Sunday rolled around, and Jack met up with Sam and Candace at the park just after ten in the morning. Scattered clouds drifted across the sky, making the sunshine a bit more bearable.

"I have a date with Kieran tonight," Jack blurted when he reached them.

"Are we shopping for a new outfit?" asked Candace, her smile brightening at the prospect.

"No. What I'm wearing right now's fine." He looked down at himself then back to Sam and Candace. His clothes were the cleanest they'd ever been. He had stayed in the apartment building's laundry room the night before to make sure they got done without any other residents interfering.

His shirt was on the large side, and the sleeves covered his hands. Anxiety had filled his night, and his nails were a nibbled mess. Most of his fingers sported bandaids to keep him from gnawing off the rest of his hangnails and cuticles.

He pulled his hoodie's zipper up and down as he glared at the ground. He was a mess, but he was clean mess. That should be all that mattered. He looked up uncertainly. "It's fine. Right?"

Sam patted Candace's shoulder as he shook his head at her. "It's fine, Jack."

"But if you ever wanna go shopping, I know some great boutiques," Candace added as she looped her arm through Jack's and headed closer to the nearby lake.

"And some great boutiques know my credit card number," Sam muttered, following the pair.

"One time. And I paid you back," Candace happily replied.

"And, for some reason, these great boutiques have my email."

"Birthday ideas, my darling beloved!"

Jack relaxed in Candace's hold as they walked around the small lake. He let her voice settle over him as she complained about one of her clients never taking her advice. Between her and the soft sounds of the lake lapping at the shore, he could almost ignore the sense of impending doom that lingered about him.

About halfway around the lake, Tara joined them and took Jack's other arm. She waved her phone at him, showing off a movie ticket.

"If you're in a good mood, we're seeing Haunting on Bell Street 5 in forty-five minutes," Tara said as she tugged on Jack's arm. "You guys are invited, but I only bought me 'n' Jack tickets."

"There's a fifth?" Jack asked, unable to mask his lack of enthusiasm. He wasn't much into horror flicks, but the Bell Street series was campy enough that they didn't spark nightmares. Usually. And if he did end up plagued by nightmares, he wouldn't be bothering Kieran with them that night.

"And greenlit for a sixth!" Tara said in delight.

Candace looked up at Sam with a small grimace. "I think we'll skip that."

---

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Jack made it to the antique shop just in time to hear church bells in the distance. He pushed open the door and marveled at the progress that had been made. Almost all of the boxes were gone, and the display cases were neatly arranged, creating short aisles throughout the space. Despite the collection of worn down teddy bears sitting next to the register, the place felt cozy and welcoming.

Just behind the register, his tribal mask hung on the wall and had found itself a few friends. Its hypnotic lack of eyes drew him in, and its creepily realistic teeth begged to gnaw on his soul. He needed that mask. Would it be too weird to take a couple pictures of it?

"Kieran'll be down in a sec, I'm sure," Lindsey said from behind Jack.

"Jesus, fuck! Don't do that!" Jack banged into the register counter in his attempt to get away from the sudden and cheerful greeting, knocking over a couple bears. He ducked his head and glared at the floor as his cheeks burned with embarrassment. He wished he hadn't left his laptop bag at his apartment. He'd look less weird grabbing the strap instead of his sleeves.

He needed something to distract him from his embarrassment, and cleaning up would have to do. He bent down and grabbed up the fallen bears, hoping they weren't fragile. At least none of the overly creepy ones ended up on the floor. He lost his grip on one when he saw how much it was going for.

He breathed shakily as a pair of shoes came into view. Soft leather and much too big for Lindsey. He swallowed back an apology and clenched his first, hugging it to his chest. Unable to move, he watched as Kieran picked up the two hundred dollar teddy bear. He blinked and breathed a little easier as Kieran tossed it carelessly onto the counter.

He glanced up and wilted further under Kieran's soft smile. "Sorry," he croaked out.

Kieran shook his head and gently took the other bears from Jack's arm. "They're just old Steiffs," he explained as he stood. "They can handle being dropped and thrown about. Anything truly fragile is under lock and key."

Jack nodded jerkily, still feeling like he could have broken something. He stood and glanced at Lindsey as she poked around the display cases. She wore her dark vest and flower-pinned hat. Was it the same shirt, too? Maybe it was her favorite outfit, or he just happened to catch her wearing the same clothes as when they first met. Not that he could really blame her. He would love it if he had only one outfit to choose from. He turned his attention back to Kieran.

Kieran looked sharp in his black shirt with red stitching and buttons, and it only made Jack more self conscious of his own clothing choices. He needed to schedule that shopping trip with Candace for a week or so out. That might give him enough time to prepare. But Kieran, ever the attentive and observant jerk, would notice the change in fashion.

"Just give me a moment to lock up. Is there anywhere you would like to go?" asked Kieran. He picked his way past the display cases to the door and looked over his shoulder.

"I, uh, didn't really think about it. No movies. I got dragged to one earlier."

"Are there any restaurants that you've had your eye on? Perhaps The Vault?"

Jack pulled his gaze away from the floor to stare at Kieran's back. He'd had The Vault in mind for a long time. It was a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that wasn't cheap. He could vaguely recall mentioning it to Kieran once, but not the specifics. He heard they had really good cheesecake. "Maybe some other time? There's a nice pizza joint over on Federal. They have pasta and stuff."

"If it's a money issue, don't worry about it. It's my treat."

Was he that obvious? Or did he look too poor to exist? "It was your treat last time," Jack argued.

"What can I say? I like taking care of others."

"But I… I'm not dressed right," Jack said, raising his arms slightly and dropping them.

"Nonsense. But if you're truly worried about it, I'll loan you a coat."

Wearing one of Kieran's coats would be nice. It would be big enough that Jack would still feel hidden from the world and get to pretend to be posh at the same time.

"You won't look out of place," Kieran promised. "No one will pay you any mind."

Jack breathed in slowly as his stomach churned. "Okay."

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