pairing: jax (tadc) x reader
synopsis: jax decides to kill time with you.
tags: pre-pomni era, reader is called pretty, fluff
the circus was unusually quiet.
no yelling. no color-saturated chaos bouncing off the walls. just the low hum of the place existing, background sound looping as usual, almost comforting in its repetition.
you had tucked yourself away on one of the random lounge cushions left near the corner of the tent. probably caine’s idea of a ‘relaxation zone,’ though it looked more like someone had given up halfway through building a pillow fort. maybe kinger.
you weren’t doing anything special. just sitting. thinking. killing time the way you always did between adventures. you didn’t expect anyone to come by.
so when a pair of heavy footsteps padded behind you, you didn’t look up at first. not until they stopped just a few feet away, then hovered.
you turned your head. “...what?”
jax stared at you with his usual smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “you always look so suspicious. like i’m here to drop a bucket of slime on your head or something.”
you raised a brow. “are you?”
he sat down next to you. not close, but not far, either. his legs stretched out in front of him, one ankle crossed over the other. he looked completely at ease, like this was his idea all along.
you watched him cautiously. “you’re not usually around during quiet hours.”
jax shrugged. “maybe i got bored.”
he looked sideways at you.
you snorted softly and looked away. “that’s fair.”
for a moment, neither of you said anything. you fiddled with a corner of the cushion beneath you. he leaned back on his hands, letting the silence settle. not awkward just... still.
then, without moving his head, jax said, “you’re weirdly quiet when no one’s watching.”
“yeah, but i’m allowed to be. i’m mysterious,” he wiggled his fingers for dramatic effect.
you rolled your eyes. “sure.”
jax glanced at you again, sharp-eyed.
“what, you only talk when the spotlight’s on you?”
“maybe i just don’t have anything to say.”
“you? nah. you’ve always got something going on up there,” he pointed at your head. “it’s the way your face twitches when you’re thinking.”
“twitches?” you didn’t think he noticed that.
“yeah. like right now,” he leaned closer, faux-inspecting your expression. “see? you’re doing it.”
you swatted at him, and he dodged easily, grinning like a brat.
“you’re annoying,” you muttered.
jax gave an exaggerated shrug. “guilty as charged. and yet, here you are. letting me ruin your precious alone time.”
you opened your mouth to retort, then paused.
“…you didn’t ruin anything.”
jax tilted his head slightly. “no?”
you shook your head. “it’s kind of... nice, actually.”
he raised a brow, clearly surprised. “well, don’t get too sentimental. you’re gonna scare me off.”
you smiled faintly, eyes drifting down to the floor.
jax shifted, now sitting cross-legged. you could feel his gaze, but you didn’t meet it. not yet.
“so,” he said. “what do you even do during this kind of downtime?”
“sit. think. sometimes doodle on stuff. talk to myself,” you shrugged.
you looked at him sideways. “what about you?”
“me?” he sat up straighter. “i usually find someone to mess with. or wander around until something breaks. y’know. jax stuff.”
“mm,” he hummed. “felt like being lazy.”
jax gave you a look. “don’t read into it.”
you weren’t sure if that was teasing or serious.
at some point, you ended up lying back against the cushion, arms folded under your head. jax followed suit a beat later, flopping onto his back with a dramatic sigh like someone exhausted from doing nothing.
you were side-by-side now. still not touching. but close enough to feel the warmth of presence, that subtle awareness of someone else just being there.
after a while, jax broke the silence again. this time quieter.
“you really think we’re stuck here forever-forever? like- as in forever?”
you turned your head toward him. he was staring at the ceiling.
“i stopped thinking about that a while ago,” you said truthfully.
“if we are,” he said slowly, “guess it’s not the worst thing.”
you blinked. “coming from you, that’s kind of shocking.”
jax shrugged one shoulder.
“eh. figured if i’m gonna be trapped, could be worse than being stuck with someone who isn’t completely unbearable.”
“wow,” you deadpanned. “how touching.”
jax turned his head, meeting your eyes.
“…you’re tolerable,” he said.
you smiled, lips twitching.
he smirked, then looked back up.
the silence stretched again. but this time, it was warmer. less empty.
you turned slightly on your side to look at him, cheek resting on your arm.
“you ever miss it?” you asked quietly. “the real world?”
jax didn’t answer right away. he seemed to really think about it before answering.
“…nah,” he said finally. “i think i did. at first. but now? i barely remember it.”
you nodded slowly. “same.”
jax tilted his head, catching your expression. “weird, right? all that stuff we thought mattered- jobs, bills, whatever.. now it’s like it happened to someone else. not us.”
you let out a quiet laugh.
“honestly? sometimes i like it better here than out there.”
“ha. knew you were crazy.”
you nudged his arm with your knuckles. “you’re one to talk.”
“hey, i never claimed to be sane.”
you both laughed softly, then fell quiet again.
after a while, jax propped himself up on one elbow and looked at you more directly. not with a smirk. not with that teasing glint he usually had. just... curious.
“you ever think about what we’d be like if we met out there?”
you blinked at him. “in the real world?”
you tilted your head. “i don’t know. you’d probably annoy me in line at a grocery store.”
jax laughed. “you’d give me the dirtiest look. like, ‘who is this guy and why is he talking to me about the cereal aisle?’”
“and you’d still keep talking.”
“absolutely,” he said. “i’d make you laugh eventually.”
“i bet you were pretty…” jax didn’t bet. he knew.
you felt your face redden slightly at the compliment and you carefully inspected jax’s face for any sign of humor, but there was none to be found.
jax’s voice dropped just slightly. “you’re easier to read here.”
you raised a brow. “how do you figure?”
“’cause you try so hard not to react. it’s a dead giveaway.”
you looked at him, lips twitching. “you realize that makes no sense right?”
jax smirked. “doesn’t have to.”
you rolled your eyes and laid back again.
he stayed propped up on his elbow, watching you.
“you tired?” he asked, softer now.
jax let himself lay back down again, just a little closer than before. your shoulders almost touched. almost.
“good,” he said. “’cause i don’t feel like moving yet.”
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