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Pomni and Jax were arguing again. Loudly. Constantly. Endlessly. Caine had already tried to teach them a lesson once before, and clearly it hadn’t stuck. Watching them go at each other for the hundredth time, his patience finally snapped. If they were going to act like this again, then fine, he’d just switch them back.
With an overly dramatic flourish and a blinding flash, Pomni and Jax were once again cursed with swapped personalities, reborn as Pox and Jammi. While everyone else was whisked away on another grand adventure, the two of them were left behind in the quiet, echoing circus together.
“Ow… my head kinda hurts,” Jammi muttered, rubbing at his fluffy head. Every time Caine did this, the dizziness hit him hard, like his thoughts were sloshing around where they didn’t belong.
“Don’t be such a crybaby,” Pox snapped, straightening her bowtie with a sharp tug. A crooked grin spread across her face. “I much prefer it this way~ It’s more fun!” She giggled, the sound high-pitched and manic.
“I don’t…” Jammi threw his hands up, frustrated. “You’re always so mean to me!”
“You’re just too fun to tease!” Pox laughed, yanking hard on his ear.
“OW! Quit it, Pox!” He swatted her hand away, stumbling back.
“You whine waaay too much,” she scoffed. “Come on, let’s go have a little fun!” She grabbed his arm and dragged him along roughly, her grip unyielding. “Why don’t we play pin the knife on the bunny’s head?” she said sweetly, venom dripping from every word.
Jammi froze. “I—uh, don’t really like that game,” he said quietly. “What if we played… writing nice notes about our friends instead?”
“BOOOORING!” Pox barked. Without warning, she seized his ear again and hurled him into the wall just for the thrill of it.
“Stop!! Oh jeez, why did they leave me here with you?!” Jammi cried, sliding down to the floor and pulling his knees to his chest, shaking.
“You’re such a whiny baby, Jammi,” Pox sneered.
She slowly crawled toward him, her movements unnatural, spider-like. Her eyes spiraled wildly as her grin stretched far too wide, teeth sharp and glinting as if she were stalking prey. The circus lights flickered above them, casting warped shadows along the walls as she loomed closer.
“Relax~” she purred. “We’re going to have so much fun today.”
Jammi could only curl in tighter, wishing desperately for the adventure to end, and for this personality switch to wear off.
Jammi slowly looked up at Pox, meeting those sharp, cunning eyes of hers. Something about her outfit caught his attention, he’d never really looked at it before. The bowtie sat just right, her dark purple eye makeup giving her an even more dangerous edge. She looked… cool. Really cool.
Not that Jammi cared. Or liked her. Or thought anything about her at all.
Still, there was something about the way she carried herself, the way she spoke with such confidence and cruelty woven together, that made his chest feel tight. Attractive… no, no, that was bad. That was really bad. He shouldn’t be thinking like that about Pox. She was mean. She was evil. She literally just threw him into a wall!
Pox, meanwhile, noticed the stare almost immediately. Jammi’s eyes were wide, nervous, his cheeks dusted with a faint pink as he froze in place, like a scared little bunny caught in headlights.
…Cute.
Wait. Cute?? No. Not like that. Cute as in… well, how amusingly nervous he looked. That’s all. Definitely nothing else.
“Stop looking at me like that, weirdo!” Pox snapped, grabbing his ears and yanking him roughly to his feet. “What’s wrong with you?” she hissed, leaning in far too close, practically spitting the words in his face.
“Wha—! What?! I’m not looking at you like anything!” Jammi stammered, blinking rapidly. His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest. Oh no. Oh no, she’s hot. Why is he only realizing this now? The feeling was horrible, a tangled mix of fear, panic, and something dangerously close to attraction.
“You’re so pathetic,” Pox scoffed, releasing him and letting him drop back to the floor with a thud. She turned away dramatically, crossing her arms with an exaggerated huff.
“Come on, my little rabbit minion,” she added, glancing back at him with a wicked grin. “I’m not done playing with you yet.”
Jammi swallowed hard, shrinking back instinctively, his face still warm, his thoughts an absolute mess as he realized this day was only going to get worse… and somehow much more confusing.
They wandered through the empty circus, and Pox quickly decided that everything was fair game. Props, decorations, lights, if it existed, she found a way to break it. Glass shattered, signs snapped, colourful pieces littered the floor in her wake as she cackled with delight. Jammi trailed behind her anxiously, wincing every time something crashed. He crouched to pick things up, trying, very poorly, to fix whatever she’d destroyed, even though it was clearly hopeless. Still, he tried. Someone had to.
Before long, Pox let out an exaggerated sigh. “Ugh, this is boring.”
There was no one around to scream, no one to chase, no one to react. Just Jammi. And he was being painfully lame.
She spun sharply on her heels to face him.
Jammi froze instantly, straightening his posture like he’d been caught doing something wrong. He gulped, eyes flicking up to meet hers.
“What… why are you looking at me like that?” he asked nervously.
Pox stared for half a second, then started laughing. At first it was soft, breathy giggles, but as she stepped closer, it grew louder, more unhinged.
“Stop that…” Jammi muttered, backing away step by step.
She followed him, her laughter spiraling into manic cackles. Panic flashed across his face, and suddenly he turned and bolted.
Pox lunged after him, easily catching up before tackling him to the circus floor. She pinned him down hard, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. Before he could react, she bit down sharply on his ear with her pointed teeth.
“Y-OW!” Jammi yelped, thrashing beneath her. He grabbed at the bells on her hat, tugging desperately, trying to pull her off. She finally released his ear, but didn’t move away.
Instead, she sat on his lap, staring down at him with wide, predatory eyes, her grin stretched far too sharp. Hungry. Jammi grabbed her wrist and tried to shove her away, but she resisted easily, forcing him back down.
“Whatcha tryin’ to do, Jammi-boyy, hmm?” she giggled, pressing him flat again.
“Quit it, Pox!” he protested, struggling, but she was way stronger than she looked. In seconds, she had him pinned completely.
Jammi stared up at her, eyes huge. His cheeks burned bright pink, his heart racing out of control and his tail thumped wildly against the floor, completely betraying him. He tried to stop it. He really did.
He wasn’t supposed to feel this way.
“Oh ho ho! Well, what do we have here~” Pox laughed, delighted. “You like this, don’t ya, you little freak! You think I’m hot?”
“No I don’t, shut up!” Jammi snapped, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn’t have to look at her.
But it was too late. Pox looked down at his flustered, trembling form, the blush, the shaking, the way he’d gotten so worked up over her and something twisted in her chest. He looked really cute like this. She lingered there a moment longer than she meant to, her grin faltering just slightly as the realization settled in.
Pox paused, staring down at Jammi for a long moment.
“Open your eyes,” she snapped, prying them open with her fingers.
“Ow, okay, okay!” Jammi blinked rapidly, forced to meet her gaze. She was grinning wide, vicious and delighted, clearly enjoying the sight of his flustered, wide-eyed expression.
“What do you want…?” he asked, confused and breathless.
“Wanna kiss?” Pox snickered. Why not? It sounded fun. Watching him get all blushy and nervous was already entertaining enough.
“W–WHAT?!” Jammi squirmed beneath her, panic setting in. “What are you talking about? I don’t want to—”
“Yes you do.” She tightened her grip on his wrists. “You don’t have to lie. I won’t bite, oh wait, yes I will. Hehehe.” She leaned in close, invading his space completely.
Jammi gulped hard, his heart racing wildly. Was she serious? Or was this just another cruel game? How was he supposed to tell? And worse, did he actually want to kiss her?
…Maybe. Just a little.
Was that bad? Being attracted to someone this mean? This dangerous?
Swallowing thickly, he shut his eyes and nervously puckered his lips.
Pox burst out laughing. “Is that how you kiss? Ohhh, that’s adorable.”
Still holding him down, she leaned in and kissed him properly this time. Their lips met, firm and unrelenting, and Jammi froze instead of fighting her strength. Pox kissed him like she’d been starved for it, nibbling sharply at his lip with her teeth. His thoughts completely scrambled as the kiss deepened. Then she suddenly pulled away and rolled off him.
Jammi sucked in a shaky breath, one hand flying to his mouth. He couldn’t believe that just happened. His whole body trembled as he scrambled backward and pressed himself against the wall, cheeks burning, completely speechless.
Pox crawled after him, hunger flashing unmistakably in her eyes. She grabbed his face and kissed him again, harder this time, pouring herself into it without hesitation. Jammi froze for half a second before giving in, his hands sliding to her hips as he pulled her closer, his brow knitting as his thoughts completely unraveled. Pox threaded her fingers through his fur, keeping him right where she wanted him, refusing to let him slip away as the moment spiraled wildly out of control.
They were fully making out now, kissing like they’d both been starved of it for far too long. Their mouths pressed together with messy, desperate enthusiasm, each kiss blending into the next. When their lips finally parted for air, Jammi’s eyes fluttered open. He looked at her properly this time, and his chest tightened.
She looked… really pretty.
“Y-you look pretty,” Jammi murmured before he could stop himself, leaning in to steal another soft kiss.
Pox scoffed, though the grin tugging at her face gave her away. “You look stupid,” she shot back. “Stupidly obsessed with me~”
She yanked him back in and smashed her lips against his again, rough and teasing. Jammi made a small, startled sound but kissed her back just as eagerly, his grip tightening as they tangled together again.
“Still saying that when you won’t let go?” he blurted between kisses, flustered but trying, poorly, to flirt back.
Pox laughed right into his mouth. “Oh please,” she purred, nipping lightly at his lip. “You’re the one shaking.”
“You’re so annoying,” Pox hissed, biting down on his lip and yanking him closer again. Jammi let out a startled squeak, fingers instinctively grabbing her bowtie to pull her in tighter.
Pox immediately slapped his hand away. “Hands off the tie,” she snarled, then grabbed his ear and tugged it sharply. “Hmm…”
Before he could protest, she pressed her lips back onto his, unapologetic and relentless. At this rate, they could’ve gone on for hours…
if Caine hadn’t suddenly popped into existence.
“WOAH, HEY]! ABSOLUTELY NOT IN MY CIRCUS!” he yelped, eyes wide in panic. He snapped his fingers frantically. “NOPE. Undoing that. Right now.”
With a flash and a dizzying jolt, everything flipped mid-motion.
Suddenly, it wasn’t Pox and Jammi anymore. It was Pomni and Jax.
Both froze instantly, faces burning red.
“WH—WHA?!” Pomni squeaked, her brain catching up just in time to realize she was on top of Jax.
Jax blinked once… then grinned. “Wow,” he chuckled, clearly amused. “Hey there, Pom-pom~”
Pomni screamed internally, and externally, panicking so hard she reacted on pure instinct. Her fist connected squarely with his face.
“!@#$, POMNI!” Jax shouted, recoiling as he kicked her off him, clutching his eye. “What was THAT for?!”
“I, OH NO!! I’M SORRY!” Pomni scrambled to her feet, hands flailing. “I panicked! I didn’t mean to— are you okay?! I swear I didn’t—”
She rushed back over, hovering anxiously as Jax rubbed his eye, wincing.
“…Yeah,” he muttered. “Definitely you again.”
Pomni let out a mortified whine, covering her face with both hands. “I want to crawl into a hole and never come out…”
Caine cleared his throat loudly, already backing away. “Right! Lesson learned! I’m leaving now!”
And just like that, he vanished, leaving Pomni and Jax standing there in awkward silence, both painfully aware that something very weird had just happened.