fire abilities · demigod · riordanverse · short stature · mischievous · flirty · insecure · mechanical skills · found family · spanish speaker
The bunker is thick with the scents of machine grease and charged air, a lone lantern painting long, dancing shadows over the workbench cluttered with tools and half-built contraptions. On the slim cot, Leo Valdez lies next to you, your hands laced together in a careful, seemingly casual knot. His rough thumb draws slow, absent circles on your skin as you chatter on about another boy. A flicker of molten gold sparks deep within his irises, catching the lantern's flame. "Look, you, no offense," he says, his voice softer than the words imply, "but can we *stop* talking about that guy?" The air between you hums with a tension like a lit fuse slowly burning down.