PJO/HoO Around the Campfire

Chapter 34: The Calm

December 29, 2021

Leo entered the dining pavilion just after Percy, he watched as Percy jogged to the table grover was sitting at. Leo wasn't sure where to sit, follow Percy or find a different table? He scanned the pavilion until someone caught his eye.

Conner. Sat alone at the Hermes table, which was really strange because usually that was the busiest table out of all of them, the demigods tended to sit at their assigned tables even when the rules were loosened. But there he sat, alone, picking away at his breakfast.

Leo quickly got his breakfast from the buffet line and made his way over to the table. He felt eyes on him as he sat down beside Connor, even though he knew that was crazy because there wasn't even half the campers in the dining pavilion then. He tried to put the fear out of his mind and just enjoy Connor's company, because at that very moment Connor was trying to talk to him and he was missing it.

"Wait, sorry, can you go back to the beginning?" Leo interrupted him but Connor didn't mind. He could see that something was weighing on Leo, he just didn't know how to broach the topic, or if he was even ready for the conversation he was increasingly worried they needed to have.

"Yeah, I was asking if you had any solid plans for the day? Maybe another game night?"

"I don't think we're going to have another game night, not unless you can think of a game." Leo joked, but seriously, he had asked around and no one had any suggestions. "I don't have any plans, as for the rest of them, I think I heard Percy say he wanted to call his mom, but other than that..." he trailed off but Connor got the gist of it.

"Okay, do you want to do something tonight then, just us?" Leo felt Connor's leg against his, and he knew it was deliberate.

"Um... uh..." Leo swallowed, then cleared his throat. "I'd love to." Wow, he thought, if just the small touch of his leg makes me speechless, I'm done for.

Connor laughed at Leo and almost kissed his head, he stopped himself before he could, and settled for discreetly placing his hand on Leo's leg, the same leg he had just let his own fall into.

Leo looked down but didn't move his leg. He knew this was risky, but the warm touch of someone he cared about was enough to make the world fall away. He forgot every reason either of them gave about why it would be better to keep their relationship a secret for a bit and he had to suppress the urge to kiss Connor right there.

A shout from one of the other campers in the pavilion brought Leo and Connor back to their surroundings. Leo jumped at the sudden noise and was caught off guard once again when the heat of both Connor's leg and hand were ripped from his leg.

His body ached for the touch, the warmth that had been there moments before, but he didn't know how to ask for it back. It was such an innocent touch, but it was the person who made such small things have such great meaning.

Connor returned to eating his breakfast and Leo, a little reluctantly, followed suit.

"So," Leo said after a moment of silence, "you were talking about us doing something today?"

"Yeah, I thought we could, like... go on a date, or something." Connor rubbed the back of his neck and very pointedly did not look at Leo, not sure why this was so nerve racking for him.

Leo was quick to reassure him when he saw how nervous Connor was. "I would love to, what were you thinking?"

"Well, we could go down to the beach, maybe pack a picnic and swim a little?"

"That sounds great."

Connor finally looked up at Leo, and was met with a smile, which he readily returned.

Connor finished his breakfast first and he got up to take his plate to the dirty dishes section, but before he walked away he leaned down to whisper in Leo's ear. He knew this was fine to do in a public setting because he'd seen lots of people do it before, but that didn't stop him from being acutely aware of how close their faces were.

"Meet me in the woods when you're done eating, we can swim later." Then Connor pushed off the table, winked at Leo, and walked away without another glance.

Leo could do nothing but sit there with his mouth hanging open and watch him leave. For a moment he was stuck like that until the words fully sunk in. Then Leo finished his breakfast as quickly as he could, and tried to follow Connor without making it look suspicious.

As Leo made his way out of the pavilion and towards the forest he thought about where Connor might be, they had a spot in the forest but there was also Bunker 9 that they had recently been to.

Just as Leo made it to the edge of the woods, trying to decide where he would look first, he noticed Connor leaning against one of the trees just inside the forest, looking really casual and smug.

"Glad you finally made it," Connor said, pushing off the tree and taking one of Leo's hands to lead him.

"Hey," Leo tried to make his tone indignant but he wasn't doing a very good job of it, "I didn't take that long."

"Sure," Connor said with a smirk.

"So where are we going? I thought I would have to find it myself."

"Well, that was the plan, but then I realized I can't actually get in without you, so I waited."

Ah, Leo thought, Bunker 9 then.

They walked in silence for a moment, then Leo had a thought. "Hey, this isn't going to be a prank, right? Don't get me wrong, I love your pranks, but I was hoping for a nice day with my— uh, with-with you."

"And a prank would make it a not nice day?" Connor asked, trying to draw this conversation out as long as he could. He loved pranking people with Travis, but they hadn't done one in a while. Along with that Connor wanted to leave no room for whatever Leo was about to say, if Leo wasn't comfortable saying it right then he didn't have to, besides Connor had a plan for that.

"Well, if the prank's on me, it probably won't be the best day, but if we play one on someone else together..." Leo let his words trail off, knowing that would convey his meaning.

"Oh, well sorry to disappoint, no pranks today. But that does sound like fun, we should do one together soon."

"Okay then, what are we doing?" Leo might have known where they were going but he had absolutely no idea what Connor was planning to do.

Leo wasn't paying enough attention to their movements because when Connor stopped, Leo kept walking. He was tugged back by Connor's hand still in his and almost tripped but Connor wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him on his feet.

"Wha—" Leo started but was cut off by Connor leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"That's for me to know," Connor paused to bring his face right in front of Leo's, but he didn't kiss him, instead he whispered, almost against his lips, "and for you to find out."

Then he pulled away, let go of Leo's waist, and kept walking, knowing that Leo would follow.

Which he did. After taking a moment to process what had just happened. When did Connor get this confident? Leo thought to himself, he didn't dislike it, it was just new. Good, but new.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Okay, we're here. Now will you tell me what we're doing?" Leo asked, bordering on whining, the second they had gotten inside Bunker 9.

Fine, but sit down first." Connor said with a laugh.

Leo sat down. "So what now?"

Connor came to sit down beside Leo on the couch, but at the last second he decided to sit facing Leo, so he straddled Leo's lap, sitting on his knees. "Can I kiss you?"

Leo swallowed. Then smiled, nodded. And then, when Connor's lips met his, he kissed back.

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