#jax and mia

[cockatrice-writers-guild]

Contact

this takes place in the space au

warnings: swearing, fear

word count: around 4.8k

taglist: @autism-alley , @awkwardgtace , @tripodcat-gt

T-minus 10

“Could I ask you something, big guy?”

9

“Sure.”

8

“Are there other ways you hold the planet? It can’t always just be in your hands, right? That has to get tiring.”

7

“…well, sometimes I kinda…cup the planet to my chest. Like when I lay down. …or just…I don’t know…whenever.”

6

“Dear God, you are touch starved.”

5

“…touch starved?”

4

“Mmm...it means you crave physical affection.”

3

“Touch…,” I can sense the wistfulness in his voice. “I’ve seen the way some humans hold each other…I think it’s called a hug? And just…I don’t know, getting lost in someone’s arms for a while…it seems…really nice. I just…I wish there was some way for me to hug you, Mia, but…well, you know.”

2

“...maybe there is.”

1

“…what do you mean?”

Lift off.

There’s a giant that lives up in the cosmos who holds the world to prevent it from freezing over now that the sun’s dead. It's literally something out of a children’s story but the scientists have been working on this long enough to know that somehow, impossibly, it’s still the truth.

Weirder still is that this giant never asked for anything in return.

Until, that is, when a particularly tired intern got the shit scared out of them when the massive cosmic entity known as Jax popped into their head to quietly ask them if it would be okay to send their cranky janitor to space. And once the higher ups got word of it, they knew it was probably for the best not to say no to the giant who literally held the entire planet in his hands and started on it right away.

Of course, they could have said no. Jax knew that. I knew that. They didn’t know that. I guess they were just happy Jax hadn’t started asking for human sacrifices or something.

So that’s how I ended up here.

I’m in a ship and a bulky suit, watching the sky turn darker and darker as I leave the Earth’s atmosphere. The constant shake rattling through the ship is horrible and the jolt of the engine separating from the rocket is even worse. The ship stops shaking soon after but gradually, I can feel the sheer weight of gravity pushing me deeper and deeper into my seat as the vessel tries to escape the Earth’s pull. It’s almost agonizing in its intensity, the sounds and sights and feelings all working together to turn my body and brain effectively to mush but then finally, finally

the engines shut off and I’m left sitting there in the dead silence that follows, still so stunned from the trip that it takes a few moments too long to even bring myself to move.

And that was the easy part.

My legs feel like jello and both my back and neck feel stiff but still I wrestle my way out of the chair to go look out the window.

And the first thing I see is the Earth, an impossible sight of blues and greens and yellows all condensed and mixing together, masses of huge storm clouds passing over continents. The backdrop of stars and darkness make it almost glow.

And then I see something else.

Something that just about makes my heart stop beating.

As the Earth slowly, very slowly, gets farther and farther away, I can see that it’s not suspended in the star filled void of space like it’s supposed to be. Instead,

something

something so huge I can’t see where it begins or where it ends, something so huge my brain can’t even fully comprehend what I’m looking at,

something rests just below the planet, cupping it, holding it up in the cosmos

something flesh coloured

something warm

I’ve seen this before, when Jax projected himself into my head or…whatever the hell he did to me but seeing it here, now

It’s too much

It’s genuinely too much

And as the Earth gets smaller and the flesh surrounding it remains the same endless expanse, I find it harder and harder to stay calm.

My brain is screaming, screaming at me to get away but I can’t breathe and

instead I choke on my own spit, staring at the view as my breaths get harder and harder to control until I finally manage to turn around, pressing my back to the cool glass and instead focusing on the dull interior of the shuttle as I try to get my breathing back under control. I’m starting to sweat again and the insulation the suit provides isn’t helping. I try to take in every single detail of the room I’m trapped in, the grooves in the seats and the dull walls, the fluorescent lights and the panels and panels of buttons lining the main console, the screens and the sensors and very very distant hum of fans and other machinery quietly working away to keep me alive.

The constant beating in my chest as it finally starts to slow

As my vision stops dancing in front of me

As my head gradually stops swimming

And then I hear it, a call so sudden it causes me to jump.

“…Mia?”

Jax.

Jax

A being so fucking huge that the world is nothing more than a marble to him. Of course, I’ve seen him so many times before in the sky, his huge face stretching across the horizon thanks to his sheer size, an eye larger than the Earth completely engulfing it when I want to show him something. Even when he holds an arm out so I can see him better, the concept of him holding the planet is still something I can’t even begin to register.

And now I don’t have a barrier to protect me.

It doesn’t take long before I can feel tears streaming down my face as I hug my arms close and then closer.

“…Mia?”

Quieter now.

I can’t stifle a sob in time and somehow, somehow, I know he hears it.

“…I…I’m sorry, M.” He sounds pained and my heart pangs even as I slowly lower myself to the ground.

My friend.

This cosmic fucking giant is my friend.

I guess on some level I just never fully thought about what I was dealing with.

Jax is a giant, one so goddamn huge that any space program that wants to send something out has to let him know in advance so that his damn fingertips don’t block their flight paths.

He’s not human. He’s never been human but

“…do you want to go home?”

He’s tentatively whispering in my head like we’re equals, asking me questions, asking me what I want to do. There’s genuine distress in his voice. He wanted this more than anything and yet I know he’d give it all up for me. He’s…

“…Jax?”

A lengthy pause on his end. Then

“…Mia?”

I take in a few more gulps of air, staring at my now empty chair before I speak again.

“…give me a moment. This is…a little hard for me to deal with right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

“…alright.”

Some time passes in silence, me eventually starting to run a hand up and down the material of my suit to try and ground myself before Jax hesitantly speaks again.

“…I…actually, there…might be something I can do to help.”

I try to focus on his voice. “…and what’s that, big guy?”

“Just…just give me a moment.”

“Okay.”

More silence for a long long time before,

“…Mia?”

“…Jax?”

“Look out the window.”

“…what?”

“Trust me. Please.”

There’s something about his tone that cuts the tension. There’s desperation, yes. But now there’s something else too. Something that almost sounds like excitement.

I frown, staring down the empty room before finally breaking. Damn it, now I’m curious. And I did trust him at the end of the day.

I slowly uncurl myself from the floor and move to peek out the window. And I see

Jax

He’s…

Oh my God he’s so far away right now.

I don’t even know how far away he is but I know it must be a lot because I can fucking see him now

All of him

He looks like a regular human floating a short distance away from the glass. I can finally see his fucking clothes properly, some kind of weird flowing orange-purple crop top and a long flowing skirt to go with it. He tentatively waves when my eyes meet his because of course he can see when my fucking germ sized eyes meet his planet sized ones over the how many millions of miles he just marathoned in his quest to make me feel more comfortable.

And goddammit I can’t believe it’s working.

He’s just…he’s so fucking sweet. And God, the face he’s making right now is so cute if he wasn’t the size of a goddamn galaxy, I’d squish his cheeks.

A half smile slowly worms its way onto my face and after a moment, he seems to relax too.

“Are you alright?” I know his mouth doesn’t move when he talks to me like this since he’s projecting his voice directly into my head but it’s still trippy to see, especially like this.

“I…think so.”

He smiles. “So now what? Do you want to just…talk like this for a while before you go back?”

“Dude. I didn’t go through months of space training and being questioned by the feds to just talk to you.”

The man’s smile grows.

-

After dancing around the subject for a while, I finally bite the bullet and leave the room to go put on a space suit even bulkier than the one I’m currently in. Jax is a constant nervous chatter in my head as I check the suit over and over and I try my best to reassure him even as my own heart rate steadily rises at the mere thought of what’s about to happen.

And once I’m finally done looking the suit over and over desperately for anything I can use to stall for just a second longer, I give up and make my way to the airlock.

There’s a palpable tension in the air now. I know exactly what’s on the other side of those heavy metal doors and it takes a second to even make myself bring a hand up to the panel.

I take a slow breath in

And a slow breath out

and then I press down.

The doors open and it takes only a second for the lack of pressure to kick in before I’m all but shot out into the black void that yawns open in front of me.

It takes some time to get my bearings now that gravity’s moot and for a while, I just try to stop spinning by any means necessary. Means in this case being flapping my arms and legs around until the universe finally stops spinning. At some point I can even hear Jax start to chuckle quietly in my head and it does not help.

But once I’m finally able to place myself, I take some time to take in my surroundings. Because God, they are stunning. The black void of space completely engulfs everything around me. It’s full of stars and what has to be a few unfamiliar planets all hanging in the empty space, dotting the dark backdrop with a massive array of colour and light. It’s…beautiful. Ethereal.

Completely silent.

There’s something quietly unsettling about it all, the way it doesn’t seem to end, the way I’m the only visible living being for miles, the way the silence is so palpable it makes my ears ring. Beautiful, yes but uncaring, lifeless

Lonely.

…what Jax must go through every single day of his life.

I can feel his gaze on my back, one that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand and my latent survival instincts kick into overdrive.

The stare of a giant who holds the world.

And now there’s no magical barrier. No ship. No nothing.

It’s just me.

For a long time, I stare into the cosmos aimlessly until finally, a small whisper starts up in my head, the abruptness of it making me jump.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I swallow, trying to find my voice. “…yeah, it is.”

There’s a long pause and I try to find something else to say to stop focusing on how hard my heart is beating.

“I…don’t recognize any of these planets. Never-,” I choke on my air for a moment but force myself to continue, “-never saw one with three rings around it like that.”

Jax is silent for a long moment.

“…Mia…you don’t have to-”

“Where are we?”

“…what?”

“I…I don’t recognize any of these planets so…where exactly are we, big guy?”

He’s quiet for a moment longer before “…I travel around, I guess. Your system is…well…it’s not habitable anymore so you guys just travel with me now.”

You guys

The entire population of Earth is just ‘you guys’ to him.

The idea is so inconceivably, horribly absurd to me that I almost burst out laughing, instead choking on my own spit as I forget to breathe for a few moments too long.

“…Mia?”

That voice in my head again, even quieter than before because, and the realization helps to ground me just a little, he’s hesitant, because he doesn’t want to scare me further or, God forbid, because my reaction actually scared him.

There’s something so undeniably human about the way Jax carries himself. In spite of his ridiculous size and the power he holds over billions of comparatively minuscule lives, he acts like a person. We’re all just ‘you guys’ to him. Equals, friends. Hell, I’m actually his friend. It’s insane. All of this in insane but-

after taking a few sharp inhales and trying to get my breathing back under control, I finally bring myself to start really looking around. Not for the scenery but for my gigantic friend.

And finally, I see him floating in the distance just as before, one of his hands cupped and the other hanging loosely at his side. I know what’s cupped in that hand but try not to think about it, instead focusing on the man himself. He doesn’t say anything but cocks his head slightly at me instead.

I quietly squeeze my hands before I speak again. “…so, how do you want to do this?”

“…you were having trouble breathing, M.”

There’s this deadness in his voice that makes me wince. I ignore him and try again, fighting to keep the shake out of my voice.

“How do you want to do this?”

“…I don’t think this is a good idea.”

We stare at each other for a long moment before I raise a hand and beckon him forward.

“You’re shaking, Mia.” He sounds close to tears, now visibly upset as he hangs in the dead of space.

“I’ll get over it.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I will.”

He looks like he wants to argue more but instead tries something else.

“I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”

“That’s great, Jax, but I want to do this.”

He looks away.

“…Jeez dude, do you even want to do this?”

He nods slightly after a long moment.

“Then?”

“…I don’t want to make you panic again. …or you know…throw up.”

“THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING!”

Jax actually laughs a bit at that and I frown at him.

“You’re an ass, you know that? Now get over here.”

“Mmm.”

“Mmm?”

“…I don’t know…”

“Jax, I swear to God.”

He stares at me.

I stare at him.

After an unbearably long silence I just start swimming towards him and he almost immediately starts back peddling away from me frantically.

“YOU ARE AFRAID OF ME!” I yell as I keep up the pace.

“I’M AFRAID OF WHAT I CAN DO TO YOU!” he practically wails as his legs kick away from me. “IT’S NOT THE SAME!”

“IT MIGHT AS WELL BE, YOU DRAMA QUEEN! GET OVER HERE!”

I try to swim after him for a bit longer before he becomes little more than a speck in the distance and I stop to catch my breath with a sigh. Unfortunately, with that no longer my main focus, the creeping dread of space starts to get to me again. Beautiful and desolate. Completely silent.

…

My ears start to ring.

…

I only have a few small meals that were packed in case anything goes wrong. I’m not sure how much oxygen I have left but I know it’s not enough to live on.

Stranded.

The infinite darkness all around me, closing in.

Closing in.

Closing in.

“…JAX!”

My voice comes out a strangled cry and the pale dot in the distance immediately freezes. “Mia?” He sounds concerned.

“Don’t go. Please.”

There’s a long period of silence before he speaks again. “Oh! Oh no, I’m sorry, Mia, I didn’t mean it like...you’re not- I wasn’t going to- I’m sorry I just-” He cuts himself off, taking some time to get his thoughts in order before he speaks again. “I’m sorry, I’m coming back. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

With that, the speck in the distance slowly grows until once again I can make out a person. I can feel distant relief seeing another living thing.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers again.

“I…it’s ok, big guy.”

Jax watches me for a long moment before he speaks again. “I’ll do it.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll come over to you and we can…touch.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods slightly.

“Okay.”

And so slowly Jax starts making his way over and as the figure of him grows and grows, a distant part of my brain starts screaming and after a second, Jax stops again.

“You’re scared again,” he says quietly.

I just use a now trembling hand to wave him over and he shakes his head.

“Mia, are you sure you want to do this? You really don’t have to force yourself. We can always just talk and I really appreciate you trying like this but-”

“Jax?” There’s a shake in my voice that I can’t quite fight down.

“…Mia?”

“Get over here.”

“…but I-”

I hold my arms out to him and he watches me for a long moment before slowly he starts moving again. His figure grows and grows in the middle distance but I remain frozen in the sky, arms held out in invitation, my heart beating faster and faster and my breaths struggling to catch up.

Jax pauses again. “…are you sure?”

Unable to form words, I just nod and Jax eventually starts moving again. The movement causes me to flinch and Jax stops, cocking his head slightly.

I’m about to beckon him again but

“…you…your hair is green and fluffy. You told me it’s dyed that colour and I think it really suits you.”

He’s whispering again. Continues his approach. It takes me a second to realize what he’s doing but as soon as it clicks, I close my eyes and focus on his words, a small smile starting to grace my lips at the familiarity.

“Your eyes are brown. Kind of a dark brown like…hmm…really dark chocolate.”

That gets a small chuckle out of me and he returns it in kind. There’s a noticeable change in the atmosphere now, like I’m starting to get pulled into a gravitational field. I know what’s causing it but just try to focus on the voice in my head.

“You’re…uh…you…said I was white so…”

I cough to warm up my throat. “…you can just say brown, big guy. It’s fine.”

“Brown then! And you’re…,” he stops to think about it for a second, “…uh…kinda skinny and muscular at the same time? I can’t see your body through the suit but I’ve seen you on Earth and you’re pretty strong, M.”

“Thanks.”

He hums in acknowledgement. “I…can’t see your clothes right now either, M but your…space suit I think it’s called?”

“Yeah.”

“Space suit then. It looks…well…um…”

“You can just say it looks like shit. It’s fine.”

Jax snorts at that. “I mean…I’ve seen worse. And…right now, your eyes are closed and you’re shaking badly but I know that you’re trying and well…”

There’s a long pause before with a jolt that makes my heart jump, I can feel something plush below my feet. I don’t open my eyes just yet.

“…there we go,” Jax whispers.

And so I slowly take a seat.

Take a deep, deep breath.

And finally,

open my eyes

And now I’m here.

Sitting on what it takes me way too long to recognize as the pad of a finger so massive it dwarfs the Earth.

I can’t really make out anything besides the massive black void that makes up what must be his pupil, stretching on and on in every direction like the night sky. Every time he blinks, I can hardly understand what’s happening and on some level, I’m distantly horrified as I stare back at him, the frozen death of space warded off only by the heat rising out of the endless stretch of flesh that makes up the pad of his finger. Every single groove of his fingerprint is like a bottomless chasm to me, my legs dangling off of one as I sit partially rooted to the surface below.

He blinks again and the night sky eclipses with it.

I’m literally nothing to this man.

Nothing at all and the fear is almost enough to make me want to gag but

He’s whispering quietly in my head again too, reassurances, using a voice I can comprehend and even as I can feel my eyes start to glaze over in fear, I can’t fight the smile that’s making its way onto my lips at the familiar voice muttering quietly in my head.

Because in spite of literally everything, he doesn’t want to scare me.

I know this man and he knows me.

Impossibly, I’m safe here

I finally force myself to move and use a shaking hand to rub the surface below me and the voice in my head stops in an instant, replaced with a small sigh as the massive eye in front of me closes in contentment.

“Oh,” is all he says after a long period of silence.

“Oh?” I finally make myself ask.

I hear a small sniff in my head and after a moment, he opens his eyes and my view is replaced by a black ocean suspended in the air in front of me.

He sniffs again and in that moment I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around him and never let go.

Which is…beyond impossible here but still, heart pounding, I hold my arms out to him instead.

He watches me for a long time, a blink sending what must be several oceans of water floating into the atmosphere but I hold my ground until finally the man speaks again.

“…I’m…not sure that’s a good idea, M.”

I just wave my arms at him again and he lets out a watery chuckle.

“I’m too big, Mia.”

“And I’m still waiting, big guy.”

“…I don’t want to hurt you.”

He sounds a little desperate so I finally drop my arms with a sigh. “Fine. In that case just stand still.”

“…what?”

“Trust me.”

He laughs at that. “…alright.”

That out of the way, I make myself stand up and examine the massive eye in front of me for a moment longer before I kick off of Jax’s finger and start swimming through the air.

“…uh, Mia?”

“Shush. I’m trying to prove a point here.”

Jax watches me swim through the air for an impressively long amount of time before he finally speaks again. “…if you’re trying to get somewhere, I could help you out?”

I look around and see that I’m basically exactly where I started.

“…fine.”

Jax laughs. “Where are you trying to go?”

“Just…your face I guess.”

“…oh.”

There’s silence for a long moment before everything starts moving again, the giant black globe rotating until it changes to grey and then a stark white, finally settling on a massive patch of flesh that must be the skin between Jax’s eyes. He then leans forward until the bridge of his nose lays a short distance away.

“Is that okay?” he asks quietly.

And I feel my heart warm up at that. And with that I can feel my hands start to twitch. Why is he so fucking cute? IT’S NOT FUCKING FAIR. I CAN’T EVEN SQUEEZE HIM LIKE- “I…yeah, actually. Thanks, big guy.”

I hear him hum in acknowledgment and literally want to kill him. He’s an incomprehensibly huge cosmic giant and it’s not fair not fair not fair not-

I start swimming towards him almost frantically and finally, FINALLY

I reach the man’s face and all but throw myself at him, grabbing as much of his skin as I can and rubbing the glass of my helmet against him.

“You…this is more…aggressive than I thought it would be. I…,” he lets out a small laugh, “…is this normal?”

I let out a small squeak and continue squeezing him and he chuckles in response. “You alright there, M?”

“No.” I finally manage.

“No?”

He sounds a little distressed so I try to clarify. “Jax, I’m fine. I just-,” I squeeze handfuls of flesh for as long as I can manage before letting go and wrapping my arms over as much of him as I physically can, “-GOD, I CAN’T.”

“You can’t?” he sounds more worried now and before I get worked up about that too, I try to calm myself down a little.

“Jax?”

“Mia?”

“You’re being fucking adorable right now and humans do this thing sometimes where if something is too cute it makes us want to hurt or kill them.”

“…so you’re trying to…kill me?”

“…uh,” I feel my arms tingle and know in my heart that I want to punch him repeatedly and also throw him into the sun, instead settling for hugging him tighter. “…not actually but…yes?”

“…oh? You…don’t feel like you’re trying to kill me though. You just seem a little…,” he cuts himself off to hum a little when I try to nuzzle him again, “…rough.”

“That’s ‘cause I have self-control.”

“Oh.”

There’s a long period of silence where I continue trying to awkwardly cuddle Jax to death and he enjoys the physical touch. Eventually though

“…we’re still friends then? You’re not actually trying to kill me?”

“Jax, oh my God, you’re killing me here.”

There’s a long pause and eventually I just frown.

“…We’re still friends. I’m not trying to kill you,” I deadpan and he chuckles.

“That’s a relief.”

He’s humming and crying and I’m trying to tear his skin off his body when something occurs to me.

“…wait, big guy.”

“Hmm?”

“You said you wanted to hug me too, right?”

“…Mia, the pad of my thumb is bigger than your planet.”

“So? I trust you.”

“You really shouldn’t.”

“Be untrustworthy then. See what happens.”

“…hmm.”

“Hmm?”

“…maybe some other time.”

“…what do you mean by that?”

Jax just chuckles and I frown.

“Hug me, man. It’s why I’m here.”

“I don’t want to kill you, Mia.”

“Then you won’t.”

I go back to squishing handfuls of his skin together in the silence that follows and eventually I feel more than see something approaching, the way the atmosphere seems to be physically moving away from some unknown threat. I try to focus on the movement of my hands against his skin instead.

“…Mia,” Jax finally says, “Your heart is-”

“Keep going.”

Jax is quiet for a long long time and I eventually drop the skin with a sigh. “If you want to touch me, Jax, keep going.”

Jax doesn’t immediately respond to this and so I try to soothe him by running a hand up and down the mass of flesh in front of me.

And finally

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

More silence now.

I’m about to say something more when suddenly something bumps into the back of my helmet and propels me forward slightly, pressing me almost tenderly into the warm skin in front of me. Jax doesn’t say anything and for a long time and so neither do I, wrapping my arms around what I can of him once more as we soak each other in in the silence.

And as I feel the trembles running through what I assume to be Jax’s finger finally start to die down and I settle into him, I raise my head slightly and look to the general direction of where one Jax’s eye might be, trying to find my voice one more

“Hey,” I whisper to him.

“…hey,” he whispers back.

[whomstress]

Alright here's the spicy Bunnydoll candy au scene!

Also based of these glitch candy designs

"So sweet," he hums against her neck.

Ragatha can't help but hear a whine that escapes her as his sticky but hot tongue explores her neck. She knows she should be grossed out by the fudge he's smearing on her, but there's something to the way that when she goes back to her room to clean it off, she can feel him on her skin all over again.

"Jax!" She gasps, feeling his teeth again. He had a weird taste for candy despite being a fudge bunny himself, and since they got together, he loved to lick and especially bite into her plush chocolate marshmallow skin.

She always told herself she didn't like how it'd leave so many marks, always teased and embarrassed the next day. But when she was underneath him like this, their bodies pressed impossibly close, with his lovely weight crushing her firmly into the mattress and his large hands. God, she loved his hands, roaming her body as he sunk his teeth in; she couldn't stop him if she tried.

A moan escapes her as she feels his lips suck with the bite, and he can feel the vibration against his mouth, causing a smile.

He pulls back to see her huffing, half-lidded, and flushed to perfection. He smiles at his handy work, looking at the pretty marks he's left. He should probably stop; it's already been a while, but she whimpers his name, and a smile stretches across his face wider than the cherrier cat's.

Jax brings his large hand, which he knows she loves so much, to cup her chin except for his thumb, which slides its way past her plump lips and on her tongue, goading her mouth open.

Ragatha has no resistance and complies with the movement like it's only natural between them. He puts some delicious presser further into her tongue as he decends to her mouth. "That's my girl; let me taste you."

[shadow0-1]

Company

[tigerrimando]

Mia and Joseph’s prom night!

[dynamitekansai]

WWE SMACKDOWN (AUGUST 16, 2024)

[nikkimsworld]

[mrawkweird]

Nia shooting on lashes tonight.

[womenwwe]

Tiffany Stratton & Nia Jax vs. Bayley & Michin

SmackDown: July 26th 2024 - Digitals

[rheasbrvtality]

not my girl slippin n slidin 😭

[nostofeld]

Things to never say to someone who just came out, Every Witch Way edition:

[cockatrice-writers-guild]

Tear Stains

this takes place in the ride or die universe

warnings: swearing, emotional spiralling

word count: around 2.4k

taglist: @autism-alley , @awkwardgtace , @tripodcat-gt

I wake up to a dark room and the warm, plush surface I’m laying on tilting until I start sliding off of it. It takes me some time to place myself but the hills and grooves brushing beneath me place me in Jax’s palm. He must need to use the bathroom or something. As soon as I near the end of his palm, Jax tilts his hand further so I don’t fall off the edge, instead quickly sliding onto the noticeably colder pillow and sinking into it slightly.

That done, Jax slowly withdraws his hand and shakes the floor as he leaves the room as quietly as he can. I hug myself tighter and try to burrow into the massive pillow I’m on for warmth but eventually just sit up with a huff. I’ll wait for Jax to get back. He’s warm and soft and I’m cold.

I turn to watch the dark hallway he disappeared down and wait.

Some time passes.

Then more time.

Then some more.

I feel my brows start to crease with worry now, the silence near deafening as I start to wonder if he’s okay.

Time passes at a crawl.

I start to look around, trying to find the best place to climb down the bed when finally I hear the muffled sound of water running and feel the slight tension building in my shoulders dissipate.

The bathroom door cracks open once more, light spilling into the hallway and casting a long silhouette on the wall, the man in question standing there a long moment before he finally starts moving again, turning the light off and making his way back to the bed.

I watch him as he approaches, head down, his steps quiet and slow and uneven.

I frown.

“You ok?”

Jax freezes in his tracks, taking a moment too long to get his eyes off the floor to meet mine. "I...yeah. Why do you ask?"

I was going to comment on how long he took in the bathroom but as he raises his head slightly, the small amount of light in the room glints off of his cheeks for just a second and my eyes widen slightly. "Tear stains," is all I can say.

Jax’s eyes widen slightly too but a small smile quickly spreads on his face. “...oh. I...," he laughs nervously, reaching up and touching his face for a moment before wiping at his cheeks with the heel of his palm, "I guess I missed some."

I frown up at him but after he finishes wiping his hand on his pants, he just watches me in silence, his eyes unsure. I purse my lips and try opening my arms to him but he just shakes his head slightly, taking a seat beside the bed after a moment and hugging his knees to his chest instead.

Silence as we watch each other.

"…I'm sorry for waking you," he finally whispers but I just wave him off.

"What happened, big guy?"

He looks away for a long moment before answering. "…nightmare."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I...maybe not now."

"Okay."

Silence as we watch each other.

"...it's pretty early, honey. Do you want to go back to bed?" I pat the mattress next to me lightly for emphasis, trying to be light with him.

Jax just swallows and shakes his head again, his face sinking further into his pulled up knees as he does. "You should sleep, Mia. I...I can go lie down on the couch for now."

I frown at that. "You are not sleeping on the couch in your own house. I'll take the couch. You sleep here."

He shrinks away slightly. "…the bed's more comfortable, Mia. I want you to take it."

"If the bed's more comfortable, you should take it, big guy. You're stressed. You need the rest. I'll be fine on the couch, I promise."

His brows furrow slightly as he holds my gaze. "I...can just sleep on the floor?"

I feel my own brows shoot up at that. "Jax, I don't know why you think that I'd let you sleep on the fucking floor rather than the couch but no. If anything, I'll sleep on the floor. Watch me. Just take the damn bed."

"I...I can't move you right now anyways, you know? It's better if I slept somewhere else."

“I can climb down on my own. It’s fine.”

His mouth twitches for a moment, his brows creasing further. “You could fall.”

"God, Jax, if you’re that worried then you can just sleep on the bed with me like we always do. Problem solved. There's more than enough room for both of us even if you don't want to touch me."

"But I...I don’t want you to die, Mia." His words come out with a small sob, the semi neutral expression Jax put on finally shattering as he breaks down.

I'm up in an instant, moving to slide down the pillow as he untangles himself slightly and lays his head down on the mattress to cry. He watches my approach through tear filled eyes, shaking his head repeatedly until I stop.

“What?”

It takes a second for him to form the words. “…don’t. P…please.”

“Why?”

Another sob racks through him. “…you…you’ll die.”

“I won’t die.” I take a slow step towards him, holding my hands up. “See?”

Jax’s breaths spike for a second but he makes no move to stop me.

I take another experimental step forward and Jax continues to watch me quietly. “I’m okay.”

Another step, another assurance.

“I’m okay.” Step.

“I’m fine.” Step.

“I promise I’m fine.” Step.

“…Mia.” The whispered plea washes over me and I pause.

“Yeah?”

He blinks at me, a small lake of water streaming down the side of his face as he does. “I-,” another sob. “I’m dangerous.”

“You spent like five minutes earlier trying to slide me off your hand as gently as possible so you wouldn’t wake me. So you could go cry in the goddamn bathroom for who knows how long so you wouldn’t worry me. I am not taking that ‘I’m dangerous’ bullshit from you.”

Jax blinks again but doesn’t say anything more.

And so I keep moving until finally I can brush my fingers against his forehead.

I slowly start to run a hand up and down the skin as I try to soothe him. "See, I'm okay. I'm okay. I promise I'm okay." A shudder runs through him and I brace myself against him for a moment before I continue, eventually leaning in to plant a small kiss on his head.

"I...I don't want to hurt you, Mia," he eventually whispers back.

"Then you won't."

"I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"I'm sorry."

"...for what?"

"I'm sorry."

"You haven't done anything to me. Jax I promise I-" I stop when I hear that Jax repeat himself again and again and again, tripping over his words at times as his quiet apologies fill the air and I try to hold onto him more tightly. And finally I feel the skin beneath my hands start to move almost…inward as the man starts to shrink. I bite back a tired sigh, feeling him start to slump into me as his legs leave the floor. I brace myself, leaning backwards and pulling him with me so that he lands on top of me instead of falling to the ground and for a moment I'm completely pinned under his weight, the slight rise and fall of his chest pressing into me, his shallow breaths and continued stream of apologies brushing against my neck.

His eyes are glassy.

Distant.

I take a moment to collect myself before I try to push him off of me as gently as I can, rolling away the moment I’m free to get my bearings before I turn to him again.

Jax is sprawled out now, staring up at the ceiling as he continues to whisper and tears slowly stream down the sides of his face.

I walk over to him and crouch down, collecting my thoughts for a moment before I just reach out and lightly tap his cheek.

"Jax."

Surprisingly he pauses, his grey eyes flicking to look at me again.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"Jax."

"I-"

"Shut up. Look at me."

Jax blinks at me but luckily he doesn't say anything else.

"Are you looking at me?"

A slight nod on his end.

"Good. Can you sit up?"

I offer a hand and Jax just stares at it for a long moment, his shallow breaths filling the air before he slowly starts to get up. And once he's up, he pulls his legs together to sit crossed legged in front of me, hands clasped to his lap as he stares down at the bed.

"...can I touch you?"

A swallow. Then finally a small nod.

I nod back before leaning forward, cupping one of his cheeks in my hand for a moment before I start wiping away at his tears. And once that's done, I cup his other cheek too and gently tilt his head up so he meets my gaze again, squishing his face slightly to try and ground him.

"I'm fine, honey. I promise, I'm fine."

"I'm sorry."

"If you're sorry then what am I?"

Jax's eyes widen slightly at that and a small, surprised laugh escapes him.

I knead at his cheeks with my fingers and finally he blinks a few times like he's trying to clear his vision. His irises start to dart around and his breaths finally start to slow. I feel the motion of him clenching and unclenching his jaw a few times and use my thumbs to wipe at his tears again.

I give him some time to look around before I speak.

"Where are you right now, Jax?"

"I...I'm...this is...my bed, right?"

I nod. "How many fingers do you have currently?"

"...huh?"

"Just answer."

"I...ten...last I...I checked anyway."

"Okay."

I squish his cheeks for a moment before pulling away to sit down in front of him. "Are you looking at me?"

He swallows again. Sniffs. "...yeah."

I reach over to him. "Here. Give me your hand."

Jax complies after a moment, placing his hand on top of mine and then looking up at me expectantly.

I lace my fingers through his and squeeze his hand. And after some silence he squeezes back.

"Jax."

"...Mia?"

"You might notice that I'm still completely fine despite being in your presence."

Jax looks away at that, though he keeps his hand in mine.

"It was a dream. A horrible dream, I can imagine but it wasn’t real."

"...but-"

"But the government's been fucking with your head since you were a baby. They're so scared of you that they made you scared of yourself. You understand that, right?"

"...yeah but-"

"But you're not some kind of evil monster that needs to be locked away. You're not whatever horrible thing your brain concocted from all the lies you've been fed. You're Jax. You're a person. You're my friend."

"But I..."

I frown and start pulling his hand towards me, the movement causing Jax to finally fucking look at me again. "Yeah?" I prompt.

He tries to regather his thoughts even as he watches me, visibly puzzled as I start spreading out his fingers. "I...I'm not..."

"Uh huh," I prompt again, grabbing onto his index finger and leaning towards it.

"I'm...they say I'm...” he trails off for a few seconds. “…what...what are you doing?"

"Ignore me. Finish your sentence."

"I..."

I wait patiently and Jax finally drops his gaze again.

"I'm a monster, Mia. I’m not-"

Jax's words cut off as a small, surprised shriek escapes him, this being caused by the pain of my teeth biting down on his hand.

Jax pulls his hand away and holds it to his chest, staring at me wide-eyed. "You bit me."

"I...I did, yeah."

"You…you bit me." He's starting to sound and look more visibly upset as he repeats himself and now I find myself starting to backpedal as I try to diffuse the situation.

"I...I'm sorry, I-"

"You BIT ME," he full on wails before starting to sob again.

"Oh, honey I-" cut myself off as I instead lean forward and wrap my arms around him, squeezing him tightly as another big sob shakes through him. And almost immediately, he wraps his arms around me too, pulling me closer and burying his face in my shoulder.

"YOU BIT ME ," he cries again between sobs.

"I…I’M SORRY I-"

"WHY," another sob, "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"FUCK MAN, I WAS TRYING TO PROVE A POINT!"

"WHAT POINT COULD YOU P-" another sob, "-POSSIBLY PROVE BY BITING ME?"

"Get fucked."

Jax snorts at that, choking on his own sob for a moment before he starts to giggle into my shirt, his laughter getting interrupted every now and then by another sob and soon I find myself laughing a little too.

"…my point, Jax, is that if you dehumanize yourself ever again, I am literally going to kill you. How's that?"

"There's," he wheezes into me for a moment, "better ways to prove that, Mia!"

"Well, I was also getting frustrated so-" I shrug.

He coughs between chuckles for a second. "…yeah."

And as his laughter finally starts to taper off, he leans away from me for a moment before pressing his forehead to mine, the small vibrations of slowly dying giggles shaking through both of us as we sit there.

I rub my head against his and he does the same, the rooms finally fading to silence besides Jax's breathing and mine.

He eventually starts humming to fill the silence and so after letting him get through an annoying ad jingle or two, I finally speak.

"So?"

"So?"

"How’re you feeling?"

"Bad."

"Mmm, yeah that makes sense."

"Yeah."

"Some rest might do you good."

"…mmm."

We untangle ourselves after a moment and Jax moves to a spot farther away from the edge before he lies down and I follow suit, getting more comfortable beside him before I wrap my arms around him again and he does the same.

I reach up to brush a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "...you know there's enough room on this bed for a certain giant I know."

He looks away for a second before turning back to me. "...tomorrow. I promise."

I wipe some stray tears out of his eyes and feel him lean into the touch slightly. "…okay."

[whomstress]

Bunnydoll Monster Labs au

Monster lab au for my friends @etanow au and @skellyjingles. Love you guys so much thank you for always being amazing friends!

Jax felt his eyes heavy as his focus came into view. He’s not quite sure when it happened but he was in his room. He thinks he must be really out of it because, despite seeing his lids, they seem still completely over his eyes. God must’ve worked himself too hard again and knocked the hell out in his lab. He frowns, suddenly remembering the last couple days. He was wide awake, sleeping 2 hours tops in the last 72 hours.

He hated sleeping when his brain was wired to no end. It felt like pins and needles under his skin begging for release, driving him further and further into insanity. Like an electric shock, but in all the worst ways. He’s been shocked enough that they were all bad. Well, not all of them. He thinks as a certain doll’s touches come into his head when they have a moment. He hadn’t felt them in a long time, but he still feels them so vividly in his memory.

Lighting at his skin and yet so soft and warm. Like the gentle heat of a campfire on a cold night. Comforting him into the perfect lull, begging for it to come closer, and wanting more warmth to spread through him.

As his thoughts begin to drift in nonsensical directions, he suddenly here's a sweet hum filling the room. The vibrations of the familiar tune hit his ears perfectly, causing him further to relax and sink into it until reality sinks back in.

He looks to the source of the sound, and there she is, halo’d in the pale yellow light of his room, like an angel, folding his clothes with plush fingers. Applying so much care to a simple chore he cared so little about. She always did that—cared for people in all the little ways they’d never think of themselves. And though Jax never said it to her face, he knows she understands his gratitude.

“Ragatha? What are you doing here?” Jax finally speaks up after watching her in and out of focus.

She simply hums, “Hmmm?” And continues her ministrations.

He feels his lips tighten into a flat line watching her go back to a happy hum.

“Jeez Jax I know I haven’t been here in a while, but you really let the place go, without me!” She giggles, and his worst habit breaks through.

“Ragatha,” he says firmly, and she turns to look at him, tilting her head in the sudden stern tone. “I said. What are you doing here?”

Despite the harshness in his voice, she simply rolls her eyes and moves to the side of the bed, poking in between his eyebrows, where they furrowed and giggled again. “Don’t be such a grumpy puss. Don’t you want to see me?” His eyes widen before he looks away. She guides his chin back toward her and says with a blush. “I really wanted to see you.”

He searches her eyes for a trick, but he can’t find anything but honesty. His brain skitters to a halt, and he actually lets him ponder the thought she means it before once again reality comes back. “What about Pomni?”

"Hmm, what about Pomni?” She says, smiling at him with her doe eyes.

“You know you two are practically joined to the hip. What is she going to think about this? Especially with me.”

Once again, she rolls her eyes and blows a strand of yarn from her face. “Pomni and I are in love. She understands me, and I understand her. She also has Caine. She’d never hate me if I had another love too.”

Logically, it made sense he’s literally seen Ragatha shock Pomni straight on the brian fixing her hair, and even as a drooling mess of a zombie, she still looked at Ragatha with literal hearts in her eyes as Ragatha apologized. However, this was him, Jax, the person Pomni hated most in the world. Would she really be okay?

But before he could say something else, he saw her stand up with a large yawn. He thought she was finally going to leave, and his heart sank a bit. But, almost in an instant, she was in his arms on the bed, with him starting to drift off. His heavy eyes widened, and he went to push her off, but she pulled him close and rubbed her cheek to his like she always would, like he wished so much she did again, and he couldn’t resist any more.

She held his hand but then moved to cup his cheek and bring their foreheads together, smiling at him like the love she once had was actually still there, and he smiled back. “God, I’ve missed you.”

Ragatha giggles a sweet sound, soft as melodic bells. “I’ve missed you too, love bun.” He melts into her touch despite the dumb nickname.

He rubs his thumb along her lips, and she presses them into it in a kiss. It’s so perfect something begs him to wake up; this can’t be real. Yet he moves closer, eyes hooded as he presses her closer so there’s not an empty space left between them. “You promise this isn’t a dream? You’ll still be here when I wake up.”

She’s a hush away from his lips, and her hot breath brushes his. “I promise.”

Jax’s eyes shoot open, and the blinding light of his lab hits his eyes, causing him to shut them tight and tense up, further waking him from any leftover slumber.

It was a dream. All of it, like it always is. He’s had dreams like this how many times? How many times is he going to fall for this shit?

“Of course it was a dream.” He blinks, and he realizes something hot drips down his face. “She's always a dream.”

[malueion]

"I've done things in my life that I regret" - Jon Arbuckle

[galaxygeeksunite]

Michin ruins Nia Jax’s celebration with Kendo stick attack: SmackDown highlights, Aug. 16, 2024