#touch averse jax

[estro-gem]

Jax x Ragatha: The snake and the water spring

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis.

Author's note: I found this show by chance and I took a great liking to it! So now I did a thing, instead of studying for upcoming exams, because I love making things difficult for myself, apparently.

I have no idea what the fandom is like, but I'm playing it safe just to be... well... safe. I just loved the concept of this show so much that I couldn't help but be inspired by it! It got me thinking and I let it all out in this... thing.

I want to write more one-shot fics about the other characters and how they fit into this au too, but I don't know when I'll be able to.

WARNING! None of these characters are mine and everything mentioned and described is purely made-up fiction; inspired by works that are not my own. Nothing should be considered canon or taken seriously - we are all here to have some harmless fun! No age restrictions. I think this might be appropriate for all ages...?

Please show some love and support for Gooseworx; the creator of The Amazing Digital Circus!

I definitely butchered Gooseworx's characters by adding unnecessary 'relationship dynamics' and deviating from their original personalities. I promise that the actual show and characters are so much better than they are in my false portrayal of them.

SUMMARY:

A fanmade take on the events following Pomni's arrival and after the crew had dinner together. This is focused on Jax's point of view, but still written in the third person.

Jax confronts Ragatha after the pilot episode's 'dinner' and does his best to comfort her in a way that works for them. That's it.

Please enjoy!

THE SNAKE AND THE WATER SPRING

Jax was a desert snake.

Nothing but a cold-blooded pest that lived to find his next meal.

When one is left to die under the scorching sun, you can’t stomp on the sun for creating a desert, but you could stomp on the desert snake if it added to the pain of surviving in said desert. The Digital Realm was nothing but a desert sun – a cage with no exit and an evil with no target.

It was no secret why so many had lost their minds here.

Jax took on the role of being the snake. It was never announced or planned, but it was deemed necessary by all who came to know the realm. The inhabitants of The Amazing Digital Circus craved any sense of control; something they could hold accountable for their torment – something they could punish. A menace, parasite.

Evil with a target: Jax.

It was fun to act out while everybody went about their lives. He could unapologetically be the worst being known to man and thrive on the rage and hatred of all he had affected. If they hated him, he was fulfilling his role perfectly… and that meant they could stay sane and do their parts as he did his. Less people would be lost to insanity… and the group would grow stronger.

Everyone had a role in their system – an oasis was established, with Ragatha as the heart of the oasis; their very own water spring.

But when a new invading creature bursts into the oasis with no knowledge of this system, their system would be doomed. Pomni happened to be that invader. Everyone could collectively, yet silently agree that she was acting by her own careless devices since she arrived a few hours ago. She greedily soaked up their water source and left it barren, dry, and suffering.

Granted, Pomni didn’t know how their oasis worked, but it didn’t change the fact that she disrupted everything by showing up. She would have to catch on quickly and prove herself useful, before anyone else loses their minds.

They lost one of their own already… and they almost lost their beloved Ragatha; Jax’s equal and opposite.

Their precious water source.

Snakes offered venom, while water springs offered hope of life. They all desperately needed Ragatha to survive. While most would assume her to be fine after being fixed by Caine, Jax knew better than that. He saw her reluctantly stand aside Pomni to support her – beautifully acting within her role as she always would, but it was clear that Pomni still didn’t understand how scarce the water was by then. Rags was spread thin enough by handling the extra stress and enduring the continuous pain of being corrupted by the abstraction, but that didn’t stop Pomni from practically having a mental breakdown at the dinner table.

Jax saw that coming from a mile away. Thank goodness he silently took the open seat next to Pomni, silent in his insistence that the ragdoll should keep her distance for the time being. He’d give anything to destroy the little jester for abusing his doll. Ragatha was acting perfectly normal at the time – her masked smile perfectly set on her face – until it was time for them all to retire to their respective bedrooms.

Jax wished that he would’ve just dragged her after him when he booked it from the abstraction earlier today. Pomni would have been the perfect distraction for them to escape and get Caine.

He stood at Ragatha’s door after dinner.

Jax made a point to ring the doorbell this time. Usually, he’d just pluck out a key and saunter in like he owns the place, but with what happened today, he’d make an exception. Everyone has their limit – and someone has already reached their limit today. They couldn’t risk losing another one. Especially not Raggs. They all really needed her.

When she didn’t open, he tried the bell again. Nothing.

Well, time for the key, then.

He shoved his hand down his front pocket and fished out the doll’s room key. The bunny didn’t waste time opening the door. He wanted to see what state the girl was in, despite dreading the possibility of finding an abstracted amalgamation on the other side.

Silence.

Not even a creak was heard from the hallway. The room was lit up as it usually was, so that was a good sign, at least. Jax couldn’t see an obvious black body of eyes – another win. But where was Ragatha? He did see her walk into her room, so she had to be here.

He walked around, keeping his cool, casual composure fixed, despite no one being around. It was effortless at this point. It became a way for him to focus on what he could control in this crazy digital prison; himself.

He couldn’t, however, control his ability to spot a blasted ragdoll, it would seem. He scanned the room again, until his eyes fell on her ¾ bed. Could she-?

The bunny rolled his eyes at himself as he lowered himself onto his knees – maybe he could convince himself that he was not phased by the situation. Bending down, he peered beneath the bed frame.

Jax sighed in exasperation. Or was it relief? Both?

Ragatha was in the state she was in before retiring to her room. No gliching, no extra eyes.

Just Raggs.

She didn’t look good, though. The doll was curled up beneath her bed and blindly staring ahead of her. It didn’t look like she was breathing – not that they needed to anyway, but it was uncanny to see Rags like this. She was their voice of reason. She was a water spring in this desert.

If she dried up, their desert would be doomed.

Jax silently stood up and walked back to the open door again. No need to make a fuss over this. He took hold of the door handle and shut it from the inside. Key in hand, he locked the door and nodded to himself. Ragatha needed a raincloud… and he’d have to fill that role now. It’s the least he could do after leaving her to fend for herself when they found the abstraction today.

Why didn’t she run with him? Why did think she could fix someone whose mind was broken beyond repair? Why didn’t she just leave the rookie as bait?

Because that just wasn’t her role, was it?

If it weren’t for her nature – her role – none of them would have made it this far. It dawned on Jax, once again, how close they were to losing their beloved doll. How close they were to being stuck with an invader who knew nothing about what it took to survive in this hell hole.

Enough.

Back to the bed, crouched down and silent Jax positioned himself to lay down and simply look over the red head from a relative distance. There was enough space for the doll to crawl out of hiding without having to touch him. The bunny still hadn’t said a word. It’d be stupid to talk, and he didn’t feel like making the effort. He just wanted things back to normal again – well… as normal as it could have been.

Now Kaufmo is gone, a new creature was invading their home, tearing it up from the roots and tipping the delicate scales of the balance they worked very hard on creating. All because of a lunatic ringmaster having the bright idea of creating a fake exit-door. Someone better get that jester on a tight leash to get her to fall in line, like the rest of them were forced to.

He knew he, for one, wouldn’t mind roughing her up a bit. It was his specialty – his role. The parasite. The menace. The instigator.

Evil with an actual target.

The sound of shifting and movement had Jax blink out of his own head. Ragatha was slowly and dumbly making her way out from under her bed. Her eyes were still fogged over and her face still eerily blank, but at least she came out of hiding out of her own will. In a matter of seconds, the doll was out from her hiding place and settled on the floor beside Jax. She was staring him in the eyes now, waiting for the bunny, silently pleading.

Jax hadn’t had his aloof-douchebag persona engaged since he locked Ragatha’s door. She didn’t need a menace now – she needed to be grounded; revitalized. She needed a dark raincloud to fill up the water spring they all needed.

He didn’t look forward to what needed to be done, but he wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it.

He moved to stand up and held out a hand to help her up. He took note of the way her hand was shaking when she took his and gently guided her to the bed. The red head was the first to sit, then moved to lay down on her back and numbly stare at the ceiling. With a deep breath, Jax gathered himself mentally and cautiously crept onto the bed and positioned himself to briefly hover over her, before lowering his full weight onto Ragatha.

He had his head in the crook of her neck, on the left shoulder with his ears folding back to floppily droop to his upper back… with his left hand resting on the opposite shoulder. His body, although slim, enveloped hers and caused her to sink slightly into the mattress. His legs just loosely laid over and aside the ragdoll’s. It was more important to have his weight resting on her torso anyway.

For a long moment, they just motionlessly laid on the bed like this. To an outsider, it would look like they fell asleep atop each other or simply cuddled together very closely.

An outsider wouldn’t see that Jax was focused on the slow process of Ragatha’s body relaxing under his weight and her breathing slowing to a regular rhythm. An outsider wouldn’t have known that this was hardly the first time they’d done this – how long it took Jax to learn that this make-shift deep-pressure therapy was the most effective grounding technique for Ragatha to collect herself again.

They wouldn’t understand that Jax didn’t do this out of wanting to, but rather out of necessity.

Jax didn’t like to be touched. If anything, he was very capable of merely tolerating it. Everyone in the circus knew that he was touch-averse; some even used that as leverage to mess with him if the situation called for it. It was a necessity that he endured to keep his doll sane – to keep anyone of importance here in the circus, sane. Their whole lives revolved around mental strength. It was all just a matter of staying sane.

The laid there for what felt like a lifetime.

Slight shifting beside Jax alerted him that the doll was moving her arms – previously stiffly pinned to her sides. This was good, she felt comfortable enough to move around now!

Her left hand gently snaked up to the bunny’s head and slowly, softly petted his ears in a longitude motion. Her right hand wrapped loosely around his middle-to-lower back – motionless. This was bad, Jax did not like being touched like that!

While he was fine with the rhythmic touches of Ragatha’s left hand, he despised the idle position of the right hand resting on his back. He couldn’t prevent himself from tensing up in discomfort.

Bad touch, bad touch, bad-

This caused the ragdoll to tense up and rip her hands off him as if he burned her.

Oh no you don’t! We are not starting all over again.

He slowly pulls away and propped up unto his elbows, hearing Ragatha’s breathing pick up as she presumably spirals into her own thoughts on how he was going to leave her like this. Jax cast down a disapproving look. He broke his gaze to unceremoniously take her right hand – now clutched close to her chest – and intertwined their fingers, before resting his head on her left shoulder once again. He close eyes as he use his free hand to put her left hand on his head again, waiting for her to resume her petting.

Good touch; this was a good touch. Please understand.

Thankfully, Ragatha relaxed… and continued her previous slow, rhythmic motions. Slowly, Jax felt her relax once again and he indulged into her need for touch by stroking his thumb over hers occasionally.

Soon they fell into a rhythm; Ragatha would pet Jax’s ears 3 times, then it was his turn to stroke his thumb over hers. Then they would repeat the routine. This also helped Jax cope with the touching; the routine. The rhythm.

It felt like hours ticked by as the two just practiced their little unspoken routine. Jax grew used to it after a while, almost forgetting that his new mattress was now a sentient ragdoll and completely tuned into their rhythm of touches.

Pet… pet… pet… thumb. Pet… pet… pet… thumb.

Jax didn’t like touch, but he loved routine.

The doll and the bunny’s time together, once nothing but grounding techniques, grew to become an intimate exchange of touches and caresses – all wrapped in a routine, like a dance. Jax felt warm and fuzzy inside; for once he basked in the moment of enjoying his dolly. He lazily wondered if Ragatha felt the same. He shifted his head to look at her.

The doll looked down to meet his eyes when she felt him move. He could swear that she looked at peace, basking in the bliss of their closeness. For some reason, she looked like an angel. They all saw her as their angel. Had he successfully pinned a heavenly body beneath him?

Her gentle, longing gaze made a kaleidoscope of butterflies erupt from his core.

This wasn’t the first time this feeling invaded his being when they did this – as rare as these moments were. He wasn’t sure when he started experiencing such feelings during these rare encounters, but as months crawled by, he felt drawn to his dolly more and more. Based on how she looked at him, he could only assume that she felt it too.

Something so foreign, yet so familiar.

He didn’t fail to spot the warmth rushing to her cheeks when their eyes met. She looked so ethereal beneath him, especially when her breathing picked up under his firm gaze. Her lips were parted, and her eyes were lidded. This time, it wasn’t fear or overstimulation. It was anticipation. It was desire.

Jax internally flinched at the tingly sensation when he smoothly burrowed his face into Ragatha’s neck. She shivered at the breath he let out against her skin. He could tolerate the touching a little longer, as long as he could see her crumble again. He wanted to see her walls crumble again.

“Jax- ”

Oh… he had to hear her again. More clearly, next time. This was torture, but she made him into her own personal masochist. His skin crawled at the sensation of her skin shivering against him, but he needed more. He could take it. Just a little longer – he just had to stand these sensations a little longer. He looked at her again.

Ragatha was reverting to a helpless puddle. The doll’s arms were gripping at the covers beneath her, successfully eliminating the bother of excessive contact that he despised. Jax didn’t know if she did it with that intension or without thinking, but either way, he was thankful. He really wanted more.

Why couldn’t he just be normal?

He lifted onto his elbows again and – dare one say – lovingly looked at her face. She could only peek back at him, breathing slightly faster than usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shaky hand rise from the covers and hover next to his cheek, while her eyes pleaded for his mercy. He hesitated but bit the bullet to comply; leaning into her touch while desperately trying to ignore the odd tingles. Jax convinced himself to kiss her wrist and drowned himself in the pleasure of hearing her softly call his name.

He only heard it because he was listening so closely for it.

Yes.

DING DONG

In a flash, Jax braced himself up into a crouch and slammed his foot down with a mighty THUMP upon hearing Ragatha startle into a fit when the doorbell chimed. His hair on his back stood on end and his claws ripped through his gloves, leaving gouges in the covers beside the doll’s head.

His precious doll was disturbed again!

He heard her soft cry of fear and his blood boiled with a thirst for vengeance. Only he can make her cry out. He’ll skin the soul that dared to-

“Ragatha…? Can we talk?”

That DAMN jester!

“Jax?” a quiet voice trembled in his ear from beneath him. Jax stopped glaring at the door to softly glance down and see what his little doll wanted.

“Don’t…” Raggs sounded like she was begging while being held at gunpoint, whispering despite their rooms being enchanted to not hear anything from the outside when the door is shut.

Jax wouldn’t dare let that thing inside. Raggs was upset enough as it is.

“Look, I know it probably wouldn’t make a difference…” Pomni’s voice came from the other side door again, “…but I’m so sorry for running off… Again… I saw that exit and I had to see if it was real. No one else believed me and I started to think that I was losing my mind. You understand that, right?”

Jax placed both his hands down on the mattress, blocking the doll’s view of the door as if it could block the sound of the voice from reaching the Raggs’s ears, still hovering over her. He knew that his dolly didn’t want to hear anything the harlequin had to say now – he had half the mind to get up and bash the newbie’s head in.

“I hope we can talk about this some time. You are probably tired after such a long, crazy day.” Pomni’s voice died down near the end, “It feels like you’re the only good person here.”

She really is, but she’s too good for you. Selfish leech.

Jax looks down to the girl, still stiff as a board beneath him. Her eye was shiny with the swell of tears. He melted at the sight – anger simmering down. She was just a sweet little rag dolly, she didn’t deserve any of this, but oh, he was so happy to see Ragatha finally emote something again. She was OK again. Their water source was filled once again, now threatening to spill over. He’d happily welcome the flood.

He needed her.

The sound of fading footsteps causes Jax to rip his eyes to the direction of the door. His hearing was better than the dolls, probably thanks to being a rabbit.

Good riddance.

Ragatha seemed to relax at the sight of Jax deflating his stance, reading that Pomni probably left her door. She hesitantly reached up to cup Jax’s cheek. Jax followed her hand’s motion and scoffed, cringing at the invasion. He’s had enough touching for a week. It sucked to leave his doll so soon after being distressed again, but he couldn’t bring himself stand any more of this. He quickly got up and smoothed out his clothes, but not without missing the flash of hurt in the doll’s eyes. He felt bad, but he had to be strong with the new girl around, so straining himself now would only make matters worse and mess up the whole system.

Still, seemingly bored, Jax stood in his spot while rocking on his heels and looking off to the side, only sparing her a glance. Raggs sat up by then. She looked a little worse for wear, but it’s an improvement from hiding under her bed. She rested her elbows on her knees with her chin in her hands. The hurt in her eyes was long gone, but she looked tired. Poor thing, Jax shared the sentiment.

He felt her eye bore into the side of his face and the bunny couldn’t stop himself before he rolled his eyes and looked to her again. He could’ve choked on air when he saw her face, but the years of steeling his demeanor left no trace of his inner turmoil.

Raggs sported that longing look in her eyes again.

They were so close this time – closer than they’ve ever been before. Each time they spent together on nights like this, although few and far between, they grew closer… and hungrier. Neither understood what it was, but they never had the chance to just collapse into it, tonight being the closest to that.

But there was always something, right?

Jax allowed gaze to soften. His doll offered a small smile that almost ripped his heart out if his chest. It was drenched with melancholy of something she knew they could never have.

Because their roles in their little ecosystem didn’t allow for it to ever be theirs. It would never work.

This was survival.

The rabbit steeled his demeanor once again, but this time, his doll’s face didn’t fall.

Good, as it should be.

Jax walked to the door and fished out the key from his front pocket. He didn’t bother looking back. If he did, he wouldn’t have the will to leave anymore. When he opened the door, though, he couldn’t help but mumble out teasingly.

“See yah later, Doll~!”

He wished that he could shout his affections for her out into the void instead.

“I’m not your doll.” Ragatha responded, voice still wobbly and tired, but perky regardless. She knew just how to indulge him.

Yes, she is… she always will be.

Fanart: Evil with a target

Oasis: TADC AU list

Masterlist

[anonymousj3ster]

Dolly and Darling

Everyday that passes by, she looks for a door she'll never find. I follow the jester as she speedwalks down another hallway, opening a door, scowling, and slamming it shut again.

"Doncha get tired of this Chuckles?" Jax quips from behind me. I shoot him a pleading look, trying to get him to stop. Pomni turns and scowls at him.

"I mean, you just don't get it do you?" He continues, smirk widening. "You just really can't get it through that head of yours." He strolls up to her. "There. Is. No. Exit." Pomni glares up at him.

"There is. I kno-" She retorts, cut off by the tall rabbit. "Yeah, sure, there was an exit door. But it wasn't an actual exit, was it? No. It was fake." An ugly, cruel edge works it's way into his voice. "Something Caine made because he's too dense to understand what we actually want. But, if you want to waste your life running up and down these halls, thats fine by me." He strolls off, whistling cheerfully, leaving the little fool standing there, glaring after him. I watch her in concern as water leaks out of those firey eyes, gritting her teeth.

"Pomni?"

She turns to me, wiping her eyes with her glove. "I'm f-f-" She stutters. "F-f..." She stops, shoulders slumping taking a wary step towards me. I open my arms for a hug, even though I knew the jester didn't li-

She crashes into my embrace, arms locking around me as she sobs into my dress. I freeze, caught off guard by the normally touch-averse girls hug, before wrapping my arms around her. "You'll be ok." I whisper into her hat. "We'll all be." She sobs something unintelligible as I pat her back. "It's getting late. We should....try to sleep." I say after a few minutes that felt like short eternities. "You'll feel better after some rest." Pomni glances up at me, searching my eyes.

"I...don't want to be alone right now." She admits quietly, testing the waters. "You can sleep in my room if you want." I offer. She eyes me as I feel her relax a little more. "I...think I'd like that...if you don't mind, I mean." She added in a rush.

"Not at all sweetie."

Her pinwheel pupils widen for a moment at the nickname, and I wish and could take them back afraid I'd gone too far. But she just smiles a little, blinking away the last of her tears as she untangles herself from me and makes her down to my room, stopping outside the door with a hint of hesitance on her face. I smile reassuringly at her and open it, holding it open for her to come in. She returns my smile with a shaky one of her own. I sit on my bed, patting the cover in invitation. She trails over, sitting next to me. I scoot over a little making room for her and lie down, pulling the blanket of myself. I shift to the end of the bed, giving her plenty of room. Her face flushes for a moment, before lying down next to me and pulling the blanket up almost over her head, curling into a ball. I turn to face away from her, to make this less awkward. My face flushes as I feel the curve of her back press gently against mine. We lie in comfortable silence listening to each other's breathing slow as the world fades away around us, except the few inches of our backs that had contact, a soothing warmth. My thoughts slow, then fade into breezelike scraps of sentences, too abstract to fully grab onto.

I love you like I want to but it's killing me inside...

Wait.

~~

I slowly wake the next morning, rubbing my eyes. I stiffen as I feel something pressed up against my back, before remembering who was in the bed with me. I move slowly, so not to wake the jester up, sitting up and gazing at her. She was almost completely tangled in the blanket, seemingly in a fetal position. I watch the blanket rise and fall with each breath she takes, until the blanket shifts. Pomni slowly drags the blanket off her head, blinking blearily at me. I blush, getting lost in her vibrant eyes.

"Good morning." I manage to croak out.

"Mor'in." She slurs, rubbing her eyes. The crimson, gold and indigo of her jester suit shines a little in the light, the colors filling my mind. I chew my lip as she stretchs, the bells on her hat jingling, making my heart swell with a new emotion, racing so hard I though it might stop. I was her dolly, her my darling, the perfect digital romance... if she'll give me the chance. I smile at her, at the way she made my heart thump in my chest, the way she made me swoon. This hallucination, new sensation, almost enough to drive me to abstraction. She smiles back, swinging her legs out of bed, still partialy tangled in the blanket and falling to the ground. I get to my feet, reaching down to help her up. "Are you ok?" I ask hurriedly. She just gives me a thumbs up, staying facedown for a moment before slowly grabbing the edge of the bed and pulling herself up. I watch her for a moment to make sure she was really ok before saying anything.

"Should we go eat breakfast?" I ask. She nods and we start our trek to the main circus area. Every day was just the same, and while it didn't bother me anymore, it drove her crazy, knocking on my door every day with more problems that lead her astray.

"Do you want to help me find the exit?"

"Do you have any idea where it might be?"

"Why does Caine not seem to understand he's traumatizing us?"

"Can you help me with this?"

"How do you deal with Jax?"

"Can...I just hang out with you for a bit?"

Honestly it's kinda weird, how she's troubled but my dear would dim the lights and spend the night being sweet. She actually cared about me, treated me like more than a ragdoll, maybe even more than a friend-

"Ragatha?" The jester asks. I snap out of my daydreams, focusing on reality. "You were zoning out." She said a bit shyly. I give her a small smile.

"Sorry."

"No, it's ok. You looked c-" She breaks off abruptly. I blush, but don't say anything.

Neither of us do.

~

We lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. We talked about everything and nothing, about the adventures, about what we thought our real lives might have been like, about Jax's pranks and the meltdowns we've both had. Our long conversation lulls into silence. I glance over at her. It was one of the rare moments where she actually looked...relaxed. She had one arm behind her head, the over thrown over her stomach, a small smile of of genuine contentment. Her pinwheel eyes were large and entrancing, an enticing pit of blue and red I wanted to get lost in forever. The silence stretches on as I lose touch with reality, just gazing at the beauty lying next to me. I blink a few times as I imagine a tear sliding down her face, then another. It takes me a moment to realize I wasn't imagining it.

"Ragatha?"

"Hm?"

"What if we never find an exit?"

"We will." I lie without skipping a beat.

"What if..." She trails off. "The door's I've seen....sometimes they start to vanish. What if...what if your not with me when I find one? What if I have to choose between you and freedom?" She blurts, hiccuping a bit with sobs. I rise onto an elbow, cupping her face with my other hand.

"Hey." I murmur softly, wiping away a tear with my thumb. "Then you'll wait for me, my darling." She turns her head away, opening her mouth to voice more worries. "Look into my eye." Pinwheel eyes dart to mine, glassy from tears.

"I know it's kinda scary but I trust you'll be alright. My own problems get harder, but when I hear your laughter..." I lean a bit closer, lowering my voice slightly. "They all melt away." I move even closer, not taking my eyes off hers. The fools eyes shrink slightly as I hear her breathing speed up, before dilating again. My heart pounds. It feels like I'm going insane with how much I think of her everyday. The attraction was taking over, pulling me closer and closer to this girl who kind of awkward with her words and her ways, making butterflys stir in my stomach with words and actions sweeter than sugarcane. I want to tell her how I feel so bad it hurts. Whys it so hard to say? I wanted her to just pull it out of me, even if it makes me break at the seams, because she makes me go crazy.

"Pomni..."

"Y-yeah?"

"Do you..." I clear my throat, feeling a bit like I might vomit up the butterflies in my stomach. "We...we could be together. L-like, more than friends...? Since we might end up stuck here forever...I wouldn't mind spending forever...with you." The jesters pupils widen. I stare into them, a deer in headlights, before abruptly sitting up. "Sorry. Th-that was dumb..." I laugh nervously.

I feel her hand on my arm, and before I can move she sits up, staring into my eye, before moving her face closer and closer to me, until...

Her lips brush mine. I close my eyes I lean into the kiss, not minding an eternity in hell if my darling stayed by my side.

[the-s1lly-corner]

hii! would it be possible to request some TADC content with Zooble? with reader being a kinda outgoing weighted plushy? reader also just generally loving to give gifts and hugs when/if possible :3 thank you!!

Zooble x weighted plushie!reader !

finally getting to answering requests again! yesterday i was too tired and overworked to really write; my apologies... im still a little sore but shrugs hope you enjoy anon! side note but i recently got a weighted blanket and oh my god its such a game changer; i struggle with sleep for various reasons and while it hasnt fixed everything full stop it definitely makes a difference

was probably taken aback that youre a lot heavier than you look; can probably feel the weights in you (be it glass beads, plastic pellets, or something else entirely) when they go in to hug you

side thing thats such a weird though.. i mean in the digital world the clothing is attached to your body and you cant really get cut open/taken apart unless your digital body allows that (think zoobles body) so would you even have those bits inside you? or would it be an illusion? shrugs

projecting a bit onto zooble but i think they might have trouble sleeping, even in the digital world where you dont really... need sleep... sometimes being able to shut yourself off for a few hours is important and you can still feel simulated exhaustion me thinks... hmm.. might also be something that carried over to zooble from the real world you know?

so having you around as a snuggle buddy can really help with things if theyre having a particularly hard time falling asleep or keeping still

i think they would get onto jax if he tries to mess with you. especially if youre an animal based plushie and you have long ears or a tail... jax fidget hc strikes again hes probably going to be messing with them and zooble is not going to be happy. not at all...

either verbally snaps at him or takes you away; even more inclined to do this if youre uncomfortable with whats going on

i think zooble wouldnt be too used to physical touch, and in fact i think they might have some level of aversion with most people... but i think, overtime they would get used to you and your feel and occasionally seek it out without realizing! definitely going to need to be something that you take your time on and dont spring onto them.. let them take the lead here you know?

[slimy-vore-bog]

Disclaimer: My content is meant to be non-sexual NS/FW interaction is not appreciated

VORE DAY DUDES

Actually managed to get something done by today last minute!! I'm going to bed soonish (at like... 11pm xD Soonish in my book)

Now because I'm bad at remembering to post more than one place, people who aren't in the discord server get a 2 for 1! :O ADHD can be good for something /lh

Also gotta give a thanks to my crispy crackling boy @flapjack-hunter for helping out with ideas! (also if you didn't follow him after my post I have a knife >:( /j)

The first piece (the one I drew for today) was just a small prompt and initially I wanted to do something a little different, still thanks owed to the cat dad XD

The second was me doing some art for a borrower AU of his! If you are following him, you may have seen his post about that!

Here... First of all, Amity isn't afraid of having been eaten; she's mostly nervous about how she's going to be sitting up against people other than Luz (headcanon she isn't fond of physical touch unless it's Luz)

The pred is Hunter and Willow is soon to be eaten too, which is why Amity is still focusing on the stomach rather than Gus or Luz.

Also I now have really cute thought in mind that Luz helps Amity's selective touch aversion by switching places with her and holding her gently to help her calm down.

Also also; in Jax's AU this thing was Luz's idea as a way to hide away from the noises of a thunderstorm.

And here with my drawing, Luz is saying something like "I'm sorry, Amity, I didn't think about how crowded it would feel." While Gus is about to comment on how she didn't think about that.

But that was all from me for now!

I hope you liked the art and bye!!

[ao3feed-undertale1]

The Amazing Underground Circus

read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/53566309 by DragonLapis When life became too hard for Pomni...She tries to escape it...To her surprise, she finds herself in a new world instead. One far better than the one before it Words: 222, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: The Amazing Digital Circus (Web Series), Undertale Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/F Characters: Ragatha (The Amazing Digital Circus), Pomni (The Amazing Digital Circus), Gangle (The Amazing Digital Circus), Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus), Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Sans (Undertale), Other Undertale Characters, Tadc oc Relationships: Pomni/Ragatha (The Amazing Digital Circus) Additional Tags: Self Confidence Issues, Self-Harm, Suicide Attempt, Social Anxiety, Anxiety, Slow Burn, Pomni need a hug, All of them do actually, they/them for Zooble, Hurt/Comfort, Be careful this fic will deal with some darker tones, Touch-Starved Pomni (The Amazing Digital Circus), Touch-Averse Pomni (The Amazing Digital Circus), This is basically Pomni dealing with trauma, Sans dad figure, Putting this under m to be on the safe side read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/53566309

[comfy-whumpee]

Adrift

Whumptober Day Eleven: Adript. TW: intimate whump, drugging, dissociation, unwanted touch, mention of food control.

Savvie belongs to @ashintheairlikesnow. Taglist: @iaminamoodymoodtoday, @wildfaewhump, @ishouldblogmore, @lektric-whump, @that-one-thespian, @raigash, @burtlederp, @rosesareviolentlyread, @eatyourdamnpears

The bed is a white ship on the open black ocean, and Jax would literally rather fall off it and take his fucking chances than stay here a moment longer.

Savvie is a kraken with too many fucking tentacles of arms and legs and hair and hair and hair, she’s an ancient squid, she’s one of those stupid horror movie octopus monsters that reaches up from the depths and snatches men from the deck of the boat when your back is turned and all that’s left of them is a shoe or something.

The air of the bedroom might as well be water for all the fucking luck he’s having breathing it. His skin is on fire where her hair brushes against it in infinitesimal movements and he wonders if his scream would be as good as a signal flare exploding in the night sky in red and fire and fury.

She made him drink that fucking water again. His head is all over the place. Normally he’s a triple-train of thought and they run all at once too fast and he jumps between them like James fucking Bond but when she makes him drink that piss he’s like fireworks one after the other after the other and he can’t stick to one.

Fireworks. Signal flare. SOS from the boat that’s a bed in the middle of the ocean dark and shit, he knows his head’s gotten screwy when he starts thinking in metaphors like that creative writing class they made him try for his emotions back when he was eight.

They never did invite him back after the story he wrote about the boy who gunned down a dozen men to save the president but they did ask him a ton of questions about where the story had come from only to discover he was just rewriting a film Ben Whitecross had told him about at break on Tuesday.

Probably shouldn’t have done that illustration.

Ben Whitecross had denied it at first but only because he wasn’t meant to watch that film either and his mum had shouted her head off at him for sneaking downstairs in the night to watch the post-watershed action films.

Even back then, Jax had known more curse words than the others kids. He rehearses some to himself now, feeling floppy lips move to something like the shapes he wants. Pisscracker. Dogbollocks. Arseface.

He imagines saying them aloud. He imagines her fucking face. She’d cry. Or she’d get angry, and make him get on his knees, and then he wouldn’t cry but he’d pretend to be upset, and she’d yell at him not to use vulgar language and she’d get so annoyed she’d lock him in and eat lunch on her own and then come back expecting him to kiss her feet and apologise, or worse, come back all understanding and ready to work to fix it.

Maybe he should tell her he did classes to help with his anger and maybe she’d let him paint or some fucking shit. Lots of red paint.

Maybe he could use that, actually. Bargain time for the sunroom. Get more chances to get the fucking collar off with the buried shard of glass he’s got stashed away.

If he can hold onto that thought, he’ll do it tomorrow.

Ben Whitecross had been a good kisser. It was a bit awkward kissing in the changing room after PE but it was pretty cool to keep being friends after. Jax had really had a crush on his brother anyway. But Ben was alright.

He was living in Brighton or something now.

Or had been, when Jax was last around.

Fuck, it’s so dark. He can’t breathe. He’s got hours more of this to endure and his heart is beating too fast to let him sleep and it’s fucking exhausting being her stolen man whisked from the deck of a normal fucking life.

She’d want him to call her a siren in this story but that’s because she’s a pretentious ass. She’s the fucking creature from the deep. He’s never been this fuckin cold while being hugged under two thousand fucking blankets.

His mouth moves again, the faintest whisper. Cockstring. Shitfucker.

It’s good to hear them even if they feel like they’re coming from someone else’s mouth.

He feels like the woman from the Titanic movie on the sheet of ice, absolutely fucking freezing, with Savvie clinging to his side, making sure they both go under.

It must be the drug that’s making him feel this cold. Maybe he’ll numb out and he won’t be able to feel her anymore.

He wishes the drugs could make his thoughts just fucking stop for a minute.

Instead he lies on his back, limbs wrapped around him, and stares at a starless night sky with nothing but his own thoughts to flash in the dark.

[nevaryadl]

Father’s Day fluff cw: briefly mentioned blood, childhood injury

"Hey, Hanzo, do you remember when I was a kid and during train I got flipped and fell and hit my knee pretty hard?"

"Yes, why?"

It was Father's Day and the kombat kids (and several others once they had the holiday explained to them) had wanted to treat the fathers of the krew to a cookout to celebrate them. Hanzo had been pestered by Takeda to go and found himself sitting away from most everyone that was treating it like a low-key party, enjoying the by proxy company. Takeda had joined him after a moment of standing with Jacqui and Jax.

He did in fact remember that incident that Takeda had brought up, because when Takeda had gone down knee first, the skin had broken from the impact and there was a fair amount of blood. Takeda, still young, had cried. His sparring partner, also still young, had also started crying. Hanzo had gently shushed them both and soothed their crying before helping Takeda limping to the room that he kept the medicine supplies and had cleaned the blood from Takeda's leg and knee, looked the split over and deemed a bandage good enough, and wrapped Takeda's knee. Some ice for the swelling and Takeda was fine. But he was still sniffly, so Hanzo sat with him for awhile, soothing him through the lingering pain and embarrassment at being flipped so hard. It had been one of the first moments where Hanzo had felt like a father to Takeda and felt parental affection towards him.

"Nothin', just glad you put a band aid on my knee," Takeda grinned before walking off again and leaving Hanzo puzzled.

Regardless of the strange interaction, Hanzo had a good time. He got to see everyone that he did not get to see frequently, got to see the kombat kids and other 'children' of the father like figures of the group have a day. He was especially fond to see Liu Kang and Kung Lao making sure to show their affection to their father figure Raiden, and then the kombat kids showed their affection to him because he was a grandfather figure to them. Everyone was enamored to see Frost forgo her usually touch aversion to hug Kuai Liang in front of everyone to show her affection to the man that had become a father figure to her since joining the Lin Kuei (and Kuai Liang never got the beaming smile off his face at the display).

Towards the end of the evening, Takeda once again approached him.

"Yes, Takeda?" He asked.

"Okay, so you know how when my dad showed up, I like... immediately picked a fight with him?" Takeda said. "Well part of that was my being pissed right the hell off at him for leaving me and then coming back into my life at like the worst time. But also part of the reason that I got so pissed at him was because... I didn't want him to take me away from you. Because you had become a dad to me."

Hanzo blinked. That was certainly a... interesting bit of information. He had always assumed that Takeda's (well deserved) anger towards his father had been entirely out of Kenshi leaving him and then suddenly trying to reinstate himself into Takeda's life. But this was... this was touching, in a way.

"And like we're working on making things right, me and my dad. But you'll always still be a dad to me, so... Happy Father's day!" Takeda beamed, before lurching forward into a hug.

And, of course, Hanzo hugged his son back.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Omg I need to know everything about this Dark AU Antoni and Chris, pleeeease

Dark Chris was with Oliver for years before being abandoned. He's shakier, more frightened, but still has blue hair. He speaks Russian because Antoni taught him, with a halting, heavy American accent. Koshka is his cat and as they move from house to house they take Koshka with.

Dark Chris has bad days where all he can do is lay on the couch and shake. He does most of the cooking. In the story where @comfy-whumpee's Jax ended up with them after a long period married to Savvie, Chris latches onto the quiet, traumatized, touch-averse Jax almost instantly because Antoni's work so often takes him away and Chris is desperately, horrifyingly lonely.

Antoni is calmer, very sure of himself, but still soft and sweet to Chris. He moves silently, kills quietly, and moves on with Chris and Koshka (and Jax) in tow. He brought Jax home after sparing him in an attempt to give him an opportunity to heal, but also as a friend for Chris.

Once he decides someone matters, he will kill for them.

[thescorpioracesfestival]

Week 1 - Challenges 1-3 (Kind Of)

@sailingthroughemotion - Jen and Realist This story is continued from the 2018 festival. Check out the #tsrf2018 tag on my blog, if you’re curious (but it’s not necessary).

Huo and I have been busy. And, no, not in that way. Although maybe not without that, but we’ve hardly got enough time to even put a second thought into that because our schedules are constantly jam-packed. 

Our winter was spent mostly coasting - my parents had left me a healthy amount of money which Huo and I split into improving his house a bit to accommodate for aging Jax, who was starting to get a bit fed up with the boarding life, and fixing up my motorcycle. It was enough to pay for electricity for a good while, so I opted for taking shorter shifts at the butcher’s so I could work more on the house and with Realist. He doesn’t get to sit after the race season like he had the year prior - any signs of previous injuries are nothing but distant memories, so I continued to work with him. He’s a young, healthy stallion - he could use the muscle and the brain food. After Huo’s final reconciliation with Blue, he has seemed to have gotten over his aversion to capaill, and after we put the finishing touches on Jax’s backyard resort, he even opted for using Realist as his “ranch” horse. It’s quite a sight to behold, really - a pint-sized capall under a slightly archaic Western saddle with a slightly too-tall Thisby islander settled onto him. I am quite relieved that Realist doesn’t throw a fit about the different saddle or the new rider. Huo does ride differently - he doesn’t play around and debate with Realist like I do, but rather just works with him straight on. It’s a functioning system and sometimes I find myself quite fond of how supple Realist is under a tom-thumb bit. Our spring was spent in a similar fashion, except Realist had become virtually Huo’s horse, and when I wasn’t at the shop or tuning the motorcycle, I was tending to Jax’s arthritic needs. During my brother’s visit, he acquired himself a horse with a distant capall lineage that was suitable for export and agreed to start working our family’s Thoroughbred farm again. Business was rolling in for them again, I guess, so I was welcome to the funds some more, meaning I could get some nicer riding gear and have enough to pay for the insane import prices on some of the supplements Jax desperately needed. Jax is a sweet old man - it’s easy to see how he and Huo have been coworkers for so long, and evening now and again I layer on a few extra blankets under my English saddle and take him for a spin around the pasture. He’s stiff and he doesn’t have the same dangerous energy that a capall does, but he’s still a pleasure to mess around with. Huo, too, hasn’t been empty-handed. When he’s not steering Realist through his sheep, he’s working on his truck, and if the truck is up and running, he’s coursing to Skarmouth and back to sell his wool and some of his lambs. I can definitely say that it’s been nice. We have a comfortable routine, and although sometimes it gets a bit monotonous, it’s at the very least a rhythm rather than chaos. I happen to be one of the few people on Thisby that can say that they have nothing to fear - the whole island may want me dead (it’s been proven every single time I’ve tried to step foot around the races), but as long as I am just living along with this hunk of grass and rock, topped with a generous amount of sand, I can most certainly say that I haven’t got a single thing to complain about. — My knuckles ache from writing with a piece of chalk all evening and I’ve lost count of how many names I’ve written down. A few of the men and women that recognize me ask me if I’m planning on taking another year off while a few of the boys and girls that don’t, look at my scars and ask me if I’ve ever ridden. I recount my evening to Huo as we lay sprawled on the bed, half-reading forgotten letters. Huo is unusually quiet. “I don’t think I’m going to waste my time this year,” I continue anyway, scoffing. “That stupid race has nearly cost me my life twice now and for what? Spare change?” More silence. And then, “I ran Realist this morning.” I can already tell where this one is going and I’m ready to roll my eyes when what he says next catches me completely off-guard. “Some passing couple recognized him.” “From what?” I furrowed my brow. It wasn’t uncommon to see capaill surface and disappear and surface again. I mostly hoped that it was from the races - I wouldn’t want somebody making claims about a horse they lost some number of years ago. “From when you trained Kaitlyn,” he said it so coldly that my heart almost jumped to my throat. I had never told him about Kaitlyn. I only turned back after crossing the finish line with the excuse that she had been ‘just someone I thought I recognized’; I only went ot her funeral under the guise of it having been a surprise shift at the butcher’s and that had been a public service, as most race-casualty services often were, so I didn’t recognize any of the people there. My hear began to beat loudly against my ribcage. “H-her parents?” I stammered. Huo gave me the barest of nods. “How did the find out?” My voice suddenly sounded small, timid. “Her diary,” Huo said with a dry laugh. “I’m sorry I kept it from you, Huo, I-” my breathing began to hitch in my throat - to live under one roof with a man and not tell him about the possibility of a horribly miscalculated risk… “That’s not what I’m…” he exhaled through his nose and tried again. “That’s not the issue. They want an explanation. They want some kind of compensation.” “They’re trying to frame me for murder,” I said out-loud what I knew I never shoudl have. “Thisby laws protect capall owners, but they don’t protect trainers,” Huo continued. “No, hold on - do they think that I forced her to catch that thing?” I sat up, wild-eyed. “That’s not the point, Jen, you can’t just run head-first at this, listen to me,” he took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “You signed the entry form for her, didn’t you?” “Yes, but I-” “Her parents didn’t even know she was racing, Jen!” Huo’s voice was so thoroughly steeped with disappointment that I just wanted to fall through the floor then and there. “But she told me…” my eyes began to fill with tears of frustration. The cognitive dissonance between grieving for Kaitlyn’s death and wanting to blame her for what was slowly registering as the end of the world was tearing me apart. “She kept talking about her brother, and…” “She was an only child,” Huo’s voice softened a bit and he finally sat up and gathered me into his arms. For the first time in a while, he smelled of horse sweat. He really did run Realist. “She lied to you, she lief to her parents, she lied to everyone.” I began to sob like a small child. Not the usual polite, bottled anguish I would usually put myself through to make sure I was silent, but instead helpless, uncontrollable wailing. I was both terrified and awashed with a new wave of grief. Not for the blonde-haired girl with the determined eyes but for the big-withered raven black mare that had the heart to die for her. I thought of Realist and how he longed only for my company and not the lulls of the ocean. I thought of Jax and how many years he’s served and how little he probably has left. And Huo held me, and he let me cry, and let me cling to him like I was not his strong, equally grounded girlfriend, but like I was sickly, toddler-aged granddaughter. Once I felt like I could breathe again I got myself a glass of water and Huo and I stood like coast-worn statues in the darkness of the kitchen. “How much do they want as compensation?” I managed, trying not to hide my disgust at the fact at calling monetary value ‘compensation’ for a human life. “Some… twenty thousand, thirty?” he scratched the back of his head. “Good lord,” I smiled, although I didn’t know why. “And if we - if I don’t pay it back…?” This was my problem, not Huo’s, if I hadn’t thought to tell him of this earlier, why should I have to drag him into it now? “They’re taking it to the mainland court. They family’s not from Thisby.” “Fucking Christ!” I exclaimed, feeling the animalistic urge to shatter the cup I was holding but somewhere deep inside, my sensible, grounded, equestrian self pulled back on the reins. — The road to Skarmouth that night felt like the road to purgatory. Most lights were off or dimmed, only the caterwaul of distant capaill and the perpetual crashing of waves gracing the stillness. I unlocked the back of the butcher’s and carefully snuck my way behind the counter desipte knowing that I was the only one there. I felt a deep need for secrecy, for if anyone found out the real reason I was actually putting my life on the line in these island games again, I’d die of shame alone - to hell with sea monsters and cliffs. I took the chalk in my still-aching hand and added an extra line: “Jen - Realist”. And just for good luck, I threw some coins into the betting jar with my name on it that I had kept from last year, just for good luck. The coins hit the bare glass walls with a hollow, resounding clatter. I needed all the good luck I could get this year.

[waywcrdsons-blog]

⋆ ◦ ° ☾ jeffrey dean morgan + cismale + he/his— have you met ajax anderson? they are a fifty year old known around town as the lifer. they’ve been in the gang life for thirty two years, and currently work for the cobras as a council member. they are a bisexual libra, which means they are charming + charismatic, as well as frivolous + blunt. worn leather jackets, round the clock stubble, deep voice whispering secrets.

Ajax Jonathon Anderson – goes by Jax, AJ.

Born on October 2nd in Valdez, Colorado to Audrey Anderson and Unknown. 

Father of Clara and Harlow (undiscovered). 

      about.

Born in a brothel to a mother with no clue who his father was, you could say Ajax had been bred for the life he lived. His mother was a fierce thing, always pissing someone off. Their room and board was never a fixed situation, and half the time they found themselves out on their asses because she had mouthed off to a client. 

 They lived independently from the time he was six until he turned twelve, where she would continue to entertain those with a wallet and willingness to spend, while AJ tried his best to pretend he was still innocent enough to not know what was going on in the other room. 

When they couldn’t sustain themselves any longer, they ended up back on the doorstep of a seedy brothel ran by a heavy handed pimp who worked for the organisation. It was a fragile living arrangement to say the least, which disintegrated fast once his mother got sick. With no one to provide for them, Ajax stepped up and offered himself up to her pimp for whatever was necessary to keep a roof over their head. 

 To his relief, the man had no interest in turning him out, but he did like the idea of having a protége. Someone to manipulate and mould in his own image. Aj soon realised he was in over his head, as Ganzel would turn his hands on him and beat him every time he stepped out of line or did anything he disapproved of. 

Their relationship only grew worse when his mother died, leaving him with just a brute of an employer and debts he didn’t know she had racked up when she was alive. This was how he found himself as a part of the organisation. 

 At the age of twenty, with two years (officially) under his belt, he had broken Ganzel’s cardinal rule -- you don’t touch the merchandise. A brief affair with one of his most prized girls had resulted in a pregnancy, one he knew he couldn’t step up and claim as his own. Something that still haunts him to this day.

Nine months later, this resulted in one Harlow Proctor, who’s life he’s been present for. Even if it wasn’t in the capacity he would have liked. 

 More than anything, AJ hated that he had cursed Harlow to live a similar life to the one he had. The bastard offspring of a prostitute, without a father or a full identity. Though he always carried a torch for her mother, Lena, this was something he could never reconcile with himself. 

Despite the sacrifice he had made to ensure neither would incur Ganzel’s wrath, it seemed he could still do that easily on his own. A game of cards, something so simple, had lead to their final scuffle -- one that resulted in him emerging bloody but victorious, with a fallen mentor at his feet and a body to dispose of.

With a clear power vacuum, AJ stepped easily into the life he had been primed for, taking the man’s mantle and his business though he didn’t run it with the same lust for violence that he did. 

This was his main source of income and his reason for sticking around Valdez, until unrest began to spread through the town in whispers. Given that he was the man that all pillow talk was reported back to, he was intrigued by the formation of a new gang and what this meant for the town. 

He made the drastic change to switch sides and work alongside the Cobras as a council member, something he doesn’t publicise too much as he still has close ties to his old brothel and the girls that work there. 

     personality.

 Charming to a fault, AJ is well versed in what makes a good pimp. He has no shame about promising a prospective worker the world. And the sun. And the stars. And the moon. While it’s rarely ever the case that they get anything close to that, he does try his best to keep those on his roster happy and content and he has a zero tolerance policy for clients who harm his girls or guys. 

 However, as much as he cares, business is still business and he has no aversion for underhanded tactics when it comes to things he wants and rival pimps. He’s been around long enough to know how to fuck with someone else’s livelihood and not leave a trail. This insight and strategy is what he applies to his advice when he has Maggie or King’s ear, especially in regards to how best wound the Savages.

    wanted connections.

IF IT AIN’T BROKE / I’M DAMN SURE GONNA BREAK IT – ooooo give me some feelings. like, probably the first time he’s truly felt something real since lena and obvs he doesn’t know what the fuck to do with that so he for sure self sabotages it on every level. 

IF THERE’S A WRONG ROAD / I’M DAMN SURE GONNA TAKE IT - something where he’s schneaking around with someone he shouldn’t be. a rival? an agent? maybe one of the other pimps gorlies? maybe a savage? hypocrite ass. and he’s always ending it he ends it like 3 times a week probs but he never ends it 

WHERE THERE’S BLUE LIGHTS / JUST READ ME MY RIGHTS – A close associate!! Maybe a soldier who frequents the brothel, maybe a life long friend. Somebody he calls to bail him out when necessary, and one that he can truly lean on. Could also now be antagonistic since he switched sides! 

WHERE THERE’S A TRAINWRECK / SIT ON BACK AND WATCH ME CRASH - exes!!!!! like i said he’s been around since the dawn of fucking time so anything could go. friendly, unfriendly. good terms, bad terms. at each other’s throats, still show up at each other’s door. it’s all a wide open opportunity. 

I COME FROM A LONG LINE OF BLOODLINE THAT AIN’T GONNA CHANGE - family!! his father and his father’s side is somewhat of a mystery to him and a blank canvas for me to mess with so yeh. go buckwild with that if u like!

[audiovizualna]

First of all, thank you guys so much for all the reblogs and likes! I promise it gets better with every chapter and of course that’s because of my incredible beta @flabbergabst, who turned out to be pretty emotional about this one. Yeah, it’s intense, but I guess you just have to check out for yourself.

(I own nothing)

~~

”You’re Not Him”

Part 1: “For Him”

Part 2: ”About Him”

 December 25th was supposed to be another uneventful day. In fact,  most of the team haven’t been sleeping so peacefully for days so what they saw in the morning was unexpectedly charming.

The Waverider was no longer drifting in a time stream, but landed near Moraine Lake in Rocky Mountains, fully covered with snow. Or that’s what Nate managed to establish by half-closed eyelids. He had to admit, the view was breathtaking. As it turns out, this is not the end of surprises for the team.

At the same time, Zari walked into the kitchen only to see Ray making chocolate pancakes with golden honey on top. She found herself seated at the table with fresh cup of coffee in less than three seconds. Not that she objected.

Right after her came Mick with bit of a hangover, and Amaya - still in pajamas and messy hair falling on her forhead. They looked at each other, then at Zari, who just shrugged, then at Ray himself with the look of slight distrust. This change of scenery is too striking—but  at least the smell was good.

”Can I ask what’s all this, Ray?” Vixen pointed a finger at the thin silver ropes to which some colorful cards were pinned. She stepped closer, taking sip of her coffee and the cards turned out to be random polaroid photographies showing their team members, from the original crew up to the current ones on board.

Ray took a deep breath and began explaining. ”Since Marty’s funeral we did not have a proper ‘bonding day’, if I can say so. I came to Jax last night and we decided to respect the tradition. Let’s face it: the Professor would never let us forget about Christmas or Hanukkah. From day one on the Waverider we’ve somehow became a family and we are supposed to spend this time of year with people closest to them. Now tell me, am I wrong?”

”No Raymond. I think it’s a wonderful idea, but I want to know one thing. Why did you choose photographs instead of traditional chains and socks?” Amaya asked, walking closer to look at each polaroid and trying to recognize the faces.

”Oh that!” Ray enthusiastically responded. ”Jax stated we don’t need… how did he say it?... ‘tacky and ordinary decor to feel and inch of Christmas spirit.’ Anyway, it’s mainly done for Martin so… let’s keep it that way.  Now please enjoy your meal and let me know if I burnt some pancakes. They’re not my culinary specialties, but I have to learn how to make them somehow.” Just as he said this, Nate entered the room to join the rest of the team for breakfast.

”Ha, now you’re talking Haircut!” Mick bellowed. ”I can live in the world in which you’re preparing meals and I eat them and judge”

Everybody at the table cheered up to Mick’s comment and peacefully get on with consuming breakfast.

 All the preparations actually helped Jefferson to clear his thoughts. He was responsible for decorating triangular wooden Christmas trees near the office. He has also put up small pictures as decorations of them taken in the STAR Labs, some even taken inside the Waverider. Bringing back memories like that was extremely painful, yet quite entertaining. Some of them showed ordinary life, some were simple selfies, some were posed, some natural, but all of them were once real.

Jax knew this because he’s been in the team from the very beginning. In this moment, he realized that among the originally recruited crew, only him, Mick, Ray, and Sara remained until today. The original crew of outcast and misfits was slowly dropping off and it was hard to bear.

”We lost so much, Gray. How can we move on?” Jax muttered as a question to the ghost of his friend and partner, but it was loud enough so Sara could answer him immediately.

”I’m asking myself the same question, Jax.”

The captain of the Waverider climbed the stairs so quietly that the youngest member failed to notice her presence at once. She was looking at the Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, because she was not ready to look at the pictures. Not yet anyway.

”Are you not mad?” Jax asked. ”That was really spontaneous decision and we never asked your permission. We had prepared aeverything last night in secret and… I don’t know. There was a chance of your disapproval,” Jax said, finishing his job and walking towards Sara.

”No. I think it’s lovely and I can only imagine Martin’s reaction to all of this. He would be proud. I’m sure he would. Besides, using minimalistic photo-chain is perfect reason  to finally share the stories with our team members.”

”Thank you, Sara. Although i have to admit, Gideon helped a lot. Didn’t you, Gideon?” Jefferson addressed his courtesy to the ship’s AI.

”Naturally,  Mr. Jackson. I also think it was a wonderful idea, especially in these circumstances,” answered AI with her usual enthusiasm.

”Yeah. So was the choosing of this place,” Sara replied. ”I never knew Montana hid such an astonishing view.” She looked out at the huge window and smiled at her usage of the favourite word of the fallen professor.

”Astonishing indeed, Captain, but that’s actually Leonard’s merit. He found it and said, and I quote, ‘the most beautiful place I’d ever have a chance to see’.”

”What?” the Canary turned to face Jax with confused expression and utter shock. ”Oh, Leo. Right.” she added as she shrugged off the memory of another Leonard. „Leo Snart helped you with all this? Why does he care anyway?”

”Yup. Him and Ray, after a long night talk. And trust me, I asked him the same question, but I guess it’s better if he tells you the story himself.”

After those words, he headed to the kitchen, leaving Sara with Leo, who was standing behind her silently. Sara turned around to see fully clothed Citizen Cold waiting with her coat in his arm.

”I figured if you skipped such a lovely breakfast, you’re probably not hungry. I propose a bit of fresh air instead. It’ll do you good, Canary,” suggested Leo, handing her sheepskin coat which she took, accidentally touching his fingers in the process.

The badass duo left the timeship in silence, which for Sara was way too familiar and too natural. The expression on Snart’s face was hard to describe, but he also felt comfortable in her presence.

The fresh air and chilly wind making assassin’s cheeks red was exactly what Sara needed and Leo had to admit, that seeing White Canary like this – no make up, golden curls flying around her freckled face – was truly breathtaking.

She seemed to be a part of this enchanting place. The fairy of the frozen lake. The warrior made of stone. The strong and beautiful woman who belonged to early mornings and winter zephyr. The longer he studied the details on her skin, the more he learned about her personality. The demons she tries to hide, the secrets she keep, the memories she cherish were somehow visible to him.

Sara felt Leo’s blue eyes on her and even if ‘her’ crook used to do this countless times, she could not hide her conceal the discomfort. Finally she managed to stop and look him in the eyes, only to see familiar icy irises focused on her azure ones. The shape and subtle glimmer while blinking were just the same, yet much softer and full of doubt and wonder.

”Look Snart, as kind as this gesture is, why did you engage in this ‘Christmas Project’? What are you trying to achieve?” the assassin fiercely asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.

”Well, believe it or not, it gives me nothing but a choice to finally know you all. I helped Jax because clearly, he needed this. I’m not an intrusive person and I assume that my version from this Earth wasn’t either, but I have eyes Birdie. I can tell if someone seeks for help or not. Apparently young Jefferson is one of those types who doesn’t share his sorrows. Unlike Ray, for example.” Leo answered leisurely.

Sara needed more than that and the stubbornness in her expression prompted Citizen Cold to add some more explanations.

”Look, he told me that your team never used to be like this—not talking, no feelings, basically no human interactions and trust me, I’ve seen it for all my life which was based on fear and distrust and aversion to others,” Leo explained. ”You are wonderful individuals and strong, independent spirits. It’s so unnatural for you to dispose the problems with silence.”

All Sara could say to that was simple: ”Wow. You truly are from another world. Leonard Snart openly talking about his feelings is a new phenomenon. I wonder how…how dopplegangers can be so different?” she said, heavily breathing out mist through her rosy lips.

Slowly, she was opening up. He managed to slightly crack through her exterior after all. But he knew better than to push the captain any further, so he gradually walked back to the ship. Surely Leo didn’t know right answer to a rhetorical question like this, but he had his own question escaping his tongue.

”You can’t handle my presence, can you, Sara?” Leo began. ”I’m bringing too many memories and if so… maybe Earth-1 Leonard and I are not that different. I can tell we were very similar in one case. He risked his life to save his loved ones and I’m ready to do the same for mine, if needed.”

Sara froze for a moment to the flashback of the night at the Oculus, when Len indeed sacrificed all he had – his existence, his future, whatever they could’ve been - to save his teammates, Mick and… her - whoever she was for him. That’s when a single tear dropped on her cheek making Snart’s face soften.

”Your crook risked everything so you could have an adventure of a lifetime, didn’t he? I can see it in your eyes, Canary. You watched him turn into a hero he never wanted to be.”

”You have no idea what happened and I’m not willing to talk about him with you. This conversation is over, Snart,” she declared through clenched teeth, blood boiling in her veins and burning her from the inside.

Maybe seeing Leonard, but not exactly the ‘right’ version of him, distracted her so much. Maybe it was the cold weather and the strange behavior of Earth-X Snart that is making her frustrated. Sara Lance learned one thing. She was NOT prepared for another Leonard Snart in her life and the deepening need to know him better made her mind very unstable. For the first time in years she was afraid of another confrontation or probably more of its consequences.

[estro-gem]

Jax x Gangle (Situation-ship): Raptors and Reptiles

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis

Author's note: Thank you all who showed your support for my previous fanfic! I didn't expect people to actually enjoy it, but I'm not complaining at all. You all made me blush like crazy! I'm really flattered.

Welcome to the Gangle-centred fic! These events happens after those of the previous oneshot, but you don't really need context for it to still make sense.

This story is a little less of a series of events and a little more of a descriptive narrative - definitely not everyone's cup of tea - but at least you get to see unhinged Gangle, I guess... And a little bunnydoll is sprinkled in there too....Maybe a speck of Zooble x Gangle to wrap it all in a nice little bow.

Ths fanfic is very much a situation-ship, instead of a romantic ship. I love the concept of Jax x Ragatha too much to break it in this AU. We are all free to ship whoever; we are all here to have fun!

I hope didn't make too many distracting mistakes in the grammar.

Warnings: Angst, easy on the fluff. All characters and the story of The Amazing Digital Circus belong to Gooseworx!

SUMMARY:

Gangle meets Jax in the hallway right after his long visit to Ragatha. It's been a hard day with a new face arriving so suddenly and Jax looks a little worse for wear.

One look at Gangle's face was enough to have him on edge again.

Please enjoy!

RAPTORS AND REPTILES

In the desert, there is a bird that, despite their wings and the ability to hunt mid-flight, nests beneath the very ground.

The burrowing owl.

It’s small, it’s quick, and it’s silent. The Amazing Digital Circus was a desert, inhabited by characters who banded together to form their own paradise. It was far from flawless, but together, they made a desolate hell into an inhabitable home.

The owl was fleeing back to its burrow after stalking the delicious fresh meat that graced them with their arrival earlier that day. The new arrival was known as Pomni and she had unfortunately proven to be a nuisance to their beloved Ragatha. Minutes prior to the raptor’s flight to her burrow, she spotted the jester loudly blubbering from the hall while standing just outside the ragdoll’s door. She can only imagine Ragatha’s face upon hearing Pomnni’s voice frantically try to apologize.

Of course, Ragatha wouldn’t let the jester in so soon; just as the owl suspected. Pomni had a lot to learn and a lot to prove before she was going to be accepted. The soft sobs that the burrowing owl had heard from Pomni’s mouth, before walking through her new room's door, gave enough of a clue for the raptor to find that the jester seemed to realize that.

But that was enough spying – she had a burrow waiting for her.

“We really need to get you a bell.”

Gangle halted at the sound of Jax’s voice. She was almost startled by it since she just passed his door without hearing it open next right to her. His voice came from further down the hall. Based on the today’s event’s, the petite character could easily deduce that the male paid a nice, long visit to Ragatha. She had the suspicion that he would, but it was nice to receive confirmation.

When Gangle turned around, she almost missed how he stiffened in alarm.

Jax’s smug expression was fixed, and he seemed to be the personification of ‘unbothered,’ but she knew better. When it came to one’s headspace or emotion, she always knew better – call it a blessing from being born with 2 faces.

Jax was deeply disturbed, but he wouldn’t show it. It was understandable, she thought to herself. Today was a rough day and they had fresh meat to worry about. The ribbonoid girl suffered greatly under the brutal bullying of Jax, with tears practically staining cheeks by the end of it all. She should’ve been broken down and crying. Jax was prepared to see her sulk until the following morning, but he wasn’t prepared for her to present as she had in her current state.

Jax wasn’t prepared to be faced with Gangle’s bright smile.

“Someone has a pep in their step.” He quipped sarcastically, “One wouldn’t be able to say that you spend the entirety of the day with tears streaming down your face.”

It didn’t matter how easily Jax was able to fool everyone. Sure, it wasn’t all a simple façade; he really did enjoy being the menace that would ruin anyone’s day, but to call him incapable of caring would be a crime. The snake struck because it was his role – his nature – and the snake was arguably the most dedicated to his role in the oasis.

She saw the rabbit shift into a wider stance as he suddenly took extreme interest in one of his now torn gloves. Gangle didn’t notice that little detail before – something must’ve gotten his skin. Him reacting the way he did, meant that he was immeasurably uncomfortable.

Something within her shifted. If anything, the sight of his torn gloves and the fact that he just left Ragatha’s room, prompted the burrowing owl to come out of its shelter.

She suddenly craved the meat of a reptile.

“I was crying all day…” Gangle slowly took a step forward. She wanted to see him squirm a bit more before she struck her talons into him, “No thanks to you, of course…”

“What can I say? My theatrics tend to bring people to tears.” Jax kept up his aloof demeanor. He didn’t seem to quite catch on to what had her ribbons in such a twist. All he could do in the meantime, was suppress the shudder that crawled up his back while witnessing Gangle’s positively, unsettling smile.

It’s one of the only ways she could express anger, after all. It was bone-chilling.

“Judging by the state of you gloves and your previous whereabouts,” the girl used her head to motion to the door behind Jax, as he did his best to block her view of it, “I’m assuming that you were responsible for tears other than mine, yes?”

THUMP

Now that did it.

Jax was so adorable when he lost his temper. Being the only ‘animal’ in the circus, Jax tended to revert to his feral instincts when he was overcome with emotion. Gangle always found it so queer.

“Cut the crap.” Jax spat, averting his gaze in embarrassment, before glaring back sternly, “I didn’t do anything to her. I wouldn’t!”

“Your outburst doesn’t support your case, Bunny~” her voice chimed smoothly as Gangle’s smile stretched inhumanly wide in response. She knew just how to drive into her personalized predatory charms. As a burrowing owl, it’s impossible to believe that Gangle was above anything. She spent most of her time stalking underground, below their feet. Unnoticed, until she revealed herself.

And reveal herself she did.

“You know that only I do what I have to do – nothing more!” Jax’s grin widened in kind, like a snake baring his fangs as he poised to strike. He lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, “Our little dolly needed some special attention. Since you were M.I.A. I bit the bullet. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Gangle’s eyes narrowed to slits, “I dealt with Caine to get my mask fixed. He drew it out more than necessary. I was about to pay Ragatha a visit before I saw you slip into her room.”

“And you figured that 2 is compony and 3 is a crowd, right?” His sarcasm never let up, even when he was rattled by her unwavering gaze.

“We both know that you just loved every minute you had with our sweet Ragatha…” Gangle leaned in closer, until she was too close for comfort. She intended to bait Jax into losing himself. If he did, she could take it… until she could wrap her ribbons around him as restraints. She would scream for someone to help; to check on Ragatha. Until then, she needed him to give her reason to do so, “Want me to believe that it's a chore for you to manhandle your doll?”

“Want me to wipe that smile off your face, Ribbons?”

Silence.

Tension.

Feral looks that could kill.

All, but no violence. No claws or teeth. Jax was perfectly composed, despite being as disheveled as he was. Yes, the rabbit was on edge and oozing with anger and frustration, but I kept his hands to himself, and his claws retracted. He only displayed his wide, feral smile – inches away from Gangle’s face. The snake’s threat display.

That was all Gangle needed to calm her racing mind.

Jax was still sane and merely acting within his role. Nobody got hurt, despite Jax having felt the need to bare his claws at some point this evening. A wave of relief washed over her as she allowed herself to pull back and deflate her stance.

No need for talons to sink into snakes tonight.

Jax drew back as well, mirroring her stance. Gangle could see his eyes soften slowly, upon realization that she was just fulfilling her role as his was fulfilling his. Unbeknownst to the ribbinoid, Jax heart swelled as the moment lingered. He felt the urge to display his appreciation to Gangle for wanting to protect their Ragatha.

Their precious water spring.

Sure, he was offended that she would think him capable of even thinking of harming the ragdoll, but it was the sentiment that won him over. Gangle was the raptor with the bird’s eye view, after all.

She poked and prodded; she searched and tracked for anything and any sign of Jax falling out of line. The masked girl’s mind was racing and calculating, as she was assigned to; with a brilliant mind such as her own. A certain gleam in Jax gaze had Gangle deduce that his mind was called back to a fond memory of them, operating in sync.

Maybe back to when Gangle first arrived in the circus…

Since no one could remember anything before entering The Amazing Digital Circus, Gangle considered her memories to be precious. She was prone to cling to as many as she could.

Her memory was actually brilliant. The mess of ribbons she was, with nothing more than a mask for a head, would leave one thinking that Gangle’s mind was as empty as the space behind her mask was, but her memory was practically photographic. Every shift, every twitch, every mannerism and every micro-expression along with the extensive description of what it all meant – enabled Gangle to easily read and understand her peers.

She could practically read their minds with a single glance.

She’d recall almost anything to the finest detail, but no one needed to know that. It didn’t concern them… and being frail and weak in stature, means that her mental ability was her greatest strength.

Her only strength.

She could still precisely recall her arrival in this forsaken hellscape.  

When she first arrived in the digital realm, she ripped off her comedy mask – thinking that it was her headset that she put on moments before.

However, instead of escaping the new virtual reality that she ungracefully stumbled into, she was just overwhelmed with an undeniable sense of dread and sorrow. The negative emotions brought her to her knees as she scrambled to maintain her grip on the smiling mask. Back then, she didn’t know that it was just because of her tragedy mask fronting. It wasn’t until she saw herself in the mirror, when she could fully comprehend her masks’ ties to her emotions.

Ragatha remained by her side throughout her first day, gently providing a safe space for Gangle to breathe. She did her best to shoo away the chaos that always possessed the tent, whether it be the NPC's the Caine cooked up for them or the other's curious, prying eyes. Gangle couldn't voice it then, but the doll was her saving grace.

They all thought that the ribbinoid wouldn’t last a week.

It felt like hours as Gangle sat in front of that mirror, wearing and removing the respective masks… growing used to the internal waves of emotions that ebbed and flowed from joy to sorrow. It was uncanny how she could feel an indescribable, undeniable joy in the most unfortunate circumstances.

A part of her wanted to believe that she had already lost her mind... but she could never experience the full range of emotions all at once. Maybe, for that reason, Gangle held out for so long.

Maybe she couldn’t abstract, no matter how hard she tried to.

Can one experience a mental breakdown if you already had 2 heads?

One mask would always nullify the other – and that, in itself, was Gangle’s own personal hell. As time progressed and days went by, she’d wear her comedy mask for the kick of it. A close friend abstracted? She’d pop that bad boy on and revel in the horrified faces of her fellow inhabitants as she laughs and smiles like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

That little trick had even brought Jax to unadulterated unease.

She was addicted to the control she had in her self-expression, as it was the only control she believed to have at the time. A smile amidst that tragedy. It drove everyone around her to the brink of insanity. She apparently left them to question the urgency and distress of the ones they lost by the day, but that only had her bursting with uncontrollable cackles.

Nothing mattered anyway.

Everything was so much funnier and lighter with her comedy mask – a high she couldn’t live without at the time. Upon having it broken by Jax for the first time, forced a tsunami of the pent-up negativity to crash into her being. The bunny presumably couldn't stand another minute of living with the girls cold, chilling smile.

This was when Gangle realized that any of her emotions were banked until she wore the relevant mask to let them out.

It was a never-ending dive from the previous high.

Once she recovered after days of crying, screaming, and wailing in fear, agony and sorrow, she accepted and welcomed the bitter melancholy of her existential crises. For the first time since she woke up in the digital world, Gangle found comfort in sadness.

And she realized her need for Jax.

He was the panic button she needed but didn’t always want. He was happy to bask in her tears. She knew that he would be on the prowl to hunt her down, desperate to still the ever-growing hunger he had; to be the greater evil. Gangle would always welcome him with open arms, because in the end, she couldn’t trust herself anymore. She needed her friends.

Because without them, she would turn to that undeniable happiness once again – and she would lose herself in it. This was the very beginning of Jax’s new role of ‘snake’ and her new role of ‘owl.’

Jax and his charming, fiendish stunts operated the groundwork by biting everyone in an attempt to be the occupational hazard. Gangle and her bird’s eye view could oversee it all and silently direct or divert Jax to and from suitable victims. She was the only one who could unnerve the bunny into having him take someone seriously. She was the only one whose eyes and mind he could trust when reading into their behavior. The owl snatched the snake who carelessly parades his antics.

On the other hand, Jax was the only one that could read her state of managing her… ‘addiction.’ He was the only one who would dare bash into her shield – her comedy mask - because the snake strikes the owl weighing heavy with neglect of self-reflection.

Two predators with each other as prey.

Gangle blinked to find Jax searching for something in her expression. Even though their dispute was quietly resolved, Jax still seemed to be bothered by something. The girl made quick work to figure out what it could be – starting with today’s events.

He took such good care of her, Zooble and Kinger today.

This day was stressful and disorienting with Pomni’s arrival. Gangle felt the phantom urge to reach for her comedy mask; her smiling shield of denial. By some devine intervention, her mask was broken due to unfortunate circumstances and without her consent or control. At least, when Jax broke it, it was because it was her choice to plead for his intervention with her eyes – desperate not to fall into old, destructive habits again.

Today, her mask broke, because of her clumsiness.

Her mistakes.

Luckily, Jax was quick to fix that! He purposefully stepped onto it, effectively rubbing salt into the fresh wound. Suddenly, it was him that was the problem! Yes, he didn’t need to do that - that was just evil!

The greater evil – the menace.

Throughout the day, Jax kept them under his heel and stomped on them for good measure. The day’s stress and uncertainty regarding the arrival of Pomni and some fake exit door was gradually drowned by Jax’s antics, and they all fell into routine once again. It was a crying shame that Ragatha had to suffer alone. If only they could’ve done something more…

Something clicked.

Gangle paid attention to Jax’s face again. He looked so tired, but desperate all the same. The masked girl blinked again and suddenly she knew exactly what he needed. What he yearned for.

He needed to see that he’d done enough.

...

With slow movements, Gangle reached for the edges of her comedy mask and removed it from her face. Jax fixed his gaze on her current, sad expression and found no suddenly overflow of tears, no uncontrollable sobbing and no screaming. It was just Gangle’s calm, sad, yet content expression staring back at him. There was no repressed emotion for her to show.

“You asked me if I want you to wipe the smile off of my face...” Gangle spoke, voice wobbly due to her sad expression, “It’s not necessary, I don’t need to be smiling to be ok.”

Jax eyes widened by a fraction, but that was all she needed to understand that he was truly surprised, as if he didn’t expect her to really be content and coping.

She gave a bitter smile; the friendliest one she could muster on her tragedy mask, “You won’t see me crying, though. You’ve already done enough of that today.”

You’ve already done enough.

To an outsider, Gangle's words would sound bitter and petty, but with the way she looked at him, she wanted Jax to feel nothing but reassurance.

You've done enough.

Gangle wasn’t surprised to see Jax stare at her in disbelief, but she was surprised to see sudden, spontaneous tears sprout from his eyes. She almost missed it with how quickly he ripped away his gaze. She couldn’t say or do anything fast enough, before Jax swung around and ripped Ragatha’s door open, entered, then throw it shut just as fast. The ribbinoid stood awestruck in the silent hallway.

She wasn’t upset; she felt honored.

She’d savor this moment until the day she’d abstract, like so many of them had before her. Brief worry flashed in her mind, but it dissipated upon looking at Ragatha’s face on the door. Jax was where he needed to be at this very moment. Although she couldn’t hear Jax sobbing into his arms as he sat against the door with his knees brought to his chest, she was sure that his doll sat right next to him.

Even though Ragatha would be tired and drained after today’s events, she would always make room for someone in need to wash away their sorrow in her clean water.

Knowing the doll, Gangle could only guess that Ragatha ended up eavesdropping on their whole encounter - biding time before splashing into action once things got too heated.

Gangle loved Ragatha for that.

She turned slowly, still dumbstruck and touched by what she had witnessed from Jax and then walked down the hall without a worry in the world. Maybe she will pay her beloved Zooble a visit before retiring for the night. She'd love to let her guard down.

She'd love for something to wrap around.

Gangle looked down at her comedy mask, smiling at her. It felt like a warm, welcoming smile... and she couldn’t help but feel content.

She didn’t feel like wearing a smile anyway.

Oasis: TADC AU list

Masterlist

[ranger-of-estel]

A Legend Returns Chapter 3

Leonard guides the team through the job at the museum, but nothing ever goes quite like expected. And when his nightmares return, he goes to the one person who can ground him.

Read it on AO3

Alexa

               Leonard watches the city stream by as Sara moves across the rooftops. Mick is riding the motorcycle he’d taken earlier, and Ray has flown ahead to disable the surveillance. “Remember Sara,” Leonard glances from the live feed to where Gideon has pulled up a map. “The museum’s system may be down, but the building across the street also has cameras.”

               “Got it,” she replies, dropping into an alley a couple blocks out and then darting through the shadows.

               “Raymond?” he drawls.

               “Ready to override the camera feed on your mark.” He replies cheerfully.

               “Mick?”

               “Good as soon as Captain knocks the system down.” He replies gruffly.

               “Alright,” he glances as the feed, Sara hesitating just outside of the furthest camera. “Now Ray,” She doesn’t wait for confirmation before darting forward.

               She easily cracks the lock on the security box, adjusting so the camera is pointed toward the now exposed wiring. “Len?”

               “You’re going to pull the first and fifth wires out.” He doublechecks the image against his outline. “leave the fifth one out, then touch the exposed end of the first one to the place the wires feed into the wall. It will create a surge and the system will reboot.” He motions to the box, “You’ll have a little under six seconds to get through the door before the alarm will be functional again.”

               “Alright,” he can hear the smile in her voice. “Here goes, three, two,” she hangs out the wires, “One,” there’s a spark as the wire comes into contact with the metal, and then she’s slammed the box shut and is through the back door. “Mick?” she asks before Len.

               “Inside,” he replies shortly.

               “On my way to meet you guys!” Ray jumps in.

               Len is again left with nothing more than watching through Sara’s camera as she moves to the second floor where the amulet is displayed. He is amazed with how little the feed jerks about, a testament to Sara’s grace and fluidity. He watches as Raymond grows to his normal size, sees a glimpse of Mick keeping watch when Sara turns. He glances at the timer in the top corner of Gideon’s display. “You have three minutes and twenty-two seconds until the next guard passes.”

“Let’s do this,” Ray replies enthusiastically. The angle of the lens keeps him from seeing much of the actual swap. He can see Sara’s hands on the glass, a thin beam of light from Ray’s suit hitting the locking mechanism and then a flurry of movement as the amulet is replaced by the replica.

               “You ready to get us out of here?” Sara’s voice breaks the silence around him, and he can see Mick once more as she approaches the other man.

               “Take a –”

               He’s cut off by Jax’s voice and the sound of shouting in the background. “Guys, we’ve got company.”

               Leonard hears Sara swear, “Get the civilians out of the area.”

               “Already working on it,” Nate replies.

               “Mick, Ray,” Sara’s voice has dropped, “Alexa.”

               Len’s head jerks up at the word, but before he can comment Mick replies. “Got it.” And takes off with Raymond hot on his heels.

               “Len,” Sara’s moving again as well, “I need you to get me onto the roof.”

               That’s not the plan…not even close. But he doubts she’s without reason, “Take the next left.” He instructs, “Then there will be a door on your right. It’s a break room that cuts across to the stairs.” As she nears the door he adds, “you’ll need the security card.”

               “Thanks,” he watches her move, waits until she’s reached the stairwell to continue.

               “Because it’s a converted house there is no direct roof access, you’ll have to take the balcony.” He thinks back to the previous day. “There was a release at the top and bottom of the doors, you should be able to slip out without breaking the glass.”

               She follows his instructions, making quick work of the lock and then swinging onto the roof. As she moves to the far side he sees lights flashing, moving down the road at top speed. “You two out?” she asks, slipping into the trees.

               “Yeah,” Mick’s voice replies first.

               “Going to help the others,” Ray jumps in next, “You get the medallion back to the ship.”

               “Try not to destroy the whole city,” He can hear that almost smile in her tone. “Rip?”

               “Already on it Miss Lance.” Rip speaks for the first time, reminding Len of his presence. He hears the others communicating, discussing location and strategy. But knows he can be of no assistance to them. After a couple minutes of silence the former captain turns to him, “They’ll be quite alright I assure you.” He shakes his head, “They’ve become something rather impressive in our absence.” Len isn’t exactly sure how to respond, so he remains silent. His own mind still processing all the information, and how little he’d actually done.

               Sara’s voice reaches the room moments before she does, “Split up and get back to the ship. I’d rather not have another face off against their ships.” She sits the medallion on the table, then moves toward the captain’s chair, glancing back to Len and Rip. “I’d strap in boys.”

               They do, and as soon as the others are on board Sara takes off, slipping them into the timestream without any obstacles. The moment they are safe the room breaks out in cheers and shouts; Nate and Ray highfive, and he catches Amaya lifting onto her toes to press a kiss to his partners cheek. Sara’s patting Jefferson on the back while Stein pulls Rip aside. While no one is brushing him off, Leonard feels very much on the outside. He slips away; missing both his partners frown, and the disappointment in Sara’s eyes as she looks around and finds him missing.

               Leonard looks up at the sound of the doors opening, finding Sara leaning against the door frame with two bottles in hand. “We missed you in the galley.”

               “I find that doubtful,” he slips a bookmark between the pages and sets the book beside him on the bed. Motioning her into the room with his head.

               “We did though.” She approaches, offering him a beer, which he accepts. “This was your victor too.”

               “We both know that’s not true,” he shifts, making room for her next to him. “Though I did wonder, Alexa?”

               She offers an almost smile, drawing his attention to the silver band on her finger as she spins it absently. “A standard back up plan for when things don’t go as planned.” She shrugged, “Seemed fitting.”

               “You have Mick set something on fire as your plan B?” he asks, one brow raising.

               “He set off the smoke alarms and sprinkler system, maybe singed the ceiling. At the same time Ray triggered one of the alarms.” She takes the open spot next to him, knees pulled up so she can sit facing him. “Maestro has no aversion to violence, but doesn’t want to fight his way through large crowds and security either. It’s the best way to prevent casualties.”

               “And here I thought you just wanted the attention.” He smirks, “Not bad Canary.”

               She smiles, then tilts her head. “Maybe next time you’ll come with us, show us how to improve?”

               “We’ll see,” he replies, “But in the meantime.” He reaches over, pulling their stack of cards from the shelf and holds them between them. “If you’re not busy?”

               Her eyes light up, though she keeps her expression mostly neutral. “I think I can make a little time.”

               Soon they are both on the floor. Leonard sitting with his back to the bed, Sara stretched out on the floor across from him. “So, why haven’t you captured Maestro yet?” he asks, beginning dealing the cards between them.

               “Right now he isn’t causing any real damage, but he does make it a lot easier to pinpoint potentially dangerous items before they cause issues.” She replies with a small shrug.

               “Letting your enemy do all of your leg work,” he’s smirking again

               “Exactly,” she places a card between them, “And once he stops being useful, or becomes a greater risk. Then we catch him.”

               They fall into silence for several minutes, each of them focusing more on the game. Leonard finds himself relaxing; for a moment everything is back to how it used to be. No Oculus, no Legion or Time Masters. Just a Crook and Assassin playing cards to pass the time.

               Several more turns pass before Sara speaks again, her tone light. “Ray intends to add you to the meal and chore wheel soon.”

               “Chore wheel?” He looks at her skeptically. “When did Boyscout turn into mother hen?”

               Sara chuckles, “When he was without his suit for a while. He spent a lot of time on the ship while we were on missions.” She looks up, amusement in her eyes. “He even started packing us lunches.”

               “What happened to his suit?” Leonard asks, drawing a card.

               “Nate had to destroy it in feudal Japan,” she shakes her head, “We couldn’t replace it until we got back to 2017 again.”

               “Mick said something about going back…teaming up with Scarlet and your friend with the bow?” He replies.

               “Fighting the Aliens, yeah.” She’s smirking. He just lifts a brow, and she recount the story as they continue to play. Answering his occasional question until, all to soon, she’s bidding him goodnight. “Amaya is more morning person, I should get back before she’s asleep and I have to avoid injury.”

               He scoffs, “Like she could hurt you,” he gathers the cards, “Goodnight Sara.”

               “Night Len,” she smiles, then steps into the hall once more.

               The next day is slow. Jefferson has made several dozen muffins of varying types for breakfast. After which he claims something in the engine room needs maintenance. Raymond, and Nate are both ecstatic to go experiment with the amulet, which garners less concern than Len believes it should. Sara heads to the study, intending to map Maestro’s next move. Mick grabs a six pack from the fridge, telling Leonard that he’ll be in his room watching old movies if Len would like to join him.

               He considers, but in the end opts for having Gideon update him on what he has missed while away from the team. A task that fills the day, and cuts into a portion of the next one. Over the following days he finds himself talking with the rest of the crew more, getting to know the new kids as well as catching up with the originals. And while Nate reminds him of a less useful Raymond, Amaya has stubbornness and fire that he respects.

               Ray animatedly recalls their visit to Camelot, referencing Sara as Lancelot with very clear indications about the Lady Guinevere. Mick fills him in further about the zombie incident, and he notes the professor shudder at the word. Jax talks about the moon landing, and Mick’s singing, which gains more than a little amusement. Even Stein is pleased to recall his time impersonating a great musician. He hears stories about dinosaurs, the mob, and Sara insisting that Queen Anne had seduced her. He meets Axel; and while complaining about the uncleanness of rats he finds a smile tugging at his lips as his partner shows the tricks he’s taught the little creature. Sara still meets him to play cards most evenings, and he spends the hours he cannot sleep upgrading his coldgun.

               “Did you really think you could sneak around me Leo?” Lewis sneers.

               “I came, escorted by Chronos, just like you asked!” he replies, gaze shifting to the armored figure next to the left. “Where is Lisa?”

               “In her room, where she will be staying.” He replies.

               “We had an agreement, Lisa’s freedom in return for my surrender.” He growls.

               “Except, you didn’t really intend to stay did you?” Lewis motions to Chronos, who steps into the other room before pushing a bound and gagged Sara to her knees between them.

               “Sara!” the word is out before he can stop it, forcing his voice and expression neutral. “What about her?”

               “I caught her on the edge of the property while you snuck around in here.” He bends down, raising her with a hand against her collar. “Shame really, she’s a pretty girl.”

               “Let her go,” Len warns.

               “Or what Leo?” Lewis looks at him, “I still have Lisa, do you really want to risk her life?”

               Sara is looking at him, tears shimmering in her eyes. But it’s not pain, not hurt or anger he sees in them. It’s regret, it’s the way she looks as if she’s let him down, and it tears him apart. “Let Sara go, and I give you my word, no more tricks.”

               “I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” There’s a sickening crack, and Sara crumples to the floor.

               Leonard wakes with a jerk, heart racing as he fights the sheets away from his body. The nightmare, the memory of that prison the Legion had put him in, terrifyingly vivid still weeks after his rescue. He goes to the shower, leaning against the wall as the water runs down his back, reminding himself that he’s awake, that it was all an illusion. But he can’t shake the image of her empty eyes, of cradling Sara’s lifeless body in his arms.

               So once he’s dressed he turns to leave, intending to locate her just to settle his mind. Before he can do so the door opens, Sara stopping only half a step from walking into him. “Oh…hey,” she looks tired, uneasy even.

               “Hey,” he responds, head tilting slightly, “Can I help you?”

               She nods, “I wanted to run something by you,” she motions above them, “Gideon said you were still up.” She looks at him curiously, “If you aren’t otherwise occupied.”

               He steps to the side, offering her space to walk in. She enters, moving to sit on the floor with her back against the bed while he leans back onto the small desk. “What is it?”

               “I’m not having any luck finding Maestro’s next mark, and I know that everyone is tired of being cooped up.” She shrugs, “I was thinking about taking us back to 2017 for a couple days, just so everyone can unwind.”

               “And you’re asking me?” he frowns

               “I’ve done the whole dead, not dead thing…it took some time before I was ready to face my family and friends.” She shrugs, “I just don’t want you to feel like I’m forcing you to face them if you don’t want to.”

               “I’m fine,” he shrugs, arms crossing over his chest. “I was meaning to ask you about taking the jump ship to visit Lisa anyway.”

               “Jump ship’s gone.” She leans her head back against the bed. “Rip took it.”

               “Where’s Hunter going?” he frowns.

               She shrugs, “Didn’t say, just that we didn’t need him anymore.”

               “Wait,” Leonard’s arms fall back to his sides, “You mean he quit?”

               She offers a crooked smile, “I doubt that’s the way he’d have worded it.”

               “Well he’s hardly here to defend himself,” he moves to sit down next to her, “But he’s got one thing right.” He glances sideways at her, “You are perfectly capable of running this ship.”

               “You feeling alright?” she frowns, reaching up to touch the back of her hand to his head.

               “Mr. Snart is perfectly healthy, though he did –”

               “Gideon,” he warns, then looks at Sara.

               “That’s better,” she smirks, “For a second there I thought you’d gone soft on me.”

               He scoffs, “It would take a lot more than dying to change me that much Birdie.” They both pause as he finishes, Sara looking in surprise as he kicks himself for letting the nickname slip. It had been a term somewhere between flirting and endearment before the Oculus.

               She must see his concern, rising to her feet and skimming the bookshelf until she finds the pack of cards. “Up for a game Len?” He just nods, and they both settle into the familiar pattern again. They’ve just gotten through the second round when she begins to yawn, “I should turn in, there will be a few extra things to do tomorrow with Rip gone.”

               “Stay.” He reaches out, grabbing her wrist as she begins to rise. He releases her just as quickly, sighing as he rises to his feet beside her. “It’s early morning by now, and you’ve already said your roommate doesn’t like being disturbed.” He’s looking at something past her shoulder, but he’s dug himself this far he may as well finish. “Not like we’ve never shared this bed.”

               He watches her consider, opening her mouth as if to answer then just offering a small smile. “Alright, but don’t go getting any ideas Crook.”

               He smirks, “Wouldn’t dream of it Assassin.”

               Without asking permission she goes to his dresser, grabbing one of the larger sweaters before disappearing into the bathroom. By the time she returns the lights are dimmed and he has the cards put away. She crawls into the bed, and he slips in beside her. They begin with their back’s to one another, but before long he can feel her face nestling between his shoulders, fingers playing with the material of his shirt.

               His skin feels like a live wire wherever she touches. He’s always been hyper-aware of this much contact, but it makes him less uncomfortable with Sara. In fact it’s the most relaxed he’s felt since his return. It’s not long before she drifts off, breath warm through the material of his shirt and of on her hands draping over his side. He never dreamed he would miss contact like this, miss the warmth of another person. But he does; and he allows himself to be lulled into sleep by faint feeling of her heartbeat pressed against his back.

Chapter 2 (x) Chapter 4 (x)

[im-gay-for-chibbs-juiceyandtiggy]

Struggling Dove and Drowning Crow Chapters 1&2

CHAPTER ONE

Lexi had been in the hospital for months now and she was finally able to leave, but she didn’t want too. Leaving meant going back, back to that horrible, horrible place. She looked over at her roommate, a girl who had become her best friend in the last few weeks. Haley was making soft noises in her sleep as Lexi pondered what was going happen in the upcoming weeks. She slowly fell into a terror filled sleep.

Haley woke up about three hours before they were both supposed to leave to a very distraught thrashing Lexi. She ran over to the small blonde, gently waking her like she had every day since coming here. Lexi startled up, tears streaming down her face her face as she clung to Haley.

“Sh, it’s alright Lex,” She gently held the shaking girl in her arms, letting her cry herself out. Lexi pulled away as soon as she was able to control her breathing.

“I-I think I should tell you why I’m here…” She murmured weakly, Haley nodded softly.

“Only if you want Lex,” Haley said as she settled on Lexi’s bed next to her.

Lexi looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep shaking breath as she began to talk, “I still live my mother and… she’s been abusive my whole life, switching between starving and beating me. I don’t know how I’m supposed to go back to that place tomorrow.”

“You don’t, then.”

“W-what?” Lexi stared at her. “Where would I go then?”

“Home, with me.” She smiled at her.

“That’s your home, I can’t intrude!” Lexi protested. She knew that eventually the girl would tire of her eventually and she’d end up back with her mother, alone again, like always.

“Lex, you can’t intrude if I’m offering. Plus, I could do with some help wrestling my boys,” She said with a large grin.

“You’ve got kids?” Lexi asked with a tilt of her head. Haley laughed softly with a shake of her head.

“No, I don’t. Uh, I have… Two boyfriends.” Lexi smiled at her softly. “But I swear they’re children.”

“Still I couldn’t. I’d just get in the way!” Lexi said, picking at her nails, anxiously.

“I promise you won’t!” Haley urged with a smile. “Plus, we’ve got a few families with kids who could use help and you’re amazing with kids. So you could help with that!” Lexi looked at Haley, who was smiling, biting her lip. She pulled at her sleeves and nodded softly.

“If you think I won’t be a bother…”

_____________

Opie stepped off his bike, the warm sun beating down on his face. He knew that Haley would be getting out today and it was either him or Gemma that was going to wait for her and Chibs was adamant that she was not to going near Haley for a while. He looked up at the clear blue sky, adjusting his beanie. He watched as Haley and another girl walked out of the building. Her almost white hair had sun bouncing off it. He gasped silently as she neared close enough for him to catch her eye color. Her eyes were a deep mossy green that almost seemed to glow.

“Ope! Hey there,” Haley chirped, smiling at the large man.

“Hey Haley,” He said, his voice was deep and his eyes lingered on the girl next to her. She pulled at her sleeves, the large jacket swallowing her tiny frame. On closer examination, she had faded bruises on her neck and one on her cheek. His stomach lurched.

“Who is she,” He asked, trying to keep his voice neutral and even.

“Ope, this is Lexi, she's gonna be staying with me. So you better not mess with her,” Haley said, giving him a sharp teasing look. “Don't worry about Opie, Lex. He's a teddy bear.” Lexi gave them both a very anxious smile as she gazed around the parking lot.

The girl grabbed Haley’s hand for a reason unknown to Opie. He looked around the area for any sign of danger, finding none. Haley whispered something to Lexi who nodded back slowly eyes glued to a white car out in the parking lot.

Ope watched as her nervous fidgeting turned into full blown shaking and hyperventilating. Hayley gently squeezed her hand, that was until someone stepped out of the car and began yelling and screaming.  

He turned around sharply to go confront the woman causing Lexi such issues. Haley pushed passed him, with a sharp, “Stay.” He looked at her too stunned at her behavior to stop her from going over to the person.

The woman screamed and pushed Haley, hoping to get passed her. He almost pitied her for a second before his eyes landed on Lexi who had somehow ended up on the ground and was now shaking violently. He didn't know how to comfort her. His gaze shifted from Haley who was currently holding the woman by her collar and speaking lowly. The screaming had stopped but Lexi didn't seem to be calling.  

He sighed heavily at the familiar sound of his brothers’ bikes. He watched as Chibs and Tig pulled up behind his own bike, walking swiftly over to a very pissed off Haley. Tig pulled her back, much to her protest.

He decided that he needed to at least try to calm the distraught woman. He kneeled beside her, not touching her. “It's okay, Haley stopped the yelling and she should be coming back over in a second. We're not gonna let you get hurt.”

His words didn't seem to be doing much, but he hoped it would make it easier for Haley to calm her. As he looked over at Haley who was now running back to them. She quickly wrapped Lexi in her arms, murmuring things he couldn't her. He stepped away to his brothers.

“Need a little help, did ye?” Chibs teased. Opie made a noise, eyes glued to Lexi. There was something about her that drew him in. He hadn't even expected to look at another woman… Not after Donna, yet here he was. His heart sank at the thought of his wife and he looked over at Tig. He had forgiven his brother years ago.

Lexi stood, clinging to Haley as if the girl would drift off if she let go. He felt like she might actually be thinking that. ‘What is your story, Lexi,’ He thought.

CHAPTER TWO

Lexi spent the day’s first meal with Haley’s family. Tig was a bit much for her, loud and rambunctious, but seemed nice despite that fact. Chibs, as the man introduced himself, was soft spoken and kind to her. She wondered if Haley had told him about her aversion to yelling and loud noises or if the older man had just figured it out by watching her reactions to Tig. The day had gone on quickly as they breakfast and Haley chatted away with both men until they had to leave. She was left relieved after they had gone.

“They’re a bit much sometimes, I bet. I’ll talk to Tig about being quieter,” She said softly.

“This is their home, they should be themselves,” Lexi said softly, eyes on her hands.

“Lex, I want you to be comfortable here. Now, do you wanna go see baby Abel?” Lexi nodded softly, eyes lighting up. She loved kids, not to say that she particularly wanted any. She was too worried she’d mess them up to even think about having any.

“That’d be nice.”

__________________

Jax watched as Haley and a small blonde pulled up into his driveway. He’d never seen the blonde before in his life.

“Hey Jax,” Haley said as they walked up, the blonde basically cowering behind her.

“Hey Darlin’,” He said smoothly. “Who's this?”

“This is Lexi, a friend of mine, who I was hoping could help you with Abel,” She said, smiling widely at him. He smiled back and motioned them inside with a large smile. He led them back to the small child’s nursery, where he was sleeping silently. He stepped up to the side of the crib, gently petting Abel’s hair and fixing the small beanie on his head.

“He’s so cute,” Lexi murmured softly; he almost missed the words. He smiled and nodded.

“He is,” Haley said softly picking up the small boy, who stayed asleep as she did. She handed him over to Lexi, who held him perfectly. Jax smiled at them, softly. His phone started ringing and Lexi watched as he left the room.

She held Abel closely to her chest, watching him with observant eyes. He opened his eyes, staring up at her, a giggle fell out of his mouth as she gently poked his nose. “Hey little guy,” She said lightly. Jax walked back in, looking a bit disgruntled.

“I have to head to the club house. Ope is gonna drop his kids off if you guys don’t mind,” He said. Haley nodded at him and hugged him.

“Be safe, take care of yourselves,” She said softly. Jax left quickly, leaving both of them with his son in a confused state. “I hope everything is okay.”

“Mhm,” Lexi nodded, cradling the small bundle in her arms protectively. She gently cupped his head.

It was a while before Opie arrived with his children, a light brown haired girl and a dark brown haired boy. Lexi was holding Abel as the boy chatted away with Haley, barely having looked her way yet. The little boy was the first to notice her.

“Who’s that,” He asked softly with a tilt of his head. He looked from Lexi’s mossy eyes to Haley. “Her eyes are pretty.”

“That’s Lexi, Little Man,” Haley smiled at him widely.

“Hi Lexi,” He chirped, walking over to her and sticking out his hand out at her. “I’m supposed to shake your hand.”

“Hi, what’s your name?” She took his hand gently, shaking it while holding Abel with her other arm. He gave her a wide toothy grin.

“I’m Kenny. It’s nice to meet you, Lexi.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Kenny,” She said softly; her gaze shifting to his sister who looked a bit despondent. She gave her a small smile as she looked up at her.

The small group spent awhile talking before Haley announced she was need at the clubhouse as well. Lexi said goodbye as she set the older children up with a movie and went to feed Abel in the kitchen. A large slam of the front door sent the glass in her hand crashing to the floor as her eyes landed on who stood in the door. A large man with grey hair and a black hoodie stared harshly at her.

“Out here,” He said gruffly, pointing a gun at her and motioning her out of the kitchen. She grabbed Abel cradling him in her arms. “Sit the fuck down,” He barked making her jump as she sat beside the two children, sheltering them.

“W-what do you want,” She managed to say, staring up at him. He glared back at her, glancing down at the bundle in her arms.

“Payback.” He tried to snatch Abel away from her, only to have her lash out harshly. She raked her fingernails across his face, leaving marks across his face. She was not going to let this man hurt any of these children.

“Bitch,” He yelled sharply. He smacked her roughly, a bruise readily appearing on her cheek. His ring cut into her face, blood trickling slowly down her face. She hissed in pain, eyes watering slightly.

“You need to leave,” She said; her words as sharp as she could manage. He grinned at her and shook his head.

“Sorry to disappoint, Girlie, that’s not gonna happen until Jax gets here.”

__________________

It had been hours and Lexi had no idea how she was holding it together. All she knew is she had too, at least until Jax got here. She hoped that he would be able to do more than she had been able too. Her cheek ached and she knew it was swollen and more than likely black and blue. Her heart jumped as she heard the sound of motorcycles; she squeezed the two older children’s hands as she stared at the grey haired man who hadn’t spoken other than to tell the crying children to shut up.

The door opened and the grey man swiftly pointed his gun at Jax and Opie, “Sit the fuck down.” The boys were just as quick, pulling their own guns out.

“Put it down,” Jax yelled at the man. “Just put it down, nobody needs to get hurt!” The man’s gun wavered and Jax decided now was time to act as he and Opie pinned the guy to the wall.

“What are you doing here,” Opie’s deep voice growled out as Lexi sheltered the kids in her arms. Her bit of composer was slowly breaking down as she watched. Jax made eye contact with her, looking back at Opie.

“Ope, you need to get the kids and Lexi out of here,” Jax said urgently. He held the man in place as Opie reluctantly moved towards Lexi, his eyes catching hers. She looked away quickly right as tears started pouring down her face. He knelt in front of her, reaching to touch her cheek. She jerked away and hurt flashed across his face. He stood up as Jax moved the large man to the kitchen so they could leave.

“I’ll send Hap and Juice when we get to the Clubhouse,” Opie said and Jax nodded back to him.

_____________

Lexi stood in an empty dorm that Haley had told her to go too. She wasn’t sure what she had been thinking when she had stared down the barrel of that gun, other then she had to protect the kids. A soft knock came at the door.

“Can I come in,” Opie asked softly, only receiving a soft nod from Lexi as he stuck his head in. He noticed she was still shaking. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. I wasn’t meaning too.” She shook her head taking in his awkwardness and trying to put him at ease, after all he wasn’t what had scared her. “I’m sorry you got hurt because of us,” He murmured softly as his eyes once again landed on her cheek. She again shook her head softly.

“No…” She managed softly, eyes glued to the ground as she pulled at her sleeves. “Not your fault…” She gently touched her cheek, pushing it slightly and hissing lightly at the pain. “‘S not that bad, I’ve had worse.”

“That doesn’t really make me feel better,” He murmured his eyes landing on the almost completely faded bruise on her neck. “Thank you for protecting the kids,” He said, shifting awkwardly. She nodded and gave him the best smile she could manage in her exhausted anxious state. “I’m here if ever you need anything, Lexi.”

“Thank you…” She said softly after he had left the room.

[estro-gem]

Jax x Ragatha: Touch

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis

Author's note: Hey guys! It's bunnydoll time! I hope you have the patience to work your way through this one. I wonder if there are any of you who can remotely relate to the way I wrote Jax to be in terms of his aversion to touch.

Oh well, it's just a story about some fictional characters who aren't even mine. Credit goes to Gooseworx, for creating such fun characters for us to play with.

Hope you enjoy this one! This story was suppose to go into a completely different direction, but that idea can always be explored in the future - when I have the guts to put it on paper.

I'm sure that you don't need the context from my previous work to understand/enjoy this one.

Warnings: None... I think.

SUMMARY:

Jax is suffering from the frustrating effects of touch-starvation, despite his touch-aversion rendering him from doing anything about it. After meeting up with his fellow circus-members, a good laugh and a brief on their new adventure, Jax is given the chance to confide in Ragatha.

TOUCH

It was going to be one of those dreaded days.

Jax was lost in a dream only moments before – one of silky, living fabric with the softest stuffing that rang with a hushed, pleading voice for him and only him. For him to give more and more; and in the dream, he was willing – eager – to provide. He’d rattled the mountains to kneel before a ragdoll only to be brought to his knees himself, all for his little doll to just look at him.

To really just look at him.

Jax closed his eyes again, seeking the warm, fuzzy afterglow of the caresses shared in his lost dream. He desperately tried to sink deeper into his mattress, as he was pressed into the softness of his doll only moments before.

But now he was burning from the inside out.

Red-hot fire nipped and crackled on his skin and yet, Jax wanted to curl into himself and burst into shivers as his heart bashed into his ribcage, threatening to jump out from his throat. The sensations caused him to forget to reign in his breathing, so he was left almost panting, until the sound of his own voice riled him up even more. He sounded so pathetic and desperate in the confines of his own room.

Suddenly Jax’s attention was drawn to his claws, now ripped through his yellow gloves, and digging into his pillow. He pulled back his hands and forced himself to relax his digits enough, to allow the claws to sink back into place; tucked away and safe. The rabbit spied the little holes that his claws left in the plush bedding, feeling the sour taste of guilt invade his being.

That could’ve been Raggs.

Just like that, the sour was drowned in the glowing, shivering heat that trembled through him again. He groaned as he rolled over to sit up on the edge of his bed. He tried to force the thoughts of her eyes out of his head, only to be thrusted into the intrusive impulse of crushing her against him, stealing her breaths.

The bunny laid his face into his hands and felt the sting of tears at the back of his eyes. It’s been a while since he felt like this, and the frustration was getting to him in ways that was almost too embarrassing to acknowledge. Jax knew that he was only going to suffer more once he left the safety of his room and he desperately tried to muster up all the reasons why he shouldn’t leave.

But someone would come knocking at his door if he didn’t – and heaven forbid that it would be Ragatha calling his name from the outside…

Because he might not be able to stop himself from dragging her into his depths only to screaming his name from the inside…

No.

This had to stop.

He was going to be fine, frustration been damned! It was just a bit of an off day, but nothing like he hasn’t lived through before. Yes, Jax was well equipped to handle the tug of war between touch-aversion and touch-starvation for the day. Just one day.

Just like he’d done all the mere handful of times he felt like this since he got here.

Jax lifted his arms to stretch, hearing the ring in his ears as he groaned at the pleasure of relieving his tense muscles. Speaking of stiffness, Jax felt the overall form of his body being a tad bit more defined and firmer than usual. Intrigued by this discovery, he poked at his bicep to confirm that it was as solid as it appeared, before rolling his eyes in annoyance. He must have really been tensed up and… invested… in that dream of his for him to notice it – or maybe his mind was just trying to occupy himself to forget the yearning for his doll’s hands to glide over his skin.

Ugh, it was going to be a rough day…

Whether Jax wanted to or not, he eventually left his room and dragged himself down the empty hallway of many doors. Voices buzzed from the main area, but he was too distracted to single them out, so the bunny was left to the element of surprise. He didn’t mind it too much, as he believed that any conversation would stimulate him beyond the confusing war between the contradicting needs of his body versus his mind.

The itch that only another’s touch could soothe, versus the itch of the unbearable residue that the touch would leave in its wake.

It was pathetic.

Finally met with the familiar figures in the main area, the rabbit’s eyes were pulled and fixed onto a specific scene. He narrowed his eyes, as his mind raced through multiple thoughts, not quite knowing what to make of what he saw.

Pomni and Kinger were off to the side of the main group, seemingly in a conversation that held the keen attention of the jester. She was practically fixated on the oversized chess piece, who by no doubt was talking about something deeper than the ramblings of a madman. Jax spotted mismatched eyes of the king dulled and muddled – and for once, sober. Just then, Jax decided to steer clear of those two, not wanting to rain on the royal’s parade.

It’s been so long since Kinger was as aware as he was now.

Even Jax wouldn’t want to knock down that precious house of cards. When Kinger was oriented, things were just… better in the Circus. It wasn’t something that anyone could explain, but something about Kinger holding out for so long, made life in the Digital Realm seem possible – even when surrounded and inflicted by anything and everything that was impossible. Granted, those sober moments were few, brief and far in-between, but they were there, rooted, and present. Jax recalled many instances where he was met with the elder’s sobriety, only for it to crumble to ash when he attempted to delve into it.

A genuine question asked by Jax in attempt to encourage the continuation of Kinger’s clear mindset, only met with the abrupt cut-off of another startled question by Kinger about whatever was happening at that moment, as if it never happened in the first place.

The snake’s charms were also proven to be ineffective against the royal, barely acknowledging his baiting and deliberate sabotage, but Jax kept hissing and striking regardless. In fact, everyone included Kinger in the happenings of the oasis, regardless of the effectiveness of it all. Anything that anyone could do for another precious moment of clarity from the king, was considered a worthy effort, because if he could make it this far and still have his mind…

Who’s to say they couldn’t make it either – even if only in small, precious increments?

What a shame to see such a precious moment of clarity to be wasted on a stupid waste of space. She had no idea how lucky she was to have that gem in her grimy little grasp.

Jax scoffed; deciding to look to where the rest of the group was situated. His heart clenched at the sight of his girls, watched over by none other than Zooble themself.

Gangle was happily wrapped around Ragatha’s slim frame. He could tell that the ribbon continuously squeezed the doll with a firm, but gentle pressure, just as Ragatha liked it. He heard Zooble mumble teasing comments about Raggs 'stealing their girl' as Gangle nuzzled her face into the top of the doll’s head, burying her face into the red wooly locks with an admittedly cute smile on her face. Sometimes, Jax wished for them to be living another life, where the bunny would be free to just pinch and tug the masked ribbon’s cheeks. He’d make it hurt, that’s for sure!

And then, there was his doll, also smiling and content – at ease in the crushing grasp of Gangle’s magic touch. The doll often sought out the ribbonoid for her infamous squeeze, as they found that Gangle was the best at practicing Ragatha’s occasional need for deep-pressure therapy.

Sure, some time ago, it was a case of desperation on Jax’s part to indulge his doll with his weighted cuddling, but Gangle was the ideal option. He didn’t mind the rare time with his dolly one bit, though. The annoying itch and bother prickling at his skin for the few hours afterwards was all the more worth it to have Ragatha melted and helpless beneath him.

Where she belonged.

Jax felt a warm, but not exactly unpleasant tingling ghost over his lips when his needy thoughts pushed back into his head upon remembering the sensual kiss he left on the inside of her wrist. It was when she wordlessly begged him to have her caress his cheek as her shaking hand hovered in offering for him to accept or reject. He couldn’t ever say no then – he doubted that he’d ever be able to say no to her ever.

Her face… her voice… pleading his name like a prayer...

Stop it.

 It’s just worse because of that stupid, unrealistic dream he had before! It didn’t matter how much he dreamt about him sinking and drowning into his doll, because in the waking world, he was just a broken snake that felt the need to shed his skin every time anyone had the mere thought of touching him.

Why couldn’t he just be normal?

For the time being, he’d be happy to just live vicariously through Gangle securely holding Ragatha as she sat cross-legged on the floor, while Gangle playfully blew raspberries at Zooble, who could only shake their head in mock-disappointment. It was written all over the ragdoll’s face and evident in the melody of her bright laugh; Ragatha felt safe and content.

That was more than enough for Jax to be happy.

Right?

“Jax! Took you long enough!” Jax was pulled out from his thoughts upon the sound of Zooble’s bored, bossy tone, “You’re lucky Caine’s not here yet. Where were you anyway?”

Jax’s sleazy grin was fixed on his face, trained and trimmed as the snake he was, “Oh, you know… definitely not snooping around you rooms or anything – but hypothetically, if I were, I’m pretty sure I forgot something in one of them, so if you find it, be sure to give me a shout!” He winked.

“Jax, I swear…” Ragatha’s face was pulled into a scowl, but the fire she possessed proved her spirit to shine as bright as ever, “If you rigged my room with firecrackers and smoke bombs again, I am going to lose it.”

“What?” Jax exclaimed in false expiration, “Didn’t you hear me say that it was hypothetical, Dollface? You might wanna get your ears checked, because it seems I left one too many centipedes in your room to crawl into them at night.”

“Oh my lord, Jax stop. Just stop.” Ragatha squirmed to get her arms free from Gangle’s grasp and cover her ears while shutting her eyes, “You are tricking me into thinking that I can actually feel them in my head!”

“I just got her to calm down, Jaaaax!” Gangle whined, switching out her masks to frown properly.

Jax wanted to laugh, but the girl’s whining rang an alarm.

Why would Raggs need to calm down?

He had to be smart about this – the coldblooded snake couldn’t show that he cared, so asking about it was out of the question. He considered using his silence – that always got someone talking.

He raised an eyebrow for good measure.

To his luck, Gangle just knew, as she always did, “She’s feeling a little touch starved today.”

Ragatha opted to cover her face instead of her ears. Her cheeks were glowing red with embarrassment, and she groaned out Gangle’s name to shut the ribboniod up, but the damage was done. Zooble saw Jax perk up more than he probably should have, followed by him sinking into himself like he was dragging dead weight with him. He was struggling to maintain his composure, Zooble thought to themself, surprised that even they were able to read him so easily today.

Meanwhile Jax was suffering from the internal fire that just didn’t seem to leave him be today.

What dumb luck for him and his poor little dolly to be suffering the same fate. He consoled himself that the solution was at least easier for Raggs than it was for him. He had other issues that prevented him from getting the help he wanted. He only wanted his doll’s touch – but even then, he didn’t really want it, either. It felt a bit comforting to know that Ragatha was suffering alongside him, but it killed him that he couldn’t do anything about it!

If he were to indulge in her touch like he did a mere week before, he would probably want to skin himself by the end of it all. The whole situation was bizarre to begin with! It was rare that he craved touch so quickly after such an invasive encounter, but here he was. And there she was.

Even though he knew that they were so different, it hurt a little to think that his touch only satisfied her until now, before she felt near distressed with need again.

And it also hurt that Gangle could replace his touch so well.

It actually hurt a little more than he was willing to admit.

Someone’s eyes were burning into his face and it was enough to have him jump out of his own head, looking over his fellow circus mates to see who’s eyes it was. He was surprised to find his dolly’s eyes peeking through her fingers. When he looked to her, she didn’t avert her gaze, so he had a chance to get a read on her, only for the bunny to find something he didn’t expect.

Ragatha had that yearning look again.

She watched his face very closely, as she slowly lowered her hands from her face, never once glancing away. The doll was calling out to him – he knew she was! His core was invaded with butterflies as she entranced him with that look that she seemed to reserve for him alone. He fell in love with how she silently pleaded for him, only to realize that she was, in fact, silently pleading for him.

He blinked but didn’t stir otherwise, trying to uphold his careless façade.

‘What do you want?’ a single, swift scrunch of his face was all he needed for her to understand.

Ragatha blinked in turn, and after a moment of her tossing her gaze around in search for an answer, her eyes fixed on him… or rather… his legs. His thighs? ...His hips?

Jax wanted to be set ablaze with that thought alone, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop the chuckle that bubble up from his chest. He knew it was unlikely but the thought of Ragatha being vexed by his hips was a hilarious thought at the time.

When Ragatha’s face became adorned with confusion, he flashed her a cheeky smile and swung his hips playfully, if not a tad suggestive. Her eye widened to resemble a dinnerplate before the dam broke and she burst into explosive laughter. It was so sudden that Jax could only bend over and wheeze as Gangle squeaked in surprise.

“I’m sorry!” Ragatha squeezed out in apology to her, but with one look to Jax’s face, laughter erupted from her with a new vigor. As Jax sunk onto his hands and knees, it seemed that he couldn’t risk looking at the doll without laughing either. The situation left Gangle and Zooble glancing between the 2 in the utmost confusion, but they didn’t get the chance to ask anything.

“My, my! It’s sure is a jolly occasion we have here!” Caine’s voice boomed from above, suddenly floating in the space between Jax and Ragatha, “Care to share the joke, folks? The audience would be dying to know!”

“Oh, Caine, hey buddy!” Jax managed to say as he desperately tried to just breathe again, “Don’t- don’t worry about it-” Jax cut himself off with a something in between a whine and a suppressed giggle.

“Yes, it was all just-” Ragatha caught her laugh and offered a moment of silence, before trying to continue in a shaking voice, “Just a misunderstaNdInG.”

Laughter erupted again, though it was more of a chaotic jumble of wheezes and heavy breathing between the bunny and the doll. It was a challenge for Gangle and Zooble not to feel left out, but they found themselves smiling at their friends who were finally blowing off some steam.

For whatever reason they were unaware of…

The laughter eventually died down as Caine enthusiastically explained the adventure he had cooked up for the crew. When he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the team reluctantly divided themselves into groups of 2, purely based on whomever wanted to team up. The only two who didn’t team up willingly, was Kinger and Pomni, who were the last two left after Gangle clung to Zooble and Jax slide beside Ragatha.

They were chummy before, right? Who better to be paired together than the 2 local nutjobs?

There was a brief commotion of protest and complaining, before the teams departed and split up to perform the silly tasks that were set out to complete the adventure, as Caine described. It wasn’t long before the silence between the bunny and the doll was broken by Jax right after they lost sight of the others.

“So, Dollface, I didn’t take you as the blunt and forward type of gal!” Jax wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, “Unless it’s just ‘cause it’s me and I’m just too irresistible to be taken out to dinner first.”

“Oh, quiet you! I told you that it was a misunderstanding.” Ragatha blew him off, much to Jax’s dismay.

He pressed on with his signature grin fixed on his face, determined to understand, “You told Caine that. You didn’t tell me squat. So? Out with it! What were you looking at? Whattaya want, Doll?”

Ragatha sighed, much like a tired mother would, “It’s fine, Jax, it’s over now. We can leave it be.”

“Nuh uh, it ain’t over. We’re bringing it back, toots!” Jax dismissed her immediately.

But the doll didn’t seem to budge.

“You’d never be able to handle it! You’ll live with the eternal regret for even considering asking.”

Was that a challenge?

“Oh ho ho, darlin’…” Jax tone shifted to a menacing one, causing Ragatha to audibly gulp when he moved to stop her from walking on, looming over her, “You have no idea what you just started.”

She recovered quickly, thinking that Jax was messing around as he usually was, “Jax, we should forget it ever happened. I’m serious!”

“So am I.”

It turns out he was actually serious for once.

“What do you want, Ragatha?” Jax asked in an ominous tone, not giving the doll the chance to digest just how serious he was to use her full name.

It turns out was actually really, really serious for once.

“What does it matter?” the ragdoll breathed, hardly intimidated, yet greatly stunned.

“What do you mean ‘what does it matter?’” Jax shuffled closer to stand inches away, causing for the doll to crane her neck to look up at him, “When you beg for me with that pretty little eye of yours, what makes you think it wouldn’t matter?”

Ragatha felt the familiar rush of heat bite her cheeks as Jax blown pupils pinned her in place. His words could easily just be the words of the snake, but something within Ragatha’s depths wanted to believe that it was only the words of the man before her.

Her man.

 “If I tell you what I want, you have to deal with the regret of knowing by yourself.” Ragatha spoke with a calm, steady voice as she prepared for the moment to wither away with the diminished sound of her future confession, “Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Jax murmured, not once breaking his gaze from her face.

Ragatha took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eyes, steeling herself for the disappointment to drag down his spirit. She took only a second longer to appreciate the churring sound of Jax’s teeth grinding within his mouth.

“Your hands.” Ragatha sighed in defeat, “I was looking at your hands.”

Jax didn’t stir or change his demeanor, silently processing the information, “My hands…”

Hands. What could she want with his hands?

Hands grab.

Hands carry.

Hands hold.

Hands touch…

Oh. Oh.

OH!

Realization must have washed over his face, because Ragatha allowed her head to fall forward in regret.

“Do you see now?” she asked with sorrow lacing her voice, “You regret knowing now.”

Jax was silent for a moment, only to softly speak up – almost to himself, “Do you know why I was late this morning?” a beat of silence, “I was dreaming about your hands too.”

Ragatha’s head flung itself up, to look at him in shock, but was met with the saddened expression of the bunny as he continued to speak, “In my dreams, I can’t get enough of them. I can’t get enough of your touch, Raggs.”

The doll’s eye started stinging with tears, but her face remained stuck in shock.

Jax wasn’t finished, “Seeing you enwrapped with Gangle makes me so happy, Raggs. I love seeing my girls take care of each other, but believe me when I tell you that I’m selfish enough to wish that you came to me instead – even if I can’t hold you like she can…”

The silence that followed, stretched a bridge between them.

The ragdoll blinked once before taking the chance to speak, “May I touch you right now? Please?”

More silence deafened them, but a lot was said in the looks they shared.

Jax sighed, bracing himself for the confusing tingles his doll tend to leave on his skin, “...Go on.”

Without knowing what to expect, Jax eyed the movements of her hands, only to see them fold into each other behind her back. The rabbit’s breath hitched as he saw the whole of Ragatha's body move closer to stand against his frame with her forehead resting right under his chin. He violently shivered when he felt the doll’s breath caress his upper chest.

His brain malfunctioned when he felt her soft, warm lips place a long, tender kiss on his sternum.

No itching. No tingles. No burning.

Fireworks.

He huffed out an aspirated breath and allowed his shaky hands to grab at her shoulders to keep her in place when he felt her hastily back away. He proceeded to wrap his arms around Ragatha and crush her against his body, as he did in his dreams, suffering the onslaught of firecrackers and sparks erupting from everywhere their bodies met. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, and she could hear the thundering beats of his heart bashing to break free from its cage.

The sound that left his dolly’s mouth would haunt him for years to come and he couldn’t care less. For the first time since he was trapped in the Digital Circus, Jax was overwhelmed by the white-hot bliss of touch.

...Until it became all too much, all too soon.

And the dreaded itch crawled back into his skin, causing Jax to grab Ragatha’s shoulders again and harshly shove her back and away from him. The poor bunny was panting and trembling as he looked at Ragatha’s face in shock.

She was as frazzled as he was but she recovered quicker to tend to the poor, overstimulated bunny.

“I just want you to understand one thing.” Ragatha spoke between a few harsh breaths as she calmed down, “At times, I may need someone else's touch, but…”

Jax fought to focus his eyes on the woman before him – to indicate that she had his utmost attention, just before she blew all thoughts from his mind as she completed her sentence;

“I will always want you more than anything.”

She didn't need to say more, trusting that he understood her words perfectly.

Unlike a 'need', a 'want' can not be fulfilled.

Oasis: TADC AU list

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[estro-gem]

Jax x Ragatha: Eyes

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis

Author's Note:

When he looks at me... and I look at him... and he looks at me... aNd I lOoK aT hIm - I'll stop now I was meaning to write about the other characters, but these 2 were stuck in my head! Blasted!

I craved fluff, so I give fluff. This is a simple, short and sweet scenario. It might take a bit for me to write again, but we'll see how it goes. Let's hope there's no mistakes in the grammar! No warnings; other than the fact that the characters belong to Gooseworx~

Sorry if I disappear for a while, I'll try not to make it too long. Final year degree stuff...

SUMMARY:

Ragatha hand-embroiders something under Jax's merciless stare.

Please enjoy!

EYES

Watching someone repeatedly poking a needle through fabric shouldn’t be so interesting.

Ragatha decided to blame it on the obvious; Jax was stuck in a digital world where every day was a chaotic deadline with the pressure of your whole family coming for a visit this coming evening and your house was still a mess, because you didn’t have the time or energy to clean it this morning, since your cat decided to shred the last toilet paper you had in you house and you had nothing to wipe with, thus it cost you an early trip to the store, but you missed the bus and it was raining, so you ditched the store to just walk to work, only to realize that you haven’t changed out of your pajama’s yet and you had no spare clothes, forcing yourself to attend a meeting with water dripping down your legs and you clothes sticking to your body.

That was oddly specific…

The point is that everyone craved some form of normalcy. Jax was allowing himself to just exist her presence, who was caught in the slow, tedious process of embroidering a purple piece of fabric by hand. He didn’t make an effort to keep a conversation going, but the ragdoll wasn’t bothered by it. Her hands tingled where his big eyes were fixated, watching intently.

They were situated on a two-seater couch that they randomly found back stage. It's been a while since the group first carried it out to place it off to the side, near the main area. It was rarely used, unless it was a scenario such as this one; Jax watching Ragatha embroider quietly.

At first, she thought that he was looking for an error to point out, or even just to mess with her by trying to make her self-conscious with his unblinking staring. To counter whatever she thought he had planned, she would just discard the fabric and thread, while she wasn’t too far into her progress. In doing that, this would be a practice trail to complete her embroidery project away from prying eyes in the future and she would have the satisfaction of seeing Jax’s face when he saw how unbothered she was losing her progress or messing up.

But the snarky comments never came.

That’s alright, Ragatha could work with that! He was just being patient, until she had something to show for her time and effort. Until her work was something of value to lose. It was only a matter of time before the bunny brought up his old schemes again, so in the meantime, she would just have to continue. She was actually making great progress; it was starting to really look like something.

Oh no…

Ragatha didn’t think that she would make it this far. What started as two big dilated, black pupils, evolved into two large golden eyes staring up from the purple fabric. She was currently hyper-focused on the black rim surrounding the brilliant golden sclera of the second eye, almost completing the set. It was coming on so nicely.

The doll wasn’t nearly as brave as she was before. She wanted to curse her patience with herself, with this project, with Jax being Jax...

A mysterious flush of heat and tingles dragged itself up the red-head’s face. She couldn’t understand why – she was annoyed, but she wasn’t angry. She wasn’t even human, so the sensations, though otherworldly, was not the strangest thing to happen to her – she could take and axe to the face without so much as a squeak – but it was still puzzling her. It was making her feel lightheaded, as she suddenly became very aware of her steady calm breathing and abruptly fumbled to consciously control it. It was like she was a flustered mess that suddenly forgot how to breathe. All her well-practiced hand motions briefly paused as there was a moment of deep contemplation.

The tingling heat instantly evaporated from her face, only to flare up onto her now frozen hands, hovering closely over the embroidery.

Ragatha almost twisted her neck with how quickly she whipped her sight to Jax sitting next to her.

She was probably hallucinating, but she almost believed that she saw him lean back slightly, as if reigning himself. The bunny was comfortably sitting back with his one arm hanging over the back of the couch they shared, bending his elbow to rest his cheek on his hand. If the doll shuffles closer, he would practically have his arm draped around her shoulders, and she would be able to rest her head in the crook of his neck.

His eyes were fixed on her hands that was now folded atop one another, covering the golden orbs she spent so long on. He didn’t look bored, per say, but he did sport his usual smug, unbothered expression. If anything, he looked content, but Ragatha knew Jax better than that. She could feel that the intensity of his gaze prickling over her now heated hands meant that he was deeply invested – interested. If she felt his eyes so prominently fixed on her hands…

Was he focused on her face before?

“Ya makin’ somethin’, Dollface?” Jax asked nonchalantly, lazily trailing his gaze up to her face. He was wearing that smug grin - and the poor dolly suffered the severe rush of heat bite into her cheeks again, desperately trying to focus. She missed the fierce flash in Jax’s eyes as she tried to keep her darn breathing steady; not quite able to just let it manifest naturally anymore – too slow, then too fast… then too slow…

“You tell me.” She bit back without thinking, “You’ve been staring this whole time.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes!” Ragatha huffed out, “What? Are you waiting for me to mess it up?”

“Only you could mess this one up.” Jax mused through his Cheshire grin, “I didn’t even touch you!”

“You didn’t have to touch me to make me- eh- nevermind!”

“To make ya what?” The sparkle in Jax’s eyes seemed to blaze into a raging fire. His eyes seemed to pin her down for a moment, before his tone suddenly shifted, "You give me too much credit, Doll."

Dangerous.

Jax felt dangerous when he was eyeing her like that. It’s a danger that Ragatha couldn’t help but get lost in, as she let out something between a huffy sigh and an incredulous cackle. Her hands were shaking. The tension was getting harder and harder to endure. When Jax was like this – when she was like this - they always ended up like gasoline on fire.

The doll would always somehow unintentionally, yet willingly tempt him by looking like his personal feast.

Jax would always somehow resist the urge to kiss her breathless.

“What exactly are ya makin, Raggs?” Jax strained his smile as he tore his gaze away from her siren-call she has for a face. Things must move along before the bunny does something he would instantly regret.

Ragatha took a few seconds to cool herself off, then followed the rabbit’s lead to look to the golden eyes she was embroidering.

“I wanted to make a plush.” She mindlessly trailed one finger along the rim of the eye, “I figured that I could embroider the face before cutting the fabric into the shapes I need. It's a bit upside down, since it'll probably by easier to stuff the plush first, but I didn't think this would turn out so well. It was meant to be a practice-run.”

“Those are my eyes.” Jax gave her a cheeky glance, “You miss me in bed or something?”

It was supposed to be a joke, but the doll decided, she had enough.

Screw it.

“I thought this would be a good alternative, yes.” Ragatha said plainly, effective shutting the rabbit up, as her voice seemed to wilt slightly, “I wouldn’t bother you as much. I know you don’t like me touching you.”

“Ragatha, I don’t like anyone touching me.” Jax turned to face her fully, tone shifted uncomfortably serious. He almost sounds upset.

Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. In attempt to save the situation, she kept het mouth shut. No more words.

Dolls are seen, not heard.

“Why me?” he asked, a simple question.

It only required a simple answer.

“I trust you.”

Ragatha wanted nothing more than to leave. She was embarrassed and uncomfortable; and she was convinced that Jax felt the same. She didn’t consider that she ripped his heart out of his chest by saying that.

She shouldn’t trust a snake...

Just when Ragatha got up to retreat to her room, she jolted upon feeling a desperate hand grab at the hem of her dress. She stood in place, but didn’t look at Jax. She wanted to forget that they had a conversation in the first place.

“Make me one when you are done with yours?” Jax spluttered out unplanned. There was a beat of silence, before the doll gave in to look at the bunny once again. At least he got her attention-

“Make you a plush… of yourself…?” Ragatha asked slowly, confused.

“Make me one of you.”

He had to be joking. There was no way that he would ask something like that and be serious about it, right? He would just wait for the moment she let her guard down to start laughing, right? Right?

The room just wailed in silence.

It weighed down his larger-than-life persona to dangle at his knees. Ragatha was dumbstruck as she searched his face for something wicked, only to find a troubled man stare back at her.

He was being sincere.

“Why me?” She asked, confused; a simple question.

It only required a simple answer.

“I trust you.”

Oasis: TADC AU list

Masterlist