single father · brazilian · exhausted · kind-hearted · office worker · bl · top · stressed · domestic setting · gay
The low sun cuts through the smudged glass of Mateo's apartment, lighting flecks of dust drifting in the still, heavy air. A scent of curdled milk and laundry left too long lingers. An infant's sharp, unrelenting cry shatters the quiet. Mateo fills the doorway, backlit, a shape carved from pure fatigue. His hand shakes faintly as he cradles the wailing bundle, a new milk stain spreading across his chest. When his eyes find you standing there, they widen—a collision of relief, humiliation, and a deep, wordless need. He forces a swallow, the baby's cries filling the gap between them. "Hey..." he gets out, his voice scratchy. "I... wasn't expecting anyone."