Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was Pomni’s first time in the digital carnival. She noted it was as over-saturated as the circus, enough to cause an eye twitch. The Sun smiled eerily overhead, watching the cast line up for a ride. Fireworks exploded, even though it was noon. Music blared from nowhere and everywhere at once. There was so much noise, but no NPCs to make it feel like it was a real carnival. Technically, it was an in-house adventure. Just us then, she thought.

“Ooh, can we go on the rollercoaster first?” chirped Gangle excitedly.

Jax snorted. “Wow, Gangle. Didn’t strike me as the bold type. I imagine you’d fly off the ride and tangle somewhere painful.”

“Why would you imagine that?” she whimpered, tears swaying back and forth as she walked.

“Oh, look! It’s the Sun!” pointed Kinger.

The cast lined up to ride the coaster. It didn’t look safe, lacking seatbelts and all. One by one, the characters mounted, first Kinger, then Gangle, Zooble, and finally Ragatha. Pomni stepped up to the gate.

A glowing sign popped into existence beside Pomni.

TOO SHORT

Pomni blinked at it.

“…What? How am I too short to ride? Are you kidding me, Caine—you’re short too!”

Caine spun around, pointing a finger to his chin. “I AM?”

TOO SHORT popped up next to him, flashing with a sad noise.

He slumped. “I AM :(”

Before she could reply, a hand grabbed Pomni’s arms and flailed them around like the noodles they are.

“Awww, is someone too short to ride?” Jax cooed with a massive grin. “Too bad you’re small as a flea.”

He moved past her and took a step . TOO TALL blinked above his head. Karma.

His grin looked like it had been smacked off. “…Seriously???”

“How sad,” deadpanned Pomni.

He crossed his arms. “Now wait a minute, isn’t Kinger taller than me? There’s gotta be a glitch or somethin’.”

He pulled Pomni by the wrist toward another attraction. They darted from booth to booth in a half-desperate, half-petty mission to prove the ride height thing was a glitch. Every attempt failed in increasingly stupid ways.

The carousel? LOAD LIMIT REACHED. No one was even on the ride.

The arcade? Locked to “VIPS only.” Who even are the VIPS??

The vending machine? Flashed ERROR: INVALID LIMB LENGTH. Jax kicked it in a tantrum.

Even the kids zone rejected them, a toy baby crawling up to Pomni and crying, TOO MATURE.

Zooble and Ragatha got off the ride. Gangle pulled at Kinger, who had fallen asleep during the loop-de-loop.

Pomni trudged over, cheeks red with frustration. Ragatha gave her a sympathetic smile.

“It’s okay, Pomni. You’ll get your chance to ride next time, I’m sure!” she said warmly. “Don’t let it ruin your day.”

Pomni managed a smile. “Thanks. I just…really wanted to try the rollercoaster.”

“We can come back to the carnival later if you’d like,” she reached out a hand to touch Pomni’s shoulder.

Pomni dodged it, giving her an awkward smile. “Yeah…I’d really like that.”

Behind her, Jax was kicked out of a photo booth by a cartoon leg. Pomni giggled when he fell on his behind.

Ragatha’s smile flickered for half a second. “Make sure to be careful, alright?”

Pomni tilted her head. “Er—of what?”

Ragatha didn’t answer.

Caine swooped in front of them. “MY, MY! SEEING AS NEITHER OF YOU CAN GO ON ANY OF TODAY’S RIDES, YOU’LL HAVE TO GO ON A DIFFERENT ADVENTURE!”

“Or you can fix this damn glitch!” yelled Jax. He hated this, it was so unfair.

Bubble floated by, uninvited. “They should go on a date, boss!”

“YOU’RE SO RIGHT, BUBBLE!” Caine gasped with delight. He did a little dance in the air.

Jax got up. “What.”

“No—“ Pomni tried to protest, but it was too late.

With a snap of fingers, she and Jax stood at the entrance of a dreamy seaside café. It glowed pastel greens and blues, with pink clouds and the sea, motionless and inaudible, in the background.

Pomni reached up to touch her head with her free hand. No hat. Her hair, previously a mystery, now fell softly around her face. Wait. Free hand?

She looked down. Her other hand was clasped in Jax’s.

He stared at her. She stared back. Awkward.

Caine clapped from somewhere above. “OFF YOU GO NOW!”

An NPC waiter ushered them to an empty table, taking their order.

Jax was in a slick purple suit and pink vest. She wore a pleated rainbow skirt and a black button- up with puffed sleeves. Her mismatched red and blue shoes were swapped with a pair of black mary janes, yellow knee-length socks covered her legs. He had to admit it was adorable, especially the hair.

He shifted in his chair and rested a hand on his cheek. “You look pretty.”

All Pomni could respond with was “‘kay.” She sipped at her drink to hide the smile that was forming. How was she supposed to react to a compliment from Jax? She did feel pretty, though. Good to know I’m not bald.

He grinned. “Pretty stupid.”

“You look pretty stupid yourself,” she shot back.

They smirked at each other across a table that was definitely meant for two.

Now what?

Elsewhere, in a dark room glowing only from the light of an old CRT TV, Caine sat dramatically with a tub of popcorn, watching the pair like it was an episode of the Bachelor’s. Bubble hovered in his vision.

“OUT OF THE WAY, BUBBLE.” He popped a kernel in his mouth, which fell to the floor. “MY SHOW IS ON!”

A few days passed since the “date” adventure. No one really brought it up or questioned why it even happened. Not even Jax. It’s not like it mattered, anyway. Caine forced it to happen, and there probably wasn’t even a glitch in the first place.

Wait, why did Caine force them into a date?

Pomni wandered in the direction of the common room, deep in thought, when she was intercepted mid-step.

“HELLO, POMNI!” Caine popped into existence.

“Caine—what are you—”

SNAP.

Pomni blinked. Then slowly looked down at herself.

Her outfit changed again. Oversized purple hoodie under pink overalls. Her hat was changed to bunny ears. Oh no.

“CAINE! Why would you—ugh, no!!” she yelled at Caine, who had disappeared.

She started to panic. This is a disaster… I can’t let Jax see me like this , she thought.

Ragatha and Gangle were nearby. Nuh-uh. She ducked into a random corner and took cover behind a stack of technicolor blocks, nearly slipping.

“Close one.“

She didn’t notice Jax hiding next to her.

Their heads turns slowly, eyes widening as they looked each other up and down.

Jax was also a victim of Caine’s tomfoolery. His overalls were traded out for a T-shirt and pants. It seemed like he was wearing Pomni’s blue and red gloves.

His shirt…Pomni’s face with #1 FAN in giant letters.

They continued to stare at each other…then they burst out laughing.

“Hey Pomni,” Jax wheezed, pointing at his ridiculous shirt. “Check it out! I’m your number one fan!”

Pomni snorted. “You’re hiding here too? Oh god.”

They leaned on each other as they laughed like idiots.

“Is Caine pranking us or something?” She managed to let put between laughs. “Does he secretly despise us for being friends or something? Or is he getting back at you for being such an asshole?”

“Nah, I’d say the first one. This was an attack and we were unprepared.”

Meanwhile, Zooble sat on the common room couch, arms and legs crossed, unamused.

“ISN’T THIS WONDERFUL, ZOOBLE? MY SHIP IS SAILING! IF I’M GOING TO HAVE A COUPLE IN MY CIRCUS, IT’S THOSE TWO!” Caine was practically buzzing.

Zooble stared. “…Right. And did you tell them they have to kiss to end the adventure?” Which is totally cringe.

Caine paused. “AH—NO… NOT EXACTLY.”

“Caine…”

POP

Caine vanished and reappeared directly above the hideout—just in time to see Jax doubled over laughing and collapsing onto Pomni, who was also red-faced and breathless from giggling. From above, it looked like something…else.

Caine’s jaw dropped.

He disappeared with a snap, then reappeared in Zooble’s triangular face, screaming.

“ZOOBLE!!”

Zooble jumped and screamed back. “WHAT!!.?”

“OH ZOOBLE… THEY ALREADY FINISHED UP THE ADVENTURE. EVEN WITHOUT TELLING THEM HOW TO…” Caine’s sniffed, eyes watery.

“I—are you crying?”

“S-SAILING…!”

Zooble facepalmed. Never take Caine seriously.

Pop.

Confetti exploded over Jax and Pomni’s heads.

Their outfits switched back to normal. “ADVENTURE COMPLETED” floated briefly above them in bubble letters.

Pomni wiped confetti off her hat. “Wait—what?”

She realized the position they were in. “Get off me, Jax. C’mon, up!” She pushed his chest with her foot.

“This is how you treat your number one fan, Pom?” he grinned as he got up, still giddy from laughter. She smiled when he held out his hand and pulled her up to her feet.

Chapter Text

Pomni was up early. Not because she wanted to be. Just… because.

She sat at the table with Gangle and Zooble, poking at something that looked like a waffle.

Lately she started to see the cast members less and less. Every time Caine summoned them, it was the same: everyone got tame adventures, sometimes no adventure at all, while Jax and Pomni were shuttled off on some “team-building experience.” Their adventures always had a romantic atmosphere, almost no stakes, and Caine’s eyes watching from afar.

Nothing subtle about them. Not even close.

Her brow furrowed. She was almost sure this was a setup.

Caine was matchmaking them.

It wasn’t that she minded Jax, really. He was arrogant and kinda sadistic, but he didn’t treat her like glass. And lately they were starting to get along. She started to enjoy his company, his stupid jokes, sometimes even his pranks. The circus wasn’t so bad when he was around her. But this? This was getting ridiculous.

“Hey, Pomni. You all right?” asked Ragatha as she sat down beside her, sounding slightly concerned. She took a sip of something that looked like coffee.

“Ah, good morning Ragatha…yeah, I’m fine.”

She bounced her leg. Okay. She had a plan. Kind of? She had a notion of a plan, which was good enough.

She just had to wait for—

Jax walked out of the hall, stretching and yawning. Now’s the chance.

“Psst. Jax!” she whispered, yanking him down to her level.

“Whaddayawant?” he slurred, rubbing his eyes.

“Trust me on what I’m about to do. Just follow my lead,” she whispered, dragging him toward the others.

Jax opened his mouth, but Pomni spoke up.

“Hey guys! Uh… I just wanted to make something public!”

The cast turned to look.

Pomni grabbed Jax’s hand.

“We’re… dating!” she announced awkwardly, mouth twitching into a crooked grin.

What followed was a circus.

Gangle’s comedy mask dropped and shattered. A wave of gasps and slack jaws followed. Kinger poked his head out of his fort and screamed in solidarity. One jaw hit the ground right next to Gangle’s mask.

Zooble didn’t look up from their magazine. Ragatha, on the other hand, looked like she’d seen a ghost.

Caine slowly retrieved his mandible from the floor, holding it up beneath his eyes.

“WELL, WELL, WELL! THIS REVEAL CERTAINLY MERITS A GRAND CELEBRATION!”

“Are they gonna get freaky, Caine?” Bubble chimed in.

Ragatha burst into tears.

Pomni had not expected that kind of overreaction—from anyone. She didn’t dare glance at Jax, though she could feel his hand stiffen in hers. He was still and quiet. Maybe she should have talked to him first.

She dropped his hand and slipped away toward the hallway before Caine could declare a wedding or worse. The sound of chaos finally faded behind her as she entered her room, closing the door. Okay. Maybe that was a tiny bit dramatic. But now she had to commit…and also face Jax.

“Hey, what gives?” Jax burst in behind her, cheeks a shade darker. “Dating?” He held out his hands.

“Relax, Jax. I told you—I have a plan,” she said, climbing onto her bed.

“Right, well, lay it on me,” he grumbled, placing his hands on his hips.

Pomni exhaled. “Okay. Look. I’ve been thinking about this for a while—ever since the glitch at the carnival.”

“The date thing,” Jax muttered. “He just threw us into it.”

“Right? It’s so odd..and when he swapped our outfits? I have no clue what that was all about, actually.” She paused.

“But the tunnel of love ride last week? And the picnic or whatever the hell that was? There’s no way this is random, Jax. Caine’s been… pairing us lately. Forcing us on dates. And I know they’re dates because none of the others are ever with us. I think…I think he’s trying to get us to fall in love.”

Jax stared.

“You think he’s going Cupid on us?”

“Exactly.”

“So what, you're giving in to it?” he raised a brow.

“Wha—no, of course not! That’s why we’re going to fake date. If Caine thinks he succeeded, maybe he’ll stop trying.”

“So we just pretend we’re in love and he backs off?”

“That’s the idea.

“He’s watching us. Orchestrating things. If we control the narrative, we take the power back. It’s about making Caine bored. He doesn’t care once a ‘plotline’ wraps up, right? That’s how his games always go.”

Jax considered it. He imagined Gangle giggling, Zooble teasing him to death… yeah, no thanks. But if it got Caine off his back, it was worth a shot. It’s not like fake dating Pomni could actually go wrong, right?

“…Right?”

He snapped back to reality. “Jax, did you hear anything I just said?” Pomni groaned into her hands. “We have to function as a team if we want this to work, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Let’s do it,” he said flatly. “But only if I get to break up with you at the end.”

Pomni smirked. “Alright, deal…boyfriend. But try not to have too much fun.” She cringed a little.

Jax chuckled. “You better not call me that, though. If you’re going to be my lover, you have to call me by a pet name,” he grinned. He’s gonna have so much fun with this.

“A pet name…hmm, okay. Uhh…Jaxy?”

“Boooooring.” He slumped against a tower of alphabet blocks.

“Oh, I got one for you,” his grin growing. “Pompeii.”

“That’s a city, you idiot,” she smiled. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”

She lay on her stomach and rested her hands on her face. “The Jaxler.”

“The Jaxler?” he repeated. “How is that a pet name, Pom? Do you hate me that much?”

“Hey, your name is only three letters—it’s hard!”

“Pomodoro Technique.”

“Pomo—?” Pomni burst out laughing. Jax chuckled with her.

It was dumb. And fun. It was always fun with Pomni.

Then—POP!

“MY SUPERSTARS!” Caine materialized inches from them. “LOUNGING AROUND WHEN YOU SHOULD BE CELEBRATING YOUR LOOOOVE!”

“Did you guys get freaky~?” Bubble asked again.

Before they could respond, Caine snapped his fingers. In a flash, they were back in the common room, now decorated in a nauseating explosion of red, pink, yellow, purple, and blue. The cast sat at the table, looking miserable.

“Caine, wait!” Pomni stammered. “There’s no need for this! Really! We, uh… we’d rather have some alone time. To… be in love?” She laughed nervously.

Jax cringed at her awful delivery. He stepped in.

“What she means is, we don’t want a stinkin’ party. Relationships come and go without it being anyone’s business. Leave us be.”

He took her hand and led her back to the hallway.

Surprisingly, Caine didn’t stop them.

Gangle was the first to speak.

“What’s going on?”

“Pomni and Jax are dating, isn’t it obvious,” Ragatha spat, arms crossed.

“Good to know they make calendars together,” sighed Kinger.

“You guys seriously believe they’re dating?” Zooble finally put down their magazine.

“But… Pomni said—” Gangle began.

“Pomni’s lying. I don’t care why. But it’s obvious. Jax doesn’t care about anyone. It’s unnatural.”

The room fell silent.

Gangle held a hand to her face, blinking slowly. “I… I guess it’s strange. But they did hold hands. And he walked away with her. That means something, doesn’t it?”

Ragatha stood abruptly.

“Even if it’s real—it’s not good.” She looked down, then back at Gangle. “Pomni’s sweet. She deserves someone who’s not going to mess with her head. Not someone like Jax.”

“But… maybe Pomni would be a good influence on him?” Gangle offered weakly. “Maybe?”

“I’m not buying it.” Ragatha turned away. “People don’t change. Not here.”

“ZOOBLE!” Caine popped in way too close to their face. It was a habit.

“CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS? WE DID IT!” He held up a hand for a high-five.

Zooble didn’t reciprocate.

“Caine! Stop bothering me with your obsession with those two! And WE didn’t do anything—don’t involve me in any of this.”

As though he didn’t hear a word they said, he screamed in their ear, “BUT I’M DISAPPOINTED THEY INSISTED ON THEIR ROOM—I CAN’T EVEN WATCH FROM INSIDE!”

“You are seriously crazy,” Zooble muttered, inching away from the floating dentures. “Caine, you have to give them space. Don’t you know anything about couples?”

I’d love some space myself , they thought.

“YOU’RE RIGHT!” Caine declared. “I MUST LET THEM INTO THEIR COCOONS… UNTIL THEY EMERGE AS BUTTERFLIES!”

Zooble rolled their eyes. What does that even mean? They wondered what it would take to get Caine to leave them alone. Relationships were overrated anyway. Especially in a place like this.

Chapter Text

“AHHH—LADDERS!” someone screamed.

“Great…” sighed Zooble.

Everyone stood gathered in the game zone—a giant, open-tile platform hovering in midair. Below them: the Void. Very fun. Very safe.

The circus floor tiles had been lifted into the air to form the three dimensional board game. Ladders of all shapes and sizes shot out at every angle to connect some of the tiles. From the remaining tiles slithered cartoonishly large snakes with googly eyes.

A sudden, loud BOOM shook the circus, and the group fell on their backs as an enormous die slammed down nearby, the impact causing a temporary earthquake.

Ragatha swayed beside Pomni. “Oh, it’s one of those board game adventures again,” she said, brushing imaginary dust off her dress.

Caine’s voice boomed overhead. “TODAY’S MISSION: SNAKES AND LADDERS: LOVE EDITION!”

Pomni gaped at him.

“JUST KIDDING, SIMPLY SNAKES AND LADDERS!” Caine finger gunned Pomni. “BUT IF ROMANCE HAPPENS TO BLOSSOM…”

“Please don’t,” muttered Jax.

The rest of the cast was summoned at the foot of the first tile. “THE GOAL IS TO ROLL THE DICE AND CLIMB TO THE VERY TOP! BUT WATCH OUT FOR THE TERRITORIAL SNAKES!”

“Ah, so it’s like a game show?” inquired Kinger. Then he screamed.

Jax nudged Pomni’s shoulder, grinning. “Hey, we should team up.”

She looked up at him. “Or…we could play solo.”

“Orrrr we could roll the die together. Wouldn’t want to break character in front of the fans.”

“We don’t have fans,” she said flatly.

“What are talking about, Pompom? All these snakes need to be impressed.”

Caine hovered above them. “HOW ADORABLE! MY FAVORITE COUPLE CHOOSING TO PARTNER UP ALL ON THEIR OWN!” He exclaimed gleefully.

Pomni squinted at the ringmaster, then turned to Jax. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

The giant die rolled and a siren signaled the start. All at once, the cast hopped from one tile to the next. The platform was a nightmare. The tiles wobbled each time the die were rolled, and whenever anyone reached a ladder, a mechanical arm would clutch their waist and violently fling them up. But worst of all were the snakes.

They were long, rubbery things with bulging red eyes, hissing the closer anyone got to their tile. One of them  slithered up to Gangle.

“Hey, kiddo,” it hissed with a Jersey accent. “Wanna take a shortcut?”

She screamed as it bit her ankle and threw her off the tile down three stories. She face-planted and broke her comedy mask. “Ow..”

Jax was laughing. “Look at Gangle! She got beaned! Hah!”

“Not funny,” said Pomni, hopping off a tile.

“You’re right. It’s hilarious.”

The die crashed down as Ragatha rolled. Pomni caught herself before falling from the edge of her tile. She looked up to see Jax hopping ahead without her.

“Jax, slow down! Didn’t you want us to stay together?” she yelled after him.

He glanced back. “Yeah, so hop faster.”

She gritted her teeth and jumped after him. So much for pretending to be a couple, she thought.

Pomni grumbled and continued her path. A ladder launched her three rows upward, her limbs flailing in all directions.

“AHHHHH—“

She landed, knees buckling, only to see a snake slither up towards her.

“Well, well, well,” it said in a refined British accent. “A trespasser on my square, hm?”

“I—I didn’t mean to—“

CHOMP

Pomni screamed as she was thrown off, bouncing onto Jax’s tile painfully. They blinked at each other.

“You were right there!” she snapped.

“What?”

“You could’ve caught me!”

“I didn’t see you.”

“You looked me in the eyes!”

He smirked. “Whoops.”

She glared at him. “Are you serious right now?”

Zooble was on the tile directly below them. “Wow, Jax. The way you care for Pomni is extraord—AHHH!” A ladder grabbed them mid-sentence and yeeted them two stories above. They crashed into a snake.

Ahead, Ragatha had landed on a tile, frantically adjusting herself, until another snake made eye contact with her. “You again? Lady, I thought I threw you farther.”

She screamed.

Pomni was halfway up the board now, her knees ached from all the jumping. The die rolling was useless now, everyone kept moving forward regardless of the outcome. The snakes started to move around, actively chasing them.

Zooble was now two rows below, arms crossed. Watching them.

Pomni tugged at her collar. “Hey,” she whispered to Jax without moving her lips. “We should, uh, look couple-y.”

Jax gave her a sideways look. “What, like kiss?”

She nearly tripped.

“No!” she hissed. “Just—hold my hand or something.”

He pulled a face. “Eugh. Why?”

“Because they’re staring.”

“Let them.”

“Jax.”

He rolled his eyes and lazily extended his hand. Pomni took it was a venomous frog.

Their fingers sat there, stiff and barely touching. It was the least romantic thing ever recorded in the Digital Circus.

A snake slithered past with a top hat on. “Yikes,” it muttered. “Zero chemistry.”

Pomni blushed furiously. “We’re fine!”

“Oh, babe,” Jax said in a loud, fake voice, “wasn’t that snake sooo scary? Good thing I’m here to protect you.” He slung his arm around her.

Zooble rolled their eyes. Cringe.

Pomni pushed Jax away. “Get off of me. You really suck at this.”

The floor rumbled again—another roll. Who the hell was still rolling?

Pomni staggered, starting to fall sideways. Jax was right there. He blinked. She blinked.

And he didn’t move an inch.

She hit the tile with a THUMP. “Seriously?!”

Jax shrugged. “What? I thought you didn’t want me to touch you.”

“That’s not—!” She groaned, dragging herself back up. “What kind of boyfriend doesn’t help his girlfriend up?”

He tapped his chin, mockingly. “A fake one?”

She was going to murder him. Slowly.

“Fix this. Now,” she ordered, “act like you care that I fell and hurt myself.”

His ears twitched.

Then—unexpectedly—he stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

“Are you okay, Pomni?” he asked.

Pomni froze.

She was stiff in his arms, with her hat jammed against his neck. It felt like hugging a tree. Jax didn't look much more comfortable, but held the pose. Too long.

Ragatha, just a few tiles behind, slowed down. Her expression soured at the sight of them.

Zooble watched from below, eyes narrowing. What are they doing?

When Jax finally let go, he muttered, “There, happy?”

Pomni nodded, then whispered, “They’re onto us.”

Jax tilted his head. “Great. We can get a fake divorce and get out of each other’s hair.”

She gave him a look.

The summit of the board loomed just a few rows above. They were so close to the end.

“WILL SOMEONE WIN THIS STUPID ADVENTURE SO IT CAN BE OVER?” shouted Zooble, a snake snatching them by the leg and yanking them five rows below.

Ragatha, a few tiles behind the couple, laughed nervously as another tiny ladder lifted her one row, only for a baby snake to pull her right back down again. She’d been trapped in that loop for ten minutes now. It was starting to feel personal.

At this point the die was rolling itself. Pomni stumbled backward, bumping into—

Gangle.

Eyes wide behind her mask, she blinked at the pair. “Oh… hi.”

Apparently, she’d been shot straight up the board by the longest ladder on the grid. From dead last to just one tile behind them.

Jax flinched. “Oh. You.”

“How long have you been behind us? You didn’t…hear anything did you?” Pomni asked.

Gangle tilted her head. “Hear what?”

Pomni spun toward Jax and hissed under her breath, “This is your fault! You keep letting me fall in front of everyone!”

Jax rolled his eyes. “Excuse me for assuming my girlfriend has basic balance.”

“You’re not even trying,” she snapped, voice rising. “We’re supposed to be convincing! Zooble still isn’t buying it!”

“You think I care what Zooble—”

“You should! Because if they find out we’re acting—”

Gasp.

Pomni and Jax froze mid-argument and turned around slowly.

Gangle was covering her mouth, shaking slightly. “You’re what?”

Jax’s ears twitched. “Okay, well, now you’ve heard it.”

Pomni took a cautious step toward her. “Gangle. Please. You can’t tell anyone. We’re not doing anything wrong, we just—just didn’t want Caine involved. That’s all.”

Jax added with a grin, “And if you do tell anyone… well, everyone will know about it. You know what I’m referring to.”

Gangle whimpered.

Pomni elbowed him hard in the ribs. “Stop that!”

Gangle nodded slowly. “I-I won’t tell. I promise. Really. I’m—honestly? I think it’s kinda… cool? That you’re doing something for yourselves.”

Pomni blinked. “You do?”

She nodded, fiddling with the end of her ribbon. “Yeah. I mean… I get it. Not wanting to be pushed into things. So… you have my support.”

Pomni smiled, almost grateful. Jax just raised an eyebrow.

“WILL SOMEONE WIN THIS STUPID ADVENTURE SO IT CAN BE OVER—” Zooble shouted again, voice echoing up the tiles—

CHOMP.

A massive green snake grabbed them by the neck and dropped Zooble straight into the Void. “GAAAAA—“

Then came a loud PING!

Everything froze.

The ladders dropped limp. The snakes vanished in puffs of smoke. The damn dice finally stopped rolling.

Pomni looked around, dazed. “Wait… what just happened?”

From the very top tile, standing proudly in a paper crown, was—

“KINGER?!” they all yelled in disbelief.

He was waving at nobody in particular, beaming. “Good show, everyone! I think I fell asleep for most of that but I seem to have won!”

Pomni slumped sideways on a tile. She didn’t even have the energy to respond. She was just glad it was over.

Chapter Text

“It’s kinda like one big prank, huh.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

Jax stretched himself out across his bed, arms folded behind his head. It had been a week since Pomni had declared—loudly—that they were dating.

And miraculously, it had worked. No more forced heart-coded adventures. No more unwanted dates. Caine, at least, had bought it.

Except now they had a new problem: keeping up the act for the rest of the cast.

Jax wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He’d never been in a relationship before—at least, not one he could remember. And while this was supposed to be acting, he didn’t exactly have a script. What were boyfriends supposed to do? He’d hoped Pomni would take the lead on that part. She was the one who started it, after all.

Breakfast was awkward. It always was, but now there was an added weight to it. Kinger’s clattering was the only thing breaking the silence.

Jax and Pomni sat beside each other, like a normal couple might. Ragatha’s eyes flicked up when they sat down. Her expression tightened.

Jax noticed. Normally, making Ragatha mad was one of his favorite hobbies. But this time?…No, yeah. Still satisfying.

“What’s wrong, Rags?” he asked sweetly, leaning forward. “Got a centipede on my face?”

Her grimace deepened. “Is this your new way of annoying me, Jax? You can hurt me all you want—but I won’t let you hurt Pomni.”

Pomni blinked. “Why would you think Jax is going to hurt me, Ragatha? You may not know this, but I was the first to confess.” The lie rolled off her tongue.

That shut the table up. Every set of eyes landed on Pomni. She looked genuinely confused.

Jax grinned wide, leaning into the attention. Ragatha reddened and stood, clutching her chest like she’d been physically wounded.

“O-okay, Pomni. I didn’t… know that. I’m sorry.”

She hurried away without finishing her food.

Pomni frowned slightly as she watched her go. “Why is everyone being so dramatic?”

Later, in the common room, Jax flopped onto the couch beside Zooble, stretching his legs out in their direction smugly.

“You look awful today, Zoobs.”

Zooble barely looked up. “Wanna know what I think?”

“Not really, but you’re gonna tell me anyway.”

“I think you’re just playing around with Pomni. You know, because everything’s a joke to you—even relationships,” they said. “This is a game.”

He felt his ear twitch. “You think I’d fake date someone just for the fun of it?”

Zooble didn’t blink. “Yes.”

“Fine, Zooble. You got me,” he said with mock exasperation, raising a hand to his heart. “You’re so smart, you saw right through me.”

He stood suddenly. “Wanna see something cool?”

Without waiting for an answer, he marched towards Pomni, who was seated nearby watching Gangle draw. He didn’t think.

“Jax?” Pomni looked up.

He scooped her up—not delicately—and held her head like a volleyball. Then, before she could make a sound, he kissed her.

The room stilled. Pomni’s eyes widened, darting around in a panic. They landed on Zooble, arms crossed, staring them down.

Oh.

She hesitated.

Then she slowly wrapped her limbs around him and kissed him back.

Not gently. Not romantically. Just enough to be convincing. Her arm flopped around his shoulders. “God, Jax. I love you so much. Do that again.”

She said it loud enough for the ceiling to hear.

And the silence was thunderous.

Jax could feel the heat creeping up his neck. He cracked an eye open and grinned—but only because Zooble was still watching.

He slid his hands along Pomni’s back and kissed her again, this time slower. She leaned into him, following his lead.

Zooble continued to stare as the two of them kissed and kissed and—

“Okay, that’s enough. We get it. You’ve made your point,” they snapped, voice cracking just a little. They turned sharply. “C’mon, Gangle.”

Gangle scrambled after them, sparing them a glance.

The second the room emptied, Jax broke away and set Pomni back down, panting slightly.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, cheeks flushed.

That had been…way more than what he was going for. He cleared his throat.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Zooble was testing me. Couldn’t risk our cover getting blown.”

Pomni just shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I figured something was up.” She lowered her voice when she spotted one of Caine’s little floating eyeballs bobbing nearby. “Besides, I think you really sold it. This is the teamwork we needed.”

Jax noticed the eyeball too. “Damn, Pom! Never thought you’d be a good kisser.” He smirked as he leaned back, the heat in his face dissipating. 

Pomni ducked her head, flustered. Oh, now she’s shy?

He couldn’t resist.

“‘God, Jax. I love you soooo much. Do that again,’” he recited, mimicking her voice in a dramatic falsetto. He clasped his hands together and batted his lashes.

“Shut UP!” she snapped, laughing as she shoved him. 

But the moment didn’t last.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

They both turned.

Ragatha stood near the hallway, fists clenched, face red. But not from embarrassment. From anger.

Jax’s grin slightly faltered.

“You think this is funny?” Ragatha shouted. “Parading this around like some twisted circus trick?”

Pomni blinked. “Ragatha…?”

“You don’t even care about her!” she snapped at Jax. “You’re using her! You’re always cruel, but this—this is low, even for you!”

Pomni stepped forward. “Ragatha, stop! It’s not like that—”

“Oh, really?” Ragatha said bitterly. “Because it looks exactly like that.

“I don’t know what I expected,” Ragatha muttered. “But I didn’t expect you to fall for it too, Pomni.”

She turned and stormed out, slamming her door.

Pomni and Jax stood alone in the aftermath. His heart still beat too fast.

“…Well,” Jax said eventually. “Guess we really sold it.”

Pomni didn’t laugh.

She couldn’t stop thinking about it.

It was fast, clumsy, and far from romantic. Mostly teeth and force and a weird sort of pressure behind his grip, like he was trying to prove a point more than express a feeling. But the look on Zooble’s face after? It had worked. Sort of. There was confusion, suspicion, but for the first time…maybe even belief.

Then Ragatha had yelled. And Pomni hadn’t seen that coming at all.

It bothered her more than it should’ve, the way Ragatha had looked at her. Like she was disappointed. Or betrayed.

Now, Pomni wandered the corridors until she landed outside Ragatha’s room.

She hesitated, then knocked.

“Ragatha?” she said, voice soft. “Can we talk?”

There was a pause.

Then the door creaked open.

Ragatha stood inside, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her eyes were rimmed with a hint of pink—just enough to make Pomni feel awful.

She beckoned her inside.

Pomni entered slowly. The room was neat, rose-scented, dotted with little DIY touches. Teacups on the shelves, a stuffed horse doll. Cushions in every nook and fairy lights dangling here and there. It was so aggressively homey that Pomni immediately felt out of place.

“I just wanted to check on you,” Pomni said. “You seemed really upset.”

Pomni shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s not about you,” Ragatha said quickly. “Well. Not entirely.”

She sat down on the edge of her bed, hands clasped primly in her lap. She didn’t look at Pomni.

“You’re right,” she continued. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I just— I don’t like seeing people get hurt.”

Pomni hesitated. “You think Jax is going to hurt me.”

“I know he is.”

That stung. Not because she was wrong. But because… maybe she wasn’t.

“He’s not perfect,” Pomni said carefully. “But he’s not trying to hurt me either.”

“He’s cruel,” Ragatha said sharper now. “He laughs when people get hurt. He makes everything a joke. And now—what? Now he’s in love with you?”

Pomni blinked. “Ragatha…”

“I’m trying,” Ragatha said, voice trembling under the cheery surface. “I’m trying to be happy for you. I want to be. You’re amazing. You’re kind, and sweet, and you deserve something good. I just…”

“I just—” Her voice cracked, tears forming. “I don’t want to watch you love someone like that. Someone who doesn’t even try to be decent. It hurts.”

Pomni’s brow furrowed. “Why does it hurt you so much?”

Ragatha opened her mouth, then shut it.

Her hands clenched at her sides. “Because I like you.”

Silence.

Pomni blinked. “What?”

“I didn’t mean to say that,” Ragatha said quickly. “I just— I’ve been trying to ignore it. And then you and Jax started this thing and… it’s stupid. I know it’s stupid.”

Pomni stood frozen. She genuinely didn’t know what to say.

Ragatha let out a soft laugh, brushing a hand over her eyes. “I thought maybe I’d get to be that person for you.”

Ragatha looked at her, eyes wide and raw now. “I didn’t plan to say that. I wasn’t going to. But seeing you with him—someone never takes anything seriously—it felt like you’d picked him over someone who… actually cares.”

Pomni’s breath caught. “Ragatha, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know you didn’t,” Ragatha said, smiling again. But this one cracked at the edges. “You never would. That’s what makes it worse.”

The room fell quiet.

“I’m sorry,” Pomni whispered.

“I am too,” Ragatha said. “For dumping this on you. I shouldn’t have. I just—I needed to say it, at least once.”

She stood and wiped her tears. “But I meant what I said earlier. I want you to be happy. Even if it’s with him.”

Pomni stood too. “Are you sure?”

Ragatha looked at her — soft and sad and sweet, all at once.

“No,” she said. “But I’ll figure it out.”

Pomni didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you,” she said, finally. “For telling me.”

Ragatha’s voice was light again as she walked her to the door. “Get some sleep, okay? You’ve had a big day. Being in love must be exhausting.”

Pomni didn’t answer that.

Chapter Text

The walls of the labyrinth were covered in foliage, twisting and turning and screaming everytime you touched it. Pomni started to feel dizzy.

She wasn’t sure when she got ahead of everyone, but somehow she ended up alone in the dead center. She sat down with a sigh.

For once, there was no music or confetti or Caine. The night was quiet.

The Moon floated high above the maze, glowing. Unlike everything else in the Digital Circus, it never warped or jittered or blinked at her. She was so still it was like she was etched into the night sky.

Pomni folded her legs under her, staring up at it. “You’re not going to talk back,” she muttered, “are you?”

A pause.

“Only if you want me to.”

She jolted so hard she almost fell off the platform.

“I can do many things,” the Moon said gently, her voice silky. “But I’m very good at listening.”

Maybe it was the quiet. Maybe it was how the Moon didn’t ask questions, didn’t hover too close or beam with glee like Caine. She just floated. Present.

“I’m lying to everyone.”

The words came out too fast. She didn’t mean to start there. But once they left her mouth, more flooded out.

“It’s not real,” she mumbled. “Me and Jax—we’re not a couple. We’re pretending. Faking it. Because Caine wouldn’t leave us alone. And now everyone’s watching us like we’re a car crash.”

The Moon didn’t respond. Just waited.

Pomni slumped. “They think I’m being manipulated. That Jax is playing some cruel game, and I’m too emotionally stunted to know better. And maybe they’re right? But also…maybe they’re wrong!”

Her face flushed when she thought about the dumb kiss performance. She shook it away. “And Ragatha—god. She yelled at us. At me. Like I was too dumb to see it. And then she—she told me—” Her throat tightened. “She said she liked me. And she’s sweet and kind and everything I’m not. And I hurt her. And I can’t fix that.”

Still, the Moon waited.

“I didn’t even mean to hurt anyone,” Pomni whispered, curling her fingers into the grass. “I just…wanted the pressure to stop. And now it’s worse.”

Her voice got small. “What if I’m the joke?”

Finally, the Moon spoke again.

“You’re not.”

Pomni blinked.

“You’re not the joke, little jester,” she repeated, warmer now. “You’re someone trying. And pretending doesn’t always mean you’re lying. Sometimes pretending is how we learn.”

Pomni sat in silence, her legs numb. She felt so messy.

The Moon continued. “You’re allowed to be confused. And you’re allowed to want kindness.”

Pomni blinked rapidly. “I’m not crying,” she muttered.

“I didn’t say you were.”

She looked up at it again. “Why are you being nice to me?”

The Moon tilted ever so slightly, like a nod. Her smile was so warm and comforting. “Because someone should be.”

That one line made Pomni feel heard. Safe. She stared up at the Moon, pupils wide. She smiled softly. “…Thanks.”

A warm silence settled between them. Pomni stretched out on the grass, arms behind her head, watching the sky. She let her thoughts simmer down as she counted the stars. They were only six.

“Great,” Jax muttered, stepping over his third ‘decoy exit’—a doorway painted onto a wall with crayon and the words ‘freedom this way!! :)’ scribbled in Comic Sans. “This place royally sucks!”

He kicked a bouncing bush out of the way. It squealed like a pig.

Honestly, it wasn’t the worst trap Caine had cooked up. Just annoying. And dumb. And covered in leaves and vines that screamed like banshees. He was pretty sure this wasn’t even a real maze because the walls restructured if you stared at them too long. It was like a bad dream designed by someone who hated logic and was a fan of jello. That would be Caine.

Jax wasn’t worried. He was too petty to let the maze beat him. Stupid maze.

Where the hell is Pomni?

She was ahead of him somewhere. He’d seen her get launched by a springboard ladder thing and hadn’t caught up since. Which was fine. Obviously. He wasn’t her handler. He didn’t care.

The image of her in his arms as they kissed flashed in his mind. He flushed. Why was he thinking about that? It was such a dumb solution to a dumb problem, and it had passed.

He turned a corner, expecting another dead end, and instead walked straight into—

“Kinger?”

The chess piece stumbled back. He stared at him, eyes not glossed over for once. It was almost like…he was lucid. Nah, no way.

“Ah,” Kinger said cheerfully. “Jax. You’re not a hallucination, are you?”

“…Not unless we’re sharing one.”

“Wonderful.” Kinger said.

Jax rolled his eyes as Kinger followed his every turn.

There was a beat of silence. Then:

“You and Pomni, huh.”

Jax’s ears twitched. Kinger of all people, bringing this up.

Jax scoffed.

“They say you kissed her.”

“…Hnnnggh.”

“That wasn’t a no.”

“Technically,” Jax said. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“So you like her?”

Jax shot him a look. “What are you, a greeting card?”

Kinger didn’t flinch, instead he stared up at the sky. “I was married, once.”

Jax blinked. “You—what?”

“Her name was Queenie,” Kinger said, eyes distant. “She was strong. Kind. Smarter than me. She made this place bearable once upon a time.”

Jax didn’t know what to think of this. Kinger was married to someone in the circus, and it seemed like she had abstracted ages ago.  Jax didn’t know of a ‘Queenie.’ How long has Kinger been trapped here exactly?

“I didn’t know,” Jax said quietly, walking faster now.

“You wouldn’t. I don’t always remember her clearly. But when I do…” Kinger gave a soft shrug. “It helps.”

Jax strode. This was too much. Too personal.

“I don’t do all this feelings stuff,” he said, hands getting sweaty. “We’re just messing around. It’s not that deep.”

“Mm,” Kinger said, as if to say sure, buddy.

Jax stared ahead. “I don’t know what she wants. Pomni. One second she’s yelling, the next she’s all shy, and then she’s defending me like I didn’t let her fall on her face multiple times.”

He couldn’t tell Kinger it was just an act. But he did need someone to tell him how to play the part.

“Maybe she wants to be treated gently,” Kinger said. “You ever try that?”

“I am gentle,” Jax grumbled.

“Sure you are, son.”

Jax could hardly believe he was talking to Kinger. It felt delirious.

He stopped and folded his arms. “I held her hand.”

“Mmhm.”

“I almost caught her last adventure.”

“But you didn’t.”

“She didn’t ask me to—”

There was a long pause. Jax’s ears twitched again. “I don’t know what to do with her.”

“You don’t have to do anything. Just treat her like she’s real.”

Jax blinked. “She is real!”

“Then show her. Always be by her side. Give her what she needs without her having to ask.”

Jax didn’t reply.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard a shatter and a yelp. Gangle probably. Heh.

Kinger wobbled a little. “The exit’s that way, I think. Try not to walk into a wall again.”

“I only did that once, old man!”

“Funny.” Kinger patted his shoulder. “Good luck, son. Whenever you need to talk about this, you can find me. Just make sure it’s dark.”

Jax groaned so hard it echoed off the maze walls. The walls groaned with him.

Son.

Hours later, Jax stood in front of Gangle’s door, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He hadn’t knocked yet. He just stood there, like the door offended him.

He finally knocked then pressed his face against the door. “Hey, Gangle.”

There was a long pause. Very long. God, is she sleeping?

Gangle’s voice came out muffled and nervous from behind the door. “Jax? What do you want?”

“Open up, ribbons. I wanna ask you somethin’.”

The door creaked open just enough for her mask to peek through. Gangle blinked at him, alarmed. “It’s the middle of the ni—“

“Got any paper?” he interrupted.

Her brow furrowed. “P-paper?”

“Yeah. Paper. Blank. Preferably colored. Whatever ya got.”

Gangle opened the door a bit more. She was so confused. “What…do you need it for?”

“None of your business.”

She peered at him. He had never demanded anything from her before. Cautiously, she opened the door for him, but only because her curiousity outweighed her fear. She gestured to a cluttered corner of her room. “There’s some paper over there. If that works.”

Jax walked in without asking. He didn’t really expect her to help him. In fact, he only came to check if Gangle wasn’t in her room so he could slip in to steal the paper. Too bad.

The room was…so Gangle. Neat but messy all at once. Half-finished doodles pinned to the walls, crumpled paper on every piece of furniture. Her desk was clear and tidy, but the floor was littered with paper. He ignored all of it and grabbed a few sheets from the pile, flipping through them like he knew what he was doing.

“Thanks,” he said eventually, heading out the door. “Later, sadface.”

Gangle stood alone in the doorway, watching him leave. Her mask was tilted and still intact.

“…He said thank you,” she whispered to herself.

Chapter Text

Caine appeared floating above Zooble like a parade balloon no one asked for.

“ZOOBLE!” he beamed. “MY DEAR PUZZLE-PIECED PUNK, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT DAY IT IS?”

Zooble didn’t look up from their book. “Tuesday?”

“IT’S MATCH SUPPORT DAY!” He threw confetti.

“…No, thanks,” they said flatly.

“I THOUGHT WE COULD BOND!” he declared. “YOU KNOW, EXPLORE THE MAGIC OF ROMANCE TOGETHER. DON’T YOU JUST LOVE LOVE? AREN’T YOU JUST THRILLED ABOUT POMNI AND JAX’S TOTALLY-ORGANIC-AND-NOT-STAGED COURTSHIP?”

“No,” they said.

Caine paused. His smile did not. 

“I hate their little relationship.”

Caine gasped.

“They’re annoying. You’re annoying. I don’t support this.”

A full beat passed. Caine blinked once. “OKAY,” he said, too chipper. “TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT.” He sat down next to them on the couch, attentive. 

“I hate it,” Zooble said. “They’re weird now, it’s fake, and the way you keep trying to manufacture chemistry between people who probably don’t even like each other is…creepy.”

Caine produced a clipboard and tapped a pen to his teeth. He stared at it for a moment.

“WELL!” he declared. “IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED EMPATHY ALIGNMENT THERAPY! ”

“Don’t you dare—”

But it was too late.

SNAP

Zooble blinked.

Then stood, eyes smiling. 

“I sure do think Jax and Pomni are meant to be,” they said blankly, voice a bit too high. “What a natural relationship. Warms my heart. ”

Caine clapped. “OH, WONDERFUL! SEE? ALREADY FEELING BETTER!”

That whole day, Zooble was off, and everyone noticed. “They just have something special,” they had told Gangle. 

Pomni asked at lunch, “Zooble…are you feeling alright?”

“Never better, Pomni. May love triumph!” They said, one eye twitching. 

Jax stared. “Uh. Did you hit your head, or are you on that stupid sauce?” 

He whispered to Pomni, “I think they’ve been body-snatched. It’s kind of disturbing.” 

When Caine swooped over to the table, they leaned into each other and flashed loving smiles. He seemed to be enjoying it so much, he forgot to throw his characters into an adventure. 

It was just paper. That’s what Jax kept telling himself.

Just paper.

A flat, quiet, rectangular thing with no opinions, no personality, no judgment. A thing that, unlike Pomni, would not stare at him with those big, anxious eyes and ask things like “what are we doing?” or “why are you ripping up your seventh attempt at an origami bunny in a row?”

He creased the corner. Wow. Immediately wrong. He crumpled it and tossed it into the growing pile of failed attempts. 

What was Kinger’s exact phrasing again? Something like “if you want to be kind to someone, you find a way to show them.”

Which was a ridiculous thing to say. And yet.

Jax picked up another sheet. Stared at it like it was evil.

The fold was crooked again. Of course it was. He cursed under his breath.

This wasn’t for Pomni. It wasn’t. It was a stupid game. A gag. Maybe even a distraction from his thoughts.

He kept replaying what Kinger said to him. The old man was right—he had to admit—but why did it matter?

“Treat her gently, son.”

He wasn’t anyone’s son.

Focus. 

He folded again. The ear came out too stubby. He tried to fix it. It ripped.

“Great,” he muttered. “Symbolism.”

He groaned into both hands, letting the paper drop to the floor.

This wasn’t supposed to feel like this. It was supposed to be fun. Funny. Flirty nonsense. He messed with people, that was what he did. He definitely didn’t sit in his room folding ugly rabbits out of insecurity and… whatever this was.

He tried again. This time slower. Cleaner.

The folds still weren’t perfect, but at least they weren’t mocking him. Nope, they were mocking him. He shaped the ears as best he could and stared at the little thing in his hands. It was pathetic.

And still, for some reason, his heart squeezed.

“I hate you,” he whispered to the paper and crumpled it. 

Jax didn’t knock.

He never did, really.

Pomni barely looked up when he flopped face-down onto her bed, sprawling his limbs.

She blinked. “…What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’,” he mumbled into the mattress. “Just bored.”

Pomni rolled her eyes. “You’re always bored.”

“Yeah, but this is like, extra bored,” he said, muffled. “So bored, I might ask Caine to take us on an adventure.”

She got up and nudged him her leg. “If you’re gonna be here, at least sit up. You’re hogging my whole—”

“ Our whole room?” he cut in innocently, propping himself up on one elbow. “C’mon, sweetheart, we’re in love, remember?”

Pomni huffed. “You’re the worst.”

“I know,” he said, with too much pride. “But I’m your worst.”

She flopped next to him on the bed, grinning now. “That was so cringe.” 

Jax leaned in just slightly. “Hey.”

“What.”

He reached over and plucked her left eyebrow clean off her face.

Pomni blinked. “…What the heck?”

“Just borrowing this,” he said, twirling it like a cigar. “Need it for something.”

“You can’t just take my eyebrow!”

“Sure I can.” He plastered it onto his own face. “See? Looks good on me.”

“You look like you’re about to file my taxes.”

“And you look like you’re related to Zooble.”

Pomni lunged at him. He held her back with one hand to her face.

“I will end you,” she declared, reaching up to pinch his cheek.

Jax laughed—and that was her mistake.

Because the second she saw his ears twitch, she reached up and touched one.

Jax froze.

“Don’t—” he warned.

She nudged the other one.

“Pomni—”

She cupped one of his ears with both hands and gave it a playful wiggle.

And that was it.

Jax flinched, tried to escape, and she lost it —laughing so hard her whole body shook.

“You’re so twitchy!” she gasped.

“I told you not to—!”

She giggled harder, doubling over. Jax tried to shove her off, but they were both laughing now—shoving and flailing and tangled up in each other and—

She slipped and fell right on top of him. Her eyes widened, hands on his chest. His arms had instinctively caught her waist. 

It was like the time Caine had switched their outfits, except this time Pomni was the one on top.

And this time the redness of their faces wasn’t from laughing too hard. 

She scrambled off of him like the bed was on fire and fell flat on the floor.

He sat up, his grin coming back. “You’re really clumsy, y’know that?” 

Pomni stayed on the floor, lying there like it was safe. “You still have my eyebrow,” she mumbled. 

He tossed it back at her. 

Pomni dragged her feet into the kitchen, eyes half-lidded. Her brain was still fuzzy from whatever nonsense had just happened with Jax.

She needed a snack.

“Hi Pomni!” Bubble chirped, bobbing in front of the fridge.

“Oh—hey,” Pomni mumbled.

“Fun fact,” Bubble said brightly. “Pomni is in love with Jax!”

Pop.

She frowned at where Bubble had just been. Not a fun fact. Not even a fact.

Pomni froze when she saw Ragatha at the counter, holding a kettle and wearing an unreadable expression. “Oh. Hi, Ragatha.”

“Hey,” Ragatha said, too casually. “Didn’t hear you come in.” She did, in fact, hear her when she came in.

“Just wanted something to eat.”

A pause. Pomni was aware of how heavy the air felt.

“Tea?” Ragatha offered.

“Sure.”

They didn’t say much else.

Pomni accepted the mug with both hands and slid onto a stool. Ragatha leaned across from her, smiling.

Pomni took a sip.

It was way too sweet.

They sat in silence, the kind that used to be somewhat comfortable. Now it felt like holding your breath.

“I’ll… let you get back to it,” Pomni finally said, standing.

Ragatha nodded. “Good night.”

“Good night,” she echoed.

She left the mug on the counter.

Neither of them finished the tea.

At the end of the day, Zooble had officially snapped.

Literally.

“CAINE!” they roared. 

Caine materialized within seconds. “ZOOB—“

“You need to stop,” they said through teeth gritted and one eye twitching. If they had teeth, that is.

Caine tilted his head like he actually was clueless. “STOP WHAT, ZOOBLE?”

Zooble jabbed a claw into his chest. “Stop writing me. Stop putting me in little boxes because it’s easier for you than actually getting to know me. I. Am not. Your puppet.

“You want to bond so badly with me? Stop making everything about your interests, especially when I don’t share them with you! I am a person with interests and passions, yet you don’t want to know them. So how do you expect us to get along, huh?”

Zooble didn’t wait for an answer. They spun around and stormed into their room, leaving Caine alone in the hallway to process. He could not.

Chapter Text

Jax had been staring at the same sheet of paper for at least fifteen minutes. It wasn’t a threatening piece of paper. It wasn’t even folded yet. But the longer he looked at it, the more hostile it seemed.

“You think you’re better than me?” he pointed at it.

The paper didn’t respond.

He folded one corner in. Then unfolded it. Then folded it again. Then crushed it into a ball and threw it at the opposite wall with a sharp grunt. At this point, his room was starting to look like Gangle’s.

“I don’t get it,” he snapped. “It’s paper. Flat little paper. And she’s gonna laugh at it. And she should laugh at it, because what are you even supposed to be?” He flicked the sorry looking bunny thing.

Another fold. Lopsided. He tried to press it flat with the heel of his palm, but ended up wrinkling it. He kicked at the piles of crumpled paper, groaning in defeat.

Someone knocked at his door. 

Jax froze, paper crumpled in his hand like a stress ball. “Uh. Yeah?”

The door cracked open. Gangle peeked in with her usual nervous posture, her ribbon arms held close. She wore her comedy mask.

“Hi,” she said. “Um. I know this is weird. You came by my room before, and I… I was just wondering what you needed the paper for. I mean, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay too—”

“I didn’t come over to talk,” Jax cut in. “Yeah. I wanted paper. You gave me the paper.” 

He sighed. “It’s for something stupid.”

Gangle stepped in fully now, eyeing the papery wreckage around the room. Her eyes went to the newest failure still clenched in his fist.

“You’re… trying to make something?”

“I was,” he said, flopping backwards onto the floor dramatically. “But it turns out I’m trash at this.”

Gangle blinked. “Do you…do you want help?”

“No.”

Then, like it pained him to say it, “Yes.”

She sat cross-legged nearby, careful not to get to close. Her ribbon fingers plucked a clean sheet from the stack.

“What were you trying to make?”

Jax hesitated. Something flickered across his face. Then he shrugged, a little too fast. “I dunno. Bunny or whatever.”

Gangle smiled softly. Not mockingly—just… kindly. “Okay. Bunnies are hard. But we can try.”

They folded in silence for a while. Her hands moved with practiced ease. Jax’s did not.

“This doesn’t mean we’re friends,” he muttered eventually, eyes glued to the folds.

“I know,” she said. “You’re just really bad at this.”

He watched her work. She was quiet, focused, a little fidgety. But her movements were confident. There was something oddly calming about it.

He glanced at one of her finished shapes—a bird, maybe? It was surprisingly elegant.

“Hey,” he said. “You’re not half bad at this art stuff.”

“Thanks,” Gangle said again, this time shyly. “I used to like making puppets. Back… before.”

Jax didn’t ask.

“I can show you a trick for the ears, if you want,” she offered.

He paused. Then, grudgingly: “Yeah. Sure, whatever.”

Caine adjusted his bowtie, clicked his pen, and peeked out from behind the enormous overgrown potted plant right next to the lounge area. 

A couple of feet away, Zooble sat at their usual spot on the couch. They stared at a puzzle book with focused intensity.

Caine scribbled something down in his research log—a comically oversized notebook currently being propped up by Bubble.

Subject exhibits classic signs of brooding. Possibly listens to angry music. Favorite color: probably black, or blood red.

“What are we doing, boss?”

“IT’S CALLED OBSERVATION, BUBBLE.” he replied, ducking down. “SOMETHING SCIENTISTS DO WHEN THEY’RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND MYSTERIOUS, TEMPERAMENTAL ORGANISMS.”

“Wow! Zooble is a flamingo?”

He shushed Bubble dramatically.

Now Zooble was stretching. Caine’s eyes lit up. Another data point:

Aggressive posturing? Possible sign of dominance.

He popped up from behind the plant. “DO YOU LIKE TAXIDERMY?”

Zooble didn’t even flinch. “No.”

“WHAT ABOUT—” he flipped through his pages, “—HARDCORE METAL AND HORROR VIDEOGAMES?”

“What.”

“I’M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR VIBE!” Caine said cheerfully, holding up a page of deeply unhelpful guesses and one doodle of a bee.

Zooble blinked. “You think I’m into taxidermy.”

“WASN’T A NO!”

“It was a no.”

Caine deflated slightly, but not much. “OKAY, OKAY. MAYBE I’M MISSING SOMETHING. DO YOU LIKE HAUNTED DOLLHOUSES? CHAINSAW ART? EXISTENTIAL POETRY WRITTEN IN BLOOD?”

Zooble closed their puzzle book slowly.

“Seriously, you—you keep putting me in a box,” they said. “You look at me and decide who I am before I say anything.”

Caine paused.

“If you really wanted to know,” Zooble continued, “you could just ask.”

The silence was long enough for a tumbleweed to roll through. Instead, Bubble floated between them and popped.

“OHHHHH,” Caine said. “I COULD… JUST ASK.”

“Yeah.”

He scribbled something into the margin of his notebook.

Note: Asking = good. Boxes = bad. Doodle later.

“…SO TELL ME, ZOOBLE. WHAT DO YOU LIKE?” he asked, gently this time.

Zooble gave him a long look. Does he actually want to know, or will he forget the moment I tell him?

They didn’t answer. Not yet. But they didn’t storm off either.

Ragatha was organizing the dollhouse tea sets again.

It was a pointless ritual—no one ever came over for tea, not really. But she liked putting the little cups back in order. It calmed her, and it was delicate work that was easy to control.

It was better than thinking.

She heard the soft knock on her door before she heard the voice. “Ragatha?”

Pomni. She hadn’t seen her since the kitchen. Not properly. 

Her heart pounded. 

Ragatha’s smile kicked in before she could think too hard. “Door’s open!”

Pomni peeked in, her adorable eyes finding hers. 

“Hey,” Pomni said. “Got a minute?”

“Sure.” Ragatha made her voice as warm and friendly as she could. Just like always.

She sat down on the cushioned bench near the tea table and gestured for Pomni to join her. Pomni didn’t sit right away.

Ragatha folded her hands in her lap to stop herself from fidgeting.

“I, uh…” Pomni started. “I was thinking. I still wanna go to the carnival. With you.”

Ragatha blinked. That was it? She’d been bracing herself for a confrontation, a confession, maybe even a fight. But Pomni just stood there, eyes a little hopeful.

“I mean, if you still want to,” Pomni added quickly. “We don’t have to make it a thing. Just—”

“I’d like that,” Ragatha said.

Pomni closed her mouth.

“I mean it,” Ragatha added, softer. “I wanna hang out with you, Pomni.”

Pomni offered her a weak smile. 

Ragatha looked down at her lap. “I know I’ve been weird lately.”

Pomni didn’t argue.

“And not just because of Jax,” Ragatha said, twisting her fingers. “Well, sort of because of Jax. But not—ugh. It’s not his fault. Or yours.”

She continued. “I was the one who acted like you were doing something wrong just for being close to him. That’s on me.”

Pomni’s shoulders relaxed slightly. 

Ragatha looked up. “It wasn’t fair to dump my feelings on you.”

Pomni swallowed hard. “I didn’t know.”

“I didn’t want you to.” Ragatha stood and picked up one of the tiny porcelain teacups, rubbing her thumb over the edge. “It’s hard, sometimes. Feeling so much. And still trying to be the cheerful one.”

Pomni looked down.

“But I’m okay,” Ragatha said steadily. “And I want to go to the carnival with you. As just friends.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Pomni smiled. It wasn’t huge, but it was real.

Ragatha offered her the tiny teacup like a peace offering. 

Pomni took it with two hands. “Not too sweet, is it?”

They laughed softly, and Ragatha felt warm. This wasn’t so bad. 

An origami bunny emerged beneath his fingers. Jax blinked down at it like it was a miracle. It had ears. And a little nose. And didn’t immediately collapse into a sad pancake.

He held it up. “Wait. Wait. Is this it? Did we actually—”

Gangle smiled. “Looks like it.”

Jax beamed. Actually beamed. His pupils were as wide as his smile. “No way. Look at this thing! It’s got, like… a face! And ears! And it doesn’t look like a dying shrimp!”

Gangle giggled, just a little.

Jax caught himself mid-beam and cleared his throat. If he could tuck the joy back into his overalls pocket, he would. He turned slightly, face half away from her.

“…I mean, not bad,” he muttered. “I’ve seen worse. From, you know, children. With glue sticks.”

She didn’t respond right away.

“I think she’ll like it,” Gangle said eventually, almost in a whisper.

He didn’t ask how she knew. He also didn’t know he had thanked her again, because all he could think about was his creation…and Pomni.

Chapter Text

Ragatha hadn’t expected her hands to be sweaty.

It wasn’t nerves — not exactly. Just… anticipation. Yeah. That’s what she was calling it.

She spotted Pomni standing awkwardly by the entrance to the digital carnival, shifting her weight between those tiny pointy shoes of hers like she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be there. Ragatha waved, trying to look casual.

“Hey!” she called. “You made it.”

Pomni looked up and brightened. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

And for a second, just a second, it felt like the old days. Before things got complicated. Before the relationship reveal and the friendship fallout and whatever flavor of mess they’d all tripped into recently.

They walked through the entrance together, side by side. Per Pomni’s request, NPCS crowded the place this time. Some worked the booths, others rode the rides and ate candy. Caine had promised no glitches this time, and the rollercoaster actually worked. Mostly. It still went through a loop-de-loop labeled ‘Definitely Safe’, and the safety bar was just a seatbelt made of licorice, but they didn’t get launched into space, so… not bad.

Pomni screamed the entire time, arms up, hair flying. Ragatha screamed too, but hers was more of a gleeful whoop, half from adrenaline, half from seeing Pomni laugh so hard she started hiccupping.

By the time they stumbled off the ride, Pomni’s hair defied gravity, and Ragatha was clutching her sides laughing at her.

They hit the ring toss next. The clown NPC working the booth had a rubbery grin, a toothpick jammed between his teeth. ”Hey, ladies. The rings are totally rigged.” He clicked his tongue. “Obviously.”

“I’m gonna win you that octopus plush,” she declared stubbornly, flinging another ring with the deadliest of aim and missing by a good three feet.

Ragatha leaned on the counter, smiling despite herself. “You’re really not.”

“Watch me.”

Three more attempts. Three more misses. On the fourth, the clown NPC sighed dramatically and handed them the prize anyway.

Ragatha giggled and tucked the octopus under her arm. “Yay, you won it for me,” she said.

“What’d I say,” Pomni said smugly. Then she giggled.

They wandered between booths, tossing popcorn at each other and daring each other to try the funnel cake — which Ragatha did, and regretted instantly. It tasted like battery acid and birthday cake at the same time. “Ewwwww!”

Pomni waved at the Sun for no reason. “Hey! Do you talk too?” she yelled at it. The Sun blinked at her and gave her a side-eye. Pomni pointed and laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.

Ragatha just watched her.

She was so cute when she was relaxed.

Not that she’d say that. She wouldn’t say any of it. That was the agreement. Pomni didn’t feel that way, and Ragatha wasn’t going to push it. She was just glad they could laugh again.

Even if she wanted more.

Later, after trying every ride and every snack and every rigged carnival game, they sat on a curb and shared the world’s worst snow cone.

Ragatha wasn’t sure what flavor it was supposed to be. “Blue” was the only answer she got.

Pomni frowned at her “Yellow” cone. “What color is my tongue?” she asked as she stuck out her tongue.

“Green,” Ragatha replied, snickering. “What about mine?”

Pomni stared at her tongue. Despite the chilled cone, Ragatha felt her face heat up.

“Purple,” giggled Pomni.

She leaned back on her hands, exhaling after laughing so much. “Thanks for inviting me,” she said, glancing over. “I’m… really glad we did this.”

Her eyes were mesmerizing.

Ragatha smiled, heart fluttering. She clutched her octopus plush to her chest.

“Yeah,” she said, meaning it more than she meant anything. “Me too.”

It sat in his palm, perfectly creased — the dumb little ears, the dumb little tail, the dumb little legs that took him and Gangle twenty minutes to figure out. But it was a bunny. He made it with his own hands. 

And now he had no idea what to do with it.

“Just leave it on her bed,” Gangle had suggested earlier, voice nervous but encouraging. “Like… a surprise. You don’t have to say anything.”

Which sounded easy in theory. But the second Jax got to Pomni’s door, he just… froze.

His fingers curled around the paper gently, afraid to crumple it after so many attempts. 

Was it too weird? Too much? It was just a little gift. Sort of. No, it was a prank. Yeah…a prank. Because she was into that sentimental garbage, and he—

God.

He turned away from her door, pacing down the hall and circling back twice.

Why was this hard? He wasn’t even into her. Not like that.

He wasn’t into her.

I don’t like her. 

She laughed at his jokes, though. She laughed like she meant it. That thing in the room the other day — when she fell on him — it had made his heart do this dumb leap. But it was just…it was nothing. 

He peeked around the corner again.

Her room was empty, he knew that. Pomni had made it clear that she was going out with Ragatha today. Which…nah, who cares. Not him. 

He unlocked her door slipped in.

The place was cleaner than his, but not by much. A pile of mismatched pillows in the corner. The candy bar wrapper he teased her about and she refused to toss because it “looked shiny.” God, she was weird. He liked that.

Not her, though. He didn’t like her. 

He stepped toward the bed, hesitated, then gently placed the origami bunny in the middle of the blanket.

Centipedes was easier than this. 

“SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT,” Caine said, hovering sideways over the grass. “YOU LIKE… ANIMALS?”

Zooble watched a lizard curled up in the sun. “Yep.”

Caine’s eyes blinked open wide. “BUT THIS IS FASCINATING! I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST GRUMPY AND RUDE WITH NO DISCERNIBLE HOBBIES.”

Zooble glanced up, squinting. “Excuse me?”

“A REVELATION!” Caine twirled midair and plopped dramatically down beside them, folding his legs under himself like a kid at story time. “TELL ME EVERYTHING. I WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT.”

Zooble hesitated.

Usually this was the part where Jax made a joke about them looking like a flamingo themselves. But for once, no one did. It was just them and Caine out on the digital lawn. 

So they cautiously said, “I used to birdwatch. Back before, y’know… all this. I had notebooks. Field guides. Loved identifying species. Could spot a swift midflight from fifty meters.”

Caine beamed. 

Zooble continued, a little more relaxed. “I always liked how complex ecosystems were. Ant colonies, predator-prey dynamics, camouflage… You’d think animals are simple but they’re not. Some are more clever than people.”

“OH! OH! LIKE BEES!” Caine practically vibrated, raising his hand like he was in class. “DID YOU KNOW BEES COMMUNICATE THROUGH DANCE? IT’S CALLED A WAGGLE. A WAGGLE! THAT’S THE BEST WORD I’VE EVER SAID!”

Zooble cracked a small, unguarded smile through their eyes. “It’s true.”

“AND THEY CAN RECOGNIZE PEOPLE’S FACES!” Caine continued. “WHICH MEANS IF YOU SWATTED ONE, IT PROBABLY REMEMBERED AND HELD A GRUDGE.”

Zooble snorted. “I… I like that,” they admitted, surprised. “I guess you’re not totally useless.”

Caine beamed. “WE’LL CALL THAT A WIN!”

They sat there for a while after that. Caine asked questions without interrupting, and Zooble found themselves talking about mimicry in insects and the mating rituals of frogs and how birds could see ultraviolet patterns on each other’s feathers.

Not one mention of Jax and Pomni’s relationship, or love, or any of that garbage. 

For the first time in a long time, Zooble felt seen for something other than how they looked.

And Caine, for once, was just enjoying someone else’s weirdness instead of pushing his own.

The Sun watched the two as he set. What a strange day, he thought.

Pomni didn’t expect anything when she opened her door.

She was still sticky with sugar from cotton candy and smiling from the leftover joy of the carnival. It had been… nice. Surprisingly nice. Ragatha had been warm again. Not the same as before, maybe, but genuine. They’d screamed on the coaster, cheated on every rigged game, and laughed too hard.

So when she walked into her room, brain still replaying the day’s events, she didn’t notice it at first.

Then she saw it. 

There — dead center on her bedspread — was a tiny origami bunny.

No note. No jokes. 

Just a simple folded shape. The ears were a little too short, and the legs were slightly crooked. It wasn’t perfect. The paper looked like it had been refolded a dozen times. 

Pomni blinked at it. Like she was waiting for it to move. 

Then she looked around — half expecting someone to pop out from under her bed with a snarky comment. But no one was there.

She stepped closer and held it in her hands. “Oh my god…”

It was light in her fingers. A little lopsided.

Her heart did a very dumb thing and skipped.

Because she knew who it was from. Instantly. There was no one else in this world who’d try that hard to be funny and secretive and vulnerable all at once.

She sat down slowly, holding the bunny in her palm.

It was just a gift. Just paper. It didn’t mean anything.

And yet… she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Silly rabbit,” she whispered to herself. 

It meant something.

Even if he wasn’t here to say it out loud. 

Chapter Text

“TODAY’S ADVENTURE,” announced Caine, “IS ABOUT HEALING.”

A new NPC emerged: tall, thin, one eye twitching constantly. He wore a wrinkled coat over a pinstripe vest, carried a cane that he definitely didn’t need, and limped like a man who learned how to walk just recently. The cane was made of licorice.

“THIS IS DR. HOME,” Caine said, “THE GREATEST DIGITAL DOCTOR EVER SIMULATED.”

“I graduated from eight medical schools simultaneously while removing my own appendix blindfolded,” Dr. Home muttered dramatically, eyes shadowed. “Don’t ask where they were. Or how. Or why.”

“…Okay,” Ragatha said. 

“Shut up,” he replied. She was taken aback.

Suddenly they were in a massive hospital with a hallway labeled “Department of Unexplainable Conditions.” Dr. Home took center stage and stared down the cast.

“Now!” he barked. “Assignments!”

The NPC’s cane smacked the digital floor. One by one, giant labels appeared above everyone’s head.

“Dr. Fiveman!” he shouted at Ragatha. “You’re in charge of diagnostics. Don’t let me down like your five ex-husbands.”

Ragatha blinked. “I—okay?”

“You!” he pointed at Kinger. “Dr. Chance. You’re in surgery.”

Kinger perked up. “Splendid!”

“You!” at Gangle. “Dr. Camera. Imaging. Even though you probably can’t tell a pancreas from a piñata. Stupid.”

Gangle sniffled nervously. She pulled off her comedy mask and dropped it on the ground to shatter before anyone else had the chance. 

Pomni leaned forward, half-expecting to get hit with a “Dr. Something” too.

But then the NPC turned to Zooble. “You,” he declared, voice dark, “are Patient Zero.”

Zooble made a face. “What the hell does that mean—?”

Before they could protest, a hospital bed descended from the sky and swallowed them whole. Zooble screamed as they vanished into a tangle of IV tubes and blankets, the label above their head flashing: TERMINAL BUT COOL.

Then Dr. Home turned to Jax.

“You,” he said, voice venomous. “Are the secondary patient. Possibly contagious. Extremely suspicious and probably a liar.”

A second bed slammed into Jax with cartoon force and bounced him upward into the mattress. He landed, face mushed against a pillow.

“Great,” Jax said, deadpan. “I’m an NPC.”

Pomni burst out laughing. 

“Oh, don’t take it so seriously,” she smirked. “Zooble’s a patient too.”

“Yeah, but Zooble’s already a lost cause,” Jax said, pulling his tantrum face. “I wanted to be that guy—the cool doctor with a limp and unsolved trauma. Not the dumb patient in the coma. Oh my god, I better not be in a coma!” 

As if summoned, a label appeared over his head to reassure him: Mysterious Illness (probably faking).

Pomni snorted again. “You do have mysterious vibes.”

Dr. Home whirled back toward her. “Nurse Pomni!”

She straightened up. 

“Y-yes?!”

“You’ll be tending to this insufferable cretin’s every medical need,” Dr. Home said, dramatically pacing in a circle. “Bandage him. Feed him. Ignore his whiny monologues. Nurse him back to health or he’ll die.”

Pomni blinked. Jax blinked harder.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Don’t argue,” Dr. Home snapped and popped a jellybean in his mouth, “now off you go. I’m going to see where Dr. Wayson is.”

The cast watched as the doctor limped his way out the room, slamming the doors shut behind him.

For a moment, the medical “team” just stared at one another.

“Well,” Ragatha clapped her hands together, trying to stay calm, “let’s take vitals and—”

“Vitals are a scam,” Dr. Home barked, re-entering the room like he’d been waiting outside for dramatic effect. “They’ll tell you what you want to hear. Vitals lie.”

“Okay,” Ragatha said, more warily.

Dr. Home flung a folder at her. It hit her square in the chest and fell to the floor, empty. “Dr. Fiveman. Your diagnosis?”

She blinked. “But I haven’t even—”

“Wrong!” he shouted. “The moment you hesitate, the patient dies. Next time, diagnose faster. Or get a new spine.”

Gangle raised her hand nervously.

“Yes, Dr. Camera, tell us what the MRI said.”

“I—I drew this?” Gangle held up a shaky sketch of what might’ve been lungs. Or a tree. Or two goats high-fiving.

Dr. Home squinted at it. “Hmm. That settles it. The patient needs—” he paused, spun around theatrically, “—one gunshot. Administer directly to the kneecap.”

Zooble, half-sitting in their hospital bed with one eye open, sat up fast. “WHAT?!”

“No time!” Dr. Home shouted. “Dr. Chance, prepare the gun.”

Kinger rummaged through a supply closet and triumphantly pulled out a gun. “I love medicine!”

“Is anyone going to stop this?” Zooble yelled.

“No,” Dr. Home replied flatly. “Now bite down on this kazoo.”

He threw it at them, bouncing off Zooble’s forehead and into their lap.

Pomni, standing nearby with a clipboard and looking increasingly horrified, leaned toward Ragatha.

“Is this part of the game? This feels—bad.”

Ragatha offered a thin smile. “Just roll with it.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Home paced in front of Jax’s bed, arms folded.

“You,” he said, stopping abruptly. “You’re faking it.”

Jax, lying back with an ice pack on his forehead, cracked one eye open. “If I were faking it, would I let you get this close to my face?”

“Probably,” Dr. Home said, poking him in the forehead with his cane. “Malingering, classic case. Probably psychosomatic. Probably caused by unresolved trauma. Or gluten.”

Jax groaned.

Dr. Home turned toward the rest of the room. “He has a mystery illness. Could be digital rot. Could be ennui. Could be clown flu—Nurse Pomni, take blood samples. And by blood samples, I mean quiz him about his childhood while making prolonged eye contact.”

Pomni blinked. “Why would that—?”

“Don’t argue with my methods. I once diagnosed someone with hypochondria just by smelling their pillow.”

He spun again.

“Dr. Chance. Prep Patient Zero for lumbar puncture. Dr. Camera, I need X-rays of the patient’s moral compass. Dr. Fiveman, get me a diagnosis by sundown or I’ll have you reassigned to dermatology, aka the loser floor.”

Ragatha started rapidly flipping through medical books that kept turning into flipbooks of Caine doing a hula dance.

Dr. Home stood smug, popping more jellybeans in his mouth.

“I love medicine,” he whispered, mostly to himself.

He had barely been “diagnosed” for five minutes before they shoved him into this flimsy cot and told him not to move.

“Lie down. Stay still. Don’t struggle,” Dr. Home had said, waving a glowing clipboard like a baton. 

Jax flopped sideways, letting out an exaggerated groan as he yanked the covers up to his nose. The blanket was suspiciously crunchy, like someone had folded it out of origami and then forgotten to smooth it out. Ugh, why am I thinking about that paper again?

He peeked through one eye as Pomni approached his bedside, arms full of gauze, tape, and what might’ve been a thermometer.

“No,” he said flatly.

She blinked. “What?”

“No. Whatever you’re about to do? No.”

“I’m literally your nurse.”

“Did I consent to that?”

“As if we ever consent to Caine’s adventures anyway. Come on.” 

Jax grunted, turning his face toward the wall. “I wanted to be Doctor Crazy, not some lousy patient.”

“You threw a tantrum.”

“Wasn’t a tantrum. It was dignified protest.”

Jax tried to ignore her. He really did. But the room was spinning a little, and being mad took energy he didn’t have right now. Plus, she wasn’t mocking him. Not really. She was… focused. Careful. Tucking the sheet under his arm like she’d done this before.

“Does that hurt?” she asked, tapping his wrist.

When he didn’t respond, she gave him a look. “I’m trying to help you, you baby.”

He closed his eyes again as she adjusted his pillow, and for a second—just a second—the nausea eased. He could still hear Dr. Home shouting something about “retrieving a diagnosis via interpretive dance,” but the noise felt far away. Distant.

He cracked open an eye to peer at his nurse. She was holding a tray of random junk: gauze, a plastic thermometer, a very suspicious cup of what looked like pink syrup, and—was that a sock?

“Why do you have a sock,” he asked flatly. 

She blinked at the tray, then frowned. “I don’t know. I think it was… taped to this thermometer? I didn’t ask questions.”

She held it up toward him with two fingers.

“Don’t.”

“C’mon,” she said, not unkindly. “I’m not gonna poke your brain or anything. It just goes under your tongue.”

He flopped to the side, away from her. The blanket followed him halfway before catching on his foot. She sighed and reached over to adjust it, and he let her. Mostly because moving sucked right now.

“I’m gonna bandage your wrist,” she said, opening a roll of gauze.

“My wrist is fine.”

“Well, it’s not anymore,” she replied. “You’ve been diagnosed with Spaghetti Arm Syndrome.”

“That’s not real.”

“Neither is this hospital,” she snapped, and started gently wrapping his wrist.

He hated how gentle it was. Like she was actually trying to be careful. Like she didn’t want to hurt him. It wasn’t mocking. It wasn’t teasing. It was… sincere. That was the worst part.

“Stop babying me,” he muttered.

“Then stop acting like a baby, Jax.”

The gauze tickled his skin slightly as she tied it off, like she was used to doing this sort of thing—even though she absolutely wasn’t.

Sitting down, she reached for the pink syrup.

“Nope,” he said.

“Jax.”

“It’s vile. Look at it.”

“Look at you. You’re sweating. You’ve got an actual fever.”

“I’m method acting.”

“You’re not acting. You look awful.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Pomni hesitated. Then, with a quiet breath, she scooted the chair a little closer.

“Hey,” she said. “Seriously. You okay?”

He didn’t answer.

He hated how tired he felt. Like the longer he stayed in this fake sickbed, the more real it became. His limbs were heavy. His mouth was dry. His brain wasn’t doing that snappy insult thing anymore. Just fog.

“I dunno,” he admitted finally.

She dipped a cloth in a little cup of water and gently pressed it to his forehead. He winced at the cold, but didn’t pull away.

“You’re warm,” she said softly.

“Well, nurse, that’s what happens when you get a fever.”  

She continued to dab his forehead with this ridiculous tenderness that made something in his chest cramp up. He tried to ignore it.

He cracked one eye open. Her face was close now. She looked tired, too, like all this effort was costing her something.

“…You don’t have to try so hard,” he said, barely audible.

Pomni looked at him.

“I want to,” she said.

That shut him up.

And he felt his face go warmer.  

Somewhere across the room, chaos was happening.

“Alright, listen up, you incompetent idiots!” Dr. Home barked, slamming his cane down. “I’ve got three patients with three different symptom clusters and one jar of honey mustard. Someone’s getting cured, and someone’s getting marinated.”

Gangle was frantically scribbling nonsense diagnoses on her notebook. “I think… maybe… Zooble’s appendix has migrated to their knee?”

“Classic rookie mistake,” Dr. Home snapped. “You clearly don’t know a thing about neurological spleen collapse.” He popped a jellybean. 

“Uh, shouldn’t we run tests first?” Ragatha asked gently, glancing between Zooble and the other three patients wriggling in their bedsheets.

Dr. Home turned sharply. “Tests? Tests?! Did Galileo run tests before inventing the spleen?”

“…I don’t think that’s how that—”

He silenced her with a sudden lunge toward Zooble, who was still in bed but now wearing a neck brace and sunglasses for some reason.

“You,” he pointed, “have Implied Migraine Syndrome. We’re going to fix it the old-fashioned way. Coconut oil.”

Zooble let out a long, nasal sigh. “Someone put me down. I’ve had enough of this lunatic, take me home.” They didn’t have the energy to yell. 

“Absolutely not!” Dr. Home shouted, arms outstretched. “This is home. This is where the secrets come out. This is where the mystery lives. This is where we learn who we really are, underneath all that skin. You ever dissect your own metaphorical heart?” He swallowed the rest of the jellybeans in one go. 

“Should we call Caine?” Gangle whispered to Ragatha.

“It’s no use,” Ragatha muttered, her eyes baggy. She watched Kinger pour the honey mustard on one of the mannequin patients. “He won’t do anything.”

Jax was beginning to regret staying conscious.

His whole body felt like someone had replaced his internal code with wet spaghetti. The fever wasn’t just warm now—it was like his bones were melting in slow motion. Breathing was effort. His thoughts slowed. But… oddly, it wasn’t that bad?

Mostly because Pomni was still sitting next to him, holding a spoonful of suspiciously pink soup.

He blinked at it.

“I’m gonna regret this,” he muttered. He opened his mouth and let her feed him. 

It was warm and sweet. Tasted like melted candy. Still better than the syrup.

She smiled a little.

“See? Not so bad.”

“You’re not bad at this.”

“Caine says it’s because I look like a child and everyone automatically gives me authority in caretaker roles.”

“Huh. You don’t look like a child, though.”

“I know!”

He almost smiled. But it was too much effort.

Another spoonful.

She was being weirdly gentle again—careful with the angle, brushing back his ears. It sent shivers down his spine. Her hands were shaky but steady where it counted. 

She cupped the side of his face to wipe a trickle of sweat and lifted the spoon once again to his gaping mouth. 

He blinked again, and for some reason his vision lingered on her face.

She looked tired. Not anxious. Just… tired in that way that made her real. That made him forget, for half a second, that none of this was supposed to be real.

Then—without his permission—his pupils went massive. Stupidly huge. They took up half his face and wobbled slightly as he stared at her and swallowed.

Pomni froze, spoon midair.

“Cute,” she whispered, caught off guard.

His pupils retracted rapidly.

She flinched. “I—I meant—your eyes! How they got! Big! It’s a symptom, probably! Like a—a dilation thing, and I was just—medically observing it!”

Jax blinked.

“You think I’m cute when I’m sick,” he said flatly.

“No!! No. No, not you, your eyes, they just—grew! And I panicked! You’re not cute, you’re, like, dying!”

He didn’t tease her.

He didn’t say anything at first. Because his brain had short-circuited a little.

He looked at her face. Really looked.

And his chest fluttered.

It’s just the fever. This stupid sickness that’s making me feel all funny.

Pomni looked away, cheeks tinted pink. She tucked the blanket around his shoulders like it was normal. Like she actually cared.

His brain—quietly, traitorously—wondered why it felt so weird to be taken care of.

His eyes started to close again, against his will. He hated that. Hated this damn adventure and this damn illness. 

He slurred his words, barely audible.

“What?”

“I said I hate this.”

“I know. You’re a terrible patient.”

“Not the game,” he mumbled, eyes fluttering. “The… other part.”

Pomni tilted her head. “What other part?”

Suddenly, everything turned white.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

The monitors flatlined and his body went completely still.

He was gone. The bed was empty.

Dr. Home poked his head in. 

Pomni was already on her feet. “JAX?!”

“Problem solved,” he said. “The patient’s dead, case closed. Nice work.”

Pomni froze, staring at the empty bed. The blanket was still warm.

“We’ll count that as a medical success,” Dr Home added, “Now let’s move on to Patient Zero’s bloodletting!”

But Pomni wasn’t listening anymore.

His eyes blinked open, but the room still looked warped around the edges. He squinted at the ceiling, took a second to breathe.

“Ugh,” he coughed. “Okay. That one sucked.”

He was in his room. That much he could tell. The lighting was dim, everything a bit hazy. His limbs felt heavy. He slowly sat up, wincing at how much effort it took. Some of the sickness still lingered.

“Great,” he mumbled. “I die in a game and still feel like trash after. That’s fair.”

He’d died a lot in this place. Gag deaths. Explosions. One time he got eaten by a vending machine. But this one?

This one felt… too real.

The door burst open so hard it hit the wall.

“Jax!”

He flinched.

Pomni rushed in, eyes wide, cheeks flushed, like she hadn’t even stopped to think before running straight here. “Oh thank god—“

She stumbled forward. Her hands hovered like she didn’t know whether to hit him or hug him.

“Oh—hey.” His voice came out scratchy.

“What the hell was that?!” she yelled, voice shaky. “You—you died!”

Jax opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“Why didn’t you say anything?! I—I was right there! I was feeding you, and you just—!”

Her voice cracked hard.

“Uh. Surprise?”

“Don’t do that,” she snapped, louder than she meant to. “Don’t—joke! I thought—!”

She cut herself off with a choked breath, then stared at the ground like she couldn’t even look at him anymore.

“I let you die.”

Jax blinked.

“I was your nurse, Jax.” Her voice dropped. “I was supposed to help. And I didn’t notice a thing. I—I gave you that stupid soup, I watched you start looking worse, and I still thought it was just part of the game. I didn’t even say anything when you went quiet, I just—”

Her voice cracked again. “I just kept watching.”

She trailed off, hands balling into fists, fat tears beginning to form at the corners of her huge eyes. 

“It’s not your fault,” he said, quieter this time.

“I was your nurse.”

“Yeah, in a game. A dumb fake doctor game invented by Caine.”

Her lips trembled. “Still.”

“You didn’t kill me,” he said, gentler. “It just… happened.”

“I should’ve seen it coming.”

She cut herself off again, her shoulders shaking.

That’s when he moved.

No hesitation, no snark. He just reached out and pulled her into his arms.

It wasn’t even dramatic. It just… happened. Like it was the only thing that made sense.

She froze for half a second—then curled into him, arms clinging tight to his sides, face pressed to his chest. She was crying. Not loud, not messy. Just soft and fast and real.

It hit him harder than he expected.

He rested his chin on her head, arms still around her.

“…Sorry,” he murmured.

She didn’t answer right away. Just kept holding on.

“It’s not like I haven’t died before,” he said after a moment. “It’s just… your first time seeing someone die in an adventure, huh?”

She nodded against him.

“I hated it. I hated how fast everyone moved on. How normal it felt.”

He sighed. “Yeah. I get it.”

Another pause. Then her voice, small: “I thought you weren’t gonna come back.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “It feels like that every time, even though you know you always respawn.”

She let out a shaky breath. “It was stupid. It was a game. I know that. I know that. But it felt real. And I couldn’t—”

Her voice cracked, and she pulled herself in tighter, fists clenching the back of his overalls.

“You’re not supposed to care this much, y’know,” he said after a while, voice low. “It’s not good for you.”

“You died.”

“I do that. It’s kind of my thing.”

She pulled back just enough to look up at him.

Her face was a mess of frustration and tears. “Don’t make that your thing, idiot.”

Jax didn’t say anything. He just held her.

He swallowed.

That fuzzy, dumb feeling was back in his chest again. The one he kept brushing off lately. It felt… heavier. Like something that stuck.

Her breath evened out slowly.

“You’re not allowed to die again,” she mumbled.

He cracked a tired smile. “No promises.”

She looked up at him, frowning. Her face was so red, eyes shiny. Cute.

“No. You have to promise.”

“…I promise.”

She hesitated, then let her head fall back against him with a small sigh.

He ran a hand down her back once, slow and steady, like it would actually help.

And they stayed like that for a while.

He immediately recognized the soft, hesitant knock at the door.

Jax lay in his bed and didn’t bother getting up. “Yeah?”

The door creaked open, and Gangle poked her head through the gap.

“Um… hi. I heard you… died.”

Jax squinted. “Mmhmm.”

She stepped inside, wringing the ends of her ribbon. “I just wanted to see if you were… okay?”

He shrugged from his half-lay. “You know how digital death is. It’s not abstraction.”

Gangle stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, clearly not sure if she should sit, stand, or leave immediately.

She nodded slowly. “Do you want—uh, I brought you a—um—get well soon doodle?”

She fished something from behind her back and held it out. A little notepad sketch, rough but sweet. Jax as a patient in bed with a cartoon thermometer and bandages, looking extremely unimpressed.

He took it.

“Huh.”

“…You hate it.”

“Nah,” he said, holding it up for another look. “It’s me, alright. I even look grumpy. Pretty accurate.”

Jax lowered the paper and smiled. “Thanks, Gangle.” 

Gangle fiddled with the corner of her mask, but smiled back. She murmured a soft “Feel better,” as she slipped out the door.

Jax stared at the little sketch in his hands a moment longer.

“…Huh,” he muttered. “Guess we’re friends now.”

Chapter Text

“BEHOLD!” Caine announced, floating. “THE GRAND, SPECTACULAR… Scavenger Hunt of!”

“…Of? Of what?” Zooble muttered.

“THE OBJECT,” Caine clarified with a wink. “IT COULD BE A NOUN. A METAPHOR. A PLUSH ITEM, WHO KNOWS?”

“Do you know?” Zooble asked, arms folded.

“NOPE! I RANDOMIZED THE OUTCOME AND THEN FORGOT IT. ISN’T THAT LIBERATING?”

From beside her, Jax leaned closer to Pomni with a whisper. “Ten bucks says it’s something dumb. Like a slipper filled with cheese.”

“I don’t have ten bucks.”

“Exactly. High stakes.”

Caine clapped his hands. “NOW THEN! IN A RARE MOMENT OF LENIENCY—POSSIBLY BECAUSE I’VE BEEN TOLD TO STOP ‘FORCING PEOPLE INTO PAIRINGS’—I’M LETTING YOU ALL CHOOSE YOUR PARTNERS THIS TIME!”

Ragatha immediately perked up beside Pomni.

“Hey—?”

“I pick Jax,” Pomni said automatically, without thinking. And then she winced, because she sounded too eager. But that was the idea wasn’t it? 

Jax rolled his eyes. “Duh, we’re dating. It’d be cheating if you didn’t pick me.”

Zooble walked over to Gangle, voice soft: “Gangs. You and me?”

Gangle’s comedy mask smiled sweetly. “Yeah!”

Ragatha’s expression faltered for a half-second before she formed a cheerful smile. “Okay! Guess I’m with you then, Kinger!”

Kinger spun in a circle, eyes bloodshot. “Rats?!”

Once everyone had paired up, Caine snapped his fingers. “EACH TEAM WILL BEGIN IN RANDOM LOCATIONS! YOUR JOB IS TO FOLLOW THE CLUES, UNTIL YOU FIND ‘THE THING.’ LET YOUR HEARTS GUIDE YOU, UNLESS YOUR HEARTS ARE BAD AT DIRECTIONS!”

Bubble floated up beside him with a little party hat. “Winners get cupcakes!”

Caine spun in a circle midair. “NOW PREPARE TO BE SCATTERED!”

A portal beneath their feet sucked them into the adventure. And with that, the scavenger hunt began. 

Pomni blinked against the dusty light. A broken-down railway station stretched around them, the tracks overgrown with weeds. She found Jax next to her, brushing off the dirt from his overalls. The other teams were nowhere to be found. 

“I guess we gotta look for that first clue.” 

“Right.” 

She caught herself glancing sideways at him more than once. Maybe it was the hug from last time still lingering in her mind, or the way he hadn’t said anything yet. Either way, something felt… different. Not bad. Just noticeable.

“Hey,” she said, breaking the silence, “You ever notice how these adventures always start in vaguely depressing locations? Like, I feel like we’re in a zombie apocalypse right now, and we’re about to get jumped.”

“Yeah, he’s got a weird aesthetic,” Jax said, hopping onto the train track railing and trying to keep his balance. 

They went silent again. 

“Anyone tell you about The Goose in the works?” Jax asked. 

“The what?”

“The Goose,” he smirked. “It’s an adventure Caine claims he’s been working on for years, but hasn’t come close to finishing it. We’re probably never gonna know what it really is.” 

Her mouth stretched up in a side smile. “You’re messing with me.” 

Jax was grinning now. “No, really. Ask anyone.” He lost his balance and hopped back next to her. “Caine doesn’t let anyone into the Void ‘cause he’s afraid we’ll find the Goose.”

Pomni chuckled. “That’s so silly.” 

They rounded the corner of the station platform. A rusty ticket booth sat half-collapsed against the wall. Something glinted behind the glass.

“There,” Pomni said, pointing.

Jax leaned in. “Bingo.”

Inside sat a plain envelope—glowing slightly. As Jax reached for it, the world around them shuddered.

ZOOM

They landed on pine needles this time. Birdsong echoed through the swaying trees. 

“Well,” Pomni said, brushing bark bits off her head. “Didn’t expect that.”

Jax stretched his arms overhead. “Nice scenery upgrade. Less depressing, I’ll admit.”

They walked until they passed a bush carrying several plump berries. Jax back-trailed toward it, picked a suspicious-looking indigo berry, and popped it in his mouth. 

“Wait—did you seriously just eat that?”

He looked back at her, mid-chew.

Pomni stopped. “You don’t even know if it’s safe!”

He shrugged at her. “If something happens to me, you’ll get to take care of me again. Wouldn’t that be fun?” 

“Don’t—“ she took a deep breath. “Don’t say that. You better hope nothing happens.” 

He shrugged again and folded his hands behind his head. They still had a clue to find somewhere in the woods. 

The second clue was an envelope carved into the side of a hollow log, which Pomni spotted. Jax had been too busy staring at the Sun, who was starting to get creeped out. 

“Okay, here it is. But I don’t like the way it looks—it’s got eyes for some reason.” 

Jax, who had been standing unusually close, tilted his head toward her with a dreamy look. “Nahhh. I like it. Haunted. Kinda like you.”

Pomni blinked. “What.”

“Hm?” Jax blinked too, looking a bit dazed. “What?”

“You just called me haunted.”

“Oh.” He stared at her. “Did I say that out loud? That was supposed to stay in my head. Oopsie.” He giggled. 

Pomni’s shoulders stiffened. “Jax… are you okay?”

“I’m great!” he said way too brightly. “Everything’s soft. Your head’s got this whole glow. Not your actual head, just your… vibe. Y’know?”

Pomni frowned at him. “Okay, you’re not okay.” She took a step back, and in doing so, touching the clue. 

ZOOM

They landed in a cluttered open-air market, crowded with stalls and NPC vendors. For a moment, Pomni got excited at the crowded bazaar. It felt so lively and real and—

Jax swayed in front of her view. “Cool,” Jax said, spinning on his heel. “Cool cool cool. This is where—uhh—people buy stuff, yeah?” 

She facepalmed. He was being so…weird. What was in those berries? Stupid sauce?

She tried to walk ahead, scanning for the next clue, but Jax was right behind her. No—next to her. Then a little too next to her. He was practically leaning into her. 

By the time they passed a fruit vendor selling mangoes, Jax had somehow ended up with an arm draped loosely over her shoulder.

“Jax.” She swatted at him. “What are you doing?”

“Hug,” he mumbled, half-laughing. “Warm.”

“We’re on a mission here!”

“I like being close to you,” he said simply.

Pomni froze. Her brain stopped and restarted as she managed, “Okay, no. No no no. I know you’re not serious, because we’re—“ cough, “—fake dating, remember?”

Jax nodded solemnly. “Yeah… fake dating… ughhh, why does it have to be…” he lagged, “fake…”

Now she was startled. “Are you drunk?”

“Noooo,” Jax said, stretching out the word like it was a joke.

She turned to face him fully. His eyes were glassy, his grin a little too loose. He swayed just slightly in place.

Pomni exhaled slowly. “Okay. Okay. You’re not hurt, just… weird. It must be the berry’s effect. I’ll carry us for now.”

“Yay, team Pomni,” he murmured, clapping once and almost falling sideways. “You’re really smart, y’know. The smartest person I’ve ever known.”

Pomni’s face went red. “Stop talking!”

He didn’t. Every time he opened his mouth, something flirty or absurd or oddly sincere came tumbling out. And no matter how many times she told herself it didn’t mean anything—that he was poisoned and buzzed out of his mind—it kept hitting her.

“Clue,” she snapped, mostly to herself since Jax was useless, pointing to a stall with a glowing crate underneath it.

They staggered over. Jax made no effort to pick up his legs, instead, he let Pomni drag him along. She grabbed the glowing envelope underneath and braced herself for another teleport.

Jax leaned his chin on her shoulder as the world began to transform again. “You smell really nice.”

“I am going to push you into a ditch.”

“Tee-hee.”

And with that, they vanished again with a ZOOM—off to their next stop.

Where everything would get worse.

The air was dusty, hot, and smelled faintly like…corn.

She took in her surroundings. Stalks towered above them, yellow and dry, rustling with the faint wind. Oh no. Jax. 

They were in the middle of a cornfield.

“Pomniii…” Jax slumped heavily against her from behind.

She grunted under the weight. “Oof—what now?”

“I can’t feel my legs.” He slumped harder. “They’re noodles.”

“You were literally standing one second ago.”

His voice was muffled against her shoulder. “I’m, like, spaghetti.”

Pomni stared straight ahead. “Do not make me carry you.”

“I would never ask that of you,” he said sweetly. “I’m just going to tragically perish here in the corn.”

An ear of corn fell off a nearby stalk.

Pomni’s eye twitched. “Fine.”

With the kind of strength reserved only for rage and adrenaline, she crouched, let him drape over her back, and hoisted him onto her shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Either she was strong or weight wasn’t much in this digital world. 

He made a pleased noise and loosely wrapped his arms around her head. “Sooooft.”

She ignored him. 

“I’d live here.”

“Do not breathe on my neck—ugh!!”

But he did. Softly. Unintentionally, probably. His breath was warm and ridiculous and sent chills down her spine.

“Yer so…short,” he slurred. “How do you see anything?”

Pomni didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Her face was red as a cherry, and there was a circus dancing in her brain.

He nuzzled into her head like a cat.

“Stop that!” she hissed. Too aware of his warmth.

He hummed. “Hey Pomni… remember the bunny?”

Pomni blinked. “Bunny?”

He shifted, resting his chin gently on her head. “The origami one. You didn’t throw it away, did you?”

She stopped walking.

“No. I didn’t throw it away. I mean—how could I? It’s so—,” she hesitated, “it’s so cute.”

“Mmhm.” He yawned against her. “But you’re way cuter.”

Her heart skipped, then tripped, then fell down a flight of stairs. It needed an ambulance. 

And then—

Snap.

Jax flinched violently. “Wait. WAIT. WAIT WAIT—”

He was already sliding off her shoulders, nearly dragging her with him.

“What??” Pomni panicked, trying to steady him.

“NOPE.” He pointed frantically in every direction. “NOPE NOPE NOPE—THIS IS—OH MY GOD—IS THIS CORN?!”

She looked up.

Jax backed into her. “Caine knows. He knows. He’s trying to kill me.”

“Okay, okay, okay—calm down—”

“I’m not dying in a corn dimension!” he shouted. 

“You’re fine! It’s not real!”

“It doesn’t matter! That’s what they want you to think!”

He was breathing fast now, hyperventilating. He was sweaty, jittery, completely sober again from sheer corn-induced terror. The berry effects had vanished like smoke.

Pomni grabbed both his hands. “Hey—hey! Look at me.”

He did, wild-eyed. His pupils were slits. 

“I’ll get us out of here,” she said calmly. “Just—close your eyes, hold my hand, and I’ll lead us through. I promise.”

He stared a second longer. Then nodded, swallowing hard.

His eyes shut tightly. He squeezed her hand tightly. 

And together, one careful step at a time, they began walking through the field.

It was just corn.

It was just corn.

It was just corn.

Corn. 

He knew that. His brain knew that. Didn’t matter.

Corn. 

His whole body still buzzed like he had been stung by a jellyfish. Cold sweat, nausea, that crawling feeling behind his eyes. This was ten times worse than being terminally ill in that hospital adventure.

Every rustle sounded like it had claws. Every step felt like a trap.

And yet—Pomni hadn’t let go.

Her fingers stayed locked with his. Small, warm, firm. He followed her through the stalks, eyes screwed shut, heart still hammering.

Corn.

She was muttering to herself up ahead—something about clues, clues, always the stupid scavenger clues—but her tone stayed steady. Calm and stubborn.

Like she was doing this for him.

Which was stupid. She didn’t have to. They could’ve just failed the game. Let Zooble or Ragatha’s team win. Who cared?

But here she was, dragging him out of the pit again. Caring for him again. 

“You doing okay?” she asked softly.

Corn. 

“Mm,” Jax grunted. It came out small. Embarrassing.

But she didn’t laugh.

Instead, her hand squeezed his a little tighter.

He focused on that. Not the field. Not the rustles. Just her. The tug of her fingers guiding him out of hell. Her voice when she said his name.

He let his head dip and touch her shoulder. Just enough to feel real.

Then her hand dropped his—gently. “Found it,” she said.

There was a flicker of light, and that ZOOM. Her hand brushed his arm.

“You can open your eyes now,” she said.

He didn’t. Not yet. He just… stood there a second longer. Letting the teleportation happen.

He didn’t want to open his eyes.

Because when he did…He was afraid of what he’d do. 

The barn was quiet.

That kind of quiet you don’t really get in the Digital Circus. It reminded her of the Labyrinth, when she had spoken with the Moon. Just the distant buzz of a single fly and the glow of soft, amber light slanting through wooden boards.

Pomni exhaled. Her fingers were still tingling from where Jax had been holding them.

She glanced over.

He hadn’t moved. Still standing by the door where they’d spawned in, blinking slowly like he wasn’t quite sure if they were real again.

The berry-drunk haze had finally faded. She could tell. His ears weren’t drooping anymore, and the dopey smile was gone. He looked…normal. Or whatever passed for Jax-normal.

But he was also quiet. Still. Big eyes on hers. Like he was trying to read something on her face he hadn’t seen before.

 
Pomni shifted awkwardly. “So… barn. Cool. Should be a clue around here somewhere, right?”

Jax didn’t answer. He took a step forward.

She stiffened. “What? Do I have hay on my face?”

Still no answer. Just another step. And then—

His face hovered above hers. 

No warning. No setup.

Just his hand, gently brushing hers again. And his face an inch away. And lips that barely touched hers at first, like he wasn’t even sure it counted.

It was soft. So soft it was a ghost of a kiss. 

Pomni froze.

For a single second, her brain short-circuited.

And then—

She kissed him back.

Not long. Not sure. Not brave.

Just enough to complete what he started. Searching, like her heart had reached out before she could stop it.

But the second she pulled back, her eyes wide and heart somewhere in her throat, Jax was already making the biggest bug-eyes she’d ever seen. Bigger than back when he was sick. Bigger than the Moon herself. 

“WHAT—” she gasped. “Why did you—?!”

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Thought about panicking. Committed to panicking.

“I don’t know!” he blurted, ears twitching wildly. “You—you led me through corn hell and—don’t look at me like that, you kissed me too!”

“I—I only kissed you because—because…” she trailed off. 

Because? Because what?!

“Oh good, cool, yeah, great, now it’s my fault we had a moment,” he shot back, tone defensive but his expression rattled. His cheeks were the same shade as the berry he’d eaten earlier.

Pomni placed her hands on her cheeks. Her heart was going to punch through her chest and fly past the Moon. “We were supposed to be fake dating! Fake!”

Jax threw his arms up. “Then why did you make it feel real?!!”

“I thought you were making it real!” she wailed.

They both stared at each other.

Breathing hard. Flushed. Hearts racing.

No Caine and no audience. Not even the Moon. 

Before either of them could figure out what just happened, a familiar voice boomed.

“AAAAAND TIME’S UP, MY SCAVENGING ANTELOPES!” Caine’s voice bellowed from nowhere, cheerful and unbothered. “Congratulations to our winners, Gangle and Zooble, who found the secret treasure inside a very realistic meat freezer! Don’t ask questions! Goodbye!”

Pomni blinked. The barn around them began to dissolve. 

Jax was still staring at her. 

And as the world transformed into the circus, Pomni realized something that terrified her more than any adventure ever could. 

The kiss hadn’t been a performance for Zooble.

It hadn’t been to please Caine. 

Just them.

Just her and Jax.

And that made it real.

Chapter Text

“Okay,” Zooble said slowly, one eye narrowed. “Let’s try this again. If it bites you and you get sick, it’s venomous. If you bite it and you get sick, it’s poisonous.”

Caine floated beside them in midair, arms crossed.

“I FAIL TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE,” he said, smug. “SICK IS SICK.”

Zooble sighed. “Right. And if I throw a brick at your head and you forget your name, that’s also ‘sick,’ I guess.”

“PRECISELY!” Caine beamed. “I CALL THAT A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.”

They passed through a field of floating rubber ducks. Zooble ignored them. Caine tried to high-five one. It exploded.

“Let’s say,” Zooble continued with the tone of someone who had clearly given this example before, “you pick up a frog. A cute frog. If the frog has venom, it has to actively inject it into you. Fangs, stingers, that kind of thing. But if it’s poisonous, you just lick it and—boom—hallucinations and organ failure.”

Caine gasped. “FROGS ARE REAL?!”

Zooble stared. “You have been a creator in this circus for…decades.”

“AND NOT ONCE HAS ANYONE OFFERED ME A FROG!” He held out both arms to the void, offended. “WHY DOES RAGATHA GET TO LICK ALL THE FROGS?”

“No one is licking frogs,” Zooble snapped.

Caine gave them a sidelong glance. “YOU SURE? BECAUSE I COULD SWEAR JAX IS RIGHT THIS INSTANT.”

Zooble barked a laugh before they could stop themself. Great, Caine is making me laugh now?

“Okay, you might not be wrong about that.”

They reached the edge of a platform. NPCs were loading up some flowers and baskets for a new “non-threatening activity,” which meant someone was probably going to end up on fire anyway.

Caine spun in a lazy backflip. “SO JUST TO BE CLEAR… IF I LICK YOU AND YOU GET SICK, THAT’S POISON?”

“No. That’s karma.”

Caine let out a delighted squeal and vanished with a POP.

Zooble rubbed their temples. “I miss when he didn’t know things.”

Pomni sat curled on her bed, knees tucked under her, staring down at the folded paper in her hands.

The bunny.

She had no idea how long she'd been sitting there with it—maybe ten minutes. Maybe since last night. Maybe for the rest of her life.

It was simple. Crooked ears. Slightly smushed on one side from how she’d accidentally slept on it. And somehow, it still felt like the most delicate thing she owned.

She stroked the ears and booped its nose, holding it close to her face.

“Why would he make this?” she murmured. “Why would he give it to me? Why did he—?”

A sudden knock on her door made her yelp.

“Good morning, sunshine!” Ragatha’s voice rang out. “Breakfast is ready if you wanna come down and join us!”

Pomni flinched like she’d been caught doing something illegal. She scrambled to shove the bunny behind her back—no, wait, not good enough—under the pillow! Under the pillow.

She barely managed to sit up straight before calling out, “I-I’ll be there in a minute!”

Ragatha’s footsteps bounced away down the hall.

Pomni stared at the door for a second, then immediately turned and pulled the bunny back out from under her pillow. It was a little crumpled now. She smoothed it gently, brushing the ears back into shape, checking every crease like she was inspecting an injured bird.

It was fine. A little bent, but fine.

Without thinking, she brought it up and pressed a small, absent-minded kiss to its head.

A beat passed.

Her eyes widened.

She slowly lowered the bunny, staring at it in horror.

“What,” she said flatly. “Was that.”

She left it on her bed and clicked open the door, trying to get away from the bunny like it was the one who had kissed her just now. She stepped out into the hallway—and directly into—

Jax.

Also stepping out.

Their eyes met.

One long second of staring. Like deer in headlights. If the deer had kissed each other in a barn and then bolted in opposite directions.

Then, in perfect, silent panic, they both slammed their doors shut again.

Pomni pressed her back to the door, heart doing somersaults.

She sank to the floor, pulling her legs up to rest her chin. We’re absolutely fine. Totally normal. 

The bunny lay on her bed, innocent and unbothered and adorable.

She groaned.

Pomni arrived to breakfast a little later than usual.

It wasn’t intentional, but the moment she stepped into the main room—she regretted not being later.

Ragatha spotted her immediately. “Morning, sleepyhead!” she said brightly.

Pomni froze. “Hi. Hi, Ragatha.”

“Everything alright?” Ragatha asked. “You’re blushing over your blush marks.”

Pomni wrapped her hands around herself. “Just warm.”

At the end of the table, Gangle sat curled over her sketchbook, colored pencils scattered around. She was muttering to herself and flipping pages back and forth. What was she so happy about so early in the morning? 

Pomni slid into a chair near her and tried to focus on breakfast. Her something-that-looked-like-cereal fizzled in her bowl and popped at her. She stirred it but didn’t eat.

A few seconds later, Jax appeared, peeking around the doorframe like he was expecting a bomb to go off. When his eyes landed on Pomni, both of them visibly tensed.

He didn’t say a word. He walked to the far side of the room and sat facing completely away from her.

Pomni didn’t breathe.

Across the table, Gangle suddenly gasped and flipped her pad around. “Done!” she announced.

Pomni blinked. “What is it?”

Gangle proudly held up a finished drawing. It was warm, soft, and unmistakably them—Pomni and Jax, kissing in a wooden barn.

Pomni’s mouth fell open. Her stomach flipped. She felt heat crawl up into her face.

“Oh!” Ragatha leaned over. “Gangle, this is so cute!“

“Thank you, Ragatha. When they disappeared during the scavenger hunt, I imagined they spawned in the barn.” So this was a coincidence? 

Jax didn’t turn around, but his ears twitched.

Kinger wandered in holding a tea cup upside-down. He squinted at the drawing. “Hm. That’s a very well rendered giraffe. Gangle, you’re improving.”

“Thank you,” she giggled, beaming.

Pomni couldn’t even look at the picture. She just stared down at her cereal and forced herself to take a bite. It tasted like strawberries. Berries…

She peeked at Jax.

He was already looking at her, pupils bigger than usual. He tore his eyes away from her.

She swallowed her cereal, heart hammering so hard her appetite was gone. 

Jax opened his door a crack.

Clear hallway. No Pomni. He didn’t hear any startled squeaks or the sound of someone tripping over their own feet, so that was a good sign.

He stepped out quietly, shut the door—

—and nearly walked directly into her again.

She was just standing there, frozen. Their eyes met for exactly one second.

Then he did what was most logical—he spun on his heel and sprinted in the opposite direction.

Absolutely not. No. He was not doing this again. Not this morning. Not when he could still feel the kiss tingling on his mouth.

The way her eyes had softened, the barnlight casting a glow on her sweet face. The way she barely hesitated to return the kiss. 

He shook his head and ran faster now, past a stack of technicolor blocks and down a hallway with rows of doors, until he found one of the random circus rooms no one ever used.

This one looked like a magician’s lounge. Purple velvet curtains. Playing cards swirling mid-air. Doves sitting politely on the star-spankled table.

He slammed the door and leaned against it, gasping like he’d just outrun a bear. Pomni was scarier than a bear, actually.

“Oh my god,” he muttered.

He slid to the floor and let his ears droop.

It was like a hangover, but not the normal kind. His head wasn’t pounding, but his thoughts were too loud. Sharp little fragments stabbing at his brain every few seconds.

The kiss. The barn. Her hands on his chest. That look she gave him afterwards, like she didn’t know whether to laugh or run away.

“Okay,” he said, trying to get ahead of it. “Okay. I was drunk. It doesn’t count. I didn’t mean it.”

The cornfield had sobered him up pretty quick, though.

He buried his face in his hands. “Ughhhhhh.”

Memories of the adventure flashed through his mind.

He remembered slurring the word “cute.”

He remembered wrapping his arms around her like she was the only safe thing in the whole digital world.

“I like being close to you.”

And he remembered kissing her like it was the most natural thing he’d ever done.

Which made zero sense. He didn’t do that. He didn’t kiss people. He barely tolerated people.

So why? Why did it feel like his heart was trying to escape his chest? 

He groaned again and flopped onto his back, staring up at the hovering cards. One floated too close to his face and he swatted it away like a fly.

He couldn’t even look at her now without feeling fireworks in his stomach. What was he supposed to say? “Hey Pomni, remember when I kissed you in a barn while slightly intoxicated and emotionally vulnerable? Haha, classic me!”

No. He couldn’t talk to her. He had to figure out what this was first. What it all meant.

An image of Pomni appeared in his mind. “Why did you kiss me?” 

He wish he had an answer. But he was such a dumb bunny. 

He rolled over and pulled a dove over his face. It gave him a side eye. 

“Maybe I’ll just stay in here forever,” he told it, “in the magician’s hat.”

The dove cooed as if to agree. He sighed.

It was supposed to be a peaceful adventure. Just everyone wandering through a rolling meadow, plucking flowers that matched their assigned “aura” colors. Whatever that meant. Caine never explained it, mostly because he’d already somersaulted into a hedge, laughing about bees.

Gangle kneeled carefully to pick a yellow daisy, cradling it like it might faint. Zooble yanked out a blue tulip with theatrical effort and sneezed from the pollen. Kinger seemed to be whispering sweet nothings to a patch of marigolds.

The conversation started somewhere between the roses and the poppies.

“So,” Zooble said, tossing a flower over their shoulder, “What happened between those two during the scavenger hunt?”

Another sneeze sent their head to swivel.

Ragatha blinked from where she was arranging a bouquet with almost manic precision. “Who?”

“Jax and Pomni.”

“Oh,” Gangle said, fixing the collected flowers in her basket. “Um…yes. I thought I was imagining that.”

“They’ve been even weirder than usual,” Zooble continued, sneezing again. “Which, given the baseline, is impressive.”

The cast watched as Jax and Pomni moved in mostly opposite directions—like two magnets repelling—until they both reached for the same patch of wildflowers. A red bloom sat tangled with a purple one. Their hands brushed. Jax jolted. Pomni squeaked.

They shot backward like they’d both been tasered, launching themselves to opposite ends of the field.

“See?” Zooble waved a hand toward the scene.

Ragatha pretended not to notice but tugged a little too hard on the stem of her own flower. “Maybe… maybe they had a fight?”

“They weren’t even seen during the adventure,” Gangle mumbled. “After the spawn point, I mean. So something must’ve happened.”

“No one saw them,” Zooble confirmed. “They reappeared hours later looking like they’d been—“ they violently sneezed,  “—dropkicked. Then started avoiding each other.”

Ragatha frowned. “They were already acting strange when they started dating.”

“Yeah, but now it’s worse. Now they, like, glitch when they make eye contact. Jax flinched so hard this morning he tripped over his own ego. Which was pretty funny, I’ll admit.”

Gangle looked down at her flowers. “They’re not… mad, though. Are they?”

Zooble shrugged. “Dunno. But the way they’re acting, someone definitely said or did something.”

In the distance, Jax poked his head above a cluster of lavender, spotted Pomni adjusting her hat, and vanished again like a startled prairie dog.

“I just hope they figure it out,” Ragatha said, quieter now.

“Why?” Zooble asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ragatha looked away, smiling too hard. “Because watching this makes me feel emotionally unstable.”

They all nodded at that.

Chapter Text

The same hospital.

Except now it was abandoned, cold, and pulsing with the low groans of something not quite alive.

No lights. No signs. Somewhere in the dark, something snarled.

Pomni exhaled through her nose, as quietly as possible. Her  boots scraped slightly as she shifted, gun raised.

It wasn’t real. She knew that.

But the blood looked real. The hospital bed smeared with it looked real. The flickering monitors, the streaks down the wall, the sounds.

Way too real.

She stepped carefully into the next corridor. Every turn, every door, every sudden clank of distant metal made her whip around, gun trembling but steady. So far, she’d held her own. Two zombies down. One narrowly avoided in the stairwell. Her inventory showed two spare magazines and a med kit. No teammates in sight.

The goal was simple: escape.

The rules: don’t die.

Pomni pressed forward through the west wing, every footstep calculated, shoulders tight. Her only company was her own strained breathing and the occasional flicker of motion from deep in the shadows—sometimes a rat. Sometimes not.

She didn’t need anyone. Not right now. Not for this.

Definitely not for—

CLANG.

Pomni flinched as something metal fell behind her. She turned sharply, gun raised.

Nothing.

Then—footsteps. Quick ones. Getting closer.

She pivoted, heart jumping to her throat, and aimed at the source just as someone barreled around the corner—

Jax screamed. Pomni screamed. Jax screamed louder. “AH—OH IT’S YOU!”

Pomni’s gun hand trembled mid-air. “JAX?!”

“WHY ARE YOU AIMING—WHY DO YOU AIM LIKE THAT!?”

Pomni lowered the gun just enough to glare at him. “Why are you RUNNING like a maniac!? You trying to die on purpose?!”

“I thought something was chasing me!”

“There wasn’t!”

“Well now you’re chasing me, and frankly, it’s worse!”

They stood there panting, hearts pounding, facing each other in a blood-smeared hallway, the sound of distant moans echoing faintly down the corridor.

After a moment, Jax straightened his back and cleared his throat like he hadn’t just shrieked like a kettle.

"...So. You're alive."

She rolled her eyes. “Barely.”

“You’re walking around like you’re Jason Statham. You know you can just hide, right? That’s allowed.”

“I don’t need to hide. I’ve been doing fine.” She tried not to sound defensive.

“Tch. Sure.” Jax gave her a quick glance, eyes briefly landing on the bloodstain on her sleeve. “...You shot yourself or something?”

“It’s not mine. I think.” She blinked. 

They both lingered awkwardly, not quite looking at each other.

Eventually, Pomni said, “...You been on your own the whole time?”

“Yeah.” He gave her a vague smile. “Found a gun, wasted all my bullets on an operating table that moved.” He gestured. “So that’s where I’m at.”

“Idiot.”

They stood in tense silence.

Then, awkwardly:

“You okay?” they said at the same time.

They both stiffened. Jax cleared his throat and looked away, muttering something about corridor visibility. Pomni adjusted the grip on her gun.

That tension again.

“Whatever,” Jax said, backing up a step. “You do your thing, I’ll do mine. Try not to die.”

“You too,” Pomni said, lips tight.

He turned away.

But before he could go far, a low, unnatural hiss echoed from somewhere nearby.

They froze.

Pomni held her breath. Her eyes darted down the hall. Jax’s ears perked up.

“...Change of plans,” Jax muttered, gun raised again. “I’m not splitting up. You’ve got the only working brain I’ve seen all day.”

Pomni allowed herself a dry little smile, despite the pulse in her throat. 

Together, they pressed into the shadows.

Jax had about five regrets walking into the next hallway, and all of them started with following Pomni.

She didn’t even check if he was behind her half the time. Just kept storming ahead, muttering stuff like “This layout is wrong” and “I swear it wasn’t this long before.”

It was so dark now. Too dark. And too quiet.

That was the worst part. No jump scares. No soundtrack. Just the hush.

“Don’t get cocky just ‘cause you’ve still got bullets,” he muttered under his breath.

Pomni didn’t even look back. “I’m not cocky, I’m prepared.”

“Same thing.”

He kept a few paces behind her, letting her do the leading. Not because he was scared. No, he was letting her build confidence. Yeah. That was it.

Then she rounded a corner, and froze.

And that’s when it all went to hell.

A dragging shuffle that was way too fast.

GROWL

Pomni raised her gun—click.

Empty.

She caught the glint of teeth before she screamed.

And then Jax was running.

Before he even thought about it, he sprinted past her, lunged forward, and shoved her out of the way. Something snarled and slammed into him with full force. Pain exploded through his left arm.

His knees hit the tile. His brain white-noised.

“JAX!!”

He didn’t answer. Couldn’t. The thing on him was gnawing , tearing into his sleeve, and it hurt—God, it hurt —but he still managed to grab his spare pistol and fire directly into its gut. One, two, three shots. He ran out of bullets, but it was just enough for the body to go limp.

Jax rolled off it, clutching his arm and sucking in a sharp, shaky breath. His ears rang. The bite burned like acid.

Pomni scrambled toward him, wide-eyed and furious. “What was that?! ”

He blinked at her. “A thank you would be nice.”

“I had it!”

“You did not have it, it was about to eat your stupid little hat!”

“You didn’t have to do that!”

“Well I did! ” he snapped, voice cracking. “What do you want from me?! Let you get mauled?!”

“I could’ve handled it!”

“You were out of bullets!”

“So?! I was fine!”

Jax stared at her, mouth open. “You’re welcome?! ”

“You got yourself bitten , you idiot!”

She reached for his arm and he flinched hard, yanking it back. “I’m fine!” he lied.

“You’re not! ”

Pomni shoved her gun into her waistband and grabbed his sleeve again, gentler this time. He let her roll it up, and they both went quiet.

It was bad.

The bite wasn’t clean—it was messy and deep, like the zombie had really committed to the bit. The skin underneath looked shredded. There was no blood, not really—they didn’t have that here—but whatever the digital version was, it pulsed through the wound like something wrong .

Pomni’s voice cracked, just a little. “Why did you do that?”

Jax didn’t answer.

Because he didn’t know .

Because seeing her scream like that made his chest twist.

Because he didn’t think, he just moved .

Because if something had touched her—really touched her—

“I don’t know,” he muttered.

She looked up at him. She didn’t look angry anymore. Just scared.

There was a pause. Jax’s heart was hammering in his ears, and his arm felt like it was on fire.

Pomni gently reached for his sleeve. “Let me see.”

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, jerking away. “It’s... nothing. Just a scratch.”

“You’re sweating.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You’re pale.”

“I’m always pale.”

She frowned up at him, the fear in her face softening into concern. She didn’t look mad anymore—just... worried. Genuinely worried.

That made it worse.

“You don’t have to fuss,” he muttered, avoiding her eyes. “Seriously, Pomni. Don’t—don’t do the whole caretaking thing.”

“I want to.”

And that? That was worse than the bite.

Jax tensed as she dug into her little inventory bag and pulled out a med kit. She was frowning, focused, muttering instructions to herself as she cleaned around the wound with whatever antiseptic nonsense the game provided. She pressed gauze to it and wrapped it as tight as she could, hands trembling only slightly.

He watched her the whole time. Didn’t say anything. Didn’t breathe too hard. Just… watched.

Because if he let himself make a sound, it might come out wrong.

He looked down at her. Really looked. She was still trembling slightly—not afraid, but angry in that way people get when they’re scared for someone else.

Something twisted in his chest.

“...You okay?” he asked, voice lower than usual.

“I’m not the one who got bit.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Pomni didn’t answer. She just finished bandaging the arm with surprising care, her fingers brushing his skin like she wasn’t sure whether to pull away or hold on.

He wished she wouldn’t stop.

But then she leaned back a little, cheeks flushed, removing her hands from his wound. “There. Now stop being reckless.”

She trailed off.

They were both staring at each other. Too close.

Jax blinked first. “So uh… think I’ll turn into a zombie or just slowly rot?”

Pomni didn’t smile. “It was just part of the simulation. It won’t change anything.”

“Right. Totally. Just a game,” he said.

A distant groan echoed down the corridor, and the moment shattered.

Pomni stood quickly. “Come on. We should keep moving.”

Jax stood, arm burning, but followed. Still not talking about anything real. But walking side by side.

“Okay,” Pomni said, eyes flicking to her useless gun. “This is fine. We’re fine. All we need is more ammo, a better gun, and a working flashlight. No problem, those are usually things you’d find in an abandoned hospital.”

Jax lifted his own empty weapon, clicking the trigger just to be sure. “Deadly clicky sticks. Very intimidating.”

She smacked his good arm. “We need to find a storage room.”

“And preferably not die doing it.”

That part was trickier. Because the hallway ahead was pitch black. Not a single light source. Pomni hesitated.

Jax tilted his head. “Scared?”

“No.”

She didn’t move.

He smirked. “Sure.”

“I said no , Jax.”

Then she grabbed his sleeve.

Not his hand. His sleeve. She bunched the fabric near his elbow and clung like her life depended on it.

“…Okay, a little scared,” she admitted, her voice small.

Jax blinked, weirdly frozen in place by how small her hand looked. “Uh.”

She stood so close he could feel the heat radiating off her.

Oh, come on.

Jax’s brain short-circuited.

She was doing that thing again—being all small and soft and completely unaware of what she was doing to him. And now she was scared, and trusting him, and touching his arm, and—

“Jax,” she whispered, “move.”

He walked into the dark.

The hallway seemed to go on forever, creaking and echoing with every step. He tried not to notice how close her body was to his. At one point her head brushed his back, and Jax almost forgot how to use his legs.

Eventually, they found a door marked SUPPLY with half the letters scratched off and one of the hinges busted. Jax kicked it open.

“Ammo, come to Daddy,” he muttered, stepping into the room.

Pomni slipped in behind him. “Don’t say stuff like that.”

“Fine. Come to... Uncle? Weird cousin?”

“Just say you’re looking for ammo!”

They split up. The room was a mess—crates overturned, lockers rusted and open, shelves half-collapsed. Jax rummaged through a metal cabinet and finally— finally —pulled out a small revolver, fully loaded. He held it up like a trophy.

“Guess who found a new best fri—”

No answer.

“…Pomni?”

Nothing.

Jax spun around. “Hey. Where’d you go?”

Still nothing.

He took a step back into the hallway, pulse kicking.

And that’s when he heard it.

The scream.

High-pitched. Raw. Real.

Pomni.

He didn’t think—just ran.

Out of the room, down the hall, toward the sound. Another scream, cut short this time. His heart slammed against his ribs, every nightmare flooding his brain at once.

He found her in the middle of a crumbling pediatric wing, half-pinned under a fallen bookshelf, surrounded by seven zombies.

Something inside him snapped.

He didn’t hesitate. He fired.

BAM

BAM

BAM

Every zombie vanished in bursts of pixels. He didn’t stop until the entire hallway was empty.

Then he dropped the gun and ran to her.

Pomni was curled up on the floor, clutching her leg. Her face was pale, her breaths shaky.

“Hey, hey,” he said quickly, crouching beside her. “You’re okay. You’re—what happened? What the hell happened?”

“Bookshelf,” she muttered. “I was checking a crate. Floor gave out. Fell through. Leg’s bad.”

Jax’s hands hovered over her knee. “Can I—?”

She nodded.

He peeled back the fabric. Her leg was twisted a little funny—definitely not broken, but bad. He grabbed a roll of bandage from her pack and wrapped it tight. His fingers were shaking, and not from fear.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I should’ve kept you close.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

“I should’ve .”

Her eyes fluttered. “Jax…”

“Hey. No. Stay awake.” He tapped her cheek gently. “Do not pass out, got it?”

She leaned against his chest, eyes heavy. He could feel her slipping.

He continued to work on her leg, but he could feel Pomni staring at him.

“What?” he said, without looking.

“You’re being really…” Her voice softened. “Nice.”

He couldn’t look at her.

His chest was tight, too tight, and it wasn’t just from panic. She’d touched him, trusted him, called his name like she needed him. He didn’t know how to file that away.

Then her eyes rolled slightly, and she slumped forward.

“Hey—hey,” he caught her, arms slipping under her back. “Nope. Don’t pass out on me. I just got used to the sound of your voice not yelling at me.”

“Jax…” she mumbled.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let go.”

His breath stopped.

“…I won’t.”

He shifted her onto his back, gripping under her thighs. She was limp against him, warm and weightless and so close. Her cheek brushed the side of his neck, and he could feel her breath stuttering against his skin.

Every step he took felt too loud in the silence.

He didn’t care.

He didn’t care if every monster in the Digital Circus came crawling. He’d carry her straight through them.

She asked him not to let go.

So he wouldn’t.

He kicked open the nearest room that didn’t smell like rotten meat.

Some kind of server chamber. No windows. Cold as hell. But it was empty.

He dropped to his knees and lowered Pomni gently onto the floor.

She stirred.

“Still alive?” he muttered.

“Unf—unfortunately,” she rasped.

Jax huffed. “Yeah, you and me both.”

She blinked at the ceiling like it was spinning. Her head lolled to the side. He caught it before it thumped against the ground.

“Hey. Hey—no sleeping.”

“I’m not sleeping,” she murmured.

“You’re drooling.”

“Liar.”

He stared at her face, too long. Her cheeks were flushed—maybe fever, maybe something else. She looked dazed and small and fragile in a way he hated.

Or didn’t hate. That was the problem.

Jax sat back on his heels and peeled off his jacket. He bunched it up and slid it under her head. Her fingers brushed his wrist as he pulled away.

His stomach did something weird.

“You didn’t have to carry me,” she whispered. “I could’ve walked eventually.”

“Nope.”

She closed her eyes again, and for a terrifying second he thought she’d passed out.

But then—

“I should’ve stayed closer,” she said.

“You were the one clinging to me like a terrified baby koala.”

“I wasn’t that scared.”

“You were gripping my arm.”

She flushed. “Okay, maybe I was.”

“I noticed.”

They sat in silence after that.

The dark hummed around them, a low mechanical buzz from the dying lights above. Jax scanned for movement outside, but nothing came close.

He tried not to look at her again.

But she was right there.

“...What’re you thinking about?” Pomni asked suddenly.

Jax scoffed. “How stupid you are for getting separated.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Fine. I’m thinking about how good I looked shooting those zombies.”

“Jax.”

“I’m thinking—” He cut himself off.

Pomni didn’t press.

Eventually, he said, quieter, “I thought you were gone.”

She looked over.

“I heard you scream and I thought… I wasn’t gonna find you. That I was gonna get there too late.”

Her voice was soft. “But you didn’t.”

“I almost did.”

She reached out, and this time her fingers curled around his wrist with no warning.

No hesitation.

He stared down at her hand like it might explode.

“…You did come,” she said.

Then, shakily, she added, “Even when I’m annoying. Or a mess. Or mean.”

“You’re not mean.”

“I’m mean to you.”

“Yeah, well.” He hesitated. “I probably deserve it.”

Pomni blinked up at him, stunned. “That’s… new.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

She exhaled a laugh, soft and tired. “Will you stay here?”

Jax tilted his head. “Like, in the room?”

“Just for a while.”

His chest squeezed tight. He didn’t say anything.

He just leaned back against the wall beside her, arm brushing hers, pulse still hammering.

And he stayed.

Chapter Text

Jax didn’t say anything the whole way. He just carried her.

Pomni’s arms were wrapped around his shoulders, her face pressed to his back, trying not to think about how warm he felt or how bad she probably looked. Every time he shifted her weight, every time he adjusted his grip, it made something flutter in her chest—something unwelcome and embarrassing and definitely not helpful right now.

Her leg throbbed, but she was feeling a bit better.

“I said I could walk,” she muttered once, just to break the silence.

“Yeah, and I ignored you,” he muttered back, no bite in it.

She didn't respond.

They turned a corner—and there it was. A flickering neon sign glowing EXIT , just up ahead. Just a stretch of hallway and they’d be out. Her pulse jumped. They were finally leaving this wretched place, but no way is she coming back to the circus like this.

“I can walk the rest,” she said again, louder this time.

“You sure?” Jax asked, slowing. “Because if you fall on me, I’m gonna pretend I don’t know you.”

Pomni smirked. “Great, then I can crawl out in peace.”

He let her down carefully, still half-hovering like he didn’t trust her weight. She straightened slowly, wobbling once. But she was standing. Kind of.

“See? Perfectly functional,” she said, waving him off before he could say anything else.

They walked. Step by step. Her leg screamed. But the exit was so close, once they were out Caine would fix her up.

Then the rumble started. It was subtle at first. A shifting sound, something groaning in the ceiling above.

Pomni looked up. So did Jax.

“Pomni—”

“I’m fine—”

The ceiling cracked.

Everything happened at once. A blast of light. Chunks of collapsing debris. Jax’s hand reaching for her—

And then nothing.

Just static.

Respawning didn’t hurt. That was the worst part.

One moment she was beneath the ceiling, staring up at her own end. And the next—just here . Her room. Too clean. Too bright. Too empty.

She was on the floor. She didn’t remember falling.

Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking. The world was spinning.

Pomni curled in on herself, trying to stop it—but her brain kept replaying it. The rumble. The panic. The code bursting through her vision. The moment she realized Jax was just out of reach. That she’d left him alone. That she was—

She whimpered.

And then— SLAM

The door burst open.

Jax was there in an instant, panting, eyes wild, like he’d sprinted the whole way through the void just to get to her.

He dropped to the floor without waiting for permission, gathering her up like she was something fragile and precious and not just a pathetic pile of pixels and panic. She clung to him before she could stop herself, sobbing into his chest like it was the only solid thing in the world.

Neither of them said a word.

Jax held her. Quiet, steady, arms curled around her like a shield. She could feel his heart pounding. She didn’t even know if he had a real heart, but she could feel it anyway.

Her leg didn’t hurt anymore. But the phantom ache was there.

She’d died.

She’d died .

Pomni tightened her grip. She didn’t want to be alone. Not even for a second.

Jax didn’t let go.

Eventually, her breathing slowed. The tears didn’t stop, exactly—they just faded into exhaustion. Her thoughts blurred. Her head dropped onto his shoulder. The room was too warm.

She felt his chin rest gently against her head. Felt his fingers shift to stroke her back and head to calm her down. And it was working.

“Soft…”

She woke up warm.

Which was wrong.

Pomni didn’t usually wake up warm. She woke up disoriented, annoyed, tangled in her own thoughts. But now—

Her head was… definitely on something soft. Not a pillow.

Something fluffier than a pillow.

She blinked slowly, vision fuzzy from sleep. Her body ached faintly—not from injury. Just…everything. Too much emotion compressed into too little time.

She shifted, and something shifted with her. Arms.

Around her.

Pomni tensed.

Oh no.

She peeked up.

Jax.

He was still asleep, somehow. Mouth slightly open, face slack with exhaustion, one ear squished beneath her head. His arms were looped around her, one still lightly curved over her back, the other draped under her legs like he’d refused to let go even in unconsciousness.

They were on the floor of her room.

Still tangled together.

She stared at him in mute horror, brain catching fire one spark at a time. Her face began to heat up.

And then—

“—AUGH!” Jax jolted upright.

They bonked heads.

“OW—!”

“AH—what the—YOU—why are you —!” Pomni flailed backward, crawling across the floor like it was a crime scene. “I—wh—what?!”

Jax scrambled in the opposite direction, ears and cheeks flaring red, eyes wide. “ You clung to me! ”

“You barged into my room!!”

“You died! ”

“I know!! ”

They both froze, breathing hard, staring at each other from opposite ends of the floor like predator and prey who just accidentally shared a bed during a blizzard.

Silence.

Then Jax stood up so fast he almost fell over. He bolted toward the door. “I’m gonna—uh—I need to— don’t die again! ” he snapped over his shoulder, before slamming the door shut behind him.

Pomni sat there, hair fluffed into total chaos, heart pounding loud enough to be heard.

“…What just happened,” she whispered.

She looked down at where they’d been tangled. The imprint was still in the rug.

She grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

Jax didn’t stop running until he reached the quiet hallway behind the game room, doubled over with his hands on his knees and face burning like someone had set off a firework inside his skull.

He wasn’t dying.

But he wished his was.

What had he done?

Why had he stayed?

Why hadn’t he left after making sure she was okay?

Why had he curled around her like some overprotective body pillow, like that wasn’t the most compromising position possible? And then she’d woken up and looked at him with those adorable gorgeous wide eyes like he’d—like he’d meant it.

But he did mean it.

He dragged a hand down his face, groaning into his gloves.

A sniffle echoed down the hall.

Jax blinked.

That wasn’t his.

He peeked around the corner.

Gangle sat slumped against the wall near the common room entrance, arms wrapped around her sketchbook, one mask dangling limply off her face. She didn’t look sad, exactly. Just… quiet. Lost.

For some reason, Jax walked toward her.

“…You good?”

Gangle jumped. “Oh! I—I didn’t hear you.” She fumbled to put on her comedy mask, but her hands were shaking too much.

Jax sat down beside her anyway, not too close. “If you’re gonna cry, you should probably do it somewhere more dramatic. The stairwell gets better echo.”

Gangle let out a tiny laugh. “I’m not crying.”

“Then what are you doing? Looking tragic for fun?”

“…Thinking.”

He glanced at her sideways. “Dangerous.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “It is. Yesterday’s adventure was too much.”

He nodded. “Caine is a major psycho.”

Jax leaned his head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling lights.

“Do you think we’re the same?” he blurted before he could stop himself.

Gangle blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You know. You hide behind a mask. I hide behind a smile. Both of us fall apart when we get caught off-guard.”

She looked at him—really looked at him.

“…You never fall apart.”

He snorted. “You didn’t see me five minutes ago bolting out of Pomni’s room like a some burglar.”

Gangle tilted her head. “So you did sleep in there. I thought Ragatha was just saying things.”

“No, of course not! I mean—not on purpose! It just happened, I dunno.” He rubbed his arms like the memory was physically scalding. “She died. I panicked. I checked on her, and then she was all…” He gestured vaguely. “Shaky. It’s her first time. And I didn’t want to leave her alone, so I just sat down and then apparently forgot how to stand up again for eight hours.”

Gangle was quiet. Then:

“That’s kind of sweet.”

Jax stared at her. “What?”

“You didn’t leave. Even when you could’ve. That means something.”

“I don’t do sweet.”

Gangle smiled—this time with her comedy mask.

“You’re doing it anyway.”

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Don’t you dare tell anyone.”

“I won’t.”

A pause.

“Does she know?” Gangle asked.

“Know what?”

“…How you feel?”

Jax’s ears twitched. “I don’t even know how I feel.”

She nodded. “That’s okay. But Jax…when you figure it out, don’t wait too long to tell her.”

Jax didn’t respond. He just leaned his head back again and stared at the flickering ceiling, heart tapping out a rhythm he didn’t know how to follow.

Jax stood outside the crumbling pillow fort, arms folded, foot tapping. He’d been here for ten minutes.

Is this stupid? This is probably stupid.

He reached to knock, paused, then slapped the doorflap. “You said your dumb fort was open any time in the dark, right? Well it’s pretty dark in here now, metaphorically.”

There was shuffling inside. A long silence. Then:

“…You brought snacks?”

“No.”

“Excellent, come on in.

“Welcome,” Kinger chirped, before tripping and faceplanting into a pillow.

Jax climbed in after him, ducking. He sat with his legs pulled in, knees to chest, arms hanging limply.

Kinger dusted himself off and flopped down opposite him with theatrical exhaustion. “So. What brings you here?”

“…I need to talk,” Jax muttered. “But I hate talking.”

“That’s a challenge.”

“No. I’ll talk, you shut up.”

Kinger beamed. “A fair deal.”

Jax took a breath. Then let it out. Then fiddled with the edge of the blanket.

“You ever fake-date someone?” he said at last.

Kinger blinked. “You mean pretend to date them?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, Queenie and I did fake a breakup once. It didn’t take. There was weeping involved.”

“That’s not—” Jax rubbed his temple. “I mean, I am fake-dating someone. Pomni. It was a prank at first, long story. Caine ran with it, and now everyone believes it and we kept the bit going and now—”

He cut himself off, scowling at the wall.

Kinger nodded solemnly. “And now?”

“…Now it doesn’t feel fake anymore.”

The silence that followed was one of the rare, good kinds.

Kinger didn’t make fun of him. Didn’t gasp or cry or say something stupid.

He just listened.

Jax looked down at his gloved hands. “She makes me laugh,” he said, softer now. “She looks at me like I’m… better than I am. And that scares the hell outta me. I don’t know when it changed. I don’t know what I’m doing. She’s all jumpy and brave and ridiculous and stubborn and sometimes I wanna stuff her into my pocket and sometimes I wanna—”

He shut his mouth.

Kinger’s voice came gently. “Hold her?”

“…Yeah.”

A long breath. Jax slumped.

“I don’t get it. I used to be good at this. Keep things light. Flirt for fun, joke around, bail out before things got serious. Pranks were my thing, they were easy and paid off. But this—this is like standing on a ledge. I’m getting that weird feeling again. The one I had when—” He cut himself off.

Kinger didn’t press.

So Jax switched gears.

“You ever think it’s worth it?” he asked. “Loving someone. In this hell of a circus?”

Kinger’s expression softened.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “Even in here. Especially in here.”

Jax glanced at him.

“You and Queenie were… real?”

Kinger nodded. “Real as the floor we pretend to stand on. She made the dark days brighter. I’d lose her a thousand times if it meant getting to love her once.”

Jax swallowed.

“…I don’t think I’m like you.”

“No,” Kinger said with a smile. “You’re like you . But—”

He reached over and gently patted Jax’s arm.

“I see the way you’ve been growing, Jax. You’re trying. It’s hard for people like us. But you’re not alone.”

Jax stared at him.

Kinger looked back with that faraway softness.

“I don’t say this much,” he added. “But you really remind me of a son I never had. And perhaps I had a son in the past.”

The fort was suddenly very quiet.

Jax shifted, uncomfortable in that squirmy way that meant something had landed too close to the chest.

“Gross,” he mumbled. “You’re like eight hundred years old.”

Kinger laughed. “Yes, yes. Come now. You wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t want advice.”

Jax crossed his arms. “I wanted to talk to someone who didn’t hate me. Or Gangle, she’s a girl and it’s embarrasing.”

“I understand,” Kinger nodded.

“…So what do I do?”

Kinger’s tone was simple. Warm.

“Whatever you do, don’t bury your feelings. You let yourself feel it. You’re human deep down, and despite the code, your feelings are real . And if you love her… she should get to know that.”

Jax didn’t answer right away.

But his chest felt tight. His hands ached to do something soft.

He stood up.

“…Thanks, old man.”

“Tell no one I was helpful.”

“They wouldn’t believe me, anyway.”

Jax ducked out, heart pounding. Kinger was really something else. He didn’t expect his words to affect him like this, but they did.

And now, he didn’t feel like running.

Pomni didn’t tell anyone where she was going.

She didn’t have to. Not when her feet already knew the path.

It was always quiet by the lake. The shoreline sparkled now and then, but the water itself stayed still. 

Pomni sank to her knees in the grass. The silence pressed around her like a weighted blanket. The lake was her favorite place for the stillness and quiet and privacy. She hugged her arms to her chest and breathed in.

No one here. No eyes on her.

Good.

She let the mask slip.

Her face—tired. Her posture—slumped. Her brain—so incredibly noisy.

She thought about the last few days. Thought about Jax’s voice in the dark. His hands on her back. The way he’d mumbled her name into her shoulder like he needed her.

Her legs curled in tighter.

All of it had started as a joke. A weird, stupid game to outsmart Caine. A fake dating scheme that would liberate them. But now…

Now she didn’t know how to act around him.

Not when he looked at her like that. Not when he said or did things that felt like he meant.

Her chest felt too small for her heartbeat. She buried her face in her arms.

“What is this,” she whispered. “What is this.”

A familiar coolness stirred the air behind her.

The Moon shone with her easy smile.

She didn’t speak right away. Just hovered nearby, presence soft and silver and kind. Her pale blue light rippled across the lake.

“Pomni,” she said gently. “You’ve been quiet.”

Pomni looked up. “…Oh, hello.”

“What’s on your mind, little spark?”

Pomni hesitated.

Then she spoke without lifting her head.

“Everything,” she mumbled.

The Moon didn’t interrupt.

Pomni took another breath.

“I can’t tell what’s real anymore,” she said. “I feel like I’m glitching out emotionally.”

She paused. Swallowed.

“It started as a prank. The fake dating thing. I wasn’t supposed to like him. It was a safe joke. But then he started being…different. Annoying and smug but also weirdly thoughtful. And now I can’t stop thinking about him. Like. All the time. He gives me dumb origami thing and says nice things in the middle of chaos and holds me like he means it and now I wake up and he’s the first thing I think about and I don’t know how to make it stop .”

The words poured out faster now. No filter. No caution.

“I thought it would pass. I thought it was just stress or adrenaline or Stockholm Syndrome or whatever this place does to people. But it’s not going away. It’s getting worse . And the worst part is I think— I think—”

She trailed off.

The Moon drifted closer.

“You think…?”

Pomni lifted her head at last.

Eyes wide. Scared and wobbling.

She whispered, “I think I’m in love with him.”

The lake was still.

The Moon tilted her head, calm and knowing.

“And how does that feel, to say it out loud?”

Pomni blinked rapidly. Her breath caught.

“…Terrifying.”

“But true?”

“…I think so.”

The Moon gave the softest smile.

“It is a beautiful thing, Pomni. To love, even when the world around you feels artificial. That feeling—yours—is real . And you’ve already survived so much to reach it.”

Pomni stared out at the water.

She remembered the games. The danger. The glitches. The arguments. The fake dates.

The barn. The kiss.

She pressed a hand to her chest.

“…I don’t know what to do with it.”

“You don’t need to know yet. You only need to know it’s there.”

Pomni breathed in.

And for once, the panic didn’t rise. The thought of him didn’t scare her—it warmed.

She closed her eyes and whispered the realest thing she’d ever known in the circus, to the Moon, to the lake, to herself:

“…I love him.”

Chapter Text

Knock.

Jax blinked at the sound. Late. Too late for Caine’s antics. Too late for Gangle’s art hangouts. 

Knock.

He dragged himself off the floor and padded to the door, rubbing a hand down his face. “Alright, alright, I’m coming—if this is about the toaster—“

He opened it.

And froze.

Pomni.

Just… Pomni. No costume, no hat. Just her—soft yellow pajamas, wild hair, eyes wide and glassy like she was sleep-walking.

She didn’t say anything.

Her stare burned right through him.

Jax straightened, suddenly very aware of his own mess: the sleepy slump in his shoulders, the bedhead, the fact that his room looked like it experienced a tornado. But none of that seemed to matter. Her eyes didn’t waver. They were fixed in his own. 

“Uh. Pom?” he said carefully. “Something wrong?”

She took a step inside.

He stepped back.

She took another.

He backed again.

And again.

Until the back of his knees hit the edge of the bed, and he dropped onto it with a yelp.

Pomni stopped.

Stood right in front of him, between his knees. They were at the same height now. 

He could barely think.

She stood close enough for him to count the sleepy creases under her eyes. Still nothing on her face. No sarcasm. No blush. Just that intense look.

“…If this is about the toaster thing, I swear it was already combusting when I got there,” he joked weakly.

Nothing.

She was still watching him.

He swallowed.

“…Pom?”

Then, slowly, her hands came up and cupped his face.

He gasped.

The world shrank to the warmth of her fingers on his cheeks. To the closeness of her breath. To the way she was looking at him like he was the only thing in the world.

She looked at him a second longer. Like she was still making up her mind. Like she was giving herself one last chance to back out.

“I’ve been thinking…,” she said, voice quiet but firm.

He blinked.

Okay. Okay, sure. She was thinking. Normal. Normal thing to do at 3 a.m. face-to-face.

“…about how much you’ve changed,” she said. 

His heart gave a confused lurch. “Pom—”

She pressed a finger to his mouth gently. “Shh. Listen.”

Her thumbs stroked his cheeks like she was smoothing out everything he refused to admit.

Gulp . 

She finally spoke. “Ragatha hasn’t seen a single centipede in months. Months, Jax.”

He squinted. She kept going.

“No one’s been pranked into a panic attack. No one’s cried because of you. You stopped teasing Gangle, and now she wears her comedy mask everyday with a smile. Because it didn’t break. Because you didn’t break it. She told me you’d become friends with her, and I couldn’t believe it.”

He stared at her.

His heart was doing gymnastics now without a spotter. It kept tumbling over and crashing. 

“You don’t fight with Zooble anymore,” she whispered. “Ragatha…might not say it, but even she can tell you’re trying. You laugh with people instead of at them. You changed.”

Jax felt himself fold inward, the weight of it hitting all at once.

But she wasn’t done.

“And with me…”

She leaned in just enough for her nose to brush his.

“You’re sweet,” she breathed. “You look out for me. You carry me through zombie-infested hospitals and find me after games to comfort me and give me bunnies made of paper just to see me smile. You’re still you, but—“

He didn’t move.

He couldn’t.

The air between them got warm. Her hands still cupped his face, like she was holding something fragile.

He opened his mouth—nothing came out.

And then—

She kissed him.

Not clumsy. Not quick. She kissed him like she had one chance. Like she had to. Like the feelings had been building in her like pressure in a boiler and now they were just spilling out.

Jax’s eyes fluttered wide for a second. His brain short-circuited somewhere between what is happening and don’t ruin this.

She kissed him again—slower this time. Softer. Her hands hovered uncertainly near the collar of his pajamas, unsure if they were allowed to hold on.

And he just stared at her, breath caught in his chest, lips tingling, heart throwing a rave in his ribcage.

She kissed him like she’d been waiting to do it for a hundred digital years.

And Jax? 

Jax forgot how to breathe.

It just went quiet.

The kind of quiet that came before fireworks—before a scream, or a sob, or a tragic death.

She pulled back, barely. Her lips hovered a breath from his. She could still feel the warmth of his mouth against hers, like the heat had burned through something and left her exposed. Her hands didn’t know where to go. Her heart was climbing up her throat.

And then—

He kissed her back.

Not polite. Not safe. Not like he was trying to be careful.

Jax leaned in with a groan that sounded like it’d been trapped in his chest for days, and kissed her like he’d been starving for it. Like something had finally snapped inside him and he’d stopped pretending.

Pomni gasped into it.

His hands found her waist, then her back, then her sides like he didn’t know where to hold first—like he wanted all of her at once but couldn’t move fast enough.

She clung to him, dizzy, reeling, kissed again and again until her knees buckled and he caught her like instinct. Her fingers slid up his neck, to his ears, and the second she tugged, he shuddered.

“Pomni,” he whispered. Barely breath. Barely voice.

Another kiss.

“Pomni.”

He said it like a prayer. Like she was the only thing tethering him to the ground.

She whimpered softly into his mouth as he kissed her deeply again, rougher this time, like the need had finally overtaken him. Like this wasn’t just something he wanted—it was something he couldn’t not do . As if kissing her right now was more important than breathing. 

“Pomni,” he said again, and again, his voice breaking between kisses.

She pulled him closer. He buried his face in her neck like he didn’t know how to get close enough. His breath was warm against her skin. Lips brushed just under her jaw, so soft it made her tremble.

He kissed her there, too.

Again.

Again.

Each one gentler, deeper, quieter than the last.

And when he said her name this time, it broke her.

Like she was raw. Like someone had cracked her chest open and found something worth holding.

His hands clutched her back like he was afraid she’d disappear. Her fingers tightened around him.

And all she could do was hold on.

To this moment.

To him.

Because Jax—who never stayed still, who joked through pain, who teased and pushed and hid behind sharp teeth—was holding her like he’d found the softest, brightest thing in the world.

And he loved her.

She could feel it in the way he kissed her neck, like the taste of her skin had become sacred. In the way his voice cracked when he said her name. In the way he shook, just a little, like feeling too much had made his body stutter.

And all of it—

All of it was real.

He didn’t sleep much.

Not in the bad way. More like…he didn’t want to miss a second of this.

Pomni, curled into him. Her face buried under his chin, her breath warming his collar. Her hands had somehow snuck under his shirt during the night and stayed there—like she needed skin-to-skin contact or she’d vanish.

He hadn’t moved. Not once.

Just held her. All night.

His arms ached from staying in the same position, but he didn’t care. He liked the ache. He liked her weight against him. And god, she was so small . He could probably fold her into a drawer.

Ridiculous.

He looked down at her sleeping face now, the rise and fall of her shoulders, her cartoonishly messy dark hair splaying in every direction.

And he smiled. Like an idiot.

Was this real? Did this actually happen? Or had he fallen asleep during Caine’s next adventure and hit his head too hard?

Because if this was a dream, he wasn’t waking up. No thanks. He was staying here. Right here. With her.

Pomni stirred and mumbled something against his chest, and he went perfectly still. She nuzzled into him like she’d done it a hundred times before and yawned.

“Mornin’.” 

She blinked up at him.

“…Your voice sounds nice in the morning,” she said.

He stared at her. “Hmm?”

“You heard me.” Her voice was soft and raspy. She smiled at him. “It’s all low and warm. Kinda scratchy. It’s…nice.”

Oh god.

She was going to kill him.

She stretched, arms up like a cat, and her sleep shirt rode up just enough to send his brain into override. Then she blinked again, those giant eyes of hers narrowing, analyzing.

“I think we’re starting to lose our minds,” she said.

“Yeah,” he breathed, watching her. “I definitely am.”

She smiled lazily, like she wasn’t sure whether she should be smug or nervous. Maybe she was both. “If this is what it feels like to be insane,” she murmured, “then I’m worse than Kinger.”

He huffed a laugh. “You poor thing.”

Her eyes softened. She tilted her head, staring at him with a strange kind of wonder.

“I love when you do those eyes.”

“What eyes?” he blinked.

“That thing where your pupils get huge and the black covers most of the yellow. You look all startled and fuzzy. Like a cute little bunny.”

He groaned, flushing. “I can’t control it . And I’m not a cute little bunny.”

“Oh. Sorry,” she said, not sorry at all. Then after a beat, “You’re my cute little bunny.”

He groaned louder and covered his face with one hand. “Ugh. You’re lucky I like you too much. If it was anyone else, I’m throwing hands.”

“ My The Jaxler,” she said with a silly smile, rolling dramatically onto his chest.

He laughed. “God, not this again—”

She giggled and poked his side.

He squawked and poked back.

It devolved instantly.

It was now a tickle war, limbs tangling, elbows in places they didn’t belong, and Pomni shrieking as he flipped them so she was under him—only for her to shove him again, and now she was on top, giggling breathlessly, hair poking in every direction and eyes sparkling.

“I win,” she whispered, triumphant.

Then she kissed him.

And he melted.

Like actually, physically melted . If Caine had walked in and declared him a puddle on the floor, he would’ve accepted it.

She pulled back just enough to whisper, “Can I play with your ears?”

He blinked up at her. “…They’re sensitive, Pom. I told you.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m gentle,” she said sweetly.

He didn’t respond. Just stared. She was already sitting in his lap, fingers flopping one ear down experimentally. His heart stuttered.