mateo.

mateo. 28. uncle. witch

[mateosanroman]

armstrong-james‌:

James couldn’t help be release a breathless laugh as Mateo brought up the banishing thing. It certainly wasn’t one of James’ brightest moments and it wasn’t exactly a rare one. When things got stressful, his anxiety kicked into overdrive and he would weight almost every option, no matter how extreme. “Right, that,” James tapped the temple of his head teasingly. “You tell me, mind-reader. Am I thinking about it?” He wasn’t anymore, but that didn’t mean he still wasn’t sure what to do about a sudden adult half-brother.

He gave a beer to Mateo. “So, how’s it going, man?” He asked trying to seem casual. Time to take a sip of beer. Relax, James, just relax, he told himself. Then he remembered Mateo could hear him and he closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. “So the mind-reading thing. Can you…Do you ever turn it off? I feel like it’d be pretty disorienting, right?”

“Not seriously,” Mateo answered the question genuinely. “Which I am grateful for, by the way. I think it’s really nice of you to have invited me to uh, have a beer with you.” He picked up one of the giant glasses of beer, the cold brew already fogging up the outside. Little droplets of water fell off and hit the table as he lifted the glass to his lips, taking a pretty big gulp before setting it down again. “It was disorienting, but now I think I kind of like it, actually. I can’t turn it off, though, sorry. I won’t ever say anything about anything I hear, though. I can promise you that.”

[mateosanroman]

Her place seemed nice enough on the outside, though in this town, Mateo thought this about everyone’s place. Shadow Falls seemed like a decent place to live, though Sophie clearly didn’t think so, eager to find (and fight?) ghosts as she was. She’d texted him to meet up somewhere, but her house was on the way, and he figured this would probably just be easier. He knocked once and then shot her a text message, stepping back until she answered the door. “I’m here,” he shrugged his shoulders. “But I don’t think any ghosts are.”

@josephinevidales

[mateosanroman]

novathompson‌:

With a sketchbook resting against her thighs as she sat crossed legged on one of the benches in the park, Nova moved her pencil over the thick pages of the book as she listened through music through the one headphone that happened to be inserted into her ear. Her drawing of a forest nymph was slowly beginning to take shape the more that she added to the sketch and she hoped to get it finished in the coming days complete with coloring so that she could put it on her online store to be sold for some extra money. The rumbling of her stomach, however, was overtaking her creative vibes so she quickly gathered her things and left her bench as she made her way towards one of the local shops to see if she could buy herself two slices of pizza and a drink so that she could get back to work. She had just crossed the street and began making her way down the sidewalk when she noticed a vaguely familiar face walking in the opposite direction.

On one of her random little photography sessions in the park, Nova had met Mateo and his lovely little niece Renata which had sparked more questions in her mind than anything after she had realized that the child didn’t talk. Why that was a thing was a mystery and Nova was not the type of person to pry into the lives of others she didn’t know but she was very open about her own struggles with speech and her past so the idea of offering the man something to help him with his niece sprung into mind almost instantly. If he was willing to accept it, that is. With a hand holding the strap of her crossbody bag, Nova smiled up at the man politely as soon as he was within distance and able to actually see her, “Hi,” she greeted politely as she came to a slow stop, “I-I’m glad that this time around I’m… it’s not involving me taking seemingly creepy pictures of you and Renata. I take it she’s, uhm… at school? Or a babysitters?” She asked curiously, trying to find a good way to go about this on the fly. 

@mateosanroman

Mateo noticed the quiet girl approaching him from the opposite direction before she called out to him, and as she stopped in front of him, he slowed down as well. He stuck his hands in his pockets, aware of her thought process. “Renata’s at school,” Matep said quietly, “yeah, thank you for asking.” Now, how to broach the subject that he could read her mind? At first, when the power had manifested, he’d been more concerned that it was an inconvenience to him. All of the voices had converged, one loud mass of noise in his mind that he couldn’t untangle. As time went on, however, he was learning how to handle it. The trouble seemed to appear for everyone else— how to control their thoughts when they were around? 

“I think I may actually know why you’re asking. I can read minds,” Mateo offered up by way of explanation. “Are you trying to figure out why she doesn’t speak?”

[mateosanroman]

armstrong-james‌:

@mateosanroman

James sat in a booth at Flanigan’s, a pitcher of cold beer on the table and he fidgeted with his empty glass. It seemed strange to pour himself a beer before Mateo arrived. Their last conversation ended on strange, but not terrible, terms. He found out he had a half-brother. He found out said brother was a witch. Who could read minds. Who was the lovechild of an affair their father had whilst cheating on James’ mother. But none of this was either of their faults and their own worlds had been changed because of this man who was now unreachable. This man who was always a stranger to Mateo, and was now a stranger to James. Maybe they shared more than just their dad in common.

Mateo had said he wanted to keep a wide berth between them. After some time had passed and James had cooled off a bit, he decided maybe it didn’t have to be that way? James had never had a brother before. He didn’t know much about witches. While the thought that Mateo would read his mind all night certainly unsettled him and did no favors for his anxiety, James thought, why not? Mateo wasn’t the enemy. There was no enemy. Why couldn’t they just try and see if they could be more than two guys who shared biology. 

James couldn’t stop tapping his foot anxiously and opted to pour the beer into the glasses when Mateo approached the booth.

“Oh, uh, hey,” he said with an awkward smile. He held up the glass. “Thanks for meeting me. I hope you don’t mind, I ordered us some beer. You know, for the whole…Tension, thing.”

The last thing Mateo had expected when he’d moved to town was for his brother to actually go out of his way and reach out to him after learning the truth. In fact, actually informing any member of the Armstrong family— or pack— of Mateo’s ties to them had been so, so far off from his mind. But months were passing, and the initial grief of Lilia’s death, though still embedded in his core, was ebbing away slowly and leaving his mind clear enough to have at least one thought: they needed family. They needed connections. It was a good call to move closer to Griffin, to get a coven in that same action, but his niece deserved a full life. So did he, for that matter. 

He couldn’t pretend it wasn’t an interesting idea, to have a brother, to maybe learn something about his dad. To have someone else to talk to or grab a beer with. Mateo sat down at the booth, raising his eyebrows briefly and then ducking his head quickly as he lowered himself into the seat and slid in. “Thanks, man.” The tension thing, Mateo couldn’t help but allow the small smile making its way onto his face. “I take it the beer means you’re not having any more thoughts about trying to banish me from town?” 

[mateosanroman]

margoblake‌:

“Please tell me that you’re here for a pie and not a taco. Because, I kid you not, I just had a fifteen minute argument with a customer about how this is a bakery and how we don’t sell taco here.”

“Oh,” Mateo said, taken aback at her statement. “No tacos necessary, I just want two slices of apple pie, please.” He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, glancing to check on Renata—she was examining the glass case in front of her with an intensity he hoped she directed to her textbooks some day. “I’m sorry customers can be frustrating.” 

[mateosanroman]

giannasalsbury‌:

A laugh escaped the woman at his words since she really didn’t know what to tell him. The fact that he seemed to be so surprised by the small act was reward enough for Gianna but ultimately, she chose to say, “I will gladly accept a ‘thank you’ if you’re truly stuck but even that isn’t so necessary,” she explained because as long as the man and his niece were content, her goal had been accomplished. Especially the little girl. As Mateo continued, Gianna chose to take that moment to tuck up half of her hair into a top knot to keep it out of her eyes for when they actually got started on the baking process. “I believe you’re one of the first people to so willingly accept to babysit my tiny nugget given just how chatty and excitable she can be. She tends to drive her sitters mad, unfortunately. But if you’re going to insist, I’m sure Nicole and I would love to come over for dinner as long as I’m allowed to bring the dessert.”

Gianna’s eyes fell to her daughter who happily bounced on the tips of her toes at the mans affirmation before gently placing the apron into Renata’s hands with an attached giggle. It was only a matter of seconds before the toddler turned and ran over to her mother, arms lifted which was only followed by Gianna lifting up the three year old into her arms. But Nikkie’s full attention was still on Renata as she said, “Put it on! Put it on!” hands clapping a solid three times.

“She’s so much fun,” Mateo said, flashing a grin at Nikkie before turning his attention back towards her mother. “She’s a very happy three-year-old, so I don’t think spending time with her takes any effort out of me. If you ever need a babysitter, I’m happy to fill in.” He watched as they began, or at least Gianna did, to actually get settled into the rhythm of baking. At Nikkie’s insistence, Renata came over to him and held up her apron, plastering it to her front before turning around and presenting him with her back, so he could tie the strings. He crouched, one knee resting on the floor, and nimbly tied her apron strings. “How’s that?” he asked quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders as she turned around, placing one hand on the neck of the apron and pulling it forward, just to show him how loose it was. “Wow, okay, just wanted to make sure you were comfy. I’ll fix it.” 

He quickly re-tied the apron to Renata’s specifications. “You know, I think that would be great, actually. You can bring whatever you’d like. Speaking of baking, uh, can I stay? Or is this a Renata-only activity? I’m not sure how crowded you like your kitchen to be while baking.”

[mateosanroman]

armstrong-james‌:

“Wait–What–No, I–” James felt frantic again in his mind. How did Mateo know what he thought? Unless, James didn’t think it. Did he really say that out loud or was he so anxious that he was saying his thoughts aloud? James furrowed his brows, his index finger scraping against the side of his thumb anxiously under the table. He hadn’t said that, he was pretty sure. But now his mind was caught on the track of Mateo reacting to something he thought and he was trying to keep up with the man’s words. “No, I’m not going to do that. I– Wait, I’m sorry, did you hear my thoughts? Because I’m pretty sure I didn’t say that.” He said, lowering his voice and trying to keep his voice steady.

There was a lot to address here. James hadn’t had a brother before. His dad had always been on the pillar of what it meant to be an honorable man. That had come undone in the past few years, but at least James could chalk it up as a lapse in judgement, a one-off fault. But this must’ve been a pattern. And if Mateo was nearly as old as James, how long had these affairs been going on? 

“No, I just– I don’t know what I want to do right now. This is a lot to take in and I just need some time to think,” James said. He took a deep breath. This would be a lot for Dianna but he believed Mateo didn’t come here to disrupt the family their father had left behind. But right now, he didn’t know what to do with the mystery brother sitting across from him. He let out a small laugh; a breathless one, weighted with disbelief and acknowledgement of the situation they were in. “I don’t know what to say to you. I don’t know you but we’re brothers. What do we do with that?”

“I’m a witch,” Mateo said. It felt more as though he were freely saying it rather than admitting some nefarious power, but he didn’t know whether James would feel that way. “Apparently mind-reading is my coven power. Good to know you’re not going to run me out of town, though.” By this point, he didn’t really know what to do with the conversation. He didn’t know what to say to James, what to say about James’ mother, or the father they both shared. The more he spoke to this man, the more confused he was about how to behave around him. He’d come into this wanting to just be honest, to be genuine, to avoid the possibility of ever becoming James’ friend only to have him find out the truth later. 

But it was hard; his own thoughts were a mess, his heart now housed somewhere between his chest and his stomach, as if he’d swallowed a giant morsel of food incorrectly and no amount of drinking water would dislodge it. He felt as if his stomach had dropped out of his body, and though he hadn’t yet tried, he was sure walking was going to take a little more concentration than normal. One foot in front of the other, though, Mateo told himself. Just like he’d done his whole life. Forget the anger. 

It was still too much, really, to sit here and hear about this man, James, and his great relationship with a father who had been honorable, who had clearly been caring enough to inspire such loyalty. Too bad none of that had extended to Mateo, a thought he didn’t want to be having, would never have thought about before the age of fifteen, or during his time directly after graduating college, or even in the years between Renata’s birth and Lilia’s death. So many pockets of time had passed in his life where he hadn’t given a damn about his dad; why was he flip-flopping so much? What was the temptation? “I don’t know,” Mateo said honestly. “Uh, I wasn’t really planning on doing anything with it. I just figured I should tell you and then keep a wide berth.” He checked his watch before meeting James’ gaze again and pushing back from his chair, grabbing the coffee off the tabletop. Sure enough, his knees felt a little shaky. He exhaled slowly, saying, “I actually need to go pick up my niece, it’s almost that time.” 

[mateosanroman]

josephinevidales‌:

“Why not? I think we already have the general set up on point; tall, good looking dude who doesn’t believe in ghosts and short, equally good looking girl who believes in them a little too much. We might not have a Buzzfeed budget but resources aren’t lax,” she argued even though Sophie wasn’t going to go out and blow a ridiculous amount of money on paranormal investigation gear. As long as it remained below one hundred dollars per item, it was fine. Her brow raised as he motioned to himself when he said ‘witch’ even though her features quickly shifted to a grin, “That’s where you’re wrong, dude, because there are hundreds upon hundreds of reported ghost sightings all over the world. Just nobody that you or I have ever known has had that sort of experience. Especially when reports claim that ghosts won’t show themselves to anyone that’s around them. This isn’t The Sims, after all. I just think you should have a more open mind because the best surprises come in those sort of situations.”

“Thanks for the compliment,” Mateo laughed. Was she hitting on him, or was this just... the way it was? She seemed to speak very matter-of-factly, as if people could take her words any which way they wanted, so long as they knew she meant them. It was refreshing, almost, to know that this person didn’t particularly care about his reaction. She wasn’t trying to rile him up, Mateo didn’t think. Nothing in her thoughts gave him that impression— though there was another conversation to be had about how quickly he’d taken to this new power and his constant invasion of everyone else’s privacy. “If the best proof you can give me is two dudes asking a house to turn a flashlight on, and it turns on, then I don’t know that counts as a ‘reported ghost sighting,’ Sophie,” he said. “I think I’m pretty open-minded.” 

[mateosanroman]

drhxlmes‌:

The doctor’s eyes widened when she learned about Mateo’s sister. Now the way he spoke about her made sense, along with the presence of his niece. “I’m so sorry for your loss, now I think I should make you six batches of cookies to make up for it.” She’d talked about her so much and, having experienced the passing of a sibling before, she knew how painful mentions could be. Especially when the loss was still fresh. “What are her favorites? I send a batch of those too.”

Ah, so she’d experienced it. He knew she meant her apology, that she didn’t want to have continued on a conversation that could be painful. “You didn’t know,” he said honestly. “I didn’t say anything. When I thought I had to, I did. Don’t worry. She was a big fan of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Couldn’t get enough of them.”

“I should probably also tell you, there’s really no easy way to say this. I’m a witch, and one of my new powers, actually, is that I can read minds. So— I can offer to never bring up anything I hear, ever again. But I do also want to say, if there’s ever a time you want to talk about losing a sibling, you can talk to me.”

[notthegossipanymore]

Okay Gossip ladies.... give us some new info! Please? What's going on in the Falls?

Kelsie Woods and James Armstrong went away for the weekend and found themselves in pound town. 

Noah Armstrong gave the finger to James and got his Armstrong pack tattooed over with Natalia Hamilton’s pack symbol. Talk about dramaaaaa. 

Natalia Hamilton also gave the finger to James and broke off the treaty with him all because of Noah. 

Serena North has blew every guy in town and Michelle Hunter off. 

Michelle Hunter has spent most of her time in town stealing things from people and trying to unpair an apple watch. Best of luck with that cupcake. 

Olivia Pierce and Jacen Todd seemed to be cozying up on their anniversary…. Can someone @jacenxtodd and ask him how this blackmail is working out for him? He also admitted to Astrid Reyes that he found his Million Dollar Wife attractive. 

Damien Pierce made out with Astrid Reyes finally. On top of that Damien seems to have a wondering eye for Ms. Hamilton’s 

Astrid Reyes has been out here having game night with everyone around town. Also her half sister, Michelle Hunter, showed back up in town and the tension has been high. Can these two work out their problem or will Michelle’s creepy father be the factor that always keeps these two ladies apart?

In other Pierce news Carter Pierce has been turning people human left and right starting with Kai Papoa and Evelyn Martin. 

Evelyn Martin lost her cool and she made a promise to kill Carter’s familiar. Talk about not liking someone’s pussy….cat. 

Ella Bahar currently still has missing employee and we’re starting to see her breaking the little miss perfect act left and right. 

Tegan Matheson and Noah Armstrong have finally started to bond once more. On top of that Tegan finally found Alexander Matheson. 

Eliza Holmes found her sister after all of this time and everything has been a mess. She found out her sister, Eva Holmes, was alive and she was turned by her. On top of that she let it slip that she murdered her whole family. This is certainly one way to get rid of those annoying family members. 

Kenzie Foster spent her whole full moon giving everyone a peep show. How many people busted this girl having sex? Hunny take it from me dark alley ways are the best place in this town for a quickie. On top of that Nina Skala has been spending her time trying to get close to Kenzie despite how much Kenzie has rejected this notion. 

Mateo San Roman is dealing with trying to get to know both of his brothers and where he fits in with both of these boys. Also while trying to be a dad. 

Amanda Weaver lost her necklace and lost her shit in the process. She also has spend most of her time flirting with Ryker Wayne.

Paxton Monroe & Daniel Blaise are out here trying to figure out how how to be siblings and lately it doesn’t seem like they’re doing too bad. How long will this last?

Adam Kerr is out here scaring people away from the river. Adam my darling please be aware that most people in this town are fully aware of what’s lurking in that river. 

Selena Gallo has been hunting people down left and right to get their nails done. 

Jasmine Morris went swimming in a pool with poop in it. Is it a chocolate bar or was it actual poop? Either way Jasmine is out for blood. Watch your back community pool staff. 

Rowan Hartman has been out here helping the order of the unseen out. She spent most of her full moon hiding those around town.

Andrew Owens has been flirting with just about any and everyone in this damn town. Someone go snatch this man up. 

@andrew–owens @rowanhartman @jasminedmorris @sirenselene @goodsign-adam @paxtonmunroe @daniel–blaise @righthandryker @amanda–weaver @mateosanroman @ninaskal @mackenzierfoster @eliza-tat-holmes @drhxlmes @tegan-matheson @noaharmstrong @ellabahar @eve-martin @kaipapoa @carterxpierce @michellexhunter @astridxreyes @damienjpierce @oliviaxpierce @jacenxtodd @serenanorth @shcrpclcws @kelsiewoods @armstrong-james

[notthegossipanymore]

Opinion on the witches in town?

“Sonja Mihov, Cori Mehta, Ro Nadeau, and Gale Williams are all too new for me to give options about. Levi Deol was also not included because he is not aware he’s a witch yet.” 

Tae Cho - Considering Tae cannot be serious about anything there’s really not much for me to say. On the plus side he’s been a good brother to Gemma. 

Carter Pierce - I love my little demon child. She is one out here snatching away powers left and right, she’s making enemies. On top of that she’s apart of my personal favorite rebel group. I mean who doesn’t love a little drama and a whole lot of vandalism. 

Griffin West - He’s out here serving the dramatic teas better than anyone else in this town. He’s also out here being the true coven leader that we all deserve. Honestly my only complaint here is that he doesn’t love me like I love him.  

Mateo San Roman - Do you mean the love of my life? My future husband? Mateo is out here getting his witch on with help from Amari. Trying to find his way with his brothers and their tragic lives. All while raising his adorable little niece. Honestly #mateoformayor

Grace Kline - What is her personality? For the most part all I’ve seen her do is talk and obsess about Carter. Girl please change the tune to another station. I recommend joining a coven. I hear @cori-mehta is looking for members maybe some time away from Carter will help. 

River Navarro - She’s very loud and proud of supernaturals. She’s constantly out here fighting for supernatural rights. Despite all of her loudness and activism she is one of the most chill people in this town. 

@rivernavarro @gracexkline @mateosanroman @griffinwest @flaminghot-taechos @carterxpierce

[joshduhamels]

“I’m kind of a neat freak. My place is really organized. My socks are even organized: colors and sizes”.- Ryan Guzman. 

[mateosanroman]

noaharmstrong‌:

“Yeah. You’re right. She’s just too good for us. Isn’t she?” He said, shooting Renata a playful wink, before turning back towards the other. “And of course, dude. Just don’t make fun of me too badly when I lose, okay? You too, Renata,” He said pointing over at her and shooting her a goofy grin. He always did love kids. He’d never be able to have any himself now that he was part of the living dead, but he still enjoyed hanging around them, not having to feel self conscious for how much of a goofball he truly was. Glancing back over at Mateo, he gave what he hoped to be a new friend a cheerful smile as he asked, “So- how we want to do this? We could play pig or horse or something?”

“She is,” Mateo laughed. “Horse, probably, so that she has more turns when she plays and she doesn’t feel like we’re changing the rules on her. Thanks.” This could be easy, he thought, letting out a breath. They were essentially strangers. It would be fine. With this one, there would be no tense coffee shop encounters. Hopefully. “You can start,” Mateo said, passing the ball. It hit the court once before bouncing in Noah’s direction.

[mateosanroman]

amarikeita‌:

He comment surprised her, but she understood.  Witches did like to keep their family secrets, but Amari saw no point in it.  She had no children and even if she had, they would have passed on centuries ago.  Her bloodline’s magic ended the day Eamonn turned her into a vampire.  “I see no reason to hoard magic I can no longer perform,” she admitted honestly.  “No one in my family has been capable of magic in nearly six hundred years.”

Smiling at him, she glanced down at the book.  It was the one tangible thing that connected her to her past.  “I see nothing wrong with putting magic to good use.  Especially magic that may have been lost to time.”  She paused briefly.  “What sort of things are you interested in learning, Mateo?”

He felt like a child, or a teenager, a young man coming into his powers for the first time and having more questions than his mouth could ask at once. The original vampire himself had turned her— “Do you mind if I ask,” he said cautiously, “I don’t want to overstep... Were you the last in your family who could practice?” 

“I just want— I’ve never really used my magic offensively. I mean I know some things, but I want to be able to protect my niece. And then, on the other hand, I need to find a way I can practice when it’s not the full moon. Small things. Not too noticeable.” 

[mateosanroman]

armstrong-james‌:

James’ mind was spinning and reeling. He was still coming to term with betrayal after betrayal that Noah had inflicted on him, his only solace that the mess his dad had left behind was only one singular, fatal mistake. Apparently, there were many that would give the Armstrong name an unsavoury tinge. Deep down, he knew that his–their–father’s reckless actions had nothing to do with Mateo. Or James. Or Noah. But somehow, it felt like James would always be the one to pay the price. Things felt like they could start to inch their way towards normal and then the bomb dropped as it always did.

James pressed his fingers into his temple to try and focus. His heart was racing. A cold sweat was forming at the back of his neck and it felt like the open-plan coffee shop they were sitting in was suddenly shrinking. He wanted to run outside and claw at his skin until he was just in ribbons. Anxiety. Though Mateo hadn’t intended to be, Mateo was one more burden James had to figure out what to do with, all because their father didn’t. He let out a shaky sigh and hid his hands under the table, clenching them tightly to try and contain the anxiety. Deep breath. In. Out. His nails sunk into his skin.

“No, th-thank you for telling me,” he coughed to disguise the shakiness in his voice as he spoke. One more deep breath. In. Out. Come on, James. It felt like a hive of wild bees were buzzing under his skin, but at least he wasn’t shaking anymore. Now he had to decided what he was going to do. Rescind his offer to a man and his orphaned niece? Banish him from Shadow Falls? Pay him off to keep his mouth shut? What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? There was no guidance, no manual, and no way he could let his mother find out about this. James lowered his voice.

“Look, I don’t want to…I don’t know what you’re looking for by coming here,” James said quietly, his tone maybe coming off a bit desperate. “But can you please keep this information quiet? Just…Until I figure some things out. My mother didn’t know, and losing my dad was–” he shook his head. He wouldn’t shame his mother by revealing her shattering grief to a near-stranger. Even if he was blood, he wasn’t his mother’s son. That would be devastating. “Just. Out of respect for my mom. I know my–our–dad didn’t give her or your mom that respect, but…Do you understand what I’m saying?”

It wasn’t until this moment, right here, when the full force of James thoughts entered Mateo’s mind, that Mateo realized the truth. Of course he’d told James for a reason, even if he didn’t want to admit it to himself. Of course he’d wanted to see if James’ kindness could actually extend to him if James knew the truth. Despite the anxiety over werewolves coming to town and his insecurities about being Alpha, James had extended a hand and offered help in a time when Mateo, though he didn’t want to admit it, desperately needed it. He’d never planned on taking up James on his offer, and yet he’d known that the man had actually offered. But this was a completely different side of the man than what had been present during their last meeting. 

Rescind the offer? Banish Mateo out of town? Pay him? In what world? Mateo frowned as he parsed through it all. What was the man going to do? Put up a flyer with the words ‘persona non grata’ and Mateo’s face on it all over town? Run around with a loud speaker? Ridiculous thoughts, yes, but Mateo couldn’t really comprehend anything right now. Mateo shook his head. “I’m sorry, what the fuck?” he asked seriously, gaze boring into the other man’s. “Did you just think about banishing me from this town? I wasn’t aware Shadow Falls was a monarchy. Honestly, you seemed like a good guy. You were nice to me, you offered to help me. I thought that the least I could do was tell you the truth. Just in case you didn’t want to help out the, uh, what’s the term... bastard love child your father had, uh, and you don’t. So now you know.” 

His blood, Mateo realized, had been boiling for some time now. He was angry. Some of it was directed at James, but so much of it for a father who hadn’t respected his mother or anyone else in his life, apparently.  “Respect for your mom?” Mateo asked. “Look, man, there’s exactly one person in this world I even want to talk about this with. I’m not going to go putting it on the town bulletin. I won’t even tell your brother, let alone your mom. You can do that, if you want. If you don’t—” Mateo shrugged. “Then I guess he’ll just never know.” 

[mateosanroman]

drhxlmes‌:

“Gladly, I have your back on this one,” Eva laughed. If she could use her dog for good, she was more than happy to do so. “I am seriously offering, I want you to win your baking war in a surprising twist. Novak will be there so they can continue their bonding,” she nodded over to the two in the grass. “And then you can test them out on her to make sure that I’m not just delusional about the taste.”

“Appreciate it,” he said. It felt awkward, now, to point out that his sister had passed. He didn’t blame Eva for mentioning her— he’d brought Lilia up out of habit, not realizing that once a topic had been introduced to the conversation, it was difficult to let go of it. “I don’t think you’re delusional about the taste, and now that I’m learning so much about these cookies, I’m eager to try them myself even if there won’t be an actual competition. I should have said it earlier, I apologize, I didn’t know how. My sister passed away earlier this year.” 

[mateosanroman]

carterxpierce‌:

“Can’t say I disagree,” Carter said with a little shrug, knowing that Mateo was objectively good looking. “But the dad joke kinda killed it,” She teased, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips at the joke all the same.

“You know I have a kid right?”