2015.08.30 - Stargazing

*Jason returns to La Push, where Jacob is pleased to see him.*

August 29, 2015

La Push

Jason Christopher slips onto the yacht in the dead of night. Naked from having just shifted, his body and hair is covered with dried blood and dirt from the long trip back to Washington. Twigs and leaves actually scatter on the floor behind him. He looks empowered though despite it all. Like he was almost glowing on some deep inner level.

Jacob was lightly dozing in a deck chair. He perceives Jason's arrival despite this, as his senses are still active, and he stirs awake, glancing around, and calls out, "Hello? Someone there?" He reaches up to rub at his eyes, not having intended to fall asleep up there.

Jason Christopher pauses and replies to Jacob after a moment. "It's just me Jacob. Did Embry give you my message?" He was hoping to het inside and get a shower before encountering Jacob. Much like the twins a number of hours ago there would be questions. Plus the scent of the blood would likely be strong still.

"Embry? He told me you were going to deal with something." He's awake and alert quickly, on his feet now. "You've been... hunting," he observes, not quite sure what he should say about it. Because he can tell that's not vampire venom or animal blood he smells.

Jason Christopher sighs softly and nods as he approaches Jacob. "Something, happened. A group woke the Nemeton in Beacon Hills. It puts the pack there in danger. I found some of the people responsible. They weren't good people. I'm going to need to investigate more. Find the rest of them as well."

"Oh," Jacob says, nodding. Eventually he may want to know more, but for now it's enough for him to fall back on his trust of Jason. "But the pack, they're all right? And you're all right?" he asks, quietly. Then, almost canceling out his own question, he says, "You probably want a shower, though. I can bug you about this stuff later."

Jason Christopher smiles at Jacob and nods to him. "I really could use a shower. I'd ask you to join me, but I think maybe it would be uncomfortable with.." He gestures up and down at his body.

Jacob blinks a little. "I..." he starts to say, and his brow furrows. "Wow. It actually took me a second to figure out what you meant. I'm not... sure I *could* be uncomfortable with that, Jason." He offers an apologetic little smile. "Not if it's you. But... if you feel better washing off first, I'm okay with that, too."

Jason Christopher smiles faintly, and nods to Jacob. "Alright then I'll be back soon. As soon as I'm cleaned up." He slips off to his room and after a moment or two the shower starts running. Jason is randomly singing choruses of different Michael Jackson songs as he scrubs the blood and the gore off of him. Particularly out of his hair. Because it is just not a flattering look.

Jake drops back into the deck chair, peering up at the stars and both marveling at the odd contentment he feels, hearing Jason's voice and sensing his presence, along with how hilarious it is that Jason's singing *Michael Jackson* of all things. Either way, a contented little smile settles onto his lips as he waits.

Jason Christopher is gone for about 10 minutes before he returns with a towel wrapped around his waist. He walks over and sits on the edge of the chair next to Jacob. He certainly smells a lot better. To say nothing of looking better without all the blood and gore. He is still sporting that inner glow. He actually seems a bit calmer then the last time Jacob saw him. As if that inner rage was somehow partially quelled partially.

Jacob almost automatically scoots close, slipping his arms around Jason's waist, and leans a head on his shoulder. "Now I feel like *I'm* the one who needs a shower," he jokes. "You smell so good." He pauses a moment, considering, and then asks, "Did something... else happen? You seem... good. Like, radiant, I think is the word. Like you stoked up the fires or something."

Jason Christopher kisses the top of Jacob's head and breathes deeply. He closes his eyes and is silent a moment just basking in Jacob's radiance. Then he slowly explains. "The Nemeton is a place of powerful druidic importance. It radiates the magical energy of nature itself. I suppose you might say that was just mother's milok for me." He doesn't go into details about how slaughtering those damn bastards responsible for restoring the Nemeton also calmed that inner anger by no small measure as well. It disturbs him in many ways just how true that was.

Jacob leans into Jason's embrace, listening to his words without fully understanding them. Druidism is magic, he understands, but the realities of it... well, he's not even really put a toe into those waters. He just knows that it's powerful, perhaps in some ways similar to the Quileutes' magic, and that it's important to Jason. So he smiles again, nodding a little, and says, "Well, seems like it was good for you. You seem... kinda more *you*. Like, centered. Primed. Y'know?"

Jason Christopher huffs out a slight smile and a pleased sound. "I feel better. Not fully myself I admit. But certainly better. Though I admit, the price is to high. Having the Nemeton fully awake and alive again makes it a threat to that area." He sighs and runs his fingers through Jacob's hair. "The pack there is not as cohesive, or as experienced as all of you. Ethan and his brother are coming here tomorrow. I think all of this finally has them realizing they need to learn. They need to grow....or eventually someone is going to die for the lack of experience there."

"Then you'll teach them," Jacob supplies, "and we'll help them learn. If Ethan's brother's anything like him, I'll be glad to meet him." He pauses, then wonders, "Is Scott McCall all right? I remember Ethan saying he was... sick, or something." It was such a bizarre-sounding ailment, though some late-night Googling had him a bit better informed on the realities of psychic exhaustion. At this point, Jake was suspecting that it might be a *wolf thing* more than a freaked out teen thing, but that was pure speculation. Maybe he's just used to *wolf things* governing his own life.

Jason Christopher nods slowly and pauses. "Yes, yes I will teach them. Aiden is a lot like Paul from the impression I got. Aggressive." He cocks his head to the side and closes his eyes a few moments. "As I understand it Scott woke up just recently from a coma he had been in. I, don't really know much more and I only learned that from the twins when I passed through that way a few hours ago."

"Well, awake can't be a bad step," Jake suggests with a mild shake of his head. Then, shifting position, he moves to snuggle more directly against Jason and gives a contented sigh. "Aiden'll be fine. If he's like Paul, then once we kick his butt a little we'll be best friends." He snickers just softly at that idea, then leans up to gently kiss Jason on the cheek. "I'm glad you're back," he says softly, though from his tone, he means it beyond the obvious way.

Jason Christopher snakes an arm around Jacob and looks up into the stars. "I have spent so many years looking at the stars. Once, back when I was your age. In Japan. I used to think that there was this entire world humans knew nothing about. Right here on this world with them. Were there things out there I knew nothing about? It's odd. But I still wonder sometimes. A random thought, if you will pardon my musing aloud."

"Sure, sure," Jacob murmurs softly, though the only stars he's seeing right now are any that happen to be reflected in Jason's eyes. "But we know there's that world. And other worlds, too. No way do we know *everything*, either." He reaches up to lightly play with Jason's hair, not even fully realizing he's doing it. "The universe is so big... there's always gonna be more mysteries out there, right? That's... that's kind of awesome. Y'know?"

Jason Christopher smiles softly, closing his eyes. He seems to deeply enjoy Jacob playing with his hair. Perhaps Jake has found a button? a Either way he is still and quiet for some minutes. "I prefer answers to mysteries. It is easier to control a situation when you have facts. But yes, there are always more to solve."

"I like *some* mysteries," Jake insists. "Like you. You're still a mystery to me in... a lot of ways, but..." And oh, yes, he continues to explore playing with Jason's hair, soon with two hands. "...I'm really in no hurry to solve you completely. Every little clue is way too much fun to rush past." And then he's moving, spurred by a perception that the time might just be right, and going to straddle Jason's lap and kiss him--not a Disney or Hollywood kiss, but a kiss that invites proper making out, all while running his fingers through his beloved's hair.

Jason Christopher wraps his arms up around Jacob's shoulder blades and around his back. He doesn't reply to Jake, at least not in words. But actions speak louder anyway, so the commonly held belief goes. If that true, then the kiss is as loud as his alpha roar from the other night. And just getting louder.

It's quite a while before Jacob does more than barely come up for air, intent on exploring the kiss and this particular "clue" for all it's worth, and he liberally explores this prospect of playing with Jason's hair, too, from simply running his fingers through, to massaging the scalp, to playfully twining it around his fingers. An observer would note that the moon has traveled several degrees across the sky before he finally pauses, pressing forehead to forehead, and rumbles...

"God, I love you. I know you were worried at first that it was 'just' the imprint, but... all that means, I figure, is I was *made* to love you. And I've been thinking about it a lot. You know, right? You know that it's not just a trick or a *wolf thing* or biology. I *love* you, Jason."

There's passion there, even naked need, but this isn't a lover trying to to entice sex. This is a young man desperately trying to make sure that a feeling that seems impossibly larger than himself is still somehow communicated clearly, through all the flaws and limits of spoken language.

Jason Christopher locks gazes with Jacob, and his eyes have that heated intensity that they often get. "I know you do Jacob. I can feel it inside of you. The same way I hope, you feel the very same from me." Jason leans forward to snatch another kiss. It's like his inner wolf is saying it. Communicating directly to Jacob's wolf. Just how much he loves him too. But just Incase he says it out loud too. "I love you as well Jacob. Forever and always."

It may just be that the words satisfy Jacob more than the kiss--or, at least, the words take the *meaning* of the kiss and propel it to much, much greater heights. He feels the connection, too, and he trusts it, but at the same time he *is* a person who needs to be able to speak and hear those words to fully convince his outer human what his inner wolf already knows. There's been so much fear and doubt in the past... the words and the reality of them are a special sort of music, as toneless and without melody as they are also profoundly meaningful. And they still make him want to dance.

Jason Christopher smiles and tugs Jacob close. Wanting him to stretch out across him. Doing away with whatever small space there was between them. Ideally permanently, regardless of any future distances between them.

Good thing deck chairs recline. Jacob does just as invited, reading Jason's intent easily, and stretches out full-length upon him, so from his bare feet, stretched along Jason's, to their thighs and hips, to their abs and chests, they're mirrored against one another, even if Jake is a little bit shorter. He nuzzles Jason's cheek happily enough, brushing soft kisses there, and for that time loses all concern for the rest of the world. Just now, they're all that exists for him.

Jason Christopher is in no real hurry to remove himself from that deck chair. He will of course before morning. Just for the sake of their neighbors. He would eventually carry Jacob to the bed they shared. But for now, for now he was content to stay right here. Missing his love. His mate. His Jacob. For some time to still come.