“The world is almost peaceful when you stop trying to understand it.”― Elizabeth Acevedo
TW: mentions of drugs, death, blood, grief and violence
One of the earliest memories Hernando has is of his father hunched over the kitchen sink at 4 o’clock in the morning, washing blood off of his hands. It was the first time Hernando was clued into the world his father was involved in and it was the first time his father was honest with him instead of trying to hide it. What Nando didn’t know then was that it was the start of the rest of his life. A career he never really had a choice in. His father used to say it was destiny, their loyalty to the cartel. But Nando knows now it was just shit luck and poverty. There never really was another choice.
Born Hernando Benito Valdez, he grew up in the streets of East Harlem, New York. His father, a Tonopah Valley Native, had moved his family to New York in an effort to keep them safe from retaliation from any of his enemies. And the list of them was long. His father was a long-time Los Santos soldier. Becoming a member the moment he turned 18 but he had been dealing drugs for a little longer than that. He prided himself on being loyal, useful, always following orders, finding himself a family that he would remain a part of up until his death at the age of 62. A heart attack. But Hernando has convinced himself it was something else.
The only son of Hector Valdez, there was no doubt that Hernando would follow in his footsteps. And Hector would not have it any other way.
The only family the older man had known was the cartel and they looked out for Hector and his family like they were their own. His mother too is a Tonopah native and though she stood by Hector through it all and she took raising her family away from Tonopah as a serious task. Which was why his younger sister has nothing to do with the cartel. She didn’t even know of its actual existence until recently, the family doing well in convincing her that Hector was really “away on business” and that Hernando was doing the same.
Hernando was a relatively active kid. He was involved in all the school sports but was especially fond of basketball and baseball. He did alright in school and was always responsible for taking care of his sister and being where he was supposed to be. When his cousin Penelope moved to New York with her family, he was over the moon. Penny had always been his favorite cousin and she was the closest he came to having an older sister. When he thought he couldn’t love a person as much as he loved Penny, Mikayla was born. Early on, even though he was a teenager, he stepped in to help as much as he could, especially when Penelope separated herself from her parents. They never spoke it out loud but somewhere along the way, there was an unspoken rule that he would always be there. And it’s a promise he’s kept til this day. Despite being Penelope’s cousin and Mikki’s second cousin, he has very much positioned himself as an uncle to Mikki and a Brother to Penny. There are few things he’s proud of but being Tio Nando has always been his biggest pride.
Mainly because his life has never left him much else to be proud of. Hernando got involved in Santos work at an early age. At 12, his father took him on a trip back to Tonopah Valley and it was the first time he was truly shown all that his father was involved in. Showing that this would be his future. It’s where he met the LS members and came to learn that there were generations of people who would always be looking out for him and his family. These trips to Tonopah Valley became more routine throughout his adolescence and as soon as he graduated from high school, he flew to Nevada to officially begin his initiation into the cartel. And he was ready for it, born for it some would say. Never seeing another option, Hernando is known for his ruthlessness and relentless loyalty. He never questions, never complains, and never even winces when enacting some seriously violent acts. He doesn’t believe in unnecessary violence. You’ll rarely see him getting in a bar fight (unless he’s backing someone up) or raising his voice at someone undeserving. In fact on the outside, he comes off as a very sweet and thoughtful person.
After his father’s death though, he’s been struggling a lot, spiraling into conspiracy theories about someone taking his father out, even if the autopsy proved otherwise. He’s been unable to face his grief or anger, conflicted with a world without his father telling him what to do. Now a Capo himself, he feels his father’s absence daily and for the first time in life has struggled to see his purpose in anything. But that’s something he keeps to himself. On the outside, Hernando is just your friendly neighborhood florist. First & Vine first belonged to an aunt of his. It was used as a front then for Los Santos and still is to this day under Nando’s ownership. Though he does love the flowers. A gardener himself, he enjoys the brief escape of helping someone pick an arrangement for any occasion. He tries to be pretty knowledgeable, which is evident from the amount of plant and flower related books that line his bookshelves. Still, his life is what it is and he’s come to accept that.
He moved to Tonopah permanently two years ago but last month his mother had a bad fall so he had to spend time in New York taking care of her and ultimately deciding to move her back to Tonopah Valley to live with him so that he could take an eye on her. A month away from Tonopah has done him good, despite him still being as plugged into cartel work as he could possibly be. He’s struggling even more now with his mother’s health, though she seems to be in much better spirits now that she's back home. Hernando can only pray that it lasts.
Headcanons:
Live in his family’s home in Webster Village that has been passed through generations. Has been working on fixing it up and making it more modern.
Big on fitness both physically and mentally. Or at least he tries, he’s been much better at the physical than mental lately. Loves to run in the mornings and hit the gym at night when he can.
Loves to cook and prides himself on being able to host friends at his place. It’s definitely one of his love languages and another form of escape for him.
Tries to be smart about his money. His father stressed how important it was for them to live in Webster Village and not live flashy lives. But Hernando can’t deny himself a good pair of sneakers. Imagine getting beat up by a guy wearing crips jordans?
The dude is brutal. Can’t stress enough how much shit he had been doing for the cartel since he was 18. He is indoctrinated as much as anyone can be. No matter the hour, no matter where he is, if he gets a call, he will drop whatever he’s doing. He prides himself on being reliable and carrying on the Valdez name with honor.
Bisexual af. Probably has never had many successful relationships unless they’re involved with Los Santos and even then he probably has a hard time maintaining them. Loves a good hook up though. He has probably only been in 1-2 serious relationships but often wishes he had someone solid in how his mother was always for his dad. (though since his father’s death, he’s finding out a lot of shit about their relationship he wishes he never knew.)
Loves, loves, loves music. It’s probably his closest form of therapy. If he’s in his truck he’s blasting his music and if he’s home he’s blasting shit on the dozens of speakers he set up in his apartment.
Lowkey has a board he hides in his home office with conspiracies about his father’s death that he looks at every night. Men would literally rather have an evidence board than go to therapy.
Definitely a big sports guy. Native New Yorker is a die-hard Knicks and Yankees fan, but he loves some Las Vegas Raiders.
