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Published:
2025-08-16
Completed:
2025-08-16
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2/2
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I Promise I Won't Let You Go

Summary:

“Jax?”

‘Pomni…?’ He slowly turned to face her and saw something in her gaze he never had before: Pure terror.

Notes:

I wrote this in a very tired, half-disassociative state. (The new episode really did a number on me.) I'll come back to tweek it tomorrow with a (hopefully) clearer head.

Chapter 1

Summary:

Jax crashes out. Someone is there to save him.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

XxXxX

The walk into the theater was silent and awkward.

Jax stared straight ahead, ignoring the little jester beside him. He was still pissed off from their most recent conversation, both at her for riling him up and himself for reacting to it. Something about her just urged him to be honest; more honest than he'd ever been with anyone in The Circus. Even Ribbit. …Ribbit. It was his face, sweet and ever smiling, crossed out with a big red X, that had brought Jax back to his senses. He knew what happened when he allowed himself to get close to other people, and it was never good. Yet, somehow, Pomni had nearly caused him to forget. Being around her, talking with her, joking, laughing, it all felt so…easy. Natural. He'd slipped into their friendship without even realizing it, and what's worse? He'd liked it. He'd really, really liked being with Pomni, and she'd liked being with him, too, until he'd completed the task of pushing her away. It hadn't been easy. It had been a fight, both physically and metaphorically, to get her to back off, but he'd done it. The proof was in her actions, as she walked ahead to talk to Ragatha.

Dumb, sappy Ragatha. It was obvious from her body language how she felt about the jester, and if Pomni's was anything to go by, she might feel the same. He felt a pain in his chest, like someone had stabbed his heart with a knife and twisted it. This was quickly followed by anger. For some reason, the idea of Pomni and Ragatha becoming closer pissed him off. So when they took their seats near the stage, smiling and chatting amicably, he walked in the opposite direction, sitting as far from the pair as possible.

The awards show started and Jax couldn't be bothered to pay attention. He'd always had a hard time focusing, but it was especially hard whenever he was upset. And, as much as he hated to admit it, the events of the day had upset him. He kept glancing at Pomni, flashes of memories of the fun they'd had replaying in his mind, quickly followed by their fight. Part of him, the part he tried to kill and bury, wished he could take it back and regain their easy friendship of just a few hours ago, back before she'd ruined it by announcing what a good team they made and hugging him, giving him the human contact he hadn't known he'd been craving.

Despite how brief the hug had been, his brain couldn't erase how soft and warm she'd felt. I was…nice. When was the last time someone had touched him so earnestly? He couldn't remember. What he did remember was how much the sudden physical affection had freaked him out. How he'd pushed her away almost immediately, then stared at his hand, in shock of his own actions.

He wanted that warmth back now, and he hated himself for it, for this very human weakness that was still slithering around in his chest, causing him to stare at Pomni and long to sit beside her in the chair she'd clearly left vacant for him. Why had she done that? Did she still care about him, after everything? The thought made his heart soar, until he realized... ‘I fucked up.’ Even if he wanted to, which he did, deep down, he couldn't just walk over and sit with her. Not after all the cruel things he'd said.

Suddenly, the space between the two seating sections seemed impossibly wide and he'd burned every bridge he could have used to cross it. His leg began bouncing in an attempt to release his nervous energy, but it was no use. He was way too amped up. He stomped his foot in frustration and stood, making his way into the hall.

X

Jax stumbled into the men's room, gripping the edge of one of the sinks for support. He turned the faucet on, intending to splash water on his face, but quickly forgot that plan as an intense wave of dizziness overcame his senses. Everything felt fuzzy, like his head was full of cotton. The only things breaking through were the staticky sound of the running water and the pounding of his own heart in his chest. It suddenly became very hard to breath and his mind started panicking. He'd felt anxiety before, but nothing like this. He almost felt like he was floating.

“Jax?”

The soft sweet voice cut through the fog like a knife through warm butter. ‘Pomni…?’ Jax slowly turned to face her. The jester had shown many emotions while looking at him in the past, but now he saw something in her gaze he never had before: Pure terror.

Pomni rushed forward. Once at his side, she hesitated for only a moment before reaching out and grabbing his arm. The change was instantaneous, like a bolt of lightning had shot straight through him. Jax fell to his knees. “Jax!” She wrapped an arm around his shoulders firmly. He could feel her body trembling through the contact. “A-are you alright?!”

Jax looked at her brokenly, the expression on his face saying what his words currently could not. Before she could ask any more questions, he launched himself at her in the fiercest hug he could ever remember giving, clinging to her small form for dear life. Slowly, Pomni wound her arms around him, hugging him back just as fiercely. This is what broke him. A sob wrenched itself from his chest and Pomni began stroking the fur on the back of his head, whispering words of comfort.

“I've got you,” she said, softly and sincerely. "I promise I won't let you go.”

The next sob that left him was one of relief. She still cared for him. Their relationship wasn't fixed, but it wasn't completely broken, and right now, that was enough.

XxXxX

Notes:

Story's posted, I'm exhausted, I'm goin' to bed. Until next time, take care. 💕

Chapter 2

Summary:

Pomni sees Jax leave the theater and decides to follow him.

Notes:

So BatsukiKakugo 33 asked why Pomni was in the men's bathroom in the previous chapter, and instead of just explaining it to them...this happened. Whoopsie! Guess it's a two-shot now! 😅

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading Pomni's perspective.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

XxXxX

It was silly. Stupid, really, for her to leave the seat next to her open for Jax. Pomni knew the rabbitoid wouldn't want to sit next to her this soon after their argument. He may not ever want to again, and that thought felt like a bullet to the heart. Or what was left of it after the barrage of hurt Jax had hit her with earlier. It tore her up inside, those things he'd said. And the worst part was, he was lying. She was smart enough to see the tactics he was using to push her and the others away. She'd just thought… Pomni sighed. They'd been bonding, having fun; more fun than the jester’d had in a long, long time, both in and out of The Circus. She'd felt a connection, and he clearly had, too, but he was scared. Of what, she wasn't sure, but she could fathom a guess.

Pomni understood dealing with past traumas. She even understood lashing out and pushing others away, either out of frustration and anger, or in some weird, fucked up bid to protect them. One reason she'd adjusted to life in The Circus so quickly was the seemingly neverending bombardment of bullshit she'd faced throughout her life and the trauma she'd had to deal with as a result. But while she had gone to therapy, put in the work, and eventually grown out of her unhealthy coping mechanisms, Jax had not. To be fair, she had no idea how long he'd been stuck in this technicolor hellscape. It's possible he'd been a teenager when he'd gotten trapped here, thus stunting his emotional growth. After all, it's not like any of the others could've helped much with that, being so unstable themselves. Or, in Kinger’s case, unstable the majority of the time. How would she have turned out if the other Circus members were all she had to help her through her formative years? Probably not great.

But that was neither here nor there. Whatever the reason, Jax had pushed her away and, not being one to force things, in the end, she had let him. At least for the time being. She figured giving the man some space was probably her best option. She'd try again once things were less heated. Pomni wasn't giving up on her friend.

Anxiously, she glanced back at said friend. He wasn't looking too good. His ears were drooping and his usual grin had slipped from his face. Suddenly, he stood, walking quickly towards the exit, and Pomni felt her chest fill with dread. She had a very bad feeling about this. Something was wrong, and she knew she had to act quickly. The jester leapt from her seat.

“O-oh! Where are you going?” Ragatha asked.

Something told Pomni that discretion would be best here. She decided to trust her instincts. “I just…need to get some air,” she fibbed. “Today was a lot, you know?”

Ragatha seemed to calm slightly at her explanation. “Of course. Do you want any company?” the ragdoll offered.

Pomni shook her head. “No, thanks. I'm good.” Seeing unease creep onto the other woman's face, she reached out, taking her hand. “We'll talk later, okay?” When Ragatha still seemed unsure, she added, “I promise.”

That seemed to do the trick. Ragatha relaxed, squeezing Pomni's hand before letting go. “Okay. Feel better.”

Pomni smiled and waved as she made her way up the aisle and out of the main theater. As soon as she entered the hall, her smile dropped and she looked around for a glimpse of purple fur and pink overalls. Not seeing him, she began her frantic search. Pomni ran up and down the halls, heart racing faster with each passing second. “Come on…come on! Where are you?!” she muttered to herself. That's when she saw it. The sign for the men's restroom. She picked up speed, running as fast as she could before stopping at the door with a cartoonish screech. She stood there for a moment, scared, knowing that whatever she found on the other side wouldn't be good. But she had to go in. Jax was in trouble, and she sure as shit wasn't gonna abandon him. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

Jax was standing, clinging to the edge of one of the sinks and shaking uncontrollably. His breaths came out in ragged, choked huffs, and his ears drooped over his eyes.

Slowly, cautiously, she entered the room. “Jax?” He turned to look at her and her heart filled with terror. Pomni had never witnessed someone abstracting, but something deep down told her that's exactly what she was looking at. She ran forward, then hesitated, remembering how Jax had last reacted to physical touch, before gut instinct pushed her forward. She reached out and grabbed his arm. As soon as they made contact, pain jolted through her hand, up her arm and into her whole being. She nearly cried out when something else garnered her attention, jamming the sound in her throat: The rabbitoid dropping to his knees. “Jax!” Her pain and feelings of confusion suddenly left her, replaced by an intense need to help her friend. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pressing her body close in both an attempt to comfort him and to stop the trembling of her own body. “A-are you alright?!”

Groggily, he lifted his head and looked at her. The pain she saw in his eyes caused her breath to hitch. Before she could say anything more, he launched himself at her, hugging her as though she were his lifeline, and in this moment, she very well might have been. Slowly, shakily, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. A sob escaped the man in her arms and Pomni felt her heart clench painfully in her chest. She moved one hand up to the back of his head and began stroking the soft fur there. “I've got you,” she assured him. “I promise I won't let you go.”

Jax sobbed again, but this one was different; less sad, more…relieved. She felt his arms tighten around her, and in that moment, Pomni knew she would keep her promise.

XxXxX

Notes:

Okay, now I'm done! At least with this fic. I'll definitely be posting more Funnybunny in the near future. Episode six, man... *smh* It's got me all kinds of fucked up.

Also, Pomni is totally a Jesus allegory, and until the show proves me wrong, you can't convince me otherwise. 🙃

Until next time, take care, everyone! 💕