Work Text:
Could This Be Our Last Time Together?
Pomni stared at Ragatha in complete shock, the red-haired doll looking down at the floor with tears in her eyes. Both women avoided looking at the abstracted Jax on the floor below, and Pomni was trying to understand what Ragatha had told her. Ragatha admitted she wished she had been abstracted, believing things might have been better. Pomni knew Ragatha struggled with low self-esteem, as she was always worried about whether Pomni liked her, despite the diminutive jester never showing any signs of dislike. However, Pomni didn’t think Ragatha had that low of an opinion of herself, especially since she had been making progress after a much-needed talk with Kinger. Pomni had already seen Jax abstract, but if Ragatha followed and also abstracted, Pomni wasn’t sure how she would handle it.
While Pomni contemplated the worst-case scenario, Ragatha started to turn away, seemingly planning to leave and return to her room. Not wanting Ragatha to be alone with her negative, self-critical thoughts, Pomni quickly acted by turning Ragatha back and pulling her into a tight hug. Pomni pressed her head against Ragatha’s chest, tears forming in her eyes as Ragatha stared in shock. Soon after, Ragatha also started to tear up, returning the hug just as passionately. For a brief moment, both forgot everything else, their focus solely on each other.
“Pomni,” Ragatha whispered softly as she pressed her face into her hat. As long as Ragatha had known Pomni, the small jester hated when people touched her or touched others. Pomni had explained that this was due to her Autism, a feeling she remembered from her past life. But here, Pomni was giving her a big hug, squeezing her enough to keep her from leaving but not so tight to choke the red-haired doll. Ragatha couldn’t help but smile at how much Pomni had grown since she joined the circus, while she began petting Pomni’s black hair.
“Ragatha,” Pomni murmured, her voice muffled as her face remained pressed against Ragatha’s chest. While the two continued embracing, Ragatha and Pomni felt a comforting warmth they hadn’t experienced since they learned Caine had lied to them about a way out of the Amazing Digital Circus. The warmth made Pomni and Ragatha want to stay close, but once they realized they needed to help fix the circus, they both reluctantly let go, smiling at each other before Ragatha started to speak.
“Pomni, I just want to say you’re probably one of the best things that ever happened to me since I joined the Circus,” Ragatha said, wiping her eyes to clear away the remaining tears. Pomni's heart fluttered at Ragatha's words about her, even in their current situation. The small jester blushed slightly as she hesitated briefly before daring to look at the red-haired doll after hearing this huge compliment.
“Ragatha... I... I’ve always felt the same way about you,” Pomni admitted, smiling at Ragatha. They stared at each other for a few moments before Ragatha suddenly leaned in and kissed Pomni on the lips. Pomni’s eyes went wide in surprise as Ragatha kept kissing her for a moment longer before pulling back, smiling down at the small jester. Pomni looked stunned, covering her lips with her hands — which still tingled from the surprise kiss — while she gasped for breath, her face flushing bright red. Soon after, Ragatha’s face also turned red as she placed her hands on her cheeks and turned away so she wouldn’t have to face Pomni.
"Oh, my God! Pomni, I’m sorry! I've liked you for a while, and hearing you think so highly of me made me so happy that I just went for it! I’m truly sorry!" Ragatha exclaimed, shaking her head to dismiss her blush. She kept her eyes closed to avoid seeing what she expected to be Pomni’s disappointed or angry expression. But after recovering from the surprise kiss, Pomni softly chuckled, then gently placed her hand on Ragatha’s cheek and turned her around.
“Pomni, I—,” Ragatha tried to explain before Pomni pulled her face closer and pressed her own lips onto Ragatha’s. Ragatha stared at Pomni in shock before melting into the kiss, hugging the little jester to pull her closer while kissing her back. After a moment, both women released each other, smiling down at one another while catching their breath, once again entering a state of euphoria that let them forget about Jax’s abstraction and the empty darkness of the circus, even if only for a brief moment. As that moment faded, reality slowly started to creep back in, but despite that, Ragatha and Pomni still felt a faint sense of peace as they looked at each other.
“I love you too, Ragatha,” Pomni whispered while licking her lips, causing Ragatha to blush at the boldness of the diminutive jester.
“Ragatha…”
“Yes, Pomni?”
“I know we’re handling a lot right now, but once we get everything sorted out, maybe we could have our first date?” Pomni asked while nervously running her hand up and down her arm, awaiting Ragatha’s response. Ragatha then leaned in, giving Pomni a gentle kiss on the cheek before whispering softly near her ear.
“Of course, Pomni, I’d love to,” Ragatha whispered into Pomni’s ear, causing the small jester’s face to flush deeper with blush, turning a shade matching parts of Pomni’s outfit. As they gazed at each other, they were jolted from their blissful trance by the sound of Jax, now-abstracted, crashing repeatedly against the walls of the dark circus, shaking the upper floor.
“I think... I think we should get back to that,” Pomni explained with a nervous chuckle. Ragatha responded with a nod and a chuckle of her own before they both turned away from each other and walked in different directions to find the other members of the Circus and some tools they could use to try and contain the abstracted Jax. However, as the two walked away, Pomni and Ragatha shared one last look, both women understanding that if something went wrong while trying to capture Jax, they could become abstracted as well. That meant losing their mind, their body, and their ability to ever see each other again — or at least, see each other with their minds intact. Pomni and Ragatha already planned on giving it their all to fix everything, but after their confessions, that desire to repair the Circus increased tenfold.
‘I swear I’ll come back to her,’ Pomni and Ragatha thought in unison as they both ran in opposite directions, trying to concentrate on their task instead of the lingering warm tingling sensation enveloping them.