Oogie's Muse (Jack Skellington x Reader)

33 - Forty Winks with Carnivorous Horses

They were stunning. Four colossal stallions with pelts so dark that they seemed to vanish under the cover of night. Glittering onyx eyes seemed to burn red in their eye sockets as they shook their heads impatiently; when they panted and neighed, delicate plumes of their hot breath ghosted in the chilled evening air. Yet, there was something perverse about them, too, as to be expected in the Halloween World. From their mouths, long, jagged teeth curled over their lips as if they had suddenly decided they had grown tired of grazing in favor of flesh. They were tethered to a large, ostentatious carriage with ornate detailing carved into the wood, with a lush velvet interior.

When (Y/n) crept down the stairs into the bitter night, she first noticed the handsome stallions before she saw the carriage driver who was tending to them. The man himself was nondescript, apart from the green-grey welts over his skin, sharp talons and mashed set of jaws that marked him as a gargoyle. He was clutching a wreaking sack that, upon noticing the girl with a wicked smile, he reached into and pulled out a snowy rabbit. Presenting the dead hare to the lead horse, the driver chortled as she turned ashen-faced while watching the horse tear it apart and guzzle it down.

The chill sunk into (Y/n)'s bones as she shivered. The sound of the door slamming made her turn, sighting Jack as he sauntered towards her. In his hands, there was a long strip of black satin nestled between his phalanges. Before she could be bothered by the cold anymore, he approached her and dangled it in front of her playfully.

(Y/n) felt her stomach flip, "That's not a blind-fold, is it?"

"I forgot how clever you were, my dear." Jack mused, "It adds to the mystery."

It was difficult for (Y/n) not to flinch as he came to a halt behind her, tenderly brushing back a few wisps of her hair as he tied the sash over her eye sockets. The fabric smelled like incense and she felt a little drowsy from smelling the saccharine fragrance, but she remained miserably quiet as Jack wriggled his fingers over her eyes to see if she was peeking. Satisfied, the Pumpkin King drew her hand into his and lead her, ever so gently, into the carriage. Her heart shuddered as he put his hands around her waist, hoisting her into the carriage – but moments after, her body still trembled from his touch.

The velvet seating was comfortable and velvet-smooth to the touch. I waited only a moment before Jack's weight spread beside me. With only a clipped order to the driver, the carriage slowly began its descent down the hilly path. She felt nerves rattling her heart inside her ribs like a xylophone.

"Jack?" She asked hesitantly.

He hummed a reply, "Yes, my sweet?"

"Where are we going?" She implored.

Wringing her hands nervously in her lap, she nearly had a heart attack when she felt the sudden, reassuring grip of his fingers curl around her wrists. She jolted in shock, but gradually melted into his affection. There was a shifting and the soft, muted hiss of the velvet seat as Jack sidled in directly beside her.

"Somewhere that you've never been before." Jack whispered in her ear, "You are going to love it, my dear. Could you guess where it is? It's terribly exciting."

His breath on her face made her shudder.

"McDonald's?" (Y/n) sputtered.

Jack laughed. It set her nerves at ease to hear that it was Jack's typical, care-free chuckle that seemed free of the strange, possessive entity that had thrust her sharply into the wall and almost demanded her body. The experience still made her blush, since Jack's soft fingertips perused the flushed cheekbones tenderly.

"No," Jack said fondly before planting a kiss to her cheek, "but it's close enough."

"How long will it take to get there?" (Y/n) whined, "This blind-fold's making me car-sick...or, er, carriage-sick."

The reassuring presence of Jack's arms pulled her into his chest and the light, fluttering feeling in her stomach made her heart jolt. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

"Take a rest, darling." Jack whispered again, "I'll wake you as soon as we arrive. I promise."

A disobedient yawn escaped her lips, "OK, Jack."

With the gentle rolling of the carriage, the sweet, low whispers of her fiancée's voice as he sung her a sort of lullaby and the hazed darkness of the carriage, (Y/n) snuggled deeply into his chest and used it as a pillow. Within moments, she was asleep.

- - - 

Did ya miss me? 

There will be more. . .

- EWG