Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
MATEO
One of the reasons Mateo wasn’t one to seek out conflict was because he was raised with Carmen.
His older sister was a force of nature, and if she said something was happening, she wouldn’t let it go.
He had no choice but to leave with her, stopping at the nearby grocery store long enough to get what they needed for her favorite meal.
Because she couldn’t just pick something they already had the ingredients for.
That was too easy. Mateo bit back a sigh as she shoved a grocery bag into his hands and continued chattering away without taking a breath like she always did.
He wasn’t even sure she cared if he was listening half the time.
The rain blocking charm worked on more than one person as long as he stuck close, and they arrived back at the condo dry and not at risk of creating a huge mess on the floor on top of everything else.
He already knew the kitchen would be a mess once she got started, so he was glad some things were going to be easy about this visit.
“Go get the rest of your roommates,” she demanded, rolling up her sleeves and tying back her curly brown hair.
“What? Why?” Mateo asked, checking his phone for updates from Dax, who’d decided to use their shopping trip as an opportunity to head home for a few things so he could stay the weekend like Mateo practically begged him to do.
He’d thought his boyfriend would be back by the time they returned since Carmen liked to take her time while shopping, but Dax wasn’t waiting for him like he thought he’d be.
“Because making tamales with just three people will take forever. Even if your boyfriend has multiple limbs. Besides, it’s a fun way to get to know them better. Now, shoo! Or I’ll get them for you!”
It was a threat he knew she’d follow through with, and somehow he knew she’d find a way to punish him for it. Unlike Dax, who walked him through awkward social interactions, Carmen wasn’t so nice.
With another glance at his phone, he sighed and pocketed it.
He headed for Kaz’s door first since it was closest, and he’d at least had a few interactions with the guy that hadn’t gone terribly.
When he knocked, Kaz peeked out curiously, head cocking when he noticed it was Mateo waiting to speak with him.
“Uh, hi?”
“Hey. My sister wants to make a family recipe, and she’s inviting everyone to join in. You don’t have to if you don’t want to but–”
Kaz’s expression lit up and he opened the door a little more, asking, “Which recipe?”
For a minute, Mateo forgot how much Kaz liked cooking.
He actually looked excited to join them when Mateo told him they were making tamales, carefully scooting past him before lumbering over to the kitchen to help Carmen prep.
Mateo eyed the orc thoughtfully. Maybe between him and Kaz, they’d manage to keep the kitchen from becoming a disaster.
The interaction with Nylian was a little more awkward. The fae answered the door with a blank expression on his face, his tone a little cool when he asked, “Can I help you with something?”
“No,” Mateo rushed out, knowing better than to ask anything from a fae without very specific guidelines in mind.
Nylian didn’t come off as one of those fae that pulled pranks, but he didn’t know him that well and fae liked to kidnap humans back in the day.
He figured it was better to be cautious around the guy.
“My sister is making food and invited everyone to join in on cooking.”
Nylian’s brows twitched ever so slightly. “Why?”
Blinking, he thought about how to answer. “Uh, because it's more fun to cook together?”
“Is it?”
Mateo couldn’t tell if the question was legit or if he was being sarcastic. Nylian was a quiet guy most of the time. He wasn’t sure he’d had this much of a conversation with the fae before now, aside from the dirt incident.
“It’s what my family did to spend time together,” he finally said with a shrug. “You don’t have to, I just wanted to offer so you could join if you wanted. Whatever works for you.”
He stepped back, spinning on his heel to head to Louis’s room, when Nylian spoke behind him. “I’ll join. Is there something I need to do?”
Glancing over his shoulder, he explained, “Carmen will have tasks for everyone.”
Nodding, the fae stepped out of his room, shutting the door quietly behind him. For the first time, Mateo noticed the way Nylian always seemed to skirt the inside wall of the condo to avoid getting anywhere near the windows. Living in a high rise while afraid of heights must be a challenge.
His invitation to Louis and his… boyfriend?
Mateo wasn’t sure since neither had ever said anything about it—was politely declined as the couple were spending time alone for the afternoon.
Something Mateo very much wished he could have been doing with Dax if his sister hadn’t shown up out of nowhere.
Dax had returned while he was doing the rounds and was already in the kitchen beside Carmen, an amused expression on his face as she spoke in rapid succession.
“He’s always been that way. He was still in diapers when he started organizing his toys, and he would cry if I messed up his system even a little bit.
He likes to blame me for being such a neat freak but that’s just been him since birth. ”
Mateo scowled as he came to join the ‘party’. “I like things organized, sure, but you like to hoard things. If I didn’t clean up after you, we would’ve drowned in the mess at one point.”
She stuck her tongue out at him like she always did before grinning. “Your attention to detail does make you the perfect person to spread masa, though. Get to work, little brother. Show your roomies how it's done.”
He found himself falling into old habits with his sister around.
Wherever she moved, he followed after her, cleaning up the messes she left behind and putting things back where they belonged.
He didn't even think about it while he was doing it until he noticed Dax doing the same thing, helping him clean up the dishes while he swept and mopped the floor. Nylian, for his part, was too busy struggling with the proper way to fill the corn husk, so he got the brunt of Carmen’s attention, while Kaz kept an eye on the steaming pot and split the batches so there wouldn’t end up being any accidental crossover for the vegetarian versions and the rest of them.
The orc was practically humming, he was so happy. He really did like his cooking.
Owen arrived after Carmen had switched gears, starting on side dishes so it’d be a ‘full and proper meal’ according to her.
She took one look at his bruised face and the blood on his shirt, and her attention was diverted once again.
She cooed over him and nudged him onto a stool, offering him a drink with a straw and demanding he not lift a finger.
Owen looked bewildered by the attention, and Mateo noticed the few sideways glances in his direction, so when the first batch of tamales was done and the side dishes were cooked, he made the poor guy a plate and offered it to him awkwardly.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you the other day. I was stressed and took it out on you and that was unfair. You don’t have to avoid the kitchen. I didn’t mean it.”
Owen looked down at the plate, then back at him, his brows knitted together in confusion. “You don’t have to apologize. I get it–”
“Yes, I do,” Mateo argued, cutting him off. “You might not have gotten hurt if you weren’t avoiding the kitchen and were rushing to get your takeout so you could avoid me. I’m trying to be better about communicating. I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, but–”
Carmen’s arm dropped around his shoulder, squeezing Mateo tightly.
“The best way to deal with my brother is to just let him be himself,” she said cheerfully.
“When he starts nitpicking and cleaning up after you, it’s not a judgment on you.
It helps him think. Which is why he’s so mellow right now and not high strung and stressing, even while working with me in the kitchen.
He’s a lot calmer when he has something to tidy, trust me,” she winked.
Mateo rolled his eyes, but her teasing did a lot to ease the tension and Owen looked more curious as he asked, “Cleaning helps you think?”
Lifting one shoulder awkwardly, Mateo explained, “Pretty much. It clears my head, gives my hands something to do. It's not like a compulsion or anything, it just… works for me.”
“Swimming helps me think,” Dax said from where he was helping Kaz make plates. “What about you, Kaz?”
Kaz’s cheeks turned dark green when he admitted, “I like cooking and… I knit, too.”
That, Mateo hadn’t expected. Neither had the rest of the room because they all looked at him in shock until Kaz’s blush went all the way to the tips of his ears, and he turned back to face the stove to hide from them.
Carmen recovered first, patting the big guy on the shoulder before jerking her chin at Nylian. “What about you? What do you do to clear your head?”
Tipping his head thoughtfully, Nylian said, “Fae find peace in nature. Either with my plants or walks in the park.”
Owen pouted, then winced for his efforts. “I haven’t found anything that clears my head like that. I mean, I like watching tv, but that turns off my brain. It doesn’t clear it or anything. And I hate cleaning.” He shot Mateo an apologetic look. “No offense.”
Huffing a laugh, Mateo shook his head. “None taken. Everyone clears their heads in different ways. I try not to overstep when it comes to my habits, so I go swimming with Dax too, which helps, but–”
“Would anyone truly have a problem with you cleaning up the space? If they know it isn’t a burden to you, why would it be overstepping?” Nylian asked, his tone a little haughty, like he thought the answer would be obvious.
The room was contemplative for a moment before Owen blanched a little. “This is about me, isn’t it? I told you not to clean up after me and made it harder for you to fully relax. I’m so sorry, Mateo. I was just trying to clean up my own messes. I mean, I make plenty of them and–”
“That’s not your fault,” Dax pointed out, and Mateo nodded in agreement.
Owen’s shoulders slumped. “Still. I can do it…”
“You can,” Dax agreed, moving to Mateo’s other side and wrapping a tentacle around his waist as he reached out to pat Owen’s hand. “But maybe you can accept that sometimes with the bigger messes, you might need a little help? I know I wouldn’t mind helping if you needed it.”
“Me either,” Mateo agreed. He’d honestly rather be asked first to help so he could get it done right and fast and not somehow make it worse first like Owen always seemed to manage to do.
Now that he knew why, he’d be more understanding about it, but it would make everyone’s lives easier—and the kitchen cleaner— if Owen allowed him to help.