A Little Laughter Left In Me... (Laughing Jack x Reader)

~The Curse of Guilt~

The ride to the plaza offered you some time to collect yourself. Listening to your folks chatting amongst themselves and seeing their delighted smiles(As well as Jack's arm being wrapped securely around your shoulders), was enough to finally bring you back to reality.  The reality that you should be enjoying this time with the people you care about. However, you still felt nervous, and you couldn't stand it! 

You've come way too far to turn back! 

With everything you've witnessed in the past, giving Jack a present should be as easy as hugging him!

And yet... you were still nervous. Just picturing how his face might look if he doesn't like it made your stomach flip. It took a painful amount of effort to get the thought out of your head, and once you finally had, the car came to a stop.

You hardly paid attention when your adoptive father announced that you'd arrived, and the two quickly got out. You silently reached over to unbuckle yourself when you felt a pair of lips place a light kiss on the top of your head, and you held in a squeak as your blush returned. You watched his claws swiftly undo the buckle for you, then he gently nudged you forward.

"Off you go, can't keep 'em waiting!" The clown chuckled.

Truth be told, part of you wanted to just stay in the car, but you knew with how cold it was outside it wouldn't be warm for much longer, plus your parents would start asking questions you probably couldn't answer.

Without uttering a word, you did as he said and climbed out, shutting the door as your magical tag-along slipped past you, floating beside you as he glanced around the area. The plaza was beautifully decorated with countless strung up lights and stars while the tree still stood tall and bright, like a beacon of hope and merriment.

You let out a small sigh, taking in the way the plaza seemed to glitter despite the sun being trapped behind an armada of grey clouds. The snowflakes that slowly descended down to the Earth seemed to put you in a trance, the way they so effortlessly danced in the air made you somewhat envious. You missed the old days when you could be so carefree, so mentally weightless. But there was no going back to those times now, you had responsibilities to uphold, no matter what. You didn't bother to ask why you had to be the one to make these difficult choices, and bear the guilt that came with them, there was no point.

To live a lie, or live a life knowing the ones who raised you, and gave you a childhood worth having, had to be left behind because you couldn't keep a few secrets.

When you put it that way, what other choice is there?

"(Y/n), c'mon! You can admire the scenery inside where it's warm, too!" Your mother called from the door to the restaurant(~It can be whatever restaurant you like.~), snapping you out of your thoughts. You nodded to her and quickly dashed over, making your way inside as she let the door close behind you both.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

You were seated after about ten minutes, the place was packed, unsurprisingly. Your parents sat together on one side of the table while you sat on the other, and you tried not to snicker as Jack slipped in and sat himself down closer to the window, while you were in the middle of the booth. It nearly stunned you to see how effortlessly he phased his legs through the table, as if he were completely intangible, but you knew better.

Once your waitress came and asked what drinks you wanted, she turned on her heel to fetch them while you were left to talk amongst yourselves. The constant chatter of the other customers that surrounded you made you feel a little uneasy, but since you had good company you were able to ignore it better.