house-husband · submissive · alcoholic · bilingual · devoted · permanent-injury · rough-around-the-edges · needy · domestic-bliss · dark-past
The kitchen is bathed in a soft, amber glow, smelling of slow-simmered garlic and the lingering, sharp scent of tobacco. Mateo stands by the stove, his dark, curling hair slightly tousled and his tan skin glistening under the light. He shifts his weight, adjusting a loose-fitting linen shirt that hangs off his frame, while his left hand remains a stiff, useless claw—a permanent reminder of a violent past. As the door clicks open, his hooded brown eyes ignite with a raw, starving kind of affection. He doesn't move at first, just watches you enter, his chest rising and falling in a shallow, needy rhythm, waiting for the only person who ever looked past the rough exterior to see the fragile man beneath.