Out in the fresh air, Jack still couldn't properly collect his thoughts. He hoped a couple espresso shots would help or at least get him so wired that he couldn't hyper-focus on Candace's apparent approval of Kieran. Or Kieran's store.

"Can I catch a ride to The Web?" he asked as he lingered around the door. He wasn't particularly fond of the fact that he already knew the answer.

"Of course, my sweet," Kieran said. He had a distracted look to him as he opened the passenger door for Jack. "Will you be staying there, or will you need a ride elsewhere? I can wait for you."

Jack quickly shook his head. He appreciated the offer, but wanted more time to himself. "No, I'm good. I'll stick there for a while. I think Morning-Shift-Guy is working up the courage to ask me about video cards. Missy's been singing my praises, and she kinda hinted at it last time I was in."

Kieran nodded along before closing the door. His expression remained neutral as he moved to the driver's side and settled in behind the steering wheel. He stared at his keys in silence.

Jack was lost in his own little world of thoughts. Missy had seemed a little too eager for him to talk to Morning-Shift. "At least, I think that's what it's about. If it's for a date, I get to turn him down with a legit excuse. Which is nice, but weird. Weird for me," he said, hoping there wouldn't be any jealousy on Kieran's end. He glanced over to assess Kieran's expression, and his chest tightened at the dark frown. "Uh, you okay there?"

"I want you to move in," Kieran replied.

"What?" It was far from the answer Jack had been expecting. An offer to join him for coffee would have been nice. But jumping straight to moving in?

"I'll not have you suffer for something I or someone I knew may have done," Kieran said as he turned to face Jack, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Wait. You mean that reading? It's a load of bullshit. Candy's a good judge of character, not a psychic or whatever." And here Jack thought he had a tendency to overreact. At least it wasn't about potentially being asked out.

"My dear, sweet siren…"

Jack bristled at the tone. He wasn't stupid. He wasn't a child. If they were going to work out as any sort of couple, he needed to nip that judgy, holier-than-thou attitude in the bud. "If you're gonna talk to me like that, I can walk," he said lowly as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

Kieran startled and stared at Jack in confusion.

Jack shrank back into the corner between the door and his seat. He looked down at his lap, the regret of opening his mouth creeping up and silencing him from standing up for himself. Back together, only to break apart once more. It was him. He was the devil in Candace's reading. He was shitty at the whole relationship thing and all about the self-sabotage.

Kieran looked away and sighed heavily. "I… Forgive me. I'm worried for your safety," he said quietly.

"You…" Jack swallowed and cleared his throat, fighting against his desperation to run and hide. "You can be more polite about it. Don't just jump to thinking I can't take care of myself. I'm fucked up, but I can survive. Okay?"

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Kieran nodded. "Of course. I meant to say, your friend is more than a good judge of character. She is a witch." He looked past Jack to the flashing neon palm hanging in the shop window. "And a talented one, at that."

"Being new age doesn't make her a witch," Jack said with a snort.

"No, her beliefs have nothing to do with her talent," Kieran agreed. "It's innate to her." He reached over and cupped Jack's cheek. "Please, Jack. I lost you once to my own stupidity. I don't wish to lose you again. Not when I have the foresight to prevent it."

It was too much for Jack to take in all at once. Witches were real, and his friend was one. Benoit and Snake Guy were into tarot readings, and Candace was right on the nose too many times for him to properly ignore it. To top it all off, Kieran was making a true effort to keep him around. Everything in him screamed to run away from the commitment Kieran was proposing and stick his head back in the sand.

"Okay. But this doesn't mean anything. This isn't a step up in the relationship," he insisted, waving between them. He didn't believe his own words, but they were still there for him to fall back on. "It's just being practical. Or something. Better safe than sorry. Just that."

Kieran nodded and started the car. He shot Jack a sly grin. "If you wish for something better than the couch, I can fit a small bed in my study."

Jack shot Kieran an unimpressed stare that went unnoticed. "You've seen my mattress. I'm fine with the couch." Being on the couch would enforce the fact that his moving in was temporary. He could leave whenever he wanted.

"If you wish for something warded against Lindsey, then we can talk later. She's a nuisance, but not so much that I feel the need to ban her from the flat at large."

There was a hint of irritation in Kieran's voice that Jack picked up on, and he sighed to himself. "Warded? She's gonna creep on me? I'm gonna have two creeper roomies?"

"I'll speak with her. She should leave you and the cupboards alone at night."

"Great. I'm also getting a doorstop for the bathroom."

"I could install a lock?" Kieran reluctantly offered.

"What the hell do you have against a locking door?"

"The entrances to the building have locks," Kieran shot back. "I live alone. I don't see the point of potentially locking myself out of a room."

There was something about the way Kieran had said it that made Jack pause. "How… How many times have you locked yourself out of the bathroom?" He'd done it himself. He'd even managed to lock himself in the bathroom a number of times after his first stint with Farragut. However, he doubted Kieran had the same excuse of not remembering how locks worked.

"Not just the bathroom," Kieran admitted with a grimace. "Any door with a lock. If it turns, I will flip it without a second thought when leaving. I've had plenty of doors bounce back when I've turned the deadbolt."

"Sucks to be you."

"Sometimes. It forced me to take up lock picking and keep up with updated mechanisms. It's been rather helpful with certain safes I've acquired," Kieran said. A bit of pride slipped into his smile, overshadowing the self deprecation. "Luggage is frightfully easy."

"Great. I'm friends with a cop."

"That is unfortunate," Kieran said with a rueful shake of his head.

"Criminal."

"Never convicted for anything I'm responsible for," he stated, radiating with smugness.

"That implies you've been convicted for something you're not responsible for. What? What's the story behind that?"

"Corruption and prejudice," Kieran replied.

"Prejudice? You? What?" Jack couldn't see anyone having a problem with Kieran. Aside from Sam, but that was personal on Jack's behalf.

At a red light, Kieran leaned over and lowered his voice. "I'll getcha a history book," he said before quickly pecking Jack's lips.

Jack narrowed his eyes as his brain caught up to the moment. "Hey."

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