Work Text:
Jax wandered around the circus aimlessly. No point in sleeping, cuz someone would just wake him up for a bulls[REDACTED]t reason again. Not like anyone wanted to talk to him, considering most characters had pretty much told him to f[REDACTED]k off after the button incident. The only ones he still had a chance of getting close to were Kinger and Pomni, but Kinger was even crazier than usual, and he was certain Pomni didn’t wanna see him. He didn’t blame her, considering he’d put her through hell the past few days. If he were in her shoes he wouldn’t wanna be around himself after all that nasty s[REDACTED]t he’d been pulling. He stopped behind one of the archways, seeing Pomni talking to Ragatha and Kinger. What caught him off guard wasn’t Kinger being outside of his fort, or the group not being tortured by Caine’s antics, but rather, the look on her face. A smile. A smile he hadn’t seen since they were paired together for the gun adventure. She was laughing, probably over a stupid joke made by that dumb dollface or coo-coo brains.
If you hadn’t f[REDACTED]ed up you would be the one making her laugh.
The thought came out of nowhere. Sharp, slicing whatever form of brain this dumb rabbit body had.
You made someone laugh once, and you f[REDACTED]ed that up too.
“Shut up shut shut shut UP!” Jax said to himself, pounding his fists against his head, hoping the others didn’t hear.
You made everyone laugh! Now you only claim to be the funny one, it’s nothing but a lie now.
“Get out of my head!” Jax slapped himself across the face. The sound of his gloved palm hitting his cheek echoed through the circus. Pomni looked over at him. Their eyes met.
He’d been there for too long.
It’s not funny to linger.
It’s not funny to watch from a distance.
You’re the funny one.
Never forget that.
Jax turned around and stormed back to his room.
—————————————————————————
Jax was gone again before Pomni had a chance to talk to him.
“Y’know, you should just confront him.” Ragatha said.
“I don’t wanna come off as angry or forceful. I can tell he’s going through… a lot, and I want to be there for him, it’s just hard when he…”
“Shuts everyone out?” Ragatha asked.
“Something like that.”
“You know, Pomni…” Kinger started, before staring off into the distance.
“Why don’t you chill in your fort, finish that thought later.” Pomni ushered Kinger into his pillow fort. “I just wanna find the right time to talk to him, and I’m afraid if I approach him he’ll run away or put up a facade again.”
“He always has a facade up.” Ragatha mumbled. “He can never put it back up because it’s never down in the first place.”
“There was one time… but if I mention it I know he’ll deny it ever happening. I’ll get to him, I swear, before it’s too late. Even if it’s the last thing I do.”