.: Skies and Fire (A Perfect Match) :.

Falling In Love With My Best Friend

Disclaimer: With the exception of my own plots/OC's, etc.; Rick Riordan owns the rest (quotes, characters, etc.). The Psych Theme song ("I Know, You Know" by The Friendly Indians) is obviously not mine. No copy infringement intended.

Warning: Valgrace (Jason/Leo) pairing

"'I would think you'd know better, Jason Grace.' Cupid's voice whirled around him. You've found true love, after all. Or do you still doubt yourself?'"

— The House of Hades, pg. 285

Chapter One: JASON

it's as if you don't see

There was one thing that made me extremely guilty of—feelings I couldn't force down or even control. Somehow, my secret was safe. But I suspected Nico knew in a way.

I had an unhealthy crush on Leo Valdez.

I suppose it was unhealthy—there was a certain rule: Friends couldn't fall in love with each other. I mean, sure, I have heard of romantic stories—boy and girl are friends forever and get married in the future. That was probably like Percy and Annabeth. But this was different.

We're talking about two guys, in which one uses humour and sarcasm 24/7 and then there's me: the Planner. The person who would rather follow his head than his heart.

My feelings, of course, couldn't be returned—Leo, I'm pretty sure, is straight. I mean, he falls in love with every girl out of his league, which is just setting up for trouble.

Whenever yet another girl breaks his heart, I wanted to shout: 'Why don't you take him? Leo is an amazing person! He's funny, cute, and smart. What else do you want?'

Both luckily and unfortunately, I could never say that out loud. Then the son of Hephaestus will know my crush. And then I know I'll either cry or make a fool of myself when I get rejected.

Because I will still love him.

Cupid's words rang in my ears, each sentence shattering my whole heart. Even though he was an odd sadist, there were some parts of truth in his speech. Love is not kind. Love is a powerful weapon. It was strange that he didn't ask me who I loved. Or maybe he knew that I was hurt enough, to have it being unrequited—that I won't have a chance. He must have some pleasure in people having heartbreak—after all, those arrows looked like they were determined to decapitate someone.

When Leo disappeared . . . there was shock. Was this Leo Valdez, who was the most determined and stubborn demigod of the Seven? The one who will rise everyone's hopes up, and have a smile every day? He helped mostly on his part to kill Gaea, and he died.

Gods, the Fates were obviously making his heroism a joke. Leo should've been offered to become a god! Or not have died and came back.

Piper comforted me, her soothing words that only a sister could do. We both equally wished the death was prevented.

When we mentioned the nicknames about Leo, my heart tugged. Leo . . . the Tofu Making Expert. Leo Valdez . . . and Happy the Dragon.

I could almost hear him saying to me, mischievous eyes lighting up, "Loosen up, Grace. I swear you're an eighty-year old trapped in a teenager's body. Speaking of such, ever watched The Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"

But there will not be any of his annoying yet endearing jokes, or strange activities. When they made a shroud for Leo, I hid in my cabin afterwards.

A faint song nagged in the back of head. As I lay in my bed, awake for the purpose of reviewing fond memories, I smiled, yet it wavered when I recited lyrics through my mind.

In between the lines there's a lot of obscurity
I'm not inclined to resign to maturity
If it's all right, then you're all wrong
Why bounce around to the same damn song
You'd rather run when you can't crawl

The entire verse reminded me of the Latino. Countless memories viewed through my head like a slideshow.

On the bus in Arizona, Buford the Table adventure (in which the song was played), travelling on the quest with my memory gone . . .

I know, you know
That I'm not telling the truth
I know, you know
They just don't have any proof

What hurt was that I suspected Leo's death was my fault. If I had just known that Leo would've done a risky move, I could save him. I could fly, and catch him. In fact, the fire-bender always did rash decisions but in the end, all will be forgiven. His eyes sparkled when doing his dreaded weapon move: the puppy face. He was definitely cute as one. In fact, an odd thing was I could vision Leo as a small pug. Small, yet hyper.

Embrace the deception
Learn how to bend
Your worst inhibitions tend to psych you out in the end

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise outside.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" a guttural scream tore through the air. It was followed by a loud THUMP.

Goosebumps rose on my arms and legs, dread stirring in my stomach.

The door to my cabin swung open, and Piper stood there, eyes tearful.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I-It's Leo! He's here!" she managed to say. "But he's hurt."

I scrambled out of bed, shoving my glasses on.

We both ran out, spotting Festus the Dragon creaking and moaning when he saw us. They must have landed without any sense of direction in the darkness.

A few demigods were already out, flashlights sported in their hands.

"Hey, can I use one?" I asked.

A guy just handed it to me. "Dude, I think those guys are dead."

I ignored him and searched, finally seeing a body lying on the ground. "Leo—" I began, making my way towards him, but was cut off.

"Leo!" a girl cried. She was right where I was going to be, in front of Leo's body. Tears were running down her face, and eyes stained red.

I froze. Who was she? Obviously she knew Leo . . .

"I-I have to sing," the girl sobbed. "Please, give me some space."

A few half-bloods obeyed, backing off. Others, like me, were stubbornly staying put.

Percy Jackson raced up towards me. "Gods, I heard from Annabeth—" he stopped. "Calypso?"

The girl, who had her hands placed on Leo's chest as if giving CPR—glanced up. "Percy Jackson?"

Annoyed, I pushed Calypso aside and anxiously checked Leo's pulse. He was blinking, and soon moaned.

"Jason?" he muttered.

"Yes! It's me," I told him excitedly.

"Oh my gods, Leo, you're okay!" Calypso burst out, jabbing me in the shoulder.

"Yeah, Sunshine. The Amazing Leo Valdez will never die," Leo said weakly.

I was annoyed at the nickname that came out of the son of Hephaestus' mouth. "Who are you?" I said to the girl.

She pushed her brown hair back impatiently. "I'm Leo's girlfriend."

I mulled that over. "Oh. So, you and Leo . . . ?"

"Yes, we are dating."

"Uh, can I get some help? I kind of crashed on the ground and my body's broken," Leo said, letting out another moan. He may be melodramatic, but you could never tell from the son of Hephaestus.

There was a moment of panicking and whispers around.

"What do we do?"

"We should get Chiron."

"I think Chiron is sleeping."

"How would you know?"

"It's four in the morning, idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"The guy might be dying—any ideas on how to help?"

"I dunno—call an Apollo kid."

A person rushed through the crowd, carrying an emergency kit. He had blond hair and blue eyes—resembling his Godly parent, Apollo.

"Will, what are you doing?" a girl asked.

The boy called Will replied, "I'm taking him to the infirmary, of course. Brett, can you help carry—?"

"I can carry him," I piped in.

"Oh, thanks." Will studied me, and then looked away, as if realizing something.

I scooped Leo in my arms. Surprisingly, he was asleep. His face was relaxed, and his lips taunting me. His body shifted slightly, so that he was pressed against my chest.

I slowly exhaled, my pulse beating faster. Warmth spread through my body, and I couldn't help but think: He's perfect.

Will was walking already, and I followed him. "Any idea what happened?" Will questioned, without looking at me.

"Yeah. I think he fell from a high distance. Broken bones, bruises, and maybe hypothermia."

The younger demigod cocked his head. "You like him."

"He's my friend."

"No, I mean you love him more than just a friend."

The smell of the infirmary made my stomach lurch a bit. It was like a strong disinfectant; one that was not odorless. That must be why I felt light-headed all of a sudden.

I faced Will, wondering if I should keep denying it. The son of Apollo, as far as I know, does not seem like the type to gossip. "No, I just—maybe."

"I'm getting air freshener soon," Will commented. He shifted the topic quickly, which I was grateful for.

I placed Leo on a bed gingerly, while Will grabbed ambrosia squares.

We just watched the Latino for a while, before I finally said, "I do love him. Leo, I mean."

Will nodded. "I know."

"It's just . . . I know Leo won't love me the same way. He apparently has a girlfriend."

"You never know. Love works in mysterious ways," Will grinned. "Believe me, I had my fair share of unreciprocated romance. There was this guy I liked back then. Still do. He's always on my mind—"

"He?" I turned red as the word came out.

"Yes, my crush is on a guy." Will waved his hand dismissively. "We're in the same boat. Now, as I was saying, this guy went through a lot. He never noticed me until one day. But, I think we shared a special connection when he registered me."

"Like Leo and I," I said.

"Hmmm, maybe." Will's smile tugged playfully across his face. For a fifteen-year old, he was pretty bright.

I patted his shoulder, and walked out of the infirmary.