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"I've been busy," he repeated, "I was going to be by." Maybe. Eventually. Except Jaro had found him first and he really was not sure if he was even going to stop by and see the junkyard.

Just another healthy reminder at this point.

His hands reached out to take the bracelet, especially when it was held out for him and then fell at Jaro's words. Aodhan took a step back, arm falling back to his side. "Nothing," he replied, "I decided boxing wasn't really the career for me."

"I am busy but I'm not making a career out of anything." Aodh did not sigh but he got that familiar set to his eyes where he wanted to react, to snap, but held it back. Especially when his bracelet went right back onto Jaro's wrist.

Not that he could say a damn thing, he had not taken it back when it had offered. That meant it was as good as Jaro's now. "I've been working. This is the first free time I've had since I got back."

"Art History." The reply was instant, Aodhan taking another step back. Jaro was doing a good job of riling him up and making him not want to be here. It was always something of a surprise to some that he had taken up art for his major considering his penchant for avoiding it.

"Boxing wasn't," his lips pressed to a thin line, something flickering in his eyes a moment, "... it was not for me in the end." Even though he was good, even though he could have made something of himself in the professionals. Aodh's heart wasn't in it so he did not do it.

Aodhan wished he knew what it was that made him not guard his expressions around this man. It was offsetting but Jaro had been able to read him when he was eighteen and he was still reading him now. He was half-tempted to snap out that he was not making any kind of face but ...

Well. He knew he was and then Jaro was sliding the bracelet back onto his wrist.

"Weren't you the one that said college done me well?" he replied. Jaro always did manage to get under his skin and then calm him in the next moment. Still the conversation about work ... Aodh ran a hand through his hair. "... nothing, right now. I was actually helping with one of the local gardeners for a bit." Trimming hedges, making them into animals and other shapes.

So goddamn aimless.

Jaro finally - finally! - made Aodh blush. It started across his nose and spread from there across his cheeks. He was scratching at his cheek and glancing to the side.
"... told you I wasn't going to be short forever," he huffed out. It was true. Aodhan had barely been 5'8" last time Jaro had seen him and so slim but he was so very not that now. The tsk also made him shuffle awkwardly again.

He knew Jaro was huffy about him not coming by but ...

"It's not that I didn't want to, Jaro, but since I didn't pursue boxing to it's fullest and I'm back, dad is really pushing for me to help out. Eventually take over and that isn't what I want to be doing." There was some level of working for Jaro that was similar to the artisan work that his family did. Never mind that he just wanted to be left alone to figure his s**t out. "I would never hear the end of it." Grey eyes focused on Jaro. "Not that I'm going to ever hear the end of it from you either about not having been by yet."

One of these he could clearly deal with more than the other. Guess which.

Aodh stared.

Really stared.

Jaro hadn't changed. Still fickle and capricious and all about himself. A few years ago he would have jumped at the chance to make Aodh's father irritable because he was stealing his son away from working the kiln. Now ...

What the hell was this? Some kind of mid-life crisis?

"You're not on some scale with my father," he sighed. "I can live with my father being pissy because I'm still not doing what he wants. I cannot apparently deal with idea that you are." Aodh was still pink-faced and it got a bit worse when he realized how that sounded. He moved on quickly.

"But, fine, whatever." The bracelet that Jaro had slid onto his wrist was slid back off and held out. "You stole it off of me and you know it does look good on you, so you might as well keep it." Gray eyes watched Jaro closely. "Another trinket for the hoard and I don't need both of them anyway."

Then he was bolting because Jaro was the worst.

Aodh merely pulled back. The smile was in place and his expression shuttered closed. Even the pink to his face faded.

He slid the bracelet into a pocket and gave Jaro a pleasant smile. "Maybe." In regards to visiting. "It was good to see you again. I missed talking with you while I was gone." An easy thing to say and the truth. "Not like I run into many friends and I am terrible anyway at keeping up with them." His smile was brittle and his eyes dark. "I'll see you around."

Then he turned and fled, even if it was a slow walk away, because Jaro was the worst.