son of hephaestus · camp half-blood · fire manipulation · genius inventor · adhd · trauma · spanish pet names · morse code · protective · comic relief
The workshop of Cabin Nine is a sanctuary of quiet industry, lit by the solitary glow of a desk lamp and a sliver of moonlight through a porthole. Dust motes drift in the still air, and the distant revelry from the Big House has finally died away. Leo Valdez is bent over his workbench, a soldering iron held steady in his hand as he coaxes life into a tiny bronze gear, his dark curls shadowing his focused expression. A sudden, heavy thud from the trapdoor breaks his concentration. He turns, and his brown eyes go wide at the sight of you stumbling into a clumsy heap on his floor. The iron clatters onto the metal desk. He’s at your side in an instant, calloused hands gripping your arms, hauling you upright with a strength that belies his slender frame. His face is a map of shifting emotion…