Akrasia [Leo Valdez x Reader]

9

Y/N was thrown against the walls of the deck as the ship rocked violently, shaken by the sea monster beneath them. They'd been at sea for a while after transitioning from air travel, but this was their first encounter with a monster. Piper had identified the foul-breathed monster as Cetus, a giant serpent known for swallowing ships whole. It's razor-sharp teeth latched onto the bottom of the ship, swinging it around as it tried to take a bite. The only reason the ship was still intact was because of its size and whatever indestructible material Leo had made it out of. By the time Cetus had surfaced above water everyone had come on deck, trying to hastily devise a plan to defeat the serpent.

"Okay, uh, Jason, in the air, attack from above," Piper directed. "Leo, throw fire, aim for the eyes, it won"t feel anything on the body because of the scales. Y/N arrows, aim for the mouth. Everyone else, keep it at bay for as long as possible, and do not fall off." They nodded, Jason rocketing into the air, sword in hand, the rest of them rushing to their respective places. Y/N pulled out her bow and arrow and waited for an opportunity to shoot into it's mouth. She watched Jason slice at the monster from above and Leo throw balls of fire at it's huge eyes. An idea sparked in her head, something to make sure it didn't come back. She ran over to where Leo stood and yelled to get his attention. He looked back at her, still throwing fire, his curly hair whipping around his face.

"Leo! Set one of my arrows on fire!" she yelled, holding one out towards him. He looked slightly puzzled, but obliged, using a fingertip to light the tip of the arrow on fire. Y/N yelled a quick thanks and ran to a spot where she'd have a clear shot at Cetus' mouth. She quickly passed the flame to two other arrows, just in case she missed (which was very unlikely). She notched an arrow and aimed, waiting for the monster to open it's wide mouth. One of Leo's fireballs hit Cetus' eye at the same time that Jason sliced the other, and it opened it's mouth and roared, it's stank breath covering the ship. Y/N took the opportunity and shot the flaming arrow, landing in the back of it's throat. The monster reared it's head in pain and roared again, giving her a chance to shoot her other two arrows, making it retreat for the last time.

Y/N closed her eyes and took a deeply inhaled monster-breath free air, grateful for the monster's forfeit. The rest of the crew gathered to the middle of the deck, all still breathing heavily from the battle. Piper stood next to Y/N and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile.

"Good job guys. We survived our first monster of the quest!" Piper congratulated, earning weak smiles from the rest of them. They were all pretty bruised from being thrown around the ship, so they headed back to their respective rooms to rest. Y/N lingered on the deck for a bit, leaning on the railing as she processed her first real battle. Leo walked up next to her, leaning on the railing beside her.

"Pretty good for your first battle," Leo remarked. "The fire arrows were smart." Y/N smiled and looked over to him, her smile fading as she looked down at his chest in concern. "Leo, you're bleeding, like, a lot." she said. Leo followed her gaze and looked down, seeming equally surprised by his wound.

"Huh. I did not see that." he remarked. Y/N rolled her eyes. "Come on, med bay. I'll bandage you up." Y/N said, already walking downstairs. Leo followed her down, sitting on one of the cots as she gathered supplies. She approached the cot, sitting next to him.

"Shirt off." Y/N said. Leo paused in confusion before remembering that his wound was on his chest. He awkwardly pulled his shirt off, setting the blood stained fabric behind him, revealing a quite nasty scratch that had probably come from being thrown against the side of the ship. Y/N examined the wound and got to work, pouring disinfectant on a cotton ball and positioning it just above his skin, looking up at him before she continued.

"This is gonna hurt, okay? But after this the bad part's over." she reassured. Leo nodded and she touched the cotton ball to his skin. He winced a little as the disinfectant stung his fresh wound, but after a few swipes he got used to it. After a painful minute or so she was finally finished, and Y/N grabbed the bandages and started wrapping them around his torso. Leo's breathing slowed as the space between them got smaller, his breath hitching every time her cold fingers touched his skin. Y/N could hear her heart pounding, ignoring the rhythmic beat as she focused on patching up her friend. She tied and cut off the bandage, finally finished. Part of Leo didn't want her to stop, his body immediately missing the chill of her fingers on his chest.

Y/N looked up, their faces and bodies only inches from each other, neither of them breaking the thick tension with words. Leo glanced down at her lips, desperately wanting to feel them on his. Y/N noticed the flicker of his eyes and leaned closer ever so slightly, her eyes meeting his in a hypnotizing gaze. Leo's breath hitched as he leaned in, now so close that their lips were almost touching.

"Hey, I just found a nasty scrape on my arm, do you think you could-" Jason stopped mid-sentence as he burst through the door, noticing their close proximity and position. Y/N and Leo quickly backed away from each other, both of them flushed red. "I uh, I can come back later..." Jason said, turning around and closing the door behind him. Y/N sat silently for a second before coming back to reality and standing up abruptly.

"I-I need to go. Change." she said hastily, walking swiftly out of the room, not making eye contact with Leo. She saw Jason a few feet in front of her, speeding up to catch up with him

"Uh, Jason, hey," she said.," she said. He looked at her briefly before turning his gaze ahead, extremely embarrassed. "You wouldn't mind like, not telling anyone about... what you saw, right?" she asked, letting a little charmspeak slip into her voice just in case.

"Yeah, uh, of course." Jason said. Y/N sighed in relief. "Thank you. Oh and I can still bandage your arm if you need." she offered. Jason shook his head assuring her that it wasn't that bad before disappearing into his room. Y/N groaned as she headed into her room, her mind still reeling from her and Leo's interaction. Y/N had strictly told herself no crushes until after the quest, but was it really a crush if it was mutual? Y/N shook the thought away. A relationship is just as distracting as a crush. She flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to push all Leo Thoughts™ aside. Every time she tried to think of something else, his deep brown eyes reappeared in her mind, looking at her with unreadable emotion. Y/N groaned in frustration and stuffed her face in her pillow, eventually falling into a light slumber. If he showed up in her dreams, she'd have to file a complaint with Morpheus.