Lost Stars

Chapter Thirty Nine

-Athena's POV-

"This is so nice," I yawned, leaning back and laying my head on my hands, "I haven't felt this relaxed in years."

A pair of Jason's sunglasses were pressed against my face as a big floppy sunhat protected my nose. I stretched out, wiggling my toes and smiling gently. The sun was a blanket, its rays washing over my body with little warm kisses. The cold, plastic straps that made up the beach chair chilled my bare back. I didn't care. The sloshing of the pool in front of me calmed every nerve in my body.

Thinking of how nice I felt, I glanced over to the chair beside me. Jason wasn't so relaxed. Despite the gorgeous and practically perfect day, Jason was sitting up, crouched over his computer. His swimming trunks were on, but he had a loose Batman t-shirt covering his top half. I smirked to myself, staring at the Batman logo displayed across Jason's chest.

I stood up and sat criss-cross in front of him. He glanced up over his computer screen, his eyes squinted, before looking back down and continuing to type. I gasped. He didn't look up again. Slamming his lap top down, I managed to snag his attention.

"Athena! What the fuck!?" Jason growled, meeting my gaze. It took everything in me not to giggle. Or lean closer.

With a challenging smirk, I pouted my lips. "Sorry, it was an accident." I batted my eyelashes.

Jason's anger smoothed out of his face. His jaw relaxed and he let his lips sigh into place. "Oh, I'm sure it was," Jason said sarcastically, "well, then I guess this is an accident too."

Before I could even protest, Jason's hands were secured on the top of my thighs. He stood up, slinging my body over his shoulder like a rag doll. I would shout at him if we were alone, but we were at a public pool. I instead pounded my fists gently on his back and tried to shout through little hiccup laughs.

"Jason, don't you dar--" I managed to say before he tossed me straight into the pool. I sunk beneath the cold chlorine. It cleansed my skin of all the warmth and heat the sun had gifted me with, leaving me shivering and uncomfortable.

I kicked off the bottom of the pool and resurfaced. Jason's sunglasses floated off of my face and my hat flopped down in front of my eyes. I could hear the deep vibrato that was Jason's chuckles. His laugh seemed to surround me, flowing into my ears and filling me up from the inside. He stood at the side of the pool, bent over and clutching his stomach as he laughed at me.

"Jason mother fucking Todd," I said, folding my hat back and grabbing his borrowed sunglasses, "I will end you."

Jason crossed his arms and smiled cockily. "Not from down there you won't," he regarded, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow.

I clambered up out of the pool. I tossed off my saggy hat and placed Jason's glasses on my chair. "You aren't getting those back, asshole," I said, kissing the side of them like they were a baby. I stood in front of Jason, our bodies a foot apart.

His eyes were staring curiously and intently at me. I tugged at his shirt, a question in my eyes. "It was a gift," he answered, placing his hand over the Bat symbol, "pretty funny, huh?"

"Why do you have it on?" I immediately changed the subject as soon as I heard Jason's tone drop. Bruce and the Bat-Fam was a touchy subject for Jason; they were his family and now they didn't even know he was alive. With everything Jason has told me -- which wasn't a lot -- he wasn't mad at Bruce for not saving him, he was mad at Bruce for not killing Joker. He was mad no one came after him.

Jason just shrugged.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the hem of his shirt. He gripped my hands with his quickly. I met his eyes, but he slowly lowered his hands, giving me permission. I tugged his shirt off for him, pulling it over his head. His abs sparkled in the sun. He was definitely the most attractive man at the pool.