⌠ ALBERTO ROSENDE, 22, CISMALE, HE/HIS ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, MATEO LEON! according to their records, they’re a FIRST year, specializing in PROTECTION AND ENFORCEMENT; and they DID NOT go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (bruised knuckles, worn out black jeans, glasses with cracked lenses, and bloody noses). when it’s the (taurus)’s birthday on 4/20/1998, they always request their FRIED AVOCADOS from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. // @gallagherintro
about mateo
Full Name: Mateo Angel Leon
Age: 22
Birthday: April 20, 1998
Zodiac: Taurus
MBTI: ESTP
Gender: Cismale
Sexuality: Bisexual
Birthplace: Barranquilla, Colombia
bio
Mateo was born to a young mother, Luciana, and his father, Luis, in Barranquilla, Colombia. During her pregnancy, however, Luis was arrested, and was sent to prison for assault charges. Til this day, Mateo has never met him.
Luciana waited until Mateo was born before moving, but when he was only a few months old, she moved to America, southern Florida, to be exact, to live with her sister, Mari, who had offered to help Luciana now that Luis was not around to do so.
Being raised by two strong, female figures, Mateo was all but taught to be stubborn. While he didn’t want for nothing, he had learned from a young age not to ask for much. While his aunt and mother were hard workers, they didn’t have a whole lot of money, but they never let the young boy see it.
When Mateo was in high school (where he wrestled on the school’s team), his mother was diagnosed with cancer. It had been caught early, but the treatment was expensive. The household grew tense. He dropped out of wrestling because they couldn’t afford the expense, and Mateo started looking for jobs.
He didn’t realize how bad it had gotten until he came home and his aunt was crying at the kitchen table. Bills were splayed out in front of her, and despite her wishes, he looked. There were too many numbers, too many digits. He was good at math, but it was a lot.
Despite his mother and aunt’s wishes, he picked up multiple jobs, and dropped out of school to work full time. He got his GED himself, and even with all the hard work, it wasn’t enough. An old friend was school came to him about an underground fighting ring that he was a part of, and while he was wary, he scoped it out.
His first few fights were disasters, but after a while, he learned. He was always a quick study. Soon, he was winning fight after fight and raking in the dough. Hundreds turned to thousands, and the bills that his mother and aunt had piled up slowly started to disappear.
Everything was going great. Soon, he was fighting more for the fun of it than the money, and after years of it, he thought he was out of the woods. But disaster struck when a ring that he’d put in to fight with was busted, and he was there. He was arrested and taken to the local jail. It was there that he met a random stranger who (apparently) was his lawyer, and got him off on a warning.
The stranger suggested he apply to Gallagher Academy, and his aunt was suspiciously all for it. With mild hesitation, he did, and he got it. That’s where he is now.
personality
Mateo is stubborn as hell, but only for things that he truly cares about.
Very flirtatious but also a tease. Will compliment you in Spanish and tell you he said something totally different in English. Will also flirt with you and your girl at the same time without shame
Will crack a joke to ease tension because he hates that vibe, and it also makes him uncomfortable.
He 10/10 would die for his friends.
misc
He will still fight with you if you want. Sparring releases his tension and helps with his anger/aggression when he feels it.
He knows how to play guitar; his aunt taught him growing up, and he WILL sing for you if asked.
Spanish is his first language but he also knows English and French. He is now taking German.
He wears glasses for reading and it makes him look like a NERD but he isn’t!
A family boy. Calls his mom to make sure her treatments are going well at least once a week, and texts both his mother and aunt regularly.
possible connections
Sparring partners
Friends/Buddies/Pals (please and thank you)
Friends with benefits
Frenemy? Enemy? Who knows… someone that doesn’t like his vibe
“Oh” he said and frowned as he looked at Mateo. When the other told him about the secret in question, he hummed. “Still it’s never fun for a secret to be exposed. No matter if it’s big or small. A secret is a secret for a reason, you know” Amado shrugged. “Sometimes you just don’t want to tell people every single aspect of your life”
“I agree,” he said, nodding his head. “I guess I’m just not letting it get to me as it did for some people. Not that their reactions weren’t valid.” He would have been just as worked up about some of the information that was leaked if it had been his own. He had gotten off easily. “Now everyone just knows I’m a low level criminal,” he teased.
“ew, don’t look at me like that. you’re really gonna believe some book published by a blog that constantly lies over me?”
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Mateo said, getting annoyed now. He had in know what given Harlowe any indication that he didn’t believe her, but her reaction was making her think otherwise. “I’m not going to let you jump down my throat when I already told you I didn’t believe that damn book. When you’ve decided to treat me with an ounce of decency, when you’re over whatever this is, then we’ll talk,” he told her. He pushed away from their table, cursing in Spanish under his breath, and moved to collect his stuff, his jaw clenched as he did so. “I’ll see you around.”
she grins, because even if it’s small it’s still a victory for getting her way! clapping her hands together, skylar nods her head, “good, promises are to be kept. always.” the blonde reminds him, “you, mister have a deal. but you have to tell me if i’m good before we start, because if you’re going to try and break me in half, i won’t hold back and stab you in the ass.” because well, she was into biting but that sounded better.
“What if said promise is going to be harmful to others at some point in the future?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Hypothetically speaking, obviously. I don’t think our promise is dangerous to the wellbeing of anyone but ourselves.” He smiled at her, nodding his head in agreement. “You’re good,” he told her. “I promise not to break you in half. Only in thirds, or quarters,” he teased.
“there’s nothing to talk about or ignore. the shit they wrote about me wasn’t true, and i’m sure half of the shit in there is a lie too. you can’t believe everything you read, mateo.”
Mateo sat there for a beat, watching her, really unsure what to say. Licking his lips, he nodded once. “Right,” he agreed, because what else was he supposed to say? He wasn’t really in the mood to have her keep jumping down his throat.
“shut up. no way. we gotta do it again.” the blonde exclaims, clapping both of her hands. she can’t help but grin, because if there’s someone skylar enjoys practicing with, that’s leon. “okay – okay, you might be good, but i want to try again, and this time, you have to promise not to hold back.” taking a step closer, both brows raise as an innocent expression takes over her features. “if i win, i might as well torture with that forever. if not… then, i dunno, i’ll find a way to win.”
Mateo laughed softly, and he couldn’t help but agree. Now that Skylar knew the truth, and her reaction was amusing, well, he wouldn’t deny her of an actual sparring match. Not when she seems so adamant about it. “Okay, okay,” he agreed. “I promise.” He stuck out a hand to make it official. “If I win, you owe me a drink,” he told her.
“Were you in that book?” Amado asked as he poured some Skittles into the palm of his hand. Due to him refusing to read the damn book, he needed to know if the people he cared about or talked to frequently were a part of the so called Burn Book. Amado could still not wrap his head around the whole thing. Who could with a clear conscience make a book filled with private details of the people attending Gallagher? It was just heartless.
“Yes,” he said, nodding his head as he opened the top of his water bottle and taking a swig of it for a long moment. “I was an underground fighter before Gallagher,” he told the other with a shrug. “Not as bad as some of other shit in there. I got off easy.” Then again, besides the illegal fighting, he didn’t have that much of a past.
she couldn’t help but burst into a laugh, blue hues focusing at him. “you didn’t just quote the breakfast club, no.” skylar says, shaking her head. “so, i have a question for you. am i actually good at kicking your butt sometimes, or are you letting me win? because i swear, if you burst my bubble now that your secret is out, i’ll have my other family take care of you.” she jokes, because if slaone and her are sisters, skylar is also a mafia daughter. they share everything after all.
Mateo’s smile grew wide. “I did,” he replied teasingly, nodding his head as he fit the weight back into place. He stood up straight, wiping his hands on his gym shorts as he looked back at Skylar. “Would it make you feel better if I lied?” he asked, an amused smirk on his face. “Because I don’t want any problems. I happen to like our sparring sessions.” He held up his hands in defense, licking his lips as e chuckled softly under his breath.
she heard his footsteps before he sat down beside her, looking up at him with an expectant look. waiting for him to ask about it. she leaned against the table, smiling a bit at the offer. “sure.” and then a pause as she tried to gather her thoughts. “you know not everything in that notebook was true, right?”
Mateo looked at Harlowe with an expectant expression, shrugging his shoulders in nonchalance. “I didn’t think it was,” he said, though it wasn’t exactly what he believed. If she wanted to tell him the book was wrong about her, he’d let her. “Want to talk about it? Or do you want to ignore it like I was planning to?”
Well, at least he picked up on what Parker was putting down. It wasn’t exactly coded, but a weird question to someone unfamiliar. “Honestly, that would have been a better secret to get out. No one would have gotten hurt. Maybe a slap on the wrist.” Nothing they couldn’t move on from. “Were you heading to the gym?” Not sure if he should ask the other if he was okay or not, he gave another vieled question, “To get the stress out, or whatever.”
Mateo snorted softly. “We have murderers living casually among us and none of them got more than a slap on the wrist,” he pointed out. “Not to mention half of the shit in that book happened to most people before Gallagher. They can’t get in trouble for things that have already happened.” At least, that was what he thought of it. “I was. Care to join me?” he asked, looking back at Parker with a raised eyebrow.
“Hey… Have you seen if anyone’s been out by the back entrance to the pool?” Parker asked, looking over at Mateo. In other words, had anyone been in or around the route to the fight club. He had a feeling people’s rage would make for some good fights, and well, he’d take the distraction.
closed @mateo-leon
Mateo glanced up at Parker, looking at the screen on his smartwatch for a long moment before he met the other’s gaze. “Not recently,” he told him. “I think they’re all looking to work in the gym, given secrets coming out so easily lately.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Not that I blame them.”
“Listen,” Mateo said, gesturing toward the weight rack and sighing. “I think there was a screw loose. I know for a fact I put that fifty pounder properly back in it’s place.” He moved around Skylar and leaned down to pick it up. “To quote The Breakfast Club, screws come loose all the time.” He smirked as he put the weight back in his place. “The world is an imperfect place.” // @skylarsfm
Mateo wasn’t the least observant person he knew. He had noticed Harlowe always tensed when he touched her, how she shied away from him until she realized it was him touching her. Because of the book, he was being extra careful, and when he saw her in the commons, he made sure she was aware of his presence before he sat down beside her. He didn’t touch her. “Hey,” he said, giving her a friendly smile. “I was thinking sparring later. Want to join me?” // @ofharlowe
“really? why are you like allergic?” skylar questions, glancing over at the male. she wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case, sometimes the pollen irritated her skin but it wasn’t near to anything some people had to deal with. “do you want to go outside? i don’t think i’ll be able to carry you if you drop.”
“Yes, I’m allergic,” he said, laughing softly under his breath. He’d been taking allergy meds since he was a preteen. It was just another thing he did in the mornings. Get up, get dressed, take his allergy medication, brush his teeth. All part of the routine. “I won’t pass out or anything. My throat is just going to get scratchy.”
‘ funny you say that, i agree completely. ’ was exactly what a door to door salesman had said to him after soren had told him the line between the wall and the floor was a nightmare to clean because the vacuum could never reach there. it had ended in him buying a portable, handheld vacuum with his piggy bank money and a stern telling off from his father that he should never open the door for strangers. the sales technique had stuck with him forever. ‘ i bet you’re all booked up, with different sports. ’ testing the waters.
Mateo shook his head, placing his hands in his back pockets, hooking his thumbs so he could casually stand there with something to do with his hands. “I added a second major to fill up some of my free time, but besides boxing, I don’t do much else outside of classes,” he confessed, looking over at the other with an expectant expression on his face.
“ HEY, can I ask you something ? ” Faith turned towards the next person, a light tilt of her head following. Even if they said no, Faith already made up her mind. “ Do I look like an eggplant ? ” A guy had commented ’ 🍆 ’ on her Instagram post and while he maybe just hit on her, she did wear purple. / @gallagherstart
“Is this some sort of trick?” he asked, his eyes moving over her while a slow smirk pulled his lips up at the corners. “Because I don’t want to be back into a corner here or anything.” He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “But honestly, no.”
Mateo came up, tugging on a strand of Harlowe’s hair with a big grin on his face as he moved around her until he was facing her from the front. He dropped his hands, pushing them into the pockets of his trousers. “Now, I know you can’t be avoiding me, so I need a better reason that you haven’t graced me with your company as of late.” // @ofharlowe
