LEO

 ~•♡•~

aruna was the one that had told leo about the scheming. so, naturally, they specifically set out to be as suspicious as possible just to make everyone look like a bunch of fools.

and of course, piper had tried to catch them one last time before bed, but only found leo aggressively punching numbers into a calculator. she left awkwardly, and about four minutes later, leo went to aruna's room.

she was sitting on the bed, a book in her hands. she gently lowered it as leo walked over to her after making sure the door was trapped in place with a chair.

"they're ridiculous." aruna replied as she shuffled closer to the wall. leo sat down next to her, pulling his legs up to his chest. he smiled softly and nodded.

"they seriously thought they had something."  leo murmured as he looked at aruna. her eyes were still on her book, reading casually. she turned a page, her fingers gentle, like the flutter of a butterfly.

her lips were glossed over, somehow, or maybe leo was just imagining that. her eyes drifted across the page, then jumped back to the start of every new line. her hair was over her shoulders, glistening, soft as silk. her nose was red and curved out, small as a button.

he really did love her. he couldn't help staring at her. she turned another page, her eyes moving aside slightly more, and she seemed to notice leo's gaze.

she looked at him, leaning her head back a bit as she nervously chuckled and smiled.

"why are you looking at me like that?"

leo smiled.

"i think you're beautiful."

aruna's cheeks turned dark red and her pearly eyes widened. she quickly looked down, tugging at her old, stained shirt, like she couldn't imagine any beauty found in it. leo eyed the scars all over her arms, her legs, her neck. aruna looked back at her book and breathed in deeply.

"um."

leo snickered. "gods, why are you so nervous?"

"well, i'm not used to being called beautiful." aruna muttered. leo noticed her eyes had stopped scanning the pages. she wasn't even reading at this point.

"that's a strong word." she shrugged.

"okay? and?"

"well, i'm just saying." she muttered again. "stop staring at me."

"why? does it bother you?" leo grinned, turning it into a sort of game.

aruna glared at him. "you're an idiot."

leo pecked her cheek, which made aruna blush even more. a sort of smile slid up her face as she put her book down, her eyes still on it.

"you're an annoying idiot." aruna grinned as she stared at leo.

her eyes met him, and leo's heart stopped. he almost felt a rush of something like fear. he felt like she held the entire world in her hands. she was everything that ever was, everything that is, everything that ever will be. she was infinite. her beauty was endless. her smile could light up leo for an eternity. her touch set a permanent fire.

and leo fucked it up, of course.

"i love you."

he had no idea how to unfuck this particular fuck up. aruna's eyes went wider than leo had ever seen them, and she slowly scooted back. leo, upon realizing his mistake, shot up and marched to the door.

"it was nice talkin' to ya!"

he ran to his room. he made sure to close the door quietly, so he didn't tip off any of his dumb friends, but as soon as he was inside, he kicked a random hunk of junk on the floor.

"STUPID CUNT!"

"that's not very nice."

leo jumped up when he turned around. aruna was standing right by the door. he was shocked she'd even gotten in there so fast, so silently. now, he had to wonder if everyone else had heard his little outburst.

aruna was leaned against the door, her hands clasped behind her back as she stared at leo. he felt himself trembling slightly, her gaze locked onto him intensely. leo felt his body temperature heat up as he looked to his feet, searching for words but coming up empty.

"leo, you don't love me." aruna said quietly.

leo frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. he lifted his head up, making eye contact with aruna. he knew he loved her. he'd loved her for a while now. he didn't think he'd ever be able to love anyone else. there never was anyone else. there never would be anyone else.

"what?" he scoffed. aruna's eyes trained on him, soft and glassed over. "don't be ridiculous." he scoffed.

"i'm not." aruna said softly, like she was afraid to talk too loud. leo knew she could have screamed as loud as she wanted, and nobody else would hear a thing. he knew she was keeping quiet for a different reason, but he wasn't sure what.

he wondered if it was because she didn't want him to hear her. maybe she didn't want to hear herself. maybe she would break if she spoke too loudly, rip her body into two.

"leo-"

"aru." leo cut off as he shook his head. "aruna, i've been in love with you for a long time now."

"don't say that."

leo stared at her. "why? why shouldn't i say that?"

aruna bit her lip and looked down, rocking slightly on her feet. "you can do a lot better than me, leo."

"no, i can't." leo argued as he turned to face her fully. aruna looked back up to him, a single tear slipping from her eye. leo watched it roll down her cheek, staining her imperfect skin with sorrow. "i don't want to."

aruna shook her head and looked away, like she was afraid. "no, leo." she said forcefully, her voice breaking. "you can't love me. okay? you just- you just need to get over that. it'll pass."

leo stepped forward again, only a foot away from her now. he tilted his head as aruna's lip trembled, steady tears streaming from her eyes now. she moved her hands out from her back and let them drop to her side; purposeless, disappointed, unhappy.

he realized. leo's gaze softened and he pulled aruna into a hug, her body limp. he felt her begin shaking slightly as she wrapped her arms around his waist, crying into his shoulder.

"i'm sorry." she whimpered, her voice shattering like glass. leo held her tighter as she cried, her grip on him tightening every second. leo held her closely, her body flux against his, shivering slightly. she smelled kind of earthy, like rain. a hint of mint was lingering on her, refreshing and calming to leo.

"you can't love me." she repeated.

"i do. i love you, aruna." leo said softly.

"no. no, i- i don't want you to. don't."

leo pulled away. aruna sniffled as she looked at him, her eyes teary and bloodshot. leo knew it was a losing battle for her, pointless. he knew by the way aruna pressed her hand to his cheek, by the way her eyes were closing, and her forehead leaned against his.

"please?"

leo smiled. "not happening, space girl."

"you're annoying, y'know."

"yeah, i do. i love being annoying."

"and i don't like you."

leo pulled away and walked to the bed. he sat down, moving aside random pieces of metal. aruna walked next to him, sitting down beside him. she rolled her legs onto leo's lap, making him shift a bit as she leaned her head on his shoulder, right under his neck. his smile dissipated as she wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing gently. he wrapped an arm around her back and another on her thigh as aruna sighed deeply.

"but, i still love you."

~•♡•~

"YOU STINKY, LYING, SNIVELING SON OF A BITCH!"

leo picked his head up from aruna's chest. a thin blanket covered him as he yawned, squinting his eyes as he began focusing in on piper. she was standing in the doorway, her bedhead like a bird's nest, her tired eyes still furious as she stood in a dragon onesie. behind her, jason grace's eyes were wide and shocked, and he wore a matching onesie, though his was pink instead of green.

piper placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head, waiting for an answer.

leo looked beside him. aruna was sleeping deeply, a blanket over her, too. as she breathed out through her nose, her little wispy tuft of white hair fluttered around.

leo turned back to piper and yawned. he looked over to the alarm clock, and groaned even more.

"piper, it's three in the morning." he yawned as he laid back on aruna. one of his arms was trapped under her body, and leo was fairly certain the circulation was being cut off, but he didn't really care. if he was comfortable, he'd deal with it.

"YOU GUYS ARE DATING AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US!" piper yelled. leo flipped her off as aruna's warm body made him want to sleep again.

"FRAAAAAAANK!"

leo groaned against aruna as he heard thundering steps down the hallway. then, he heard a loud gasp.

"HAAZEEEEELLL!"

leo heard light steps down the hallway, followed by a loud gasp.

"NICCOOOOOO!"

leo heard a weird wooshing sound followed by a grumble.

"what sluts." nico muttered.

"get out." leo groaned to everyone, still not bothering to get up. aruna shuffled awake, and leo still didn't bother getting up.

she didn't seem even slightly embarrassed.

"it's three in the morning." she hissed. "get out before i hex you all. you can yell at me in the morning!"

leo snickered slightly as he tightened his hold on aruna. she laid back down, her arms gently embracing leo. he heard the others murmuring something, then shuffling steps backwards.

"annoying bitches." aruna muttered. she shuffled downwards slightly so her head was more level with leo's.

"i guess we lose." leo replied sleepily as he felt aruna's soft lips on his.

"nah. i think we won."

~•♡•~

the yelling started pretty much as soon as leo opened his bedroom door. hazel was standing right there, and she took leo by his collar and marched him down to the mess hall.

"ow!" he groaned.

"how dare you?!" she yelled as she tossed leo into a chair from five feet away. her strength was beginning to scare leo as he turned around, still tired. the girl was literally four inches shorter than him with a face like a sad puppy and an adorable build like a teddy bear, and yet leo was afraid she was about to curb stomp him.

"what?" he threw his hands up, rather uninterested. "how dare i what?"

"you- you- you laid with my friend!" hazel groaned as she began pacing. "how dare you?!"

"oh, puh-lease, hazel!" leo groaned. "this is 2010, goddammit, not 1910. 'laid with my friend'- JUST SAY I GOT A PIECE!"

"well, usually i use the term make love." hazel said as she tossed a random sapphire aside. "BUT THERE IS NOTHING LOVING ABOUT THIS!" to leo's shock, she tossed a plate at him. "I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WERE RAISED AS A HOOLIGAN-"

"i wasn't raised."

"BUT AROUND HERE, WE HAVE SOME DECORUM, LEO VALDEZ!" hazel snapped. "did you even ask before you did it?"

"of course i did. i'm not a monster. besides, we didn't do it last nigh-"

"no, not that." hazel grunted. "did you ask anyone for their blessing?"

leo gaped. "since when do you need a blessing to do it?!"

"SINCE FOREVER, LEO!"

"well- well there's nobody to ask!" leo shot back. "her mom is a titan who hasn't been seen in a hot minute, and her dad has been dead since eminem released 'cleanin' out my closet'!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS!"

"well, that's just too damn bad!" leo scoffed.

the door opened again. aruna walked into the mess hall, silent as she calmly got herself a cup of coffee. she took a sip of it, and turned to hazel, whose eyes were still on her.

"mornin'."

she tried to walk away, but hazel snatched her. "no, ma'am! leo, go man the helm! frank and jason will be there to talk to you in a minute. aruna, stay put! PIPPPEERRRRRRRR!"

~•♡•~

"this is ridiculous." leo mumbled, his cheeks burning. leo was super uncomfortable, as the boat was rocking more than usual and he was being forced to talk about his no-longer-secret girlfriend to his guy friends.

"okay, okay!" jason bounced his knees in excitement. "and then what happened?!"

"yeah!" frank leaned in. leo wrinkled his nose but couldn't fight the smile that came up.

"and um... and then she kissed me." he admitted. frank and jason squealed as they looked at each other. leo shook his head and kept his eyes down to hide his red cheeks.

"oh my gosh! how was it?!" frank asked.

"um, soft. a lot softer than i thought it would be." leo admitted. "and... warm. and it was... gentle, at first, but once we got into it..."

jason and frank squealed again. leo only shook his head as he was forced to tell the rest.

~•♡•~

hi sorry for not updating lemme explain

im having a LOT of issues with motivation, and everything i have is being poured into my mom, and leftovers are going to deity work and stuff.

so, my mom has a lot of health issues, and she was supposed to have a surgery that requires her to go under anesthesia. but they found something wrong with her heart which means anesthesia could be a HUGE issue, so they have to do a bunch of other stuff.

its been stressing her out a lot, and my dad isnt being very supportive cuz he's swamped at work, and my brother is going through that teen boy spell where he is hateful and mean and in a bad mood all the time, so its making my mom feel worse.

SO, being the only decent person alive, im working OVERTIME to make her happier, and be in a good mood, and i remind her that she'll be okay. like on friday we literally just went grocery shopping and i got some candles, but i was able to stay positive and talk abour whatever, AND IT WORKED. SHE GOT HER MIND OFF EVERYTHING.

then we get home and my brother is a bitch, so shes sad again. then the doctor calls her, so shes stressed again. then my dad comes home and acts rude, so shes mad again. and literally everything i did went down the drain.

so, yall should probably expect updates to be a little scarce. im sorry, but ive got a lot going on rn and its taking a toll on me.