matador (manolo sanchez x reader) ₊˚

don't ever stop fighting for what's right

From the thick cloud of dust and debris, Chakal angrily bursts from the rubble, ready for war, but the heavy slabs of rubble on his mechanical arm stop him. As the bandit king yanks and pulls for his freedom, he slowly looks left and right, realizing his situation. All his men are defeated.

With squinted eyes, you can only barely see through the dust. Your confusion turns into fear when you see Chakal, suddenly and hastily lighting every single bomb on his chest.

"I'm taking this whole town with me." He evilly utters.

The townspeople, your people, erupt into panicked whimpers and cries. The Sanchezes watch with despair, realizing that their work was all for nothing.

As the dust fully disperses, Manolo and Joaquin are left together, while you hurriedly rush towards Maria. You reach her, matching her panicked expression. She links her arm with yours, holding you close as doom slowly starts to seep into you.

Against the now bright sun, Joaquin turns around towards his father's grave, his expression solemn.

"No more shadows, dad."

Joaquin feels his brother's hand on his shoulder. "No retreat?"

"No surrender." Joaquin says, with sureness.

Both you and Maria watch the interaction between them in horror, practically predicting what they're about to do. As Joaquin and your beloved sprint towards Chakal, you feel practically paralyzed in place, unable to take action.

"What are they doing?" Maria utters. You grip Maria tighter.

The two men run towards Chakal with full force, tackling the bandit king and sending him further into the rubble, under the giant church bell. Joaquin restrains Chakal with his own metal arm, while Manolo punches him in the jaw. It all happens so quickly, and your heart rate increases tenfold.

"Manolo, the column!" Joaquin shouts.

You hear what Joaquin says, and a heavy gasp escapes your throat. Panic seizes your blood, and you quickly let go of Maria, taking a step towards the scene. Manolo, while holding Chakal down, harshly kicks the column a few times. Every kick causes the column to crumble, further sending you into a wild panic. Manolo then holds down Chakal once more, turning towards Joaquin.

"Hey. Don't ever stop fighting for what's right."

Joaquin's eyes widen. "Wait, what-"

Manolo harshly shoves Joaquin away from under the church bell, where he then tumbles onto the cobblestone. Realization washes over you as you watch Manolo restrain Chakal even tighter with his own arm, and you feel bile rise in your throat.

"No way-" You start.

You can't believe that after all this work it took you both to get back to the Land of the Living, Manolo is willing to risk it all again. Your mind frantically scrambles for a solution, anything that you can imagine to save his life. There has go to be some way, you think.

As you happen to look up, you catch sight of the gods, still standing on the head of the church and watching everything unfold. Xibalba's odd green skin suddenly reminds you of something... the Medal of Everlasting Life.

An idea surges in your head all at once, and you find yourself acting before you can even fully think. You feel the exact same way you did, when Manolo fought against the giant bull.

You quickly turn towards San Angel, and Manolo's extended family.

"Where is the Medal!? Where is it!?" You wildly shout throughout the crowd. The Sanchezes woefully shrug. San Angel looks at you wordlessly, like you're crazy. After a few seconds, Maria reluctantly reveals it to you, holding it up under the shine of the sun. The bright green glow of the medal reflects against your skin, and you quickly snatch it from Maria's hands. She gasps.