Hey, everyone! New Jack x Lacie story! Hope you like it! Enjoy!
Warnings: Slight OOC ness
Disclaimer: I do not own Pandora Hearts.
Jack looked down at the note in his hand. He received it two days ago, and it was from Lacie. He read the words Lacie had written in her neat, cursive handwriting over and over again. The note simply read, 'Meet me in town at the café on Thursday.' He smiled his goofy smile. Lacie hardly ever got to go into town, and now, one of the few times she did, she wanted him to come along.
He folded up the note, put it in his pocket, and walked up to the café. It was The Rabbit Hole Café, a little family-owned café with sweet desserts, bitter coffee, and strong tea. He walked in and immediately spotted Lacie.
She was sitting at a small two person table in the corner. She was dressed in her usual purple dress, the one that hung on her shoulders and had gray ruffles around it. A purple lace bow was tied around her neck. Her deep red eyes were focused on reading a menu, and he could tell she was very focused.
Jack walked over to her and pulled out a chair. "Hello, Lacie!" He excitedly greeted her.
Lacie looked up from the menu and flashed him a smile. She then went back to trying to decide what she wanted. There were so many choices on the menu, and she was growing frustrated with not being able to pick something. She growled and put the menu down. "What's good here?" She asked. "There is so much on the menu. I just can't decide." She stared at him waiting for an answer.
"Well, I really like the orange tart, but the carrot cake is also delicious and the coffee is always brewed fresh." Jack replied.
Lacie's face wrinkled in disgust at the mention of coffee. "No coffee. I'll have a cup of tea."
Jack smiled at how cute Lacie was. He then asked her, "So what are we doing today?"
"I'm not sure." Lacie stated. "We'll just see what happens." She hadn't planned anything for today. She just wanted to go where the wind took her.
About that time, a waitress walked over to them. She was young, about twenty-two, with red hair and brown eyes. She was dressed in a white button-up shirt, a long brown skirt, and dark brown beret. She smiled as she walked over to them and asked, "What can I get you two?"
"I would like a piece of carrot cake and a cup of Earl Grey tea." Lacie said as she handed the lady back the menu.
The waitress then turned to Jack. "And for you, sir?"
"Just a cup of coffee, please." He replied with a smile. The woman nodded and went off to get their order.
"Why are you always so boring?" Lacie teased. Jack just laughed. It was his infectious laugh, and Lacie couldn't help but smile.
The waitress then walked over and handed Lacie her tea and cake. Lacie took a sip of her tea and smiled. The waitress then handed Jack his coffee. "You two make such a cute couple." The waitress noted.
When she heard the word 'couple', Lacie quickly put down her tea cup and replied, "We are not a couple." She then looked at Jack, waiting for him to confirm it.
Jack nervously laughed. "Yeah, we're…um…we're not a couple. We're just friends." He said.
The waitress's face turned red. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to misinterpret things." She said.
Jack softly smiled at her. "It's fine." The waitress smiled too and walked away.
Lacie glared at the waitress, but then she turned her attention to her cake. She took a bite, and it was delicious.
When Jack turned back to face Lacie, she was digging into her carrot cake. He watched her eat as he took sips of his coffee. When Lacie finished her cake, Jack noticed that she had icing on her nose. He laughed.
"What?" Lacie asked confused. Jack reached over and tapped her nose to get the icing off. "You had icing on your nose." He said.
Lacie blushed as he licked the icing off his finger. He was so strange and stupid. Why couldn't he have just told her? She could have wiped icing of her own nose.
"Look at that couple over there. Why can't we be like that?" A woman whispered to a man sitting across from her.
Jack and Lacie heard them though. Lacie's blush deepened, and she got up and grabbed Jack's arm. "Let's go." She said as she dragged him out the door.
After they got outside the café, Lacie let Jack go. She started walking ahead of him. He ran up to her and walked beside her. "Where are we going?" He asked.
"Let's go to the marketplace." Lacie said as she turned down an alley. She wanted to go somewhere crowded, somewhere where people wouldn't see her and Jack as a couple.
Jack loyally followed her. They turned down another street and arrived at the marketplace. It was full of people hustling about. Stands were set up with items ranging from food to jewelry to other miscellaneous items. Lacie walked around looking at everything with childlike amusement. She ran around from stand to stand looking at all there was.
When she got to the end of the street, she stopped at a stand with jewelry on it. Jack stood beside her as she look around. A middle-aged lady walked up from behind the stand. Her face beamed with a smile.
"Hello there." She greeted them. They greeted her back. Lacie picked up a ring and looked at it. It was in the shape of a rabbit and it had two rubies for eyes.
"That's a beautiful one." The woman said. She then pulled out a collection of diamond rings. "However, I think you should be looking at these. Maybe he will consider settling down." The woman then motioned to Jack.
Lacie froze. What was with everyone today? She was tired of this. "We're not a couple." Lacie replied. "We'll never be a couple."
"Oh, my apologies." The woman said as she put the diamond rings back.
Jack didn't say anything. He felt hurt by how quick Lacie was to say that. Did she really find it that repulsive?
Another couple walked up to the stand. "Are you two shopping for wedding rings too?" They asked.
Lacie clenched her fists and stated, "I would never marry this clown." She then turned and walked off.
"Lacie, wait!" Jack yelled as he ran off to catch up with her. She just walked faster.
"Lacie." He said as she stopped. She turned around to face him. "I'm sorry about all that. I'm sorry that people assume we're together. I mean I don't understand how they could. Someone like me could never be with you." He replied.
He felt pain in his cheek. Lacie had slapped his face. "What was that for?" He asked.
"I'm not upset because they thought we were a couple." Lacie replied. She was upset because it reminded her that they never would be one. She was going to die in a few days. In fact, that's why she invited him out today. She wanted to spend a little more time with him before she died.
"Then why are you upset?" He asked.
She didn't want to tell him the truth. She didn't want to admit that after all this time of being unbreakable that Jack had got through to her. He made her question her death and even her feelings. She couldn't admit that. "It's nothing. It's nothing." She replied as she looked away from him.
He knew she was lying, but he didn't pry. Lacie had her reasons for keeping secrets, so he just let it go.
"Okay. Well, maybe this will make you feel better." Jack said as he pulled out the rabbit ring.
Lacie looked at it, shocked. He smiled. "I stole it for you." Jack declared happily. "Don't think that I forgot all my skills." He joked.
Lacie smiled and held out her hand. Jack grabbed it and slid the ring on. She looked at it sparkling on her finger and felt like crying. Jack loved her so much, yet she was just going to hurt him.
"Thank you, Jack." She said as she hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. "We may not be a couple, but I like spending time with you." She said as she pulled away.
He smiled. It was that goofy smile she loved. "I like spending time with you too, Lacie." He said. "I hope that we have a lot more time to spend together."
Thanks for reading!