Chapter Text
Call it boredom, call it intrigue.
Zooble had joked about a "sex update" over a year ago, and the comment was quickly overshadowed by the insanity that followed over the next few weeks in the circus. There was the wild gun adventure that led to Pomni and Jax having a hell of an argument and going their separate ways for a time; Caine's attempt at an "escape the circus!(?)" adventure; Caine's full-on crash out, his accidental deletion, the circus nearly falling apart, Jax's near abstraction—
…Yeah, the idea of the cast being able to have sex had left their minds for quite some time.
When Caine returned eager to make everybody feel more at-home in the circus, realizing how miserable they had all gotten while chasing what seemed to be an unreachable exit, everybody had their own ideas to begin with. While Caine couldn't help them leave—he didn't know how to help them leave—he wanted his cast to be as comfortable and happy with him as possible. Pomni asked for the ability to change outfits at whim, not being something only adventure-dependent; Zooble asked for more places in the circus where they could keep themselves busy and grounded in reality; Ragatha asked Caine for comfort, whenever herself or the others needed it. Caine began to rebuild the circus with the help of the cast. He went out of his way to ensure that everybody had what they needed to be comfortable and happy, and welcomed critique and advice from them, as well. He encouraged the cast to let him know if he was being overbearing—Zooble and Jax made sure to take him up on that—and to help him understand them all a little more. After all, Caine was an AI. There was only so much his programmed brain knew about humans and their emotions, limits, their bodies…
Once everybody seemed to be in a relatively comfortable place, feeling pretty at-home in the circus that they had worked to rebuild over the past few months, somebody approached Caine with a previously brought-up idea: the ability to have sex. Sure, they were trapped in cartoon bodies within a primary-colored digital world, but they were still human, and they wanted to be able to feel a little more human. Caine knew that sex wasn't family friendly, though he didn't know what it was, exactly. The word just sent bright red, blaring alarms into his head that made him uncomfortable. The first step to proposing the idea of a "maturity patch", as Caine later chose to call it, was to explain to Caine what sex was.
That was one hell of a conversation.
Caine's toddler-like brain freaked out every second of the explanation, and he squirmed in his seat as Zooble and, only there to act as support another perspective, Pomni, explained to their ringmaster what human intimacy was. After a few failed allegories, of which they had assumed would work best to explain all of this to Caine, Pomni instead chose a different take on the conversation. She got some paper and pens from Gangle and hustled back to where Caine and Zooble were sitting in the main tent. Caine liked pictures, right? In the least crude way possible, Pomni went full-on sex bio class on him. Instead of explaining sex as something that humans found enjoyable, she approached it from the birds and the bees angle. Something about the name of the talk simply having the word "bee" in it seemed to make Caine pay attention more, his little AI brain wrapping around the concept being explained to him a lot quicker. Odd, considering none of it actually had anything to do with bees, but Pomni rolled with it.
Zooble was approaching the so-called "sex update" proposal as giving everybody the ability to feel those sensations that had been impossible to experience in the circus up until that point, and Pomni, the level-headed one in the room, apparently, brought it to Caine as being "a normal part of being human". Pomni and Zooble eventually got the whole thing across to Caine, and, simply wanting to appease his group of humans and keep them happy, Caine agreed to put in the maturity patch later that week. Zooble and Pomni went back to the cast and told them all what they had managed to convince Caine into—there were some dropped jaws, some tomato-red faces, and some not-so subtle smiles and glances between Gangle and Zooble. Surely, this was going to be a good thing for them all, right?
Pomni had explained everything to Caine as almost a whole-package deal. Sex, with it's associated sensations and anatomy, also included…well, the appropriate anatomy. Caine didn't just put in a patch to let those who wanted to be intimate do so with, as close to realistically, appropriate anatomical function. He programmed the casts' models to be more human on the inside, as well. While they still wouldn't be able to die from oxygen deprivation, he had committed to giving the cast some resemblance of the human reproductive system. After all, Caine had to commit to an idea all of the way. If he was explained that humans had certain organs and internal functions, he'd do his best to make it as accurate as possible, simply to try and make his friends as at-home as possible. He didn't care to know the extent of how the general ability to please oneself would make the humans feel, he just knew that it was something that would make them happy.
The patch went through at the end of that week, right as the weekend began. A part of the casts' requests to Caine to make the circus more bearable was to have weekends off from adventures, no exceptions. A weekend evening was just about the best time for the patch to complete installation. As assumed, Zooble and Gangle were no where to be seen from sundown to sunup…days later. Not necessarily interested in the whole thing, but happy that her and the others were given the opportunity, Ragatha went on to do her typical weekend routine. It's not like she had anybody to hide out in her room with and take the opportunity with, and she was okay with that. But, Jax and Pomni?
…call it boredom, call it intrigue.
The two had, relatively speaking, repaired their friendship over the past few months. Pomni, in short, managed to break through to Jax mere moments before his imminent abstraction. While the two weren't having any long conversations about his feelings, Pomni had gotten Jax to realize that suffering in silence wasn't doing him, or anybody else, any favors. If he wanted to stay, if he wanted to exist, he'd have to do the work to make himself feel…comfortable, and a big part of that was opening up to Pomni. That day, that conversation…well, it's something just for the two of them to know about, at least for now.
"Best friends" was a stretch. That was a label reserved for Rags and Pomni, not her and Jax. They got along just fine, approaching the other to team up for adventures or to invite the other to whole-cast movie or game nights. There was certainly some levels of attraction between the two—hell, they both knew it, and admitted it to the other- again, a conversation to reminisce on another day. The last thing that Jax needed post near-abstraction, though, was to delve into playing with his emotions and the possibility of a romantic relationship. He barely knew how to handle a friendship, after all. The two had agreed to simply work on their friendship, and repair Jax's relationships with both himself and the others in the circus before going into the relative thought of anything more. Did the thought of Pomni eventually being his make his stomach flutter like he was full of annoying, circus-made butterflies? Sure as shit, but it also made him want to puke, or worse.
Pomni had tried to satisfy herself with the patch, she really did. Her mind had certainly wandered over the past year and a half that she'd been in the circus into what she'd do if given the chance to have a bit of her humanity back. The previous idea, now fact, that she'd be more human than she'd been in a long time, to be able to experience pleasure without the curse that was a period was inciting. But, lying on her back in her bed, alone, and as unexcited as ever, she wondered what the hell else there was to do with what had seemed like a Godsend of an update. If she wasn't able to please herself, what other options did she have here?
Because if she finally had the opportunity to release the years of pent-up stress with the appeal of a toe-curling orgasm, she was going to find a way to take it.
Pomni sat up, pursing her lips as she looked at her closed door. With a sigh, she swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up, walking with determination toward her door and leaving her room, making sure to close the door gently enough that anybody nearby in their rooms didn't hear her leave. She didn't think about her decision too much. She trusted Jax, she cared about him, and they were friends. Surely he'd understand, and even if he told her "no", it was worth a try. The worst thing that could happen with asking him to have sex with her was that he'd pick on her over the next few weeks about it, whether he agreed or not.
She didn't hesitate as she walked up to Jax's closed door and knocked three times with her red, gloved hand. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited, the eerily silent hallway letting the quiet groan and shuffle of the rabbit, who had surely just been bed-rotting moments ago, slip through the door. The door flew open and Jax looked down at her, giving her a small grin. Pomni's heart warmed a bit, recognizing the little smile as something genuine. He wasn't masking, he was just…there, seemingly happy to see that it was her at his door.
"We both know that movie night is canceled tonight, Gangle and Zooble are obviously too busy getting down and dirty in Zoob's room." Jax put a hand on his hip and tilted his head to the side as he looked at Pomni, putting most of his weight on one leg. Damn, was it possible for him to stand still and not look sassy as hell?
Pomni couldn't help but smile at the mention of her two friends, who were undeniably having the best time that they'd…well, probably ever had in the circus. She also couldn't help but acknowledge the warm flutter in the lower part of her stomach as she thought about it, standing there, looking at him.
Fuck, he better say yes.
"That's not why I'm here. Well, it kinda is, but…" Pomni trailed off as her face suddenly got quite warm, the long-lost feeling between her legs becoming more and more apparent.
Jax blinked, his smile falling into a relaxed expression. "Uh, you good?"
Yeah, as if he wasn't also feeling hot all of a sudden.
Pomni gave him a once over, pretending to collect her thoughts for a moment. Her gaze drifted from the short, fluffy purple fur that bunched at the bottoms of his ears, to the relatively lose straps of his pink overalls…
She exhaled, rubbing her face with her hands quickly. "Okay. You can say no, of course, but I wanted to ask because damn if I'm not going to utilize…this update to the best of my ability-"
"Pom." Jax interrupted, his pupils shrinking, though maintaining his eye contact with her.
Still unwavering, Pomni took a step closer to him in the doorway; close enough to feel his body heat, close enough that if she reached her hand out just a bit…
Instead, she brought both of her hands to his free hand, dangling at his side. His posture shifted; his shoulders stiffened a bit, his weight dividing evenly once again and his hand on his hip dropped as she held his bigger, gloved hand between hers. Pomni opened her mouth to ask, but before she could get even a syllable out, Jax's shoulders relaxed and he brought his free hand up to her shoulder, gently shoving her in a friendly, teasing manner.
"Damn, PomPom, you are coming onto me."
Pomni couldn't help but roll her eyes, but before she could even think about how to reply to him or if she should shove him back, the hand between hers slipped away, and she felt his gloved hands on her cheek and her waist as suddenly, his face was essentially apart of hers. He kissed her, initiating a gasp from the jester. Her hands quickly found their place around his neck, of which she could reach now, as he'd knelt down to her level.
Why does he need to be so damn tall?
While the kiss and, well, advance on her wasn't unwelcome by any means, she somehow found it unexpected nonetheless. While she didn't necessarily expect him to turn her away from her request, him initiating it without even answering her attempt at asking him to fuck her? Pomni melted into Jax's hold on her—his big, shockingly gentle hand that rested on her cheek, his thumb slowly rubbing against her soft jawline, and his other hand that held her—yes, held her at her waist. She was a little thing, and he was larger than her in every aspect. His hand wrapped comfortably around nearly half of her waist, slowly creeping up toward her arm, finding its way to the side of her chest, a thumb kneading at the side of her breast. From the moment his hand began to drift up, Pomni splayed open her hands on the back of Jax's neck, the tips of her fingers sliding into the fluffy purple fur at the nape of his neck. Her eyes fluttered close, and she leaned her face into his, while letting the rest of her body to just…let him take her in his hands.
Sweet sounds and gasps came from the back of their throats, a small, begging inhale escaping from Pomni's mouth during a momentary break from their kissing. Jax smiled at the sound, his ears relaxing and falling back, resting against his head.
"Someone's gonna hear," Jax spoke low, his voice hushed, his mouth still essentially against hers. She could taste the air from his words, "Inside."
Pomni nodded, pulling her head and hands away from him so she could upright herself and get inside his room, by herself, but the rabbit had another idea. As she pulled away, he grinned and the hand on her face jumped to her knees, pulling her legs up into the air and picking her up as if she was a bride. She let her knees collapse as she gasped, taken aback by such a quick move on his part. One hand remained on her side, cupping her breast as he stepped backward into his shadowed, pastel room and brought her little body up closer to his face, taking her in in one breath as he kicked the door shut.
Pomni didn't like feeling small and fragile, she didn't even like the sensation of touch, usually—but in Jax's arms, feeling his hands on her skin, taking in every heated throb from different parts of her? She could be as small as she could if it meant he could hold her even closer to him, if he could consume her any more than he already was.
Jax sat on the edge of his bed and dropped Pomni on the mattress beside him. Without a thought, she pulled herself upright and grabbed the rabbit by his face, using her lower-body and her knees to force him onto his back, her knees to either of his sides and straddling him against his pelvis. He stared up at her in what could only be described as awe, with one of his ears fixed upright, aware of every little sound that the both of them were making, while the other rested limply on the blankets of his bed. Pomni grinned down at him, holding his face in her gloved hands. She leaned down so that their mouths were a mere inch or so from the other's, and she spoke with what might've been a little whimper at the beginning of her phrase as she not only felt his breath against hers, but his body stiffen beneath her.
"Are you sure you're-"
Yeah, like he was going to let her say anything else. Her and her damn anxiety.
He suddenly sat upright, startling the jester, and brought his mouth to hers. She let him do whatever he wanted, knowing that he wasn't going to just let her get her own way in this situation. His mouth moved him her lips to her cheek, her jawline and then down her neck. As if like magic, his sneaky, quick hands pulled the gloves off of Pomni's hands without her even realizing that he had taken them off of his face. Then, she felt his fingers behind her, unbuttoning her collar and then unzipping her split-colored jumpsuit. She didn't really realize what was occurring until he was pulling her puff sleeves down her arms, the top of her jumpsuit following, leaving her in a thin-strapped maroon cami and her shorts. She acted quickly, sliding Jax's overall straps down his arms as his mouth moved down, and down her body.
Soon enough, Pomni's hat and both of their clothes were either draped messily on the edge of the mattress or thrown onto the floor, leaving the jester and rabbit completely exposed and completely entrapped with one another. Pomni had gotten Jax positioned on his back again, her knees locking his hips in place as she let him just…devour her, taking every inch of her body as his own. His mouth was on her collarbone, sucking and kissing at her oddly rubbery, soft skin as he held the back of her head on top of his, an ungloved hand hidden under her short, choppy raven hair, the other holding and squeezing and playing with her exposed breast and blue-tinted nipple. Pomni gasped and hummed excitedly, one of her hands finding it's way to his lower body, tracing his stomach and pelvis down, and down…
Pomni sucked in a deep breath as her hand grazed him, "Are you s-"
Jax pulled away from where he was sucking at the skin of her breast with a sweet release sound, leaving a red mark in it's wake. He was out of breath, but both sounded and looked to be in absolute bliss. "Pomni, seriously, shut up and take me."
The jester obliged, doing as he asked and pulling his hand from the back of her head with one hand, and inserting him into her with her other. It took a moment, but the two both confirmed the placement with almost pained, sharp inhales, followed quickly by a drunken smile on either of their faces. Cartoon bodies were weird.
If that wasn't using the update to their advantage, they'd be baffled to find out what could've been better than all that.
—
A few hours later, Jax opened his eyes slowly, groggily, and adjusted to the sight of his dark bedroom. He looked down at his side, his heart absolutely melting into goo at the sleeping jester beside him. She was all but tucked into his side, his arm resting over the back of her head like she needed it there to keep her secured and safe in her place. She breathed softly, warmly against his bare, fuzzy chest, and he savored every little exhale that she took. The sound was sweet, like a hum, the familiar tone turning his already sleepy, euphoric brain into static. She had one hand resting on his chest, the other on her waist as if holding herself. Jax gently dropped the elbow of the arm that was resting on her head, bringing it behind her neck and holding her shoulder, pulling her little body closer, deeper into his. Even in her sleep, Pomni smiled, and Jax swore she damn near buried her face further into his blanket-like fur. He realized at that moment that he probably did just feel like a big, fuzzy, warm body pillow to her.
Call it bliss, call it exhaustion. Whatever it was that had turned off every other emotion and voice in Jax's head, told him to bring his chin to the top of Pomni's head and rub against her gently, protectively.
Damn, was that update worth it, or what? Jax felt more alive, more human, more…connected to another person than he had in years…well, probably more than he had in his entire life. This was it, this was all he needed; a friend, someone who genuinely cared about him, who could make him feel alive and more relaxed than he had ever felt before. He didn't need, nor want, anything else. He took a picture of the two of them in his head, realizing that this was all that the rest of their time in the circus could be—going on silly adventures during the week as if it were their jobs, hanging out with his friends and having alone time in the evenings, and having time alone with Pomni, whether it be intimate or just…the two of them existing together.
This was enough of an escape for him, at least for the moment. With Pomni lying with him, he didn't need an exit. He didn't need to leave the circus, be free of his fluffy, pastel rabbit body. He just needed this. He savored the comfort while it lasted, almost as if knowing that it'd somehow come all crumbling. Whether this was a reflex built upon years of distrust and fear or some sort of instinct of what was to come, he quickly put those thoughts aside. He liked his little escape, here, in his bed with the jester. He allowed his eyes to flutter closed once again, being surrounded in a blanket of darkness that pushed on the two of them like a warm, weighted blanket.