They were fierce looking creatures in all honesty. Transformed by Pitch’s corrupted sand, the mares almost looked more like dragons. Jack admired the artistry of it.
Jack did not know how he and Pitch were still friends.
It’d been a few days but he was still mortified over how he’d handled those candies. Usually he didn’t let social slip ups bother him. If someone wanted to be offended by his playful or carefree attitude, especially after centuries of mainly talking to himself, then the relationship probably wasn’t worth his time.
Pitch… hadn’t been offended per se. More like rendered speechless. Instead of Jack trying to explain himself or, more likely, talk himself into a deeper hole, he’d kind of just… thanked Pitch and ran.
Fuck.
Those candies were good too. And well. He had kept his promise.
…
Jack felt himself blush. He had been reminded of Pitch the entire time. Thinking of the way he’d probably shaped each of those stars with long, artistic fingers. His deep concentration as he brought something beautiful to life. The way those eyes would soften admiring his work in a way that made Jack envious…
With ice on his fingertips, Jack slapped his hands to his face. Okay okay. Clean slate. He was gonna drop by Pitch’s place and act like everything was normal. That he could behave normal. Whatever that meant. He was just… regular happy-go-lucky Jack visiting his very intense dramatic friend.
…Friends totally danced together in almost tangoes and gave each other candies. He would hear no argument.
Unfortunately when he’d arrived in the lair, Pitch was being kind of… squirrely.
Fidgeting came to Jack naturally. If he wasn’t twirling Twiner around, swaying on his feet, or poking at something, he was either asleep or concentrating too hard. Pitch didn’t fidget. His steps were always with poise and purpose. He could stay posed like a statue for hours if he wanted to (and Jack certainly didn’t mind the view). He only really let loose when he was dancing.
So it was a bit odd seeing him moving almost as much as Jack in idle conversation.
When Jack shifted his weight from one foot to another, he noticed Pitch do the opposite. When Jack was making a point complete with hand gestures (because he absolutely took the bait to Pitch’s teasing), he leaned in and nearly dropped Twiner in shock when Pitch leaned in too.
And then jerked back just the same.
Jack’s laugh sounded nervous to his ears. “Hey, um. Are you… feeling okay today?”
Pitch’s eyes widened a fraction, something Jack wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been studying Pitch so closely. “Perfectly fine. Why do you ask?”
Shit, Jack didn’t want to have to spell this out. Maybe Pitch always did this? Maybe he was making a big deal out of nothing? Maybe he was actually studying Pitch a little too much and was about to out himself?...
“Just…” Jack started, taking a somewhat exaggerated step forward. Pitch hesitated for a moment, but ultimately followed suit, mirroring him, looking so guilty that Jack had to bite his lip to not laugh in Pitch’s face. “Just that! What is that? Is this a joke? You haven’t been doing that for weeks and I’m only noticing now, have you?”
Pitch frowned. Glared, though it was down at their positioned feet, then let out what sounded like a frustrated sigh. When he turned his head to the side, Jack could make out a bit of color on the tip of his pointy ear. Pitch was embarrassed and Jack needed to not coo at him like he was a kitten.
“...No, I have not been doing this for weeks. It’s… I’m testing something.” Pitch settled on.
Jack tilted his head sideways. Huh? “Testing? What are we testing? How quick we can start a flash dance?”
Pitch huffed. Huffed and tilted his head the other way. “No, it’s… It’s something my people would do. Something of a …compatibility test.”
Jack immediately flushed. Compatibility for what??
Pitch raised his hands as he explained himself. “I’m not mocking you, it’s meant to show respect. That I can follow your lead. That I can and will… make space for you.”
Oh there was going to be nothing left of Jack but a puddle at this point. What did he even do with that? It was so… sweet. The dance, the candies, now this?
Without really being conscious of it at all, Jack walked right up to Pitch, let his staff fall to the ground, and wrapped his arms around Pitch’s middle. If he didn’t at least hug this man, he was going to cry. Or explode, he couldn’t be sure.
“What the fuck, Pitch,” Jack laughed, fighting a sniffle. “You don’t have to… I mean. I’m honored? Or like. Did I pass? I don’t really know what to say to that.”
“I’m probably explaining it horribly,” Pitch grumbled above him, slowly bringing his arms around Jack and it was the most at home he’d felt ever. “I’m probably not even doing it right but it’s good to know I haven’t scared you off.”
“Gonna take more than that to scare me off,” Jack assured, his smile out of control when their eyes met. “I would probably knock our heads together if I tried that so y’know. I’ll just tell you, I will make space for you too. Plenty to spare.”
There it was. That soft look. Jack had done something right and he could have kissed Pitch for it.
…Shit, he had it bad.
“Thank you, Jack,” Pitch said eventually, an artistic hand patting the top of his head and he did his best not to swoon.
“Don’t need to thank me for that,” Jack winked, “Just, give a guy some time to study next time there’s a test.”
(Thank you to @esurideum for the idea of complementary posture! :D )
It had started fine, Jack laughing as they twirled across the floor. Only when Jack decided to get on his own two feet to mimic his steps did Pitch realize they were doing it backwards.
He hardly could have asked Jack to just unlearn and reverse everything they’d done. It was miracle enough Pitch remembered what the orbit dance even was, yet he had a fuzzy, long repressed memory of a soldier in his barracks being mocked for orbiting backwards with his beloved, opposite to the starset.
A rookie mistake, he remembered thinking. And yet.
Pitch was glaring daggers at his stone countertop. Fumbling the orbit dance was supposedly a bad omen.
Of course, nothing seemed wrong with the wide smile on Jack’s face that night. He had no idea of the distress going on in Pitch’s head. He was merely happy to be doing something new. Said they should do it again some time. Seemed reluctant to even let Pitch go.
And that was why Pitch was in his kitchen attempting to melt sugar into a confection that resembled a star.
Star candies had been a delicacy in their home. They may have traditionally been meant for new and prospective couples, but Seraphina and her mother loved them. He always brought a box back when he returned home from a mission.
Never in a thousand years did Pitch think he would try his hand at making them.
It wasn’t going to be the same, of course. Earth didn’t have glowsugar for starters, and Pitch didn’t have a recipe to work from. Jack just deserved better than some random candy. Earth couples seemed too hung up on chocolates anyway. A star candy would be something special.
And so, after days of perfecting his recipe and getting the shape just right, he presented his offering to Jack.
Only to be mildly horrified when Jack popped one in his mouth and—
Crunch.
Shattered. In one bite.
Jack licked his lips after swallowing the sweet little shards, already plucking another one out of the bag Pitch gave him. “Where’d you get these, huh? Tastes kind of like… fruity cream soda.”
Crunch.
“…I made them,” Pitch explained on autopilot, still stunned and a little impressed by that jaw strength. “Something I remembered from… the before times, is what you’d say.”
That made Jack stop.
“Holy shit, since when do you make candy?!” Jack sounded rather stunned himself. “Is my tongue gonna turn black or something? That’d be… kinda cool, maybe.”
Pitch sighed and folded his arms. Oh Jack and his fondness for pranks. “That… could be an interesting idea but no. I meant, before I was the Nightmare King. Call me nostalgic, I suppose.”
Jack’s expression grew more serious, until a burst of color flooded his pale cheeks and suddenly he could only stare down at the little sugar stars in his hand. “But you gave them to me?…”
“I thought you might enjoy them.” Pitch kept his tone cool and his arms crossed, but took a step closer. Better to study (read agonize over) Jack’s reaction. “Although you’re supposed to suck on them. The ones I remember, the flavor would last for hours. They’re supposed to… remind you of who gave them to you.”
Damnit all, now his face was feeling warm. Good thing Jack wasn’t looking.
“Wha-! Shit, I’m sorry!” Jack held his hands up, full as they were, in surrender. “Bad habit of mine. I used to like crunching on ice a lot. Uh—“
Blue eyes suddenly met gold. Jack had something extremely important to tell him.
“I promise I will suck on every last one!”
(I’m thinking I will format this into a 5+1 type fic by the end. Thank you for the ideas so far, please hit me up with more courting things for these idiots to fuck up 🤣)
