Iced Coffee (G/T)

Coffee Shop (Part 1)

"So... How long have you lived here?" Jack froze. He was mid-chew on the little droplet pancakes Mark had been so careful to cook, but the borrower's formerly zealous appetite suddenly vanished.

"... Um..." He chewed for a moment longer to buy some time, then finally swallowed his mouthful. "A-a few months, I think." Mark frowned and tilted his head.

"A few months?" He gently echoed. "I only moved in here a few weeks ago." Jack's eyes were darting about reticently at the items before him— the bottle cap that held some water, the little pancakes, the stitching patterns in the trivet, anything but Mark— and he finally just gave a small shrug, his head ducking a little. Mark's frown carved deeper, but his countenance also softened. "You've technically been here the longest, between the two of us," he interjected, trying to put on a more lighthearted tone, "Guess that means you're the one who actually owns the place, huh?" Jack's head snapped up so fast, fixing a wide-eyed stare on Mark.

"Wh-huh?" Mark couldn't help but chuckle.

"I mean, I pay the bills and stuff now, but—" he paused, giving thought to his words before shaking his head dismissively at them. "My point is that you've been living here this whole time, and I... I feel like I've been selfish, not knowing you were around. I could have at least left stuff out more often for you to borrow."

"You-you have been." Jack peeked up at Mark— then he panicked and quickly added, "I-I mean the borrowing, I've-I've noticed you leaving more stuff out."

"Is that, uh, better or worse?" Jack paused.

"... I don't mind," he admitted, "It's just... Feels weird getting stuff in broad daylight. Usually I hafta wait til yer asleep or out of the house." Mark winced a little.

"What about when I'm recording?" Jack gave another sheepish shrug, though he did go back to nibbling on his pancakes.

"Haven't- haven't really tried."

"Well... Is there something I could do to make you feel comfortable enough to?" Again, Jack froze mid-bite as his thoughts ran rampant once more.

"... U-um." He was still wrapping his head around the fact that Mark was a predator; it felt weird enough sitting in the same room as him, eating breakfast like he wasn't right next to someone that could make him breakfast. But so far, Mark hadn't shown any signs of aggression. He'd been truthful when he'd said he swore off the voracious instincts that came with his kind, and even with temptation like himself literally sitting on the island counter, he seemed pretty good at restraining himself. Really good, in fact; Jack was still adjusting to it all, as expected for the borrower given their uh... First encounter, had only been what felt like a couple long days ago. But he too, despite his own instincts to run and hide in the smallest nook he could find, was doing well at standing his ground.

"I-I don't know," Jack finally admitted, a little quieter. "I'm just... Still kinda gettin' use to the fact that I'm having pancakes right now." Mark gave another amicable chuckle, softly smiling.

"They're pretty good, huh? Even better with syrup, but I figured chocolate chip shavings would be messy enough."

"Very messy," Jack agreed, automatically suppressing a shiver at the intrusive idea of getting covered in syrup. He paused before his last pancake to lick at the melted chocolate that had stained his fingers, but he kept Mark just within his peripheral; the house owner had moved on from the conversation by picking up his drink and taking a few sips, though each swallow was audible and made the hairs on Jack's nape and arms stand.

"Should I leave the house more often?" Mark suddenly asked after lowering the mug from his lips. "That way you could have the place to yourself more, get what you need to without me hanging around."