#Jarritos Mandarin | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hopelesslyromanticshark · 2 months

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⋆ ˚｡⋆౨ৎ˚ You Take The Man Out Of The City, Not The City Out The Man

content: leo valdez x daughter of poseidon! reader fic warning: looooooooong ass fic yall that's my bed, got carried away, bad google translated spanish actually doing it myself would have been too much work tbh sorry not sorry, minor angst but also overarching feeling of sadness so idk what to tell yall author's note: on my music lyrics as fic titles GRINDDDDDDD

“gods, i’m melting away!” y/n moaned, her face scrunched up and her hand waving near her face in hopes of cooling herself down. leo laughed, looking down at the girl with a rolling of his eyes.

“please, this isn’t even hot! quit whining,” he mused in response, his eyes trained on the town, taking in the new and old buildings.

“i’ll whine as much as i like, valdez. i hate texas,” the girl muttered under her breath.

leo huffed at her jokingly as he shoved his hand into the back pocket of her jean shorts. his eyes then returned to the familiar streets. when the pair had received this quest, leo almost turned it down. the thought of going back to his hometown made him sick. but, y/n was there to calm him down and talk through what he was really scared of. she reasoned with him and promised at the first sign of discomfort they’d leave, failing the quest without a second thought.

“my cousin used to own that shop,” leo mentioned, nodding his head towards the corner bodega. y/n’s eyes shot to it, her eyes lighting up as she turned back to him.

“cold drinks would help with this heat,” she offered, leaving it up to him completely.

“i’ve seen you sit in boiling water, this is not hot to you,” the boy huffed in response but led her towards the store, swinging it’s door open for her. a bell rang above the door, briefly drawing y/n’s eyes.

“you’re right, i’ve definitely felt hotter,” she joked, winking at the boy as she walked past.

leo laughed, following and draping his arm across her waist, muttering things into her ear that should not be repeated. she shoved him off her with a roll of her eyes, reaching up into a freezer and grabbing two jarritos, a lime one for leo and a mandarin one for herself. she pressed the cold glass to her neck, allowing her head to fall back at the feeling. leo shook his head, shooing her towards the counter as he grabbed his wallet and began to pull out some cash. the bell above the door chimed again as leo paid the unfamiliar man, frowning slightly that his cousin wasn’t behind the counter. y/n noticed, her smile slipping slightly too before she reached out to his free hand, tangling her fingers with his. he pressed his lips to her temple before telling the man to keep the change in spanish.

“gracias! que tenga un buen día!” y/n called as they left, the cashier replying similarly with a warm smile. leo reached into one of his cargo pant pockets, producing a bottle opener, opening y/n’s before doing his own. the two continued walking, leo occasionally mentioning a building here and there, but he tended to avoid the topic of his mother. y/n didn’t push, letting him do it in his own time and allowing his fingers to be snugly hooked around her belt loops.

“ah, this is where i completely ate shit and knocked my front tooth loose. me and my friend were racing to see who could get to the end of the block fastest and i forgot about the uneven concrete,” leo told y/n, who giggled at his little anecdote.

“i can see it. a bloody little leo right there,” y/n laughed, holding her fingers out like she was framing a shot. leo shoved her slightly, laughing lightly with her.

“actually, it was more that way-”

“leo?” a voice cut in, warbly and strained.

leo and y/n’s heads instantly turned in the direction of the voice, leo’s hand tightening on y/n’s waist and y/n’s hand gripping leo’s wrist, where she knew a weapon was hidden inside his sleeve. leo’s grip on y/n faltered as his eyes landed on the man, a few years older than the two, maybe in his late 20’s. leo’s body was having a reaction while his brain was trying to play catch up. the man moved closer, struggling to get breath in.

“god, i- we all- oh, leo, you…you’re so big,” the man gasped out, y/n’s eyes trained on her boyfriend. he was pained that he didn’t know this man anymore, the memories lost with the years of abuse from the foster system. y/n squeezed his wrist three times, grounding him slightly before she turned to the man.

“and you are?” she asked, knowing leo wouldn’t, his shame burning brighter than any fire he could produce. the man’s eyes briefly flickered to y/n before returning to leo.

“i’m…i’m mateo. mateo cruz. we- we used to go to school together,” the man, mateo, replied, tears welling in his eyes. y/n turned back to leo, who broke from her and staggered towards the man.

“mateo, h-hey, man. long…long time no see,” leo joked, though it was strained, before pulling mateo into a strong hold, the man replying similarly. y/n watched all this with a small smile, getting what she wanted out of this quest. she could return to camp empty handed and with a smile, knowing leo was healing.

“yeah, no shit,” mateo muttered into leo’s shoulder, both of them laughing. they pulled apart and mateo’s eyes instantly went to y/n, who got distracted by one of the rings on her finger being out of place, surely switched by leo subconsciously.

“right, right. this is y/n, my girlfriend,” leo jumped in, waving the girl over with a huge smile. she presented her hand to mateo, who gave her a pointed look before pulling her into a hug too. y/n chuckled, more than willing to accept.

“tengo que ser honesto, hermano, no pensé que terminarías con una chica tan atractiva,” mateo told leo as he pulled back from y/n. leo’s eyes widened as a blush covered his face, opening his mouth to cut in.

“el tampoco lo creía. pero el amor es algo voluble,” y/n replied, easily, leaving mateo’s jaw dropped. she smirked at the man, who shook his head and pointed at her.

“and here i thought you were just another girl,” he joked and y/n waved him off dismissively.

“he knows how to pick ‘em,” y/n winked, nodding her head towards leo, who wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, the girl squealing and trying to escape his arms. mateo watched this with a warm smile as y/n was returned to the ground, shoving the boy off her and flipping her hair out of her face with a huff.

“how long are you guys in town, leo? i’d love to have lunch or dinner, catch up, ya know,” mateo asked, hopefully, glancing between the pair. leo’s face faltered slightly and y/n was quick to interject with a warm smile.

“we’re here on business, but i can take care of it by myself. leo, go have lunch, make up for lost time,” y/n stated, half-lying. she looked up at leo, who frowned down at her.

“but-”

“i do not need a man to help me with this. i love you, but i can do it without you. it wasn’t an offer, that was an order. i’ll be back in, like, two hours,” y/n cut in, sharing a look with leo that said ‘if i’m not back in two hours, find me.’ leo still wasn’t happy but knew there was no fighting her on this.

“okay, okay. just-…just be safe, y/n. i love you,” leo muttered to her, knowing mateo would be suspicious if he heard too much. y/n smirked up at him, planting a kiss on his lips.

“i’m always safe. eat something good and save me some. it was lovely to meet you, mateo, and when i return i expect baby pictures,” mused y/n as she began walking away, waving at the men before she rounded a corner. leo’s heart clenched as she disappeared from view, a tugging in the pit of his stomach telling him to follow but then mateo gripped his shoulder and pulled leo’s eyes to him.

“c’mon, that really good pizza parlor is still open,” mateo told him, nodding his head towards what leo knew to be the pizza place. leo smiled, quickly falling in step with the man who he used to see more as a brother.

it was only a few blocks away and they made the time fly as they caught up. by the time the pizza was set in front of the guys, leo had learned about mateo’s wife and kids, career, what happened to his parents, and the names of his three cats. leo took a sip from his coke as mateo presented a photo of his kids, his son, edgar, looking like the boy leo used to play in burst open fire hydrants with.

“he’s like your twin,” leo stated and mateo nodded.

“we get that a lot,” he shrugged, returning his wallet to his pocket before moving his eyes back to leo, swallowing thickly, “what about you, leo? i mean- after…everything.”

“well,” leo started, debating on what to say and what not to say. he couldn’t just be like, hey, man, i started the fire that killed my mother because i was my father’s, who is a god by the way, chosen son. oh, and y/n, we met when she saved me and my friends from roman wind demons. one of those friend, by the way, i had fake memories of even being friends with and he was kidnapped and brain wiped. then i built a massive flying ship and sailed through the sky to a place called new rome and got possessed and nearly blew up my girlfriend’s brother. lifes been good. refills still free here or?

“just, uh, a lot of moving from one foster house to another,” leo surmised, shrugging as he lied. mateo frowned slightly, somewhat expecting more.

“is that how you met y/n? is she a foster kid, too?” he questioned and leo hesitated to shake his head. it was an interesting question that he wished she was here to answer.

“uh, no, we met at a summer camp, up in long island,” answered leo, glad the topic moved away from him once more.

“come on, leo. i know when you tell me half-truths. it’s been a long time, but that’s not something you forget,” mateo argued, crossing his arms with a frown. leo hung his head before opening his mouth to reply.

“look, mateo, i want to tell you, i do, but i can’t just-” his words faltered as his brows furrowed and he twisted in his seat, his eyes locking on the door.

“leo, i’m here for you and-” mateo tried only to get cut off.

“shh!”

“excuse me?!” huffed mateo but leo just shooed him again, his eyes still on the doors. then the doors smashed inwards, leo ducking down and glancing at his watch.

“shit,” he muttered, noting that nearly an hour and half had passed and y/n still wasn’t back. he then reached across the table and dragged mateo up and out of the emergency exit of the restaurant, not even looking back to see whatever monster was crashing their quest.

“it- he- lion-” mateo sputtered out, still reeling and the mist was doing little for this situation.

“fuck, you’re joking? a nemean lion over a hair clip?” leo groaned, peeking around a corner before dragging mateo with him as he ran a block away.

“what- what are you even saying?” mateo questioned, shrilly, as he glanced behind them. leo groaned before pulling the man into an alley and grabbing him by his shoulders, forcing the older man to look at him.

“my father is a greek god. it’s why i’ve got adhd; i was built to survive battle, not sit in class. the greek god of fire and mechanics is my dad. that was a nemean lion, which is determined to rip me and y/n into ribbons. y/n’s father is also a greek god, god of the sea. we’re here to collect some stupid hair clip but i just had to let y/n go off on her own and i don’t know even where she is-” leo explained, which quickly dissolved into a rant as his worry for y/n left him radioactive.

“you’re crazy! you’ve gone insane!” mateo shouted, pulling away from leo, who rolled his eyes.

“please, even i’m not creative enough for this.”

“so, i’ve gone insane,” reasoned mateo, gripping his hair in his stress.

“no, mateo-”

“leo! leo! where the hell are you, you lug nut of a boy?!” y/n’s voice called, causing leo’s head to instantly shoot up and look around for y/n. he sprinted out of the alley, leaving mateo with no other choice but to follow, still confused but wanting to be near the boy. he looked up and down the street before catching a glance of y/n, gripping her shoulder and her sword firmly held in her hand. leo’s body tensed and he quickly made his way to her, allowing the girl to sink against his chest. leo pulled her hand back, wincing at the claw marks that easily cut through her tank top and shoulder.

“stupid, stupid girl. i thought i told you to be safe,” leo growled at her, reaching into his pocket, magically producing a water bottle. y/n rolled her eyes at him, her teeth gritted.

“i’d like to see you try and take a nemean lion on by yourself, fire boy,” y/n huffed, her eyes trained on her shoulder as leo poured the water on it. the wound seemed to begin healing itself, not so much as a faint scar left behind.

“i’m asleep. i’m just dreaming. this isn’t real,” mateo muttered as his eyes stayed trained on y/n’s rapidly disappearing wound. y/n’s eyes jolted to him before frowning up at leo.

“why would you-”

“he saw the lion. it was out of my control,” leo justified.

“whatever. i got the hair clip but that lion can’t just be out on the streets,” y/n huffed, pulling the hair clip out of her back pocket and presenting it to leo, who took it with a grimace.

“all this for that measly thing,” he complained and y/n nodded in agreement as she twisted her blade again, pulling it into an up right position.

“don’t let aphrodite hear you say that,” the girl mused, in a sing songy voice and with a tight smile. leo huffed at her, glaring before the lion roared from what could have only been a few streets over.

"you got a plan?" questioned y/n, looking up at leo, who scrunched his face up in thought.

"nah, got nothing, you?" he jokes with a wide smile that told you that he was lying.

"look, i'm not the smart one here. that's your job. where do you want me, cog head?"

"that's a new one," leo mused with a smile before explain his rather lame plan, but a plan none the less. and mateo just stood there, looking between the two like it was an intense tennis match. he wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to do while they made this big huge mastermind plan, but leo could sense the worry basically oozing off him.

“mateo, stay with y/n or i and you’ll be fine," leo told him, clapping the older boy on the shoulder with a serious look, "preferably with y/n, she's a better fighter than me."

"plus, i've got motive to keep you alive! you still owe me baby pics," you joke, grabbing hold of mateo's wrist and gently leading him towards the alley you were supposed to hide in.

the plan was relatively simple. leo stood in the street and drew the lions attention until it was close enough for y/n to go in for the kill. easy peasy, lemon squeezy. except for the fact that the lion was a tad bit smarter than they gave it credit for and it instantly sought out y/n, despite leo's best efforts to look like a tastey demigod. though, it wasn't all that terrible as y/n burst open an nearby water tank, dousing the lion and blinding it for a few seconds, giving her time to swing her sword with a groan. it burst into glittering ash, fluttering into the air as y/n swatted it away, refusing to breathe it in.

"all good?" leo called, sopping wet but better that than dead. y/n giggled at his state before holding up a thumbs up, shrinking her sword back into a charm on her bracelet before turning to mateo. he was also soaked but he didn't seem to mind so much as he stared at where the lion had been a few seconds ago.

"...are you alright, mateo?" y/n questioned hesitantly, reaching a hand out and setting it against his shoulder softly.

"i- i'm okay but- what the hell is going on??" he hissed out as he felt his shirt rapidly drying, looking down and watching the water seemingly seep from his shirt into the girl's hand, where she waved it away to spalt against the ground.

"i think leo and i have some explaining to do," the girl reasoned as she did a similar process to leo's shirt.

"obviously," mateo bit out before taking a calming breath and looking at the two teens, who looked rather disappointed in themselves, "alright, alright. here's what were gonna do. you two can come home with me and explain all of this. spend a night or two or however many nights it takes to explain all of this. c'mon, it's this way."

it was a long walk but the trio filled it with plenty of explanation from y/n and leo. mateo promised to hold a open mind and he truly was trying his best, asking logical questions and really trying to understand. by the time they got to mateo's house, he was using 'gods' instead of the singular and making greek jokes like he'd been doing it his whole life. leo couldn't have been more grateful.

"honey, i'm home! with company!" mateo called as he swung his door open, leo and y/n hearing the distinct sound of little footsteps slapping against hardwood.

"daddy!" three voices cheered in near unison, launching themselves into their father's arms, who kneeled to squeeze them tight to his chest. his wife followed, smiling as she took in the sight before looking up and taking a second look at y/n and leo, who waved awkwardly

"oh, goodness! are you- leo?? oh, welcome home, buddy!" she cheered, moving past her kids and pulling leo into a tight hold, pressing a kiss to his scalp. leo wound his arms around the woman, another ghost of the past that he was more then happy to see. mrs. cruz then turned to y/n, pulling her into a tight squeeze as well before letting go and introducing her kids.

the kids took to the pair of teens like a sponge to water. while the cruz couple slaved away over dinner, y/n and leo were running around outside with the kids, playing some version of tag that leo didn't remember the rules to anymore. y/n had the youngest girl held in her arms, swaying her back and forth when she caught leo's eye, beaming a soft smile at him before giggling as the girl laid her hands on her cheeks. and leo's heart clenched, knowing he'd rather burn the whole world than live without the daughter of poseidon. then the two boys managed to tug leo down into the grass, laughing as they clambered onto his chest.

"dinner's ready, kids!" mateo teased from the doorway, drawing all five pairs of eyes to himself. the kids scrambled inside and y/n helped leo off the ground, earning her a kiss to the cheek as he pulled her into the house.

traditional hispanic meals were scattered across the table, leo explain each one to his girl as he went, giving suggestions as he filled his plate. he didn't realize how much he'd missed it until he took the first bite. obviously, it wasn't the same as his mom's, but it came pretty damn close. then the kids bedtime came, leo and y/n helping as they insisted.

mateo and his wife didn't really have a spare bedroom to offer to the pair but they were more than happy to sleep on the couch, knowing they've slept in worst places. but, before turning in for the night, mateo passed a scrap book over to y/n, giving her a warm smile and wink before setting into a seat next to her. for the next hour or so, mateo explained every photo and told every embarrassing story he could, despite leo's many protests. he even pulled a few from the book, gifting them to her, smiling as she clutched them to her chest like it was her prized possession.

"no, no, that's not what happened at all!!" leo insisted following a rather embarrassing story, his blooming blushing giving away the fact that he was now lying.

"believe what you want, leo, but that is what happened," laughed mateo, gently shutting the scrapbook as he yawned. he glanced between the tired pair, watching as you snuggled closer to leo, who leaned down and pressed a sleep kiss to your temple.

"i just- i gotta say, man, having you back home...it's nice, leo. we've missed you so- so much," admitted mateo, coughing down his emotions but leo could read it on his face.

"i'm glad to be back. gods, yeah, i'm happy to be here too," replied leo, nodding his head like he was confirming with himself too before beaming a smile at the older boy.

"well, sleep well, you two. hasta mañana," mused mateo before heading off to his room, faint similar calls coming from the teens.

the girl was aslready half asleep against leo's chest, yawn once more as she resting her hand above his heart and tucked her face into the junction between his neck and throat. leo's hands found her waist like a magnet to metal, slipping under her shirt and simply resting his fingers against her skin. he knew she was sleepy, which is why he said his next words.

"i love you, so so much. thank you for...all of this"

murmurs back of similar words is all he got in return, bring a small smile to his lips. she was all he needed, even when she was sleepy and drooling into his collarbone. he was certain he'd never loved someone like this and never would again.

and in the morning, the pair would decline mateo's offer for breakfast and leave, not without getting their phone number and address, forcing leo to promise to call or send letters within the week. then, y/n would make the offer of getting flowers and visiting his mom's grave. the tightening of leo's chest was back again but this time it didn't hurt so much. it was nearly warm and more of a pounding against his chest. a feeling he, strangely enough, wanted to keep around.

so, the pair of demigods bought flowers and y/n hung back, leaving leo with a comforting smile and allowing him alone time with his mom. and leo took it, sitting criss cross and raving about how much she would have loved y/n. how much he wished they could have met. how much he missed her. how different he felt, back in his hometown but not even sure if he could call it that anymore with how long he's been away. how much he wanted to love this place in the same way he did at seven, but he's forgotten the way. he left without saying goodbye, knowing he'd be back. he found the daughter of poseidon, leaning against a nearby fountain with a tilt of her head. he took her hand into his, offering a smile.

"let's go home, yeah?"

Just trust me, you'll be fine And when I'm back in Chicago, I feel it Another version of me, I was in it I wave goodbye to the end of beginning

#postcards from covey ౨ৎ #all my love ౨ৎ #pjo #pjo fandom #heroes of olympus x reader #hoo #leo valdez x reader #leo valdez

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