Jax’s humor is sharp. Everyone knows that. In the Digital Circus, cruelty is safer than sincerity. Except with you. His teasing is softer, slower. He watches your reactions, adjusts, pulls back when you seem overwhelmed. It’s subtle — but unmistakable. Caine never comments on it. He just keeps the games coming.

You and Jax sit together during brief respites, talking about nothing and everything. He never mocks your fears. Never laughs when you struggle. In a place built to humiliate, his restraint feels like affection. One day, after a small joke that makes you smile, Jax pauses. “…Hey,” he says, uncertain, “I’m not… crossing a line, right?”