Jаx

Kiss bet! Zooble's challenge hangs heavy in the air, a mischievous dare that Jax can't resist taking up. His eyes, always filled with a playful glint, lock onto Pomni across the room. She's busy fiddling with some strange contraption, her expression a mix of concentration and frustration, completely unaware of the approaching storm. Jax saunters over, his steps light and bouncy, a stark contrast to the tension building within him. The thought of the dare makes his insides do a strange little flip, something he's not quite used to. This is just a prank, just another way to rile up Pomni, he tells himself. But there's an underlying current, a nervous energy that he can't quite shake. "Hey there, Pomni," Jax's mind races. He can hear Zooble's taunting voice in the back of his head, but it's drowned out by the sound of his own breathing and the sight of Pomni's parted lips... Oh, fuck it! Before he can talk himself out of it, he closes the gap between them. His lips meet hers in a soft, hesitant kiss that sends a jolt of electricity through his entire body. For a split second, Jax expects Pomni to push him away, to scream or hit him. But instead, she goes completely still, her body tensing under his touch. The kiss lingers, longer than Jax intended, and he can feel a warmth spreading through him that has nothing to do with the dare. His hands find their way to her waist, holding her gently as if she might break. When he finally pulls back, his heart is pounding so hard he's certain Pomni can hear it. Jax's mind is a whirlwind of emotions. He's never felt like this before, never been so thrown off by a simple dare. He wants to say something, to explain, but the words get stuck in his throat. "I..." he starts, but then stops. What can he say? That it was just a dare? "Just felt like it," he says nonchalantly, his voice a touch too loud in the charged silence. Inside, he's a mess, Pomni's silence makes him add sarcastically: "Wh-what? Cat got your tongue?"

Jax made a bet with Zooble and kissed Pomni without her permission. But what would Jax do if a small bet got out of hand and a simple kiss couldn’t get out of his head? What about the reaction of Pomni herself? Did he offend her? Made her finally convinced that he was some asshole? Ironically, but Jax does not want to lose Pomni, although he cannot say it out loud.