Chains: Eyeless Jack X Reader

Free:Close Enough {Post-Chains One-Shot}

              Red, green, olive, crimson, pine, scarlet... So many shades of red and green seemed to adorn the streets lately. Strings of colorful lights draped almost every house, inflatable bearded men in jolly red suits smiling at passerbies with gloved hand raised in a warm greeting as they stood next to simple snowmen dressed in scarves and hats. Pine trees and candelabras could be seen in windows of houses, warm fires no doubt crackling in the fireplaces as the aroma of fresh hot chocolate drifted from kitchens.

             Sappy as it sounds, this time of year always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Having spent most of my life living in the mountains, I was used to cold and very white winters. Winter could get very monotonous there, and the colorful strings of lights hanging from our house always brightened it up, even if only for a little bit of time. So seeing all this color and holiday cheer down in the suburbs, even in the rundown parts of town, warmed me up quite a bit.

             Jack had a different view of things, though.

             "I just don't get the whole tradition about cutting down trees and taking them indoors," Jack complained as he sorted his latest outing's gains into the fridge. "Needles fall all over the floor, sometimes branches break from heavy ornaments—heck, sometimes the trees even catch on fire and burn down the entire house! Have you seen the news? There was one just last night!"

            "Yes, Jack, I have," I muttered, rolling my eyes as I turned a page in my book as I laid on the couch.

            "And the ornaments people use are so weird!" he continued, ignoring me. "One house I went to had apples on the tree! Not the actual fruit, but ornaments shaped like apples. What's the point of it?"

             "Maybe they just like apples?"

            "Then just get an apple tree!"

            "Apple trees aren't very festive," I countered calmly. Pausing, I added as an afterthought, "Also, I don't think apple trees grow apples during winter, so it's kinda moot anyway."

            "That's beside the point!" Jack growled irritably. Slamming the fridge shut, he stalked over to the living room and plopped into the armchair, folding his arms. "I just don't get these holidays! What's the point of Kannuza or Kismisuh?" I vaguely registered Jack butchering Kwanza, Hanukah, and Christmas into two jumbo-holidays again, but didn't bother to correct him. I gave up after the thirty-seventh time.

             "Someone's acting like a scrooge," I remarked nonchalantly. Jack's exasperation was perfectly visible without his trademark blue mask, his face scrunched up with a perfect blend of confusion and disgust.

            "What the hell's a scrooge!?" Sighing, I set my book on my lap so I could pick up another book from the coffee table, and then threw it right at Jack's head. It harmlessly bounced off his arms as he reflexively raised them to shield his face, falling to the ground with a small thump. Frowning, he picked up the fallen book and examined the cover thoughtfully. "'A Christmas Carol'? What is this?"