Ignis // Leo Valdez

An Average Argument

Leo and I don't argue much, hardly ever, but when we do, we do it big. It starts out calm, like every conversation does and you think it's going to be just that. A calm, rational conversation between two grown adults in their twenties who are working out their problems peacefully. And then it goes nuclear.

"Excuse me?! How can you eve-"

"-ecause you're never here! You always do this, you always come home an-"

After a couple of minutes of nonstop shouting, even we forget what we were fighting about initially, going from topic to topic to fight about. But there's always one topic that rears it's ugly head and the thing that usually starts the war.

"I haven't seen you in days, Kyra! You can't just disappear from the apartment and act like everything's fine when you get back!"

"I don't choose what days I get to not work, Leo, you know this! You knew when it started what you were getting into and you knew when you asked me to move in with you!"

I'm not saying I'm right in the arguments but I'm not saying Leo is either and we both know this. We just don't want to admit it.

"Don't you dare act like I chose to leave because you damn well know that's not true!"

"All I'm asking for is a notice, a text, a sign, anything before you leave!"

"I don't exactly get a job notice either here! I know as much as you do when or where I get pulled down to the manor!"

There were three rules, three silent rules to these arguments that were unspoken of but followed nonetheless.

3.) You can pause or unpause an argument at any moment for whatever reason. Because they could last all day and emotional straining yourself all day to yell can make you very hungry.

"I'm sorry but what the fuck did you just say to m- pause. Do you want to go get takeout?"

"Gods yes, I'm starving!"

2.) Never, and I repeat never, go to bed angry. I don't care if you want to murder each other and you're exhausted, solve your shit.

"And I just feel like you don't respect what I have to do every single day."

"Fine, I promise to take my shoes off before I step foot on the carpet."

"And do your godsdamn dishes."

"And do my godsdamn dishes."

1.) The most important and sacred rule. Never. Fucking. Scare. Each other.

There are lines even monsters don't cross. Since we were both blessed and cursed with powers that are almost equally as terrifying to one another and both of our powers are strongly tied to our emotions that makes half of our pauses just breathing breaks to calm down.

I won't pretend we don't break our rules on very rare, very brief, occasions but we sure as Hades tried. This was one of those occasions.

I didn't know what happened or how it happened, I still don't know.

I was yelling, Leo was yelling, and neither of us were listening.

But the next thing I knew, a flash of yellow and orange light blinded me and a sharp pain hit my forearm. It didn't hurt that bad, like when you accidentally touched the hot stove. Before I knew what happened, I muttered one single word.

"Ow," I muttered in my toneless voice like a reflex and looked down to an elevated red mark a few inches big that was already beginning to blister. I blinked. Leo stared unblinkingly but I didn't pay attention.

My brain was still trying to process what just happened, it went so fast, that I didn't notice Leo slowly backing away from me. Only when the floorboard creaked ever so slightly did I look up to see Leo's wide, erratic, and terrified eyes and his hand over his mouth.

This had happened only one other time between us but instead of Leo it was me. I had pricked him with a spike made of darkness, the ones I had used to...

Anyway, it wasn't a big deal to Leo, obviously. I could kill that man and he would come back from the dead to say it was fine and no big deal. Though when the incident actually happened, it was practically getting poked with a sewing needle, a speck of blood that didn't even leave the tiny hole was the only result of it. But me? It nearly broke me.

Leo arguably had more control over his powers than me since mine were so intertwined with my emotions it was hard to untangle them. This was the only time Leo ever lost his cool with me.

"Pause," I declared and slowly stepped forward to reach him but he immediately stepped back, shaking his head slowly as he removed his hand from his mouth and stared at it in horror. "Leo..." I tried to call him back to reality but I don't think he heard me until I was only a few feet away from him.

"Leo," I said more firmly, drawing him out of his thoughts and causing him to look at me with red eyes. "Leo, I'm fine," I assured but he just stared at me and looked down, running his fingers through his curly hair anxiously.

"N-no," he croaked as he shook his head at the floor.

"Leo, look at me," I urged but he shook his head feverishly, keeping his eyes on the floor. "Look at me," I repeated strongly, taking a step closer to him making him meet my eyes. "I'm fine, I'm right here," I promised, going to cup his face in my hands but he flinched away.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he repeated over and over again, sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish and I leaned my forehead on his, not saying anything cause I knew he wouldn't hear me.

"I know... I know..."

"You... are the most important thing in my life," Leo swore as he kept his eyes on mine. "And if something happened to you... if I did something to you, I don't know what I would with myself," he confessed and I stood there, not knowing what to say in this situation.

"It's not your fault," I settled on, whispering the words like they were so fragile they could break in my mouth if I wasn't careful. And they were true. It wasn't his fault nor was it mine. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his body shutter with silent sobs at my words.

"It's not your fault."