❛ i'll take care of you. ❜

❛ it's rotten work. ❜

❛ not to me. not if it's you. ❜

⭑･ﾟﾟ･･･ﾟﾟ･⭑

Araceli Ibarra had a problem. A nuisance of a problem, which in turn made her career weep and her heart terribly heavy to carry around in her chest day after day. She was a people pleaser; a bootlicker, kiss ass, doormat of a person who went out of her way to make all those around her comfortable. She liked to blame her star sign, it wasn't easy being a Gemini after all, but she knew there was more to it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she was the first born daughter in her Mexican family, or maybe she simply hadn't ever grown a backbone. It was hard to tell and a lot to unpack in present moment.

Enter Carmen Berzatto, to make matters worse, knocking on her door — how did he get her address? — and attacking her with those eyes. A single look from him and she was putty in his hands, ready to be molded into whoever he needed her to be for him next. They hadn't spoken in years, but that didn't change a single thing. Just one little glance took her back through the ages... to two houses next door to each other and the day her family moved in, when at the ripe age of five her mother sent her over with a paper bag full of pan dulce because "they're our neighbors and we want them to like us when we throw parties past three a.m.", only for Carmen to meet her halfway with a tub of Italian coffee to share the same sentiment with shaky hands and a stutter.

To them at age seven, working with Carmen on being able to speak more clearly and maintain strong eye contact with her through a full conversation. Age twelve, Carmen gifted her a set of watercolors and sat impatiently tapping his fingers as he allowed her to paint him. Age seventeen, Carmen told her he wanted to pursue cooking whilst being lookout for her as she tried out spray painting for the first time. Eighteen, he had it all mapped out, Paris, he would go to culinary school and go on to become a famous chef and she would be a renowned artist and go on to paint galleries full of art that would one day be studied by aspiring creators. It was all going to be perfect and they'd be together.

Age twenty one... nothing was the same and they stopped speaking. Fast forward more than a couple years, and he stood before her like he never left, he was wearing the necklace she tore off ages ago, his hair was a mess, her stomach was in knots, time slowed down and he opened his mouth... and she slammed the door closed.

What else was she to do when she'd somehow summoned a ghost?

⭑･ﾟﾟ･･･ﾟﾟ･⭑

DANNA PAOLA.....
ARACELI 'ACE' IBARRA

❝ those eyes just add insult to injury,
and yet... i couldn't look away if i tried. ❞

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE.....
CARMEN 'BEAR' BERZATTO

❝ i'm tired of waiting, i'm sick of pretending,
it's so tiring, just be here, be with me. ❞

featuring..........................'la familia'
danny ramirez...........alonzo guerra
xolo maridueña....guillermo ibarra
xochitl gomez............marisol ibarra

⭑･ﾟﾟ･･･ﾟﾟ･⭑

TRIGGER WARNINGS.....
mentions of: cursing and mature themes, suicide, drug and alcohol addiction, verbal abuse, violence, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, and family dysfunction.

angel's notes:
i couldn't help the carmy brainrot any longer, i truly hadn't thought about the bear in a while bc i was watching it casually and said it'd be a silent obsession but then this very specific fic crawled into my head and demanded to be written and now here we are !! i've poured everything i have into this all day long and now she's here <3 pls pls let me know what you guys think, i haven't written for a show this chaotic in a while ahh !! btw pan dulce = sweet bread, essentially mexican pastries very often enjoyed with a coffee or hot chocolate, prepare for me showcasing my mx culture in this one !!

STARTED: 2.3.24
FINISHED: