#eli marrow

What started out as just headcanon for Robbie and his car turned into the first half of a fic. Hopefully, I’ll finish this during Robbie Reyes week but if not at least I’ve contributed something!

The first time he saw her was in the junkyard. A rusted out body stripped of useful parts. Robbie didn’t think it was worth five bucks much less the amount that Eli was willing to pay for it but the man insisted. The 1969 Dodge Charger was a classic. The 1969 Dodge Charger was a beauty. The 1969 Dodge Charger was a blahblahblah. Robbie had perfected that sullen, glazed over look and it rested on his face as Eli talked. He knew all this, it had been his favorite car since he was six and his dad had given him a Hot Wheels version of it. But Robbie didn’t want that piece of junk, he didn’t want Eli’s enthusiasm, he didn’t want any of this. 

All he wanted was his mom.

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Every weekend over the summer, Robbie and Eli went to the various junkyards in L.A. and nearby cities, finding each piece they needed. Robbie just stared out the window as they drove and looked through the scrapyards barely uttering more than a word at a time. If Eli was bothered by the long stretches of silence and the unanswered questions, he never showed it. Most of the time he filled the quiet with talk about the specs of the car they were putting together. V8 engine or something larger? Keep it authentic or maybe upgrade a few things? Cherry red or-

“Black.” Robbie watched Eli’s reflection in the window rather than looking at the man himself. He was already hunching in on himself, feeling defensive and expecting rejection. 

“Matte black or glossy?”

For the first time since Eli had forced him into this project, Robbie pictured what the results of their work would be and what he wanted it to be. And for the first time in months, a smile flickered on his lips.

“Glossy.”

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On Uncle Eli’s days off, he and Robbie worked on the car. The broken framework of the car slowly transforming into something whole under their hands. Building something felt good and while he was distracted with work, Robbie was more free with his words, stringing together full sentences rather than single word answers. Afternoons spent working on the car were where Eli learned the most about his oldest nephew. 

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Robbie snuck out to the Charger the night after they put the seats in. The walls of the house were thin and even with Tio’s snoring Robbie didn’t feel like he had much privacy. But in the car, he was alone, in a safe place, and free from the worries that anyone might hear him. And for the first time since his parent’s funeral, he cried over them. Silent tears turning into choking sobs of anger and grief that he had kept pent up. He had tried so hard to be strong for Gabe’s sake, to hold everything together even when Eli had come to fill in the gap their parents had left. But it hurt, and even after he had no tears left Robbie still couldn’t catch his breath between the sob that wracked his body. 

Mariah Dillard: Reluctant Politician who embraces crime lady 

 Cornell Stokes: Ambitious crime lord who did not get his house in order

 Shades Alvarez: Ruthless gangster who is a very good No. 2 

 Diamondback: Jackass who quotes the Bible and has Daddy Issues 

 Eli Marrow: Resentful bitter smart guy who plays at being God

 Lucy Barrow: Sad mean ghost lady 

 Aida: Most courteous evil robot ever

 Kaecilius: Soooo many Hannibal references