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"I'm home !" announced Jason, dropping his keys in Piper's Ugly Bowl.
No answer. Either Leo had decided to deep clean the kictehn again and was too locked in to notice the time, or he was showering.
Jason took off his coat, hung it on top of Leo's because the other handles were all occupied by various drying backpacks. Jason once again smiled as he looked at their small apartment, and all the domesticity and intimacy that the place exhaled, reminding him of how far they came from. How lucky he was to have Leo in his life.
How lucky they both were to have survived and outlived the demigod life expectation.
"Leo ?" Jason called again when he stepped into the kitchen. Empty. His boyfriend was probably in the shower.
He put the bread he'd bought on the counter and decided to join his partner in the shower, feeling gross after helping toddlers paint Mother's Day cards with glitter getting everywhere possible, glue and markers also joining the mess. He then stopped dead on track, his eyes fixed on the candles.
Four red candles stood proudly on the center of the table, unlit.
Jason stared at them for a long moment.
Was that some kind of hidden message ? It was a Tuesday, the day of Mars. Red was commonly associated with the god of war, and Jason knew that lighting them on a Tuesday, the day of the planet Mars, was supposed to enhance their energy in Astrology and other pagan beliefs.
The number four was associated with bad luck and being jinxed.
Red candles were also meant to represent love, desire and passion, and fire.
Mars. Bad luck. Desire. Love. Fire.
Jason's blood ran cold.
Was Leo tired of Jason ? Did something happen ? Did Jason do something wrong ?
Jason froze.
Mars. Desire. Love.
Did Leo... regret leaving Frank ? Did he fall out of love with Jason, or realized he still loved Frank ?
Jason clenched his fists, then released them. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he did wrong.
"Babe ?"
Leo entered the kitchen, wearing only shorts. His face lit up when he saw Jason, and he approached to kiss him, getting on his tip-toes to reach Jason's lips. Jason lowered his back, leaning in his boyfriend. His questions and doubts could wait -- if Leo wanted to kiss him with that much passion, nothing else mattered.
"Hey," smiled Leo. "I made pasta with that sauce Nico hates."
Jason nodded with a smile, that he felt tensing when his eyes landed on the candles again.
Leo followed his boyfriend's gaze. "Oh ! We can do a romantic, sappy dinner date if you want to ! I stole these from Hazel, she says they can't use them now that their cat decided to sneak in every one of their romantic candlelit dinner."
Jason blinked slowly. "So you're not bored of me ?"
"What ? Of course not !"
Leo frowned and looked at his boyfriend with concerned eyes.
"I managed to get you to date me. I'm not gonna give you up that soon," he huffed.
Jason felt relief wash over his body, and he relaxed. "Okay."
Leo frowned at him. "What made you think I was gonna leave you ?"
Jason opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it, ashamed. He'd jumped onto conclusions a bit too quickly, his brain deciding that Leo was breaking up with him because of four red candles.
"Tell me," insisted Leo.
"The candles," muttered Jason, feeling his face grow hotter. "... there's four of them."
Leo's frown deepened. "Yeah ?"
"Four is bad luck. A-and it's Tuesday, the day of Mars, and red candles are associated with him, and red symbolizes desire and passion..."
"You thought I was leaving you to get back with Frank ?" exclaimed Leo. He then burst out laughing, grabbing Jason's shoulders to stabilize himself. Jason pouted, and bit back a smile.
"We're gonna fix your stupid head later," declared Leo when he stopped laughing. "But I'm sure you're starving, Wolf Boy. Let's eat first."
He stretched and Jason shamelessly eyes his boyfriend's body. He was still shirtless, and Jason's mouth watered at the sight of his boyfriend's strong arms, and the way his muscles rolled under his skin, his top surgery scars still covered in hickies from the day before, his tattoos -- a dove for Piper and a tatoo of lightning matching Jason's Lichtenberg scars -- stretched on his skin, the ink catching the eye and complimenting Leo's warm brown skin.
Jason put his hands on Leo's hip, getting closer -- not close enough in his opninion. "Can I eat now ?" he asked.
Leo flushed red. "Perv," he muttered. "You won't get out of eating by seducing me."
"But I can eat now," pouted Jason, his hands tracing his boyfriend's face.
Leo shivered, and put his arms around his boyfriend's neck.
"As long as we get a romantic dinner after..."
Jason smiled and kissed him, smashing their mouths together, causing both of them to stumble.
Leo chuckled and crossed his legs behind Jason.
There wasn't much talking after that, but Jason got to eat, and Leo, after taking another shower with his partner, got his romantic candlelit dinner.
Jason had to admit that, despite what they did to him, the candles were a good idea. The flickering lights of the candles brightened Leo's face, and Jason smiled as he played with the box in his pocket.