"Here we are." Percy mumbled.
Leo stared at the stone before him. His breath was an unsteady rise and fall as his eyes reached it.
Esperanza Valdez: 1976-1999
Loving daughter, mother, and sister
RIP
Leo is in texas, with his hometown's grass beneath his feet, and seeing his mother's grave for the first time in thirteen years. He can barely feel the touch of his boyfriends hand on his shoulder, or Percy's gaze on his face. He knows he's crying but he doesn't feel it.
He feels a soft hand takes his own, and squeeze. Ari. She decided to go with them. Thank god, even after all these years and everything he was glad to call her his sister. Unfortunately enough he feels too empty and hollow to squeeze back.
Looking down at his mother's grave, he was painfully aware of the coffin that lay six feet under him. He had flowers in the hand that was untouched. Yet now they lay on the ground. He remembered her. Her kind words and loving songs. Her way of making ends meet. The way she didn't give a fuck about anything besides Leo and her shop. She was strong. She was his mother.
He remembered the lack of her. He remembered the foster homes. Sally, Percy's mom in places where she should have been. He could barely remember his own mother face, and that scared him. He still loved her. Very dearly. She was the most important person in the world. She was everything.
So he took a deep breath and dropped to his knees. "I found the man who put you here." he croaked. "You're finally going to get justice, mom."
--
Percy let his head fall back as Leo snaked his arms around his neck and smirked. He felt thin fingers trail up his chest. Then Leo's mouth on his. Over their four years of a relationship Leo had definitely progressively gotten better at this sort of thing.
He loved this. He loved Leo's lips against his, before moving to his neck. He loved feeling his lover's bare body against his own, making Percy delve his face into Leo's neck. He loved the feeling of his boyfriend clawing at him. He loved the feeling of Leo's hips on top of him, and his legs straddling his waist. He loved Leo's gasps against his neck. Even if the headboard dug into his back. Even he could feel sweat trail down his back.
"You love me." Leo whispered against the cusp of his ear breathlessly. "You love me." he felt Leo rake his nails against Percy's shoulders, he felt him mouth against the hollow of his neck, shivering.
Percy shivered. "You love me." Leo's voice rose an octave as he said this. "Fuck, you love me so much. Not that waitress at the coffee shop, not that asshole at work." Percy remembered the people. The waitress that flirted with Percy earlier today, and that guy that tried to get his number when he picked Leo up from work earlier. He could barely think. Leo elicited a sound from his throat. He loved when he could make him jealous. He never did it intentionally, but Leo was hotheaded and he got so jealous so quick. "Just me." Leo breathed, moving his hips faster. "You love me."
Percy lost his mind. "I love you." he gripped the thighs that lay at either side of him. "I love you so fucking much." he loves him. He would love him til it ruined him. Ruins them both.
--
Ari sat on the sofa, her legs crossed, and her headband pushing against her curls. Nico sat at the end, his head resting against Will's shoulder, and his hand tracing the inside of her arm, where the two of them resembled similar scars. In the past four years of living with her brother and her brothers lover, Nico had become a constant. Although steadily temperamental, and depressing he had always been there for her whenever the need arose. In the first year he told her about his one-sided love towards Leo. She helped him get over it, and watched him as he moved on to another boy.
She herself, was ace and aro. So relationships just didn't appeal to her. She was glad of that because it left her time with much more important things. Such as being with Leo and Percy, art, Nico, and the rest of her friends.
Her eyes drifted over to the other end of the couch, where Leo and Percy huddled against each other. Percy stared up at the screen while Leo read a book in his lap. The older boy drew circles on his lover's thigh with his fingers, his nose in the unruly curls. Leo had long decided to go with an undercut which was now tied into an elastic. His earrings shimmered from the tv.
Ari looked down at herself. Her art pad lay on her lap. She was happy. Almost content to say the least. Eighteen year old Arianna Cope had just gotten out of highschool, and was starting college soon. Leo was still in college on a fully paid scholarship. Life for once was nice.
--
"I think I'm nonbinary." Leo mentioned casually at the dinner table. "Like I still want to be called a boy and all that But I guess I'm really feminine? Like I love make up, and girl clothes and all that."
Ari gawked at him. Then she shook it away. She honestly should have seen this coming. Of course, Leo with all his surprises would be nonbinary. "That's cool." she said, smiling.
Percy grinned. "I gotta say, you do look hot as hell in crop tops and those skirts and stuff. I just want you to be comfortable doing anything."
The three of them looked at one another. There was some sort of unwavering support between them. It was powerful, and strong. Ever since they started living together it had been like that. When Ari's grades started to drop, Leo and Percy told her that yes, of course she can do better. But they know that its hard, and they gave her some slack. When Percy decided that he didn't want to go to college, because he wanted to run him moms candy shop. And now Leo, saying he's nonbinary. Its okay. Throughout all the rough events they have each other. And Percy didn't care that Leo was nonbinary. Because he didn't love Leo for his gender, he loved him for him.
--
Life had always been hard for Leo. Always. Loosing his mother and coping with it had been hard. Hopping around foster homes had been horrible. Finding his mother's murderer had taken years. Love had also been hard. He remembered his teenage love on Jason Grace which had dissipated eventually once he and Piper got together. He remembered the relationship between he and Calypso. When he really really tried to love her, but never could (which had worked out in the end.) his crush on Frank Zhang who he had a one night stand with, and in his naivety thought they would be together. Essentially Percy finally came. Leo had spent months pretending, and trying to forget about his unabashed love for the other man. He had even tried to convince himself that he had too much work to do. This fact was proven faulty. He was a coward, rightfully afraid of love or anything so passionate.
He stood in front of the screen, a long wooden table with middle aged men at its sides. He definitely wasn't dressed for this occasion. The men were clad in tailored suits and ties. Meanwhile Leo wore one of Percy's maroon sweatshirts with some black tights. Instead of dress shoes, he had converses. And instead of salt and pepper gelled hair, he had his hair tied into a ponytail. These men had no jewelry other than a few wedding rings, but Leo wore his earrings, and snakebites from his teen years. He felt his tongue nervously skim over them.
A man in the front cleared his throat. "We are here for a twenty-five year old man named Leo Valdez. With all due respect, you look like a college woman, if I'm not wrong."
Leo wasn't stupid. He knew he looked like a woman, hell a guy tried to get his number when he was at the reception office. When Leo was asked his name the man awkwardly said he wasn't into guys and walked away.
That didn't matter. Gender roles were stupid anyways. He swallowed hard and breathed. "I am Leo Valdez. I'm twenty-five years old and I just got out of college. MIT actually."
He remembered Percy's words. You're so strong. You talked shit to the superintendent of MIT. This is nothing.
Percy was right. His mother dying, foster homes, love, had been hard. This isn't hard. He's dealt with so much worse. Leo gestured towards the screen. His resolve was set in place and he looked at the men. They were all seemingly impressed by the "I'm straight outta MIT," line. "I'm Leo Valdez and if you look at these blueprints with me, you'll see the new age of technology."
When he came home and told Percy and his sister that he rocked the meeting, the two screamed in admiration. It wasn't that hard.
--
"Fuck you." Leo sobbed. His black curls shimmered in the lights. He loosely pushed his fist in into Percy's shoulder brokenly. Percy felt his heart break. Leo sat on the counter as he pushed his other fist into Percy's shoulder. "Fuck you so fucking much. I hate you."
Percy took Leo's wrists and kissed his palms. Something that technically meant "my heart is in your hands.", and it seemed completely fitting. At twenty-seven, Percy was still a cheesy little bastard. He pressed their foreheads together, looking into his lovers red and blotchy eyes. "I love you." he muttered.
Leo just seemed to cry even harder at that. He full on just brokenly sobbed. His chest was heaving, and choked tears came from him. "I really really liked that dog, you asshole. Why do you have to be fucking allergic?" its true, Leo had really been invested in the pup. He took him out on walks, fed him, bathed him. He named him Festus. Percy tried to keep it hidden away for as long as possible, but anytime Percy was near it he would sneeze uncontrollably, and gain rashes.
Leo looked so damn beautiful in his black crop top and skinny jeans. His hair was in a small loose bun. Percy loved how Leo denied all gender roles sometimes just to slap society across the face, and sometimes just because he knew it looked good. He and Percy had just gotten back from the shelter when they had to give the dog back. His plump lips trembled, and his tears dripped from his face to his jeans. The studs in his ears glimmered from the light. "I just-" he gasped. "really really liked that fucking dog, okay?"
Percy kissed his fiancès cheek, and then his forehead, and then his nose. "I'm sorry, believe me I am."
Leo just wrapped his arms around Percy and sobbed into his shirt.
--
Nicki was bawling his eyes out, and Leo was having none of it. He kneeled down beside his son and took his hand. "What's wrong sweetheart?"
The blonde little boy sobbed a bit harder. "J-Jesse's mommy said I can't wear my braids." Leo looked at his handiwork from earlier that morning. His son loved his long golden hair, and loves having his father's fix it up for him in the morning. His hair would normally brush against his shoulders, but since Leo had put it up in two very nice French braids, reaching to the back of his head and turning into a high ponytail, and the bangs surrounding his face.
Leo grit his teeth, and turned away, walking towards Susan. Nicki held his fathers hand as they stalked over. Leo looked her right in the eyes and wrinkled his nose. She gave him a confused look, before she looked at the boy to Leo's right and recognized the situation. "Did you tell my son that he can't wear his braids to class?" Leo snapped. He puffed out his chest, showing that he was wearing a loose feminine tank top, and jeans. That and some mascara didn't make matters worse.
She furrowed her brow. They were about The same height so she looked straight at him. "Huh, seems like the whole family is just a bunch of crossdressers."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "Oh I'm sorry, you uneducated piece of trash. But me and my son are wearing what we like and it has fuck all to do with you." he held his son's hand tightly and raised his other one, showing off nail polish and his wedding ring. "Would you believe that we're both very happy and very comfortable. So I think you should keep your filthy nose out of our business. Like maybe stop telling five year olds that doing things that make them happy is wrong. With the fact that you're wearing a horrifying oufit, and ugs? Really? You should focus more on your own style rather than criticize us."
Her face was critically red. She opened her mouth to defend herself but then shut it again. She couldn't seem to find the words. It was almost comical.
Her son actually looked up at Leo and said, "Wow! Mommy, this guy looks super pretty!"
The mother gawked at her son, and Leo smirked. His work was done. He kindly flipped her off and walked away.
--
Leo poured some milk into Nicki's cereal. Then he sat down at the table, opening his sketchbook and going to work on some designs. Percy sat, reading a book that Annabeth insisted he read. Percy looked up at his husband, who was scratching his head with his pencil. He looked so much like his former youth, the resemblance to his teenage years was uncanny. Of course, over the years Leo had come more and more accustomed to wearing what he wanted, which was not uncommon nowadays. For men to wear feminine clothing. The world had matured a lot. Yet it still had very much work to be done. He wore a dark green hoodie, with his piercings in and his hair up. Even at twenty eight Leo still rocked anything he wore.
Meanwhile, Percy who just admittedly dresses more masculine, wore a simple blue t shirt and jeans. Compared to Leo who had in piercings and eyeliner, he looked like a straight fuckboy. Even Leo had once said that Percy looked like the type of person who would buy Leo a cheap drink at a club, ask about Leo's day, and reply with "cool dtf?". And although it was offensive, Leo's jokes always lightened the mood.
Percy set his when on Leo's. The one that held the bobbing pencil in the air. "I love you, asshole."
Leo smiled. "I love you too."
The two locked eyes for a second, their hands still attached. Then ten year old Nicki pressed his own hand to Percy's. "I love you, poppies."
Leo smiled so bright, he gave the sun s run for its money. "Te amo, Mijo."
--
Eventually (somewhere around the re that Leo hit his mid thirties which meant he had to work harder to stay fit. Specifically so that he could wear skinny jeans and crop tops.) they moved to Montana. The house the lived in was small, which was rather strange for the wages that Leo made. But it was perfect for their growing little eleven year old, and their domestic life.
The said eleven year old named Nicki was I his room playing with some friend of his. Meanwhile, Leo and Percy going over things and such. "And you better remember to take out the trash. I'm not using my money to but a house maid if I can help it. Although with the way that you and Nicki just leave everything around, I may have to."
Percy laughed. "I will."
"And remember to do Nicki's hair before school, he loves that."
" I know."
Percy handed his husband his suitcase. "Don't forget about us while you're across the country, making the new age of tech."
Leo laugh as if what he said was silly. "I could never forget you."
And there's my epilogue. Just a bunch of one shots of Leo and Percy growing up, having a kid, and Leo finding himself. I really hope you liked this.