e
The Jeep is eerily silent as it parks at the side of a gas station. Leo's entire body feels stiff but at the same time, as limp and flimsy as a cooked noodle. His neck hurts.
He had woken up on Jason's shoulder, with Piper still sleeping on Jason's chest. The weight of his best friend feels almost unbearably heavy, as if her body placed a weight on his soul, rather than just his torso. Jason's body is steady and warm, though, and it holds Leo up.
They had decided to stop at the gas station for food, and so the four teenagers are left to pick out snacks while Aphrodite buys lottery tickets. Leo thinks the lottery tickets are useless because of how unlikely it is for her to actually win, but the woman still hopes (and that's more than Leo can do at this point).
"Jesus, Leo," Piper snorts as she examines the food in his arms. "Whose family are you feeding?"
Leo sticks out his tongue in response, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He doesn't think he's buying a lot. Don't teenagers have high metabolisms? Aren't they supposed to eat too much? It isn't like he'd actually feed an entire family, anyway - all he has are a sleeve of cookies, a few boxes of candy, and juice. So what if he had been wondering if the nachos were as good as they looked?
He puts down the juice and replaces it with water.
Drew eyes his from farther down the aisle. "You don't have to put it back, y'know. Eat what you want."
Leo finds that mildly hypocritical, especially considering Drew is only getting a water bottle and a pack of gum. Drew used to be a lot heavier (and looked just as amazing, making Leo wonder what changed), but now her diet might as well be a bunch of leaves on a stick. She probably hasn't had a cheeseburger since freshman year.
He gets the water.
They buy the food together, and Leo manages to steal shotgun before Drew notices him running for it. She glares at him, but he finds that he doesn't care as long as he's safe from the hormonal bodies of the teenage couple stationed in the backseat.
Aphrodite settles into the driver's seat, sunglasses propped on the bridge of her nose despite the cloudy weather. She looks confident - the type of natural confidence that most people would die to have. Piper and Drew both have it too.
"How's the heat back there?" She calls out.
None of the teenagers in the backseat answer, of course, as all of them are on their phones with headphones plugged in. Drew is doing who knows what but is flicking her finger steadily. Jason might be watching a movie, and the sight of Piper's fingers flying suggest that she's texting someone, but Leo wouldn't be able to guess who.
"Guess it's just me and you, huh?" Aphrodite tilts her face in Leo's general direction with a soft smile before focusing back on the road in front of her. "You can put something on if you want."
"Wha-?"
"The radio. You can play music if you want."
Leo fiddles with the radio for a while, eventually settling on a talk show. The hosts speak in soft and hushed tones to each other about traffic and the shitty weather and who knows what else. Neither of them is really paying much attention to the conversation the radio hosts have, but it helps to distract Leo from his thoughts and the time passing by.
Leo peels off his jacket and fingers his phone absentmindedly. Zero new messages, zero missed calls, zero new voicemails. His inbox is entirely empty, and the sight doesn't really bother him.
"How's school goin', love?" Aphrodite asks, eyes still trained on the road. "Drew and Piper don't talk to me much about it anymore, but I can't help but be curious."
Leo doesn't know what to say- to be honest, he really doesn't know what school is like anymore. He just ends up daydreaming nonstop until the reality of a test grade slaps him in the face. He might focus for a few days after that, but inevitably he gets whisked away for another endless dream.
"All A's and B's, actually," he starts. "I have one C, but I'm trying to work on that." He's never going to get rid of that C in Photography, which he finds equally sad and hilarious. How is he barely passing an art class?
"Good! I remember what it was like to go to CHB, myself. Does the last bell still ring ten minutes earlier than it's supposed to?"
"Of course."
Aphrodite lets out a light laugh. It sounds like concentrated joy and warmth. "Your father's actually the reason for that. He was always in a rush to leave, so he messed with the system. No one bothered with fixing it."
"Ha." Leo leans against the window, facing the woman in the driver's seat. "What was Dad like in high school?"
"Oh, he was always such a sweetheart. My best friend, actually."
Leo knew that his dad and Piper's mom were friends, but not best friends. He's pretty sure the two are a bit closer than friends now, but that's not really any of Leo's business.
"Your father was shy. He didn't talk to too many people besides Ares and I-"
"You had a kid in your class. Named Ares."
Aphrodite giggles and pushes her sunglasses up so that they rest in her hair. Hazel eyes, similar to Piper's, twinkle brightly at Leo. Stars. Her eyes show beautiful constellations. "He wasn't always named Ares, just like how my real name isn't Aphrodite. Hell, even your father became Hephaestus. And it kind of just fit."
Leo looks over Aphrodite's form as a car passes by. "How?"
"Well, you see," Aphrodite turns the windshield wipers on as soft flurries of snow begin to fall. The sun has already fallen, and the moon shines its light from above the roof of the car. "Your father, Ares, and I were all best friends. Similar to you, Jason, and Piper, right?"
Leo doubts they were as close as JasonPiperLeo. That's impossible. The three of them practically came out of the womb together.
"It was right around the age you guys were. No- we were at Uni-"
"New Rome?"
"No, New Rome is a fairly new place. We were in dorms so it had to be college- no wait," Aphrodite's lip curls as she tries to clearly remember all that happened years before Leo was born. "That was definitely CHB. It definitely started in CHB."
Leo tries not to be too impatient. He still has water left. It's lukewarm.
"Okay, definitely CHB. Back when it was a boarding school. I think they changed it around the time your brother was born- issues with the school board, or something like that. Anyway, it was probably at some point around junior prom. Do you remember your junior prom? I remember Drew fussing over different types of blue dresses. Ours had an ancient Greece theme, which was a lot better than our Roman senior prom. Although I am biased, as I was in charge of the decorating committee for that particular junior dance-"
Leo coughs. "Uh, what about you and my dad?"
Aphrodite sighs. "We were close. When we told everyone that the three of us were going to prom together, everyone thought that at the end of the night, me and your father would be sharing a hotel room, with Ares left forgotten. I'd admit, even I thought about it. Except your father just- he just never asked."
Even in her mid 40's, Aphrodite is stunning. He could only imagine what she looked like at his age. But if it's anything like Piper and Drew, his dad's a moron.
To be fair though, Leo wouldn't date either Piper or Drew.
"So what happened?"
"That night? I won prom queen- don't even remember who the king was, we weren't of the same social circles- and danced with Ares. At the end of the dance, he got on one knee and asked me out. He had terrified freshmen bring in roses and another crown." Aphrodite giggles. "He always does things to the extreme."
The uncomfortable feeling in his stomach returns, stronger than ever. A wave of déjà vu floods over him. Shit.
"Then me and Ares started dating. We lasted pretty long too; he even asked me to marry him when we were 25. But shortly after we got together, your father stopped hanging out with us." Aphrodite's nostalgic tone turns somber quickly. "He quit all his clubs, he started skipping school- a feat for a boarding school, y'know. Nobody really said anything - I suppose they thought it wasn't that big of a deal, considering it was the end of the year.
"Senior year came, and he was very skinny. I'm surprised he wasn't hospitalized for it, although eating disorders weren't too, uh, big when it came to men back then." Aphrodite's fingers drum on the steering wheel in a fast tempo. Her eyes dart across the road. "I was terrified for him. I made Ares talk to him. To this day, I still don't know what happened, but the next day they came to class with bruises up and down their bodies and arms wrapped around each other. After that, he started getting healthier, acting more like himself."
Leo lets out a breath. Even if his dad is currently a neglectful jerk, Leo is happy for him.
Aphrodite's not done. "We graduated and went to the same college. I majored in illustration, and your father in some kind of genius type of math or science. Your father was- is- too brilliant for any of us. Ares didn't know what he wanted to do until after he graduated from college, so he majored in history. A bit odd but he loved war."
"What happened in college?" Leo's back to waiting for her to continue sharing the story.
"There was a huge argument. It was kind of ridiculous, in hindsight- we were fighting over a bet or something. Something small. That was the first time your father slapped me and the first time I punched him." Aphrodite chews on her bottom lip. "Someone called the cops and he was put in holding until Ares got him out. Everything was good for a few weeks until your father tried to kill himself."
"Obviously it didn't happen; you're evidence of that." She laughs weakly. "Someone found him as he was about to drown himself in the middle of a snowstorm. They took him to the emergency room, and he ended up being admitted. It did him a lot of good- he gained quite a few friends who could understand what he was going through." Aphrodite's voice cracks. " I- I couldn't understand what he was going through. So he left. Quit school, and started traveling. I'm surprised he came back to town when he was so free."
Leo's so surprised he doesn't know what to say. He folds his hands in his lap. "Shit, man."
Aphrodite glares, but it's half-hearted at best. She looks a lot more tired and weighed down than earlier. Like the events had only happened yesterday and she's still in shock. Her mascara is running a bit at the ends, but Leo doesn't comment on it.
Then a thought hits Leo. He gapes, staring at his best friend's mother. "You don't- you don't blame yourself for all of this?"
Aphrodite lets out another weak laugh. "Honey, your father has always been a secretive man. Back then... he just didn't fit with the standards that were placed on men. He wasn't the strong and rough player that Ares was. Your father was different. He was kind, smart, and soft. And people... didn't like that. I just wish he talked to me more. I might've understood or helped out more with his issues."
"Jesus."
"Yeah." Aphrodite pulls the car into a parking lot. They're at a motel with a neon vacancy sign. "If me and him weren't practically born together, he might've had it a lot worse. I was popular and happy enough for it to rub onto him. Wherever I went, he followed. But I don't know- maybe he just didn't want to follow anymore."
Leo undoes his seatbelt when Aphrodite finishes parking. He looks behind at the back seat to find Drew and Jason sleeping. Piper is listening to music with her head on Jason's shoulder. She doesn't look that interested in what Leo and Aphrodite were talking about. Good.
"What's with the nicknames?" Leo stops Aphrodite from getting out the car.
"Oh, those? Ha, it's really silly," Aphrodite tilts her head at Leo, "in Greek mythology, Hephaestus and Aphrodite were married, but she often cheated on him with Ares. I don't think other people realized that me and your father were never dating, but the names stuck after junior prom."
Leo starts picking up the trash now. He takes time to stuff his wrappers through the tiny hole of his bottle. It's oddly fulfilling. "But you and my dad- you guys are close now, right? Real close."
"That's what you think is going on?" Aphrodite dissolves into breathless and mirthless laughter. It sounds fake and thick with tears. She starts coughing. "Your father's a reserved man. He's never said I love you to me. I think he's only loved one person in his life, and that person isn't me. For the life of me, honey, we're just friends."
When Aphrodite looks up, he can the stars in her eyes crumbling into cosmic dust.
The motel room has a bathroom and a half kitchen. There's a coffee machine, a fridge, a microwave, and an electric stove top. There's a giant window, facing the nearest city, with huge green curtains. An ugly looking brown couch sits to the side opposite a boxy looking television set.
There are only two beds.
"Mine," Aphrodite kicks off her shoes, and falls onto one bed, with her arms and legs splayed out. She groans in happiness and Leo can tell she won't be moving any time soon. She lets out a few snores, making Leo laugh so hard he chokes.
There's only one bed left now.
"Me and Piper can share a bed-"
"Shut the hell up, Jason." Leo intervenes with a snort and maybe a lurch in his stomach. "I don't want to be Uncle Leo just yet."
Jason's effectively quiet with a burning red face.
Drew messes with the couch. It pulls out to a bed that could fit maybe two people. "Someone could sleep here."
"You could sleep there," Piper points out.
"You can go die," Drew presses her lips firmly.
Leo considers himself very lucky that Jake is a very chill person, and Harley isn't angry enough to make remarks like these.
"Me and Leo can sleep together," Piper yawns. "Then Drew and Jason. Nothing bad could happen from that."
Jason takes a look at Drew, who is sizing him up. When she smirks, he blurts, "Or it can be girls with girls, and boys with boys."
Impending dread (or maybe bile) fills Leo up until it wants to come out of him. He claps Jason on the back. "Listen, man, consider yourself lucky to sleep next to a babe. Every heard of the porno fantasy, My Girlfriend's Hot Sister?"
"Leo." Jason sits on the pull out bed. He grabs Leo's arm and yanks so the boy comes tumbling down on the squeaky mattress. "Just sleep here with me."
Piper sits on her own shared bed with Drew. "Jeez Jason, if you weren't dating me, I would think you and Leo have something going on. Should I get jealous?"
Yes, maybe you should. Get so fucking jealous, it'll rot you slowly from the inside like it's doing to me. Leo doesn't say anything but winks at Piper.
"Of course not, babe," Jason says. "Pass some sheets though?"
Drew disappears into the attached bathroom. As another snore slips away from Aphrodite, Leo tries his best to ignore his friend's shuffling and pillow fluffing. He shifts through his bags to separate all his items.
Leo had spent all of yesterday wandering through stores to find Christmas presents for everyone, even though none of them were particularly religious. The trip should've taken only a quick hour or two, but ended up taking the entire day.
Some earrings for Piper because she's got 3 piercings on each ear. Charcoal pencils for Drew because she likes art, and they were on sale. A watch he found and fixed up for Jason since he seems to like collecting them (and Leo would never be able to admit to anyone else that fixing the stupid thing took most of his time, because he needs to take his time- he needs to dedicate his time to Jason, because it's just always been that way for him.). He managed to find some nice sugar scrubs for Aphrodite, but Leo hadn't been entirely sure what to get her- and what do you get for your best friend's mom, and your mom figure from the past 9 years?
The presents were stacked carefully on the kitchen counter. Tomorrow will be Christmas Eve, and Leo's not as excited as he normally would be. If anything, he's just tired.
"Bathroom's free," Drew grumbles. Leo darts to the room with his toothbrush. He sits on the toilet cover and folds his legs up.
He doesn't come out until an hour later when he's absolutely sure that everyone is sleeping. Then he slides in, keeping sure to leave as much space as possible between Jason and himself. There's enough space for an elephant to crawl in and roll around.
Jason's not as asleep as the other girls. "Night, Leo."
Leo stares up at the ceiling. He can hear the pounding sound of his heartbeat over Aphrodite's calm snoring. It might pop out, and he'll die, but that'll be okay.
"Goodnight."
It's awfully inconvenient, but Leo is now forced to go out running every morning, no matter where he is. To build stamina or his muscles or something else that he can't be bothered to remember. Leo thought that being on the sports team itself would be enough exercise, but apparently, he has to torture himself at home too.
If anything, the cross country team might be the most normal and boring club ever. They're not insanely smart like the Robotics club (whose club picture Leo ended up being in for the yearbook), nor are they insanely creative like the two-(wo)manned Art Club. Hell, they're not even as popular or well-liked as any of the other sports teams going on at CHB.
(The current favorite sport is basketball, something Leo has no interest in. Jason plays as ... power... forward? Whatever, it still sounds stupid.)
(This season, of course, Leo has spent exactly $27 at basketball games for the exciting experience of sitting in the corner of the bleachers and watching jerseys stick to sweaty and musky bodies. Calypso joined him once and fell asleep.)
"Yikes," Leo mumbles when he looks at his phone. It's only 6:41 in the morning, and he's already sweaty and exercising. What has he become? Nyssa would be proud if she were to see him like this.
He's at the door, fumbling with the keys when it opens preemptively. It's Drew in pink Adidas. Her headphones are plugged, with cheerful pop loud enough to travel to Leo's ears.
"You smell," Drew's nose crinkles.
"I wonder why." Leo rolls his eyes and closes the door behind him. He wonders only briefly how often she runs until the thought forces its way out into the trash can because quite frankly, he doesn't care. Although, it might be nice to have a running partner.
No one else is awake, so Leo takes full advantage of the empty bathroom. Leo adjusts the water pressure from its previously massaging one to something more powerful. He leans his head against the shower tile as cold water pounds into his back. He feels like he's getting stoned (not the good kind) for all his wrongdoings.
When he exits the bathroom in the midst of toweling his hair, Piper is up and sloppily munching on a granola bar while hunched over the kitchen counter. The cup of coffee brewing smells sickly delicious.
Piper stares at him through crusty eyes. Her pajamas are only a t-shirt with a red stain and flannel pants. Leo thinks she's beautiful.
"Hey."
"Hey." Piper rubs her eyes. She scrolls through her phone, narrowing her eyes at something on the screen. "There's a thrift shop somewhere nearby. Wanna check it out?"
No. "Sure."
"Alright," Piper hums. "Then there's also this arcade not too far from there, cause I know how much you love them. I'm gonna kick your ass in air hockey."
"Make it skeeball and you're on."
"Either way, I'm not the one who's going to be crying."
"Sure, McLean. Just watch- they're gonna put my name in the Hall of Fame. 'Most badass player eva.'"
Piper rolls her eyes and throws her wrapper away. "As if."
There's a thud and a groan. Jason Grace has officially been woken up as he stares up at the ceiling. Leo walks over to stand above him, feeling like a god talking to a puny mortal. It's like David and Goliath but with more homoerotic feelings than allowed in the Bible.
"Good morning," Jason mumbles, groggily rubbing his side. He uses his elbows to prop himself up and sleepily smiles at Leo.
"Hi," Leo says curtly because he fears what might come out of his mouth with the revelation that Jason Grace and his tousled bedhead and revolting morning breath makes Leo want to tackle him and smile and cry and make breakfast and scream and lay down and hold hands and yell into another astral plane.
Yeah.
"What're you looking at?" Piper looks behind her shoulder at Leo, who was trailing a bit further back than normal.
Leo slides away his lighter, palming it in his hand. "Nothing."
"It was definitely something." Piper actually stops in the middle of the sidewalk to have the conversation. She pulls on her arm, and because they're holding hands, Jason feels the jerk and stops.
Piper steps closer, "Lemme see, dude." She grabs his arm, and Leo shakes her off.
Jason just observes, and it pisses Leo off. Why is he just standing there?
"It's just a wrapper," Leo dismisses her and strides on. He tucks his chin into his jacket and brushes her off. It's not a JasonPiperLeo secret, it's a Leo secret. It's his lighter, it was a gift to him.
Leo regrets pushing past her though, because for a second when he looks back, Piper looks like she's in pain.
But then Jason whispers something to her, and her face lights up and she giggles.
And Leo doesn't regret it all too much.
ME [12:07]: do u ever think abt people
CALYPSO [12:08]: All the time, Leo.
ME [12:08]: calypso u think lots right
ME [12:08]: abt the world n stuff
CALYPSO [12:09]: Sort of.
ME [12:09]: wht abt it
ME [12:10]: nvm
ME [12:11]: do u mean what u said earlier
ME [12:11]: in the park abt me
CALYPSO [12:14]: What?
ME [12:14]: nvm
CALYPSO [12:15]: No.
CALYPSO [12:15]: Don't get all insecure on me
CALYPSO [12:15]: You care too much about what people think, Leo
CALYPSO [12:16]: But in any case, you are definitely not ugly nor terrible
CALYPSO [12:16]: Got it, buddy?
ME [12:16]: yh ok
ME [12:16]: merry xmas
ME [12:16]: eve
CALYPSO [12:18]: Yeah. Merry Christmas (Eve)
It's actually pretty fun. Trying on clothes with his best friends. It's really silly and enjoyable and Leo misses it for some reason. It feels a bit more nostalgic than it should.
He has a translucent neon green raincoat with a frog hood on. Leo winks at Jason, who sits at the side of the mirror at the end of the hall. There are only two dressing rooms, Leo's and Piper's.
"Cute?" Jason shrugs, sticking his hands into his sweatpants pockets. He's not very good at critiquing clothing, but he seems to be getting very good at slouching.
Piper sticks her head out, with her shoulders bare and hair tousled. "It's definitely cute."
Leo flies back into his room to try something else on because there's nothing more demeaning than being called cute. (Even if his face felt a little hot when Jason said it.)
There's a pair of small overalls.
"You look four," Jason assesses.
"I second that." Piper head sticks out and back in.
Leo wants to buy the overalls anyway. The pocket has a little hammer decoration that he likes and it's really comfortable.
He sits with Jason as they wait for Piper.
"Damn," Jason curses under his breath and tilts his phone at Leo. He's lost at some level of Candy Crush that Leo didn't even know existed. "Wanna try?"
Leo swipes at the screen. "You getting anything?"
"Nah," Jason says, looking over Leo's shoulder to see what he was doing. "Well, actually there was this watch that looked cool."
"Oh okay."
Piper steps out with a funky bomber jacket with a lot of patches of bands Leo's never heard of, but Piper claims to know each and every one of them. He thinks she's lying because she totally is, but Piper won't admit it.
"You know a band... called The Unfluffed Pillows? What was their hit song, Go To Sleep?"
"Ha ha, I hate you."
"- And there's the Black Nailpolish? Ha, was their song Every Cuticle Untouched?"
"Leo, shut up."
Leo stops laughing or at least tries to control it a bit more. "Heh, but seriously the jacket looks pretty good- wait, is that a Girl Scouts patch?"
Piper closes the door.
Jason grabs his phone and starts a new game. "What's a five letter word for someone who drags people around and then takes forever?"
"...Piper?"
"Bingo."
They go and see a movie. It's really dumb and cheesy, and it's for kids. Literally- the rest of the audience are six-year-olds and grumpy parents dragged along for the ride.
Leo loves the movie though.
"- And there was this vampire who's best friend was this human I guess-"
"Uh huh."
"-But then there was also this robot who was really cool! Like it was so badass, but it would be really cool to make, y'know?-"
"Uh huh."
"-I mean, like, the robot's name was XF5 but everyone just called her 5 which is sick! So anyway she was really advanced and stuff. She had like, an entire library of knowledge, and recorded everything, and has lasers-"
"Uh huh."
"-Right, so like I was saying, the vampire was this really awkward and shy guy who had braces so imagine how that- "
"Leo." There's a warm hand on his shoulder. It's Piper. "I don't think Drew is actually listening."
"No, no, I am," Drew says in a tone that clearly means she's not listening nor was she ever listening. She's double tapping on her phone and scrolling and then double tapping again. A few shopping bags sit next to her on the bed.
"I don't remember the guy having braces." Jason flickers through channels.
"It's 'cause you were too busy making out."
"I was not."
"You were. Loudly. Plus you drank all my soda, you greedy asshole." Leo remembers this moment clearly. He watched when Jason removed the straw from his lips to put it in the cup holder dividing them. A single bead of Sprite-mix (or maybe it was saliva?) had glistened at the tip.
Leo remembers being a bit grossed out. He also remembers licking his lips. Gross. Ish. (Gross to a point, he settles.)
"Sorry."
"You're not."
"I'm not. You happen to mix sodas just right."
Piper interrupts, by collapsing on the couch next to Jason. His arm hooks around her neck almost immediately.
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is on." Piper croons. She pats the empty space for Leo to sit next to her. "C'mere Valdez."
When he falls into the couch, Leo hugs Piper because he misses her, and tries to play it off as a trip. He breathes in her soft smell of fabric softener and floral soap. It's comforting, and Piper smiles at him weirdly but puts her arm around his shoulders too.
"Now I got my boys together for the holidays," She grins. "Life is great, ain't it?"
"All you need is a plastic bag to cover your face." Drew so helpfully supplies. "Then it'll be a real Christmas."
"Get drunk and pass out. For a few weeks."
"I would but our mother wants to take a millennium getting eggnog."
Piper makes a face at Drew, who childishly returns the favor. Leo buries himself in the warmth coming off Piper and the scratchy wool of her lavender sweater.
On the tv, Rudolph's nose blinks brightly.
"Hey Leo," Leo had assumed Jason Grace was asleep. According to Leo's phone, it's exactly 11:57 PM. After Aphrodite had come in with pizza, cookies, and eggnog, the teenagers ate as much as they could until they passed out in a food coma. Except for Leo, and evidently Jason.
"Yeah?"
"Can we talk?"
"We are."
Rustling. Sheets moving. Bed creaking. Leo rolls over to find Jason staring at him. It's been a while since Leo's seen him without his glasses. Jason looks like a kid, a confused and shy kid. There's this pimple on Jason's chin that's very dorky and cute. Not like Leo's gross ones, but very small and red. He could kiss it and maybe the pain would go away.
Leo makes a mental note to stop being so disgusting sometimes.
"We don't talk about feelings, right?" Jason says.
"We don't. I mean, we can, but I don't know."
"God," Jason laughs softly. "It's just- my sister, she was supposed to come home for the holiday, right? Planned for it and everything."
Jason's sister is in the military. Her name is Thalia, and she's really cool. A lot more laid-back and independent from what Leo remembers. Unlike Jason, she just doesn't really care what other people think about her.
"But then she calls, right? Middle of the night on like a Tuesday, maybe a week ago. Says she can't make it. Which isn't too bad, because I get that."
"Yeah."
"But then my father-" Jason rubs his eyes and makes the most quiet-frustrated noise Leo's ever heard. "-She must've not told him because he comes in yesterday morning and is all like, Where's your sister? And he was super fucking happy and ready for her. He was wearing this tie I've never even seen before and this nice shirt and it was just such a-"
"-Kodak moment?"
"Yeah. And when I tell him that Thals isn't going to make it, he just has this look." Jason rolls onto his back again. "He was so disappointed that he wasn't going to see her. The same man who's forgotten my birthday a few times finally shows enthusiasm for one of his children- and it's not even the child who's actually there!"
For a moment, Leo nearly reaches out to touch Jason. To hold, maybe, to show some type of connection just to let Jason know that Leo's there for him.
"Fuck him." Leo offers instead, his hands kept to himself.
"Yeah," Jason whispers with this type of laugh that makes Leo hold his breath. "Fuck him."
Leo checks his phone again. It's officially Christmas and has been for four minutes now.
"Hey, man." Jason faces Leo now. "How are you and your siblings?"
"Uh, good," Leo says. "Jake found a hundred dollars the other day. Someone dropped it, and he couldn't figure out who. Er, I think Nyssa started to reconnect with some old friends of hers? Do you remember Clarisse?"
"Was she the one who chased us with your sister when we were listening in on their conversation?" Jason snorts. "We were like, 10 or 11 with two 15-year-olds chasing us around your house."
"Yeah," Leo reminisces. He sort of remembers being young. He sort of doesn't. If anything, some of his memories might not even be real, just emotion infused dreams that he recalls. He does remember that particular event, however. It was around the time when Jason and Leo first started hanging out.
"Have you-" Jason says more quietly. "Is that it?"
Leo covers his head with the blanket. "Yeah. That's all. Good night, Jason."
"Leo," Jason pulls on the sheet. Sharing beds is the worst. "Come on. I know you're hiding something."
"Go to bed."
"Leo."
"I'm tired. Look, you hear my yawn? It's cause I'm tired."
Jason shifts closer, his arms wrapping around Leo loosely. "Remember my 13th birthday?"
Leo peeks through a tiny hole in the sheet. "Yeah. We all went skinny dipping, which was stupid because Piper got a leech on her leg. Her mom yelled at us and then drove us to get an ice cream cake for you. Then we all slept over at my house, because you and Pipes thought Harley was the cutest three year old to walk the earth."
"Yep," laughs Jason. "Do you remember why I was knocking on your door, before all that happened?"
Leo's quiet for a moment. He sits up, blanket falling off of him and the pull out bed creaking. "You were crying. You and Thalia were fighting. And your dad forgot your birthday."
"Yeah. And do you remember what you did when I told you?" Jason sits up too. It's really dark, with the only light coming from outside, as there's the light on the sidewalk and the occasional car passing by.
"I punched you for crying like a baby and wiping snot on my shirt. Nasty." Leo closes his eyes. "And then I told you that you could tell me anything no matter what."
"And what makes you think," Jason says carefully and slowly. "That you can't do the same with me?"
At that moment, Leo feels very warm. Jason's arms pull around Leo's body, hugging him tightly. Leo breathes out harshly and rubs his eyes. They stay like that for what seems forever, with Leo breathing in the being that is Jason Grace and friendship and love.
"It's snowing." Jason mumbles.
"Yeah."
Leo buries his face into Jason's chest. "God. My dad? I saw him the other day with Harley. He was making a sandwich in the middle of the night. Claimed the fridge in the basement didn't have any food."
"Shit. I didn't know you saw him."
"Mhm. He didn't even say anything- Actually he did, but it was- it was like, You've both grown. And then he fucking leaves. That's it. That's all he does."
Jason considers his words carefully. He pulls them down in a heap of limbs and sheets. It's getting cold, so Jason's quick to cover their bodies back up again.
Not that Leo could really feel the temperature at this point.
"Wow. Fuck him."
Leo laughs, bitterly and cynically. It's as empty as it sounds."Yeah. Fuck him."
Quiet again. The snoring of the other people in the room. Leo's phone says 1:32.
"Merry Christmas, Jason Grace." He mumbles into Jason's ear.
It's too late because he's already sleeping. Leo sighs, turning to press his back into Jason's chest. He might as well enjoy the embrace for a few hours.
"Merry Christmas, Leo Valdez," Leo whispers to himself. He might as well because no one else will say it back to him.
The sound echoes around the room and back to Leo's ears. There's no response.
He feels a biting cold in the pit of his stomach. The pain is only second on Leo's mind. The first thing is the feeling of contentment.
He's okay.