History Fanfic / DownToDust

''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13333533/chapters/30521727 Down to Dust]]'' by [[http://pengychan.tumblr.com/ Pengychan]] is a fanfic based on Pixar's ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Coco}} Coco]]''. The story focuses on Ernesto de la Cruz after his crimes as a liar and a murderer are revealed to the Land of the Dead, leaving him as a hopeless wanderer with nothing to do but wait for his [[DeaderThanDead Final Death]]. But everything changes when he is presented with an opportunity to strike back against the Rivera family one last time for revenge.

* DaddysGirl: Despite her old age, Hector affectionately treats Coco as if she were a little girl. A RunningGag consists on Héctor covering Coco's ears everytime someone gets crap past the radar. Ernesto lampshades it in Chapter 11.

* DeliberatelyCuteChild: [[spoiler: Cheque. He knows exactly how he comes across to adults, and how to use it to his advantage. Even when Hector and others become aware of this, the fact that the boy does suffer from legitimate trauma and abandonment issues can make it difficult to tell whether he's being sincere or manipulative at any given time.]]

* LikeYouWereDying: After Hector inherits Ernesto's mansion, he decides to convert it into a convalescent home for all the residents of Shantytown allowing them to live more comfortably and enjoy their final days before the FinalDeath.

* InfantImmortality: Strongly averted, as Chapter 2 has [[spoiler: Socorro's friend Cheque being run over by an out of control truck.]]

-->'''Héctor''': ''(after covering Coco's ears) Ernesto! There is a child present!''
-->'''Ernesto''': ''Héctor. [[LampshadeHanging The child has great-grandchildren]]''

-->'''Héctor''': ''Mariquita, Ernesto! I’m talking about Mariquita!''
-->'''Ernesto''': ''Mariquita? Oh! Of course I remember Mariquita! Why didn’t you say that right away? Who ever called her by her full name?''
-->'''Héctor''': ''Everyone except you, really.''

-->'''Héctor''': [[spoiler: ''“I became a husband, I became a father, but that wasn’t important to you,” [...] “No one was important to you but yourself. I mattered as long as I was yours - your best friend, your eternal little brother, your songwriter. Trying to be anything else amounted to betrayal. Am I right?”'']]

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Everyone believes [[spoiler:Cheque is an shy mute orphan boy, but Ernesto quickly realizes that he can be cunning, liar, manipulative and petty. The Riveras continue to do so for the whole story, with the exception of Miguel and Socorro, who slowly realizes how sociopathic her best friend can be.]] Héctor finds out in the epilogue and is not too happy about this.

* ItRunsInTheFamily: [[spoiler: It's not the first time a troubled child with the surname De la Cruz becomes friends with a Rivera child who's blissfully unaware of how sociopathic his best friend is. Héctor [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this to]] [[TearJerker heartbreaking effect]].]]
-->''"You thought he would never, until he did"''

-->'''Héctor''': ''... Were you ever sorry at all?''
-->'''Ernesto''': ''I sure am sorry now, since it got me in this dump, but I’m guessing that's not what you mean. Before, I was...sorry it had to come to it. I never wanted to do it.''

-->''"That’s what you get for buying cheap fakes. What model was it, Reloj de la Cruz?"''

** ReformedButNotTamed: [[spoiler: Ernesto at the end of the story. Even though [[MoralityPet Cheque's inconditional love]] and [[WeUsedToBeFriends Héctor's forgiveness]] were the reason he softened up, he still remains aloof and distant toward everyone else and hateful towards the rest of the Riveras. Even after it's clear to everyone that Ernesto is a far cry from his sociopathic old self, he still claims to be a bad person.]]

-->''"Except that Héctor had found him first, with that insufferable grin and kindness he didn’t know how to respond to. It would have been so much easier if he could hate him, [[NeverMyFault keep piling blame on him like he’d been doing for so long]]... but damn him, [[NiceGuy he made it nearly impossible]]."''

* ArcWords: ''"You thought he would never, until he did"''. Socorro says it to herself after she finds out the most negative traits about Cheque and realizes she didn't knew him as much as she thought making Héctor realize he didn't knew Ernesto as well, considering they were best friends, but Enresto still killed him in the past anyway. Héctor repeats it at the end of the fic [[spoiler: when he finds out Ernesto is suicidal and wants the final death.]]

* BlackComedy: At the epilogue, when [[spoiler: Ernesto makes a passing joke about Héctor's death by poison, Cheque finds it ''funny'' despite knowing what Ernesto did in the past. Héctor is understably creeped out by this.]]

*** As stated by the author, [[spoiler: Cheque may have many worrying similarities to Ernesto, but his motivations and priorities are entirely his own, which makes all the difference.]]

*** As stated by the author, [[spoiler: Cheque has many worrying similarities to Ernesto, but his motivations and desires are his own, which makes all the difference.]]

* ForgivenButNotForgotten: Despite being murdered by him in the past, Héctor (after seeing [[GenerationXerox Socorro and Cheque's friendship]]) realizes that he still cares about Ernesto and wants for him to let go of his depression and start over a new leaf. However, he also states that he will never forgive Ernesto for murdering him and a part of him still resents him somewhat. At the epilogue, he states that he wants Ernesto away from his life, but he still allows Cheque to visit him, since they're related and Ernesto cares about the boy. Despite the epilogue showing that they've starting to slowly getting along again, it's clear that their friendship will never be the same.