#pompomjester25

Trembling breaths wrack his frame, and he takes handfuls of Pomni’s stupid jester outfit and clenches his fists around it, unwilling to separate from her for even a second. He can’t help but think that if she had any sense in that giant head of hers, she would push him away— throw him off of the ledge they’re sitting on and pretend like this little mental breakdown of his never happened. Instead, the weight of her arms fall around his shoulders, silently granting him permission, and embarrassingly enough that’s all it takes to get the water works started.

A choked sob falls from his lips, and he finds himself clinging even tighter, almost desperate as he nuzzles his face in against the side of her neck. “God, Pom. Do you ever shut up?” Jax bites out through a mixture of a laugh and tears, but it comes out muffled and unrecognizable after being spoken into the stupid frill of her jester outfit.

How embarrassing. She’s crying into his fur and getting it all matted, he’s crying, they’re hugging it out like a hallmark special, the only thing missing is a surprise proposal. Woah, wait a minute. Cut that.

Don’t get any bright ideas. They’re still all about to die. A little hug isn’t going to magically make everything better, okay?

Jax keeps his face buried against the junction between her shoulder and neck until he’s sure he isn’t going to embarrass himself any further, listening to her berate him and hating himself that much more because she’s right. She’s always right. Maybe if he’s lucky he won’t even need to abstract, Caine will just smite him outright the next time he shows up.

The rabbit inhales a final time, breathing in the faint scent of lavender and . . . blueberry? he realizes must be coming from the jester, that he’s been sniffing this entire time— and forces himself to pull his tear streaked face off of her shoulder. Does he have a smell? It’s not like they need showers here. Or sleep, or to eat. When he doesn’t feel like his face is going to melt off from how much of a mess he is, Jax decides to make a point to ask her.

For now, however, he pulls his arms back to aggressively wipe at his face, using the back of his arms to clear away any lingering evidence of how weak he was and to smooth back his fur.

“Pomni?” Jax begins, staring her down from the minuscule amount of space he’s finally allowed between them. He doesn’t wait for an answer, his hands capturing her shoulders and he squeezes them, shaking her lightly. “. . . If you ever, and I mean ever, tell ANYONE about this?” Him and this moment of weakness, that is. “— I’ll make you wish that you abstracted. Do you understand me?” Conveying what he hopes is a threatening stare doesn’t work nearly as well when you feel like you’ve been put through a literal ringer, Jax realizes. Pomni opened up to him, and he considers his non-answer and subsequent much needed hug that he’ll never admit to ever again, for as long as his digital heart beats the equivalent of him spilling his guts to her.

Knowing Pomni, however, he knows he’s about to be interrogated even further. She wants him to spell it out for her, won’t let him off the hook without an explanation. Somehow, it’s easier when he isn’t looking directly at the jester. With a frown, the rabbit scoots further over towards her on the ledge and tips his head against hers, letting his ears flop over them both as he relaxes, now that the tension is gone. His hand curls around her back, sneakily, gripping onto to the poofy material of her outfit at the hip and he holds it there, an anchor as he stares off into the distance of the circus below them, wondering when he became such a touch starved loser and who he can blame for it.

*holds up popcorn*

"Guess it's you and me today." Hands are to their hips before looking back at the closing portal. The others had walked in right behind and yet Zooble and Pomni were the only two to come out. It does kind of make sense given this adventure was to find a set of three keys. Who knows how insane this one will get. Eyes glance around and a slight shiver creeps up from how cold it is.

"...Why? And don't give me that for science crap..I don't speak jester."