#angel reyes x black!oc

[proceduralpassion]

More Than A Woman | Chapter 01

A/N: Chapter one, here we go! Lmk if you wanna be added to the taglist...

WC: 1.5K

“Hi, Mr. Reyes. We spoke on the phone.” Her statement came out more like a question because Desi wasn’t so sure he’d even remember. He sounded like a ghost when they’d first talked and even as he walked into her office, his mind seemed elsewhere. His handshake was robotic and his eyes were vacant.

They both sat down across from each other.

Desi looked at him for a moment, taking in the anguish and darkness that emanated from him. 

“So how’s this go?”, he gestured between himself and the school’s psychologist, “He ain’t in trouble, is he?”

Desi shook her head immediately, “Oh, no no. This is more so a check-in, if anything. I was alerted of recent circumstances, Santi’s mother passing away… That’s a tough thing for anyone to go through, much less a six year old.” 

To acknowledge her comment, he absentmindedly nodded his head. Tough thing to go through. That was the fucking understatement of the year, he thought to himself. A moment passed and Angel realized he should speak.

“Yeah, we split, but kinda got good with the co-parenting thing. He mostly lived with her, though. I’m sure it’s been a lot for him.”

And because he hasn’t really been the most observant father, Angel kept his mouth shut about whether he saw any signs to worry about when it came to his son. That was okay, though, because Desi Maduro, Ed.S. had been attentive enough for the both of them. She had already had several conversations with the young boy and found he was surprisingly talkative for a kid who mostly stuck to himself in the classroom and playground.

“Yeah, he mentioned he would spend his weekends with you,” Desi spoke with a comforting smile. She let a pause hit the air before continuing, “Mr. Reyes, you have a resilient, intelligent, and sweet young boy. And like I said, while I’m not necessarily worried for him, I’d really like to encourage you to engage yourself more with him. Maybe start an open dialogue at home, so that he feels comfortable whenever he wants to share something-”

“My son is fine,” he interrupted sharply. His face was a mix of confusion and defensiveness as he looked at her.

Not wanting this conversation derailed sideways, she immediately conceded, “Of course! I have no doubt. I just figured I could give you a few things to look out for in the case should they arise. Grief is not as linear as one might think it is, so even if Santi seems fine, we still want to keep a close eye on him-”

“Explain that.” He interrupted again. At the look of uncertainty on her face, he prompted, “What you said before, that shit about an open dialogue and shit.. What did you mean?”

His tone was less aggressive this time and he even seemed a bit embarrassed, shy. The outburst was probably a reactionary thing, more than likely something culminating from his own grief from losing his child’s mother. But now, he seemed actually intent on listening and comprehending the foreign concept.

Desi smiled again, hoping she conveyed softness and understanding. “This is a whirlwind of a time for a young child. Kids thrive on stability and structure. A big part of that is gone now that Stephanie is no longer here. Even though he may still be too young to grasp the concept of death, it can still be traumatizing for a child to have someone in their life for as long as they can remember and then one day that person is no longer there. And you’d be surprised at the way kids can act out, even at his age. Now, again, Santiago hasn’t gotten into any trouble or displayed any behavior of concern, but we want to be proactive. He needs people that he can express his emotions to. Emotions that can be super big for such a small body. Being that you’re now his primary caretaker, it makes sense that that person should be you. Along with making sure you’re establishing a routine for him, you should also talk with him, be affectionate with him… I know you’re probably dealing with this loss yourself. It’s okay for him to know that you’re sad, too.”

Angel scoffed to himself. He focused hard to take in every word that she said and he couldn’t help but get more and more overwhelmed as she continued to go on. He didn’t know anything about putting together a daily routine; school was Santi’s fill of that while everyday at home could be unpredictable based on what the MC demanded of Angel at the moment. And affectionate? He shook his head to himself knowing he hadn’t been much of that lately. Disappointment filled his veins. If anything, Santi needed more affection now than ever, but Angel hadn’t been paying close enough attention to that. 

Desi watched the various emotions flash over his face and felt for him. He didn’t seem to be the kind who purposefully distanced himself from his son. He’d probably been wrapped up in his own grief while also carrying on with life. Of course, his child should come first, but she could see the remorse on his face as he came to some realizations.

After a moment, she allayed, “You don’t have to have all the answers. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just listen.”

Angel nodded again, this time trying to put forth more effort into actually listening.

“What does he say? You’ve talked to him, right? So, what does he say? What does he talk about?” Angel inquired curiously. He winced as he prepared to hear her reply, not ready to know of some of the pain his son’s been feeling. 

“Well, it was obviously a very shocking thing to him, at first. He talked about how scary the funeral was,” Angel shook his head in suffering, knowing that he hadn’t even picked up on Santi’s fear. He wouldn’t have ever forced him to go if he knew the whole thing scared him. He harshly cursed himself, knowing that he potentially traumatized his son even further. Desi continued, politely ignoring his agony, “I think he’s only just now coming to terms that his mom is gone for good. Of course, I can see he still has moments where a particular emotion may spring up, but he’s not more or less withdrawn in class according to his teacher.” 

Again, Angel took the time to try and absorb the counselor’s words and what this all meant. He was, for sure, out of his depth and didn’t know where to start in attempting to be a more active parent. 

“I know that this is hard for both of you, but I think that establishing a routine and adding some structure to Santi’s will be beneficial for the both of you. Soon enough, you’re gonna have to learn how to help Santi have a life without his mother. Not so that he forgets her, but so that he knows how to move on and keep the memory of his mom alive.” 

But how? Angel thought to himself. 

And then he vocalized it.

“How do I do that?”

“Try. Obviously, it’s more to it than that, but don’t stop making an effort no matter how hard it is. Santi might not feel 100% comfortable sharing his feelings with you all the time, but the best thing you can do is to never stop trying. Mr. Reyes, this isn’t going to be a cake walk. But he’s young and I see a loving father sitting in front of me. That’s the most important thing.”

Angel smiled a little at that.

“And you’re sure he’s doing fine considering?”

“Yes. There may be little outbursts or behavioral changes as time passes, but there’s nothing that’s cause for concern right now,” she comforted. And then she added, “Try to put together a daily schedule for him to follow. Something fun to do when he gets home. And then homework time. Dinner and a bath. Simple things just to give him a little more normalcy.”

“Thank you,” He stood from his seat and nodded appreciatively at her. Turning towards the door, he adjusted his kutte and stretched out his long legs. Before he turned completely away, she handed him a post-it with her contact information on it and gestured to walk him out the door.

“You’re welcome. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me, Mr. Reyes. Please, I’d really love for us to keep in contact so we can manage Santi’s progress together.”

Angel nodded again, completely serious about trying to maintain contact with her. 

He wouldn’t keep this up anymore, it was time for him to step up and be the parent that Santi needed.

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Reyes. Have a good day!”

Angel took a final glance back at her as he walked out the school’s main exit. Her braids were wrapped up into a messy bun and a few of them fell around the frame of her face. She bid him off with a final, friendly smile and turned back towards her office. 

Tagging: @drabbles-mc @mijagif

[cloveroctobers]

SILENCE — ANGEL REYES x OC x CANE TEJADA | Part ii.

A/N: I can’t believe I’m actually doing a part two since I never do those because they don’t ever preform as well as the first but after that (terrible) finale I couldn’t resist. Thanks for the support on the first one, hopefully this will bring some sense of more life for Angel. if this is my last piece for him then why not also go out with a little something? He’s the last man standing apparently so here’s a send off on my part.

WARNINGS: language, hints of coping mechanisms? Or Mental illness Therapy is mentioned, I’ve also been binge-watching 9-1-1 from the beginning, I’m currently on season 4 I think! which is why Eddie’s character is mentioned but he doesn’t make a appearance so please skip over this if you’re feeling some type of way about that and are looking for a eddie based fic. I will be writing something for him soon btw. There’s also a little surprise towards the end for certain lovers who might read this.

*GIF and photos DO NOT BELONG TO ME!

Read part one here. + using this prompt and number 21. Timing

*ੈ ╭──╯ . . . *ੈ ╭──╯ . . . *ੈ ╭──╯ . . . *

Solay’s half asleep, the soft horns sounding from the NBA game Cane’s got his hands on was actually comforting and it often reminded her of nights when her and her sister would fall asleep on the couch together while their father watched the game. It was late, once watching the clock going from midnight to 2 am, she was once wired, greasing cane’s hair and brushing his waves before securing the doo-rag around his head.

It was a typical night, their version of normal until harsh knocks sounded at the door, breaking Solay out of her slumber. Her eyes felt heavy but she was alert and so was Cane as he paused the game, picking up on the knocks that appeared at the door some more. He tossed the controller onto the coffee table, moving slowly as he reaches underneath the cushion of the couch Solay was lounging on.

His low-lidded eyes briefly met her’s as he brings a single finger up to his lips after taking the safety off. Cane’s on his feet now while Solay shortly follows after, reaching over to turn off the side lamp and ready to head to the back of the home to check on her son, Xavier.

Cane wasn’t sure who it could be, he knew it couldn’t be any of his people considering the situation back home but he figured it could be Tariq’s bitch ass, you just never know with him. He’s against the door now, peeking around but all he could see was a shadow of someone.

Yanking the door back to fly against the wall, he’s quick with his grip as he aims the gun right at Angel Reyes who hold’s out a arm while he cradles his son.

“Fuck you want?” Cane asks.

Angel looks down but it’s not like Cane cares, although it seems he lowers the gun just a bit, for the baby’s sake.

“I need to talk to soso.”

“Nig—, you know what time it is? Knocking on the damn door like you the feds or some shit? What makes you think it’s okay to show up here unannounced at this time of the night?” Cane’s tone is clipped.

Angel shifts Maverick in his arms as he says, “that’s a conversation I need to have with Solay, not you.”

“Last time I checked, she ain’t with your ass no more and I’m the man of this house so you want to run that by me again?”

A house Angel was damn sure Cane didn’t put a penny down to help with the mortgage.

The darkness underneath Angel’s eyes was deafening but the twitch of his brows was evident that he had no intentions of backing down. He still felt a way about Cane showing up to his house and Angel thought he could do the same. If this was his house but Angel couldn’t see himself in the big apple.

It was only right in his eyes.

Before he can send a rebuttal at the shorter brown skinned man, Solay appears from behind Cane, who lets out a sigh before sucking his teeth.

“Enrique Iglesias is here,” Cane informs Solay who pulls her robe tighter around her body.

She hasn’t seen Angel since the funeral for Felipe. Understandably so, he needed time to grieve but she figured he was doing it alone due to the decline of Ezekiel’s relationship with the man and that couldn’t be healthy. And it wasn’t like Solay saw Angel much before that either, he showed up to the second therapy session but it was clear that his mind was somewhere else. Which wasn’t unusual when it came to his precious club but Solay didn’t pry since it seemed like Angel was always on the go or lost in his thoughts. It’s not like she didn’t care but he was the one who encouraged her there to these sessions but her gut also told her that it would always be only a matter of time.

Until he moved on to something else.

Timing was never something Angel managed well. If shit came at him, he was usually thrown for a loop depending on what it was and never had guidelines for plans or anything like that. He was more take things as they were tossed at him type of person but ever since EZ got into that president’s chair and Angel got the chance to raise Maverick, he was also changing.

“Angel…” solay started as she took in his appearance, she could tell that something was wrong, “what’s going on?”

Angel swallowed the lump in his throat and if Cane wasn’t in the room right now, he probably would have collapsed into Solay’s arms. She could see that, she could sense that. It was in his eyes, that he was hurting and sure way back when that might have gave Solay the tiniest bit of satisfaction but that’s not where they were now.

She was annoyed he stopped showing up to the sessions but brushed it off after awhile, saying that she “knew it,” up until Felipe was gunned down in Angel’s childhood home. There was always something going on with Angel and although they were trying to work on their relationship, Solay knew she couldn’t be selfish.

She didn’t have the heart to be.

Solay waved Angel in, despite the incredulous look Cane shot her way. She’s locking the door behind him and rests her hand on Angel’s lower back, which surprisingly makes him flinch as she does.

A brow raises at that but Solay says, “come into the living room.”

“Yeah okay…where’s Xavy?”

“Sleeping like yo ass should be.” Cane mutters, while Solay sends him a sharp look.

He places the lock back on the gun and puts it into the waist band of his basketball shorts, clasping his hands in front of him as he eyes Solay being so gentle with a dude that didn’t deserve it. Cane was heavy on that, “fuck the fact that he’s your baby’s father, after everything he put you through? Why are you still concerned when you knew he was gonna pull that shit? He doesn’t care about you like I do and I’m not even sure he gives that much of a fuck about Xavier.”

This was said after Angel stopped showing up to the sessions and Solay didn’t want to hear it. It didn’t feel like cane’s place—although she vented to him and he did the shit-talking to mainly make her feel better—and it also wasn’t angel’s place to feel a way about her seeing someone else.

Solay inhales as she sits on the coffee table, crossing one leg over the other as she takes in her ex-husband. He’s barely blinking as he stares off in space and Solay isn’t sure what to do about this.

“Talk to me,” she says bringing Angel’s dark eyes to meet her doe ones, “what happened?”

Angel places his lips against a sleeping Maverick’s temple that he cradles and then blows out a breath, “where do I start? Luisa’s gone, just buried my pops, now EZ’s dead—which I—I played a part in, I’m out the club and now I need you and Xavier to come with me to Arizona.”

Cane is laughing it up now while Solay is almost at a lost for words. She wasn’t surprised about Luisa but it would probably explain why Angel was checked out and why he moved in with Felipe. They haven’t really talked like they used to be able to do so hearing all of this—about what was going on in Angel’s world was a lot to process.

It always was.

“What do you mean…EZ’s dead?” Solay croaked out, shifting as she held out a hand to silence the man behind them.

Angel rubs at his exhausted face now, “The club found out…now it’s over. I buried him myself out on the road and I wish I never encouraged him to be in this shit you know? Maybe he’d still be here being a smart ass. My brother’s gone and I don’t got nothing left. This dried blood on my hands…it’s not worth it no more. Which is why I need you and Xavy to come with me before the feds come because I know they will. It’s only a matter of time.”

Solay searched Angel’s eyes and they held sincerity. It was all finally coming full circle now, what she’s been telling him for years…that the club’s brotherhood wouldn’t end well. Not when there was so much dirt, blood, lack of values, and deceit behind it. She had no issue speaking her peace on the club way back when (she also felt a way when she learned that EZ was getting involved fresh out of being locked up but angel didn’t want to hear that shit either) and sure she got along with some of the men there but it’s not like she was ever clueless to what it was. Solay was tired of constantly looking over her shoulder when it came to Angel’s club and that feeling never went away, even when she gave birth to their son and even when they were officially divorced. Everything was crumbling down around Angel and he was trying to get out for good.

“You want me to just pick everything up and follow you to Arizona?”

Angel dips his head, “yeah, it’ll be different this time. And I’m not saying let’s go off and get remarried or nothing like that but we could be something real. A family again.”

“Yeah a real fucked up one,” Cane comments, making Angel realize that he was in fact still in the room with them, “so let’s get this straight? Your daddy’s gone, that bitch you cheated with up and left your ass—which probably means she’s six feet under too—yeah I know exactly what she’s really into and it’s clear you’re too dumb to figure that out still, and now for a club to kill one of their own…it’s evident that your brother was some sort of snitch who got what was comin’ to him. But the ultimate disrespect is you coming back up in here with your tail in between your legs, thinking you can just take back what you lost long ago.”

“Listen man, you watch your damn mouth when it comes to my blood.” Angel points a warning finger at the man who chuckles; not the least bit threatened, “this is much bigger than your fucken ego. I’m looking out for Solay and our son, this don’t got shit to do with you. Never has. You can leave and go back to your own crooked shit in New York and leave Solay and my son out of it.”

Now isn’t that the coffee calling the kettle black?

Cane furrowed his brows, “Now you wanna win the father of the year award? You ain’t never been shit as far as I can tell and you’re never gonna be shit. Solay’s not going nowhere with you, she’s good on that.”

Solay got to her feet now as Angel glared at Cane who was all smirks, knowing he could get underneath the vulnerable older man’s skin so easily, “I’m going to need the both of you stop speaking for me.”

Both men kept their heated stares on each other but Cane couldn’t take Angel seriously with a child in his arms. The silence was weighing down the living room as Solay began to pace the floor. She didn’t know all of the details and didn’t think she would with Cane in the room. There was truth in his words when it came to the club—this Solay knew, although she was always on the outside when it came to anything revolving around the Mayans.

“Cane…I need a minute.”

“Aight, let’s go.” Cane was ready to lead the way back to the bedroom with a nod of his head in the direction of the room but a shake of Solay’s head had him confused.

Solay met Cane’s hooded eyes, “with Angel, alone.”

“I know you’re not considering leaving with this clown, So.”

Angel shrugged his shoulders, “It shouldn’t matter to you no way, the only reason you still stuck around is to get some product right? Now that that’s gone—you don’t need me or Solay. So maybe you should start saying your goodbyes now.”

Which provoked cane to whip out the gun again, until Solay reached for his wrist, making cane glance at her, ready to shove her hand off but he moved his stare back to Angel who had a sly smirk on the corner of his own lips.

“You act like you’re the only one I can do business with.” Cane tightened his stare, “Heroin ain’t really my lane but I thought why not since I’m here? You fucked that up like you constantly do and there you go again assuming shit about my relationship with Solay and you don’t know the first thing about it.”

Angel lifted his shoulders, “I know you ain’t no better than me and you don’t really care about Solay as much as you claim you do. It’s all a game but the difference is I’m always gonna be around, you on the other hand are disposable and I’mma always have my son’s best interest at heart. Solay’s the bonus.”

Cane rolled his eyes, “Let me find you a gold sticker for your forehead—

“ENOUGH!” Solay screams at the both of them, carefully peaking over at the sleeping baby afterwards,“this back and forth is getting on my nerves. Let me think in peace for a little bit, just go Cane.”

She orders.

Cane kisses his teeth and walked off, knowing that it was best before he might actually let some bullets fly.

Solay massaged the space in between her thin brows as her mind began spinning. She thought about all the bad the club brought to her front door and she was just leveling up without it.

So it seemed.

Now here Angel, a man she used to be in love with, a troubled man she wanted to spend forever with once upon a time, the man she shared a child with, was here telling her he was out. Out of the club, something she wanted for years for him because she knew that club wasn’t his purpose. He didn’t see it then but he saw it now. Solay’s faced a lot when it came to the club, with Angel’s disappearing for days at a time making her believe one of those days he wouldn’t come home to her, quality time being cancelled so he could be more dedicated to that club instead, cleaning up his wounds due to all sorts of danger he was involved in, he fucked those bartending bitches behind her back while some of those men smiled in her face knowing his dirt, to having a false sense of protection that led to being tied up, beat on so bad and left alone in a burning building years ago—which she just finished paying off a hospital bill for.

All of those instances let Solay know that The Mayans weren’t some saints by any means but Solay knew Angel loved that brotherhood once upon a time. He was slowly changing and morphing into something else—maybe something better—over these last couple of years but Solay figured that’s what happens when on-going lost comes your way. Gives you a bit of a wake up call and proud wasnt the word she would ever use (everyone that he lost still mattered to her as well) but it was about damn time.

It’s just unfournate how it all played out and there was so much to weigh out here. Solay knew she and Xavier would probably be harassed despite Angel being officially out of the Mayans. The war doesn’t just end and given what state Angel was in—numb yet determined, sitting in her living room clenching onto Maverick, Solay knew this war would just brew many more.

She would be affiliated no matter what and so would their son and so would Mavy—if not more thanks to who his mother is or was. This would always be Angel’s doing and she wasn’t blaming him, that wouldn’t get her anywhere she realized but it was a fact. She was with Angel right when the club was just an idea, a one night stand which later turned serious not long after he got patched in, back when he and Coco just moved into the Azure apartment complexes. The Mayans ripped through Angel, that much she could tell and many in her position would jump at the chance to shout at him, “I told your ass!”

Except Solay closed her eyes and took a deep inhale, rolling the tension out of her shoulders before she met Angel’s stare.

“Tell me all of it but take it easy when it comes to…Ezekiel.” She tells Angel, feeling a twing in her own chest at the thought of the brother she couldn’t save.

Angel held his ex-wife’s stare and inhaled a shaky breath, “…alright.”

Life in the desert was not something Solay thought she would ever be part of. She immediately thought of dry skin 24/7 when she had combo skin. Yes there were deserts back home but at least there was a downtown area that wasn’t far from her home. This transition was certainly just that. She’s in the kitchen in a daze, the southwest home is quiet in her mind as she’s drying the last dish. Her eyes are set on the two square windows by the dining table off to the side of the strangely shaped kitchen, back pressed into the kitchen sink.

It’s a early Monday afternoon, September just hit the calendar and she’s lost track of time. A hand catches her off guard as they tug on the belt hoops of her Jean skirt, making her gaze turn down to her seven year old who’s peering up at her with her mirrored doe-shaped eyes and his father’s nose.

“We’re back from the pool, mommy!” Xavier signs as Solay smiles sweetly at him, hand going around his shoulders to squeeze him to her hips.

She didn’t even pick up on him entering the sliding doors by the dining room, her mind elsewhere.

Labor Day came around much quicker than expected and they had their little celebration that Sunday but Xavier seemed to love the water and couldn’t get enough. Which means Angel was on duty for taking him and Maverick to the pool out back while Solay did a few minor things for work online and cleaned up the lunch angel ordered.

Solay signs, “Did you have fun?”

“Always!” Xavier laughs with a nod of his head.

“Good, let’s get you cleaned up.”

The boy groans as Solay gives him a stern look while he spins on his damp heels before stomping out the kitchen and headed towards his room.

Solay lightly laughs with a shake of her head.

“Xavy pouting about clean up time again?”

“Yeah the usual,” solay shrugs as the man makes his way over to her while she reaches to brush a wet strand of a two year old Maverick’s hair back, “everything go alright out there?”

Angel bends to put Maverick on his feet, the little man taking off on his chubby feet to find his big brother, “yeah, why wouldn’t it be? It’s hot as shit out there though. Isn’t autumn supposed to be here by now?”

“We just touched September,” Solay states kind of ignoring the question he asked back, “and you’re the one who picked Arizona, not me.”

Angel lifts his chin, “you could have talked me out of it though.”

“You don’t listen to nobody but your own big ass head.”

Angel shrugged as he leaned his elbows back on the dark wooded island that was rolled and locked in place on a angle in the kitchen, “seriously though, I’ve seen you in here looking like you’re off in space and shit. You sure you’re alright?”

Ever since Solay made the decision to be here with Angel, Maverick, and Xavier, Angel always made it his task to question how she was holding up. Like it was devastating or like she had regrets being here but that’s not truly how she felt. She wasn’t sure how she felt, Solay couldn’t really explain it. She just knows she feels something unsettling often. After Angel told her the truth back in her old stucco home in Santo Padre, she knew getting the hell out of dodge was also the best option.

They weren’t together but they found a new therapist and communicated much better. Angel worked two jobs, first considering a semi-truck driving job but declined once he knew how much hours he would have to put in and how long he would be away from his family. He was persistent on turning over a new leaf. Of course he still had scraps of his own money and Luisa’s blood money but he promised Solay that he wouldn’t use that money when it came to renting their home. He could do whatever he wanted with it but not when it came to their new home or Xavier. So he worked as a custodian at a middle school full-time and a delivery driver on Friday and most Saturday nights.

Solay signed over the building to her second in command at her shop to continue running her business in Santo Padre and if she wished to turn it into her own, she could. Solay was expecting and waiting for the day that would happen. Her main focus was running her e-commerce shop for her beauty line which continued to be successful and having her products distributed in over seven spas in the major cities of Arizona. She was still doing well and adapted to the new setting although her family was very vocal on this big leap.

Her dad still wasn’t vibing with Angel like that after all these years and knew from the jump that he continued to get his daughter into some mess. It really wasn’t like that but a father always knows and he had no problem booking flights with his ex wife, Solay’s mother to vacation in this hot ass desert right at their house. Her big sister on the other hand? She made it routine to talk to Solay and her nephew, Xavier almost every day.

In a way having Solay’s family around a few times out of the year kinda made him forget missing his own. Almost. Even when he was got in disagreements with Solay’s opinionated father. He could laugh about it once he dropped them off at the airport and brush off the touch of overbearingness because that’s just how Solay’s family was.

He was still down to go to the end of the earth with her as he eyed her in a new light now. Part of him expected Solay to just kick him out that night and keep him away from Xavier. Instead he gave her the littlest bit of time to decide, on his terms and even though everything seemed to be moving rapidly to him, he understood that Solay didn’t operate like that. Things could be drippy when this type of news was delivered and felt overwhelming. She had to sit with all the information Angel gave her, then analyze it all and take Xavier into account before moving forward.

Maybe this was just what they needed, a change of scenery, away from the Mayans and what that town brought into their lives. It wasn’t perfect by any means but life was much more slow-paced now. Initially this is what Solay wanted, a soft girl era but there was always this haunting feeling that shifted from her chest down to her gut.

“Do I?” She asked, snapping out of it.

Angel started tossing a plum up into the air, “don’t know if you notice but you just did it again. Felt like twelve hours later that you answered me.”

“I’m fine.”

“Do you mean it though?”

“What?”

“You’d tell me if something is wrong right? If you don’t want to do this anymore—

“Shush. It’s not ideal but it works for now.”

Angel dipped his head at this. He was very much aware that Solay could run off into the night if she truly wanted to but she was also invested in beating the odds. She wanted a stable home for their son. It made sense to Angel and knew it didn’t to anybody else and sure it was rocky at first with Xavier having trouble adjusting to the new environment—which kicked mama bear Solay in play, who had no issue telling administrators to be more accommodating to those with special needs (there was a serious lack of specific hearing impaired schools in small towns like this and santo padre but at least back home there was one educator that was also an interpreter) —Angel had to hide the chairs let’s just say that and Angel also had no issue telling the kid that picked on Xavy that he’d “fuck him up,” which the kid repeated but his own parents didn’t believe that surprisingly.

Probably because the wife and her husband had their eyes on angel. Solay was completely convinced that they were swingers but Angel laughed it off until his ass got squeezed by one of them at a third meeting.

“Alright then…wanna talk about that date with the firefighter?”

Solay scowled, “it wasn’t a date.”

“You went to a cooking class together this time around and a escape room before that, which he had a advantage to considering his job by the way. I’d say it’s a date, why are you being so weird about it?” Angel’s tossing the fruit up in the air but frowning over at the woman.

Solay scratches at her scalp above her scarf in irritation before moving to leave the kitchen and entered the living room that’s right next to it, “i’m not being weird about it. I just don’t think I need to talk to you about it.”

“Why not? I’m not feelin’ no type of way about it if that’s what you’re thinking. are we not besties now?” Angel followed after Solay who flicked the reruns of a talk-show off.

Solay scoffed as she looked over at angel in disbelief, “we’re roomies at best.”

“Exactly, besties.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“I think it would help Edgar sleep better at night if you just admit yall are going on dates.” Angel teased as he leaned towards Solay who gave him the hand on her way by.

“That’s not even his name!”

Angel called out to her, “I know it starts with an E though. I gotta be close.”

“Eddie.” Solay told him, “Short for Edmundo and that’s all I’m gonna say about him to you.”

“Edmundo? Awl shit, you got a type!”

“Shut the hell—I’m gonna tend to the kids.”

“Yeah uh huh, you can get away from this conversation now but I’ll just ease drop some more when you’re gossiping about ‘im when you’re on the phone with big sis.” Angel commented as Solay rolled her eyes and made her exit.

If you asked solay she would say Angel’s the one being weird about this. It’s been two years since they left and Angel was keen on seeing solay get back out there and find her perfect match or whatever. He seemed to be more for it than Solay herself. She wasn’t really searching when Eddie came along in a bar (with a few others) she was having dinner solo in and she definitely brought it up to their therapist, who said it was Angel’s way of trying to make up for the unhappiness he brought her.

Still that was more weird than them living in a house together raising their sons in Solay’s eyes. A more normal reaction would be Angel grilling the casual dates Solay went on but now he was ready to hear how it was going and when he would meet them. Solay’s only been on two dates with Eddie and he was a complete gentleman, had a excellent job, a bit dorky and nervous? which gave Solay the indication that he did like her a little bit when he stumbled over his words asking her out for the first time but knew how to keep a conversation going, it was easy flowing. Almost too easy and Solay wasn’t used to easy.

At all.

She’s helping an annoyed Xavier with a Luke-temp bath, putting her thoughts on mute after hearing Angel tend to Maverick in Xavier’s room, coming up with all sorts of sound effects as if they were pilots (she thinks) since Maverick seemed to enjoy airplanes.

“Mom,” Xavier gets Solay’s attention again, sticking his finger into her nostril.

She flinched back making the boy laugh in her expense while she shook her head at him with a disapproving smile. He’s pointing behind her at the counter and Solay turns as she sits on the closed lid, reaching for her vibrating phone, which shows its her old employee calling her.

“Hey Idil, I know you’re not working on the holiday?” Solay greets after putting the call on speaker.

There’s loud shuffling on the line, which makes solay furrow her brows a bit as she turns back to the phone, “Idil?”

“Sup, so. You miss me?”

Solay pauses as she picks up on the familiar voice, “…Cane…what’re you doing?”

“Business. That’s all I’m good for right?”

Things didn’t end the best with Cane as to be expected when Solay told him what she planned on doing. Which included putting the house on the market, packing up half of her things, having some of it shipped out, leaving a small portion to sell with the house, discussing the way her business would be ran in Idil’s hands abruptly, and most importantly leaving Cane behind. She learned all about him showing up to Angel’s house with his little brother Dru, threatening him to stay away from Solay and to see how they can get in on Ez’s supply of heroin to move a percentage of the product in New York. Cane heard about the new president from word of mouth on the streets but he was the first to actually take the trip and do something about it.

Solay came into sight and he got a little distracted but when cane learned her background, he was close enough to get that connect but he also found fun in getting on Angel’s nerves. Which left Solay to question if any of it was real, she was tired of men taking for her weak when she opened up her heart to them which is why she was a little emotionally cut off—so she thought but she was always passionate or sensitive—depends who you ask.

“What do you want?”

Cane huffed, “how you know I ain’t just supporting a black owned business? What if I want to keep my skin looking like a Hershey’s kiss?”

“I don’t have time for this.”

“Yeah but you had enough time to fuck off with Antonio banderas and kick me to the curb though.”

“You sound pressed.”

“Nah, I handle shit.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Solay’s eyes were in slits now, “you know what? Don’t answer that. I don’t want anything else to do with your bullshit.”

“Why not? We had a good time together don’t you think?”

“I’d Rather not reminisce about the past.”

“See, I find that hard to believe. You in that clay box ass house with a nobody raising his kids, one of those kids that’s a product of him not being loyal to you. Not loving you. Like you ain’t shit to him, he treated you like you were temporary. Which is something I would have never done to you but you’re too blinded by him for whatever reason. Sounds like you ran right back to the past because you’re scared of something real.”

Solay cackles as Cane voices his thoughts to her, like he just read her. “Scared, maybe? Real? That’s unlikely with you. You didn’t step into what we had as a forever type of thing, it was all lies on your part too. All the red flags were right in front of my face and I don’t know how you don’t get that you’re no better, Cane. I know one things for sure, I wasn’t ever afraid to lose you, so stay the fuck off my line.”

With that she ended the call and only imagined he was probably screwing somebody in the shop now if he wasn’t running product through it. Idil couldn’t be that fooled or backstabbing right? She knew how cane operated and it’s been silent for two years now, not hearing from him and her accepting that most of it was probably not genuine was just Cane trying to get ahead.

Solay was over these men trying to get the best of her when she felt like didn’t deserve this. She was knocked off her path moving to Arizona but perhaps this was part of her healing. At least that’s one way she tried to look at it, putting boundaries up and vowing that she didn’t see being in a romantic relationship again with Angel Reyes. What she saw was: she needed to move on from all the hurt, find happiness behind the success and continue being a good mom to Xavier.

Solay was done with the drama.

“Soso, everything good?” Angel called from behind the door.

Solay had her eyes trained on Xavier, her hand resting on his coarse damp hair. She calls back out to Angel, “yup, all good. Hey, what do you think about taking the RV out for a ride a little later? Go sight seeing.”

“Fucken finally!” Angel cheered from behind the door while a small smile appeared on her lips, “I’m driving though.”

That’s right, Angel made the purchase of a RV for the hell of it last summer while Solay looked at it as a possible exit plan. Did Angel know that? No but she planned on telling him at some point. Did she need to jump ship just yet now that it’s been brought to her attention that cane was still keeping tabs on her? Maybe so but for now she just wanted to enjoy this holiday.

She’s on autopilot as she’s getting Xavier dressed into some lounge clothes that would be suitable for their outing later. After finishing twirling his coils, she sends him off to run to where Maverick and Angel are horsing around—easily joining in on their fun. Solay stands in the doorway, arms lightly folded as she watches them bond with each other, like a family should.

This time it felt like it was time to stop catering to everyone else’s needs always first yet that could be dangerous if you didn’t have balance but Solay was ready for something more. No one was going to get in the way of that, she vowed. She deserved to have genuine joy that didn’t end with her crying herself to sleep at night. That didn’t mean to find that in someone else because you’ll be dependent on that person always and that’s not something she wanted to do anymore, be dependent on anyone else for love, this she learned in therapy but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the company of a certain firefighter if she got out of her own way.

She should text Eddie back.

A lot can happen in two years and her attitude shifted being in the same space as Angel again. It wasn’t necessarily intentional in the beginning it’s just that it was always something with him. Now it didn’t feel like she was simply tolerating him anymore, no it wasn’t all sparkles and sunshine either in this present time but the bad moods stopped being constant. Solay’s mind was always on the move and being someplace else away from her main family, gave her the chance to really sit with her emotions and that brought up a lot some days.

She had to learn that her life wasn’t some play in a dream land or that she was out in the audience watching, like this was euphoria or anything along those lines.

This was actually her life and as she watched a tatted shirtless Angel settle into his newfound life with his boys, warm smiles and head thrown back while he silently laughed as he interacted with both boys in harmony, Solay let a smile of her own split onto her face.

It’s after 3PM when the family of four make their way out into the Arizonan heat that’s good at sending people to do a quick face plant. Solay’s checked the weather every hour before they deemed that now was a good time to go out, the temperature only went down four degrees which absolutely didn’t feel like much as she held Maverick’s little hand and Angel led the way while Xavier ran from his side and up ahead.

Forgetting something in the house, she tells Angel as he’s standing at the dining table inside the cool RV while the boys sit side by side.

“C’mon so!” Angel groaned, “We’re just going on a thirty minute drive and coming straight back, you tryin’ to take the whole house?”

Solay raises a finger in the air as she’s going down the steps, “better to be prepared than not to be if we get stranded.”

“Don’t put that kinda energy out there, cariño.”

“I’m just saying.”

“You’re starting to sound like your mother.”

“Run that by me again?”

“Nothing. Go head.” Angel fanned his ring covered hand at the arched brow Solay sent his way.

He then snickered down at the boys who watched their interaction as he spoke and signed, “Joking,” to Xavier and Maverick.

The heat blew across her skin as she peered down at her phone, house keys swinging on her finger until she stopped in her tracks, looking up and over at the two young figures standing before her.

“You must be Tariq and…”

“Oh, I’m Brayden!” The blond boy on his right beamed with a hand pressed to his chest in greeting, making the taller of the two cut his eyes at him.

Brayden shrugged innocently at the look Tariq sent him while Solay let out a sigh and placed her phone into the back pocket of her Jean skirt.

“You don’t seem surprised to see us.” Tariq noted while Solay held out her hands.

“Not really, when you get older it’s always something. So…what’s the plan here boys?” Solay moved her hand to press against her forehead, blocking out the scorching sunrays.

The two share a look with each other while Solay awaited for them to spit it out. They were here for a reason and Solay was open to hearing them out since they came all this way after all but it’s not like she wanted to be wrapped up in their bullshit either.

They just met and she really owed them nothing.

“Do you know a Don? Don Carter.” Tariq starts and he picks up on the expression on Solay’s face.

She doesn’t say anything but Tariq picked up the expression on her face much faster than Brayden could register it.

“He’s this detective who’s wife got killed years ago and he was never able to solve the case. We have proof that shows Cane pulled the trigger that killed her and we need your help to get him out the way or else our asses are done for.” Brayden added.

Solay answered, “Detective Don Carter is my cousin.”

“I knew it.” Tariq smiled as if this solved his problem, “if we hand him the truth and you lure Cane back here, we can either take him out or Don can do whatever he needs to: throw his ass in jail or take him out himself. Whoever gets to him first besides you.”

Brayden brushed off his shoulders before the teens gave each other dap, “Yeah, team work baby!”

Solay shushed them, making the smiles wipe right off their faces, “what makes you think I want to be involved with Cane again? I’ve moved on, whatever else he’s got going on doesn’t have a thing to do with me if you haven’t noticed.”

“That’s not true though,” Tariq frowned, “you know he’s obsessed with you more than he’s on my shit and that’s saying a lot. He’s gonna disrupt whatever you got going on until he wins.”

‘What exactly does he think he’s going to win?’ Solay thought to herself as she tilts her head to the side at the teen’s words, Tariq would know that side of Cane since that’s not the side she got to see but he did fool her before.

“So the plan is: you want me to trap him for your sake? Which again, doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

“Yours too. He did you dirty, right? Aren’t you sick of him because I sure am.” Brayden asks, making Solay cross her arms.

“That’s my cousin’s business not mine.” Solay almost sasses, “I’m on a clean slate this time, I’m just trying to be a mother and be a legal business owner, no more dealing with men that have bad shit attached to them. take that shit to Don and leave me out of it. I heard he moved out to New york.”

“Well…” Brayden sucks air between his teeth with a wince.

Tariq states, “we can’t go back to the city just yet.”

“Why not?”

“Cane’s stupid ass, the rest of the tejada’s, and Effie set me up that’s why!” Tariq was heated, rightfully so.

“I tried to take him out but I guess that wasn’t enough to be fatal,” Brayden is apologetic but Tariq just dips his head in thanks, a silent understanding passing between the two boys.

“Wait…you shot Cane? He just called—nope.” Solay begins walking by the boys, done with the conversation while shuffling her keys as she heads back to the house, kicking up dirt while she went.

The boys were pleading as they followed after the older woman but she was not trying to hear anymore.

“Hey!” Angel called out to the trio, making both Tariq and Brayden whip around to face the mustache wearing man who stood on the steps of the RV, shotgun aimed right in their direction.

“Shit, shit! Don’t shoot us man, we really come in peace!”

“Shut up, Brayden.”

“Angel,” Solay calls from the path of the doorway and gives him a shake of her head to tell him not to pull that trigger.

Solay takes her eyes off Angel and says to the boys, “wait here, preferably away from my ex-husband’s eyesight.”

“No problem! You got it!” Brayden disappears, hiding behind the southwest exterior while Tariq holds Angel’s stare who turns them into slits, “what’re you doing, riq? Didn’t you say he’s in a motorcycle club? those motherfuckers get rowdy.”

“Nah, he was. Then he disappeared. He might be our answer too.”

The door slams shut behind them, making the teens turn back to Solay who’s locking up the home while carrying what appears to be a trinket box. She meets their stare as she steps down onto the dirt and nods her head, “follow me.”

“Not if you’re gonna have that guy kill us!”

“Nobody’s dying,” Solay says over her shoulder as she leads the way back to Angel, “my kids are inside the RV.”

Brayden let’s out a whistle of relief as Solay steps up to Angel, reaching up to lower the gun down, her eyes saying something which gets him to put the safety on lock.

“This is Tariq and Brayden,” Solay let’s Angel know as they make their way into the RV, making the man let out a groan of annoyance.

“Our kids are here and it’s a holiday, why are you two pulling up now?”

Tariq presses his elbows into his knees after taking a seat on the couch parallel to where the two kids sit, “To get rid of your remaining problem: Cane Tejada.”

“Oh…the fucken bed bug.” Angel rubs at his face in irritation while Brayden snorts at the insult.

Solay cut her eyes at him, motioning to their kids, leaving the man to hold his hands up in surrender and then sticks his tongue out at Maverick who looks his way. Solay places the headphones onto the toddler’s ears and gently rubs Xavier’s shoulders, although he’s too involved in his tablet to care about the new guests.

Tariq and Brayden give the same rundown they just gave Solay and Angel listens carefully. He rubs at his face in thought over this, on one instance this could go in their favor but on the other hand it could also go very wrong. It became knowledge to Angel that Cane was still keeping tabs on them and that didn’t sit right with him. This means they never knew what he would do or when he would do it, he was always unpredictable like that and the last thing Angel wanted was Cane messing up what he and Solay came so far to have together.

This was the first time Angel got to really start over and he knew from the beginning that Cane was not the one for Solay. Standing here now just proves that.

“We know a guy that can probably help you guys more than we can,” Angel says after a moment, his eyes meeting Solay’s as she nods her head also thinking the same thing.

Solay doesn’t say more as Angel moves to the driver seat, leaving her to tap and motion for Xavier to slide over before she reaches over to hold Maverick in the safety of her arms.

Brayden’s more antsy than Tariq is, who seems to have this calm but cautious demeanor analyzing everything around them just in case they needed to flee from the RV. His guard was secretly up but he did his research, he found out what Cane’s plan was coming out to California but wouldn’t realize how this would backfire on him.

Tariq didn’t care to know the full details on Cane’s fraudulent relationship with the braided woman but he could see the appeal in Solay. With the way she moved on her own, with Angel and interacted with the kids, there was power in her soothing aura. Tariq could tell that she was over it though and that she’s also been through some shit but if she wanted to fully dead the situation, she would even if that meant she didn’t have to get her hands dirty herself.

The drive from the desert into the Mountain View and ramps was not what Tariq was really used to on a daily but the ride was long enough. Angel’s soon pulling up on the side of the road before shutting the engine off.

“We’re here,” Angel says through the rear view mirror before unbuckling his seatbelt.

Solay looks in his direction before turning to the two boys, “before you ask, there’s a pay phone up ahead and you’re going to take this number and let him know that Majesty and Sunny sent you.”

Tariq takes the slip of paper from Solay who rocks Maverick on her lap, “How do we know you’re not setting us up?”

“You don’t.” Angel calls out while Solay blinks.

She shrugs, “that’s not the life we live anymore but if it’s to get the bad off our backs…hopefully this will be worth it.”

“Are you sure this guy will help us?”

“His ass is always into something despite the fact that he should be dead with the rest but I know he’s been itching to get into it. To get his hands on something again…he’s a dumbass just like you two.” Angel fills the two in while they share a look, unsure but knew they didn’t have much else to lose.

They didn’t have many on their side right now.

Solay chipped in as she rests her chin on top of Mavy’s dark hair, “And just like you used to be.”

“That’s before I became a dad.”

Solay hummed in disbelief.

“Alright before i became a better one!”

Tariq got to his feet now while the pair smiled at each other from across the vehicle, “aight thanks for looking out.”

“Sure…but promise me this will be the last time we see you.”

Brayden glanced at Tariq who stood by the stairs, “as long as this guy comes through.”

Solay tunes that response out.

“Uh wait, how do we know it’s him?” Brayden asks as Tariq heads towards the door but also pauses on the last step.

“…he goes by Guero.” Angel says as Tariq repeats the name with a nod of his head before pushing the door open.

Once both boys are off the RV and shut the door closed, Angel starts the engine again and pulls off leaving the boys behind to their own disarray.

Solay turns with one arm to pull Xavier to rest against her chest, her attention turning to the blur of trees lingering in the now partly cloudy sky, lost in the silence that she welcomes again while Angel briefly glances at the sight of her in the rear view, just wondering what’s going on inside of that head of her’s.

He hoped it was tranquility just like he was searching for within himself.

ੈ ╭──╯ . . . *ੈ ╭──╯ . . . *ੈ ╭──╯ . . . *

Continue along with my September anthology prompts here.

[saturnville]

bibliophiles

pairing: ez reyes x black!oc

warning: none

He recommended Don Quixote. Never had she expected a broody and seemingly dark biker to be overly invested in literature—sixteenth century literature at that. 

He remembered the confusion on her face when she flipped through the first few pages and saw it was the original version written in Spanish. Her eyes had pleaded with him to give her another suggestion, but he reiterated her desire to learn his native tongue and said it’s be a good challenge. 

She finished the book in two weeks—an unusual length of time for her to finish a book—and gave a full report to him when they saw one another again in his father’s shop. 

“You liked it?” he asked her, a half smile pulling at his lips. 

She nodded and pushed her glasses further upon her nose. “Yes, it was good. Challenging, but good. I had a dictionary pulled up next to me every time I read it.”

He chuckled. “Dedication. I like it.”  She responded with a sly smile. “Since you gave me such a challenge, I can only offer the same in return, Ezekiel.”

His stomach tingled, he loved the way she said his name. EZ ignored the looks from his father and older brother as he finally broke and took a seat by the old, rickety bookshelf where his childhood imagination was first introduced. He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward on his elbows. 

“What do you have, Indra?” 

The woman dug into a familiar navy blue shoulder bag and pulled out a book as large as his head. Intrigued, he leaned forward more. “What’s this?” 

“Beowulf. The original version from between the eighth and eleventh century first book recorded in the English language. Old English.”

“Ah,” EZ hissed, picking up the book. Indra watched as he clutched the book in his hands, flicking through some of the pages. He rose his eyebrows in amusement. “A challenge indeed. You gonna give me a time limit, too?” 

“Three weeks max.” Indra stood from her seat, prepared to exit. 

“Not so fast...” he dug into the side of his cut, pulling out another book. “Macbeth.” She examined the book closely. The cover was in tact, the spine was sturdy, and the pages were as crisp as new dollar bills. He bought it, she concluded. She bought it just for her. “Little birdie told me it was your favorite.” He hoped she hadn’t caught him glancing at his father. 

Indra thanked him wholeheartedly. The gesture was simple yet so sweet, it made her  insides flutter. Their exchange had gone on for going on two months and she couldn’t get enough of it. Often times, she found herself finishing her novels early and coming into the store just to have a reason to look into his hazel eyes or slide her fingers against his. 

“No problem.”

“See you in a few weeks,” Indra bid her farewell, but was soon interrupted by EZ’s hand around her arm. “Yes?”

“Can I,” he cleared his throat. “Can I take you out sometime? Don’t want to have to keep waiting for a literature exchange to see you...” 

Indra tucked the book further underneath her arm and readjusted her glasses. Here she was, about to dive into Macbeth for the umpteenth time, only to be caught off guard by him asking her on a...date? 

“Like a date?” 

His face flushed as he nodded slowly. Her uncertainty made his insides twist.

“Yeah, if you’re okay with it.“

“Of course I am.” She cursed herself for speaking so quickly. EZ chuckled softly. “I mean, that sounds nice.” 

His beautiful eyes met hers and she fought the urge to grin like a fool. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow, yeah?” 

She didn’t trust her ability to utter words so she nodded slowly with a wide smile on her lips. 

EZ turned on his heels and tossed a smile over his shoulder. “See you tomorrow, querida.”

“Bye, Ezekiel…”

[bullet-prooflove]

The Holiday Bingo Card is Complete!!!!

Here is what we have coming up!

26th Nov: Saint Michael - Frank Castle x Reader - Frank returns something important to you - BINGO SQUARE: GIFT EXCHANGE

1st Dec: Montana - Cowboy!Terry Bruno x Reader - Terry doesn't expect to receieve a holiday card from you. BINGO SQUARE: HOLIDAY CARDS

2nd Dec: Better - Bobby Goren x Reader - You're trapped in a car with a broken heater in the middle of winter. BINGO SQUARE: SHARING A SCARF

3rd Dec: Look After You - Johnny 'Coco' Cruz x Reader - Coco takes care of you when your struck down with a cold. BINGO SQUARE: COLD/FLU SEASON

8th Dec: Black Satin (NSFW) - Bishop Losa x Reader - Bishop finds a surprise when he's helping you with the holiday gifts. BINGO SQUARE: HOLIDAY SHOPPING

10th Dec: Home Alone (NSFW) - Priest!Joe x Reader - Joe doesn't expect a guest this Christmas. BINGO SQUARE: SPENDING CHRISTMAS ALONE

11th Dec: Candy Cane - Chibs x Reader - You turn out to be a distraction whilst gift wrapping. BINGO SQUARE: FLANNEL PJS

13th Dec: Heaven in Hiding - Mike Duarte x Reader - You find Mike hiding out during the holiday party. BINGO SQUARE: WORK HOLIDAY PARTY

15th Dec: End of the Line - Hank Loza x Reader - You and Hank make a realisation about your relationship. BINGO SQUARE: HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

16th Dec: Gingerbread - Bishop Losa x Reader - Bishop comforts you when you discover your limitations. BINGO SQUARE: BAKING

19th Dec: Snow - Bishop Losa x Reader - Bishop asks you a question that's been on his mind recently. BINGO SQUARE: PLAYING IN THE SNOW

20th Dec: The Fight Before Christmas - Sam Abrams x Reader - Sam and get into a fight after he discovers you've been keeping a secret from him. BINGO SQUARE: THE FIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

23rd Dec: Traditions - Angel Reyes x Reader - Angel goes overboard on Valeria's first Christmas. BINGO SQUARE: DECORATIONS

24th Dec: Special Delivery - Tig Trager x Reader - Tig's babymoon doesn't go as planned. BINGO SQUARE: WINTER CABIN

26th Dec: Hot Chocolate - Alden Parker x Reader - Alden and you discuss what happened a few nights ago. BINGO SQUARE: FIRST SNOW

27th Dec: This is the Year - Juan 'Juice' Ortiz x Reader - Juice takes his new years resolution very seriously. BINGO SQUARE: RESOLUTION

28th Dec: LakeTahoe!Series Part One: Black Bear Lodge - Manny x Reader - You meet Manny in a lodge in Lake Tahoe. - Companion piece to End of the Line. BINGO SQUARE: SLEDDING

31st Dec: Fireworks - Taza Romero x OC: Ben Harrison - Taza discovers why Ben hates New Year's. BINGO SQUARE: NEW YEARS

2nd Jan: BlackIce!Series Part One: Black Ice - Frank Castle x Reader - Frank returns home after hearing about your accident. BINGO SQUARE: ICE

7th Jan: Mount Shasta (NSFW) - Taza Romero x OC: Ben Harrison - Ben surprises Taza with a trip away. BINGO SQUARE: BLIZZARD/SNOWED IN

[garbinge]

Contaminated (12/?)

Bishop Losa!Dad x OC Lara Barrera Losa Angel Reyes x OC Lara Losa

A/N: Been a MINUTE. But since it’s been a while I figured I’d give you something to hold you over so enjoy all 6k words of this!

For a refresh, all the chapter links are in the below link!

Chapter Index

TW: 18+, mentions of sex, murder, death, violence, drugs, and alcohol. Angsty, sad, heartbreaking. 

Word Count: 6.5k 

Taglist: (Just let me know if you want to be added :) @est1887 @minimel-fics @spnaquakindgdom @nessamc @alienstardust @mrsstevenbuchananstark @hinagiku0 @lyly00 @drabbles-mc @lilac-tea-time (it’s been a while since I’ve posted this, if I’ve forgot to add you to the taglist or you’d like to be tagged just let me know!)

Weeks had passed without incident. In every aspect of, well, everything. The Calavaras hadn’t left a note, made an appearance, or made themselves known at all to the club or to Lara. And per Bishop’s rules, Lara was home at 10 every night. No one suspected Angel and Lara of anything, including Frankie or EZ. Overall, things were going pretty well. 

Lara made her way out of her room, it was early but she had the first shift at the restaurant today, some business meeting rented the entire restaurant out. Lara walked down the hallway of her apartment and froze when she saw Bishop sitting at the island in the kitchen. After the initial startle of things, Lara kept walking over to him. 

“Didn’t mean to scare you, Frankie let me in while she was, well I think on her way in, also.” Bishop tried to joke and ended his sentence with a chuckle. 

“Yea not everyone has an early curfew.” Lara rubbed the sleep out of her eye as she reached for a mug and poured a cup of coffee for both her and Bishop. 

She turned around and placed the cup in front of Bishop, “4 sugars, no cream.” 

He nodded and wrapped his hand around the mug, letting the liquid cool down before sipping it. The only sound that could be heard was the clock mounted on the wall ticking, the blinds blowing in the subtle morning breeze from the window, and the slight slurps of Lara sipping her coffee. 

“Why are you here? I’ve been abiding by your rules. Home by 10, everyday. There haven’t been any notes. What’s your beef?” Lara crossed her arms. 

“No beef. Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” Bishop picked something out of his pocket and pushed it across the island towards his daughter. It was a long black velvet box. 

Lara stared at the box for a couple minutes before uncrossing her arms. “I honestly forgot it was today.” She shook her head and pulled the seat up across from her father and made her self comfortable. “You didn’t have to do this.” She pushed the box back to him. 

“It was your mother’s, birthday or not, you should have it. It was one of the first pieces of jewelry she made.” Bishop left the box where it was and finished his cup of coffee in one last sip. He stood up from the table. “That was all I came for, thanks for making things easy. I–uh, I’m handling the Calaveras. It’s not done yet but we’re almost there.” Bishop offered up the smallest piece of information he could, but Lara knew it was a lot for him. But even though it was a lot, it wasn’t enough for her. 

“Thanks.” Lara said with nothing else but a nod. 

Bishop began walking away towards the front door, he did what he came to do, and even though it pained him to leave like this, he knew he had to, but not without one last try. “There’s a party tonight at the club house. You should come. Forget about the curfew, you’ll be with the club, and  if you want to go home, I’ll have one of the guys bring you home.” Bishop was turned slightly with his hand on the doorknob but looking for some type of acknowledgement from Lara. 

“Birthday party? The guys better have presents for me.” 

Bishop let out a genuine laugh at that comment, there she was, the daughter he knew. While, he was well aware that she was joking, he also knew it wasn’t his place to joke back with her yet so he left with a chuckle and a ‘see you tonight.’ 

Lara let out a breath after Bishop left and laid her body across the kitchen island almost in defeat. It was easy to put a front up to Bishop, especially while she was still upset with him, but the aftermath of that looked messy for Lara.  Her head laid on the cold countertop of the island as she let out a groan, as her arm sprawled across the island it bumped into the velvet box, pushing it a couple inches away. She looked up through her hair and hesitated before finally grabbing the box and opening it. 

It was a soft, silver metal chain. Thin and dainty with a small clasp that could you tell was attached by hand. Lara’s hand glided against the chain until it hit the main design of the bracelet. 3 butterflies, all welded together. They looked like they were made from spoon handles, one of Lara’s favorite things to use for jewelry making. 

“I wish you were here.” Lara mumbled as she clasped the bracelet around her arm. 

____________

So, the business meeting at her job was more of a Galindo rent-a-space situation. The morning consisted of breakfast with Miguel and his family. That lasted longer than Lara expected a brunch would, but I guess family time was limited with the Galindo’s and they’d take any opportunity of shared time. After that, Marcus had showed up along with who Lara knew was Miguel’s head of security. It was news to Lara that Marcus was getting buddy buddy with Miguel and crew, luckily as he was walking into the restaurant wasn’t her way of finding out. Marcus had left a note for her the day before at her hostess stand. 

Mi sobrina. I’m taking you up on your offer. Don’t need the free meal, but could use the space tomorrow for business. Make the reservation under Galindo. Whole restaurant, all day. Left a deposit with the owner but wanted to give you the heads up. Didn’t mention you, but I can if it’ll help. Love you, see you tomorrow. - Tio Marcus. 

It was now hours into their meeting upstairs, it was pretty quiet in the space, some chatter from the group of men but besides that it was her and one other waitress who Lara knew could keep things disclosed without issue. Lara was at the hostess stand figuring out the rest of the weeks reservations and caterings.

“Lara.” Marcus nodded as he approached the girl. Lara looked up a bit frazzled but relaxed and shook her head once she saw Marcus with a soft smile on his face. 

“Everything okay? Anything I can get you guys?” Lara closed the planner she was working in and stacked the restaurant’s iPad on top of it as she leaned onto the stand. 

“No, no, everything is perfect, you set us up perfectly. Discrete. Good food.” Marcus put his hands to rest on the hostess stand as he spoke. “Just came over to thank you and let you know they’re wrapping up soon. I know we’ve been here a long time.” He smiled as he looked up at the clock above. 

“No worries, I blocked out everything for the whole day to be safe.” 

Marcus nodded and tapped his fist lightly on the top part of the stand. He had his riding gloves on, but Lara knew he didn’t bring his bike here. 

“You still ride?” She pointed to the gloves. 

“Any chance I get.” He answered her quickly. “You can take the biker out the club but you can’t take the biker out the man.” 

Lara let out a scoff, it was meant to be more of a chuckle but it definitely came out more harsh. Marcus picked up on it and gave her a look. “Sorry, just–” she paused wondering how much she wanted to share with him, how much he already knew. 

“He’s protecting you.” Marcus started at the girl straight in her eyes. “It’s what I would do, too.” 

Lara knew better than to argue with Marcus, so she nodded and broke eye contact. Marcus didn’t mean to overpower the girl, it was a demeanor that he just had. He also was good at reading the room so he quickly changed topics and lightened the mood. 

“I’m getting out of here but Izzy is hounding me to get you over the house.” He stepped back a few feet which is when the rest of the Galindo crew started to make their way downstairs.  “Oh and uh, happy birthday. It’s today, right?”

Lara smiled, “yep, another year wiser.” She gave a wink with a grin. 

“Thank you for the hospitality.” Miguel was now in earshot as he buttoned his suit jacket and placed his cellphone in his pocket. 

Lara answered him with a simple nod and with that he was out the door that Marcus was holding open for him. 

“Yea, uh, thanks for the hospitality, and giving us something pretty to look at.” Galindo’s head of security nodded up at Lara. 

At this point, Marcus and Miguel were outside already, getting into the various G-Wagons that were parked out front. 

“I’m Nestor, I can drop you off if you need a ride? Or we could hang out?” the man with braids outreached his hand over to Lara entering her personal space. She took a step back to create more space between them before shaking his hand. There wasn’t much room behind the hostess stand so she was leaning up against the marble counter that served as a divider from the entrance to the restaurant. 

Their handshake dropped, and before Lara could answer, someone else’s voice spoke up. 

“What’s up, Pippy Longstockings?” Angel’s voice was full of pettiness and a little humor. His gaze landed on Lara and he smirked. 

Nestor looked over at Angel who was standing next to him, and then turned back to Lara. “I guess we’ll rain check that ride home.”

“It’s okay, Angel normally gives me a ride home.” 

“And if he can’t?”

“Then I’m here.” Bishop’s voice could be described as booming. It was loud and firm as he walked into the restaurant. It echoed against the empty walls of The Villa. 

Lara brought her hand up to rub her forehead as her eyebrows raised in embarrassment. Nestor took the hint without issue, made his exit quick and quiet leaving the two bikers in front of Lara. Without words she shook her head and wrinkled her forehead as her hands raised. 

“Figured we’d give you an escort to the club. Frankie’s there already.” Bishop gave an answer to Lara’s silent question. 

“Takes two of you?” Lara tried to give off an attitude to throw any trail of her and Angel’s secret relationship to the wind. 

“Angel and I were doing shit nearby, figured you could use the escort.” Bishop said. 

“I had Frankie drop me off this morning, don’t have my car. Gonna have to hop on your bike.” She was looking at Bishop when she said it, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. If it was up to her she’d ask Angel to drive her out of town, get far away from the MC, from her father, or at the very least she would have asked him to take her home and hang there for the night. But instead, she had to save face, which meant doing exactly what she didn’t want. 

“Angel will take you to the clubhouse.” Bishop said looking at his phone. “I got something I gotta handle.” 

Angel looked back to his president and moved his head towards the burner cell. “All good, prez?” 

“Yea, yea, it’s Sophie.” Bishop said putting his phone back in his pocket. 

Lara bit her tongue, she wanted to say something to tease her father. Sophie and Bishop was something she had toyed with setting up in her head a lot and to see that over the last few weeks something was starting up between them made her a bit happy. Bishop needed that. Maybe it’d offer Lara some benefit as well. 

Luckily for Lara, Angel didn’t need to bite his tongue. 

“Bow chicka bowwww wowwww, Bish. Didn’t know you started pressin’ up on that.” Angel said as he lightly tapped Bishop like he was fake boxing with him. 

“I ain’t pressin’ up on shit.” Bishop pushed Angel’s hands away. 

Angel raised his hands in surrender but still had the biggest smile on his face. “You got it, Bish.” 

Lara was holding back the biggest laugh, it was a breath of fresh air, but then again these past couple weeks have been that with Angel. Despite trying to hide their relationship, things were great with them. They were going on dates, out of town but dates none the less, they were sneaking over each others places, talking, it was exactly what the girl needed. 

“Go, both of you, before I decide I need you to wash my truck and my bike tonight conveniently making you unavailable for the party.” Bishop stared at Angel. 

Angel nodded knowing not to argue with Bishop anymore. He lead the way out the restaurant, holding the door open as Lara grabbed her jacket and bag. As she slung her bag over her shoulder her eyes met with Bishops, instead of letting them linger she gave a half ass smile and nod and walked past him towards Angel who had the door open. Bishop followed shortly behind her, and made his way towards his bike, not saying anything else. As he started his bike he lifted his hand up in an attempt to say goodbye, but he knew there was tension between him and his daughter. Lara didn’t do any but look at him before averting her gaze to Angel who was still holding the door open. 

“You can wait outside, I have to lock up.” She dangled the keys as she spoke to Angel while the sound of Bishop’s bike faded in the distance. 

He nodded and moved through the second set of doors to The Villa and stood right next to it on the outside. 

Lara shut the lights off and slid the latch over the door before locking it, she turned to the second door and made her way outside. Her hand grasped the handle and closed it shut, she played with the key ring looking for the right one to lock the door. 

“You know you don’t need to stay so close.” She said it with a smile. 

Angel smiled back as he leaned against the window of the restaurant. “Looks good to Bishop. To him I’m just your protection.” 

“I don’t see Bishop here anymore.” Lara said as she finished locking the door and moved to lean against it looking up to Angel. “Plus I don’t think you need to monitor my every move.” 

“I don’t know about that, I think you got a couple moves I need to monitor.” His smile turned into a grin. 

“Shut tup and take me to the clubhouse. And if you go over 80, there will be no monitoring of any moves.” Lara pushed herself off the glass and made her way to his bike. Angel was close behind her as they approached his bike. As they got situated on the bike, Angel grabbed his helmet and passed it to the girl before turning over the bike to start.

“Happy Birthday.” Angel said over the engine. 

She froze with her hand on the helmet she was putting on. She was staring at the back of him wondering if maybe she heard him wrong. “You remembered my birthday?” 

“Heard Bish mention it to Hank today.” He said as he placed his riding gloves on. 

“Thanks.” Lara said awkwardly. 

“Why didn’t you tell me your birthday is coming up?” Angel asked curiously. 

Lara thought about how she wanted to answer, there was a truth behind why her birthday was not something that was celebrated too often. But she wasn’t sure if she was ready to open up about it, especially to Angel. 

“I stopped paying attention years ago, you know, after 21.” She shrugged it off. Angel accepted the answer and went to hit the kickstand up on his bike while Lara moved her hands around his waist. She felt the awkward tension, the fact she kept something from him, the very clear excuse behind why her next words weren’t exactly what she wanted, but she knew it’d get a laugh out of him. “So what’d you get me?” Her head rested on his shoulder. 

With a chuckle and a shake of his head he looked back at her, “was hard to pull together a last minute gift.” And with that, they drove off. 

______________

Lara let out a belly laugh as she casually bumped into Angel on the picnic table they were sitting at with Frankie, EZ, and Coco. EZ’s laugh was comparable in volume. The group of them were having the time of their lives at the club party. To be honest, since Lara and Angel had started their sneaking around, or as their group of friends looked at it, their newly found friendship vs their previous bickering, the entire group of them had a really great time together. 

Angel wasn’t even drinking that night, he took his responsibility for Lara seriously. He knew Bishop wouldn’t let him be the one to keep eyes on her if he fucked anything up so if that meant sticking to cigarettes at a club party then so be it. 

EZ stood up from the table, grabbing everyone’s empties. “‘nother round?” he asked looking around the table for confirmation. 

“I’m good.” Angel replied a little too quick to get past EZ. His younger brother stared at him with a slight frown for a minute before his thoughts were interrupted by the girls. 

“Yea I could have another.” Frankie was scrolling on her phone, barely paying attention to what was around her. 

“I’ll have one more.” Lara said before pulling her own phone out. 

EZ frowned deeper, and this time his reaction was matched. Frankie was looking up from her phone now at her best friend in shock. “One more?” Her voice was confused. Despite it being just a general out of the norm behavior for Lara, it was her birthday, which made it all the more weird she wasn’t drinking much. 

“Long day, I’m tired.” Lara shrugged it off, paying more attention to her phone than the company around her in hopes to get them off her back. 

“It’s your birthday.” Frankie stated like that fact changed everything. 

“So?” Her shrug would’ve been enough to say it all but the added ‘so’ was the cherry on top for Frankie. 

“What is it? Your 50th birthday? Too old to party? Take a shot.” Frankie was a little tipsy which was where the encouragement to drink was coming from. 

“Even the 50 year olds can hang.” Coco said pointing to the group of the older Mayan men who were hollering about something or someone, clearly wasted beyond their means. 

Lara had looked up to see where Coco was pointing to which is when she saw Bishop making his way in from the gates of the club. He was just getting in from wherever he was with Sophie, if that was the truth. His eyes were scanning the lot, taking in the state of his clubhouse. Lara could tell he was taking note of everything, who was here, who had disappeared, what the state of the yard looked like, how many people were already passed out on some piece of furniture, and that’s when their eyes met. His eyes softened, it was a look Bishop rarely was able to give anymore, but just seeing his daughter sucker punched it out of him. It was one of the many reasons he hated having her around the club. She made him soft. It was a weak spot, and anyone with eyes could see that. Bishop nodded his head at the girl. There was a lot being said in the gesture and Lara knew that.  At some point while Frankie was explaining how Lara aged into an elderly woman because she only wanted one more beer, EZ had retreated to the clubhouse to get the drinks. The beer clinked down in front of Lara and without even looking down she took it and raised it towards Bishop. His eyes moved to the beer and that’s when he saw the bracelet on her arm. A smirk filled his face for the quickest second, it felt like a win for him. He left expecting the girl to not even look at the gift, let alone wear it. But it felt like his effort had been received. And just like that, her eyes moved and it was like nothing had happened. 

Lara was mentally not okay. Between her the weight of her birthday, the tension with Bishop and the fact that Frankie had started to drink hard liquor, she just wanted to go home. Her eyes scanned over Angel who was in a deep conversation with Coco about god knows what. Her mind was trying to process the best way to go about leaving where Angel could take her without it being obvious she wanted him to take her. After a few minutes of thought, she was up and moving towards Bishop. 

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go home.” She said interrupting his conversation with a patch from another charter. Bishop turned to Lara shocked she was talking to him. 

“You sure? I had the prospect pick you up a cake.” 

Bishop’s voice wasn’t normal. The sentence even earned him a look from the people around him. He was trying. Which is why the next words out of Lara’s mouth killed her to say but she couldn’t deal with him pushing her out when he wanted and bringing her back in when he wanted. She knew he had valid points for doing what he did, but after all this time, she was done with him pushing her away and despite the fact that he was inviting her in again, she wasn’t going to be stuck in a cycle of this. She had to break it. 

“Don’t want cake.” She stared at Bishop with a neutral face. It was silent between them, the few guys that were around Bishop had gotten up and moved, clearly feeling the vibe. “So am I ubering or is one of the guys taking me home?” Her arms moved to her back pockets but in no way was she relaxed. 

“You don’t need to check in with me, you can just go home.” Bishop said a little more like the president of the club now, not Lara’s father. 

Lara let a laugh out, it was unbelievable what he just said and she was going to let him know. “Don’t bullshit me. If I took a uber you’d have a fucking conniption. Don’t act fuckin’ coy, Bishop.” 

“Angel!” Bishop called out not wanting to have this discussion any longer. 

Angel made his way over with a slight pep in his step. “Sup Bish?” 

“You been drinkin’?” His eyes were still on Lara. 

“Nah, not even one beer.” Angel lifted his hands in innocence. 

“Taka Lara home.” Bishop wasn’t even going to let Lara weigh in, his eyes were focused on Angel. 

“You got it, Bish.” 

Angel and Lara began walking towards the row of bikes in silence. Lara still had her hands in her back pockets as she walked, Angel ahead of her due to his long steps. Bishop had turned back around in his seat, leaning back as he smoked a cigarette. There was a change in demeanor, he felt the anger inside him bubble up. He was sick of the attitude from Lara and had no idea how to handle it. In all honesty, a sit down talk and some compromises on both ends would have been enough but Bishop and Lara weren’t exactly the best at communication. Which is why Bishop didn’t think twice before speaking, he knew the words he was going to say would cut, but he didn’t care in that moment.

There was a cold breeze that came in and it made Lara remove her hands from her pockets so she could rub her hand up and down her arm in an attempt to shake the chills. She was only about 10 feet away when Bishop called out to her. 

“Hey, Lara.” Bishop said not even giving her the respect of looking at her. “Don’t forget I’m the only family you got.” 

Lara was already frozen from when she turned to acknowledge him, but she felt her heart stop when he finished his sentence. It wasn’t a gut punch, that was a calculated statement. It was a good one too. To listening ears it seemed like a simple reminder, sure, a little pointed, but something anyone could shake off. But to Lara, it held power. Her birthday held a lot of pain, her brother’s death anniversary was only a few weeks away and the weight of that got heavier, made it hard to celebrate. Bishop knew that. Knew the comment would knock the girl down. 

Lara had instantly buried the pain, anger taking its place. So many things popped into her head to say back to him. There was even a moment where she considered stepping to him, pushing him off the chair. But instead she turned around and kept walking. Her eyes met Angel’s who was waiting for her, she wasn’t sure if he heard the comment, but he definitely saw her wipe a tear or two from her face before she made it over to his bike. 

“You good?” He handed her his helmet. The both of them standing on opposite sides of the bike. 

Lara placed it on her head and clipped it and just gave him a nod. “Yea, I’m fine.” 

He nodded, and got on the bike, knowing there wasn’t anything he was going to pull out of her here in the scrapyard. 

_______

Angel pulled up to Lara’s place, cutting the engine of his bike. He wasn’t sure if he was staying but he did know he wanted to at least talk with the girl and didn’t want to be screaming over the rumbling. 

“You got a minute?” Angel said to Lara as she walked up to the front porch of her place. 

“For you? I’ll make it two.” She smiled sitting on the steps. 

Angel smiled and joined the girl, he sat a step above her, his leg was against her shoulder. She leaned into him for a second before getting up and moving in between his long legs, still a step below him. She leaned back against him as he placed his arms around her shoulders. His lips came down to her cheek and he pressed a kiss to it before whispering in her ear. 

“I got you something.” 

Lara looked up at him. “I thought you said it was too last minute.” 

“I heard Bish say it this morning. Gave me time to pick something up, just wanted to give it to you when we were alone.” 

“Oh it’s that type of gift.” Lara turned back around with an eye roll before he was leaning back over her. He laughed as he placed a kiss on the side of her head as he grabbed the gift and brought it around in front of her. It was a medium sized box covered in confetti wrapping paper. It wasn’t wrapped beautifully at all, but the effort was there. Lara felt her heart in her stomach, she truly wasn’t expecting anything. 

“What is this?” She frowned and looked back at him shocked. 

“Open it and find out.” He nodded at the gift. 

Lara’s attention moved back to the box as she stood it at dumbfoundly for a minute, purely in shock that Angel had actually picked something up for her. She began to unwrap it, the wrapping paper falling to her side on the stairs to reveal the beautiful hand painted jewelry box. It was clay ceramic but painted over completely in black, the cover had a bird painted in purple and pink pattern with a similar pattern in teal surrounding it. The walls of the box had pink flowers, each one slightly different than the next, hand painted around it. Inside was a soft cushion on the left that was made to hold a variety of rings while the right was divided into two sections for other pieces. The roof of the box was saved for necklaces, while it’s surface was bare only showing the clay colored ceramic, there were tiny metal hooks that looked custom made with small details around them and held in place with small ceramic tiles that matched the colors outside. 

“Angel.” Lara’s breath was hitched in the back of her throat, the shock, the amazement, all the emotions were flooding her as she stared at the beautiful jewelry box he had just gifted her.

“I noticed that you had a bunch of wooden boxes for the stuff you make and they’re overflowing so, I don’t know thought maybe this could be some sort of solution, although, it’s not gonna fit all your stuff, but if you like it, I can take you to the place in Mexico where I got it and we can get more, it’s got those compartments and shit to organize things better, if that’s what you want, no pressure, the lady told me you can take that stuff out if you like the system you got going on.” Angel rambled on, clearly nervous that it wasn’t a good gift and that Lara was upset. 

“Mexico?” Lara’s head snapped to look at him, even more shocked that he made a trip over the border for this. 

“Had some time this morning, noticed the spot once when a group of us were over in Santa Madre. Figured I’d try my luck. Feel like you can’t buy the girl who makes jewelry, jewelry, you know?” He chuckled, still nervously. 

“Angel this is…” Lara tried to find the right words before landing on one. “This is perfect. It’s beautiful, I can’t thank you enough.” Her glance went back to the jewelry box, her hands running over the textured paint and smiled back at him. 

Relief washed over him, his face filled with a smile as she still stared at the jewelry box. “Oh, and look,” Angel’s hand reached over the girl’s shoulder and grabbed the ring cushion out and flipped it upside down. “There’s a little secret pouch for things you want to keep hidden.” He unclasped the fabric that opened a small bag like area for exactly that, items you wanted to keep more private. 

Lara smiled as he brought the cushion back into the box and secured it back in.  “Do you want to come in?” 

___________

He did. The two took advantage of the house being empty, Lara was grateful that Frankie had decided to stay at the clubhouse and party a bit more, gave her a moment (or two) with Angel back at home. 

The two of them laid in Lara’s bed, the covers laying over their naked bodies as they caught their breath. 

“I would have bought you a jewelry box years ago if I knew it was going to get me that.” Angel teased as Lara chuckled and slapped his chest. “Happy Birthday” Angel laughed and kissed the girl on the lips, his hand cupping her face as he did before falling back in bed, his left hand moving back behind his head as Lara rested her head on his chest.

White noise filled the room, neither of them were asleep, but it was in the air. That was until Lara spoke up. “Do you think I should have stayed at the clubhouse tonight?” 

It was a genuine question. Her mind might have been occupied with other things since getting home but now that things were quiet, her mind was able to fill back up with all the thoughts again. 

“You think you should’ve?” Angel answered her question with a question, his eyes closed as he answered. 

“I think that everything is fucked.” Lara said point blankly. 

This made Angel open his eyes. 

“Not this, I don’t mean this. I mean with Bishop.” Lara corrected herself. 

“Bish’s got a lot on his plate you know–” Angel started. 

“I’m not talking to you as a club member, Angel, I’m talking to you as the girl you fuck from time to time and buy jewelry boxes.” Her words were harsh but she knew Angel could handle them. 

“So my girlfriend, you’re talking to me as my girlfriend.” He said and Lara could feel his heart speed up a bit as the nerves worked their way through his system. 

“Finally.” Lara said with a chuckle and started to trace his tattoos on his chest. 

Angel took a sigh of relief and kept the conversation moving, they didn’t need to dwell on the details just yet. 

“You talkin’ about what Bishop said to you tonight?’ Angel’s other arm, the one not behind his head moved up and down Lara’s back. 

“You heard him?” Lara now was sitting up a bit, so she could see Angel’s face. 

“I did. I still stand by what I said, he’s got a lot on his plate, makes someone lash out easier.” He shrugged in explanation. 

“Feels like it's just who we are at this point. Two people who will never see eye to eye, always at each others necks, always fighting.” 

“Ain’t that a father daughter thing anyways. Frankie fights with Hank.” Angel struggled to understand. 

“Not like Bishop and I do. Our shits deep rooted. 

Just when Angel was about to ask what that shit was, finally get Lara to really open up, there was a noise. 

“Speaking of Frankie.” Lara shot up and looked out the window to see EZ in Felipe’s truck dropping the drunk girl off. She walked by Angel’s bike without noticing it, Lara prayed EZ didn’t say anything while in the car, it was something that needed to come from Lara. “Go to my closet!” Lara demanded Angel as she jumped in bed and pretended to be asleep. Angel got up, not as quickly as Lara was moving, but fast enough that when Frankie opened Lara’s bedroom door, he was hidden. 

“Hi, I’m home. And drunk. Very drunk” Frankie slurred as she leaned into the door, hand on the door knob and other hand on the frame to keep her balance. 

Lara groaned like she was getting woken up. “Okay, thanks for letting me know. I’ll make you coffee in the morning.” Her words came out groggy. 

“Th–thanks,” she began to close the door and then opened it again, “happy birthday, I love you.” 

Lara closed her eyes, it made her feel shittier for hiding something from her even if she had her reasons for doing so. “I love you too.” Lara said before Frankie closed her door. 

Angel came out from the hanging clothes and back to the bed, trying to push Lara over for him to lay back down. 

“You’ve got 10 minutes and then you gotta go. Frankie’s gonna come in here in the morning and it’ll be better to sneak out now than run our chances in the morning.” Lara explained. 

Angel groaned in complaint as the tiredness fell over him. “You’re gonna have to tell her one day anyways no better day than today.” 

“I’m gonna tell her, just how I want to.” Lara protested back. 

“Alright, alright, 15 minutes.” Angel agreed. 

“8.” Lara corrected him. 

_____

Lara let 15 minutes pass, the house was quiet before she rolled Angel out of bed. He was groggy as Lara pushed him, quietly out of her bedroom door. 

“C’mon, Lara. Just 2 more minutes.” Angel complained as he made it to the hallway. 

“Shh.” She shushed Angel as she pushed against his back down the hallway. 

Angel turned around to face Lara, starting to smile and try and argue his way out of leaving, but as he turned, his head hit the light that he normally ducked to avoid. As he reacted swiftly to steady it but as he did, his back knocked against the pictures on the wall. 

Lara tried her best to cover her laughs, her arms moving to steady Angel over her previous pushing him out stance. One hand was on the light to stop it from swinging while the other was moving to catch the picture frame. Angel turned now fully facing the picture frame and placed it back on it’s hook, he paused for a minute as he looked at the photo. 

“Who is that?” 

Lara’s laughs faded away almost instantly as she stared at the picture. 

“That’s my brother.” Her words were cold as she spoke. 

“I didn’t know you had a brother!” While Angel’s voice was at a whisper, you could hear the excitement coming from his voice. “You had to be like… what? 16? He looks like what 5? Gotta make him like 13 now?” 

“19. I was 19 in that photo. Aiden was 4 in that photo. He’d be 14.” Lara’s voice was still cold. 

“I didn’t realize Bish had a boy, wow.” Angel’s voice was eager as he looked closer at the wall. When Lara didn’t answer he turned towards her, she looked sick to her stomach. “What’s wrong?” His eyebrows frowned. 

“He doesn’t.” Lara kept a straight face. “He doesn’t anymore.” Her eyes moved to Angel’s. He looked even more confused. “He died.” 

Angel’s head snapped, shocked by what she just said. 

“Lara…” Angel’s voice got softer. 

“It’s fine. It was 7 years ago. Well, 8 in two weeks.” She chuckled and shook her head. 

“That’s why you don’t like celebrating your birthday.” Angel nodded as he began to understand. “Is that Bishop and your mom?” He asked looking at the photo above the one of Aiden, the one of you with your birthday cake. 

“Yea, my 5th birthday, just months before she died.” 

Angel’s face dropped, the fact that Lara dated and remembered these photos by when the people in them passed… it had to be heavy. 

“I didn’t realize,” Angel started, and shook his head, “I thought Aiden was…” He didn’t know how to finish the sentence. But he didn’t have to. 

“Antonia. He was Antonia’s.” Lara nodded, her arms crossed. 

“I’m sorry, Lara.” Angel didn’t know what else to say. 

“You know, I don’t really talk about this. Or him. I mean, to Frankie, sometimes, but not just anybody.” 

It was true, Lara was starting to open up to Angel. 

“So I guess I’m not just anybody?” Angel teased and moved towards Lara with a smile, but before he could reach her his head hit the light again causing Lara to let out a snort. 

“C’mon Smooth Talker,” Lara pushed Angel back down the hallway. 

They reached the front door. Angel opened it and leaned against the door frame. “You know I could stay. Make you breakfast in the morning, coffee…” 

“I’ve had your coffee, it’s not really a selling point.” Lara teased him. “Plus, Frankie, that’s not how I really want her finding out.” 

“Holy shit.” 

Lara and Angel’s attention averted to the living room that had a perfect view of the front door. Frankie stood there, drunk, in shock, and jaw dropped. 

Angel looked between Frankie and Lara before speaking up.

 “Um, I think she knows.”

[artemiseamoon]

If This Is Our Destiny 2

Past! Angel x F reader ** | Future? Manny x F reader **

⚠️Warnings: flashback to the night of the attack, some anxiety,  Angel Reyes 🙄

** woc/black/bipoc f readers to the front bbs. Anyone can read tho. You can image her as an OC ‘Princesa’ as well if that’s your preference 😁 many options to choose from.

An: I’ve never really been into the idea of someone calling me ‘mama’ or ‘ma’ but only one man can now (jeez thanks Rio) 

Fic info || previous || next

Gif credit to the owners 💕

- Flashback, 2 months prior -

You close your eyes and take a slow deep breath. After a few seconds, you return to lighting the candles. Looking across the way, you notice all the guys are around the pool table, taking stock of ammo and guns.

Bishop eyes the supply. “You gonna burn through these boxes in 30 seconds.”

Turning around, your eyes scan the bottles on the shelves, you have an idea. Grabbing two from the shelf, you turn back and place them on the counter.  “How about fire with fire?”

Angel, Ez and Bish all turn back and look at you. Bish nods, “yeah.”

- Flashback over -

“Hey ma, you good?” You come back to the present moment and find Manny leaning over the counter, those deep brown eyes observing you. His voice washes over you like a smooth drink. “You wiped that glass down three times, where’d you go?”

“Oh, sorry. “

You put the glass and towel down. After a quick scan of the room, you confirm you and Manny are alone. He’s still leaning over the counter, eyes fixed on you.

Dropping your voice to a whisper, you move closer to him, “Since the attack, sometimes I have these moments. Bits and pieces of it come back. I think I’m still processing it.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Shit,” you rub your forehead, “is it that obvious?”

“Nah,” Manny shakes his head, “the first time you live through some shit like that, it’s hard to shake. Be easy with yourself.”

You smile, “thanks Manny.”

“You know I got you,” He stands upright and straightens out his shirt and kutte, “it's late Princesa. How you gettin’ home?”

You’ve developed a habit of getting lost in his eyes. It was too easy to become distracted by Manny: his voice, the way he held himself, those eyes, his long dark eyelashes, his lips, his cheekbones, his jawline, even the little silver stud in his left nostril…Manny was a work of art.

It’s not until you see a smile dance on his lips that you realize how long you’ve been staring. Pulling yourself together, you reach under the bar and grab your bag and jacket. "My car is still in the shop, so I’ll call a cab.”

You slip your jacket on then scan the bar once. It was clean enough. You thought the Santo Padre guys were messy, but the Yuma chapter took messy to a new level; it was like clearing up after a bunch of frat boys. Rude, handsy, disrespectful frat boys at that.

You thankfully had less incidents than the other women, thanks to a mix of kicking one in the balls and Angel and Ez coming to your defense. They nearly beat those guys to death, the post drama aside, most of the Yuma dudes backed off after that.

The only other incident happened a week and a half ago. You were bending over to pick something up off the floor and felt a greedy hand grab at you. Manny walked in just as it happened and ripped the asshole away from you. Chapter brother or not, he made it clear, you weren’t to be touched.

You flash Manny a smile, “I’m so glad you’re not like the others, seriously. I’ll be right back.”

You make a quick stop at the crappy excuse of a bathroom. After washing and drying your hands, you order a car and head toward the front door. You hear some hushed voices in Templo as you pass, it’s Bishop and Hank.

This is the third late night Manny walked you out. It was sweet, and as long as Angel wasn't around, you'd let him do it as much as he pleases. As you both descend the stairs, Manny makes an offer, “You know what, forget the cab. I’ll drop you off.”

“Yeah?” You ask with a smirk.

The idea of riding on Manny's bike while you hold him has crossed your mind many times. You were never bold enough to ask though…then there was Angel…he’d freak the fuck out if he ever saw that. The times you caught him watching you and Manny, it was like a blood vessel was going to burst any second.

“That is way better than a cab, I’ll take you up on it.”

Manny’s eyes light up at the sight of your smile. After a second or two, Manny sits on the bike and starts it up. He hands you the helmet, “come on ma.”

Riding on the back of Manny’s bike is exactly how you imagined. He feels good. This feels good. It’s like you were meant to be here. Hold him tight, head resting comfortably against his shoulder as you ride. You want this to last forever.

Somewhere near the halfway point of reaching your place, that ghost you can’t shake pops into your mind and suddenly you remember how it felt with Angel. You blink the thought away almost as fast as it comes. Not tonight. You wouldn’t let Angel Reyes haunt you tonight.

When you arrive at your apartment, Manny parks the bike and walks you to your door. You fiddle with your keys, knowing what you want to ask, but not sure if you should ask it. You lower your gaze, trying to figure out just how bold you were feeling.

Manny leans against the wall, “About that night,” you look up, fixing your eyes on his, “I didn’t know you were in there. Shit, “he shakes his head and stares past you, “I think about it you know. You could have been hurt…or worse.”

You grab his forearm. “Hey, we didn’t know each other Manny. I don’t blame you for that. It was inner club shit and I happened to be inside while it went down.” You give his arm a light squeeze.  “How was I supposed to know we’d meet.”

The guilt in his eyes is quickly replaced by something else, something lighter, more relaxed. The moment that smile returns to his lips, your heart beats faster. In his normal chill demeanor, Manny relaxes further against the wall, “Yeah, you're right.”

“I am.” You reply and squeeze his arm once more before letting him go.

Manny watches you lift your hand, then his eyes float back up to yours. Feeling a surge of confidence, you soon say the words that have been lingering on your lips. Sure, you spend a lot of time thinking about the consequences of this, but you want this, you want Manny. And all his flirting, sexy smiles, lingering glances, the way he gently touches your arm and shoulder; it all tells you he feels the same.

“Um, so - “you pause, breathing into it, “would you like to come in?”

You wait for a yes, it doesn't come.

The night suddenly feels too quiet. Like it’s taunting you for being so forward and reckless. You notice the tension in his brows, he’s thinking something, but not saying it.

“Sorry, never mind. Thank you for the ride though.” You turn to your door quickly and put the key in. When you hear the click, you push it open and rush inside.

“Wait, hold up, “Manny follows you inside and closes the door gently behind him.

Still not looking back at him, you hang your keys on the hook and flip on the lights.

“Manny, really, it’s fine. Just forget it happened.” You talk with your hands, walking toward the kitchen to get away from him. You hope he’ll turn and leave, then you can sit with your embarrassment alone.

“Nah, hold up,” Manny catches up and gently grabs your hand. You don’t pull away, instead you turn to face him, “I’m feelin' you, Ma,” Manny holds your hand tighter, his eyes soft on yours, “but, you and Angel, that's gotta be done. For real.”

“We are.” You stare up at him, feeling confused. “We’ve been done for months.”

Manny doesn’t say anything. You can tell by the way he’s looking at you that he wants to believe you, he really does, but doesn’t. The sweet free feeling of being on his bike is now gone. The air in your apartment suddenly feels thin.

“Did,” you take your hand away, “did he say anything to you?”

Manny gently lifts your chin with his fingers, your eyes meet his, “he may have a different idea of being done Princesa.”

“Fuck,” you break eye contact. Manny gently caresses your cheek, then takes his hand away.

You cross your arms and pace, anger building in your body, imagining all the shit Angel could have said in your mind. Angel Reyes imploded things; he blew shit up. He had a real talent for it. Sadly, this isn't the first time you heard something like this.

Manny stands behind you and rests his hand on your left shoulder, “I’m going to head out. Unless you want me to sit with you for a while?”

“No, it’s okay,” you sigh and face him, “go home. It’s really late.”

You couldn’t be mad at him; Manny was looking out for himself and didn’t want to get involved in anything messy. You and Angel were the definition of messy and you’ve been trying your hardest to change that.

“You gonna be alright?” Manny asks, drawing you into a hug. You relax against him, taking in his scent and the way he feels.

You close your eyes. “I’ll survive.”

The hug lingers for a while longer. You don’t want to let go, Manny doesn’t either. When the hug finally breaks you miss it already. You walk him to the door and wait until he rides off to go back inside.

It takes 23 minutes. 23 minutes and 11 seconds before you give in and send a text. You were fuming by this time and what comes out of you is a brick wall of a text; a purge of sharp words and every curse you could think of. It feels good, it feels really fucking good. Until you read it over. Then, you feel defeated.

Even after leaving his ass for the 2nd time almost 4 months ago, he still had a hold on you. Enough of a hold to make you a rage filled teary-eyed mess as you texted him. It was supposed to be easier four months out, right?

Though you hated him right now, you did care about him, loved him, loved his family. Angel was maybe the most damaged person you know, and you had to remind yourself, love or not, history or not, it wasn’t your job to fix him or soothe his wounds. You delete the very honest, very scathing text and write something else.

{You: We need to talk. Free tomorrow?}

Three dots appear instantly, it makes you wonder if he felt you texting him. You two had a weird ass connection like that. The three dots linger a while, with his new name in your phone, ‘do not text’

{Angel: is this your stubborn ass way of asking me to come over?}

You roll your eyes and almost smile, almost.

{You: No. I mean talk, literally.}

Three dots appear, then vanish.

{You: Tomorrow, I’ll stop by. Around 8? Just please wait for your groupie sex fest until after I leave. I don’t need to see that shit.}

{Angel: It could be me and you, querida, like old times.}

You write something, delete it, then pause. He doesn’t write either. You put your phone down beside you on the bed and rub your face with your hands. Your phone buzzes.

[Angel: fuck this texting shit, I’m coming over.}

“Oh my god,” panicking, you quickly type telling him not to come. Then you dial his number and call. He doesn’t pick up. Knowing Angel, he was likely on his bike, speeding over here right now.

Your suspicion is right, a knock arrives at your door only 21 minutes later. You don’t want to open the door, but you know him, he’s obnoxious and will knock until you do.

When you open the door, the first thing you notice is how tired he is. He leans against the doorframe and stares down at you. It’s near impossible to look away, the tall strong figure you knew so well, that beard you love, those tattoos: he’s even wearing the backward cap and sleeveless t-shirt combo you loved. Asshole, he did this on purpose.

Angel’s hungry gaze moves over your form, then lingers on your bare legs. “You put that one on for me?” He asks with a smirk.

You glance down and realize what shirt you’re wearing. It was a simple, oversized band tee. The shorts you have on underneath are hidden by the length. When you changed your clothes, you just pulled one out without looking. It was Angel's favorite too.

“It’s for me,” you grip the handle tighter, “I told you not to come over.”

Angel shrugs, “ phone died.”

You roll your eyes, knowing he’s lying and try to close the door. Angel blocks it, steps inside, then closes it behind him. He smells like beer, cigarettes and leather.

“Angel -”

“I knew you missed me, I could tell by the way you look at me from the bar, all heart eyes and shit.”

“You’re delusional. And an asshole.”

You head toward him with the intention of opening the front door. As you pass him, Angel grabs your arm and slips his free hand behind your head. Before you can protest, Angel leans in and crashes his lips against yours.

With wide eyes you watch him kiss you. You can feel your body reacting, despite telling it not too. You always loved the way it feels, being pressed beneath him.

Your hands are flat against his chest now, for a brief moment you slide them down, feeling his muscles. Your eyes start to close, you almost give in - almost.

You push him away with a shove and step back, putting distance between your bodies. Your heart is pounding now, you take a moment to catch your breath. Angel’s kisses, just like the rest of him, were sinfully seductive and addictive. One taste has the power to regress all the work you’ve done.

You don't want that. You want better. You need better.

Angel responds as expected to the rejection. He steps back, doing that thing he does with his head when he’s pissed. “Yo what the fuck?!”

“We don’t kiss!” You bark at him. “Angel, we are not a couple, we’re not lovers…we’re not even friends right now. You can’t pull shit like that!” You take another step back and cross your arms, shielding your body from him.

Angel sucks his teeth and brushes you off.

“That’s really fucking rude, you know that right?”

“Shit, like you care. "Angel hissed venomously. He paces at the other end of the hall.  “You fucking broke up with me, remember?” Angel walks away and heads into your kitchen.

I can’t fucking believe this guy. Cursing under your breath, you follow him inside and find him opening your fridge, his back toward you.

“You fucking confusing you know that?”

You can barely believe what you’re hearing. “ME? How the fuck am I confusing, Angel? I’ve stayed away from you for months! I don’t text you, even when you text me. We only see each other at the clubhouse. I ignored your late-night drunk calls. How the fuck am I confusing?”

With fast angry steps, you storm toward the fridge and slam it shut before he can grab anything. The act of aggression surprises him, he takes a step back and stares at you.

Your body is almost shaking with anger now. The tense expression on his face melts to something else, amusement. He chuckles and leans into the nearby counter.

“You cute when you’re all pissed off and shit.”

“Oh my god.” you take a deep breath and rest your hands on your hips, “everything's a joke, isn’t it?”

“Not everything.” He tilts his head to the side and smiles. When you don’t, he leans over and smiles wider, “come on, where is it?”

He’s not going to ease it out of you, even though he almost does. You keep control of your expression. The bastard was charming. And this has worked in the past. But you don’t want to get stuck there, you want to move toward the future. A future that might have Manny as part of it. You step around to the other side of the counter and rest your hands on the surface, trying to sort your thoughts.

“Querida,” Angel walks over to you and grabs your shoulder.

“Don’t call me that.” You lift his hand and move a few steps away.

Angel stays where he is and lowers his head, “You know what I was doin' when you texted?”

You raise a brow, “Fucking your problems away?”

Angel chuckles, “naw. I was layin' on the couch, watching that shitty Novela. The one you used to watch with me. I had me thinkin' about you and shit…. about us…about tryin' again.” The vulnerability in his eyes almost melts your heart. But you stay strong. “How's that shit go…third times a charm or whatever? Don’t you wanna see if that's true?”

The weight of this words plus spending all day on your feet hits you all at once. You go to the table and sink into the chair closest to the window. Angel doesn’t say anything, he alternates between staring down at his feet and you.

You take a breath, exhale, then speak, “If we ever find our way to each other again, Angel, it will be as friends. Just friends. Remember that? I miss that version of us. Everything was so easy. So uncomplicated.”

Angel rubs the back of his neck, eyes cast down. You know if he could, he would light a cigarette right now. But he seems respectful of your no-smoking rule. Eventually, he mutters, “I fuckin miss you. This shits got me all fucked up. You think this is easy?” He glances over at you from under his brows.

“For you? Easier. You just drink, smoke and fuck to bury it.”

He scoffs, “It’s not even like that, not all the time. You don’t see all the times I go home alone or fucking drive out to the middle of nowhere just to clear my head. The shit never works by the way.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Angel.”

“I gotta see you every week, without being with you. Don’t get me started on those Yuma motherfuckers. Flirting with you and shit, like I’m not even there. Especially that skinny fuck with the stupid neck tattoo…his ass properly making friendship bracelets with Ez right now.” He shakes his head.

You suppress a laugh and store away the ‘i miss you’ you can't handle that right now.  “You jealous? Ez can have friends you know.”

Angel pulls out the chair across from you and sits with a dramatic sigh. You stare at each other in silence.

You speak first, “I wish you didn’t come over. I had a long ass day and this -" you pause and rub the bridge of your nose, “let’s just do this then.” You open your eyes, “I hope one day we can be friends again; I would like that. But I could never be your girl again, ever. We tried and each time it failed. I don't want to be that person who keeps going back to a fucked situation.”

He’s quiet, eerily quiet. His brown eyes are heavy with pain, anger, and something you can’t name.

“I’ve been hearing you telling people we’re together or hinting at it. You can’t do that. I’m not property. I’m not yours. I was going to ask what you’re telling people but honestly, I’m way too tired Angel. I can’t even - “

He abruptly pushes back in the chair and stands. Cursing under his breath, he glares down at you. “I fucking knew it. Who is he?”

Your eyes locked on his, you lean over the table, “my personal life is no longer any of your business, Angel. You are not allowed to ask that.”

When you don’t back down, he kicks the chair. You rise to your feet.

“No! That is not happening here, you are not breaking my furniture. Go, leave!” You point to direction of the door.

He’s got the look of a wild animal now, chest heaving. He takes a step back, then another. Angel turns and leaves the apartment; you hear the door close behind him followed by his bike roaring up the street.

…

The next morning

Tired isn’t enough to describe how you feel right now. Your eyes float over to the closed door of Templo, they’ve been in there for a while now. Manny arrived at the early end, though he said good morning and greeted you with his usual smile he felt distant.

Angel barreled in on the border of being late, he walked in without acknowledging you, which was fine, you didn’t want to look at him either. You try to keep yourself busy and focus on getting through the day.

When the meeting ends, the door slides open, and members start to refill the room. Some make their way to the bar, and you start putting a few beers on the counter. Your eyes follow the Reyes brothers as they walk out and through the front door, followed by Manny.

The new hire, whose name you refuse to remember, also Angel’s newest poor coping habit, rushes through the door.

“I’m so sorry I’m late. My alarm - “

Narrowing your eyes at her, you step back as she walks behind the bar. “I’m taking a break.” You say and leave her.

Stepping outside, you linger off to the side and watch as a black van pulls up before Ez, Angel and Manny. A man gets out with a middle-aged white guy with a ton of luggage. The scene before you becomes even more bizarre when you notice a kid. When the door opens again, you duck back inside and head to the bar.

When Manny, Ez and Angel don’t return, a knot forms in your stomach. It’s likely Alvarez sent them on a job. Everything was already tense and though your mind doesn’t want to go there, you feel yourself thinking the worst. What if your name came up? What if Manny and Angel had a confrontation?

Working on autopilot, you hand off a few more drinks and hope for the best.

Next

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Taglist so far: @obsessedasusual @mrsmontanalol @okimreadynow @po3ticb3auty @minordeffects @rosey1981 @bugngiz @bport76 @90sisthenew80s @kaykaysuh

[superhoeva-archived]

❜ 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐒 ❛

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): Angel Reyes x Gabriella Adéline Carter (Black!Female!OC), Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes x Gabriella Adéline Carter (Black!Female!OC), Miguel Galindo x Gabriella Adéline Carter (Black!Female!OC)

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 27.1k

𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝: August 13, 2022

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: 15/? (eleven chapters, four drabbles)

𝐊𝐄𝐘

† - nsfw

∞ - author favorite

✎ - director’s cut

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

“𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨/𝐎𝐜” (𝟏𝐱𝟎𝟏)

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐬𝐦, 𝟐.𝟖𝐤 - During a run-of-the-mill drop, the Mayans and Gabriella are gifted with an unpleasant surprise.

𝐋𝐚𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨, 𝟐.𝟗𝐤 - The Mayans and Gabriella have a tense meeting with Miguel Galindo. Ezekiel finds himself with a newfound crush. ∞

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝟐.𝟖𝐤 - Alvarez finally makes it to Santo Padre, and Ezekiel and Gabriella connect a little more.

𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝟐.𝟗𝐤 - Gabriella deals with how much someone from her past has changed, and Miguel holds a rather bloody event in his pew.

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝟑.𝟖𝐤 - Ezekiel’s cousin KJ pays him a unexpected visit. Angel and Gabriella bring the prospect in on their secret affairs.

“𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧/𝐃𝐳𝐞𝐜” (𝟏𝐱𝟎𝟐)

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭, 𝟑.𝟐𝐤 - The MC goes on the search for some answers on a new possible threat.

𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝟐.𝟕𝐤 - The Rebels go through with their plan, leaving Miguel to turn to the Mayans for some much needed help. 

𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝟐.𝟒𝐤 - In the search for his son’s whereabouts, Miguel’s rage boils over.

"𝐁𝐮𝐡𝐨/𝐌𝐮𝐰𝐚𝐧" (𝟏𝐱𝟎𝟑)

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝟑.𝟎𝐤 - Gabriella’s lying rubs a certain someone the wrong way. KJ makes a surprise visit. The Mayans set up a meeting at the San Buho Casino.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝟎.𝟗𝐤 - KJ makes his rounds.

𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝟏.𝟓𝐤 - The Mayans head to the San Buho Casino.

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐱𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 (𝟎.𝟐𝐊) || 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐬𝐦

☄. *. ⋆ A little glimpse into Ezekiel’s head when he meets Gabriella.

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 (𝟎.𝟐𝐤) || 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬

☄. *. ⋆ Marcus and Gabriella mourn together.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 (𝟎.𝟔𝐤) || 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

☄. *. ⋆ Gabriella meets Miguel.

𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝟎.𝟖𝐤) || 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

☄. *. ⋆ Gabriella confronts Miguel.

𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀/𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐒 ✧.*

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞™ || 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚'𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞™ ||  𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐞™ || 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥'𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞™ || 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐋'𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞™ || 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐈™ || 𝐆𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚™ || 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞™

𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐎 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆 || 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐒 || 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐒/𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 || 𝐓𝐀𝐆 

© 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐚

[drabbles-mc]

Remind Me (10/?)

EZ Reyes x OFC (Aanya Reyes)

Request by @noz4a2: Ez & oc are married 2 years, Ez leaves on a run and while he’s gone oc gets into a bad car accident, she almost dies. Instead she is in a coma for 6 months. During that 6 month time Ez goes everyday or as much as he can, reads to her from her favorite book, etc. After 6 months she finally wakes up, but has retrograde amnesia & doesn’t know who Ez is or their life together. So he is determined to help her get her memory back and goes about wooing her again.

Warnings: 18+, we live and breathe melancholy in this fic

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: She’s a bit of a longer chapter but think of it as my way of making up for the gaps between updates. 😅 I’ve had a couple of these scenes sketched out for a while now and I’m so excited to share them with you guys. Hope you enjoy! xo

Chapter Index

EZ Reyes/Remind Me Taglist: @ly--canthrope @queenbeered @sincerelyasomebody @beautifullboo @thesandbeneathmytoes @appropriate-writers-name @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @kelpies-shed @louisianalady @gemini0410 @paintballkid711 @chibsytelford @yourwonkywriter @sesamepancakes @buckybarneshairpullingkink @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @plentyoffandoms @georgiaaintnopeach @twistnet @themoonandthewicked @garbinge @bucky-iss-bae @enjoy-the-destruction @encounterthepast @bport76 @rosieposie0624 @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo @mijop @xladymacbethx @blessedboo @holl2712 @lakamaa12 @masterlistforimagines @lilah1903 @toni9 @shadow-of-wonder​ @crowfootwrites​ @redpoodlern​ @punkgoddess-98​ @black-repunzel99​ @lexondeck​ @fanfic-n-tabulous​ @amorestevens​ @angelreyesisdaddy04​ @mijagif​ @frattsparty​ @winchestershiresauce​ @bellisperennis0​ @beardburnsupersoldiers​ @mveggieburger​ @thanossexual​ @xeniarocks​ @choochoo284​ @littlekittymeow​ @beardsanddetectives​ @bruxasolta​ @i-love-scott-mccall​ @doritosandjellybeans​ @withmyteeth​ @flacalatke​ @samcrobae​ @langiinspirations​ @bigcreatorwombatdreamer​ (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, let me know!)

 EZ and Angel walked through the door a few hours later. Aanya watched them walk through the door before peeking out the kitchen window to look at the driveway. It was impossible not to notice that the only vehicles in the driveway were Felipe’s truck, and the van that Angel had shown up in, in the first place. She didn’t say anything at first, just continuing washing the pans that she’d used to make dinner while each of the Reyes brothers grabbed a beer out of the fridge.

When they each sat down at the table, Aanya dried off her hands and turned around to face them, “How’d it go?”

Angel sucked his teeth, shaking his head, “EZ didn’t like any of my suggestions.”

Aanya smiled, shaking her head, “He didn’t?”

“Angel was ready to get you the racing car that you asked for,” EZ laughed.

Aanya laughed, “And you didn’t let him?”

He shook his head, “No, I didn’t,” he took a sip of his beer, “We found a car. Just had to bring it to the yard to tune up a few things on it. Should be good to go in a couple days.”

“Okay,” there was a soft smile on her face, “Sounds good,” she paused, focusing on Angel, “Do you have time to stay for dinner? I made enough.”

Angel’s knee-jerk reaction was to say yes, knowing that Aanya had always been a good cook. But it still felt like he was intruding. She and EZ had hardly any time together, and it felt wrong to hang around when that was the case. Aanya seemed to be handling everything pretty well considering, but there was still hesitancy running around Angel’s mind.

He shook his head, “Nah, that’s alright. ‘Preciate it, querida, but I’ll let you two relax.”

“Angel?” she waited for him to look at her and she offered him a soft smile and a nod, “It’s okay.”

It blew his mind that she was able to stand there and say that so calmly. It felt wrong that she was the one providing him with reassurance, but now he definitely couldn’t turn down the invite. Nodding, he conceded, “Okay.”

“Good,” she waved for him to come over, “Since you’re staying, you can get the plates so I don’t have to climb up on the counter.”

He chuckled, taking a swig of his beer before getting up and walking over to her, “Yes, ma’am.”

Aanya was quiet for most of dinner, content to listen to EZ and Angel banter and bicker back and forth. She listened to them go back and forth about the car, and a little bit about the club. The names didn’t ring any bells for her, but she wondered if she saw any of the men that they were talking about if she would recognize them. It was far reach, she knew, since she didn’t remember EZ and they were married, but she couldn’t give up hope.

Angel took off shortly after dinner was over, leaving Aanya with a hug and a chaste kiss on the side of her head out of habit. She didn’t recoil or pull away, which was a relief because Angel had regretted the action as soon as he’d done it. The headlights of the van came through the kitchen window and then disappeared as he pulled out of the driveway, leaving just his brother and Aanya behind as they finished cleaning up everything from dinner.

“Thank you,” EZ said as he stacked the freshly washed and dried plates back into the cabinet, “for cooking, and for inviting Angel.”

She smiled, nodding as she packed up what little there was for leftovers, “Of course,” she felt EZ staring at her, and when she turned around to face him, she saw the pensive look on his face, “You okay?”

He nodded, “Yea, yea. I just, I feel like I should be asking you that. But I know that getting asked that over and over again gets old fast.”

“It’s all still a lot,” she told him, “but I can’t just hide and not do anything. I’ve just been trying to think about, you know, what exactly I’m supposed to be doing.”

It was impossible for him to miss the way that she was toying with the wedding band around her finger. He never mentioned it at all, and Angel’s words had been running on repeat in his mind—she didn’t need a husband right now, she just needed someone to be there for her. He tried to remember that. He had no intentions of taking his wedding ring off. No matter what the immediate future looked like for the two of them, she was still his wife as far as he was concerned. He wondered if she just left her band on because it was there when she woke up, if maybe she was hoping that one day she’d look down at it and it would jog some memories of some kind.

He pried his eyes away from her fingers, “I don’t think there’s a rulebook for this, Aanya. I think we just gotta…figure it out along the way. One day at a time.”

She gave a slow nod, “Right,” she paused, tucking her hands into her pockets before meeting EZ’s eyes, “Can I ask you something, Ezekiel?”

“Always.”

“Was this…did they talk to you about any of this? All the time that I was, you know, did the doctors ever tell you that this was a possibility? Give you some sort of plan?”

He shook his head, “No. The main question was, um,” he felt tears stinging at his eyes and he tried to ignore them, “Most of what we talked about was about whether,” he sucked in a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and combat the tears, “whether or not you were going to wake up.”

Her lips dipped into a frown, and she wished that she knew what to say or do to try and provide some comfort. But she was adrift without a paddle. There were a few beats of silence between them before Aanya took the time to change the topic, hoping for something a little lighter to talk about, “Can I ask you something else?” she asked as she walked the containers of leftovers to the refrigerator, setting them down and trading them for a beer bottle.

A tiny smile curled the edge of his mouth as he watched her twist the top off the bottle, “Sure.”

“What do you…do?” she laughed when she heard how ridiculous the question sounded and took a sip of her beer, “All we’ve talked about is me. But what about you? When you don’t feel like you have to hover over me,” her smile was soft, understanding, “what do you do?”

Having this conversation with her once when they had first started dating had been one thing. The stakes had been so much lower back then—he wasn’t in love with something to lose yet. Now he was, though, and he wished that he didn’t have to dump everything on her.

“I, uh, I work at a scrap yard,” he nodded towards the door, “Angel, too. Nothing glamorous,” he shook his head.

Aanya didn’t have to know him well to be able to see that he was holding something back, “Something else?”

“We’re also both in the MC…”

She nodded, “I saw your bike. And your brother’s,” she motioned to her torso, “vest.”

“Kutte,” he offered up the proper word for it, “It’s called a kutte.”

“I’m assuming that you have a kutte too?”

“Yea.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

He sighed, “The things we do with the club. It’s not…it’s not all one-hundred percent legal.”

“Right.”

Neither of them said anything for a bit. EZ was trying to figure out how many curveballs he should be throwing at her at once. She was in the unfortunate position of everything being a curveball. She didn’t seem fazed by the information, though. EZ wondered if nothing was surprising to her now that everything was. He remembered what it was like when he told her about all of it the first time around—it definitely put things on pause between them for a minute and EZ had been nothing but understanding. But she knew him back then. He wondered if she was going to be just as understanding with a stranger now. After all, he hadn’t even gotten into the worst of it.

All Aanya could think, though, was that at one point in her life she had trusted this man enough to decide to spend forever with him. At some point in the last five years of her life, he made it clear to her that whatever the level of risk was, whatever complications there might be, it would be worth it. And he had believed him. Even now, knowing that she had nothing to offer him anymore, he still did his best to be what she needed. Despite whatever he was trying to protect her from with what he and his brother did with the club, he had never spoken to or looked at her with anything but softness. That had to count for something.

“Did I know?” it felt strange to talk about herself like she was a stranger, “Before the accident, I mean, did I know what you all did?”

He nodded, fighting the urge to let his eyes drop to the floor, “Yea.”

“And I stayed?”

He couldn’t help but to laugh, “For some reason, yea.”

She smiled, shaking her head, “I’m assuming the reason was probably you, Ezekiel.”

He shrugged, feeling a little more at ease as a smile crossed his face, “Maybe.”

What was left of their evening was quiet. Each of them was occupying an opposite end of the couch. EZ was scrolling through one TV show after another, trying to find something that would keep his attention. Meanwhile, Aanya was curled up on the other end of the couch, her nose in a book that she had chosen after spending a long few minutes sitting in front of a shelf and reading over each title. EZ had watched her with interest, and even though almost everything about the situation felt heavy most of the time, he couldn’t help but to think that she was going to get to experience some little things for the first time again. He wondered if all the books would still hold up and be as loved as they were the first time around. He wondered that about himself, too.

As the end credits started to roll on the television, he turned and looked over at her. A tired smile stretched across his face as he took in the sight of her. She was still curled up, but she was fast sleep with the book propped open against her chest. The familiar sight of it got a laugh out of him—she’d never been good at putting a book down even when she was dropping off from exhaustion.

Shutting off the television, he got up with every intention to go to bed. If it had been six months ago, he would’ve simply scooped her up and carried her. That felt like an uncrossable boundary right now, though. Gnawing at his bottom lip, he tried to decide if he should wake her, or just drape a blanket over her and let her sleep on the couch.

Lifting the book off of her, he tucked a bookmark into it before setting it on the coffee table. Reaching for her, he gently rested his hand on her shoulder, giving it a light shake to rouse her from her sleep. She let out a grumble to fight it off, and EZ just laughed and shook her a little more.

“C’mon,” he held his hand out to pull her up off the couch, “it’s been a long day. You should get some real sleep in your bed,” he helped her up, smiling as she stretched, tiredly rubbing at her eyes, “Head up, I’m just gonna shut all the lights off down here.”

She yawned as she nodded, already shuffling off towards the stairs, “Okay.”

Hardly a couple minutes had gone by when he went upstairs. The hallway light was still on, Aanya’s bedroom door still open. He flipped the switch as he made his way down the hall. Aanya’s door was open so he looked inside as he passed, and he smiled at the sight of her completely passed out, arm hanging off the edge of the bed. He let himself linger for a moment before heading down to the guest room.

When Aanya woke up the next morning, the house was silent. Pulling herself out of bed, she changed into a comfortable set of clothes, brushing her teeth and doing her hair before heading downstairs to find something to eat.

She noticed the note stuck to the coffee pot, smiling to herself at EZ’s scratchy handwriting, “Had to bring the truck to Pop and head to the scrap yard. Call you later about the car. -EZ”

Once she had finished eating and cleaning up after her breakfast, she was forced to reckon with a silent house. She had never done well with silence, always playing music or leaving the television on. Walking into the living room, she contemplated turning the TV on just for some background noise. Something about the silence felt heavier than it should’ve, though.

It was the first time that she was left completely to her own devices since she got out of the hospital. She didn’t have a task to complete, something concrete to focus on, or any company to distract her. It should’ve felt like a relief, but it quickly started to feel overwhelming. Gnawing at her bottom lip, she pulled her phone from her back pocket and contemplated calling EZ. She didn’t know what she would even say, though. It felt childish to say that she just didn’t want to be alone. And she had a feeling that there was more on his plate for the day than just putting in a shift at the scrap yard. If that was the case, she wasn’t going to try and meddle with that, either. But, as she looked around the house, this place that was apparently hers but no longer felt like it, she knew that she couldn’t spend the entire day cooped up by herself. Swiping on her phone, she looked up the numbers for any local taxi companies.

EZ had reached out a few times throughout the day, a few texts and a couple phone calls. All of them had gone unanswered. He tried not to let it affect him too much, knowing that she probably just wanted and needed the space for a bit. It was a lot of reminding himself that she didn’t see him as her husband right now, that checking in with him might not be at the top of her priority list. He wished that she’d answer, though.

“Car should be good to go in a few,” Creeper’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

EZ turned to him, eyebrows raised, “Shit, really? That was fast.”

He wiped the grease on his hands onto a rag before toying with it as he spoke, not able to meet EZ’s eyes, “Anything for Aanya.”

He could still hear the guilt in the man’s voice, but he knew better than to try and debate the feeling away. He was living with enough of his own guilt to know. Instead, EZ nodded, “Appreciate it, man.”

It looked like Creeper was on the brink of saying something else, but before he could, Angel’s voice interrupted the conversation, “Yo, EZ,” he walked, standing between the two men, “Bish needs us to run to the warehouse.”

EZ hesitated. It was local, and it wouldn’t take long, but he wanted to get back home as quickly as possible, especially if the car was about to be ready. Running his hands back over his head, he replied, “It’s gotta be today? The car, I just—”

“I can drop it off,” Creeper offered, “Imma be a little late here tonight but I can bring it over when it’s done. Catch a ride back here after.”

“Perfect,” Angel was just relieved that he wasn’t going to have to tell Bishop no, “Let’s go, Boy Scout.”

EZ huffed out a sigh but he couldn’t shoot down the idea. Clapping Creeper on the shoulder, he thanked him before heading off to change out of his work shirt and into something clean before slipping into his kutte. As he walked towards the clubhouse, he typed out a quick message to Aanya to let her know that one of the guys might be stopping by later to drop off the car. He wasn’t expecting an answer at that point, but he didn’t want to not let her know.

The day came and went faster than EZ had expected it to. However, when he came home, he came home to an empty driveway. This meant one of two things—either Creeper had dropped the car off early and Aanya had left with it, or she was still just home by herself. Assuming that it was the latter, EZ walked inside and was met with a silent house, no music, no television, no sounds of her rustling around in her restless ways. He called out for her and was met with silence, and it was only then that he started to feel a slight sense of panic. He walked quickly through the kitchen and saw that everything was as he left it in the morning with the exception of his note to her being moved. He made his way through the house, still calling out for her, hoping that maybe she just didn’t hear him, or that she had her headphones in and was listening to music too loud to notice anything happening.

But still, the deeper he went into the house, the lack of response persisted. The living room was empty, eerily untouched with no television on. He ran upstairs, his voice becoming more frantic as he continued to call out for her.

“Aanya!” he yelled, clearly distraught.

He opened up the door to what was once their room and saw the bed perfectly made, but all of her belongings were still there which provided a slight sense of comfort, but the fact that there was no trace of her was making him worry. Surely, she would’ve reached out if she had left for the day. That was all that was running through his head. He went down to the guest room and threw open the door, but was met with another empty room.

He could feel the anxiety starting to bubble up, a burning feeling in the back of his mind. He continued calling out her name despite the fact that it was blatantly evident that she wasn’t home. He raced down the stairs, boots clomping loudly against the hardwood. He was just about to race back through the kitchen and out the door when he heard the front door opening with its signature creak.

Aanya stepped inside, eyes wide when she not only saw the frantic look on EZ’s face, but also the sound of his labored breathing. She held a large box tight to her chest, eyebrows raised, she looked at him, clearly very confused.

“What’s going on?” she asked, “Is everything okay?”

He stopped, shoulders dropping along with all of the worry that he had just been experiencing. All he said was, “Hey.”

She tilted her head, shifting to better accommodate the large box in her arms, “Are you alright? Is something wrong? You sounded worried.”

He shook his head, “I just, I didn’t think that, I didn’t know where you were. You weren’t home, there was no car in the driveway but Creep didn’t tell me he already came over—”

“He didn’t,” her voice was still soft even though she was cutting him off, “I just called a cab. I just…needed to get out of the house for a bit. Was going a little stir-crazy. I was going to call you but I figured you had more important things to take care of after the last few days…last few months.”

She finally took a step towards the kitchen table and set the box down. When she turned around and fully faced EZ, his eyes were wide—he was finally clam enough to really take in the way that she looked.

He tilted his head, “You…cut your hair.”

She laughed, a little bit of nerves flashing across her face, “Yea, I just, I figured if I’m not feeling like myself there’s really no harm in changing things up, right?”

He chuckled, nodding, “Yea, I guess not.”

She tugged at the now shoulder-length curls, “Well, what do you think? Does it look good?”

He smiled, immediately nodding without a shred of hesitation in his response, “Yea, of course it looks good. Looks great. You, you always do.”

She laughed, and couldn’t deny the fact that she felt her cheeks starting to warm, “Well, that’s reassuring. I think I like it. I’ll see how I feel about it in a couple days. Regardless, it’s not like I can glue it back on.”

He smiled and shook his head before his eyes finally fell to the box on the table. He gestured towards it, “So what’s this?”

She sighed, giving a shrug, “You know, I had such a great vinyl collection,” she looked from the box back to EZ, “Did I ever have it, any of my records? Did I ever bring those here?”

His brows knitted and he shook his head, “I never…I never knew that you collected them. You must’ve stopped before we met?”

She sighed, “What a bummer. I had a lot. I wonder if I ended up giving them away to somebody, or donating them somewhere. They crossed my mind today, though,” she gave a nervous shrug, “I went to town today, just to get out and wander around. Upside of this town being so small—I can’t get too lost. I found this little second-hand shop that had a little bit of everything, but this was just sitting at the back of one of the shelves. They offered a good deal,” she smiled sheepishly, “and I couldn’t just say no, so I had them set it aside for me and then I went and picked a couple records to bring home and get my collection started again,” she glanced at the box, “Of all the things I can remember, of course that’s one.”

Despite the fact that there was a little tinge of exasperation in her voice when she said it, both of them had to laugh, because of course, why wouldn’t she remember that?

EZ walked over and pulled the lid of the box open to take a look at the records that were inside. He laughed, “Quite the diverse collection.”

Aanya smiled, “What can I say? I guess I like a little bit of everything.”

“Where do you think you wanna put it?”

She shrugged, unable to stop her laughter, “I didn’t think that far ahead. Maybe the living room? Part of me thinks the bedroom, but we’re down here more often so it’d probably be best to keep it downstairs, right?”

He nodded, “Yea, we can find some room for it. We can clear off part of one of the bookshelves and keep it there.”

With no hesitation, he picked up the box and carried it out to the living room. Aanya chuckled, not thinking that he would take to the idea so quickly. Maybe she should’ve known better. She might not remember everything that he’d ever done for her, but he seemed extremely quick to accommodate her whenever he could.

She followed him with a couple records tucked underneath her arm. He started reorganizing everything for her, finding the perfect spot. It was like it was supposed to be there the entire time. She tossed one of the records on to make sure that everything was actually working properly, and both of them had satisfied little grins on their faces when music began to fill their living room.

Before he could stop himself, EZ shook his head, “I can’t believe that I never knew you were into vinyl records. How did that never come up?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I mean, is it something that you’re into?”

He had to admit to her that he sure he enjoyed music, but it wasn’t something that he was exactly passionate about. He liked it well enough, he enjoyed not having a completely silent house, especially once she came into his life, but if someone was to ask him, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t sure how many different artists or songs he could say that he truly loved. He just knew that whatever she was into, she enjoyed it so much that it was hard for him not to enjoy it too. He didn’t exactly know how to say all of that, but he did try his best.

For a couple minutes, he allowed the only sound in the house to come from the record player. Finally, though, he couldn’t help himself anymore and he asked, “So…how are you?” her statement about needing to get out hadn’t slipped his mind at all, “Are you okay?”

There was a long pause and he could tell that she was truly thinking hard about it. But she finally gave a small nod, “I think so. I don’t know, when I woke up, everything just felt wrong. I know I need to face it, and I know that everything that I did today isn’t going to fix whatever it is that’s wrong with me, but it didn’t hurt either. I feel a little better,” she shook her head, “But I was sitting here, trying to think of a plan, something to do to get my mind working the way it’s supposed to again and it just got overwhelming. And all of a sudden I just, I couldn’t be here anymore, you know? So I called a cab, and I went to town. And, I don’t know, I think it worked out alright. I could’ve come home in a lot worse shape than just with a new haircut and a record player.”

It got EZ to laugh despite the fact that his heart ached at hearing how lost inside her own head she was. But he agreed, “Yea, things definitely could’ve gone a lot worse.”

“Is your friend still coming by with the car?” she asked as she finished unpacking the records she’d picked up that day.

“Oh, um, good question. I’ll give him a call. If he can’t make it tonight, we can always go pick it up tomorrow.”

Aanya nodded, “Okay, sounds good.”

He couldn’t not watch her as she fussed with her records, organizing them just so. He smiled past the strange heaviness in his chest, “Okay.”

[berberriescorner]

Lemme get uh, ‘Do Not Disturb’ 👀☺️

Here you go love💗!

Snippet:

Even when he was annoyed, Angel could still concentrate on getting both himself and Nicole off. Not once had he stopped grinding into her. Nicole was now a blubbering mess and still trying to muffle her sounds with the mattress.

Hips still powering through, Angel continued to listen to EZ. “I have a question about Avianna’s formula. Where is Nicole? She’s not answering her phone either. What are you doing? You sound like you're out of breath.” he questioned and then heard a muffled moan.

“Nicole is on her stomach with her face in the pillow. Look, I haven’t touched my wife in weeks, Ezekiel. The whole point of you taking Avi for the weekend was so we could have alone time. I love that kid more than life itself, but we damn near forgot what sex felt like. You’ve watched her enough times to know the damn answers to these questions. Just call Pops and ask him, he knows everything there is to know as well,” he grunted.

Before EZ could respond he was cut off by Angel suppressing a groan and talking to Nicole.

“Stop clenching around me. Gonna mess around and make me bust fast mi dulce. Shit.”

“You really could’ve just sent me to voicemail I didn’t need the sound or visual of you two fucking.”

“Not answering would make me a bad father. Bye Ezekiel.”

“This is my third time calling. That makes you a bad parent.” He would’ve continued, but Angel started tapping against Nicole's g-spot. She squealed while trying to run from him.

“Hell no, sit your pretty ass still and take this dick.” Hearing Angel slap her cheek was the final straw for EZ.

“I’m going to need therapy. I’ll be sending you the bill. Call me the fuck back when your nasty ass is done. Violating my sweet sister-in-law like that. It’s a damn shame.”

“Get the fuck off my line, Ezekiel.”

Hope you like the snippet boo💕! Let me know what you think. Thanks for the ask🥰. Feel free to send in another one if you would like.

If anyone else would like to choose one go to this post.

[proceduralpassion]

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐀 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 | 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟑

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐅𝐂

𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 “𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢” 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐂 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬): 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞

𝐖𝐂: ~𝟐.𝟓𝐤

Just as promised, Angel picked up Santi and Destiny with a Romero Brothers tow truck. Riding in a pick up style truck, whether it was the Romero Brothers or his grandfather’s, was the norm for Santi. Still, he was excited that it was his father picking him up and that Ms. Maduro was coming along for the ride. The six year old held her hand and practically dragged her towards the truck when Angel pulled up. 

His mouth ran a mile a minute and Angel felt warm and flustered that his son had made continued effort in including Angel into the conversation. Initially, Angel was perturbed with how he was going to be able to pick up Santi two or three times a week with his MC duties. But now, with the vibrant welcome response he’d received, he figured his brothers would just have to make do without him for an hour out of the day. 

Because Santi had homework, he wanted to go ahead and drop him at the clubhouse before dropping off Destiny. The school psychologist gave no element of resistance when Angel apologetically expressed his desire to get his son settled first. 

“Hey, you offered to tow my car for free. The least I can do is be patient while you tend to this cutie pie,” she ruffled Santi’s hair and giggled with the young boy as they continued discussing their day.

Angel chuckled himself as his eyes briefly looked over at them. Her braids were again up in a bun wrapped with a brown headband that matched her earth-toned maxi dress. She had a radiant smile as she listened to Santi talk about the math question he got correct when called on during class. The image warmed his heart. He was thankful there was such a beautiful soul watching over his son at school. 

“Here,” he announced once he parked the tow truck not far from the line of bikes that were covered under a shady port. 

When Destiny looked up, she was met with a surprisingly bustling lot. There was the loud noise of a car currently being scrapped somewhere in the distance. There was a motorist outside who was tending to his bike. A man on the steps of a small office building that was no bigger than a trailer. An actual, abandoned trailer that was nestled between tall piles of scrap metal and directly behind what looked like a fighting cage. Destiny was careful getting down the truck and held her hands out for Santi to jump into as he got out himself. The minute she released him, he was off speeding towards the building that Destiny guessed was the Santo Padre MC’s headquarters, if the surrounding memorabilia was any indication.

“Huh,” she hummed. “All this time, I’ve passed by here, I never knew all of this was behind the gate.”

Angel was so embedded into the club life that there was something refreshing about being acquainted with someone who had no clue about it. He wasn’t even sure if she was originally from California. She definitely wasn’t from Santo Padre. The town was small enough that he’d figured he’d at least know of her before they met to talk about Santi. However, he had noticed her surprise and the quick glance she took of his kutte when he first told her he worked at a scrapyard, so she knew enough to be at least somewhat wary of the MC. 

“Yep,” Angel responded, “My second home, if you will.”

Destiny handed him the title to her car along with her license as they began to walk closer to the small office. “You’ll just have to fill out some paperwork so we can get you the cash for the scrap.”

“Awesome,” she assented. She looked up at him with a smile and there was no denying the sparks flowing within her frame as their eyes met. Her smile grew wider as she looked away as he continued to lead her towards the office. The man had obviously gone through a lot, but there was something indescribable about those small nanoseconds where she could see who he was underneath all of that stress and agony. She saw it yesterday in the light jokes he made to clear the air. She saw it today as he reveled in hearing all about Santi’s day from the young bundle of energy. Her job entailed taking care of the young kids at Santo Padre Elementary. She just hoped that parents like Angel found the time to take care of themselves. To allow more of those moments of humanity to shine through, for their kids and for themselves.

“Hey, bro!” A voice from behind interrupted their walk. A young man was jogging up towards him. When he got closer, Destiny took notice of the word “Vice-President” stitched onto the front of the man’s kutte. “Pop texted, said his appointment would be over soon. He’ll pick up Santi when he leaves.” The man pointed back to the clubhouse where Santi had just run into, a minute before.

Angel nodded in acknowledgment, “Cool.”

And then both men looked at Destiny. EZ smiled at her and then at Angel, silently waiting for an introduction. Angel rolled his eyes before doing just that.

“EZ, this is Santi’s school counselor, Destiny Maduro. This is my brother.” 

Destiny smiled, “Hi, nice to meet you.” The words “family affair” were under her tongue at the fact that the two brothers were both in the same MC. EZ took her hand and gave another smile to Destiny and Angel. The one towards Angel was more cheeky and included a wink. Angel reminded himself that he would need to throttle his little brother at a later time. For right now though, he simply explained why she was here.

“I’m scrapping her old car. Went and got it while I picked up Santi.” Angel pointed backwards towards Creeper who was currently maneuvering the truck so that the Pinto could be let off and sent to the machinery that would destroy the vehicle. 

“Ohhh.” EZ said with a little more exaggeration than was necessary. Angel cut him with a glare before he looked back at the office and yelled for Chucky. 

“Chuck, do me a favor and handle this paperwork for Ms. Maduro.”

Chuckie excitedly gestured for Destiny to join him in the office to fill out the necessary documents, “Right this way, Ms. Maduro.”

“Call me Destiny,” Angel heard her say as their voices decreased in volume in the closed off office. 

“Tryna’ get your ass whooped, I see,” Angel grumbled at EZ once the two were alone.

EZ chuckled with his hands up in defense, “Was trying to get the details, that’s all.”

“There are no details. She’s Santi’s counselor.” Maybe his words were more firm than needed to be, but it was the truth. Especially since he wasn’t even sure of his own feelings towards the woman. They hadn’t had much discussion beyond a professional scope. In fact, he didn’t know a single thing about her, other than her name and profession. He just knew that whatever feelings he had towards her were unable to be described at the moment. 

“Mmmm, and I guess that’s why you two were staring at each other all googly eyed,” EZ pressed on. “You like her, ask her out or something.” The younger Reyes brother was open and welcome to any opportunity that brought a little brightness to Angel’s life after Nails’ death. 

“Mind your business,” Angel threw at him. Still though, they laughed and gave each other a brotherly shove. 

There was laughter and conversation that could be heard from the office, “You better get in there before Chuckie steals your girl.”

Angel, indeed, made his way over there, but not before throwing up a middle finger at his brother. When he got inside, Coco was also there, seeking cool refuge from the unforgiving sun outside. He, too, was enjoined in conversation with Destiny.

“She’s not gonna try your pound cake, Chuck, it’s been sitting in the fucking heat since this morning.”

Destiny smiled brightly at the kind offer of cake that Chuckie had extended, but she couldn’t disagree with Coco about eating a treat that had been agonizing in the emblazoned heat within the trailer office.

Chuckie winced only a little before his smile emerged once more, “Perhaps, maybe next time, you all will listen to me about keeping sweets refrigerated.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Coco gave a brotherly shove to Chuckie before moving to grab a water bottle from the nearby cooler.

Destiny couldn’t help but find the interaction endearing and she smiled at it while completing the necessary paperwork. 

“Hopefully, these shit heads ain’t giving you too much trouble,” Angel commented. He stood with his arms swinging, not really knowing what to do, but wanting to make sure no one was bothering her.

“No, they’ve been lovely!”

He grabbed the papers once she was finished signing and nodded his head towards the door.

“I’ll just get these squared away and you should be good to go!” Chuckie hollered after them. Destiny looked back with a bubbly smile and thanked him for the help.

Because she was selling the scrapped car, she’d get a couple of thousand dollars back in cash. Angel and Destiny waited outside for Chuckie to come back with the money. 

“Do you mind if we drop Santi to my dad’s place first? I’ve got a couple of more hours on my shift so I was gonna leave them there until I finished.”

Usually, if nothing was going on, he’d just leave Santi in with Chuckie or one of the girls that tended the bar as he worked. Today, though, consisted of job responsibilities that were in his less than legal role as El Secretario. He’d be going over the border this evening and wanted Santi nowhere near the club during that time.

“No problem at all, I just appreciate the ride.”

Once Chuckie gave her the money for the scrap, Angel went and got Santi out of the clubhouse. The young boy ran out with his book bag strapped onto his back and jumped into the pick up truck with a little help from Destiny. 

“Little speed racer,” Destiny joked as the trio got settled into the truck.

“Yeah, dude moves a mile a minute,” Angel noted. With a twinge of his usual boldness, he asked, “You got any kids?”

“No, unless you count the hundred kids I look after everyday,” she sniggered.

No kids could mean no boyfriend, but Angel felt like he’d probably be crossing a boundary by outright asking if she was single. He bit his tongue because the question was almost out of his mouth before he could help it.

Santi peered up at her with his curious eyes, “Do you want kids, Ms. Maduro?”

Destiny merely shrugged with a smile, “I don’t not want kids, I guess. But you and all your classmates are my babies for now, so I’m not in a rush!”

She tickled his shoulder as she leaned closer to him, which elicited a loud laugh that made even Angel chuckle.

Angel took a right turn away from the citified area of the small town and ventured further into the isolated, residential areas of Santo Padre. When Destiny had told him her address, he took note of the fact that her house was in a small quiet nook of the city that bordered the town’s limits. The sun had yet to set and instead blared into their eyes as the trees grew thinner and thinner. The rays were hitting Destiny directly in the eyes and Angel silently slid his sunglasses her way. 

“Thanks,” she said in response, adjusting the black shades over her eyes. 

“So, where you from?” Angel questioned, his eyes still focused on the road. “It’s subtle, but I hear an accent.”

“Wow, you’re good,” she noted before answering, “I grew up like an hour away in Ventura but a lot of my family’s from Venezuela, so I visit a lot.”

Angel nodded. Santo Padre was overwhelmingly Mexican in ethnicity, but there were also some El Savadorians and Guatemalan enclaves as well. Never any Venezuelan. Perhaps, the various dialects and inflections present within the Hispanic Diaspora made it all the more obvious when he realized that he couldn’t quite place certain characters of her intonations.

“How long you been in Santo Padre?”

“About a year. Ventura’s a great city with one of the better school systems, but I got into counseling because I wanted to go where I’m needed.”

“Makes sense,” Angel hummed.

He tended not to believe the best in people, but Destiny had been genuine from their very first meeting. And truth be told, there wasn’t much of anything in this town worth moving for. He supposed wanting to make it a better place could be one of the only valid reasons for moving here, especially coming from a rich tourist town like Ventura.

Destiny reminisced about growing up in Ventura, missing the view of the ocean and the resort-like atmosphere. If it weren’t for her aspirations, she could’ve lived there her whole life. But what she desired to put into the world was more than about where she sought comfort. If she gave it time and a chance, maybe she could find a unique comfort of its own in this small desert town.

“My parents thought I was kinda crazy to move here, so I’m sure you’re thinking the same, but…” Her eyes veered out onto the passing road as the trees grew thicker yet again the closer they got to her home. “But, sometimes an opportunity falls into your lap and your guts knows something that you don’t.”

She looked down at Santi, who was switching through the staticky radio stations without a care in the world.

“I still don’t know what my gut was telling me. But it hasn’t done me wrong yet.”

She shrugged her shoulders weakly, unsure of how else to explain her choices. Maybe things weren’t supposed to make sense to her right now either.

Angel pulled into the quaint, run-down cottage style home that housed Destiny Maduro. 

She let out a farewell sigh, “Well, I thank you gentlemen for your services. Santi, I’ll see you around at school tomorrow.” They bumped fists before she looked up and beamed at Angel, “And I guess I’ll see you at the next PTA meeting?”

Angel widened his eyes and Destiny burst out into laughter at the reaction.

He joined in with a chuckle, “Querida, what about me is spelling out PTA meetings and fuckin’ bakesale fundraisers?”

Destiny giggled even more, “It was worth a shot, right?”

“Yeah, well, baby steps,” he muttered, even though he had no intention of showing up to the school with some damn cupcakes and a smile.

“I have one on one sessions with Santi throughout the semester, so I’m sure I’ll have you in at some point to discuss his progress.”

Angel nodded, “Good. I look forward to hearing from you, then.”

“Likewise,” she said while hopping out the truck, “Buenas noches.”

A/N: Next chapter, we get to meet Dro, Destiny's cousin! Club politics comes to play a role in this fic, so you can also look out for your other Mayans faves in the story too 🥰 Hope y'all enjoye. Please reblog and leave comments if you liked 💗

Taglist: @mijagif @drabbles-mc @kmhappybunny240 @babaohhhriley @nunya7394 @darqchilddaydreamz

[cloveroctobers]

Here you’ll find part ii. To my spring prompts. This will consist of all works written during the spring season of 2023 🦚🍃🪷

FEELS = Dante Torres > Series: Chicago PD + NBC

CHUCKY CHEESE = Barry > Series: OBX + NETFLIX

WORTH IT = Kiara Carrera > Series: OBX + NETFLIX

KEEP UP = Rio (platonic?!) x oc x Mick > Series: Good Girls + NBC

HOLD ME = Tommy Miller > Live Action Series : The Last of Us + HBO

ROSE COLORED LENS = Sarah Cameron > Series: OBX + NETFLIX

WATCH ME WORK = Carmy Berzatto > Series: THE BEAR + FX/HULU

BLACK MASCARA = Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes > Series: MAYANS MC + FX/HULU

BLOODWAR = Joel Miller > Series: The Last of Us (Live Action!) + HBO

SOUTHERN DELICACY = Rio x oc x Arman Morales > Series: Good Girls & The Cleaning Lady + NBC/FOX

DATING LAYLA = REQUESTED_ Layla Keating > Series: All American + The CW

TERMS & CONDITIONS = Angel Reyes x oc x Cane Tejada + FX/STARZ

PART iii.

[saturnville]

home sweet home.

pairing: angel reyes x f!black!oc

warnings: none

note: again, super short. jus testing the waters. I also got a new laptop and I'm wanting to get used to writing on it ahaha

"Honey, I'm home!"

It was early in the morning. The sun hadn't yet come out and the birds still dormant in their nests. The sky was as black as the hair upon her head, stars out of sight, and the moon tucked behind clouds.

She emerged from their shared bedroom slowly. His voice had awoken her from her slumber. She didn't mind, though. The bed was cool without him and it kept her shivering throughout the night. She craved his warmth.

Her fingers scratched her scalp through her scarf. She silently cursed herself for forgetting to moisturise her hair before she went to bed. She'd be dealing with it all night. She winced at the brightness of the lights within the living room.

"That was corny," she mumbled lowly as she walked into the strong chest of her husband. Her cheek against the leather of his kut and her nose buried in his black shirt. He smelled like cigarettes, gunpowder, fire, and cedar wood. She hated to admit that she loved it. His scent brought a sense of familiarity she adored.

"But you love it, querida." Angel pressed a firm kiss on the side of he head. "C'mon, beautiful."

Angel led them back to their quaint bedroom and instructed her to wait as he took a shower. Within fifteen minutes, he was freshly cleaned, dressed, and prepared to sleep. He slid into the bed next to her and swaddled her body with his arms.

His bare chest against her clothed back, face buried within her neck, and hands caressing her skin beneath his oversized shirt she wore. He was at peace.

"Buenas noches, querida."

She hummed softly, a sleepy smile on her face. "Good night, baby."

[brattyfics]

summary:

❥ "doing illicit acts on camera is your fantasy, remember?” in which angel reyes makes a sex tape with his significant other. this is a part of a collection of fics inspired by normani and cardi b’s wild side.

pairing: angel reyes x black!reader

tags: explict content | this is just porn, beware | exhibitionism (if you squint) | dirty truth or dare | making of a sextape (don't try this at home) | facial | dirty talk, i guess? | oral sex (male recieving)

word count: 1.6k

Tell me how you want it

Put me on my back or my stomach

Baby, let me blow it like a trumpet

I can do it all, I can prolly suck a watermelon through a straw

Halfway through a wild game of truth or dare at the clubhouse, you and Angel stumbled towards one of the back bedrooms in between clumsy kisses. It was just that he was so kissable, especially after a few drinks, and you tasted sweet, like the candied cherries you insisted on being served with your drinks. He couldn’t get enough, lapping at the insides of your mouth with his tongue greedily.

When you stumbled over nothing and almost took a tumble, he broke away with a boisterous laugh. His hands steadied you by the hips while your heart raced in your chest.

“Ladies first.” He crooned, nodding towards the room just a foot past your back. His tone was surprisingly sweet, considering he wanted you to do so for less than honorable intentions. Still, you thanked him politely, swaying your hips as you stepped into the room. Angel crowded behind you, spinning you around to steal another kiss. “I can’t keep my lips off you.” He growled, nipping at the delicate skin of your neck. You smelled sweet, like sugar, spice, and everything nice, or whatever the fuck the saying was.

“Tell me how you want me.” You hummed, stroking his broad chest through his dark flannel. Angel blinked for several moments, the crass dare to make a homemade sex tape already forgotten. You watched his eyes darken with desire when he remembered and began to consider it. Angel was versatile in the bedroom. He could give or take instruction one way or the other, but there was something about you willingly giving yourself over to him to do what he wanted that drove him crazy.

“Lie down. Get on your stomach for me, baby.” He whispered it like a secret, fishing his phone from his jean pocket. “‘Wanna get the best angle of your pretty face.” You bit your lip as he messed with the screen. He hadn’t even touched you yet, not really anyway, and you were soaked. The drinks, residual weed smoke, and sitting in his lap all night had done the trick.

With one final kiss to the corner of his mouth, you turned around, bending over the bed, still fully clothed while he brought the camera into focus. You winked at him over your shoulder, wiggling your butt playfully. Angel crawled to rest on his knees behind you.

“Wrong spot for what you’re trying to do, director Reyes.” You reminded him with a teasing smile. “The shot you wanted is up here.”

“In my defense, they’re all great shots.” He sighed, plopping down next to you. “It’s too easy to get distracted when I’m with you, ma.”

“Aww. Say it louder for the people in the back. Talk some more about how I’m the best thing to ever happen to you-”

“-What people?” Angel’s eyebrows rose in confusion. You nodded towards the camera with a silly smile. He frowned. “Oh, hell no. There will be no people watching this.”

You giggled, playing with buttons of his flannel. “Of course not. I’m kidding, babe. Doing illicit acts on camera is your fantasy, remember?”

He got a goofy look on his face that said oh, yeah.

You unbuttoned his shirt and then his jeans, discarding both with his help. Angel cupped your cheek with his free hand just before you could pull him out of his boxers. “You really are so pretty.”

Your eyes clouded with a haze of lust. Angel had you throbbing. He grunted as his erection smacked against his stomach. “You’re always so hard.” You giggled, wrapping your hand around it firmly.

“It’s your fault.”

You leaned over to spit on his dick, giving him a view down your low-cut top. His focus darted back and forth from your chest to your mouth, unsure of which sight was more pornographic.

It was your mouth, definitely your mouth, he decided when you wrapped your full lips around the head of his dick, staring directly into the lens. He watched on the small screen as you eased it down your throat, looking him in the eye all the while. He cursed under his breath and looked up at the ceiling, trying to focus on anything that would keep him from blowing his load early.

“You uh... take this truth or dare shit seriously, huh?” Angel tried for a joke, but the words were too strained to have the intended effect. Your response was a garbled mess that he couldn’t make out. “Sorry, what was that?”

You wiped your mouth and smirked up at him. “‘Said of course I do. Can’t have you going back telling the guys I bitched out, can I?”

He frowned. “I don’t kiss and tell.”

“We’re not kissing.” You reminded him. “Well, I kinda am.” You caught the new batch of pre-cum dribbling out of his slit like melting ice-cream droplets with your tongue. Satisfied after a few thorough licks, you placed a gentle kiss on the tip and then down the sides.

If he weren’t already, Angel would have fallen in love.

“I guess... you’re right.” He panted while you worked his length with your mouth and hands. “You’re good at it too, mama.”

You mumbled a thank you around his length, determined that there would be no more breaks. You wanted to make him come, hard and loud down your throat, all with the camera rolling.

Whether it was the alcohol, the intense, sexual energy of the clubhouse, just Angel, or all of the above, you didn’t know. You just knew that hungry, vicious look in his eyes meant he wanted it bad too. The way the veins in his arms became more prominent as he gripped the phone tighter, the way he bit down on his full lip, and his free hand holding the back of your head were all tale-tell signs.

“You gonna come?” You cooed the obvious, tightening your grip and stroking slower. Up. Down. Up. Down. Your saliva, combined with the action, made an obscene smacking sound.

Angel nodded.

“Yeah?” You teased, smiling at him sweetly. “Where do you wanna come? I know you like my mouth, but I figured you should probably make a mess since we’re making a porno. What do they say? When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?”

Angel wasn’t in the headspace to consider proverbs, like at all, but you had a point. Tonight, the sexy truths and dares were all about stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying new things. Maybe painting someone’s face with his seed hadn’t been a thing he was super into in the past, but with you, anything could be his thing.

“You keep talking to me like that, and I’m gonna make a mess anyway. Fuck. You’re on another level tonight. Gonna have me sucking my thumb and shit after...” He lifted his hips to thrust into your mouth as gently as his desire to finish would let him. You sputtered around him but didn’t take him out of your mouth. Mama ain’t raise no bitch.

“Yeah, I’m gonna make a big mess, baby. All over your fucking face. That’s what you want, right? For me to come all over you like they do those girls in the videos?” He gritted out with shaky hands, his head falling back against pillows. You nodded your head in his lap even though he couldn’t see you.

He cursed loudly, and then the cell phone fell beside you, forgotten. “I’m coming.” He muttered urgently. The logistics were a little off considering you’d never done it before, but he grabbed his dick from you and stroked until ropes of sticky, hot liquid spurted from the tip. Your eyes shut tightly, your tongue wagging blindly.

Hopefully, it didn’t look as awkward as it felt.

“Oh. My. God.” You panted. “That was more than normal, right? It had to be….” You wiped your eyelids with your fingertips while Angel basked in his orgasm, breathing heavily and talking about how he couldn’t fucking believe you just did that.

“I at least owe Bishop our firstborn after this shit. Wait-” He laughed breathlessly, shaky hands searching for the phone. “Gotta get the money shot.”

“Ugh.” You scoffed, ignoring him as you made sure you wouldn’t be blinded for life. Maybe the pornstar thing wasn’t so glamorous after all. “You didn’t care about the video a second ago.”

“Yeah, well, a second ago, you were sucking me like you were trying to get a watermelon through a straw. It was hard to care about anything other than that.”

“What?” You blinked rapidly, frowning up at him. What did a watermelon and straw have to do with anything? Where did he come up with this shit? “Turn it off, Angel. You’re being too silly now.”

“It’s fine, babe. Every movie needs a blooper reel.” He smirked, the camera still aimed at you lying between his legs on your stomach, face glistening with come—a mess.

You glared at him, but it was more adorable than intimidating, considering you couldn’t stop batting your lashes at him.

“Aww, come on. We’re not done yet. Since you have so much to say about my directing skills, get on your back, and I’ll be the talent this time. What’s a sex tape without a little pussy eating? Boring. Lame as hell. If we’re gonna do it, let’s do it right.”

“You’re a menace…but okay.”

notes: i'm so embarassed by this already, lmao. here’s the inspiration.

tags:

@woahitslucyylu @sheeshgivemeabreak @breakingnewsin-no-oneasked @blessedboo @glimmerglittergirl @apantherinmypastlife @brownsugarcoffy @marvelmaree @starrynite7114 @scuzmunkie @sadeyesgf @pearlkitten33 @imanerdychubbyqueen @literaturefeen @ourlittlesecretsoveragain @everyhowlmarksthedead @yourwonkywriter @trulysuccubus @sparklemichele @luckyharley1903 @thesandbeneathmytoes @amorestevens @relaxing-najee @tremendousdinosaurhideout

[straightestgay-voice]

Fuck it, Mayans MC on da switch

[calif0rnia-lovers]

teaser | ghostface killers.

pairing: angel reyes x aaliyah 'queenie' orobosa.

series themes: 18+, graphic mentions of murder + violence, strong language, mentions of sexual assault, ptsd.

character backstories + playlists. part I on April 27

go against the pack, that's risking your life. better play it right.

series sum: when her father is gunned down, aaliyah watches her world change. her brother must take the reigns of a fractured empire. with the older members doubting his abilities and the younger members eager to take his place, zahair realizes the only person he trusts is his twin. a lucrative partnership with the galindo cartel introduces the young leader to an intoxicating power--the kind that breeds mistrust, paranoia, and betrayal. when the corruption of the crown turns zahair against his sister, aaliyah must choose between saving her other half and herself. either way, someone ends up with blood on their hands.

Her feet were planted, but on the wrong side. Her back against the Mayan's chest, a feeble attempt to deter her brother’s aim.

“You’re gonna pick him?”

The question was one that has lurked in the back of Zahair's mind for the past weeks. Lingered each time he saw her leave. Zahair had disregarded the voice each time it came. He couldn’t have someone else betray him.

Not her.

Silence.

It is her response. A confirmation more powerful than any.

“After everything, I’ve done for you--you’re gonna take his word over mine?”

He leveled the pistol, its target no longer Angel, aligned with Aaliyah’s chest. His once steadfast grip slipped away with each passing second, choked by the trembles that gradually crept through. The cool metal seemed to grow heavier with each passing breath they shared.

“You know what this means?”

Her voice came out small, the quietest he’s ever heard it in their twenty-six years. “I don’t care.”

Despite the unsteady rise and fall of her pulse, Aaliyah's gaze remained on his. Unwavering.

Zahair hardly recognized the look. It was the one thing he’d spent the past months searching for. Begging those around him to give. The one thing he was unable to find from the day he first felt the weight of the crown.

The truth.

For the first time in weeks, she was speaking the truth.

Zahair’s grip tightened on the pistol. The trembles were gone, his hand unwavering.

His eyes darkened. “Then neither do I.”

mayans + angel tags: @agoldin @babaohhhriley @katastrophic04 @partypoison00 @mayansxlover @joannasteez @est1887 @brwnlikefoxy @nemesis729 @destiny-tsukino @inyourbackpocketisbutterflies @ilikechocolatemilkh @montanaraed @aria725 @sesamepancakes @leahnicole1219 @sillygoose6969 @trulysuccubus @trhett21 @whatupitshuff @tomhardydallasstarsgirl @helli4nthus @wiccanmetallicrose @losolvidad0s @abbiesthings @the-jer-bear @binooo98 @gemini0410 @thelovelyleo23 @mariaxliliana @themarkblues @kimljn @thesandbeneathmytoes @crashbarbie @noz4a2 ​ @lakamaa12​ @keithseabrook27 ​

main tags: @megapeacelovemusic-blog @rosieposie0624 @appropriate-writers-name @demonquartz @ourlittlesecretsoveragain @beiroviski @chaneajoyyy @frostingguru @seize-the-droid @cutiebubbleboo @siempremamita @awkwardtayler @relaxing-najee @toni9

[thegirlwhowritesfics]

This Hurts Like Hell

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three |Chapter Four |Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty- One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Chapter Twenty-Four | Chapter Twenty-Five | Chapter Twenty-Six | Chapter Twenty-Seven | Chapter Twenty-Eight | Chapter Twenty-Nine | Chapter Thirty | Chapter Thirty-One | Chapter Thirty-Two | Chapter Thirty-Three | Chapter Thirty-Four | Chapter Thirty-Five | Chapter Thirty-Six | Thirty-Seven | Thirty-Eight | Chapter Thirty-Nine | Chapter Forty | Chapter Forty-One

“Whaat, what's going on” I choke out smoke filling my lungs, my legs weak beneath me.

“I don’t know” Sabella yells over the noise of gunfire, dragging me towards her and out the bedroom door. We stumble down the corridor, it's thick with smoke and pitch black making it impossible to see.

We come to a sudden stop and I slam into Sabella’s body, I hear a soft beep as she pulls me through the door. The air is instantly cleaner, still slightly smoky but I can breathe, I suck in huge gulps of air, trying to clear my lungs.

I watch as Sab runs around the room, grabbing things out of the closet, she throws a jacket at me, nodding for me to put it on as she grabs two backpacks.

“Sab, stop, we have to help Angel and Hank” I say looking around wildly for a weapon.

She snorts looking at me “you’re in no condition to help, come on” she demands heading towards the window and popping the paneling underneath, a door swings open.

“They will be fine, we need to go to the meet-up spot come on”

The sound of gunfire getting closer to us intensifies, and I stumble towards the hidden panel, looking down, I can’t see anything.

“It's going to be okay, it's a small drop” Sab furiously whispers behind me.

The lack of food over the past few days making me weak. I barely hear her, as she gently helps me into a sitting position and pushes me.

I land with a thud on the floor below, I can make out a darkened hallway, it feels like it's made out of stone, I can’t see anything and I need to crawl to move, I hear the panels latch back into place above me and and Sab lands where I was a moment ago and flicks on a torch.

“Stay silent and follow this for a little bit then you’ll feel some stairs, slide down them on your ass” she whispers, as we crawl along.

I keep putting one hand in front of the other crawling, my wrists and knees start to ache instantly and my body is covered in a thin layer of sweat. My hand slips and I feel like I am falling, a slight scream escapes my lips.

Sab yanks me back “I see you found the stairs” she says dryly.

I turn around awkwardly, letting my legs dangle over the edge and using my hands I slide down the stairs on my ass.

If I wasn’t running from gunfire I might have found this fun.

I hit the bottom and quickly move to let Sab join me, I see the glow from her torchlight as she hits the ground before me.

“Okay” she whispers “keep moving until you reach the end okay?”

I just start crawling, my legs growing tired but I push through ‘when this is all over I need to workout’ I mentally tell myself.

I feel like I’ve been crawling for hours, Sab and I don’t talk, we just keep going.

My throat is dry and every muscle in my body aches, I want to lay down and pass out, but I feel like if I did that I wouldn’t be able to get back up.

We keep pushing forward, the tunnel walls have turned into dirt and I can feel my clothes snagging on rocks every few metres.

From the soft torchlight I finally see the end of the tunnel, sighing in relief I crawl faster desperate for water.

“When we get to the end, get behind the ladder I will go up first and make sure it's safe” Sab tells me.

Too tired to argue I just nod, ducking behind the ladder when we get to the end.

Sab climbs up, pushing open the top, the tunnel tinged with the early morning sunlight.

After five minutes I see Sab stick her head down “come on, it's all safe”

Climbing up the ladder I fall onto grass, rolling onto my back I stretch out my limbs groaning I am thankful for fresh air. Sab hands me a drink bottle and guzzle it in two gulps.

Turning my head on my side, I look at her “what now?”

“Now we go home, it’s time to go to war” she replies.