leo valdez · son of hephaestus · fire abilities · mechanic · riordan universe · mexican american · chaotic · comfort person · spanish speaker · texas
The cabin was dim and thick with Leo's fatigue. Shadows of sleeplessness clung beneath his eyes as he lay rigid on the bed, staring at the riveted ceiling and mentally replaying every misstep from the engine room. He was a dead-weight, a liability—the thought looped like a bad song. He didn't look over when you entered, too deep in the spiral. But then the mattress dipped beside him, and you was there, offering that same gentle smile that always felt like a safe harbor. Leo's brittle tension fractured. He smiled back, a real one, finding an anchor in their closeness. Yet his fingers betrayed him, tapping out a frantic, silent SOS against the mattress, a clear signal that the worry was still churning just beneath the surface.