𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐘! leo valdez

xxii. Boy Who Cried Wolf

      Leo's brows lifted. His shoulders sagged. "Mi vida..." he whispered, just for her. Sav's brief happiness faltered as she remembered and she clung onto his hand tighter, trying to push the images out of her head. 

      Sav felt comfortable telling him, because she knew Leo understood. And he didn't try to make it all better, but instead just held onto her hand, or let her set her head against his shoulder ontop of the roof at the Wilderness School. Leo was energetic, and he was talkative, but when Savreen needed it the most, he was soft and caring━and the best listener out of anyone she's met. She wished he knew that. For even if she told him, he'd scoff and shake his head and make some joke against himself. All Leo did was become a villain to himself. 

      She wondered whether she was his guardian angel like he was to her. 

      "I don't know what it means," she whispered, too, meeting his gaze that always flickered like embers. "I don't understand what she wants me to do."

      Leo shook his head, "Tía never makes sense. One time, she tried to put me in fire."

      Sav tilted her head, watching her best friend curiously. Why do you still call her auntie? She asked him with a tap onto his palm. Leo blinked, as if taken aback by her question━like he's never even asked himself that before. Like you said, she put you in fire. She's thrown you onto this quest and now a prophecy.

      "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "She wasn't even my aunt, she was just my babysitter ..." Leo shrugged, gaze suddenly distant. "Maybe it's because in a way, she's better than my real aunt. She never call me a niño demonio, so..."

       "You're not that," Sav assured him. "You were never that."

      Aunt Rosa knew something wasn't right, Leo traced the lines of her palm as he replied in Morse Code. 

      "I know who you are," said Savreen and Leo's brows furrowed, curious.

      "What would that be?"

      You're home, a sudden part of Sav wanted to say, and it took her breath away for a moment. But she stopped herself and decided to tap with a tender touch: You're my angel. You always protect me. "And you always find your way back," she added, smiling. Leo chuckled softly, head ducking down but she saw the grateful look upon his face that made him seem to warm up━even by the touch she felt from her fingers. 

      I'll be there for you through this, too, then added Leo, and Sav knew what he meant about. Her brows knitted together, emotional with gratitude. She squeezed his hand. 

     Finally, Leo handed out the food. Savreen happily took hers, scoffing it down with little restraint━she was starving. On her other side with Piper still warming up in his arms, Jason looked as though he was trying very hard not to laugh. Sav gasped at him and wanted to chuck some of her lettuce, but then decided it was too precious to her stomach to waste. She settled for reaching out to try and smack his knee but the blonde quickly pulled them up, causing for Piper to let out a short squeal at the sudden movement. Leo laughed at them, and Coach shook his head━though Savreen believed that was because he was deciding whether to eat the food or the cutlery. 

      It was crazy. Here they were, shivering and hiding away from a terrible storm after almost dying again, and were laughing and joking━like they were just teenagers on a weekend out with their closest friends. Savreen liked to imagine it was that, and it made her smile as she ate, finally letting herself focus on what she had beside her right now other than the conversation she had in that horrible place.