Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

   Lately, Caine’s adventures have been getting pretty wild again.

   It happens every once in a while if he isn’t rebooted – kinda like an AI chat reading off of itself, back and forth. It ends up spiraling further each day, and I was horrified for what today would be..

   This past week has been a mix of many old adventures, with a twist. Like Candy Canyon Kingdom.. but lit on fire. The objective was to *obviously* put OUT the fire. But.. the Candy Kingdom melted before everyone’s eyes. 

   The screaming of the melting Candypeople was ingrained into my mind afterwards. Recalling that one in particular shot me back up from my bed.

 “Ugh..When was the last time I slept..?” 

   Sure, we didn’t need to sleep here, but not sleeping didn’t make my silly cartoonish body any less sore and my mind any calmer. It felt as if I just ran a marathon.

   My fatigued limbs slowly moved itself to the edge of my bed. The digital sun is up again; it’s time to prepare for whatever $@!*hole adventure the ever buggy Caine had for us now. 

   Letting out a deep sigh, and finally stepping down from my bed- I walk past the mirror, catching a glimpse of myself. 

“Wow..I look like $@!* too.”

    Opening the dresser, I only have the one costume to change into from our sleepwear, before opening my door and entering the hallway.

   It’s typically the same routine every morning. I’m usually the first to wake up, the first to leave my room, and the first to arrive at the dining area where I sit and have a single glass of water—

“Not hungry again?” 

   I jump in my seat. My heart had nearly leapt out of my throat with how Zooble and Gangle seemed to appear out of thin air. I shook my head, setting my glass down with my now shaky hand.

“I’m too nervous to eat when I’m thinking about the week we’ve had.” I lean back in my chair and let out a wavering laugh.

“I don’t really want to lose my lunch again.” And one too many times, did we all have to watch as Bubble acted as the Janitor for our messes..

   One by one, the rest of the cast entered the dining area. Becoming more lively, it dispersed into strings of different conversations filling the closed space of the digital box.

   I sit in my seat quietly, before feeling a tiny tap on my shoulder. I turned my head slightly, already seeing the red hair from my peripheral. 

“Hey, Pomni! Uhhh.. I just wanted to uh- check in with you. We all had a bad time yesterday with the Candy Kingdom and you especially seemed to be the most affected by it so I just wanted to make-”

   I nodded. “I’m okay, Ragatha. Thanks for your concern, though.” Cutting off Ragatha’s ramble.

“Oh..Yeah..” She stood there for a moment, like she didn’t know how to continue. Fiddling with the patchwork on her dress, I could see her rattling her head of what she wanted to say next, but her thoughts were cut-off by the very loud arrival of Caine.

(Cue the confetti, and random blaring horns that come from god knows where)

“HELLLLLLOOO And good morning my silly little polygons and code! We have a 

JAM-PACKED 

fun-filled 

scream-TASTIC adventure waiting for our amazing little scout explorers today! We need–

ALL. 6. OF. YOU.”

   Caine paused his speech for a brief moment, his eyes ever so slowly honing in on Zooble who was desperately trying to avert their gaze from him.

“…..To join us at the stage innnn…about maybe ten.”

.

.

.

“Uh.. ten what? Seconds? Minu-” Ragatha was drowned out once more by Caine's booming voice, completely ignoring the question.

“ALLLLRIGHTY, SEE YOU ALL THERE!” And disappearing without a trace, leaving the entire dining room in an uncomfortable silence. The cast members glance at one another.

“So…should we go, or..”

   Zooble was the first to break the silence, everyone beginning to follow their lead by reluctantly getting up and throwing their trash away. The crew filed out of the dining room.

   Pomni trailed further behind, becoming increasingly more anxious for what Caine meant by ‘scream-tastic.’ He sure meant it on that Candy Kingdom adventure..

   The distance from the dining area to the stage was fairly miniscule and we found ourselves waiting around for quite a while.

“Do you think Caine’s rebooted himself yet? I don’t know if we can handle another ‘Candy Kingdom’ or ‘Mirror of Mazes’ fiasco.”

   Gangle was holding her Happy Mask, her ribbons were trembling from the thought of anything topping those horrifying adventures from “Buggy Caine” as we’ve been calling him.

   Zooble sighed and lifted their detachable arms in a shrug-like motion, not really having an answer that could comfort their poor friend.

“Nahh, I’m sure Caine doesn’t even know he’s buggin’ out right now.”

   A familiar voice rings out from behind the crew. I turned my head to see the tall purple rabbit come into view. 

“It’ll be fineee c’mon!! What’s the worst that could happen? Gangle breaks her mask again? Ragatha gets a centipede in her hair— oh wait both have already happened today..”

   Before he can even finish his sentence, the porcelain mask is in pieces and Ragatha is yanking a bug out of her hair, as if he snapped his fingers and made it happen. How is he that quick?

   It surprises me how Jax pulls the same pranks everyday and still, they have not found a way to just..not let it happen. 

“JAX! How many times must you pull the same prank! They aren’t even funny!”

“As many times as you keep falling for them, rag-doll.”

   I stifled a small laugh. Even if it happens everyday, it never fails to cheer me up at least a tiny bit.

   Jax hears the faint laughter, and glances in the vicinity of where Pomni is, before fixing his gaze elsewhere. Mission completed..

   The yelling and arguing of the plush and bunny are drowned out immediately by the arrival of Caine once again.

“Now, now my trusty party-goers. Settle down. We have an A M A Z I N G adventure planned out for today! YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!” He swings his cane around

   His voice, as usual, echoes and rings into my ears. It basically rattles my brain. I’m not liking how excited he is either. It doesn’t look like he’s been rebooted.

“Sooo…..uhh- what’s today’s adventure about..?” I try to play it cool, and hope it doesn’t sound as bad as I think it will but..

“Oh Pomni..I can just TELL you’re so excited to hear about it, but!……

You’ll just have to find this one out yourselves!”

“Wait, what-“

   Caine snaps his fingers, comically sucking us into another one of his wormholes and *pop!*

“…why are we trapped in a box…?”

Chapter Text

“…why are we trapped in a box…?”

   The room is endless, or so it seems. The four white walls, white ceiling, white floor. There’s nothing here.

I turn around.

And there’s also no one else here.

“U-uh..”

   I ponder if I should just stay put, or if moving would be a better option. I need to find a way out of this liminal hell. The latter won.

   The space echoed with every step, breath, brush of fabric. It was unsettling. Minutes quickly felt like hours, aimlessly traversing a path that seems to lead to nowhere. Or does it? Have I even moved?

“..Jax! Ragatha!….Zooble?…G-Gangle…?”

   Obviously no one returns my call, the echo of my voice carries itself, vibrating through the still air. I might actually be trapped here.

*Static*

“K….Kinger….? Anyone..? P-please.”

   It takes me a second to realize I’m not breathing properly. My lungs can’t fit all of the air I’m trying to suck in, and it hurts. 

   My mind is blank, almost fuzzy. Feeling my fingers go numb first. I can’t stop hyperventilating.

   My legs give out like they’ve turned to jello in an instant. I squeeze my eyes shut. My heart is in my head. It’s pounding.

…Huh? I could’ve sworn I felt a breeze..like..wind..

   My eyes pop open instantly and I take in my new surroundings.

   I’m outside? I feel the cool breeze hit my cheek. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind, all full of green. The sky is such a beautiful baby blue, and not a cloud in the sky. 

   But, something inside of me feels as though this isn’t right. A hunch that I wasn’t transported again. Maybe..a projection? 

This is still the box.

“Just what am I supposed to do!? CAINE? CAINEEE??”

   It’s foolish of me to think he would pop in and respond. But, I have so many questions.

   Was this even supposed to happen? Usually there’s a clear objective. Is he really that buggy that maybe..

“D…did I not l-load in correctly?” I’m muttering under my breath. Is that even a thing? Can his AI..fail like this?? AM I STUCK HERE?

   The strength of pure fear and adrenaline finally coarse through my weak knees and wobbly legs. I pick myself up instantly and book it, running as far as they can take me.

   Even when my lungs are out of air, burning. I ignore it. I need to get the #*!? out of here.

But, as I take another look at my surroundings-

I’m.

Still.

Not.

Moving.

   ..Everything’s the same as it was when I picked myself up 10 minutes ago. This is a joke. It has to be a joke. I'VE GOTTEN NOWHERE.

   My legs slow down, coming to an abrupt halt with my energy giving out. I’m not getting out of here, not by myself. There’s nothing I can do here. 

   Crouching over, I hug my knees in a fetal position. There’s nothing I can do..there’s literally no way out.

   The sheer absurdity of the situation is almost laughable. It must be my coping mechanism, I’m going crazy. 

   Who knew a simple room would be the thing that makes me lose my mind.

.

.

.

   The room’s projection has since faded.

   I don’t know how long I’ve been trapped in this sterile void, or how long I’ve sat here hugging my knees, trying to keep myself from breaking further. Maybe there’s a small part of me that holds onto the hope that maybe someone will find me.

It’s unlikely.

   It’s surprisingly cold, too.. as if things couldn’t get worse. Even if I can’t freeze to death, I might as well have.

.

.

.

   The absolute silence of this featureless room is enough to drive me up the &@!$ing wall. Only the sound of my breathing, which increases with each exhale. There’s no way to ground myself here. There’s nothing to see, touch, hear. All there is is white. All I see is white. And all I can hear are my thoughts bouncing off of the walls, echoing inside my head.

   By this point my whole body is numb and vibrating, and I can’t keep my heartbeat from wanting to claw its way outside of my chest. My heart reverberates like distant footsteps, pounding against my ribs. 

   And it’s almost like I can hear someone calling out to me.

Or a small warmth on my shoulders.

“..-mni!!”

Huh..?

“…Ple…..-omni!”

“Wake up!”

   My breath hitches, and I raise my head sharply. My eyes, readjusting to the bright light of the liminal space. 

“Pom..”

   Blinking away the haze, I’m met with yellow and purple. The warmth resting on my shoulder slowly shifts to my upper back. I open my mouth to speak, however nothing comes out, save for a whimper.

———

   Jax felt a little awkward. Sure, they were friends. He cared quite a bit about her, but how does one comfort another?

   Her skin was as cold as ice, melting under the touch of his palm supporting her back. 

   Jax can’t help but sigh. Relieved that she’s at least responsive now. But, when her eyes welled up with tears and began to sob, he again didn't know what to do. 

The small hiccups and gasps of breath that leave her throat fill the bright open space. He doesn’t say anything. Letting her grip onto his arm for dear life as tears roll down her pale white complexion.

Chapter Text

“Are you…good..now?” Jax’s voice is low and quiet, a hint of awkwardness in his voice, his brows furrowing while he tries to piece together the right words.

   Pomni finally gives a slow and tense nod, still bracing onto his arm. It was warm, and fluffy, almost like a stuffed animal. The short purple fur that covers him is extremely soft, and that’s what is keeping her grounded.

   Even after stabilizing herself, she can’t let go. The anxiety-ridden harlequin doesn’t even dare look up. Scared that if she did, Jax might pull away from the awkwardness. He clears his throat, careful to not be too loud.

“Let’s..try to find a way outta here. C’mon, Pom.”

   Slowly, he rises himself back up to his feet, shifting his hands and reaching for Pomni’s arms, helping her up.

   She lands on her feet. Her balance is lost, wobbling back and forth until she catches herself, immediately gluing her hands back to Jax’s arm.

“W-woah..okay. I’m not going anywhere without you.”

   The hold on his arm is tight, like Jax is her lifeline. Jax breathes out a quiet, nervous laugh.

“Jeez Pomni..your grip is deadly.” He tries to joke and lighten the mood for her, but the Jester doesn’t crack even a smile.

   Instead, she loosens her hold ever so slightly, just enough to not eventually bruise his poor arm. Jax releases a sigh and treads forward. He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder, gauging whether Pomni’s legs would follow suit.

.

.

.

   The white void is filled with echoes of their footsteps treading along the cold floor. The bunny and jester have been walking in soundlessness for minutes now. The awkward silence, beginning to get too much for Jax, he flicked his eyes at her, before shifting his focus back to the blank nothingness before him. He was getting antsy by this point. 

‘She hasn’t even said a word since I found her. But I can’t think of anything to say.’ Jax’’s mind continues to wander, wracking his brain for anything that could help ease her mind.

‘But I really should say something if I don’t want it to get worse..’ The lanky rabbit steals one last glance, finally making up his mind. His legs slow to a halt.

“Let’s sit and talk for a minute.” He peers back over at her downcast face, still refusing to glance back up to meet his gaze. The grip on Jax’s arm is released, and she buckles down to the cold ground once again.

   Kneeling down to try and meet her reluctant gaze, once again avoiding eye contact, he tries to speak clearly without tripping over his own words.

“Listen Pom-Pom.” Jax draws in a breath. “I..I get you’re probably terrified. Caine’s been off his rocker for a few days, and these adventures-” He takes a look back behind him, before turning to face the balled up jester, holding her knees. “-are only getting more unhinged.”

‘Where am I going with this, where am I going with this-’ Jax recollects himself, and attempting to push his anxiety aside. 

“You keep trying to play the therapist for everyone else. And I don’t think I’ve even seen you talk about yourself. So uh..Y-you can talk to me about the things that bother you, too.”

‘$@%&.’ He ended up stuttering anyway. However, his words got a response from the small clown. It wasn’t a word or eye-contact, but like she was surprised. Releasing some of the tension from her cartoonish body.

   He didn’t like how uncomfortable the situation was. He’s never seen Pomni act this closed off before. But seeing her basically shattered to pieces before him made him more uncomfortable. So, he was content that he got even the smallest reaction out of it.

“I’m not gonna leave you by yourself.” Murmuring to her, letting out a deep sigh that felt like it was stuck in his lungs for hours. “You can keep clingin’ to me if you want. You don’t even have to talk if you don’t wanna. But, I can’t have you fallin’ apart on me, now can we?” 

Pinwheel Red and blue eyes steal a glance from his, and motions a subtle nod.

“...Thank you.” The words are so quiet, even in the nothingness of the room, you could still hardly hear it. But it was the response Jax had been hoping for. His signature smile returns to his face, pushing himself off the ground and onto both feet, holding his hands out to grasp both of her arms to help her up as well.

   She returns herself back around his lanky purple arm, beginning their search for an exit for the second time. It surprisingly didn’t feel as awkward anymore, and Pomni’s hold wasn’t as killer as before.

   To fill the time and distract his friend, Jax decided to tell her how he ended up finding me. Beginning from when everyone was suddenly teleported to the suspiciously white void. The scene had also changed for him, however, it projected a different scene than what Pomni had witnessed.

   Instead of a bright and breezy outdoors landscape, Jax found himself back in the circus where they began. He had initially thought he was randomly transported back, but something like how pomni thought, felt off-putting. And just like Pomni, whenever he called for Caine, there was no response.

‘The situation makes no sense. Why is Caine sending us on an adventure that literally leads to nowhere?’ The thought filled Pomni’s consciousness.

   The projection flickered before turning back to the blank space completely, for Jax, confirming his suspicion. And, not long after, noticed this small figure huddled up in the middle of the room. Once he was able to approach, he realized the small figure was Pomni. Hoping it wasn't a mirage, he ran up to her to grab her attention-

   The story abruptly stops, Jax’s breath hitching for a second and turning his face out of the jester's view. Before Pomni could ask what happened afterwards, the subject changed to how she was feeling.

“I’m…I’m feeling a little better, now.” 

   Pomni did think it was odd for him to completely cut off the rest of the story, but decided not to dwell on it further, since her mind was exhausted from everything else that happened today. She just wanted to go back to bed.

   A loud clinking of metal rang through the liminal space, breaking her back out of her thoughts. The sound led Jax’s ear to twitch, turning his body towards where he thought the sound came from. Pomni followed his gaze, where both pairs of eyes landed on this ominous dot.

   It was just a floating dot, a particle. The two exchanged a quick look of uncertainty. Their movements towards the dot were careful and definitely hesitant, but were quickly face to face with the tiny dot. 

   The dot seemed more like a hole leading to somewhere, like a rift. It leaked out a draft of cold air, if it couldn’t feel any more eerie. Uncertain, Jax shifts his gaze back to Pomni, who is now clutching his arm for dear life again.

“Should I touch it and see what happens?”

   The response Pomni lets out is a long drawn out groan coming straight from her throat. Her brows are tense, locking eyes with the suspicious dot. The fact that they could easily be separated again isn’t comforting. But, this could also be their chance to escape whatever this adventure was supposed to be.

   Finally coming to a resolve, she lets out a deep sigh and nods, motioning him to touch it. His focus returns back to the hole in front of him, leaning in with his free hand. After just ever so slightly brushing against the particle, it expands greatly, filling the room and sucking the pair inside the darkness and tuning out their screams.

   The horror was short-lasted though. Spitting the two out back into the circus, Jax falls first straight onto his back with a loud thud, followed by Pomni. Her fall was broken by the soft bunny landing on his stomach, eliciting a groan of pain from both.