Hiya peeps! So, I know that you must be tired of the whole Lazel thing, but guess what? It's my favorite pair so don't even get me started on the "hey can you make a Frazel one-shot?" crap, okay? I don't do Frazel so go ask somebody else! (Sorry, for my harshness, but if you didn't already get the message by now then you really need it) Now that that's over, let's get on with the awesomeness, shall we?
Hazy
Leo and Hazel
Leo sat on the railing of the Argo II as they sailed over the Atlantic ocean, his feet dangling over the water. He was wiping desperately at his face, trying to stop the steady flow of tears that was leaking out of his eyes before somebody noticed he wasn't in his sleeping bag and came to see what was wrong.
Ah, who was he kidding? Like anybody cared.
He stopped wiping and just gripped the railing, letting the tears flow freely down his face. He tried to push the dream out of his head, and get a grip on his feelings, but it was a loosing battle. He'd had another dream about his mother—courtesy of Gaea, he was sure—and like it always did, it played with his emotions. His mother seemed like the only subject that could break him down like that.
He'd come up onto the deck in the middle of the night when he'd woken up, partly so he wouldn't disturb anyone with his sobbing and discomfort, and partly because he'd needed the fresh, salty air. Just breathing for a while was the only way he could calm himself down enough to not be a complete wreck in the morning. He didn't think anyone ever really noticed, anyways.
But it wasn't working this time. The particular memory Gaea had shown Leo was always the worst for him—but it wasn't the machine shop. It was that last day his mother had taken off of work, the time she'd had time to do anything with him. Every time he remembered how happy he'd been, it tore him to pieces and he couldn't seem to fit them back together again.
He felt ridiculous for letting an image of his mom reduce him to tears, but it still hurt all the same.
Leo jumped when he heard the door to the deck slam open and shut angrily, like someone was trying to throw it off it's hinges. He wiped at his face quickly in a desperate attempt to look fine as steps echoed across the deck, since he figured it was Piper, who would start talking to Jason if she found out Leo wasn't perfectly happy. And... Leo didn't want to deal with all that.
So, imagine his surprise when Hazel came up next to him and swung herself up onto the railing to sit. She was still in pajamas like Leo, and her curly hair was a bit more puffed up then usual. Tears were sliding down her face. She looked miserable—almost an exact copy of how Leo felt himself.
She looked up him, since he was staring at her little bit, mostly with concern, a little bit with amazement. Even in a rumpled tank top and pajama pants with her hair sticking up at odd angles and tears running down her face, Leo had to admit to himself that she looked pretty darn beautiful.
"You... you don't mind if I sit, do you?" she asked quietly.
Leo shook his head. "Not at all."
They sat in silence for a little while, and—somehow—it didn't feel awkward. True, Leo hadn't talked to Hazel an abundance of times, but still, he didn't feel strange around her, like he did whenever he was alone with Piper or Annabeth. He didn't understand why, but somehow, he felt attracted to Hazel. She wasn't his usual type, which confused him more. Maybe he'd gotten pushed away too many times. That felt like the story of his life.
Hazel pressed her hands to face, counted to to ten under her breath, and finally stopped crying. She still had the puffy eyes when she looked up at Leo. She smiled shyly.
