★ LABYRINTH ★ JAX X GN! READER || TADC

⭑ promises to be broken ⭑

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

~y/n pov~

After a while I had cooled down, coming to terms with my situation. I didn't reveal anything to ragatha, worried that she would think it was pathetic for me even trying to keep count. I told her I was going to take a walk to clear my head. She agreed that taking a breather was the best idea. On that, we parted, and she remarked that she would come find me if Caine announced a game.

This time I didn't just mindlessly wander, I was now set on finding the place that jax took me to, the place of the circus that was dark and flowed with the paper mache stars. Though as I tried my best trying to mimic each of Jax's steps, thoughts plauged my mind. Why was my count erased? Perhaps it was a rule of the digital word to not engrave on the walls, so the wall just reset...to avoid further confusion and sadness, I dropped the matter at that.

I felt my spirits lift only when I could feel the light die down. After a while of following the darkness, I finnaly found the large abandoned playstructure, almost invisible in the darkness which wasn't illuminated by the small yellow paper stars strung from the ceiling.

I walked over to the playstructure and slid down on the cushioned floor, leaning against it. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths, my nose clearing as my crying finnaly fully halted. I wiped my still teary eyes with the heel of my hand as I tried to focus on the feeling of the ground beneath me. I was like that for a long time, until...

"Hey sweetheart..."

My body tensed at the sudden voice. But when I looked up I saw the dimly illuminated silhouette of a certain periwinkle rabbit standing a good distance away from me, his hands in his pokets and his large yellow grin prominent even in the dark. I sighed and relaxed. "Your getting bold with the nicknames..." my eyes narrowed at him, even though I knew he couldn't see it. I wasn't in the mood for teasing, especially from him.

He didn't respond and I closed my eyes again. Though soon I felt his body sitting next to mine, leaning against the playstructure. He was silent, which confused me, so I spoke up. "What do you want?" I said quietly, not wanting to ruin my peaceful disposition.

"Nothin'," he responded with such an innocent voice I almost scoffed. "I just saw you crying in your room with ragatha, and I just thought it'd be curtious if I check up on ya'..." he hummed.

I didn't respond, convinced that this was just another one of his cheap tricks.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong?" He asked in an unusually gentle voice.

"Not really."

"Oh c'mon, I'll be nice."

I opened my eyes slightly. I mean, he did  already see me cry...it would just be awkward if I didn't tell him at least a little bit of what was going on. Of course, just like with ragatha, I wouldn't tell him everything.

"I just...I don't like this place. I miss my old life." I was all out of tears, so my body and voice just lightly shook whilst my eyes stayed dry. I couldn't bare to look at jax, certain that his expression would be pitying or something like that...

Long moments of silence passed before jax spoke, his voice slightly hesitant. "Would yooouuu...like a hug?" 

My brow raised as I turned my head to look at him, his signature yellow grin still prominent, just his eyes a little pitying. Upon my confused looking he held out his arms. "I won't bite." He chuckled.

From what I had gathered, nice moments like this were rare for Jax. So instead of leaving him hanging like I would do under different circumstances, i fell into the hug, loosely wrapping his arms around him as he did the same. I closed my eyes. It was surprisingly comfortable, which prompted me to relax my body...

~jax pov~

I knew I was terrible at comforting, one of the only things that I was bad at that I could admit. But this...it was different. Guilt still ran rampant in my mind, but I would feel it settle ever so slightly as y/n embraced me. Their body pressed against mine warmed me in the cold darkness. I felt my senses suddenly become acutely aware. I could hear their breathing, feel their fingerpads rest over my fur, their heartbeats against my chest as they leaned into the hug...my eyes widened as my smile dropped, looking down to make sure y/n hadn't noticed. I mentally sighed in relief when I saw that their eyes were closed.

I rested my head top theirs to gather my thoughts. The only time I had hugged others were gangle if ragatha forced me to apologize to her, or zooble when I was teasing them...this felt so much more diffrent then. When sharing such a thing with others, the gesture felt empty and meaningless. but now...I loved it. it made me feel warm, secure, I wanted more...

I'm almost every interaction me and y/n have had, they were either yelling at me, cursing me, or slightly frightened. It was alien to me as y/n was relaxed in my arms, unthreatened and unthreatening...it was so nice. 

I took a deep breath, my teeth clenching. Oh man..even their smell  I loved. This was a perfect moment, and I hated it, but I loved it at the same time....

I was doing exactly what I told myself not to do, and what ragatha told me not to do. I was getting attached to them. I cringed inwardly at the pain that this would inflict in the future. How could I snoop around their room and go behind their back whilst the guilt grew worse every time? They were a spy!  They're probably just gaining my trust so I will be oblivious to their plan. Everything in my mind was telling me to stop, but I didn't want to...I wanted to breath them in, spy or not.

I willed myself to make another promise (even though I had already made and broke over a hundred since y/n got here): this was the last time, then I would refuse to grow closer. I would make them grow close me to me, but I wouldn't reciprocate. I just needed to know the truth about them, to protect everyone.

I was almost convinced that y/n was asleep, their breathing falling back into the rhythmic pattern that I heard the night before after the uh...incident. I took this opportunity to breath deeply, adoring the comforting atmosphere of me and y/n, alone...

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───