Five Times Miguel Stayed Behind
Title: Five Times Miguel Stayed Behind (...and one time he didn't)
Rating: PG
Summary: My first attempt at a five-times fic and completely un-beta'd. Please forgive my inability to write drabbles. Slight angst warning.
Genre: General
Characters/Pairings: Miguel (doy), Tulio, Chel, OCs
Words: 627
1. “Papa?” Green eyes stared, uncomprehending, up at the blonde-haired man.
“Miguel,” The man started, then paused to brush something away from his eyes before kneeling down next to his son. “Miguel, you have to be strong, all right? Take care of your sister. Papa will be back once Mama is well again.”
Miguel glanced over at the toddler playing carefree in the dust nearby, oblivious to what was happening. “Yes, Papa.”
“Good boy,” a strong hand ruffled Miguel’s hair, with only the slightest tremor.
Miguel did his best to hold back his tears as he watched them go. He had to be strong.
2. “Come on, Miguel!” Carmen shouted. “They’re coming!”
Shirtsleeves and pockets bulging with stolen food, Miguel vaulted over the stall and joined his sister with a breathless grin. “Did you see that?”
“Yeah, and so did the guards! Come on!”
They ran together, hand in hand... and turned a corner straight into a patrol. The guards behind them were getting closer, too close, and the walls on either side were too high to jump.
Miguel boosted Carmen onto his shoulders, letting her scramble onto the rooftops and to freedom. He ignored her offered hand, and her screams as he was dragged away.
3. The news spread like wildfire: someone had screwed up, pick-pocketed a Duke or a lord or what-have-you, and the gang was leaving.
Miguel had panicked at the news, had run and hid in his secret place. He knew that he couldn’t leave - not because he would suffer the worst beating he had ever known when they found him out, but because he hadn’t found Carmen yet. It had been months since he managed to escape, but he was going to find her.
Footsteps clattered above him as the gang prepared to leave. Miguel knew that they never forgave, but he hoped that they might forget.
4. The dark-haired boy had walked past Miguel’s corner every day for the past week, and every day his quick blue eyes found Miguel, really looked at him instead of just letting his gaze slide past. Every day Miguel had smiled a little more widely, or made a silly face, to try and elicit a smile from the other boy, but it never worked.
Today, however, the blue-eyed boy stopped, looked furtively around, and tossed something at Miguel before continuing to walk.
Miguel’s eyes widened, but the boy was already hurrying away down the street. Miguel quashed the urge to follow him, clutching the pesada like a talisman.
5. Miguel had never thought that two words would be enough to shatter his world.
In a daze, feeling untethered to anything or anyone, Miguel left the temple and soon found himself wandering the streets of El Dorado. For a while he was too preoccupied with his own misery to notice anything else, but slowly the beauty of the city drew him in. He saw Chief Tannabok(sp?) offer him an enormous smile and wave, found a group of children begging him to play while their parents looked on fondly, and something inside him... shifted.
Damn Tulio; Miguel was going to stay.
(...and one time he didn’t.)
1. They were alive.
And El Dorado was lost to him forever. Miguel felt a pang at the thought, even as Chel announced that they were going. Going where?
Miguel was surprised to realize that he didn’t care.
He stood, and reached a hand out to Tulio. “Partner?”
Tulio smiled, took his hand, and Miguel pulled him to his feet. “Partner.”
Miguel felt his world settle back into place.
Even when they fell off of Altivo’s back, Miguel barely felt the pain and simply grinned at his partner. There was no way in hell that he was sitting this one out.
Rating: PG
Summary: My first attempt at a five-times fic and completely un-beta'd. Please forgive my inability to write drabbles. Slight angst warning.
Genre: General
Characters/Pairings: Miguel (doy), Tulio, Chel, OCs
Words: 627
1. “Papa?” Green eyes stared, uncomprehending, up at the blonde-haired man.
“Miguel,” The man started, then paused to brush something away from his eyes before kneeling down next to his son. “Miguel, you have to be strong, all right? Take care of your sister. Papa will be back once Mama is well again.”
Miguel glanced over at the toddler playing carefree in the dust nearby, oblivious to what was happening. “Yes, Papa.”
“Good boy,” a strong hand ruffled Miguel’s hair, with only the slightest tremor.
Miguel did his best to hold back his tears as he watched them go. He had to be strong.
2. “Come on, Miguel!” Carmen shouted. “They’re coming!”
Shirtsleeves and pockets bulging with stolen food, Miguel vaulted over the stall and joined his sister with a breathless grin. “Did you see that?”
“Yeah, and so did the guards! Come on!”
They ran together, hand in hand... and turned a corner straight into a patrol. The guards behind them were getting closer, too close, and the walls on either side were too high to jump.
Miguel boosted Carmen onto his shoulders, letting her scramble onto the rooftops and to freedom. He ignored her offered hand, and her screams as he was dragged away.
3. The news spread like wildfire: someone had screwed up, pick-pocketed a Duke or a lord or what-have-you, and the gang was leaving.
Miguel had panicked at the news, had run and hid in his secret place. He knew that he couldn’t leave - not because he would suffer the worst beating he had ever known when they found him out, but because he hadn’t found Carmen yet. It had been months since he managed to escape, but he was going to find her.
Footsteps clattered above him as the gang prepared to leave. Miguel knew that they never forgave, but he hoped that they might forget.
4. The dark-haired boy had walked past Miguel’s corner every day for the past week, and every day his quick blue eyes found Miguel, really looked at him instead of just letting his gaze slide past. Every day Miguel had smiled a little more widely, or made a silly face, to try and elicit a smile from the other boy, but it never worked.
Today, however, the blue-eyed boy stopped, looked furtively around, and tossed something at Miguel before continuing to walk.
Miguel’s eyes widened, but the boy was already hurrying away down the street. Miguel quashed the urge to follow him, clutching the pesada like a talisman.
5. Miguel had never thought that two words would be enough to shatter his world.
In a daze, feeling untethered to anything or anyone, Miguel left the temple and soon found himself wandering the streets of El Dorado. For a while he was too preoccupied with his own misery to notice anything else, but slowly the beauty of the city drew him in. He saw Chief Tannabok(sp?) offer him an enormous smile and wave, found a group of children begging him to play while their parents looked on fondly, and something inside him... shifted.
Damn Tulio; Miguel was going to stay.
(...and one time he didn’t.)
1. They were alive.
And El Dorado was lost to him forever. Miguel felt a pang at the thought, even as Chel announced that they were going. Going where?
Miguel was surprised to realize that he didn’t care.
He stood, and reached a hand out to Tulio. “Partner?”
Tulio smiled, took his hand, and Miguel pulled him to his feet. “Partner.”
Miguel felt his world settle back into place.
Even when they fell off of Altivo’s back, Miguel barely felt the pain and simply grinned at his partner. There was no way in hell that he was sitting this one out.