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Jason heaved a deep sigh as he face planted into the pillow, much to Leo’s obvious amusement. He felt warm, clever fingers twist into his hair while Leo’s soft chuckles danced in his ears and he made no effort to stop the full-body shiver that raced down his spine.
“Tired?” Leo crooned in his ear, tone half-mocking and dripping with affection.
Jason just nodded and let even more of his body weight press Leo down into their mattress. “You wore me out,” he accused.
“I wore you out?” Leo scoffed. “I still can’t feel my legs. I’m beginning to think that you don’t know what uno más actually means.”
Jason felt his smile turn a bit wolfish, and he nipped the underside of Leo’s jaw. “You’re pretty when you look like that.”
Jason could practically hear his eye roll. “You always say that.”
“Well, you always look really pretty.”
Leo hummed happily and pressed a kiss to Jason’s hairline. In response, Jason made a rumbling sound from the depths of his chest and pressed in just a bit closer. They laid like that for so long that Jason lost track of the time. It could have been a thousand lifetimes, it could have been only a few seconds. All he knew was the warmth of Leo’s skin pressed against his, the still, humid air of their bedroom, and the quiet sounds of contentment that came from them both.
Sometimes, in moments just like this, Jason thought that maybe it was all worth it. Every bit of pain and suffering they’d endured, every choked out sob and terrified plea to a power higher than the gods of Olympus. Every noble deed and heroic sacrifice. Every moment they’d spent apart where they thought that the clawing pit of despondency and grief in their chests would swallow them whole. Every last one of them had led to this moment right here. Had led to Jason finally having the privilege of holding Leo in his arms and the honor of pressing gentle kisses and bruising bites to his shoulders and collarbones. Had led to him getting to wake up every morning next to the man he loved more than his next breath and know that he'd fall asleep to the sight of Leo’s smile, all crooked teeth and scrunched up nose.
He thought that maybe this was what he was put on this earth to do. He was meant to learn and grow and suffer all so that he’d get to love Leo with every atom of his being. In another universe, maybe that wasn’t his job. Maybe some other Jason out there lived a charmed life where his greatest struggle was running late to a meeting because he couldn’t find matching socks. Maybe that Jason had someone else he loved. Someone whose life had been just as kind as Leo’s was cruel. Maybe Jason and that other person were happy together and couldn’t imagine life without one another.
But that wasn’t his life. He’d choose Leo over that any day. He’d choose pain and suffering and heartache a thousand times over, if it meant he got even a moment to bask in Leo’s warmth and light.
Then, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Leo’s hums turning into snores and Jason whipped his head up to see that Leo’s face had gone completely slack, his eyelashes fanned over his cheeks and his lips parted in a tiny little ‘o.’ His fingers were still tangled in Jason’s hair, and he was clutching Jason to his chest like a child with their favorite stuffed toy.
Jason felt his features go soft and fond and he tilted his head just enough to press a gentle kiss to Leo’s cheek without disrupting Leo’s hold on him. “I love you,” Jason whispered into Leo’s ear before he fully relaxed, allowing his body to go boneless.
Then he closed his eyes, and fell asleep.