hernando-valdez

[hernando-valdez]

"I mean considering how my life is going right now I think I probably have too much time to think about the weather," he admitted but he wasn't sure that would make sense unless she could read his mind. "But no, I didn't come to talk about that," he told her and motioned for them to sit at a nearby bench. He was still healing and he didn't want to stand for too long. "Look I'm not gonna bullshit you. I know I'm not anyone's role model or model citizen these days but I want a chance at a life." He turned to her, wanting her to know it wasn't really for selfish reasons. " I got two sisters and a niece who need me to not be dead or in prison. And I'm not gonna fuck that up. I've fucked up a lot. So I'm asking you, if you can help me and I will help you. I got rid of a growing problem, believe me. But I know the police like to have something to show for it so tell me what you need and I'll give you who I can. What I know. I'll be as helpful as I can if you can help me get home to my family."

Being in her line of work, it was hard not to know when shit hit the fan, especially when it came to businesses around town. When First & Vine had been vandalized and the owner had been outed as being part of the criminal underbelly, she found her first instinct hadn't been to judge him but instead a feeling of concern. She'd met him through Tony since the two were acquainted, and though they'd never developed a true friendship, she'd greet him when she saw him around town. That was the only reason she was willing to meet with him when she'd gotten his message, and why she was getting out of her car in their remote meeting spot without having her weapon by her side like her instincts yelled at her to do. "It certainly is," she replied, glancing up briefly at the blue sky, "though I don't think you wanted to meet to talk about the weather, considering your current situation."

[hernando-valdez]

Hernando was struggling. It was clear to anyone who knew him and yet he was trying. Everything had happened so fast, Amsterdam, his conversation with Nadia, his moving back into his house and trying to actually go out in public. The latter part wasn't doing so well, especially considering his day job was non existent at the moment. He didn't know that he could ever re-open the shop again, not only because of the damage but because no matter how much he patched up or painted, it would always remind him of that time. Her voice startled him and he almost dropped the ice coffee in his hands. He hadn't realized how long he was staring at the display. At first he thought he would have done it differently and then he started to like it, enough to get lost in his thoughts at least like he was staring at a piece of art in a museum. "Yeah I was uh, on vacation," he joked but didn't laugh too hard at it. "Missed the coffee though," he told her honestly and held up his cup, trying to actually make an effort. "Your display it's...it's very nice. I like the colors you picked, I don't think I would have put these together this way. It's very creative." He hoped he wasn't sounding condescending because he meant his words. "How long you been open?"

with: @hernando-valdez where: downtown

With her camera in hand she was busying herself taking pictures of the flower display she had set up outside of Fae's, this was her trying to collect different content for her shop's socials, wanting something different to spice up her grid. As several people came walking past she moved out the way a little, offering a smile as she did so, her eyes then taking in the busy street before her - it was nice to see, especially considering everything the town seemed to go through. It was then her eyes met another's, one who she knew of and yet didn't know well at all. Unless she were to listen to gossip and judge him by the vandalism of his own florist that was still shut down. "Haven't seen you for a while, glad to be back?" she asked in attempts to be polite, she knew Hernando probably had no idea who she was and still, with her customer service face on she didn't mind starting that conversation.

[hernando-valdez]

Hernando wasn't usually an anxious person but as soon as his car had crossed back within the Tonopah Valley town limits he had felt like his heart was pounding. It was hard for him to believe he could have a life here after the past two months but this is where his family was, where the people he loved were and he was going to do anything to be near them again. Including something he would never have done with his heart entrenched in the work of Los Santos. It was hard to believe things had shifted as it had. That he was free in a way, no longer under the control of someone who threatened everything he wanted in life. He was of course still looking over his shoulder and he had been sleeping like shit but he was hopeful. For the first time in a really long time he was hopeful. Still, his heartbeat felt like it didn't slow as he pulled into the parking lot of the spot the Detective had told him to meet her at. He took a deep breath as he got out of the car and saw her do the same. "Detective Zahedah," he said with a nod, having only reached out to her because they had met through Tony once upon a time. "Beautiful day we're having here, huh?" @nadiazahedah

[hernando-valdez]

Josh Segarra as Manny

ABBOTT ELEMENTARY

3x03 - GREGORY'S GARDEN GOOFBALLS

[hernando-valdez]

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," he told her softly, wrapping his arms around her tightly. They had been a moment where he was sure he wouldn't see her again so the fact that he was even there was hitting him hard. He laughed at the slap on his arm and teared up right with her. "Well now we can all go together." It wasn't lost on him that she was alone and it broke his heart, not entirely sure what had happened while he was gone. He finally pulled away and looked at her. "Mikki's not here. And neither are her homemade cards." He moved to take a seat, sure he was gonna need it. "What's going on?"

Like most of her time these days, Penny had been working at the B&B, trying to get little things done here and there before she went to visit Nando's mom later that evening. With Will out of town and Mikayla still not having reached out, she hadn't been expecting much else to happen today, so hearing Nando's voice immediately pulled her away from what she was doing, mouth falling open in astonishment. "Dios mio," she breathed out, running over to close the space between them and throwing her arms around him in the tightest hug she could manage. "Where have you been?! I've been worried sick and-- you can't just text me something like that and disappear, Nando. I'm not that young anymore, you could've given me a heart attack," she chastised in rapid Spanish. She slapped his arm then pulled him in again for another embrace to hide the fact she had started tearing up. "I was already planning to see her tonight. Last thing I wanted was for her to spend today on her own."

[hernando-valdez]

"God I would kill for Gold Dust pancakes right now." He paused then laughed. "Pun intended." He looked at Chase now that he was patched up and then looked back down at himself. "Think we might be getting too old for this shit or what?" For a moment Hernando thought about a younger version of them that would go party after a job. It seemed like a different life, a whole different body. "I feel like we've done enough boat rides for right now. They probably have people out on the water. Train we gotta get through security. Maybe we should find a car to drive further out. See if we can find a train that's stopping at one of those countryside stations you know? Get out of the city." It would be easy enough to hotwire one and it was early enough that it would take a good amount of time for someone to report it missing. "You're driving though. I fucking hate driving on the other side of the road."

Chase had gotten better at stitching himself up over the years, but that didn't mean it wasn't still painful. He clamped down on the hard plastic between his teeth as he finished lacing the thread through the end of his bullet wound, snipping it and tying it off. "You're always hungry," Chase remarked as he pulled the piece from his mouth, tossing it to the side of the sink and rinsing the blood from his hands. Food had been one of the last things on his mind, but he knew he should eat before they get too sidetracked with finding their ride home. "Yeah, alright. I'm sure we can find somewhere that sells 'em, but I doubt they'll be like the ones we get back home. Y'know those big fluffy stacks you get at Gold Dust? The sooner we get home, the better." He stepped out of the bathroom once he was sure the blood was cleaned up, grimacing as he pulled his shirt on over his head. "What're we thinkin'? Boat? Train to somewhere?"

[hernando-valdez]

"Yeah but fuck him, just the scene of Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu alone is worth it. Everyone has to see it once in their life, I promise you." He let out a soft laugh in response to the question because it definitely wasn't the first time. He hoped though, that after he finished things there wouldn't be many more times. He was tired and getting older. What kind of life was this long term, really? It was surprising he had even lived this far. "Eh we all have our whiny bitch moments. It's what makes us human. And I appreciate that but I don't know if I'll be selling any flowers any time soon," he admitted. He pushed himself to his feet and took a deep breath. He looked at Ian for a moment before reaching out for his shoulders so he could pull him in for a tight hug. He patted his back lightly and held it for a moment. "I love you, man. Don't ever forget that, okay?" He wasn't trying to be dramatic but so much seemed uncertain and he wanted Ian to know that he really did care. That no matter what he was really his best friend and Hernando was deeply grateful for that. He pulled away after a moment and patted the side of Ian's face. "Thanks for patching me up, doc. I should get out of your hair. I've already taken up enough of your time."

“No, but that’s only because Quentin Tarantino goes way too fucking haywire with those feet shots and it’s exhausting. If I wanted to see that shit, I’d just look it up online like a normal person.” Now he was just bickering just to bicker, but honestly it was nice to fall into a rhythm again ��� albeit, under very undesirable circumstances – with his friend, especially after not knowing what the hell had happened to him since his secret got out. He tried to work quickly at the wound, glad that Hernando was a relatively still canvas considering he wasn’t knocked out on an OR table. Ian wasn’t exactly used to operating under such undesirable circumstances, but he tried to do the best he could, and thankfully the results were satisfactory enough for his standards. “I’m guessing this ain’t the first time you’ve been stitched up in someone’s kitchen?” He remarked with a wry chuckle, cutting off a thick piece of gauze to tape onto the freshly-stitched wound. Ian began to remove his gloves as he listened to Hernando speak, swallowing thickly as he listened to the pain, the sorrow that laced his voice. Of course, he would never be able to fully understand his predicament, but in a sense that was exactly why he needed to be a good friend right then. “No, no. I’m sorry for being a whiny bitch.” The male mumbled, letting out a sigh. “I get why you didn’t tell me. I mean, s’not like you had much of a choice. Cartels and shit...they probably got a shit ton of rules or whatever.” A shrug. “I just – I tend to default to taking things personally whether it’s warranted or not. And that’s own fucked up issue coming to the surface, not yours.” He met Hernando’s gaze, offering a small grin. “For what it’s worth, though, to me you’re still the goofy guy that sells flowers. Maybe just…goofy guy who sells flowers and could also get away with my murder now?”

[hernando-valdez]

"That's a great question," he told her, taking a deep breath. "I do. It's not a pretty one and it's not one I thought I'd ever have to make but it's the right one," he told her and looked over at her. "To put an end to this. For good," he added. He didn't take pride in having to have his niece know what he was capable of. What he had done. But he wasn't going to lie to her again, not after their last conversation. And especially if he didn't come back for any reason. "Look, Mikki, I know you think I still treat you like a kid but you gotta understand now what it's like to know that someone you love is about to put themselves in danger and there's nothing you can do to stop it. I know you're strong as hell. I mean who taught you how to fight, huh?" He nudged her and cracked a smile. "But I need you to know that I am always proud of you, okay? And I know that in the end you're gonna make your own choices so I need you to know that I'll always be there, okay? Good, bad, and all the grey areas in between. I just wanted to make sure that was clear."

Following to the truck bed, she climbed inside and got as comfortable as she could. "Other than being worried, we're both okay. She got your texts, which I didn't know until later. I was..." With Niko, she wanted to say, but considering their last conversation, she wasn't sure it was the time to mention him. She looked over at Nando, the man who'd practically raised her right alongside her mother, and she wished in that moment she could offer him something to take away the pain and anger he felt. The tension in his muscles was evident and so far removed from the more relaxed version of her uncle she was used to seeing. "What are you going to do?" she asked. "I know you haven't been hiding out here because you're wallowing, so I assume you have some kind of plan."

[hernando-valdez]

"Fuck. I'm hungry." Hernando's heart had finally stopped pounding as he lay flat on the floor of the apartment they were patching themselves up in before continuing the rest of their journey home. The flight deal had been one way and it had been up to them to figure out how the hell to get back to Tonopah Valley. But none of that seemed to matter now as he replayed the scenes from the night before. The sun was starting to rise and Hernando thought he would have felt more regret. So many people in his life had told him he was crazy, reckless, not thinking straight. But for the first time in a long time, he could think clearly. For the first time in his life, he felt like his own man. Not one that had to carry out the dreams of his father. Or one that had to do everything he could to make sure that Alejandra's dream, her determination, was realized. Now, what was his actual purpose if not that? He had no fucking idea. "I think it's time to go. I need something to eat and we still gotta talk our way out of this place." He wasn't worried, considering his and Chase's success rate but that didn't make the journey anymore tedious. "I'm thinking pancakes. God, I'd kill for a bigass stack of pancakes right now. They got diners over here or what?" @chasemmccoy

[hernando-valdez]

"I know you didn't think I would miss this day." Hernando stood in the doorway of the B&B with flowers and cake in his hands as he watched his sister register that he was there. He could have burst into tears as he saw her, realizing just how long it had been since they had shared space. Hernando felt like he had lived two whole lives since then but there was no denying where home was and where he needed to be. Even if a lot of shit had to get figured out first. "I'm sorry it took me so long," he admitted, "But I'm pretty sure if we both don't go see my mother she might put out a hit on us. Shit, maybe that was too soon," he added and walked over to her with a laugh. "Happy Mama's Day, Pen, the best mom there around." @penelopebeaumont

[hernando-valdez]

Don't Call My Name || A Chase & Nando Production

ft. @chasemmccoy

tldr: Alejandra ded trigger warnings: death, blood, depictions of violence including guns

Although Hernando and Chase had been planning this for months, Hernando still felt the weight of it all as they sat on the boat, zooming through open waters into Amsterdam canals. He was grateful that the boat was at least bigger than the plane they had been crammed into for hours. It wasn’t like they could exactly fly coach so their best option had been a sympathetic bombardeo who was willing to fly them for a price. If shit wasn’t about to get so serious he might have actually laughed about it. Like the two of them were in some buddy movie, encountering as many obstacles as possible along the way. That’s what the recent months had felt like. He had left town so quickly, there was a foolish part of his brain that thought he could solve this all quickly. But the reality was that he couldn’t get revenge in 24 hours. It just didn’t work that way. 

Especially when the person he was looking for was so damn good at not being found. She had made a true art of it and Hernando had spent countless days trying to figure it out. He and Chase had followed up on so many leads that at one point it just felt like they were moving in circles. At least Chase was still in town but Nando had been staying for so long at his safehouse, he was starting to believe that he’d never get home again. He still hadn’t fully figured out how the fuck he was going to casually blend back into Tonopah Valley society. It wasn’t like he could exactly just fix the shop up and keep on going. 

But all of these thoughts started to fall from his mind as he looked at his phone and saw they were getting closer to their destination. He took a deep breath and looked through his bag a few more times to make sure he had everything with him. “You know, if we do this shit, we might actually be able to get a drink in this fucking city before cutting out. I think Lyla would be pissed if I didn’t come back with a souvenir,” he said with a laugh but it felt like the truth. As the boat slowed to a stop, Hernando glanced at Chase. 

They were under a tunnel now, entering the building from underneath tunnels. Something that seemed almost too convenient but he was sure this was the same way Alejandra came through whenever she really didn’t want to be seen. Which was probably always. “You ready for this, hermano?”

“About as ready as I’ll ever be considerin’ all the unknown variables.” Chase replied as he ensured he had all of his weapons strapped to his person. He finally met Hernando’s gaze, lips quirking into a smirk. “Been waitin’ for this a long time. Catch.”

He tossed a pair of tactical goggles over towards him before securing the balaclava around the bottom half of his face. One of the only advantages of his new work with The Enterprise was the access to more advanced tech, and he’d made sure to grab a few pieces before they’d left. The goggles could toggle between night vision and thermal, and assuming Alejandra did everything in her power to put as many obstacles between her and them, they could come in handy to minimize casualties.

Chase hadn’t been surprised when they realized she’d holed herself up on the top level of the night club. One of the best ways to hide was in plain sight, and how were these revelers to know that they were providing safe harbor to a heartless harpy?

“No shit, damn, Jack Reacher ain’t got shit on us,” Nando joked as he hung the goggles around his neck before getting out of the boat and sliding the driver their payment. He waited until the guy drove out before moving with Chase to the door. He looked around out of precaution, especially for cameras as he accessed the lock on the door. It had been a long time since Nando had done something so undercover and though there was a little rust, he was remembering just how much experience he had. And how prepared he was for this exact moment. 

“Bingo, bango, baby,” he muttered as the door beeped and opened. “No going back,” he said more to himself as they stepped inside of the ground floor, clearly a storage of all things forgotten. Hernando figured it was a way to make this place seem like there wasn’t much going on. He moved slowly, one of his guns already drawn as they moved along. Everything was still too quiet for his liking but as they ascended the stairs, the loud music from the club could be heard through the walls. Hernando was about to turn the corner up the next set of steps when he heard a voice and paused, motioning at Chase to stop. 

He glanced upwards and saw two of Alejandra’s men making their way down the stairs, both of them taking out a pack of cigarettes to smoke. “Terrible time for a smoke break,” he muttered before signaling to Chase that he would take the one on the right. As they stepped down, he stepped up, smiling behind his face covering. “You know, they say those things will kill you,” he told him, flicking the pack up into his guy’s face before burying the muzzle of his gun into the guy’s stomach and firing off four times before letting him fall down the stairs. He waited for Chase to take care of the second guy before they started up the next set of stairs and finally made it to the club level. It would be elevators from there on out and according to the floor plan, the only way up was through. 

“Let’s get this party started,” Hernando said before inching the door of the club open. “After you,” he told Chase and waited for him to lead them through. “Try not to get too distracted, I know how much you love to dance.”

“Wanna tie a rope to each other so we don’t get lost?” he joked back over the music, chuckling as he stepped out onto the floor. The heavy bass rattled the floor beneath their feet and he made sure to keep the safety on his gun as they maneuvered through the crowd. The last thing they needed was for someone to grind into one of them and be met with a bullet in the leg.

The place was packed and he half wondered if they’d manage to make it to the elevators undetected, but it didn’t take long before people took notice of their tactical gear, giving them a wide berth and drawing the attention of the security guards posted up around the perimeter.

“Got company. Your four and six,” Chase spoke into their comms, flicking the safety off his pistol. He aimed, pointing the end of the silencer in the direction of the guards approaching on the left and shot two rounds into each, one after the other. Out of the corner of his vision through the goggles he noticed the other guards go down as Nando’s shots hit true, and suddenly the sound of screams from those around the fallen bodies rose above the music.

Chaos erupted on the dance floor, club-goers shoving one another in an attempt to reach the exits first. More guards filtered out of the elevator coming from the upper levels, guns at the ready, and the pair switched into autodrive. Bodies littered the floor by the time they’d reached the waiting elevator. Alejandra was no doubt aware of their arrival by now.

The doors closed and the elevator rose up towards the top floor. Chase inspected the wound on his shoulder, a knife having found purchase before he’d had a chance to slit the ambushing guard’s throat. “This is it.” He looked over to Nando meaningfully. “Whatever happens, it’s been an honor kickin’ ass with you.”

There had been a version of this plan where they were going to go in quietly but they had collectively decided that wouldn’t last very long. Which was evident to how quickly all hell broke loose. But it was the exact reason why Chase was the only person Hernando would do this with. It was clear in the in sync way they moved, that even with the cuts and eventual bruises, they had one goal and that was to survive long enough to accomplish what they had come here for. 

“You know, these people should be grateful, that DJ was shit,” Hernando joked, catching his breath as he wiped some blood from his cheek. He reloaded his gun, glancing over at Chase with a grin. “That makes two of us, man. Let’s do what we came here to do.” He met his eyes for a moment longer and nodded. No matter what happened on the other side of the door, they weren’t going to go down without Alejandra going down with them. 

The floor numbers went up and up and Nando gripped his gun tightly, ignoring the bits of blood on him or the way his knee ached from someone trying to kick his knees out from under him. He definitely wasn’t some young kid anymore but he had enough. It had to be enough. 

The elevator doors opened and Nando was the first one out, shooting the first guy he saw in the head, another army of bodyguards charging towards them. Hernando opened fire without hesitation before ducking behind a pillar for cover. He told Chase to hold up and grabbed one of the smoke grenades from his belt, sliding his goggles back on before he threw it out in front of them. On his count, they both charged forward. Hernando tackled one guy before shooting him, fighting another in hand to hand combat before he won the battle. Not without a cut to his side but it didn’t stop him from moving forward. There was no stopping until he and Chase stood at the final door, dripping sweat and blood. 

And then, there she was. As they entered the last room and she sat calmly behind her desk, her hands already on her gun as she looked at both of them. It hit Hernando then, just how long it had been since he had seen her in person. How much time stretched between them now. He saw no semblance of the woman he had once loved deeply. Once believed in. Once had followed blindly. 

“Qué sorpresa. Te tomó bastante tiempo.” She spoke first and Hernando almost faltered as he held his gun up and started to inch forward. 

“Yo podría decir lo mismo.” He responded. He had been sure that she was going to find him first and take him out. It had felt so certain and yet he had come to realize that maybe she had underestimated him. Or maybe she thought she could still convince him to stay loyal. 

The rest of it happened so fast, Hernando wasn’t sure he could even parse out the details yet. She reached for her gun and shot at both of them, catching Chase in the shoulder and causing him to stumble backward. In the next moment, Hernando caught her right on her hand. Quite literally shooting the gun out of her hand as he descended on her.

“You okay?!” He called back to Chase as he put one hand around Alejandra’s neck and put the tip of his gun to her forehead.

“Fuck!” Chase cursed, hand shooting to his shoulder to staunch the flow of blood spilling down his arm. “Yeah, I’m good. Her aim’s as shitty as the people she sent to off me.” 

Hernando locked his gaze with Alejandra’s, grip tight on her throat. His adrenaline was rushing as he looked her in the eyes, he was actually surprised at how he felt nothing. At how her actions had broken him so deeply. 

She didn’t plead with him, only told him how much of a coward his father had been, how much of a coward he was. How all the men who had come before him were cowards. How without her things would crumble. Ho-

Hernando didn’t wait to hear much more before he pulled the trigger and put a bullet between her eyes. There was no time for delaying, not time for eulogies or apologies, especially as they heard the ding of the elevator and a whole new group of people spilled out in hopes of catching them.

Chase wished he’d had a little longer to revel in this moment, to relish in the knowledge that Alejandra Eguia would never again terrorize their lives. Unfortunately, the bullet zipping past his already injured shoulder and embedding in the wall behind him was a clear sign that wasn’t an option.

“Time to fly,” he called to Nando, shooting out the glass from the window before running and swan diving through it into the canal below. Chase heard the muffled sound of Nando splashing into the water beside him followed by shots shot from above. He slipped the mini tank of oxygen from his gear and slipped the breathing apparatus into his mouth, motioning for Nando to do the same. Though the tanks were small enough to be portable, they provided enough oxygen to keep them under for a few minutes until they reached their getaway.

The boat’s driver helped haul them both over the edge and Chase sprawled out on the floor as it took off and put as much distance between them and the club as possible, his chest rising and falling as he gulped down air. He looked to Nando, a smirk taking over his face. “Ding dong, the witch is dead.”

[hernando-valdez]

"Literally every action movie. I mean have you ever seen Kill Bill? Anyway, we can fight about your movie taste some other time but I'm already building a list in my head." He looked at the towel that Ian handed him and let out a low laugh. "Just do what you need to do man, don't worry about me, I can take it," he admitted. Not because he was a tough guy but because his pain tolerance had always been high. And this wasn't his first time getting patched up. "As ready as I'll ever be," he told him, taking a deep breath before Ian started. He groaned at first, before leaning into the pain, eyes shut tightly as he sat through it. When Ian was finally done, Hernando finally took a deep breath and sat back, leaning against the nearest wall. "Fuck, that actually wasn't the worst it's ever been," he said with a sad laugh, still not totally able to look Ian in the eye. He was quiet for a moment, before his expression softened. "I'm sorry, man. I never wanted shit to go down like this. It's not that I didn't trust you, I just...fuck, I really liked who I got to be when we hung out, you know? No family legacy, no bullshit, no violence. Just a guy who sells flowers and now," he shook his head, wincing a bit as he repositioned himself. "Now that whole life is shot to hell and I don't think I'll ever have a chance to get any of it back. I'm really fucking sorry, man. I am."

“Yes. Because it has the most famous knife fight sequence in history. Name one action movie that does it better?” Ian was sure Hernando would come up with a slew of half-decent answers, but his mind was far too preoccupied to care. Plus, keeping the male talking and joking kept him from focusing as much as possible off of the searing pain of the open wound that Ian was currently trying to sanitize, and ensured that he was still conscious. The male may have been an incredibly high strung person, prone to fits of pettiness and anxiety, but when push came to shove he was a damn good doctor. At the very least, Hernando could see that in him, even if he didn’t see him as someone he could trust with his deepest, darkest secrets. “Yeah, well, my skills are a bit more limited without an entire OR at my disposal, but I guess the risk of infection is a little bit better than jail or straight up death.” He mumbled, letting out another exhale before grabbing a nearby dish towel and handing it to Hernando. “You’re gonna wanna bite down on this, and hard,” there was no doubt that this was going to hurt like hell, “and try to stay still. I can be quick, but that’ll depend on you.” Biting down lightly on his lower lip, he made fast work of extracting the tools from the suture kit and sanitizing them using an alcohol wipe. He knew he was being sensitive – after all, just because they were close friends didn’t mean that he was entitled to every single part of Hernando’s life. Perhaps it was because he’d long since revealed his own past, the demons that haunted him, displaying a sense of vulnerability at one point on their friendship that he scarcely shared with anyone else – but he also knew that his situation and Hernando’s were completely and utterly different, one encompassing an ongoing danger that Ian was not privy to. Overall, his feelings were complicated, but at the end of the day he knew that his friend’s safety trumped everything else. Especially at that moment. “Okay,” he breathed, pulling a chair up to the counter so he was sitting eye level with the wound. “Ready?” Carefully, gingerly, he got to work on the wound, expertly stitching the area (or, as expertly as he could given the less than ideal circumstances) to put a stop to the bleeding and close it up. 

[hernando-valdez]

"You think so? It doesn't freak you out?" If it hadn't been for how they met, Hernando wasn't sure that he would've let Lyla know about his real life. But he supposed that was what had made them work. That she was able to see the real him and still love him. It wasn't something he was used to. "Yeah, it's safe, believe me, I'm checking around the perimeter all day, had Chase look farther out for me. If there are spies, I'll find 'em. I'd never let anything happen to you, you know that right?" He had proved it time and time again but it was a helpful reminder. He looked at her, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry shit just like, blew up. I don't even know what i'm gonna do but I'll figure it out. Gonna miss the flowers though. I gotta admit."

She laughed her voice light and teasing. "Please," she scoffed with a playful roll of her eyes, "Even if that weren't true, there'd be no competition." Her grin widened as she glanced around the modest room. "It's kinda cute here," he admitted, her gaze sweeping the safe house—a stark contrast to what she was accustomed to. But Lyla understood the necessity of his hiding, especially after the revelation about his father and the subsequent chaos at the shop. Deep down, she was relieved he was here, safe from the turmoil. Turning to face him, Lyla propped herself up on one elbow, her curiosity laced with concern. "But really, is it actually safe here? There aren't any, you know, secret spies lurking around with their cameras or something?" It wasn't that she doubted him, rather, she couldn't shake off the lingering uneasiness.

[hernando-valdez]

"I'm alright," he told her, giving her shoulders a squeeze before stepping back to give her some space. "Yeah I guess my florist days are over," he added with a sad laugh. It was a hard thing for him to let go of but it would just have to be another thing he accepted about this transition in his life. "Come on," he told her and led her around the truck so they could sit in the bed of it. There weren't exactly stars out but the night was cool and no one was around. "You okay? Your mom okay? I sent her a message too but I think it's best if she stays away, you know?" He shrugged and settled himself, sighing as the silence held them for a moment. "Shit's messed up, right now. Real messed up."

It had felt like an eternity before she'd gotten any word from Nando, so the moment Mikayla had gotten the message from Lyla, she called out of work and went with Chase to wherever it was her uncle had been hiding the last few weeks. Seeing him, relief washed over her, and she raced to close the space between them, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I was so worried," she said softly, taking a moment to breathe him in before pulling back to look at him, cheeks already stained with tears. "I saw the destruction at the shop, and I worried you'd gotten hurt or worse. Are you okay?"

[hernando-valdez]

Josh Segarra - The Other Two