Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I wake up. I stand up. I walk to the door. I open the door. I walk out. I go to the stage. Theme song. Adventure. I walk to my room's door. I open my room's door. I sleep. Repeat.

Routine is becoming less and less ideal.

Listen, I'd really, really enjoy leaving and all…who am I kidding, no I wouldn't. What my memory lets me remember tells me that Real Life™ isn't preferable. Even with how stupidly insane and wacky life here is, I just…I don't think there's anything for me out there anymore. I just wish it was better in here.

God, my head is killing me. I can't sleep. I don't even know how long it's been since I walked in here, I just can't bring myself to even close my eyes of my own free will. 

Right as my eyes begin to forcefully flutter shut, I hear a knock at my door and a voice I unfortunately recognize.

“Heya, starshine. World's saying hello out here. Mind if I come in for a little bit? I wanna talk to you about today.”

I groan…and clearly he heard me, judging from the chuckle I hear through the door. Jax…

“Not happy to see me, huh? Too bad, coming in.”

I hear the clink of a key open my locked door. I don't have the energy to get up and try to kick him out. He walks over to the bed, seeing my half-asleep state, and just laughs again.

“Boy, isn't that a sight to see. You conscious down there?”

I force myself to sit up, my headache almost worsening. “What did you come here for?”

“Ah, right. That junk. Listen, about that thing at…Spudsy's. That's a stupid name. Spudsy’s. Hah. I, uh…wanted to say that…”

My mind wanders. I barely remember today's adventure; I was half-conscious the entire time. I remember talking to him, but I just can’t recall what was said or if anything bad even happened. I don't respond to whatever he's saying, falling back onto the bed with a sigh.

“...you're not listening, are ya?”

“Listen, I…I haven't been fully myself as of late. It's been rough. Hard to focus, to remember, to think…I’m sorry, but I really don’t remember what happened today.”

He goes silent, the look in his dilated pupils almost reminiscent of concern. That's too out of character for Jax for me to even consider, but nonetheless I can feel it's there.

“...Ah.”

The silence continues, and I close my eyes. He tries to get up and leave, but my hand gently grabs his arm.

“You can….stay if you want to, Jax…I don't want to be alone with my thoughts right now. I hate it, but your company would be appreciated…”

I hear him stop for a brief moment, moving to lay down a safe distance away from my body on the bed. He attempts to regain some semblance of the confident air he carries around him.

“You've always been an intriguing flavor of coward….never knew you were the type to get scared at night. Need me to tuck you in, too? I ain't replacing a teddy bear.” His verbal jabs feel less genuine than usual, like he just wants to fill the cold air with his voice.

I turn my body to face him. “You don't have to stay here if you don't want to, Jax. You can leave.”

He scoffs. “You asked me to stay, so now leaving feels too mean for my taste. It's on you if you changed your mind or something, I ain't going anywhere.”

“Since when were you the type to listen to me? Since when was something too mean for YOU of all people?”

I just laugh at his half-angry silence. I move my body up the bedsheets, crawling under the covers and patting the spot next to me as I collapse face first into the pillow.

He rolls his eyes as he moves to sit next to me, grabbing my hair in a less-than-gentle way to move my face off of the pillow. My eyes widen slightly, forcing themselves open. “You'll suffocate laying down like that. I've never seen you act this useless before.”

I mumble out a response. “Have you done this to me before…?”

I don't have the energy to regret my own words as the smirk falls right off his face. He scoffs, pulling my head up so that I'm at face level with him.

“Hah. Real funny. I came in here to talk to you, you know. Seriously. I doubt you've COMPLETELY forgotten what happened today. It’s real out of character for you to lie about something like this, you know? You hate the idea of liking me that much?” He laughs, and I can’t tell if he’s genuinely asking or not.

“That being said…”

He puts my head back down on the pillow.

“...I can tell when someone isn’t in the right headspace, and I happen to dislike being the only person in the room with some form of rationality, so that means our little talk is delayed for now. Lucky you, I'm actually looking forward to reminding you of what happened today when you’re ready. Enough to look past this whole debacle and forgive you for wasting my time.”

I only pull him down with me, much to his surprise. Like he wasn't expecting it. He laughs. “Geez, having a good time in your little mind palace or what? Bet you're still not even listening. I could say aaaaanything I want and you wouldn't even care.”

I don’t say anything for a long minute, just closing my eyes. Surprisingly, he doesn’t speak either. There's comfortable silence as I can feel his gaze on me and let myself relax around him for once. Maybe the first time. He doesn't seem to like that I let my guard down, pulling me closer to him with an annoyed gruff and letting me wrap my arms around him.

“This is the worst possible outcome for us, you know that, right?” His voice is low, like he doesn't even want to mean what he says.

“Then leave.”

“No.”

My grip tightens around him as I fall asleep, and I can feel a soft kiss pressed onto my forehead as I drift off.

“Alright, gang!”

Caine spoke with a certain vigor I hadn't seen in him before, like he was more proud of whatever he was going to drag us into than usual. I could already hear the other's complaints, but I tuned it out. I'm really not in the mood for any of this, whether it be Caine or anybody else. I've got a splitting headache. Last night…

…I don't even want to think about last night. He wasn’t there in the morning, so I can only hope it was a dream and internally curse myself for dreaming about Jax actually wanting to be around me. And my reciprocation.

“Today we'll be traveling to a MEDIEVAL KINGDOM where you'll have to save the Princess and her Knight from their prison in the DARK CASTLE! You'll all be assigned various roles in the story. Like a play!”

Ragatha speaks up, seemingly confused. “Wasn't this one of my suggestions from the box—?”

“HAHAHA VERY FUNNY JOKE RAGATHA I WOULD NEVER STEAL IDEAS!!!!!!!!! Here’s your scripts, everyone!!!” Caine speaks over her, handing everyone a script. 

I'm not even shocked that Caine is seemingly trying to pass a suggestion box adventure as his own. I check my paper.

“The Princess of [NAME PENDING] Kingdom”

…

I'M the damsel in distress?! This is going to be beyond boring. Just sitting around in a cage with whoever the Knight is? I’m not even going to think about who it could be. I'll probably jinx myself into having my worst nightmare come true.

…and sorry, name pending? He didn't even try to come up with a name for the Kingdom??

I try to look over the script, but he shoves us all through his stupid tiny portal, and I pass out for whatever reason.

I wake up in a large lavish bedroom. It's not horrible, but it's definitely far from how I would decorate my own room. Plus, I kind of hate how big it is…I’m laying on a large plush bed surrounded by Versaille-esque decor, and before I can even think to look down at the ballgown I'm in, I hear a voice that I did NOT want to be hearing at all.

“Heya, princess.”

The clink of Jax's metal armor approaching me as I'm sitting in bed just pisses me off, but I can't bring myself to do anything but groan about this. He giggles. “Awww, is my princess bothered? Dress too hot for ya?”

I half-glare at him, shifting to face him while still sitting on the bed. “Shouldn't I be kidnapped or something? As in far away from you? ”

“WELL, if you even considered reading the character details in your script, you'd notice that both the princess AND her Knight get kidnapped and are stuck in a cage for the majority of the script. It’s a really beautifully written drama, I’d really recommend it. Zooble’s supposed to be hit with a rock.”

“Stop calling yourself my knight.”

He leans onto the bed, arms on either side of me. His face is too close. “Unlike someone, I read the script, and this knight is BEYOND loyal to his lovely princess. I don't wanna break character as much as YOU already have. Right, Caine?”

A little portal shows up, and Caine gives a thumbs up through it.

“Thanks, Caine. Really appreciate it. How'd you even get the time to read the script?” I sigh as the portal fades out.

“Oh, you've been asleep for, like, 30 minutes. I read the whole thing then.” Jax laughs again. “C'moooonnn, what’s with the sour face? Don't you wanna have a little fun here? Let yourself go?”

“What I WANT is to—”

Before I can even finish speaking, a big hand grabs both of us and drags us away. I'm smushed against him, and I can't even speak because my face is forced into his chest.

We're dropped into a cage with the exact same layout and design as the bedroom we were just in, except black and also inside of a cage. Since when was Caine this lazy?

I pull myself up, looking down at the dress I was forced into. The top fits pretty tightly while still being comfortable, the gown is pretty fluffy…Am I wearing heels?

“The pacing of this adventure is giving me insane whiplash…” I look towards Jax. His armor is mostly protective, a tight bodysuit visible underneath the metal. He even has little metal boots. A sword rests at his hip, and a small detachable shield is on his arm, which he's currently attempting to take off. Why does he have a weapon if he's not going to be fighting anything? He's stuck in here with me!

It suddenly hits me that I'm alone in a cage with Jax, and I get increasingly more uncomfortable at that revelation. Oh fuck.

“So. You gonna bring up yesterday first, or am I going to?” He stands up from where he was dropped and looks towards me, his eyes narrowing. I roll my eyes at him and move to sit on the bed. 

“You're uncharacteristically vulnerable today.”

“And you're deflecting. Again.” His foot stamps at me impatiently.

“I just…I  don’t want to do this. I don't want to talk right now.” 

“And when do you?” His annoyance doesn’t lessen. “You’re not seriously trying to pull that whole ‘memory loss’ thing again, right? Because I can tell you’re lying about it.”

He approaches me, a smirk crawling onto his face as he tries to act like he doesn’t really care. He’s planning something, but I can’t tell what.

“But if you’re gonna keep that act up, I might as well play along. A knight is always loyal to his princess, right? I’d hate to defy your will, your highness.”

What? WHAT??? HUH??? “Listen, I can explai—”

“I don't really care about an explanation.”

“...what?”

“I'm not here to listen to you whine about your feelings, alright? You're just going to cry about how life sucks here, and as much as it does, I don't need YOU to tell me that. I'd much prefer giving you a little reminder of what you supposedly don't remember from yesterday. And what better time to remind you than now, alone in a cage with no bystanders?” I blink. 

His body language, his tone of voice—all of it screamed vulnerability, like he was desperate for a chance to be real with someone for once, even if his were far from it.

Is it weird to say I'd hate if that honor came to me? Is it weird to say I really would prefer that reminder over any emotional moment right now? My mind is a wreck. It’s been a wreck. Whatever happened yesterday was just the epitome of that, especially if I can’t remember it. I need a distraction.

…but I'm scared of what I’m going to be reminded of or what it’s even distracting me from. I can only gather what it likely is from context clues. I don’t know if I’m ready for it.

“What exactly do you want to remind me of?”

He smirks, approaching the bed as nonchalantly as he can, though I can see the excitement in his eyes.

“Oh, you know. We didn't exactly get to go as far as I hoped, princess. As much as I hate to admit it, you got me more than riled up with that lovey-dovey bullcrap you spewed out. It was cute how much you wanted me. Even if we didn't do anything, you…actually seemed to be fine just being with me.”

He laughs, pushing me down onto the bed in the same way he was trying to intimidate me before. “Which couldn’t be the case. I’ve been around myself long enough to know that, so the only other explanation is that you’re just a freak that's way too into me for your own good. What kind of a weirdo are you, huh?”

I glare. I wish I knew him well enough to be able to tell whether or not he was being serious. Before I can even respond, he kisses my neck, and any objections I have die in my throat.

He doesn't stop, still kissing at my neck, eventually sucking and biting at my collarbone. I try to keep my whimpers down, but some escape me, which just causes him to get more excited. He giggles, and I can feel his tail wagging.

“Aren't you pathetic. Already whimpering and I haven't even done anything. How long have you been this eager for, huh?”

His hands travel my body, feeling the tightness of my top and gripping my skirt tightly. I grab his hand, my voice breathy. “Don't rip it…”

He grumbles in response. “You take it off, then.”

I hesitate, but I am aware of how much I want this too. Even with how embarrassed I am by it, I start stripping right underneath him, feeling his stare travel my body the more I reveal myself.

“Y-you're…you're staring.”

“I know.” I can feel him holding himself back from touching me, like there's something stopping him. Once I finally take off the entire dress, leaving me in nothing, his hand cups my breast. He squeezes lightly, and I can't help but feel dizzy at the sensation.

Before I can even comprehend it, he's ripping apart his own attire, trying to find a way to get himself inside me as soon as possible. 

As soon as he figures out how his own outfit works, his cock is out, resting on my stomach. His pupils are wide, dilated as he examines my face for my reaction to him. He smirks at my wide-eyed, nervous reaction, patting my head in such a patronizing way I'd be beyond mad at him at any other point in time. But right now…

There's a short pause before he sinks into me with a low moan, completely catching me off guard as I grip the comforter underneath me tightly. His face is buried into my shoulder as he pushes deeper, stretching me out as he pins me down, gently rubbing the palm of my hand. He suddenly pulls his hips from mine as much as he can, slowly but surely, before pounding back into me with a desperate roll of his hips.

“F-fuck-! Jax…!” My grip on him only tightens as he begins to slowly move into me over and over.

“Sh…shut u-up-! I don't want to hear your stupid…breathy voice…” He doesn't move his head from the nape of my neck, hiding his face from me and trying to keep his own whines quiet as he slowly quickens his pace. Whatever words I try to say are only replaced by desperate moans and gasps for air.

The room only seems to get hotter as he finally pulls away from my neck and lets his lips crash into mine. His hand goes to the back of my head, pushing my lips harder onto his own while his other hand pulls my thighs further apart. I pull away from the kiss to take a breath, and he doesn't hesitate in planting more kisses and bites on my neck.

His hips continuously stutter, legs shifting around almost nervously. He lightly whispers to me to ask if I'm doing alright as he keeps going, and I just nod, covering my face in slight embarrassment at just how good he's making me feel. His hands pull mine away from my face, pinning me against the bed again as he mumbles something about “not wanting me to do that.” I tilt my head with a confused look, and he scoffs.

“What’s with…What’s with that look, huh!?” His breath is heavy as he talks. He’s quite obviously nervous about something. He hasn’t stopped or slowed down, and I can still barely talk over the noise of my own pleasure. I manage to lightly speak my mind briefly.

“It’s…haah, real cute how hard you’re trying to come off as dominant…”

He stops, a blush creeping onto his face. “Can’t you ever SHUT UP?!” He slams into me a little harder than before, his hold on my wrists tightening up to the point where it almost hurts. He keeps going, still trying to hide his face from me. Cute…

My legs wrap around his waist while he seems to only quicken his pace, and before he can even say anything...

“What are you two…doing, exactly?”

Chapter Text

Jax barely stops moving, only slowing down to a torturous pace as he looks towards…Caine, who is currently floating about 4 feet above us. I hope he can't see the tears flowing through my eyes. It's a little embarrassing to be walked (or…floated?) in on like this, But Jax doesn't even seem to care…he's still going, albeit very, very slowly—WHY IS HE STILL GOING?!

“Oh, heya Caine.” Jax smirks up at Caine as his grip tightens on my wrists. “What are you doing here?”

Caine tilts his head at us. “I just wanted to check up on you both! I was scared you were getting violent with the princess and rushed to prevent you from going off script, but by the looks of it, you're…not. Mind explaining this course of action to me, please? I don't think I'm aware of it.”

“I-it's—!”

“It's a totally normal thing that knights who are loyal to their beautiful princesses do, of course. A natural expression of love. Nothing violent here.” I can see (and feel) him holding back…some kind of noise. I can't tell if it's laughter or something else.

“It's normal? Well, did you have to rip your costume for it? I spent a lot of time on that thing…”

“Mmm, yeah…totally my bad. Besides that, it’s entirely in character for the both of us. A little improv won’t hurt, will it?.” His voice is a little breathless, looking up at Caine with the dumbest smirk I've ever seen on him as he's STILL punctuating every other sentence with chaste thrusts. “You might wanna consider not interrupting us. It's seen as a little rude where I'm from. Wouldn't wanna speak on behalf of her majesty, but I can only assume it's the same for her, right?”

His thumb lovingly rubs the inside of my palm, and I can feel myself shiver a bit. God, pull yourself together…

I nervously speak up with a soft whisper, hoping my voice doesn't sound too weird in the wake of what we're doing right in front of Caine. “Y-yeah, it’s…normal…” 

…That's really all I can muster out of myself without going insane.

Caine puts on his ringmaster act again, whimsically grabbing his floating cane. “Well then, I'll leave you two lovebirds to your roles! Great performances, by the way, I am LOVING this interpretation!” He exits through another one of his portals, leaving me and Jax to our own.

After a bit of breathy silence, Jax wraps his arms tightly around me, bringing his lips to mine as he slowly begins to quicken his pace, still trying and failing to hide his obvious nervousness.

He brings one of his hands to my thigh, and his lips detach from mine as he laughs lightly at the condition I’m in. I try to say anything to him, but I still can't make anything audible over my moaning. I don't even know what I'd want to convey to him anyway.

“Having a good time, princess?”

He's trying so hard to be tough while I can feel his trembles and his tail wagging. His ears slowly droop down as he keeps going and his voice has gotten progressively shakier. My hands claw at the metal armor on his back as he bends my body in half, keeping us in a mating press as he keeps going deeper…

“Oh my god, I…Jax, I can’t—!”

“Didn’t I t-tell you to…to shut up already?!” Despite him telling me very loudly to shut up, he kisses my neck and continues to tell me to “keep going” under his breath. My hand trails up his back and goes to the back of his head, gently petting him. He flinches, but doesn’t stop me. 

He almost…whines at the feeling. He moves to look down at me, his arms still holding me tight. “Could ya STOP tryna…g-get all affectionate? This…this doesn’t mean anything, you know that, r-right?” His voice is desperate, but not because he’s begging me to stop being…nice, or whatever the hell he’s talking about. He’s close.

My voice comes out as a whisper, and I look him in the eyes.

“If it doesn’t mean anything, prove it. Pull out right now and I’ll believe you.”

His expression darkens a bit, and in his contemplative and still silence, he starts pounding into me as hard as he can, pinning me to the bed again.

“I don’t have to prove ANYTHING to you, alright, your majesty?!”

I’m practically seeing stars at this point. I feel weaker than I ever have before, but god if it isn’t addictively good. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this way. I can’t remember anything in this moment, and I hate how much he’s taken my mind, how much he’s taken me—!

Before I know it, I’m actually begging for more, and I’m so out of it that I don’t even say anything about how much he’s actually praising me (and not trying to hide it).

“You…you feel too perfect for this to…!”

“Don’t—! S…shit, don’t ever stop—!!”

I squirm underneath him as I feel myself finish at the sensation. It's indescribable. I’m not sure if it’s euphoric or beyond sobering.

He wraps his arms around me desperately as he chases his own climax, groaning as he finally shoots thick ropes into my body. He pulls out, just resting. He doesn’t fall asleep, but he’s clearly exhausted as he buries his face into my neck. I don’t move, my arms staying wrapped around him as post-nut clarity hits me faster than I’d like. Not that I wasn’t expecting after…this.

“...You’re really…REALLY annoying, you know that?” He breaths out, his hand moving gently rub my hip.

I sigh. I don’t really know what to say.

…why did we even DO this?

I sit up on the bed, making sure he can actually stand as I do so. “Do you…need anything? You look kinda tired.”

He snaps out of whatever daze he was in and gives me his usual smirk. “Are you actually worried about your humble knight, princess?” I grab my discarded gown and start slipping it on again, looking towards him.

“I mean, I guess I can’t give you proper aftercare, but…”

…

He tilts his head at me, giving me a confused look I don't see on him often. “Sorry, what?”

I blink. “...well, you know. Considering I can't, like…get you a glass of water or anything like that. Because we’re in a cage.”

“What is—” He looks around at our surroundings as I remind him that we're inside a cage. “Oh, right. We're in a cage. I forgot, hah.”

He stretches his arms and back a bit before somehow fixing his ripped bodysuit and making himself decent.

“Well, that's the end of that. Now we have to sit here and wallow in the aftermath. Ain’t that fun?”

He sits next to me as I’m lying down. I can see his tail wagging. “And wasn’t that better than some boring heart-to-heart?”

“...Jax, if there’s something you want to talk about, you CAN tell me about it. You know that, right?” I’m a little scared that he’ll get real pissy if I try to actually get him to talk since he seems ever so allergic to proper conversations. As long as I keep it simple and gentle, he’ll come around, right?

He scoffs at my words, almost laughing. “I meant it when I said that it didn’t mean anything. You don’t have to immediately get all sappy with me just because you had a good time, princess.”

“Jax, this isn’t about any hypothetical feelings I have towards you. Not everything I do has some ulterior motive for my own personal gain; I'm just making sure you understand that you can actually be genuine with me without fear.” 

I’m not sure if any of that was simple or gentle. Either way, he doesn’t respond, but he lies down next to me soon after.

After a bout of awkward silence, I rest my head on his shoulder. He flinches, but he isn’t immediately pushing me off, which is nice. The armor pokes at my neck a bit, but I don’t really care. It’s not like it’s uncomfortable, anyway…

Just as he’s about to do something, two thick packets are dropped right onto us without warning. I take the paper off my face and look at the front.

“SURPRISE!!!!!! The script has been changed!!!!!!!! Check the thing for new info!!!!! You’ll be sent to your spots in the story soon!!!!! Bye bye!!!!!!!! Have FUN!!!!! From your favorite ringmaster CAINE(that's me!)!!!”

I check my page. It’s practically gibberish, but the gist is that there’s going to be some royal ball we’ll be going to instead of some dark force keeping us in here, and the goal is to make sure the NPCs are entertained. If they aren’t happy with the celebration, they’ll leave and we lose, but if we win, we get an “ULTRA MEGA PRIZE!!!!” (no other details provided). Why did he write the first script if we weren’t going to actually follow through with it’s plot? We just got dropped in this cage for nothing??

“Oh boy, he took out Zooble being hit with a rock. This sequel sucks.” Jax smirks as he sits up, poking my side. “You excited for a fancy party, your highness?”

I don't respond, attempting to stand up and failing almost instantly. My legs are still so shaky from…well, Jax.

He raises an eyebrow. “You nervous or something? It's just a fancy party with a bunch of NPCs. Don't sweat it, princess.”

“I'm not nervous, my legs are just shaky from…you know.” I still sound a little out of breath.

 He tilts his head at me, sounding more curious about it than concerned. “Is that, uh, bad?”

“Not…particularly? I mean, I've been in worse condition after sleeping with someone. Having trouble walking after being that rough is—”

His eyes are wide. “You've slept with other guys?”

“...I mean, I've slept with a decent amount of people. I was a little…insane during high school. I was just trying to figure myself out, you know.”

“Huh.”

He's uncharacteristically quiet, his pupils growing slightly as he looks down at me. He soon snaps out of it, putting a smirk back on again. “Psshhh, you? Being ‘insane in high school?’ I find that hard to believe. Kinda figured you were the type to save yourself for the right person instead of being such a horndog.”

I'm almost offended at that. “Why? Because I'm not like that now?”

He pokes my forehead. “No, because you're a huge dork.”

“Well, that's… actually pretty fair. Also kind of what I said in the first place.” He just smirks, throwing the script in his hands to the side and standing up, grabbing his sword.

“I wonder if I'll even be able to use this dumb sword. You think I'll be able to protect you from evil using this piece of scrap metal, princess?”

I snicker a bit. Cartoon logic can only get someone so far. “I doubt it.”

He gasps in mock offense. “You're seriously doubting your loyal knight? Gosh, I don't even think I know who you are anymore. This isn't the princess I swore to protect all those years ago…” He sheds a fake tear, turning away.

I stand up, legs still shaking, and kiss his cheek. “There. You feel any better, Sir Jax?”

He immediately stops, and I see a faint blush come across his face. He immediately shakes it off and looks away, hiding any trace of a smile and waving me off. “Not at all, your highness.”

We’re then spontaneously teleported to the ball. It’s in this big, gaudy, stereotypical ballroom, decorated much like my bedroom. I’m sitting on some weird, regal throne with Jax by my side as guests arrive, waiting for whoever the king is to come and actually announce the beginning of the ball. Curious, there’s no chair for a queen.

But I was able to see everyone else’s roles in this little adventure. Gangle, who doesn’t seem to be attending, is a baroque painter (at least, that’s what every NPC describes her to be—all of the art of hers that’s on display doesn’t seem to be any different from her typical artstyle). Zooble is the royal blacksmith, Ragatha is a noblewoman, and Kinger is, surprise surprise, the king. He’s dragged onto the throne by a few NPCs. Unlike everyone else, he’s just wearing his normal clothes. An NPC tells him something, and he nods solemnly, as if it was something serious.

Jax pokes my shoulder, leaning to the side a bit. “You look really prissy sitting up here, ya know. You think these guys are gonna revolt against the monarchy or something?”

I shrug. “Considering how this adventure is far from medieval and more of a French Revolution kind of deal, I actually wouldn’t rule that out.”

He raises an eyebrow at that, seemingly actually thinking about it. “Huh. If they put you into the guillotine, am I gonna have to be executed too?”

“Yeah, because I’ll tell them to.”

“Hah, like they’re gonna listen to an overthrown princess.”

Suddenly, Kinger stands up. He clears his throat to gain the attention of the party-goers. Once everyone has their eyes on him, he screams.

“BALL!!!!!!” 

Everyone cheers and applauds loudly. Seems like the ball has begun…? Idle chatter fills the room, and I feel Jax poke my side again. He leans down in front of me to meet my eye level.

“You really just gonna sit at your throne the whole time, princess? C’mon!” He drags me off of the throne without warning.

“H-hey, it’s not like I wanted to be on that thing anyways! Where are we going—!?” He smirks, still dragging me to the exit. 

“Look, there’s gotta be something more interesting to do here. You don’t mind being my little accomplice, do ya?”

We’re roaming the halls of the mostly empty castle, the sounds of the ball in the background slowly fading out the further we walk from it. The only light in the hall is the soft light from the moon shining through the windows.

“You never told me where we were going.” I cross my arms as I continue following him, even if I’m a little worried as to what the point of this is.

He stops in front of me, getting more smug by the minute.

“WEEEELLLLLL, for your information, I happened to notice a building labelled ‘SCARY DUNGEON FULL OF MONSTERS’ while we were being taken by that giant hand. You didn’t see it? It was actually pretty noticeable."

I happen to recall being unable to see ANYTHING when we were taken from the castle because of…uh…I don’t really wanna think about it right now, actually. “I wasn’t, uh…whatever. You’re seriously just gonna let whatever’s in there loose into the ball or something?”

“I would never.” He laughs, continuing to walk forward. “I’ve got something else planned for a dungeon full of monsters, thank you very much.”

“Really? What’s your plan, then?”

“...I lied, my plan was just going to be releasing the scary dungeon monsters into the ball.”

I roll my eyes, moving to walk with him again. “You seriously think Caine has actual scary monsters here? Who’s to say the scary dungeon full of monsters is even scary at all?”

He looks back towards me, smirk widening. “C’mooooon, you know how Caine is. Even if this is clearly Ragatha’s suggestion that he’s trying to say is his own little adventure concept, there’s no way we’d be going on an adventure where we’re just partying and having a good time. If it wasn’t me, it’d probably be him. It’s not like he’d put dungeon monsters here for nothing.”

It takes me a moment to fully understand what he means. It does make sense…I guess?

After aimlessly walking around, we eventually find the dungeon entrance. He opens the door to the dungeon for me, bowing all politely. “You first, m'lady."

Chapter Text

I walk into the dungeon. It’s not as dark as I thought it would be…in fact, it’s pretty well lit.

Jax isn’t too far behind me as we walk down the long staircase. He has to lean forward in order to traverse the area because he’s too tall…

“This sucks.”

“It’s not that bad, is it?”

“I can hear you trying not to laugh, princess.” I am, in fact, trying not to laugh. It’s a little comical seeing him this annoyed at something.

Once we actually make it into the dungeon, he’s vaguely disappointed. The dungeon monsters seem to just be past NPCS or stuff that isn’t scary at all. Every single one is asking politely to be let out or violently begging to be released. Either way, Jax doesn’t seem all that interested in releasing them. “This SUCKS. I thought Caine was better than this.”

“You thought Caine would make actual monsters? Since when did he ever make anything—” I’m then flooded with memories from that haunted mansion adventure we went on so long ago. I shut my mouth after that.

Jax doesn’t question my half-finished sentence, just looking at the cages of monsters stuck here. “He has little plaques saying what the monster’s names are? What is this, a zoo?” He rolls his eyes as he speaks.

I approach one of the cages. A cute little cat rests in the cage. It’s labelled “Henry” in big letters. The cat mewls, approaching the bars of the cage with a sad look in its eyes.

“Oh, it looks so sad…”

“Oop, this plaque says it has a kill count of 235.” Jax pokes at the sign with a grin. “Plan’s not dead yet, I see!”

“You’re lying. This adorable little ball of sugar dough?” I give him a half-annoyed look, and he snickers.

“What kinda nickname is that? Besides, you really think cats can’t be violent?” He points to the plaque. “Read the fine print, princess.”

I look closer at the plaque…oh boy, there actually is fine print. It’s way too specific…He’s 35 years old? His supposed victims are unrecognizable?? HE SPENDS HIS FREE TIME THINKING OF WAYS TO MURDER THE PRINCESS??? This cat is supposed to be THAT violent?!

As adorable as the cat is, I cautiously step back from the cage. “You’re not…sending that out into the ball, are you?”

“Ehhh, I’ll have to think about it.” He turns around with a laugh, before stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of…something. “What is that.”

I turn towards the direction he’s facing to see a pink Jax wearing purple overalls. He looks…nervous. “Oh! H-hey there! I, um, didn’t notice you two…!”

…WHAT.

“WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!” He runs to the cage, clearly annoyed. I walk up to it, trying to hide my laughter.

“I-I’m Evil Jax! It’s…it’s real nice to meet you b-both!” He nervously waves at us. Oh boy. I don’t need to look at Jax to imagine how pissed off he is.

I snicker as I start reading the sign on his cage. The assumedly “Good” Jax turns and glares at me. “This is NOT funny. Caine basically made a CLONE of me!”

“Huh, he actually is named ‘Evil Jax.’ Says here he’s a shy, nervous creature with a heart of gold. And what does that say about you, Jax?” I smirk up at him, and he rolls his eyes yet again.

“Oh, shut up! Why am I the only one with an evil clone?!”

As Jax continues rambling about how much he hates this, Evil Jax turns to me. “H-hey there, Miss! I like your dress!”

I’m a little surprised that he actually addresses me directly. “Oh! Uh, thank you…Evil Jax.”

He smiles at me. Cute. “Y-you’re welcome! You w-wouldn’t mind letting me out of this cage, would you? It’s, um, really unpleasant…and I’m s-scared of the dark…”

“Once we figure out how, I’ll let you out, okay?” I politely smile back. I can feel Jax glaring daggers at him.

He breathes out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Miss. Y-you’re the princess, right? I hear the other creatures locked up h-here really don’t like you…P-please be careful on your adventure, o-okay?”

Jax suddenly pushes me away from the cage, forcing a smirk. “HAHAHAHAHA, Thanks a lot, weird creepy NPC clone that no one likes!” He lets out a frustrated groan once we’re away from Evil Jax’s cage. “Let’s just get outta here, this plan ain’t worth the trouble.”

I raise an eyebrow. We really only looked at two “monsters” properly. Is that really all it took for him to decide that this plan wasn’t worth enacting?

“Really? You’re just…not gonna do it?” He shrugs, not responding. “I feel bad…I told Evil Jax we’d let him out.”

“Don’t tell me you seriously feel bad for an NPC clone of me. He’s not real, princess.” He narrows his eyes at me. Before I can properly respond, all the cages around us suddenly disappear.

“...”

I look down. Jax stepped on a large square button that says “Release All The Scary Dungeon Monsters.”

…

Jax just picks me up off the ground without warning and runs out of the dungeon.

“JAX?!” His grip on me is surprisingly secure…he holds me a little too tightly, carrying me bridal style. He doesn't respond to my panicked yelp, too focused on outrunning whatever the dungeon held.

An impossible wall of creatures follows us around the castle, breaking down doors and spilling out into every room we pass. We pass by the ballroom entrance, and I wince as the door shoots open. Jax takes us around the corner, peeking his head out from behind the wall as he waits for all the monsters to enter the ballroom. I guess they weren’t actually chasing us?

He leans on the wall, his smile slowly coming back to his face as he regains his composure. “Well, that wasn’t exactly the ideal outcome. Buuuut, on the bright side, the ball’s probably livelier than ever.” His smirk widens as I adjust my dress. There’s a large rip from where he was holding me.

“You ripped my dress.” He puts me down on the ground, his touch lingering on my skin as I find my balance. These heels are completely impractical…

“Who cares? C’mon, let’s look at the ball.” He begins to walk out towards the door before his smirk drops. “Oh boy.”

I peek past the corner. Evil Jax is panting heavily, clearly out of breath. “G-guys…wait! Hah…d-darn it, I’m not very good at running…” Once he spots us, he waves. “H-hello, you two!”

Jax glares at him, turning around and whispering to me. “Maybe if we’re really quiet, he won’t see us.”

I roll my eyes. “He already acknowledged us, Jax.” I brush past him and walk up to Evil Jax. “You doing okay?”

He smiles up at me, taking a deep breath as he regains his composure. “I’m fine, t-thanks!” He looks towards the ball entrance. “We should all go in there…I h-have no idea what t-those monsters are g-going…to do at the ball…” His ears droop downwards as he speaks.

Jax approaches, not looking any less angry. “Yeah, WE should. You should actually stay out here and watch the outside of the ball in case any other monsters show up. Maybe you’ll scare them away with your general demeanor and lack of any appealing characteristics.” Evil Jax just whimpers a bit.

I give Jax an annoyed look, which just causes him to glare back down at me. “We’re all going in, alright? No reason to leave anyone out.” Jax rolls his eyes, keeping a hand on the sword at his hip as he opens the doors to the ball. The bright lights of the gala have already seeped into the dark castle hallway, and as I enter through the large doors, my eyes widen.

…no one’s being murdered. Surprisingly, the supposedly dangerous creatures in the dungeon aren’t attacking any of the partygoers. Tall, horrifying creatures that seem to creep out most of the other circus members (besides Kinger for whatever reason) are casually partying along with NPCs. I see some kind of fuzzy one-eyed bird…thing talking to a mannequin with googly eyes and a baseball cap. A centipede monster roams along the walls of the gala. A few butterflies float around. I can see an NPC feeding Henry the Kitty a piece of cheese in the corner of my eye. Are cats even able to eat cheese…? I know cats can’t have milk, so…oh dear.

Jax groans. “Are you KIDDING?! They’re all just…having a good time?! No blood, no nothing?!”

Evil Jax laughs nervously, turning to me. “W-well, that’s good. We can all still have f-fun, right…?” Jax just glares at him. Ragatha approaches us, seeming a little annoyed. She’s wearing a fancy ball gown with pearls, her hair up in a formal-looking bun. Pretty…

“Jax, you really let all these, um…people in? For the sake of violence? Really??” She’s about to continue talking before she stops, staring at the Evil Jax behind us, who’s busy looking around the ball.

Jax rolls his eyes again, his hand still staying by his sword. “They’re dungeon monsters, and it was technically by accident. And they all seem to be enjoying themselves.” He smirks down at her. “Why? Something bothering you?”

“Well—!” She yelps as the centipede monster passes by, waving each of its limbs happily at us as it crawls away. “It’s just…how do you know they AREN’T violent?”

“PLEASE, the most dangerous thing we saw is that cat over there.” He points to Henry, who is currently being fed more cheese. Oh no…

“Don’t you wanna win the adventure, Rags? Get that ‘ULTRA MEGA PRIZE’ or whatever?” He straightens his posture, looking out at the ball. “With the way things are going, we’ll definitely be entertaining the guests enough to win…or whatever. Can’t handle it?”

Ragatha almost argues back, but he holds a hand up once he sees the anger on her face. “Ah, you’re being a little rude, aren’t you? The nobility holds power, but disagreeing with a knight is disagreeing with the princess. And the script says that’s against the law of the kingdom! Punishable by death”

Ragatha splutters. “Wh- Ah-!! There’s NO way it says that!” She pulls out the script from…some pocket.

“...Oh, it…does say that. That’s not a very good government system.”

I interject after she says that. This argument is really getting on my nerves already. They do this so often… “There’s no point in just standing around. The longer we do nothing, the longer the adventure goes on for. If we just keep the guests happy, we can all eventually get out of here.”

Jax just lets out a lighthearted scoff. Ragatha nods, giving Evil Jax a curious look. “Now…can you explain the pink Jax?”

Evil Jax waves. Jax grabs my hand and drags me away. “Nope, bye bye Ragatha.”

I don't really have the strength to stop him, but that doesn't mean I'm not annoyed with how he's acting. "What the hell is your problem?" He snickers as he drags me to a table near a darker corner of the ball, close to a little buffet table full of…raw meat. Okay.

He sits next to me, and even though he's still smirking as calm as ever, I can see his ears twitching. "That conversation sucked, and I wanted to get out of it. You're welcome." I'm not sure if I have the energy to fully call him out on how weird he's being. I just sigh, crossing my arms as I lean forward on the table. He pokes the side of my head.

"Having trouble staying awake, princess?" He grins, like he just got the most wonderful idea in the world. 

I roll my eyes. "Just bored, Jax. I don't have the energy for this. My head is still spinning…" He raises an eyebrow, leaning back.

"And does that have something to do with me? I'm flattered." He stands up, bowing to me. "It's such an honor to serve the lovely princess of The {NAME PENDING} Kingdom."

I laugh a bit, "Wrong brackets, Sir Jax. You're getting too into character, you know that?"

"Whoops, dropped my sword." I can see the handle poking through the tablecloth. He lifts the cloth up and gets under the table.

Before I know it, I feel his hands wrap around my thighs. "JAX!" I whisper-yell, making sure no one's looking before lifting my dress to see him between my legs.

"Whaaaaat? You said you were bored, weren't you? Just trying to keep her highness entertained." His index finger circles around my inner thigh, and I whimper.

"Not here! N-not now…!" He laughs, pulling my dress back over his head with a light chuckle.

"Just relax. Enjoy yourself, princess! It's not like anyone will see, anyway…"

Chapter Text

For some reason, it never properly occurred to me that Jax had a tongue. Even after kissing him.

But now I'm hyper-aware of the existence of it. I try desperately to hide my arousal from anyone that might be looking at me as he laps me up underneath the table, his tongue working at me without mercy.

I have to admit that he he feels amazing between my legs, grasping at my thighs so desperately…it's almost like a craving is being fulfilled for him as my mind melts.

He occasionally pinches my legs as he licks my clit with a slow, slick pace, digging his hands into my skin a little too deeply before pressing gentle kisses onto my inner thigh as an apology and devouring me again. I can't stop myself from pushing him deeper into me, my hand going to the back of his head as my hips twitch towards him in pleasure.

"Jaaax…d-did you really…haah, umm, have to do this...h-here…oh god, fuck…!" I whine out under my breath, just praying that I'm too quiet for him to hear. I press my head onto the table and cross my arm to cover my face, slowly lifting my dress using my free hand. As soon as he sees that I'm actually looking at him, he pulls me out of his mouth, a string of saliva connecting me to him.

"So you're always this noisy." His arms move to wrap around my waist underneath the dress as his smirks up at me, his expression…strangely infatuated? More so than I'd expect from someone like him.

"A…are you actually…?" He keeps going before I can even finish speaking. I almost cry, just keeping my head pressed on the table and feeling the blush crawl up my face. He still isn't going faster, and I just can't complain. It feels like it's been so long since I felt this good, and I just can't think when he's—

"Uhh…hey. You good?"

I fix myself near instantly as I look up to see Zooble, seeming a little bothered. They're wearing a normal tuxedo underneath a rubber apron. Cool… "Where's your knight in shining armor, huh?"

I close my legs around his face, trying to get him to stop. Or at least slow down…It doesn't work. He quickens the pace of his tongue, and he wraps his arms around my thighs again. "Ahhhahah—! U-uh, he ran…ran off somewhere. D-didn't tell me where."

Zooble rolls their eyes. "Of course…anyways, I wanted to ask if you've seen Gangle anywhere. I haven't seen her for the whole adventure and I'm…a little concerned, considering the stakes at the moment."

"G…gangle…all I know is that she's some kind of famous painter here. I h-heard some…haah, uh, NPCs mention that." His hands dig deeper into my legs, and I kick him in the chest. That was a bad idea. I hope Zooble didn't hear his armor clinking around. Or my little pained whimper…that really hurt…

Zooble looks to the side. "This whole gala is chock full of rumors and gossip. I wouldn't trust much of what people say. That being said, Caine would probably make Gangle's role here something art-related." They're about to continue their sentence before Evil Jax suddenly approaches the table, the nervous expression that he typically had seeming more fond as he looks at me.

"Um…y-your majesty? Could we talk?" He tilts his head at me. Zooble looks absolutely flabbergasted as they look at Evil Jax.

"…why are you pink? And when did you change your clothes—You know what, I don't care. I'm gonna looking for Gangle. If you need me, find me WAY out of this ballroom." They walk off, leaving us alone. I can feel Jax's mouth finally pull away from my core, his grip on me loosening just a bit.

"Haahh…s-sorry, what did you…want?" I'm pretty clearly out of breath as I speak to him. 

He approaches the table, looking to the side shyly. "I just…um, wanted to ask…if you'd like to dance? I know it's a bit of a tall order, b-but…! I s-saw others were dancing and I-I'd really like to…um, well…"

I look out to the ballroom floor. There are already people waltzing. It's…already time to dance? It feels like the ball has barely begun. Maybe my perception of time is too warped.

"I'd l—!" Jax suddenly stands up from underneath the table, holding up his sword. He wipes off his mouth with his arm. "Look at that, finally found my sword." He turns to Evil Jax, not to subtly moving the weapon in his direction. "I dunno about you, but I heard someone threaten the princess with violence. You wouldn't happen to hear who, would you?" His smile is strained, and he sounds pissed. Oh boy.

I try to stand up, but my legs are too weak. Damn my pathetic stamina…! "J-jax—!"

Evil Jax's ears droop at the sight of Jax. "I, um, wasn't trying to—"

"I'm gonna have to ask you to step back, sir, I believe you're endangering her highness and I will not hesitate to use force against you once the situation escalates. After all, it's my duty to protect her with my life, ain't it?" He turns to me with a smirk, and I can only look at him with a baffled look. Evil Jax mumbles before walking away with a dejected expression.

"I was going to say no." I'm not particularly interested in dancing with anyone, much less an "evil" clone of Jax.

"Sure." He leans down to meet my eye level. "We'll finish that up later, princess. Enjoy the party a bit, get a slice of raw meat from that weird buffet table, let loose for once!" He casually sits next to me, sheathing his sword while my face is still completely red from the entire ordeal. "I even tried to help you relax and you kicked me. Very rude. I'm wearing armor, by the way, I'm sure that hurt you more than it hurt me."

I roll my eyes. "You were almost tearing my legs apart from how tightly you were holding me."

"What can I say? I'm a passionate guy." He chuckles, shrugging as he grabs the empty wine glass in front of him on the table. "Empty wine glass, no wine bottle. I know Caine isn't exactly afraid of alcohol or being under the influence of SOMETHING, so why not include it here?"

"You looking to get drunk? I don't think this party is unbearable enough to get me to drink." He gives me an annoyed look, but it's far from properly genuine. "I'm not really an alcohol guy, but all these NPCs are doing is chatting everyone up and being stupid. And those dungeon monsters were a major disappointment…"

He puts the glass down, looking in my direction. "You're not seriously trying to go along with the garbage this party is spewing out, are you?"

I avoid his gaze. "I mean, it's just…I'm not really enjoying the actual party aspect, you know. But it is a nice distraction from…myself, you know?"

…I don't look in his direction.

"Also...about the whole…'reminding me of what happened at Spudsy's' thing…" Before I can even finish my sentence, he holds up a hand to my face.

"There's nothing to talk about when it comes to that, princess. Water under the bridge! Unless you're going to admit to lying about a bout of amnesia, s'all good…man." He chuckles at his own wordplay. His voice is a little strained.

I narrow my eyes at him. "I wasn't lying. And there's more to be said about this topic, is there not? You're not exactly good at hiding your feelings, you know."

His smirk drops. Even though he seems much more genuinely bothered as he actually turns to face me, his smile slowly and forcefully comes back to his face as he speaks. "So let's say I do believe you and you're serious about forgetting about the whole thing, whatever, sure. Why do you even care? It's done and over with. There's no point in talking about it when it doesn't matter anymore."

"It matters to ME when there is information about stuff I don't remember doing being purposefully withheld from me!" My tone turns harsher. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, Jax, that is what's really getting me here! I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to FORGET about hurting you and just leave you to wallow in whatever happened without help!"

He doesn't say anything, his eyes wide and contemplative as he just stares at me. It's silent for a long time, the only noise being the ambient chatter around us, buzzing with joy. He stands up, looking away from me with a scoff.

"Geez, you sound like Ragatha right now. Talk about flying off the handle. You really think you 'accidentally hurt me' and that I need to be consoled through the pain like I'm some kind of baby?" He laughs, like he just told the world's funniest joke. "I can handle myself, Princess. And if you really think anything someone like you says to me can hurt, you are dead wrong." He walks off, leaving me alone at the table. I don't bother following him.

…how long is this adventure going to BE?!

It's been well over 5 hours and we haven't been let out of this adventure yet. Zooble was able to find Gangle, who's adventure outfit is just a mustache stuck onto her mask and a paintbrush taped onto one of her ribbons. Cute...She was stuck inside of a closet for some reason.

Kinger has just been talking to NPCs as normal without any signs of exhaustion with Ragatha dead asleep in the chair next to him.

Jax is poking at Henry, trying to get the cat to be as violent as that plaque described him to be. He's also occasionally looking my way, though he's trying to hide it and is failing at it. It feels like everyone is going stir-crazy in here, including me.

I'm looking over the buffet table out of boredom. Along with raw meat, there is one singular peppermint…well, a sweet treat is nice. I take the candy out of its colorful wrapper and take a bite. It's the soft, chewy kind that feels like chalk in your mouth…but it's surprisingly tasty?

Someone taps my shoulder, and I turn to see Evil Jax yet again. Am I allowed to say that looking at him annoys me a bit? Especially after being surrounded by these NPCs for so long, I don't want to talk to ANYONE, real or not. And the way he talks sort of creeps me out…not to mention I'm more than bothered with the REAL Jax at the moment.

"H-hey there! Um…I saw that you were a-alone and…well, the offer to d-dance is still up?" He tilts his head at me, smiling.

"Oh! Um…thanks, but I'm just a little…tired. Sorry. We can talk if you want to!"

He seems a little disappointed, but he does seem happy to talk to me. "Oh, I'm sorry about…um, this party being so l-long. Are you h-having a good time?" I hope my smile isn't too strained. I just nod. He seems to catch onto that.

"Um…we can take a walk outside the ballroom. I'm s-sure the castle hallways are a l-lot calmer than…i-inside here…" His ears droop as he looks towards the Real Jax, who is still poking at poor little Henry and trying to instigate some form of violence. I chuckle a bit, looking toward Evil Jax. "That…might be nice."

Oh boy.

The actual little stroll he takes me on is mostly silent. I have nothing I want to say and Evil Jax is sort of just…looking at me. Occasionally he tries to make small talk and I fail to extend the conversation and he just…squirms around a bit. This is really starting to get on my nerves. I'm annoyed and tired and I just want to lay down and—

"…is…the o-other Jax...mean to you?"

Evil Jax's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I turn to him. My eyes are wider than I'd like them to be at that question. "…no? What kind of question is that?"

He stutters, looking away with a flustered expression. "I-it's just, uh…he s-seems so harsh, I really, um…I g-got nervous that he might…m-make you upset. Or h-hurt you. I really d-do care about you, your majesty, y-you know?" He looks down at me with a flustered smile, full of worry.

…okay, I'm almost half-certain my annoyance at this NPC is justified. Why did Caine make an NPC like this? It was a little funny at first, but the concept of Caine straight up being able to clone us and make changes…that doesn't sit right with me. Even if it's comedic to see a pink Jax (with…no fur?) that's acting like a different flavor of a really annoying man.

"He's probably just harsh with you because you're…him, and you're not some tough masculine loser who tries to be nonchalant all the time. Probably just the product of some major insecurities on his part. And he hasn't really tried to hurt me, if you're so concerned. He's just…" I fiddle with my hair a bit. "…BEYOND emotionally stunted."

It's silent for a long while. After a bit, he leans forward and puts a hand on my shoulder as he walks by me. "N-not to be rude, b-but…he sounds l-like a prick. You k-know you don't have to stay by him, right? Y-you can just ignore h-him…"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "I don't have to stand by anyone. But I stand by other people anyways. It's just the right thing to do, whether they're kind or not." I sigh. "As much of an asshole as he is, Jax doesn't deserve total isolation, no matter how much he wants it. And I'm not going to let him isolate himself."

Evil Jax just laughs softly, looking away from me.

"…where are we going, anyways?" I turn to look up at him, and he seems startled that I even asked. He's getting more and more nervous, blushing harder every time he looks at me. Goodness gracious…

"U-uh…! We're j-just walking, remember?! Y-yeah, just…a n-nice walk through the castle. Alone…" He fiddles with the buttons on the front pocket of his overalls. "C-could I…ask you something?"

I just tilt my head at him.

"Could you t-turn around for me…?"

…okay.

I turn around, coming face to face with that large centipede monster from earlier. Before I can properly react, something slams against the back of my head, and everything fades to back.