It's wonderful to feel desired. There's a sense of power in it, really.

By the time it was actually Christmas, the bruises on Jasper healed and the scratches are barely noticeable too.

Meanwhile he still makes me wrap my wrist every morning, even though I doubt I'd start bleeding randomly throughout the day.

Before I even got my first cup of coffee, Jasper was dragging me out of bed and practically bounced his way to his parent's cabin.

Because of how widespread my family is, Christmas day has never been important, since most years a lot of us don't even celebrate on one day, but with whoever we give gifts to whenever we can give the gifts to them.

So I really don't understand his excitement.

But oh well.

Getting into the cabin, I kind of felt like an outsider -everyone already knew what they were doing and where they were supposed to be.

It's like I'm the new kid at school.

Eris had Arabella and while her twin kept Damien D'Silvetta all to herself, Lavender Riddle had Dela at her own cabin. I feel sorry for her, because that means she has to deal with Fly's hyperness this early in the morning.

Jasper's parents themselves seemed perfectly in sync as his mom bakes cookies, it reminds me of my own parents.

Because of my bullying, of the way I treated myself, I kind of secluded myself from my family too and though we all love each other I'm not really close to anyone other than Circe -even then, I don't really see her anymore.

We're all good people, we all care for each other but we just don't click.

That being said, being around this family feels good too.

Not wanting to bother his parents, who are laughing to themselves, I quickly backtrack to the living room where Jasper is currently going back and forth with Eris about something that has made Arabella bright red.

"Jitterbug, where's the-" I growl. "-cups?"

Jumping a bit in surprise, his wide minty eyes turn up at me. "Did Papa refuse to tell you?"

"Oh, um, no." I shake my head. "I didn't ask them."

He raises an eyebrow, clearly asking why. Not knowing how to explain how intrusive I feel, I just shrug. Jasper gets up off the couch and leads me back into the kitchen, pointing out the cups as he grabs the creamer from the fridge.

Just as I turn to reach up, Bar Red pulls his arm down carrying what- -from the short glance I can see- -is a giant bag of flour.

Our two actions were the cause and the effect is how his elbow rams right into my face with the force it takes to keep a twenty pound bag in the air, sending my sprawling down before Jasper catches me with an arm around my waist right as I'm about to hit the ground.

Gently, he sets me down and crouches beside me, holding onto my shoulders.

Dazed, I just blink as blood rushes down my chin -ears ringing as pain bursts out behind my eyes and the familiar snap! of a broken nose echoes in my mind.

Well, I guess it's not so different from Christmas at home.

Where's the mistletoe this time?

"Oh fuck," His dad gasps out, crouching down in front of me. "I'm so sorry -I didn't, I didn't mean to. Fuck, are you okay?"

Besides the broken nose, he means?

"I'm- -nose, nose, nose- -fine," My voice sounds weird even to me, but the towel Jasper holds up to my nose sure doesn't help. "Wouldn't be a real Christmas-" I growl. "-without a broken nose."

Or at least, without one fight.

That's what family's about, everyone getting under one roof only to argue then laugh about it later.

While Bar keeps apologizing to me, his wife calls Vivianna and Ahmik over -which reminds me of the pomegranate smoothie just a bit too much.

Bar Red of all people pulls the same face Jasper does before he starts crying, shoulders squaring out only to shrink in on himself.

Shouldn't I be the one crying?

Fuck.

"Please don't cry." I please. "I'm- -Christmas lights- -okay, really."

That only seemed to make him cry more and the older man quickly excuses himself out of the room, his wife following suit after telling us Ahmik will be here soon.

"My star?" Jasper shuffles away from my side to directly in front of me. "Why are you upset? The broken nose? My p-papa really didn't mean to do that."

"The broken nose- -in Eden- -doesn't bother me," Ticing a few times before it's comfortable to speak, I frown. "I just don't like that I made your father cry."

"He'll be okay. He just... has a sensitive heart, y'know?" He must be just like Jasper then. "Always worrying, even if he acts tough. Like, his favorite thing in the world is gummy bears and he's a sucker for cuddles. He's a great dad, and he's never once raised a hand towards any of us and since he considers you one of his own now, it just upset him because he never wanted to be responsible for the pain of one of his own."

"I'm...one of your own?"

I've only been actually dating Jasper for two months, why would...why does he even care about me?

"Of course," My boyfriend laughs lightly, bumping his knee into mine. "All of my siblings count you as one of their own -even Viv, though I think you knew that."

I didn't know that.

Honestly, I think my quiet asshole self who doesn't even let her get her precious hugs in is annoying to her.

Plus I did kind of beat up her older brother.

"They don't know you that well, but they know you're a good person and for my entire family, good people are easy to love and to be considered part of us."

My family is close knit, the people we grow up with are the ones we stay in contact with, we never really reach out and actively try to get new people in our group.

Sometimes, with our soul mates, it just happens.

Staying silent for a few moments, just thinking, I get up the small courage it takes to smile at him as I stand. "Show me-" I squeak. "-what Christmas in your family looks like then."

See, I never really liked my smile much.

But Jasper on the other hand really does like it.

Besides, he's the only one who can really make me smile and mean it, so why would I try to hold that feeling back?

"First, let's get you out of this shirt." Jasper says while standing, shrugging off his sweatshirt and handing it to me.

Rolling my eyes, I take off the blood-stained shirt but instead of letting me put it on my boyfriend pulls my body into his and kisses one of the still-prominent scars on my shoulder as his thumb gently traces the two-pronged scar on my chest.

If you look at it hard enough, you can see the slight lines on my chest like electricity, and it almost looks like I was burned under my skin. But it's one of the ones where even when I'm tan, you can't see that well.

Humming, Jasper taps it twice. "What is this from?"

"Taser." I answer, seeing the anger instantly flood his minty-eyes. "Normally, it wouldn't be that bad, it's just what happens when it's too close to the body."

Or digging into your body, when it's that kind of taser.

His dad has some like this, one on his arm anyway, from what I've seen. I guess Bar just doesn't completely want his kids to know exactly what he's gone through.

For a few moments, my boyfriend's silent so I use that time to actually put the sweatshirt on but then he asks "Jonah?" and I pause mid-motion.

I forgot he knew about him, for a brief moment there, that actually scared me when his name came out of his mouth. It felt like being cause in a lie, and that's weird to me.

"Yeah," I answer, jaw clenching. "It's all healed though. But c'mon Jitterbug, I want you to see your present already. Your dad likes it." At this, Jasper seems to perk up completely which actually does make me laugh a little. "You act like-" I squeak. "-he's entirely hard to impress."

From what I noticed, when it comes to kids of any kind, especially his own and the ones around them, Bar Red has an automatic soft spot.

"He is." Jasper says, pulling me into his side. "Newbies get to go first, and we actually haven't had one in a while. Sorry if they make a big deal out of it, both on your gifts and the ones they give you."

I wrinkle my nose at him, "Why did they get me stuff? The only- -stuff, stuff, stuff- -thing they know about me is that I like strawberries."

"It's Christmas, Castor." The musician deadpans. "Of course they were going to get you stuff. If it makes this better, I bet the D'Silvetta's are having the time of their lives with Ahmik."

"Oh we are." Axel's smug voice floats through the air, instantly making me scowl. "Merry Christmas, Cutie" He winks at Jasper, then turns to me. "From Vivianna and Ahmik, and Dad."

With that, he hands me one large, squishy and quite poorly wrapped gift, one really nice wrapped smaller box and one equally poorly wrapped box.

I'll go on a whim and say the crinkled, covered in tape ones are from the D'Silvetta's.

Jasper presses himself against my back and uses a single hand to take them from me, "Is your wrist okay?"

"It weighs like two pounds." Sighing, I roll down my sleeve to show him it's a still-good bandage. "No blood. Little pain."

My boyfriend pouts, "I didn't know you were still in pain."

"I used a glass lamp as an oversized acupuncture needle," I deadpan. "That's probably going to leave me aching for a while."

Axel's the one who laughs into his hand, trying to wave off Jasper's now glaring mint colored eyes. "I'm sorry. He's funny! Seriously Jazz, I'm not laughing at his pain. I'm even here to give gifts! See, I'm nice."

Nice and idiotic maybe.

Shrugging all I add is, "At least someone gets my humor, even if it's him."

"You're not funny." Pouting at me, Jasper says this like he's trying to be serious but I know that I am funny when I want to be.

So I just shrug and say "Thanks." dryly.

"Welcome, and my star?" Jasper lightly bumps his forehead into my temple, making me roll my eyes in amusement. "Please be careful."

"I'll be as careful as I can be, and still have fun."

"Then you can't complain about me being clumsy, Castor. It's the same level of not being careful."

I can't help but to shake my head, letting out a small chuckle. "Me being a reckless adrenaline-rush junkie is absolutely not on the same level- -same, same, same- -as you just tripping over yourself like you're a puppy whose paws are too big for your body."

He pouts, but doesn't continue to argue.

Adorable.