Metanoia |BxB|

Chapter Seventeen

QUIN

When they pick Jasper up from the airport, Quin is honestly expecting to see unimpressed gazes and half hearted emotions. It's what he's used to.

It's what Jasper has given him for the past who knows how many years.

Instead, however, he's met with bright eyes and a tight hug. His son looks unlike anything he remembers seeing, and he has to share a look with Chloe to make sure he isn't the only one perplexed by it all.

"You look good, sweetheart." Chloe smiles and pulls Jasper in for another hug. He laughs and thanks her before returning it and Quin genuinely has to look at Jasper to make sure they're picking up the right kid.

"Anything you want to tell us?" he asks as they make their way back home.

"Nope. Is there anything you need to tell me?" Jasper asks, and Quin can see that he's busy tapping away on his phone through the rearview mirror.

"Not at the moment." he relents and continues to drive.

When they get home, Jasper willingly joins them for dinner, and engages in conversation.

He tells them about his classes and his final exams for the first time, and he even tells them about his friends. Although they never get any names, Quin's at least glad that he knows his son is happy where he is.

After Jasper retires to his room for the night, Quin can't help but stare at the seat he'd been taking up in wonderment.

"What just happened?" he asks and looks at Chloe with wide eyes. "Who was that?"

"That was our son." she states simply and smiles at him. "That was Jasper."

"No seriously. Our son it quiet and brooding and...not happy."

"Stop it." she chastises and leans over to kiss him. "He's happy."

"But why?"

"Asking questions usually turns him off, honey. Maybe we should just...let him come to us." Chloe sighs and takes their plates to the sink.

"That was the most bizarre experience of my life." he mumbles and moves to help with the dishes.

JASPER

Being home, for once, doesn't feel so bad to Jasper. His family willingly leaves him alone, instead interrogating a very willing Lydia who's on a quest to find her Bind, and he manages to keep a good mood despite the teasing he has to endure from Lydia when they're out of ear shot of their parents.

Jasper's life motto, however, is that life can't be good for too long without the Universe coming around the fuck it up.

It's his eighth night home, he and Lydia are watching some reality show in the living room, and he's in the middle of sending a text to Blair when his father asks him to come into his office.

In the entirety of his life, Jasper can count the times he's been asked to enter his father's office on his hands. Most of them were when he was in trouble.

So, he goes silently and sits in one of the chair in front of his father's desk and waits to see what's going to happen.

"You know that I work in the sector of research that focuses on people like you, Jasper. People that don't like their Prints for one reason or another." his father begins and Jasper rubs his wrist self consciously, but says nothing. "Since you were young, I decided to start research towards creating a way to block them. Hopefully to get you some relief."

"Okay?" Jasper mumbles when he realizes that his father is waiting for a response to continue.

"Well, after a lot of research and some trials, we've come up with these."