Chapter Text
The morning sun didn't stream gloriously through the window; rather, it crept in slanting out of the corner of its eye, crashing against the translucent plastic of a broken blind that Leo vowed to fix every weekend.
Leo Valdez woke to the asthmatic whine of an old refrigerator's compressor rattling in the back of the apartment. He lay for a moment on his back on the mattress a cheap model that sagged right in the middle, forcing him to sleep curled up in a ball, staring at the damp patches on the ceiling. They had a vague geometric shape that, if he squinted, resembled the blueprint of a gear. Or perhaps he just missed blueprints too much.
He sat up abruptly, his curls disheveled, and that hyperactive energy that no attempt at "normal life" could completely quell. His bare feet touched the cold floor. Carefully, he dodged the empty, used cups he'd simply left lying around.
This was his current kingdom: a one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a building that permanently smelled of the downstairs neighbor's fried food and musty dampness. There was no celestial bronze. No mechanical dragons. No suicide missions, no camps, no prophecies. Just Leo Valdez, the guy from 4B who paid his rent in cash and worked at a neighborhood auto shop where customers complained over a twenty-dollar difference.
He walked barefoot to the kitchenette, which was basically a chipped Formica countertop and a two-burner stove. He grabbed a dented Italian coffee maker he'd salvaged from a dumpster and filled it with water. When he placed it on the stove, he stared at the blue flame.
There was a second of temptation. His fingers tingled. The regular gas flame was so... slow. So boring. It would take a millisecond, a single breath of the Hephaestus fire coursing through his veins, to bring the water to a boil instantly. But Leo clenched his fists and shoved his hands in the pockets of his gray sweatpants.
No, he reminded himself. Just a mortal. Leo the mechanic. An ordinary guy trying to make ends meet.
Starting over had been his choice, or at least the only option that seemed sane when the world of demigods started to weigh too heavily on his shoulders. Nobody within three blocks knew what a mythological monster was. To the landlord, Leo was just a slightly noisy kid who sometimes talked to himself while fixing toasters. And that was okay. It had to be okay.
The coffee started to rise, filling the small space with a thick, burnt aroma. Leo grabbed a mug and took the first sip.
"Acceptable," he muttered to himself, even though the coffee tasted awful. "Another day of not blowing anything up, Valdez. You can handle this."
Just then, the old refrigerator let out a particularly agonizing metallic groan and shut down completely. Leo stared at the appliance, sighed, and set the mug down on the table. A small, familiar smile, half resigned and half defiant, appeared on his face as he cracked his knuckles.
"Well... maybe I can fix one thing before I head to work."
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The smell of motor oil, brass, and cold coffee was the usual atmosphere of the workshop. Leo sat cross-legged on the floor, a wrench caught between his teeth, trying to adjust the gears on the car of the most unpleasant customer he'd ever had to deal with. A total grouch.
He and Calypso had broken up months ago. It had hurt, of course. He'd spent weeks locked away with his tools, letting the fire in his hands consume the excess frustration. But it didn't hurt the same way anymore. He'd accepted that love wasn't a prophecy you had to fulfill by force.
After his time at the Way Station, he decided to get away from it all. He managed to find work as a mechanic at a nearby garage. It helped keep his mind occupied, and he was doing something he enjoyed. Pretending to be an ordinary mortal and blending in where he wasn't known also gave him some peace; he felt like he could start over.
The bell at the entrance rang. Leo spat out the wrench, catching it in midair.
"I'm coming, I'm coming! If it's about the tractor's carburetor, I swear..." Leo stopped when he saw who was coming through the door.
It wasn't some complaining customer. It was a guy from the nearby town, a design student who sometimes stopped by the shop looking for leftover metal parts for his art projects. His hair was tousled by the wind, and he had a calm smile. He was carrying a paper bag that smelled of sweet bread and two cups of coffee.
"Hey, Valdez," the guy said, putting the things down on a grease-free table. "I thought you could use a break."
Leo looked at his hands, covered in soot, and then at the kid.
"Sweet bread?" Leo stood up, brushing off his pants with a genuine smile, one of the few he gave without any ulterior motives. "You're reading my mind. I'm starting to think you liked it, with how often you come around here."
_____ let out a soft laugh.
"I'm just someone who appreciates your company," the guy replied, fixing his gaze on Leo.
Leo felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with his fire powers. It was something gentle, new, and strangely comfortable. He sat down next to him, accepting the coffee. For the first time in a long time, Leo didn't feel the pressure to fit anyone's mold. He was just there, open to seeing where the current took him.
Leo closed his eyes for a second, savoring the first bite while _____ beside him watched with a knowing smile, holding the coffee in his hands, resting it on his lap. It was a perfect moment, a small oasis of peace amidst all the engine grease and tools.
"Looks like you're enjoying it," the boy whispered, giving him a light nudge with his shoulder. "That makes me happy."
Leo nodded, his mouth still full, ready to reply that he'd earned his stripes by bringing them. But the answer froze in his throat.
"Well, well. I didn't know the contract included catering and extra breaks whenever you felt like it."
A voice, bitter and sharp as ice, instantly cut through the atmosphere.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE DOING?!" roared the Leo´s boss.
Leo choked, swallowing almost the entire bite as he jumped to his feet, accidentally knocking over a couple of nuts and bolts off the workbench. His boss stormed into the workshop like a raging bull, his face red, the veins in his neck bulging, and a greasy finger pointing directly at Leo's face.
"I PAY YOU TO WORK, NOT TO GO AROUND FLIRTING." he yelled, planting himself in front of them and making the boy shrink back in his seat. "The customer for the damn blue sedan is coming in half an hour, and the car's still sitting with the engine in pieces! And you're here, having a picnic with your little buddy?!"
"I'm coming!" Leo coughed, quickly wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
Leo said goodbye with a hurried gesture. _____ smiled at him tenderly.
Things could get interesting in the future.