Work Text:
Hi this is a WIP, sorry for how short it is😅😅
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|🔥 田｜門 🔥. -・˚∘ꔛ࿐⊹
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“Listen, Leo, I’d bet my whole estate that I could pummel your ass at uno”
"Alright pipes ill take that bet, sounds like good odds to me!”
“Oh, you'd wish! I’m gonna beat you so hard later”
“Thats what she said!”
“Oh shut up ashy!”
Leo cackled, head thrown back and tongue sticking out to tease Piper as he walked towards the forge. Piper rolled her eyes, doing a ‘girl bye’ type expression and motion before leaving Leo to his abode.
He shut the metal door behind him and breathed a heavy sigh. As if the door led him into a different dimension, he became a totally new person behind it, like Narnia except much more depressing. The smirk he had on a second ago had dropped and so had his whole demeanor, his mind felt quiet now, but he knew the quiet in his brain wouldn't last long.
It was finally Leo’s alone time in his workshop, no need to put on a face for anyone here.
The place was grimy and had an air of constant grease, the scent baked into the metal walls and floor, smelling like any old workshop that hasn't been cleaned since it was implemented. His curtains cracked just enough for a sliver of light to illuminate the dust flying around like stars in a galaxy, a cascade of it filled every crevice and would probably send a person with a dust mite allergy into hives, but it’s not like you could easily clean dust from a garage, nor was anyone coming to his forge anytime soon. He turned on the lights and breathed in the smell of oil and gas around him like it was the best aroma in the world. Sure, it was definitely not healthy for him to be breathing in that much for the long periods of time he spent in there, but he was gonna die soon either way so it really didn't matter that much. The room was spacious and enormous, but extremely cramped, with boxes, metal, and projects scattered around or in their own corners making the room feel more crowded than it was. One whole side of the room he was building gods knows what, and it filled a whole section of the garage. Leo didn’t mind any of it that much, he liked the messes around him, and being surrounded by machinery felt more like home than any bullshit foster they tried to put him in.
This, brief moment of familiarity and serotonin drained from him after a couple of seconds. He groaned and buried his face deep into his calloused and rough hands. He had to resist from bashing his head into the nearest wall to quiet the god-forsaken messages his brain was sending him. He really fucking hates talking to people, no hate to the people, well a little hate sometimes, but every time he finished talking to anyone he felt like he said everything wrong he could have. He was immensely embarrassed and distressed from the way his voice cracked when he laughed at Piper, the way he sounded so fucking cocky gloating about how good he was at Uno. He felt horrible and that was only part of it. He always has this feeling, but every moment when it was quite enough, he would feel a rush of these paranoid messages in his brain
‘They're watching you’
‘They see you’
‘They hate you’
‘Theyre plotting against you’
‘Theyre going to hurt you’
‘You're going to hurt them.’
He felt insane, he knew deep it wasn't true but gods it flooded his brain so much he should've called for Percy to flush it out. He sank to the floor, hands crawling up his face and into his hair, tugging and pulling at the curls, whispering cruel words towards himself
“Stupid stupid retard what the fuck…… what's wrong with you…”
He signed again, knowing there was really no other way out of this besides death (which he could not do), he went to the next best thing, and the only thing that's been helping quiet these thoughts and keep himself on track.
He got up and walked towards his desk, sitting on his spinny chair, rotating his body around while digging into his drawer. He pulled out his only true love, and the only thing that will probably ever touch his skin so intimately, a box cutter. He had other blades, like… a lot of other blades. Okay maybe too many, big shark ones from razors, small sharp ones from sharpeners, ones he doesn't even know how he got, but right now he was planning to go a bit deeper, he was more in a box cutter mood either way.
He had multiple box cutters, depending on the mood or the reason he was cutting, it was a weird fixation and ritual but whatever got his mind off of his brain. Since today was thoughts about how embarrassing and cocky he is, he picked his plain dark blue one, the Hello Kitty one was for when he was cutting about being a faggot, and his black gothic one was for when he had bad intrusive thoughts and needed punishment for his disgusting brain.
He placed it on his desk and dug in his other drawer for his medical bandages, that was the second funnest part for him besides when his skin is white and he gets to watch the blood pool in.
He sighed as he sat back up and stretched looking at his set up, he already had napkins there for the clean up too so he really didn't have much to worry about.
He flipped over his arm staring at the scars that's riddle it top to bottom, it was actually a bit disgusting how much scraps he had, some were dark old and flat from years ago, some light pinkish circles from cigarette burns (don't worry he's been clean, now he just self-harms with blades), some light and thin, and some thick and bumping out the skin.
Some people might wonder, how has Leo not been caught yet? He's either always wearing a tank top or has his sleeves rolled up all the way, and his scars stick out like sore… scars, shouldn't one of his oh so loving friends ask about them? Well Leo already has a little couple of lies he pulls out every time and has gotten all of the people on the Argo to be live
1. He has eczema, so his skin develops scars more easily (he doesn't even know if that's true)
2. He's had a long history of being in abusive homes and gangs, so a lot of his older scars are from that time (this was technically true)
And 3. He works in a forgery and is extremely clumsy, so a lot of scars old or new stems from that
These lies work extremely well and now no one in the Argos even notices if he has a new scar or bandage
Would they even notice either way?
He feels upset knowing that they probably wouldn't care, but he knows he'd hate it too if they did, he'd rather anything else than someone reach out to help and talk with him
He can at least use these thoughts as fuel
He sighed for the 50th time, hitting his head over and over again before giving in and getting it over with. He grabbed the blade and pushed it into his arm, making sure it pressed deep into his brown skin before pulling it to the side quickly. Wow, one slash and he could already see styro, lucky him. He smiled at the intrusion, struggling not to burst into giggles, but he already knew he normally sounded insane so maybe he should dial it back. He didn't wait for the white layer to bead up with blood before slashing again at the pale gate, opening up the new scar more. It didn't take its sweet time to fill with crimson, it got to work, filling itself and dripping down his arm. Leo shivered at the feeling, his blood warmer than normal peoples on account of his abilities. He grabbed the paper and dabbed at the mess, it was hard seeing how shaky he felt, his whole body spasming a little bit but he could hardly focus on that, his whole brain felt like it was being tooned out. He cleaned up the blood looking down at the scar, now a bit more wide. This should be enough, right?
Leo could almost laugh at the thought. He lined up the blade inside, feeling the cold steel right against his flesh, before slashing a third and fourth time. Okay. Now he can stop.
On that cut
He chocked on a sob, before lining up the blade a bit above the first one and slashing, producing a new scar to styro, not as deep nor wide as the first, but now another implement on his skin. Then he moved next to that one a bit above and slashed again, now more frantic and not as perfect as the other two. He doubled over, chokes coming from deep in his throat, he felt like he as going to throw up but he couldn't, mostly because he'd just dry heave since he hasn't eaten anything since yesterdays lunch. He was so lost in the static that filled his brain, replacing the over thinking thoughts with a blindfold, he didn't notice the knock at his door until it turned into banging and he heard a call from behind it
“Uhm, hey Leo, its Nico, uh piper told me you were in here, could I come in for something?”
Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck
“O-oh ya! Ya wait right there ill-ill be there just wait!”
Leo cringed at how shaky his voice came out, shoving the bloody blade into the drawer and quickly and painfully bandaging up his arm, which he didn't even bother to clean. He cover the bloody table with a bunch of papers and pulled his left sleeve all the way down. He looked at the mirror that hung above his messy desk, fixing his hair and whipping his eyes so Nico could tell that anything was up. Why was Nico even at his door? Leo was 40% sure Nico hated his guts, Leo tried his best to avoid him if he was completely honest. But if Leo didn't answer then he was being an asshole. He went up to the door, mentally preparing his mask before opening the door, a smirk tearing at his mouth and his voice chipper as if his own blood wasn't smeared on his desk.
“Hey emo boy whats up?”
Leo looked at Nico, struggling not to scowl at the fact even Nico was taller then him. Not by a lot at all, but still just noticeable enough to Leo. Leo also noticed a lot of other things about the boy. The way his dark hair fell on his shoulder and his face like snake coils, his olive skin looked desaturated and pale, he bet if he could touch his hand it'd feel leathery, and his clothes had more grunge vibes then a nirvana fan meet up, he could hear “Just” by Radiohead playing in the distance when he looked at the boy. Nicos dark brown eyes bore into him, with the way his bangs covered his forehead and cast a shado it made it look like they were piercing him through the void. But even though the son of Hades scared Leo, Leo could tell the boy was awkward the way he tensed up and flinched, the way his eyes flickered towards the wooden boards of the ship made Leo want to laugh. God this boy was more uneasy and socially inept then him
“Okay i was walking around and dropped my Walkman, and…”
He slowly handed it to Leo. The music player was popped open, the front case hanging out with some wires torn and a few parts sticking out. Leo could tell it was old, not just because of the fact it was a walkman, but by the scratched on the side, the peeling stickers, and Leo could just feel the machines dwindling essence. Every machine had a soul, and Leo always felt a connection to machines almost as if they were actually alive. Leo could hear this one begging for death. Even though it was battered, Leo was enamored and his eyes grew wide and sparkly looking at the music player, handling it with great care as he rotated it in his calloused hands.
“Holy shit a walkman? Fuck is this from mid 90’s? Late? How do you have this? And why, I love walkman as much as the next but iPods are just much more convenient”
Nicos cheeks grew a couple shades deeper and it was like color being added to a black and white film
“I… had it for a long time since I was 10, never had much of a problem with it and I like physical media more”
Leo smiled at the answer, he agreed heavily that any physical media, especially DVD players and CDs, were the best, but he knew that this thing was in its last legs and would only survive for one more year. He leaned on the door, trying to get a sense of Nicos vibe now that he was face-to-face with the boy.
“I agree, but I can hear the heavy breathes this old man is taking and I think after I give him some life again you should think about getting a new music player”
“…. What”
“Im saying it's old and going to break down soon, when we get back down you should get a new one. But for you Gerad way, I'll fix it up, I'm pretty busy right now though so it might take a while”
Leo watched nicks face, and noticed how they flickered toward his are momentarily before looking inside the workshop through the opening from the door. Even though Leo didn't know Nico much and only had an idea, he didn't like the way nico looked at him, he felt his body go rigid like gas and Nico look right through him and into his soul, melting him from the inside.
“How long?”
“Not too long, like, 10 minutes, probably less”
“Really? You think you can do it that fast?”
“You doubting me di Angelo? You want to time me or something?”
Nico scoffed and rolled his eyes. Leo saw how Nico grew color in the face slowly the more he talked to him, it made Leo feel happy and distracted from what was happening not even ten minutes ago. He looked back at the forge then Nico, remembering how he would watch the son of Hades sit in the shadows, away from everyone, isolated and never eating. How he would never come out his bunker, and how hazel would go to his room with a worried expression and a plate of food, and leave with a wistful and exhausted face. He remembered the conversations the seven would have about him, questioning and pitying the boy. In hushed whispers some would mention the scars in his wrist, Percy and Annabeth would quickly shut that up before opening a bit about his past. They were careful not to breach his privacy, but they all knew that Nico had a rough up bringing and being in a jar starving for almost a month did not help. Leo wasn't doing it out of pity though, he did it out of wanting to get closer. Nico seemed interesting and Leo saw himself in them even if they seemed like opposites.
“If you want, you can come in and wait for me to finish it, y’know so I don't have to go bang on your door when I'm done”
Nico finally looked up at Leo and I to his eyes, now it was Leos time to awkwardly look away and avoid their gaze
“Really? I thought you didn't like people in your workshop? I don't want to intrude”
Nico looked worried, as if he was stepping a boundary even though Leo offered it to him
“No your welcome, at least right now, if you don't want to come in that's fine too-”
“No no no I do- I mean I’d… sounds easier for the both of us, I just don't want to mess anything up or ruin it”
“Nah nah its cool, I really don't mind, you not gonna be here long, just stay out here for a second while I put some stuff away”
Leo ducked back in, closing the door softly as he races to his desk. He really didn't know why he invited Nico, maybe it was pity? Impulsiveness? He had to do something though. He cleared the desk of anything suspicious, whipping the blood and burying the blood napkins in the trash. He hid everything that could reveal anything, looking back at his area before going back to the steel door
“You can come in now!”
Nico slowly entered, trying to softly open the door just enough to snake in. He looked around and his mouth hung a bit open like a puppet. Leo watched as he looked around, gravitating towards the larger project, his hand slightly reached out. Leo could almost blush from how cocky he was feeling watching someone gawk at his art.
“These are…. Really cool Leo” Nico mumbled
“Awww stop it, your gonna make me wett”
“Okay I take it back, just finish my stuff”
Leo laughed, taking out very few supplys. He laid out the walkman on the table, taking the front part to the side to look inside, grabbing his tweezers and Screwdrivers for anything loose to put back before getting to the main part. Its almost like he could hear the music player whispering to him ‘save me…. Save me….’
“Dont worry buddy ill fix you up…”
“Did you say something?” Nico called from wherever he was standing and gawking at machines at.
“N-no nothing! Just keep stroking my ego over there”
He could hear Nicos eyeroll from a mile away.
After finishing up some small loose bits, he flipped it over to look at the interior. He noticed something still inside, popping it open, a cassette fell out, probably one Nico didn't notice he left. He grabbed it and looked at the name, expecting Metallica or MCR. He had to look closer at the sharpied name because he didn't think his eyes were telling him the truth.
“Is this… an outkast tape?”
As if he had teleportation, Nico appeared behind him from the shadow and snatched the song from Leos hand
“No. Okay yes. So what?”
Leo looked up at Nico, he could tell if they were embarrassed or angry at Leo for poking around in his personal stuff.
“No judgment here, I just didn't take you to really be an outkast fan because-”
“Because what?”
Leo stuttered, looking away. When Nico wanted to intimidate he did it well, Leo could feel their orbs cutting a hole into him
“Well… I don't know I was expecting radiohead or something…”
“I like them too, I just like outkast more”
“Me too! U love outkast Andre is my goat”
“Your what?”
“Never mind, I think its cool you like outkast, which song was that?”
“….uhm, B.O.B, Atliens, Rosa parks, and roses”
Leo smiled wider and wider at each song. He toyed with the inside of it, fixing some of the many problems before flipping it back around and getting to work on the main issue
“Those are great pics, I live Rosa parks personally, maybe I can hit you up with some more cassettes after this, I have great picks in my opinion- why you laughing? What’s funny?”
Nico giggled into his hand, turning away with a snort before clearing his throat as if it could cover it up
“Hm hm- nothing nothing.. thanks again for fixing this for me Leo”
Leo blushed at the compliment, he was more susceptible to praise then a dog
“It’s no problem, I’ve been needing something to keep my hands busy-“
“That’s what he said”
Leo turned slowly towards Nico, a shocked but proud and amused face, mouth wide open
“Nico, did you just make a ‘that’s what she said’ joke??”
“I said he but- uh ya, I heard it a couple of times seemed like a pretty- pretty good moment for it”
“It was a great moment, Im shocked though! That didn’t feel right, I-I would have never expected that from you since your like…”
Leo stopped, staring at Nico trying to find the right words as Nico stared back with a raised eyebrow. He stuttered and chocked on his words, knowing he fumbled greatly. All he could do was cough and continue to tinker
“Any-anyway… how do you like your room? Sorry yours is small I wasn’t expecting an extra person so it was just a guest when I built it”
Nico sat on one of the hard boxes near the table, getting comfortable as he watched Leo’s hands work
“It’s fine ya… it’s a room for sure, I can’t really complain any room is a good room, being anywhere then a jar is amazing- you did a great job! Ya…”
Leo smiled at how obvious Nico was
“Yknow, it sounds like you really do want to complain though…. Don’t worry it’s a safe space, I won’t be mad”
Leo could hear a raspy sigh from behind him
“I… I don’t know… it’s kinda… plain and awkward, doesn’t feel that comfortable to me… I wish it looked a bit like my cabin, I miss the camp… sorry”
“Don’t say sorry! I understand Nico”
꧁⎝ 𓆩༺✧༻𓆪 ⎠꧂
