Work Text:
“Dad? Dad, wake up!”
“I’m up,” Jason mumbles, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the morning sunlight. “I’m up.”
It started as a temporary thing. Just until she found a better home.
“You’re not!” She complains, and he coughs as she jumps on his chest.
The kid was sweet- a little girl named Bianca with big brown eyes and bright blonde hair. She couldn’t have been more than four when Percy found her. Late at night, rain soaking his jacket as the small thing clung to his chest. ”Jason?”
“Okay, Bee. I’m awake.” He sighs, sitting up with the girl in his arms. She beams up at him, freckled cheeks stretching over a grin. Warmth crawls through his veins, sugar sticking to the roof of his mouth.
She was scrawny. And scared.
“Papa made breakfast!” Bianca hums, shifting around until she is tucked into his side.
When the officer they called for her came, a CPS worker trailing behind, the kid buried herself in Percy’s shoulder and refused to go with them.
It was overwhelming, at first. The new addition to their life. There was a lot of paperwork, a lot of visits, a lot of inspections. But no matter what they did, Bianca refused to leave.
“Pancakes?” Jason asks, propping her on his hip as he stands. She nods, bouncing excitedly.
“Blue ones!” She reaches up and tugs on his ear, playing with the metal stud embedded in his earlobe.
Jason was the one to suggest she stay. Permanently. It was late, he was tired. He was sitting with Percy in their guest bedroom- Bianca’s room- watching the little girl sleep. She had another nightmare, another day that had ended with them staying up late for her.
“...We should adopt her, huh?” He asked, voice barely audible in the dark room. It's cracked with use, scratching at his throat with dull claws.
“Jace…” Percy turned to him, taking his hands. They were scuffed, worn rough from years of gripping a sword. Years of fighting for his life. “I don’t want to put that on-”
Jason shook his head, giving him a tired smile. “She doesn’t deserve any of this, Percy.”
The brunette stared at him, and nodded slowly. “...She doesn’t.”
“Goodmorning!” Percy hums from the other side of the kitchen, eyes crinkling in the corners as he smiles. A sight Jason could bask in for the rest of his life.
“Morning,” Jason sets Bianca on the counter, her little legs swinging over the edge. “Thank you for breakfast.”
Bianca Grace. They didn’t know who her real parents were. They didn’t care to find out. She wasn’t always ready to talk about it, and they were always ready to listen.
They keep a drawer in her room filled with snacks, so she never feels like she’s out of food. That was an issue for the first year- hoarding any food she could get her paws on. She’s in school, at the top of her class and the most charming six year old there ever was.
Percy spoils her. Jason knows it’s partially from what he grew up with. And he just smiles at every new toy and treat he brings home for her.
Jason drops his head on his husband's shoulder, and receives a happy hum. “Of course.”
Bianca was the flower girl at their wedding. She was over the moon to be included, as if she wasn’t their entire world. The very sun their lives revolved around.
It was… small. But worth it. Worth every extra detail, to make their girl smile a little wider.
“Mm, I don't deserve you.”
Percy reaches up and ruffles his hair, scoffing. “Yeah, sure you don't.”
Jason pushes him away with a grin, scooping up Bianca once more. “Your Papa’s pretty silly, isn't he?”
“Yup!” She agrees with another energetic little bounce.
“Rude.” Percy sighs, shaking his head. Black curls swish softly around his brow. He snatches Bea from Jason's arms, peppering her face with little kisses. “You’re the silly one!”
Bea squeals, giggles bubbling from her mouth as she leans away from Percy. “Papa!”
Jason smiles, watching his two favorite people in the growing sunlight. If this isn’t what Elysium is, he doesn't want it.