Chapter Text
Life in the circus was getting easier by the day, maybe easier enough that Pomni thought she could actually get used to it.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been here anymore, Weeks maybe months. Time felt meaningless in this place, looping endlessly, the same day stretched thin and repeated until it blurred into nothing. She regretted not writing anything down when she first arrived. At least then she would have proof that time had passed at all.
The adventures helped, she supposed. They forced her attention outward, dragged her away from reality for a little while. Distraction was a mercy here.
Pomni lay flat on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to relax. It didn’t work. Her thoughts buzzed restlessly, circling the same things over and over until it made her chest feel tight.
She needed a distraction. Something real. Maybe going out and seeing the others wouldn’t be so bad.
Anything was better than sitting alone with her thoughts. Especially when those thoughts kept drifting toward a certain purple rabbit.
She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning softly.
She regretted the fight. The way she’d snapped at him, the sharpness in her voice, the frustration spilling out without restraint. She knew why Jax acted the way he did. She always had. But forcing it out of him, cornering him when he clearly didn’t want to talk, had only made things worse.
Pomni assumed he was ignoring her now. And honestly, she couldn’t blame him.
So she decided to give him space. As much as she wanted to apologize, to explain herself, she didn’t want to make things harder by pushing again.
With a sigh, she finally sat up and slid off the bed. Staying in her room too long always made it harder to leave. Like the walls closed in if she hesitated.
She opened the door.
The first thing she saw was Jax’s door directly across the hall, his signature smug grin painted right on it. Her stomach flipped.
Nope. Too soon.
She quickly turned and walked down the hallway, passing familiar doors, her steps light and careful. Maybe the others were gathered on the couch, playing cards or just talking. There was no real routine to it. People drifted in and out whenever they felt like it. Lately, everyone had been spending more time together, and Pomni found unexpected comfort in that. It made the circus feel a little less empty.
Lost in thought, she barely noticed how quickly she reached the common area.
She stopped short.
There was a soft snore.
Pomni frowned, listening. The sound was unmistakable. She looked toward the couch, and her breath caught.
Jax was sprawled across it, long legs stretched out and taking up nearly the entire thing. One arm was draped over his chest, the other hanging loosely off the side. He looked… different like this. Less sharp. Less guarded.
She hadn’t expected to see him. Not like this. Especially not after yesterday.
Her first instinct was to turn around and leave him alone. He deserved his rest. She didn’t want to make things awkward.
Then he mumbled something.
Pomni hesitated.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped closer, careful not to make a sound. His words were slurred and indistinct, brows drawn together as if he were struggling against something unseen.
He shifted, ears twitching, a distressed sound slipping from his throat.
“Oh,” Pomni whispered. “He’s…”
Her chest tightened. He looked exhausted, dark shadows beneath his eyes, like he hadn’t slept properly in a long time. Watching him like this made something ache inside her.
She wasn’t sure if she should wake him. What if she startled him? What if it made things worse?
Another soft, troubled noise escaped him, and before she could think better of it, she reached out.
Her fingers brushed through the fur on his head, slow and tentative, stroking gently. She froze, waiting for him to wake up, to snap at her.
He didn’t.
Instead, his expression slowly eased. His breathing evened out, tension melting from his face as she continued, careful and steady.
Pomni let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
His fur was… incredibly soft. Softer than she expected. The sensation relaxed her almost instantly, her shoulders loosening as she focused on the simple rhythm of the motion.
She watched his ears twitch faintly.
Her gaze lingered.
Are they as soft as his head?
The thought surprised her. She glanced back to his face, checking for any sign of him waking. Nothing. He was still deeply asleep.
Her eyes drifted back to his ears.
Just one touch, she told herself. Just to see.
Slowly, she reached out with her other hand and gently brushed his right ear between her fingers. She paused, heart racing, ready to pull back at the slightest movement.
Nothing happened.
Jax’s face relaxed even more, a soft, pleased sound rumbling from his chest.
Pomni froze.
Was that… a purr?
Her eyes widened, shock flooding through her. The sound was low and steady, unmistakably content. Heat rushed to her face as she stared at him, stunned.
That’s… cute. Way too cute.
She swallowed, fingers hovering uncertainly for a moment before curiosity won out. Carefully, she resumed, this time slower, more deliberate. She brushed along the base of his ear, thumb rubbing gently where the fur was thickest.
The response was immediate.
The purring deepened, vibrating softly beneath her hand, and Jax shifted almost imperceptibly toward her touch, ears twitching like he was chasing the sensation even in his sleep.
Pomni’s breath caught.
Oh. He likes that.
She adjusted her grip, lightly massaging the edge of his ear between her fingers, experimenting, watching closely. Every small movement earned her another soft rumble, another sign of approval, until she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this calm.
Her fingers kept moving, slow and careful, like she was afraid the moment would shatter if she rushed it. And Jax, for once, didn’t hide. He leaned into it, purring openly, utterly unaware or simply choosing not to be.
Pomni’s heart fluttered uncomfortably in her chest.
She was in trouble.
He really has soft sides, she thought. Sides he never shows.
She was so caught up in the moment she almost missed it.
“Pomni…”
Her breath hitched.
He was still asleep, voice barely more than a murmur, but hearing her name on his lips sent a jolt through her. She stopped immediately, hands hovering as her face burned.
She should stop. She knew she should.
But instead, she leaned closer, touching his ears more deliberately, more intimately now, watching his expression soften under her hands.
His breathing shifted.
Pomni stilled immediately.
The purring faltered, not stopping, just… changing. His brows twitched, faint lines forming between them as if he were surfacing from something deep. One ear flicked beneath her fingers.
Oh no.
She held her breath, hands hovering, afraid to move, afraid not to.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then his eyes fluttered.
Pomni’s heart climbed straight into her throat.
She started to pull back, slow and careful, like backing away from something that might bite—
His eyes opened.
He stared, sharp and focused far too quickly for someone who’d supposedly been asleep.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Pomni yelped, stumbling back, hands snapping away like she’d been burned. Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs, panic flooding her all at once.
“I—I—!”
Before she could move any farther, Jax reached out and grabbed her arms, holding her right where she was. Not harsh, but firm enough to keep her from escaping.
He sat up slowly, ears flicking, eyes narrowed with unmistakable amusement.
“Well,” he drawled, “this is one way to wake up.”
Her face was on fire. Panic tangled her thoughts, words refusing to form.
Jax smirked. “Don’t you think it’s kinda rude to touch someone while they’re sleeping, Pomni?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again, completely lost.
Pomni stood there, heart still racing, the echo of his words bouncing around in her head longer than they should have.
Jax, for his part, seemed to catch himself lingering too long. The teasing glint in his eyes flickered, then sharpened again, like he’d deliberately pulled it back into place.
“Well,” he said, stretching his arms over his head as he reclined further into the couch, “this has officially been the weirdest nap I’ve had in a while.”
Pomni let out a quiet, nervous laugh, grateful for the shift. “You nap in public a lot?”
“Only when I trust the environment,” he replied easily. “Or when I’m too exhausted to care.”
That word stuck with her. Exhausted.
She watched him carefully, suddenly hyper-aware of how he avoided looking at her directly now. Like if he did, something might slip out that he wasn’t ready to deal with.
She thought about the fight. About the words she’d thrown at him. The things she wanted to say now.
But she didn’t.
She could tell, somehow, that bringing it up would break whatever fragile balance they’d stumbled into. Jax was joking, teasing, deflecting. Letting the moment exist only as something light, something temporary.
So she followed his lead.
“I really didn’t mean to wake you,” she said instead. “I was just going to sit for a bit.”
“Uh-huh,” he replied, smirking. “And accidentally discover my biggest weakness.”
She blinked. “Your… ears?”
“Don’t spread that around,” he said quickly, tone playful but just serious enough to make her pause. “I’ve got a reputation to maintain.”
Pomni nodded solemnly. “Your secret’s safe.”
Their eyes met again, and this time the silence stretched a little longer.
Too long.
Pomni became painfully aware of how close she still was, how the couch dipped where he leaned, how she could almost feel the warmth he left behind. Her thoughts drifted back to the way his fur had felt under her fingers, how the tension in his body had melted so easily.
Jax cleared his throat abruptly and stood up, breaking the moment like snapping a thread.
“Well,” he said, clapping his hands together once, a little too loud, “since you so rudely interrupted my beauty sleep—”
“I said I was sorry,” Pomni muttered.
“—I think I’ll go finish it somewhere less… handsy,” he continued, grinning down at her.
She rolled her eyes, but she smiled despite herself. “Goodnight, Jax.”
“Night, Pomni.”
He turned and headed down the hall without looking back.
Pomni stayed where she was for a long moment after he disappeared, staring at the empty space he’d left behind. The circus felt quieter somehow, like it was holding its breath.
Her heart slowly settled, but the warmth lingered.
She pressed her hands together, flexing her fingers.
They still felt soft.
—
Jax didn’t stop walking until he reached his room.
The door clicked shut behind him, and only then did he lean back against it, shoving a hand over his face with a quiet groan.
Idiot.
He dragged his fingers down, ears flattening as heat crept up his neck.
He’d woken up the moment she touched his ears.
The moment her fingers brushed them, gentle and hesitant, he’d almost jerked awake out of reflex.
Almost.
Instead, he’d stayed still. Let her keep going. Let himself relax into it like it was nothing.
Which was the worst part.
His chest tightened at the memory, the faint phantom sensation still lingering. He hated how good it had felt. Hated how easy it was to let her touch him like that.
It meant something.
And he didn’t do “something.”
Jax straightened, shaking his head sharply like he could physically shake the thought loose.
Won’t happen again, he told himself firmly.
Doesn’t matter how nice it felt.
He flopped onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling, jaw tight.
Still, when he closed his eyes, all he could think about were her hands.