#miguel speaking Spanish. ugh

[bloodandthestars]

HOLY FUDGE NUGGETS!! Why is Miguel so beautiful.. 😭

Can I request a Miguel O’Hara x Madam-Web reader? Like maybe she’s well known for being the “Mom” on campus in the Spider-Society, with her and Miguel having a “will they, won’t they” flirty vibe going on?

And she verbally beats his fine a$s for how horrible he treated Miles (who was undoubtedly a victim of circumstance, just like most all Spider-Men) but Miguel can’t really focus on what she’s saying because he just finds her “Mama bear” attitude Hot as hell.. and she can sense it..

Reader: *blank stare*.. horny a$s vampspider~ 😒

Miguel: … 😏

Petter B: guys PLEASE! Not infront of the kids!!!

⸗ 𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄

tags: NO SPOILERS!, spouse! spanish speaking! gn reader

author’s note: hello lovie! you’re my first request ever! i hope you’ll enjoy this, since i had to tweak it due to me not seeing the movie yet and having a few ideas that made me want to write this IMMEDIATELY. translations at the bottom of the post!

wc :: 1.4k masterlist

Spider-man 2099, Miguel O’hara to differentiate him from the rest. The leader and creator of the Spider Society. In the protection of the multiverse, he’s dedicated his life to it. Unwavering, unmoving, if there was an obstacle, he intends to removes it.

“No! It’s not up for discussion.” He snaps back to the group behind him. Peter B., Miles, and Gwen follow behind him in his furious stride to his control center. His voice could echo amongst the society’s campus. Some of the spider-people wince at the boom of his voice. It was easy for them to conclude that it was another day, another problem to handle.

“Oh come on, Miguel.” Peter B. says with a groan. “It’s not a big deal. You can let him off the hook!”

“Having someone watching over like some kind of-” Gwen sputters to find her words. “-parole officer isn’t going to help anyone.”

“Well you said it, not me.” The larger man huffs, causing the trio to roll their eyes.

The doors of his control center slide open with a hiss. Miguel can’t help the scowl on his face, all the more natural with his work. He continues to walk, head turning over his shoulder to speak to them. “I told him and you, if he wants a spot back here he had to earn it-”

Miles frowns. It feels like they’ve been going in endless circles about him coming back into the society and leaving him close to exhausted. “But I-”

“Enough, he’s doing it my way or not at-”

“Uh…Miguel…?” Peter B. trails off with a finger pointing behind him.

“What-?!”

Turning to his vast data center, he stops immediately in his tracks just to practically feel his heart fall into his ass.

You had your arms crossed, a crease to mesh your brows together furiously. Peter B. grimaces at the stern look on your face, knowing it all too well from his own spouse back in his universe. Miles is surprised to witness Miguel drop his hardened expression and voice in an instant. Your husband lets go of his startled state, arms out as he walks towards you. “Dios mío- ¿mi amor? What’s with that look on your face?”

“You went after Miles?!”

The boom in your voice causes the trio to cringe back. Behind his intelligent mind that oversaw the Spider society, you were right beside him in every step. It was a large part of both of your lives, with highs and lows and plenty of difficulties. But it was for the greater good, for a connection of people who’ve been the victims of circumstances. You’d defend your fellow heroines with your heart, including from the wrath of your husband’s stubbornness. Miguel goes up the small step with a sigh. “I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for good reason.”

“Good reason? Right, go ahead. Tell me.”

“It was for protecting you! Protecting everyone!”

“At the cost of some of someone so young?!” Your tone shifts. “¡Vas a lastimar a alguien! O tú mismo!”

Miles’s wide eyes shit to the floor. Your switch reminded of his mom, going into Spanish on the phone to let others around her know that their conversation was not for them. You were more charged than her in these circumstances.

He feels eyes on him, and turns to see Peter B. and Gwen spare him a glance from their awkward stance. Peter B. motions with his head towards the couple, eyes darting back and forth with an muffled cough. Miles eventually gives in and sighs. “…they’re saying that he could have gotten someone hurt, or himself.”

“¡No, no lo estoy! El destino del-” Miguel implores.

You groan. “I swear to God if you mention-”

“-the fate of the universe-“ The three spider people behind him join you in unison.

“-one more time-”

The two of you drone on for a bit, with Miles trying his best to whisper translations to Gwen and Peter B.

“This is serious stuff, [name]. And I mean that with my body and soul.” Miguel grabs both your hands at his emphasis, holding them gently despite your heated discussion. “Eres mi vida, él lo puso en riesgo.”

Miles’s eyes go down to the floor, eyes saddened along with his voice. “He said I put them at risk.”

Peter B. and Gwen soften, eyes going back to you both. You look at your hands together. Gold bands shined in the various blues and reds of the room, the diamond on your ring leaving fluorescent reflection on skin. He watched as your lips press together. You look up to him, “He wouldn’t do it on purpose.”

“You don’t know that-we didn’t know that-“

You shake your head, snatching your hands away to point a finger in his face. “No zip it, Miguel!”

He leans back with his eyes wide. The others react in shock as well as you fall back into Spanish to speak to your husband. Peter B. didn’t need a translator to know the man was being reprimanded, cringing back when your emphasis got aggressive. Gwen looks to him, then to Miles— too speechless to keep translating. Peter B. looks to Miguel, slowly squinting at his demeanor. The longer you spoke, the shock dissipated into something else. His eyes were softer, arms holding one another as he leaned further to listen. You didn’t take notice, still chewing him out.

“-esto es ridículo, Miguel! Eres un hombre maduro, no tienes que actuar así. ¿No crees que puede haber un malentendido?”

When you ask him the tantalizing question, he’s in a moment of pause. The man takes a step further to you. You look at him with unwavering eyes, expecting another long speech about your protection that you were all too familiar with. Instead, his fingers curl to brush under your chin, voice dropping to speak to you. “Eres guapa cuando estás enfadada.”

You’re beautiful when you’re angry. Your eyes widen, heat creeping up your back. Was he even listening to a word you said? You know he wouldn’t just ignore you or your opinions. It only took you a minute to realize that distant look on his face the whole time was to focus on your lips as you spoke. Your brows furrow, muttering to him in attempts to hold on to your reprimand. “…No cambies de tema.”

Don’t change the subject. He gives you a slight smile. With a tilt of his head, Miguel brushes his fingers under your chin again, stepping closer. “¿Por qué, no cuando cada uno de mis pensamientos gira en torno a ti?”

You give him a look, though your shoulders loose their tension. “Cabrón descarado…”Despite your words, the ends of your lips quirk up without thinking. His smirk only widens at the sight. “Y todo el tuyo también.”

Peter B. looks between you both with an expression of confusion. Weren’t you just- fighting? He takes his attention to the way you both look at each other. His brows loosen, raising to the sky when the realization hits. Turning to Miles and Gwen, he grabs both their shoulders and turn them around. The pair are forced to walk towards the entrance, eyes in a perpetually widened state.

“Alright!” The father explains. “Time to go, yep, let’s just-”

“But what about-”

Peter hunches down to aggressively whisper to them. “Guys. This is a free get out of jail card.” His head drops for a moment before looking back up. “A scarring one but nonetheless.”

Miguel thought them as out of sight and out of mind, eyes attentive to your frustrated look. How could he pays attention anything else with the way you got? The determination in your eyes and voice, how you would step to him knowing that many rarely could. You were passionate and he’d fall for it every time. The man wouldn’t have anyone else with him. He understood your words, took them in, but god did your lips too good not to take.

Your lips were captured in a plush embrace, eyes fluttering shut when he does so. The fingers under your chin turn to cup your cheek. Your hand goes to his side to invite him to come closer. Tension in your body left in an instant. Your husband lets out a soft sigh, mind enthralled in your presence. He pulls away with a slow blink of his eyes. Your eyes open, your smile now soft.

“Esto no ha terminado.” You mutter with a hand on top of his, thumb brushing over the back of it.

He chuckles darkly, caressing your cheek with a look in his eye. “Cuento con eso.”

translations: “¡vas a lastimar a alguien! o tú mismo!” (you could have gotten someone hurt! or yourself!)

“¡no, no lo estoy! el destino del-” (no i’m not! the fate of the-)

“eres mi vida, él lo puso en riesgo.” (you are my life, he put that at risk.)

“-esto es ridículo, Miguel! Eres un hombre maduro, no tienes que actuar así. ¿No crees que puede haber un malentendido?” (this is ridiculous, Miguel! you are a grown ass man, you don’t have to act like this. don’t you think there may be a misunderstanding?)

“¿por qué, no cuando cada uno de mis pensamientos gira en torno a ti?” (why not when each of my thoughts revolve around you?)

“cabrón descarado…” (cheeky bastard...), “y todo el tuyo también.” (and all yours too.)

“esto no ha terminado.” (this isn’t over), “cuento con eso.” (i’m counting on that)

taglist: @manchuria @mezzke @rea-zxv @vvitcxen @pooiooi @jowtaro @coleseyebrows @deputy-videogamer @vegas-writing-den @m150-50up

#hope you enjoy! #ty you guys for 60 followers #miguel speaking Spanish. ugh #my heart #writing #drabble #miguel o’hara #spiderman across the spiderverse #spiderman 2099 x reader #miguel o’hara x reader #spiderman 2099

[cosmosis]

MOVED TO @seratopia

miguel o’hara x reader (fluff) - can’t sleep

you just can’t sleep without your husband next to you (i hope my spanish was okay)

Maybe it’s your cycle, maybe its just the fact that you’ve been literally working all day for the past 3 weeks, but you’re tired as shit. The bags under your eyes are almost purple, your entire body hunches over like a zombie when you walk, you barely have time to think nor speak to anyone else besides your husband. The entire building is lowkey worried you’ll snap one day. 

Even Miguel is worried. Much how you like to do to him, Miguel’s been constantly ushering you to rest a little, borderline bribing you with nice takeout or some kisses to get you to sleep. But, to no avail. your sleep schedule is genuinely fucked. 

You’re cranky, hungry, and sleep deprived. 

At the moment, Miguel doesn’t really know where you are. Considering your current state, he thinks you’re out on a mission, or at least somewhere in the office. 

He’s already tried walking through the entire office just looking for you. He checked the cafeteria, gym, hallway, etc. muttering, “Where th’fuck are they?” But, you were nowhere to be found.

So, Miguel tries something different. He pulls up his watch, scrolling down to a button that he really only should be using for emergencies, but to Miguel, this is an emergency on its’ own. 

He presses the button, and suddenly his entire face is broadcasted to every single watch in the building. Dramatically, the emergency siren turns on, and all the spider-people are on their feet. 

“If anyone sees my wife, please report back to me asap. Tell her to come see me, I can’t find her anywhere.“

The whole office can see Miguel rub a hand over his face, visibly both annoyed and tired. Everyone starts looking back and forth, tilting heads and making sure that you didn’t just happen to be around somewhere. Once the camera turns off, though, nearly the entire building starts chuckling. 

It’s crazy how much Miguel’s face utterly lights up when he sees his watch ringing without your contact photo. Literally in a split second, he presses the button, opening up a microphone icon. 

“Miguel?“

Ugh, he just loves the sound of your voice. 

“¿Si querida?“

He hears you groan, possibly the sound of bedsheets shuffling, and it pulls at his heart. You’ve been so miserable lately, he just wants to see you back to your happy self again. 

“Come home, now.“

Just the tone of your voice alone put a worried frown on Miguel’s face. (He never likes to admit how much of an impact your emotions have on him.) An ugly, anxious swarm starts to build at the back of his head, making him impossibly nervous. 

Luckily, Miguel knows what to do. 

“Of course, hun. I’ll be there in 10.“

And he turns the watch off, sighing to himself after. He’s a little bit nervous now, fearing as though he did something to upset you, or that you had something serious to talk about when he came home. 

Every step Miguel takes to your shared home brought him closer and closer on edge, worry and theory swirling through his mind. His brain ping-ponged through every single possible reason why you’d want him to come home, especially in such a cranky matter. Maybe you were just tired? Maybe it was because he accidentally gave you a raisin bagel instead of a everything bagel?

By the time Miguel was at the door, his heart was beating erratically in his chest, hands the slightest bit shaky. Stepping inside, Miguel instantly beelined for your shared bedroom, gently opening the door. 

He sees you shuffle around in the covers, his heart secretly swooning. You’re just so cute when you’re half asleep; needy and cuddlier than usual. Already at the bedroom door, Miguel practically rips his shirt off, kicking off his pants and making his way over to where you lay. He presses a soft kiss to your forehead, gingerly swiping strands of hair off your face. 

“What is it, hun?“ He coos.

You toss and turn, barely mustering a frown onto your face. Your eyes are half-lidded, tank top almost falling off your shoulder until Miguel readjusts it for you. 

“Can’t sleep without you.“ You mumble, slowly scooting yourself over and draping your arms towards him. Miguel practically swoons, cooing and leaning into your touch. How could he resist such an offer?

“Awh, baby.“ 

He tangles himself into bed with you, breathing the biggest sigh of relief. It wasn’t what he thought it was. You just wanted snuggles. Miguel takes it upon himself to spoil you extra, ghosting his touch over your back and kissing the darling skin of your temple.

Like the thousands of times he has before, Miguel tangles his legs into yours, kneading his fingers into the skin of your raised leg.  

Within a few minutes or so, Miguel feels you knock out like a light, tiny puffs of air escaping your mouth while you fist the sheets like a baby. He sighs, staring at you for a few moments while you sleep. Affectionately, he rubs his knuckles against your cheek, smooching your forehead. 

Miguel pulls a blanket over the both of you, knowing very well that by the time you’re awake, it’ll be completely on the floor. Readjusting his position, Miguel doses off to sleep, allowing himself to completely let go of all the stresses he holds. 

After all, he can’t sleep without you either. 

© 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒔.

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel o'hara x you #atsv miguel #atsv x reader #atsv #spiderman #across the spiderverse #x reader #reader insert #fluff #romance #cute and cuddly #cosmosis-writes ₍⑅ᐢ..ᐢ₎

[nxrdamp]

Miguel O'Hara x Fem! Assistant! Reader | Unmasked

TW: language, no use of y/n, some google translate Spanish because I do not speak Spanish.

Word Count: 2,228

| Your POV |

Miguel O'Hara.

I'd use only one word to describe a man like him.

Arrogant.

Extremely arrogant in fact, so arrogant he hired me. Why is that so arrogant, one might ask, well he's arrogant because his personal hobby is to make my life a living, breathing hell! Why is this? Only his big, arrogant, sadistic mind knows. How is he arrogant? Well...

"I thought I said no cream," Miguel said, his eyebrows furrowing for the 20th time today. It's 8:30 in the morning. He sighed and placed the coffee down on his desk hazardously as if everything doesn't have a price tag with a pretty penny attached to it. Miguel O'Hara, one of the leading scientists at Alchemax, what does he do? I don't really know to be honest, I tried to ask once but that made him even pissier, saying something along the lines of "the fate" of something and "confidential to civilians".

"That's what I ordered sir," I said, picking up the coffee cup that was almost tipped over due to his carelessness. God, can this day really test me anymore? It's only the beginning and I've already had to go back for coffee twice.

"I don't care what happened, make it work. I don't want cream and I don't want decaf, I just want plain, black coffee." Yeah, plain like your soul O'Hara. Whatever, this assistant gig pays extremely well since, shockingly, he can't seem to keep an assistant. I wonder why.

"Right away sir," I say, rolling my eyes as I threw away the second coffee cup. Poor coffee, never had the chance. Poor barista who made it, a waste of time. Ungrateful, O'Hara is, he's so stuck up being rich and all from his dumb job in his big stupid lab that he expects someone to just wipe his ass.

"Ah, you said that last time, look where we are." He tutted, sitting at his desk in his office. You heard me, his office, he has a personal lab and an office. What does this guy even do?!

"You have quite a humor." I sarcastically reply, which made him furrow his brows once more. He started to say something, probably along the lines of "I'm your boss" yada yada, before I shut the door to his office, walking back to the elevator to grab yet another coffee from the poor stand on the ground floor of the Alchemax building. The Alchemax building is huge, probably all designed for O'Hara since everyone just adores him here, but it's right next to this....odd building. It's about the same size as the Alchemax Center, they even own it, hell it's connected to our building, but it's off-limits to everyone. Ha, even O'Hara. I'm glad at least some things don't revolve around him.

"Hi again," I said to the barista while monologuing I arrived at the stand, "I need a plain black coffee, please, just please don't put anything in it."

"Um, okay," She said, with her signature snarky attitude. This barista always gets on my nerves. She always screws up Miguel's simple order multiple times a day. I think she has it out for me, honestly. I watch as she is about to pour cream into the cup, smirking like it's the funniest thing in the world.

"Hey." I said, making her jump a little, "I've been down here three times today, four yesterday, you know that I know that you know how to make a damn plain cup of coffee."

"Fine." She said, handing me the cup," free of charge if you don't tell my manager."

"Free of charge for a month, this happened all of last week too," I said, grabbing the cup from her.

"Ugh okay." She said, embarrassment rising to her cheeks as she sees other people in line watching the spectacle.

I give her a smile. before dropping a ten in the tip jar. What, I just haggled the poor teenager into giving me free coffee for a month, while she was being an asshole and I needed a win, she's still a kid. Well now I feel bad, but I don't think I'm going to feel as bad as I am when I walk through O'Hara's office doors.

"So, you learn how to order a plain coffee yet?" O'Hara snarled, his eyes glaring at me. God, this guy sucks. His reddish eyes are just asking to test him, begging even, he must be so dreadfully bored that he just wants me to stick it to him.

At this point, I'm too mentally exhausted to make a witty comeback and I defeatedly hand him his cup, sighing as I walk away. Honestly, I think this job might be too much. This is a calm day compared to last week, running back and forth for food, because everyone everywhere in this building screws up his order. This...is odd, because instead of doing paperwork, ha, paper, that's funny, thinking the word 'paper' makes me feel old, like I'm from the 2020s or something like that! But regardless, my job requirements when I got the job was mainly to fill out his busy work, but 99% of the time, I'm running his errands!! So weird now that I think about this, but anyways, it doesn't matter, at least I hope it doesn't.

| Miguel's POV |

I watch as my assistant leaves, seeing her defeated look as she walks away from my office to go to what I assume is the break room. Even if it isn't lunch, I don't care, I just need her away. I don't need a damn assistant. It's all for looks so these nosy scientists don't meddle in my business, so it looks like I'm still acting as a geneticist. Honestly, if there was one word I'd use to describe her, it's insufferable. So very insufferable.

I would say she messes up my orders on purpose just to spite me, but I know that isn't true. Why isn't that true? Well

"You're so rude Miguel." LYLA said, popping up beside him, "I know she can't know your real work, but that doesn't require you to pick on her!"

"LYLA, go away," I grunt, furrowing my brows once more, that must be the twenty-fifth time today.

"Well Miguel, you're needed in Spider-Society, Jess needs you to conduct that mission report." She said, tilting her little heart-shaped sunglasses.

"Do it yourself LYLA, I don't have time for this. If I keep leaving this building, those scientists are gonna keep harassing me on 'how do I get extra time off?' when I'm working much harder than they ever will, especially that Dr. Ohnn-"

"Save it for Spider-Therapist." LYLA said, "I'll see you in HQ". She disappeared before Miguel could argue further about excuses on why he shouldn't leave Alchemax today.

"Ugh!" He groans, furrowing his eyebrows yet again, it's really a wonder he hasn't developed wrinkles yet, well, more wrinkles than he already has.

| Your POV |

I walk back to Miguel's office, ready to stick it to him. Frankly, I don't care if he's my boss, he can't keep treating me like this. It's a toxic work environment and I'm this close to reporting him to HR.

As I walk closer and closer to his office, I see him speedily walking down the hallway, so, in a moment of stupidity I follow him. Staying silent as I see him walk further and further away from the department of whatever the hell he does, walking closer to the biology sector, by the spider section. Gross, I'd hate to work with a bunch of spiders all day, they give me the heebie-jeebies.

He keeps walking, past where anyone works, and by the......sky bridge. What the hell? He can't go in there! That building is strictly off limits for everyone, even arrogant bosses.

I watch as he turns the corner, looking around to see if anyone was watching him. I duck behind a potted plant, praying he doesn't see me, and unfortunately, he does.

"Are you going to explain why you're hiding behind a snake plant?" Miguel asks, walking over to peer down at me. He cocks his eyebrow, smirking as if he'd found a cat in an amusing position like those old internet videos from a hundred years ago.

"You gonna explain why you're walking into that creepy, off-limits, building?!" I said, popping up from behind the snake plant, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"That's none of your concern, why are you stalking me?"

"I'm not stalking you, I am observing your behavior for the greater good of Alchemax! That building doesn't belong to you, sir!" I said, crossing my arms. The nerve of this guy, he doesn't own all of Nueva York!

"¡Que maravilla! We have a little security guard here! Go back to your desk or I'm docking your pay." Miguel said, scowling. Actually, I don't think his face even changed into a scowl. I don't it's ever not a scowl.

"Ha, that's funny." I say, crossing my arms," You have no control over that! Alchemax controls my pay, not you douche-bag!"

"Watch it." He threatened before his watch device dinged, must be some top-of-the-line Mango device, he always gets new, expensive gadgets. He got the ePhone 80 the other day, it hasn't even come out yet!

"LYLA, I'm busy." He said, turning his back to me like he has something to hide on that dumb, orange holo-watch of his. It's rather bulky compared to other holo-watches. Strange

"Instead of hiding secrets how about we finish this conversation, Miguel?" I said walking around to get face-to-face with him. "What does that thing even do? It looks way too big just to be a holo-watch."

"None of your concern, go back to your desk." He said, trying to cover his watch device. Before he knew it, the picture of the lady from the holo watch started moving around. Damn, this guy and his state-of-the-art stuff.

"Hey there!" She said, moving around, "Im LYLA, an AI assistant. I handle all of the nitty-gritty files, documents, and about everything else for Miguel and the rest of Sp...Alchemax! LYLA stands for LYrate Lifeform Approximation. Pretty neat huh?"

"What the hell, Miguel!" I said, scowling, I guess I'm becoming like him. Ew, scratch that, never say that again. "You have a whole other assistant thing and you make me run around like a dog fetching your food, and magically everyone always gets it wrong!"

"Well that's because Miguel asks them to get it wrong" LYLA answered, leaving Miguel frozen for a split second.

"I'm gonna kill you, Miguel O'Hara. Why would you purposely ask people to make my orders for you wrong?! Is this some kind of sadistic game you get off to? Huh?!"

"No." He finally replied, turning LYLA off before she could make him look any worse, "It's to keep you busy and out of my files." Okay, maybe he didn't even need LYLA to make him look bad.

"Why?!" I asked, throwing my hands up in the air. Thank god this is by that other building where no one comes because we're causing quite a spectacle here.

"Because you can't know!" He barked, gritting his teeth. His teeth...does he have fangs? I squinted my eyes to get a better look, and yes, he has fangs, which are abnormally larger than just some sharp canines.

"Why can't I know?" I asked, my eyesight flicking from his teeth back up to his reddish...no red eyes. Why are they red? How are they red? What is even happening anymore?

"Because no one like you can know. You're not a part of the few who get to know and you better be glad you aren't. This isn't a little day job where you run around with screwed-up orders, this is life or death."

"Just tell me dammit," I said, "it's probably not even that serious. What is serious is if you don't 'fess up, I'm going to report the screwed-up food, the trespassing, the verbal assault, and many other things my wonderful boss has done to me to HR. Then, you'll be fired and no more sneaking around the mysterious building. Spill."

"You could never begin to understand..!"

"Miguel! What is it! Why can't I view your files? Why can't I do my job? Why are you going into that damn building?!"

Miguel taps a few buttons on his watch, sighing. He has to do this Whether he wants to or not, it isn't up to him anymore. He has to maintain access to that building. It's vitally important. Alchemax knows what that building is and why it's Miguel's. It's the only reason he can't sue them for making this monster. How else would a man on a worker's salary, even a good one, afford an entire skyscraper in Nueva York.

I watch as Miguel's entire body fizzles softly before being coated in something anyone who has ever watched the news knows. Anyone who isn't dead or living under a rock so huge they might as well be considered dead. The two red lines that represent eyes look back at me, halting any movement, even my words cannot stumble out of my mouth. For the first time ever it feels as if I didn't have a thought at all.

"I'm Spider-man."

{ Does anyone want a Part 2? }

Read this on A03 : here

Read this on Wattpad: here

#atsv miguel #miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel o'hara smut #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o’hara #miguel smut #miguel spiderman #miguel spiderverse #across the spiderverse #spiderman #miguel x reader #o'hara #spiderman 2099 #miguel 2099 #spider man 2099 x reader #spiderman 2099 spiderverse #miguel ohara #marvel 2099 #2099

[lovefks]

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲?—𝖬𝗂𝗀𝗎𝖾𝗅 𝖮‘𝖧𝖺𝗋𝖺 𝗑 f!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

❬ ❛ 𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 ❜ ❭ getting creepy love letters isn’t normal, but finding out why it was written is even creepier.

❬ ❛ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 ❜ ❭ Angst, kinda fluff(?) 763wc

Again,

A new letter, again.

Ever since you started working with the spider society, you’ve gotten love letters(?).

Well you don’t exactly know if those letters are love letter; they are write in Spanish and well; you can’t speak or read Spanish.

There are so many Spider-People who can speak Spanish, it literally could be anyone.

The first letter was on your desk, you first thought it was for the wrong person because Spanish wasn’t your language. You went to one of your Spanish speaking Spider friends and asked if they could translate it.

Mi dulzura, mis ojos se bendicen cada vez que te veo. aunque no sea la primera vez; bueno, no es la primera vez para mí...

(My sweetness, my eyes get blessed every time I see you. even though it’s not the first time; well the first time for me…)

That was a very strange letter. ‘Who she’s me for the first time but it wasn’t the first time?’

It took you a while to get that translated. You thought about that letter for so long and tried to figure out what it could mean.

The letters got more strange after a while;

Mi dulzura, sé que no me conoces, que no me conociste en tu universo porque me alejaron de ti... pero te miro, te necesito, te deseo; en todos los sentidos.

(My sweetness, I know you don’t know me, you didn’t met me in your universe because I was taken away from you.. but I watch you, I need you, I want you; in every way.)

“Ya coño! y/n! fucking daydreaming and stop the anomaly!” The stern voice of Miguel O’Hara yelled through your ear-microphone. ‘He’s always so grumpy, I don’t think he likes me’

🕸️🧛|

“That was so fucking stupid of you y/n! You almost got yourself killed! eso fue tan estúpido!” Ye yelled while walking around angrily.

It probably was your fault, you got distracted by those letters that you neglect your job. “Look, I am sorry Miguel, but some weird things are happening and it distracts me from everything” regret and fear was heard in your voice.

Miguel could obviously hear that fear but decided to ignore it. “Well it’s not exactly my fault is it!? You are so estúpido, mi dulzura” he said while rolling his eyes.

Mi dulzura

Mi dulzura

Mi dulzura!

But this doesn’t make any sense!? How could Miguel?-

No. it had to be a confusion, it couldn’t be Miguel he wouldn’t-

“I need to go, it’s an emergency!” He yelled and jumped into a portal To whatever dimension he had to go.

‘This is perfect’ you thought.

‘Swap’ now on his platform trying to open his screens which where password saved. Obviously.

IAmRude123

IHateEveryone1234

IAmTheOnlyRealSpiderMan2099

None of those worked. ‚Damn it‘ you whispered.

GabriellaMyLove2099

„You are now logged in“

‚That’s not lyla‘ you thought

There where so many folders, you had do idea where to look; that was until you came across a folder named

Gabriella & y/n

You frowned. What could that be? Why did Miguel has a folder with your name on it? Why would he have such a folder?

You clicked on the folder and a big amount of videos showed up. You clicked on the first video.

„Papá no!“ the little voice of Gabriella giggled.

On the video is Miguel tickling Gabriella while someone is filming.

„Mamá tell pap-pap-papá to stop“ she now giggled even more. Then the camera got turned around and it showed-

You.

Miguel came behind the camera and out his arm around your shoulder, then he grabbed your face and kissed you on the lips. „Mi dulzura“ he murmured against your lips.

„ugh! No no“ Gabriellas small joking voice came from behind the camera.

„No I wanna kiss your mamí-„

No.

You stopped the video immediately.

This couldn’t be… how could this be?

You knew how the Spider-Verse worked, but you would have never thought that Miguel and you-

But now it all makes sense!

„Mi dulzura, sé que no me conoces, que no me conociste en tu universo porque me alejaron de ti...-„

(My sweetness, I know that you don't know me, that you didn't know me in your universe because they took me away from you...)

It made sense now.

You watched some more videos, it were all video of you, well not you, playing with Gabriella, kissing Miguel, cuddling with both of them.

Even making love with Miguel-

It was all too much to take, how could he-

„Oh so now you finally found out, Mi dulzura“

Oh no.

#miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel o'hara smut #miguel o’hara #spiderverse x reader #across the spiderverse x reader #spiderman x reader #spider man 2099 x reader #spider man: across the spider verse #spider man 2099 #angst #fluff #gabriella o’hara #miguel o’hara x you #miguel x reader #miguel o’hara x y/n

[silent-raven13]

NO, HOBIE!

(AU: Ya'll ever read No, David? That lil fuckin' cholo silver teeth lookin ass brat? I just had a thought 😂)

Miguel shouting at the punker, who's wobbling to the edge of building, "NO, BROWN! I swear to GOD if you jump in that fucking pool of possessed Spider-people, I will kill you myself!" The last thing they needed was this ridiculous punker joining in on the chaos of all of this!

Hobie grinning widely under his mask being very tempted, and hated being told what to do. The gang were in a world where Dr. Oct created a dangerous serum that got Spider-people to do his bidding, and leaking out green salvia with their mouths morphed into Spider mouth. Seems like this Dr. Oct found a way to copy Shathra being similar to her Spider Wasp beings.

Luckily Lyla was working on a cure, while Miguel is trying to keep the gang from changing and stopping the mad-villain. However, Hobie saw the opportunity to fuck shit up as always! Why is it when Miguel always say no, there's always trouble from Spider-punk?

"Is that a threat?" Spider-Punk innocently asked with his goofy Spider-Punk mask beaming at Spider-man 2099.

Peni in her Sp//dr suit letting out a low groan, "Hobie, NO! Come on, this is serious!"

Miguel growling through his teeth. Pavtri had his hands out, "You know, Miguel doesn't mean it. Hobie, come on, my dude!"

"Brown, I am warning you!" The older Spider-man growls in anger.

"Mmm, I'm hearing a yes?" The Spider-Punk stick his long lanky leg out pretending to fall.

"NO, HOBIE! Bad! I'ma tell on Miles!" Peni shouted.

Spider-Punk quickly stood back hearing his Sunflower's name. Then, the massive urge to jump to the pile of infected people with Ace monstrous features got him pump. Those intrusive thoughts winning especially when Miguel commanded, "It's an order, Brown. Get over here, now!"

"Okay. Okay, no need to get your trousers in a mix." Hobie happily walks away at the edge hearing relief sighs, then he quickly turns back to jump down, "PSYCH! You thought!"

They all had their mouth dropped when their punker friend literally got infected all because his intrusive thoughts were in the way!

"HIJO DE SU PUTA MADRE!" Miguel cursing out loud enrage by his fellow Spider-Punk, ruining another mission just to fuck with him. The rest of the Spider-heroes saw their friend already turned into a freaky humanoid Spider causing ruckus.

"ALL FOR ANARCHY! I LOVE IT!" He shouted before he made odd growls.

"Ugh, and we needed him, too." Peni groans.

Pavtri rolled his eyes, "So what do we do now?"

"Hey guys, Miles was able to knock out Dr. Oct! How's your part of the plan going?" Gwen asked as she speaks through the intercom.

Miguel already raging at the side having to curse out in Spanish. Peni and Pavtri stood on top of the building with no luck of achieving their goal, "Yeah, about that..." Peni began.

Gwen let out a low groan, "Don't tell me... Hobie?"

"Yeah." The two sounded so bum about this outcome and exhausted.

"And Miguel?" She asked.

Pavtri answered, "He's uhhh..." Seeing his leader still ranting out loud in anger, "might need a drink later..."

"Oh god!" Gwen growls.

Then Miles' voice appeared, "What? What happened? Did the mission failed?" He had tied up the Dr. Oct variant up with metal bars. Then stood with his friend being confused.

"Guess." She sighs being exhausted.

"What did Hobie do this time?" Miles' voice already sounded drained knowing full well this was his boyfriend's doings. "Gawd, please tell he didn't jump in the infected?"

"He jumped in the infected." They all said with tiredness in their voice a bit annoyed at that.

"UGHHH! Let me go get him!" Miles groans, "Gwen, you have to go over there and help them. I'll be here and bring back Hobie since he's acting like a damn two year old!"

"Okay, be careful. Hobie might be a monster and hurt you." Gwen pointed out then chuckles, "Ha, that sounded stupid when I said that out loud."

"Then, I'll whack the shit out of him for being dumb!" Miles huffs already headed out to search for his man. Gwen went over to the other group to help them out with their goal in breaking in the building to let Lyla have control.

Meanwhile, Miles spotted his boyfriend causing a mess. "NO, HOBIE! PUT THAT DOWN!" He jump behind his boyfriend being a few inches away.

Possessed Hobie made sounds out of his mouth, this was Shathra all over again! Miles crosses his arms, "Hobie, you are in big trouble! Why did you turned into this?"

"Grr... hissssss, SsSSUNFLOWER!" His Spider-Punk happily rushes over to give him a hug knowing a familiar scent and face. His Sunflower being present had brought back his memories and focus on being his Spider-Punk self.

"Bae, you're infected! Stay put." Miles took a step back.

"NNNOOOO, Sunflower! Huuuggg meee!" He follows his boyfriend wanting affection.

Miles was able to lead his boyfriend away from the rest of the infected into the building where Dr. Oct was capture. His Spider-Punk fighting off any infected trying to get close to him, which was a good thing that infection isn't madding the punker.

Hobie snuggle his Sunflower when having the chance, "Sunflower!"

"Hobie, if you bite me, I will give you the Silent treatment." His Sunflower warned him as he types into the computer to have the building where his friends are opened up.

"Nooooooo!" He buries his face into his shoulder wanting cuddles. "Pay attention to me!"

"Okay, guys. I got it." He said through the intercom as his boyfriend became super needy.

"Alright, we're in!" Gwen answered.

After all that, the mission became a success. Lyla was able to make a cure, and had everyone turned back to normal. Miles grab his boyfriend's shirt giving him a full blown lecture, "Next time, you decided to let your intrusive thoughts get in your way, I will personally punish you, Hobie! No means No! I know, damn well you only did it to piss off Miguel."

Hobie stupidly stand with his legs a few inches apart to be on his boyfriend's level, his Spider-Punk mask being so bug eyed. "You're going to punish me, luv? Kinky."

"Oh shut up!" Miles keeping his serious attitude, "Next time, your not gonna be in a mission with me."

"Nooo, luv! Don't be so cruel!" His punker whines, seeing how much he upsetter his boyfriend. "Don't ignore me."

Miles gave him the silent treatment. Gwen slurp her slushie, "So... you think it was worth it?" She looks at Hobie.

Peni and Pavtri chuckles seeing the punker being dragged by holding on Miles' ankles. Good that what's he gets.

#miles morales #hobie brown #punkflower #across the spider verse #spider verse #fanfic #spiderman

[markosbabymama]

yipppeee!!! :) in that case can i pls get a ck matchup?

i’m 5’3” (160 cm) , i have stone blue eyes but they change to green or grey depending on the day. my hair is wavy and shoulder length and it’s the color of cinnamon. i have dark freckles under my right eye but not my left. im on the lighter-tannish side and i have a sharp button nose.

i’m an aquarius rising and sun , and i’m a pisces moon. i’m an introverted extrovert and an entp. i have anxiety and adhd. i tend to hyperfixate on things very easily. i love film, and writing, and reading. horror is my favorite genre of book and movie. my love language is physical touch and words of affirmation. my aesthetic per-say is modern downtown girl meets 70s downtown girl.

i love music si much it’s a big part of my life. i’m learning to speak spanish and i tend to talk a lot if you couldn’t already tell. rambling is a big habit of mine.

i’m so sorry ml for writing like 3 full paragraphs 😭😭 mwah mwah tysm <3333

u are literally the cutest ever?!🩷🥹

you are made for miguel sorry i don’t make the rules

.

UGH HEIGHT DIFFERENCE !!

he loves to lean down and kiss u literally his favorite thing ever.

he’ll randomly give u piggy back rides or pick u up bridal style and thinks it’s the funniest thing ever

.

loves loves LOVES UR EYES!!!!

literally kisses ur eyelids bc he loves your eyes sm

*looks down at u while ur cuddling him* “when we get married and have kids they better have your eyes, or else i don’t want em.” *slaps his chest* “miguel!”

takes random pics of ur eyes while they’re in light

.

loves to run his hands threw ur hair. it’s therapeutic for him.

definitely tried to braid it and fails miserably but it’s the thought that counts.

randomly buys u claw clips and hair ties🥹

has a hair tie on his wrists at all times just in case.

.

once tired to kiss all the freckles on ur face to see if he could do it LOL

obvi he couldn’t but it’s okay cus he loves to kith u lol.

always admired ur freckles. thinks it’s the prettiest thing on the planet.

.

NOSE KISSES ARE A DAILY THING.

kisses ur nose as many times as human can.

loves to pinch ur nose as well lolz

he loves ur nose sm

.

he’s honestly always by you’re side since he knows it takes time for u to warm up to ppl

especially at party’s.

he will never leave ur side EVER.

only time he does is to get u a drink. but even then he’s like “u sure ur okay by urself? promsie??”

and let’s say u have an anxiety attack/ ur overwhelmed by something

MY GOD HES WAISTING NO TIME

he will run to your side so fast to make sure you’re okay.

will do breathing exercises with you, rub your back, give you water, talk u threw it, he will literally not move from ur side unless you say to.

.

loves how u get so invested in something

like he will literally go out of his way to make sure he knows everything abt ur hyper fixation

no matter wtf it is. it could be abt rocks and this man will search how many there are, JUST to talk to u abt it.

adores reading horror books/ watching horror movies with u.

he’ll wrap his whole body around u with twelve blankets on a couch and just sit there listening to you tell him about facts abt the movie, the cast, where it was filmed, ect.

loves watching u write

will literally just sit next to u and watch

HE ADORES EVERYTHING U DO MAN🥹

.

loves how passionate u are abt music

makes a special playlist just for u.

is proud when u add a song from his playlist to urs

“U LIKE THIS SONG???” *smiles like a six year old*

.

i honestly believe miguel is touchy too so he LOVES when u can’t keep ur hands off him

not in a sexual way, in a loving, caring, sweet way🖤

holds onto ur waist all the time

y’all definitely link arms all the time

he’s always touching u and the other way around. y’all can’t keep each others hands off the other.

“you’re the best thing that ever happened to me, mi amor.”

.

loves ur style and loves going shopping with u.

will hold up a pair of boots and go

“omg this would look so pretty on u mi amor.”

also loves finding lil hats for u to wear.

will blow every last dollar he has to buy u clothes.

*walks in with 5 giant bags* “Y/N, I HAVE A SUPRISE FOR YOUUU!!”

.

UGH LOVES CUS UR LEARNING SPANISH??!?!?!

literally is ur tutor

“Eres el amor de mi vida.” *looks over to him* “what did u just say, miguel? *smiles from ear to ear.* “nothiiinggg.”

u find out like three days later and kiss the shit out of him. LMAO

leaves lil love notes in spanish in ur locker everyday 🥹

so proud of u when u have your first full convo in spanish.

“YOU DID IT!!! IM SO PROUD OF YOU MI AMOR!” *tackles u and kisses ur face.*

so much shit talking happens at school.

miguel: “¿Viste su traje?”

y/n: “Sí, oh Dios mío. ella se parece a mi abuela.”

*both of u dying of laughter*

.

A/N: THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE MY GOODNESSSSSS. i really hope u enjoy this cause i had a blast writing it. love ya!!🩷🥹

#cobra kai #miguel diaz x reader #cobra kai imagines #eli moskowitz x reader #miguel diaz #cobra kai x reader #robby keene x reader #tory nichols #miguel diaz oneshot #miguel diaz imagine

[gemini-sensei]

imagine miguel x new mom!reader who is worried that miguel doesn't want to have sex with her anymore :( he'd be so so reassuring

— flare

So reassuring! (@miguelnation)

He would stop everything he's doing to make sure she knlws he still wants to have sex with her, that she's sexy, that there's nothing that he wants more in the world than to make love to her. If the opportunity isn't exactly present, he still kisses her passionately or kisses up and down her neck 💋💋💋

He sees the way she looks ar herself in the mirror, at her extra baby fat and widened hips. He walks up behind her and wraps his arms around her, holds her belly and gropes it sweetly while kissing her cheek. Their eyes meet in the mirror's reflection and he hums lowly. No one else is around, but he speaks softly as if there is and his voice is only for her to hear.

"You look so sexy, mama. I just wanna throw you on the bed right now and show you how much I love you."

(an aside, but imagine him saything that is Spanish (I took French unfortunately))

And if she's insecure about her belly or her stretch marks- oh man! He'd get down on his knees and kiss every stretch mark, telling her how he loves them because that's where their little one was.

He grabs her belly and just looks up at her like, "this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You're so beautiful and strong and amazing. No way this means anything else."

Buys her pretty lingerie, but not for her to wear for him. He wants her to wear it for herself. He wants her to dance around in it until she's happy with herself again 🥺🥺

Also, the sex is so gentle and sweet, filled with so many "I love you's" and every variation he can think of to say she's gorgeous. Ugh 😩 he'd be so tender and kind to her body, too, like, she just had his baby and he understands what her body has just gone through so he'd be so gentle while making love to her.

Miguel doesn't fuck around when his wife's feeling down about herself. He brings his A game to make sure she knows all this about herself and so she can see herself the way he sees her.

#mom reader #dad!miguel #miguel diaz headcanons #miguel diaz x reader #miguel diaz smut #miguel diaz x chubby reader #miguel diaz #cobra kai #cobra kai headcanons #cobra kai x reader #cobra kai x chubby reader #cobra kai x plus size reader #chubby reader #plus size reader #smut headcanons #miguel diaz fluff #comfort headcanons #gemini sensei

[sad-brunnettee]

This is part two with Eddie x f Hispanic reader

Word count: 722

A/n: i will like to apologize in advance because this is my first time writing for Eddie.

You felt as the fresh summer air hit your bare legs and arms. Spring break had just started and you found yourself with nothing to do. That is why you’re walking to Eddie’s trailer to buy some weed.

Not only did you have a small crush on him but you have been friends with him for years. He always insisted on giving you a discount when you buy from him but you always payed full price. Part of you hoped that he also had feelings for you and was the reason he did that. The other part of you knew he was naturally nice to you.

You put your attention back on your Walkman that was playing Amanda Miguel. After hearing her music you really looked up to her from her strong vocals to her appearance. The way she embraced her curls made you hope you would do the same with yours soon.

There were many girls at school who’d kill to have natural curls. But upon seeing yours they always had something bad to say about it. Eddie told you to not pay them any attention for he too has curly hair. You admired that about him, he didn’t care what anyone said or thought about him.

You were brought out of your thoughts as you stood in front of his door. Taking off your headphones and letting them rest on your neck, you raised your fist and were about to knock when the door swung open.

“Hey y/n, was starting to think you wouldn’t show up.” Eddie’s sweet smile was the first thing you saw.

It was contagious and you couldn’t help but smile as well. “It took me a bit longer to get here because I came walking.”

He opened the door wider allowing you to walk inside. Closing the door he turned to face you and clapped his hands before speaking.

“Ok y/n let’s get to business”

He walked around you to head to your room for his stash. While you waited you decided on taking a seat and look around.

“Here it is, saved the best for you.” He stretched out his hand but pulled it back when he saw you getting the money out of your front pocket.

“Woah woah, this one’s on the house.”

You couldn’t help but scoff, once again having the same argument “come on Munson, this is your business and I’m your customer.”

After you said that it was as if you gave him the best idea. His eyes opened wide and his smile was wider.

“You don’t get to pay unless we both smoke.”

You were about to respond but he was faster “New business rule.”

You tried to keep a straight face but you couldn’t help to smile.

“Fine you win.” You put your money back in your pocket.

The both of you walked to his room and he turned on his stereo. You weren’t surprised when rock music started to play, sure your dad listened to Mana but that was the only rock music you were used to.

“Ugh, just when I thought I would get away from rock music.”

Eddie laughed, loudly. You saw how he had to hold his stomach and cover his face with his other hand.

“You’re not at Steve’s house, what’s wrong with rock music?” He said once he was able to catch his breath.

“Nothing, I’m just used to hearing it in Spanish. It sounds weird in English like if it doesn’t make any sense. Not just that but my dad has the weekend off and that’s all I hear at home.” You explained while looking at his eyes. Even though you weren’t stoned yet you’re sure he could see your brown eyes dilate just by looking at him.

“Now I want to listen to it. Next time, we’ll go to your place but since I failed Spanish class you’ll have to translate it for me.” He gave you one of those toothy smiles that you couldn’t get enough of.

“Ok, sounds like a plan.” You said as you stood up to get the wrappers and lighter. Just by thinking of him getting even more closer to your family caused butterflies to erupt in your stomach.

You could picture your dad teaching him the words and maybe even how to play the song on his guitar. It seems that you’ll have to get used to Maná.

#sad-brunnettee #stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson x female reader #hispanic reader #Eddie Munson x latina reader #request

[anonymous-eggys-gone-feral]

i feel like when it comes to volume, miguel takes the cake. This lovely man is ✨p a s s i o n a t e✨ , he wants the whole motel to know who has his dick and heart throb yanno? Whereas Nicky would want YOU to be the louder one.

^^^^^ ohoho oh yeah. yesss definitely!

(lots of horn knee under cut)

Miguel is very passionate and wants you to know just how you make him feel. I can see him muttering how amazing you feel against him, half in Spanish. ugh him growling phrases in Spanish about how much he loves you while he rails you 🥵 He would be very noisy.

Every part of him would just be full raw passion for you and he would make sure you know how you drive his heart (and dick) wild. I think he would be very attentive to your needs, and that's just- mhmm yup that's the most important thing 😩🙏🏻 his passion would be so contagious and it would fill the room 🙌🏻😪

Even if you need him to be rough, there's somehow still that perfect tender gentleness to the way he holds and touches you.

pray for the ears of anyone in the place you two are fucking because he won't be able to stay quiet and, with the way he's making you feel, you may not be able to stay quiet either.

and the aftercare ugh oml bye 😫💓🦋✨ "catch me in Miami"? more like "catch me in the astral realm" bc my soul has left my body at the beautiful passionate words he softly speaks to you and the way he holds you close you him with a firm gentleness. soft kisses and affirming words of how amazing you are and were 😭💞 aftercare with him is truly the soft hours 😪💖

Nicky would be more chatty than noisy, i think. He would be pulling his most charming and stimulating lines and making sure he knows you're loving every moment. he would make some noise too, mainly because he loves the way your moans mingle together like a beautiful melody he could never get enough of.

the image of you sputtering uselessly in pleasure beneath him? it drives part of him crazy, and he just wants to take in the moment fully, so don't mind him if he gets a little quiet for a moment. he'll get back to making noise and talking again, he's just trying to memorize every part of you because of how gorgeous you look and sound in that moment.

I think depending on the mc, his words would vary between sweet and spice. most likely teasing too. lots of praise (and good lord praise him back; he would love praise. especially if it's the kind of praise that you can barely get out because of how good he's doing 😩🙌🏻). and biting and hickeys ofc bc that's how Nicky is. if he can get you to make those noises of ecstasy that are candy to his ears, he'll do it.

he gives off gentle tender vibes, but i feel like he would absolutely wreck you if that's how you needed him. you would just get extra soft aftercare 😉

between Miguel and Nicky? Miguel would be the loudest for sure, and would have the most raw passion 😩👍🏻

#I bet I could take em both 😎 #'in a fight?' #... #'in a fight right?' #anyways 😂😂😂 thank you so much for these thoughts #sometimes it's nice to just explore a horse knee thought #fictif nicky #fictif nicky valentino #fictif tatw #fictif two against the world #fictif miguel #fictif miguel bravo #fictif cmim #fictif catch me in miami #nicky valentino smut #miguel bravo smut

[cc-tinslebee]

I'm back on my Cobra Kai/Kickin It bullshit, but imagine how interesting a crossover AU between the two would be. (For all intents and purposes, I'm imagining this as the Cobra Kai kids have travelled to Seaford for a karate tournament or something.)

Here me out:

Daniel and Johnny simaltenously respect and detest Rudy. Daniel is like, "inner peace!! yeah!! :D" and respects how much he cares for his kids, but Does Not like how self-centred Rudy can be. Alternatively, Johnny can totally get behind all the movie memorabilia, but is probably like "but he's a nerd :/"

ALSO, imagine the hilarity that would ensue with Phil. Daniel is CONVINCED that Anoush is playing a prank on him, because come on, Phil’s accent and disposition are just... A Lot. I can see the two dojos crossing pathes BECAUSE of this confusion, because you know Rudy would be immeditaely on it like, "hey, that's my emotional support falafel man >:("

KIM AND SAM SOLIDARITY. They're both dating their respective dojo's champions (who, let's be honest, are both dorks) and they have to put up with these stupid boys. They both deserve to talk to another like-minded, experienced karate girl.

I just want Miguel and Jerry to accidentally discover that they both speak Spanish and jestingly talking shit about people in it--

Double fight between Kim/Jack (or Milton/Jerry) and Eli/Demetri,,, We've seen both pairs fighting together as a unit in fights and I think it'd be curious to see who'd win.

Jerry thinks Eli's mohawk is SUPER cool (and possibly is just in AWE if/when Eli calls him "the cool one.") Cool dorks admiring each other for the win.

In addition to that, Demetri and Milton vibe with each other really well. "UGH, it's EXHAUSTING being the only ones with any braincells." (Chris, the person who actually has the group's braincells: 👁👁)

Cobra Kai's also there and they try to recruit the Black Dragons, but they just end up full out brawling each other. Robby got separated from the group sometime before and when he finds out about that he's like, "not aGAIN, GUYS." (Let's be real, Robby's babysitting all of them.)

Eli and a few other people decide to interfere so the Bobby Wasabi dojo doesn't have to go through what they did, and Demetri just acts like the wife of someone going off to war. They're all sappy and he makes Eli assure him that he won't get hurt.

(They smooch and both Milton and Jerry are just like, "that's a thing you can do??" because Disney Channel Heteronormativity.)

Eddie and Aisha are actually there, because I said so. Bonus points if they and Chris just band together being the sweet and loyal kids they are.

Aisha: I’ve only known Eddie and Chris for a day, and if anything happened to them, I would kill everyone at this tournament :)

I haven’t talked about Jack at all, I’ve realised- I think he’d probably vibe fairly well with Miguel, to be honest. Like, they’re both into strong women, are the running champs, and are himbos. What more can I say?

Also the Bobby Wasabi and the Miyagi-Fang kids talking about their trauma ,:) The Wasabi Warriors are just like, “yeah, we regularly have to prevent crimes and were in a spy organisation.” And Miyagi-Fang’s like, “Jesus crisp, okay, you live an exciting life. A lot of us have committed crimes and have trauma as a result of a literal war criminal weaponising children :/” and the Wasabi kids are like, “WHAT??”

This concept just amuses me greatly. Maybe I should actually write a fic?

#thank you for you time :) #cobra kai #kickin it #daniel larusso #johnny lawrence #dan ahdoot #demetri cobra kai #eli hawk moskowitz #milton krupnick #jerry martinez #binary boyfriends  #elimetri #miguel diaz #sam larusso #kim crawford #jack brewer #aisha robinson #robby keene #jerry x milton #chris cobra kai

[buckstaposition]

I cling to your lips like gloss (4)

a Javier Peña x OFC story

also on AO3

tags&warnings: spoilers for S3 eps1+2 mainly, some for later episodes also; mention of drug use; brief description of a panic attack; sleazy David Rodríguez is sleazy; somewhat liberal use of the f-word and also other swearing; reference to past canon character deaths; this blog is CIA station chief Bill Stechner-phobic to the max; most non-graphic, vaguest possible reference to sex (to when Javi goes home with that lady in episode 1); oblivious mutual pining; idiots with zero emotional self-awareness; domesticity

word count: 15.435 (I’m sorry, here are some snacks 🍌🥨🧁🥤)

summary: Diana goes into the lions’ den. Javier is not having a good time. No one gets enough sleep.

tag list & author’s notes have been moved to the bottom. let me just say sorry this took me so long and I hope you’re all well and healthy and happy holidays and may the new year be better for all of us 

Masterlist

Prologue • Chapter 1 - The Informant • Chapter 2 - A Wedding and Four Funerals  • Chapter 3 -  Swallow Pride and Anger

Chapter 4 - Prime Numbers

Franklin Jurado, Diana thinks, is a bit of an ass. It's not even that he happily, willingly, goes around laundering narcos' blood money, or that he gets rich off that himself. In this moment, it's mostly the way he dismissively rolls his eyes and can barely keep the contempt out of his voice when arguing with her about Maltese vs Caymanian tax loopholes. Like she's an idiot for actually reading the laws, spotty as they are. 

On top of everything, it's keeping her in her office well past the time she was meaning to start getting changed and dolled up for the grand party that night, and she feels a pressure headache of annoyance building behind her temples to boot. 

She's this close to bludgeoning the man with her stapler when an insistent knock sounds at the door, followed by a blonde head poking in. The blonde lady starts speaking in rapid English, too abrupt for Diana's brain to keep up with what is being said, but she instinctively recognized the tone of a husband being reamed out with righteous indignation and if nothing else, it gives her a certain kind of vindication. 

"Hi, I'm Christina Jurado. Just Christina is fine. Pleasure to meet you!" The other woman now stepped fully into her office, holding out her hand and smiling just a tad too brightly. 

"Diana...Galindo." Why she'd chosen to be known here under her married name is anyone's guess. Perhaps it was mostly a matter of having grown used to it. Perhaps it allowed her to pretend that this wasn't quite her, just an act to be put on for a greater purpose. That helping drug cartel bosses hide their blood money from the tax man and signing off on their henchmen's paychecks was something that Diana Teresa Artemisia Rivas Rincón would not be caught dead doing, no matter the circumstances. "Pleased to meet you." 

"Franklin, we'll be late!" the other woman throws over her shoulder. Rather pointedly, too. 

"We're not done discussing-" 

"I don't care, Franklin!" There's a moment of very animated eye contact, the kind of wordless back-and-forth that she'd dreamt of developing with Juan Mateo but that they never quite managed. Just another little detail that ultimately spelled the end of their marriage. "Actually, why don't your ride with us?" 

"I, um-" Diana instinctively reached to adjust the wire she'd been wearing for most of the day (to get used to the feeling and not inadvertently betray herself later), only catching herself in the last moment and fidgeting with the collar on her blouse instead. "I- Felipe was supposed to drive me. I need to get ready still, too." 

"Eh, he can tag along. What are you wearing? Do you have your dress here?" She did. There was no arguing with Christina, but no malice in her overbearing imperiousness either. Nonetheless, Diana tried to argue, if only for politeness' sake. How she wouldn't want to impose. That it wasn't a problem, since Miguel Rodríguez had very kindly arranged for her transportation in the form of the afore-mentioned Felipe. Mrs Jurado waved it all off. And perhaps the obvious annoyance in Franklin Jurado's eyes gave her a little push. Say what one might about the Rodríguez brothers, but at least neither of them had ever questioned her professional expertise. 

Before she knows what hit her, the three of them are sailing out of the building and towards the cars parked out front. Well, Christina is sailing, while Franklin and Diana are trotting along behind her and shooting each other sour looks. It's the kind of wrathful indignation that she hadn't felt since second grade, when Bruno Moreno had pulled her pigtails and stolen her pencil. Christina seemed unperturbed, ordering the drivers around in her accented but surprisingly decent Spanish. Felipe caught Diana's eye, wringing his hands and questions in his eye. 

"It seems I will be riding with Mr and Mrs Jurado. Perhaps you'd be kind enough to follow us to their hotel and then take my work clothes back to the office after I've changed? I'd hate to have to lug around my stuff or leave it lying around somewhere. You'd be a great help this way, and as far as I'm concerned, you can go straight home after that." 

"Of course, ma'am." He nodded, seeming relieved by the clear instructions. Diana smiled and handed off her garment bag to the Jurados' driver. 

The drive itself could have been more awkward, what with being caged in the back of this limousine with two strangers, one of whom all but openly despised her and spent his time pouting after his wife had told him in no uncertain terms that if a single word of work talk left his lips she'd shove him out the door and into oncoming traffic. Luckily she also had made it her personal mission to pack half an evening's worth of small talk into the barely twenty-minute-ride. 

The Jurados' suite was grand, the lounge alone bigger than the house Diana had grown up in. She was still trying not to show how out of place she felt among all the marble and gilded edges when Christina steered her towards the back, still prattling on in a way that the DEA would have a lot of fun picking through when they got the recording from her wire. 

"Ugh, this place is so... Sorry, we wanted the president's suite, but one of the North Valley people snatched it up. Their... Who is he, Franklin? That unpleasant little man - is he the leader of the pack? With the young woman we saw when we checked in. Was that his wife?" 

"Salazar." Franklin muttered, his face curdling into a deeper frown. At least Diana wasn't at the top of his most hated list, apparently. "Yeah, I think so honey." 

"She looked awfully young." 

"I'm sure we'll meet them all at the party." 

"Something to look forward to." Christina grimaced and pulled Diana into the spacious bathroom, settling her down in front of a gigantic vanity mirror. 

"Alright, what are we doing with you?" Diana looked at her own wide-eyed reflection staring back at her while Christina started pulling her hair free from the simple clip she'd used to hold it up. 

"I, uh-" Diana pushed her glasses back up her nose and frowned. "I have contact lenses." She gestured vaguely towards her reflection. She had also packed a small bag with the handful of make-up items she owned, but lack of practice didn't exactly serve to make her adept at using them. Christina grinned excitedly, her whitened teeth shining. "Well no, that won't do! Hang on." 

She sprung up and rushed towards the door, only stopping when she reached her husband who had lingered there, leaning against the frame.  

"Hey you." For a moment, they softened, stealing a small kiss amid halted momentum. Diana ached to witness it. "Hey yourself." 

"Go get changed." Christina smiled, kissing his cheek as she brushed past to dive into her suitcase. 

"You're telling me? Don't take too long, we're on a schedule here." The words were softened by his tender expression, and as she walked past on her way back he reeled her in for another, deeper kiss. Diana pretended to be very invested in not poking her eyeballs out. Well, half-pretended. Putting in contact lenses was another thing she wasn't exactly used to. When she'd finally managed to fumble the second lens onto her eyeball, Franklin had long left and closed the door. 

Without further ado, Christina set to work. Within moments, the marble counter was covered with various cosmetics and the other woman's eager hands set to work. Diana had no choice but to submit. Thankfully again, it was Christina who shouldered the bulk of the conversation. 

"So, I did notice you're not wearing a wedding band, Mrs Galindo." Diana's eyes were closed, as her eyeshadow was currently being blended, but she did stiffen and instinctively her other hand went to touch where her ring had been. "Oh damn, I hope that wasn't- He's not tragically deceased, is he?" 

"No, we're...separated. Divorcing. It's... it's dragging on, to be honest. I've learned more about Colombian marriage law in the past year than I ever wanted to know." She tried to diffuse with a joke, but it didn't quite land. 

"Sorry, you must think me so rude. We only just met and here I am acting like we're friends!" She bit out in a jarring departure from her hitherto genial tone. "Anyway, I admire you. That can't have been easy what with how...uh-"

"...Catholic this country is?" Diana supplied, clasping the other woman's hands in hers with a slight smile. Christina huffed in relief. "Yes, I suppose. It's just... it's so hard. Marriage I mean. Sometimes I don't even know how to bear it." Her gaze fell towards the bathroom door that Franklin had closed behind himself upon leaving. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she continued. "How did you even know you couldn't go on like this?" 

Diana gulped, hating what she was about to do. Resenting, for a moment, women like Gabriela who only had to sell a bit of their time and acess to their bodies to these people. She felt like she was selling away her soul every single day. 

"Mrs Jurado-"

"Christina. Please, you can call me Christina."

"Christina, let me be honest. I never truly loved my husband, and he didn't love me. We liked each other and it was convenient, and expected, to get married. And in the end that proved to not be enough. But from what little I have seen, that's not something you and your husband have to contend with. Even if things are hard, as long as there is love you can overcome them. You have to believe in that." 

Christina choked out a tearful little laugh, like in spite of herself. 

"Oh God, good thing I haven't put on mascara yet. You're making me all dewy-eyed." She chuckled, then threw her arms around Diana and gave her a tight squeeze. "Thank you. Really." 

"Of course," Diana awkwardly patted the other woman's back, thankful that she wasn't currently facing the mirror, "and I would be happy to become your friend." Whatever ice had remained between the two women was broken after that. Christina perked up and returned to chatting animatedly, finishing her make-up, doing up her hair in a very elegant twisted bun, and gushing over her dress.

"Do you have any jewelry to go with it?"

"Not really, no. I only ever wear this." Diana indicated the thin silver chain around her neck. Christina tutted. 

"Well, that just won't do. Wait, let me just-" An impatient knock at the door interrupted her. "Oh dear, looks like we're running late."

Diana saw a chance to get a moment alone and suggested they each get dressed quickly, and separately, lest they waste any more time and husbandly nerves with their chatter. 

"Okay, but holler if you need help with the zipper or anything." 

Diana had never squeezed into a garment faster, glad that she had chosen to put on the wire device that morning already. She tugged the actual wire tight around her body where it had loosened over the course of the day, then shimmied into the underdress she'd brought in the hopes that it would conceal any suspicious bumps or lines. She had almost wrestled the zipper into its final position when Christina knocked and entered, quickly getting the last inch or so with a comment of how husbands were useful for some things. 

"Anyway, I thought these would suit you." Christina presented an opened velvet case. Sitting inside it was a jewelry set, sapphires with diamonds set in gold. Real ones, judging by the Cartier labelling embossed into the velvet. A necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring, all fancier and more ostentacious than anything Diana had ever set eyes on. Immediately, her palms started sweating. 

"Oh, I couldn't possibly-" 

"Nonsense." Christina cut her off, placing the case down and snatching the bracelet and Diana's wrist. "You'll look so pretty and expensive. You can return them to me later, we'll be in town until Tuesday." Having clasped the bracelet around her wrist, she now moved on to the earrings. "Maybe we could get coffee on the weekend or something." 

"I'd like that." Diana lied. Christina smiled at her brightly. "Great! I just need to ...uh, freshen up a moment." Taking the hint, Diana gathered up her things and stepped outside, awkwardly holding her bag of of work clothes to give to Felipe down in the hotel lobby. Franklin was standing by a sideboard, boredly rifling through a magazine. 

"Mrs Galindo." He acknowledged. For a split second, he looked like he wanted to add something, but caught himself. Diana followed his gaze towards the closed bathroom door, behind which low noises of shuffling and splashing water could be heard. 

"How long have you two been married?" She had no idea how this information might help the investigation, but determined that wasn't for her to worry about. Franklin sighed, gaze still fixed on the door and absent. 

"Seven years now." He finally tore his eyes away from the door and let them flit over her briefly, catching on the borrowed jewels but electing not to comment on it. "They say the seventh year is the hardest, don't they?" 

"I wouldn't know. I never made it that far." Though if Juan Mateo didn't pull his head out of his ass soon she would spend the seventh year still technically married. The thought made her frown. 

Before either of them had to search for more overburdened smalltalk, the bathroom door blessedly clicked open and Christina emerged with a wide grin and a spring to her step, her eyes just a smidgeon glassy and too bright. Diana politely pretended not to see the remnants of fine white powder that Franklin surreptitiously wiped from her nose and upper lip. --- They arrived not exactly on time but not fashionably late either. There's a line of cars already plugging up the driveway to the sprawling estate, stringed lights illuminating against the darkening sky. They got out and sauntered towards the two-storey villa, the Jurados up front and Diana trailing behind like the kid that's finally allowed to come along to the fancy family outings. Her dress hadn't felt this tight in the store, or at any point afterwards, until just now. 

"Franklin! I'm so glad you're finally here! Mrs Jurado, it's a pleasure." Diana can only just contain the flinch at the sound of this voice, and before long Miguel Rodríguez turns to her with one of his bright, self-satisfied smiles. "Mrs Galindo, I'm so glad you could come. We need to introduce you to the rest of the guys! It's been too long!" 

He has his arm around her shoulders within the same breath, exuberant and steering her through the scattered throngs of people at a pace that doesn't even allow for snatching a champagne flute from one of the waiters floating around. She plastered on a fake demure smile. The 'invitation' hadn't exactly been a matter of mere suggestion. 

Miguel led them to a dainty pagoda that sat a comfortable distance from the pool and most of the din and chatter of the other guests, nestled between the luscious greenery of the large garden. Diana could hear the mumbled whispers of the Jurados behind her, Miguel's droning on of meaningless small talk that she barely paid attention to. She could see Gilberto's back, his stature dwarfed almost comically by that of a much larger and broader man sat to his side, with short silver hair that gleamed in the low light. 

"Gentlemen, I believe we are complete!" Miguel boomed, ushering her up the few steps and into the circle. 

"Mrs Galindo, what a pleasure!" Gilberto shot up and made a show of shaking her hand and pulling her close to present her to the rest of the ...associates. 

"Now I believe you've not yet met these fine gentlemen. Pacho Herrera, Diana Galindo." Pacho stood and took her hand gingerly, his face impassive and tone painstakingly polite and neutral. "My pleasure."

"Mr Herrera." Diana replied, heart thumping up into her throat. They'd not so much met as passed each other in front of offices or meeting rooms a handful of times, his tightly coiled, jaguar-like energy always seeming just a smidge out of place in those blandly corporate spaces. 

"And here's Chepe, came all the way down from New York especially!" The large man with the silver hair stood to his full impressive height, snatching her hand with a wolfish grin and dropping a just-too-moist kiss on the back of it with a wink. Diana did her utmost not to flinch. For just a moment, she regretted the moment she'd taken off her ring and put it in front of a shocked Juan Mateo on their kitchen table before leaving their shared apartment. It was moments like these that she missed the protection it had afforded her from some unwanted advances. 

Pallomari was last, balding and skittish, with huge owl-eye glasses not unlike the first pair she'd ever had. 

"Mrs Galindo, how interesting to finally put a face to the name." He greeted, sounding painfully rehearsed. Diana returned with some meaningless pleasantry, hyper-aware of the wiretap device against her skin. She wondered whether it even picked up anything apart from the thundering of her heart. 

"So, about your big announcement-" Miguel began once everyone was settled into a seat with a drink in hand. Gilberto cut him off almost immediately.

"Now, now brother, let's enjoy the party a bit beforehand." A look passed between them, a challenge issued and accepted, until Miguel turned his gaze away with a barely concealed snarl. Gilberto leaned back in his seat, glass raised with a smug and triumphant smirk. "Let's just say that I have made an important investment into our future. We will continue to thrive, but more importantly, we will be safe. Our families will be safe." 

With that cryptic remark, he threw back his drink, expression melting from jovial to grim. The ensuing silence made the hair on the back of Diana's neck stand up, a feat she wouldn't have thought possible with the amount of hairspray Christina had encased her head in. 

"He's dead, Pablo's dead." Miguel reached over where she was squished between the two men, squeezing his brother's arm in reassurance. "He's gone and we helped bring him down." 

"We did. This country should build us monuments, instead they issue arrest warrants!" Gilberto bit out, pouring himself another glass of whiskey. 

"To Pablo Escobar, may he forever rot in hell!" Chepe bellowed, glass raised high. They all joined in. Diana thought of her father. How he'd done her hair and walked her to school every morning and tucked her in with a new story every night when she was a girl. How, during her first year of university when she'd been so lonely and homesick she broke down crying, he'd taken precious time off work and taken a night bus to come visit her in Bogotá for a weekend. How her heart still split down the middle whenever she so much as thought of the crash that killed him. But the gentlemen didn't need to know that she despised them just as much as she did Escobar, not yet anyway. So, she raised her champagne alongside and joined her voice in the chorus of gleeful condemnation. - She'd just escaped Christina and the gaggle of wives for a moment, excusing herself to the restrooms. What the DEA might glean from their inane chatter, she couldn't possibly fathom. She was glad that she was free of them for a moment, and that disecting the recording wasn't her problem to deal with. On her way into the house, she must have passed by at least two dozen important and powerful people. There were a few handfuls of representatives, a number of mayors, at least two senators, an attorney general and an army general. No one she'd ever voted for, at least. And those were just the ones she'd managed to get Miguel to introduce to her, or her to them - either way, she'd made sure to repeat every name as clearly as possible for the recording. 

Rounding the last corner in from the veranda, she all but ran into Salcedo. 

"Mrs Galindo." His tone was clipped as ever. She wasn't sure whether he might be suspicious of her in particular, or whether it was a general thing and he was just like that. 

"Mr Salcedo." She nodded, tone painstakingly polite. He set her teeth on edge, always so stiff-backed with that serpent edge to him; in a ranking of people within the cartel who had this effect on her he would probably come in about third. She wondered what Javier- what Agent Peña would make of the man. "What brings you here, Mrs Galindo?" Or perhaps he just didn't like her for some reason. Which was very much a mutual sentiment. Not that she held particular sympathies for anyone here. 

"To the restroom?" *Take a wild guess, buddy*, she thought, one eyebrow arching with clear condescension. 

"To the...house." 

"The restroom." She resisted rolling her eyes. As much as she may personally dislike Miguel's chief of security, purposely antagonizing him was probably a bad idea. And yet, petty temptation beckoned in every nook and cranny. Like the sideboard they were currently standing in front of that displayed a solid bronze statue of a very rotund dancing couple. "To marvel at the Botero, naturally." 

Salcedo's eyes followed her nod towards the heavy bronze. "It's genuine, you know." He said it not in the tone of an art aficionado, but rather in the crudely suggestive one of a third-rate telenovela detective trying to be slick by not outright asking if she meant to steal it. 

"Of course, Mr Rodríguez wouldn't stand for anything less." The thing was half her size and probably twice as heavy, what was he thinking? Himself a master at subtle insinuation, probably. Or that being poor and growing up in the comunas naturally meant she had sticky fingers. Uptight, hoity-toity middle class prick. Like his employers weren't internationally wanted criminals of the highest degree. The audacity of it!  

His mouth was already halfway open to retort when his name being yelled from outside made both of them turn. David Rodríguez hung onto the veranda door, snapping at Salcedo that his father wanted him for something, and pronto. Diana could practically hear his teeth grind in irritation, but he schooled his face into a carefully blank facade before he gave David a nod. 

"Ma'am." Salcedo gave in and moved, squeezing by David. David purposefully did not budge, instead giving her a leery once-over before following after the other man. 

Diana fled into the bathroom down the hall in a manner she hoped looked urgent rather than as panicked as she felt inside. She held it together until the lock slid closed, and then she was crouched on the floor, curled up and heavy breathing into her hands. The small pressure point of the wire recorder thingy felt like a ton weight against her chest and her heart was beating so fast she could feel it everywhere. 

Hyperventilating. You're hyperventilating, her brain supplied unhelpfully, and she almost laughed at herself. She wished she wasn't here all on her own, wished she had at least one of those spy devices in her ear for some moral support, tried to recall the exact feeling of Agent Peña's hands on her shoulders, warm and grounding. One hand remained up, muffling the desperate breaths and whimpers from her mouth, while the other dropped, thumb dipping underneath the fabric at her chest to brush soothingly across her collarbone. It worked...to a degree. A very small degree. What she would give to at least have the deep, comforting rumble of his voice, or the way he'd held her close after the festival. Did he even know how calming his presence was? It always seemed to work on her, in wrath and anxiety both (something that Juan Mateo had never been able to affect unless it was to irritate her more). So much so that now even just focusing on it was enough to help her pull herself together. 

The guest restroom was bigger than her childhood room had been and, of course, looked more like it belonged in some fancy hotel. All warm-toned marble and matte gold appliances. The mirror was huge and its frame, naturally, also gold. What was it with rich people's obsession with gold? 

"Okay." Diana said to her reflection, then went to work freshening up. Carefully, she wiped away the smudged mascara under her eyes and reapplied her lipstick where it had come off on her drink earlier. She stuck her hands underneath her dress to check on the recording device, concerned that a wire had shaken loose or something, but the small rectangular container still sat right snug right against her sternum. She gave it an absent tap and adjusted the microphone bit so it sat just below the seam of her collar again. 

"I hope you'll get something worthwhile from this because I am never doing this again." A knock on the door nearly sent her into cardiac arrest. Diana swore under her breath, then called out that she'd only be a moment. 

"Sorry," an apologetic female voice came from the other side of the door, "You've been in there a while, is all. Are you alright? I have an aspirin in my purse if you need it." 

Diana stopped dabbing at her still damp eyes and tried to determine whether her near panic attack was the sole reason her vision was still a bit hazy. She could count the times she'd been out without her glasses on one hand. 

"Oh no it's just-," she crossed over and unlocked the door to find a young, very pretty and very concerned looking woman on the other side, "I just had some trouble with my contact lenses. They're awfully fiddly." She stepped back and opened the door wider. "All yours." 

"Oh I don't-" She looked down the hallway, further into the house, her eyes widening slightly when she caught sight of something or someone outside of Diana's field of vision. "Actually, I think I need to...uh, powder my nose or something." 

The door fell into its lock the same moment the younger woman had stepped into the room, not giving Diana a chance to leave. Not that she was over-eager to get back outside and mingle with the corrupt and criminal. That and the discomfort and anxiety hung around the other woman like a cloud. Diana made up her mind, sitting down on one of the plush benches in the room. 

"I'm not a big fan of parties either." She stated, voice careful and soft. The other woman stood, unsure and tugging at the short hem of her dress. 

"I wish they could just open the buffet already. My husband is three drinks in and he gets-" She trembled. No, shuddered. Diana patted the space beside her on the bench, a gentle invitation. 

"It's alright, we can stay here for a little bit. I'm Diana." 

"Maria." She stuck out her hand, which was also still trembling slightly. "Maria Salazar." --- By the time the two of them dared venture outside again, there was indeed, finally!, food to be had. Diana pulled Maria along to the relative safety of the gaggle of wives, busy amusing themselves while their husbands dealt with their important business matters. But then, the bandleader announced that the dancefloor was now officially open and started off with a spirited selection of the finest Colombian rhythms of the past twenty years. One by one the wives were collected to fill said dancefloor, leaving Diana sitting alone at the table with the sad remnants of various canapees and salads. Here was another occasion where she didn't miss Juan Mateo. Or his two left feet. Idly, she turned the near-empty cocktail glass between her fingers and wondered whether Javier danced, or could at least be persuaded to try. 

"You don't dance?" David appeared so suddenly that she almost spilled the last bit of her drink. She remembered his leering earlier, forced her face not to flinch until she had raised the glass and could hide her  expression of distaste behind a sip of the overly sweet and fruity cocktail. Hummed non-committally and hoping against hope that he'd grow bored and leave. Of course, she had no such luck. 

"Oh, whom with? Everyone's paired up already." Sip again. The glass had another three or four in it, if she stretched it smartly enough. "I'm afraid third-wheeling is the unenviable fate of divorcees." How old was this boy anyway? She must have ten years on him, at the very least. But apparently he'd got it into his head that he must prove to himself what a man he was, and how irresistible. At least he had the good sense not to try anything with the wives of any of the powerful men present. 

"Dance with me." David stated. Ah, bingo. He might have at least pretended to ask, she thought sourly. "I insist." 

Of course you do, you entitled brat. "It would be my pleasure." She lies, as most politeness is lies, here in these circles comprised of snakes. Fakes a smile the way she's been taught to by this world, so easy to act and conceal the disdain underneath. It doesn't falter even when his hand, clammy and slightly sweaty, settles way too low for comfort or propriety on her hip. She resolves to step on his feet - accidentally - at least twice. 

David Rodríguez was not what one would call a skilled dancer. At first, Diana had been thankful that the band wasn't playing any slow songs yet, but it had taken approximately half of 'Bamboleo' to dispel the hope that this would keep David's hands from wandering. Well, if she was stuck here she might as well try to get some intel out of him. 

...It takes about two and a half songs - the band now switching to their international collection - to determine that this route of inquiry is absolutely doomed and David completely useless. Doesn't know any business particulars, and doesn't care to. Too distracted with trying to put some moves on her, which she steadfastly ignores. Well, if details of her failed marriage and dragging divorce aren't enough to discourage him, she's got another one up her sleeve. Not to mention she's been curious ever since the gaggle of wives had made their introductions earlier. 

"You're not married." She leaves the 'yet' unsaid, hanging in the air between them as heavy insinuation. 

"If I were, would I be dancing with you?" A faithful husband, and in these circles at that? What a novel idea. Diana almost snorted out loud. Left it at a telling look that seemed to go over his head completely. Doesn't have the energy to dissect how a dance with a friend or acquaintance at a party isn't exactly on par with, say, the juridical definition of adultery. Which brings her mind back to the tedium of having to explain to various lawyers, notaries, judges that no, her husband wasn't a cheating pig who drank and beat her, and that there were a multitude of quieter reasons why marriages failed. 

"I have been wondering, though, where the third of the Mrs Rodríguezes belongs. Besides your mother and your aunt." She nodded over at the three women in question, one dancing with either Rodríguez brother, the third being currently twirled about by Chepe and looking a bit motion sick from it. 

"My mother is dead." Ah, shit. Diana faltered, and this time the graze of her heel on his shoe really was entirely accidental. Something in David's eyes shuttered and hardened, gaze for once lifting from her body and darkly fixing on his father. "They're all my uncle's wives." 

"Oh. Oh!" Diana's mouth falls open. Of all things she could have expected, this was certainly not one. "That's um... That sounds, uh..." Illegal, but then again, what did a bit of consensual polygamy matter in the grand scheme of things, she supposed. 

"You sound so scandalized. Didn't think he had it in him, didn't you?" David smirked, tightening his grip on her back again and leading her in a turn. 

"No, I'm just...wondering...about the, um...time management...aspect." In fairness, that was one of the things she did wonder about. David laughed, bringing her in closer. 

"Each gets two days per week and Sundays he has them come all together and sit there while he watches sports." 

How thrilling. "Whatever works for them, I suppose." 

Diana tried to subtly twist away again. She wasn't going to get anything else from this, what with David already being bored and growing increasingly impatient. And she didn't have an escape plan that didn't consist of ramming her heel into him somewhere until she struck bone. 

"Damn, can't they play something from this decade?" He whined as 'Money, money, money' faded into 'Knowing me, knowing you'. "All of this ancient stuff-" Sensing another chance to subtly nudge him away from his inexplicable sudden attraction, Diana jumped. "Oh I quite like it," she remarked lightly. Now go in for the kill "Reminds me of my youth." 

David harrumphed, then grunted as her heel dug into his toes again. "Oh dear, so sorry." Diana said breezily,  forcing his hand up from where it had been creeping towards her ass with a deft twirl. 

"It's fine." He gritted. "Did you want to-" 

"Allow me to cut in." Herrera stepped up, lightly shoving David aside to take his place. "I've not had the pleasure yet, Mrs Galindo." Diana forced a smile as his hand settled at her waist. Pro: at least this one wouldn't spend the whole time trying to feel her up. Con: not being thus distracted, he might notice...something. And become suspicious. If he wasn't already. Truth be told, Herrera scared her almost as much as Navegante did. Sometimes more so. 

"Right, well this is a very tight dress, so I can't do any adventurous moves." She warned, plastering an apologetic expression onto her face. Thankfully the band had changed to a faster track, though they kept with the international flair of the selection. Next up was some Brazil, if she wasn't mistaken. David stood between the twirling couples for a long moment, glaring but not daring to do or say anything that might affront his father's business partner. She shot him a fake apologetic smile, but suspected it was more the insistent raised eyebrow from Herrera that ultimately got him to scurry. 

Pacho Herrera could dance, that much was undeniable. Under different circumstances she might have even enjoyed this. He was also unnervingly quiet. If the purpose of this was to unsettle her, his tactic was very successful. At this rate, just keeping her feet under her proved to be challenge enough. One could think the band had launched into a Tarantella, given the speed they were going. Her head swam from the quick succession of turns and twirls, and when he dipped her upon the song's grand climax, her heart stopped for a variety of reasons. One of them being that she thought she felt some of her concealed wiring dislodge. 

"I think your dress is not too tight after all, Mrs Galindo." He pulled back up and righted her again, blessedly stilling a moment while the band segued into a mellower number. Diana gulped in a few deep, unladylike breaths. 

"No trust me, it is." She was still catching her breath; meanwhile he didn't even have a single hair out of place. Unfair. "So," Diana began her feeble attempt to bring the situation back under some semblance of control, "Are you interested in... tax exemptions?" Apparently humans could wheeze and cringe simultaneously. Very interesting. Herrera didn't answer immediately, just started leading her back into a mellow sway. 

"I think you're interested enough for all of us, Mrs Galindo. Miguel showed us the figures earlier. Very impressive. I see why DIAN recruited you right out of university." How he made what was ostensibly a compliment sound like a threat, Diana didn't know, just that it did nothing for her heart rate. 

"Thank you." He spun her out along with a flourish from the brass section, turning her already shaky voice into a squeak. She really hoped the recording had not picked that up. After the spin, his hand slid up over  her back, before settling back on her waist. To her horror, something in Pacho's expression twisted and he pulled her closer, hand splaying over her mid-back again. So much for avoiding being fondled for one dance. 

"What's this?" 

"Oh, I don't want to bore you with the details of women's undergarments. Suffice to say I'm wearing an insane amount of Spanx right now." 

There was a prolonged moment, during which Diana tried to keep her cool while deciding how much of a scene she was willing to cause should he not let it rest. Normally none at all, then again it was her life on the line. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Rodríguez requests you make your way to the equestrian ring for the big announcement." 

Never in her life had Diana welcomed an interruption like at this very moment. Herrera hesitated for a split second, expression still unreadable, before joining the throngs of people set in motion. He grasped her hand firmly, looping it through his elbow until it rested on his forearm, where he pinned it with his other hand. Just unconspicuous enough to look polite to any onlooker, just forceful enough that she knew she couldn't free herself without obvious struggle. 

"He could have done this up on the other stage." Miguel grumbled when they reached him, standing off the side to the stage that had been set up in the area. 

"You know how he is, Miguel. Always has to have his way." The two men exchanged a glance around her while more people filed past. 

"Mrs Galindo." 

Diana hummed in acknowledgement, returned the meaningless pleasantries. Yes of course she was enjoying herself. What a lovely party. The music? Exhilarating. The buffet? Exquisite. Her divorce? Ugh. She would really prefer not to think about that right now, thank you very much. 

"It's next Thursday, right? Your court appointment?" 

"Yes, thank you for letting me combine this with a work trip to Barranquilla. It's my personal business after all." 

"Of course, we want you at your best. Undistracted. Unburdened." Diana almost laughed, barely managed to suppress the snort and cover it with clearing her throat. 

"I thought that had all gone through ages ago." Herrera remarked lightly, grip finally easing up some from her wrist. Diana sighed. 

"I'm divorced, as far as I'm concerned. I moved out, signed my papers. I don't know what he thinks he's doing. I'm not going back to him. This obstinate little tantrum isn't helping his case anyway." Countless hours spent arguing with various legal professionals flashed before her eyes. "It's a very tedious process."

"It's a very catholic country." Pacho said, somewhere between wistful and embittered. She used his momentary distraction to pull her arm free. 

"That's true." 

Up on the stage, Gilberto was fiddling with a microphone and waiting for the last few stragglers to come and fill up the equestrian ring so he could begin. Again, the two men exhanged a telling glance around her. 

"You gonna go up there with him?" Pacho said lowly, hands now crossing behind his back. Miguel shook his head. 

"You go. I'll stay here. Better view." 

Diana stayed demonstratively rooted to the spot when Herrera started moving. He shot her a look, which she pretended not to notice in favor of striking up more mindless small talk with Miguel. Apparently Herrera decided that it wasn't worth making a big deal out of, choosing instead to let her be and weave through the audience until he reached the bottom of the stage, exchanging a greeting with Santacruz and glowering over the assembled crooks and accomplices. 

Gilberto's speech was... full of pathos and grandstanding, and too many high-minded terms for such a petty crook, she thought. When did the delusions or grandeur usually start appearing, she wondered. Was it with the first million? The first billion? But it's the core of the announcement that makes her gasp and sets the wheels in her mind into overdrive, the implications just mounting up. She spares a quick glance at Herrera at the foot of the stage, his face too demonstratively blank save for furrowed brows. Miguel beside her is more expressive, but quick to reign his face back in. Among the surprised gasps and whispers all around it tells her enough. Briefly, she thought of making a comment to Miguel, but his jaw is set so tight she can hear the grinding of teeth and she doesn't have anything productive or intelligent to say anyway, so she lets it be. Swallows the bile that rises up in her throat as Gilberto proclaims 'For our children! And for our children's children!', and tries not to roll her eyes. Or gouge his out, for the sheer gall of it. Because here she stands, approaching thirty-five and still deathly afraid to bring a baby into a world they have made so violent, so toxic, so dangerous. Meanwhile Salome is without her parents, both murdered by this unending war. Meanwhile a David Rodríguez flounces around as some sort of better henchman, he and his cousins all cushy and carefree thanks to daddy's blood money. It churns the stomach with rage. 

"Mrs Galindo! Just the woman I've been looking for!" 

The crowd parts for him, less so out of reverence and more because people are slowly drifting away, gossip already flying about, Diana is pleased to note. 

"Mr Rodríguez, what an...impactful speech." She said demurely, keeping all her sneering tucked safely away behind the mask of officiousness. 

"It's the coup of the century!" She catches Miguel's scoff just in the corner of her eye. "It also means transferring our assets into the...ah, ...legitimate sphere, if you will." He's got his arm around her shoulders again, leading her back towards the dancefloor, the buffet and tables, the house. By chance and his smaller stature, he's speaking almost directly into the shoulder with the hidden microphone attached, detailing all the financial acrobatics he wants her to perform to save all their assets from both law- and taxman. There she went again, trading complicity for access. --- Just over an hour on and the gender ratio has left Diana sitting squished between Herrera and the youngest of the Mrs Rodríguezes, but at least he seems to have taken his measure of her. And swallowed her undergarment excuse. Swallowed...undergarments. She snorted semi-loudly into the cocktail she'd been nursing this whole time, the ice in it all but dissolved. Dammit, here eyes were getting heavier by the minute and it wasn't even that late, barely midnight. Then again she had been up since five and alcohol, even though she hadn't had all that much, always made her sleepy. And the guests had started trickling away, leaving behind a scene of mild devastation. 

"I think Mrs Galindo needs to go home." It was Franklin Jurado speaking, Christina's head buffered on his shoulder as she slept. Diana had just enough self-control left to not tell him to fuck off. Or maybe she really is too tired to; doesn't even have it in her to get annoyed at Gilberto's patronizing tone as he agrees. 

"Yes, why don't you drive Mrs Galindo home?" 

She hums more in acknowledgement than agreement to Hererra's suggestion, tired eyes hazily following his line of sight to the man stepping forward from the shadows at being summoned. His gaudy shirt reminds her of one Juan Mateo had worn on their honeymoon and which she had hated half because it had been a gift from her horrible mother-in-law, and half because it was the most hideous thing she had ever seen. And then realization hits and her blood runs ice-cold and alertness slams back into her consciousness like a bullet. 

"Mr Velasquez." her voice is so weak and brittle, she thinks it must give her away if nothing else did so far. She took one last sip to wet her dry mouth, and because frankly she needs the alcohol now more than ever. The suggestion to call a taxi died on her lips as she realized that there was truly no way out of this. So, she steels herself and stands on sore feet, bidding the bosses of Calí and their dependents a good night. "I would be much obliged, Mr Velasquez." 

Navegante approximated a smile and stalked ahead. --- Well, there goes his progress. He'd been down to three smokes a day, four on a bad day, due in part to an iron adherence to some hard and fast self-imposed rules, such as no smoking in his office (or, in fact, no smoking inside the building at all). Tonight, however, is the night of the Calí godfathers' big announcement party, and Javier had not moved from his office for longer than a quick bathroom break or coffee run. He had also gone through half a pack of cigarettes in the last two hours, and his stomach was beginning to feel queasy the longer he spent glancing at the phone on the edge of his desk from the corner of his eye as he pretended to make his way through the mountain of paperwork that somehow never seemed to get any smaller. The fact that he'd woken that morning with the memory of Diana Turbay's lifeless body crumpled in that cupboard certainly hadn't helped. 

He last looked at a clock around half past nine, when a very insistent cleaning lady had shooed him out of his office and he'd spent around ten anxious minutes hovering by the door in case the phone rang. It hadn't, and now here he was, eyes burning and brain mushy with his heartbeat a steady pulsing behind his temples. And he wondered– 

Javier swiped up the phone before the first ring had even finished. "Miss Rivas!" 

"I'm fine." She didn't sound fine. She sounded on edge. Rattled. Like she was trying to reassure herself. He gripped the phone receiver tighter. 

"Where are you?" What was he gonna do? Drive all the way to Calí from Bogotá at half an hour past midnight? Even a flight would take hours, and raise suspisions to boot. 

"I said I'm fine," she replied, nails clacking rhythmically against the plastic phone casing in what he knew by now to be a nervous tick. "I'm safe. I'm home." 

Javier breathed a relieved sigh, rigid shoulders slumping a fraction. He supposed he could have ordered Duffy or Lopez to do something if push had come to shove, though what he honestly had no idea. 

"Good, that's good." 

"Mr Velasquez gave me a lift." 

Who the hell was that? "Who the hell is that?" Javier asked. 

"You probably know him as Navegante." Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Mentally he's already halfway out the door, physically at least halfway out of the office until the phone wire makes known its spatial limitations. 

"You alright? Is he still there? Lock your door, double lock it, I-" 

"I didn't give him the exact address, please calm down." He does, but only enough to catch his breath and not bolt out the door. There's a rustling from her end of the line, and she makes a sort of breathless little sound, somehwere between a sigh and a grunt, followed by a low but vicious curse.

"You okay?" 

"It's the damn zipper again; I'm this close to pulling something. Hang on." Judging by the thud that reverberates she set the phone down on a counter or table. Javier's hand went to rub at the back of his neck, half reflex, half sympathy. "Let's focus on the real issue here. The announcement." 

The way she said it was urgent, but he chose to believe this was due to wanting to get the message out and not to any concerns of Navegante lurking nearby. He had to, for his own sanity. 

"Apparently Gilberto cut a deal with the government." 

"The government?" Javier echoed weakly. 

"The new Samper administration. I knew why I didn't vote for those clowns. No, that's ...I had many reasons for that actually, first and foremost of them being that the Liberal Party nowadays is a damn joke. And to think that this is the same party that my parents fought for in their youth! Anyway, enough of that. They get half a year to get their house in order, then turn themselves in on the smallest possible charges, minimal jail time, back out again after a few years and back into their cushy lives with all of their blood money laundered neatly away. A clean slate." He'd never heard her sound so bitter, and he'd heard a good deal of her opinions on the Gentlemen of Calí over the past year. 

"So they're just going to get away with it." Javier grit out, equally livid. "Wait, you said Gilberto cut the deal? What about the others?" 

"Yes, so here is where it gets interesting. I didn't get the sense that they knew. Beforehand I mean. You should have outfitted me with a camera too, because Miguel's face was priceless." Another grunt and then a triumphant little 'ha' and then her voice sounded clearer again, nearer as she picked the phone back up. 

"He doesn't like it." 

"None of them like it. Don't want to give up the power, if I had to guess. What is it with men and building their entire ego on how much they can make others fear them?" 

Javier hummed non-committally, deciding that he had nothing valuable to add at this point. 

"Yeah, you're right. So how do I get the 'ooof' ...the recording to you? Usual way?" Javier didn't even get to reply no when she went on, now audibly shuffling around her apartment and out of the rest of her clothes. "I can't believe I almost forgot! I met the money launderer. His name is Franklin Jurado. He'll be in Calí until Tuesday with his wife Christina. I somewhat promised her to meet for coffee on Sunday; if you can have one of your agents trail me you can get them." 

She sounded so hopeful that he hated to have to dash it, even for her own safety, but snatching such an important cartel member so soon and with her so close would cast suspicion. She couldn't be involved. And he hadn't heard back from his agents yet, which was possibly a bad sign. Javier made up his mind, cringing while he glanced at the clock to make some mental calculations. 

"I'm coming over." 

"To Calí?" 

"Yes, what's your address? Unless you'd rather meet somewhere else?"

She gave her address, sounding stunned. He jotted it down under the note he'd made of Jurado's name; he'd need someone to look the guy up first thing tomorrow. 

"You're not leaving now, are you? It's late, you need to sleep." Javier could picture the way her brow creased in a frown just from the tone of her voice. 

"No, I'll call you again as soon as I know when I'll be there." Driving the whole way would be a nightmare and eat up most of the day. Javier whirled around and pulled an atlas from the shelf behind his desk. Flying in directly was out of the question with the way the godfathers had the whole city under surveillance. Buenaventura, under two hours by plane and then about two and a half from there to Calí. Yes, that would work. 

"Goodness, you're actually serious about this." 

"Of course." Javier stopped in his tracks for the first time in several minutes now, taking a moment to breathe and slump in his seat. He was exhausted yet wide awake, and likely would be for some time. "I mean, if that's okay with you." 

"Of course, umm...anything in particular you'd like for dinner?" Javier stopped. He would be staying for dinner, possibly the night, too. In a hotel of course, he couldn't possibly impose- 

"You don't have to cook for me." His mouth said, but his stomach said bandeja paisa. Briefly, the thought of taking her out for dinner popped up, indulgent and unbidden, and was immediately squashed by the thought of the godfathers' eyes everywhere. "I can pick something up on the way." 

Her protest turned into a yawn not two syllables in. Javier couldn't help the small smile appearing on his face, felt it only by how it twinged his tense jaw. "You're tired, you should rest." 

"We're not finished with this." She mumbled obstinately. "You rest." 

"I will." He would, eventually. "I'll call you tomor- ...today." A quick glance at the clock revealed it was now past midnight. She made a very grumpy, very adorable huffy sound, mumbling something about the inexorable passage of time. 

"Sleep well, Miss Rivas." 

"You too..." There was a rustle and the quiet squeak and groan of a bedframe and mattress. He waited a moment, unsure whether more was coming or whether she'd just been too tired to disconnect the call. A short silence burst into a quick curse, her voice remote but still clear enough to make out. "...God fucking dammit, fucking contact lenses! Son of a rabid-" 

"Miss Rivas?" By the rapid padding of feet and the continued cursing he had to suppose that she hadn't heard, and by how either sound seemed to be at about equal distance with neither decreasing, he supposed further that the phone was still in her hand. As soon as he heard the 'thunk' that most likely meant that the phone had been tossed down on some surface, he tried again. "Miss Rivas?" 

"You're still there?" She sounded marginally more awake now, but not like this state would persist for very long. 

"You didn't hang up." And perhaps Javier wasn't all too opposed to having the continued assurance that she was alright and her cover intact. "You swear very entertainingly, by the way." 

"I'm glad my lack of filter and ladylike decorum amuses rather than appalls you." Splashing water interrupted them for a moment, but was quickly replaced by more colorful cursing. 

"Please, don't hold back." Javier commented drily, not really expecting to be heard clearly since the satphone didn't have a loudspeaker. 

"Very funny. Why don't you talk to me a bit more while I try not to poke my eyes out by accident-" 

"I- ...I'm afraid I don't really have anything interesting to talk about." 

"And I don't have enough brain left today for anything more taxing than the weather anyway. I just need your voice; I'm dead on my feet. How was the weather in Bogotá today? I always found it so cold when I was at university there. Nothing like Medellín. They used to call me 'chompa' at uni because I would never go anywhere without one. Too cold. And of course Calí is so much warmer than either..." 

"It's been quite grey here, and not especially warm either. Back home it's at least twice as warm but I've been here so long now I think I'm more used to it." 

"I never asked where exactly you're from..." 

"Laredo, Texas. It's right on the border with Mexico." 

"Laredo..." She mused, puttering about still. "Oh like the song? As I walked walked out on the streets of Laredo..." She must really be tired and devoid of all usual inhibitions, Javier thought, to just start singing like this. Not that he minded. She got halfway through the first stanza until she faltered, the lyrics escaping her. Her voice was soft and with that same raspy edge she had when speaking. It was a voice suited best to lullabies he thought; or to yearnful ballads performed in smoky bars, or some similarly wistful thing. "Aren't I supposed to be the one talking?" 

"Hmm, this works too. I'm almost done, so you won't have to humor me much longer. So, tell me more about Laredo while I brush my teeth." --- He ended up talking longer than that - divulging more than he ever planned to as per usual, of the town and the ranch that sat up against the river - until she was settled back into bed and about to doze off for good. If nothing else, it settled him too somewhat, though sleep would elude him for a a good while yet even despite the physical and mental exhaustion the day, or in fact the whole week, had brought him. No sooner had he disconnected the line with a soft 'Sleep well' than the phone rang again. 

"Yes?" 

"Boss, I've been trying to reach you for half an hour!" Duffy's voice sounded strained and any modicum of relaxation Javier might have gained dissipated with immediate effect. He scrubbed a hand over his burning eyes and resigned himself to dealing with one more catastrophe. 

"Duffy, what is it?" Agents Duffy and Lopez had organized their own infiltration of the godfathers' party, courtesy of the intel provided by Miss Rivas as well as what Operation Cornerstone had shaken loose. At least he knew it was nothing that had blown the cover of his informant. 

"Okay well, no use beating around the bush here. Our guy got made, and Calí knows we're here-" Javier listened to his agent's report with his frown deepening. Why was it that with every step forward, another wrench was thrown his way? 

"Alright, close up shop. Leave as soon and as inconspicuously as you can. I'll see you back here at the embassy on Monday morning." He ordered. Hopefully the gentlemen and their security would leave it at the gesture of intimidation, especially if they thought themselves well on the way of becoming untouchable, but one could never be too careful. 

---

Javier consulted the clock for what must have been the hundredth time that evening. Normally the bar down the street from the embassy wouldn't be his first or even fourth choice, but tonight he was looking for a place to wind down with the shortest possible distance to cover afterwards. The danger of being accosted by any of his co-workers was one he'd simply have to brave. If luck was on his side for once, none of the more sociably inclined would be there any more, or too engrossed in their own merriment to notice him slink in, and if not, his curmudgeonly ways were known well enough that a civil yet decisive refusal would hopefully be deterrence enough. 

It was for Stoddard, but of course not for Bill Stechner, the non-drug-lord bane of Javier's existence. Ostensibly on the same side, though Javier would argue that the CIA was on its own side entirely. Or that their budget would be spent more productively by making the damn lot of them just feed dollar bills through a shredder, but no one asked Javier about these things. So, he sits and grinds his teeth while Stechner's smug voice grates on his nerves. Visualizes strangling the CIA station shief with the tie he'd just pulled off and balled up into his pocket moments ago, which does a little bit to alleviate the almost overbearing urge to smash Stechner's face into the bar top. "Oh come on, you don't care about American streets or dead Colombians." 

And the deal? How the hell does Stechner know about the deal when it's only just been announced? For a split-second, he wonders whether Diana- but no, he trusts her completely, and he hasn't told anyone except a handful of his agents about her, deciding this information was so sensitive it was strictly need to know, and even they only knew her by her assigned code name. Not even the ambassador knew that he had such a high-priority informant on the inside of the cartel. Stechner must have some government source, be it an informant of his own or bugs in the offices of ministers. The way he only mentions Lopez and Duffy's operation confirms it. 

"Same goal my ass." Javier muttered into his whiskey after Stechner slithered away. This had been supposed to be a one-drink-night, but now he was feeling like he might need at least three more, if only to dull the screeching of his swirling thoughts. 

It's no use. He's all keyed up still, something feels like it's burrowing inside of his chest, some sort of woodland critter both desperate and unable to settle down. He's tired, too, of course, eyes heavy and burning and sore, feels like his eyeballs are coated in smoke and pitched open by caffeine. He shouldn't have had that much coffee that late; despite his high tolerance it does still have an effect on him. Thank goodness on any given day, but right now he's regretting it. His leg jumps, knee knocking painfully against the bar front. He feels eyes on him. They've been there since he walked in, furtively glancing throughout his confrontation with Stechner, but bolder now. He feels it like a prickle on his skin. Turns his gaze finally. Sees long dark hair, open, melting into the late shadows of the bar. Too long, but it'll have to do. She's... he's definitely seen her around before. The elevator? Different department, perhaps press office, or visas. Definitely nowhere near the DEA offices or he would have known her name. She's coming over now, leaning easily against the bartop, slender fingers tapping, and an easy, eager smile. Her hair isn't dark enough, and too long and wavy all the way through instead of only curling at the ends, and nothing else about her appearance quite matches up, but she's pretty and willing and he's pent up and about to crawl out of his skin. And so he lets her take him home. And he means to leave right after, he really does. If only not to give any impression of this having even the slightest potential of becoming any more than it is. But Katie (that's her name, but he's learnt a long time ago to not groan out names during, because whether the name is correct or not it always turns out bad somehow), Katie sleepily mumbles that he can stay because it's late, and truth be told? He's completely shot, feels like he couldn't move if he wanted to. And the thought of dragging himself back to his empty apartment with only his thoughts for company is the most unbearable thing at this moment. Her mattress is too soft and despite the fact that he only laid on it until waking again at first light, it messes up his back for almost a week. --- It is indeed much warmer in this side of the country, and an especially hot day in Calí itself. On the coast where he'd landed, there had at least been a breeze blowing in from the Pacific, but the further inland Javier drives the less the air seems to move. He felt the sweat start to gather at his hairline, and down his neck, as soon as he parked the rental car in front of the cluster of new-ish high rise apartment blocks in one of the north-western boroughs of the city. 

Javier grabbed his one piece of luggage and the bag of takeout he'd picked up on the way, just as promised, and walked up to the first building to study the panel beside the door for the correct bell to ring. A sharp whistle made him look around, then up at the next building. Miss Rivas was all but hanging off the side of her balcony, waving down and giving Javier half a heart attack seeing as she was on the sixth floor. He waved back in acknowledgement, then jogged over to the already buzzing door, which he pushed open. Blessedly, there was an elevator, and not two minutes later he stood in front of her apartment, the door swinging open before he could raise his hand to knock. 

"Hi." She sounded breathless, as if she'd run up six flights of stairs, not across an apartment. 

"... Miss Rivas." In his relief, he'd almost slipped. Almost called her by her first name, but they're not there yet, strangely. Or not strangely at all, in fact. It's quite by design. It's a way of keeping himself detached; professional. Or whatever excuse he could come up with to maintain this state of perpetual denial. 

"Umm, ...lunch? I brought lunch." He thrust the bag foward, watched it swing between them while cringing inwardly. 

"Good! I've only been up for two hours or so; I don't even care what it is, I'm starving!" Carefully, she took the bag from him, one hand supporting the bottom like a newborn's head, the other brushing his as she looped her fingers through the handles. "Come in, come in." 

Javier stood a full three seconds or so after she'd already turned around and walked down the narrow hallway, rooted to the spot and struck dumb like some sort of imbecile. His skin prickled in all the places he'd let Katie touch him the night before, which, admittedly, hadn't been too many - but still enough to be burning him with that familiar mixture of guilt and shame now. So he does what he does best when it comes to emotions: deny and repress. 

He left his shoes beside the pair of strappy heels she must have discarded there the night before, probably in a hurry to get the severely uncomfortable looking things off after spending a whole evening in them. The hallway opened into an open living room and dining area, the balcony beyond that, and a galley-style kitchen off to one side not unlike his own apartment. It was a sparse place, not quite enough furniture to fill the space - a long couch and coffee table, a low sideboard with a TV on it, none of it new save for the stereo system that was of course on and softly playing the usual eclectic music mix. Javier dropped his bag beside the couch where it would be out of the way. The dining table barely deserved the name. It was a small, round, reedy looking thing, just large enough for two, or maybe two and a child, with two plastic fold-out chairs. On it stood a light blue and white ceramic fruit bowl that currently held zero fruit, just the recording device he'd given her and... some pieces of golden sapphire and diamond jewelry? Puzzled, Javier picked up what turned out to be a bracelet. He raised one eyebrow at her as she set down plates for them. 

"Got a raise?" 

"Ha! As if. I should have, though. What with the extra work I got saddled with last night. That's the problem with rich people. Miserly. The more zeroes on their bank statements the stingier they get." She scoffed, ranting away all the way to and fro carrying the cutlery. "No, this-" she stabbed a spoonhandle through the bracelet and swirled it around once, twice, before glowering at the gemstones darkly, "This is what Mrs Jurado had me borrow to complete my outfit yesterday. Obviously I have to return them, which is why I'm meeting her for coffee tomorrow afternoon. If you do your whole government agent covert spy observation thing you could at least get eyes on her, maybe even him, too. Franklin Jurado, the money launderer. You can just smell the entitlement on him. I bet he went to one of the really fancy schools over there, like Princeton. Or maybe Harvard." 

"I'm glad to see you're making friends." Javier had followed her to the kitchen, leaning against a cabinet and watching her place the food on plates, any attempts to help or make himself useful deftly rebuffed as always. 

"I think it was Harvard actually. I think he mentioned it- It's on the recording, in any case. Real smug about it too. La Javeriana is a perfectly good university, too. Older, too. Luis Carlos Galán attended it, you know? Graduated in economics and law, like I did." 

"Like the new president, too." Javier dared remark, only to be leveled with a death glare that could make a man fear for his life. 

"Professor Samper, oh yes," she said pointedly, thrusting the plates at him, "Don't remind me please. The whole family attended, have for generations." 

Javier dutifully carried over the dishes and set them down, returning a moment later for the pitcher of water. Diana followed him, wiping her glasses with her tee-shirt in a gesture he had come to know was more about calming down than it was about being able to see better. 

"Right, no politics at meal time. Tell me something interesting instead." Diana attacked her food with a frightening kind of fervor. And suddenly the only thing he could think about was what Stechner had told him the night before, how the deal would go ahead, a neat little setup by politicians whose only objective was looking good enough for re-election. Naturally, the words died in his throat. He shrugged and started digging in. 

"Nothing huh? Okay, well, how about this then: How many Mrs Rodríguezes are there?" 

"Is this a trick question?" There should be one only, seeing as Miguel was widowed and his little shit of a son wasn't exactly husband material - nor looking to be. "One?"

"Close. There's three." 

That didn't make any sense. "That doesn't make any sense. Miguel is widowed and David- ...Gilberto! Gilberto?" 

"Gilberto." She confirmed. "All three. They have a rota, apparently. On Sundays they just sit around while he watches whatever game is on which sounds thrilling. And I thought my marriage was crap." 

"Huh." If Javier thought that the farcical nature of governmental - and inter-governmental - bureaucracy had prepared him for the absurdity of chasing drug kingpins he had apparently been sorely mistaken. But mostly, he was relieved to see that Diana was in such good spirits again, what with how affected she'd sounded the night before. Lunch was over in no time at all, and Javier felt his short night starting to catch up with him. He yawned surreptitiously as he helped carry the dirty dishes back into the kitchen, or what he thought had been surreptitious anyway. 

"Okay, coffee or nap?" 

"Huh?" Dammit, his eyes were burning. Diana took the plates and deposited them in the sink, leaving him to blink sluggishly. "I can do those. The dishes." 

"You're about to keel over. Haven't slept a wink, have you?" 

"About three hours, and another half hour or so on the plane. I'm fine, really." He admitted. The fact that he had to lean against the cabinets did not exactly serve to strengthen his argument. Diana tutted. 

"I need to run some errands, grocery shopping and the like. If you are really determined to get to work on the recording I'll make you a good strong coffee before I go, but I would personally suggest you use the time to catch up on some sleep. The couch pulls out." 

It was tempting, it really was, but Javier also knew that he'd have a harder time falling asleep later if he messed up his rhythm more now. 

"Coffee it is, then." She set to work in the same breath. 

A fond smile pulled at Javier's lips. "Thank you." --- Even knowing she was fine and safe now, she hadn't expected that listening to the recording would be so excruciatingly stressful. She had very helpfully compiled a list of encounters, along with time estimates (and a very evocative caricature of the chief accountant, Guillermo Pallomari), which had allowed him to fast forward through the recording to get a general overview. Even so, he'd gotten stuck on several bits, even replaying a few. The introductory round, for one. Her panic attack in the bathroom. Or the segment with that slimy little bastard David Rodríguez. Her quick thinking and clever diversion of Pacho's suspicions. He hated hearing the strain in her voice, the barely masked anxiousness that none of them even seemed to notice but that stood out to him so very clearly. His jaw was clenched so tight he could feel his teeth grinding– The lock on the front door clicked open, jolting Javier from his focused state. A quick glance at his watch told him it had been well over three hours since she'd left for her errands, afternoon now melting into early evening. In his haste to get up he tangled the wires, cursing as he he sat back down. Diana huffed into view, heavy-looking bags on each arm. 

"Hey there," she threw him a quick smile before vanishing into the kitchen to set down her load, re-emerging a heartbeat later. She crossed the distance in a few strides, lightly squeezing his shoulder as she leaned over him to peer at the notes he'd taken. "How's it going? Anything viable?" 

Her touch, given with such casual affection, electrified him. He'd never been, never considered himself the type of person anyone would come home to. 

"Plenty." He needed to collect himself, clear his throat and mind and get a grip. "You did amazing work." And I can't use it in court because you incriminate yourself all throughout.

"Good, I'm glad. Would have been a re-" 

The shrill ringing of her landline interrupted them. Immediately, Javier mourned the loss of her touch, the spot on his shoulder where her hand had lingered now turning cold. Pull yourself together, dammit! 

The telephone was mounted on the wall that separated hallway and kitchen, and had a cord long enough to allow for a range of movement to about halfway into the latter. Unsure of whether he was supposed to be listening, he tried to go back to the recording. Only tried rather turned into pretended. As quickly as he had put the headphones on, he took them off again, watching Diana for a moment of hesitation. She was shuffling around the kitchen entrance, emptying her shopping bags with the phone receiver pinned between her cheek and shoulder. She was talking to her aunt, tense and worried, but managed a small smile when she caught Javier's eye. Wordlessly, he started helping her putting the groceries away as directed. 

"No, I know you don't approve. No one approves except Gabriela, and incidentally Gabriela is also the only one who saw that I was making a mistake right from the start and the only one who tried to dissuade me from going through with the wedding, and if I'd only listened to her and my gut back then, I wouldn't-" She turned her back at this, and Javier put away the last few pieces and left the kitchen, giving her the pretense of privacy at least. It wasn't like the apartment was so vast that her voice wouldn't carry. He walked over to the stereo system he'd turned off earlier and switched it back on, fiddling with the volume by way of looking distracted. 

"...No, and I don't want to talk about it any more. I don't care what the Pope says; the Pope was never married! ...Yes, put her on; I think that's better for everyone involved." 

Immediately her voice and stance relaxed, became softer and warmer, and the conversation a lot more one-sided as Diana talked to Salome on the phone. Javier's knees were starting to protest at his half-kneeling by the sideboard, but he was too transfixed by trying to determine whether the little girl would perhaps say a few words today. She sometimes did, though very rarely, and Javier had yet to witness it himself. 

"Okay, my little darling, you be good for granny, alright? Sleep well, sweetheart. I love you. Bye-bye." 

Diana hung up and shuffled over, taking a seat on he edge of the coffee table closest to him. Javier gave up on the volume dial and turned towards her. 

"Everything okay?" She nodded and took off her glasses to rub at her eyes. Cautiously, Javier placed his hand atop hers where it laid in her lap, rubbing his thumb back and forth across the top of it soothingly. "And are you okay?" 

"I will be; I just- ...I try that she at least hears my voice every day, even if I can't be there and- She's so little and has already lost so much, and every time I have to leave I feel like I'm just making it worse and like maybe that's why she still barely talks. And it's so unfair! She's just a little girl and she needs her mother or at least she needs a mother and we try - my aunt and I try our best but we're all that's left of this family." Her voice got quieter with each word, fading to a whisper before ceasing. Javier didn't know how to respond; all the obvious things seemed like meaningless phrases, frivolous and unhelpful. Diana deflated, her whole frame drooping like misery personified. She let out a single, quiet sob, gripping his hand in both of hers like he was her anchor. "I just wish I at least knew what I was doing." 

She wiped at her eyes angrily, blindly grasping for the glasses on the table behind her until she found them and shoved them back on. She stood abruptly, but did not let go of his hand, instead tugging him up, to which his beleaguered knees only objected more. 

"Sorry, forget that. Let's sort out dinner." She stalked back into the kitchen, and Javier could only follow of creaky knees, the blood rushing back down into his feet and making them prickle and almost falter. She finally let go of his hand in front of the refridgerator, throwing open the door of it like a shield between them.  

"So for dinner I was thinking-" 

"Miss Rivas." She didn't even hear him, just went on explaining what was possible with the ingredients she'd picked up earlier. Javier laid his hand on top of hers gently, feeling the tension in her fingers, the tremble in them as she gripped the fridge door tight. Gently still, he eased her grip and shut the door. She didn't even look at him, obstinately staring down at the tiled floor instead. 

"I'm in control of my emotions." She declared defiantly. "I'm not a liability to your investigation." 

"I know." Javier took both her hands in his now, squeezed them once, still gentle. Kept his voice soft too; soft and low and for her ears only. "I know you ...aren't. It's okay. You're doing so good. You're doing amazing. It's okay." On the last few words, he raised their entwined hands, nudging her chin up to look at him. Took in her reddened but stubbornly dry eyes, her lips pressed into a painful line, and the hard set of her jaw and brows. All she needed was one final push to let go, one word of permission, and he gave it gladly. "It's okay." 

He'd expected an outburst now, an explosive outpouring of grief or at least wrath. Instead, Diana squeezed his hands back once before letting go, leaving him standing in the kitchen while she went into her bedroom. He heard her rummage around for a moment, then she returned with a small photo album in her hands which she carefully set down on the counter before throwing it open and flipping through the pages until she found the picture she was looking for. It showed what he assumed was her family. He recognized only her and Maritza, both noticeably younger then. Side by side, the family resemblance became more apparent, especially in comparison with the respective parents. Wordlessly, she flipped through the pages. In the next one Maritza's father was missing, the one after that, her own father was no longer there. The one after that showed the addition of a young man and what must have been a newborn Salome, him holding the baby with a broad, dimpled smile that his daughter had inherited. He was gone in the following picture, Diana's mother vanished in the one after that, until the last photograph showed only Maritza's mother, Diana herself, and little Salome. 

"Some time after we cleared out Maritza's apartment, I went to Escobar's grave. If I was looking for some kind of satisfaction, I didn't find it there." She closed the album with a sharp snap. "The whole drive back, last night, I was sure I was about to end up fish fodder, and I just thought... with how my aunt's health is failing, will Salome be all alone in the world before she's even five?" 

Javier swallowed hard, choking on the words that had sprung up onto the tip of his tongue. That he wouldn't let that happen (but it could have happened not twenty-four hours prior and there would have been nothing he could have done about it). That he would make sure the little girl was taken care of (How? He wasn't kin and Diana's aunt didn't know him. And he wasn't exactly prime fatherhood material, so what exactly did he think he could do?). And in the back of his head, he still heard the desperate shallow little breaths she'd heaved during her panic attack. So different words jumped onto his tongue instead, tumbling out before he could ever think through the implications. 

"Do you want out? You don't even have to go meet Mrs Jurado tomorrow, I can organize to have you pulled out within the week. And your family too. You'd be safe." 'I am never doing this again', she'd said. Well, he wouldn't make her. And considering what he knew now, that his whole investigation was just a front? What was the damn point of it anyway? 

Diana smiled, just a slight quirk of the corner of her lip, but the first in what felt like hours now. "Now? No. I don't want anyone else having to go through what my family and I went through, here or anywhere. This kind of...lust for power - it's grasping. It never stops, it is never satisfied. And it doesn't care what stands in its way." 

"You sure?" He ought to tell her, he really ...but even though the betrayal isn't his, just his to hand on, he hesitates again. 

"I am. Starting with meeting Christina Jurado tomorrow. Besides, you'll be with me all the way through." 

"Yeah," his voice creaks like a rusty hinge, "Yeah, of course I'll be. Just a stone's throw away." --- "Goodness, does she ever shut up?" Javier shut the door behind himself, hanging up the spare key on the hook by the door. They'd just returned from Diana and Mrs Jurado's coffee and lunch date - separately for safety purposes - and Javier's head was still swimming. Diana might be reasonably called talkative, but at least she had things to say. Christina Jurado, it turned out, could talk a mile a minute without saying much of substance at all. Diana had been all but steam-rollered by the barrage of conversation and Javier, who had listened closely to all two and a half hours of it, was starting to feel the beginnings of a pressure headache building. 

"Without being condescending, Agent Peña, there is so much that men don't understand about the way women talk with each other." Diana peeked out into the hallway with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, she may well have been... uuh-" 

"May have been what?" After discarding his shoes, he walked into the apartment fully. Diana frowned, then touched a fingertip to the side of her nose with a meaningful look. When he didn't light up with sudden understanding, she gave a good-natured yet long-suffering sigh. And Javier really thinks he should probably have slept more than four hours, but his back was now paying the price for his stint on that marshmallow fluff that passed for Katie's mattress, and also his mind liked to give him trouble when it ought to quiet down. 

"She may have been what, Miss Rivas?" 

"Mrs Jurado, I have good reason to believe, likes to uhh... sample the product." The penny rolled around Javier's exhausted mind a moment longer before dropping. 

"...You mean to tell me she was high on cocaine the whole time?" 

"Yes. Why are you whispering?" Why indeed. Javier cleared his throat and wondered why this revelation left him so scandalized. "She did use on Friday night, too, which is a frequency I honestly find alarming. I hope it's more of a weekend thing- Franklin knows, but I don't think he has any idea what to do about it. I'd reckon it's something they're both keen to keep under wraps, though for different reasons. I don't imagine the gentlemen would be overly thrilled, especially the brothers. They like to keep a pretty tight hold on everything even remotely to do with the business." 

"Huh... what the hell are you do-" While he had been musing on this new development in his sluggish mind, she'd stuck one hand down her blouse from the top and the other up it from the bottom, fumbling around for a moment before pulling the wiretap she'd been wearing for the meeting out and handing it to him non-chalantly. 

"When's your flight?" 

"Uh, late. Later. Ten-ish." He'd be back in Bogotá before midnight, but there was the drive back to Buenaventura to consider. Even so, it was only mid-afternoon now. Javier rubbed his hand over his burning eyes. His brain was no longer in a state to be doing that kind of math and he sighed, the coffee he'd just had clearly not doing anything. 

"You have at least an hour to get some sleep. Come lie down." She was out from in front of him and across the room before he could blink tiredly, already pushing back the coffee table and bending to pull out the couch. Javier meant to protest, he really did. But. Sleep beckoned. And so, with heavy feet dragging across the laminate floor, he acquiesced. 

"Thanks." He mumbled, gratefully receiving a pillow. 

"I'll wake you in an hour, hour and a half tops." She already sounded further away than she should be, considering she was by the sofa-bed's - and his - head still. Javier hummed a reply, more affirmative sound than any proper words. As he drifted off, he thought he felt gentle fingers brushing the hair back from his forehead. But surely that was just wishful thinking, for what else could it be? ---

So, six more months of looking busy and doing nothing while the Calí godfathers revved up operations to squeeze as much money as they could out. He'd had to send his agents home after they'd been splashed all over the front page of the Espectador, so not only did the DEA not currently have any presence on the ground in Calí, it also left Diana without even the faintest layer of protection. And with the massive stink the Colombians, fronted by General Vargas, had kicked up about it, he couldn't send in any replacements, no matter how eager or indeed fastidious Agent Feistl was. And now the incident in Yumbo. The youngest of the dead had only been six years old. Javier glowered at the TV report where the safety inspector was giving his final report. Natural gas leak... yeah, sure. This thing reeked; he felt it in his bones that the cartel was responsible somehow. And he couldn't go after them. The desire to go find Stechner and smash his stupid smug face through the screen became near unbearable. He turned the TV off before the urge manifested into action. 

He sat down behind his desk, taking a moment to look around the largely dark and empty office space around him before opening that particular drawer on the top right and taking out the arrest warrants. Their money and power and the influence both bought meant that the Calí bosses could move comparatively freely, but they still hid away. Carefully so, with the kind of tight-knit security that most heads of state could only dream of. Even if he did find a way to get at them, his hands were now unofficially bound. Well over a year's work, two good agents sent home, his informant risking her life every single day, more innocent dead who would never get justice, and what for? He hated it. He still hadn't told her. He thought about quitting. 

The phone rang. He knew it was her. She didn't even try his home landline first now, knowing he spent his evenings at the office more often than not. Javier let it ring once more while mustering up the courage to come clean. 

"Miss Rivas, good evening." 

"Decidedly not. Did you watch the news?" 

Javier scrubbed a hand over his face, squeezed his eyes shut so as to not have to look at the warrants spread out on his desk. There was only so much mockery a man could take. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." 

"It was them. David specifically, that self-absorbed buffoon. They chewed him out for over half an hour over it, which is far less than he deserves." 

"I figured." His throat felt tight; undoing another shirt button did precisely nothing. 

"Gilberto worries it will give the government leverage to go back on the deal. I hope it does."

So did Javier, but knowing the special interests being at play here he didn't hold out much hope. 

"And you have been made to recall your agents from Calí." 

Javier gulped. "Yes." 

"But they'll be replaced, right?" 

Well, here goes nothing then. "...No." 

Silence. She's not one to raise her voice even when upset and right now she must be livid. But perhaps she's shocked before anything else. Shocked into silence, into disbelief. He hates this, too. He wishes she would scream at him. Instead all he gets is a brittle quiet little '...What?' 

And it's so unfair, all of it. Stechner doesn't have to face her with this, the bastard. None of the politicians who are oh so invested in this little vanity project do either, the consequences aren't real to them. They get to collect the empty symbol of a supposedly bloodless surrender, some good publicity, and don't have to do or face any of the ugly truths on the ground. He thinks about quitting again. Pats his pocket for the reporter's business card. If he's leaving, he thinks, he'd do it with a bang. Burn all bridges with a mighty barrage of his personal J'accuse. But for now that's all idle thinking. 

"The surrender deal is going ahead as planned, because the powers that be will it so." He explained, truly understanding the sentiment of shooting the messenger at this very moment. "My hands are bound, there's nothing I can do."  

"Bullshit!" Yeah, agreed. He tries saying more, justifications that turn to dust on his tongue before the words even leave his mouth. His heart's not in it, and it only serves to stoke her wrath, fearsome even over the distance of the phone line. 

"What else will they get away with? If you're rich enough you can buy impunity? A blank cheque for murder? How many more people must die? Every day I go in and make myself complicit in it all on the promise that it will take them down!" 

The worst part of this, perhaps, is that he knows she's right. If any of those senators in their cushy Washington offices had even a bit of her bravery, her steadfastness, her moral clarity– 

"I'm sorry." His mouth is so dry. At last he opens his eyes again, glaring down at the warrants. Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela. Miguel Rodríguez Orejuela. 

"You're sorry?" Even now her voice is still level. Full of venomous disbelief and cold with rage, yes, but it has not risen even a single decibel. 

"Miss Rivas, I-" 

The line went dead with a click. She'd hung up.

--- --- --- 

author’s notes: 

*me, an idiot* this chapter will cover episodes 1 through to 4. this is a thing that is feasible and realistic

*me, 7000 words in and still at the party* ah. oh no.

in other words: remember last chapter when I cut things off because I wanted to keep it below 10k? yeah, that won’t be happening anymore. It takes as long as it takes. *shrug emoji* stay hydrated.

DIAN (Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales) is the Colombian government agency that is responsible for collecting taxes

Fernando Botero is a Colombian artist and sculptor, famous for these really chunky bronze statues, though the one I reference here is a complete fabrication and does not actually exist

according to the Art and Making of Narcos book Navegante’s actual name is Jorge Velasquez

‘chompa’ according to the dictionary I used, is a term for jacket used in Colombia and some other places

yes I looked up average temperatures in all these cities. I have concluded that it gets hot af in Laredo

La Javeriana (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Colombia. Presidential candidate Carlos Luis Galan did indeed attend there, as did president Ernesto Samper, who is president during the season in the show. He also did indeed teach there for a while in the early 80s, which fortunately matches up with my timeline. It was indeed founded before Harvard. Thirteen years before to be exact (1623 vs 1636)

here’s the drawing Diana made of Pallomari (contador=accountant): 

tag list: @keeper0fthestars @opheliaelysia @fromthedeskoftheraven @dindjarindiaries @shikin83 @cinewhore @maddoggrahaml @javier-djarin @huliabitch @heatherbel @shestillwrites1​

didn’t ask to be tagged but reblogged all previous parts and therefore I assume you enjoyed it regardless of that you reading my story made me very happy list: @asoftcollection​ (thank you for indulging me and brainstorming the Jurados with me it helped a lot) @holographic-carmen​  @dermandalorianer​  @oldstuffnewstuff​ (sry it won’t let me tag ur sideblog hope this is okay)

Next Chapter

#narcos (tv) #narcos #narcos fanfic #javier pena x ofc #series #I cling to your lips like gloss (series) #like gloss tag #multipart #javier peña #javier peña fanfic #my writing #part 4

[professormembranexreader]

REWRITING MY FIRST ONESHOT

Membrane x Doubtful! Assistant! Reader

(Hurt & Comfort)

"God I hate them." I mumbled. My coworkers set me up. With him. The astounding Professor Miguel Membrane. They'd all gone home early so I'd have to work with him. Besides, it was NOT a good time to be stuck in an office with Professor Membrane.

I'd always had a huge crush on him. Why? It's simple. He was perfect. The perfect scientist, the perfect celebrity, the perfect everything. But there was one fault I found in him.

He wasn't looking for a partner.

I was head over heels for Membrane, but his only love was for science and his kids. No one else. He was my weakness. And that weakness was one-sided. Like everyone said, the only things burning were his passion for science and his cooking.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. Just survive tonight. You can cry and eat ice cream later. Just accept that his rich baritone voice would never say the three words that you wanted to hear most.

I sighed again and tried to focus on my work. We were simply trying to upgrade the pipelines. Nothing too big, except he intended to replace it with a system that would purify the water as it went. He'd somehow managed to create a film-like membrane that would catch particles that were not water. There would be several of these film-like walls throughout the pipes.

The fucking genius.

And I was alone with him.

Fuck me.

Why was I so nervous about that? Oh yeah, because he makes my heart skip an abnormal amount of beats whenever I do much as think about him touching me (even in a non-sexual way).

"(Y/N)? I need some help." Fuck. My mind went to the worst places as I ushered myself towards his desk. Just get yourself through today.

"Yes, sir?" I asked. As he instructed me to take notes, my mind couldn't help but drift slightly. What was under that lab coat? Was it a soft dad-bod or was it a chiseled sculpture? FOCUS. I managed to get most of the details down before my mind went somewhere else.

"Could you copy all of that down in my memos and bring me my notebook?" He asked.

"Which notebook?" I asked.

He shot me a glare that could implode the sun into a black hole. If looks could kill, I'd be stabbed. Five times.

"Right. That one." I gulped and hoped I knew which notebook he was actually referring to.

Membrane's office was not how you'd expect it to be. Instead of the pristine, organized study... how do I say this? No use sugarcoating it. It's a fucking mess. How am I supposed to find anything in this? I rolled my eyes and started looking. It wasn't going to find itself.

"Where is it?" I mumbled. Amongst all the notebooks, paper balls, and pens, it was impossible to tell what was and wasn't important.

There was no way I could find this notebook standing up. I got down on my hands and knees and started to dig through the overwhelming heap of paper. Not noticing, I started to speak out loud.

"Ugh, why am I even here? My dumb coworkers... the nerve of them. Making me stay alone with him for 7 hours. I fucking hate them. Jerks." I grumbled under my breath.

"Why did they even hire me?" I said. "I'm just a loser fresh out of college who drives a Chevy." I sighed. "I'm not even that smart... I had a 2.8 GPA. I'm dumber than a rock."

"Fuck's sake, I can't even use the coffee machine!" I whispered yelled. "It has so many unlabeled buttons on it, and it makes it impossible to just get a black fucking coffee!"

"I'm not good for anything. Am I? I can't even find the one notebook he asked me for." My eyes narrowed as I felt hot tears begin to prick my vision. "It's just a fucking notebook!

"To be fair though, how could he manage to find anything when his office is like this?! It's so cluttered!"

"Me gustaría limpiarlo, pero no puedo. No tiempo," mumbled a familiar baritone voice.

Oh fuck.

I heard footsteps getting closer to me. Each step making my face slightly paler. By the time he was behind me, ghosts looked alive.

"How much did you hear?" I asked with a shaking voice. Membrane said nothing. Instead, he pulled me into his chest for a warm embrace. I stood in shock, before openly sobbing into his chest.

"You are so much better than you realize." I couldn't see his eyes, but I could only imagine they were studying me. "You aren't dumb. You aren't a loser. You're you."

I tried to hold back my sobs, but I failed miserably. He rubbed circles onto my back. After a few seconds, he pulled away ever so slightly to hold my face.

"Do you know why we hired you, (Y/N)?" He asked.

Tears streaming down my face, I shook my head "no".

"We hired you because you are hardworking, intuitive, courageous, and most of all, you're brave." His gloved hand ran through my hair.

"How... how am I brave?" I sniffled.

"Oh, (Y/N)." He sighed. "Like you said, you are fresh out of college. This is your first real job. And you're with me!" He chuckled. "I'm well aware that several of my employees are intimidated by me, (Y/N). And it's those I try to reach out to the most."

Membrane tilted my chin closer to his face. "And I've had my eyes on you for a while. And I'm very impressed with your work. I've been harder on you because I want you to be better."

I blinked away tears as he told me this. "Thank you, sir." I tried to pull away, but he didn't let me go.

"That's not all, (L/N)." He said. "I listen to the rumors that float around the workplace, ¿sabes?" I did not like where this is going. "I do like to know all I can about my employees. Do you know what I heard, (Y/N)?"

I gulped. This was it. He was going to fire me for liking him. It was going to happen. It just had to.

"I'm sorry, sir." I said, tearing up. His expression changed to one of shock.

"¿Que dices, cariño?" He said quietly.

I looked up at him with watery eyes. "I understand if you want to let me go. It's not professional behavior. I'm sorry."

"¿Qué? Oh, (Y/N), I would never do that. You're an incredible asset to our team. And..." he trailed off, looking away from me.

"What is it?" I asked nervously.

"I know you have feelings for me..." The entirety of our relationship would depend on his next few words. My breath hitches in my throat.

"And... they are acknowledged." My heart dropped, and my soul shattered. It's over. I began to sob once more.

A quiet "Ay, ¡soy cómo un pendejo!" could be heard from under his breath.

"I meant... uh... It's... ¡Chingado! ¿Qué es la palabra?" He paused for a bit, eyes darting back and forth behind his goggles. "¡Mutuos, pero en inglés!" He exclaimed. It was almost sad.

I sniffled and kept my head buried in his chest. I couldn't understand what he was saying. As far as I know he was freaking out that I was crying again. If only I could understand Spanish.

He sighed and opted for a different word. "(Y/N)... I feel the same."

"Wait wha-"

"I feel the same as you do."

"Seriously?"

"Sí." He said. I ambushed him in a hug around his neck. He made a sound and fell backwards, taking me with him. Laughing and crying tears of joy, I held him like there was no tomorrow.

"¡Ay, mi amor! ¡Cálmate! It's okay!" But I was feeling much more than okay. And right when I thought it couldn't get any better, I felt something press against my lips.

My eyes popped open in surprise, but upon realizing it was just him, they fluttered closed. It was bliss.

As he pulled away from the kiss, he simply said, "Do you think you can hand me that notebook now?

#writing #membrane #professor membrane #professor membrane x reader

[jaeyunluvs]

you’re mine - aron piper

Requested by @fashphotolife : yeah just like a hot jealous aron bc like ugh that’s probably hot 🥵Not really a specific request but just like a hot jealous aron Piper imagine

A/N: AHH I LOVE JEALOUS IMAGINES!!!!! Thank you so much for requesting! I saw many people doing the jealous interview thing, like buzzfeed interviews and stuff, it’s gonna be similar to that !

disclaimer: i don’t know any of these people personally, i made some characters up! english is my second language so please let me know if i have mistakes! :) also poor spanish, i’m sorry profesor

note: im sorry i used starbucks, pls don’t sue me that’s the only international coffee brand i can remember!  it’s unedited :))

word count: 1,5K

warnings: none but hot jealous aron is on his way ;) oh and crappy writing :’)

gif creds to @piperaron​ - <3

“Y/N! Come on! We’re getting late!” Your boyfriend Aron warned you at the phone. He was downstairs, waiting for you. You were getting prepared for the live interview with the Elite cast, including you. 

“Okay, okay!” you said on the phone and closed. You wore a white elegant dress and kinda revealing but you didn’t mind cause you looked amazing. When you ran downstairs you saw a curly head in a car, looking in your direction.

“Wo-w, hola carina” He stared at you, breathless. 

“hi babe!” You get in the car and kissed him on the lips. He still stared at you so you decided to speak up.

“earth to Aron! you there?” you stared at his brown eyes filled with love. He blushed and looked away kinda embarrassed.

“Lo siento amor you’re just to beautiful!” Now it was your turn to blush. He giggled, placed a kiss your lips and started the engine.

You wanted to stop and get coffee on your way. Aron wanted to come to get coffee with you. It was your local starbucks shop.

“Do you remember our first date was here?” Aron asked. You glanced and felt the nostalgia. 

“You were super nervous I can’t believe how you changed so much.” You answered smiling. He managed to laugh.

“Maybe you’re the reason why I’m changed” He stared at you. You giggled at his cheesiness.

“Hi can I get your order?” You and Aron were interrupted by a good looking employee asking for your order.

“Hi, can I get a Latte Macchiato please?” you asked.

“What’s your name?” He asked, looked like smiling.

“Y/N” you said not caring enough.

“I like your name just a pretty name for a pretty lady” he said not caring about the guy next to him. 

You were taken aback by the compliment with saying a simple thank you without emotion but before you could say anything more, Aron pushed you to his side, can’t tell that you guys are dating because you weren’t public.

“Careful big guy, she has a boyfriend and I’ll kick anyone’s ass if I see someone flirting with her.” He was raising his voice. You hold him down.

“Aron, Aron stop, stop, chill” you looked at him you knew he gets calmer when he looks you in the eyes. When he calmed down, you ordered for him. The poor barista was watching you guys on shock and fear. 

You paid and mouthed a sorry for his actions. He didn’t say anything just a weak smile. You hated when there’s a fight. 

Then you got your orders and when you were leaving Aron shouted. “My eyes on you” to the poor barista and he got so guilty in front of his customers.

You punched him in the arm. “Aron what the fuck? He was a poor boy, and we’re not public you know this is so normal.” You stated. Aron didn’t look at you just walked into the car.

“He can’t just flirt with a random girl especially you!” You held him by his wrist. 

“You know you’re the only guy for me right?” You looked at him with a serious expression. He managed to have a weak smile then continued to ride.

When you were on the interview set, Ester and Danna ran to you. 

“Hola bebe, we should get prepared. Hola Aron, go to the boys room.” Danna said. You waved your hand as a signal of saying “bye” and he did the same. The cast didn’t know you guys were a thing either.

You met the other female cast mates and had your make up artist prepare you. After preparing all the cast got into a room and sat around. You and Aron sat next to each other obviously. 

“Hello ColaStation watchers, I’m Amell Wilson and today, I’m here with the elite cast! we’re going to read fan messages and play “Who’s most likely to?”. Here we go!” He said cheerfully. 

Everyone introduced themselves and the interview started with “Who’s Most Likely To?” 

“Who’s most likely to be single?” Everyone pointed you and Aron. You both laughed. Amell, the interviewer smiled too.

“Who’s most likely to be rule a fashion company?” Most of the cast pointed you and you blushed. “You have a great taste in fashion, carina” Omar said, you thanked him by blowing him a kiss. One of a sudden, interviewer Amell commented “You do have a great taste in fashion Y/N you look beautiful.” He said. 

Aron was startled by this comment and you noticed this but ignored it because everyone was here.

You played the game for awhile, laughed, had fun together. By the interview continued you could see Amell watching you. Aron noticed and cleched his fists but couldn’t do anything.

You eventually had a break after the first game. The cast divided, but most of them went to outside to smoke, including Aron. You and Danna, went to restroom and the preparation room before going back to Aron’s. While you were waiting for Danna outside, you saw Amell approaching you. Oh no you thought yourself.

“Hi Y/N”

“Hello?”

“Umm so I-” Amell was interrupted by Danna. Thankfully because you were getting kinda uncomfortable and you hated making Aron like this

“¿Qué es lo que pasa aquí?” Danna came and tied her arm into yours started walking. 

“No lo se, he came and talk to me.” You made sure. Your look on your face was explaining and Danna trusted you so she didn’t make a scene.

Meanwhile in the smoking session, the boys were talking about how Amell looking at you.

“No lo se porque pero, Amell can’t stop staring at her.” Miguel claimed.

“Yeah it is getting kinda weird” Alvaro started a little laughter. Aron wasn’t paying attention, jealousy was burning inside of him.

“Imagine Y/N, one of the most beautiful girl in the world not being single. I can hear the people crying.” Omar said. Aron just smiled and smirked.

“Like Y/N would date him.” Aron said sarcastically. Everyone looked at Aron and noticed how angry he was. They knew something was behind this.

After thirty minutes, the cast turned back to do the last activity, anonymous fan comments on the actors.

It started with Ester. 

“ ’Ester Exposito is literally queen she’s my idol.’ Awhh thank you.” She blew some kisses to the camera.

“’ Alvaro is so underrated, he is a great actor. Keep up! Love you!’ Thank you so much I love you too!” Alvaro smiled.

“ ‘Aron Piper is that lucky guy to make out Omar. Don’t you think? I’m jealous.’” Omar just laughed and mouthed a thank you.

“’ Aron is literally every girls’ celebrity crush at this point. Thank you Elite creators.’” Aron just smiled and thanked at the comment. When they handed the box over you, Amell continued to stare at you.

“’Y/N is that girl that I would literally die for, I’m so happy she’s single can you marry me?’“ 

“Hahaha he’s kinda right!” Amell laughed and added. And this was the end of Aron’s patience. He couldn’t help but said,

“Too bad she has a boyfriend” He laughed grasping your hand quickly.

Everyone in shock, can’t say anything.

“I KNEW IT!” Itzan shouted

“ALVARO GIVE ME MY 50 EUROS” Jorge said laughing.

You looked at them in shock not knowing what’s going on. Alvaro groaned and gave him the 50 euro bill.

“We get into a bet, I knew you guys we’re dating” Jorge showing you the bill.

“Honestly, it couldn’t have been more obvious but I’m still mad you didn’t tell me” Danna said pouting.

“You guys are so cute together.” Mina said. You were so happy with all the comments you were receiving by the cast. Their blessings were really important. 

“Now, that it’s public, take your eyes off of my girlfriend.” Aron growled at Amell. You can see he was getting scared. They stopped the live and some advertisements to calm down Aron.

“Okay Aron, I think we should end this live and go.” You said holding him. He looked at you, he couldn’t stand your eyes.

After a break, everyone turned back to the interview, but it was super awkward. Amell couldn’t look at any of you.

“Thank you for the dearest elite cast, and thank you for watching. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more of this content!” Amell said and the turned the camera to the cast to say goodbye.

Aron waved and immediately kissed you on the lips. Everyone was cheering. When you ended the kiss and live, your phone blew up from all of your friends and family.

Sister: ARE YOU DATING ARON? HOW?

Best friend: It’s funny how I know it and everyone’s getting crazy hehe

Brother: I’M GOING TO KICK HIS ASS 

You laughed at all the messages you’ve been receiving, especially your best friend’s. 

After the interview, Danna hold you and forced you to explain everything and all the details about you and Aron. 

“SPILL THE TEA!” Danna shouted.

“Umm so we started dating 3-4 months ago...” You continued to explain while watching everyone’s jaw dropped. For a little while later, Aron came smirking to you.

“Hey ladies, mind if I steal mi novia, for a minute?” 

“No Aron, ella es nuestras amiga.” fought Claudia laughing.

You smiled at girls “I’ll be back in 5″ and they continued to talk.

Aron held you close, holding your hand, pulling you to his side. 

“You’re mine. And no one can ever take you away from me.” He said whispering to your ear with a serious tone. “Especially a guy like A- what Ameelllo?” He said making you laugh with a funny tone this time

“Congrats Aron, you ruined the moment. I said it once, I’ll say it forever, don’t worry bebe, another guy like ‘Ameeellooo’ could never make me crazy like you do. ” 

#aron piper #aron piper x reader #aron piper x you #aron piper x y/n #aron piper imagines #aron piper imagine #aron x reader #aron-piper-x-reader #elite #elite actor #ander #ander munoz #ander munoz x reader #elite imagine #arón piper #arón #request #requested #aron piper fanfiction #cute #netflix #romance #couple #miguel bernardeau #danna paola #jorge lopez #omar ayuso #crappy writing #deep's writings #i love aron

[probably-writing-x]

Short Distance

Arón Piper x Reader

Request by anon: heyyy I saw you're taking requests again, can I request something where the reader is in a long distance relationship with Aron Piper and she is based in Mexico City since she is Mexican and he has a listening party for the release of Sigo and she surprises him there with the help of his friends :) your writing is so good I literally go on your blog just to reread them because its that good

Gif is not my own

Requests are open🤍

“It’s all going to be fine, of course it is!” You encourage down the phone as you stir the pasta in the pot for your dinner, “You’ve planned everything, everyone’s going to be there to celebrate with you. And they’re all going to love the song, Arón.”

He groans and you can just imagine him flopping down onto the bed as he does so, “I’m just not good at stuff like this. I’m an introvert! It’s basically my personality to avoid situations like this!”

You laugh down the line and lean back against your kitchen counter, “You’re an actor! Just act like you’re comfortable and confident and people will believe you.”

“I normally have you here with me to help out, you’re better at this stuff than I am.”

This stuff was referring to the listening party for his new song that he’d been working on and perfecting for months now. Since you were still in Mexico City and he was still back in Spain, you hadn’t seen him in a few months now apart from your regular FaceTimes whenever you had the chance. It killed you that he thought you wouldn’t be there with him... but that would pass soon enough.

“I know babe, but you’ll have all of your friends there and your family.”

“I don’t want any of them,” You can instantly picture the pout on his face.

“You’re killing me Arón!” You laugh, “Now please get some sleep, it’s way too late over there and you and I both know you don’t work well on a lack of sleep.”

“Okay, I miss you,” He sighs through a stifled yawn.

“I miss you too. But it’s not long now, right?” You encourage, feeling the tug at your heart at the thought of not being able to tell him it was a lot sooner than he knew.

You say your goodbyes and hang up the call, instantly feeling the pure regret of not simply telling him that you’d be there tomorrow night. It would be a wonderful surprise, but you wanted nothing more than to ease his stress by being there for him.

It’s then that your phone starts to ring with a call from Omar.

“Honey you better be leaving your flat as we speak - that flight won’t wait for you!” He exclaims down the line, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m just taking some dinner for the road,” You explain as you dish up your macaroni into a Tupperware box.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He laughs, “I’m not wasting my time on macaroni! Do you want to get to the launch party or not?”

You laugh back, “My Uber has only just arrived, I’m literally walking outside now.”

You only needed a small suitcase and your rucksack as you close up your flat and walk down towards the outside of your building where the car was waiting.

“Okay, do you have your passport? Boarding pass? Keys?”

“We’re not doing this,” You roll your eyes, “I’ve had my bags packed since this morning. I’ll get to the airport with enough time to spare, I’ll get my flight, and I’ll be in Spain with enough time that we’ll have an hour before the launch party even begins. This is going to be fine Omar.”

“I still think you should’ve got the earlier flight,” He defends, “What if your flight is delayed?”

“Positive affirmations Omar! I’ll see you soon, this is going to work out fine!” You encourage, “I’m in the car now, and I live ten minutes from the airport. I’ll text you when I’m there, I’ll keep you updated - okay?”

“Okay, okay, come and surprise your man!” You can practically imagine him grinning proudly down the phone.

- - - - - -

Only a matter of hours later, you’re through all of the typical processes of the flight and you’re just coming in to land on Spanish ground. It’s a relief, having flown through your hours of night to get here, that you were able to sleep on the journey. Thanks to the time difference between here and Mexico City, you were now landing in Spain as the sun was starting to set. It still all felt a bit confusing but the most important thing was that you were now only hours from seeing Arón.

You get through security and passport control before coming out into arrivals and instantly reaching for your phone to call Omar.

“Okay, I’m through, are you at the airport?” You ask, glancing around to search for that familiar face.

“Yeah, yeah, I was just grabbing a coffee, which side of the airport did you come through?”

“I’m right by the sunglasses shop,” You look around you, “And there’s a McDonalds here.”

“Okay, I can see you!” He hangs up instantly after that and you still search around the crowd to find him.

Right up until when he’s ten metres away and his hands stretch out to wrap you in a big hug.

“It’s been way too long!” He chuckles as you stumble back with his force.

“Way too long,” You agree, “Thank you so much for planning this with me.”

“Are you kidding? If it will stop that boy moping around about how much he misses the love of his life, Id do anything,” Omar jokes, grabbing your suitcase, “Now you’ve got a party to get to.”

- - - - - -

It’s hardly a glamorous idea when you and Omar end up stopping at a gas station to use their toilet for you to get ready in. For the black and red dress code, you’d found the perfect outfit to match. But you didn’t have time to get to Omar’s place and get ready before going to the party - so this would have to do. You sort out your hair and general appearance, change your clothes and just about manage to look as you’d hoped you would just as Omar is finishing getting ready too.

“Let’s show that boy what he’s been missing,” Omar grins as he links arms with you and you head back to the car.

Your heart hadn’t stopped racing since you’d first landed from your flight and you were praying that Arón wasn’t suspecting anything so far. He’d sent you a few texts and you’d tried your best to reply to them like normal, eventually ending by saying you were going to work when it would’ve been your normal time to do so in Mexico City.

“God, I’m so nervous,” You admit as Omar drives the last twenty minutes to get to the venue.

You’d be there about an hour after everyone else would’ve started arriving so it would give Arón enough time to mingle with the guests before your surprise.

“It’s fine, he seems like he has no idea.”

You check your phone again to make sure that your phone location was turned off, though Arón would never be the type to check it. But it felt like one less thing to worry about if there was no way he could see where your phone was.

The screen lights up with a text from him.

‘Hey babe! It’s going well so far, hope your shift is going okay x Text me when you get the chance <3’

You smile gently at his words, loving how he’d still thought of you even on a night that was meant to solely be for him.

“Shit is that him?” Omar glances over quickly as he turns at a junction.

“Just checking I’m alright,” You shake your head, “He isn’t suspicious.”

“Ugh you guys are so sweet,” Omar rolls his eyes, “But... we are almost here!”

It’s already dark by the time you get to the venue, the large hired house that they’d booked for the evening. There were a few cars parked outside but most people had booked taxis for the event or were staying over the night - like you and Omar would be. There’s a huge garden out the back of the house that was what made Arón choose this place in the first place, instantly envisioning the idea of having everyone out there after dark like those American frat parties. From the blasting music, you could tell his dream had been made into a reality.

“(Y/n)!” Miguel yells from the door as he sees you step out of the car, he ducks his head back into the house, “Guys she’s here!”

“I did not get this girl from the airport for you to just ruin the surprise with your yelling,” Omar points at him accusingly, a smirk toying at his lips.

Miguel rolls his eyes, “Arón is out the back.”

You let him engulf you in a big hug and watch as Mina, Danna, Ester, Álvaro and Itzan all follow out behind. They greet you all with warm hugs and express how excited Arón would be to see you.

Long distance relationships were never easy, time zones were an absolute killer. But this surprise actually being pulled off would be proof to you that nothing would stand in between that bond you’d found with your boyfriend - even if he lived halfway across the world.

“Alright, what’s the plan?”

- - - - - -

In a few minutes, you’re concealed in the middle of the cast as they make their way through to the garden to find Arón. Somehow, the weird formation works as you find yourself in the middle of their bodies like they were shielding you.

“Hey! Arón!” Álvaro grins as he sees his friend and the group all come to a halt.

Arón stops his conversation with another friend and turns to make his way over, his smile faltering as he sees the weird formation of the group.

“Hey guys! What are you doing?” He laughs, “You look like you’re about to break out into song.”

You admit it to yourself when you see how attractive he looks, wearing the outfit you’d both loved most when he’d tried on the options over FaceTime.

“Just here to support you buddy,” Miguel clasps him on the shoulder, “All your favourite people.”

Arón scoffs, a gesture to himself that there was certainly someone at the top of that list that he was yet to see, “Thanks for coming guys.”

“We actually got you a little present...” Omar wiggles his brows, winking to the rest of the group as they part to reveal you.

You watch as your boyfriend dissolves into shock at the sight, “(Y/n)?”

You grin and find all words seem to fail you in that exact moment, any cute phrase you’d planned on the flight over became completely irrelevant as you became consumed by the excitement of seeing him finally.

He reaches out and grabs you into his arms, lifting you up like it would bring you impossibly closer, “What are you doing here baby?”

“I got a few days off work so I could be here for your big night,” You explain, “I couldn’t imagine missing this.”

He sets you down and glances back at the group of prying eyes, “And you all set this up?”

They grin proudly before Omar speaks up, “We’ll give you two a moment.”

And just like that, it’s the two of you. For the first time in months. His hands on your waist, his eyes focused only on you, and his lips curling into a smile that was brighter than anybody else could get out of him.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” He shakes his head, “I can’t believe I had no idea!”

You laugh and run your hands over the mesh material of his top, “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

He dips his head to kiss you firmly, a kiss that had waited for months longer than he’d ever want it to. He’d spend everyday kissing those lips if he could.

“You flew all the way over here...”

“Well, wherever you go, sigo.”

He laughs that kind of laugh that crinkles his eyes as you reference the title of his song, wrapping an arm around you firmly as he steps around to look at the growing crowd.

“How about we blow off this party huh?”

“Your own launch party?” You scoff, tugging his hand in the direction of his waiting friends, “Our after party can wait Piper...”

#aron #aron piper #aron piper elite #aron imagine #aron one shot #aron drabble #aron blurb #aron writing #aron fanfiction #aron request #aron piper imagine #aron piper one shot #aron piper blurb #aron piper drabble #aron piper fanfiction #aron x reader #aron x you #aron x y/n #aron piper x reader #aron piper x you #aron piper x y/n #elite #elite imagine #elite one shot #elite drabble #elite blurb #elite writing #elite fanfiction #elite request

[aronasnack]

circles ⎮ arón piper fiction

summary: flying back to madrid leaves ur heart feeling heavy bc you know you were bound to reconnect with ur past. 

characters: arón piper x bella alvarez (o/c)

author's note: this is the start to a series! ps sorry for the terrible spanish, i'm using google translator BAHAHHA :') in this storyline, aron is 23 when he starts filming elite. :)

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pt. 1 ⎮ pt. 2 out now!

word count: 1,212.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are touching down in Madrid in half an hour, 0700 local time, according to the weather forecast, it's about 10 degree celcius there right now. On behalf of your cockpit and cabin crews, please, sit back and get ready for landing." There you were among the passengers in the business class cabin, looking out of the window, admiring the bird eye view of Madrid as the aircraft descended for landing. You moved to Los Angeles four years ago to pursue your studies in Film at UCLA, and you haven't been back to Madrid ever since. The opportunity for you to return to Madrid came by when you were offered the chance to be one of the directors for a new Netflix production. You weren't a small fry in the cinematography scene, you had been part of a few productions in the States but it was still an opportunity too good to miss, so you accepted it right away. Yet, here you were returning to Madrid, feeling empty as you recalled the reasons that made you leave in the very first place. An hour later, you were out of the aircraft, in a cab on the way to your apartment that was in the heart of the city. Listening to some music with your AirPods, you winded down the window to take a better look of the scenery Madrid has to offer, and for some odd reason, the way how the sun shone on your face and the way how the wind blew your hair in Madrid sent a wave of nostalgia running through your body, and you thought, i might have missed this more than i'd imagine.

Shortly after, you were in your apartment, laying on your couch with your sleeping mask on as you were too tired to unload your luggages, thanks to the combination of a long flight and the jet lag that was kicking in. You planned to take a short nap before doing anything, but you ended up sleeping till 6 in the evening, when your phone rang. You groan as you answer the call because firstly, you realised it was already late, which meant you were definitely gonna stay up the entire night and you'd still be jet lagged the next day. Secondly, it was Miguel Herrán calling you, "BELLA! We know you're back, don't you know how to answer any of our messages? We're planning a welcome back party at the club tonight, our usual place. You'll be there right? RIGHTTTT?" God, Miguel hasn't change one bit, he was still the same, noisy, but he has his good points which is why you kept in contact with him even when you were away. He was talking way too much, too quickly, and in order to stop him from being even noisier, "Cállate, i'm going, i'm going. Jesus, you're still the same, maybe even louder." Miguel bursts out into laughter and says, "ugh i've missed annoying you. see you at club. we're gathering at 11!", and he makes a loud kissing sound before hanging up the call. Ugh that guy... Falling back onto the couch, you thought about your friends that you left behind in Madrid four years ago, and the call you just had with Miguel, and the excitement that came flooding in at the fact you are reuniting with them made you realise that, hmm, i might have really missed this more than i'd imagine.

It's 11, and there you were, alighting from your cab as you take a quick scan around the street that you once used to frequent. Wow, it looked way more polished than before. You could hear the loud music that was playing in the club and you walked towards the entrance for VIPs. An hour before arriving, Miguel texted you that he had reserved a table under his name so they didn't had to queue to enter the club as he said ever since the refurbishment of the club, it has gotten even more popular and the queues were too long too handle. And he was right, the queues were ridiculous, and you were glad to the miss it as you entered the club. As you walked in, people, of both genders started to turn to check you out. Not going to deny, you are very pretty, and you had an impeccable taste in fashion. Your sharp features, along with your brown doe-eyes, long brown hair with wispy bangs, and the various tattoos that are scattered around your body, and the fact you are also of Korean ethnicity, gave you the image of an Asian Baby Girl. Despite it having a negative connotation, you are happy and confident with the way you look, so you were fine with the idea of being commonly viewed as an ABG, because after all, you are known for being a sweetheart, in contrary to how you looked. You were in a black bodycon dress and your blue Balenciaga Triple S shoes that you love; the dress accentuated your hourglass figure and décolletage, making many of your tattoos visible. Ignoring the stares from the random strangers in the club, you made your way to the specific table where all of your friends were. "AHHH BELLA OH MY GOD WE'VE MISSED YOU!!!" your friends came running from the table as they saw you walking towards them. " i missed you guys too!!! i'm guessing the past four years must have been good for you guys looking at how great and happy you guys look. " you responded while giving each of them hugs, and lastly Miguel, who engulfs you in a big hug since the both of you were the closest to each other. " it definitely has been, but even more so for you! look at you, you've became a total badass with your tattoos. you're even prettier now dude! " one of your friends exclaims, and you laughed at how excited they were to see you.

You guys spend the night catching up; drinking and dancing, then drinking again, and you definitely had way too much when you found yourself in the washroom of the club, without even knowing how you got there in the first place. You tried to sober up, sitting yourself onto the one of the stools in the toilet, before you heard some weird noises that were coming from one of the cubicles. Concerned that someone might be in need of some help, you opened the cubicle, and you see a girl on her knees, her head clasped between two hands, over the groin of a man. You covered your eyes with your hands, not because you were mortified, but you were embarrassed to have witness such a scenario, and you were ready to close the door and leave. "Oh fuck, Sorry!" you apologised, and just when you moved your hands over your eyes to close the door; in that few brief seconds when your eyes were not covered, they met a pair of eyes that were once all too familiar to you. And before you knew it, you hear him saying "Bella!" before you ran out of the toilet and all you could think was, this can't be happening.

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pt. 2 out now!

#aron piper #aron #piper #aron piper ff #aron piper imagine #aron piper imagines #ander munoz #ander #elite cast #elite netflix #elite #fanfiction

[purplesurveys]

735

Hola, hablas espanol? Un poco. Haha most of my Spanish is based off of context clues from similar words and phrases that we have in Filipino, and the very basic lessons I’ve gotten from Duolingo if that even counts, so I most likely would not survive a conversation. Overall though, I can read Spanish much more quickly and better than I can listen to/speak it. Music is playing right now, isn't it? What song? No but for some reason I have the OST of one of the Mario Kart 8 tracks playing in my head. Do you use AIM? What's your screen name? No, I didn’t really catch that era anymore. How many cell phones have you gone through in your life? I had two of the classic Nokia phones, a flip phone, a hand-me-down from my dad, two iPhone 5S, and my current iPhone 8 so that makes it a total of seven. Do you have a little sister? What's her name? Yeah. We’ve always called her Nina at home but for some reason she chose to go with her full first name in school and everywhere else, so it’s always a source of confusion when her friends and I are in the same room and we call her different names hahaha.

Who was the last person you screamed at? Why were you screaming? I think my mom? I was filming my dad doing one of the Tiktok dances (yep, my parents are into Tiktok lmaooooo) but my mom blocked the camera at some point so I jokingly yelled at her to go away. Can you crack your joints? Which ones? Just my fingers, which is all I ever feel like cracking anyway. What's your favorite name for a guy? And a girl? I repeat my fave girls’ names too much on this damn site, y’all know at least one of them by now. I don’t really think of boys’ names but I suppose my current favorite is Miguel. Are you good at answering trick questions? I don’t really encounter them a lot so I wouldn’t know. Do you use Myspace or Facebook? Or both? I don’t use Myspace/was never addicted to it the way I am to like Twitter now. I do use Facebook for various reasons – to stay connected to family, to be updated with announcements from school, to communicate for work, and to share memes hahahaha. Do you need spellcheck in order to spell things correctly? Not really. Sometimes I’ll Google a word before typing it out to be 100% sure but it’s only usually for words that are commonly misspelled, like ‘occasionally.’ Do you do too many surveys? How many have you done today? I don’t know if taking them daily counts as taking them too much but to be fair I only take one to three surveys a day. I definitely take much fewer surveys than I did, like, seven years ago when I would fill out ten a day. Have you ever changed yourself to impress someone? Who? I remember trying to like bands like The Summer Set, You Me At Six, The Maine, We Came As Romans, This Century, etc in Grade 6 because all the cooler, hipster kids liked them. UGH thinking about how I acted during that period is so cringe because I never even liked any of the fucking music but I tried so hard to, lmao. There were only three bands I ended up genuinely enjoying: All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens, and We Are the In Crowd. After that I stopped paying attention to what people liked. Who was the last person you gave up on? Why did you give up on them? I think it was Macy. She has changed a lot and it’s obvious we are not as close as before and when we do talk it’s mostly awkward small talk. I don’t know what happened along the way, but I just hope she’s happy. What was the last thing you printed? Is there even ink in your printer? I usually have stuff printed in school because with my dad not being home most of the time, my mom and brother never printing anything, and my sister living in a dorm, it doesn’t seem worth it to keep buying ink just for me. The last thing I printed was a news article I needed to turn in for business writing class. What's your favorite number? Is there any reason that's your favorite? 4. I honestly liked it initially because it’s Beyoncé’s favorite number so I just stuck with that answer for the longest time haha. What kind of shampoo do you use? Does it smell amazing? It’s one of the Dove shampoos. It’s nothing life-changing but seeing as it’s a hair care product, it of course smells nice and decent.   Do you go to concerts? What was the last one you attended? Not a lot. I save my attendance for my absolute favorites which means that so far I’ve been to two Paramore shows and one One Direction show. I make sure they’re bigger, more mainstream acts that don’t happen in the Philippines a lot because it’s my dad who pays, and I wanna make sure what I’m asking him to treat me to is gonna be a super super worth it experience, if that makes sense. Have you ever had a conversation with someone through bulletins? I don’t think so. Do you shop online? With your own credit card, or someone else's? I have food delivered from online but I barely buy other stuff online. I use cash on delivery since I don’t own any kind of card. Who's your best friend? How long have you known each other? I’ve known Angela for 15 years and Gab for 9. Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend? Why did you break up? She freaked out and thought we were rushing too much at 17, which she was right about. Have you ever gotten your nails done? Or do you get them done regularly? Never but Gabie keeps telling me that we should have a nail day hahahaha. Idk, I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of someone working on my fingers or toes or any part of my body. Have you been outside yet today? What were you doing? Sure. I stepped out into our backyard to walk my dog for a few minutes in the afternoon; in the evening my family and I had dinner on our rooftop which is technically a part of outside. Tell me about the last thing that made you laugh until it hurt. It was one of the more recent segments from a Korean reality show I watch. It’s not gonna be funny if I narrate it lmao but suffice it to say it’s a show about kids and their dads, and the kid that I watched in particular is exceptionally smart for his age and says a lot of witty things. One of the things he said was bullseye for me and I ended up nearly screaming in laughter at 3 AM. When was the last time you got a new bed? Is your bed comfy? 2008. We never changed my bed from when we first moved here. Yes, I’d say it is. What kind of games did you play on the playground when you were younger? I loved playing at the sandbox because I found the texture really fun to touch and play with; I also liked the swing and the trapeze bars.

Have you ever buried a time capsule with a friend? Did you dig it up yet? Nope. I find them very interesting though. Tell me one thing you'd like to change in 2010. There's gotta be something. That was a whole-ass decade ago, holy shit. I don’t remember what I sought for 2010 back in 2009 but I imagine one of them is for me to find a friend to be with because it was in 2010 that two of my closest friends, Andi and Angel, both migrated to New Zealand and Canada. Spoiler alert: I didn’t, and I was sad the entire year. Do you have or want any tattoos? Of what? Yes. The only design I can think of right now is my dog’s pawprint. Do you remember the first time you ever drove a car? Who were you with? Yeah, it was in my parents’ old Mitsubishi Lancer. I was with my mom and I drove too close to curbs/walls the entire time haha. Do any of your friends drink excess amounts of alcohol? Do you? JM drank a lot at the start of the quarantine to the point that I started to get worried, but I think he’s lessened his intake in the last few weeks. Other than him I don’t know anyone with a drinking problem. I certainly don’t have one. What color is your favorite hoodie? When did you get it? Hoodies aren’t really my thing so I don’t have a favorite one. How many pairs of shoes do you have? Are they under your bed? Around 10-15 would be a safe guess. They’re in a shoe rack in a bodega-like space underneath our stairs. What exactly is under your bed? Is it a mess? Not a mess. I just have my old WWE magazines and other various magazines that I collected as a teenager with Beyoncé and Kristen Stewart on the cover stored in two large containers. Have you ever been in handcuffs? Why, exactly? Not by the police, lol byeeeeeeeeeeee What's your favorite thing to do when drunk? Would you do this sober? I join games a lot more and I’m generally friendlier and louder. I can be the first two when I’m sober, just a lot more reserved. When was the last time you bled? What happened? I caught a mosquito sucking blood off of my knee a week ago. Have you ever had to be put to sleep at a hospital? Why? Nope. Do you actually have a calendar on your wall? What are the pictures of? I do not. When are you planning on moving out of your parents' house? In 2-3 years when I’ve saved enough, probably. I’m itching to do it as soon as I can though. Tell me about your day today. :) It was my parents’ 23rd wedding anniversary so we had a bigger brunch that consisted of pancit Malabon, several sticks of barbecue, sisig, and various kakanin to celebrate. The afternoon was uneventful and I just spent most of it brushing up on my Spanish lessons hah, then I had a quick siesta; then for dinner we had burgers from a local place that recently opened again while the quarantine is ongoing. Are you a fan of dogs? Do you have any pets? I LOVE dogs, except for chihuahuas which I genuinely am unable to start liking because of (most of) their personalities. I will definitely care for one if I see them starving at a road but ugh idk, I just like all other dogs a lot more. And I know there are cuddly and behaved chihuahuas out there but I’ve simply seen more feisty ones and since then it’s been hard to have my mind changed about them. Who was the last person in your family to graduate high school? Was it you? My sister graduated in 2018. Have you ever been on a cruise? How many? Where did they go? Yeah, just once, for my 18th birthday. I went to China, Japan, and South Korea.

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