Last Dances
by: Kiku Nakamura
Pairing: Jason Grace x Reyna Avila Ramierez-Arellano
Rating: T (alcohol and some language)
Disclaimer: As always, I have not yet inherited the PJO/HoO license from Rick Riordan. Still very highly unlikely.
Summary: All she ever did was want to get away from the stress that pressed her shoulders down. A heavy invisible bag that dragged her to the floor.
It seemed to Reyna that the last place that she wanted to be was a bar when she was younger. She was gonna be a professional that didn't like going to get a drink.
When she grew up, stress usually got to her and she got coffee. Other days a night out with Jason seemed to be the best thing yet. There wasn't anything that changed between her and Jason- they were still the closest of friends. It wasn't like anything was about or going to change anyway.
She's danced with him over and over gain up until the moment that the dance floor tore them away. She just walked right up the stool of the end of the bar. Reyna sat down and waited until the bartender came over and she ordered a drink. This happened for quite a few times until a slow dance came up. The rhythm of this song seemed to attract her as if she was a moth circling around porch lights. It was what the fast beats of the others didn't have.
She probably had a few glasses more than she should have but tomorrow was Saturday and most likely Hangover Day for her.
If only the people from work could see her right now. In an almost delusional attempt to dance, she carefully made her way to the center of the crowd.
When once she was perfectly balanced on her own two feet, she now felt that her knees were holding her in shape, just barely. The only thing that was keeping her up was the sweaty bodies pressing into each other on every side of her. Reyna had now fit in with all of the other people at the place.
She swayed with everyone around her. Reyna felt that she wasn't as sharp looking as she was before since she had to slap away a guy's seeking hand from her ass. Still very quick-witted instincts she thought, proudly.
The young woman didn't understand what was wrong with her, but hysteria-induced chokes came with the large teardrops that started to fall from her face. It wasn't that fact that she was an orphan or that she had so much work at the office that she went to. It probably wasn't also the fact thar Jason had been asked out by another girl, and he accepted. This shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did.
She had been asked out as many times as Jason, even if it was as just a date or as a girlfriend but she never accepted. She said that her work was most important, but she never thought that it could be anything else.
"Queens don't cry." Reyna was startled as she heard the smooth voice next to her ear. The breath too was perfectly minty and showed no trace of alchohol. This was unusual at bars and the only person that she knew that had this habit was Jason. He seemed magical because even if he drank, all that he ever did was pop a mint in his mouth and he was perfect.
Reyna leaned into Jason's chest while his arms snaked around her waist. If they were seen like this in front of their other friends, things might have been complicated, but she and Jason were always like this. Alone and in front of strangers. Let them believe what they wanted Reyna thought. It was only going to be tonight. She turned around facing him and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Hey, Jason..." she whispered.
"Mhm?" he asked waiting for her to complete what she had to ask.
"Say, was there ever a time when you liked me?" Reyna asked. She would later blame it on the alcohol or the music that set the mood around her.
"A secret." Reyna could feel the smirk that rose on his face just listening to him speak.
"You know, you are a very sneaky person. I'm just telling you in case you didn't know." And he probably didn't. Her view of him was a defender of justice and only wanted the truth.
"And why do you accuse me of such a thing?" Jason's voice didn't sound hurt, everything that both of them said seemed to be blurred at the edges, like the dimmed lights flashing they weren't as tipsy as they were know, their responses would have been more witty and had a sting while they argued over certain points. She wasn't sure anymore if they were crossing any lines but Reyna didn't want to care. Wasn't that the reason that she was hear in the first place and not looking over some files at home with a large coffee on the comfy couch?
"A secret," she mockingly said back to him.
"Damn you." There was a silence clouding Reyna's mind. They just kept swaying until the song ended.
They stayed like that for a bit more up to the last dance of the night. It started fast and stayed that way through the whole thing. The tempo was so catchy if one was into pulsing beats from all around. Where Jason and Reyna were once lost in the crowd of people, Reyna twirled her way to Jason seeing the tousled blonde waves, a very typical Californian sight but still all entirely owned by him.
"I thought you left without me," Reyna said on her tiptoes from behind him. Both of them knew that it couldn't be true because wherever they went together, they left together. Everyone in their circles knew that. You couldn't expect Reyna to leave by herself at a party and Jason to leave even fifteen minutes later, let alone two hours. They escaped as one and made their appearances together in sync.
Reyna stopped a step to the door which would be their exit. Jason turned around and just stared at her. "Okay... What's your problem right now, Rey? Did you forget your phone or something?"
"Nope. It's just- Ladies first."
"What?" Jason raised an eyebrow at her, quizzically.
"I said-"
"No, not that. You just called yourself a guy."
"And you a girl."
"Touché."
When Reyna got out of the cab, Jason followed and pulled her into a warm hug. "Yes. I might even still."
"I don't get it."
"Just think," he brushed strands away from her ear and said into it. He pulled away and placed a kiss on her forehead where wrinkles were forming from her puzzled face. The tenseness wore away from Reyna's face and she felt warm. Warm enough to fall asleep by falling face first onto her bed.
That was the first time that Reyna honestly liked going clubbing than staying at home.
Thanks for being patient with me. This is the third chapter and it took me -what?- about 2 months to get done?
This chapter goes out to my friend, Camryn, a late-discovered demigod. Here's some Jeyna fluff (a break from the angst) for you, you need some calm from Piper-flames.
I was in a very Jeyna mood after reading a lot of Magic Kaitou fanfiction and manga. They're themes really mind me of each other. I wrote this starting yesterday when I was helping out at my school's open house. I was writing on the bus at 6AM this morning and I got to this point at 6PM in the evening. I hope that the next chapter is up sometime later this month. (I make no promises! Don't shoot me.)
Read and review! Reviews are motivation towards me getting my mid-terms over with.
Here's a basket of (your favorite foods), thalicoshipper, I lied. I couldn't come up with a response for Jason to Reyna's letter in the 2nd chapter. SORRY! Forgive me.
amicaricia10- No, I did not forget about your Gwen/Dakoto feature in the next chapter. Just wait for it.
Signed,
Ivy
Date Completed: March 7th, 2014
