Chains Eyelessjack X Reader

Chapter 46

{Reader's POV}

        I finished off my sandwich in silence, sighing as I washed it down with a glass of [drink]. Today, Jack was just acting... off. Usually when I ate he'd try to sneak up behind me and sniff my hair, but today he just sat across from me and kept spacing out. I even "meowed" at him three times without any reaction. Meowing ALWAYS got his attention, regardless of what he was doing; I'd managed to chase him out of the cabin once or twice so he could finish a book. Given that not even that worked, this just felt REALLY serious.

        What was on his mind? He seemed so bothered. Did he—

        THUMP!

        My thoughts were cut off as I heard a loud 'thump', making me give a start and my head snap towards the front door. Jack. Before I knew it I was on my feet, racing for the door. A million concerns ran through my mind as I flung it open, my heart pounding. Sure enough, there was Jack on the ground, his body limp.

        "Jack!?" I rushed over to his side, rolling him onto his back. His body remained limp, his head rolling to the side. Without thinking I quickly reached for his mask, wanting to check his face. However, before I could touch it his hand shot out, catching my wrist. I yelped in surprise and jerked it away from his grip, while he just slowly sat up, grunting softly as he clutched his head.

        "Don't touch my mask," he muttered. I blinked and stared at him in disbelief.

        "...You pass out randomly on the porch, fall to the floor, and you're concerned about me touching your mask?" He didn't respond right away, instead giving another soft grunt.

        "...I don't like you touching it..." Groaning in frustration, I just shook my head as I grabbed his arm, carefully pulling him to his feet.

        "Come on, we're going inside." Jack didn't offer any protests as I dragged him back into the cabin, just following. Leading him to the couch, he sat down and slumped against the back, still holding his head. "How are you feeling?"

        "...Still got a headache," he mumbled, giving a tiny shrug. Not exactly an emotion, but it still answered my question. Frowning, I walked around to dim the lights in the cabin, remembering how Buddy once said that doing that could help headaches. I was also tempted to grab an aspirin for it, but given how he just passed out I couldn't be sure that was a good idea.

        "What happened, anyway?" I asked as I rejoined him.

        "I'm not sure... I just closed my eyes and then next thing I knew I was on the floor." He gave a small, feeble shrug. This did not help my current anxieties. Frowning, I tried to think of everything I knew about medicine and health, trying to think of a cause. Unfortunately, though, Jack was the doctor, not me. Ultimately I just headed to the bathroom and returned with a thermometer.

        "Try checking your temperature," I suggested, and he nodded as he took it. Then he caught me by surprise as he started to get up. Alarmed, I rushed forward and quickly grabbed his shoulders, push him back down.