Accidentally in love (mxm)

Chapter 9

Jack smiled softly, suddenly looking far more mature than his usual self.
"Yes. Just like you can be very kind, nice and generous. And sometimes, you choose to be. Like when we are together." He took the plates and set them on the table before sitting down.

Pitch lingered a moment longer next to the stove, trying to evaluate this new piece of information. Did he really choose to be who he was? Did he choose to be darkness, fear and despair?
No... of course not. He was born of darkness - that was his nature, not his choice. Right?
But then what about right now? He wasn't trying to instill fear in Jack, he was trying to make him feel comfortable and welcome... That was his choice, wasn't it?
Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was the potion. The potion that was leaving him no choice but to be kind, just like his nature left him no choice but to be dark. Or maybe not?
Pitch almost screamed in exasperation. How could it be that after hundreds of thousands of years, he still didn't know himself better than this? You'd think, after such a long time of being himself, he would know himself a little!

"Pitch? Are you not hungry?" Jack interrupted his pondering.

"Of course." Pitch hurried over to the table, sitting opposite the boy who still looked somewhat skeptical of the food.

"And you're sure that this is edible?" Jack poked a piece of eggplant with his fork.

"I'm very sure." Pitch smiled reassuringly, taking a bite. It tasted just like the last 25.000 times he had made it.

Very hesitantly and skeptically, Frost picked up a slice of zucchini and a speck of cheese. After eyeing it for a moment, he placed it in his mouth and chewed around on it for a second or two before his eyes grew wide with amazement and he started chowing down like a starving hamster.
Pitch almost laughed as he watched the fascinated boy shoving food into his mouth at five times the healthy speed. He had sincerely hoped Jack would enjoy some normal food, but he hadn't expected that kind of reaction. Especially because the food wasn't really that good. Not that it was bad by any means, but also not exactly Pitch's favorite; it was just ordinary food, the kind he made every day. He hadn't really thought the food would be such a big deal for Jack, otherwise he would have considered making something more special and elaborate. Suddenly he had the silly desire to do so. He wanted to show that junk-food-addict just how amazing real food could be.

"What is this thing? It's so good!" Jack said excitedly, holding up a piece of the fried cheese.

"It's goat cheese."

"It's awesome!" He shoved the last piece of cheese into his mouth, combined with a piece of pattypan squash. "And I love this yellow thing. It's so weird and awesome and it goes great with cheese!"

"Indeed it does," Pitch agreed amused, placing the same combination on his fork.

It was less than 2 minutes later, that Jack was already done with his portion, upon which he hungrily eyed Pitch's plate, which was still more than half full. He couldn't possibly still be hungry, could he? Perhaps Pitch had cooked a bit too little for the both of them; he wasn't used to cooking such large amounts.

"Are you going to eat all that?" Jack asked a moment later.

Though Pitch had indeed planned on eating it all, he shook his head, having the silly desire to give in to whatever request Jack had. "Here." He handed his plate over, despite being quite hungry himself, but it didn't matter because Jack gave him such a bright smile, he forgot about his stomach's necessities right away. There were more important things than food.

"So what are we going to cook for dinner?" Jack asked through a mouthful of food, nearly spilling some of it. Where had that boy learned his table manners? And why did Pitch find it adorable rather than disgusting?
"Why do vegetables taste like this? I've had vegetables before, and this is not what they tasted like."