A few weeks after being freed by Jack and Echo, (Y/n) found herself enjoying her time at the church. Today, she found herself awake earlier than usual and decided to admire the rising sun from the terrace. As she waited for the sun to peak above the horizon, her (e/c) eyes drifted to the ruined city. The red mist surrounding the city and other areas of the region glows brightly against the slowly lightening sky.

Out of all that illuminated, the thorns of judgement shone brightest. While bright, their radiance gave off an eerie and unsettling aura that lingered throughout the city.

"You're up early," a voice said, tearing (Y/n)'s attention away from the city.

Peering over her shoulder, she spotted Jack making his way over to her. "I couldn't go back to sleep and decided to watch the sunrise."

Jack stood beside her, crossing his arms. "The nightmare again?"

She sighed melancholically. "Yeah. It's the same nightmare, but this time it felt so real."

He reached out his hand, placing it on her shoulder and squeezing gently. "There's nothing to worry about, (Y/n)."

"I know the chances of those revenants coming for me is slim to none, but..." She looked away and toward the cityscape. "This nightmare makes those odds feel higher. All dreams have a significance, right?"

"I wouldn't say all dreams have significance," Jack remarks. "Besides, lingering on this nightmare won't make it go away."

With closed eyes, she let another sigh escape. "You're right. Maybe I should go to the hot spring and see if I can clear my head."

"In the meantime, I'll talk to Eva and see if she can help with the nightmare. I suggest you get some more rest after you're finished in the hot spring."

(Y/n) smiled at him before kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks, Jack." She sauntered away toward the hot spring, her back facing the rising sun.

Jack watched her retreating form before searching for Eva. He found her in one of the bedrooms and talked to her about (Y/n)'s nightmare. He asked if she could sing to help his beloved find peace while she slept since he knew her melodic voice soothed her after he saved her a few weeks ago. The female revenant happily agreed to help her new friend and decided to wait for the (h/c)-haired girl in her room.

After Jack left Eva's room, he wandered to the bar where he admired an antique coin (Y/n) gave him a few days ago. She, against his wishes, accompanied Echo and Mia to a nearby bloodspring to resupply the base with blood beads. On their trek through the skeletal remains of the city, she managed to find the coin. He was flabbergasted at the sudden gift, but what made him happier than the coin was how she remembered his love for remnants of the old world. Due to his memories before becoming a revenant were practically nonexistent, he wondered if he loved ancient artifacts just as much as he did now. Or maybe he only learned to love such items because they were the only reminders left of what the world used to be before the Great Collapse.

Having lost track of time, Jack didn't realize how long he'd been sitting at the bar before he was joined by (Y/n). He flattened the coin against the counter with his palm before glancing at her. The first thing he noticed was her cheeks were red. "You spent too much time in the hot spring, didn't you?"

(Y/n) smiled bashfully, combing her fingers through her wet tresses. "I may have accidentally fell asleep..."

"(Y/n)..." Jack sighed in disbelief.

"B-But there's no need to worry! Echo woke me up."

"Did the nightmare come back?"

She shook her head. "No. I only fell asleep for a few minutes, but it was actually a peaceful slumber."

Jack grabbed the antique coin and placed it back in his pocket. "It's a step in the right direction."

A grin manifested on the girl's face. She scooted her stool closer to his and leaned into his side. "Maybe you should sleep with me. With you sleeping beside me, the nightmares will definitely go away."

He chuckled in amusement, moving his hand toward her head and patting it gently. "If you're trying to find an excuse to get me to sleep with you, there's no need to."

A childish pout formed, replacing (Y/n)'s grin. "Then how come you haven't slept with me once since rescuing me, huh? Has all this time apart from one another made you nervous to sleep with me?"

"I'd be lying if I said no," Jack answered.

Suddenly, the doors to the church flew open. Louis and Yakumo rushed inside, slamming the doors behind them before stopping a few feet from the bar to catch their breath. Jack and (Y/n) turned around in their seats to glance at them.

"What happened?" The (h/c)-haired girl inquired.

"Trouble," Yakumo answered between pants.

Once Louis caught his breath, he clarified the situation. "A large group of revenants is making their way here. We tried to stop them, but there's too many."

(Y/n)'s eyes widen in horror. "Was this group wearing jackets with a snake and skull emblem?"

"Yeah," Yakumo answered. "You know 'em?"

She looked away, staring at the floor. "They're the ones who captured me."

Jack stood up, glaring at the entrance of the church. "What the hell are they planning?"

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to uncover their motives," Louis replied. "All we know is they're heading this way."

(Y/n)'s heart raced a mile a minute as the fear she felt when she was captured return. She began hyperventilating the moment her memories of their torture resurfaced in her mind. She tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths, but it wasn't working.

Seeing the panic-stricken expression and hearing her hyperventilating, Jack immediately went to her and calmed her down. He comforted her before helping her breathe. "Trust me, (Y/n)," he said. "Just do as I say and nothing will happen to you, all right?"

She nodded, her voice shaking as she spoke. "O-Okay..."

Jack commanded her to head to the basement to hide. He told her not to come out until he came for her. Doing as he ordered without complaining, she rushed to the basement and hid among the supplies.

In the darkness of the basement, (Y/n) hid behind a large wooden crate and eagerly awaited for Jack to tell her it was safe. As she continued to take even, deep breaths to keep herself calm, she heard yelling from upstairs. She couldn't make out what they were yelling about, but it soon turned into the sounds of battle. She covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the noises, but to no avail.

(Y/n) hugged her knees close to her body as the battle upstairs continued to wage on. The minutes ticked by as she waited for the fighting to cease, but the cacophony of noises only crescendoed. The sound of a bloodcurdling scream alarmed her, causing her body to tense up in fear.

All of a sudden, (Y/n) was startled by the sound of footsteps walking down the stairwell. She wondered who it was and peered around the side of the box to get a glance at the person. Seeing who it was, she immediately ducked back behind the box.

"I know you're down here," the blonde revenant taunted. "I can smell ya from a mile away. Never thought we'd find you, did ya? Out of all the humans we had, you were the tastiest. Now be a good girl and come out."

(Y/n) fought against her fear and glanced around the basement. She located a dagger not too far from where she was hiding and knew she would have to react fast in order to grab it. She grabbed a nearby bottle of wine and stood up from her hiding spot, revealing herself to the enemy. Before he could react, she tossed the wine and watched it hit the man in the face. He cried out in pain as the glass shattered and pierced his skin while the wine drenched his being.

The (h/c)-haired girl dashed for the dagger and grabbed it just in time. The revenant lunged forward with his bayonet rifle and aimed the sharp blade toward her shoulder in an attempt to deliver a non-fatal injury. What he didn't expect was to be met halfway and feel an excruciating pain in his chest. His grip on his bayonet rifle slipped, his body slowly turning into a cloud of ash.

(Y/n) dropped the bloodied dagger next to the bayonet rifle and promptly placed a hand over her bleeding shoulder. She managed to prevent him from jamming the blade deep into her flesh, but she wasn't able to stop his attack entirely. Though there wasn't much blood, there was just enough to cause a revenant to frenzy. Being the only human in the church, she knew she had to deal with the wound quick. However, she stopped and backed away from the stairwell when she heard someone running. She kept her hand pressed against her injured shoulder and searched for the dagger, but she didn't need it when realizing who entered the basement.

Jack rushed to the basement after smelling (Y/n)'s blood. He knew one revenant had slipped past them, but he was unable to stop him due to being jumped by another. When smelling the scent of human blood, he feared the worst and broke away from battle to rush to the basement.

Dashing down the stairs, Jack came to a sudden halt as his eyes flashed crimson. He shook his head, allowing the bloodlust to subside before entering the basement. By a stack of boxes, he found (Y/n). He kept his distance when seeing her bleeding shoulder. Keeping calm, he asked, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, pressing her hand tighter against the wound. "I'm fine. Just a shallow wound. There's nothing to worry about, Jack."

He promptly clasped a hand over his mouth and nose in a desperate attempt to stave off the tantalizing scent of the crimson liquid. "There should be a first-aid kit somewhere down here. Patch yourself up before heading upstairs." With those final words, he made a quick retreat.

(Y/n) stared at his back, watching him leave the basement before searching for the first-aid kit. Once she did, she patched up her wound and made her way up the stairwell. She searched for Jack and found him in his room. Without knocking, she opened the door and peeped inside. Jack was sitting at the foot of the bed with a blood bead in his hand. Staring into his one visable eye, she saw the hesitation and was perplexed as to why he was experiencing such an emotion. Gingerly, she opened the door all the way and entered the room. "Jack?" She called his name softly.

The revenant didn't budge. He failed to hear her as his attention was solely focused on the blood bead. He gripped it tightly, the glass-like outer shell cracking slightly under the pressure. Small droplets of blood seeped through the cracks before falling to the floor, tainting the oak floorboards. His attention was torn away from the blood bead when a finger was placed under his chin and tilted his face upward. Within seconds, his gaze locked with a familiar (e/c) one.

"Jack," (Y/n) reiterated his name. "If you need to, I-"

"No," Jack interrupted her, knowing exactly what she was proposing before the words could tumble out of her mouth. He glanced at the hole in her shirt. The fabric around the exposed skin was bloody. Although not an overwhelming amount of blood, it was enough to make his eyes flash red again. He got to his feet and moved to stand in the corner of the room. "Dammit..." He cursed, covering his face with his hand.

"Let me do this for you, Jack," (Y/n) pleaded. "It's the least I can do."

"I refuse to drink from you, (Y/n)," Jack declared. "Your scars from your imprisonment haven't healed. There's no way in hell I'm going to give you another scar because of my selfishness."

"It's not selfishness. I'm offering myself to you," she retorts. "Unlike those other revenants, I know you'll be able to control yourself. I trust you, Jack."

Suddenly, Jack dropped the blood bead and his movements were quick. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed (Y/n) and tossed her on the bed before pinning her underneath him. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent as his breath grazed against her sensitive skin. An audible gasp came from the girl at the sudden sensation. Hearing this, Jack moved his face slightly upward and whispered in her ear. "You shouldn't let anyone drink your blood, (Y/n). Not even me. You may think I can control myself, but when it comes to human blood, it's practically impossible for a revenant to stop. I could drain you for every drop of blood your body could possibly offer me. Do you really want to take that risk?"

"I am willing if it'll stave off your thirst longer than a single blood bead. With my blood, you wouldn't have to worry about drinking for a while. And if you can't control yourself, I can scream for Eva and I'm positive she'll knock you flat on your ass. But I doubt it'll have to come to that."

Jack smirked in amusement, chuckling. "You have too much faith in me, (Y/n)."

"I've known you for a long time, Jack, and I know I can trust you." She placed a hand on the back of his head, entangling her fingers in his hair. "So please, let me do this for you."

"You truly are stubborn," Jack sighed. "If you truly want me to partake from you, I won't refuse. But if I do lose control, do whatever you have to in order to get away from me."

"All right," she replied.

(Y/n) patiently waited for Jack to sink his fangs into her neck. When he did, she winced at the sudden surge of pain. As he began drinking her blood, she stroked his hair in a gentle manner to convey to him how she was faring.

Minutes ticked by and (Y/n) soon felt a tinge of lightheadedness. Her hand untangled from Jack's hair and wandered to the back of his shirt. Crinkling the fabric in her hand, she tugged on it a few times.

Receiving the subtle message, Jack unlatched his fangs from her neck. He licked the blood from his lips with his tongue before lapping up the few drops that drizzled down the side of her neck. Lifting his head, he gazed down into the girl's (e/c) eyes.

(Y/n) unlatched her hand from the back of his shirt with a smile. "See? You were able to control yourself."

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to control myself for much longer if this continues," Jack explained.

"Did it help?"

"Yes, but don't make this a habit," he scolded.

"Okay..." (Y/n) sighed.

"Good." Jack kissed her on the forehead before getting to his feet. "Now get some rest. I took more blood than I should've."

"It wasn't that much."

"It was just enough to make you lightheaded."

She blinked in bewilderment. "How did you...?"

"You're having difficulty focusing."

The (h/c)-haired girl covered her eyes with her arm. "Of course you can tell..." She removed her arm and sat up, grinning. "I'll get some sleep only if you give me a proper kiss."

A faint smirk tugged at the corners of Jack's mouth. "All right. Deal." He leaned down and gave her a sweet but brief kiss on the lips. Pulling away, he patted the top of her head. "If you're not asleep by the time I get back, I'm going to have to drag Eva in here."

"No need." A yawn escaped the girl as she laid back down. "I don't think I'll have any issue falling asleep." She closed her and within a few seconds, she fell into a deep slumber.

Jack was amazed at how quick (Y/n) fell asleep, but he was glad to gaze upon her peacefully slumbering face. A rare smile found its way onto his face. "Sleep well, (Y/n)."