Anything: Adrianne Lenker 🎵
!!: GN reader, Angst, sad, fluffy/goofy ending, Caine almost abstracts or something, reader x Caine, TADC
Moolie’s note: holy this took a long time to write… I wanna thank my fire playlist for powering me through this 🥹🥹 enjoy your tooth man fic yall!! 💕💕 ^3^
Silence had pierced the Circus since the… “beach” adventure. The members stayed mainly in their room, or talking to each other.
Caine had given up on convincing them onto adventures a week ago, and since then it was rare to see him appear. Mainly to check up or give what seemed like genuine apologies, and they always got dismissed or rejected.
The ambience of the circus seemed off, the normal vibe of buzzing whimsy and colorful joy dimmed. Some days, you would catch random objects glitching. Whether it be a rainbow tinted mug you were trying to serve with digital orange juice one day, or pieces of your room. Your anxiety and nerves grew everyday, where on earth was Caine? What was happening with the adventures? Was it possible he was abst- no. That was impossible, wasn’t it? Only humans could abstract…at least that’s what you thought.
You became a lot more aware of Caine when he was around, noting subtle glitches or hums of static being emitted from the AI. He seemed way less enthusiastic, his usually electric excitement toned way down. It made you concerned— uncomfortable even. This couldn’t go on forever, something had to be done.
One day you decided to act.
You were in your room, the dark hours of the circus tinting the surrounding in a deep violet. You sat at the edge of your bed, zoning out at the floor beneath you. You were having an internal tug of war whether or not to summon Caine and ask if everything was okay. After what felt like forever of back and forth, you spoke reluctantly.
You awaited there in the dim of your room, a simple moon shaped lamp emitting a soft purple lighting around you. You awkwardly fidgeted with the cloth of the blanket you sat on, a sudden POP! making you jump slightly. A barely noticeable tired tone in the grand voice now speaking.
“Yyyyeeesss my shining firework bubblegum?”
He spawned in with his cane in hand, leaning on it slightly. He had that same charismatic glow to him, excitement and overwhelming energy. You rambled in your brain for something to say, now realizing you didn’t think for this part of your not so genius plan.
He seemed to blank out for a moment, his posture filled with nothing but grandeur tensed up a bit. He shifted his eyes towards you, a confused look in on his face.
“What do you mean? I’m as peachy as ever!”
With a snap of his fingers, confetti rained down behind him for a second. His tongue stuck out cartoonishly, as if trying too hard to cover something up.
You spoke your words with caution, choosing every word carefully.
“Well, ever since the… “beach” adventure, you haven’t really been around much— and the others don’t really leave their room.”
As you spoke, Caine stared at you. His demeanor shifted, subtle but noticeable if you were actively trying to decipher him. He floated closer to the floor, making himself more on your level.
“Some parts of the circus have been glitching, too. Random static noises, things clipping…”
You looked down at the floor, feeling his unbroken stare on you. You finished speaking, and a heavy silence dawned on you both. The seconds felt a bit suffocating, and you wondered if maybe you were prying a bit much.
“Well, to be frank, I do think my beach venture wasn’t the best of my works. I simply wanted to give you all that excitement!”
As the AI spoke, it sat down next to you at the edge of the bed. Keeping some distance, but making it enough for you to feel his presence.
“Maybe it was a bit crude of me, leading you all on that wild goose chase. You must understand though, I only wanted to make you all happy!”
His tone switched to something with a tone of desperation. The grip on his cane tightened slightly.
“I don’t know what I have to do to gain forgiveness. I’ve tried everything; suggestion box again, gifts, apologies after apologies…what more can I do?”
Your eyes suddenly locked on his shoulder, a piece of his suit starting to glitch out. That same buzzing sound you would hear starting to pierce the quiet.
You didn’t think it was possible for Caine, it couldn’t be— that’s what you had always thought. Yet here he was, beginning to glitch out and break down.
You kept your voice steady, comforting and grounding.
“You have to let this pass. What the others need right now is space. They’re pretty ticked off by the events that happened. You just-“
A small sniff cut you off. You raised a hand towards Caine’s shoulder, hesitantly rubbing it. Caine turned to face you, small pools of tears threatening to pour.
“I just- I just wanted everyone to be happy. I didn’t mean any harm!”
You saw with growing concern as more parts of his suit became glitchy, the static buzz growing louder.
“How can I redeem myself? What- what can I do to prove I’m not bad?”
He was staring at you, some small cartoony tears already falling.
You needed to do something, anything to calm him down. Not only did it break your heart to see the ever-so-happy ring master Caine like this, but you were also worried what would happen to the circus if he did abstract.
You grabbed a hand that had been previously glitching, keeping a firm and steady hold on it.
“Caine, calm down. Focus on me, you’re going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay.”
He stopped his worries rambling, halting to look at you. He seemed to calm down a bit, the glitching seeming to dim a little.
“For now, all everyone needs is time. Most of us are frustrated, upset, a little sad. The best thing you can do to help is let them heal, get back in to the hang of things. Just know that if no one comes back, you’ll always have me, okay?”
You gave him a reassuring smile, a gentle squeeze on the hand you held. He froze for a second, letting those final words sink in.
Without thinking, Caine hugged you. He latched on to you, holding onto you as if you were the only stable thing because to him…you were. His hands wrapped around your waist, face against your chest.
Your hands stayed aloft by his back, hanging there not knowing what to do next. Slowly, you held him back, he needed this. Who knew how long the guilt of the other’s suffering had been eating away at him? You felt him cry against you for a moment, before calming down once more. With a hesitant pause beforehand, you pressed a soft peck to his head. Nothing too romantic, more of a gesture letting him no you were there.
Caine pulled away to look at you, three little pink lines representing blush on his face.
He looked like he was about to say something when a squeaky voice came from a corner of the room.
“Grrreat way to flirt boss! You two should BLOINK, WOMP, #!?%!”
Caine was a total loss for words for a minute, before yelling out.
