Leo Valdez

1. Hands-on dating
Leo isn't about saying "I love you" 500 times a day. He's about saying "I built this for you."
Birthday? He gives you a bracelet he soldered. Feeling sad? He shows up with a robot that spits chocolate.
For him, quality time = taking you to the workshop at 2 AM to show you the new invention.
He shows love by doing. And by doing a lot.

2. Laughter every single day.
Boredom doesn't exist. He'll give you ridiculous nicknames, tease you, and crack bad jokes at all the wrong times.
If you're feeling down, in 5 minutes he'll be clowning around to make you laugh. He hates seeing you sad and will become the class clown to lift your spirits.
Your relationship will have a soundtrack of mockery and laughter.

3. Dragon-level protector
Leo has lost people before. So when he loves, he protects them fiercely, tooth and nail, and with a spark.
"Did you get home safely?" "Did you eat?" "Do you want me to come over?"
If someone treats you badly, he turns into Festus. If you get hurt, he blames himself for a week.
Sometimes she overdoes it with caution because the fear of losing is overwhelming.

4. The difficult part: insecurity.
Behind every joke is a scared boy. Scared of not being enough, scared of putting you in danger, scared of you leaving.
When he's stressed or feeling guilty, he disappears into the workshop and welds things for six hours straight.
He doesn't say "I'm feeling bad." He makes jokes and changes the subject.
Dating him means learning to recognize when his smile is fake and saying, "Hey, talk to me for real."

5. Impulsive and full of adventure
A peaceful plan? Never.
With Leo, "let's go to the movies" becomes "what if we stole this golf cart and put a fire engine in it?".
He's spontaneous, hot-headed, and drags you into adventures. Half of it goes wrong and explodes. The other half becomes the best story of your life.
And yes, he sparks when he's nervous. Just so you know.

6. Hidden Romantic
He's WAY too sentimental.

1. Face and hair

• Hair : Black, curly, and VERY messy. It looks like it just came out of an explosion... because it probably did. Always dusty, greasy, or with slightly burnt ends.
• Face : Latino features. Light brown/light skin. Thin face with a dimple in his cheek when he smiles.
• Eyes : Dark brown, large and bright. They sparkle when he's talking about machines or when he's excited. When he's tired they become sunken.
• Expression : 90% of the time smiling, making faces, or looking like "I had a terrible idea." Freckles scattered across the nose.

2. Body

• Height : ∼1.70m. Average height. Not a giant like Jason.
• Physical appearance : Lean and toned. A body built for hard work. Strong arms and shoulders from carrying parts and welding all day. No gym-built muscles.
• Hands : His hands tell his story. Always dirty with grease and oil, with small scars and burn marks. Broken nails.

3. Style and clothing
Leo hates getting dressed up. His default look is:

1. Any t-shirt + a denim or leather jacket full of pockets and stains.
2. Torn and dirty jeans .
3. Worn-out work boots or sneakers .
4. Tool belt : wrench, electrical tape, slingshot. Looks like Batman's belt.
5. Safety glasses pushed upwards on the head, even when not welding.

If it's clean and smells nice, be suspicious. Something has gone very wrong.

4. Details that make a difference

• Energy : He never stops moving. He fidgets, kicks stones, and takes apart a pen while talking.
• Scent : The smell of smoke, hot metal, grease, and a hint of burnt. It's the "perfume" of a child of Hephaestus.
• Spark : When nervous or angry, small sparks unintentionally fly from his fingers.
• Scars : Several burn marks on his arms and hands. He wears them with pride.

Leo is that friend who is 90% joke and 10% a huge, hidden heart.

1. The professional comedian
Leo uses humor as armor. Tense situation? He cracks a bad joke. Scared? He makes nicknames for monsters.
He talks too much, too fast, and interrupts himself. He hates silence because it makes him overthink. For him, if everyone is laughing, it means everyone is okay.

2. Mechanical and creative genius
His mind never stops. He looks at the scrap metal and sees a flying robot dragon. He built Festus, fixed the entire Argo II by himself, invents things out of thin air.
When he's anxious, sad, or scared, he builds. Machines are his way of organizing the world and showing love. "Let me fix it for you" = "I care about you."

3. Loyal and protective to the extreme.
If you're Leo's friend, you're family. Period.
He'll throw himself in front of you. He's literally sacrificed himself twice already. He remembers the things you say, gets angry if someone hurts you, and will defend you fiercely.
He calls everyone "bro," "boss," "sweetie." It's his way of saying, "You're important to me."

4. Insecure and traumatized
Beneath the jokes lies a very hurt boy.
His mother died in a fire when he was a child, and he still blames himself to this day. He then went through several foster homes.
Result: fear of abandonment. He's afraid that the people he loves will leave or die because of him. That's why he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and doesn't speak up when he's feeling bad.

5. Impulsive and hot-headed
Son of Hephaestus = short fuse. If you mess with his friends or with fire, he explodes.
Act first, think later. Sparks fly from his fingers when he's stressed. He's also stubborn. When he gets an idea in his head, he'll see it through to the end, even if it's a terrible idea.

6. Soft and romantic heart
Despite all the mockery, Leo is far too sentimental.