A soft knock on the study door had Jack slamming his laptop shut, safely hiding away his latest foray into the land of Irish folk songs.

"Yeah? Come in? Hi?" He glanced at the pretty tambour mantel clock that sat between two sets of encyclopedias. He grimaced at the time and looked over as Kieran opened the door. Was he supposed to apologize for hiding away until well past closing?

Kieran held a platter with a plate and a glass of red wine. "I thought you might be hungry. It looks like you've been rather busy," he said as his eyes roamed over the cluttered desk.

Jack quickly glanced over the papers and photographs spread out in front of him. There was no evidence of his slacking off. Looking up what the hell a bodhrán was counted as research. Getting sidetracked was just an occupational hazard. "I like food. Yeah. Sorry. Hungry. I could eat."

"If you could clear a space?" Kieran gestured with his elbow. "I don't wish to disrupt you too badly."

"What? Here? Not together?" Was this punishment for being a flake? Eight o'clock was a little on the late side. But getting a delicious home cooked meal was a strange punishment. One Jack wouldn't mind getting again.

Kieran shook his head with a smile. "I ate as I cooked. My mind was elsewhere."

"His mind was on Tommy Ghost and not doing enough to fix the problem," Lindsey happily explained. Her shadow pulled away from behind an armchair and hovered just behind Kieran.

"Yes, thank you for that insight," Kieran said tightly, throwing a glare over his shoulder. He eyed the doorjamb for a moment.

"I'm just saying graffiti's low effort. But, yeah, I guess it's something." The room's temperature dropped. "When's my phone getting installed?" she asked as Kieran rolled his eyes.

Jack shivered and attempted to pull his sweater's sleeves over his hands, barely covering his knuckles. He didn't want to ban Lindsey from the study, but the reminder that she could spy on him at any moment was unsettling. Was this how Sam felt? He refused to believe it. The circumstances were completely different, and Sam never watched seance videos because he was too far gone over Candace. Somehow, Jack's illegal activities were less embarrassing than the damn sheep videos.

"It's better than anything I got," Jack admitted, watching as Lindsey's shadow moved from one corner of the room to the other. "I don't think using me as bait would be a popular idea." He cleared a space off the desk and casually shifted his laptop to the side and over a handful of old photographs. Photographs that were going to find their way into his personal photo album. All the evidence for his problem was neatly stacked at one corner of the desk.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Certainly not with me. Although… Bait may work in the form of a wine tasting," Kieran said as he set the platter down on the desk corner. He paused and shook his head, quickly discarding the idea. "No. Never again."

Jack's attention was already on his plate. Some sort of meat on a bone with bits of green garnish sat on one side with a small salad beside it. His dinner consisted of delicious looking mystery meat and mystery greens. "This looks good. What is it?"

"Lamb chops and an arugula salad."

Jack stared at his plate as a familiar tune played in his head. He mouthed the words, frowning over the fact that he knew them even if he couldn't properly remember the show. He hummed a few bars, and memories of a fluffy little hand puppet and curly red hair solidified.

"Is it stuck in your head, too?" Lindsey asked from beside his shoulder.

"Yeah, and I don't know if that's good or bad… I think good?" He smiled softly as he picked up his phone and made a note. "I watched Lambchop's Play-Along with my mom as a kid. Dad hated it when we'd sing at the table."

"I doubt he truly hated it," Kieran said softly as he stroked Jack's hair.

"Yeah, no. It was that sorta 'I love you guys, but why are you like this?' kinda thing." Jack's smile wobbled as tears pricked his eyes. He blinked the feeling away as he breathed through it.

He smiled up at Kieran and lightly shook his head. "I'm fine. Thanks for dinner," he said as he pulled the platter closer. A real silver platter with little handles and an engraved border. He felt so ritzy. Especially with his fancy salad.

"Of course, my sweet," Kieran said. He leaned down to kiss Jack's cheek before moving to one of the armchairs. He sat down and crossed one leg over the other, ankle resting on a knee.

"You gonna sit there and watch me eat?" Jack didn't know how he felt about that. Flattered. Shy. Kind of weirded out…

"I thought I would read." Kieran held up a book and gave Jack a wide, shit-eating grin.

Jack squinted at the cover. He couldn't make out the title from where he sat, but there were enough other clues for what he was in for. The paperback was faded and worn with age; it was still a bluish green, and there was no mistaking the cowboy and horses that stood in front of a hanging noose. His stomach squirmed. He had asked for this, and Kieran was delivering.

"The Gallows at Graneros," Kieran said as he turned the book to look at it. "Unless there was a specific title you had in mind? Something by Louis L'Amour should be easy enough to quickly find. He was rather prolific."

"I'm easy?" Jack managed to gasp out. He never really thought Kieran would indulge him like this. Maybe some sophisticated poetry. Shakespeare. Something he might have been forced to read in high school. On second thought, he'd gladly take the pulpy cowboys.

Kieran nodded and opened the book. "The Gallows at Graneros. By Lewis B. Patten. Chapter One."

Jack had been expecting light, soft, and slightly lyrical. A sweet and beautiful contradiction to the material being read.

What he got was his Lucky Charms farmboy. He forced himself to pick up his knife and fork. If he ignored his blush long enough, it might actually go away.

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