Edgar

"Dad-?" Jax repeated "You mean Kinger? That old nutcase is barely there for himself, how could-". You held Jax's leg tighter, the sadness growing in your eyes. There was a tremble to your arms from the desperation you felt. A tangible reminder that, well... you were scared. Jax rolled his square pupils with a big huff "Fine, come on, I saw his fort not far from here". He nudged you off of him, strolling forwards with a slightly slower gait. You jogged a little to keep up, practically hiding behind him

"You got lost or something?" Jax asked. You looked up at him and nodded "I was talking with Gangle, but...". "I can only imagine how fun that was" Jax grinned to himself "She show you her anime figures?". "Nuh-uh, we were drawing" You responded simply. Jax laughed a little "Oh, of course! What else is there to do around here, huh? Well... except look out for the monsters". "M-Monsters?" You asked, feeling your shoulders tense at the mention. But Jax was grinning widely. "Yeah, didn't you hear? If you don't eat what Bubble gives you at dinner, those big monsters might get ya" He said, raising his hands up and slowly getting closer as he talked

"Nooo!" You whined sadly, clinging to him once again. Jax put a hand on your head, once more nudging you off. "Hey, come on, don't cry-" He said, looking a little uncomfortable "I was joking! What's gotten into you, huh? You're never so serious". Despite that, you kept looking over your shoulder for the rest of the walk. When finally making it to the fort of pillows, Jax kicked at one of them "Kinger, hey. Got your kid here". The front pillow acting as a door slid open, Kinger poking his head out "Kid? Congratulations! When did you have one of those?"

"Dad!" You almost yelped. You zipped past the both of them, crawling into the safety of the fort that you'd come to call your home. Kinger glanced at you, before looking back up at Jax. "I think they're the pillow's kid" He said. Jax scoffed out a chuckle. "Yeah, have fun with that" He said before walking back from where he came. Kinger sat back, sliding the pillow-door closed. The light from The Circus was blocked out, leaving a tranquil dimness. Kinger's gaze became a little less unfocused as he looked at you, his conscious slowly coming back to him

You'd curled into the far wall, leaning into the comfort of the plush for stability. Kinger sat back, his robe curling up so his knees (did he even have those anymore?) could press against his chest. "I don't like it out there..." You admitted softly, scooting across the floor to get closer to him "It's so… scary. I wanna go home". Kinger lifted one of his hands, and you took the opportunity to curl up to his side. Your face buried into the collar of his robes as you sniffled into the fabric

You sniffled once again, wiping at your eyes. "It's hard" You admitted softly "I try to play with you guys, but it doesn't feel like any fun. I don't like it here". "Well, maybe this fort can be your own little space, then" Kinger offered "Anything that keeps you safe is worth hanging on to". "Then... can I keep staying with you?" You asked hesitantly, fearing the possibility of denial "I can be quiet if you want! I just really like it here"

You felt a gentle hand rest on your back, the thumb petting across your spine. "You saw Gangle today, right?" Kinger asked. You nodded against him and replied with a muffled "Mhm. We drew". "That was fun, wasn't it?" The older chess piece asked. You leaned back enough to look up at him, nodding once again. "It's always scary to be somewhere new," Kinger began, his hand petting the top of your head "But being with the right people can make it easier. I'm sure it's not a great home, but I hope you can find something that makes you happy here. Like drawing"

"No need, I like hearing you talk" Kinger reassured "It's nice to hear someone else's voice for once. It's been a while since I had the company. You can keep staying". You let out a big breath of relief before letting out a small 'oh!' and digging in your back pocket. You produced a folded-up paper, holding it out to Kinger "Here, before I forget". He accepted it, gently opening it and smoothing out the creases in his lap as you rested your head against him. Inside was a scribbled doodle of yourself, a shaky purple Kinger right next to you. A butterfly was between you both, right over your held hands

"You made this?" Kinger asked, oddly surprised. "Yeah! With Gangle, remember?" You explained with a smile. Kinger's eyes were soft, and he gave you a tight side-hug. "I love it. I'll keep it right here with me" He promised softly, tucking it under his robe in what was presumably a pocket, but could have also been hammerspace. Either way, it was tucked away for safety. Just like you in the fort. Warm, surrounded by comfort, and with your sorta-dad beside you. Your chest finally didn't feel tightly coiled with worry, and you could actually breathe