everlong| hocus pocus

014. the dennison dork

THE FRONT DOOR CREEPED OPEN revealing the three weary kids. Max flicked the light on slowly. No one was home. Max flicked on the light, and the house was eerily empty. "Mom? Dad?" he called out. Dani squeezed past the others, rushing to the front.
"We got a new cat! Mom?" She bolted upstairs, presumably to give Binx a house tour. Max exchanged a glance with Jasper, who smiled back with relief.
"Well, I guess they're still partying. Come on in." Max said with a grin, gently shutting and locking the door behind them. No one was getting in or out until night passed. Of course they all knew the only thing left of the Sanderson Sisters would be a pile of ashes by now. They thought about their future with Halloween. Would they be on edge about things like candles or witches...virgins too?
Max quickly snatched the Swiss Army knife his father had laying on the table. It was the only trace he had seen of his father let alone his parents for awhile. Jasper wandered through the house, examining everything. She had loved always this house when she was younger. She had always loved this place, though Hollywood had snatched it up before Jasper's dreams could come true of actually buying it.

_____

Dani was tucked safely into Max's bed, snuggled up with Binx. Meanwhile, Max and Jasper were in the bathroom, tending to their wounds and washing away the grime from their recent battle. The bathroom door was ajar, giving them a view of the younger girl peacefully asleep in the other room. "You think Allison's worried about you?" Max asked, dabbing a wet cloth against a scrape on his leg from their time in the crypt. Jasper, lost in thought, considered Allison, who was with Peter and James. Allison had always had a soft spot for Dan, just like Peter did. She couldn't wait to hear that story
"Nope. Definitely not. She got her way." Jasper replied, her tone light.
The water ran as Max rinsed the cloth and brought it back to Jasper's face, carefully wiping away the dirt and dry blood. The warmth of the water seemed to soothe Jasper's tense features, as she closed her eyes, savoring Max's gentle touch. When Max's cloth brushed against a small cut on her face, Jasper flinched, her eyes snapping open. She pulled back slightly. Max looked up at her eyes which were now relaxing from the small sting. "Sorry." Max said, concern etched on his face. Jasper gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry Dennison I'm fine," she said, taking the cloth from his bony hands. "You on the other hand..." Max chuckled, examining his reflection in the mirror.
"God, I am a wreck." he admitted, laughing at his own disheveled appearance.
"No need to fear, Jasper is here." She said, as she gently guided Max's face toward her. She carefully cleaned his face, her touch tender and meticulous, while she did her best to keep her own blush in check. Within minutes, Max was looking considerably better, even his unruly hair was tamed.
"Oh, I look stunning." Max said theatrically, slicking his hair back and making exaggerated faces at the mirror.
"You're a dork, Max Dennison."
"And you're beautiful, Jasper Weiss." Max replied sincerely. The words hung in the air, and Jasper's cheeks flushed. They both glanced over at Max's room, where Dani was fast asleep.
     "Y'know, that cop was right. You would look way hotter with the word virgin tattooed on your forehead."
     "Oh yeah?" Max sat up, slapping the wet towel down. "Sure." He extended his hand toward her. Jasper sighed but took it, allowing Max to lead her to his room. On the way, Max grabbed a large, cozy blanket and spread it out on the big step leading to the top of the house. They both settled down, and Max sat close, grinning as he looked over at Jasper. "Tonight feels like a dream." Max grinned, leaning back onto the wall. Jaspee glanced down before meeting his gaze with a soft smile.
"Y'know what feels like a dream?" Max's ears had suddenly grew, he laid back, spreading out his legs trying to look cool.
"Yeah?"
"Defending a bunch of witches with the loser virgin who lit the black flame candle." Max's eyes widened in shock before he burst into laughter.
"Wow, Jasper! Harsh! Real harsh!" Max said between laughs, his smile infectious. Tatum's laughter joined his, and soon the room was filled with their shared amusement. The laughter died down slowly and mood had shifted. An unspoken understanding passed between them. They shifted closer, Jasper slid into the space between Max's legs. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.
Maybe warming up to the Dennison dork wasn't so bad after all.