wants to be loved and to belong

also if his package down there disables you the following day he will proudly carry you around everywhere, literally glows with pride when he does this you can't get mad at him for it.

#myu writes 🌸#supa strikas #supa strikas headcanons #supa strikas de los santos #de los santos x reader #hi im back on my de los santos bullshit c:#hello supablr i will get to my other asks asap #more x reader content and hc's coming huhu

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spaghettificationandpretzels · 2 years ago

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Oh, Hello

Mayans MC Masterlist

Part one of A Gentle Kind of Love.

Contains: Fluff, mutual pining, angst (endless longing and hints at a dark backstory, ) slow burn, flashbacks in italics.

6K words

Comment if you want to be tagged/removed or follow #a gentle kind of love.

"When I saw you, it was quiet for the first time in recent memory."

You put your hand on your face, your side aching from laughter, "no Angel, despite what the TV shows tell you, we can't diagnose children with psychopathy, we have to wait until they're adults."

Angel huffed, "then what do they have?"

Manny waved his hand, "you told me this the other day, it's a conduct disorder."

You smiled, "that's right, you remembered."

Manny smiled, his eyes filled with cheer, "well sweetheart, everything you say is interesting so of course I remember." You felt a wave of embarrassment come over you. Just because you weren't going to give it away doesn't mean you weren't overwhelmed with shyness at the handsome Mayan's praise.

"I'm going to get myself some water, you guys want anything?"

Manny smiled, "a beer please Tesoro."

You walked over to the bar and Angel leaned close to his brother and spoke just loud enough for Manny to hear, "oh y/n, you're so smart, please let me touch your tits."

Manny huffed, "shut up man, just because I listen doesn't mean I want in her pants."

Angel smiled, "you don't just want in her pants, you want to make sweet, sweet love to her because you're all goo goo eyed."

Manny slapped his chest, "shut up, she's coming back." You handed the beer to Manny with a smile, not too long ago, you never would have thought this would be how you'd be spending every weekend.

You had been in Santo Parde for two months when you saw him on the street."Cruz, is that you?" You recognise those tattoos anywhere, Coco turned his head and broke out in a run towards you, leaving his friends behind to watch on as he wrapped you in his arms.

"What are you doing here?"

You smiled, "settling down, I had to trade off the blazing heat for the humidity but I got sick of the rain making my head hurt. How are you going?"

Coco smiled, "better, I'm six months clean."

You hugged him again, "that's wonderful news Coco, I'm so happy for you."

His friends wandered over, "are you going to introduce us to your friend Coco?" You smiled and stuck out your hand, "I'm y/n, it's a pleasure to meet you."

The tall man smiled and accepted your hand, "I'm Angel, and this is my younger and much less handsome brother EZ."

Coco huffed, "don't even think about it man."

Angel raised his hands, "I wasn't doing anything, how did you two meet?"

Your faces fell, "oversea, I'm a trauma counsellor and went over there to help out, I work mainly with kids."

Coco smiled, "yeah, I think she spent more time giving us therapy than the kids."

You shook your head, "just thanking you for keeping me safe."

He laughed, "until you weren't."

You nodded, "yeah, that wasn't part of the plan."

EZ's brows wrinkled, "wait, you're that y/n?"

You smiled, "you been talking about me Cruz?"

Coco smiled, "just telling them how cool you are."

You shook your head, "it was nice to meet you two, I better be getting back home or my cats are going to kill me."

You did your best to avoid the Clubhouse parties on the weekends, too many loud noises and too many loud people but their sad faces every time you turned them down finally made you cave. It didn't take long for you to warm to everyone but Manny was a different story, the first time you met eyes, it was like you had known him your whole life.

You walked in and looked around, the Clubhouse was nice enough. It smelt like booze and smoke and sex and the music was just loud enough to be annoying. Coco stayed close as he took you around to his brothers, each one smiling softly as you introduced yourself.

"Is that everyone?"

Coco shook his head, "nah, Manny and Riz are out, they'll be back soon." You sat with him and Angel, talking about what you thought of the town,

"So Coco tells me you're some kind of fancy Dr lady."

You rolled your eyes, "I have a PhD in psychology, not that fancy."

Angel smiled and turned his head, "hey golden boy, you've got some competition."

Coco huffed, "sorry about him, EZ's the brains of our operation."

You shook your head, "I'm sure you cope just fine." A door opened and Coco stood up and waved the man over. You looked him over, he was tall, with long hair and a soft face.

"That's Riz."

You accepted his extended hand, "it's nice to finally meet you y/n, Coco's said a lot."

"Where's Manny?"

Riz shrugged, "refuelling, he'll be in soon." Riz went off to deal with something else and you, Coco and Angel settled into an easy conversation, that was until the door opened again.

Time slowed as the man walked in, he was tall too, maybe a little taller than everyone else and lean, his long neck made to look even longer by the block letters inked on it. He walked over at Coco's raised hand, a charming smile on his face.

You stood up and he came closer, "I'm Manny." He took your offered hand, his skin was warm and rough, carved from years of manual labour, the rings in his fingers cold against your flesh as he squeezed gently.

"Oh, hello Manny, I'm y/n."

He smiled and said your name like he was tasting it, "hi y/n." His voice was the perfect mix of gravel and soft and you wished you could crawl into his long arms and fall asleep to the sound of it.

"I know EZ is short for Ezekiel, is Manny short for Emmanuel?"

He smiled, he liked the sound of his name coming out of your mouth, "yes ma'am."

You had known everyone for three weeks when pulled Bishop and Coco aside early one night before things got busy, "I want to cook dinner for everyone. You've all been so welcoming to me and I want to say thank you."

Coco nodded aggressively, "fuck yeah."

Bishop glanced at him, "are you going to let me have a say, this is my charter."

Coco looked at Bishop like he had three heads, "you have to try her cooking man, she could turn an MRE into a feast. We'll all be there at six thirty."

Bishop smiled with a shake of his head, "thank you, we'll be happy to take you up on your offer."

You smiled, "wonderful, just make sure everyone texts me about their allergies and come hungry."

You had planned the dinner for six thirty but Manny, Angel and Coco showed up at four. When you opened the door, Coco lifted a box filled with cans and bottles, "you know, I bought booze for tonight.."

Coco smiled, "we wanted to help out."

You sighed, "so I'll feed you before dinner or because you want credit?"

Coco walked in and tossed off his shoes, the others following, "both."

You shook your head, "alright, it's going to be a lot of work so I hope you're ready."

You walked them into the kitchen, Manny looked around, a curious look on his face, "where are your kitties?"

You pointed towards the back, "in the sunroom because I'm cooking. I'm feeling pretty unloved here, no 'how was your day y/n, what are you cooking?' you went right to the cats."

Manny shrugged, "your cats are cool."

You huffed, "well, you can see them once we're done here."

You explained what you needed them to do , "why does Manny get to do the icing while we're stuck cutting onions and chillies?"

You rolled your eyes, "because I know he has the self control not to eat it."

Manny smiled, "I won't disappoint you."

Angel and Coco shared a look, "this food better be worth my onion tears."

Coco chuckled, "trust me mano, it is."

They were actually quite helpful, although Angel couldn't cook for shit but he was a fast study, "you sure they'll be enough for us to take some home?"

You giggled, "yes, Coco, for the fourth time, unless everyone eats their weight in food, there will be enough for everyone to take leftovers."

The other arrived right on six thirty, Creeper pushing his way in, "are the cats out?"

You sighed, "Manny and Angel are with them in the sunroom." Riz smiled like he was going to ask you a question, "yes, you can meet them too, I think Lady Midnight will like you."

You had to bang on the door to get them to come out for dinner, "please stop making out with my cats and come and eat."

They left the sunroom with smiles on their faces, "they are very cute." You were right Lady Midnight liked Riz.

"I know, you should see them all curled up in a cuddle puddle. Is everyone ready to eat now?"

"Fuck yeah, it smells great." Bishop had already sat at the long oval table in the middle of the small dining room.

"We helped."

You smiled, "yes Coco, you, Manny and Angel were great helpers." The start of the diner was quiet, the only sound was people asking what they were eating, "good?"

Someone moaned, "mmm ah ha."

Angel swallowed his bite and put another one on his fork, "better than sex."

You laughed, "I don't know whether that was a compliment or you just told on yourself."

There was a burst of laughter and Hank tapped the table in humour, "oh, I like you."

Sadly, there wasn't much left over by the time dessert came, "you said there would be extra."

You shrugged, "sorry EZ, helpers get first dibs. Maybe there'll be dessert to take home, if there's any left."

There wasn't, they all left with full bellies, yawning and talking about doing this again. Manny lingered, helping you clean up, "you didn't need to stay behind, I have a dishwasher for when I have people over."

He smiled, "just because they're happy to be fed and leave doesn't mean I am, I had to thank you for doing so much work."

You smiled, "what a gentleman, or is it so we can pig out on the secret cake you saw me hide in the back of the fridge?"

He smiled, "you got me."

You sighed, "wipe down the table please, I'll go warm us up a slice."

"Are you coming to the party this Friday?" Manny was leaning in your kitchen doorway, helping you make soup for Coco who was hauled up in bed with the flu. You had promised him extras if he helped you take it to him and that had turned into him spending the day assisting you.

"Yes, I don't have anything else better to do."

He smiled, "come on, a beautiful woman like you? I'm sure you could find someone to take you out?"

You smiled, "if you mean homicide then yes but I don't have people lining up at my door unless it's for food or cat cuddles."

A cat scream and soft paws landing on his knee stopped him from disagreeing with you, "little perv."

Manny laughed, "it's not his fault you don't have a beard for him to lick."

You smiled as Manny picked up the cat, "don't listen to her Mr Butts, you have good taste."

You shook your head, the cat rubbing his face on Manny's cheek, "can you put that little attention whore down and come and help me."

Manny smiled, "sorry little buddy, duty calls."

He opened up the cupboard with a smile, "I still can't believe you live in a fairyland cottage."

You shook your head with a smile, "life has to have some whimsy or it's sad and boring."

"Welcome to my home, please remove your shoes and no smoking inside."

Manny and Creep looked around, "gee, this place is nice."

You smiled, "thank you. I got it for a steal because it was in such a shit condition. I had to knock down three rooms but that gave me extra room for my garden. Everything was finished like a day after I arrived, I'm just grateful people do consults online."

"How many bedrooms?"

You pointed to the hallway, "two but I use the smaller one as a library, the couch pulls out if anyone needs to stay over."

Manny's hand grazed the hanging plant on the wall, "I saw a sun room when we drove in, that must be nice."

You nodded, "the best, but the cats love it more that I do."

"MEEEEEEEOOOOOWWW."

"Speaking of, that would be Mr Butterscotch, he has a thing for beards."

Creep smiled, "you have a cat?"

You nodded, "three, they're all in the sunroom now, a lot of people don't like cats so I tend to keep them away when I have people over."

Manny and Creep looked at each other, "let em out, we like cats."

Manny nodded in agreement, "cats are great."

You walked away to let them out with a shake of your head, "alright then, Mr Butterscotch will lick you, it won't be fun."

Manny waved his hand, "it can't be that bad."

The rush of little feet had them smiling from ear to ear and they crouched down to greet the tiny creatures, "who's who?"

You pointed to the small black one, "that's Lady Midnight, she's very sweet but kinda judgy. The one rolling over is Sir Fluffernutter, pats only end when he says they do and if you stop before then he will bite you."

Many laughed as the last cat climbed up his shirt, "I'm guessing this is Mr Butterscotch?"

You nodded, "yep, little perv." Creep wasn't paying attention, rather, he had one hand on Lady Midnight's head and the other scratching Sir Fluffernutter's chest.

"Are they always this friendly?"

You nodded, "yes, Creep, they are. Now that you've met my cats, what brings you to my house?"

It was late afternoon, the sun was dropping in the sky, a pleasant wind picking. You had come to the Clubhouse to help set up early that Friday, the day free of work because of a burst pipe in your office building. You were carrying the cups from the sink to the cupboard on the other end of the bar with Gilly's help, Taza sitting at the bar drinking.

"So what happened?" Gilly seemed genuinely interested.

You sighed, "it's a whole mess. I was in the middle of a session when I heard this bang and Penelope came rushing in with her patient. The ceiling in her room fell in, we're insured and we have a spare room but we've been kicked out till the builder can come tomorrow and see if it's safe."

Taza put his beer down, "who's Penelope again?"

You smiled, "we met at a conference, her main job is helping with missing person cases but she does individual and group grief counselling three days a week. We decided to start working together when I moved here but we've been friends for years."

"Do your work with adults?"

You shrugged, you hoped this was Gilly leading into asking for help for his combat trauma, "yes and no, we both work with parents and I sometimes talk to adults about trauma in their childhood but that's alongside their adult therapist. Having said that, I did a lot of adult stuff overseas and my door is always open."

He swallowed and averted his eyes, "that's really good."

Manny walking in pulled your attention away, you waved to him and he trotted over, his face split by a grin, "you're here early?"

You nodded "yep, burst pipe, I'm out of the office until they say it's safe."

Manny's face filled with concern, "is everyone ok, what are you and Garcia going to do in the meantime?"

Gilly and Taza looked at each other, sharing a knowing smile, "we're all ok. One of the families waiting for their appointment is part owner of a building company. He can't help but his partner in Oakland can, he's coming to check it out tomorrow and we'll go from there. We should be alright to use other rooms but if not, there are spaces we can rent."

Manny smiled softly, "if you need any help cleaning up, I'm happy to volunteer."

He looked at Gilly and Taza, his eyebrows slightly up, Gilly filled in the silence, "yeah, sure, we'll help too."

You smiled, "thank you gentlemen."

"What's everyone talking about?" You rolled your eyes at Angel's voice.

"Hello Angel."

He smiled, "you're here early?"

You nodded, "yes, a pipe burst at the office so I thought I'd come by and help everyone set up."

Angel sucked in his tongue, "well, we're all happy to have you here, hanging around." His eyes were stuck on Manny.

"MANNY, YOU LEFT YOUR WRENCH OUT AGAIN."

Manny rolled his eyes, "it's not my wrench, I better go sort this out." he sighed and left, leaving you with Angel, Gilly and Taza.

"What was that?" You shrugged at Angel's question.

"What was what?"

Angel smirked, "you got this dreamy look on your face." He clasped his hands in front of him and batted his eyes, "oh Manny you're so handsome."

You picked up the towel and hit his chest with it, "shut up dude."

Gilly smiled, "you do look at him, at lot."

Your eyes wrinkled in confusion and barely there indignity, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you do, you've been looking at him like that since the day you saw him in the ring beating the shit out of that Yuma guy who was up Chanche's ass."

You hadn't been in town long, Coco had convinced you to visit the Clubhouse on the Sunday after your first party and see the place in the light of day. "It's much nicer without all the people here."

Coco smiled, "yeah, it's nice. Lettie is excited to see you again and Hope's here."

You smiled back, "I can't wait, lead the way."

Coco walked you to where Lettie was standing, next to her was a woman you imagined was Hope. She offered you a smile and a handshake, "you must be y/n, Coco and Lettie are so happy that you decided to settle down here."

You and Hope got along like a house on fire, ganging up on Coco with Lettie as he stood there in embarrassment. A commotion pulled everyone's attention, Bishop was standing between Manny and the Yuma Mayan who had come to bring the last of Manny's stuff from the garage. You caught the tail end of the conversation, Bishop telling them the handle it in the ring, then shirts were coming off and fists were being taped.

Angel wandered over and invited everyone to watch, "why do I want to watch Manny hit a stranger?"

Angel smiled, "long story, he deserves it." The small group walked over to the octagon, Manny was looking at the man with what could only be called hatred. But you were looking at him, his back was covered in the Mayan patch, his muscles firm under his skin.

The fight was over fast, Manny was quick, the other member no match for his long limbs and fast hands. Angel cleared his throat next to you, "you enjoying yourself?"

You stuttered, "umm, he's very good at that."

Angel smirked, "sure, you know we all noticed that you spent most of the other night with him and he's usually face deep in someone by nine."

You rubbed your face, "I'm new and I'm Coco's friend, he was probably just being nice."

Angel gave you a strange look, "if you say so."

You were in the storeroom packing the extra beer away when Manny walked in, "you need a hand?"

You smiled, "sure, how have you been?"

He smiled back and started packing the shelves, "good, what about you?"

You broke down the box and threw it towards the door, "I've been great. You didn't need to help me."

Manny huffed, "well I wanted to, and look, we're already done."

You walk out of the storeroom only to be greeted by a smiling Coco, "what man?"

He chuckled, "nothing, I've just thought packing shelves was for prospects."

"Not when it's y/n doing it."

You jumped, Angel had come from nowhere, "dude, where did you come from?"

He shook his head, "I saw you two coming out of the backroom and I figured you had some fun, it's a shame you were only doing bitch work."

You shook your head, "shut up, both of you. Manny was just being helpful."

Coco raised his eyebrow, "sure."

Manny's eyes kept glancing toward the door, "she's late."

Angel shrugged, "she probably had to stay back with one of her patients. Chill man, it's not like she's fucking some dude or something." Angel was right, you were only an hour late but Manny didn't wait for you, when you walked in, he had a woman in his lap and a smile on his face.

He might have missed how your shoulders fell when you saw it, but no one else did. "Hey y/n, how was work?"

You smiled softly, "good, long but it was good. What about you?"

Bishop smiled, "the same old, fixing bikes and dealing with these shitheads." You missed the way his eyes moved to Manny when he said that, "you seem sad?"

You shook your head, "nah, it's just been a long day."

You cast your eyes away as Manny looped his arm around the woman's back and took her into the dorms, an idea had Bishop smiling, "have you met our new prospect?"

You shook your head, "it's news to me." He took you over to the man in the prospect kutte, he had been a hang around for a while so you did know him.

"Hello Raul, the kutte suits you."

He smiled, "thanks y/n, can I buy you a drink?" You thought for a moment, pining after Manny wasn't doing you any good and while Raul was a poor substitute, he do to quell your growing need for human contact.

"I'll take a cream soda if you have them."

He smiled, "I think we do, Hank likes them."

He handed the old fashioned bottle to you with a charming smile, "thank you Raul."

You lost track of time talking to Raul, it was late at night when you were heading home, just as you were saying goodbye with a hug, Manny walked out and saw it, from his angle, it looked a lot warmer than it was. Manny sat down next to Angel who sighed, "looks like you missed your chance Mano." Manny shrugged, pining over you wasn't doing him any good anyway.

The distance between to two of you only grew with time, he stopped waiting for you on party night and he stopped saving you a seat at more formal get togethers, you would walk into the Clubhouse and find him with another woman, seemly filled with joy that she got to bag the talk of the town that night. So you would find the prospect and spend your night with him, it was easier than answering everyone's questions about why you looked so sad or why you weren't talking like you used to.

Tonight's party was much louder than normal, you did your best to cope with the yelling and the loud music but it was getting to you. Raul seemed to notice your discomfort, "you wanna head to the dorm? It's kinda loud here and I can't hear myself think."

You smiled, "alright." You knew what you were getting into but judging by the noises coming out of Manny's room, he was busy making someone's night.

EZ and Coco watched you go, "so that's it I guess."

Coco shook his head, "nah, he's not her type. I doubt they're going to do more than talk."

EZ cocked his head towards the door, "it's getting really loud, I got to go check on Sally."

Coco nodded, "I'll come with."

"You're not serious?"

Raul nodded, "I'm so serious, as serious as serious can be."

You laughed, "wow being a prospect kinda sucks."

He smiled, "it's not so bad with you here, they're nice to me when you're around."

You huffed, "I've mastered the art of the mum lecture." He chuckled then burst into full blown laughter when the sound of Bishop singing to Elvis floated through the walls.

As the laughter faded, the air changed and you were leaning in to kiss him like your head had a mine of its own. His lips were rough but his face was smooth when your hand came up to stroke his cheek. You shoved the thoughts of Manny down into the pit of your soul and focused on his rough hand on your forearm.

You paused, putting a hand on his chest, "we should talk about some stuff before this goes any further, make sure we're on the same page."

He huffed, "yeah, talk about how you're gonna suck my dick."

You sighed and stood up, "and we're done here. It was nice spending time with you Raul but I don't think we're compatible."

His eyes went wide and he looked at the door, "if you go out there, they'll never let me live it down."

You nodded, "I know, I'm not interested in answering questions anyway so I'm gonna head out the window, my car's not far."

You climbed out of the window with little trouble, walking to your car as fast as you could. You didn't expect to hear EZ shout as you walked by his trailer, "hey y/n, I didn't see you come out the front."

You smiled, "umm, yeah. Raul isn't my type. I jumped out the window to avoid anything like this happening."

Coco got stiff, "did he.."

You cut him, "no, no. We're just better of as drinking buddies." They nodded, "I'm going to head home, my cats are missing me."

They smiled at each other and with one last pat on Sally's head, they went inside. It didn't take long for someone to pick up on the mood, Hank walking over, "what's got you two all weird?"

EZ smiled, "where's y/n?"

Hank rubbed his face, "doing the same thing Manny is, making a mistake."

Coco shook his head, "nope, she went out the window ten minutes ago."

Hank smiled, "no?"

Angel walked over, seemingly picking up on whatever was going on, "what is everyone so secretive out?"

Hank smiled, "our prospect swung and missed at the good doctor."

Angel smiled, "how do you know, she doesn't seem like the type to kiss and tell."

EZ glanced at the dorm door, "we caught her going out the window."

Angel pressed his lips together, "oh wow, that's rough. Maybe Manny…"

"What are you fucks gossiping about?"

Bishop could tell that they were planning something, "nothing pres."

He didn't buy it, "bullshit, talk."

Hank's face broke into a grin, "looks like love is still in the air between Manny and y/n."

Bishop shook his head, "grow up, you all need hobbies."

"You should have been there, she was moaning and whimpering like she hadn't been fucked in years." They all sat around and listened to Raul brag, unbeknownst to him, Manny was the only one who was in the dark about what really happened.

Angel shook his head, unimpressed that the soon to be ex prospect was lying about you "dude, we know she's hot and all but we don't want to hear about this, she's our friend."

Raul chuckled, "alright, more memories for me."

The smirk on his face had Coco ready to blow, "let's call y/n, she's on her lunch break and see if she's ok with us hearing about this."

The prospect waved his hands, "you sure you wanna do that? I don't know if the lady…."

Manny cut him off, "do it Coco, let's hear it for her." Bishop rolled his eyes, they were like little boys.

"Great, everyone be quiet, she'll only talk on speaker if she thinks it's just me and her."

He called you and you picked up on the second ring, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

Coco smiled, "I wanted to talk about the other night."

You paused, "am I on speaker?" No one made a sound.

"I'm alone, I'm in the middle of something. You wanna tell me what had you ducking out bedroom through the window?"

"Coco, we've been over this. I don't want to humiliate the poor boy."

It was hard to miss Manny's smile, "come on, it will be like old times, give me the dirt."

You sighed, "you're not going to leave this be until I talk and I want to know why."

Coco glared at Raul, "he's bragging that you two fucked, he's been going into detail."

"What?" The upset was clear in your voice and if looks to kill, Manny would have killed him five times over.

"Graphic detail."

You huffed, "I should have walked out the front and put up with the questions. The guy's an asshat Coco, I thought he was being nice to me just to be nice but turns out all he wanted was in my pants. The moment shit got heated, I tried to put on the brakes so we could talk like adults and the dude basically demanded a blow job. I can't tell you to not vote him in but if you do, I think you'll have a lot of unsatisfied women walking around."

"Wow, why didn't you say anything?" Coco knew the answer, he was trying to get you to put your foot in your mouth so this dance between you and Manny would end.

"Why do you think? I tried Coco, I really did but I don't think I'm cut out for the party lifestyle. I miss my cats and my fluffy slippers. Dude, I'm not a teenager anymore, I like my bed and not having to see… You know what. I've already said too much, please don't let this get back to anyone."

"Alright then, thanks for clearing that up."

You sighed, "no worries." You sounded sad.

"You coming this Friday?"

Manny felt his heart race, "nah, I got a tub of ice cream and a horror movie with my name on it."

Manny knew that we wouldn't be back, there was something about the way you spoke that told you he lost his chance, "well that sucks, I guess I'll have to come to your place to hang then?"

"That would be for the best, pass my love onto the guys."

They didn't see you that Friday or Saturday, nor the next week. Manny had barely said a word since that day on the phone, too deep in thought to do much. It took till church for it to come to a head, "I don't even want him prospecting anymore, he's got months left and no one can stand him."

Bishop huffed, "this isn't about him, this is about you and y/n. You've barely said a word since that phone call."

Manny scoffed, "he's a fucking disrespectful liar."

Hank sighed, "we ain't taking his patch, and you need to talk to her. We miss her and she's not going to come back until you clear the air."

Manny shook his head, "I don't see what there is to talk about, she's the one that vanished."

Coco huffed, "man, she's shy. She watched you crawl into bed with everything with a face while she sat at that bar waiting for you to notice that she came here every week for you, You really think she's coming back here after that kind of humiliation?"

Manny scoffed "bullshit man, she's being nice to me. What happened with the prospect has nothing to do with it." There was back and forth after that, a lot, enough that the volume in the room grew.

"That fucking enough!" Bishop wasn't impressed, "your petty whining isn't going to help. You think she wants you at each other's throats over her." He pointed at Coco, "go over there and see what's going on in her head, and you." Manny clenched his jaw, "be a man and handle your shit."

"Hey Coco."

He smiled and lifted the bag in his hand, "I brought your favourite."

You invited him in as he took his shoes off, "are you coming here to hang out with me, or my cats?"

Coco chuckled, "both, Lady Midnight is my best friend."

You gasped in fake offence, "what about Sir Fluffernutter, you'll break his little heart if he hears that."

"Lady Midnight doesn't bite me if I stop petting her."

You chuckled, "he's just letting you know how much he loves you."

Coco put the food down and went to get the bowls, "where have you been? We miss you."

You shrugged, "busy. I told you I'm not the partying kind."

"Meow, meooooooooooow." Coco smiled and picked up Mr Butts, "little perv."

Coco shook his head and picked the cat up, "he's sweet."

You laughed, "he's a little perv." Mr Butts started licking Coco's face while you portioned off the food.

"Why are you really here?"

"Manny."

You threw your hands up in the air, "what about him, good Lord Coco, please leave well enough alone."

He shook his head, "it ain't well enough, you two have to stop dancing around each other."

You put your hands on your hips, "Coco no, be logical for one fucking second and think about it. The man knows nothing about me, what do you think he's going to do when he gets the gory details?"

"Think you're a badass."

You put the bowls on a tray and carried them toward the table, "no he won't. He will run and hide like the rest of them, how the fuck do you even expect me to start that conversation. I'm not looking for sympathy Coco."

Coco sighed, "you want me to tell him?"

You stomped back to the kitchen to get napkins, "no fucking way. I haven't seen you in two weeks, please just drop it so we can have the food."

Coco put the cat down and sat next to you, "he's going to ask questions eventually."

You rubbed your face, "then I'll deal with it, or I'll avoid him until he loses interest."

"Alright then." You tucked into the food, hopeful that the subject was dropped.

"Are you coming back to the Clubhouse?"

You shook your head, "no, I'm not. The heat's fucking with my head anyway, I have had a migraine four days this week. Being in a place that stinks like booze, smoke and sex isn't going to help."

"The guys miss you. Poor EZ walks around like a lost puppy looking for someone to talk to about smart people shit."

You smiled softly, "well, he has plenty of smart people around him if he'd just try. You all know where I live, if they want to see me that bad, they can come here."

Coco nodded, "I guess you're right. Lettie is really interested in that course you told her about.

You smiled, "is that because of your mum or you and Hope?"

Coco tilted his head, "nah, me and Hope, I don't think she thinks about my mom any more than I do. Hope's been good for her."

"Lettie is a good kid, I don't know why you were worried about them getting along. She wants you to be happy and it's pretty apparent that Hope loves you."

He smiled, "I love her too, things are really good." His eyebrows went up, "which reminds me…"

"Coco, no. Just let me bask in your happiness. And as for Lettie, I can get her a job in my office. She'll have to start doing intake interview but if she's a good fit, Garcia can get her into group work while she studies."

Coco's face broke out into a grin, "I think she'd love that. Thank you y/n."

You were cornered at the butcher shop by Angel, "when are you coming back?"

You sighed, "not you too. I'm not, like I told Coco, you know where I live. If you want to spend time with me, then you can do it at my place."

Felipe raised his eyebrows, "son, I thought you knew better then to meddle in lady's affairs."

"See Angel, listen to your father."

Angel stopped you just as you were walking out the door, "at least come to the barbecue this weekend. Marcus will be there, Coco told everyone so much about you and he wants to meet you."

You rolled your eyes and went to respond but Angel stopped you, "Canche will be there, we all hate him after what happened in the desert, we need you for moral support."

You exhaled, "fine, but it's your fault if shit gets weird."

You must have stared at the dress for an hour before you put it on, you knew going to this thing was a mistake but Angel wasn't going to let you say no. After fixing your hair quickly, you picked up your bag and walked out the door, kissing Lady Midnight between her tall ears before you left, "don't look at me like that, I know I'm making a mistake."

Part 2

The summary line was taken for the Julien Baker poem "First Love Poem in Recent Memory"

Chapter releases are up to you.

Hearts and blank reblogs with no tags will be worth one point each.

Comments and reblogs with comments/tags will be worth two points each.

This means a maximum of 5 points per person.

Chapter two will be released after 20 points.

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grandmaera · 1 year ago

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List of Doctor Who lovers

WARNING : I've put canon lovers and shipped lovers in the list, and they come from various sources (Tumblr, Reddit, TARDIS wiki, shipping wiki, Pinterest, Deviantart, Youtube, Tiktok, ect.) Canon ones are italic, Fanon are not italic, and the ones I personally ship are bold. Enjoy !

-Susan Foreman's grandmother (1st)

-Cameca (1st)

-Jamie McCrimmon (2nd)

-Alan Turing (2nd)

-Victoria Waterfield (2nd)

-Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (2nd to 7th)

-Jo Grant (3rd)

-Romana (4th)

-Romana II (4th)

-Sarah Jane Smith (4th)

-Harry Sullivan (4th)

-The master (Missy) (2nd to present)

-Leela (3rd)

-K9 (4th)

-Nyssa (5th)

-Vislor Turlough (5th)

-Cleopatra (10th)

-Peri Brown (6th)

-Melanie Bush (6th)

-Grace Halloway (8th)

-Emma (9th)

-Rose Tyler (9th, 10th)

-Jack Harkness (9th, 10th)

-Sherlock Holmes (9th, 10th)

-Donna Noble (10th)

-River Song (10th to 13th)

-Amy Pond (11th)

-Rory Williams (11th)

-Yasmin Khan (13th)

-Clara Oswin-Oswald (11th, 12th)

-Fitz Kreiner (8th)

-Claudia Marwood (8th)

-Madame de Pompadour (10th)

-Martha Jones (10th)

-The TARDIS (1st to present)

-Joan Redfern (10th)

-Bernice Summerfield (7th)

-Karl Sadeghi (8th)

-Giacomo Puccini (8th)

-Scarlette (8th)

-Zafira (5th)

-Ileana de Santos (5th)

IF I MISSED ANY OF THEM FEEL FREE TO COMMENT PLZ :)

#doctor who #classic who #1st doctor #2nd doctor #3rd doctor #4th doctor #5th doctor #6th doctor #7th doctor #8th doctor #9th doctor #10th doctor #11th doctor #12th doctor #13th doctor #14th doctor #15th doctor

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thethistlegirlwrites · 4 months ago

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Tag Game: Bold What Applies/Bold OC Facts Tag

Thanks to @tildeathiwillwrite for the open tag (and @catwings-writes-things for sending this along)

Rules: bold/color in the facts that apply in the provided paragraph

I'm going to do Emmett and Rory from Thief of Hearts for this one...Also bold text applies to things that were true at the beginning of the story. Bold colored text applies to things that happen in the course of the book. (There will be one italic red that becomes untrue over the course of the book, I have to do it for the sheer hilarity of what it is)

Emmett Santos:

Rory Blake:

Some of these are complicated and there are a few that will be future things...but this was based on them in the book itself so I stuck with that!

Open tag!

#thief of hearts #emmett santos #rory blake

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apenitentialprayer · 1 year ago

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Elements of the Afro-Mass: Vestments

The inculturated [Afro-]Mass calls upon celebrants, especially the presiding priest, to wear "African" colors and garments. The priest wears a long, brightly colored shawl, and a "kepi" — a round, flat, multicolored headdress strongly associated in Brazil with the black movement and sometimes with pais-de-santo (ritual leaders) in candomblé. His assistants, other celebrants, and the dancers all wear clothing supposed to evoke "Africa" by virtue of their vibrant colors and loose, flowing fabrics. The notion that bright colors are somehow peculiarly "African" is paramount. One priest went so far as to claim that "in Europe, white symbolizes peace. Of course, it is the Pax Britannica! But we feel this is a continuation of the idea that only white can be good and peaceful. So we were very pleased to learn that in Africa, quite to the contrary, it is not white, but the combination, in harmony, of many different bright colors that represents peace. In Africa the idea is not a single, overpowering white color, but the coexistence of many colors." Often, too, the clergy and laity say that Brazilian blacks naturally prefer vibrant colors. The use of colorful garments in the inculturated Mass is among the least controversial of its ritual innovations. In part, this has to do with the lack of strong religious associations with multicoloredness. But what is more important, the leaders' desire to avoid white clothing sits well with many participants. For white —as all Brazilians know but as the framers of this Mass seem to have temporarily forgotten— happens to be the most sacred color of candomblé; too much white would, once again, raise the spectre of introducing the religion of the devil into the Mass.

- John Burdick (Blessed Anastácia: Women, Race, and Popular Christianity in Brazil, page 59). Italics original, bolded emphases added.

#Catholicism #Christianity #Mass #inculturation #symbolism #vestments #candomble

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freifraufischer · 1 year ago

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Significant WAG AA Scores under the 2022-24 Code of Points

This is not a complete list, it's a rough attempt to show where people stand. I have only included domestic meets if I have no other choice to reflect that gymnast but you should take them with a huge heaping of salt. I included a number of juniors who are Paris eligible.

Italics indicate a domestic competition subject to overscoring. Bold are scores from 2023

1 Simone Biles (USA) - 59.100 at 2023 US Classic

2 Rebeca Andrade (BRA) - 57.332 at 2022 Worlds QF

3 Melanie de Jesus dos Santos (FRA) - 56.200 at 2023 US Classic

4 Jordan Chiles (USA) - 55.833 at 2022 Worlds TF

5 Shilese Jones (USA) - 55.766 at 2022 Worlds QF

6 Jessica Gadirova (GBR) - 55.566 at 2023 Euros QF

- Jessica Gadirova (GBR) - 55.199 at 2022 Worlds AA

7 Jade Carey (USA) - 55.132 at 2022 Worlds QF

8 Alice Kinsella (GBR) - 55.065 at 2022 Worlds AA

9 Georgia Godwin (AUS) - 55.066 at 2023 Australian Champs

10 Qiu Qiyuan (CHN) - 54.932 at 2023 Asian Championships

11 Zsofia Kovacs (HUN) - 54.899 at 2023 Euros

12 Ellie Black (CAN) - 54.732 at 2022 Worlds AA

13 Alice D’Amato (ITA) - 54.500 at 2023 Euros

14 Ou Yushan (CHN) - 54.498 at the 2023 University Games

15 Leanne Wong (USA) - 54.100 at 2023 US Classic

16 Joscelyn Roberson (USA) - 54.050 at 2023 US Classic

17 Tiana Sumanasekera (USA) - 53.900 at 2023 Pan Am Champs

18 Helen Kevric (GER) - 53.900 at 2023 EYOF*

19 Hezly Rivera (USA) - 53.350 at 2023 US Winter Cup

20 Sakaguchi Ayaka (JPN) - 53.165 at 2023 University Games

21 Luo Huan (CHN) - 53.765 at 2023 University Games

22 Kaylia Nemour (ALG) - 53.731 at 2023 African Champs

23 Kieryn Finnell (USA) - 52.800 at 2023 US Classic

- Alice Kinsella (GBR) - 52.531 at 2023 Euros QF

24 Yamaguchi Sara (JPN) - 52.065 at 2023 Jr. Worlds QF*

25 Nakamura Haruka (JPN) - 51.765 at 2023 Jr. Worlds AA*

26 Ruby Pass (AUS) - 50.464 at 2023 Oceania Champs

*A junior score delivered under the FIG rules for juniors including a cap on skills at E and without some bonuses such as D dismount. It should be assumed these gymnasts would have higher AA scores if competing as seniors. US junior scoring is not subject to the same FIG rules as international scoring.

#gymnastics

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da-ill-spot · 1 year ago

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New Music: Xikano Syndicate - El Sindicato Vol. 1 LP + “5 Fingerz of Death” Music Video feat. Gruesome Twosome

I just started mt first listen of El Sindicato Vol. 1, from San Bernardino, CA based trio Xikano Syndicate. Three tracks in and I’ve already pressed rewind twice! This is their second album and it’s definitely a level up from the first one.

The LP runs for a little over an hour with 16 tracks, featuring appearances from Dirty Birdy, MC Redcloud, Noa James, Jorge Quema, Zenaloa, Blacktronica, Rob Nori and more.

Check the recently released music video for “5 Fingerz of Death” featuring the fam Gruesome Twosome. It was directed by Real Facts

youtube

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enterdcc · 5 months ago

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bold means the character is currently in use. italics means that the character is currently reserved. asterisk means that the character is taken by an admin.

adam torres

alex nunez

alli bhandari

amy peters - hoffman

anya macpherson

arlene takahashi

ashley kerwin

baaz nahir

becky baker

bianca desousa

blue chessex

campbell saunders

chantay black

chris sharpe

clare edwards

connor delaurier

craig manning

damian hayes

danny van zandt

darcy edwards

declan coyne

drew torres

dylan michalchuk

eli goldsworthy

ellie nash

emma nelson

esme song

fiona coyne

frankie hollingsworth

grace cardinal

goldi nahir

hazel aden

heather sinclair

holly j sinclair

hunter hollingsworth

imogen moreno

jack jones

jake martin

jane vaughn

jay hogart *

jenna middleton

jess martello

jimmy brooks

johnny dimarco

jonah haak

jt yorke

katie matlin

kc guthrie

kendra mason

leia chang

liberty van zandt

lola pacini

lucas valieri

manny santos

marco del rossi

marisol lewis

maya matlin

mia jones

mike dallas

miles hollingsworth

mo mashkour

owen milligan

paige michalchuk

peter stone

rasha zuabi

riley stavros

saad al'maliki

sadie rowland

sav bhandari

sean cameron

shay powers

spinner mason

terri macgregor

tiny bell

tori santamaria

tristan milligan

toby isaacs

vijay maraj

wesley betenkamp

winston chu

yael baron

zane park

zig novak

zoe rivas

#⸸ ― masterlist.#likes are ok / do not reblog

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lamilanomagazine · 8 months ago

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San Marco, a Latina una delegazione della Rete delle Città Marciane

San Marco, a Latina una delegazione della Rete delle Città Marciane. Ha fatto tappa a Latina la Peregrinatio della Lampada votiva e del Vangelo di San Marco. L'iniziativa è stata organizzata dall'amministrazione comunale, sulla base del programma del pellegrinaggio ideato dalla Rete delle Città Marciane, a cui il Comune pontino aderisce da ottobre scorso. Per l'occasione, il Vescovo di Latina, Monsignor Mariano Crociata, ha presieduto la celebrazione eucaristica nella cattedrale San Marco. L'evento è stato preceduto da un momento di accoglienza della delegazione da parte del gruppo scout Agesci Latina 1. Il rito religioso è stato animato dalla corale "San Marco", diretta dal maestro Mauro Bassi. La cittadinanza è stata invitata a partecipare all'evento, svolto alla presenza di una delegazione dei comuni della Rete delle Città Marciane che, oltre a condividere il culto del Santo Evangelista, hanno collaborato sinergicamente alla promozione culturale e turistica dei territori dell'associazione. Gli oggetti sacri, Lampada e Vangelo, provenienti dal comune di Afragola (Napoli), resteranno nel capoluogo pontino fino al 27 aprile, quando una delegazione dell'amministrazione comunale di Latina li consegnerà ad Osvaldo Congiu, sindaco di Ollastra, centro in provincia di Oristano, successiva tappa del pellegrinaggio. La presenza a Latina della delegazione della Rete delle Città Marciane, presieduta da Marco Rizzo, sindaco di Castellabate (Salerno), ha consentito al gruppo di visitare alcuni luoghi pontini dal 19 al 21 aprile. La delegazione è stata ricevuta in Comune per un saluto istituzionale da parte del sindaco Matilde Celentano, dopodiché gli ospiti sono stati accompagnati a visitare il Museo Cambellotti, dove era prevista anche la proiezione di un video sulla storia della cattedrale San Marco, messo a disposizione dalla Curia vescovile di Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno. Il gruppo è stato poi ospite del Comune di Sonnino, altro ente aderente alla Rete delle Città Marciane. Il sindaco Gianni Carroccia ha guidato la delegazione nel piccolo centro ausono per una visita al Museo delle Terre di Confine. Durante il soggiorno, gli ospiti hanno avuto la possibilità di fare visita alla Casa del Martirio di Santa Maria Goretti a Borgo Le Ferriere e di godersi il lungomare di Latina, fino al lago di Fogliano. "L'iniziativa – ha affermato il sindaco Matilde Celentano - costituisce uno scambio di esperienze finalizzate all'interesse comune, delle diverse municipalità, di promuovere i propri territori. La Rete delle Città Marciane, composta da 24 comuni, distribuiti in sette regioni d'Italia, è una realtà associativa particolarmente dinamica e ramificata, in grado di fare da cassa di risonanza agli eventi". "Con estrema soddisfazione da qualche anno facciamo parte di questa grande famiglia delle città e dei paesi che hanno come patrono San Marco – ha dichiarato il sindaco di Sonnino Gianni Carroccia – La Rete è un collegamento importante di interscambio culturale, storico e sociale. Visitare e conoscere nuove città attraverso la Lampada ed il Vangelo di San Marco è un'esperienza unica e irripetibile". "Insieme alla Rete – ha aggiunto l'assessore Andrea Chiarato, delegato dal sindaco alle attività del sodalizio - abbiamo già condiviso il 900° anniversario di Castellabate, perla del Cilento, e l'incontro con il presidente della Camera dei Deputati Lorenzo Fontana. Nei prossimi giorni saremo in Sardegna, per prendere parte all'appuntamento di Ollastra. Il tema culturale di San Marco, comune agli aderenti alla Rete che ha supportato anche la candidatura di Latina a Capitale italiana della Cultura 2026, rappresenta per il territorio pontino una grande opportunità in vista del prossimo Giubileo". "L'amministrazione comunale - ha proseguito il sindaco Celentano - guarda con interesse alla sfida del turismo religioso. Non a caso, nel dossier della candidatura di Latina a Capitale italiana della Cultura 2026, è stata prevista una programmazione, studiata insieme alla Curia Vescovile. Latina, in quanto città finalista, parteciperà alla terza edizione di 'Cantiere città', un'iniziativa di valorizzazione dei progetti della candidatura, volta alla definizione degli strumenti metodologici e al rafforzamento delle competenze già emersi nel dossier. Con 'Cantiere città avremo la possibilità di sviluppare alcune progettualità, come ad esempio quello del turismo religioso, vista anche l'imminenza dell'anno giubilare". "La tappa a Latina del pellegrinaggio – ha concluso il sindaco Celentano - sarà utile al confronto con altre realtà che perseguono la promozione del territorio anche attraverso i percorsi religiosi".... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

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kinomorebi · 5 months ago

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SEVEN DEADLY SINS : CHARACTERISTICS .BOLD whatever applies | ITALICS what sometimes applies | STRIKETHROUGH what doesn't apply

Kyrie Santos.

Lust: desire for (understanding) connection, pursuit of pleasure, emotional intelligence, obsessive, lovesick, one-night stand, seductive encounter, flirtatious conversation, erotic party, seductive attire, revealing clothing, passionate gaze, provocative makeup, sensual expressions, suggestive gestures, flirtatious smiles, lingerie, love letters, perfumes, provocative behavior, love poems, erotic art.

Gluttony: indulgence in experiences, savoring moments, hospitality, generosity, hedonism, culinary expertise, wine tasting, excessive snacking, overloaded plates, excessive portions, bloated stomachs, messy eating, greasy fingers, full tables, indulgent spreads, overflowing cups, satisfied expressions, wine bottles, can't get enough, fast food wrappers

Envy: motivation, competitive spirit, strategic planning, observational skills, bitter, rivalry contest, envious gossip, resentment-filled argument, social media jealousy, furrowed brows, clenched jaws, side-eye looks, pursed lips, tense posture, whispering behind backs, crossed arms, gossip magazines, keeping up with the Joneses, the grass is always greener, feeling inadequate.

Greed: resourcefulness, entrepreneurial spirit, negotiation, materialistic, aggressive investment, lavish spending spree, resource hoarding, get-rich-quick scheme, auction bidding war, property acquisition, piles of money, overflowing wallets, luxury items, locked safes, penny-pinching, rare collectibles, selfishness, unwillingness to share

Sloth: calmness, stress management, nonchalance, relaxation techniques, lethargic, apathetic, inactive, lazy weekend, binge-watching marathon, neglected chores, skipped workout, long nap, lounging on the couch, missed deadline, unkempt appearance, messy hair, pajamas, blankets, slippers, procrastination station, self-care routines

Pride: confidence, self-assurance, self-respect, dignity, public speaking, self-promotion, arrogant, conceited, egotistical, self-important, vain, boastful speech, puffed chest, raised chin, smug smiles, spotlight, tooting your own horn, showing off, refusing to admit mistakes, feeling entitled, personal branding, leadership development

Wrath: assertiveness, decisiveness, strength, intensity, boundary setting, courage, indignant, heated argument, road rage incident, physical altercation, angry outburst, clenched fists, glaring eyes, tense muscles, raised voices, reddened faces, aggressive gestures, stormy demeanor, intense frowns, destructive actions, broken objects, punching bag(opt for combat training), out for blood, fists, simmering anger

Tagged by: @nightmarefuele

Tagging: Uno reverse, but for the passenger princess @nightmarefuele

#kyrie | 𝘈𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.#Kyrie | CS.

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alex-the-huntress212 · 10 months ago

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"𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐄."

CHARACTER: CHASE RAIN, MENTIONS OF DEAN KING(@ycurkxng)

INFO: NIGHTMARES IN ITALICS

"𝑺𝑶𝑵 𝑶𝑭 𝑨 𝑩𝑰𝑻𝑪𝑯! 𝑫𝑶𝑵'𝑻 𝑳𝑬𝑨𝑽𝑬 𝑴𝑬!"

𝑺𝑰𝑳𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬. . .

𝑩 𝑨 𝑵 𝑮!

The sudden... sound... of a gunshot made a boy sit up in a fearful sweat. Chase looked around his apartment building, his breathing going uneven as all names in Lucifer's hell. What just happened? What in the ever loving fuck just happened?

One second, Chase was on the search for his boyfriend, trying to figure everything out. To see their plans moving forward with everything. Though, when he'd found him and begun walking together, the blue haired man didn't think it'd end up with bloodshed. Sitting in that alleyway, allowing the tears and blood to pour down onto him, Chase didn’t think any of this would happen on just a normal day.

He continued to sit with shaky breaths escaping him, looking back and forth from where he sat. A nightmare? Chase hardly had them. It felt weird to him if he ever did. But this was the first one ever since he was just a child. At least he thought so. He continued to try and even his breathing out, his eyes wide as they looked back and forth, not to anything in particular, but just in general.

Chase stood to his feet upon moving the covers away from him, shivering when his feet hit the cold grounds of the rooms floor. “Jesus… I really need to get a carpet for my room..” He mumbled tiredly, stumbling slightly as he grabbed his phone and made his way out the room. Well. At least before he went back in looking for something.

Headphones. It was somewhat quiet outside, and Chase would hate to disturb the peace. So naturally, he’d have his headphones on his head and music playing in order to keep himself calm and more relaxed after everything that happened.

He did it when he was a child. It was a habit not even Chase could break now. Looking around the blue and black colored room, the boy soon enough found his headphones. Charging, like usual. He stared down at them for a couple seconds before grabbing them and turning the Bluetooth portion of it on.

“Bluetooth Connected!” The voice inside the headphones announced, making a small smile appear across Chase’s face. He grabbed his usual jacket, eventually making his way outside and onto the balcony connected to his apartment.

At least something could keep him calm while he was here. That was a plus to everything. Chase leaned his arms on the cold railings in Los Santos, his eyes closing as music played through his ears. He took breaths in and out, allowing his chest to rise and fall in a relaxing manner.

Slowly, as the night turned to day, Chase remained awake for a little while longer. As the moon began to lower, the blue haired boy made his way back into the apartment he rented out, he closed the balcony door. A soft yawn escaped him as he powered off his headphones and went to put them and his phone back on the charger.

Flopping down onto the bed in front of him, Chase’s eyes slowly began to close as dreams drifted back to him.

#florida? fuck yeah! [chase rain]#gta oc

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spaghettificationandpretzels · 2 years ago

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Be Known in its Aching

Mayans MC Masterlist

Part three of A Gentle Kind of Love.

Contains: Fluff, mutual pining, angst (endless longing, discussion of sibling death, sadness and grief, combat and war and past near-death experience.) flashbacks in italics, slow burn.

5.5k words

Comment if you want to be tagged/removed or follow #a gentle kind of love.

Wasteland, baby, I'm in love, I'm in love with you.

"What are you fuckers gossiping about now?" Bishop wasn't happy, they had returned to Oakland from Santo Padre in the early morning after dropping you off. They were back home now, milling around the Clubhouse, acting like idiots.

"Manny and the good doctor Pres, something happened when we took her home."

Bishop sighed, resigning to the fact that this was happening, "you wanna tell me what?"

Angel smiled, "well, he walked her to her door and she kissed him."

Bishop's eyes went wide, "on the mouth?"

Coco shook his head, "on the cheek but it looked, umm, affectionate."

Bishop huffed, "this is what you're wasting your time about, a kiss on the cheek? Get back to work you shitheads."

You had been a worried mess since Manny dropped you home two days ago and your conversation with Coco the next day hasn't helped.

You kept going back to your phone, considering calling Manny and explaining yourself when Coco called you. You picked up and didn't even give him a chance to speak, "oh my God, I made such a fool out of myself."

Coco chuckled, "nah, the dude hasn't stopped smiling, it's getting creepy."

"What the fuck do you mean? Please just put me out of my misery."

He snorted, "no. I was calling to tell you your car's almost fixed, I'll drop it by your office before you head home tomorrow."

You rubbed your face, "thanks Coco. Has Angel been terrible?"

Coco chuckled, "yep, he's right you know."

You shook your head, "no he's not. We're just friends."

"Sure y/n."

A knock on your office door had you shaking your head, "doing paperwork, can I help you?"

It was your security guy Barry, "ahh, Manny? Is here with your car."

You shot up and opened the door, "tall, neck tattoo?"

He nodded, "that's the fella."

You smiled, "thanks B, all go out there and deal with it."

Barry stopped you, his thick English accent making the whole situation feel even more ridiculous, "you and the lad, is something going on there?"

You sighed, "no, has a man named Angel turned up in your dreams to tell you differently?"

Barry shook his head, "nah, just something about the way he looked when I said I'd send you out."

You walked outside to be greeted by Manny leaning against your car holding your keys up, "your steed."

You smiled, "my steed? How fancy."

He smiled, "the last time we saw each other, you did look like a princess, so I figure it fits."

You shook your head, "thank you Manny. How was the rest of your weekend?"

He smiled, "good, it looks like we won't have to go to Charming."

You breathed a sigh of relief, "that's good, the Club has its own mess to clean up without having to deal with anyone else's."

Manny's shoulders dropped, "yeah I know. It's getting worse, Yuma not even bothering to call to help with the Sons, shit's brewing."

You blinked, "unless all the other charters get on board there's nothing you can do. I know SP and Yuma have been at each other's throats since Marcus chose you guys for the new pipeline but Canche still has the connections."

"It's not just that, what happened in the desert caused some kind of cosmic shift. Shit's gonna hit the fan if nothing is done about it."

You shrugged, "what can you do? It either gets worse and something terrible happens or Canche comes to his senses and begs for people to stop seeing him as an enabler for a monster."

Manny nodded, "yeah, you're right." He tapped the hood of the car, "I gotta head back to the metal yard, you call me if anything goes wrong?"

You nodded, "will do, thank you for dropping it off."

He smiled, "no worries, I can't wait for the cake."

You got around to the cake a few days later, you had wrapped it up nice and taken to the metal yard when you were currently slicing it for Coco and Angel. "This is so good, how do you do it?"

It was muffled, "Angel, don't talk with your mouth full, it's made with strawberries from my garden and local honey." You looked around, "where's Manny?"

Angel shrugged, "he's in the back. He's been a bit sad, maybe you can cheer him up?"

You nodded, "thank you, I'll take him a slice." You put one on a plate and headed to the back office, softly knocking on the door and waiting for Manny to answer. He offered you a soft smile when he opened the door, "I brought cake." You held it out and he took it from you, looking at it like it was some foreign substance,

"It will keep for like five days, you don't need to eat it now. You seem down, is there something you want to talk about?"

The silence was deafening, "nah, it's just been a long week but it's better now that you're here, do you have some time to eat this with me?"

You nodded, "of course, let me get my own slice and a fork, I'll be right back."

You returned as fast as you could, sitting down next to him on the couch, "how's work been?"

He shrugged, "hauling scrap metal isn't all that fun."

You nodded in agreement, "I imagine, shit pay, no appreciation, possible hazards. Is there anything I can help with? I've done a lot of odd jobs through the years."

He smiled, "nah, how's your day been?"

You thought for a moment, "good, one of my favourite patients had their last regular appointment today, they're at a place where they'll only need to stop in if things take a turn."

Manny's head tilted, "are you allowed to have favourite patients?"

You sighed, "in theory? No. In practice? Almost everyone does, I'm still human and in all honesty, the parents play a roll too."

He nodded, "I could not do your job, I'd start killing people."

You huffed, "you don't think I think about it, there are people I would happily shoot."

Manny's eyes went wide, "wow, I thought you were all about kindness and understanding."

You smiled, "most of the time I am but sometimes I just think about it, vivid homicidal fantasies keep me sane in court."

Manny seemed to agree, he also seemed a little brighter, "how's Mr Butterscotch?"

You smiled, "jonesing for a beard to lick, he looks behind me when I come home now."

Manny smiled, "that is so cute."

Something about him made you feel worried, "I mean, you can come over and provide yours, I think he'd be happy with that."

Manny averted his eyes, "I can't just drop by your place to hang out with your cats, I'd never leave."

You snorted, "please, come over and hangout with my cats, I only have so much lap to offer."

He laughed, "alright, how does tomorrow afternoon sound?"

You smiled, "that sounds great."

He was at your door right on four the next day, to your surprise, he opened his arms for a hug as you invited him in. You wrapped your arms around his body and squeezed and he almost collapsed into your embrace. A meow parted you and he bent down to pick up Mr Butts, the fluffy ginger cat going right to his beard.

"I miss the little guy."

You smiled, "judging by how his little paws are holding on to you, I think he feels the same way. You want something to eat? I'm making grilled cheese."

He shook his head, "nah, why are you always trying to feed me?"

You shrugged, "because you're my guest and I'm civilised, it's polite to offer you food."

"You punching Canche wasn't very civilised." There was humour in his voice.

"He was asking for it, maybe the kick to the testicles was uncivilised."

Manny chuckled and shook his head, "nah, that was awesome." He was still holding Mr Butts, burying his face in his fur.

He sniffed and a sadness came over the room, "you work with kids who have lost people, does it ever get easier?"

So that's why he was there, "it's like a open wound, it heals and scars over but it never goes away, you wanna tell me why that's on your mind?"

There was silence and then he spoke, "my little sister died when I was fifteen, her birthday is tomorrow."

You sat next to him and put your hand on his leg, his arms hugging the cat to his chest, "I'm so sorry for your pain, would you like to tell me what happened?"

He sniffed again and you could see his eyes getting red, "cancer, it was fucking horrible."

You nodded, "I can't imagine how terrible it must have been to watch her suffer that and I understand why you're so sad right now, it's clear to me how much she matters to you and you're not going to get to see her grow up. How old was she?"

"Seven, my parents tuned out at the end, I was the one there when it happened."

His voice was cracking now, "that's a lot of put on a young boy, you shouldn't have gone through that."

He nodded, "yeah, well it made me a man."

You nodded, "I can understand that, you had to do a lot of growing up in a very short amount of time."

Mr Butts settled on his lap as the other cats wandered in to see what was going on, Manny looked at Lady Midnight as she jumped on the couch and rubbed her head on his shoulder, "your cats are really sweet."

You nodded, "they know when people need a bit of love. Have you considered talking to someone about how you're feeling? "

He shook his head, "what's the point, it's not going to bring her back."

You nodded, "no, it won't but I never heard you say one thing about your parents and I'm getting the sense that you don't really like them that much."

He huffed, "I fucking hate them."

You could tell by his tone he wasn't lying, "I don't blame you, they left you to care for your dying sister all by yourself, I think would there was something up if you didn't have any ill will towards them."

"Really, I thought therapy was all about love and getting over shit."

You shook your head, "no, a lot of what I do is teaching people it's ok to hate people when they hurt you, it's ok never to want to talk to someone again. You just can't let it take over your life."

He smiled sadly, "I just miss her so much. She wanted to be a teacher, she'd spend all her time reading, when I couldn't find her I knew she be hiding under the stairs with her head in a book."

You smiled and reached up, wiping the tear from his cheek, "I have the whole night free, how about you tell me all about her."

Manny didn't know where to start, he was lost between being overwhelmed with her memory, the pain of losing her and not knowing where to start, "her name was Clara, she loved daisies and her favourite colour was yellow. She hated peas but loved fried rice so I used to pick out the peas for her so she didn't have to."

He was awash with visions, "I walked her to and from school every day and in the afternoon she tell me everything she learned, she was always so happy. When she got sick the worst part of it was that she was missing school so I would go to the library and print out worksheets and take them into the hospital."

He blinked away tears, and you placed your hand on his leg, "when she got really sick, she couldn't even hold up a pen so I would just read to her. She would fall asleep and I would stop then her eyes would..."

He could keep going, overwhelmed with pain and grief, he crumbled into your arms and started to sob, "I miss her so much."

You hugged him to you, trying to soothe the ache in his soul, "I am so sorry."

"You seemed better."

Manny nodded, "yeah."

His lack of elaboration had Coco curious, "you went and saw y/n."

It was a statement, not a question, "she's really great."

Coco smiled, "I know, you love her don't you?"

Manny sighed, "yeah, I do." It's not like everyone was in the dark, it was clear by the way he looked at you that he loved you, it was just that he hadn't said it out loud yet, "please don't tell Angel, he'll never let me forget it."

"Tell me what?"

They jumped, "where the fuck did you come from?"

Angel shrugged, "I was in the yard, what don't you want me to know about?"

Coco smiled, "Manny's in love with the good doctor."

Manny glared at Coco while Angel smiled, "tell me something I don't know, you gonna grow a set of balls and tell her?"

"Nah, I ain't going to ruin our friendship."

Angel huffed while Coco shook his head, "are you blind mano? She's into you."

Manny wasn't listening, "you're seeing shit that isn't there Angel, you need to let it go."

Angel sighed, "alright, but I'm gonna be telling you I told you so."

"GET BACK TO WORK YOU LAZY FUCKS."

Bishops booming voice filled the yard, "sorry Bish."

Coco slapped Manny's chest, "you heard him, we've got to get back to it."

It had been four days since Manny's visit and you were at the metal yard hanging out after a long day at work, "you guys seem busy?"

EZ nodded, "we got a contract from a used car guy, he sends us the ones that he can't sell."

You raised your eyebrows "good for you, I hope you don't find anything gross."

Coco cringed, "it was one time, how were we supposed to know people think you can dispose of bodies in a compactor."

"Have you ever seen a mob movie? It's like the most common way."

EZ shook his head, "I thought that was concrete shoes?"

You waved your arms around, "do you see any water around here?"

Manny came wandering in, a smile on his face, "are you still going on about that body? It was probably just some dealer disposing of his rival."

There was a loud noise, not unusually for the work going on but the screams that followed had everyone running, you rounded the corner and found the source of the yelling. Riz had a piece of rebar embedded in his shoulder.

Without thinking, you pulled off your top to wrap the wound, running over to him to hold the hunk of metal steady. "You need to call an ambulance, I don't think it hit anything but the longer it stays in the worse it's going to be."

Manny was standing in front of you, his eyes locked on your body, you could see the wheels in his brain turning as he took in the deep scar on your stomach. "I got shot, now stop fucking gawking and call for help." It didn't take long for the ambulance to arrive and Bishop directed you to the bathroom where you could clean up.

Knock knock

"Yeah, come in." Manny opened the door his eyes stuck on the back wall as he handed you a spare work shirt, "thanks."

He nodded, seemingly wanting to say something, "ask, everyone does."

He blinked, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to stare."

You shook your head, "it's fine, I looked like I was gored by a bull."

He huffed, "it's honestly pretty badass. What happened, I mean, if you don't mind telling me?"

"It happened in Afghanistan, I was working at a brick and mortar field hospital and had just finished a group therapy session for a bunch of kids when two Afghani cops went rogue and went looking for people to kill. Their first stop was my office. I was wearing a bulletproof vest but one of them had a sawed off shotgun. The gun I was given jammed and he got the best of me, most of the pellets went through the vest and into me."

Many blinked, "what happened next?"

You sighed, "I raised my sidearm and fired, it hit the mark and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. I was mostly ok, but some of the pellets ended up in my right lung. After the guy died, I don't remember much, I could hear someone screaming for a medic turns out it was me. Then the next guy came in, I knew that was it because with all the blood I was losing, there was no way I could fire my gun again, then the guy's head exploded."

Manny was deep in thought, "Coco?"

You nodded, "Yep, the man saved my life. All I could think about when I was lying there bleeding out was that I had to get to the ER with a chance or they'd let me die. I spent like four days at death's door. All I have left is this nasty thing and the pellets in a glass case."

Manny smiled, "that is so hardcore."

You chuckled, "yeah, it is. Not as hardcore as the time a patient's father stabbed me for getting his kid taken from him."

You pointed to the faint scar under your collarbone, "you're right, there's is a lot I don't know about you, I never would have guessed you were so metal."

You lifted the shirt up, "I'm gonna put the shirt on now, I'm getting kinda cold."

Manny looked at his hands, "yeah, I'm gonna see Riz, wanna come?"

"Yes please, I'd like to see how he's doing."

Riz was out two days later then it was time for another Friday party, this one was a big one since Marcus and Oakland were there. You were sitting by the fire with Manny and Creep, talking about Creep's strange fascination with mushrooms, "I was really disappointed when I had truffles."

He nodded, "yeah, they taste like dirt."

Manny huffed, "when did you two get so fancy?"

"It wasn't really my choice, I was on a date, he ordered for me."

Manny smiled, "I bet you hated that?"

You nodded, "he tried to order me wine after that, I got the hell out of there and took my dirt pasta with me."

Creep shook his head, "you took it with you?"

You nodded "out of spite, I gave it to Barry, he liked it."

"Wow, I learn more and more about you every day, what else have you done out of spite?"

There was something in Manny's tone that had you ready to laugh, "truth time?"

They both nodded, "I only come here to spite Raul."

Creep made a face, "what do you mean?"

You could tell he was bullshitting, "I know you all know what happened, there's no way something like that doesn't get out."

Manny smiled, "your conversation with Coco was on speaker, we all heard it."

You clapped, "I fucking knew it, you wanna fuck with him a bit more?"

Manny smiled, "fuck yeah."

You nodded, "call him over."

Creep shot up and looked around, landing eyes on the prospect, "HEY SHITHEAD, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE."

Raul came running, barely looking at you before standing at attention in front of Creep, "did you need something?"

Manny smiled, "yeah, tell us about your night together, what was it that you said about y/n?"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish, "umm, it's not important."

You smiled and tapped the seat next you, "oh come on, don't be like that, I'd love to hear your version of things."

Manny's expression was tinged with something, "what, you were fine talking about what happened when we were together, is there any reason you can't do it with her here?"

He swallowed, "look, I'm really sorry about what I said, I figure you've already been through all of them and I'd look bad if you……" You covered your face and Manny's hand collided with Raul's jaw.

You turned to Creep who was smirking, "should we, umm?"

He shook his head as Manny climbed on top of the man, "nah, the dude needs to learn if he wants to get his patch."

It didn't last long, Manny was stepping back and dragging Raul up by his kutte, "fuck off prospect and go and get me a fucking beer."

You smiled, "maybe don't ask him to get you anything, I don't think you want his spit in anything."

"Good idea y/n, you can go clean the shitter instead."

Raul hurried off and Manny sat down and rubbed his knuckles, "you want me to get you some ice?"

He shook his head, "I'm alright, that felt good though."

You sighed, "you didn't need to hit him you know?"

Manny huffed, "yeah, I did."

Creep chuckled, "you really have shit luck with men, don't you?"

You rolled your eyes, "I mean, I don't have the best track record but you know, I have this thing, it's called a vibrator, and it kinda makes men obsolete."

Creep cringed, "you're a little vulgar, you know that?"

You nodded, "I'm just being honest."

Manny shook his head, mischief on his face, "you talk like their competition and not friends, maybe you just haven't found the right guy yet."

You pressed your lips together to stop yourself from laughing, you face getting hot and the implication of his words settled over you, "what are you, God's gift to women. Does that cocky shit really work for you?"

Manny nodded, "hey, I'm just being honest."

You sighed, "well.. I don't have a response to that other than, good for you."

Marcus watched the fight with curious eyes, "what was that about Primo?"

Bishop sighed, "the prospect told everyone he and y/n went at it, in reality, she climbed out the window to avoid humiliating him."

Marcus chuckled, "and her and Manny?"

Bishop shrugged, "there's something going on there but they're both too blind to say anything. If Angel had any say they'd be married already."

Marcus nodded, "and your read on her?"

Bishop thought for a moment, "she's a good woman, very kind but you saw what happened with Canche, she's no shrinking violet. She's not a big fan of these parties but she comes because people like her company and she's always ready to help. She's been through something because she's got a healed gash the size of my fist on her stomach and she's observant like she's seen the business end of a gun one too many times."

"Does she know about the drugs?"

Bishop nodded, "I think she figured it out pretty quick."

Marcus huffed, "it sounds like she's a good fit. And it looks to me like those two are meant for each other."

Bishop rolled his eyes, "not you too."

Marcus chuckled, "don't worry about it Primo, these things work themselves out."

You sighed and stood up, you had been talking to a revolving door of people all night, "as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I need some air. I'm going for a walk, I'll be back in a bit."

Manny stood up, "let me go with you."

You waved your hand, "it's alright, I just need ten minutes."

He nodded, "alright, but come back in ten minutes or I'm sending a search party."

You smiled, "ten minutes, I promise." You headed off and wandered up the streets, enjoying the clear night sky, they were mostly empty until you came to a long street a few blocks away from the Clubhouse. There was a black van on the road, and four men were milling around it. As you got closer, you could hear parts of their conversation and you started to worry.

"We got to do it now," One of the men shook his head, "no, we wait until they're all drunk. Those fucking Mayans won't know what hit em."

You swallowed, a plan forming in your brain. You took your phone out and looked around like you were lost then walked up the street looking for street signs. After a few moments you approached the men doing your best to look lost, "I'm sorry gentlemen, I'm looking for a fancy French place, La Creme or La Cream or something like that, I'm really lost and I'm late, can someone tell me where it is?"

You didn't miss how one man was doing his best to hide the iron cross on his neck, "you're going to wrong way, it's back there miss."

You sighed, "you're not serious, I've been walking this was for twenty minutes." As you spoke, you made sure to memorise the men's faces and any tattoos they had, you could hear men in the van, but not their conversation.

"You know where the biker clubhouse is?"

You shook your head, "I walked by a crazy party with some bikes out the front, is that the place?"

One of them nodded, "yep, it's about ten minute's walk from that, take the long road up, then take a left down the side street and you should get to Mainstreet it's easy to find from there."

You looked at their faces, the older, harder, looking men wouldn't even acknowledge you were there and judging by the way everyone was acting, you could see that this was some kind of initiation, the ones that were talking to you were the ones looking to jump into the gang. You smiled, "thank you so much, I'd offer to buy you some beers but I'm so late."

The man with the iron cross on his neck stiffened his posture, "then you better head off, you don't want to run into trouble all by yourself out here, bad things can happen to a nice lady like yourself." You got the message loud and clear and with one last thank you, you started to jog away, breaking out into a run the moment you were out of their sight.

You bearly had any breath left when you got to the Clubhouse, Angel and Gilly were standing by the door and noticed something was wrong, matching your pace to meet you at the door, "what's wrong?"

You raked in a breath, "the Clubhouse is about to be hit, I heard and a group of men talking a few streets up. They said they were going to wait a little while but I don't know how long you have."

Gilly had run off, coming back with Marcus and Bishop, "what's going on?"

You took a deep breath, "you need to get everyone inside, I guess you're about half an hour away from a massacre."

They looked at you and Marcus blinked in worry, "what do you mean." Bishop waved to someone and produced you a bottle of water.

"I was walking around the block when I overheard a bunch of guys talking about hitting the place, no elaboration. I acted like I was lost so I could get a read on them. As far I could tell, it's some kind of jump in, only two guys had any gang markings. One had an iron cross on his neck, which he was doing his best to hide and the other had a strange tattoo on his wrist I had never seen before, the only reason I could tell it was white power was that there were the numbers fourteen and eighty eight."

Angel's eyebrows wrinkled, "what does that mean?"

You inhaled again, trying to calm yourself, "H is the eighth letter in the alphabet, so eight eight is HH meaning heil Hitler and fourteen is fourteen words, it's a white power slogan."

"We need to get everyone to safety." Bishop's tone was firm.

You rubbed your face, "permit me to share my idea?"

Marcus nodded, "you don't know who these guys are or what they want, wouldn't it be better to stage an ambush of your own? Have the music loud enough that they can't tell people aren't here, close the big doors and lead them in the small door then grab them and question them."

Bishop smiled, "I don't see why that won't work, could you ID the tat if you saw it again?"

You nodded, "it's the only reason I spoke to them, I could tell you all about the guys I could see."

By now, most of the Mayans were standing around you. Hank was giving orders, and then he turned back to you, "how many guys?"

"Four men on the street and I could hear three or four men in the black van, the license plate was 7FYNY89. One guy had San Quentin prison tats they were all under fifty and all white and before you tell me to go home, I'm the only one who saw their faces, you need me here."

Hank huffed, "we are not putting you in harm's way."

You glared at him, "I knew the risk I was taking when I went up to them, you need me here. Now you all need to get your shit in order before they show up."

Coco put his hand on your shoulder, "I'll take her to the back and see if I can find that tattoo she was talking about, we should have enough time?"

You nodded, "the guy in charge wanted to catch everyone off guard, you've got a little bit of time left"

The air changed and everyone jumped into action, Bishop stopping you just as you turned to go, "we're going to talk about this young lady."

You threw your hands up in the air, "I can't fucking wait, last I checked you're not my fucking daddy, you can't tell me what to do and you're not responsible for me." You could tell by the way everyone was acting that there was a lecture on the way but they had more pressing matters right now.

It only took ten minutes for them to clear the compound, and all the Mayans were preparing themselves to face the threat. It didn't take long for them to arrive, you could see the large metal doors shake and then they tried the small door, falling right into the trap.

It was over quickly, they came in and looked around but they realised too late that it was a trap. Two of them were stupid enough to try and fight and they died where they stood, dropping like stones as the bullets entered their heads. The others fell to their knees the second the command was given and then they were being pulled away.

It was the sound of the van screeching off that had them running but by the time they got to the front, it was too late and at least one of them had gotten away. You were still in the back when Manny came in and he looked worried, "what's going on? I heard shots."

He sighed, "we need to out here, did you manage to ID the tat?" You nodded, "yeah, some group called the hidden order, their whole thing is blending in. Manny, what's going on?"

"One guy got away, we don't know if he knows your face." When you walked out into the compound the only evidence that someone was there was some blood and bullet casings, Bishop and Hank stomped up to you looking unimpressed.

"Someone needs to stay with you until this is done." Hank left no room for you to argue.

"Fuck that, I have a state of the art alarm system and I sleep with an M16 under my bed. I can look after myself."

Bishop shook his head, "no, we're not leaving you alone, Coco can stay with you until we deal with this."

You huffed, "no, Coco needs to stay with Lettie and Hope."

"Manny can stay with her."

You wanted to punch Angel, but Marcus was smiling, "great idea Angel."

You sighed, "fine but that's as far as it goes, you're not parking yourself outside my work."

They weren't listening, "someone will be watching the street."

You looked at them, eyes wide, "this is insane, you don't even know if they're going to come after me."

"It's not up for debate y/n, Manny is going to stay with you until we know you're safe and people will be watching your office. They'll stay in a car, no one will know they're there."

You shook your head, "I thought you'd be the logical one Marcus, I'll be fine."

"Come on Tesoro, we have fun."

You sighed, "fine, I give up."

Hank smiled, "thank you y/n, you saved a lot of lives today."

You huffed, "and you're thanking me by landing me with a babysitter?"

Hank's face was impassive, "I'm thanking you by keeping you safe."

Bishop and Marcus turned to the group, "Temple now."

Part 4

Song inspo for this chapter is Hozier - Wasteland, Baby!

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