Oh look, it's an update! Hooray!
All I can say about this is fluffy sappy fluff sap.
But that's okay, because Leo almost died. So fluff is okay.
I love me some fluff.
Here ya go, please enjoy :]


Chapter forty: We're Okay
~Leo's POV~

It was the middle of the night when Leo woke up.
He felt weak, drained like an empty water basin. His whole body hurt, and his skin felt oddly raw and exposed.
What had happened? The last thing he remembered was flying through the air, and arms wrapping
around him. A shiver passed through him as he recalled the certainty that he was about to die.
But apparently he hadn't, unless this was death, which somehow he didn't believe.
Slowly, painfully, Leo opened his eyes. He was in the sickbay of the Argo II, and moonshine was flooding in through the bulls eyes, bathing everything in soft, silvery light.
However all Leo noticed was the girl sitting next to him, her dark hair gleaming purplish and her eyes piercing even in the gloom. They were filled with worry as they gazed out at the night sky.
"Hey there" Leo croaked, making the eyes look at him, and their owner smiled, a very faint but truly happy smile.
This made Leo instantly feel better.
"Hey there" Penelope breathed, and squeezed his hand Leo had only just noticed she was holding.
Penelope didn't say anything else, she simply sat there, holding his hand and comforting him with her presence.
He remembered how he'd felt when he'd seen Talos about to kill her, how it had given him the strength to finally break through the spell and use his fire.
"I thought I was going to lose you." Leo whispered, gazing at Penelope.
Her expression suddenly seemed to grow darker, as if a shadow had fallen on her whole body.
"You saved my life. Again. You almost sacrificed yourself, I...I thought you were dead."
Her voice, so good at containing itself normally, cracked and a single tear fell from her bright eyes onto her cheek. It looked like a drop of moon light, glowing silvery pale.
This emotion touched Leo somewhere deep down, and confirmed the feelings he'd had all along.
"Don't leave me."
Penelope looked at him, not answering. Leo knew she understood that he wasn't talking about right now, wasn't talking about the present.
Slowly, as if still pondering her answer, she opened her mouth. "I promise to always be there for you."
It wasn't exactly what he'd thought she would say, but he guessed it meant the same.
A smile spread on his face, but he felt weak all of a sudden as well.
"Here" Penelope said, holding out a square of ambrosia. She helped him sit up to eat it, and then gently pushed him back down again. "You should try to get some more sleep."
Leo nodded, but when he closed his eyes, images of explosions and sharp metal flying at him filled his mind, and he could feel that horrible sensation of his life draining away again.
Involuntarily, his eyes flew open, only to find Penelope still sitting there, looking concerned.
"What is it?" she whispered, but Leo just shook his head. There was no need in frightening her as well.
He expected her to get back up at some point, and even though he didn't want her to go, he knew she needed some sleep.
When she stood up, he had to stop himself from holding her back. She'd stayed with him long enough already, yet he feared being alone right now.

Yet Penelope didn't walk over to the door. Instead, she lifted one corner of the blanket covering Leo and climbed into bed beside him. Quickly, he moved over a bit to give her enough room, and she lay down, intertwining her fingers with his. He put one arm around her, hugging her close and they lay like this until Leo could feel himself getting drowsy and drifting off.
Thankfully, the images stayed away now, and he smiled dreamily.
Maybe he imagined it, and maybe not, but just before he completely fell asleep, he thought he heard a whisper, right next to his ear.
"I'm glad we're okay, Leo."