Chapter Text
“oh my god you would not believe the month i am having! why are mortals so dumb? who drowns in a bathtub? like there were these three teens right and they-”
mark hums as he finishes tending to his devil’s snare and startles when he sees the fruit in jackson’s hand. “what are you doing?!”
“and then-i...eating? you said i could eat whatever i wanted in here?”
mark slides a hand down his face.
“am i not supposed to eat this? omg mark is this edible? am i poisoned now?!”
mark rolls his eyes and walks over to where jackson is leaning on one of his shelves, snatching the fruit from his hands. “you weren’t supposed to find this…”
“what does that mean? are you sure these aren’t poison ? maaaaaaark-”
“they’re not poison stop with that will you.”
“well then why are you hiding them huh?”
“...”
“...”
“...i...cuz they’re for you…”
“exactly-wait what? then why can’t i eat them? you really are trying to poison me! i knew it. i knew it all along! this was all too good to be true!” jackson ballet twirls and pirouettes onto a large venus fly trap that opens up to catch him as he drapes a hand over his forehead. sometimes mark questions his own heart on why it likes jackson when he causes a ruckus likes this (but also knows that he wouldn’t love jackson as much if he wasn’t like this).
“no stupid, they’re for you. for your realm. they should be able to grow down there, but i haven’t tried it yet -obviously. so just put them back for now and -jackson!?”
while mark speaks, jackson puts down the fruit he’s holding very gently back where he found it. he then leaps forward and throws his arms around mark’s waist, crushing mark to him, burying his face in mark’s shoulders, his own shaking.
mark blinks, stunned for a moment, before he smiles softly and turns his head so that it leans against jackson’s for a few moments before he lifts it back up and goes back to tending his plants, letting jackson cling to his back until he calms down to step back.
“are they really for me?” jackson whispers into his shoulder. mark can’t see his face and he smiles, fond and a little sad, at the wonder in jackson’s tone.
“that’s what i said-”
“and they’ll really be able to grow in the underworld?”
“well i don’t actually know but-”
“what am i saying? of course they will! you worked on them! so they have to!”
“thanks for the vote of confidence but-”
“so what have you named them?”
jackson finally lifts his head up and stares up at him, wide eyes bright. he looks like a puppy, eyes trusting and happy as they look at mark -mark can practically see his metaphorical tail wagging.
mark shifts his eyes a slightly, he’s not full out avoiding jackson’s gaze, but he isn’t looking straight at him either. jackson spies mark’s ears turning the exact shade of the fruit he previously picked up.
“they’re called pomegranates.”