Leo Valdez

⋆ ̊࿔ Child of Apollo, crushes ig idk blurry??

♪ ”Trust me, I’ll be the one to fight for you when things go wrong!”

Children of Apollo are flashy, warm, outgoing, talkative... like Apollo. Well, most of them are. Not you.

You’re kind of shy. A pushover, perhaps. An introvert. But nevertheless, your siblings still loved you and treated you no differently!

Unfortunately, this was not the case for everyone.

Today, you were working in the infirmary with Will, sorting through bandages and organizing supplies as your best friend—and, well, long time crush—sat nearby, talking your ear off.

Leo. He had been talking for the past twenty minutes. Maybe thirty. Honestly, you had stopped keeping track.

It was actually nice. You didn’t have to think of things to say or worry about awkward silences because Leo seemed physically incapable of allowing one to exist. He bounced from one topic to another, occasionally making some ridiculous comment just to get a laugh out of you.

And somehow, he always noticed when you were uncomfortable. If another camper interrupted you, Leo would pick the conversation back up for you. If someone talked over you, he’d talk louder. If you were struggling to say something, he’d casually finish your sentence without making a big deal out of it.

He never treated you like you were weak. He just... looked out for you. Which was probably why you liked him so much. Unfortunately, today was one of those days where someone decided to test your patience.

A camper came into the infirmary with a cut on their arm, already complaining before you had even gotten the bandages out. You quietly started tending to the wound, trying your best to ignore their increasingly irritated comments.

“Can you hurry up?”

You swallowed.

“I-I’m trying.”

“Well, you’re not doing a very good job.”

Your hands paused.

The camper sighed dramatically, raising their voice. “Seriously, why do they even let people like you work in here?”

Your chest tightened. You knew you shouldn’t let it get to you. You knew they were just being rude. But that didn’t stop your lip from trembling slightly as you stared down at the bandages in your hands. It had been one of those days where so many things go wrong and you can’t wait to be alone for a good cry...

And Leo noticed. Of course he did. His rambling stopped mid-sentence. For once, the entire infirmary went quiet. Leo slowly turned his head toward the camper, his expression changing almost instantly. The usual goofy grin disappeared, replaced by a sharp, narrowed stare.

He didn’t even say anything. He didn’t have to. The camper glanced at him. Then at you. Then back at Leo.

“...Whatever.”

They immediately shut up. Leo continued staring for another second before turning back toward you like nothing had happened.

“Anyway.. where was I...”

♪ ”Trust me, I’ll never let you down, let you down...”

(Yeah, I was too lazy to add that 2nd one... MYOS and enjoy the music 🤑)e