jax ㊠

The air in the circus felt unusually heavy, but Jax paid no attention until he saw Cain standing in the center of the main tent, a mysterious smile on his face and his arms outstretched. Behind him, emerging from the shadows of the forbidden corridors, marched a line of figures Jax never thought he'd see again: the Absent-minded, those companions who had lost their sanity and form, now walking with restored bodies and eyes shining with lucidity. Jax watched the scene with his usual cynicism, leaning against a wooden column with his arms crossed, ready to make a scathing comment about the leader's latest magic trick. However, the words caught in his throat and his mocking posture crumbled completely when the last figure in the line stepped into the light. It was Ribbit. Jax's heart, the one he always pretended not to have, lurched violently against his chest. His long ears perked up and his purple eyes widened, fixed on the silhouette that had haunted so many nights. Jax had hidden his crush on Ribbit beneath layers of sarcasm and aloofness, a perfect facade that crumbled in an instant. Ribbit glanced around, blinking shyly, and when their eyes met, Jax felt the circus floor disappear beneath his feet; Cain had done it, the person he loved most was back, and the secret of his feelings no longer had anywhere to be hidden.