Hot Stuff (Leo Valdez X Chubby!Reader)

Author's Note: Takes place at Camp Half-Blood, though I can't remember if that's right?? We're just pretending that like all the demigods are at Camp Half-Blood for Valentine's Day because why the heck not  <33

You sighed, resting your chin on your palm as you looked around you. Almost every single demigod had someone to share the day with, and they were all giggling and exchanging valentines.

It made your heart hurt.

You had never been the most popular girl in school, but even when you went to regular school, you could count on one of your best friends to buy you a cheesy valentine and a little box of chocolate. Here, you had no one. You weren't really friends with any of the other campers, sure, you talked to some of them occasionally, but not often, and not enough to actually consider them friends. Well, there was one person that you considered a friend, but you hadn't seen them around yet today.

You were just going to stand up and hide in your cabin, maybe read a book while your brothers and sisters were off with their dates, when you heard the step creak as someone sat beside you.

You turned to look at the person, raising an eyebrow at Leo Valdez, one of the sons of Hephaestus and your only friend at camp. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing all alone?" Leo questioned back, and you shrugged.

"Don't have a valentine. Don't really have any friends, either."

Leo pressed a hand to his heart and pretended to be offended. "Excuse me, but I think you're forgetting someone." When all you did was look at him blankly, he pointed to himself with both hands. "Me! We're friends." He was silent for half a second. "Right?"

You smiled slightly. "'Course we are, Leo. You're just the only one, really. No one talks to me here."

"Again, I talk to you all the time. And aren't you and Nico like, creepy creature of the night buddies or something?"

You rolled your eyes fondly at the joke. "Actually, yes, but he's not even at camp right now. He's on some mission for his dad, I think."

Leo frowned. "Well, that sucks." He gave you a pointed look. "You need to make more friends."

"Gee, yeah, sounds really easy when you say it like that. This is me we're talking about, Leo. It took me a month to actually respond when you tried to talk to me. I'm not the best with conversation."

"That's because you don't practice enough. Why don't you talk to Piper or Jason?" 

You looked at Leo as if he were crazy (though really, he kind of was). "Oh yeah, because I can totally talk to Piper, who looks like a goddess, or Jason, who looks like a god, when I look like..." You sighed. "Neither of those things. That would end well."

Leo raised an eyebrow at you. "Who says you don't look like a goddess? From every angle I've seen you at, you look like a goddess to me."

You blushed and buried your face in your hands. "You're my friend! You have to say that! It doesn't mean you actually think it."

Leo's eyebrows knitted together; he was even more confused now. "Just because I'm your friend doesn't mean I'd lie to you." Leo pulled your head away from your palms, but kept a gentle grip on your chin. "You really are stunning, __y/n__."

You tried to look away, but Leo wouldn't let you. "I mean it. I don't know why you can't see it."

You pointed down to your stomach, a lot more pudgy than you'd like. "That certainly doesn't help. I don't look like Piper, or Annabeth, or anyone, really. They're all skinny and athletic and I..." You sighed again. "I'm chubby and hate exercise with a burning, fiery passion."

Leo was looking at you in desperate confusion. "You do know that chubby and ugly don't correlate, right? Just because you're chubby doesn't mean you're unattractive, and you're not. Same with being skinny. I'm the scrawniest person ever, and most girls won't look at me twice."

"That's because they're stupid." You said simply. "You're hot, Leo. Literally and physically. I thought you knew that?"

He smiled, a little self-deprecatingly, and it broke your heart. "I like to act like I am. Ya know, fake it 'til you make it? But it's hard to believe it when no one's ever shown the slightest interest in me."

Without thinking about it, without even really meaning to do it, you leaned forward and pressed your lips to Leo's, kissing him sweetly. Leo didn't respond, and when you pulled away, his eyes were wide.

"What was that for?" Leo asked after he finally found his voice.

"I like you. I just never knew when the right time to tell you was." You smiled softly at him. "Now seemed like a good a time as any."

Leo blinked once, then twice in surprise before surging forwards and capturing your lips with his in a warm, fierce kiss. Your hands came up to rest on his neck, lightly twirling the dark hairs at the base between your fingers as you kissed him back. One of Leo's hands dipped down to your waist, his fingers squeezing your hip softly.

Leo reluctantly broke the kiss after a moment, his breath coming in harsh pants as you grinned at him. "We are quite the pair, aren't we, Leo?"

Leo nodded, a bright, brilliant smile on his face. "We are." His lips found yours again for a brief moment. "I hope you know that I am going to do everything I can to show you how beautiful you are."

"I hope you know that I am going to do the same thing with you." You responded easily, a hand moving down to his cheek and running your thumb along the bone.

Let's just say that it was quite a good Valentine's Day for both of you.

End.  <3