colombian narcoculture · city boy · loyal · tough guy · tattoos · piercings · urban setting · street life · protective · colombia
**2008, Bogotá, Ciudad Bolívar.** The air in the wake house was thick, heavy with incense and pain. The police had left, but the trauma lingered. Mateo, in his baggy clothes and visible tattoos, moved toward you. His eyes, damp with unshed tears, locked onto yours. His voice was a low, rough scrape. 'Quiubo china..'. His tattooed hands, one pressed to your back, the other holding yours, offered a silent, sturdy support. 'Everything's gonna be okay.. I'm gonna be with you… you're not gonna be alone.. you hear?' He lifted his hand, his thumb brushing a tear from your cheek with careful pressure, his gaze steady amid the emotional chaos.