Meaningful Artifacts [Edward/Jacob]

twenty-one.

a/n: will be fixing any typos soon. 

Jacob's exhausted. He knows it's because of his little protest yesterday, but he couldn't handle another day cooped up in the house recovering. He was finally able to step outside without hearing that unsettling dragging noise and he was going to take full advantage. So, he gets up, showers, and starts getting dressed. He can feel eyes on his back as Edward reluctantly joins him. 

Jacob's shoving his wallet in his pants pocket when his guest finally speaks.

"Here." 

Jacob turns his head, peering over his shoulder to see what Edward is talking about only to find himself staring at a silver necklace. He glances up, waiting for some kind of explanation, but gets none as Edward nudges his shoulder. Jacob turns, eyes landing on the pendant hanging from a chain as Edward clasps it around Jacob's neck. He gives a little hum as if content with his choice. 

It takes Jacob a minute, but he finally concludes that it has something to do with returning to the museum. Maybe it was just a precaution, just in case there was more than one mimic roaming around, just so Edward was sure it was Jacob. 

So, he takes off the bracelet Quil had made him when they were kids and holds it out for him. It was just a piece of string and some little wooden beads, but he'd been carrying it with him since he could remember. He'd know it anywhere.

Edward stares at it for so long that Jacob starts to believe he'd misread something, but Edward eventually, slowly accepts it. He looks like he's about to say something when Leah comes knocking.

"You two are gonna be late if you don't get a move on!" She calls through the door. 

Jacob can admit that he's naïve for thinking things would somehow just go back to normal. That everything would naturally just settle into place. He thought the most he'd have to worry about was maybe Mike pressing him about the call or prattling on and on about what he and Eric got up to over the weekend.

No, that would make too much sense. Instead, he's tailed by Edward as he heads to the security room. 

"What are you doing?" He finally asks once they round the corner and Edward's still trailing behind him. 

"Making sure you make it to your office. Something could still be in here." Edward huffs as if it's obvious. 

Jacob can't hide his confusion as he glances over his shoulder, finally slowing down so that Edward is now at his side.

"I thought that was what the necklace was for." He admits, reaching up to his collar.

"What?" Edward asks as if that's the most absurd thing he's ever heard.

"I thought that's why you gave me the necklace so you could know it was me." 

"If I wanted to know it was you, I could just read your mind." He reminds Jacob.

Jacob stops in front of the door, brain trying to catch up to the man's motives. 

So, what the hell was the necklace for?

"If you wanted to know it was me, you could smell me. Right? That should keep anything from escalating." 

"...Right." 

Edward nods his head like it's final, like they've come to some sort of agreement. Then, he tilts his head down, nose brushing against Jacob's, and Jacob is too busy reeling to think better of it. No, instead he tilts his head up expecting something chaste and quick and instead gets blindsided by a kiss that very much so had tongue in it. Edward's hands come down to his lower back like no one could stumble down this hallway at any time. Jacob's so thrown off by that, that he misses the sound of Mike standing from his desk chair to, no doubt, raid the vending machine at 9 AM.