Work Text:
"Pom-pom~"
The lights were dim as Pomni's eyes fluttered open. Coming to terms with the velvet canopy that hovered above her bed, her view partially obscured by the figure poised by her bedside.
"Jax, what do you want?" Her eyes adjusting to the light as she croaked out the words. A glance at the hare in question showed that he was wearing PJ's.
"I've got something to show you!" The jester raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side.
"At this time? Canie hasn't even turned up the lights yet."
"You don't want the others to find out about our night time escapades, do you?" Pomni let out a sigh.
"Depends on what you mean by 'escapades'," She was exhausted after that day's adventure and had plans to sleep off the feeling of existential dread that serving frozen yogurt to gloinks had given her. Whatever Jax had to show her could wait until morning.
"It's a surprise!"
Yep, definitely too tired for this shit
"I'm going back to sleep," She made a shooing motion and rolled onto her side, trusting him to take him leave.
"What? Aren't ya curious, Jingles?" Pomni turned to face the rabbit.
"This better be worth it..." Reluctantly, she crawled out from under the covers. Arms crossed, she stood expectantly.
"Well, where to?"
"Just around the corner," The Jackrabbit hummed as his hunched frame stalked down the hallway. She had trouble keeping up with his long strides and broke into a jog to not get left behind. Jax lead her across the grounds, into areas the newest addition to the circus hadn't been before.
"I thought it was around the corner?" Pomni scoffed.
"Meh, I was just trying to get you on your feet,"
"I will be leaving if it's your idea of fun..." Her tone was dismissive though she stayed at his heels.
After a few minutes of walking, they reached a boxed in area on the edge of the circus. The red and white fabric cast shadows over Jax's face, only his cynical smile visible. He ambled over to the tent wall and leaned against it. Beside him was a tear, about a couple feet tall and glitching around the seams.
"What the hell is that?" The jester asked incredulously.
"You'll find out. Go on, it might feel a bit numb but you'll be fine as long as you move quickly."
"You want me to walk through that!?" She tugged at the end of her hat nervously. Jax nodded, seemingly satisfied with himself.
"No way!" Pomni put her hands on her hips, hoping that would make her seem more convincing.
"Pretty please? It'll be worth it." He batted his Rubber-hose-style eyelashes at her. With an uneasy glance at the guy who had just peer-pressured her into this, she ducked underneath the frayed fabric. The sensation of it was what she felt first; the sort of pins and needles feeling you get when you stay still for too long. Then the strain of her eyes adjusting to the vast light of the void. She paused, taking in it's sheer transcendence for couple seconds before remembering Jax's advice and moving forward. A tear similar to the one in the tent was in front of her, she passed through. The fluorescent light of Caine's liminal space eased back into the dim night. She was outside, under the watch of the stars and the moon. It wasn't the uncanny AI that Hovered over the grounds, it was the moon. It's speckled surface visible in the sky. It appeared to be in waning gibbous, a sliver of shadow concealing it. Pomni stepped forward, grass brushing against her legs. She tore her gaze away from the moon and towards her feet.
Daisies
She knelt down to pick one up, rolling it's stem between her gloved fingers. The place felt surreal, so different from the saturated colours of the circus. Although she had never been there before, the daisy field felt safe, familiar.
"So, is it worth the wait?" She turned to see Jax strolling over to where she stood with a smug expression on his face. Glancing between the moon and the daisy, she spoke.
"It's...beautiful." He snorted.
"I didn't think you were all sappy, Pom." The rabbit flumped down onto the grass, laying with his hands behind his head. The jester sat down beside him and grabbed a handful of flowers.
"You decided to bring me here," She shrugged, making a slit in a daisy stem and sliding another through. "Why did you bring me here?" He turned away from her and sighed before answering.
"I don't know...I just-sigh, think that you're pretty cool, or whatever." His smirk had contorted to a frown and his brow furrowed, he seemed to be thinking.
"I think you're cool too, Jax." She tied off her daisy chain and draped it over his ears. Pomni waited for a response and didn't get one, he just stayed still, dilated pupils fixed on the moon. She couldn't blame him. So she laid down, their heads level despite the height difference, and looked out to see if there were any constellations. To her surprise, there were.
"Look," She gestured to a group of stars. "That's Ursa Major, right there. It means great bear in latin." Her eyes darted to see if Jax had followed her gaze. "I never really thought it looked like a bear," She chucked nervously. "You see it's tail? That's the big dipper, it kind of looks like a pan."
"How do you know so much about stars?" The glint in his eyes mimicked Polaris.
"My Dad was an astronomer, I spent a lot of time with a telescope growing up. Stargazing's a hobby."
"My little sister was like that, but she was more about zodiac signs and palm reading," He offered a lopsided smile.
"What's your sign?"
"I think it was like a fire sign, I can't remember the specifics,"
"I'm an Aquarius, air sign."
"Suits you,"
"What's that supposed to mean?" She jabbed a finger in his face.
"You'll find out in due time."
"Back with the theatrics, I see?" They fell silent after that, not the painfully awkward silence that lingered only minutes ago, but a comfortable still that washed over them with the breeze. It wasn't long before their hands found each other. Fingers intertwined, they laid there with nothing but the stars in their eyes.