Chains: Eyeless Jack X Reader

Free:Frosted Flakes {Post-Chains One Shot}

            It all started on a cool February night. Snow fell outside the window, the tiny flakes twirling downwards and coating the world in white. [Name] was curled up on the couch fast asleep, wrapped in two layers of blankets. A warm fire crackled in the fireplace, the flames giving the room a nice, cozy glow. All in all, it was looking to be a peaceful night.

            Then the front door slammed open and Jack trudged in.

            A light layer of white dusted the hood and shoulders of his black hoodie, the hems of his jeans and his shoes damp from trudging through the snow. Water trailed on the hardwood floor behind him as he walked inside, but he paid it no mind. Instead he went straight to the kitchen, opening the fridge. Pulling out a box of Frosted Flakes, he stood before the open fridge and just stared at it silently, the blue cardboard matching the blue of his mask.

            Finally, after what felt like eons, he bit his lip and carried the box to the living room. Standing over the sleeping [Name], he tore the box open and poured its contents onto her. Sugar-coated corn flakes poured from the box like the snow outside, the sudden outpouring making the sleeping girl's [e/c] eyes quickly flutter open. Slowly sitting upright, the flakes coating her torso and head slid onto the couch and floor, only adding to her confusion. A glance to her side revealed Jack standing next to her, still wearing his snow-covered hoodie and mask.

            "Jack...?" she mumbled groggily, still not totally awake. "What's going on...?"

             "[Name]," he said, his voice solemn and serious. Flipping his hood down, he removed his trademark mask to reveal his gray face, his features distorted with worry. "Where do Frosted Flakes go?" His voice had a sense of hollowness to it, a sort of desperation. Yawning, the girl rubbed her eyes as she responded.

            "The cupboard... Why...?" She trailed off as she glanced at Jack once more only to see his hollow eyes wide with shock, what little color his face possessed seeming to fade. After a few moments his knees suddenly buckled and he fell to the floor, his shaggy chestnut-colored bangs falling over his hollow eyes as he stared at his hands. Frowning in even more confusion, after a moment she hesitantly asked, "Uh... Jack? What's wrong?"

            Jack didn't respond, unable to form any words. How could he possibly explain his despair to her? This whole time, Eyeless Jack had been under the impression that Frosted Flakes belonged in the refrigerator. He took care to separate it from all the other boxes of cereal, and always made sure there was a place for it there. But then while hunting tonight, he saw a man sitting at the kitchen table eating Frosted Flakes. And when he'd finished, the man... He'd put the box in the cupboard. Jack thought maybe he was just an unusual case, but when he looked in cupboards of other houses...

            They had Frosted Flakes in the cupboards too.

            As he stared at the ground, a single Frosted Flake slid off the couch, bouncing onto the floor and stopping directly in front of him. Empty gaze fixing upon it, that single, sugary corn flake thrust him deep into the depths of his soul. After what felt like hours he reached out to pick it up, and then crushed it between his gloved fingers. As he watched the crumbs slowly trickle to the floor, a sense of hollowness overcame him. [Name], meanwhile, just stared at him in ever-growing confusion, having absolutely no idea what was wrong with him. "Uh, Jack...?"

             The world was a void of lies. Nothing was true, nothing was false. Jack's hollow gaze rested on the pile of crumbs, feeling as empty as his hollow eye sockets. It was now a symbol of his despair, twin to the shattered crumbs of his soul and his knowledge of humanity. A single, black tear slid down his cheek, oozing onto the floor in a small, black dot. At this point his
dark gray lips slowly parted, uttering a single, weak syllable.

            "...Why...?"

            "Uh... Jack...?" [Name]'s confusion grew even more than before, now getting seriously concerned about Jack staring at a pile of crumbs. Unaware of the existential crisis he was currently going through, the [h/c]-haired girl leaned over to gingerly poke his shoulder. Suddenly he yelped and gave a jump, falling back onto his rear and throwing his hands out to catch himself.

           "Whowhatwhywhenwherehowhuh!?" he blurted, staring at her in shock.

            "Are you okay? You're, uh, acting kinda weird..." Jack didn't respond right away, just stared at her. Then his face contorted with grief and he quickly bowed his head, his existential crisis returning at full power. Staggering to his feet, he slowly stumbled out of the room, nearly falling and having to grab the door's frame to support himself as he exited. After that [Name] heard the front door open and close, making her frown.

  

            Once outside, Jack circled the house and began scaling it, his movements automatic and swift from years of practice. Sitting on the roof, he ignored the cold dampness of the snow as he stared at the sky, just thinking about the nature of the universe. Indeed, Jack seemed to be set for an hours-long existential crisis session, just contemplating the meaning of life and such—but that wasn't meant to be. Three seconds into staring at the sky, a snowflake landed in one of his eye sockets.

            Yelping, Jack leapt up and nearly fell off the roof, quickly covering his eyes with his hands as he uttered a colorful string of curses. All existential crisis-y thoughts were quickly dashed at the pain, and he grumbled under his breath as he climbed down. Trudging into the house once more, he stomped past a still-confused [Name] to his room, slamming the door behind himself. Soon enough he emerged in new, dry clothes, rubbing his shaggy hair with a towel to dry the latest layer of snow.

           "You're a jerk," he declared flatly, and then continued to the kitchen to put away that night's organs. [Name] just stared after him in shock for a moment, but then gave a giant shrug and off the couch to head to her room.

            "Not even gonna ask," she muttered to herself as she headed to her room, giving a big sigh. Sometimes, she would just never understand what went through Jack's mind.