Not a Hero

chapter four

𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐉𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄.

It was a incredibly stupid of him and made him question his sanity. But it was a little too late to take it back - he had already jumped. 

He could see Hale, she was falling about a hundred feet below him. She didn't look very afraid. Jason wondered if she felt fear at all. She hadn't even flinched when she saw the storm spirits. 

Jason tucked his head into his arms and closed his eyes, trying very hard not to think about how painful it would be when he smashed against the canyon floor. He had been much higher than Hale then but when he opened his eyes, he was falling alongside her. 

Her eyes widened with shock when she saw him. Like she couldn't believe that he had really jumped to save her. Jason couldn't believe it either. 

The little emotion disappeared from her face in a millisecond. "You're such a hero, aren't you?" She looked amused now - was even smiling. There was a bitterness to her tone though. It betrayed the easy smile on her lips. "Did you jump just to save me?" She was mocking him. 

Jason didn't respond and instead he did, possibly an even stupider thing, and tackled Hale, wrapping his arms around her waist. He closed his eyes again, he didn't want to see what happened next, and tried to accept his death. 

Except he couldn't. He didn't want to die. Thought what he wanted mattered very little. He couldn't defy gravity - he will eventually hit the ground. Or so he thought. 

"Jason... who the fuck are you?" Jason opened his eyes. They weren't falling anymore but floating. Hovering about two hundred feet above the river. Jason raised his gaze to Hale. She was looking at him, still amused but also kind of puzzled. She stared at him the same way someone would look at an incredibly complex math equation - like she wanted to solve him. "I mean, I get you're a hero. But this," she gestured around them, "it's a bit much." 

"You're such a weirdo," mumbled Jason and then, not really thinking, he hugged her. She didn't hug him back, Jason hadn't expected her to, but she didn't push him away either. It made him feel strangely happy knowing that she didn't find the idea of him hugging her entirely repulsive. "How is this even happening?" 

"I don't know," said Hale, with a half-hearted shrug. "You're the hero." 

Jason shot a glare at her. "I don't think I'm flying," said Jason. Then he imagined them going a little higher. Hale wrapped her arms around his neck as they suddenly shot up. A bit like a geyser. At least, that was what it felt like to Jason. Like he was trying to balance on top of a geyser with the wind pressing against the soles of his feet. "I think the air's supporting us." 

"Sure," said Hale, "you know best." She tightened her arms around Jason's neck. "Well? Do it again." 

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𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑.

She couldn't stand it. It made her feel like she owed them and Hale hated owing people. She always tried to repay her debts as quickly as possible. Even if they hadn't asked her to. It was just a moral obligation.

She didn't know how she was supposed to repay Jason though. Not when he had just saved her life. Sure, she hadn't needed it, but regardless he had risked his life for hers. She had to repay him for that... but how? 

"He's fine," said Jason, walking over from where he stood a few moments ago beside an unconscious Leo. Hale noticed Piper, crouched beside the limp body, trying to shake him awake. Though, judging by her frustrated expression, she wasn't having much luck. "But I'm guessing that wasn't what you were thinking about?"