Work Text:
Leo Valdez cut his arms until they bled a beautiful crimson.
It was a splendid colour.
Red was his favourite colour, afterall.
The bathroom tiles were painfully cold, but they cooled his burning arms.
Everything was dark and blue and grey.
The Argo II gently moved side to side on water, since the wings were damaged. His vision seemed to blur and move too.
He looked up at the ceiling. He felt numb and nothing.
Like a hollow puppet as he made scarlet art on the clean tile floor. His mouth parted slightly and helplessly, the voices had stopped as soon as the blood started to pour.
He heared a faint whisper in the silence.
"the seventh wheel"
He gripped the knife that was captured in his grip, he
carved his arms again, over and over, he lashed out in anger. Fuming red anger.
He saw red in his vision,
red on the floor,
red on the blade,
red on his arms and brown rolled up trouser and greased hands.
It smeared when he heared foot steps and he tried to scramble up. Snapping into reality.
He needed to clean this up.
He needed to bandage his arms.
He couldn't let them see, behind his mask and facade and humour and acid jokes.
He scrambled up, the blood pouring everywhere, almost slipping on the stained tiles, he gripped the sink.
He felt sick to his stomach, nausea and he shook violently.
Oh how violently he shook, his legs about to give out, his head throbbed and his vision was darkened. He couldn't breathe as his hand trembled, turning the tap.
His breaths louder and his heart in his ear drums. The foot steps stopped and he heared yelling for his name.
He cancelled it all out, the voices disappearing into the depth of his mind and they muffled and tried to break through
as his head hit the ground.
"LEO! OH GODS"
.
.
.
He woke up sleeping on his side, Nico Di Angelo sleeping on a chair on the side of his bed, arms folded and eyes as dark as ever.
He was in the infirmary.
The light outside turned it all so yellow and bright and disgustingly beautiful.
He saw Piper curled up on the end of the bed. Hair messy and she looked as though she was trying not to touch Leo as he slept. Though, another blanket was draped over her.
Jason was on the other side of Leo, in the chair and Leo felt him grip his hands, his electric blue eyes wide and his breath shook.
His hair in a messy blond a d the scar above his lip trembled and moved as he smiled. Tears swelled up in his eyes.
Despite being broad and muscley and large in structure.
He looked small, gripping Leo's hand tight, like he was glass about to break at any moment. Smiling but crying.
Leo felt immense guilt. He was still alive and still a burden. He didn't belong here among these heroes and was being saved out of pity for their little repair boy.
He didn't like how Jason's voice shook as he yelled for everyone else.
How Nico woke up suddenly, reaching for his sword out of instinct and then stopping, becoming speechless once laying eyes on Leo.
How Piper yelped and threw the blanket off her, pulling Leo into a hug.
He felt a lump form in his throat and started to cry. Unknowing, when the tears began to fall. Nico's arms reaching out but not exactly knowing what to do as Piper cried and hugged him. Jason changing his bandages afterwards, so gently and delicately.
It was all too much.
When it was night, and everyone was hushed away by Annabeth who had told them all Leo had needed rest. Nico had melted away from the shadows. His hands stuffed in his aviator jacket and his hair was dark and unruly as ever. He still had that ghostly chill about him. Leo was suddenly as edge as Nico crept closer and sat on the edge of the bed.
His gase was distant and sad.
"Heyyy Neeks-" Leo started with a playful and fake tone and was cut off.
"Cut the bullshit" Nico hissed with edge.
Leo quieted and pulled the sheets over him, wanting to be smaller and feeling uncomfortable in Nico's gaze. Like he was being laid out, bare.
Nico softened at Leo's attempts at hiding, he laid a hand on his leg uncomfortably.
"Hey, I get it you know. But you'd be missed. Piper, Jason, Hazel , everyone. Even I'd miss you. So don't you dare do something like that again. And just.. talk to us, please Valdez- er- Leo?"
Maybe, Leo didn't have to leave so soon.
His heart was set afire at Nico Di Angelo's words.