Jack cried out in surprise as hands lightly grasped his upper arms to steady him, and he blindly lashed out. He fell to the ground and scrambled back.

"Are you alright?"

Jack gasped for air as he tried to understand the words that were spoken. He heard the tone as they were repeated. Quiet and concerned. He looked up and cringed upon seeing the man from the night before. "I-I'm fine," he said as the man knelt in front of him.

The man looked him over with a frown.

"Really. I'm good," Jack insisted. The man's frown deepened, and he could only guess at the conclusions he had jumped to. "Sorry. I'm not a druggie." He winced and shook his head. It was probably better if the guy thought he was high. He should have leaned into it instead.

"It's quite alright. I suppose neither of us were paying much attention," the man said as he straightened. He offered his hand to Jack.

Jack almost reached out to accept the help up, but clutched his hand back and stood. He rubbed his hands along his thighs and avoided the man's stare.

"I'm sorry if I came on too strong last night. I'm Kieran."

Jack blinked several times before glancing up to meet Kieran's eyes. A sense of comfort enveloped him. It would be polite to give his name in return.

"Jack," he replied. He quickly looked away and no longer felt the need to divulge information.

"Well, Jack, may I buy you a coffee?"

"Er…" A chill ran up Jack's spine. His thoughts were bouncing against each other, and none of them matched up. Kieran's voice was calming, but set off every alarm bell.

Coffee should be okay. That was how normal people met up and got to know each other. He was already talking with Kieran in a fairly empty park. A coffee shop would be a step up.

His eyes darted back up, and he caught Kieran's smile. It was friendly enough. He dragged his gaze up further and was pulled in by soft hazel eyes. In the sunlight, he could see specks of green. He wouldn't say he felt safe, far from it, but maybe he could potentially trust Kieran.

It was getting hard to think straight, but did that really matter? If something bad happened, then there were people nearby. Enough to hear him scream, at least. If he screamed. But could he? Why would he want to scream? Something wasn't right, and the cotton candy that wrapped around his anxiety melted in the cold shower of a hand on his shoulder.

He breathed in sharply and pulled away, eyes darting about for something to focus on besides Kieran. "I uh… I have to go."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kieran asked.

There was a heavy tone of confusion in Kieran's voice, and Jack shrugged guiltily. "As alright as I can be," he said quietly. "It's not you. It's me."

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Kieran raised a brow and stepped back. "I see… Next time, perhaps?"

Jack caught himself mid-nod. "Maybe. I don't get out much."

"'Out' as in nature or bars and cafés?" Kieran asked, his amusement clear.

How many places had this guy seen Jack haunting? Why else would he mention bars? Was he being persistent because Jack had led him on while in a drunken stupor? "If we met in a bar, and I led you on, I'm sorry. I'm a flirty drunk, and… I don't mean to be. I'm sorry."

A hearty laugh drew Jack's attention back to Kieran. He could feel his own smile forming, and he rubbed at his arm.

"Oh, if I had judged you by first impressions, I'd be keeping my distance," Kieran said. He looked over Jack with a critical eye. "You're a lovely looking thing, but, I assure you, vomiting in a back alley is not attractive."

Jack wilted and hugged his arms tight. That was his life in a nutshell: grab someone's attention and then give them a reason to leave. "Then why talk to me?"

"There's something about you," Kieran said, tilting his head to the side.

Jack frowned as his mind properly caught up to Kieran's words. He caught a whiff of Kieran's cologne and was finally able to place it. "W-was… Did this happen at The Charred Flamingo?" There was a heavy pause, and Jack looked up and barely caught the frown that flitted across Kieran's features.

"I believe so," Kieran said. He shook his head and sighed. "I must admit, I'm rather glad I didn't go in. I suppose I should thank you for your little mishap turning me away from that particular location."

Jack forced a smile and shrugged. "Yeah, I'm good at turning people away," he said as he met Kieran's eyes. Just when he thought the café was a bad first impression, he had to go and one up himself. But Kieran hadn't ditched him yet, so he'd somehow managed to salvage it.

"I would gladly work on that with you," Kieran said. "Let me take you to lunch."

"That sounds nice," Jack replied as some of his anxiety unclenched. He deserved a nice lunch with a charming man. He thought Kieran had asked him to suggest somewhere, and he was certain he had answered with something outside his normal budget, but…

"And after, dessert."

Jack nodded along. Dessert would be nice. Maybe cheesecake. He loved cheesecake. A lightness ran through him as Kieran laughed softly.

"Yes, I'll take good care of you, sweet thing."

A hand lightly touched the small of Jack's back, and he was torn. He felt wonderful. Bright. Happy. He hadn't felt this great since before…

"No, I…" Jack quickly shook his head and moved out of Kieran's reach just as a flash of confusion ran through him. The itch of fear settled heavily on his shoulders. Better safe than sorry. Better free than locked up like some neglected pet.

He'd always wanted a pet, but the upkeep was more than he could probably handle. He swallowed at the sudden turn his thoughts had taken, unable to trace back to what had made him pull away from Kieran. "S-sorry. I…changed my mind?"

He hugged himself as he watched Kieran frown. "I'm messed up, okay?" he said with a desperate edge. He'd just turned down an unfairly gorgeous man, and he couldn't grasp why. He had to settle on preemptively protecting himself from heartache, and it partly made sense.

Kieran slowly nodded and gestured to the path. "Perhaps I'll catch you in a better mood some other time?"

A short laugh escaped Jack. "Doubt it," he bit out as he hurried past Kieran. He looked over his shoulder to find Kieran watching him. He couldn't make out Kieran's expression, but at least he was staying put. That was a good sign, right?

He looked ahead and sped up. There was plenty of time to hate himself and regret not going to lunch later.

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