Chapter Text
Nothing ever happens.
Go to school, get lunch packed, and since he’s a rabbit, all he can do is munch munch munch. No thinking, no pondering. Take the same tests. Answer the same questions. Is there no other teachers here–better teachers, at that? The classmates he talks to admittedly go around in a rotation as well. Pomni, Gangle, Pomni’s-weirdly-evil-counterpart-that-no-one-points-out-is-physically-similar-to-her-despite-not-being-related… Everyone else is a blur to him. There’s no point in paying attention to any more if everyone is just doing the same routine, like cogs in a machine.
But today, the eyes he could feel were on him felt like something ripped off a horror game. For some reason, the purple rabbit just a few seats in his row has his head turned particularly at him. Thomas’ fingers shook from the nervousness—why is he so peculiar about the eyes on him? Is it because it’s so out of the ordinary that he can no longer focus? His pen topples from his hand, and he quickly grabs it back from the ground and apologizes for the noise. Idiot, who apologizes for that? At this point, his anxiety was at an all time high. The purple rabbit snickers a bit, simply leaning against his chair with a bored expression. Finally, the eyes weren’t on him anymore.
As soon as Thomas got himself out of that hellish period that felt like excruciating hours of humiliation, he’s left walking through the hallway reflecting about what just happened. Why was that purple rabbit observing him? What makes himself so interesting, so worth to look at, despite looking just like him except he’s red with spiky hair? He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly, and frankly, it was something he did not want to think about anymore, but the thought couldn’t help but slip into his mind. As usual, he finds himself sitting alone, now realizing that he forgot his lunch. As if today couldn’t get more embarrassing…
“Hey.” An unfamiliar voice rings in his ears. Thomas flinched at the greeting, then apologized for the reaction he made. As he looks up, he realizes–it’s the dude that was piercing him with his gaze just earlier. “Mind if I sit here?” The purple rabbit sat himself down. “Great, thanks.” Thomas has not said a single word to him this far, but he can’t bring himself to stir anything up.
Piercing silence.
“So, what’s your name?” The purple rabbit starts, munching on a carrot.
“...Thomas.”
“That’s dumb.”
“Okay…”
“Name’s Jax. Nice to meet you.” He turns to the red rabbit and brings his hand to his own, shaking it feverishly.
“Nice to meet you too, I guess.”
“What did ya think of the test earlier?”
Thomas chuckles a bit. It’s not like their test questions change, anyway.
“Pretty easy.”
“Yeah. I bet I got all the questions right.”
“You think so?”
“Of course, since I’m the best.” His back is leaned against the table. It’s like they’ve been friends since.
Thomas smiled at his response. This change of pace for today is so weirdly alien that he can’t seem to register this social interaction… what do friends even talk about? Are the sentences they exchanged enough to render themselves as friends even? He’s left to observe Jax quietly, popping baby carrots in his mouth as if the situation does not bother him at all. Must be nice to have a life so eventful that this interaction does not leave him overthinking in the slightest.
Okay, time to put a foot down.
“So… Why’d you come over here?”
“Thought you were pretty smart. I mean, you were one of the first who finished the test.”
“I see.” He puts a hand to his neck, recalling the moment Jax stared at him during the exam. “Is that why you were looking at me?”
“Yeah. Until you dropped your pen,” Jax coughed up a chuckle as he chews. Thomas could feel himself sweat from the embarrassment.
“Anyway, you got any interests at all?” Switching the topic instantly, Jax faces the table this time, leaning his head against his fist.
“Well, I guess I’m into Minecraft… and Halo.”
“Oh, sick. Nerd games. Why don’t we play at your place later?”
“Today?” The spontaneous plan surprised him, but he mustered the strength to keep his… surprise? excitement? in–he never had friends over, so this opportunity stretched out to him felt foreign. What was the next step after this, the next line?
“Uh, duh, today. We’re friends now, right?” Jax smiled.
“...Yeah.”
Thomas acknowledges that he feels quite uncomfortable of idea of someone else in his space–in this case, his treehouse, however he decides that, for the sake of escaping the boring mundanity, he gives it a chance. Jax looks around at the wooden interior, particularly interested in the thin stairs that tuck in a cozy nook; this place was clearly meant for one person. One bean bag—although relatively large—one little nook, one bed. Thomas watched him, playing with his fingers as Jax swept himself up to the nook like a bug.
“Ya didn’t tell me you had a treehouse,” Jax looks down at Thomas from up the elevated floor. The light that shone on his purple skin made him look quite sacred–like an angel coming down to him. Wait, what is he thinking? “C’mere.”
“Uh, I don’t think I can squeeze myself up there-”
“C’mon, Tommie, humor me a ‘lil.” Tommie? That’s new. This was the first time Thomas was given a nickname from a friend, and admittedly, it does have a ring to it. Charmed by the remark, he climbs up the thin stairs and sits next to Jax, hugging his knees.
“Y’know, you look really nervous despite being in your own house.” Jax judged, as if he saw right through Thomas’s mind. His posture showcased him more relaxed, with his back against the window, arms crossed. It’s as though he lives here. Now that Thomas could see his friend face-to-face against the sunlight, he still retains his notion that Jax… does look pretty good. Is that self-love? They technically look the same (except he’s red with spiky hair). Or…
“I just never had a friend over before.” He looks down. Now that he thinks about it, he’s kind of a loser. This must be a really bad impression towards a new friend…
“Really?” Jax laughs as he remarks. “Glad to be your first, then.”
The night went about extremely well–better than what Thomas had been overthinking about the entire time him and Jax spent time together. Though their faces are swamped in grease from the pizza and fizzy drinks, he can say that this is the most fun he’s had in a while. At least now theres a use for the extra controller that’s been collecting dust all this time. Sometimes, Thomas could feel himself smiling a bit too wide, laughing a bit too hard, getting redder than his usual red. But this is all just for the sake of friendship, right? Platonicism at its finest.
“Hey, so…” Jax puts the controller down, scratching his head. His ears peeked out as he smoothed his scalp. “Can I just sleep over?”
Thomas almost spat his drink right back into the cup. Wide-eyed, he faces Jax speechless.
“...Well, if ya really don’t wanna-”
“No! No. It’s totally fine. Did you bring an extra mattress, or….?” Silly Thomas. What did you think the answer would be?
“Nah. I’m fine sleeping wherever though.”
“You can just sleep with me,” Thomas insists. He didn’t like the idea of getting his friend to sleep on the floor, not even the bean bag. No more bad impressions. “I mean, on the bed.”
“If ya say so, Tommie.”
The evening continues, and the fun they’ve had gluing their eyes to the screen passed the time like crazy–before they knew it, it was already 11PM. Jax’s yawn was a signal to Thomas that it was time to hit the hay, so they conclude their Minecraft grind and turn off the Xbox.
Thomas doesn’t mind that they’re on the same bed; he trusts Jax, he’s his friend. This overthinking of his has been plaguing him long enough, so he tries to shut them down as they unwind, laying on the mattress. Staring at the ceiling. Blanking. Thinking. Pondering. Goodness, he could feel Jax’s breath against his own skin. At this point, several minutes have passed, and he can’t bring himself to fall asleep. He tries to sneak a glance at the purple rabbit, but he failed to realize that Jax had been looking at him the entire time.
“Tommie, I can practically feel your heartbeat from here.” As Thomas adjusts his view of Jax, he observes that he already looks exhausted, despite his cheery demeanor just moments ago. He has his hand laid behind his pillow, and he blinks in a delayed and inconsistent manner, eyes tired from the blue light, eyebags more prominent, mouth hung open as if expecting a yawn. These minute details were something Thomas couldn’t help but notice–a vulnerable version of Jax, where the curtains are closed and the expressions no longer exaggerated. Thomas’s stiffness was probably why Jax noticed so easily.
“Is there somethin’ you wanna tell me?” Jax suddenly sits up. Thomas mimics his actions, sitting more passively, his head on his knees as he hugs it.
“I don’t know…” Thomas looks at Jax. For the first time, he felt confident enough to look into his eyes, in the dimness of it all, that is. “Everything that happened today, it’s just new to me.”
“You really don’t have much friends, do ya?” Alright, harsh truth. “Must be pretty lonely.”
“Of course it is.” Thomas looks back to his knees. In fact, they were entirely different individuals, despite looking nearly the same. Different lifestyles, different personalities. And all this happened just because he thought Thomas was smart? He can’t believe in the simplicity. By following that logic, he’d be popular by now. So why… why is he alone?
“Why am I alone?”
“...Tommie?” Jax lowers his head, in an attempt to probably catch Thomas’s gaze, but he does not follow along.
“This… this day. I can’t accept it.” He picks at his knees. “I can’t accept that you simply came to me just because I’m smart.”
“That’s what this is about?”
“What else could it be about?” Thomas balls his hands into fists, wrinkling the mattress with his force. “I’m not used to this. And frankly, something in me rejects this. Is this a prank? Were you dared at all?”
Jax placed a hand on his. Gosh, Thomas wanted to smack it away. Punch him. Yell at him for answers on why their lives are so different, why things are so unfair. But it stayed there. Static.
“Okay, maybe I didn’t explain it to you properly.” His voice manages a softer tone. This time, he was able to catch Thomas’s eyes, hooded and furrowed, as if he formed himself a barrier, as if the activities they did preceding this moment didn’t exist. “I didn’t just talk to you because I thought you were smart. I met you because… you were there.”
“What?”
“You were just there, Thomas. Listen, I don’t usually do this, okay?”
“But you have friends. Way more than I do.”
“I know, but–we don’t do these things.” Jax lets go of Thomas’s fist, and for some reason it feels colder.
“Then… what do you do?”
“That’s not what I’m try’na focus on right now,” Jax sweeps his question away, and so did his gaze, facing instead towards the Xbox just next to them. “I saw you, took the opportunity, and hoped to god you weren’t like them. That for once, I’d do something with my life. With myself.”
It seems their lives are not that different after all. Thomas recalls of the times Jax would chat up the classroom with his jokes, walk through the halls with his circle of friends–building himself up the social ladder through fun. Yet, here he is, implying to him that he wants to escape the mundanity of his life–the very thing Thomas himself has problems with, too.
“Nothin’ new ever happens anymore, Tommie.” Jax exhales deeply. “Everyday’s all the same.”
“Well… I’m glad to be your first in this.” Thomas lifts his head up from his knees, attempting a smile.
“So, there’s really nothin’ to worry about. This isn’t a stupid dare or anythin’. I’m really jus’… lonely.”
Why does he feel warm? This unexpected connection, this bond shared between the both of them–It’s like they possessed one mind. Thomas held both of Jax’s hands–the coldness of his fingers couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t take it anymore.
“You don’t have to be. You have me,” Thomas smiles warmly. For once, the unconscious jittery movements didn’t appear, and his hands laid comfortably on Jax’s own. He looks up at him, trying to pick up his down expression. “We have each other.” Jax looked reluctant, but he perked up something of a relaxed look, before pressing his lips on Thomas’s.
It was sudden. It was spontaneous. It was something Thomas wanted to really, truly, punch Jax for doing. But he let it happen, much like how he let everything else happen. He felt something he never felt before. A drive, a glint of hope. Another kiss happened. Then another. Then they fluttered on each others cheeks and noses like butterflies. The moonlight’s peeking stare at the two of them from the windows made the experience feel unreal–Thomas notices that, Jax looks just as beautiful as he did when bathed in sunlight.
“Y’know, despite you being real tired and all,” Jax fixes Thomas’s hair as they laid down. “You look jus’ as beautiful as you did this morning.”