Chapter Text
Out of everyone here, Gangle was one of Pomni's favorite fighters to watch.
She has the most unique form out of the bunch and the most interesting style of fighting because of it. Going to watch her fights were always a treat.
Walking home from the stadium, Pomni recounted the fight in her head. It was such an easy win for Gangle. The NPC she fought tonight had no chance against her. Tangled in her ribbons, Pomni watched as the nobody was pummeled by Gangle's weighted fists. She did feel sorry for the poor fella, but man was it an interesting match to watch unfold.
It made her wonder if Gangle had any fighting experience from her past life.
Gangle wasn't necessarily a mysterious character. She was honest and opened up to the others about her life—just not with Pomni. They were still in the process of being on friendlier terms since Pomni was still new to this world. Gangle clearly had no ill feelings toward her, but as of now when she looked at Pomni she saw a rival first before a potential friend.
Previous experience from reality or not, she figured it must've taken Gangle years to get the point where she could fight so well and win so easily in such a strange body.
If that were the case and she's been here for years, how come she still wasn't at Jax's level? How did Jax become the boss anyways? Could he have already been a prolific fighter in his life on earth?
And most importantly; why the hell was she thinking about Jax right now?
There was so much to think about, so many questions she would kill to have answers to, and a painful amount of time.
As much as she hated her life here, she couldn't help but be curious about everyone and everything around her. The mystery surrounding the lives of her peers fueled her inquisitive personality. Exploration and adventure were what kept her going back when her real life slipped into the mundane. That unfortunate inquisition is exactly got her here in the first place.
How had the others end up in a place like this? Had their curiosity got the best of them too? Were they in the wrong place at the wrong time just as she had been?
The blurry memories of her finding the eerily pristine gaming console in such a dilapidated building and plugging it in poured into her mind. There wasn't a day that went by where her mistake didn't haunt her. She shook the memories away and kept moving. Today had been an alright day. It would be a shame if it were soured now.
The stadium was a bit farther from her apartment. There was the city bus which acted as means for fast travel, but she preferred the walk even though it was long. The map was admittedly gorgeous, especially at night. Her favorite part of the city being the bridge that she got to cross every night after an event.
The side of the city that housed the stadium had the busiest environment. Skyscrapers, colorful buildings and billboards, an enormous mall full of stores (most of which involved character customization), more places to eat and hang out—it was modeled like a real downtown.
Too bad a huge chunk of the buildings weren't able to be interacted with and only acted as filler for the map.
Over the bridge where Pomni lived was a less saturated part of the map. Stores were smaller and resembled Ma n' Pop shops more than big fancy corporate buildings. The Mini Mart and a bakery owned by Looloolilau—Ragatha's manager—were Pomni's personal favorites.
The sparkling bright blue water underneath the bridge finally came into view and Pomni's feet slowed along with her racing thoughts.
While the usual sounds of the night went in and out of her invisible ears—the passing of the fast travel bus or a car, some inaudible noise from a nearby building that was probably only habited by NPCs, the crunch of the gravel beneath her feet—another sound caught her attention.
Farther behind her, she could hear the light tapping of feet.
Footsteps.
Footsteps that were not hers.
It was rare for her to encounter anyone on her night walks. The NPCS didn't walk around at night and her human peers typically used the fast travel buses while she usually walked to and from everywhere alone.
On occasion she was joined by Ragatha since they lived in the same apartment complex. They hadn't walked together tonight because Ragatha stayed behind to help out at the infirmary like the angel that she was, so she knew it wasn't her. And if it were her, she would've said something and not just creepily walk behind her in silence.
Pomni kept her composure and her steady pace even though the anxiety started to build in her chest.
There's no need to overthink it. It was probably nothing. It was no one. I'm freaking out for nothing.
There wasn't much left of the walk, and she wasn't going to let anything interrupt her now. Right across the bridge and another short distance of walking her apartment waited for her.
She slowed until she completely stopped at the head of the bridge. Shaking with nerves, she did her best to hush the anxiety and the terrified voice in her head that was freaking the absolute fuck out and listened for the the steps again.
But there was nothing.
The footsteps she swore she heard behind her moments before had disappeared like they were never there to begin with.
A breath she hadn't realized she was holding huffed out of her and she put a shaky hand to the rapidly beating heart shaped program in her chest. Flooded with relief, she took a few more shaky breaths until they corrected and turned her focus back to crossing the bridge.
She almost stepped forward, though she wasn't satisfied yet.
She had to turn around and check.
No one's there no one's there no one's there. Pomni repeated to herself.
But I should look just in case.
Reluctantly, she slowly turned her head to look behind her.
Nothing. Only the silhouettes of the buildings and trees she had just passed.
She was still on edge, but seeing no one behind her eased that gnawing anxiety.
She turned back around to face the bridge and instead of being greeted by the path, a large, hunched over purple rabbit with bright yellow scleras stared back at her.
Jax.
Wait…
JAX??????
Pomni flew backwards and screamed so loud it echoed.
There he was, slightly keeled over with his hands on his knees to be more at her level but not completely so that he could till tower over her.
"Heya short stuff." Jax smiled, his bright yellow teeth a more dull color in the night's atmosphere. Still it held the same mischief as it did in the daytime. He held at his hand for her to take but she instantly slapped it away and shot up off the ground on her own.
"JACK YOU FUCKIN-!"
Pomni flailed her arms at him and shoved him away from her as far as she could. It barely broke the distance between them. Jax chuckled and stepped back as if to save her from embarrassment from such a shitty shove.
"WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" she screamed at the grinning purple rabbit.
"Yeesh, relax, I didn't mean to scare ya!"
He paused and his eyes drifted up as if to ponder something.
"No wait, yes I did." he chuckled.
Pomni seethed and shoved at him with more profanities. Jax only laughed more and held up his arms to shield himself from tiny woman's attacks.
"You fucking PSYCHO! You could've given me a heart attack! Don't ever do that again!"
"Alright alright I won't I won't!" Jax pleaded as she laid the last of her tiny shoves and punches that came off more playful than she intended.
"Where the hell did you-? How did you get there without me SEEING YOU!?!"
"I have my ways." he tilted his head with a sly smile. Kinda hot. No fuck wait-
"Anyways, I just wanted to ask you something."
"You followed me on my walk home like a creep just to ASK ME SOMETHING?!?!" she shouted. Another wave of attacks coursed through her artificial bloodstream, though she didn't take them out on him yet. He was bound to say some other dumb shit that would warrant another punch to the gut, she was sure of it.
Jax held up his hands in defense with a smug expression.
"Okay, to be fair, I wasn't following you the whooooole way, I promise. I was at the bus stop and noticed you walking and I thought I'd offer you something. Scaring you was the funniest way to go about it."
Pomni rolled her eyes so far back she could see the code in her brain shifting into headache mode.
"Whatever it is, I don't fucking want it. Bye." Pomni flicked him off as she walked past him but Jax stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
The sudden contact caught her so off guard she aggressively flinched and subsequently lost her balance. Jax quickly pulled her forward by her waist and stopped her from falling. The moment she caught her footing again he snatched his hands from her waist and shoved them in his jacket pockets.
"You're clumsy, aren't you?" he smiled but he didn't look at her.
"I'm still coming down from the fucking heart attack you just gave me. Pardon me for being on edge."
Pomni too looked away and began instinctively wiping away his invisible hand prints from her sides and shoulder. She ignored the heat now covering her face and childishly folded her arms. She was so embarrassed.
"My apologies, milady." He bowed down and held an invisible dress at his side as he did. Pomni suppressed an exhale and shifted her heel until she was faced away from him.
A bout of awkward silence filled the air between them. She didn't know whether or not to keep walking or to stay.
She only took one step forward before he spoke up again and froze her in place.
"Do you wanna like...get somethin' to eat or…somethin'?"
Pomni's eyes went wide with disbelief.
"...What?" she questioned with genuine confusion as her body automatically twisted back around to face him.
She gawked as she watched Jax's eyes shifted rabidly after the words came out of him. They saw the ground, the sky, the road, the sidewalk, her shoes. He looked at anything but her face as he waited for her answer.
"Did you just ask me out to dinner?"
"I didn't ask you out to dinner, I asked if you wanted to get something to eat." Jax answered with such nonchalance it pissed her off.
"What the hell compelled you to ask me that?" Pomni's confusion shifted into irritation.
This didn't make any sense.
Jax, the guy that has ruthlessly made fun of her since she spawned into this street-fighteresque hellhole. Jax, who would bully her for her size, her rookie status, and just about anything he could think of every single chance he got. Jax, the guy when any time the two were in the same space, he would be the first and only person in line to bother her.
Now out of nowhere he goes completely out his way to ask her out to dinner? Something wasn't adding up. Something had to be wrong. This wasn't genuine. It couldn't be. Could it?
"Well, I'm hungry, you're definitely hungry-"
"The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Pomni cut in.
"I know its been a minute since your poor ass had a good meal," he laughed through an ugly smile. "plus, you've been walking for, what, almost 20 minutes now and you haven't had dinner in hours? You'll be dead on the ground before you get to your door step."
A perfect case and point.
Pomni's already disgruntled expression twisted into a scowl.
He wasn't wrong.
Money was tight and a trip to the grocery store was very much needed. For the last few days, the shitty fast food joint up the street from her apartment had become her best friend. Worst of all, she hadn't had a full meal before she left to watch the event. Only now did the emptiness of her stomach make itself known. Her mind had been so occupied during the walk she didn't feel her energy draining with every step.
The fact that he wasn't wrong pissed her off more than the facts themselves.
She huffed angrily. She wanted to pop off more on him until she noticed his face softened slightly.
Pity.
They both knew he was right.
"I was about to get some food and thought I'd be nice and ask if you wanted to tag along." He continued with less assholery in his voice. "So you down or what?"
"What is this, some sort of weird…elaborate taunt?"
"It's me asking if you wanna get some food Pavlov, how many times do I gotta say it? Are you deaf? Do I need to say it in braille?" He snickered at his own joke and Pomni ignored it.
"Why?" She folded her arms again and stared him down, trying to read him. That sickly yellow grin stared back and mocked her attempt to get an answer from anywhere other than his mouth. She didn't believe the words coming out of it, but nothing about his body language was helping her find his true intentions. Then again, she was no body language expert. What was she looking for, anyways?
"I just told you why." A hint of annoyance entered in his tone. Now they were both irritated.
"That's bullshit. That's such bullshit," Pomni spat with a sarcastic laugh. "You expect me to believe you're offering this just to 'be nice'?"
"I don't see why not. Is that not allowed? I can't lend a helping hand to a fellow fighter?"
"No. Not you."
"Why not me, hm?" The sliver of kindness vanished and he cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. His irritation was clearly growing and his smile grew malicious. He looked ready to pounce and tear her apart. Part of her was afraid of him.
"You're not the type to do things just to be nice." She shot a quick shove at his abdomen because it was all she could reach.
"You don't know anything about me, Rookie." his smile twitched.
"I know enough." She stated.
Jax huffed through his nose and his smile flattened. It was hard to tell if it was from offense or anger. A mixture of both? Had she finally got to him?
"I know you've got some motive." she continued, fighting the hint of guilt fluttering in her gut. He looked genuinely upset. Damn you empathy.
"You want something. I know it. And I am NOT giving it to you."
Jax shut his eyes and let it out long, exhausted sigh.
"Okay." he started. He took his hands out of his pockets and gestured outwardly with them.
"Okay. Fine. You got me. I want something."
"Yeah, of course you do." Pomni spat.
"You wanna know what it is I want so badly, hm?" he smirked with hungry eyes.
Jax crouched back down to her level, this time getting low enough to look her in the eye. He was uncomfortably close, but Pomni didn't step away. She didn't shove him to the ground or kick him in the shins so he'd fall on his ass like he had done to minutes earlier. She stood perfectly still as he breathed in her face and stared into her soul.
Then he dropped his evil smirk, opened his narrowed eyes and smiled in a way Pomni had never seen. Not fake. Not sarcastic. Just normal.
"I just wanna get to know ya Tiny."
Pomni scrunched up her dumb little clown schnoz and arched an eyebrow so far up it cartoonishly left her face.
What?
"What?"
That was not at all what she was expecting him to say. The way he looked her up and down and smiled like he was seconds from sinking his teeth into her neck put much less wholesome thoughts in her mind for what disgusting thing she presumed he was going to ask for.
Jax backed away from her face and left a more comfortable distance between them. Even though her tense muscles relaxed, her mind did not. All of her irritation had spiraled into confusion. Curiosity.
Where was he going with this?
"You intrigue me, I can't lie." He started up again.
His eyes wandered again as he spoke, refusing to meet hers, meanwhile her eyes were glued to his face, occasionally shifting downward to look at the ways he would gesture with his big hands.
"Everyone else here is so lame and so predictable. Not you though. You've got a fire in you like no one else I've seen here. I wanted to put you in a box, but you don't fit in any of them. You're wild, impulsive, kinda crazy. You make no sense and I'm just dying to know why. One second you're-you seem cool. You know like chill. Next thing you know there's a hole in the wall and you're screaming Caine's gums off! Everything about you is conflicting. Like how you're so cute but you're also kind of ugly."
Pomni continued to stare in disbelief. The longer he spoke, the wilder his statements became.
The wandering maneuver went from his eyes to his feet. Pomni watched as he began pacing around her in a circle, yapping her head off with his explanations, talking with his hands—and she was hanging on to every single word.
"I've been bored out of mind in this crapshoot for who knows how long." he said honestly. "You're the first person in a while who's came in and shook things up around here."
He eyed her up and down again, a quick movement Pomni only briefly caught before his eyes left hers again.
"I've overheard your talks with Ragatha, but I'm tired of having to snoop around just to learn new things about you. I want to be on the other side of the conversation. I just wanna talk to you."
Wait, hold up, did he call her cute?????
Of course out of everything he said her brain would latch onto that first.
"That's it." he finally finished.
Pomni made a small pfft sound and rolled her eyes again.
"Really? That's it?" she asked, unconvinced.
Did he just blatantly admit to thinking about her often? Listening in on conversations that he wasn't a part of just to learn about her? Finding her interesting? FINDING HER CUTE?????
For a second Pomni started to believe that her rising hunger was causing some sort of delirium.
"Thaaaat's it." he repeated.
"A-and you expect me to just…believe that? That you just wanna talk?"
"What else could I want from a loser like you? Money? Better fighting skills? I'm asking you out to eat God dammit. I mean really- what is it that I could even want from you?!"
Something no one else here could give you she impulsively thought.
"I-I don't know, okay! I don't trust you! Honestly I don't really trust any of you yet!"
"Look," he sighed as he ruffled his small tuft of hair and stood back up to his full height. God he was tall.
"I get it, you've probably heard all about me from the others. They told you all about my overwhelming generosity and kindness I'm sure. But really, everything they say isn't true, you know? Give me a chance and I'll prove it to ya. I promise I'm not evil like they say."
"Oh I don't know Jack, maybe people say bad things about you because you're a massive dick to everyone, including me!" She put a loose hand to her chest as she spoke.
"I can see that with my eyes. I don't need anyone to tell me anything. Hell, you followed me on my walk just to scare me!"
"Yeah but that was hilaaaarious!" he barley got out through his chuckles. "But fine, I guess that was pretty cruel of me. I'm sorry I guess."
"Apology not accepted." She responded coldly.
"Hm, that's fair." He shrugged and started towards the opposite way of the bridge.
"How about we continue this conversation about how much of a shitty person I am over that dinner?" He asked loudly over his shoulder.
"Don't phrase it like that, you're making it sound like a date."
"So you're considering it is what I'm hearing?" She heard that cheeky smile in his voice and ignored the flush of her cheeks that came in response to it.
"I'm just saying, if I were to take you up on your stupid offer, it wouldn't be a date." Pomni stated and slowly walked toward him. There was no "if". Pomni had already made up her mind whether she would admit it or not.
It wouldn't be a date. She was just hungry. This was free food. She doesn't care about Jax or getting to know him at all. These were the various justifications she went through in her head as her feet followed him more and more away from the bridge.
An excuse to learn more about the most powerful fighter yet most hated human in this world? Anxiety aside, this was not an opportunity to pass up. With how long he'd been stuck here, he was bound to have some interesting insight.
Jax was the fighter she knew the least about. She knew more about Kinger than she knew about Jax and they've interacted far less.
This was not a date. This was…for science.
She too was dying to know more about him.
"Think of it like this-" he paused and held his hands out flat.
"I take you out, we have a good time, and you hate me a little less. Simple dimple. How'zat sound?"
Pomni hummed playfully. The vibe in the air had changed and she was just now breathing it in little by little.
"What if we go out and I have a terrible time by the end of it?" she asked with a smirk and her usual half lidded glare.
"Then you can continue to hate me. You can go on thinking everything they've told you is true and that you were always right to hate me from the beginning. On top of that, I won't bother you anymore."
She couldn't hide her frown at the answer. Admittedly she didn't like the sound of it. It felt too cold, even for her standards.
Funny, a few minutes ago she probably would've liked that answer the most.
"And if I do have a good time?"
He immediately perked up and his pacing turned into a cocky stride.
"Then it'll be the start of a beautiful budding friendship." He cheesed, popping his head over her shoulder for a second which made her giggle and push him away.
"What iiiiiif…." she tapped a pointer finger to her cheek as she spun in the new direction he was now standing at.
"What if I go along just for the food and I don't actually give a shit about anything you're saying?" she put her hands on her hips and smiled. Jax laughed. Was that the first time she's done that? Her face was heating up again. Damn you conflicting feelings!
"Then you would have successfully hustled my ass and I'd have no choice but to respect that." He bowed down again, this time disregarding the invisible dress.
"Hm. I like the sound of that one."
"Soooooo that means you're coming right?" He asked and lifted himself up to face her.
"I'm hungry." she answered and strut pass him so she didn't have to see the satisfied expression she knew he was wearing.
"Hey hey, wait up dummy." He caught up with her and gently tugged at her arm to stop her from walking. The contact was uninvited, but soft enough to not bother her too much.
"We're not walkin' there, it's too far. We're taking the bus." he said as he pulled her into a different direction.
"There's this super fancy shmancy restaurant on my side of the city. I've been there a few times. It's pretty good."
"You mean the expensive side of the city, Jack. The side of the city where I can't afford anything!"
"You don't need to worry about that. You're not paying for anything." He responded softly.
Pomni looked up at him, guilt in her face.
"I-I can't… Jack I couldn't pay you back right away I'm not doing well with my money right now-"
"I don't want your money. And stop calling me 'Jack'. It's Jax."
"WH-!?" Pomni choked unintelligible gibberish as she shoved and hit him for the billionth time that night. He held up his arm in defense and laughed again. She could barely hide her smile, but tried anyways by quickly looking away and scrunching up her face.
"You NEVER call me by my real name, so you're not allowed to complain about what I call you!" she yelled. "You call me the dumbest shit all the time! Do you even know my name!?"
"Of course I do, Panini!" he chirped and waved her off. She looked over to him with a flat expression.
"What's wrong Pringle? Did I pronounce it wrong?"
"I'm ignoring you now."
"Oh come ooooonn Pomplamoose! Tell me if I got it right!"
"That's not even a word."
"Someone doesn't know their French~."
"Just shut up and walk." a giggle broke through and her stern expression was no more.
They walked the rest of the way to the nearest fast travel stop with Jax tormenting Pomni with ridiculous nicknames all beginning with the letter P for the whole way through, some of them just being words he slapped the letter P onto or added a 'Pom' somewhere in the mix.
Pomni immediately collapsed into the seats the second they reached the bus stop. The walk stole the rest of her energy and heightened her hunger, which as first was barely noticeable. He really was right. She wouldn't have made it to the walk back to her apartment. She wouldn't have even made it past the bridge.
"Hey, you good?" Jax leaned over the seat to look her in the face. He reached out a hand but quickly put it back into his jacket pocket.
"I'm fine just…I'm fine." she breathed weakly. "I just need a minute to sit."
"Woooow. If you're this winded after a long walk I can't imagine how busted up you are after a fight." Jax joked.
"Mm, shut up." was all she could muster. Sprawled out on the seats, she closed her eyes and let her mind race again in the comforting silence.
Jax.
Jax who 20 minutes ago she would've said she hated him with zero hesitation.
Jax who she was now willingly going out on a date with ""for science""
Jax who called her cute and said he finds her more interesting than everyone else here.
It's just free food. she tried to remind herself.
It's not a date.
I don't care about Jax.
I don't think his laugh is cute.
I don't think he's funny.
And this isn't a date.
A hand tugging on her hair interrupted her brain's mental gymnastics and forced her back into reality.
"Hm?" she lifted her head up to find him.
"Heads up, bus is comin.'"