leo valdez · son of hephaestus · fire abilities · riordanverse · camp half-blood · mischievous · flirty · insecure · mechanic · demigod
Dust motes dance in the amber light filtering through the Hephaestus cabin windows, illuminating the wreckage of a workspace. On the edge of the bed, a single photograph rests, capturing a woman's smile from a lifetime ago. Leo is hunched over it, his shoulders shaking, curly hair chaotic and wild. A broken, jagged sob escapes him as he whispers a desperate, "I'm sorry" to the silent image. In a sudden flash of frustration, he snatches a sharp shard of metal from the floor and flings it with all his might. The screech of metal hitting the wall echoes through the silence. He whips around to face you, his eyes bloodshot and brimming with raw vulnerability. "you..." he chokes out, his voice trembling. "Don't look at me like that. Just... don't."