#the way I had to fold my arms and shake my head when Ez stepped up to fight that fucking yeti?!!

[cloveroctobers]

This episode was better than last but it’s still fuck Ezekiel Lorenzo Reyes atp AND time!

[ravennaortiz]

August 20th features Coco with the prompt "Hey! Congrats on not being dead yet. Good for you on aging and not stopping" requested by the lovely @hatersaremymotivators As always my stories are 18+

You were sitting on your brother Angels couch watching TV when Coco slunk through the door giving you a nod of greeting before heading to the kitchen. Your heart beat picked up as you tracked his movements. You had had a crush on Coco for as long as you had known him. He never paid you more mind than that of his friends little sister. Honestly if Angel and hell EZ too had their way you would never date ever. They were both to in your business and many a date had been interrupted because of one or both of them.

You sighed as you flipped the TV channel. Being laid up on the couch with a broken leg was not how you thought you would spend your birthday. Every year lately you were sick or had some injury that dampened the day.

“You sure you don’t mind hanging back? Keeping an eye on her?” inquired Angel as Coco grabbed a beer from the fridge.

“Aint like she can run off. Easiest babysitting gig ever” shrugged Coco as he grinned at his friend. Angel rolled his eyes before shaking his head.  “Today’s her birthday right?” inquired Coco as he caught sight of the cake in the fridge.

“Yeah and “started Angel before Coco stepped back into the living room.

“Hey!” called Coco getting your attention from the door way. When you had turned to him he grinned. “Congrats on not being dead yet. Good for you on aging and not stopping. No matter how many times you disobey your brothers and crash a damn bike” he added laughing as you shook your head and flipped him off.

“Fuck you Coco” you called as you laughed on the couch. “A simple Happy Birthday would have been good” you added.

“I aint simple and I don’t think you’re up for this ride” called Coco with a laugh as he stepped back into the kitchen. His laughter stopped when he caught the look on Angels face. Playing back his words he nodded and stepped back into the living room where you were still processing his words. “I uhh meant watch your language. A lady should not curse” he stated before nodding and going back into the kitchen.

Angel stood leaning against the counter with his arms folded. Coco sipped his beer and looked anywhere but at Angel. The silence between the two was loud for a couple of minutes before he spoke. “My bad” muttered Coco as Angel stalked over to him.

“Against my better judgement. I’mma let you stay and watch her. I don’t trust anyone else. Do not sleep with my sister” growled Angel as Coco nodded before saluting him.

“I will not” stated Coco as Angel shoved past him out the door.

Return to Masterlist

[ingeniousmindoftune]

The Sextape , Part Three.

Words: 2K

Masterlist>>> here.

Discord>>> here.

Gif cred: @angels-reyes

“You keep fucking with that girl, Ez. She’s going to be the death of you.” Angel preached.

I couldn’t just let her slip through the cracks again. I did before, there was no way I was doing it again. I knew Rio was her husband, I also knew he was dangerous but I was just as dangerous. “I got you all backing me, right?” Angel shook his head, “You know you do. But remember, Y/N not your girl anymore. She’s a married woman now. Whom is only using you to get to her husband.” He turned up his beer, taking another sip.

“If he knew what he has, he wouldn’t of cheated in the first place,” I turned up my beer.

I met Y/N way back when, when she was in college and I was a prospect. Of course, she never knew what none of that shit was. All she knew I was in a biker gang, she never knew the cold, direct, violent and dangerous truths. Part of me didn’t think she would’ve stuck around if she knew the truth, so I left her. Something I regretted every day since. Placing the beer down on top of the table, I grabbed the darts. “I’m just not letting her go so easily this time,”

“Is she that damn good in bed, or what?” He shook his head. “She still got you hooked after all this time?”

Hooked wasn’t even close to how she had me feeling. Throwing the dart at the board, missing the center by an inch. “The sex is great, beyond great but that’s not what got me. Y/N, she’s different. I can’t describe it but she is. That’s all I’m saying. She’s never been anything but loyal, ambitious and driven. She’s never been easy. And that’s what I love about her. It took me a year just to get her attention back then, it took her car breaking down for me to get to her.”

“You mean, you taking a piece out of the car?”

I laughed. “Why you keep assuming I stooped that low?” He laughed shaking his head. “I don’t know man, you always been crazy about that girl.” Ez shook his head with a small laugh, turning up his beer again, I watched as Angel took his turn. It was good being back in town. Especially knowing that you had in fact moved back after so many years, and the last few nights with you been amazing, and I’m not talking about the hook ups, I’m talking about the hanging out and talking about old times. He never been one to care for Rio. They bumped heads since the first time they met. Long ago. So I knew why she picked me, I was familiar and Rio hated him.

“Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.” Angel spoke. I looked from the board and over in his direction trying to get a sense as to who he was talking about. Only to come face to face with Rio himself. In the flesh. The rest of the gang stood up, I waved them off. “I’m good,” Rio slightly smirked holding up his hand. “I didn’t come for a fight, just came to talk. I’m armed, so don’t give me a reason to shoot,” he folded his arms in front of him.

I sat on the stool, giving him my undivided attention. “Alright.” I tossed the dart at the board. “I’m listening, what you got to say to me?” He walked closer before stopping. “My wife. She’s off limits. Stay away from her, I’m not telling you again,” he threatened, “This time I come to you mellowed out, but next time, I won’t be so civilized.”

“I think you should be keeping your wife away from me, after all, she came to me.” I retorted.

He sucked his teeth, nodding his head slow. “Mm, I don’t care who came to who first. Y/N is mine. So this little charade you got going on with her, needs to be put to a end today. She’s had her fun. Now it’s done, Don’t let me find you near her, your boys won’t keep me off of you.” I laugh shaking my head. “I don’t need them to beat your ass,” He looked around the room. “Maybe, but I’m not talking ass beating. I’ll kill you if you do not stop sleeping around with my wife.” Angel steps up, “You’re not killing anyone, Rio.”

“You all really think I’m playing games with you, yeah?”

Don’t get me wrong. I knew Rio didn’t make empty threats, but I wasn’t staying away from her if God himself told me. Only way if I would be done with her is if she told me herself she didn’t want this- and as far as I’m concerned- she never told me no. “You think we playing games with you? Rio your threats do not hold weight here. Just remember who she was with long before you came in the picture, and the only reason you’re here is because you know, push come to shove… I’m taking back what’s rightfully mine.”

“She’s not some object, Dumb ass.”

Shaking my head, “Rio, there’s the door. See yourself out or I will gladly throw you out.” Rio gave him a long cold stare before turning on his heels, walking towards the exit, taking look back at him, he said one last thing. “Just remember, I warned you.” Walking out the bar, everyone went back to what they were doing. Including me. “Play me in pool.” I told Angel. Angel looked at me. “You need to give her up, this drama and heat not gonna be good for the gang. You might be a Patch now but still… you need to be cautious on what you do, and second we won’t be around all the time to keep him from putting two slugs in you.”

“If this was someone of your past, would you let her go that easy? Someone you shared history with. Someone you loved, someone you even had a kid with and could’ve had a family? Would you let all that go or would you take the second chance and make it something out of it.”

Angel brushed the side of his face. “She the one who?” Ez sighed and nodded. “Yeah, after the miscarriage our relationship just wasn’t the same and than with me being prospect and trying to prove myself and get answers. I knew I couldn’t be what she wanted or needed back then. Truth be told, I wish I would’ve tried harder. Maybe things would’ve been different. And he knows that she’ll come crawling back in a heartbeat. What we had was real.” Angel shook his head. “It’s been eight years. She’s not the same, she’s married and you all might have had something real but so does her and him.” Call me dumb, call me foolish. But if you had the chance to take back the one person that was right for you, wouldn’t you take it?

“Now, you know you can’t come in here with this on and than tell me you don’t want to fuck tonight,” I wrap my arms around her waist.

She wraps her arms around my neck, “I do. But just not right now, and I can cover up if you want me to.” She planted soft kisses on my lips, I lifted her up carrying her to the couch area of the new hotel room suite. It was either never the same hotel, or never the same suite. I wasn’t dumb. I’m sure he was probably parked right outside. Waiting. “Definitely not, baby. This purple looks so good on your skin, you know what they say, Purple means Royalty.”

“I have heard that, yes.” She smiled planting a soft kiss on my lips again. “I don’t know if I can keep this up though. This isn’t who I am. Sneaking around, cheating, shit like this. I was just supposed to be getting even. Now it feels like I’m dragging it.” I wasn’t trying to hear that, I know she had every right to feel the way she feels but, if it was me and she was doing this- I would never be able to just sit around and let her be with another man, I’ll take matters in my own hand.

But than again, rio wasn’t me.

“Y/n, you deserve the world and to be treated like a Queen. You shouldn’t have to be home worrying if your husband can’t keep his dick in his pants. Why on earth would you even settle for that?” I sighed deeply, lifting her up, she looked down at me. “Rio loves me, and I love him.” I didn’t want to hear no more about her and him, if he really cared, she wouldn’t be here right now.

——————————

“You have a lot of nerve bringing your ass in my place of business. You have a habit of overstepping your boundaries, Beth.” I shoved my gun in her face, finger on the trigger. “You’ve caused a lot of problems. Problems I’m still picking up on, and fixing. You owe me twenty-five grand, you figure out how you’re going to pay it?” I stepped back from her leaning against the chair. She looked at me. “I’ll get you the money. But I need some time.”

I clicked my teeth. “Time is money. And seems you don’t have that. You don’t have time, I want my money Beth.”

“Can we make some type of deal? We always come to an understanding.” I chuckled hard. “Things are different now. And they will be from now on. We can make a deal once you give me my money, you can see yourself out.” Rio knew he had grown closer than he wanted for her, he knew that he liked Beth , but he wasn’t in love with her. Nah, it definitely wasn’t love. “I’m sorry about the other day. I didn’t mean to intrude but in my defense you had been ducking me for weeks.”

I shrugged. “And? I don’t owe you a damn thing. If I want to duck you for a year. That’s my business. Not yours. You broke the rule. You broke into MY home. That better not happen again, or it’ll be you in a body bag.”

“Rio, how was I supposed to know that you were married and you’re always checking up on me and doing random pop ups like I’m your property or something, why couldn’t I do the same?” Rio smacked his lip looking at her. “Beth, don’t get too high headed. I run this, I do what I say and when I say it. Whether I’m married or not, it’s not for you to know. We aren’t there. But so help me, if you ruined my marriage—” She laughs. “Me? You did that yourself by cheating on your wife! Several times if I might add.” I clenched my jawline. “It’s in your best interest to leave right now, Beth and let’s make this clear… You have One week to get me the money you owe me. Not two. ONE. Don’t make me hurt you, Beth.”

“Hey.” I looked over at her as she got into bed after doing her night routine.

She looked over at me. “Hi.” I sat up on the headboard, slightly slunched in the bed. She grabbed her papers to grade off the night stand, I took them from her. “We need to talk about you and Ezekiel.” She smacks her lips. “What’s there to talk about?”

“You know what’s to talk about. You think I’m just going to keep allowing this to go on. It was all fun and games in the beginning when you were just trying to get even but, that’s not going to happen again. If it do, I’ll kill him. And, I mean that, you and I both know I will not hesitate. So if you care about him, you’ll leave him.” I slightly lick my lips, looking her over. She wore nothing but her white robe. I pulled her in closer, “I let you play your game but enough is enough.” I look into her eyes. She looked into mine, “You hurt me.”

I nod my head. “I know,” I brush the back of my hand over her face. “And I’m sorry. We even now. I don’t want to see you with another man, I don’t know what I’ll do,”

Taglist…

@zenxn20

@rainedabrat16

@rosegoldcoco

@bbygirlchristina

@rio-reid-sluttt

@skyesthebomb @laylasbunbunny

This is not edited, I’ll edit later. Excuse any grammatical errors, or any misplaced povs.

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[bellisperennis0]

His Hoodie

Word Count: 1,751

Warnings: Mention of taking medication (pills)

A/N: A little caring and protective Angel. Exes to friends based off prompt above. Thank you for reading and enjoy! ❤️  GIF credit @pantherclawz​

“Alright mija. is there anything else I can do for you?” Felipe asks as he finishes putting away your groceries.

“No, Pop, I should be okay?” you answer back from your place on the couch.

“I really hate to leave you like this.” he says, making his way to the living room, helping you get as comfy as you could considering.

“No te preocupes (Dont worry). I’ll be okay, I promise.” you give him a smile, the medicine you had taken when you left the hospital finally taking effect as you felt sleepy.

“Okay, mija. If you need anything, me llamas (you call me), okay?” he tells you as he leans down to place a soft kiss to your forehead, you simply nodded.

Pulling the throw blanket off the back of the couch, he gently draped it over you, placing another kiss to your head before making his way around the house, ensuring all doors were locked before he left.

----------

A few hours later you awoke to someone making all kinds of noises in your kitchen. You assumed it was just EZ, who stayed with you here and there, so it wasn’t unusual for you to come home to find him raiding your fridge, or sprawled out on your couch.

“Jesus, EZ!! What the hell are you doing in there?” you rasp, voice still laced with sleep.

“Querida! You’re awake!?” your brows furrow in confusion at Angel’s voice, he’s the last person you would have expected.

“Angel?” you ask in surprise as you watch him turn the corner and into the living room. You can see the worry and concern on his face, giving him a sad smile as he slowly made his way towards you.

Helping you sit up a little, he takes a seat on the edge of the couch, his hand gently stroking over the bumps and cuts on your face. Closing your eyes, you lean into his touch.

“Fuck, querida. Why didn’t you tell any of us what happened to you?” he asks you, his thumbs still stroking your cheek.

“You guys all had a lot going on with finding Adelita and getting her back. Last thing you guys needed was to worry about me to.” you tell him, shrugging

“I was so pissed when I stopped by Pop’s and he told me you were in a car accident, and you didn’t say anything. I barged in here ready to yell, but then I saw how you were and I felt bad that I wasn’t there for you.” he tells you.

“Stop! I know you have all this other shit to worry about. It’s okay, Angel, really.” you give him a reassuring smile.

“Glad at least one of us was there for you.” he gives you a smile.

“Can you do me a favor?” you ask him.

“Anything for you, querida.” he tells you standing up from his spot on the couch.

“Can you help me to the bathroom?” you shyly ask him.

Without hesitation Angel is scooping you into his arms, bridal style.

“Angel!” you squeal out of surprise, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Dont worry, querida, I got you!” giving you a wink.

Once at the bathroom, he gently places you down on your good leg as you lean into him for support. Once you gain your balance, you give a nod to let him know he could step outside. With a brief struggle, and a lot of annoyance from Angel asking every two seconds if you were okay, you did what you needed. When Angel saw you make your way out of the bathroom, he was quick to pick you up again.

Placing your hand on his chest to stop him, slightly laughing, “Angel stop! You don’t have to carry me. Just help me.” you tell him, wrapping your arm around his lower back, leaning into his side.

While you made yourself as comfortable as you could get on the couch again, Angel disappeared to the kitchen, coming back shortly, taking a seat next to you, handing you a glass of water and your medication. Taking your pills, you watched as Angel scrolled through Hulu, finding one of your favorite movies. He looked over to you, giving you a smile and a wink.

“Now you just get comfy and enjoy your movie.” He said as you watched him get up and make his way down your hall.

“Angel, what are you doing?” you yell towards the direction he disappeared.

You didn’t hear Angel respond, but you could hear him rustling in one of the other rooms. Shortly later he came walking into the living room with your hamper in hand.

“Angel. NO!! You really don’t –“ you tried to object, but Angel was quick to cut you off.

“Just let me help, querida. Please!?” you can tell this was something he really wanted to do for you.

Sitting back, you nodded, “But you aren’t folding my clothes.” You tell him as he made his way towards your laundry room.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before!” you can hear him say from the other room.

----------

You watched as Angel moved around your house doing all the domestic things. Seeing how content he was in helping you, you didn’t have it in you to tell him that Felipe had down the same thing this morning after bringing you home. And in all honesty, you have missed this side of Angel.

Half way through your second movie you could hear Angel in the kitchen. You tried your best to just let him be, but you have never known nor have you ever heard of Angel ever cooking. The two years you had dated, the only thing Angel could manage to make was a bowl of cereal, and even that was debatable.

From all the noise and cursing coming from your kitchen, you knew it was a complete disaster. It sounded like everything was under control until your smoke detector began screaming throughout the house. You can hear Angel cursing none stop.

“Angel?!” you called out for him. Angel slowly appearing around the corner.

“I’ll call for some pizza.” He says with clear defeat. You couldn’t help but laugh.

While you finished your movie and waited for your pizza, once again you can hear Angel cursing from the back room. From the way he sounded and the way he looked approaching you, you knew right away something else had gone wrong.

“What happened?” you asked, eyeing him.

“Somehow half your clothes came out pink.” He said as he sat the hamper full of your clothes down on the coffee table. Plopping down beside you, he threw his head back against the back of the couch, hands covering his face.

“Fuck, querida! All I want to do is help you out, and I can’t even do that right.”

“Angel, I’m completely thankful for your help.” Your heart aching at how defeated he looked. You knew all he wanted to do was help you as much as he could, and you were forever thankful for that.

“Help? I almost burned down the house and just ruined your clothes.” He tells you in frustration.

“I appreciate you trying to help, but really, I’m just happy to have you around.” You tell him, giving him a sad smile.

He sighed as he reached over, taking your hand into his, “I’m sorry, querida. I know I haven’t been around much. Everything with the Club and with the rebels –“

Shaking your head, you stopped him, “It’s okay, Angel. I know you have all this shit you are dealing with. You don’t have to apologize.”

He gave you a smile and leaned over to place a kiss to your cheek.

----------

After enjoying your pizza and a few more movies together, all you wanted to do was get into your own bed and sleep for at least two days straight.

Once Angel was sure you were comfortable and had taken your pills, “I’ll be out in the living room if you need me.” He tells you as he turns to head out the door.

“Angel,” you call out for him. He quickly turned back around, “Stay?” you ask as you pat the other side of the bed.

“You sure?” he asks you

“Please!” you simply say.

He nods and gives you a smile, making his way to the other side of the bed. Crawling in next to you, he sighs in contentment and you couldn’t help but smile.

“You look exhausted.” You whisper, looking over at him.

“You don’t look so hot yourself, querida.” He teases back, poking your side.

“Thank you again for being here today, and for staying.” You say, gently pushing some of his hair out of his face.

“Can I ask you something?” he asks you, propping himself onto his elbow to look at you.

“Shoot, Reyes!” you tell him, looking over at him.

“Why are you wearing my sweater?” he asks you as he gently tugs at the sleeve of the sweater you were wearing.

“Because it smells like you. And it comforts me.” You admit.

He just nods and gives you a smile.

“Did you get her back?” you asked him, knowing he wouldn’t give you any details, but it was an honest question.

“I did, but then she made me let her go. Only way she could save Los Olvidados and the MC.” He tells you as his face falls, you can see how heartbroken he was.

“God, I’m so sorry, Angel.” You said reaching over and taking his hand into yours.

He softly laughs, “I am convinced that all this is my karma for all the shit I had put you through.”

“It’ll all work out Angel, they’ll come back to you.” You tell him as he just scoffs.

“Get some rest, querida. I know you must be tired.” he tells you as he notices you dozing off.

Turning off the lights and getting cozy, you reach out for Angel’s hand, entwining your hands together. Not liking the distance between you two, Angel gently moved closer towards you, wrapping an arm around your middle, making sure not to hurt you, as you settle in next to him. A content grin on his lips, his eyes drifted close as he listened to your breathing deepen and slow, feeling the rise and fall of your chest. He synchronized his breathing with yours and allowed the sound of your hearts beating together to lull him to sleep.

--xx

[cocobwrites]

Once Upon A Time in Santa Ana

Summary:  Once Upon a Time, Angel Reyes knew you and you knew him. Once Upon a Time, Angel Reyes loved you and you loved him. In him, your teenage hopes and dreams found a home, a safe haven. Angel Reyes took your love and spat it back out at you with malice. Once Upon a Time Angel Reyes accepted a tender, fragile love and burned it down. This is the story of a man trying to rekindle his first love from the ashes.

Chapter 1

                                        Ghost Two: Angel 

Angel was unsettled, unnerved and on edge. There were too many ghosts here. The weight of his past decisions was heavy on his conscience. The streets he rode down lead to memories of emotional crimes he’d sooner forget, and the clubhouse felt like it had the potential to morph into his own personal insane asylum. 

“Angel!” The man being shouted at turned to the sound of the voice. This was the second time today that he’d been slapped in the face by a ghost of his past. The first was by his own doing. Angel knew without a doubt that walking into that convenience store was inviting hurt that he wasn’t 100% sure he could deal with, but the temptation of possibly being so close to you and not attempting to see you was too much. 

In front of him now was ghost number 2, Shania. Shania was the perceived catalyst in Angel’s love story. The cousin/best friend to the girl he first gave his heart to. The devil on his love’s shoulder egging her on to do what she desired most and covering for her disappearance acts. 

The last time Angel saw Shania she was just on the brink of womanhood. At 18 her face still held a girlish charm while her body was blossoming into full adulthood. Looking at her now the transition was complete. Her once rounded cheeks were still full but defined. Her eyes told a story of secrets that came with being grown, and her hips swayed in a way that marked her confidence. In short, Shania had finished growing up. Her hair hung in long coils hitting her waist. They were dyed a bright red and highlighted a lighter red that held a pink tone.  The colors complimented her sepia-toned skin. 

Shania threw her arms around Angel’s neck and pulled him tight swaying back and forth. Angel needed the hug. He needed the affirmation that he hadn’t burned every bridge he built while he was here all those summers ago. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath absorbing the warmth and comfort Shania offered.

“Damn, it’s been a long time,” Shania said while letting go. She smiled up at her former friend. “You forget how a phone works?” She asked following it up with a slap to his arm. “I’m mad at you Angel. Just dipped out without a goodbye and then went ghost. “ These fools” she pointed a thumb in the general direction of the members “treat information about other chapters like they’re in the CIA.” she shook her head.

“How have you been?” Shania finished with a bright smile waiting to hear about how things had been with Angel. 

Angel in return just ran a hand down his face and answered with a short “Shit” followed by a shrug of uncertainty. “I mean good I guess.” He raised his hand palm up and rolled his fingers outward in a questioning gesture. “Just doing club shit.”

Shania’s brow creased and her smile dropped, the face she was currently sporting was eerily reminiscent of her uncle. Angel was sure it was a family trait. “Wow, that was a really insightful look into what life has been like for the last'' she waved her hand “however long.”

Angel laughed, appreciating the blunt but humorous honesty. “Do you want a drink, Angel?” Shania asked and looked over her shoulder apparently feeling EZ approach. 

“Shania, this is my brother EZ. EZ, this is Shania. Shooter’s daughter.” Angel watched EZ stick his hand out and give a half-smile. Shania accepted it and gave it one firm shake. She didn’t let go though. Instead, she turned back to Angel and said “So, is the whole family fine, or were the genes reserved for just y’all?’ She finished what a laugh that mixed with Angels and was accompanied by EZ’s own chuckle. 

“I’m going to grab you a drink.” She finished with a wink and went to do just that. 

EZ stepped up to Angel and watched the girl walk away. “So, that’s Shooter’s daughter meaning she’s the cousin to the unnamed girl.”

Angel knew EZ had said you were unnamed for the sole purpose to get him talking. “She’s not unnamed” Angel answered back not without irritation. 

“Then what’s her name?”  Asked EZ angling himself towards his older brother.

Angel supplied your name. “Look, man, I don’t really want to get into this right now. Just let it alone for a bit EZ.” 

Angel stalked off towards Shania meeting her half-way to get his drink. In truth Angel really didn’t want to get into the nitty-gritty about you but he knew he had to. EZ was at a disadvantage not knowing the truth of how Angel left. There were old wounds here that he wasn’t sure fully healed. If judging by how your father reacted and how Shooter was treating him he’d have to say they were very much still open and sore. Why though? That was something that he was hoping to ply information from Shania. 

She handed Angel an open bottle of beer and clinked her own to his before taking a sip. She turned to the side so she was facing him and leaned against an unoccupied pool table.  Angel muttered a thank you and then mimicked her pose. 

Shania took a breath as if to say something, but stopped having changed her mind, and instead took a sip of her beer. 

“Does she know I’m here?” Angel asked deciding to just cut to the chase. “Hell, is she even still here?”

Shania just looked at him for a moment before answering. “Are you being serious right now? You sure you want to open that can of worms?” She huffed and shook her head. Shania set her bottle down on the green of the table and folded her arms over her chest. “Angel, I’m going, to be honest with you.” She paused again. It seemed she was unsure if she wanted to say what she was thinking, but her lips tightened for just a moment and she continued on. 

“You fucked up bad when you left here like you did. At least you gave the appearance that you did.” Her eyes narrowed briefly while she looked Angel over. “I’m willing to forgive and forget. It’s been a long ass time and it’s clear that y’all haven’t had any form of contact. My daddy and uncle on the other hand….” She trailed off. 

“My daddy won’t say anything since it didn’t involve the club, but I’d step lightly around him. Also-” she poked his arm. “Keep yo tail away from my uncle. That man has been itching to beat you down for years. He’s old but he’s quick and trust me, he hits hard.”

“Now do you really want to know the answers to those questions?” She shook her head. “Don’t go pickin’ at scabs unless you’re ready to treat the cut.”

 “I hear you, Shania. I do forreal” Angel paused “and if you don’t think it’s good for her to know I’m here, don’t tell her. I just have to know. Is she still here?” Angel tried to keep the desperation out of his voice but was failing. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about you, but as of late he felt like he was spiraling. There was a need to feel something genuine and untainted again. Something was telling him he could do that with you.

Shania nodded along and listened. “Yeah, she’s still here.”She said casually while pulling her phone out. “Well, more like here again. She moved back home a few years ago.” She continued while apparently responding to a text on her phone. 

“As far as her knowing if you’re back-” She paused again and Angel heard the distinctive single vibration of her phone. Shania nodded in satisfaction. “Put your number in here.” She handed Angel the phone. “I want to be able to get in touch with you again.”

Angel did as directed more focused on if Shania was going to tell follow through and tell you. Shania, for her part, took the phone back and continued to tap away. “She knows now and I gave her your number.” She then pushed off the table and took a swig of her drink while walking away. Angel watched her pocket the phone and felt his stomach drop, rise up in an attempt to lodge in his throat before finally filling with moths. There were no butterflies here. Butterflies were reserved for happy reunions that would be filled with smiles and warm hugs. 

In the time he’d been back Angel had been met primarily with cold acceptance or outright hostility save for Shania. He didn’t know what he’d get with you. He didn’t know if he’d get anything from you. As badly as Angel wanted this reunion he was scared to death of it. 

He’d been reminded multiple times since getting back to Santa Ana that his departure had been less than ideal. From what he was gathering, the ripples of his decisions went farther than he thought they would. Angel huffed to himself and raised his bottle to down the rest. 

When his eyes closed he saw your face; confused and tear-streaked, a silent question on your lips “Why?” He wasn’t sure if what he was remembering was the true sound of your voice or just what he imagined it. While everyone was worried about protecting you they were ignoring the vulnerability Angel was submitting himself to. 

Was your relationship as good as he remembered? Had he taken only the best highlights of it and committed them to memory, leaving all the mess to be forgotten? That was the scary thing about memories. You could never be sure if what you were recalling was the truth or the romanticized version used to get through melancholy.

Angel looked to the now empty bottle and just stared at the label, not really seeing it. Instead is mind was playing that moment on a loop. “Why?” The memory version continued to ask and never getting a true answer. “Because I could” Angel found himself whispering the implied response. 

You had his number. That knowledge left his phone feeling like a boulder in his pocket. Would you use it? Would you let this be content with never having a true resolution? If you did use it would you come at him like your pops? Would you give him a cold welcome like your uncle or would he have you back? Could he take a stroll down memory lane and make you smile like you used to? Would he get to hear that melodic laugh again? Would Angel get a chance at redemption?

Angel eased a long sigh and let the hand holding the bottle fall to his side. He took strides towards the bar looking for another drink and felt the weight of two pairs of eyes on him. A quick glance confirmed they belonged to EZ, observant as usual, and Shania, scrutinizing and assessing. It was going to be a long weekend.

[noladyme]

La Cuervo - Chapter 18

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.

18.

It was a quiet morning in the Teller-Reyes residence. Nina woke up to Angel’s beard tickling her neck, as he nuzzled up to her; still sleeping like a baby. His arm was locked around her in a vice grip, but Nina desperately needed to pee; so, she kissed his forehead, before scooting downwards in the bed, to get out from under his hold. He muttered something unintelligible, and Nina smiled to herself as she slipped on one of his flannels, and snuck quietly out of the room.

After handling her business, Nina went through the living room – hearing Angel beginning to rouse and get out of bed – and headed into the kitchen. She smiled through the serving hatch at the biker, who returned the gesture, and walked into the bathroom; rubbing his eyes. He’d put on a pair of sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips, and Nina couldn’t help but think a couple of impure thoughts about what was hiding behind them.

As she began searching the cabinets for something edible, Angel got out of the bathroom, and headed towards the bedroom again. Nina found a box of pancake-mix, and turned to the fridge to see if there was any chance Angel had stored anything other than beer and stale pizza in there – preferably, milk. Something small, with long antennae scuttered across the floor; and she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Angel…!”, she squealed, and climbed onto the counter. “What the fuck?”, she heard Angel roar. He came storming through the house, and barged into the kitchen; his gun drawn. “Where are they?”, he growled, his eyes scanning the kitchen. Nina was shaking, and she pointed at the bug, which was calmly wiggling its feelers on the floor. “There…”, she croaked.

Angel let out a deep breath. “Fuck, I thought someone had come to…”, he began; before looking at her, as she sat, hugging her knees, on the counter. “Ma’… It’s just a cockroach”, he smiled. “Get rid of it!”, Nina demanded. Angel sighed, and grabbed a newspaper, getting ready to fold it up. “No, don’t kill it! Take it outside…”. “Are you…? Shit, whatever…”, Angel muttered, and gently picked up the cockroach. While Nina moved backwards on the counter, to get as far away from the bug as possible, Angel carried it out the back door; muttering to himself all the way. He came back a few moments later, and reached out to help Nina down to the floor. “Nuh uh. Nope. Wash your hands first”, she said. Angel rolled his eyes, went over to the sink, and washed his hands. Nina watched him, to make sure he was thorough. “Call an exterminator, or burn down the house. Those are your two options”, she growled. Angel rolled his eyes. “You know, it’s your fault it was in here. They like clean houses”, he said, and pulled Nina off the counter with a firm grip on her waist. His shirt rode up her hips, and he smirked at her. “No panties?”. Nina scowled at him, and pulled the shirt down to cover herself. “I’m gonna take a shower; and don’t tell me roaches like water, ‘cuz I’ll run naked out the front door; and you’ll never see me again”.

She went into the bedroom, and dug out some clothes from the drawer Angel had cleared out for her few belongings. Angel had followed her, and when she went to pass him; when he halted her with a light hand on her hip. “I could go in with you… Squash any little monster that tries anything”, he offered. “No thanks. But you can get me some coffee. Extra strong…”, Nina said. When Angel pouted, she relented, and gave him a small kiss. “I though you got enough last night…”, she smiled against his lips. “I never get enough, querida”, Angel replied, and moved his hand to give her butt a little squeeze. “I’ll go cook up your next high”. “Thank you, papi”, Nina said, and slipped into the bathroom. “That’s not fair. You know what it does to me, when you call me that”, Angel called after her. “I’m locking this”, she replied, and closed the door behind her.

When she’d finished her shower, Nina got dressed, and did her makeup. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw that she looked well and fucked. Not in the bad way, though; quite the opposite. She was practically glowing, and had a brand new hickey on her neck. She smiled as she ran her fingertips over it.

Angel had left a mug of coffee on the table for her, and after having put on her shoes – she was not going barefoot before she was sure she wasn’t going to step on a stray roach – she grabbed it; before going to stand in the doorway to the bedroom. She nipped at her hot drink, and leaned against the wall, while watching Angel tying his boots. He was wearing jeans and a short-sleeved t-shirt as usual, and she studied his tattoos, as his skin moved over his muscles. “See something you like?”, Angel asked, and stood up from where he’d been seated on the edge of the bed. “You know you look good. I don’t need to bolster your ego”, Nina grinned. He walked over to her, and nabbed her mug; taking a sip, before handing it back. His cut was hanging over a chair, and he put it on. “And now you look even better”. “You’re objectifying me”, Angel said in mock offence. “I’m just saying… That thing belongs on your back”, Nina chuckled. “I’m glad you still have it”.

Angel walked up to her, and placed a finger under her chin. “You just want me for my cut”. He leaned in to nibble at her neck, and Nina hummed in delight, when his hand travelled under her top, and began stroking her bare skin. “Do the patches turn you on, mami? I could kneecap Riz; get him off his bike for a while. They’d need a new secretario; and I’d get another one for the collection”. “That’s not funny!”, Nina chided. Angel chuckled. “I’m just kidding. Just thought you’d like to see me with a bit more flash”, he said. “I thought I proved to you that rank doesn’t matter”, Nina said, set down the mug, and tugged at his beard playfully. “If it did, it would have been Packer balls deep in me last night”. Angel looked seriously at her. “Now, that’s not funny”. “I could go call him right now… He could be here in about three hours”, Nina teased, and pulled out of Angel’s arms. “Two, if I offer him a blowjob for the extra effort”. Angel let out a sound between a growl and a hiss, and Nina ran to get away from him.

She managed to reach the kitchen before he was on her, attacking her body with tickles; and making her squeal from laughter. She was thrown over his shoulder, carried into the living room; and deposited on the couch. Angel stood over her with a hard look on his face. “Ain’t no one gonna be balls deep in you but me, mami”, he growled, and threw himself at her. Nina was almost crying from laughter, as he once again began tickling her. His hands moved between her thighs, and Nina tried clenching them together, but Angel was stronger, and forced them apart. “I’ll be good. I promise!”, Nina shrieked. “I know you will”, he smirked, and cupped her crotch; rubbing her through her shorts. “Only good girls get to…”.

His phone started buzzing on the coffee table. EZ lit up the screen, and Angel picked up the call with an annoyed grunt. “What? I was about to…”. His face dropped. “Yeah, man… of course… No, I’ll go do it myself. It was my fuck-up… Yeah… See you then”. He hung up, and sat back on the couch; sighing deeply. “What’s wrong?”, Nina asked, getting up to sit next to him. “Pap went by my mom’s grave. He saw what I did…”, Angel said gloomily. “I gotta go fix it”. Nina took his hand, and kissed it. “Do you want help?”, she asked. “Nah, you shouldn’t be out in the open… And I was the one who… I gotta do it alone”. He looked down at the floor. “I get it”, Nina said. Angel got up to stand, and pulled Nina with him. “I’ll take you to the yard, and then go take care of it”. “Ok. Then, maybe… drop by your pap’”, Nina said. “Just say you’re sorry”. Angel shrugged. “I’ve given up apologizing to the old man”, he said. “I’ve done too much shit. I’d be there for a year”.

Nina put her arms around him. “He loves you. And he’s proud of you”, she said. Angel let out a short scoffing laugh. “It’s true! I saw it, when he came by the clubhouse… And I know onething you did, that he’s happy about”. “What’s that?”, Angel asked. “Well, he likes me”, Nina shrugged. Angel’s frown turned into a bright smile. “And I did you…”, he said. “You make everything dirty”, Nina chuckled. “You know it”, Angel said, and patted her bottom. “Let’s go”.

Nina went to grab her helmet, when Angel frowned again. “What?”, she asked. “I know that thing has sentimental value to you; but I wasn’t kidding when I said it’s unsafe”, Angel replied. Nina chewed her lip. She knew Angel was right, but not using Jackson’s helmet felt like a weird betrayal. “I really don’t want to get another…”, she said. Angel sighed. “I’m gonna say something that you might piss you off”, he said. Nina looked at him warily. “If we get in a crash, you’ll end up just like him”. A jolt of pain went through Nina’s heart, and she blinked away a tear. “He wasn’t wearing it when… Maybe if he had…”. “He didn’t wear it, because he chose not to”, Angel said. “By wearing it, instead of one that fits you, your kinda choosing that outcome yourself”. Nina shot him a sad and slightly angry look. “Why are you so fucking smart?”, she asked. “Because my helmet fits, and my head is safe when I go down”, Angel said, and smiled softly at her.

Nina put down the helmet on the workbench, and picked up the one she’d borrowed from the club. “I’ll get you a new one like it”, Angel said. “Uh huh”, she muttered, and went towards the front door. Angel stopped her, and cupped her face in his hands. “Hey… Te amo, ok?”. “I love you too”, Nina whispered, and wiped her eyes.

She gave Jax’s helmet one last look, before they left the house.

---

Once at the yard, Angel kissed her goodbye; and went to take care of his mistake. Nina spent a little while keeping herself busy; both to get back in the groove of the clubhouse, and to keep her mind of Angel’s face as he’d driven away. He’d been glum, and she knew he’d need her once he returned.

Bishop waved her over to join him and Taza at their table. “What’s up?”, she asked, as she sat down. “I talked to Palo”, Taza said. “The handover is set for three days from now”. Nina swallowed thickly, and clenched her fists on the table. “Which means we’re in a rush to find the snitch”, Bishop said. He must have interpreted her expression as fear, because he reached over, and patted her arm. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you. I promise”. “I know. I’m still just feeling shitty about letting someone else take my place”, she said. “And what happens after that? Am I supposed to hide for the rest of my life, so Palo doesn’t discover that I’m still alive?”. She sighed, and shook her head. “We’ll keep working on finding something to use against Palo”, Taza said. Nina shot him a look of actual fear; though not for her own safety; but his. “Call around for your old acquaintances down south”, Bishop said. “Some of them have got to still be alive…”. “I’ll look in to it”, Taza said.

“Either way, we still have to plan the handover”, Bishop said. “Palo understands that we can’t do it publicly; because we’re breaking our rules of protecting family”. “So, what?”, Nina asked. “A dark van in an alley?” “Actually, we’re thinking another party”, Taza said. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”, Nina gasped. “Just once, I’d like to enjoy drinks and good times without having to fear for my life”. “You’ll be perfectly…”, Taza began. “Safe. Yeah; so you tell me”, Nina said. “We’ll have a full house of guests; meaning Palo won’t draw on you the minute he sees you”, Bishop said. “Then we do the deed somewhere on the yard, away from the clubhouse”. “Do the deed, as in let Palo kill some woman”, Nina said. “Basically”, Bishop said. “You don’t have to worry; you won’t be there for that part”.

Nina closed her eyes; as if doing so would make the two bikers disappear in front of her. It didn’t work. When she opened them again, Bishop and Taza were still there; looking at her intently. “Ok… In that case, I guess I have a party to plan”, she said, and got to her feet. “Any special requests?”. “No dried apricots this time”, Taza said. “I’ll buy an extra bag, just for you”, Nina smiled sarcastically. “Anything else?”. “Yeah”, Bishop said. “Lockdown is back on for you. Just in case VM tries anything before then”. “Great. I’m grounded again”, Nina said. “I’m not staying in that fucking trailer, though”. “Fine”, Bishop said. “But you don’t leave the clubhouse during the day, and it’s straight to Angel’s, and straight back, every day… And Angel keeps a loaded gun within arms-reach at all times, when you two are alone.”. “What else is new…”, Nina grumbled. Taza chuckled. “You’re lucky. We were considering having someone watching you when you sleep”, he said. “You wanna watch me and Angel in bed?”, Nina smirked. “Go ahead. We’ll give you a show”.

She got on her feet, and went back towards the bar. EZ walked into the clubhouse, lugging a case of beers. “Yo, prospect. Where’s your brother?”, Taza asked. “We got a load this afternoon with his name on it”. EZ put down the case, and shot Nina a short look. “He’s taking care of some family shit”, he said. Nina swallowed thickly. “Yeah, I heard about your mom’s grave. Someone seriously fucked it over”, Bishop said. “Do you need to go?”. The warmth in his voice was surprising. “No. Angel wanted to take care of himself”, EZ muttered. “Well, let me know if you need help finding who did it. Shit like that, we don’t let slide”, Bishop said. “Thanks… but we got it”, the prospect said.

Nina smiled thankfully at him. Angel didn’t need to add to his guilt, by being chastised by his president; EZ knew that as well as her.

---

Angel arrived at the clubhouse a little before noon, and gave EZ a short nod, before going over to put his arms around Nina. He stood upright, and tried to keep a cool demeanor; but Nina could feel the sadness and guilt stream through him. “Come on…”, she muttered, and pulled him by the hand, into the back room; where Angel instantly buried his face in the crook of her neck. Nina held him tight; stroking his back, and kissing his temple. “Do you wanna talk about it?”. Angel pulled back, and looked at her. “The place was trashed”, he said. “It wasn’t that bad. It was just a few bottles”, Nina said. “She would have whooped my ass, if she was there to see it”, Angel said. “No she wouldn’t. If she was anything like you, she’d understand that you were in pain”. She kissed his lips softly. “It’s like I let her down again". He was doing his best not to shed tears. “What do you mean?”.

Angel met her eyes for a second, before sighing. It was as if he had to force himself to tell the story, because it pained him so much. “The night my mam' died, I was supposed to help her lock up the shop". He paused for a second, as if gathering strength to continue. “I decided I wanted to go to a party instead, so EZ went there instead of me… He found her, shot". Nina let out a deep breath; her heart breaking slightly. “I was supposed to be there… I didn’t protect her, and I made my kid brother have to deal with what happened… He went to jail, ‘cuz he shot a cop; chasing after the killer… I did that". It was agony to hear Angel retell the tale, but Nina owed him to help carry the burden of his story; as he had helped her. “You couldn’t have known, Angel…”, she whispered in his ear, as he once again hid his face against her neck. “I was getting drunk and high, while some shithead killed my mam'; and EZ went to jail over it”.

Nina was beginning to understand the reason for Angel’s tendency to self-hatred; though she didn’t agree with it. He had an ego the size of a small country, sure; but when it came to how he thought of himself as a person, Angel had trouble finding any value there. This tragic event changed his life, and the life if his family, and Angel thought that he was the reason for all their woes.

She looked at the fragile man in her arms, and she wished she could make him love himself as much as she did. “Angel… listen", she said. “You didn’t kill your mother. You didn’t send EZ to jail. The fact that you weren’t there, doesn’t make you guilty of anything… Someone else decided to pull that trigger, and you could have just as easily been hurt, or even killed, if you’d been in the shop that night. Your father and brother would have lost both your mother and you”. Nina put her hands to the back of Angel’s head, and forced him to look down and meet her eyes. “You are not to blame for everything bad that happens around you". “I don’t know… It feels like it”, Angel sighed. “That shit with Dani… It put those kids in danger; made you leave… I’m a fuck-up”. Nina cut him off by pressing her lips against his. “Stop… Stop acting like you’re not worth anything. You mean the world to me, and talking like this about yourself… It’s insulting!”, she said. “What do you mean?”. He looked adorably confused. “Well… you’re talking shit about my man…”, Nina smirked. “Where I come from, you would get your ass kicked for that. And it’s such a cute ass; so, I reallydon’t wanna have to do that”. She slid down her hands, and pinched his butt.

Angel finally let a smile form on his face. “Te amo, cuervo”, he said, and kissed her deeply.

---

By lunchtime, Angel was in a much better mood. “I’m telling you, mano; she was sitting on the counter, like all crying and shit”. There was a roar of laughter from around the table at his story. “Over a fucking cockroach?”, Gilly grinned. Nina handed out a round of cokes, putting Angel’s bottle to her own mouth, before he could take it. “Get your own drink, hero…”, she sneered. “Where’s the beer?”, Gilly asked, staring at the bottle of soda in his hand. “You’re at work. Beer later”, Nina said; her voice reminding herself of a schoolmarm. Angel laughed, pressed a kiss to her temple, and went to grab a cold coke from the fridge himself.

Apparently, when he came back to the table, he wasn’t finished making fun of Nina’s encounter with the cockroach that morning. “You were hilarious, ma’. Angel, save me. Oh my god. Please, no. I’m so scared!”, he said, his voice high pitched and exaggerated. “I didn’t sound like that; and the thing was the size of a dog!”, Nina growled. She shuddered at the memory. “Haven’t you ever seen one before, up north?”, Ez asked. “Not this big. And not in people’s houses. They hang out in crack-dens", Nina said. “Then crack-heads keep cleaner houses than SAMCRO", Coco sniggered. “They like it…”. “Clean. Yeah, I got it", Nina grunted. “Which is bullshit, by the way. I googled it, and those little bastards leave shit all over the house; and they can cause asthma attacks…”. “I already called the exterminator; relax, ma'", Angel said. “I’ll relax when our house isn’t trying to kill me anymore!”, Nina snapped, and instantly felt her cheeks burning, at her use of the word our. She cleared her throat. “Don’t you have a load to get to?” Angel smiled brightly, and leaned in for a soft kiss. “Yeah”, he said, and looked at the others. “Let’s go”. The guys all got up, and left the clubhouse to get to work; and Nina got back to her own duties.

Camille came in a little while after. Since she had started helping out behind the bar, a lot more drinks were being spilled; and quite a few beers met their end on the floor, before she could serve them. The red-head was enthusiastic about her work; but she wasn’t truly cut out for it. Whenever she poured shots, she’d get more liquor on the counter, than she got in the glasses. In spite of this, Nina was thankful for the help, as well as the company. Nina hadn’t seen Letty or Gaby since she came back, and was seriously lacking some feminine conversation. Nina liked Camille. She’d been through hell and back, but was still standing, and not letting a bad experience get in her way of trying to be happy, and finding a place of her own to thrive in. Before long, they were laughing and sharing stories about club life; and though Nina could have done without the details about Camille’s sexual escapades with the Mayans she had come to see as brothers, she spent the next couple of hours in a good mood.

“They really like you around here, huh…?”, Camille said, after Riz and Hank had come in, and both of them came over to give Nina the welcome back hug she hadn’t gotten the night before. “I guess… I like them too”, Nina smiled. “It’s just crazy… You haven’t been around that long, but you’re like family to everyone”. Camille looked at her inquisitively. “I pretty much grew up in a club like this”, Nina said. “I guess being here just comes natural to me; and they sense it”. Camille chuckled, and nudged her with her shoulder. “Come on… You have to have a secret”. Nina thought about it for a moment. “I don’t treat them like gods, like some women around here do”, she said; and instantly felt her cheeks burn. “I mean… present company not included”, she lied. Camille shrugged. “I don’t know… They are pretty awesome. It’s like, when they put on their cuts, they become… They’re just so amazing”. Nina laughed at this. “Camille; they’re just men”, she said. “Give them their favorite beer and tell them their bikes are rad, and they’ll think you’re heaven-sent”. “Really?”, Camille said. She began wiping down the counter for the third time since she’d arrived, and Nina left her too it.

Coco peeked in through a half open door, and looked at Nina hesitantly. “Yo, niña? We finished work. Can we get some beers now?”, he asked. “Sure, Coco…”, Nina laughed. “I got it!”, Camille smiled brightly, and quickly grabbed a round of cold ones for the bikers returning from work. “Be my guest”, Nina shrugged, and went to check on the bathroom situation. Gilly had been in there, after gulping down a large serving of chimichangas – extra cheese. To her relief, the damage wasn’t that bad; but she still set up an extra air-freshener. Camille hadn’t returned by the time she came back to the bar, and Nina decided to go check she hadn’t dropped the beers all over the porch.

Once outside, she found no beer on the porch, only Coco and Gilly smirking, and shaking their heads. They were looking in the direction of the row of bikes, where Camille was leaning against Angel’s bike, talking with an enthused expression about something; and he was smiling and nodding casually, his beer in hand. Camille licked her lips, and pushed out her breasts. It was like a flashback to the day after the party, where Daniella had been trying get it on with Angel; and Nina had to stop herself from running over and hiss at the woman to back the fuck off. “He might need some help”, Coco muttered at Nina. “Yeah…”, Nina said.

She walked as calmly as she could towards Camille and Angel. Camille hadn’t noticed her coming, and kept up her flirting. “I noticed that’s your favorite, so I thought I’d bring it for you”, she said. “Thanks. That was nice of you”, Angel said, and locked eyes with Nina; looking relieved. “I’m just gonna…”. Camille walked towards him, and put her hand on his lower arm. “I really like your bike, Angel. Maybe we could go for a ride some time…”. “Camille, can I talk to you?”, Nina called out. Camille turned around, and looked at her with a confused expression. “Is something wrong?”, she asked. “I’m gonna go… over there”, Angel said, and edged away from Camille; moving towards the porch.

Nina walked all the way over to Camille, and blew out a deep breath; trying to remain calm. “I’d really appreciate it if you stop flirting with Angel”, she said. Camille frowned, and shook her head in puzzlement. “But… you said…”. “He’s off limits”, Nina declared. Camille laughed a little. “I know you guys were together, before you went away for a while...”. "You saw us together last night!", Nina exclaimed. "Yeah; but just last week, he was with Daniella...". “Angel is mine���, Nina said. “I’m not gonna repeat myself again. If you want to hang around here, you keep away from him”. “So, you’re like his old lady?”, Camille asked. “Yes… Now, go inside. Bish’ and Taza need refills”. Nina was surprised at her own ability to keep her voice as level as it was. Camille nodded. “Yeah, sure. I didn’t mean to…”, she said. “It’s fine. We’re good. Just don’t do it again”, Nina said. Camille walked back towards the clubhouse, avoiding eye contact with the three bikers who had watched the interaction. Once the door closed behind her, Coco and Gilly made a show of slow clapping at Nina. “Fuck off”, she sneered, and went back towards the porch herself.

Angel came down to meet her, and Coco and Gilly went inside the clubhouse. “You know I didn’t…”, he began. “No, I know”, Nina cut him off. “I was just… marking my claim”. She shot him a sly smirk, and Angel put his arms around her, pulling her close; so that her could whisper in her ear. “That was fucking hot, mami”, he said, and kissed her neck, before leaning back again. “And thanks. She was getting butt prints on my bike”. “Only my butt gets to leave prints there”, Nina grinned. Angel’s eyes lit up. “That gives me an idea…”. “We’re not having sex on your bike”, Nina said. “At least not on the yard. Too many eyes”. “Then let’s take a ride somewhere…”, Angel said with a smirk. “I can’t… I’m on lockdown again”, Nina groaned.

They walked back towards the clubhouse, Angel’s arm around Nina’s shoulders; when he spoke again. “Do you think my bike would fit through the front door of the house?”.

---

Tags: @cole-winchester @doloreschanal

[hihellogoodbyebruh]

Is She the Reason?

Pairing: Angel Reyes x Black!Reader

Summary: Angel has been distant lately and Y/N discovers the reason why.

Warning(s): Foul language, angst, cheating :(

Word count: 1,831

Author’s Note: I’ve been in a sad mood so this kind of came out of that. Plus of course the Destiny’s Child song of the same title was inspiration. There is kind of a prequel in my docs that may get posted in the future. We shall see. Also the text in the gif isn’t relevant, I just needed sad Angel. Questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome. My inbox is open. Enjoy!

Part 2

The MC was dealing with a very busy couple of weeks. With the Galindos now working with Rebels, the Mayans were needed to help facilitate the relationship incognito. Angel had a position now so his responsibilities were even greater and you’d seen him less and less. He used to call and text frequently, but you stopped receiving those all the time as well. Something felt wrong, but you chalked it up to him just being busy. You missed just being in his arms and seeing that annoyingly sexy smile on his face. You knew the guys were running day in and day out so you wanted to do something for them. With the help of Chucky, you organized a special dinner for everyone. You knew it could get interrupted with urgent club news, but you had to try.

With meat provided by Pops and sides prepared by you, the boys practically had a feast laid out in the middle of the clubhouse. You had come to really care about all members of the club. Your father was a retired police captain who always had a soft spot for the club. He was actually friends with Bishop and Marcus. You’d known them all your life. Of course EZ, Coco, and Gilly had a special place in your heart because of their closeness to Angel. They became like brothers to you quickly. EZ was the baby brother with the gentle soul, Coco was the wild one, and Gilly was just so damn lovable. They were the perfect balances for Angel and you were so happy he had them in his life.

As you finished making sure everything was laid out to perfection, you heard the rumblings of engines outside.

“They’re here!” Chucky excitedly declared and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes I can hear that Chucky. Start opening some beers up, yeah?” You suggested and he nodded his head as he followed instructions. You had just made your way from behind the bar when the doors opened.

“Something smells good as fuck in here. No way Chucky cooked.” Bishop stated as he walked in with Taza and Loza behind him.

“Absolutely not. I love y’all too much for that. I figured you busy men deserved a nice home cooked meal. Dig in, Jefe.” You announced, smiling at them. Obispo was like a second father to you. Your father and him had developed a highly unlikely friendship that was still strong after all these years. They played cards every week.

“Gracias, chica.” Bishop replied, placing a paternal kiss on the side of your head before walking towards where Chucky had beers lined out.

You were greeted and hugged by the rest of the gang, with Coco and Gilly pulling up the rear.

“You cooked, Y/N? Please tell me you made mac and cheese.” Coco asked, with the closest thing to a pout on his face that you’d ever see.

“Nope. Not this time.” You lied, just to see his and Gilly’s faces dropped. It was so funny.

“I’m just playing. Of course I-” You couldn’t even finish your sentence because Gilly and Coco were racing each other to get to the pan first. 

“Y’all better share!” You yelled after them, laughing and shaking your head before heading towards the door. Angel hadn’t been inside yet so you figured he was outside talking to EZ. You had on your favorite pair of jeans that hugged your ass just how he liked it and you had recently taken down your braids to let your natural hair breathe. You had a fresh twist out and you knew your tight curls bouncy and shining in the sunlight.

As you stepped outside, you spotted Angel immediately. He was leaning against the side of the opened van door speaking with a woman sitting down on the van’s floor. You tried not to let yourself be the jealous type. Angel was a very attractive man that often had girls trying to holla at him. He never seemed to entertain them. Nah, it wasn’t the fact that he was talking to a woman that bothered you. It’s the way he was talking to her.

He was completely engrossed by her. You could only see his profile but you recognized the softness in his face. It’s the same look he would give to you. The look that had you feeling like you were the center of his universe. Your breath caught in your throat as you watched the genuine smile that spread across his face as he became amused at something the woman said. You watched his hand run up her forearm and give it a gentle squeeze. There was nothing overtly sexual happening, but the intimacy of it all broke your heart.

The woman wasn’t someone familiar to you. At first. But then you spotted the unique tattoo on her neck. You had heard that tattoo described before. Adelita. The rebel leader. She was beautiful. There was a quiet power to her that almost pulled you in. All of the dots began connecting in your head. All those times he mentioned Adelita and how smart she was, how brave she was, what a badass she was. You thought it was just respect, but now you see it’s more than that. Something was going on between them.

Noise caught your attention and from your peripheral you spotted EZ coming out from his RV. You watched him assess the situation in seconds flat. You turned your head to make eye contact with him and the sad smile on his face, the apology written clear as day there, took your breath away. You felt a tear slide down your face and you turned around to quickly wipe it away.

When you turned back around, EZ had walked over and broken up the conversation. Angel finally turned around and saw you there. You could have swore you saw a quick flash of guilt cross his face before he walked over to you.

“Hey querida.” He kissed your forehead and pulled you into a hug.

Even with your confusion, heartbreak, and anger you couldn’t help completely folding into the hug. Your arms wrapped tightly around his waist and you found yourself inhaling his scent. “Hi.” You breathed out as you finally pulled back from the hug.

“Hey Y/N/N, what are you doing here?” EZ asked, giving you a one armed squeeze.

“I cooked dinner for y’all. There’s plenty inside. Even for your friend here.” You mentioned, with a nod in the woman’s direction. “Except maybe the mac and cheese if someone didn’t stop Coco and Gilly from being hogs.”

“Gracias,” Adelita told you before walking inside the clubhouse with EZ. You watched as Angel watched her for a second before dragging his eyes back to you. There was a silence between y’all before you broke it.

“Is she the reason?” You quietly asked Angel.

“What?”

You scrubbed your hands over your face, trying to hold yourself together. “Is she the reason? The reason you don’t call like you used to? Come around my place like you used to? Or put it on me hard like you used to do?”

“Y/N, it’s not like that.”

“I didn’t ask what it’s like. I asked if she’s the reason that my calls didn't reach you? The deepest of my love couldn’t please you? Tell me the truth right fucking now. I deserve to know.”

There was another silence between y’all as you just stared in his eyes. You were begging, practically pleading with him to tell you that you were wrong. You were putting too much on nothing. That there was no one else… “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” Angel sighed, and you felt your heart drop into your stomach

“No..no, no, NO fucking dammit Angel!” You shoved him hard, your heartbreak manifesting as anger. “You promised me…”

He stumbled back a little at your push. “I’m so sorry Y/N. We were just working together, but something about her I-”

You cut him off with an angry hiss, “Shut up!” You didn’t want to hear all the things he found so wonderful about her. They didn’t matter. You just started pacing back and forth in front of him. You guys were lucky the yard was closed today and that EZ probably told everyone to stay inside and give y’all space. But honestly, you didn’t even care if you made a scene right now.

“You told me that before you stepped, you’d let me know. You promised you’d tell me if anything changed. You promised to be honest. You promised not to embarrass me. You promised, Angel, you promised…” Your voice broke as the full realization hit you. He’d been carrying out this affair for however long and he didn’t have the decency to tell you. You’ve been worried about him this whole time, but he’s been having himself a great time. You couldn’t stop the tears that flowed.

His eyes closed in guilt and sadness as you started to cry. He never wanted to hurt you. He just got into a situation that spiraled out of control. “Lo siento mucho cariño.” 

You just shook your head, unable to believe his words. Unable to believe what was happening. “Before you let me see you with her, you could have told me a change was gonna come. Told me something, anything...but no. How could you let it go this far if you had doubts that I wasn’t the one?”

“I didn’t have any doubts. It didn’t happen like that. I love you, but I just….I can’t explain it.”

“Love? You love me?” You repeated, your voice hoarse and breaking with the word. This wasn’t love. Love should never have so much confusion. Your mind was spinning and you needed to leave. Immediately. “I can’t do this.” You try to walk away but he grabs you.

“Y/N wait, please…” He pleaded, taking your hand and that physical contact caused you to snap.

“GET OFF ME!” You yelled at him, snatching your hand back. All thoughts of not making a scene left your mind. You were reacting from pure hurt. Your scream brought out the men from the clubhouse. “And don’t ever touch me again. We’re done, Angel. We’re so fucking over. You need to get your shit together, but I’m not gonna wait around until you do.”

And then you were rushing to your car and speeding out of the scrap yard. Angel tried his best to keep himself together even as he felt like his heart was beat out of his chest. He wanted to race after you but all he could do was watch you go. He felt someone step up beside him.

“I thought I told you not to be stupid, Angel.” Bishop told him, eyes still on the road your car sped down. He was pissed.

“Bish, I-” Angel started, but was interrupted by Bishop’s fist meeting his mouth. He fell to the ground, wiping at his busted lip.

“Just stay away from her.”

[menofchaos]

Angel and Violet

Smut: 1

Fluff: 3

♥️♥️♥️

Note: Since I already did 1 for smut, we decided smut 13 instead. The pressure again was on since Bea is one of the best of the best. I hope you love this, babe. Pretty long, very sexy. I can’t wait for everyone’s reactions.

Angel and Violet “I’ve been falling in love with you since the first day we met.” and “You’ve been giving me bedroom eyes for the past half an hour. Time to show me what, exactly, was on your mind.”

EZ watched from the bar as Angel frowned, a laptop in front of him. Coco walked in and sat at the bar.

“What’s going on?” Coco asked him, “Can I get a beer, Boy Scout?”

EZ grabbed a beer and twisted the top off, handing it to him, “I’m not sure. He came in with the laptop but hasn’t said a word.”

Coco took a sip of his beer, watching Angel for a moment, “Hermano, you good?”

Angel looked up, “I’m stressed as fuck. I’m trying to figure out something to get Vi for her birthday but I can’t find anything good. She doesn’t want a lot of stuff or she buys it herself.”

“Are you gonna have a party for her?” EZ asked.

“I haven’t even thought about that,” Angel groaned, “Fuck.”

“Could have it here,” Coco suggested, “If you throw a party, you won’t have to stress about a present as much.”

Angel nodded as he listened, “Think Bish would be down?”

“Think Bish would be down with what?” Bishop asked, coming in from outside.

“Violet’s birthday is coming up and I can’t figure out what to get her,” Angel explained, “Can I have her party here?”

Bishop nodded, “Sure.”

“Now how do I plan a fuckin party?” Angel groaned.

EZ laughed, “I’ll call pop to get the food.”

Coco nodded, “I can call Letty to help, she loves Vi.”

“Thanks,” he sighed, “Fuck,” he laughed, “What have I gotten myself into?”

~

“Hey baby,” Angel called.

Violet walked in the kitchen, “Whats up?”

He stroked her cheek, “Bish just called. We have to go on a run in a few days.”

She frowned, “For how long?”

He winced, “For a week?”

“Oh,” she pouted, “Okay.”

“I tried to change it because I don’t wanna miss your birthday,” he hugged her, “We can celebrate when I get back?”

“Alright,” she hugged him back tight. Angel felt awful when he saw her pout but he knew she would love her surprise party.

~

Violet looked out the window as Chucky drove her to the clubhouse. Letty had texted, asking her to come over and help her with a project for school. Violet had her long hair curled as she was bored with her day off. She took her birthday off in hopes of spending it with Angel. The truck stopped in front of the gate and Chucky turned it off. She stepped out, frowning when he closed the door and started opening the gate separating the scrapyard and the clubhouse.

Her eyes widened when the gate opened to reveal the entire MC plus Letty and Felipe, hangarounds, and Vicki with her girls. A group of her friends were in front of the cage as everyone screamed, “Surprise!”

She teared up as Angel stepped toward her, “You lied to me!” she laughed through tears.

“I know,” he smiled when she hugged him tight, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, kissing him softly.

He let her go so she could greet everyone else, Letty setting a tiara on her head when Violet got to her.

“Sneak,” Violet laughed and hugged the younger girl.

EZ hugged her and handed her a glass of tequila and pineapple juice before she headed over to her friends, who still looked around nervously.

“Querida,” Angel called a little while later.

Violet turned to see her mom and her brother Dominic standing next to him. She teared up again and hugged them, giggling when Angel saved her drink from almost spilling.

“Hey baby sister,” Dominic grinned, “You got a good man.”

“I was skeptical,” her mom admitted, “Given what you told me. But he won me over.”

Angel’s eyes widened when her mom asked to meet his father. Violet brought her over to where Felipe was grilling meat and Angel watched as Felipe and Tina, Violet’s mom, start talking as if they were old friends.

It wasn’t until later in the evening that Angel got his hands on his birthday girl. Tina had left and Dominic bonded fast not only with the rest of the MC but one of Vicki’s girls caught his eye and he caught hers. Violet was walking down the porch stairs Angel was sitting on. 

“Hey pretty girl,” he called.

Violet turned, smiling when she saw Angel watching her. She straddled his legs and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Thank you for this,” she whispered, “You sneaky man.”

“You like it?” he rubbed her hips, closing his eyes as she kept kissing his lips.

“It’s the perfect birthday boyfriend present,” she giggled.

He laughed softly, holding the back of her head to keep her locked into a kiss. She moaned against his mouth, letting their tongues tease the other.

“Do I get birthday sex?” she murmured, nipping his bottom lip.

“Is that what you want?” he teased, gripping her ass hard.

She nodded, “Yes, please.”

He winked, “Then that’s what my birthday girl gets.”

~

It was still another few hours later and the party hadn’t stopped. It slowed, Dominic leaving with one of Vicki’s girls and all of Violet’s friends gone. She was talking to one of Vicki’s girls, Maya, who was interested in EZ. Angel was leaning against the wall by the pool table, his eyes never leaving Violet. Maya eventually went to go talk to EZ, so Violet made her way over to Angel. 

“Hi,” she stole his blunt, taking a pull.

“Hi,” he smirked, “What’s up?”

She handed the blunt back, “You’ve been giving me bedroom eyes for like the past half an hour. Time to show me what, exactly, was on your mind.”

“Oh yeah?” he leaned down, his lips brushing hers, “You ready to go?”

“You feel ready to go,” she teased and kissed him, “But yes.”

It was almost two hours by the time they made their rounds to say goodbye, collected the presents Violet received and got home. Angel carried her into his room, then dropped her on the bed. She leaned up on her elbows and was met with a hungry kiss, Angel covering her body with his. 

“Gonna make you feel so good, baby,” he murmured, laughing as they fumbled to get their clothes off. He kissed down her stomach to her clit, licking a long slow strip up her slit.

“Angel,” she gripped his meticulously done hair, smirking as she watched him suck her clit. She moaned and rolled her hips down on his tongue.

“Does that feel good, mi dulce?” he slid a finger inside her, flickering his tongue over her clit.

“Yes,” she whimpered, “Another.”

He laughed, “So demanding,” he added another finger, “Think because it’s your birthday, you call the shots?” his tongue tracing circles around her clit.

Violet moaned, “Oh fuck,” she hooked her thighs over his shoulder, “How is everything on you so big?”

“What do you mean?” he kissed her clit, thrusting his fingers in and out of her, “How fucking wet are you? How long you been thinking about this, baby?”

“Since...I saw you,” her body flushed at the admission, “You looked so sexy.”

“Yeah? You been wet all night?” Angel teased, “Wanted my dick?”

She nodded, “Wanted you,” her eyes locked with his as he shrugged her legs off his shoulders to move up her body. She teased her nails down his back and smiled when he shivered.

He kissed her slow, pumping his fingers hard and rubbing her clit with his thumb, “I wanted you as soon as I saw you, too,” he whispered.

Violet dug her nails into his back, “Why...didn’t we sneak off?”

“Oh I thought about it,” he smiled when she wiped his beard, sucking the remnants off her finger, “Nasty.”

She giggled as he pushed himself back down and sucked her clit hard. Her back arched and she gripped the pillow under her head, “Fuck, Angel!”

He didn’t stop until she came twice, her body shaking. He sat back on his knees, sucking his soaked fingers with a smirk.

“You’re so damn sexy, baby,” he licked his lips, “You good?”

She nodded, panting, “Please fuck me.”

Angel grabbed her thighs and pulled her closer. She gripped the sheets, watching as he held his shaft under his tip and rubbed it up and down her wetness, smirking. She whined, shifting her hips as he kept using his head to tease her.

“Angel,” she whimpered, “Please.”

“What?” he laughed, “You need something?”

“Yes,” she pouted, “I need your-“ her eyes rolled back as he pushed into her slow, goosebumps covering her arms.

“Is that what you wanted?” he smirked and pushed her legs up to fold her body in half. He fucked her hard, his hair falling down his forehead as he watched her. He hissed when she dug her nails into his hips, “You wanted my dick?”

She moaned, “Yes,” her eyes closed slowly, “Holy shit, baby.”

He groaned, “Oh fuck, you’re so wet.” 

“Angel,” she cried, gripping his hair, “Fuck me harder.”

“Yeah? You want it harder, princesa?” he panted and thrusted harder, “You want dick?”

“Yes,” she sobbed, “Please.”

Angel smirked and pulled out, his chest red and heaving. Violet whined, licking her lips as she watched him.

“On your knees, baby,” he rasped.

“Yeah?” Violet sat up and stroked him with a tight fist, kissing Angel and tugging his bottom lip.

He growled, slapping her ass. She gasped before maneuvering on her hands and knees. He grabbed a pillow for her to slip under her hips. He slapped her ass again and smirked when she gripped the sheets.

“This what you want, birthday brat?” he teased again by rubbing his tip from her slit down to her clit.

“Yes,” she looked over her shoulder, “Please.”

He slid into her and started fucking her hard, smirking when she cried out his name. The only sounds that surrounded them were the slapping of skin, her cries and his grunts. She clenched around him, her thighs trembling.

“You’re getting me close, baby,” he grunted.

“I’m gonna come,” she gasped.

Angel leaned over her, gripping her hand in hers, “Come for me, baby. Then I’m gonna fill you up,” he nipped her earlobe and wrapped his hand around her throat.

Violet reached down to rub her clit, her back arching. She sobbed his name as she came, her body shaking. She tightened around him and he growled in her ear, spilling deep inside her. She collapsed on the bed, a light layer of sweat covering their bodies. Angel pulled out slowly and laid next to her, panting.

“I should shower but I can’t move,” she breathed and turned her head to look at him.

He laughed softly, “That good?”

Violet nodded, scooting closer to him. Angel pulled her closer and kissed her head, closing his eyes. She laced their fingers together, her head resting on his chest.

“I’m so happy,” she whispered, “Thank you for tonight.”

“The sex or the party?” he joked and ran his fingers through her hair.

“Both. You’re incredible, Angel,” she looked up at him, “I’ve never felt like this about someone before.”

“Really?” he asked quietly, “Because I’ve been falling in love with you since the first day we met,” he admitted.

Violet leaned up and kissed him, “I have too,” she whispered.

He stroked her cheek, “You seemed so unimpressed with me.”

“I knew you were gonna be important to me,” she kissed his palm, “I panicked.”

“I did too,” he murmured, smiling.

She kissed him, her forehead on hers, “I love you.”

“I love you,” he held the back of her neck, “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

“Never,” she smiled, “I can’t sleep this sticky,” she got up, “Come clean me up,” she slapped his thigh and ran to his bathroom.

“You little shit,” he laughed and took off after her.

[crimsonheart01]

Set the Pace (Coco x OC/Reader)

A/N: Needed an escape today. Have some cute and sexy Coco all rolled into one. This has everything? Romance, fluff, angst, smut.  Word Count: 10,612 Playlist: Body High - Alicia Moffat Warning: Fluffy smut. Is this a thing? I feel like it’s a thing! Swearing but that’s probably a given in all my works! Oh, and a small moment of being rough with a hangaround. 

She pulled up into the desolate driveway. She chuckled to herself, nothing ever changed with him. There was junk all around the place and a pristine Harley sitting amoung it all. The only thing he ever took care of. She grinned, recalling the baby-faced man when he started prospecting.

She killed the engine, grabbed her duffel and hopped out of her car. She skipped up the steps and up onto her tiptoes to rummage in the eavestrough. Her fingers connected with the cool metal of the spare key and she pulled it out, using it to let herself inside.

As she kicked the door closed behind her, she was met with the overwhelming bachelor mustiness and scoffed. He needed to open a window, or several. She laughed and called out into the house, “You got any food in this place? The long drive through the night has me famished.”

There was no answer, but she picked up the sounds of water running and figured he was in the shower. She dropped the spare key onto the counter, followed by her bag. She spotted the kutte hanging folded over the back of the couch. He was definitely home. He never went anywhere with out the leather. She turned into the kitchen and immediately went for the snack cupboard. The one where she knew he kept the goods.

~(MMC)~

He turned off the water and grabbed a towel, quickly drying off. He grabbed his jeans, pulling them up over his boxers and when he went to grab his vest, he heard the noises coming from out in the main area. He narrowed his eyes, flipping his hair back and out of his face. He dropped his vest back down, draping it over the sink and stepped towards the door.

He opened it slightly, ensuring that the latch didn’t make a sound as he opened it. He pressed his ear to the opening and listened intently. He knew that Angel wasn’t home. He was at the yard this morning. On duty. It couldn’t be EZ, he didn’t have a key and Gilly was over at Vicky’s. Which begged the question as to who was currently inside? He swore internally to himself for letting his guard down and leaving his kutte in the living room. That’s where his piece was sitting.

He adjusted his pants, slipping around the ajar door, and padded out into the hall. He lined his back against the wall and peered around it, surveying the living room and kitchen. He spotted someone in the kitchen, crouched down and took his chance. He darted out into the living room and reached into his kutte. Grabbing his gun, he cocked it and flicked off the safety. He straightened out and stepped through into the kitchen.

He noted the duffel bag sitting on the floor and the spare key on the counter. He looked down to see where the intruder was reaching into the back of one cupboard. He trained his hands and kept his stance steady. Waiting for her to pop back up. He narrowed his eyes, half a dozen thoughts crossing his mind, mainly why Angel never mentioned another woman.

He watched as she rocked back on her heels, a box of cereal in her hand and opened it with her back to him.

~(MMC)~

She stood up and poured a handful of Cheerios into her mouth. She spun around and went to put her hand behind her, an aide to help her sit on the counter when she was startled by the person standing there but more so the fact that she was being held at gunpoint. She shrieked and clutched at the box. The packaging crinkling under her grip.

“Who the fuck are you?” She yelled, her voice jumping up an octave in fear.

She kept her eyes trained on him. Noting that he definitely wasn’t Angel. Who’s house they were currently in. She had no idea who this man was. She figured if anyone was going to be in this house it would’ve been one of the Reyes brothers. Not this random.

He didn’t offer any kind of expression change at her question, nor at her scream and that irked her. He didn’t even flinch. All he did was stand his ground and glare at her. Her heart pumped erratically, suddenly terrified. Had she entered the wrong house? No, that was insane. The spare key was in the same place it always had been. Ever since he bought the damn place. All the furniture was the same. There was nothing different about his house

She took a deep breath, irritated at the hitched sound it made. She licked her lips and swallowed. She slowly let go of her grip on the box, flinching as it crinkled loudly in the silence between them.

“You’re not Angel.” She said. Point blank.

This did illicit a response. He shook his head, his dark eyes never leaving hers. She exhaled. That was something. At least they both knew Angel. That helped. Maybe.

“He knows I’m here.” She started, “Or well, that I’m coming.”

She waited for a response, but none came. Her panic and terror was starting to hit a high and she needed whoever this man was to lower the gun. She needed him to understand that she was ok to be here. Without him shooting her first. Or at all, preferably. She made deliberate and slow movements, trying to keep her rationale in place as she addressed him.

She lowered the box, placing it on the counter behind her. She held her hands back up in surrender and then pointed to her back pocket, “I’m going to reach for my phone.” She talked him through her movements. He remained a statue as she dipped her hand into her back pocket to produce her phone. She unlocked it, opened her recent messages with Angel and held it out to him.

“Check the number with yours. It’s Angel.”

~(MMC)~

He took the offered phone but kept the gun trained on her. He opened up the contact information, reading the number a few times. Nodding, it was Angel’s. He skimmed through the messages between them and noted that Angel knew she was coming. Offered up the house to her for as long as she needed it. He flipped the phone around and handed it back to her. Then lowered the gun.

He tucked the gun into the back of his pants and gave her a half-hearted shrug by way of an apology. He didn’t know what to say her specifically. He had virtually no idea who she was. Only that Angel knew her. In some capacity. He briefly wondered if he’d been fucking another woman. Maybe Adelita wasn’t the only one he was getting around with. That wasn’t something he needed to think about. It wasn’t his business, as long as whoever his brother fucked wasn’t about to ruin the club, he was free to do what he wanted.

His eyes were caught by her movement as she pocketed her phone and he followed the curve of her hips all the way up her torso and then to her face. He hadn’t meant to check her out, but he couldn’t deny that she was hot. He’d been staring at her for a while. Since he first stepped into the kitchen. He was bound to notice her looks. When his gaze met hers, she was staring at him with her eyebrows raised. She’d obviously noticed his perusal. She tilted her head to the side, minutely and arched one eyebrow.

He winced internally, waiting for her attack. He found he wasn’t that great with women when they weren’t hangarounds. The club women were easy to deal with. They didn’t care about his lack of conversational skills. They only cared about the patch, and his status. They were there to provide him with a service, hoping he’d slip up and either gain another baby mama, or take one on as his vieja. Which, neither was going to happen. He’d learned his lesson from the 3 kids he already had and wasn’t interested in taking on a hangaround in an official capacity.

Instead of a confrontation, he watched her grab the abandoned cereal box, grab another handful for herself and then offer it out to him. She held her closed fist above her mouth and gave him a weird half smile. He realized he scared her but she was trying to work through that and be friendly.

“Want some?” She asked.

~(MMC)~

She’d been sleeping on Angel’s couch for more than a week now. Her neck was killing her but it was better than the backseat of her car. She flipped over onto her front, burying her head into her pillow. Groaning as she rolled a few kinks out. Her biggest problem though was the fact that she’d been dreaming about the Mayan she met on her first day back. Coco. She couldn’t shake the way he checked her out. Nor the silent exterior. There was something about him. Something that called out to her.

“Prima?” Angel called out from his bedroom, pulling her from her thoughts.

He walked through to the living room and leaning over the couch to grin down at her. He reached out and ruffled her hair while she grumbled, slapping his hand away. He let out a laugh but pulled his hand back and crossed both his arms over the head of the couch. She rolled over onto her back and peered up at him, her eyes still tired.

“Why are you up this early?” She questioned.

He shrugged, “Club business.”

She scoffed and swatted at him with a roll of her eyes. She knew he was lying. He was on yard duty today. Nothing about that had to do with the club.

“EZ said he wants to see you.” He mentioned, “Y’know, before you skip town again.”

Angel widened his eyes at that comment, giving her that knowing look. She shook her head, an amused smile on her mouth.

“I’m not skipping anything.” She said, “Maybe you should tell him to call me himself. He has my number. When did you turn into the messenger for baby brother Ezekiel?”

Angel rolled his eyes at her, “He hasn’t seen you, or talked to you, since he got out. Give him a break. He probably feels like you’re pissed at him.”

She closed her eyes in subtle annoyance. These two were the worst. The biggest babies.

“I’m not mad at anyone. He should’ve told me though. Whether or not if he knew you did.” She opened her eyes and met Angel’s gaze, “I don’t wanna be here longer than necessary. I’m just here to clear out that house and sell it. Nothing more.”

Angel feigned hurt but she knew he understood. Santo held nothing for her. No family, no friends, no prospects. Well, aside from him and EZ that was. They’d always be her oldest and dearest friends. The original trio. Angel stood back up and slipped on his kutte, rounding to the front of the couch and purposely draped himself over her to give her a hug.

“Angel!” She laughed; her voice muffled by his shirt.

He wrapped his arms around her tighter. Giving her one of those annoyingly, comforting, big brother like hugs. She enjoyed it. Something she hadn’t felt in too long. She hadn’t bothered to make deep friendships with anyone out her way. She had all she needed in Angel, and EZ too. Now that he was out. She sighed and wiggled around until she could return the embrace and he sat up, pulling her with him.

“We missed you.” He murmured.

She smiled into his shoulder, “I know. I’m only up in San Jose. Take a road trip up my way some time.”

He chuckled and let go of her, standing back up, “Listen, there’s a party tonight. You should come.”

She screwed her face up at that. Club parties weren’t really her thing. She’d been ditched by Angel one too many times at them. There wasn’t much for her to do there. Aside from EZ and Angel, she didn’t know any of the other MC members. He seemed to sense her hesitation, looking down at her with understanding eyes. He gave her his little half smile. The one that he used in lieu of puppy dog eyes. She sighed and started to shake her head.

He held up a hand to stop her, “C’mon. EZ’s prospecting. He has to be on his toes all night, so he’ll be around for extra company.”

She groaned, throwing herself back down and tugging her flimsy sheet up around her shoulders. She glared up at Angel before flipping over, fixing her pillow dramatically and snuggled back into her makeshift bed. She closed her eyes but smirked as she did.

“Fine.” She agreed, “I’ll come, but mark my words Reyes, if you ditch me again, you’ll regret it.”

She peeked up at him out of one eye, in time to catch the wide smile. “Gracias prima! You still remember where the yard is?” When she nodded, he grinned at her, “Good, see you around 9?”

He turned and was heading out the door, knowing that she’d be there. She planned to get her fill of the boys before heading back home. She missed them. It’d been too long since she’d actually see them. Video chats and texts weren’t the same. Having their presence around was a different feeling altogether. It occasionally made her think about moving back but that was a pipe dream.

She checked the time on her phone and groaned. There was no way she’d get back to sleep now. She rolled off the couch and immediately went to the bathroom to turn the shower on. As she got ready for the day, the small thought that she’d be able to see Coco again kept popping up. One more person she’d sort of know at the Mayans party.

~(MMC)~

He’d kept himself scarce during the last week. Staying away from Angel’s and keeping to being at the yard. He didn’t have a read on the girl staying there nor how she knew Angel. It was best for him to keep his distance. Besides, they hadn’t exchanged much besides names before he was hightailing out of Angel’s place. He was good at sweet talking, he wasn’t good at normal conversation. At least not with women. Especially ones where he was trying to trying to figure out if they were sleeping together or not. He felt guilty for thinking about her, not knowing whether her and Angel were a thing.

He eventually asked Angel about her. Got a general overview. Old friend from the block. Neighbours. They grew up together on the same street. She left after high school and settled down somewhere up north. It explained why Angel never mentioned her before. He wasn’t in the practice of announcing all the private conversations he had on a daily basis. He learned that she was here to sell her parents old place. The house across from where Felipe still lived.

He hated to admit it to himself, but he was relieved when he discovered that there was nothing going on between Angel and her. The way Angel spoke about her was if she was his sister, or another family member. He still hadn’t figured out her deal with EZ, but he hoped it was the same. Considering boy scout was still hung up on Mrs. Galindo, he figured there was nothing there either. He sipped his beer, not that he’d ever act on any of these initial inklings he was having. He didn’t even know where to start.

He reclined in the metal chair, a beer in hand and was laughing at something dumb Gilly had said to one of the hangarounds. He shook his head. The party was in full swing and he was glad for the chance to relax with his brothers. After the constant back and forth, he was grateful for this time. He felt a body come up to him and without much ado, he allowed the hangaround to settle herself in his lap. He didn’t pay her too much mind, but that wasn’t any different than any other day. He picked up a light conversation with Gilly, laughing with him when his eyes zeroed in on a new car pulling up.

His hackles raised, always prepared for the worst and he shooed the hangaround off him. He sat forward, keeping a whether eye on the newcomer, his free hand reaching into his kutte. He was dumbfounded when he watched her appear from behind the front door of the car. He lowered his hand back into his lap but continued leaning forward to watch her.

He watched as she scanned the compound, a small smile growing in her face. It lit her features, whether she noticed it or not. It was the smallest change, but it made the biggest difference. She slammed her car door shut and then leaned against the hood for a moment. She was looking for someone. It didn’t take long for her to find Angel and Coco watched as she pushed off the car and called out to him.

He heard the distinct word she used. Primo. It settled the sudden lick of jealousy he felt and clamped down on. He shouldn’t be relieved by the term. It shouldn’t mean anything to him. He had no claim. She barely even knew his name. He settled back in his chair when she reached Angel, gulping down the acid growing in his throat as Angel’s arm slid over her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace. Coco looked away, staring at the fire pit in front of him and downing half his beer in one go.

~(MMC)~

She sat on the steps, a bottle hanging between her fingers and watched the party go on around her. She smiled. She hadn’t felt this at ease in a while. She didn’t have these types of social interactions where she lived now. She had a few acquaintances she’d meet up for drinks with, but it wasn’t the same kind of camaraderie she felt here. It wasn’t all bad though. She had a core group. She wasn’t lonely. She just hadn’t taken the time to get as involved in new friendships.

She’d spent the majority of her night at Angel’s side. He kept good on his promise not to ditch her. That was until one of the club women made it known she wanted his attention. Leaving him to his fun, she found herself sitting on the steps of the clubhouse. She’d been introduced to everyone, officially as the Reyes’ brother’s cousin. It wasn’t wholly wrong. Chosen family and all that.

It didn’t take long for her to feel eyes on her though. Throughout the night she caught small glimpses of the quiet Mayan. Coco. The one she ran into at Angel’s. She still shivered at how cold he was until he figured out she wasn’t a threat, but it bode well for his character. In a strange sort of way. She didn’t fault him for the incident. He was protecting himself and potentially his brothers. She didn’t like that he held a gun up to her, but she understood his initial response.

Each time she glanced over at him; he was alone. No hangarounds draped all over him. Only conversation between him and his brothers. Or at least she assumed. She caught his mouth moving occasionally and the responses from the Mayans around him made her think they were speaking. She was never close enough to hear though. She never let her eyes rest long on him. Not wanting to draw his attention away from whatever he was focused on. However, he made her curious. Curious about him. Who he was.

She was pulled from her thoughts as EZ’s boots scuffed the step next to her leg. He dropped down to sit next to her, tilting a cold beer in her direction. She chugged down the dregs of her current bottle before taking the new one from him. He chuckled at her, grabbing her discarded bottle and setting the empty behind them.

She looked over at him, “Sooooo, prospect?”

He grinned, breaking into comfortable laughter and knocked her shoulder with his. She never thought she’d see the day that the studious Ezekiel Reyes would be prospecting for a motorcycle club. It never seemed to be his deal. Much more Angel’s lane. Not in a bad way. They were extreme opposites of one another, but perfectly so. It was one of her favourite things about the Reyes brothers. Their differences but how they complimented each other’s personalities. Angel always getting in trouble and EZ always managing to use his book smarts to get them both out of it.

“Not going to lie, I think I’m coming around to the whole leather aesthetic.” She smirked, “Between you and your brother, I’m getting it from all sides.”

EZ shrugged, and inclined his head in one direction subtly, “You might even be getting it from that angle too.”

She followed his incline and her eyes flicked over multiple people until her gaze met another one. His dark eyes were trained on her. That intense, hyper focus. All for her. She tilted her head to the side, meeting his stare head on. This was the first time they’d caught each other looking. She thought back on the one prior meeting they had. He hadn’t said much to her that day. A lot of nods, shrugs and half spoken words. It intrigued her. In an odd way. Made her wonder what it would take to make him talkative. Right now, however, he didn’t have a small gesture. He just stared. A subdued heat in his gaze. She wondered for what. For her? No. That was a wild thought.

“Is he always that quiet?” She asked EZ, still watching Coco.

His gaze never wavered from her and she felt a shiver forming. She licked the front of her teeth before taking another sip of her beer. She recalled the way he looked when she first met him. Shirtless. Covered in tattoos. His hair sopping wet but the slight wave forming near the ends. She wouldn’t lie to herself. He was good-looking. No, it was more than that. She was attracted to him. She found him hotter than most of the men she’d dated in the past. She chuckled internally to herself at that realization. She watched his mouth move, as he spoke with someone. She didn’t bother to try and see who, because if he was going to keep up this staring contest, she was game.

His tongue darted out along his lower lip before he brought the cigarette up to his mouth. He continued to speak around it. She watched each one of the muscles in his face contract and release as he spoke. She could almost hear his words from here. It was mesmerizing. Everything about him subtle. Striking, and calculated. Dangerous. Every move he made had a detailed thought process. She could tell by the way he carried himself. She admired the outline of his jaw. The crooked nature of his nose adding to his appeal. She liked him. She didn’t know him, at all. But she still liked him. Especially that hyper focus thing he had going. It made her feel seen. Read. In a strange sort of way.

EZ nodded in response to her and she caught the movement from the corner of her eye, “Yeah. He’s a bit odd around new people. Women especially.”

She laughed, turning briefly to shake her head at EZ, “That’s not exactly something a girl wants to hear.”

“He interested in you, or at least thinks you’re hot. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t care enough to pay any mind to you. He’ll never start the conversation though.” EZ said, “Go over there, get him to talk. Don’t even bother playing dumb. I’ve seen you watching as much as he’s been with you.”

She pushed EZ lightly, letting out a huff of disbelief, “Are you wingmaning him? You know he held me at gunpoint the first time we met?”

EZ burst into laughter, “Yeah, that sounds like Coco.” He took a moment to cool off before breathing in and continuing, “Like I said. He has a hard time warming up to new people.”

She shook her head. A wide grin on her mouth and laughing. She turned her hands out and sighed, “Great, that really gives me something to start with.”

EZ smirked at her sarcasm but raised his shoulders as if to say ‘why not?’. She rolled her eyes at him but placed her hand on his shoulder and used it as a support to hoist herself back up. She took the cold beer he had yet to open from him and walked down the steps. She spun around and stuck her tongue out at EZ as he winked at her.

She walked over to the table where Coco was sitting and dropped down into the empty seat across from him. She popped off the cap and slid the bottle across the table to sit in front of him. She looked around at the others at the table, but they all seemed otherwise occupied, so she directed all her attention on him.

“I figured you could use a refill.” She smiled at him.

~(MMC)~

He wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point, she gravitated into his personal space. She was sitting next him, her body leaned beside his. It wasn’t in a flirtatious way. She was barely even touching him. Not like how the hangarounds approached him. It was relaxed. They were both watching the argument across the compound unfold. It wouldn’t be a Mayans party without someone getting into the ring. She was adding tiny little quips. Outlandish and hilarious one-liners.

He couldn’t help it. He was smiling. A genuine one. Not just the smirk. He watched her profile as she spoke. His eyes tracking the way her hands moved with every sentence. She was expressive in the way she spoke. Everything had emotion, passion. It was intense and he enjoyed that. What he liked the most was the way she wasn’t trying to impress him. All she was interested in doing was spending time with him. Being there. Being present. He honestly couldn’t remember when the last time anyone tried to befriend him for him. Aside from his hermanos.

She gave him the space he felt comfortable with. She never pushed anything out of him. She was patient and when he couldn’t find the words, she kept the conversation flowing. His chest rumbled with quiet laughter at her latest remark and she turned her head, hearing the sound. She stared at him; her eyes wide at his reaction. When she took in his smile and laid back posture she grinned widely at him. She gave him a wink before going back to the scene before them, continuing with her commentary.

He took a chance. He figured they were on the same page. Nevertheless, his heart still beat wildly in his chest. This wasn’t one of Vicky’s girls, or the hangarounds. She could easily turn him down. It was a terrifying reality. One he knew he wouldn’t handle well. The rejection. Either way, he swallowed and tried anyways. Propping his elbows on the table behind him, he inched one arm across the top of it and lined it behind her back. He glanced out of the corner of his eye, and she still hadn’t noticed.

He took in a silent but deep breath. Taking his time. Smoothing his arm across her shoulders, pulling her against his chest. She startled as he did it, flicking her eyes to his hand resting on her arm and then back up to him. He let his mouth curl into a grin, and she bit down on her lower lip. She shook her head, amused at his coy expression. She shifted her shoulders, lining her back into his front, getting comfortable.

He leaned in closer to her ear and whispered, “Knew you’d warm up to me eventually.”

She threw her head back into his shoulder, laughing loudly. Both of them knowing it was exactly the opposite. He saw the affection in her expression as she turned towards him. She found him funny. She was sincerely laughing. His arm tightened around her, her excited energy lifting him up. He pulled her in tighter, his lips grazing her temple as he laughed with her.

~(MMC)~

With the help of the Reyes brothers and their lovely friends, the MC, they had her old house gutted, the important bits packed into a moving trailer and sold. She left after that. Making her way back up to San Jose to pack away the keepsakes. She kept up her regular contact with the brothers, adding one more to the rotation.

Her and Coco talked nearly every day. Even if it was just a quick ‘how you doing?’ and nothing more. She had no idea when it happened. It sort of just came to be. On its own. Neither of them planned for it. Nor did either of them push for something to happen. From exchanging numbers after that one club party. Texting led to calling and calling led to video chats. Which led to all-nighters. She hung on his every message, or call. Expecting them daily now.

After a couple of months, it became clear to both of them, that they hadn’t told Angel or EZ that they were talking to each other. Neither of them could agree why they did it. Only that they kept quiet because the other one still hadn’t mentioned anything. It was maybe the very first argument they had. Maybe even the only one.

Coco hated confrontation and she respected that. Whenever they got heated, which was often, they agreed to say goodbye before they got mad at one another. They always promised to come back to it when they’d cooled off. It worked pretty well. Gave Coco the time to think through what he was trying to convey and it gave her the time to calm down. Reevaluate what she was actually angry about and focus on explaining her point of view.

It was hard to define what their relationship was. They weren’t a couple. They weren’t really anything. Only two people in constant contact. She felt something for him, however she wasn’t sure it was real or not. They only ever spoke over the phone, aside from the one night in Santo Padre. That was the last time she saw him in person. The last time she felt his touch. She tried to reign in her own feelings. Not wanting to scare him away. She enjoyed their friendship, even if that’s all it stayed at.

They’d been talking to each other for a little over a year when he surprised her. She pulled into her driveway after work and spotted the Harley immediately. At first, she thought it was Angel, or even EZ, but when she looked up at her front porch, there he was. Sitting on the top step. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he watched her park. Her heart raced at his sudden appearance and she tackled him, much to his surprise.

She couldn’t explain the reaction, or well she could but wasn’t willing to admit it out loud. Not to him. They were friends. She wasn’t going to ruin that by dumping her feelings all over and making things messy. He laughed, her body pressing him down into her porch as she clung to him. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed back. He forgot what it felt like to have her in his arms. Suddenly she was popping up, both her hands anchored on his biceps.

“Is everything ok?” Her brow was furrowed in concern as she asked.

He smiled at the worry and nodded his head to reassure her, “Everything’s fine, linda.”

She let out a sigh of relief and dragged him up and into her house. She whirled through the kitchen, getting them something to drink and pushing him down to sit on her couch. She began regaling him with the mundane ins and outs of her day. He sat through the whole tirade. Leaning against the back of her couch, one arm spread along the top as he smiled over at her. His legs were extended out in front of him, and she looked at him sitting there. In her living room. Like he belonged there.

Her heart palpitated at that thought. That he belonged with her. She hid the shiver that ran down her spine and laughed at the way he waved his hand as if to tell her she could continue with her monologue. She rolled her eyes playfully and swatted at him. Pretending to be annoyed by his coy gesture. She picked up on her speech, telling him everything. Her entire being filled with giddiness. She was gushing. Excited and happy that he was here. She missed him. It was like she was trying to make up for all the details she left out on their phone calls. She continued to talk, waving her hands around as she did.

At some point, when she’d gone off on a mini rant about something that irritated her, he stood up. She was pacing back and forth in front of the couch and when she turned back to continue in the other direction, he stopped her. He was staring down at her, his eyes dark and raw. She gulped; her own feelings being reflected back at her through his gaze. He framed his outstretched hand against the right side of her cheek and face. She shuddered obviously as he bowed his head towards hers. Her teeth pulling her bottom lip between them. He stared at the indentation her teeth were making in her lip and darted his gaze up to hers, looking for her approval. She gave him an encouraging smile and he dove in.

It was tentative at first. Both of them scared of the result. This was a moment where they could ruin everything. Her nerve endings exploded as his mouth caught hers. She reciprocated slowly, at first. Before pushing hard, tilting her head and giving him opened mouth kisses. Their tongues meeting and teasing each other. Her hands slid up his torso, fisting the fabric of his t-shirt as their embrace heated. She threw all caution to the wind. She wanted him. He wanted her. She broke away from him, grabbed the hem of her shirt and ripped it over her head.

“Fuck.” He swore, as she stood in front of him in her bra.

She had no idea how long he was here for. She knew the drive was long. She’d done it herself. If he was only here for tonight, then she wasn’t going to waste any time. She wasn’t going to let her self-doubt get in her way. He was here. For her. Alone. He seemed to be on the same course of thought because he was suddenly dragging her forward into him. His lips capturing her again, in another intense kiss.

Her hands dipped under the kutte, dropping it away from his shoulders and he caught it. Folding it half, he tossed it behind him, letting it hang over the arm rest of her sofa. He followed her lead, tugging his shirt off and tossing it down. The rush between them, heightening both their highs. They made quick work of the remainder of their clothes. Lips and teeth meeting several body parts as they tossed another garment away.

He was running hot kisses down her neck when he started backing up, bringing her with him. He dropped onto the couch, pulling her down and adjusting her over his lap. They both groaned at the contact. She rolled her hips, causing more friction and more urgency to their situation. He dropped his head back against the headrest, staring up at the ceiling as she ground against him. One less layer and they’d be one.

He palmed her thigh with one hand, smoothing it up to the line of her underwear on her hip. He tugged them down without warning and she shivered. They both smiled at the reaction. She hopped off him, kicking her underwear away and yanking his boxers off. She grabbed the back of the couch next to his head and straddled his lap.

She kept herself propped up, so their laps hadn’t connected yet. He growled up at her as she thread her fingers through his hair, pulling his head farther back. She loomed over him, both their smiles reflecting in each other’s expressions. She smoothed a hand over one side of his hair and knew in that moment she was screwed. This was her turning point and she didn’t care. She’d always want him. She tipped her head down and kissed him soundly.

One of his hands dropped away from her hip, to between her thighs. He swiped one finger through her folds, and she shuddered with anticipation. He circled around himself, lining up against her core and with a firm gaze between them, he waited. Without taking her eyes off him, she leaned back and sank down onto him.

They both let out breaths of constricted arousal. His came out as a deep groan while hers was a hitched gasp. Her hands splayed out over his shoulders. She used him to keep her steady and lifted to drop down onto him hard. His hips snapped up into hers as a reaction and they both cried out at the deep angle. They set a strong pace between them. She worked up a sweat as she flicked her hips into each one of his thrusts. Both of them working hard to get the other off.

She panted, looking down at him. His eyes were glued to the area where their bodies were connected. His fingers digging into her hips. She threw her head back, rolling deeper. A sigh of pleasure escaping from her. She felt herself reaching the edge. He noticed it as well and immediately lifted her off him. She moaned at the loss of contact and he let out a quiet huff of a laugh.

With his hands firmly repositioned onto her back, he tipped her backwards and down into the couch cushions. He hovered above her, admiring the mussed look of her hair. The flush on her cheeks. He drank in every inch of her face, committing everything to memory. He didn’t want to forget any of this.

“I got you.” He said, before kissing her hard.

He slipped back into her. Hiking one of her legs up over his waist and pushing the other one up to bend into her chest. He tilted her hips sideways, fitting between her perfectly. She cried out at the change in angle. He smirked. Proud of himself. For being the one to have her feeling this way. For being the one to illicit this type of response. He resumed a steady pace. Both of their bodies moving together. Each of them chasing their own releases.

The muscles in her abdomen tightened at the coming feeling. She dropped her head back, closing her eyes. Her release reaching its breaking point. She was about to boil over when one of his hands caught her chin and pulled her down to look at him. She was breathing erratically, unable to control it.

“Mírame, princesa.” He murmured, “Let me see those pretty eyes.”

“Coco,” She whined.

He lost his rhythm at the sound of her voice. He stilled momentarily before he gathered himself back and slammed into her. Several more times, harder than he had been before. Her body arched up into his while he slipped one hand to her lower back to balance her. She grabbed for him. Keeping her eyes on his. Her orgasm moments away. He felt her body tensing and he hit it harder. Wanting her to let go.

He reached his peak before her, cursing at the feeling and himself. He dropped a hand down into the junction between her thighs and circled that sensitive spot. She bucked up into his touch, crying out and rocking harder along him. He twitched with a satisfied groan. The feeling of her body coming apart while he was still buried deep in her sending him. He let go of her gaze, dropping his head to lay on her chest, working her nub until she was chanting out his name and spilling over.

He turned his cheek to press an open mouth kiss to her collarbone before they collapsed down into a heap on her couch. She wrapped her arms around him, cuddling him closer to her. He fit himself comfortably between the back of her couch and her side. She nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and felt his smile. They stayed there, connected and sated. Each of them breathing deeply, evening out their breaths. She could hold him like this forever. She never expected this in a million years, but damn was she glad it happened.

~(MMC)~

He was sitting around the bar with the rest of the club. They were winding down from another long day of meetings and dealings. He was reclining back in his seat, drinking a beer and smirking along with the conversation. He was constantly fading in and out of the conversation. He wondered if they needed him back home after tonight, or if he could make another detour up north for a night.

At the thought of her, he pulled out his phone and opened up their ongoing messages. He noticed she hadn’t said anything for a while, and it worried him slightly. Even when they were both busy, they both made an effort to at least check in. He was the last one to send a message and for fear of coming on too strong, he shut off the screen. He didn’t want to text again. He always worried about ruining the dynamic they built. Especially after that weekend two months ago.

He smirked at the reminder. Remembering how many times he had her. They’d stayed up the entire night. Learning everything they could about each other’s bodies. When the sun finally came up over the horizon, they succumbed to their exhaustion and curled up in her bed. He kept her close to him the entire time they slept. He didn’t have a lot of time with her, but he was determined to make it worth it.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the same hangaround crawling back into his lap. He glared at her as she did it. He’d told her multiple times throughout the night that he wasn’t interested. He considered just leaving her alone. It wasn’t like he was going to do anything with her. She could sit there all she wanted. She wasn’t getting anything out of him. He glanced around the table and noted that there were several empty laps. She had no business continuing to try and get into his.

He grabbed the woman by the back of her neck and put his lips to ear, “Find someone else to hang off of.”

His voice came out in a growl and in a show of defiance, she turned and straddled his lap. His hand fell down and brushed against her hip. He dropped his beer down on to the table and gripped both her hips, attempting to lift her off him when he heard a voice he wasn’t expecting.

~(MMC)~

She sped well over the speed limit. Her destination in sight. The map on her propped-up tablet, showing her the directions. She chuckled to herself at the lengths she’d gone to try and surprise him. When Angel accidentally let it slip that they were going to be in Vegas this weekend, it wasn’t hard to figure out where they were going to be. There were three possible casinos that were under Tribal law.

She’d already checked the first two. Inside and out, and no MC’s. Now she was speeding down the side roads to the other end of the strip. Third time’s the charm and all that. She pulled into the general parking lot and killed the engine. She did a quick glance around before grabbing her bag out of her backseat. She shifted the front seat all the way back and ripped her track pants off, switching them for a pair of ripped jeans. She adjusted her shirt and then did a quick touch up of her makeup. She grabbed her wallet and keys and stepped out of the car.

She stopped at the doors. This was definitely the right place. She could see the line of pristine chromed out Harley’s off to the left. If he could surprise her, it was only fair that she return the gesture. She pushed through the doors and scanned the main area. She spotted the bar and knew that that’s where he’d be. With a wide smile, she walked over to the area, stepping through the threshold and spotting the dozen Mayans kuttes. She moved towards the table but halted in her advance at what she saw.  

Several emotions ran through her at the sight of him with his hands all over another woman. The one that stuck the most was how dumb she’d been. Had she really expected him to not take up with someone else. Whatever they had between them was clearly a long-distance thing. Long distance translated into not having a warm body next to him when he wanted it. She wasn’t there when he wanted something more than conversation. How had she managed to delude herself into believing he wasn’t exactly like the rest of them.

She never worried about Angel and his way with women. They’d never been anything more than friends. She never had to worry about him doing her wrong. There were no expectations between them. However, with Coco it was different. This was the first time she actually got caught up with a member. Giving her heart away to him. Whether he knew it or not.

“Coco?” Her voice rang out.

Surprising herself. She hadn’t meant to say anything. She was planning her escape. Ready to run and never speak to him again. All without him ever knowing about her shame. When he heard her say his name, he looked up. The shock at seeing her was clear in his expression. He tilted his head, unsure as to why she had an expression of hurt across her face when the woman in his lap shifted. She watched as the realization hit him. How bad it looked. He shoved the woman away from him and stood immediately.

Everyone at the table followed the sudden movement from him. Angel and EZ spotted her and were the ones to put together what was really happening. Her glare said everything. She spun around on her heel and fled the casino. Coco pushed away from the table and went after her. Angel and EZ not far behind him. The three of them exiting the glass doors together, to find her standing on the edge of the parking lot. Her hands wrapped around her torso. None of them moved. Each afraid to approach her for different reasons.

He watched her, standing there and holding herself together. He could see the shake in her shoulders, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her. Reassure that he had her. But he knew she wouldn’t accept it. Not now. He stayed behind her, unsure of how to handle the situation.

How did he explain that what she saw was nothing? Literally nothing. He barely even noticed the other woman there. The hangarounds were like that. All the time. He never paid them any mind. He didn’t care about them for the most part. Not when he had her. However, this wasn’t their normal, come back to it when they’re cooled off argument. They never discussed the real ramifications of their relationship. He never gave her a proper heads up. He never ran through the potentials, the rules. He’d been too wrapped up in everything else.

She didn’t plan to stick around. She wasn’t going to be embarrassed by anyone else noticing her. If he couldn’t explain himself, then she wouldn’t stay to be humiliated even more. She’d been naïve. Believing that things were different for them. She began to walk away when Angel shoved him aside, an irritated glare in his direction before chasing after one of his oldest friends.

EZ came to stand beside him, as they watched Angel stop her and gather her into a hug. They could both see that she was crying. A lump grew in his throat. He was the problem. He was always going to be the problem. Shit. She was better off without him. He heard EZ’s inhale but was grateful the prospect kept silent on the scene unfolding.

“I fucked up boy scout.” He muttered, before turning around and retreating back into the casino.

~(MMC)~

She sat on Angel’s front porch. She didn’t know why she was here. Or well, yes, she did but she figured it was too late. She made her bed. She muted his number. Ignoring him. She didn’t have it in her to delete it completely, but she knew the messages were still there. Sitting at the bottom of her inbox. She acted rashly. She could’ve given him the chance to explain. Maybe it wasn’t what she assumed. She wasn’t sure how it could’ve been any different than what she witnessed with her own eyes, but she held out hope. It didn’t help that he never tried. He never reached out to her. She checked.

The sound of a Harley roaring down the street had her heart doing double time. It’d been so long since she heard one. She knew it wasn’t Coco, but she had a glimmer of hope that maybe it was. The driver didn’t notice her, or at least didn’t indicate that they did as they pulled into the driveway. She knew it was Angel as he pulled to a stop and unbuckled his helmet.

He killed the engine and hung his helmet off the sideview mirror. He sighed as he looked over at her. He leaned back and crossed his arms. She knew he was mad at her, but she also knew he’d never turn her away. He pushed up off the bike and trudged over to her. Standing above her for a long moment while she peered up at him. With a final sigh, he turned.

“You alright?” He asked, sitting down next to her and lighting a cigarette.

She shrugged, “Not really.”

He let out a bitter scoff, “You two are a disaster.”

She creased her eyebrows together at the comment. He’d been here all of a minute, and she hadn’t even mentioned Coco.

He shook his head, “He’s been miserable since you two broke up, or whatever it is that happened.” He kicked his shoe against the bottom step, “Thanks for telling me, by the way. Were you planning to let anyone know? Or were going to keep sneaking around?”

She felt the anger exuding from Angel, and he had a right to it. In the months following Vegas, he never asked her about them. She knew he wanted too but he was smart enough to know that she was hurting too much. She also knew why he was mad at her. She’d never kept secrets from him. Neither had he with her. They knew everything about each other. She sighed. She knew his feelings were hurt. She felt bad but she also wouldn’t change anything about the time she had with Coco.

“I didn’t know how to explain it.” She muttered, “He was never really my boyfriend.”

“That’s a lie.” Angel scoffed, “Whether you two labelled it or not, it’s pretty clear what you meant to each other. I got it out of him later. He told me – showed me – how often you two talked.” He said the last word with quotations.

She threw her hands up in defeat, “I’m sorry Angel but how did you expect me to tell you something like that? Oh, hey, by the way. I’ve been messaging your boy for some time now. We call and talk to each other daily but he’s not my boyfriend? Would that have worked?”

He shook his head at her, “Whatever. It doesn’t matter now.”

They fell into a stressed silence. Both of them irritated at each other. She didn’t come to fight. Not with her best friend. The man she considered a brother. She inched across the step towards him and wrapped her hands around him.

“I’m sorry,” She said, “I don’t want to argue with you. I should’ve told you, but I was scared. Now that it’s over, there’s nothing to be scared about.”

Angel opened his arms and wrapped her up into him, “It’s not over. Not by a longshot. You haven’t been subjected to the hot mess that he’s been since you left Vegas that night. It’s been months and he’s still hung up on you.”

She chuckled, “I doubt that.”

“I mean it, prima.” Angel pulled back and looked down at her with a sincere expression, “He’s fucking miserable without you.”

She cowered away from Angel. She didn’t know how to respond to that. She caught him with a woman crawling all over him. How was he going to justify that? She had a vague understanding of the club and the way it worked when it came to the hangarounds, but that didn’t mean she was ok with the fact that he was getting on like that. She never would be and she figured that was a deal breaker. There was no changing that nature of the club.

“He fucked up. He knows it.” Angel murmured as he watched her thoughts cross her face, “At least hear him out. Then figure out where you two sit with this.” He looked down at the screen of his phone, noting the time. “He’s still on schedule at the yard. For another couple of hours.”

They looked at each other for a long moment when Angel smirked. He knew she wanted too but she felt torn. She came to see Angel, not Coco. She wanted her best friend. Someone who understood her and still loved her. He shook his head and pulled her into a one-armed hug. Letting her know that he got it. They had a slim chance at fixing this. He was okay with her ditching him this time.

“Go.” He urged her, “At least talk it out.”

~(MMC)~

He was sitting on top of the table, his feet shoulder width apart on the bench below him. He was slouched over, smoking and staring off into the distance. The sun was extra hot today and it was irritating him. Really bringing his mood to a horrible peak. Most of the boys had left him alone, sensing his growing temper.

He popped the smoke into his mouth, bowed his head and took off the snapback. He smoothed his hair down, tucking it back under the hat and out of his face. He ran his other hand down his face before grabbing the cigarette again and blowing out a cloud of smoke.

He tried his best not to think about her. He even went so far as to mute her number in his phone. On the off chance that she reached out to him. After a month of no contact, her name dropped from the top of messages to the bottom and stayed there. When he had a bad moment, he’d go back and reread some of their conversations. It helped, sometimes. Other times it made him even worse.

He’d been livid. The more he thought about it afterwards. Mad that she showed up out of the blue. However, that was short lived when he recognized the in-kind gesture. She was returning his surprise to him. It came from a good place. She only wanted to see him again. He wished she’d given him some kind of heads up though. It would’ve made things go a lot smoother.

He could still remember the way Angel rounded on him after she left Vegas. Him and EZ had retreated back to the casino, while Angel took her up to his room and let her sleep through the night. She left early the next morning. Meanwhile he drank himself into a stupor and wasn’t sure how he even made it back to his room in the first place. When Angel found him, he was beyond pissed. Eventually Coco explained it all to him. What was really going on. Apparently, she refused to even talk to Angel. Keeping mum until she finally fell asleep. Angel warned him to stay away from her. Lose her number even. He agreed with his brother. This was on him.

Now it was months later, and he was still wallowing. He wanted to apologize; he just didn’t know how. Even if she hadn’t already deleted his number, him sending any kind of message, or even calling, wouldn’t fix the hurt he caused.

At this point it didn’t matter that he had been trying to get the hangaround away from him. She’d still been able to weasel her way into the position in the first place and that was on him. He was used to it. It was how things worked around here. He hadn’t thought to explain that to her though. He hadn’t realized she didn’t fully grasp the club life. He could’ve made that easier on her. He could’ve tried to clarify it.  

He shook his head and tossed his finished cigarette down into the dirt, snuffing it out. No matter now. He hopped off the table, the dirt kicking up around him. He turned back, making his way back farther into the yard to pick up where he’d left off.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been banging the metal bar but at some point, he became aware of someone calling his name. He glanced up to see Chucky trying to get his attention. He dropped the mallet in his hand and pulled off his gloves. He walked over, towards the office and raised an eyebrow at the man.

“There’s someone in there, said she was looking for you.” Chucky smiled.

Coco furrowed his brows. What she could be looking for him. He panicked, thinking it might be one of his baby mamas, but caught the movement in the window and recognized that silhouette. She was looking down at something and hadn’t noticed him yet. He gulped, his breath coming up short and glanced over a Chucky. Chucky gave him a happy shrug and held out a hand in the direction of the room.

Coco licked his lips and took slow steps towards the building. He paused at the entrance, taking a moment to watch her. He felt a strong emotion rise within him, but found it terrifying. He had no way to express it, not now. He knew for damn sure this wasn’t a moment to speak on it either. With an inhale, he moved forward.

“Hey.” He said, shutting the door behind him.

Her head snapped up as he spoke. Her eyes were wide, as if she was surprised, he came to see her. They stared at each other for a moment before he had to tear his eyes away. He couldn’t handle what he might find there. He avoided her direct eye contact, looking off to the side. She shifted on her feet, nervous at being here with him.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek before addressing him, “Angel said you’d be here.”

He nodded. That made sense. From the corner of his eye, he watched her wring her hands together. She was nervous. He didn’t like that. He didn’t want to be the reason she felt that way. He watched her, his eyes tracking every subtle shift she made. She wasn’t only nervous; she was agitated as well. That had his back raise. His temper already on the cusp of being igniting. Now with her here, throwing everything off axis.

“I – “ She stuttered and it caught his attention.

He snapped his head up fully to meet her eyes again. There were tears welling in the corners and she was fidgeting. He took a step towards her, inadvertently. She noticed the movement and unconsciously leaned in his direction. When she realized what she’d done she let out a scoff at her reaction. It pulled on her heart and she could form the proper words now.

Finding her resolve she tried again, on an exhale she spoke, “I don’t want this to be over.”

He stopped. His entire world freezing with her statement. He’d been expecting a fight. He was riled up. Prepared to start yelling. He was breathing heavily, staring at her. He couldn’t tell what her expression contained. There were too many emotions passing across her features. All he could tell was that she was being honest. Whether or not she was happy with her statement, he didn’t know. He licked his lips, creasing his eyebrows together. He didn’t want her to feel trapped. Trapped in the downward spiral he’d pulled so many other women into.

“Yeah?” He finally spoke.

It was a dumb question and he knew it. She wiped away at her tears and nodded. He was relieved she didn’t feel to call him out on his horrible response. He didn’t want it to be over either. He took another step towards her, waiting and judging her reaction. She didn’t flinch away from him. Giving him more confidence in himself with her. They weren’t shattered, only broken. They had the tools to mend things back. This time with the truth. He nodded, knowing exactly where he stood. It was her. He wanted her. He always had. Since the day she randomly showed up at Angel’s.

“I don’t want it to be over either.” He mumbled.

A sob bubbled up from the back of her throat as he let his stance known. He was quick to close the distance between them and pull her into his arms. He sighed as she leaned into him willingly. Her arms constricting around his middle. Strong and stable. She buried her face into his chest. Inhaling, memorizing his scent. Committing it to memory. The comfort she brought him, settling back in, like an old friend. A puzzle piece, fitting perfectly into his emotional make up. He felt her shift, turning her head to rest her cheek above his heart.

“I think I’m in love with you.” She whispered into the fabric of his uniform.

He tightened his arms in response, resting a hand on the back of her head and kissing her crown. He smiled. That emotion from earlier resurging and now he knew how to properly explain it. He could place it. For the real feeling that it was. It wasn’t the perfect declaration of affections, but it was start. It would help them get through the storms. Weather it out together.

He pressed his nose against her temple, murmuring into here ear, “I think I am too.”

[calif0rnia-lovers]

types of kisses.

a/n: just a whole bunch of random kisses with our very much slept on Presidente, that no one asked me for. ya’ll need to show Bishop more love. how can anyone say no to this man?

Words: 3439

Laying a gentle kiss to the back of the other’s hand.

Your first kiss came further down the line with Bishop. Probably because your relationship began with a friendship. Bishop was initially hesitant in taking that next step. He knows being President of the club brings a burden to the ones he loves. He hopes that his title will scare you away from wanting something serious with him. The only problem, he can’t stay away from you. 

There were subtle things that began to change with Bishop that hinted that he wanted something more. It was more of a habit really. When he got the urge to take your face in his hands and kiss you, he opted for a more subtle approach. 

Like on the nights he’d give you a ride home from the clubhouse. When his hand finds yours each time you thank him for the ride. 

Lifting it to his hips, he’d give you a smile. 

“My pleasure, sweetheart.” 

It is the same kiss, and the same words exchanged anytime you thanked him for giving you a ride you didn’t actually have to take from him. 

When you finally get together, Bishop gives you this same kiss anytime the two of you have to part ways before a club run. 

Post Break Up Kiss  

There is a time when Bishop thinks it’s best to let you go. Not just for your sake, but his as well. He talks himself into believing he’s selfish to bring the burden of the club into your life. Bishop knows that no matter how much he asks you not to try and help him carry the weight of his patch, you will. That is one of the reasons he fell in love with you.

It takes six months for Bishop to stop calling to “check-in” on you every single day. Six and a half for him to walk into his front door without calling out for you. It takes you seven to box up pictures of you and him, and any other trace of him that remains in your house.

Maybe that’s why you’re both surprised that he calls you nearly a year later. You hadn’t been able to process much of his phone call when you were leaving work.

“Riz got shot,” and “shit’s pretty bad” the only things playing on a loop on the way to the hospital.

It’s natural for you to pull him into a hug, the moment he’s in reach, his face burrowing against the warmth of your skin. His weight resting against you as one hand finds the nape of your neck, his free arm wrapping around your waist.

“I’m sorry,” you say, your voice low as you attempt to blink away the burning sensation overtaking your eyes. It was a natural instinct not cry when Bishop was feeling as though he can barely keep it together. Old Lady’s are meant to be a stable foundation for the club.

The two of you stay this way for a few minutes. The soft shakes of Bishop’s shoulders keeping your arms around him until they die out.

You pull back, hands instantly finding his face only to find his eyes are still closed.

“You didn’t have to come.” He clears his throat. “I know I promised I wouldn’t pull you back into this.”

“I’m supposed to be here with you.”

When Bishop opens his eyes, you notice that the tears which once welled in his eyes are quickly drying up. The tightening of his grip against your waist matches the tightening of his jaw. The desire for vengeance has already begun to harden his features when you lean in and kiss him.

You place a soft kiss against his lips, the action taking Bishop by surprise.

It takes a second for him to respond. Part of him is afraid you’ll pull away the moment he does.

But then he’s kissing you back, and his fingers are in your hair making it impossible for you to pull away if you change your mind. But you don’t. Neither of you does because the kiss says everything the two of you are too prideful to say. It says I miss you, and I’m sorry and I need you to love me again.

Spider-Man Kiss

When you’re seated on the sofa, the television playing HGTV. 

It’s nearly midnight, and you’re eating a pint of ice cream you’ve made Bishop go get from the store just a few minutes before. Bishop is seated across the room trying to figure out how to put together the crib he was supposed to assemble last week.

With the current state of rapidly growing belly, he knows there’s no room to put off anything for this pregnancy. 

“See, Bish,” waving your hand in the air, you point towards the television. “Isn’t that so pretty? I want to paint her room like that. You think you could do that?”

Getting up from his spot on the floor, Bishop studies the television. 

In his mind, he says no. But he responds with, “Doesn’t look too hard. I’m sure I can figure it out.”

You tilt your head back against the pillow propped between you and the armrest, smiling at the sight of Bishop’s brow furrowing as he takes a mental note of what’s on the screen.

“Thank you,” you smile, the sweetness in your voice causing Bishop to shake his head. 

Smiling, he leans down, allowing his mouth to yours. 

Your hand abandons the spoon, finding the back of his neck to keep his lips against yours for a second longer. 

Bishop leaves a second kiss against your lips before allowing his lips to leave a playful kiss against your nose. 

“She’s going to be so spoiled,” you giggle as he pulls away from you a goofy grin on his lips.   

Drunk/sloppy kiss

That night you let Angel teach you, Ez and Letty how to play a “decent” game of flip-cup is one Bishop will never forget.  

Naturally, Angel, Coco, and Gilly had more experience. So naturally, they kicked your asses the first round. But luckily, you, Ez and Letty are fast learners. The three of you kick their asses the second round.

The only problem is, you’re kind of a “lightweight” according to Angel.

By the time you’ve found Bishop, you’re giddy. You’re holding a bottle of water, Angel’s attempt to make up for getting you drunk.

“Hi,” you giggle as Bishop wraps his arms around your waist. Pulling you onto his lap, Bishop can’t help but smile as your free hand drifts into his hair. “You’re cute. Like, really, really cute.”

“Yeah?” A soft chuckle leaves Bishop’s lips as your fingers drift across his chin. Your touch admires the stubble covering his features before drifting along the base of his neck.

You nod, your touch drifting down the warmth of his chest before retracing the path.

“Much cuter than your friend. Do you are a girlfriend?”

“A wife, actually.”

“Oh.” The pout that forms on your lips pulls a chuckle from your husband’s lips as he takes your face in his hands. “That sucks. I really want to kiss you.”

“Do what you want, sweetheart,” Bishop responds, the lingering of your finger against the outline of his bottom lip letting him know your mind is already made up. 

Your lips initially miss Bishop’s lips. Your giggle comes out against the warmth of Bishop’s chin. He can’t help but laugh as you place a series of sloppy kisses along his cheek and chin before resting against his lips.

I’m Sorry Kisses

These always come late at night. Once Bishop is fresh out of the shower, his day washed away. His body is exhausted from a day’s work, and he’s quietly maneuvered his way throughout the room praying he doesn’t wake you up.

They come on nights when he’s made it home hours after he’s originally promised, and he’s made you fall asleep without him.  

He’ll climb into bed, his lips pressing a soft kiss against your shoulder. He’ll leave another kiss against your shoulder when your hand blindly reaches up for his. He’ll ignore the groan of protest as you’re moved out of the warmth of your side of the bed.

"You’re late,” you mumble as his arms wrap around your body guiding you back into his.

"I know, long day, cariña. I’m sorry, but I’m here now.”

He’ll leave a kiss against cheek before nuzzling his face into your skin the softness of your breathing welcoming to his need for sleep.

Accidentally Witnessed Kiss:

You’d come into the clubhouse to find everyone stressed.

“He’s still inside.” Coco nodded once you curious gaze searches the clubhouse, only to find your husband isn’t there.  

You open the chapel doors to find Bishop surrounded by a cloud of smoke. His eyes are closed, the fingers of his left massaging his temple. He has a nearly emptied glass of whiskey in his right hand. He doesn’t bother looking to see who has just entered. He knows none of the boys would be crazy enough to enter after he’s asked to be left one.

Closing the door behind you, you cross the room in his direction.

Your fingers run along the table, your gaze lingering enough to admire the intricate designs which resemble the patch on the back of Bishop’s jacket.

You stop alongside him.

Your fingers find Bishop’s hair. He releases a sigh, his shoulders falling as your touch drifts to his neck.

“Smoking kills you know.”

Bishop softly smiles at the teasing nature of your voice. He opens his eyes, his smile growing twice in size once he sees your eyes. He puts out his cigarette before pushing the ashtray aside he leans back in his seat.

“So does babysitting a club full of knuckleheads.”

“Awe, come on. No matter how much you complain, you love each and every one of those knuckleheads,” you smile as he catches your hand lifting it from his cheek. Bishop leaves a kiss against your knuckles before gently tugging against you. 

“That’s still up in the air.” Pulling you onto his lap, Bishop smiles as you take his face in your hands.

“Are you okay?”

Your eyes search his reading everything that he’ll keep for himself.

Instead of sharing what’s on his mind, Bishop softly smiles, the action de-aging the president.

“I am now.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

"Later.”

“Okay,” you softly smile as he reaches into the pocket of his kutte.

“I was actually hoping I could cash this in.”

You giggle at the sight of the folded slip of paper in your husband’s hand.

Bishop found it earlier that week when reaching for his sunglasses. Neatly folded was a baby pink sheet of paper. It was a simple joke, one that had made him smile when he’d read it.

It read: Congratulations, you have been awarded a kissing coupon! Redeem when you’re having an extra shitty day. The location of the kiss is your choice.

Accepting the coupon, you neatly fold it before returning it to the inside pocket of his kutte.

“Of course,” you smile.

He lightly taps his lips, smiling as you kiss his forehead before moving to his lips.

You softly kiss his lips, your hands finding his cheeks as he leans forward when you attempt to pull back. Bishop’s arm secures around your waist as your playful nature melts beneath the warmth of his lips.

These kisses are tender and slow and all-consuming. They are the kisses saved for your moments away from the club, or wandering eyes. They usually last until Bishop’s lips have maneuvered to your cheek and neck, the warmth of his hands drifting beneath the fabric of your shirt and onto your back.

Tonight, they are cut short by Ez’s knock on the door.

He steps inside, his gaze quickly diverting once he realizes that Bishop is not alone.

EZ clears his throat, his eyes quickly stealing a glance to gauge the President’s reaction, as Bishop glances over your shoulder.

“Sorry, Bish-It’s just...um...I can-I can come back-”

Bishop’s grip tightens around your waist as you move to get up. Leaving a kiss against your temple, he doesn’t seem at all bothered by the young prospect attempting to look at every point in the room but the two of you.

“Spit it out, Prospect.”

“Alvarez called,” Ez shares quickly. “He wants to meet, and will be here in a bit.”

Nodding, Bishop said “alright, I’m coming,” his hand already returning to the nape of your neck. His lips are nearly on yours again when Ez speaks again.

“Sorry, am I leaving the door open or?”

Jealous Kiss.

Luckily for you, jealousy is not something that Bishop usually catches. Your friends, always ask “what’s your secret?” And they always laugh with disbelief when you say “trust.”

Maintaining any form of relationship with Bishop boils down to trust and loyalty. Bishop has never thought of stepping out on you. He’s flirtatious by nature, but you’re the only one he’ll lay it on thick with.

He never worried about your eyes wandering, until that one time he attended a company Christmas party with you. 

Club business led to him running late. When he arrived and found you dancing with your co-worker, Jacob, Bishop found himself experiencing something he hadn’t in quite some time in your relationship. Jealousy. He is a man after all.

Bishop knows you’ll give him shit if he causes a scene in front of your coworkers.

He also knows you can handle yourself, and that you’ll get yourself out of the situation if needed. Instead, he’ll wait until the song ends to make his presence known.

You’ll see him first, a smile spreading across your lips as his hand firmly finds Jacob’s shoulder.

The smile on his face could fool anyone, looking on from a distance, into thinking that Bishop is merely exchanging a harmless hi. His grip, on the other hand, tells a different story.

“Excuse me, may I steal my wife away for a second?”

His hands will instantly find your waist, the second you’re released, his lips pressing a quick kiss against yours. He’ll guide you as close as possible, his lips leaving a kiss against your temple.

“Took you long enough to get here,” you smile as Bishop’s gaze remains over your shoulder watching Jacob walk away. “He was beginning to think I was lying about having a husband.”

“He’s lucky his hands didn’t get close to your waist, or I would have broken his fucking hands.”

Random kiss when I remember how much I love you:

You’re at the clubhouse. It’s a Friday night, and you’re allowing Letty to teach you how to win a game of pool because apparently Angel’s been teaching you all wrong. 

Bishop is at the bar, quietly discussing club business with Taza and Tranq. 

He’s not nearly as invested in the conversation as his companions. He’s having difficulty concentrating on anything but you.

These moments come frequently for Bishop. Primarily on days after the club’s had some crazy shit take place. When you and Letty can help the boys come back down to earth, and back into the normalcy of life outside of the club. 

He finds himself smiling as he watches you concentrate on lining your cue stick up with the ball. 

It's one of those nights where he realizes that the boys need you just as much as he does. 

He’ll go back to his conversation, his eyes finding you every few minutes. He even catches you and Letty high fiving as Angel begrudgingly reaches into his chest pocket and fishes out a bill.

“Finally,” Angel huffs when Bishop reaches the pool table an hour later beer in hand. “No disrespect, Bish, but I’m tired of losing my money to your wife.”

“Don’t hate the player,” Letty teases, waving the freshly collected wad of bills in Angel’s face. “Hate the game.”

Bishop smiles, his hand finding your neck redirecting your attention to him.

“I’d listen to Letty, Angel,” he chuckles. 

He guides your lips towards his. It’s soft. The second kiss he leaves against your lips is more firm. The drifting of his hand to your ass causing Letty to let out a playful “I see you, Bish!” 

It’s a kiss that lets you know you’ve got about thirty more minutes of playtime left before he’s carrying you out of the clubhouse over his shoulder. 

You bite your lip, your brow arching as he pulls back.

‘I’m not splitting my money with you, Bish,” you tease as his lips brush against your ear. “No matter how good you kiss me.”

“Hurry up,” he chuckles. “I wanna take you home.”

Father Kisses

It’s three o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. You’re out running errands, and have left your five-year-old daughter at home, with your husband. Bishop is seated on the sofa, and he nodded off. His kutte is draped over the back of the sofa, his shirt wrinkled from your daughter nuzzling her face against his chest. He’s on his second round of Moana for the day. His left arm is behind his head, propping himself up. His right is resting against your daughter’s lap. Seated in her father’s lap, back resting against his chest, Rosalia is absentmindedly toying with her father’s fingers. She stares wide-eyed at the television screen. The sounds of Moana filling the living room.

Her Uncle Riz is taking up the second half of the sofa, Rosalia’s Moana blanket tucked up to his chin as he snores. His long dark hair is braided, multi-colored ribbons and barrettes keeping them all together. Rosalia’s masterpiece from this morning. Her Uncle Tranq is seated across the room in Bishop’s favorite armchair. He’s got the chair reclined as far back as possible. The chest of his shirt is littered with popcorn that’s missed his mouth. He snores louder than Riz, but none of that seems to distract your daughter from her favorite movie.

She lets the three men sleep for a moment. But when her favorite song begins, Rosalia tugs against Bishop’s fingers, bouncing on his lap once he doesn’t immediately respond.

“Papi!” She glances over her shoulder. Realizing he is still silently snoozing, Rosalia shifts in Bishop’s lap and begins to push against his chest. When Bishop jolts awake, your daughter smiles.

“Si, Princesa. What’s wrong?”

“You’re supposed to sing,” Rosalia giggles as Bishop wraps his arms around her.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Bishop apologizes, his words muffled against your daughter’s skin as his lips press a soft kiss against her hair. He leaves a series of quick, soft kisses against her cheeks pulling giggles from her.

Rosalia wraps her arms around her father’s neck pressing a kiss against his cheek that brings a giant grin to Bishop’s lips. Her attention drifts back to the television screen.

Bishop instantly starts singing, his voice starting out gruff as he begins to shake off sleep. He blindly reaches across the sofa where Riz is still snoring. Hitting his chest, Bishop jolts Riz awake. He points towards the screen before motioning towards a still sleeping Tranq. Riz tosses his pillow across the room, the impact against Tranq’s chest jolting him awake as well.

Soon the room is full of three Mayans and their princess singing “How Far I’ll Go.”

Morning kisses:

You’re in the kitchen. Humming to yourself as you move back and forth between the stove and where your daughter is seated at the kitchen table.

Rosalia is fully dressed for school, a napkin tucked into the collar of her dress to catch any food or juice.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee mingles with cooking bacon.

He used to fight you about getting up early to make him breakfast, but he eventually gave up.

“A cup of coffee isn’t breakfast, Obispo,” you’d teased.

Once he’s dressed for the day and finished packing Rosalia’s backpack, he’ll join you in the kitchen.

His hands will find your waist, his lips pressing a soft kiss against the crook of your neck.

“Buenos días, mi amor,” he’ll smile against your ear before leaving a kiss against your cheek.

You’ll have to wait a moment to get any more kisses than that. Your daughter takes hold of Bishop’s attention as he lifts her from the chair to kiss her.

Once he comes back to retrieve the plates, Bishop will smile as he stops before you. His hands will cup your face, the warmth of his touch pulling your eyes closed.

“I love you,” he smiles before letting his lips press softly against yours. They’ll leave a second and a third before pressing against your forehead. These are his favorite.

[tessxomarie]

Saving You - Part Twelve

*This scene continues straight from Part Eleven! Leah, she’s still struggling with everything that has happened. Thank you all for being patient with me! I hope you enjoy this next installment of Saving You!*

Our moment together comes to an end when a knock at the door interrupts us.

“You two alright?” EZ asks as he slowly opens the door.

“Yeah, we’re good.” Angel replies but keeps all eye contact on me.

“The guys, they want to talk to Leah real quick.” EZ mentions, which leads me to have come concern but I eagerly await for the men to walk back in.

“Aleeah.” Marcus greets.

“After some lengthy discussion out there, Chibs, Tig, Bishop and I have agreed to grant your request for a club vote regarding Erik.” Marcus tells me and for the first time all morning, I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Finally, some closure.

“Angel, you good with the vote?” Bishop chimes in.

Angel takes a few steps to stand by me as he puts his hand on my shoulder, “A vote is the least we can do for her.” He says while looking at me.

“Alright, let’s vote it. Leah, sweetheart, you cannot be in here – that’s the condition.” Bishop states.

I’m caught off guard, but after my decompress session with Angel, I really don’t have the place nor energy to argue.

“Fair enough. Thank you for listening to me. It means a lot.” I softly say to the guys as I let myself out of Church.

Chibs putting his hand on my shoulder just before I get to the door, “We love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too.” I say to Chibs as I turn and look and see the chairs filling up with the guys.

I exit Church, EZ closes the door behind me.

I see Kendra sitting in the chair I was earlier.

It then hits me this is our first time alone since the hospital.

“Lee, I need to hug you because I don’t know what else to do right now.” Kendra alerts me as she now makes a b-line towards me.

“I’ll never turn down a Kendra hug.” I mumble as we embrace.

“How are we doing, babes?” She asks.

“My head is spinning, figuratively.” I reply.

“Rumor has it you want to be the one who makes Erik breathe out of his forehead.” Kendra tells me.

“That would be true.” I confirm as we make our way to some chairs.

“Angel and I just had a discussion about that, it got a little heated – he full named me.” I look at her with a quirked brow.

“Woah, what? Like middle name or he like, Aleeah-ed you?”

“Aleeah.”

Kendra’s face is in shock, she lets out a nervous laugh. “That man has some damn nerve. Why did he Aleeah you?”

I shake my head, “He doesn’t want me to kill Erik, he understands why I want to. I wouldn’t say he lectured me, he more so opened up to me, Kenz. He told me some shit, like shit that happened before we moved down here. I don’t know if I can ever say this to his face, but he has me almost convinced I shouldn’t kill Erik.”

“Killing someone is a big thing, Lee. I mean, I know these guys are used to it – hell, that’s the fucking reason Lorenzo is in prison, but I can bet Angel doesn’t want you to feel the shit they feel. It can be heavy.” Kendra says.

“That’s pretty much what he told me, that even though it may be the best thing to do, it won’t make me feel better. My stubborn ass wants to prove everyone wrong and say this is what will bring me full closure, but the more I think about it – am I even capable of killing someone? I pledged to save lives, not take them.” I say with a cracked voice, as the realization of what I have asked is setting in.

Taking someone’s life. That is heavy.

“Leah, Erik deserves to die a miserable death. I support that 110%. What I don’t support, is you being the reason he’s gone.  I know you, Lee; and even though you wouldn’t show it at first, over time that shit would eat you up.”

I nod my head in agreement, Kendra is right just like Angel was.

“I want revenge, I want closure, but I do not want to be a killer. That’s not me, Kendra.” I explain with few tears forming. “I know Lee, I know. Maybe, rather than opting for the kill shot – you can volunteer to torture him? Tie him up, gag him, then beat him; but not in the Christian Grey way.” She says with a smirk, which then results in me laughing for the first time all morning.

“How do you do that?” I ask genuinely.

“How do I do what?” She retorts.

“Make me laugh in my most difficult and stressful situations.” I say wiping a tear from my cheek.

“It’s my job.” She simply says.

“You know, the more I think about it, I just want Erik to have that fear that I had. I want him to be scared and I want him to beg for his life, just like he had me do.” I tell Kendra as some of the memories of last night and last year enter my mind. Kendra simply nods her head in agreement and reaches for my hand.

Kendra and I make small talk for a few more minutes as the men are all in Church. I’m starting to feel more normal by each minute, whatever normal is anymore.

“Leah?” I hear Coco ask as he peaks his head out of Church.

“What is it Coco?” I reply.

“You’re wanted in here, Kendra can come too.”

We both look at each other with odd looks, but we make our way to meet the men.

“You rang?” Kendra asks as we step inside Church.

Bishop lets out a light laugh at Kendra’s tone.

“A decision has been made regarding the handling of Erik Rodrigo.” Marcus announces.

I look at Kendra with nerves written all over my face. Kendra grabs my hand, the bandaged one, with ease and simply stands by my side.

I look over to Angel and our eyes lock, he gives me a simple head nod and I hope that means I’m going to approve of the outcome.

“Leah, darlin’.” Chibs says from the table, “This was one of the most difficult things we’ve ever had to discuss. I cannot express how sorry I am, and how we did not fulfill Jackie Boy’s promise. I know you don’t want us to feel guilty, but darlin’ we all feel guilty in this room.”

Hearing Chibs speak, it makes me emotional but I hold the tears back. I look over at Tig and he his holding Chib’s hand, a symbol of brotherhood – they miss Jax, we all do. They feel awful for not fulfilling the promise, and what hurts the most is that they think they failed me; but it was just a few hours ago I felt they did, that everyone did but now, as the hours tick by I don’t feel that way anymore.

“Chibs, Tig –“ I speak up, “You two did not fail me, or Jax. No one in this room could have predicted what Erik was capable of. But Samcro couldn’t have stopped him, I didn’t speak up – things got worse because of that. Please don’t feel guilty, no one here is at fault, just Erik.” I say trailing off, trying not to place blame on myself because I know that is not right in the slightest, it’s just hard when you think back and realize something could have been done, well maybe.

“Leah, the club, Samcro and Marcus want you to find closure, we want you to feel safe, once and for all.” Bishop explains to me, his hands folded together.

Marcus then speaks up.

“You won’t kill Erik, that is going to be me. I brought him into the club, I’ll take him out. But mija, you get to do some damage. Whatever tactics or methods you want to use to torture this fucker, go for it. We just can’t let you kill him, we all agreed the weight you’ll carry is too much and you do not need nor deserve that.” Marcus explains.

I feel like this is a dream, like I’m hearing what I want to hear but I can’t tell if it’s real or not.

It feels like a month goes by before I find the words to speak, but my brain is going in a million directions after hearing Marcus’ words.

Kendra is still holding my hand, but she seems just as in shock as I am.

“Leah, babe, you okay?” I hear in a whisper, but I’m confused where the whisper is coming from.

I blink, and I’m aware of my surroundings again, I look to my left and I see Angel standing right next to me.

“Leah?” He asks again so softly.

I simply nod my head.

“Thank you, all of you – for not just granting my request but for listening to me. Hearing my story. It means a lot that you all gave me a chance to speak.” I tell everyone, the nerves are still there.

I take a deep breath and try to pull myself together.

“Umm, just one question – when is this all happening?” I ask, Kendra and Angel are still by my side.

Bishop gets up from the table, and walks over near me.

“The guys are going to look for him today, if all goes as planned, we’ll bring him to the location tomorrow morning or early afternoon.”

I mindlessly nod my head up and down, everything just seems surreal.

Slowly but surely over the next few minutes, the guys empty out of church but I still remain standing there in a daze.

“Lee, come on. I’ll take you back to my place while the guys head out.” Kendra suggests, and that’s when I snap out of it.

I can’t be left alone, what if Erik is still around? What if he’s waiting for this moment?

“Lee?” Kendra calls out again, and that’s when I lose it…well somewhat.

I shake my head, “No. We can’t leave Kenz, we can’t just leave because Erik could still be lingering around here and waiting. We have no protection, I can’t subject you to that, I can’t leave. We can’t leave.” I begin to ramble and the rambling eventually becomes escalated.

“Aleeah, what’s wrong?” Coco shouts as he rushes back from the front door to where I’m at, Angel and EZ following behind him.

“Who is going to stay here to look out for Kendra and myself? You all can’t go. Just, no.” I explain, arms crossed while I look Coco in the eyes, and I then lock eyes again with Angel.

“Angel, you can’t go.” I order.

He gives me a confused look, “Leah, I need to…” He tells me, but I cut him off and finish his sentence.

“You need to stay here and protect me!” I lightly shout, EZ and Coco both looking on with shocked expressions.

Holy shit, did I just admittedly say out loud that I need Angel?

Yup, I sure did.

Angel looks over to them just as surprised. He then gently guides me over to the side to continue in private.

“Angel please. I need someone here to protect me, and I need to be able to trust that person. I can’t have you leave. If you go, I know Erik won’t make it back here and I don’t want to look in your eyes and see the guilt.” I explain to Angel as I grab his hand, looking into his soul because I know he still has one despite what he wants me to believe.

I continue to stare into those warm brown eyes, praying he understands my plea.

Angel doesn’t say a word.

He looks over to EZ and Coco, lets out a sigh and then cups my face.

“I’m keeping my promise. I’ll keep you safe, nothing is going to happen to my Leah.” He whispers to me as he leans in for another forehead kiss.

Forehead kisses, a common theme still.

I swear, the more forehead kisses Angel gives, the more I fall for him – or at least, the more I trust him.

I need that right now more than ever, to trust a man who gives a damn.

[jflashandclash]

Attrition of Peace

Thirty-Three: Joey

What a Nice Day to Kill for Love

              Joey was having a lovely dream about punching Apollo in the face when she heard his voice singing in her ear. Most of her dreams involved elaborate dance numbers, but the musical twist was new. She didn’t even know the dead did dream.

           When she willed herself to get up, her legs and arms felt heavy, like someone had dumped a Mrs. O’Leary on each limb.[1] In the distance, behind the lovely voice, she could hear a continuous chatter that made her shiver. If this was a musical, Joey would need to recommend a better chorus than wind-up teeth.

           She tried to think of why Apollo would be here. She remembered tricking her way through the EZ line for deaths and skirted around a three-headed dog. Unless her death had been a nightmare… which was unlikely, since her brain would have thought of a way less lame death.

           Someone’s hand—Apollo’s she presumed—graced her calf. The gesture felt distant. Regardless of the distance, what Charon had said about godly-demigod or mortal relationships still made her want to smack him over the head with a harp, and maybe a piano.

           Joey went to kick him.

           Nothing happened.

           Her throat constricted with fear when her legs wouldn’t respond.

           She tried to sit up.

           Relief flooded her system when she could twist enough to hit Apollo with a good right hook.

           She was never going to tease Euna for struggling to wake up again. That struggle was real.

           The boy kneeling beside her clutched his face where she’d made contact. Something about it seemed… wrong.

           From what she could see, that wasn’t Apollo. And, either this person was made out of marshmallows, or she’d gained ghostly super strength. Over the tips of his fingers, it looked like she’d struck him with a truck, not her fist.

           What mostly stumped Joey was how she was able to touch him.

           Joey fumbled in her pocket for the rosewood box, the only other thing she’d been able to touch and interact with since her death.

           That blond hair, the tan, the Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, the medical fanny pack: only one person she knew could make such a grievous misstep in fashion with such casual confidence.

           This was Will Solace. She remembered him from camp, a heartthrob that all the nymphs pouted over losing a few months ago to a certain grumpy Goth kid.

           Although Will’s face was mutilated, she could see his dismay at getting walloped. A real expression. Not another ghost, creepily floating around, lost and empty, like they’d been the next ones in line for the cafeteria when the entire school kitchen got shut down for health code violations.  

           Joey lunged forward to hug him.

           Will made a muffled sound of confusion when she shoved him away immediately after the hug.

           Tears threatened her eyes. She tried to ignore how alone she’d felt and how scared she’d been and how relieved she was to see another living—er—another sentient ghost. Even if the interaction did start with ghost on ghost violence.

           Instead of expressing any of that, she did the courteous thing: she folded her arms, huffed, and demanded, “Why are you touching my legs, you perve?”

           By now, Will looked baffled. What was left of his pummeled brow furrowed in annoyance. “I’m dating Nico,” he stated and pointed at her feet.

           When Joey glanced down, she had to refrain from reigniting her panic. The edges of her shoes were grey and crusty, completely coated in some kind of stone. When Joey tried to wiggle her toes, she realized they weren’t coated in stone. They were stone.

           Will’s fingers tapped against her rolled up pant leg, where ghostly dust fluttered away. It hadn’t just been her toes before.

“I thought it would only happen to living demigods, but I guess it can happen to ghosts too. You’re not supposed to sleep down here,” he said. There was a slight frown on his lips, as he gazed past her, to the two-story bronze gates around Hades’ black obsidian palace.

Joey wanted to shout at him. If she didn’t nap, she was scared she’d collapse in front of Hades and Persephone in their courtroom. She’d been so tired, and she’d only meant to nap for a few minutes. Getting past the Fields of Asphodel… just remembering who she was and that she had a purpose… it was exhausting. Every step threatened to shake her of what made her… well… her.

“There isn’t exactly a how-to guide on traveling through the Underworld,” Joey snapped. “But—uh, thanks for fixing my legs, I guess.”

Will sighed and fumbled in his fanny pack. He withdrew a trifolded sheet of paper and handed it to her.

Last time someone handed her one of these, it was Thalia Grace suggesting all boys’ coodies were worth giving up for an eternity of hunting. Clearly, Thalia hadn’t been investigating the right boy’s coodies.

“What is this?” Joey asked, suspicious it was another sales pitch at why she should relinquish makeup and hair products forever.

“A how-to guide on traveling through the Underworld and the quickest routes to the McDonald’s pit stops,” Will explained, “Nico does a seminar on it.”

Although she didn’t want extra reading, Joey stuffed it into her pocket, beside her rosewood box. That could come in handy later, for the next time she tried to do an everyday activity that turned deadly. She’d be terrified to see what flushing a toilet would do in this place.

“So, does he give that seminar like, right after your First Aid class? I feel like that could make campers nervous about your faith in their survival chances,” she said.

“We try to have them on separate days,” he said, humming a healing song right after.

Joey could feel her toes start to wiggle. The sensation was surreal and almost painful after the numbness. Weird to think a ghost could feel pain, but she guessed they had to for the whole eternal punishment thing to work.

Everything was so bleak: the trampled black grass leading up to the fortress of a black palace, the black poplar trees, the massive swarms of souls. Pax and she needed to lead the Hermes cabin down here with an arsenal of paintball guns with neon ammo and shoot up the place. Maybe not Hades’ ideal way to redecorate, but it would be quick, effective, and fun. Hades’ direct antithesis.

Something had changed since Joey put her head down on the cold stone. A single shaft of sunlight glistened down from a crack in the stalactites, landing behind the gates of the palace. Joey thought she must have been hallucinating after the dreariness of everything else.

She refocused on Will and the way his skull caved inward around his hairline. Joey almost choked up while asking, “How did you die? Lose a fight to a bowling ball?”

Will paused. He mindlessly tugged up the side of his shirt, revealing a grotesque red rash and claw marks. With his other hand, Will touched the indent in his forehead. His eyes watered, and he shook his head.

“Cerebral edema and hemorrhaging, if I had to guess.”

Joey wanted to feel bad for him, but all she could say was, “Cereal edma?”

“I think… I think one of my half-brothers beat me to death with an electric bass,” he said, like that had anything to do with the previous sentence.

Will swallowed and caught Joey up on what had been happening upstairs while she was down here. On several occasions, Joey had to clarify, and assure him, that her sister and friends were not the bad guys. Though, she was proud to hear that her sister went on a murderous rampage on behalf of Joey’s death. She’d have been furious at her sister if Euna had frozen up and gotten herself killed.

By the time he was done explaining, Will had cracked away all of the stone but her pinky toe and Joey had full mobility of her feet—something necessary for any undead dance competitions she might enter. Those had to exist in Elysium for it to be paradise.

“I can’t get this last part,” he said apologetically as he stumbled to his feet.

Joey took his hand to stand up. They walked towards the two-story bronze gates with ghastly etchings of death scenes. Two undead soldiers flanked either side. One wore a bloodied, old school military jacket, with golden tassels, medals, and a white ascot. The other wore some Middle Eastern headdress and—

Joey made a face. His hand was burned away to the bone.

“So,” Joey summarized Will’s story, unsure if the guards would try to stop them, “One guy in pink pajamas took out all three of you?”

“Four of us,” Will said, taking no heed of her tease. “Pax tried to stop him, I think. I just hope Annabeth and Piper are okay, though I could have easily missed them. They could already be in Elysium by now.”

From what Joey had heard, Annabeth was one of the best. Joey would have loved to have trained under her. The idea of someone being able to take out those three made Joey tense. She hoped Pax and the others were okay, too.

“So, how did you get to the front gates so fast?” Joey asked. Although she hadn’t followed Will’s timeline well, he must have died weeks after her. She wasn’t sure how time passed for the dead.

“Everyone knows who—” Will started to say until the blue uniformed man hailed him.

“Guillaume, it is good to see you,” he greeted with a thick accent that Joey assumed was from some weird region of France. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“We have been waiting for you,” his companion corrected, sighing and twirling a stiletto in his non-burned hand. He also had a thick accent, but one Joey couldn’t place.

“Hello Kléber. Al-Halabi,” Will nodded politely to each of them. “I thought you two weren’t supposed to be working door duty together anymore?”

The Frenchman turned up his nose and inhaled sharply.

The Middle Eastern man scowled off to the side.

“All the bureaucratic red tape,” Kléber said, waving his hand back and forth in front of his nose like he could beat the smell away. “This is why government directories are worthless. If you had a better system set up, Nico could have overturned Midas’s orders by now, and I wouldn’t be with this murderer—je dis ça, je dis rien.”[2]

Al-Halabi scoffed. “Eid wahda matsa’afsh,” he said.[3] Although Joey didn’t understand his words, she could recognize the sarcasm. “I’m not even in the right afterlife because of your conquest and your influences, damoteel.”

While old feuds were great and all, this was wasting time. Joey cleared her throat.

Kléber glanced at her, and bowed. “I apologize, Mademoiselle. Your sister is waiting for you. If it pleases you, Crevette, escort the young lady this way.”

Joey felt weird taking Will’s arm, but the look he shot her said it would save them a lot of time if she complied. It felt nice having Kléber recognized her presence. Since the Fields of Asphodel, she’d been scared of fading away.

As Kléber and Al-Halabi escorted them through the gates, Al-Halabi asked, “Have you heard anything topside about the angry spirits?”

“Angry spirits?” Joey asked.

Al-Halabi nodded and twirled his stiletto again. “Someone opened a bridge between the Underworld and topside. Hades permits a few ghosts to haunt the Upperworld every night, but nothing like this. Khawaaja Kléber thinks someone is amassing an army and it’s connected to—”  

The ground trembled. Joey clutched Will’s arm and he grabbed her arm back.

“What was that?!” Will demanded.

Kléber glanced back and made a grim face. “Rumor has it: Nyx. Something has upset her. My instinct tells me that’s no coincidence with the ghost army.”

Al-Halabi sighed. “As much as Kléber is a corruptor and tyrant, he is also an exquisite general. He had similar inklings about events leading up to the Second Titan War—wait here.”

Al-Halabi and Kléber motioned for them to stop, then continued forward into a blinding light.

Once her eyes adjusted, Joey could see a lovely garden. Each flower bed was surrounded by dazzling gems: sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. The flowers themselves gleamed silver. Trees loomed above the gardens, with orange and red fruit and flowers glittering in their branches.

The sole ray of sunshine from the ceiling beamed into the garden like a glaring spotlight. Combined with the sparkling gems, Joey felt like someone had shoved a kaleidoscope in front of a lighthouse beam and told her to stare at it.

Al-Halabi and Kléber had disappeared.

           Will let go of Joey’s arm. “About how I got here so fast. Everyone knows me here. I’m Nico’s boyfriend. Or was.” He sighed and glanced upwards towards the light’s source longingly. Joey had to wonder how much hell a cavern like this was for a child of Apollo. “He’s not going to handle this well. After his mother, and Bianca… I’m so worried about him. No one else is going to know where to buy him Mythomagic Band-Aids or Walnetto’s candy, or force him to have a balanced diet…”[4]

           Joey thought about Euna, and how hopeless her older sister would be on her own. None of the others would be harsh enough on her for training or grades. They’d let her laze to mediocrity.

           “I’ve been down here for a few family dinners,” Will said, aimlessly. His blue gaze looked through the gardens. “They were… you can’t eat or drink anything down here. Do you know how hard it is not to offend someone’s parents when you can’t—”

           Joey grabbed Will’s arm and dragged him towards the garden. “Wha—” he started.

           Hearing him talk about family dinners made Joey remember her father’s homemade soondubu-jjigae that she’d never have again.

           “We’re here to talk to Hades and Persephone, not to talk about your and Nico’s creepy bring-your-son-and-his-boyfriend-to-work-day,” she said, biting back tears, “I’m not waiting for those jerks to escort us. I mean, you only live once, right?”

           “That’s really tasteless to say down here—” Will said, but was cut off when they almost ran into a massive black form.

           Joey skirted to a halt. She almost screamed. There was a dark shade of robes standing behind one of the poplars, just ahead of them. She’d mistaken him for a shadow. Where his hand touched, the tree’s bark screamed in pain. His robes warped and gnarled with faces howling in agony. He was tall and wiry, reminding Joey of a rotting twisted oak. The aura around him vibrated with power and his stature reflected it.

           The way the pale man peered around the tree trunk confused Joey. She’d be horrified to see what this man was hiding from.

           Following his line of sight made her jaw drop.

           There was a young woman toiling in a garden bed. The sunlight glimmered off her billowing blonde hair and warmed her pale skin. Her apron had a flickering floral design—no—it was made out of various flowers that Joey quickly identified as blooming during the wrong time of year: daffodils, tulips, azaleas, magnolias, and hyacinths. All colorful springtime flowers.

           She had the satisfied grin of someone knowing their labor would pay off—a smile Joey’s father also got while doing yard work.  

           “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” the man asked, his oily, powerful voice an ill match for the adoring tone.

           “How are you doing that?” Will asked in awe, staring up at the sunlight.

           “Poseidon wanted to say his last farewell to a lovely surfer that died young. So, in exchange, I asked him for some sunlight. He caused a massive earthquake…” The man raised one hand out of the shadows, into the sun rays.

           Will frowned. “You… you’re probably killing hundreds of people to give her that sunlight.”

           The man quarter turned towards them, a smirk coming to his lips. His eyes blazed black with the fury of a wildfire. “137 in counting,” he answered.

           Will swallowed. Joey dug her nails into his arm, hoping he’d realize getting righteous around this guy was probably as useful as reminding Hitler that Jews were people too.

“Wouldn’t you do the same for Nico? Or did I misjudge you as worthy of my son?” Hades asked, that dark gaze boring directly into them.

Will’s arm shook violently under Joey’s grip—or was that her hand shaking?

“I think it’s romantic,” Joey squeaked. She cleared her throat and said more firmly, “We both do.”

“Thank you,” Hades said, his continence warping back into a grin. Joey relaxed. She did not want to end up in this guy’s robes—either metaphorically or literally.  He continued, “Normally, I would ask a living demigod to do this, but we’re short staffed right now. I hate dealing with the Romans, and most of the Greeks are already among the sleep.”

Joey blinked, glancing over to Will to see if this meant anything. In an uncomfortable moment, she realized she hadn’t asked Will why he wanted an audience with Hades. Requesting resurrection didn’t seem like it would be the Sun Boy’s motive.

Will’s expression remained neutral, though he disentangled their arms to stand taller.

“Among the sleep?” she asked.

Hades ignored her and continued, “Will, you can bring Nico back from the shadows and stop Melinoe. Being a son of Apollo, you’re most likely to succeed with the job, and in exchange, we can talk about giving you back your li—”

“Hades, are you being rude to my sister?”

The woman had come over from the garden. In the sunlight, her face was soft and kind. Her grin was playful. She touched Joey’s arm and Joey could feel the warmth of an April breeze.

Joey found herself smiling back and doing a quick curtsy—something she’d never done before and felt super stupid about afterwards.

“I’m working,” Hades said, his shoulders slumping.

When Persephone glanced past them at the obsidian palace, her face fell and her gaze hardened. “It looks more like you’re showing deference to your bastard child’s boyfriend. What did you put Orpheus through when he tried to lead someone back from shadow?”

“Pers…” Hades said in a voice that sounded too close to begging for a god.

Persephone held her hand up. She gave Joey another smile, though this one was chilled. “Joey, I’m sorry I can’t give you a proper welcoming right now. Let me finish with this, and we can have a pleasant talk.”

Persephone turned back to Will, her eyes fiercer than any warrior’s. Hades frowned and Will took a step back.

“When you try to save Nico, you need to have faith that your love will be enough to bring him back and defeat his despair. You can’t talk to him. You can’t acknowledge him. If you fail at ignoring him, you’ve damned both of you,” she said icily. Her eyes shot to Hades. “That is close to the deal you gave that charming poet.”

Will glanced at Hades.

Hades shrugs helplessly.

“That’s cold,” Joey said.

The ghost of a smile returned to Persephone’s face. She took Joey’s arm and led her towards the garden. “Now, we can talk about your entry to Elysium—”

Joey resisted the movement, wondering if Persephone would still the world into an eternal winter when she was upset.

“That’s not why I’m here—” Joey said, withdrawing the rosewood box from her pocket. She’d almost forgotten. Had that been why she was here? She remembered Will’s comment about Nico, and about how worried she’d been for her sister. Could she just ignore them? The others? Wouldn’t they eventually die anyway? Just thinking it scared her.

Persephone frowned at the box. “Sister, if you stay, I can grant automatic entry to Elysium.”

Hades groaned behind them, like he and Persephone had argued over this before.

“You’ve already died a heroic death,” Persephone said sternly and Joey could tell that comment wasn’t directed at her. “But that box is a mark of struggle. Are you sure you want to keep holding it?”

This box was the only thing reminding Joey of her past life. She dug her nails into its golden filament. If there was anything else she could do for her sister and friends, she was going to do it. Returning this box was one of Psyche’s quests, after all, wasn’t it?

“Yes,” Joey said, lifting her chin. “Hera gave me this box. She wanted me to ask you for the essence of a happy marriage.”

For a moment, Persephone looked stunned. Then she burst into laughter, Hades’ booming laughter echoing after.

The latter sound was horrifying and something Joey assumed was a special punishment for the particularly wicked.

Persephone wiped a tear from her eye, calming herself down. She snapped her fingers. A lovely undead handmaiden rushed over to bring Persephone a rose pen and flowery paper.

After writing a quick note, she took the box from Joey and opened it.

Everything slowed.

The flowers trembled.

Hades’ robe fluttered in Joey’s peripheral vision, towards the open box.

A motionless vacuum sucked the noise from around them, leaving the Underworld—despite its sunlight—even drearier.

Then Persephone placed the folded note into the box and shut the lid. Everything went back to normal.

Joey could hear Will give a sigh of relief behind her.

Persephone returned the box to Joey. Nothing felt different about it, though she supposed nothing would with a single piece of paper.

“Don’t let her open that around you,” Persephone said. “Tell her this is the key to her happiness. Give it to her without saying what is inside.”

“What’s in it?” Joey asked, glancing down at the flowers. Something about them felt ominous.

“A divorce lawyer’s number,” Persephone explained, “Staying with a hopeless cheater like that is anachronism at its worst. She needs to get with the times.”

Her eyes flicked past Joey and that warmth returned. She must have been looking at Hades. Feeling grossed out, Joey could tell Persephone actually liked Hades. Yuck.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Persephone asked again.

Joey nodded her head. She’d never been more certain. She turned back towards Will and Hades, who gazed at her evenly.

Hades narrowed his gaze. “Are you working with the one who called my helmet stupid?”

That absolutely sounded like something Pax would do. Barely containing a laugh, Joey asked, “How could someone say your helmet looks stupid? Doesn’t it turn you like, invisible or something?” She was pretty sure she’d heard Merry talk about that once.

“Exactly!” Hades cried triumphantly.

Joey trembled and was pretty sure the rest of the Underworld did too, though she couldn’t tell if it was because of Poseidon above, Nyx below, or from how terrifying Hades’ victorious attitude was.

Hades snapped his fingers and Al-Halabi and Kléber materialized on either side of Will and Joey. “It is time for you to leave,” Hades said, “Remember that, outside, ghosts aren’t as powerful during the day, so, it will be easier to work at night. I don’t normally let spirits escape, but… these two have been spreading rumors about holes where souls can slip away…”

He made a shooing motion with his hand, quarter turning towards Persephone’s little patch of sunshine.

Persephone waved her hand warmly at Joey before shooting an icy look at Will.

Will was already going to take Joey’s arm, the same way he’d escorted her in, when she paused. “Wait—Lord Hades.”

“Yes?” the intensity of his voice revealed his impatience. Those eyes flashed again.

Joey shouldn’t ask. Not just because of Hades’ impatience but because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. “In… in the Fields of Asphodel, people forget who they are and mindlessly wander. Everything those spirits have done is so unimportant to them, they forget their own accomplishments. At least the people in the Fields of Punishment know who they are and that their deeds left a mark on the world. Which one do you think is really worse?”

A queer smile curled onto Hades’ lips. “Joey Song, you’re never coming back to my domain again. So I would not worry over such nuances as to whether it is worse to be forgotten and forget or worse to be in pain.”

           Joey paused. Never coming back. She thought that sounded like a sweet deal—the Underworld sucked and Kléber was right about everything taking forever, like waiting in those stupid lines for an EZ pass. Why even make an EZ pass lane when the traffic in it could still get so congested.

           A deeper instinct in her shivered at the thought, wondering what that could mean.

“Now go. You try my patience. Will is running out of time to save my son, and you need to deliver Hera some peace of mind,” Hades said.

           Joey nodded. They gave their farewells to the King and Queen of the Underworld and Will escorted Joey towards the exit with Al-Halabi and Kléber on either side of them.

           As they approached the two-story gates, Joey asked, “Do any of you know what he was talking about? Never coming back?”

           Kléber gave an airy chuckle. “It could mean becoming immortal. That is one way to never need return.”

           Al-Halabi frowned and shook his head. He stared down at his stiletto, and Joey got the impression he knew there were other ways.

           “I’m not getting any Apollo-style prophetic moments about it. Sorry, Joey,” Will said, giving her arm a brief, comforting squeeze.

           Joey should have been ecstatic. They were going topside. Will might be able to save his boyfriend. She’d get to properly complete a quest and maybe see her sister again. But instead of rejoicing, she found herself asking, “Spirits can’t like… die permanently, right?”

           Al-Halabi muttered a curse in Arabic, his glare switching to his burned hand. He changed the subject by saying, “We don’t know the location of all the routes out of here, but let’s pretend the rumors are true about multiple ones. Where would be the best spot that you know of to contact Hera?”

           As they talked about the best reentry points, Joey became more afraid of leaving the Underworld than entering it.

Thanks for reading! Here’s a little break from the chaos in the Upperworld XD

Also, as a call out to you wonderful people--I’ve been getting a lot of really kind support recently from my constant readers. I really appreciate it! You guys are awesome and make this book series happen! :D <3

Footnotes:

[1] Apparently, this is going to be the accepted weight measurement system in my version of the world. Pax weighs a fortieth of an O’Leary.

[2] More or less, “just saying…”

[3] يد واحدة ماتسقفش. Equivalent of saying, “you need cooperation from all parties for something to work.” I’m not sure if this is a common idiom for Syrian Arabic or the timeframe, but eh—we can say he picked up stuff while he has been undead.

[4] Super popular candy from the early 1900’s.

[scullyitsme]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCULLY!

I wrote a fuckin’ fic in honor of this occasion, giving myself the prompt of working through the first birthday she would have had with Mulder — her 30th, which was also right after her father died. 

Includes: rambling answering machine messages, mention of Scully’s sex drive, day drinking, menstruation, astrolabes, EZ OFF, light notes of Fox Mulder’s Tragic Backstory, a depressing salad, Scully’s Living Will, a U2 song, Fiestaware, and a quote from Ulysses. 

Scully stumbles out of a dream, a series of futile blinks against her too-dark bedroom. Her mother always calls her at 4:42 in the morning on February 23rd; the exact moment of her birth. The clock on her night stand reads 5:01.

Her mother will stay dead-to-the-world from the tranquilizers until at least mid-morning, if not lunch time. Grieving widows need their rest. Scully knows this, but there’s still a childish whine in her chest at being forgotten.

Her father’s been dead almost two months. It’s only because she’s thinking of him now that she realizes there must have been a point in the last six weeks when she wasn’t, and she doesn’t know when that moment was. But now that he’s on her mind again, she knows he will be for the remains of the day.

She’s 30. She knows it should mean something to her, but it doesn’t.

Zinc, she thinks. Atomic number 30 on the periodic table of elements. It galvanizes other metals, keeps them from rusting. It’s an essential component of proper human nutrition, abundant in spinach, oysters, beef, kidney beans —

Sunflower seeds.

She tries to imagine herself interrupting Mulder’s diatribe on The Taos Hum to inform him that it’s her birthday. She’s certain he’s read her file, and while she doubts that he would have committed her date of birth to memory, she doesn’t feel entirely confident ruling it out.

She’d been assigned to the X-Files a few weeks after her 29th.  She’d spent the evening alone in the tub drinking straight from a bottle of smoky Malbec. The year before, she and Jack Willis celebrated their shared birthday by fucking each other raw in a cabin nestled somewhere in the Blue Ridge Highlands, which she’d probably never be able to find again — not that she’d want to.  

It hadn’t been about the sex anyway. She didn’t crave sex — never had. At least, not strongly enough that she couldn’t satisfy it herself in the same manner as she approached everything in life: with skill and speed. Dana Scully was proficient and expedient in her mastabatory prowess — a laurel not included on her curriculum vitae.

She wanted Jack because he thought she was fascinating and necessary. Because he told her she was “achingly brilliant”. Because he was a little afraid of her, and she liked that. She wanted him because his desire for her was so intense it made his hands shake. Because she had a cabinet full of dish ware and coffee mugs that she never used, and a drawer of untouched cutlery she hadn’t even had to wash yet.

“Y’alright there, Scully?”

She blinks up at Mulder. He’s wearing a mildly amused half-grin and his hair is flopping onto his forehead like a doofy adolescent. He probably hasn’t washed it since Monday, and it’s Wednesday. She doesn’t know whether to be impressed or distressed by his dedication to an aesthetic of rumpled indolence.

“I’m fine, Mulder,” she says, but it comes out more of a moan squeezed between her teeth. She doesn’t look up at him because she doesn’t want to be embarrassed by a flicker of arousal in his eyes — or worse, a complete lack thereof.

He relaunches his exposition and she glances down at her lap intending to pick at a cuticle, at which time she notices her blouse is buttoned crooked.  

At quarter ‘till noon, she sighs into her hands in the women’s restroom. She doesn’t have a tampon, and the Bureau doesn’t exactly offer a concierge service for its feminine minority.

She approximates how many periods she’s had in her life (187), which is around how many she estimates she has left until menopause. As she wads up some diaphanous toilet tissue, she considers the virtues of ditching her diaphragm for The Pill in order to permanently staunch her onerous monthly blood letting.

If and until she decides to get pregnant, at least. She stuffs the gauzy bundle into her underwear and frowns, batting away the ridiculous mental image of herself as a spherical skeptic, waddling after Mulder into some abject gloom.

She yanks up her petite-short slacks and wonders where he thinks babies come from.

When Mulder announces it’s lunch time as he stretches his brawny arms above his head — groaning with almost erotic satisfaction as his back cracks — she doesn’t protest.

She doesn’t say anything, actually. Just grabs her coat and follows him, yanking her leather gloves from the pockets of her trench as they ascend the stairs. They emerge side by side from the obscurity that’s become so familiar to her into the white-hot light of the bullpen.

He blows into his cupped hands as they step into the parking garage, nodding toward his car. Scully doesn’t object to this either, she just slides into the passenger seat and buckles in before he’s even put the key in the ignition.

She says nothing until he merges onto I-395.

“I thought we were going to lunch, Mulder?” She hadn’t meant to snivel, and the sound of it grinds through her skull like an ultrasonic bone saw.

“We are,” he says, revealing nothing but a few of his molars in a wide grin. He turns on the radio and taps his palms against the steering wheel in time to the beat.

Her indulgent smirk morphs into something more agog when she realizes he knows all the words to this U2 song. She actually hears herself laugh a moment later when she realizes that somehow — through osmotic means maybe —  so does she.

Johnny, take a dive with your sister in the rain

Let her talk about the things you can't explain

To touch is to heal, to hurt is to steal

If you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel.

She's the wave, she turns the tide

She sees the man inside the child

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright

She moves in mysterious ways

“Are you going to make me guess what X-File could possibly be lurking in the U.S. Navy Yard?” she quips, throwing him a look. He’s locking his car, so he doesn’t see it.

“We’re not here on business, Scully,” he says, giving his keys an exaggerated jangle before dropping them into the bottomless pocket of his ankle-length trench. She’d probably be up to her shoulder if she tried to retrieve them, she thinks.

“Mulder—” she starts, expecting him to interrupt her. When he doesn’t, and his hand hovers at the small of her back, she realizes she never intended to finish the sentence.

“I haven’t been here since I was a kid,” she blushes, knowing her voice is caked with nostalgia.

“I figured as much,” Mulder shrugs, “Your father was a Captain, right?”

She looks up to where he’s nodding toward a display of naval uniforms. The crisp whites make her throat ache. She can almost smell the bleach hanging in the air for weeks after her father went out to sea again. She’s still amazed her mother’s hands aren’t scarred from chemical burns.

“Yeah,” Scully breathes, unable to look away from the faceless mannequin wearing her father’s regalia, “Cruisers mostly, if memory serves. A littoral combat ship or two right before he retired. They were building them in San Diego. Still are, I think.”

“What are they? Destroyers?”

Scully lets her gaze fall away, gets her bearings in the museum’s atrium, “No, smaller. Faster. More versatile. The height of military engineering technology. They’re supposedly the future of the fleet.”

Mulder nods, but doesn’t respond. She looks up at him, thinking he’s probably bored out of his mind, only to discover he’s being pulled to the next room beneath an arch that reads Navigation.

She knows where this is going even without a compass.

“I guess those ships probably have more high-tech nav than this, huh Scully?”

When she’s beside him again, he’s looking up – as always, his eyes to the sky and neck craned such that she can practically feel the osteophyte complex forming in his cervical vertebrae.

“My father knew how to navigate by the stars,” she shrugs, “I imagine they still teach it at the Naval Academy as a back-up.”

“Right. The stars never short circuit,” he says, his head lolling down. He uses the momentum to stumble forward so he can squint into a glass case filled with sextants and astrolabes.

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” she says, folding her arms across her chest for no particular reason, “Stellar spectra overheat and explode all the time.”

“Supernovas ,” he says, straightening up, “The death of a star.”

She ducks her chin, a little chided. “I’m still getting used to regularly conversing with someone whose knowledge base rivals mine.”

“Supernovas are capable of outshining entire galaxies and producing more energy than the Sun ever will,” Mulder continues. He’s not looking at her, and she rationalizes that he hadn’t heard her response, “That brightness isn’t sustainable, though. They flare up brilliantly, then collapse in on themselves and die — quite literally the definition of burning out .”

She’s looking at him when he finally turns. He locks onto her gaze sooner than he expected to, and it’s clearly jarring. But they both hold steady, refusing to be the first to look away; neither willing to concede that they are the one bearing the strongest resemblance to the enervated cosmos.

Since they’re already late heading back to the Hoover building, Mulder figures they might as well grab lunch at a restaurant situated in the old boilermaker shops next to the Navy yard. He checks his watch as they slip into a corner booth, then orders a beer with his slipshod hamburger.

Scully raises an eyebrow and he just shrugs, pushing a julienned onion between his lips.

She incessantly prods her salad. When it doesn’t turn into something with more of a brine, she reaches over and steals a french fry from his plate. She expects  him to make a show of guarding the dish, but he doesn’t. He nudges it toward her without a word.

“Mulder,” she chews, “Can I ask a favor?”

He takes a long swill of beer and nods.

“I update my living will annually, and I’d like to file a copy with the Bureau. Would you be a witness when I have it notarized? I’ll probably do it later this week.” She steals another fry and stuffs it into her mouth, flicking the salt from her fingertips — though she would have rather licked them clean.

“Sure, Scully,” he says, reaching for the lopsided hamburger, “But only if you promise to leave me that Fiestaware relish tray collecting dust in your kitchen hutch.”

She pauses, her hand hovering over his plate, a few limp fries dangling from her greasy fingers. He smiles, plucking a fry from her hand which he proceeds to cram into his open mouth with the dexterity of a five-year-old.

“It’s your mother’s right?” He asks without waiting for her to answer, “My mother had the same one. The New England elite live for gaudy yet durable dinnerware.”

“I forgot you grew up there,” Scully lilts, reaching for her glass of ice water, which has begun to sweat, “That must be why naval history had you so enthralled. Have I unwittingly made the acquaintance of one of the Vineyard’s finest skippers?”

Mulder snorts, tipping his head back so he can toss the crispy butt-end of a fry into his gob, “A natural assumption — but an incorrect one. I was born with a congenital absence of sea legs. Whatever the gene is, mine’s defective.”

“Conditions of the cerebellar and vestibular systems do seem to have a strong genetic component,” she muses, “I’m guessing what you really mean is that you experience motion sickness.”

“Not motion sickness — seasickness. I don’t get carsick, I’m fine on airplanes, and I can go a round or two on the Tilt-a-Whirl — but the open sea I can’t stomach. Odd, seeing as how I was practically born in it.”

Scully’s eyebrow quirks and she wants to ask, but he’s got a mouthful of hamburger. She tucks it away as a story to be drawn from his marrow at another time. He swallows, and she forges ahead, resting her chin in her hand, “Are you a strong swimmer?”

He nods quickly in the affirmative with bright-eyed, boyish pride, “ Very .”

Scully hums behind her pursed lips, studying him a moment longer before she glances down at her wilted salad, “Maybe you’re afraid of it.”

Mulder chuckles into his napkin, clearing his throat before he bellows, “The sea, the snotgreen sea, the scrotumtightening sea.”

She feels her eyebrows knit together, pulled taut like a suture.

“It’s from Ulysses ,” he murmurs, reaching for his beer. He takes a swig and volleys back to her, “What about you, Scully? Can you sail a sloop or a yawl — or did you father only teach you to command frigates?”

“I can tack a sloop,” she says, doing a double-take when she registers he’s staring, “It’s just physics, Mulder. Maintaining the correct distance between the jib and the masthead allows for greater control of airflow, which increases the efficiency of the sails.”

He shakes his head lightly, then downs the last of his beer, “Geez, Scully: Sailboats, Supernovas. . .you got anything on Storsjoodjuret ?”

She smirks and shakes her head, reaching for the singular french fry left on his plate.

“Yeah, me neither,” he sighs wistfully, “I don’t speak Swedish.”

The afternoon slips through her hands like a rosary, and as he throws his car into park next to hers in the FBI parking garage, she realizes all that’s left to do is go home.

He says he’ll “handle” Skinner, but she has a feeling Skinner had been “handled” well before they’d set out on their little escapade.

“So,” he yawns, eyeing her hand as it lingers on the buckle of her seat belt — which she regrettably frees herself from, “Got any big plans tonight, Scully?”

She looks up at him, her eyes slow-blinking as though they are in tandem with the sigh she fails to suppress. Lying to him would be pointless for one, but beyond that she simply has no desire to tell him anything other than the fact-is truths.

“Not particularly,” she says, scrunching her little nose indifferently, “My mom’s still having a hard time, and the rest aren’t around here. My sister’s the closest — not just geographically but, y’know. . . ” she flicks her eyes up at him, half-shrugging as if to indicate a personal closeness that she assumes he understands.  It hits her almost immediately after she’s said the words, and she chokes:

Yeah. He did know.

Shit.

She winces and silently berates herself for being so tone deaf before loudly clearing her throat and rushing through a half-assed explanation of her own sister’s whereabouts — which are known, “She’s at some kind of retreat in upstate New York right now.”

Scully pouts, waving her hand about as though she’s trying to dispel the ghosts currently hovering above the gearshift — which she inadvertently summoned.

“You’re just gonna be alone?”

She stops fidgeting and looks at him, resolving herself to his pity, the myriad ways life’s heartaches play across his face like moonlight on deep water.

“It’s not a big deal, Mulder,” she mutters, but she doesn’t mean it.

But when he fails to offer anything to the contrary, just continues to look at her with his flushed high cheekbones, she intuits that he knows she’s making light. It occurs to her, when his hand brushes her knee as he rummages through the glove box for a tucked away bag of seeds, that a great deal of what’s understood between them has never been spoken.

She likes the way that feels.

Her apartment is pitch black when she gets home — winter afternoons parading as impatient nighttimes. She drops her keys in a small ceramic dish on a table by the door, and takes her time shrugging off her coat — feeling exposed without it when she finally relinquishes it to a hook. Her answering machine is blinking; an angry red eye. She doesn’t flip on a light, just hits the ‘play’ button and lets regret-filled voices fill the room as she escapes down the hall to her bedroom. Escaping guilt, sympathy — and the obligation to attempt conversation with a machine.

Dana, it’s Mom. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I know I always call but. . .I love you.

The next twenty seconds are just the sound of her mother crying, then a click over to the next message. As ever, the perk in her sister’s voice saves Scully from their mother’s muchness.

Missy has a habit of leaving messages without preamble, which Scully finds simultaneously endearing and vexing.

Did you know we take like 30,000 breaths a day? Yeah, you’re a doctor. Maybe you did know that. BUT! Did you know that most people actually breathe too shallowly to do themselves any good? I was in this workshop today with a free diver and he was teaching us how to breathe properly. I feel like I’ve lived my whole life without air before now — it’s incredible! You’d hate this place, Danie. That’s how I know it’s exactly where I’m meant to be right now. But I’m sorry that meant I couldn’t be there for your birthday. I know you don’t think 30 bears any significance, but. . .you’re still in your first Pinnacle cycle, you know. In numerology, remember? You’re a number 7: The Seeker, the searcher of truth. Intelligent but aloof. Analytical and melancholic. That sounds about right, doesn’t it? Oh! And your first 30-year period cycle is over. Your numerological period, I mean — not *that* period. But you’re on yours, aren’t you? I bet you are, because I just got mine. Anyway, I was going to look at your path number. Hold on, lemme grab a pen. Okay! So, your life path number is. . .9. Huh. Danie, you got plans to save the world I don’t know about? That’s usually what’s ascribed to life path 9-ers. But that’s a pretty alienated life path to go down. A kinda lonely one. And you’ll have to overcome a lot. . .but you have so much to give to the world. And I know you — you’ll endure. I gotta but but before I forget, remember: Pisces are ruled by their feet — so buy yourself some good shoes, okay?

The news drones quietly from the living as she scrubs the interior of her kitchen stove. She’s got thick rubber gloves on up to her elbows, and when she could no longer stand the acrid, chemical plume of EZ OFF, she’d rubber-banded a dishtowel over her nose and mouth.

She looks as pitiable as she feels; tears that burn the corners of her eyes, and she tells herself they’re from the emanating fumes — a likely story. One she wouldn’t have to explain to anyone, not even herself. She’s straining to hear the evening news anchor when, instead, she hears a knock at the door. Glancing at the stove clock as she stands and removes her Macgyvered PPE, she wonders if her mother’s guilt has propelled her across state lines.

Her still-gloved hands make her fumble with the chain on her door as she winks an eye closed to gaze through the peep hole.

Oh, help.

It occurs to her that she could just not open the door. That he’d turn away after another lingering moment, assuming perhaps that she’d gone out after all. It would be a much happier image to present him with than, say — the tableau of her kneeling before of her stove like a more fastidious Sylvia Plath. Her tangled mop of ruddy hair is all tied up under a faded bandanna she stole from her brother years ago, and she’s sporting an old coffee-stained academy tee shirt and a pair of Gitano jeans she hasn’t worn since college. Not to mention the soles of her bare feet are mottled with crumbs.

He looks sweetly perplexed when she opens the door, wiping her forearm across her forehead as she glowers up at him from her noticeably reduced vantage point.  

“We can do it —?” He asks, crooking his arm up at a 90 degree angle to his face — an immemorial nod to her get-up.

She takes a step back into her apartment, her grimey hands twitching against the heft of her front door. When she closes it, a little harder than is strictly necessary, she wonders if she’s hoping to keep something out — or in.

“Sorry I didn’t call first,” he says absently, his eyes having found her cleaning project, “I was, uh— just in the neighborhood.”

“Mulder, that line will never work on me,” she scoffs as she yanks off the gloves, “I know you live in Alexandria.”

He gives her a playfully hangdog glance over his shoulder. Her arms are firmly crossed, but she’s smiling. He shrugs, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. She thinks he’s being bashful until one hand comes out again, holding a small, carelessly wrapped parcel.

“I meant to give you this earlier. . .” he says, jutting his hand toward her. She doesn’t take a step closer, unsure of herself. He waggles his eyebrows at her, then tosses it. She lets out a small yip, her hands flaring open to catch it. As she does, she manages to awkwardly slap it against her chest.

It’s practically weightless, whatever it is. She thinks of Missy on her answering machine prattling on about respiration. She wonders if Mulder has gifted her a literal breath of fresh air, wrapped in what might be the remnants of a brown paper bag.

She looks up at him: hunched shoulders shrouded by a leather jacket she imagines smells as good as it looks, a well-fitting pair of jeans with a back pocket that keeps the shape of his wallet even when it’s empty. Not that she’s been looking at his ass.

He’s washed his hair, she notes. It’s a little spiky in the back where his head was pressed against the carseat on his way here. He’s grinning at her expectantly, and she realizes that she hasn’t even moved to unfurl her arms from her chest.

She reaches a clumsy hand up to purloin the gift from where it’s nestled between her breasts, which are at present pushed up by her forearms. She realizes that she’s still wearing her black bra under this white tee shirt, and her face goes scarlet.

“It’s nothing fancy,” he qualifies, running a hand along his jaw, trying to alleviate her discomposure, which he’s misattributed to his present. She’s feeling a little too seen, a little caught out. His presence is almost intrusive, but only because he’s been standing in her foyer, unmoving, as though he doesn’t belong here. She never has been a good host.

“ Siddown , Mulder,” she grunts on her way by him, headed for the kitchen. She flops unceremoniously down in a chair at the table, her legs folded beneath her, and gently places the diminutive parcel on the tabletop. He lobs himself into the chair next to her, one arm settled over the back of it. He’s chewing on the skin of his thumb.

“Want coffee?” She asks, her eyebrow twitching in question.

“Are you stalling?” He grins, his teeth clicking audibly against his thumb nail.

“No,” she says coolly, smiling a little too forcefully, “Just trying to be polite.”

“Sure, Scully,” he says, “I’ll make it. You open that.”

“But Mulder –”

He’s already at the counter, having leapt up as though spring-loaded, “You’ve got a nicer coffee maker than I do. Stainless steel. Mine’s plastic and it burns the grind so bad it tastes like cigarettes,” he turns to her as he opens a canister of grounds, “Which I, for one, am accustomed to. It seems to be the Flavor of the Week at the vast majority of America’s diners.”

She gives him a sympathetic nod, poking the small box with her pinky, “Many people find the pairing desirable.”

When he gets the lid off, he gives her an appreciative smile as he realizes the little measuring spoon is still there, buried in caffeinated dirt, “Why do coffee and cigarettes go so well together, Scully? There must be a scientific explanation for that.”

“Well, individually the flavor profiles are quite bitter, but when combined they create something smoother, more readily palatable. At a neurochemical level, both caffeine and nicotine are secondary stimulants, but nicotine in particular acts on acetylcholine receptors and promotes the release of dopamine, which can have a calming or sedating effect.” She remembers the irony of smoking in med school, how cadavers full of black lung gave her cravings, “Of course, both are also highly addictive and have extremely unpleasant withdrawal periods.”

He’s rifling through her kitchen cabinets, “Got enough mugs, Scully?”

“They came as a set,” she defends, picking up his tiny gift. She feels like fucking with him, asking him what it’s for — what the day was for. What it’s all for. He must sense her hesitation, because she hears him suck in a breath, the air whistling across his teeth. He doesn’t exhale, just holds it in. Waiting.

“You didn’t have to do this. . .” she says — and what does she mean, really? He didn’t have to take her to lunch? To the salt-encrusted Navy Yard? That he didn’t have to come here because he knew she was alone and too proud to admit so much as a whiff of disappointment? That he didn’t have to show up bearing a literal pocket-sized boon?

He sets two ceramic mugs down on her counter and turns toward her blithely. If he’s planning to call her bluff, he’s doing a damn fine job of playing it cool.

“I know I didn’t. I’m just hoping you don’t think size matters.”

She purses her lips tight around a smile and doesn’t dignify him with a response. He can see the laughter in her eyes, and it satiates him for the moment. She lowers her gaze back to the table; to his wee offering. She feels a sadness bearing down on her now that she’s somehow wrinkled the nice little unspoken understanding they had going. She’s suddenly deeply offended by herself. Always so skilled at ruining things. She can mend someone else’s errors and screw-ups, but her own are tucked up in the corner of her sock drawer like little mistake-filled mothballs.

The oddly specific and presently deafening sound of unwrapping fills the room until the coffee maker bleeps, and he turns to tend to it. He doesn’t see the way her face contorts into a heartened smile, her damp eyes sparkling under the glow of old lightbulbs. As she takes the lid off a scuffed up box, she makes a tiny sound but her throat catches it.

“ Mulder. . . ” she squeaks, his name barely more than a whisper.

“I wish I had a story to impress you with,” he says, his back still turned to her, “Y’know, something like cashing checks at every bank in the metro area until I got one, or going straight to the Mint and demanding one. . . ” he turns, nodding toward the glistening penny in her palm, “Would you believe it just happened to be in the little ashtray on my dresser where I toss loose change?

She runs the pad of her finger over the coin’s face — 1964.

“You don’t even have to chide me about spending money on ya, Scully,” he says, picking up his mug, “Only cost me a cent.”

“It’s very clever, Mulder. Thank you.” She says, turning her palm so the penny slides from her hand back into its little box.

“And now,” he says, leaning in conspiratorially, “The next time we’ve been in the car for an indeterminate length of time, headed straight into the heart of East Bumfuck , and you haven’t said a word in hours —” he taps his finger lightly on the box, “I can say ‘Penny for your thoughts, Scully?’ — and we’ll both know that I have paid in advance.”

He sits back, smiling over the rim of his coffee mug, clearly pleased with himself. He’s been working on that line all day at least, and she finds it endearing and vexing — like Missy’s answering machine etiquette.

Number 7: The Seeker. The searcher of truth.

Mulder and Missy would get along, she thinks, tipping her head as she drinks in the sight of him for a moment before reaching for her coffee instead.  

They sip in companionable silence, the night gone still around them. Her kitchen is comfortably warm from the degreasing stove, and he presses his mug against his stubbled cheek with a contented sigh.

She realizes all at once — the way you fall asleep or in love — that she doesn’t know when his birthday is.

[imagineredwood]

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5    Part 6    Part 7    Part 8   Part 9

Pairing: EZ Reyes x Camila 

Warnings: None 

Word count: 2.6k

“Pop, your groceries are here.”

EZ laughed at Angel’s comment as they both looked at Camila walking through the front door of the carniceria. Felipe came out from the back and joined his sons as they grabbed the bags from her hands and placed them down onto the counter. Angel started filing through the bag’s contents, picking up a nectarine and biting into it, chewing loudly as he continued looking through everything in the bags. Felipe shook his head at his oldest son, smiling then at his youngest as he and Camila locked eyes. He could see the look they shared, that look of young love with still a hint of shyness, EZ pulling her into a hug. He pressed a kiss into her nose, his lips lingering for a moment before he pulled away, Angel now being the one to pull her in softly, landing a brotherly pat to the top of her head before purposefully messing up her hair a bit. She chuckled and pushed his hand away, raking her fingers through her hair to put it back in place before she looked at Felipe, leaning over to give him a hug and a kiss. 

“It’s been pretty sunny lately, not many clouds, so everything grew like weeds these last couple of weeks. I also bought a new fertilizer so that’s helping too. I brought more than usual because it was overflowing in the garden and I can’t use all of this myself. Not before things start going bad at least.”

She pushed the bag on the right towards Felipe and then turned towards Angel and EZ, motioning to the second bag.

“I brought more because I figured maybe you could give some to your brothers. I’ve got tomatoes, peaches, peppers, limes. Maybe some of the guys could take them home? You could keep the limes at the clubhouse at the bar, use them for when you do shots?”

Angel smiled as he looked at Camila, her rambling starting up as it always did whenever she was unsure. Patting the bag, Angel nodded and gave Camila a warm smile.

“They’ll love it. Especially Tranq and Taza. They love fresh produce. And we can always use the limes at the clubhouse.”

Camila nodded then, relief clear in her smile.

“Well, that’s good.”

Both Mayans smiled as well, pleased with how easily she had accepted that part of them, the part many didn’t understand and would shy away from because of it. Sure, if she knew the truth about what they really did, if she knew about the tunnels and the murder, the trafficking and the cartel, she may not extend herself as readily, a conversation EZ and Angel had together this morning over a cup of coffee. As things were, she didn’t know about any of that yet and the brothers had agreed that was for the best, happy to have her simply feel safe in the presence of the men in kuttes.

Felipe grabbed his bag and began looking through it, smiling as he saw Camila had brought everything, she had said she would, and then some. There was a bit of silence that fell over the group then and Camila stood unsure of herself, hands folded in front of her as she chewed her lip, blurting out her question before she lost the nerve.

“Would you guys like to come over for dinner? I thought maybe I could cook and have you over.”

She never wanted to seem pushy, or like she was forcing herself on them because she and EZ were together. The question had been floating around her mind even before she and EZ had decided to make things official between them, simply wanting to repay the family with the kindness that they had shown her. Them finally being a couple only made it a little easier to ask.

Angel, of course, nodded rather quickly, eager to try some of her cooking while Felipe gave a soft smile first, followed by one single nod.

“That would be nice, Camila.”

The brunette beamed and looked up at EZ, eyes twinkling as she took his hand in hers, her other hand wrapped around his wrist and holding his arm.

“Tonight? Would that be ok?”

All three men nodded, and Camila nodded along with them.

“Tonight, it is.”

Angel finished off the nectarine and then tossed the pit into the trashcan over in the corner before turning back around and picking up the bag of produce, eyebrows raised as he passed Camila and headed towards the door.

“That shit was good. Let’s go drop these off.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them arrived at the clubhouse together, Camila parking to the side as EZ and Angel backed their bikes up. Camila got out and opened her trunk while the boys removed their helmets and made their way over to her. She reached down to grab the bag but EZ gently pushed her to the side, grabbing the bulky bag himself and giving her a smile.

“I got it, Cam.”

Camila closed the trunk behind him and locked her car, walking up towards the clubhouse with the duo. Angel walked in first, holding the door open for them and they stepped inside. Tranq and Taza sat at the bar with Coco, Bishop nowhere in sight. The men looked up as they walked in and smiled warmly, Coco watching Camila and EZ intently. Camila returned their smile and nervously tucked some of her hair behind her right ear, walking up with the brothers to the bar where the seasoned members sat. Angel could see she was nervous, still not all that familiar with the men as she was with him and Coco, so he spoke up for her as he placed the bag down.

“She brought some stuff from her garden for us. All fresh.”

Both Taza and Tranq stood then, looking down into the bag and pulling items out, placing them down onto the bar. Taza looked back at Camila with a light smile.

“You grew all this?”

Camila nodded, feeling proud of her hard work.

“Yes, sir.”

The older Mayan chuckled and shook his head at her, his smile widening.

“No need for formalities, nena.”

She laughed along with him, Tranq now looking back at her with a genuine fatherly smile.

“These are beautiful. Bishop will love the peppers.”

The two continued emptying the bag as Coco stood and walked over to them, leaning over to press a kiss to Camila’s cheek before coming to stand beside EZ, pushing his elbow into his roughly as he brought his cigarette up to his lips and took a drag. He spoke quietly with a smirk, so only EZ could hear.

“So, you finally got some balls and asked her to be your girl huh, boy scout?”

EZ looked down to hide his smile and then looked back up, nodding and gripping the side of his kutte.

“Yeah. I did.”

Coco nodded then, placing his hand on the back of EZ’s head and pushing it forward playfully. Camila looked back at them and smiled, loving to see all of them interacting, happy and full of love. EZ and Coco continued to laugh amongst themselves, EZ looking forward and catching Camila watching them with a grin. He returned it and she turned back towards the bar, answering Taza’s questions about how she kept the bugs from eating the cilantro leaves.

Hearing the conversations, Bishop walked out of El Templo and up to the bar, returning Camila’s shy wave as she saw him.

“Hola, querida.”

“Hola.”

He looked down at the assortment of produce scattered across the bar top with an arched brow, Tranq turning towards him and handing him two shiny bell peppers, one yellow and one red.

“The kid brought these from her garden.”

Bishop took the peppers from Tranq, squeezing them gently and feeling the tight skin and how firm the vegetable was.

“This is all yours?”

Camilla nodded then quickly followed up.

“Yeah. Well I mean I grew it all, but I brought it for you guys. I don’t need that much for just me. I just wanted to share it.”

Bishop nodded and reached over to place a friendly hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly.

“Thank you, Camila. Are you sticking around?”

She pouted and gave her head a shake, motioning toward EZ who came up and wrapped his left arm around her waist, hand resting on her hip.

“Not today. Next time. I gotta get home, I’m making dinner for these two and their dad tonight.”

Bishop nodded, looking at them as Angel came up as well, tossing his arms lazily over both Camila and EZ’s shoulders, teeth full-on display with his grin, eyes wide and excited.

“She’s making chiles rellenos.”

“Didn’t you almost burn the house down once making those?”

“Man, shut up.”

The crew laughed as Coco poked fun, Angel shaking his head and starting to maneuver Camila and EZ out of the clubhouse. He called out over his shoulder as they exited.

“And it was Chilaquiles that I fucked up.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Smells fucking good in here, Cam.”

She smiled as she heard Angel’s voice, him walking into her kitchen with a beer in hand and coming to stand beside her at the stove.

“The rice is almost done. We’ll be eating in less than 10 minutes.”

He looked over her shoulder as she turned the white rice over in its pot, the smell of lime juice ever-present in the air as she did.

“Can’t wait.”

He walked away for a moment, his nose leading him to the toaster oven in the corner of the counter. He leaned down slightly and looked inside, his mouth practically watering at the sight of the stuffed poblanos, the queso bubbling up as it browned. He turned away and went back to stand next to Camila.

“You don’t mind if I’m in here, do you?”

Camila looked over at him with a perplexed look, giving a confused laugh.

“Why would I mind you being in here? I told you that you’re welcome in my house anytime.”

Angel shook his head and then turned, leaning over and resting his crossed arms on the counter, training his eyes on the pot of rice.

“I meant here in the kitchen. My mom used to hate having me around when she would cook. Probably because my ass was always fucking something up.”

He laughed but Camila could hear the edge in it. Shaking her head, she reached over and gently rested her hand on his forearm. When he looked over at her finally, she offered him a smile.

“Well, I don’t mind. You’re welcome in my house, and in my kitchen whenever you’d like, Angel.”

He said nothing in return for a while, just nodded.

“Thanks, Chiquita.”

That was enough for Camila and she patted his shoulder, pushing him softly.

“Can you get some plates out for me?”

She removed the pot from the stove and put it on the metal rack on the counter, spooning the rice out of it and into a separate bowl as Angel put down his beer and began pulling plates out of the white cabinet. She grabbed the bowl with cilantro and more lime juice, pouring it into the rice and beginning to stir together as Angel placed the four plates down onto the countertop. She began to serve the rice onto the plates and motioned towards the living room.

“You can go get your dad and brother, have them go to the table.”

Angel swallowed down the rest of his beer and headed over into Camila’s living room, Felipe and EZ sitting down on the couch together. They looked up at him as he came out and he pointed behind himself with a thumb.

“Dinner’s done.”

The two of them made their way over to the dinner table and Angel started to as well, Camila’s voice stopping him.

“Angel,”

He looked over at her and found her facing him with two plates and a warm smile.

“Help me set the table?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camila smiled, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie as she watched Angel and Felipe head toward the front door.

“Thank you for coming, Felipe.”

“Thank you for having us, mija.”

Angel opened the door and stepped aside, letting Felipe walk through first, the older man thanking Camila for the dinner once more before making his way towards his truck. Angel turned and wrapped one arm around Camila’s shoulders, pulling her in and kissing her on the top of the head before letting her go and bumping his fist with EZ’s. He threw one more glance at Camila as he started walking out of the house.

“Thanks.”

She nodded and EZ looked between them, a solace coming over him knowing that Angel approved and liked her. As the door closed, EZ turned to face her, closing the distance between them with a few small steps before he was circling his arms around her, hands pressing flat against her back and pulling her into him. She pulled her hands out of her hoodie and raised them, taking EZ’s face into her hands. They stayed there, looking at each other quietly, the rumble of Angel’s Harley starting up outside while she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his right cheek, then his left, then his chin. He laughed when she pushed up high on her tippy toes, her hands pulling his face down some so she could kiss his forehead. She relaxed until she was flat-footed again but kept her hands on his face, her eyes still locked with his as he leaned down, finally feeling her lips against his. The kiss was slow, almost as if they had paused, pulling away slowly but their lips still touching, lingering, before he was pressing forward again, her meeting him halfway. They kissed again and again, his grip on her back getting tighter, her fingers holding his jaw a bit firmer until he was leaning forward, her back arched backward slightly as he pulled her body flush against his, feeling as if he couldn’t get her close enough. She giggled into his mouth, their smiles mirroring each other’s as they pulled away.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Camila laughed bashfully, looking down and trying to hide her face in his chest. He let her for a moment before he hooked his fingers under her chin and pulled her face up again.

“You are.”

Camila looked up at him before pressing a kiss to the center of his chest against his sternum.

“Thank you, Ezekiel. So are you.”

The Mayan laughed and released his iron grip on her, allowing her to pull back some.

“Me halagas.”

She shrugged and tapped her index finger against his cheek.

“It’s true.”

The grinned at each other and began to pull each other in for another kiss when EZ’s phone went off.

He groaned and she laughed, pulling away to let him pull his phone from his kutte. Angel’s name was on the screen and he answered the call.

“What do you want? You just left here.”

“Sorry prospect. Bishop wants us down here for a job.”

EZ allowed his eyes to slip closed, annoyance creeping up on him. All he wanted to do was stay there with Camila, hold her and kiss her and spend time with her, not be out burying bodies or whatever he was going to have to do tonight. He just wanted to be with her, enjoying the sound of her laugh and watching movies but as usual, life seemed to have a sense of humor. Letting out a sigh, he reached out, holding onto her cheek with one hand, running his thumb over her lips and holding the phone with is other.

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.” 

Taglist:  @caramara3  @lostgirl219

[imagineredwood]

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7   Part 8   

Pairing: Ez Reyes x Camila

Warnings: None

Word count: 2.3k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Relax, Ezekiel.”

Felipe’s voice was low as he spoke to his son, watching as he paced around the front of the shop.

“He promised. He said he would leave her out of it.”

Felipe sighed and shook his head, resting his hands on his knees as he took a seat at the small table.

“He’s an agent, Ezekiel. He’s building a case. He’ll say whatever he has to say to talk you down. Camila is new and he doesn’t know who she is or what she means to you yet. Anything that will give him more ammo for the case, he’s going to use it. He’s already seen how protective you are over her. She’s leverage.”

EZ said nothing, folding his hands together on top of his head and blowing out a harsh breath. Felipe patted the tabletop, motioning for EZ to join him and he did, heavily plopping himself down next to his father. Neither of them spoke for a moment, Felipe trying to figure out if he should say what he was thinking. He battled for a while, torn between keeping his mouth shut and letting his youngest figure things out on his own or giving advice and risking it possibly going wrong because of him. He struggled some more before shaking his head and softly leaning to push his shoulder into his son’s, drawing his attention.

“Remember what I said that day about you having to choose? About how once the two of you got together, there was going to be a time where you were going to have to figure out how much truth you were going to tell her?”

EZ looked at his father with worried eyes, brows knitted in concern as he nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Well now is the time. She already knows something’s up. She knows we’re keeping things from her. She’s not the type of woman to push and be nosey, but she isn’t the type to sit around in the dark either. There’s going to come a point where she’s going to start asking questions and you better be ready for it. You just need to figure out if your answers will be lies or the truth. Just know…once you start a relationship with lies, you can’t come back from that. Trust me, mijo.”

Felipe looked down then, the tiles of the carniceria suddenly becoming very interesting and the apprehension on EZ’s face only grew.

“I can’t tell her everything.”

“I didn’t say that. I just said you need to give her answers. This whole thing with the MC and the DEA, its messy, and having someone hanging in the balance that doesn’t know what’s going on will only make it messier. You and Camila need to sit down and have a talk. Feel her out. Just be careful what you say. The two of you are still new.”

EZ shook his head as he listened to his father’s words.

“She won’t rat me out. She may not want to deal with it but she’s not like that.”

Felipe looked his son in the eyes for a stretch before nodding.

“I hope you’re right, son.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camila yawned as she stretched, placing her empty coffee mug into the sink. The sun was out but there was an overcast, dark grey clouds scattered across the sky and she knew she better go and check for mail before the rain came down. Walking toward the front door, she smiled at the largest picture on the shelf.

“Hola, Abuelita.”

Pulling open the door and stepping outside, she took a deep breath of the fresh air before grumbling at the blistering heat that they were getting. As she walked further out of the entranceway of the house, she could hear the sound of children laughing, high-pitched and full of joy and the sound brought a smile to her face. Once she was on the driveway, she looked over next door to see Eddy and Esperanza playing on a water slide on the front lawn, the siblings pushing and splashing each other. Camila got her mail and headed back up the driveway as she looked over and saw Elisa sitting on the porch as usual when the kids were out there. She smiled and waved as she locked eyes with Camila.

“Buenos días, Camila.”

“Buenos días, Señora. How’ve you been?”

The woman shrugged and gave a small laugh, motioning to the children.

“Hot. The kids wanted to use the new slide before it rained.”

Camila nodded in understanding, looking back up at the sky again.

“Viene pronto.”

Both women continued to look up at the sky, a bright bolt of lightning splitting and all four of them jumping at the loud crack that sounded shortly after. Elisa quickly stood and motioned for the kids to start cleaning up and heading inside. While they did, Elisa looked back over at Camila.

“Y tu novio?”

Camila paused for a moment before she chuckled and pushed some of her hair behind her ear, not having thought that anyone would have noticed her and EZ were seeing each other. The more she thought of it though, EZ coming by on the Harley wasn’t exactly subtle. He’d been by a couple times this past week, helping her plant other trees and apparently, Elisa had noticed the pattern.

“He’s good.”

“Felipe’s boy, right?”

Camila nodded, feeling a small drop of rain hit her arm.

“Yeah. The youngest.”

Elisa waggled her eyebrows and Camila threw her head back in a laugh, more raindrops starting to fall as the kids gathered up their toys and started to head back up onto the porch by their mother.

“Maybe the two of you can come over for dinner one day? Give me and the kids company.”

Camila smiled warmly and flinched as the rain started to pour down now, running up onto her own porch to get shelter from the weather, yelling over the pouring rain.

“That would be nice! Just let me know!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camila’s eyes slowly drifted open as her phone rang. She lifted her head up slightly and looked over at her phone resting on the coffee table, Angel’s name popping up on her screen. She sat up from the couch and answered with a groggy voice, her eyes heavy.  

“Hey, Angel.”

“Hey, Camila. How’s it going?”

The brunette stretched and gave a yawn as Angel chuckled on his side of the phone.

“Just enjoying a nice mid-Saturday nap. You?”

“I wish, I’m stuck here at the clubhouse. Do me a favor, when you guys finish up your nap, send my brother on over here. I need him for something. I’ve been calling, I guess now I know why he hasn’t answered, since you two were too busy ‘napping’.”

Camila heard the tone in his voice, the way that he said napping and she could practically visualize his smirk in her head. She may have even laughed and thrown a snark remark back at him if she wasn’t completely confused.

“EZ isn’t here, Angel.”

There was a pause on Angel’s side and Camila stood quiet too.

“He’s not with you?”

Camila shook her head even though he couldn’t see then spoke up.

“No, Angel. Sorry. Maybe try the shop?”

“Oh, ok. Yeah, I’ll try there.”

There wasn’t a smirk or smile that could be heard in Angel’s voice now and Camila swallowed quietly, hoping she hadn’t thrown EZ under the bus by telling the truth if he had used her as an excuse not to be somewhere. The thought did cross her mind to backtrack, but it was already too late and the last thing she wanted to be was lie to Angel when he had been nothing but kind to her.

“Let me know if you can’t get a hold of him.”

“Yeah ok. Sorry for waking you up.”

Camila smiled softly.

“Don’t worry about it, Angel. Have a good day.”

Camila ended the call and laid back down, planning on continuing her nap, but as she laid there, she couldn’t help but think about EZ and where he was. Angel had made it sound as if he had said he was going to be with her, which was a lie. It didn’t really make sense to her, but she also could’ve just been reading into it too much like she had a habit of doing. She stayed laying down for a couple minutes more before she cursed and sat back up, grabbing her phone and calling EZ. He picked up on the third ring and Camila gave a sigh of relief, thankful that he wasn’t hurt.

“Hey, babe.”

It called Camila off guard for a moment, being the first time he had called her that. She smiled and looked down at her lap, trying to push down the joyful feeling his words gave her and remember why she was calling.

“Hey, listen, Angel just called looking for you. He said he had been calling you, but you didn’t answer. He thought you were with me, I told him no.”

Camila left it at that.

“I’m…I’m with Pops. I had left my phone with the bike. I’ll call him up now.”

“Ok. I just wanted to make sure you’re ok.”

EZ smiled on his end and ran a hand over his face.

“I’m fine baby. Is it ok if I stop by later this evening? I just wanted to talk.”

The jovial vibe left Camila and she swallowed.

“Is everything ok?”

“Everything is fine. I promise. I just need to talk with you about Kevin. Dad told me about what happened.”

Now it was Camila’s turn to sound unsure.

“Oh. Ok. I’ll be here. Do you want me to cook dinner or?”

“No, it’ll be quick.”

“Ok, I’ll see you then.”

The two finished up their call and Camila placed her phone back down onto the coffee table before standing up to clean up some before EZ got there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camila walked into the living room with a plate of conchas and placed them down onto the coffee table in front of EZ. She stood there in front of him not really knowing what to do or what type of conversation this was going to be. EZ simply smiled softly, motioning for her to come and sit beside him.

“Come here.”

She took a seat to his right and pulled her legs up onto the couch, tucking them behind her as he tossed an arm around her and pulled her into his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder and he ran his fingers up and down her arm, letting his eyes close, just enjoying the moment. They must’ve sat there 5 minutes in pure silence enjoying the intimacy before EZ began to speak.

“I wanted to talk to you about Kevin. Pops told me that he showed up at the bookstore asking for you.”

Camila nodded and tilted her head some, looking up at him. EZ shifted his gaze down to her, moving his hand up from her arm to her head, running his fingers through her hair as he looked into her eyes.

“I’m sorry about him. He’s…my cousin. We’re not close though. We never have been. Angel is the only one that has memories of us as kids, barely. I don’t remember him at all from then. We’re blood, but we’re not family. He’s not a good guy. We don’t trust him. Don’t trust him either.”

He could see the worry in her eyes, and he used his fingers to tuck the dark locks behind her ear.

“Don’t worry, baby. He’s not dangerous. He’s just…he has no loyalty. He’s a cop that’s on his way out and he will do anything to make himself look better for the big dogs to keep his job, even if it means trying to make me look bad and get me locked up again.”

It wasn’t a lie, what he said. It was only half of the truth though, and he felt bad for doing it, but he knew he needed to make sure that Camila didn’t trust him or let him in, not even a little bit. He would tell her more in time, explain things to her and bring her in slowly, but he still wanted to keep her enough out of the loop that no one could ever pin anything on her, be it the club or the Feds.

EZ leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, loving the smile that came to her face immediately.

“You don’t have anything to worry about. I just wanted you to know. Pops told me you were nervous about it.”

Camila nodded, using the index finger on the hand that was resting atop his chest to draw light circles.

“He just creeped me out. The way he knew my name when I hadn’t told him, how uncomfortable your dad looked. I just felt like he was off, but I didn’t know for sure. Now I know.”

She smiled at EZ and pressed her lips to his cheek, patting his chest as she started to sit up some.

“Thanks for telling me the truth.”

EZ nodded and smiled, but he felt a bubble of guilt deep down. He wished he could tell her the complete truth. Have her know everything, be able to unleash every secret he had and be totally open with her, nothing left hidden, but he knew that just wasn’t an option at this point. They were still too new for him to know if he could truly trust her one hundred percent, and while he felt like he could, it wasn’t just him that would go down if he was wrong. So for now, he would keep his secrets under wraps.

“You’re welcome, Cam.”

She smiled brightly and reached over onto the plate, grabbing a concha and handing it to him.

“Eat one before you go.”  

He took the concha from her hand and settled back into the couch, looking at the tv show that she had paused on the TV and pulling her into him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Taglist: @caramara3