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Everyone was thrown into another random adventure. Though this time, it was a pretty chill one. They were all assigned to have a sleepover. They were placed in a completely different room that Caine probably just manifested now. It was a pretty relaxing room. The entire floor was carpet and there was a couch along with a couple of chairs. And a tv in front of them. There was also a fireplace in the back. It gave a very homey feel.
Everyone was given their own set of pajamas to wear. Pomni had a comfy shirt with pajama shorts, Kinger had a long gown with a nightcap, Ragatha had a shirt with a robe over it, Gangle had a long nightgown, Zooble had a plain T-shirt, and Jax also had a T-shirt with pajama pants. They were all designed specifically to their tastes. Well, except for Jax’s. He looked down and saw it was light pink with a rainbow on the front. He groaned at the sight. “Why do I always get this stuff? I don’t wanna wear this!”
A few of them snickered at him while he pouted. Pomni walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It looks cute. I think it suits you.”
Jax immediately swatted her hand away, annoyed. “Shut up pipsqueak. I don’t wanna hear that from you.” He crossed his arms and turned his back to everyone.
Meanwhile, the rest were exploring the room. Kinger stood by the fireplace, staring into it. Gangle and Zooble sat next to each other on the couch. And Ragatha was just wandering around. “This room is nice, but where are we supposed to sleep?”
Suddenly, Caine popped in again. “Ah, I knew I forgot something!” He snapped his fingers and a pile of sleeping bags and pillows appeared in a corner of the room. “Each of you can grab a sleeping bag for the night. Have fun my superstars!” And he disappeared again.
Everyone walked towards the pile, grabbing a sleeping bag and pillow. Though Jax remained still. Pomni looked back at him. “Are you gonna grab one?”
He looked back at her. “I don’t plan on sleeping.”
Pomni gave him a confused look. “Why? You can’t stay up all night.”
Jax smirked and chuckled. “Is that a challenge, PomPom? Well, challenge accepted.”
Pomni groaned and rolled her eyes. She simply walked away and grabbed a sleeping bag. They all set them up on the floor and got settled.
Jax walked and sat on the couch. He looked over at everyone. “You guys are going to sleep already? Lame.”
Zooble glared at him. “Shut up. You may not be tired, but we are. Especially after so many intense adventures from Caine.”
He scoffed in response. “Whatever. Go ahead and sleep like babies. I’ll be here watching tv.”
“What, too scared to sleep around other people?” Zooble fired back.
Now Jax glared at them. “Scared? Puh-lease. I’m just not a loser like the rest of you.” He turned back to the tv.
Zooble rolled their eyes and layed back down. They knew arguing was useless and didn’t bother anymore.
Everyone said goodnight to each other and went to sleep. Pomni glanced at Jax before laying down herself.
Pomni didn’t know how much time had passed, but she woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of something. Still disorientated, she didn’t recognize it at first. But once her mind cleared up more, she quickly sat up. “Hello?” She called out. Nobody replied. All she heard was soft whimpering and crying.
She stood up and followed where the sound was. And it led her to Jax on the couch. He seemed to have fallen asleep after all. But it looked like he was having a bad dream. He was resting against an arm of the couch with one of his legs constantly twitching.
Pomni frowned and called out to him. “Jax?” He let out a moan in response. “Can you hear me?” He moaned again, giving her confirmation. “You’re okay, Jax. It’s not real.”
That didn’t seem to help much as he continued crying. Then he finally said something. “M-Mom… Dad…” He mumbled.
Pomni’s eyes widened slightly. Jax had never talked about his past. It made her wonder what happened. She decided to sit right next to him. “Did they do something?” She asked.
“I’m never enough…” He replied. “I’m just a disappointment…”
Pomni could feel an aching building up in her chest. She was starting to get an idea of what his life was like. Seems like his parents were verbally abusive. She didn’t want to hurt him, but this was the only time Jax has been honest. So she tried prying a bit more. “Not good enough? Could you try expressing yourself?”
Jax groaned. “Not allowed to… Had to be the better man…” He mumbled. Pomni was about to say something, but Jax continued. “Had to be a boy… Had to…make dad proud…”
This only made Pomni feel worse. She wish she knew sooner just how much he was suffering. So many traumatic experiences in childhood. No wonder he’s so closed off. She scooted closer to him. “Jax, you’re fine just how you are. You shouldn’t change just to please people. At the very least, I won’t judge you. Whatever makes you happy.” She reached out a hand and rubbed his back up and down.
Jax’s body slowly relaxed as he released the tension. His expression looked more peaceful. Pomni then grabbed a small blanket and draped it over him. He let out a content sigh as he snuggled further into the arm of the couch. As he got more comfortable, he began to snore as well.
Pomni softly smiled. She stayed in that spot and leaned against him. She ended up falling asleep in that position.
When the sun came up, everyone started waking up. One by one, they sat up from their spots on the floor. Pomni woke up on the couch as well.
She sat up and stretched while yawning. Ragatha walked up to her. “Goodmorning Pomni.” She greeted.
“Morning Ragatha.”
The ragdoll noticed Jax next to her. “I guess Jax fell asleep finally.” She said as she pointed at the bunny, still passed out.
Pomni looked over as well. “Heh yeah. I'll take him to his room.”
“Oh, are you sure? He's much taller than you.” Ragatha commented.
“I’ll be fine.”
Zooble walked up as well. “About time he fell asleep. You sure you don’t need any help?”
Pomni shook her head. “No. But thanks.”
Zooble shrugged. “Well, I guess as long as he gets some rest. See ya Pomni.”
The jester waved as the group left. She faced Jax, thinking of the best way to carry him back. The only way she could think of was draping him over her shoulders and dragging him back. It wasn’t ideal but it was the best option she had.
She let out a sigh. “C’mon Jax, let’s go.” She grabbed his arms and turned around, hoisting his top half over her. His head rested on top of hers.
His legs dragged as she walked down the hall. But it’ll be okay as long as it doesn’t wake him up.
Jax suddenly groaned and moved a bit. Pomni ended up stumbling and tripped, causing both to fall to the ground. Pomni let out a shriek and tumbled. As soon as Jax hit the ground, he yelled and was startled awake. He groaned. “Ugh, my head.” He rubbed where it hurt. He opened his eyes and saw Pomni on top of him. “Pomni what are you doing?!”
She immediately stood up. “I’m sorry Jax! I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He stood up as well and dusted himself off. “Why are we in the hallway?”
Pomni fidgeted anxiously. “You had fallen asleep so I was carrying you back to your room.”
Jax widened his eyes slightly in surprise and started blushing. He let out a sigh in frustration. “I’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Are you sure? You look like you’re about to fall over.” She was genuinely concerned as Jax looked exhausted.
But just as stubborn as always, he merely shook his head. “I’m fine, Pom. Stop worrying so much.” He turned around and continued walking down the hallway while Pomni watched him.
As he walked, he was practically shuffling his feet and stumbling slightly. He leaned against the wall to help stabilize himself. Before anything bad could happen, Pomni rushed over to him.
She ran over and quickly grabbed his arm. “Jax, just let me help. You’re gonna pass out.”
Jax looked at her with tired eyes. “Fine…” He mumbled under his breath.
Pomni wrapped his arm around her neck and they walked together. It felt like forever for Jax, but they made it to his room. She opened the door and they walked in. She went over to the bed and helped him sit down. She let go of his arm. “Do you need anything else?” Jax shook his head. “Okay. Well before I go, there’s something I want to ask you.”
"Sure.”
Pomni thought for a moment on how to say this. She decided to just rip off the bandaid. “What was it like with your parents?”
It felt like Jax’s heart stopped for a second. His brain immediately went into panic mode. He eyed Pomni. “...How? How do you know?” He said in a low voice.
“You were talking in your sleep last night…” She admitted.
Jax basically screwed himself. He tried avoiding this kind of thing, but it happened anyway. His mind spiraled and he felt a panic attack coming on. His breathing quickened and he gradually began to hyperventilate.
Pomni immediately stepped in to calm him down. “Jax, it's okay.” She reached out to him.
He pulled back. “Don’t touch me!” His body started shaking.
Pomni took one step back. She looked directly at him with a soft gaze. “Jax, look at me.” He didn’t move a muscle. “Look at me? Please?” She said again gently. He carefully turned his head and finally looked at her face. Pomni smiled in reassurance. “I won’t judge you. Or mock you. You can tell me anything and I’ll listen. Okay?” He paused for a moment before nodding. Pomni raised her hand and cupped his cheek in her palm. He tensed up at first, but leaned into the touch. “You’re safe with me.”
Jax started getting choked up as tears started flowing out. “It’s just… so hard.”
“I know. It’ll be okay.” Pomni softly whispered. “We can talk about this after you rest.”
Jax averted his gaze. “Can you stay with me?” He asked anxiously.
Blushing slightly, Pomni smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Here, scoot over.” While Jax proceeded to lay down on one side, Pomni crawled onto the bed and layed down on the other side. They turned and faced each other. Pomni smiled and gently reached out to hold his hand. “I’m glad you’re here with me.” She said softly.
Jax cracked a small smile himself and sniffed. “Me too, PomPom.” He let out a sigh. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Don’t blame yourself so much. Don’t think about it too much and just get some rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” She squeezed his hand, interlocking their fingers.
Jax smiled again and lightly chuckled. “Okay.” They simply stared at each other until Jax finally felt his eyelids getting heavy and closed his eyes. Then he was fast asleep.
Pomni smiled and gently kissed his hand. “Sleep well, Jax.”