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The first time Jason woke up next to Leo was when they were hunting down Enceladus.
He didn’t get to savor it, mostly because he fell asleep and woke up several times throughout the night, and partly because there was no time once everyone had officially woken up. Besides, sleeping under the night sky with limited heat sources meant waking up with Leo’s head tucked and resting on Jason’s chest wasn’t that shocking. Piper’s legs were tangled with his, too, so it wasn’t like this had to mean anything.
The second time, they were on the Argo II. It had been a long day of listening to waves crash against the hull of the boat and chasing away random monsters that jumped out of those waves, and eventually, the swaying of the boat was enough to lure Jason into a quiet sleep on the deck.
He was jostled awake by someone getting him to stand up and stumble for a while before being deposited on a much more comfortable surface. In between consciousness and sleep, Jason thought he felt something trace up his cheek. He made a noise of appreciation as whatever it was smoothed his hair back and lightly brushed back invisible hairs on his forehead.
He woke up hours later than he normally would when something poked his forehead, and he opened his eyes to find Leo staring down at him. He poked Jason’s forehead again, and Jason swatted his hand away with a glare. Leo only laughed and reached for his arms, attempting to heave him onto his feet. Jason started as he realized they were in Leo’s room, and he had been sleeping on Leo’s bed, which Leo was currently trying to manhandle him out of. Heat rushed through him as he pushed away Leo’s arms and stood up, toe-to-toe with Leo. Their noses were inches apart, though Leo had to look up slightly to meet his gaze. Leo’s mouth was pulled into one of his signature smirks. It would be so easy to just lean in–
But then the klaxon sounded, and Jason had to fend off another ocean monster. Leo’s laugh when he was sprayed with monster guts repeated for hours in Jason’s head.
The third time is very intentional. Leo had just died and come back in front of him, sacrificing himself in a blaze only to trip out of the wreckage as if he hadn’t just, well, exploded. The minutes when Jason thought Leo was dead were the worst of his life.
“I love you guys.”
He hadn’t gotten to say it back.
But Leo was alive, he was here, and Jason couldn’t let go of him. He had to be dragged off of his friend after the battle so the Apollo cabin could get to him and heal him. To be fair, Jason also had to get patched up, so really he wasn’t taken too far away from Leo. The space between their beds in the infirmary was just enough that Jason could brush his fingers over Leo’s.
Jason was discharged after one day, but Leo remained for almost a week before the Apollo cabin cleared him to leave the infirmary. When they did, Jason was not intent on letting out of his sight.
So, naturally, Leo stayed in the Zeus cabin while he fully recovered.
Piper almost talked him out of it, but she must’ve seen something in the way Jason clutched his best friend, because she gave him a kiss on the cheek and helped Jason and Leo to the Zeus cabin.
They settled Leo on Jason’s own bed, while Jason moved to Thalia’s. He was far enough away that he couldn’t pick out the individual curls in Leo’s hair, but close enough that at night, when Leo inhaled sharply and started twitching, Jason woke up. Old habits die hard.
He laid in Thalia’s bunk for a few minutes, listening to Leo whimper, before he couldn’t take it anymore. He fumbled his way through the cabin and crawled into his own bunk, arranging Leo so that his head was on Jason’s chest. Like the first time.
Leo’s shaking stopped and he relaxed in Jason’s hold, the rise and fall of his chest evening. Jason pulled him closer, and slept.
The fourth, fifth, sixth, and however many other times happened similarly to the third. Sometimes, like the third time, Leo’s breathing would change, or he would start sobbing in his sleep, and Jason would once again step across the cabin and carefully arrange himself around the other boy. Other times, it would be Jason who was gripped by nightmares, and he would wake up with Leo drooling on his shirt and his nose filled with Leo’s curls.
Outside the cabin, the only acknowledgement between them would be nods of thanks or tiny smiles. But inside, at night, it would be soft touches and warmth.
(Jason knew the others were starting to whisper about why Leo was staying at the Zeus cabin. Piper and Hazel had started to send him meaningful looks whenever he and Leo were within five feet of each other, and Jason was afraid that Annabeth was also starting to suspect. They were all wrong, anyways. There was nothing happening between him and Leo.)
The tenth time (probably? Jason had lost count) that he woke up next to Leo was the time that he liked to remember the most.
Light was streaming into the cabin, bouncing off the pristine white floors and walls. They were in Jason’s bed. Leo had scoffed at Jason the night before, when Jason tried to get into Thalia’s, and patted the mattress next to him. Jason could only obey.
He moved slightly so he wasn’t blocking the light from Leo, making the other boy wake up. He blinked, thrown off by the brightness, and reluctantly woke up. He turned his head up to look at Jason, and Jason’s breath caught. Leo’s eyes, while always entrancing to him, became little reflection pools. The light bounced off his curls too, and freckles danced on his skin. Warmth flooded through Jason as he studied Leo. He should have been concerned about a possible fire, except Leo was smiling at him and lifting a hand to poke his forehead.
Jason huffed, and Leo’s smile widened. Instead of pulling back, though, Leo let his hand linger, trailing down Jason’s face. Jason’s eyelids fluttered, and he was aware of Leo tilting his face up. Something clicked in place in Jason’s chest and he smiled back, leaning forward so their noses brushed. Leo’s glowing eyes closed as Jason finally pressed his mouth to Leo’s.
Yeah, Jason really liked the tenth time.