Old Wounds New Loves (Carlos Oliveira X Reader)
[Plus-size!Reader Friendly][POC!Reader Friendly][Fem!Reader Friendly][GN!Reader Friendly]
Summary ~ Carlos steps in when you run into your ex at the store.
Disclaimer ~ I do not own Resident Evil or any of its characters.
Word Count ~ 2.4k
Warnings ~ Illusions to a bad past relationship (Nothing is mentioned in detail only that there is a restraining order against the ex), Protective!Carlos, kind of domestic Carlos, no use of Y/n
MDI
Blank, ageless, and underage blogs will be blocked
Resident Evil Masterlist
•I do NOT consent to have my work posted, translated or published to any third party site or app. If anyone sees my work anywhere but here, it has been reposted without my permission•
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Staring down at the crumpled piece of paper in your hands you crossed off another item on your list which left only a few more things before your grocery trip would be complete. Behind you, the tall man who had accompanied you on his day off was browsing the various brands of cereal that lined the shelves, brightly colored boxes all designed specifically to draw the attention of shoppers. The marketing tactic clearly worked because he grabbed the boxed with the most obnoxious colors and characters on the front.
“What do you think about this one?” Carlos spoke up eliciting a quiet hum from you as you kept your eyes on the list in your hand, “It’s got granola in it, which you love.” The shaking of the box of cereal made you look up.
Standing opposite you, Carlos held up a bright yellow box with a smiling bear on it, “You don’t like granola though.” You walked over to take the box from his hand and look over the ingredients, “You sure you don’t want one you’ll actually eat?”
Carlos snatched the box back from you and placed it in the shopping cart, “Nope.” He turned around and grinned at you.
“How you can not like cereal is beyond me hun,” you said while shaking your head and walking back to the front of the cart.
Carlos shuddered, his face twisting with disgust as the two of you started down the aisle, “Waking up and eating a bowl of cold soggy food? No, thank you.” He threw an arm over your shoulder so he could look down at the list sitting in the basket of the cart, “Just milk and cream cheese left?”
“Unless there is anything else you need?” You looked up at him with a raised brow.
His lips pursed as he thought for a moment, “Wanna get a frozen pizza to make tonight? Maybe have a little movie night or something?” The hand resting over your shoulder tapped on your arm in a rhythmic pattern, his fingers playing with the strap of your tank top.
“How about…” You slowed to a stop and turned to face Carlos, the hand around your shoulder dropping down to your waist as he stared down at you, “You go and grab a pizza while I get the other stuff on the list and we can meet at the check out up front.”
Carlos had a habit—one that never failed to make you shrink under his gaze—he would often stare at your face with such interest and awe when you spoke, his eyes drifting along the features of your face before ultimately halting on your lips. It was his silent way of letting you know he was about to kiss you—his usually confident demeanor disappearing altogether when he wanted to kiss you.
“Deal.” Carlos leaned down and pressed his lips against yours before quickly pulling back, his hand on your waist squeezing slightly before he stepped away from you, “don’t miss me too much sugar lips.” He winked and turned on his heel.
“Sugar lips?” You bit back a laugh as you watched him walk away,
The loud music playing over the speakers in the grocery store was all but drown out in the back of your mind as you walked toward the back of the store. Carefully weaving your cart around other shoppers and vibrant displays, you made your way to where the dairy products were sat in a large cooler that took up an entire wall. You scanned the different brands of cream cheese before you found the one you usually bought, a few new flavors caught your eye for a moment before you settled on the one that sounded the best to you and tossed it into your cart. Before you made your way down to the milk, you grabbed a few things of the yogurt you knew Carlos liked—something you had forgotten to add to your list—and stacked them in the corner of the cart so they wouldn’t roll around when you moved.
After grabbing a carton of milk, you made your way through one of the less crowded aisles and up toward the registers at the front of the store. Before you started down the aisle, you swore you saw someone you recognized which caused you to freeze and look back, when you didn’t see them again you assumed it was someone else and carried on your way.
Carlos met you by one of the registers with a small line, only two people ahead of you with one or two things to pay for, “Ready to go?” His hand instantly found its way around your waist when you walked up beside him, the frozen pizza in his opposite arm being dropped into the cart on top of the yogurt.
“Yup!” Your head dropped against his shoulder as the two of you fell into line for the register.
As the two of you waited in line, Carlos’s hand absentmindedly played with the hem of your shirt as he glanced around at the other customers in the store—a side effect of his job which meant he was always on high alert in crowded places like this. You smoothed a hand along the back of his hoodie to help him stay calm before he pulled away from you and started unloading the groceries onto the belt, a grateful smile cast over his shoulder at you as he lifted the milk onto the slowly moving belt.
While Carlos unloaded the last of the groceries onto the belt, you moved up and greeted the cashier and watched the items ring up as she scanned and bagged them. You pulled the bags off of the spinning racks they sat on and handed them to Carlos who then put them into the cart, the two of you working like a well-oiled machine as the cashier told you your total.
After paying the two of you walked out of the store hand in hand, the bright sun making you squint as you stepped out into the warm summer air. Carlos fished the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door of the car, the parked vehicle chirping from where it was a few yards in front of him.
Carlos opened the trunk as he walked around the front of the cart and began grabbing several bags at once to load into the trunk, “Ready to head home or is there anywhere else you need to stop?” He glanced up at you as he leaned into the cart and grabbed a few more bags.
You shook your head and furrowed your brows, looking over the bags you realized you didn’t see the yogurt you had bought anywhere among them, “Did you see yogurt in any of these bags?” You began looking through the bags in the trunk only to find that it they weren’t in there either, “Crap I forgot a bag inside.” You cursed under your breath.
“Hey don’t stress about it,” Carlos spoke up from beside you as he placed the last bag in the trunk, “I’ll run in and grab it if you wanna take this cart over to the others.”
“Thank you, Carlos.” You pulled your lips between your teeth as Carlos smiled and walked back toward the entrance of the store.
You silently cursed yourself for forgetting a bag as you pushed the cart down the parking lot toward the metal corral where a dozen other carts were parked. The loud sound of the carts crashing together nearly drowned out the sound of a man calling your name from behind you, when you did hear it you furrowed your brows and turned around to find the source of the yelling.
The sight of the man walking toward you made your heart drop to your stomach, your ex-boyfriend walking toward you with the same twisted smile you tried to forget plastered across his face as he walked.
“I thought that was you, guess you didn’t hear me the first time I called your name huh?” He tilted his chin up as he stopped right in front of you.
You wrapped your arms tight around yourself as you took a step back, “What are you doing here Mike?” You glanced behind him at the entrance of the store hoping to see Carlos walking out.
“I mean considering this is a grocery store I’m sure you can figure it out.” He breathed out a dry laugh, “You always were a smart girl.” He reached out to touch your arm only for you to immediately jerk away from him and take yet another step back.
“You know that’s not what I mean.” Your voice held no hint of kindness, “This is a violation of your restraining order, you know that.”
Mike’s chest puffed as he laughed again and glanced around the oddly empty parking lot, “We date for almost three years and this is how you greet me? Kind of rude if you ask me.”
“Look, my boyfriend is gonna be back any minute now, so I need to go.” You hated to use the boyfriend card, but you knew it was the only thing that would remotely deter Mike as you stepped around him and walked back toward your car.
You didn’t get more than three steps before a hand grabbed your wrist and squeezed hard, stopping you in your tracks and forcing you to turn around to look at Mike.
“What? I can’t even say hi to you without you storming off?” His grip on your wrist didn’t loosen even as you tugged on it, “You’re still the same stuck-up bitch you always were I guess.”
“Let go of me.” You tried your best to keep your voice calm even though you were panicking on the inside.
“Not even a please? No manners at all.” Mike taunted you as he clicked his tongue, his eyes drifted behind you for a moment before he looked back at your face, “We have a lot of catching up to do don’t you think? Maybe it can be like old times and we can go get dinner or something.”
You tugged on your wrist again, “Please let go of me.” Your voice shook this time, betraying you and letting him know just how scared you were.
“Hey!” A shout behind you made you jump moments before a head of dark hair came into your line of sight and Mike was shoved back away from you, “She shouldn’t have to ask you twice bud.” Carlos’s voice was low and threatening as he stood in front of you, putting himself between you and Mike.
“And you are?” Mike all but scoffed as he looked up at Carlos—your boyfriend standing a good six inches taller than him.
“Carlos, lets just go.” You grabbed his hand and tried to pull him along with you, “Mike was just leaving.”
Carlos looked back at you, anger burning in his brown eyes, “Mike? Your ex Mike?”
You nodded slowly.
His hand slipped out of yours as he turned back to face Mike, his hands dropping to his sides and balling into tight fists, “You’ve got some nerve talkin’ to her, after how you treated her.” Carlos growled and stepped closer to Mike who simply laughed.
You rubbed your palm with the opposite hand and glanced nervously at the two men in front of you, “Carlos…”
He froze, his back going rigid as he looked back at you, his eyes softening.
“Can we just go?”
A slow nod was his response as he turned back to face Mike again, “I see you again and I’m calling the police, got it?” He shoved Mike again sending him stumbling back a few feet.
Carlos didn’t wait on Mike to respond as he turned on his heel and slid an arm around your back to guide you away, his arm pulling you tight to his side as you both walked back toward your car. It was only then that you noticed the trunk of the car was still open, Carlos pushing the door down as he walked past it and to the passenger side to open the door for you. He kept his hand on your back and slid it to your arm as you stepped into the car, his touch lingering for a moment before he pulled away and pushed the door shut.
You jumped slightly when Carlos pulled the driver door shut behind him, a quiet apology falling from his lips as he pressed the button to lock the doors.
“Are you alright?” He looked over at you, his eyes searching your face as you stared into the side mirrors, “Hey, sweetheart, he didn’t hurt you or anything did he?” He reached over and grabbed the arm that Mike had been holding.
“I’m alright.” You muttered, pulling your eyes from the mirror now that you were certain Mike wasn’t going to appear in it, “Just… it was weird seeing him.” You looked down at the cup holders between you and Carlos.
“Hey, look at me.” He said gently, his voice quiet.
You looked up and met his eyes, “Always told myself if I saw him again I’d give him a piece of my mind, but I froze.”
Carlos leaned forward and kissed your forehead, “You shouldn’t have had to be out here alone with him, I should have stayed out here with you.” He signed, “Do you want me to call the police? You have a restraining order against him so you have every right to have him arrested.”
You immediately shook your head, “I just wanna go home.”
Carlos started the car, one of his hands dropping to grab a hold of yours while the other rested over the top of the steering wheel, “Sure thing sugar lips.”
You couldn't help but smile.
“There’s that beautiful smile.” He pulled your hand up and kissed your knuckles.
