Hostage | Eyeless Jack x Reader

Markwood at Christmas

(Y/n) was able to stumble out of the Snowcat only with Jack's help, one hand on her waist and the other squeezing her hand. She had to admit, she was tempted to act less stable than she really was to see what he would do.

But alas, Jack released her waist the second her boots crushed into the snow in Markwood's main square, where Hank had haphazardly parked the beast in the middle of the plowed street.

"They might've plowed it," Hank began, climbing out of the other side, "But no one's running their cars. Weather's too bad to go much anywhere in the first place."

While they both nodded, neither of them was really paying attention to Hank's words. Jack's hand had faltered in (Y/n)'s for a moment when she began to walk away, seeming unsure whether to pull away or to hold tighter. In a moment of first response, (Y/n) had grasped at his, weaving her gloved fingers between his to keep him there. Jack had gasped behind his cloth mask, and was now staring at (Y/n) with a sense of apprehension and hesitation.

She glanced back at him over her shoulder, catching his gaze before tugging a little on his hand.

"It's okay," she muttered, hearing Hank begin to crunch around the Snowcat, "C'mon."

Jack stared at her a moment more, lowered his head down to their conjoined hands, before sighing and joining her at her side.

"Atta boy," (Y/n) smiled, making Jack huff out an exhasperated laugh.

"Alrighty," Hank groaned, finally rounding the snowcat and stretching his arms above his head, "I'm going to the fabric store. Don't feel like you two kids have to follow me, though."

(Y/n) looked at Hank before she looked at Jack, who nodded to her that he, in fact, did not want to follow Hank around.

"Well, I'll meet you two at Wanda's in a few hours. Hot chocolates, on me."

Hank turned away and started off before (Y/n) could fight him on paying, but peered over his shoulder before he got too far. When he saw that Jack was looking around at the stores, not paying attention, he pointed down at their hands before shooting her a thumbs up, a crap-eating grin spreading across his face as (Y/n)'s eyes grew wide in embarrassment.

She was about to scold him to stop before Jack noticed, but Jack himself had pulled (Y/n)'s hand and was walking her in a different direction.

"Oh! Where are we going?" (Y/n) asked, slightly amused as she fell into step beside him.

"(Y/n), what day is it?"

"I asked you a question first."

"And I asked you second. What day is it?"

(Y/n) huffed, both at his stubbornness and his difficult question, thinking hard for a moment before she remembered.

"December 20th, I think. Now where are you dragging me?"

Jack didn't have time to answer, as they had reached the door of the store he had set his mind on. They were standing outside of Markwood's general store, where Christmas lights and wreaths were hung twinkling on the windows. Snow and frost blocked the view of the inside, but Jack was quick to open the door and hold it for (Y/n) to enter first.

"Wow, such a gentleman," she teased, which eared a playful "shut up" from Jack.

Chuckling, she looked around at the shelves, which in general held nothing of interest to her. Chistmas music was humming softly from the overhead speakers, not exactly loud enough to trigger her migraine like Hank's singing. But why Jack was so intent on coming here was a mystery.

"We don't need anything other than antiseptic, right?" (Y/n) asked, turning to the side of the door and picking up a basket to carry their supplies.

"No," Jack began, before he took a breath in that (Y/n) knew meant he was about to ask her a question he was nervous about, "Can I go off on my own?"