Work Text:
Jax was hiding under a table, trying to will the voice calling out for him away by his thoughts alone. The room was completely dark, the abnormally large tablecloth shielding him from all sides as it touched the floor. He hated having to hide like this, he hadn’t had to do this for so long. Ribbit had gone from giving him cuddles one minute to almost slapping him the next, and Jax had ran as soon as he saw his hand lift.
Now, the fact that his avatar was a prey animal made much more sense. He’d been hunted like this so much, he didn’t even know it wasn’t normal until Ragatha had scolded everyone to not make any sudden movements around him. She thought he hadn’t heard, but he did- stupid good hearing.
“Jax~” Ribbit’s sickeningly sweet voice called out through the room, announcing him as he slowly walked into the darkness. Jax covered his mouth, not letting out so much as a breath. He hated what holding his breath did- he was slowly shrinking already, and it made him feel weak. Maybe, though, being in that full form will help him hide. He’s had enough experience holding his breath for hours in this place, and if he needed to find a space where no one could reach, he could bolt.
He could hear Ribbit throwing things around, digging around the cabinets and throwing glass plates so hard they broke into tiny pieces. Some small shards slipped under the table, barely missing Jax’s now tiny form. Jax suppressed a whimper, desperately trying to keep holding his breath. His whole body was overtaken by survival mode, and all of his instincts were screaming at him to hide, that there was a predator around.
He waited for a lull in Ribbit’s destruction, before peaking out of the tablecloth. Walking on four paws never exactly worked, but as he got more and more settled in, he’d gotten used to it. Enough to where he could run in situations exactly like this. Ribbit’s back was turned, his palms curled into fists as he looked over the counter on the other side of the room. Under an antique bedside table, there was a small space between the floor and the bottom of the drawer that Jax immediately saw he could fit into. He bolted, running the thirty feet and diving under it, right when he heard another plate smash and a guttural scream.
Jax pinned his ears to his back, shaking like a leaf under the drawer. This room was filled with random assets, so Ribbit would either snap back or get bored. This wasn’t his best friend, this was a monster. He was terrifying, he hated being screamed at, he hated the fear of just simply walking outside of his room.
“JAX! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Ribbit screamed, stomping his foot and turning around on his heel. He grabbed the nearest piece of furniture- a sodden table from a ranch hand adventure earlier that week- and threw it. “WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME?! AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, YOU BRAT?! WHY HAVE YOU BECOME SO SELFISH?!”
How did this start with cuddles?!
.-*-.
Jax had been sitting under that bedside drawer for hours, trying to self soothe. He had stayed in his full form for so long now, and he was starting to get slightly lightheaded. It was probably the most human physical sensation he’s felt since he put on that headset. He felt the tears threaten to spill over onto his cheeks, but they wouldn’t budge until Jax cried out- and there was no chance he’d do that until Ragatha got there.
Ragatha was safe and kind. Sure, her positivity could get a little annoying sometimes, but they were still friends! Ribbit was terrified of her, for some odd reason, and wouldn’t try anything while anyone else was around.
His ears perked up at light footsteps echoing throughout the room, the first sound he’s heard in hours. Those weren’t Ribbit’s- Ribbit was more heavy-set.
Ragatha!
Still, even though he knew she was safe, he stayed in his hiding spot. The one disadvantage to Ribbit never saying or doing anything in public aligned with his new ‘personality’ was that no one knew not to bring him around. No one knew why Jax had become so skittish.
He saw Ragatha slide down the wall next to the bedside table, leaving one of her plush hands out right next to the table. She was going to wait until Jax tapped the hand with his paw to do anything; A system they had worked out so long ago. Jax looked at it for a moment, before hesitantly reaching a paw out and touching it. He still didn’t want to take a breath, to switch back and talk, but they had a system for that too.
“Are you okay?” Ragatha asked the rabbit, her caring tone evident. She got a single tap back.
No.
Ragatha glanced down at the hiding spot before looking back into space again. Jax wouldn’t come out if she was trying to read his expression. He was socially anxious, no matter what he said; Being looked at terrified him. Along with holes, for some reason. “Can I do anything?” She asked, a forced neutral expression on her face.
Another single tap. No.
“You know you’re loved, right?” She asked him worriedly, like a mother asking her child why they were crying.
There wasn’t any taps after that.
.-*-.
“YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE LIKE BEFORE THEY ABSTRACT!” Jax yelled angrily at the jester, laughing to conceal the cry that almost came out of his chest in full force. He felt the panic rising, and he couldn’t get away. Pomni would stop him. “THEY ARE NOT PLEASANT TO BE AROUND! LIKE AT ALL! I-“
He cut himself off before he could yell more, seeing Pomni’s terrified expression. He was doing the same exact thing Ribbit did. Passing on that trauma to another person. He was scaring the one person he actually loved- not just pushing her away, but scaring her- and he felt incredibly guilty at the realization.
So, instead of carrying on with his rant, he straightened his posture and put his smile back on.
He might be going out, but he’s not taking Pomni with him.