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The east wing of the manor was always quieter than the rest, as if the house held its breath there.
Ragatha liked that about the library.
The late afternoon light spilled through the tall arched windows lining the far wall, cutting gold streaks across the lounged and catching the dust that hun lazily in the air. The shelves stretched high—higher than necessary, really— and hemmed the room in with old leather book spines. It felt private, without being hidden, and safe without being small. From the other side of the manor, laughter echoed faintly, probably from one of Kaufmos jokes. Usually, at this time, everyone gathered in the drawing room to hang out before bed. However, tonight, Ragatha needed a moment alone.
Here, on the east side of the digital manor, was just her.
Well, her and the soft, traitorous echo of Ribbit's voice in her head from this morning.
Just ask him, go for it!
Ragatha stared down at the open book in her hands. She has read the same line multiple times and hasn't turned the page in ten minutes. The cream-colored paper blurred as her eyes skimmed the same sentence again and again, words refusing to stick. Her fingers rested on the bottom corner, ready to flip, but never committing. She shifted on the couch beneath her, one knee tucked under her kight gown.
You already know he likes you, Ribbit insisted, leaning over the back of the sofa with a knowing look. The worst he can say is no, and we both know he won't, so just go for it.
The memory was vivid, probably because it was only an hour ago— Ribbit's grin, and the way their voice carried that certainty that they were right. It made her stomach twist. Ragatha's fingers lingered on the edge of the paper before she groaned and closed the book; the sound of the cover meeting the pages gave a gentle echo. She decided she would get up to choose a different one. She concluded the book was too boring, and that's why her mind wandered.
As she sat up, smoothing the wrinkles from her nightgown, the library door creaked open behind her.
"Yeesh, people will laugh at anything," Jax announced to the room, like he was in the middle of a conversation the whole time.
Ragatha immediately felt her chest drop to her stomach and nearly jumped out of her skin. Her shoulders jolted up to her ears, and the book almost slipped out of her lap. She turned, watching Jax close the door behind him. "Oh. Hi."
Jax was grinning, hands tucked behind his head as he wandered in and approached her, casual as ever. "Kaufy just told the worst joke I've ever heard in my life. Something about a haunted teapot and commitment issues. Makes zero sense, but still got a laugh."
He laughed as he stood by her, waiting for her response.
Ragatha smiled politely, though she was sure it looked tight. "People laugh at your jokes all the time."
"Exactly," He waved his hand. and leaned a hip against the couch she sat at. "No standards with these people! I'm hilarious, and if they can laugh at that, then what about my jokes?"
Her stomach was doing flips. Maybe it was actually flipping; anything could happen in this realm. Tight, swooping motions that made it hard to breathe normally. This space no longer felt big and quiet.
Did Ribbit set this up? The thought hit her fast and hot. Ribbit had been suspiciously insistent earlier; maybe they knew she would never confess, and so they set up a situation to force her to blurt it out. The east wing was barely visited by anyone. Who the hell wants to read rip-off books Caine wrote anyway? Jax had no reason to wonder here unless-
Jax tilted his head. "Watcha doing all alone here, Rags? Everyone's chillin' in the living room."
"Drawing room," She corrected automatically, pushing hair behind her shoulder.
"The room with couches n' crap." He replied. "Watcha doing?"
"Reading," She answered a little too quickly, holding up the book as proof.
Jax looked at the cover, which was titled 'Sea Foam', with a mermaid lifting her arm in the air, her hair swirling dramatically around her like a cyclone. "Yeah? What's it about?"
Ragatha glanced down at the book and opened it, staring at the pages, and cleared her throat dramatically. She was grateful for a normal conversation. "It's about a sea princess who trades her voice to a foam witch, so she can pursue a land prince who collects cutlery."
Jax blinked
She flipped back a page, paper whispering underneath her fingers, and read out loud. "'Her ruby locs cascaded like molten coral as she gazed upon the human man with legs most symmetrical.'"
He continued to stare, arms crossed now, and one brow slowly arching.
Ragatha slowly glanced up at him. ".. there is a whole paragraph about his ankles."
"That's awful." He said faltly.
"I know."
"Does she at least stab him in the end?"
"No clue, but the contract was written weird, so who knows."
Jax snorted and shook his head. "It's bad."
"It's very bad," Ragatha smiled, the tension in her shoulders easing just a little as she shut the book again with a soft thud. "I was gonna get a new one anyway."
Ragatha stood, smoothing out her nightgown where it had bunched at her knees, and turned towards the shelves. The towering cases loomed above her, rows upon rows of spines in different shades and hues. She could feel him following behind her, close enough that their shoulders nearly touched. She felt nerves creeping across her skin like static, or that weird pins and needles feeling when you sit on your leg too long.
"You know," he said casually, stopping as she scanned the book spines, mitten fingers brushing over the titles and leather, "I liked The Little Mermaid."
Ragatha glanced at him over her shoulder. "The actual one? Or the one with ankle monologues?"
She got a chuckle out of him, low and warm. "The actual one," he said. "But more so the animated one. It had good songs, solid pacing, and amazing animation. Ten outta ten."
She giggled now. "You're ridiculous."
He shrugged, saying he is a man of many talents. Ragatha went back to the shelves, fingers skimming titles until one caught her eye. Blood Devotion. The cover consisted of a pale girl staring intensely at a glittering, suspiciously —and horribly edited— sparkly boy in a forest that looked more like a poorly rendered backdrop from a mall photoshoot than actual trees.
She pulled it out. "Oh no."
"What is it?" he asked, looking over her shoulder. His breath ghosted faintly near her ear.
Ragatha flipped to look at the summary in the back. "She's irresistibly drawn to the mysterious nocturnal transfer student whose skin glimmers like diamonds in sunlight."
Jax scrunched his nose and made a face. "Hell no."
"And he only goes to school when it's cloudy," She continued gravely. "And he has 'ancient, tortured eyes.'"
"How does someone have ancient eyes?" Jax asked the universe this question. "What is he, forty?"
Ragtha snorted. "it's doesnt specify."
Jax hummed thoughtfully. "Eh, sounds like the kinda guy you want."
Ragatha's head snapped up. "Excuse me?"
"You would," Jax insisted, nudging her shoulder lightly. The contact was brief, but it sent a spark straight through her. "he'd be broody, dramatic, and he stands in corners thinkin' about eternity. You'd eat it up."
"Absolutely not."
"You'd be like," he started to do a breathy imitation, with a poor country twang to it. "Oh no, He's not dangerous, just misunderstood!"
Ragatha elbowed him, but she laughed. "And what about you then??"
"Me?"
"Yeah," She turned just enough to glance at his face. He stood before her, close enough to touch, and yet not close enough. The library suddenly felt too warm, the air thick in her lungs. She felt a light flutter in her chest. "Lemme guess, you like readheads that wear blue bows."
Jax went still, enough for her to notice. It was subtle, the way his shoulders squared slightly, and the way his grin faltered. She gasped and watched pink form on the tips of his ears and cheeks.
"It is!?"
Jax clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. "I ain't predictable, doll."
"Well," She said in a sing-song tone, tilting her head, feeling the small flicker of boldness bloom inside her. "You did say you liked The Little Mermaid."
"I liked that she was a mermaid." He replied, his voice a bit more serious now. The warmth on her back was no longer almost close enough to touch; he was there. She could feel the brush of his sleeve near her arm.
She held her breath and turned slightly to face him
He stepped in as she moved, one hand lifting to brace against the shelf behind her head. The wood thudded softly under his palm, close enough that she felt the vibration. Ragatha became acutely aware of everything: the smell of the library, the fabric of her gown, the space between their feet. Especially the way her heartbeat seemed to echo in her ears.
"Yeah," he added, lowering his head just slightly. His eyes looked at her blue bow tied in her hair, then back to her face. His gaze lingered there, steady and unreadable. "I like redheads who wear blue bows, too."
She stopped breathing. Her locs started to float slowly, drifting upward like she was underwater.
"Oh."
Heat rushed up her neck and seeped into her cheeks, blooming bright and impossible to hide. A small, but nervous laugh slipped out, letting her hair drop as she clutched the book to her chest as if it were a shield. "You…y-you're standing close, Jax."
"Am I?" he asked.
He didn't move. The hand above her remained planted, fingers splayed against the wood. The space between them felt different. She was sure that he could hear her heart at this point by how loud it was in her ears. She remained still.
"Whats wrong, Dolly, cat caught your tongue?" Jax teased, looking down at Ragatha as she leaned agasint the bookcase and hid her smirk behind the book she was holding. She resented the way his expression made her stomach twist into an impressive knot. He snickered, tilting his head. "Whats on your mind?"
Just ask him,
That was the last advice Ragatha got before her friend went to bed. So, she was going to do just that. All that was left in this library was her and Jax. She originally came here to seek out alone time, but this moment, it didn't matter; she wasn't even interested in the new book she picked up now. Her eye kept on him, the was the ends of his fur curled, and the half-lidded expression on his face. She was sure he knew what he was doing.
Go for it!
Ragatha found her breathing to feel short and tight, but she lowered the book. Her eye kept on him, and she breathed. "Will you kiss me?"
Heat flooded his face, only to burn more when she giggled at his reaction. It's not like she was oblivious to his crush, and she's sure he wasn't oblivious either. Multiple adventures where they where paried up, the flirting, the banter, the dancing, oh how she loved the dancing. His eyes scanned her face, as if trying to see if she was joking. She waited for his answer, for what he'd do.
Jax kissed his teeth, tapping his fingers against the bookshelves behind her and glancing away. He hummed in thought. ""Will i' is… hard to explain..." Eyes flicked back down to her, and a smirk was on his face. Her cheeks burned, and her heart fluttered. How infuriating it was, she thought, that a single look from him was enough to fluster her. "I mean, I'd sure like to."
But neither of them moved. Ragatha took a breath, and he shifted his weight to lean a bit closer.
"Now, if you asked 'would I?', 'could I?'….." He brought a hand up, claws curling around one of her locs and then taking her book to toss it behind them. In any other setting, she'd go 'Jax!' and lightly scold him, but right here, he had her where he wanted her. Completely entranced. His hand came back, dragging up her night gown, the fabric being tugged up by his claws, before he rested it on her hip. "Tell me what you want."
His expression was daring, with that underlying confidence to top it off. The glance at her lips and then back to her made her feel crazy. There's no denying that yearning in his eyes, and she realized he's looked at her like this before, back in the circus adventure when she did aerial arts with him, and they flew above the crowd. She wanted to kiss him then, get high off the thrill of holding onto him rather than the hoop, and hope he'd hold her too. She wondered if he wanted to kiss her then, too.
How long has he waited for her move?
"I want you to kiss me." Ragatha finally said, a breathless laugh leaving her lips, as if it's funny to finally admit it. I like you.
Thankfully, he snickered. He felt the same."See? Wasn't so hard, now was it?"
But they didn't move. Neither leaned in. Instead, they just watched each other smile nervously at what could happen at any second if they allowed it.
"You should feel how hard my heart is racing." It felt like drums, the ones from the marching bands back in her college days, is how she'd best describe it. A full-bodied, pleasant resonance that made her pulse jump, like she took shots of adrenaline. Jax hummed, glancing down at her chest, where her heart patch was stitched into her chest. The hand that rested on her hip came up, claw slightly tugging her night gown enough so he could better place his hand over the patch.
Ragatha pressed her lips together at the sensation of his palm agasint the patch, muffling the low hum that attempted to escape her. This strange feature Caine gave her model, to feel whatever touches her there. Her mitten hand came up to sit above his hand, making him press a bit harder, inviting him into a new level of her. Jax was still aside from his hand, his thumb slightly brushing agasint her, and part of her wondered if he was nervous, or if he was slowly figuring out the mechanism, and that's why he still hasn't leaned in yet.
"Ragatha.."
Her name sounded like a melody when he said it. She noticed how he said it often and all the nicknames he gave her. Was she a song he loved singing? He was closer, nose grazing hers. Ragatha smiled a bit; she could tell he was shy now with how he avoided her look. He wanted her to make the move, want him. So, Ragatha took her free hand, the tips of her fingers and thumb dragging the line of his jaw, pulling him in and tipping his face towards her.
She fully leaned in and kissed him.
For a split second, the world held its breath with him, then his lips moved against hers, sure and hungry. His lips moved with hers, slow at first, learning the shape of her, taking in her taste, and warmth unfurled through her chest. Not a spart, nor a flicker, but something deeper. It was like standing too close to a roaring fireplace after months of cold, the heat licking at her skin until it seeped into her bones. His thumb brushed over the heart patch absently, reverently. The touch sent a sharp pulse through her. Her lips parted on a breath that trembled into a soft moan, and he kissed her deeper, swallowing the noise as if he wanted every part of her.
Jax took his hand away from her patch and cradled her face, thumbs warm against her cheeks, holding her steady as he grew surer with his kisses. There was devotion to it, something fierce and unspoken. Each kiss felt like he was trying to memorize her, claim the moment, and promise it all back to her all at once.
He drank her in, every breath, every quiet sound, all the warmth between them. He waited too long to finally taste her, and she felt the same.
Ragatha's hands stayed splayed agasint his chest for a second longer before she gently pushed him back, breaking the kiss. Their breaths came fast and uneven. For a moment, neither of them moved. They just stared. His pupils were blown wide. He looked love-drunk and dazed, like she'd knocked sense and thought out of him. It made something warm bloom in her chest. As the haze cleared from his expression, a slow, disbelieving smile spread across his face. When she smiled back, it felt inevitable.
A breathless laugh slipped out of her. Then another from him. It dissolved into quiet giggles that echoed faintly between the library shelves. He tipped forward, pressing his forehead to her shoulder, and she lifted her hand to the back of his head, combing gently through his fur.
"You have no idea how I wanted this," Jax murmured, pulling back just enough to look at her again. He was glowing—eyes bright, grin crooked. If she could have taken a photo of his face, she would have.
She bit her lip, but her smile still broke through. "Yeah?"
"Yeah!" He nodded firmly, as he needed her to believe him. Her laugh came softer this time. She covered her mouth, shaking her head. "Like, I've thought about it. A lot."
He leaned in instinctively. "God, Rags," he breathed, voice dropping. "I want more."
"Slooww down." Ragatha pressed her palm lightly to his chest again, though she didn't actually push him away. His teeth clicked in a playful kiss of frustration, but the grin never left his face. Her hands slid up from his chest to loop around his shoulders, drawing him closer. His tail gave an eager wag behind him as his hands found her waist once more.
"I was thinking…" She started, tracing the line of his collar with her fingers. "About bringing my book back to my room. Read before bed. Sound fun?"
His gaze dropped to her lips as she spoke. "Very fun," he agreed too quickly. "We can read between the lines."
Ragatha laughed outright. "You are terrible!"
"Mmm. You like it."
Instead of responding, she caught his lips with hers again— this time, slower, deliberate. He melted into it instantly, arms tightening around her as if he needed her to be stable.
They stayed here between the shelves far longer than either of them meant to. By the time they finally made it to her room, neither of them remembered even the title from the book she planned on reading.