Moonshine was just as dimly lit as the last time Jack had been there. His eyes swept over the other patrons as he followed Kieran to a booth in the far corner, wondering how many were vampires. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a secret menu for the pointier customers. He didn't think he counted as part of the menu, but he couldn't be certain. No one appeared to be interested in him, despite not smelling like a bag of oranges. Kieran may have been making a declaration of non-coercion, but Jack was making his own.

An annoyed sigh came from the bartender as they passed, but he was frowning at the waitress who shrugged apologetically before heading off to bus a table. Paranoia still managed to scratch its way up Jack's spine and reassure him that the exchange was all about him and Kieran. Another quick glance, and he caught the bartender pulling out a box of lime Jell-O.

He sat down across from Kieran, confusion and the craving for Jell-O shots taking over. "I… I wanna give us another chance. In case you haven't guessed that already," he said, hoping he could force himself out of his thoughts. It was too early to start drinking in earnest.

"I would like that, but are you certain that's what you want?" Kieran asked, clearly not caring that the waitress overheard as she dropped by and left a couple glasses of water and menus.

"I dunno. I like being treated to nice things. I liked giving you that coin. I like that you remembered the dumb mask. I like being called sweet thing and shit, even if it is just about my stupid blood. It's nice to be in a relationship. A real one where we're both kinda involved? A friend with kissing benefits," Jack explained.

He wanted what they used to have before he found out about everything, and he hated that he blamed himself for it. He knew it wasn't his fault he was so paranoid. Digging into other people's backgrounds and security systems? Sure, completely his fault, but he wouldn't have done so if he already knew what had happened.

He pulled his glass of water closer and sighed heavily. "It was just the lying. The mind wiping. You wanna creep on me? Fine. Just be honest about it. It's not like I don't do it, so there's that," he said as he met Kieran's eyes. He sucked on his bottom lip before settling his gaze on Kieran's ear. "Don't leave your phone alone with me if you value your privacy."

"Oh?" Kieran tilted his head and smiled with a hint of mischief. He pulled out his phone and set it in front of Jack.

Jack groaned and sank into his seat, firmly pinning his hands between his knees. "Shut up. You know what I mean. I fucking hate that I can see it from your point of view," he grumbled as the waitress approached.

Jack glanced at her, wondering if she was a vampire or something else. She looked normal with her rosy cheeks and curly brown hair. Maybe she was part of the menu. He turned his attention back to Kieran's phone, refusing to linger on the image of the young woman baring her throat for various customers.

"Welcome back," the waitress said in a careful but friendly tone, her eyes went from Kieran to Jack. "Name's Mandy. What can I get for you?"

"A brain that works and some Jello-O shots? Sorry. No." Jack kept his eyes on Kirean's phone before giving in and grabbing it. No PIN, no facelock, nothing. Just "swipe up to unlock" and a pretty green landscape. The least he could do was change that. Hell, Kieran would probably love having Jack's birthday as a PIN. If only he could remember it. "That bacon burger thing and whatever's on tap is fine. Thank you."

"No pickle this time. Got it," she replied as she tapped her tablet. "Can I see your ID?"

Jack's chest tightened as his cheeks became unbearably hot. She remembered him. He barely remembered the layout of the bar. Was it a waitress thing or something supernatural? He jumped as Kieran's foot lightly tapped against his own, and he shook his head. "I'm fine," he insisted as he handed over his ID, ignoring the temptation to check his birthday himself.

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"And for you?"

"Benoit suggested the fish and chips, but perhaps she wishes me ill," Kieran said as he slid the pair of menus to the edge of the table.

Mandy huffed and placed a hand on her hip, throwing Kieran a dirty glare. "When you see Colette next, please tell her I'm not a babysitter for lovelorn stalkers. Or stalkers in general."

Kieran looked away with an annoyed sigh. "He's already cornered me, so he should no longer be a bother."

"Yeah, we'll see. Questions are bad for business. Next time, I'll have Charlie beat that into his head," she said, tilting her chin to the bar.

Kieran nodded in resignation then frowned. "If he asks after Jack, then I would greatly appreciate it if you let me know."

Jack frowned, wondering who would possibly ask after him. Realization hit him, and all his idiocy happily pulled out his stomach. "Augie? He wouldn't, right? He's not gonna show up where he thinks I live, right? Do I need to warn Tara?"

"Normally, no." Kieran glanced at the waitress and sighed. "His fixation would include you due to your proximity to me. I apologize for this…baggage."

"I think my baggage has you beat," Jack mumbled. At least most of his baggage was dead. "Is being obsessed over people a…a thing?"

Mandy snorted. "We don't call 'em leeches for nothin', sunshine."

It wasn't the most reassuring response Jack could have gotten, but the easy grin made up for it. Being easy-going and remembering everything had to be a waitress thing. It was something he could never do, and he had a lot of respect for those who could. He hoped Mandy the Waitress was similar to Missy the Barista.

"He would, uh, be asking about a Kyle if he's out to get me," Jack said, his eyes darting up and away to take in her reaction.

"Smart!" Mandy turned her attention to Kieran. "Don't screw up again," she said before leaving.

Kieran sighed softly, staring at his glass of water with a neutral expression.

Jack bit at his tongue before leaning forward. "At this point, it's gonna take a lot for you to screw up." He hunched his shoulders as he slouched under Kieran's concerned stare. "I mean, given my perspective on crap? I've been thinking, and it's kinda a messed up view I have on the world, and I'm not giving up, exactly. I just, uh… Yeah."

"I'm the lesser of the evils you may encounter?" Kieran said, unable to cover his defeated tone.

"No, that's not—" Jack crossed his arms on the table and buried his head as he groaned in frustration. He didn't mean to come off as if Kieran was his only option. No matter what he said, that thought would always be there, festering between them. He flinched and relaxed when Kieran touched his elbow. Slowly, he raised his head and rested his chin on his forearms.

Jack swallowed and shook his head, all his regrets weighing heavily on his shoulders. "Augie's a fuck up. You know that. I actually thought we coulda been friends. Like, hey, pointy guys ain't so bad. I feel shitty for using him to get over you and practice dating a vampire again, but he was upfront about it being temporary. I thought we were on the same wavelength. But then it turned out he was using me to get to you. I thought I was making progress and look where that got me. Invited to a fucking threesome. What the hell?"

"He is impulsive," Kieran agreed.

Jack huffed in amusement. "Yeah, he just popped right up in front of me at the café. Kinda like you did, but way more friendly and casual than the smooth shit you were pulling."

"Smooth? Certainly not enough to gain any ground. I had to resort to nudging, mind fucking," Kieran said, quickly correcting himself with a mirthless smile, "and still you turned me away."

"More like I fucking ran for the hills," Jack said as he straightened up. It was a strange feeling not being called out on his tendency to run and hide. "Third time was the charm? Right?"

"I thought it was rather charming," Kieran said, resting his head on his hand.

A blush crept over Jack's cheeks as he remembered the small kiss he'd given Kieran. He told himself it wasn't weird and it made up for his crazy ass being crazy. And if Kieran was into it, it was a good thing. He wanted to dole out more impulsive kisses and get unfiltered smiles in return.

They had a stumble, but they could still make it work out.

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