Jacob Seed x Reader

Fifty

It was dark. As dark as sin itself.

His body felt numb, it was neither cold nor warm, neither painful nor pleasant. Everything just felt empty. Empty and meaningless.

He thought he was not breathing, but his body was not suffocating. Slowly his eyes opened, sluggish and heavy, only to be greeted by nothing but darkness. A shaky breath left his lips.

Cautiously, his fingers tried to move, but they were stiff, as if carved out of stone.

"Where... am I...?", his own voice sounded like that of a stranger.

The words echoed out into infinity, sometimes louder, sometimes softer, until they were swallowed up by nothing.

For a long moment he listened, hoping for an answer, something that could give him comfort. But there was nothing, nothing and no one.

He was alone. As so often, he was alone, with only himself, a prisoner of his own mind and his own loneliness.

Just the thought made something inside him break. His heart ached and suddenly there was pain that washed over him. It was as if a thousand parasites were crawling into every single corner of his body, nesting in his flesh and corrupting the inside.

A feeling spread through his innermost being, unpleasant and oppressive.

Despair.

"Pup?", his voice was barely more than a whisper. "Do you... keep your promise...?"

Something warm gathered in the corners of his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

Were those... tears?

No, it couldn't be. It had been so long since he had cried. So much time had passed since the last time that he couldn't even remember the feeling. But it was so obvious, so impossible to deny. All he could feel was this feeling, this warmth of tears.

And for some reason, it was that feeling that calmed the beating of his heart.

Suddenly, a light awoke in the distance. It was barely bigger than the flame of a candle, so far away that at first he thought it was imagination.

Perhaps his own mind was just trying to deceive him.

"(Y/N)...", he whispered, his eyes fixed on that light, hoping it would take him somewhere, anywhere. "Where... are you... when I want to be saved...?"

Suddenly the light twitched. It floated closer, so close that he could have touched it if his body hadn't been petrified.
His lips moved, wanting to scream your name again. But all at once all the words stuck in his throat.

"N-no-t... n-n-not y-yet...", he forced his voice out of his throat while tears ran down his cheeks. "J-just... one more... time... save me... (Y/N)..."

The light began to grow, so big and bright that he had to squint his eyes.

Heat bit his face. His whole body began to tremble.

All at once everything returned, the heat, the pain, sounds and the cold. His head became heavy, so infinitely heavy and the feeling like he was melting bit into his chest.

For a moment it felt like he was dying. Maybe it would have been better if he had died.

But he lived.

As the light faded, a blurry world awoke before his eyes. Colors bent, everything seemed to be submerged under water.

A shaky breath escaped his lips as he looked around.

The world was moving. And he moved with it.

With an exhausted gasp, he tried to lift his head, but pain bound him.

He growled in frustration, clutched his chest, and suddenly stopped.

There was a bandage. Wrapped tightly around his body, it kept the pain pooled and the blood in his body.

But the surface was still damp. When he lifted his fingers, they were covered with a thin layer of red.

Suddenly, the feeling that everything was moving stopped abruptly. Something in the corner of his eye moved.

Sluggishly, he turned his head to the side.

"Who... is there...?", he asked.

With a worried look, you turned around in the driver's seat to get a better look at him. Tears sparkled in your eyes, but you held back.

"Don't speak.", you whispered, stroking his cheek. "You lost a lot of blood. The nearest hospital isn't far anymore, until then you have to lie still."

You tried to smile, but it seemed rather desperate.

He blinked, still his vision was not quite sharp.

"Pup?", he asked.

You nodded and grabbed his hand.

"I'm here, Jacob.", you pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. "You are not alone."

He swallowed hard.

"Where are... we?"

"I don't know exactly. But we're across the border. Far away from Hope County."

A soft sigh left his lips.

"We... escaped?"

"Yes. We're safe now."

"Pup... I... agreed to fight for your freedom...", he had to pause to keep from fainting. "Mine was never part of... the deal..."

You frowned, thinking he was talking in a delusional state of mind.

"Jacob, what are you talking about?", you asked and pushed a folded jacked under his head for support. "Do you remember everything? What's your full name?"

"Jacob Seed.", he coughed. "I'm fine, really."

"The names of your siblings."

He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Joseph is the middle one, John the youngest and Faith is adopted. Pup, I'm fine. Seriously."

Pressing your lips together, you nodded.

"Fine. But what were you talking about?"

For a moment, he hesitated. His eyes wandered through the window, as if he was checking for something and retuned to you.

You understood.

"Don't worry. Nobody knows we are gone.", you ensured him.

He nodded, not entirely convinced.

"I bargained with Joseph.", he said after a while. "I agreed to take care of the deputies if he will let you go in return."

You frowned, equally surprised and confused.

"But why would you do that? Did you want me gone?"

He shook his head, almost smiling.

"I said I wanted you to be happy, pup. And I knew you wouldn't be happy if I kept you hostage. I wanted you to be free again and return home."

A mild smile appeared on your lips. But you felt guilty knowing that this happened because of you.

"I think things have changed.", you leaned forward and kissed him.

He kissed you back, closing his eyes in pleasure.

"How so?"

"I'm not sure. But... I don't see a house as my home anymore. Or a certain place. Instead... I feel that you are my home now. Someone I want to be with."

A soft laugh escaped him.

"That sounds a bit cheesy.", he smiled. "(Y/N)..."