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Waking up feels so much easier when Eva shares her bed with Jasper. Kindred have no trouble falling asleep—when the sun rises, their bodies give in to the day sleep, no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient their resting place may be—but waking up is an entirely different matter. After several days of sleeping in a windowless van in the middle of the woods with three other women she’s only tangentially friends with, Eva is beyond pleased to be back in Jasper’s arms when the sun sets tonight.
He is already awake when her eyes flutter open and she feels his arms tighten around her.
“Someone’s cuddly this evening,” she teases, her head resting against his chest as he holds her.
“I just missed you,” he replies, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She can hear the smile in his voice and can’t help but smile in return as she glances up at him.
“I was only gone for three days,” she remarks.
“Including travel, it was more like five days.”
“I texted you every night I was gone.”
“That’s not the same…"
"I know," Eva murmurs, glancing up at him.
"I mean," Jasper adds quickly, "I completely respect you going off to do your own thing and reconnecting with your House and I would never have stopped you from doing that, but… I still missed you.”
“So I gathered from the way you jumped me the second I got back last night,” she says with a smirk.
He growls, his tone caught somewhere between amused and embarrassed.
“Barely through the front door,” Eva continues, mock irritation in her voice as she replays the previous night, “Before my boyfriend had picked me up in his arms to drag me to bed and have his way with me.”
He’d met her at the door to their haven the night before, and as soon as it was closed and locked behind her, Jasper was on her. She'd shrieked and dissolved into giggles as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. He’d lifted her off the ground, pressed her up against the wall, and kissed her thoroughly—all teeth and tongue and want.
He’d murmured, “Welcome home,” against her neck as she’d arched into him, her hands sneaking under his hoodie and t-shirt to press against cold skin. He’d carried her to their bedroom without hesitation, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she showered his neck and jaw with eager kisses.
He’d tossed her into bed, yanking his hoodie and shirt off over his head before crawling on top of her—she loved seeing him this confident; not just desperate for her, but willing to do something about it. She'd flipped him on his back after a few more kisses—her own confidence matching his—and pinned him to the bed between her thighs as she tossed her dress across the room. There had been laughter and moans between tender, passionate kisses; hands and mouths and bodies moving together in an excited union. It had been the best homecoming celebration she could’ve asked for.
“Hey,” Jasper says now, the slightest hint of defensiveness creeping into his voice, “I wanted to hear all about your super secret witch summer camp—still do, whenever and whatever you're willing to tell me—but your texts made it sound like you didn’t really want to talk last night.”
Eva had been homesick and frustrated—in more ways than one—when she’d texted him during the ride back to Los Angeles.
She'd gone with the Wyrd Sisters to participate in a gathering of House Carna members from across the country—three nights of rituals and ceremonies under the full moon, tucked away in a secluded clearing hidden deep within the woods of a California national park several hours outside of LA. It was a rare opportunity and an incredible experience, but decades of isolation in Griffith Park had made Eva rather introverted and three nights straight surrounded by so many other people had taken a bit of a toll on her.
Not to mention the near-endless stream of questions from Kyoko that ranged from the mundane—"How're you? How's Jasper? How's everybody doing lately?"—to the far too excitable—"Can you teach me the lightning thing sometime? Can I explore Griffith Park? Have you ever met a werewolf? Can I meet a werewolf!?"—to the exceedingly personal—"So, like, what's Jasper like, ya know... in bed ?" All of which started to try her patience as the nights wore on.
(On their last night at the gathering, in the final hours before dawn, as the dancing and singing drew to a close, Kyoko had asked, "What's it like to be in love?" Her voice was quiet then, more hesitant that Eva had ever heard her. It reminded her just how young Kyoko really was, robbed of life at such an early age and with so little experience since then. Eva had smiled, soft and easy and perhaps a little sad—this was one question she was happy to answer.)
Hester had done her best to rein in the youngest Wyrd Sister, but that was no simple task, as Eva well knew. By the time the event had wrapped up and all four of them climbed back into Hester's van to return to LA, Eva was tired. She'd enjoyed herself immensely, but she wanted to be back home. She wanted the safety and comfort of her and Jasper's shared haven. She wanted the familiarity of it—the sound of his boots on the floor, the smell of ink and old paper and her incense lingering in the cold air. She wanted to sleep in an actual bed, next to a man that loved her. She wanted to hear the low gravel of his voice, wanted to kiss him again, wanted to feel his hands on her after so long away—when did less than a week start feeling like too long? When did being with him start feeling more natural than being alone?
Those questions had stayed with her as she pulled out her phone to text him.
What had started as a series of practical updates on what time she thought she’d be home—traffic was good, the trip shouldn't take more than five hours at the absolute most, he'd be waiting for her when she got there—had quickly morphed into a back and forth of “I miss you,” “I want you,” and promises of what they’d do to each other once they were alone together again.
For once, Eva was thankful she couldn't blush without purposefully willing her heart to restart—Jasper knew what she liked and knew just what to say to rile her up. She’d been careful to keep her phone screen hidden from the Wyrd Sisters’ view as the conversation escalated, hoping to avoid the interrogation that would inevitably result from the other women—especially Kyoko—finding out that she and Jasper did much more than simply read together in their library when left to their own devices.
Eva'd had to stop herself from sprinting out of the van when Hester parked across the street from the gas station near Jasper's haven. She'd kept her composure as she politely thanked them for taking her with them to the gathering, and once they drove away from the curb, she'd rushed home.
Behind closed doors in the safety of their haven, Jasper'd made good on all his promises and she'd fulfilled all of hers.
With those memories of scandalous correspondence and eager anticipation still in mind, Eva reaches up to stroke Jasper’s cheek gently. The hard lines of his face seem to soften under her touch.
“If I haven’t already made it abundantly clear,” she says, gazing at him tenderly, “I was more than willing to be dragged to bed last night. I’ve been living in that world of magic and ritual and fuck the patriarchy sisterhood for nearly every waking moment of the past three... five nights… and as enlightening and essential to our practices as those experiences are for members of House Carna, it can get to be a bit… draining. Being around so many people is... difficult for me, sometimes."
"I know," he murmurs without a hint of judgement.
"If you want to hear about the gathering," she continues, "I'll be happy to tell you about it. But last night, I just wanted to forget about it all for a little while. No more discussions of newly rediscovered ancient magics and the best time to gather herbs for ritual purposes and whether or not crystals really work.” Jasper lets out a growled laugh at that as he continues to stroke her back soothingly. “Just you and me and this bed. This weekend was a good break for me. One that was important for me to take to… reconnect with my training and my chosen House… But I still missed you, too.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Eva traces the dark veins on his arm as she contemplates her next words.
“Maybe you could come with me… next time,” she says carefully.
“When’s… next time?”
“I don’t know yet. It’s determined by lunar calendars and star charts, the alignment of the planet’s energy and resonance and all that. But… not for a while. A few years at least, probably more.”
Eva doesn’t say it outright, but she can tell by the way his hand stills in its path up her spine that he understands what she means. She can picture the two of them still being together like this in a few years if fate is anything close to kind. She wants him to still be by her side when that time comes and she hopes he will still want to be there. After everything they’ve gone through, she’s finally letting herself imagine long term plans.
Jasper squeezes her shoulder, hugging her close and smiling down at her.
“I think I’d like that,” he says softly. Eva knows they won't discuss it further tonight—just knowing that he wants a future with her, regardless of the timeline or any concrete plans, is enough for her for now—so she leans up to kiss him. It is so easy now, so simple.
When they part, Jasper's tone edges toward playful for his next question, “And what would you have to say to sneak me into a secret Carna gathering? Tell them I’m your… Nosferatu bodyguard, protection for the long and dangerous journey out into the forest?”
Eva giggles and smiles up at him.
“That only works on people who underestimate me and think I need protection,” she teases, “My Carna sisters know I’m rather… adept at defensive magic… And that I can throw lightning."
Jasper growls low in his chest at the mention of his favorite of her many tricks.
"So, as capable… and clever… and strong as you are,” Eva continues, pressing a light kiss to his neck with each descriptor before settling back down on his chest, “They’d never believe you were my chaperone.”
Jasper lets out a rough laugh at that. He's not her keeper and he knows it. He’s protective of her, even when she doesn’t need him to be, but that doesn’t stop him from seeing just how strong and capable she is on her own—it's one of the many things he loves about her. He just wants to take care of her, even if he knows from experience that she can do it herself. That urge to defend her still flairs up on occasion, but as long as he let's her do the same for him—as long as he remembers that he is her partner, not her guardian—she can live with loving someone who just wants to keep her safe, especially when she feels the same way about him.
In this and so many other ways, Eva likes to think they balance each other out.
“What would I have to pose as then?” he asks, pulling her out of her thoughts.
“There’d be no need to lie. You could just come as my… companion.”
“Companion?” Jasper asks, another amused growl in the back of his throat, “Is that what I am now?”
“Companion… boyfriend… steady… lover…” she murmurs, walking her fingers across his chest as she speaks, “They wouldn’t need to know the details. All they’d need to know is that you’re mine.”
She can hear the low, pleased rumble in his chest as he takes in her words. He likes being hers, likes hearing her say it.
She likes being his, too, even if he rarely phrases it that way.
Eva adds, “I think they’d like you, actually.”
“Because I’m a quick study and a novice thaumaturgy practitioner?”
“Because you’re good with your hands and you keep your girlfriend very, very happy,” she purrs, nuzzling into him.
Eva knows the rest of her House would probably like him for other reasons, too—he’s curious and intelligent and loyal; he knows the value of research and knowledge; he can keep a secret; he stands by her even when it isn’t easy and calls her out when she’s wrong; he thinks the Tremere Pyramid and all it stands for is absolute bullshit. They’d like him for so many of the same reasons she does. And while sometimes it’s fun to list all his wonderful qualities until he’s a fidgeting, stuttering mess, tonight she’s more in the mood to tease him about everything they’ve gotten up to since adding Blush of Life to their relationship.
Jasper smiles down at her. “Oh, really? Is sexual satisfaction one of the core tenets of House Carna?”
“Not officially, but it might as well be." She leans up again to press slow, teasing kisses against his neck. "And you've been doing a wonderful job of helping me... stay in touch with that particular practice.”
Jasper purrs as her lips ghost across his throat. She loves making him sound like that.
"Is this the sort of thing you all discussed at witch summer camp?" he eventually manages to ask, a teasing edge to his rough voice.
She pulls back from his neck in mock offense.
"A Carna coven gathering," she recites, trying to feign annoyance but unable to stop the smile that spreads across her, "is a respected tradition of my House that acts as an opportunity for one to reconnect with one's sisters through collective ritual and thaumaturgical practices, as well as an open forum for the exchange of occult knowledge."
She can't keep up the serious tone, though, and dissolves into giggles at how pretentious it all sounds when she says it like that. In reality, Jasper's description isn't really that far off from the truth.
"But no," she adds, her voice still tinged with laughter, "I didn't talk about our sex life at witch summer camp... even though Kyoko asked... again."
Jasper sighs but Eva can feel the familiar, comforting vibrations of his gravely laughter grow stronger from where she lies against his chest. She likes hearing him laugh, especially when it stems from genuine amusement rather than some morbid sense of irony.
They settle into comfortable silence for a while after that, simply lying together and letting their hands wander, exchanging occasional lazy kisses in the soft glow of their bedside lamp. Eva laces her fingers through his eventually, enjoying the way their hands fit together as they rest on top of Jasper’s abdomen.
“I missed you every night,” she says after a long while.
He gives her an extra squeeze around the shoulders. “I missed you, too.”
“I should unpack,” Eva sighs, remembering how she’d abandoned her duffel bag in the hallway the night before when Jasper met her at the door. Putting her things away really hadn't been her main priority last night, and any passing thought of it had completely left her mind when he’d swept her into his arms and kissed her hard up against the wall.
“Can’t it wait?” he asks, tightening his grip on her, “Stay in bed a little while longer.”
“You really missed me,” she says wistfully.
“I really did.”
“The feeling is absolutely mutual,” she murmurs, burrowing into his chest and placing a light kiss just above his heart.
She can unpack later, she decides. For now, all that matters is Jasper’s hand in hers and his fingers in her hair and the way her body fits against his. They have three long nights apart—five, counting travel time—to make up for and now seems as good a time as any to get started.