F Words

Ah, fire – Leo's second favorite F word.

Now that Pyrra had been teaching him about delicacy and finesse, he would burst into flames every chance he got. As long as it was for productive reasons, of course. Like molding the hull, or welding sheet metal, or roasting marshmallows. Very important things.

He stood at the helm of the ship, soldering wires of the control panel. Jason and Piper were walking around and admiring his progress, but every time Leo had to ignite, Piper would cautiously eye him up and down.

"Are you sure that fire won't hurt you?"

"No, Pipes. It's excruciating. That's why I do it all the time."

He didn't bother looking up from his work, but he could feel her roll her eyes. He knew Jason and Piper were a little weary of his fire power, especially after what happened on the ice bridge over the Rocky Mountains. That little spark made him want to learn as much as possible about his power. How to control it, how to use it. After his mother passed away all those years ago, he tried to hole it up inside and ignore it like it would go away. But now he had an even bigger reason to tackle this head on.

He spliced the last wire together with a feeling of relief, and looked up to remove his goggles. He was admiring his work as Jason walked along the deck.

"How much is left?" asked the son of Zeus.

Leo pulled his goggles completely off and hung them on the wheel. "Eh, not sure. I have a lot of wiring to finish, defenses, weapons, communication programs… you know, the guts."

"Leo, tell us what to do to help you. There's no way you can finish this all by yourself."

"You saying I can't?" he quipped with a raised brow. Of course Jason didn't doubt him. Right?

Piper said, "Leo, this is a lot of work for one person. It's not that you can't do it. We just want to help."

Leo felt himself get all warm and fuzzy, but he shook his head quickly. "Are you doing that thing again?"

"No! I'm just telling the truth."

He eyed her up and down, as she had done earlier to him, before thanking both of them.

As he stood at the wheel, he looked over the ship. His ship. His baby. It was beautiful. He wondered if this is what pirate captains felt like, sailing across the open seas with their most prized possession under their feet.

"Hey guys!" he called as his eyes sparkled with excitement. "So, a pirate walks into a bar – "

"Oh gods, not another one," Piper groaned.

" – with his ship's steering wheel stuck to the front of his pants –"

"I'm so sick of pirate jokes," said Jason.

"- and the bartender asks, 'Hey, doesn't that bother you?'"

"Wait for it…"

" – and the pirate replies, 'Aye, it's drivin' me NUTS!'"

"… Aaaand there it is."

Leo was leaning on the wheel to support himself from falling over. He didn't even bother looking at his friends, because he knew his jokes were damn hilarious and he was allowed to laugh manically.

Jason tried to suppress a stupid smile, and Piper just shook her head. "You need new material, Valdez."

"Bullshit. You don't like my jokes, McLean?"

"Oh c'mon Leo, you've been throwing pirate jokes at everyone since you started working."

Leo paused for a moment and scratched his chin. New material, huh? Poor Piper, she had no idea who she was talking to.

"Wanna hear two short jokes and a long one instead?"

Piper narrowed her eyes, but it was Jason who granted permission.

After a long and dramatic pause, Leo grinned and said, "Joke joke jooooooke."

He heard the dull smack of Piper's hand hitting her forehead, and Jason continued to giggle. After a few minutes, the muffled giggle turned to chuckles and snorts and soon all three of them were laughing.

Piper paused to breathe and said, "You know what? I think I'm going to sell you two. Maybe to the circus something. Like a traveling side show."

"You're crazy," Jason replied.

"For thinking of selling you?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Nah, for thinking someone would buy us."

The three of them looked at each other, and Leo had never felt more comfortable than right here in this moment. With his friends, in a dusty and dimly lit bunker, planning on saving the world.

"Which is exactly why we're together," Jason said as he wrapped an arm over Piper's shoulders. "Now, Leo, tell us what you need help with."

Ah, friends – Leo's first favorite F word.

It's a short one, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I just finished reading BoO and I LOVED it! Leo was god awfully corny and cute, obviously. AND NICO! OH MY GODS NICO! I smiled soooo big the entire time with him at the end.

Thank you lordofthenight97 and all the guest reviews! Also, to Winekita for the follow! It means so much that I'm hearing from you, so please keep it coming. It definitely motivates me, and I really appreciate the support.