walked through bullets & haze

raúl castillo & he/him/cismale ‷ watch out, castel velázquez has crash-landed into roswell !! they look forty four years old and celebrate their birthday on november 18th . they are from reynosa, mexico , reside in greystone complex and are currently working as plumber . one thing you should know about them is that he did a three year prison stint for gang related crime.

Chiba turned to the stranger, an eyebrow cocked. “Ah, but I wanted actual good coffee, I wouldn’t call what they serve at Crashdown coffee. There’s more water than taste in that one,” he said, shaking his head in annoyance at the Nebula. He liked this place, it was cozy and dumb and he could get a shot of caramel in his coffee, which to him meant it was fancy, since he usually drank his coffee black. But where his mother - in her words - appreciated her ancestry and good quality tea, he wanted good quality coffee.

          as he had said , beggars couldn’t be choosers . castel , himself hadn’t been picky . as long as it was warm , and dark enough you couldn’t see the bottom of the cup , he’d drink it . typically he made his own coffee at home , but when struck with a little extra time , he’d splurge . so the wait was no sweat off his back . ❝ guess you’re stuck waiting then . you been out here a full hour already ?? ❞

           ❝ wanna quit standing there looking pretty and hand me that mallet ?? ❞ castel urges , head nodding toward the toolbox on the ground as his hands balanced a fence picket from toppling over . when one of his elderly clients spoke about needing her fence fixed , the least he could do was oblige and enlist in some help . it would be easy money if they managed to get the job done .

they  can’t  help  the  laugh,  but  she  knows  that  he  means  it,  “of  course  you  would,”  they  tease,  but  it  does  feel  like  a  relief  because  they  know  he  means  it  beyond  just  what he’s  said literally.  “banging  the  babysitter  is  a  wet-dream  trope,”  she  pulls  her  cardigan  around  her  shoulders  a  little  more,  the  chill  sweeping  them  as  november  begins.

         “no, no, i mean babysitter thing aside. you’re gorgeous, stell.” what gabe lacked in filters, paid off in compliments, and you could at least count on him for saying exactly how he felt. “no cap. you gonna keep that red thing goin’ for awhile or is this a limited run?”

the logical part of her brain tells her she should say no - turn him down, just like she always did when he started flirting with her again, but she’d never been the type to listen to logic. because tonight, she just wants to forget, to embrace this liminal space they’ve found themselves in, even though she knows where this will end. her hopes rising, attachment, before it all falls apart again. but… she can’t bring herself to care. not when it feels so good to be with him, here, right now.  she only hesitates for a moment before she leans across the center console of the car, brushing a slow kiss against his lips, a shiver trailing down her spine at the sensation that’s still so familiar after so many years. “thought you’d never ask,” she muttered softly. at least, he had asked before - but the difference was that this time, she wasn’t angry. wasn’t ready to lash out, like she usually was. her fingertips trailed down his chest, curled just enough so that her nails scrape against his chest before she’s slipping out of the passenger door and into the backseat just as quickly, shooting him a challenging look as she does.

          the reaction is not what gabe had expected. taken aback by the kiss as the blonde leans across the front seats. if only he had the ability to recognize that this was such a bad idea, or the ability to care. hand’s quick to raise and oversized fingers part through blonde locks as he takes every moment to enjoy the kiss - for once, she doesn’t seem pissed off, so he’ll savour every moment to enjoy it in the event she shuts it down.

gabriel takes a different approach to entering the back seat. wasting no time in sliding over the seats and plummeting down in the back, shoes kicked off into the drivers side in the process. movement’s fluid and he’s back to closing the gap between them. “i missed this,” husky voice whispers against the small gap between them before closing it again with a kiss, thumb resting on the curve of her jaw.

“ how did i know that was coming ?? no , no – i’m gonna be right back at it as soon as i can . i can’t let you think you’ve won , “ already the increase in jaden’s physical activity had performed wonders on his physique , let alone the innate skill that had been hibernating for the best part of two years . “ that’s a super cute gift . fingers crossed they turn out a little baller like their dad . then you’ll have double the competition , “ 

         “i just know if i had a kid, i’d want them to have some pretty sweet kicks.” there’s a pause, and he trips over his words to speak again. “glad i don’t though. you can be the one to keep poppin ‘em out. congrats by the way. and just so you know, i’m not above schoolin’ a baby, either. i could try to wrangle up my sister to play so we’re at least kinda even.”

“yeah, can you believe that? i can’t. like, i came up with the whole costume – just got a cat woman’s mask. it was a last minute thing, as my best friend wouldn’t take no for an answer.” not that they didn’t have fun after all, but still, she could appreciate the rest. “i don’t think i will be able to drink that much. 100 dollars bar tap is.. a lot of drinks, no?” 

         “you probably just look really hot in a cat woman mask. a hundred dollars does sounds like a good night.” what was that, like, ten to twelve drinks? “don’t tell your friend or they’re gonna want a slice of that win.”

∗—— ❝  ROSWELL TASK 003 ; 𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 ❝ ——∗

there’s something about all of this that makes winter feel like she’s in high school again. and with the way he touches her, if she closes her eyes and pretends she’s not who she is because of what gabe did, it almost feels like they really are. happy - or at least, she’d been happy with him back then - with her happy as can be being the pretty blonde girlfriend at his side. there’s something in the way her heart pounds, tempting and impossible to ignore, as she leans her cheek into his touch almost unconsciously. “make it sound like we couldn’t be again if you just asked.” she doesn’t know why she says it - maybe because they’re in something that feels like a liminal space, or at least what she’s read them described as, where time moves differently. where the past few years had never happened, and she was just the silly younger girlfriend who loved him more than anything. because winter carver had always been the kind of girl who loved with every piece of her - or, at least, she had been until she’d had it proven to her time and time again that no one loved her the same way, and not just by him, really. the kind of girl who would do and be anything if it meant making the one she loved happy. she pauses for half a heartbeat before adding, her voice softer, “sometimes when you’re actin’ like this, i forget why i get mad at you the way i do.”

          its probably a trap - he knows he shouldn’t ask, but he was never good at being his own voice of reason. part of the real reason they’d ended things the way the did. why he couldn’t just live with the idea of being monogamous. she’s in a position of vulnerability and mouth should keep shut and power on the car to drive her home, but of course for gabriel decker, that isn’t the way it goes.  “acting like what? drivin’ you home? i wouldn’t have made you walk.”

head falls against the head rest and gaze lands on her an extra minute or so before continuing to speak. “if you hold off on being mad for a second, we can put that energy to good use.. y’know, in the backseat. if you want?” theres a pause before speaking again. “that’s me askin.”