#jasiperverse

How can she do this to herself? She spent years alone, maintaining a comfortable (yes, comfortable even though sometimes it was hard) distance between her and Jason. Sometimes there was a lapse of judgment, a night where the tensions got too high and they found themselves beneath the sheets, limbs intertwined and lips pressed to each other’s skin. They always manage to brush it off—an awkward laugh, averted eye contact, the walk of shame. It doesn’t stay awkward for long because by the next day, they’re texting and chatting like usual. It’s fine. It always ends up fine. Piper can still mash down her feelings and pretend it’s all okay.

Ever since Annabeth and Percy’s wedding, it isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s part of her daily routine. Wake up, coffee, work, dinner, she sees Jason, repeat. Maybe deciding on doing her last year of med school in San Francisco wasn’t her brightest idea, given that now she’s less than thirty minutes away from Jason at all times, but it’s too late to backtrack. She’s here now and he’s very obviously apart of her daily life, just as she’s apart of his.

It’s like their souls are intertwined. The Fates were probably having a field day with this. They tangled their strings of yarn together, tied several knots into them just for fun before seeing how well they can thrive. Even with the breakup, the several near-death experiences, Piper is sure their lives are even more connected. If she wanted to leave—which of course she doesn’t—she doesn’t think she’d have the ability to. It’s like there’s a bungee cord attached to them; if one ventures too far, the cord will restrict and pull them back together.

The wedding slip-up is a result of the cord being pulled too far. They spent too much time apart and when they were pulled back together, it lasted longer than it should have.

So now Piper is completely and utterly wrapped around Jason’s finger. She can’t even deny it at this point. So much for being just friends. The years of running away from her feelings finally caught up to her.

How can she not still have feelings for him? He’s her best friend, her shoulder to cry on, the person she trusts the most in the world.

Plus, he’s stupid pretty. Stupid pretty.

She’s never been fooled—it’s not like he was ever unattractive. He’s always been unfairly attractive. He’s just grown into himself now. His hair, which used to be cut short (Roman military style), has grown out, infuriatingly perfect. It’s hard to not run her fingers through it and pull him close and kiss him.

After sneaking away from the wedding reception a few months back, she finds herself doing that often. When they’re alone and they’ve run out of things to talk about, she tangles her fingers in his hair as she puts her lips to his, losing herself in the taste of his mouth.

It’s almost too easy to pretend that he’s hers when her tongue is in his mouth. She can delude herself for the time being—no one else is making him moan and flush and cause his eyelids to flutter. As much as she’s wrapped around his finger, she’s got him wrapped around hers, too. It’s the endless cycle of their relationship. Maybe if they weren’t so broken, they can take the final jump and say fuck it, let’s just try to date again.

But they’ve stared death in the eyes and they’ve figured out years ago that just because they’re broken, their pieces don’t necessarily fit into each other. They’re not a puzzle waiting to be finished. They’re broken glass, just random unfixable shards that have spent years trying to be reassembled.

That doesn’t stop Piper from hoping and praying to any god that is willing to listen to somehow bring them back together.

She’s selfish. She just wants him for herself.

But Jason Grace isn’t one to be owned. He’s the son of the king of the gods, pontifex, warrior through and through. He’s caused armies to fall, kingdoms to crumble. He wants domestic life—marriage, kids, a house with a big backyard. Even then, she can’t imagine her to be the one to be his wife in a suburban area. Their time has passed.

It still doesn’t stop her from wanting him to be hers. She doesn’t like sharing.

Right now, staring at his freckled back as he sleeps, playing connect the dots with the sunspots, she wants to be the only one to ever see him like this. Messy hair, skin pink against the white sheets, his back rising and falling with each breath. Who wouldn’t want this angel of a man to be theirs and only theirs?

For now, she’s the only one to be lucky to be in such a vulnerable position like this with him. That causes an almost painful, empty hollow feeling in her chest. This won’t be forever. This is just a temporary fix, a little fun before he goes off and settles down with a less broken person, someone who hasn’t flirted with death and almost paid the price for it. He’s worthy of someone who won’t scream in her sleep and push him away when things get hard.

Still. She doesn’t need him to love her. She just really wants him to.

The early morning sunlight is creeping through his blinds, turning his hair gold. Usually, he’s the one who wakes up around this time while she sleeps, but he’s had a long week. His breathing is slow, steady, clearly still asleep. She closes her eyes, listening to the sound of his heart against her cheek as she presses herself closer to his back, her arm hanging loosely off his torso. Maybe their broken pieces don’t fit perfectly, but for just a moment, she can pretend.

Several minutes pass and Jason’s breathing picks up, a clear indication that he’s waking up. Piper keeps her eyes closed, not daring to move, feigning sleep. She doesn’t want him to know she’s been awake this entire time.

With a low groan, Jason shifts in her arms, the sheets bunched up around them as he turns over. Her eyes remain shut as she feels his chest where his back once was, almost dropping the façade when she feels his hand cup her cheek. It isn’t until he presses his lips to her forehead is when she decides to ‘wake up’—her eyelids flutter and she forces a yawn as she gives an appropriate stretch.

Pretending to be asleep, she decides, is totally worth it. His cheeks are flushed a delicious shade of pink, a stark contrast to his sky blue eyes. She wants to lean forward and kiss every freckle on his cheekbone, but that feels a little less platonic than she feels comfortable with despite the fact he just kissed her forehead.

“Did I wake you?” Jason asks, voice wonderfully husky and heavy with sleepiness.

“Mhm, it’s okay.” Piper settles her hand on a shoulder, a place she deems as safe. “How’d you sleep?”

“Well,” he admits. “I needed that. Work this week was so tiring.”

There are still dark circles under his eyes. Piper runs her thumb just below his left eye and she says, “You seemed tired. We can go back to sleep if you want.”

Jason shakes his head and leans into her touch. She tries to ignore how her heart is beating in her throat when he murmurs, “No, you’re probably hungry. What host am I if I don’t make you breakfast?”

Piper almost wants to point out they’re hardly ever considered guests in each other’s apartments anymore—this is a routine event that occurs multiple times a week, but the thought of Jason cooking her breakfast makes her cheeks go warm. “Breakfast sounds nice.”

“Mhm.” Jason nods and sits up. Piper has to force herself to look away as the sheets fall and hang loosely around his hips. “Breakfast and maybe a shower after that?”

A shower sounds nicer than she wants to admit. She nods and slowly sits up, holding the sheets to her chest. “Can you make pancakes?” she asks hopefully.

He smiles and nods. “Of course,” he answers. He pushes away the sheets and Piper averts her eyes. She’s acting like she hasn’t seen him naked before because she knows if she looks, she’ll do something stupid, like blurt out her feelings for him, which is the last thing they need on such an uneventful morning. “Okay, I’ll start breakfast after I brush my teeth.” As if it’s the most casual thing in the world, he ruffles her hair before shuffling out of the bedroom in just his boxers.

Maybe there’s a part of her that does need his love, as pathetic as that sounds. A daughter of love who can’t even find the love for herself, someone who needs to love of another. It sounds so selfish; she’s already broken his heart once, he doesn’t need her to do it again.

Although now, she’s sure she wouldn’t break his heart again. She isn’t as hurt as she was when she was sixteen. She’s long accepted the demigod life and she wants to do it with him. 

Not that she’d ever say it. She bites back her feelings, again, settling for being the best friend who occasionally gets sex. It’s more than she deserves out of him, anyway.

It takes another few minutes of self-deprecating for Piper to haul herself out of bed. It’s hard to leave because Jason’s sheets are so soft, but she makes her way to the bathroom, grabs the toothbrush he keeps for her, and brushes her teeth. She tries to forget about the way Jason kissed her last night, how he kissed her forehead just this morning.

Is it so bad to want to be loved? Is it so awful to crave that? Maybe not, but this is her best friend, her first love. She wants to be adored but right now… Piper has to settle for this—the sex and nothing else. She can survive without the I love you and claiming each other as their own.

With a dramatic sigh, Piper forces Jason’s discarded shirt from the previous night on her body, choosing to put on panties and not her leggings as she makes her way to the kitchen, which smells heavenly of pancakes. By the time she slides into the stool at the counter, Jason’s sliding over a plate of pancakes, complimented with the perfect amount of syrup (he knows how much she likes) and strawberries and scrambled eggs. Her mouth waters and she digs right in.

“Hungry?” Jason teases, looking infuriatingly like a domestic husband cooking his wife breakfast after a long week of work.

What I would give to be the wife he’s cooking breakfast for.

Piper almost chokes on her pancakes at the thought. “Um, yeah. You wore me out,” she reminds him, having to force back a smile as his face turns a wonderful shade of red. “Are you telling me you’re not hungry from last night?”

Jason leaves over the other side of the counter, biting into his own stack of pancakes. “Starving,” he corrects as he chews. “Pancakes were a good idea, Pipes.”

She has to bite back her snarky remark, instead shoving her face full of strawberries. Making fun of him this morning isn’t on her agenda. At least not yet.

Staring is also not on her agenda, but it’s hard to do so when Jason’s hair is golden in the midmorning sun, freckles like constellations on his pale skin, lips so pink she wonders if they taste like bubblegum. (She’s kissed him enough to confirm his lips somehow taste better than bubblegum.) She wonders how sweet the kiss will taste as he eats his own breakfast. Will they taste like the coffee he drinks, or syrup, or the strawberries?

Maybe looking at him and focusing on his physical features will help her get her mind off the fact that her feelings are eating her insides away. So she continues to stare.

It isn’t until after Jason finishes his breakfast that he realizes she’s staring. “What? Is there something on my face?” he asks, instinctively reaching up to touch his cheek.

Piper shakes her head, pushing aside her empty plate as she props her elbows up on the counter. “Nope. I’m just…” She struggles for the right innuendo, hoping he’ll catch on, but knowing he’s too dense to do so. “I’m still hungry.”

“Oh.” Jason blinks. “I could make you more pancakes if you want. Don’t even worry about it.”

“No, Jason.” Piper leans even further over the counter. “I’m not hungry for food.”

It takes Jason a few moments to realize what she’s getting at. He flushes crimson, the color reaching to the tips of his ears. “Oh. Oh.” He laughs breathily and he reaches across the counter to twine his fingers in her hair. “Really? After last night?”

“Especially after last night.” Piper bites down on her bottom lip. She was right—being horny is easier than grappling the feelings that threaten to bubble over the surface. She can’t ruin the friendship purely because she’s still hopelessly head over heels for him years after their breakup. “Are you…”

Jason doesn’t answer. His lips do the talking instead as he closes the distance between them to give her an eager kiss. She’s right, his lips do taste like a sweet mixture of maple syrup and fresh strawberries.

“I said I was starving earlier, didn’t I?” Jason murmurs as he pulls away. He pushes himself away from the counter, holding out a hand to her. “Come on. We can shower after this.”

His hand is extended towards her and she wishes this was a different situation. She wishes he was asking for her love instead, asking her to be his. Asking her to adore him.

But he’s not. He doesn’t have those feelings anymore. All she’s capable of doing is pining and cursing her past mistakes because now she’s stuck in this zone, only able to kiss him but unable to love him the way she wants to.

His heart is beating in his throat as memories from last night come flooding back. He remembers the graduation party, not his, and the strangers and the food and the feeling of relief that his undergraduate years were finally behind him and the—

Oh, fuck.

He remembers how he got here now. It’s not like he’d been drunk last night, not at all, but last night had been… strenuous, may he say, so the memories take some time to come back. He remembers fidgeting in the guest room, the tiny present in his pocket. He remembers mustering up the courage to walk down the hallway, knock on the door, and enter.

She didn’t ask for a present, he knows that. She had said that just him being there was enough. His graduation had been the weekend before hers and she’d gone, of course. He’d never miss her graduation, or her party, for the world.

So, of course, Jason got her a present. How could he not? He’d ordered it months ago, hoping that it was enough for her. Nothing really was enough, given who she was, but there were only certain things money could buy.

When Jason put the necklace on her and watched as she touched it, he could forget all about their troubles and the stress and the looming threat of graduate school for them. He could stare into her eyes and the world would melt away around him.

That’s what happened last night. Between her lips and the hands gripping her hips and her fingers threading into his hair and the sloppy kisses and the soft moans, the world melted away.

As Jason reflects on the previous night, he doesn’t notice her stirring until he hears a soft, “You’re up early.”

“I’m always up early, you should know that,” Jason answers, turning his head.

Piper’s hair is disheveled, previously been curled elegantly down her back now cascading in messy waves across her shoulders. Her lips are swollen and Jason swears he can still taste her watermelon lipgloss from last night. She’s holding the sheets against her chest, the white fabric a huge contrast to her brown skin, the skin he kissed countless times just hours before. When she tilts her head, he sees the trail of hickeys down her neck if he concentrates enough. Not too noticeable considering how many he left.

“I’m not surprised,” Piper murmurs, reaching out to him. He instantly reaches forward and intertwines their fingers, something they haven’t done so naturally in years. The necklace he’d given her last night settles against the crook of her neck. “Cuddle me. Our flight doesn’t leave for a few more hours.”

Jason should say no. He should get out of bed, grab his discarded clothes, and go back to the guest bedroom where he belongs. He doesn’t have a right to be lying in the sheets with her, naked and vulnerable. This is going to complicate things. This is going to complicate everything given that they’re about to go on vacation for a week to celebrate their college graduations. One slip up now could lead to the most uncomfortable week of their lives and the last thing he wants to do is inflict his relationship—or lack of a relationship, rather—problems on their mutual friends.

But the sun hits her skin just right and Jason would be a damn fool to resist. He moves closer and he hates how perfectly Piper settles against his chest, the curve of her spine fitting like a puzzle piece against his chest. Their fingers are still intertwined and Piper kisses his knuckles as they hold each other silently.

It’s been, what, four years since he made this mistake last? They were doing so well; they didn’t mess up once during undergraduate. The last time he was pressed against her naked was the night of senior prom and that was a whole other mess he wants to avoid.

But lying here, tracing his fingertips against her hip… This doesn’t feel like a mistake. He hasn’t felt this at peace in years. He wonders if she feels the same.

“Jason?” Piper’s voice is soft, smooth, like silk or honey.

“Yeah, Pipes?” He’s so close that his lips brush against her shoulder.

She turns around to face him, her nose just centimeters from his. When she breathes, he could feel the hot air on his lips. He can feel every inch of her body pressed against his own, her hand already sliding down his chest.

“Kiss me,” she whispers.

You shouldn’t, the voice inside of him whispers. You really, really shouldn’t. This isn’t your girlfriend. She’s not your girlfriend. She’s not—

Jason leans in and captures Piper’s lips, so soft, against his own in a hungry kiss. The delicious moan she makes is worth the fact that this decision might ruin this friendship. He rolls over, pressing her against the mattress, tangling his fingers in her hair as she murmurs his name over and over against his lips. One of her legs wraps around his hips, keeping his body close.

Somewhere between the kissing and him tearing the condom wrapper open with his teeth, the voice inside of him grows quiet until it’s barely a whisper, making him forget that he really, really, really should not be doing this.

***

“Okay.” Bobby smacks his lips after he takes a long sip of his drink. It’s obnoxiously bright blue with a little umbrella on top and Jason can smell the alcohol from even five feet away. “Spill. When were you going to tell me you got back together with Piper?”

Jason lifts his sunglasses and squints at his friend. “What?”

“Dude, you two are sharing the master bedroom. Sex like, what, three times a day at least? When did it happen? After the graduation party?”

“We’re not back together.” Jason hates how bitter he sounds. “It’s… casual.”

Bobby blinks heavily and sits up. “Casual? You and Piper? The girl you’ve been in love with for seven years? You’re calling this casual?”

“It is casual,” Jason says defensively. But as he says that, he can’t help but look out at the ocean, his eyes instantly landing on Piper. She’s wearing a yellow bikini today, her hair tied back in a high ponytail. She must sense some eyes on her because she turns around and waves before one of her friends from UCLA pushes her back into the water. “Completely casual.”

“Uh huh.” Bobby finishes off his drink. “People in a casual relationship don’t stare longingly at each other. It’s kind of gross.”

“Shut up.” Jason puts his sunglasses back on and soaks up the sun. “We’re on vacation. If we want to make consensual adult choices, why can’t we?”

“Our Airbnb is only so big, if I hear any sex noises, I will come in and make you guys stop,” Bobby threatens. “I was supposed to claim the master bedroom. All the hot girls come to Hawaii for vacation, how am I supposed to hook up with one now in a shared room?”

Jason chooses to ignore Bobby’s whining. He almost wants to say that he’s endured the sex noises for years (as they’ve been roommates for three years now), but he knows how dramatic Bobby is. Nothing Jason says will make Bobby stop whining about how he won’t be able to hook up with anyone.

Plus, Bobby might be right. Whatever is going on between Jason and Piper probably isn’t casual.

Yeah, no shit? Jason’s inner voice asks sarcastically. How do you think anything can be casual between you two?

The sun is setting when Piper approaches Jason. She has a towel wrapped under her arms, wet hair plastered against her neck. She ignores Bobby—which is the right call, he’s annoying—and leans down to murmur in Jason’s ear, “I’m going to go shower. Want me meet me back in the room?”

Heat flashes up to the tips of Jason’s ears. He nods, afraid of speaking because he’s sure what will come out of him will be nothing more than a squeak.

“Seriously? It’s not even late and you guys are already starting for the night?” Bobby demands. “I’m going to need to be drunk to handle this.”

Piper flips Bobby off as she stands upright. “Hope you’re enjoying your shared room,” she says sweetly. “I’m loving the master.” She flashes a smug smile as she turns to walk into their Airbnb.

Bobby looks incredulously at Jason. “Well, must be good sex if she’s in a good enough mood to taunt me,” he huffs. “I deserve the master.”

“I don’t see any girls lined up to hook up with you,” Jason points out as he stands up. “Have fun complaining, I’ll see you later.”

“When did I turn into the boring, sexless one in this friendship?” Bobby calls after him. “I don’t want to be like you!”

Jason shuts the glass door behind him so he doesn’t hear Bobby complaining. Judging by the silence—except for the running water coming from the bathroom connected to the master bedroom—he assumes no one else is inside. He’s thankful for that, though; although the group of people are all mutual friends from both Stanford and UCLA, he rather them not be around right now. He really doesn’t need the teasing at this time.

Before heading back to the bedroom, Jason goes into the kitchen and fills up a glass of water. He heads back to the bedroom the same time he hears the shower water cut off. Only a matter of time now, he thinks to himself as he sits on the edge of the bed.

Within minutes, the bathroom door opens. Piper’s hair falls in damp waves down her back and she wears a fuzzy pink robe. She smiles when she sees Jason, asking him playfully, “Waiting for me?”

“You’re impatient. I knew you’d want me to be ready,” he replies.

“You know me too well.” Piper closes the distance between them and stands between his legs. He automatically grabs her hips as her hands rest on his bare shoulders. “And you got us water? You’re too sweet.”

“The water was for me,” he murmurs, leaning up to kiss her jaw. “But we can share. You always steal from me.”

Piper hums contently, her fingers running down his arms. “Do I?” she asks softly as his lips trail down her neck. “Figures. It started in my BMW days. Then I stole the master bedroom from Bobby, which, by the way, I haven’t even seen him try to flirt with anyone, so it would’ve gone to waste.”

Jason moves his hands up to open her robe as he kisses the crook of her neck. “We would’ve figured something out if he kicked us out,” he assures her.

Her smile makes the worry of complications seem like a minuscule problem. She pulls away and then dips her head down, pressing her lips to his. Her breath is warm against the inside of his mouth and she tastes like a mixture of her watermelon lipgloss and strawberries. As he goes to push her robe off her shoulders, her fingers hook around the waistband of his swim trunks. By the time she pins him onto the mattress, their discarded clothes are in a heap on the floor.

Jason’s earlier conversation with Bobby comes back to him as Piper straddles him. The fact that this is casual. The fact that this shouldn’t mean anything because they’re friends.

But they are friends, painfully so, and this is the girl Jason’s been in love with since he was fifteen, so it isn’t as casual to him as it is to her.

Kissing her makes this moment feel like it could last forever. An endless summer with the smell of ocean water and the taste of watermelon lipgloss. Her soft skin is warm, comforting, inviting, nostalgic like a summer evening. He doesn’t know how he went so many years without feeling her naked body pressed against his, hearing her heavy breathing as he kisses down her body.

Once he flips them over and he pins her against the mattress, he has an opportunity—he can stop, risk further complication. Pull away now and minimize the hurt later. Tell her that he can’t be casual.

Piper’s eyelids are heavy as she blinks up at him, the setting sun hitting her naked body just right. “Kiss me,” she murmurs.