safe || leo valdez x oc

forty-one: butts 'n cuts

ARUNA

~•♡•~

soft music played in the confines of aruna's cabin aboard the argo II. fleetwood mac was playing, specifically rhiannon. aruna quietly hummed along, her voice dry and broken from the tears she had shed. she slowly twisted a screwdriver into the project she'd been working on, her mind abuzz with emotions, yet numb and blank at the same time.

it was around midnight. coach hedge kept wandering the ship hollering things like, "YOU CUPCAKES BETTER BE ASLEEP!" or, "STAY IN YOUR OWN CABINS!", as if anyone would be able to sleep that way. the cabins were soundproof from the inside, but that didn't mean they blocked out external noise. in a way, aruna was somewhat thankful for that. it meant she could cry as loud as she wanted and throw things around without being heard, but she could still hear if someone needed to come in.

like now.

there was a soft rapping at the door, like the person on the other side was afraid to be caught by coach hedge. aruna hurriedly wiped her tears and silently trotted to the door. she opened it, letting in a wave of warm, summer air. leo stood before her, his eyes wide and urgent.

quickly, aruna ushered him in and closed the door. she opened her mouth to speak, but leo clamped a hand over her mouth, and held a finger to his lips. on the other side of the door, the trotting steps of a satyr receded, followed by, "DON'T BREAK THE RULES, CUPCAKES!"

clearly, his patrol wasn't very good. as soon as aruna breathed in relief, leo threw his arms around her shoulders, and held her close.

aruna froze, completely shocked at the boy. he smelled like fresh honey, his curls softer than silk. his skin was always so unusually warm for a normal human, but it was completely comforting. slowly, aruna held his waist, leaning her head against his as several more tears fell from her eyes. her cheek pressed to his own, staining it with silver drops of moonlight from her eyes.

"i'm sorry."

aruna didn't know what he was apologizing for. frankly, it was probably everything. for firing on new rome, despite it not technically being his fault. for trying to kill her just seconds later. for what she saw when talking to nemesis; the face of the man who caused her the greatest pain.

his voice wasn't as deep as jason's, percy's, or frank's. leo always seemed softer, kinder, less hardened by the world around him. aruna found that ironic. she knew that leo had a hard upbringing; his mother dying, constantly being on the run from foster care, sleeping in places most grown adults would fear. she knew the others had their fair share of skeletons in the closet, but leo was the only one who actually seemed... stable.

"'s okay." aruna mumbled as she closed her eyes. she could feel two heartbeats; both slow, melancholic, despairing. aruna never knew a heartbeat could sound that way.

leo didn't pull away. he just seemed to stay there, he lips barely grazing aruna's neck as he hugged her. aruna knew he didn't mean for it to happen; it wasn't a kiss, not exactly. but part of aruna wished it was. part of her wished to feel his lips on her skin, warming her up tenderly and setting flame everywhere he touched.

it was that thought that made aruna finally pull away. she wiped her tears and covered up the desk with a sheet. leo looked at her as she sat in the chair, looking at him tenderly. he looked so tired standing there, like he hadn't slept properly in years. aruna pointed to her bed, which was still made and hadn't even been used yet. aruna doubted it would be used very much during this trip.