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Ragatha sat on her bed, stitching away at a dress absentmindedly. She tried to keep her thoughts busy with the lavender fabric, but they were racing faster than she could catch them. Snapshots of a certain jester crossed her mind; it caused her to blush and fumble with her fabric.
It had been like this for a while, this not-so-subtle flirting. There were small glances during their adventures, light touches that felt like electrical sparks in Ragatha’s stuffing. Jax constantly teased her about it, and it almost seemed like Gangle and Zooble started to see it too. It worried her, but at the same time, she wished Jax would just shout it out; let Pomni discover her feelings so this tension wouldn’t keep burning her up.
Eventually, the rag doll let her eyes wander to the corner of her bed where a red box of strawberry Pocky lay. Caine had given it to her on-request, but she couldn’t stir her nerves enough to even open the box. It’s not eating the Pocky that scared her, but an idea that wouldn’t let her rest.
“A.. Pocky Game-?” Pomni repeated with a puzzled look on her face.
“Yea! It’s… kind of like chicken, in a way!” Ragatha could feel the nervousness radiating off of her, even more so as Pomni’s face went deadpan.
“…it tastes like chicken…?”
“NO! No.. not at all!” The doll laughed nervously, “it’s sweet, and it kinda tastes like strawberries.”
“Oh. How do you play??”
“Well.. we both put our mouths on one side of the Pocky stick, and we keep chewing until one of us breaks the stick!”
A beat of silence passes, and Ragatha’s breath quickened.
“What happens if none of us breaks the stick..?” Pomni’s cheeks also seemed to flush, but Ragatha couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination.
“I— we don’t have to-! It was just an idea, a stupid idea.. haha!” She backtracked, recoiling away. How much more obvious could she get?!
“No, I want to play-!” Pomni grabbed her wrist, and Ragatha went as red as a strawberry herself. The silence was deafening.
“Wanna play in my room-?” Ragatha finally asked. With a shy nod of Pomni’s head, the two made their way to the Rag Doll’s room. They couldn’t speak on the way, or even when they sat on the edge of the bed, messing with their own hands.
Ragatha steeled herself and opened the box, pulling out a single stick of Pocky. She placed it between her lips and looked at Pomni with a desperate resolve.
Pomni scooted up, moving very slowly to bite down on the other side. Less than twelve inches apart, Ragatha couldn’t even focus herself enough to stir until Pomni bit down, bringing her lips closer to Ragatha. She came closer, too, savoring the fruity taste in her mouth. As they bit down, their lips so close and yet.. Ragatha pulled away. She had to, it was so much… what if this wasn’t something Pomni wanted, too-?
“I’m sorry.. I got scared.” Ragatha laughed nervously, and Pomni scoffed lovingly, pulling out another stick.
“Wanna try again-?”
Ragatha was left speechless; bringing a hand up to her own face, she could feel how hot it was already.
“Yea”
They tried again, another stick, another attempt at their faces inches apart. They got closer, and closer. The anticipation was killing Ragatha. She closed her eyes. Whether it was elation or disgust, she didn’t want to see Pomni’s reaction. Her heart couldn’t bear it.
Their lips touched, so lightly and yet… everything felt so warm and fuzzy all of a sudden. The two bit away, and Pomni smiled dopely. It made Ragatha giggle; she felt like a schoolgirl having her first kiss.
With a sudden rush of courage, she asked, “Can I kiss you again-?”
“Please do.” Pomni climbed up on Ragatha’s lips, and without hesitation, they crashed into each other. It wasn’t quite like kissing a real human. The textures were off, and Pomni tasted like a rubber teething toy, but the feelings were still there. There was still a spreading warmth in Ragatha’s chest, and it made her feel like she still had a heart to beat out of her chest. It ended much too fast, and Pomni brought them back together. She was so delicate, so light. Ragatha wanted to shield her and protect her; not because she was weak, but because she meant everything to her.
Ragatha stared into her pinwheel eyes, watching how they glowed in the low light. Breathlessly, she told her,
“I love you”
“I love you too”
For the rest of the night, they laid together with an empty Pocky box that teetered close to the edge of the mattress. The doll could finally let herself rest, the race was won in her mind. Wrapped in the jester’s arms, Ragatha couldn’t think of any other place she would rather be. She was her love, her destiny, and the sweetest taste of them all.