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For as long as Leo could remember, time had always been… funny. Not in a “funny ha ha” kind of way, just wrong. Broken. But not in a bad way, exactly. He could relive days as many times as he wanted, but he couldn’t change the final outcome, just the details. If he went to the movie theater the first time, he had to go to the movie theater every time after, but he could change what movie he saw. He could change his order at restaurants, he could change how late he stayed in bed in the morning and when he went to sleep at night.
When he was little, he used it all the time. There were just so many options out there in the world, and he wanted to experience every last one of them. He got to try all the flavors of ice cream, even though his mamá could only afford to take him every now and then. He got to make sure he read the best book at circle time. He got to practice all of the school’s field day games until he could win all of the prizes he wanted. For the first eight years of his life, Leo lived every day over and over until he was sure that he was sure that he’d gotten every bit of joy out of it. Eventually, though, he learned the extent of his strange little powers and he quit using them. Eventually he learned that he could change the variables all he wanted, but the result never truly changed.
He learned that he could change how long he spent hysterically crying as a workshop burned down with his mamá inside, but at the end of the day she would always be dead.
After that, there just weren’t any days he felt were worth repeating. Even his best days (which were very numbered) were exhausting enough to get through on the first go-round. There wasn’t much joy that managed to outweigh the monumental effort of forcing himself out of bed that morning just so he could do it all over again.
Then, when he was sixteen, everything changed. He and Jason were just hanging out, just like they did almost every day. Leo had ducked out of his cabin schedule, so it was just them all day long doing whatever dumb stuff Leo suggested. They went on a hike that Leo made Jason carry him for half of. They went canoeing (which Leo still couldn’t believe he enjoyed) until Jason’s skin started to get sunburned red. They sat right next to each other at the campfires and Jason ate all of the s’mores Leo handed him, even though he hated marshmallows. After that, they were supposed to go back to their cabins, but Leo simply wasn’t done with The Best Day Ever, so he grabbed Jason by the hand and dragged him to Bunker Nine. Leo had set up hammocks in there at Piper’s behest, so when they simply couldn’t keep their eyes open any more, they tumbled into one together without hesitation.
Then, with Jason’s arms holding him tight and his eyelids heavier than anything, Leo felt Jason press his lips into his curls and whisper, “I love you.”
Leo’s breath hitched, but he was already so tired that all he could do was desperately think, Please, let me try again, before he fell asleep.
The next morning, Leo had never been more excited to wake up alone in his own bed. He hadn’t been sure if his powers still worked, or even if they’d ever been anything other than a bit of wild imagination. But this was proof. He raced for the door to his cabin and flung it open to find Jason standing there, looking slightly puzzled. “Uh, hey, Leo.”
Leo could already feel his cheeks flushing, but that was fine because he’d been blushing around Jason since the day they met. What was less fine was the breathless giddiness in his voice. “Hey, Superman.”
Jason didn’t seem to mind, his smile just got soft and fond. “So, it’s been a minute since just the two of us had a day, do you want–”
“Yes!” Leo all but squeaked. He cast a glance over his shoulder and shouted, “Bye, Nyssa! I’m hanging out with Jason, give me chores or whatever!” Without waiting for a response, Leo took Jason’s hand and bounded away, son of Jupiter in tow and laughing.
Leo was determined to confess first, or, at the very least, make Jason confess before he was literally about to pass out in his arms. If he could do that, then today could be their first date, and Leo really, really wanted a day as perfect as this to be his first date. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten the most important rule of his power after not using it for eight years.
He couldn’t change anything.
No matter how hard he tried, Leo just couldn’t get his master plan to work. He was interrupted over and over again, and any time he tried to prompt it out of Jason he just got an oddly knowing smile and a masterful deflection. It didn’t matter how many times Leo repeated the day, he simply couldn’t get the words past Jason’s teeth until the last moment.
After making himself nearly miserable on his sixth attempt at the day, Jason put a stop to it. It was late, they were about to fall asleep in the hammock, but this time Jason changed the script. “So, same time tomorrow? Or, this morning, rather.”
Leo went very still then looked up with wide eyes. “What?”
“I’ve known the whole time,” Jason admitted. “I kinda just wanted to see how many times you’d redo today.”
Leo was dizzy. “Huh?”
Jason grinned like he’d done something very clever indeed. “I still love you. In case you were wondering.”
Leo just kissed him instead of answering. They woke up the next morning in the hammock together.