I apologise again for my hiatus – but on the plus side, exams are over! And I'm going to be posting two chapters today to make up for last week and then I will definitely be posting this Sunday :D Thanks so much for being patient with me xx
Previously: I smiled to myself as I noticed Leo's mouth hanging open. Unable to resist the temptation, I reached forward and closed it. My fingertips tingled from the contact and I quickly withdrew my hand. "Now, how can I help?"
"Oh," Leo said after a moment of looking bemused. He stared down at the apparatus on the worktable and then suddenly said, "You know that flameproof cloth? You think you could make me a little bag of that fabric?" He began to describe the dimension, gesticulating with his hands, long fingers moving rapidly. I waved my hand – the bag he was describing was tiny, and would take me less than five minutes to weave. "That will only take minutes," I told him. "Will it help you on your quest?"
"Yeah. It might save a life," he said, and I wondered absently how a flameproof pouch could save somebody's life. "And, um, could you chip off a little piece of crystal from your cave? I don't need much," Leo continued. I frowned. "That's an odd request," I said, not only because I remembered Odysseus mentioning something about the crystals in my cave so long ago.
"Humour me," he said, his eyes bright. I agreed, and then held up my hands, showing him the dirt and grime one them. "But what can I do now, while my hands are dirty?"
Leo smiled distractedly for a moment, an unreadable emotion flickering across his face. "Well," he continued after a few seconds, "You could twist some more bronze coils. But that's kind of specialized –"
Feeling the familiar urge to prove myself to him rising up in my throat, I slid onto the bench next to him and began to twist the bronze wires. "Just like weaving," I said, because it was just like weaving, or even braiding my hair. "This isn't so hard."
"Huh. Well, if you ever get off this island and want a job, let me know. You're not a total klutz." The half-formed compliment lit a fire in my chest, and I smirked. "A job, eh? Making things in your forge?
"Nah, we could start our own shop," Leo said, surprise flashing across his features briefly and then his eyes turned dreamy as he went on. "Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters." He sounded like he'd thought about it, and I could visualise it all too clearly – the two of us side by side in a workshop not unlike this one.
"Fresh fruits and vegetables," I suggested, and smiled when he nodded and added, "Lemonade and stew. We could even provide entertainment. You could sing and I could, like, randomly burst into flames."
I laughed, a proper laugh, and realised with a start once more that only Leo could make me laugh genuinely.
"See," he said, grinning. "I'm funny."
It was hard, but I managed to wipe the smile off my face. "You are not funny. Now, get back to work, or no lemonade and stew."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, and I felt happy for the first time I could remember. Laughing and talking and making jokes…I couldn't remember when I'd had this before.
We worked side by side, in silence, for the rest of the afternoon, the air light and still ringing with the sounds of our earlier laughter.
AN: Just some pure fluff there! We all need some Caleo feels in our life :D
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!