matador (manolo sanchez x reader) ₊˚

you don't know women, my love

"Manolo."

"Manolo... Get up!"

Manolo slowly regains his consciousness, palming the back of his head with his hand as he stands back up to full height. The sky, once sunny and vibrant, gets covered by a layer of gray clouds. With the entire arena gone, the area felt empty and barren.

"I'm sorry Papa-"

"Do not make it worse by apologizing, a Sanchez man never apologizes! Never!" Carlos scolds.

"Ever." Abuela nods.

"If being a bullfighter means... killing the bull, well, then I'm no bullfighter." Manolo states, building up courage with his words.

"No, you are no Sanchez." Carlos utters. Manolo senses the pure bitterness in his voice, feeling small underneath the cold stare of his father.

Speechlessly, Manolo watches as Carlos pushes Abuela's wheelchair, walking off towards the exit of the arena. The boy stares ahead in defeat, the bull he was even meant to kill giving him a shake of its head. It leaves, abandoning Manolo in the arena.

Out of the corner of his eye, Manolo spots your flower on the ground beside him, reaching down to pick it up.

"Victory!" Xibalba exclaims from the sidelines, cackling in La Muerte's face. "That poor kid never had a chance, my dear, good game though!" He slyly says, holding out his hand to shake.

The goddess shakes her head, confidently peering down at her champion. "It's not over." She says, nodding her head towards Manolo.

Manolo's hands subconsciously reach for his guitar on the ground, searching for a source of definitive comfort. All he has in the arena is his instrument, the singular link that he has to you. He slides the stalk of the flower by the turning keys of his guitar, closing his eyes and starting off a tune that comes to mind. Manolo thinks only of you when he plays, gazing at the flower in reminder of your presence.

"Ay, (Name.)" Manolo whispers.

"When you were here before... I never knew how to talk to you."

As Manolo's fingers glide across the strings on his guitar, beams of sunlight cut through the dark clouds, shining onto him as he pours his heart into his music. He feels the warmth of the light from the sun, reminded of you.

(im so sorry if the song sequences are cringe asf 😭😭😭 i tried my best! i personally imagine to be a little slower than the original, maybe more romantic?? idkkk )

Slowly, you emerge from the exit of the observation platform, having forgotten your fan on the ledge. You hear the gentle tunes of a guitar, intriguingly peering down toward the arena. The moment you spot Manolo, playing on the guitar that you gave him, your heart warms on the spot. You try your best to keep quiet as Manolo plays, soon forgetting your fan in favor of finally getting to hear how Manolo sings.

"Run to me, confess your love, at least just let me say..."

Tucking your hair behind your ear, you glue your eyes onto Manolo, admiring how much he's improved since you last saw him. You can't believe he's still kept the guitar, after all those years.

"That when I talk to you oh, Cupid walks right through,
And shoots an arrow through my heart!"

Manolo strums with such an intense passion, following through with the words that you engraved into his guitar. His bullfight never had such heart put into it, not as much as the way he plays his song.

"And I sound like a loon, but don't you feel it too?

Confess, I've loved you from the start!"