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When it came to machines, Leo could always pinpoint the problem and figure out how to fix it. The math, the physics, it all just clicked. He could tell what was broken, how it worked, and what it needed to run again. The only real obstacle was finding the parts. Sometimes that took a while, and unfortunately, not even a quick Google search could solve it. But if he had a solid lead on where to look, he had a secret weapon: Piper. He’d hand her the phone, and somehow she always got what they needed.
But when it came to humans, Leo found it nearly impossible to figure out what was going on. He had a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. That used to get him into fights back in grade school, and later, into trouble in high school. To him, people were harder to fix than mechanical systems; metal made sense, people didn’t. That meant his relationships were harder to repair than any busted automaton.
Whatever was left of his relationship with his mom’s family after her death had pretty much disintegrated, and honestly, Leo was fine with that. He never wanted to see his Aunt Rosa or her son Raphael again. Their abandonment of him had been the first domino in a long chain of events that left him feeling unwanted and mistrusted. Like he was the one nobody wanted around. It was a belief he still struggled with.
Leo often masked that pain with humor, usually at someone else’s expense. He'd done it with Frank, Hazel’s boyfriend. Leo was lucky Frank never punched him for it. Leo also did it to Nico, Hazel’s brother, and Percy and Jason’s cousin. Unlike Frank, Nico was willing to fight back. The two of them ended up trading some pretty choice words until Hazel and Frank had to tell Nico to back off, and Piper and Jason had to do the same with Leo.
These days, Leo and Frank were on good terms, friends, even. But whenever Leo went over to Percy and Annabeth’s place for a game night, movie, or dinner, being around Nico was still uncomfortable. They’d both apologized, sure, and they could be civil, for Jason’s sake, but they weren’t friends. Just friendly enough.
But who knew how much longer that would last?
Leo knew he could be dumb sometimes, but he wasn’t stupid. He was in college for engineering on a scholarship, thank you very much. Okay, technically it was a Pell Grant, but those were still good! He knew how to read patterns, and people pulling away was a pattern he knew all too well.
His mom’s family. His old foster parents. Former foster siblings. His first real girlfriend, Calypso.
One by one, they had all drifted, or walked, away. The only people who never did were Jo and Hemithea, his last foster mothers. They were the best thing to happen to him after his mom died. They still invited him home for the holidays, sent him birthday cards, and made sure he knew he had someone. Then there were Piper and Jason.
But that might be ending soon.
The three of them had always done everything together. They were a thing before they were officially a thing. Sure, everyone had thought they were dating long before they were, and, yeah, it was a fair guess. A bi guy, a pan girl, and a bi-and-aero guy hanging out constantly? People assumed things. But just because they were close didn’t mean they were together, until they were.
The feelings had always been there.
Lately, though, Jason and Piper had started pulling away. At first, it was small stuff. They’d go out for dinner if Leo were stuck finishing a project and couldn’t come. No big deal. But then it turned into bigger things, going to movies without him, telling him about it afterwards, making dinner for themselves, and leaving leftovers for him in the fridge. It stung.
He was starting to feel like a third wheel.
And sure, in their type of poly relationships, there's always going to be a third person in a dynamic, but Leo hated feeling like the odd one out. He’d been that his whole life. He wanted this relationship to be different. He wanted it to be good.
Leo sighed as he kept fiddling with the CAD model on his screen. It was supposed to be an MQ-9A Reaper drone, but somehow it looked more like a stretched-out Boeing 747.
He’d been in his head again, not paying attention.
He sighed again, heavier this time. He was done. Done with the project. Done with the stress. He just had to survive four more weeks and one more year, and he’d finally have his degree.
But life, life was getting to him.
He clicked the save button, waited for the confirmation, then shut the laptop and slid it into his bag.
Outside, the city skyline stretched out before him from the roof of their apartment building.
He’d been up there for almost three hours. When he’d left the apartment, Piper and Jason had been fast asleep, tangled up in each other in bed. Who knew what they were up to now?
For all Leo knew, they were watching one of the shows or movies they’d all promised to watch together with his dog, Festus.
He laughed bitterly.
He was jealous of what his partners had with each other. They’d been a thing long before he started dating them; maybe they were trying to get rid of him, so they could go back to being a couple again.
“Hey, where have you been?” a voice called from behind him. “Breakfast is ready.”
Leo turned around and saw Piper standing by the door, wrapped in her bathrobe.
“Up here,” he replied. Then, he added, “Are you done snuggling with your boyfriend?”
“My boyfriend?” Piper raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? Jason is ours.”
Leo didn’t answer. He just turned away and looked out over the skyline again.
“Leo, what’s going on?” she asked, walking up beside him.
“It’s nothing,” he said, standing up with his bag.
“Are you sure?” she asked softly.
“Yup. I’m just fine,” Leo replied with a practiced smile, walking past her toward the door. He held it open. “Let’s go eat.”
Piper didn’t say anything. She followed him down the stairs to their apartment in silence.
Leo knew she knew he was lying. But he didn’t want to get into it. Not right now.
“The door’s unlocked,” Piper said quietly once they reached it.
Leo nodded and opened it. Inside, Jason was standing by the kitchen island, jamming some toast, still shirtless.
Leo tried not to let it get to him. Just because he was ace didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate his boyfriend’s body.
Who knows how much longer I’ll even get to do that, he thought bitterly.
“Good morning, Leo. Hey, Piper,” Jason said with a smile.
Piper leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
Leo nodded, keeping his eyes off them, and headed straight for the coffee pot, stepping over Festus, who was eating. He poured himself a cup and sat at the end of the island without a word.
Jason and Piper exchanged a look. Leo saw it but pretended not to notice.
“So, ” Piper said, sliding into a seat in the middle of the island. She motioned for Jason to sit.
“We’ve been talking, and, well,” Piper began.
Leo’s heart sank.
This is it, he thought. They’re going to break up with me. I’m going to lose not one but two partners at the same time. I’ll have to move out. But where? Hazel and Frank? No, Nico’s staying with them this semester and into the summer, and Hazel’s Jason’s cousin, so that’s awkward. Annabeth and Percy? Percy’s Jason’s cousin too. Ugh, no way. Am I going to end up on the street again?
“Leo,” Jason said gently, now standing next to him. “We asked if you were okay, but you didn’t respond.”
“I didn’t hear you,” Leo said honestly.
“We’re right in front of you,” Piper said quietly.
“And we were telling you we’re worried about you,” Jason added.
“What’s wrong?” Piper asked, placing her hand on Leo’s shoulder.
“You can talk to us,” Jason said, putting a hand on Leo’s other shoulder.
“Please,” Piper said, voice soft.
“It’s nothing,” Leo muttered, shrugging them both off.
“Oh, that’s a lie,” Piper said flatly.
“It’s not,” Leo said, standing up and grabbing a piece of toast, biting into it more for something to do than hunger.
“Yes, it is,” Jason said. “You’re either lying to us, or lying to yourself.”
“Just tell us what’s wrong,” Piper said, watching him closely.
“Please,” Jason said.
“I’m tired of being the third wheel!” Leo burst out. “Okay? I’m tired of being the third person in this relationship!”
“Leo, that’s not true—” Piper began.
“Yes, it is, Piper,” Leo cut her off. “You and Jason were a thing long before I came into the picture. Everyone thought you two were going to get married! Hazel was planning a bachelorette party at one point because she thought Jason was about to propose!”
“Leo, ” Jason said gently. “Yeah, that’s true. And it’s not something we can change. But I was never planning on proposing.”
“We never even talked about it,” Piper added, shaking her head.
“Okay, but I still feel like the third wheel,” Leo said, his voice cracking.
“Why do you feel that way?” Piper asked softly.
“Because you guys are always going on dates and doing couple-y stuff without me,” Leo said, his voice breaking further. “Like, I know I told you I didn’t want to do some stuff, because I don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do romantic stuff at all!”
Jason stayed quiet, watching him closely, as Piper stepped forward and pulled Leo into a hug.
“No, we don’t do that,” she said gently, holding him close. “Why would we do that without you?”
“Piper, ” Jason said, his voice hesitant.
She looked up at him, confused.
“We have been doing that,” Jason admitted.
“What?” Piper let go of Leo and turned to Jason.
“We’ve gone out to dinner just the two of us, four, maybe five times in the last two weeks. We went to the movies together. We’ve been doing all the domestic stuff, cooking, shopping, hanging out, just us.” Jason whispered.
“But Leo was busy,” Piper said. “He had that big engineering project. We didn’t want to bother him.”
“Yeah,” Jason said, walking over to Leo, gently wiping the tears from his cheek, “but it was still just you and me. And Leo noticed.”
“Oh,” Piper said softly.
“I’m sorry, Leo,” Jason said. “I never meant to do that.”
“It’s fine,” Leo replied, pulling away slightly.
“No, it’s not,” Piper insisted. “We should have been thinking about you and how doing those things would make you feel.”
“Yeah, we should have,” Jason agreed.
Leo nodded, and Piper pulled all three of them into a group hug.
After a while, Jason whispered, “Is there anything else?”
Leo smiled shyly. “I wouldn’t mind a kiss.”
Jason laughed softly, his eyes sparkling as he leaned in and kissed Leo gently on the lips. The kiss was tender. Leo felt his heart race as Jason’s hands rested lightly on his thigh.
Before he could catch his breath, Piper pressed her lips softly to his cheek, then slid closer until their lips met in a sweet, lingering kiss.
When they finally pulled back, Piper sighed. “Leo, do you think you can save the eggs? They’re probably cold by now, and I hate cold eggs.”
Leo laughed. “Yeah, I can save them.”
He smiled at his two partners as they held him close. Even though he still felt like the third wheel sometimes, Piper and Jason made him feel seen and valued, and for that, he was deeply grateful.