Chapter Text
Jax avoided eye contact as she re-opened a wound that had previously been suppressed rather than healed. It wasn't out of shame. If anything, Jax was too absorbed in the memory to process just how much she'd said.
“I'm sure she's fine.”
Jax glanced back at Ribbit cautiously, like she was ready to be dissapointed. The words seemed too good to be true.
“I mean, if the police never came after you, she was probably fine.”
Jax’s eyes softened with a hint of both hope and desperation. She wanted so badly to believe her. She still wasn't sure what people were usually supposed to feel after venting.
Venting…
Oh sh-[boink]-it.
This was objectively way too much, right? Sure, Ribbit had asked about Jax’s regrets, but she doubted she wanted to sit here and spit out advice like a therapist.
This was pathetic. No — Jax looked pathetic, which was way worse.
Ribbit has always been an infinitely better person than Jax ever could be. It was a miracle she'd ever given her the time of day. The least Jax could do was appear tougher than she was. She still had to make up for how pathetic she acted when she first arrived.
Panicked, Jax immediately sprang up.
“Ah-! I, uh- uhm- Sorry! I-I know I overshared.”
Jax stammered to the door before she felt a hand atop her shaken one.
“Wait.”
Jax peered back at Ribbit with her heart in her throat. God (Caine), this was terrifying.
Ribbit offered a gentle smile, eyes locked on Jax while still maintaining a firm grip on her hand.
“I'm glad you trust me.”
Jax tried to deflect by looking around to find something else to focus on, but in the end, there was only Ribbit. To her dismay, she began to tear up. She avoided eye contact, but didn't let go of Ribbit’s hand. She gave a slightly self-depricating smile.
“Sh-[boink]-it… this is embarrassing…”
Regaining a slight semblance of confidence, Jax was finally able to sit back down and look in Ribbit’s direction. She wiped a stray tear. Ribbit remained smiling at her, her eyes filled with warmth that seemed just about endless. It made Jax feel… how would she describe it? — sort of calm and sort of intimidated at the same time.
It was like whenever she looked at her, Ribbit would be able to reach inside of Jax. If this doesn't make sense, it shouldn't. She doesn't really get it either. She wondered if she'd ever get it.
In this particular moment, she felt as if she were being curled up into a ball on a lush hill of grass under one of those warm summer nights. And not the humid ones. The ones where the weather feels perfectly like a spring day in the dead of night.
The ones where you feel both at your calmest, and anxious because it's too good to be true.
‘Anxious.’ Let's put a bookmark in that word.
Ribbit began to undo her bowtie. In full honesty, she still had no idea how Ribbit managed to get it to stay on. From what she's observed, it almost looks like it's floating all the time. But she knew there was no use in overthinking the physics of a digital world. She wiped her final tear.
Which was why Jax didn't previously notice Ribbit reaching out to secure her bow around her left ear.
Jax felt the same level of thumping in her chest as the world's scariest horror game would give her (although she refuses to admit she's prone to jumpscares). She summed it up to her getting startled for her own sanity.
To her surprise, Jax didn't hate it. It almost felt… normal? Well, not normal. Perhaps it was that she felt content?
No, rather…
She felt cute.
Her pupils dilated as she glanced up at the bow, which was the same shade of red as her face. Then, back at Ribbit.
How could she have possibly…
“You're secret’s safe with me.”
Jax felt an onslaught of both familiar and unfamiliar emotions: Embarrassment, humiliation, acceptance, shame, confusion. And weirdly enough… joy?
Her heart continued to beat at an unprecedented rate as her face continued to flush.
She found her eyes drifting into Ribbit’s.
How was it she was able to see inside her the way she always did? It was like she got Jax better than she got herself.
Jax didn't run away. She didn't even feel the urge to, for once. The thought didn't cross her mind. Why would she leave when she could stay with Ribbit in this moment?
Even though neither had moved in the past minute, Jax suddenly felt physically further away from Ribbit.
It was odd considering they were now emotionally closer than ever.
Jaxed continued to stare into Ribbit’s firm gaze, wondering if it could help her get a semblance of what Ribbit was thinking.
It was starting to dawn on her that she didn't know as much about Ribbit as she thought.
“Hey, er- Ribbit?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
“Hm? What for?”
“Ah-” Jax’s voice turned to a slight mumble. “Y’know… being my friend and crap…”
Ribbit smiled softly without giving a verbal response.
God, that was just so like her.
Oh, yea.
“Breakfast is startin’ in a few hours. I should probably head back.”
Jax stood up and stretched dramatically.
“Awee, that's too bad. Well, I'll see ya’ soon enough anyways.”
She began to walk to the door, resting her hand on the doorknob when she got there.
“Yup, cya,’ Froggy!”
She gave a brief peace sign out before closing the door behind her.
Sheesh. What a day.
Jax kept the bow in her dresser.
Ribbit has dozens, anyway.