#gillies coffee company

[kristihurley]

4 out of 5 people drink coffee in their daily routines, and almost half of them usually do these blunders with their coffee or while making their coffee cuppa. People have different preferences for having their coffee but not everybody who drinks it can make it correctly. However, they even don’t know what they’re doing wrong when making their coffee, unlike the ones we drink at coffee cafes and adore the taste. Let's explore the blunders people do.

[gilliescoffee]

Gillies Coffee Company is a family-owned and operated company that takes pride in the quality and value of our products. Gilliescoffee.com roast only premium coffees to the highest standards, provide world-class customer service and offer unparalleled wholesale opportunities. Investigate our website for more details.

[harrison-abbott]

Gill

Gill drove over to her old family house for Christmas. She hadn’t been home for the festive period the last two years, and had been guilt tripped into doing it this year by her elder brother Ron. Apparently mother was upset that she hadn’t been coming … so Gill accepted. She told them that she would come over for Christmas Eve, on the daytime. And made up an excuse why she couldn’t stay over for Christmas Day. That she’d already been invited elsewhere for that, and it would be rude to cancel plans.

On the motorway she tried not to think negatively. Maybe it’d valuable to see the family again. Three decades’ worth of bullying could be ushered out, somehow, with positive thinking? Gill put some music on in the car to elevate her spirits. It took her 50 minutes to reach the WELCOME TO sign of the other city. The town where she grew up. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this city, either … there was a whole mix of muddled feelings. The traffic fattened on the inner roads – and there were those lethal roundabouts where she had to watch out. She passed the sign of one of the provincial towns. That was where her old high school was. And, no, that place: she had nothing but hatred for it, and was never going back.

When Gill got into the suburbs of the city the traffic eased some and she didn’t have to drive so fast. Then she was pulling up to her family neighbourhood, where the trees arched over the road. The branches of the trees were black with the recent winter rains.

Then Gill was home. It was two o’clock in the afternoon. She got out and went up to the front door and rang it. There was a scuttling behind the door, and then her mother’s face appeared. With snow white hair and her ice blue eyes.

“Hey there mother,” Gill said. They embraced inside and Gill thought how easy it would be to knock her over. Both women were roughly the same size but her mother was so old.

They went into the kitchen where Ron was, with his wife, Suzie. Ron with his baritone voice yelled, “Oh, it’s Gilly!” and he got up and came and roughly hugged her. Suzie smiled. Gill went to hug her as well but Suzie didn’t get up – she just kept smiling. “Would you like some coffee, Gilly?” Ron said. Gill said that would be swell. And they all sat at the table.

Ron and Suzie were in their 40s and they couldn’t have children and they had both piled up on the weight seriously since Gill last saw them. Ron told stories about his workplace – about the men he worked with. He had sacked somebody from his company back in the autumn, and he seemed to find this story funny, as did Suzie.

Mother too. At about three o’clock, mother decided to start drinking the wine. And it was only then that her words began to escalate and the tone of her voice change. She spoke only with Ron and barely noticed Gill, and Gill knew that this was a sign she was angry with her about something. Then Ron and Suzie started drinking also; beer for him and gin and tonics for her.

“Sue you don’t want one as well, Gilly?” Ron said.

“Oh, no thanks, I’m driving later on.”

“Come on. It might make you less dull. You haven’t said anything for over an hour.”

She switched a look at him. Mother and Suzie giggled, and Ron looked away from her and clacked another beer open.

Shortly after mother put some food in the oven. And these smells of meat began to coil around the room. Ron suggested they all go through to the living room, to play a board game. “Trivial Pursuit? Gill, you wanna go and play?” Gill said okay. She went through with them and they sat around the couches by the fire.

“Gilly,” Ron said, “put some coal on the fire, would you?” Even though he was sitting to it closer than she was, but she got up and did it anyway. Ron took out the Trivial Pursuit box and opened it, as if he was preparing a meal. Suzie took a sip of her gin and tonic and some of it dribbled down her chin and she laughed and wiped it away with a handkerchief. Ron took out the question cards and he said to Gill, “So do you think you will finally beat me this time Gill? I don’t think you’ve ever triumphed, have you?”

Gill sighed inwardly. She thought maybe Ron had changed a bit now that he was older, but it was as if his immaturity had worsened since she last saw him three years ago.

“Gill,” her mother said to her, holding her wine, “stop being so grumpy. Cheer up a bit, eh? Ron is just joking with you.”

“Okay, mother dear. Let’s play the game. I’ll start,” and she took up the dice and rolled them, “let’s go.”

Ron took up the question card and he read it out. Gill knew the answer and got it right. So she rolled again and moved onto the blue colour which was the historical theme. She got it right again. Then she rolled on a six and this moved her up onto a pink Pie question. And after Ron read it out she answered correctly and got the bag of pies out and slipped a pink one into her chart. The question following that, she got wrong. Ron snatched the dice away. And Gill got up and went through to the kitchen for a glass of water. When she was at the sink she heard the ladies flutter and cackle versus his booming voice. And she realised how much she despised that sound – of their voices. Her mother’s laugh and his thick throaty quips, and Suzie’s poisonous giggling.

Gill figured it would be polite to finish the board game with them. She really wanted to go home right now. Back to the other city where she lived.

This house, although she had grown up here, was not her home anymore.

[cositapreciosa]

You & Me II

Gilbert 'Gilly' Lopez x ex-army!reader, (implied murder/drug use/smut, swearing, ptsd, angsty but happy-ish ending) the usual for the show, 3528 words

a/n : you can read part 1 here and 1.2 here and 3 here !!

A special shoutout to @narcolini for renting me their Ava & their Marco OCs. We are so deeply into it we are bulding our own multiverse and shit, you can read In his shadow here !

Tagging my Gilly people @narcolini @drabbles-mc

You were taking your cup of coffee from Gil’s hand when you first heard the car pull into the driveway. You hadn’t thought much of it in the beginning, setting your mug down on the dinner table and taking a sip. It is a busy neighbourhood, close to the elementary school, not too far from the shops, and hearing the gravel fly wasn’t making you jump from the couch like it used to. It was only the two of you in the house this morning, Rae had been able to bring Jacob to school, letting you enjoy Gil’s company until he had to leave for work as well.

With a hand, he caresses your shoulders as he moves around you, toward the entryway. You call on him as he steps further away, something about his coffee getting cold, but he doesn’t hear you, all of his attention being pulled to the window, the heavy steps you can now hear on the stairs. You get it then, that the screeching of the breaks wasn’t from the neighbour’s house, that the sound of a closing door wasn’t coming somewhere down the street. His training had kicked in before yours, shoulders pushed back, ears straining. He glances back at you.

‘’ Someone’s at the door, you stay right there for me, okay? ‘’

Fuck. If he sees the changes in your body language he doesn't mention it, but before you can argue with him, he is already at the door, pulling it open.

‘’ Marco? ‘’

You hear the surprise in his voice, the confusion that laces the tone. You can barely see who it is over his shoulders, taking up most of the door frame, but if you had to guess, this ‘Marco’ is Ava’s brother. The second youngest one, the police academy one she told you about. He moves a bit to the left and Ava’s brother doesn’t even have to be fully in your field of view that you know your assumption is right. Tan skin, hands on his hips to balance the weight of the belt, the same nose he shares with his sister. The cop one. It takes everything in you not to run to the back door right here, right now, to stay here and eat stale bread as you pretend there wasn’t a body in the back of your trunk a month ago.

‘’ Good morning, Gilly. I wanted to call, but I figured I would just show up.‘’

You had met him once, barely in passing, a polite boy from a good family, Gilly’s friend. You mostly stood back as you watched them keep up on local news, hands sweating, adrenaline pumping just by looking at the holster at his hip. Before then, you had already met Ava, enjoyed wine and dinner at her house more than once, coffee dates on the terrace if the weather was good. She had told you some childhood stories, how Marco was a hard-working boy, top of his class, that time she had to pick him and Sebastian from the bar because they couldn’t even stand. It felt weird to know so much about someone who had just learned your name and shook your hand, but it gave you a weird feeling of being a step ahead of them. Whoever ‘them’ were, whoever would come looking for him.

Marco takes a quick look inside, where you are sitting at the table, coffee getting cold in your hand. A smile pulls at his lips, waving your way quickly, he must have recognized you.

‘’ Good morning, ma’am. ‘’

You don’t wish him one back, back straight on your chair, looking at him like a hawk. He doesn’t seem to mind, already turning back to Gilly instead.

‘’ You got a second? ‘’ Marco’s eyes flicker back to you, ‘’ You know, like a private one? ‘’

You know it probably has to be something about club business, something Marco figures you shouldn't know about. Gil takes a step outside, pulling the door closed with him, but not before throwing what you hope is a reassuring smile your way. He must know you saw the uniform, the gun and the handcuffs hanging from his belt. You don’t really know what Marco’s full relationship with the club is, a subject Ava never really deep-dived into. Understandable, when you know what happened to Sebastian. Grief, sadness, everyone and no one to blame at the same time. Things you fear you might face later down the road as well.

The door shuts with a click and the whole room stops moving. You can hear the murmur of the news channel on the tv in the living room, their faint voices through the walls. You have to trust Gil, trust his judgment and that he is taking care of it. He wouldn’t have opened the door if he didn’t think he could deal with it. You can already feel your heart speeding up, feel how hard it is pumping blood up and down your body, blurring the edges of your eyesight.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

You don't know how long they stay outside, but it feels like hours later when he opens back the door. You can't read Gil's face, that is the first thing you notice, the first thing that actually scares you more than the idea of having Marco arrest you for murder in your own kitchen. You meet the young man's eyes behind Gil and he is quick to offer you another wide smile. It doesn't make his eyes shine as the first one did, and you realize whatever happened, it must be big. You let yourself think for a second that maybe he isn't here for you, maybe it's the club, maybe-

‘’ Hope I didn't steal him too long, ma'am. ‘’ Marco is talking to you again, trying to downplay it, ‘’ I'll leave you two to it. See you later, Gilly. “

They exchange a pat on the back, a few whispered sentences you can't catch, and then Marco closes the door. Barely a second passes that you already want answers.

‘’ What did he mean by that? Where are you going? ‘’

He is walking back to you as his fingers comb through his beard, scratching the stubble under his chin. You can feel him miles away, even though he is only a few feet from you.

‘’ Nowhere. Not now. ‘’

He is not listening to you, generic answers to make it seem like he is.

‘’ Gilbert. ‘’

He looks up to you at that, as if he is only now noticing you across the table.

‘’ What? ‘’

‘’ You're not listening to me. ‘’

‘’ You're right. I'm sorry. ‘’

You wait for him to talk to you, to tell you what happened. You two don't keep secrets, you never did, never will. You accept that he doesn't tell you much about club things, to keep you away from any backlash. Always getting an idea of the picture, but never the full image. He stops in front of the table, pressing his palms to the wood, leaning on it as he looks at his feet.

‘’ Marco tells me SAMCRO found one of their own. Dead. Seems like the AFT caught wind of that, they’re looking into it. ‘’

‘’ You don't think- ’’

That's it's the same one, you think, the same body, the same one Coco took care of.

‘’ That you killed a Son’s brother? ‘’ He scoffs.

‘’ What? No, I didn’t- ‘’

You didn’t kill a Son. Austin was a nobody, a shit person, a below-average fuck-buddy who couldn’t hold a job, being a gangster would have been too hard on him. He didn’t have any brothers as far as you knew.

‘’ So you’re telling me there wasn’t a dead man in your trunk two months ago? ‘’

‘’ That is not what I’m saying, Gil. I didn’t- shit- I didn’t know he was a rival bike gang! I fucked him and he would buy me weed and- God that sounds wrong, I was not prostituting myself- ‘’

You are standing up at this point, grabbing the ledge of the table so hard your knuckles are white. You can’t breathe and Gil is angry and you know you should take a deep breath and stop this panic attack before it gets a hold of you but you can’t. Your chest hurts and he must have seen how pale you have gotten because he stops, eyes softening. His hand gently grabs your elbow.

‘’ Hey, I’m not mad, okay? Sit down for a second. ‘’

You know he is lying for your sake. Of course he is mad, you can see it, you know that this is enough to start a war, bullets flying, caskets lowered. He slowly moves around the table, pushes you back down on your chair as your head automatically falls in between your knees. Come on, you know this will help bring it down a bit, bring some blood back to your head, deep breath in, deep breath out. You can’t even tell if it’s him or your mind talking to you now.

‘’ I thought it was over. ‘’ you whimper, ‘’ He’s dead and I still can’t get away from him. ‘’

Gil‘s hand is warm on your neck, caressing up your hair and then down your back in slow circles.

‘’ That’s not true, baby. You’re safe here, I got you. ‘’

Baby, baby, baby. It spirals into your head as the floor underneath your feet feels like it’s turning. It takes a few more minutes, for you to finally calm down, for air to come in normally again.

‘’ His name was Austin, a dirtbag from Fresno. I stayed there for like a month, we fucked a few times. ‘’

‘’ You don’t have to tell me- ‘’

‘’ I do. ‘’ you sniff, ‘’ I do because I gotta fix this. I don’t want the club to pick up after me again. ‘’

It feels weird to tell him now, after forcing yourself to forget this moment for weeks, trying not to look Coco in the eyes for too long, afraid he would ask questions you didn’t want to answer. You hadn't told him simply because you didn’t have the guts, the courage to face what had happened. But today you have to do it, tell him the whole story so he can tell you what to do now, like he always does. SAMCRO clearly thinks the Mayans have done it, and they will come for them, for him. He crouches to your level, one knee on the ground, the other one nudging yours. He doesn’t try to pry away your fingers from your face, doesn’t offer reassuring words, but his presence is enough, his hand in your hair is enough.

‘’ One night, he’s pounding on my door. ‘’ You continue. ‘’ He’s on some hard shit, he’s not making sense so I tell him to fuck off, but he doesn’t listen. And then he’s just inside my place, I’m screaming and he’s screaming, I don’t understand, but he’s grabbing my neck.‘’

You can’t see the floor anymore, blurred by all the tears that are pooling up in your eyes. You can hear the blood rushing to your head, the fast thump in your ears. You know Gil’s fingers are shaking against your back, that he is angry he wasn’t there to save you back then, to kill him himself.

‘’ I blinked and then I was there, I wasn’t in California and he was one of them. I could taste the sand in my mouth, Gil, the pain in my shoulder was back and I could smell the bodies- ‘’

You sob, you can’t help it. You know that he understands what you are talking about, those flashbacks that are way too real, where both of you can still feel the blood on your hands. He knows those twelve hours had been the worst of your life, fighting against the gag in your mouth, the burning ropes around your wrists. It had been a miracle they had found you really. Rae bursting through the door, calling for a medic and an evac, while Gil took charge of figuring out if all the blood soaking your uniform was yours.

‘’ I didn’t know he was SAMCRO I promise… ‘’

‘’ I know. ‘’ he sniffs, ‘’ Fuck, I know, baby. ‘’

Baby, baby, baby. His nose is in your hair and your whole world smells like him, his shirt against your forehead, his beard on your cheek. It is a miracle you are still in the kitchen with him, not the basement your mind always brings you back to. Not under the scorching sun, the burning sand that haunts your nights.

‘’ I’ll let Templo know, we’ll deal with them. I’m taking care of it. ‘’

You straighten up at that, looking down at him.

‘’ Don’t. ‘’ You wipe away the tears under your eyes, ‘’ I’ll tell Bishop, it’s my mess, you guys have nothing to do with this. I can’t let them think it was the club. ‘’

‘’ Are you crazy? It’s not going to be only one guy coming for you, it’s gonna be a dozen of ‘em. You need us to protect you. ‘’

You are on your feet before he can react, pressing your palms against your eyes. Your head hurts, you feel numb, you thought you were going to be fine, here, with him, but you can’t escape it, everything always follows you where ever you go, bringing others down with you.

‘’ I don’t need it. I can protect myself. ‘’

‘’ You really think that? ‘’ He scoffs, ‘’ How you gonna do that, hm? You’re going to run away? Again? They’ll find you. ‘’

You feel like you are boiling, water spilling over the pot, hot and sizzling. He is pushing buttons you thought he wouldn’t dare, that you thought stopped hurting two months ago. You are not calm anymore, you are angry, so, so angry.

‘’ I’m a fucking US Army Ranger, Gilbert, you think a bunch of pussies in leather are going to be the end of me?! ‘’

He is up on his feet too, towering over you, chest against yours as it raises up and down.

‘’ You’re being delusional, ranger. ‘’ He bites back, ‘’ You think it’s only you that’s involved in this now? ‘’

He takes another step forward, forcing you to back away, cornering you between him and the wall. He is frowning and you realize he is not angry like you thought he was, he seems confused, appalled at your words.

‘’ You think Jacob is going to understand why you’re not picking him up from school anymore, hm? That Rae is gonna believe whatever lies you feed her? That I- ‘’

He stops at that, tongue rolling inside his mouth. He is looking at you, eyes piercing your walls, destroying the bubble you had tried to put up between you. You know you hurt him, you feel bad, you really do, but aren’t your absence a small price to pay to save their lives?

‘’ Gil- ‘’

‘’ If you want to do it alone, you can. ‘’ He continues, ‘’ You’re right, these guys aren’t trained professionals, but they’re wild dogs. They will bite and won’t let go until you’re dead. ‘’

You don’t like this. You don’t like it because you know what he is saying is true. As much as you would like to think you can do this alone, you simply can’t. No amount of training, hiding or illegal guns could dig you out of this one. You think of Jacob, his sweet face, his twelve years old jokes you don’t find funny but pretend they are. You think of Rae and Ava, all of Gil’s friends. You can’t let this affect them too and have them lose their lives in a war they didn’t even have a say in. You don’t answer him and he takes it as an opportunity to keep going.

‘’ Is that what you really want? To leave after all the hard work you’ve put into making it work here? ‘’

‘’ Of course not. ‘’ Your voice breaks, ‘’ But I fucked up, Gil, and I got to own up to it. You’re always picking up after me, what kind of shit friend am I ?! ‘’

‘’ A friend? ‘’

You can’t meet his eyes, you can’t look at him and see the hurt that must paint his face. You know you are not just a friend, you are not stupid or blind, you know why your heart speeds up every time he gets home, why you miss him when he goes on runs. You know the three words that get stuck in his throat in the late-night hours, when his lips are warm on your jaw, hand curving underneath your knee, words he would whisper if you would let him.

‘’ You’re not just a friend. ‘’

‘’ I know. I’m sorry. ‘’

Please, it means, don’t. You can tell what is coming, what is going through his head. You can see it in his eyes, in how his shoulders are leaning towards you, and you know you can’t take it if he says it today. Your hand presses against his bicep, hopefully soothing whatever fire you started, but he doesn’t allow you to stop him this time.

‘’ You really think I would do all of this if I didn’t- ‘’

Love you. He doesn’t say it, thank god he doesn’t, but you know he wants to. You wish you could think about saying it like he is, so freely, like it wouldn’t tie him down in the same suffocating way it would make you feel. You love him, of course you do, more than friends, more than everyone you have ever loved before, but you can’t tell him. Mostly because it would make it real and offer him the possibility to say no. His hands gently frame your face, bringing your focus back to him.

‘’ I’ve saved you once, I can do it again. ‘’ He is so much closer now, pressing you against his front as his thumbs caress your cheeks. ‘’ Let me do it again. ‘’

He is pleading, begging for you to stay and a part of you thinks he might be scared. Scared of letting go, of what is coming next. Sometimes you wonder if this whole thing with you is about old time's sake and you pray at night that it isn’t, that it’s genuine, a work between faith and pure chance.

He is bringing your head towards his before you can react, lips pressing desperately on yours. It feels like a goodbye kiss, as if it would be the last, a silent answer that he would let you go if you really wished him to. He tastes like coffee, smells like the cigarette he sneaked and smoked on the porch so you wouldn’t catch him.

‘’ Let me help you. ‘’ You whisper when he eventually pulls away. ‘’ Let me make this right. ‘’

He doesn’t answer your demand, doesn’t fight back to tell you he would never let you get in arms way, or say yes and tell you he would supply you the guns himself if needed. He only kisses you again, hands back in your hair, eyes closed. It’s his way of closing the discussion, enough damage done for today, enough pieces picked up for now, nothing that can’t be fixed later. You know it will be a debate for another day, tomorrow morning maybe, after you drop Jacob at school, making a right out of the parking lot and taking the main street straight to the clubhouse. You’ll notice the grease on his cheek as he comes out of the shop, know the words that will come out of his mouth before he even says them, watch as the skin between his brows creases. God damn it, woman.

But right now, you let him lower you on the dinner table, let him kiss you again and again and again. I’m staying, you want him to know, we’ll fight this together. You want to stay in the moment, enjoy what is left of the morning, but you are seeing red, motivated by a rage you thought was long gone. They are family, all of them. You won’t let Austin, or anyone, take them away from you ever again. You make up your mind when you pull Gil’s shirt over his head, hands curling around his shoulders, finger already wrapped around an invisible trigger. SAMCRO won’t even know what hit them.

[obsessedasusual]

Lonely No More - Four

Bishop Losa xOC Series

Series Summary: There was never a dull moment, being the only Reyes sister. But between overbearing brothers, being the family peacekeeper, and countless disaster dates, Amalia finds herself wishing she had someone to unwind with after a hectic day. Funnily enough, Bishop Losa wishes for the same thing.

Series Warnings: Swearing, mentions/allusions to sex, alcohol

Note: 3.1k - PART FOUR LETS GO!!!

A week later Amalia found herself back at the clubhouse. It was quite unusual, the amount of times she had found herself at the club within the past month, even though from her count it had only been three visits. It was usually a lot less than that.

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy being around the clubhouse and hanging out with the guys, they were all great company when they wanted to be. But they weren’t her friends. They were her brother’s brothers. That’s what they were to her, and to them, she was their brother’s sister. They’d do anything for her at the drop of a hat, but it’s not like either side was going to invite the other over for a cup of coffee. Coco and Gilly may have been the exception to that, as she often saw them away from the club at Angel’s. And that one time they had been to hers for dinner after hearing Angel requesting all sorts of delicious sounding meals.

One thing Amalia could pride herself on was her cooking. She had always been a talent in the kitchen. Something she had picked up from her mother. Which is how she found herself outside Ezekiel’s trailer holding a baking tray of fresh enchiladas.

She knew her younger brother well enough to know when he wasn’t eating decent meals as often as he should, she put it down to the stress of prospecting for the club.

So she had taken it upon herself to cook a hearty meal that would keep for a little while in the fridge, at least then she could be certain that EZ actually had something good ready to go when his stomach growled.

Judging by the lack of sound coming from the trailer it was a safe guess that he wasn’t in. Instead she strode toward the clubhouse, not having a key to the trailer - since when did he lock that damn thing anyway?

There weren’t many of the guys around it seemed, only a few bikes parked up, EZ’s not among them.

Hearing her name called by Gilly on the porch, she made her way over, throwing a bright smile and a nod as a greeting toward Bishop and Taza who were seated at a picnic table near the cage, beers in hand.

Amalia hadn’t seen Bishop since he acted as her escape route from her date a week ago. However she had noticed when he rode by each day, early in the morning. It seemed that now she had learnt that he only lived down the road, he had changed his usual route to the club, checking in on her each morning from afar. She found herself smiling when she thought about it.

“She’s been around more recently,” Taza noted. Bishop hummed in acknowledgement, when his VP continued, “Bet you’re loving that.”

Bishop hummed again, eyes on Amalia chatting with Gilly, not at all paying attention to what Taza had said. So the long haired man spoke again, “If you stare any harder, you’ll burn holes in her fuckin’ back.”

Still nothing from his president. It’d been a long time since he had seen the usually calm, stoic man so away with the fairies, “You sleeping with her?”

That seemed to break Bishop out of whatever trance he was in, snapping his head to his VP, “What? No.”

Taza smirked at his sudden change in demeanor, he was deflecting, “But you want to be.”

It wasn’t framed as a question. Bishop kept his mouth shut, instead his eyes shot from Taza back to the beauty in question. The blatant staring caused Taza to bark out a laugh at his friend, receiving a grumbled, “Fuck off,” in response.

Taza caught sight of Gilly and Amalia wrapping up their conversation and called out to the Reyes sister, waving her over. Bishop dropped his forehead to rest against his beer bottle and let out a groan. She bid farewell to Gilly and went to join the charter’s one and two, tray of goods still in hand.

“Gentlemen,” she smiled in greeting, taking a seat opposite them and placing the tray in front of her on the table, “Lovely weather we’re having.”

It was a running joke to Santo Padre locals. It was always beautiful weather there, it had been a long time since they had any decent rainfall.

Taza made to lift the foil off one of the corners of the trays, “What’ve you got here?” Humming in delight when the pleasant, savory smell hit his nostrils, “This for us?”

Amalia smiled fondly at him. She had always liked Taza, he had such a calming aura around him, everyone wanted to be in his presence, “If you ask your prospect extra nicely he might be up for sharing.”

Taza pulled a face at that, causing Amalia to let out a light giggle. Bishop found himself smiling at the sound, quickly snapping himself out of it when he saw Taza smirk from the corner of his eye, he cleared his throat, “What do we have to do to get meal deliveries too?”

“Stock the bar with some apple juice and we can talk.” She teased.

Bishop winked at her, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Taza looked between the two, biting back the grin that was threatening to escape, he spoke directly to Amalia, “You got any plans tomorrow night?”

Bishop studied him from the corner of his eye, trying to work out what his game was.

Amalia quickly went through her diary in her head, she had a girls night planned for Saturday, but Friday was free, “Nope, free as a daisy. Why, what’s the plan?”

“Party. Low key, just the guys and a few others. You should come by.”

Amalia nodded in thought, “I guess I could make an appearance. Kick EZ out of his trailer for the night.”

Taza jumped in again, seemingly excited about his plan all working out, “Good. It’ll be a good night. Right, brother?” he smirked at his president who met his gaze with a glare, quickly covering it with a smile, turning back to Amalia.

“It’ll be great, sweetheart.” He gave her a kind smile.

“Well in that case, how can I say no?” she shrugged, “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow night.” She moved to stand, pausing and pointing at the tray, “Could I leave this here with you guys? I’m not really in the mood to search all over town for that brother of mine.”

“As long as you don’t mind us taking a little helping as payment.” Bishop teased, before taking a sip of his beer.

Amalia grinned at him, “I’d expect nothing less, Mr President.” She waved at the pair as she retreated.

Bishop could feel the shit eating grin Taza was shooting his way.

“Shut the fuck up.” He muttered into his bottle. Taza threw his head back in laughter.

-

The next night Amalia found herself engaged in conversation with Nails, one of the club hangarounds. Nails, real name Stephanie, had started to make appearances at the club around five months ago and had become fast friends with Amalia.

The Reyes sister had no idea how she had ended up with that for a nickname. In fact, she had no idea how any of the guys ended up with their nicknames. She was particularly curious about Creeper. Surely that wasn’t one of those self appointed nicknames.

“I want a tough nickname too!” Amalia was two beers deep at this point, just enough to properly fall into her usual role of the social butterfly, “How good of a name is Nails? No one fucks with a chick called Nails.”

Nails laughed at her friend, “People call you A!”

Amalia gave her a dumb look, “A? Really?” Nails shrugged, giggling.

“Well what do you want us to call you?”

Amalia shook her head while taking a sip from her bottle, “No, doesn’t work like that. Gotta earn it. Earn my stripes.

“Like a tiger. Maybe you can be el tigre!” Nails’ eyes almost popped out of her head thinking she had come up with the best suggestion. She followed it with a dramatic, “Grrrr,”… it was an easy guess that she had had a few shots before Amalia had shown up. The latter threw her head back in laughter.

Bishop couldn’t help but follow the sound of her laughter from where he was sat with Taza and Hank, smiling to himself when he saw how much fun she was having. Amalia had thrown him a wide smile in greeting when she had turned up that night, about to make her way over to say a proper hello when Nails had snatched her and dragged her to a couch.

The VP and Sergeant shared a knowing look when they followed their leader’s gaze. Taza hadn’t said a word about Bishop’s little infatuation with the brown eyed beauty, apparently not needing too as Hank, similar to Taza, had a keen eye and had picked up on the way his President had perked up when she walked through the door, though he had been quick to disguise it.

Bishop was quietly thankful that neither Taza nor Hank made a comment about his reaction to anything related to Amalia. He knew they were the only two that would pick up on it, being the most insightful of the whole club. Honestly even if they did make a comment he had no idea what he’d say. He wasn’t sure why he was so taken by her recently.

They’d been friendly since the first time Angel introduced the pair when he first started prospecting years ago. Bishop had always thought she was gorgeous and enjoyed her company, but sometime within the past two months that seemed to change slightly.

Life was stressful, being President of an MC charter and all. So what if he found a bit of solace in admiring a beautiful woman from afar? It wasn’t hurting anybody. Bishop just had a little school boy crush.

A little while later Bishop found himself close to winning a game of pool with Riz against Creeper and Gilly. He stepped back from taking his turn and took a drag from his smoke, turning his head when he felt a warm hand on his forearm.

Amalia grinned up at him, “Hey, neighbour!” She placed a new beer in front of him, taking a quick sip of her own, “Thought I’d better make an effort to greet the man in charge.”

Bishop returned her smile, gratefully taking a swig from his bottle after stamping out his cigarette, “I appreciate the thought, sweetheart. You having a good night?” Almost hypnotised by the way her eyes brightened as she thought about her night so far.

“The best! I never realised what I was missing at these things.”

“Good,” he watched her watch the pool game in front of them, grin widening at her expression when Riz finally sunk the 8 ball, winning them the game, Creeper letting out a string of colourful words at his loss, “Bar stocked to your liking? Not sticking to the apple juice I see. Even after I ordered it especially for you.” He held his hand to his heart in a dramatic fashion.

Amalia’s hand shot out to playfully hit his chest, “That was the first drink I had tonight! It was delicious, so I thank you for your efforts, Mr President.”

“Didn’t take long for Nails to corrupt you did it? Apple juice then straight to shots?”

“Incorrect, I had a couple of beers in there somewhere too.” Her face turned smug.

Bishop held his free hand up in surrender, “My mistake.” His eyes landed on the friend in question approaching with a round of tequila shots.

“El tigre! Time to earn your stripes!” Nails had definitely been downing shit in the time Amalia had busied herself with Bishop.

Amalia handed a shot to Bishop, taking her own and cheersing the tiny glass with his and Nails, all three downing it in unison. Nails cheered while Amalia grimaced, tequila burning her throat, “No more shots for me, Steph.”

Her friend pouted at her before shrugging and running off to find Angel.

Her head whipped to Bishop when she felt him nudge her with his elbow and nodded toward the front door, signalling for them to get some fresh air. She hooked her arm through his and playfully dragged him through the clubhouse. Most at the party knew what a social butterfly Amalia could be so the sight really wasn’t surprising, it was interesting however, how the President let himself be dragged.

The cool air was a relief when it hit them. Amalia took a deep breath in relishing in the feeling, turning when she heard the flick of a lighter.

“We’re meant to be getting fresh air, Bish. There’s nothing fresh about those things.”

Bishop held the smoke in front of her face, “This one’s menthol. Minty fresh.”

Amalia shook her head and continued her mission down the steps, President in tow, to the couch that had apparently seen some unthinkable acts. Sighing in relief when she sunk into the worn cushions.

“This couch is comfier than it should be with all it’s been through.”

“It’s cute that you think it’s been limited to this couch,” Bishop sunk down beside her. Amalia’s hand raised to cover her face.

“It’s like you’re actively trying to get me away from this place.”

Bishop chuckled, “Never, sweetheart. Just making sure you’re aware of your surroundings.”

“Such a gentleman,” She giggled while taking a swig of her beer, “I like you guys. You’re all super sweet for a bunch of scary bikers. You surprised me the most, Mr President. Thought you were gonna be this brooding old man when I first met you.”

Bishop felt his cheeks heat up slightly at the almost compliment, “I am a brooding old man. I make an exception for you.”

Amalia grinned into the distance, “See what I mean? Such a gentleman,” she let a beat pass before speaking again, “Do you have a nickname, Bish?”

Bishop turned to her with his brows furrowed, “What?”

“A nickname! Everyone’s got one in the club. I just thought being President you’d have the best one.”

She was puzzled at his chuckling, moving around to sit on her knees and stare at him and his shaking shoulders, “What? Bishop!” She poked at his shoulder.

Bishop calmed down and swatted at her hand prodding at him, grabbing it lightly, “Sweetheart, Bishop is my nickname.”

That puzzled her even further, jaw going slack for a second, “You’ve gotta be fucking with me. I’ve gone the last six years thinking your name was Bishop! What’s your name?!”

He grinned at her, shrugging and taking a drag of his cigarette instead of replying. Struggling not to laugh at her annoyance.

Amalia, fueled on by the alcohol in her system, reached across him and snatched the smoke from his hand, holding it out of his reach, “Tell me or the smoke gets it.”

“You realise you’re threatening the club President right, sweetheart?”

She glared at his stubbornness, taking a pull from the cigarette herself, grimacing as she blew out, “Yuck, I haven’t smoked since college.”

He took the opportunity to take his cigarette back, “Leave the smoking to the scary bikers. Don’t wanna send you to an early grave.”

She huffed out a laugh, pulling her legs to her side and leaning against Bishop’s shoulder in a move that had the President freezing in place, Amalia obviously didn’t notice as she carried on their conversation, “I can’t believe that’s not your name,” she thought for a second, “actually, I don’t think you’ve ever called me by my name either.”

Thinking back over the years it was always sweetheart or querida, a couple of times it was even baby Reyes even though she was not the youngest sibling, a fact that Bishop was definitely aware of.

She felt his shoulders jostle as he chuckled, “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

She rolled her eyes, “I know for a fact you know my name.” She took another sip of her beer.

Bishop hummed out a chuckle of agreement. He allowed himself to be comfortable with her. Slouching his shoulder ever so discreetly so that Amalia would have to readjust herself closer to him.

“You had any more terrible dates lately?” He couldn’t help himself.

Amalia let out a groan, “No, thank God. Taking a break from the dating scene for a bit I think.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Bishop was curious, and a little tiny bit thrilled at the revelation.

She sighed against him, “Date burnout maybe. I dunno, I think I just have to start enjoying the moment you know?” He felt her lift her beer for another sip, “Plus, we live in a small town… there’s only so many eligible bachelors I can go through before I start swiping right on the fucking MC guys.”

Bishop hummed in understanding, pretending to know what ‘swiping right’ meant.

“It is fun though,” she carried on with her rambling, one too many drinks in her system, “Dating. I like talking to people.”

That Bishop knew already. The times she had made an appearance at club parties he had noted how she darted from one group to the next. Chatting with anyone about anything.

“You do talk a lot.” He let out a chuckle when he felt her hit his chest and sit back up.

“And you talk right back so shut it.” Amalia teased, taking a second to wonder about his dating life, “You on Tinder, Bish?”

He almost choked on his drink at her question, “Have you ever seen me on tinder?” He had heard enough about the app from the younger guys in the club to understand you at least see profiles on it… right?

Amalia rolled her eyes, “No but I wouldn’t! I don’t have my age range set tha-” she stopped mid sentence, biting her lip to stop the embarrassed smile she could feel bubbling.

Bishop barked out a laugh at her discomfort, “Come on, set that what?”

She shook her head quickly, waving her hand offhandedly, “Doesn’t matter. You should try it! You might find the one for you!”

“How do you know I don’t already have the one?” He eyed her curiously. He was met with a dumb look.

“You’re sitting out here with me, Bishop. You ain’t fooling no one.”

Busted. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, lips quirking up in a knowing smile.

“I don’t think online dating is for me, querida.”

She shrugged, finishing off the rest of her bottle, “Can’t say I didn’t try.”

[hellotvshowtrash]

this broken feels free

A/N: This was originally a request from @xxwritemeastoryxx for a fake relationship/engagement + some yummy gifs of Daniel Gillies to inspire some ~ahem~ smut. Pretty much all of the characters are way ooc but like, it’s an AU, so whatever. This is my submission for this months prompt challenge! I did fake relationship (and kind of enemies to lovers? sort of) I am still in awe of the moodboard @elijahs-wife made for this fic, thank you so much! I am eternally grateful for you!

Please leave a like and reblog if you enjoyed!

Warnings: Hear me out. This fic is open to all ages, BUT there is some smut. It is in all italics. PLEASE SKIP IF YOU ARE A MINOR/UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SMUT. it’s literally less than 1k words of the fic. More warnings include: swearing, sadness, loneliness, generally Elijah being a douche, mentions of dead siblings, reader has abandonment issues, author projecting onto the fic. not tagging anyone due to the nature of this fic

Word count: 14.6k

Y/N sighs as she sits at her desk, struggling to keep her eyes open as she types away. Her job at the Mikaelson Design Co. was prestigious and she was grateful for it, she was. She'd have been more grateful for it if her direct manager and CEO of the architecture company, Elijah Mikaelson, hadn't been such an ever-living asshole, but she makes the best of it. He rings her for coffee at six forty-five in the morning, when she'd much rather be sleeping. She was already awake anyway, working on a report he needed from her by seven AM that day. Dark circles lined her eyes and she was happy for the excuse to get up and start walking to wake herself up. The memory of the hot coffee on her tongue made her sigh again, craving the bitter black drink. Her phone rings and startles her from her thoughts. 

"Mr. Mikaelson's office, how can I assist you?" Her customer service voice takes over as the person on the other end of the line starts chattering away.

-

Elijah watches from the corner of his office where the window has a vantage point of her. She's insufferable and perky and always so happy to help that it drives him mad. He watches and rolls his eyes as she smiles into the phone, but something about her smile makes him catch the corners of his own mouth quirking up, imagining what she's laughing about at seven forty-five in the morning. He clears his throat and moves from his hiding spot, back to his desk chair. The report he requested from her sits in his inbox, delivered at six fifty-eight AM, around the same time she marched in with his coffee that he demanded that morning. She must have his order memorized by now. He rolls his eyes and wonders just what parts of her aren't disgustingly perfect. 

Another email in his inbox catches his eye, from a one Finn Mikaelson. He squints his eyes at the screen, sure he read the name wrong. Dear, brother. Why are you reaching out now? He clicks on the email and stills at its contents, eyes scanning the screen. 

Wedding announcement. 

Invitation.

Plus One. 

He groans and closes his eyes. It's been, what, 4 years since he's seen Finn? Longer than that since he last saw his mother and father, the millionaire tycoons who essentially did nothing to earn their money. Elijah prided himself in building his own company, from the ground up. But that wouldn't mean anything to them unless he had someone successful - or at least attractive - on his arm. He doesn't have the time to devote to a relationship, he has a business to run. He stands from his desk again and begins to pace about his spacious office, a nervous habit. His glass enclosed room fills with his voice as he works the scene out to himself. 

"Freya will bring Keelin, lord knows Esther loves her," He mutters. "Rebekah has that fool, Marcel. Kol will be bringing Davina." His hands illustrate his point to no one, moving as he always needs to. He stops short in front of the wall farthest from his desk, his gaze fixed on a point in the paint. "Klaus will be bringing Hayley." His heart practically stops at the realization. He'll never forget finding his love in bed with Klaus, how she claimed Elijah to be neglectful, so she found solace in his dastardly brother. That was 4 years ago, as well. 

It made his stomach clench at the thought of his brother's happy family. What he could have had. The wedding he didn't have the courage to go to, even though the invitation had been extended. "Hayley wants to make amends with you." Rebekah's voice rings in his ears still. She had tried to plead with him to come, be with family, let go of the past. Let go of her, He thought. Something inside him cracks, deep and buried. He shook his head free of his thoughts and turned, facing the glass wall between him and the lobby of his tower floor. His eyes caught Y/N's gaze, who's eyebrows were furrowed. Her eyes widen as their eyes meet and she looks back down at her computer screen quickly. He huffs and maintains his stare, glaring at her. He turns again, smoothing his suit jacket with his palms as he walks back to his desk. He sits back down, closing his eyes as he curses his brother. 

He could simply just not go. That would be easy enough. Avoid his horrible parents, his brothers, his ex-lover. The only person he'd actually like to see would be Rebekah, anyway, and they can simply grab lunch sometime. Maybe Freya could tag along. He knows she'd never let him live this down if he doesn't go, though. He just can't go alone and he knows that. He's the second oldest brother and the longest relationship he's ever had imploded on itself and it was all his fault. Something inside him cracks again and he clears his throat. He opens his eyes and stares at the ceiling, his head swarming with thoughts of Hayley. God, she was beautiful. Carefree. Everything he needed and still needs in his life. He's working himself into the ground and he knows his work ethic will be the death of him. He's staring off now, lost in his thoughts until an idea occurs to him. Not an idea that Elijah finds himself particularly happy about, but one that could work. He knows her well enough to know she might just agree to this. Doesn't know her well enough to know how she'll act, though. He leans forward and presses a button on his office phone. 

"Yes, sir?" Y/N picks up almost immediately and he practically groans in annoyance. Her response is too damn perky. 

"Y/N, may I see you in my office, please?" It's not as much a question as it is a command, but she responds anyway. 

"Right away, sir." The line goes dead and Elijah finds himself adjusting himself to look more presentable. Repairing himself from the outside in. 

Y/N stands from her desk nervously, patting her hair and smoothing out her skirt before she marches into her boss's office, embodying the confidence she lacks. She knows he caught her staring, knows just how they feel about each other, how he feels about her. She knocks politely on the door and Elijah beckons her in through the glass. 

"Y/N, please, sit." He gestures to the leather chair in front of his dark wood desk and she moves quickly. She's nervous, hoping she's not in trouble for watching him pace around his office. She's worked for him long enough to know that he only does that when he's stressed about something. He has a lot of nervous habits that she's learned over the past few years. 

"Is everything okay, Mr. Mikaelson?" She asks politely. He restrains another eye roll and nods instead.

"Yes, I.. have a proposition for you." He answers hesitantly, his eyes averting hers. Y/N raises an eyebrow. "That sounds bad, let me clarify," he clears his throat. "I have an idea and I need you to be a part of it with as little question as possible." Now his eyes meet hers and she still looks confused. 

"O...kay?" She asks. "What's the idea?" 

Elijah sighs and closes his eyes. Maybe this isn't a good idea. "I need you," he pauses, this is your chance to forget this dumb idea and never speak of it again, a voice in his head rings.  "I need you to pretend to be in a relationship with me, at least for," He looks back at his computer screen to double check the date on the invitation. "Two months. And, it's more of an engagement, really." He says flatly, turning back to face her. His hands are folded in front of him on the desk and he fiddles with the ring on this middle finger, another nervous habit.

Y/N's jaw drops at the request and she blinks. Be professional, she reminds herself. "Sir, I-," He raises a hand to stop her and she's taken aback. She's used to him being an ass but he's never interrupted her like this.

"With as little question as possible." He repeats. Her eyes widen in disgust.

Professionalism be damned. "Sir, you can't expect me to not ask questions, which I have a lot of. You can't expect me to just be okay with this right off the bat. First of all, it's demeaning. Second of all, why? How could this possibly benefit you? Third," Y/N doesn't realize she has stood from her chair and is now pacing, asking questions and rambling anxiously, because did her boss really just ask her to do that?

Elijah watches her pace, leaning back in his chair and waiting, He's getting more annoyed with her. Why couldn't she just follow directions? "Y/N, let me stop you there." He interrupts her again. "I will buy a ring, put it on that finger of yours and you will be able to keep it when this is over. Sell it, keep it, I don't care what you do with it. It'll be expensive, too. And I'll ensure you a big quarterly bonus." 

She stopped pacing and her glare switches to an interested eyebrow raise. She turns to him slowly. The things she could do with that kind of money, no debt, she could possibly start the business she'd been dreaming of, on the side until it really kicks off. "No strings attached?" He nodded again. "I want a raise, too." She faces him and crosses her arms over her chest, raising her chin confidently. Elijah rolls his eyes but nods. He stands and extends his hand toward her. Y/N looks between the hand and his eyes before stepping toward the desk and shaking his hand. They both had the same look in their eye and they recognized it in the other. 

What did I just do?

 --

That afternoon, Elijah had begrudgingly taken Y/N to lunch to explain the situation, the idea and buy a ring she approved of.

"You should probably try to get to know me, then." She had said, looking over the menu of the restaurant Elijah had chosen. He looked up at her, startled. "You know, if you want to make this believable for your family." 'And Hayley.' He thought. He swallowed and nodded. She was right, he needed to make this convincing. He spent the next little while asking her questions about herself, the easy ones, mostly. Favourites, hobbies, plans for the future, friend's names. 

"Don't you have any questions for me?" He had asked after a lull in the conversation. The restaurant chatter around them continued as Y/N's eyes stuck to the menu in front of her.

"I pay attention, Mr. Mikaelson. I've worked for you long enough to know these kinds of things about you. You have a picture of your sisters, Rebekah and Freya on your desk. You like the colour green. This particular suit you're wearing today," She motioned at him, "is your favourite. You currently have a box of Wheat Thins stashed in your desk. They're your favourite." She told him as she sipped her drink. Her eyes met his brown ones that widened and he looked sheepish and he knows she's holding back more details, but her point is made. 

"Wow," He murmured. "I apologize, Y/N. I don't know that much about you." He really looked at her and felt his cheeks grow hot. He hadn't even realized his tendencies toward the colour green, his occasional snacks, the suit he takes more care of than the others. The picture of Freya and Rebekah laughing together that he has on his desk. The one he still has of Hayley. They remind him of easier times.

"It's okay." She said simply. "You'll learn." She gave him a small smile before turning back to her menu and he found himself looking forward to getting to know the little details of Y/N. 

Rather than commit the answers to these answers to memory, Elijah emails over a list of questions, some broad and some in depth, for her to fill out and send back to him. She rolls her eyes at the list as she fills it out, her laptop perched on her kitchen countertop as she tastes the simmering liquid she's put together. The ring on her finger continues to catch her off guard as she stirs.

"Question 1," she reads aloud, "What is your favourite colour?" Another eye roll. If they wanted this to be convincing, he would need to ask way better questions. She jots it down anyway. We need to start somewhere. 

She answers the questions absentmindedly, most of them are almost like she is taking a personality quiz anyway. Y/N laughs to herself as she imagines she's taking a "Which Disney Princess Are You?" quiz until she gets to a certain question. How many siblings do you have? Her eyes float over to the shelves in her living room, the small urn sitting atop them, staring back at her. Two. - one older brother, one deceased older sister. She types it out without putting much thought into it. It's easier that way. She moves on quickly, the questions are easy and she falls into a rhythm of answering them. It's almost like getting to know herself all over again. Checking the little spaces of her mind to see if anything has changed. 

She finishes cooking her food and plates it, taking her meal and laptop to the couch with her, continuing her 'assignment'. She finds peace in her small apartment, too quaint and cluttered to feel the creeping loneliness, the cracking interior of her weary heart kept at bay by the welcoming worn comforts of the blankets kept on her couch, just enough room for her, and for her alone. 

 --

Elijah sits in his study - more of a library, really- at home, tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him. He dwells on the things he thinks he would like to know about Y/N, continues to find her interesting and insufferable and he's confused about that. He sighs as he looks at the questions he sent her and scoffs at himself. Favourite holiday? He could do better than that - he wasn't sure he wanted to. The less involved they became, the easier it would be to end this whole arrangement. He tentatively presses the keys in front of him, creating more questions on a new document. He quiets the voice in his head telling him not to care. 

What is your relationship with your family?

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? 

What are you afraid of?

He shakes his head and stops typing as an email pings in his inbox. He huffs at the disruption, checking the time. Ten thirty-seven pm. Who on earth - "I'll show you mine if you show me yours. -Y/N" with a document attached. He practically chokes at the audacity of her, but finds himself chuckling anyway. He clicks on the PDF file to find her answers written out. 

Yellow

Christmas

Two. - one older brother, one deceased older sister.

He felt his heart sink to his stomach. She's worked for him for - how long now, six years? - and he was just learning this information. Guilt swarms him and pits in his stomach. He swallows harshly and moves on, finishing reading her answers. He'll have to ask her more in depth questions, but now, Elijah has to think next steps. Pictures, announcements, an engagement party. His hand snakes through his hair again. Nervous habit. He's been anxious since Y/N agreed to this con. He wonders if she's as anxious as he is. He couldn't put it past her, tricking his entire family could be nerve-racking. 

He can't stop thinking about her, and he hates himself for it. Elijah could feel his composure breaking down, anxiety and nerves breaking through his reinforced walls. Deep breaths. This will all be over soon. He is broken, more broken than he realized, more broken than he thought he could be. Deep breaths. This will all be over soon. He is broken, so much so that he doesn't know if he can come back from this wedding. He knows he hasn't been okay for.. Oh, yes, four years, now. And he knows he's been lying to his therapist, who will kill him for the mental breakdown he is causing himself. 

He stands from his desk, his empty stomach lurching. He thinks of Y/N, how well put together she is, how she'd never let him live down how goddamn broken he is and how her trauma has now sent him spiraling.

Deep breaths. This will all be over soon.

 --

The next morning, Y/N sits at her desk bright and early, coffee in hand as Elijah arrives at the office.

"Good morning, Mr. Mikaelson." She smiles as she hands him his coffee. 

"Thank you." He grumbles in response. "Come to my office, please." Once again, more of a command than a request, but Y/N obliges. He turns the corner to his office and she scoffs as he walks toward the glass enclosed room, her sickly sweet smile disappearing from her face to be replaced by a glare.  She's annoyed by his presence but something about his demeanor is different this morning. He seems tired. Moving into his office, she sits at the chair across from his desk again, where he sits, waiting. He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, closing his eyes. She takes note of the bags under his eyes. He must've had a rough night, she thinks. She wonders if she can do anything to alleviate his pain, in spite of her dislike for him. He's been on her mind a lot lately. 

"We have an appointment today." He said. 

“Sir, you've only got one free slot in your schedule left and I-," 

"No, we have an appointment today." He dropped his hand and opened his eyes, meeting hers with a quirked eyebrow. 

"Oh," she nodded slowly, understanding his meaning, "what for?" 

"Engagement photos." Y/N's stomach twists at that. Now is where the hard part begins, the acting like they can stand each other part. "Send me a template of an engagement announcement that you like. I don't have the time to waste looking for a suitable one." He turns to his computer screen. "I'll send you links to the photographer's website, so you can see he is accredited. You may leave the office early today to get yourself ready." He's not looking at her anymore, and she sensed that there was no arguing. 

She nods again and stands silently, moving toward the door of his office. Not that she thought she'd be planning a whole engagement anytime soon - chronically single and decidedly not mingling - but this was never how she wanted it to go. She closes the door behind her and sighs, letting her shoulders sag the tiniest bit. Elijah watches her walk back around the corner toward her desk in the lobby. Annoyance and guilt pangs him. He's dragged her into something more than he ever thought they would experience together. She's his receptionist, a good one, but outside a work perspective, they could tear each other apart. 

She sits at her desk, taking a deep breath. She opens the email he sent, no subject, just links and location and time. I guess I get to see the Mikaelson Estate. She thinks to herself. Prior Friday night plans be damned.

  --

Six o'clock rolls around and Y/N is being buzzed into the gate at the entrance of Mr. Mikaelson's - she figures she should start calling him Elijah - hillside property. The gravel path is short as she pulls up to the mansion entrance, eyeing the black and white building. She sighs as she puts her car into park, her heart suddenly racing. She can't tear her eyes away from the estate. She knew Elijah had money, just not this much money. She exits the car, letting her dress fall loosely around her legs. The warm summer air floated the scent of roses over to her as she surveyed the property. Rose bushes lined a walking path on the other side of the lawn, which was more of a football field filled with bushes and trees than an ordinary yard. It's decorated with lawn lights along the path and, in the pre-twilight, she's reminded of romantic movies as the couple walks along, all hushed giggles and whispers and stolen kisses on the cheek. 

She glances back up at the black double door entrance to the house and makes her way up the steps, knocking nervously. She waits for maybe two seconds before the door is opened and she's facing a brown-haired man, clad in a light blue button down and black slacks. About her height in her heels, his blue eyes shining through his glasses as he smiles at her. 

"Ah, Ms. Y/L/N! Welcome to the Mikaelson estate. Mr. Mikaelson has asked that I invite you in and make sure you're comfortable until he is ready for you. Please, come in." He steps to the side and sweeps his arm across the threshold and Y/N feels as though she's walking into a fairy tale. She steps inside, her heels clicking against the granite floors as she looks, wide-eyed, into the bright estate. In the foyer, where she stands, a chandelier shines brightly. Across the wide space is a staircase, curling around the corner of the room. There are vases filled with flowers, white roses and dahlias, peonies, lilies. The scent of the place is sweet and floral, quite contrary to the heady, earthy scent she noted while around Elijah. In the back of the room is a walkway, leading to a room with floor to ceiling windows. 

"Ma'am, if you'll follow me." The man says behind her. She starts, shaking her head apologetically. 

"I'm so sorry, I've never been here." She says as she follows him, "I'm just a bit distracted." She trails off. The man in front of her chuckles as he leads her to a hallway to the right, past doors on either side. 

"This is Mr. Mikaelson's personal office. If you wouldn't mind waiting here, he will be with you shortly." He opens a door into a spacious room, darker than the rest of the house that she has seen.

"Thank you," she mutters as she steps into the room. Before he can close the door and leave her, she stops him, "What was your name?"

The man smiles at her again and she thinks about how pleasant it is. "Tristan, ma'am. I'll be just outside this door until Mr. Mikaelson gets here. Please, don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything at all." He nods before exiting the room, leaving her to wander. She turns back to face the room and is quickly blown away by the size.

"Office?" she whispers to herself. The room in front of her is covered in brown bookshelves, old leather-bound and new books alike lining the walls surrounding her. To the right is a desk, covered in papers, blueprints, drawings. A worn leather office chair sits empty at the desk. Across from the desk to the left of the room is a single fabric chair, no doubt more expensive than her monthly salary. A small lamp sits on a table beside the chair, a stack of books sits unread next to the lamp. She moves around the room slowly, taking in the scent of books and the familiar oak and bourbon fragrance she recognizes as Elijah's cologne. She walks to the bookcase across from the door, running her fingers along the spines as she walks along the wall. She makes her way over to the desk, glancing over drawings and notes scribbled along blueprints. 

She notices picture frames along the wall behind the desk, the only wall not covered in books, another door on the other end of the wall. A pretty blonde woman is smiling as she's holding a little boy in one. In another, a different blonde has her arm around a smiling Elijah. Y/N tilts her head and smiles at the picture. She's not sure she's ever seen him smile like that. She looks at a different photo, a smaller one. Another smiling woman, this time with brown hair and hazel eyes. She's laughing at the camera. Y/N remembers her face, but not her name. The woman used to come into the office and have lunch with Elijah. She still remembers the aftermath of the breakup, without knowing all the details. Y/N knows how long it took for him to come back from that. Knows that he's still not fully healed, obviously, given the picture of her still on his wall. She turns again to look at the desk, shuffling through papers while remembering the time she caught him crying at his desk, just a tear or two sliding down his cheek. He refused to take any time off during that period. She wanted to help him, console him, but he pushed her away, yelling at her when she saw his tears.

Elijah watches her from the doorway, waiting to announce his presence. He watches her move like water, graceful and flowing without even trying to. She's wearing a beautiful blue dress, light and casually elegant. She's looking at the pictures behind his desk, and he watches her smile to herself as she looks at the picture of Rebekah and him. He sips his glass, catching himself admiring her. She turns to look at the desk again, the scribbled words on sticky notes and spiral bound notebooks filled with his handwriting. He wonders what she's thinking about as her eyes trace over the papers. He's never noticed how long her lashes are, how she holds herself as if she is the stepping on glass, her touch airy and gentle. He has nothing to hide on the desk, and he's working on taming the beast in him that's yelling for her to be scolded, to be thrown out of his most private room, his sacred space. He compromises with the beast and starts walking toward her.

"Exploring, are we?" He says from across the room. Y/N jumps at the sudden voice, turning to see a chuckling Elijah. He raises a glass to his lips and holds one out for her. 

She closes the distance between them, taking the glass of brown liquid from him. "Thank you," she says as she takes a sip. The bourbon is harsh, burning her throat, but she enjoys it. "I'm sorry, I was just looking around while I waited for you." She says sheepishly. 

"No worries." He takes another sip of his drink, keeping his gaze trained on her as she continues to look around. Her eyes glimmer as she looks at all the books and he couldn't help but share her small smile, his eyes trailing hers around the library. "Do you like to read?" He asks, a small smile on his face.

"I love books." She turns to him and nods. Maybe he isn't so bad. 

"I've collected most of these from my travels. There's this quaint little bookshop in Venice, they have books in bath tubs in case the place floods." He chuckles to himself at the memory as he looks around the room. "I took Hay-," He stops himself as he remembers whose hand he was gripping in that memory. "Never mind," He murmurs, his eyes glued to the rug. Y/N's eyebrows furrow in concern.

"Is everything okay, Elijah?" She asks quietly, reaching out for to grasp his arm. The use of his name coming from her caught him off guard, making his head snap back up at her.

"It's Mr. Mikaelson, Y/N. You do still work for me." His voice is loud and confident, nothing like the warm softness he just was. It's irrational, he knows but, control over other people is the one thing he has right now and he's not willing to let that go. He moves back, making sure her grasp does not reach him. 

Y/N's face drops, her mouth pressing into a thin line. Her hand falls to her side. "Mr. Mikaelson." She says. She puts the glass down on the desk behind her. "Should we go get these pictures over with, then?" She asks coldly. She turns to the door of the library, making her way to the exit.

Elijah sighs regretfully, but what's done is done. They're simply not compatible, no matter how strong the urge to let her in is. She stands just outside the room in the hall, waiting for him to lead her to where they would be taking pictures. He, too, sets his glass down on the desk, straightening his suit and tie before walking out the door without looking at her. He turns left out the door and hears her clicking footsteps behind him. He takes her through the house, unaware of her gawking at the different rooms and decorations. He leads her outside to the back terrace, where a professional photographer is set up, facing the view of rolling hills and trees. The terrace is brick, with a glass barrier blocking off the edge of the building, overlooking a vast back garden. The back of the house faces west, the sunset creating orange and red hues throughout the sky above, the perfect background for engagement pictures. 

"Here are the lovebirds!" The photographer exclaims. He ushers and shoos them into poses, too close and intimate to be comfortable. 

"Could you be any more stiff?" She whispers at him through her smile at the camera.

"Could you be any more annoying?" He counters. 

"Can we just get this over with?" She looks up at him to glare, but realizes just how close they are. They're practically touching, trying desperately to keep some semblance of distance from each other. Her cheesy smile for the camera fades as she looks up at him, her breathing slows while she takes him in, his jawline, his cheekbones, the delicious brown of his eyes, still turned to face the photographer. She feels the static between them, the friction is heavy and palpable. Do you feel it too?

"What a beautiful look from the future missus!" The photographer grins and Y/N feels fer cheeks grow hot. Elijah looks down at her, his gaze meeting hers before brushing down to look at her lips. His hands are stiff on her waist, like a junior prom photo, posing painfully awkward. "Don't be afraid to loosen up! Just act natural, bask in your love! You're a beautiful couple, you have nothing to worry about," Another flash as the photographer flourishes, encouraging them. 

Y/N swallows hard, allowing herself to shakily get closer to him. Her gaze is still locked on his, she's craning her neck to look up at him now. He smells the way the library did, the bourbon a bit stronger from his drink earlier. His hand finds its way to the side of her neck, creeping up to gently caress her cheek. She lets a gentle gasp escape her lips as she feels his skin on hers for the first time. So many boundaries are being broken right now.

Elijah figures, why not one more?

He dips his head, his lips brushing hers as his hand moves to the base of her skull at her neck, keeping her in place. She slowly closes her eyes, feeling the energy between them shift. He kisses her, shyly at first, while she's shocked. Then, she reciprocates, letting their lips mold together in a blinding embrace. His other arm snakes around her waist, tangling in the loose blue fabric of her dress as he swipes her lips with the tip of his tongue. Her hand finds his hair, tangling her fingers in the soft strands. Her other hand grasps his suit jacket, pulling him into her. He bends her backward gently, dipping her and widening their kiss. 

"Oh, gorgeous! Beautiful!" The photographer calls, the camera clicking a million times over, but they don't hear him or the clicking. It's the two of them now, letting their kiss engulf them and their senses. Elijah thinks that maybe this could be it, maybe she could be his solace. Y/N wonders if he means this, or if he's good at faking passion.

The kiss feels like it lasts for hours, but it's only a few seconds before Elijah pulls away. Her eyes flutter as they pant in unison, their eyes never straying from the other. Her leg is extended outward as if they just finished a dance. The beast is back in his head and he can't compromise this time, can only give it what it wants. He shakes his head and helps her stand upright before taking a step back and straightening his suit again. His eyes refuse to meet hers, but he nods in her direction and then at the photographer. 

"That'll be enough. Thank you for your time." He stalks away, back into the house, leaving Y/N there to grasp with what just happened. She releases a shaky sigh and wills her legs to move, finding the entrance to the house and making her exit.

 --

Y/N spends the weekend agonizing over the kiss, their proximity, the undeniable chemistry, and she wonders what it means, what any of this means to him. Her quaint apartment does little for comfort this time. She writes, she paints, she watches, she walks, but nothing takes her mind from him. Why he acts the way he does, why he keeps her at arm's length, why she's feeling this way about him when she knows he's rude and spoiled and arrogant. Why she thinks he uses it as a defense mechanism. Why she thinks that maybe the Elijah she saw in the library was genuine, if only for a second. And why she knows she dislikes him, but that kiss was the best damn one she had ever had. 

She spends her spare time filling out more questions he has sent, taking his unending personality quiz, and thinking about how in depth the questions are getting. The silence is loud in her apartment and she finds herself missing the smooth baritone of Elijah's voice, not the voice he uses to command her, the voice from the library, the soft one filled with nostalgia as he recalls a memory he was fond of. 

He's not kind. He's not gentle. He's cold, and calloused. She wishes she had no reason to dislike him, wishes he was something he's not. He's never been kind to her other than professional pleasantries. Never taken an interest in her, while she's observed and gotten to know him from a distance. He didn't use to be so hard, before when Hayley - she remembers the name after it almost slipped past his lips in the library- was around, he was bearable, but still never paid her any mind. She can't bring herself to acknowledge the budding flurry in her stomach when she thinks of him. Always pristine and put together. Handsome. A good kisser.

Instead of letting herself think about her feelings for a man who would most certainly hurt her, she buries them. She saw the picture of Hayley hanging in his office. She knows what that means. So, she quashes the butterflies, tramples the seeds of hope planted in her heart at the thought that maybe he was feeling something too. It’s easier to dislike someone than to let yourself become attached. She makes another promise to herself. No attachments means no one leaving. She eyes the urn on her bookshelf again. 

 --

Elijah spends the weekend moping, locked in his study, the picture of Hayley taken down from the wall and grasped in his shaking hand. He shakes his head as he throws the frame, unable to comprehend that her hazel eyes are no longer the ones he wants to look into. Despite her not being in his life for so long, he doesn't know how to be anything but Hayley's, and he hates it. He hates her for hurting him the way she has. He hates himself more for continuing to love her the way he has.

He stands from the desk and robotically walks toward the broken frame on the floor of his library, the familiar crack in his chest expanding until it breaks wide open. It doesn't feel how he thought it would as he looks down at the shattered image of his long-gone love. He'd thought that when he broke, he'd be irreparable, inconsolable, too far gone. But this broken feels free. This broken feels like a release. This broken feels like the start of healing.

He stoops to pick up the broken picture and looks at it again. He studies it, picks apart the glass shards that are strewn about and pricks his finger, blood seeping onto the picture. It's then that he realizes he's crying, a sob escapes from his lips as the red stains spread quickly across the ink. He nods to himself as he sniffles, understanding. He walks back to the desk and promptly throws the frame away, blood and glass and Hayley included. 

The reality is that Elijah would have bled himself dry for Hayley, and he nearly did, each and every day for the last four years, thinking he might win her back while she married his brother and gave birth to their child. She's not the same person she was back then, and neither is he. For better or for worse, Elijah has changed and continues to change, and he hopes Y/N sees that. Y/N. 

The feelings he has toward her are by no means simple and clean cut. He's never able to pinpoint one singular emotion when he thinks of her, let alone when he sees her. He's always resented her because she was everything he wasn't, kind, warm, compassionate. He knows the feeling is mutual, he's never been entirely kind to her. He's resented himself for being attracted to her warmth like a moth to a flame. He'll have to work on that, along with the myriad of issues he needs to work on internally. He was sure she wouldn't see a positive change in him until he worked to fix the damage he held close to his chest, a wounded dog snarling at anyone that came close. 

He wipes his face with the back of his hand, pulling away with salt water covering it. He walks back to the chair, collapsing into it and pulling open a drawer to reach for a band-aid. One of many, many band-aids to come. 

 --

Elijah disappears for the week following their kiss, only sending her emails to cancel or reschedule his meetings. He tells her she too can take the week off, but Y/N is stubborn and she’d rather sit at her desk with nothing to do and get paid, infuriated by the man who quite literally ran away after kissing her. It isn't until the following Wednesday that another email comes through from him, this time, a blank subject line. Attached was a photo file, with a sentence typed underneath. "The photos turned out stunning. Choose one."

Y'N's heart skips as she opens the attachments, photos of the two of them pull up on the screen. The first few are stiff and their smiles are clearly faked. As she scrolls, she sees herself turn to look at Elijah as she presses closer against his chest. The last photo is undeniably stunning. The sky behind the pair is orange and red, fire alight in the clouds. Her light blue dress is a stark contrast to the scenery, it flows around her elegantly. Elijah is kissing her, her fist clutching his suit jacket, his hand tangled in her hair as he leans into her, causing her back to arch. Y/N's breath stills as she looks at the picture. They melted together perfectly, like puzzle pieces, meant for each other. She eyes the way his hand caresses her waist, the other hand's fingers grasping her neck gently. Her cheeks feel hot but she can't tear her eyes from the picture. It really is beautiful.

She saves the picture to the computer and sends it back to Elijah. "This one." She types out and fires the email back to him. She finds herself staring at the photo still, but he responds almost immediately.

"Will do. When are you free?" She furrows her eyebrows at his question. You literally make my schedule. She has to refrain from responding with her sarcastic thoughts and instead gives him a date on the upcoming weekend that she's not doing anything. She continues browsing the internet on company time, falling onto one Wikipedia page after another when she receives another email from Elijah. Simple subject line: Announcement.

She opens it curiously and finds an attached wedding announcement with the photo she just selected, with details underneath.

"Please join Mr. Elijah Mikaelson and Ms. Y/N Y/L/N in celebration of their engagement, Sunday, June 20th at 7PM. Formal black tie only, cocktails served."

Her jaw drops as she reads it. She sees that she's the only one he sent it to, so he's sending it for approval and not officially. She breathes deeply as she sits back into her chair, allowing herself to feel a thousand emotions all at once. Conflict, confusion, anger, sadness, grief. Grief for the relationship she's not actually in, but the one she wants. Conflicted sadness because none of this is real. No matter how many times she might wish for it to be, even if she wished for it to be someone, anyone else. No matter how many times she wished for it to be real, with him. Anger because it's him. Anger because she has feelings for him. And he doesn't feel the same. She tells herself.

She sits forward and types a short reply. "Looks good. Send it." She exits her emails and shuts down her computer. Maybe she will take the rest of the day off. I've got a party to prepare for.

 —

Elijah’s in and out of therapy the week following the kiss, working hard on himself and putting his needs first. He sets his priorities: number one being getting completely over Hayley, and actually trying to, this time. Number two, becoming happier with the life he lives without feeling the need to impress anyone, including his family. And his third priority: sort out his feelings for Y/N and actually try to move forward. He finds her interesting and annoying and beautiful and shrewd. She’s endlessly judgemental and always smiling. Has her smile always made his stomach twist? He’s unsure of what he feels for her but he’s sure it’s mostly positive.

Nevertheless, they will pull this off and will never have to speak of it again. Maybe he can find her a place somewhere else in the company, she won’t have to see him ever again. Head of Communications in New York doesn’t sound bad. He’d be doing both of them a favour and she is highly overqualified to be his secretary. 

He can’t help his mind wandering to when he finally gets to see what dress she picks for the engagement party.

 --

Y/N smiles gracefully as she makes her debut as the future Mrs. Elijah Mikaelson, her hand sliding along the banister as she descends the stairs of Elijah's estate slowly. Her dress is billowing around her, white and soft and flattering. Off the shoulder sleeves caress her arms and she can hear her heels click against the granite stairs. 

Elijah's mind goes blank when he sees her. He stands at the bottom of the stairs, smiling pleasantly as she makes her way down, alarms in his mind going off when he sees her in white. How fitting. She reaches him and he takes her arm, leaning down to gently kiss her cheek and whisper in her ear, "You look beautiful." She smiles sheepishly, looking up at him as the crowd watches dotingly. 

"Ladies and gentlemen" Elijah calls to the group. He raises the glass in his opposite hand, "To the future Mrs. Mikaelson." Multiple cheers rang throughout the room and she grinned, her cheeks burning. Elijah drank from his flute and proceeded to walk with her throughout the room, introducing her to people of importance. He finally introduces Y/N to his siblings, Finn, Rebekah, Freya and Klaus, who stand at the back of the room next to the bar. Rebekah and Freya offer Y/N a nice break on a bar stool, handing her her own glass of champagne as they begin to interrogate her in the most sisterly way possible. Y/N answers all their questions flawlessly, just as her and Elijah have been preparing for.

 Klaus moves over to stand with his brother, handing Elijah his own flute. Finn claps Elijah on the shoulder as the younger drinks. Elijah eyes both of them distrustfully, but accepts the drink and lets his resentment melt away, just for tonight.

Y/N looks at the Mikaelson girls gratefully as she downs the champagne. She sighs as she puts the glass on the bar, rubbing her aching legs over her dress as she chats with the sisters. Hours pass as the girl's talk, getting to know each other and they lose track of the room surrounding them. Occasionally, someone will make their way to Y/N and congratulate her.

"Hayley wanted to be here, but they couldn't find a sitter for Hope. She's looking forward to seeing you and Elijah at the wedding, though." Rebekah says from the bar stool next to Y/N and smiles.

Y/N's eyebrows furrow. "I wasn't aware Hayley was invit-,"

"Oh, dear god," Rebekah mutters, interrupting Y/N's question. Y/N hears it before she sees it, Elijah talking loudly to a group of men and Klaus, laughing rowdily. She closes her eyes slowly as she turns.

"Here we go." Y/N stands and huffs, marching her way over to the group and worming her way through the wall of tall men. She eyes Klaus as he smirks and hands his older brother yet another glass filled with the bubbly alcohol. Finn smiles at the scene, knowing just what Klaus is doing. 

 "There's no way she didn't know he invited Hayley, right?" Freya asks Rebekah. Rebekah's eyebrows quirk up as her sister speaks.

"Interesting." Rebekah takes another sip of champagne as she watches Y/N push her way into the small crowd surrounding Elijah.

"Speak of the devil!" Elijah slurs loudly once he catches sight of Y/N as she moves to stand next to him. She fakes her best smile and, through clenched teeth, whispers to him.

"Come with me, darling." The pet name is harsh and practically spat in Elijah's face. He sneers at her and looks toward the crowd that's growing. 

"Excuse us for a moment, my friends. It appears the future ball and chain is calling!" Her face heats up as she grabs him by the wrist and pulls him through the crowd while the people around snicker and chuckle. Klaus takes a sip from his own glass, eyebrow raising in a smirk as she tows his older brother away. Damn him, she curses to herself. 

"What is wrong with you?" She hisses, pulling him away from the crowd and into the room she knows to be the library. Elijah stumbles next to her as she pulls him by the wrist, he's confused and definitely not sober.

Elijah laughs as she closes the door behind them and he leans against a bookshelf as he chuckles humourlessly. "I'm just making friends!" He exclaims. "By telling them how not excited I am to be married to you." He lifts himself from the bookshelf and sneers at her. She rolls her eyes in his direction. 

"Yes, because I'm definitely the worst option out there." She snaps back. "We need to get you cleaned up; this isn't very proper." She murmurs, striding toward him. She swiftly pulls the handkerchief from his lapel pocket, dabbing the sweat on his face and straightening his hair. His eyes widen as he looks on in horror before he grabs the handkerchief from her hand roughly. She steps back exasperatedly. "Seriously? Don't be a child. Let me help," She offers. 

He scoffs and glares at her, moving the handkerchief on his own as he walks to the wall behind the desk where a small mirror is hung. "I don't need your help." He's swaying now, as he starts pacing in an effort to sober up the tiniest bit. Something in her heart comes alive as she watches him and she quashes it, turning her rising spark of hope into a licking flame of anger. It is quick to build and explode, forcing its way up her throat in harsh words.

“God, you drive me so fucking crazy!” Y/N yells as Elijah paces about the library. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as he let on, his demeanor changed quickly as the conversation escalates. He's rigid now, no longer sloppy and lazy like before. 

“I drive you crazy? Have you heard yourself talk?” He snaps. His eyes are wild and his hair is disheveled as he runs his hands through it, the brown strands like waves through his fingers. His suit is ruffled and her dress matches, the wrinkles from gripping it were starting to deepen. She eyes his messy hair and suit, her mind wandering from the situation at hand.

She shakes her head. “We need to get our shit together, okay?” She sighs as she looks at the business magnate, the young, handsome bachelor, her fiancée, and she hates him. She hates him more than she thought she would ever be able to hate someone. But the tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach doesn't seem to disappear, it only gets worse as she glares at him. She swallows roughly. "Let's pull this together. We need to fake this for three more weeks. Can you do that?" She asks.

His response is a cold laugh, spit out of his mouth like it burned. "I don't know if I can handle you." His hand drops from his head as he pivots to look at her. He shrugs and his mouth is agape, as if he's thinking of something to say. "I don't think I can handle you." He says quietly. His eyes fall from hers and this feels final, feels hard and broken. She's got tears in her eyes now, angry tears, but she will not let herself be hurt. She is determined to show him how much he doesn't affect her.

"It's not my fault that you can't handle me." She snarls, keeping her feet firmly planted in her beliefs that you are never too little nor too much. you are always enough. He stood across the room from her, his face a mix of remorse and anger, like he's trying to decide how he feels. She stomps her way over to him, standing on her tip toes to somewhat look him in the eye. "You gave me your word." She seethes, feeling her chest heave. His eyes decide on the remorse and he looks down, avoiding her gaze entirely. The tugging in her stomach is wild and hungry. She has too much at stake to lose now.

"I gave you my word," he says back, mirroring her statement. "Sometimes I can't keep my word." He lifts his gaze to meet hers, his eyes steely now, angry and mean. 

"I hate you," she says. Her voice is low, her teeth clenched. 

"That makes two of us." His stare pierces right through her. He inches closer to her, closing the gap between them. He tilts his head, his breath smells of alcohol and feels hot against her skin. Her jaw loosens the slightest bit, her lips parting as her breath picks up. His hand moves fluidly up to cup her cheek. He's flushed, his cheeks rosy from the alcohol and proximity to her. Memories of their first kiss linger in the back of her mind, her eyes flickering between his glassy ones and his lips, the same lips that he can't stop himself wetting. His tongue darts out across his bottom lip and her breath hitches. 

She surprises herself by being the one to close the gap between them, hoisting herself up on her toes to crash their lips together. He doesn't object, rather, he kicks himself for not being the one to initiate. He's quick to reciprocate, his hands finding purchase on her hips as hers find their way to his hair. Like the first time they kissed, their lips felt like the perfect fit, their bodies coming together eagerly. His tongue swipes her lips and she gets drunk off the champagne taste, sharing his buzzed vibrations.

His hands grasp her waist and turn her. He pushes her against the nearest bookshelf, his actions draw a moan from her lips. One he would give anything to hear over and over again. He lifts her ever so slightly and she takes the opportunity to wrap one of her legs around his waist, her dress hiking up and bunching around her hips. His hand moves itself to find her barely there thong and tugs at it, pulling it to the side as his fingers find her wet core. He's surprised to find her already soaked and chuckles into her mouth before pulling away slightly.

"Already so wet," he growls. "May I?" he whispers. She nods quickly, unsure of what exactly he's got planned but wants him to do something, anything to her. He disappears from in front of her as he takes to his knees, propping one of her thighs on his shoulder before his lips connect with her clit, planting a small peck then licking a long strip through her folds. Another sweet, low moan escapes her lips and it was all he needed. It's been too long since he's done anything like this, but his tongue remembers well. He licks circles around her clit, bringing a finger up to her entrance and entering her slowly. Her breathing is heavy and ragged, laced with moans. Her hand tangles in his hair and tugs, begging for him to somehow be closer. Her head falls back against a shelf as he laps at her, his nimble fingers curling inside her. He never wants to taste anything ever again if it's not her. 

When he finds the strength to pull himself away from her, he’s undoing his belt and removing himself from his boxers, letting his pants fall around his ankles. He grasps both her thighs, lifting her entirely off the floor and propping her butt up on the bookshelf. She grips the shelves tightly, trusting his steady hands to hold her thighs up. 

“Is this okay?” He asks as he lines himself up to her cunt. She nods and whines.

“Please.” Breathy and needy and sweet. He enters her effortlessly, sheathing himself entirely. He allows a groan to escape from deep in his chest, his eyes fluttering shut as she clenches around him. 

“You feel amazing.” He groans. Her slick covers every inch of him as he pulls out and thrusts again, experimentally slow. She whines as he fills her again and again. 

“Faster.” She whispers, a beg, a plea, a necessity. He obliges, quickening his rhythm. He snaps his hips against hers, the bookshelf rocking against the wall behind them as he fucks her. She lifts her head to open her eyes and look at him, gazing into his brown eyes. His gaze falls to her, their eyes not leaving the others as they breathe heavily in unison. 

Keeping her eyes glued to his, she lets a moan escape her lips. “Mr. Mikaelson,” she gasps. His gaze darkens and he fucks her faster, reaching the spot just where she needs him and she feels the coil wrap tightly in the pit of her stomach, a certain numbness creeping down her spine. He doesn’t slow as she comes, no efforts of staying quiet, no secrets hidden from the party just down the hall. She finally drops his gaze to squeeze her eyes shut as she nearly shouts, the release of her orgasm is intense and white hot, sparkling down her legs and up her torso. He growls as her chest heaves, his mouth making contact with her shoulder, collar bone, neck and he kisses, nibbles and bites the areas as he keeps his pace, giving her no time for respite.

“I’m not done yet,” He groans as he nips at her neck, sucking the skin beneath. She pants and a smile creeps on her face, angling so her lips are against his ear.

“You’ve never been one to leave things unfinished,” she whispers, “Mr. Mikaelson.”

He growls again, pulling her off the bookshelf entirely and spinning her around, much to her surprise. He makes sure her dress stays around her waist as he bends her over, lining himself again with her swollen entrance. She uses the bookshelf to balance herself, Elijah’s hands holding her up by her hips. He pushes into her slowly again, adjusting to the new position before picking up the pace, the sounds of her moaning, his panting and skin against skin filling the space around them.

“You’re such a brat, you know that?” He questions, his arm wrapping around her waist to give him access to her clit. He circles it with two fingers, drawing more moans from her throat.

“Sir-,” She’s cut off by a hand making contact with the bare skin of her ass, a slap plants itself, red welt in the shape of his hand already growing. A yelp escapes her and her eyes roll back, her mouth agape in shock and pleasure as he marks her. 

“You didn’t even ask permission before coming. You work for me, remember?” He growls, the same hand he spanked her with snaking up her spine and into her hair, gripping the base and pulling it back. She moans as he pulls her up slightly, still working her clit with the other hand. 

“Sir, please,” she gasps, the motions quickly becoming too much to contain. “I’m so close again.”

“Fine,” He admonishes. “Come.” Another demand but she obliges happily, becoming unraveled in his arms. She whines again, and she feels him release as well, spilling himself with a groan and a nip at her bare shoulder. 

“Elijah,” She whispers as he pulls himself free of her and he lets her go gently, making sure she’s steady on her feet. She stands shakily and turns to him. The realization dawns for both of them, a huge boundary was just crossed. She breathes heavily and he runs another hand through his hair.

“Oh, um, the bathroom is through that far door.” He says quietly, pointing toward the door on the wall behind his desk. She nods gently and moves in that direction, closing it behind her. Elijah sighs and moves to stare at the small mirror hanging behind his desk, ruffled and confused and awe stricken.

Y/N pushes her back against the cool door, her breathing heavy still as a quiet sob shakes her. Damn him. Her promises to herself are meaningless now, she's fallen for a man who will certainly hurt her. She looks herself in the mirror, her traitorous reflection stares back and she swears she sees a ghost of a smile on the twin’s face. She hurries to clean up and make herself presentable, making sure there isn't a stray hair out of place, nor a stray tear on her cheek. She sighs and nods at herself, unlocking the door and stepping out. 

Elijah is there still, waiting for her. His face is blank, any emotion he felt while she was in the bathroom is no longer evident on his face. His hair, once disheveled, is neatly combed how it was at the start of the party. She notices his handkerchief is missing from his lapel. He nods at her inquisitively and she nods back once. He offers his arm to her as they make their way out of the library together, no words spoken, back into the party where the music was still playing and people were still chatting. False smiles plastered, they emerge together into the oblivious crowd, making small talk with various attendees. 

“Elijah?” A woman’s voice rings from behind them and Elijah freezes for a split second before turning to look at the hazel eyed woman behind him. 

“Hayley?” For a moment, Elijah forgets where he is, who’s around him, the woman on his arm and all he sees is her. She’s wearing a vibrant red dress, sweetheart top with a slit in the skirt. Her lips match the colour of her dress and he wants to smear it. Priority number one practically disintegrates as he locks eyes with her.

“It’s so good to see you,” she smiles hesitantly at him and glances at Y/N. 

Elijah clears his throat and stiffens. “Hayley, this is Y/N, my fiancée.” 

“It’s really nice to meet you,” Hayley smiles and extends her hand to Y/N who shakes it and smiles back at her, completely ignores the fact that they have met before.

“You too,” Y/N smiles, but Hayley’s eyes are glued back on Elijah. 

“You look great, ‘Lijah,” She smiles again. Something in Y/N spikes and she shoves it away,

“Shouldn’t you be with Niklaus? Where is he, anyway?” Elijah looks away from her, over the crowd of people searching for his brother. His composure is glass, any more pressure and he may just break. The break in music ends as a song begins to play, slow and charming. Elijah finds the excuse and drags Y/N away and onto the dance floor. She stutters as he pulls her away until she sees the look on Hayley’s face, pure annoyance as their eyes meet. Klaus comes up behind Hayley, wraps his arm around her waist and whispers something in her ear that makes her annoyed frown quirk up into a curious smirk, her eyes still glued to Y/N's.

"Y/N," Elijah starts. "About what happened-,"

"It was a mistake, I know." She finishes for him as he swings her around, bringing her to face him. She can't bring herself to look him in the eyes, so she stares at his chest and collar bone directly in her eye line. His jaw opens and closes, like he's trying to find something to say but he can still see the scarlet in his peripheral and it's wildly distracting. They're dancing now, moving together in an elegant waltz as the crowd watches on, smiling at the couple.

"I didn't know you could dance," Elijah mutters to her as he tries to catch her gaze.

"You still don't know a lot of things about me." She finally breaks and meets his gaze, but it's not angry or mean like she expected. His brown eyes are soft and unexpectedly kind, fragile.

"I know, and I apologize for that," He spins her again and catches her against his chest, holding her close now. He wraps his arms around her waist, some part of his mind screaming that he is holding the wrong woman. But as he lifts his eyes to the crowd surrounding them, he catches Hayley and Klaus watching them, Klaus's arms around Hayley. Where his used to be, where they no longer belong and some part of him, some minuscule last part of him, tucks the thought of Hayley away and his eyes prick with tears. She is no longer his. He is no longer hers. He can finally move on. This broken feels free. 

Y/N sees his eyes change, his mind moving a million miles a minute and she sees the shine of tears. She looks over her shoulder, following his gaze directly to Hayley. I knew he's not over her. She looks down at his arms around her, hers around his neck as they sway together. It feels like it burns, her skin itches to be away from him. Her eyelids feel heavy as her own eyes brim with tears. Despite her convincing herself not to, drowning in every thought of him, of her, of every possibility, she let herself fall in love with him and she hates him for it. She looks back up at him and he meets her gaze, concern etching his eyes when he sees her own tear-filled ones.

"I know you still love her," She whispers to him. His eyes search hers, confusion creasing his face. "I know that you don't feel the same way about me that I do about you. I'll see this through to the end, for you, but once Finn's wedding is over, so is this, and I'm gone from the company. I can't do this, Mr. Mikaelson." She nods her head to the surrounding crowd, and his mouth is slightly agape. He shakes his head slightly.

"Y/N, you don't have to do that." Elijah whispers back. She drops her gaze again, staring at his tie instead. He unclenches his hand from her waist - had he really been holding on to her for dear life? - and brings it to her chin, making her look up at him. A small tear traces down her cheek as she reluctantly allows him to tilt her chin up. He doesn't say anything though, only leans in to bring his lips gently to hers, kissing her softly. She sighs into the kiss, allowing herself to feel everything she's been suppressing. The crowd gushes at the same time the song ends, and the couple remains in their embrace.

Applause breaks out around them as she pulls away from him, searching his eyes for something, but she doesn't know what. She's convinced herself that he could never even contemplate reciprocating her feelings, a lowly attempt at self-preservation. She quickly wipes her face and turns to face the crowd, delivering a dazzling grin. The party continues, their attention dispersing from the couple and Y/N makes her way toward the exit, away from Elijah. He watches her leave, stunned. His mouth still is agape as he stands in the center of the crowded room, feeling more alone without her by his side than he ever thought was possible.

 --

Elijah makes his return to the office casually, quietly with no fuss and no demands for her. He keeps his distance, allowing space between them to regrow, rebuilding boundaries that should have never been broken in the first place. The minute Y/N left the party, he's replayed her words in his mind. "I'll see this through to the end, for you." He was so sure that she hated him, so sure that she saw him as he saw himself. But somewhere along the way, she grew feelings for him, and that made their library escapade even worse. Guilt floods him and he is unable to feel much of anything else, the pestering need to care for Y/N that was a constant since they had started spending time together nagging at the corners of his guilt, telling him, apologize, make yourself known to her, let her see you.

Y/N doesn't look at him as he exits the elevator into the waiting area, simply pushes forward his coffee on her desk and continues writing in her notepad. He stares at the coffee on the table and sighs, thanking her quietly. His voice is gravelly, as if he too had spent the night crying. She doesn't dare speak, doesn't dare move for fear of exposing herself even more. Her heart thunders at his proximity. He walks across the room and around the corner to his office. As soon as his back is turned, she lets a sigh escape her lips, a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

He respects her boundaries; the silence sinks in between them every time they're together the weeks moving forward. Y/N's work is pristine, timely as always. Her eye contact with him is nonexistent and there's somehow less conversation than there had been before their agreement. The only non-business-related communication between the two is Y/N sending him a picture of the dress she bought for the wedding, a deep maroon shaded ballgown.

"Make sure your tie matches." The only note she leaves with it. Elijah smiles the tiniest bit at the bold comment. Audacious as always.

"Will do." He shoots back. Her heart flutters when she sees the email and she scolds herself. Truthfully, painfully, she wants nothing more than to talk with him, answer his questions about her, be held in his arms again while they danced. The aching in her chest to hear him tell stories like he almost did in the library. She finds herself daydreaming about him and the things he is able to do, hands, mind, body, tongue - no. She shakes her head and moves from those thoughts, continues typing on her computer. Elijah paces around his office much more often now, for no other reason than to catch glimpses of her while she works. She doesn't seem to notice his nervous habits anymore. She doesn't even seem to notice him anymore.

After the fourth time pacing back and forth in his office, Elijah collapses back into his plush chair, sighing heavily. If he could just talk to her, express his feelings to her. Tell her he's actually crazy about her, cares for her, wants to see her succeed in life but most of all, he wants to be there with her while she succeeds. Tell her she's the most interesting person he's ever met, get to know every detail of her. Tell her that he's no longer in love with Hayley. That thought makes him pause and smile to himself. He is no longer in love with Hayley. Elijah picks up the phone on his desk and dials a number.

 --

The Friday before the wedding feels surreal to Y/N. Her career with the Mikaelson Design Co. was coming to an end.  Her plans to start her own small company made her heart race as she rode the elevator up to her floor. She carried two coffees, one for her and for Eli- Mr. Mikaelson. In her purse was a hand written card to Mr. Mikaelson, explaining everything, how she felt, her thoughts. Her goodbye. A scribbled out rambling that she nervously scratched down and put into an envelope before she could stop herself. She would finish her day here and leave it on the desk for him, with a note to read it after the wedding. The elevator doors open and Y/N walks through them, only to stop short in front of her desk. On her desk is a giant vase, filled with flowers of different colours and sizes. She can't help the smile that spreads across her face as she slowly steps closer to her desk, leaning forward to smell the flowers. She spies a card amidst the bush and pulls it out, the smile remaining on her face.

"You're going to look beautiful tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll match your dress." She lets her heart flutter for just a second, pretending this is all real. Hope. She sighs and closes her eyes, her smile still lingering. She straightens, blinking as she remembers the coffee in her hand and pulls out the card in her purse. She turns to face Elijah's office, unable to see his desk from where she stands. She stifles her smile and straightens her outfit before clearing her throat and walking toward the corner, turning it while looking at the floor. 

She stands straight and goes to knock on the door, before her eyes catch on Elijah sitting behind his desk. Elijah, who is not alone. Elijah, who is facing a woman standing in front of his desk, her hands planted on the edges of the desk, holding her up as she leans over it. Her chest directly in Elijah's line of sight. Elijah, who is currently talking with Hayley.

The cup of coffee and envelope fall from her hands, her breath escaping her lungs. Elijah's attention was caught by the falling cup and his eyes glue to Y/N, watching through the glass door. His face pales and he goes to stand from the chair, but Hayley moves to stand in front of him, blocking his exit.

Y/N turns and walks toward the elevator, her heels splattered with coffee and a tear streaking down her cheek. The elevator welcomes her as the door to Elijah's office slams.

"Y/N, wait!" Elijah calls as he runs toward the reception area. The doors are closing when their eyes meet, hers filled with tears and his, regret. "Please," He rushes as the doors close and she leaves. He slumps against the cool metal, his hands covering his face. Hayley walks into the large waiting area, smirk on her face.

"Well, I guess I should be leaving now," She smiles at him sweetly before pushing the elevator button.

"Get. Out." Elijah growls, his hands dropping from his face as he steps away from the elevator. "You have no reason to be here other than to ruin my relationship. And to think, I thought you wanted to make amends. You just wanted her to see us together and get the wrong idea. After the wedding tomorrow, I never want to see you again, or my bastard brother." He snaps. Hayley's face falls and she reaches for him, grabbing onto his sleeve.

"You don't mean that, 'Lijah." She purrs, desperation creeping into her voice. "I know how you still feel about me. You love me."

“You're wrong," He tugs himself away from her grasp. "I don't love you. Not anymore." Speaking the words out loud, especially to Hayley, gives him a rush of freedom, of confidence. "There was a point in time when I would have given my life for you." He brings his gaze to look at her, earnestly. Her face had gone serious, no notes of deception left.

"I know." She looks to the floor. "For what it's worth, Elijah, I am sorry about what I did to you."

Elijah snorts, "I don't believe that. If you were, you wouldn't be here trying to sabotage my relationship." This was the second time he had referred to his "relationship" in seriousness, and it made his chest flutter. Hayley nods slowly as the elevator dings.

"Goodbye, Elijah." She enters the elevator where Y/N had just been. Elijah doesn't reply, doesn't turn to face her as the elevator doors close. Instead, he walks back down the hall, finding the spilled cup of coffee and an envelope left on the floor, coffee soaking into the white parchment. He furrows his brows and crouches to pick up the letter. Continuing into his office, he opens the envelope to see a small note written on the lip of it.

"Read after the wedding"

Y/N's familiar scrawl greets him and he exhales at the note. He rolls his eyes, thinking "She doesn't know me as well as she thinks she does." and pulls out the letter. He blots it with a tissue where the coffee seeped in, but it's mostly legible.

"Elijah,

By the time you're reading this, things between us have ended. The gig is up, the wedding is over and now you don't have to worry about dealing with me. I hope my leaving the company only made things easier for you. I know you never really liked me, anyway.

I want you to know my side of things. Over the last couple of months, we've gotten closer and you've learned more about me. Surprisingly, I've had a really great time with you, when we're not arguing."

Elijah chuckles and realizes the ache in his chest as he reads.

"I couldn't help myself, Elijah. I couldn't -and still can't- stop thinking about you. Even before our time as, well, a fake couple, I still thought about you. I guess you could say I had a crush on you then. My time with your company led me to you, and I'm thankful for that. I can only hope that the time we spent together was worth it for you. I think getting closer to you over the last two months have honestly changed me. Thank you, for the tough moments and the easy ones. I really, really hope you get everything you want in life.

I love you."

Elijah's heart falters at the last sentence, his mind screaming at his body to get up, go find her, tell her you love her too. But he stays there, frozen in the realization that he does love her.

He loves her.

 --

Y/N isn't sure about what she expected, but it certainly wasn't Hayley in Elijah's office. Her mind raced as she made her way back to her apartment. Had the flowers been for her? Had he invited her there? She looses herself in her thoughts, finding herself in front of her apartment door.

Salvation.

She unlocks the door and quickly enters the apartment, closing the door behind her quickly. She leans against the door and sighs. Finally, she can have peace. But something is different about the place before her. It's not the comfort it used to be. Cozy, yes. Salvation, no.

It's then that Y/N realizes her salvation is Elijah.

 --

The car ride to the wedding venue is silent and awkward between Elijah and Y/N. Tristan casts raised eyebrow glances at Elijah through the rearview, and Elijah gives him a minute shake of the head. Y/N stares out the window, ignoring Elijah to the best of her ability. 

Elijah looks at her through his peripheral and can’t help but think about how ethereal she looks. The maroon ballgown looks divine on her, she’s pinned her hair into an elegant style. 

Definitely the kind of woman his family would expect him to be with. 

They arrive at the venue and Elijah steps out of the car, rushing to the other side to open the door for Y/N and help her out. Arm in arm, the couple head down a stone path, surrounded by spiral topiaries and garden statues. 

“You look stunning, by the way.” He leans to the side to whisper into her ear as they approach security. She gives a curt ‘thank you’ as Elijah gives the security guard his name and relation. They’re allowed into the venue and step into a large room with a glass ceiling, natural light shining along the floor and walls, covered in wildflowers and lilies. Guests scattered around the room and into the back garden where the ceremony is set up, a beautiful simple arch with a white lace lining, blowing slightly in the summer breeze.  

Y/N spots Rebekah next to a tall, dark man, chatting quietly. Rebekah looks over in her direction and smiles, sending a small wave. Y/N can’t help but smile at the blonde, but as she did, a sadness came over her. She would never see Rebekah again after this. Or Freya. They really could have been great friends. 

Elijah nods in Rebekah’s direction and smiles slightly before noticing a blonde haired couple making their way toward them. Elijah’s lips purse and he moves in front of Y/N who stops abruptly. He faces her and looks into her eyes. 

“My parents are about to approach us. They’re quite literally the worse, so I will try to get us out of this conversation quickly. I apologize in advance for how this may go.” She’s confused, but nods anyway as he turns back to face his approaching mother and father.

“Mikael.” He nods and extends his hand.

The man takes it, scoffing. “What, boy, am I no longer your father?” He asks, taking Elijah’s hand anyway. “And this is the woman you’re marrying that we haven’t heard absolutely anything about?” He questions, his eyes moving to Y/N. 

She flashes him a regretful grin, and Elijah makes a mental note of just how terrifying it is that she is able to act so well. “I’m sorry we haven’t had the chance to meet until now, Eli’s just been so busy.” Her hand extends to Mikael, and he smiles pleasantly, kissing her hand. He’s impressed by her. Elijah realizes.  

“We understand, darling,” The woman chimes in, smile wide as she extends her arms to hug Y/N. “I’m just so glad we could finally meet you, and maybe have the chance to talk about your wedding!” Y/N’s eyes glaze for a second in panic as they pull apart.

“Of course! I would love to, Mrs. Mikaelson.” She smiles again. 

“Please, dear, call me Esther.” She reaches over to Elijah, pulling him into a reluctant hug as well.

“Well, the ceremony should be starting soon, Y/N and I are going to find our seats, and we will see you at the reception.” He nods to his parents and pulls Y/N away from them. 

“They didn’t seem to be the worst.” Y/N said curiously as they  walk away. 

“No, they usually don’t when you first meet them.” His eyes are dark and already annoyed. They make their way out of the ballroom and into the garden. Elijah spies Freya and another woman already sitting in a row of chairs in front of the alter and moves toward them.

“Y/N! I’m so happy to see you.” Freya jumps to her feet when she sees the couple and embraces Y/N, who smiles happily at the woman. 

“And what about your little brother?” Elijah gives her a small smile and chuckle as Freya rolls her eyes and hugs him as well. 

“Of course I’m excited to see you too,” She gestures to the seats next to them. “Y/N, this is my wife, Keelin.” Small greetings are made as the rest of the guests make their way outside and into seats. A buzz of whispers begins as the guests wait anxiously for the ceremony to start. 

Elijah spies Klaus standing next to Finn at the altar, and he’s almost - almost - jealous that he wasn’t asked to be in the bridal party. Klaus smirks at him and eyes Y/N next to him, his eyebrow raising like he’s surprised to see her. Elijah’s eyes narrow and he reaches his hand over to grab Y/N’s protectively. At first, she’s surprised, but lets herself relax into his hold. This may as well be the last time she’s letting herself feel these things for him, so she enjoys the warmth his touch brings. She doesn’t let go of his hand for the duration of the ceremony. 

--

The ceremony is beautiful and the crowd makes their way back into the reception hall where tables and chairs are now set up. The bridal party sits in front of the room at a long table, Klaus and Hayley included. Elijah and Y/N are sat at a large circular table with the rest of the Mikaelsons and their respective partners. Y/N chats and laughs with Elijah and his family, it feels so natural that it’s almost real. There’s a heaviness in Y/N’s heart as she remembers the reality of things.

A chime rings through the hall as Klaus stands from his seat, his spoon clinking against his glass. 

“If I could have everyone’s attention,” Klaus calls, “I’d like to make a speech about our bride and groom here.” He smiles at the couple who beam happily at each other. 

The speech is lost on Y/N as she gets lost in looking at Elijah. He glances at her and smiles before turning back to listen to the speech, but her eyes remain glued to his face, memorizing the details. Her hand finds his on the table and she grasps his gently. She’s jerked from her thoughts as she hears her name.

“And I’d like to acknowledge another wedding the Mikaelson family will be having in the near future, my brother Elijah and Y/N!” He smiles in their direction, but there is nothing kind about it. Elijah perks up and nods and smiles at the crowd as they applaud. Y/N feels her cheeks heat as she nods as well, embarrassed by the attention. “Going from co-workers to lovers in such a short amount of time is quite the feat,” Klaus continues. The smile falls from Elijah’s face. The blood drains from Y/N’s face as she swallows and tries to maintain her smile.

“Almost like it was planned, wasn’t it brother?” A silence falls over the crowd as he continues. “Almost like, there’s some sort of agreement between the two of you? Almost like, it’s not a real relationship?” Klaus’ grin is ice-cold and his eyes are full of amusement as Elijah shoots to his feet in a furious haste, his eyes glued to his younger brother. Y/N’s heart stops as she looks down at the table, she can feel the eyes of the family and crowd beyond their table on her. Her eyes brim with tears as she closes them, wishing to disappear. Hayley sits beside Klaus, her face full of shock as she pulls on Klaus, trying to get him to sit down. 

Elijah calmly adjusts his suit as he moves from the table, much to Y/N’s dismay as he leaves her side. He walks toward his little brother at the table. His eyes scan over the scene, Finn is looking down at the table. Bastard must’ve known too. Almost scarily calm, Elijah walks around the table to his brother, who can’t seem to wipe the grin from his face.

Elijah’s fist collides with the side of Klaus’ face so quickly that Y/N didn’t even have time to look up to see it before Klaus was on the ground, the force of the punch enough to knock him down. Hayley exclaims and moves to the ground beside him. Finn stays sitting at his chair, almost unsurprised by his brother’s actions. Gasps scatter throughout the reception hall.

“I’m not sure who may have spread this rumour.” Elijah turns to face the crowd, now shocked and appalled. “But I can assure you,” His eyes meet Y/N’s tear filled ones. “What Y/N and I feel for each other is indeed very real. I love you, Y/N. I never want to be apart from you. You make me feel whole.” 

The crowd disappears from Y/N’s sights as she looks at Elijah. He’s moving out from behind the table now, moving toward her, and she stands, wasting no time in moving toward him as well. They meet in the middle and collide like stars, world ending and white-hot. His lips meeting hers in incredible synchronicity. The crowd behind them awes. Elijah’s the first to pull away and he leans his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. 

“I love you.” He whispers to her. “I love you.”

[noladyme]

La Cuervo - Chapter 10

She is used to the biker-life, having grown into a woman in the familiar embrace of SAMCRO. A bad decision and a gun-shot later, she gets whisked off to Santo Padre, and put under the protection of another club. What is supposed to be a short stint in the Mayan headquarters just north of the border to Mexico, turns into something more; when la quervo begins to develop feelings for el angel - and he seems to return them in kind...

TW: violence, blood, drug use, alcohol, smut, fluff, angst

In the spirit of "The Crown Princess of Charming", this is a story about O.C. Nina and Angel Reyes. It is obviously non-canon, as characters who have passed on on Mayans M.C. are present in it, and others have been excluded completely. Nina is written as a cis-female, but I have tried to keep her race and looks as ambigous as possible. Should you find any of this story offensive, please let me know.

10.

Angel brought Nina by the drug-store on the way to the clubhouse. She got herself a new inhaler, but was still confused about where her last one had disappeared to.

They went straight to the scrap-yard afterwards. While Angel went ahead of her into the clubhouse; she decided to do one last check in the trailer, just in case her old inhaler might be there. Opening the door, she found Tig sleeping it off on one cot, and Quinn cleaning his gun on the other. “Have you seen my inhaler in here?”. “No… Do you need it?”, he asked worriedly. “Nah… I got a new one. It’s just weird”. “You shouldn’t leave it laying around, doll. You might need it”, Quinn scolded. Tig jostled in his sleep. “But baby; I wanted sprinkles… It’ll bite you in the ass…”, he mumbled. Nina chuckled, and shook her head. “Chibs?”, she asked Quinn. “Inside. We’ll be there in a minute. I just have to wake sleeping beauty first”, Quinn said. “Keep that gun on hand. You know how he gets”, Nina smiled, and walked out the door again.

Chucky met her in the doorway with a mug of steamy caffeine. She smiled in thanks. “Where were you last night?”. “I don’t like parties like that. It gets noisy”, Chucky replied, and ran off to make a fresh pot of coffee. He seemed – just like her – to be happy, surrounded by both his families. Happy came over, and wrapped an arm around her for a half hug, and a kiss to the top of her head. “’Morning, princess”, he said. “Get some food in you. It looks like you got worked over last night”. “I did”, Nina sighed. Happy laughed, and led her over to the bar, where Chucky had set up breakfast for the hungover Mayans and Sons. “Does he treat you good?”, Happy asked, a warning tone to his voice. He looked over his shoulder at Angel, who was seated by a table with Gilly and Coco. “Yes, Hap’. You don’t have to kill him”, Nina smiled, and began filling a plate of food. It seemed Gabby had been by with some goodies, and Nina quickly took her fair share of leftover mole. “I wasn’t gonna kill him… Just cut a few toes off”, Happy muttered. “Maybe break his arm”. Nina laughed, and patted his shoulder. “I love you, Happy”, she said, and went over to sit by Angel and the rest.

Gilly had a mouth full of bacon and eggs. “You not eating?”, he asked Angel. “Nah, I had cereal”, Angel replied, and shot Nina a panty-ruining look. She felt her cheeks burn, and kicked him over the leg. He grabbed her thigh, and squeezed it teasingly. Sipping her coffee, Nina sat quietly and listened to the tales of debauchery the bikers had gotten in to after she and Angel had left the night before. Angel didn’t seem remorseful about having missed out, simply laughed at the stories, and stole food off Nina’s plate.

The door to the clubhouse opened, and Quinn and EZ came in; dragging Tig between them. Creeper slipped in behind them, ready to catch Tig if he fell backwards. “We need coffee. STAT!”, Quinn laughed. Tig moaned in discomfort as he was deposited on a bar-stool. EZ poured him a mug, and went around to do refills for everyone else, before getting himself a plate of food, and joining Nina’s table. Ratboy arrived soon after, nodding politely at everyone in the room. He swallowed thickly when he locked eyes with Coco, but the Mayan simply gave him a forgiving smile in return. “He was sleeping on my couch when I got home”, he said. “Letty?”, Angel asked. “Nah… I don’t think anything happened. She was out cold on her bed”.

Creeper came over to join them, a displeased expression on his face. “What’s up, bro’?”, Gilly asked. “Did any of you see Camille leave last night?”, he asked. “Who’s Camille?”, Coco asked. “The redhead…”, Gilly said, and smirked at his friend. Coco chuckled embarrassedly. “My bad… She give you the slip?”. Creeper frowned. “We were… getting acquainted in the trailer, and she went to get a rubber from one of her friends; but she didn’t come back”, he said. “When I went out to look for her, she was gone”. Angel sputtered with laughter. “Aw… Did she leave you with blue balls?”. Creeper shrugged. “Nah… I mean, she gave me an hj; but it’s just weird. None of her friends saw her leave”.

Gilly leaned back in his seat and smiled. “Well, except for Creep’s runaway bride, all in all, it was a somewhat successful night. The food was good, the cagefight was good… Letty didn’t get pregnant”, he said. Coco punched him hard in the shoulder, and Gilly laughed. “Even the Vatos seemed happy when they left”. “What about that deal they wanted to make?”, Nina asked, almost afraid of the answer. “On hold for now”, Coco said. “They decided to check out that other lead before using our services”. “Yeah. What was that about?”, Angel asked. “They didn’t say”, EZ shrugged. “Just took off”. Nina frowned to herself, and began poking at her food with her fork. Coco met her eyes. “You good, niña?”. “You think Palo… is he gonna kill some woman…?”, she began. “Nah… You don’t have to worry”, Angel said, trying to calm her. It didn’t work. “I don’t want anyone…”.

“I am not joking, brother. Do not let her cook. I’ve never been more constipated in my life!”. Bishop roared with laughter at Filip’s proclamation, as the two entered the clubhouse. The SAMCRO-president locked eyes with Nina, and grinned. “Speaking of the she-devil… Good morning my love!”. He walked over, and pressed a kiss to her cheek, before accepting a mug of coffee from Chucky. “Chibs was just telling me about the lasagna-incident”, Bishop said. Happy, almost choked on his coffee, and Tig looked like he was looking for the nearest trashcan to barf in. “This I gotta hear”, EZ smiled. “Shut up! Just because your girlfriend is a five-star chef…”, Nina frowned.

They spent the next hour enjoying the food and the good company. Filip took a moment to share some friendly words with Chucky. Through the noise of all the men laughing and talking in the room, all Nina could make out of their conversation was Chucky saying something along the lines of; “I’m happy here…”, and smiling. Chibs nodded, and went to pat Tig’s shoulder. “We need to roll out, boys. T.O.’s waiting for us in Oaktown”. The Sons all got to their feet, and began collecting their belongings to head out. Nina felt her heart sink, and once noticing it, Angel took her hand, and squeezed it encouragingly.

They got up to follow Filip and the rest outside. Tig slipped an arm around her as they walked; holding her tightly, and kissing her temple. “I’m gonna miss you, sweetheart”, he said. “Shit… This wasn’t what we planned for, when we decided to send you down here”. “I know… But it’s the way it has to be”, Nina replied. “Stay in touch, ok?”, Tig said, and pulled her closer for a warm hug. He turned to face Angel. “Get her to quit smoking, would you? It’s not good for her asthma”. Angel gave him a sly smile. Happy nabbed her from behind, and swung her around for a hug, and only grudgingly released her into the arms of first Quinn and then Ratboy. While the rest of the Sons all said goodbye to the Mayans and then got on their bikes, Filip wrapped his arms around Nina, and kissed the corner of her lips. “I love you, little sister”, he said. “I love you, big brother”, Nina croaked. Filip released her, quickly wiped his eyes, and put on his sunglasses, before getting on his bike. Nina took a step backwards, and was immediately caught in the grasp of Angel, who held her close, as she bit her lips to keep from crying. “I got you”, he whispered into her ear. “Let's get the fuck out of this heat!”, Filip called out, and the Sons all rolled out.

Unable to hold it in anymore, Nina let her tears fall. The Mayans all discretely slipped away, to let her fall apart in Angel’s arms. “It’s ok, querida. Let it out”, he said. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face in his chest, while he rubbed calming circles on her back, and kissed the top of her head. “This ain’t goodbye”. “I know…”, Nina rasped. “It just feels like I’m turning my back on them. No one’s ever taken care of me like they have”. Angel lifted her face with a finger under her chin. “I’d like to try…”.

Nina wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve put yourself on the line for me; and all I’m doing is whining about it”. Angel shook his head, and stroked her cheek. “Nah… You’re just hurting”, he said, and began leading her back towards the porch. “You love them, and they love you back; that’s obvious. And I get it”. “What do you mean?”, Nina asked. He smiled, and halted her before she could open the door to the clubhouse. “You keep saying how they took care of you, and how Teller did…”, he began. “Yeah, but you all do as well…”, Nina said. Angel kissed her softly to shut her up. “Let me finish… We take care of you, because you take care of us”. “I serve beers and pick up papers that Chucky drops”, she muttered. “Yeah”, Angel said and nodded vigorously. “You know everyone’s favorite beer before they ask for it. You put those nice smelling sticks in the bathroom...You fucking killed it with that party last night. That wouldn’t have happened without you”. “Yeah, I know how to run a clubhouse… But…”. Angel groaned and rolled his eyes. “But, but, but… Cállate!”, he chuckled. “You take care of us, ma’. You don’t think Tranq noticed how you organized his dyes…? Riz keeps talking about that stupid ass hair product you recommended for him… Taza told me about…”. “Stop…”, Nina said. Her cheeks were burning. Angel chuckled. “You’re amazing, Nina”. She shrugged embarrassedly. “What do I do for you?”, she asked. “Don’t start, mami”, Angel grinned. He moved his hands down to cup her bottom. “You know what you do for me”. “Is that all?”, Nina scoffed in mock offence. Angel shrugged. “Well, you can’t cook”, he shrugged. Nina frowned at him; and when he leaned in for a kiss, she pulled away, teasingly avoiding his kiss. “Are you gonna make me hold you down?”, Angel asked. “You can try…”, Nina replied. He smirked at her, and was about to make his move, when Nina took a step back. “I have to go clean up after the party”. Angel narrowed his eyes at her, and pulled her back into his arms. “Skip it. The prospect’s got it”, he said. “What kind of den mother would I be if I did that?”. “Are you calling us boy-scouts now?”, Angel scoffed. Nina shrugged with a smile. “I dunno… You’ve got the uniforms”.

She literally had to jump over the railing of the porch to get away.

---

After having changed in to a Romero Bros. shirt – needed after having been sprayed down with a hose by Angel; for, apparently, being a brat – Nina was back to work.

Cleaning up after a biker party was nothing new to her; but due of the success of the event, the state the yard and clubhouse had been left in, meant it took her, EZ and Chucky most of the morning to get it back to normal. While his brothers where busy doing important biker shit – Gilly’s exact words, as Nina had tried handing him a mop – Creeper helped out some, but seemed to be deep in thought, and frowned his way through the work. Nina put a hand on his shoulder as he threw a trash bag in a dumpster. “Are you ok?”, she asked. He seemed surprised at her gesture. “Yeah. I’m… Fuck. I liked Camille. We were talking about taking a ride to the ocean next weekend”. Nina smiled as comfortingly as she could. “I’m sure she just too much to drink… Went home. Try calling her”. “I did”, Creeper sighed. “She’s not picking up”. “Then, give her a few hours. She’s probably sleeping it off”. Creeper sighed. “Yeah… Thanks”, he smiled sadly.

She went to head back into the clubhouse, when Creeper halted her with a hand on her shoulder. “Nina… Look, I’m sorry about how hard I’ve been riding you about that tequila story, and everything else”. Nina shrugged. “Like I said; we’re good”, she smiled. “Besides, my old man kicked your ass for it last night. It’s history”. “So Angel’s your old man, now?”, Creeper grinned. Nina’s face dropped in realization of what she’d just said. “I mean… I don’t… Yeah?”, she croaked. Creeper chuckled and nodded. “I’m just fucking with you… again”, he said. Nina smiled, and felt heat spread through her body; letting the thought of Angel being hers settle in her heart.

Inside the clubhouse, Bishop, Taza and Hank were going over plans for a gun-run. Apparently, Bishop and Filip had agreed on an expanded deal, which could potentially bring both clubs more money in the long run, and the Mayan president was in a good mood. When he locked eyes with Nina, who’d gone behind the bar, he sent her a sly wink. “He likes you”, EZ muttered bellow his breath. “We all do. We’re happy you’re here”. He nudged her with his shoulder, and set down a box of lost and found items he’d gathered around the area. “Yeah… I don’t hate it here either. It was just tough saying goodbye”. “I get that”, EZ said. “Shit, I almost forgot. You dropped this”. He held out an inhaler. Nina frowned in confusion, and patted her pocket, where her new inhaler was still laying. “No, I got…”, she began, before looking at the small plastic container in the prospects hand. Picking it up, she noticed that doses had been taken of it, and it had a small dent from where she’d dropped it on the trailer floor the night before. This was her old inhaler. “Did you take this from the trailer?”. EZ shook his head. “No… I found it in the garage while we were cleaning up”. “I haven’t been in the garage since yesterday morning…”, Nina muttered. “I left it in the trailer, after I used it. Bishop told me to keep it there”. EZ furrowed his brows, and looked as confused as she felt. “Didn’t you go in there with Angel to get on his bike?”. “No, he parked by the gate”, Nina replied. “Right, we all did; to make room for the SAMCRO and VM bikes”, EZ said. “Weird…”. Nina chewed her lips, trying to make sense of the reappearing inhaler.

While she crouched down behind the bar to tie up the last trash bag, the door to the clubhouse opened; and Coco peeked inside. “Are you finished?”, he asked. “Yeah”, EZ replied. All three men stepped inside. “Dodged a fucking bullet”, Angel laughed. EZ shot Nina a look. “You were just trying to get out of clean-up duty, weren’t you…”, he said. “Well, yeah”, Gilly said. “You know she would have made us work, if we stayed”, Angel said. Nina stood back up, and raised a disapproving eyebrow at the three Mayans. “Yeah. I would have…”. Bishop, Taza, Hank and EZ tried to stifle grins. Gilly literally ran over to Nina, and took the full trash bag, muttering apologies under his breath; before moving towards the back door, and the dumpsters. Coco simply bolted for the exit. “Gotta pick up Letty from school…”, he said over his shoulder. “It’s Sunday!”, Taza called after him. “Sunday-school”, Coco yelled, and let the door close after him

Angel tried for a wry smile; but Nina simply rolled her eyes. “Your dad needs his containers back, and EZ needs a break. You take them”, she ordered, and nodded her head in the direction of the back room. “Out back”. EZ threw a set of keys to his brother. “You can take the van”, he grinned. Angel smiled sarcastically at EZ, and went to load up the containers.

After wiping down the bar-counter one last time, Nina went to the back room to check it; and saw that Angel had left behind one of the containers. She picked it up, and ran after him. Outside, Angel was grumpily huffing away on a cigarette, and loading the van. Nina was about to call his name, when she saw Daniella come around the car. The blonde went straight up to Angel, and put a hand on his arm, as if squeezing his bicep; and seemed to be chatting him up. Nina began walking towards them. “It’s just styrofoam”, Angel said, once Nina was within earshot. “Still. Looks heavy… It’s kind of hot”, Daniella smiled, and bit her lip flirtatiously. “Angel… You forgot one”, Nina called out.

Daniella looked dumbfounded. “What are you doing here?”, she asked. Nina shook her head confusedly. “Where else would I be?”, she said, and handed Angel the container. He put it in the van, and turned towards Daniella. “Did you need something, Dani?”, he asked casually. Nina decided to try for politeness. “Did you lose something last night? EZ made a lost and found box”. Daniella looked like she’d been slapped, before a halfhearted smile spread across her face. “I’m… No. I just came by to see if you needed help with the clean-up. I know I haven’t been around so much lately”. “We just finished. But thanks”, Nina said. “But if you wanna help, I guess you can go check if the guys inside need drinks”. The blonde’s eyes were wide, and something unreadable ghosted her face. “Actually, I’m just gonna go”, she said, but didn’t move. Nina and Angel looked confusedly at her for a moment, and Nina suspected Daniella was fishing for a ride from Angel; who either didn’t catch on, or just didn’t care. “I’m gonna call a cab”, she finally said. “Well go inside anyway; while you wait for it. It’s hot as all hell out here”, Nina smiled friendlily. Daniella nodded, and walked towards the clubhouse.

Angel went to get in the driver’s seat. “I’m gonna go drop these off at pap’s”, he said. Nina walked over to him, and linked her pinky with his. “Do you want me to come?”, Nina asked quietly. “On the way there you can apologize for ditching clean-up…”. He smirked slightly. “It’s a ten-minute drive. There isn’t much we can do with ten minutes” “Fine…”, Nina sighed. “But you could buy me a cup of coffee afterwards. Take me on an actual date that doesn’t include beers, babes and bikes”. “But you like beer”, he said, and slipped an arm around her. “And you are a babe”. He pressed a warm kiss to her lips. Nina giggled, and tugged at his beard. “You’re still not forgiven for bailing on me today”, she smiled. Angel sighed. “Alright; what do I have to do, cuervo?”. “Bring me back some of that chorizo from your pap’s, that you didn’t let me have yesterday”, Nina replied. “Then I’ll think about forgiving you”. He kissed her one more time, and gave her butt cheek a quick squeeze; before getting behind the wheel, and driving off the lot.

As Nina walked towards the clubhouse again, Daniella came rushing out the door. Nina was tired of the coldness between them, and decided to try to mend fences. “Hey, Daniella…?”, she said, as the blonde went to pass her. She held her phone in her hand, and looked like she was in a rush. “Yeah?”, she said, an edge to her tone. “I just wanted to apologize for that night…”, Nina said. “You know, your arm. I hope I didn’t…”. “Oh, it’s fine!”, Daniella said with a sugary smile. “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry about it. You just go… do whatever it is you do around here”. Without another word, she quickly walked towards the gate. “So much for trying to kiss and make up”, Nina muttered to herself, and went back inside the clubhouse, to get a cool drink.

It wasn’t long, before Coco stepped through the door, a somber expression on his face, and carrying a net of fresh apricots. He handed them to Nina. “Instead of that dried shit…”, he muttered. “I forgive you”, she smirked. “How was Sunday-school?”. Coco smirked embarrassedly.

Gilly came over to the table, in the process of hanging up a phone call; and looked at Coco. “We gotta roll”, he said. “What’s wrong?”, Coco asked. “Trouble in Vicky’s tunnel. She didn’t say what”, Gilly said over his shoulder, already on his way out of the door”. Coco went after him. “Call Angel!”, Bishop yelled. “Have him meet you there…”.

---

About an hour later, Nina was seated with Hank, EZ and Creeper, discussing tattoos. “I like the concept…”, Creeper said, after Nina described her idea. “Wouldn’t get one myself, but it’s your skin”. “You know, I could do that on your ribs, but it might hurt less on your thigh”, Hank said. “You think I’m afraid of a little pain?”, Nina chuckled. Hank grinned at her. “No, you strike me as someone who takes pain well. You drink that battery-acid Chucky calls coffee”, he said. Nina, EZ and Creeper laughed out loud.

Taza came over to them, his phone in hand. “That was Gilly. They’re crossing to go see the doc”. Nina’s heart dropped. “What happened?”, she said, trying to keep her voice level. “Is someone hurt?”. Hank nodded. “The guys are fine, but that girl… Camille. Vicky found her beat up just inside the tunnel by her place”, he said. “It’s not good. She’s pretty banged up, and she won’t talk.”. Nina felt ashamed for the sigh in relief she let out, at hearing Angel was ok. EZ – who’d tensed up at what Hank had said – also relaxed somewhat. Creeper, on the other hand, almost ran for the door. “Tell them I’m on my way”, he said. “No, man. We need you here”, Bishop called after him. He walked over and patted Creeper’s shoulder. “They’ll get her taken care of down south. She’ll be ok”. Creeper looked like he wanted to punch something or someone, but went to sit by the table the plans for the run were laying on.

Nina grabbed a cigarette, and went outside to sit on the porch. Something undefinable was bothering her, and she was frowning deeply when Letty arrived in Coco’s car, and got out to greet her. “Have you seen my dad?”, she asked. “He’s crossing to see the doc. A girl who was at the party last night got hurt”, Nina said, and took a draw from her smoke. Something felt terribly wrong – beyond Camille getting hurt. “Who”, Letty said, and sat down next to her. “Camille”, Nina said. Leticia looked confused. “Your wannabe stepmom”. “Oh… I guess she shouldn’t have taken off with that Vato”, Letty said. “What are you talking about?”, Nina asked. Letty shrugged disinterestedly. “I saw her coming out of EZ’s trailer, and then that Sala guy and her talked for a while”. Nina swallowed thickly. “What happened?”. “I don’t know. I was busy getting yelled at by Coco for my top, but I saw them talk, and then they drove off on his bike”, Letty said. “The rest of the Vatos left just after”.

Nina almost tripped over her own feet, running in to the clubhouse. She slammed the door open. “Vatos Malditos took Camille last night! I think they thought she was me…”.

---

After Letty had relayed what she’d seen the night before, Taza called for Angel, Coco and Gilly to get back to the clubhouse as soon as possible. Nina explained how her inhaler had been lost, but showed up in the garage where the Vato’s bikes had been parked, and Bishop pulled Taza into a corner for a private conversation. The two men looked towards Nina a few times, and she was beginning to feel increasingly uneasy. The VM’s had taken Camille at a Mayan party, which could only mean that either they didn’t give a shit about club decorum, and the unwritten rules about not hurting anyone connected to a club they were at peace with; or they rightfully suspected the Mayans of double-crossing them.

She was chain-smoking and pacing the ground in front of the clubhouse, when – after what seemed like forever – Angel and the rest finally pulled into the yard. Without shame, Nina sprang into his arms. He cupped her face and examined her expression. “Nina, what’s wrong?”. Nina didn’t reply, simply pressed her lips to his; desperately needing to feel his closeness.

“Templo!”, Bishop called from the door. EZ came out behind him, and walked up to Nina and Angel. “We should get out of here”, he said to Nina, before looking at his brother. Angel frowned. “What’s going on? Taza didn’t say anything over the phone”. “It’s bad”, EZ said. “We’ll go to pap’s”. “Just take her to mine”, Angel said. “It looks like you’re gonna take a while in there”, EZ said. Nina frowned in confusion. “But…”. “Angel!”, Bishop growled from the porch. Angel cursed bellow his breath, pressed a kiss to Nina’s temple, and went to join the others in templo.

Nina was shaking as he walked off, and almost jumped when EZ tugged at her arm. “Come on, hermanita. Let’s go”. He pulled her over to his bike, and they drove off the lot.

---

[kristihurley]

Are you thinking of starting your own coffee business? Father of America's Coffee is here to meet your coffee demands and provide premium coffees for your company. We are here to help you succeed, the ideal solution to all your problems. We're committed to putting out our best effort. We have a wide selection of premium items available.

[gilliescoffee]

Looking for Gillies Coffee in New York? Gilliescoffee.com is a small coffee roasting company dedicated to the pursuit of quality. We are committed to ethically sourcing our coffees, roasting them with care, and delivering them honestly. Discover our website for more details.

[adenei]

Ch. 1 - How to Win a Witch in 10 Days

AO3 | FFN

Summary: “She’s going to find some unsuspecting wizard, get him to fall for her, and then do all the things that turn men away to get him to break things off! Won’t it be the best way to see what witches do that drives men crazy?” But what happens when the man in question is a blast from Lily Evans's past? A Jily Magical AU based on the romantic comedy "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days."

Thursday, Pt. 1

Lily Evans sits down at her desk. It’s a typical Thursday morning at the office of Witch Weekly for the ‘How To’ columnist. Parchment is strewn about everywhere due to a hasty departure the night before, but with a flick of her wand, the papers arrange themselves into neat piles. Satisfied with the restored order, she turns to her magical typewriter and the most recent article that lies next to it: How To Make the Transition from Hogwarts Graduate to Adult.

She smiles at her hard work and hopes that this time Amelia will go for her pitch. A new batch of Hogwarts students graduated last week, and this was the type of information she would have loved to have when she finished her education three years ago. Being a Muggleborn made the transition into life as an independent witch more difficult. There aren’t many resources to help young adults find their way in magical society, and even though she met with Professor McGonagall numerous times about her future, the meetings weren’t as helpful as Lily preferred.

Perhaps this is why Lily lives in a small flat in muggle London and commutes to the office via taxi or apparition to Diagon Alley every day, depending on her mood. She tucks the article safely into a desk drawer before setting about her first task of the day: coming up with new ideas for future articles. Grabbing a blank piece of parchment, Lily begins brainstorming as more how to article ideas begin flitting through her mind.

Lily always knew she wanted to be a writer. The excitement she felt after securing a job at the highly respected go-to magazine for witches was only to be rivaled with receiving her Hogwarts letter at the age of eleven. At least, that’s how she used to feel. Now, she’s stuck in a perpetual wheel of pushing out article after article on how to incorporate the newest beauty, fashion, and health trends that flow into the magical world faster than a Cornish Pixie prison break.

Lily shakes her head as she writes down another idea: How To Secure an Interview for the Job of Your Dreams. She’s sick of all the superficial fluff she’s been writing for the past two years. It’s time for something more.

“Morning!” Alice chirps as she passes Lily’s cubicle.

“Good morning!” Lily gives Alice a warm smile in return.

Alice Fortescue is one of her closest colleagues and friends at the publishing company. That’s the one perk of this job, working with some amazing people.

“Amelia called a staff meeting in thirty minutes. Have you seen Marlene?”

Lily feels as if a bludger has knocked the wind out of her. She was so preoccupied this morning that she didn’t realize her best friend of ten years wasn’t at her desk.

“No, she hasn’t shown up yet,” Lily worries.

Marlene has recently been dumped—again—and she is never one to take a break-up lightly, even if said relationship only lasted a few weeks.

Alice sighs. “I’ll get the coffee, you floo to her place?”

Lily nods and grabs her bag, following Alice toward the exit. She digs a knut out of her purse and places it into the slot before grabbing a handful of floo powder. It’s common courtesy to donate money to replace the office’s stock if you use it for anything other than transportation to or from your residence.

She tosses the powder into the fireplace and steps into the green flames, announcing Marlene’s address in a clear, firm voice. Lily prepares herself for the sensation of the ground dropping out from below her as she free falls into the imaginary slide that transports her where she needs to go. The trip is short, and within seconds she is stepping out of the fireplace into Marlene’s flat.

“Marly? You here?” Lily calls.

Her best friend tiptoes out of the kitchen, still in her dressing gown. She’s carrying a cup of tea close to her face to hide her puffy eyes.

“Oh, Marly, I’m so sorry,” Lily reaches out to comfort her friend with a hug.

Lily takes the cup of tea from her hands and steers Marlene to her bedroom. “I know how hard break-ups can be, but we’ve got a staff meeting in twenty minutes, and I’m not going to let you lose your job over another lousy guy.”

Lily doesn’t notice Marlene crawling back into bed as she busies herself with sifting through outfits in her friend’s closet.

“But what we had was special, Lil! I really thought he was different! He could have been the one!”

“How long were you seeing him?” Lily asks, trying to recall any details of Marlene’s latest fling.

“Only a week,” she pouts.

Lily freezes midway through pulling a dress from the closet. She knows this is Marlene’s M.O. but Lily still can’t help but feel frustrated.

“Marly, really—”

“Don’t! I know what you’re thinking, but he was special, I’m telling you! We even had sex and everything. It was magical. I cried…”

“You what? Marly, tell me it was just a glisten of tears,” Lily wills her friend to say it isn’t as bad as she thinks.

“Oh no, I full-on bawled,” Marlene responds, not even attempting to lie, “told him I loved him, too.”

Lily wishes her best friend is kidding but they have been friends long enough for Lily to know that she’s not. With a silent sigh, Lily switches gears. She realizes she can’t take the sympathetic route anymore. No, Marlene needs tough love. She strolls over to the bed with the outfit in hand and plops down.

“Marlene, I know you’re a hopeless romantic looking for your Prince Charming, but in order to find him, you’re going to have to put yourself together and get back out there. You’re not going to find him wallowing in bed all day. Now come on, you’ve got fifteen minutes to get dressed so we can get to work and not piss off Amelia. Alice is out getting coffee right now.”

Lily yanks back the bedspread, forcing Marlene to get up, albeit begrudgingly.

There, one potential crisis averted for the day.

Ten minutes later, Lily floos back to the office after ensuring Marlene goes first. They run into Alice on their way back to their desks, and there’s just enough time for Alice to dole out the coffees before grabbing their notes and heading down the hall to their boss’s extravagant office.

Amelia Bones is the no-nonsense editor-in-chief of Witch Weekly, who is well respected by her staff. Her office is spacious yet welcoming and not at all like what one might expect. Where a conference table and chairs should be, Amelia has sofas and squashy chairs, similar to the Gryffindor common room. When the writers meet to go over stories for upcoming publications, they gather there. The three girls barely make it in time, taking their seats on the sofa nearest Ms. Bones. It’s the only empty spot left.

Amelia clears her throat. It’s all she needs to do to command the attention of her staff. “Alright, let’s get started everyone. We need to go over assignments for the July issue. Dorcas, what are you thinking this month?”

Dorcas, the office suck-up, bounces up and down in her seat as she lays out her laundry list of articles. “I’ve got an exposé on gilly water with an exclusive interview from a mermaid who says it will help keep you thin, but I haven’t come up with a title yet. And Traveling by Portkey: What to Pack and Not to Pack. Then, I’ve also got an interview set up with Madam Malkin, who details the latest robe trends. Oh! And I almost forgot about my outline of A Look Into a Day in the Life of The Hobgoblins!”

Lily needs to remember to keep her face passive as Dorcas prattles on. Does she do anything besides work? Who has time for four articles? She has to suppress the eye roll that’s threatening when she catches Alice’s glance. It’s evident her friend is sharing the same thoughts.

“Wonderful, wonderful. Lily, what’s our resident How To girl have in store for us this month?”

Here goes nothing…

“Well, actually, I’ve been working on this piece that I think will be a great spin on the How To article. It’s about helping recent Hogwarts graduates find their footing after they finish their seventh year.”

She gauges the room for reception and notices blank stares coming from the entire writing team. Fighting to keep her facial expression passive, Lily chances a glance at her boss, whose opinion is the one that matters most. There’s an uncomfortable churn in her stomach as a result.

Amelia clicks her tongue in a disapproving tone. “Lily, Lily, Lily. How many times do I have to tell you that most of our clientele are in their twenties and thirties? No one is going to want to read something like that! That’s what they have parents and families for! Besides, aren’t the Hogwarts professors supposed to help the young ones with their career choices? That’s not our wheelhouse.”

“But—”

Lily wants to bring up the Muggleborn perspective, but Amelia doesn’t give her the chance.

“Lily, your job is to write the How To column for Witch Weekly, not to help recent grads find their place in this world. I hired you to write fun, upbeat stories that will help witches in all aspects of their lives, and that is what I expect.” Lily’s shoulders droop in disappointment as Amelia wastes no time moving on to her next victim. “Marlene?”

“Oh, um, I—I’m still thinking—” Marlene stutters.

Lily notices Amelia’s hard stare and speaks up on her friend’s behalf.

“Amelia, Marlene’s going through a rough time right now. She got dumped.”

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Marlene,” Amelia sympathizes as the rest of the group murmurs their respects to her unfortunate news.

Marlene grimaces as she explains, “Yes, I’m sorry, Amelia. I’ve been taking things a bit hard and haven’t really been eating. It’s just hard to move on when I thought he was—” she hiccups and Lily can tell she’s stifling a sob, “the one.”

“Hmm, yes, that is a predicament, isn’t it?” Amelia agrees before perking up. “Write about it.”

“What?”

“You can make an article out of that, can’t you?” Amelia asks the question as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“N-no! I can’t write about my personal life!” Marlene argues.

“If she won’t, I will,” Dorcas chimes in. She sounds too eager at the prospect of taking on a fifth article.

Amelia’s eyebrows crease as she ponders Dorcas’s proposition. Lily is horrified that Amelia is even considering this and decides to step in.

“Or I can!”

“What?” Marlene looks at her with wide eyes as Amelia trains her narrow gaze on Lily.

“How?” her boss wants to know.

“Well, I—I wouldn’t write about the break-up, per se, since that wouldn’t be a good How To article, but what if I turned it into something different?”

Lily is grasping at straws, trying to come up with something that would prevent her friend’s dirty laundry from being hung out to dry. She finds herself stuttering and stalling until suddenly, an idea pops in her head.

“What if I wrote the opposite of getting dumped? Well, it wouldn’t exactly be the opposite, but I’d find a guy and do all the classic things that women do that drive men away. Instead of trying to win the guy over, I’ll get him to dump me instead. Then readers will know what to do and what not to do.”

Lily watches her boss for any indication that she approves. Amelia’s pensive look quickly turns to a conspiring smile as she points her quill at Lily with a gleam in her eyes.

“That’s brilliant, Lily, absolutely brilliant! You think you can find a man, win him over and get him to dump you?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Lily doesn’t appreciate her boss’s insinuation that she’d be easy to break up with, but if it gets Amelia off Marlene’s back, she’ll take it.

“I can see it now. We’ll call it How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days.”

Lily is relieved, having succeeded in giving Marlene extra time to come up with a story, but the timeframe concerns her.

“Um, Amelia...why ten days?”

“Because we have to publish in eleven.”

She says this as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. And it’s only after Lily processes Amelia’s words that she realizes how impossible it all seems. She hasn’t dated anyone in a while. No one is even on her radar to date.

Looks like my Thursday is now going to be spent looking for an unsuspecting suitor.

Lily stifles a sigh as she attempts to focus on the rest of the meeting, but her mind has other plans. She fixates on whether or not she’ll be able to pull this off. It seems impossible, but she has no choice. She has to at least try.

As they exit the meeting, Lily, Alice, and Marlene are trailing behind Amelia, who is on her way to fetch her next appointment.

“If I’m going to pull this off, I need to find a guy tonight,” Lily expresses to her friends.

“Don’t worry, we’ll help!” Alice reassures her. “Let’s go to that swanky bar after work. The prospect of this article calls for a finer crowd.”

“Abbott's?” Lily shoots an incredulous look at her friend.

At first, she wants to protest, but Alice has a point. Lily needs to dupe a guy who’s not just out for a one-night stand, and there are no promises that she’ll be able to find that at the Leaky. No, she needs to glam up and go all-out to find a guy. One that shows promise, but not too much promise because she can’t let herself fall for him anyway.

Her thoughts are cut off as Alice and Marlene both stop, causing her to stumble into them. She looks up to see the source of their delay. Amelia has reached her destination, which happens to be directly in front of them as she greets two women. Lily isn’t quite sure why they didn’t swerve and continue around them.

“...Ah, Narcissa, Andromeda, it’s so nice to meet you! Come with me to my office so we can discuss the ads for this issue. I’m hoping you can help us spice up our pages through your clientele.” Amelia turns and sees Lily and her colleagues standing there. A friendly smile crosses her face as the three realize they’ve been caught eavesdropping and scurry to get back to their cubicles.

Lily returns the smile and looks to the two women to see the blonde eyeing her, a sense of intrigue dancing in her eyes. She wonders what that’s about.

“Aren’t you the How To girl?” the blonde asks.

Lily’s not sure what she’s expecting the woman to say, but it’s not that. It takes her a moment to respond.

“Um, yes. It’s Lily, Lily Evans. Nice to meet you.”

Lily doesn’t bother to extend a polite hand because of the blonde’s now scrutinizing gaze. She’s ready to turn and walk away before the awkward conversation can continue, but Amelia stops in her tracks.

“Yes! Lily is wonderful, isn’t she? She’s just about to start on her newest article: How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Doesn’t it sound exciting?”

The darker haired woman raises an eyebrow. “It does. What does that entail?”

Lily opens her mouth to speak, but Amelia cuts her off again. “She’s going to find some unsuspecting wizard, get him to fall for her, and then do all the things that turn men away to get him to break things off! Won’t it be the best way to see what witches do that drives men crazy?”

“That does sound interesting,” the blonde responds.

“Yes, fascinating,” agrees the brunette in a bored tone.

Lily doesn’t appreciate their judgemental stares and chooses to dismiss herself. “Thanks. It was nice meeting you,” she lies as she continues on toward her office.

The day is young, but she no longer has time to waste. She needs to develop her plan before setting out to find a wizard later in the evening. This is turning out to be the most peculiar assignment yet, but if Lily can pull it off, then maybe Amelia will give her a chance on the other articles she has in her queue.

You’ve got this, Evans. Now get to work.

[mycupoffanfiction]

We’re Here

Ez Reyes x Reader (Eventual)

Summary: After having an argument, Ez’s best friend avoids talking to him for the day, but when she doesn’t turn up for a cookout at the clubhouse, everyone begins to worry about her absence.

Warnings: **A break in** (though just the aftermath), fear/shock, angst, fluff at the end.

Word count: Approx 1200 (I couldn’t write this as a drabble)

Masterlist

A/N: Okay I’ve written and rewritten this way too many times 😂 I think I’m happy with this? Idk anymore, I hope you like it 😅 This is written for my baby @ly--canthrope I’m sorry I couldn’t fit the last prompt in there, I’ll pop it into another drabble! I hope you enjoy it! 💖

NOTE: This is part of the You Complete Me universe and is set before YCM, so Ez and the Reader are not together yet and this fic tells the story of how they ended up sharing a house together.

“She’s late.” Gilly grumbled as he shifted impatiently in his seat. “Maybe she got stuck in traffic?” Creeper suggested. “Nah, she fuckin’ walks here, no way she’d be in traffic.” Angel shook his head, glancing over at his brother. “She text you back yet?” He asked, watching Ez as he stood hunched over the bar, resting his chin on his forearm as he stared at his phone. “No, but she saw it.” He mumbled, putting his phone down and turning it so the boys could see. “She hasn’t spoken to me since the argument yesterday.” He sighed, wondering if he was the cause for your delay, but even if you two had a falling out, there was no way you would pass off spending an evening with your Mayan family.

“I still can’t believe you, no wonder she ain’t turnin’ up after the shit you pulled, Prospect.” Coco shook his head dismissively at Ez as he kicked back in his chair. “She fuckin’ thinks the world of you and you go and tell her to fuck off?” Coco grumbled. “Even I ain’t that stupid.” “I asked her to back off, and I was trying to keep her safe from the shit with-." Ez cut himself off with a sigh before he dug himself into more trouble by mentioning Potter.

“She’s never late, especially not by a whole two hours. Do you think she’s in trouble?” Ez asked, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand, standing up straight and internally fighting against the urge to call you for the sixth time that day. Angel drew in a breath, about to deny the possibility, but when he looked over his shoulder at the rest of the group, their expressions all reflecting similar worry, Angel sighed, running his hand down his face. “Maybe?” He shrugged. “I’ll try callin’ her, if she doesn’t pick up, we’ll go look for her.” Angel said, clapping his hand against Ez’s shoulder.

Your phone buzzed on the coffee table, though it was muffled as it lay under a pile of broken furniture pieces. Your living room had been torn apart, pieces of furniture were completely upended, items strewn across the floor, some in pieces. Photographs of you and your Mayan family had been thrown from the bookcase, the frames smashed and broken against the floor. The bedroom was just as torn up, sheets thrown everywhere, clothes pulled out from your drawers, jewelry and goods taken.

Hidden, squashed into the furthest corner of your closet, you were behind as much clothing as you had been able to pull in front of you. Somehow, the men who had broken in had completely missed you, despite checking your closet twice.

You had been in your bedroom, getting ready to leave for the clubhouse when you heard someone force their way into your apartment and in a frenzied attempt to hide, you had crawled into the closet.

You thought you had heard them leave, your apartment had been silent for a while, but you were too afraid to leave safety of your closet and dare to even check, hoping that maybe Ez or some of the other Mayans would come looking for you.

But you stayed there, stone still in shock, too scared to move or make a single sound, too scared to cry out loud, too scared to breathe fully in fear that they were still there and they’d hear you.

You weren’t even sure how much time had passed by the time you heard a knock at the front door. Ez looked almost perplexed at first when he knocked and the door just swung open. His heart dropped, seeing your apartment torn apart and it took a second to process that your home had been broken into before he could take a step into your living room. What if they had hurt you? He’d never be able to live with himself if someone had hurt you.

“Hermanita?” Angel was the first to call out for you, squeezing in behind Ez as the rest of the boys filed into your apartment, a collective muttering of curses as they all took in the mess. Ez walked through towards your bedroom, cringing when he heard the crunch of glass under his boots. Gently pushing the door open, he saw equal amounts of destruction in your bedroom and hoped you were just hiding and no one had taken you. “Preciosa?” He spoke softly as he stepped through the room, careful not to step on anything that might break.

Hearing his voice brought tears to your eyes and you whimpered, pushing away the things you had pulled around yourself. “Zeke.” Your voice was soft and quiet and you weren’t sure he’d even heard you. Slowly approaching your closet, he inched it open, only to find you, half out of your hiding spot.

He knelt down, opening his arms for you, speechless as he watched you make your way to him. Falling against his chest, your arms circling his middle, Ezekiel held onto you, his hands shaking as he looked down at you. “I got you, you’re safe, preciosa.” He whispered softly to you, pulling you closer, holding you tightly as you clung to him.

“Oh, thank fuck.” Angel sighed as he walked into the room, kneeling down next to you and putting his arms around you and Ez, holding you between both of them. “We’re here, hermanita.” Angel gently rubbed your back as you sobbed into Ezekiel’s shoulder, the other Mayan men slowly approaching, relieved that you were safe.

“We’re here.”

The boys took you back to the clubhouse, Coco and Gilly having packed a bag of clothes and essentials for you before leaving and for the first time that evening, you felt like you could breathe properly when you arrived at the clubhouse, feeling as if you were finally somewhere safe. You were still shaken up, but with all of your Mayan brothers around, you felt as if you could finally relax a bit.

“You can stay with me if you want, preciosa.” Ez said, nodding towards his trailer as he walked you across the courtyard towards the clubhouse. You paused, looking up at him with worry in your eyes and you looked across at Angel, who was hanging back with Coco, the boys giving you reassuring smiles. “That’s okay, I’ll um- I’ll just stay in the clubhouse.” You told him. “Bishop’s always trying to get me to move here anyway.” “I know you querida, are you sure you don’t want some company?” He asked. “I thought… Last night you said you didn’t want me-.” “I was stupid last night.” Ez shook his head, stopping in his stride to look at you properly, holding you by your shoulders.

“I said some dumb shit, I didn’t mean it, not the way it came out. I should never have fucking said any of it. I’m sorry, princesa.” He sighed, realising just how tense you had become, as if you were expecting him to back up his harshly said words from the previous evening. “Is that what made you think I didn’t want you?” Ezekiel asked after a moment of silence. Looking up at him you let out a soft sigh, shoulders relaxing a bit as you nodded.

Coco passed by the two of you, giving Ez a warning glare on his way up the steps into the clubhouse, Angel following close behind him and flashing his brother a similar look to Coco’s.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Ezekiel hung his head low, annoyed at himself for getting too caught up in things and taking it out on you. “It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it.” Your voice was soft as you spoke, taking his hands in yours.

“It’s not okay.” Ez sighed, closing his hands around yours. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you like that.” “Zeke, it’s okay, I know it’s hard to sometimes but I’m here for you, isn’t that what we’ve always done? Been there for each other and talked it through?” You asked, Ez nodding as he listened to you.

“And look, I think I’ll stay in the clubhouse for the meantime and maybe,” You paused, Ez looking down at you, hanging on every word. “We can try looking for somewhere to share so you don’t have to stay in a trailer?” You asked, a smile spreading across Ezekiel’s lips.

“You really mean that?” He asked, his smile widening as you gave him a single nod. “Yeah, it’s a win win, Zeke. I get to live with my best friend and you never have to worry again, at least, not as much.” You beamed up at him, Ez pulling you into an almost crushing embrace.

“Love you, hermosa.” He whispered against your hair as you hugged him around the waist. “I love you too, Zeke.”

Mayans Taglist (OPEN):

@everyhowlmarksthedead​ @woahitslucyylu @trulysuccubus @iambabyharry @starrynite7114 @ifoundmyhappythought @claytoncardenasbabymama @peaches007 @angelreyesgirl @thesandbeneathmytoes @plentyoffandoms

Permanent Taglist (OPEN):

@scuzmunkie @scarlett-berserker @megantje123 @sideeffectsofyou @loving-life-my-way @searching-for-neverland @kitkatd7 @psychiccreationtaco @damienwitcher @thesewaywardskies @abbiesthings @marquelapage

[bellisperennis0]

Forever Yours

Word Count: 1,687

Warnings: Language

A/N: Another fluffy Coco story no one asked for. GIF create to owner. As always Thank You so much for reading and hope you enjoy! ❤️

----------------------------

Coco sat on your couch nursing a beer, clear annoyance written on his face. You were currently in your room trying on ever outfit you had in your closet for a date you had in just a few hours. “I don’t see why you are so upset.” You yell down the hall towards Coco as you tried on another dress. “I just hate seeing how upset you are after your date with all these pendejos, querida. That’s all.” He calls back. Walking back out to the living room with yet another dress on you stand in front of Coco, “Zip me up please.” You ask as you turn your back to Coco so he can zip up your dress. “I get where you are coming from, I do, but how am I going to meet Mr. Right if I don’t get out there and at least try. I’m tired of being alone, Coco.” You continue. “You’re not alone. You have me!” he tells you, tapping your back to let you know he was done. “And I’m forever thankful, but that’s not the same. What you think?” you ask him turning around to face him. “Still like the first one best.” He tells you, taking his seat on the sofa. Grumbling you stomp back to your room.

Another hour later, you are dressed and ready to go. Walking out to the living room where Coco, and now Angel, were watching a game. “Alright, what do you think?” you ask the guys as you give them a twirl. “Fuck, querida. If this man doesn’t rip that dress off of you by the end of the night, I sure will.” Angel tells you. You just roll your eyes and giggle. You look at Coco waiting for his response. “You look beautiful. He will be dumb not to like it.” He tells you. “Thank you.” You give him a smile. Just then your doorbell rings, “He’s here. Please don’t leave this place a mess like last time, yeah?” you tell them both as you give them both a kiss on the cheek and head to the door. “Lock up when you leave please.” You tell them as you go to open the door. “Wait! You aint gonna let us met this guy?” Coco asks as he gets up from the couch. “You’re hilarious. Absolutely not!” you say before slipping out the door.

----------

“What’s wrong with you, bro? Why are you over here pouting?” Gilly asks Coco as he hands him a beer and takes a seat next to him. “y/n is on another date.” Angel pipes in. “Damn, bro. When are you going to man up and tell your girl how you really feel?” Gilly asks him. “I just don’t want to ruin the friendship, bro. What if we aint meant to be together and I lose her completely.” He says taking a drag of his cigarette. “That girl has been by your side through all the shit you have done, and not once walked away. Don’t think something like that will chase her off.” Gilly tells him. “That’s true bro. She knows your deepest darkest secrets and never once batted an eye. Either she’s just as crazy as you are, or she’s your ride or die.” Angel chimes in. Coco just sits back and takes in everything his brothers are saying. Maybe they were right, maybe he had to see if you two could be more than just friends.  

Just then his phone began to ring, when he saw your name on his screen he smiled, getting up to take the call away from his brothers. “Mi Dulce.” He answers. The sound of your sniffles makes him clench his jaw, obviously your date didn’t go too well. “I’ll be right there.” He simply tells you before hanging up and jumping on his bike, heading to you.

----------

When he walks into your apartment, he finds your tear stained face, sitting on the kitchen floor, chugging down a bottle of wine, another empty bottle next to you, and a pint of ice cream almost empty. He gives you a sad smile, before taking a seat next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. “What happened this time?” he asks you as he places a kiss to your head. “Apparently he wanted to become a Prospect for the MC. Knew I had connections.” You say sniffling. “Fucking asshole” you can hear him say under his breath. “And here I was thinking we were hitting it off. Third date, no way was he a hit it and quit it guy, he must really like me if he keeps asking me ask. He was just using me to try to get to the MC. Fucking Stupid.��� You throw the ice cream container against the kitchen cabinet out of anger.

Tears now streaming down your cheeks, “What’s wrong with me Coco? Why can’t I find a man to love me for me? Am I really that horrible and broken that no one will love me?” You cry out, every word breaking Coco’s heart a little more. This wasn’t the first time he has come over and found you like this after a date, but something about tonight breaks his heart more to see you this way. “Stop, there is nothing wrong with you. It’s them; they are the ones that can’t see how great you are. And you know what, fuck them, querida. Their lose.” He tells you as he pulls you against his side again. “Why can’t I find someone like you, Coco? You always make me feel like a queen. Always there for me no questions asked. Where is that guy for me? Huh, where is he?” you ask. He didn’t know how to answer that. “Why don’t we get you into bed, querida. Come on.” He says as he pulls you up with him and takes you to your room. Helping you get undressed and changed into your pajamas, he then tucks you in for the night. Giving you a kiss to your forehead, “Sweet dreams, mi vida.” He tells you. “I love you Johnny.” You say as you cuddle into your pillow.

----------

“Querida….y/n…rise and shine sleepy head.” You hear a voice say as they softly shake you awake. Groggily you open your eyes to see Coco sitting on the bed next to you. Looking over at your clock on your night stand you saw it was already late in the afternoon. “The fuck, Johnny!?” you ask as you try to wipe the sleep from your eyes. “Coffee. Your favorite Danish from that overly expensive bakery in town.” He says as he lifts the coffee and Danish in his hands to show you. “Tylenol and a glass of water on your night stand. Get up and get ready. I want to take you somewhere.” He says getting up and heading towards the door. “Where are we going?” you ask him. “One hour. Lets go!” he shouts as he makes his way down the hall.

You have forgotten how freeing riding on the back of Coco’s bike was. Comfortably pressed into Coco’s back, the rumble of his bike beneath you, the open road, the wind in your hair and the scent of Coco always relaxes you. Taking it easy he didn’t go too fast and just enjoyed the ride and your company. Occasionally his hand would stroke up and down your leg, he’ll turn to flash you a smile and you’ll gently squeeze his waist and place a kiss to his shoulder.

Before you knew it you were pulling off the road and onto a dirt driveway. Stopping and turning off the bike you and Coco get off. He grabs a blanket and a small basket from his saddlebag and takes your hand. “Come on.” He tells you as he leads you through a small trail that led to an overlook. You were blown away by the view. “Wow, that’s beautiful. Is that all of Santo Padre?” you ask as you stare at the sun setting over the small town. “Yeah.” Coco simply says. You turn to him to find he had a blanket laid out and two cups of hot chocolate. “So how many girls have you brought up here, Cruz?” you joke, eyeing him as you take the hot coco from him. “Just you. You’re the first.” he admits. “Bike broke down not far from here a while back, and I found this place looking for some phone reception.” He continued. “So is all this some kind of pity party for last night?” you ask him. He smacks his lips and shakes his head, “Not even like that querida. I don’t know, just thought I would show you how a real man should treat a lady.” He says, giving you a wink. “Look Coco, whatever I said last night….” You try to say, but he’s quick to cut you off. “No, y/n listen. I just need to get this out before I chicken out. I’m done with always seeing you in tears over some fucking douchebag that can’t see your worth. Done with this friend with benefits bullshit. And I’m done holding in how I really feel about you.” He says, you try to interrupt, “Coco” you try to say. “You asked me last night why you couldn’t find a man more like me. I’m right here, querida. I’m all yours, if you want me.” He tells you. You couldn’t help yourself from jumping into his lap and crashing your lips onto his.

“You have no idea how long I have been waiting for you to say all that” you say as you break the kiss. His thumbs wipe away your tears. “I know. I was afraid that it wouldn’t work and I would lose you.” He admits. “You will never lose me, Johnny. I’ll always be here.” You give him a peck on the lips. “I’m all yours, mi dulce.” He tells you “And I am forever yours.” You tell him as he pulls you into another kiss.

-xx

[twoidiotwriters1]

Déjà Vu (Or are we losing our minds?) -Modern!Shirbert

A/N: That’s right! I’m starting a new (old if you ask the fellas in Ao3 lmao) AWAE series!! I was waiting to have enough chapters and now that day is finally here! I hope you like it -Danny

Words: 3,961

Next Chapter

Chapter One: Make Your Own Decision.

'Two souls don't find each other

                                      by simple accident.'

Gilbert wasn't a morning person.

Medical school was a pain in the ass, he didn't need to say that to anyone– He didn't like to complain at all if he was honest, after all, it was thanks to school that he was going to become a doctor. Still, he missed the lazy mornings on his bed, no worries in the world apart from what his father would make for breakfast.

That was years ago, though. Now he was an adult (or the closest thing to it, anyway) and he had bills to pay, he didn't have to pay rent and that was certainly a good thing, Bash and Mary were a gift sent from heaven after his dad had died, but he still helped around their house, along with the schoolwork he worked on relentlessly while trying to ignore the uncertain future knocking on his door almost every day.

After all the sleepless nights pacing around the kitchen, lights on and coffee maker ready to go, memorizing things and finishing research papers, he's pretty sure this isn't exactly healthy, but if he's bound to have similar routines for the rest of his life, he might as well get used to it.

He tries not to think a lot about that, his future, that is. All around him friends start to settle down, move out to their own places, find love, travel, having adventures while he spends all his weekends locked in his room learning about a new subject that is just as thrilling as any date he could possibly have.

That's a lie, of course. He longs for a break, an excuse to run wild and free just one night.

Luckily for him, that opportunity comes this Friday.

___________________

Anne's in love with the early sunlight, that warm, clear light that slips through her window every morning to announce a new day with no mistakes in it yet was about to start.

She loves the quiet, how time slows down for her while she pours a second cup of tea for her morning readings before heading to school. She loves the muffled noises Diana and Cole make while getting up, letting her know she has to hurry if she wants to start her routine on time.

She's a simple young woman (a very new one at that, if she was honest) and the little things still manage to give her a thrill that parties or any kind of social interaction simply can't.

That's half a truth, of course. She misses the weekly reunions with her Highschool friends, the bike rides with Jerry, her old neighbor, whenever they needed someone to rant about stupid things and none of their friends was around to do so.

Despite all this, she is fine. Anne follows the path to her dream: to become a successful writer for all kinds of people, to tell the stories that people need most at the moments when all hope seems lost and love is scarce.

However, when her Highschool friends text her and Diana about a much-needed reunion, she didn't have to think twice before replying with 'Oh god, YES.'

___________________

The Orchard was fairly known for its homely 'aesthetic' as some would call it, which attracted the younger people that needed a break from their crazy student lives. The diner had originally belonged to Gilbert's dad, but when he passed away, it fell onto Gilbert's hands and him, not wanting to close the place that had so many memories of his childhood, decided to add Bash's name into the papers.

Their dads had been good friends most of their lives, and although Gilbert and Bash aren't the same age, he thinks of him as some kind of older brother who always helped him get through the hard times, especially right after his father was gone. It was only natural that Bash owned half of the diner, after all, he loved the place as much as Gilbert, for his father had worked there in the bar while Mr. Blythe served the costumers.

The two lousy boys had dedicated most of their free, youthful time, to run around the place like they owned it. Now that they did, it was pretty much the same, only that this time they run around placing food on the tables and scribbling people's orders.

After a few months of hectic confusion, Bash's mother practically forced them to hire more staff, since they had their hands full and Gilbert was breaking under the pressure that it was to keep the business going the same as his career.

They hired one of Gilbert's old friends and a few students that lived near the diner. Moody Spurgeon, Prissy Andrews, Charlie Sloane, and the Pauls (They weren't related, they just happened to be named Paul).

That Friday was the last before their winter break, so it was packed with tons of eager students wanting to eat their money away now that most of them were returning home for the holidays. This meant two wonderful things to Gilbert:

One, the diner was going great.

Two, he was getting the well-deserved sleep he'd been lacking for months.

Excluding that night, because that night he was going to get utterly shitfaced with Moody and company after their evening shift.

___________________

"I've never heard of that place before," Anne replied distractedly as she kept grabbing things from the table and putting them inside her bag.

"Students love that place, Ruby says they serve the best food and she's always there, but Jane says she's actually crushing on one of the waiters, though Ruby refuses to either confirm or deny..."

"Ruby's always crushing on someone, though," Cole replied. "If she's still going after all this time, the food must be worth it as much as any cute boy."

"I honestly don't care as long as there's enough room to sit and have a long, long chat with all of you," Anne smiled dreamily. "I've missed them so much! Even Josie– And you know how often she tends to get on my nerves!"

"You wouldn't be missing them so much if you could put the books down every once in a while to hang with us," Diana rolled her eyes. "Honestly Anne, it's a miracle you're not blind or wear glasses at all after all the hours you stay with your face glued to the pages."

"I'd look awful with glasses!" Anne grimaced. "I hope my eyesight stays the same for the rest of my life."

"Well then, take care of your eyes and take a break from those books. Leave your bag here, you won't need it," Cole grinned.

Anne's eyes landed on the bag laying on top of their table. That bag was used for one thing only: To carry as many books as possible in case she got bored, so she could read at any time, any place. Also to carry her keys and pads, but those weren't as important.

"But... what if the girls arrive late?"

"You can talk to us, or are we too boring for you now, Miss Literate?" Diana teased.

"You know that's not it," She rolled her eyes. "Okay, if you want I'll leave the books."

"Perfect," Cole clapped once and got up excitedly. "Let's go!"

___________________

"Gilbert, come back to earth and take this to table three, will you?" Charlie hissed, putting the plate in front of his nose and waking the boy abruptly.

"Sorry!" He jumped, walking hurriedly to said table.

When he got back, Charlie was still there, examining his face.

"Are you sure you want to go out, man? I can tell you're worn out, maybe you should take a–"

"No!" Gilbert growled. He cleared his throat and continued on a much lighter voice after noticing this. "I- Uh, I'll be fine. I'll sleep all I want tomorrow, but today I really want to go out, before you and the boys go back to your homes for Christmas."

Charlie nodded with uncertainty.

"Maybe you should change places with Bash? The kitchen might keep you alert instead of sitting here and wait for people to call you over."

"Yeah..."

"I'll get him," His friend decided, walking back to the kitchen.

Gilbert heard the entrance's bell ring and turned to see Ruby Gillis and a few other girls enter.

Ruby was a good and constant client. He was glad about Bash taking his place because he believed that Ruby had a crush on Moody, and the waiter always took her orders no matter the table she was in, he didn't have enough energy to watch them ogle at each other.

"You okay, Blythe?" Bash patted his back once he and Charlie reappeared behind him. "You're sure you want to go out? With that look, you're likely to scare all the ladies away instead of getting a date for our Christmas party."

"Very funny," Gilbert scoffed. "I'm fine, I just need to stay active."

Before either Bash or Charlie could reply, he rushed into the kitchen, missing the exact moment when three new costumers arrived at the place.

***

"I see why people love it here," Anne said. "I feel cozy just by looking at it!"

"Yeah," Cole agreed, frowning slightly. "We are going to a bar after this, aren't we?"

"Cole!" They replied.

"I'm just asking!" He exclaimed. "It's lovely and all, but I'm not spending my last weekend away from my maniac siblings eating a freaking burger."

"It's likely," Diana retorted. When she noticed Anne's eyes widening, she quickly added. "No one will force you to get drunk, I know you hate how... uhm– Well, how crazy you get."

"I love drunk Anne!" Cole laughed. "Last time I saw her we were playing truth or dare and she was dared to kiss one of my friends, but then I convinced Josie to change the dare and after that Anne grabbed me by the collar and whispered very loudly. 'Thank you Cole. I actually want to kiss you now' and when I reminded her I was gay, she retorted 'Oh, sorry Gay, I thought you were Cole' "

Diana and Cole chortled, Anne shook her head in horror.

"Drunk me is terrible!"

"No! Only her puns are."

"Can we just get a table, please?"

"Oh!" Diana grabbed her arm, pulling her to a distant corner. "They're here already!"

The next few hours passed way too fast. Anne, finally reunited with her best friends, felt as if she was finally coming back to life.

As Diana had predicted, they decided to go to a bar a few streets down the road from The Orchard. A place their waiter, a young man named Moody and who Anne suspected was the waiter Ruby had feelings for, had recommended to them, casually letting them know that he was going to be there after work with a few of his friends. Ruby practically dragged them to the bar as soon as they paid the bill.

"Bet Ruby ends up declaring her love to that waiter in less than an hour, and ends up spending the rest of the Holidays mourning because she scared him away," Josie whispered audibly to Jane and Anne. The former sniggered and nudged Josie's arm. Anne frowned worryingly towards her friend, really hoping that wasn't the case.

___________________

"Who's ready to lose all memories from whatever happens tonight?" Paul asked loudly over the music, placing a bunch of drinks in front of the group.

The boys answered by chugging down drink after drink, getting clumsier as time went by.

Gilbert was having a blast, most of his days he wishes he could go back to being a teenager, slightly more different than the one he was. One that wasn't all that quiet and reserved and bitter about his dad's fate.

He longed for his lost youth, where he would attend parties and go to prom looking sharp, accompanied by a pretty girl beside him. All those teams and clubs he had to leave to stay home and spend the last days of his father's life next to his bed, all those gatherings he missed with people from other places because he had to get the best grades so one day he could be a doctor, so he could save the people he loved... so he didn't have to live through the uncertainty and the uselessness again.

Tonight he was finally getting that, he could pretend he was still just a boy, a stupid boy who didn't know how to drink and most certainly would end up throwing up half his stomach out of his body, but a happy boy at least.

"You know," He yelled to no one in particular. "Did you know, that you guys are my best friends?"

The boys replied with words of appreciation, patting his back harshly. Charlie even hugged him.

"I mean it!" He continued. "These last few months have been shit. There, I said it. Shit."

"What you need," One of the Pauls said, he wasn't as drunk as Gilbert, but he was definitely almost there. "What you need is to get laid."

The boys erupted into mayhem, agreeing with Paul. All of them except for Gilbert.

He frowned, not understanding what they meant.

"I said I'm not tired," Gilbert shook his head, his whole body losing stability and crashing against Moody, who held him in place as if it was normal to lose your ground while sitting on a chair. "I don't need to lay in bed just yet."

"I meant sex," Paul retorted, chugging down half of what he had in his glass.

"Oh," Gilbert sat back, eyebrows raising as if he'd never thought about it before. "Well, that's different."

"You need a break," Charlie slurred. "Or is the good doctor too much of a saint to touch a strange girl?"

"I'm not," Gilbert huffed, drinking what was left of his drink. "I can have sex. I like sex!"

"But Gilbert, you've never had–" Moody started, but was soon cut off by Gilbert's sudden movement.

The young man stood up, leaning on the table and losing all the color on his face. The rest of the group moved away as Moody grabbed Gilbert by the shoulders and straightened him up.

"Gilbert?" He asked, slightly coming back to his senses.

"Bathroom," He said quietly.

"Alright," Moody gulped. "Be right back, guys. Gilbert needs a moment."

___________________

Anne spent the majority of the night talking with everyone, and the problem with that is that she gets thirsty when that happens. Which is a dangerous thing to be at a bar.

Still, Cole -what a great friend he was- made sure to always keep her glass full so she could take sip after sip without having to wait.

She knew she was far from sober when she found herself in the middle of an argument with Josie and Tillie about zodiac signs. Anne was talkative on the daily, but after a few drinks she was simply unstoppable- There was no soul on earth or heaven that could follow her train of thoughts, and right now she wasn't even sure she was following them herself.

"I have to pee," She said, interrupting her own story and sliding out of their booth to stand up.

"I'll go with you," Ruby said, impatient to have an excuse to stand up and look around for Moody, she'd barely touched her drink all night.

"Okay, but it's not like I need help or anything," Anne rolled her eyes, accidentally stepping on Tillie's foot. "Woops! Sorry, Tillie!"

Cole watched her along with Diana, both raising their glasses and making a silent toast for their friend. Anne was finally having fun after such a dull term and it was simply amusing watching her act so recklessly during her drunken state.

"Don't stay for too long Anne," Ruby warned her. "Last time you fell asleep inside the stall and Diana had to crawl underneath to get you out!"

"It wasn't my fault!" She replied loudly. "I hadn't slept at all that week, and the alcohol makes wonders to my insomnia."

"I think you've had enough for tonight as well," Ruby grinned. "I'll get you a cold glass of water once where back in our table, okay?"

Anne nodded, silently making her way into the girl's toilet. Since it was just one bathroom, Ruby had to stand outside, leaning on the sink and examining her reflection on the mirror. Two men, one dragging the other, walk past her in a rush and opened the boy's bathroom harshly, the one who'd been dragged quickly fell to his knees and started vomiting his guts out.

"Oh my god!" Ruby gasped, covering her mouth in horror. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," The guy said without turning to see her. "He doesn't drink this much often, that's all."

The young man stood up once he made sure Gilbert was doing fine on his own, not choking or anything, and turn to meet the blonde's eyes.

"Oh," His cheeks reddened. "Hi!"

"Moody!" She exclaimed happily. "You weren't lying, you came here after all!"

"Yeah," He smiled. "We wanted to give our buddy Gilbert a good night before we return home. Now I'm not so sure about it..." He grimaced at hearing his friend's grunts and gags.

"I'm with my friends as well, but I..." Ruby blushed lightly, even that she managed to make enchanting. "If you have time, we could seat together for a moment? Just the two of us?"

"Right now?" Moody asked in surprise.

"Well, no," Ruby peered over his shoulder at the boy's bathroom. "Not if you can't, I see your friend is feeling terrible..."

"He'll recover," Moody brushed it off. "He's studying to become a doctor, you know? I bet he'll see his way out now that the alcohol's out of his system"

"You're sure?" The girl inquired.

"Are you able right now?" Moody looked behind her to see the girl's door. "Were you waiting in line or is one of your friends there?"

"A friend, she's also wasted," Ruby said, pondering her options. "But... I guess if she managed to walk all the way here on her own... she can walk back just fine?"

Moody's smile widened.

"We better go get those drinks, then?"

"Sure!" Ruby exclaimed, holding Moody's wrist and dragging him back to the bar.

A minute after her friend had left, Anne walked out of the toilet, mid-conversation with a Ruby she didn't know was no longer there.

"... and the toilets here are so comfortable, I almost felt tempted to have a nap right there, but a promise is a promise– See, Ruby? I didn't stay for too long!" She looked up to find the spot empty, her confidence falling. "Or perhaps I did..?"

Lightly stumbling her way over to the sink, she focused on washing her hands before going back. Her reflection looked back at her and smiled happily, putting some strands of loose hair behind her ear and failing to notice the boy's door opening.

There was a small slate on her right with the words 'Wash your hands before you leave! :)' written with purple chalk that she found adorable. She picked it up to examine it further when a body clumsily crashed against her side.

"Woops!" The man said, not looking up. "Sorry."

Anne raised her brow for a second before turning her attention back to the slate.

Gilbert washed his face and hands, the world less blurry than before but still awfully intoxicated. Paul's comment came back to him and feeling the girl's presence behind his back he decided it was rather convenient.

"Excuse me," He asked, looking up and facing the girl's reflection. "Can I ask you something?"

It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her, the man kept staring at the mirror instead of turning to face her, but she could sort of see his face under the dim lights looking back at her though, and since she was feeling rather chatty, she obliged.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Do I look like I need sex?"

Anne laughed.

"Dunno, why're you asking?"

"My life sucks," Gilbert shook his head casually. "And I'm about to have the worst hangover ever."

"That makes two of us, dude."

Gilbert tilted his head, turning to see her now, taking in her appearance.

"You would have sex with me?"

"Excuse me," Anne frowned. "I barely know you!"

"Yeah, but am I attractive?"

"It doesn't matter, I wouldn't have sex with a stranger."

"Very well, then imagine that I'm not a stranger," Gilbert rolled his eyes, having to hold on to the corner of the sink so as not to lose his balance. "Would you do it?"

Anne started to imagine, she imagined a great deal so she could give a precise answer.

"Well, I'd have to know your medical records cause I don't wanna get any diseases, and then I'd have to find you likable because looks aren't everything– and if I'm having sex with you I probably want something that lasts–"

"Nevermind," Gilbert snorted. "I think we're both better if we don't have anything at all."

"Why's that?" Anne asked irritatedly, this guy was making no sense to her.

"You overthink a lot and I already do that way too much for my own good," Gilbert explained.

"Oh, so you'd rather take advantage of a dumb girl, is that what you're saying?"

"That's what you're saying," He scoffed. "I only asked if you'd have sex with me in a hypothetical scenario but you rambled on with the rest, Carrots."

"I was giving an honest reply," She stated. "And don't call me, Carrots. You sound like a child."

Gilbert laughed loudly at that.

"Better a child than a grumpy librarian," He walked up to her, grabbed a strand of her hair and pulled lightly, with a taunting voice, he added. "Carrots."

Anne's fingers gripped the slate harder than ever as she flung it to the man's head. It was small and thin, so it didn't cause severe damage, but the slate broke in half with a nasty 'crack' that pleased her a bit too much.

"How dare you!" She yelled in drunk anger. "I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm certain no one would have sex with a jerk!"

She stormed off, giving Gilbert no opportunity to apologize. Although he didn't seem to mind that much at the moment, the things around him spun once more and he had to return to the toilet to vomit what was left of his evening drinks, dreading the following morning.

___________________

Anne, Cole, and Diana returned home with rosy cheeks and loud laughter surrounding them. The trio intoxicated in happiness and many, many margaritas and shots.

"Best night ever!" Anne yelled as she let herself fall on the couch, kicking off her shoes.

"Told you it was going to be fun!" Diana grinned, laying beside her.

"My favorite part was to find Ruby making out with the waiter when I went to ask for the check," Cole cackled. "No wonder why she abandoned you in the bathroom!"

"Don't even tell me about it, I had the most unpleasant encounter–"

"Oh my god!" Diana sat up, looking at her phone with wide eyes. "It's four in the morning! We have to be back in Avonlea in less than eight hours!"

Cole and Anne groaned.

"Can't we have a nap first? We packed all of our things already!" Anne whined.

"Please?" Cole fell on the couch opposite to them. "I'm exhausted!"

"Fine..." Diana sighed. "But I'm certain my mom's gonna kill me for arriving late."

"What can she do? Forbid you to go to their Christmas dinner?" Cole chuckled. "Just sleep, Diana."

"Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight!"

"Sweet dreams," Anne mumbled, half-asleep.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––

Next Chapter –––––––––––>

Add yourself to our taglist :)

[starrynite7114]

things you never knew: one

A/N: So, I know things you never knew have been up, but I have decided to revamp it. It’s much different from before, but I hope you all will still enjoy it! I’ve decided to add a few more characters including a love interest for EZ. 

Snapshots should be posted by the end weekend and Misconstrued should be posted by the middle of next week. I’m also making my way through requests!

Masterlist

If you want to be added to the tag list, please let me know!

Tagged list: @justahopelessssromantic : @ifoundmyhappythought : @woahitslucyylu : @enamoured-x : @encounterthepast : @marvelmaree : @thickemadame : @carlaangel86: @iambabyharry​ : @gemini0410​ : @claytoncardenasbabymama​ : @sadeyesgf​ : @elcococruz​ : @chibsytelford​ : @everyhowlmarksthedead​ : @agirllovespasta​ : @jadert15​ : @trulysuccubus​ : @whyisgmora​ : @briannab1234​ : @summertimesadnesswithadashofsass​ : @gemini0410

Gif Credit: Bai-feng-jiu

Today was the day.

Angel has been counting down the days till Ailee was released.

His ex-girlfriend. His former best friend. 

The one he let slipped through his finger tips.

Well, it wasn’t actually his fault, to some extent. He held on to her even after she was sentenced, but she cut all of them off.

He couldn’t blame her.

They let her take the fall.

He was supposed to catch her, but he didn’t. He tried, but every attempt he made, he was blocked off.

She never forgave him and he couldn’t blame her.

He insisted on going with Creeper, Jin, Michael, and Vince, but they declined adamantly, not wanting to further upset her. 

But it didn’t make sense.

He knew who her family was connected to, he knew they could get her out, but she served her time and was released on good behavior. 

Every time he tried to see her, he wasn’t let in due to him being a part of the ‘no visit’ list. All of his fellow brothers realized that they were all part of this list, she didn’t want any of them to visit her. Felipe was able to visit her once, but he never spoke a word of it. He just told Angel to give her time and Angel just took that.

He never gave up, every weekend for two years he tried to see her, but he was never allowed inside. He even wrote her letters and no reply, ever. 

She took the fall for the MC, drug and weapons trafficking charge, a ten year sentence since it was her first offense.

“You didn’t go to Stockton?” EZ questioned when he saw his brother walk in the clubhouse.

“Nope, they wouldn’t let me.” He sat down across his brother, tapping his fingers on the table. 

“Never stopped you before.” EZ placed a beer on the bar.

“You’ve met Jin, he can be quite imposing.” Angel took a swig, sitting in front of his brother. “She wouldn’t want to see me.”

“Has she reached out?”

Angel scoffed. “No, but once she’s back, I don’t give a fuck. We’re going to talk whether she wants to or not.”

==============

Ailee walked down the long hall outside the prison, fences on either side of her as she walked out. Carrying her bag that held the items she brought in with her, she internally groaned as she saw who was waiting for her by the gate. 

It was her cousin, Creeper. 

Though, she was glad it was only him. She blocked out all of the Mayans. How did he know she was getting out today?

Her eyes drifted to the side and saw her Tio Jin, who was in his prim and proper suit. Creeper and Jin got along well so he most likely informed him of her release date.

“Prima,” Creeper fondly greeted her with open arms.

“You shouldn’t be here.” She walked away from him and towards Jin, lesser of two evils, the one who didn’t betray her. 

“Lee, come on man, you know we tried to help you out.” Creeper reasoned as he followed after her.

“Still served five years, primo.” Her last word was laced with venom, turning to face her cousin causing him to halt his steps. “Stay the fuck away from me. You, Bishop, Taza, Hank, Coco, Riz, Gilly, and more importantly Angel.”

She handed her bag to Michael, her tio’s second in command. Slipping inside the car, she wasn’t surprised when she saw her older brother, Vince, sitting in the front seat. He smirked at her, handing her a cellphone.

“Welcome back to the outside world.” Vince smirked. 

“It’s not like I was in there long.” She moved towards the window, leaving room for Jin to sit.

“Yeah, how long were you there? Just for the dramatics, everyone believes five when in reality, we just dropped you off this morning.” Vince chuckled. “You know we could have looped them in, they’ve been riddled with guilt.”

“So you didn’t tell them that you let me get apprehended just so you can make me an offer I couldn’t refuse?” Ailee shook her head. It was complicated in some sense. She was truly arrested for keeping the drugs and weapons the Mayans had at the back storage of her coffee shop. But what they didn’t know was that her Tio Jin swept in before she truly was indicted, he offered her a choice. 

==============

Jin entered her cell, making Ailee groan. This was the last fucking thing she needed. 

“Told you he was trouble.” He leaned against the wall opposite of her bed. 

“With all due respect tio, is there a point for your visit?” Ailee sat crossed leg on her bed. She’s been in jail for two weeks, refusing to see anyone. She couldn’t believe Angel could be so stupid to temporarily store drugs and guns in her coffee shop. 

“I tipped them off.” He nonchalantly informed her.

Ailee laughed. “Of course you did, may I ask why?”

“You belong with Maquina, Gracie. You were born and bred to serve our cause.” 

“And you saw this as an opportunity to screw me over? To offer me immunity so I have no choice but to pay my debt to Maquina?” She never truly hated Maquina. It had a good message, an ideal one that benefited the many, sacrificed a few. 

A loophole to democracy.

A government agency, much like in the movies, that was operated in the shadows to keep the balance of power in the world. At times, people had to choose the lesser of two evils and Maquina was the one who did it for them. A government agency that only the few knew about as having such a powerful hand could not be known by people that could easily be corrupted, that could become power hungry. 

“You trained with your brothers, excelled in every field, yet, you chose to stay in that god forsaken town for a man who could never amount to anything.”

“You like Angel.”

“I like Angel, but not for you. Your potential far exceeds anything his mind could wrap around. You shouldn’t let your talent go to waste, Angel will always be there.” Jin did like Angel Reyes, but he was also a hindrance to his niece’s potential. Ailee could be his top agent by now, the best, yet she chose to stay in Santo Padre and be with that punk kid that had her wrapped around his finger since they were children. “He left those drugs and weapons in your shop, this was on him, the MC. They let you take the fall, not even coming to your rescue. They’re ruthless killers yet they couldn’t kill Frankie when he arrested you?”

“You’re the one who tipped them off.” Ailee narrowed her eyes at her tio, not at all in disbelief by his actions. “Why’d you do it? You told me you would respect my choice.”

“I did, and I was, but things change Ailee, you know that. This was the only way for me to grab your attention.” Jin knew it was unconventional, but Ailee would never willingly work for Maquina again. He knew why Ailee despised the organization. She went through hell during training, and when she decided to step away, it wasn’t easy either. He understood that his niece never experienced a normal childhood due to the organization, which was something she could never forgive. 

“And what has changed?”

“Your brother, Theo, he’s back.”

“My half-brother.” She corrected him, leaning back against the wall. 

Jin watched as his niece remained cool, calm and collected, which wasn’t a feat for Ailee. Things always didn’t seem to bother her. After those last six months she spent with Theo, Ailee changed. She didn’t mind to be part of Maquina at first, as long as Angel and the MC would never be dragged in. But then Theo sunk his claws into her and things changed. He saw glimpses of the old Ailee, but when she would do a mission, it was like she turned a switch off and did as she was told. It was a benefit for him, but he could see Ailee lose her light with every life she took. That’s why she ran to Santo Padre, the light she was holding onto was still there. “Regardless, he’s back.”

“And this is my concern why?”

“He’s going to come for you and when he does, he’s going to do everything he can to sway you his way. If he has to indict the Mayans, put them in harm's way, he will.” Jin explained. 

“So basically, the lesser of two evils.” Ailee chuckled, shaking her head. “Both want to use me as a means to overtake the other.”

Theodore Kane was Ailee’s half older brother on her mother’s side. She got on well with Theo. He always treated her like his younger sister and was never angry at the circumstances they were placed. But Theo was also an asshole. He knew the worth of a life and capitalized on it. Currently, he had a weapons manufacturing company and was exiled from America due to his father’s past actions. It was strictly enforced that he was not allowed on American soil and Theo blamed his half-siblings for this, so called misunderstanding.

“I take offense that you see myself and Theodore as evil entities.”

Ailee shrugged. “It wouldn’t be offending if it weren’t true. If I won’t work for you, what makes you think I’d work for Theo?”

“You feel that you owe your older brother for the way things played out with his father, how his father was taken out by a Maquina agent. He feels betrayed and rightfully so, but we had to eliminate every threat.” Jin didn’t understand as to why Theo was so upset that his father was killed. Of course, that was his father, so in that sense he understood, but from what he gathered, Theo planned on disposing of his father as well. “What happened those six months, Gracie?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Ailee, you came back from those six months with Theo changed, I don’t know what he did, what he said, but you can’t keep it in. You have to talk to someone about it.”

“It’s convenient you care now, but you were the one who pushed me to Theo since he was,” she paused, finding the right words to describe the reason as to why Jin wanted her close to Theo. “He didn’t follow your blueprint. Theo made Defande as a means to gain allies. You wanted to know what he had, I told you what he had, Eastern Europe. No matter who we put in place in Eastern Europe, there will be another player that can overtake it. The instability there is far too great. Theo thrives on that, he pinpoints your weakness and manipulates it every way possible to get the outcome he wants.”

“Is that what he did to you?”

“Doesn’t matter what he did to me, my point is, if Theo is remerging, he must have something or someone backing him.”

“You were close to Theo once.”

“I was close to everyone once.”

“Ailee, your brothers need you, maybe Theo can still be salvage.”

“You’re not recruiting me to stop Theo, you’re recruiting me to assure Theo doesn’t get his hands on me.” Ailee sighed, tired and bored with this conversation. “Tio, just get to the point as to why you’re here in my cell, it isn’t about Theo, he hasn’t made enough noise for him to be the problem.”

“I’ll offer you immunity, but I want you to go to Europe. Things are unsettled there and I need someone to go, someone I can trust.”

“You have hundreds of agents to choose from, why should I do it?”

“Cause you’re the only one who Alexander Leon trusts, with his father growing weaker each day, I need to assure that Alexander rightfully takes his place as leader of the Leon organization.”

Alexander Cross Leon. 

The eldest son of the Leon Organization. They were based in Germany and Italy, controlling cocaine trafficking around the EU. They used prime real estate to hide their true business. A quintessential crime family. Drugs, legit business, and murder.

Alexander was the eldest of three sons, the most cunning and untouchable of them all. His younger brothers were too caught up at the romanization of their crime organization. They used it to adhere to their means, to obtain status around the cities in Germany and Italy. But Alexander wanted to grow the business, to make it untouchable. He saw the benefit of allying himself with Maquina, but he also didn’t want to sell drugs any longer. He wanted the family to be clean, something his father himself wanted. The only problem was, it’s what they’ve known, it was hard to break profitable habits. 

“You want me to infiltrate their family.”

“No Lee, the Leon’s are already allied with us, I want you to make sure it remains that way.”

“The Leon’s need us, not the other way around.”

“Things change Ailee, the last thing we need is Theo sweeping in.” Jin sighed. “I’m on your side Lee, I can’t let you go to jail. They would gun for you.”

“No one knows of my connection with Maquina.”

“That’s not the point Lee.”

Ailee knee there was no escaping this. She knew Maquina wouldn’t actually let her lead a life without her at least being part of it. She didn’t want to stay in jail. 

It was the perfect plan. 

==============

“I never wanted to be a part of this world.”

“I know, but it’s in your blood. You would have eventually come Lee, Maquina is ours, it provides for us.” Vince reasoned. 

“Yeah, at the expense of what? Our souls?”

“You never had one.” It was a joke between him, John and Ailee, but as of late, it felt like she didn’t have one anymore. Killing came so easy for her. He rarely worked on missions with his sister but when he did, he saw the damage that’s been done and he would forever be ashamed of it. He wanted her to be a part of this world, while John was heavily against it. 

John believed that she was better off in Santo Padre, living a life they always wanted for her, away from Maquina. She always thrived well around the Reyes family, maybe it was due to the fact that they showed her what a true family could be. A loving mother and father, pesky sibling quarrels, and just a true family. John and Vince tried to provide that for their sister as their parents were highly ideal. Then they added Theo into the mix and it was a whole different fucking ball game. Their half-brother that their mother insisted they visited every summer. They were fine at first, like all siblings, they fought, but the way Theo dotted on Ailee, the way he was so kind to her, it never sat well with John and Vince. Maybe they were envious, but after what occurred all those years ago, it made sense. 

Ailee lost a part of herself during her time with Theo, it was when they all began the joke that she didn’t have a soul.

But she did have a soul, it was just unfortunately tied with Angel Ignacio Reyes.

==============

Opening the car door, she smiled when her eyes landed on her best friend, Olivia, who was waiting outside her new home in Santo Padre. 

“Liv!” Ailee enthusiastically greeted her.

“Look who's back.” Olivia always knew that Ailee wasn’t in prison, but she’s also been in Europe the last few years. She sporadically saw Ailee, but it was rare since her family didn’t want her back in Santo Padre. Which was why she found it odd that not only was she back, Maquina provided a permanent residency for her. “Your shadow isn’t here.”

“Yours isn’t either.”

“Ezekiel didn’t want to upset you.” Olivia grimaced. “He knows the situation.”

“He just got out, of course I’d want to see him.”

“He’s prospecting for the Mayans.”

Ailee chuckled, shaking her head. “Following in big brother’s footsteps. Being a Mayan seems so,” Ailee shrugged, “beneath Ezekiel.”

“Things are different now.”

“It is such wasted intelligence.” Ailee always felt terrible for Ezekiel. She asked her Tio Jin to help Ezekiel out, to offer him the same deal he offered her, but he said that he had no use for EZ. “What are you doing here Liv?”

“Came to surprise my best friend, she just got out of jail.” Olivia gave her a playful smile. “And well, I have the paperwork for the coffee shop.”

Olivia was EZ’s best friend much like Angel was Ailee’s. However, she remained just EZ’s friend even though she was in love with him. Emily has plagued EZ’s mind for so long that Olivia lost hope. Even now, it upset her how Emily still had EZ wrapped around her finger.

She was going to help Ailee run the coffee shop, which would serve as a front for the Maquina headquarters in Santo Padre. Due to the recent border issues, Jin thought it was time to set up shop and what better place than a place they were familiar with. Every coffee shop under Maquina was a front for their facilities. Ailee helped establish the coffee shop job for trainees and new agents. Working at a coffee shop or in the food business helped develop patience, efficiency, balance, and discipline. Many of their newer agents had trouble with said fields, so Ailee developed this training process. They had to work at a coffee shop for a minimum of two years to assure they have perfected their craft. 

Olivia was not a Maquina agent, she was Ailee’s right hand though. She continued to live in Santo Padre and traveled to Europe often. She remained friends with the Mayans and they tried to break her when it came to Ailee, but she kept her mouth zipped. Her loyalties would always lie with Ailee. Olivia did work for Maquina as a hacker on Ailee’s team. She didn’t need to be in Europe, but if there is a mission, she had to be available to assure the team’s success.

Ailee has five people in her team including herself. Olivia, her lead IT and hacker. Oscar, her sniper specialist, proficient in hand to hand combat as well. Andrew, the muscle of the group. Janine, her second in command, proficient with knives and hand guns. They all served a purpose and were a valuable asset to the team. 

Olivia always remained away from the action, Ailee not wanting to further involve her. Olivia could fight and could defend herself, but Ailee was very protective over her best friend. She was untainted, regardless of the exposure she got from Maquina. 

“Where is it located? Where are we at with the construction? Has it been checked by engineering?” Ailee fired off all these questions and Olivia just chuckled.

“Do you not know me? Everything is done, it is ready to open whenever you are.” 

“Just testing ya,” Ailee laughed, wrapping a shoulder around Olivia. They walked into the home Maquina had provided for Ailee.

Olivia whistled, shaking her head. “Maquina always provides.”

“Yeah, as long as you follow the rules, right Tio Jin?” Ailee knew it was a snide remark, but her tio seemed to let it slide.

Jin smirked. “Well, you’re the best at the agency, I have to provide for you.”

“I resent that.” Vince glared as his tio, flopping down on the couch. “So, when do we start?”

“Aren’t you going back to Europe?”

“No, Tio Jin and I felt that it would be better I’m here with you as well, just in case this isn’t a dead end and Theo truly is at the border.” Vince always worried for his sister’s well being. They all had expiration dates with Maquina, it’s hard to remain an agent for long. He knew his sister was itching to get out, but he also knew she had nowhere to go. “Is Alexander coming in?”

“Cross has to stay in Europe, he’s being groomed to take over, remember?” Ailee took off her jacket, sitting beside her older brother.

“Are you going to answer his proposal soon?” Olivia teased, sitting on Ailee’s otherwise.

“Proposal?” Jin turned towards his niece, raising an eyebrow. He sat on the couch across from the three, crossing his legs and leaning back. “Do tell me about your upcoming nuptials.”

“Haha,” Ailee flicked them all off. “There is no proposal, so no marriage.”

“Why are you still holding off, for Angel?” 

Olivia and Jin both cringed on the inside, they knew how sensitive of a subject Angel Reyes was for her. 

Ailee turned towards her brother, who already appeared apologetic. “Let’s do one round in the ring, I’m sure there’s a gym downstairs.” She stood up and went to her room to change, knowing everything was already set up for her.

Vince looked at Jin and Olivia who were both glaring at him.

“Yeah, I know, I deserve it.”

==============

Creeper walked into the clubhouse, all of his brothers anxiously waiting for his arrival. They all looked disappointed when they saw him walk in alone.

“Come on, you know her. She holds a grudge like no one I know.” Creeper walked up to EZ getting a beer from him. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“What doesn’t?” Bishop knew that Ailee would never forgive them. They let her rot in there. Every attempt they made to make amends with her was blocked off. He wasn’t sure if it was Jin or not, but he didn’t push it. 

“The way she walked out from that prison, she,” Creeper paused and took a swig out of his beer. “She didn’t seem rattled or excited to be out.” He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it just didn’t make sense to him. 

“Well Lee doesn’t scare easily.” Coco pointed out.

“Something is just off.” Creeper shook his head. “She went with Tio Jin so willingly, it threw me off.”

“She always has had a good relationship with Jin.” Hank added, but he understood Creeper’s concern. Everyone knew that Jin and Ailee stopped seeing eye to eye when she decided to stay in Santo Padre. Jin thought it was a waste of time, waste of talent. He never had anything against the MC, but his niece had a better future than whatever the MC could possibly offer her, well better than what Angel could offer her. 

“Something changed after she spent time with her half-brother.”

“You mean psycho McPsycho?” Angel chimed in. He knew how much she changed. He remembered how she knocked on his door, so softly that he almost didn’t hear it. She looked up at him, face bruised, cheek swollen, left eye shut, Angel was livid. But he knew she didn’t need that, what she needed was him. He had wrapped his arms around her, gave her a bath and held her the whole night. He called off for the next two days, all he had to say to Bishop was Ailee and that was that.

“Yeah,” Creeper sighed. “She asked for us to stay away from her.”

“Well tough shit, we don’t always get what we want.”

“Angel,” Bishop hissed in a warning tone.

“No, I’m sorry Prez, she shut us out while she was in prison, whatever, that was something she could control. But out here, she can’t do jack shit. Whether she likes it or not, we’re going to talk.” Angel walked out of the clubhouse, not wanting to further discuss Ailee.

“Did she go back to Los Angeles?”

“No, she’s setting shop in Santo Padre, she’s opening a coffee shop.”

Taza, Hank and Bishop looked at one another. They knew Maquin’a forte, they set up a coffee shop as a headquarters and operated from there. What business did they have in Santo Padre? Most importantly, why did Jin mention to them that Maquina was setting up shop?

Whatever it was, Bishop didn’t have a good feeling about this.

[ixchel-sketch]

TITLE: AAXILIZTLI / SABER GENRE: Crime & Romance FANDOM: Mayans M.C. SHIP(S): Coco & Original Female Character STATUS: Complete LENGTH: 3,057 words

Which Member of Your OTP takes UNO wayyy too seriously ;  Coco is a total card shark and Maya can barely tell the difference between Uno and Go Fish. Which makes for a pretty interesting game of Strip Poker + 20 Questions.

 “So… explain it to me one more time?” Maya sat with her elbows on the bar while Chuckie spread out a deck of cards between them. She was glad the guys weren’t back yet, even if she’d been waiting there for the better part of an hour. From the looks she’d seen the squirrely man receive it was obvious not all members of the club were comfortable with their resident helper. Only she seemed to enjoy the odd conversations and company that he would provide. “I think I’m a lost cause.”

“ I do not accept that, practice makes perfect,' they say. Practice makes perfect.” Even though he disagreed Chuckie's face kept an upbeat smile, almost puppy like enthusiasm that couldn't be dulled by her harsh self criticisms. Maya's lips thinned, trying to commit the rules of the game to her memory one more time before finally calling it quits. The whole thing had come up after he’d told her the club was having some kind of meeting at the Casino on tribal land...and she’d mistakenly admitted to not knowing the first thing about playing cards.  Chuckie’s hands may not have been as dexterous as they once were but the man sure was able to memorize a set of rules, using the awkward wooden fingers to point out the meaning of different cards and different techniques used to win games. She’d be lucky if she could just remember their names. 

“How’d you get so good at this?” The shock on Chuckie's face at the mild compliment was almost heartbreaking. 

"Here and there and there and here. I'm not good though, not like your boy." 

Dark eyebrows shot up at that remark but Maya didn't have time to comment before the sound of approaching engines rumbled through the sandy yard and sent Chuckie scurrying to complete whatever chores he'd been given before they left. She remained hunkered over the drink that he’d gotten her, finishing it quickly as the noise from outside got ever closer. Mostly laughs and camaraderie between the guys which quieted by only a fraction when they saw her waiting inside. With a brief nod Coco split off from Angel and Gilly, large eyes giving her a quick once over to judge her mood before a small smile spread on his face. “ Didn’t think I’d be seeing you here.” He dug through his pocket to pull out a cigarette and nodded for her to follow him back outside. 

 "I wanted to pick you up some lunch but Chuckie said you guys were at the Casino?" That causes him to side eye her for a moment and Maya quickly back tracks. "You win anythin?" 

"I got some cash." He took a couple drags before pulling his hand away, making sure to blow the smoke downwind from where she stood. "So I can get food later, you don't gotta buy me shit." 

Their relationship was still fresh and she could sense the hesitancy at her taking more liberties to get close to him than she had before. When they were only friendly (because could she really call what they were doing now dating?) she would never show up to the club’s base without telling him first. Or dare to hang out and wait around for him. The way he wouldn’t meet her eyes for too long caused a wave of unease in her gut...was he having doubts? Did she fuck it up without realizing? 

“I know...I wanted to.” 

Coco shrugged, his cigarette nearly half gone already and Maya let out a big sigh that finally got his attention, his brows pinching together in the only show of concern. The times he would go quiet and get lost in his own head were the hardest for her to get used to. Still, determined to derive some communication she charged on, “Well, anyways. I gotta drop some stuff off at a local gallery. They’re letting me put my shit up in return for a few shifts a week in the shop.”

“That’s cool. That mean you’re staying?” 

“For a little while. I need to make more stuff before I can do another venue anyways.” 

“Cool.”

Maya bit her lip, looking towards where her bike was chained up and then back at Coco. “Can I come by the house later? I know I don’t have to but I can bring take out?” 

Maybe it was the slight wobble of insecurity in her voice that broke Coco out of his introspective stupor, or the words jarring him back into the present with the realization she was about to take off but he nodded, flicking away the remnant of his cig and pulling her against him in a lose one armed hug. It eased some of the tension that his sudden mood had brought on, the quick peck to her lips erasing the rest. “Sure. I’ll catch you later. Just, uh...text first.”

It didn’t take too long to complete her errands, the cumbersome portfolio she had strapped to the back of her bike only carried a couple pieces that wouldn’t take long at all to put up. But it did give her enough time to think and reflect on the interaction that had just transpired. At first he’d seemed genuinely happy that she’d been there waiting for him, but as soon as Maya had brought up the club business Coco had gone cold. Already she knew most of what went down with the Mayans was on a strict need to know basis and tried to steer clear of asking anything too invasive. But as Maya was finishing up putting up her paintings she paused with sudden realization. 

She didn’t really know much about Coco at all. Sure, they had spent a fair amount of time together over the past few weeks, especially after coming to terms with the severity of their feelings. But none of that time was spent truly getting to know each other. Mostly they just hung out, smoked weed, and watched bullshit sitcoms or reality shows to pass the time.  There was no real way for her to know if Coco’s earlier silence had been of her doing, or caused by something the club was dealing with. It would be an outright lie to say that this didn’t bother her a little bit, the same kind of insecurity knotting up her stomach as she texted him to ask what he would like her to pick up. 

Thankfully, mercifully, Coco texted her back immediately with the okay to come over. She didn't know how she would react if he'd ignored her and left Maya to stew over his abrupt silence. By the time she's pulling up to his house and chaining up her bike the sun has already set. Maya's knuckles barely have time to rap on the door before it's being yanked open and Coco blinks wide eyes at her through the crack. He looks jumpy, posture tense as he moves to hold the door open for her so she can slip inside. 

"Sorry, traffic was starting to pick up so it took me a little bit to get here."

"You don't got to apologize. Thanks." He took the paper bag of chinese food from her and headed into the living room, the smell of cigarettes heavy in the air. Her own dark eyes scanned the room until they landed on the coffee table, a slow smile spread across her face.

"Are those cards?"

"Yeah...why?"

"Wanna play a game of strip poker while we eat? I've never actually played it before but Chuckie explained the rules to me today." 

His hands stilled where they'd been emptying the contents of the take out onto the coffee table. An odd expression on his face that seemed to be a mixture of amusement and distaste. "You had him tell you how to play that?"

"What? No, I asked him how to play poker," She came over to sit next to him on the couch, bumping Coco with her shoulder and letting out a peal of giggles at his assumption. "The strip part is only por ti." 

“Hmm. Okay, but I’m not going easy on you because it’s your first time.” His chopsticks raised in her direction as Maya is already reaching for the cards to shuffle and set up the game. She pouts for only a moment before nodding, eyes lighting up as an idea hits her. 

“Well, then every time one of us removes an article of clothing, they get to ask the other a question?” 

He turns hesitant but nods anyways, expression going blank as soon as he’s got his hand of cards and the game has begun. The first couple rounds go simple enough, setting the mood and making it clear that Coco would keep his word. Though for every simple article of clothing she removed, a personal question was asked in kind. They started off easy -- Where were you born? Did or do you play any sports? What’s your favorite color? Maya realized quickly that her chances at winning anything were doomed, her face giving away every hand. Even when she did get lucky enough to draw a good combination, Coco would finally break his stony expression with a small smirk. 

"I fold." He put his cards down face up and shrugged out of his shirt. His cards were still better than hers but something in her expression must have tipped him off to her confidence. Immediately Maya’s shoulders sank and she let out a disappointed sigh, prepared to answer an equally arbitrary question. “How did you get into the travelling artist thing? There’s gotta be other ways to do it.” 

“Oh, good one.” She adjusted where she’d moved to sit on the floor, their food long forgotten as the game had dragged on. Enough time for Coco to have rolled a joint and begun to pass it between them. “My dad was a musician. He started travelling and touring again after my mom finally left him. It was just...an easier life for me than staying with her and my sister in a small town.” 

His eyes bore into her, taking in her words and nodding in response. A blush rose to her cheeks and her shoulders caved inward with a small shiver. Only a few rounds in and she was already down to her mismatched bra and underwear, the wall AC unit sensing just the right time to kick on and cause a chill to run down her spine. Meanwhile Coco was still in his jeans and white undershirt, his one article of clothing standing in stark contrast against the small pile she had building. Perhaps that was why when Maya found herself finally divested of her plain black bra she was no longer in the mood to ask trivial, lighthearted questions. 

“You said before you were in the military? The marines?” “Yeah.” “Why’d you join?”  

He went silent. Usually when she asked a question he would break the still cold expression he wore while holding cards. Coco’s eyes remained locked on hers, instead of the usual attention he would be paying to her topless form. It was obvious he was thinking intently about how to answer and she didn’t want to rush or interrupt him. He abandoned the joint to pull out a cigarette from the pack on the table between them. 

“I had shit to get away from.” 

When that was met with only more silence, his expression turned dour. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and smoked in silence while his words turned over in her head. Maya tried her best to keep her expression neutral, the stakes higher than any card game. In moments like these it was almost impossible for her to guess what he might be thinking. 

“I did some time. Got out and wanted something different.” 

“Oh.” 

“Why? You got anymore fucking questions?” She ignored the biting words and got up to sit next to him on the couch, stopping short of reaching out to place a hand on his arm. As it was closing the space between them didn't seem to comfort Coco. He leaned away from her slightly, no longer able to meet Maya's eyes. 

"Nah. I'm good," She shrugged. "I don't wanna make you all uncomfortable and antsy. I'm not a fuckin' child and I'm not here to judge you, man. We all got our shit." 

His head swung towards her, emphasizing each word with a jerk of his chin. As though they were being hurtled at her. "Why the fuck are you here. You don't got anywhere better to be than riding some fuckin' cholo dick? You like slumming it?" 

"Basta, stop it." Her chin wobbled but Maya's expression remained determined. "I'm here because I want to be. Because I like you." 

Silence falls over them once again as she refuses to take the bait and fall into his trap. Coco crushes the butt of the cig in the ashtray and all the fight leaves him. His hand clenched and released over his knee and finally she felt comfortable enough to reach out and place hers on top of it. He doesn't pull away which is all the encouragement she needs to press up against his side where it's warm. Even though she had managed to keep her calm Maya's pulse still raced at the argument they had just narrowly avoided. 

Both of them had short tempers in the right circumstance and it could be a challenge not to react…But not when Coco was so obviously upset and dealing with deeper shit. All she really wanted to do now was to take away the darkness lingering in his grimace. Whatever heavy thoughts he has seem to get a little lighter as he reclines against the couch once again and brings one arm up around her shoulders so she can stay close. Both of her arms slink around his chest to hold him in a tight embrace and he lets out a long shuddery breath before relaxing against her. It must not be easy for him to open up and be any sort of vulnerable and she’s more than willing to reward him when he is. 

“I do have one more question though.” He freezes for half a second before noticing her gaze is directed down towards the only article of clothing she’s still wearing. The switch in moods is so drastic that Coco can’t help but let out a small chuckle and shake his head, the arm around her shoulder folding so that he can pat down some of the waves of her hair.

“Yeah?” 

“Do...you wanna fuck me?” 

He doesn’t respond out loud, simply turns and shrugs out of the wifebeater in one smooth movement. Most of the time the fact that he’s been in the military remains somewhere in the back of her mind, a difference that she has very little interest in dissecting. It’s only when he moves that it becomes an apparent and undeniable part of him. In a moment she’s stretched under him, her head resting on the arm of the couch and his hands trace up her side and pause to cup her breast. Maya arches into his touch, arms wrapped around his chest to hold him close while his other hand abandoned its place clutching her hip to hastily brush her hair away from her neck. He groaned, pressing her even harder into the worn cushions and attacking her throat and collar with kisses and nips. 

“Fuck, take your jeans off.” She rolls her hips up against him and he rewards her by grabbing her ass and pulling her close so that the only thing separating them was the damp material of her underwear and the denim of his pants. 

“Patience, shit, I wanna wind you up first.” 

Maybe it was punishment for all of the questions earlier or simply his own prerogative, but either way she couldn’t bring herself to complain when he pulled away to remove his belt and help to slip her underwear off. His hand was warm and large on her thigh, spreading her open so that he could slip a couple fingers inside to rub against her. The feeling of his teeth grazing her shoulder and his hand coaxing her hips into a rhythm. Just when Maya thinks she may be close to some relief he pulls her into a kiss and removes his hand, swallowing the sound of disappointment she makes. 

Coco’s breath is warm against her skin, his pants slung low and he kicks them off before pinning her against the couch. It’s easy to slip her legs around his waist and help to ease him inside. He let out a soft groan and she answered in kind, peppering kisses along his shoulder while Coco drove into her. One of his hands reached up to tug back Maya’s hair and expose the kiss marked column of her neck. Her blunt nails scrape at his back as the quick pace of his thrusts pushes her over. His own orgasm isn't far behind and Coco all but collapses on top of Maya afterward, enjoying how her hand absentmindedly cards through his hair while they catch their breath. Even if they were just starting out getting to know each other as a couple, there was no denying that they already knew how to satisfy the other completely. 

"So..that was fun." She sighed and turned to press her bare back against the warmth of his chest when he’d finally eased off of her. Coco grunted in response, one arm wrapped around her torso to hold Maya against him. Her eyes caught the abandoned cards and noticed how many of them had fallen from the table to scatter on the floor below. They probably wouldn't end up getting picked up and put away until morning. 

"Let's just stick to Uno from now on?" Finally earning a laugh, the vibration rumbling against her and causing a chain reaction. 

"Pretty sure I can still beat your ass in that, quierida. I'm game for whenever you want to lose." He pinched her pert rear end and earned another high peal of giggles. 

"Okay, we'll see." There was a challenge in her voice but Maya knew he was probably right.