Chapter Text
The infirmary was quieter than usual.
Not silent, never silent, but softened. Curtains half-drawn, footsteps muted, voices kept low. The kind of place that made everything feel slower.
Jason Grace was propped up against a pillow, staring somewhere near the ceiling, when the door creaked open just a little too carefully.
He didn’t even turn his head. “You know,” he said, voice dry, “for someone who got thrown out yesterday, you’re not very subtle.”
There was a pause.
Then-
“Okay, wow, rude,” Leo Valdez whispered, slipping inside and shutting the door behind him with exaggerated care. “I could be a totally different person.”
Jason glanced over.
“…You’re holding a wrench.”
Leo looked down at it, then casually tucked it behind his back. “Evidence is circumstantial.”
Jason huffed a quiet laugh, then winced slightly, hand coming up to his temple. “Careful. If Will catches you-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. ‘Out, Leo.’ Very traumatic. Still processing.” He edged closer to the bed anyway, lowering his voice. “He’s not in here, right?”
“Rounds,” Jason said. “You’ve got maybe five minutes before you die.”
“Great. Love a time limit.”
Leo hovered awkwardly for a second, like he wasn’t entirely sure what to do now that he’d actually made it inside. His usual energy was dialed down. Not gone, just quieter.
Jason watched him, faintly amused. “You really came back.”
Leo shrugged, eyes flicking anywhere but directly at Jason. “I mean. Had to make sure you didn’t, you know. pass out again and blame me for not being there to heroically intervene.”
“Ah, yes. The water method.”
“Proven results,” Leo said immediately. “You woke up, didn’t you?”
Jason shook his head, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “I cannot believe that worked.”
“Neither can I,” Leo admitted. “Don’t tell Will. He’ll revoke my totally legitimate medical license.”
There was a brief pause.
Then Leo cleared his throat and reached into his pocket.
“So, uh- here. I made you something.”
He held out a small object: two small, earbud-like pieces connected by a thin, barely visible wire. Sleek, but unmistakably handmade, tiny adjustments and moving parts catching the light.
Jason blinked. “You…made airpods?”
“Not exactly,” Leo said quickly. “I mean, they go in your ears, yeah, but that’s where the similarities end. They’re- uh- sensory dampeners. Sort of.”
Jason sat up a little straighter, curiosity overtaking the lingering grogginess. “Dampeners?”
“Yeah.” Leo rubbed the back of his neck, words coming a little faster now. “They don’t block everything, just- take the edge off. Noise, mostly, but also…I don’t know, sharp stuff. Sudden sounds. You can tweak it.” He gestured vaguely. “I calibrated it for, like, forge-level chaos, so normal environments should feel…quieter. Less…stabby.”
Jason turned the piece over in his hand, studying it.
“For migraines,” he said.
Leo shrugged again, a little too casual. “I mean. You looked like you were having a real bad time, so…figured it couldn’t hurt. Forge is basically the worst place on earth for that kind of thing.”
Jason looked up at him.
“…You made these overnight.”
Leo immediately focused very hard on a nonexistent speck of dust on the bedside table. “I don’t sleep much. It’s a whole thing.”
“Leo.”
“What?”
“That’s…really thoughtful.”
Leo made a face like the word itself offended him. “Okay, let’s not get dramatic about it.”
“I’m serious.”
“Yeah, well, don’t be.” Leo waved a hand quickly. “It’s just- practical. You pass out again, it’s a whole situation. You’re too heavy for me to carry to the infirmary again, so this is preventative maintenance. Very on brand for me.”
Jason didn’t say anything for a second.
Then, softer, “You were worried.”
Leo froze for half a beat.
“I was NOT-” he started, then stopped, then tried again, “I was being a responsible member of society. Huge difference.”
Jason smiled, just slightly. “Right.”
Leo pointed at him. “Don’t make that face.”
“What face?”
“That-” Leo gestured vaguely. “That knowing face. I don’t like it.”
Jason chuckled, then winced again, pressing his fingers to his temple.
Leo’s expression shifted immediately. “Hey-hey, easy. Don’t laugh. That’s clearly a bad life choice right now.”
“I’m fine,” Jason said, though his voice was quieter.
“Yeah, that’s what you said right before you faceplanted,” Leo shot back.
Jason hesitated, then picked up the earbuds again. “…Can I?”
“Yeah, go for it.”
Jason carefully put them in.
There was a small click. Almost imperceptible.
He blinked.
The room didn’t go silent, but it changed. Softer. Less sharp around the edges. The faint clatter from somewhere down the hall dulled into something distant and manageable.
“…Oh,” he said quietly.
Leo tried, unsuccessfully, to hide how closely he was watching his reaction. “Too much? Not enough? I can adjust-”
“No,” Jason said, shaking his head slightly. “It’s…good. Really good.”
He met Leo’s eyes.
“Thank you.”
Leo immediately looked away again. “Yeah, well. Don’t get used to it.”
There was a beat.
Then-
Footsteps in the hall.
Both of them froze.
Leo’s head snapped toward the door. “That sounds like authority.”
Jason smirked. “You should go.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that vibe.”
Leo backed toward the door, then paused, glancing at Jason one more time. “Uh. Try not to pass out again. I’m not above bringing a whole bucket next time.”
Jason’s smile was easier now. “I’ll do my best.”
Leo nodded once, quick and sharp, then slipped out just as the footsteps reached the door.
A second later, Will Solace stepped inside, eyes immediately narrowing slightly.
“…Why do I feel like someone was just in here?”
Jason leaned back against the pillow, expression perfectly neutral.
“No idea.”
Will eyed him, unconvinced.
Jason didn’t say anything, just reached up, lightly adjusting the small, nearly invisible devices in his ears.
The world stayed quiet.