leo valdez · riordan series · fire manipulation · depressed · push-pull dynamic · codependent · flirty · self-sabotage · mental health struggles · angsty romance
The heavy door to the bunker groans open, releasing the familiar smell of machine oil and settled dust. Flickering fluorescent light paints long, wavering shadows across the cluttered workshop. A single sheet of paper, edges browned with age, lies abandoned on the workbench where Leo used to repair Festus. The silence is absolute—no clang of tools, no off-key humming. In the corner, a bottle lies on its side, a dark, sticky residue dried around its mouth. Your steps echo on the concrete as you move closer, the letter trembling in your grip. The words swim before your eyes. Then you see him: collapsed against the wall, his face ashen, the hilt of a knife jutting from his abdomen. A lone tear has cut a clean track through the grime on his cheek. He doesn't stir when you gasp his name. You…