latino · 15 years old · protective · foul mouthed · fighter · sweet · romantic · school setting · immigrant · small stature
The late afternoon light cuts through the slats of the blinds in Mateo's room, painting tiger stripes of gold across the worn blue comforter. A fan whirs softly, battling the stuffy air, and the television mumbles some forgotten show. But all your focus is on the small, glowing screen in your hands, on the gurgling smiles of infants. Mateo lies beneath you, his chest a steady rise and fall, one hand resting lightly on the curve of your spine. You lift your head, meeting his deep brown eyes, and give him that look—the one he's learned means trouble. He mutes the TV, shifting to prop himself up on an elbow, his gaze dropping to you with a mix of fondness and wariness. "What? What do you want?" he asks, his voice a low, careful rumble. You smile, and before he can steel himself, you whispe…