Amelia was having a decent start to the new year. Jasper had been nothing but sweetness since his weird and terrible mood a few days prior, nobody had second guessed that she was Ruby's alibi, and she'd had a really nice New Years Eve with Charlie down at the marina. No monsters had come out of the ocean, nobody had bothered them and it really felt like a reprieve from all the madness. A well deserved reprieve since Amelia was sure things would turn sour again. The little breaks between traumatic events would help them survive the darkness and this little break had been really sweet. When Jasper offered to take her ice skating she was much quicker to say yes than she would have been just a couple of days prior because she wasn't as scared and paranoid anymore.
She put on a lot of layers and a thick coat because it was freezing out there but it was still worth it, having a good time with her brother and trying something new. She wondered for a moment if they should invite Jules and Ruby to join them but Jules was already taking up a lot of her brother's time so it was nice to have him to herself for an hour or two. "I'm ready," she told him as she tugged her hat down over her ears, grinning at him. The dogs would have to stay home and she knew they wouldn't be happy about it but it wasn't like they were going to be away for long. Unless something went wrong but she couldn't live every minute afraid of things that might be.
Since Jasper had already been ice skating with Jules, he knew he could still do it without breaking his face open. He’d been pondering taking Amelia to try it, and had realized at New Years that he was running out of time. So once the hangover had subsided, he’d pitched it to her. They’d never really gone when she was still a kid, it was always one of those ‘maybe next year’ sorts of things after she’d stopped being really little, and the Lucases weren’t a big ‘wholesome activities’ sort of family. But now Amelia was grown and capable, and he thought she might like it. Plus, he needed to spend some time with her to really make up for being an asshole a while back.
Jasper emerged from his room, pulling on his coat -- not his favorite, unfortunately, he’d had to give that one up because of the dickhead monster tearing it up, but it worked well enough. He grinned at his adorable bundled sister and draped a scarf around the back of his neck. “Let’s go then, so I can start showing you up on the ice,” he teased, reaching out to tug at some of the long hair escaping from under her hat.
Their family might not have been wholesome but Amelia had been ice skating with her friends before because their families were wholesome and she often benefited from that. It had been a long time though so she laughed a little at Jasper's comment. So not fair! "You've been there more recently, I'm rusty," she said and stuck her tongue out at him. "I hope it's like riding a bike, if that's even true." She hadn't tried riding a bike since she got back so maybe that was a bullshit saying, who knew. "Are you good on the ice?" She had to ask. She'd never seen Jasper skate and it was hard to imagine him doing that but maybe Jules had forced him onto the ice at some point. Or maybe he was just talking shit and he'd be doing more falling down than she would be.
Jasper laughed a bit, since he’d mostly just been talking shit. He’d managed not to fall too much while he’d been skating with Jules, and he was pretty sure he could do it again this time. “I’m okay,” he admitted more honestly. “I can stay up and go like, decently fast when I try.” He was no figure skater, that was for sure, and Jasper was pretty sure he couldn’t even handle a hockey stick at the same time, but he could skate around in circles with his little sister and have a good time. He gave Max and Rude’s heads a quick rub and then led the way to the door, fishing his keys out of his coat pocket. “Maybe we can grab some food and take it to Dad on our way back,” he suggested over his shoulder.
That sounded about as good as Amelia had ever been. Staying upright and doing an okay speed. She wasn't going to try to do tricks or anything - unless someone dared her to. It really was just a risk assessment kind of thing but with her temper and pride it could be hard to say no. Jasper was different though, she didn't feel like she had to prove herself to him. If anything she felt like she was allowed to be small again, to let him take care of things. "Oh, I bet he'd like that," she said with a smile and it was the sort of idea that made her feel like the three of them were going to be okay. Her dad and Jasper hadn't always been close but it felt like their relationship was on the mend and Amelia knew they both needed that. She grabbed her rifle on the way out and while it was a little hard to get the dogs to stay inside and close the door on them, they were at the car and ready to go soon enough.
Jasper gave the rifle a wary little glance, but he didn’t protest as he unlocked his car for them and they climbed in. It wasn’t like he’d never fired a gun -- Gavin had trained him pretty young on how to be safe around them, which was like, the one good parenting duty he’d fulfilled. It was just strange to see his ‘little’ sister toting one around like it was just another limb to her. Jasper couldn’t blame her much though, not after what had happened with the fog. “That stays in the car, right?” he said to her once they were settled and backing out of the driveway. He gave the rifle a meaningful glance. There would probably be kids at the skating rink, and while it wasn’t unheard of to carry a gun around in Maine, Jasper didn’t want to invite any trouble.
"It stays in the car," Amelia promised with a little grin as she secured it in the back seat. "I just like having it nearby." She had done a good job of not needing that and had started leaving it at home more and more but that was before the fog. Now she knew that Point Pleasant was every bit as dangerous as the other side - maybe even more so. The rifle was never staying home again. "I want to get a handgun," she admitted. "Something small but powerful I can just strap on and know is there all the time. I wonder if dad will get me one." She wasn't technically old enough to carry but neither she nor her family were particularly law-abiding so she didn't see that as much of an obstacle. As long as she didn't have to procure her own weapon. No legal gun seller would sell her a piece with the stupid nineteen-year-old ID she now had.
Jasper knew that Gavin could get Amelia a gun, but whether or not he would was a different story. His instinct was to say no, it wasn’t a good idea, but hell, she was probably a better shot than all of them. He was learning that his instincts about his sister were all wrong now, she had changed so much. “Worst he can say is no, right?” Jasper offered with a faint chuckle. “And if he won’t, there’s always Uncle Caden.” He was sure Caden would have less hesitation about arming his niece. Jasper kind of wanted one too, but he was a little intimidated by the idea of carrying it around. Not that he was going to admit that out loud. He drove them toward the marina, taking more note now of all the structural damage that was still visible. A handgun wouldn’t have helped him any, not against those things.
Amelia wouldn't have thought to ask Caden but now she would if Gavin said no. She was pretty sure she could convince him that being armed was better than not being armed but it was good to have a backup in case he didn't change his mind. Her rifle was getting old and she couldn't take it everywhere, no matter how much she wanted to, but concealing a smaller weapon was easy in the winter with all the bulky clothing she wore. "Are you going to be okay with skating?" she asked somewhat belatedly once they were already on their way. "I don't want you to fall and mess up your wounds more." She should have thought of that when he asked and she couldn't help the sliver of guilt she felt for it but she reminded herself that it was his idea and his responsibility.
Jasper had to laugh a bit at that, because it was almost exactly what Jules had fretted about when they’d gone skating too. As annoying as being coddled could be, he had to appreciate that there were now women in his life who actually gave a shit about him. “I’ll be fine, no worries,” he assured her. He rolled his shoulder on the injured side a little bit, testing how it felt. It was actually really unsettling, how quickly it was healing, though Jasper had been trying his best not to worry about it. He just wanted to be grateful that it was going away and the full use of his arm was coming back. “It’s almost healed anyway,” he told Amelia, since he hadn’t told anyone else yet. If anybody would understand Weird Shit, it was her. “And I did fine with me and Jules.”
If they hadn't already been in the car, Amelia would have demanded to see for herself but they were in the car and Jasper was wearing a thick coat so that would have to wait. "That's fast," she said and while she wasn't sure he wasn't just saying that to reassure her it was entirely possible it was healing quickly but normally. It had been almost a week now and bodies were very resilient. Maybe his protective wards played a part too, maybe he was a quick healer in general. "I'm glad you feel better," she told him. "I hated seeing you hurt." Even Elodie hadn't really deserved that kind of pain and she was a total bitch, Jasper didn't deserve it at all as far as Amelia was concerned.
It was kind of simply sweet of her to say, and it made Jasper smile again. “Well it fuckin’ sucked being hurt, so I’m glad too,” he said. He glanced over at her and added, “And that you avoided it. Even if you had to deal with that bitch from next door, I’m happy you stayed inside.” It might have been healing fast, but Jasper wouldn’t have wished that kind of pain and trauma on anybody -- especially not his sister, who’d had enough pain and trauma for several lifetimes already. She deserved nothing but soft blankets and comfort and safety and love, as far as he was concerned. Jasper reached over to find her hand and give it a squeeze, a weird mix of protectiveness and helplessness suddenly in his chest. He wanted to keep her safe, but he knew he couldn’t, not completely. She was probably better at taking care of herself than he was.
She turned her hand to squeeze his hand back, giving him a little smile. She didn't have her mittens on just yet and he didn't have his gloves on because they were just in the car driving so it was nice to hold hands for a little bit. Amelia had always loved physical closeness with people, holding hands and hugging were her jam, and she'd never really thought her father and brother weren't the same because they were very indulgent in giving her what she needed. It wasn't until she paid attention to how they treated each other that she realized they didn't really hug much and at eight years old she'd somewhat made it a mission of hers to get them to be more affectionate in general. Maybe if she hugged them all the time, it would become more normal to them to do the same with each other. She had no idea if it had worked but she liked to think so, at least Gavin seemed to pat Jasper's shoulder more than she remembered. That was a start. "I wouldn't have gone out into that fog until I absolutely had to," she promised him. "It just felt wrong, even before I knew there were monsters in it."
Jasper found it much easier to be affectionate with his sister than anyone else in his family, maybe because they were predominantly male. It was a strange feeling, to crave hugs and reassurance from his dad, but having no idea how to get those things. Gavin wasn’t that type of man, and maybe Jasper shouldn’t be either. It was all tangled up in his head with the sense of masculinity they’d ingrained in him, and not something he could really parse out yet. He nodded a little, glad that Amelia’s instincts were so sharp about such things. Jasper squeezed her fingers again before he took his hand back to put it on the wheel once more. “Do you wanna go together to get the tattoos?” he asked, glancing over at his sister. “Think we’ll have to drive into Bangor to do it, could be fun though. We can like, make a day of it.” Jasper wasn’t sure if Gavin wanted to accompany them or not, but they were both of age now, according to their IDs, so making it just the two of them might make for some nice bonding.
"I talked about going with Ruby but she might wanna come with us," Amelia said and it was handy that Ruby was Jasper's friend first so she knew for sure they got along. A day in the city with just her brother sounded good too so either way she'd have fun. "I haven't been to Bangor since I was tiny - or anywhere cool. I think Charlie was going to take me with her to Portland for a day but then the fog happened and nobody's mentioned it since." She might still take her, Amelia hoped so, Gavin had seemed reluctant but excited for her anyway - or as excited as their dad could ever visibly be. "Do we need to make an appointment or something?"
He was glad that Amelia and Ruby were becoming friends, he really was, but some discomfort squirmed in Jasper’s stomach at that. He knew more about Ruby now than Amelia hopefully ever would. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she could handle the news now, it was just that the fewer people knew, the better. There was also a tiny spark of jealousy that Amelia had talked about going with a friend first instead of him, but Jasper tried to squash that quickly. “Bet Charlie just forgot in all the chaos,” he murmured, giving a little shrug. “Remind her, she’d still take you. And I dunno, I’ve never gotten one before.” He gave a faint smile. “Pretty sure most of those places take walk-ins. I can find out though.” Maybe their dad would have some recommendations, he was covered in ink.
Amelia was happy to let Jasper take care of all of that if it was necessary to book appointments. She still felt out of sorts, unsure how to navigate this world of rules, appointments, society and while she was learning it was nice to just sit back and let someone else take the reins. Her mind was elsewhere though because thinking about Ruby made her think about being her alibi and she had no idea what - if anything - Jasper knew about what had happened. They hadn't been alone together much and Jasper had been recovering so they hadn't talked. Ruby hadn't mentioned him either so maybe Jules was keeping everything from him too. "How's Jules?" she asked, not for the first time. "Is she... Did they find her stepdad yet?" That was the official story, he'd just wandered out into the fog. The more people who believed that, the better.
When it came to making appointments, Jasper was pretty clueless himself. His parents had always done that adult shit, and once his mom had stopped caring, he’d pretty much stopped going to the doctor and dentist regularly. He would figure out what he needed to do though, so they could have that extra layer of protection on them. Every little bit helped, right? Jasper shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Amelia asked about Edward, and he tried to look like he was focused on driving. “Uh ... no, not yet,” he murmured. And they won’t, his brain added. “She’s doing okay. It’s mostly her mom that’s a mess. So Jules is kinda ... avoiding her.” Jasper glanced over at her, wondering what she would think of her big brother being an accessory after the fact to murder. Even if he still didn’t think it had been murder, exactly, more self defense. But he was Involved now. They were getting close to the marina, and Jasper slowed down to turn onto the right street.
It was hard to suss out how much he knew. Maybe Jules was keeping it a secret and that didn't really sit right with Amelia, but it also wasn't her secret to tell. Would he tell her if he knew? Probably not, he'd want to shield her away from it all if possible. It made her want to tell him even more but she smothered the urge for now. She'd have to ask Ruby - or Jules - if he knew. Maybe it was even better to just not talk about it ever again. Maybe he didn't know Ruby was involved even if he knew Jules's step dad was dead. "Must be hard," she sighed. "Poor Jules." You'd tell me if you knew something weird, wouldn't you? her mind was asking over and over again but it wasn't a question she could ask without making him suspicious so she let it stay internal, no matter how petulant she felt about it. "Everything looks so normal down here," she said instead, looking around as Jasper looked for a parking space. "Like nothing even happened."
Unaware that Amelia knew anything about the truth, Jasper murmured some agreement that it was hard, and yes, poor Jules. Then he was gratefully occupied with parking. There seemed to be a decent number of people there, taking advantage of the last couple of days before the ice rink closed. He’d never understood why it wasn’t open well into February, with the continued cold weather and all, but who knew. There were probably all sorts of reasons. “Yeah,” he agreed with his sister as he wrapped the scarf tighter around his neck and fished his gloves out of his pockets to tug on. “That’s kinda how we roll around here.” Jasper sounded sardonic as he said it, because it was kind of incredible that phenomenon was still holding true, even after a disaster like the fog beasts. It didn’t seem natural, like there was something else at work on the people of this town. It wouldn’t surprise him anymore. He got out of the car, hunching his shoulders against the cold, and tugged a hat down over his hair.
Amelia followed suit, pulling her beanie over her hair and tugging on her mittens. There were a lot of people around, more than she'd imagined there would be in this cold, and she felt a little nervous as they made their way to the rink. It made her wonder if she'd feel safer if she had a gun on her, or if this nervousness was something else entirely. She wasn't afraid of anything, she didn't think any of these people were actually shadows, so why did her chest feel this tight? She stepped closer to Jasper and slipped her arm around his which instantly made her feel a little calmer. It couldn't be all bad as long as he was right there with her. Still, she made a note of where the car was and how they could get back to it fast and easily - even if they couldn't see - so her need for precautions had only grown stronger. "So how's Logan doing?" she asked. She'd briefly seen everyone on New Years Eve when she strolled the marina with Charlie but nobody had really wanted to linger and talk, not with their teacher right there and she could understand that.
If she’d still been nine, Jasper wouldn’t have been so comfortable with her clinging onto him, even if that didn’t make much sense. It was just more embarrassing having a kid on his arm. People passing by might think Amelia was his girlfriend, but Jasper didn’t care. If she felt more secure holding on, he was fine with that. “He’s pretty good,” he said, chuckling a bit to even think about his best friend. Thinking about Logan at all made him feel a tiny bit flushed in the cheeks -- the cheeks that Logan had so enthusiastically kissed at midnight a couple of days prior -- and Jasper hoped it wasn’t noticeable. “Considering everything, anyway. Hasn’t found a job yet, but once he does and we get a little money under our belt, we’re gonna start looking for an apartment.” It still seemed so impossible and far away. Jasper made a mental note yet again to talk to Ruby about talking to her dad about giving him a job.
Amelia had had some time to digest the idea that Jasper was leaving her. No, not leaving her, just moving out. He'd still be in the same town, she could still see him regularly. It would just be different. Still, it made her stomach sink and she had to work hard at not letting her mood pummel. "You can't move far away," she mumbled, bumping her head against his shoulder. "Or I'll make you take me with you." She'd been mean to Logan about it and she knew that, it had just been hard to hear it from him that Jasper was leaving. If she could have her way they'd all live in the same house - or at the very least in houses that were side by side. Bad things happened in the world and she'd hated not having her family close in the fog.
All those times he’d fantasy-talked with Jules about running away from Point Pleasant and just living somewhere else flashed through Jasper’s head and he felt kind of guilty. Amelia was his main reason for not doing that though, so maybe he didn’t need to feel guilty about daydreaming. This was a miserable place and things had gotten bad for a lot of the people he cared about, maybe daydreaming was downright reasonable. He pulled his arm out of Amelia’s grasp only to wrap it around her shoulders so they could walk even closer. “I won’t go far, I promise,” he assured her with a squeeze. “Just like, to Castle View or a trailer at Seaview or something.” He would prefer not to live right down the street from his uncles, but Jasper would take what he could get when it came to independence and privacy. “I’m not leaving you for anything,” he added in a lower tone.
Amelia believed him which was good because she really needed to right now. She wrapped her arm around his waist and squeezed as she leaned into him again, satisfied with his answer. "I kinda want to get a job too, I just don't know what." Both her doctor and her dad seemed to think she wasn't ready either and they made good points but that didn't mean she was happy living off of whatever money Gavin gave her. He wasn't exactly rich so it didn't feel fair. "I know dad is looking for a place for the three of us though so you should probably tell him you might move soon. I mean, he'll probably want to have a spare room anyway, just in case you come back." She was speaking quietly and it really sucked that people couldn't overhear her talking about her own father as her dad but it was what it was.
Jasper tried to think of a regular job he could see Amelia doing, but he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. He couldn’t see her as a waitress or any of the boring shit that most young people did around here. “Maybe you can find something that’ll put your skills to good use,” he offered, then chuckled. “I dunno what the fuck that would be, but who knows around here.” He gave her another brotherly squeeze before letting his arm slip off since they were so close to the skate rental booth. “I’ll talk to him though. He’ll probably be like, glad to get rid of me finally.” It was an off-handed comment, and things between him and his dad hadn’t been too bad lately, but Jasper still thought they would probably get along even better with some distance between them. He stepped up in line with Amelia and pulled his wallet out.
"I'm pretty sure he wants us all to stay together," Amelia said. "He was ranting about getting a house with a basement in case things go south again. I know I'd feel safer if you still lived with us." It wasn't meant to guilt trip him for moving out but she'd been terrified for him during the fog. Not knowing where he was, if he was safe, if he was dead. If he existed on this plane anymore. "At least now I know Logan will take care of you if you need it," she added with a little smile, not wanting it to get too heavy. "He's cute too," she added, just to tease him because he was her big brother and probably had opinions on what kind of boys or girls she was allowed to find cute.
The idea that Gavin would want Jasper to keep living with them hadn’t really occurred to him. At least not in any way that seemed realistic. Gavin sure hadn’t said as much to him. All of that was wiped out of his mind with the rest of what Amelia said. For one, the idea of Logan taking care of anyone was kind of laughable, and for two, what? “Ohmygod,” Jasper exclaimed, looking over at Amelia with a mix of amusement and horror. “No. Just ... no. Uh uh.” It was a weird mix of feelings, thinking that his little -- not so little -- sister might have a crush on anyone at all, but especially Logan, of all people. Especially considering the strange feelings he had himself about his friend. He laughed to lighten it up and tugged at some of her long hair again. “What, you don’t think I can take care of myself?” he said with a little smirk.
Amelia started laughing as soon as Jasper said no for the first time and she just laughed more when he said it again. It was the reaction she'd been expecting, maybe even hoping for. That big brother overprotective mode she'd only really experienced through books. It was endearing. At his question she shook her head hard, still laughing. "No you can't take care of yourself," she teased. "I need to know someone's around to keep an eye on you or I'll have to visit every day and make sure you're eating." She was still somewhat giggling when it was their turn and Jasper got them the skates, shooting him a playful grin.
Jasper made an amused, dismissive noise. “You’ll have to do that anyway then, ‘cause Logan sure as shit won’t,” he said, grinning back. The girl behind the skate counter gave him a funny look, but Jasper ignored it as he paid for their skate rentals. He led them over to one of the benches lined up at the side of the skating rink and plopped down to switch out his shoes for his skates. “You do know,” he said while they were in the middle of untying and tying laces, “Whenever you do get like, a boyfriend, you’re gonna have to run him by me first, right?” Jasper glanced over at Amelia with humor and affection in his eyes. He meant it though -- it was going to take somebody pretty fucking special to be good enough for his sister. She’d been through enough shit, she needed someone who would understand her and treat her right.
Amelia wasn't looking to date anyone, the thought alone was so outlandish it almost made her laugh, but she understood where the question came from, especially since she absolutely knew Jasper would hate it if she ended up with Logan. "What if I get a girlfriend?" she said a little stubbornly and cocked a brow at him. It was sort of a callback to when she was little because she'd been the one to call her dad out when he was being homophobic - or her mom when she was being racist. That shit had never been okay in Amelia's circle of friends so it had been uncomfortable to face it at home.
He raised his brows back at her in almost a challenging way, but he had to grin a little bit. “Then warn dad before you bring her home,” Jasper said. It wasn’t a shocking question or anything, and Jasper had no issue with gay people. Or bi people, or any other flavor of LGBT people, for that matter. It would’ve been pretty hypocritical of him, considering his wayward thoughts about Logan. But he wasn’t going to talk about all that with Amelia, especially if she thought Logan was cute. “And I still wanna meet her. Girls can be assholes too.” He flashed Amelia a bright grin and nudged her with his shoulder.
"That's fair," Amelia replied with a grin and once again her brother didn't disappoint her. She hadn't expected him to but she was better at reading him now than she had been at nine years old. Or at least she hoped she was. He genuinely didn't seem to care and that was a good thing in this case. She didn't think girls could be quite as bad as boys though, or at least they were a very different type of assholes but she didn't want to ruffle his feathers any by saying so. "I'm in no rush for all that," she admitted. "But I'll try not to sneak around as much as you did when you started dating Jules." She grinned again and got up, balancing on her skates. It was a little weird, it had been so long since she last skated, but it wasn't as hard as she had worried it would be.
Jasper could tell that made her happy, which made him happy in turn. He genuinely wanted good things for her, she’d been through so much, and as long as the object of her affection was worthy of her, Jasper wanted her to fall in love. Even if he and Jules didn’t last for the long run, the highs of their love were something he wanted his little sister to experience some day. It was kind of a relief to hear that she wasn’t in a big hurry to take that step. “Yeah, try that,” he said with a laugh. Jasper got himself up too and waddled with Amelia across the rubbery surface laid down between the benches and the rink. It felt much easier this time stepping out onto the ice since he’d done it so recently before. Once he was sure he had his feet under him, Jasper offered his arm to Amelia in case she needed it.
Amelia accepted the offer because she wasn't so sure she'd be any good at this. There had been no ice that she could remember 'over there', she was at least very certain she hadn't gone ice skating. It didn't take her long to find her balance though, and unlike some other activities going slow didn't really help. It was picking up speed that helped her and soon they were skating along and she felt confident enough to let go of him. It was fun, just like she'd remembered, and even more so since she was doing it with Jasper. She let out a happy little laugh, doing her best to keep Jasper within reach in case she did lose her balance.
“There you go, there you go!” Jasper encouraged her with a laugh of his own. He stayed close to her as they glided around the ice rink. It felt really good to be moving at that speed outside of a car, the cold wind biting at his cheeks and nose. It was a really freeing, flying sort of sensation, and he was glad that he’d thought to do this with Amelia before the rink closed for the year. After a few rounds around the oval, Jasper veered a little further away from Amelia and tried to do a little spin. He almost fell on his ass, but he managed to catch himself with a laugh.
Amelia would have done really well and she had been this whole time, but seeing Jasper nearly fall made her laugh so hard that she lost her own balance. Falling on ice should never be a pleasant experience but the ice was smooth and she didn't try to catch herself in any stupid way so she landed perfectly on her ass and kept laughing as she slid back a little. She noticed a couple of guys watching them and had the feeling they would have swooped in if she wasn't so accompanied by Jasper and the thought was both exciting and terrifying. "This is your fault," she told her brother, still giggling. "Help me up."
“Oh no,” Jasper said though his laugh when Amelia hit the ice. He shuffled in close, glad that she was still giggling and hadn’t actually hurt herself. “My fault?” he exclaimed with playful incredulity, offering his hands out to help her up. Jasper jammed the toe of his skate down to try and keep himself steady so he didn’t join her on his ass on the ice. He was banged up enough already. She looked like she was having such a good time, it made him really happy to be there.
"You made me laugh," Amelia pointed out as she got to her feet, clinging to him while she found her balance. She was still laughing as she did so, forgetting momentarily that he was hurt until she'd already pulled herself up using his arm. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "You okay? Don't hurt yourself for me, shit." She didn't stop smiling though because he didn't seem hurt or bothered by it, it was just good to remind him to be careful. She patted his arm as if she could soothe whatever discomfort he might feel away, careful not to go near the actual wounds.
He’d felt the pull on the skin around his wound, but it didn’t really hurt, so Jasper laughed off her concern. “I’m fine, stop fretting,” he said and pulled a little on her hair again with his free hand. “What about you, is your butt okay?” Ice was never soft to land on, but Amelia hadn’t seemed to have hit very hard, so she was probably all right. Without waiting for an answer, he started to move again, albeit slowly for the moment.
Her ass was a little sore but she'd had worse so she just laughed it off. "My butt is fine," she reassured him. "Would have been worse if I tried to catch myself." She wiggled her hand, unscathed and warm inside its mitten. "Just don't make me laugh again," she added and nudged him in the arm. "Or I'll be super mad." She wouldn't be, that much was clear by the way she grinned when she said it as well as the absurdity of the statement.
“I’ll do my best to be boring and unfunny,” Jasper joked, nudging Amelia back. “It’s gonna be really hard, but you know ... I’ll do it for you.” He grinned and winked at her a little, then focused on what he was doing as they got going again. It was awesome to be out with her, just doing something normal siblings did and enjoying each other’s company. He would’ve taken nine year old Amelia out ice skating too, but Jasper was finding that he liked her at this age too. What had happened to her was terrible, but he was guiltily happy to have a close peer for a sister. The guilt was on the backburner for the moment at least, and Jasper let the sensation of gliding across the ice carry him away again.