Work Text:
Leo Valdez hadn’t slept.
Again.
In his defense, Festus’ left wing had started making a sound that could only be described as ‘mechanically offended’, and Leo had become irrationally invested in proving that yes, actually, a bronze dragon could have better aerodynamics if he just-
“Leo.”
He smacked his forehead against the workbench.
“Motherfu-!”
A laugh echoed from the entrance to Bunker Nine.
Jason Grace stood there holding two blue Gatorades like some kind of suburban dad who’d accidentally become divine.
“You know,” Jason said, “most people react to being greeted with words.”
Leo blinked at him through approximately three layers of grease, engine smoke, and exhaustion.
“Jason,” he croaked. “Did you walk here with the power of friendship or are my hallucinations getting taller?”
Jason frowned.
“You look terrible.”
“Aw,” Leo said, pressing a hand to his chest. “And good morning to you too, Sparkles.”
Jason tossed him a drink.
Leo caught it automatically.
“You sleep?”
Leo opened the bottle.
“Define sleep.”
Jason sighed the sigh of a man who had accepted that this was his life now.
“You need food.”
“I had food.”
“You had coffee.”
“It had caramel.”
“That’s not-”
“Protein if you believe in yourself.”
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.
Normally, Leo would’ve enjoyed annoying him more, but his brain felt vaguely unplugged.
Also-
Jason was being weird.
Not Jason weird.
Not ‘forgot social cues because raised by wolves and Roman military discipline’ weird.
No, this was suspicious.
Jason kept glancing at the door.
Then at his watch.
Then back at Leo.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
“…Did you break something?”
Jason looked scandalized.
“Why would that be your first thought?”
“Because every time you act nervous, something’s either exploded or Piper’s involved.”
Right on cue-
“Babe,” Piper called from somewhere outside, “we’re losing daylight!”
Jason winced.
Leo gagged theatrically.
“Oh gods, no. It’s nine in the morning. You two are already using pet names?”
Piper appeared in the doorway and immediately looked offended.
“First of all, rude.”
“Second of all,” Jason added, somehow managing to look embarrassed and smug simultaneously, “it’s healthy communication.”
Leo pointed accusingly between them.
“You’re both disgusting.”
Piper grinned.
“You’re just jealous.”
“Of what?? Looking at each other like a Disney movie?”
Jason, traitorously, smiled at Piper.
Piper smiled back.
Leo made a choking sound.
“I hate it here.”
“Come to breakfast,” Piper said too quickly.
Ah.
There it was.
Suspicious.
Leo narrowed his eyes harder.
“…Why?”
Piper blinked.
“Because people eat breakfast?”
“You don’t care if I eat breakfast.”
“Wow,” Piper said. “That’s hurtful.”
“Emotionally manipulative,” Leo corrected.
Jason stepped forward.
“Seriously, man. Come eat.”
“Why are you acting like camp counselors trying to lure a raccoon into a trap?”
Neither of them answered immediately.
Leo gasped.
“You DID break something.”
“No!” Jason said.
“Yes,” Piper said at the exact same time.
Jason stared at her.
Piper shrugged.
“He was gonna find out eventually.”
Leo pointed triumphantly.
“Aha!”
Jason sighed.
“We accidentally damaged your work table.”
Leo froze.
“…My good work table?”
Silence.
Piper looked away.
Jason suddenly found the ceiling fascinating.
Leo put a hand over his heart.
“You monsters.”
“It’s fixable!” Piper said quickly.
Jason added, “Mostly.”
Leo made a wounded noise.
“Fine. Breakfast. But if my babies are hurt, I’m emotionally haunting both of you.”
The dining pavilion was suspiciously crowded.
Like,
Weirdly crowded.
And loud.
And,
Why was Percy hiding under a table?
Leo slowed.
“…Why.”
Percy popped up too fast.
“Hey!”
“You’re terrible at being sneaky.”
“I wasn’t sneaky,” Percy said.
“You were crouching.”
“That’s tactical positioning.”
Annabeth smacked the back of his head.
“You literally tripped over a chair.”
Across the pavilion, Frank looked tense.
Hazel looked like she was trying not to laugh.
Nico stood in the corner with the expression of someone enduring civilization.
Will leaned against him, radiating sunshine and menace.
Suspicious.
Suspicious suspicious suspicious.
Leo turned slowly.
“…What did you all do?”
“No reason,” Percy said immediately.
“Nothing,” Piper said.
“Absolutely nothing,” Jason echoed.
Annabeth looked exhausted already.
“You’re all terrible liars,” Leo said.
“Not me,” Piper argued.
“You literally charmspeak when nervous.”
Piper’s face went blank.
“…I hate that you know that.”
Leo took another step in.
Everybody got weirdly quiet.
Okay.
Now he was REALLY suspicious.
“…Guys?”
Percy looked at Annabeth.
Annabeth looked at Jason.
Jason looked at Piper.
Piper looked vaguely panicked.
Frank looked like he wanted to disappear.
Hazel looked delighted.
Will looked seconds away from laughing.
Nico muttered, “This is painful.”
Then-
Everyone yelled:
“SURPRISE!”
Leo screamed.
Like-
Actually screamed.
A wrench flew out of his hand.
Percy yelped and ducked.
It embedded itself in a pillar.
Silence.
Leo breathed hard.
Everyone stared.
Nico slowly said, “That was dramatic.”
“You scared me!” Leo shouted.
“You screamed like a goat,” Percy said.
“I almost died!”
“You were startled.”
“Emotionally!”
Piper blinked.
“…Wait.”
Jason frowned.
“Leo.”
Annabeth tilted her head.
“Did you seriously not know?”
Leo stopped.
“…Know what?”
Another pause.
Hazel’s expression shifted.
Oh.
Oh no.
Will looked suddenly sympathetic.
Piper’s face crumpled.
Jason looked horrified.
Percy muttered, “Dude…”
Leo frowned.
“What?”
Then he saw it.
The banner.
Crooked.
Messy.
Painted badly enough that Percy had clearly helped.
'HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEO!!!'
The room went silent.
And-
Oh.
Oh.
RIGHT.
July 7th.
His birthday.
He’d-
Actually forgotten.
Leo laughed awkwardly.
“Huh.”
Nobody said anything.
Leo scratched the back of his neck.
“…Wow. Uh.”
He looked down.
“Didn’t think anybody knew.”
Silence.
A horrible silence.
The kind that meant emotions were coming.
Leo hated emotions.
Percy looked personally offended.
“What do you mean nobody knew?”
“Dude,” Jason said quietly.
Piper looked like she might fight someone.
Hazel looked heartbroken.
Frank frowned.
Will said, “Leo.”
Even Nico looked alarmed.
Which was terrifying.
Leo shrugged too fast.
“I mean- it’s not a big thing. I usually kinda forget.”
“That is so depressing,” Percy said.
Annabeth elbowed him.
“Ow!”
Jason crossed his arms.
“You seriously thought we wouldn’t know your birthday?”
Leo shrugged again.
“Didn’t seem important.”
Piper made an outraged sound.
“Leo Valdez.”
Uh-oh.
Full-name usage.
Danger.
“You listen to me right now.”
“Please don’t mom-friend me.”
“Too late,” Annabeth muttered.
Piper marched over.
“You are one of our best friends.”
Leo blinked.
Jason stepped up beside her.
“You’re family.”
Percy nodded immediately.
“Unfortunately.”
“Hey!”
“You’re annoying,” Percy clarified. “But, like, in a legally permanent way.”
Hazel smiled softly.
“We care about you.”
Frank added awkwardly, “A lot.”
Will tilted his head.
“Nico literally threatened someone over your birthday cake.”
Nico looked offended.
“I threatened multiple people.”
Leo stared.
“…What?”
“The strawberries weren’t fresh,” Nico muttered defensively.
Will beamed.
“See? Growth.”
Leo looked between all of them.
The banner.
The food.
The cake.
Festus somehow wearing a party hat.
He looked back at Jason and Piper.
“…You broke my table on purpose.”
Jason coughed.
Piper looked proud.
“We needed bait.”
“You manipulated me emotionally!”
“Yes,” Piper said.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck.
“In fairness, it worked.”
Leo pointed accusingly.
“You’re awful.”
“We learned from Annabeth,” Percy said.
Annabeth looked pleased.
“Thank you.”
Then Percy grinned.
“Anyway, birthday rules. Sit down.”
Leo frowned.
“…Birthday rules?”
Hazel smiled.
“No work today.”
“Absolutely not.”
“No explosions,” Frank added.
“Rude.”
“No hiding in Bunker Nine,” Piper said.
“No pretending you don’t matter,” Jason added quietly.
That one landed weird.
Right in the chest.
Leo looked away.
“…You guys are making this weird.”
“We’re making this affectionate,” Percy corrected.
“Weirdly affectionate,” Nico muttered.
Will elbowed him.
“You helped decorate.”
“I was coerced.”
“You picked streamers.”
Nico looked betrayed.
“You said we were never speaking of that.”
Chaos started shortly after.
Naturally.
Percy accidentally dumped blue frosting on himself.
Frank sat on a chair that immediately collapsed.
Hazel laughed so hard she almost cried.
Jason and Piper became intolerably couple-y.
At one point-
“Can you pass the knife, babe?”
“Sure, babe.”
“Thanks, babe.”
Leo slammed his head against the table.
“Oh my gods.”
Annabeth didn’t even look up.
“You stop hearing it eventually.”
“That’s horrifying.”
Percy kissed her cheek absentmindedly.
Annabeth smiled.
Leo gagged louder.
“IT’S SPREADING.”
Will laughed so hard he nearly dropped his drink.
Nico looked at Leo.
“…You know you’re dramatic, right?”
“You literally emerge from shadows to threaten produce vendors.”
“Valid behavior.”
Will nodded solemnly.
“Honestly? Yeah.”
At some point, Leo realized something.
He was laughing.
Actually laughing.
The kind that hurt your stomach.
The kind that made your face ache.
The kind that settled somewhere warm.
Because everybody kept
-Including him.
-Saving him a seat.
-Handing him food.
-Talking over each other.
-Arguing about cake.
-Acting like this was obvious.
Like of course they knew.
Of course they cared.
Like Leo mattered so much that forgetting his birthday himself was irrelevant.
Because they remembered.
Jason shoved another drink at him.
“You still look sleep-deprived.”
“I wonder why.”
“You were awake all night.”
Piper narrowed her eyes.
“You forgot to sleep?”
Leo paused.
“…Potentially.”
Annabeth looked murderous.
Percy gasped.
“Oh, absolutely not.”
Hazel crossed her arms.
“You’re taking a nap.”
“I’m twenty steps ahead of you,” Will said. “Already medically decided.”
“I don’t need-”
Nico deadpanned:
“You almost cried at a paper hat five minutes ago.”
Leo snapped his mouth shut.
“…Traitor.”
“Sleep deprivation,” Will diagnosed cheerfully. “You’re emotionally compromised.”
Jason stood.
“C’mon.”
“Where are we going?”
“Cabin.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Piper cracked her knuckles.
“We can do this voluntarily or dramatically.”
Leo looked around.
No allies.
Percy looked delighted.
Frank looked apologetic.
Hazel looked determined.
Annabeth already had a plan.
Will had healer authority.
Nico looked deeply entertained.
Festus betrayed him by making an encouraging metallic chirp.
Leo pointed at the dragon.
“You too?!”
Festus blinked innocently.
“Et tu, toaster?!”
Twenty minutes later-
Leo was forcibly cocooned in blankets.
Piper had somehow acquired three pillows.
Jason stood guard like a terrifying blond watchdog.
Outside, everyone argued over cake distribution.
Leo could hear Percy yelling about frosting rights.
Someone shouted.
Something crashed.
Will laughed.
Nico threatened violence.
Normal.
Weirdly…
Comforting.
Leo stared at the ceiling.
Then quietly,
“…Thanks.”
Jason looked over.
Piper smiled softly.
“For what?” she asked.
Leo hesitated.
Didn’t really know how to say it.
For remembering.
For caring.
For making him feel…
Wanted.
Important.
Like maybe he wasn’t just the funny guy holding things together with duct tape and bad jokes.
“…For being annoying,” he muttered.
Jason snorted.
Piper grinned.
“That’s basically love from you.”
“Don’t make it weird.”
“Too late.”
Leo groaned.
Outside-
Someone screamed, “PERCY STOP THROWING CAKE-”
A crash.
Annabeth: “I’m going to kill him.”
Percy: “WORTH IT!”
Leo laughed into his pillow.
July 7th.
Apparently people knew.
Apparently people cared.
Apparently…
He wasn’t nearly as alone as he thought.
And for the first time in a while,
Leo fell asleep smiling.