Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Pomni is so funny.

Especially when she’s freaking out, like right now.

“You [BEEP]hole!” Pomni cries at him as she runs as fast as her little legs will carry her across the savanna. Both she and Jax are fleeing from a giant [BEEP]ed off wildebeest. “I told you to stop aggravating it!”

They’re on a bug catching adventure in full explorer gear. Why on the savanna Jax isn’t certain. He would have gone with, like, a jungle theme? But it had been a request from Kinger and Caine couldn’t be [BEEP]ed to do anything but reuse the asset with a tinge of bitterness.

Pomni looks cute in her little beige outfit with the shorts and the knee high socks like a dork.

Jax jogs along, easily keeping up with her pace. “What was I supposed to do? Not holler at it and throw stuff?”

He scoffs. “As if.”

“Well that’s great for you,” Pomni pants, gasping in breaths and clutching at a stitch in her side. “But now I’m gonna get trampled—“

“We’re both gonna get trampled,” Jax corrects her, folding his arms behind his head as they flee just to show off how it’s so easy for him. ”Don’t be selfish, Pomni.”

“Aaargh!” Pomni cries, doubling her efforts and pulling past Jax a little. He easily surpasses her again with his long legs.

“See?” Jax says in a falsely placating tone. “You should team up with me more. Isn’t this fun?”

“It’s not fun!”

They skid around a leafy green tree that is definitely not indigenous to the region and the wildebeest keeps running. Pomni collapses to the ground, clutching at her little bug catching net and Jax wishes he could catch her in the net.

“This is why you suck, Pomni,” Jax says, sitting down next to her. “You’re so slow.”

“You— suck!” is Pomni’s panted response. She doesn’t seem genuinely mad at him and that’s something he likes about Pomni. He can get away with so much.

Though, at times, she gives him some solid pushback.

“Oh my god, where even are we!” Pomni cries.

“The savanna,” Jax says helpfully, adjusting the brim of his hat. “Why didn’t Caine give you a hat? Isn’t it too bright to see anything?”

“Yes, it’s too bright to see anything!”

“Maybe Caine didn’t want to put a hat on your hat,” Jax ponders, tapping his chin. “Oh, but that doesn’t make sense, you had one for baseball. Maybe he just hates you.”

Pomni's head drops back against the tree and for a second Jax thinks she passed out. He nudges her with his foot.

“Pomni?”

Pomni says nothing.

“Pomni, did you hear me? I said Caine hates you.”

Again, nothing.

“Pomni, I demand you respond to that.”

“It’s so hot,” Pomni wheezes. “He didn’t have to make it so realistically hot.”

“That’s also because he hates you,” Jax says gleefully.

Go on, get riled up, he wills. Jax wants to see it.

He reaches down to press on her head, hissing with false sympathy. “Tough luck.”

Pomni slaps exhaustedly at his hand. He doesn’t pull it back and she makes a sound of aggravation, starting to tug at her hat.

“Why can’t I take this stupid thing off,” she laments, but Jax is still fixating on the fact that she gave up trying to get his hand off of her. He presses it down as if attempting to keep the hat on. “It’s so hot!”

Pomni gives up and starts tugging on her little button up shirt to try and get some airflow. Jax’s eyes dart down to the tiny bit of her chest that’s visible.

just like at the bar

Nice.

Jax peeks a moment longer then takes off his hat and starts to wave it in obnoxious, exaggerated motions to fan her. “You gotta live, Pomni. Who else will capture all these bugs?”

They haven’t found even one.

Pomni holds up her empty collection jar and gives Jax an even look. She opens her mouth to say something.

Then she just sighs and clearly changes her mind because she leans forward, pulling back her collar to let him fan the back of her neck.

Jax stares at the exposed skin.

“I don’t know how we’re gonna find the others again,” Pomni grumbles.

“Oh darn,” Jax says. “Guess you’re stuck with lil ol’ me.”

“Maybe if we just go back the way we came?”

Pomni is still thinking about getting back to the others after Jax’s dismissal? Unforgivable.

“What do you wanna hang around them for, anyway? They’ll just complain the whole time,” Jax says with a dismissive roll of his eyes that Pomni can’t see. Which is a shame because he wants her to know he rolled his eyes.

“Besides, the buzzards are probably already picking them clean. You have to move on, Pomni.” Jax leans over and blows hard against the back of her neck.

Pomni lets out a sigh of relief and slumps a bit. Jax likes that that happened because of him.

“We’re gonna get eaten by mountain lions,” Pomni complains.

“Those only live in, like, Florida,” Jax says with another roll of his eyes. He’s feeling suddenly moody, his attitude changing with the breeze. ”GOD, Pomni, don’t you know your animals? Didn’t you go to kindergarten?”

“I didn’t want to go on this adventure!” Pomni complains. “I hate bugs!”

“Well, they clearly hate you too because they’re avoiding you too.“

Jax blows on her neck again and he thinks she shivers.

He hopes she did, that would be hot.

“I dunno what you’re so bothered about anyway,” Jax continues when she gives him silence. “It’s not like there have even been any around.”

The second he says that there’s a whirring sound and they both look over to see a giant locust has made its way to the shade of the tree.

“Ooh, lookie there, Pomni. Your first bug.”

Pomni’s expression wrinkles with disgust. “I dunno, that one’s pretty big. I don’t think it’ll fit in my jar.”

“You’re thinking too ethically,” Jax scolds. “Cram it in there!”

“Yeah, I’m not doing that. And it’s gross.”

“It’s a bug, they’re all gross,” Jax says.

“Not all bugs are.” Pomni gives him a frown. “Moths are fine. Butterflies are fine. Fireflies are fine.”

“Inconsistent,” Jax scolds. “Check this out.”

He grabs his net and gets into a crouch, creeping forwards until he’s in range of the bug and—

“Ha!” Jax brings his net down on the locust, swiping it up. “Got ‘em.”

He immediately swings the net around so it’s close to Pomni’s head. Pomni screams.

“Woooooah, it’s a wily one! I can’t wrangle him! Pomni, help!”

“No!” Pomni scrambles to get away. “Don’t you dare!”

“What, are you afraid of bugs?” Jax swings the net around again, precariously.

“No, I just don’t want it on me!” Pomni cries, trying to get up onto her feet. She trips over the tree root and falls back with a loud, “Oof!”

Some part of Jax wells up with glee, urging him to swing the net down onto Pomni with the locust inside. It’s difficult but he restrains himself, not wanting to push it too hard. This isn’t Gangle, this is Pomni.

Instead he dangles it over her menacingly. “Ooooh, I don’t know if I can contain it anymore. It might get out, Pomni!”

“You know what?” Pomni says, pushing herself up onto her feet and jabbing a finger at him. “I’m done. Goodbye.”

Pomni turns and starts off. Jax laughs, chasing after with the bug net slung over his shoulder.

“Aww, don’t do that,” he protests. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You don’t get to decide what’s a big deal for other people!” Pomni is still looking around, utterly lost. “What direction did we come from.”

“I’ll never teeeeell.”

“Jax,” Pomni sighs. “Why are you tormenting me?”

And that’s the million dollar question.

“What, you think I’m not gonna torment you just because we’re pals?” Jax asks.

The thing is, they’ve never established that they’re friends, despite it being carefully orchestrated by Jax. The way he thinks of it, he stole Pomni the [BEEP] away from Ragatha’s weak clutches and he’s proud of it.

They’re pals, right?

Pomni is looking at him with raised brows. Jax’s grin is just about to turn into a scowl when Pomni sighs and says,

“Well, I should have known that.”

pals

Jax’s grin stretches wider across his face with satisfaction. “[BEEP] right you should have known.”

But Jax knows his teasing of Pomni has become more aggressive recently.

Pomni gives him an unamused look, but then it morphs into alarm. She points at Jax, stuttering in a panicked voice.

“Jax— you— the—“

Just then he feels a tickle on his shoulder, then an unpleasant prickle. He looks over and sees that the locust is right next to his face, antennae whipping in the wind.

“Hello,” it says.

Jax yelps in alarm, snatching up the locust and hurling it as far away from himself as possible as cold adrenaline washes through him. He can feel the startled expression his face has distorted into and it quickly snaps to one of annoyance.

[BEEP] it! Pomni is going to think he looks lame!

His eyes move towards her like daggers.

Pomni is gaping in the direction Jax threw the locust. She looks up at him, clearly about to say something, then looks taken off guard. She laughs, which burns him up.

“What? Why are you mad at me?” she asks.

“Because you’re a monster,” Jax accuses baselessly. “Whatever, this is a stupid adventure.”

It’s stupid and Pomni is stupid and he’s stupid. God.

Pomni gives him a little frown and it emotionally activates Jax in a way he’s sure a therapist would have a field day with.

“What?” he snaps.

“Did it really freak you out that bad?” Pomni asks with a hint of genuine concern in her voice and ohhhh that burns him up.

“No I am not freaked out over some stupid bug! Those were just my killer instincts in effect!” Jax snaps, crossing his arms and looking away.

Ooooh who does she think she is, being all worried about something lame like that? He’ll throw her down a ravine.

“Why don’t you go find the others if you’re so desperate for their company,” Jax sulks, on the verge of crashing out.

“I have no idea where we are,” Pomni says.

“Oh but you would—“

“Are you okay?” Pomni interrupts.

It’s like a match to gasoline. Literally the worst thing she could have asked.

“I have never been more okay in my whole life!” Jax cries like a completely sane and normal person. The words echo across the expansive plains.

He huffs out sharply and says at a more reasonable volume, “Just fine and dandy.”

Jax’s chest is buzzing with his misplaced aggression. He’s so worked up over nothing.

This is Pomni’s fault. Not his.

“O—kay,” Pomni says in a stilted voice.

she doesn’t believe me

At least she’s leaving it alone. But her eyes still look concerned and that makes Jax feel crazy.

don’t care about me

He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms and looking around in a slump. He points in a random direction.

“We came from there.”

“Are you sure?” Pomni asks doubtfully.

“Of course I’m sure. [BEEP] it.”

Jax has no clue.

“I have an idea,” Pomni says, clearly not believing him. “Can you give me a boost?”

She walks up to the tree and starts trying to climb it, reaching for a limb that’s just a little out of her reach.

Jax would usually be inclined to watch her fail then ditch her at some point when the amusement had worn off but even in the depths of his mood he knows he can’t do that if he wants to keep Pomni around.

So he wanders over, gripping Pomni by the waist and tossing her up towards the branch above the one she’s reaching for. “Allyoop!”

Pomni screams, latching onto the branch with both arms and legs.

“Not like that!” she cries. But she rights herself fairly quickly and starts shakily climbing up the tree.

Jax watches her make her way up. She seems to grow more and more nervous the higher she goes.

Jax cups his hand to his mouth to call up to her, “You regretting that yet?”

Pomni is frozen on a branch.

“….. yes,” she says in a nervous little voice.

God she’s so [BEEP]ing cute it makes Jax feel nuts. “That’s what you get for disrespecting me!”

He showed her.

Pomni shifts anxiously on her branch.

“Well, can you see anything?” Jax finally prompts her.

“Oh! Uh…” Pomni scoots a little further up and peeks out of the treetop. “…it all just looks like the savanna.”

Jax scoffs and puts his hands on his hips. “That’s what you get for climbing up so high.”

Pomni is silent and that irks Jax.

“What, can’t face your own actions?” He doesn’t like being ignored by her.

Pomni doesn’t speak for a few more seconds that have Jax prickling.

“Jax…?”

“What?” Jax asks, a little snippy, though he can’t help but notice the anxious tone in her voice that makes his ears prick up a little more.

Pomni says something so quietly he can’t hear it.

Jax puts a hand to his ear and asks more loudly, “What was that? Can’t hear you from aaaaall the way down here!”

“I don’t think I can get down!” Pomni hollers down at him in a sudden panic.

Ah

She’s stuck.

Goodie, Jax thinks with a flare of amusement.

Jax rests his fists on his hips, shaking his head and tutting at her. “All that attitude and for what? Now look at you, like a kitten up a tree.”

Pomni sighs and puts her face in her hands, clearly giving up on the situation.

Jax grins as this all swings back around in his favor. “Oh alright! I guess I’ll get you down. What would you do without me? Bet you’re glad I’m here now.”

Pomni is only in this situation because of him.

Jax skitters up the trunk, grabbing a branch and starting to climb up into the tree.

He reaches the branch where Pomni is sitting, wearing a smirk on his smug face. “Well, well, fancy meeting you here.”

Pomni gives a world weary sigh and bows her head. “I didn’t think this out.”

“You really didn’t,” Jax says. “What were you thinking climbing a tree if you’re afraid of heights?”

“Well, you weren’t helping!” Pomni throws her arms up.

“Ah-ah,” Jax scolds. “Don’t deflect. Let’s talk about you, Pomni.”

Pomni scowls. “What about me?”

Jax looks at her, really taking her in so he can cook up something to rag on her about.

He looks at her blunt cut bangs, the way her hair frames her face.

He looks at her brow all furrowed with annoyance and regret.

He looks at her little mouth curved into a pout.

He thinks about kissing her.

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever found in an abandoned building?” Jax asks, body leaning into her like a nudge only he doesn’t move away.

Pomni doesn’t move away, either. It’s something Jax hyper focuses on. She gives him a quizzical look.

“Uh…?” Then he watches her slowly gather her bearings. “In an abandoned building? I guess…”

Pomni grimaces.

“I found a fully assembled car in the basement of an abandoned office building.” She frowns. “That really freaked me out. There was, like, no way to have gotten it down there.”

“What? That’s insane! Was someone just building it down there?” Jax laughs, rocking back precariously on the branch before slumping into her again. “Pretty cool of you to go down into the basement, though. Weren’t you afraid of the killer?”

It is cool, though.

Pomni’s cool.

He’s managed to get cruise control back on. It’s smooth sailing again. He is not going to crash out.

“I mean,” Pomni says awkwardly. “It’d be kind of lame to videotape myself going through an abandoned building then chickening out for one room.”

“I thought you weren’t posting these caring about other people’s opinions,” Jax teases.

“I wasn’t,” Pomni says firmly. “It’s a personal pride thing.”

“Oh, you have pride, do you? You have self-esteem, do you?” Jax laughs. “A rare trait around these parts. I, of course, am teeming with it.”

Pomni laughs.

A little giggle, despite herself. A little genuine smile.

“Well, that’s for sure,” she says like Jax’s self-esteem is a good thing.

She’s so precious it makes Jax feral. “Ever see anything really spooky? Ever feel like the protagonist of an indie horror game?”

“The car was the spookiest thing,” Pomni says. “And, uh, yeah actually.”

“You’re so brave,” Jax says like he’s making fun of her, though he’s impressed. There’s more to Pomni than meets the eye and he wants to explore every cranny.

“Ahhh, I wish we could watch your videos,” Jax laments.

“Hah.” Is Pomni flattered? She better be. “Well, we could always request that Caine cook up an adventure like that. Then we can just relive it.”

She suddenly looks nervous. “Let’s just make sure he knows for sure there’s not any… enemies.”

”Oh, you know he’ll put them in anyway,” Jax warns gleefully.

Pomni shakes her head solemnly. “If it’s not perfectly replicated there’s no point in doing it. It’s a vibe thing.”

She makes it sound so cool, her allure only growing.

“Well, when you say it like that I’m sure we can get the point across to Caine.”

The urge overcomes him to put an arm around Pomni and he slings an arm around her shoulders. “Aw, you want to spend time with me, don’t you? Yeah you do, look at you making up scenarios to make it happen.”

Jax jostles her for fun.

Pomni scoffs, but she doesn’t shove him off so he pushes the limit, waiting to see how long she’ll allow it.

“That’s kind of what friends do,” Pomni says with dry amusement.

She’s stiff in his grip. It makes him feel like she doesn’t usually like touch.

Which makes him feel insane about the fact that she’s allowing it.

“That’s right, we’re becoming such great pals, aren’t we?” It makes Jax’s heart beat faster.

“I’ll talk to Caine about it. I’m sure if I butter him up a little we can get him to put something together. Jeez he’s been sulking a lot lately though, hasn’t he?” Jax asks, not sure if he should be uneasy about it.

“Yyeah…” Pomni seems to grow tenser. “He’s focusing too hard on making a narrative. Wasn’t there, like, a whole backstory to this adventure? Something about the bugs?”

“I don’t remember and it doesn’t matter,” Jax says. He’s far more interested in tormenting Pomni than the adventure today. “Something about us collecting bugs because they’re… mutating?”

“Gross,” Pomni says, slumping. “That’s exactly my point. Why did that element have to be involved?”

“Honestly, I dunno.” Jax admits. “It didn’t used to be like that. I mean there’s always some kind of general story element but he didn’t used to be so insistent on there being high stakes.”

Now that Jax thinks about it…

His eyes roll towards Pomni. “That mostly started after you showed up. Is it your fault? Admit your guilt now, while you still can.”

“What are you… talking about?” Pomni gives him a weird look, uncomprehending. He seems to have lost her.

Now he can do anything.

Jax wonders seriously if he can get Pomni to like him.

There’s the mighty cry of some bellowing beast that seems to blow into them. Jax and Pomni steady themselves, looking around wildly.

Off in the distance there’s what appears to be…

A giant locust. It’s two skyscrapers tall and completely horrifying. It’s charging right towards them.

Pomni screams and grabs onto Jax.

He’s more focused on her than their impending doom.

Jax pulls Pomni into his chest, not actually sure if there’s anything he can do about their situation but liking the way Pomni clings to him. It’s a rare opportunity to feel her in his arms.

She’s really small and fits weirdly. He loves it.

“I don’t wanna die!” Pomni screams.

Jax sighs and looks around vaguely, anywhere but the bug. Not even because he’s that afraid of being trampled. He just really hates how their faces look.

Especially after getting one on him.

He gets retroactively annoyed.

“This suuucks,” he complains.

They’re getting shaken out of the tree because the monster bug is getting so close. They rattle around helplessly for a while then both fall back, Jax crossing his arms as he plummets.

Right into a portal.

Jax and Pomni are spat out onto the Circus floor with a splat.

“Got a little separated, did we?” Caine says, floating authoritatively above them. He looks eager. “Got into the plot, did you? I see you ran into Ginormongus.”

Jax and Pomni stare up blankly.

“What did you think?!” Caine claps his hands together a couple times in excitement. “Wasn’t the rendering top notch?”

“It looked gross and weird,” Jax declares with no humor.

“Hm.” Caine looks put out and annoyed. “What about you, Pomni?”

He looks a little desperate.

Pomni is shaking on the floor, hugging her legs to her chest.

She says nothing.

“God[BEEP],” Caine says. He startles a little. “I mean, darn, maybe next time you’ll have some constructive feedback for me and, perhaps, the spirit of gratitude.”

“I thought it was great!” Kinger chimes in with his stamp of approval. “I caught so many varieties! They’re—“

He looks down at his empty hands.

“Where’s my net?!”

It’s hard to say whether it disappeared when he came back to the Circus, or if he forgot it in the adventure.

“Well I’m glad somebody appreciates my efforts!” Caine says passive-aggressively.

“It was, ah, you did a really good job replicating the temperature. I think.” Ragatha laughs, sounding like she has heatstroke.

“I actually loved that one,” Zooble says. “I stayed at the misting station at the beginning of the adventure and just chilled out.”

“I couldn’t get into the misting station without my ribbons getting all weird and wet,” Gangle complains, whining and [BEEP]ing. ”So I just stood in the tent and talked to Zooble and wished I could get in.”

”But what about the bugs!” Caine cries in distress.

Gangle and Zooble both shake their heads, “No interest.”

Caine’s mouth begins to distort in an exaggerated, alarming grimace.

Then he laughs sharply. Bubble pops up.

“You hear that, Bubble?” he asks. “A lukewarm response from a lukewarm audience. Except for you, Kinger!”

Kinger blinks up at Caine like he’s unsure if he’s supposed to say something.

”Well, thanks.”

“No, thank you,” says Caine. “The star of today’s adventure!”

He decides this arbitrarily.

Dinner pops up in front of all of them. Pomni, who has just started to get up, falls back onto the ground and skitters away a bit.

On the table are an array of cold foods ranging from pixelated pasta salad to blocky watermelon to chilled cucumber soup.

“Where’s the meat?!” Jax demands.

“Don’t even talk about eating heavy things,” Ragatha begs, fanning herself.

Jax would take a dig at her, but he watches Pomni instead as she sits down to eat the dinner he’s boycotting. She picks up a piece of watermelon and nibbles on it, looking like she’s still coming down from the big fright.

Why does a girl who can explore abandoned basements get so scared of a big ol’ bug?

That’s just how she is.

She’s so funny.

—

It’s late and Jax can’t sleep and can’t stand to pretend to sleep any longer. He sits up from his bed, restless and agitated.

He goes for a walk.

This time of night it’s rare to see anyone around and he wanders vaguely, in a daze.

It takes him by surprise when he hears Pomni’s voice in the wild, his head perking up.

Score

Chances are she’s talking to Gangle, who has insomnia and is the most likely other person to be out at night. He follows the sound to the lounge area.

“… you didn’t upset me,” comes Pomni’s voice. “Really, Ragatha. I think you just got in your head…”

Ragatha

Jax freezes.

“If you’re sure, Pomni…” Ragatha’s voice is doubtful.

Are they out here having some sort of deep conversation in nothing but the glow of the television screen? Jax’s eyes flick to the fake news Caine has concocted. Then over to Ragatha and Pomni.

Why don’t they have the lamp on?

It makes Jax’s blood freeze.

His mood curdles and Jax strides forward as he wipes the evidence off his face.

“Heeey, having a slumber party and you didn’t invite me?” Jax cuts in with a grin.

Pomni and Ragatha both look up in surprise. Ragatha is nervously knitting.

“Oh,” Pomni says. “Hey, Jax.”

Ragatha does not greet him. Looks downright displeased to see him.

Good

Jax strides over, leaning down near Pomni. “Gossiping? Anything juicy?”

what are you talking about

“Oh, uh,” Pomni says.

It’s then that Ragatha speaks up.

“It’s none of your business,” she says sharply.

Pomni looks at Ragatha and Jax can’t see her expression.

Jax’s smile slips into a scowl as he straightens up. That [BEEP]es him off.

“Oh I see. I’m interrupting a heart to heart. Spilling your guts out? Or trying to make Pomni do that?” Jax provokes Ragatha.

Ragatha rears back in offense. “Oh, you’re going to come up to me and start a fi—“

“Guys.”

Pomni’s voice shuts Ragatha up and holds what Jax wants to say at bay. She turns her head to look at Jax again, eyes resolute.

“We were talking about something private. She wasn’t trying to make me do anything.”

The words are like claws that dig into Jax.

Ragatha looks relieved and Jax withers, smile widening like armor.

To his horror, he can see in Pomni’s eyes that she recognizes it.

“I’m reassuring you,” she explains.

Jax isn’t having it.

“Uh?” Jax scoffs. “I don’t need to be ’reassured.’”

He lifts his fingers and makes air quotes.

“Then…” Pomni searches his face. “Why are you upset?”

Jax rears back like Pomni’s perception has bitten him.

“I’m not upset!” He lies so poorly it’s followed by a flash of embarrassment. Jax can’t stop getting worked up, making himself look so lame in front of Pomni.

Pomni is still looking into his eyes like she’s trying to peer into his soul.

“We weren’t talking about you,” she assures him like it’s the last thing she can think of.

“You’re not the center of the universe,” Ragatha mutters, rubbing salt in the wound.

“As if that would be what I’m upset about!” Jax cries.

If they did it would drive him crazy, though.

“I mean- I’m not–!” Jax huffs, cutting himself off. His eyes turn to Pomni, meeting hers. “Don’t act like you know me like that!”

Pomni’s eyes go wide then dart away. They don’t look back at him when, after a horrible pause, she says,

“I’m sorry.”

An unpleasant feeling resonates through Jax’s chest, jaw tightening.

He [BEEP]ed up.

Jax doesn’t look at either of them as he turns around and walks away. It’s not like he’s wanted there anyway.

His pace increases until he’s walked out of the Circus, the moon thankfully not around to gab at him. Jax doesn’t have it in him to tolerate that.

Jax keeps walking, not going anywhere particular. Just needing to move.

They’ve been getting closer but that’s just because Pomni doesn’t know him. Not yet.

Someday he’ll really [BEEP] it up and she’ll see him for exactly who he is.

The lights from the stars look like they’re part of a ceiling tonight. Jax feels caged in.

The pervasive feeling that wins out is a very selfish one.

It stings that the night has ended like this when all Jax could think about all evening had been Pomni clinging to him.

Chapter Text

It’s breakfast time and Jax wants to be anywhere else, but something draws him down the hall.

That something is Pomni.

He barely slept last night. It had taken so much subterfuge to convince Pomni to be his friend and now he’s gone and lashed out.

[BEEP]ed everything up.

He grinds his teeth together in annoyance and, though he’s loath to admit it, a pinch of anxiety as he enters the dining area. Everyone is seated and his eyes immediately find—

Pomni

She’s picking at her food, staring at it. He thinks maybe her hat looks extra droopy today.

Pomni’s head turns and she looks up at Jax with her big, forlorn eyes. They widen slightly and she quickly glances away.

Great, she’s definitely [BEEP]ed at him. Why did he have to get so mad? More importantly why couldn’t he have just kept it under wraps?

Breakfast is an awkward affair. Jax is quickly regretting coming at all. He’s two seats down from Pomni and it would be obvious if he looked at her, but even without her in sight she’s all he can focus on.

He wants to shake her and convince her that he wasn’t upset and that she dreamed it all up. Really gaslight the dickens out of her.

Pomni stands up and Jax’s heart jumps into his throat.

She walks off without looking at him.

[BEEP] it.

What’s Jax going to do to fix this?

—

After breakfast Jax goes to sulk in his room for a while, cycling between brainstorming and self-loathing.

He’s nearing the rooms when he gets a foreboding feeling. Like something is about to happen. Jax ignores it and trudges forward, turning the corner to the hall with the living quarters.

Ragatha is there.

She must have left breakfast before him and now she’s at the door across from his room, raising her hand to knock on

Pomni’s door

Jax feels a flash of irritation at the sight of her, accompanied by a creeping sense of jealousy. Why the [BEEP] is she there? Are they going to hang out?

did they get closer?

“Back to harass Pomni, eh?” Jax asks like he hasn’t been doing that constantly lately.

Ragatha jumps, looking at Jax with alarm and then reproach.

“I’m checking on her since she seemed off at breakfast,” Ragatha says with bitterness in her voice.

How dare she?

“If she wanted you to baby her she would have asked,” Jax sneers at her.

“I’m— not babying her!” Ragatha lies. “I’m concerned as a friend.”

“Yeah right,” Jax denies. “That’s not what you really want.”

Ragatha tenses up and her face goes red at being called out. “I think your motives are far sketchier than mine!”

She turns to fully face him, putting a hand on her chest. “At least I actually care about her!”

The words are like a slap and Jax is flooded with a mixture of hurt and rage.

“You care about the way she can make you feel!” Jax snaps at her, hoping Pomni can [BEEP]ing hear him.

“And what about you?” Ragatha snaps. Her desperation is showing. So is Jax’s. “Do you even know what you want from Pomni or are you just blindly—“

The door opens.

Pomni is standing there with a blank expression on her face.

“I can hear you,” she says quietly, not quite looking at either of them.

Ragatha’s face twists in mortification.

“O-oh hey, sorry, Pomni! I just— we were—“

Pomni puts her hand on the doorframe.

“Sorry, I don’t really feel like talking to anyone right now,” she says. “Can we… talk later?”

Is she talking to just Ragatha or Jax too?

Which is worse, her disappointment or her rejection?

“Do whatever you want,” Jax mutters dismissively. “I was just trying to keep the riffraff out of the hall.”

Ragatha gives him a sharp look but Jax is already crossing to his door, heart racing.

He [BEEP]ed it up again. At this rate he’s going to lose any progress he’s made with Pomni. He hates losing control over a situation.

These thoughts flood his mind as he slips into his room, pulling the door sharply closed behind him. He’s too afraid to even look once at what expression Pomni is making as he leaves.

It can’t be a good one.

—

Jax is with everyone else.

He doesn’t want to be, but he needs noise.

And it can’t be ambient, either, it has to be organic, distracting material. He has to be around them, not because he wants to, but because he needs to listen to these [BEEP]s talk.

It’s a feeling he’s felt less since Pomni arrived at the Circus.

But Pomni is absent right now. And Ragatha keeps giving him disapproving looks. Gangle looks at him nervously on occasion and Zooble is outwardly ambivalent, though Jax knows internally they have an opinion on his presence.

Kinger doesn’t count.

It’s about time Caine starts popping up to throw them into an adventure, but he doesn’t show. Neither does Pomni. His two best distractions are out the window and now he’s hanging with these [BEEP]wads and his arms are crossed tight and he’s scowling and hunching and—

A smile slides back onto Jax’s face. He looks around quickly, but it doesn’t seem like anyone noticed. It’s bad enough Ragatha knows he’s freaking out—

Ragatha is looking at him.

Her mouth is pulled into an angry line, eyes half-lidded with a pointed lack of amusement.

Jax is two seconds away from coaxing her into a fight.

Maybe he can blow off some steam. Maybe Ragatha will stop being such a [BEEP], too.

Jax opens his mouth.

“Buckle your boots and snap those suspenders because it’s time for ADVENTURE!!”

Caine and Bubble appear out of nowhere, circling the lot of them in the air like he’s trying to keep them from escaping.

Oh good, enrichment.

Caine does a headcount. ”Oh, missing one!”

Caine does double finger guns and Pomni appears in front of everyone. She yelps and freaks out a bit like she really wasn’t expecting it.

“Great, now we can get started. Have you ever fantasized about being a mobster? Climbing the ladder in the mafia world?! Becoming the Don of an extensive crime network?!?!”

The response is nonexistent until Gangle says to the others, “Did he watch the Godfather or something? Is that public domain?”

“Gangle!” Caine cries, rushing forward and putting his cane in front of Gangle’s mask like a mic.

”Eep!” Gangle screams, falling back.

“Could you even have imagined that today you’d be working your way up from being a mafia grunt to the big boss in one day??”

”No—“

“Have you ever thought, wow, this is a lot of schmoozing I have to do!” Caine cries a little hysterically. “But it’s worth it to gain a little power!”

“I—“

”Have you ever killed a man??!”

“Uhhh–” Gangle seems to be having a panic attack.

Ha

“I have,” Jax raises his arm lazily. “And I intend to kill again.”

“Oh god,” Ragatha says, wringing her hands together. “Are we going to be… killing people?”

She sounds conflicted. Lame.

“So many!” Caine cries. “Don’t worry, I’ve made them look like the standard NPCs, so you don’t have to think about the ramifications!”

They all kind of side eye each other. Except for Jax. Who is very excited.

He glances over at Pomni instinctively.

She’s looking up at Caine with a troubled look on her face. She raises her hand as if asking a question in class.

“Welp, time to go!” Caine opens the portal. He ushers them through, just barely short of making physical contact. Pomni is ignored.

As Jax is passing through the portal he hears Caine yelling after them,

“Oh yeah, Pomni is the current Don! Good luck, Pomni! Don’t let the others dethrone you! And don’t forget they have to do whatever—“

Jax passes through and Caine is cut off.

He’s immediately distracted by his new surroundings.

They’re in a fancy room with low lighting and red velvet everywhere it can be. There’s bottles of expensive looking alcohol lining the back wall and it appears to be some sort of office because there’s a big desk made of pure gold.

Jax is wearing a suit, he realizes, as are Kinger and Zooble. Ragatha and Gangle are both in hottie tottie dresses and he takes a moment to roll his eyes.

Is this supposed to be inspired by the Godfather? What is Caine’s opinion based off of? Jax has never seen the film because he is proudly uncultured, but he’s pretty sure this ain’t it. Then a thought occurs to him.

what is Pomni wearing?

He realizes with a jarring thud of his heart that Pomni is sitting behind the desk dressed in a loose suit and holding a cigar between her fingers. She blinks at it uncomprehendingly.

Then Pomni nearly drops it.

“Oh [BEEP] this is lit!” she panics. “Where can I put it out?!”

“Here, Pomni!” Kinger rushes forward and pushes the ashtray on the desk closer to Pomni. She quickly puts it out.

Suddenly there’s a little marker above Kinger’s head that says,

+10

“Oh!” Kinger says, reading a little popup. “I gained favor with the Don. Looks like I’m surpassing you all.”

Jax isn’t paying attention anymore, though.

He’s looking at Pomni who’s eyeing the cigar with a frown.

Suddenly her eyes meet his.

It makes his heart thud again and his chest is sour over the fact they’re not in a good place. He wants to play with Pomni so bad.

Jax tears his eyes away and down to a little briefing he has about his role and a giddy eagerness overtakes him.

Oh he’s Pomni’s bodyguard, is he?

Jax strides over and stands in front of Pomni’s desk, gesturing at all of them threateningly. “Better be careful not to get too close to Don Pomni or as her bodyguard I’ll take you out!”

With his back to her he can’t see Pomni, but he knows if nothing else she’s looking at him.

“Uhh,” Ragatha says.

“Wait, so we have to gain Pomni’s favor? By doing missions? So what does Pomni do?” Gangle asks, looking over her own profile.

“I guess she’s just dishing out the points,” Zooble says, sounding disinterested and wary. “Did you see the way Caine was circling us earlier? I’m getting really sick of these.”

“At least this one won’t have any goopy monsters… probably,” Ragatha says optimistically.

Kinger gives Pomni a respectful bow. “Well, Don Pomni? What missions would you like us to do?”

Jax turns to look at her now that he has an excuse.

“Uhhhh.” Pomni starts looking around on her desk, fussing with files in a flustered state. She picks up a few and rifles through them.

“‘Big Time Bomb Squad’… ‘Rooty Tooty Shooty Hour’… Brawlin’ Bar Bust ‘Em Up’…”

Pomni looks around at them and finally shrugs. “I guess whoever wants what. A lot of these look like they involve killing a guy, though.”

She squints.

“Give me one where I don’t have to,” Gangle requests.

Pomni shuffles through more then finally hands a file over. “You’re responsible for tailing some guy for five blocks and writing down… whatever he does.”

“Oh…” Gangle says with obvious disappointment, taking the file.

Pomni divvies out the tasks. Ragatha requests one without killing, though Jax thinks it would do her some good.

At least Zooble and Kinger don't complain about it.

He wants Pomni’s attention so suddenly he can’t help himself from addressing her, pulling out the gun at his side and cocking it.

“Meanwhile I’ll be guarding the Don. You know, the most important job.”

Pomni glances at him then quickly away.

“Tell yourself whatever you want,” Ragatha says with unguarded disdain. “See you later, Pomni.”

Ragatha starts heading out the door.

“What, no goodbyes for me?” Jax calls after her, aggravated.

He glares at the door as everyone else starts filing out.

Gangle lingers. “Can I just like... stay here?”

Jax tsks.

“What, you’d rather be with me than out doing an easy job?” Jax harasses her. “I’ll make your life a living Hell! Go! Scram!”

Gangle makes a sound of distress and hurries through the door.

And then Jax realizes the exact implications of the two of them being left together.

What he said is palpable in the air.

don’t act like you know me like that

Pomni is silent. Jax puts his gun away, glaring at a wall.

The silence is horrible.

Pomni doesn’t say anything and he doesn’t say anything and he knows he’s the one who’s supposed to apologize to fix it, but something keeps the words from coming out. The bruised feelings that still linger.

But this was all Ragatha’s fault to begin with, he thinks bitterly.

Pomni speaks before he does.

“Are we…” she sounds uncertain. “Still friends?”

Jax’s gaze flicks over to her. Does she still want to be…?

He seizes the opportunity. “Don’t be dumb. Of course we are.”

“Oh,” Pomni says it quietly. Surprised. Then, a little stilted, “Good.”

A sliver of the tension eases.

But the silence is back and it’s getting under Jax’s skin.

The thought of being vulnerable in front of Pomni is paralyzing.

Again, Pomni is the one to break the silence.

“I wasn’t trying to psychoanalyze you,” Pomni says like she’s thought about what to say before this. “I was just trying to understand.”

Jax looks away from her. Pomni’s interest makes him uneasy as much as it pleases him.

“You didn’t do anything. I was mad at Ragatha and took it out on you.”

He hates having to apologize but knows on some level it’s necessary to keep Pomni.

“Sorry about that,” Jax mutters, leaning back against her desk.

What kind of face is she making?

“Okay,” Pomni says, sounding relieved. Like she doubted Jax would go through with a real apology.

he hates doing it he hates doing it

“Apology accepted.”

The words are a balm that soothes the beating he’s given his own ego.

”Ragatha and I—“ Pomni starts,

are together

“—have been having kind of a hard time.”

she’s confiding in him

The serotonin boost off of that is insane.

“Oh yeah? Could it be that her overbearing positivity has finally started to wear on you?” Jax asks hopefully, pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the desk.

“It’s not…” Pomni frowns and shakes her head, staring at the desk. “She misunderstood something I said and I don’t think she believes my actual intent even though she says she does.

“The atmosphere is… weird,” she continues.

Then she looks up at Jax. “Sorry to dump that on you, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about it with the others.”

but she feels comfortable talking about it with Jax

Jax leans back onto his elbows, looking back at Pomni again. “No, no, please. Feel free to talk away. I’m your loyal bodyguard, after all.”

It’s all coming back around.

“I mean that’s pretty much it,” Pomni shrugs. “I don’t like that uneasy feeling of, like, when you don’t know if someone is actually mad at you but they won’t talk to you…”

They seem to realize at the same time that’s exactly what Jax did. He sulks a bit, but Pomni waves her hand.

“We’re cool. You already apologized.”

The feeling in Jax’s chest doesn’t fully dissipate but he’s relieved Pomni will give him another chance.

There’s the sound of the door banging as it’s thrown open and an NPC in a striped suit barges in, holding up a gun.

“Death to the Don!” the NPC cries in one of the squirreliest voices Jax has ever heard.

Jax snorts, not even rising from his lounging position to pull out his pistol and gun the schmuck down.

“Ooh, you got me!” The NPC cries from the ground, clutching its chest before dramatically starfishing and physically saying, “Bleh!”

“Ha, first shot!” Jax looks at Pomni, eyes narrowed in pleasure. “Did you see how I protected your life there?”

“Yeah, you certainly shot a guy,” Pomni says, craning her neck to look down at the NPC who tilts its head up then quickly lowers it again to play dead.

“An NPC,” Jax corrects.

“Caine didn’t even give me a weapon,” Pomni says. “Why wouldn’t the Don have a weapon?”

“It’s a show of power, duh. You’ve got so much you don’t even need your own gun to keep yourself safe,” Jax talks out his [BEEP].

“Okay, well just make sure—“

Another NPC busts through and Pomni cries out in alarm. Jax shoots them ‘dead.’

“Ha!” he laughs and says what he thinks is in a gangster voice, “We had a couple of wise guys on our hands! What losers! Eh, boss?”

“Oh my god,” Pomni says.

“Now listen here, see,” Jax says, spinning his gun dangerously. He doesn’t actually have anything to say, though.

“Stop. Stop talking,” Pomni demands with her short stature and her huge doll eyes and the hint of a playful smile.

Jax goes to do it even more but finds he can’t talk.

Huh??

Jax clutches at his mouth, alarmed when he realizes he can’t even open it.

“Oh, we’re playing games, huh?” Pomni deadpans.

Jax grows more distressed, prying at his mouth, and Pomni laughs at what she thinks are antics.

“Fine,” she says. “You can talk again.”

“Wha- Oh thank [BEEP] I can talk! I wasn’t messing around! How dare you!” As if he isn’t doing a bit ninety percent of the time.

He touches his mouth gingerly. “That was weird.”

“Uh, are you messing with me?” Pomni looks baffled.

“No, I’m being serious,” Jax insists. “I couldn’t talk. Because of you.”

Pomni hums doubtfully, like she still thinks he’s doing a bit. Then she says, “Clap your hands.”

“Wh-” Jax has barely gotten the sound out of his mouth before his hands come up and he claps.

“What the [BEEP]?!” Jax exclaims in alarm. “Do you actually have the power to boss us around?”

Jax doesn't know how to feel about that.

“Relax,” Pomni assures him, looking back at her character profile and squinting. “Oh yeah, it says that under an asterisk in really tiny print. Huh.”

She shrugs. “I won’t use it. Unless, like, I have to for some reason.”

“Oh, and you get to decide what’s an appropriate situation?” Jax is just talking now. This new revelation has him panicky.

Pomni rolls her eyes. “Maybe if you start giving me a hard time.”

She’s joking but the implication of her bossing him around—

what would she make him do?

A weird rush of exhilaration has his heart pounding and ears ringing and he’s sure if he could get the sweats he’d have them.

What the [BEEP]? What is this reaction?

“Well- Don’t. Don’t do that,” Jax demands.

Pomni looks at him curiously. It really is out of the frying pan and into the fire with her around. They just made up and now this is happening.

Pomni tilts her head. “I guess that’d be pretty freaky, huh?”

“Hey you!”

Jax and Pomni both look to the door where another NPC is standing, dual wielding guns and wearing a party hat.

“Prepare to diiiie!” it cries.

Jax lifts his gun and shoots twice.

bang bang!

The NPC collapses on top of the last one, who gives a grunt of discomfort.

“I wish Caine would send in more at a time. Where’s the danger?” Jax complains.

“Yeah, this is a really boring adventure for me,” Pomni admits.

“I thought you hated getting all stressed on the adventures,” Jax digs at her.

“Well, yeah,” Pomni says, slumping back in her chair. “But there’s literally nothing for me to do other than get shot at.”

“You’ve grown lazy in your position of power,” Jax says gravely.

position of power

“Aren’t you supposed to be gaining my favor or something?” Pomni grouses.

“Oh, uh-”

Jax fumbles.

“What, is saving your life not gaining your favor?” Jax recovers clumsily.

Seriously, what is this reaction he’s having?

Pomni does look good. He can’t help his gaze from dropping to her opened shirt for a second.

“I dunno, I mean, isn’t that your job? Maybe that’s why,” Pomni says. “You don’t get bonus points for doing the baseline effort.”

is she teasing me?

He hopes to Hell she is.

“Or maybe I have to feel genuinely grateful? I dunno,” Pomni shrugs.

“What do you— do you want me to let them shoot you?” Jax demands, brows upraised.

“No,” Pomni says. “I just don’t think I’m gonna give you extra points for doing something you take such pleasure in.”

“That’s just unfair,” Jax tells her. “You would never punish the others for what they do for fun.”

Another NPC comes through the door, this time wielding a sword.

“I—“

Jax shoots it without even looking, eyes still on Pomni.

The points don’t appear above his head.

“Oh come on,” Jax says. “This is just rude!”

“I’m sorry!” Pomni holds up her empty hands. “I can’t force it!”

“But I didn’t even look! You don’t think that’s cool? God,” Jax laments.

Pomni laughs.

Jax loves it when he makes Pomni laugh.

A little +10 appears above Jax’s head and Pomni’s eyes go wide.

“Well… there you go,” she says with an amused little smile that sears itself into Jax’s brain.

“Oooh, do I amuse you? Am I your clown?” Jax asks, chest welling with pleasure.

He rolls over on the giant gold desk and rests on his stomach, kicking his feet in the air. “Gonna start calling me Bozo?”

Pomni snorts and +10 appears over Jax’s head.

score

“No?” Pomni laughs. Her face looks so sweet when she’s smiling. “I’m sorry, does my desk belong to you now?”

“No, it’s a strategic position. You’re so short your enemies won’t be able to aim at you without lining me up in their sights first,” Jax explains to her.

“Yeah, and you’re lying on your stomach,” Pomni reasons. “It’s gonna be hard to shoot them if you’re lying like that.”

“Nuh uh,” Jax says. “I’m gonna—“

He pulls his gun and awkwardly points it at the door. “Freeze, sucker!”

Jax kicks his legs, lackadaisical.

“Jax, shut up,” Pomni laughs.

Another +10 appears over Jax’s head, but before he can feel smug he realizes his mouth has sealed shut again. Pomni is still laughing.

A rush of something he’s afraid to name washes away the smile on his face.

oh god

shut up

that’s so [BEEP]ing hot

Jax’s heart has just started to race when another figure starts through the door and Jax shoots.

There’s a scream and with a jolt that Jax sees mirrored on Pomni’s face he realizes he just shot Ragatha.

And she really screams.

oh god

It’s hard to tell if she felt any pain. Pain in the Circus is arbitrary, based on whatever Caine decides in the moment.

is she going to die?

Ragatha pats her chest where the bullet wound is. There’s a couple horrible seconds where Jax expects her to fall to the floor.

Instead she takes a shaky breath and covers the spot.

Then Ragatha glares at him and snaps, voice wobbling,

“What are you doing! Why did you shoot me! How dare you shoot me!”

I didn’t mean to!

But Pomni’s order still has him stricken silent and Pomni looks too shocked to notice.

“What, you’re not even going to say anything?” Ragatha is so mad but Jax can’t even get a sound out. “I bet this is really funny to you! What if I had died? Would that just make you laugh harder?”

Jax withers, wondering with some bitterness how long she’s been waiting to tear into him. In front of Pomni. He starts to shake his head but what’s the point?

She’s getting all pissy like she doesn’t deserve to be shot.

Ragatha won’t believe him.

will Pomni?

His heart throbs and he looks to check Pomni’s expression.

Pomni is staring at Ragatha in shock. “Are you hurt—“

“No, I’m not hurt!” Ragatha cries. “That’s not the point!”

Tears fill her eye and she storms up to the desk. At first Jax thinks she’s gonna try something crazy. But she just reaches down and grabs a file at random, turning and heading for the door, stepping over the NPCs that are pretending to be dead.

Ragatha pauses by the door, putting a hand on it.

“You’re a real piece of work, Jax.”

It sounds like Ragatha is ready to burst into a very real flood of tears.

She rushes out.

There’s an expanse of silence between Jax and Pomni. He slowly sits up on the desk, not facing her. He can’t.

“Oh my god,” Pomni says in a hollow voice. “That was really… intense.”

Jax’s shoulders shrink in.

Stupid Ragatha. Jax can’t even enjoy what happened. Why did she have to walk in like that?

Pomni’s voice tugs at him.

“Jax…?”

Jax takes in a deep breath and turns around, pointing at his mouth then shrugging like nothing noteworthy has happened.

Pomni doesn’t get it at first.

Then mortification creeps over her face.

“Oh my god,” she says in an even more hollow voice than before. “I’m so sorry, Jax, I’m so so— you can talk!”

“Ugh,” Jax grunts with relief to hear the sound come out of him. “What are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything.”

“But—“ Pomni looks a little relieved, no doubt having been afraid he would be [BEEP]ed. That makes his chest twinge in annoyance. “I didn’t realize.”

Jax waves his hand dismissively.

“Are you okay?” Pomni asks and it’s the second time in two days she’s asked him that question and he feels like he’s going to freak out–

“Aren’t you more worried about Ragatha?” Jax asks flatly.

“Of course I’m worried about Ragatha,” Pomni says with her little mouth pulling down and making her look like a sad little clown. “I can be worried about both of you.”

Oh she’s so nice Jax feels like he’s about to lose it on her. Such displays always leave him ill at ease.

“I’m fine,” Jax grumbles.

Then more defensively than he’d like, “I didn’t know it was her.”

“Yeah,” Pomni says, brow knitting.

She believes him.

it feels like being chosen for something

“Accidents happen,” she says.

As if Jax wouldn’t have happily shot Ragatha in any other context.

But things are so tense between the two of them that it feels weird.

Pomni stands up. “I’m gonna go check on Ragatha.”

Jealousy rears its ugly head but Jax is afraid of saying the wrong thing and tearing apart what he’s just salvaged between him and Pomni.

“Yeah. I’m sure she’d appreciate that,” he mutters. He offers his gun, holding the barrel so she can grab it more easily if she’s interested. “Want this for your protection?”

“Oh, um… yeah.”

Pomni takes the gun gingerly, biting her lip. Then she nods at Jax. “See ya.”

She heads out.

Or, at least, she tries to. Pomni starts to walk through the door and is met with an invisible wall. She falls flat back on her [BEEP].

“Oh my god!” Pomni cries in alarm. She scrambles to her feet. “We’re trapped in here?”

Looks like it.

Pomni sighs and heads back to the desk. She looks up at Jax pensively.

Then she hops up to sit next to him. She doesn’t look at him, kicking her legs.

“I’ll talk to her later.”

There’s no denying the secret rush of joy that Pomni has no choice but to stay here with Jax, Ragatha be damned.

He holds his hand out expectantly. “Well? Give me back my piece before you drop it.”

“I am not going to drop it,” Pomni says dryly, though her expression is a little uncertain as she hands the gun back over to Jax, trusting him with it.

Trusting Jax despite what surely must be her better judgement.

It makes him burn pleasantly.

“Don’t worry,” Jax reassures her again. “Things have been bad with Rags and I for a long time. Nothing happened to make it worse than it already is.”

That doesn’t seem to reassure her. But Pomni nods.

“Gotcha,” she says reluctantly.

He rests a fist on top of her head, giving it a little noogie. “Don’t worry, Don Pom.”

Pomni smiles.

A little +10 appears over Jax’s head.

It makes Jax grin and a little more of the tension seems to slip from Pomni.

“C’mon,” Jax urges, reaching back to grab a random file. “Let’s find the funniest missions and give out the worst ones.”

Pomni shakes her head at him.

But that’s exactly what they do.

—

The first portion of the game, it seems, is finished.

At least, they’re out of that space with its awful lingering Ragatha vibes.

She had only come back when all the objectives were complete, long after the others. Intentionally or not, she made them wait.

Now they’re all being herded by arrows out of the office to the entryway of what must be the Don’s mansion.

There’s a giant staircase and arrows with both Jax and Pomni’s faces floating above a door. That must be their objective. Everyone else, it seems, is just supposed to loiter around because there are no arrows for them.

together

Jax feels a flash of vindication and looks over at Ragatha who has her arms folded and isn’t talking to anyone. She looks upset.

There’s a butler NPC with a handlebar mustache Jax remembers from a previous adventure, one that he had hated. His face wrinkles as the butler starts giving his spiel.

Something about a party they have to get ready for. Something something the Don has to win someone over.

It seems Pomni’s up to bat.

She doesn’t go up the stairs once the butler struts off, though.

Instead she heads towards Ragatha.

[BEEP] Ragatha

Ragatha notes Pomni and her eye widens. She turns and walks away from her, going to speak in a strained, cheerful voice to Gangle. She probably thinks Pomni was avoiding her earlier.

Pomni pauses and seems to note the rejection. She slows, then turns, heading back towards the stairs. Her eyes meet Jax’s and she gives a little shrug. It’s accompanied by a frown.

“Well,” she says. “Guess we’d better see what’s up… there.”

“Guess we’d better!” Jax says cheerfully, in a great mood now. He’s glad those two aren't getting along.

Though his spirits are dampened when he glances at Ragatha and she’s staring him down.

Whatever

Jax chooses to ignore her, offering an arm to Pomni. He’s giddy when she eyes it then gingerly rests her hand against it.

“This way,” he says grandly, leading Pomni towards the stairs. They struggle to match their pace going up them but Jax eventually gets the cadence of it.

she’s so short and small he wants to eat her like a grape

They reach the door and Jax pushes it open, peering in curiously.

It’s a huge bedroom with a giant, fluffy looking bed. At first that’s all Jax can focus on as they enter.

“Ohhhh,” he says. “It sent us to your bedroom. I guess it makes sense I’d have to guard your body at all times.”

“Why did you say ‘guard your body?’” Pomni complains. “That sounds weird.”

“You sound weird,” Jax says. He takes a running leap at the bed and throws himself onto it. He bounces like three times. “Wohohoah!”

“Jax,” Pomni says, but there’s a smile in her voice. He grins over at her, watching her walk closer. “I don’t think we’re supposed to take a nap.”

Jax can think of other things they could be doing

“Okay maybe you don’t need to take a nap but maybe I need to take one. Ever think of that? Though it is pretty cozy on here. Sure you don’t want to check it out?” Jax pats the bed beside him temptingly.

Pomni is shaking her head at him, but she’s also walking over.

is she going to lay down with him

She looks like she’s thinking about it.

Jax’s imagination runs wild.

Pomni laying down with him

Jax tugging on her and Pomni letting him

rolling together on top of the sheets and maybe she’d let him—

“Oh!”

Something catches Pomni’s eye and her head turns. Jax follows her gaze.

There’s an arrow with Pomni's face over a black dress that’s been draped over a chair. Jax recognizes it as an identical dress to the one Ragatha and Gangle are wearing. Just… a lot smaller.

At first all Jax can feel is disappointment that Pomni didn’t get on the bed.

Then he realizes,

she’s going to be wearing that skimpy little dress

Suddenly he’s very eager to see her complete this objective.

“Gotta gussy up for the big party, huh? Gotta use sex appeal?” He wags his eyebrows at her.

“Oh god I hope not,” Pomni says, walking over to the dress and picking it up. She tilts her head at it then holds it up to her little jester frame. “This is gonna look dumb.”

“Naaaah,” Jax dismisses lazily even as internally he’s thinking about how hot she’s going to look. He cannot wait.

Jax lazily brandishes his gun again. “Don’t worry, if anyone gets too fresh then ‘blam blam blam!’”

He makes a motion like he’s shooting invisible enemies, very much being serious.

“Pfffft,” Pomni scoffs.

“What, you don’t think I’m hardcore?” Jax is a little offended.

“Oh no, I definitely know you are,” Pomni says like that’s what’s funny.

Jax feels smug. He watches Pomni fussing with the dress, resting his cheek in his palm as he stretches out on the bed.

”Well, go on,” Jax prompts. “Don’t mind me.”

“Jax,” Pomni says with exasperation.

”What?” Jax blinks innocently. “I have to protect you. I’m your trusted bodyguard.”

“Well go do that outside the door.”

Jax gives a long suffering sigh and pushes himself up whether he wants to or not, heading for the door. Pomni probably doesn’t even remember what her orders can do.

“Don’t blame me if you diiiie.” He opens the door and turns to smirk at her as he steps out. “You—“

Jax walks right into an invisible wall and falls onto his [BEEP].

“Ow, what the—?”

He’s not allowed out til the clothing objective is over or what?

“This is an oversight,” Pomni says.

if Ragatha had been the bodyguard she would have been in here alone with Pomni changing

“Yeah,” Jax agrees. “That’s an outrage.”

“Really…?” Pomni sounds a little mystified by his agreement.

Jax hops up onto his feet and shuts the door. “Welp! Better change, Pomni!”

“Not while you’re looking at me, I’m not,” she says, looking back down at the dress doubtfully.

“You think this is about me? No, no. See if I look away that’s when an NPC assassin will pop out of the vents and get you. Don’t mind me, imagine I’m like a coat rack.” Jax offers helpfully.

“Jax!” Pomni exclaims, but she’s laughing. He thinks her cheeks are a tiny bit redder than usual.

Oh he can’t help himself.

Jax walks up to her and leans down into her space obnoxiously.

“Go ahead. I can keep an eye on you best like this.”

Pomni is laughing again. A little +5 appears over his head.

“Five?!” Jax feels insulted. “Why only five?!”

“I don’t know!” Pomni insists, flustered and obviously amused. ”I don’t control it!”

“Pomni!” Jax won’t let it go. “Five more points!”

“I can’t—“

“I will die on this hill, Pomni!”

Pomni cracks up. Jax grins.

“Like Jesus!!” he dramaticizes.

“Jax, oh my goood.”

A +10 appears above Jax’s head.

Jax gives a chuffed grin at the literal validation he can see and earn. Oh he is going to win this [BEEP].

“See that’s what I’m talking about. Now hurry up and start changing. We’re gonna be late for your important mafia business.” Jax claps his hands to urge her on.

Pomni’s expression twists with something between embarrassment and

is that affection?

Then Pomni drops a bomb.

”Don’t make me use my authority,” she says, peering up at him with a little smile, like she’s not sure if it’s okay to joke about that after what happened earlier.

It makes Jax stop short, a little surprised. Then his chest gets all weird and he gets flustered over the threat of Pomni wielding her power.

He forces out a snort of amusement but that’s not what he’s feeling.

“Oh, you’re going to wield your authority over me are you?” Jax can’t help but push it. “Gonna show me who’s boss?”

The corners of Pomni’s mouth are curved up like she thinks he’s funny.

the funniest person she’s ever known

focus on me

“Jax, stop being a brat and turn around,” Pomni orders in a no-nonsense tone.

turn around

brat

Jax’s body whirls around and despite how jarring it is he’s grateful because a split second later her feels heat rush to his face and between his legs and-

does he seriously have a boner right now?!

Jax is horrified as he realizes yeah, it’s twitched into hardness with unexpected and vibrant interest.

He stiffly walks further away from Pomni, trying not to scream.

Why? Why is this happening?

He hears the sound of fabric shifting and knows Pomni is changing her clothes. He twitches in his pants and Jax strangles a screech in his throat.

Oh god, he has to calm down. Think of something unsexy.

Bubble. Think about Bubble. Disgusting.

But he can’t. All he can do is imagine Pomni changing behind him.

His heart is thudding so hard he can hear it in his ears. He has to get this under control.

He hears the sound of something Pomni is muttering get bleeped out.

“Um… Jax?”

Jax’s heartbeat is growing louder in his ears and he takes a deep breath, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. “Yeah?”

“Can you, um,” she says awkwardly. “Can you zip me up?”

Oh God

Jax swallows. He tries to turn, but he can’t.

[BEEP]

“I think you gotta,” he says, voice thick. “Order me. I’m stuck.”

“Oh!” Pomni sounds frazzled. “Turn around and— and zip me up.”

Jax turns around automatically, feet leading him towards Pomni.

Thank [BEEP] her back is still facing him, but that means he can see her back.

her exposed skin

the way it snakes down under the dress, dragging his gaze with it

the little dimples at her hips above her cute little [BEEP] and god he wants to touch her Jax needs to touch her

He reaches out towards her like he’s about to, but his hands move automatically to the dress zipper. Jax grips just a little beneath it with his free hand and begins to tug the zipper upwards with the satisfying purr of it closing. Thrilled in a way that leaves him shaky.

Jax is sorry to see her covered up, another throb aching between his legs.

oh god he wants to have sex with Pomni so bad

they’ve just barely been established as friends

if she knew she’d think he was a creep, right?

… right?

“Jax?”

Jax realizes Pomni is facing him and shifts his legs, hopefully hiding his boner a bit in his stupid suit.

“What?” Jax says, cagey.

Pomni looks a little confused. She gives the smallest, most awkward twirl and asks, “What do you think?”

For the first time Jax sees Pomni fully in the dress, taking in the sight. She looks so sexy in it he gets flustered all over again and even if she doesn’t notice his boner she’s got to notice the flush of his face.

Jax looks away. “Good. You look good.”

Pomni laughs a little. “Yeah?”

He glances at her as she walks away from him, going to slip into some little heels. Jax wants to hold her up by the ankles. Rattle lunch money out of her pockets like a school bully.

he wants to kiss her and neck on her and slip between her legs and rub his erection up against her pu—

Jax mentally slams his fist down on the tape recorder of dirty thoughts playing on repeat in his mind.

When Pomni turns he thinks she looks a little disappointed. Is she disappointed in him??

“Uh, there are earrings,” she says. “But I don’t have… ears.”

“Oh.” Is that what it's about? “[BEEP] ‘em.”

is she disappointed about the earrings or something else?

Pomni already looks pretty without them.

“Oh, but…” Pomni seems to snap out of something, like she realized she’s being silly. “You’re right. I’m sure it doesn’t affect the game.”

She looks up at Jax and for the first time seems to really take in his strained expression.

“Um, Jax?”

There’s a little ding noise and the words OBJECTIVE COMPLETE appear by the door.

They’re done here.

Jax clears his throat, still willing his boner down and praying to a God he doesn’t believe in that she won’t notice it. He turns.

“Let’s go,” he says, heading to the door.

“Yeah.” Pomni follows him.

They head back down to the others and Jax thinks he mostly gets his issue under control, but Ragatha is giving him dirty looks again. Does she know?

Actually, he hopes she knows, he thinks nastily.

[BEEP] her. He got to see Pomni looking sexy. She must be looking at Pomni with hungry eyes too and the thought [BEEP]es him off and also, on some level, upsets him.

His eyes follow Pomni as they look around for their next objective.

It’s time for a party.

—

Jax is bored.

As it turns out, Pomni’s mission is a doozy. She has to win over some NPC and if she’s not careful the NPC, and this is a quote from the tutorial she read out loud, will take her out.

Needless to say, Pomni has been in quite the tizzy ever since the ‘guests’ arrived. Drunk NPCs in fancy clothes mill about uselessly, stuck in their talking animation as they all just go rabble rabble and don’t say a damn thing that makes sense.

Jax knows this because he’s sulking at the bar, arms crossed, surrounded by the dumb[BEEP] NPCs and listening to them talk. Pomni had sent him off to go drink because she had thought that, whatever she had to do, Jax would just make it worse.

He gets it, because that’s absolutely true, but does Pomni really care more about not getting shot than spending time with him? Besides, he probably could have stopped her murder.

Jax sulks.

“Oh my god,” comes Gangle’s voice from the other side of the bar where she sits with Zooble. “The guy I was tailing– it was insane, at every street corner he just kept taking out this sandwich from his coat, but he wouldn’t eat it. He’d just take it out and put it away.”

Jax tsks in annoyance and glances over to see Gangle rubbing her mask with her ribbons.

“Then he’d take out a cigar and put it away. Then he took out a calzone and put it away. And I had to write it all down! It was so boring!!”

Oh Jax wants to say something meeeeean. He leans over.

“He probably thought you were a sad little loser and was showing off his worldly goods to make you feel bad,” Jax spitballs.

Gangle and Zooble both look at him in confusion, eyes wide at his words, baffled. Then Zooble’s narrow.

“You’re not a part of this conversation,” they say.

“I am now!” Jax says, shoving an NPC between them out of its chair to better see them. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Zooble narrows their eyes then stands up, picking up their and Gangle’s drinks. “C’mon, Gangle. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Gangle slips to her feet, trailing after Zooble as they walk off into the crowd.

“Yeah you run away, you cowards!” Jax calls after them, pulling his glass closer.

Like he even wants to talk to them.

His eyes move around the room, slipping past the NPCs. A bunch of them are gathered around Kinger, who seems to be impressing them doing a card trick. Who even knows where he got the cards from. Maybe there’s gambling.

Is there gambling? That would make this all more bearable.

Jax has barely started to look around to see if he can find evidence of it but then there’s motion beside him and he glances over to see Ragatha has stepped up to the bar.

She’s pointedly not looking at him, ordering not one, not two, but three drinks from the NPC manning the bar.

That has Jax gawking and then he snorts loudly, taking a sip from his own glass before turning to address her. “Yeesh, save some for the rest of us!”

Ragatha’s gaze snaps over to him and she’s really in a bad mood, Jax somewhat taken aback. “I don’t want to hear that from someone who shot me.”

Oh she’s still mad about that is she.

“It didn’t even hurt!” Jax protests, rolling his eyes. “And I didn’t even mean to do it. That’s what you get for waltzing through the door unannounced.”

“Yeah right,” Ragatha mutters.

It makes Jax’s blood boil. Not that he cares what Ragatha thinks but the fact it doesn’t matter to her regardless gets under his skin. Like, of course she wouldn’t believe him. She doesn’t believe in accidents when it comes to Jax, just malicious intent.

“Oh you’re just sore because you don’t think Pomni cares that I shot you,” Jax hurls in her face. “Am I right or am I right?”

Ragatha flinches back as if he tried to hit her.

"What do you know?" she sounds so upset. "I'm sure she–"

She what?

Ragatha just admitted it.

"Awww, poor Raggie. Maybe I do know something you don't, but I won't tell you." It's what she deserves for not believing him and for generally being a nuisance in his attempts to get Pomni’s attention. He meets her angry scowl with a smirk and gulps down more of his drink, which is hitting like a hammer.

Not that Jax can't hold his liquor this is nothing.

"Does it make you maaaad I'm her trusted bodyguard and you're just one of her goons?" Jax throws more gasoline on the fire.

Ragatha's expression twists and she glares at him.

"You went up into that room and Pomni came out in a dress," she observes, tensing up. This [BEEP] is drunk. "I bet you just looooved that!"

"Oh I did," he brags in an annoying tone. "I even got to zip her up-"

"You are so vile, you know that?" Ragatha snaps, standing suddenly from her barstool.

"Am I? And here I thought I was being a perfect gentleman," Jax slurs out breezily. "Should I have let her come down half dressed? Bet you would've liked to see that."

The last part is said with some venom.

"You're just the worst! I can't believe she likes you over-!" Ragatha stops her outburst short but Jax knows what she was going to say and it irritates him as much as it leaves him smug.

Ragatha lets out a harsh breath. "I don't have to talk to you."

She says it like she's reminding herself, grabbing two of her drinks and abandoning the third as she walks off.

"Byyyye," he calls after her as he slides the abandoned drink towards himself.

She's so jealous. Jax hopes it stays that way.

And then he's alone.

It's a feeling he's used to but he finds himself yearning for Pomni's company.

He wants to see her.

Zip up her dress again.

pull the zipper down

He slumps against the bar and puts his hand over his eyes with a heavy sigh. He still can't believe he popped a boner. Jax has a few drinks in his own silence.

Time passes slowly and Jax’s agitation grows.

"Rabble, rabble, rabble," says the NPC sitting beside him.

Jax turns sharply and shoves the NPC off the chair onto the ground.

It makes him feel marginally better to watch it flail.

"That's what you get," he says.

"Wow," comes a voice to his other side. "That's just rude."

Jax turns his head so fast at the sound of Pomni's voice and his whole world changes colors.

"Oh," he says, leaning casually against the bar. "Return of the loser."

Pomni gives him a look conveying deep suffering and Jax thinks she looks a little flushed.

is she drunk?

"I've been chasing around that NPC I'm supposed to schmooze all night," she complains. "Like, literally chasing it around. It crawled up into these really tall curtains and I gave up."

That has Jax's grin widening and he snorts with laughter, slumping further against the bar top. Look at Pomni with her cute face and her sexy dress.

Jax wants to tug at her zipper.

"That's hilarious. What was he doing up there?"

Jax takes another drink and the world feels tipsy. "More importantly, why didn’t you go after him?"

Pomni heaves a sigh.

"I'm not that invested in being the Don," she says. The bartender NPC slides a mystery drink over to her and she takes it with no complaints.

"How about you?" she asks, glancing at Jax. "What have you been up to?"

Jax thinks of Ragatha's stupid voice. Her jealousy. His jealousy.

It really feels tense but Jax doesn't want to think of any of that while he's got Pomni with him.

He gives a dismissive wave of his hand. "Oh you know me. Making friends everywhere I go."

He takes an almost anxious drink, feeling the heat of the alcohol flushing up his neck.

He's eager to keep Pomni around. "Sounds boring and lame. Hang out with me for a spell, why don't you? That guy isn't going anywhere. Other than up curtains, apparently.”

"Yeah," Pomni agrees and Jax feels a rush of haha vindication.

He watches as she shifts uncomfortably in her seat, reaching back to fuss with a strap on her dress.

"Ah jeez," she mumbles.

"What." Jax is focused on her dress, the slight swell of her chest.

"I've never been used to wearing these things," Pomni says, taking a sip of her drink. Then another. "By the way–"

Whatever she's about to say is interrupted by Gangle who practically falls against the bar.

"Two shots!" she cries.

"Uh," Zooble is trailing after her. "Maybe you should not."

“Shame on you, getting sloppy in front of the Don,” Jax addresses them and Zooble gives him an annoyed look.

Two shots are immediately slid in front of Gangle and she takes one. She slams the shot glass down on the counter as hard as her ribbon can manage.

“This adventure sucks!” she cries. “I had to kill like, three dudes! And one of them shot at me, look!” Gangle shows Pomni a little tatter in her ribbon. “He grazed me! I was so scared!”

“Good!” Jax inserts himself again, leaning over Pomni. “It’ll build charac–”

Jax nearly falls off his stool.

Like some kind of lightweight.

what the Hell

Jax realizes the only thing that broke his fall is Pomni’s awkward noodle arms which are barely holding him up. They shake with the effort.

“Jax, you're heavy!” she complains.

The urge to ragdoll on her is so strong.

“Oh no all the strength has left my body. My only hope is for you to hold me up. I know you can do it,” Jax says dramatically, a giggle in his chest.

“Ugh, unattractive," Gangle complains and Zooble laughs.

Jax glares at her so fast, something scathing on his tongue, but the drama kid continues to run her mouth, “It’s like getting a bodyguard off Craigslist.”

Zooble laughs again, but to Jax’s horror Pomni’s laughter joins it.

And a little +5 appears over Gangle’s head.

Jax’s pupils become slits of rage and he wants to wrangle Gangle’s ribbon throat into a chokehold.

Only he’s frozen by the unlocked fear that Pomni thinks he’s being unattractive too.

“Have you even, like, done anything?” Zooble asks. The words register as nasty even though they just sort of sound intoxicated.

Jax draws back from Pomni so suddenly she stumbles a little as he rights himself. “I have saved Pomni from multiple assassanation attempts, no thanks to you.”

Zooble gives Pomni a doubtful look.

“He did save me,” she says with a little shrug. “I definitely haven’t done anything. I can’t even catch the guy I’m supposed to talk to.”

“That’s right, and you’re all distracting her! You’re all- you’re drunk!” Jax points between Zooble and Gangle with an accusing finger.

Jax stumbles onto his feet and puts an arm around Pomni’s shoulders, ushering her away from the bar. He’s got to get her out of here before these losers make him look any worse. “C’mon, you gotta find the guy!”

“Jax!” Pomni complains, but has no choice but to be swept further into the party.

It takes Jax’s full concentration to walk in a straight line but he’s fine.

They come to an open space where NPCs are dancing with short, often glitchy movements. On a whim Jax drags her towards it.

“Jax, seriously,” Pomni tries to get him to talk again but he doesn’t reply until he’s got her in the middle of the other ‘dancing’ couples and stray loners.

Jax faces her, smirking.

“It’d be a waste to be dressed so fancy and not dance, right?” Jax asks her then suddenly remembers.

Ah

He can’t dance.

Jax gestures to Pomni instead. “Go on, boss. Bust a move.”

“What??” Pomni panics rather than telling him to go [BEEP] himself. She frets, meeting Jax’s eyes. “Oh, uh, I don’t dance.”

“Sure you do!” Jax declares. “You’re the Don aren’t you? Dancing is practically a requirement.”

Jax is sure it’s actually pretty low on the priority list. Pomni doesn’t seem to be buying it either by the face she’s making.

“I told you I don’t dance.” Jax likes it when she’s stubborn. “Like, I can’t dance. It’s bad.”

oh thank god

Jax throws his head back and crows out, “Ha!”

“That’s okay, I won’t make fun of you,” Jax lies as he tilts his head back down to look at her, mood recovering like a feline on its feet.

“Jax, I’m not gonna dance now in front of people,” Pomni lays down the law.

“They’re NPCs!” Jax cries in a mixture of disbelief and distress. What the [BEEP] is she talking about?

“No, like, if someone else saw… my relationship with them wouldn’t change, but I would always think about the fact that they saw me dancing,” Pomni says in a grave tone.

It just makes Jax want to see her dance more.

“That’s why I brought you out here in the middle of the crowd. Who’s going to see you?” Jax reaches out and grabs Pomni’s hand. “Here, I’ll teach you the two-step.”

Jax does not know the two-step.

He half-hunches over to properly rest his hand on Pomni’s waist, resisting the urge to give it a firm squeeze. Jax can almost imagine the sound Pomni would make.

“Are you ready to become a master level dancer?” Jax asks her seriously, the giggle that’s been in his chest rising up to his throat.

Pomni’s eyes go so wide and Jax waits for her to protest.

But she doesn’t. She just looks at him.

Like she’s waiting.

Something about her earnest expression knocks Jax off his footing and for a horrifying second he’s oddly shy.

Jax knocks that off, chest flustered and prickly. Pomni is still staring, he needs to do something.

“Okay so what you do is–” Jax takes a step, pulling Pomni along. Then he takes another step. “It’s just that easy.”

Like, what else could it be?

Pomni gapes up at him.

“Oh my god,” she says. “You don’t know how to do it either.”

“Whaaaaa? How dare you say that after seeing those sick moves.”

The giggle finally breaks free of Jax's chest and he pulls her along another couple steps to the side. “See? I’m a master.”

Pomni stumbles a little and he wonders if she’s past tipsy. He knows he is, though he would deny it up and down.

“That’s definitely not how the dance goes,” Pomni tells him, but she’s laughing.

A little +5 appears above Jax.

“Only five, huh?” He says. “Let’s get that number up to one hundred.”

Pomni snorts in amusement, watching to see what he’ll do.

Jax is only aware of her waist under his hand for a moment.

He grins at her, stomach giving a little flip as he clumsily dips her, the strands of her doll-like hair hanging down. Jax holds her in the position. “How’s that?”

Pomni looks so shocked.

Then she throws her head back and starts laughing. Her face is flushed and she looks so pretty.

+10

Heat rises up in Jax’s chest, heart burning.

Would she be angry if he–

Pomni’s expression suddenly changes as her gaze focuses on something through the crowd and she says, “Oh!”

He yanks Pomni back up into an upright position, glaring in the direction she’d been looking. Who is it, the NPC she’s supposed to be schmoozing?

But it’s worse.

With a jolt of misplaced hurt Jax sees it’s Ragatha, looking put out as she stands alone beside a table stacked with champagne glasses.

“I’ve gotta—“

Pomni is pulling away from Jax and he feels the loss acutely. The loss of Pomni and the loss of control. It makes him feel squeamish as he watches her turn, start to move towards Ragatha.

”Owowowowow!!!!!! OW!!!!!”

The shrill voice of an NPC pierces Jax’s ears. In her haste Pomni had tripped an NPC wearing a swanky suit and an expensive watch. He flails on the floor and scrambles to his feet.

“No one saw that!” the NPC screams.

“Oh [BEEP], this is the guy I’m supposed to—“

”This is war!” the NPC cries.

Uh oh.

It pulls out a gun, pointing it to Pomni’s head.

It’s like Christmas came early. Jax throws himself in front of Pomni dramatically. “Not on my watch, idiot!”

Jax fumbles drunkenly with his gun and has the thought damn it as the NPC gets his shot out first and it slugs him in the shoulder.

The shock of it makes Jax stumble back, falling into Pomni’s arms. He almost takes her out.

Then Jax has a realization oh this doesn’t hurt at all.

He gets his gun drawn and shoots the NPC in the chest until his clip is empty.

“YEEEAAARRRGH,” the NPC yells, arms waving as it collapses to the ground and goes still.

+10

There’s a burst of fireworks and confetti in the air that are very out of place for the setting that spell out,

JAX WINS!!!

Jax looks at it then can’t help but feel smug. [BEEP] right he did.

Then his eyes turn back to Pomni and he decides to ham it up.

“Oh Don Pomni. I’m so honored to have gained your favor over every single person you’ve ever known before passing away from heroically saving you. Don’t you ever forget it either.”

Pomni is looking at him with a conflicted expression.

“But it doesn’t hurt, right?” she finally asks.

“That’s not the point, is it?” Jax asks, a little outraged.

“I mean,” Pomni has nothing to say to that.

“Yeahhh, that’s what I thought,” Jax says with a grin, though he pauses to rub at the area he was shot. “So does that mean I’m the new Don or…”

If he gets to boss people around that’s awesome.

“Hey Gangle, dance for my amusement!” Jax finally straightens as he hollers towards the bar, rolling his head back to see if it works.

Gangle leans heavily against the bar and raises a ribbon that gets censored.

“What! How come it doesn’t work for me? Isn’t that the whole point?”

“Maybe that perk hasn’t activated for you yet,” Pomni suggests helpfully.

Or the adventure is bugged.

When Jax glances down at her she’s smiling at him a little. It’s the only win he needs.

Suddenly the NPCs all disappear in bursts of confetti. Pomni looks bewildered, but Jax’s attention is pulled over to the bar where a giant arrow points to it with the caption,

This is the bar. Imbibe to your heart’s content.

As if they haven’t already been.

Next to the bar a portal appears.

Huh.

“So…” Pomni starts towards the bar. “We can just hang here til we want to go back…?”

“I guess so. That’s pretty rare,” Jax admits. He’s certainly not in a rush to get out of this particular adventure.

Especially as he notes Ragatha making her way to the portal immediately.

Pomni rushes from Jax’s side. It’s a bad feeling.

He watches her approach Ragatha, speak to her in words he can’t hear.

Ragatha finally shakes her head and backs away from Pomni, turning and leaving. Pomni’s shoulders sink a bit.

It doesn’t thrill Jax but if Ragatha will shoot herself in the foot then he’ll make the most of the situation.

Jax walks up to Pomni, leaning over her shoulder. “What, she didn’t want your apology for the thing you didn’t do?”

Pomni is still staring at the portal like she’s debating walking through.

“She said we’ll talk later.” Pomni sighs and turns, heading towards the bar. “C’mon. Let’s go get plastered.”

Jax spares a look at the portal, eyes narrowing slightly, and then he trails after Pomni in a wavering line.

He’s still eager to make this a good night.

—

Gangle is really drunk and it’s really [BEEP]ing annoying. She’s talking to Zooble animatedly about a comic she’s working on. But it’s not even what she’s drawn, it’s the hypotheticals of an unfinished story and it is grating on Jax’s ears while he’s trying to listen to Pomni.

“And… after almost falling down the shaft I was a little nervous, y’know? I mean, these are condemned buildings I’m walking around so you gotta be careful.” Pomni plays with the rim of her empty alcohol glass, staring down into it as she dips into memories. “So I’m thinking okay, the floorboards are iffy and there are pitfalls. Gotta–”

Suddenly Pomni claps her hands together. It startles Jax so bad he almost rears back, but because he’s exceptionally slick he keeps his reaction to his eyebrows raising. Pomni slowly turns to look at him with a serious expression.

“And that’s when my flashlight went out.”

“Oooooooh.” The sound of intrigue that comes from Jax is immediate and genuine. Pomni is kind of [BEEP] at recalling the stories, but now that she’s got some drinks in her she’s got a flair to her. “Tell me more.”

Pomni continues, but Jax has a hard time paying attention to what she’s saying despite how much it grips him. Instead, his attention is focused on Pomni’s mouth. It always seems to be pulled into a fretful frown, but right now it’s curved up with amusement. She looks sweet.

When had Jax started to really like her? He feels it like a burning in his chest.

Pomni snaps her little fingers close to his face and he jumps.

“Woah!” Jax scrambles to regain his cool. “What the dink was that for?”

Pomni gives him a serious look. Then she smiles. “You stopped paying attention. I thought you wanted to know how I sprained both my ankles.”

“I do want to know,” Jax insists. “I want to know all the sordid details.”

Pomni shakes her head at him in amusement. Then she frowns a bit, reaching up to fuss with the strap of her dress.

“Actually… would you mind helping me get out of this thing?”

Jax stares with a frozen smile, and then the words hit him.

holy [BEEP] that’s her coming onto him, right?

Or she's just too tipsy to remember she could walk through the portal and be out of it in a snap. Jax will take it either way.

“Pomni, I would love nothing more,” Jax tells her gleefully, attention spiking through the alcohol fog of his brain.

He drags himself to his feet, jutting out his arm for her to take. Pomni does and Jax feels like he just won the lottery. If only Ragatha were here to witness it.

But part of him is excited for this to be private.

Still, he announces it to the others. “Later, nerds. Don’t wait up!”

His eyes settle on Kinger who waves. He’s polished off several glasses and doesn’t even look remotely drunk, though it’s hard to say with him.

“Have fun!” he says and Jax is certain he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but it makes Zooble and Gangle look up a bit, surprise on their faces as they look between him and Pomni.

Jax can see it in their expressions.

are Jax and Pomni…?

Then Zooble rolls their eyes with immediate dismissal. “Later, Pomni.”

“Oh, I mean,” Pomni says, sounding confused. “We’re coming ba–”

“Let’s gooooo.” Jax steers her around, moving them away from the bar and towards the staircase. They traipse their way over with some difficulty.

And that’s when the real challenge begins. Pomni is so small it makes sense her tolerance would be at, like, zero. She’s wibble wobbling all over the dang stairs in her heeled shoes, even while holding onto Jax.

“Steady,” Jax chastises, moving his arm to purposefully upset her balance. “You’re all over the place, Pomni!”

“Well, I’d be steadier if you weren’t doing that!” Pomni half clings to his arm.

“What?” Jax jostles her again. “Doing what?”

“That!”

She sounds irritated, but then Pomni is giggling. “Oh nooooo.”

Jax grins. “You drunk, Pomni? You barely had anything! Laaaaaame!”

“Well–”

Pomni suddenly drops and Jax has to catch her. She yelps, grabbing onto him for dear life. They look back to see she’s lost one of her shoes. Pomni makes a sound of aggravation and kicks her other shoe so it rolls down the stairs. Jax laughs.

“Oh my god,” he says. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Help me!” Pomni demands.

Jax feels it like a pull in his chest. He automatically picks her up and throws her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She is a little sack of potatoes. Pomni yelps again.

“Not like that!”

“Too late,” Jax says, continuing to make his unsteady way up the stairs. “Your wish is my command.”

is she still controlling him? Or was he just eager to pick her up?

Pomni beats on his back halfheartedly with her fists, but Jax can tell she’s playing. They’re really starting to get to know each other and it makes him giddy.

They reach the Don’s room and he kicks the door open, enters, then kicks it shut, walking over to the bed and dumping Pomni onto it. She bounces. Her bells jingle.

“Guess this is my room now,” Jax says, looking down at her like he wants to eat her up. “Ugh, it’s bull[BEEP] I can’t order you around.”

“Oh please,” Pomni rolls her eyes. “You’d just make me do silly things until you got bored.”

“I would never get bored,” Jax assures her. He tilts his head. “Come on, let’s get you out of that dress.”

Pomni’s cheeks go red and Jax is so aware of it that his blood runs hot, time seems to slow, his focus zeroes in on Pomni.

they’re flirting, right?

Then Pomni rolls over onto her stomach.

“Go ahead.”

Jax’s heart pounds once.

Then it occurs to him.

If he doesn’t milk this then Pomni will change and they’ll be back downstairs in a jiffy. That’s not what he wants.

Time for shenanigans.

“Hold on,” Jax says, walking up to a window and peeking through the blinds. “These are a problem. If they’re slanted down people on the street will see you change. But if they’re slanted up, people in airplanes might see you change. What a pickle.”

“What…?”

Jax glances over at Pomni’s bewildered face and smirks. “What are we gonna do, Pomni? Oh wait, you’re not the Don anymore, you don’t have any power.”

“You don’t know that,” Pomni says. “You didn’t get the power to control people. Maybe I still have it.”

oh god can she still do that

that’s hot

Jax pushes the thought away, pretending it doesn’t affect him the way it does.

“Try me,” Jax says.

“Huh? Oh, uh…” Pomni’s eyes roll up to the ceiling as she thinks. Then she says, rolling onto her side, “Straighten your tie.”

“That’s such a boring-” Jax starts to dunk on her but realizes he’s already reached up to fiddle with his tie, though it takes him some effort to straighten it. He literally can’t stop fussing with it until it is, though.

Then he looks back up at Pomni. So she can still boss him around.

how can he get her to do it again

“Okay well maybe that was a fluke,” Jax dismisses, trying not to sound too eager when he tells her, “Gimme another.”

“Mm,” Pomni makes a thoughtful sound then tells him, “I think I liked the tie better before. Tug it loose.”

Heat creeps over Jax. Is Pomni into this too? Is she? Is she into him?

Jax hooks his finger into the knot of his tie and tugs it loose again, imagining Pomni tugging on it.

He’s buzzing with anticipation as he meets Pomni’s eyes. “Will that do?”

Pomni’s expression looks awkward. Is that good? Bad?

“Yep.”

Pomni glances away.

Wait, what? That’s bad, right? Jax has to salvage this. And suss it out.

“Wait, you’re trying to get me to take off my clothes,” he accuses. ”That’s your motive!”

“Wha– no!” Pomni visibly panics.

“Oh [BEEP] no, I won’t stand for this,” Jax says, trying to pry open the window. “I have to escape!”

”What??” Pomni sounds frantic. Good. This is definitely working.

Jax manages to get the window open halfway, but it gets stuck. He starts banging on it.

”Can anybody down there hear me?!” he calls through the window at no one. ”Does anyone have a trampoline?!”

He hears laughter and it makes him feel good.

But then there’s hands on his arm, tugging him back. He looks over and sees Pomni has gotten up and is trying to get him away from the window.

“You’re being ridiculous!” she accuses, but she’s grinning up at him and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen her smile this wide.

“Well excuuuuuse me, princess!” Jax exclaims. He lets her pull him along like he’s reluctant. “If you haven’t noticed, that’s my whole M.O.”

“Well–”

Whatever Pomni is about to say is cut off by a gasp as the backs of her legs hit the bed. Her grip on Jax tightens and the world blurs as she tumbles back, bouncing on the plush mattress and–

And pulling Jax on top of her.

Jax’s eyes widen and they both make a sound of alarm as his body lands on hers. A flushed feeling moves through Jax and he pushes himself up slightly so he’s not squashing her completely.

Pomni is staring back, face flushed and eyes equally wide as they stare at each other.

And then a +30 appears over Jax’s head.

That makes Jax hot all over. “Ooh, what were those points for, Pom?”

“That– uh– I…”

Pomni looks so, so, so flustered. She doesn’t even get her thoughts out, she just looks up at Jax.

does she want me to kiss her?

Jax wants to.

He wants to kiss her so bad.

Instead, Jax feels words bubbling up, spilling out.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

Pomni’s eyes go wide and she makes an awkward sound in her throat.

But before Jax can make the decision to lean in, the world starts to melt away around them. Then they’re being pulled from it, dragged by an invisible force away from the room, from the adventure–

The lights of the Circus are garish and obtrusive as he’s dumped on top of Pomni again, this time on the hard floor.

“Ow!” Pomni cries.

Jax adjusts and realizes–

He’s still on top of her.

They’re just laying on the floor like a couple of [BEEP]holes, and

we look like we were having sex

A flush rolls through Jax so intense he can’t even feel superior about it.

“Jax!” Pomni cries. “Up! Up, up!”

They scramble to their feet, putting a little distance between them as they both look at the others. Zooble and Gangle are staring. Gangle’s mouth is dropped open and Zooble looks annoyed. Kinger is already walking away.

Ragatha is absent and Jax can only imagine what face she would make.

“Now, now, you two,” comes Caine’s voice. He flies down to them. “You shouldn’t be wrestling on the floor! One of you might hit your heads!”

Bubble appears and Caine bonks him on the head with his cane. Bubble looks like he might pop, but doesn't perhaps out of sheer willpower.

Caine gestures towards everyone. “Well, how was the adventure!”

There’s a pause of silence and then Gangle speaks up, still sounding sloshed, “I liked the bar.”

Caine’s eye gives a little twitch. “Well that’s great but what about the actual adventure?”

“I- didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” Caine prompts Gangle, patience thin.

“Like it,” Gangle says, then gives a drunken little giggle filled with nerves.

“Haha!” Caine laughs too loud then demands, “Well what do other people have to say about it?”

Jax glances over at Pomni, heart still racing, and smirks. “Well I loved it. I particularly enjoyed getting to shoot people.”

“That’s great!” Caine proclaims, “So glad everyone enjoyed it!”

He’s just ignoring the negative feedback, huh? That’s funny.

“That’s not-” Zooble starts to protest flatly but Caine spins higher up into the air.

“Alright my shoots and ladders, rest up and make merry while I cook up your next amaaaaazing adventure!” Caine gives himself a little tap on the top of his gums with his cane and he and Bubble both burst into colorful smoke.

Gangle wavers on her feet then declares, “That adventure sucked.”

“You were able to say you didn’t like it to Caine’s face,” Zooble praises. “Nice job.”

“You’re just jealous ‘cuz you didn’t win,” Jax pshaws.

Then he looks over to Pomni.

She’s just standing there and her whole face is crimson.

oh that’s so [BEEP]ing cute

“I’m gonnaaaaa go.” Pomni turns and starts marching away.

Jax has the urge to grab her by the arm, yoink her back, tell her to come with him so they can finish what technically she started by pulling him on top of her. But he lets her go, just watching her with a dazed grin.

“Don’t make that face,” Zooble tells him, but he ignores them.

Before she rounds a corner Pomni looks back at Jax.

Their eyes meet.

And Jax knows she’s all he’s going to be thinking of tonight.

Chapter Text

Jax is sitting with Pomni on the couch in the lounge. He's making her laugh, though he's not sure what he said. He feels like he's still in a daze from last night.

Pomni is giggling, a hand over her mouth. Her bells jingle lightly with her laughter and Jax can't help but reach over and flick one of them.

"You're too much," Pomni tells him, calming down from her giggles.

She looks up at him with smiling eyes. Jax meets the smile with a grin of his own.

"Awwww you just can't stand it? That's hilarious."

Pomni scoffs and shakes her head.

"I'm trying to watch TV."

"What? This is meaningless tripe," Jax gestures at the TV which shows a monkey peeling and eating bananas. "TV rots your brain."

"Well, what do you want to do?" Pomni asks.

She wants to do something together.

Yesssssssssssss.

"Hmm. Maybe go on another mafia adventure," Jax says. "Let's go ask Caine."

"Noooo," Pomni shakes her head. "Let's not."

Jax snorts, reaching up to tug at the end of Pomni's hat. "Why not? I thought you liked it."

The accusation makes his chest tight with anticipation, though it makes him oddly nervous too. Maybe afraid she'll reject the claim outright.

He doubles down.

"Didn't you have fun? Huh? Getting targeted for assassination and bossing people around?"

"The only person I bossed around is you," Pomni states, trying to brush the hand on her hat away without success.

"Yeah and what a rare opportunity that you didn't use to your advantage at all." Jax tuts.

If it had been the others they'd have made his life a living Hell except maybe Kinger.

"Why are you saying that like it's a bad thing?" Pomni gives him a no nonsense look. "Did you want me to order you around?"

"No-" Jax blurts the word out. Then he scowls. "I'm just saying."

"Uh huh."

They have a little staring match and then Pomni says, "Loosen your tie."

"Huh...?" Jax doesn't get it. Pomni just gestures at him. He looks down and--

He's in the suit from the adventure.

What.

When.

But his hands move up and he loosens his tie. Without his control.

"Wait, what??!" he panics. "How come you can do that?"

Pomni laughs. "Guess it's permanent."

She starts crawling towards him. On the couch.

thud thud thud, goes Jax's heart.

"You know what I think," Pomni says, reaching up to tug on his tie until it falls loose to the couch. "I think you liked being bossed around."

"No, I felt normal about it!" Jax protests, stomach feeling like it's dropped out of him. There's no way Pomni could have actually noticed, is there?

because he had liked it and it's weird it's so weird how much he liked it

He laughs nervously, not wanting to push Pomni away but going into panic mode. "What would even give you that idea?"

"Hmmmmmm."

What the Hell does that mean?!

"I dunno," Pomni says. "That boner you popped said otherwise."

Jax nearly screams.

So she did notice! What the--

"Undo your shirt," Pomni orders.

"Wha-" Jax starts to say in disbelief but his hands are already moving to unbutton it.

He's helpless to Pomni's command, hands a little shaky at the loss of control but-

it's hot

Even as Jax feels conflicted about his own reaction he can't deny the eager heat building between his legs.

Is this seriously happening? Are they actually doing this?

Jax is giddy and anxious as he asks Pomni, "Are you into this kind of thing?"

"Well, you certainly are," she accuses and it makes him wither a little.

"What's that supposed to–"

Jax is cut off by Pomni reaching up and dragging a gloved finger down his chest, his stomach, stopping short of his slacks.

And then she looks down. And Jax looks down.

He's getting hard.

"Uhh–" he starts, desperate to diffuse something.

"Hmm, the suit is boring."

Pomni snaps her fingers like she's Caine. Jax gapes at her smirk.

"Thaaaat's better."

Jax looks down again.

And then he jumps to his feet, scrambling away from the couch as realization hits him.

He's in the maid dress again.

He's in the maid dress again.

Jax trips backwards and hits the ground, heart racing. Why did Pomni put him in this?!

There’s a prick of pain like betrayal but when he looks up at Pomni a decided throb goes through his hips. It makes him weirdly shaky.

don’t look at me! he wants to scream.

But the shaking is from anticipation.

Pomni is looking down at him with that sweet little face and he sees it so vividly, like a kaleidoscope of every time he’s ever looked at her.

what does she think of him?

Then suddenly that sweet face is smirking at him. Pomni gets off of the couch and walks up to him. Stands in front of him and with Jax down on his [BEEP] she has him on height.

Pomni lowers her eyes to the dress.

“You look so cute.”

Jax flinches away from her, thighs pressing together tightly and he has to bite back a moan.

what the [BEEP]?!

He’s breathing so hard, frozen to the spot at her judgement.

Then like some evil, vile thing lurking inside him Jax thinks

what is she going to do to me?

Jax wants to die. He wants to disappear. He wants to abstract.

But he does none of these things as the ache between his legs grows unbearable.

“Pomni,” Jax says in such a weak voice he grimaces.

Pomni leans down so they’re face to face, smiling at him with that little curve of her mouth.

“Go on, Jax,” she says.

Jax swallows hard.

“Lift your skirt.”

Heat flushes to Jax’s face, flushes between his legs, thighs clenching again and Jax gasps in distress as he starts to

—

Jax wakes with a start, sitting straight up in bed panting.

What?

What??

He throws his hands over his mouth in a silent scream.

What the [BEEP] was that?!

Then Jax’s eyes move down slowly and he grimly pulls back his blanket.

Aaaand he came in his underwear.

[BEEP]ing incredible.

This is it, Jax thinks. The moment that finally pushes him to abstraction.

He waits for a few moments and is almost ashamed of himself when nothing happens.

That only gives him the floor to think about the dream.

Pomni standing over him

lift your skirt

Jax feels an unfortunate twitch of interest between his legs. He rolls quickly onto his side and pulls his blanket over his head.

His thoughts are flooded with her, but it isn’t the feeling of being on top of her that’s been circulating in his brain. No, now all he sees is Pomni’s smirking face.

or would she be softer than that

The thought has him twitching again and Jax tsks sharply.

“[BEEP],” he hisses to himself.

Okay.

Okay, he’s into this now. It’s an undeniable fact that this, whatever this is, is a problem.

He’s so [BEEP]ed. It’s so over for him. How could this have happened?!

Jax buries his face against his mattress and screams in frustration.

What is he gonna do?

—

By breakfast Jax is fairly confident he can play it cool around Pomni.

He heads down to the dining area, shoulders hunched defensively like he’s expecting Ragatha to pop out and berate him. She doesn’t, of course, but the feeling never dissipates.

Jax is greeted by the sight of the others stuffing their stupid faces. His eyes are first drawn to Gangle who’s sitting on the end, slumped lifelessly against the table. Zooble is patting her back.

“I feel horrible,” she sobs.

“Well,” Zooble says like they’re searching for some useless platitude to give her. “This too shall pass.”

“Uuuuuugh.”

So she’s hungover. Good. Frankly this is her fault.

Now that Jax thinks about it, he’s pretty hungover too. Maybe that’s partially why he feels like [BEEP]. The dream has kept him focused on his spiritual woes rather than the physical ones, but now he can feel–

Aw, is Pomni hungover too?

His eyes flick to her and then he freezes.

She’s sitting there poking at a bowl of cereal with an exhausted frown on her face. It’s soooo cute he wants to go over and poke at the corners of her mouth to force her into a smile. Then maybe say something a little flirty and test out the waters—

Pomni looks up and her eyes land on him and Jax hits a wall.

Oh no.

He can’t play it cool.

Jax’s feet carry him forward until he’s at the seat next to Pomni’s. It’s the one Ragatha has been taking for the past week or so and Jax sits down in it with a feeling like he’s somehow cheated her out of something. Then he realizes Ragatha isn’t here.

But that’s not important. What’s important is that Pomni is looking at him.

It’s the first time they’re going to talk after what happened.

He has to be smooth.

“Hey, uh, hey what’s up?” Jax asks.

Pomni’s big ol’ eyes are like lazer beams. Jax actually feels like he’s taking damage from being looked at like this. He’s about to tell her to point those peepers somewhere else when Pomni clears her throat and says,

“Oh, um, good.”

“Huh?” Jax doesn’t get it. He blinks at her like that will get some of the stars out of his eyes.

“Huh??” Pomni sounds panicked. “Wait, what did you ask?”

“I said–”

Pomni drops her spoon and it clatters to the ground.

“God[BEEP] it,” she mumbles, leaning down to grab it. One of her bells whacks Jax’s thigh and he fights the urge to grab it, pick Pomni up by it and start swinging her around.

Oh god she’s somehow even cuter today.

She sits up and looks down at her cereal, back to poking at it with the spoon. Jax can’t help but snort.

“That was on the filth covered floor,” Jax tells her despite knowing the spoon is pristine.

Pomni gives her cereal a frown and Jax wonders if she’s mad at him.

“Um,” she says. “How are. You.”

Jax in the dress

Pomni telling him to lift the skirt

“Jax…?”

Pomni turns her eyes to him again, this time with a palpable hint of concern and it makes Jax shrivel.

don’t you dare care about me like that

Jax stands so abruptly it draws all eyes at the table to him, terrified that somehow they can all just tell everything that’s swirling around in his head.

The concern only grows in Pomni’s eyes and Jax backs up. He can’t handle this right now.

he’s losing control

“I’m fine,” he states for himself and all present. “I’m not in the mood to pretend to eat. You all have fun with that, though.”

His eyes meet Pomni’s and she looks so baffled and maybe hurt, but Jax just can’t.

Jax opens his mouth to say something, at least give a farewell of some kind, but he just turns around and walks away, wondering,

What is wrong with me?

—

Jax is lying on a couch in a room that’s full of couches. It’s one of his napping spots, but sleep never comes to him no matter how long he lies there. Instead he just thinks about Pomni.

the dream

the look in her eyes when he’d left

eventually she’ll realize who he is and–

Jax rolls onto his side for the thousandth time. He lets out a slow sigh and closes his eyes.

Pomni Pomni Pomni

She’s all that’s in his head.

“... in here. It’ll be private.”

He hears Pomni’s voice and it sets off a chain reaction of surprise then discomfort then euphoria then fear.

Who is she talking to??

Jax tenses up as footsteps enter the room. He considers sitting up when he hears Ragatha’s voice.

“I don’t really…”

“Ragatha, when are we going to talk about it, then?” Pomni’s voice is lowkey pleading and Jax thinks Ragatha doesn’t deserve it.

“I…”

“Please, just hear me out,” Pomni reasons. “During the adventure– I tried to go after you when you got shot, but it wouldn’t let me. There was some kind of wall.”

Ragatha is silent. Jax bites his lip hard to keep himself quiet. Oh he wants to rip into her so bad. But he remains frozen. He wants to hear what she has to say.

“Ragatha…?” Pomni sounds so concerned.

“Listen, Pomni,” Ragatha says in a quiet tone. “I’m sorry about disappearing like that. I just really needed some space.”

“That’s fine, but…” Pomni’s troubled little voice makes Jax want to throw the couch at Ragatha and take her out like a bowling pin. “What’s wrong? I can’t understand unless you tell me.”

Ah, now that’s a tall order. Jax rolls his eyes, waiting for Ragatha to [BEEP] it up. Hoping she does.

“I’ve… noticed. About you and Jax.”

“Uh–” Pomni stutters, clearly taken off guard. “You’ve noticed– uh, what?”

Ragatha is silent again and this time it grates on Jax’s nerves. He realizes he’s grinding his teeth together. It’s so loud he’s surprised they don’t hear it.

“I’m not here to have a fight with you,” Ragatha prefaces. Then, “You just don’t really know Jax like that. Just so you know.”

Jax’s blood goes cold as an unwanted memory floods his brain. He shuts it down so fast he can’t even have visuals, but it leaves his heart pounding.

is Ragatha gonna talk about it?

the past and everything he doesn’t want Pomni to know?

no no no no no

A scream builds up in Jax’s throat.

“Well, I mean, you say that,” Pomni says slowly. “But you won’t say what it is.”

Jax can practically feel Ragatha struggling for words. Finally she sighs.

“You ask him if you’re such good friends now.”

“Ragatha, why are–”

“That’s all I have to say.” Ragatha has laid down a boundary. Jax doesn’t dare believe that’s it. Doesn’t dare breathe. “I’m sorry, Pomni. It’s just really upsetting to see my friend get in a situation where–”

So that wasn’t all she had to say.

“I… I’m gonna go.” Jax can’t hear Ragatha’s light steps, but knows she’s leaving.

There’s a long stretch of silence. So long Jax wants to sit up and say a quip. Diffuse the situation. Instead he puts a hand over his mouth to keep himself from saying anything.

Finally Pomni sighs. He hears her footsteps, listens to them grow distant.

Jax waits a few minutes before letting out a breath. It comes out in a whine.

How dare Ragatha?

she almost told Pomni

But she didn’t. He’s still safe. Pomni doesn’t know.

Jax’s heart doesn’t calm down for a long time.

—

The Circus feels more like a labyrinth than it ever has, Jax thinks as he wanders. He doesn’t even remember leaving the couch room, only able to focus on the pervasive feeling of panic that’s ripping through his system. He needs to reset. He needs–

would Pomni accept that he’s just having a bad day and he didn’t mean to upset her

She’s so sweet he bets she would.

Somehow it’s not a good feeling.

Jax rounds a corner and comes across the lounge. Gangle is sitting alone, drawing.

It’s instinct that drives him forward to walk up behind her, snatch her sketchbook from her hands.

“Hey!!” Gangle cries. She sounds miserable. Probably still hungover. He hopes so. “Give it back, Jax!”

“Like that’s gonna work,” Jax snorts, rolling his eyes as he flips through Gangle’s sketchbook. “Why do you, like, only draw anime? Diversify your style, I’m tired of looking at it.”

“[BEEP] you, Jax.”

Jax looks over sharply to see Zooble approaching. They’re holding what appears to be a glass of juice. They hand it to Gangle.

“Nice to see you too,” Jax sneers. He’s in such a foul mood.

Zooble’s eyes narrow. “Will you stop harassing Gangle just because you’re a miserable piece of [BEEP]?”

Jesus.

The takedown is so harsh it genuinely takes Jax off guard. He’s still raw from Ragatha earlier.

“What, not gonna say anything to that?” Zooble doesn’t look pleased despite technically winning. “Stop bothering people. No one wants it.”

“Haaaa,” Jax breathes out rather than laughs. He flips a couple more pages. “What’s harassment is Gangle drawing these–”

“Oh my God!” Gangle cries. “What does Pomni see in you!”

Jax feels a shock roll through him.

Pomni

It’s a fine time for Gangle to be standing up for herself. Jax loses it. He throws the sketchbook at Gangle who drops her drink and shields herself with a little, “Eek!”

“Jax!” Zooble snaps. “Take your foul attitude somewhere else! You [BEEP]ing asshole!”

Zooble is so protective of Gangle nowadays. What the [BEEP] is that about??

Jax realizes he’s breathing hard, heart pounding. Zooble is looking at Jax like they can see right through him.

“Pomni doesn’t know you yet,” Zooble says.

The words are a smack in the face and Jax steps back.

Gangle picks up her sketchbook and pipes up, “You’re a jerk.”

Jax can’t face Zooble’s reiteration of Ragatha’s sentiments. So he turns on Gangle. Getting close to Zooble has made her bite back more.

“I’m gonna wring your ribbons,” he threatens, taking a step forward to compensate for the one he took back.

“[BEEP] off,” Zooble says simply, taking Gangle’s ribbon and helping her up.

They both start to walk away. Their hands part, but Jax watches them go wordlessly and thinks,

that’s what a couple actually looks like

Jax can’t give that to Pomni. Even if that’s what he wants.

He’s having weird fantasies and he’s a mess and he and Pomni are growing close and he’s not even happy.

Jax turns numbly and heads for his room.

He can’t risk running into anyone now.

He needs to be alone.

—

As it turns out, being alone is not the answer.

The thoughts spiral out of control so fast Jax isn’t in his bed for an hour before he’s pacing restlessly, dragging his hands over his face.

this is Pomni’s fault, some bitter part of him whispers. she came and now I’m like this

As if he hasn’t been pulling strings trying to get Pomni to like him.

Jax lets out an aggravated cry and heads for the door, walking as fast as he can through the Circus. Judging by the lighting it’s evening. Thank [BEEP] there was no adventure today or he’d be going bonkers. He already is.

Jax sighs as he makes his way into the lounge with some trepidation. It’s the fastest way to the kitchen and he’s already decided he needs ice cream. That will soothe his soul.

But his steps freeze when he sees someone on the couch. They’re too small to be anyone but Pomni. She’s sitting there with the TV off just staring at it.

Ah. That’s so pathetically sad.

Jax doesn’t back out of the lounge and it seals his fate. Pomni looks over and her eyes widen.

“Oh,” she says quietly. “Hi, Jax.”

It’s jarring to see her there, almost perfectly mirroring the image of his dream. Between that and the many criticisms he’s been forced to absorb that day he feels emotionally activated, ready to start swinging.

lift your skirt

Jax feels his face make some kind of expression and Pomni only looks more upset.

And he still hasn’t said anything.

she’s going to hate you no matter what so why bother says the devil on his shoulder.

but maybe she won’t says the more optimistic devil on his other shoulder.

Jax strides forward and suddenly grips Pomni’s wrist, dragging her up off the couch and desperately pushing the dream from his mind.

“C’mon, follow me,” Jax tells her.

“Where–”

“Shh. Shush,” Jax hushes forcefully.

Pomni goes quiet.

Jax goes out to the main stage area of the Circus and lets go of Pomni. And then he starts to scream.

”CAAAAAAINE!!!”

Pomni jumps. “What are you doing?!”

“Just hold on– CAAAAAAAINE!!!!”

Caine appears in a flash of vaguely concerning fire. “Good evening, my silly stars and stripes!”

“Yeah,” Jax says. “Send us to the carnival.”

“The wha–” Pomni starts.

“Oh, the carnival,” Caine says with a genuine tone of joy. “Feeling a couple rides? Craving cotton candy?”

“Yes,” Jax says.

“Well, I’ll send you in a jiffy!”

Caine waves his hand grandly and two tickets fall down from the sky, landing in Jax’s hands.

“Prepare to have your mind completely mangled by the magnificence of the carnival, Pomni!” Caine says, excited. “And make sure to tell me how much you liked it!”

Caine claps his hands and suddenly they’re not at the Circus anymore.

They’re at the entrance to the carnival.

Brilliant, glimmering lights make the twilight sky look dim. The sounds of roller coasters and NPCs screaming at a distance make Jax’s stomach flip in mild excitement. The smell of popcorn is in the air even outside of the carnival and it makes Jax feel phantom hunger.

Jax had always loved the carnival in real life. Does Pomni?

He turns his head to look at her, suddenly nervous.

What’s her reaction?

Pomni is looking up at the carnival with wide eyes that reflect the lights in the giant orbs in her dumb little face. They look beautiful.

“Well?” Jax prompts. “Ready to have fun?”

Pomni looks up at him. “You… took me to the carnival?”

“Yyyep.”

Obviously!! What gives with that reaction?

Pomni frowns.

And then she gives him a smile. “That’s so sweet.”

Some of the tension goes out of Jax’s shoulders even as he scowls. “Don’t make me sound lame. It’s a carnival, who doesn’t want to [BEEP] around at the carnival?”

He puts a hand on her back and pushes forward, to the ticket booth. There’s a red curtain in place, a white gloved hand reaching through to take their tickets before disappearing back behind it.

“That’s… a little creepy,” Pomni notes as they enter.

“That is like the least creepy thing it could be,” Jax chastises before leaning down, hands on her shoulders from behind. “So what’ll it be, Pomni? What do you crave? Games? Food? Rides?”

“Uh, um, uh, uh,” Pomni stutters. “I have to decide? Uhhhhhh,”

“Unless you want me putting you on the scaaariest roller coaster they have,” Jax threatens.

Pomni makes a reluctant sound at that and tilts her head backwards to glare up at Jax. He imagines kissing her upside down like this. Her look of surprise.

“I guess… food?”

“Good choice!”

Jax has to force himself out of the position, pushing Pomni forward through the gates.

Immediately the sensations double. The sights, the smells, the sounds of the carnival permeate the air, overstimulating enough to be almost like being in a real carnival. It distracts Jax from the things he’s been thinking and feeling so it’s really

Ragatha’s bitter looks, Zooble’s cold distrust, bringing up the past, trying to take Pomni away from

nice to be out here with Pomni not dealing with any of that.

“So, food,” Jax says. “What do you want to eat? You want a corndog as big as you.”

“I mean I’m not that hungry–”

But Jax is already walking up to the corn dog vendor. “Gimme two corndogs as big as her.”

The NPC spares a cursory look down at Pomni then turns and starts preparing the food.

“Jax, if we eat all that we’re gonna die,” Pomni says at his elbow. Jax looks down.

“Of course we’re not,” he says. “You and your hyperbole. One of these days I’m gonna getcha.”

“What does that even mean?” Pomni furrows her brow at him and Jax laughs.

But then a cold feeling washes over him and he is compelled to ask, “Sooo, what were you so upset about?”

Pomni frowns deeply and she looks so genuinely upset.

“I…”

Is she not going to tell him?

He knows what it is. She can’t just tell him that Ragatha was being–

“Ragatha and I aren’t getting along,” Pomni finally says, staring down at the ground. “And I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.”

Jax lets out a slow breath, not sure if he wants her getting into the nitty gritty. It’s definitely easier for him if she keeps it vague.

“Yeah well, as far as I see it you haven’t really done anything wrong so if she has a problem she can deal with it,” Jax dismisses. “Let her rot and figure it out. Or not. She’ll slap a happy face on it either way eventually.”

He can’t help but scowl about that. It’s so annoying.

“It doesn’t feel good,” Pomni says, tilting her head up to look at Jax. Suddenly he feels seen. “It’s hard making friends here.”

Jax’s chest throbs and he’s suddenly uneasy.

He coaxes a smile to rise up again, putting a hand to his chest. “Well hey, we’re friends, right?”

Then with sudden fear of rejection he leans down and pinches her cheek, pulling a little. “Yeahhh, yeah we are.”

“Your corn dogs,” the NPC announces and Jax straightens, relieved to have a distraction.

His eyes widen as he looks at their food and then he goes, “Hmm.”

The corndogs are literally the size of Pomni. “Y’know now that I’m seeing that in person that is a lot to carry around. Should we just take one?”

He peeks at Pomni, wondering what she’s thinking behind those big, distressed eyes.

“Oh, uh…” She bites her lip like she’s somewhere else. “Can you carry it?”

“... Sure.”

Ahhh why isn’t this feeling fun. This is supposed to be fun. Why did Jax have to open his mouth and ask about things he doesn’t want to hear.

They find a bench and Jax lowers the corndog so they can both take a bite. At first it’s just crispy fried breading and they take a couple minutes to bite through it.

By the time they get to the actual hot dog, hunger has set in. They chow down, destroying it. Getting lost in the thought of wow, wouldn’t a real carnival be great. Jax wants to take her to a real one.

When they’ve eaten so much there’s no real merit to continuing, Pomni gets up and goes to a drink vendor across the way. Jax watches her go with a raised brow at her proactive attitude. She returns with two huge cups filled with pink liquid.

“I don’t know what this is,” Pomni says, handing one to Jax. She sits down with the half eaten corn dog between them and takes a big sip. “... strawberry?”

“Hmmmm.” Jax takes a sip as well, glancing up to the night sky that’s now full of stars. “Something like that.”

Now they drink in silence. Jax’s chest feels ill. He wants to go to bed. Or have a screaming fit on the ground, kicking and pounding his fists. He wonders which option will make him more attractive to Pomni.

“Jax…?” she asks and when he looks down at her she’s got eyes that can see right through his skin.

“What.” he asks flatter than he means to.

“Um… are you okay?”

The words are venomous even though she doesn’t mean for them to be. Jax tsks sharply and looks away when her eyes widen.

“No, I’m not okay,” he says. “I desire a plushie and you’re gonna be the one to win it for me.”

“I– what?” Pomni looks completely thrown off. That’s just because Jax is that good. At changing the subject. “I don’t think I can–”

But Jax is already dragging her away from the bench, pulling her towards the rows of games he’s already beaten a dozen times. “You’re gonna wow me.”

Pomni stutters as he drags her up to a game where you have to shoot floating bubbles that look like Bubble.

“I dunno…” Pomni seems reluctant. Nothing a little coaxing can’t fix.

“Pomni if you don’t win me that plushie of Caine,” Jax says calmly, pointing up to an ungodly bootleg looking plushie of their heartless god, “I will have a meltdown and abstract so fast it’ll make your head spin.”

“Don’t say that!” Pomni panics. “I can’t–”

Jax tosses her what appears to be a mixture between a rifle and an AK-47.

“Impress me.”

Pomni gives him a doubtful look. “Aren’t you supposed to be cheering me up?”

“Not anymore,” Jax says. “Now you’re dancing for my amusement.”

Pomni frowns a bit.

Then she points the gun at him.

“Any last words?” she asks in a grave tone.

“You don’t have the guts,” Jax says, amused. Though Pomni threatening Jax does do something for him.

Pomni over him, telling him to lift the–

Jax bats that thought away so hard it makes him blink.

“Besides, didn’t I already take a bullet for you?” he asks, forcing the conversation forward. “Are you jealous you didn’t get to kill anyone last adventure?”

“Yup,” Pomni squints one eye at him and moves the gun like she’s aiming for his head. “And now I’m gonna take you out.”

Jax snorts with amusement and reaches up. He grabs the gun, slooowly pointing it to the actual game, then lets go.

“Take your aggression out on Bubble instead.”

“Hm.” Pomni squints at Bubble like she lost her glasses. “Uhhh, he’s really small.”

“That’s the point,” Jax tells her.

“... Ooookay, then.” Pomni pulls the trigger.

It might mostly look like a rifle, but it fires like an automatic. Bullets spray everywhere, getting a few Bubbles but also gunning down the NPC running the stand.

“Aaaaargh!” it cries as it’s blown to the ground.

Pomni gasps and stops shooting, jaw dropping. “Oh no!!!”

Jax throws head back with a sharp cackle. “Oh yes! You’re a killer now, Pomni! You have a taste for it, that’s how it works!”

Pomni looks back at him in distress and it makes him giddy in his chest.

“Am I next? Is your thirst for bloodshed not satisfied?” He wags his eyebrows at her.

“Uuuugh!” the NPC cries. “Just take your prize and go…. GO!!!!”

Pomni squeaks at the sudden scream and Jax snorts. He reaches over the counter and grabs the Caine plush from where it’s hanging. He gives it a serious look.

And then he starts whacking Pomni with it over and over, beating on her.

“I’m holding a gun!” she panics, gingerly setting it down. “I’m holding– I could have shot you!”

“You should have when you had the chance!” Jax exclaims gleefully as he advances.

Pomni tries to run away, but Jax follows her like a schoolyard bully, thwacking her on the head over and over. “Get back here!”

“Oh my god!”

Pomni trips and eats [BEEP] face first on the ground.

Jax laughs, crouching down. “Pomni. Pomni if you don’t get up I’m gonna getcha.”

He raises the plushie up threateningly.

Pomni raises her head, brow furrowed. “What is wrong with you?”

Jax shrugs. “Lots of stuff.”

He bops her on the head with the plushie again. “Wanna go on a ride?”

Pomni sits up and looks at Jax with an unexpectedly curious gaze. It makes him a little uneasy. Then Pomni says, as if testing the waters, “Help me up.”

Heat blooms in Jax’s guts and he almost rears back, thankfully keeping it together.

Jax swallows thickly. Pomni doesn’t somehow know that he’s into it, right? That’s impossible.

He eyes the hand Pomni holds out, tempted to smack it away to ease the feeling in his chest. Instead he reaches out and grabs it, standing and pulling her up to her feet so fast she stumbles and almost falls again. “Don’t fall, I just picked you back up.”

Why did he have to have that stupid dream, god.

Pomni scoffs and pulls her little hand away. Despite his own unease at holding it, Jax feels the loss acutely.

“I’m gonna tell you right now, no spinny rides,” Pomni says. “Those kill me.”

“Roller coaster, then,” Jax decides.

Pomni looks uneasy. “I dunno…”

“The only other rides they have are water rides,” Jax lies. “Do you wanna get soaked?”

“Nope,” Pomni says immediately. She sighs. “Okay. Roller coaster. But nothing too crazy.”

“Sure thing,” Jax says, starting to lead her towards the most intense roller coaster in the carnival. Silly Pomni. She has no idea.

Pomni follows along looking all nervous.

As they approach the roller coaster Pomni grows visibly [BEEP]ed.

“Oh come on!” she cries, pointing at the sign. “The ‘Monsternator??’ Are you serious?”

“As the grave,” Jax says, pushing some milling NPCs out of the way. “Let’s go.”

To his surprise, Pomni doesn’t offer further complaints. Not even when Jax grabs her wrist and drags her to the front seat. She does look nervous, though. “I– I dunno.”

“Too late now,” Jax says. “Buckle in.”

She does and Jax feels a thrill. Wow, she’s actually up for it.

Pomni must really need a distraction.

Good. So does Jax.

The ride gives a jolt and begins to move. They’ve only gone a short way before the car starts up a slow, daunting climb to the top of the first drop.

The higher they get Pomni grows more visibly anxious. She’s so cute when she gets all worked up.

They reach the top, looking over the carnival and showing off how high they are. They can see the Circus from here. Then they start to tilt forward.

“Oooh jeez. Oh no, oh- Aaaah!!” Pomni begins to scream, and Jax’s laughter is whipped away by the wind as they plummet down the track.

Jax’s stomach feels like it’s floating and he reaches over to grab one of Pomni’s arms, raising it in the air.

“Put your hands up!” he yells, not sure if she can even hear him over her own screaming. She clings to the bar with her other hand.

It’s weirdly exhilarating being with Pomni. Like Jax is experiencing this roller coaster for the first time. It had easily been the most fun he’d had his first time at the carnival and now–

“No, no, no, no, no!!” Pomni screams as they approach a loop-the-loop.

She lets out a mighty screech. Jax screams along with her just for fun as they descend down a hill and then flip upside down, looping and getting flung around by the roller coaster. Jax bursts into laughter that hurts his lungs after the long scream.

The next set of twists and turns are what really have his guts squirming, though, because Pomni does let go of the rail and clings to him instead.

It’s more exhilarating than anything the rollercoaster can provide and Jax is so pleased about it. He wants Pomni to hang onto him all the time, just like this. Like she wants him.

Like Jax wants her.

There’s another, smaller loop that has Pomni’s grip digging pleasantly into his arm and then they start to slow, gradually coming to a stop at the station. The safety bar loosens and Jax grins down at Pomni. She’s still holding onto him.

“Did you love it or did you love it? Miss Mild Thrill Seeker,” Jax asks teasingly, eager to know her answer.

Pomni is a little shaky, breathing hard and staring straight ahead.

And then, as if reluctant, she starts to giggle.

And giggle.

And giggle.

cute

“Yeah, that was pretty fun, huh?” Jax grins.

Pomni just keeps laughing even as Jax drags her out of the car, down the exit and towards another ride.

Being with her makes him feel like things are finally at least a little bit okay.

He doesn’t want to leave the carnival. And he’s pretty sure he can get her to go on at least one more ride.

Jax drags her through the lights and sounds, getting lost in them himself.

—

The ferris wheel looms up above them, lights spiraling in various colors and patterns across its surface in a way that’s mesmerizing. The two of them stare up at it for a while and then Jax turns to watch Pomni’s reaction.

Her eyes turn towards him, filled with flashing colors, but there’s something unamused in her look. “If there was a ferris wheel why did you make me go on the roller coaster?!”

“Pomni, I cannot stress this enough. I wanted to go on that rollercoaster and laugh at you.” Jax grins at her. “But now you can go on a relaxing ferris wheel ride.”

Pomni gives him a dead faced glare. She looks like she’s seriously considering telling him no out of spite.

“Aw, you’re so spiteful,” Jax teases. “Look at you, you’re so angry.”

“I’m not spiteful,” Pomni sulks. But then her mood seems to lighten. “Okay, but if you rock the car I’m gonna flip out.”

”God don’t say it like that, Pomni, it makes me want to do it,” Jax threatens genuinely.

But Pomni is the one to head to the ferris wheel. Her little bells jingle jangle and Jax wants to tie her hat in a knot.

It’s not fair.

she won’t go for it

Jax doubts for a moment that he can trick Pomni into liking him. Maybe if he continues manifesting with brute force, the situation will turn in his favor.

Jax follows Pomni to the ferris wheel and an NPC opens the door, gesturing grandly. They get inside, Pomni stepping gingerly as to not rock it. Oh, does she have a big storm coming.

Jax sits down and to his disappointment Pomni sits across from him. He frowns.

Makes sense, but.

The car door closes and the ferris wheel starts to move.

“Wait,” Pomni says as they ascend. “Where is the plushie?”

“Huh?” Jax is pulled from cycling thoughts.

“The plushie of Caine,” Pomni insists, meeting his eyes.

Jax blinks. Then he laughs. “In my pocket dimension. Don’t worry about it.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Pomni gapes.

“No, no, don’t talk about it. It breaks the fourth wall. So don’t worry about it,” he insists again.

“I… don’t understand,” Pomni says slowly, confused.

Jax smirks. “And you never will.”

She shakes her head, smiling at him with amusement that warms Jax’s chest.

Jax peers into her eyes. “Why are you asking about it? Do you want it, Pomni? Huh? Too bad it's mine!!”

He throws his head back and laughs.

Once he calms down he peeks to see Pomni’s expression. She’s still smiling at him.

“Nah, keep it,” she says. “I won it for you.”

The words pierce Jax like an arrow through his heart, sharp and unexpected, and he feels so strangely vulnerable for a moment it makes him panic.

His eyes dart away and he scoffs. “I was- I am going to keep it.”

Jax feels so stupid.

The ferris wheel rises a little more.

“Wow,” Jax says, craning his neck to look down, anywhere but Pomni. “The ferris wheel really is just stopping to let on NPCs.”

Pomni is silent for a moment that makes Jax’s skin crawl.

“Pfft.” A sound of amusement. Thank [BEEP]. “Well, it wouldn’t be realistic otherwise.”

Jax dares to look at Pomni again and feels a jolt when he sees her smiling with something suspiciously like concern in her eyes.

“What.” Jax’s eyes narrow. “What’s that look for.”

Pomni laughs softly, tucking some of her hair back as if nervous. It falls back into place.

“Uh, I was just wondering if you were okay,” she says.

lift your skirt

you’re a jerk

There’s something so gentle about Pomni it makes Jax feel raw.

he could throw her out of the car

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Jax scowls, slumping in his seat, eyes moving out over the carnival. “I dunno. I don’t really want to talk about it, but at the end of the day I’m an [BEEP]hole.”

It stings to admit it to her, pulse quickening with anxiety.

“No one’s going to be changing their opinion about me anytime soon. And as for you, I wonder how long it’ll take before you change yours.” His brow furrows. Jax doesn’t have the guts to look at Pomni.

The silence [BEEP]s him up.

“Oh,” Pomni finally says in a soft voice. It makes Jax hurt and he hates it. “Jax, that’s so sad.”

sad

Jax’s teeth clench and he knows he’s gonna bite at her when he turns his head sharply—

But when he looks at Pomni he sees she’s standing up, clinging to the side of the car precariously. She makes her way over on uncertain legs.

And sits down beside him.

She looks up at Jax with big, blown out eyes in the semi dark of the ferris wheel and the car sets in motion. They start circling in the dark.

“I… don’t know what the history is between you and the others,” Pomni says. “But I think… the Circus is a really hard place to be.”

no [BEEP]

“I was really lonely before we started hanging out,” she admits and Jax’s heart starts pounding. “You’re an [BEEP]hole. And you suck sometimes. But…”

but what

“I think you’re really sweet, too.”

sweet

It’s not the first time she’s said it that night, but this time it hits Jax like a meteorite.

“I’m not sweet,” he denies and it sounds like he’s pouting. His frown pulls down further.

Jax narrows his brows at her. “Stop it.”

Pomni gives him a helpless smile and a shrug.

“That’s how I feel.”

Jax wants to take a bite out of her.

He starts to sit up, arm sliding back behind her shoulders as he braces himself.

Then Jax starts to rock the car violently, getting it swinging wildly.

Pomni screams and throws her arms around in a tizzy trying to get purchase on something. One lands on Jax’s arm and she squeezes it in a vise grip.

“What are you doing?!” she yelps. “Are you trying to kill me?!”

“Yeeees,” Jax teases, leaning into her.

Pomni gives up on holding onto anything but Jax, arms wrapping around his and squeezing as she continues to scream.

“This is terrifying! Stoooop!” Pomni begs. “What if it breaks!”

“It’s not gonna break, you silly goose,” Jax tuts as he swings it so hard they’re almost going horizontal. “Digital ferris wheels don’t get wear and tear. That’s not how a computer game works.”

“Jax, please!”

Aw

Ahhh he’s had his fun.

Jax finally relents, letting the car swing. It’s still pretty crazy and Pomni squeaks, pressing her face into his arm. She also starts smacking it over and over so she can’t be that scared.

“That’s right, get that aggression out,” Jax encourages.

“You’re a jerk!” Pomni cries.

Jax’s heart stops. He goes silent as the ferris wheel starts to slow. They reach the top. The NPCs start bumbling out of the ride.

Now they’re stuck up here.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Pomni says in a little voice, breathing a little easier now that the rocking has mostly stopped.

”Jax, what’s wrong?”

Jax stares off into the dark distance in a daze. He can see the Circus vividly from afar, the moon lighting it up. It’s eerie and sets Jax ill at ease.

He has to do something.

Or he’s gonna lose Pomni.

Jax’s heart is beating painfully fast as he turns his head to look at Pomni. She stares up at him with those earnest, nervous eyes.

God he wants to…

Jax’s eyes start to close. He moves his face closer to Pomni’s, leaning down and tilting his head as their lips grow close.

you’re a jerk

The words resound in Jax’s head in Pomni’s voice over and over and over and over and over

“Jax…?”

Jax’s eyes snap open and he realizes he’s just been hovering a few inches from Pomni’s face, not doing anything.

What is it that he’s feeling. Jax searches his own heart.

I’m scared

He wants to rear back from the thought, but it’s the core of it.

The dream has been swirling around in his head all day, [BEEP]ing him up.

But more than that is a visceral fear of the past.

Is Pomni going to ask about it? And if she finds out, what will she think?

Jax doesn’t know how to handle it in a way that’s not unkind.

Pomni’s expression starts to scrunch with concern. “Uhh, Jax?”

Jax panics, rearing back with a, “Haaaa!”

His head rolls away, mouth frozen in a smile that’s barely not a grimace. “What, were you hoping for something?”

he’s [BEEP]ing this up so bad

Pomni’s eyes go wider than he’s ever seen them.

And then she pulls away sharply, a hand curling into an anxious fist on her chest. Her mouth wobbles once.

“Oh,” she says.

Pain throbs through Jax’s chest, of his own doing. Why did he say that?

It’s like he can see the stars falling out of her eyes like tears.

Pomni turns her face away to look out the window.

Neither of them says a word on the slow descent.

When they get off the ride they don’t say anything either.

They head back towards the Circus.

—

The bright lights of the tent have been lowered to the point that leaving the moon’s glow gives Jax the phantom feeling of his eyes adjusting.

He’s walking a few feet in front of Pomni and he just knows she’s looking anywhere but his back.

There’s no way he can walk with her behind him all the way to their rooms.

But he can’t leave this without saying at least something to Pomni. It’s not out of a sense of morality, it’s a compulsion, a need to speak to her.

Jax takes a shaky breath then turns abruptly, scowling down at Pomni.

She startles and stops walking, meeting his eyes probably on accident.

She stares at him, waiting.

I’m sorry

The words just won’t come and he hates himself.

“...see ya around,” he says instead, like a coward.

Pomni blinks at him. Then blinks at him twice.

Jax watches as tears form in her eyes, glistening in the low lighting.

Pomni takes a step forward. She hesitates.

Then she walks past Jax. No doubt going to her room.

he made Pomni cry

Jax breathes out sharply, hands dragging down his face.

It’s all ruined.

And it’s his fault.

Chapter Text

The next few days that pass are strange and unpleasant.

Jax makes a point to avoid everyone, even refusing to go on an adventure when called for one. Caine had been so surprised he hadn’t reacted quickly enough to force Jax on it.

Thank [BEEP], because Jax wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Not when his nights are filled with a different kind of misery.

He won’t stop having those dreams.

Pomni pointing for him to get down on his knees in front of her while he’s in the maid dress

Jax kneeling to kiss Pomni’s ring while she’s dressed in her Don outfit

and always Pomni’s tear filled eyes at the end

And every time Jax wakes from those nightmares he has to shamefully go clean up. No matter how sexy the dream is, it always ends in devastation.

Pomni doesn’t talk in the dreams. It makes Jax’s heart ache even when he’s turned on.

It makes Jax so miserable and he’s reaching the end of his [BEEP]ing rope.

Jax has also reached his threshold for isolation. He won’t be able to avoid being around the others much longer, though he doesn’t relish the thought.

He ventures out to grab a snack, trying to push it off longer.

He’s almost made it to the kitchen without incident when he turns a corner and comes across Ragatha.

They both step back sharply, eyeing each other warily.

When Ragatha doesn’t fill the growing silence Jax finally gestures to the side. “D’ya mind? You’re in my way.”

Ragatha gives him a look like she’s deciding whether she’s going to fight him.

“You step out of the way, Jax,” she finally says with cold defiance.

Seriously?

The way he’s so instantly [BEEP]ed is impressive, really. Maybe he’s just eager to take it out on anyone but himself.

“Oh, I’ve been gone a few measly days and you’re already getting a big head about it? I’d think you’d be less of a [BEEP] with me out of the way,” Jax snarls at her, happy to have a fight about it.

“What are you talking about?” Ragatha asks in disbelief. Her eye narrows. “Out of the way of what?”

Huh?

Jax’s brow furrows in annoyance. “What, you haven’t been using my absence to cozy up with Pomni?”

He hurls the accusation at Ragatha. It drives him crazy even though he’s the one that messed things up.

“What,” Ragatha scoffs like she’s uncertain. She shakes her head. “Are you and Pomni having issues now?”

That gives Jax pause and he’s so genuinely surprised it momentarily lifts him out of his own misery. He gives Ragatha a mirrored look of disbelief. “Have you still not made up with Pomni?”

Ragatha inhales sharply.

”Pomni, if you haven’t noticed, which you clearly haven’t, hasn’t been around almost at all.” Ragatha looks upset. “She’s not really talking to anyone.”

Wait, what?

did he hurt her that badly?

Jax withers, then glares defensively at Ragatha. “How would I know? I’m not exactly her keeper, y’know?”

Ragatha glares back. Suspicion enters her gaze.

“Do you have something to do with it?” she pries with emotion in her voice.

That has Jax prickling. “Oh, was that not your first assumption? I’m shocked by your benevolence.”

“Jax, what did you do to Pomni?” Ragatha snaps.

Jax’s jaw clenches, hurt starting to well up. Jax gives her a facetious smile. “See that’s your problem, Raggie. You find a probable cause of what’s hurting Pomni and rather than trying to actually talk to her about it, you jump at the chance to berate me instead. Is that more fun to you?”

Ragatha is aghast.

“It’s not about what’s fun!” she cries, putting a hand on her chest. “Is that what it is to you?? Are you just playing around with Pomni’s feelings?!”

Having it turned back on Jax leaves him unjustly affronted, upset by the accusation but having no intention of being honest with Ragatha about his feelings.

“Yeaahhh, what else could it be?” Jax asks sarcastically. “Why don’t you worry about your own [BEEP]ed up relationships?”

“You think I’m not?!” Ragatha looks to be on the verge of tears. She inhales to scream something at him no doubt, but then she lets out a single sob.

“You treat everyone like [BEEP],” she says quietly.

And then she turns around and walks in the direction she came, not bothering to pass Jax.

Jax watches her go, growing increasingly upset until he whirls around and heads back to his room. His head is filled with thoughts of Pomni, all sad and distant. He can’t get his expression under control.

It was a mistake to go out.

All he does is make mistakes.

—

It’s hours later when Jax breaks.

He’s in his room lying on his bed with his arms folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of what Ragatha said, what Pomni said, what Zooble said, what Gangle said repeat in his mind.

His breath hitches as it rises to a crescendo.

There’s a moment where he holds his breath and it’s almost bearable, like everything has slowed down for a moment.

And then his expression is twisting and he’s rolling onto his side, onto his stomach, burying his face into the pillow as it contorts in a silent scream.

He’s going to [BEEP]ing abstract.

Only he doesn’t because nothing is that easy, apparently. He just stays suspended in this horrible feeling.

the little tears in Pomni’s eyes

the sad look on her precious little jester face

Jax lets out a whine that horrifies him. He sits up sharply and pushes himself off his bed, leaving his room and slamming the door shut behind him.

He breathes hard in the harsh light of the hall.

Oh god what is he going to do. He can’t stand this.

getting close to Pomni was his first mistake

Not that they were even that close.

Jax starts blindly walking. He thinks he might be making his way towards the couch room, but he’s not sure he even wants to go there. The thought of lying down again is nauseating.

He rounds a corner and then—

impact

Jax is nearly winded as he walks into something that only comes up to his gut and—

knocks Pomni onto the floor

Oh God.

He just stares at her as she gathers her wits and looks up at him. He just stares as her lips part. He just stares as she gets up on her own.

Pomni stares up at Jax in turn like she’s waiting for him to say something.

But he has nothing.

I have nothing

Jax thinks he might actually lose it.

Does she hate him? How can she not?

“Hey, Pomni,” he says in a low voice like he’s trying to force things to be normal but somehow it just pronounces how awkward it is between them.

Pomni’s brow knits.

That’s not good.

Her mouth smooths out into a line like she’s trying to protect herself.

Then she begins to speak.

“I—“

”There you are, my wayward wallabies!”

Caine appears out of [BEEPING] nowhere, spinning like his presence is cause for celebration.

“What serendipitous timing! You two are together!!”

what??

“Pomni, that adventure you asked for is finally ready! I took some old assets, tweaked them a bit, and cranked up the graphics to make the environment as realistic as possible!” Caine does a little roll of his hand and bows like they’re at the end of his own solo broadway show.

Pomni, when Jax glances at her, is frozen with a look of regret on her face.

Wait…

Wait, did she request the… surely not.

She didn’t mention anything to Jax.

“Too excited to even speak! That’s what I like to hear!” Caine snaps his fingers and a portal appears. “Off with you! Now!”

Pomni doesn’t move.

One of Caine’s eyes twitches and he flies down, picking her up and flinging her sideways through the portal. Pomni’s scream gets lost halfway.

“Off you go, Jax!” Caine cries like he has faith Jax will actually go.

There’s a split second where Jax considers bolting away but then he thinks of Pomni all alone in whatever messed up adventure Caine has cobbled together out of her idea.

He sighs, starting to walk as Caine begins to vibrate. Caine stops, hands on his hips. “That’s the spirit! You have fun!”

Jax doesn’t think that’s what he’ll be having but he keeps it to himself as he goes through the portal with a pit of dread in his stomach.

When he exits he’s in a dimly lit entrance to what appears to be an abandoned office building. It looks like it was left in a hurry, papers on the floor here and there. The windows are grimy and it’s pretty eerie.

His eyes land on Pomni.

She’s standing a few paces away, brushing herself off. She turns slowly, only halfway, to look at Jax. Then she looks away again.

Pomni picks a flashlight up off the ground and starts moving forward.

Nothing to do but complete the adventure now.

Jax notes a second flashlight on the floor and picks it up, trailing after Pomni.

A montage of things he could say or joke about plays through his head but none of it would fit the mood of the situation without once again making him come off as completely dismissive.

you treat everyone like [BEEP]

Jax frowns sharply.

This is going to be so [BEEP]ing awkward.

And it is.

Jax can’t even particularly take in the ambiance as they silently trek through the old abandoned building.

At one point Jax pauses to try and look outside, desperate for even a pale imitation of the real world, but the outer windows are all completely boarded up. All they have is this somber tomb of an office building.

Jax almost calls out to Pomni to ask if it reminds her of the real thing then remembers she probably never wants to talk to him again.

Then he realizes he’s lost track of her.

[BEEP]

He hesitates. Maybe she’d prefer not to have him awkwardly trailing her like some kind of ghoul but he doesn’t really know what the goal of this adventure is or what might be waiting around each corner.

A scream pierces Jax from the other room.

Pomni

A cold chill goes up his spine. God, did Caine put some horror in here?

The possibilities run wild through Jax’s head as he sprints forward. “Pomni!”

He looks around desperately for Pomni or something worse. “Pomni!!”

“Over here,” Pomni’s voice calls weakly from the end of the hall.

Jax rushes over in a panic, turning the corner and nearly falling straight into a sizable hole where the floor has caved in. He jerks back, arms pinwheeling for a moment as he regains his balance.

There’s still dust floating around that’s been kicked up from Pomni’s fall.

He crouches down, squinting into the hole as he points his flashlight and catches her in its beam. “Hey, you in one piece?”

Pomni doesn’t say anything for a moment, looking down at herself. She nods a couple times.

“I’m okay.”

She looks really startled, though. Maybe a little upset. The realistic setting isn’t helping things. The danger feels realer than usual.

Jax considers what to do, able to think now that he’s sure Pomni is alright, if shaken.

“What’re your surroundings like down there? Does it look like a dead end?” Going down would be easiest, but after glancing around Pomni gives a dazed shake of her head.

“It’s a room. There’s a lot of stuff piled in front of the door.”

Great. Caine’s a real genius for creating pitfalls like that for fun. What a considerate guy.

He glances around the immediate area with his own flashlight. “Is that chair there sturdy? If you climb onto it I should be able to pull you up.”

Pomni just continues to stare up at him, something complicated behind eyes that look almost unnerving in the hyperrealism of their environment. “You’re trying to help me?”

The words sting and part of Jax wants to pull back reproachfully over the fact she’d even ask.

He scowls a little but lays down on the ground, resting on his stomach as far forward as he feels is secure as he reaches down into the hole. “What, you like it down there?”

Her silence pounds in Jax’s ears.

is she going to reject me?

Pomni climbs onto the chair then reaches up and slowly, tentatively takes his hand.

Jax’s grip tightens around hers securely and he brings his other hand down to further grip her wrist. He starts to drag her back through the hole.

There’s a point where it gets a little dicey but Pomni is finally able to get some purchase and help pull herself up. Once Pomni has crawled a little ways to put some distance between herself and the bad bit of floor she just collapses for a moment.

Jax scoots back slightly and does the same, slumped on his side and watching Pomni at an angle.

She’s pushing herself up onto her knees. Not looking at him.

“Thanks,” she finally says.

Jax’s eyes burn into her then dart away. “Yeah, no problem.”

He pushes himself up into a standing position, brushing himself off. There’s actually some dust from the environment.

“Guess Caine felt really inspired by your idea,” Jax puts out a feeler.

“Mm.” Pomni says. She turns to look down at the hole. “… I lost my flashlight.”

Jax’s mouth turns down a little. Maybe she’s just being civil. “That’s fine, I still have mine.”

He leans down to snatch it up, pointing it the other direction where the hall continues. “Should we keep going?”

Sitting around in this depressing hallway does very little for his need for stimulus.

Pomni nods. She heads back the way they came, steps more cautious now. Jax follows.

They enter a room that has a singular window. This one isn’t completely boarded up and the evening sun outside is orange and gold. It lights up the room with sunbeams. One falls directly over Pomni, but all Jax sees is the dark of her back.

She goes still.

Jax does too.

They’re frozen in time and the longer it lasts the harder it is for Jax to breathe.

Pomni shatters the silence.

“You’re kind of a [BEEP]boy, aren’t you?”

Wait, what?

Jax’s brow furrows as he struggles to recover. Then he grunts. So she finally caught on.

“That’s what I’ve been saying, Pomni.”

“Don’t say that like that makes it okay,” Pomni says firmly.

That shuts Jax up like she smacked him in the mouth.

His eyes drop, chest prickly and defensive but it’s well deserved.

“Sorry,” he rasps out.

Pomni’s shoulders twitch a bit.

It takes her a while to ask, “For what?”

His brow furrows. It’s almost worse that she keeps giving him chances, sharpening his desperation.

“I treated you like [BEEP],” Jax mutters. Then, “For [BEEP]ing up.”

Pomni goes stiff.

“Are you sorry for treating me like [BEEP] and [BEEP]ing up?” she asks in a voice thick with hurt and anger. “Or are you sorry for acting like you were gonna kiss me and blowing me off?”

Jax withers and he wants to sink into the ground. Just clip straight into Hell.

He crosses his arms, the beam of his flashlight skittering around the room.

he doesn’t want to say it

If he doesn't, Pomni really will hate him.

“Yeah. I’m sorry for acting like I was going to kiss you and blowing you off,” Jax says in a low voice.

“You blew me off the whole night,” Pomni says. “Every time I tried to check on you, you changed the subject.”

Jax doesn’t know what to say.

Pomni tilts her head so he can see the darkened silhouette of her face.

“Did you have a breakdown or something?”

He flinches away from the question. Had it seemed like he was? Is she just giving him that much benefit of a doubt?

Jax’s arms tighten around himself and he takes in a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh. “I had a… friend. At the Circus.”

Jax’s teeth and chest clench, eyes prickling for a moment. He closes them stubbornly. “I don’t want to talk about it. It doesn’t matter anymore. They’re not–”

Silence falls between them.

Eventually Jax continues, chest sore, “It’s something that affected my relationships with the others and I can’t do anything about it. It's been on my mind, recently.”

The fact that Pomni is listening to him makes him sick.

“And you’re afraid that I’ll… be too upset by what it is that I’ll distance myself from you,” Pomni says slowly. Jax can feel her scoping him out.

It’s horrible to be perceived but some part of him craves it too much to push her away.

“Pretty much.” Jax shrugs his shoulders defensively. “Ragatha wasn’t wrong. I don’t have friends anymore. Why would you want to be?”

Pomni turns her head away again.

“What, do you want me to count the things I like about you?” Pomni asks defensively. “Because when you are open with me I feel connected to you.”

His eyes widen as he looks at her. So Pomni admits she feels it too? This connection?

He’s so afraid of messing it up.

“I was going to kiss you. I wanted to. I’ve wanted to for a while now. I just freaked out.”

Jax feels like his guts are going to melt.

Pomni sighs softly. “Y’know…

“You can tell me when you’re not doing okay,” she says.

It’s so kind Jax almost asks her what the hell is wrong with her. He certainly doesn’t deserve it.

He considers how to answer then with exhaustion he hadn’t intended, “Well I’m not.”

Pomni is this unmovable wall that towers over Jax. He swallows.

Pomni turns to face him. He can barely make out her eyes. The sun must have set further.

“Me either,” she confesses.

He thinks Pomni looks downwards. “Did you have fun at the carnival?”

Jax considers her and the feeling that’s lodged itself in his chest.

“I did,” he admits, asking with some doubt, “Did you?”

Then with some clarification, “Before I was an [BEEP]hole.

“… I did,” she says, putting a hand on her arm. “That really hurt my feelings. If you do something like that again I won’t talk to you anymore.”

The words plunge like blades into Jax and it makes him uneasy, but he nods. “Loud and clear.”

His eyes meet Pomni’s for a moment but it still hurts to look at them. “Sorry, Pomni.”

Pomni nods. “Thank you.”

Is he forgiven?

Are they friends?

do I still have a chance?

He should just be grateful for forgiveness, but Jax can’t help but to be greedy.

“Well,” Pomni says, walking out of the room past Jax. “Let’s make the most of the adventure.”

Jax has nothing to say to that. He follows Pomni.

Pomni leads him, Jax flashing the light over her head to guide the path.

The atmosphere is still awkward and it makes Jax itch.

He breaks the ice, voicing a thought he’d had early on. “Caine mentioned it was lucky we were together. Had you asked for this to be an adventure for the two of us?”

Pomni looks over at Jax with confusion, a hint of curiosity. “Well… yeah. Why?”

Wait, she just admitted it?

Jax’s foot catches and he can’t quite hide his stumble, the flashlight giving him away. “I- mean. You wanted to spend time with me that much?”

Pomni looks away quickly. She sounds frazzled when she says, “I thought that was the plan from the beginning.”

thud

“Oh yeah, duh, we both knew this,” Jax lies, more pleased than he has any right to be after what he’s pulled. “I was testing you.”

“Uhh… sure,” Pomni says uncertainly. She looks away and ventures into a new room, peeking inside.

“Caine really went all out on making this realistic,” she calls from the other room.

Jax eagerly follows. “Right? It’s kind of surreal, huh?”

He pauses to look at a keyboard on a desk, gloved hand moving over the dusty keys. There’s something uncanny about the sensation and he pulls away, continuing after Pomni.

Twilight lighting chases after their heels as they move deeper into the building again.

They tour the next two rooms in silence. They’re identical office spaces, but Pomni is taking her time looking around.

Is she enjoying this even a little bit? Pomni turns her head and her eyes catch on Jax. They linger as she takes a step and there’s the creak of a floorboard.

She quickly steps back, moving to where Jax is standing in the doorframe.

“Come on,” she says, looking up at him. “Let’s find another room.”

Jax doesn’t want to move.

He drapes his frame as in the way as possible. “Sure thing. Go on, I’ll follow your lead.”

Pomni gives him an unamused look. “Seriously?”

“What, I’m waiting for you. Go on,” Jax encourages while remaining in the way. He’d missed messing with her so much.

Pomni could debate with him about it, but she doesn’t. She’s just kind of looking up at him.

Jax’s stomach drops.

is she not gonna play along?

Pomni lets out a puff of a sigh. She takes a couple steps forward and reaches up, putting her hands on Jax’s stomach and pushing on him as hard as her little arms can.

“Move.”

cute

It’s such a visceral feeling.

Jax rests his weight into her pushing hands. “You’re so strong. I’m going to budge any moment now!”

He encourages with a growing smirk.

“Maybe if I sucker punch you in the gut,” she says. But ultimately she gives up and steps back. “What, you don’t want to explore the abandoned building? That’s why we’re here.

“Shenanigans aren’t allowed,” she adds as if emboldened. “You have to take it super seriously.”

Jax’s smirk grows and then eases and he gives a little laugh, backing up out of the door. “I’ll defer to the pro. Go on, give me the real experience.”

“Just walk through and imagine what it must have been like when this office was used,” Pomni says, leading him onwards. “And then imagine what it’ll be like in twenty years.”

“Whoaaa, so existential,” Jax teases, and Pomni gives a little snort.

Did she think it was funny or just annoying.

Jax takes it a little more seriously as he trails along behind her, trying very hard to avoid the thought of the way things inevitably change and have been changed.

—

They’ve been exploring the building for a while now and Jax is unsure where exactly Caine hid the exit. Or if they’re just supposed to stay in there for as long as Caine sees fit.

It’s been… fun.

Certainly a different experience than it would have been before. But Jax is trying really hard not to dwell on the past right now because Pomni is giving him a second chance and he can not blow this. He will lose it and they will never recover.

Pomni has fallen quiet. It’s not a bad silence. She had been talking a while back about the importance of listening to the building as you walked. Listening to the silence.

It really is a whole thing for her. It’s cute. Makes her interesting.

So Jax walks in silence too, looking around and manning the flashlight.

The whole time he’s doing a mixture of kicking himself and delving into introspection he does not want to do. He almost doesn’t notice when Pomni finally stops walking and looks back at him.

“I think we have literally explored this whole building,” she says. “I don’t know where else to—”

Her eyes widen in realization.

“Oh yeah,” she says. “The basement.”

Jax wants to rib her. Needs to. But now he’s peeked inside the box that houses this horrible feeling and it’s full of locusts.

“Oh, saved the best for last, huh Pomni?” Jax’s voice feels forced. Can she tell?

Can she tell this awful feeling is inside him? Can she tell he’s pining after her every moment they’re together, craving her like he’s starving.

“Jax?”

Pomni is looking at him with present eyes.

“Huh??” Jax startles.

“I said we should probably head down,” she says, looking at him like she knows something.

“Right, right. The basement.” Jax nods, lost and distracted. “Well fearless leader, lead the way.”

He gestures with his head for her to go on already.

Pomni leads him down back to where they started. It’s a bit of a hike and the stairwell they go down makes Jax a little dizzy. It’s dark outside now and the boarded windows make it almost pitch black.

Pomni seems calm as they reach the bottom floor, exiting the stairwell and going to the entrance area. She starts looking around for the basement entrance, but pauses and points over to the front door.

“Oh,” she says.

There’s a 3D image of a spinning key and an arrow pointing down at the door.

“It would have been nice to know that from the beginning,” Pomni says with annoyance. “Also, that really breaks my immersion.”

It really is completely out of place.

“Guess Caine couldn’t help himself,” Jax says, personally finding it amusing.

“So we go down there, snag our key and we’re home free I guess?” he summarizes.

Pomni throws her arms into the air. “I guess! If it’s even down there! I don’t want to go through this whole building again in the dark.”

Pomni sighs and starts looking around. She tries a few doors then tries one near the stairwell.

“… it’s down here.”

Is that a hint of trepidation Jax hears in her voice?

“What, don’t tell me you’re scared,” Jax can’t help himself. “Ooooh spooooky basement.”

“I’m not— be quiet.”

The words send a thrill through Jax so strong he almost feels guilty. Almost. Even now they remind him of his first dream of Pomni.

“Oh, did that actually work?” she muses, glancing back at Jax before starting her descent.

Jax steps down as well, pointing the flashlight over Pomni’s head to light her way, not deigning that with a response. He doesn’t dare give himself away.

When they get down to the basement it is pretty creepy. Incredibly dark with nothing but rows of filing cabinets. Some of them are half open and there are files on the floor like they’ve been rifled through.

“Really makes you wonder what happened to this building,” Jax says. “It’s like it was just suddenly abandoned. Do you think this is an alternate reality where something really horrible happened and we’re the last two humans on earth?”

Pomni slowly turns to give Jax an unamused look.

“Or do you think there’s something really scary out there?” Jax grins.

“No,” Pomni says.

“Or maybe in here,” Jax continues. “You never know.”

“Great,” Pomni says flatly as they reach the end of the room.

The filing cabinets end and there’s a weird open space in the center. When Jax shines his flashlight there, the sight makes Pomni jump a foot in the air with a yelp.

There’s a mannequin in the center of the room wearing an elegant, short fluffy dress. It’s very unsettling. In the center of its outstretched hand is a key.

“Oh god,” Pomni says. “That thing’s gonna grab onto me when I try and get the key, isn’t it?”

But Jax is just glaring at the mannequin.

Something about the dress [BEEP]es him off. He can’t stop scowling at it. Is this some kind of sick joke? Why did Caine include it? To be a creep?

“Jax?”

Jax looks down at Pomni who is tilting her head up at him with an arched brow.

”What is that expression?” she asks. “Did the mannequin insult you or something?”

“Yes actually it did,” Jax decides. “Why is it dressed like that? Who asked for that? You?”

He suddenly turns on her in a fit of paranoia.

Pomni gapes at him. “What? Why would I? Did I have a reaction like someone who was expecting that?”

“No,” he grumbles, still giving it a sour look. “It’s really [BEEP]ing me off.”

With everything going on he had almost forgotten the hurdle in his issues with Pomni that is represented by this.

“But why?” Pomni asks, mystified.

“Because-!” bursts from Jax’s chest, frustration rearing up. “It feels like it’s mocking me!”

“In what way!” Pomni cries, alarmed and confused.

“Aghh!! I keep having this nightmare where I’m in the maid dress again!” Jax blurts out in a mixture of desperation and rage.

Pomni looks stricken. Then her eyes soften unduly.

“Oh. Did being in the maid dress really bother you that much? I’m sorry, that’s rough,” she says with genuine sympathy, but Jax is looking away.

“And you're bossing me around.” he continues. “And it gives me a boner. And it won't stop happening.”

He might as well damn himself.

Pomni is silent for so long Jax almost starts screaming. Finally she asks, unsure,

“And this is a nightmare?”

“When I’m awake thinking about it, yes,” he says with dry bitterness. “Go on. Tell me how I disgust you.”

This might as well happen. Really just dash those hopes before they’ve fully had a chance to take off again.

“Jeez,” Pomni says. “You’ve really been giving yourself emotional whiplash.”

How dare she.

Jax gives her a sharp look. “Don’t mock me! Do you have any idea how much distress this has caused me?”

Of course she doesn't, he would rather die. And yet here he is spilling his guts.

Pomni frowns a bit and Jax feels some of his false bravado wither. He scowls at her openly.

“I don’t have a problem with that kind of thing,” she says. “You’re fine.”

“Don’t you dare put it so mildly!” Not when Jax has been torturing himself over it. “You should-”

He’s cut off by Pomni raising her hand in a ‘stop’ motion.

“Is this your way of confessing to me?” she asks incredulously. Maybe like she thinks it’s funny which is unbearable.

Jax looks at her in confusion, then disbelief. Does she truly think anyone would choose such an embarrassing way to confess?

Then he gets flustered as he realizes, yeah, he did sort of admit to having erotic dreams involving her.

Jax glares at her, heat burning in his face. “...Well I mean I am confessing to something. Is asking about it your way of confessing to my confession?”

He really bends backwards on that one but his dignity is in scraps at this point and he’s got to preserve what little he has left.

Pomni is looking at him like she can’t believe him.

Then she starts to laugh. “Okay, well. Don’t worry about it. It’s okay to be kinky.”

“I’m not!” Jax protests, dragging a hand down his face. “Don’t you get it! I’m not! I’m- not normal but I’m not like that! Then we had that stupid adventure where you could boss me around and then the dress came back and I have to actually kill Gangle for that but it won’t even give me any pleasure because I can’t stop having weird thoughts about you!”

“You’ve…”

Jax waits for what she’ll say. He realizes he’s lowkey breathing hard.

“You’ve really had a lot on your mind, huh?”

“Stop putting it so trivially!” Jax snaps, starting to pace with the flashlight pointed at the ceiling. ”God, Pomni, what do you want from me?!”

“Hm,” Pomni hums and it makes the back of Jax’s neck prickle.

She tells him,

“You can have weird thoughts about me.”

For the first time in days Jax’s thoughts go quiet like they’ve been covered in fresh snow.

It’s followed by a heat that melts through it like lava.

“You–” Jax struggles with his words, tongue tied. He fixes Pomni with a serious look because she really has no idea what she’s getting herself into. “Are you into me?”

Pomni looks so surprised it takes Jax off guard.

“… Yes,” she says. “I was waiting for you to kiss me.”

His pupils blow out and he blinks several times. He asks uncertainly, “And you’re not offput by me dreaming about getting bossed around by you in a dress?”

“Jax,” Pomni says like he’s being unreasonable. “I grew up on the early internet. There are way weirder things than bossing around a guy in a dress.”

“That– is true,” Jax reluctantly agrees. Then he points at her. “Pervert.”

”Me??” Pomni stiffens at the accusation. “Don’t you want me to be into it?”

“Yes but that doesn’t change the facts,” Jax says. It’s honestly a relief. If she’s a little creep about it then it’s not just him. He can work with that.

Pomni sighs. But then she gives him a little smile.

“You wanna talk about this not in a scary basement with the haunted mannequin?”

“What, you don’t find this the perfect place to be vulnerable?” Jax asks, finally able to find a little humor in the situation.

“I’m good,” Pomni assures him. Then her eyes glance towards the mannequin, which is still holding out the key. “Ugh, it’s really creepy.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll grab it,” Jax assures Pomni, walking up to the mannequin like he has a bone to pick with it.

Great, Pomni doesn’t think he’s an irredeemable creep and he can still win a couple masculinity points back by playing hero.

He’s just reached out for the key when the flashlight flickers eerily then goes out.

Pomni yelps in distress, Jax freezing. [BEEP] that spooked him. But it’s alright. It’s just dark. They just need the stupid-

Jax reaches out, groping for the mannequin’s outstretched hand. His fist closes around the key and then it grabs him.

Jax hollers in alarm, yanking back so hard the arm comes off of it, still gripping onto him. He quickly starts flailing, the mannequin not letting go.

In a blind panic he grabs hold of its arm and starts beating where he thinks the mannequin is, not stopping until the hand loosens on him. “Jesus!”

“Oh my god!” Pomni cries out belatedly. “What the [BEEP] is going on?!”

“It [BEEP]ing grabbed onto me!” Jax yells, outraged. Oh he’s so mad it scared him.

“I knew it!” Pomni frets. “Where are you?”

“Listen, don’t move. I’ll find you, just-” Jax starts to grope around in the dark, swinging his arms in slow arcs searching for her.

His hand makes contact with something cool and soft. Before Jax can ask if it’s Pomni she lets out a shriek and his hand is assaulted by a barrage of smacks.

“Something is on my face!”

“Yeah, me, cut that out!” Jax pushes on her face a little.

To his surprise Pomni’s hands stop smacking and one closes around his, pulling it away from her.

Then she holds it, a little tight.

“Okay, maybe if we just— feel for the cabinets and we can find our way back,” she says with nerves. “We’ll be fine.”

As if not being fine is even on the table. Or something Jax is concerned about. It’s the Circus.

It’s cute when she’s nervous, though.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll be fine,” Jax assures her breezily. “We just need to find the stairs again.”

He gives her hand a little squeeze for reassurance then begins to grope his way forward, tugging Pomni along. It’s slow going but his hand finally makes contact with one of the cabinets and he feels his way forward using that as a point of reference.

The trek is arduous and takes way longer than it felt making their way in, but Jax finally almost trips over the stairs. He doesn’t though, steadying himself and giving Pomni’s hand a little swing.

“Watch your step.”

They start making their way up the stairs, hands clasped together in a way that makes Jax incapable of focusing on anything else.

When they emerge into the entrance area the dim lighting seems so much brighter than before. The arrow at the entrance glows like neon lights.

“I guess we’re done now,” Jax says, a little reluctant to leave.

Then he realizes Pomni is still holding onto his hand.

He looks at their clasped hands, then at her.

Is he really getting another chance at this?

His heartbeat quickens and Jax holds out the key. “You want to do the honors?”

Pomni looks down at the key in Jax’s hand. Then back up at him.

Instead of saying anything she stands up on her tiptoes, looking up at Jax meaningfully. Her eyes slip closed and her lips part.

does she want me to kiss her?

His grip tightens around her hand and he’s suddenly so nervous he feels dizzy.

But he’s not going to [BEEP] this up again.

Jax turns to face her more, thumb brushing along the back of her hand before he leans down to kiss her.

Their mouths touch lightly, tentative. When Pomni doesn’t pull away Jax deepens it.

It feels so good to kiss Pomni he doesn’t want to stop. Wants to shake the past version of himself that kept him from doing this sooner.

Jax feels Pomni’s free hand on his cheek, gently cupping it. It’s so tender it makes his guts squirm.

“Mm,” she finally makes a soft sound, moving her lips against his a little before breaking the kiss.

Their faces remain close. Mouths brushing. Jax’s heart going a mile a minute.

“I like you, Jax,” Pomni whispers.

Jax thinks the words might shake him to pieces for a moment and then it passes. He presses his forehead against Pomni’s, swallowing thickly. “I like you, too.”

Pomni smiles.

Then she pulls away and starts tugging him by the hand to the portal.

They’re walking hand in hand still.

When will Pomni break it?

They unlock the door and the two exit the dark building and are blinded by the Circus lights. Jax looks down and sees Pomni blinking hard.

She’s still holding onto his hand. Pomni looks up at him with a pensive expression that breaks into a sweet little smile.

“You good?”

Jax realizes he has some sort of stupid, dazed expression on his face.

He blinks at her slowly then gives her a small smile in return. “I am now.”

“Welcome back my creepy crawlies and kitten whiskers!” Caine explodes into existence and both of them jump, hands tightening around each other.

“Well? What did you think? Was it all you dreamed of and more?” Caine asks eagerly, eyes turning to bore into Pomni.

“Uh,” Pomni says. But then she nods amiably. “Yeah, you really nailed the assets. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be.”

She side eyes Jax for a moment. “Though the mannequin was really spooky.”

”As basements should be!” Caine says with conviction like he knows anything about real life and the Circus isn’t a simulacrum.

“Y-yeah,” Pomni agrees. “It was really wonderful, Caine. You did an amazing job.”

What, now she’s doling out compliments to Caine? Still, she’s not wrong.

“Yeah, it was a really cool one,” Jax adds, patting Caine on the [BEEP] because why not. It helped him patch things up with Pomni.

“Cool? Really?” Caine’s eyes seem to sparkle. The guy is really starving for compliments.

Caine gives his cane a fancy twirl. “I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to request it any time! It’s designed to randomize the environment for replay value! And if you’d like to request anything like more mannequins just let me know!”

“I- yyyeah, I’m okay for now,” Pomni lets him down gently but who knows if that level of subtlety is even on Caine’s radar.

“Welp, I’m feeling inspired!” Caine declares, floating akimbo. “More adventures to come soon, you two! Stay excited!”

And with that Caine poofs into nothingness.

Pomni’s hand is still around Jax’s.

“Do you…” she says. “Wanna go watch some TV and unwind?”

Jax, who feels unexpectedly raw from the adventure, can think of very little he’d rather do.

He gives her hand a squeeze just because he can. “Sure. Let’s go rot our brains.”

Pomni gives him a little smile of amusement as they start to walk hand in hand through the Circus.

Jax doesn’t dare quite trust this delicate new thing with Pomni, but he has no intention of letting it go.

Chapter Text

“Wow, Jax, you look like a slut.”

The sudden uncensoring of the word is what leads Jax to realize this is a dream. He almost startles out of it, but some part of him carefully calms himself so that he doesn’t.

what’s Pomni gonna do?

She’s standing over him and he realizes he’s in her bedroom on the floor. On his back. His wrists have been bound and tied to the foot of the bed. Jax can feel he’s in the maid dress.

He whimpers because this is a dream and he can’t help it.

Pomni steps so she’s standing over him. Then she crouches down, poking at his chest in the center of the heart cutout.

“What’s wrong, Jax? Tongue tied?”

Jax is.

He’s already painfully hard, and he feels a flash of panic when he realizes he isn’t wearing anything under the dress. It’s accompanied by a feeling of dread and the opposing realization that oh [BEEP] this is gonna be a good one.

Pomni slips onto her hands and knees over Jax.

“I know what you jerked off about earlier.”

oh god

The memory comes back, Jax on his side desperately fisting his cock, biting his lip and thinking about the act of pushing into Pomni for the first time over and over.

A shiver goes through him accompanied by a throbbing ache as he looks at Pomni.

His voice is shaky as he asks her, “What are you gonna do about it?”

“I’m so glad you asked,” Pomni says, leaning back so her hips are hovering over Jax’s obvious erection in the skirt. She wiggles her hips playfully. “I’m gonna make myself come.”

ohholyshit

Jax has never had Pomni actually touch him in a dream. It’s all been her ordering him around and–

“Lift your skirt.”

Words that always liquify Jax into molten heat.

Jax doesn’t feel the demand of it he sometimes does in other dreams but his hands move like he does. He doesn’t remember them being unbound. His cock throbs in time with his heartbeat as he slowly scrunches up the material of the skirt, drawing it up around his waist.

Leaving him bare to Pomni’s scrutinizing gaze. It makes him squirm waiting for her reaction.

“Yeah,” she encourages. “Move your hips like that. Do it more.”

A horrible sound rises up in Jax’s throat and he swallows it down. He starts to squirm his hips harder under Pomni, cock resting against his stomach. He’s so tempted to cover it again but—

But Pomni isn’t looking at it. She’s staring at his face with the self-satisfied smirk he usually wears.

His cock twitches hard against his stomach.

“Don’t come,” Pomni orders.

And then she sloooowly lowers her hips so that the bottom of Jax’s cock is pressed to the length of her pussy through her little jester suit.

It sends a pang through Jax and he grits his teeth, rapidly rushing towards coming.

don’t come

Jax’s thighs tremble with effort as he holds it back. It has him so turned on he almost feels ridiculous but there’s nothing funny about how intense it is.

He starts shaking his head.

“No, no, no,” he mumbles.

Pomni laughs. “What. Are you gonna come so fast because you like me so much?”

Her eyes narrow in amusement. “Or because I’m doing this while you’re in a dress?”

Jax’s stomach plummets as he realizes it’s a mixture of both.

“Oh ffuuuuck,” he groans, hips arching up into Pomni’s pussy and sliding his cock from tip to base over where her clit must be. His eyes roll. He’s gonna—

”I’m gonna—“

“What did I say?” Pomni says. “Don’t come.”

he’s gonna come

Jax cries out and—

—

Wakes up on his stomach in bed mid-orgasm.

“Oh Ffu— oh [BEEP]—“

Jax squeezes his eyes shut, trying to keep his hips from grinding into his bed as his [BEEP] twitches one more time.

God. And he can tell he made a lot. This is just embarrassing.

Jax groans, panting, and presses his face into the pillow.

Even with Pomni admitting she’s into him, this feels weird.

At least she’s into it or he really doesn’t know how he could face her on a daily basis.

For a while Jax lingers on the bed, face still pressed into his pillow as he thinks about Pomni last night.

They had ‘watched TV’ until she’d fallen asleep against his side, which had been unbearably cute of her. Jax had sat there so long, waiting for her to wake up on her own.

There hadn’t been anything particular that had happened. They’d talked, which had been nice. Honestly more satisfying than anything physical they could have done, even if he is jonesing for it.

Who even knows if Pomni’s ready for all that anyway.

Jax lets out a slow sigh, recalling the dream and holding onto the remnants of it a moment longer before finally forcing himself to go clean up.

As Jax readies himself for the day all he can think about is how excited he is to see Pomni.

—

Breakfast is just starting when Jax arrives and Pomni still isn’t there. He scowls actively at the others but sits down next to her usual seat. He pokes at some oatmeal before opting to just eat the fruit that’s supposed to be the topping.

Everyone ignores him which is well and good. Ragatha doesn’t even look over at him which [BEEP] right she doesn’t.

Jax is starting to feel sour when the chair next to him shifts and Pomni sits down.

she’s here

All the oppressive feelings ease a bit.

“Morning, everybody,” she says.

Jax waits for the others to give their lame greetings before giving an obnoxiously chipper, “Good morning to you, Pomni.”

Everyone else looks a little uneasy, but Pomni turns her head to him, lips curved up pleasantly.

“Hey,” she says. “How’re you doing?”

Jax’s smile widens and he feels like he can breathe easily again. “Oh I’m swell. Never been better, really.”

Some general chatter starts around the table and Jax ducks down closer to Pomni like they’re in on a secret. “How about you?”

“I’m good,” she says. He thinks she looks a little amused as she pours herself some cereal from a brightly colored box.

She doesn’t glance at him again until she’s starting to eat.

“Do you want to hang after breakfast?” Then she amends with reluctance, “If there’s no adventure.”

Jax really hopes not because he wants Pomni all to himself. “Absolutely.”

He reaches up, flicking one of her bells.

Pomni doesn’t tell him to stop so he does it again. Then again. Then she does tell him to stop.

“Knock it off.” She grabs onto her bell and gives Jax a firm look.

It turns him on a little so he lets it go, turning to poke at his own abandoned breakfast as he starts rattling on about whatever comes to mind.

At one point Jax has Pomni laughing and he notes Ragatha looking like it bothers her. That’s what she gets.

As breakfast draws to a close Caine fails to appear, leaving them to their own devices.

Pomni gets up and Jax follows curiously, waiting for them to be well away from the others before asking, “So where are we going?”

Pomni looks up to him with raised brows.

“My room,” she says like it’s obvious.

Jax’s interest piques and he tries to keep how eager he is off his face even as he lowers his arms and nudges her with his elbow. “Ooh, your room. And on the first date.”

He internally panics about the joke but when Pomni doesn’t instantly refute it he pokes at her cheek. “Scandalous.”

“If it’s that big of a deal we can hang somewhere else,” Pomni suggests.

“No, no, by all means,” Jax says.

Pomni rolls her eyes a little, but she’s smiling.

By the time they reach the room Jax is starting to feel jittery. They’re talking now and then, but it’s mostly just an offhand comment here or there. They aren’t having a conversation.

Because Jax feels so excited and weird and excited and freaked out.

Pomni opens the door and lets him in. She walks to her bed and sits down on it. Jax is so aware of that as he closes the door behind him.

He walks up to her, hand on his hip. She looks up.

Is Jax supposed to sit down? He suddenly feels on uneven footing.

“Jax?” Pomni asks.

“What.” Jax responds flatly, panic rushing in his ears.

Why? What is wrong with him? Pomni is having him over to her room and he’s responding like he’s never even held hands with a girl.

“Did you…” Amusement shines in Pomni’s eyes. “Did you dream about me?”

Embarrassment crashes over Jax, though maybe he should have seen it coming. “Pomni, you can’t just ask me that!”

“What?” Pomni says in disbelief, laughing a little. “Why not? They’re literally about me.”

Jax gives her a flustered look, humming. It had been a sexy one.

“Yeah,” he relents. “I did.”

Pomni flushes. She looks happy, but like she’s embarrassed, too. Then why did she ask?!

”I, uh,” she says. “…me too.”

His head snaps in her direction, extremely interested in her answer.

“Oh, is that so?” He advances on her. “What? What did you dream about?”

He’s dying to know.

Pomni flushes further at that and laughs, glancing away. “Oh, don’t ask me that.”

“You’re the one who brought it up!” Jax is incensed. “And you already know what I was dreaming about!”

It’s not faaaair.

Pomni looks back at him with her big eyes.

“So same old same old?” she has the audacity to ask.

“Actually there was some new stuff but I’m not gonna tell you now,” Jax says moodily, crossing his arms and turning away.

”Ooh, new stuff,” Pomni encourages. Then she pats the bed next to her. “Sit down.”

sit down

“Is that an order?” Jax hears himself say sulkily, but there’s an undertone of excitement and

no, no, no Jax can see in Pomni’s eyes that she noticed.

Pomni smiles knowingly. “Do you want it to be?”

Jax scowls at her. That’s just unfair.

“And if I do?” He asks pointedly.

Pomni’s eyes widen a bit, but then so does her smile. She pats the spot next to her again.

“Sit down.”

He considers her like he’s not dying to play along.

“Well, if you’re so desperate for it,” he says with a sigh, moving to plop down onto the bed beside Pomni.

As much as he wants to get pushed around, part of him wants to push her over. “What’s up, cupcake?”

He can see in her eyes that the pet name does something for her. He’s just not sure what.

“Oh, you know,” she says. “Considering exactly how much I wanna mess around.”

“Are you now?” Jax asks, eyes narrowing with a growing hunger. He’s so glad it’s not just him. Vindicated, even.

He leans in with wicked intent, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You should show me.”

Pomni laughs softly, a fluttering feeling entering Jax’s chest when he hears it. It’s immediately swallowed up by greedy need for Pomni.

does she want to have sex with him?

He remembers his dream from earlier and his stomach twists with excitement.

Pomni is tilting her head towards his.

“Kiss me.”

The words send a palpable shiver through Jax.

Pomni noticed that

Jax can’t not feel weird about it but the softness of Pomni’s expression allows him to push past any awkwardness as he tilts his head and presses a kiss to her lips.

Jax reaches up, cradling the side of Pomni's face as he immediately starts to deepen it. His body is buzzing with adrenaline as Pomni moves her mouth against his with similar awkward motions.

Her hands come up to his arms, gently holding onto them. Anchoring herself like Jax is someone safe—

A pang goes through Jax and he pulls away sharply.

Pomni’s eyes are immediately on him. She squeezes his arms lightly.

Before she can say anything, Jax leans down and presses their mouths together again, gripping her face restlessly as he kisses her. His heart is pumping something sour through him.

Pomni’s hands slide away from his arms and come up to his face. She gently breaks the kiss.

are you okay?

Jax dreads the words, but instead Pomni says,

“You need to work something out?”

Her eyes are understanding.

Jax looks at her in disbelief. It makes her brow furrow a bit. Pomni closes her eyes.

“Kiss me harder.”

For a moment Jax continues to stare down at her, trapped in time.

Jax likes her so much.

Pomni doesn’t know how much.

He draws her face closer again and kisses her lips fiercely, nudging and sucking at her upper lip, then her lower, before pulling her into another deep one. His heart pounds as he puts all the feelings whirling around inside him into the kiss.

Jax’s tongue presses to her lips and his body shudders when she meets it with her own.

They make out slowly, tentatively now as Jax feels out how much Pomni will let him do. Pomni tugs on his overalls, murmuring against his lips,

“You can let loose if you wanna.”

Let loose. She has no idea, she has no idea, and Jax can’t let her know yet if ever. He licks her lip.

”Well, I don't want to spook you like the world’s tiniest horse,” Jax chuckles against her mouth like any of this is funny. His hands start to shake so he slides them to her waist, squeezing her.

“Aah!” Pomni gasps, body jerking a bit in surprise. She shivers and presses her tongue to Jax’s when it enters her mouth again.

That’s a good response, right?

Jax can’t help himself. He starts to feel her up. Really get a feel for her awkward little body. He wonders if she has tits or if she’s completely flat.

“Hey,” he mumbles. “You got tits?”

“I’m sorry?” Pomni pulls back from the kiss, looking flabbergasted.

Jax’s eyes narrow. “You heard me.”

Who knows what Pomni is thinking with that blank face.

“... yeah, I have tits.”

yesssss

Jax's hand starts to slide up her body with growing anticipation that makes him giddy. “Can I?”

knock knock knock

The sound of knocking at the door makes them both freeze, Pomni jumping a bit in his grip. Jax scowls at the door. There’s only one person it could be.

He looks at Pomni who’s also looking at the door. She looks concerned now and Jax feels himself grow cold.

“Go on,” he says in a breezy voice. “Answer it.”

Pomni gives him a doubtful look but stands, going to crack her door open.

“Pomni,” comes Ragatha’s voice and it’s all over for Jax.

Blood pounds in his ears as he listens to her sorry excuse for trying to get Pomni to come with her, she’s trying to get Pomni to come with her, she’s trying to take her away

”Please, just let me say my piece,” Ragatha pleads. “I haven’t been treating you well.”

“I, uh,” Pomni says. “Can we meet up in a couple hours? I’ll come to your room.”

“Oh…”

Ragatha sounds disappointed. How dare she when she’s already gonna get Pomni’s time. Ohh, lord forbid she have to wait while he and Pomni have sex.

“Thank you, Pomni. I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, see you then.”

Pomni closes the door.

And then she turns and leans back against it, letting out a slow breath and putting a hand on her heart.

“Ah, jeez,” she says.

Ah jeez nothing

Jax has been out of sorts with Pomni for days and Ragatha chooses the day they’re together getting along again to make her amends?

Even if it is a coincidence Jax refuses to give Ragatha the benefit of the doubt.

Jax has slipped back into a bad mood he can’t shake even though he knows it’s just going to potentially hurt his relationship. “I’m surprised you didn’t just invite her in. You’re so concerned about her feelings aren’t you?”

“Invite her in?” Pomni sounds shocked, then offended. “What… does that even mean? Why would I invite her in while we’re in the middle of making out?”

“I dunno!” Jax exclaims like somehow Pomni is being unreasonable.

Pomni is looking at him like he’s said something really weird and Jax’s defensiveness rises.

do it

He breathes harder.

yell at her. hurt her. ruin this.

really take a chunk out of her

Pomni’s face is so troubled. “You don’t need to be jealous of Ragatha.”

And why shouldn't he be? It's obvious she's the nicer, better choice and she likes Pomni. The only reason they're not together is because she's [BEEP]ing things up worse than Jax.

“That woman wants to sabotage me,” Jax complains. Like he needs help with that.

It still makes him prickle.

“She's going to talk [BEEP], I just know it.” Just thinking about it makes him scowl.

Pomni frowns at him and Jax feels like he’s losing her.

“So what?” she finally says.

Jax scoffs in disbelief.

What?

“What do you mean so what??” Jax demands, feeling a little hysterical.

“I mean,” Pomni says slowly. “How much do you care about her opinion?”

Jax rears back at that. Then he glares at the wall past Pomni, who comes to sit down next to him. He looks at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Is that a trick question?” he asks with suspicion.

Pomni looks like she’s trying not to laugh which makes him want to scream. “No? Why would I try to trick you?”

“That’s not the point!” Jax cries even though it is the point. He’s getting all scrambled now. “Of course I don’t care what ol’ Raggedy [BEEP]hole thinks! But you do!”

There it is.

Pomni’s eyebrows raise.

“Oh. Well, don’t worry about that,” she dismisses. “You’re the one I’m seeing.”

“But–”

“Ragatha isn’t my mother,” Pomni says and the words cut deep, not into Jax but his perception of Ragatha. “And she can’t control what I do or think.”

And neither can Jax.

The words resound.

“Yeah, I guess,” Jax says reluctantly, feeling how irrational he’s being. He hates that. He hates ruining things for himself even while always having the compulsion to before it can be ruined for him.

“She’s so dumb,” Jax concludes a little childishly but he’s gradually coming down from ‘nuclear’ to ‘bruised feelings’ behavior. “You should tell her to stuff it. What’d you ever do to her anyway?”

Jax knows, but he wonders what Pomni thinks it is.

Pomni sighs a little. “It’s just hard for all of us being here. I’m not even mad at her, you know?”

Jax really, really doesn’t get it.

“I care about her and I don’t want her to be upset,” Pomni says. She raises her hands in a little ‘stop’ motion that instinctively upsets Jax, but then he realizes it’s not directed towards him. “But this problem is outside of me.”

Pomni’s eyes meet Jax’s and grow painfully earnest. “And it’s outside of us.”

Jax’s expression and mind go blank.

“Don’t worry,” Pomni reassures him. “I’m a loyal person.”

Does Jax doubt that? He’s not sure how to convey that it’s not Pomni that he doesn’t trust but that’s also not quite true. It’s all just a bunch of insecurities and those are all inside Jax.

But some part of him finally caves, matching the softness in her eyes.

“I’m not saying you’re not.” His hand slides over hers and he’s pleased when she lets him take it even though he’s being a [BEEP].

Jax finally lets out a sigh, slumping into Pomni’s side. His mood has bounced back a bit but he can’t quite get out of purgatory. “You showed up at the Circus and made things so messy again.”

It’s a compliment, no matter how unhinged Jax has been feeling recently.

“Well, excuse me,” Pomni says dryly. She gives his hand a tiny squeeze. “It’s not like I can leave so I guess you’d better get used to it.”

That finally draws a snort out of Jax and he grins, tugging on her arm a little as he pulls her closer. “Oh we’re trapped in here with you huh?”

Pomni gives him a serious look.

“I’m the dark horse pressure cooker,” she says. “You never know when I’m gonna punch a hole in the wall.”

“Toxic gamer Pomni is something I’d like to see,” Jax says. He nudges her. “Are you gonna teabag me? Huh?”

Pomni laughs a little, then laughs harder, rubbing her face.

“Huh? Pomni, answer me,” Jax demands. “Are you gonna teabag me?”

“Shut up,” Pomni says. Her eyes slide over to him, hand still on her face. She looks exhausted but she’s smiling. “That’s an order.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” Jax says, reaching up with his other hand to poke at her forehead. But it makes something curl pleasantly in his stomach. “But if you mean it say it again.”

Pomni gives him this long, pensive look. Is she thinking something bad?

or is she making me wait?

“Shut up,” she says firmly.

A little shudder goes through Jax and it’s honestly kind of embarrassing to get so turned on by having a girl tell him to shut up in a not hot way. Enough so he’s a little annoyed at himself.

But it’s hot to him.

Jax reaches up, pretending to zip his mouth and throw away the key.

Pomni’s smile twitches up and he thinks her little red cheeks flush.

Pomni leans up. Kisses him on the mouth. Then she pulls back to say in a quiet voice,

“Do you want to go to the weird library room?”

It’s not what Jax thinks she’s gonna say. Not in a million years would he have thought that’s what she was going to say.

what, wanna do some light reading?

Jax wants to ask, almost does, but then he remembers he’s not supposed to talk.

wanna read a [BEEP]ing romance novel?

Pomni’s smile curves wider and he has the thought that on some level she’s pleased with his silence.

“I was just thinking,” she says. “Sex doesn’t really seem like the vibe anymore. But I still wanna hang with you until I go talk to Ragatha.”

Jax’s eyes narrow, a little annoyed about that. It could easily tilt his mood back into the gutter but honestly he’s not feeling it right then. Thinking about Pomni going to meet up with Ragatha would just get in his head and ruin the whole thing and then he’d have to kill Ragatha.

Jax tilts his head at her then winks.

Pomni giggles.

It’s so god[BEEP] cute Jax wants to kiss her again, is about to lean in to do so when Pomni glances away, smile still on her face. She stands then looks back down at him.

“C’mon, let’s go.”

He missed his chance. Jax scowls.

“Fine, let’s find the book with the face again.” Jax stands and heads to the door, walking through before Pomni. “He had some really interesting things to say.”

Jax sees Pomni turn her head out of his peripheral vision as they walk down the hall.

“I didn’t say you could talk,” she says.

Then she bumps her elbow against him like she’s joking.

which is it?

It sends an electric thrill through Jax, though the thought of it being purely a joke makes him want to sink into the ground.

He goes back and forth for a second then leans into the joke aspect while still obeying, solemnly nodding and putting a finger to his mouth as if to shush himself.

Jax peers down at Pomni to over-analyze her expression.

Pomni is looking up at him, smiling a little. Then she looks ahead of her.

“That book was terrifying,” Pomni complains. “It gave me nightmares. Why do you like the worst stuff?”

oh are you just going to berate me while I can’t talk you absolute monster?

“Hey, Jax,” Pomni says.

He’s immediately at attention.

She’s still not looking at him.

“I’m glad… you also wanted to have sex,” she says. “I thought about it and then I was like, maybe it’s too soon? ‘Cause I don’t know how much you’ve even done.”

is she calling me a virgin?

Jax gapes at her with a frown on his face. Pomni is smiling, tucking her hair back. It falls immediately back into place.

“But then I had that dream and— well.” Pomni looks charmingly embarrassed. “But I’m kind of glad we got interrupted, too.”

Pomni’s eyes flick to him.

“Now we get to practice a little with this stuff.”

She’s bringing it up.

A rush of nerves washes through him but it’s on a small enough scale it’s easy to be excited about it.

Jax smirks and lifts his hand, giving her an ‘ok’ signal. Then he kisses at her, can’t help himself.

Pomni flushes, eyes going wide. Then she laughs. She mouths a little kiss back at him.

Then she cuts deep.

“You’re cute.”

His smirk falls flat.

now she’s coming for his masculinity?

Jax waves her off, crossing his arms.

Pomni laughs. “What’s wrong with being cute?”

Jax quirks his eyebrow sharply and hopes that conveys all of his disdain for the question.

She looks so happy it’s annoying. “I think it’s— it’s hot.”

being cute?!

Jax’s expression goes blank with a lack of understanding and more than a hint of annoyance. Hot is hot and cute is cute, what is she on about?

The desire to harp on her about it is the greatest challenge to his obedience yet.

“I mean…” Pomni gives an awkward little sigh. “We both want you in the maid dress, right?”

Her eyes glance to him. And then she comes in with the uppercut.

“You can speak.”

Jax gets flustered and he can feel the heat rise to his face.

He stumbles over his response then clicks his tongue sharply. “You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

Pomni’s brows almost disappear into her hat.

Then she gives him a little grin. “Is… that a compliment?”

God, she’s the cute one. Jax wants to eat her in one bite.

“Yes.” His eyes dart away and he mutters under his breath, “To both.”

Pomni’s grin widens.

“You don’t have to look at me like that, though,” Jax says defensively. “If you ask me, you’re weirder for wanting to see it.”

“Oh, you reckon so?” Pomni asks. Her gaze isn’t on him now and he yearns for it. Wants to gnaw on her attention.

”Uh, yeah,” Jax says like his argument holds any water.

“Okay then,” Pomni concedes. “So I’m the weirder one. What of it?”

Oh just look at Pomni, dodging his defenses left and right. It makes him giddy.

“Well as long as we’re in agreement,” Jax says airily.

Pomni just laughs. He’s been making her laugh so much lately.

They head off to the library to dwindle away the time Pomni has left.

—

The library is quiet except for the little bookbats flying around them. That’s what Pomni calls them. Their little bodies are books, so Jax was sure to tell her it wasn’t clever.

It’s cute, though.

Jax follows Pomni around as she searches for the scratch n’ sniff that had all the gourmet desserts. He skulks after her, really, thinking about his silent exchanges with her in the hall.

Somehow after the moment it’s belatedly sexy in a different way.

“What’s on your mind, big guy?” Pomni is suddenly looking over her shoulder at him.

“Oh you would ask that.” Jax pushes down on her head, getting frazzled.

“Do you wanna hear what’s on my mind?” Pomni asks, pushing at his hand.

“Pomni, there’s nothing I would want to hear more,” Jax tells her, fighting her attempt to shoo him off.

Pomni gives him a look like she’s trying to decide something. Then she nods.

“Pick me up.”

“Wait, seriously?” Jax is so ecstatic he just leans down to hoist her up under the arms, holding her in the air. Then thinks to ask, “Like this?”

There’s a pause where Pomni just stares at him with half-lidded, unamused eyes.

“No, not like this,” Pomni says, shaking her head. She reaches up and grabs his shoulder, dragging herself closer until he’s cradling her and she’s sitting in his arm. “Like this.”

Her face is so close to his. She has the gall to look embarrassed.

It gets his heart burning.

“Gotcha.” Anxiety flutters through Jax but between Pomni’s reaction and the privacy of the library he feels his eyelids growing heavy with want. “And now?”

Pomni regards him.

Then she leans in and kisses him softly.

“You’re gonna hold me up so I can reach the books,” she murmurs against his mouth, a tremble of nerves in her voice.

On some level Jax does want to kick himself over enjoying this so much but it makes him feel good in a way he can’t put into words.

Jax adjusts his grip on her and holds her a little higher. “Oh I get it. You saw these guns and wanted a ride.”

“Huh—?” Pomni blinks, then chuckles. “Exactly.”

She turns and starts looking through the books on the higher shelves. They just peruse for a while before Pomni pulls out a book.

It has the shape of a lily pressed into the leather. When she opens it, miniature flowers bloom out of it. Vines fall around the sides. Pomni stares at the flowers with wide eyes.

She’s so beautiful Jax forgets to breathe.

“You like that one?” Jax finally asks as a tiny butterfly flutters out and starts to flitter around Pomni’s head.

“Yeah,” Pomni says with a sense of wonder. It’s precious. The butterfly lands where her nose should be and Pomni’s face scrunches up. “Can you, uh… get it off me?”

“Can I or will I?” Jax asks with amusement, enjoying watching her try to blow it off without success.

“What are you doing?” He asks after a moment.

“I don’t wanna squash it!” Pomni insists.

“Why not, it’s just code,” Jax says. “It could be your little snack.”

Pomni levels him with a look deprived of anything jovial. In fact, she looks like she’s about to be lowkey [BEEP]ed.

“Blow it off my face,” she demands.

Oooh, and Jax does like that.

He grins.

“Close your eyes.”

Pomni looks at him with some well-earned suspicion. Then she closes her giant bug eyes.

Jax does consider doing something out of pocket. Look at her, trusting him.

It makes something twist in his guts.

He leans forward a little and gently blows the butterfly on a puff of air. It lazily flitters around for a moment then goes to land on one of the flowers from the book.

“Is it-” Pomni starts to ask, eyes opening just as Jax leans in to press a kiss to her forehead.

Jax hears her breath hitch a little.

do I affect you the way you affect me?

He knows that’s impossible, but when he pulls back there’s a light flush dusted over Pomni’s cheeks. She looks so flustered.

happy

Pomni’s eyes slide shut and she leans in, kissing Jax on the mouth. It’s soft and sweet, but Jax can feel something behind it and he wants to know what that is.

Jax wants to be able to read Pomni like one of the books on the shelf.

He carefully eases her closer, holding Pomni as he deepens the kiss. If only she hadn’t agreed to talk to Ragatha. He’s a little tempted to try and talk her out of it but even Jax knows it’s a lost cause so he focuses on how it feels to kiss her instead.

To Jax’s surprise, Pomni deepens the kiss next. So he deepens it fiercely in turn, feeling selfish. Pomni gives a soft squeak then lifts her hands to his face, cradling it like he’s important and that drives Jax up the wall.

Jax pushes Pomni against the bookshelf, barely keeping her up as one of his hands starts to roam along her side. He feels her up like he’s not gonna get another chance.

Pomni breaks the kiss, but Jax follows her lips, kissing at them, then nipping at them. Pomni laughs.

“If we get too into it we’re gonna have sex in the library,” she scolds.

“Pomni you can’t just say that,” Jax groans, desperately keeping himself from pressing between her thighs and just grinding against her already.

He steals another quick kiss then gives her a look, smirking mischievously. “Besides, would that be the worst thing?”

Pomni laughs, face still pink. Jax wants to take a bite out of her.

"Maybe next time." But then she closes her eyes. "Kiss me really hard to tide you over."

"Well," he murmurs, kissing at the side of her mouth. "If you say so."

Jax shifts, readjusting his grip on Pomni and pressing her into the bookshelf. The book she’s holding falls to the ground, fluttering its pages to slow its descent as he kisses Pomni hard on the mouth.

She gives a little moan of surprise that Jax savors as he swallows it down. Her hand cups the side of his face and Jax presses in between her thighs. His heart is pounding for her.

Jax brushes his tongue over Pomni’s lips when he reluctantly pulls back. "Mm, that'll do for a little while."

Pomni is looking at him all dazed. Jax feels possessive.

Especially when she leans in and kisses him with a passion that wasn't present before.

Like she really likes him.

Jax presses his hips up between her legs, holding her against the bookshelf. He wants to rub against her pussy so bad. Will she let him? Just a little?

Just then there's an odd tipping sensation and Jax only has a moment to pull Pomni back from the bookshelf before it topples over. It causes a domino effect, knocking over bookshelf after bookshelf.

Pomni holds onto Jax tight, gaping at the mess.

"Oh no!!"

Like the room won’t just reset.

Jax watches them fall, enjoying the chaos and the way Pomni feels in his arms.

When the shelves have finally stopped falling Jax hugs Pomni to his body.

"Oh no, Pom!! Look what you did! Caine is gonna feed you to Bubble!"

Pomni clutches at her hair with one hand, clinging to Jax with the other.

"[BEEP]!" she exclaims.

Jax laughs. "You're such a character."

Pomni scowls at him. "It's ‘cause we were getting sexy."

"No it's because you pushed it, I saw you. You're a troublemaker." He starts kissing all over her cheek, down to her neck until she pushes at him.

"Put me down and that's an order," Pomni tells him with so little amusement he can't even help but laugh.

"Fiiine," he sighs, pressing a final kiss to her cheek before setting her down.

They stare at the bookcases for a moment then Jax points at a different row. "I think that dessert book you liked is in one of those."

"Hmm," Pomni hums, clearly trying to decide if she should do something about the fallen shelves before looking at him. "Okay."

He grins widely as she turns her back on the carnage, reaching down to take her hand as they walk over.

After browsing a minute Jax finds it, holding it over Pomni out of reach. "Look what I found."

Pomni's eyes light up. Then her eyelids lower.

"Are you gonnaaaaa hand it over?"

"No." Jax grins.

Pomni sighs and walks away from him which is no fun. But she goes over to one of the big comfy couches and sits down on it.

"We can read together," she says.

"Don't you mean smell?"

Pomni shrugs. "You know. Whatever."

"Hmmmm."

Jax wishes she would boss him around. Like a weirdo. But this time he dutifully walks to the couch, plopping down beside her and immediately leaning as obnoxiously into her side as possible. "What do you want to smell first?"

Jax starts flipping through the pages, not handing it over.

Pomni hums. "Maybe the fruit pastries."

Jax flips to the chocolate eclairs. "Too bad. We're doing chocolate."

"But it all smells the same!" Pomni protests.

"Too bad."

Pomni looks like she's about to argue with him. Then she tells him,

"Flip to the fruit parfaits."

Jax eyes her with a pleasant curling of heat.

And if I don't? Jax thinks about saying.

It makes him so giddy he immediately psyches himself out, flipping to the fruit parfaits with a flush of embarrassed heat.

"If you insist, go on. Sniff your fruits." He lifts the book up for her.

Pomni gives him a curious look like she caught his slip up.

She reaches out and scratches one of the parfaits, leaning in to smell it.

"... banana and coconut," she says with a nod. "Delicious. Okay, your turn."

"This is juvenile as hell," Jax says, but he scratches one anyway and sniffs it. Vanilla and strawberry. "It smells like gasoline."

"No it doesn't," Pomni insists. She smells it. Then she just frowns at Jax.

Got her.

"Okay, your turn," Jax says with a self-satisfied smirk. She's so cute and funny and-

Jax flips the page and there's a picture of a maid holding up a decadent parfait.

His expression crunches into a scowl instinctively.

Pomni laughs. Jax glares at her and she covers her mouth.

"Sorry," she says, lowering her hand. "It just surprised me."

Jax glares at the maid.

"You know..." Pomni nudges him. "You'd look really hot in that one."

Jax goes scarlet and he slams the book shut. "Shut up!"

It's definitely not the reaction he means to have but it's a knee-jerk response.

The book falls to his lap and Jax covers his face, feeling stupid.

"Hey..." Pomni's voice is unbearably gentle. "Sorry, was that too much too soon?"

Too soon.

Meaning it's something she wants to work towards.

But why? Pomni is such a little freak.

The thought is oddly comforting and Jax gradually peeks at her through his fingers.

"I'm fine," he says like that's convincing.

He chews something over then leans closer to her, speaking low so only she can hear. "Do you mean it? Would it be hot to you if..."

If he wore a stupid maid uniform.

Pomni's eyes look like they are shining with stars when she looks up at him.

"Yeah," she says. "Cause you're really into it."

"That's bull--"

"When I think about you wearing one... I dunno, I mean I did think you were cute last time."

Jax almost screams in her face.

"But the fact that it would turn you on really does it for me," Pomni concludes.

Jax's mouth is clamped shut.

Why is Pomni the perfect woman? It makes him feel crazy.

His expression vies between a pout and being pleased, never quite settling on either.

"Well," Jax starts but concludes again with, "Well."

Heat flushes in his cheeks again as he looks away. "It's not like we can just get one anyway."

"Mm... that's true." Pomni gives a little sigh. "I mean, it’s possible..."

"What’s possible?" Jax asks doubtfully.

"Maybe we could convince Caine?" Pomni suggests.

"What, to give me a maid uniform?" Jax scoffs. "I can't just ask to be in a maid dress! I would abstract before the question was out of my mouth. It's like a cyanide pill failsafe inside my body preventing that."

His scowl deepens, though there's a distant pang of disappointment. "Sooo I guess we just have to let that dream die in a ditch."

Pomni gives a little snort that earns her the stink eye. She looks away thoughtfully and Jax tries to determine his mood.

Something shifts in his lap and he glances down. Pomni is picking up the dumb book. Is she seriously going back to that right now. Right now?

“Are you trying to insult me?” Jax ponders.

“What? No,” Pomni blows him off, flipping through the pages and–

She stops on the page with the maid again, studying it like she’s trying to pull some answer from it. Jax’s eyes keep darting to the picture and away. “Just forget about it–”

“What about a maid cafe?” Pomni speaks over him in a thoughtful tone.

“A- what? Maid cafe?” Jax asks, affronted. “First of all, nerd. Second of all, what are you suggesting?”

“You know what that is too, so,” Pomni shoots him dead point blank. “And I don’t know, maybe we can get Caine to run some sort of adventure with that. Maybe some people are maids and some are customers—“

“You’re getting too into this!” Jax warns, covering his ears and shaking his head. “You’re going down a dark path, Pomni!”

”Listen!” Pomni gives his arm a good, playful thwack. “No, I think it could work! If you’re one of the maids then there’s a chance you might return in one.”

That’s true. Caine isn’t always consistent with what clothing he lets through. Jax has a whole stash of junk.

A thought occurs to him.

If some of them are maids then there’s also a chance that Pomni will be in a cute little dress.

And that does entice Jax. A lot.

He rubs his chin, considering her. “Weeeeell, I do hate everything about the idea but I see the brilliance in your thinking. I guess it’s worth a try. But you have to be the one to suggest it. My name cannot be on this thing.”

Pomni smiles and zips her mouth, throwing away the key.

Jax feels like he’s about to go feral over how adorable that is.

Pomni puts a hand over Jax’s. “It’s okay, we’ll figure out how to get a dress somehow.”

“I’m not concerned about it!” Jax snaps.

Pomni just smiles.

They wile away the rest of their time together, finally parting with a kiss outside the door.

Jax watches as Pomni heads off to Ragatha then finally scowls and turns away, hunching a bit as he goes to find something to distract himself.

His brain keeps trying to freak out over Ragatha but thoughts of Pomni’s little demands and her plan to get a uniform keep stealing his attention away. It gets him in a daze, not content but eager.

Jax really is in trouble but he just keeps falling harder.

—

It’s evening.

Jax has seen neither hide nor hair of Pomni even though he went to her room to check on the results of the Ragatha disaster, albeit a little early. She hadn’t answered.

So now he’s sulking in his room, arms crossed over his chest. It’s gotta be about dinnertime now. Should he go? Will she be there or is she going to come straight to his room? Did she say? His head is so scrambled. What if Ragatha convinces her not to date Jax. Are they dating? He’s starting to freak out. He’s going to [BEEP]ing freak out, he’s going to freak out so bad

There’s a brisk knock at Jax’s door.

Jax sits up like a crushing weight has been lifted off him, going to answer it.

“Where have you been?” Jax starts to ask before he’s even cracked open the door, taking his chances that it’ll be Pomni.

It is.

She stares up at him in her stupid little jester hat and her dumb little jester outfit with eyes like Jupiter.

“What?” Pomni looks taken aback. “I was talking to Ragatha.”

Jax rolls his eyes, slipping out of his room. “Yeah I know that.”

He gives her a hard look but she doesn’t look like she’s developed a newfound disgust towards him.

Pomni is staring at him back. Her expression is so blank.

“What.” she says.

Jax wants to shake her like a piggy-bank. “Nothing. How did it go?”

He can see the whiplash.

“It uhhhhh,” Pomni says. She composes herself. “It went well. Can I come in?”

“No. We’re going to your room.” Jax makes a little shooing motion to get her going in the opposite direction.

“Why?” Pomni asks, a spark of curiosity in her voice but he’s not having it.

“Because I said so. C’mon,” Jax puts a hand on the top of her head and turns her around. “After you.”

Pomni starts to protest, but it fizzles out. They walk over to her room and only once the door is shut behind him do the words hit Jax in the face.

it went well

Hmmm that probably means they’re friends again.

too bad

Jax moves over to her bed, sitting on it like he belongs there. “Did she turn on the waterworks and beg you to take her back?”

Pomni frowns at him. She says in a clipped tone, “That’s not what happened, no.”

He gives a sharp snort. “Okay, so what did happen?”

“We talked about it and came to an understanding,” Pomni says.

but did they though?

“What, you’re not going to tell me? Is this some kind of ‘girl code’ thing?”

Pomni’s frown deepens. “No, I just don’t know how much she’d be okay with me telling you. We talked about some personal stuff.”

That grinds his gears.

Jax gives Pomni a long look like he’s trying to mind control her to no avail. He finally crosses his arms and pouts. “Good for you.”

He scowls at some distant spot for a moment then focuses back on Pomni. “So are we having sex or…?”

Pomni looks like she takes psychic damage from his question.

How dare she.

Pomni recovers and says, “I was actually thinking… maybe we should wait.”

Panic wells up in Jax’s throat.

oh god she’s backtracking

she’s rethinking this

she sees what a [BEEP]ed up [BEEP]hole mess you are and she regrets even giving you a

“I thought, maybe if we get the dress first then it’ll be really special.”

Pomni is looking up with earnest, bemused eyes. “Also, I’m not really in the mood right now. Are you? Like, really?”

Not really but it’s the principle of the thing. “Am I not a man in peak physical condition?”

Pomni’s planetary eyes go wide as ever and she laughs. “And just like that my panties are on the floor.”

“Shut up!” Jax snaps at her but he can’t help but let a laugh slip.

Pomni grins at him.

Jax feels a spark of affection, even in the sludge of his mood. “Okay fine, it’s not like I’m gonna make you.”

He leans back against the bed on his elbows, veering between asking if Ragatha talked about him or bringing up the fact Pomni’s been thinking about their first time.

Pomni looks down at him with a little fondness that goes a long way with Jax, to the point of making him uncomfortable. He glances away.

“What.”

“You know…” Pomni says with a tone in her voice that sounds almost sly, as if she’s capable of being that. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask me about my dream, again.”

“Huh?” Jax says attractively.

oh right Pomni had a dirty dream

HOLD UP, POMNI HAD A DIRTY DREAM

The world stands still for one beautiful moment before Jax blurts out,

“What did you dream about? Are you actually going to tell me this time?”

Pomni’s shoulders rise and fall with quiet giggles.

Jax’s mouth falls open.

“How dare you? You can’t do that!” Jax scoffs, incensed. “Tell me, Pomni. Tell me or I’ll abstract. I’ll- It’s starting. It’s happening now, better get going, go go go!”

Pomni is laughing harder now, louder. He loves the little squint her eyes do when she’s smiling this wide.

“I’m gonna tell you, don’t abstract, that’s not funny.”

“Yeah it is,” Jax insists. He snaps his fingers twice to hurry her. “Chop chop.”

Pomni giggles again then sighs, leaning back on her elbows. Now she’s on Jax’s level. She’s not looking at him, though.

Pomni mumbles something. ”…ingyourface.”

“Huh?” Jax quirks an eyebrow then cups a hand to his ear. “Didn’t quite catch that, can you run it by me again?”

Pomni’s face is looking red now.

“… I was riding your face.”

Jax’s eyes widen a little as heat pools between his legs. Oh, that’s hot.

He quickly rearranges his expression into a smirk. “Well don’t you worry, I can do that for you.”

Despite never having actually done it.

Look at Pomni, getting all flustered over the thought. She looks further away.

“Hey,” Jax says. “C’mon, look at me. It’s not a big deal, right? You’re a modern woman.”

Pomni looks at him uncomprehendingly then laughs. “That I am.”

Something flutters pleasantly in Jax’s stomach. What is that feeling? It’s only ever been associated with Pomni.

Pomni, who’s tilting her head at him curiously. Smiling a little. Leaning in.

Pomni pecks his lips sweetly, pulling back to give him a serious, searching look. “You okay?”

Jax snaps himself out of it.

“Right as rain,” he assures her. Is he? He determines he is.

Jax leans in and kisses her, rolling over so he’s half on top of her. He keeps kissing her until she kisses back, mouth pressed to his.

He breaks it to ask, “Can we make out still? Or are you saving that for the dress, too.”

Pomni smiles up at him all dreamy and Jax has won, he has won, he’s the one Pomni likes.

“We can make out,” Pomni says, reaching up and touching Jax’s cheek to pull him closer.

She kisses him and Jax doesn’t even mouth a smarmy comment against her.

He holds her and they kiss and Pomni makes him feel wanted.