wine stains

and twist

Friday wouldn't come fast enough. Jack had ordered a small bouquet of roses and is currently on his way to buy a pair of earrings. He is going now as Zach is getting ready for his emission.

Jack parks his car by a jewellery shop and shoots him a quick good luck text. He fixes his tie and steps out of his car.

He gets in the shop and looks around. An assistant goes up to him. "Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?" She asks politely.

"I want to buy some earrings." The assistant starts walking towards the more feminine types of earrings. "It's for my boyfriend." He clarifies.

She nods and takes him to a different section. All Jack sees are studs. White, Black, golden, silver. It's not really what he's looking for. "Do you have anything with diamonds?"

She brings out a box with the name DeBeers on it. She puts on some gloves and opens it. She points at some dangly earrings. "These are the classics, sir. Straight from South Africa." Jack points at some diamond studs.

"What about those?"

"Good eye, sir. Those studs are in white gold. The round, brilliant cut allows the diamond to reflect light in a classy and timeless manner. The price starts from three thousand dollars and goes up depending on your preference."

"How much are those on display?"

She checks the little cheat sheet. "Fifty-five hundred dollars, sir." He nods.

"I'll take those." The assistant starts preparing the earrings to be bought.

"He must be very meaningful to you, sir." She comments as she carefully sets the earrings in a small box. "DeBeers is not the type of brand that sells easily."

Jack nods."He means the world." He merely says as he takes out his card.

Jack pays the earrings and signs off the big purchase. The woman sets the box on the counter and hands him a certificate. "There's a small one in the box as well. These earrings can serve as a family heirloom. The authenticity card will prove its worth."

"Thank you. Have a great evening." The curly head leaves with the earrings in hand. He gets in his car and sees a text from Zach.

darling:
can't wait for
tomorrow :)

Yes, Friday was tomorrow. Still awfully far away in Jack's mind. But yes, tomorrow they will be together, and Jack is giving him the earrings.

darling:
p.s. dress comfy!

darling:
gotta go, ill text back
when i get home

jack:
is a hoodie and
sweatpants okay?

jack:
call me instead, i
miss hearing ur
voice

***

"Hey there." Zach greets. It is clear he is smiling.

"Hey there, how was work?" Jack asks, ready to start up some conversation between them.

"Good! The new intern brought his son, and we showed him around. He was adorable." He says excitedly.

"Tell me all about it." Jack requests as he grabs someone by the hair.

As Zach speaks, the curly head is dealing with the next victim. He is absolutely sure that she's the new intern Zach told him about. She got told off by Jonah yesterday, so it only seems fair that she dies. For his plan.

He stabs her under her chin and twists. The blood gurgles out her mouth and into her lungs as Zach happily tells him every single detail about the small visitor.

"And then I sat him in my desk, and he was so happy. Isn't that just adorable?"

Jack twists the knife, yet again, as he finishes his signature move. "So cute. I bet he'll tell all his friends about it." He tries to maintain a normal tone as he looks at the woman's eyes, slowly losing all life.

Jack withdraws his knife once he's sure she's dead. For good measure, he stabs her through her left eye. That'll do it. He wipes her blood on her own face.

"I really should buy some stickers for the kids and the interns. I bet they'll love it."

The curly head makes his long way home on foot as he chats with Zach.

"My day was pretty normal." He shrugs when Zach asks. "I spoke with the judge who will most likely take on our case."

"Really?" Jack hums. "Will it take much longer? I'm dying to go to the first hearing. I think that the first time I was in court was when I surprised you."

Jack chuckles. "The excitement wears off after a while, and it's usually empty aside from us and the juri."

"So it's not like the movies? People don't burst in court? Man, I'm disappointed now." They laugh together.

"It's never that dramatic." He brings him back to reality. "But, one thing is for sure, New York cases are far more interesting than Pennsylvania ones."

"You've worked there?"

"I grew up there." He corrects him. "My parents were big laywers in Pennsylvania, so I branched out to New York with their help." Jack explains.

Zach hums. "I'm from Texas... just that. No family for me. They huh..." He clears his throat, letting him know that it wasn't a topic he was comfortable speaking about. "...stay there. That's why I was raised by my grandparents." He confesses.

"Either way, you came out perfectly fine." He hears Zach yawn from the other side of the line as he finally gets home. "Are you sleepy, darling?"

Zach hums. "Long day today and an exciting day tomorrow."

Jack chuckles. "Sleep tight, and I'll see you tomorrow. Are you sure you don't need help preparing the meal? I can swing by earlier and help around." He offers.

"You'll be coming back from a long day at work. Let me treat you this time."Zach requests with a gentle firmness.

"Fine. I'll also bring wine. Just let me know what you're making so I can pair it well."

"Chicken, any you allergic to anything?"He asks for good measure. The last thing he wants is to accidently poison Jack.

"I'm not, but thank you for asking. You're always so sweet." He smiles too as he takes off his clothes. Murder can really wear out someone.

Zach yawns once more. "You too... I should really go now." He suddenly hums. "And yes, you can wear a hoodie and sweatpants. Whatever makes you comfortable."

Jack nods, even though he can't see him."Will do. Goodnight, Zach."

"Nighty, Jack. Can't wait for tomorrow."

The curly head hangs up the phone. He texts Corbyn. He had gotten his phone number after Zach insisted on it.

jack:
are you doing nights?

LT corbyn:
yeah, what's up?

jack:
can you ask one of
your detectives to
keep an eye out on
jonah? he freaks me
out for some reason

LT corbyn:
yeah, sure
he freaks me out, too

LT corbyn:
ever since Dani told
me about his talk
w Zach, I do not
fuck with the guy

jack:
he has a really weird
vibe to him. give me
updates if you find
anything

LT corbyn:
will do