Chapter Text
“Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?” Pomni asks, looking at Jax worriedly while he sits on the floor in his room with Ace.
“No, Pom, I’m gonna immediately go and launch Pea out of a cannon into a pit full of Gloinks,” Jax replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “You’re officially getting to be as much of a shut in as I am, go have some fun!”
Pomni looks at him hesitantly. Ragatha’s been trying to coax the jester into spending the day together for a couple of weeks now, and she’s running out of excuses to hold it off so she doesn’t leave Jax and Ace for too long. She still can’t help but worry that Jax will push himself too hard again, but she knows that’s not a good mentality to have for either of them.
Things have been fine lately. It’s been a little over three months since Ace was born, and things have started to settle. Jax even went on an adventure a week or so ago! Only because Caine had given him a way to check that everything was okay though, and he spent most of the time making sure nothing was amiss than actually participating. Caine had seemed happy enough with that, and Zooble did fine taking care of the bunny while he was gone, despite Jax’s constant interruptions.
Then again, if they wanted to see their parts ever again, they didn’t have much of a choice.
Pomni leans down, a hand on Jax’s cheek, giving him a parting kiss, then a quick kiss on Ace’s head. “I’ll see you both later then,” she says before exiting the room. Jax sighs, leaning back on his hands, attention back on Ace, who has currently decided to wrestle with the teddy bear they’d won for him a few weeks back. It doesn’t look quite as big compared to the kit now as it did a month before, and Jax isn’t sure what to make of that. He’s growing so quick; it feels like those initial struggles made him miss so much already.
“You’re really showing it who’s boss, Pea,” Jax says, grinning. Ace lets out a squeaky grunt as he yanks at one of the arms, feet trying to hold its body in place while he pulls. “What did Ted ever do to you?” He laughs, watching how focused the bunny is on ripping its arm off, his little bells jingling furiously as he resorts to gnawing on it instead. “You’re a violent one today. Maybe it’s time for you to have a nap...”
Jax carefully frees the teddy bear from its torment, watching as Ace’s tiny paws reach for it, letting out small displeased whines. Jax shakes his head.
“Nuh uh, no more beating Ted up,” he says, twisting around to put the toy behind him, out of reach.
Something hits him in the shoulder. He whips his head around, seeing the plush fox near him when it very much wasn’t there before. He looks at Ace, lost for words.
“Did you...?” He snorts out a laugh. “You wanna beat up momma now?!” he asks incredulously, grinning from ear to ear as the little kit smiles back innocently. “You’re a little menace, you know that Pea?” He leans forward, scooping Ace up into his arms, nuzzling his face against the kit’s head roughly, earning a surprised giggle. “It’s a good thing you’re cute, mister.” He gets to his feet, laying Ace down into his crib, picking the fox up off the floor and placing it beside him. “Nap time, okay? No throwing.”
He heads over to the bed, sitting down and looking around the room. He drums his fingers against the mattress, foot thumping against the carpet as he wonders what to do. He glances over at the locked box he keeps on top of his bookshelf, heading over and pulling the key from his pocket. Lifting the now unlocked lid, he pulls out a notebook and a pen, before sitting back down.
It’s just a silly little idea he had after he got sick; that he’d write his thoughts down as best he could to try and stop himself spiralling so hard again. He’s not entirely sure if it’s working, but it’s a good way to pass the time when he’s alone with nothing else to do. Pomni has no idea about it yet, and he’s not sure if he wants to tell her. It’s too much of an opening for her to find out more about him than he’s comfortable with. He does trust her, but...
He lets out a long sigh, opening the book and beginning to write. A few minutes after he begins, a soft thud on the ground startles him. He looks up to see the fox plush on the floor by the crib. He can’t help but laugh.
It seems his little Pea wasn’t just content with beating up his insides, now apparently more than ready to take the fight to everything else. After giving his son a long look full of adoration, Jax looks down at his book again.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
A couple of days later, Jax steps out of the tent with Pomni. The jester has Ace firmly held in her arms, while Jax carries a picnic basket and a blanket. The breeze that hits them is cool; Jax can’t help but shudder as a chill runs through him. Pomni looks up at him in an instant, brows pinched, silently asking if he’s okay.
“All good, Pom-Pom,” he replies with a light grin. His black hoody appears with a small ‘pop’, and he can’t help but feel relief at the familiarity of its weight settled on him. “Much better.” Pomni smiles up at him, then back down at Ace.
“Maybe we should give him a sweater or something too,” she muses. “I mean, I’m not cold, but we don’t know if it’s too chilly for him.”
“I’m sure he’ll bite one of us if he’s upset,” Jax replies far too casually. Pomni gives him a long concerned look.
“Is he...doing that?” she asks, very much feeling like she’s missed something.
“So far it’s just poor Ted that’s got some teeth marks, but give him time, I’m sure he’ll have a kill count soon enough.” He watches as Ace grabs at Pomni’s hat, jingling one of her bells enthusiastically. Pomni laughs nervously, adjusting her hold on him.
“Does he even have teeth yet?” she wonders, confused.
Jax shrugs, making a little humming sound. “We’re basically cartoons, he’ll have them if he wants them.”
They reach a nice flat spot near the lake, Jax setting out the blanket, the two of them getting some food out, watching out of the corner of their eyes as their son unsteadily tries to crawl across the blanket, but it’s more like an awkward shuffle with some rolling over.
“Hey speedy, you wanna slow down a bit?” Jax asks playfully, tussling the kit’s head, bells jingling. A squeaky giggle rises out of him as he rolls onto his back, kicking his legs. He’s definitely more rabbit-like than Jax, limb-wise. Jax can’t help but wonder if he'll stay like that or if he’ll change as he grows up. He can’t even begin to guess how any of this works; honestly the thought of Ace growing up is daunting in its own right. How has it been three months already?
He’s pulled from his thoughts as Pomni hands him a sandwich. He mutters a thanks as he takes it from her, taking a big bite and savoring the taste. Something nudges against his knee and he looks down, seeing Ace unsuccessfully try to climb up onto him. He picks up the kit with one arm, sitting him on his lap.
“You want a bite, Pea?” he asks, holding the sandwich in front of him. The bunny looks at it with fascination, before taking a tiny nibble. He pulls a face, wiggling to get away from the sandwich, making Jax and Pomni laugh.
“Not your thing, then?” Pomni asks, highly amused at the dramatics of their child eating such an awful thing as a PB&J sandwich. Jax casually chows down on the rest of it, relaxing as he looks over the lake. He feels Pomni lean against him, her arm wrapping around his as she lets out a contented sigh.
They stay like that for a few minutes, Ace shuffling about in Jax’s lap, until he feels tugging against his hoody. He looks down, seeing the bunny trying to crawl underneath it. He gives Pomni a baffled look, watching as their son eventually disappears under the baggy material, wiggling around with kicks and punches. “You feeling nostalgic or something, kid?” Jax asks, unable to hold back a laugh, wincing as he gets kicked in the stomach. “Nope, I am not doing all that again.”
Freeing his arm from Pomni, he manages to pull Ace back out again, holding him at eye level with both hands hooked beneath his shoulders. It takes Jax everything not to burst out laughing again at the cute little pout on the baby’s face. He sets Ace down on his lap again, and a second later with a small ‘pop’, he’s wearing an adorable little salmon colored onesie.
“Better?” he asks, like Ace can actually answer him. The kit merely looks up at him with big yellow eyes, before flopping forward and lightly headbutting Jax in the stomach. “...Hey, Pomni?” He looks at her. “I think our kid is a weirdo.”
She laughs. “With parents like us? I’d be surprised if he isn’t,” she says, smirking.
“Speak for yourself, Pom,” Jax replies, a hand on his chest. “I’m as normal as they come!”
Silence, before Pomni bursts out laughing. Jax tries to act dramatically upset by such ‘brutal mockery’, but he can’t help it; he starts laughing too.
“Shut up and eat your sandwich, Jingles,” he says, wiping a tear from his eye. He idly soothes a hand over Ace’s back as they settle into calm once more, chatting about all sorts of things. Never anything too deep, though. Jax isn’t sure he’ll ever be ready for talking about anything personal. What they have is good enough for now, right?
He really hopes so.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Jax rushes back through the portal ahead of everyone else, eyes darting around the room until he spots Zooble with Ace. He halts as he approaches, watching the scene with unreadable square pupils.
Ace is currently using Zooble’s own arm to smack at their torso with all his might (which isn’t much), with Zooble slouched against the back of the couch looking thoroughly done with everything. Pomni stops by Jax’s side.
“Uh...you good, Zooble?” she asks with a nervous laugh. They groan loudly.
“He wouldn’t stop crying until I gave him my arm,” they say, sitting a little more upright. “It’s just been...this, the entire time. What are you two teaching him?”
Jax approaches, easing Zooble’s arm away from Ace’s grasp and picking him up. “Oh my god, he really can take you on in a fight!” he says with a laugh. He taps his finger against Ace’s paw to mimic a high five. “Good job, kid!”
“And I’m sure he didn’t get any of that from you.” Jax looks mildly offended at the comment.
“Hey, if he got anything from me, I’d be the first to brag,” he replies, shrugging. “This is all natural talent.” Zooble rolls their eyes, popping their arm back in.
“So, what was the ‘amazing adventure’ Caine wanted you on so badly today, anyway?” they ask.
“Eh, just boring ol’ naughts and crosses,” Jax says dismissively.
“With explosions,” Pomni adds, eye twitching.
“Pfff, if you can even call them that,” Jax groans. “Didn’t even get launched that far. Boring~!” He drags the word out in a sing-song tone. Ace squeaks along, matching the tone of the word. Jax stares down at him, pupils huge, trying not to physically melt at the little kit as he snuggles into Jax’s chest, repeating the cadence a couple more times. He’s pretty sure he can see Pomni’s pupils grow each time he does it. Jax shakes his head, heading over to take a seat on one of the other couches. He places Ace down on the empty seat beside him, letting him have a clumsy crawl around while he leans back and relaxes. Pomni sits at the other end of the couch so they’re either side of Ace.
“He’s getting better at it,” she notes, watching him wobble his way on all fours here and there, with no direction in mind. Ragatha coos at him from the nearby couch, too tired to give much more due to getting caught in too many explosions, as Gangle approaches, smiling brightly at the sight of the kit.
“Aww, he’s such a little explorer already!” she says, holding a ribbon out to him and watching as he flops onto his side to try and grab at it. She giggles at the attempts, before looking up at Jax. “Can I...?” Jax looks at her for a second, face blank, before grinning. As much as Gangle loves holding Ace, she’s always so hesitant to ask. Probably because of past form on the rabbit’s part.
“Sure, if you wanna deal with his bloodlust,” Jax says casually. Gangle blinks at him, wide eyed, looking back at the adorable little bunny as Pomni laughs. Still, she reaches forward, picking the kit up and holding him in front of her face.
“Look at you, you’re getting so big!” She smiles wider as he reaches forward, bringing him a little closer so he can place a paw against her mask. “What do you think of my comedy mask, Ace?” she asks, knowing full well she won’t get an answer.
Ace brings both paws to the top of Gangle’s mask, squeaking in curiosity. He scuffles and bats at it with his paws, knocking it free, the sound of it breaking on the floor catching everyone's attention. Huge tears drip from Gangle’s mask as she stares at the oblivious bunny.
“He’s definitely your kid, Jax,” Zooble comments with a loud sigh, getting up and walking over to Gangle. The ribbon girl silently hands Ace back to Pomni before picking up the broken pieces of her comedy mask.
“It’s okay,” she says, smiling despite her tears. “I know he’s just curious.”
“See Zoob? Ribbons gets it,” Jax says, an easy grin on his face as he leans back with his hands behind his head.
“I bet you’re loving this though,” they say, side eyeing him.
“Such accusations, Zoobie,” he responds, very obviously trying not to laugh about the whole situation.
“Come on, let’s see if Caine can fix it up for you,” Zooble offers, a hand on Gangle’s shoulder. They head off together, Jax watching them walk away.
“I wonder what’s gotten into him lately?” Pomni muses, looking down at Ace as he starts to gnaw on one of her pompoms. Jax shuffles over, tickling the kit’s cheek until the irritation of it makes him let go and try to bite Jax’s finger instead. He swipes it away, watching Ace bite down on thin air.
“Wow, Pea, I’m hurt,” he says dramatically. “You’d bite mo–me, your dad?” A spike of fear shoots through him.
He’d almost said ‘momma’ in front of Pomni.
This could be a problem.
“Well, I dunno about you Pom-Pom, but I’m heading back to my room before this little menace finishes me off for good.” He knows there’s no reason to deflect from his near slip up, but he can’t help it; he can’t risk Pomni figuring anything out. He hasn’t even figured any of this out himself, yet.
Later that evening, Jax and Pomni both lay on his bed, not yet ready to sleep, but not having the energy to do much else. Ace is currently crawling over Jax, having plopped himself down on the rabbit’s stomach. Jax reaches his hand up to pat him on the back, leaving it resting on him as he sighs heavily.
“Something up?” Pomni asks, rolling over a little to look at him.
“Just thinking,” he replies, staring up at the stars on his ceiling. He feels her against his shoulder as she nestles closer to him.
“About...?” she tries to nudge, looking at him expectantly as he glances sideways to look at her. His attention is instantly taken as Ace begins to wiggle around, kicking and punching lightly against his stomach, making him frown deeper. He grabs Ace, holding him in place by his side.
“Do you think...is he like this...because of me?” Jax asks tentatively. Pomni’s eyebrows raise curiously. “I dunno...he’s been kinda violent lately. Maybe Zoob’s right...where else is it coming from?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Pomni says honestly. “I don’t think he’s even seen you break Gangle’s mask, let alone causing havoc for everyone.”
“Huh....” He tries to recall if Ace has seen anything like that, but his mind’s been so preoccupied lately, he’s drawing a blank. “Wow,” he says with a laugh. “I’m really losing my touch, ain’t I?”
“See? You’re all good.” Pomni smiles, snuggling up a little closer. “But...” she’s hesitant as she speaks. “...would it bother you if he was?”
Jax’s brain stutters for a moment at the question. “You can’t seriously want him to be like me!” The words come out of his mouth before he can even register them, and he hates it. They sound too raw, too honest. Pomni’s expression shifts, brows pinched like she’s studying him anew. He forces a grin, looking away. “Though I guess if you want twice the chaos on adventures...” He weakly tries to cover himself, but he already knows it’s a losing battle.
He sees Pomni sit upright from the corner of his vision, as she places a hand on his cheek, making him look at her. He cringes at the eye contact, his grin barely holding on. “I’m not going to lie and say you’ve never done anything wrong,” she begins, voice low. “I’m not stupid.” A ghost of a smirk crosses her face. “But when you’re not being a total [BLOINK!] to the others and let yourself be you? You’re pretty great to be around.”
Jax blushes lightly at the words, mouth pulling itself into an embarrassed crooked smirk. “Wow Pom, I’d almost think you liked me.” She smacks him in the shoulder, and his expression settles into something a little less tense at the reaction. It’s sharp, aggressive. He can handle that. He doesn’t say anything though, eyes focusing on Ace wiggling around in his grip, the little kit squeaking with annoyance as he starts to get impatient with being held in place.
“There’s a lot of good in you, y’know,” Pomni speaks carefully; Jax’s ear twitches. “It’s just...hidden behind a lot of walls.” Jax hums non-commitally, still not looking at her. His knee bounces lightly against the bed, trying to relieve some of the uncomfortable feeling that’s settled in his chest. “I know you’re trying to improve, though.” She leans down to rest on his shoulder. “I just wish you knew that you don’t have to hide those parts of you away. We’re all on your side, Jax. We’ll help you, if you’re willing to keep trying.” Jax lets out a little snort of air.
“The heck has all this got to do with our son, anyway?” he asks, trying to steer the conversation away, the uncomfortable feeling gnawing away at him further.
“I’m just saying...he can still be a little troublemaker without being cruel.” Pomni sits up again, leaning over so she’s in his line of sight. “And I know you can too.” His face softens at the words as she leans back again. He turns his head to follow her movement. “I’d honestly be surprised if he didn’t turn out craving a little violence,” she adds with a laugh. She smiles, so warmly it almost burns to look at. “We’ll just play it by ear, like we’ve always done. Right?” Her lips move, like there’s something else she wants to say, brows pinching in a sad thought, but she holds back. Probably another conversation awaiting him. Instead of risking that happening, Jax reaches around her shoulders with his free hand, pulling her in for a kiss.
“Do I really have a choice?” he asks when they part. “You’re only gonna kick my butt if I don–OW!” He glares down at Ace, who has decided that biting Jax’s finger is the perfect revenge for being pinned at his side for so long. He pulls the kit away with his other hand, freeing his finger and cursing under his breath. “Okay, the biting’s from you,” he says, giving Pomni an accusatory look.
“I’ll give you that one,” she laughs. “Pass him here, I’ll put him in baby jail.” Jax happily obliges, handing the baby over and watching as she lowers him into the crib next to Ted.
“Careful Pom, I think he’s still out for blood; no teddy is safe.” Jax tries to sound serious, but can’t help laughing, his chest feeling a little lighter. She rolls her eyes playfully, heading back over to the bed and settling next to him once more.
“Maybe Caine can get us some toys he can gnaw on,” she muses.
“And punch,” Jax adds. “And throw. And–oof!”
Pomni elbows him in the side, doing a bad job of looking done with him.
“Okay, okay,” he says, rubbing his side. “We’ll ask Caine tomorrow.” He grabs onto Pomni, nearly pulling her on top of him, grinning wide as he draws her in for another kiss.
“Jax!” Pomni splutters, pulling away. “Ace is right there!”
“Oh no,” Jax replies in a disinterested monotone. “He’s gonna see his parents happy and in love, how awful.” Pomni snorts out a laugh, leaning in to kiss him once more. There’s a few small squeaks and some soft thudding from across the room. Jax doesn’t even need to look to know Ace is now punching Ted’s lights out. “Kick his butt, Pea!” He calls across the room. “Don’t mind us~” He wiggles his eyebrows at Pomni, making her giggle as they kiss again, arms wrapped around each other and simply enjoying the moment.
Ace may want to fight everything right now, but they very much just want to relax.