PJO Oneshots (Book 2)

Beauty is Subjective

This is a continuation of a Perleo oneshot from my other book, for leave_meh_alone_pls. Sorry it took so long, I've been a bit busy <3

-

Some Hepheastus kids have a lot to say about the ring Percy made for Leo. Usually, Percy will just brush off the negative comments and continue to go about his day, but this time, it's all just too much. The comments won't leave him alone, not even in his sleep.

Leo doesnt know about all this, but what would he do if he found out about the way some of his siblings were treating his fiancé?

- Established Percy x Leo

•••

"It's not too bad..." Percy hears from somewhere behind him, the voice young but still perfectly judgemental, "it could just use a few improvements."

There's a snort, then, "A few improvements? Are we looking at the same ring? I was making rings better than that in my sleep when I was three. Three."

At first, Percy merely rolls his eyes in response. He glances down at the log book in his hands, knowing by the warm feeling exuding from his ears that the very tips of them are beginning to redden. (In embarrassment, partially.)

He clutches the log book tightly in his right hand, pressing it against his hip, hard, as his pace quickens, widening the gap between Percy and the (not-so-much whispering) whispering campers. He's glad to part from them as he approaches the Big House whilst they continue on past it.

×××

"Look, it's a bit rough, but at least he tried! That has to count for something, right?"

Percy sits at his table for dinner, sat alone since all of his friends (and his fiancé) are off doing their own things, somewhere else that decidedly isn't the dining pavilion.

Immediately - as soon as the sounds of their voices reach his ears - Percy identifies the topic of conversation to be about him and and the engagement ring he made for Leo, all those months ago.

"Is no one gonna say it?" Silence, as if the other kids are just as confused as Percy is by that question. "No? Fine, I will. Honestly, I think the ring is just plain ugly. No amount of professional development could fix that mess."

Percy will admit: the words hurt. Of course they do! Percy is used to people dismissing his efforts, trashing his will to both thrive and provide - he has had to deal with it nearly his entire life. However, that doesn't mean the actions and words never have an effect on him. They do, obviously.

×××

Even though Percy and Leo aren't always together, aren't always by each other's side 24/7, they do know how to find each other when they need to. They both have a sixth sense for their partner, you could say.

Leo may not have been in the presence of his fiancé all day, or even so much as seen him at all, but when he takes the time to pause and focus, his heartstrings tug, as if to guide him in the correct direction. The direction that will eventually lead him to Percy.

Except, the sight that meets him inside his fiancé's cabin is not simply sad; it is way beyond heartbreaking, genuinely.

Percy isn't curled up in a ball under the covers on his bed, nor is he staring blankly up at the ceiling as if staring out into the void. No, what Leo finds is his fiancé sat on the end of his bed - the right side, not that it matters; except for the fact that Percy hates the right side of any bed, much preferring to sleep on the left side - with his back bent as he sits slumped forward. Percy's elbows rest upon his knees, his forearms pointing inwards towards each other, finally meeting where his two hands hover in the air, clasped together. His body is unmoving as he stares down at his intertwined fingers.

"Perce?" Leo calls softly, just as he's shutting the door behind himself. "You doing okay, bud?"

Whilst Leo's voice is clearly familiar to the older boy, confirmed by the way his ears perk up, Percy doesn't in any other way acknowledge the entrance of his fiancé.

"Bud?" Again, with no response from Percy. The other continues to stare at his hands, as if analysing every dip and jagged crevice, every ragged ridge, of both the scars whose wounds existed for far too long before being healed, and the roughness of his chipping nail polish. "... I'll take that as a no, then."

Leo strolls towards Percy's bed with verbal silence, though the sound of his boots repeatedly hitting the wooden flooring echoes around the near-empty cabin as he walks. He sits down on the bed, beside his partner, shuffling over until their hips touch and the action of throwing an arm over the taller boy's shoulder takes no effort from him at all.

"What's wrong, Perce?" Leo asks, his voice gentle, probing. He doesn't want to overwhelm the other, but he would also greatly appreciate a brief run down on what events had occurred to bring out this state of his friend.

"I-" Percy begins, only to stop when his throat clogs and his voice gets choked. He abandons his previous attempt at a response. If it is even possible, his shoulders slump further.

"Don't rush." Leo chides, moving in to press a kiss to his fiancé's temple, then adjust them both until their heads rest against one another's. "Go at your own pace. Now, care to tell me what's the matter, huh?"

Percy sighs. "I just- you like your ring, don't you?"

Baffled, suddenly, by the question, Leo frowns. "Of course, I do! I love it! Why-" Leo's eyes widen a tad with realisation, before returning to normal. Meanwhile, his eyebrows furrow in suspicion. "Did someone say something?" He asks with protective urgency.

"No," Percy attempts to convince Leo, only to sigh once more before telling the truth, "fine, yes, they did. Several someones, several times."

Percy's arm immediately wrapping around Leo's waist, tugging his slightly smaller body even closer to his own - somehow - forbids Leo from shooting up from his place on Percy's bed. Which, consequently, hinders his wish to stomp over to whomever made Percy feel so down and show them a thing or two about his elemental powers. That would surely shut them up for the foreseeable future, if not, for forever.

"Don't, Leo." It's Percy's turn to place a kiss to his fiancé's temple, apparently. "All that matters is that you like it. If you're happy, then I'm happy. Who cares what other people think of us? They're insignificant in the long run, aren't they?"

They both know Percy's words aren't one hundred percent true. They couldn't be, not at this point in time, not coming from either of the two boys. They are both too insecure and society-beaten to (deep down) not care what those around them think of them and their situation, of their choices and their actions. They can both pretend to some degree, but they both know the other is easily capable of seeing through their lies. Because they are lies, no matter how honest they wish for them to be.

"Ugh, fine. I won't do anything."

Leo can't see his fiancé's face, but Percy practically glows at the promise, his small smile bright despite its size.