𝕱𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖉𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖊 - a Leo Valdez slowburn

Chapter five

Chapter five.

[They dyed their hair]

"When no one calls on you when you shout their name, 

were you ever even heard?"

"We're not open today, sorry," Lin apologized ironically to Leah, who stood before them with pleading eyes. 

"But you make better coffee than me," she whined. "And I'm not going to sleep, not today." "Or ever, if you continue the way you have," Lin chided. "You need sleep, or your body is going to shut down on you." "Not like it hasn't happened before," Leah muttered. "What?" 

"And we don't want that happening again," Aiden countered. "You may have been popping off and killing everything and everyone you saw, but I had to force a god to put up with me and my fear of heights." Lin frowned. "You have a fear of heights? You didn't seem afraid on Ismeju." Aiden shrugged. "Adrenaline," he responded coolly. 

"Lin," Leah repeated. They sighed. "What, Smith?" "Can you make coffee?" "It's ten in the evening, damn it!" they scolded. "You will go to sleep now. We'll wake you up in a few hours." "Why would I sleep if you aren't?" Leah asked. Lin rolled their eyes. "You and Aiden can both be very deep sleepers. I'll just set an alarm, but I have to put more effort into waking you." "Ah," Leah realized. Aiden tilted his head. "You're not wrong there." 

"So you, are going to bed now," Lin said resolutely. Leah raised an eyebrow. "I can't sleep on the bed, there aren't any pillows," she complained. "Then sleep on the couch," Aiden offered. "Blanket?" Lin sighed. "I'll get you a blanket, Leah." 

"Nah, I don't need one, but thank you," Leah said. "See you in a few, I guess." Lin and Aiden smiled at her sheepishly as she settled down on the couch, stretching her arms and letting one droop from her side onto the floor. 

"Good night, Leah," Aiden said cheerfully as he went to the stairs. And as he went up, he heard a faint "Good night, Aiden," back. 

"You guys are adorable, you know that?" Lin asked them matter-of-factly. Aiden flushed, his skin turning a shade of pink. "Thanks," he muttered. "Have you been in contact with Chris recently?" Lin nodded. "Yeah, we call every few days or so," they added happily. 

"Have you known each other long?" Aiden asked them, to which Lin laughed. "I've known him since I can remember." Well, after the dark face in the dark room in the dark building in the dark night-

Lin shook it off, scoffing at themselves. They then smiled again, turning to Aiden as they walked up the stairs. "Chrissie and I have known each other now for uh," they calculated it in their head. "Well I'm nineteen, and I assume I would remember from when I'm two or three, so about that long, yeah." Aiden hummed. "That's a long time," he commented dreamily. "It sure is," Lin agreed. "Hasn't always been the best time, but it's always been us two against the world." 

"That's beautiful. Have you ever considered poetry?" Lin smacked the son of Nemain jokingly. "Here I am, pouring out my heartfelt love-" They blinked when they realized what they said, and then they started blushing crazily. "I mean-"

Aiden raised an eyebrow and laughed at them. "You don't have to deny it, you know," they said. "You love him, and he loves you, that's the end of it." "What is love, really?" Lin asked small. "You give a lot of advice for someone who doesn't follow their own," Aiden teased. Lin shrugged. "Asking someone out isn't the same as accepting you're in love with them."