#otp: java

Jean snaps the next bow, scowling. “Five,” she replies, spreading out her fingers in his face to count. “You had to charge the champion knight?” She asks. Jasper opens his mouth and Jean muffles a frustrated scream. “Rhetorical question!” She cuts off. 

Jasper turns his head, hiding the chastened look that crosses his face. He listens as she snaps the last arrow, grumbling under her breath.

“Um,” Jasper starts carefully, glancing at Jean. “How long was I out?”

“Ten minutes,” Jean answers, keeping herself busy cleaning the wounds. “Long enough for me to get you out of that cart. You know, the one filled with actual dead bodies.” She says evenly. This time, Jasper knows to keep his mouth shut.

“Why did you do that?” Jean asks suddenly, her voice oddly soft, almost defeated. Jasper feels a lump form in his throat that’s too painful to swallow. The truth was...he messed up.

“Jean, I...” He tries, only to sigh. “I just needed her to see. I’d do anything for her. I’d fight for her, I would die for her.”

It was a very ironic gesture, since death never stayed long. Not for either of them. While it may have cradled them for a moment, it always relinquished them back to the living. Instead, it would take those who they loved the most. Over, and over, and over again.

That was their curse to carry, until they break it. Or it breaks them.

“Then express that in a song,” Jean growls, breaking his thoughts. Jasper huffs, tugging his bandaged arm away. Jean stands, throwing a bloodied rag down. “You were that close.” She says pinching her fingers closely. “That close to winning her heart, by just being yourself!”

Jasper stands, a growl rising in his own throat. “What is she, Jean?!” He snaps. “She is a princess!” He flings an arm wildly towards the woods, where just miles beyond the kingdom laid.

“And we were descendants of the gods!” Jean shouts back, her body trembling with a power that was long lost. “We were powerful and we were mighty. Why do you care that she’s a princess now?”

Jasper frowns, lost for words until a movement catches his eyes. “No,” He breathes stunned, “Ava...”

Ava’s steps are cautious as she walks towards them, eyes wide with disbelief. Jean’s eyes move between them, before she silently slips away.

“Jasper?” Ava calls softly. Her hand reaches for him with a quiver. He could almost feel the light brush of her fingertips before she quickly pulls away. “How?” She whispers, it almost seemed to be a question for herself.

“Jean’s a healer,” Jasper supplies, his hand rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous grin. 

From the campfire Jean snorts.

“But you were declared dead!” Ava points out. This time, perhaps from pure curiosity her hands grasp his wrists, and she looks over each wound. By now they had already healed, though it was hard to miss the worry that filled her.

“She is a remarkable healer,” Jasper insists. His hands gently rest on her shoulders, halting her examination. “What are you doing here?” He asks softly. 

Ava’s cheeks take on the pink hue of her gown, and her chin dips down slightly. Jasper can’t fight off his smile. That was the same thing she had done when they first met so many, many, many years ago. Even after all this time, a part of the girl he fell in love with still shined through.

“I was...” Ava starts, trailing off with a flustered huff. “When I saw what happened,” She grimaces at the memory. The arrows flying and sinking into his body, and the determination that was in his eyes melting into helplessness. Ava’s eyes mist, her fingers clenching tightly to his shirt. “Jasper, I could not bear the thought of a life without you!” She sobs. 

Jasper swears his next heartbeat comes in a thunder-crash, his breathing catching as Ava’s clings to him. It’s overwhelming, the joy that fills him. She was coming to love him, truly. 

Jean stands slowly, hope racing with each beat of her own heart. They could be free. Finally, she could...

The unmistakable sound of steel being drawn cuts through. Jasper stills, his arms winding tighter around Ava. A shaking protest leaves Ava as another figure enters the clearing, a shining blade drawn. Sir Henrique.

“What is this?” The knight demands, his voice low. His eyes take in the scene. Confusion, followed by disbelief, then pure anger fills his eyes. “You…” He sneers, pointing his sword towards Jasper. Ava tenses, and turns, blocking Jasper.

“Sir Henrique, what are you doing here?” She asks, keeping her voice steady. Her nerves begin to scream in alarm when the knight charges forward. An airless gasp leaves her as her body is pushed aside. Jasper fumbles as he grabs his own sword, barely blocking the blow from Henrique. 

“I killed you,” Henrique says, moving his sword. “How is this possible?” He looks over Jasper, his eyes catching Jean as she lifts Ava to her feet. “This is witchcraft,” He accuses with affirmation. “There is no other way to explain it. You are cursed, and she is a witch.” He looks at Ava and Jean as they move away. “You see to curse the princess as well!”

Jasper keeps his grip on the sword and pushes him away. “Leave them out of this,” He snaps, standing before Ava and Jean. “Your fight is with me.”

Ava cries out when Henrique swings another attack. Jasper barely has time to dodge. It’s one wrong move that has Jasper defenseless as Henrique strikes the sword from his hands. “You are right,” Henrique hisses, raising his sword for the final blow. “My fight is with you, and this time, I will see to it your witch cannot bring you back!”

Steel cuts into flesh. 

Jasper goes cold, all air leaving his body. His body falls heavy to the ground. Ava’s body crashes against him. Blood spills over from the deep cut across her stomach, marring her light gown. Jasper sits frozen.

All time seems to stop.

Henrique’s eyes grow wide in horror. His hand clenching tightly to his red stained sword. Whether he would have struck Jasper in that moment, or not, would remain a mystery. A sickening crack breaks over his head and the knight falls dead. Blood seeps from the ghastly wound on his head. Jean pants heavily, dropping the large stone. She turns to Jasper and Ava and chokes out a sob, as she falls to her knees.

They failed.

Again.

Ava’s hands weakly reach up, her finger painted red. He laces his fingers to hers, and gently holds her, as her life slowly gives way. “Ava, my Ava.” He whispers. He brushes strands of hair from her face. The warmth of her skin fades, and becomes like ice with each second. Her strangled gasps for air is worse than any cut or stab he ever encountered. Each was a blade into his very soul. “Please, don’t...don’t go.” He pleads, his eyes stinging with thick tears, his throat burns with a scream he fought back.

“Jasper?” Ava whispers. For a second, he sees her eyes light up. The same light of the woman he fell in love with so long ago. A familiar gaze settles in her, and he knows the gods are playing a cruel trick. But just to have her for this quick moment. “Jasper,” she croaks, “I will...I will see you” she promises. He nods, gripping her hand, almost willing her to stay.

“You will. I will find you. Every time, anywhere, I will find you.” He swears back. He sees the smile that ghosts over her lips, before it and she, completely fades away.

The wind blows coldly overhead, shaking the trees as if mourning with them. 

But on it, they could hear Aphrodite’s cruel laugh.

*

It’s a sad tale, that will be told. Of the princess and her knight, ripped apart by a cursed man and a witch so cold. Gallantly did he fight, but was too late. Perhaps in death, they’ll reunite.

Jean watches from afar, as her love sits with another. He tells the tale to a young woman, his eyes alight with adoration. She had been erased from his mind and heart, a stranger and forgotten memory. Each beat of her heart aches as she watches them. This was her piece of the curse. To be forgotten, for all eternity. 

“Jean?” Jasper calls softly. A quiet neighing of horses follows. They had to leave. It was hard enough to explain why Jasper had survived the first time. Bit both of them surviving a hanging for the murders of Princess Ava and Sir Henrique? There was no possible way. His hand brushes hers “We need to go.” He says. Jean watches as March presses his lips to the woman’s and she turns away. Her lips trembled with a silent cry. 

They leave the kingdom without a glance back.

Nobody’s going to know.

Ava quickly looked around the restaurant before bringing her eyes back to the menu. Luckily, most of the people were preoccupied with their food or conversation. Her eyes then flicked to Jasper who was sitting in front of her in the booth and busy thumbing an app on his phone. His eyes met her and he smiled sweetly at her. Nobody’s going to know.

Almost immediately, the low vibrations inside her increased, sending tingling waves of pleasure through her. She clenched her legs together and reached for the glass of water in front of her as inconspicuously as possible. When she raised the glass to her lips, another stronger wave rocked her body, causing her to gasp in surprise. Her wide eyes flicked to Jasper who looked away, though a smile was playing on his lips. This fucker. Ava could feel the blood rushing to her chest, the flush going dangerously close to her neckline. Her jacket, which she carefully chose to perfectly match her dress, seemed like a mistake now as her body felt like it would burn up.

A new particularly nice wave rushed through and it seemed to be blending her brain into mush inside her head. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, trying to regulate her breathing so no one would hear just how insane her boyfriend was making her feel at the moment. It didn’t help that she could sense Jasper’s eyes on her, watching her reactions probably with mild amusement. Just focus on something else. Ava eyes trained on the menu in front of her. What was she going to order? How much would she pay? Just focus on that. Unfortunately, the words started swimming before her as her mind wandered with each rise and fall of the vibrations, her insides instinctively clenching around the toy.

The toy started humming a start-stop rhythm and Ava’s mind really started to wander. All of a sudden, Jasper seemed very present to her. He still had his phone in one hand, the screen displaying the app for the little motor inside her. But his attention was at the menu before him. She was suddenly aware of the pleasant curve of his jaw, the breadth of his shoulders under his clothes, the subtle muscle of his arms. And his hands. Ava pursed her lips together, stopping the moan trying to escape from them. Jasper’s hands, though calloused and scarred, never failed to bring her pleasure. She rubbed her palms against her legs as the vibrations continued. She just knew that if she was sitting next to him right now, he’d trail his fingers up her leg. And she would let him. She would let him snake his hand up, up her thigh, under her skirt...

And as quick as the vibrations had come, they were gone. Ava nearly let out a whine at the loss of sensation but quickly covered it up with a cough and another sip of water. Releasing a breath, she shook out the haze and refocused her attention on deciding what to order.

“Having fun?” Jasper’s chin rested on his hand, an innocent smile on his face.

Ava rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t you know the answer to that question?”

The happy feel-good song that was playing on the radio wasn’t making Jasper feel any better, as he waited for the cashier to ring up his items. He had traveled all the way from Pennsylvania to Brooklyn just to see Ava, after getting her phone call earlier today, but he thought he should stop by a local pharmacy he saw as he drove by, before heading over to her place.

He needed to make sure. Maybe she was mistaken? Store-bought tests are only so effective, how can anyone be sure? He knew she wouldn’t like the idea of taking it again, but...he just had to be sure. They were still young, just two college kids trying to figure their lives out. How would they ever manage to handle a situation like this?

Jasper snapped back to reality as the cashier gave him his change, and with a slight nod and a barely audible “thank you”, he left the pharmacy and continued to make his way to Ava’s place.

~

“Where is everyone?” Jasper asked as he entered Ava’s apartment.

“Dad’s still at work,” she explained. “And Abuela’s asleep in her room.”

Jasper nodded, a little glad that he wasn’t going to face her family so soon, but his mind still felt hazy.

“What’s that?” Ava asked, seeing the plastic bag on Jasper’s hand.

He swallowed. “I, um--we have to make sure.”

One look at Ava’s distraught face, and Jasper immediately regretted what he said.

“You really think I’m lying?!”

“No! No, no--ugh--I just--it’s just...what if it’s wrong?!” Jasper panicked. “I mean, it’s just a piece of plastic--”

“I took it twice!”

“I--look, I know this is difficult, I know!” he said. “But...please?”

Ava looked down at the plastic bag and back at him, and the look she was giving him tore Jasper to pieces, but with a heavy sigh she took the bag from his grasp, and made her way to the bathroom.

After a few minutes, she returned with the same solemn expression on her face from earlier and Jasper already knew, but she still handed him the test and he took it gingerly, staring at the two sharp little lines glaring up at him.

He couldn’t believe it, but at the same time he now knew that this was real, very real, and the thought of having to raise a child now frightened him. But he looked up at Ava and his heart shattered. He could only imagine what was going through her mind, after all she’s the one that was going to have to carry the child, and go through so much pain for so long, and all while she was still in college?

Never in his life had Jasper felt more angry at himself. He didn’t want this to happen, especially to her. She didn’t deserve any of this, but he felt as though he went in and screwed up her life forever.

As Jasper remained lost in his thoughts, Ava slowly crept towards him and sat by his side.

“You...don’t have to stay.” she said, cautiously.

Jasper quickly turned around. “What?”

Ava took a shaky breath. “I know...that this is all crazy. We’re still young, and--you have your dreams, and--I won’t get in the way--”

“Ava, what’re you talking about?! You really think I’m gonna bail?!”

With that, tears poured out of her eyes as she sobbed uncontrollably, though she clasped her mouth shut with her hand, as to not wake up her grandmother. Jasper hugged her tightly, and he could feel her tears dampen his shirt.

“I’m not going anywhere.” he said, reassuringly. “Ava, I love you.”

And as she regained her composure, Jasper gently brought her chin up, making her meet with his eyes. He smiled at her and caressed her cheek.

“I’m not gonna let you go through this on your own,” he said. “That’d be crazy!”

“But--but Jasper, what about your dreams? What about Broadway--”

“That can wait.”

She was silent for a moment, still staring into his eyes until she tore her gaze away from him.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered.

“Don’t say that.”

“What are we gonna do?”

“We’ll...we’ll figure this out, I promise.”

The silence in the living room was palpable, and Ava couldn’t bear it any longer, as she and Jasper sat on the couch watching her father Alfonso, who sat on the armchair adjacent to them, take in everything they had told him. Although her father hadn’t said a word since the news, his expression told her everything - his frustration, his worry, and his disappointment towards them.

She bit her bottom lip and looked down at her feet, unable to meet her father’s eyes anymore, until she felt a light squeeze on her hand. She turned and saw Jasper smile at her. It was only for a short moment, but with it alone she felt comforted and safe. Jasper has shown nothing but support for her during this entire situation, and she was very grateful - and relieved - for that. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would have handled this situation if things were different.

At last, Alfonso’s sigh broke the silence, and both Ava and Jasper could breathe again, though still remaining tense.

“How did this happen?” he asked.

“Well--” Jasper began, but Alfonso immediately cut him off.

“Don’t even think about answering that question!”

“Daddy...” Ava whispered.

“Ava, how--” Alfonso sighed, angrily running his hands through his hair. “--You’re still young!”

“I know--”

“And you’re still in college!!!”

“I know, daddy!”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to raise a kid?!” asked Alfonso, rising from his seat. “And on your own?!”

“She’s not gonna be on her own,” Jasper cut in. “I’ll be with her--”

“Oh, you better!” glared Alfonso, pointing a finger at his direction. “Otherwise you won’t leave this house alive!”

“Daddy!” Ava interjected, and Alfonso let out another frustrated sigh.

“Sorry, it’s just--I...” he paused, pressing the bridge of his nose tightly. “...This is not what I wanted for you…”

“I know...I’m sorry.”

Silence returned, as Alfonso sat back down on his chair, and Ava and Jasper remained seated, holding each other’s hand tightly.

“So, what’s the plan?” asked Alfonso, after running his hand through his hair, again. “How are you gonna do this, hm?”

Jasper and Ava exchanged nervous glances with each other, but before facing Alfonso, who had his hands outstretched, waiting for an answer.

“W-We’ll...figure it out.” said Jasper, his voice barely inaudible.

“How?!” Alfonso repeated in an aggressive tone. “Because you gotta start thinking now, or did you think this was gonna be a walk in the park?!”

“N-No, sir--”

“You gotta start thinking about money--money for food, for clothes, diapers, doctor, medicine--”

Ava and Jasper sat silently as Alfonso continued to list off the long list of things to worry about when raising a child, and the more he talked the angrier he got, as his face began to slowly turn red.

“--and you gotta think about where to live too, or did you think you were gonna bum around here, huh?! Leave the baby to Ava, or to me, while you go prancing around with that guitar of yours, like you got no care in the world--”

“No!” Jasper cut in, his fear leaving his voice for a moment. “No, I’d never do that--”

“You better not!” yelled Alfonso, standing up once more from his armchair to walk over to Jasper, pointing a finger at his face. “Because if I catch you slacking off--”

“DADDY!” Ava screamed, tears already streaming down her face.

She started to sob, and that was the only sound that remained in the room until the door opened, and her grandmother, Benita, entered the living room while carrying grocery bags. She stopped once she saw them in the room, and sensed the tension in the air.

“¿Que pasó?” she asked, after placing her grocery bags on the floor.

She glanced at each of them until her eyes fell upon Ava, who was still sobbing, and gently came up to her, cupping her face with her hands. “What happened to you, my love?”

“Mamá, not now, I’ll tell you later--”

“Are you trying to keep secrets from your mother, Alfonso?”

“No, it’s--you know what, fine.” and he turned to Jasper and Ava. “Tell her--tell her what’s going on!”

Jasper and Ava faced her grandmother, who looked down at them with a kind smile. Ava started to control her breathing, as she tried to regain her composure.

“Abuela, I'm pregnant.”

Benita looked at her for a moment, her face unreadable, then glanced over to Jasper and Alfonso, who were waiting for her reaction with bated breath.

She turned back to Ava. “I knew that already, cariña.”

Ava blinked, and everyone stared at the little old lady in disbelief.

“What?!" cried Alfonso. "You knew?!”

She nodded her head.

“H-How…?” Ava stammered.

“I heard you two talking about it the other day,” she explained, glancing at Jasper then back at Ava. “You weren't exactly quiet about it.”

“We thought you were asleep…”

Her grandmother chuckled.

“Why didn't you say anything?” Ava asked.

“I didn't want to intervene, at least, not at that time,” she said. “So I decided to wait, and hear it from you when you were ready,

“You two are already going through so much,” she continued. “I didn't want to put more pressure, unlike someone here…”

She turned to face her son, and Alfonso's face was even redder than before.

“Oh, so now I'm the bad guy?!” he cried. “They do what they shouldn’t, and I’m the bad guy?!”

“No one is calling you the ‘bad guy’,” she retaliated. “But this is not how you approach a situation like this, 

“And you more than anyone should know this,” she continued. “You were about the same age as Ava when she was born.”

“But that’s why, Mamá,” he explained. “I know how hard it is, and you know this too, you were there!”

“I know,” she confirmed. “And I also know how hard it was to raise you and your sisters alone, too.”

Alfonso paused, and silence fell in the room once more.

“Things were difficult when your father died,” she began. “I felt helpless...I didn’t know what to do, and I had no one to help me, or give advice...

“If I had the support back then,” she continued. “Like how I supported you, things would’ve been a lot easier.”

And she turned to Ava and Jasper once more, caressing her granddaughter’s cheek, and giving them a warm smile.

“And that’s what these two need right now, love and support.”

“Graçias, abuela.” said Ava, softly.

“Now I’m not condoning your actions,” her grandmother added, looking at the two. “Nowadays it is much easier to be aware of the consequences, and prevent them from happening, what you two did was foolish.”

Jasper and Ava lowered their heads, while Alfonso nodded confidently, but stopped once his mother faced him again.

“But what’s done is done,” she said. “We can’t go back and fix it, so we have to deal with what we’ve got, and we’ll be here to support you along the way.”

She smiled sweetly at Ava, who’s eyes were already swelling with tears, then turned to Jasper, who was looking up at her nervously.

“You just being here already shows how much you love her,” she said. “And how much you’re willing to be responsible about this--you’re doing more than any man out there.”

Jasper nodded, and she patted him on the shoulder.

“It is getting late,” she told Jasper. “You should head home, before your mamá starts to worry.”

Jasper looked at Ava for a moment, worried about leaving her, but once glance at Ava’s warm smile set him at ease.

“I’ll get going then.” he said, and kissed Ava goodbye, as well as giving a curt nod towards Benita and Alfonso.

As he left the apartment, Benita dried Ava’s tears and told her to help put her groceries away in the kitchen, to which she politely obeyed and left the living room. Alfonso then slowly approached his mother, while scratching the back of his head.

“Mamá, I’m sorry,” Alfonso whispered to his mother. “I just want what’s best for Ava.”

“Me too, hijo,” she said. “Which is why we must face this with a clear head.”

Ava’s heart was pounding at the sound of the phone dial, as she waited for Jasper to pick up his phone on the other line. She was nervous, her hands were trembling, her chin was quivering, and she couldn’t keep her leg from bouncing up and down, but she knew she had to tell him, and it was very important.

A part of her had known from the start, ever since that night at his friend’s Fourth of July party, where they shared a drunken but beautiful night together, however, she had hoped that maybe she was just overthinking, since they had always been careful, Ava had never skipped a pill, and Jasper always used protection. But then her period never came, and she suddenly became extremely sensitive to foods and smells that she normally wouldn’t have been bothered by, to the point of feeling very nauseous, or sometimes even getting extremely sick. She had hoped, and prayed, that those symptoms weren’t what she had concluded deep down, but then she finally took a test, and the whole world crumbled before her.

She waited a few more minutes before Jasper picked up his phone, and the sound of his voice gave Ava a mixture of feelings, from the familiar feelings of joy, love, and excitement, to the current bitter feelings of fear and anxiety.

“Hey, babe.” he greeted, though the tone of his voice was rather sad. “How are you doing?”

“I’m...fine. How about you, baby?”

“...Same. I was actually thinking about calling you just now, there’s something I gotta tell you.”

“Oh...I also need to tell you something.”

“Really?” he asked. “You go first, then.”

Ava took a shaky deep breath.

“Is...everything ok?”

“Mhm….actually, no…” she admitted, her voice cracking.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.

Ava paused for what felt like hours, as she debated in her head at the very last minute whether to tell him the truth or not, but in the end, she made up her mind and took another deep breath.

“I’m pregnant.”

There was silence between them for a while, as Ava could barely hear his breathing, and she began to grow worried.

“Jasper?” she called. “Jasper, are you alright?”

After a few more minutes of silence, Ava could finally hear Jasper breathe again, and she felt slightly relieved.

“Are you ok?” she asked again.

“Y-Yeah…” he answered. “Are you?”

“I don’t know…” her voice cracked again.

She heard Jasper let out a heavy sigh on the other line, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her mind started to create hundreds of terrible scenarios of Jasper’s possible reactions, from him lashing out at her, being incredibly mean and cruel to her, to being completely indifferent by this entire situation, to the point of being very cold towards her. She feared that Jasper would bail and leave her to raise their child all on her own, since they were both young, and he had dreams of making it big on Broadway.

She didn’t even realize she was silently sobbing, until Jasper called out to her, making her snap out of her reverie, and she wiped the tears from her face.

“Are you...sure about that?” Jasper asked. “That you’re...uhm…”

“Why would I lie about something like that?!”

“No, you’re right--sorry--it’s just--” he paused. “How about--how about I go over there, and we can talk this out? Because--because I feel like, this should be in person? I don’t know…”

“That would be better.” Ava agreed. “Where are you right now?”

“Home.”

“...That’s two hours from here, Jasper.”

“I know, I know, but--but, I can take the train! I just---I just really need to see you, so we can talk.”

“Mhm…”

“Okay...I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Ava always felt a little sad leaving towns she’d go to on missions with the gang, since she’s never really left New York for most of her life, she really enjoyed getting to go to different places. This time, however, Ava felt horrible, because not only was she leaving St. Burgens, she was leaving feeling defeated.

They had failed Jasper’s mission, they didn’t save Oleander, and Jasper was in more trouble than ever. She cried as she packed her bags, fearing for Oleander’s life, and especially for Jasper’s, and luckily no one else was able to see her in this state, since they were all outside of the motel, waiting for Oz to arrive.

But then she heard the door open, and turned to see Jasper walk in, and she saw him noticing that she had been crying. She quickly looked away, sniffling and wiping the tears from her face.

“Ava, are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah...I’m fine.” she lied.

“You’re crying.”

“Oh, um, it’s just...I’m just sad about...leaving.”

She stuffed more of her clothes in her bag.

“Like, I really like this place,” she continued. “I really liked River Street Diner, and Pops, and the pet store...and--and--”

As much as she tried, she couldn’t hold in her sob any longer, she dropped to her knees and cried. Jasper ran over to her and crouched beside her, placing his hands over her shoulder, and Ava buried her face in his chest, sobbing even harder while hugging him tightly.

“A-Ava, it’s okay.” Jasper stammered, trying to calm her down. “I’m sure--I’m sure the agency won’t harm Oleander...maybe--maybe they’ll interrogate him instead.”

“Jasper,” her voice cracked. “Don’t lie to me, I saw what the agency can do, they’re not gonna just ask him questions!”

Jasper remained silent, but still held onto her.

“Besides,” she continued. “I’m worried about you too…”

“W-Why?”

Ava looked up at him, her eyes were already puffy and red, and streams of tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t look just hurt, but broken, as if she had lost everything, and everyone, that she cherished dearly.

“I’m--I’m scared that they’ll hurt you too.” she admitted. “And I don’t want that to happen!”

“Ava, everything will be okay, don’t worry!”

Ava desperately shook her head. “I can’t, I can’t just not worry! Just look at what they did to Oleander! Look at what they did to Suzanna, to me and you, and to everyone else...they’re mean, cruel, they won’t have pity, and I’m scared! I’m scared because you’re such a good person, Jasper, you haven’t done anything wrong! You tried your best, you tried so hard, and you’re such a good hunter, and...I don’t want to lose you...”

Jasper gently lifted Ava’s chin up, and her eyes met his. With one glance, she knew that he was worried too, but he still smiled, and for a moment she felt peace, as if his smile alone could solve all of the world’s problems. She admired that about him, she admired his capability in making others feel safe while the whole world was on fire, and that’s why she trusted him so much, she felt safe with him, she always did.

“Everything will be fine.” he repeated, this time with assurance. “Trust me.”

Ava nodded, though tears still rolled down her face, and hugged him again, as tightly as she could. Jasper hugged her back as well, and kissed the top of her head. A warm, fuzzy feeling spread across her chest, and for a moment she didn’t want to let go. Once again, she felt safe with him, his embrace felt secure and his chest felt warm, she had found a safe haven in his arms, her own sanctuary.

Then, Ava felt a sudden urge bubble up in her chest, she didn’t know where it came from--whether it was due to her emotions running wild, or just by the heat of the moment--but all she knew was that she wanted to do this more than anything.

She looked up at Jasper, meeting his eyes once again, and softly pressed her lips against his. She pulled away, seeing Jasper look down at her with the most confused expression in his face, and she was beginning to regret her actions, when Jasper suddenly cupped her face and kiss her back. His kiss felt passionate, which took her by surprise, but she was enjoying every moment of it.

They remained like this for quite some time, kissing each other while sitting on the floor, until they finally pulled away from each other, breathing heavily and staring at each other, finally realizing what had just happened between them.

“Um…” Jasper finally spoke. “We should get going, Oz’s supposed to come here any minute now.”

“Yeah.” she breathed.

They both got up. Ava zipped up her bag, hauling it over her shoulder, and they made their way out of the room.

As they walked outside of the motel, they saw Oz’s car parked at the front, and everyone had already gotten inside. Jasper and Ava waved sheepishly and the others, as they were urging them to get in.

“Michelle, Michelle! Look! I got a new tattoo! Wanna see?” Johnny, not even waiting for a reply, pulls his shirt halfway up to show the brand new tattoo on his back. Michelle plops one more strawberry into her basket before admiring it.  “It looks cool, right!”

“Oh wow!” Michelle’s eyes widen.  “It looks painful!”

“But, it wasn’t. It was fine!”

“Still! You have to deal with needles and things.” She squints for bit. “Oh no.”

“Oh no?”

“Johnny, I’m so sorry but...but,” Her voice wavers. “I-I think it’s misspelled. I’msosorryforpointingitoutpleasedon’tbehurt.”

“What? Really?” Johnny cranes his head, trying to see the tattoo. He tries a couple of more times after failing...and he does not look like he would stop trying. 

“Oh no, please don’t do that. There’s a mirror in my cabin. I’ll show you.”

“No, it’s fine!” Johnny pulls his shirt down and beams up at her. “It’s okay. It still looks pretty cool!”

“It does, actually.”

----------

“So, can you...drink this entire bottle of vodka?”

Rodrigue takes a step back when he sees the glare Sofia gives him. He hugs the bottle of vodka close to his chest. Sofia is still glaring at him.

“What kind of stupid question is that?”

“It’s not stupid. It’s valid.”

“Is it because I’m Russian?”

Rodrigue takes another step back. “Y-yes…?”

“That is a stereotype.” She is still glaring at him.

“Okay, whatever. So...can you...do it??”

Sofia pauses for a second then grabs the bottle and twists it open. “Of course, I can. I’m Russian.”

----------

“Just one more episode, babe.” “That’s what you said 45 minutes ago!” 

Ava wraps her arms around Jasper and pouts at him. But all she gets is a quick kiss on her forehead.

“It just got interesting! I promise; just one more episode.”

She groans as she sits up and pushes the blankets off the both of them. Unfortunately, Jasper still does not budge. “I wanna do something else.” 

“Okay,” he says without looking at her. “What do you want to do?” 

Ava pouts at him again but she grins at an idea. Her hand slides down his torso, a bit lower, under the waistband of his pants. Finally, Jasper sets his phone down.  Ava smiles sweetly back at him.