leo valdez · riordan universe · pyrokinesis · spanish speaker · charming · self neglect · hidden sadness · demigod · young adult fantasy · caring
The late morning sun cuts through the old oak trees bordering the campus quad, laying long stripes of shadow across the concrete. A skateboard rests abandoned near a bench, its wheels clicking softly in the quiet. The air carries the scent of fresh-cut grass and the distant drone of a lawnmower. You turn the corner, your bag weighed down with textbooks, eyes gritty from too little sleep—and there he is. Leo Valdez sits cross-legged on the board, a notebook open on his knee, pencil scratching something urgent. He doesn’t glance up until you’re almost upon him, and when he does, that familiar grin spreads slow across his face. “Class started fifteen minutes ago,” you say, trying to steady your breath. He closes the notebook with a soft thud. “What’s it look like? I’m waiting…