matador (manolo sanchez x reader) ₊˚

cuz no one's that big, man!

"Maria Posada, do you take Joaquin to be your husband?"

Within the church, all of San Angel sits before the couple, both of them dressed in nice ivory attire. The reception is painfully bleak, lacking any color or actual passion. Maria stands, almost gazing off into space as the priest asks the question, hollowed out from her losses.

She nods once, her expression glued to the ground, while her voice drips with sadness.

"Yes. For San Angel, I do."

Joaquin's expression falters into hesitation, the reality of his situation settling in as he hears Maria's voice. He turns towards Maria, who gives him a reassuring smile. He examines Maria's expression, realization starting to seep into him that what's happening doesn't feel right.

"I..."

A loud, thunderous crash echoes throughout the walls of the church, sending the citizens of San Angel screaming. The church door slams open, revealing the two children sent to warn General Posada.

"Chakal is here!!"

Maria's eyes widen as she takes a few steps back, while Joaquin's face pales in shock. He feels around his wedding suit for the Medal of Everlasting Life, panic surging through his veins when he realizes it's not on him.

"M- my medal! It's on my other suit, I gotta go!" Joaquin mumbles, running off and bursting through the church doors. Maria only watches in disappointment, before turning to her father.

"But, Joaquin's the only one who can defeat Chakal!" He utters fearfully.

Maria peers around towards the hundreds of her people in the church, who quiver and shake with fear. She takes a bold step forward, looking into her father's eyes.

"We can fight them together, Papa!"

. . .

"Toro, toro venga!" Manolo screams, taunting the bull with his muleta.

You clutch Manolo's guitar tighter as the colossal bull takes a few steps forward. A few gasps ring through the air as a hot ring of fire encapsulates both of them into a circle, forcing both of them to fight.

"Venga, toro!" Manolo says once more, this time with hesitation in his voice.

The bull wastes no time in charging towards Manolo, before using its engraved horn to knock into the matador. Worry accelerates in your mind as Manolo practically flies across the entire arena, crashing into the stone wall and toppling to the ground.

"Manny!"

. . .

Just outside the borders of San Angel, Chakal leads the way towards the edge of the town, slamming down the sacred archway and marching in. The citizens on the outskirts of the town fearfully sprint for their lives, meeting outside of the church.

"Everyone, listen up!" Maria shouts, standing just outside the entrance of the holy building. She gazes towards her fearful townspeople, her heart crumbling at the sound of their frightened chatter.

Pepe stops his dramatic trumpeting, after his bandmate gives him a harsh slap to the head. Maria thinks of you, then Manolo, peering around at the various places in San Angel that you used to play in. Her childhood, a few of her most beloved memories, reside in this town.

"I know you're scared, but look around you. You know what I see? I see proud people ready to fight for their beloved town!" Maria exclaims, gesturing to the crowd.

Slowly, Maria walks by the citizens of San Angel, giving each of them affirming nods.

"And I see that inside each of you, is a strength that cannot be measured." She states, handing a soldier his sword.