The darkening blush on Jack's cheeks left Kieran in an uncomfortable silence. Whatever was running through Jack's head couldn't possibly be worse than what had actually happened. But with how the world had changed and odd little habits becoming the norm, there was a slim possibility that Jack's imagination was painting a much, much worse picture than anything Kieran had participated in.

"Okay, so why were you even with him?" Jack asked as he scratched at the back of his neck. His eyes darted from Kieran to the shop's front door and back.

Why, indeed? "He's kind, attentive…" Kieran trailed off. There was more, but it didn't matter anymore. There was nothing to save. Nothing he wanted to save.

Jack crossed his arms and gave Kieran a doubtful stare. His frown deepened as Kieran's silence lingered.

"I suppose he made a special effort for me," Kieran quietly admitted. "I loved him for a reason. He knows what he wants and will pursue it. He is persistent, and it is hard to turn him away. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it."

"You mean he's manipulative," Jack said, voice flat.

"I wouldn't call it that. Exactly." It was true, but that didn't mean it had to be said out loud.

"I would."

"You don't know him like I do," Kieran said in a weak attempt to justify his past choices. It felt like it was one mistake after the other. And where did that place him with Jack?

"No, I have fresh eyes on him, and I can tell you, he's a fucking manipulative asshole. He used me to get to you, and you know it. He just didn't know that we already had a past. Otherwise, he'd fucking use me another way. He tried to." Jack let out an exasperated huff and shook his head. He raised a hand and gestured rapidly at Kieran. "I told you about it, remember?"

"Is it possible to simply leave this all in the past?" Dead and buried, and where Kieran wished he could sometimes be.

"You heard Candy. Communication will solve Mr. Wands." Jack looked away and nodded to himself. He crossed his arms again, his fingers gripping tighter than before.

Kieran laughed softly. "I suppose so."

"You said it yourself: she's a witch. So that makes her magically right or something. Which is fucked up. But, yeah." Jack looked back up, brows furrowed in worry. "I'm using her whole future-telling shtick to ignore something Tom said."

Kieran angled his head and narrowed his eyes. Did Thomas sow the seeds to doom what he had with Jack? If so, Jack was still there, so it couldn't have been enough to send him fleeing. "What did he say?"

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"I don't— Is this a symbiotic relationship?" Jack asked, waving between them. "Am I a bird living in your mouth?"

There was confusion then understanding. His trip to Cairo had been spoiled by a letter from Augustin, but it had been enough to get him to join a little expedition and gain more than an interesting experience. Traveling along the Nile and then further south had proved to be just the distraction he'd needed. It was somewhat fitting that Jack would choose such an example. He hoped they would last long enough for him to take Jack to see such a sight.

"Just… Just say it. Rip the fucking bandaid off," Jack said, breaking Kieran's thoughts. "Please. I wanna know. I need to know."

"There is a pull, yes," Kieran admitted. He resisted the annoyed sigh that wanted to erupt. Things would have been so much easier had it worked like it should have. But would it have been as rewarding? Or as punishing? "Normally. But your experience has tainted it. That is… That is why there are rules in place for your kind."

"Don't drop the joint in the gutter?"

"I suppose."

Jack dropped his eyes to the floor and shifted his weight. "Sorry you ended up with a gutter joint."

"Oh, no. My dear, sweet siren." Kieran closed the distance between them and pulled Jack into a brief hug. He stepped back and lightly lifted Jack's chin. "Jack, my sweet. No, please don't misunderstand. There is a pull, an attraction of sorts, but it does wear off, and rather quickly," he explained. "Thomas is like you in that regard, and he pursued me for friendship then promptly decided I was too dull for his tastes."

"You're not boring," Jack mumbled.

"Wallowing in misery is boring compared to running down to the banks to shoot the first animal you see," Kieran said with a nostalgic smile. There were plenty of fools on that expedition, and Thomas had been one of the more impulsive ones. It was comforting that some things never changed, as much as a nuisance it could be. "The only reason he bothered with me was because he caught me feeding. I was once more deemed interesting. Although, he was offended that I'd never bothered to feed from him."

"Wait, so he's like me, like me," Jack said with a hint of excitement. "Vampire-crack-blood. Vampire with vam— I don't know how that works. Can he suck himself?"

Kieran coughed and looked away, covering his mouth. He never wanted to be reminded of the scene he'd stumbled upon one night.

"Oh, god." Jack drew back in disgust then leaned forward, squinting. "Wait. For real? He did it?"

"He tried," Kieran said with a grimace. "It was bizarre to walk in on, to say the least, and I'd rather not remember it."

"He asked you to help, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Did you?"

He'd been one foot away with his hand raised, ready to do anything to keep his new companion from leaving. Jack was right. He really needed to work on setting up his personal boundaries. "Almost. He gave up when he realized my discomfort."

"So already a step ahead of Augie."

Kieran closed his eyes with a heavy sigh. Even in his drugged fueled haze, Thomas was somewhat considerate. "Yes."

"So far, he's my favorite kidnapper."

Poor, self-destructive Thomas. He would be thrilled to hear he had been deemed a step up from an over-feeder.

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]