Jack lightly scratched at TC's ears as the orange tabby happily chewed on his hoodie's drawstring. He'd been doing his best to ignore the glare coming from on top of the cat tree.

He glanced at the doorway before pulling up an image of a skeleton that was supposed to have been a vampire. It should be tempting enough to get Kieran to click on the link to the fake article Jack had set up.

Would it be seen as an olive branch? He didn't want to run the risk of Kieran seeing it as an excuse to pursue him again. Well, part of him did. But on his own terms.

His heart pounded as he licked his lips. The last time he weaseled himself into someone's computer was with Sam. He'd been lucky that he hadn't been arrested the moment he'd been found out. Somehow, Sam's patience with him had yet to run out.

He sent off his email and waited a minute, gnawing away at his pinky's cuticle. Blood hit his tongue, and he sucked at it for a moment before deciding it tasted normal.

He examined his fingers, internally cringing at the self-inflicted damage of uneven nails, ragged cuticles, and ripped up hangnails. If Kieran wanted free blood, then he could have easily "kissed" Jack's fingers better.

But then his fingers would be in someone's mouth, getting sucked on. Not the worst sensation, but certainly not his favorite.

He leaned back and glanced up at Adhafera. She had the same judgmental stare Kieran would send to particularly annoying teenagers. At least, like the cat, Kieran kept silent about his opinions.

He pulled up his email. No reply. Obviously, Kieran wasn't as glued to his phone as Jack was.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He shot off a text, giving in to his impatience.

sent u email

I shall read it in a moment. Might I prepare myself by asking if it is in regards to your decision?

not decide just dumb

A few minutes passed before Kieran replied. Jack buried his face into TC's fur and breathed in deeply before reading it.

I hope this levity is an indication of an improvement to your mood. To answer your question: No. That man was not one of ours.

He could just imagine the judgy and terse tone spilling from Kieran's lips. Those pretty lips that gave sweet kisses. And a little too interested in his neck.

Judgy, creepy, thoughtful, pretty farmboy.

He dropped his phone and stared up at the glaring black mass perched atop the cat tree, wishing the cat could give him a solid answer.

Or he could make it Kieran's decision. If his neck wasn't up for grabs, then Mr. Stranger Danger Vampire most likely wouldn't be interested anymore. And if he was, then… Then Jack had his ideal boyfriend.

But there was still the mind fuckery.

"Why's this gotta be so hard?" he asked the cat in his lap.

TC tugged harder on the pull string.

"Yeah. Go for it. Why not?"

He grabbed his phone back up and called Kieran. A serious conversation didn't deserve his texting habits.

"Good evening, Jack," Kieran answered, his tone overly cautious.

Jack. Not "my sweet" or "sweet thing." Then again, since it was a reference to his blood, he shouldn't feel so attached to the pet name.

"So… We can try dating again," Jack said. He lightly pressed TC's ears down as he held his breath.

"I would like that," Kieran softly replied.

"But uh… No biting. That's… I'm off the table."

Kieran's slow and careful breathing could be heard over the line. "I see."

"Yeah. I didn't think you'd be interested anymore." Jack rubbed his elbow. That answered his question. He was truly single once more.

"That's not necessarily true. I do like you as a person." Kieran's voice was full of sincerity. "There's more to you than your blood."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"But you still want that, too," Jack insisted. Not as free and single as he thought.

"I would be lying if I said I did not."

He gently banged his head against the wall. Breaking up was hard. Negotiating staying together was hard.

"I just wanna go on normal dates and not have to worry about being coerced with mind control shit," he said quietly, almost a whine.

"I haven't felt a need to do that for a while. I honestly thought I was helping. For some of it."

"Honestly? Honesty would be helping! Fuck. I dunno. I'm lonely, and you're familiar enough and available. I'm not…" Jack huffed and poked at TC's paws. "Those aren't good reasons to start dating again."

"If it sways your opinion, I did enjoy my time with you," Kieran said. He breathed in deeply and slowly let the breath out a moment later. "Although, to distance you with the honesty you crave… I know about your scars."

Jack snatched his hand away from the cat as claws pricked his skin. His chest was tight, and he felt the need to vomit. "You… I… God fucking… I don't know how I feel about this."

"I understand."

"I gotta… I don't…" He didn't know what to think. When did Kieran find out? Why did it never come up in conversation? Maybe it did, and he couldn't remember. "I can't talk to you right now."

"Very well. I'll wait to hear from you," Kieran said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, don't hold your breath," Jack snapped before hanging up.

When would Kieran have seen anything? Was it his back or arms? He'd only ever stripped down in Kieran's bathroom.

A bathroom with no lock on the door.

Kieran had seen him in the shower. He should be more concerned about the revelation than he was. No, what bothered him was that Kieran felt the need to wipe the memory clean. Pristine, clean, and worry-free.

He could see how Kieran thought he was helping. He wanted to stay mad, not empathize with Kieran's poor decision making skills that were on par with his own.

If Kieran was a walking, talking anti-anxiety med, then Jack would have been all about getting knocked out on his ass. If he'd known what he was getting into, and Kieran didn't try anything weird, then he'd be scheduling nights to essentially get high via vampire. If it was anything like being drunk…

He breathed in sharply, remembering the drunks Sam had mentioned. He also, regretfully, remembered asking to be hooked up. Apparently, he found a dealer. And it was right in his price range.

Was it Kieran or some other vampire that spent the night out on the town? How many of those blood suckers were roaming about?

how many vamps live here?

Less than ten at present.

Was that a lot? Did they all know each other? They had to.

Or was Kieran lying?

"Fuck!"

TC scrambled off the bed and out the room, closely followed by a streak of black.

The soft sound of footsteps came from the hallway, and Sam poked his head into the room. "You okay in there?"

"No! He knows about… He…" Jack raised his arms and dropped them. He bent over and gestured over his shoulder to his back. "He knows. He found out. He saw them."

"How?" Sam leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms.

"When I took a shower at his place that first night. When he grabbed my clothes from the bathroom."

"Is that why you broke up?"

Jack shook his head. "We're taking a break."

"Do you feel threatened enough to do something about it?" Sam asked patiently.

"That's not… It's not like you think. I swear it's not. I-it's complicated. Really weird and complicated. I'm part of the problem," Jack insisted. "Don't… Just trust me on this. I'm fine with the knowing. I just don't like how I found out about the knowing. Or not knowing."

He groaned in frustration. How was he supposed to beat around a vampire-shaped bush? "That doesn't make any sense, but it's… Swords. Those fucking sword cards. They're all fucked up even when they're good. I wanna stay with him for all the wrong reasons. I found something out, and I'm so tempted to just… I… I dunno."

"You're not obligated to date everyone that shows interest in you. A relationship is a two way street. You both have to make the effort. And him creeping on you ain't it," Sam said gently.

"Like how I don't creep on people? Besides, what do I do if it feels like he's the one making all the effort?" Jack asked as he tugged on his sleeves.

"I thought it was weird, and I was kinda right, and then it turns out he does like me for whatever reason. He's like, 'yeah, I liked you because of this reason at first, but now I like you for all the reasons,' and I'm just here being all … me. Creepin' on his hot farmboy ass with malware."

He glanced up and away from Sam's neutral stare. "I haven't checked if I'm in his computer or phone yet. I figured I'd check his search history for weird stuff then go from there."

Sam sighed and stared at the ceiling for a moment before speaking. "Look, you are likable. You're like my mom's neurotic dog. Good looking dog, smart, but annoying as all get out and kind of a self-destructive idiot who gets into things she shouldn't. And then you start missing her quirks when she's not there."

"So I am annoying."

"Like everyone, you have your moments. Even Candy has her moments."

"Careful, she'll hear you," Jack said, trying to smile.

"She knows," Sam said with a careless shrug. "I don't bring reports to bed, and she doesn't bring any cards."

"That whole two way street thing." It made sense to Jack, but how could he compromise with a vampire?

Sam scratched at his stubble. "She moved to the floor, and I sit on the dresser."

Jack stared incredulously.

"It's only bad if we fall asleep."

"Right…"

Someone was missing the point, and Jack wasn't sure which of them it was.

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