BE-E AGGRESSIVE! (be_aggressive) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-12-27 19:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | #june 2018, ethan, ethan x jules, jules |
Who: Ethan and Jules
Where: Somewhere
When: Night, Wednesday June 20th
Status: Complete
Warning: Turns NSFW
Jules was in a mood. It was something she wasn’t really able to describe but that didn’t really matter since she didn’t really have anyone to describe it to anyway. Well, she did, but… she didn’t. It was weird, but so was her life. She was doing her best to get on with things and enjoy the summer, hanging out with Bash and going shopping with Victoria and Scarlett. Jasper had texted a few times and while Jules had responded, they hadn’t really dived into a deep conversation and she hadn’t seen him since he spent the night over the weekend. It was probably better that way. She didn’t have to cry in front of him and he could do whatever he wanted, guilt-free.
She was single. She could have fun. Jasper told her he wanted her to do whatever she wanted, so… she would. And she was. Mostly.
It was just getting harder to bite down on all her feelings, some of which were difficult to process. Greg had made her angry and talking to Bash about college and things changing hadn’t helped anything. The pressure in her chest just felt like it was getting heavier with every passing day and Jules was afraid she might explode if she didn’t do something about it.
When she texted Ethan she was already in her car driving to his apartment. The first instinct she had was to go to Sweetbriar and soak in all the color of their secret little world. But tonight she wanted something new and she doubted Ethan would say no. They had this amazing ability and it was really dumb not to explore it more.
At the stoplight near the apartment complex, Jules quickly thumbed in a message to her friend. like 2 mins from your place. Wanna go somewhere? She really hoped he didn’t have Scarlett over, because Jules had a feeling that if he did she might just lose it.
Ethan rarely had a lot going on, especially on a weeknight. Even though he’d started hanging out with Scarlett more regularly, it wasn’t an everyday thing. When Jules texted, he’d been sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on the tv, trying to decide if he wanted to watch something or play video games. Hanging out with Jules was always a better option. sure. Give me a sec and i’ll meet you outside, he shot back, then pulled on his shoes and his hoodie. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed he looked okay, and then he was out the door, scanning the parking lot for her car.
Jules pulled into the lot when she saw Ethan's door open. Relieved that he was alone, she drove up to where he could just walk out and get into her car. "Hey," she greeted with a small smile, once he had climbed inside. "Sorry, I should've texted earlier. Just felt the urge to get out of the house and I didn't really think much before I was almost already here. I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" If she had been, Jules wasn't sure if Ethan would have told her or not, but right now she was selfishly glad for it.
“Hey,” Ethan said, flashing her a smile in return as he climbed into the passenger seat of her car. “Naw, nothing going on tonight. Did something happen? Or just feeling stir crazy?” Though he would never push it, he thought Jules probably needed something more to do with her time. A job or a project, something to get her out of her house, so that she wasn’t sitting at home, thinking about Jasper all the time. She didn’t talk a lot about it, but after months of being around her he knew it happened often enough.
"I guess it's a bit of both," Jules said as she drove away from the apartment. "I mean... nothing horrible happened. It's just a bunch of crap in my head and I think I just need to blow off some steam. I want to open a new door." Glancing at him, she tried to gauge his reaction. "I mean, not to be dangerous or anything, but there are so many around us and it feels like we're only allowed to open them when your uncle is involved. They can't all be dangerous, right? Some have to be like Sweetbriar." And maybe she wanted to prove to Greg in an indirect way that she wasn't scary and she wasn't scared. That she had this under control. She had to be in control of something.
Ethan’s brows rose in surprise, but he didn’t argue with her request. He’d been itching to open more doors himself, but it wasn’t something he could do alone and he didn’t want to push her, trying to keep in mind that the first one she’d opened had almost gotten a whole bunch of people killed. Fortunately, none of the others that they’d opened had been like that, but they’d still been under the careful watch of his uncle. “Can you feel them? Sometimes I think I can, but I also wonder if you can summon one anywhere, so long as you know what you’re looking for. That first time we wanted someplace safe and that’s what we got. Maybe we can do it again.”
Jules nodded and exhaled softly. Sometimes she did feel them, especially when her hands began to tingle in anticipation. It didn't scare her the way it used to, because she knew nothing would happen unless she wanted it to happen... and Ethan too. But she knew there were other places all around them, just locked away. "I mean... we can try that," she said. "Just park somewhere private and see what happens?" They had wanted someplace private and safe when they were out near Sweetbriar, and that was exactly what they had gotten. Everything felt so random lately that Jules liked the idea that she and Ethan could summon the kind of world they wanted to see.
“Sure, I’m game,” Ethan told her with a little smile. He should probably know better, should be careful like his uncle taught him to be, but occasionally he wanted to experiment with their abilities without all the parental-type supervision. He could sometimes feel that there was more to it all, that there were things they’d yet to figure out, like when his hands sometimes tingled. Was it just a reaction to something Jules’ was feeling? Or could he sense stuff out on his own? He had so many questions that couldn’t be worked out in the lab. “Did you have somewhere in particular you wanted to go?” They could always go park out near the woods. That was almost guaranteed to grant them some privacy.
She didn't want to go anywhere near Witcham Road, too afraid of what could happen if they did. Not to mention all of the horrible memories. That didn't mean they couldn't find another part of the woods to explore. She couldn't think of many other places, except... "Oh! The Fallows," Jules said. "It's basically just a big field and crap but we'll be alone out there. And it's just outside of town so I don't think we'll need to worry about anyone passing by or whatever. Is that okay?" She was already driving in that direction, feeling more than eager to park and get out of the car and find somewhere else to be but here.
“Yeah, that sounds perfect actually,” Ethan said, trying to pay attention to where they were going just in case he ever wanted to get back there again. Point Pleasant wasn’t big, but there were still places in and around it that he hadn’t been yet. The Fallows was one of those places he’d heard about, but only by name, occasionally with creepy stories associated with it. But that seemed to be the case for every location in Point Pleasant. There wasn’t a one that someone didn’t have something creepy to say about it. “So, is there anything specific we’re aiming for? Or just some place new?”
"I don't care. Just somewhere new." Jules felt better, now that they had a destination in mind. And if something went wrong, well, at least they weren't in town. No one could blame her for more shittiness. Unless the shittiness escaped like the fog and took over everything. But... she felt confident that wouldn't happen. She knew so much more now than she had before. And she had Ethn. "Somewhere new," she repeated, sounding happier than she had a few minutes ago. She flashed a smile at Ethan. "And hopefully amazing. Maybe another place, just for us. You can't have too many hiding spots, right?"
“Exactly,” Ethan grinned. “It’d be cool to be able to open a door wherever we are, like a hidey-hole. A place where we could slip away whenever we needed to.” They’d have to be together, but that was okay. Ethan liked spending time with Jules more than pretty much everyone else. Scarlett was great, she was fun and sexy as hell, but he didn’t connect with her the same way he did with Jules. Some of that was possibly his fault, since he hadn’t told her some of the things that meant the most to him, but it felt too soon for that. The less people that knew what they could do, the better. “So, what brought this on?”
Being able to slip away anywhere at any time sounded amazing. Obviously, as long as the doorways led to a nice, safe place. Maybe Jules would never get out of Point Pleasant but if she had the ability to go Somewhere Else because of her power, then why wouldn't she take advantage of it? Ethan's question was one that she supposed she should have been ready for. They had been friends long enough now that he was getting pretty good at reading her moods. And she had so many moods. "I'm just... tired of being sad," she admitted finally. "And I'm tired of feeling shitty about what happened and what I can do. It's summer, I want to have fun. All my friends are having fun, Jasper is... off doing his own thing. So, I want to do my own thing too. Well, do my own thing with you." She glanced at Ethan. "You're like, the only one who really understands it. And you haven't ditched me yet."
“You’ve got to let what happened go. You did the best you could in a shitty situation. And in the end, everyone made it back, didn’t they? Yeah, they’re traumatized by what happened, but so were you. I don’t think rehashing it’s going to help, so it’s probably time to move on. Whatever that means to you, I’m here to help you with it,” Ethan said with a little smile. He understood she felt guilty about what happened, and it was probably natural, but the people she’d helped lock away had been a danger to everyone, including Jasper. If they were going to blame her for what she did, they needed to take ownership for what they’d done as well. That was how Ethan saw it, but he knew he was an outsider. He hadn’t even been there when it all went down. Maybe things would have been different if she’d known him then, but they’d never really know.
Jules wanted to let it go. But it felt like she just kept getting reminded of it. "I want to move on," she murmured. She really did. She hated what she, Nic, and Neil had done, but... if they hadn't, Point Pleasant might not even exist anymore. Carson had forgiven her. Jasper... well, he said he had but Jules didn't know for sure that he meant it. The others she doubted would ever forgive them but Jules couldn't bring herself to care anymore. It was over and done with. Managing a small smile for Ethan, she glanced at him again. "I promise I won't whine about it anymore. Greg just got under my skin, you know? Some days I feel like I'm running in place and not getting anywhere and it's starting to really drive me crazy." Aware that she was focusing way too much on herself today, Jules licked her lips and tried to relax. "Anyway... how're things going with Scarlett?"
“Things with Scarlett are great,” Ethan said with a little smile, but he was distracted by something she’d just said and wanted to go back to it. There wasn’t much he could say about his relationship with Scarlett except that the sex was fantastic and he wasn’t sure that was something he wanted to highlight with Jules. “I hung out with her the other day. And this girl, Haisley, that I met at your party. Not together. Separate occasions. Sorry, wait, what’d Greg say?” he asked, unable to let that drop. He’d thought the guilt was mostly in her head, but if her friends kept bringing it up, then that was something else. He didn’t know how Greg tied into it all—he didn’t think anyone that had gone missing was related to him—but there were a lot of connections that he still didn’t know about.
She supposed she was happy to hear things with Scarlett were "great". It was weird to share Ethan with her friends, especially when she knew he was sleeping with one of them. There was a small possessive streak that sometimes rose in her whenever she thought about it but Jules knew she couldn't really ask him not to make friends or have girlfriends or whatever. Her life was a mess but his didn't have to be. Jules tried to place the name Haisley but she had no idea who that was. There were a lot of people at her party and Jules hadn't known all of them. Her party was something she hadn't given much thought to lately. The party had mostly sucked. And her birthday had definitely sucked. It was best to leave in the past. "Wow, you're Mr. Popular aren't you?" she said, forcing a smile before she shrugged. "Greg was just freaking out about your uncle helping me. Helping us. He kinda saw firsthand what I could before I could control it and I thought telling him I had people helping me now would like, put him at ease but now he's imagining military and probably evil scientists and shit. It makes me feel like a freak, you know?"
“My schedule’s not exactly packed,” Ethan pointed out with a little smile. If he could count Haisley as a friend, his circle had expanded to three, which wasn’t exactly a ton. He felt like he should have some guys to hang out with, but the ones he’d spent the most time around were those that were friends of Jules. He could maybe hang with Theo and Bash, but thought he might feel like a third wheel, and from the sound of things Greg was off the table. “I guess I hear what he’s saying, but my uncle’s like the opposite of an evil scientist. And you have it under control now, which should be huge. If he can’t see how much better that is, and how it’s been good for you personally… I dunno. He’s being kind of a shitty friend.” He didn’t like the idea of anyone making Jules feel bad about what she could do and it felt like Greg was blowing the situation out of proportion. Military involvement? If that were truly the case, Ethan would be freaked out as well.
"I mean, I guess I can see why he'd be scared. With what he saw and then with the fog and everything that came with that... but I thought he'd feel better knowing people were helping us keep things under control. Nothing bad has happened since the fog, right? I mean, nothing that was our fault. But it's fine." Jules lifted her chin stubbornly. "I don't need him. If people want to just ditch me, then I don't need them either." They were nearing the Fallows now and Jules could feel tiny prickles of anticipation. It had been a while since she and Ethan had done this somewhere that wasn't at the research facility or Sweetbriar. "We use to come here my sophomore year of high school to have parties," Jules explained with a small grin as she turned off of the main road, down a narrow dirt path. "It was so easy to get lost back here and like... never be seen by cops driving by."
“And you didn’t cause the fog,” Ethan pointed out. He thought there was something about it that had triggered her powers without him there to help her, but there was so much about that situation that he didn’t understand, starting with how a fog had brought in monsters in the first place. “I hope he’s the only one. I know things change after high school. Some people just disappear, but you’re usually better for it.” He was willing to bet that there were a number of people who’d just hung out with her because of her popularity, to be invited to parties and be seen. That kind of faded away once the backdrop changed from high school to the rest of life. Ethan looked out the window, trying to see out into the darkness. It was completely deserted, cut off from the rest of town, and if it weren’t for the moon and the stars, it would be pitch black. “Let’s stay close to the car then,” he smiled over at her. “I don’t want to get lost out there.”
Jules wasn't one hundred percent convinced she didn't cause the fog. But blaming herself for it was pointless. It had happened so long ago and things were mostly normal again. She just needed to make sure she didn't cause any more horribleness, at least for other people. If bad things were going to happen, she wanted them to just happen to her. Jules would rather handle pain over guilt. "I won't let you get lost," Jules promised as she pulled to a stop off the side of the road. It was a nice night and she breathed in the air as she got out of the car. There was no desire to talk about Greg anymore. Or anyone else. She came out here to get away from all of that. "There are stories of some animal with red eyes living in the weeds," she told Ethan as she walked to the front of the car. "I've never seen or heard anything out here but for birds and like... deer and stuff. Just another Point Pleasant horror story to talk about. Smiling at Ethan, she held out her hand. "Ready?"
“Oh, that’s fun,” Ethan laughed, always game to check out potential monsters living in the grass. He thought of Haisley and decided he’d have to tell her about it. They could add it to their list of spooky places to check out and debunk. He could probably do that with Jules right now, but they weren’t planning on staying long enough to find out. Climbing out of the car, he circled around to meet her, noting out how quiet it was out there. He could hear the crickets and other insects he couldn’t identify, but a quick scan of the area showed him no creatures with red eyes. He took his hand in hers, already able to feel the tingling power between them. This would never cease to be exciting for him, even when he knew where they were going, but some place new brought his anticipation to a peak. “Let’s go,” he grinned.
She had definitely shifted away from fear and pain when it came to opening a new door. Sure, she occasionally felt some trepidation, but mostly now it was anticipation. Being able to look into a place no one knew about? It was bizarre and exciting. Despite all the baggage that came with it, Jules felt powerful when they opened a door. Magic, in a way. Gripping Ethan's hand tight, Jules breathed in deep and focused. Her heart was beating hard when the world around them began to shift and change. It wasn't like Sweetbriar, where they were taken somewhere completely different. They remained in the Fallows, only... it wasn't their Fallows. The colors were a bit muted, but easier to see, even in the dark. Jules could see black tendrils of smoke drifting along the ground. Not fog, she told herself after chest tightened with a spark of fear. Just smoke. It didn't do much but appear and dissipate, drifting in and out of the weeds around them.
"Nothing super exciting," Jules said with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. "I mean, it mostly looks like home, right?" A giggle formed in her throat before she could stop it. "It's kind of pretty though..."
As fascinating as other powers seemed, Ethan loved what he and Jules could do. No other abilities that he knew of offered a new experience with each use, making the thrill worth the potential risk of danger. The tingling started in his hands, then blew outwards as the world around them shifted, opening a different kind of doorway than he was used to. There was no doorway for them to walk through this time, rather the world around them changed completely. Except it didn’t. They were still in the Fallows, except there were slight differences that marked the world as not their own. Ethan crouched, letting his fingers twirl around a tendril of smoke. Where was it even coming from? There didn’t appear to be fire, or even heat. Just smoke, thick and dark, yet it disappeared before getting much higher than his knees. “It’s like… a dark version of the Fallows,” Ethan snickered. “I didn’t think it could get much darker, but I guess I’m wrong.” He stood again, letting the smoke fall away from his fingers. “Should we wander a bit?”
"Sure, but remember, you don't want to get lost," she said with a grin. The smoke was pretty cool, if she was being honest. And it wasn't surrounding them or making it hard to see the way the fog had. As far as Jules could tell, nothing terrifying lived inside of it either. There honestly didn't seem to be much to this version of the Fallows beyond the smoke. But after walking for a minute or so, Jules was starting to feel a bit lightheaded, but in a good way. Almost like she had smoked a joint or something. Her entire body was mellow and light and Jules looked up at Ethan. "Do you feel... high?" It may have been a weird question but if she was feeling it he might have been feeling it too.
Potentially getting lost in another world should have freaked Ethan out, but instead, he found himself laughing softly, unable to see the threat in it. This place seemed harmless enough, even if a little bit boring, but Ethan didn’t mind. Excitement in this kind of thing was usually of the dangerous sort, so this was probably better. Ethan looked around, trying to find any specific differences between their world and this one, but nothing stood out other than the muted colors and the smoke. He came back to the car and leaned against the hood, a grin tugging into place at her question. “Now that you say that, yeah,” he snickered. “In a good way though. Not, like, all panicky and shit.”
Jules giggled. "Do you sometimes get panicky and shit when you're high?" She didn't think she had ever had that kind of experience with weed, but who knew if this was weed. Was it the black smoke? Was it just the oxygen? At least it wasn't fog surrounding them and bringing out the monsters. She noticed the weeds around them were completely still. No wind, no breeze, despite the smoke swirling and floating along the ground. "Let's go walk," she suggested suddenly, reaching out to grip his arm. "Just for a few minutes. Maybe there's something to see."
“No,” Ethan laughed. “I guess I was thinking of how some people get high on stuff other than weed, but I dunno. I’ve never done anything else.” Did that make him boring? He hoped not. There were a few other things Ethan was potentially willing to try, but he didn’t really like the idea of losing control of his mind and body, especially if he could become hooked on the stuff. Ethan grinned when she grabbed his arm, perfectly happy to follow along with whatever Jules wanted to do at the moment. It was good to see her happy, especially after the mood she’d been in when she picked him up. “Sure. I’d like to find something to add to my collection. You know that flower’s still alive?”
Jules remembered doing shrooms with Jasper at Juniper and how amazing it felt... until it didn't anymore. Thinking about him threatened to send her crashing down but she pushed the thoughts aside to focus on Ethan and where they were. Her hold on his arm tightened a little and Jules smiled up at him. "I figured it was. Maybe the bridge is like... the fountain of youth. We're never going to grow old or die there." Dark smoke tendrils wafted up from the ground and Jules reached out with her free hand to touch it, amused when the smoke seemed to curl around her fingers like jewelry. "This is so weird. It's too bad you don't have some kind of bottle or whatever. You could take some of this smoke home with you."
“Maybe. Maybe there’s something in the flower, though I still don’t want to share it,” Ethan said, knowing it was selfish. That place belonged to him and Jules, their first discovery of what they could do together. People didn’t need to live forever anyways. They’d end up over-populating the earth and depleting its resources. So maybe it wasn’t completely selfish keeping it from them. “It’d be a nice souvenir,” Ethan smiled as he watched the smoke curl around Jules’s fingers, finding the whole thing curious. It behaved more like an animal than smoke. “Even if I did, can you bottle smoke?” He tried to catch some in his hands and was surprised when it didn’t completely dissipate in his grasp, though it did once he released it. “That’s so weird,” he snickered. “Maybe I could bottle it.”
Jules was starting to feel like she was floating, but when she looked down at her feet they were still firmly planted on the ground. It was such a strange feeling, but one she enjoyed. It was like being on an amusement park ride. And yet their surroundings were so bland. Any rational thought that they ought to be wary of the place, especially the smoke, was buried by the euphoric sensations that had begun to pulse through her blood. Jasper would love this place. No… he probably wouldn’t. Jules was pretty sure he would never want to see what she could do after what had happened to him. But she didn’t want to think about that right now. “It’d be like bottled weed. Just take a sniff of it and you’re high. How fun would that be?” She had no idea if it was the smoke causing them to feel this good but it had to be a possibility! “This is fun,” Jules said with a lazy smile. “Getting to do these things with you. Like, we’re exploring different worlds! How insane is that? It’s like… crazy.”
“That would be awesome,” Ethan grinned, unable to think of any negative consequences of taking otherworldly smoke back to their world when he was feeling this good. He’d never seen the appeal of sniffing anything before, but this was good stuff, whatever it was. He assumed it was the smoke, but it could just as easily be the air, like on other planets where the atmosphere was made of Helium. Just being there got them high. “I always wondered what this would be like, before I met you,” he smiled. “I kinda wished I could do it by myself, but I like this better, doing it with you. It’s the kind of thing you want to share with someone, and not just scientists.” He’d been so tempted to tell Haisley about what he could do, but he knew better than to drop something like that on a virtual stranger. Even if she believed him, he didn’t know her well enough to trust her. He knew he could trust Jules. It was their secret, together, so they were both inclined to protect it.
"I can tell you doing it alone sucks," Jules said, though she was smiling as she said it. It was impossible not to smile, she found. Everything felt too good to let bad memories seep in and ruin it all. "It hurts like hell. This is so much better." For so long Jules had felt like a freak because of what she could do. She still did sometimes, but it was easier to accept when it wasn't causing her pain. But she did like sharing it with Ethan. He wasn't afraid of her, he didn't blame her for anything that she had done in the past. He understood her and she needed that, especially now. Giggling again, Jules walked over to the edge of the road where the weeds rose, just like in the real Fallows. They came up to her thighs and Jules began to walk through them, her fingers brushing against the weeds themselves. They didn't feel real to her, but silky and smooth, almost like they were all fake. "You should take one of these home," she said, but when she picked a weed out of the ground, it dissipated into her hand, creating more black smoke. Jules's eyes widened and another laugh got stuck in her throat as she lifted her hands to show Ethan what had happened. "What the fuck... this is so weird."
Ethan had never been able to do it alone, even when he’d wanted to. No amount of pushing seemed to unlock a door, though he had to admit, he hadn’t really known what it was supposed to feel like until they did it. Having heard about how much it hurt Jules to do it, Ethan didn’t think it would be worth it. This was so much more pleasant and painless, plus he got to share it with her. He followed along behind Jules as she started off the road and into the tall grass, enjoying how light and happy they both seemed to feel. It always felt like something was weighing them down, Jasper more often than not, but tonight they were free from everything. He found himself just snickering for no reason, happy to be alive and in such a curious place, and laughed aloud as she showed him what had happened to the weed. “Well, I was going to start a collection, but I guess not,” he laughed and picked a piece of grass for himself. Much like with Jules, it dissolved in his hand. “Do you think everything here turns into smoke?”
"I hope not," Jules said, "otherwise we're doomed." The smoke was still swirling about in her palm, but she watched it settled onto her skin where it seemed to take shape of something resembling a dark, shadowy worm. "Ew!" She laughed as she said it, quickly shaking her hand until it fell, bursting into smoke again and dissipating into the air. "What the hell. I can't even begin to imagine what this is. I mean, that was just a weed and then smoke and then something else... and then smoke again. Your uncle would probably love this place, to be honest." She could only imagine what the research team would find in this place. It may not be the kind of place she and Ethan visited a lot, so maybe he would watch to tell Dr. Wilkes about it. Still, despite the weirdness, it felt good here and Jules's cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so damn much.
“Oh fuck,” Ethan laughed as Jules dropped the smoke creature, only to have it disappear into thin air. He’d never seen anything like this place and everything both amazed and amused him. She was probably right that his uncle would love it, but he didn’t like the thought of sharing the places he went alone with Jules with his uncle. If he knew they’d gone one place without his oversight, then he’d probably realize they’d done it before. While Uncle Christopher couldn’t actually stop them from using their powers outside the lab, Ethan knew he frowned upon it. For their own safety, of course, but it seemed like such a silly thing when they seemed to be able to conjure relatively safe places when they wanted to. “I was thinking I might break a branch off a tree to see if it did the same thing, but I don’t really wanna flood this place with smoke worms,” he snickered. “Maybe someday we’ll tell my uncle about this place and he can run all his tests. Or make a fortune on some new party drug. But not now. I like having places that are just ours.”
"You don't want to take smoke worms home?" Jules laughed. Had she been clear-headed, she might have found this place to be a little gross... maybe even scary. But how could she dislike a place that made her feel like she was floating? And Ethan was there with her, which made everything better. "I like having places that are just ours too," she admitted, barely noticing that the black smoke seemed to be rising from the weeds they were standing in. It was like rain in reverse, but it wasn't hurting either of them, so she kept her eyes on Ethan. It was occurring to her just how much he had been there for her since January. He didn't judge her or break her heart. He wasn't scared of her. As good as she felt, Jules also felt weirdly emotional about it, like she needed to tell him or he would leave her alone too. Her throat was tight and Jules wasn't sure she could get the words out, so she stepped in towards him instead and wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him tight.
Since Jasper had returned, Ethan had made a point to stop touching Jules, more for his own sake than hers. They were just friends, and in order for them to stay that way, he had to think of her that way, and that was easier done with a little distance between them. Not a lot, but falling asleep in her bed with her probably wasn’t something he should entertain again. Hugging wasn’t something they did often, and right there, right then, he wasn’t expecting it. It was impossible to reject and he didn’t want to. Ethan hugged her back, closing his eyes to wonder at how good it felt, and pressed a little kiss to the top of her head as he smiled. “What’s that for?” he asked, a little laugh shaking his chest. It was hard to worry about anything when he felt so good. All he wanted was more of that feeling, to chase it into oblivion.
"For being here," Jules murmured with a soft smile against his chest. She was thankful that he had hugged her back, not completely oblivious to the fact that Ethan had been less physically affectionate with her lately. On some level, she understood why, even if she had never felt fully comfortable analyzing it. "Anytime I start to feel alone, I realize I'm not because you're always there when I need you to be. No one else really gets it." Jules lifted her face up to look at him. "How many people would be so willing to walk into another, weird world with me? I mean, I know it's like... what we can do, but you're never scared. I don't know what I would do without you."
“I don’t see anything to be afraid of,” Ethan told her as he looked down at her. Sure, the worlds they opened might be scary, but they knew that together they could close them off. They didn’t have to go anywhere they didn’t want to, but if she wanted to go, he wanted to be beside her, keeping her safe. “I’ll always be here. Even if I was scared, I wouldn’t leave you to deal with it alone.” Maybe it was big talk coming from someone who didn’t really know the scale of what they could be dealing with, but Ethan meant it. They were tied together through their powers, but they’d grown closer over the past few months and Ethan intended to be there for more than just that.
Knowing he wouldn't ditch her, even if things were scary, meant a lot to her. While she knew the other people in her life had their own issues to deal with, Jules couldn't help but still feel abandoned by them. Maybe they didn't need her, but she needed them and that still didn't matter. Jules hugged Ethan tightly, realizing that instead of crying she was smiling. It was the place they were in, it had to be. And she wasn't going to complain about it. If this place was like Sweetbriar, Jules would have found it difficult to ever leave, given how light and happy it was making her feel. And yes, it felt perfectly natural to push up on her toes and kiss Ethan. He deserved it and she did too, because she was lonely and tired of things and living with all the doom and gloom in her head had grown old and exhausting. Maybe he wouldn't want her to kiss him but Jules honestly didn't care at the moment. It was human connection and she had missed having it for the past couple of weeks.
Ethan normally had no issue initiating a kiss, but with Jules he’d always hesitated. She had a lot going on in her life, and he was well aware that she still had feelings for Jasper, regardless of their current relationship status. Knowing that they were tied together through their powers, he hadn’t wanted to risk making things awkward between them either. And there was also Scarlett to consider. It felt like there was a list of reasons he shouldn’t kiss her, but as soon her lips touched his, none of that seemed to matter. She was soft and warm in his arms, and kissing her felt so damn good, just like everything else at the moment. As much as he’d tried to deny it, he’d been waiting months for a chance to kiss her, so now that he could, he didn’t want it to go to waste. He caressed her lips with his own, teasing gently with his tongue as he held her just a touch tighter. A part of him expected her to pull away any second, but he honestly hoped she wouldn’t, not quite yet.
Jules wasn't really considering anything. Her brain had gone fuzzy in the best way, blocking out all of the things that would have had her pulling back. The guilt would probably come later, but she was supposed to do whatever she wanted, and right now, this was what she wanted. And it felt nice to be held and kissed and wanted. The physical sensations of Ethan's lips on her own felt just as magical as the environment around them. But everything felt better when you were high, right? Jules parted her lips for his tongue, her fingers pressing into his waist to keep him close. Not that she thought he was going anywhere, but the fear of being rejected and left alone was still lingering in her mind. All Jules wanted at that moment was to lose herself in how all of this felt... light and floaty and aroused. She deserved it after so many months of misery, didn't she?
Jules had nothing to worry about because Ethan was going absolutely nowhere. Kissing her was better than he’d imagined it to be, perhaps because of the way the smoke was affecting him, but Ethan thought it was just Jules herself. If he’d thought holding her was nice, kissing her was sublime. His tongue dipped into her mouth, deepening the kiss, as his hands sunk lower on her back, pressing her against him and his growing arousal. The capacity to think was no longer there and feeling had taken over, the consequences of his actions no longer up keeping his hands and body in check. He wanted more of this feeling, wanted to give in to the desire that was taking over, especially while every little thing felt heightened. His hands dropped lower, giving her ass a squeeze, and his heart began to race. This was exactly what he wanted in the moment and nothing else seemed to matter.
In Jules's mind, there was a brief, disconnected moment of Ethan's hands are on my ass! before it was gone and her tongue was in his mouth and her hands were gripping his shirt. This was okay because she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. Right now she wanted to feel good and kissing Ethan did that for her. Knowing he wanted to kiss her too certainly helped all the bad feelings that had been permeating inside of her over the past few weeks. With how closer their bodies were, Jules lifted her arms up to wrap around his neck. He was so tall but she didn't care, she liked it actually. It made her feel weirdly safe. Not that she felt like she was in danger right now. Everything felt too good for there to be any worry or concern.
Ethan generally thought he had a good head on his shoulders, that he knew which vices he could give into and when it was smarter not to indulge. And yet, tonight his head wasn’t in the equation at all. Everything about this place made him feel fucking fantastic and kissing Jules only amplified the experience. He wanted more of her, craved her hands on his skin, his lips on more of hers, and all he could possibly think of were the many ways to make that happen. He found himself lifting her off the ground and pressing her up against the car, something that was so easy when her arms were already wrapped around his neck and she was so light. Once she was set back down, his hands slid under the back of her shirt, cold on the warm skin of her bare back, and he hummed in appreciation. More of this, he thought, would be sublime. More skin, more kisses, more of everything that made them feel good. He would happily drown in it.
It felt so good to be lifted up so easily and Jules marveled again at how tall he was. Really, she was marveling about everything at the moment. How strong he was and how good a kisser he was and how badly she wanted this because she had so badly wanted to be wanted lately. Breaking up with Jasper had been painful in a way she had never experienced before and it had wreaked havoc on her ever since. Missing him and dealing with the insecurities that had rooted themselves in her mind. She just wanted to be enough for someone and right now, she was. Ethan's hands were suddenly on her bare skin and Jules shivered, wanting more of it. If she had opened her eyes to look at him, she might have noticed the tendrils of black smoke that were disappearing up his nose. Had he opened his, he would have seen the same happening to her. But Jules felt nothing but a euphoric need for more and she moaned into Ethan's mouth, arching her body into his to encourage him.
Ethan didn’t see the black smoke as they breathed it in, too consumed with the need to have more of Jules, here and now. He wasn’t thinking about who might be hurt by that need, themselves included, only that he had to have her, that he’d waited long enough and, now that he knew she wanted him back, it felt impossible to stop. The air was cool, but he felt overheated, warm beneath the clothes that he would have happily shed, despite being out in the open. It wasn’t like they were anywhere anyone else could be—no one was going to tell them to stop, or scold them for indecency. His hands continued to wander as he pinned her up against the car, one sliding around to cup her breast. Ethan’s thumb brushed over the front of her bra, teasing as he nipped at her lips, then again as his kisses moved down to her jaw and neck. More skin would be delicious, a taste that he’d been dying for, and now he couldn’t help but indulge himself.
Being so alone in this place only encouraged Jules further. No one was going to drive by, no one was going to see them. And even if they could, so what? This was her life and she was so tired of being sad and miserable. This was the part of her life where she was supposed to be having fun. Living life to the fullest and all that crap. And right now she was having fun. His lips left a trail of heat against her skin and Jules moaned low in her throat when she felt his hand on her breast. Her nipples were already hard, aching with need. It wasn't the easiest thing to do but being pressed against the car made her feel sturdy enough that she could reach down for Ethan's shirt and tug it up. She didn't care if he took it all the way off or not, she just wanted to touch him too and her hands splayed against his bare chest beneath the material, her breath catching at the feel of his abs.
Ethan needed no further urging to bare his skin to her and paused just long enough to pull his shirt over his head and drop it on the ground before bringing his mouth back to her neck. The nights were usually cool, but at the moment Ethan felt too warm to even notice, and where Jules touched him sent little jolts of pleasure from his skin down to his cock. Did it always feel like this? Was it because he was high? Or was it because it was Jules, finally touching him after months of silent pining? Ethan didn’t care why it felt so good, so long as he could have more of it. “Off,” he muttered against her lips before pulling her shirt off, over her head, and dropping it on the ground. It gave him better access to her chest, allowing him to see her nipples as he pinched them through the material of her bra, only to tug it away a second later. His mouth moved lower to suck on one, drawing it into his mouth and flicking it with his tongue. Fuck, she was beautiful, and for the moment she was finally his.
Jules honestly didn't care what it was that was making them do this. It was probably a combination of many things and none of them really mattered now. She was too caught up in how his hands and mouth felt and it was easy to just close her eyes and sink into the sensations currently pulsing through her body. Taking off her shirt seemed like a really good idea, especially when Ethan got rid of his... it was only fair. Groaning when he tugged her bra down, Jules nearly bucked against him when she felt his mouth close around one nipple, the heat sending sparks of pleasure to her core. Her fingertips pressed firmly into his bare skin and Jules tried desperately to rock against him, wanting more pressure between her legs. "Backseat," Jules panted, finally dropped her hands down to tug open his jeans. The emotions rushing through her were a strange mixture of things she couldn't quite articulate but Jules didn't even want to try. For once, she wanted to push all the badness away and just have fun and feel good and feel wanted and that was what Ethan was doing for her.
The moment Jules began to rock against him, Ethan knew they were going to have to do this differently, and moving to the backseat seemed like the perfect answer. It just became a matter of what to tackle first, his jeans or the car door, a difficult decision when he didn’t want to remove his hands or mouth from her skin. Jules made that easy for him by tugging open his jeans and Ethan opened the car door so that they could climb in together. It felt essential to get rid of her bra, though once that was done his other hand slid lower, not hesitating to unfasten her shorts. Whatever it was that had been holding him back seemed inconsequential now. He wanted to chase this feeling and not give a fuck about anything else. It was so easy in the moment, when his brain felt fuzzy and all he could focus on was the taste of her skin on his tongue and her fingers on the fly of his jeans. His cock was hard, aching for her touch, and as he rocked against her he moaned softly, unable to hold anything back.
There had been a lot of things holding them both back but now those things seem to have fallen away, at least for the time being. Jules felt so good and carefree, like she had before so many things turned her life upside down. And Ethan was her best friend and he was gorgeous and wanted her and fuck, Jules wanted to be wanted. The backseat of her car was a bit cramped but she didn't care. She got his jeans open and unzipped them, panting softly as she began to push the denim down over his hips. A surge of euphoria surprised Jules and she laughed breathlessly before lifting up just enough to kiss him, one hand slipping around the nape of his neck while the other reached into his boxer briefs to free his cock.
If Ethan could change one thing about the moment, it would only be that Jules had a bigger back seat of her car. It was one of the few times that his height was an annoyance, but it was easily brushed away in favor of baring more of her skin to his hands and mouth. He laughed as she pushed his jeans over his hips and attempted to do the same for her, tugging her shorts down until she distracted him with a kiss. Ethan moaned as she freed his cock and pressed into her hand, marveling at how good it felt. His tongue slipped into her mouth and he kissed her harder, working them both up as his hands clumsy rid her of her shorts. He was normally more coordinated, but the smoke made him feel drunk. Drunk, high, and incredibly horny. “Fuck, you feel good,” he murmured against her hips, one hand dropping between her legs, unabashedly seeking out her core.
Coordination didn't seem to matter at the moment. It was kind of fun, being so clumsy while they were trying to get naked. Jules arched her hips when Ethan's hand slipped between her thighs and she smiled against his mouth. "I feel even better right here," Jules said, gripping Ethan's hand and pushing it against her heat. Her other hand was busy stroking his cock and it felt like they were a tangle of limbs, shoved into a small space where black smoke swirled around them. Jules's brain was delightfully blank and she was focused on one thing and one thing only. Had Ethan always had such a nice body? And his cock was nothing to be embarrassed about. His lips were soft, but firm and Jules wanted to kiss them again as much as she wanted to wrap herself around him, just to feel that physical connection again.
She did feel even better there and Ethan groaned as he noticed how wet she already was, his fingers easily slipping between her folds to press against her clit. He could already imagine slipping into her, that heat completely enveloping him, the fantasy melding with reality as he thrust into her hand. Once she started that, it was hard to focus on anything else, but somehow they managed to get their clothes off, discarding them wherever most convenient. Ethan couldn’t even spare a thought for it, too wrapped up in Jules to think about anything else. She was beautiful and sexy and absolutely fucking divine and the sooner he could fuck her, the better, except that he didn’t want to rush things either. He wanted to savor every second, a desire in direct conflict with how desperate she made him feel. He pressed against her, kissing her again, and the smoke swirled around them like a ribbon, tying them up tight, binding them to the moment.
Jules's breathing had grown heavier and she arched against his body with a louder moan, the sharper pleasure soaring through her. He was so good with his fingers that she hoped he was even better with his cock. Somehow they both ended up naked on her backseat and she drew him to her, wrapping her legs around his waist to keep him close. Deep down she knew he had wanted this for a while, but Jules had been so wrapped up in her grief and survivor's guilt to really give it a proper thought. And then things with Jasper had ended and there had been more pain and insecurity. Heartbreak was not an easy to get over but being in this place made her feel like she could be whole again - happy. Maybe Jasper was off fucking Logan right now. Maybe he hadn't even spared her a thought while he was doing it either. This was her life now and she could do whatever she wanted to do... Jasper had said so himself. Right now she wanted to stay here in this place, tangled up and naked with Ethan and feeling untouchable. "Fuck me," she whispered, flicking her tongue against his lower lip. She was going to make damn sure it was amazing for the both of them.
Ethan had wanted this for a while, but he’d convinced himself he was fine without it, that he could handle being just friends with her if that’s all she wanted. Now that it was clear she wanted it, he couldn’t remember any of the other logic he’d imposed upon himself. He wanted her and she wanted him, so why should anything else matter? This was simple, a craving that had become so strong that he couldn’t possibly resist. “Yes,” he hissed against her lips, giving in to her request without a second thought. Ethan drew his hand away to line his cock up with her entrance, the slickness against the head of his cock making him moan. He kissed her hard as he pressed inside, wondering at how exquisite she felt, so tight and hot that he began to slowly thrust. It felt impossible to practice any kind of restraint at the moment, but seeing as how she seemed as eager as he did, he didn’t think Jules would object. For all the waiting he’d done to get there, he didn’t feel like he could wait a second longer.
There was definitely no objection from Jules. There was really nothing but pleasure and the satisfying sense that she was desired and wanted. Jules wished she was more confident in who she was and what she had to offer but all of that had been shattered and now she found herself doubting everything she did. Was she not pretty enough? Smart enough? Good enough? Those questions lodged themselves in her brain no matter how hard she tried to fight them off. This was the first time in weeks that she wasn't wondering what was wrong with her and she didn't want to lose that feeling. When Ethan finally pushed inside of her, her hips arching up to his the best they could in the cramped back seat, wanting to get him deeper. Her tongue stroked alongside his, eager to taste the recesses of his mouth as her hands explored his skin. Honestly, she hadn't felt much like getting herself off lately, but it was hard to deny she'd missed that delicious stretch of her body when Ethan's cock thrust inside of her. God, it felt good. Jules moaned into his mouth again, wanting to move with him as much as she could, eager to make sure he felt as good as she did.
Ethan’s hands slid under her ass, lifting her so he could go deeper with each thrust. He wanted as much of her as he could get, as much as she was willing to give, and he couldn’t seem to get enough. She was everything he’d thought she’d be and more; his fantasies didn’t even compare. Every thrust of his hips was delicious and he moaned into her mouth as they kissed, hoping to convey his appreciation. He was sure she felt the same, her movements just as frantic as his were, but if not, then hopefully she would speak up. He wanted to give her exactly what she wanted, though for his part he wanted to feel her come around his cock, to know that he’d been responsible for bringing her that level of pleasure. It was something to aspire to and he was confident he could manage it, even as distracted as he was with the experience of it all. He didn’t feel fully there, so high and riding wave after wave of pleasure, but if there was one thing he could focus on, it was Jules.
There was something to be said for having sex while feeling high and Jules was bordering on euphoric. This entire place might look like the Fallows, but it was so much more than weeds and dirt roads. It was a shame they couldn't bottle the damn place up and take it home with them. It'd be a hell of a lot cheaper than buying pot all the time. Dragging her nails down Ethan's back, Jules wrapped one leg around his waist, tightening her grip on him. His moans sent a thrill through her, encouraging her to kiss him deeper, her tongue wanting to taste more of him. Her hips had begun to thrust against his with desperation, her own body eager to reach that peak of frenzied pleasure. When it began to unravel inside of her, Jules pressed her fingertips into the small of his back, a strangled sort of cry forming in her throat. "Gonna come," she moaned, the words slipping past her lips before she had fully formed them in her mind.
Ethan had been high a number of times in his life, but never like this—nothing he’d ever taken had resulted in ecstasy fueled sex. It was instantly addictive, and he was sure they’d be coming back for more, even if it resulted in them fucking in the car again. While it might not have been the most optimal location, Ethan had no complaints, so caught up in Jules that he’d deemed this location perfect, so long as she was there with him. He could feel himself approaching his climax, was aware that this wouldn’t last forever, but fuck if he didn’t want it to. Every thrust of her hips drove him higher, the bite of her nails into his skin spurring him to fuck her harder, making it impossible to hold back. He gave himself over to her, driving his hips against hers, her moaned words making his balls tighten in response. There was no way he’d last though her coming, but he didn’t even want to. “Wanna feel you,” he gasped, kissing her hard. He’d given in to every other desire so far and couldn’t possibly stop now.
Jules had spent most of last summer having sex in a car, so this was really nothing new to her. Well, that wasn't exactly true. She had never done it in the Fallows - or some version of the Fallows, with black smoke and some kind of drug-laced oxygen. There was a first time for everything! And maybe this was exactly what she needed after the misery of the last few weeks. The quickened pace of Ethan's thrusts pushed her closer to the edge and without thinking Jules reached down between their bodies to touch herself. Her fingers moved frantically over her clit until she tensed, a harsh cry escaping her lips as her body began to tighten and tremble. It drove every bad thought from her mind that lingered and Jules gave herself completely over to the moment, allowing the pleasure to wash everything else away.
Ethan liked to think he was a considerate lover, usually on top of what his partner’s needed, but he was so caught up in the moment that he didn’t even think to touch Jules. He might have felt bad about the oversight, except that watching her touch herself as he fucked her was so damn hot that it washed away any chance of regret. As soon as she came, he had no choice but to follow, the feel of her clenching around him combined with the visual she provided just too much for him. He groaned as he came, his hips jerking out of rhythm as his body shuddered. It felt so good to just give in to the moment and the immense pleasure it brought him, to feel without concern for what might happen afterwards. It was cathartic as well as orgasmic, something he was sure they both needed.
Jules was still trembling from her own orgasm when Ethan came inside of her. She was panting, feeling damp from the exertion of their bodies. Her skin seemed to be thrumming with pleasure, and something else, something indescribable. It made her laugh breathlessly, bringing both hands up to cup Ethan's face and pull him back to her lips. It was absolutely what she needed. A moment to purge all the badness from the past few months, a moment to feel good and desired. Ethan understood her. He wasn't afraid. She hadn't realized how desperately she needed that. "So good," Jules murmured against his mouth. "Fuck."
Ethan laughed against her lips, not sure what was so funny, but easily falling into the moment. Everything felt so damn good that he didn’t want it to end, even though he knew that their position would quickly grow uncomfortable. He wasn’t quite ready to give it up yet, though he did do his best to keep his weight off her as he kissed her back, smiling softly. “Mmm, yes,” he snickered. So very fucking good. His free hand lightly roved her body, brushing against the swell of her breast, then against her waist, skimming over her hip—taking in her curves in a way he’d never been able to before. He’d caught her in a swimsuit, but touch was so much nicer, especially tonight. “You’re amazing,” he grinned, kissing her again.
There was nothing actually funny but Jules was full of the giggles anyway. Her mind was so clouded and fuzzy in a nice sort of way and her body certainly felt more relaxed than it had for a long time. "I know, right?" Jules's laugh caught in her throat when he kissed her and Jules ran her hands down his sides, aware that they would have to move from this position shortly. She just missed feeling someone else's weight against her. She had missed a lot of things. It didn't occur to Jules that this would be something to Talk about later, or that it could ruin things or make them weird. She just appreciated what Ethan had done for her and how he had been there this whole time when she needed someone. "You're pretty amazing too," Jules told him. "I would've never found this place without you."
Ethan wasn’t thinking about anything other than how good this felt in this moment. His brain didn’t have the capacity for later, or consequences, or how badly this could fuck things up. Because right now they felt perfect. He was still swimming in a post orgasmic haze with a girl he adored and nothing could be better. He did realize that he would have to move soon, for the comfort of them both, and eventually shifted off of Jules and into the seat beside her. He wasn’t ready to stop touching her though, and lightly ran his fingers down her thigh as he spoke. “I wouldn’t have found anything without you,” he pointed out. “I like that we share it. Nobody else understands. I’m not sure they can.”
He was right. Nobody else understood this. People were either wary or afraid of her and what she could do. On some level Jules understood it, but it wasn't like this was something she asked for, something she could help. Ethan had been through the same things and with him in her life now, she was less scared about her future than she had been. "I like that we share it too," Jules murmured, her lips still curved into a smile. She sat up when she had the space to do so, already dreading having to return home. Still, they couldn't stay here all night. Jules began to look for her closest discarded clothes. "Do you... can I stay at your place tonight? Just to sleep... going home sounds miserable right now."
It would be nice to laze about naked, but not in the back of a car in the fallows that wasn’t really the fallows. When Jules reached for her clothes, Ethan did the same, starting with his boxer briefs. He hadn’t given a thought about what to do next until she asked to stay at his place, which brought a smile to his face. She was always welcome there, even if it was just to sleep. Waking up next to her sounded sublime. “Yeah, of course,” he said. “Whenever you want. It’s kinda a mess right now, just to warn you.” He got a bit lazy when he wasn’t expecting visitors, but it wasn’t like it was actually dirty. He’d just have made a point to pick it up if he’d been expecting her.
"I don't care if it's a mess. Have you seen my room? That’s usually a disaster." Jules slipped her shirt back on, not bothering with her bra. She could stuff it into her bag. She might have just taken Ethan home with her but the last thing Jules wanted to deal with was her mom finding out what had happened. Her body was sated and ready to stretch out and relax. Her mind was cloudy in the best kind of way and Jules wondered if that would change as soon as they closed this particular door and found themselves back in the "real world". How would they feel? Tired? Hungover? Still high? She hoped her brain settled a bit so she could drive safely.
“Yeah, but it’s like… a feminine disaster,” Ethan smiled, pulling his shirt over his head, then pausing to watch her do the same. There was something extremely sexy about braless girls in t-shirts and Jules was no exception. It made him want to cop a feel, something he didn’t think would be completely unwelcome, but also recognized this might not be the best time. Back home, in his bed, he could maybe let his hands wander a little. His bed was far more appealing than this place, but that thought made him remember their current state. “Are you okay to drive?” he asked as he slipped on his shoes. He assumed the high would stay with them once they got back, then eventually wear off, but what did he know? He’d never gotten high on otherworldly black smoke before.
Jules snickered. She couldn't wait to tell her mom that her bedroom was a "feminine disaster" the next time she told Jules to clean up. "I'm... totally okay to drive," she said, though she wasn't entirely sure she was. She supposed she would find out once they were back "home". Mostly dressed now, she carefully hefted herself to the front of the car to plop into the driver's seat. The promise of a warm bed was motivation enough to keep moving and not pass out in the car in this place. It was amazing in its own way but there was a part of her mind still clear enough to realize it could turn bad at any moment. "Ready to go?"
Ethan chuckled softly as Jules climbed through the car to the front seat, something that was far too difficult at his height. He used the door instead, settling in beside her in the passenger seat, his clothes rumpled but in place. It took a moment to realize they were still inside the portal and he wondered if they could just banish it and appear back home. The other place had had a doorway to travel through, but this one kind was different in that it mirrored Point Pleasant. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I think we can just… shut the door.” There wasn’t an actual door, but Ethan could feel the means to shut it anyways. It was more of a feeling than a physical thing and he was glad he could still manage it in his present state.
Jules giggled because she had almost forgotten about the doorway. What would happen if she drove away from the Fallows, towards town? Would it all be black smoke and good feelings? It was probably too late to go exploring now and Jules really wanted to get to Ethan's so she could climb into his bed and sleep. Whatever happened in the morning, well, they would figure it out then. She reached over to take his hand once he was settled in the seat beside her. With a smile, she gripped it tight, ready to close this world away and go home.