A deep breath and a swift push to the door was all it took for Jack to enter the antique shop. A night's sleep did nothing to calm his nerves. He dug his nails into the package he carried as Kieran looked up, the wary smile turning genuine.

Jack made his way to the counter, narrowly missing a hip check to a low bookshelf. He set the large box down and pushed it toward Kieran. "So, I brought this back."

"Why? It's yours," Kieran said, looking from the package to Jack in confusion. "I gave it to you."

"We're not dating anymore. I can't accept it." Jack gave it another little push in Kieran's direction.

Kieran sighed as he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm allowed to give gifts to friends."

"Yeah, like…" Jack couldn't mention gift cards for the fear that Kieran would go overboard. The small smile made him certain that Kieran had something similar in mind. "Like a shirt or a book or something, not— This costs too much."

"My finder's fee is outrageous, and I'm willing to haggle with those who know the true value of certain items. I spent fifty dollars on this, at most. That's accounting for inflation. If I even paid for it. It's hard to keep track of everything," Kieran dismissively replied, "which takes a fair amount of organizational skills. I have plenty of ledgers you can look through later, if you'd like. They have all the relevant information: dates, locations, and sometimes an amount paid. Provenance is a necessary hassle, but it is rather annoying when an item has been in my possession for decades."

"Damn. You got it all covered. Only missing pics or something." Had he been a history buff, Jack would have jumped at the chance to get his hands on those ledgers. He still had an interest, if only to find out where Kieran had been throughout history.

"Oh, I do have sketches and photographs for everything listed." Kieran paused, his eyes drifting to the side as they narrowed. His tone turned from light to bitter. "Any with accompanying photographs which have my face from around 1884 until 1909, you are free to burn."

"Uh…" Jack had unwittingly stumbled across a sore point. Images of Kieran breaking into tombs alongside Victorian explorers pierced through the anxiety and straight into Jack's mind and fantasies. He shouldn't find the thought dashing and romantic. And he shouldn't be thinking of disposing of Kieran's photos by stuffing them into his pockets. "That's gotta be a lot of stuff? Ever think of digitizing it?"

Kieran blinked in surprise and shook his head. "Perhaps I could hire you to do it," he said, frowning. "You could make one of those databases? Forgive me, I'm not certain of your skillset."

"No, that's easy stuff. I guess I could come up with a basic quote or something?" Jack offered. Having a work relationship with Kieran could either be great or torturous. But in a good way. Candace's warning of change poked the back of his mind. He might be able to get more consistent work with data entry, and having a legit business on his lack of a résumé would look great.

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He tensed as the familiar fuzziness mixed with a drop in his stomach. He pulled out his phone and made a note, pointedly ignoring the concerned look on Kieran's face. "I can come up with a quote for you after I know what sort of work it'd be. Just getting the whole thing set up for data entry will take the most. Once I get it working properly, it's just scanning, typing… Maybe updated photographs down the line?"

Kieran smiled brightly and shoved the box back to Jack. "This can be your trial run," he said, his smile taking on a sharp edge. "If you haven't seen it already, all the relevant paperwork is located beneath the mask. You may keep it as payment."

The trap couldn't have been on purpose, but Jack had walked right into it anyway. "You're not supposed to be giving me some one-of-a-kind mask."

"I own storage units all over the world. I have more where this came from. It's hardly the rarest thing in the shop, and certainly not in the best condition compared to others I have." Kieran's mischievous smile slipped into something more genuine. "In all honesty, this would truly be of great help to me. It needs to be done and would be consistent work for a while."

"But I can't accept—" Jack's mouth snapped shut as Kieran leaned into his personal space. He could close the small distance between them with a kiss. He definitely shouldn't, but he could. It would throw Kieran off and do nothing to better his situation. He tucked the thought away for the next time he found himself single and in a similar position.

Possibly next week.

"Or, if you would prefer, I have a book you may be interested in. I have it marked at just over five hundred," Kieran said with a small smirk. "I believe a trade is fair as an advance on your paycheck. You may bill me for…whatever it is that's involved."

"Yeah. Trade. Paycheck." Jack swallowed as the fleeting thought of his rent being due either last week or next week bounced around his mind. "This is a business relationship. We're not dating."

Kieran gave a scoffing laugh as he looked away. "I know. I'm finding that I'm rather undatable."

"Good for you. This doesn't mean anything," Jack insisted, tapping the box. He hoped Kieran wouldn't call him out on his lie.

"Of course not."

"Don't say it like that! Stop being charming! You're not charming, you're an annoying mosquito!"

Kieran's eyes widened, and a surprised laugh slipped out.

"I'm taking my mask, and I'm leaving," Jack said, snatching the box. "I'll get this cataloged or whatever. See ya'."

"I hope to see you soon. Good day, Jack."

Jack hurried out the door. He did not miss how Kieran used to call him his sweet. He absolutely did not. Besides, he was dating someone else.

At least, until he saw that someone else again.

It might not be a wise idea, but if he was going to be used to make Kieran jealous, then he was going to forego his creamsicle spritz and let Mr. Caldwell know exactly what he was missing out on.

Did that make him the bigger asshole? Did he really care anymore?

Freezing cold wrapped around Jack's elbow, distracting him from his anger.

"Wait! Meet me in the alley!" Lindsey whispered into his ear. "I wanna catch up, and you don't wanna look crazy."

"I already am crazy," he quietly hissed.

"Catch-22! So, no, you're not. C'mon!"

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