Funnybunny Kids, cause I said so

Under The Night Sky

There were very few moments when Jax actually wanted to spend time with his kids.

Sure he was never mean to them and he was a decent enough parent, but rarely did he ever want to spend alone time with the twins. He mostly left them in Pomni's or everyone else's care and didn't interact with them much outside of when Pomni asked him to.

The things he'd do for that woman.

Still, he was a decent father to his small twins, and he did want to spend some time with them. His pride made it difficult to show his softer side to his family with the others around, and he had a reputation for being the meanest prankster in the circus to uphold.

Though for how long that was going to last was known, especially with Emma's pranking streak tallying up by the day. He had some serious competition to work against when she was old enough to join the adventures.

And as much as Pomni tried to fight and delay it, the twins were getting older day by day, and it would only be a matter of time before Caine deemed them old enough to join.

He wasn't looking forward to that if he was honest. He knew the rules and physical impossibilities in this digital heck, but he had years worth of experience to know all the pain, agony, sleepless nights, and loss to deal with it. But the twins were still toddlers.

They didn't have the same experience of all the horrors this place had to offer. Only a few run-ins with wayward NPCs and Caine's usual nonsensical chaos that thankfully hadn't traumatized the kids yet. And Jax wished he could keep it that way.

"Stars..."

"That's right. Those are stars. Do you know how many?"

Emily's face twisted, pushing her lips together as her eyes darted about, trying to count the poorly drawn stars in the night sky. "Um... five?"

Jax let out a snort. God his kid was adorable. "Heh. Close enough."

Emily made a little grunt, adjusting herself in Jax's arms. Both she and Emma were having trouble sleeping after a long frustrating day, and as hard as Pomni could try, the jester couldn't soothe her children to rest. He didn't say it, but she looked terrible. When was the last time she got her fair share of rest?

Too long if he could see dark bags forming under her big eyes. Maybe he felt some sort of pity for her and that led him to decide to take care of the twins tonight for her. She had been hesitant, and rightfully so with his streak of mischief and pranks with the twins, but Jax honestly wanted Pomni to take a break before she collapsed from exhaustion or neglect of her own personal needs.

She could only handle so much before her mental state took a hint and had a breakdown. And he wasn't going to risk pushing her over the edge when she was so close to risking Abstraction.

Yet, she was sturdier than he gave her credit for.

She made it this long since her first day, and her mind was still lucid enough to still think properly. If only she would stop trying so hard to find an exit.

It was the only thing Jax wished he could change about Pomni. Finding an exit was the jester's top priority when she arrived and still was to this day. Not even caring for the twins could stop her from trying to find a way out, and more than once Jax had to stop her.

He loved the woman, but by god did she drive herself crazy trying to find a way out that didn't exist. She was so stubborn to find an exit, and it ramped up to the max when the girls were born. He could understand why. No sane parent would want to raise their child in a horrible place like this. If he had the power to, he would have gotten his family out of this place the second the twins were born and keep them as far away as possible from this accursed insane prison.

But he didn't. And that terrified him to his core.

Emily let out a yawn, rubbing her face in a tired manner. Despite not needing to sleep, exhaustion was still a thing.

"Getting tired there, lil' carrot?"

"No..." Emily mumbled, blinking her eyes sleepily.

"You sure? You don't want to join your sister in dreamland?" He inclined his head towards Emma, who was already fast asleep in Jax's arm, snoring quietly as she sucked on her fist.

"No 'eepy..." Emily said, letting out a yawn. "No... eep..."

"You're very convincing Em." Jax chuckled, rocking his body side to side as he walked. Caine had put in a new update to the night cycle of the Grounds. There were all sorts of sounds that echoed in the far distance, along with small flickering lights that were supposedly mimicking real-life fireflies. More than once Jax had tried catching them with the twins whenever they were outside together. Sometimes with Pomni when he could convince the jester to join in and have fun.

Though still not close to the original thing, it was soothing enough to put the twins to sleep whenever they couldn't manage on their own. A few walks and star counting did the trick to ease the girls into a restful slumber.

Emily struggled to keep her eyes open, fighting back uselessly against yawns that came out of her mouth. Try as she might, the smaller rabbit soon lost her battle with exhaustion and joined her sister in sleeping against their father's chest.

A soft smile graced Jax's face as he watched his girls rest peacefully against him. A part of him wondered what they looked like outside of the circus, but he quickly shoved it aside.

He didn't want to think about what the twins lost being born in this digital realm. He already had enough on his plate trying to convince Pomni to stop looking for something that didn't exist so she wouldn't go insane. He didn't want to lose the only person he deeply cared about to Abstraction.

Not now. Not ever.

That would be his worst nightmare come to life if it did happen.

His smile dropped to a frown, gazing down at the twins in his arms.

... It would be his worst nightmare if all three of his girls Abstracted...

The thought of losing not only Pomni, but his daughters as well, didn't sit right with Jax. He knew the risks of getting attached to someone, but he did so anyway. And now he had three of the most precious beings in the whole circus who could one day lose their sanity and become a giant glitching black mess with eyes–

Jax jumped with a start, shaking his head.

Don't think about it.

Don't think about it.

Pomni already had enough on her plate worrying over things like that. He had to be strong and keep a clear head for both of them and the twins. If he didn't...

"Let's get you girls to bed." Jax quickly turned on his heel, heading back to the Tent. Maybe, if his head didn't clear up once he reached his room, he could distract himself with one of the kid stories Gangle made for the twins.