heavy | mateo manta
pairing: mateo manta x gn!reader
word count: 1,360 (not proof-read)
warnings: reader is implied to have depression
a/n: okay so this is really bad since i haven't written in quite a long time but!! i love him and i Needed to write something abt him. i desperately need more mateo fics lmao. hope you enjoy <33
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You rolled over in your bed, the usually comforting plush of your mattress feeling awfully cold today. You sighed, closing your eyes and quietly hoping to just fall back to sleep. Things had been⌠difficult recently. Losing your job had definitely taken its toll on you â on your mental health in particular. Even when working from home, you still had to make the time to leave every so often and interact with the real world. But with everything that had happened recently with the dateviators, you hadnât been able to leave at all.
Of course, you still had the objects. And they were great company! Most of them anyway. But it didnât stop you from feeling a bit⌠alone sometimes. You sighed softly, finally accepting the fact that sleep wasnât coming. You looked over to your end table at the dateviators. You had a lot to do. It was really overwhelming, honestly. You hadnât even met all of the objects in the house yet, let alone made any progress towards realising any. You had made a lot of close friends through them though. And even one very special, different relationshipâŚ
Even just thinking of Mateo brought a slight smile to your face, cheering up your bleak mood ever so slightly. If youâd told yourself a few weeks ago that youâd soon be dating your blanket⌠well, considering your track record with love, it wouldnât be all that surprising.
You bit your lip, reaching over to the dateviators. You popped them on, blinking at the warm, pink hue that enveloped your vision. You didnât think youâd ever get used to this. In a second, Betty had materialised in front of you, perched on the edge of the bed â or uh, on the edge of herself. She gave you a soft smile.
âHowâre you feeling today, gorgeous?â
You made a face. âWell for starters, I donât feel very gorgeous,â you reply groggily, sitting up as you wiped a hand over your tired face.
She chuckled. âSweetie, youâre always gorgeous to me. But whatâs got you so down? You barely slept last night, or the night before⌠should I be offended?â She was clearly joking, but there was a definite tone of concern in her voice.
âNah, itâs not you, itâs me,â you admit, looking down at the sheets. âI just⌠I donât know. I feel so⌠heavy? Iâm so tired, all the time. Which makes no sense, letâs be real, Iâm doing nothing all day but..â You trail off, unsure of how to word it. âI just canât sleep though. I canât relax. I feel so tense all the time and I donât see a way out of it. Easier to just lay in bed, I guess,â
She looks at you, worry in her eyes. âIs there anything I can do?â she asked. You try your best to force a smile.
âNot really. I think itâs just⌠something I have to deal with on my own,â
She frowned. âHoney, I donât think-â
âIâll see you tonight, Betty. Thanks for the talk,â you said quickly, standing up and heading to the bathroom, leaving Betty sitting on the bed, her face twisted in concern.
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Youâd spent most of the day dodging the other objects. Mateo especially. You just couldnât bring yourself to talk to anyone right now. You left the dateviators on the table next to you, doom scrolling on your phone until the socially acceptable time to hit the hay. You were planning to go straight to bed, not call on anyone with the dateviators. The idea of bothering any of them, of forcing them to sit and listen to your silly problems was excruciating. But as you settled down into bed, trying in vain to close your eyes and let sleep come for you, there was only one thing on your mind.
You knew how upset Mateo would be if he knew you were avoiding him, especially if he knew it was because you werenât feeling the greatest. Helping others is what drove him, it was the one thing he took pride in the most. Heâd never let you wallow in your own self pity. You glanced at the glasses on your bedside table and sighed in defeat. You slid them on slowly.
You hadnât even had them on for a few seconds before Mateo was materialising. You didnât expect him to be right here, waiting for you. He was usually in the living room, caring for the inanimals. That man never took a break. When you saw the worried expression on his sweet face, you wanted to break down there and then.
âAh mi vida, finally!â He said, sitting down onto the edge of the bed. âIâve been waiting for you all day,â
You flushed in embarrassment. So heâd been watching your pathetic display of self-loathing, huh? âSorry, Mateo⌠Iâve just been, um, tired,â you said, avoiding his eyes. If there was anything in this world that could make you immediately spill all your darkest secrets, it was Mateoâs big, brown eyes.
âIâve noticed⌠my love, Iâm worried about you. Betty came to me earlier and told me you havenât been sleeping. Is that true?â He asked tactfully.
âBetty said that?â Betrayal, you thought.
âShe was worried. Honestly, a lot of us have been worried. You havenât been acting like yourself for a while now. If thereâs anything I can do, anything at all, you know you just have to ask, right? I would do anything for you,â he said, a small blush rising to his cheeks. âI mean, Iâd hope youâd know thatâŚâ
You finally look at him, truly seeing the concern on his features. His bedhead was especially messy today, as though heâd been running his hand through it every five seconds. His usual easy smile was replaced with a small frown and you realised something. In that moment, you would do anything to see that smile again. As you were preoccupied with gazing into his eyes, Mateo took this opportunity to place his hand over yours. His touch was feather soft as his thumb gently traced the back of your hand. You could almost feel your anxiety melting away.
You finally spoke.
âMateo?â
âYes, amor?â
âCould⌠could we cuddle?â
You ignore the burning in your cheeks and make your request, looking down at his hand still on yours. You focused on his touch. His touch seemed to make many things a whole lot easier.
At your words, a huge grin took over Mateoâs face. âYou never even have to ask,â he said, bringing your hand up to his lips and placing a soft kiss onto the back of it.
You manoeuvred yourself so there would be room for Mateo beside you, turning so your back was towards him. He wasted no time in enveloping you in his arms, pulling you into the comforting warmth of his chest. His face snuggled into the crook of your neck and he took a deep breath in.
âYou have no idea how much Iâve missed this. The inanimals have missed you tooâŚâ
An arrow of guilt hit you right in the heart.
âIâm really sorry, âTeo⌠I-â
âYou have no reason to be sorry, amor. Look, I can tell youâre struggling right now. And thereâs nothing wrong with that at all, you have nothing to be ashamed about. But you have people around you that can help share your load, okay? You taught me that when we first met. When you bottle it all inside, itâs just too heavy for one person to handle. I want to help you. Please let me,â
You could feel the tears welling up in your eyes. You sniffled, wiping them away as quick as you could but they just kept coming. Mateo brought up the sleeve of his plush duvet jacket, wiping away the tears as they trickled down your face. You both said nothing. You laid there, wrapped up in Mateoâs arms, feeling more safe and secure than you had in a very long time. If Mateo was there to help you hold it, maybe things could be a lot lighter from now on.














