#Omg this is so valgrace! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

huntingrays · 5 months ago

Note

For the Spotify ask thing:

If you have done it already sorry 😭🫶

27 - illicit affairs by Taylor Swift

so i think like originally it was going to like an actual affair but like neither of them would ever be cheaters so i just made this like a forbidden romance instead! the ending is a little rushed but eh. also ignore my random fantasy world building, i can’t stop rambling whenever i start. this took a lot longer than i expected bc writing for vg week but i finished those so we’re so back bby 😎

next fic may take a while to bc my thoughts went crazy with it…. but yeah this is just sad

Original Post

“Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"

Look at this idiotic fool that you made me

You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else”

“You’re going out into the woods again? Seriously? If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re secretly dating a nymph.”

Leo winked at Piper. “Please. You know I only have love in my heart for my inventions and Festus.”

A look of mock hurt appeared on Piper’s face. “And not even for me? You’re so cruel, Valdez.”

Piper was Leo’s best friend at The Academy. Though he had other friends, like Percy, Calypso, and Annabeth, Piper was his best friend. She and Festus, his dragon, were the only things keeping him sane at the school. The Academy was grueling but it was the best school for fae. Though Leo was intelligent, he doubted he would’ve gotten in if he hadn’t been an elemental. A long time ago, there were a bunch of fae who were blessed by the gods, giving them the power to summon one of the elements. They were called the elementals. The gift could be passed down to their descendants, but it was rare. The Academy sought out any elemental fae to teach since it was a valuable gift. Leo could summon fire. He only knew of one other elemental fae, which was Percy, who could summon water. Fae were powerful magic users, but elementals were even more powerful.

Leo had no desire to be a fighter like many of the others in his class. Instead, he just wanted to be an inventor and dragon rider. Leo had already bonded with a dragon - Festus - so he was already solid on that goal. With how much time he spent on his studies and his forest escapades, he didn’t have much time to spend inventing. Most of his inventions were made out of spite whenever he was slightly inconvenienced. He would feel upset over something minor, like how long it took to preen his wings and would make a whole invention just to make his life easier (and the lives of his friends, as long as they paid him in food or favors to use his inventions - though Piper got a best friend free pass).

Leo had been at The Academy for years, ever since his fire powers developed when he was eight years old. Most other fae joined when they reached their teen years when the board could properly evaluate the power of the ones who applied and would choose the best of their applicants. Only elementals, like Leo and Percy, got in early, so The Academy could hone their powers better. Percy was very talented and strong; he was one of the top in their classes (only beaten by Annabeth). Leo wasn’t as gifted in the strengths or power department but made up for it in intelligence. With all his years at The Academy, he should have thought of it as a second home. Despite his years there, the place wasn’t even close to home. The professors were too strict, the environment too stifling, and the halls too cold. To Leo, his home was his mother and his friends. Most kids were able to visit home during the weekends, but Leo could only return home when their classes wrapped up for the year since he lived far away. It took a day's travel on his dragon to reach home. So, Leo could only see his mother for a fraction of the year. He sent as many letters as he could, but he still missed her dearly.

Around the end of Leo’s first year were when his forest escapades began. At first, it was just something pure and innocent, just Leo wanting a friend. As time went on, however, it became something more, something intimate. Now that he reached eighteen, he was certain he met his soulmate, met the love of his life.

Normally, fae would be able to tell when they met their soulmate - he remembered witnessing what happened with Percy and Annabeth, then their years of ignoring their bond - but it didn’t work if their other half wasn’t fae. Leo was sure there were other ways to check if his secret lover was his soulmate, but he didn’t care to check. He simply knew that he was the one for him, that he was the only one he’d love.

None of his friends knew about his lover. He knew they likely wouldn’t care, but they would worry about him. He knew how this would end but he refused to accept it. He knew his heart would be broken in the end, yet he still held out hope. He didn’t want their pity.

Different species had different opinions on relationships. With fae, they tended to accept queer relationships. With their magic and soulmate bonds, they tended to have no objections, especially with physical proof of love. Also, they couldn’t even object to them not being able to have kids. Thanks to fae magic, things like the same reproductive organs, infertility, or risky childbirth could be worked around. Leo couldn’t exactly explain how it worked since it differed due to many different solutions.

However, the fae weren’t entirely accepting. Though they may accept or merely tolerate queer relationships (it differs from person to person), interspecies relationships tend to be frowned upon. A lot of it was due to not being able to have kids (unless the partner was human) and no obvious proof of a soulmate bond. Interspecies relationships weren’t illegal, but those in them were often frowned upon and shunned.

Since Leo was in a relationship with a man who wasn’t fae, he was sure his peers would be scandalized if they found out, especially since he was an elemental. It wasn’t law, but elementals were encouraged to have kids so they could pass the gift on. They were strongly encouraged to have kids with other elementals since it would almost guarantee having a kid with the elemental gift. Leo was sure that if Percy and Annabeth weren’t soulmates then he’d be encouraged to get into a relationship with him. Leo felt lucky that none of the other elementals at The Academy were around his age. He didn’t want to deal with that.

Though Leo knew his friends weren’t bigots, he just couldn’t gather the courage to tell them. None of them knew, not even Piper.

He kept his secret and he intended to do so until he miraculously got the courage to fess up.

“Why should I have love in my heart for you? You stole my stash of sweets and ate half of them,” Leo responded to Piper.

“But I apologized for it!” Piper insisted with a whine. “And I even replaced the ones I ate.”

“Nothing could ever be as good as my mom’s sweets.”

“Also I convinced her to send you more!”

“She would have done it anyway because she loves me.”

“Ugh, you’re impossible. I hate you.”

Leo laughed. He strolled over to Piper and kissed her cheek. “Love you too, Pipes!” With that, he rushed over to the door and left the dormitory to the sound of Piper’s protests and complaints. He grinned as he pulled the hood over his cloak over his head.

The walk to their meeting spot was long. The path was confusing but Leo was sure he could do it with his eyes closed due to how many times he walked the path.

He discovered the secret spot when he went out walking after exams, drained and wanting a quiet escape. He’d been exploring a cave behind a waterfall when he slipped in the dark and tumbled down a path that had been nearly impossible to see in the dark. From there, he wandered until he was in a hidden grove. Leo wasn’t much of a nature enthusiast, but even he couldn’t deny the beauty of it.

Leo only had a few minutes to look around, admiring the flowers that grew so beautifully, unlike anything he’d ever seen, the glittering pond that was as clear as the sky, the trees that contained species he’d never seen before, and so much more. Leo concluded that it was enchanted, so someone could only enter through the path, invisible to everyone except those who knew about it and those like Leo, who stumbled into it unknowingly. It must’ve been hidden for years judging by how pristine and magical it seemed, with types of fauna that even Leo, a fae, couldn’t identify (though that wasn’t saying too much since Leo’s knowledge of plants wasn’t the best).

Leo would have loved to sit there all day, but his admiration for the place was cut off by a low growl. He spun around, his thoughts screeching to a halt when he saw the wolf behind him. He’d been expecting a wolf the moment he heard the growl, but he hadn’t been expecting a pup. The wolf had a beautiful mix of white and silver fur with clear, blue eyes. Leo didn’t know how to translate wolf years to human years, but he didn’t think the pup was much older than he was.

Leo should’ve been scared. He stumbled into a place that was unknown to him and now was faced with a wolf growling at him.

Leo wasn’t scared. However, he was a reckless idiot. Leo couldn’t help but find the wolf… cute. It was cute and highly amusing to Leo’s worn-out brain. He started laughing.

The wolf abruptly stopped growling, caught off guard by the fae laughing at him. Leo couldn’t stop giggling now that he started. “Aww, is the puppy mad at me?”

The wolf, angered by his taunt, started barking at him. Leo kept laughing and mentally concluded that the wolf must’ve been a werewolf, judging by how he seemed to understand Leo. “You aren’t intimidating at all, puppy. Your barks are too cute.”

The wolf growled in warning before lunging at Leo. Leo easily dodged the attack. Leo must’ve had a death wish because he kept taunting the wolf. “Is your bark worse than your bite? With a bark like that, I’m dying to see how pitiful your bite is.”

They kept up their little squabble for a few minutes, with the wolf trying to attack Leo and with Leo dodging seamlessly and taunting the poor guy. Eventually, the wolf got tired and fed with Leo. He waited until the right moment to strike, when Leo took a step back and stumbled over a tree root. Before he could right himself, the wolf lunged at him but transformed back into his human form mid-attack. In a matter of seconds, Leo was lying on his back in a strange grove, pinned to the ground by a very pissed-off boy who had a firm grip on his wrists.

Leo was right with his age estimate. The boy looked to be the same age as him, with short, blond hair, sky-blue eyes, and a small scar on his lip. He looked pissed enough to kill Leo, but Leo wasn’t scared. He hummed as he evaluated the boy. “You were cuter as a puppy.”

The boy’s grip on his wrists tightened. “Shut up! I could kill you if I wanted,” he growled out. Leo was being threatened but he couldn’t help but find the boy cute. He was trying so hard to be scary, but it wasn’t working on Leo in the slightest.

��Uh-huh, sure you could, puppy,” he shot back.

The boy glowered at him. Leo continued to grin at him.

“What are you doing here?” The boy asked. “You don’t belong. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Would you believe me if I said I wanted to see your cute face?” Leo asked. The boy was silent, continuing to glare at Leo. “I just stumbled upon it, okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to enter any private, magic, wolf property.”

The boy suddenly halted, confusion dawning on his features. He tilted his head as he puzzled out his words, which made him look even cuter than he already had. “What? But that’s impossible. Unless…”

Suddenly, the boy leaned down, sniffing at his neck. Leo couldn’t even make a snarky comment about it because the boy suddenly jerked back, his eyes wide. He suddenly moved off of Leo, stumbling a few feet away in his haste to get away from him. Leo sat up, frowning in confusion. He didn’t get the whole scent thing with werewolves, but he felt a little hurt that the boy disliked his scent so much.

The boy looked furious. He looked even angrier than he had earlier. He was so angry that his body was shaking with it, face red.

“Go. Now.”

Leo quickly rose to his feet, confused and finally a little scared. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your space. I promise I won’t-”

“Go!”

The boy looked away from Leo. He walked away to a tree stump and sat on it, sitting with his anger as he ignored Leo. Leo wasn’t sure what he did. Did he smell that bad? He made sure he bathed regularly. Did he just naturally smell awful but only to werewolves? He wasn’t sure but he didn’t want to upset the boy anymore. Teasing him had been fun but this was something else, something different. He seemed genuinely pissed off.

Leo paused before taking off one of the thread bracelets he was wearing. One of Leo’s friends, Annabeth, had taught him how to make magical bracelets to help him destress before finals. Finals in general were stressful, but it was even more so for Leo since he was so much younger and behind his classmates. The bracelet-making had helped him destress a bit. Of the bracelets he made, only two were decent. One was a red one that he was still wearing and the other was a light blue one that he’d taken off.

Leo gently placed the bracelet on the ground, near the boy. “I’m sorry, really. Here, you can take this gift if you want.”

The boy’s shoulders tensed. Leo didn’t want to get into a genuine fight, so he fled, leaving as quickly as he could.

Later that week, he heard rumors around The Academy about a werewolf pup that had been spotted lurking around the grounds. The students didn’t seem to think it was a threat, it was just a pup that ran off whenever anyone got too close, but it was strange. Werewolves lived nearby - there was even a huge wolf pack located within their town - but they tended to stay away from the school.

Leo would bet money that the pup was the one he met earlier that week.

Leo waited until the evening, when the grounds were nearly empty, to sneak out of the dorm and wander off into the woods right off the grounds. He wandered around, hoping to find the werewolf pup and not wind up torn apart.

Leo found the werewolf within a minute of wandering around the woods. He paused, staring at the wolf pup, who stared back at him. The wolf walked over to Leo and grabbed the hem of his cloak, tugging on it.

Leo quirked an eyebrow up at the wolf. “Do you want me to follow you? Or do you just want to eat my cloak?”

The wolf growled and continued to pull on his cloak.

“Okay, okay, I’ll follow you! You know, you could shift back and talk to me.”

The wolf ignored him and let go of his cloak. He walked off and looked over, waiting for Leo to follow him. Leo sighed and followed the wolf.

The wolf led him to the secret grove. Once they were there, the werewolf finally shifted back into his human form.

The boy fixed him with a firm stare.

“You smell weird,” the boy told him.

“Is that why you suddenly got upset with me?” Leo asked.

The boy blushed and looked away, fiddling with something on his wrist. Leo realized it was the bracelet he’d given him. He felt happiness fill his chest.

“More or less.”

“And… why did you drag me back here?”

The boy shifted on his feet. Leo could tell he was nervous and unsure of himself, that he was wondering if he wanted to do what he was about to do.

“I was thinking… we should become friends.”

That hadn’t been what Leo had been expecting.

“Really? You want to be friends with me, puppy?”

The boy scowled but quickly cleared up his face, appearing calm.

“Yes, even if you are annoying. This place… it thinks you’re worthy, so you must be an alright person.”

Leo looked around the place. “It’s very beautiful. What is this place?”

The boy seemed to calm down. He looked around the place, a small smile on his face. Leo thought he looked the best when he was smiling. “It belongs to my family. It’s been in our pack for generations. The future pack alpha is decided based on whoever this place grants access to. My family have been the pack leaders for three generations.”

“So does that mean I can become pack alpha?” Leo asked with a teasing grin.

The boy rolled his eyes. “Obviously not. You’re a fae, not a werewolf.”

“Then why am I allowed in here?”

The boy suddenly looked nervous. His cheeks flushed as he looked away. “It’s… complicated. Let’s just say it thinks you could be… a trusted companion of mine.”

“Does my new puppy companion have a name?”

The boy didn’t look upset or done with his teasing for the first time. Instead, a glint came to his eyes and he smiled at Leo.

“Jason Grace. And does the little fairy have a name?”

Leo barked out a laugh. He thought they would become good friends. “Leo Valdez. You better not forget it, puppy.”

And he didn’t. Their friendship slowly grew after that day. They would meet once a week every week Leo attended school until they were fourteen, which caused them to meet up much more often, practically every other day. Their friendship had been innocent at first, though Jason had a habit of giving Leo gifts. After they became friends on that fateful day, Jason had given him a crescent moon necklace, his face bright red as he put it on Leo. Leo wore it constantly. He rarely ever took it off, it was his prized possession. There came a point where the bracelet Leo had given Jason had worn down and would also no longer fit on his wrist. Leo offered to make him a new one, but Jason refused. Instead, he just attached it to his belt. Leo felt touched that he still kept the silly, little thing.

That wasn’t the only thing. Jason not only kept giving him random gifts, mainly food but also kept scenting him. Leo didn’t get the whole scent thing with werewolves but he let Jason do it anyway since it made him happy. He wondered why Jason would do something so risky. He thought it might cause complications if one of his pack smelled the scent of the future pack alpha on some fae student. However, Jason had assured him it would be okay, so he never brought it up. Besides, he didn’t know anything about werewolf customs and traditions anyway. Scenting could be a thing friends do.

Their friendship went from when they were eight to fourteen. At that point, Leo had feelings for Jason and couldn’t keep being just friends with the boy. So, he gathered up his courage and confessed to his friend.

After his confession, Jason just looked puzzled, tilting his head to the side. “I would hope you have feelings for me. It would be awkward to be courting someone who didn’t even like me.”

That was when they realized there had been some misunderstandings due to differing customs. Apparently, when Leo had given him the gift of the bracelet, without specifying what kind of gift it was, it was a signal that it was a courting gift, that it was a message that he was open to courting. Then, Jason gave Leo the necklace, which he not only accepted but wore every day. So, Jason had been courting him from that point forward. Leo asked why he wasn’t courting Jason if he gave Jason a gift, to which Jason rolled his eyes and told him that it was because fae don’t court others, courting was a werewolf thing.

Jason figured Leo must’ve known he was courting him since fae were supposed to be smart and Jason was doing everything you’d find in a basic courting guidebook. He made it as obvious as possible.

That confused Leo, though. “But why would you want to court me? I was such a little shit to you back then.”

That was when Jason got flustered and explained what true mates were. Apparently, according to the laws of their secret meeting place, the only people who could access the place were the pack alpha, the future pack alpha, and the true mates of the pack alpha and future pack alpha. He said that werewolves could tell who their true mate was because of their scent. Leo didn’t understand the whole scent thing, but Jason just said that the scent of their true mate ‘smelled right.’ He said that it was a scent that was most pleasant to them, that it somehow conveyed that they were the one.

When they first met, Jason was so upset because he found out the mean fae who bullied him was his true mate and thought the world was out to get him. He was determined to ignore it but, after being around his pack witnessing Hazel, a new addition to their pack, and Frank realizing they were true mates, he decided to give it a second shot. He figured he could court Leo and see if they would work well together. They had, and the two had been courting ever since.

“So, how do we get together after courting?” Leo asked.

Jason grinned and moved closer to Leo. He moved a hand to Leo’s neck, touching it gently. “Well, full werewolves have a mating ritual but we can’t do that since you’re not a werewolf. But… you can kiss me. You kiss me and I bite you, making you my mate.”

The two of them should have thought of the ramifications of a fae smelling like a werewolf and sporting a mating bite, but they didn’t. Instead, they were two dumb teenagers who were in love. Leo had kissed him and Jason had given him the bite.

Ever since that day, Leo wore shirts with a high enough collar to hide the bite, which wasn’t hard considering it was on the junction between his neck and shoulder. The two had been happily together since then.

Leo was brought out of the memories and into the present as he walked into the hidden grove. Jason was already waiting there and he beamed as he saw him. “Hey, puppy!” He bound toward Jason but frowned when he saw the expression on the other boy. He looked stressed and in mourning. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Jason looked up at Leo, his expression faltering. He stood up, pulling Leo into his arms. Leo paused, his hands slowly coming up to rub his back. “Puppy?” Even after all the years, his teasing nickname for Jason stayed and became affectionate.

Jason nuzzled Leo's neck before pulling away. He looked pained like he was about to do something he didn’t want to. Leo felt his stomach doing nervous flips. “Jace?”

“We need to talk,” Jason murmured, sounding more serious than Leo had ever heard before.

“What’s going on?” Leo wanted to make a joke but his brain wouldn’t work. He couldn’t think beyond his racing thoughts, wondering what happened to Jason. Was he okay? Was he hurt? Did something happen to his pack?

“One of the members of my pack found out about us,” Jason explained.

Leo felt his stomach drop. He knew they weren’t subtle, but he never thought this day would come. “Seriously?”

Jason nodded, expression growing grimmer. “Yes. He brought it up in a meeting. It caused a huge argument in our pack. I told them you were my true mate but they didn’t care. They… decided what to do going forward. They said… that we aren’t allowed to be together. I’m supposed to lead the pack and create future generations. They wouldn’t accept an outsider as my right hand. They wouldn’t accept… half-breed children. They’re going to set me up with a werewolf girl from another pack. One of the members of my pack is going to meet you next week to magically snap our mating bond. The bite will end up healing, but not fully.”

None of this made sense. Going into their relationship, they both knew this was a possible ending, that it was the most likely ending, but he never thought it would come. He felt like he was dreaming and this was a nightmare. He wanted to wake up to a reality where this wasn’t happening.

“Are you serious?” Leo asked, his voice trembling. It was useless to ask such a stupid question. He knew the answer. Jason would never lie to him.

Jason nodded. “I’m serious. I tried everything I could but with no luck. My dad was having none of it. He’s still the pack alpha, so I have to listen to him.”

Tears burned in Leo’s eyes. He furiously blinked them away, not wanting to show Jason how much this hurt him, but some tears managed to slip out and roll down his cheeks. Jason noticed and carefully wiped the tears away.

“Why do we have to listen to those stupid, stuck in their ways werewolves? Why can’t they accept us?” Leo asked, his voice cracking.

Jason pulled him into another hug, holding him close. Leo let himself cry into Jason’s shoulder.

“I don’t know. If I knew how to change their minds, I would. I'm sorry. I didn’t want us to end like this.”

“Do we have to?” Leo asked, his voice small.

He heard Jason inhale sharply. “I think so. The pack will be watching me closely until my new mate arrives. After she comes and the ceremony is done… well, it won’t be pleasant to… be with anyone else, romantically or sexually. Also, she’ll be able to know my emotions and some of my thoughts from our bond. I know my pack. They will choose someone who will be loyal to them. I don’t think we’ll be able to slip one past them.”

“Well, can’t we just… run away? Can’t we leave all this behind us? We’re adults now. We could leave and go live on our own,” Leo suggested.

He heard a heavy sigh. Jason pulled away from the hug, looking sadly at Leo. “As much as I love you, I can’t do that. My pack… I love them so much. They’re not just my family, they’re so much more. Even if their views are backwards, they’re still my pack. I can’t leave them.”

“You can’t or you won’t?” Leo asked, getting angry. “You would do it if you truly loved me.”

Jason’s expression turned stern and Leo realized he might have crossed a line. “I can’t. You want me to leave behind everything I know and everyone I love. Would you leave behind all your friends and family if I asked you to? Leave your friends without any way to contact them since you’re now a traitor? Leave your mom abandoned and alone?”

Leo hadn’t considered it like that. He hadn’t thought about Jason, about all his friends and family he would be leaving behind. If he left a traitor, he wouldn’t be able to contact any of them. Leo wouldn’t be able to do that. He thought he might be able to do it if it was just his friends he left behind, but not his mom. Leo could never abandon his mom, never leave her behind. He loved her more than anything. He shook his head. “No. I’m sorry.” His hands clutched Jason’s shirt. “I don’t want to say goodbye. I… can’t lose you.”

Jason gave Leo a sad smile. “I know. I feel the same way. I wish we could be together. I wish it didn’t have to be like this. You’re… one of the best things that ever happened to me. I’ll never, ever forget you. Not even the gods could make me forget my love for you. I… don’t know how I’ll get over the loss of losing my other half, of losing my better half. I love you, Leo Valdez. I always have and I always will.”

Leo felt completely hopeless. This was it. Their relationship was ending. This wasn’t a nightmare he could wake up from or an illusion he could snap out of. He would never be able to see Jason after this. He would be losing not only his soulmate but his best friend as well. It felt wrong that the world wasn’t ending when it felt like Leo’s world was crashing around him. He didn’t know how to go back to his normal life after this. Leo signed up for this life and this inevitable pain, but it was so much worse now that he was finally feeling it. He cursed the gods and every being he could think of. He cursed their lives. He cursed their forbidden love. He cursed Jason for making Leo love him. He cursed himself for making Jason go through this pain.

Leo leaned in, kissing Jason even as tears streamed down his face. It was a sorrowful kiss, filled with their sadness and mixed with the salty taste of tears. Despite never wanting it to end, Leo slowly pulled away. Jason was crying now. Leo hadn’t ever seen Jason cry before.

“I love you. I love you so much. I wish we could be together. Maybe… someday in the future. I don’t think I’ll be able to love anyone else. Maybe… we’ll be able to be together, whether it’s in the future, our next life, or another universe. I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as I have to. There is no world in which I wouldn’t love you. I love you, Jason Grace. I always will.”

Leo took a few moments to admire Jason. This would be the last time he would ever see him. He took in all of him, all the features he grew to love. He was still so handsome, even when crying. It wasn’t only his looks but all of him, all of Jason. Whatever werewolf they chose for Jason would be lucky to have him.

With what little strength he had left, he kissed Jason’s cheek before turning and leaving. He didn’t let himself look back. He knew if he did, he wouldn’t ever be able to leave. He hesitated for a moment at the entrance of the grove before leaving. Jason didn’t call after him. Leo didn’t stop or look back.

As Leo walked back to The Academy, tears streamed down his face. He didn’t know how he’d explain away his red eyes to his friends. He figured he’d finally tell them the truth.

The only comfort he had was that they would have a chance to be together in another life, in another universe.

What he didn’t know was that the two of them were doomed in every life, in every universe.

#leo valdez #jason grace #valgrace #valgrace 2023 spotify wrapped #made a tag so i can keep track of this #pjo #maybe one day i’ll write a happy sequel to this (I hate only angst so much i want everyone to be happy)#i am so excited for the next one tho omg #this was fun too tho! whooo fantasy vg

15 notes · View notes