Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Leo was my worst enemy and the darkness of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I was friends with him in elementary school, but I was only 5 years old and clearly didn’t know how differentiate the good from the bad. He was always kind of weird, but when he started hitting the clown my parents had rented for my 8th birthday party with a baseball bat, it became clear to me even then that he wasn’t the type of person I wanted to be friends with. I considered myself almost lucky when we had to move to Colorado to take care of my dying grandmother a few years later, as that meant I no longer had to be near him all the time.

You see, being friends with Leo in my early childhood meant I couldn’t get rid of him. After that one notorious incident with the clown, no one wanted to come even near him, scared he’d suddenly attack them as well. It was easy for kids like Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo to ban Leo from getting even near them, but for me it wasn’t so easy. It almost seemed like we were attached at the hip and even though I tried to make it clear I want to get rid of him, it had seemed impossible. Maybe it was impossible. Even then I felt like the only way I could undo myself from the curse of Leo Valdez was by moving far enough that I had to change schools. My grandmother had passed away recently, meaning we were going to move back to San Francisco after 5 years, more than 9 years after the clown incident. All I could do was hope Leo had forgotten about my existence, or that everyone else had forgotten about Leo’s incident and aggression problems.

As soon as our car neared my childhood home, I knew at least one of those hopes hadn’t come true. Because on the driveway of our house, I saw him and his family, smiling at the sight of our car, holding up a welcome home banner. How did they even know we were moving back? It wasn’t like my parents had made an announcement in the group chat they had with practically all adults of the town.

“Isn’t that Leo and his parents, Jason? How sweet of them to welcome us.” My mother said as she turned her head around and smiled at me. I shot her a quick, fake smile.

“Who even told them we were moving back home?” When I got no answer to the question, I knew my parents had informed Mr. and Mrs. Valdez about our return. They’re always doing the wrong things when trying to be nice. I decided to stare out of the window, trying to ignore the party we were slowly but surely approaching. But as soon as our car turned up on the driveway Leo Valdez was standing right outside of my car door, smiling and waving at me. I knew I couldn’t ignore him any longer. I slowly opened my car door and tried to fake a smile.

“Hey Leo.” I didn’t know what more to say, scared I’d be unable to hide my awkwardness.

He didn’t reply, but instead threw his arms around me and whispered in my ear: “I missed you.” I tried to let go, still not knowing what to say or do, but Leo held on tight.

“You’ve grown tall, damn.” Leo said when he finally decided to let me go. I smiled.

“And you look like you haven’t grown an inch.” I replied, laughing awkwardly.

I didn’t know how to continue our almost non existent conversation, so I decided to walk to the trunk of the car to get out my suitcase. I could hear behind me that Leo had joined the conversation our parents were having, but when I turned around walked past them —not joining the conversation as well— walking straight to the front door.

As I neared the house, it was like everything around me faded, like it was just me and my childhood home. I hadn’t been there in 5 years but it still felt like I was returning home. I tried opening the door but quickly realised it was locked, and I didn’t have a key on me. This meant walking back to my parents, and Leo. Why did he have to be here? I just wanted a peaceful return home but instead my parents decided to surprise me with the one person I did not want to see. Still, I couldn’t do much but walk back, leaving my suitcase at the front door, hoping I could fetch my dad’s keys before Leo or his parents had time to talk to me. But as soon as I approached the group, I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid questions. Leo’s parents almost seemed more excited to see me than Leo had seemed. They asked me the basic questions, how I had been, if I was happy to be back in San Fransisco again, telling me about how tall I’d grown. Nothing new, nothing unique. As soon as I found an opening, I grabbed my dad’s keys from his pocket.

“I really gotta use the bathroom.” I screamed as I sprinted back to the front door.

Chapter Text

I was so happy to be inside, and to finally be alone again. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I'd let go of my suitcase and sprinted up the stairs. Not to the bathroom, as I made my parents, and Leo and his entourage believe, but to my bedroom, my own bedroom. It was still the same as I had left it, light blue walls, those stars that light up at night on my ceiling and the wall behind my bed covered in Harry Potter posters. I immediately jumped on my bed to take down the posters. I was no longer a Harry Potter fan and the franchise reminded me too much of Leo, because it was our main shared interest as kids. After pulling down all the posters and throwing them the floor, I laid down on my bed, staring at the stars on my ceiling. I was so happy to be back, if I ignored that Leo was on the sidewalk in front of my house right now. I decided I wasn’t going to think about that and I just enjoyed my happiness. 
After a few minutes passed, I heard the front door opening. And surely I heard it again, Leo’s voice, this time echoing through our hallway.

“Wow, this place really hasn’t changed a bit.” I heard him say.

I didn’t bother enough to listen to my parents’ response, because I could hear that Leo was walking up the stairs. I wanted to panic, but I started to feel like my encounter with him outside had drained out all my energy. So I just stayed on my bed, waiting for Leo to barge into my room. I kept waiting, but my bedroom door didn’t open. Leo surely would’ve been upstairs by now. Did he forget which door led to my bedroom? Or was he perhaps in front of the bathroom door, waiting for me to finish whatever he thought I was doing in there. I wasn’t sure, but the long silence was killing me.
When I was about to get up to see what was happening outside my door, it opened, and there he stood. Leo Valdez, holding a fucking cake.
I didn’t have to see the top of it to know what was written on it: 'Welcome Home, Jason’. 
He smiled at me —holding his cake with pride— and I stood up. 

“I’m so glad your back Jason. We’ll have to catch up a lot before school starts to make up for those 5 years you were gone.” He said as his smiled widened even more. 

I smiled back, not sure what I wanted to say. 

“I’m glad to be back too.” 

It wasn’t a lie, the gladness just had nothing to do with Leo standing outside of my room holding a cake. 
He looked at me with uncertainty. 

“Come in. It’s weird if you’re just gonna keep standing in my doorway.”

As soon as I had said that, Leo Valdez was walking towards my bed and sat down, still holding the cake.

We looked at each other in an awkward silence, Leo with his cake on my bed, and me still standing by the bedroom door. When I was about to say something about eating the cake, Leo nervously opened his mouth. 

“So, do you have a girlfriend in Colorado?” 

I started laughing. 

“What is that question? You really think the girls in Colorado are interesting enough for me?”

He started laughing too, looking more at ease than when he asked the question.
Our laughing died down and was replace by that awkward silence.

“Thanks for the cake.” I said after a few seconds. 

“It was my moms idea.” He replied. 

I shot him a quick smile. 

“I’ll see if I can find some plates and cutlery.” I said as I walked out of my room. 
I was happy to finally be away from that awkwardness. 

As I walked down the stairs, I could hear that my parents were still in the middle of a conversation with Leo’s parents. Though I didn’t bother enough to actually listen to what they were talking about. I followed the voices anyways, and they led me to the kitchen. Just the place where I needed to be. My parents sat facing the door and my dad stopped talking as soon as he saw me. 

“Hey Jase, Do you need anything?” 

“Plates.” 

I entered the kitchen and walked to the cupboards to look for plates. The parents sitting at the table were still silent.

After unsuccessfully searching two cupboards, I turned around. Mine and Leo’s parents were looking at me. 

“No need to look at me failing to find plates, just continue your conversation like I’m not here.” 

I turned back around, opening a third cupboard. This one did have plates in it. Third times the charm they say. I grabbed two plates, and in the motion of closing the cupboard I also opened a drawer to get forks and a knife. Then I closed the drawer and turned around to leave the kitchen. From my peripheral I saw that everyone was still looking at me. I decided to ignore it and continued walking back to my room. 

Leo was no longer seated on my bed. Instead he was kneeling, looking at the posters that were scattered over the floor. He didn’t look up as I walked past him to put the plates on my desk, next to where the cake was now standing. 

“No longer a Harry Potter fan, I guess.” He said, still not looking up.

He was now collecting the posters, folding them up one by one. I started cutting up the cake, it was a chocolate cake. I hated chocolate cake, but I guess Leo didn’t know. That made sense though, because the day I stopped liking chocolate cake was the same day I started hating Leo. The taste of chocolate cake reminded me too much of all the loneliness I’d felt when people started to ignore Leo, and thus also ignoring me. I cut a really small piece for myself. I could just tell him I didn’t really feel hungry.I put Leo’s plate down on the floor next to him, where he was about to finish folding up the last poster. I walked to my bed and sat down. Leo stayed on the floor, with the now folded up posters in front of him. He started eating the cake in silence. After a few bites he looked up at me.

“Are you not gonna eat your ridiculously tiny piece of cake?” He asked while pointing at my plates with his fork. 

“No, I am, just not really hungry.”

I took a small piece of cake and forced it down my throat. It still reminded me of my 8th birthday and the pain that followed after.

“Maybe we could hang out tomorrow.”

I slightly flinched when Leo broke the silence. Or perhaps I flinched because I didn’t want to hang out with him. I didn’t know what to say. Leo continued talking. 

“We could go to the pier, or just walk around downtown. Maybe I can show you around the high school ground. We obviously can’t enter the building but I’m pretty sure we can just walk around the sports fields. It’s a really cool building, so much better than the middle school building.” 

He paused for a second, looking at me with a slightly shocked expression. 

“Wait, you haven’t already seen the high school building, right?” 

I laughed awkwardly. Why did this kid think I’d seen the high school building, when I hadn’t been in San Fransisco since I was 12. 

I shook my head. “No, I haven’t.” 

He smiled. I hated that smile. Pretending like he didn’t hit a clown out of nowhere when he was 8. Pretending like he wasn’t the most unpopular kid in the school, maybe even in the whole Bay area. Pretending like his actions didn’t ruin my chances of having more than one friend. My chances of being popular, getting a girlfriend and being that one senior all freshmen have a crush on. I hated that smile almost more than I hated him. Still, I somehow found myself agreeing to hanging out with him the following day.

Chapter Text

I woke up from the sound of my alarm. Why did I agree to hang out with Leo?
Last night he and his family ended up staying for dinner, we’d ordered pizza. By the time they finally left it was 9 pm and I was completely drained. Leo told me he’d pick me up at noon and gave me his phone number ‘just in case’. Why would anything happen that made me wanna text him? 
Then I suddenly felt very tempted to text him, saying I hadn’t slept well, and thus didn’t have the energy to do something. I’d even typed out the message but instantly deleted it again, feeling guilt if I’d ditched him. I started at the white screen with Leo’s name at the top for a little longer, before putting my phone away, and getting out of bed while letting out a big sigh.

I was still getting ready when I heard the dreadful ringing of the bell and my mother opening the door. I didn’t even need to listen to know it was Leo. Who in their right mind arrives 15 minutes early when picking someone up?
I could hear my mom saying something to Leo while he was walking up the stairs
“He should be in the bathroom, but don’t forget to knock first of course!”
I wanted to disappear into the ground. Why would she do that? Why did my parents tell him that we were coming back? Why did they come to our house yesterday? Why did Leo Valdez invite me to see the high school and why the hell did I say yes?
I heard knocking on the door. Without even thinking about it I opened it. And there he was, the devil incarnated, standing at my bathroom door all dressed up nicely while I was shirtless brushing my teeth.
“Hi, Leo” I murmured while turning away from him to look at myself in the mirror. I looked like a mess.
“Hi, Jase!”
He sounded overly enthusiastic.
“Are you excited to see the high school? It’s so much nicer than middle school. I’m sorry I got here early, by the way, I’m just super excited to show you around and catch up with you. These past 5 years without you were honestly so boring.” He rambled, while still standing in the doorway.
“You know you can enter the bathroom, right? It’s not some sacred room.” I said as I decided to ignore his question, now attempting to fix the mess growing out of the top of my head.

15 awkward minutes later, we walked down the stairs.
“Mom we're leaving, I’ll text you when I’m on my way home,” I screamed as we stepped outside. Leo immediately walked to what I assumed was his car, and I followed, not knowing what else I could do.
“It's only a 10-minute walk but I thought we could that the car in case we want to go somewhere else afterward.”
I answered with a short okay, and we silently got in the car.
As soon as Leo started the drive away I knew this drive was going to be even worse than the hours we spend upstairs while I was getting ready, Leo was a monster that didn’t listen to music while driving.
“Can I put on some music?” I decided to ask.
“I usually drive in silence but go ahead, my friend.”
“Any requests?” I decided to be nice for once.
“I'm okay with anything, although I do have to admit I would love some old Justin Bieber. Don’t tell anyone at school though.”
We both laughed because although it made him even lamer, Leo liking old Justin Bieber caught me off guard.
When our laughter died down, I quickly grabbed the aux cord and put on ‘Baby’, because that was honestly the only Justin Bieber song I knew. Leo immediately started singing and dancing alone, and to my surprise so did I. At the time I didn’t realize it, but at that moment with Leo, I felt so alive.

The song was barely finished when we arrived at the school building. Leo hopped out of the car filled with excitement, I however wasn’t able to match his energy. We were going to be alone without music or other distractions, which meant we had to talk. And besides, who would get excited over showing someone a freaking high school building? I pushed these thoughts aside and got out of the car anyways, running after Leo who was already skipping from the parking grounds to the building’s entrance.
“Why so fast, dude?” I asked when I caught up with him.
“I’m just excited to show you around. I hope you’ll soon feel at home here.” What a lame answer, but Leo was trying his best so I just let him be.
“Do you play any sports? I honestly don’t remember if you did when we left.” Leo asked.
“I play soccer sometimes, but nothing serious.”
“Wanna see the sports fields first then?”
“Sure,” I answered, hoping that he wouldn’t ask any more questions.
Leo turned right around the building and I followed since I had no choice.
“You should try out for the soccer team, it’s a good way to make friends and reconnect with people from middle school maybe.” He said without turning around to face me. Instead, it was I who turned to face him, with an expression of shock and disgust on my face. 
“Bold of you to assume I”m into soccer, Valdez.” 
He laughed. God, did I hate that laugh.
“Well try out for another sport then, you big lump of muscle.” He playfully hit me on my arm. 
“You can’t say no to a sportsfield this size.” As he said this, he pointed at the most magnificent sportsfield I had ever seen. 
“How dare you show me this first, now nothing will impress me anymore.” I joked.
“I know how to impress you.” He simply replied. I hated how that was true. 
I hated how he still knew me so well, even though we hadn’t seen each other in years. I hated how I didn't completely hate the time I had been spending with him.

I really really really hated Leo Valdez.