Work Text:
The circus was quiet with most of its members tucked away in their rooms and resting in their beds, albeit unable to sleep. The routine was nice, though, and for the others, it was important to have a peaceful break away from the zany, chaotic world of the digital realm. On the contrary, you had the source of all that craziness cuddled up with you now.
Caine sat between your legs, back against your chest as you lay against your headboard. You gently massaged his gums, tracing along the outline of his teeth with a feather-light touch. You found Caine quite liked the physical attention, even if he never said it. The way he practically melted in your hands was enough confirmation, though.
“-and the goal would be to rescue the princess while avoiding being squashed by barrels thrown by an ape!” Caine’s eyes twinkled as he spoke, glancing towards you. “What do you think?”
He so rarely asked others for criticism about his adventures, so you took it as a compliment whenever he came to you for advice.
You chuckled fondly. “It sounds a lot like Donkey Kong.”
“Donkey… Kong?” Caine’s jaws twisted into a confused expression. “Silly, it’s an ape! Not a donkey, remember?”
“Right.” You nodded, deciding not to push it any further.
“I’m just having some difficulty figuring out the mechanics,” Caine admitted. He took off his hat to scratch the top of his gums. “And, not to mention, some of the finer details…”
You hummed. “Such as?”
“Well, what are the ape’s motivations for kidnapping the princess? Is it some sort of war tactic, or is it just a hobby of his?” Caine rambled on, getting lost in his thoughts.
It was a nice sight, to see him so concentrated on how to make his adventures just right. At the same time, it saddened you to think how much the others didn’t care for the amount of work he put into them, in comparison.
But as he ranted, Caine slowly started to ball his hands into fists and curl in on himself. Then he started to glitch.
“Caine,” you interrupted him softly, tapping the top of his gum, before he blue-screened.
Caine’s eyes widened as he snapped out of it, turning to you. “Yes, my dear?”
“How about you take a break from thinking about your adventures and relax?” you suggested.
“Wh-wha…? But you said you liked hearing about the adventures!” Caine wailed, distressed at the notion that you somehow weren’t enjoying his ideas.
“I do,” you assured him, placing a gentle kiss on his top jaw, which seemed to satiate him. “But you’re stressing yourself out constantly thinking about work, love. It isn’t healthy.”
“Nonsense! I’m this circus’ ringleader, which means it’s my job to make sure I keep each and every one of you humans entertained!” he boasted proudly. “My entire purpose, even.”
You sighed. “I know, Caine. It’s just…” You paused, careful with your choice of words. “I’d like to be part of your purpose too.”
Caine turned around in your lap, facing you, jaws upturned in a sweet smile. “Darling, you’re more than just my reason for being. You’ve taught me how to love—which is certainly a feat for an A.I. like me, my saccharine superstar!”
Caine laughed as you blushed, the sentiment making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, despite your inhuman avatar. You didn’t really care that this wasn’t your real body and just a pixelated amalgamation of polygons, and Caine was technically just a program built into this weird game you’ve found yourself trapped in… you felt you truly belonged together, digital realm or not.
“Aw, Caine,” you cooed.
“Just don’t tell the others,” Caine shushed you, nervously glancing around. “I don’t want them knowing I play favorites!”
You rolled your eyes at Caine’s determination to keep your relationship a “secret” when the others already knew about it anyway. It was kind of obvious with the endless gifts and compliments Caine was always giving you while catering to your every need, even tailoring his adventures more to your taste. And, likewise, you couldn’t help but swoon at all his romantic gestures, and give Caine some praise of your own. It was practically tradition at this point for you to tease Caine during your goodbyes as he ushered everyone into the portal for an adventure, fixing his tie with a flirty smile as the others gagged in disgust behind you.
So, even if you technically didn’t tell them, they all suspected it, but thankfully for Caine, they didn’t care. (If anything, it only made you the butt of more jokes around the circus, which you didn’t really mind.)
“Whatever you say.” You shook your head.
Caine settled against you again, watching you adoringly as you caressed his jaws.
“I appreciate your understanding, my dear.” His voice became quieter, uncharacteristic for the usually boisterous ringleader. “Sometimes it seems like you’re the only one who truly understands me.”
You smile sympathetically at your beloved, unsure what to say. Your heart ached to think of how alone he must’ve felt until your arrival and your subsequent infatuation with one another.
“You try so hard without much payback, hm?” you wondered aloud, fingers tracing the underside of his lower jaw. “I just wish I could make it up to you.”
“Your presence is reward enough,” Caine whispered and leaned forward.
You ignored the awkwardness of kissing a set of teeth and reciprocated, tilting your head as you pressed close together. One of your hands found his, giving it a tight squeeze, and his other hand fell on the back of your neck. Caine eventually released you with a dramatic “mwah!” and you smiled as you pulled away.
Suddenly, while admiring his pretty, pearly whites, an idea popped into your head and you hummed in thought.
“What is it?” Caine asked curiously.
You blushed, a bit embarrassed to voice your suggestion out loud. “I don't know… it’s kind of cheesy…”
“You know I love hearing every thought in that beautiful head of yours!” Caine poked your forehead playfully. “Go on, tell me!”
You bit your lip, hesitating a second more. “What if… well, have you ever tried brushing your teeth?”
You blinked, watching as Caine went from vibrating with excitement to offended, gasping and slapping a hand to his chest.
“How dare- I'll have you know, my teeth are perfectly clean thanks to routine maintenance, thank you very much!”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant!” You giggled, waving your hands. “More like… for fun? I thought it might be relaxing for you.”
Caine tapped his lower gum, considering the idea.
“That’s not a terrible suggestion, I suppose,” he said and then clapped his hands together. “So long as you aren’t questioning my habits with hygiene, I have full faith in you, my dear!”
With a wave of his hand, Caine brandished a toothbrush, unusually large but proportional for the size of his teeth. You took it into your hands, studying it with a smile.
“This might be more comfortable if it's wet,” you noted.
“Ooh! Let me lick it!” another voice chimed in and you both looked to see Bubble appear above your heads.
“Bubble!” Caine shot up from the compromising position he was in cuddling you, blushing as he reprimanded his assistant. “I thought I told you to have a sleepover with Jax!”
“I did!”
Bubble turned around to show his back, graffitied with writing that read ‘JAX WAS HERE.’
“We did makeovers,” he explained happily.
“I see.” Caine pinched his eyes together, the equivalent of the bridge of his nose, you assumed. “Go find something else to do then! We're having a private conversation!”
Bubble blinked, looking between the two of you, before his long smile somehow stretched wider across his face.
“Oh, I get it! You’re going to have #@%-”
Caine popped him without another word. You laughed as he shook his head, still disturbed as he turned back to you.
“Uh, where were we? Ah, yes!”
He snapped his fingers and the bristles of the toothbrush became wet, as though it were recently soaked in water. You brushed your finger through them, making sure they were soft enough before you guided Caine to sit against the pillows. He did so as you shifted to hover over him, leaning forward with the toothbrush.
“…Is this going to hurt?” he asked, blue and green mismatched eyes finding yours.
You shook your head. “No, only if i’m really rough around the gums. Which I promise, I won’t be.”
“Oh, that’s okay!” He smiled. “I can’t feel pain anyway.”
Without further ado, you began rubbing the bristles around his teeth in small circles, similar to the way you used to brush your teeth as a human. Obviously, that wasn’t a necessity now in your current form, but you still had the muscle memory anyway. Caine said nothing, unusually silent as you worked, massaging the brush from his incisors to his molars.
Sometimes he wiggled and squirmed if it tickled or made a small, pleased sound if it felt good, but that was about it. His jaws even closed slowly, his eyes disappearing behind his teeth, so you couldn’t tell if he was enjoying it or not by looking at him. You hoped he was as you continued brushing his teeth for a few moments more.
Finally, you stopped, just to give your hand a break and to admire how soft Caine looked here with you. Not that you didn't love him when he was his energetic, showman-y self, but it was nice having these times all to yourself, knowing you were the only one able to see him like this, without the pressure to perform and endlessly entertain.
Not long after, though, Caine peeked his eyes open, visibly sad. “Is that it?”
You chuckled. He reminded you of a dog who wanted more pets, never satisfied with how much you’d already given them. You patted his upper gum.
“Sorry, I was just thinking-”
“Thinking?” He arched his jaw like an eyebrow.
“Thinking and admiring you,” you corrected sheepishly. “But- do you have a favorite flavor?”
Caine shook his head. “I cannot taste.”
“I thought so.” You frowned. “I was wondering if this would be better with toothpaste or something.”
“It couldn’t hurt to try! …I think.”
Caine summoned some toothpaste with a generic tube. When you squeezed some out onto the toothbrush, it was white with teal stripes.
“This is probably mint,” you guessed as you brushed his teeth again.
This time, the toothpaste made suds around his gums and Caine locked his jaws tightly together to avoid getting any in his eyes. More and more frothed along his teeth as you continued, and even though you promised this was never about his hygiene, you swore it was making his teeth whiter, somehow. You were careful not to be harsh around the gums as you delicately finished layering every last tooth with the toothpaste. You sniffed as the scent of it began to fill the air.
“Yup, definitely mint.” You nodded to yourself. Then you tapped Caine’s shoulder. “Can you make a glass of water?”
He did so wordlessly, still not opening his mouth, until you took the glass and handed it to him.
“Rinse and then spit it back out,” you instructed, and you tried not to laugh at the strange sight of Caine gargling some water and spitting it back out, along with the toothpaste.
He swiped his tongue along his teeth, collecting any remaining toothpaste and wiping it off with his gloved hands. You let him do so until his teeth were clean and you took back the glass, placing it on your nightstand.
“How was that?” you asked, watching him with rapt interest. A part of you would feel ashamed if it didn't work, but you knew Caine, and he would've said something sooner if he didn’t like it. Rather loudly, in fact.
“That was… incredible!” Caine exclaimed, seeming just as surprised as you were when the words left him. “It’s like any tension I had is… gone!”
You laughed. “I guess it’s like a massage for you,” you said as you eased yourself to lay against him. “I’m glad. I was worried you’d think it was a stupid idea.”
“Of course not, my love.” Caine held you close, ducking his head in the nook of your shoulder… as best he could, at least. “It was an amazing idea. You’re full of ‘em!”
“So are you.” You smiled fondly at him before kissing one of his canines (your favorite tooth—but you’d never tell him, you didn't want to make the other teeth jealous). Then, you frowned. “I just wish you could taste the mint. Maybe one day…”
“I'm afraid my A.I. isn’t that advanced,” Caine admitted, hugging you comfortingly. “Or ever will be.”
“Still.” You let out a longing sigh. “If we ever find a way back to the human realm, I promise I'll take you with me. Somehow.”
You knew it was impossible and Caine did too, but you loved dreaming of the hypothetical. Caine decided to indulge you instead of reminding you of this, just this once.
“That would be nice… And then I can eat toothpaste?”
“Well-” You laughed softly. “Toothpaste isn’t really edible, and humans don’t really eat mint on its own… How about mint chocolate chip ice cream? It’s almost the same.”
“Sounds lovely,” Caine agreed.
Caine still wasn’t quite used to the human realm.
The many (very real, not digital) sensations were constantly overwhelming, even for him, and he was starting to realize how it must’ve felt for the humans when they entered his realm in the circus. But he had you and that was enough motivation for him to try and get used to the onslaught of sounds, smells, and textures that seemed to be everywhere.
And perhaps what really made it all worth it was when you brought back a tub of ice cream to your now shared home. Mint chocolate chip flavored, of course. The two of you shared it once you got a spoon for you each, digging in to the sweet, sugary goodness before it could melt.
It tasted good, and Caine said as much as you smiled in relief. With how much he seemed to hate most of his new senses, you were glad that he wasn't appalled by the taste, since it was one of the things you’d looked forward to introducing him to the most.
Caine soon cleaned off most of the tub, which had disastrous consequences, and the night ended with you facilitating him and the major headache he had afterward as you explained the concept of a “brain freeze” to him.