Red Riding Hood

Chapter Twenty-Two: "Getting To Know You"

Mark gripped his hand that still rested in his to keep him from falling, then straightened up with a light chuckle. Releasing his hand once Jack had found his footing, Mark told him more casually. "I'll try it your way." Jack eased behind the chair, gripping it for support. He felt so lightheaded, and every nerve of his body was standing up like goosebumps under his skin. He felt like Mark simply breathing on his skin would make him pass out. Mark glanced at him briefly, then asked him a little worried. "Did I make you uncomfortable?" Jack shook his head, but his heart was still racing laps and his body was shaking from his tense nerves. Flipping a hand towel over his shoulder, Mark coolly told him. "You have a bad habit of bringing the wolf to the surface. I'm sorry if upsets you. I'm trying to reign it in. You just... make it difficult." Jack took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down as he crept back over to him. Removing a bread pan from the shelf, he shyly told Mark how to put it in the cast iron oven. While Mark was busy putting the bread into the oven, Jack quickly tasted the soup discreetly to make sure it was edible. He acted so fast that he splashed some of it onto his hand but managed to get a taste. It wasn't too bad, but he felt he could make it a tad better.

Closing the oven and straightening up, Mark locked eyes with him and asked curiously. "Well? What do you think?" Jack shrugged, trying to play innocent as he moved his hand away from the spoon on the counter. Mark reached out to grab his wrist, bringing his hand up to his lips. Jack's heart skipped as Mark's lips moved over his skin to taste the spilled soup. The action alone proved Jack's guilt, but the way Mark handled it was unintentionally sensual. Moving his lips off his skin, Mark didn't look at him as he grumbled out to himself. "It's missing something." Mark headed back to the cookbook, leaving Jack on shaky legs. Forcing himself to swallow, Jack's eyes drifted to the little bottle of herbs that Mark had missed. Mark flipped through the pages of his mother's cookbook, before stopping to rub his eyes like they were bothering him. Sighing heavily, Mark growled out to himself. "Fuck it. I'll improvise." Jack tensed, watching Mark snatch a little bottle of basil. Popping the cork off, Mark moved up to the pot, but Jack snatched his wrist to stop him. Shaking his head, he informed Mark curtly. "No. Not that." Mark narrowed his eyes on him, telling him nicely. "It's fine. It will work." Jack shook his head, telling him in a rush. "No. Use the salt and pepper."

Mark held up his finger and picked up the spoon to collect some of the red tomato broth. Removing some basil, Mark sprinkled it on the spoonful. Then tapping Jack's chin lightly with his fingertips to coax him closer to the spoon, Mark told him coolly. "Trust me. Try it." Jack leaned in to try it, blushing as Mark watched him and said calmly. "I use wild basil on the meat that I cook. Gives the meat a bit more of a zing. Especially beef. Plus, with the tomato in the soup it will balance out the sweet better." Jack swallowed, staring at Mark with wide eyes. He was right and that scared him. How did HE know that, and he didn't? Mark smirked at his face, chuckling out as he added it into the soup. "Surprised?" Jack leaned his hips back on the counter, saying utterly perplexed. "Yes. I mean... I just... I'm at a loss." Mark stepped back from the pot, shrugging out. "I didn't want to be a carpenter. My stepdad wanted that. I wanted to be a cook. Grilling game meats all day." Turning away with a grim expression, Mark mumbled out. "You can see who won that fight in the end." Gesturing for Jack to sit at the table, Mark cleaned up a few things before joining him and adding sadly. "Hunting in the woods and cooking over a campfire is probably my second biggest secret."

Sighing heavily, Mark propped his head up on his hand and shrugged out. "Although, resources out there are limited. But there are plenty of basil plants out there. Or were before I started using it on everything." Jack laughed, adjusting the towel of ice on his hand. For the first time, Jack had a real conversation with someone about something he enjoyed. They shared little stories about their best and worst attempts. Shared a few secrets and tricks they stumbled upon by accident. Jack almost felt his spark for cooking return. It was so weird how he'd been around Mark for so long but knew hardly anything about this side to him. Just like the wolf he hid within; this side too had been hidden so deep beneath the surface. When the food was done, Jack helped Mark set the table and bring over the food. They even managed to eat some in the dim light casted by the candles and fireplace. Jack finished his soup faster than he'd ever done in his life, prompting a laugh from Mark. When Mark tried the berry bread, he moaned and told him around a mouthful. "Wow. I wasn't expecting it to be so good. The berries really do add touch of sweetness that melts in your mouth."