Chapter Text
Jax stood in front of Gangle’s door, grinning ear to ear. In one hand was his keys to everywhere, his other hand holding a bottle of stupid sauce. The gang had just gotten back from the Spudsy’s adventure a couple hours ago, and Jax was still pissed about how Gangle was very clearly targeting him, making his life there a living hell. He grimaced a bit as he remembered his “employee re-evaluation”. He quickly shook his head, refocusing back on his plan. He had snuck a bottle of stupid sauce from Spudsy’s in the front pocket of his overalls, bringing it back to the circus to get revenge on Gangle for everything she did. Jax very well knows he’s done way worse to her, but still. He couldn’t let Gangle think that for even once she could be above him. She’d never have the upper hand.
Jax began to unlock Gangle’s door, as he already knew from other times he went to prank her that it was locked all the time. He did so silently so he could surprise her and squirt her in the face with the sauce! She wouldn’t see it coming!
He tucked the keys back in his pocket after the door clicked, and he repositioned the bottle in his hands. He first peaked through the crack in the door, and saw Gangle was drawing in her sketchbook, as usual.
Bingo! Perfect. She was sitting on the floor, facing the door. It would’ve been a little more annoying if her back was facing him.
He opened the door as silently as he could, fighting back the urge to laugh already. Gosh, he couldn’t wait to see how she’d act while high! And the look on her face when she realizes what happened!
Gangle was sketching one of her anime ocs; typical of her. A red haired girl sitting under a cherry blossom tree on top of a hill. She was sketching out the finer details in the tree.
She felt a shift in the air and looked up from her sketchbook.
“This is for Spudsy’s, loser!”
Splat.
Something thick and sticky squirted onto her face. It took a split second for her to process what happened, but she wiped some of the substance off and examined her hand, her eyes wide, then narrowing as Jax was bursting out laughing.
“Jax!” She yelled, her voice cracking as if it could break and shatter into a million pieces.
Jax was doubled over laughing, so hard that no words could even come out.
Gangle stormed over to him, wiping her face on the front of his overalls. That seemed to pull Jax out of the state he was in. He shoved her off, yelling, “Hey! What the [$#?@] do you think you’re doing, Ribbons?”
She looked mad. Glaring daggers at him.
“Wiping this stupid sauce off. Did you seriously bring some back just to…”
Her voice trailed off, her eyes widening, gaze softening. She looked spaced out; it was starting to hit.
“And thereee it is!” Jax smirked, a hand on his hip.
He stared right at the viewers, dead at the camera to whoever could possibly be witnessing all this, wiggling his eyebrows as he winked; “Let’s see how Gangle acts when high!”
Gangle still hasn’t said anything. Her mouth was ever so slightly agape, standing still as she kept spacing out, her eyes looking nowhere in particular. She was in a whole different world.
“Earth to crybaby,” Jax stepped closer to her, nudging her shoulder, letting out a scoff. “Don’t tell me you’re greening out already.”
Gangle seemed to be pulled back to reality from that nudge, still looking very high, though. She snapped her gaze to Jax, gawking at him as she couldn't pull her gaze away from his eyes. Her features had softened even more. She let out a small, weak laugh, snaking a hand up to Jax’s arm, resting it there.
“Ohhh Jaxy boy…” she slurred, giggling at nothing in particular. Her eyes looked heavy and clouded as if she were very sleep deprived. She kept looking into Jax’s eyes, as if hers and his were both magnets that kept getting pulled together by an invisible force. Jax really didn’t know what to think. He wasn’t smiling. He was unsure of how to feel at the moment. She practically purred as she murmured. “You’re such a bad boy for doing this to me.”
Jax didn’t like how she called him a ‘bad boy’. He almost let out a small ‘tch’ at the disturbing thought of how she definitely is the kind of freak to use words like that unironically.
“Hey.. did I ever tell you that I actually drew you the other day?” She smiled at him. She went to pick up her sketchbook from the floor, sitting on her bed with a plop, sketchbook in lap. She looked at the purple rabbit expectantly, patting her bed right beside her. “Come on!” she giggled, ushering him over.
“Uhh.. okay?” Jax let out an awkward chuckle. Who knew Gangle was less of a crybaby when high? He honestly thought she’d become even worse, becoming even more of a blabbering mess than she already is. He honestly was pleasantly surprised. A little disturbed though at her manner, but even so, pleasantly surprised at the lack of tears and that annoying voice she makes when she's sad and trying not to break down. He sat down on the bed next to her, leaving some space between them, though.
Gangle flipped through her sketchbook to a page that she had folded in half, as if meaning to be kept secret. She unfolded it, smoothing it out, and revealed a fully inked and coloured drawing of him. She had drawn a half body drawing of him. In the drawing Jax was looking at the viewer, his expression uncharacteristically soft. His eyebrows were raised, his smile smaller than it typically is; he almost looked bashful. He had anime-like blush drawn on his cheeks.
“Do you like it?” She asked him, words still slurred. She didn’t even wait for a response before she started tearing the drawing out of her sketchbook. She folded it back in half and she slipped it in his front pocket, tilting her head up to look him right in his eyes again.
Jax’s heart skipped a beat at the way she looked at him. Her eyes were half lidded, her smile genuine (she never ever smiled at Jax, especially not genuinely). That and the fact she had drawn him? Drawn him while sober, even? Why? And that’s exactly what he asked her.
“Why’d you draw me?” He scoffed, an amused look on his face. “And make me look all anime-like. I don’t look like that. You made me look like a dweeb.”
“Well..” she wrapped her ribbon arms around him in a loose embrace, still looking up at him with that same look. “Because.. because I thought it was so cute! Hehe.. you’re so cute..”
Jax’s eyes widened, his stomach churning. “You think I’m cute?” He snickered, ignoring the fluttering feeling. “You’re just high.” For some reason, he hadn’t pushed her away- not yet.
“Nono…” her grasp on his arms tightened. “I mean it! Seriously! You’re always so cute! I always think that about you, Jaxy! But you’re so mean to me.. I never have the chance to ever tell you how cute I think you are.. wait no.. that I know you are.. Yes..”
Jax, for once in his life, was silenced.
“You’re pulling my leg, Ribbons,” he smirked, but it was clear his facade was fading. He felt this unfamiliar feeling in his gut that he knew he had to push back down.
“Nonono….!” She giggled, burying her face back into Jax’s chest, getting the sauce all over her face again from when she had wiped it on his overalls in that very spot earlier. She lifted her face up, realizing it got all over her mask.
“Oh no..” she took a hand, wiping as much of it off as possible. But she had a sinister grin on her face, a look of being up to no good, which Jax was honestly a little afraid of. Gangle proceeded to wipe all the stupid sauce from her hand onto Jax’s face. He didn’t see it coming; somehow. He was too lost in the weird fluttery feelings he’s been feeling swirling in the pit of his stomach, too focused on trying to simultaneously push them down yet figure out what exactly they are at the same time. He sputtered and pushed her back off of him but it was too late. Some had even gotten in his mouth in the mess.
He looked pissed., his ears back, scowling. “YOU-“
Gangle couldn’t stop giggling. Jax’s angry face, plus being covered in stupid sauce was hilarious to her.
“Revenge for your revenge!” She smiled at him innocently, like she did nothing wrong.
“I [?!$&@*%] swear, I…”
Jax blinked, his brain turning to mush. He felt himself slipping away into a trance. The anger faded, his ego faded; he just felt…
Stupid.
“I should sooo kill you for this, Ribbons…” Jax grinned, his voice not harsh despite what he said. He was even slurring his words a bit, too.
Gangle giggled in response. She wiped some of the sauce off Jax’s face, licking her hand clean of the sauce as she stared dead into his eyes while doing so. Jax felt an odd warmth spread throughout his whole body at that, looking to the side quickly as his face heated up.
“Wuttt…?” Gangle grinned at Jax, never breaking eye contact once. Playing stupid.
“You’re meaner than I thought, Gangy…” Jax let out a dry laugh. The stupid sauce was one hell of a drug; Jax’s ego was gone, he didn’t feel the need to keep his facade up. He was zoinked out of his mind. He reached a hand out towards hers, going to grab it, but instead, Gangle pushed Jax down onto the bed, roughly at that. Jax let out a yelp in surprise, and Gangle positioned herself so she was hovering over him, her knees between his legs as she chuckled. She looked down at the purple rabbit, feeling proud of herself.
“Gangle!” Jax huffed in protest, turning his head to the side as he scoffed, his cheeks warm, but there was no hostility behind his voice.. Gangle raised her brows at him, and her eyes widened as she glanced down for a second and saw something in Jax’s overalls that caught her attention.
“Wow..! I didn’t know you were into this…” Gangle teased. She ran a hand over what she had been eyeing over, her gaze flickering up to his face to see his reaction. With her other hand, which was resting on his thigh, she squeezed it, giggling as she watched Jax’s facade fall apart even more than it already has.
Before things could progress more between the two of them, Gangle’s door flew open.
Gangle let out a gasp, not moving from her spot on top of Jax, though, as she was disoriented from the stupid sauce and from being shocked at the sight of Pomni standing at the doorway, looking as if she just witnessed a murder in front of her very eyes. Jax scoffed in disgust and surprise, shoving poor Gangle off with too much force as she let out a yelp.
“Wh– What the [%!$#]?!?” Pomni was flabbergasted. She shook her head, a physical reaction to wanting to clear her head so she could truly understand what she’s seeing. Jax and Gangle? What is he doing in here with her on top of him? She stormed over, looking a little pissed.
She first went to Gangle, changing her demeanor temporarily to being more worried than mad. Pomni put a hand on her shoulder, frowning. “Gangle, what happened?”
Gangle didn’t take this situation too seriously. She giggled, her face flushed as she seemed disoriented.
“Im just hanging out with Jaxy..” She laughed.
Pomni narrowed her eyes. Gangle wasn’t speaking clearly, her words almost melting into eachother. It was obvious to Pomni she wasn’t sober. She turned her head, her demeanor changing back to being furious, and she saw Jax trying to sneak out silently.
Pomni grabbed him by one of his overall straps.
“I don’t think so!” She yelled.
Jax was flustered, his cheeks flushed with colour. His ears drooped, embarrassed. Even while high out of his mind, he still felt shame. Pomni wasn’t letting go of him.
“What the hell did you do to Gangle? Did you drug her?” She accused.
Jax shrugged, a lazy smile on his face. “Nahhh, I wouldn't. I would never do such a thing, Pom Pom!”
Pomni’s eyes narrowed, giving him a death glare. By the way he was slurring his words together, she knew he wasn’t sober, either. What exactly were they doing? Nonetheless, she didn’t trust the purple rabbit. Pomni was very protective of Gangle, especially from Jax, her tormentor. Jax made it his life's mission to go out of his way to make her life a living hell. From teasing her to breaking her comedy mask to even stealing her sketchbooks and ripping out her drawings and shredding them to pieces in front of her very eyes; he didn’t like her, to say the least. So why? Pomni’s face was starting to get red from anger.
She started to drag Jax out of Gangle’s room by that same strap of his overalls and he let out a yelp of protest as she dragged him all the way to his own room. She only let go when they both got to his front door. She crossed her arms as she glared at Jax, him looking to be in a daze.
“Do you want to explain why you were in Gangle’s room, and why the both of you are high? And why Gangle was straddling y-”
“Woah woah woah!” Jax cut her off, gesturing with his hands as he talked. “You really need to get outta my business, Pom! This doesn’t involve you!”
“It does because it involves my friend. She wouldn’t willingly be on top of you! She wouldn’t even willingly hang out with you!”
“Well..” Jax slurred, his hand on his door’s doorknob, “Maybe you don’t even know your friend all that well then if you think you know that!”
Before Pomni had a chance to protest, he opened his door, went into his room and slammed his door in the jester’s face. She blinked in surprise, practically huffing and puffing from pure rage. Why did he say that to her? Of course she knows Gangle better than he knows her! She’s gotten very close to Gangle the past month here in the circus. She honestly never thought she’d end up being close friends with Gangle of all people, but it’s just how it worked out. She’s practically her best friend; of course she’s protective of her. It's only natural. How dare he imply she wanted that?
Pomni ended up walking to the common room of the circus for a breather. She ended up running into Ragatha, who enthusiastically smiled at her, waving at her to come over to where she was sitting. Pomni, still disturbed from what she just walked in on, gave a small nervous smile to Ragatha, which warranted Ragatha asking her what's wrong.
“Pomni, I can sense something’s wrong. You can tell me!”
Oh, Ragatha. She always cared so much for Pomni. Well, for everyone, really. She was a sweetheart, always worrying about everyone else to a point she neglected her own needs, physical and emotional.
“I promise I’m okay. Thank you, though.” She felt a little awkward, sitting right next to her as she tried getting her to open up. She stared down at her own lap, fiddling with her thumbs, wishing she just went back to her room instead.
Ragatha sighed. “You don’t have to talk about it, just know I'm here for you if you ever need to talk. It’s what friends are for!” She playfully nudged her.
Pomni let out a weak laugh at that. “Thank you Ragatha. What have you been doing out here anyways?”
Jax laid in his bed, on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He was starting to sober up a very little bit, yet the thoughts of her wouldn’t leave his mind. She straddled him. She pushed him down and straddled him. What would she have done if Pomni didn’t bust in? At that moment is exactly when Jax realised just how she got in- he never locked or even fully closed the door. It was most likely cracked open, and she heard the commotion as she walked by Gangle’s room and decided to look in. [$%#@]. If only he locked the door…
He ended up passing out, as it was late anyways. The last thought that crept in his mind before he fell asleep was what Gangle could possibly have been doing at that exact moment. Was she thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her…?