It was late afternoon on campus, and the quad buzzed with the sound of people heading to classes or lounging under the sun. Jason Grace sat on the grass with his back against a tree, a thick textbook open on his lap. His golden hair caught the sunlight, and he looked every bit the picture-perfect student.

Except his focus wasn’t on the book.

Leo Valdez was stretched out beside him, lying on his stomach with his chin propped up on his hands, doodling something ridiculous in the margins of his notebook. His curls were wild as always, and his grin was even wilder. Every so often, he’d hum a random tune or nudge Jason with his elbow just to get a reaction.

“Jay-bird, you’re boring,” Leo finally declared, rolling onto his back dramatically, one arm flopped over his eyes. “You’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes. Admit it—you just like pretending to study so you can look smart.”

Jason chuckled, closing the book with a sigh. “Maybe I’d get further if someone didn’t keep distracting me.”

“Someone? Rude.” Leo sat up, pointing at himself. “You mean your amazing, handsome, incredibly funny boyfriend? The one who makes your life way less dull?”

Jason gave him a soft smile. “Yeah. That one.”

Leo blinked, momentarily thrown off by the sincerity in Jason’s voice. He quickly tried to cover it with a smirk, but his ears turned red. “Pfft, sap. You’re lucky you’re cute.”

Jason reached out and tugged him closer, pulling Leo until his head rested against Jason’s shoulder. Leo let out a pleased sigh, snuggling in like it was the most natural thing in the world.

They stayed like that for a while, watching other students pass by, Jason absentmindedly tracing circles on Leo’s arm. Every so often Leo would mutter a joke or whisper some nonsense just to make Jason laugh, and every time Jason did, Leo lit up like he’d just scored a win.

“Y’know,” Leo mumbled after a while, “I don’t care how boring you are with your books and your schedules. You’re mine. And that’s all that matters.”

Jason kissed the top of his curls. “Good. Because you’re mine too.”

Leo grinned, eyes closing as he leaned into him. “Best deal I ever made.”