Chapter Twenty-Five

"tell me a story or something," you requested. "Or anything, really, let's do something more fun than being sad about stuff."

"That's kinda vague," Jason leaned back thoughtfully. "Do you want to play a game?"

"I don't want to use my brain that much," you admitted. "I wish I was tired enough to just take a nap."

"You sleep all the time!" he hit your shoulder playfully. It was something that would agitate him more if you weren't so cute when you were sleepy. "You should build up your energy so you can spend time with me!"

"I spend a lot of time with you, dumbass," you laughed. "Maybe you should nap more."

"Well, if I'm napping with you, maybe I'll start napping more," Jason tilted his head. You bit your lip and didn't answer. You really didn't want to lead anyone on, but cuddling is... the best.

"I'm not sleepy enough to nap. Wanna watch a movie?" You stood from your chair and stretched. "I bet I can run there faster than you."

"Like hell you can!" Jason shoved you back into your chair and sprinted out into the hallway. He was silly, a feature of his you appreciated. You thought about just walking there to spite him, but figured you'd run since you suggested it anyway.

You got there only a few moments after he did, both of you panting like out-of-shape dummies. "You only beat me because you cheated," you breathed out as you plopped on the couch. Jason surprised you by dive-tackling your form, landing squarely on you and making you groan in pain. "Why did you do thaaaaaat?"

"Comfortable," he mumbled into your torso, his long arms draped around you and his legs dangling over the couch. You shifted to make yourself comfortable and rested your head on your hand, pouting. Well, now we practically are cuddling.

"We still haven't put anything on, though," you pointed out.

Jason got up to look at the movies available, "Don't move!" he shouted over his shoulder. "What do you want to see?"

"I don't know," you shrugged. "Fuckin.... Interstellar I guess."

"No," he frowned. "The plot holes in that movie are shit."

"But the soundtrack, Jason. It's a religious experience," you argued.

"You and Suki have such normie taste in movies," he whined as he rifled through the drawers of DVDs.

"Damn, everyone's a critic," you frowned. "Since you're so sophisticated, why don't you choose."

"I choose only the best, a three-hour documentary on the Ludlow Massacre," he twirled around and posed dramatically with a DVD in hand. You stared blankly at him. Three hours? Documentary?? LUDLOW MASSACRE? "Just kidding," he turned back around to grab something else.

"Oh, thank god," your eyelids relaxed.

"I actually wanna watch Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi!! It's a Bollywood film," he grinned as he put the disc in the player. You could almost sense the sparkle in his eyes. He returned to sit on you, his head leaning on your chest and his eyes glued to the screen.

"Isn't... Aren't Bollywood movies three hours long, forreal?" you looked down to him.

"Hush, it's starting," he ignored you. The answer to your question was yes, yes, they are that long.

You couldn't understand the language, so you had to read subtitles. This wasn't awful, or anything, but a little distracting. You found yourself entranced in this love story that had a lot of obstacles. It was... sweet. Also a surprising choice for Jason to make after his cruel dismissal of Interstellar. When it got to the intermission, you nudged Jason. "Get up and pause it, please. Gotta get snacks."

He did as you asked instantly and stretched. "Do you like it?" he asked.

"It's good," you shrugged. "I think Suri is just kinda making things difficult for himself though." You heard Jason sniffle, causing your head to whip around to face him. "Hey, are you crying?"

"It's just—he loves her so much (y/n)!"

"Oh my god. Jason, it's a rom-com."

"It's a good movie, I will not argue on this. Please grab me a coke," he wiped his eyes. You laughed at him before exiting the room to get refreshments. It really was an interesting movie, even if it was a bit silly at times. Both the romantic and comedic aspects were.... Well, they were both there.

You came back and you both returned back to your seats, but now with popcorn. The movie was back on and you both concentrated on the screen. Suri—Raj—the main guy was just so goofy, you couldn't help but laugh at his romantic gestures.

"I don't get how one guy could fuck everything up for himself so much," you said as you watched.

"He loves her more than anything, (y/n). It's easy to be stupid if you like someone," Jason grumbled.

"Yeah, but why," you laughed. "Taani is barely here."

"How could you say that?" he gasped overdramatically. "He loves her because she's full of life, kind, and like, graceful and noble and shit? How is it that hard to see?"

"Whatever, it's almost over let's watch this. I don't know how this is gonna end, still..." you admitted, your eyes glued to the screen. It was at the tensest part—you were sure that it would have a happy ending, but you've been wrong before. "Oh my god, he's wearing—"

"I KNOW!" Jason said loudly.

"Oh my god," you muttered, watching the final bits of the movie play out. By the time it all ended, you had tears in your eyes too. "Ok, it was kinda good."

"I know," Jason snuggled his head into you. "And now I'm going to sleep."

"I'm glad it ended well, but he lied like, so much," you pondered.

"He didn't know how to be honest with her. He just wanted to show her who he was, but it was hard," Jason mumbled.

"I guess," you agreed halfheartedly as you let yourself doze off. You felt tranquil, it was nice. Your breathing evened, and Jason was sure you were asleep.

"(y/n)?" he called but received no response. "I love you," he whispered softly into your shirt. He froze. Did he? Was he really that serious?

"I must be," he thought to himself with a smile before joining you in your sleep. He was happy.

"INCOMING!" a voice yelled before a weight dropped on the two of you and knocked the air out of you both, waking you instantly.

"Suki—" Jason choked out. "Why?"

"I saw you guys napping and I want in," she said as she began finding a comfortable position. You felt their combined weight crushing you.

"You guys are gonna kill me," you wheezed.

"Good thing you're already dead," Suki smiled as she hugged your head close to her. "Now let's nap."

"I don't know if I can go back to sleep now," you sighed. The three of you sat squished on the couch and eventually made it to sleep, despite your doubts. Sleeping in a doggy pile really was the ideal way to rest, even though your lung capacity seemed to decrease with each passing moment.

When you woke up, Suki and Jason were still sleeping. You thought about the last time Suki and Jason were in the same room as you, and what Jason had said after. Was Suki forcing her way into your hangout proof of Jason's claim that she was "crazy possessive"? It fit the bill, but you didn't really want to think about it. She seemed to constantly flip between repentant and defensive of her actions. It was...confusing, to say the least.

You shifted a bit to let your torso be free from the weight of two people, and you took a huge breath in. You were surprised to see Quince in the room with you, his eyes light with mirth. "What are you doing here?" you asked.

"Waiting for my favorite person to wake up," he smiled. You smiled back, your cheeks warm. Is it conceited if I assume he means me? you wondered.

"What for?"

"I wanted to check on you, that's all," he shrugged.

"And you just let me be crushed to death by these two?" you sighed with faux frustration. Slowly, the Suki and Jason began stirring.

"A sacrifice for the good of the group" he spoke.

"What are we sacrificing?" Jason mumbled.

"You!" you said before laughing. "We gotta like, perform dark rituals and shit."

"Why?" he groaned. "I'm pretty happy not being sacrificed."

"I think you should be sacrificed," Suki spoke while rolling over and shifting off of you two. Jason, however, refused to move. You wondered for a moment if Suki was still mad at Jason... She probably is, you decided, the revelation making you tense.

"I refuse," Jason said as he followed suit and sat up, freeing you completely.

"Well, I'm gonna go eat something," you said, standing up to stretch for the first time in what felt like years.

When you left, Quince frowned. "Interesting to see you both in here, and not fighting to boot."

"I was kinda surprised you came in here to do anything other than chew my ass out as well," Jason shifted his gaze to Suki.

Suki laughed, "Couldn't let you be here alone with her in such a vulnerable position! God, I feel like I have to be a watchdog, I never know what kind of shit you'll pull."

"Not sure what you're implying," Jason sighed.

"Not sure what you're capable of," Suki replied with mock-cheer.

"This is a problem," Quince groaned. "You're upsetting (y/n)—a lot. I can't have that. So, you two have to come up with a truce or we're going to have to find another solution."

"Another solution...?" Jason asked, his gaze shifting slowly to Quince. Something about the words sent shivers down his spine—something about Quince was scary sometimes, even if the rest of the house didn't know what.

"Let's hope it doesn't get to that," Quince smiled coldly at the pair.

"Well, what do you propose?" Suki asked with a roll of her eyes. "Cuz I propose that Jason fucks off and rots for a couple years."

"Harsh. I thought we were best friends, Suki," Jason frowned.

"I thought we were, too," her brows furrowed, and she fixed her gaze onto his. "This has all been so crazy—you're making me so mad all the time!"

"Just because I like (y/n)?" He shot back.

"I...guess so, yeah," she frowned pensively. "You encouraged me before. I don't want to let her go, but part of holding on means pushing you out of the way."

"As if you'd be able to," Jason snorted. The two squabbled on for a while, and Quince's agitation only grew. They were both incredible vain and arrogant in his opinion. He'd have no problem crushing them both at this game of love. He was the only one here with infinite chances, anyway. "Although, I think I might really succeed this time," he thought with a dreamy look on his face.

"How about you both agree to try to stop fighting with one another, okay? At the very least do that. Just stop going at each other's throats when (y/n)'s around. All you're doing is chasing her away, anyway," Quince said as he carded his fingers through his hair.

.:x x x x x:.

"What are you doing here," Ryo asked with a raised brow when you walked into the kitchen.

"Getting food?" you said with equal confusion. "What, do you own the kitchen now?" He huffed in response as you dug around in the fridge. The air was tense, both of you contemplating the situation you found yourself in.

"Do you want to... hang out?" he asked insecurely. You wondered if it was worth it to still be mad about before, but that honestly just sounded exhausting.

"Sure," you said as you ate some cereal. "It's my turn, right?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile. The smile surprised you—was it the first genuine smile you had seen from him? It looked... nice.

"Read a book to me," you requested while scooping the last of your dish into your mouth.

"Huh?"

"Read to me," you repeated. "I like when people read to me, so pick a book or whatever."

"Alright," he agreed. The two of you walked to the library and settled on the couches. He ended up picking a Greek mythology book, but like, one that made the stories more ok for children. The illustrations were pretty.

You felt calm—today had been good. Maybe giving everyone their own personal hangout time was the solution to this mess.

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