Due to the snow storm, Frank was stuck inside. His roommate, Jason, had the day off and the two decided to make lunch together. Jason wanted to bake brownies and Frank decided to make pasta. He found a box of whole wheat penne and looked in the fridge for sauce.
"I don't think ranch would taste good with pasta," Frank mused aloud.
"Nah," Jason agreed. "We have cheese, right?"
"Mozzarella," Frank replied. "Plus some cream cheese and milk."
"Great," Jason said. "We'll make Alfredo sauce. I got a recipe from Reyna."
"Is she your girlfriend?" Frank asked.
He felt dumb for asking, but he knew little about Jason. Jason spent most of his time outside of the apartment and the two rarely talked. Frank studied his roommate. Jason looked suave and in control — two things Frank rarely felt — with his close-cropped blonde hair, muscular frame, and sky-blue eyes. He looked intimidating, but it wasn't because of the size of his biceps or because he put surly expressions on his face (he didn't); rather, it was because he had a calm sort of confidence about him.
"Reyna?" Jason asked, startling Frank. "Nah, we're friends. Good friends, but not. . ."
"Oh, I get it," Frank said quickly as he helped Jason carry the ingredients over to the stove top.
Jason poured some milk into a saucepan and began adding butter. He began to stir the mixture with a silver whisk.
"So, do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?" Jason asked.
"No," Frank said. "I've never dated anyone."
"Aww, really?" Jason said as he added some shredded cheese to the saucepan.
"Yeah, you?" Frank said.
As he himself started pouring the whole wheat penne into the pot of boiling water, he thought of how good this felt. This conversation just seemed comfortable. It only seemed right for him to learn more about his roommate.
"No," Jason said, staring at the saucepan. "Well, I was supposed to marry Reyna, but that didn't turn out."
His shoulders were slumped and Frank felt like giving him a brownie. It was a pity they were still baking in the oven.
"Why not?" Frank asked as gently as he could.
Jason sighed. He stirred the sauce rapidly as if it could help solve his problems. There was a tightness in his lips and eyes that made Frank regret his question
"I grew up in a cult," he said. "The leader, Lupa, wanted us to marry."
"Oh," Frank said, realizing how awkward that would be.
"I feel bad," Jason admitted. "I don't want to hurt Reyna, but I don't feel that way towards her and with our pasts — it's just so complicated."
Frank nodded. Maybe that was why he hadn't called Dakota in two months. The two had served in the Marines together and been dishonorably discharged around the same time. Their past was what had kept them together, but now it was tearing them apart.
"But you know, life isn't just about kissing under the moonlight," Jason said.
"So you're a philosopher?" Frank asked with a small smile.
"I wouldn't say that," Jason said, "But I know that the pain in life has to mean something."
"But what of it doesn't?" Frank asked.
Jason bit his lip. The timer on the stovetop rang and he dropped the whisk and grabbed two oven mits; there were blue and decorated with pictures of wolves. He took out the brownies and set them on the counter.
"If pain means nothing, then we are all screwed," he finally said. "Because we all have to endure it."
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Judgmental (a Percy Jackson AU)
FanfictionWhat would you do if you were in their shoes? Percy Jackson has never had an easy life. Now finding a job is near impossible after his latest screw-up: landing in jail. Annabeth Chase planned her life out carefully. She did everything right, but...
