This will be a one one shot about Leo and Jason's brotherly relationship. It is based off of the song by Avril Lavigne. Read and Review! I may make this apart of a collection of one shots like a series about Leo's relationships with his friends and siblings while basing them off of song lyrics. You can give me suggestions if you'd like.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HOO or the song this story is based off of.
Jason didn't mean to forget his best friend. He just got so busy with Piper and catching up with Thalia that Leo kind of faded into the background. That's no excuse though, and the son of Jupiter knows it.
His memories of the Wilderness School were fabricated by Hera, but he'll never let them go because they felt real. They made the bond he has with Piper and Leo stronger than anything else. And so when Leo's bed was found empty one morning with only a simple goodbye note, Jason had the right to let down his walls and cry for his little brother figure.
*FLASHBACK*
Jason walked out of the dorm room, his brow furrowed as he tiredly searched for his roommate, Leo, at one AM. Sure, Leo Valdez was hyper and energetic, but seriously, who can stay awake until one AM on a school night and not fall asleep in class? Not Jason.
Knowing that Leo loved to be outside, he decided to begin his search there and sure enough, he found Leo standing on the bridge, gripping the rail behind him...
Before he knew it, Jason was running, faster than ever before, towards his best mate as the said boy prepared to leap off the bridge and drown himself in the waters below.
"Leo, stop!" Jason yelled and Leo whirled around so fast, he nearly toppled over and crashed into the lake. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"What does it look like, Jason? I'm killing myself," Leo said it as if it were obvious.
"Well, I can see that! But why?" Jason cried.
"Because Jason," Leo exploded, "my mom's dead; my family hates me! I've got nobody!"
"What about me and Pipes?" Jason whispered just loud enough for Leo to hear him.
Said boy snorted. "You're better off without me."
"No, we're not!" Leo looked suprised at his outburst. "Do you remember that time Jacob beat you up and you were unconscious for three days? Well, Pipes didn't stop crying until you woke up and I beat Jacob to a bloody pulp because we care about you. Hell, Coach Hedge cares; he would have beat Jacob into a coma with his baseball bat if the principal hadn't stopped him. A lot of people care, Leo."
Leo was on the verge of tears for the first time Jason had ever seen. "Exactly, I just bring you down and worry you. I'm a burden."
"No, Leo, you don't understand. We worry because we care and we'd fall apart if you were gone! It'd be like a part of me died. Who else would I turn to for a nice bro conversation or romantic advice about Piper? Please, Leo, stay with me," Jason was openly crying and that seemed to be what convinced Leo. He'd never seen Jason Grace cry.
Slowly, Leo climbs over the railing and Jason doesn't hesitate to tackle him in a hug.
"I love you, brother."
"Te amo, hermano." (I love you, brother)
*FLASHBACK OVER*
The seven search high and low for Leo, their friend and hero and brother. They miss him more than anything, but especially Jason. Every night, he cries over a picture of him and Leo after the war is over. The blonde has his arm slung over Leo's shoulder and they were caught mid laugh. Percy, who had taken the picture, scribbled 'Superman and Repair Boy' on the back and both boys had proceeded to chase the son of Poseidon down and write 'Seaweed Brain' across his forehead. That hadn't come off for weeks!
Little did he know, mere miles from where he and the others slept at Percy's mom's house, Leo Valdez was crying over the same picture.
*FLASHBACK*
Leo moved in a daze that day. He was running into people, stumbling like he was drunk, and his eyes... They were haunted, alone, depressed, so unlike the joker.
Jason, remembering the bridge incident the week before, had kidnapped his friend from their Algebra class and took him to their dorm room. Sitting Leo on the bed and sitting in the desk chair across from Leo, he purposely sat everything up like a trial.
"Leo, what's going on with you?" The son of Jupiter murmured.
Leo simply shrugged.
"Is it about last week?"
"A little bit," Leo whispered, "but not exactly."
"Then what is it 'exactly'?" Jason asked. "I'm worried, Leo. Are you considering it again?"
"It's none of your business, Jason!" Leo snapped.
"It is my business! I would like to know if my friend, my brother, was considering jumping off of a bridge! I want to help you," Jason's voice got softer as the fire within him was slowly extinguished when he noticed the tears in Leo's brown eyes.
"She died," Leo finally mumbled, "seven years ago today."
Jason knew what his best friend was referring to: his mother's death.
"Oh, Leo." Jason seated himself on the bed and wrapped an arm around Leo.
The mechanic finally allowed himself to cry.
*FLASHBACK OVER*
Leo sighed as he ran around the corner, into a dark alley, and the gang of thugs raced past. I'm not gonna get into what happened, but let's just say Leo pissed them off.
The son of Hesphestus leaned against the wall and sunk down the bricks. He missed Jason, the best friend and hermano that he had let behind.
Leo had felt like an outsider and when he couldn't take it anymore, he packed up his bags and left. He still wasn't sure whether or not he regretted it.
He sighed and banged his head against the wall. Why was life so confusing?
*FLASHBACK*
Leo was drunk. He'd had pry a dozen bottles of alcohol and he was unsteady on his feet. Smoke curled into the air as he inhaled it from the cigarette. Taking another drag and giggling insanely, he stood and began to twirl in circles.
"Woah!" He yelped with a high pitched squeal as he got dizzy and tumbled to the ground.
"Leo!" Jason's voice gasped from somewhere to his right.
The blonde was shocked. It was the middle of the night and after having a rather peculiar nightmare, Jason had found it impossible to go back to sleep. The boy left the dorm room and went for a walk, only to hear giggling and find a rather drunk Leo, smoking and drinking in the shadows.
"Sparky!" Leo slurred. "W-Want some?" The intoxicated student held out a bottle of whisky, teetering dangerously on his feet.
Without a word, Jason took the bottle and the cigarette from Leo. He tossed the bottle to the ground, smashing it and spilling it's measly contents onto the sidewalk, and stepped on the killer smoke.
"H-Hey-" Leo didn't get a chance to finish before he passed out and Jason caught him, just before his head would've hit the ground.
The older teen picked up his friend bridal style and carried him back to the dorm room.
For the next three days, Jason covered for Leo by telling anyone who asked that he had the flu and at the end of the third school day, Jason stormed into the dorm room. The shock had worn off, replaced by anger.
"Okay, Leo, I want some answers! Why the hell were you drunk and smoking when you are only fifteen? You shouldn't be doing either! In my opinion, you should never never do either!" Jason nearly screamed.
Leo shrugged. "I'm sorry, Jason."
"Sorry doesn't cut it! Jeesh, I knew you were irresponsible, but this is just plain stupid!"
Leo shot to his feet, rage burning in his eyes. "Why the hell are getting so worked up? I won't do it again!"
"Well, I don't want you to end up like my fucking alcoholic mother! She died because she was drunk driving! She neglected her kids! My sister and I ran away and got separated! You and Pipes are the closest things I have to a family! I don't want your kids to have lives like that and I don't want you to die young like my mom did!" Jason was breathing heavily. This was a touchy subject for him.
Leo looked ashamed and shocked; Jason had never told anyone, not even Piper, about his past. "I'm sorry, Jason."
"I forgive you, but no more drinking or smoking, you hear?"
"I promise, hermano."
*FLASHBACK OVER*
They found Leo two weeks after he ran away. He'd gotten attacked by monsters and the seven had helped him defeat them as they were passing by.
Now, Jason pushed Leo into Cabin One and stared down at the boy seated on the bed.
"Why?"
"You were ignoring me," Leo stated. No use keeping secrets or lying; Jason'll see right through them. "I felt alone."
Jason was crying, tears streaming down his cheeks like rivers. "I'm sorry, Leo! I missed you and I guess I didn't really notice what I was doing until you were gone and-"
"Shh, I forgive you," Leo cut him off with an abrupt but gentle hug.
"Just... promise me you want leave me again," Jason whispered into Leo's hair.
"I promise, hermano."
Tell me how I did and feel free to give me suggestions for other characters to do. I'll definitely be doing the seven, Nico, Harley, Nyssa, Chiron, and Coach Hedge, but if you want any other characters, just let me know.
Thank you!
-Myra109