You're Not Alone

                                    

                                          
Leo peered around the workbench as he tinkered, watching Nico shuffle in his sleep. He'd been exhausted after their swim, so Leo sent him to one of the beds to take a nap- there were a few beds scattered around the bunker, mostly because Leo had a bad habit of working until he passed out. Before adding the beds, Leo had spent a few days napping intermittently under random workbenches when he finally decided enough was enough. 
                          
He tore his eyes away from the workbench when he heard a muffled, strangled cry from Nico. Leo dropped his project onto the table, sending springs and bolts scattering, and rushed to Nico's side. Only, Nico was still asleep. He was clearly distraught, though.
                          
Okay, maybe that was an understatement. He started to thrash in his sleep, his hands clutching at his throat as if something was choking him, and he started whimpering in an animal-like way, between cries for help. 
                          
Leo grabbed Nico's forearm in an attempt to relax him without waking him, but, Nico immediately flung his arm out of his grasp, hitting himself in the face. "Nico!" Leo tried to wake him up, but Nico was sleeping too deeply. He was recoiling every time Leo tried to touch him, so that wasn't going to work, either.
                          
Shit. Leo spun around to examine the large workroom. Where did I leave that?  He hurried to the storage closet, digging for the project he was looking for- but it wasn't there. It wasn't in his cabin, either- Leo had last used it here, in Bunker Nine. Oh.
                          
"No-o please- someone help- I can't..." Nico's voice was muffled from outside the closet.
                          
Leo ran to the back corner of the room, weaving in and out of the dozens of workbenches. Underneath one of the benches was his designated panic attack spot. He'd arranged blankets and pillows to create the perfect little nook for his occasional breakdown. He snatched up the blanket he was looking for- a heavy plush blanket.
                          
"It's alright, Nico," Leo whispered as he quickly wrapped him in the blanket, ignoring his protests. All he could do now was wait for the blanket to do it's job.
                          
He'd designed it specifically for panic attacks and nightmares- it was infused with calming magic that, well, calms you down. It's weight also applied an even pressure that was supposed to be relaxing, too.  Leo grabbed a washcloth from his toolbelt and doused it with water, gently pressing it to Nico's forehead.
                          
Nico whimpered again, but he seemed to be getting better. "Wake up, Nico," Leo said softly. "You're safe here, it's just a dream- please," he whispered. Seeing Nico like this was making him feel things that he'd never felt before. 
                          
 Finally, finally Nico woke, but he kept his eyes closed and grumbled as he became aware of the cool cloth against his forehead. "No," he said again, this time almost inaudible through his scratchy throat. 
                          
Leo rushed to fill a glass with water and carefully positioned it at Nico's lips. "Drink some water, Nico," he coaxed, "just a little bit."
                          
Nico opened his eyes as he swallowed a mouthful of water. "Wh-what happened?" he asked, and looked around, as if wondering where he was.
                          
Leo rubbed his hand soothingly, and for once Nico didn't flinch or pull away. "You had a nightmare," he explained. 
                          
"I figured," Nico sat up and winced, looking at the unfamiliar blanket wrapped around him. "What's-" 
                          
"I call it the 'panic blanket'" Leo explained, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's supposed to calm you down if you're having a panic attack. Or, well, a nightmare."
                          
Nico closed his eyes again. "Sorry," he said. "I still get nightmares a lot. This one was... kinda bad." 
                          
Leo squeezed his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"
                          
He shook his head. "Not really, I- sorry."
                          
Leo frowned. "Why are you sorry?"
                          
Nico looked at him through his eyelashes. "I'm supposed to deal with the nightmares myself. It's not like they show anything important, they're just reruns of, uh, other things that've happened. 
                          
Leo rolled his eyes. "No, you idiot, you're not supposed to deal with your nightmares alone. I had someone to help me, and so do you."
                          
Nico frowned. "I do?" 
                          
Leo sighed. "Me, stupid."
                          
"Stop calling me stupid!"
                          
"Well, you're being stupid," Leo stood up. "C'mon, you shouldn't go back to sleep. If you don't wake fully after a nightmare, it could come back."
                          
Nico sighed as he let Leo lead him out of the Bunker. Leo didn't let go of his hand until he absolutely had to, and he wondered if Nico would get the hint. 
                          
Leo liked him. It had taken him awhile to realize it—maybe because he had always thought of himself as straight, or maybe because it was such a new feeling. It wasn't like the nervous, almost panicked feeling he'd get around the girls—or guys—that he found attractive. 
                          
Sure, being around Nico was still exhilarating, but Leo was comfortable with him. Leo didn't feel like he had to work for Nico's attention, nor did he have to perform to keep his attention. 
                          
Having a crush was a nice feeling, Leo thought. It was refreshing, like a breath of fresh air or a cold drink after a long day. Even if Nico didn't like him back, Leo decided, he was glad to be experiencing a real crush, for a change. 
                          
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A/N: okay okay shoutout to the person who left a ton of comments on this fic, which reminded me that I had like, 1.5k words in my drafts, lol. I actually have an outline for the next chapter, too (look at me go) so maybe it wont take me a full year to write the next chapter. (In the meantime, I'm active on Instagram, where I'm currently posting Harry Potter fanfiction, so u should hmu on there! @/etymolo.drarry)