p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"Sounds that typically bring the young man a sense of home have him on edge on his path down the familiar route. Unrelenting sun is the only odd in his favor of making it home alive. Darkened hues dart from one side to the other, with a tilt of the head as he peers over each shoulder and he's never felt more afraid. Peace was the only option when he became a member of the MC that seemed to gain notoriety every day. De-escalation; the key to their survival in a constant warzone and a lesson he'd been taught long before he sewed on his patch./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"Times were uncertain now. He's not used to being on alert as often as he is. He's always dealt with life with a sense of urgency. Moving from home to home with his sister until they finally landed a place off of Del Rosa. Was it the greatest area? Not by a long shot, but his sister made every effort to turn the shabby-looking two bedroom they had into an oasis that their mother was only able to dream about./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"strongLizeth./strong That's who he truly fears for. The sibling who'd been forced to take on the role of mother to him from the day their real one passed. Tones of disappointment lay claim to a special pocket of his rampant mind upon making the decision to prospect; ones that if he closed his eyes for long enough, could have easily came from heavens gates instead of the glare cast upon him in reality. If he were to list how many things she's given up for him, how many opportunities to leave lost on making sure he went to school every day, he'd need more paper than they could even afford./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"strongThis/strong is how he can be a man. He was flipping burgers at George's when the Son's rolled through, taking a look at the Harley he'd built with a friend in admiration and making their inquiries. This is how you can be a man. At least that's what Mikhail told him. And who was he to argue with the only other man his sister wholeheartedly trusted? Until he got recruited. Then she vowed to never speak a kind word to him again. Already starting at a disadvantage, but that's how he spent most of his life up until this point. Filipe isn't a stranger to adversity./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"He doesn't feel like much of a man now either, though. Warm metal under a sweating palm feels like sanctuary and he's quick to slide in through the wooden barrier. one full, crisp breath. it tastes like freedom, but it doesn't linger. he's not that lucky yet. there's still the smiling face twisting to one of concern to worry, now approaching him at a rapid pace. "Fili, you look like strongshit/strong. Are you alright? You didn't bring any water or what,em tonto?/em" he attempts to gulp at the lump in his throat before offering a short laugh. "Nah, I'm good. My bike's still being worked on and the shops not that far, so I thought I'd just walk." No lies so far. Off to a good start, he thinks as he moves around her in pursuit of the fridge. He can barely guide his fingers to the handle before he can feel the shift in energy beside him./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;""And bet, not a single one of those assholes offered you a ride home. That's the kind of shit I'm talking about with them Fili. They don't care about you once your wheels are gone, even if it's temporary. What is it, like, 90 degrees out today? You could have had a heat stroke." Creak that the door creates provides a welcome break from her rant, if he could even call it that. It was more like advice that he should be taking in, but he opts to absorb the cool rush of air that hits him instead. It's followed by more metal to his palm, this time cool and refreshing relief in the form of liquid sugar./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;""I didn't even think about asking, just kinda left y'know? It's not a big deal. I needed to think anyway." Jagged breath is washed down with carbonation, features scrunching momentarily at the sensation before his focus falls on the smaller brunette in front of him. "You can't keep putting all your shit with Mikhail on me, Liz. Just because you two are going through it, doesn't mean the club as a whole is a problem. emstrongThey're good guys./strong/em We do charity drives and fundraisers for the schools-" Words are cut off by a tsk of the tongue and he knows he's aggravated her. He's well-prepared though, the conversation needed to be had for far too long and he often thought about what the outcome would be, what would actually be said./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;""First of all, you don't get to speak on whatever is going on between me and Mik. Yeah, he gave me a bad taste in my mouth about what they do, but that club is the problem. No amount of charities or fucking fundraisers can add up to the blood they've helped spill on these streets. The guns they've put into the hands of psychopaths, Fili, and emyou're/em helping them. You don't think I know what's good?" A short pause before a huff, mess of curls shaking as a hand runs shakily through the strands. "Being an old lady gets you a lot of bullshit and secrets you didn't ask for, so do yourself a favor and don't get one. If you're serious about this bullshit, then don't drag anyone else into it. I already made that mistake by getting with Mickey, letting you see the fun side that drags you in and trying to protect you from the bad that actually happens. Now look at you, bringing up all the good you guys do while you probably just got back from counting glocks. It's sad and mom would be emashamed/em. Just be lucky I love you or your ass would be out under the fuckin' strongbridge/strong."/p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"As quickly as appeared, she's gone. Slam of the door to her room as an indicator of where she'd chosen to decompress. What opportunity was there now to tell her of the imminent threat? If he were to bother her one more time, he would be out on the streets he now feared and anxieties that melted upon entry slowly began to buzz within his cells again. His only choice was at the other end of his ringing phone. "Hey Mik. Yeah, we got a problem, she ain't comin'… Nah, I didn't tell her yet, but she's pissed… Yeah at you, and if I tell her whats good, she's gonna kill me before they do… Aight, thanks man." Problem had been somewhat solved and yet the click didn't bring the sense of calm he's looking for. Thoughts of being trapped at the warehouse with the club and one person who seethed with hatred for every member kept the knot wound tight in his stomach as he disappeared into his own safe haven./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"Times were uncertain now. He's not used to being on alert as often as he is. He's always dealt with life with a sense of urgency. Moving from home to home with his sister until they finally landed a place off of Del Rosa. Was it the greatest area? Not by a long shot, but his sister made every effort to turn the shabby-looking two bedroom they had into an oasis that their mother was only able to dream about./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"strongLizeth./strong That's who he truly fears for. The sibling who'd been forced to take on the role of mother to him from the day their real one passed. Tones of disappointment lay claim to a special pocket of his rampant mind upon making the decision to prospect; ones that if he closed his eyes for long enough, could have easily came from heavens gates instead of the glare cast upon him in reality. If he were to list how many things she's given up for him, how many opportunities to leave lost on making sure he went to school every day, he'd need more paper than they could even afford./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"strongThis/strong is how he can be a man. He was flipping burgers at George's when the Son's rolled through, taking a look at the Harley he'd built with a friend in admiration and making their inquiries. This is how you can be a man. At least that's what Mikhail told him. And who was he to argue with the only other man his sister wholeheartedly trusted? Until he got recruited. Then she vowed to never speak a kind word to him again. Already starting at a disadvantage, but that's how he spent most of his life up until this point. Filipe isn't a stranger to adversity./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"He doesn't feel like much of a man now either, though. Warm metal under a sweating palm feels like sanctuary and he's quick to slide in through the wooden barrier. one full, crisp breath. it tastes like freedom, but it doesn't linger. he's not that lucky yet. there's still the smiling face twisting to one of concern to worry, now approaching him at a rapid pace. "Fili, you look like strongshit/strong. Are you alright? You didn't bring any water or what,em tonto?/em" he attempts to gulp at the lump in his throat before offering a short laugh. "Nah, I'm good. My bike's still being worked on and the shops not that far, so I thought I'd just walk." No lies so far. Off to a good start, he thinks as he moves around her in pursuit of the fridge. He can barely guide his fingers to the handle before he can feel the shift in energy beside him./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;""And bet, not a single one of those assholes offered you a ride home. That's the kind of shit I'm talking about with them Fili. They don't care about you once your wheels are gone, even if it's temporary. What is it, like, 90 degrees out today? You could have had a heat stroke." Creak that the door creates provides a welcome break from her rant, if he could even call it that. It was more like advice that he should be taking in, but he opts to absorb the cool rush of air that hits him instead. It's followed by more metal to his palm, this time cool and refreshing relief in the form of liquid sugar./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;""I didn't even think about asking, just kinda left y'know? It's not a big deal. I needed to think anyway." Jagged breath is washed down with carbonation, features scrunching momentarily at the sensation before his focus falls on the smaller brunette in front of him. "You can't keep putting all your shit with Mikhail on me, Liz. Just because you two are going through it, doesn't mean the club as a whole is a problem. emstrongThey're good guys./strong/em We do charity drives and fundraisers for the schools-" Words are cut off by a tsk of the tongue and he knows he's aggravated her. He's well-prepared though, the conversation needed to be had for far too long and he often thought about what the outcome would be, what would actually be said./p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;""First of all, you don't get to speak on whatever is going on between me and Mik. Yeah, he gave me a bad taste in my mouth about what they do, but that club is the problem. No amount of charities or fucking fundraisers can add up to the blood they've helped spill on these streets. The guns they've put into the hands of psychopaths, Fili, and emyou're/em helping them. You don't think I know what's good?" A short pause before a huff, mess of curls shaking as a hand runs shakily through the strands. "Being an old lady gets you a lot of bullshit and secrets you didn't ask for, so do yourself a favor and don't get one. If you're serious about this bullshit, then don't drag anyone else into it. I already made that mistake by getting with Mickey, letting you see the fun side that drags you in and trying to protect you from the bad that actually happens. Now look at you, bringing up all the good you guys do while you probably just got back from counting glocks. It's sad and mom would be emashamed/em. Just be lucky I love you or your ass would be out under the fuckin' strongbridge/strong."/p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;" /p
p style="margin: 0in; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt;"As quickly as appeared, she's gone. Slam of the door to her room as an indicator of where she'd chosen to decompress. What opportunity was there now to tell her of the imminent threat? If he were to bother her one more time, he would be out on the streets he now feared and anxieties that melted upon entry slowly began to buzz within his cells again. His only choice was at the other end of his ringing phone. "Hey Mik. Yeah, we got a problem, she ain't comin'… Nah, I didn't tell her yet, but she's pissed… Yeah at you, and if I tell her whats good, she's gonna kill me before they do… Aight, thanks man." Problem had been somewhat solved and yet the click didn't bring the sense of calm he's looking for. Thoughts of being trapped at the warehouse with the club and one person who seethed with hatred for every member kept the knot wound tight in his stomach as he disappeared into his own safe haven./p
