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Leo hated being sick, not because he felt like absolute shit or the fever or even the feeling like his head was going to explode any second. Sure, those things sucked but the thing he hated the most was being still.
He was a tinkerer, a mover, the kind of guy that always needed to be busy, his hands always had to do something. He didn’t sit down unless he either had a wrench in his hands or an idea in his head he could work out. But right at this moment he was curled up under a big pile of blankets, his tools untouched on top of his workbench. Damp curls were stuck to his sweaty forehead, and every cough rattled his chest like something was trying to escape, all in all he felt absolutely awful.
And Jason? His annoyingly perfect boyfriend wasn’t letting him out of bed.
“Stay down,” Jason said for what felt like the hundredth time. He stood in the doorways arms crossed over his chest, the whole praetor voice turned on. The kind of tone in his voice that meant he wasn’t going to take any disagreements. “You’re not going to fix the toaster right now. You can barely sit up as is.”
Leo groaned dramatically letting himself flop into the pillows. “You wound me Superman. The toaster needs me, it’s suffering without my touch.”
Jason walked in the corners of his mouth twitching into an almost smile. He placed the glass he was carrying onto the night table and placed the thermometer next to it in case he needed it later. Crouching down next to the bed his eyes softened, the stern act slipping away into a soft caring one. “You’re the one suffering amorcito”
Leo could feel his face heat up not because of the fever this time. His boyfriend rarely slipped into Spanish, he knew he was learning it for him but hearing him say it felt different. He also only ever did it when he wanted to win an argument or be overly sweet. Leo looked away, mumbling. “Don’t call me that when I look like roadkill.”
The son of Jupiter laughed a little and brushed Leo’s damp curls from his forehead, his touch lingering there, cool and steady. “You’re adorable when you’re sick” he said and Leo’s head snapped back around so fast he nearly had whiplash on top of his sickness. “Excuse me? Adorable? Are you blind, maybe you need to clean your glasses. I’m a disaster bro”
“Exactly” Jason said smiling and his voice as gentle as ever “A very adorable disaster”
Leo was about to argue but a cough took over, leaving him hacking in the crook of his arm. Jason rubbed his back until they died down being patient as ever. When they were over he dropped back into the pillows, his chest aching a little more. “You’re so cheesy Jayce, like 5 whole cheese pizza cheesy”
Jason kissed his temple “and you love it.”
He muttered something in response under his breath, but the other caught the smallest smile tugging at his lips.
For a few minutes it was quiet besides the raspy breathing of Leo, Jason kept sitting beside him running his fingers through his hair as though grounding him. Leo closed his eyes, nearly falling asleep from the touch alone, but in a soft voice he mumbled. “I want my comfort item..” That earned a head tilt “Your what?”
“My comfort item” he cracked an eye open, his voice shy “You know…it’s in the trunk by the foot of the bed. It’s uhm… a little bear. Just- Don’t judge me…”
Jason got up and opened the trunk, inside nestled among old shirts, a shirt of his own and scraps of metal sat a small stuffed bear. It had clearly been loved throughout the years, its fur was faded, one of the ears was slightly torched and fur melted together as if it had come in touch with fire, the stitches loose almost threatening to fall apart. He picked it up carefully as if touching it would make it fall apart “This is your comfort item?”
“Don’t laugh,” Leo warned, earning another cough. “My mom gave it to me when I was like four. His name is Osito. He uh.. Uhm..” his voice trailed off, roughening around the edges as tears started to glisten in his eyes. Wiping them away quickly he cleared his throat. “He’s the only thing I kept, you know? From before.”
Jason's chest tightened, he knew better than anyone what his boyfriend had been through and how much he had lost, how much pain he carried behind his jokes and grins. Sitting back onto the bed he handed the bear over. Leo immediately grabbed it and clutched it tightly against his chest burying his nose into the singed fur. “Yeah..” he whispered “This helps.” he watched him, heart aching in that soft overwhelming way that Leo brought out in him “He’s been through a lot hasn’t he?”
“Like me” Leo said smiling ever so faintly “Burnt edges and all”
Jason kissed the top of his head “Makes him perfect, like you”
They sat like that for a while, Leo curled up with his bear and Jason sitting beside him running his fingers through his hair. The fever was making Leo restless and ever so often he would shift, grumble or make pitiful attempts at getting up, but Jason always pushed him back down softly without a word and he complied, melting back into the touch.
At some point in the evening Leo blinked up at him, his eyes glassy “You don’t have to stay here you know… You could be like i dont know, polishing your sword of brooding dramatically on a roof somewhere. Or whatever you do when I’m not around.”
Jason snorted. “Brooding dramatically?”
“You know it’s true.”
He leaned down and pressed a kiss into Leo’s hairline “I’m not going anywhere. You always take care of everyone else, let someone take care of you this time.”
Leo swallowed hard, he never liked showing this side of him. This soft and vulnerable side, it felt too raw too open. There was nothing to hide behind this time. But somehow, Jason always made him feel safe during these moments. His grip tightened on the bear and whispered. “You’re too good for me…”
Jason smiled the softest he ever had “Not possible”
The night stretched on, and eventually Leo’s fever got the better of him. His breathing evened out, body sinking deeper into the mattress as he finally fell asleep. Jason stayed right by his side, moving so Leo would be half cuddled into his side bear close to his chest. He couldn’t help himself to run a thumb over the singed ear of the bear. He thought about how much love the bear represented, how it had survived the fire that had killed his mother, how Leo held onto it like an anchor.
Jason glanced down at the messy curls, flushed cheeks, soft snores and something warm settled in his chest.
Leo might call himself broken or burned around the edges, but to him? He was perfect. And if it meant he had to spend the entire night watching over him, making sure he had water, a cool cloth and his battered little bear, he would gladly do it.
Because Leo wasn’t just his boyfriend, to him he was home.
And sometimes even the greatest heroes needed comfort items and someone there to remind them they were loved.