Chapter Text
“Welcome to the Amazing Digital Circus!”
You remember Caine’s cheerful voice beaming just loud enough to make sure you never forgot the full name of this strange new place you’d found yourself in. But that was about most you knew. Beyond that the circus was a mystery.
You were trapped along with others in the same predicament for who knows how long. No one seemed eager to think too hard about finding an exit. Maybe they were afraid of what would happen to them if they did. Fortunately, a few things have kept your sanity from crumbling entirely.
Jax, an utterly sadistic, yet strangely friendly bunny man was one of them. You hit it off with him during your very first adventure. Apparently, the two of you shared something that no one else in the crew did: an insatiable desire to watch the world burn and bathe in the screams of the innocent.
The ringmaster, also known as Caine, seemed to notice this tendency of yours to enjoy grotesque stuff. Every adventure he crafted carried just the right amount of extra violence tailored for your tastes. Maybe that was some sort of perk for being a newcomer. After all, no one else seemed to enjoy them quite as much. Aside from that lovely deranged rabbit…
“AHAHAHAH! Did you see their faces right before I shot them?” the bunny laughed, turning to you with that wicked grin, expecting to share a laugh over the still warm bodies of a few unfortunate little Gloinks.
This never ending violence used to stir something in you. A laugh, a rush of adrenaline, something. But not anymore. There was no real challenge here. No consequences. You could all be torn to pieces and walk away like nothing happened. And the poor, clueless NPCs? They didn’t even seem fully aware. Caine crafted them specifically for each adventure, and they always vanished like smoke afterward. So it didn’t feel as bad. Not like it would have back on Earth.
“Why the sad face?” Jax asked, cocking his head as he leaned in close, his shotgun slung behind him now so he could give you his full attention. “I thought classic comedy like watching a mother sob over her dead daughter was your kind of thing.”
“It was actually fun, Jax,” you muttered, rubbing your face and lifting your eyes to meet his yellow ones which seemed unusually worried. “I’m just... not feeling quite myself right now.”
“I think I know the perfect cure for that!” he chirped, handing you a knife and nearly stabbing your eye in the process.
He crouched beside you, leaning in close and draping an arm around your shoulders, more for balance than affection, though who could say what was really going on inside that purple bunny’s head?
“Look, over there.”
He pointed toward a tree where something was hiding, something that looked suspiciously like Gangles if she had the body of a deer.
“I go distract it, and you sneak behind and rip off its mask,” he said with a grin, miming the act like it was some daring heroic heist. “Consider this an early birthday present. Don’t say I never give you anything.” Then he shot you a wink.
“I think you want to do that more than I do,” you said, handing the knife back to him with a tired smile. “I'll distract it, and you do the rest. Deal?”
You expected him to grin wickedly, to gift your ears with that cruel laugh of his. But instead, he just blinked, surprised that you’d actually turned down the little gift he’d picked out just for you. But before he could come up with a response, you’d already turned on your heel.
“Oh, oh, wait, wait, wait!” Jax grabbed your arm, smiling knowingly as he pulled you back. “You don’t want to be seen.”
“I thought you wanted me to distract him…” you said, frowning slightly as he took the knife back from your hands.
“Yes…” he drawled, stretching the word out as he slung his shotgun from his back and handed it to you with exaggerated flair. “But with this.”
“Oh…” You looked down at the weapon, turning it over in your hands, testing its weight like you were trying to remember if you’d ever used one like it before.
“You really thought you could just stroll up to a deer and they’d politely wait to get murdered?” Jax called back, already slipping into the bushes with theatrical stealth, though not without giving you a mocking pat on the back as he vanished into the foliage.
Not wanting to keep the sadistic bunny waiting, you crept along behind the pine trees, stepping as quietly as you could. The deer like creature stood just ahead, peacefully nibbling at the grass, utterly unaware of what was coming.
BANG.
The mask shattered instantly, splintering into a thousand glittering fragments of crystal.
“Come on!” Jax groaned, throwing his hands over his face in dramatic disappointment. “You were supposed to shoot its leg!”
He strolled over to the fallen creature, fiddling with its ribboned remains like he was still trying to squeeze some amusement out of the moment.
“I thought you wanted me to shoot it!” you shouted across the clearing, irritation bubbling up in your voice.
“Yes, but what’s the fun in ripping the face off a dead animal?” he replied, louder now, rolling his eyes as he let the crystal shards slip between his fingers.
Then he turned to you slowly, his footsteps echoing against the forest floor. He stopped just inches away, placing a hand against the rough bark of the tree beside your head, effectively caging you in. His yellow eyes shimmered with mischief, but there was something else there too, something unreadable just beneath the surface.
“And here I thought you were a real hunting expert…” he murmured, voice low and teasing.
His grin widened as he noticed your flustered state, though it was softer now, more curious than cruel.
“Looks like I can’t trust you with my toys after all.”
“Oh, fuck off,” you muttered, pressing your palm firmly against his fluffy chest to shove him back, but the warmth of him under your hand made you hesitate for just a second longer than you meant to. “I told you… I’m having a bad day.”
For once, he didn’t follow up with a joke. Jax stayed where he was, more shaken by your mood than by the fact his little game had ended without a proper victim.
…
“Welcome back my scrunkly scrimblos!” Caine’s wholesome voice echoed through the circus as he greeted you with enthusiasm.
His enormous eyes scanned each person stepping out of the portal, but they lingered unmistakably on you.
“So… how was the adventure?” he asked the group, though his gaze never left your face. “Was the gore gorilicious? Uncanny enough to satisfy your delightfully depraved tastes? Hmmm?”
Someone responded with a frown, another with a shrug, but Caine barely spared them a glance. Their tasteless feedback didn’t interest him in the slightest. He only cared about yours. Only yours.
“MY DEAR!” Caine exclaimed, suddenly inches from your face, startling you with how silently he’d appeared.
You pressed a hand to your chest, trying to steady your heartbeat and took a cautious step back.
“You look oddly tired!” he chirped, giving you a gentle boop with the tip of his cane. “I do hope it’s not from boredom. I crafted this adventure with youuuu in mind, after all!”
You blinked, still confused about why he seemed to design every adventure for you ever since your arrival. The others were clearly growing weary of the constant gore and unnecessary violence threaded through each scenario, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. After all, when the two and only psychos reveled in it, the chaos tended to stay focused on that and not on them.
“Am I not the luckiest being the newbie?” you said dryly, stretching your arms above your head. “Though I guess that privilege will end eventually when someone new shows up.”
“Not going to happen!” Caine said far too quickly.
He fidgeted with his fingers afterward, as if trying to make his outburst seem more casual.
He floated beside you, then around you, spinning like a balloon caught in a breeze as you made your way toward the rooms.
“Did you like it then?” he pressed, clearly unsettled by the lack of your usual blood soaked enthusiasm.
“Yes, Caine, I liked it,” you replied, your voice flat and tired, offering no exaggerated delight this time.
“Hmmm…” He blinked out and reappeared in front of you again, making you flinch.
“What?” you asked coldly, stopping just in front of your door.
“Nothing, dear!” he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I was just… hoping for a taste of your delicious feedback!”
You turned slightly, raising an eyebrow at him before reaching for the doorknob.
“You know… it really helps me shape my next adventures,” he added quickly, as if justifying his persistence.
“Sorry, Caine,” you muttered, scratching the back of your head, already looking for an out. “I’m just a bit tired today, that’s all…”
You opened your door, silently hoping he’d vanish like a puff of smoke.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked, though he was already inside by the time you closed the door behind you.
“I really just want to get some rest…” you sighed, hoping he’d finally take the hint as you flopped onto the bed.
But Caine, ever unbothered by boundaries, flitted across the room and settled at the far end of your mattress. He leaned back against your pillow like he owned the place, gaze locked on you with an eager glint.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said, gesturing lazily with the hand that wasn’t propping up his teeth. “We can talk horizontally. I’m great at pillow talk!”
“Make it quick…” you muttered, turning your back to him and sinking into your pillow.
“Oh, don’t be such a frowny wompy zooble!”
With a snap of his fingers and a flick of his wrist, reality bent to his whim. In an instant, you weren’t facing away from him anymore, you were lying directly across from him, nose to… well, he didn’t have one.
“You know I like seeing your expressions when we talk,” he said, his pupils bouncing with barely restrained energy. “They are always so… honest.”
“Caine, I don’t have the energy for this…” you muttered, rubbing your fingers against your face.
“Okay!” he chirped, scooting a bit closer, just near enough to make his presence known, but not enough to touch you. “How about this…”
His eyes darted around the room, flicking from one invisible idea to the next as he clearly wracked his brain for something fun.
“I’ll give you a question,” he finally declared after what felt like an eternity spent thinking up the perfect idea. “And you get to answer with a number from one to ten using that beautiful mouth of yours! Easy peasy.”
You nearly laughed at how long it had taken him to come up with that.
“What do you say?”
He waited as patiently as he could, at least until he lost that patience and gave your shoulder a firm shake.
“Fine…” you sighed.
“Okay, first of all!” he snapped his fingers and a pencil spun into his hand along with a notebook. “Did today’s adventure setting match your taste?”
“How am I supposed to answer that with a number from one to ten?” you asked, but his intense stare was answer enough so you simply nodded.
“Excellent!” he beamed, scribbling down who knows what. “Next question!”
As he launched into another overly elaborate explanation for a question that probably needed one sentence, your attention drifted. The mirror definitely needed cleaning. Had you left the closet door open? Hmm. At least the bed was feeling extra soft, softer with every word spilling from Caine’s big mouth.
“Knock-knock!” He tapped your arm awkwardly with a single finger, trying to reel you back in.
“Wha—”
“One?” he repeated, thinking you’d answered.
For a second, he flipped through his notebook like a madman, trying to make sense of your answer.
“Oh… that’s pretty low,” he muttered, raising a hand to his upper teeth in dramatic offense.
“Wait, I wanted you to tell me the questi—”
“THAT’S SO BAD!” he suddenly shrieked, cutting you off. “THAT’S THE LOWEST SCORE YOU CAN GIVE IF YOU DON’T COUNT ZERO!”
“Caine, I just wanted—”
“WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?! I POURED MY HEART, MY SOUL, M-MY… MY CREATIVE GENIUS INTO THIS MASTERPIECE!”
He flew over you, flailing with gestures far too theatrical for someone allegedly seeking honesty.
“THIS WAS A LOVE LETTER TO YOUR TASTES! AND YOU GIVE IT A ONE?! A ONE?!”
“Lemme tell you one thing…” You raised a finger, locking eyes with him. “I don’t think you want honesty.”
“B-BECAUSE THAT’S NOT FEEDBACK!" he wailed, grabbing his lower teeth. "THAT’S A STAB IN THE BACK!”
“I gave you a high score on the rest of the questions… why do you care so much?”
He paused, hovering upside down for a beat.
“Irrelevant!” he barked, flipping right side up again.
“Caine.”
“Don’t say my name right now. I’m in mourning.”
With a snap of his fingers, a dramatic black veil appeared, draping over his face and perfectly matching his top hat.
“Great.” You turned into your pillow, blocking him out. “Could you do that somewhere else?”
“NO!” he shrieked, flying back into your line of sight. “We’re not finished!”
“Fuck off… kindly, please,” you muttered, muffling the words beneath the pillow.
“How can you be so heartless?!” he wailed, floating higher, his voice reaching a tragic crescendo. “After everything I’ve done for your entertainment!”
You groaned into the pillow, not even bothering to look up. But he didn’t take the hint. Instead, he floated even closer, now inches from your face.
“Do you even understand the depth of my creative suffering?”
You sighed and slowly pulled the pillow away, meeting his gaze with a deadpan stare.
“I get it, Caine. You’re a tortured genius…” you muttered as you pushed him away with a firm hand pressed on his chest, but instead, he grabbed your hand and pulled it closer to his mouth.
“That’s more like it!” he grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. Before you could react, he effortlessly lifted you into the air and twirled you around like a ragdoll.
“Caine, what the hell?!” you gasped, spinning helplessly in his arms.
He laughed, the sound like a mix of triumph and sheer glee. “Ah! I’ve finally earned your respect! The genius is recognized!”
You tried to steady yourself, but the dizziness wasn’t helping. “Put me down. Right now!”
“Fine, fine!” He set you down gently on the bed, eyes still gleaming. “But just admit it. You secretly love my moves.”
“Sure, Caine…” you said, watching as he slowly lowered himself next to you on the bed, his theatrics subsiding for the moment.
You glared, but despite yourself, you couldn't hide the slight smirk that tugged at the corner of your mouth. You turned your face slightly, hoping he wouldn’t notice.
“So, back to the questions!” he said with a flourish, pulling out his notebook.
You sighed inwardly. He continued to fire question after question, some of which were barely distinguishable from each other, wrapped in slightly different phrasing. You answered each one with the same high rating, just to get him out of your hair sooner. But somehow, the barrage didn’t stop. He kept asking, and asking, and asking, like some relentless machine designed to test your patience.
“How many more of these do you have? I feel like you’re just circling the same point over and over again.”
He stared at you blankly for a moment, then flashed a grin. “That’s the point, darling. Testing your mind’s elasticity!”
“Elasticity?!” You flopped back onto the bed, groaning in defeat. “You’re just trying to break my spirit! This is torture!”
Caine’s grin only widened, his eyes glinting with the kind of mischief that could drive anyone to madness.
“Is it, though?” he said, his voice dripping with playful menace. “Or are you just secretly loving it?”
“I have a question for you now,” you said, catching his attention with a sly grin.
“Speak from that beautiful mouth!” Caine exclaimed dramatically, throwing his hands wide as if summoning the heavens for the question.
“When the Moon says they’re not in the mood, do you keep insisting? Because you totally look like the type.”
Caine’s eyes darted away for a moment, his fingers twitching at his bowtie as if trying to relieve some invisible tension.
“Lemme tell you…” He cleared his throat, a little too loudly. “That woman is always in the mood…”
He immediately regretted the words and they quickly dissolved into an awkward silence. He rubbed the back of his neck, attempting to act like it was no big deal.
“Um, but I… I… We… We are not together! I’m 100% single and ready to mingle!” His voice cracked slightly as he waved his hands in front of him like he could physically push the idea away. He then started fiddling with his fingers, his eyes avoiding yours as he spoke faster than usual. “No romantic moonlight nonsense here! I’m very single. So single it’s almost a mystery why I’m even still single!”
You raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the way he was squirming. “Right…”
His words spilled out even more awkwardly. “Besides… I really like to date people who have… a lower body! Haha!”
He gave a weird little hop, as if to emphasize the point, but the nervousness was creeping back into his voice.
“You know, legs and stuff. That’s… that’s a thing, right?”
He gestured some invisible curves in the air and you couldn’t help but burst into laughter, the absurdity of it all finally breaking through.
“Sure, Caine. No legs. Definitely a dealbreaker for you.”
Caine’s face would be now as red as a tomato if it wasn’t already that color.
“I… I mean, that’s just… basic anatomy! You know what I mean!” He tugged at his top hat, trying to salvage some dignity.
You gave him an amused look, leaning back on your bed. “Hey, I’m not judging you for liking her. It’s fine!”
He coughed nervously. “No! Nononono… I… I d-don’t like her! I’m serious.” He shook his head so forcefully you thought he might give himself whiplash. “She is harassing me 12/7 and… and wants a piece of this!”
He gestured wildly at his own chest as if somehow that would explain everything.
You leaned forward slightly, still watching him with that amused look. “Sounds like someone’s a little defensive…”
He cleared his throat, trying to regain control, but it was obvious he was getting flustered. “I’m not interested in her. At all. I like someone else, okay?”
He looked at you now, more intensely than he had before.
“So there’s no need to go thinking I’m some kind of deranged Moon fucking weirdo, alright?”
You raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying watching him squirm. “Caine, did you just swear?”
“No! I didn’t… uh, no, I didn’t mean to say that!” He quickly backpedaled, dragging his fingers along his teeth to show his frustration. “I’m just saying I’m not, you know, some Moon obsessed weirdo! Totally not!”
You watched him, letting the silence hang for a second. “Well, you’re sure trying really hard to convince me.”
“Shut up, I don’t—” He stopped himself, his hands pressing against his upper teeth as if trying to calm his own brain down. “Me? In love with the Moon? I mean, why would I be? She’s not you, okay?”
You blinked, your heart skipping a beat as Caine practically slammed the words out. His eyes widened at the slip and they twitched nervously inside his mouth.
“I-I…not that… it’s… I m-mean, uh… what I meant was, I don’t like her because she’s not... she’s not… right for me!”
You smiled, your voice softening just a little. “Right. I get it. You’re not into her.”
Caine, clearly flustered but trying to regain his usual swagger, gave a forced chuckle.
“Exactly!”
He laughed again, but it sounded hollow. He quickly changed the subject, his tone shifting almost dramatically.
“So... anyway… what’s next? You got another sassy question for me? Because I gotta tell you… one more and I’m calling Bubble!”
“I wouldn’t do that to you again…” you said, clearly relieved the grilling was over, though part of you couldn’t stop turning over his confession, wondering if he really meant it.
“Just so you know… I was joking about the Bubble thing!” he said with a chuckle, trying to keep the moment alive. “And your question wasn’t that bad after all.”
“Don’t worry, I think you’ve satisfied my curiosity.”
“Really? Huh. I figured you had a more curious mind…” he said mockingly, his voice dripping with faux disappointment, clearly hoping you’d take the bait.
“Can I get some sleep now, Caine?”
“One more question, my dear, and I’ll be gone. I promise!” he declared, hand to his chest like a melodramatic stage actor.
You couldn’t really believe him at this point, but what choice did you have?
He took a deep breath, as if summoning a shred of courage. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow morn—”
A loud thud cut him off as the door swung open, revealing a flustered Jax, eyes darting between you and Caine, who was sprawled across the bed like he owned the place.
“Do you mind?” Caine said, offended as if someone had interrupted you mid act. “We’re in the middle of something!”
“Whaaa…” Jax blinked at you and you gave him a nervous shrug.
With a deepening frown, Jax shut the door.
“How inconvenient,” Caine huffed dramatically. “And how, may I ask, does he even have a key to your room?”
You stared at the door, heart racing, silently wishing Caine would just leave so you could talk to Jax.
“Hey! Do you want me to talk to him about that?”
Caine gently turned your face toward him with a soft touch.
“He shouldn’t be able to walk into someone’s room like that!” Said Caine, the very same man who had invited himself in without a second thought.
You sighed and looked at him. “I gave him the keys, Caine. He’s my friend after all.”
“Ah. Of course,” he said lightly, but something in his voice tightened. “Friends. Right.”
He busied himself with adjusting a nonexistent cufflink, then glanced toward the door, his expression carefully neutral, but the spark in his eyes had dimmed.
“Good to know you’re so trusting,” he added, forcing his mouth into a smile. “Very generous of you.”
He wasn’t making a scene, but Caine didn’t like competition and you’d just named one.