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The boys had a boys' night every month. The girls had a girls' night every month.
That was how it was. Things worked well like that. No one complained. No one protested.
Piper didn't understand why Annabeth wanted to change that. By inviting Leo over of all things.
Leo. In their girls' nights.
"No you won't," snapped Piper as soon as Annabeth proposed it a few hours before their sleepover. "You won't fucking invite Leo to a girls' night."
Annabeth looked flabbergasted. Hazel looked delighted by the drama. Reyna was wearing her Resting Bitch Face™ (which made her look kind of hot, Piper would admit it -- she was a simple woman : she saw woman, she thought 'hot').
"Leo's a boy," she said.
"He is," replied Annabeth. "But he's also... Leo. You know him. I don't think he'd mind being an exception."
"You don't know him," snapped Piper, standing up abruptly. "Are you out of your mind ? Did someone hit your head or something ? Why do you want to include Leo so much in a girls' only sleepover ?"
Piper regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, not that she didn't mean them, but because, well, they were mean. Piper wasn't like that.
Except...
Piper knew how much Leo was insecure about his manliness. How much discovering he was polysexual had fucked him up because of the whole 'gay guys are feminine' thing that made him spiral and intensified his gender dysphoria for the following days (until Frank said he looked quite handsome and pointed out the facial hair on his chin, which made Leo so giddy that he accidentally burned said facial hair).
Piper wouldn't let Annabeth hurt Leo, even if she didn't mean it.
What was the point on making a girls' only night if she invited a boy over ?
"It's just a sleepover," said Annabeth, "and I thought it'd be fun with him."
"Well you're wrong."
Piper crossed her arms. Hazel tilted her head, confusion painted on her face. Reyna rolled her eyes and muttered something about allos. Annabeth looked a bit hurt from Piper's harsh words, but she deserved it, didn't she ? (No, Piper did not feel bad. Her heart wasn't bleeding and she was definitely not yearning to touch Annabeth's pretty face and comfort her (and maybe kiss her cheeks a few times).
But Piper wouldn't let a stupid crush stop her from protecting Leo.
Does Leo really need to be protected ? whispered a voice in her head. Of course he didn't need to be protected. But Piper could spare him the pain or the uncomfort that being invited to a girls' night would bring.
"I don't understand why you're so worked up. If Leo doesn't want to come, then he'll refuse."
"So if Nico invited you to their boys' night, you'll just refuse and move on with your life ?"
Maybe that was petty, thought Piper when she saw Annabeth's face crumble. Maybe that was mean. It was mean.
Fuck.
Not only Piper hurt the girl she was in love with, but she was also a fucking bigot. Great.
"That's not the same thing," said Annabeth. "Leo and I are different."
Piper bit back the yes you are on the tip of her tongue. She wasn't going to out Leo.
Everyone at Camp Half-Blood knew that Annabeth was trans. She was proud of it. She didn't hide herself. Piper knew that Annabeth started transitioning very young, but still felt like her body was betraying her. They had grown closer over the months, and Piper knew she wasn't going to get over her crush but, well, laughing with Annabeth and talking about their deepest, darkest dears was worth it.
It wouldn't be worth it if Annabeth hurt Leo, who had been hurt again and again by everyone around him -- and especially his own body, who had just gotten out of his period (periods were not as dysphoric for him as much as other people, but still were a bit).
"'Course we're different," said Leo.
Piper and Annabeth turned to where he was sitting, cross-legged with a hand braiding Reyna's hair -- who, for some unknown reason, let him play with her hair.
"But I'd like to join you," he grinned. "Can't wait to hear Camps' gossip," he said, bumping his shoulder with Hazel's. "Our sleepovers don't get that much gossip. Honest to God, I've missed so much from CJ's dramas."
"You don't mind ?" asked Piper.
"Well, if you change the name. If you keep calling it a girls' night, then I'll definitely set one's hair on fire. No offense, but I can't deal with the dysphoria so close from... yeah."
He shrugged and Piper felt relief washing over her body. She knew Leo. She knew that he wasn't lying.
Then she felt shame.
Shame for being so harsh on Annabeth, who just wanted to include Leo.
"I'm sorry,", she said to Annabeth who was staring at Leo. "For everything I said to you."
Annabeth blinked and her eyes met Piper's.
"I won't say it wasn't harsh," she replied. "But I understand why," her gaze was on Leo again. "You were right -- I'd be pretty pained if someone invited me to boys' nights."
Leo stood up, grinning, and put an arm around Piper's shoulders. "That was pretty hot," he joked, his eyes sparkling under the almost nonexistant sun of September. "Damn, having an ex who's still your friend has its perks."
He winked, and Piper laughed. She understood why she had fallen in love with him at Wilderness School. They were friends now, and their bond was stronger than ever -- just different. She wouldn't have minded staying in love with him, though.
"Ex ?" repeated Hazel. It seemed like she really liked gossiping. Piper wouldn't have thought so.
"Yup," grinned Leo. "We're cool now. I've got my Frankie, and Piper's a lesbian now."
"Not a lesbian," protested Piper, nudging him with her elbow. "I wouldn't have dated you if I was tits only."
Leo laughed. Piper smiled. Then Leo wiggled his eyebrows and not-so-discretely pointed at a flushed Annabeth.
"Shut up," she muttered, also blushing.
Leo just blew her a kiss.
Reyna looked done with them.
Hazel looked satisfied to have finally found out that the rumors were true.
Annabeth and Piper looked at each other with a dumb lovesick smile. Piper could almost forget that Annabeth and her had no future when the blonde smiled like that, with a hand fidgeting her braid and cheeks a bit darker, looking lovely and beautiful as fuck.
"Why don't we also invite Percy over ? Bet they'd like to hear the gossip directly instead of Annie's retelling."
Piper was going to strangle Leo.