Red Riding Hood

Chapter Eight: "Competition"

Geralf tensed beside him, asking with sudden deep curiosity. "Really...? And how can you possibly know that? It's only had light flurries on and off today. Most would say it's a pleasant snowy day." Jack paled a little. He didn't want to say that Mark told him. Biting his lip for a few second, he rushed out with a shrug. "It's Lupine. If it snows, we always get a storm soon after." Geralf nodded, then put his mask on before he told him casually. "I see. Well, I disagree. I'll come around tonight and pick you up. If it does storm, it just means the devils won't be out to stop us." Geralf headed to the front door and Jack followed him saying swiftly. "Wait. I didn't say that I'd go." Geralf glanced at Mark, who was kneeling behind the counter with a shelf in his hands. Mark was sanding it down carefully, ignoring them. Geralf smirked at Mark, then told Jack over his shoulder in an expectant voice. "I know. I'm giving you time to think it over. It promises to be exciting. You won't want to miss out, I assure you." Geralf turned on his heel, his thick dark cloak flowing behind him. The second he was out the door and gone, Mark growled out bitterly. "Arrogant, asshole."

Jack hugged himself, asking Mark under his breath. "You knew he liked me. How?" Mark didn't look at him, he just went about putting the shelf back and said off subject. "I sanded your shelf down. It shouldn't cause the baskets here to stick as much." Inching closer, Jack leaned his hip on the edge of the counter, unable to stop himself from blurting out. "How did you know that he was stalking me?" Mark dodged the question again by asking in response. "You decided on that pastry yet?" Jack moved closer and slammed his hand down on the counter in frustration. The loud sound it made causing Mark to flinch and cover his ears in pain. Jack didn't regret doing it, because it finally got Mark to look at him. Staring into his eyes, Jack asked him in a whisper. "Mark... Answer me." Mark turned to face him, lowering his hands. Stepping up to him, Mark whispered in a low growl. "You won't like my answer. But what did you expect? You are the only one that thought you were invisible." Jack was a little stunned by his words. While Mark seized the opportunity to hop over the counter to keep himself from being cornered.

Turning to look at Mark, Jack finally found his voice again, stating meekly. "I never got that impression from you. I didn't see myself as invisible. I just... What I feel... confuses me. I've been told its wrong... and yet, I don't know why I feel this way." Placing his hands on the counter, he gulped and added a bit shakily. "I don't understand... You... Geralf is a Huntsmen. You say he kills people... like us... but, you think he feels something for me? That can't be. That would go against what he believes." Mark walked around the shelves, telling him a bit flatly. "You'd be surprised. Some people hide it better than others. Being what I am... I can sense their sexuality. For the most part." Jack blinked, blurting out in shock. "What? How can you do that?" Mark rolled his eyes, mumbling out to himself. "You ask a lot of questions..." Crossing his arms, Jack blurted out a bit sarcastically. "How can someone learn anything without asking? You want me to understand. You have to explain some things." Mark rested his arm on the top of a shelving rack, retorting docilly. "Yes... but can I trust you with the information. After all, you and that brute are a little too close for my comfort." Staring into Mark's eyes, Jack told him as genuinely as he could. "I just want to see my Granny. Then I'll know who I can trust."

Mark rolled his eyes, stating out a little defensively. "You can't decide that for yourself?" Jack exhaled slowly, answering honestly. "I don't have as much experience with liars as my Granny does. You claim you've spoken to her... but she never talked to me about you. My father claims she hated him... but I don't recall her being that cruel to him. All I want is the truth. You say she's sick... I want to trust you. But I don't really know you." Mark tapped his nails on the shelf, then told him nicely in a reluctant tone. "I can smell it on people. It's like a natural perfume that everyone has. I can smell when you are turned on. When you are afraid. I can even smell when you are angry. Who or what you've been around in the last day." Mark moved away from the shelf, walking up to the counter to lean on it. Jack stepped back to press himself against the shelves, hugging his torso with a timid expression. Locking eyes with him, Mark told him in a gentle tone. "I may have been avoiding you... because something about you. It brings the wolf out in me. Not in the sense to hurt you... but something else. It was easy to resist when I was young... but the older I get. The harder it gets."

Jack inhaled slowly as Mark's eyes turned into his wolfish yellow ones, telling him a bit gruffly. "I didn't want to scare you. Or lose control." Jack bravely stepped closer, asking him a little breathlessly. "Do all the wolves feel this way... Or just you?" Mark straightened up off the counter, answering truthfully. "I don't know. But when I kissed you..." Mark gulped and took a long step back from him. Looking away from him, his jaw clenched and unclenched as he took deep calming breaths. Jack started to move around the counter toward him, until Mark raised a hand without looking and growled out. "Stop. I need a minute." Jack obeyed but asked him gently. "What's happening? Are you turning?" Mark snorted, sarcastically mumbling out. "Last night was a full moon. I should be fine... but... little things tend to shine through." Jack slid his hand on the counter edge, softly asking. "What is trying to shine through then?" Mark didn't answer, he appeared to be focusing hard. Jack waited a bit, then reached out to touch Mark's outstretched hand cautiously. It shocked him to feel how warm Mark was. The bakery was always really cold in winter until he turned the ovens on. He felt chilled compared Mark.

Mark tried to pull his hand back, but Jack took his hand in his to look at his nails. He thought he'd fear them up close, but he couldn't help thinking about how natural they looked. Brushing his thumb over the worn down point, he asked him curiously. "Did you shave these down?" Mark turned his head just a little to answer under his breath. "Yes." Jack saw Mark's hand start to tremble and looked up. For the first time, he looked into Mark's eyes and saw fear behind his dark brown eyes. Jack exhaled all his breath, saying utterly breathless. "You're scared of me?" Mark pulled his hand from him, answering in a breathless whisper of his own. "Not just you." Jack stepped closer to him, saying openly. "You grew up with this? On your own?" Mark didn't say anything, but Jack could see it in the way his eyes took on a more distant puppy look. Very slowly, Jack moved closer to him. Mark leaned back from him, his hand raising like he was going to push him away. Smirking, Jack asked him a little teasingly. "What happened to the big bad wolf that shoved me into the windmill?" Unfazed, Mark answered softly. "He's still here..." Jack felt a rush of confidence from seeing Mark suddenly so... docile.

He'd never been afraid of people that were hurting. It was a sad side effect to the empathy he felt for others. He could easily put himself in Mark's place. He could feel how scared and alone he must have felt growing up with something that he didn't understand or could control. Mark pressed his hand to Jack's chest, telling him firmly. "What are you doing?" Jack blushed a deep red, bowing his head when he shyly muttered out. "I... I'm not sure..." Stepping back, Jack turned on his heel to head to the kitchen. What was he going to do? Kiss him? Why did he think that would be ok? Clearing his throat, he stated aloud as he vanished into the kitchen. "I'm going to make the pastry now." Grabbing the dough, he exhaled heavily and started to knead it on the counter. He needed to get out of his head and just do what came naturally to him. Bake. It didn't require emotion. Thinking about heart shaped pastries upset him though. So, he decided to do something simple. He'd make ball pastries filled with jelly. Rolling the dough up into balls, he tried to think of a romantic jelly without feeling like he wanted to stomp on it repeatedly out of frustration.

Slamming a ball of dough onto the counter, which resulted in ruining his work. He groaned and tried to take a few deep calming breaths as he rested his floury hands on the counter. From the doorway, Mark's deep calming voice told him rather soothingly. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm normally not so... There has never been this many Hunters around... I'm restless. I'm... I'm scared. My secret is heavy. It gets heavier when people don't know about it, and it becomes unbearable when they do." Jack nodded, answering in a calm voice that didn't match his tense body. "I understand." Mark moved into the kitchen more, saying in the nicest voice that he'd almost forgotten Mark had. "I'm sorry." Jack looked at Mark with fragile eyes, telling him sweetly. "I'm not upset with you. I'm upset with myself. With how... confused I am emotionally." Mark's hand slowly slid across the counter to timidly touch his hand. The tension in Jack's body melted away at his touch, before Mark leaned in to whisper over his shoulder. "Geralf is right. The storm will keep the wolves away... I didn't think about that. So... If you want, I'll take you to her tonight." To Be Continued...