More Than Bullets in the Air [SelisaMaslan and SetMeFree]

[SetMeFree]

"One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight." The sharpness of Madame Ana echoed throughout the large studio as she walked slowly examining each dancers form. Aria kept on pointe during the piques, following the count like God himself was teaching the class. They had been there for the past 7 hours and the sun was starting to set over the tall buildings.
"Good but you can do better." She wasn't upset by the comment that her instructor gave her. Madame Ana was a strict, Russian woman who had studied at Vaganova and danced with the Mariisky Ballet Company. If anyone knew perfection within this form of dance, it was her. "That is enough for today, ladies. Class tomorrow at 2 P.M Do not be late." She clicked the classical tempo off and the other girls ran for their gym bags and escaped as soon as they could. Aria took the time to untie her point shoes and stretch before finally picking up her small duffel bag and walking out of the studio. She reached into it and fished around until her hand felt her phone. She had 10 missed calls and and a handful of texts, most of which were from Ally


'Hardwire tonight. Be ready by 9. Not taking no for an answer!" Aria sighed, typing back a quick 'Okay.' before throwing her bag in the passeger seat and starting the car.


The clock read 8 P.M when she reached the round driveway of the DiDonato home. She ran inside, giving her brothers a quick hello and going straight to her room. By the time she had taken a shower and gotten dressed it was 15 til and she felt presentable. The strapless, black dress she wore clung tightly to her body and fell just before her knees. She gave her hair a small curl and lined her bottom eyelids with black as her cousin barged in.


"Are you ready?" Ally's face appeared in the mirror behind Ari. She nodded her head and ran the mascara up the length of her eyelashes one more time. She hardly had time to get her handbag before Ally was tugging her out of the house and into her black BMW. "It's throwback night, girl, all the gangsters are gonna be there." Her cousin had a coy smile on her face as she started the car and peeled out of the driveway, heading straight for the club. It wasn't a long drive but it was long enough for Aria to get tired of the same dubstep beat that Ally kept repeating. She was thankful when the car was parked and they were able to exit, making their way towards the muffled music that seemed to make the whole building shake. "Ciao, Georgio." Her cousin kissed the bouncer on both sides of the cheek and pulled Aria by the arm into the nightclub. It was crowded, the mass of people bobbed to the beat of the song that was on, but Aria didn't mind. They loved getting as far in the middle as possible and losing themselves within the hundreds of bodies that swayed in different directions. She took a deep breath and left Ally at the bar, twisting and moving to the new song that boomed in the small space.

Mateo stretched out on his bed, grunting and wiggling around. It was nearly five pm. He'd slept the day away and he couldn't care less. Work had been hard last night, there were some people that needed... taking care of. He and his boys had had to ambush said people around midnight and they'd put up a good fight though in the end they lost. Had they not fought back, there would have been less mess to clean up but that was not the case. Due to their diligence when it came to not getting caught, Matt and his crew didn't roll into their beds until around six in the morning.


He stumbled out of bed and headed for the kitchen, it seemed that he was alone in the house for now, which was a relief. He didn't want to have to explain to his mother why he'd come home so late. He hated disappointing her but she knew as well as he did that he was only in the L/C because he was protecting the family.


In the fridge there was a burrito on a paper plate with a note folded over it.


Cuídate hijo. Te amo -Tu mama


He smiled as he took the note off the plate which he'd moved to the microwave. "I'm always careful, ma. Don't worry." Pushing the buttons and closing the door to the microwave, he circled the kitchen, waiting for his food to be warm. The moment it 'dinged' he was all over it, like a buzzard on a fresh kill. Unsurprisingly, it was gone in a matter of minutes, that plate was in the trash and he was halfway to his room.


He knew he was supposed to meet his friends at the club at nine, so he hopped in the shower real quick. He needed it, he smelled like death, both literally and figuratively. Once Mateo was satisfied that he was clean, he walked to his room and slid into some clothes which consisted of a pair of jeans, a white v-neck that accentuated his muscles, his black leather motorcycle jacket and his motorcycle boots. After checking himself out in the mirror, he shook out his hair then rolled up a red and black bandana and tied it right around his hairline. Matt was always flying colors.


Keys in hand, he headed out the door, knowing he would be just on time to meet his buddies. When he arrived, he parked his Ducati as far away as possible to keep her safe. In the line to get in, he meet up with the gang, Armando, Gabe, Juan and Pedro. The five of them were more than intimidating which worked to their advantage, as they were very quickly let into the chaos that was the club.

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"You're a terrible cousin!" Ally's voice was just audible enough for Aria to hear. She pulled her near the edge of the crowd and handed her a drink. Aria took a sniff and scrunched her nose at the strong scent of vodka. She took a large gulp despite the smell and shook her head, the liquid burning her throat on the way down.


"God Ally, you know I have class tomorrow." The burning finally died down enough for her to speak and she pushed the drink back at her cousin. Ally gasped and crossed her arms, pretending to be insulted.


"You are gonna finish that drink and find a guy that doesn't dance Swan Lake. Ballet gave you a body, bella, now use it!" Ally spotted a group of guys that had jut came in, not realizing the colors they were sporting and pointing to them. "Vinny is 'tendin tonight, drinks are on him. Just do yourself a favor and have fun. La Scala won't let you party!" Her hands pushed Aria towards the guys, causing her to bump into one of them.


"I am so sorry." Was all she could get out as she looked up into his brown eyes. She examined him slightly. Ally knew how to pick them, he was tall and muscular with tanned skin and undeniably handsome features. She checked to make sure her drink had remained in her cup, sighing slightly in relief when it was.

 

[SetMeFree]

Mateo had just walked in and was surveying the surroundings before moving any further in. He liked to consider himself a hunter, honing all the skills needed for that and he was rather talented. There was no one there that looked like they would be trouble which made him relax just slightly. However he did spot two girls to his right and before one of the girls knew, he could see that she was about to be shoved in his direction.


The moment Aria collided with him, he wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her, a wide smirk on his face. "It's all good, muñeca (doll). I saw it coming before you did." Normally he would have let her go by now, however there was something about her that captivated him. His arm stayed firmly around her waist, keeping no distance between them. "Would you like to dance?"

 

[SelisaMaslan]

The feeling of his arm wrapped tightly around her with the mix of the strong vodka sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't usually have time for guys unless they were partners in ballet or family so she wasn't sure how to react when he asked her to dance. The colors of his bandana had distracted her. It was familiar but she couldn't put a finger on where she had seen it.


"Umm.." She turned her in Ally's direction with a questioning look on her face. Her cousin replied with a wink, a wide smile and a thumbs up. Ally was the one who knew about the people involved in her families lifestyle, so if she wasn't put off, Aria was okay. "Sure. I'm Aria, by the way." She offered her hand to him with a small smile.

 

[SetMeFree]

Mateo watched the exchange between her and her friend, having to hold in his laughter. It was just like a girl to have to check with her friend before doing anything with a guy at a club. That amused him since as a guy, nothing like that ever crossed his mind.


"I'm Mateo but you can call me Matt." He was pulling out the sexy Latin stops. His accent was a bit heavier than usual and he kept giving her a half grin, half smirk that was sure to make any girl melt. "It is an absolute pleasure to be in your presence tonight, cariña (dear)." Taking her wrist, he began to slowly lead her to the dance floor. However when he got there, he realized the drink in her other hand would be an issue. Without asking, he took it from her, downed it and tossed the empty glass to Mando. "That's better~" He placed his hands on her hips as he began to move in perfect time with the music.

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"The pleasure is all mine, Mateo." Aria said, her small smile turning into a coy one while she threw her own Italian emphasis on his name. Her father and uncle had the the heavy accents in the family while the kids spoke with just a hint of their native tongue. She looked down at the source of her sudden brashness, deciding that the drink was too much for the kind of day she would have tomorrow. When he took the drink from her hand, she felt relieved for not having to finish it.


"Thanks, I've got things to do that don't include hamgovers." Aria laughed, slipping her arms around the back of his neck. Her phones buzzed wildly in her pocket the second they got closer but she ingnored it and focused on the guy who had a tight grip on her waist.


"Dammit, Aria!" Ally closed her screen impatiently an scanned over the crowd for her cousin to no avail. Se took her phone out again and sent another text to her. 'Gio and Saint alert! You have 15 minutes before they harrass Papi Chulo over there!' She sent the send button impatiently. Aria felt the vibration yet again but still chose to ignore it.

 

[SetMeFree]

Mateo laughed at her comment about having plans for the following day. "I wouldn't say that, chica. You just might be comin' home with me tonight~" He winked at her and pulled her even closer, smirking at the fact that she was purposefully ignoring her constantly buzzing phone. "You're a hot commodity, ain't ya, chica?"


"C'mon, mama~ Don't just stand there, dance with me. I know those hips can move." Without miss a beat, he let her go just enough to spin her and pulled her back into him, this time with her back against him. "Convince me to take you for a ride", he purred into her ear.

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"Don't be so confident. You're not the first guy that's wanted to take me home." Aria teased, allowing him to spin her and pull her back. His warmth breath against the nape of her neck gave her goosebumps but she nearly broke out in laugter when he mentioned her dancing.


"You don't know who you're talking to." She turned her neck to look up at him, a smug look taking over her face as she moved in the same rhythm he did. Her eyes locked with his as she dropped down as far as her heels would let her and brought her body up against him. The song changed to one with a slower beat and she slowed down with it, pressing her body closer to his than it already was. The phone began buzzing wildly again but she didn't want to walk out on Matt. A loud noise came from the front door. Two identical men walked in side by side with a small entourage of people behind them. Of course Gio and Saint always had to be where she was, that was her fathers order since the day Aria started middle school.


"You've got to be kidding me." She let out a groan but continued to dance with him and looked in opposite direction nervously

 

[SetMeFree]

"Might not be the first but I'll be the best," he purred. Mateo took a moment to watch her dance though he never stopped moving. His eyes automatically went to her hips and they had a hard time leaving. However, he had no intentions of being subtle tonight, he was in the mood to take what he wanted. And he wanted her.


When she pressed into him even more, he leaned down just enough to kiss along her neck. Normally he would have been completely zoned out by now, not paying attention to anything she was saying if it didn't have to do with going home with him, however he managed to catch her words. Matt's eyes went to where she looked away from and his body went rigid. "What do Guido One and Two want with you?"

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"Those Guido's are my older brothers." Her hand reached to get the phone out of the small pocket in her dress and opened the screen.


'Twinsies will be here in 45. Either take him somewhere or ditch him!' ... 'Are you for real? Twins in 30!'


And so the texts went on. She couldn't believe she didn't bother to check it before but she was having a good time with Matt and didn't want to ruin it. Then she realized how tense his body became in the quick amount of time. She stopped dancing and turned to him, curious as to why he reacted that way to them.


"Aria!" Gio's voice bellowed from across the room before she even got a chance to ask. He repeated himself again and Aria sighed, not wanting to deal with their overprotective nonsense tonight. Her eyes met Matt's and she gave him a coy smile before pulling him through the crowd and towards the back exit. A million thoughts raced through her mind when the cool breeze hit her exposed skin. The worst one was what her brothers would tell her father and what he would say to her when she got home. When she felt comfortable that the twins wouldn't find them she stopped, letting go of his hand. Her chest heaved lightly and she looked up at him.


"Why'd you get like that around my brothers?" Aria was finally able to ask now that they were alone.

 

[SetMeFree]

Mateo should have dealt with them when they came it, he should have walked away from her and confronted them. Surely if anyone above him found out that he hadn't acted, he would be punished. But instead, he found himself being dragged out the back door and against the true gang member inside him, he let the girl take him outside.


His eyes were harsh when he stared down at her. "You're Aria DiDonato. Did you not recognize my colors? Seriously? You're lucky that your brothers aren't dead, actually, my boys are in there, they might not have a chance. However they can't really act without my orders." It took everything in him not to glare at her though she had no reason to fear for her own life around him. He didn't do hits on women or children, it wouldn't get him anywhere in the ranks.

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"I sure as hell am." Aria said crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow as he spoke. She looked him over again, only now realizing where she had seen those colors before. They had been plastered on every news station in the area. She could remember the headline in the newspapers that her father had thrown out in rage everyday for a week. 'Wife and Son of Vitorre DiDonato murdered by notorious gang ' Black and red. The colors of the demons that made her bury her mother in the ground at 14. The colors of the man she just got done dancing and flirting with.


"Look, I know you and my family have problems but what you all do has nothing to do with me. I have a bright future away from this crap that I plan on maintaining. If you could not kill me tonight, that would be much appreciated." Aria stepped backwards and turned around to walk back the way she had foolishly brought him from. She could not believe that she what she had gotten herself into. This was a total Ally move and exactly why she didn't date. She was attracted to all the wrong guys.

 

[SetMeFree]

"F**k me!" Mateo let out a guttural growl and stared her down. However the noise turned into mocking laughter. "One, I don't kill women or children. Two, good luck with that plan. I told my old man that I was gonna get away from this life and he told me to but he's an OG and the streets that pulled him in pulled me in too. And once I get gunned down, my brother's gonna get pulled in. You can't escape this, muñeca. It'll follow you wherever you go." He shook his head. "You can't change your family. This is your life."


As much as he hated thinking about it, he knew that his sister would end up in the same spot as him and his brother. That had been his reason to get away, so that he could start a new life and take her away from the violence. But in order to protect her now, he had to get rid of that dream. His father being an original gangster left them open for attack from rivals.

 

[SelisaMaslan]

Aria stopped in her tracks and scoffed, turning around to face him. "No, no honey. This life belongs to you and them." She pointed a finger towards him then towards the building that held her family and approaching him. "I've never gotten myself caught up in anything concerning my fathers people and yours. I've spent my life doing the only thing that keeps me from getting killed. Like my mother and brother did. I may be a DiDonato, but I'm not like the rest. I have dreams that are 6 months shy of being fullfilled. I don't need some 'gansta' to tell me where I'll end up." By the last sentence she was inches from his face, looking up at him with a scowl. If there was anything she hated more than the people who murdered her part family, was being told that she'd end up in the family business. That wasn't the life she had thought out for herself nor was it a life that she wanted. All she wanted was a slice of normalcy. To go somewhere that somebody could hear the name DiDonato and not cower in fear or try to kill her.


"For the night is dark and full of terrors."

 

[SetMeFree]

"You keep actin' like that, you're gonna end up six feet under, mami. If you think any of us want this life, you're an idiot. We do what we have to and one day, you're gonna have to do the same. Cause if your brothers come to my turf again, they'll be leaving in a body bag, which means 'daddy' is gonna need you to take their place." Mateo shook his head at her again. Whether she wanted to face the facts or not, he was right, it was simply how the gang world worked. "There's no escaping this. Big names travel the country. This is your life no matter how much you hate it."

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"And I'm sure your homies would just love to put me there." Aria was flustered at this point. "You think people like us don't have a choice and that's fine. Think what you want. I will get out. It may seem stupid from where you stand, but I will never let my families name define who I am." Though she wanted to cry at the speaking of those words to someone other than herself, her voice remained strong and only a few small tears brimmed at her eyes. As she pushed that from her mind, a new one invaded. "God I can't believe I almost went home with you.." She sat on the curb with a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. "You can go now. I'm sure your friends are just waiting on the order to kill my other brothers too." Her eyes met his again, this time with an emptiness about them.

 

[SetMeFree]

Mateo couldn't help but laugh at her, she thought she was spitting fire but all that was really coming out was air. "You don't have a choice. Your family and last name will follow you forever. Did you know your father has people all the way out in California? Your people are all over the place, just like mine are. There's no escape, it's the same as prison and your only release date is your death date, querida."


His eyes followed her to the curb as she sat, a smirk gracing his features at her words. "Oh but you're so much more entertaining to prod at. Your brothers would be too easy for me and my boys, especially after last night's... adventure."

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"Well I'm glad I'm providing such an amusing show for you." She didn't know her father had people that far. He said the DiDonato's were here and nowhere else. Her father had lied to her. She let her head fall into her hands. Maybe it wasn't something she could escape from. Maybe he was just cushioning the blow for when she got to La Scala and realized that everyone knew her very well. Her mind went to the audition. It probably wouldn't even be fair. She would be dancing on a predecided vote. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore and she wondered how someone she didn't know could have changed her mind after years of thinking that she could be free.


"What was your plan?" Her voice was now meek, "What did you want to do once you were gone?"

 

[SetMeFree]

Mateo was almost thrown off guard by her question and her tone but it didn't show on his face. "I was gonna leave the country, get out of the reach of the Counts. I have familia over seas, I was gonna go live with them, take Mariana with me. She's too young to be around all this and mi'ama just turns a blind eye. She means well but she doesn't shelter Mari from it like she should. I wanted to be the big brother that I should be, I want to be her hero cause she's a princess... I didn't want her to see me die."


He sighed softly, he knew he sounded like a complete sap but it was true. He lived and would die for his sister, she was his world and she might as well have been his daughter.


[Please let me know if my use of Spanish bothers you~]

 

[SelisaMaslan]

[it doesn't at all, half my family speaks spanish ]


Aria listened when Matt spoke about his little sister. If he hadn't mentioned that she was his sister, she would have thought that Mariana was his daughter. Matt had more than himself to get out while she only had herself. Now that she thought about it her life was always kind of lonely since her mom died. Of course she had Ally and a few other friends but they didn't understand her. She was a dancer, they were mob wives in training. The thought of dancing made a smile appear on her face. He had told her his plan and now she was going to show him hers. After a moment of flipping through her library of songs she picked one. "The Worst" by Jhene Aiko. It was the song with the least floorwork since she'd be doing the part of the routine on the smooth but dirty concrete.


"Press play when I tell you to, okay?" Aria placed the phone in his hand, closing his fingers tight around it with hers. Her shoes came off and were placed on the curb when she let his hand go. She stepped a few feet backward, turning her back to him, unrolled the mid-thigh length shorts she had on under her dress, and looked back to him over her shoulder.


"Press it."

 

[SetMeFree]

[Okies~! Good!]


It took Matt a moment to realize what she was about to do but when he figured it out, he offered the phone back to her with a shake of his head. "This ain't show and tell chica. I didn't come here to daydream with a DiDonato. I came here to dance, get drunk and find a girl to go home with." Walking over to her, he had to resist the urge to throw the phone at her, instead gruffly putting it in her hand. "Here's a bit of advice. Grow up, face reality and stop living in a dream world. It'll get you killed faster than being in a gang. I almost found that out the hard way."


He shook his head at her again with a growl this time and headed for the door. He didn't wanna waste time with her any longer. She was the enemy and he shouldn't be out here with her, not like he wanted to anyway.

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"You know?" Aria started as he walked towards the door, "You say you don't want to daydream with a DiDonato, when you just did." Her voice was an amused chuckle while she began to walk down the street towards her car, "You didn't have to stay out here and argue with me. You sure as hell didn't have to give me lessons in the facts of gang life. You may not do hits on women and kids but I'm sure you have a whole contact list of people who wouldn't waste a second to come and end my life. Why am I gonna be able to walk away from you without harm? My brother's won't kill me for letting you go, but yours on the other hand.." She clicked her tongue and shrugged, "Well you were nice to look at while I had the chance." Her hands fumbled for the keys in her purse.

 

[SetMeFree]

"No no, I didn't daydream. I haven't daydreamed in years, I have my feet on the ground and my head on my shoulders, not in the clouds. You asked and I answered. I know that I'll never leave this city or the Counts. I'm not stupid." Mateo rolled his eyes at her sudden attitude, as if she was smarter than him and knew about the way his gang worked. She knew nothing about it. Even if he'd wanted to go after her or her brothers, he wouldn't have been able to. Those jobs were left for the far more experienced gangsters, usually the OGs like his father. "You really know nothing about the way the world you live in works... that's sad."

 

[SelisaMaslan]

"Well living with my head in the clouds have kept me alive for a long time, so I think I'll be fine." Aria was letting everything he said slide off of her shoulders. Every bit of reasoning that she had for getting away was coming back to her. The life she tried to keep so far away from was foreign to her but she knew death was inevitable, that much was common knowledge and the way he rolled his eyes at her made her want to run him down herself. That thought was pushed out of her head with a quickness though. It belonged in the head of Gio, Saint, or Enzo, not Aria.


"Just carry on, pazzo, I've got things to do tomorrow." She unlocked the vehicle and began to text Ally about what had happened.


{Do you want to timeskip? Maybe Mariana likes dance and Aria teaches the kids classes at the center they go to or something like that? Just a suggestion though }

 

[SetMeFree]

[Later in the Week~]


Mateo was packin' heat. He hated being strapped when he was with Mariana but he hated not being strapped too. All he wanted was the best for this little girl that meant the world to him and if anything ever happened to her, he would curl up in a ball and die. Every time he took her out, he had an argument with himself as to whether or not he should bring his gun and every time so far, he'd brought it. It was better to be caught with one than without one.


In front of him, the girl was dancing in a silly manner to some beat in her head, paying no mind to the crowd around her. Her brother's eyes, however, scanned every face and movement for signs of danger before landing back on her small form. "Mi vida, stay close, alright?" She just nodded to him and continued on her merry way until something shiny caught her eye and she darted after it.


Matt was quick to follow after her, swooping her up mid-run and carrying her the rest of the distance to the hook-a-duck stall. It was her favorite. Mari could stay all day and play, not caring if she won or not but just so entertained by the small, floating, plastic ducks. He set her down and pulled the cash from his pocket, handing it over to the man so that the hours of entertainment could begin.