Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Why does my heart go on beating? 

Why do these eyes of mine cry? 

Don't they know it's the end of the world?

It ended when you said 'Goodbye'

The End of the World-Skeeter Davis

The wailing of the police sirens had ceased long ago but their cry still ringed distantly in Ekko's ears. 

It was too quiet in the police station. After the interrogation was through they took Ekko to a waiting room. The others were already there, Marcus with the rest of his friends standing on the far corner away from him and Powder. 

Vi was the only one absent. Ekko hadn't seen her since they got arrested. 

“I told you, we shouldn't have followed them.”

“My dad's gonna kill me, man.”

“My parents’ lawyer is here. She's going to handle it, okay?”

Ekko's sweaty hand flexed around Powder's, holding her tighter. It was so quiet that they could hear every whisper coming from the other side of the room. 

“Hey,” he whispered to her. 

Powder turned her head to look at him. Dark blue eyes, red from crying and filled with fear.

A similar kind of fear had settled deep under Ekko's skin. Still, he felt the need to comfort his girlfriend as best as he could. 

“It’s going to be alright,” he lied. “Vi’s gonna be here any minute now.”

Powder managed a small nod, her hand squeezing Ekko's. 

In fact, Ekko knew very well that nothing would be alright. They weren't caught doing petty thefts like stealing from the deli. This was a real house they intended to steal, owned by some upstanding Piltover citizen, so far away from the Lanes they stood out just by existing. 

The cops would take one look at them and decide who was to blame. 

Ekko looked at Marcus and the rest of his group. They wouldn't have a problem. Rich, bored Piltover kids with their lawyers just a call away. They would hardly get a slap on the wrist for breaking into a house. For him, Powder and Vi things were different. 

“What were they even doing there?”

Powder's voice was low, so low it was a miracle Ekko had managed to hear it. She hadn't spoken a word since she entered the waiting room and fell on his arms. 

Ekko swallowed hard. “I don't know,” he lied again.

Marcus glared at him before turning his head away from Ekko. Ekko wanted to scream. 

Nothing would be alright. They had called the orphanage when the cops interrogated him. At fifteen, Ekko needed an adult to be present at the interrogation. Sister Mary answered the phone but no one came. She said Ekko was no longer their responsibility. It made sense. One less mouth to feed, one less body occupying a bed. The scarce money the orphanage had going to the younger kids that needed more care.

He would go to jail. And if he didn't he would be kicked out of the orphanage, probably expelled from school too. He would never work at Benzo's shop again. The thought almost brought a fresh wave of tears to his eyes that Ekko managed to hold back. Benzo would be so disappointed in what he had done that he would never want to see him again.

It wasn't fair. 

Suddenly, the door of the waiting room opened. Ekko and Powder held their breaths, praying Vi would appear. 

“Uncle?”

Powder shot up from her chair, falling on Vander's arms. Ekko almost did the same but managed to remain rooted in his place.

“I'm so sorry,” Powder managed to say between sobs, letting her tears run freely down her cheeks again. “I am so sorry, please don't hate me.”

“No one hates you,” Vander reassured the young girl, wiping her tears.

“Vi. Where's Vi?”

“Your sister is still in the interrogation room.”

Ekko glared at the cop. He hadn't spared a glance at her while she escorted Vander into the room. She was tall and looked imposing in her police uniform. Her sharp gaze travelled to Ekko briefly before it landed on Powder again. 

“Ekko.”

Vander's voice pulled Ekko back to reality. The man was kneeling on the floor, one of his arms holding Powder as she weeped on his shoulder while the other was extended towards him.

Without hesitating this time, Ekko got up from his chair and wrapped his arms around Vander's neck. 

He felt like a little boy in his arms, so helpless it physically pained him. A lone tear ran down Ekko's cheek.

“We're sorry. We're so sorry Vander, we should have never even gone to Piltover.”

“It's alright. It's going to be okay.”

More lies. They sounded so sweet when they were offered in times like this and Ekko almost believed him. But no lies as sweet as they were could change the bitter reality. 

Vander's hoarse voice spoke right in his ear. “I called Benzo. He is on his way. Do not worry, alright?”

Ekko nodded, not trusting his trembling voice to speak. He quickly wiped the tear that slid down his cheek, embarrassed at being seen crying. 

Vander pulled away, wiping Powder's cheeks.

“Don’t cry now.”

Powder sniffed her nose. “I want to see Vi.”

There was a brief silence. Vander exchanged a quick glance with the cop who was still standing by the door. 

“You know what? I think my good friend Grayson might do us a favor and let you see Vi.”

Powder looked at Grayson with hope and hate blurred together in her eyes. 

“Just for a few minutes,” Grayson clarified. 

“You can go while me and Grayson have a little chat,” Vander offered a warm smile at Powder, the kind of smile that made his blue eyes shine. “And when you're done you can come back here with us.”

Powder nodded. She looked back at Ekko, taking his hand in hers giving it a final squeeze before she followed another cop that Grayson summoned, out of the waiting room. Ekko wanted to pull her back to him, afraid of letting her go. 

When Powder disappeared behind the door, Vander turned to him. 

“I want you to be strong for a little longer okay?”

“Yes,” Ekko said, absentmindedly. His thoughts were with Powder, far away from this room. 

Vander placed his massive hand on Ekko's shoulder, squeezing it encouragingly. 

“This will all end soon, Ekko. Don't worry while I'm here.”

“Vander.”

Grayson's tone was commanding as she gestured to the door. Sighing, Vander nodded curtly, squeezing Ekko's shoulder one last time before following Grayson out of the room. 

Ekko had always been good at observing things around him. Like now, when he noticed that the door was only partially closed. 

Ekko's mind screamed at him to stay put but his legs took him close to the door. He couldn't afford getting in even more trouble but eavesdropping seemed a better crime than attempted theft and trespassing.

“It’s not looking good.”

A deep sigh came from the other end of the door. Ekko recognized it as Vander's. 

“The oldest one. She confessed everything. Took up all the blame.”

The cops' voice again, low but not threatening. Almost understanding, somehow. 

“Powder and Ekko?”

“They denied everything. Same as the others.”

“What others?”

The cop let out a deep sigh. “There were three Piltover kids with them. One of them is the commissioner’s son.”

“And what do they say?”

“That Violet approached them. They claim she proposed stealing from the Talis’ penthouse.

They also provided evidence that she had stolen before, around the Lanes district.”

Ekko's heart thumped wildly in his chest. His body was paralyzed with fear. Ekko had to lean his back against the wall so his legs wouldn't fail him.

“They want to charge her as an adult.”

“She's only seventeen, Grayson.”

“I know,” the cop's tone was sympathetic.

“But there is nothing I can do. The commissioner needs someone to make an example of. Someone that isn't his son.”

“And what about the others? How old are they? What will be their punishment?”

“You know how it is, Vander. Their lawyers will pin the blame to Violet and the judge will allow it. Nobody will care about the daughters or immigrants or an orphan with no one to support him. I wish I could change how things are but I just can't.”

Vander was silent. At that moment Ekko truly felt like his heart would burst.

“For how long?”

“A year at juvenile at least. Three at a regular prison.”

“Three years?” Vander rasped, his tone louder than ever before. Ekko flinched, involuntarily.

Despite his gentle nature, Vander was terrifying when he was angry. 

“She's not yet eighteen, not for another four months! She's just a kid! They didn't even manage to steal anything before your lot arrived!”

“I know. But she has prior criminal history. There's nothing I can do.”

The cop's voice was back to being sympathetic. The disgust Ekko felt made his stomach turn in slow circles. He felt sick and angry all at the same time, a terrible mix that made his blood run hot in his veins. 

The unfairness of it all had him wanting to bang his head against the wall. 

Vander's voice reached his ears before he could think about anything else. 

“What about Powder? And Ekko?”

“They stayed silent. I think that's what the older one told them. She was protecting them.”

“What will happen to them?”

Ekko could count the seconds that passed until Grayson's answer came. 

“Juvenile.”

Ekko's whole world shattered before him, the broken fragments of his life cutting him deep. Blood everywhere and the promise of a better future, away from the Lanes and by Powder’s side, gone. 

The thought of her made his body tense up. Powder. He had to go find Powder and get out of here. 

“No,” Vander's voice echoed in his ears, loud and clear. “No. You won't take more of my kids.”

“Vander–”

“Powder's just fourteen! Fourteen! I am not letting you take my other daughter too! I am not, I will not let you, Grayson!”

It was quiet again. So quiet. Ekko could only hear the drumming of his heartbeat in the unbearable silence. 

“There is another way.”

Ekko's head whiplashed around. His heart fluttered with renewed hope and he clung to it desperately, as he went closer to the door. 

“It is not an easy way but the younger kids will face almost no legal punishment.”

“Spill it, Grayson.”

The cop paused for a moment.

“We will interrogate you. You can confess it was your idea to send them to the penthouse, that it was your plan all along.”

Vander didn't respond right away.

“What happens if I do that?”

“If we charge you with child endangerment, Violet's sentence will be shorter. Maybe just a year in juvenile and that’s it. The kids will pass on to the juvenile court system but it will favor them if you turn yourself in. They might even make it out with a clean record.”

The cop paused again, taking a deep breath. Ekko held his own. 

“Child endangerment might lead to six or even ten years in prison. You should consider that.

And know that I am saying all this to you for old time’s sake.”

Vander answered immediately, already having made up his mind. 

“Okay,” he said, his voice as steady as ever. “I'll let you take me in but I need to make a phone call first.”

“Of course.”

“And Grayson. Thank you. Truly.”

Their whispers became even more distant as Vander walked away from the door. 

“Silco,” Vander's barely audible voice spoke. “I hope you hear this message.”

Ekko inched even closer to the door, pushing himself to listen as best as he could. 

“God, I'm shit at this. I'm sorry about everything…”

More incoherent words that Ekko could not place were heard. He tried to focus more. 

“It's Felicia's kid. Please do it for her if not for me…”

And then absolutely nothing at all could be heard from the other side of the door. Vander and the cop had left him alone to process everything he had overheard. 

In the blink of an eye, Ekko rushed towards Marcus, throwing him to the wall. 

“What the fuck?” Marcus grumbled before Ekko grabbed him by the collar, pushing him up against the wall harder. 

“I told you to fucking wait,” Ekko spat out, hate contouring each of his words. “Why did you follow me?”

“Get your hands off me!”

Marcus elbowed Ekko on the sides, making the younger boy step away from him. Ekko clutched his aching side as he looked at the three men glaring at him. He was outnumbered and it was fucking stupid to start a fight in a police station but he felt like he was going to asphyxiate if he didn't speak now. 

“If you had waited none of this would have happened! But you show up with no warning and expect things won't go to shit!”

“If you had taken us to a real job sooner we wouldn't have followed you!”

Ekko saw red. For months, Marcus and his usual group of friends were bothering him throughout his shift at Benzo's. Too bored to attend the lectures at the university of Piltover they sought amusement in Zaun. One time they happened to walk in on the store when Vi was showing him the ring she had picked from a passerby at Piltover. 

They had been pressuring him to take them to Vi's next job and Ekko was too scared of them to turn down their constant insults and jokes at his expense or even tell Benzo or Vi about them.

“Well no one asked you to call your commissioner daddy when things became too real, did they?”

Marcus purshed his lips, biting back his words. To entitled assholes like him, it was always hard to be called out on their mistakes. 

“You fucked up,” Ekko hissed, the pain in his sides hurting less than the pain in his heart.

“And because of you, Vi's going to juvie. And her uncle to fucking jail.” Marcus shrugged.

“Then I guess he should have taken better care of his nieces and not let them turn into fucking thieves if he wasn't ready to face the consequences.”

Ekko’s fist made contact with Marcus’ nose with an ear-splitting sound that almost shook the walls around them. 

“Fuck!”

Marcus kneeled to the floor, covering his bleeding nose with his hands as his friends pulled Ekko away from him. 

“You broke my fucking nose you bastard!” He wailed as hot blood ran down his jaw. 

Ekko smirked at Marcus' despair. Drop after drop of blood ran down his nose and Ekko was immensely thankful to Vi for teaching him how to throw a decent punch. 

“You and your fucking kleptomaniac bitch are going to be locked up for a very long time!”

He slurred, pushing away one of his friend that inspected his broken nose. 

“It's all your fucking fault!” He went on, yelling in frustration.

“You told us we could come with you so it's on fucking you that this bitch is going to jail!”

“What?”

Ekko’s heart stilled at the sound of Powder’s voice. He quickly turned his head around.

Powder was standing on the door, a cop trailing behind her. 

“What happened here?” The cop asked, immediately stepping in to inspect Marcus’ wound. 

Powder wasn't phased by the commotion. “Who’s going to jail?”

Powder couldn’t learn that Vi and Vander were going to jail. Not like this.

“N-no one,” Ekko said but Marcus’ voice echoed louder. 

“Your fucking sister!” He yelled, yanking his head away from the cop and taking a step closer to Powder. 

“And your fucking father too. Or whatever he is to you.”

Powder's eyes travelled between Ekko and Marcus, not knowing what to believe. She swallowed hard, pushing her shoulders back. 

“You're lying,” she said confidently. 

Marcus chuckled. His blood had painted the front of his designer shirt red as he took another step closer to them, passing his arm around Ekko's shoulders. 

“You know, me and Ekko are really good friends. And he has told me everything about that sister of yours. It's not her first time being arrested is it?”

Powder's brow furrowed as she looked at Ekko in question.

“What is he talking about?”

“Nothing!” Ekko pleaded. He felt so helpless, completely under Marcus' thumb. 

“Oh, come on Ekko. Drop the act, man.”

Marcus took a step away from him and closer to Powder. He eyed her up and down and the look on his face dictated he wasn't seeing anything of value. 

“Ekko told us to come to the Talis’ house. He told us all about your sister's petty thefts and how she wanted to upgrade. And all those will send your sister right to jail. If you don't believe me, ask him.”

Powder's eyes fell on Ekko. She looked absolutely crushed. Ekko despised Marcus for making her feel so low, and despised himself even more for allowing it to happen. The fear of making things worse weakened him and as much as he hated to admit it.

Marcus was right. 

It was all his fault. Vi and Vander would go to jail because he didn't have the guts to stand up for Marcus.

Her lower lip trembled. Marcus clicked his tongue in annoyance. 

“Go on,” Marcus urged. “Ask him.”

“Is it true?”

Powder’s voice was so frail it reminded Ekko of when they were kids. They would all play after school in the basement of The Last Drop and Powder would whisper to his ear, with that frail, small voice of hers.

“Tell me!” Powder raised her voice, nothing like the little girl Ekko once knew.

“Stop it now, or I'll call the chief,” the cop threatened with no real power behind his words. 

“Did you tell him all that?”

Ekko couldn't run away from the truth. If only he had spoken to Powder about them earlier none of this would have happened. But he was so scared. Scared she would think he was weak.

“Yes.”

The cry of pain Powder let out made Ekko's heart rip in half. 

“Powder, please. I can explain–”

Powder’s shoulders shook uncontrollably as tears began streaming down her cheeks. His body responded immediately to the sight of her in pain, rushing to her side. 

“No!” She backed away from him. Tears overfilled her eyes as she put distance between them. 

“Don't come any closer!”

“Powder, please,” his voice trembled. 

“You know,” Marcus passed his arm around Powder, just like he had done with Ekko. The broken bone of his nose seemed painfully distorted as he brought his face close to Powder's ear.

“Your boyfriend over here hasn't been running his mouth just about your sister you know.”

“Marcu–” Ekko's voice cracked. Powder was the only thing he had for himself. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't. 

Marcus didn't pay any attention to Ekko as he whispered to Powder's ear. 

“He told me how easily you bend over for him. And it got me wondering. Do you only do it for him?”

Powder pushed herself away from him, gasping in shock. Her chest heaved as she looked at Marcus in terror.

“Why?”

Ekko could feel the betrayal in her voice, the sheer hate that began rising to the surface. He had pushed the knife in her back, the only person she never expected to be betrayed from.

Her eyes that were once looking at him with fondness and admiration, burned with hate as she looked right at him. 

Love had turned into hate and affection into disgust. 

“I never want to see your face again.”

Powder's chest heaved from her sobs as she turned around and darted out of the waiting room. 

“Powder!”

Ekko’s mind was blank as he immediately ran after her. He had to stop her, to explain to her that the truth wasn't what Marcus had made it out to be.

“Hey!” The cop yelled, rushing after both of them.

Before Ekko could even make five steps out of the room, a wide wall stopped him right in his tracks, almost sending him to the floor.

“Woah!”

Benzo let out a surprise noise, catching Ekko before he could trip over. “Where do you think you're going, little man?”

“Stop!”

The cop passed by them, running down the hallway in search of Powder. Ekko went to follow him but Benzo's grip on his arm prevented him from doing so.

“Benzo,” Ekko managed to say. His eyes were searching for Powder around him, his mind filled with the worst scenarios than most of which had already become reality.

“Are you okay?”

Ekko couldn’t pretend any longer. The mask of the mature and collected man he wore diligently, slipped from his face as he let his tears fall.

“Oh, my boy.” Benzo gently pulled Ekko in his embrace, his bigger frame shielding the boy from his sorrow.

“It’s all my fault,” Ekko said between tears. “It’s my fault and now I ruined everyone's lives.”

“You didn’t ruin anybody’s life.”

“I did!”

Ekko pushed Benzo away from him. His nose was running but Ekko was beyond caring. 

“Vi and Vander are going to jail because of me! I gave her the tip to go to that house! And… and those assholes that called the cops followed us because of me! It’s my fault!”

Ekko pushed his hands through his thick hair, tugging on them in frustration. Benzo placed his hands on his shoulders, making Ekko look at him.

“It is not your fault, Ekko.”

“But–”

Ekko’s voice threatened to crack again. He took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from crying even more. 

“I fucked up,” he said as calmly as he could. “They are going to throw me out of the orphanage. They said I’m not their responsibility anymore.”

Benzo let out a sigh. “That may be my fault, my boy.”

Ekko watched puzzled as Benzo pulled some folded papers out of his pocket. 

“I wanted to give them to you at your shift tomorrow but with how things turned out…Oh, just take them now.”

Reluctantly, Ekko took the papers in his hands. At first his eyes trailed over the legal documents, not understanding what they really were. The realization hit him like a wave as he looked up at Benzo, speechless. 

The old man looked a little agitated. “I’ve been saving up for some time. I suppose I should have talked about it with you first but I wanted to surprise you. You know Ekko, I never wanted a family, a–a son I should say, until you walked into my life–”

Before Benzo could finish his sentence, Ekko hugged him tightly. The adoption papers slipped from his hand as he held Benzo tighter. There were no words that could describe the immense happiness and relief Ekko felt at that moment even if he would feel guilty for being happy afterwards.

“Why you–” Benzo pulled away, wiping a stray tear that had managed to slip from his eye with his thumb. “Oh, don’t get all mushy on me now.”

Ekko laughed lowly. He had thought he would never be able to laugh again. He hid his face in his hands as he tried to grasp the reality of the situation. So much had happened in so little time and he needed some time to process everything.

“They said you are free to go for today,” Benzo patted Ekko’s back.

“Let’s go home.”

Ekko followed Benzo as they left the police station, the old man going on about the options they had to choose from for their dinner. And for a moment, just for a split moment, Ekko forgot the look of betrayal in Powder’s eyes even if it would come back to haunt him years later. 

ⴵ

Ekko’s eyelids slowly fluttered open as he woke up. 

It was dark in his small room. It wasn't his alarm that had awoken him but rather a melancholic song, something belonging to his childhood.

Quickly, his hand reached to the nightstand table, grabbing his phone. Ekko let out a sigh of relief as he laid back on the bed. His first alarm hadn't gone off yet and he had plenty of time before his first lecture of the day.

As he laid on the bed he focused on the melody of a 60’s song that played from the kitchen. Benzo must be making breakfast and listening to his old tracks again. The tune was familiar, a similar kind of song that would be heard in The Last Drop once upon a time ago.

Ekko pushed his palms against his eyes. Why was he dreaming about that time seven years ago? His subconscious seemed to punish him even after all that time.

The flash of blue eyes, set alight with hate made him open his eyes wide. He would never be able to forget the look in her eyes. The well known guilt clawed at his mind, threatening to drive him mad.

No matter how many hours Ekko spend on regretting everything that he had done, time couldn't go back. His world had ended the day he lost Powder. He only hurt himself more by thinking of the past.

Ekko pushed himself off the bed, casting all his thoughts aside. He had to start living in the present now.

Chapter Text

And I guess I'll just miss her

Even though she isn't even really gone

Things are just different

Ever since she cut her blue hair off

Blue Hair-TV Girl 

Benzo Russel was a good man with a unique talent in engineering. Unfortunately, his talents stopped there and as Ekko had to be reminded regularly, his adoptive father had absolutely no talent in singing. 

Ekko smiled to himself as he stepped into the kitchen that was bustling with the cacophony of Benzo's singing. 

“Morning,” Ekko greeted loudly, so he could be heard through Benzo's attempt at singing.

“Good morning!” 

Benzo turned around, a bright smile on his face. Ekko was forever in awe at how cheerful Benzo could be so early in the morning. 

Quickly, he pressed a button on his phone, pausing the song that was blasting through the speakers. 

“Come, come! I made breakfast!” 

Ekko took a seat at the table of the small kitchen. The apartment they were renting was microscopic but it was the only accommodation they could afford in Piltover. Although it was hard to adjust at first, after almost four years of living there, Ekko had begun to regard it as his home. 

“Here.” 

Benzo placed a plate filled with sunny side up eggs and crispy bacon in front of Ekko. Despite Ekko's protests, Benzo insisted on making him breakfast every day with no exception. 

“Thanks.” 

It was too early in the morning for him to be hungry but he didn't want to disappoint his father. 

“Reminiscing the past?” He asked, gesturing with his fork to his father's phone. 

“Ah, you know. Just an old man thinking of the good old times.”

Benzo took his apron off, revealing the suit he wore underneath. The color must have once been rich and dark but it had now faded into a dull brown. It looked a little more than just worn out but somehow Benzo managed to wear it with confidence.

“Looking sharp.”

Benzo let out a laugh, setting his own plate on the table and taking a seat next to Ekko. 

“I doubt they hire engineers based on their fashion choices but I wanted to make an effort.”

“It looks good. Honestly.”

“Is it too much?” Benzo asked, fixing his tie, with uneasiness. “My word, I haven't been to a job interview in so long I've become afraid of ‘em.”

Ekko paused mid bite. It was close to two years since Benzo had to close his electrical shop. Very few customers and too many bills to pay. Plus the cost of going back and forth between Piltover and Zaun was an additional, useless expense. 

They had managed to make do with part time jobs, Benzo going as far as to take up three at the same time. The jobs were not paying nearly enough and it seemed like they were always short on money. Groceries and rent were the main necessities and they seemed to be costing more than anything else. There were no further expenses on his and Benzo’s part but somehow they barely made it even after delaying the rent for months. 

Ekko swallowed his food. 

“You know,” he said, clearing his throat. “We can always go back to Zaun.”

Benzo shook his head and Ekko hurried to add. 

“No, listen! Rents are better back home and we can–”

“Ekko.” 

His father's tone was definite, his thick accent somehow deeper when he called Ekko's name. Ekko dropped his fork, leaning back in the chair. They had this conversation too many times before. 

“Your life is here,” he reminded him. “Not in Zaun. Not anymore.”

Benzo rested his hand on Ekko's shoulder. He fought the urge to shake it off.

“When you won the Innovations Competition you didn't just win a scholarship. You won a chance away from the Lanes.” 

It was childish to sulk but Ekkoo couldn't help it. They had been over this a million times and each time Benzo would always bring up the same exact arguments. 

“You won against two hundred participants. You did that. And now you’re one of Piltover Institute of Technology's brightest minds.”

Ekko shrugged. He always felt agitated when others were praising him so openly, never so sure what to say or how to act. 

“And?” 

“And?” Benzo let out a throaty laugh. “My boy, you have more chances than any of us ever dreamt of! Professor Heimerdinger picked you specifically among everybody else. Do you know what that means for you? Especially, as a black man. It means you are making history.”

“Alright, I hear you but…” 

Ekko trailed off. He always found it hard talking about his hometown. All the memories he had made there came back to him in a rush. 

“Zaun…It is who I am. Who we are.”

“It doesn't mean we can't be something more. That you can't be more.”

Benzo let out a deep sigh, squeezing his shoulder. With a softer tone he tried again. 

“Ekko. I understand.”

Did he really? Ekko’s fingers trailed invisible patterns against the surface of the table. No, there was no one that could understand what he felt, the levels of guilt that took residence within his mind and constantly reminded him of what he had done. No one could understand. 

“What happened was unfortunate,” Benzo said with another sigh. “But it's irreversible. There is nothing you can do but move on.” 

Ekko couldn't argue with that. After that night at the police station he was only called again to testify in court. That cop had been true to her word. There was nothing in his record to indicate any delinquent behavior. A clean slate, as Benzo called it. 

“Your parents would want you to have a better future than they did.”

The mere mention of his parents pulled Ekko's heartstrings. It had been long since the accident, much longer than what happened with Powder but no matter how much time had passed, the pain remained the same.

“Wyeth and Inna would want you here, in Piltover.” 

Ekko huffed out in annoyance. The worst part of all was that Benzo was right. Ekko could not remember a day where Wyeth and Inna Elliot refrained from speaking about leaving the Lanes one day. A brighter future in the City of Progress where their son could have the education and chances they were denied. 

“Let the past stay in the past Ekko.”

Benzo squeezed his shoulder one final time, signaling the end of the conversation. However, Ekko was far from done.

“Do you hear from them?”

Benzo creased his brow. “Vander and his girls? No. No, I can't say I do.”

It was expected but it still shook up Ekko. Vander and Benzo had been friends once but as things turned out, they had lost touch. During the trial Ekko had managed to catch a glimpse of Powder but he was not allowed to talk to her. 

He wrote to Vi while she was in juvie and she was gallant enough to reply back but he could not reach Powder. One day the letters stopped. Powder must have told the truth to her sister and Vi must now hate him as much as he deserved to be hated. 

But that didn't stop him. He searched for her everywhere but Powder was nowhere to be found. She left school even before the trial began and soon after The Last Drop passed on to a new owner. Ekko didn't know if she was in a foster family or if she was even still in Zaun. 

“Well.” 

Benzo got up from the table, taking his plate in hand and leaving it on the sink.

“We have a big day ahead of us.”

Ekko nodded, not wishing to bother Benzo anymore. The past should only torment him. Benzo didn't deserve to be reminded of it too.

Slowly, he got up, mirroring his father’s actions. 

“I've got an afternoon shift today,” he reminded him. “Right after my lectures.”

“Want me to give you a lift?” 

Ekko pulled his dreads up, tying them on the back of his head. “I'm good. I'll take the board.”

Benzo shook his head. “I will never understand why you ride that thing. It's too dangerous.” 

Ekko laughed, grabbing his backpack and skateboard from beside the front door. 

“It's more dangerous to get in your car,” he said, putting his sneakers on.

“Hey! It might be old but it's a stable, good ride!”

“Good luck on your interview!” Ekko shouted from the door. “Break a leg or something. Do they say that?” 

“That saying is for theater premieres! And I'm more concerned about you breaking a leg with that skateboard! Ekko!”

“Luck Benzo!” he shouted again, before closing the door behind him. 

Those types of exchanges were well known to the two men by now. He enjoyed his time with Benzo the most out of everything else and that was why he chose to stay with him rather than occupy one of the dorms of the university. The man had supported him when Ekko had no one and Ekko wanted to return the favor. 

Tiptoeing, Ekko passed by the door of their landlord. Huck was a nice enough guy but he was awfully annoying when it came to paying rent. Benzo had delayed the pay for two months and it was all they could hear for weeks.

Surprisingly, they hadn't heard an earful from him that week. 

When he had safely walked past Huck’s door, Ekko rushed out the front door and into the street. He dropped his board to the ground, putting his earphones on and dashing down the road. 

ⴵ

“Ekko, man. Can I take a look at your notes in Advanced Thermodynamics?”

Ekko pushed the notebook in Mylo's direction without looking up from his tray. 

The cafeteria of Piltover’s Institute of Technology was just like the rest of its facilities. Spotless, spacious and brand new. It was more like a hospital than a university cafeteria. 

It felt wrong sitting so casually in the middle of such grandeur even after five years of being a student there. 

“How the fuck do you solve this formula? Clag, let me see your notes.”

Sitting next to Mylo, Claggor glared at his best friend. 

“Maybe if you weren’t texting during the lectures you wouldn’t have to spend our lunch trying to figure it out.” 

“Seriously, dude. We're eating. Can we not talk about Thermodynamics even now?”

“Oh, I see how it is.”

Mylo closed the notebook, pointing an accusing finger at Ekko. “You don't want to talk about science only when I need you to.”

Ekko slapped Mylo's finger away from his face. “We don't only talk about science.”

“Yes you do. Like all the time. That's the only thing you talk about.” 

Ekko shared a look with Claggor. 

“No?”

“Yes,” Mylo corrected, thick brows drawn together. “You study and then complain about how hard studying is and then you study some more.”

“And since when do you not fit in that category?” Claggor inquired, pushing his empty food tray away from him.

“Weren't you the one crashing out over Engineering Management last week? You wrote a whole essay on your notes app on how much you hate it.”

Ekko chuckled. He had met the guys when they were all freshmen. All of them were descending from Zaun and that was enough to establish a friendship. Despite their difference in character, they were inseparable ever since.

Mylo grunted, leaning back on his chair. “You guys are such fucking losers, you know that?”

“Hey.”

Ekko gently kicked Mylo under the table, trying to get his attention. “What's the matter?” 

Mylo contemplated whether he should confess with thoughts. 

“There's a party at some sorority house down Maple street on Saturday.”

“A party?” Claggor turned around, completely facing Mylo. “That's what's bothering you? You wanna go to a party?’ 

“Yeah, I mean…” Mylo let out a breath, passing a hand through his wild brown hair. 

“The Chem Sisters are playing there on Saturday.”

“Chem Sisters?” 

Mylo closed his eyes. “It's Gert's group. She's part of this, like, grudge, alternative band.”

Realization dawned on Ekko. He exchanged a devious look with Claggor, grasping the opportunity for teasing. 

Gert Hayter was an electrical engineering major that shared a lab with Mylo. In some turn of luck they had been assigned as partners and Mylo had been crushing on her ever since. 

“You finally managed to talk to her?” Ekko said with a smirk. “Outside of stalking her profile and talking to her pictures, I mean.”

“Young love,” Claggor said, passing his arm around Mylo's shoulders and shaking him up. “Warms your heart.” 

Mylo remained expressionless. “I hate you both so much.” 

“Yeah, we love you too man.”

“So you're going right?” Ekko sipped some of the bubbly energy drink he got from the vending machine. 

“That's the thing. I'm going but I need you guys there to back me up.” 

There was a pause that stretched for uncomfortably long. 

Ekko and Claggor shared the same aversion for parties. The cigarette smoke and the packed atmosphere triggered Claggor's asthma and Ekko didn't have time for that. He had to focus on studying so he could maintain his scholarship on top of working. And after getting his degree he had to find a well paying job so he could open Benzos shop again and make sure his father wouldn't have to worry about money ever again.

Partying was the last thing on his mind. 

“I'm working on Saturday,” he tried to defend himself. He did want to be there for Mylo but he couldn't bring himself to attend a sorority party filled with blue blooded Piltie college kids. 

Mylo looked between them. “Look, I know it's not your thing but it's gonna be fun. I promise. We have only been to like, what, three parties since we were freshmen? We gotta get out more!” 

“Ekko's working. And besides, sorority parties are kind of a Piltie thing. We won't even know anyone there besides us.”

“Guys, come on,” Mylo pleaded. “I really like Gert. And I just want to get to know her but it's like I can't even look her in the eye. I need some support!”

None of them said anything. Mylo didn't let their rejection get to him. He refused to give up yet so he tried again in a more amused tone. 

“Staying inside and studying ain’t doing you two any good. Plus, you guys are wasting your average looks. You need to go to some party and get some action.”

Claggor rolled his eyes at that. Ekko didn't bother with a reaction. 

If partying was the last thing on Ekko's mind, then dating was not even a passing thought. Even after everything that happened with Powder, Ekko had not gotten over her. 

He had attempted to date in his senior year of high school and there was a short-lived hookup two years ago with some computer science major but both didn't last more than a couple of months. Ekko couldn't help but unconsciously compare them to Powder. In his mind, there was no one that could compare to her. 

It was unfair to involve himself with someone that wasn't living up to the expectations. With someone that wasn't her. 

“I'm talking about you Ekko. You gotta get over your ex, man. Honestly, if I hear another thing about Powd–”

Mylo let out a shriek as Claggor's elbow dug into his sides, cutting his sentence in half.

“What the fuck?” He yelled in annoyance, rubbing his sore sides.

“Dude,” Claggor gestured to Ekko with a nod of his head.

Ekko's ears burned in embarrassment. Claggor and Mylo had never met Powder but he often talked about her to them. What she liked, what she didn't, how she would approach a problem and other small details Ekko couldn't stop thinking about. They didn't know what Ekko had done to her and that gave him the opportunity to talk about only the good parts without thinking of how he had wronged her.

He just hadn't realized he was that annoying.

“Okay, forget the hookup thing. Chem Sisters are really good. I'll send you their SoundCloud if you want. And you could go around the house, meet people, let loose.”

Claggor shook his head, negatively. Mylo began getting desperate. 

“Come on guys. Even the Jinx has never missed a party.”

Ekko furrowed his brow, playing with his fork. “Who's Jinx?” 

Mylo gaped at Ekko. 

“You're kidding right? You don't know who the Jinx is? Clag, tell me at least you know about her.”

Claggor raised his shoulders. “Who is that?” 

“See this is exactly why you should get out more. It's like you're living under a rock or something.”

Ekko rolled his eyes. “Just spill it, Mylo.”

“She's Kiramman’s new protégé,” Mylo explained. “I can't believe you guys haven't heard of her. They say she's a genius. Been working for the Kirammans for some time and they gave her a full scholarship. Everything already paid. And get this. She hasn't attended a single lecture but managed to pass all her classes.”

“That's not possible.”

“It is,” Mylo persisted. “She got the scholarship just this year but the dean placed her on our year. Professor Heimerdinger gave the okay.” 

“Why haven't we heard anything about her then?” Claggor asked, making Mylo click his tongue in annoyance. 

“Did you pay attention to anything I just said? She's not coming to lectures. She only comes to campus to go to partying. That's why almost no one from our year has seen her yet.”

Ekko made a noise on the back of his throat. “Yeah, that's bullshit.” 

“It's not!” 

“Sure, sure,” Ekko said, getting up. “A genius that never steps foot on campus won the Kiramman scholarship.”

“Where are you going?” Claggor asked. 

He checked the time on his watch while throwing his backpack on his shoulder. “I have to go to work.”

“So what about Saturday?” 

“If Clag goes I’ll come too,” he said behind his shoulder, already walking out of the cafeteria and leaving Claggor to handle Mylo's persistent pleas. 

Ekko made his way through the hallways of the mechanical engineering department. There were really few students in the hallways at that hour and Ekko passed by them unnoticed, like a shadow walking through earth. 

ⴵ

The Firelight Nursing Home was located in the outskirts of Piltover, so close to Zaun that it was considered part of it. It took twenty minutes for Ekko to skate there but he preferred skating to taking the bus. He had time to think, to clear his head. 

“Ekko. Can you give me a hand with the trash?” 

“Yeah, just a second.” 

Ekko set down the box he was carrying and moved to pick the black trash bag. The afternoon shift was already over and they had to prepare the common rooms for the next shift. 

“Thank you,” Eve, one of the nurses said when he threw the bag into the bin. 

“No problem.” 

They both walked back inside, locking the door behind them. Silently, Ekko picked the box he was previously carrying and set it under the sink. His back muscles ached with even the smalest movement. 

Ekko was happy to keep company and play board games with the residents. He liked to be of help, liked seeing others enjoy their time. It was only after he had bid good night to every single one that the fatigue of the day caught up to him. 

“You guys are done with the kitchen?”

Scar, the head nurse and Ekko's boss asked from the door. His imposing frame blocked their way but he quickly moved aside to let them pass. Despite his terrifying exterior, Scar was as harmless as a puppy. Most of the time, anyway. 

“Yeah. All ready.”

“Then you're free to go,” he smiled. “Thank you for today.”

Ekko managed a grunt, too tired to form any words. He had already taken off his uniform and stacked it in his backpack by the door. 

“You want a ride Eve? Ekko?” Scar offered. 

For a moment he was tempted to accept. To get in Scar's G-Wagon and drift off to sleep until they reached his apartment complex. But he couldn't do that. 

“You guys go ahead.”

“Are you sure?” Eve asked, tilting her head to the side and making her short red hair fall on her cheek. “It's kind of late.”

Ekko picked up his board. The weight of it made him almost trip over. 

“Yeah, I'm sure. See you guys tomorrow.”

“Okay! Good night!”

“See you tomorrow.” 

Pushing the front door open with his shoulder, Ekko put on his earphones. The rap song he selected blasted in full volume as he got on the skate. The noise and cold air hitting his face would wake him up in no time. 

It was already two in the morning and he should be going back home but his stubbornness did not permit him. Putting his hoodie on, he began skating down the bridge that connected Piltover to Zaun. 

Officially, he hadn't been to Zaun since Benzo's shop closed. Unofficially, he visited the familiar streets of his childhood every week. Benzo knew nothing of it. He didn't have to. That was something only Ekko had to know, a secret he kept close to his heart. 

The lights of his hometown guided him through the darkness that ruled in the bridge. He remembered when he used to ride his bike as a kid, a rusty thing he had found in the trash and tinkered with until it was as good as new. All fatigue and pain was forgotten as Ekko skated faster and faster, wanting to reach his destination sooner. 

The Lanes were unchanged. The same decay and perish everywhere around him. Ekko got off his skate with his heartbeat wild. He placed the board under his arm as he stepped closer to the abandoned warehouse. 

Him and Powder would often come down here, searching for metal and other materials they could use to build stuff. He let his backpack slip from his shoulder, hitting the floor with a loud noise. He kneeled on the ground, retrieving one of his spray cans from his bag. He had to turn on the flashlight of his phone to be entirely sure the color he had picked was the baby blue shade. 

Satisfied, he got up and turned to the wall of the warehouse. The graffiti of her stared back at him smiling. He couldn't find the strength to smile back at her. 

Wordlessly, he shook the spray paint and began leaving strokes of blue on her hair. Ekko had painted Powder years ago, back when he still lived in Zaun with Benzo. The passing of time had faded the bright colors and Ekko often came back to renew the paint. 

It wasn't the only drawing he had made of her. It was a desperate cry that maybe if she happened to see it she would know it was him that made it. No matter how many times he painted her, he never got the color of her hair right. Her light, almost iridescent hair that was unlike any color he had ever used. 

It was frustrating, not being able to depict her exactly. Her features were fading in his memory, the brightness of her hair turning dull. Ekko had to paint her again and again to keep her memory alive. He missed her more than anything, even though she wasn't really gone, always lingering on the back of his mind.

“So long, Powder,” he whispered, gazing at his work. It wasn't even close to the real thing. 

Unsatisfied and frustrated, Ekko picked his things up and left the warehouse. He wished he could leave his past behind, just as easily. 

Half an hour later, he pushed his key to the keyhole of the front door. His legs could barely hold him up as he stepped into the house. 

The lamp of the living room was on. Ekko blinked several times, unsure if he was so tired he was seeing things. 

“Dad?” 

Benzo turned around. He was sitting on his armchair, the light of the lamp turned on him. A paper was in his hand that lazily rested on the armchair. 

“Hello my boy.”

“Why are you still up?” 

Ekko moved further inside. He vaguely remembered he had to ask Benzo about how the interview went. 

His father let out a deep breath. “Don’t worry about me. You should go to sleep. You're tired. I can handle this.”

He furrowed his brow as he took the paper from his father’s grasp. Benzo’s fingers slowly let go of the letter of eviction as Ekko’s tired eyes trailed over the words on the paper. 

When he was done reading, he looked at Benzo in horror. 

“I am sorry Ekko,” Benzo gave him a bittersweet smile. “When I adopted you I wanted to offer you something better. But I can't even do that.” 

Ekko kneeled next to the armchair, his legs finally giving in. He wrapped his arms around his father, comforting him as best as he could. 

His mind was already racing, trying to find ways to fix this. 

“We're going to make this right,” he whispered. “Everything's going to be okay.”

He had said those words before. Only this time he wasn't so sure if they would be true.

Chapter Text

You look into my eyes, you can't recognize my face

House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls-The Weeknd

The earsplitting music coming from the sorority house down the street could be heard from blocks away. Loud and hectic and everything Ekko wished it wouldn't be. He shouldn't have come. He definitely shouldn't have come, not with everything that had happened. 

The only thing on Ekko's mind since Benzo showed him the eviction note was finding a new place to stay. He had been through every single real estate site and rental possibility he could find but found nothing. Before he had realized it, it was too late to cancel on Mylo and since he had already notified Scar that he had to leave work a little earlier, he found himself on their way to the party. 

He dragged his steps to the front door, following Mylo and Claggor that walked with a much faster pace than him. 

Outside the house small groups of people were standing around, smoking and exchanging cans of beer. Ekko couldn't recognize a single face so far and that satisfied him. There was no one he knew or wished to meet at that party. He simply wanted to find a quiet corner to occupy while Mylo was with Gert.

“Okay,” Mylo let out a shaky breath, pushing his shoulders back once that stopped outside the closed door. 

Claggor scoffed. “It's just a party man.” 

“I know. Just nerves.”

He let out another breath, anxiously. “It's gonna be fine. Right, Ekko?” 

Ekko didn't have any strength left in him to reassure Mylo that indeed, all would be fine. He had no hopes that tonight would be a fun night that would take his mind off his problems. 

As a response, he inclined his head, the hood of his hoodie slipping lower and covering more of his face. It wasn't a cold night, the March weather already turning milder, signaling the upcoming spring. Still, Ekko preferred to not let anyone see the tired look on his face. 

“Let's do this.” 

Without another thought, Mylo stepped into the house. Not wanting to delay what was inevitable any longer, Ekko followed them inside. 

Stepping into the house was like walking into a different reality. The lights were turned off and excluding some small stage lights that were turned to a corner of the living room where the band played, the house was swallowed by complete darkness. It was so dark, Ekko couldn't make out faces, only shadows of figures that went back and forth through the stairs and kitchen. Cigarette and vape smoke fogged the atmosphere and reeked so heavily that it instantly gave him a migraine. 

Ekko gazed worriedly at Claggor but couldn't see his expression. 

“There they are!” Mylo yelled, his voice barely audible through the music. 

Barely containing himself, he moved through the crowd, getting closer to the makeshift stage. There were so many people around, he didn't manage to move that far as he slowly pushed the crowd apart. 

Ekko squinted his eyes, trying to make out the faces of the three women group. His eyes were becoming used to the dark but it was still too hard to see in the suffocating room. 

“Yo, Clag, you okay?” Ekko said, bringing his face close to Claggor's ear so he could be heard. 

“I'm good!” 

“Whenever you feel off, you get out of here, immediately! Don't worry about us! I'll stay with Mylo!” 

Claggor nodded in understanding as they followed Mylo's figure through the sea of people. Some were laughing, others were yelling and all of them were dancing. 

What Ekko could make out of the living room was a mess. Empty plastic cups littered the floor, flipped furniture all around and couples altering between making out and getting drunk in every corner. Just from that, Ekko knew that he wasn't missing out on anything by not attending parties. 

They moved further into the house, the music getting louder and louder. He drank in every little detail of his surroundings. His heart was beating in the wild beat of the drum that echoed through the speakers, adrenaline coursing through him and leaving him in a confused state of awake and dreaming. 

People were dancing everywhere. On top of the diner table, figures swayed to the music. Ekko's gaze lingered on one of the dancing forms. She had her back turned to him, long twin braids whipping around while she frantically danced as if her very life depended on it. He couldn't make out much about her in the darkness other than the ridiculously mini skirt she wore. 

A flame sparked in Ekko’s chest. He quickly averted his gaze from the dancing woman, ashamed of himself for checking her out so openly. He didn't know why but there was something in the way she moved that felt familiar. Or perhaps, it was the bright blue of her braids that messed with his head. 

Suddenly, Mylo turned around. The purple lights shined on his face, revealing a petrified expression. 

“I think I'm going to faint!” 

Ekko grabbed him by the shoulders. “Mylo,” he said seriously, voice as loud as could be heard. “You got this! Just go to the front row and enjoy it!” 

If Mylo said something, Ekko didn't hear it. He turned back around, elbowing his way through the crowd, stopping right in front of the performers. He joined in on the people shouting encouragingly at the band as he looked up at Gert.

All around them, the crowd pulled and shoved, bodies so close to each other it was bound to feel claustrophobic. 

Ekko had to get away from there immediately. 

He searched for Claggor in the dark, already making his way out of the crowd. Ekko followed suit and only when they were away from the spectators of the show could he truly breathe. 

“You good?” He rushed to ask once the music stopped for a brief break. “Do you have your inhaler with you?” 

Claggor, nodded. His face was flushed red and he looked a little tired but thankfully he was not having an asthma attack. 

“I'm fine, just need some fresh air!”

Ekko cursed under his breath. 

“Fuck. Go outside to get some air. I'll get you some water okay?” 

“It's okay! Really, I only need some air!” 

“Just go outside and I'll be right back okay?” 

Not pushing Ekko further, Claggor walked out the door and away from the cloud of smoke that swirled in the air. In the dark, Ekko began to search for the kitchen. The minimum lighting was even worse in the kitchen area. Close to sixty plastic cups full of beer sat on every surface of the kitchen. No sign of any non alcoholic beverage.

“Do you have any water?” He asked a guy that was leaning against the wall, silently drinking from his cup. 

He extended it towards Ekko. “You want beer?” 

“Water!” 

“We've only got beer here!” 

Ekko looked around him, annoyed. He opened a cabinet on top of the faucet but found it completely empty. The sorority girls must have taken out all the plates and glasses from the kitchen so they wouldn't be shattered. Ekko respected that. 

He grabbed the first beer cup in front of him and gulped it down in one go. His frustration was making him slowly lose his temper. The only thing he wanted was to get home and think of ways to find an affordable rented house. 

Ekko threw away the empty cup. Grabbing another one he emptied the beer down the sink and filled it with tap water. The coldness of the water that cooled the plastic felt pleasant in his hand as he turned on his heel and walked back into the living room. 

The music had resumed in full volume, the vibrations from the speakers making the ground shake. Ekko was so disoriented by the noise pollution that he didn't even see the person standing in his way until it was too late. 

“What the hell?!”

Ekko watched in slow motion as he bumped into the girl, sending the freezing cold content of his cup dripping down the front of her clothes. 

“Shit, I am so sorry!” 

His eyes widened in alarm, silently cursing himself for not paying more attention. The stranger groaned, looking down at herself. Ekko couldn't see her clearly. Only her thick braids were characteristically sticking out in the dark. 

“You better be!” She shrieked, trying to wipe the water off herself. “Fuck, why is it so cold?”

“Jinx! What happened?” 

Another female figure rushed to the stranger’s side. 

“This asshole spilled his drink all over me!” 

Turning to Ekko she yelled, voice ringing through the music. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to wash beer off clothes?” 

“It's water!” Ekko yelled back, defensively. “And I said I'm sorry!” 

Ekko left the now empty cup on a nearby coffee table. He felt bad for snapping back at her like that. She had nothing to do with the reason he was angry. In fact it was him that had almost knocked her over and caused her clothes to get all wet. 

He leaned into her, bringing his lips close to her ear so she could hear him. 

“Listen, I'm really sorry! Let me help you get it off, alright?” 

The stranger remained silent for a moment before turning her head and speaking to his ear.  

“Whatever! There's a bathroom upstairs!” 

Without waiting for his answer, her hand curled around his, tugging him after her. Ekko batted his eyelashes in confusion as the stranger led him to the staircase. 

“Jinx!” The other woman called out for her friend. 

“I'll be right back!” 

As they ascended the stairs, Ekko was faintly aware of his hand still being inside hers. His brain was struggling to comprehend everything that had just happened, the atmosphere making it hard to think. But that name had stood out to him. Jinx. Mylo had mentioned her before, hadn't he? She was the Kiramman protégé, the one that never showed her face. 

“It better just be water!” the stranger–no, Jinx– said, not turning her head back to face him. “Or you'll pay for the dry cleaning!” 

“It is only water,” he clarified, not believing she truly was real and not some crazy rumor Mylo heard around campus. 

On the first floor the lights were once again off as Ekko expected. Jinx’s hand flexed around his as she dragged him to a door on the side of the wall. She let go of his hand to flick the light switch on and a strange feeling of abandonment overcame Ekko. 

“At least no one is fucking in there,” Jinx cheeped happily as she pushed the door open. 

The bathroom was small and relatively clean compared to the rest of the house. And very, very bright. 

Ekko blinked, his eyes struggling to get used to the brightness of the light bulb. He pushed his hood back, running a hand through his dreads to make them less messy as he followed her inside. 

He kneeled under the compartment under the sink in search of a clean towel that he could use to dry her clothes. In the corner of his eye, Jinx jumped on the counter, her booted legs swaying back and forth next to him. 

“You should watch where you're fucking going next time.” 

“I already said I'm sorry,” Ekko said, grabbing a pink fluffy towel. 

“Didn't sound like you mean it.” 

He rose up to his full height, stepping in front of Jinx that was still sitting on the sink counter. That girl was really ungrateful, wasn't she?

“Are you always this annoying?” He asked, dragging the towel in the front of her tube top and gathering the water drops that stained the black fabric. 

“Are you always this blind that you spill your drink all over people? 

Ekko let out a frustrated breath. As he continued to wipe the water off, his eyes strayed from the water stains of her clothes. She was sitting in front of him, her hands playing with one of her long, long braids. Ekko's eyes trailed over the pattern of tattoos on her right arm. The blue ink of the cloud tattoos travelled up her right side, contrasting with her pale skin. They were impressive but nothing compared to the vibrant color of her hair, so unlike anything Ekko had seen in years. 

Ekko's entire body froze. 

The electric hue of her hair had haunted his childhood. He had seen it in front of him when they raced their way to school, in between his fingers when she let him braid her hair, spread over her pillow when they had a sleepover at her house. He had never thought he would see it again. 

For the first time that night, Ekko raised his head, looking straight into the stranger's face. 

The darkest of blue eyes stared back at him in indifference. Her face was changed but the main attributes were there if one cared to look for them. Under her heavy makeup the freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose like stars on a night sky, the small gap between her front teeth and the lips that Ekko used to leave small pecks on were all there. 

Ekko's heart thumped wildly in his chest. 

“Powder?” 

Delicate brows were drawn together in irritation at the sound of her name being called. Her eyes searched his face in question and when she found the remains of the boy he once was. The recognition made her lips part in horror.

Her voice cracked when she spoke. “Ekko?” 

It was a dream. It was heaven. It was too good to be true. Too good for him to deserve any of it. 

They both just stared at each other in shock. Ekko felt lightheaded. He hungrily drank in every small detail of Powder’s face, committing it to memory. He thought he would never see her again, thought he had lost her forever. He wanted to tell her all that but his throat was closed up, words unable to form on the tip of his tongue. 

“Fuck!” 

Before any of them could utter a single word to each other, a girl stumbled into the bathroom, both hands clasped over her mouth. She crawled to the toilet, hanging on to the porcelain as she emptied the contents of her stomach with a painful groan. The girl's entire body was shaking as she continued to throw up.

“You alright?” 

Ekko kneeled next to her, checking on her with worry. When she was done vomiting, she let Ekko lift her to her feet and helped her clean herself up. 

When Ekko turned his head back around, Powder was already gone. 

Chapter Text

Was it easy just to leave me

Just to leave me dead

Officially Dead- Veruca Salt 

“Powder?” Mylo raised an eyebrow. “Good, old Powder? The same girl that was too scared to order a hamburger with no mustard and ended up eating it even though she hated it? That Powder?”

“For the last time Mylo, yes.”

“And she was…dancing on a table?”

After Ekko made sure the drunk girl was as well as could be, he left the bathroom in a rush. He tried searching for her around the house but couldn't find her. Still, he persisted. He spent all Sunday searching for her online. There was no account under the name of Powder Wentworth or Jinx Wentworth. Ekko wished he could recall Powder’s family name from before Vander adopted her and Vi.

No photo or name drop in the university's site either. He even searched the Kiramman Industries. There was no indication of her other than articles of the scholarship granted to an unnamed young prodigy earlier that year. 

The memory of her blue eyes, the same ones he thought he would never gaze into again permitted him from giving up. 

After all this time he had finally found her. And at a topside party no less. The last place he would ever imagine his Powder would be. She existed in his world again and he wouldn't stop until he found her again.

“Wait. I don't understand,” Claggor spoke, adjusting the strap of his backpack as they all made their way out of the engineering department's library. 

“Powder was at Saturday's party?” 

“And she had tattoos and crazy long hair and apparently she was Jinx?” Mylo added. 

“Yes!” 

“And you actually talked to her?” 

“Yes,” Ekko groaned. “I mean kind of. I spilled water on her and we mainly talked about that but we did talk. And she recognized me.”

Mylo and Claggor exchanged a look. 

“Right.”

Ekko sent them a tired glare. “You don't believe me, do you?” 

Claggor’s face twisted into a frown. 

“It's not that I don't believe you, man. It's just, what are the chances of meeting your childhood sweetheart at a party?”

“Maybe you had a little too much to drink,” Mylo said as softly as he could. “It was dark, you thought you saw Powd–”

“I talked to her.” 

Ekko insisted, stubbornly. He had replayed the events of the night again and again, trying to find some fault in his memory but found none. As strange as it was, Powder was Jinx. He had no explanation for it but it was a fact. 

“She recognized me. She said my name, Mylo. I didn't make this up.”

“We didn't say you made this up. We just say you may have thought you saw Powder when you really didn't.”

He shook his head, too tired to argue further as they walked back to the campus grounds. The university had three divisional libraries but the engineering one was the furthest from campus, an unfortunate truth the engineering students had to live with. 

Mylo and Claggor were animatedly talking about a recent mathematics study when a car pulled into the campus’ driveway, parking some feet away from them. Ekko wasn't paying attention to the laughing group that exited the car when a certain vibrant blue sparkled in the corner of his eye. 

Every nerve in Ekko's body stood still as he watched Powder climb out of the car. She was laughing with the rest of the group about something Ekko could not hear. In the light of the street lambs that shed some light to the darkness of the late afternoon, he could see her more clearly than ever before. She wore her hair in twin braids again and her outfit was a similar one she wore at the party, top with a matching skirt under a leather jacket. 

It was her. 

“Powder!” 

He called out to her before he could hold himself back, already walking towards her at a fast pace. Ekko's heart hammered in his chest as he stood in front of her, so overcome with emotion he could only stare at her, unable to say anything. 

A purple haired woman next to Powder, eyed Ekko from head to toe. 

“Do you know this guy, Jinx?” She whispered to her ear, still eyeing him. 

Powder did not respond. She only looked at Ekko with a solemn expression that hardened her features. She narrowed her eyes as she regarded him with a coldness that Ekko may have noticed if he wasn't so blindly happy about seeing her again. 

“Go with the others,” Powder said to the purple haired woman. “I'll catch up to you guys in a second.”

“The party is in the west wing dorms!” She reminded her, her heels clinging against the concrete as she followed the rest of the party. 

“Powder,” Ekko whispered, taking her altered looks in. She had changed considerably in the seven years they had been apart.

There were so many things he wanted to ask her. About Vi, Vander, about her. He could hardly contain his enthusiasm as he spoke. 

“I-it's me. Ekko. Ekko Elliot. You remember me, right?”

“I know who you are.” 

The harshness of her tone threw Ekko off. Powder chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief at Ekko's confusion. 

“Did you really believe I would forget what you've done?” 

“Powder,” he muttered, furrowing his brow. 

“Not my name!” 

She took a step closer to him. The platform boots she wore made them see eye to eye despite their difference in height, as she brought their faces close to each other. 

“It's Jinx now. Powder's in the past, where you left her.” 

Ekko's blood ran cold in his veins. The seer joy of seeing her after years had made his brain ignore his past actions. The shame of what he was responsible for made hia cheeks flare. 

The smudged eyeliner made Powder's blue eyes seem colder as she looked at him with a hate he deserved. 

“I may have forgotten a lot of things but I could never forget that night when the cops caught us.” 

“Powd–”

“You honestly believed I would forgive and forget didn't you?” Powder laughed without humor. “How typical. It must be so easy for you to fuck everyone over without a care and then act all innocent about it.”

“Please, let me explain,” Ekko said desperately.

“Wait. Don't tell me you just wanted to make sure we were alright?” 

Ekko's palms began sweating anxiously. He felt so small in front of that changed Powder, the one who was so different from the one he remembered. He deserved everything she told him and more. 

“Oh, thank you for checking in on poor little me after all those years!” She exclaimed in mock excitement. “Don't worry, the people you sent to jail are all well too.”

“Powder, come on. Please listen.”

“Don't call me that.” 

Her voice was almost threatening as she brought her face even closer to his. She let her eyes travel over his features before they focused back on his eyes. 

“Stay the fuck away from me,” she hissed before she turned on her heel and walked away. 

Ekko just stood there, a million feelings rushing to him and making him unable to do anything else than stare at the empty spot where once she was in.

“What the actual fuck?” 

Mylo and Claggor ran to his side, sending shocked looks his way. 

“That's your ex girl?”

Ekko couldn't articulate a single word so he simply walked away, ignoring the persisted questions of his friends and the pain in his heart. 

ⴵ

After the lectures concluded for the day, Ekko would stop by his mentor's office before going home, even if the only thing he wanted to do after his second meeting with Powder was to go home and crawl on his bed. 

Ekko knocked on the door of Heimerdinger's office, before twisting the handle and stepping inside. 

The usually tidy office of the professor was a mess. Papers and reports laid all over the floor and desks as well as big cardboard boxes filled with books and decorative items that Heimerdinger kept in his office. All the diplomas and pictures that were hanging on the walls and were nowhere in sight. The room that Ekko had spent so much time in felt bare and unrecognizable. 

“Professor?” 

“Hello, hello my lad.”

Behind the massive oak table sat the dean of the mechanical engineering department. Heimerdinger’s warm smile was almost hidden under the thick beard he grew on his face. He stacked aside a pile of books on a box, gesturing for Ekko to sit. 

He surveyed the office, confused. “Are you renovating the place?” 

Heimerdinger closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. 

“No my lad. I have to empty my office so the new head of the department can occupy it.”

Ekko looked at him shaken up. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath until he opened his mouth to speak. 

“What do you mean, sir?” 

“Exactly what I said. I am no longer the dean of this department. In fact I am no longer a professor of this university at all. It seems I have been dismissed.”

He stood there, speechless. He felt completely scandalized by the idea of an engineer at Heimerdinger's level being dismissed.

“They can't do that!” Ekko angrily cried out.

Another deep sigh left the professor's lips. “Unfortunately, they can. The faculty council was held last week and they decided that it would be best if a new dean would be assigned. I will keep teaching for this week as well but after that it will be him that takes up my place.”

Ekko paced up and down in the room. It was unthinkable that someone could challenge Heimerdinger's place as the dean. The man had been his teacher and mentor and Ekko knew better than anyone else what his mind was capable of, even at his age. 

“They can't do that,” he insisted. “You have taught in this university for more than thirty years. They can't just kick you out on a random Monday.”

“That is the problem, Ekko.”

Heimerdinger got up from his chair with a little struggle. His small and hunched from the years frame came into view as he stepped next to Ekko. Despite him being in his early eighties, the man's mind was as sharp as a knife and could keep up with all his students.

“They need someone younger, with more novel and innovative ideas. I represent an ancient time of this establishment. In truth, I can understand where vice chancellor Medarda's reasoning comes from.”

Ekko's head shot to Heimerdinger's direction. “Throwing you out was vice chancellor Medarda's decision?” 

“Please do not say it like that,” Heimerdinger shook his head, clasping his hands behind his back. “The university is not throwing me out. I will be paid handsomely and the university will honor me exceedingly. The decision was just…unexpected.”

Suddenly feeling tired, Ekko sat heavily on the chair. Mel Medarda was one of the richest and most influential people in all of Piltover. If she wanted Heimerdinger out, nobody would dare to challenge her. It made sense why they were letting him go so unexpectedly fast. 

“Who is the new dean?” he asked after a moment of thought. 

Heimerdinger pressed his lips together. 

“Professor Talis. A remarkable engineer and as his former mentor I can say that he is indeed a most excellent replacement.”

Ekko scoffed. Jayce Talis was hardly Ekko's favorite professor and that had little to do with his past with him. Seven years ago, Ekko had tried to rob his house and despite that they had never met in person until he attended one of his necessarily long lectures. Nobody knew of his past, but Ekko could not bring himself to like professor Talis when he was unconsciously involved in the worst experience of Ekko’s life. 

The memories made Ekko support his head in his hands. If only he had never told Vi to go to that house none of this would have happened. 

“Lad.” 

Heimerdinger placed his hand on Ekko's shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. The old man was looking at him with a kind look in his light eyes. 

“I know what you must be thinking. Once I am gone you will be left vulnerable and your scholarship might be reviewed.”

“No, professor, that's the last thing–” 

Heimerdinger raised a hand, silencing Ekko. “Let me assure you, your place in this academic institution will not be challenged. In fact, out of all my students you deserve to be here the most.”

Ekko felt a weight on his chest. It was thanks to the professor that he had a place in PIT. The Innovation Competition that he organized each year offered full blown engineering scholarships and Ekko was the winner of one. 

He leaned back in the chair. “I just can't believe it.” 

“I know. I can't believe it either.”

Being replaced by your former student so suddenly must surely be difficult. Ekko wished he could offer his mentor some words of encouragement but he was too stunned by the news to do so. 

Heimerdinger tapped his chin in thought. 

“But it is for the best. It does pain me to be parted from this school but now I can pursue other interests. You know lad, I have always been very fond of music but never had the time to commit to it. Perhaps now I can resume my pursuit of it.”

Ekko couldn't fight the smile that formed on his lips. “I'm really going to miss you, professor.”

Heimerdinger wore a bittersweet expression as he patted Ekko's back. 

“And I will miss you too, lad. Out of all my pupils you are the brightest. I only wish professor Talis is wise enough to recognize your talent.” 

Ekko inclined his head, not finding the correct words to say. Once Heimerdinger left, he would be left alone without a patron to vouch for him. But then, Ekko couldn't think of finding a more capable mentor than Heimrdinger. 

“Jayce already has a pupil. Though it was expected of him to choose this pupil by Cassandra Kiramman. They were both Kiramman protégés, you see,” the professor muttered, discarding more of his personal belongings in boxes. 

“They?” Ekko asked, assisting him in packing up. 

“Jayce and miss Croft. Remarkable young lady. Though quite disorganized if you ask me.”

“Croft?” Ekko frowned, carrying a box to the other side of the room. He could not remember a student with that last name.

“Oh, you must know her by that nickname she likes to use.”

Heimerdinger paused to think about it, taping his chin.

“Jinx. That must be her nickname.”

Ekko left the box to the ground with a crashing sound that made Heimerdinger jolt in surprise. 

“Jinx?” He asked, not turning around to face the professor. 

“I believe so. Her given name is just as peculiar as her nickname but I can not remember it for the life of me!”

He swallowed hard. “Is it Powder?” 

“Ah, yes!” Heimerdinger exclaimed. “Powder Croft.”

Ekko’s knees gave in as he sat heavily on the floor. He passed a hand through his dreads, tugging on them lightly. His brain could not function at the rapid rate that everything was happening around him.

“Are you well, lad?” 

“Just tired,” he assured and truly meant those words. He had never been so tired in mind and body before. 

“Then go home. It is my fault for keeping you here so late. We will see each other tomorrow.”

Ekko was glad to grab the opportunity to leave. His mind was heavy with thoughts. He needed some time alone to think on the way back home. Perhaps the cold air would help him focus. 

“Ekko?” 

His father’s voice snapped him back to reality. Ekko hadn't even realized when he had reached home and had only a faint memory of greeting Benzo before going to his room. 

“Yeah?”

“Not hungry? Or did you finally had enough of my cooking?” 

Benzo laughed lightheartedly. Ekko eyed the untouched food on his plate. He couldn't find it in him to have an appetite right now. 

“I had a really long day. I guess I'm too tired to be hungry.”

He had taken much into consideration on the way back from PIT. Ekko felt ashamed in himself for even thinking Powder would be happy to see him too after everything that he had done to Vi and Vander. He felt so ridiculous when he approached her like nothing ever happened. 

Ekko pushed his plate away from him, unsatisfied. 

“I just need to get some sleep,” he said, sliding his chair back and getting up from his chair. 

“Before you leave, I want to talk to you, my boy.” 

He sat back down. “Did something happen?”

“No, no,” Benzo pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. “Do you remember that thing you said back then about Zaun?” 

He looked at his father confused. “What about it?” 

“I couldn't help but think about it. After the shop closed I never wanted to go back there but it pained me to be separated from Zaun and the people that I knew. I lost touch with Vander and I really shouldn't have.” 

Ekko was completely confused so he simply let Benzo conclude. 

“So I did a little searching. I drove back to Zaun to reminisce and well…You know The Last Drop reopened, right?”

“Yes.”

Right after Vander went to jail, Ekko added in his head but remained silent. 

Benzo chuckled lowly. “Someone bought it all the way back but he sold it a year ago. To its original owner.”

Ekko had more surprises in a day than his heart could handle. He looked at Benzo completely dumbfounded.

“Imagine my surprise when I walked in the bar to see Vander serving drinks like old times. And you had to see the look on his face when I walked through the door. We sat down, had a little drink and caught up.”

“Vander?” Ekko managed to utter. “He is out of jail.”

“He was released a year ago. Lives in Piltover with his daughters and even managed to get The Last Drop back. He is doing good, Ekko.” 

Relief washed over him. He had been so worried about completely ruining Vander's life that hearing he was good was the greatest gift anyone could offer Ekko. 

“Well, we were talking and you know me and my big mouth. The conversation turned to houses and I told Vander about the eviction notice.” 

Ekko's heart thumped in his chest. “And what did he say?” 

Benzo smiled warmly. “That old fool. He offered to let us stay in his house for as long as we wanted.” 

All the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. It was the answer to their problems. A space where they could stay for a while until they found a suitable apartment to rent. And yet it was unacceptable for Ekko to even consider accepting. 

“I don't…I don't think Vander would want me in his house.”

“Ekko,” Benzo smiled widely at him. “I know what you are thinking. But Vander didn't even mention that time not once. He was asking about you, about your academic progress and he was so proud of you.”

Ekko massaged his temples, the extreme pain of a headache attacking his head. Today really wasn't his day.

“And they have extra room in the house since Violet isn't living with them. Vander will be glad to have us, he said so.” 

“Vander may be glad but–”

He stopped himself before he could finish his sentence. Powder’s hurtful words still echoed in his ears loudly. He couldn't live in the same house as her and the people he had wronged so badly. He just couldn't. 

“Do you want to?” He asked finally, too conflicted with his own emotions to make sense. 

“It is either that or staying in a hotel until we find a house.” 

“Or we can go back to Zaun,” Ekko said, desperately trying to think of more options. 

Benzo shook his head. “We will stay in Piltover. Close to the university.” 

Ekko thought of it some more, ignoring the stabs of pain that spread on his head. Sharing a house with Vander and Powder would be torture. Especially after his second meeting with her. She hated him and he could never blame her. He just wanted to have his past peace again, to not have his mind so full of agony. 

But we can't always have what we want. 

“Do whatever you want,” Ekko said behind his shoulder as he walked to his room. 

Only when the door slammed behind him, did he let the tears of frustration slip from his eyes.

Chapter Text

I need to be alone like the way you left me 

Heartbeat-Childish Gambino

Love is a ticking bomb. Jinx knew that from a young age. The temporary thrill of getting attached to someone was the timer of the bomb that once you felt comfortable and safe would go off right in your face and destroy everything you thought you knew. 

“I'm still mad at you.” 

Vander chuckled, setting a glass on the countertop of the bar. “I think I can live with that.”

Jinx sat heavily on a stool of her father's bar. The Last Drop had closed for the night, customers and waiters alike having returned to their homes, except for her and her father. She had stayed till late to help Vander close up but most importantly to nag him. 

“I just think that you should have considered asking me first before inviting some randos to our house.” 

“They aren't randos,” Vander said, placing a straw on the glass and pushing it towards Jinx. “They are old friends.”

Jinx would have liked to say something about that but she just grabbed her drink and chose silence instead. After a sip of the apple juice her father always served her she spoke again, unable to contain her irritation. 

“Why did you even offer him to stay with us? You haven't seen him in years and he unexpectedly comes back into your life and you are happy to act like nothing happened?” 

Vander leaned against the counter with a heavy breath. His hair had turned grey and the crow's legs around his eyes were becoming more and more prominent by the day. He still maintained the strength Jinx remembered from her childhood but her father also looked tired. The years he spent in jail had not been kind to him. Jinx hated that. 

“Benzo visited me every week the first three years. Every week.” 

She couldn't help but sneer at that. “And what about the other four? You were in jail for far longer than just three years.”

“They had to move when Ekko got into college. He couldn't always be there for me but I'm thankful for the times he was.”

The sound of his name made Jinx's heart tighten. Just the mention of him filled her with an uncontrollable anger that left a bad taste in her mouth. 

She set the glass down, juice spilling into the countertop from the impact. 

“So what, did Benzo adopt him or something?” 

“Yes. Right after the incident.”

In the Wentworth household, the day of they referred to the day of the attempted robbery as the ‘incident’. Nobody wished to speak of it and when they had to, they referred to it as facelessly as possible. 

“That's all very touching. Remind me again, why do they have to stay at our house?”

Vander let out a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing as if the weight he carried with him was lifted off them for just a second. 

“Things are rough for them, Jinx. And as someone who had it rough once too, I just want to help.”

Jinx bit the inside of her cheek. Vander was unaware of the extent Ekko was responsible for everything that followed after the cops caught them. There were times she wanted to confess to her father that the reason he was locked away was him but somehow she couldn't bring herself to give him any more grief. The knowledge of who was truly responsible wouldn't bring back the six years he spent in jail. Her anger for Ekko paled in comparison to the love she had for her father and she just couldn't say it, even if it satisfied her ire. 

“Nobody deserves to be helpless when there are people willing to help.” 

Jinx stubbornly rolled her eyes. Vander’s good heart was always his most dangerous disadvantage. People could easily take advantage of that. 

“If you ask me, Isha won't like having strangers around the house. You know how she gets with people she doesn't know.”

“Once she meets them, she will love them. And the house is big enough for the little one to hide away. Now that Vi has moved out, we have too much room for the three of us.”

Jinx groaned, annoyed at the answers she was given to her excuses. 

When Vander was released, Cassandra Kiramman in one of her many efforts to get on Jinx’s good side had offered a house for them. Located in the center of Piltover, it was enormous with six bedchambers and ridiculously extravagant. What Cassandra Kiramman hadn't taken into consideration however, was that her daughter and her protégé’s sister would fall madly in love and move in together despite her disdain on the matter. 

She sighed, frustrated, coming up with another excuse. 

“What if Vi decides to come home? And bring that posh girlfriend of hers by? Where will they sleep? Are you going to throw out your own daughter in favor of them?” 

“Where is all this coming from?” Vander asked, in confusion. 

Jinx sighed again. She had no problem with Benzo. She remembered him as a kind man that let her borrow any tool she needed to tinker with from his shop. But the fact he was Ekko's adoptive father made her immediately dislike him by association with him. 

“This house is big, it’s already paid for,” Vander reasoned. “And I think it would be a good influence on you if they move in with us.”

Jinx’s head shot up. “What?” 

Vander pushed himself off the counter; cleaning the juice Jinx spilled with a rug as a way to dodge the question. 

“Dad,” Jinx persisted. 

He exhaled in surrender. “I mean Ekko. I think it will do you good if you get closer to him.”

Jinx could only laugh at the absurdity of Vander's sayings. “You did not just say that.”

“He is attending PIT, just like you are. He won a competition and got a scholarship from some grand professor. The boy’s a genius, Jinx. And he is diligent and attends all his classes and so should you!” 

“Oh, spare me!” Jinx threw back at him, voice rising. 

“Jinx, listen to me.”

Begrudgingly, Jinx stayed silent, drumming her nails against the counter angrily. 

Vander passed a hand across his face. “You're too smart to spend your life in a bar. And I'm not just the only one saying this. The Kirammans saw your brilliance and you just waste the opportunities they give you.”

“They saw more zeros on their bank accounts,” Jinx retorted, annoyed. 

Vander shook his head. “God, you sound just like him.”

She snickered. “You mean dad?” 

“Yes,” Vander said seriously. “Silco has been a bad influence for you. You have too much of him in you.” 

Jinx huffed out an annoyed breath. After the incident Silco Croft took Vander's place in taking care of her. He had been there for her when she needed someone the most and now Jinx had two fathers that occupied equal parts of her heart. If only her fathers shared the same fondness for each other and not only for Jinx. 

“I simply believe you are not living up to your potential,” Vander tried again, softer this time. “You deserve a better life. And Silco would agree too.” 

She remained silent once again. At those times she desperately sought out her father and despised the distance that separated them. Jinx just wanted to take the next plane to Bilgewater and curl up in his arms until all the voices in her head stopped. 

Silco would take her side, as always. Her father would understand. And he knew better than anyone what Ekko had done. But, as much as it pained Jinx to admit it, he would also want her to attend the courses at PIT. 

“And I thought you liked Ekko,” Vander's voice supported that soft, patronizing edge that managed to piss off Jinx like nothing else could. 

“Didn't you used to be friends?” 

The words made an uneasy knot tie tight on her stomach. After coming face to face with Ekko the feelings of resentment and anger she had been harboring for years came crashing back on her. She could never forgive him. He had used her and deserted her. But there was a part of her that was secretly pleased with the meeting, pleased with the deep stress lines on his face and the prominent dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted and a sadistic part of her triumphed in the fact that he was struggling, like he had made her struggle almost eight years ago. 

Maybe it was true that she had a little too much of Silco in her. 

“You know, I saw him,” Jinx suddenly said between clenched teeth. “Ekko Elliot. On campus.”

Vander raised his eyebrows. “You went to campus?”

Jinx nodded curtly. “He was like nothing I remember. I didn't even recognize him.”

Vander hummed. “People change.”

“And he is not my friend,” Jinx said, looking very seriously at her father. “He never was and never will be. In fact, he is the kind of person that I will never like.”

“Alright,” Vander laughed lightheartedly. “If he gives you any grief you just come to me and I'll handle him. But for my sake, try to tolerate him until they find a house of their own.”

Jinx glared at Vander. “You are actually going to let them stay?” 

“They move in next week,” Vander said, taking Jinx's glass and washing it on the sink. “I was thinking of having a welcoming dinner. Vi's coming too. We haven't sat down as a family in a long time.” 

Jinx darted up from her seat, sending the stool to the floor with a loud noise that echoed in the empty bar. 

“I'm not coming,” she muttered, barely controlling her rage. 

“Jinx–” 

“I said I'm not!” 

She turned around, not sparing a glance back at her father. 

“Have fun at your dinner.” 

Those were her last words as she pushed open the door and stepped into the streets of Zaun. She left the bar behind her as she walked through the empty streets, not sure where she was going. 

Jinx considered calling her dad but she chose not to annoy him so late at night that it was almost dawn. She hadn't told him of her first meeting with Ekko, thinking it was just a drunken dream she had and it would be confusing trying to explain everything to him now. 

No. She just needed to be alone, because no one would understand, not even her father. She was good at it. Excellent, in fact. Ekko had made sure of that when he left her. 

Chapter Text

Now we’re strangers

And I hope that you still cry for me like I cry for you

Cry For Me- The Weeknd

Dreading the arrival of a certain date seemed to make the days until then pass faster. Ekko was still doubting the fact that he was really standing outside of Powder’s house. Most of all, he doubted that this was her house to begin with, a two story neoclassical building on a quiet but central street. He had associated Powder with the little apartment on top of The Last Drop and that building was so not Powder. 

Ekko fixed the collar of his dress shirt that had somehow managed to get wrinkled under his jacket. He felt completely ridiculous. Powder's words still rang in his ears full of malice and yet here he was, about to enter her house. To his credit, he had no way out of this. 

Benzo raised his arm to the doorbell, waiting for Ekko’s approval. “Ready?” 

He hesitated. Ekko would be lying if he said he didn't want to see her again. He was curious to know how she felt about the arrangement their parents made. Soon, they would be living in the same house. There was no getting away from each other when they were under the same roof. 

Shaking off the anxiety, Ekko nodded curtly. He was ready to face everyone. “Ready.” 

Within seconds of Benzo ringing the doorbell, the front door opened wide and a smiling Vander appeared. It wasn't hard to recognize the man despite the years that had passed since their last meeting. Vander seemed to have aged, but the kind glow in his eyes remained the same. 

“There they are,” he chuckled, hugging Benzo. “Just on time.”

When he pulled away, Vander’s blue eyes landed on Ekko. He felt the familiar guilt pierce his body. He had been practicing his apology in his head for the entire day but now felt his throat close up. Could he really apologize for what he had done?

“Is that Ekko?” 

“That's my boy,” Benzo responded, proudly for reasons unknown to Ekko. He didn't feel proud of himself. 

Vander laughed, closing the distance between them and trapping Ekko in a tight embrace. 

“Look how much you've grown!”

Ekko could only bat his eyelashes in utter shock. He had expected forced smiles and angry glances, a similar attitude to the one Powder had displayed. Never in a million years did he expect this. 

“You're a whole man now!” Vander pulled away to look at the stunned Ekko. 

“How old are you now, son?” 

“Twenty-two in May,” Ekko responded automatically, his brain hardly functioning. 

“Ah!” Vander patted his back. “I can still remember when you used to ride that bike around the Lanes! It was three times your size and now look at you! But come inside, please! Come meet my girls!”

Ekko's heart fluttered stupidly in his chest at the prospect of seeing Powder. He followed Vander and Benzo inside the house, his eyes searching around for Powder. 

“Little Man?” 

Ekko's eyes widened at the sound of the nickname that he thought he would never hear again. His eyes landed on the tall woman that called out to him with that name from his past. 

It wasn't hard to recognize the dark red hair and vibrant blue eyes. 

“Vi?” 

Without a warning, Vi wrapped her arms around him. Immediately, Ekko hugged her back, holding onto her tightly. 

“I missed you, Little Man.” 

Ekko chuckled, blinking away the tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe he was really there, in Vi's arms, the girl that had once been an inspiration and the closest thing to an older sister he ever had. 

He pulled away from her with his heart warm from seeing all those familiar faces. 

He never expected such a warm welcome. 

“Let me look at you!” Vi exclaimed like a proud mother as she eyed Ekko. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh, an honest, real laugh. 

Vi was taller than him and her frame was solid and strong from when she was a teen. Her scarlet hair fell on the left side of her face, showing off some cuts on her eyebrow and upper lip. She looked fierce in a charming way that was so characteristic of her that it felt only right. 

“You changed so much! Ah, you look so handsome!”

“Already catching up?” Vander's voice pulled them back to reality. 

A young girl, no more than eight years old, stood behind Vander, shielding herself away from Ekko and Benzo. When her light brown eyes met Ekko's she quickly looked away. 

“This is my youngest, Isha,” Vander introduced her. “She is a little shy right now.” 

“Hello young miss,” Benzo bent next to Isha who seemed to hide even more behind her father's frame. 

Vander patted Isha's head. “She is not really good with strangers. But she will warm up to you, won't you Isha?” 

Isha signed something with her hands to Vander that Ekko could not understand. He gave the little girl a small reassuring smile before turning his head to look for Powder. 

“And where is the Little Lady?” Benzo asked, rising to his full height. 

Ekko stood perfectly still. The twin nicknames Vi and Benzo had for them sounded so foreign to him after all those years. Vi sent him an apologetic look before Vander spoke again. 

“Ah, she had to attend some gathering, I don't know. I can hardly keep up with the youth. But she sends her regards.” 

The fathers shared a laugh. Ekko did not have the time to let his hopes wither because Vi exclaimed loudly for everyone to hear. 

“Dad, why don't we show Ekko and Benzo their rooms?” 

“We can have a tour of the house later,” Vander answered with a dismissing wave of his hand. “Let’s eat first. I know this old man is waiting to test my cooking.” 

“I hope you did not burn it this time! Do you remember that casserole you tried to cook on Christmas of ‘08?” 

Vander and Benzo's voices became muffled as they moved to the kitchen with Isha trailing behind them. Vi placed her hand on Ekko's shoulder. 

“Don't take it personally,” she told him with an encouraging smile. “Jinx is just awful with reunions. It isn't your fault she didn't attend today.” 

Ekko knew better than that. She was avoiding him and it made perfect sense. It was his fault after all. 

“Vi,” he said with a tremble in his voice. 

He took a deep breath, willing himself to say to Vi everything that he had meant to all those years. He had asked for Vi's forgiveness in the letters he sent her when she was in juvenile prison but he needed to do this in person too. 

“I am so sorry about that day. It was all my fault and I can not express how much–”

“Hey.” 

Vi shook him up by his shoulders, a little too hard than what Ekko would have liked. 

“Don’t think about that, alright? There were a lot of things that we should have done differently but it's over now, okay?”

“But–” 

Ekko doubted himself. He couldn't understand Vi and Vander's attitude towards him, so entirely different from Powder's. 

“Vi, it’s my fault the cops came. It's all on me and I'm sorry. That's all I wanted to say. I will tell Vander too but I–”

She interrupted him before he could finish. “There is no reason to be sorry. We were all children, Ekko. We didn't know any better. And you don't have to tell Vander anything, okay?”

Ekko furrowed his brow in confusion. “Didn't you tell him? I thought Powder–”

“No we didn’t tell him because there was no reason to.” 

Vi let out an exaggerated breath. “What difference would it make if we told him? Ekko, we were all to blame for our own faults and I have blamed myself for years now. You will only drive yourself crazy like that. So please, don't blame yourself any longer. I forgive you. Really.”

He was in awe. Ekko didn't know how much of the story Vi knew, the logistics of what part Marcus played in everything and what he had said to Powder at the police station but he did know that the person that knew the whole story hadn't told Vander. Before, he had no doubt that Powder had told Vander but the knowledge that she didn't ignited a flame of hope within him. 

“I thought you were mad at me,” he confessed. “I thought that's why you stopped writing to me.” 

Vi looked at him as if he was mad. “I never stopped writing to you. You stopped sending me letters.” 

Before they could dwell on the matter any longer, Vander's cry made them both their heads turn. 

“Violet! Food's served!” 

“Come on!” 

Vi pushed Ekko to the kitchen, her spirits high once again. 

“If you don't like dad's food, we can order something later. I hadn't tasted his cooking in some time but Isha says it's still as bad as ever!” 

In the spacious kitchen, the dinner table awaited them with plates of food already served. Ekko's mind was absent as he walked to his seat. The revelations he had discovered only made him marvel at Vander and Vi's generosity and hate himself even more. 

Vander was sitting on the head of the table with Benzo to his right and Isha to his left. Next to Benzo sat Vi and then him. The empty chair in front of him reminded him of Powder's absence. 

He began eating automatically, not even tasting the slightly burned chicken and peas that were their dinner. 

“So Ekko,” Vander's voice echoed in his ears, making him raise his head from his plate. 

“Your father tells me you are attending Piltover’s Institute of Technology.”

Ekko swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

“For heaven's name, drop the sir!” Vander smiled, sipping some wine. “You call me Vander from now on, alright? Like old times.”

“So you're in PIT, huh?” Vi said, elbowing him playfully. “Always knew you were a little genius.” 

“And you?” Ekko asked, with interest. “What are you up to these days?” 

“Vi's a boxer,” Vander said pridefully. “She's having a shot at winning the women's championship this summer.” 

“That's a reach,” Vi said but the pink hue on her cheeks indicated she was pleased with her father's trust in her abilities. 

Ekko looked at Vi impressed, a big smile on his face. Since she was a child boxing was Vi's dream. He was beyond happy to hear that both Vi and Vander were doing okay despite everything that had happened to them. It made his guilt ease out just a little. 

“Jinx is also attending PIT,” Vander spoke to Ekko. “She's on a scholarship. Have you heard of her?” 

“Ugh, yeah,” Ekko anxiously set down his utensils. He had expected that the conversation would inevitably include Powder even if she wasn't there to witness it. 

“Jinx is Powder? Why on earth are you calling the poor girl like that?” 

“It’s this nickname she insists we all call her. She doesn't respond when we call her by her name anymore.”

Isha signed something. Ekko could only watch in confusion as the girl signed to Vi. 

Vi shook her head, signing back as she responded aloud. “Don't say that.” 

Ekko bent his head closer to Vi to speak to her. “What did she say?” 

“You don't know sign language?” 

He shook his head apologetically. Vi let out a relieved breath despite. Ekko's eyebrows were drawn together in confusion. 

“Isha has selective mutism. She prefers to use sign language to communicate when people she doesn't know well are around. You will get used to it.” 

Not having responded to his question, Vi returned to her food. Ekko looked at the little girl. She glared at him before quickly turning her head away from him. 

“So Powder won a scholarship by the Kirammans,” Benzo said, after swallowing the meal. 

Vander’s eyes sparkled. 

“Oh, he loves to tell the story,” Vi whispered to Ekko. 

“Ah, yes! One summer she is working at this café and on her break she is tinkering those devices of hers.” 

“One of the many, many jobs Jinx had,” Vi whispered to him as Vander kept talking. 

“The next minute she creates a small explosion on the back of the shop and reporters appear, covering the story. Next thing she knows, the Kirammans are calling her.”

“Safe to say, she was fired from the café,” Vi chuckled. “And the explosion wasn't small at all. Thank God, no one got hurt.”

“And what about the explosion?” Benzo asked, swallowing his meal. “Did they sue Jinx?”

Vander frowned. “Silco Croft pulled every string so they couldn't. And then the Kirammans stepped in so they just let it go as a work accident. But I honestly have no clue how they allow him to be a lawyer when he is doing everything in his power to go against the law.”

“Come on dad,” Vi said between messy chews of chicken. “Silco is not that bad. He can be a bit terrifying at court, but that's it.” 

“You're saying this because you've lived with him for only a little time. Sometimes I regret sending Jinx to live with him.” 

“Oh?” Benzo wiggled his eyebrows. “None of the old sentiments you had for Silco played a role in entrusting her to him?” 

Vander's eyes widened before coughing awkwardly and muttered something under his breath. Under his facial hair that covered his cheeks, Ekko could distinguish the faintest hue of red. 

“They are exes,” Vi informed Ekko in a low whisper. “Vander and Silco. Too much drama going on between them. But he did help dad get out of jail. And he looked after Jinx and me so they are forced to talk even if they don't want to.” 

“Who is Silco?” Ekko whispered back, impressed. He had never met him but his dedication to help Vander despite being on bad terms appealed to him. 

“He adopted Jinx when Vander was in jail.” 

“And he is a lawyer?” 

Vi grimaced. “He is. But he has a certain…reputation. He is usually the one you call when you've definitely done what you're accused of.” 

Before Ekko could comment on that his attention was drawn back to the conversation his father and Vander had. 

“So does Powder work for the Kiramman Industries then?”

“She did for close to two years,” Vander answered. “They gave her a scholarship to conclude her studies and once she is done they will accept her again.” 

Vi coughed besides him. She seemed a little guilty as she drank some of her wine. Ekko sensed that maybe there was more to the Kiramman story than what the Wentworths were willing to discuss. 

“Jinx told me she saw you, Ekko.”

Ekko's head turned to Vander, surprised. The unexpected statement had the spark of hope that had previously lit up in his chest to get bigger. Ekko had to recollect himself before speaking. 

“Yeah, we saw each other. What did she say?” 

“She said she couldn’t recognize you. That you were almost like a stranger, or something similar.” 

Vander had no bad intentions when he said that, meaning it only as a compliment on how much Ekko had grown up and changed over the years. He would have stayed silent if he knew the damage he made to Ekko's heart.

Stranger. They had shared some of the most intimate moments two people could share together (two immature and inexperienced children that under no circumstances should be doing what they did) and now he was simply a stranger. It shouldn't hurt as much as it did. 

Noticing the drastic shift in his demeanor, Vi bent closer to whisper to him. 

“Don't mind her. She is still angry but she’ll get over it.”

Ekko looked at her, his expression somber. “Do you really believe that?” 

Vi presses her lips together. “It was really hard for all of us. For Jinx most of all. It…changed her. She is still angry at you. But I don't think she will blame you forever.” 

She casted one final smile his way before turning back to her food and letting Ekko alone with his thoughts. 

After the dinner was over Vi was on her way back to the apartment she shared with her girlfriend, while Vander and Benzo were still in the kitchen having a drink and talking about the ‘good old days’. Ekko had discreetly left them alone and returned to the living room. 

Ekko walked slowly across the giant fireplace, his eyes trailed over the numerous photo frames on the mantel of the fireplace. They were all quite recent, except for the pictures of Vi and Powder's parents with a young Vander and as Vi informed Ekko, a young Silco as well. 

He took one of the pictures in his hand. A solemn Powder gazed back at him outside of the Kiramman headquarters. Her hair wasn't as long as it was now but it was still too long. 

A noise coming from behind the couch made he turn his head. Carefully, he placed the photo frame back in its place and moved to investigate. 

On the floor behind the couch laid Isha, crayons, markers and papers all gathered in front of her. Ekko smiled. She reminded him of the grandchildren of the residents of the nursing home that would often visit on weekends. He liked kids and usually was good with them and Isha's cold attitude didn't affect him one bit. 

“Shouldn't you be sleeping?” 

Her head shot up at the sound of Ekko's voice, quickly hiding her drawing with her hands. 

“It's late. Your dad will get angry if he sees you are still up.” 

Isha simply glared at him, without moving a muscle. Sighing, he kneeled next to her, unbothered by it. 

“What are you drawing?” 

The girl didn't move her hands from the drawing, not letting him see. Ekko wasn't going to give up. 

“I'm pretty good at drawing. I can help you finish it. And maybe you can give it as a gift to your sister.” 

Isha seemed to consider the offer. She eyed Ekko for a moment before begrudgingly moving her hands away and showing him what she had been drawing. 

Ekko looked at the drawing as if he was regarding an art piece at a museum. 

“This is really good. You are sure you did this all by yourself?” 

Isha violently nodded. Ekko let out a laugh. 

“Okay, okay. I believe you. Now tell me, what are we drawing?”

Grabbing a colored pencil Isha wrote her answer on a blank paper with a sloppy handwriting that Ekko thankfully could read. 

Princesses. 

“Amazing,” he took a marker and began sketching the princesses. “It's my favorite thing to draw.” 

Isha gave him one last glare before resuming her drawing. She and Ekko both reached for the light blue marker at the same time, grabbing it before he could. 

“Sorry,” he said apologetically and picked a pink color for the hair of the princess. It wasn't the color he initially wanted but it was better than nothing.

They continued to draw in silence. Occasionally, Ekko would help out Isha whenever she needed him. After the brief silence, Ekko said as casually as he could. 

“Don't you think you should go to sleep now? You have school tomorrow and I heard your dad say you should wake up early.” 

Isha let out an annoyed breath, setting down her marker and grabbing the pencil to write down her answer. 

I'm waiting for Jinx to come home. 

Just seeing her name written down in elementary school handwriting had Ekko's heartbeat speeding up. 

“You really love your sister, huh?” He pointed out. In the last minutes they spent drawing, Isha had drawn six blue haired princesses with long braids. It was evident where she got her inspiration from. 

Isha nodded, smiling. She bent down on the paper and wrote another sentence for Ekko to read. 

You're okay. 

“I am?” Ekko asked, amused. “Thank you.” 

Isha wrote something more and shoved the paper in Ekko’s direction.

Jinx said you weren't but you are. 

Ekko gazed at the words on the paper for longer than it took him to read them. He set the paper down on the floor and gathered Isha’s markers. 

“Okay. Now you have to sleep. You'll see your sister tomorrow, okay? And if you wake up on time for school we can draw again sometime.” 

Isha went to argue but a yawn stopped her. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and accepted the markers and pencils Ekko gathered for her. Before she left the living room, she turned one last time to wave at Ekko. He waved back at her, pleased with the progress he made with the kid. 

Feeling useless in the now empty living room, he decided to retire for the night. He ascended the stairs and made his way to the bedroom that was assigned to him. It was at the very end of the long hallway, away from Vander and Benzo's rooms that were on the floor below. The house was so big Ekko was certain he would get lost in it one day. 

Ekko entered his room, boxes full of his things everywhere around. He didn't admire his new room, just changed his clothes and made his way to the bed, immediately drifting off to sleep. He awoke a few times during the night, noises coming from the wall in which the side of the bed was against but he quickly slept again. 

The final time he woke up was thanks to his alarm. It took him a few minutes to realize exactly where he was. He got up and readied himself, mastering the courage to get down. 

The happy voices that came from the kitchen were heard from the stairs as he descended them. Powder was there too, there was no doubt. Ekko could hear her voice louder than the rest, as if it was a siren's song that blocked every other sound. 

This was the hardest part. To face her in front of their families, where others could see their reactions. Mastering what little was left of his courage he stepped into the kitchen. 

“Good morning!” 

The merry voices stopped when Ekko appeared. His father and Vander greeted him with warm smiles on their faces. Powder didn't even turn to look his way as he took a seat at the full of food table.

“Did you sleep well?” 

“Yes, thank you.”

“I hope you liked the room. It is the smallest in the house but at least it has its own bathroom.” 

Ekko was too distracted to pay attention to Vander. He stole a glance at Powder. She wore a baby blue sweater with clouds on it and a long checked skirt. Her long hair was held up in a messy bun and the silver earrings on her ears (at least six in her left ear, Ekko noticed) shone in the daylight that entered through the windows. 

It was the first time he saw her in the morning and the sun bathed her in a soft glow. She was absolutely perfect and Ekko's heart ached from the proximity. 

“Well,” Powder drank the last drops of her black coffee as she got up from her seat. “I gotta drive the kid to school. Nice seeing you Benzo.” 

Isha happily mirrored her older sister's actions, grabbing her school bag and jacket. Jinx ruffled her brown hair as she grabbed her own messenger bag. 

“Wait, Jinx!” 

Jinx turned around, regarding her father with a bored expression. 

“What?” 

“Why don't you take Ekko too? He needs to learn the neighborhood and after you drop off Isha you can go to campus together. How's that sound?” 

There was no hesitation in her response. “No.”

Her rejection felt like a punch to the gut.

“No? Jinx what do you mean no?” 

She still wouldn't even spare him a glance as she opened the kitchen door and indicated for Isha to go ahead, ignoring her father. Ekko felt the need to step in. 

“I actually wanted to try to navigate through the neighborhood on my own,” he attempted to cover for her. “To see where the bus stations are and how close the university is.” 

“See?” Jinx said, shrugging. “He wants to do it alone.” 

Vander sighed, closing his eyes in resignation. “Jinx.” 

The kitchen door slammed shut, Powder and Isha disappearing behind it. Vander exhaled through his nostrils, annoyed while Ekko let out a deep breath. The worst was over.

“I can not understand her, Benzo. I really can't.” 

Ekko was left to stare at the closed door while Benzo and Vander spoke in hushed tones. There was a small part of him that had hoped that maybe, just maybe he wasn't alone in all this, that he wasn't the only one crying when thinking of her. But if her behavior towards him was an indication of anything it was that she had killed any feelings she once had for him. 

They were even worse than strangers because he had to pretend there weren't any feelings on his part and she had to ignore them. Ekko desperately needed to explain everything to Powder and try to talk things out. He just wasn't sure how he would do that when she was blatantly ignoring him. 

Chapter Text

And we’ll never be friends like this

God couldn’t forgive like this

Been Like This-Doja Cat

Vander's jeep darted down the street. Behind the wheel, Jinx stepped on the petal, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. As if seeing him sitting on the breakfast table wasn't enough to make her see red, they had to get stuck in traffic for the past ten minutes, making Isha late for school. 

Was it possible to be this angry so early in the morning? 

The light in front of them suddenly turned red, making Jinx stop her wild race. 

“Shit!” She swore loudly, her back hitting the driver's seat. Next to her Isha tugged on her sleeve, getting her attention. 

Dad will get mad if he knew you said bad words, she signed, still feeling a little hesitant to speak aloud so little after being introduced to the strangers that would from now on live with them. 

“You've signed and said worse,” Jinx muttered.

After a brief moment, she groaned, annoyed with herself this time for swearing in front of Isha. 

“Listen, I’m sorry kid. Just cover your ears when I say bad words, okay?” 

Isha tilted her head. Are you mad?

“Yes. But not with you. Never with you, you know that right?” 

Isha's chipped front tooth came into view as she offered Jinx a wide grin. Even Jinx in her foul mood couldn’t resist her. She muffled the mop of light brown hair on her sister’s head, lovingly. 

The light finally turned green and the car rolled down the street resuming the same speed. Jinx was by no account a good driver but she was not always so careless when driving, especially when Isha was in the car with her. It was just that she couldn't shake off that feeling and driving seemed to take her mind off it. 

When Ekko walked into the kitchen earlier that morning, she didn't even look his way. She was very aware of him being in her line of vision and she hated that he was in her safe place, in her own house. Most of all she hated that agitation she felt knowing that he was so close to her. 

“So how did last night go?” She asked, feigning indifference. “Those people didn't bother you, did they? Because if they ever do, you come straight to me like we talked about, okay?” 

Isha shrugged as an answer. She would often use non-verbal gestures to communicate when she felt unsure of herself or pressured by others, especially strangers. Jinx understood and just like the rest of their family, applauded every sign of communication Isha showed. 

They were kind of nice, she signed after a pause. The old grandpa was nice. He made a swan out of a paper towel for me.

“Benzo’s good, I suppose.” 

Jinx looked at Isha through the rearview mirror, anxiously. 

“And what about the other one?” 

You mean Ekko? 

Jinx fought the urge to cringe. “Yeah. Him.”

He's okay, came Isha's simple response. 

That annoyed Jinx in ways she couldn't explain. She had instructed Isha to keep her distance from Ekko but what if he had tried to take her little sister on his side? That bastard. 

“Did you talk to him? Did he try to talk to you or did he mention me? What did he say?” 

“Stop.” 

Isha's gentle voice made Jinx step on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden halt. Jinx hadn't realized when they reached the gate of the elementary school. Thankfully, there were still kids entering the school grounds, so Isha wasn't as terribly late as she initially thought.  

Jinx let out a relieved breath. “Okay. Give me a hug.” 

Isha hugged her sister, leaving a goodbye kiss on her cheek. Before she opened the car door, she fished a piece of paper out of her backpack. 

He only helped me finish this. 

Jinx took in hand the drawing, inspecting the familiar uneven figures drawn by Isha and a handful of figures drawn by a steady, clearly experienced hand. 

She looked at her sister. “He didn't talk to you, did he?” 

Isha shook her head negatively. Relieved, Jinx smiled at her as Isha opened the door and stepped out of the car. 

Don't worry. If you don't like him, I don't like him either, she said before running to the school gate, joining the other kids. 

Jinx’s eyes followed her until she entered the building and got lost from her sight. She gazed once more at the drawing, anger rising within her the more she looked at it. With one motion she yanked open the glove compartment and hid it there before turning the key and waking up the engine. 

Seven minutes and thirty three seconds later Jinx parked the car outside of one of the business centers in Piltover. She kicked the door closed and ran to the entrance. 

She was late. Perfect. 

“Sorry,” she muttered, not really meaning it as she pushed the people out of her way while entering the building. 

Jinx squeezed herself in the elevator with the rest of the business men that were headed to their offices, dressed in their office attire of dull blacks and beiges. They were all so colorless and lifeless that Jinx was beyond happy when she reached the floor of her therapist’s office. 

With fast steps she reached the glass door and pulled it open and passed the reception.  

“You're late,” the receptionist said without raising her head from the papers in front of her. 

Jinx gave her a fake smile even if she wasn't looking and entered the office without knocking. 

“Jinx.” 

Dr. Sky Young took her glasses off, welcoming Jinx with a smile. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that Jinx hadn't knocked, having been accustomed to her behavior by now. Instead she showed her the couch, indicating Jinx to have a seat. 

“Sorry I'm late,” she said, sitting heavily on the plush cushions of the couch. “I had to drive my sister to school.”

“As always.”

Sky got up from her chair and moved to the armchair that faced the couch, getting more comfortable. Sky's office was not as faceless as other psychiatrists offices that Jinx had been in. It didn't feel straight out of a home decoration magazine but instead had Sky's signature all over it. The paintings of landscapes on the walls drawn by Sky and the flower bouquet that was always on the small coffee table, each time a different flower arrangement. 

Jinx liked that. It gave Sky a sense of identity. 

“You can always book your appointment in another hour that is more convenient to you,” she proposed. “But that would ruin your excuse for always being late, wouldn't it?” 

Jinx's smirk only widened. She wasn't really hiding the fact that she was deliberately being late to her appointments. 

“Nothing personal,” she said, crossing her legs. “I just don't really like doctors.” 

In reality, Jinx hated doctors, psychiatrists most of all. She had visited enough to know that they were all pretentious assholes that profited over the pain of others and in her case at least, didn't help with her trauma. Her fathers were the ones that pushed her to ‘take care of her mental health’ and if it wasn't for Silco paying for her therapy, Jinx wouldn't even be there. 

Sky put her half-moon like glasses back on, stealing a glance at the notebook in her hand. 

“Your last appointment was a week ago. Have you been taking your medication as instructed?” 

Jinx rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“And how have you been?” 

“Same as always. Perfect. My sisters are well, my fathers are well. Everything is going perfect.”

“Nothing worth mentioning happened this past week?” 

Jinx bit back the sarcastic response she had intended to give. Ekko sitting on her breakfast table was definitely worth mentioning. She just didn't want to talk about it to anyone, let alone this psychiatrist, a total stranger that would never understand. 

“I guess.” 

“Tell me.” 

Jinx let out an annoyed breath. “Do you remember Ekko Elliot? He is the dude that kind of ruined my life.”

“Ekko?” Sky's brows raised. “The boy that got caught with you that night?” 

“He wasn't caught, okay?” Jinx spat out angrily. “He was the one that brought the fuckers that called the cops. It's his fault.”

“I see,” Sky said softly, her brown eyes looking at Jinx with interest. “And what about him? Those events happened long ago. Why bring him up after all this time?” 

Jinx threw her head back, looking up at the ceiling. “Apparently he's staying with us.” 

The silence on Sky's part was pushing Jinx to continue talking. Jinx closed her eyes, unwillingly cooperating. 

“My dad and his caretaker were friends ages ago. And they don't have a place to stay so they came to live with us until they find a house. It's all fucked.” 

“And how does that make you feel?” 

“Angry,” she said as if it wasn't already obvious. This is exactly why she hated talking about her emotions and thoughts to therapists. 

“Why is that?” 

Jinx's eyes shot open, looking at Sky accusingly. 

“Because nobody asked me how I felt before inviting him. And I'm still mad at Vi for forgiving him and attending that dinner as if everything is fine and they are already on their way to being besties.”

“Have you talked to your father and sister about how you feel?” 

She clicked her tongue. “I tried.” 

“Tried?” Sky scribbled something in her notebook. “Did you explain to them that having Ekko live with you makes you angry?”

“It's not that easy.”

“It can be.”

“No it can't,” Jinx bit back angrily. 

Sensing her anger, Sky let the subject be, not angering her further. 

“Your sister has found the strength to forgive him despite being the most affected by what he did.” 

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest, not bothering with an answer. 

“Don't you think maybe you should make an effort to forgive him as well?” 

Jinx’s eyes almost popped out of her skull. “Are you serious?” 

“Do you have a better plan? You will stay in the same house as him. And given that your father and sister have moved on, maybe it is time you do too.” 

“I will continue to ignore him,” Jinx said, shaken up with the preposterous idea of forgiving Ekko. “He doesn't even exist to me.”

Sky looked at Jinx with a sympathetic expression. Jinx despised being pitied. Silco had taught her pity was for the weak and she definitely wasn't weak. 

“Showing emotion is not a weakness,” Sky said with a gentle tone. “You've been hurt by him. Your selective amnesia was greatly influenced by him. It is more than okay to not yet be able to forgive him.”

The mention of her amnesia made Jinx's nostrils flare in anger. After the incident, the trauma of being torn away from her father and sister was so immense that Jinx could not handle it. The inevitable depression that followed the incident made her brain completely block out the first five months after the incident. No matter how hard she tried to recall, the only faint memories Jinx had were of visiting Vi and Vander in jail and Silco trying to get to know the girl that had so suddenly become his daughter. 

No. Jinx wasn't as forgiving as Vi or as kind-hearted as Vander. She could not forgive him. 

“I won't let him ruin my life again,” she promised to herself. She quickly wiped a tear that fell from her eye with the edge of her baby blue sweater before Sky could see. Crying in front of others was so humiliating. Silco would be so disappointed in her.

“You're scared of being vulnerable because you think you will become depressed again. But maybe what you need is to let go of the past. Second chances are hard to give but–”

“When I had depression, I overcame it all by myself. I did that. Nobody else. Not with anyone's help but mine and my father's. I am not going to let him bring me down again.” 

Sky looked at her with that same pitiful expression. It was a mistake to come here. A mistake to think that maybe someone else could understand. 

Without another word, Jinx shot up from her seat. “I have to go.” 

“Jinx, please wait,” Sky tried to reason but Jinx had already walked out of the room. There was nothing to talk about. 

The moment Jinx reached the parking lot she let out the angry yell she kept. Passersbys watched her with alarm as she let her tears run down her cheeks freely. She was so angry. Angry with herself, angry with Sky and Vander and Vi and most importantly Ekko. And there was nothing she could do. 

Sure, she could kick him and Benzo out of the house. The house was in her name after all, a gift from her benefactor but Vander would never forgive her if she did.

She felt helpless, just like when she was little and used to curl up on her father’s lap, seeking some relief from the pain. Only her father could understand her pain.

Jinx pulled her phone out of her bag, scrolling her contacts list. She pressed on the number and counted the agonizing seconds until Silco picked up.

“Sweetheart,” her father’s voice felt like a warm hug. She imagined him closing the door of his office so he could talk to her in privacy away from the noisy ears of his associates. 

“Dad,” she sobbed, finally letting her emotions spill out without holding anything back. 

“What is wrong, angel?” 

“Dad something terrible happened.” 

Jinx could hear the gears turn in her father's brain from the other end of the line. 

“Give me names,” Silco demanded softly, already plotting whoever had hurt Jinx's demise. 

“No dad, it’s not like that.” 

Jinx took a deep breath, trying to even out her hectic from crying breathing. 

“It's Ekko Elliot. He's…he's staying at our house for some reason, Vander let him and Benzo stay, I don't know. And he goes to PIT too, dad. I can’t escape him.”

Silco remained silent, weighing Jinx's words. Always calculating every possible outcome in his head, as if it was a case he had been assigned with. 

“I will speak to Vander,” he finally said. “I will talk to him and he will be out of the house in no time.” 

“No, dad you can't! Vander doesn't know anything and I can’t tell him now. I just can’t!” 

Her father's silence travelled through the speaker. Silco was the only person that knew the whole truth of what happened that night. Jinx was too embarrassed to tell Vi of all the things that Ekko told Marcus and Isha knew nearly nothing of it. 

“How can I be of help my angel?” 

“You can't, I just…” Jinx trailed off unsure what to even say. Her crying had stopped but she was still too confused with everything. 

“I'll just continue to ignore him. I'll act as if he doesn't exist.” 

“Ignore him?” Silco laughed, a joyless, hollow sound that was unpleasant to hear. “Ignoring him will never solve anything.” 

“I can't do anything else,” Jinx tried to justify herself, weakly. 

“You can. You can do anything. I raised you better than this, my angel.” 

Jinx furrowed her brows in determination. “You did.” 

“When someone hurts you, you hurt them back. You don't back down or surrender. You keep your head up and bring them down.”

Jinx leaned against the hood of the jeep, contemplating her father's words. Revenge was a route she never thought of resulting in. 

“Show him how bad he has hurt you. Hurt him even more. And when I win this narcotics case and come back home, I'll handle him myself.”

“No!” 

Jinx cleared her throat, embarrassed with how fast she had answered. She knew Silco well and she knew the connections he had made as a lawyer with the mafia even better. Handling Ekko meant throwing him off a bridge with no witnesses around. 

“Leave this to me, dad. I need to do this on my own.”

“Of course, beauty,” the hint of pride in Silco's tone made Jinx smile. “You know what to do better.”

“And thanks a lot.” 

“If you need anything just remember I am only a phone call away, beauty. And if you need anyone to talk to that knucklehead father of yours–”

“I know. I'll call you.” 

Satisfied, Silco hummed under his breath. There were murmurs coming from the distance of her father's speaker. Silco was a very busy man but he never hung up on her first. 

“Okay, dad, I have to go now.” 

“Don't forget to call me! And that I love you!” 

“Yeah, yeah I know. Love you too.” 

Jinx hung up. She was all alone in the parking lot, silence everywhere around her. She looked at the digits on her lock screen. It was still too early to do anything fun. 

Her father’s voice still lingered in the back of her mind as she got in the car. The breakes shrieked and the car rushed into the road, chasing a completely different route than that of the house. Jinx was hardly aware of anything until she finally parked in the students’ parking lot of Piltover’s Institute of Technology. 

She stayed in the driver's seat, contemplating going out of the car or driving away from there. Before she had enough time to change her mind, Jinx opened the door and stepped out of the car. 

Anxiously she looked around her to the rest of the students that made their way to the entrance. Jinx wasn't a fan of crowds. Too many people were sure to give her a headache. She quickened her pace, pushing aside those in her way. A girl with a pixie cut was giving out fliers, blocking Jinx's way. The girl pushed an orange flier into Jinx's chest, smiling at her a little too much than what Jinx considered normal. 

Jinx looked once at the flier before crumbling it in her hand and throwing it behind her back.

“Hey!” The girl called out to Jinx but she was already making her way to the lecture hall. 

Jinx felt a little disoriented in the grand halls of the institute. She only ever came there to take the exams and meet sith Jayce per Cassandra Kiramann’s advice. Finally, she located the hall and sneaked in. 

Ths lecture had already begun but nobody had noticed her, besides the people sitting in one of the back rows next to her. Jinx’s eyes searched the cramped hall for Ekko. Her heart jumped in her chest when she finally found him. He was sitting in the front rows, diligently taking notes, completely unaware of her existence. Even from a distance Jinx could distinguish the thoughtful frown on his face that only added more appeal to his shockingly handsome features. 

Her father was right. Ignoring him was not an option, not when her traitorous heart betrayed her. For the longest time Jinx thought his power with her was gone but she was wrong. She still seeked him out and that angered her more than anything.

Not baring to look at him any longer, Jinx got up, disappearing from the lecture hall as quietly as she entered. 

She would hurt him as much as he had hurt her. And she wouldn't stop until she managed to make him hate her.

ⴵ

She was ignoring him. 

Four days had passed since the welcoming dinner and Ekko hadn't caught sight of her around the house. This was no coincidence. Ekko knew she was deliberately ignoring him. 

Ekko took his glasses off, rubbing his tired from staring at the screen of his laptop eyes. It was already one in the morning, time having caught up to him while he studied the material of the day's lecture. His head felt heavy from all the information, begging for a break. 

Closing his laptop he put his glasses back on and opened his door at the exact moment the door of the bedroom next to his opened as well. 

Time seemed to freeze as he came face to face with Powder. She was caught off guard, her usual unbothered expression having been replaced by a surprised look. It was almost comical that he had been searching for her when she was only a door away from him. 

“Hi,” he said, stupidly. Ekko wished he didn't look as tired as he felt and that the shirt and sweatpants he wore to bed weren't plain to her. But judging by her outfit, they were. 

She was clearly dressed for a night out. The sparkly silver top she wore matched the stars sewn of her black miniskirt, creating a color contrast of dark and vibrant. Her makeup was just as eye-catching, silver eyeshadow and black stars drawn with eyeliner on the corners of her eyes that drew attention to her big blue eyes. In one word she looked magical. 

“Are you going out?” 

Powder turned her head, ignoring his question. Ekko wouldn't let the only opportunity he had to talk to her alone slip through his fingers. 

“Wait, Powder,” he whispered-yelled at her, noting the late hour and the other residents of the home that were probably sleeping. 

Powder turned to face him so suddenly, one of her thick braids slapped his body as she turned. 

“If you insist on trying to talk to me, at least use my name.” 

Ekko closed his mouth, nodding in understanding. “Right. Jinx. Sorry.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes. As she stood in front of him, Ekko had the time to let his eyes trail down her body. The clothes she wore left little to his imagination. Her stomach and thighs were bare to him and although he welcomed the sight he couldn't help but notice how slim, almost underweight she was. 

“Are you eating enough?” He said, letting his concern spill. 

Jinx huffed out, annoyed. “Is that what you came here to say? If I'm eating enough?” 

He shook his head, hating how indiscreet he had sounded. 

“I'm sorry, I don't even know why I said that. That's not what I wanted to say at all.” 

“And what did you want to say to me?” 

Ekko looked at her, almost speechless. He felt ashamed of being so nervous in front of Jinx, the girl he grew up with. Ekko took a deep breath, arranging his emotions. It was time for him to owe up to his mistakes. 

“I just want to say I'm sorry.” 

“Sorry?” She huffed. “For what?” 

He batted his eyelashes in confusion, not realizing that she was mocking him.

“For everything I did. Powder I really am so–”

“That's not my name,” Jinx corrected him with a harsh tone. “And you can save your apologies. I don't want to hear them.”

Her words cut deep, leaving a bleeding scar in Ekko’s heart. He furrowed his brow, truly hurt by her cold rejection. Noticing his expression, Jinx let out a mocking chuckle. 

“I mean, honestly what did you expect? That you would offer a sorry apology and things would just go back to how they were? We would be friends again and live happily ever after in the same house?” 

“Of course not!” Ekko tried to defend himself. “I just want to explain what really happened to you. I don't need you to forgive me, shit, I don't even think I deserve to be forgiven. I just want you to understand my part.”

Jinx took a step closer to him. They were almost chest to chest, barely any space left between them. Ekko's mouth suddenly turned dry. She bought their faces close to each other, letting her gaze travel over his features as if she was examining him. When her eyes focused on his, he nearly lost his breath. 

“Not even God could forgive what you did,” she whispered, her breath hot on his face. 

She pulled away but before she could leave, Ekko grabbed her arm, willing her to stay. His grip on her wasn't forceful but Jinx was so stunned by his notion she remained still. 

“I will do anything I can to make you forgive me.” 

His voice was sweeter than honey, sweeter than anything Jinx had ever tasted. Ekko’s hand was still around her arm, steadily grounding her. His mild brown eyes bore into her with an intensity that made Jinx dizzy. How could she have missed the darkness of his eyes that seemed to engulf her?

Finding the strength to set herself free, Jinx pulled away from Ekko. He let her go, not wanting to bother her any longer as he watched her descend the stairs. 

Ekko snickered a low laugh. She was as stubborn as he remembered. But he was even more than her and would persist no matter the rejection he may face. 

He wouldn't lose her again.

Chapter Text

I'm fucking I ain't making love no more

Low-SZA

Ekko woke up disoriented and tired. He groaned as he shifted in the bed that wasn't even his, in that room that was temporarily allowed for him to stay. The four hours of sleep he had, only managed to make him even more drained than he previously was. 

Stumbling, he got out of bed and moved to the small bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. Ekko took his bonnet off and began his morning routine. He put on his contacts, showered, shaved and dressed himself almost robotically. His mind was nowhere near the everyday tasks he performed. 

The meeting he had with Powder– no, he corrected himself, Jinx– was etched in his mind. He had hoped that now that they were living together (right next to each other for God’s sake) the tension between them would dissolve. Obviously, he was wrong. 

He grabbed his dark green jacket and backpack. The university was too far away for him to skate there and the bus would pass in less than ten minutes. He skipped down the stairs, braising himself for the inevitable meeting. 

“Good morning,” he muttered as he entered the kitchen, his head hung low. He quickly made his way to the kitchen cabinets, wanting to eat something as fast as possible and then disappear. 

“Morning,” he heard his father's voice. Still he kept his gaze low, not daring to look at anyone. 

“Good morning Ekko.” 

Ekko paused. Slowly, he turned around, peeking at Jinx behind the open cabinet. She was smiling, smiling, at him after wishing him a good morning. Ekko could only stare at her, dumbfounded. 

“I said good morning,” she repeated, her tone without spite. 

He blinked the shock away. “Yeah, uh, good morning.” 

Satisfied, Jinx smiled to herself before turning back to her plate. Ekko looked at her, his brain failing to find an answer to all this. Grabbing a mug, he moved to the table, more confused than ever. His father, Jinx and Isha were eating quietly, completely ignorant of the war that was taking place in Ekko's mind.

Ekko didn't know which fact was harder to grasp. The fact she had talked to him as if nothing had happened or that she had said his name for the first time in nearly eight years.

“Oh!” Jinx said, clasping her hands together and making Ekko jump in his seat. 

“Benzo, you have to tell Ekko of the amazing idea my dad had!” She said, smiling, her pearly whites on full display. 

Benzo chuckled. “It is just a thought, little miss. Nothing final yet.”

“What thought?” He asked in confusion. 

“Well, you know dad told me that Benzo lost the shop,” Jinx said, taking a bite of the bread smeared with strawberry jam. “And I said, why don't we help him reopen it, just like we did with The Last Drop? Give him a little loan to help.” 

Ekko looked at Benzo. “A loan?” 

“It's just a thought,” Benzo said again. 

He drew a deep breath. “We can't afford to take a loan from the bank. They wouldn't bother giving us one.” 

“Oh no,” Jinx cut in. “You can borrow from me.” 

The statement made Ekko's frown deepen. Her generosity was entirely too much. They were already in her debt and Ekko wouldn't be able to live with himself if he borrowed money from her. 

“I'm pretty well off you could say,” she went on, her tone unbothered. “The deal the Kirammans made for my explosive devices made us sort of rich.”

Ekko looked at Jinx, repelled. “Explosives.” 

“Yeah.”

“Weapons?” 

Jinx's gaze hardened. “Yeah.” 

The Kirammans had a wide variety of fields they associated themselves with. Their industries were mainly funding and manufacturing new technologies leant to assist, not kill. Ekko had no idea they even manufactured weapons. 

“I have to go to class,” Ekko said, getting up, having barely touched anything other than coffee. “We'll talk about this tomorrow okay, dad?” 

“Wait.”

Jinx spoke to him again, casually, like there was nothing between them. It was as if Ekko had walked straight into the twilight zone. Why was she acting like nothing had happened?

“I'll drive you,” she got up, gathering hers and Isha's plates. “I need to get to class too.” 

Ekko watched in disbelief as Jinx and Isha gathered their things. He may have found a reason why she would be talking to him out of the blue but offering a ride? That was just unimaginable. 

Jinx opened the door. “Are you coming?” 

He looked between her and Benzo, utterly confused. 

“Yeah, I am,” he finally said, leaving the kitchen. 

“You kids have fun!” Benzo said before Jinx shut the door.

Reluctantly, Ekko followed the two sisters to the garage. He felt out of place, as if any moment now he would wake up from a bizarre dream. But this was no dream. Ekko climbed on the passenger's seat, sitting next to Jinx. 

“Okay,” Jinx pushed the key in, waking up the engine. “We gotta leave the kid to school first so we will take a detour.”

“Uh, sure.”

The words left his mouth without Ekko even realizing it. He wondered if this is what an out of body experience felt like. 

“Hang on,” were Jinx's final words before the car rushed out of the garage and into the street. 

Ekko grabbed onto the door handle as the car sped up. He seemed to be the only one affected by how fast they were going. 

In the back seat, Isha signed something to her sister. 

“Hm?” Jinx asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror. She then proceeded to sign something back that made Isha laugh. Ekko simply sat there, not understanding. 

Jinx signed something more, pointing at Ekko as she did so. He had a sneaky feeling they were talking about him. 

“Here we are,” Jinx chippered, parking the car in front of a public elementary school. Ekko could finally catch his breath, sending a silent prayer to the heavens that no cop stopped them. 

“Have a great day at school,” Jinx turned around to hug Isha.

“Bye Ish–” Ekko offered but the girl shut the door loudly before he could finish. 

She waved at Jinx from afar before running to the school gate, leaving Ekko and Jinx alone. Ekko could hardly believe he really was alone in her car. Maybe that morning he had woken up on the wrong side of the universe. 

Jinx turned the car around and drove in silence. He peaked anxious glances at her through the mirror. He felt like it was his turn to speak since she had been doing most of the talking that day. 

“Thanks for giving me a ride,” he finally settled on what to say. 

Jinx kept her eyes straight ahead, staying silent. After a minute Ekko made peace with the fact she wasn't going to answer him. She drove in total silence, returning back to blatantly ignoring him as usual. 

She must have settled on talking to him in front of others to keep appearances. Her cold politeness hurt more than everything. 

“Since when are you wearing glasses?” 

The question took longer than normal to settle in on Ekko's brain. He wasn't wearing his glasses now, only wearing them when his eyes got tired or when he was at home. But he was wearing them last night when they talked outside their rooms. 

The fact that she had noticed it, that she remembered it made Ekko hold his breath. 

“Since senior year of high school,” he confessed. 

Jinx didn't say anything else and he didn't touch on the subject again. The unbearable silence was starting to get to him and when they finally reached the university, he sighed in relief. 

“Thanks,” Ekko said to her, not expecting an answer. He got out of the car and began making his way to the lecture hall. 

He had nearly taken five steps away from the car when someone’s presence behind him made him turn around. Jinx was walking directly behind him. She looked at him with a questioning expression.

“Go on. Walk.” 

Ekko's eyes widened but he turned around, following Jinx's order. She was walking directly behind him, making more than a few heads turn their way. Ekko knew that Jinx had a certain type of reputation around campus and seeing her actually on her way to class must be a big deal.

Was she following him because she did not know where the lecture hall was and was too afraid to ask? Ekko turned around and entered the hall where the Advanced Thermodynamics lecture would take place any moment now. Behind him Jinx mirrored his actions. 

He pushed his way through the students to get to the usual seats he, Mylo and Claggor occupied. He wished he had lost Jinx in the crowd as he sat next to Mylo. 

“Morning.” 

Ekko could barely respond back, the recent events sending his mind on a whirlwind. 

“You good man?” 

“No,” he said, taking his head in his hands. 

“Hiya!” 

Ekko's head snapped back around. 

Jinx was beaming at him from the row behind them. The passive look she was giving him was replaced by an exaggerated joy that Ekko knew was entirely artificial. 

Claggor's jaw nearly touched the floor as Mylo elbowed Ekko repeatedly on the side. 

“You must be Ekko's friends,” she offered her hand to Claggor. “I'm Jinx.”

“So nice to meet you!” Mylo immediately took Jinx's hand in his before Claggor could shake it. “I'm Mylo Musgrove. This is Claggor Smith.”

“Nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you.” 

She in fact had heard nothing about them because the few times she had actually talked to Ekko were to threaten him. Ekko watched in alarm as Jinx exchanged small talk with his friends. The surprise on their faces didn't stop them from speaking to her as if they were already friends. 

“Oh!” Jinx exclaimed suddenly. “There is a small gathering at Delta house today. You should come.” 

“A frat party?” Claggor asked at the exact same time Mylo shrieked. 

“We would love to!”

Noticing the collision of their sayings, Ekko cut in. 

“We can't,” he said. 

“Why not?” Mylo asked, offended. 

“I have a night shift today and Claggor–” 

“Ekko,” Mylo said between gritted teeth, trying to keep his voice down. “A frat party that we're actually invited to is more important than bingo night at a nursing home.”

Jinx smiled at him. Ekko looked at her gravely, saying nothing. 

“Well, those parties usually drag until dawn. You can come whenever your shift ends.”

“Exactly,” Mylo smiled at Jinx. “We will be there!” 

“Great!” Jinx whispered before professor Kino Medarda walked in to begin the lecture. 

Ekko turned around. He couldn't understand what she was trying to achieve by all this but he knew that it wasn't going to be any good. 

ⴵ

This was stupid. This was so fucking stupid. 

Ekko looked around him upon entering the fraternity's house. It was stupid to come here. He had reasoned that he only went there because there would hardly be anyone and he would be forced to go home. But the party was still going strong even at four in the morning. The music had lowered in volume but the liquor was still flowing. 

Two women passed by him, looking him up and down before moving past him. He had just gotten off work and he dreaded thinking of how bad he must look. 

He took off the loose fitting hoodie he had on, staying only in the black undershirt he wore underneath. The short sleeves were a little tight around his biceps but it was better than nothing. He left the hoodie on the coat hanger by the door and walked into the room. 

His eyes searched around for the bright blue of her hair but landed on Mylo and Claggor instead, sitting on a couch surrounded by people. 

“Ekko, my man!” 

Claggor got up from the couch, headlocking Ekko before he could react. 

“You finally came!” 

Ekko managed to free himself of Claggor's hold. One look at his friend’s flushed face and sleepy expression was enough for Ekko to know he was drunk. 

“Come, meet the guys!” Claggor said merrily, pointing to the people around. 

“This is Finn and Margot and that's Akali!”

They all nodded at Ekko, letting their keen eyes trail over him. 

“They're Jinx's friends!” Claggor clarified.

“You know Jinx right?” 

Margot, a woman with short blonde hair and green highlights, asked Ekko. Her dark makeup made it hard for Ekko to distinguish her features. 

“We knew each other when we were kids,” he said finally, not getting into too much detail about their rocky relationship. 

She nodded, not impressed by his answer and returned back to the conversation she had with the other two. 

“Yo,” Claggor made him look at the other side of the couch where a blushing Mylo was talking to none other than Gert.

“Miracles do happen right?”

Ekko chuckled, secretly proud of him. “How did he manage to do that?” 

Claggor shrugged, taking a sip of the beer in his hand. 

He looked around him. “Where's Jinx?” He asked, sounding as aloof as he could manage.

Claggor gestured with the hand that held the can of beer. “Right there.” 

Ekko turned around just In time to see Jinx walk in the room. She was wearing what she had worn last night, not ashamed to repeat such a well put together outfit. Her skirt hugged her wide hips and Ekko was so mesmerized by her, he nearly missed the man that clung to her side. 

He was tall, taller than Ekko and was laughing along with Jinx, perhaps sharing a private joke no one else knew. He had his arm around Jinx's waist, his fingers touching the bare skin that was uncovered by her clothes. 

Ekko felt his heart tighten in his chest. The way the stranger touched Jinx so easily, so freely as if she not only allowed it but welcomed it, made his blood boil despite how pathetic it was. 

Him and Jinx were nothing now. They were strangers as she had said. He had no right to be jealous over someone else being close to her. They had been apart for seven fucking years. Of course she had moved on even if he had stayed in the past where she was his. 

“Having fun, Clag?” Jinx said, not sparing one look his way. 

Claggor nodded, gulping down more beer. The man on Jinx's side offered a hand towards Claggor. 

“Hey man. I'm Kayn.” 

Claggor shook his hand and then Kayn reached his tattooed arm towards Ekko for a handshake. Pushing his anger aside, Ekko shook his hand, using a little more force than needed. 

“Ekko,” he said. 

“Nice meeting you,” Kayn said, dropping his hand to pass it through his magenta colored hair. Ekko concluded that he despised the man. 

“I'll go get something to drink,” Kayn said to Jinx's ear, his lips almost grazing her earlobe. 

“You do that. I'll go find a place to smoke,” she said before turning to Claggor. 

“It's good to see you, Clag. Have fun!” 

Without not even as a passing look his way, Jinx turned to leave. Ekko's anger only flared at that. Not wasting a moment longer just standing there, he followed her. 

“Jinx,” he called out to her but she was either not able to hear him or was ignoring him again. He quickened his pace. 

“Jinx, wait!” 

He followed her up the stairs, carefully avoiding stepping on the laid bodies of those who were leaning against the steps. Still no response from her.

Ekko caught up to her, grabbing her arms from behind and pushing her in a small closet on the side of the hallway. 

As soon as the shock of being dragged without her approval kicked in, Jinx pushed Ekko away from her with so much force she nearly made him trip over. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” She asked, glaring at him with disgust. 

“Will you listen to me?”

Ekko sounded so desperate that it made Jinx pause. The closet they were in was small, the coats that were hanging right next to them taking up almost all the space, leaving none for them. 

Ekko sighed tiredly. “Listen, I know what you're trying to do okay?” 

“Oh really?” 

“Yes. Really.” 

Jinx scoffed, averting her gaze from him. The minimal light that entered through the blinds of the door wasn't enough to see anything else than shapes with no details but she was aware of their proximity.

“It's me you want, so just leave the other's out of this. My father and the guys have nothing to do with what happened between us so don’t try to meddle them in our business.”

“You're so egocentric,” she laughed. “You really think that's what I'm doing?” 

“What are you doing then? Coming up to Mylo and Claggor out of nowhere and inviting them here only to act like I'm not there, like you've been doing all week.”

“And yet you still came. Why?” 

He took in a sharp breath. He had come because she asked him to, of course. But he was sure that would only anger her more. 

She took a step closer to him, closing the gap between them. They were only a breath away. Ekko found it hard to swallow so close to her that Sven in the dark could see every detail that consisted of her face. 

“It seems to me like you are the one meddling in my business.” 

Ekko's stomach ached from the proximity. They were so close he could faintly smell the aroma of her body lotion. It was a fruity smell that Ekko couldn't quite distinguish. He wished he could bury his head in her chest and smell her skin until he figured it out. 

“I truly meant it when I said I will do everything for you to forgive me,” he said, voice strained as if words were difficult to come out. 

For a moment Jinx doubted herself. She doubted her father's advice that he had given her with so much love. But that was only for a passing moment. The anger and hate circled back into her heart, reminding her of everything he was guilty of. 

“I know it is all my fault but if you just let me explain what happened, what really happened that would be all I ask of you.” 

Ekko's heart fluttered in his chest as he stepped even closer to her. Her back was pressed against the wall of the closet as her eyes trailed from his face to his neck and shoulders and then to his arms. Ekko had no mind to pay attention to the way Jinx's eyes were glued on his biceps. 

“I–I missed you,” he blurted out, not able to hold his emotions back . “I missed you so much.” 

Even now, she didn't respond. Was she ignoring him once again? Ekko took a breath, willing himself to try one last time. 

“I just want you to forgive me,” he pleaded. 

In the darkness, Jinx raised her eyes to look straight at him. 

“Suck my clit.” 

The disappointment burned a hole through his heart. He could never make her listen to what he had to say. Sighing, he moved to step back from her but Jinx's hand on his forearm made him stop. 

“You're saying you're sorry,” Jinx's voice sounded hoarse in the small confinement of the closet. “Prove it to me then.” 

Ekko was at a loss for words. She couldn't mean what he thought she meant. 

His silence made her loosen her grip on him, moving away from him. 

“Unless you don't want to,” she said.

Before she could leave, Ekko placed his hand against the wall, blocking her way. He looked at her, pulse quickening. 

“You want me to…” He trailed off, too embarrassed to say it out loud. 

Jinx chuckled at his expense. “Are you afraid of saying it? Don't tell me you still call fucking making love?” 

Ekko opened his mouth and then closed it again. He finally gathered the courage to speak. 

“Your boyfriend won't mind?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “I'm sure he is already back from getting those drinks. Maybe he is searching for you.” 

“Careful Ekko,” she purred his name for the second time that day, making him bite his lower lip. “I would think you are jealous.” 

The accusation annoyed him more than it should because it was true. He was jealous of him and every other fucker that had the privilege of being close to her. 

Without another word, he got on his knees before Jinx. This wouldn't solve anything between them. Crossing that line would only make things more complicated between them. Plus, they were in a small closet that anyone could walk in on and catch them. 

But fuck, he wanted to. 

On his knees he came face to face with the black skirt that he had admired so much last night. His breathing was coming out in erratic gasps as he touched the hem of it, looking up at Jinx and silently asking for her confirmation. 

Jinx pushed her hips towards him, giving him the okay with an almost manic smile on her face. Anticipation hung over both of them. Swallowing hard, Ekko pushed her skirt up slowly, revealing her thighs and the black thong she was wearing underneath. 

All the air was knocked out of Ekko's lungs. His lips parted in shock at the sight, his gaze searching for hers again. 

“What?” She asked, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders. “Shy?”

Ekko didn't trust his voice enough to speak. He lowered his gaze, focusing on the pale skin of her thighs. The stretch marks that climbed up the side of her thighs had Ekko’s brain spin. 

How could someone be so beautiful, so entirely perfect? 

His hands trembled as he reached out to run his palms over her thighs, feeling the soft skin of them. His caress was featherlight making Jinx jolt under his touch. 

A shameful, electric heat ran through him, filling him with enough courage to lean in and leave the first sky kiss on the apex of her thigh. 

“Fuck,” Jinx muttered, her nails digging into his shoulders. That was all the confirmation he needed to leave another kiss that was followed by another and soon Ekko found himself kissing every inch of her. 

His tongue darted out of his mouth, licking a stripe along her inner thigh. She smelled of blueberries, the mysterious smell of her lotion that he couldn't recognize earlier. He smirked against her, licking his lips. 

His hands continued to stroke her thighs, every move closer and closer to her most sensitive part. The hollow breaths Jinx left made him bold enough to leave kisses along her clothed sex, his eyes focused only at Jinx. 

“Jesus,” Jinx moaned impatiently, grabbing Ekko by his hair and pushing him closer to her. 

“Stop teasing me and just get on with it.” 

Ekko licked his lips, uneasy. In reality, Ekko had no clue what he was doing. He had only been with one person besides Jinx, that hookup years ago that meant absolutely nothing. He had never gone down on a woman before. This was an entire new territory for him. 

Not wanting to disappoint her further, his fingers hooked under the elastic band of her thong, pulling it aside. Ekko's heart nearly stopped. The thong was already not covering enough but now as she was completely bare he could see everything. She was shaved and the glistening wetness between her thighs made Ekko’s mouth water. 

He had heard enough details of guys in high school and university and had seen his fair share of porn to know the logistics of it. He couldn't do it. Parting her thighs, he placed Jinx’s left leg over his shoulder so he could have more space between her thighs.

Jinx breathed hard as his hands cupped her ass, hungry to feel more of her. He breathed against her before finally letting a kiss on her opening. Jinx's fingers that were still in his hair, pulled on his dreads roughly.

He left more kisses on her before opening his mouth enough to let his tongue out. He tried to remember every tip he had unwillingly heard from classmates as he licked across her slit, hoping he was doing the right thing. Judging by Jinx's low moans he was. His nails dug into the meat of her thighs, pulling her closer to him. 

Her taste against his tongue was heavenly. He never expected it would feel like this. Ekko continued his movements, his body too on edge to notice that his mouth and tongue were begging to numb out. Jinx pulled at his dreads again, whispering to him to keep going. His dick strained against the fly of his jeans, overwhelmed by the sensuality of the situation he had found himself in. 

Several minutes passed by. He clumsily ran his tongue along her, not really giving enough attention to her clit despite his eager zeal. Jinx’s moans had ceased and Ekko’s jaw had begun to ache from being open for so long. 

Suddenly, Jinx passed the leg that was leaning against his shoulder over him, stepping away from Ekko. Ekko watched as she lowered the skirt that he pulled up to her waist, covering herself. 

“Jinx?” He asked, voice strained. He didn't bother cleaning the slick on his mouth and chin as he looked up at her from his place on the floor. 

“You are seriously pathetic,” her voice carried the definite edge of anger in it. “Seriously. Can't even finish me off.” 

She opened the door and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Ekko to handle his guilt and embarrassment on his own. 

Jinx licked her bruised lower lip. She was biting so hard into it, trying not to cum on Ekko’s tongue that she must have popped a couple of blood cells. At the last time, she had managed to pull away from him before he could bring her to orgasm, no matter how much her body begged for it. In order for her plan to work she had to have the upper hand at all times. 

She smiled to herself. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. But revenge is a dish better served cold. 

Chapter Text

I only call you when it’s half-past five

The only time I’d ever call you mine

The Hills-The Weeknd

Ekko handed the wet plate to his father, not sparing him a look while he picked another plate and began to scrub it with a sponge. Doing dishes and sulking at his father was as much fun as his afternoons usually went.

After the diner, Vander had left the house to prepare with Vi for one of her matches and Ekko and Benzo had offered to take care of the table and dishes. 

“You shouldn't have accepted,” Ekko said with barely disguised anger, breaking the silence between them. 

Benzo sighed, drying the plate with a towel and setting it aside. “Why are you so against the idea of reopening the shop?” 

“Because we are already in Vander's debt. You should have never accepted the loan in the first place. We can not pay them back.” 

Ekko let his anger show in his tone, not caring to hide it. He had hardly contained his emotions when Benzo and Vander announced at dinner earlier that they would reopen the shop. 

A spoon slipped from Ekko's fingers into the sink, sending drops of water all over his shirt. His anger made him clumsy and that only made him even angrier. 

“I just wish you would have asked me first before making such a big decision,” he said, rubbing the spoon hard with the sponge. 

“I already knew what you were going to say.” 

“Still,” he persisted, handing his father the spoon. “You used to always consult me first before making a decision. Now you just announce them to me, not even thinking about asking me first.”

He threw the sponge on the sink, finished with the dishes. He was annoyed with his father for accepting the borrowed money and with Jinx for planting that idea into her father's head. Ekko knew it was all somehow related to her. She was always trouble. 

Ekko's cheeks flared at the thought of her and more specifically the moments they shared at the closet. Being so close to Jinx, so close that hits mouth was between her fucking thighs had drove him nearly mad. The haze he felt when he held her was replaced by an empty loneliness when she just left him there, painfully hard and so embarrassed he wished he could simply disappear from the face of the earth. 

He had locked himself in his room all day and when he had to come face to face with her at the diner table, it was worse than anything. She was all kind smiles and polite remarks, ignoring what had happened between them. It made Ekko's shame and frustration spiral in his stomach. 

“When the shop opens again, we will have more than enough to pay Vander back. You will see.”

“Fifty thousand dollars? No matter how good business gets, where will we find that much money?”

Ekko rubbed his face with his palm. He was thinking hard, the gears in his head turning, trying to find a solution to the newfound problem that had appeared.

“Maybe if I find another job then–”

Benzo shook his head, stopping Ekko from completing his sentence.

“You will not do such a thing. In fact I think you should quit your job at the Firelight home as well.”

“Are you serious?” Ekko asked, looking at his father with his mouth agape. 

“Benzo, we need money that we don't have. Someone needs to provide them and–” 

“Precisely!” 

Benzo's voice echoed in the empty kitchen, making Ekko blink in surprise. He was not used to his father raising his voice at him but the old man looked bothered by something. 

“It is my job to provide for you! When I adopted you I promised that I would provide a safe home and a better future for you. And I can't even do that!” 

Ekko looked at his father with furrowed brows. Benzo pushed his glasses up, rubbing his eyes and trying not to let the tears flow from his eyes. Suddenly, Ekko noticed how tired his father looked and instantly became ashamed for not noticing it before. 

“You should have never concerned yourself with money. A son should never work to help out his father. It should be the other way around, always. This is all my failing.”

“Dad, I don't mind,” Ekko reassured him, gently. “I want to help. It's not something you have to face alone.”

“But you shouldn't,” Benzo shook his head. “You should be going out with your friends and having fun, not working. You are young! You should not spend all your time inside studying. You have been so little outside of the house.”

Ekko could not deny that. But he could also not agree with it. 

“But I don't want to do that. I really want to help,” he said truthfully. 

Benzo fixed his circular glasses on the bridge of his nose. 

“No. The shop will reopen and you will not have to worry about a thing. We will have the money to pay Vander in no time.”

“But–” 

“I know how hard it must be for you,” Benzo interrupted Ekko. His brown eyes looked soft with the glow of a sympathetic look.

“Staying here. I understand it must be unpleasant to see everyone after such a long time.”

Ekko looked down at the white tiles of the kitchen. Like the rest of the house they were brand new and sparkling with that characteristic glow of new things. It was almost a shame he was stepping on them. 

“I can understand there are still a lot of things unsaid between you and the Little Lady.” 

Ekko let out a deep breath. He could not bring himself to confirm or deny his father's claims. 

Benzo patted Ekko's shoulder. “I will make everything right my boy. I promise. You will never have to worry about such things again.” 

He remained silent, looking at Benzo. There were a lot more Ekko wanted to say on the matter. He had not grown up with money, nor had Benzo. Financial stability was something he was chasing his whole life. He did not mind working hard to achieve that goal but it must be hard for Benzo who also worked his entire life to realize that. 

“Now up you go,” his father gestured to the staircase. “I will take care of the rest of this mess.” 

“I can help,” Ekko offered but Benzo had already moved in his place in front of the sink. 

“Go rest. I am fine here.”

Ekko stood there uselessly for some minutes, waiting to see if Benzo changed his mind. When he made sure he hadn't, he turned around. His pace was fast when he walked by Jinx's door, wishing to avoid seeing her as much as possible. Only when his bedroom door closed behind him, could Ekko finally let out the breath he had been holding in. 

With his head heavy with thoughts, he walked to the desk and sat heavily on the office chair, making it creak under his weight. He leaned back against the chair, suddenly tired and angry at the circumstances he and Benzo had to live by. 

Without realizing it, his hand slipped into the first drawer of the desk. His palm closed around the cold metal of his father’s pocket watch. He pulled it out into the light that reflected the engraved details of vines across the silver surface. Ekko's thumb ran across the letters of his father's name, engraved forever in the first watch he ever made. Whenever Ekko felt overwhelmed, he would hold on to this heirloom, desperately clinging on to it for some comfort. 

Ekko could still remember his father talking enthusiastically about repairing an old grandfather clock on the breakfast table. His mother would laugh saying he should not bother Ekko with all his horology talk so early in the morning. Then she would kiss him and give him his lunch while his dad pinched his cheek and promised Ekko he would take him to the shop one day to see how fascinating gears and ratchet wheels really were. 

He loved Benzo. He really did. He was trying his best to be a father to Ekko and he was doing a great job at that. But even with Benzo in his life, Ekko could not deny how much he missed his parents. There were days he couldn't grasp the idea that he would really never see them again, that he would never sit half-awake at the breakfast table and listen to his father babble about watches while his mother made funny faces so Ekko could laugh. 

He would give anything to have that back. 

The loud sound of music coming from the room beside him made Ekko jump in his seat. He glared at the plasterboard wall where the loud bash of the metal song that was blasting in full volume pierced through. His and the room beside him were meant to be one sole room but the architect changed his mind at the last minute to divide it into two rooms with only the thinest of walls separating them.

Ekko closed his eyes, sighing. He wasn't known for his temper and that girl was doing anything in her power to test him.

Swinging his door open, he took the four steps that separated their rooms and began banging on her door. 

“Jinx!” He yelled through the deafening music. 

The door opened abruptly, making Ekko stumble forward. Jinx stood in front of him with a deadpan look on her face. Ekko swallowed hard. His irritation had made him forget about what happened between them but seeing her made all the memories come back to him at once. 

“Can I help you?” She asked unamused. 

Ekko blinked at her, trying to regain his composure and shove the images of her expression while he went down on her into the back of his mind. 

He cleared his throat, raising his voice to be heard through the music. “Please turn it down.” 

“Can't.”

“What do you mean you can't?” 

Ekko peeked at the inside of her room. He managed to catch the sight of black walls painted with graffiti in pink, blue and purple colors before Jinx pulled the door, hiding the view of her room. 

“I mean I can't?” She said with a raised eyebrow. “I want to listen to music while I'm getting ready.”

“That's not music,” he corrected. “It's noise.”

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest. “I will be glad to hear what you consider music some other time. Now leave.”

Her movements made Ekko's eyes drop to her chest. She was wearing a purple tank top that left most of her stomach bare. His eyes followed the pattern of the blue clouds on her arm and side, going all the way down the side of her stomach and disappearing into the beginning of her jeans. 

Ekko's mouth dried up. He wondered just how far those tattoos went. He had been close enough to guarantee they didn't reach her thighs but the fact didn't satiate his curiosity. 

His eyes dragged away from her body and focused back on her face. Her makeup was half done, her left eye finished while her right needed more attention. 

“What are you getting ready for?” 

“None of your business.” 

A nerve pulsated on Ekko’s temple. 

“Are you going out with your friends? With Kayn?”

Ekko regretted the words the moment they left his mouth. He had not meant to say that. Not in that tone at least. 

Jinx’s eyes widened slightly. A pleased smile found its home on her lips and Ekko felt even more embarrassed for being jealous. He didn't even know what he was being jealous about. 

“I didn't realize I needed your permission to leave my house,” she said, still having that annoyingly smug smile.

“You don't need it– I was just curious.”

“Well you know what they say curiosity does to cats, right? Can't be that different for people either.”

Ekko looked at her, searching her face for any sign of…anything, anything other than that blankness he found whenever he looked at her. 

“Can you blame me for being curious after what happened at the party?” 

Jinx's smirk faltered for a moment. “I don't know what you're talking about.” 

“How can you act like you're so unaffected by it?” 

He took a careful step closer to her, like he was stepping close to a feral animal and not his childhood best friend. Jinx held on to her door tighter but didn't move. 

“It was your idea,” he reminded, his voice loud and clear even with the music still playing. 

Ekko held his breath as he added. “And since it was your idea, you must have thought about it, right? About me?” 

“Don't flatter yourself,” she said, harshly. “I just needed someone to get me off. Not that you managed to do that, anyway.” 

Bitter shame spread its disgusting taste on Ekko's tongue. The tips of his ears burned, ashamed of himself for not offering Jinx the pleasure she deserved. His pride permitted him from explaining himself, telling her that he had never done that to anyone but her. 

“My mistake,” he said, instead. “Perhaps one of your new Piltie friends can help you instead since I can not. After all, you could almost be one of them.” 

Jinx furrowed her brow. “What's that supposed to mean?” 

“That you turned your back to Zaun,” he said, leaning against the doorframe casually with his arms crossed. 

“I did?” Jinx snarled. “Last time I checked you go to one of their schools too.” 

“I'm not the one making guns for Pilties.”

Jinx's smile dropped. “I'm not.”

“You sold a bomb prototype to Cassandra Kiramann. Where do you think it will end up once you pull the safety ring? Not on the side where your silver spoon-fed friends are, I can tell you that.” 

Piltover and Zaun's rivalry was no secret. The town after the bridge, the unwanted side with all its poverty and decay that Piltover diligently ignored. Cops were the only thing they sent their way when they wanted to control a protest or terrorize the streets into obedience. It made Ekko sick to his stomach. 

“And who made you the defender of Zaun?” She asked, taking a step closer to Ekko. “Why are you here and not there then? Aren't people back home that need your help, Boy Savior?” 

Ekko's irritation only grew at the sound of the nickname she gave him. 

“Don't call me like that.” 

“Or what?” 

They glared at each other, the atmosphere between them charged with tension. None of them were willing to back away as they stared into each other's eyes. It was Jinx that gave in first, closing her bedroom door in Ekko's face.

The music was somehow even louder now. Angrily, Ekko went back to his room, grabbing his speaker from the closet where he had stacked it in. Scrolling through his playlist, he selected an old skatepark song that blasted through the speaker, chaotic and loud. Sitting down on his chair, he glared at the wall that separated them as if challenging Jinx to make her next move. 

The music remained loud. Ekko turned his own song up.

After a while the music from Jinx's side of the room stopped entirely. Victorious satisfaction washed over Ekko. 

His victory was interrupted by the sound of banging on his door. Ekko smirked, playfully. 

“Does the music bother yo–”

Isha stood outside of his room with an annoyed look on her face. She gestured to her ears, clearly annoyed by the volume of the music. 

“I'm so sorry,” Ekko whispered and hurriedly turned the music off. 

“So sorry,” he said again while Isha turned around with one final glare his way. 

Jinx stood a little behind her sister, her makeup done and looking ready to leave the house. She took Isha’s hand, shaking her head disapprovingly at Ekko before they left. 

Ekko closed his door and fell back on the bed, embarrassed with himself for entertaining Jinx’s antics. But he wanted to talk to her. Even if that moved them back to square one again. 

ⴵ

“All I'm saying is that I wouldn't mind if I never saw his stupid face ever again in my life!”

Vi chuckled. “For someone who doesn't mind, you sure have been talking about Ekko a lot.” 

Jinx glared at her sister. They were in Vi’s changing room while she did her final warm-up before the match. Vander was talking to Vi’s coach, giving her some time alone to get ready. 

From the bench, Isha raised her head from the iPad in her hands.

“She talks about him all the time,” the girl spoke softly, her voice nothing more than a hushed whisper. She felt safe in the presence of her sisters to let her voice be heard. 

“I don't!” Jinx exclaimed, offended. 

“Jinx.”

Vi rolled her shoulders back, stretching. 

“You do talk about him all the time,” she said. 

Jinx leaned her back against the lockers, in resignation. 

“He just annoys me.” 

And it was true. He annoyed her more than anyone else could. His ridiculously handsome face annoyed her, the way his eyes would soften when he looked at her annoyed her even more. Those big brown eyes that just yesterday were set on her as he ate her out, never faltering as his tongue worked her close to an orgasm. 

Jinx swallowed with great difficulty, shaking the memories of last night away from her mind. 

“I think he's a pretty good guy,” Vi said, throwing some practice punches. “Stop torturing him because he made a mistake. We all have made mistakes in our lives.”

Jinx remained silent. Forgiving him was out of the question but maybe she was being overly dramatic. Leaving him in that closet was definitely a low blow and maybe she would have felt bad for it if he hadn't come banging at her door like a maniac just because she was innocently listening to music. 

But the obvious jealousy that had slipped out of him made it worth it. A satisfaction burned deep within her at the knowledge he had made him jealous. She had seen the way he looked at Kayn yesterday and it made her giddy with mirth. Why, she did not know exactly.

“Whatever,” she said, changing the subject. She really didn't want to talk about Ekko with her sisters. 

Vi sent a cautious look at Isha. The girl was enamored in the game she played on her iPad, not paying attention to what happened around her. 

“So, uh I was thinking.” 

Jinx frowned at her sister's words. Vi had switched from English to Greek, their mother tongue that they only used when they wanted to talk about something secret so Vander or others wouldn't understand them. 

“What were you thinking about?” Jinx asked. She felt a little self conscious about her Greek compared to Vi’s. They moved to Zaun when Vi was ten and she was six and began speaking primarily in English ever since then. She didn't have many opportunities to practice so she felt a little rusty. 

“About the deal.” 

Jinx scoffed, shaking her head negatively. Vi hurried to speak again. 

“Listen, just listen okay? I think it's a pretty good deal. Working for Cait's mom forever doesn't sound too bad, right?” 

“They want me to make more bombs,” Jinx cut her off. “And then what? Guns? Mass destruction weapons?” 

Jinx sighed. She didn't even want to work at Kiramann Industries until Cassandra Kiramann arrived and whisked her away before she could deny it. 

“Did your girlfriend make you talk to me?” 

“No, of course not. Cait would never. I was just asking to see if you've made up your mind.” 

“Sure she would never,” Jinx muttered under her breath. Jinx's opinion on Caitlyn Kiramann was the same as the one she had for her mother and the rest of Piltover citizens. Classist assholes who frowned upon Zaunites. But her opinion did not matter because she was Vi's girlfriend and no matter how much she believed them to be an unfortunate match, she wanted her older sister to be happy. And Cait made her happy. So that was good enough for Jinx. 

“Whatever,” she said again, shaking her head. “It doesn't matter if I made up my mind or not. I already told her that I don't want to design more bombs and she sent me to PIT.”

Some months back and after earning enough money to set-off her family for years, Jinx tried to quit from the Kiramann Industries. The contract she had signed permitted her from quitting and Cassandra Kiramann had tried everything in her power to make Jinx change her mind. They needed her engineering genius and she wouldn't let Jinx slip out of her fingers and into a rival company arms. 

As a way of agreement and after consulting her lawyers, Cassandra had allowed Jinx a year off work in order to attend Piltover’s Institute of Technology as a period for Jinx to ‘think’ and ‘reflect on her choices’. For Jinx that meant she was constantly pressured by anyone around her to accept the Kiramann's offer to work for them permanently. 

“I don't want you to make a decision you don't want,” Vi gave her a small smile. “But the Kiramanns are the best choice you have. Others would die to be in your place.”

“I don't know where those bombs will fall. I don't want to bring more disaster to others.”

Without intending to, she was reminded of Ekko's earlier words. She hated the fact that he thought she was willingly creating mass destruction weapons in order to benefit from it. And she hated that Ekko thought she had forsaken Zaun. It bothered her that his opinion of her mattered so much to her. 

“It doesn't matter,” she said, switching back to English and putting an unofficial end to the conversation. 

“I should probably get going. I might jinx you into losing the match if I hang around you too much.”

“You won't jinx me,” Vi sighed, picking her gloves up. 

“Oh no, I will,” Jinx helped Isha put her iPad in her backpack. “I'm bad news.”

“Am I interrupting?” 

Leaning against the open door was Cait, dressed in a navy blue dress that matched the shade of her short cut hair. Jinx fought the urge to roll her eyes. Who wears a dress to a boxing match?

“Cait,” Vi muttered, her blue eyes glowing like stars at the sight of her girlfriend. She moved to her, taking Cait in her arms. 

“How are you feeling before the big match?” 

“Fantastic now that you are here,” Vi said, nuzzling her face against Cait's neck. Isha looked at Jinx, sticking her tongue out in disgust. As all kids, she wasn't particularly fond of public displays of affection.

“Okay, let's go pipsqueak,” Jinx took Isha's hand. “Our teeth will rot from the sweetness in the air.” 

“Bye Cait,” she said as they passed by the couple and made their way out of the changing rooms. 

“Bye Jinx. Bye Isha.” 

Cait looked behind her as Jinx and Isha disappeared down the hallway. She turned to her girlfriend.

“Did you talk to her?”

“I did,” Vi sighed, sitting on the bench. “She is so stubborn.”

“She gets that from you,” Cait said with a smile, sitting next to Vi and putting her arm around her, holding her close. 

“I'm not that stubborn.” 

“Oh, you are even more stubborn than she is.”

Vi laughed lightly. She turned her head, leaving a lasting kiss on Cait's lips. 

“Good luck,” she said with her posh voice echoing in Vi’s empty changing room. “And don't worry about your sister. She will come around eventually.”

Vi forced herself to smile. She wasn't really sure about that. Once Jinx made up her mind about something no one could change it. 

ⴵ

The house was dark and quiet when they returned home. It was after three in the morning and they were just done celebrating Vi's victory. Vander wanted to stay longer but Isha was too tired to function and they had to return home. 

Jinx walked up the stairs with Isha in her arms. The poor baby was half asleep against Jinx's shoulder as she opened her bedroom door and set her on the bed. Isha fought to keep her eyes open as her sister dressed her in her pajamas and made her brush her teeth. 

Jinx was surprisingly quiet as she got Isha ready for bed. Throughout the match and even the after party her thoughts were elsewhere. She was annoyed by Vi's attempt at persuading her into accepting Cassandra's deal.

She felt conflicted and annoyed. Jinx just wanted to release all of her frustration and tension that she couldn't share with anyone. She had the impulse to annoy someone in order to forget her own problems. 

An idea formed in her mind. 

“Hey, kid?”

Isha turned around, her bright amber eyes looking at her sister in question. 

“Why don't you get your plushie and sleep in dad's room tonight? I have a thing to do for uni and I want to listen to music to help me concentrate. Don't want to wake you up from the loud music.” 

Isha nodded, grabbing Jinx's old bunny plushie and leaving a goodnight kiss on her sister's cheek, before walking down the stairs to get to Vander's room. Isha would often sleep in Vander or Jinx's room when she had nightmares so their dad wouldn't think too much about it. 

Making sure nobody was on the first floor but her and Ekko, she locked herself in her room. 

The sound of his ringtone woke Ekko up so suddenly he almost fell out of his bed. Confused, he fumbled around in the dark for his phone, grabbing it from the nightstand table. 

The number that appeared on his screen was not saved in his contacts. He hesitated, not answering it right away. Nothing good could come out of answering an unknown caller in the crack of dawn. But maybe it was some patient's family member that they could not reach the nursing home and instead called him. 

Finally, he picked up. 

“Hello?” 

There was silence on the other end of the line. Ekko could distinctly hear the slow breaths of the caller through the speaker. 

“Hello?” He repeated, flipping the switch of the lamp on the nightstand and shedding some light in his otherwise dark room.

“Ekko?” 

Ekko froze. It felt as if his brain had shut down because the voice he just heard could not belong to Jinx Croft.

“Jinx?” 

“Yeah.”

“Where did you get my number from?”

“Your friend with the bushy eyebrows gave it to me.” 

Ekko clicked his tongue. Of course it was Mylo. He pulled his bonnet off, his dreads falling down his nape as he laid with his back against the headboard of the bed. 

“Do you know what time it is?” 

“No.”

Ekko was starting to get annoyed by her monolectic responses.

“What do you want?”

“To hear your voice.” 

There was a small noise on her end of the line that made Ekko's heart skip a beat. He placed the phone closer to his ear. The faint sound of rustling against sheets was heard and another sound that Ekko couldn't pinpoint exactly. 

“Please,” Jinx whimpered.

Ekko's breathing turned shallow in the blink of an eye. Jinx's soft noises echoed loud in his ear, reminding him that this was not a deranged dream he had but reality. 

“What are you doing exactly?” He asked, his voice shaking. 

Jinx moaned against the speaker. “I'm touching myself. Please, just talk to me.”

Ekko's dick throbbed at the sound of her lustful voice. His hearing became heightened as he picked up the way her body moved against her bedsheets. 

“I'm here,” he said, eagerly. “I'm here, I got you.” 

Jinx let out a filthy moan. “Keep talking.” 

Ekko’s ears ringed from the building tension. Listening to her sultry voice made his own pent up frustration from yesterday return in full force. Something about the fact she had him filled Ekko with a newfound boldness. 

“Are you touching yourself?” 

“Mhm.”

“Does it make you feel good, baby?” 

“So good, fuck–” 

Ekko let out a low groan. “You're such a good girl. Such a good girl for taking care of yourself.” 

Jinx's breathing was quick and it felt as if the phone wasn't between them, as if she was really there with him. It took Ekko a moment to realize he could not only hear her noises from the phone but from the other side of the wall as well. 

“Moan louder baby. I want to hear your voice too.” 

A breathless gasp echoed in his room and Ekko moved closer to the wall, leaning his head back against it while holding his phone firmly against his ear. 

“Tell me what you are doing.” 

“I’m–fuck– I’m rubbing my clit.”

“Slip a finger inside you,” Ekko ordered. He palmed himself through his sweatpants, his dick hard under the confinement of his clothes. 

The noises coming from the wall were louder and louder as Jinx did as was told. He thought of her sprayed on her bed, naked and with her hand between her legs. Ekko couldn't restrain himself any longer as he lowered his sweatpants and briefs in one go, freeing his dick. His palm closed around his erection, a moan escaping him as he began stroking himself from base to tip. 

“How does it feel, baby?” 

“G-good. Fuck, are you fucking yourself too?” 

“Fuck yes,” he groaned, throwing his head back against the wall, his precum lubricating his shaft and making it easier to fuck up into his fist. 

“Wish I was there so you could use my mouth,” Jinx purred right in his ear, making Ekko move faster. 

“Jinx, fuck. Add another finger in you baby. Stretch yourself out for me.” 

Jinx's breath quickened, her moans getting louder. Ekko's hold of his dick was almost bruised as he pumped his fist up and down his length.

“Close!” Jinx cried out, loud enough to be heard through the wall. Ekko leaned his head against the wall even more, needing to be as close to her as he physically could. 

“Please, please, don't stop!”

His eyes fluttered closed as he focused on Jinx's moans. 

“Fuck– Powder, I'm close!”

His balls tightened as he let loose, cumming against his fist. Still lost in the delirium of his orgasm his ears picked up the loud moans of Jinx coming from the other room. 

“Kayn!” 

All the serotonin evaporated from Ekko's body. 

“Yes, fuck! Kayn!” 

Jinx's voice was loud as she chanted a name that did not belong to Ekko while she came. Once she caught her breath, she grabbed her phone from her pillow and spoke again. 

“Thank you, Ekko.”

She said his name in a taunting manner, as if she wanted to make clear that she knew very well who she had called and who she was moaning for. 

Without another word, she hung up and Ekko's room fell silent again. Only his raspy breaths interrupted the silence. He tucked himself in his pants and slowly got out of his bed to move to the small bathroom. He washed himself and wiped the tears that slipped from his eye quickly before he could let himself acknowledge the fact he was crying. 

She was playing with him. Using him in order to fulfill some twisted revenge plot she had in mind. Perhaps Ekko deserved it in some sense and if that was all there was he would subject himself into it. But there was something else in Jinx's tone, aside from the obvious teasing and taunting.

Pain.

Chapter Text

Bad, bad news

One of us is gonna lose

I'm the powder, you're the fuse

Just add some friction

my strange addiction-Billie Eilish

The edge of the blue pencil in Ekko's hand smudged the white paper of his notebook as he added the final strokes of blue to the sketch. It was one of many he had been doodling during the neverending Design Optimization lecture he was attending. 

Professor Volek’s voice, heavy with his Czech baritone accent, had managed to send half the auditorium to sleep as he explained an algorithm equation, his chalk screeching against the blackboard as he wrote it down. The university had much more advanced technology than a simple blackboard but professor Volek seemed to prefer the traditional approach. Ekko found it a little hypocritical given that he was named ‘Man of Progress’ alongside his partner, professor Talis.

Ekko pulled the pencil back to admire his creation. Jinx’s miniature portrait stared back at him. He had managed to depict the look of hate she always had when looking at him. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her lips tightly pulled into a grimace of disgust. Ekko stared at the drawing, trying to decipher her expression. 

He couldn't understand her at all. She was like a ghost, always haunting him but when he finally reached out to her she disappeared, slipping through his fingers. Ekko couldn't think about anything else but her, despite being angry at her. She occupied his thoughts like it was her birthright and he couldn't do a single thing about it. 

Besides him, Mylo yawned. 

“What are you drawing?” 

Ekko closed his notebook, concealing his sketches of Jinx. 

“Nothing,” he whispered. “Just trying to pass the time.” 

“Tell me about it. This lecture won't end.” 

After a pause, Mylo bent towards him, lowering his voice to a whisper so he wouldn't be heard.

“Are you coming along to the party tonight?” 

Ekko huffed, a few heads around him turning. He sent annoyed glares their way and lowered his tone. 

“No.” 

“You sure? Jinx will be there.” 

“And that is exactly why I won't go.” 

“I thought you liked her,” Mylo whispered. “You couldn't stop talking about her a month ago. You were all Powder this and Powder that.” 

The tips of Ekko’s ears burned in embarrassment. His gaze flickered to his right, where Jinx sat a few rows in front of them. Ekko knew she was attending the lectures he did, just to spite him. Her back was turned to him and Ekko could only see her blue hair that was tied to buns on the sides of her head. She looked like a pop-punk version of princess Leia. 

“That was different. She is different now.”

“Okay, so she had a Disney Channel star transformation, so what? Under all that Ramona Flowers exterior she has going on, she is still Powder.” 

Ekko didn't respond. His Powder would never do the things Jinx did. It was like she was actively trying to hurt him, seeking out opportunities to fight him. And it was working. 

The humiliation was burning low on his stomach, twisting in nautiating speed. To be called by another man's name, by Kayn's name, who was God knows what to Jinx, was the final straw. Even him, despite his remorse for what he had done in the past, couldn't handle such treatment. His initial sadness was replaced by a maddening anger. 

If she wanted to fight, he would give her a war. 

“And why are you suddenly going to every party on campus?” 

“Gert,” Mylo whispered as if that was enough of an explanation. 

“Plus it's actually fun. And Jinx is pretty cool even if you don't like her anymore.”

“You're tasked with optimizing a mechanical design that involves thermal and structural performance criteria,” professor Volek spoke, his voice echoing in the auditorium and drawing Ekko's focus back on him. 

“Would you consider using an evolutionary algorithm for this task? And if so, can you explain how genetic algorithms handle nonlinear constraints–given that the design is large and includes complex nonlinear constraints–and what potential limitations you might encounter when applying genetic algorithms to it?” 

The entire hall fell silent. A student coughed in the distance. Professor Volek closed his eyes, sighing deeply. 

“Mister Musgrove?” He said unexpectedly, making Mylo jump in his seat. “Perhaps you can enlighten us.” 

“Uh, the genetic algorithm wouldn't have an issue,” he bluttered out. “And the genetic algorithm would be effective because it can automatically adjust the nonlinear constraints without adding mathematical formulation to the exploration of the design? Maybe?”

Professor Volek looked at Mylo with a deadpan expression. 

“That is incorrect. And can someone explain why that is? Anyone?”

Students averted their eyes from the professor, avoiding eye contact in hopes that it might make them invisible. 

“How about you mister Elliot? Can you tell us why mister Musgrove’s answer is wrong?” 

Ekko stole a glance at the blackboard but before he could answer, another voice interrupted him. 

“Genetic algorithms can’t automatically adjust design parameters to meet nonlinear constraints,” Jinx’s voice echoed in the silence of the auditorium, making all eyes turn on her. 

“The algorithms may struggle if the design is too complex or too large and not be able to adapt in the end.”

Professor Volek's lips twisted into the faintest idea of a smile. 

“Precisely.”

Jinx turned around to offer a shit eating grin his way. Ekko fumed with anger. 

“Actually it can work either way.”

Even Ekko surprised himself by speaking loudly. The professor tilted this head in question, expecting Ekko to elaborate. 

“If we train the algorithm and design it to rely on additional methods like penalty functions or constraint handling techniques it can function even with complex designs.”

“An interesting alternative and an efficient one,” professor Volek said. “Well done mister Elliot.” 

Jinx sent daggers with her gaze at Ekko, her smirk long gone from her lips. Ekko smiled victoriously at her. With an exaggerated turn of her head, Jinx faced the professor again. 

“I think that a sensible engineer should not rely on algorithms that may fail as the foundation for a mechanical design.” 

“Then perhaps,” Ekko raised his voice, before the professor could speak, not looking at Jinx while he answered her question. Next to him, Mylo whispered a ‘dude’ but Ekko's tone remained loud and angry. 

“The engineer should have a little more trust in their powers and carefully design the algorithm to suit the thermal and structural performance criteria.” 

Jinx scoffed, finally turning around to look at Ekko. All eyes on the auditorium were switching back and forth on them. 

“Trust? What do you know about trust?” 

Ekko's jaw set. “More than you.” 

Her eyes darkened. Their irritation for each other made them forget that they weren't alone.

“Anyway, how can the engineer trust their powers and then rely on an uncertain algorithm?” 

“Maybe if they weren't so narrow-minded and accepted the fact that a machine can make mistakes–” 

“Narrow-minded?” 

Jinx shot up from her seat, facing Ekko. As a response, Ekko mirrored her actions, standing on his feet. 

“Mistakes do happen! It is an engineer's responsibility to see past them and correct them!” 

“Yes but what if we were to excuse every mistake? Then we would never evolve! As engineers, of course.” 

“Why can't you just agree that–”

“Oh, I will never agree with you!” Jinx shouted. 

Professor Volek hit his cane on the ground with a distressing loud sound. Both Ekko and Jinx turned towards him, startled. They seemed to have just now realized exactly where they were. 

“If you could follow me outside, miss,” the professor said, stepping away from the podium. 

Jinx groaned in annoyance, grabbing her bag.

“You too mister Elliot.”

Ekko looked around him at all the people that had witnessed his outburst. With his cheeks burning as he picked his stuff and followed after them. 

Five minutes later he found himself sitting next to Jinx in professor Talis’ office. They were waiting for professor Volek to come back after he instructed them to wait until he spoke to his partner and head of the department. 

They were so fucked. Ekko had never been pulled out of a lecture before. He didn't know what to expect but he knew whatever it was that professor Volek wanted to talk to them about wasn't good. 

Besides him, Jinx didn't seem to share his concerns. She was splayed on her chair, leaning against the bureau in front of them and drumming her long nails against the surface of it. The silver rings she wore in each finger seemed to sparkle. Crystals in pale blue and vibrant purple and various shapes of stars and moons consisted of the more plain rings without rocks on them. 

“You could at least seem like you give a damn that you put us in this position,” Ekko said, making her drumming stop. 

“I'm not talking to you,” she said, inspecting her nails in an attempt to seem like she was ignorant of him sitting right next to her. 

“Why? Are you afraid you might call me by the wrong name again?” 

Jinx's head whiplashed around. Ekko looked at her with a raised eyebrow, as if he was challenging her to contradict his sayings. 

She looked away from him, not dwelling on answering him. Perhaps she went a little overboard last night. Perhaps it wasn't worth it in the end. Her tongue and lips still hurt from biting on them hard to stop herself from saying Ekko's name, anyway. It wasn't worth all this fuss just to get a reaction out of him. 

At that moment the door opened. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” professor Talis' tall frame entered the office followed by professor Volek. 

“Would you like some chai?” He offered with a dashing smile. 

Ekko frowned. He and Jinx had meant to rob his house once. Thankfully, their names weren't brought up in the trial so Jayce was ignorant of who Ekko really was. His and Jinx’s past were only known to their families and he trusted that no syllable would be whispered. They were safe on that aspect. 

“Sure,” he said in the end and Jayce moved to the small kitchen on the side of the room. 

Seeing someone else move so casually in Heimerdinger's office, reminded Ekko of the spot that his former mentor had left. He missed him greatly and now more than ever. 

“So,” professor Volek said, taking a seat at Jayce's chair and inspecting the papers in front of him. 

“This is not your office,” Jinx pointed out. 

“I am well aware of that miss Powder, thank you,” he said, shuffling through the papers. “But my partner is gracious enough to allow me to handle the mess that you created in my lecture.” 

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest. “That's not my name.” 

“No?” Professor Volek raised an eyebrow. “In here it says it is.” 

He turned the paper he was inspecting around so Jinx and Ekko could see it. The small picture of Jinx on the far right corner and the many personal information revealed to them that they were her student's record. 

“Nobody calls me like that anymore,” she persisted as professor Volek turned the paper to him. “And Powder's not my real name either. It's the most English sounding name my parents came up with.” 

Ekko looked at Jinx from the corner of his eye. While Vi had been lucky that her parents asked Vander's opinion before picking an English name for her when they moved to Zaun, they had picked Jinx's name in the register office, going through the few English words they knew and landing on Powder. 

Professor Volek looked at Jinx with renewed interest. As a foreigner himself he felt at ease when he encountered people that were not natives. Something about shared experiences that natives overlooked bound them together. 

“You are not an American citizen are you?”

Jinx sighed. “No.” 

“Where are you from?” 

“Eastern Europe,” Jinx replied, seemingly bored with the conversation. 

“Ah,” the corners of his lips turned up. “I am from Central Europe. We are neighbors.” 

Jinx shrugged just as Jayce placed a tray with tea cups in front of them. 

“I can take it from here, Viktor,” Jayce said, handing the cups to Ekko and Jinx. 

“Do not go easy on them,” he said, leaning against his cane and getting up from the chair. “Don't let miss Croft's affliction to the Kiramanns cloud your judgment.” 

“I am right here you know,” Jinx groaned. 

Professor Volek nodded to Ekko as he left the room and professor Talis took his seat opposite them and sipped from his cup. Ekko brought the expensive porcelain to his lips and cringed at the foul flavor of the excuse of chai that Jayce had made. 

“Getting into trouble again, Jinx?” 

“Hey Jay,” Jinx said, leaning back against the chair.

Much like Jinx, Jayce Talis was discovered by the Kiramanns years ago. It wasn't a surprise that they knew each other well, having been to many events and conferences that Cassandra Kiramann organized. Still, it was a surprise to see Jinx being so casual with the person she had once intended to steal from. 

But that was years ago and now Ekko knew that nothing was the same as back then. 

“So,” Jayce began, stealing a glance at Ekko's papers. “You're Eli?”

“Ekko,” he corrected, setting his cup on the bureau. Next to him Jinx giggled. Ekko ignored her.

“Ah, right. Ekko Elliot.” 

Jayce remained silent, reading Ekko’s file. He glanced up at him. 

“You won professor Heimerdinger’s Innovation Competition.” 

It was not a question but a statement. There was wonder in his tone as he regarded Ekko with respect. 

“Yes I did,” Ekko felt the need to say after the pause on professor Talis’ part. 

“The professor is quite strict,” Jayce said with a small smile. “You must have been excellent for him to pick you out of everyone else.” 

“I do not know about that, professor,” Ekko said, humbly. 

“You designed your own mathematics system,” Jayce read aloud. “I say. Professor Heimerdinger has noted here you are a true prodigy.”

Besides him Jinx clicked her tongue. All the praise, especially by the very man that had kicked out his mentor, was making Ekko uncomfortable. It was the worst kept secret in all of PIT that Jayce gained his position as head of department because of his relationship with chancellor Medarda.

“You know, he used to be my professor as well, when I was a student in this academy. I must say I have never met a man I admire more.”

“It is a shame you stole his position.” 

Ekko and Jayce looked at Jinx with matching shocked expressions. She observed her painted nails, unbothered by her crude comment. 

“The perks of fucking the chancellor,” she whispered to Ekko with a teasing smile. 

Jayce coughed, clearly uncomfortable as Jinx giggled without a care. Ekko was shocked at how little decency she had. She spoke her mind unapologetically, saying what he had was too afraid to even think. Ekko silently admired how fearless she was. But then, she had always been unafraid of anything.

“You made a scene in professor Volek’s lecture today,” professor Talis said, his voice rough with an authoritarian tone, switching approaches. 

“We had an argument related to the lecture.” 

“Really? Professor Volek says the nature of your argument felt a little more personal.”

Jinx and Ekko shared a guilty look before looking away from each other. 

“I do not think so,” Ekko said. 

“Just two fellow classmates exchanging opinions,” Jinx added with a smile. 

Jayce looked between them, unconvinced. Jinx’s smile dropped.

“What is this, a lovers’ quarrel?” 

“What?” Ekko exclaimed. “That is not what that was at all!”

“At all!” Jinx agreed. 

Jayce let out a breath, leaning back.

“Thank God. I am not qualified for this.” 

“Don’t worry, we can tell,” Jinx huffed, still shocked. 

Jayce was lost in his own thoughts. Ekko squirmed in his seat, praying he would be lenient towards them. 

“Can you guarantee that there is no feud going on between you two?” 

Jinx turned her head to look at Ekko. He took in a breath, looking back at her. Ekko wasn't sure what punishment awaited them if they couldn't agree with the head of the engineering department. 

He turned to Jayce with determination. 

“We can,” Ekko lied. 

“I hope you can mister Elliot. I really hope you do, because from today you two are partners.” 

Ekko’s eyes almost popped out of his skull. Jinx shot up from her chair, slapping her palms against the bureau’s surface, making the tea cups shake.  

“What?” 

“You are partners,” Jayce said with a smile, proud of himself for coming up with such a clever arrangement. 

“Progress Day is in two months. I am sure that you two passionate classmates can design an invention that will prove to me and everyone else that there is really nothing going on between you two.” 

“No,” Jinx went on. “No way.” 

“Why not? After all, you,” he pointed at Jinx. “Are the Kiramann protegé and you,” he pointed at Ekko. “Are professor Heimerdinger's apprentice.” 

“I am not his apprentice,” Ekko muttered but Jinx’s shrieks engulfed his voice. 

“You can't do that! You can't make me work with him!” 

Ekko might have taken offense to it if he wasn't as desperate as Jinx to get out of the situation they had found themselves in. The mere thought of having to cooperate with her of all people sent shivers down his spine. 

“I had been searching for candidates to represent the institute and you two are perfect for the job. You will work together. Just think of all the opportunities you will earn when presenting your inventory.” 

“With all due respect–”

“There is no fucking way, Jayce.” 

Professor Talis clasped his hands together. 

“I need you to understand that you have no choice on the matter. If you don't cooperate with me, you will be expelled.”

Ekko held his breath. He couldn't afford getting expelled when he was so close to getting his degree, not after the blood, sweat and tears he had given to maintain his place there.

“You can't do that,” Jinx challenged. 

“Yes I can,” Jayce sent her a smug smile. “I am fucking the chancellor after all.”

Jinx closed her mouth. 

“Fine,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “Expel me.”

“I don’t think Cassandra would appreciate it if I did. You are here under her scholarship until you either get your degree or agree to her terms.”

Jinx looked shaken up. Her demeanor shifted, becoming meek. Ekko wished he was anywhere else so he wouldn't have to hear this clearly personal conversation but Jayce went on, not bothered by Ekko’s presence.

“Have you thought about it?” Jayce asked with genuine interest. “Your contract doesn’t allow you to quit Jinx. Agreeing to Cassandra’s terms and working for her isn’t as awful as you think it is.”

Ekko’s gaze flickered to Jinx but she wasn't looking at him. The thought that Jinx may want to quit her work for the Kiramann Industries didn’t even pass by his mind. He felt stupid for accusing her yesterday. The way he had acted in general around her made him suddenly feel stupid. 

Jinx avoided looking at Ekko or Jayce. There was nothing more to say. She knew when she had lost. Her silence was enough of an indication that Jayce had the upper hand in this. 

“I can not wait to see what you two have in store for us on Progress Day,” said Jayce with a smile. “Now get out of my office and if you ever think about causing more problems, don’t.”

Without a word, Jinx stormed out of the door before any of the men could blink. Ekko picked his backpack and looked at the door where Jinx had disappeared before turning to Jayce.

“Thank you for the chai, professor Talis.”

“I hope this partnership doesn't bother you,” he said. 

“It can be beneficial,” Ekko simply said. 

“I expect great things from you Ekko. You have a lot of potential.”

Ekko nodded, not sure of what to say exactly before he walked out the door. As expected, Jinx was nowhere around. 

ⴵ

Avoiding the tenants of the house seemed like an impossible feat. 

The words in the lines of his textbooks seemed to become liquefied and drip down the more he stared at them. Ekko checked his watch. It was a little after nine and he had been locked in his room for the past five hours. He had to go down to get something to eat. He couldn't hide away in his room forever. 

Giggles were heard from the couch in the living room. To get to the kitchen, you had to first walk through the living room and that meant being seen by Jinx and Isha who were watching a movie, lying on the couch. 

“Hey,” he mumbled as he passed by them. Jinx’s laugh was cut short but Isha waved at him politely as he entered the kitchen. 

Feeling like he was being watched, Ekko opened the fridge to find it mostly empty. He cursed internally. He was too hungry to wait until he cooked something and way too self conscious to cook while Jinx was some feet away from him. 

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” 

He turned around at the unexpected call of Jinx's voice. He stupidly looked around him to make sure she wasn't talking to someone else. 

“I only work four times a week. I'm not working today.” 

“You can have some takeout.” 

Isha was turned around from the TV screen, showing him the giant taco (almost as big as her head) she had been munching on, as if inviting him to join them.  

Ekko hesitated. 

“Our dad and your dad are out. We ordered too much anyway so go ahead,” Jinx muttered. She was facing the screen, not looking back at him but her words seemed genuine.

Slowly, Ekko walked to the living room, as if scared that at any moment Jinx would change her mind and send him away. He took a seat at the armchair next to the couch, hesitantly. Ekko looked at the many food containers on the coffee table and then at Jinx. Her gaze was locked straight ahead, watching the movie and not paying him any attention, as if asking him to join her and Isha was the most natural thing in the world. 

Was that a truce? An olive branch she offered him after they were assigned as each other's partners? Or was she not as heartless as to watch him starve? Either way Ekko wouldn't turn any offer of hers down.

“Thanks,” he said. Jinx made a face. She didn't want to hear his thanks despite showing him kindness in stepping forward to his relief. 

He inspected the food in front of him. They had ordered Mexican, a wide range of tacos, burritos and quesadillas were spread on the table. 

Isha gestured to a crispy chicken taco, helping him pick. The girl was smiling, her chin smeared with sauce as she dug back into her food. Ekko smiled at her. 

Thank you, he signed. 

Isha took a surprised breath before her face twisted into a blissful expression. She began signing fast, her smile as bright as the sun. 

“Wait, wait. Slow down! Does this,” Ekko signed the word for ‘believe’. “Mean ‘now’?” 

“It means believe,” Jinx spoke, looking at him from the corner of her eye. 

She signed with both her hands. “This means now.” 

“Oh, right,” Ekko rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. It has been some time since I last signed.” 

“I didn't know you even knew how to.”

“I didn't. Well I did at some point, but a lot of time has passed since then and I forgot almost everything about it.”

“Really? When was that?” 

Ekko took in a deep sigh, weighing his next words. 

“When my father was still alive.”

Jinx's lips parted. She wouldn't have asked him more on the matter if she knew that it was related to Ekko’s late father. She was probably the only person that could relate to his suffering, having lost both her parents as well and yet she still had to bring it up.

Isha scrunched her nose. I'm sorry. 

“It's okay,” Ekko said aloud while simultaneously signing the words for Isha. “It was a long time ago. Longer than you've been around for.” 

That long?

Ekko chuckled at her shock. “That long. So I should thank you for reminding me of what it's like to sign again.”

Isha nodded with a shy smile, returning to her food. Jinx sent cautious glares at him before gathering the courage to speak. 

“I didn't mean to bring it up.” 

“It's not your fault,” Ekko reassured. 

“I don't remember you telling me about your father being deaf. But then I don't really remember a lot about that time,” she said, monotonically. 

Ekko lost his speech momentarily, taken aback by her words. 

“Uh, my dad had a hearing impairment. He could hear from his left ear but he often used sign language to communicate. Once upon a time, I could do it too.” 

“You need improvement. But you're not hopeless.” 

He smiled at that. Jinx's eyes lingered at his smiling face before hurriedly turning around. Ekko grabbed the container of food and got comfortable on the armchair, looking at the animation movie that was on. 

“What are we watching?” 

Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse! Isha signed happily. My favorite! 

“She likes the animation,” Jinx informed, stuffing her mouth with her burrito. 

“You have a good eye, Isha.”

Isha beamed at that. 

Have you watched it before? 

“Of course,” Ekko said, taking a bite and fighting the urge to moan at the delicious taste. “I really like the art style. And the plot and characters are well-written too.” 

Who is your favorite character?

“Hobie, obviously. From his style to his personality, there is no one like him.”

Isha shrieked in joy. He's Jinx's favorite too! 

Ekko shared a look with Jinx. It didn't surprise either of them that they had chosen the same character as their favorite. As much as Jinx tried to hide it, they were similar in many aspects. 

She coughed, breaking the tension. 

I like Gwen, the girl signed. 

“That's great, but we are watching this movie and then you are going to sleep, missy. And no protests. It's a school night.” 

Jinx grabbed another burrito, ignoring Isha's protests. She took a bite of it, pinching Isha's cheek and making her stop whining. Ekko seemed relieved as he watched her eat. He couldn't help but notice how slim Jinx was. He had been fearful she may not eat enough but seeing her gulp down her bites put his mind at ease. 

Gwen is cool too, he signed to Isha who gave him a double thumbs up and returned back to watching the movie. 

They watched the remainder of the movie in silence, eating and laughing at the appropriate times. By the time the credits rolled, Isha was leaning against her sister, already half asleep. 

“Go upstairs and get ready for bed,” Jinx said, leaving a kiss on Isha's forehead. “I'll clean up here and then we'll sleep, okay?” 

Isha nodded, getting up from the couch and sleepily walking to her room. Ekko too got up, gathering what was left of the takeout. 

“You don't have to,” she said but Ekko was already carrying the leftovers to the kitchen. 

“I want to.” 

They sorted the remaining food and threw the empty containers in the trash in silence. Ekko felt Jinx's gaze on him more than once but didn't say anything about it. 

“I'm gonna check if the kid is asleep,” Jinx said when they were done. 

Ekko bit his lower lip. “Can I come with you? Just to make sure she is asleep.” 

Jinx blinked, confused. “Sure.”

She led the way with Ekko walking behind her. As they walked up the stairs she turned around to him. 

“Why?” 

“Hm?”

“Why do you want to make sure she is asleep?” 

“Maybe I want to see what will happen if she isn't. I like seeing you in strict older sister mode. It suits you.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes but the smile on her face was unmistakable. “I'm not strict.”

Ekko smiled too, unable to resist the rare sight of Jinx smiling. She looked even prettier like this. Ekko could hardly remember why he was angry at her that morning.

Silently, they inched closer to Isha's room. Isha was already asleep on her bed, the small light next to her bed illuminating her peaceful expression. Jinx walked in the room, covering Isha with the blanket and ruffling her hair. Ekko watched the domestic scene unfold, his heart warm from the delicate manner in which Jinx took care of her little sister.

Jinx closed Isha’s door behind her as she left the room. Ekko was leaning against the wall next to the door, waiting for her. 

“Where are Isha’s biological parents?” 

Jinx shook her head. “The mother left when she was still a baby. The father was unfit to raise her and foster care stepped in when she was five. He was drinking. A lot.”

Ekko frowned, casting his gaze downwards. The hard reality outmatched his ability to reveal his feelings. A simple sorry wouldn't change anything. He knew it too. Being pitied wasn't doing anything more than making the situation worse.

“Dad had a case involving the foster family she was in. We met her and…we loved her immediately. So we adopted her.”

“Silco?” He asked intrigued. He didn't know a lot about Jinx’s father, the man she was sent to because of his mistake. A part of him really wanted to meet the man that raised her. 

“Yeah,” Jinx said with a tired smile. “He is away on a business trip. He travels a lot so the kid and I stay with Vander.” 

Ekko nodded in understanding. “It’s hard.”

“It is. It all goes to shit.” 

“Not all,” Ekko paused. He tried to stabilize his heart rate as he spoke again. 

“You're doing a great job with Isha. Really. She is growing up loved and protected. That's a credit to you and your fathers.”

Blue eyes stared right into him, capable of uncovering every secret that Ekko kept locked in his heart. Only she could read him like an open book with a single look. They were close, Ekko suddenly realized, so close he could count the freckles that were scattered on her nose. He wanted to kiss every single one of them. 

When she talked he heard the same voice and met the same mind. As much as she declared herself to be altered, deep down she was Powder. His Powder. 

Her lips parted as she spoke, breaking the silence.

“Are you coming to the party later?” 

Ekko blinked repeatedly, willing himself to come up with a coherent answer. 

“Uh, yeah. I promised Mylo I would, so I have to come.”

“He’s a social one, ain't he? I've seen him at every party this week.”

“Honestly, no. He just has this thing on a girl he shares a lab with, Gert Heyter. He wants to impress her, I guess.” 

Jinx made an affirming noise in the back of her throat. The part that Ekko had dreaded came. The conversation was over, none of them having anything else to say. He lingered a while before having to retreat. 

“I guess I’ll see you later then.” 

“Wait.” 

Ekko’s head whiplashed around. “Yes?” He said, his voice pulsating with eagerness. 

“Are you going to wear that?” 

Ekko looked down at his sweatpants and oversized t-shirt.  

“Is there something wrong with my clothes?” 

“No. Except for the fact that they are not fit for a frat party.” 

She walked past him, passing her bedroom door and heading towards his room. 

“Are you coming or what?” 

Ekko was quick on his feet. He was filled with both confusion and anticipation as he watched Jinx enter his room and casually look around. Technically this was her house. But she had never been in his room before. Thankfully, it was mostly tidy. 

“I have some time before I start to get ready so let's take care of you first,” she said as she rummaged through his closet without a care. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Finding something for you to wear,” Jinx held out a pair of black pants with pockets across the length of the legs and threw it at him. 

“Why?” 

“So you can be presentable,” she threw a white shirt at him without turning to face him. “You have nice clothes. Why do you always wear hoodies and sweatpants?” 

“Because they are comfortable. And shouldn't you ask me first before going through my stuff?” 

Jinx retrieved a black belt. “No,” she said, handing it to Ekko and stepping away from his closet. 

“Now put those on. And pull your hair back. You look good when you tie them up.” 

Ekko's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Jinx seemed to realize her slip up after she had said it. She looked up at Ekko, embarrassed that she had involuntarily admitted to admiring his looks. 

“Just put them on,” she said, thrusting the belt to him and leaving him some room to change. 

Ekko placed the clothes on his bed with trembling hands. He stole a glance at Jinx who was looking around his room as if evaluating it, before he grabbed the hem of his shirt and began lifting it up. 

“Why are you, you know, nice?” 

Jinx scoffed, observing the poster of Green Day that Ekko had put on his wall. 

“Because we have to work together. And produce results. And I doubt we can focus on work when we aren't on speaking terms.”

“Right. So that's it. No other reason?”

“What other reason could there be?” She asked in exasperation as she turned around. Jinx was taken aback by the sight of the shirtless Ekko in front of her. She had forgotten he was in the middle of changing. 

Her eyes traveled to his surprised face and then back at his bare torso and back without an ounce of shame as her gaze raked at his broad shoulders and sculptured muscles. Jinx's mouth watered. Wasn't he working in a nursing home? What kind of intense labor was he getting into to maintain such defined biceps?

“Jinx?” 

Jinx's eyes shot up from his body. Ekko looked at her with an uncomfortable look. He had caught her eyeing him up. Jinx's horror knew no end. 

“Can you turn around?” 

She groaned, annoyed with herself for being so tactless at the sight of a few (a lot, really) muscles. She turned around abruptly walking to his desk as far away from him as she could. 

“So, uh,” Ekko slipped the shirt on. “About the talking part. Are we good now? I mean, we will talk from now on, right?” 

Jinx remained silent. She hovered over the desk, looking at Ekko’s open textbooks. Her hand reached for his notebook as she slowly turned around to face him. Ekko's heart stilled in his chest. 

The sketches of her that he had doodled in class filled the paper. He reached out to grab it but Jinx was faster, holding it out of his reach. Her eyes were focused on the depictions of herself that Ekko drew. 

“Did you do this?” 

Ekko closed his mouth. He didn't want to lie to Jinx, couldn't lie to her. He lowered his head, guiltily. Jinx scoffed. 

“So what, are you drawing me when I'm not looking like a fucking creep?” 

“You fucking disgust me,” she said, ripping the sheets of paper in pieces and throwing them at Ekko. 

The ripped paper fell on the floor for Ekko to pick while Jinx left. He stared at the pieces until his eyes ached from not blinking. Just as he was about to believe that things could be better between them, something would once again ruin whatever little they had built towards a mutual communication. 

ⴵ

“Ekko!” 

If it was humanly possible Ekko's expression turned gloomier as Mylo rushed to his side. 

“I've been waiting for hours! Where have you been?” 

Ekko let Mylo drag him to the backyard of the frat house they were in. He hardly registered the concerningly large number of people around him. 

“I was busy.” 

“Is that another way of saying you didn't want to come?” 

Despite his despair, Ekko laughed. If he hadn't given his word to his friend that he would be there, Ekko would now be at Zaun, tagging the walls of abandoned houses to get his mind off the mess that had happened earlier. But maybe being there, amongst the crowd of people would be good for him. 

Mylo guided him through the crowd that was standing around the heated pool in the center of the yard. Some were brave enough to jump in the pool, despite the chill of the early spring as the music roared through the speakers. 

“There she is,” Mylo whispered, making Ekko turn his head to Gert's side. 

She was indeed there, chatting with one of the men Ekko had been introduced to at the last party he attended. He vaguely remembered his name as Finn. They were too far to hear what they were talking about but Gert's cheeks were flushed as she talked passionately to Finn, even if he seemed a little bored. 

“Go talk to her,” Ekko urged. 

“I want to but I don't know what to say. She's been talking to that fucker the whole night.” 

“Fuck that guy. Just go up to her and tell her what you feel.” 

“No I mean,” Mylo gestured to himself. “I'm not like you. Or him. I'm gonna mess this up.”

“Mylo, man,” Ekko grabbed Mylo's shoulders. “I've only had one girlfriend and I fucked everything up. I'm not the person you should take love advice from. So just do what your heart tells you. Only you know what to do.”

“Okay!” He exclaimed through the music, after considering Ekko's words. “I'll be right back.” 

“You got this.” 

Ekko watched his best friend stroll towards Gert. Gert's demeanor shifted in an instance as Mylo joined their group, from excited to mildly disappointed. Finn took the opportunity of the new arrival to excuse himself. Gert's eyes followed him as he left. 

Before Ekko could think more about the matter, a shriek was heard from the pool. Jinx climbed the small ladder, getting out of the pool with her clothes drenched. 

“I can't believe you just threw me in!” She laughed as she grabbed a towel and dried her hair. 

Kayn laughed, swimming in the pool. He grabbed Jinx's ankle, trying to push her in again. 

“No!” Jinx laughed in a carefree manner. 

Ekko averted his gaze. His heart couldn't bear the sight without making him feel less than zero. He wanted to be the reason Jinx laughed like that, nobody else. And that possessiveness made him ashamed of himself. They had of course moved one. Once they had been so much to each other. Now nothing. 

Before he could walk away, Jinx spotted him. He thought she would give him an icy glare and go back to ignoring him but despite all, she walked towards him. Ekko was rooted in place as Jinx stopped right in front of him in all her wet glory. 

“You still came?” 

“I had to,” Ekko said between clenched teeth. “For Mylo.” 

“And Gert, right?” 

She looked him up and down while drying her hair. He wore the clothes she had picked for him. Jinx didn't comment on it. 

“Aren't you cold?”

The fabric of the top she wore was clinging to her skin making it impossible for Ekko's eyes to not trail down her chest. Beneath the wet fabric her nipples were hard from the cold air of the night. His breathing was caught in his throat. The bars of nipple piercing jewelry were outlined against the wet top. Ekko looked Jinx in the eye, the revelation making his blood hot in his veins. 

Before any of them could speak, Kayn appeared. He grabbed Jinx and swirled her around, setting her back on her feet while laughing. Ekko looked away. 

“Come on,” Kayn said. “Let's swim.” 

“No fucking way. You threw me in with my clothes on. I'm not listening to you.”

Kayn pouted at Jinx. Ekko felt like he was going to be sick from this blatant show of affection. 

“I have to go,” she said, sending a look at Ekko as she left the two men alone. 

Ekko peaked a glance at Kayn. The man was drenched in pool water as well but it didn't seem to bother him. He stood tall, pushing his hair back arrogantly. He was too full of himself as he winked at two passing sorority girls, the type of person he and Powder would make fun of.

He took a breath, breaking the silence between them. 

“So how long have you two been together?” 

He laughed. “Me and Jinx aren't a thing.”

Ekko bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling. “Really?” 

“She is a wild thing. I don't think she has ever dated anyone, not really her thing. Not my thing either.” 

“You look close though.”

“We fool around sometimes but that's it. Nobody can tie me down, not even Jinx.” 

He laughed sardonically before patting Ekko's shoulder and turning around. Ekko clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to ease his anger. He took deep breaths, his eyes searching for Jinx. 

She was talking to Finn, whispering something to him and pointing to Mylo and Gert. Finn nodded, walking to them as Jinx pulled Mylo away from Gert with a smile. 

Ekko frowned. What the fuck was going on? 

He passed through the crowd around the pool. Finn whispered something into Gert's ear that made her blush. She was usually so stoic and seeing her like that was definitely strange. He then turned around and began walking inside the house while she followed after him. 

“Dude!” 

An ecstatic Mylo appeared, grabbing Ekko by the collar of his shirt and shaking him up. 

“She likes me too!” 

“What are you talking about?” Ekko lightly pushed Mylo away. 

“Jinx said Gert said to her she feels the same way! She told me she is waiting for me upstairs! First door to the right!” 

Ekko grabbed Mylo's sleeve, stopping him. 

“Jinx told you that?” 

“Yeah. She said she realized we were into each other and decided to help.” 

“Mylo, what else did she say?” 

“It doesn't matter,” he freed himself and began making his way to the backdoor. “Gert likes me. Does anything else matter?” 

Ekko groaned, going after him. 

“Listen, you shouldn't listen to Jinx!”

“Why not? Just because she broke up with you doesn't mean you should still be mad at her. She is a good person!” 

“She is trying really hard to not be one!”  

Mylo reached the backdoor and entered the house. The music was even louder inside and Ekko almost lost sight of Mylo in the crowd. He quickly found him and ran to his side. 

“Dude, just listen.” 

“I don't want to!” 

He turned around, suddenly, almost making Ekko trip on the stairs. 

“I've been waiting for so long and now we're so close to graduating and I feel like I've done nothing but study for five years! I just want to enjoy something for once! So just stop analyzing everything!” 

He rushed up the stairs. Ekko wasn't sure what Jinx was planning but what he was sure of was that it wouldn't be good. He cursed himself for revealing to her earlier that Mylo was into Gert, as he followed his friend up the stairs. 

“Mylo,” he whispered but Mylo was already opening the bedroom door. 

“Shit!” 

He froze immediately, his hand slipping from the handle of the open door. Ekko ran to his side, looking inside the room. Gert was on the bed, half dressed and between Finn's open legs. He was missing his shirt and looked angrily at Mylo and Ekko as he got up. 

“Knock next time,” he said to them, putting his shirt on and walking out the room. 

Ekko looked warily at Mylo. He was still frozen, his eyes staring right ahead without actually seeing anything. Gert picked her clothes from the floor and send guilty looks at them. 

“You good, man?” He said, closing the door. 

“I–” Mylo stumbled back, grabbing the wall to hold himself up. Ekko's stomach felt tight at the sight of him being like this. 

“Come on, let's go downstairs. Let's just leave.” 

“Oops.” 

Jinx was leaning against the wall with a smirk on her face. “I guess I just got things mixed up. Sorry.” 

Ekko didn't give her the satisfaction of a reply. He turned to Mylo, checking how he was holding up. 

“I think I'll go to get some air,” Mylo managed to say, stepping away from Ekko. 

“I'll come with–”

“Alone. I want to be alone.”

Very slowly he walked down the stairs, as if he was ready to pass out. Not a minute later, the door opened and Gert stepped out. She looked between Ekko and Jinx before running down the stairs, calling out Mylo's name. 

Jinx's eyes followed her as she disappeared before turning to Ekko. She still had that smirk on her face and Ekko didn't know what hurted more. His anger or his pain.

“I told you to not involve anyone else in this,” he said, taking angry steps towards her. 

“Do you want to hurt me, is that it? Well you have! Are you happy now? Was it worth it?” 

Jinx looked up at him. Her mascara was running down her eyes from her dive in the pool, making her blue gaze even more intense. 

“That was too low even for you,” he whispered to her with pure hate. 

She remained silent, not even looking at him. The room suddenly felt smaller, the space between them charged with tension and unspoken words. 

Ekko scoffed, angrily. 

“You are not Powder. The girl I loved died. And it was my mistake to think she may still be there.” 

And with that he was gone in search of Mylo. He didn't turn back to face Jinx, not once. 

Chapter Text

I like to see everything in neon

Drink lime green, stay up ‘till dawn

Maybe the way that I’m living is killing me

Fuck it I love you-Lana Del Rey

Jinx knew she was a bad person. Rude and childish and stubborn since birth. She had stolen in the past, broken the law and acted selfishly. She was really a jinx, bringing bad luck to everyone around her just by association. And that was fine. She could live with that. 

But there were times that she made herself sick. 

She brought the cigarette to her lips, inhaling the smoke. Jinx hated smoking. It was an irritating habit that made her long hair and clothes reek of ash and smoke. But the cigarette smoke tickled her throat, leaving her comfortably numb. Or was it the alcohol she had been consuming nonstop that made her feel like she was on a roller coaster? 

“You alive?” 

Jinx glanced up at Kayn. He was hovering above the sofa she was lying on, looking down at her with one of his characteristic arrogant smiles. 

Jinx groaned internally. She didn't want to see his face right now. 

“No,” she grumbled. 

“I can see that. You look like shit.” 

Jinx cringed, huffing out the smoke she held in her lungs. 

She felt like shit. The last twenty four hours were a haze. She hadn't returned home yesterday, sleeping in a corner of the frat house like the rest of the past out from the liquor people around her. She was still wearing the clothes she had on yesterday and the only thing that had passed her lips was water and a mix of beer, vodka and some lime colored liqueur that she didn't know the name of. Her phone was left somewhere downstairs. She had to find it later. 

The only thing that was as clear as day in her mind were Ekko's words to her, every syllable, every word engraved in her memory forever. And then, Ekko's friend's face when he opened the door and saw what she had orchestrated.

You are not Powder. 

She grabbed a decorative cushion from the sofa and screamed into it. 

“I am a bad, awful, terrible person.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Kayn smirked. “Margot, did you know Jinx is a bad, awful, terrible person?” 

“Of course I knew that,” she said with a smile, sipping vodka from a cup, too busy swinging to the sound of the music to pay them any attention. 

Jinx threw the cushion at her. There were times she wondered why she associated herself with people like Kayn and Margot. They weren't her friends, she didn't even like them. And she knew that deep down they didn't like her either. But hanging out with her was easy since they didn't try to get to know her. Just having fun, that was all they did. 

“Come on, get up,” Kayn grabbed her hand. “Let's go dance.” 

She freed herself, lying back on the sofa. “Go find someone else, Kayn. I'm not in the mood.” 

He shrugged, not really bothered by the alternative. “Suit yourself.” 

The cigarette slipped from her fingers, falling into the carpet and burning a small hole into it. Jinx looked at the ruined carpet in sorrow. 

To say she regretted her actions was an understatement. She despised herself for involving Mylo, an innocent to all this, into the twisted game she was playing on Ekko. She couldn't get over the look of betrayal in his face when he opened the door to see Gert with Finn. She had taken things too far and all because of the momentary anger she felt when she saw the sketches of her in Ekko’s notebook. 

It was a shock to see herself painted with such emotion and detail by Ekko's hand. Despite the shock and the anger, a part of her felt flattered by the notion. And that made her angry, angry at herself for letting him affect her even after what he did. 

Why was she caught up in hurting him? It wasn't bringing her any satisfaction seeing him crumble before her like she initially thought it would. It was just making her feel bad about herself. 

The girl I loved died. 

Jinx got up from the sofa, standing on unsteady legs. 

“I'm going to get something to drink,” she said to no one in particular as she left the room in search of any form of booze. Nobody heard her or cared to notice her absence. 

This was good. It was better to be away from everyone and everything so she wouldn't cause more problems. She just needed to drink and forget. Forget the way he looked at her when they were in the living room with Isha, forget about everything she had done to make sure he would never look at her like that again. Ignoring the ache of hunger in her stomach, Jinx made her way down to get as drunk as she could to forget.

This way of living would one day kill her. Unfortunately, today wasn't that day. 

ⴵ

“How was your Wednesday, Ekko?” 

Ekko was sorting the files of the residents in drawers, turning his head back to look at Janine. 

“It was alright. Yours?” 

“Amazing! My husband and I finally went to that new Italian place we've wanted to go to for some time. The kids stayed either the babysitter and when we returned home they were already asleep!”

Ekko smiled politely. Sharing a shift with a forty-three year old colleague meant having to act like you can relate to certain experiences that no twenty-two year old could relate to. But he liked Janine and didn't mind hearing her complain about the babysitter canceling at the last minute. 

“Was the food good?” He asked, sitting on the chair of the reception. The night shift was assigned to him and Janine and they had to stay in the reception, just in case a phone rang or someone walked in. Nothing ever happened so they could just sit behind the desk and chat the night away and try not to doze off. 

“Nothing extraordinary for the prices they had. But it was a good night.” 

Suddenly, the phone rang. Neither Ekko or Janine were alarmed by it. 

“I'll get it,” he said, picking the handset. “Whoever it is, they probably dialed the wrong number.”

Having answered the call, he spoke to the speaker. 

“Firelight’s nursing home, how can I help you?” 

“Ekko?”

Ekko held the handset closer to his ear, the shaky voice on the other end of the line barely audible. 

“Vi? Is that you?” 

Vi let out a breath of gratitude. “You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. I've called your phone like a million times!”

“I'm at work,” he tried to justify himself, even though she must already know that.

“I know. Benzo gave me this phone number. I'm sorry for calling you but I didn't know who else to call.”

Ekko pushed his eyebrows together. “What happened?”

“It's Jinx.” 

From the other end of the line, Vi stepped away from the commotion and finally spoke loud enough. 

“I can't find her anywhere.” 

Ekko's face hardened. He had absolutely no intention to talk about Jinx, having spent the entire day without a single thought of her passing by his mind. 

What she had done last night was too much. Mylo had locked himself in his dorm, not talking to Ekko or Clag. It was too much for him to handle and Ekko felt responsible for his best friend’s suffering. He had told Jinx that Mylo had a crush on Gert. It was his fault. 

“Maybe she is out. Try calling her.”

“I did. She isn't picking up her phone and she always does. Always.” 

Ekko refused to feel worried about Jinx. “I don't know Vi, maybe her battery died. I'm sure she is with her friends.” 

“I don't have their phone numbers! Ekko, I don't know what else to do.” 

A few devastating seconds of silence passed by before Vi spoke again, her voice trembling with fear.

“She didn't return home yesterday.” 

A strong tug pulled at Ekko's heartstrings. His pulse quickened from the fear that rushed to him suddenly. 

“What do you mean she didn't return home?” 

“Dad hasn't seen her since Wednesday. Ekko, I'm scared. I don't know what to do.” 

Ekko looked around him as if someone was there to give him an answer. Vi, the strongest, most put together person Ekko knew, was scared. Where did that leave him? 

“What's going on?” Janine whispered beside him but Ekko didn't pay any attention because Vi was speaking again. 

“Cait said it is still too early to report a missing person but I don't…I don't know what else to do.”

“Okay, relax ,” Ekko breathed, his mind running a hundred miles per hour to come up with a solution. 

“She must have slept over at someone else's dorm. I'm sure she's just sleeping somewhere and forgot to text you.” 

Hushed cries came in Ekko's ear that he recognized as Isha's. His heart tightened in anguish. 

“Shush, it's okay sweetie. Go back inside with dad. Jinx will be here any moment now.” 

When enough time passed that Ekko made sure Isha had returned inside the house he broke the silence. 

“What is Isha doing up this late?” 

“She can't sleep. Not without Jinx.” 

“Fucking hell,” he muttered, running a hand over his face. 

“Do you have any idea where she might be?” 

Ekko thought about all the possible places where Jinx could be. He tried to not think about her body cast aside on the bottom of a ditch. His heart palpitations became uneven at the mere image. Then the answer dawned on him. 

“I think I do.”

“Okay. Tell me and I'll go search for her.”

“No. You stay with Isha and Vander. I'll go search for her.” 

“But you're working–”

“I'll find her,” Ekko spoke with such certainty that it made Vi pause. 

“Isha needs you right now.”

Vi swallowed hard. “Okay. Okay. Call me immediately if something happens.” 

“I will, I promise.”

Ekko snapped the handset in the switch hook, immediately getting up. 

“I am so sorry but I have to go,” he said to Janine who watched him as he darted to the back room to grab his things. 

“What happened? Is it your dad?” 

“I don't have time to explain,” he said, checking his phone that was inside his backpack. Twenty one calls from Vi, seven from Vander and thirteen from his dad. None from Jinx. 

“Fuck,” he cussed out, grabbing his jacket and rushing out the backroom. 

“I hope everything is alright.” 

“Me too,” he muttered, angry with himself for not checking his phone between breaks. “Tell Scar that I–” 

“Don't mind Scar now!” Janine exclaimed. “I got it from here. You, go now!” 

“I owe you!” Ekko said, stepping out of the front door and getting into Benzo's car and stepping on the pedal.

ⴵ

The atmosphere on the first floor was that of a madhouse. Jinx had to push her way through the dancing bodies all around her to move even an inch into the packed living room. Her head was banging in the rhythm of the music that echoed through the speakers as she grabbed a red plastic cup from a coffee table and gulped it down in one go. The liquor burned her throat and Jinx focused on only that. 

As she enjoyed the drink, someone knocked her over. Jinx lost her balance and found herself on her hands and knees on the floor. 

“Watch where you're going,” she muttered, not having the strength to get back up. Instead she crawled on the floor, avoiding stepping on the dancing figures around her and the empty cups and bottles. Things seemed so much different from the floor. Jinx liked the new point of view. 

As she crawled, her knee bumped into something solid that was resting on the ground. Confused and dizzy from the alcohol she picked it up. Jinx inspected the cracked screen of the phone, the phone case with the half moons and stars scattered on it and oh, look! The wallpaper was a picture of her and her sisters from the summer break two years ago. 

It took longer than it needed for Jinx to realize that was her phone. It was a good thing she had found it. She faintly remembered searching for it earlier.

“Want help?”

Jinx looked up at the owner of the voice. An unknown blondie was bending over her, looking at her with a wide smile. Jinx blinked at him. She did not know the guy. 

“Did you fall over? Do you want help getting up?”

He gave her his hand and Jinx took it, slipping her phone in the pocket of her jeans. Blondie pulled her up and Jinx saw blue and yellow lights at the sudden launch. 

“There,” blondie smiled. “Better right?”

“I guess,” Jinx mumbled, letting go of the guy's hand. Before she could let her arm fall to her side, he had grabbed it again.

“Hey are you okay? You seem a little drunk. Would you want to lay down for a while?”

“I don’t get drunk,” she whined, trying to set herself free but blondie’s grip was strong. 

“Come on, let’s get upstairs,” he said, pulling her after him.

The guy was really starting to get on Jinx’s nerves. 

“I don’t want to!”

Jinx wiggled away from him, stepping away. She glared at him, rubbing her arm. Blondie’s demeanor changed in an instant from friendly to downright threatening.

“You will come with me now,” he said, reaching his hand to grab at Jinx again.

He never managed to. A stronger hand grabbed his wrist, stopping him from touching Jinx. Jinx looked at her wannabe savior. 

“Ekko?” She asked, confused. Maybe blondie was right. She was drunk and was seeing things.

“What the–”

Ekko sent blondie tripping backwards only using force with the hand that was wrapped around his wrist. He then turned to Jinx. He was dressed in scrubs and his eyes were locked on her, burning with fiery tension.

“Follow me out, get in the car and I’ll drive you home. Now.”

Jinx scowled at his tense tone. She didn’t particularly want to be there but now that Ekko had made it clear he wanted her gone, she would not go anywhere. 

“No.”

Ekko’s jaw set. “Now, Jinx.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Don’t make me cause a scene–”

“I am fine here!”

“Hey, you heard her.”

Blondie appeared out of nowhere, passing his arm around Jinx. 

“She wants to stay. So why don’t you just go, hm?”

Jinx shoved the guy away from her, annoyed. 

“I'm not talking to you!” 

“Jinx.”

Ekko moved closer to her, his tone dangerously serious. A strange spark lit inside Jinx at the authoritarian way he said her name.

“It is late. You need to get home. Isha and Vi are worried.”

Jinx’s lips parted. She had lost track of time and space. What day was it? And she hadn’t called Vi or seen Isha since her phone went missing until some moments ago.

“Let’s just get into the car, okay?”

She nodded absentmindedly, following after Ekko. 

“Hey!”

The blondie grabbed Jinx’s arm, angrily. He wasn't taking the hint, was he?

In the flash of an eye, Jinx thrusted her elbow right into the blondie’s face. He fell back, clutching his nose with both hands and wailing in pain.

“Y–you bitch!” He shrieked from the floor. “You broke my fucking nose!”

“Deserved, you fucking shit!”

Her answer seemed to anger him. With a growl he shot up from the floor but before he could attack Jinx he was stopped by Ekko’s fist that made contact with his jaw, sending him back to the floor again with a devastatingly loud sound.

“Let’s go,” he said as she moved past the crowd that had gathered around them to look at blondie who was still floored. 

Jinx quickly recovered from the shock and ran after Ekko. The coldness of the night hugged Jinx’s skin like a blanket, making her senses a bit more acute. She got into the driver’s seat of the car that Ekko had walked in on and before she could even close the door shut, they had already rushed into the street. 

Ekko leaned his elbow on the beltline of the car, driving with only his right arm. His knuckles were pulsating from where his fist made contact with that asshole’s face and they would surely bruise by morning.

“I hope you are happy,” he said, crisply. “Your sisters are at home worried about you and you are picking fights with scumbags at frat parties!”

From the passenger's seat, Jinx remained silent. She pushed her index finger against the cold window, leaving a smudged fingerprint on it, seemingly not paying attention. 

“You got everyone worried,” Ekko went on, his previous worry for Jinx’s wellbeing having transformed into anger after making sure she was alive and well.

“You didn’t return home for a whole day! Nobody has heard of you for a whole day! Did you think about that?”

A sob escaped from Jinx's lips. She had really tried to hold herself back from crying but her tears just fell so easily. She covered her face in her hands, fully crying, the alcohol having made her emotions unstable. He looked at her, taken by complete surprise. 

“Hey,” he said much softer. He didn’t mean to be so hard on her. 

“Can…”

Jinx took in a deep breath, wiping her tears in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she was crying in front of Ekko.

“Can we stop somewhere to get something to eat? I’m hungry.”

Ekko stole a glance at her and then looked back at the road. 

“Yeah, of course we can.”

They drove in silence after that. Only Jinx’s deep breaths as she tried to stabilize her ragged breathing interrupted the perfect silence. Ekko stole glances at her throughout the ride but didn’t want to disturb her when she was in such a fragile state. 

Soon, Ekko pulled up in front of a gas station. Jinx opened her door and stepped out of the car, staggering to her feet that were swaying a little. She looked around her at the empty station, wrapping her arms around her bare arms. 

“Are you cold?”

Jinx turned around. “No,” she lied, rubbing her arms to try and warm up in the coldness of the night.

Without a word, Ekko grabbed his jacket from the backseat and threw it at her. Jinx inspected the olive colored jacket as Ekko locked the car and walked to the market. She quickly put it on and followed after him.

The employee behind the counter didn’t raise her head as Ekko and Jinx walked inside. The mini market was as empty as the outside, ambience music playing in the back as they strolled through the narrow hallways.

Ekko opened a fridge and picked the first ice cream he found, immediately placing it over his knuckles and wincing at the contact. Some skin was scraped and blood was oozing from his wounds. He looked away from his hand, his eyes searching for Jinx. She was looking very seriously at the row of biscuits in front of her, checking every individual price.

“You can get whatever you want,” he reassured. 

Jinx looked at him and nodded, grabbing a pack and setting it on the counter. The employee put her phone aside and scanned their purchases. While Ekko paid, Jinx took her food and walked out of the market. Ekko’s gaze never left her as she sat on the pavement outside of the market.

“Thank you,” he said, before opening the door.

Silently, he walked to Jinx and took a seat next to her, making sure to leave the appropriate space between them. 

Jinx didn’t acknowledge his presence, just ate her food quietly. Suddenly, she stopped munching on the biscuit and looked at the packaging in deep thought. 

“Do you think I will get fat if I eat this?” She asked him.

Ekko furrowed his brow in concern at her unexpected question. 

“Of course you won’t. Why would you say that?”

Jinx remained silent, the biscuit in her hand crumbling the more she held onto it. 

“I don't really like eating,” she confessed.

Alarming silence fell between them. Jinx put the biscuit back in the package, not knowing what to do with it. She avoided looking at Ekko while she spoke again, not knowing why she was saying all that to him.

“I mean I do like eating but sometimes it feels like a chore.”

“Why does it feel like a chore?”

Jinx winced at how soft his tone was. She wanted him to be angry at her, not kind. It was confusing and she was already confused about everything. 

“Because… I can't enjoy it. Sometimes I am not hungry at all. But I have to eat and I just eat so much and my stomach gets so full I feel sick. And I regret it afterwards. There are days I can’t eat a thing and others where I just eat everything around me.”

Ekko didn’t interrupt her. He listened to her without judgment, just letting her conclude on her own. Jinx’s head was still spinning but she felt more at ease when he listened to her talk about these things she had never talked about to anyone before. 

“And everything is so damn expensive! I want to eat but food is so fucking pricey these days and I feel bad buying snacks and shit.” 

He let out a sigh. “Because you feel like you are wasting money.”

Jinx’s lips parted, in surprise. Ekko had just taken the words out of her mouth. Growing up poor had taken a toll on Jinx. Despite having enough money now, she couldn’t help but still check all the prices and try to economize on everything. A wave of relief washed over her. It felt good being understood. And of course Ekko would understand. They had grown up together, both of them being in similar places. 

“Do you know that bakery a few blocks from our house?”

Ekko shook his head negatively. Jinx smiled softly. 

“They have this big display that changes each week. And they have all those different sweets and pastries in the front. I walk past it sometimes and each day they have those croissants with blueberry lemon filling.”

“Have you tried them?”

“No,” she said, weaning that soft smile again to prove it really didn’t bother her. “They cost like twelve dollars each.”

Ekko rubbed his nape, supporting his elbows on his knees. 

“Eating is not a chore. Or something you have to overthink so much.”

Jinx looked at him, fixing his jacket so it covered more of her shoulders. It was too big on her. 

“You shouldn’t starve yourself. Or have regrets when you eat something. You should eat as much as you want and whatever you want without worrying about if it's going to make you bigger or if it’s expensive. If you want to eat, then you eat. And what if it’s a little expensive? You can buy it once in a while but enjoy it when you do. You can't ignore what your body needs to sustain itself.” 

Jinx’s eyes filled with tears again. She looked away, taking a biscuit out of the package and eating it. The sweet flavor was all she focused on as she alleviated her hunger, eating another and then another. 

“Promise me you will eat more from now on.”

She nodded, not looking at him. She didn’t want to see her cry again. 

She continued eating while Ekko placed the ice cream on his knuckles. Jinx observed him from the corner of her eye. 

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s nothing. Does your elbow hurt?”

She shrugged. “I don’t feel anything right now.”

“That motherfucker had it coming.”

Jinx nodded, swallowing the biscuits. They were the first thing she ate all day and they were fucking delicious.

“Are you beginning to sober up a little?” He asked, tilting his head to look at her. “Do you want me to get you some water or coffee from the market?”

“I'm not drunk. I never get drunk. I'm just dizzy, that’s all.”

He didn’t say anything to that, clenching and unclenching his right fist to make the numbness of the ice he had on it wear off. Jinx took a ragged breath, fully turning around to face Ekko. Feeling bold, Jinx set her palm on Ekko’s shoulder. 

Ekko went rigid at the contact. Her palm simply rested on his shoulder, rubbing the material of his light blue scrubs between her pointer and thumb. He was still in his work attire, having no time to get out of them when he left from the Firelights home. 

“You were at work?”

He nodded. Her hand remained on his shoulder and Ekko could swear he felt the warmth of her touch right against his skin despite the layers of clothes that separated them.

Her hand slipped from his shoulder. She tried not to think of how she must look, mascara staining her cheeks and her clothes and hair a mess that still smelled of chlorine from the pool that Kayn dropped her in yesterday night. 

“Why are you so nice to me?”

Ekko opened and closed his mouth, unsure of what to say. Of course he knew the answer but he wasn’t sure if Jinx wanted to hear it. 

“I don’t know,” he simply said. 

She threw her head back, looking up at the sky. It was still dark, not a single star in the deep blue sky. Jinx popped another biscuit in her mouth.

“I've been awful to you. You should hate me. I would hate me.”

“Is that what you want? For me to hate you?”

Jinx brought her legs to her chest, hugging them tight. “It doesn’t matter. I never get what I want.”

She brought the collar of his jacket closer to her, trying to hide as much of her face as she could. It smelled nice, like fabric softener and his cologne. Jinx's stomach went tight.

“I’m sorry.”

Ekko considered her, his eyes searching hers. His inner conflict about her was stronger than ever. One day she acted like the worst version of herself and the next she showed him fragments of her, the real her. But he couldn't forgive her just yet. 

“I’m not the one you should be saying sorry to. I can't forgive you. It’s Mylo that needs your sorry, not me.” 

Jind closed her eyes. “I know but… I'm just sorry, okay? I fucked up.” 

Ekko let out a soft chuckle. He was still angry at her for using Mylo to get to him but a part of him couldn't fight how impressed he was at her strength for admitting her fault. He was not strong enough to dismiss her completely. 

Jinx ate the last biscuit, setting the package aside. She fidgeted on her spot, her dizziness having somewhat given way. They were just talking, like things were normal. Like they were normal. 

“Do you want to eat that too?” 

Jinx looked at the ice cream in Ekko’s hand. 

“Aren't you going to eat that?” 

“No. I bought it for my hand.” 

Her stomach made an embarrassing sound with the prospect of eating again. Jinx grabbed the half melted ice cream and turned away from him, shyly. 

Ekko had to fight back his smile as he watched Jinx devour the treat, satisfied that she was eating. He passed his fingers across his knuckles. 

“Do you think it's going to leave a scar?” 

Jinx peaked at his hand, her lips smeared with vanilla ice cream. “No. It's not deep enough. And it would bleed more if it was to leave a scar.” 

“You know a lot about scars.” 

Jinx opened her palm, showing Ekko her hand. Numerous small burns slightly darker than her skin tone were scattered against her fingers. 

“Where did you get all these?” 

“I used to work at a café. Let me tell you, it's near impossible to make a cappuccino without getting first degree burns.”

He smiled. “You were a barista?” 

“What, hard to imagine?” 

“A little.” 

Jinx smiled, counting with her fingers. “Hm, let's see. I've been a barista, a waitress, dad let me work as a secretary in his firm for a while, bartender of course at the Last Drop for all of last year and I used to tutor a kid in physics.”

“That's a lot,” Ekko said, impressed. “When the hell did you have time to do all that?” 

“After I graduated,” Jinx threw the ice cream stick away with force. “I didn't get into college so I didn't have another choice.” 

Jinx pushed her legs away from her, straightening them. Talking about her failing was a painful memory she didn't want to revisit, still feeling ashamed of herself. But the alcohol had made her tongue loose and she was surprisingly comfortable in Ekko's presence. 

“I failed.” 

“Now that's just bullshit,” Ekko protested. “You're the smartest fucking person in our university. That's common knowledge.”

“No, I did,” she insisted, looking at him weirdly. How could he not see the truth? 

“Everyone got into a college. I…didn't. We couldn't afford the tuition and I fucked up the final exams, anyway. Everyone else moved on and I just stayed behind.”

“And look at you now. Top of your class with a paid scholarship by Cassandra fucking Kiramann. And you work for her. You're a genius. Always have been. An acceptance letter doesn't define you.”

Jinx rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. “I guess.” 

“Guessing is not enough. I need you to know it.” 

“Fine. I know it, okay? I'm just being salty and dramatic because I'm drunk.” 

Ekko smirked. “I thought you didn't get drunk.” 

Jinx looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. She was suddenly struck with a sense of deja vu. They had once sat down next to each other and talked about nothing and everything just like they were now. 

It was a fond memory in Jinx's foggy mind. It felt like home. 

“Why don't you hate me?” 

“Jinx,” he said in exasperation, shaking his head. 

“No seriously, tell me. I represent everything you hate. I work for the capitalist pigs that are Kiramanns. Why don't you hate me?” 

Ekko pushed his hair back. “Do you want to work for them?” 

Jinx made a face. “Not really.” 

“Yeah, I figured.”

Jinx lowered her head, her loose hair framing her face and hiding her from Ekko. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making her look at him. 

“You're too hard on yourself. Stop blaming and punishing yourself for things that are beyond your reach.” 

Jinx's lower lip trembled. She bit hard on it, willing it to stop. Ekko smiled at her in that kind, gentle way that had her wondering how could such good people exist in this world. Probably to even out for the awful people like her. 

“You're not as bad as you think you are, Jinx.”

Her eyes were transfixed on his smile. His lips were plumb and looked so soft. On instinct, Jinx licked her own lips. She couldn't help but wonder if they were as soft as they looked. 

Slowly, she bent towards him. Before she could even get their faces close, Ekko interrupted the moment.

“Are you done eating? Do you want me to get you anything else?” 

“No,” she shook her head, trying to get the image out of her head. 

“Let's go home.” 

Ekko got up, offering her his hand. Jinx took it, getting up on her feet. He guided her to the car, making sure she didn't trip over and placed her on the passenger seat. As soon as her head rested against the seat, Jinx dozed off. She didn't wake up, not even when Ekko pulled up outside of the house. 

He carried her in his arms. She felt barely heavier than a feather as he carried her in the house. Ekko gritted his teeth. He needed to make sure she ate more. 

“Oh, thank God!” 

Everyone rushed to them, worried and relieved looks searching for explanations from Ekko. 

“She is alright, just a little drunk,” Ekko explained, carrying Jinx to her room with her family following behind them. 

“She is alright,” Vi cried out, hugging Isha as they went into Jinx's room. 

Ekko placed Jinx on her bed. She was still in his jacket, curled inside of it like a cat. Her eyes opened for a moment to stare at him and then she fell asleep again. 

Vi pushed him away to get to her sister. Ekko retrieved back, leaving Jinx some space. Before he could leave Vander lifted his head to look at him. 

“Thank you.” 

He smiled before closing the door. Benzo was waiting for him outside, looking at him with a proud look. 

“You did good,” his father said, patting him on the back. 

They both left her in the care of her family before retrieving to their own rooms. 

Chapter Text

I lost my heart and my mind

I try to always do right

I thought I lost you this time

You just came back in my life

You never gave up on me

I never know what you see

I don't do well when alone

You hear it clear in my tone 

Heartless-The Weeknd

The sound of the heavy rain outside the window tangled up Jinx’s dreams, confusing reality with the state of dreaming. Slowly, she stirred awake, pulling her covers firmer against herself and nuzzling against the warmth of her bed. 

Everything hurted. A prominent headache had greeted her as soon as she opened her puffy eyes. Jinx had to blink several times to see clearly. She had slept in her contacts and now her eyes were as dry as a desert. Why hadn't Vi taken off her contacts after she was done cleaning her up when she threw up last night?

Jinx's eyes shot open. What the fuck happened last night? All the memories rushed back to her, vivid and detailed to an annoying extent. Her own subconscious couldn't let her forget the humiliating way she had acted just a few hours ago, remembering even the tiniest detail of ridiculing herself in front of Ekko. Wasn't the whole point of being hangover that your memories were erased by morning?

Groaning, she got up from the bed, feeling like a thousand needles were pushed into her skull. She looked down at the clothes that Vi dressed her in, a pair of pajama pants that was too big for her around the waist and a black t-shirt with anime characters on it that she had owned since middle school. At least she was clean, the smell of the chlorine having washed off from her body and hair. But her mouth still carried the disgusting feeling of having just thrown up that she needed to rinse off immediately. 

With slow steps she moved to the bathroom door on the hallway. The light blue tiles reflected the light of the bulb and made Jinx squint her eyes as she took her toothbrush and began brushing her teeth. As she busied herself with rinsing her mouth, she stole a glance at her reflection in the round mirror hanging above the sink. Her bloodshot eyes took in her ensemble of tangled hair and chapped, dehydrated lips. Jinx sighed, looking away from herself through the mirror. Her eyes caught an unusual shade of olive green hanging on the side of the bathtub with the rest of the clothes she wore last night. Jinx turned around and took Ekko’s jacket in her hands.

She ran her hand through it, the fabric rough against her fingertips. She remembered talking to him in the gas station while wearing it, blurting out the stupidest things that ran through her mind. And he had listened without interrupting, without trying to make a point out of her stupid thoughts but only listened with genuine interest. 

Jinx brought the jacket to her face, inhaling the scent. Thankfully, her own smell had not seeped into the fabric when she wore it and it still smelled like him. 

Grasping onto it, she made her way to the stairs after she was done using the restroom. She had to give it to him immediately, not wanting to hold on to it for any more than was necessary. The sound of utensils scratching against porcelain plates made her headache worse as she entered the kitchen. 

The low whispers ceased as soon as Jinx appeared, making her way to the only empty chair around the table. She could feel all eyes on her as she set Ekko's jacket on the back of her chair and sat down with a heavy sigh from the struggle of walking down the stairs. 

Nobody around her spoke. Jinx didn't dare look beside her at Vi or at her father at the end of the table. Instead she kept her head low, looking at the various plates of food in front of her. Her heart nearly stopped when she caught sight of fluffy, buttery croissants that were set on a plate. 

Her eyes shot to Ekko but he was not looking at her. He sipped from his mug, only lifting his eyes to steal a quick glance at her. 

The growl in Jinx's stomach made her reach out for the croissant, taking the first bite. She almost teared up. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. The soft crust melted in her mouth and the sweet and sour blueberry lemon filling made her tasting buds tingle with how flavourful it was. As soon as she was done, she grabbed another, that she eagerly ate. The color slowly returned to her face. Everyone around the table let out a collective sigh of relief. 

“Here, my girl,” Benzo said, setting a tall glass, filled with a suspicious looking green substance, in front of her. 

“It’s a special recipe,” he smiled at her. “We all had nasty hangovers.” 

Jinx swallowed the delicious food, taking the glass and covering her nose as she swallowed it in one go.

“What even is in this?” She said, setting the empty glass down and cringing at the taste of spinach and raw egg she detected in it.

“Trust me, you don't want to know. But the dizziness will be gone in an hour.” 

“Here.” 

Vi left a cookie with pink sugar icing on Jinx's plate.

“To wash off the bad taste,” she said, not looking at her sister. Besides Jinx, Isha too left a waffle on her plate with a smile on her face. 

Jinx happily devoured the treats, her stomach begging for more food. She was so hungry. As she ate Vi stroked her hair lovingly, still not saying anything. Isha took Jinx's free hand and squeezed it, showing her own affection. 

“Sorry,” Jinx grumbled between bites. 

Before her sisters could say a thing, Vander's rough voice made them keep quiet. 

“Eat for now Jinx. We will discuss this later.”

Jinx found it hard to swallow. She turned back to her plate, looking at it intensely and grabbing another croissant. If she couldn't escape the inevitable talk with her father at least she could enjoy her breakfast until then. 

Three croissants and a mug of black coffee later, Jinx leaned back against her chair, full. Almost immediately, Vander got up moving to the living room, a silent order for Jinx to follow. After he was gone, there was nothing left for Jinx to do but follow him. 

Vander was waiting for her in the middle of the living room with his arms crossed. Jinx walked to her father with her head low.

“Sit down.” 

Licking some leftover sugar from her lips she sat on the couch with her father hovering above her. She didn't want to look up at him, afraid to see the look of anger and disappointment on his face. 

“What do you have to say for yourself?” 

Jinx threaded her fingers together. “I'm sorry.” 

“About?” 

“About making everyone worry. I'm sorry.” 

Vander sighed, sitting on the coffee table so he could be on eye level with Jinx. 

“You didn't return home for an entire day. We almost went crazy with worry. Vi was ready to have Cait file you in as missing.” 

Jinx remained silent, listening to her father scolding her. His calmness was irritating. Jinx would have much preferred if he was yelling at her angrily like Silco did when she got on his nerves. But Vander never yelled at his girls no matter how serious the situation was. 

“Isha couldn't sleep while you were gone and Vi stayed over. We were calling you all night, trying to reach out to you but there was no response. For God's sake, Ekko had to leave work to find you. And where were you?” 

“At a party,” she muttered. 

“A party,” Vander shook his head, disappointed. Jinx's eyes watered. 

“I fucked up, I know.” 

“Do you, now?” 

“I do and I'm sorry. It was my fault for not picking up but I lost my phone somewhere in the house and found it when it was too late. I lost track of time, okay?”

Vander shook his head again. “I need you to understand the gravity of the situation. You made us all worried because you were careless enough to lose track of time. And for what? A party. The same ones you've been going to each night instead of focusing on your studies.” 

Jinx didn't respond. She folded her arms over her chest, looking away from Vander like a stubborn child. 

“How much did you drink?”

She shifted in her spot, not answering. 

“Mixing alcohol with your medication can not be good for you.” 

“Just tell me how many days I'm grounded for and leave it to that, dad.” 

“You are a grown woman even if you don't act like it. I'm not going to ground you as if you were Isha’s age.” 

Jinx scoffed. She knew she was acting like a brat but Vander's easy parenting was driving her to the edge. “Then why are we having this conversation?” 

“Because I want you to understand that your actions have consequences to the people you love.” 

He rested a hand on her shoulder. His hand was so heavy it made Jinx's shoulder slump forward. 

“Listen, Powder,” he said much gentler and Jinx wasn't even bothered by her old name coming out of his lips. “I know you want to party without a care and God knows you deserve to after working as hard as you have. But the people that care about you, the people you love should never be your second priority.” 

Jinx was really going to cry at this rate. She sniffed her nose, putting her arms around her bare arms and wishing she was wearing that stupid jacket right now. 

“Isha looks up to you. Everything you do, she copies a second later. You need to become a proper role model for her.”

Vander patted Jinx’s shoulder one last time. He turned around before he could leave the room, having one last thing he had to say to her. 

“From now on Ekko will take you to every party you go to.” 

Jinx's mouth hung open. “What?” 

“If you can't watch out for yourself, Ekko will.” 

“I thought you wouldn't ground me!”

“This is not me grounding you. It's a way to keep you safe from yourself.”

“I don't need him to watch over me. And he will never agree to this shit!” 

“He already has. And watch your language, young lady.” 

Jinx groaned loudly. “That's your plan? To have him stick around me everywhere I go like a goddamn babysitter?”

“Well you need one with the way you're acting,” Vander said with a smirk. Jinx covered her face, groaning again. 

“I can not understand why you seem to dislike Ekko so much,” her father tilted her head. “Don't tell me it's because you're embarrassed that you used to have a crush on him?”

Jinx pulled her hands away from her face at the speed of light to glare at Vander. He only laughed, taking her anger as a sign of guilt. 

“I remember when you used to glue your face to the window every time he passed by our house with his bike just to take a peek at him. Oh, I should have known.” 

“Dad, I swear if you ever tell this to anyone I will literally die.”

Vander laughed. “You can return to the kitchen now to eat some more. Eating is good after all the throwing up you did last night.”

“I can't, I have to take Isha to school.” 

“Vi will take Isha to school today,” Vander said unexpectedly. “Ekko will take you to Dr. Sky's office and Benzo and I will go to Zaun.”

Jinx's brown creased. “Why?” 

“Because you are in no condition to drive. You barely slept last night.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I had to wake up early to get the kid to school. It's called a circadian rhythm.” 

“And this is called taking care of my daughter's mental and physical health,” Vander's tone was final, making Jinx pause.  

“After you are through with Dr. Sky I want you to go to your classes. I will see you before the bar opens for the night.” 

Those were her father's last words before he left. Jinx sat alone in the living room, contemplating and biting on her long nails, lost in her own thoughts. There was no way her father wasn't grounding her by making Ekko follow her around like a puppy everywhere she went. He wanted her to stop going to parties all together and this was his way of achieving that. And it would work if Jinx didn't see right through it. 

When she finally returned to the kitchen, only Ekko was left sitting on the table. She could feel his gaze on her as she sat back down on her chair and brought the plate of blueberry lemon croissants in front of her. After having a taste of them, nothing could come between her and them. 

“Attack on Titan, huh?” 

Jinx looked up at him in irritation. He was smiling awkwardly at her, pointing at her shirt. Jinx looked down at her chest, at the determined faces of Eren, Mikasa and Armin staring at the horizon. The shirt was a heirloom, once she had since she was thirteen. Back then, she and Ekko had begun watching Attack on Titan together and they immediately became obsessed with it. She had kept the shirt all this time only because throwing out clothes that still fitted her was a waste, even if it was a little humiliating to know she still fitted into clothes she owned when she was thirteen.

“The last season got me emotional,” he went on. “Man, when Hange died I really cried. She was one of the best for real. You liked Armin, right?” 

“Mhm,” she grumbled, swallowing. “Do you still want to fuck the Female Titan?”

Ekko’s eyes widened so much Jinx could swear they doubled in size. He cleared his throat, fighting the blush that made the top of his ears burn. 

“I didn't want to in the first place,” he tried to justify himself, still shocked at how forward she was.

Jinx ate her croissant, unbothered. “I remember when we used to watch it snuggled up on my bed. You were practically fuming at the mouth when she appeared. You were all Annie this and Annie that.” 

“I–I wasn't!”

“Sure, sure,” Jinx chuckled. Ekko's embarrassment was so immense he wished he could die. 

“And if someone was fuming at the mouth about a character that was you.” 

Jinx raised an eyebrow, her mouth stuffed with food. “Huh?” 

“You were unable to talk about anything else besides Armin,” Ekko shrugged. “Even when he had that fuckass bowl haircut.” 

“First of all I wasn't,” she said, putting her croissant down. “And second of all, I like a smart guy. Armin's the smartest. That impresses me.” 

“Please. He is so manipulative!” 

“Annie is a whole spy, where are you getting at?” 

“She didn't have any other choice! And I thought you liked Annie!”

“Just admit you like cold, deadpan, sarcastic chicks and leave it at that.” 

“Annie is not–”

Ekko stopped himself. 

“Are we really going to fight over Attack on Titan?” 

Jinx popped the rest of the croissant in her mouth. “Who’s fighting?” 

“At least it's good that you're feeling better today.” 

Jinx resumed her eating again, not wanting to say anything to that. Ekko observed her as she ate the pastries he had bought that morning. He had woken up earlier than everyone else just to be sure he was first in line to buy those croissants before they were sold out. 

“Do you like them?” 

“They are the best thing I've ever tasted.” 

After a moment she looked at him, trying to act as indifferent as she could. 

“Thank you.” 

Ekko smiled. He looked like a child when he smiled, innocent and kind. Jinx had to look away to stop herself from looking at him too much. 

“I have to drive you to your doctor's appointment?” 

Ekko posed it as a question, like skipping her appointment was a choice she was willing to take. Jinx had no wish to disappoint Vander even more than she already had. 

She got up, taking Ekko's jacket from the back of the chair. “I'll give you the directions.”

Ekko was halfway through getting up when he stopped.

“Wait,” he looked at her in question. “Do you not like Annie anymore because she ended up with Armin?” 

Jinx blinked once then twice then thrice before she turned around on her heel and sprinted out the door. 

“Wha– Jinx wait!” 

The sudden cold hit Jinx as soon as she stepped outside. The unpredictable weather of March had transformed the day into a rainy and cold winter nightmare. Hastily, Jinx put on Ekko's jacket, trying to not get herself entirely wet as she ran to the garage. 

“Don't you want to change first?” Ekko asked when he caught up to her. He was wearing a coat and was holding an umbrella, perfectly prepared for the day's weather. Jinx shivered in her night clothes and demonia boots. She must look ridiculous to gaze upon. 

“Let's just get this over with,” she said, climbing into the car. 

Ekko followed suit, starting the engine. Raindrops whiplashed the window sill of the car when they exited the garage door and rolled into the road. Ekko turned on the heater as Jinx watched the rainy road outside of the window. 

“So what kind of doctor are you seeing today?” He broke the silence. 

“A psychiatrist.” 

His gaze left the road to look at her in worry. 

“I don't actually need to see her,” Jinx added, trying to ignore his stare. “I'm fine. I only go so she can prescribe me with more pills each month.”

“What kind of pills are you on?”

“Antidepressants. But I am well, I am completely well. To be honest I don't think I even need to take them anymore,” she said firmly. 

Ekko clenched his jaw, turning to look in front of him again. A red light made the car halt.

“Since when?” 

“I showed signs of depression in the first month after the police caught us,” her gaze was still locked outside, looking at a crow that had found shelter from the rain under a bus station. “It was a lot back then. With the trials and everything. Not that I remember any of it now. It’s like all the memories were wiped out.” 

Jinx continued to look at the crow as they waited for the light to turn green. A warm hand rested on her thigh, making Jinx turn her head in surprise. Ekko's left arm was still holding the wheel and Jinx stared at the torn knuckles of the hand that rested on her thigh, trophies of their fight with blondie at the frat last night. 

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to for Jinx to understand. 

When the light turned green, Ekko retrieved his hand from her thigh, taking his warmth with it. Jinx tried not to think about it. She tried to not think about anything because the more she thought about last night, about Ekko, about her father and family, the more she became frustrated with herself for letting her guard down and acting so stupid. 

She felt frustrated for sharing so much with him, things she hadn't even shared with Vi. Even drunk, Jinx should know better. The vulnerability she had shown last night was a weakness she wished she could hide from him. She hated that he had seen her at her lowest. 

“Jinx, hey! Wait a second!” 

As soon as the car stopped in the parking lot of the business center, Jinx darted out the door, running to the elevator. 

“You brought me here as you promised Vander,” Jinx muttered in anger, pushing the elevator button again and again as if that would make it arrive faster. “You can leave now. I don't need a babysitter.” 

“I'm not your babysitter.” 

At the last minute Ekko entered the elevator with Jinx before the doors closed. He looked at her in silent question. Jinx brushed him off, looking at the ascending numbers of the screen of the elevator.

“What's gotten into you all of a sudden?” 

The elevator doors opened with a soft ting and Jinx stepped out, pretending she hadn't heard him. 

“Did I do something wrong?” 

“Just leave it, Ekko.” 

Jinx pushed the glass door of the office using all her strength. Inside, Dr. Sky was leaning against the reception desk, chatting with the receptionist. Both women looked at Jinx in astonishment as she walked in. 

“Jinx,” Sky checked the time on her watch. “You're actually on time. What a pleasant surprise.” 

Jinx groaned, stepping inside the lobby with Ekko following her. The women's expressions became even more surprised. 

“This is Ekko Elliot,” Jinx said, the weight of having to introduce them falling on her shoulders. “Ekko, this is the doc.” 

“Elliot?” Sky raised an eyebrow as she accepted Ekko's handshake. “I've heard a lot about you.” 

Ekko seemed taken aback by that. He cleared his throat, pushing his hands in his pockets as Sky looked between Jinx and Ekko with a small smile. 

“Well since you're early today, shall we begin the session?” 

“Please,” Jinx said under her breath, passing by Sky and entering her office. 

“I'll wait for you here,” Ekko said after her. 

Sky turned to Ekko holding the door of her office open. “It was really nice meeting you, Ekko.”

“Erm, you too.” 

Sky closed the door and walked inside the room still smiling. Jinx sat on the couch, folding her arms across her chest.

“That was an unexpected outcome.” 

“Don't get any weird ideas. My father made him drive me here.”

“He did?” Sky said, taking her notebook and sitting on her usual armchair. “Why is that?” 

Jinx sighed, scratching her forehead. “I came home late last night and he was pissed.”

“How late were you?” 

“A lot okay?” Jinx bit back, more angry than she had initially wanted to sound. Sky didn't raise an eyebrow at her outburst, patiently waiting for her to continue. Jinx passed her fingers through her hair, tugging on them as she did so. 

“I fucked up. I was away from home for a whole day. And I forgot to check in on my folks and they were worried. And he…he came and picked me up. So now my dad assigned him as my bodyguard.” 

Jinx tugged on her hair again. She suddenly felt like she was going to throw up the precious breakfast she ate. 

“It's my fault,” she said, her fingers slipping from her hair. 

“Did you apologize?” 

“Yeah. To my dad at least. I still have to apologize to Vi and Isha.” 

Jinx was thinking about properly apologizing to her sisters. Maybe a new helmet for Vi and some more crayons for Isha. 

“Is there anyone else you're forgetting?” 

Jinx looked at Sky in question. “No?” 

“What about Ekko Elliot? You told me he was the one that took you home yesterday. He must have been worried, don't you think?” 

Her eyes were still dry and she had to blink several times to see clearly. Jinx leaned her back against the couch. 

“I don't…I don't think he wants me to apologize.”

“How can you be so sure? He brought you here today too, didn't he?” 

“Listen, I apologized for some things yesterday and he didn't forgive me so it will be just a waste of time.” 

Jinx pushed her palms against her eyes, rubbing them. She was so tired, her body begging her to get back home and away from everyone. Outside the building, raindrops continued to fall from the cloudy sky.

“Ever since he came back into my life, everything is just going to shit.”

Sky scribbled something on her notebook. “And do you think that this is entirely his fault?” 

If Sky was waiting for Jinx's reply she never got it. She took her half moon glasses off and set them aside. 

“Changes are hard, I know. But the only thing we can do is adapt. You can not move on if you don't accept the change around you and learn to live by it. Ekko is back in your life for good. You can not erase him or get rid of him. You can only accept that fact.” 

“And just forget everything that happened, right?” Jinx laughed sarcastically. “Forgive and forget that’s what you say, right?” 

“Nobody is asking you to forget. What happened that day was real and your feelings on the matter are real and valid too. But letting go doesn't mean forgetting. It means coming to terms with it and not letting it control you anymore.” 

Jinx rubbed her eyes again, scorching hot tears escaping from her eyes. She kept rubbing them while Sky silently grabbed a box of tissues from her desk and set it in front of her. Jinx was immensely thankful Sky didn't comment on her crying. 

“Have you talked to him?” 

Jinx sniffed her nose, wiping her tears with the tissue. “No.” 

“Maybe you should hear his part of the story. I am sure this will give you some closure.” 

“I don't want to.” 

Sky pushed her eyebrows together in question. “What don't you want?” 

“To hear his part of the story,” Jinx threw the wet tissue away. Her eyes and nose were red from crying and she was holding back more tears. 

“I don't want to become depressed again. I'm well now. What…what if he does it again if I let him in? What if he hurts me again, even worse this time?” 

“He won't, Jinx.” 

“How are you sure?” 

“Because he is right outside this room, waiting for you.” 

Jinx looked at the door separating her and Ekko. He could clearly picture him sitting in the lobby and waiting for her to come out impatiently. He was too good, too good, almost alarmingly good to her. 

“I just try to do the right thing,” she moaned, picking another tissue. “I only want to help. But it feels like I am losing my damn mind.”

“Your actions do not mean any harm, Jinx,” Dr. Sky smiled warmly at her and it almost gave Jinx hope. “Your father and sisters will forgive you. And I think one day, you will find the strength to forgive Ekko as well.” 

Sky rose from the armchair, setting the notebook aside and filling a plastic cup with water from the water dispenser. She gave the cup to Jinx who drank it, the cool water calming her down a little. 

“You're already making progress. I'm very proud of you, you know that?” 

Jinx scoffed weakly. She wasn't particularly fond of people saying they were proud of her. She didn't feel like she deserved others being proud of her. But at least she had stopped crying. 

“Are we done here?” Jinx asked, setting the cup aside, next to the tissues on the coffee table. 

“Yes. Jessica has your prescription ready.” 

Jinx got up, fixing Ekko's jacket that had gone wrinkled while she was sitting. It was too big for her, she was basically drowning in it. Sky smiled knowingly. 

“Talk it out. And everything will make sense,” she advised before Jinx left the office without as much as a word. 

Ekko got up from his chair as soon as Jinx appeared through the door. Without sparing him a glance she collected her prescription from the receptionist and turned to leave. Ekko was quick to follow after her.

“How did it go?” 

She remained silent as they waited for the elevator. Her eyes were even redder than they were before. Ekko didn't push her beyond that. When the elevator arrived they walked inside in silence. 

Ekko leaned against the wall, observing Jinx. “Are you okay?” 

“Yes.” 

She didn't turn her head to look at him. All he could see was her back, her long dyed hair falling down in unkempt blue tangles. It didn't fail Ekko's attention that she was wearing the jacket he had lent her yesterday. He had noticed it since they left the house but chose to not say anything about it. Ekko wanted her to keep wearing it. It suited her more than it ever suited him, anyway. 

They walked in silence to the car. It was unusual for Jinx to be so silent. Even when she was ignoring him she would cast him the occasional death stares that now Ekko almost missed. Ekko kept stealing worried glances at her. He wanted to talk to her again but didn't want to overstep her boundaries. 

“It's raining.” 

Jinx hummed in agreement. 

Ekko mentally slapped himself. This was not how he should approach Jinx after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. He had to be patient with her. Ekko understood she was always putting up a front to appear strong in front of others. But he wanted her to be comfortable around him, as much of a reach as that sounded with their shared history. 

“Hey,” he nudged her playfully with his elbow. Jinx didn't give a reaction. 

“You know if you keep on ignoring me, I will only annoy you more, right?” 

“Just take us to class and drop it, Ekko.” 

Ekko's face scrunched up. He turned his head away from Jinx and just drove in silence. But when the car was brought to a stop it was not in the university's parking lot but back at the house. 

“Why are we here?” Jinx asked while Ekko turned the engine off. 

“So you can get some more sleep,” he said, taking the key out the keyhole but remaining on the driver's seat. “I'm not going to take you to class when you only had four hours of sleep. You'll faint.”

Jinx looked at him in hate. “Fine!” 

She kicked the door open and closed it behind it so loud it echoed in her ears as she stepped into the garage. A moment later Ekko climbed out of the car. 

“Watch the car!” He called after her. “It already has a thousand problems, don't make me get a new door too!” 

“Why are you following me?” 

“So I can get to my room. Not my fault it happens to be in the same direction that you are going in!” 

Jinx turned around abruptly. “You're going to skip class? You?” 

“You can't believe it can you?” 

“No actually I can't,” she said, irritatedly. “You, the golden kid, the motherfucking prodigy, will skip class to watch over me? Was that included in my dad's deal about following me around like a lost puppy?” 

“I'm skipping to rest, not watch over you. Remember? I had to search for you in every frat house in the block and didn't get the chance to rest all night after that?” 

He passed by her, completely ignoring her body that was blocking his way. Jinx turned her head, offended as she went after him. 

“Nobody asked you to search for me!” 

“Your sister did.”

Jinx closed her mouth, ascending the steps of the staircase behind Ekko. 

“Well you didn't have to accept!” 

“Should I have let you fight your way out of there? Because to me it looked like you could use my help.” 

“I don't need your help! I don't need anything from you!” 

Without a warning Ekko turned around. Jinx almost bumped into him but managed to stop walking before they collided. 

“Why are you so upset?” 

Ekko looked at her with his eyebrows drawn together in concern. Jinx swallowed, taken aback by how suddenly he had faced her. His owl-like eyes were staring at her, big and brown and full of worry for her. 

“Are you upset because of what happened yesterday? Or did I do something today that bothered you?” 

Outside, thunder struck, echoing in the empty hallways. It was just them left in the house and even their breathing could be heard clearer and louder than normal, making the scene more personal. Ekko ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. 

“I can't read your mind. If I did something wrong then tell me what it is so I can fix it. Just talk to me.”

Jinx's angry frown seemed to soften but not give way entirely. She was angry not at Ekko, but at herself. Benzo's drink had done wonders, her hangover being completely gone. Now only the staleness of her sober thoughts was left to evaluate how stupid she was. The shame she felt for being so vulnerable in his presence fueled her anger for him. Jinx was ashamed of herself for even entertaining the idea of forgiving him. She really wasn't doing well when she was left alone, always resulting in the most chaotic and painful ways of getting out of a situation, endlessly running in circles.

“Why are you so hung up over it?” 

“Because I want to understand you,” Ekko said, his tone almost pleading. “I'm right here. So please, just talk to me.” 

She clicked her tongue, not looking at him. Jinx couldn't understand why he was still trying to reach her. She would never know what he saw through his eyes when he looked at her. 

“I thought we had found some common ground.” 

“There is never going to be common ground between us.” 

Lightning stroke, making shadows cast between them. The unsaid words were hanging above them like an omen that was hidden behind the look of their eyes. 

“Is this about what happened seven years ago?” 

Jinx threw her arms in the air. “It's always about what happened seven years ago!” 

Ekko took a step closer to her, the space between them diminishing. Jinx felt her stomach flip at the close proximity they had found themselves in. 

“Do you even know what really happened?” He asked, slowly, calculating every word that passed his lips. 

“I was there, I think I know what fucking happened.”

“No,” he shook his head. “Did you read any of the letters I sent you? I explained everything there.” 

Jinx hesitated. She knew that he had sent letters to Vi while she was in juvie and had some letters for her as well that Jinx refused to read. She had thrown them out immediately upon receiving them from Vi. And then one day they just stopped arriving. 

Ekko took another careful step towards her. 

“I don't care what everyone else thinks. I just want you to understand.”

“Understand what? What Ekko? That you betrayed me? Betrayed Vi? That you were going around telling random strangers our secrets?” 

“I never told them anything,” he said, clenching his jaw. 

“Oh, so they just guessed it, right?” She said sarcastically. “They just guessed that we two had fucked.” 

Ekko's chest went tight with the rawness of her words. “It was written all over my face! I was young and stupid and crazy for you and I couldn’t hide it! They were coming to the shop all the time, teasing and trying to get a rise out of me just because they could! They were making disgusting jokes all the time and after it happened, I was so embarrassed they saw right through me!” 

Jinx's eyebrows twitched in doubt. He couldn't be telling the truth. Those were more lies he was blurting out. 

“Do you think it was easy for me? They were older and outnumbered me and I was scared! I just had to smile at them from behind the counter and pray I didn’t got on their nerves. And they overheard me and Vi talking about the Talis’ penthouse and followed me there! I never told them anything about it!”

“And you expect me to believe you after everything?” She threw back, raising her tone of voice. “You fucking abandoned me!” 

“I didn't! I never gave up on you, Jinx! I couldn't.”

His hand came up to her face, gently cupping her cheek, making her look at him. 

“You…”

Jinx’s voice cracked. Everything Ekko said swirled in her mind, like puzzle pieces trying to create an image. She pushed herself to remember but the only thing she could recall as clear as day was her having her world shuttered by Marcus’ words while Ekko simply stood there.

She slapped his hand away. “You're a fucking liar.” 

Ekko took in a breath through his nostrils, trying to calm himself down. 

“That's the truth. If you are so stubborn you can't see it, that's on you.” 

Jinx took in an offended breath. “Stubborn?” 

“Yeah, exactly. As stubborn as a mule and as childish as a toddler.” 

Tension rose between them, making their blood run hotter in their veins. Jinx took a bold step forward, almost standing chest to chest with Ekko. 

“Take that back right now.” 

“Or what?” Ekko asked calmly, looking down at her, his gaze briefly flickering to her lips. “Are you going to call me while you're fingering yourself and call me by another men's name?” 

She pushed her lips together. Ekko smirked, cockily. 

“You think I don't know what you are trying to do? Going out of your way, trying to make me jealous since the first moment we met again. Really Jinx, you care too much.” 

Jinx's chest heaved. “I hate you.” 

He raised an eyebrow, his expression turning cold. “You do?” 

“Yes. I hate you. I can't even stand to look at you.” 

“You're lying.” 

Ekko brought his face closer, now only a breath away from her. Their noses almost touched as he bent closer to her. 

“I'm not,” Jinx panted. The rational part of her told her to step away from the man she claimed to hate but her body was rooted in place. Somehow the thought of getting away from Ekko made her stomach hollow. 

“Lie to me,” he whispered, his lips hanging above hers. “Give me the worst version of you, Jinx. I can take it.” 

His voice was low and sinful, tinged with the roughness she recalled from the night she touched herself with him on the other end of the line. A shudder ran down Jinx's spine. 

“I hate you,” she lied, looking straight in his eyes with want in hers. 

“I will never forgive you for what you did. I hate you so much it makes me sick. At night I can't sleep because I know there is only a wall separating us. And I can't stand it.” 

Ekko clenched his teeth at Jinx's words. He searched her face for any sign of doubt that could be hiding behind them. All hope was lost. 

With a sigh he pulled back from her, putting space between them. Jinx breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. She had gotten so worked up over him being in her personal space that it was hard to breathe, let alone think normally. 

There was nothing more to be said, no more chances to be given. Ekko turned his back to her, ready to leave. Before he went too far, he turned back around to look at Jinx one last time. Jinx clutched her chest, still trying to even out her breathing while she looked back at Ekko with parted lips and flushed face. 

Ekko shook his head in disappointment with himself for the stupid thing he was about to do. They both launch themselves into the other's arms, their limbs getting tangled as their lips met in a desperate kiss.

The first one they shared after almost eight years. 

Chapter Text

He lyin’ to me, and I'm lying to him, fuck it, guess we both ain't shit

B.A.S.-Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Kyle Richh) 

A flash of lightning struck the moment their lips crashed together. They met in the middle, both of them having initiated the kiss. Ekko closed his eyes as he kissed Jinx, his lips hungrily exploring hers as he pushed past the barrier of her lips. 

He kissed her as if he was mad at her. In a way he was. 

Jinx's hands cradled Ekko’s face as she pulled him closer to her, needing to eliminate all the space between them. The kiss was becoming more messy with each passing moment, their teeth clashing a few times but none of them pulling away. They were far too desperate to care.

“God, Jinx,” Ekko mumbled against her lips when he pulled back to give them both the chance to breathe. 

Jinx’s chest heaved as she grabbed Ekko's collar and pulled him back down to her. She couldn't get enough of feeling his (surprisingly) soft lips against her own. Judging by Ekko's groan of approval, he seemed to share her sentiment. 

Her hands travelled across his chest and shoulders, pushing Ekko's coat from his shoulders, letting it carelessly fall to the floor. Jinx felt the strong muscle that was hidden beneath the fabric of his shirt on the tips of her fingers just as Ekko's hands came to rest on her waist, pulling her body closer. As a response, Jinx grasped onto Ekko's broad shoulders that seemed to engulf her frame completely, to stabilize herself. Despite not being that much taller than her, Ekko's body was almost twice her size. Jinx felt a thrill travel down her spine. 

Ekko's tongue continued its battle of dominance as he slowly became more and more lost in her. Jinx's taste on his tongue, sweet and sour just like her, and the feeling of her body against his were sensations that made his heart beat louder than ever against his ribcage. He knew there were a million things they had to talk about before they found themselves sharing such an intense kiss but for once, Ekko was tired of rationalizing everything. He wanted to enjoy this, go as far as she would let him, even if it was only for now. 

And if this was all a lie, that was good enough for him.

Without breaking the kiss, Ekko walked backwards, dragging Jinx that was still in his embrace with him, as he pushed the door of her bedroom open with his back. As soon as they walked inside the dark room, Ekko pushed Jinx against the closed door, making her gasp when her back hit the surface of the wooden door, her lips leaving Ekko's with a wet, scandalizing sound. 

“Jinx,” he whispered, swallowing hard. He leaned his forehead against hers, both of them trying to catch their breathing. 

Jinx didn't respond but instead, let her hands run through his face, mapping his altered features. She was greedy with her touch, wanting to commit to memory even the tiniest detail she missed the time they spent away from each other. 

Her fingers brushed over the cold surface of the silver earrings in Ekko's lobes that she herself had pierced once upon a time. 

“I did that,” she whispered to herself.

“You did, baby,” Ekko bent down, leaving a fervent kiss on her lips. “You did.” 

Ekko left another kiss on her lips and nothing else mattered anymore. Her back was pressed firmly against the door as Ekko's hands ran down her sides. The temperature between them was rising with each kiss and the barrier of Ekko’s jacket was beginning to get on Jinx's nerves. 

Hastily, she let Ekko's jacket slip from her shoulders, leaving Ekko more space to touch her. Kicking her boots off, she let him pin her firmer against the door. His hands roamed over her figure, roughly palming her breasts through her shirt, feeling the twin piercings that adorned her erect nipples under the cotton fabric. 

“Keep going,” Jinx breathed out, fingers threading through his dreads. 

“Shit,” he groaned, his mouth moving lower and trailing a path of kisses down her jawline and neck. 

Blood ran hot in Ekko's veins, his hand slipping under Jinx's t-shirt and lifting it up. His fingertips run along the blue ink of the tattoos on her stomach that appeared as he peeled the garment off of her body. Once the shirt was completely off, Ekko threw it behind his back, leaving Jinx's torso completely bare. Ekko's hungry gaze travelled across the newly exposed skin, licking his lips. 

“I've wanted to know how far these tats go for so long,” he murmured, his finger slipping under the elastic band of her pajama pants. 

“So long,” he purred again, taking in the pattern of the tattoos that stopped a little higher than the beginning of her panties. 

His touch was a little clumsy, not having been this close to someone in a long time but what he lacked in precision he made up for in eagerness. Ekko toyed with the hem of her pants, never letting his fingers slip lower while leaving kisses on the column of Jinx's neck, prolonging what was to come. 

Jinx didn't appreciate teasing. The few times she had been desperate enough to let others have access to her body, she was bored of the whole situation, especially the foreplay. But with Ekko it was different. It was like her body became alight with a fire that he ignited in her with every touch. And Jinx was more than okay with that. 

Impatiently, she pushed her pants down, too desperate to quit for Ekko, letting them pool around her ankles and kicking them aside. Jinx made a silent prayer that Vi hadn't chosen a ridiculous pair of undies for her. Judging by the ridiculous shirt and pants her sister dressed her in, that was a reach. 

Ekko's eyes drank her in under the limited light of the room. There was nothing visible in the sky, despite it being morning outside, thick black clouds having covered the sun. The only source of light that was shed in the room came from the small lamp on Jinx’s floor, sending shadows on the walls and bathing the room in a purplish hue. Everything seemed so…personal.

Ekko's big hands suddenly grabbed her thighs, making her part her legs so he could fit between them. He pushed himself firm against her open thighs, the outline of his dick pressing against Jinx’s thigh, hard and persistent. Jinx rolled her hips against it, craving more.

“I thought you hated me,” he whispered right against her ear while his thumbs ran circles against the bare skin of her thighs. 

Jinx let out a hoarse, forced laugh. “I do. But it has nothing to do with this, does it?” 

Ekko stared at her in uncertainty. Of course this was a fleeting moment of desperation for her. It meant less than nothing. 

“No,” Ekko finally said in resignation. 

Jinx pressed her lips together, dissatisfied with his answer. They were both lying to each other for their own reasons, both of them pretending to be worse people than they really were. 

Without sparing another thought at the mess they had created, Ekko's hand curled around Jinx's neck, pulling her in for another kiss. They both melted into it. Ekko's tongue slipped into her mouth, deepening the kiss while his warm palm ran up and down her bare thighs, slowly moving to grab at her ass. Ekko let out a guttural groan when his fingers sank into the flesh of her ass, kneading the plumb flesh, hungrily.

“Ekko,” Jinx moaned, momentarily drawing back to breathe before diving in for a kiss again. Her voice was shaking as she said his name, a plea of desperation that went straight to Ekko's dick.

His body was firmly pressed against her open legs, his hands exploring every inch of her. Ekko's hand left her neck to travel to her chest, cupping her breasts. Jinx's breathing hitched when Ekko's palm closed around her left breast, squeezing it hard. 

“Let me look at you,” Ekko whispered, drawing back to look at her, a string of saliva still connecting their lips. Calloused hands ran over her stomach and slim sides, appreciating the view in front of him. His thumb brushed against her pierced nipple making Jinx shiver in want. 

“When did you get those, hm?” He asked, flicking the barbell that pierced through her hard nipple. 

Jinx opened her mouth but no words came out. Whatever thought Jinx had formulated in her mind disappeared completely when Ekko nipped at her neck. His lips closed around her pulse point, sucking on the sensitive skin.

“Don't think I don't like them,” Ekko said, bending his head lower and leaving a kiss on her sternum and trailing down. “‘Cause I do. I really fucking like them, baby.” 

Ekko's lips closed around her nipple, sucking it lightly and making Jinx throw her head back against the surface of the door. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, holding on to him for dear life as Ekko’s tongue flicked her nipple, teasingly. 

“E–ekko,” she breathed out, rocking her hips against him in an attempt to create some friction against her core. 

“No one is in the house,” Ekko reminded her, breathlessly, his big brown eyes looking at her with a fucked up expression. “Be as loud as you want to, baby.” 

Ekko bit her nipple, chuckling when Jinx let out a loud shriek that resembled his name. The metal of her piercing was cold on his tongue and that drove him wild. 

“That's right, baby,” he praised, moving to her right breast and kissing the peak of it. “You know my name. Say it.” 

Jinx bit her lower lip, trying to hold herself back. She knew what he was doing. Trying to get back to her for that time she called out Kayn's name. And she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. 

Sorry, Mr. Elliot. Jinx Croft could see right through your bullshit. 

The hand that was kneading her ass, left from her skin only to come back with more force, giving her a firm slap. 

Jinx gasped. “Fuck, Ekko!” 

Ekko hid his grin as he continued to lick and suck on her tits, giving them all the attention they deserved. Jinx looked down at Ekko as he left hickeys all over her small mounds. Her breasts weren't big, barely a handful and surely, she had other, much better assets that Ekko could focus on. But he was entirely enamored with them, despite them being small, groaning with enjoyment every time he got to suck on them.

Unexpectedly, Ekko lifted his gaze and caught her staring at him. Ekko's eyes were dark and full of desire and Jinx quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks turning even more red than before. 

Ekko took a sharp breath, rising to his full height. His hand grabbed onto Jinx's thigh, making her lift her leg and curl it around his hips. The new position had their crotches rubbing flat against each other. Jinx let out a loud moan that was almost engulfed by the thunder that roared outside the house.

“Do you hate me now too?” Ekko required breathing hard against Jinx’s lips. 

Jinx avoided his gaze, looking at the floor. Ekko's hand came up to her chin, tilting her head up so she could look at him. 

“Look at me when I ask you a question,” he whispered, tracing her slightly bruised from the kisses they shared, bottom lip with his thumb. 

Stubbornly, Jinx raised her gaze, looking straight at him. 

“I hate you,” Jinx repeated the same lie she told herself again and again.

“Good girl,” he praised with a satisfied smirk on his face. “Keep lying to me, love.” 

Not waiting for a response, Ekko crashed his lips against hers, grabbing her thighs and lifting her up in the air. Jinx let out a surprised yelp that Ekko took advantage of it, pushing his tongue in her mouth as he laid her down on her bed. Jinx brought Ekko's lower lip between her teeth, pulling it menacingly. 

“I hate you!” She vowed in anger when he pulled away. 

“You keep saying,” Ekko muttered, looking unbothered. He was still fully dressed while Jinx was only in her drenched panties. She felt more blood rush into her face. Jinx was supposed to be the one having the upper hand in all this. Not Ekko and his smug, knowing smiles. No matter how desperate she was, she had to always maintain control. 

“Just lay on the bed, Jinx,” he spoke again. There was a sternness in his voice, an authority hidden behind his words that despite Jinx’s embarrassment, even she could admit that it was making it a little hard to swallow. 

She folded her arms over her chest, stubbornly. “Why?”

“So I can continue what you didn’t let me finish in that closet.”

Her eyes widened at Ekko’s words. His voice had turned raspy, as he looked Jinx up and down, his irises dilated, making his eyes seem bigger. Jinx realized how close to her Ekko actually was, so close she could hear his heartbeat. Heat pooled in the pit of your stomach, a need stronger than ever before. After having a taste of him, she could not reject him.

Ekko fumbled with the watch in his wrist, taking it off. “Lay down.”

Jinx obeyed, silently. She convinced herself that she laid down on her own will and not because Ekko had asked her to. She pushed the covers aside while Ekko took his clothes off. 

“Are you doing this to prove your worth?” She asked, trying to mask her anticipation. “Did I bruise your fragile, male ego at the party and now you want to show me how good you are at eating pussy?”

He chuckled, pulling his shirt off. His torso was revealed to her, skin after skin of strong muscles. Jinx’s gaze raked over his rich dark skin, silently letting her gaze trail down the abs on his abdomen and down to the trail of black hair that started from his belly button and disappeared into the beginning of his jeans. 

Jinx rubbed her thighs together. Curse him and his beautiful body. 

“You started this,” Ekko said, taking his pants off, now only left in his boxers and moving to the bed. “I’m just finishing off what you started. Literally.”

Jinx scowled. “You think you’re sooo funny.” 

Ekko grabbed her ankles, dragging her near the edge of the bed, taking Jinx's breath away. His gaze was intense as he kneeled on the floor right between Jinx's legs. Jinx swallowed hard. 

“You tell me,” Ekko said, alarmingly serious. Jinx looked away, too embarrassed to look at him when he was literally in between her legs. 

This was no laughing matter for Ekko. Despite his heart thumping embarrassingly fast, he remained composed. He couldn't afford to fuck up again. Ekko hooked his fingers on the elastic of Jinx's panties, dragging them down her legs with barely controlled anticipation. 

The cloth dragged down her legs and Jinx mastered up the courage to steal a glance at which pair her sister had picked for her. Jinx's palms slapped over her eyes as she fell back against the mattress in embarrassment. Why did Vi have to pick the pair with Hello Kitty's face plastered all over it?

A kiss on her knee jerked her out of her thoughts and what she wore didn't really matter in the end. 

Ekko slipped the ridiculous garment off of her, setting it aside. His hands ran over her thighs, parting them even more so he could fit better between them. The dripping mess in the apex of her thighs made Ekko's mouth water. Still he ignored it, wanting to prolong what was to come as much as he could. 

Her skin was hot under his palms and Ekko couldn't help but kiss the soft skin, thrilling at the sight of Jinx quiver every time he kissed her. Ekko's eyes trailed over her nakedness, making Jinx turn away from him. He had torn down all her defences and now Jinx felt raw and exposed under his piercing gaze.

“You are so tense,” he rasped, his tongue licking a stripe in Jinx's inner thigh. “Relax, baby. It's only me.” 

“I–I know it's you,” she muttered, moving her hips closer to Ekko. “That's what it's so fucking hard to believe it.” 

Ekko chuckled under his breath. “Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” 

Jinx bit her lower lip so hard she almost tore through the skin. They were each other's first everything. First friend, first relationship, first kiss, first time… Jinx wished she could forget. 

As if sensing her inner conflict, Ekko grabbed her legs, placing them on his shoulders. 

Deliberately slow, Ekko began leaving pecks on her thighs and knees, ignoring the dripping mess between her thighs. His palms caressed the stretch marks on her thighs and ass, insatiable fingers running along each small mark, each small imperfection that was a God given gift to him. 

“You're so pretty. So fucking pretty.”

A bubbling frustration began building inside of Jinx at Ekko’s torment. Jinx enjoyed things to be under her control and when they weren't an unpleasant helplessness took over her. 

A curse in a language Ekko did not understand left Jinx's lips as she tried to push him closer to her core by his hair. Outside the storm roared. 

Ekko smiled against her thigh, his dick stirring at the way Jinx's claw dug in his scalp. “You'll get what you want, baby. Just be patient.” 

Before Jinx could react, Ekko's tongue was on her. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as Ekko's tongue licked along her slit. His hands cupped her ass, bringing her closer to his mouth as he began to eat her out eagerly. 

“God–” 

Ekko smirked, his nose grazing Jinx's clit as his tongue entered her opening. Jinx pulled at his dreads roughly, the feeling too intense. After their failed encounter at the closet, Ekko had done a fair amount of research after his abilities at pleasing her had been doubted and now he was more than ready to put all the tips he had gathered into practice. Jinx was right after all. He did want to prove himself to her. 

He moved higher, his lips closing around her most sensitive part and sucking lightly while his index finger played with her opening, coating his finger in her slick. Jinx’s head rolled back against the mattress when Ekko’s digit entered her. He soothed the spot with his lips, leaving kisses on her clit and labia as he pushed his finger in and out of her, while his eyes focused on Jinx's face. 

Ekko’s movements did not falter as he moved his finger in and out of her so fast it made Jinx dizzy. It was inconceivable for someone other than her own experienced fingers to make her have such a reaction. Only his touch could bring her to the edge so effectively, so very soon. Nobody else could ever compare. And she had never compared anyone to Ekko as he stood in her memory. 

“Ekko,” Jinx moaned, arching her back when he put a second long finger in her, stretching her open. She looked down at him as he continued to work her to the edge, Ekko's eyes already set on her, irises blown wide with absolute adoration. Jinx moaned aloud again, rocking her hips against Ekko’s mouth. 

“Ekko.” 

Jinx kept whining his name, again and again as if it was the only word she knew. Ekko opened and closed his fingers in a scissor-like manner inside of her, massaging her inner walls. The way his mouth switched between licking and sucking on her clit brought Jinx closer and closer to her peak, turning her into a breathless mess. 

Ekko's free hand traveled up her body, squeezing her breast. Jinx let out a loud cry, her back hitting the mattress before she let her orgasm overtake her senses in waves that travelled through her entire body, turning her into a quivering mess. Ekko’s mouth guided her through her orgasm, gently kissing on her thighs while his fingers remained inside her, fingering her at a much slower pace. 

By the time Ekko pulled away, Jinx had hardly recovered from the aftermath of her orgasm. She watched with blown out pupils as Ekko moved from between her legs. His chin was smeared in her wetness and that only made her body crave more of him. 

Him, him, him. Only him. Only Ekko. 

As Ekko crawled up her body, his lips followed the path of her tattoos that began in her lower abdomen and travelled all the way to her sides. 

“Ah,” Jinx let out small, embarrassing noises.

“Like that, baby?” He mumbled, kissing the drawn cloud a few inches away from her nipple. There was a fire in his eyes when he looked at her that seemed to set Jinx's body aflame.

Ekko supported himself on his forearms with Jinx pinned right under him. Jinx shuddered at the sound of the pet name, her hands running up and down Ekko's bare arms. Ekko smirked, tucking a long strand of hair behind Jinx's ear. 

“Do you like that? Like it when I call you, baby?” 

“Yes,” Jinx admitted breathlessly, her flush only deepening at Ekko’s words. Every ounce of shame was long forgotten by now. The affectionate pet name excited her beyond words and Jinx could feel her slick drip down her thighs.

Ekko’s right hand came up to her face, his fingers slick with her come. He trailed her bottom lip, making her open her mouth and slowly pushed his middle and ring finger inside, letting her taste herself. Jinx looked at him as she sucked on his fingers, her eyes telling him anything her mouth was too busy to tell right now. 

Watching her, Ekko's left hand grabbed both of Jinx's wrists, pinning them above her head. Ekko could feel his dick straining against his boxers, achingly hard. 

“I want you to want me,” he whispered to her and only her. “Even if it's only for today.”

Jinx nodded frantically. Ekko's expression was unreadable, a mix of sterness and lust that left Jinx guessing. He drew his fingers away from her mouth. 

“Where do you keep your condoms?” 

Jinx blinked. “My what?” 

Ekko kissed Jinx's jaw. “Condoms. Don't you have any?” 

Why the hell would she have condoms just laying around in her room? Sure, she had been with a handful of guys and girls but it was not that frequent. She had certain standards when it came to others being close to her, especially close enough to see her at one of the most vulnerable states she could be. And so far, the overwhelming majority of those encounters have been disappointing. Nothing at all like the desire that had rooted deep in Jinx’s core and only Ekko seemed to be able to satisfy. 

Taking in her silence as an answer, Ekko hummed thoughtfully, leaving another small kiss on her neck. 

“Do you let others fuck you raw?” 

Jinx gasped. “Wh–what? No, of course not!”

“No?” Ekko said, humming again. “Just me then.” 

He moved lower to her neck, mumbling against her flushed skin. 

“Well, it's not like you haven't let me do that before.”

Jinx’s heart skirted in her chest, turning away from Ekko. The dirty words he uttered only made her more hot and bothered. He sat back a little, kneeling in between Jinx's legs and began lowering his briefs. Jinx almost fainted as she watched him finally discard the annoying barrier between their bodies. 

Her heart almost left her body. His dick was big. Objectively. Fucking big. 

Seven years could change a lot of things. 

Jinx passed her arm over her eyes, letting out a sob. Ekko looked at her in concern. 

“Are you okay?” 

“No.” 

His heart dropped at that. Maybe he had taken things too far in his attempt at being seductive. 

“Do you want to…should I leave?” 

The arm passed over Jinx's eyes dropped from her face as she sat up to look at him. 

“What?” She asked, confused. “Why?” 

Ekko pushed some of his dreadlocks that had fallen in his line of vision away from his face. 

“I don't know. Maybe I gave you the ick with all the shit I've been saying. I did some research and they said dirty talk is what gets women going. I really don't know, man.” 

Jinx tried to bite back her laughter. “Seriously? You did research on sex? This isn't a paper you have to turn in, you know.” 

“Yeah, thanks for the clarification.” 

Jinx's gaze dropped from Ekko’s embarrassed expression to his erection. Motherfucker, that was big. She swallowed hard, looking back at him. 

“You don't do this very often do you?” 

Ekko remained silent, looking anywhere else but her. It was a little adorable to see him act so soft spoken after trying to put on that whole suave act. 

Jinx bit her lower lip, contemplating if she should go ahead and require more. 

“How many? After me?” 

Ekko sighed, closing his eyes to gather his strength. 

“One.” 

Jinx’s eyebrows raised at his honest answer. Her fingers played with the sheets under her. Her selfish ego was satisfied with the fact that Ekko had only slept with only one person after her. Somehow she wanted Ekko to still be thinking of her, a part of her wanting him to stay loyal to only her. She quickly pushed those thoughts away, hating herself for being so selfish. 

Ekko looked at her, doubtful. “And you?” 

“Not as many as you think.” 

“It's not my place to think,” Ekko said, shaking his head. “You can do whatever you want with whoever you want. Literally. Everyone on campus wants to be you or be with you.” 

Jinx laughed. “That's because they don't know me.” 

“If they knew you, they would want you more.” 

Ekko looked at her shyly. Jinx couldn't control her laughter any longer. They both shared a laugh, the moment free of judgment. Here they were, both naked and entirely exposed, laughing at the stupidest reason. The scene was almost a restoration of the past. 

As they laughed, Jinx took advantage of the moment to steal a glance at him. Boldly, she reached out for him, her arms encircling his neck, hugging him. Ekko recovered from the initial shock, pushing his brain to function. His hand pushed her long hair that fell down her back in tangled waves, to look better at her face. Slowly, he pushed her down on the bed again with him hovering above her. 

His hands ran down her body, gently gripping her legs. “Are you sure?” He asked, lips right above hers.

“Yeah. Yeah, I want to.” 

Ekko kissed her deeply. “Fuck, me too. So much.”

None of them said anything else, simply staring at each other in complete silence as Ekko brought his face closer to Jinx's until their lips met. And then fire again. 

Jinx's hands ran down Ekko's back, her nails scratching his flesh as he kissed her urgently. His hands grabbed her thighs, his grip firm but not painful when he splitted them apart. Jinx gasped in the kiss when she felt Ekko's dick twitch against her inner thigh so close to where she needed him most. 

“Please.” 

Ekko let out a groan when Jinx reaches out to touch him. His muscles tensed when her fist closed around his throbbing dick, giving it a careful squeeze. Her hand curled around Ekko's tip, immediately making blood rush to her face at the feeling of his scorching hard skin in the palm of her hand. A vein pulsated on the underside of his dick. Jinx couldn't help but pump him a few times moving from base to tip, before guiding him to her entrance. 

“Jinx,” he moaned, looking at her. 

His entire body was shaking as he pushed the head of his dick against Jinx's wet folds, searching for her opening. Jinx took a sharp breath when Ekko began slipping inside of her inch by inch. 

“Oh, fuck,” Ekko groaned, pushing his hips forward. 

The burning feeling inside of her made her lock her ankles around Ekko's hips. His girth was much wider than the two fingers he had prepared her with so the stretch was increasingly painful. Jinx tried to focus on her breathing as Ekko slided inside of her, splitting her open. 

A string of Greek curses left from Jinx's lips by the time Ekko bottomed out inside of her. 

“So tight,” he moaned, voice gruff. The vice-like feeling of her walls contracting around him had him already at his limit. 

“How does it feel? Talk to me, Jinx.” 

Jinx blinked the tears away, pulling Ekko’s body down until it was flash against hers. Their sweaty bodies rested against each other, so close you couldn't understand where she ended and he began. 

Jinx opened her mouth, her voice shaking as she spoke. 

“I've never let anyone…Only you.”

Ekko kissed her shoulder. “I know, baby. I know. Me too.”

She nodded, turning her head to face him and kissing him. Ekko kissed back, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he remained completely still inside of her, letting Jinx get used to the feeling. The bulging of his dick on her lower stomach made both of them lost for words. He fitted perfectly inside of her, stretching and touching all her most personal parts. 

The thrill of being inside of her without any protection had Ekko's balls tightening. He could cum inside of her, fill her womb with his sperm any time he wanted. There was no talk about pills so Jinx could very much get pregnant. 

Ekko growlers hungrily against her lips. 

“Move,” Jinx commanded when she pulled away from his lips.

“Are you sur–”

“Move, Ekko.” 

Not putting up another fight, Ekko pulled his hips back and pushed forward slowly, testing the waters. Jinx's expression remained the same, having gotten used to his length in her by now. He pushed again, harder this time, making Jinx's nails dug in his shoulders. 

“Oh,” she said, breath quickening. 

Ekko thrusted in and out of her, the bedframe hitting against the wall with each of their movements. His dick plunged inside of her fast and hard, skin slapping against skin. The mind numbing pleasure had her uttering words in her native tongue, having forgotten to speak in English. 

“Fuck me back,” he whispered, his thrusts making the bed rock beneath them. 

Jinx lifted her hips, beginning to move them along Ekko's moves. Lips clashed together for the millionth time, so deprived for each other it actually hurted. No one could describe the scene as lovemaking. This was raw and animalistic fucking. The frustration that both parties held for each other manifested in their touches. 

“Ekko!” Jinx shouted, throwing her head back against the pillows. 

“Pow–Jinx! Jinx, please, baby, be good for me.” 

Jinx’s vision became blurry when Ekko's fingers toyed with her clit. Blood dried under her nails as she scratched Ekko's back more. The pleasure of his girth filling her entirely combined with the feather soft grazing of her clit made her scream from the top of her lungs. 

“Ekko!” 

She reached the cliff of her longing, chills running down her body. Ekko grumbled s curse, pistoning his hips in an uneven pace, close to his own orgasm.

“Fuck,” he muttered, exiting her. He took himself in hand, giving his dick a few pumps before he finished all over Jinx’s stomach, ropes of thick, warm liquid glistering on her skin. 

The aftermath of their orgasm left both of them speechless. Jinx laid boneless on the bed, speechless from the intensity of her orgasm. She looked at Ekko with her chest heaving, too tired to say a single thing. For once not saying anything was best. 

Ekko pushed his aching muscles to move, bending over Jinx and leaving a kiss on her forehead. He peppered kisses all over her sweaty brow, using a sheet to clean the evidence of what they had done from her stomach and between her thighs. 

“Ah,” Jinx moaned so softly Ekko barely heard it when he cleaned between her thighs, too tired himself to clean her properly with a wet towel. This would do for now. 

Pulling the covers over her, Ekko tugged Jinx in bed as he laid next to her. He pushed her hair back, looking at her in adoration. 

“I got all the time in the world to make you forgive me,” he whispered, leaving a chaste kiss on her cheek. 

As soon as the warmth of the duvet covered her body, Jinx's eyes fluttered closed. Ekko remained next to her, watching her sleep until he drifted off to a soundless sleep, curled up on her side. 

Chapter Text

You right, I got my guy

But I can't help it, I want you

You right-Doja Cat, The Weeknd

It was raining on that day too. 

After school they had gone to the old warehouse as they usually did, to pass their time until it was time for Ekko's shift at Benzo's. Halfway to their hideout, thick raindrops began falling from the sky and they had to turn back. 

Powder shrieked as they ran in the rain, trying to find shelter from the heavy raindrop. Behind her Ekko laughed, palms over his head in a fruitless attempt to not get himself entirely wet. They ran through the empty streets of Zaun until they reached The Last Drop. 

When they entered through the back door, both of them surrendered themselves to a laughing fit. 

“Oh my God,” Ekko said between giggles, looking down at his drenched clothes. 

Besides him Powder laughed. She looked like she had taken a fall into a lake. Dark blue water drops fell from her short hair, the dye getting washed off from the rain. Ekko reached out a hand and pushed a strand of hair behind Powder's ear. She had only begun dying her hair a few months ago and Ekko had fallen in love with the color, almost as much as he had fallen in love with the girl that wore it. Each time she dyed them it was the same vibrant blue he had now associated with her. 

Powder looked at him, beaming. Ekko’s heart melted at the sight. He hadn't been very lucky in his life but now he felt like the luckiest man on earth as he looked into his girlfriend's smiling face. 

He still couldn't believe Powder was his. 

“Let’s go get some towels before we freeze to death.”

They marched up the stairs that led to the apartment on top of the bar. It was small but it was more than enough for Vander and the girls. Ekko had spent many afternoons sitting on the couch listening to Vi and Powder bicker about what would happen next in the horror movie they all watched while Vander laughed from the kitchen, preparing them some snacks. In a sense, Ekko felt more at home in the Wentworth household than in his dorm back at the orphanage. 

Ekko took off his jacket, water dripping everywhere on the doorway where they stood. 

“Where's Vander?” He asked, searching around for the familiar presence of Vander. Vi must be at the gym, practicing her punches hence why the house seemed so unusually quiet. 

Powder took her fogged glasses off, wiping them with the hem of her shirt as she trailed deeper into the house. 

“He's not home. He had to drive out of the Lanes to meet with a new supplier for the bar. I don't think he is coming home until late.”

Ekko paused. 

“Oh,” he mumbled. 

Ekko wasn't unaware of what this situation meant. There were a lot of cheap jokes from his classmates that began with going to your girlfriend's house when nobody was there. Ekko knew the implications. And that made him feel embarrassed and uneasy all at once. 

He shook his head, water drops dripping from his thick curls. Before everything else, he and Powder were friends. They had just begun dating that summer and only Vi knew of their relationship, still too early to tell everyone else. Friends could be over at their friend's house when nobody was there.

Powder returned with a towel around her neck and holding another for Ekko. 

“Your hair got wet,” she said with a scowl, watching as Ekko passed the towel over his dark hair and dried it carefully. 

“It's fine. I can take care of it. Later. At home.” 

Powder smiled softly and it almost made Ekko faint. She tugged on his sleeve.

“Well, come on in! Don't just stand there!” 

Ekko hesitated, his feet rooted in place. 

“Would it be okay?” 

“Why wouldn't it be?” Powder asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. 

Really, why wouldn't it be okay? Ekko had been to her house a million times, especially Powder's room, without it ever being a problem. His hormonal infused brain was making him paranoid. 

Shaking his embarrassing thoughts away, he took Powder's hand in his, squeezing it tightly. 

“Let's go.”

She smiled, dragging him to the room she shared with Vi after setting their jackets to dry. Once in the room, Ekko took a seat on the lower bunk bed that belonged to Powder. He sat on the edge of the bed as if he was ready to dart up at any moment now. 

Powder noticed his agitation, giggling to herself at how adorable he seemed sitting there. Ekko was always a little shy around her, especially after they began calling each other girlfriend and boyfriend. Powder loved him a little bit more when he looked at her in embarrassment through his eyelashes. 

She sat next to him, enjoying the way Ekko's eyes widened when their knees touched. Always playful, Powder enjoyed tormenting her boyfriend a little. 

“Is your shirt wet? You can borrow one of mine or Vi's if you want.” 

“No, no! Shirt's fine.”

Ekko played with the hoop on his ear absentmindedly, the fresh piercing still hurting a little. Some water had seeped into his shirt and the front of his pants were wet by the rain but there was no way he would ever take them off. He preferred risking catching pneumonia. 

Next to him Powder giggled. Ekko smiled at the sound of her laughter, stealing glances at her smiling face, his eyes sparkling with adoration. 

“Do you want to watch Attack on Titan?” 

“Should we, uh, put on the next episode?” 

They both blinked at each other. It wasn't the first time they had said the same thing, as if they had read each other's minds. There had never been two people with more similar tastes, no feelings so in unison as theirs.

“You want to watch it now?” She asked, bumping her shoulder against his. 

“Why not? We have some time.” 

Ekko looked at Powder, wearily. “Unless you don't want to. Which is totally fine, we can do whatever else you want!”

Powder bit her lower lip. Ekko was immediately drawn to the way her teeth dug into the plumb skin. The memory of the first time he kissed her, his first ever kiss to be honest, flashed in his mind. The kisses they had exchanged were few and quick but Ekko wanted them to be more than that. 

He immediately looked away. He was being so stupid. Powder was definitely not thinking in the disgusting way he was and he was being a freaking pervert right now. 

Powder's fingers softly grazed his skin, making him open his palm and take his hand in hers, their fingers intertwining.

“We're in high school now,” she mumbled, looking at their threaded fingers. 

Ekko blinked, not expecting Powder to say that at all. She was in her first year of high school for two months now, ever since the beginning of the school year and he was a year ahead of her. 

She swallowed. “And you had the chance to make all those new friends while I was still in middle school.”

“Hey,” Ekko squeezed her hand. It was still cold from the heavy rain that was still pouring outside. 

“You're my best friend. That's never going to change, okay? No matter how many people I meet.” 

Powder looked up at him with big, pleading eyes. 

“Your best friend? Not your girlfriend?” 

Ekko's cheeks flared. “O-of course you are. You're both. You're everything.” 

Her fingers flexed against his, holding him tighter as if she didn't want to let him go. 

“There are other girls at school who are prettier than me. And I'm just a freshman. And you can have anyone you want.” 

Ekko shook his head. “No. Not even close. You're the only one I look at, okay? I don't care about anyone else.” 

“I never had anything that was mine,” Powder trailed off. “Everything I own is a hand me down from Vi. You're the only thing that's completely mine.” 

Powder's head hung low. Ekko brought his head to her chin, lifting it gently so she would look at him. 

“I love you, Powder,” he confessed with a shy smile. 

The sound of the storm filled the silence as Powder kissed Ekko. The kiss was small, both of them too shy to deepen it, afraid of what they would discover if they did. 

“I love you too,” she whispered against his lips when she pulled away. Ekko looked at her, his brown irises melting with love. 

Her hand left his so she could clutch both his shoulders. Slowly, she pushed him down on the bed. Ekko did not protest. Powder hovered above him, her glasses slipping low on her nose. Ekko took them off for her, revealing her big eyes that looked directly at him. 

They were two lonely children, starved for affection and greedy from their first taste of love. 

She was always fearless, so much more than him. A million thoughts ran through Ekko's mind. They were still too young, they had no protection and this was obviously everything their sex education teachers were preaching against. But nothing mattered when Ekko cupped Powder's cheeks, bringing her down to him. 

She was fearless and he was in love. 

A few hours later, Ekko was standing behind the counter of Benzo's shop, a wide smile plastered on his face that seemed to never go away. He was drunk from love. Ekko kept replaying every small detail of what happened with Powder, in fear of forgetting it. He was on cloud nine, never having felt so loved before. 

The bell on the door rang, alerting Ekko that someone entered the shop.

His smile dropped from his face. 

“Hello, hello, little man,” Marcus mocked, having overheard Benzo call Ekko that and never dropped it since, as he walked into the store with his two usual followers following suit. 

Ekko froze. He had the belief that if he went completely still maybe they would forget he was there and leave him be. Every noon they would walk through the door like they owned the place, sitting there and scaring the other customers for no other reason except that they were bored. 

Ekko wished Benzo was with him right now but the old man was taking some much needed rest and the last thing Ekko wanted to do was disturb him.

Marcus leaned over the counter. Ekko continued to look straight ahead. He tried to stay out of trouble for his and Benzo’s sake. Not because he was scared but because he knew that if something out of the ordinary happened, the first person they would accuse was him. Ekko had no delusions. He knew what being a black kid in the Lanes was like, not that he believed it would be any different anywhere else. He was an easy target for people like Marcus to test their authority to. 

Ekko despised feeling so helpless. 

Marcus grabbed a wire from the display, toying with it. 

“What's wrong with your hair?” 

“It rained earlier,” Ekko said simply. He didn't want to explain anything to Marcus. 

“You should probably do something about it. You're going to scare your little girlfriend if she sees you like this. It looks like a mane.” 

Ekko gritted his teeth, trying to keep calm. No matter how many times Marcus threw such disgusting comments at his expense, Ekko would never become immune to them. Especially when Marcus spoke of Powder. 

“Speaking of her, where is she? She used to hang out here with you all the time. What, don't tell me you broke up with her already?” 

Ekko remained silent. Still, Marcus and the others persisted. 

“How long have you been together, again?”

“Have you gone to second base yet?” 

He did not respond, just stared at the wall. It made one of Marcus’ friends sneer.

“What? Shy? Come on, tell us. We're all men here.” 

“Leave the boy alone,” Marcus said with a sardonic smile. “He's still too young. What are you like, twelve?” 

“Fifteen.”

“Well, shit. Then you need to step up your game.” 

He bent forward on the counter, making Ekko look at him in alert. 

“And if you ever need any tips, let me know. Women are so easy. Just say some sweet words to them and they will be moaning under you in no time.” 

Ekko felt a deep blush creep on his cheeks. Not because of Marcus’ vulgar words but because his traitorous mind immediately jumped to the still fresh memories he made with Powder just a few hours ago. 

Marcus’ eyes widened in recognition. 

“Holy shit, you fucked her, didn't you?” 

“No!” Ekko said immediately, the fear of getting caught spreading all over his body. “No, I didn't!” 

“You filthy liar,” Marcus chuckled in mirth at having caught Ekko red handed. “You really did her.” 

Ekko looked at Marcus in fear, feeling stupid for letting what happened show on his face and betraying the secret he wanted to keep just between him and Powder. He tried to appear unaffected by Marcus’ accusation, pushing his fear aside. 

“I didn't. Me and Powder just started dating. We haven't even kissed properly yet.”

“Stop bullshiting, it's written all over your face. You crazy bastard, I can't believe you got your dick wet.”

Ekko winced at the comment, feeling nauseous. Marcus bent closer to Ekko, enjoying the embarrassed look on his face. Despite his firm protests he could see right through him, enjoying watching Ekko squirm under pressure. All because he could. 

“It must have not taken much convincing to get her to bend over for you, huh? She seems like that kind of girl.” 

In a flash, Ekko grabbed Marcus by the collar, bringing his face close to his.

“Speak like that about Powder again and I'll send you looking for your teeth on the floor.” 

Marcus struggled to free himself from Ekko's hold, looking at him with eyes wide in surprise. Ekko had never pushed back like this before. The rage in Ekko’s eyes made Marcus lose his speech in fear. 

Before any of them could say anything the doorbell rang. 

“Ekko! You will never believe what I snatched from that guy–”

Vi cut herself off as soon as she entered the shop, her enthusiasm being cut short when she realized that it wasn't only Ekko present in the shop. The ring she held on her extended hand was quickly shoved in her pocket in hopes that nobody had seen it. 

For a moment everything was silent. Nobody moved a muscle and it seemed to Ekko like time had really stopped. 

Marcus slowly smiled, getting advantage of Ekko's weakened hold on his collar to set himself free. 

“We'll see you around, Ekko,” he said, sending a knowing smile at Ekko's direction before passing by Vi. 

“What the fuck was that about?” Vi turned to Ekko when they were finally left alone.

“Are those fuckers still bothering you? Do you want me to handle them?” 

Ekko shook his head, trying to cast the wary thoughts aside. He tried to convince himself that Marcus hadn't heard Vi's words and that he would eventually let go of what he understood had happened between Ekko and Powder. Deluding himself seemed to work because soon his heartbeat slowed down. 

“It's nothing,” he said, gesturing with his head to Vi. “What did you get?” 

ⴵ

It took longer than usual for Ekko to realize he was awake, the dream still lingering on his mind. The storm had ceased, the darkness of the late afternoon casted shadows in Jinx's room, making the memories of what happened just hours ago creep back into Ekko’s mind. 

Ekko blinked, his eyes getting used to the dark. His fingers were threaded through her long hair, desperately clutching on to her as she laid by his side. Jinx's naked body was flush against his, her body heat warming him more than the duvet that was covering both of them. She was still sleeping, her chest rising and falling with each breath. 

Carefully, Ekko shifted in bed, trying to not wake her up as he rose from the mattress. Jinx's face twisted into a grimace when his body left her side but her expression quickly became peaceful once again. Ekko stared at her sleeping form, contemplating in silence. 

It had happened. They had slept together. If things were complicated before, now they were a tangled mess of lies. Ekko ran a hand through his dreadlocks. He had allowed his need to take over his better sense, betraying his own judgment. And the worst part was that he didn't regret it at all. 

This wasn't a mistake. It was everything Ekko wanted. His heart was so full of love for Jinx it would burst. But he knew it wasn't the same for her. 

Ekko placed the bed covers better on Jinx's naked body, letting her sleep some more as he put on his clothes that were carelessly casted on the floor. She needed to get as much sleep as she could after the night she had. 

Sending a final look at Jinx, he opened the door of her bedroom and stepped into the hallway. 

Isha was standing outside of Jinx's room, a bunny plushie in her hand. Ekko froze. Isha blinked at him with a suspicious look on her face. 

For several long minutes none of them spoke, just looked at each other. Cold sweat formed on Ekko’s brow. How long had she stood there for? If he had taken a moment too long, Isha might have seen him in bed with Jinx. Ekko didn't even want to think about that scenario. 

Finally, Isha raised her hand to wave at him. 

“Hey,” Ekko spoke, his voice still thick with sleep. 

He cleared his throat, stepping in front of Isha and the door. “Wha-what are you doing here?” 

I want to see Jinx. 

Ekko swallowed hard. Jinx was sleeping naked in the room he just walked out of with all the evidence of what they did on her body and sheets. He couldn't let Isha walk in on that sight. 

I've been waiting since I got home from school. I wanna see her!

“Jinx is sleeping,” Ekko said with a faux apologetic look on his face. “We should let her rest a little.”

Isha furrowed her brow. But you were in her room just now. 

“Yeah, I was just checking in on her to make sure she is sleeping well.”

Isha looked at him with a doubtful look, clearly not entirely convinced. Ekko hoped she couldn't understand his internal panic, offering her the most innocent smile he had. 

Isha eyed him still with a suspicious look.

I’ll go see her later I guess. When she wakes up. 

Ekko nodded his head with a little too much vigour. Isha backed away still casting weird looks his way. When she closed the door of her bedroom, Ekko leaned his back against the wall, letting out a deep breath.

He needed to get a hold of himself. 

ⴵ

The locker room of the university gym was hectic after the football practice. Normally, Ekko and Mylo weren't allowed to be there at all, the space only reserved for students that took up athletics but Claggor had invited them and as a member of the football team that had won the championship last year, nobody was willing to snitch on them. 

Ekko stood by the door, his arms crossed over his chest and too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention to Claggor calling his name. 

Ekko's head shot up. “Hm?” 

Claggor pushed his goggles up to his forehead. “You good, man?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I'm good.”

“You sure?” He asked, taking off his thigh pads. 

“Hey, good practice today,” the captain of the football team patted Claggor's back as he exited the locker room. When Claggor was still in elementary school he got diagnosed with asthma and his doctor advised him to take up sports. As it turned out, he was quite good at football, even landing a sports scholarship to PIT. 

“Then why are you so quiet?” 

Ekko and Claggor turned to Mylo. It was the first time he had talked that afternoon. He was sitting on a bench a little further from them. It was a small miracle that they had convinced him to leave the dorm to watch Claggor's practice. He had spent the last days locked inside, avoiding even going to class. Mylo's eyes were still bloodshot, clearly having spent a lot of time crying. Ekko felt a bang of sympathy hit him. In a way he felt responsible for what happened. 

Ekko sighed. He needed to be honest to his best friends at least, if he wasn't going to be honest to himself. 

“I can't stay at that house any longer. I have to move out.” 

“I can't believe you have to stay with that bitch,” Mylo's tone was full of hate as he said the last word that referred to Jinx. 

Ekko sent a cold look at Mylo. “Don't call her that.” 

“Wait, why can't you stay at the house?” Claggor cut in. 

“I just can't. I was wondering if I could stay at the dorms or something.”

“The dorms? Dude, spring break is next week. School year's almost over. We will have our degrees before you get into a dorm.” 

Ekko leaned his head against the wall in exasperation. 

“I just can't stay in the same house as her.”

Everything was a swirl in his head. He could still feel the taste of Jinx on his tongue, the warmth of her body against his, and how her body reacted to his touch. Ekko coughed under his breath, trying to put a stop to his thoughts. He could not stay in the same house as her because after today, he would not be in position to control himself around her. Not after having a taste of her. 

“Spring break is going to end before you know it and then you will be out of that house,” Claggor interrupted his row of thought. “Don't you want to end your suffering?” 

“She is my suffering,” Ekko threw back. 

There was an unsettling silence that was only disturbed by the yells and laughs of the football team around them. 

“What happened between you two?” Claggor asked. “You used to always talk about her like she was a goddess or something. How did things end up like this?” 

Ekko closed his eyes. “I made a mistake.”

Glaggor and Mylo shared a look. 

“What mistake?” 

Ekko closed his eyes. He didn't want to bring all the details up, afraid they might see less of him if they knew the truth. He already felt horrible for the pain he had caused to the Wentworths and wouldn't survive his own friends turning their backs at him, ashamed for his own past actions. 

“I betrayed her trust. It wasn't entirely my fault but to a degree I am responsible. And she can't forgive me for it.”

“Fuck her,” Mylo said. “If she can't forgive a mistake you made almost ten years ago then she doesn't deserve your apology. So fuck her.”

Ekko thought about Mylo's words even after Claggor changed the subject, talking to Mylo about something that failed Ekko's attention. He thought about that on the way back to Vander's house, trying to make sense of the situation. 

When he returned back the first thing he did was check on Jinx. Heavy metal music came from her room and that much was enough to make hin certain she was awake. 

He took a hollow breath and knocked on her door. 

Jinx turned around at the sound of the door opening. Ekko stepped in and she almost lost her grip on the makeup brush she was holding.

“I knocked,” he informed, standing awkwardly by the door. 

Jinx nodded, failing to come up with words at the moment. None of them dared to look each other in the eye, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. 

Her gaze fell on her bed on instinct. They had had sex on that bed. She had slept in his arms naked and spent while he stroked her hair. And now they couldn't find the courage to overcome their awkwardness. It was still too hard to believe that it had truly happened just that morning.

“What are you doing here?” She asked in a gentle tone, so unusual from her typical accusational tone of voice. 

Ekko fumbled with the pharmacy bag in his hands. 

“I got this,” he said, giving her the bag. “You know, just in case.”

Jinx took out of the bag the plan b box. She looked at Ekko in part surprise and part gratitude, feeling her cheeks get warmer by the second. 

Ekko was caught off guard by her gaze, seemingly more intense with the blue mascara and eyeshadow she had on. 

“Eh, just in case,” he said again, looking around the room, fidgeting in his place. 

A noticeable silence fell between the pair. Just a few hours ago they were all over each other and now they were too shy to speak. 

Jinx put the box back in the bag, letting it aside on her vanity table. He was so considerate she couldn't even put up the front of being annoyed by him. 

While she was looking away, Ekko stole a guilty glance at her, too embarrassed to properly look at her. She wore a teal backless dress that left her neck bare. The marks and lovebites Ekko left there had turned a reddish color, imprinted on her skin. It was like she wanted others to see them on her. 

Ekko had to adjust the front of his pants. 

“You look nice,” he commented, pretending to sound nonchalant. “Where are we going?”

Jinx turned to face him. “We?” 

“Yes. We. You remember I have to take you to every party you go to, right? Vander's orders.” 

“Oh, right,” Jinx tilted her head in a mocking gesture. “The Boy Savior is here to save the day.”

Ekko frowned at the nickname. “Don't call me that.” 

Jinx clicked her tongue, grabbing a multicolored cardigan with a star pattern. 

“Why not? You seem so eager to save everyone and everything.” 

“I do it because I gave Vander my word, Jinx,” he said, following after her. 

“So?” 

“So I always keep my word.” 

Jinx looked at him in defiance but her stubbornness crumbled when she looked at his eyes. The same ones that were looking down at her as he fucked her. Jinx swallowed, turning around, already walking to the stairs.

“You're driving. And don't even think about following me around the house.” 

“Yes ma'am,” Ekko said, following Jinx. 

The drive to the party was as quiet as their walk to the car. Jinx was persistently looking outside the window or looking at her phone, ignoring his presence. Ekko expected as much but he still harbored a little hope that things may be different after they had sex. Hope was truly the most dangerous of emotions. 

The car pulled up to the drive through. Jinx jumped out of the car before he could even properly park. 

“Don't follow me around,” she reminded with a stern look, her pigtails swaying in the breeze of the night. “And most importantly, don't embarrass me.”

“Wasn't planning to.”

Jinx looked at Ekko as he passed by her. She gritted her teeth as she walked to the sorority house. She walked faster, getting in front of Ekko as she entered the blasting with music house, searching for familiar faces. Trailing behind her, Ekko looked around the room. The scene was similar to the previous parties he had been to. He couldn't find the appeal of parties but maybe that was because he had been so little away from home. Ekko was not seen, not known by others, having spent his college years hidden behind a book. Maybe that should change. 

“Akali!” Jinx shouted, coming next to Akali and Kayn. 

“Here you are! I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up!” 

Ekko stood a little further from Jinx but still close enough to keep an eye on her. He was used to being unobserved so when Akali’s eyes fell on him, Ekko quickly looked away.  

“Who is that?” She asked Jinx, making her turn around. 

She groaned when she saw Ekko. “He's no one.”

“Well whoever he is, he's fine.” 

Jinx looked at Akali in disbelief and then back at Ekko. She was right of course but it still annoyed Jinx that Akali had noticed it. She let her eyes rake over Ekko's face, trying to find a remnant of the past.

It was a shame, a face like that belonged to a person like him.

“He's short though,” Akali said with a pout. “If he was a little taller I would have loved to use him as a chair.” 

Jinx gaped at that as Kayn chuckled at Akali’s words. A strong annoyance that was borderline resentful towards Akali settled in on Jinx. 

Jinx sent a glare at Kayn. “I want to dance.” 

Her heels clicked against the floor as she moved further in the living room, Kayn trailing behind her. She didn't want to hear any more. 

Ekko watched as Jinx disappeared into the crowd with Kayn. His stomach was tied into a knot of jealousy as he watched them from afar. But there was nothing he could do but watch.  

Akali smiled at Ekko and he quickly looked away. He contemplated if he should follow after Jinx but decided not to. He didn't want to be a spectator to whatever she and Kayn did. Instead, he decided to walk through the house and pass his time. 

He stopped at a table full of plastic cups and bottles. Was the outcome of parties simply to get drunk and hook up with strangers? Ekko could not understand the hype behind that but he still picked a cup of a suspiciously unknown liquid. 

“Heya!” 

It took Ekko some time to realize that a voice was calling out to him. He slowly turned his head, coming face to face with a stranger. The woman's bright green hair was tied up in pigtails that reminded Ekko of Jinx’s hairstyle. She was grinning at him, holding a plastic cup and looking positively drunk. 

“Hi,” he said doubtful after being done observing her. She must have thought he was someone else because Ekko could not wrap his head around her coming up to him.

She extended her arm to Ekko. “I'm Zeri!” 

“Ekko,” he said, taking her hand in his.

“You're hot, Ekko!” 

Ekko nearly choked on his own spit. Zeri laughed hysterically at his taken aback expression. 

“Thank you?” 

Zeri chuckled in an adorable carefree way, as if she didn't have a single care in the world. Ekko caught himself staring at her. She was a lot shorter than him, dressed in a crop top and shorts that barely covered the apex of her thighs. There was a certain cuteness in her smile that Ekko didn't fail to notice. 

“You aren't used to being hit on, are you?”

“It's that obvious, huh?”

“No, it's just that I've never seen you around. I would remember you.” 

“Piltover parties ain't exactly my go to.” 

“I get it. When I first moved here from Zaun it was like a cultural shock. I had to learn to adapt or they would sit me alive.”

Ekko paused, looking at Zeri with newfound interest. “You're a Zaunite?” 

Zeri smiled. “Yeah. You too?”

“I’m from the Lanes.” 

“No fucking way!” She chipped. 

Ekko found himself smiling at her. In the sea of people he thought he could never relate to, he didn't expect to be met with Zeri. 

He bent closer to her, bringing his lips close to her ear so he could be heard through the music. 

“So what do you do to adapt in those parties?”

Zeri smirked. 

“Well for starters,” she took the cups from hers and Ekko’s hands and left it on the table. “You dance.” 

Ekko let Zeri drag him to the middle of the living room, a small smile on his lips. He didn't even know why he was smiling. Zeri took his hands and placed them on her waist as she began moving to the music. Ekko stood still at her boldness. He didn't particularly feel at ease with dancing in front of others and especially with someone he just met but why the hell not? Jinx had made it clear she didn't want him by her side as she had made clear that she didn't want anything to do with him even after getting as close as two people could be. 

Mylo's words resurfaced on his mind. Jinx was too proud to accept his apology and he was too proud to keep running after her. 

His hands flexed around Zeri's waist, pulling her closer to him.

Zeri's smile widened, leaning her head against Ekko's chest as they danced. The song wasn't slow and they were dancing entirely out of tune with everyone else but Ekko figured Zeri was too drunk to realize that. It was awkward. Really awkward. A little embarrassed, Ekko looked around him, making sure nobody was looking at them. 

A pair of blue eyes was looking at him from across the room. Ekko went rigid. Jinx's glare did not falter when he looked back at her, his heart picking up pace. He wanted to push Zeri away, afraid that Jinx might get the wrong idea but then he noticed Kayn's arm around her waist. 

His expression hardened. She had some nerve, looking at him like she wanted to murder him when she was in someone else's arms. Frustration bubbled in Ekko's stomach. 

Ekko bent his head, leaving a kiss on the column of Zeri's neck while his eyes were still locked on Jinx. Zeri giggled, her arms coming around Ekko's neck as she pulled him closer. Jinx dropped her gaze, angrily looking around the room. Ekko smirked against Zeri's neck. 

“Kiss me,” Jinx said between gritted teeth. 

“What?” 

“Just kiss me,” she said, grabbing the back of Kayn's head and pulling him down for a kiss. 

Ekko felt like someone punched him when Jinx's lips collided with Kayn’s. His fingers dug into Zeri's waist in anger, pulling her flush against his body. Between the kisses, Jinx's eyes travelled back to him, smirking victoriously. 

She smirked at him. She actually had the audacity to smirk. 

“God, Ekko,” Zeri shuddered when his hand cupped her ass, squeezing it through her shorts possessively. 

He should feel embarrassed with himself for using Zeri as a rebound to get back to Jinx. But at that moment as he watched her with him nothing made sense. There were no rules in love and war. Especially when both were so closely intertwined together. 

Jinx moaned against Kayn's mouth. Ekko's earthy brown eyes never left hers as he touched that bitch. She might as well not have felt Kayn’s touches on her. It was as if Ekko’s hands, his mouth were on Jinx and not her. She shuddered at the thought. 

He kept staring. 

He knew he was staring more than he should, more than he was allowed to but there was nothing he could do about it. 

He couldn't take his fucking eyes off of her.

Unexpectedly, Jinx pulled away from Kayn. Ekko craned his neck to catch a glimpse of her as she walked away from the living room. 

“Wha–?” Zeri protested when Ekko's hands left her waist. 

“I'm sorry. I have to go,” he said, absentmindedly, his focus only on Jinx. 

“Wait! I didn't even get your insta!” 

Her voice was muffled by the music as Ekko followed Jinx through the house. 

Jinx opened the first vacant door she found, closing it shut. She leaned against the washing machine of the laundry room, trying to catch her breath. She had left Kayn, unable to hold her feelings in check. Thankfully he hadn't followed her, not that Jinx expected he would.

Every look that Ekko sent her while he was kissinh that stranger felt like an arrow shot right through her heart. 

There was no triumph in her manner. Instead of making him crazy with jealousy, she ended up being the one jealous of his affection. 

In a flash, the door opened and Ekko walked inside much to Jinx's dismay. 

She pushed herself away from the washing machine. “What the fuck are you doing here?” 

Ekko closed the door. “What's wrong?” 

Jinx paced back and forth across the small room, trying to even out her breathing. She was still too worked up from earlier. Jinx was upset he had seen her want him but that was not something she would ever tell him. 

“Leave. Go back to that skank you've been making out with.”

Ekko frowned at a loss for words. Jinx cursed herself for saying too much. 

“Is that why you're upset?” 

“I'm not!” Jinx turned around abruptly, facing him. 

“I'm not upset and even if I was it wouldn't be because of her!” 

“I sure fucking hope so because you got a man.” 

Jinx's chest heaved in anger? Want? She couldn't distinguish the difference between the two of them at this point. 

“You're right,” she said, trying to get her feelings in check. “I got Kayn and you got whatever-her-name-is.” 

“I don't give a fuck what her name is, Jinx.” 

Ekko's eyes were looking at her with an intensity that scared Jinx. He took a step closer, minimizing the space between them. Jinx held her chin up. 

“You know, I think you like having my attention,” he said, looking down at her. “And I sure as hell like having your attention too.”

His arm reached out, circling around her waist. Jinx gasped when he pulled her closer to him. The silk of her dress felt so thin under his hand, Ekko could almost feel her skin beneath the fabric, her warmth familiar under his palm.

“You like my attention, don't you?” He whispered, his voice raspy with barely controlled need. “That's why you do what you do. You want me to only have eyes for you. And you know I do. That's why you're cocky about it.” 

Jinx could feel his hot breath on her face. She bit her lower lip, trying to stay completely still and not jump at him. 

“And your man is not the one that followed after you. It's me.” 

Ekko's gaze dropped to her lips, licking his own on instinct. 

“Do you want me to leave?”

“Yes,” Jinx swallowed thickly. “Leave.” 

Ekko looked at her for a moment too long. Finally, he let out a humorless chuckle, pulling back from her. Jinx breathed heavily as he stepped back, her heartbeat banging on her ears. 

“I'll be waiting for you in the car,” he said behind his shoulder as he closed the door on her face. 

For several long minutes Jinx's heartbeat was the only thing that kept her grounded to reality. Her pride would get her nowhere and certainly it wouldn't bring Ekko back. The least her damned pride could do was allow Jinx to acknowledge she missed Ekko more than she ever thought capable. 

She missed his touch, every stray look he sent at her, the way his voice dropped when he whispered to her. She missed him. And that was killing her. 

Chapter Text

You'd rather something toxic

So, I'll poison myself again, again

‘Till I feel nothing

In my soul

I Was Never There-The Weeknd

The first day of spring break was marked by the golden glow of sunshine. Ekko grimaced as he tossed and turned in bed, trying to ignore the bright sun rays that entered through the window, a sharp contrast to the rainy weather of yesterday. April was just a few days away. Spring had finally arrived. 

He got out of bed, immediately moving to the bathroom of his room to wash the sleep off his eyes. Ekko had waited for Jinx at the car for three hours before she had decided it was time to go home and he, not used to staying up late, felt drained despite just waking up. 

But Ekko did not want to think about what happened last night. 

As Ekko took his shirt off, he caught sight of him in the mirror. The prominent dark circles under his eyes could be seen from miles away and he had to take care of his stubble and locks. He needed to get his dreadlocks retwisted as soon as possible. But his appearance wasn't even the worst thing going on. 

Everytime he closed his eyes he saw Jinx kissing Kayn and if he could focus enough he swore he could hear her voice telling him to leave. 

It was a hard pill to swallow.

After the coldest shower of his life, Ekko exited his room. He gritted his teeth when he passed by her door. 

Keep going, he thought to himself, looking at the opposite side of her door. 

The bathroom door on the other side of the hallway was halfway open. Only a sliver of it was open but it was enough for Ekko to catch a glimpse of the inside as he passed by. 

Jinx was standing over the sink, brushing her teeth while humming a cheerful tune. Her hair was up in a messy bun and the only thing she wore was an oversized shirt she used as a nightgown. When she bent over to spit out the toothbrush on the sink, the hem of the shirt rose past her thighs, revealing her ass that was barely hidden in the thong she wore. 

Ekko's blood froze in his veins. And then it began to pump again, scorching hot.

“What the–?”

Jinx turned around when Ekko got into the bathroom she shared with Isha and locked the door behind him. All the air was knocked out of her lungs when Ekko pressed himself against her back, trapping her against his body and the sink. 

“Are you doing this on purpose?” 

Jinx looked at the mirror in front of them with wide eyes. Her chest heaved as she looked at hers and Ekko's reflection on the mirror. 

“Answer me,” he whispered against her ear, his eyes locked on hers through the mirror. 

“What are you doing?” 

“What am I doing?” Ekko's tone was unnecessarily harsh and that was more of a turn on for Jinx than she cared to admit. 

“What are you doing to me?”

Ekko's palms rested on Jinx’s hips and she had to clutch the edge of the sink to stabilize herself. 

“I'm not doing anything to you,” she said between clenched teeth, turning her head as far away from him as she could. 

“You know exactly what the fuck you're doing.”

Jinx let out a breathless moan when Ekko squeezed her ass so hard she begged it would leave a mark. Her back arched, pressing herself firmer against him as her eyes returned to him again, unable to keep her eyes off him for too long.

“Wearing that dress to show off the marks I gave you. Like you want others to see them. Like you're proud of them.” 

Ekko groaned under his breath when Jinx pressed her ass against his front. Living in that house was pure torture when he had to deal with this shit first thing in the morning. 

“You have no idea,” he rasped against the side of her neck, lightly kissing the hickeys he left there just a day before. “No fucking idea what you make me feel.” 

Jinx choked out a laugh, feigning carelessness. “You seemed just fine at the party. I was half expecting to see that skank on the back seat of your car.” 

“Is that why you took so long to come to the car? You were waiting for me to finish up?” 

A spark of irritation danced behind Jinx's eyes. 

“I slept with you less than twenty-four hours ago. You think I would want more after that?” 

“To me it looked–”

“Yeah, I noticed you were looking at me quite a lot.” 

She swallowed, her gaze dropping from his, in guilt. Ekko pulled her closer to him by the waist. 

“You were all over your man but your eyes were focused on me.” 

There was nothing she could say that could make her position better, no lie she could think of that would fabricate the reality. Ekko had managed to see right through all her bullshit act of indifference.

She turned her head, looking at him directly for the first time. Her eyes were pleading as she looked up at Ekko, but Jinx wasn't sure what she was begging for. Thankfully for her, Ekko did. 

He leaned forward and kissed her hungrily. The rise and fall of Ekko's chest was steady against Jinx's back as he pressed against her firmer. Jinx opened her mouth, melting into the kiss and becoming putty in Ekko's hands. 

Ekko groaned, grinding his hips forward. His hands slipped past her waist and under the shirt, immediately cupping her clothed pussy. He was moving way too fast but he really couldn't control himself. 

Idiot, a part of him screamed. It's Powder you're doing this to.

Jinx let out an inaudible gasp. They couldn’t do that there. 

Jinx pulled away from his lips, panting. 

“Not here,” she whispered. 

Ekko tried to catch his breath, looking around the small bathroom. The light blue tiles on the walls and the twin baby pink colored sinks besides each other. Scattered all over the room were hair brushes and perfume bottles with animated characters on them and sparkly nail polish, that could not belong to anyone but Isha. 

He pulled away, embarrassed with his eagerness. Ekko couldn't believe he was ready to bend Jinx over the sink in a space she shared with her kid sister. 

“I–I have to go get dressed,” Jinx said, fixing her shirt to cover her thighs. 

She passed by Ekko, bending forward but pulling back the last second before she left. Ekko stayed rooted in place, trying to recollect himself. 

It was toxic what they had. But Ekko couldn't quit it. This sweet, toxic poison tasted better than anything and he would taste it again and again if it meant being close to Jinx. 

After he calmed his wild thoughts, he left the bathroom. 

“Good morning,” he grumbled when he entered the living room, heading to the kitchen. 

“Ah, good morning sleepy head. Did you sleep well?” 

Ekko groaned as a response. Benzo and Vander were sitting in the living room looking at the architect's design for the shop. Ekko had been so preoccupied with other thoughts that he had completely forgotten the loan his father took from Vander to reopen the shop. He knew the preparations had already begun but hadn't been to Zaun to see them for himself. 

A new wave of anxiety overfilled him. Ekko had to make sure he found the money to pay Vander back as soon as he could. 

“I hope Jinx doesn't tire you out, Ekko.” 

Ekko turned his head to Vander, looking at him like a deer caught in headlights. 

“I'm sorry?” 

“With all the parties she’s going to,” Vander clarified with a smile. “I hope you don't get too tired when you're keeping an eye out for her.”

“Oh,” Ekko cleared his throat. “No, it's fine. I don't really mind.

“I really can't thank you enough for agreeing to accompany her to those parties. After what happened the other day, I was crazy with worry. Now my mind is at ease, knowing she is with you.” 

“Ekko takes good care of Jinx after all,” his father added with a smile. 

Ekko averted his gaze in guilt. He was taking good care of Jinx, alright. Behind everyone's back and in Vander's own house. 

Just in time to save him of his thoughts, Jinx appeared with Isha trailing behind her. She was dressed now and Ekko willed himself to not wonder if she still wore that thong underneath those clothes. 

“Morning,” Jinx said to him, avoiding looking at him as she opened the fridge. 

Ekko nodded at her, quickly getting out of her way. They maneuvered awkwardly in the kitchen, trying to not get into each other's way. 

Finally, Ekko sat on the kitchen table. In front of him, Isha sipped orange juice from a straw, her brown hair still tousled from sleep. She yawned, clearly having just woken up. 

“Are you excited that spring break has started?” Ekko asked, trying to make small talk. It was hard to understand young children but he wanted Isha to like him. 

Yes! Isha signed, smiling with all her teeth. I want to go to the beach! 

“The beach?” Jinx asked, setting a plate in front of Isha and taking the seat next to her. 

Yeah. Dad says that Bilgewater has so many beaches. I want to go to the beach too! 

Jinx chuckled. “Dad is coming back from his trip in two weeks. I'm sure you can wait until then. It's still too cold to go swimming.”

Isha looked at Jinx with a pout. But I want to go! 

Jinx sighed, not able to deny her sister's wish. “We can go, I guess. But no swimming! I don't want you catching a cold!” 

Isha let out a small shriek of joy, falling into her sister's arms. Ekko couldn't fight the genuine smile on his face as he watched the affectionate scene unfold. Jinx's eyes lifted up and caught Ekko staring at them. 

They both looked away immediately. 

“Oh, I almost forgot.” 

Benzo held up a piece of paper, indicating it to Ekko. 

“This came in the mail today, Ekko. They sent it to our previous address and they had to mail it again.” 

Ekko got up from his chair, moving to the couch. He looked at the post card of a tropical scenery in confusion, turning it around. 

“It's from Heimer,” he said with a smile, recognizing his mentor's letters. 

“Who the fuck still sends post cards?”

“Language, young lady,” Vander scolded Jinx. 

“He's old, likes things to be old school,” Ekko said, reading the card with interest. 

“How is the professor?” Benzo asked. 

“He's good. He's in Bora Bora and he says he picked up the guitar again. Has a show at a local bar every Friday night.” 

“The joys of retirement,” Jinx commented sarcastically, wiping some crumbs off of Isha's face. 

The sound of knocking on the kitchen door interrupted the moment. 

Vander got up to open the door while the rest of the house's residence looked at each other in question. There was no one they were waiting to arrive. 

“Hey dad!” 

“Vi!” 

“Vi's here!” Jinx squealed, her and Isha getting up from their seats and rushing to greet their sister. 

Jinx stopped dead in her tracks when another figure entered the kitchen. 

“Cait,” she said with a forced smile. “You're here too.”

Isha rushed to Vi's arms, almost making her stumble back. 

“I missed you too, kid,” she said, patting Isha's head. 

“So sorry for the unexpected visit,” Cait said, giving some food containers to Vander. “But we baked so many scones, we had to bring you some.” 

Jinx furrowed her brow. Vi didn't bake. And Cait didn't seem like the type that would spend time in the kitchen when there were other ways to spend her morning. The clothes storage bag that Vi held in her hand told Jinx there was more to this visit than just biscuits. 

“Thank you so much, Cait. Come on in, don't just stand there.”

“Oh, we would love to but we are here just to drop something off.” 

“Drop what off?”

Cait cleared her throat, ignoring Jinx's question. Her eyes scanned the room, falling on Ekko. Recognition flashed behind her blue eyes as she stepped towards him. 

“This must be Ekko Elliot,” Cait offered her hand to him. “I have heard a lot about you from Jayce. I'm Caitlyn Kiramann.”

Ekko looked at Cait warily. He has never met a Kiramann before but she was as Ekko had imagined them to be. Her shoulder length hair were perfectly straightened and the beige button down she wore was matching perfectly with her navy blue dress pants. She was disturbingly flawless, her wealth apparent in every aspect of her. 

Ekko's stomach tightened as he accepted Cait's handshake. Cait's smile widened.

“Good morning, sir,” she said to Benzo who was still sitting on the couch and gave a polite nod as an answer. 

“What exactly have you heard from Jayce?” Ekko asked, letting go of Cait's hand, still confused and a little suspicious of her behavior. It was not everyday that heiresses came up to introduce themselves to him. 

“That you are a bright mind that professor Heimerdinger tried to keep hidden. And that you and our very own Jinx are project partners now.”

“Partners?” Vander turned to Jinx. “Why haven't I heard of that before?” 

Jinx shook her head. “It's nothing.”

“Of course it is,” Vi counterpointed, picking up Isha and swirling her around. “You will represent the university on Progress Day.”

“Ekko!” Benzo let out. “Why didn't you tell me?” 

“We aren't–”

Jinx sent Ekko a helpless look. Before he could say anything, Cait spoke over Benzo. 

“My mother would love to see you too as well in the opera tomorrow.”

“Wait,” Jinx interrupted Cait. “What do you mean you too as well? Who else is going?” 

Vi held the clothes bag in the air, showing it to Jinx. 

“You are, sister.” 

Jinx looked at the bag in horror, not even taking it in her hands. 

“Mother already picked out a dress for you, Jinx. In case you didn't have one.” 

“What an angel,” Jinx muttered under her breath. By now she knew Cassandra Kiramann well and she had sent that dress as an insurance that Jinx wouldn't have a way out of attending that opera. 

What is it? Isha signed, unzipping the zipper of the bag. 

As soon as Jinx caught sight of the tulle of the dress, she zipped it back up. 

“Operas are not my kind of music.” 

“That's alright. There are many breaks in between. Mother was thinking maybe you and her could have a talk during them.” 

Ekko's eyes fell on Jinx. She ignored him, grabbing the bag from Vi's hands and turning her head away. She didn't want to look at her sister after the trick she pulled on her. Always conspiring behind her back in order to get her to accept the Kiramann's deal. 

“My mother will send a car for you, Jinx,” Cait said with a final smile, passing her arm across Vi's shoulders. 

Isha waved at Vi as the couple left. Ekko stood in his place, shaken up by the meeting. Cassandra Kiramann, the head of Kiramann Industries, wanted to meet him. He had no idea what Jayce told her but their meeting couldn't be anything else but business natured. Perhaps she wanted to offer him a place in the manufacturing department, like she did to Jinx, after he graduated. 

He shook his head. The Kiramann Industries represented an ethics code that Ekko was against. He would never work for them. And he would never meet with Cassandra Kiramann. 

Vander's laugh interrupted his row of thought. He hugged Jinx who stood still, the dress she had to wear tomorrow still inside the bag. 

“I didn't know that Jayce assigned you two to be partners! This is just amazing, darling!” 

Jinx closed her eyes. “Not now, dad.” 

“Why not? We should celebrate it!” 

“We should!” Benzo came up to Ekko, pulling him closer. “I'm really proud of you, my son.” 

“It's settled then!” 

“Just–” Jinx pushed herself away from her father. She passed a hand through her face as she distanced herself from the group. 

Vander's eyes followed her in worry as she went up the stairs. 

“Did I say something wrong?” 

Ekko felt the need to step in. “She is just anxious about us representing the school. We haven't really begun our research and it's kind of a lot to take in at once.” 

Vander nodded, the wrinkles on his forehead and eyes made way, visibly relieved. 

“I'll go check on her,” Ekko said, coming up the stairs. 

He knocked on her bedroom door twice. For the first time, there was no loud music coming from inside. 

“Go away.” 

Ekko let out a sigh, opening the door slowly. He lingered on the foot of the door, not wanting to disturb her by stepping on her personal space. 

The bag was thrown carelessly on her bed as Jinx sat on her vanity table, bent over some papers she was scribbling on. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I said, go away.” 

“I just wanted to–” 

Ekko closed his mouth. Arguing with her wouldn’t solve anything, it only seemed to make things even more complicated. 

“Listen, I just wanted to say that whenever you want maybe we should start on this project, alright? People are counting on us and we have sat on it long enough.”

Jinx scoffed, not turning around to face him. 

“It doesn’t matter if we want to work together not. We have to do it or we get expelled. We don’t have a choice.”

Jinx leaned back on the chair of her vanity table, looking at Ekko through the glass of the mirror. 

“Just leave me alone.” 

Ekko didn't even flinch when she pushed him away from her this time. He turned around and closed the door behind him without a single emotion in his heart, just emptiness. 

He needed to clear his head. 

ⴵ

Ekko shook the spray can on his hand as he moved away from the wall he had just tagged, a warmth spreading on his chest. 

The streets of Zaun were his real home. In there Ekko didn't have any responsibilities, no worries, no loan to pay back and no ex-girlfriend to try and understand. It was just him and art in those empty streets and even if his hands were filled with paint later it was enough. 

He didn't have to think about anything. He was free that night. 

Ekko pulled his hood down on his face as he strolled down the pathway. His earphones were on blast and for the first time in weeks, Ekko felt at peace. 

That was until the red and blue lights appeared behind him. 

Ekko's breathing came out shallow. He tried to calm himself down, convincing himself that the police sirens weren't on for him. Why would they be? He was just walking along the road. Yet they kept following him. And Ekko knew why. A black man walking alone at night. That was all they saw. 

With a tug, Ekko took his earphones off and pulled his hood down. Slowly, he raised his arms over his head. Ekko could not describe what he felt with words other than it was a mic of anger, alertness and a strong feeling of unfairness that made his throat dry. 

It wasn't fair. 

The cops, sent directly from Piltover as Ekko assumed, went out of the car slowly, like they had all the time in the world while Ekko stood completely still. The lights of the car were on, making Ekko squint his eyes to look at the two figures that approached him. 

“Hello sir,” one of them said, stopping close to Ekko. Ekko did not respond. 

“You can drop your hands now,” the other said with a bored tone, looking around at the dirty alley with disgust evident in his face, too arrogant to be standing in there. 

Ekko paused. That voice was distantly familiar, like the horrible echo of a nightmare he saw in his childhood. He took a better look at the figure. His features were sharper, the passing of time having left its mark on him and he had grown facial hair but underneath that all, Ekko recognized Marcus. 

His chest tightened in anger. Of course he would go on to become a fucking cop like nothing had happened. 

“There have been some robberies in this area. We are just checking.” 

Ekko glared at the other cop. “I don't have anything to do with it.” 

“Then you wouldn't mind if we searched you,” Marcus said, lifting his shoulders. “Just to make sure you are telling the truth.” 

“So you just stop me like that because I seem like the type, right?”

None of the cops said anything or even gave a reaction. Of course, it was easy for them. Everything was easy. Ekko felt so helpless, like he was drowning in deep waters. 

“Open your bag,” Marcus ordered, his tone non-negotiable. 

For a second, Ekko considered not listening. But that was only a thought. He knew what would happen if he did and he couldn't afford having problems with the police again. 

Fuming with anger but entirely helpless in the face of power, he handed them his bag. It was not fair. And yet he could do nothing about it because he was alone. Just another black man from the hundreds that wew target daily. 

The humiliation burned so deep in his heart it left a permanent mark. It wasn't the first time he was pulled aside by cops. It always felt the same.

“Graffiti is not legal,” the cop said, emptying Ekko's bag and holding two spray cans. “You've been ruining personal property with your tagging?” 

“Let's see who we're dealing with.” 

Marcus smirked, taking Ekko’s wallet and pulling out his ID. When his eyes scanned over Ekko’s personal information, his smile dropped. 

He looked at Ekko in shock and then back at the ID, perhaps searching for any indication that the young man in front of him was the same kid he used to torment for fun. But now there was something other than arrogance when he looked at Ekko. 

Fear. 

With pursed lips he spoke to his partner. “Let's go.” 

“What? We need to take him down to the–” 

“Give him his stuff back and let's go, Anderson!” 

Marcus thrusted Ekko's wallet and ID to Ekko's chest before stepping back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Ekko didn't spare a word but deep inside he enjoyed watching Marcus squirm in fear. He must have realized the power Ekko had over him. Ekko knew what happened that night. And maybe Marcus had gotten away with it until now, but he wouldn't be able to escape the truth forever. 

Unexpectedly, Ekko's bag was thrown in his face, the edge of the heavy spray can slicing his eyebrow. Ekko clutched his face in pain. 

“Anderson!” Marcus roared. “Get in the car, now!” 

The pain made Ekko’s vision blurry as the car rolled down the street and disappeared into the night. Ekko felt the warm blood run down the cut on his face. 

It was not fair. But what could a black kid from Zaun do to change that? Nothing would ever change. Nothing, ever. 

ⴵ

Ekko turned the key on the front door, pushing himself inside. His body was tense, all his muscles still on edge from the encounter he had with Marcus. He still couldn't believe it was him after all this time. 

His legs were shaking as he got up the stairs, the back bag slipping from his shoulder. The moment he was alone in the safety of his room, he crashed into his bed, pushing his face in his pillows and trying to make the tears of frustration disappear from his eyes. 

Ekko felt less than nothing. How could he not be when he was treated in that way almost daily? Everyday was a new challenge. He was always chasing something whether that was money, acceptance or even Jinx. Always struggling in his corner of this messed up world. He was always trying to do good but where had that ever taken him? Why couldn't he enjoy fucking anything in life?

He didn't want to feel like this any more.

Ekko grabbed his phone, searching for tickets for Sunday's opera. 

Chapter Text

Love is a rebellious bird

That nobody can tame

Carmen - Habanera-Georges Bizet 

“Why can't I come to the music festival too?” 

Jinx set her hairbrush down, giving up on trying to tame the blue strands of hair that had escaped from the elaborate bun on the back of her head. 

“It's not a festival, it's an opera. And I don't even want to go.” 

“Why not?” Isha required, picking the hairbrush Jinx left on her vanity table and starting to comb her bangs. 

They had spent the last hours getting ready, Jinx for the opera and Isha for a classmate's birthday party in some burger place that Vander would drive her to. Isha looked very elegant in her small pigtails and blue glitter that Jinx put on her eyelids to match her skirt. Jinx, on the other hand, was still in her robe, refusing to go near the dress that was hanging on her closet's door. 

“Because it's a stupid excuse to get me to talk to Cassandra Kiramann and let her poison my brain with her business talk. Plus, it's opera. It's going to be so boring. Trust me Ish, I would rather go to that Chuck E. Cheese party with you instead.” 

Isha shrugged. Her sister always knew better after all. Jinx could do no wrong in her eyes. If Jinx said operas were boring, then they must be.

“But you are still wearing the dress, right?” 

The hopeful glimmer in Isha's eyes made Jinx sigh in exasperation.

“Go open it for me.” 

A playful grin spread across Isha’s face as she ran to the closet and unzipped the dress’ bag to reveal a soft gray gown. On top of the grey silk draped a black tulle, sewn with black jewels in the shapes of flowers across its length. The dark tulle muted the gray of the dress making the already unremarkable color seem even duller. 

Isha gasped. Jinx cringed.

“You're going to be a princess!” The little one said, turning to her sister with excitement in her eyes. 

“No, Ish, I'm really not.” 

“There's a letter too,” Isha fished an envelope from inside the bag. 

She opened it, handing Jinx the opera ticket that was inside before taking the letter out and beginning to read it aloud. 

“Dear Ms. Croft,” Isha spoke in a hushed voice. It wasn't every day she felt comfortable reading aloud and Jinx was hanging from her every word, proudly applauding Isha in secret. 

“It is my sincere hope that the dress I picked for you is close to your tastes. We had your dear sister tell us your size in order to custom make it especially for you. I fervently–what does fervently mean?” 

“It means wanting something very, very, very much,” Jinx explained, signing the word in ASL with her hands too. 

Isha nodded, returning to the letter. “I fervently hope that I see you in the opera house this Sunday and that you appear with the modesty that is suitable for the occasion. My sincerest regards. C. Kiramann.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes. “C. Kiramann? God, she is so pretentious!” 

“What does pretentious mean?”

“It means Cassandra Kiramann is full of shit and I'm not wearing that.” 

Jinx took the dress out of the bag. Cassandra had chosen the most lifeless piece of clothing she could find to dress Jinx in. It was like that woman despised any shade of color that wasn't the royal blue of her family’s sigil. She always expressed her displeasure of Jinx's dyed hair and tattoos. And as expected, a pair of black elbow length gloves hung from the hanger along with the dress. Cassandra didn’t only want Jinx to cover up her tattoos. She wanted her to cover up her true colors in every way of the sense.

She sighed. There was no way out of this. At least Jinx had picked a dark sparkly eyeshadow to wear that in a light could match the dress. 

“I'll just try it on once, okay?”

Isha clapped her hands as Jinx moved behind the folding screen on the side of her room to change. The dress slipped over her form, fitting well enough against her curves. Jinx fixed the small straps on her shoulders and stepped out of the folding screen. 

Isha covered her mouth with both her hands. “You really are a princess, Jinx!” 

Jinx let out a small laugh. “Well, come help the princess out with the zipper.”

While Isha zipped her up, Jinx put the gloves on, the satin feeling cold on her skin. She stole a glance at her reflection on the vanity mirror. It wasn't as hard to recognize herself as she thought it would be but she wasn't entirely pleased with what she saw either. It was as if the dress was a mask she had to wear to appease Cassandra Kiramann. Jinx would attend that opera, hear what she had to say and then be done with her forever. 

It's just for tonight, she reminded herself. She would never agree to work for Cassandra again. 

The moment Isha was done she took a step back to admire her sister. “You look so beautiful.” 

“Do you like the dress?” Jinx asked with a smile, grabbing the pair of purple metallic colored high heels she would wear. She loved the stars that decorated the straps of the shoes and if she couldn't pick out the dress, she would pick the damn shoes. 

“When you grow up and you fit into it, you can have it.” 

“Really?” Isha exclaimed, her eyes as big as saucers. 

Jinx laughed. “Yes, really.” 

Isha jumped on Jinx, almost making her trip over as she gave her a big hug. 

“I'll go tell daddy!” She chippered as she rushed out the door with uncontrollable happiness. 

Jinx shook her head, smiling to herself at the kid's eagerness. From outside the window, a car honked twice. Jinx couldn't help the groan of annoyance that escaped her. The car had already arrived. 

Grabbing the ticket and her phone, Jinx left her room in a hurry. The long skirt of the gown fluttered against her angles as she descended the stairs, taking great care in not stepping on the hem of the gown. Jinx was so cautious of her steps that she nearly missed Ekko standing in front of the mirror near the front door. 

Jinx's heart made an embarrassing jerk in her chest when she laid eyes on Ekko. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a black dress shirt underneath, that was almost a perfect fit to his body. He was fixing his silver cufflinks (probably a loan from Benzo) that matched the silver hoops on his ears as well as the pocket watch that was hanging from its chain attached to his waistcoat.

The word perfect seemed too poor to describe him. Jinx needed to conceive a new word that could describe the absolute excellence that was Ekko in a tux. 

As though he felt Jinx's gaze on him, Ekko turned around. He held his breath when he took her in, his eyes darting over her form. A crimson color decorated Jinx's cheeks as she climbed down the last steps, trying to shake off the embarrassment of being admired so openly. 

“I didn't expect you would actually come to the opera,” she said, fumbling with her glove to distract herself. 

“Hm?” Ekko seemed confused. “Oh no, I'm not going. I just felt like dressing up.”

Despite herself, Jinx let out a small laugh that made Ekko crack a half smile. 

“I didn't expect I would go either,” Ekko's hand unconsciously traveled to his waistcoat, feeling his father's watch. It was what he would want for Ekko. A better future. 

“It was a last minute decision.” 

Jinx nodded in understanding, though she wasn't sure what she was to understand exactly. She was a little distracted by him. Ekko had tied his newly retwisted dreadlocks back, leaving only one hanging by the side of his face that was decorated by charms, his high cheekbones in full display.

Jinx cleared her throat, pushing herself to look away from him. 

“Uh, your bow tie is untied.”

Ekko looked down at his collar, having forgotten about it. The satin of the black bow tie hung untied around his neck. 

Hesitantly, Jinx took a step closer. “Can I?” 

He arched an eyebrow. “You know how to tie a bow tie?” 

“My dad wears a lot of ties and bows. You know, to be court appropriate when he has a case. He taught me how to tie one.” 

“Then, if you could.” 

Ekko stood still as Jinx reached out and began tying the bow for him. They were close enough that Jinx could look at him without it being too obvious. Her skilled hands worked the knot as her eyes returned to looking at his face. 

There was a cut above his left eyebrow, big enough to be noticeable but not deep. It wasn't there yesterday. 

“Where did you get that?” 

Ekko let out a deep breath through his nostrils, his face blank of any emotion. 

“I ran into an old friend of ours. Marcus Wallis. Officer Wallis, I should say now.” 

Jinx's fingers froze mid-air. The mention of that name, a name she had wished the selective amnesia could wipe out of her brain forever, that brought back the bitter memories of questioning rooms, juvenile court and visiting her father and sister in jail. 

“What?” She whispered, obviously struck by Ekko's sayings. 

“I was in Zaun yesterday. Two cops stopped me. One of them was him.” 

“I don't understand,” Jinx confessed, truly bewildered. “Why were you in Zaun?” 

Ekko shook his head. “I go back home sometimes. I–uh, sometimes I like to tug on the walls there. Helps me clear my head and make the abandoned buildings less grim.”

Jinx furrowed her brow in confusion. “Did they catch you tugging?” 

“No. I was just walking.”

“Then why did they stop you?” 

“You really gotta ask why, Jinx?” 

Her lips parted when the realization of the situation dawned on her. It felt like the heaviest of weights pressed on her heart, making it sink lower and lower. Jinx felt a mix of shame, anger and defeat wash over her. 

She knew the cruelty of the world they lived in and wasn't stupid enough to overlook the racism that was barely hidden in it. But it was still devastating to watch people that simply existed suffer because of the unjustified prejudice of others. Jinx felt disgusted, her stomach turning in nauseating speed. 

Ekko took a step back but Jinx stopped him. Her hands were back on his bow tie, pulling him closer to her while finishing the knot with a thoughtful expression. 

“Did he recognize you? Was that why he stopped you?” Jinx required, needing to know more. 

“Not. But he remembered me when he saw my ID. I saw it in his eyes. His whole demeanor changed.” 

“Did he take you in? Did he do anything to you?” 

Ekko didn't give her an answer. Jinx mentally slapped herself for even saying that. The cut on Ekko's brow was enough evidence of what had happened. She didn't even want to imagine what had happened, her blood boiling in maddening rage at the mere thought of it. 

“We have to tell someone. I can call my dad and he will press charges–”

“What's the point?” Ekko's tone was heavy with exasperation. “It's not the first time this shit has happened and it ain't going to be the last. Nothing ever changes.”

“But–” 

A nerve pulsating in Ekko's temple. What did she know? What could Jinx understand of the struggles he faced? She may not have grown up with the privileges she possessed now, but she would always have white privilege. 

“Listen, I don’t need you to play the hero. I can handle my own problems, okay? I don't need anyone's help.” 

“I am not trying to play the hero,” Jinx furrowed her brow even more. “I care about you, Ekko.”

Jinx’s words were an arrow shot right through Ekko's heart. Ekko looked at Jinx in complete astonishment, not believing his own ears. Jinx seemed to realize too late what she had accidentally admitted. 

Their respective embarrassment was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. 

“I'll go get it!” Benzo stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ekko and Jinx. 

“Look at you two.” 

Jinx and Ekko took a step away from each other as Benzo clasped Jinx's hand and spun her around herself, showing off the dress.

“You look magnificent, my girl,” he said with father-like pride. 

The doorbell rang again, persistently. 

“I'll get it,” Ekko sighed, going to open the door since his father was too preoccupied with Jinx. 

“I've been standing here for five minutes, what took you guys so long?” Vi stood on the doorstep, her hands on her hips. She was dressed in a red velvet suit, the top three buttons of the champagne colored shirt she wore underneath, open. 

She threw a helmet in Ekko's direction, that he caught in the air. “Come on, we're going to be late!” 

“Vi?” Jinx craned her neck to look at her sister. “What are you doing here?” 

“I'm taking Ekko to the opera. You know there is a car waiting for you, right?” 

“Did I hear my eldest's voice?” 

Vander too came to the living room with Isha in his arms. He looked at them in awe. 

“Ah! I must take a picture!” 

“Oh, yes!” Benzo agreed. “I'll go get my phone!”

“No, dad!” 

“We're running late!” 

“Oh, come on!” Vander said, setting Isha down. “Just one picture!” 

“This isn't prom night, dad,” Vi said, giving a kiss on Isha's cheek. The girl giggled before her attention was turned to Ekko. 

You look so nice! Like a prince! 

Ekko gave her a small smile, patting the girl's head affectionately. 

Jinx groaned, turning on her heel. “I have to go.”

“And so do we,” Vi followed Jinx outside before turning to Isha. “Have fun at the party, pipsqueak! And make sure you get lots of sleep tonight because we are going to the beach tomorrow.”

Isha's smile was rivaling the sun in warmth. Have fun at the opera! 

Thank you, Ekko signed to Isha before following the sisters out of the house. He was right behind Vi who was going on about how Cait would murder her if they arrived late, when a hand was wrapped around his arm, stopping him. 

Ekko turned around to find Jinx looking at him. She seemed like she was battling with her inner self on what was appropriate for her to say. 

“We still have to talk about it,” Jinx finally said. 

“I told you,” he said, gently releasing himself from her hold. “It's fine. I'm fine.” 

The tips of Jinx's lips were casted downwards. Ekko's reassurance wasn't convincing. 

“I can handle my own probl–”

“It's not just you that has a say in this,” Jinx interrupted him, something scratchy in her tone of voice. “He ruined my life too.”

“Ekko!” 

They both turned at Vi's shout. She was already on her bike, her helmet on and visibly irritated by Ekko's tardiness. 

“I'll see you in the opera house,” Ekko promised, putting the helmet on and jogging towards Vi. 

Jinx lingered a moment longer as the bike sped up into the street before she got into the car Cassandra sent for her. 

“They didn't wait for the picture,” Benzo remarked, standing next to Vander on the doorstep.

“Were you expecting anything different from our children?” 

Benzo and Vander shared a look before they both erupted into a laughing fit. From inside the house, Isha shook her head. She should have gone with Jinx instead of staying with those old fools. 

ⴵ

Ekko took the helmet off, running a hand through his dreads. Before him, the National Opera stood proud, demanding the attention of everyone who passed by. The Renaissance architecture style was evident in the marble columns that decorated the façade of the grand building. Everything seemed to be polished from the steps to the main entrance to the sculpture artwork on the roof of the opera. And all around, people dressed in their finest headed to the opera house with commotion.

It was hard to not feel entirely out of place amidst them. 

He handed Vi the helmet. “Thanks for the ride.” 

“Don't mention it. I'm just glad we made it on time. Cait would kill me if I was late.”

“Is she that terrifying?” 

“Oh, you have no idea. But she is so hot. Makes it worth it.” 

Ekko chuckled, pulling his hair back again. Vi seemed genuinely relieved that the opera hadn't begun yet. He, on the other hand, was hesitant. 

“I'm going to be in her family's box with Jinx. Do you think you can make it inside alone? I have to run.” 

“Go ahead,” he said with a smile. He needed to be alone with his thoughts for a while. 

Immediately, Vi gave the helmets and the bike's key to a confused parking valet and ran up the stairs. 

Alone now, Ekko could let his eyes take in the grandeur of the building with childlike amazement. Beside him stood an elderly couple, the woman fixing the flower on her husband's breast pocket. He smiled at her and took her by the arm and they ascended the stairs. 

Ekko looked down at his own empty breast pocket. As he moved to the entrance, his hand brushed against a bush of flowers that decorated the opera's entrance, his fingers cutting the white buds as he walked by. Fixing the small baby's-breath buds on his breast pocket, he braced himself before stepping forward. 

The interior was even more luxurious. The grand staircase that led to the foyer stood amidst elaborate mosaics across the walls and ceiling. Ekko's eyes hungrily took in the fine artwork as he ascended the staircase. 

“May I see your ticket, sir?”

Ekko was too distracted by the art to notice the valet at the head of the staircase. A little embarrassed at being caught looking with his mouth open, he showed the ticket on his phone to the valet who smiled warmly. 

“Welcome to the National Opera, sir.”

Ekko gave him a curt nod, pushing his shoulders back and entering the foyer. His heartbeat was getting louder by the second. An unjustified fear that someone would notice he didn't belong there and ask him to leave settled in his heart. He should have never come. He didn't belong there. 

“May I escort you to your seat?”

Ekko looked at the smiling face of the woman at the entrance of the auditorium. From her attire Ekko understood she was a part of the opera staff. 

“Yes,” he said a little hesitantly. He needed help navigating through the room, afraid he would get lost and make a fool of himself. 

The woman inclined her head, gesturing for Ekko to follow her. The auditorium was unveiled to him, golden and scarlet details merged together leaving the spectator scandalized with the raw beauty of the space. Ekko looked up at the chandelier, the crystals trapping the light and sparkling bright at the painting on the ceiling, the nine muses and Apollo standing amidst the skies. 

However his eyes were not just observing the fine artwork. Ekko searched the boxes on either side of the stage for the familiar shade of blue that would get his heartbeat to calm down. 

I care about you, Ekko.

Jinx's words were shriveling in the back of Ekko's mind for longer than he liked to admit. She had spoken with such warmth, such realness that it baffled him. He was too tired and confused to keep thinking of the matter. 

Ekko needed to get his mind off of Jinx, who was so unpredictable he could never understand her. 

“Right here, sir,” the woman's voice made Ekko lower his head from the opera boxes. 

Yesterday, he was stopped by the police and today they were calling him sir and escorting him to his seat. 

“Thank you,” Ekko confessed, meaning it with his whole heart. 

When the woman left, Ekko sat on his seat. It wasn't a good seat, the cheapest he could find and still much too expensive for his income but it was good enough. He wasn't there to enjoy the opera, anyway. 

Around him, the mundane black and white formal clothes of the elderly attendees were a little disheartening to gaze at. He must be the only person below the age of fifty in attendance. 

“This is my favorite part.” 

Ekko turned to his left, searching for the owner of the unknown voice that was seemingly addressing him. His breath was caught on his throat when he caught sight of the woman sitting besides him.

She was young, around his age and noticeably pretty. Ekko had to give her a second look to fully appreciate her delicate features and almond shaped eyes. Her soft pink hair was in a half-up half-down hairstyle that allowed her curls to frame her face. 

“Right before the concert is about to begin,” the woman explained with a small smile of contentment on her face that made her eyes sparkle. “And the whole auditorium is buzzing with anticipation to hear the first notes of the orchestra. Don't you think so?”

Ekko was so unprepared for the woman’s question that he could only stare at her. Noticing his clueless expression, she chuckled kindly. 

“Sorry,” Ekko shook off his bewilderment, scratching the back of his neck. “I was caught off guard. I was just expecting someone…older.” 

The woman laughed again and Ekko concluded she had a really nice laugh, one that matched her clear voice. He found himself intrigued by her, needing to know more about her or at least hear more of that laugh. 

“It is a first for me to see someone my age here, as well.”

Ekko's smile widened. “You come to the opera often?” 

“Whenever I can. I love opera too much to be parted from it. Of course I listen to it at home but it is not the same as being here where the music is alive.”

The woman looked at Ekko a little shaken up by how passionately she was talking to a stranger. 

“I'm sorry. I keep on blubbering about things you probably don't even care about.” 

“No,” Ekko was quick to reassure her. “It's not everyday you find someone young that is interested in opera.” 

“Well, I love music, all kinds of it. But I always had a deeper connection to operas. My mother used to sing to me every night before I went to sleep when I was a child.”

Ekko listened with interest as he let his eyes trail over the unknown woman. The cream hue of her dress, adorned with intricate golden vines made her stand out from the others. 

“Which opera is your favorite?” 

The woman smiled, gesturing to the scene. “Carmen. The story of a young soldier seduced by a beautiful fiery stranger making him abandon his childhood love told through preludes and choruses.”

Ekko hummed. The story was a little too melodramatic for his tastes.

“The words are so moving! Oh, I wish I knew French so I could translate them on sight. But I know the meaning already so that is good enough.” 

Ekko briefly gazed at the drawn curtain of the stage and the back at the woman. 

“I could translate for you, if you would like.” 

She turned to face Ekko, a look of mild surprise on her face. “You can speak French?”

“Some. I would hate to be reviewed by a native speaker but I can try. If you would like.” 

The woman smiled with all the warmth of the world. Ekko felt a tightness in his chest at the sight. 

“I would like that. Very much.” 

The lights lowered and the curtain ascended. All the attendees collectively ceased their conversations and turned their focus to the stage. 

Ekko's eyes fell to the woman next to him again, unable to fully concentrate on the orchestra's opening melody. 

“What is your name?” He asked in a hushed voice. 

She smirked. “Seraphine Lee. What is yours?” 

“Ekko Elliot.” 

“Nice to meet you Ekko Elliot.” 

“Nice to meet you Seraphine Lee.” 

They both sat next to each other as the opera began. 

On the box that the Kiramann family maintained, Jinx's focus was turned to the opera. A hand was clasped against her chest, moved by the words the soprano sang with maestry. She had never expected to become so consumed by the opera itself. But it was the dramatic nature of it that drew her in. 

“What do you think?” 

Jinx glared at the woman next to her. Cassandra was looking through her opera glasses at the scene, unbothered as to Jinx’s glare. 

“It is a beautiful song.” 

“I was not talking about the song, my dear. Even you, with such low social decency could understand when one isn't trying to make small talk.”

Jinx bit back the sarcastic remark she wanted to throw Cassandra’s way. She stole a glance at Vi, sitting next to Cait a few seats away from her. The couple was merrily whispering to each other. She had never seen her sister smile as wide as when she was with Cait. Jinx would have liked Cait much better if she wasn't the daughter of the woman who was trying to control her life. 

“There is nothing that I think. I already gave you my answer.”

“Has it not changed?” Cassandra required, turning her attention to Jinx for the first time. “Your father and sisters are expecting the best of you. Do you want to disappoint them even now?” 

Jinx dug her teeth on her bottom lip. Cassandra's words struck a sensitive spot. She didn't want others to decide for her own future but at the same time she couldn't stand her family being disappointed at her again. Jinx needed to do this right at least. 

“Think of all the possibilities that we could achieve. That you could achieve if you worked for us.”

“You want to get on my good side Cassie?” 

Cassandra’s eyebrows furrowed at the nickname but she remained silent. 

“Find where officer Marcus Wallis is stationed.” 

Jinx didn't wait for Cassandra’s response but instead, turned her head away from her so that she could face the stage once again. Her pulse was erratic as she tried to ignore the doubts that immediately sprang on her mind.

While she turned her head to the stage her attention was drawn to the seats in the middle row. Jinx threaded her fingers together anxiously when her eyes fell on a familiar figure. It was unmistakably Ekko, sitting a little further than herself. She could recognize him even in the dim lighting of the auditorium. He was leaning close to a stranger sitting next to him, whispering something in her ear. They were so close it made Jinx pause.

She quickly turned her focus to the orchestra. But not even a minute later, they returned back to Ekko, searching for answers to the sight before her. 

“That is all I can understand,” Ekko whispered against Seraphine's ear, making her grin. 

“Oh, yes I see. You can only understand and translate perfectly French into English at sight.”

Ekko laughed lowly, turning his gaze upwards to avoid the embarrassment of facing Seraphine when she praised him so fondly. As he looked up, his eyes immediately fell on the box right across from him, where none other than Jinx stared right back at him. 

Ekko's eyes widened when his gaze intertwined with hers. Quickly, Jinx forced her attention to turn to the orchestra rather than him, as if he wasn't there at all.

The lights turned on and the entire auditorium erupted in clapping. Ekko immediately shot up from his seat, his eyes locked on Jinx's even as she was turned away from him.

“Where are you going?” Seraphine asked. 

“I have to–” Ekko caught his breath, trying to even out his breathing. “I will go to the Kiramann’s box.” 

Seraphine’s eyebrows shot up. “Don't tell me you know the Kiramanns.” 

“I'm about to meet them.” 

“Ah, so this is more of a social event than a musical one to you, Ekko,” she said as she got up, fixing her skirts. 

“Do you mind if I come with you?” 

Ekko didn't stand long enough to wonder why Seraphine would want to follow him, his steps already taking him to the stairs leading to the boxes. He was anxious to get to Jinx. 

As expected the boxes were filled with people who talked animatedly to each other. Attending the opera was merely an excuse for people of different social circles to meet and network. 

Ekko reached the Kiramann box, letting out a deep breath when he saw the familiar faces of Vi and Jinx. He was even relieved to see Cait, dressed in a dark blue gown. And then, the very person that Ekko had dreaded of coming face to face with. 

Cassandra Kiramann sat next to her husband, looking every bit the terrifying matriarch of the Kiramann family. The velvet of her royal blue of her victorian era inspired gown was bringing out the piercing blue of her eyes, that shouted generations of privilege. 

Before he could gather Cassandra’s attention, her eyes fell on someone behind Ekko. Her stern expression changed in an instant. 

“Sera!” She exclaimed, getting up from her seat and walking towards Seraphine. 

“Hello auntie,” Seraphine responded with a warm hug that left Ekko speechless. 

“It has been too long! Oh, how you've grown!”

“You know each other?” Ekko asked, unable to hold his astonishment.

“Oh,” Seraphine seemed a little agitated as she turned to him. “Auntie, this is Ekko Elliot. Ekko, this is my godmother.”

Ekko didn't have the time to analyze the new revelation as Cassandra turned her attention to him, regarding him with a keen eye. 

“Elliot?” Cassandra raised an eyebrow. “Do not tell me you are the famous mister Elliot that Jayce had told me so much about.” 

“I–” Ekko stammered, sending a look towards Jinx. She was looking away from him, not facing him once since he entered the box. 

“I am.” 

“So you are not only an excellent French translator?” Seraphine teased him, nudging him with her shoulder. Ekko could have sworn he heard Jinx click her tongue at that. Suddenly, Ekko wished Seraphine wasn’t so near him. 

“How nice to finally meet you. Jayce is somewhere in the crowd as well. I have been looking forward to talking to you.”

“Excuse me.” 

Jinx got up from her seat, walking right past Ekko. His head whiplashed around as he watched her walk away from the box, her back coldly turned on him. Ekko couldn't handle his own body as it moved after her. 

“Excuse me for just a moment. I will be right back.” 

“Ekko!” 

“I'll be right back!” 

Passing through the crowd, Ekko ran after Jinx, who was already descending the staircase. 

“Jinx!” He called after her and immediate relief washed over his body when she turned to face him, her expression as hard as a stone. 

“The concert isn't over yet,” he said, catching his breath when he caught up to her. 

She shrugged. “I have better places to be.” 

“But it is too sudden.” 

She turned around again with a deep sigh of exasperation. 

“Is it?” 

Ekko furrowed his brow in deep thought. He had the faintest of ideas on why Jinx was acting in such a way but he put those aside for now, wanting to convince her to stay. 

“The next act is full of love songs. Isn't that worth staying a little longer?” 

“Ekko!” 

They both turned at the call of his name. Seraphine came up to them with a smile, her dress sparkling as she descended the stairs. 

“The break is about to finish and my auntie would love it if you could translate it to her as well on her box.” 

Ekko was too caught up in trying to understand the situation that he would nog answer Seraphine. 

Jinx clicked her tongue, turning around on her heel. “There's nothing worth staying for here.” 

Without another word or even a look, she climbed down the grand staircase, leaving Ekko alone with Seraphine. 

“Is everything alright?” Seraphine asked, concerned, resting a hand on Ekko's shoulder. “Auntie told me this is your project partner. Did something happen?” 

“No,” Ekko turned to Seraphine. “Nothing happened.”

She smiled, her mind set as ease, as she took his arm and guided him back to the auditorium. But Ekko was with her only in body, his spirit far away from where he stood. He was with Jinx, wherever she was. 

It was always a shock to realize that Jinx was jealous of his affection. Love was a distractive feeling that no one could control. 

And Ekko didn't know what to do with that. He didn't know what to do with her. 

Chapter Text

Those nights were on fire

We couldn’t get higher

We didn’t know that we had it all

But nobody warns you before the fall

The greatest-Lana Del Rey

The glow of the spring sun graced Ekko's face as he walked across the seaside. His steps were swallowed by the thick sand while the flowing of the tide mixed with the happy cheers of Isha and Jinx accompanied his thoughts. 

They couldn't have picked a better day to stroll on the beach. 

“So what did you think?” 

Ekko turned to Vi, who was walking beside him. The light breeze that carried the saltiness of the sea swept through Vi’s crimson hair. 

“About Cait,” Vi clarified with a hesitant look. “And her parents.” 

“Ah.” 

After Jinx’s sudden departure, Seraphine had taken him back to the box. Cassandra Kiramann was anxious to have the next act translated to her and Ekko had obediently taken Jinx's place next to her as another chair was brought for Seraphine. The rest of the night was spent with Cassandra requiring more about Ekko's studies as Ekko reluctantly replied with as much patience as he could before he got up from Jinx's seat ten minutes before the opera ended, not baring the questions any more. 

“They all seemed really nice,” he settled on saying. 

Vi looked down at her feet, nudging him with her shoulder, a small smirk on her face. 

“You're good at lying.”

“Come on, I'm not.” 

“At least you are kind enough to pretend to like them. Jinx can't even do that.” 

Ekko’s eyes trailed after Jinx’s running form at the sound of her name. She caught up to Isha who was sprinting down the seaside, hugging her and twirling her around as they both erupted in loud giggles. Jinx hadn't looked at him all morning, reverting back to acting as if he didn't exist to her. They hadn't talked about it but Ekko knew she was annoyed, maybe even a little jealous too. But he wasn't going to go to her first again.

“They do seem nice, don’t get me wrong. But they are from a whole different world than us. It’s hard to relate to them when we have almost nothing in common.”

Vi nodded her head. She had heard a variation of what Ekko was saying at least a thousand times from Vander, Jinx and even Silco a million times before. 

“I get it. I mean I don’t think you would have ever guessed I would willingly attend an opera because some Piltie asked me to.”

Ekko smiled at that. He certainly would have never guessed. 

Vi gazed up at the clear sky, the sunrays making her squint her eyes. 

“Love makes us do stupid things despite our ego. Or because of it.”

Ekko didn't have time to reflect on Vi's words as she suddenly passed a hand through Ekko’s shoulders, squeezing him with more pressure than was necessary. 

“But you handled it well. Really well. You were speaking so freely and that goddaughter was literally hanging from your every word. Have you known her long?”

“I met her last night,” Ekko said, rubbing his arm. If he ever forgot Vi was really a boxer, her impressive muscle mass and strength were quick to remind him. 

“Really? She seemed so casual with you, I thought you knew each other.” 

Ekko’s thoughts couldn’t help but return to Seraphine. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of her since last night. Seraphine’s warm and open personality had made an impression on him. But knowing that she was Cassandra's goddaughter, had made Ekko pause. He had never imagined that Seraphine, someone who appeared so down to Earth, would be linked to that family or any of the other high-brow families of Piltover. 

Different worlds, as he said. 

“Should we return back?” Vander, who was walking a little further behind Ekko and Vi with Benzo, asked. 

No! Isha signed with a pout. Not yet! 

“Can't we stay a little longer?” Jinx backed Isha up, looking at her father with an expression of equal grief. 

“Come on,” Vander said, moving to the steps that lead upwards from the beach. “It's noon already and we've been walking for hours. It's time to go.” 

Nobody really paid attention to Jinx and Isha's weak protests as they ascended the steps, all of them too tired from the walk to indulge in their childlike antics. 

Ekko lingered on the feet of the steps, waiting for the sisters to follow the rest of the party. 

At last, Isha gave in, running to the steps and passing by Ekko. She only made it to the first five steps before she jumped down on the sand, wanting to prolong her play. 

Jinx, catch me! The girl said, already running up the stairs again before she jumped down safely in her sister's arms. 

“Yay!” Jinx laughed, setting down Isha. 

Isha giggled, delighted with the new game she had come up with. 

Again! 

“Hey, be careful,” Ekko said with a hint of worry, as Isha passed by him, ascending the steps. 

Once again, Jinx caught her, setting Ekko's mind at momentary ease. 

“Okay, now let's go,” Ekko tried to bargain with Isha. 

Jinx clicked her tongue in annoyance. She wasn't looking at Ekko but he knew the dismissive attitude was to his expense. 

“Want to do it again?” She asked Isha who nodded with enthusiasm at the prospect. 

“Go on then. Higher this time!” 

“Isha, wait!” 

Not listening to Ekko's call, the girl ran up the steps, passed the first five and went higher. Jinx reached her hands before she realized Isha was way out of her reach. She rushed to get to her but she was a moment too late. 

Isha hit the ground with a piercing thud. The impact of her head against the hard sand reminded Ekko of the cracking of an egg, the echo of a shattering skull. 

Jinx let out a loud cry. Ekko was quick on his feet. 

He kneeled next to Isha, inspecting her for any injuries. The little girl's face was as pale as a sheet of paper and crimson blood smeared the sand around her head, like a wine glass emptied on the floor. 

“Help me lift her head!” 

Jinx, who stood frozen until Ekko called to her, darted by their side. 

“Like this,” Ekko showed Jinx how to gently cradle Isha's head. The blood was flowing from a small cut on the back of her head. Ekko's instincts immediately kicked in, recalling every tip he picked up in the nursing home. 

“Apply pressure on it to stop the bleeding.”

Loud sobs escaped her lips as she followed Ekko's orders, both her palms shielding the oozing wound. 

“Dad!” Jinx called out desperately. “Vi!” 

Time seemed to halt as everyone rushed to the point of the accident. Loud yells and cries filled Ekko's ears as everyone bent over Isha, wanting to make sure she was okay. 

“Give her some space!” Benzo shouted as Vi pulled the crying Jinx away from Isha, keeping her away from Isha's fainted body. Everyone took a step back, letting Ekko some space. 

“Ekko, what should we do?” 

“Someone call an ambulance!” Ekko rasped. 

Benzo was quick to pull out his phone but Ekko stopped him with a shout. 

“No, dad! Vander! Let Vander call, he knows exactly where we are!” 

Ekko seemed to be the only one capable of thinking straight and everyone seemed to agree with that, as Vander with trembling hands called for an ambulance. Isha's eyes remained firmly closed, not responding as more blood spilled into Ekko's hands. 

“Come on, Isha,” he whispered. “Hang on.” 

Ekko pushed himself to maintain his composure and not let the fear for the unconscious girl overwhelm him. 

“It's here!” 

Without realizing it, two paramedics appeared on either side of Isha. 

“We can take it from here, son.”

Ekko stood up, dizzy from everything that had happened. He watched the paramedics carefully carry Isha to the ambulance while Jinx, Vi and Vander followed along. 

Benzo caught Ekko, supporting him upright. 

“Ekko talk to me. Are you okay?” 

Ekko gritted his teeth, his strength leaving his body. “I'm fine.” 

“We have to follow them to the hospital,” Benzo said, helping Ekko move after the paramedics. 

Ekko found himself in the passenger seat while his father drove behind the ambulance. Isha's blood dried in Ekko's hands. He averted his gaze from his hands, clear tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. 

Nobody spoke a word, too shaken up by the image of the girl lying lifeless on the floor until they reached the hospital. Running through the ER and after Benzo frantically asked for the whereabouts of the Wentworths, they found them outside of the hospital room that Isha was in. 

Vander looked miserable as he sat next to Vi, their cheeks stained with tears. A little further stood Jinx, her stance rigid as she cried uncontrollably. Ekko's heart tightened at the sight. 

“They are stitching her up,” Vi whispered to Benzo who had inched closer to them. Her gaze fell on Ekko, noticing the blood on his hands and quickly looking away, unable to bear witness to it.

“What happened?” 

Vander's hoarse voice made everyone tense up. 

“We were just playing,” Jinx whispered. Her voice was so small, she was barely audible. 

“Isha would jump down from the steps and I would caught her but–”

Her voice cracked, hiding her face in her bloody hands and giving up on trying to put up a strength that she clearly did not possess. Vi raised from her seat, hugging Jinx tightly. 

“What can I do to help?” Ekko asked, hating feeling so useless. 

“Some water,” his father instructed. “Bring some water from the cafeteria.” 

In a flash, Ekko left, needing to make himself useful before he lost his mind. Everything had happened so fast, in rapid moments that seemed like a nightmare. His heart's palpitations were thunderous in his chest as he stopped by the bathroom to wash his hands clean. 

When he returned with water bottles in hand, the rest of the party were talking in low whispers. 

“I can stay,” Benzo offered. “Until she wakes up and for as long as they need to run tests on her. You should all get back home and get some rest.” 

“No,” Ekko recognized Jinx's voice even as a gentle whisper. “If anyone should stay, that is Ekko. You saw how fast he reacted when Isha fell. No one is more capable than him.” 

Unable to hear such praise, Ekko walked to them, making himself visible. Jinx’s eyes widened when she saw him. 

“You'll stay, won't you?” She asked with hope. “Stay and nurse her?” 

Vander spoke before Ekko ever could. 

“No, he won't. He'll take you back home and you will both rest.”

“I'm not leaving Isha alone.” 

“She won't be alone. Vi, Benzo and myself will stay here until she wakes up from surgery. And then we will see what happens next.” 

“I can help,” Jinx insisted. “I can–”

“You have done enough.” 

Jinx's lips parted in shock at the harsh words her father uttered. She took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself. 

“Violet, please call Silco whenever you can,” he said, turning to Vi. “I can't bear to talk to him myself.” 

“Dad…” 

“Go home, Powder. Just go home.” 

A small sob escaped Jinx as she turned around. It took a moment for Ekko to realize she was waiting for him. 

“Dad, the keys?” 

“Take care okay?” Benzo threw the car keys to Ekko. He nodded reassuringly and came next to Jinx who was slowly walking down the hallway. 

Her shoulders were shaking from the effort of crying as they walked to the car. Ekko kept stealing anxious glances at her direction, wanting to speak but not having the right words to offer her the comfort she needed. The ride home was entirely silent except from Jinx's sobs and gasps of air. 

“Jinx, I just wanted…” 

Jinx shook her head, her chest heaving from crying. 

“Don't.” 

Ekko closed his mouth, turning back to looking at the road. 

When the car pulled into the garage, she reached her trembling hand and opened the door. Jinx felt so ashamed of crying in front of Ekko but she couldn't control it. Seeing Isha like that had shattered her soul. 

Walking on unsteady legs, she walked behind Ekko who unlocked the door and let her inside the room. As soon as she walked through the threshold, she grabbed onto the doorframe, afraid she would fall. 

“Are you okay?” Ekko rushed to her side. “Are you dizzy?” 

“No, I just–” Jinx sniffed her nose. “I just need my pills.” 

She walked past Ekko, grabbing onto every surface so she wouldn't collapse from the fear and shock she had been through. Jinx opened a kitchen cabinet and grabbed the orange colored container of her antidepressants pills. 

Hot tears streamed down her face as she fumbled with the lid of the container, not able to open it. 

“Shit,” she muttered, her shaky fingers failing miserably. 

Two arms wrapped around her, as Ekko gently opened the lid for her. Ekko's chest was against her back, his warmth bringing Jinx back to life. 

“There,” he said, drawing back and leaving her space to breathe. 

Jinx set the open container down, grabbing the edge of the counter. She could feel Ekko's eyes on her as she filled a glass with water and swallowed the pill, her throat burning. 

“Are you okay?” 

“No,” she said immediately, her grip on the glass tight. 

“It was an accident.” 

Jinx took in a breath, filling her lungs with oxygen. “Don't. Don't try to make this anything else than what it really is.” 

Ekko looked down. He could feel Jinx's disappointment in herself. 

“It's my fault,” she muttered, emptying the water from the glass into the sink. 

“It's not–”

“And I’ll forget everything because of the amnesia. Like it happened then.” 

Jinx set the glass down, pushing it away from her. Her breaths were ragged as she fought to keep her body upright. The reality of what she had done crashed down on Jinx with each breath she took, reminding her that her stupid pride and the one sided rivalry she had with Ekko, had ended with her sister in a hospital bed. Ekko had advised against Isha jumping from the steps but her idiotic pride hadn't let her listen and now Isha was…

“I don't want to feel anything, anymore.” 

With a spin, Jinx ran out of the kitchen. A rush of adrenaline filled her as she pushed the bathroom door open. She needed to get the blood that coated her hands off. Jinx’s vision was blurry as she twisted the handle, scorching hot water dripping from the faucet. She didn't give a reaction as she placed her bloodied hands under the flowing water, washing the blood and sand that was under her nails. 

She could feel it, Isha's blood under her nails, making her skin crawl. She did this. She was responsible. And Vander knew it too, that's why he had pushed her away, afraid of hurting Isha worse. 

The long blue hair that had escaped her twin braids, fell on her eyes, blocking her eyesight. Annoyed and frustrated, Jinx grabbed the pair of scissors she kept on the cabinet and with a groan began cutting the offending strands, creating a mess of blue hair and red blood on the sink. 

The scissors slipped from her fingers. Jinx's knees gave in and she sank to the floor. 

She was a curse that was hanging on everyone, a terrible omen that only brought misery. Silco was right when he gave her that nickname. She was a jinx, so useless it disgusted her. Just a self loathing nothing, nothing, nothing…

“Hey.” 

A gentle voice, one that belonged in the past, made her blink away the tears. 

“Hey, it's okay.”

Ekko turned off the faucet, kneeling next to Jinx and kicking the pair of scissors away from her. Without hesitation, he pulled her in his arms, wrapping his arms around her without fear. 

“It's okay, I'm here. It's okay.” 

Jinx let out a sob, her arms hanging from her sides, uselessly. She hated others seeing her cry. Silco, her dad, always advised her against crying in front of others. It was a sign of weakness, a vulnerability. So whenever Jinx wanted to cry she would go to the window on the far end of the room, hiding under the curtain so that nobody would listen to her. 

But right then, in Ekko's arms she felt the safest she had ever felt in a very long cry. 

“I am right here.” 

With a loud, embarrassing whine, she pulled Ekko closer to her, hiding her weeping face in his chest and letting her tears spill, without a fear of being judged or laughed at. 

“Isha will be fine,” Ekko reassured, rubbing Jinx's back. “Don't think about anything now.”

The steady rhythm of Ekko's heartbeat calmed Jinx's senses. Soon her panic attack gave way and she leaned into Ekko completely spent. She felt emotionally dead.

Several minutes of silence rolled by and Ekko was convinced Jinx had fallen asleep. Ekko silently took Jinx in his arms, lifting her off the floor. With relative ease, he carried her to her room and set her on her bed. Jinx's eyes were wide open, startling Ekko. 

“I thought you were asleep. Sorry.” 

“For what?” 

Ekko paused. He didn't even know why he had apologized for. There was always something to be sorry about when it came to her.

“You should rest now,” Ekko said, turning around. He had placed Jinx safely on her bed and should now leave her alone. 

A hand was wrapped arond his wrist, making him stop. 

“Don't leave,” Jinx pleaded with a gentless that was almost restoring of the past. 

“I don't want to be alone.” 

The words struck a sensitive spot within Ekko. Slowly, he got on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. Jinx turned on her side to look at him as he settled in besides her. 

“I'm here. You're not alone.” 

Jinx nodded, a fresh wave of tears filling her eyes as she reaches out to him again. Ekko held her close to him as she cried in his arms, his defences crumbling. The tears he had managed to keep for so long, slipped from his eyes as he cried too, lost in the warmth of Jinx's embrace, the only thing keeping him alive at that point. 

And they were a little less alone like that. 

Chapter Text

You don’t ever have to be stronger than you really are

When you’re lying in my arms, and, honey

You don’t ever have to be cooler than you think you should

You’re brighter than the brightest star

California-Lana Del Rey

Sleep wouldn't come for Jinx. Her tearstained cheeks felt hot as she took deep, slow breaths through her nose. To be honest, Jinx felt hot all over. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. Ekko's warm body was pressed against hers, his right arm passed over her waist, holding her close. 

It was embarrassing. And really warm. Jinx needed to find a way to set herself free of his grasp without waking Ekko up. After their crying fest, Ekko had surrendered himself to sleep while Jinx was left to reflect on everything that had happened, on everything that she had done, with a clearer mind. The rhythmic up and down of Ekko's chest helped her relax when her thoughts overwhelmed her again. 

This wasn't the first time she had cried in front of Ekko. The night of her hangover replayed in fragments on her mind, her hot tears running down her cheeks as Ekko sat next to her. She really had a habit of making a fool of herself in front of him. 

Jinx tried to wiggle herself out of his hold but Ekko mumbled something unintelligent in his sleep, pulling her closer to his body. 

“Amazing,” she muttered under her breath. She stole a peak at Ekko's face. His eyes were closed and he had a peaceful yet stern look on his face. Ekko must be the only person that looked serious even when he was asleep. 

Slowly, Jinx pulled her arms to herself, trying to set herself free from his embrace. 

“Stop moving around so much.” 

Jinx's eyes shot up to Ekko's face. His eyes were closed but he was obviously awake. 

“Sorry,” she said, not moving around any longer. “Did I wake you?” 

Ekko opened his eyes lazily. They were a little red from crying but he seemed well rested compared to before. 

“No,” Ekko's voice was hoarse from sleep. “You didn't.” 

His arm was still draped across her waist, as if it was the most casual thing in the world. Jinx's breath caught in her throat. Now that he was awake he would surely pull away from the entanglement they found themselves in while sleeping. 

And yet Ekko’s arm did not move from its hold on her waist. 

“How are you feeling?”

Jinx leaned the side of her face further into her pillow. There was no point in lying when he had already seen her at her worst. 

“Bad. I don’t– I don't know. Just bad.” 

Ekko sealed his lips. He was unable to offer Jinx any comfort, his words failing him. Ekko wasn't sure what was appropriate to say. The whole situation had caught him completely off guard.

“It's my fault,” Jinx said softly, so softly Ekko could have missed it. 

“You have to stop saying that.” 

“But it's true.” 

Fresh tears gathered in the brim of Jinx's eyes. She had fought so hard all those hours to get her feelings in check and yet there she was, tearing up so easily again. 

“Jinx,” Ekko said her nickname and that was all it took for the faucets in her eyes to turn on. 

Without a second thought, she buried her head in Ekko's chest, trying to hide her crying face. Ekko patted her head, affectionately, letting her cry on her terms. He could at least offer her that. 

“Let it all out,” he hummed. “Just like that.” 

There was no judgment in his words and Jinx felt unusually safe in Ekko’s arms. Like she finally didn't have to appear stronger than she really was. It was liberating in a sense. 

When she recollected herself she spoke, not pulling away from Ekko’s solid chest. 

“Do you think Isha will be okay?” 

“Of course she will be. Isha's pretty stealthy. She will recover in no time.” 

Jinx hesitated. She inhaled the aroma of the fabric softener that Ekko's shirt emitted, her face pressed against his chest. Faintly, she could hear the sound or his heartbeat. 

“If she wakes up–”

“When she wakes up,” Ekko corrected. 

Jinx swallowed. “When she wakes up, do you think she is going to be fine? Nothing happened to her when she fell, right? There was so much blood… And you are something like a nurse, ain't you? So tell me what will happen.” 

“I can only tell you that Isha is going to be alright,” Ekko reassured her, his tone mimicking the sternness of the nurses when they spoke to a family member about one of the residents back at the Nursing Home. 

“Don't worry. To be honest, I think Isha may have already woken up.”

Jinx looked up at Ekko, her head leaving the nest it had found on his chest. 

“I want to see her.” 

Ekko smiled softly. “I think that's the best thing you could do right now.” 

Unwillingly, Ekko pulled away from Jinx. He rose from the bed, taking his warmth, which only minutes ago Jinx found annoying, with him. Now she caught herself missing it.  

Jinx sat up on the mattress, a little awkwardly. Outside, the sky had turned a velvety purple, echoing the hours that had passed since the frightful noon. 

“And you?” She asked unexpectedly. “How are you?” 

Ekko turned to her. “I'm fine.”

“You were crying earlier.” 

He let out a tired breath. “Just a lot happening lately.” 

Jinx averted her gaze. She was responsible for a fair share of them. 

“Uh, I think you should pack some of Isha's things. A change of clothes and some things she may want to see when she wakes up.” 

“I'll go right now!” 

Jinx shot out of bed. The jump off of her bed made her feel surprisingly light. Jinx’s hand immediately went to her hair, expecting to feel the heavy braids resting behind her back. Instead, the chopped blue edges hung a few inches above her shoulders. 

A word that Jinx had used too many times before for Ekko to be sure it must mean something derogatory in Greek, passed her lips. 

“I like it,” Ekko offered, trying to make the situation better.

Jinx let out a groan, her hand dropping from her hair. She would care about her godawful appearance later. Now only Isha mattered. 

“No, seriously,” Ekko insisted as Jinx left her room in a hurry, marching to Isha's bedroom. 

“I don't care about the stupid hair I cut mid-mental breakdown, Ekko!” She shouted behind her back as she filled a pink Hello Kitty backpack with Isha’s clothes and markers. 

Grabbing the bunny plushie from Isha’s bed, she turned around satisfied with what she had packed. In a hurry, she turned around, almost bumping into Ekko who stood by the door. His arms were crossed over his chest and he leaned against the doorframe, waiting for a command from her. 

“Can you give me a ride to the hospital before you go to work?”

The time between going to the garage and driving to the hospital became scattered images in Jinx's mind. The anticipation coursed through her body as they pulled in outside of the hospital, following after Ekko who led the way. 

Isha was not in the ER anymore and was instead stationed in the children's wing of the hospital, resting after the surgery. 

Ekko gestured to the door, letting Jinx get in first. Taking a breath, she knocked on the door and lightly pushed it open. 

Inside, Vander and Vi were sitting next to Isha's bed while Benzo sat on the small couch a little further away. 

“Hey,” Jinx hesitated a little. She didn't know if her family wanted her there. Not after what she had done. 

“Oh, Jinx.” 

Her father and sister rushed to her, pulling her in for a hug that almost made Jinx tear up again. 

“I'm sorry,” she sobbed, opening her arms and hugging her family. 

“It's okay. It's all okay now, Jinx.” 

“All that matters is that you're here.” 

The warm hug was a reminder Jinx wasn't alone. But it didn't have that effect on her. She almost felt sick from the love she received. Jinx was unworthy of it.

Jinx pulled away, quickly wiping a stray tear that managed to roll down her eye. 

“I keep making mistakes,” she said with a humorless chuckle.

“No, Jinx. I keep making mistakes,” Vander gently cupped the side of his daughter's face. His eyes were soft but there was a sense of guilt in his manner. He felt bad for being so harsh to Jinx earlier in the middle of his panic. 

“It's fine,” Jinx said, shaking her head. She stepped closer to the hospital bed, her heart banging in her rib cage. 

“How is she?”

Isha was laying on the bed, wearing a hospital robe. Her head was wrapped in bandages, her eyes firmly closed. Some color had returned to her cheeks and she didn't look as pale as the moment of the fall.

“Doctors say she has a severe contusion,” Vi said. “The cut on the back of her head was a minor injury compared to it. They say she was lucky that she didn't fractured her skull.”

“She's out of danger,” Benzo added, standing a little further behind them as Jinx took the seat on the chair next to Isha's bed. 

“It was a nasty fall.” 

Jinx took Isha's hand in both of hers. It was so small. Jinx brought it to her lips, kissing her palm. 

“When will she wake up?” Ekko's voice was distantly heard as he whispered to Vander. 

“They can't be sure. Could be tomorrow, could be in a week. It was a nasty fall,” Vander repeated.

“They will keep her in for at least a week. I just hope she wakes up soon.” 

A knock on the door made everyone's head turn. There was no one they were expecting.

Before they could call out for the person to enter, the door had already opened. 

“Dad!” 

Jinx fell in the arms of Silco Croft who accepted her with equal amount of fondness. 

“Came as soon as Violet called me,” Silco's rough voice echoed in the otherwise silent hospital room, as he kissed Jinx's forehead. “I had to bribe the flight crew to get us seats on the first flight to Piltover we could find.” 

Ekko observed Jinx's adoptive father. He was unlike what he had imagined him to be. Silco was thin, dressed in a three-piece suit with his salt and pepper hair slicked back. But his most notable feature was his left eye, completely discolored with deep scars around it, clearly the outcome of an accident. 

Silco reached out his arm, inviting Vi for a hug. “Violet.” 

Vi hugged Silco a little hesitantly, pulling away quickly before returning by Vander’s side. Ekko had known from Benzo that there was a feud between Vander and Silco and each daughter had picked a side in it. 

A tall woman with tanned, copper skin who until now was standing behind Silco, placed a palm on Jinx's shoulder. 

“How are you holding up, kid?” 

Jinx gave Sevika a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “Fine.” 

“What did the doctors say?” Silco asked, bending over Isha’s asleep form to inspect her. 

“Who are her assigned doctors? I will need to speak to them.”

Silco looked around the room, waiting for an answer. He seemed to only now realize that it wasn't him and his daughters in the room. 

Ekko grasped the opportunity. He had nothing but respect for the man that took Jinx in after the fiasco they were caught in. Ekko had wanted to meet Silco for some time now. 

“It's very nice to finally meet you, sir,” he said, stepping forward and extending his arm for a handshake. “I am Ekko Elliot.” 

Silco’s gaze moved from Ekko’s extended hand to his face, with barely disguised disgust. He sized him up before passing by him, outright ignoring him.

A rush of embarrassment filled Ekko as he lowered his arm. Jinx lowered her eyes in equal embarrassment on account of her father’s behavior, avoiding looking at Ekko. But Sevika’s dark eyes remained on Ekko as she took a step closer to him. 

“Sevika Kaur,” she said, offering her left hand to Ekko. “Associate at Croft’s law firm. Hope you can excuse that I'm offering you my left hand.”

Ekko accepted the handshake, his gaze momentarily falling to Sevika’s prosthetic right arm. 

“Not at all,” he said, silently thanking Sevika for stepping in to save him from his own embarrassment.

“Benzo,” Silco looked at Benzo from head to toe. 

Benzo put on his best smile. “Silco.” 

“You got fatter.” 

“Always good to see you too,” Benzo said with mockery. 

Silco walked further into the room with ease. He sent a glare towards Vander, inching closer to him like a lion circling its prey. It was the reunion of ex lovers. Ekko would be lying if he said he couldn't relate to the feeling. 

Vander decided to be the bigger person, approaching Silco. 

“Had a nice flight?” 

“How did you let this happen?” Silco didn't indulge in Vander’ offer of small talk. 

“I entrusted you Isha and Jinx so you would look after them while I'm away.”

“Accidents do happen, Silco,” Vander tried to keep his tone even. “Some things not even you can control.” 

Silco pressed thin lips together, trying to hold himself back. He turned his back to Vander as he came next to Jinx. 

“You look a little pale, my angel. Did you have anything to eat?”

“I'm not really hungry,” Jinx said with a dismissive wave. 

Turning to Sevika, Silco gestured to the door. “Sevika, go get something for the girls to eat. How about some Greek food, my darling, it always makes you feel better. Sevika, find the nearest Greek restaurant.” 

“No, dad I'm really fine–”

“And I have to speak to the doctors. Make them move Isha to a better room. This is too small for her. And Sevika, assign some flowers to be delivered to the new room. Isha would want to be surrounded by colors when she wakes up.” 

Vander rubbed his temples in exasperation. Silco was barking orders around like he owned the place. 

“And what are they doing here?” 

Silco gestured towards Benzo’s direction. 

“Shouldn't family only be present in the patient's room?” 

Benzo and Ekko shared a look. 

“Dad,” Jinx cut in. “Ekko helped Isha when she fell. If it wasn't for him, she would have lost more blood. He can be here.” 

“We just wanted to make sure, the little lady is alright. She gave us quite a fright.” 

“Benzo, God bless you, you're completely useless here.” 

Benzo threw his hands in the air. “Splendid. Ekko, let's go.”

“You too should go Vander,” Silco commented, taking a seat next to Isha. “Get some rest. I can handle it from here.” 

Vander let out a deep breath through his nose, closing his eyes in fatigue. He didn't have the emotional capacity to fight with Silco right now. 

“I'll come back in the morning,” Vander said to Jinx. “Call me if anything happens. And Vi don't stay here all night. You should go home to Cait and sleep, okay?” 

Jinx sent a pleading look at Ekko, mouthing ‘sorry’ to him as he exited the room, leaving her behind. 

ⴵ

“He wasn't what I pictured.” 

Jinx lifted her head at the sound of Sevika’s voice. They were in Isha’s new room, double the size of the previous hospital room they had put her in. Silco had given the nurses and doctors an earful to assign his daughter the best room the pediatric ward had to offer. As per usual, he had gotten what he wanted.  

“Elliot,” Sevika explained from her spot next to the open window. “He wasn't what I pictured at all.” 

Jinx turned back to Isha’s peaceful sleeping face. Sevika knew, of course she knew of what had happened seven years ago. As her father’s most trusted associate, she was around Jinx almost as much as Silco. In a sense Sevika was Jinx’s unofficial nanny, although she had promised to sue Jinx if she ever called her that. 

Sevika blew the smoke of her cigar out of the window. Jinx shook her head. 

“You shouldn't smoke in here. It might trigger the fire alarm. Or annoy my comatosed sister. Just sayin’.”

“Ah,” Sevika threw her half-smoked cigar out of the window. 

She closed the window, stepping further into the room. She fixed the blanket on Silco's sleeping form, draped on the couch on the other end of the room, having passed out from the fatigue of the day. Vi had left hours ago before the first light of the day appeared in the horizon. 

“He's been staying with you?” Sevika asked, hand in her pocket. 

Jinx was starting to get annoyed by all those questions. She turned around, looking at Sevika. 

“What does it matter?” 

“It doesn't?” 

Jinx gritted her teeth. “It doesn't.”

Sevika nodded, strolling to the opposite side of Isha’s enormous bed than Jinx was in. 

“There's something you should know. About him.” 

Jinx’s frown deepened as she watched Sevika pull a stack of envelopes out of her briefcase. It took her several seconds to realize those weren't simple envelopes.

They were letters. 

Chapter Text

I’m facing the greatest

The greatest loss of them all

The greatest-Lana Del Rey

Jinx looked at the letters on Sevika's extended hand with doubt. There were at least a dozen, white envelopes with scattered words in blank ink and colorful stamps across them. 

“What are those?” 

Sevika let out a tired sigh. “Those are called letters. Before texts existed, people used to write in paper what they wanted to say to another person and mail it–”

“No, I know what letters are,” Jinx shook her head, confused. “I mean why are you showing those to me? And what do they have to do with Ekko?” 

Sevika pushed her lips together. 

“They are his letters.” 

Heavy silence fell between them. The only sound that was heard in the hospital room was the steady beeping of the machine’s Isha was connected to. 

Jinx hadn't realized she was holding her breath until she opened her mouth to speak. 

“Why do you have them?” 

“You gave them to your father and Silco gave them to me so I could discard them.” 

“Then why didn't you?” 

Jinx wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans, before she snatched the letters from Sevika's hand. 

Of course, she remembered receiving some letters from Ekko but she didn't remember them being so many. Jinx glanced at her father's sleeping form on the couch. She had immediately given every letter she received to Silco, not wanting to read anything Ekko had to say. Jinx felt a pang of guilt at her past self’s pride. 

“You kept them all those years?” She asked, inspecting the envelopes. Some of them were intended for her while some others were for Vi. “Why didn't you give them to me sooner?” 

“I thought you didn't want to see them. But I didn't want to throw them away either.” 

“These ones are open,” Jinx glared at Sevika, holding up a handful of unsealed envelopes. 

Sevika raised her shoulders. “They were a good read when I was bored in the office.” 

“You read them? They are private, Vika!” 

“Nobody told me what the hell was going on!” Sevika protested. “You appeared into our lives out of nowhere and Silco was all hush hush about it and I wanted to understand what was going on!” 

After a small pause, she added. “Silco read some too.” 

Jinx shot up from her seat with a loud groan. “I can't believe you!”

Clutching the letters against her chest and with her cheeks burning from embarrassment Jinx walked to the door. 

“Look after Isha while I'm gone. And don't smoke!” 

“Jinx?” 

Jinx turned around, still a little annoyed. “What?” 

“I didn't hold on to them for no reason,” Sevika said softly, much softer than Jinx had ever heard her speak. 

She gave a firm nod to her before she walked out of Isha’s room. The hallway was mostly empty but Jinx entered an unoccupied room, wanting to be as hidden from unwanted gazes as she possibly could. The embarrassment of others having read the letters that were meant for her eyes only still made her cheeks hot. 

Jinx sat on the hospital bed, setting the letters on the mattress next to her. The weak light of the sun that peaked in the horizon wasn't enough to illuminate the room so Jinx flicked the nightstand lamp on. 

Under the light of the lamp, Jinx recognized Ekko's neat handwriting plastered on every envelope. Her stomach was a knot. There was no point in reading them, not after all those years. There was nothing written in those letters that would change what had happened. But if Silco and even Sevika had already read them, then so should she. She owed it to Ekko, after everything that he had done for Isha. 

Jinx let out a shaky breath, taking a letter from the pile. The envelope was already torn and she slipped her fingers inside, taking the letter out and beginning to read it. 

October 18 20XX

Dear Powder, 

I don't really know how to do this but the cops told me we shouldn't speak to each other before the trial so I figured I should write to you. You aren't answering my calls and Benzo told me to write a letter because I guess that was the norm when he was our age or something. I don't know if you've heard but he has adopted me. It's kind of crazy actually. But that doesn't matter now. 

I just want to say that I am so sorry for everything that happened. It was my fault, all of it. I should have told you sooner and I don't know why I didn't, but those guys were hanging at the shop all the time even after I told you they stopped bothering me. I don't know why I lied about that, I guess I just wanted you to think that I could handle them. It was stupid and I'm sorry but I didn't want them to bother you or Vi either. But I didn't tell them anything, I swear! They were in the shop when Vi came in to tell me she snooped that ring from that Piltie and they wouldn't stop talking about it after! I didn't know what to do. And they must have overheard us or they just followed me after work but I didn't tell them anything about the Talis job! I swear on my life, Pow, I did not tell them anything about it or the other stupid shit they told you at the police station. I would never hurt you or Vi or Vander but I messed up. I don't know what to say except I'm sorry. I should have been honest with you and now it's too late. 

I love you. If you really believe that what happened that day Vi and your dad were out of the house was just so I could impress some pricks then you don't know me at all. I love you so much it hurts me. You're the first thing that is completely mine, remember?

And I really love you, okay? I mean it. I love you so much. Please write back as soon as you can. 

Ekko

October 25 20XX

My dear Powder, 

You didn't respond to the letters I've sent you and that's alright. I understand that you don't want to talk to me yet. I'll be waiting though and if you don't mind, keep trying to reach out. 

I miss you. I really miss you. The days are so long. I miss seeing you at school and I miss hanging out with you at the old warehouse. I just wish that all this is just a nightmare and I will wake up and everything will be as it was. 

I really hope Vi and your dad are doing okay. I can't visit them because only family is allowed but if you see them please tell them I'm sorry. I can't believe that Marcus is not being held like they are because of his dad. It's so wrong, all of this is wrong. Especially for Vander. He didn't do anything. We should have never attempted to steal from that house in the first place. And I can’t help but blame myself for everything. I’m so sorry, Powder. I know you might never forgive me but you at least have to believe me. I would rather hurt myself than hurt you. I hate to think that you think what we shared that day was not real because to me it meant everything. 

My thoughts never leave you. You're all I can think about all day. I love you. I hope that you love me too. 

Yours,

Ekko 

October 29 20XX

Dear Powder, 

I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. Please write to me. 

Ekko 

December 7 20XX

My dear Powder, 

I don't even know if you will read this letter. I keep asking the post office if the letters are really being sent and they say that as long as the address is written on the envelope right, then they are sent. But between you and me, I don't really trust post offices anymore so they might be lying. 

I haven't seen you since the trial and then I only managed to catch a glimpse of you. Benzo says you're now staying with one of Vander’s exes or something? How is he? Do you like him? Benzo says he is kind of an asshole but as long as he is treating you right, I like him. 

I'm living with Benzo now, at his apartment. It's nice to have my own room. Benzo let me decorate it as I like, he is so cool actually. I wish you could see it too. I still hang out with the kids from the orphanage but it's not the same as when we would hang out. 

I've written to Vi. She hasn't responded back yet but Benzo says it takes some time to write back in juvie. I really hope she writes back. I miss her too, so much. I miss everyone and everything. But most of all I miss you. 

Powder, I just want to hear from you. Send a letter, an email, call, I don't care just please talk to me.

You are my heart and mind. 

Ekko

Thick teardrops fell on the letter, making the paper transparent. Jinx's uncontrollable sobs made her entire body shake so violently it was a miracle the letter didn't slip from her hand. Instead, Jinx set the letter down gently to cover her crying face in her hands. 

Ekko's letters spoke to her heart. Everything she had believed so fervently for the last seven years crumbled before her eyes. Jinx had been so blinded by anger she had held on to the belief that Ekko was responsible for her sorrow, overlooking everything she knew about him. 

Wiping her tears she grabbed another letter, eager to read more. This one was sealed. Despite that, she tore the envelope. 

January 16 20XX

Dear Vi,

I just received your letter and I'm writing this to you in school. 

I don't know what to say to make things better. At least things aren't as bad as we feared at first. I was actually relieved from what you wrote in your letter but it isn't enough to change anything. Again, thank you for reading what I had to say and not doubting me. But a part of the blame will always be mine, if not all of the blame. 

Still no response from Powder. At least she writes to you and you get to see her every month. I just want to know she's doing okay, so thanks for offering but you don't have to pass on my letters to her. 

I was really happy to hear that the guy who is looking after Jinx (I keep forgetting his name) has taken up your and Vander's cases. You should tell him all about Marcus. I still can't believe he will get away with everything. 

I have to go now. Please write to me as soon as you can. Your letters have been the only thing I look forward to. 

Take care and be safe,

Ekko 

A sob left Jinx's lips as she grabbed the next letter. Her eyes hungrily took in every word and sentence of every letter that Ekko had written. Jinx’s crying had somewhat stopped as she tried to process everything. 

“Dearest?” 

Jinx's head shot up. Silco walked into the unoccupied room with a worried expression. His hair was a little messy from sleep and his tie was loose, an imperfect picture of himself that he didn't let others see. Her father was the last person Jinx wanted to see right now. 

“Let me look at you,” Silco said, cupping Jinx’s face and making her look up at him. Begrudgingly, Jinx complied in total silence. 

Silco's eyes trailed over her face. “Why are you crying, my angel? And what have you done to your hair?” 

Jinx snorted a laugh, wiping her tears. Silco was the first one to notice her unconventional haircut, everyone else too worried for Isha's health to take a better look at her. 

Her father's gaze fell to the letters scattered on Jinx's lap. 

“What is this?” Silco asked, picking up a letter and inspecting it. His eyes widened immediately upon recognition. Silco nodded, setting the letter carelessly down. 

“I told Sevika to throw them away years ago.” 

Jinx jumped out of the bed, rising to her feet. 

“You had no right!” She said, voice shaking from the effort of crying. “No right to read those without telling me!” 

“I am your father,” Silco replied calmly. “I had every right.” 

Jinx paced back and forth, trying to get her thoughts in check. “You knew all this time that Ekko was innocent! And you didn't tell me?”

“That boy could be lying through his teeth for all we know. It's his word against yours. And you told me to throw those letters away, Jinx.” 

“Yes but–” Jinx cut herself off. She took a deep breath, evening out her voice. 

“I didn't know the whole truth then. But now I know and it changes everything!” 

Silco remained silent, calculated and calm. His expression was grim, almost threatening. Jinx pushed her shoulders back, standing proudly before her father. 

“There are unopened letters addressed to Vi that she has never received. And those letters begin right after you took up Vi's case as her lawyer. Tell me you didn't hide them from her.” 

Silco paused.

“It was for your own good.” 

“For our own good?” Jinx exclaimed much louder than she should. Her emotions were a whirlwind in her mind, entirely untamed. 

“Yes!” 

Silco clasped both of Jinx's hands. Jinx looked at him a little alarmed by his sudden action. 

“You came into my life as a daughter and you changed everything. I never wanted kids but you Jinx, you were special. My little jinx, my little troublemaker.”

The corners of Jinx's lips turned downwards. Silco's words pierced through her heart, reminding her of all the nights he would keep her company when she was too overstimulated to sleep, all the times he stood by her side when she was first diagnosed with depression. He could be cruel but was her father whether she wanted to or not. There was no denying that. 

“You and I are the same. Abandoned, alone, just jinxes. We trust people, they hurt us,” Silco gestured to his scarred eye. 

“That was different,” Jinx said, taking a step back. “It was an accident, dad. Vander never wanted to crash his car into that wall. He lost control of the car.” 

“He shouldn't have!” Silco barked back. He pushed his hair back, taking a calming breath. 

“You can blame me if you want but all I've ever done was to look after you. I would never let anyone hurt you or your sisters. Anyone.”

“You should have been honest with me dad!” Jinx pleaded. “When you saw me cry every night you should have told me that maybe I shouldn't blame someone who didn't deserve to be blamed!” 

Silco's stoic expression faltered. Jinx felt a new wave of tears threaten to spill from her eyes. She couldn't stay there anymore. 

“You have to stop blaming others for things they didn't consciously do! You harbor all this anger for what happened between you and Vander all those years ago and you just turned miserable! You taught me to think like that! And you made me miserable too! I've been miserable dad!”

“All I've ever done was try to protect you.” 

“No,” Jinx grabbed the letters, gathering them all in her arms. “All you've ever done was try to control me.” 

“Jinx…”

One last time before she left, she turned to her father. 

“You have to stop blaming Vander. Forgiving doesn't mean that it disqualifies what happened. It means you move on.” 

Without so much as a final look, Jinx turned around and ran out of the room. She didn't walk. She ran. Ran through the children's wing of the hospital and out of it, ran through the early morning outside and into the empty streets of Piltover as if she was being chased. 

A myriad of thoughts swirled in her mind. She ran from those too, always clutching tight the letters against her chest. Jinx didn't know where she was running to. Her breathing had turned erratic and her legs were aching from the relentless running but she did not stop. The wind took the tears that streamed down her cheeks with it, as she ran through the bridge that connected the two cities. Jinx quickened her pace when Zaun's buildings came into view. 

She hadn't been home in so long. Jinx passed by construction workers on their way to work and shops that were opening for the day, still running through the memoirs of her childhood. She almost collided with a person or two but never stopped running, her legs taking her to the Lanes. 

Vivid graffiti in every color shined on the edge of Jinx's vision as she passed through the narrow street that led to the old warehouse. She wanted to keep going but her knees gave in to fatigue and Jinx collapsed on the dirty floor, too tired to keep going. 

Some letters slipped from her grip and she reached out to pick them up. Around her the colors of the artwork on the walls made her turn her head to admire them. Abstract shapes and words and even more defined depictions of people and cartoon characters decorated the once decaying walls. Jinx smiled through it all, truly appreciating them. 

Her eyes trailed to the wall of the warehouse and her world turned upside down for the second time. 

Staring back at her was her teenage self, smiling down at her. Jinx let out a sob. She didn't have to think too hard to know who painted this mural. Her feelings told her everything she had to know. The one who had painted her to not forget her, to keep the memory of her alive in the place only they shared was her greatest loss. Ekko was the greatest loss of her life.

The walk back to the hospital was glum. Jinx was too tired from running, the muscles of her legs and back begging her to take a break every five minutes. When she finally made it back to the hospital she nearly fainted from exhaustion. 

As she walked through the hallways, more than a few patients and nurses turned to look at her. Jinx didn't even want to think about how she looked, clothes sweaty and filled with dirt and some of Isha's blood and mascara stained cheeks from all the crying. She clutched the letters tighter and walked towards Isha’s room. 

Suddenly, Jinx halted. Heading towards Isha's room on the opposite side of her was Ekko. He was still dressed in his work attire and was holding a plushie of Spider-Gwen that was almost the size of a beach ball. 

When he spotted her, he too paused on his tracks. Jinx quickened her pace and walked up to him. 

“Hey!” 

“Uh, hey,” Ekko responded, a little awkwardly. It was still unusual to him for Jinx to approach him without the intention of fighting. He gestured to the giant plushie in his hands. 

“I'm bringing this for Isha. A little motivation for her to wake up soon. I know she likes Gwen so I figured it would be a success.” 

Jinx giggled, she actually fucking giggled, at that. Ekko smiled, his gaze trailing towards the letters that Jinx was still holding. 

“Are those letters?” 

“No,” Jinx said immediately, stuffing them in her pockets. “I mean yes they are but you know. Yeah.” 

“Okay,” Ekko said, watching a little weirded out as Jinx pushed the letters in her pockets, wrinkling the envelopes. 

“Did you get any sleep yesterday? At all?” 

“Hm?” Jinx looked up at Ekko. “Not really, no. But I'm fine, I'm good. It's just so good to see you, Ekko.” 

Jinx gripped Ekko's arm, giving it a firm squeeze to emphasize her sayings. 

“Okay,” Ekko said very slowly. He was pretty sure the lack of sleep had gotten to poor Jinx’s head because there was no way she was acting like that unprovoked. A week ago, she wanted him dead.  

“Ekko,” Jinx began, slowly loosening her grip on his arm until she let go. “There is something I have to tell you.” 

Ekko blinked at her beyond confused. “What is it?” 

Jinx bit her lower lip, trying to get her thoughts in order. 

“The truth is–”

“Ekko!” 

Jinx looked behind Ekko's back. A tall woman with flowing pink hair was walking toward them. There was a look of worry plastered on her face and a huge bouquet of hydrangeas on her arms. 

“How are you?” She asked as soon as she reached Ekko, looking at him with genuine worry. Jinx frowned.

Ekko exchanged a look of surprise with Jinx before looking at the woman again. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“My godmother told me about the accident. She wanted to send some flowers and I figured I should bring them myself.” 

“I'm fine,” Ekko gestured to Jinx. “It’s Jinx’s sister that had the accident.”

“Oh!” 

The woman turned to Jinx for the first time. Her worried look turned even more distressed when she took Jinx's state in. The woman's black mini skirt and baby blue cardigan under a dress shirt came in complete contrast to Jinx's dirty clothes. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I'm fine,” Jinx shrugged. “Totally fine.”

The woman gave her a sympathetic smile. “I'm really sorry about your sister.” 

“Well she's not dead so no need to be sorry.” 

“Eh so,” Ekko cut in. “Jinx, this is Seraphine Lee. You remember her from the opera?” 

“Ah,” Jinx looked at Seraphine from head to toe, taking in all her perfect ensemble. “That's where I remember you from.” 

Seraphine smiled, handing Jinx the flowers. “These are from my godmother. She wishes a fast recovery for your sister.” 

Jinx forced a smile. Not receiving a thank you, Seraphine turned to Ekko instead. 

“I hope I'm not imposing.” 

“You're not,” Ekko reassured. “I was just not expecting to see you so soon again.” 

“Well my intentions aren't so pure,” Seraphine said with a small guilty smile. “You left the opera too suddenly the other night, you didn't even leave me your number. I guess I wanted to see you again.”

Ekko raised his eyebrows. “Oh.” 

Jinx looked between the two of them. She didn't know if the aroma of the hydrangeas or the unfolding scene was making her nauseous. 

“So cute,” Seraphine said, patting the plushie that Ekko was carrying. “Is this for the little girl?” 

“Her name is Isha,” Jinc cut in but nobody really paid her any attention.  

“I can, uh,” Ekko fumbled with his pocket. “I can give you my number if you want.” 

Seraphine smiled and her dark eyes shone more bright than stars. “I would like that.” 

“Jinx!” 

The door of Isha's room opened and Vi walked out, immediately hugging Jinx despite the big bouquet she was holding. 

When she pulled back, she looked at her sister with furrowed brows. “What happened to you? What did you do to your hair?” 

“I'm trying a new style,” she said, pushing her freshly cut hair back. Was it that bad? 

“You look like hell,” Vi pointed out. 

“Vi?” Ekko took a step forward. “This is for Isha. I hope she is doing better today.” 

“You shouldn't have!” Vi exclaimed, taking the plushie in hand. “And you brought flowers too?”

“Oh, no those are from my auntie,” Seraphine stepped in. “Hi, I'm Seraphine Lee. You remember me right? We were in my godmother's box together in the opera.” 

“Right,” Vi sent a knowing smile at Ekko. Ekko pretended to not see it.

Jinx thrusted the bouquet to Vi, annoyed for no apparent reason. “Maybe you should take those inside, Vi.” 

“Oh,” Vi grabbed the bouquet and plushie. “You really shouldn't have but thank you so much.” 

“We should have,” Serpahine insisted. Jinx bought the urge to roll her eyes. 

“Do you want to see Isha?” Vi asked Ekko. 

“I don't want your dad to start saying that only family is allowed to see her again.” 

“Don't mind Silco. He is all bark and no bite. Plus, he's not here right now. You are more than welcome to see her. And you too Seraphine.” 

Jinx watched Seraphine walk in her sister's room in disbelief. The woman didn't even know Isha and yet she wanted to be there?

“Jinx?” Vi asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Are you coming?” 

“Uh no, I think I'll go home to take a shower.” 

She turned to Ekko smiling. “It was really good seeing you Ekko. Really.” 

“You too,”  Ekko muttered as Jinx trailed away from them, turning around once in a while to smile at him. 

“What on earth happened to her?” Vi wondered before she stepped in Isha's room to leave the gifts. 

Ekko had no words to describe his confusion. “I have no idea.” 

Chapter Text

Are we still friends?

Can we be friends?

ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?-Tyler The Creator

The hospital’s cafeteria was mostly empty as it was expected so early in the morning. Only a handful of visitors and nurses strolled through the hallway or sat on the circular tables, enjoying a cup of coffee. 

Ekko guided Seraphine to a secluded table, setting down his coffee cup. 

“Are you sure you don't mind?” he said as he took a seat, his tense muscles somewhat relaxing. “We can grab a coffee from a coffee shop or something more fancy.” 

“I don't mind,” Seraphine sat opposite him. “Hospital cafeteria coffee is just as good as any kind of coffee. It doesn't have to be from a coffee shop.” 

Ekko nodded, taking a sip of coffee to fill the momentary silence. The strong flavour made Ekko let out a small groan of contentment. 

From the other side of the table, Seraphine observed him with keen eyes. He too stole a few glances her way. The pink of her cardigan was a little lighter than that of her hair. Ekko liked that. 

“Do you work in the hospital?” She asked, gesturing to Ekko's scrubs. 

Ekko looked down at his work clothes. He had been in such a hurry to reach the toy store and get Isha the plushie that he had forgotten to change back to his regular clothes. 

A little self consciously at being stared at, he straightened his back. 

“No, I work in a nursing home. It's a part time job.” 

“Oh,” she seemed genuinely interested. “Do you like working there?” 

“I do. I like keeping company to the residents. You know, they say old people are grumpy but everyone I've met so far has been nice, like the kind of nice that really comes from within. Well, except for the occasional crash out when someone lowers the TV volume.” 

Seraphine was listening to him, propping her head up with her hand. Her lips formed a small smile as she listened carefully to Ekko’s rumbling. 

He paused, looking at her with earnestness. 

“It was really nice of you to come here today. On behalf of your godmother, I mean.” 

Seraphine let out a chuckle. “It surprised you to know I'm Cassandra’s goddaughter, didn't it? I saw it on your face that night at the opera.”

Ekko didn't get into the trouble of denying it. 

“Don't worry, I don't take offense to it,” she promised, sipping from her cup. “It actually happens more frequently than you think. People start treating me differently once they know that I'm related to the Kiramanns. I can almost feel the moment they start looking at me with a whole different lense.” 

“Can you blame them?” Ekko leaned back on his chair. “The Kiramanns are…the Kiramanns. Closest thing to royalty there is in Piltover.” 

“Well I'm not royalty. I still want to hang out with my friends at cheap bars and hospital coffee is the fanciest it gets.” 

Ekko couldn't help but chuckle. Seraphine joined too, dropping her serious act and chuckling lightheartedly alongside Ekko. 

“Seriously though, it's not what you have in mind. My parents own a record label and they did business with Cassandra's bank when I was still a baby. And she has a habit of baptising the children of her associates. It’s really nothing special.” 

“Which record label do they own?” 

Seraphine gulped down her coffee, suddenly a little agitated. 

“Heaven Records.”  

Ekko's eyebrows shot up. All the mainstream performers and music groups were signed under Heaven Records. Millions of streams on music apps and thousands of merchandise sold worldwide. Ekko did the math in his head. 

“That's definitely something.” 

“Yeah,” she pushed her long hair back. “First record label founded by Zaunities whose artists reached number one in charts.” 

Ekko couldn't help but let his surprise show on his face again. She was just full of surprises. The moment he thought he had created a box that fit her, she would blurt out something that Ekko would have never associated with Seraphine upon first glance. 

“You're Zaun?” 

“My parents lived there after their families immigrated from China. I was born there but grew up here in Piltover. But yeah, I'm Zaun.” 

“Me too,” Ekko added, eagerly. “Born and raised.” 

“We have a lot in common it seems,” Seraphine smirked. Ekko would have to politely disagree. His family didn't own the most prolific record label of their time. Instead, he gave her a small smile. 

“And that poor baby girl on the hospital bed?” Seraphine required. “I understand that you are close to her family. Are they from Zaun too?” 

“Yes they are,” Ekko's tone was a little strained from the memory of Isha's limb body laying on the hospital bed. Flashes of the day of her fall danced behind his eyelids and he firmly closed his eyes, banishing them away. 

“Our families are close. I've known them since I was a kid.” 

“And you seemed close to the sister of the little girl too.” 

Ekko's eyes shot open at the mention of Jinx. He was still on edge from her more than strange behavior towards him earlier, not able to stop thinking about it. 

“I remember that you talked to her in the opera,” she rushed to explain. “And earlier too. Her name is Jinx right? She's Cassandra's intern, I think?”

“Oh, yeah,” Ekko cleared his throat. “Jinx and I were childhood friends.” 

Sensing the sensitivity of the subject, Seraphine decided to ignore it completely, not wanting to pry anymore. 

“I hope I didn't intrude earlier,” Seraphine raised her shoulders in an apologetic shrug. “By coming into Isha's room I mean. But Violet offered and I couldn't find it in me to turn her down. They must have all been through such a shock.” 

“It was…” Ekko passed a hand through his dreads in exasperation. “But it's all over now.” 

An unpleasant silence fell between the pair. Ekko was too preoccupied with thoughts of Isha's accident and Seraphine had run out of conversation starters. Taking notice of the sudden silence, Ekko snapped out of his thoughts, returning back to reality. 

“Seraphine is a beautiful name.” 

Seraphine smiled at the unexpected statement, pleased that the silence had finally ended. 

“My mother named me after the seraphims, the singing angels of the Bible.”

“Everything about you seems to be related to music, huh?” 

A blush painted Seraphine's cheeks a dusty pink that almost matched the shade of her hair. She tried to hide the embarrassment at Ekko's unconscious flattery but he had managed to see it. He lowered his gaze, an unexpected warmth spreading on his cheeks as well. 

“I grew up surrounded by music. I think I've spent more time in the music studio than in my own bedroom. I learned to play piano at five and wrote my first song at ten. Feels like it was already predetermined for me.”  

“That right?” Ekko said with a small smile, crossing his arms over his chest. “What's your major?” 

“Performance arts. I'm a sophomore.” 

“Should have guessed.” 

They both chuckled lowly at that. Ekko had forgotten what it was like to share a laugh with someone. Easy times seemed too far away from the present. 

Seraphine checked her small wrist watch. 

“Speaking of university, I have a class in half an hour that I can't miss.” 

Seraphine got up, fixing her skirt. Ekko immediately shot up from his own seat. Standing in front of her, Seraphine stood some inches taller than him. 

“Is your boyfriend going to pick you up or should I call a taxi for you?” He offered.

Seraphine blinked in confusion. She then flashed Ekko a bright, albeit a little awkward smile. 

“I don't have a boyfriend, Ekko.” 

Ekko's lips parted ever so slightly. Why had he thought that she was in a relationship? Five seconds ago it was a given to Ekko that Seraphine would surely have a partner. Why he thought that, he did not know. 

“I'm sorry,” he began. “I don't know why but I thought–” 

“I might consider forgiving you if you give me your number. And of course if you promise to annoy me with sudden calls to hang out.” 

Pause again. Ekko looked at Seraphine's phone that she extended towards him, already set to a new contact information. Suddenly all of Seraphine's words and actions up to that point became crystal clear in Ekko's confused mind. 

At that moment Ekko wanted to take a step back, to clarify that whatever Seraphine thought this was was not what she must have in mind. And say what? That he could not return the attention she gave him because he was still caught up to his ex of seven years ago? The same one that had accused him of being a liar weeks now. The same one that had admitted she cared for him only three days ago. 

It was all a fucking mess. 

Ekko looked up at Seraphine. Her almond shaped eyes were already focused on him, patiently waiting for his next move with a hint of hope. 

Refusing to think about it further, Ekko took Seraphine's phone, typing his phone number. 

“Here,” be gave it back to her and Seraphine admired the newly added contact. 

“You can save your number on my phone too,” Ekko took his own phone out of his pocket and gave it to Seraphine, who gladly accepted it. 

When she returned it back, a new contact under the name ‘Sera’ existed. 

He looked up at her. “Sera?” 

Seraphine turned on her kitty heels, walking towards the exit. “It's what my friends call me!” 

“So we're friends?” 

“Maybe!” 

Ekko watched her walk away until she completely disappeared from his line of vision. There was a pleasant feeling in the aftermath of their meeting, a sweetness that Ekko had not tasted in a long time. 

And yet, in the sugary sweetness of the moment, there was a sourness underlining it. 

ⴵ

Ekko's phone buzzed under his pillow. Letting out a groan of annoyance, Ekko grabbed his phone and glued it to his ear, not bothering to open his eyes to check the caller ID. There was only one person that would be calling him at one in the fucking morning. 

He could not have a moment's peace at that house. 

“What is it, Jinx?” 

Distant noises could be heard in the background as Jinx slurred something inaudible. 

“Louder,” Ekko turned to his back, rubbing his puffy from the sleep eyes. “I can't hear you.” 

“Hey, mister babysitter,” she borderline screamed at the speaker, making Ekko pull the phone away from his ear. 

“Were you sleeping?” 

Ekko groaned, returning the phone against his ear. “What else would I be doing at such an hour?” 

“Valid, valid.” 

Slowly, he got out of bed, grabbing his glasses and switching the light on. 

“Did something happen to Isha?” 

“What? No. Isha is fine. Silco is looking after her tonight.” 

“Then why did you call me?” He asked moving to his bathroom. “Aren't you in the hospital?” 

“No, I'm at a party.”

Ekko stopped dead in his tracks. Isha was recovering from a nearly fatal accident, still unresponsive and her sister thought it was a good idea to go partying?

“Can you come too?” Jinx spoke before he could respond or even think. “Vander made you my babysitter, right? Well come keep an eye on me.” 

“Are you serious?” Ekko asked, frustration bubbling low in his stomach at Jinx's antics. 

“I don't want to be alone, okay? I don't know anyone here and I… Just come over. Please.”  

Ekko let out a deep sigh, passing a hand through his face. Jinx must be still suffering from the shock of it all and going to parties was her way of getting her head away from thoughts of Isha. It was a terrible coping mechanism but who was he to judge? 

“Where is that party exactly?” 

Less than twenty minutes later, Ekko was making his way through the overcrowded off campus apartment that was turned into a party hall for the day. It was always fascinating to Ekko how such small spaces could fit so many people. 

Dodging the crowd he reached the balcony, where Jinx told him she would be in. Scattered around the terrace were college kids smoking and talking in small groups. Ekko's eyes scanned the darkness of the late night for Jinx. 

Sitting down on the concrete was Jinx, her legs pulled to her chest. Ekko's heartstrings tugged at the sight. 

“What are you doing here?” He asked, kneeling next to her to observe her. She looked fine, no external injuries or signs of discomfort aside from being very obviously drunk. 

“Hey,” she muttered. Jinx’s half-lidded eyes were bloodshot and she looked sleepy. 

“Were you crying again?” Ekko asked, cupping her cheek and observing her face. 

“Nope,” Jinx's lips made a ‘pop’ sound and she began laughing maniacally. Ekko's frown deepened.

“Are you high?” 

“What?” 

“High!” 

“Hello!”

Ekko closed his eyes. “No, not hi! High! Are you high, Jinx?” 

Jinx thought about the question really hard. 

“Yes.” 

That woman would be the death of him. 

“My friend Ezrael– hey, Ezrael!” 

Jinx interrupted her sayings to wave at a blonde man standing a little further from them. He waved back with a smile, bringing to his lips the joint he was holding between his fingers. 

“Yeah, so my friend Ezrael gave me some of his good stuff. He's awesome. I just met him.” 

Ekko chuckled, shaking his head. While not the best decision maker, at least Jinx was okay. 

“Hey, you're wearing your glasses again!” 

Jinx slipped Ekko's glasses off his face. Ekko didn’t fight her. She observed them, trying them on and immediately taking them off, blinking rapidly and trying to get her vision to return back to normal. Their faces were close to each other as he kneeled next to her. 

With cheeks growing hot, Jinx put Ekko's glasses back on. 

Jinx licked her lips. “I wanted to tell you something.” 

“That's why you called me?”

“Yes. I think.”

“What did you want to tell me?” 

Jinx groaned, letting her head hit gently the wall behind her. “I don't remember. I just remember I wanted to get my mind off Isha but now I can't remember!” 

Ekko regarded her without a word. She had not slept in probably two days straight and she was just trying to forget what had happened. She just wanted a break. And so did he. 

“Yo, Ezrael?” 

Ezrael turned around at Ekko's call of his name. 

“Can I have some of the good stuff too?” 

Jinx blinked as Ezrael handed Ekko the joint. 

“No fucking way,” she muttered as Ekko inhaled the smoke and then exhaled it through his lips. The notion was unnecessarily hot if you asked her. 

“What?” Ekko asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Jinx threw her arms in the air, not really having control of her limbs under the influence of the weed that was turning everything fluid-like.  

“You're supposed to be the good kid and I'm ruining you.”

“Ruinin’ me?” Ekko chuckled, already a little dizzy. “I've smoked before you know.” 

“How many times?”

“Once. But the fact still stands.” 

Jinx shook her head. “Give me some.” 

Ekko passed the joint through Jinx's lips, holding it for her as she filled her lungs with smoke. He watched her as she circled her lips around the joint, where his own lips had been moments ago. 

“I'm not the good kid, Jinx,” Ekko hadn't even realized he was speaking until he heard his own voice ringing in his ears. “You know I've done bad shit I regret.” 

Jinx pulled back. “Nobody has done more shit they regret than I have.”

Ekko's gaze softened. Jinx smiled at him. They shared the joint until the flame burned out. 

But the effect of the weed wasn’t what they expected. Ekko was turning more dizzy than relaxed and from the look of Jinx's face he understood she was too. 

“Everything is spinning,” he stumbled over his words, closing his eyes to make the dizziness go away. 

“I think I'm gonna be sick,” Jinx moaned, getting up. 

“Fuck, me too.”

As if running for their lives, they left the balcony behind them, dashing into the street and entering the family restaurant across from the house. The commotion they created in the restaurant with their sudden arrival was quickly forgotten once they reached the restroom and entered the first stalls they found, emptying the contents of their stomachs. 

Ekko took a few minutes to recollect himself, still bending over the toilet seat. From the stall next to him he could hear Jinx still throwing up. With a pained groan, he flushed away the mess, getting to his feet. His stomach was aching badly as he washed the foul taste from his mouth on the sink, putting his face under cold running water to make himself snap out of the daze of the weed. 

Was this even the men's restroom? Ekko did not care. He pushed his glasses on his nose, spitting one last time on the sink before returning to his stall, tired and defeated.

“Jinx?” He knocked on the wall that separated their toilet stalls. “You alright?” 

Gagging sounds came from the other end of the stall. 

“No.” 

Ekko pushed his back against the stall, slowly sliding down. His legs were failing him and he was far too exhausted from throwing up to stand upright. He sank to the floor, trying to get his fogged mind in check. 

Jinx mumbled something in her mother tongue. Ekko knocked on her stall again. 

“Come on man. I'm already learning sign language. Don't make me learn Greek too.” 

“I said that's another shit we did that we regret, huh?” 

Ekko laughed at that. The sound of the toilet flushing was heard before Jinx's head peaked from the top of the stall. She passed one leg against it, climbing the separating wall between the stalls with no real mastery as she dropped down to Ekko's stall. 

“You know you could have just walked around?” Ekko pointed out as Jinx sat on the floor opposite him, with her back against the stall she had just climbed. 

She shrugged, not giving him much of an answer. She wasn't wearing any makeup and she looked extremely pale from getting sick. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like shit. I shouldn't have eaten a whole serving of fries with Ceasar dressing and bacon.”

“We'll get something to eat. I mean, what the hell, we are already in a restaurant.”

Jinx laughed, threading her fingers through her short hair and trying to comb them as best as she could. 

“I hate eating at times ,” she groaned. “But fuck, do I get hungry. I'm in the mood for something sweet. Maybe pancakes. Do you think they serve pancakes at night?” 

Ekko listened to her rumbling with a faint smirk on his face. 

“Are you still high?” 

“No, I don't think so. Are you?” 

“I didn't think I ever was.”

“Good. Don't you OD on me.” 

Jinx pulled her legs against her chest, hugging them tightly. She rested her chin on her knees, not caring about how disgusting that is after crawling on a toilet stall. Her sober thoughts returned to her and it was now or never. 

“I read your letters.” 

The gears on Ekko's head turned immediately. He knew exactly what letters Jinx was talking about. 

“Oh,” he breathed out. 

“All twenty five of them. And some of Vi's too. Sorry about that. I didn't know which were for who at the time.” 

“I–” Ekko wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. “Did you keep them all this time? And why did you read them now?” 

Jinx smiled without any humor. “It wasn't me. Sevika kept them. My father told her to throw them away but she kept them anyway for me.” 

Ekko could only look at Jinx puzzled.

“I was so stupid,” Jinx scowled. “So stupid and proud and I just can't believe that because of me Isha almost…”

She passed a hand across her eyes, the remembrance of her sister's accident too strong. Recollecting herself, she swallowed thickly, continuing to explain. 

“I should have read your letters when you sent them. But I was so angry with you, I didn't want to hear anything you had to say. And Silco…he was fighting his own demons and he affected me and I just hated you so much!”

Ekko's face twisted into a grimace of pain as if Jinx's words had inflicted him actual physical pain. 

“I hated you because you were my best friend!” Jinx moaned, thick tears gathering on the corners of her eyes. “And I thought you had betrayed me but…but turns out you didn't and I feel so stupid for all the things I've done!” 

“It's fine, Jinx,” Ekko rushed to assure her, his heart aching at seeing her like that. “Please don't cry.” 

“No it's not fine!” Jinx wiped her cheeks.

“If I had only listened to you then I would have spared us years of pain. A part of me always knew you would have never done this but I was blinded by anger. I should have never doubted you. I'm so sorry, Ekko.” 

Ekko could not be unaffected by such warm words. His heart revealed at angry pleasure at finally receiving the overdue apology from Jinx but it was a pitiful feeling. He cared more about what Jinx had gone through than his own redemption. 

“Anyway,” Jinx let out an embarrassed breath. “I'm angry at my dad. He kept the letters from me all those years when he knew you were innocent to everything. And if it wasn't for my pride I would have seen it with my own eyes too.” 

“You were going through a lot.” 

“But so were you,” Jinx threw back at him. “And I never did anything to make it better for you. Even after all those years.” 

Jinx hid her face against her legs, hugging them tighter against her chest. Her tears had stopped now and she had to come face to face with her remorse. 

“Sometimes I imagine–even though I shouldn't, even though I know I will only hurt myself more–what it would be like if I had listened to the truth back then.” 

Ekko leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. He had thought about this at least a thousand times before. 

“You can't turn back time.” 

Hesitantly, Jinx looked up at Ekko. 

“You broke my heart that day,” she whispered. 

“I broke my own heart too.”

Jinx understood. She wasn't the only one that suffered from the pain of the breakup un every sense. And the knowledge that Ekko had hurted just as much as her brought her at least some consolation. 

“I was waiting for you every day,” Ekko confessed, looking at Jinx. The tears he had tried to conceal by looking away from her were welling up in his warm brown eyes. Jinx wanted to reach out and wipe them but she held herself back. 

“We can’t turn back time,” she agreed, slowly. “But maybe…maybe we can try from the beginning?” 

Ekko swallowed. Those were questions he had asked himself over and over again and had never found the answer until now. 

With a curt breath, Jinx found the courage to stare right into Ekko's eyes. 

“Are we still friends?” 

“I don't know,” he said truthfully. 

Jinx's lower lip trembled. “Can we be though? Can we at least try? I don't want to lose you again.” 

A sudden smile spread on Ekko's face. It was a rare occurrence, he was always so serious. He looked like a child when he smiled, carefree and without any sorrow. 

“Of course we can, Pow.” 

Jinx's heart jumped in her chest. She smiled back, battling whether she should reach out and hug him but deciding that the time and setting wasn't right. Maybe another day when they were not sitting on a bathroom floor, covered in puke with their clothes reeking of cheap weed. 

“Fuck,” Ekko chuckled. “I didn't expect it would be like this.” 

“I know. It is like a huge weight has been magically lifted off my shoulders.” 

Jinx tilted her head, smiling bitterly at Ekko. 

“I'm sorry. For everything. And about your friend.” 

Ekko closed his eyes. He had forgotten about Mylo with Isha's accident. 

“I'll apologize to him too, obviously but I just wanted you to know.” 

“Thank you. And I'm sorry too. For not telling you about Marcus when I should have.” 

A silence hung above them comfortably. They both needed time to think of everything that happened between them. Could there really be hope after all those years? Could things between them be restored to perfection? 

Jinx was the one to speak first. 

“Do you think they will throw us out?” 

“Oh, absolutely. Pretty sure they are too afraid to come in here but once we are out of this door it's out of the restaurant too.” 

Jinx pushed her legs away from her chest, a teasing smile on her lips. 

“You know what?” 

“What?” 

“I have Marcus Wallis’ address.” 

Ekko's eyebrows shot up. “How the fuck did you got it?” 

“I made Cassy find him for me. I only asked her to tell me where he was stationed but whatever investigator she paid to do that gave me much more.” 

Jinx showed Ekko a message with an array of personal information from Marcus’ home address to his social security number on her phone. 

“Maybe we can pay him a little visit?” She said with feign innocence. “To see how he is. I think it's only polite after he stopped you on the street, right?”

Ekko's surprise was replaced by a devilish smile. Although they were not attempting to rob penthouses anymore, they had never managed to get rid of their not-entirely-legal ways.

“It's a good thing I brought my spray cans with me.” 

Jinx mimicked his smile. She got on her feet, extending a hand at Ekko. Without a second thought he took it, letting her pull him up. 

“After you,” he said, allowing her to walk first out of the bathroom. 

“Why, thank you,” Jinx said, mimicking a British accent. “But I think you should go first and probably run too. I'm pretty sure this was the women's restroom.” 

“Seriously?” 

Jinx chuckled as she run past him, terrorizing the restaurant clients even more. With an exasperated sigh that he didn't really meant, Ekko joined her too, running out of the shop and into the night. 

ⴵ

“Can we get some more banoffee pancakes? Thank you!”

The elderly waitress that was serving them eyed Ekko with pure hate as she moved to the kitchen. Him and Jinx were the only clients in the restaurant and they had made her life a living hell since they walked through the door. 

“I think she hates us,” Ekko remarked, turning back to Jinx who was stuffing her face with the remaining caramel syrup on her empty plate. 

“Her fault. She is the one working at a place that serves breakfast 24/7. If she didn't want to serve pancakes at three in the morning she should go somewhere else.” 

Ekko chuckled. He tried to rub some spray paint off of his hand but the bright green color had seeped into the skin. At least he wasn't in Jinx's condition.

Her hands and forearms were covered in spray paint after the little makeover they did to Marcus Wallis’ house. 

He smirked to himself at the memories of him and Jinx tagging the walls and windows of his estate a little outside of Piltover. It wasn't his best work, too messy in the darkness but it was the most enjoyable by far. 

“Alright,” Jinx said, sucking some syrup from her index finger. “I have to go wash up. Don't eat all my pancakes when Waitress Sunshine brings them.” 

Ekko raised his hands as if he was surrendering. “I won't, I won't.” 

His eyes followed Jinx as she walked to the bathroom with a lazy smile on his face. Despite the late hour, he didn't felt tired at all. He felt more alive than ever before. 

“Your girlfriend sure eats a lot,” the waitress commented, as she appeared next to Ekko, leaving the plate of pancakes on the table. 

Ekko's head shot up. “She's not my girlfriend.” 

“Oh, yeah?” The waitress said with a bored tone. 

Despite her attitude, Ekko smiled warmly. 

“We're just friends.”

And after seven years, it was true. 

Chapter Text

But we've been struggling endless days

Someday we'll find the love

‘Cause after the storm's when the flowers bloom

After The Storm-Kali Uchis feat. Tyler, The Creator & Boots Collins 

The times Ekko had woken up with a hangover could be counted on one hand. The feeling he had when he rolled out of bed that day however, was not quite that. 

Ekko climbed down the stairs, rubbing his temples in slow, circular motions. Maybe it was the weed he and Jinx shared or maybe it was the sudden conversation that followed after that but a migraine had attacked his senses even after sleeping for a good eight hours since he and Jinx returned home last night. Or rather, earlier that same day. 

Despite the headache, a faint smile managed to spread across Ekko's face. It felt like only seconds ago that he and Jinx had stumbled their way into the house, covered in spray paint with bellies full of pancakes, laughing in hushed voices. Ekko was only half convinced that all this had really happened. Maybe his pained heart and tired brain had tricked him into imagining everything.

“Hey.” 

Jinx was sitting on the kitchen table, awkwardly raising her hand in a small wave. Behind her rectangular glasses, her eyes were looking at him with a mix of hesitation and fiery expectation. 

So Ekko had not imagined it after all. They had finally talked everything out after seven years. 

“Hey,” he said, his shoulders untensing. “Good morning. Or noon, I guess.” 

Jinx smiled back at him, an invisible weight lifting off her shoulders at Ekko’s carefree demeanor. Doubting thoughts had kept her company since she woke up, dreading the moment they would have to meet again. Maybe he had changed his mind since last night, maybe he wasn’t going to forgive her so easily for putting him through hell this last month. 

She was incredibly thankful he didn't.  

Ekko grabbed a half-empty carton of apple juice from the fridge, opting to drink it straight out of the bottle. He leaned back against the counter, watching Jinx manically search through a stack of textbooks and notebooks that laid on the table next to her open laptop that was decorated with stickers of bands.

“How are you feeling?”

He looked up at Jinx’s face. “Hm?” 

“Do you feel like throwing up again, or something? There are some pills on the first cabinet if you do.” 

“No, I'm good. I've got a headache but it'll pass. And you?” 

“Good. I'm good. Just peachy.” 

“And Vander?” 

“He's fine too. He is in the hospital with Silco. And Isha.”

“Great. Yeah, that's great to hear.” 

Ekko offered her a half-smile, not sure what to add. Jinx gave a firm nod of her own, looking around the room in search of an opportunity to say something. 

Things were more than just a little awkward between them. Seven years of being hateful had certainly shaped them differently and now it was hard to act normally, like nothing had ever happened. 

“So,” Ekko trailed off. “What are you doing?” 

Jinx looked up from the open notebook in her hands, pushing her glasses higher up her nose. 

“I'm revising my notes. We have to present something in less than a month or Volek will hunt us down and kill us.”

Ekko watched the notion of Jinx fixing her glasses, not really paying attention to the words that were coming out of her mouth when she was sitting right in front of him looking like that. He hadn't seen her wear glasses in years. It was unbearably cute. 

Jinx’s eyelids fluttered, her long eyelashes almost touching the lenses of her glasses. Ekko realized too late he was thinking out loud, his own words echoing in his ears. 

“Thank you?” 

“Yeah, you know what I meant,” sheepishly, Ekko looked at the floor, trying to not think about his own stupidity and trying to focus on what Jinx was saying instead. 

“Wait.” 

Jinx perked up, waiting for the inevitable question that would follow. 

“Shit, is Progress Day coming up?” 

With everything that had happened, life before Isha’s accident seemed like years ago. Ekko had completely forgotten about the partnership professor Talis and professor Volek thrusted upon him and Jinx. He faintly remalled bringing it up once or twice before but ultimately banishing it from his mind. 

“Aha. May the third. We have exactly twenty-nine days until then.” 

Ekko set the carton down, storming out of the kitchen and up the stairs. 

“Are we fucked?” He yelled from his room, grabbing his laptop and notes before returning back to the first floor. 

“Royaly fucked!” 

Within seconds Ekko had returned to the kitchen, setting his things on the table across from Jinx. 

“What do we have to present?”

“Anything. I don't know. I don't have a single original idea.”

Ekko groaned annoyed, flipping through his notes. 

“Did they give us any limitations as to what we have to turn in? Should it be a research paper, a study, an invention of our own?”

“Again, no idea,” Jinx pushed the textbook away from her. “Can I see your notes?” 

“Go ahead.”

Sitting up from her chair, Jinx took a notebook, rummaging through the contents of it. Ekko's notes were neatly arranged and highlighted with color coded markers, a sharp contrast to her own jumbled mess of notes, filled with ink marks and doodles. 

Jinx bit her lower lip, regarding a formula. “What should we work with?” 

“No fucking clue.” 

They both stared at each other's notes in defeat. 

“I mean…” Jinx closed Ekko’s notebook with a loud smack. “We can always get expelled.” 

Ekko snickered at that. “Graduation is like three months away. I don’t think Jayce would be thrilled with having to choose a new valedictorian for the graduation ceremony.” 

Jinx arched an eyebrow. “You’re our year’s valedictorian?” 

“Yes,” Ekko said, rubbing the back of his head. He didn't want to seem like he was showing off, because he really wasn't. He was only trying to make Jinx laugh, not brag about it. 

“Shit, Elliot. Well done.”

“Nah. Trust, they only picked me because you weren't attending classes during the first semester. You're the engineering prodigy here, not me.” 

The admiration in Jinx's eyes didn't waver as she kept her eyes glued to Ekko. 

“Take a compliment, Ekko. It won't kill you.” 

Ekko’s throat felt tight as he swallowed hard. He lowered his head, dropping his gaze from Jinx’s. They were casual enough that she could just drop compliments at him now? His heart was threatening to burst out of his chest as Jinx hopped on top of the table, reaching out to take another one of his notebooks. 

“Okay, mister valedictorian. You find us a way out of this.” 

“Why me?” 

“Because. I only know how to work with explosives those days. And I definitely don't want to work on that anymore.” 

Ekko rubbed his forehead, his brain struggling to find a solution.

“I mean we still have time. A month is enough time to prepare a presentation. We will come up with something.”

Jinx threw the notebook behind her back, uninterested at the uninspiring prospects Ekko’s notes offered. When she was working she needed to be completely immersed into her work, entirely interested with the material and when she wasn't, that made her bored and eventually drove her to drop it. 

“Hey.” 

Ekko looked up at Jinx. She was sitting cross legged on top of the table, her head leaning on her fist. She looked at Ekko with an expression that he couldn't quite read. 

“Remember when we used to take computers and old DVD players from the trash and try to repair them? We tried matching different softwares together to create the ultimate one, remember that?” 

Ekko's heart tightened at the memory, spreading warmth across his body. 

“I do. I almost got my fingers stuck trying to get the hard drive out of a PC.” 

Jinx smiled slyly. “Maybe we could do something like that.” 

“What, raid a trash bin and crack archaic CAD softwares?” 

“No,” Jinx rolled her eyes. “I meant something like creating a prototype out of already used parts.” 

The idea began to slowly form in Ekko's mind. 

“Like recycling the functional parts in order to perfect a device? Creating a better version of an algorithm out of already existing software?”

“Something like that, yeah.” 

Ekko thought about the prospect of such an endeavor. It wasn't a bad idea. Not bad at all. Nothing innovative but good enough to appease Jayce. 

“That could work.” 

Jinx flashed him a victorious smile. She jumped off the table, grabbing her laptop and searching through her files. 

“Maybe we can create a coding system that can match the different parts together? Like this?” 

“And design the prototype,” Ekko grabbed pen and paper. “I'll handle that. Can you take care of the load testing?” 

“Yes sir,” Jinx responded without much attention, already building the idea in her head. 

It was as if a switch had been flipped, making both work partners stop procrastinating. Consumed by their tasks they almost lost track of time and space as they maneuvered around each other, filling the gaps the other couldn't and exchanging ideas in perfect coordination with each other. 

The two of them were the only people on earth that could come up with an idea they had postponed for a month, in just a day and be halfway done by that very same afternoon. 

Jinx glanced up from her laptop, stealing glances at Ekko. He was scribbling in his notebook with a thoughtful frown on his face. 

She cleared her throat, getting his attention. 

“Guess we make a pretty good team,” Jinx commented, keeping her gaze on her laptop's screen. 

Ekko’s frown gave way to a small smirk. “We're alright.” 

Jinx couldn't help herself from stealing another glance at Ekko. 

“Do you have any hopes for Progress Day?” She asked, craning her neck to look at Ekko from the other end of the kitchen table. “There will be a bunch of manufacturers and scouts from companies. Any business opportunities you feel like taking?” 

Ekko paused, trying to find the right words that wouldn't make him appear like a complete hypocrite. 

“I already have a job offer from Kiramann.” 

Jinx's eyes widened, surprise painted all over her face. 

“K–kiramann?” She faltered, the shock too intense for her brain to be allowed to function normally. 

“At the opera,” Ekko offered, refreshing Jinx’s memory. “I met Cassandra Kiramann there and after you left she proposed it as an idea.”

Jinx ran through the memories of the opera night. Boring conversations with Cassandra, forced smiles and Ekko arriving at their box accompanied by a pink haired woman. 

“You were with that pinkette at the opera,” she said, her words sounding more like an accusation than a fact. “The one that came to the hospital.” 

Ekko rolled his eyes at Jinx's pick of a nickname for Seraphine. “Her name is Seraphine. And she is one of Cassandra's godchildren.”

Before she could control it Jinx let out a scoff. 

“I didn't know you hung out with Cassandra's folks.” 

“I don't. I met Sera in the opera and I didn't even know she was related to them.”

Sera? Jinx tensed up at the sound of the pet name that had just left Ekko's lips. It was too intimate and personal to call someone like that when you hardly knew them. She didn't know why she minded it that much. 

“Why was she not in their opera box if they are related then?” 

“She prefers to have a better acoustic of the opera and boxes don't offer that. And I told you, she is not close to them. Cassandra has like a million godchildren and Seraphine just happens to be one of them.” 

“I've never heard of any godchildren,” Jinx muttered under her breath, folding her arms over her chest. “And is that why she came to the hospital? Cassandra sent her to talk business with you?” 

“She came because she heard of what happened to Isha and wanted to make sure she was alright,” Ekko's tone was strict as if he was scolding Jinx for doubting Seraphine's kindness. “And no, we didn't talk business.” 

Jinx anxiously looked at Ekko. 

“But you're not thinking of actually accepting that offer, are you?” 

Ekko hesitated. He briefly dropped his gaze, his hand covering his nape, awkwardly. 

“I'm considering it.” 

Jinx's lips parted, feeling her palms sweat. 

“I know how it looks,” Ekko began, seeing Jinx’s surprise. “But it's just a thought, Jinx. And I–I need the money.”

His words were like a slap to Jinx's face. She quickly lowered her own gaze as well, guilt ripping through her for even letting herself imply such a thing. It was Jinx that had accepted Cassandra Kiramann's contract without a second thought. And yet she was criticizing him for something she too had done. 

Jinx's voice was small as she spoke again, trying to not let guilt consume her entirely. 

“I wouldn't judge you.” 

Ekko pushed his lips together. “I know.” 

They shared one of their silent looks that communicated more than words could. 

Money. It always came back to money in the end. Even now that Jinx had them, it was all she thought about most of the days. And Ekko, who never had them, was constantly thinking about them too. 

“We should get back to work,” he broke the silence, gesturing to his open notes. Jinx remained silent, her guilt persisting. 

“If we're lucky we may finish early and go see Isha,” Ekko offered, trying to ease the tension. “Doctors said she's doing better, right?” 

“They said she may wake up this week,” Jinx mumbled, awkwardly playing with the purple glitter pen in her hand.

“I really hope she does. I've missed her stomping around the house and showing me her artwork.” 

Despite herself, Jinx let out a laugh. Satisfied with the sound, Ekko returned to his notes but Jinx wasn't done trying to apologize yet. 

“Ekko–” 

“It's fine, Jinx,” he offered her a crooked smile. “It's fine, baby.” 

The word, that simple fucking word spoken in Ekko's gruff voice, made Jinx want to jump around. 

Ekko blinked, realizing his slip up too late. He hadn't even realized he had formed the thought in his head until he had said it. It came out so naturally, like he was always meant to call Jinx with such a word of endearment, words he could only speak to her. 

Are we still friends? 

Jinx's words from yesterday repeated in Ekko's mind like a broken record. Friends. She had pleaded with him to be her friend, because that is what she wanted, what she needed right now. And Ekko would give her that. He would give her everything she asked. 

“Uh,” he cleared his throat, looking everywhere but Jinx. Best to pretend it never happened than having to come face to face with an unpleasant reality. 

“Back to work.” 

“Back to work,” Jinx agreed, looking down at her laptop and hiding her smirk under the curtain of her blue hair. 

ⴵ

The hospital wing was peaceful and silent so late at night. Jinx and Ekko had managed to finish one third of the work they needed to complete before they had called it quits, too tired to think any more. 

Jinx didn't bother knocking on Isha's door as she pushed it open, knowing that whoever was inside was family. 

“Jinx!” 

Silco shot up from his seat, immediately walking towards his daughter to greet her. His perfect ensemble was no more. His dress shirt was sweaty, his normally slicked hair an uncombed mess in his head and the dark eye bags under his eyes made his scarred face look even gloomier. 

Jinx took a step back, putting space between them. It was the first time they saw each other since their fight two days before. 

Silco's expression hardened, sadness and regret dancing behind his eyes but never showing on his face. 

“Won't you greet me?” 

“Hey, dad,” Jinx said in a mocking sing-song voice. “We're visiting Isha if that's alright with you.” 

“We?”

Silco's always accusing glare fell on Ekko who he had not noticed until that very moment. On instinct, Jinx stepped between the two men, shielding Ekko. 

“I haven't heard from you all day,” Silco's gaze returned to Jinx.  

“I've been busy,” Jinx lied. In reality, she didn't want to speak to her father after discovering how much he had kept secret from her. 

“How's Isha?” She asked, changing the subject, not wanting to explain herself further to her father. Jinx was still holding a grudge against Silco. 

“She is resting,” Silco said as Jinx and Ekko stepped closer to the hospital bed. “Vi is in the cafeteria getting something to eat.” 

“I think you should go join her.” 

Silco's thin lips parted. Like fathers and daughters do, he and Jinx had gotten into many fights before but she had never actively driven him away from her. Jinx wasn't even looking at him when she took his place on the chair next to Isha's bed. 

He nodded to no one else but himself, turning around to leave. Jinx needed time. And he needed to seriously rethink his past choices.

“Dad.” 

Silco stopped, looking behind his shoulder at Jinx. 

“Ekko is here too.” 

Ekko, who had been silent until that point, shifted awkwardly on his spot. 

“Don't you have anything to say to him?” 

Silco's face was as hard as stone when he faced Ekko. 

“Ekko,” he acknowledged him only by using Ekko's name. 

“Mister Croft,” Ekko threw right back, unfazed by Silco's attitude. It was evident by Silco's scowl that he did not appreciate others talking back to him. 

When the door closed behind Silco, Ekko sat on Isha's bed, not afraid to get close to her and Jinx anymore.

“I don’t think your dad likes me.”

Jinx chuckled. “Yeah, I don't really care what my dad thinks right now.” 

She pushed Isha's bangs away from her face, caressing her cheek lovingly. She looked better each day, her cheeks plumb and with a soft pinkish hue that made Jinx remember the summer days they spent sunbathing by the pool. 

“He wasn't always like this, you know.”

Ekko tucked Isha under the soft blanket. “No?” 

“No. At least not when mom was alive. They were friends you know. She, Vander and Silco. My dad was too but they weren't as close as the three of them.”  

Ekko stole a sideways glance at Jinx. Her demeanor had shifted dramatically, her tone adopting a colder edge to it. 

“After she died things weren't the same for Vander and Silco. You know they were left behind and she wasn't there. One day they were driving in Vander's car, fighting about some stupid shit reason that didn't matter and Vander lost control of the car.” 

“It was in that accident that he got those scars?” Ekko gestured to his eye. 

“Yes. They both have scars from the crash. After that they never spoke to each other.” 

“It's hard,” Ekko muttered. 

“Miscommunication runs in the family,” Jinx joked, making Ekko laugh. 

“What does Vander say about this?” 

Jinx shrugged, taking Isha's hand in hers. “Not much. That he's sorry. I mean it was an accident, he never intended to hurt him. He just doesn't know how to approach Silco. He isn't not exactly an easygoing guy if you haven't noticed.” 

“I kinda noticed,” Ekko smiled and Jinx did too, although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. 

“I'm still mad at him,” she confessed. “And I don't care if it bothers him. He is not forgiving. He never was, not even to me. Now Silco only talks to Vander because Isha is like this.”

Ekko looked at Isha, still lying asleep on the bed. The fluorescent light of the light bulbs gave her face a shimmering glow. Ekko’s eyes returned back to Jinx. 

“People can change. You did.” 

Jinx opened her mouth to respond but no words ever came out. The feeling of a weak hold against her hand made her whip her head around. 

Isha stirred awake on the bed, moving her limbs that were unused for days on end. Her small mouth opened to let out a yawn as she held on to Jinx's hand. 

Jinx let out a cry of joy, immediately kneeling next to Isha's bed, inspecting her face. 

“I'll go get a doctor,” Ekko said, quick on his feet and already out of the room. 

“Ekko.” 

Isha's voice was small but spoke volumes. She fought to keep her eyes open, the bright light straining her eyesight as she looked at him. Isha reached her free hand, the one that wasn't holding her sister towards him. 

“Stay.” 

Ekko felt his heart being torn. It was the first time Isha had talked in front of him and to call out his name. He quickly found himself by her side, taking the little girl's hand in his. 

“I'm here,” he swore, smiling tenderly at Isha. 

Content, Isha smiled, leaning her wrapped in bandages head against the pillows, too tired from being worn up from her comma to speak any more. 

On the other side of the bed, Jinx kissed Isha's hand. Their gazes intertwined, blue and brown mixing together like watercolors on a painting. 

“Thank you,” she mouthed to him, letting the tears that watered her eyes fall down her cheeks as she kissed Isha's hand again. 

Ekko smiled, lightly squeezing Isha's small hand. She was safe. The storm had finally passed. They were all safe. 

Chapter Text

I'm addicted to you

Don't you know that you're toxic?

Toxic-Britney Spears 

“Who keeps delivering bouquets? I swear it looks like a garden in here.”

“Dad, can you please move the flowers? The pollen may irritate Isha!”

“Hey, Vi can you tell your girlfriend to not send a new bouquet every damn day?” 

“I am right here Jinx, you can tell me yourself.” 

“Oh. Didn't see you there Cait.”

Isha's eyes went back and forth between her family members as they moved around the hospital room. Her room had been raving with noises ever since she got out of her coma four days ago. The doctors advised Isha to stay in the hospital for a week to make sure she was out of danger but that didn't stop her family from migrating to her room. 

“Where do I put these?” Vander asked, flower bouquets in every color overflowing from his arms. 

“Get them to the car,” Silco’s hoarse voice was heard as he got up from his seat. He took some bouquets in his own arms, silently assisting him. 

Vander looked at Silco warily. 

“Thank you,” he said with disbelief in his tone. It wasn't like Silco to rush to his aid. It wasn't like Silco to even talk to him, now that Vander thought about it. 

“Let's go,” Silco sent a final look toward Jinx's direction before stepping out of the room followed by Vander. 

Jinx dropped her gaze immediately, choosing to ignore her father as she smiled at Isha, pushing all thoughts aside. The bandages had come off from around her head and her soft brown hair fell like a mop around her face. Jinx pushed Isha's hair back so they wouldn't fall on her eyes as the little girl craned her neck to take a glimpse at what exactly Ekko was drawing on her hand. 

“All done,” Ekko pulled back, letting Isha admire his work. 

Isha let out an inaudible gasp, her face twisting into an expression of bliss. The glitter pens Ekko had used to draw butterflies and stars on the back of her palm were hers and she had specifically asked him to give her tattoos. 

“Oh, they are magnificent,” Cait complimented, looking at the doodles. 

“The stars look so badass, kid,” Vi added with a smile as Sevika, who stood a little further from the bed, reached her arm to ruffle the girl's hair affectionately. 

But Ekko's client wasn't entirely satisfied. 

“Clouds?” Isha turned to Ekko with a questioning pout. 

“Clouds?” He chuckled. “I can do clouds. You want them going down your arm like Jinx's tattoos?” 

Isha nodded her head so fast, Jinx feared her still recovering from the fall brain would be further damaged. 

“Okay, okay just stop nodding your head so much. You'll get dizzy.” 

Jinx couldn't suppress her smile as Isha immediately did as Ekko instructed her. Isha was never that obedient with her or Vi. With a wide smile she extended her arm to Ekko, waiting for her temporary tattoo. 

“You should say thank you to Ekko,” Jinx said, pinching her sister's cheek playfully. 

Realization flashed on Isha's face as she turned to Ekko again. 

Thank you, she signed with her free hand. She was still somewhat reluctant to let her voice be heard when she was embarrassed or scared despite feeling at ease around Ekko. Isha was smart enough to know who had ultimately saved her, and acted with a calmness that no one could have at the moment of her accident. She had forgiven Jinx the moment she opened her eyes and felt an inexplicable attachment to Ekko. 

“Don't thank me” he smiled, his eyes drifting to Jinx. “Let me check how to draw the clouds properly, alright?” 

Jinx offered her right arm for Ekko to see the pattern of clouds on it. His finger brushed against her tatted skin, thumb racing along the pattern of the baby blue cloud as he observed it. Jinx's breath hitched in her throat. 

“Thanks,” Ekko pulled his hand away, already drawing the beginning of a cloud on Isha's arm.

“No problem,” Jinx said, clearing her throat, ignoring and trying to ignore how visibly affected she was by the simple gesture. 

Behind them, Sevika cleared her throat to conceal her laughter, earning a death glare from Jinx. She was about to say something when a nurse walked through the open door. 

“Okay, miss Isha Croft… What in the world?” 

She halted when she saw the number of people around Isha's bed. 

“Visiting hours are for family only!” She barked, fixing her glasses higher up her nose. 

Vi glanced at the familiar faces around the room. “We all are family here.” 

“No more than two visitors in the patient's room then!” 

Ekko and Jinx exchanged a look. They didn't want to be the ones to leave Isha's side. 

“Come on,” Benzo patted Ekko’s shoulder, having noticed the silent exchange between Ekko and Jinx. “Let's leave the youngsters alone.”

“Jesus, dad,” Ekko chuckled at his father's outdated term as Vi kissed Isha goodbye and joined the others in walking out of the room. 

The nurse hummed satisfied as she moved to Isha's bed, changing Isha's IV drip with a new bottle. Taking advantage of the commotion, Jinx stole a glance at Ekko. He was so focused on drawing the clouds on Isha's arm that he didn't even notice her looking at him. His brow was furrowed while he dragged the tip of the pen against Isha's skin, his long fingers wrapped around the pen, the veins that popped on his hand going up his forearm. 

Jinx swallowed thickly. His hands were so big. And they had been all over her naked body before. 

“Hey!” The nurse glared towards the door. “No more than two visitors in the patient's room!” 

Silco lingered on the threshold of the door, looking inside the room timidly. His eyes were set on Jinx, looking at her with expectation. 

Jinx sighed. She couldn't ignore him forever, not when he looked like a puppy that got yelled at. 

“I'll be right back,” she clarified to Ekko as she got up from Isha's bed. 

Silently, Jinx exited the room, pacing into the hallway with her arms defensively folded against her chest. Silco was looking at her, weighing his words in his head. And Jinx waited for him to take the first step. 

“I'm sorry,” he finally said. 

Jinx nodded mockingly. “You're sorry.” 

“This is serious Jinx,” Silco raised his voice but immediately regretted it. He looked down, hopelessly rubbing the nape of his neck. 

“I am sorry about keeping the letters from you and Vi, my beauty. And I am sorry for affecting you so much when you were younger.” 

“And?” 

Silco placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head. If he had to apologize he had to do it properly. 

“And I'm sorry for still holding Vander accountable for what happened. A part of me…a part of me knows it is not entirely his fault and I will try to work with that. So now can you stop ignoring me?” 

“Okay,” Jinx fought to keep her emotionless expression on her face. “Thank you for apologizing.” 

Silco looked like he was about to cry. “You won't forgive me?” 

“I can't forgive you. Not yet.” 

A fine silence embraced father and daughter. The tension in the air was threatening to destroy the silence any moment now. 

“I trusted you more than anyone, dad,” Jinx let her emotion spill in her tone. “And you kept so much from me, like you thought I was too stupid to handle them on my own!”

“I was trying to protect my little girl.” 

“But I'm not a little girl anymore dad! Why can't you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you,” Silco protested, closing his eyes. “I should have told you sooner, I admit it but I thought I was doing the right thing. Shielding you from further pain. I know the feeling of being betrayed by someone you love well and I didn't want you to experience it too.” 

Jinx puffed her cheeks out in anger but she couldn't ignore the hint of truth in them. Silco thought he was doing what was right and was only acting with her interest in mind. His way of thinking was just wrong but not meant to hurt her. 

Her arms dropped to her side, no longer feeling the need to appear defensive in front of Silco. 

“You should talk to dad. And apologize to him too.” 

“I know,” Silco let out a tired sigh. “I'm working on it.” 

An idea that Jinx had never thought of before, suddenly popped in her mind. 

“Are you scared that Vander won't forgive you?” 

Silco hesitated, his eyes betraying his internal conflict. Jinx's eyes widened. 

“You are scared!” 

“I haven't been angry at Vander in some time,” Silco kept his gaze low, ashamed at what he was confessing to Jinx. “I just got used to the way things were and continued to treat him like that. It is hard to forgive someone after spending so much time hating them.”

The scenario her father described was well known to Jinx. Her own mistakes had led her to take a similar route with Ekko. 

“But not impossible,” she said softly, making her father finally look up at her. Jinx gave him a small smile, pushing her hands in her pockets. 

“Yeah, so, talk to dad. And I might consider forgiving you now that Isha is safe.” 

“My angel–”

“I'm not mad at you anymore. Just talk to Vander, okay? By the time Ish can go home I want you two to talk like normal human beings.” 

Not staying another moment close to her father in fear of giving in to forgiving him on the spot, Jinx turned around. He deserved to rethink his choices some more and not have Jinx's forgiveness after apologizing only once. A little more torture suited him after what he had done. 

“How did it go?” Ekko asked as soon as Jinx returned back to the room. 

“Well. It went well.” 

“Well well or just well?” 

Jinx rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Well well.” 

Isha took the opportunity to show off her new bright blue cloud tattoos. 

“We match,” she said to her sister. 

“Oh, let me see! We are like twins now!” 

Isha beamed as Jinx admired the doodling on her arm. But her gaze didn't stay on the clouds for long, looking instead at the creator of them. 

“Are you working today?” Jinx asked Ekko with a nonchalant tone.

“Nah, not today. I'm gonna stay in, try to get some sleep. Kinda need it after the all-nighters we pulled.” 

Jinx chuckled. After they finally settled on what their presentation for Progress Day would be, they had spent the remaining days working on it whenever they weren't visiting Isha. 

“Maybe we could hang out later. Celebrate the submission of that fucking presentation.” 

Isha gasped at the swear word that left Jinx's lips. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Jinx said, covering her mouth. “I said a bad word.”

From the other side of the bed, Ekko glanced at Jinx. He was still surprised at her offer to hang out, a bubbling sensation of anticipation low on his stomach at the prospect. It was just a friendly hangout but he couldn't stop himself from being impatient. 

“You mean like go out?” 

“I was thinking more like staying in. Dad will be in The Last Drop and Benzo will stay with Isha today so we won't be bothering anyone. Order some good food, raid my dad's liquor cabinet, how about that?”

I want to hang out with you guys too! Isha signed. 

Want to order food! I'm tired of hospital food, it tastes yuck! 

“You will order whatever you want after you are free to leave the hospital,” Jinx reassured her, pinching her cheek. “Plus you're too young to drink yet.” 

Isha scowled. Ekko let out a small huff at how adorable she seemed. 

“When you return home, we can have a celebration with just the three of us, okay?” 

That piqued Isha's interest. And I get to prepare the food? 

“You can do whatever you want,” Jinx picked a glitter pencil and began drawing orange lightning in Isha's arm. 

I guess it's fine then. Next week we will have a celebration when I'm out of the hospital! 

Ekko stole a glance at Jinx who was still using Isha's arm as a canvas. 

“I'm in.” 

“Hm?” 

“About hanging out after we submit the presentation. I'm in.” 

Jinx smiled so widely her cheeks hurted. Ekko's heart thudder with expectation in his chest. 

ⴵ

“Should I press it?” 

“Yeah, yeah, just press it!” 

Without further ado, Ekko pressed the enter button, sending the final submission of their presentation to professor Talis. 

Jinx clinked her glass with Ekko's, the copper colored liquid almost spilling to the floor. 

“Congrats, partner,” she said before taking a swing from her glass. 

“Likewise, partner,” Ekko agreed, mirroring Jinx's action. 

The strong liquor burned Ekko's throat as he swallowed all of it, cringing at the almost bitter taste.

“Shit, what's that?” 

“Bourbon. Dad keeps it for special occasions. If you don't like it we have vodka, tequila and some wine I think.” 

Ekko closed the laptop's screen as Jinx splayed herself on the couch, always clutching the glass in her hand. Bottles and bottles of booze laid on the coffee table, straight out of Vander's secret cabinet, waiting to be opened. It was only a little after eleven and the house was empty but for the two of them. 

“So that's the plan for tonight?” Ekko sat on the edge of the couch, a lot further from Jinx. “Get drunk and lay on the couch all night?”

“And eat too,” Jinx added, grabbing a piece of still steaming pizza. 

Ekko smiled softly. “That too.” 

He watched as Jinx chewed the pizza with gusto. Jinx raised an eyebrow at Ekko’s watchful gaze. 

“You want some?” 

“No, it's just good to see you eat.”

Jinx swallowed the food. “You know I'm still trynna work on that. Eating without having second thoughts, I mean.” 

“And how is that working out for you?” 

“Good,” Jinx ate the last bit of pizza, raising the bottle of Bourbon. “Want a refill?” 

Ekko offered Jinx his glass, watching as she filled it with more liquor. The prospect of doing just that wasn't that bad after all. Isha was safe, their submission for Progress Day was delivered. In a way they deserve to just relax and throw all caution to the wind for just a night. 

Jinx handed Ekko his glass and moved to fill her own.

“How's your tolerance?” 

“Better than how I handle weed.” 

“Oh God, don't remind me,” Jinx said, throwing her head back. “Fucking Ezrael. I don't know what he gave us to smoke but that shit was definitely not good stuff.” 

Ekko gave her a lopsided grin as he took a sip of his drink. The whiskey was starting to grow on him and he found himself thirsty for more. Next to him Jinx gulped down the contents of her own glass in one sip. 

“Take it easy, alright?” 

“What? I can hold my liquor.” 

“I just don't want you throwing up all over the place again.” 

Jinx playfully kicked him with her leg, laughing. Ekko masterfully dodged the kick, shielding his glass with his hand so the whiskey wouldn't get knocked over. 

“You're such an asshole!” Jinx said, her tone already slurred.

Ekko continued to wrestle Jinx, both of them bantering like children. It was a glimpse of a friendship that was stolen from them and that they had somehow reclaimed. 

Jinx went to throw another kick but Ekko was quicker, gripping her ankle with one hand and stopping her mid-air. Jinx froze, her leg going limp as she set it down on Ekko's lap. 

“Easy now,” he smirked, his grip on Jinx's ankle loosening. 

Without even thinking, Ekko ran his hand on Jinx’s bare calf, stroking her smooth leg that was left uncovered by her shorts. His calloused hand felt so good against her skin, almost soothing. Jinx’s eyes widened at the more than familiar gesture as she looked up at him in question. 

Ekko’s smile dropped. Realizing what he was doing he drew his hand back, as if Jinx’s skin had burned him. Immediately, Jinx pulled her leg to herself, sitting up on the couch. 

“Eh, tequila?” He offered, not baring to look at her. 

“Yes,” Jinx gulped her whiskey down, thrusting the empty glass toward Ekko’s direction. 

“And make sure you get your small hands off me,” she laughed but her laugh was hoarse, forced. 

Ekko pushed his eyebrows together in question while he filled their glasses. “Small?” 

“Yeah,” Jinx immediately tasted her drink and Ekko rushed to do the same. 

Ekko cringed at the taste but didn't stop until the bottom of his glass was empty. He stole a glance at Jinx. She was sitting on the couch with her legs pushed to her chest, anxiously sipping tequila. He desperately tried to convince himself that his lingering touch on Jinx's leg was just a force of habit, a small innocent mistake. 

Friends, they were just friends hanging out. There was no hidden meaning behind their actions. 

“Come on,” he said, licking his lips. 

“What?” 

“Give me your hand.” 

“Why?” 

“Just give it here, Jinx.” 

With a growl, Jinx gave him her hand. Gently, Ekko placed his palm against hers, sizing their hands. 

“You think they're small?” He asked, looking at their obvious hand difference. His fingers were much longer than Jinx's even if you counted her long purple nails. 

Jinx blinked her half-lidded from the alcohol eyes, pulling her hand back. She muttered something that Ekko never managed to quite catch before grabbing the whiskey bottle and drinking straight from it. 

A drop of whiskey fell down her chin. Ekko licked his lips again. 

“Gimme some,” Ekko took the bottle from Jinx's hands. 

Ekko threw his head back, the liquid making his body temperature rise as he gulped it down. 

“Fuck,” Ekko muttered, alcohol quickly taking over. 

“Drunk already?” Jinx laughed almost hysterically, her cheeks flushed from drinking. 

“I've had some drinks,” he said with a dry chuckle. “Don't act like you ain't drunk too.” 

“I'm fine,” the lie rolled so easily on Jinx's tongue that it almost sounded true even to her own ears. She smiled at Ekko, their faces so close he could count her freckles or observe the deepest shade of blue in her eyes. 

When had they gotten so close? Ekko remembered Jinx laying on the other end of the couch but now she was sitting right next to him. Such close proximity was dangerous. They were friends, goddammit. 

Friends. Friends. Friends.

Her cheeks were painted crimson from the mix of alcohol and laughter. God, he wanted to kiss her. So fucking much. 

“Yeah…you're drunk,” he muttered. 

The sound of a notification made Ekko turn his head, snapping him out of his daze. 

“Sorry,” he said, drawing back from Jinx and taking his phone out of his back pocket. 

A text from Seraphine greeted him as soon as he tapped on the screen. Ekko felt every muscle in his body tense at the casual text. He didn't want a text from Seraphine, not right now. 

“Stop frowning,” Jinx said as casually as she could, keeping her eyes away from Ekko's phone screen. 

“I'm not frowning.” 

Ekko threw the phone on the coffee table, leaning back against the couch, his legs spreading open to get more comfortable. He was too damn tipsy to deal with Seraphine. A part of him felt obligated to respond to her texts, even flattered that she had taken an interest in him but the other part was left completely unaffected by her. 

Jinx's gaze was glued to his spread thighs, the way his hands casually hung between them. She took a sip of her drink to mask the way her eyes were glued to his lap. 

She wanted to get on her knees and suck him off. 

Ashamed and a little turned on by the idea, Jinx shook her head. No, she couldn't do that. She and Ekko were friends now. Well, they were not quite friends, their situation too complicated to be categorized with such simple terms but they were… something. 

More than friends but less than lovers.

“You frown all the time,” Jinx persisted, getting her mind off her alcohol delirium. 

Ekko's frown deepened. “I don't.” 

“You do! You just did!”

“Okay, I frown. What about it?” 

Jinx closed her mouth. “No need to get all defensive, sheesh.” 

He ran a hand through his dreads, trying to ease the frown on his face. He hadn't even realized he was frowning. 

Jinx gestured towards his phone on the coffee table. “Sera?” 

He sighed, defeated. Ekko didn't even think he could lie to Jinx. 

“Yes.” 

Jinx pushed her tongue against her cheek, annoyed. She wasn't drunk, just fueled enough with alcohol to be bolder than she usually was. 

“Do you like her?” 

Ekko's head whiplashed around. “What?” 

“Sera, whatever her name is. Do you like her?” 

Not giving Ekko enough time to come up with a response, Jinx spoke again. Despite her question, she didn't want to hear Ekko's answer. Jinx wasn't sure what she would do if Ekko’s answer was affirmative. 

“I mean I don't know her personally, I only saw her like twice but she didn't really seem like the kind of woman you would go after.” 

“What is my kind of woman then?”

“Someone without a stick up her ass.”

Ekko gave a little laugh, the alcohol making him more loose-lipped than usual. “Are you jealous?” 

Jinx felt like she was struck by lightning, going completely rigid when Ekko called her out. She turned her head away from him, grabbing a random bottle from the table, afraid that if Ekko stared into her face he would know just how much truth his word held. 

“We're just talking,” Ekko clarified, with a serious tone, having noticed Jinx's sudden change in mood. 

“I don't think it will escalate further from that.” 

“Why not?” 

Jinx’s lips were glistening as she pulled the bottle away from her mouth. Ekko's fingers itched to touch her, the alcohol in his system only fueling his desire. 

“She's hot, she's cultured, she's well educated. Fuck, you would be an idiot to not try to get in her panties.” 

Ekko made a face. “Don't say it like that.” 

“Okay. Try to hook up with her. Is that a more refined term for you?” 

The anger in Jinx's tone didn't go unnoticed by Ekko. Anger of his own began to slowly rise to the surface. He blamed the alcohol and the topic they discussed for his slowly losing temper. 

“I don't do hookups.” 

“Never? A pretty thing like you?”

Ekko’s cheeks flared at her sarcasm. Jinx was toying with him and it both excited and angered him. His growing desire for her was eating him alive as she scooted closer to him.

He filled his glass with more tequila, the different alcohols mixing in his stomach as he tried to ignore the minimum distance between their bodies. 

“I did once but not anymore.” 

“How come?” 

“Busy,” he muttered gruffly. 

Jinx pondered on his answer and for a second Ekko thought he had escaped Jinx's questions. Suddenly, the sound of another notification echoed in the silent room. 

“Fuck me,” Ekko muttered loud enough for Jinx to hear. 

Reluctantly, Ekko took his phone in hand. Jinx looked at her nails, pretending to check her cuticles and paying no attention to what Ekko was doing. 

Sera 

Hey 

Sent 23:37

I haven't heard from you in a while

Sent 23:44

Ekko rushed a reply back. 

Yeah, sorry 

23:46 

Been busy lately 

23:46

Ekko muted his phone and set it down with the screen facing the table's surface. 

“She's persistent I give her that,” Jinx commented as carefree as her irritation allowed her to get. 

“Can you not refer to her like that?” He asked, not sure why he was defending Seraphine's honor. Probably only to contradict Jinx. 

“She has a name.” 

“Oh, right,” Jinx rolled her eyes. “Sera. My bad.” 

Ekko kept his mouth shut, waiting to regain his calm before speaking again but Jinx beat him to it. 

“So why did you turn your phone around? Did she send you any pictures you don't want me to peek at?” 

“You're really fucking pushing it, Jinx,” Ekko said between clenched teeth. 

“We're supposed to be friends now, right?” Jinx bent forward, bringing her face close to Ekko and pointing an accusing finger. “So why aren't you honest with me?” 

“Don't even try to use the friend card right now,” Ekko bent forward, stubbornly matching her temper. 

Jinx's eyelashes fluttered, taken aback by Ekko moving closer. He was supposed to be the logical and grounded one that no matter how often she pushed him to his limits he would always remain reasonable. A thrill travelled through Jinx's body at the prospect of seeing Ekko completely pushed to his limit, utterly unhinged. 

“Just admit that you want to fuck her.” 

Ekko clicked his tongue in utter annoyance. 

“The nerve you have to even say that when you know damn well…” 

He stopped himself just in time, swallowing thickly at his almost confession. It was obvious to anyone that he was so pathetically in love with Jinx all those years now that he even made himself sick at times. Jinx knew, she had to, she knew damn well. And she was still playing that fucked up game that she had started. Ekko found no other justification for her behavior. 

“You should stop talking right now.”

Jinx's eyes flared with mischief. “Or what?” 

Something ignited inside of Ekko at Jinx's provocation. Some lines weren't meant crossing. They had made so much progress but now Ekko's will crumbled like sand through his fingers. 

Before Ekko could rationalize any longer, Jinx grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. He tasted like the first taste of vodka. Jinx closed her eyes as she deepened the kiss, wanting to get drunk off his kisses. Ekko’s momentary surprise gave way as he wrapped his arms around Jinx's waist, pulling her to him. 

“Ekko,” Jinx breathed his name against his lips before diving in for another deep kiss. 

Ekko nearly trembled, burning with desire he had no right to have. All thoughts of friendship and Seraphine were erased from his mind as he closed his eyes, melting into Jinx's kisses.

His hands slid lower, gripping Jinx's thighs and shifted her body on top of his. Her legs were on either side of him as she straddled him fully, literally sitting on his lap. 

“I missed you,” Ekko groaned, his hands squeezing Jinx’s ass as he pulled her closer to him. A small moan passed through her lips, her arms wrapping around Ekko's neck on instinct. 

Ekko peppered kisses down the column of Jinx's neck, feeling her body squirm in his palms. He almost laughed in triumphant. 

“You're jealous,” he whispered between kisses. “Admit it, ma.” 

Jinx’s hips involuntarily rubbed against his at the accusation. The alcohol they had consumed was just enough to simply make them tipsy but Jinx feared Ekko’s kisses down her neck would get her drunk in no time. 

“Fuck you,” she muttered, her nails digging into Ekko’s shoulders. 

“You're about to, baby.” 

Ekko’s fingers slipped under Jinx’s shirt, lifting it up to uncover her stomach and torso until it rested on her collarbones. Her pale pink bra had a small bow in the middle. Ekko kissed it, his lips leaving a path between the valley of her breasts as his hands pulled on the elastic of Jinx's shorts. 

Ekko’s arms circled around her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed all over her breasts. Jinx's breath was long gone. They were in plain view in her father's living room. Theoretically, anyone could walk in on them and that excited her beyond words. She wanted others to see her and Ekko like this, wanted them to know that it was her and no one else that Ekko wanted to be with.

“Wait, Ekko, wait.”

Instantly, Ekko pulled back. His hazed out eyes looked up at Jinx in fear. Had he overstepped Jinx's boundaries? Fuck, what were they doing? They were both drunk and he had practically planted her on his lap like a deprived teenager. 

His grip on her waist loosened while he looked at Jinx in part confusion, part lust. 

“I’m sorr–”

Jinx left a quick peck on his lips, setting Ekko's worries aside. Jinx took her shirt off, staying in only her bra. She got off Ekko's lap, slipping her shorts down her legs and throwing them until she was only left in her underwear. 

Ekko's Adam's apple bobbed on his throat as Jinx settled back in his lap, his hands gripping her bare thighs. Jinx's fingers playfully curled around Ekko's belt. She wanted to poke fun at Ekko by asking about Seraphine again but Jinx was the one sitting on his lap. 

“You'll let me won't you babe? Please?” 

Ekko gave Jinx an affirmative nod. He didn’t trust his voice enough to speak, not when she was on top of him looking down at him with big pleading eyes. 

Ekko nearly lost it. His right hand cupped Jinx's cheek, trying to push her face closer to his. 

“I want you so much,” he whined, stroking her cheek with his thumb, his hips bucking up to grind against her.

Jinx let out a small laugh, her fingers fully threading around Ekko's belt, still teasing him and not giving him what he wanted. 

“You want me? Only me?”

“I'm addicted to you, ma. No one else compares, you fucking know that.” 

“Yeah,” Jinx smirked like the devil himself. “I know that.” 

Jinx fingers unbuckled Ekko's belt, unfastening his jeans and pulling them down his thighs along with his boxers. His dick sprang free, half-hard and begging for Jinx's touch that she gladly offered. 

Her palm curled around his shaft, rubbing it slowly. Ekko let out a guttural moan, passing his arm over his face as he leaned his head back, letting Jinx touch him. 

“You know what to do,” he groaned as Jinx bumped her fist up and down his length, feeling him grow harder in her hand. 

Jinx's mouth watered, her walls closing around nothing at every breath and groan that Ekko made. With her free hand, Jinx pulled Ekko's shirt exposing his lower abs and running her palm over them. 

Blinded by lust, Ekko searched for Jinx's mouth, kissing her hungrily. He was a man addicted and couldn't get enough. His hand slipped between Jinx's thighs, rubbing her pussy. 

“I want all of you,” he said when he pulled away from her lips. 

His dick throbbed in Jinx's hand, semen dripping down the side of it. Jinx swallowed, shifting on Ekko's lap. Ekko's fingers pulled her panties aside, letting a finger run through her wet folds as Jinx lined herself up with his dick. 

“Ekko,” she whimpered as she slowly sank down on his length, both too horny to wait any longer. 

The stretch of having Ekko inside of her again nearly made Jinx scream as she clamped down on him, rubbing her hips against the base of his dick and delighting in the friction.

“Fuck–”

The word died on Jinx’s throat as she lifted her hips and slammed them back down. Ekko squirmed at the sensation, pushing his hips upwards, silently encouraging Jinx to keep going. Pushing her palms against Ekko's chest, Jinx began riding him properly. 

“Like that, baby, fuck.” 

Ekko pulled Jinx down to him, leaving open mouthed kisses on her lips. She responded, opening her mouth for him as Ekko pushed his tongue past her lips. Jinx grabbed onto his shirt, her palms beginning to sweat as she moved on top of Ekko. Ekko began bucking his hips up, meeting her thrusts and making the pleasure more intense. 

She pulled away, wrapping her arms around Ekko's neck and hurrying her face in the crook of his neck. Her thighs had grown tired of riding him for so long. Ekko stroked her hair, gripping her hips with his free arm and fucking up into her. 

“Keep riding me, Jinx. So good, you're so good.” 

“It's hard,” she whined. “Am tired.” 

Ekko let out a groan, his arms grabbing hold of Jinx's thighs as he got up from the couch. Jinx shrieked at the change in position, wrapping her arms and legs around Ekko's body. Suddenly, she found herself pressed against the nearest wall with Ekko pushing her back against it. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, supporting Jinx's weight by grabbing on her thighs. “Talk to me.”

“Yes, yes, I'm okay,” Jinx arched her back against the wall. The standing position Ekko was in had his dick digging deeper than ever before inside of her. Jinx’ mouth water. 

“Ekko, please, please move,” she begged, not really caring that he could very easily use this to make fun of her later. 

Ekko groaned, pushing his hips back and slamming them forward until he was burried inside of her. Jinx threw her head back as Ekko fucked her, each of his thrusts making his dick graze a spot inside Jinx that made her toes curl.

“You take those pills I bought you?” He nearly growled, his forehead joining hers. 

Jinx nodded her head so much she was sure her brain would hurt. Sweat covered both their bodies as they moved against each other, their alcohol infused brains completely blank from the pleasure. His balls slapped against her ass with each powerful thrust, the sound of skin slapping against skin and their raunchy moans were the only sounds on the living room. 

Ekko continued to look at her as if she was the center of all his attention and the world as he fucked her against the wall. 

“I'm gonna cum, baby. Gonna cum inside.” 

A string of words left Jinx’s lips, not sure if there was any meaning behind them. The drag of Ekko’s dick inside of her send her near the edge. Her orgasm made her head spin as she came from penetrative alone. Her orgasm made her walls tighten impossibly around Ekko's dick and he gave in, managing a final thrust before emptying himself inside of Jinx. 

Jinx's mouth was left agape as she breathed hard, her vision slowly restoring as Ekko gently set her down. Some or Ekko’s cum dripped down her inner thigh. She leaned her back against the wall, her trembling legs not to he trusted as she grabbed Ekko's nape and kissed him. 

“I'm sorry,” she whispered, pulling away from his mouth, a string of saliva connecting their lips. 

Ekko licked his lips. “Why are you sorry?” 

For jumping you like that, she thought but decided against speaking her mind. Her arms wrapped around Ekko, pulling his body close to her. 

“Uh, baby, I'll hug you all you want just let me put some pants okay?” 

Jinx laughed as Ekko stumbled back into his jeans. She was still a little tipsy. Jinx wasn't sure if it was from the alcohol or from him. 

“Come here,” Ekko opened his arms when he came closer to Jinx. She immediately fell in his arms, hugging him tightly. 

“God you're so fucking drunk,” Ekko said against Jinx's hair, keeping her close to him. 

“I'm not. Are you?” 

“I don't know,” he said with honesty. “You good to stand?” 

“I think so,” Jinx pulled back from his hug, standing on shakey legs. She could almost feel the bruises in the shape of Ekko's fingers forming on her thighs. 

“Okay let's go,” Ekko said as he lifted Jinx in his arms again, carrying her bridal style towards the stairs, only stopping to grab her shirt and shorts from the couch. 

Jinx laughed loudly as Ekko carried her to his room, setting her down on the bed and dropping next to her. He rolled to his side, facing Jinx, fixing a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“We’ll regret it in the morning.” 

Ekko surprised even himself when he spoke the words. Jinx's smile faltered, perhaps understanding the implications of his statement. 

“I won't,” she insisted. 

Ekko wanted to believe her so desperately but he knew her too well. His eyes fluttered closed, the alcohol that was still in his making him sleepy. 

“Go to sleep Jinx.” 

“I won't, Ekko,” Jinx persisted but Ekko could not hear her anymore, already fast asleep. 

He was still frowning even when he was asleep. Jinx observed his face, running her pointer finger along his cheek. She wondered what he was dreaming of and hoped that it was her. 

A sudden realization hit Jinx like a wave. She didn't want Ekko to dream of anyone else but her. And the answer was simple, one that she had tried to run away from for long. 

She didn't just care about Ekko. She was in love with him. 

Chapter Text

We can’t be friends

But I’d like to just pretend

we can’t be friends-Ariana Grande

The ‘closed’ sign was hanging on the front door of The Last Drop but the commotion that came from inside proved that the bar was only closed to the public. One of the bigger tables had been pushed to the middle of the room and was in the process of being set. Isha carried the silverware proudly, neatly setting them next to each plate that Vi placed on the table. She wanted everything to be perfect on her homecoming party. 

“Don't run while holding the forks, kid,” Vi softly scolded Isha who immediately slowed down. 

Isha could barely contain her excitement. She had been discharged from the hospital that very day and she desperately wanted to celebrate it. She had missed her family, her friends and even school. Isha didn't really mind that she had spent her entire spring break in the hospital, just that she had finally returned home. 

Vi set the last plate on the table. It would be seven of them. The three sisters, their fathers and Benzo and Ekko. Silco had sent Sevika to gather the unfinished paperwork he had abandoned in Stillwater when he learned about Isha's accident and Cait had stayed home, saying that Vi should spend some time with her family alone. Vi had replied that she had spent enough time alone with her family for a lifetime but she also recognized that Isha’s homecoming should be celebrated in a small circle. Isha was still recovering and was very sensitive to loud noises. 

Vi passed by the bar where Benzo was picking what they would drink for the night and entered the kitchen of the bar. Her fathers were moving through the kitchen, stirring pots and adding salt and pepper to whatever it was that they were cooking. 

“Dad?”

“Yes?” 

Vander and Silco said in one voice, raising their heads at Vi’s call. They shared a look of surprise that quickly melted into a small laugh on Silco’s part and a genuine warm smile on Vander’s. 

Vi furrowed her brow in confusion at the exchange.

“I meant Vander,” she clarified. 

Vander took his apron off, setting it aside. “What is it?” 

“The table is set. Is the food ready?” 

“Almost. Go help Jinx with the salad while it's getting ready.”

“Vander,” Silco called out, holding a wooden spoon in his hand. 

“Does this need more salt?” 

Not even a second after Silco had finished his sentence, Vander had abandoned Vi’s side and rushed to taste Silco’s gravy. Vi blinked in confusion, not believing her own eyes. 

Grabbing a knife and a cutting board, Vi moved next to Jinx on the counter. Her sister was bent over her own cutting board, cutting tiny pieces of lettuce in slow motions. She didn't even notice Vi next to her. 

“What's up with them?” 

Jinx raised her head, looking at Vi like a deer caught in headlights. She was not paying any attention to chopping lettuce or to what her sister had just said. 

“Hm?” 

“Dad and Silco,” Vi gestured towards them with the knife in her hand. “They've been acting like that since I got here.”

Silco and Vander were exchanging smiles while they talked in soft voices about something that made them both laugh. Vi almost felt a shiver run down her spine. 

Jinx shrugged, returning to chopping. Vi groaned. 

“Seriously? You don't notice it? A week ago Silco wasn't even looking at dad’s general direction and now this?” 

“Maybe they forgave each other.”

Vi frowned in confusion. Normally Jinx would be dying to gossip with her about any topic, especially their fathers. Her nonchalant behavior was not like her at all. 

“And what's up with you? You've been off all week.”

Jinx lowered her head even more, pretending to be focused on preparing the salad. In reality her mind was stuck in the night three days ago. That night that she and Ekko had sex. No, maybe jumped each other like animals with no social decency in the living room was a more suitable phrase for what they had done. 

So much for trying to be friends again.

The knife cut through the soft lettuce and hit the board. Jinx had to bite down on her bottom lip to get herself in check.

“Nothing's up with me,” she finally said, praying that it would set Vi’s mind at ease. 

Vi squinted her eyes more at Jinx's lukewarm answer.

“Did Ekko do something to piss you off again?” 

The knife slipped from Jinx's hand, bouncing on the uncut lettuce.

“What does Ekko have to do with anything?” Jinx asked in a high pitched voice that betrayed her inner turmoil. 

“Nothing,” Vi said apologetically, startled by Jinx's sudden eagerness. 

“I just thought you were off because of him. You know because you can't stand him and all.” 

Jinx’s heart rate slowed. She pushed her hair out of her face, cursing herself for betraying her emotions so openly. She had been thinking about Ekko so much that she had turned borderline paranoid. 

“I can…I can stand him. He isn’t who I thought he was.” 

Vi nodded although she couldn't really understand anything that was going on.

“Okay. I can take it from here with the salad. Why don't you go keep Isha company while I'm at it? And maybe don't touch any knives for the remainder of the night, okay?” 

Jinx grumbled sliding her cutting board towards Vi. Maybe she did need a break. 

“Don't take too long, okay? I'm hungry.” 

Vi silently raised her middle finger to Jinx who let out a chuckle. She mentally noted that she had to speak to Vi about Ekko’s letters and what happened with Silco some day but now wasn't the time. 

Jinx passed by Vander and Silco but neither noticed her. Silco was too busy admiring the way Vander took out a pan from the oven. 

Yeah, okay that was weird. 

If she had the capacity to form a single thought that didn't contain Ekko in some way, Jinx would be concerned. But she couldn't so she just brushed it off, leaving the kitchen and entering the bar. 

“Sauvignon Blanc,” Benzo greeted her as soon as she stepped into the bar section. 

Jinx willed herself to pay attention to her surroundings. “Sorry?” 

Benzo chuckled, showing her the wine bottle in his hands. 

“Sauvignon Blanc. A fine wine. And an excellent year too.”

“Sounds awesome,” Jinx pushed herself to sound excited, trying to not think about what had happened the last time she had consumed alcohol. 

Satisfied with her answer, Benzo set the bottle down and turned to Isha who was sitting on one of the bar stools. 

“And for this young lady, perhaps apple juice? Or orange juice?”

Isha giggled. “Apple.” 

“Apple juice it is then.” 

Jinx watched as Benzo placed a cup of apple juice with a blue straw in front of Isha. An old memory was unlocked of when she was little and Vander would do the same for her. The nostalgia almost made tears fill her eyes and a wave of relief washed over her that even when she is not around, Isha is being taken care of. After her accident, Jinx had become too cautious of Isha, always worrying where they were apart but she was glad to see she had nothing to be scared of.

She placed a hand on Benzo's shoulder. “Thank you.”

Benzo turned to her, his eyes looking at Jinx with mild confusion behind the thick lenses of his glasses. 

“For everything,” she added and meant every word. Benzo had stayed night and day by Isha's side when she was still in the hospital and had been doting on her like an adoring uncle ever since he moved into their house. 

“I think we should be the ones thanking you, my girl,” Benzo patted Jinx's hand that was resting on his shoulder. “You have helped me and Ekko more than you can imagine.” 

Jinx’s smile faltered, her heart making an embarrassing jerk in her chest at the sound of his name.

“Where is Ekko?” 

“Down by the jukebox,” Benzo patted Jinx's hand a final time before drawing back from her to take some wine glasses out of the cupboard. 

“He has been trying to pick a song for the last hour.” 

Jinx's eyes searched for Ekko. As his father had said, he was standing in front of the jukebox with his back turned to her. 

Slipping away from the bar, Jinx trailed towards him, hoping Benzo and Isha wouldn't notice her. 

“Hey.”

Ekko snapped his head around, his eyes widening when he saw Jinx standing next to him. 

“Hey,” he said gruffly, fighting the urge to take a step back and put some space between them. 

“Trying to pick a song?” 

“Uh, yeah. Got stuck in which decade to choose from.” 

Jinx peaked at the selection chart over Ekko's shoulder. He tried to remain still and not flinch at how close their bodies were.

“How about…?”

Jinx pushed a coin she took out of her pocket into the jukebox, pressing a button on the chart. A pleasant melody, which they both knew well, came out of the jukebox. Ekko smiled faintly, recalling the days he and Jinx had spent lazing in The Last Drop while this song played in the background. 

The words of the song fitted like puzzle pieces in Ekko's mind and before he knew it he mumbled them under his breath. Besides him Jinx hummed the lyrics too, her voice mixing with Ekko's loud enough so only the two of them could hear it. 

Ekko held his breath. There they were in the place of their childhood, humming a song that echoed everything they once were and could never be again. 

They hadn't talked about what happened that night. Of course they hadn't. They were both so good at ignoring what was unpleasant to them. 

After they shared the night together, Jinx woke up alone. Ekko was nowhere to be found. And when she saw him again, none of them brought the dangerous topic up, only tiptoed around each other with empty small talk. 

Jinx wetted her lips, looking at the glowing lights of the jukebox and trying to find the right timing to speak up. 

“How have you been?”

“Good. Yeah, I've been good.”

“I've been good too. Just busy.” 

“Me too. Really busy. Didn't have time for anything this week.” 

Jinx let out a breath through her nose. After realizing the depth of her own feelings for him, Jinx had spent countless hours rethinking everything that had led up to this point. She had been running away from her own truth for a long time because she was almost sure she had been in love with Ekko without her knowledge ever since he appeared back into her life. 

But she hated to come face to face with the truth. The fear that he would turn her down was so persisting Jinx could almost feel it in the air. However, Jinx couldn't spend another minute replaying the events of that night without knowing Ekko's feelings on the matter. Did he think what happened that night was a mistake? Or was he just as embarrassed as her to bring it up despite enjoying every single minute of it?

Jinx hoped it was the second option. 

“About the other night, I–”

“Don’t.”

Jinx was thrown off by Ekko's immediate interference. He gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. 

“You don't have to say anything. We were both drunk. We didn't know what we were doing.” 

His words hurted more than Jinx had imagined. Jinx could feel her own heart bleeding, wincing at the pain Ekko's words had inflicted on her. 

So that's what it was. A drunken mistake. 

Ekko cleared his throat, looking away from Jinx, not baring to stare into her eyes any longer. Blaming it on the alcohol was the safest choice. The morning after he had to physically pull himself away from Jinx's half-naked body and not stay wrapped around her, listening to her heartbeat. His feelings were too precious to be discarded like trash again. She was capable of having sex without letting her feelings get involved in the process, she had said so herself. Ekko knew that what happened that night was an impulse on the moment on her part, even if it meant the whole world to him. 

It was for the best. He wouldn't lose her again. Jinx wanted to be friends and that's that.

“I acted really stupid that night. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Did you regret it?” Jinx's tone was softer than silk as she looked up at Ekko with sorrowful eyes. 

“Regret it? I don't regret it at all.”

Ekko swallowed hard, embarrassed at how fast he had answered. He leaned against the jukebox in a poor attempt to appear carefree. 

“I don't regret it. But it was stupid. We were just drunk and we shouldn't have.”

Jinx wanted to yell out that they were not that drunk, that she wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything before but she remained silent. 

“Yeah. We shouldn't have.” 

Ekko's heart gained a fresh crack at her words. Still, he maintained his smile. The echo of the song had turned bittersweet by now.

“Fuck, I was scared that you would be mad at me for what happened.” 

“I started it,” Jinx said with a deadpan tone. “Or did you forget that because you were drunk?” 

“No,” he confessed with a soft tone, momentarily thrown aback by Jinx's tone. “I remember it. I remember all of it.” 

Jinx's pulse quickened. Under the light of the jukebox she could see the way Ekko's brown gaze was steadily locked on her. He noticed her looking at him, his eyes dragging across her face, committing it to memory before looking away from her, guiltily licking his lips at the traitorous thoughts that attacked his mind whenever he looked at her.

How could he not feel it? That tension between them whenever they locked eyes. It was too much to handle. 

“So we're good?” Ekko asked, still not looking at Jinx.

Jinx swallowed all the words she wanted to say. “Absolutely. Let's pretend it never happened.”

Ekko felt a nerve in his temple pulsate in annoyance. 

“It never happened,” he repeated, trying to get his mind to accept it. 

“We can just go back to before that and be friends.” 

Friends. That fucking word was starting to get on Ekko's nerves. 

“Friends,” he agreed. 

Jinx played with the buttons of the jukebox, trying to get her mind off the sutiation. But as much as she tried to her thoughts returned to the man standing next to her. 

“You know,” she spoke up and immediately regretted it. 

Ekko turned to her. “Yes?” 

Jinx cringed at what she was about to say but now that she had began it was too late to stop. 

“I think you should try how it goes with Seraphine.”

Ekko felt like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water all over him. He could understand Jinx not wanting him in the way he wanted her but to deliberately push him away from her…

“I thought you didn't like her.” 

“I don't. But I think that you do and that's what matters.” 

A chuckle escaped Ekko. Fine. If Jinx wanted it to be like this then he would seal the deal. 

“You're right. I do like her. She's just my type, actually.”

Jinx was sure she would get wrinkles from the fake smile that was plastered on her face like a sticker at this point. 

“Great.”

“Yeah. Great. Thanks for the heads up.” 

Jinx threw up a little in her mouth. “What are friends for?” 

Ekko gave her an equally fake smile as the one Jinx wore. They both knew deep down they were blatantly lying to each other and themselves. They could never be friends. But they could pretend well enough. 

“Guys!” 

Vi called out from the table where everyone had slowly started to gather. 

“Dinner's ready!” 

Without looking at each other once, Ekko and Jinx walked to the table, picking opposite ends to sit on. 

A mix of anger, disappointment and sadness made Jinx get lost in her own thoughts again as everyone settled around the table. Ekko was in a similar state of mind as he passed the plates of food around. None of them tasted the delicious food they had on their plates, their appetites completely lost. 

Silco lightly hit the edge of his fork on his wine glass, the piercing sound making all the conversations around the table cease.

Slowly, he got up from his seat, raising his glass in a toast. Jinx shared a look with Vi that was sitting opposite her. They didn't know Silco wanted to make a toast. 

“We are all gathered here today to celebrate the return of our little one. My Isha, may you never be unwell again.” 

Isha raised her own glass of apple juice as a weak round of applause was heard from around the table. 

“And let’s not forget my oldests, Violet and Jinx who are always look after each other. And that remind us that accidents happen.” 

Jinx joined the others in clapping but couldn't help the feeling of unpleasantness at being reminded of her own part in Isha’s accident. But her father kept talking and she didn't dwell on it any further. 

“There are a lot of things I've learned from these girls. Even when you think you know everything, there they come ready to turn your life around.” 

Benzo laughed at that and if it bothered Silco he didn't show it one bit. Instead, he turned to him with a smile. 

“And let's also not forget Benzo and Ekko who helped Isha just as much as her family.” 

Ekko raised both his eyebrows. He didn't expect that at all, not when he had suffered Silco giving with him the cold shoulder since they met. But he raised his own glass, pleasantly surprised by his speech. 

“What was I saying? Ah! That I've learned more from my daughters than I've ever learned from anyone else.” 

Jinx shared another look of confusion with Vi. 

“Dad?”

“I had a talk with Jinx the other day and I think I learned the most important thing in my life,” Silco continued. “That the greatest thing we can do in life is find the power to forgive.” 

Silco let out a small chuckle, pushing his shoulders back. Everyone’s attention was on him, hanging by Silco’s words. 

“And here in front of our family. And Benzo,” he added, making Benzo let out another loud laugh. “There is no better occasion to do this.”

Slowly, Silco sank to the floor, kneeling on one knee in front of Vander’s chair. Out of his vest pocket he retrieved a golden ring that he extended towards Vander. 

“Vander Wentworth, will you marry me and forgive me for being so stupid?” 

The fine silence that followed Silco's proposal was interrupted by Vi's fork that slipped from her hand in her utter shock that matched that of every other person in the bar. 

Chapter Text

What goes around, goes around, goes around

Comes all the way back around

What Goes Around…/…Comes Around…(Interlude)-Justin Timberlake

The last cardboard box was pushed to the side of the now empty room along with the rest of the boxes containing Ekko's clothes and personal belongings. Only the bed was made and was waiting for Ekko to sleep on it one last time before he moved out of the house. 

Moving out of the Wentworths’ after spending a good two months living there was much harder than he had anticipated. Too many memories tied him to that house and it was difficult to pretend he wasn't affected by his upcoming departure. 

It was a miracle the secretary of the university had answered him after the thousand calls he had left them, to inform him that there was an opening in one of the dorm rooms in the university campus. Ekko had accepted without a second thought. 

Ekko leaned against the wall, taking his phone out of his pocket. His chat with Seraphine was still the same as he had left it when he last checked it five minutes ago. 

Sera 

Ten thirty sounds good! 

Sent 21:03 

See you at the bar :)

Sent 21:04

They were the exact same messages as before but Ekko had hoped for something else. A last minute cancellation text from Seraphine. An earthquake notice that demanded everyone to stay put and not make pointless trips outside. Anything that he could use as an excuse to not meet with Seraphine later. 

Ekko let out a frustrated sigh, running his fingers through his dreadlocks. Seraphine was more than likable to Ekko. She was smart and funny in a down to earth way that he appreciated and he genuinely enjoyed the few occasions they had found themselves in each other's company. But after Jinx gave him the okay to pursue her, Ekko couldn't stand the thought of being left alone with Seraphine, afraid he would give the wrong impression. 

Because this meeting really wasn't what it appeared to be. 

Vander and Silco's engagement had correlated with the end of the renovation of Benzo's shop. His father was already in contact with his old suppliers and if everything went well the shop would re-open next month but Ekko couldn't share Benzo’s excitement. They still owed Vander fifty thousand dollars that he had offered as loan for the shop and Ekko would be damned if he hadn't thought of every possible aspect that he could to repay him back. 

His pride wouldn't let him be in Vander's and by extend Jinx's debt any longer, especially after Silco's proposal. He had to accept a job offer from Cassandra Kiramann if he wanted to repay Vander and find an affordable house for his dad to live in after the wedding. And Seraphine was the closest link to the Kiramanns he had at his disposal.

It always came back to the fucking money. 

The persistent ache of a headache attacked the back of Ekko's head. He had to stop thinking for just a moment or he would drive himself mad.

Twisting the handle of his door, Ekko walked out of the room. Right outside his door stood Jinx, her arm raised as if ready to knock on his door. 

The surprise had both of them speechless for a second. It was always nerve wracking to come face to face with each other. 

“I was just about to knock,” she said when the initial shock passed. 

Ekko cleared his throat, ridding himself of his own surprise. It was as if he had manifested her from how persistently he had been thinking of Jinx.

“Do you need something?”

“Isha wanted me to give you this.” 

Jinx handed him a piece of paper with Isha's characteristic doodles and drawings on it. Bright colors that were unmistakably of Isha's art style. Ekko smiled, his heart feeling tight at the adorable notion. He would save the drawing forever. 

“Is she still mad at me?” 

She shrugged. “A little. I think if you talk to her she will get over it.”

“I hate to disappoint the kid.” 

Ekko left the paper on his desk, closing the door of his room behind him. Jinx stole a glance at the cardboard boxes that were piled in the corner of Ekko's room before he closed the door. 

“Are you almost done with packing? 

“Yes, I just finished with the last box.” 

Jinx nodded absentmindedly. With the upcoming wedding she had been too busy to find a moment of solitude but she had been thinking about him. Embarrassingly often. 

“I'll move out tomorrow,” Ekko said, trying to mask the slight sadness in his tone. “It's a good thing the dorm is vacant because that guy broke his spine after he jumped off the first floor and has to spend the rest of the semester in the hospital. I mean it's not a good thing he broke his spine but…you get what I mean.” 

Jinx looked down at her pink painted toe nails. She had a suspicion on who was responsible for Ekko’s sudden decision to move out. 

“If you're leaving because of me–”

“No,” Ekko cut in immediately. “Your dad will come to stay here after the wedding and I already feel like a nuisance staying here while you are so busy with the preparations.”

“I still can't believe they are getting married.” 

“Me neither. But I'm happy for all of you.” 

Jinx smiled to herself with a warmth that she only reserved for when she was speaking about her family. Ekko's heart fluttered in his chest. 

“Honestly? I am excited. I mean the people that raised me are getting married. Vi is a little reluctant. She thinks they are rushing into it and will be divorced in two months time but I don't think so. They loved each other even when they didn't want to admit it.” 

“They deserve a happy ending after everything,” Ekko offered with an awkward smile. Jinx gazed at his smiling face for longer than was acceptable. Her freckled cheeks supported a light blush that didn't go unnoticed by Ekko. 

It was hard to not think about what had happened in the living room when Ekko was standing opposite her looking so handsome it was borderline criminal while wearing that earthy green shirt that contrasted so nicely with his dark skin…

“Uh, do you need anything else?” He asked with an awkward smile still on his lips. 

The anger, resentment and avoidance of the past were no more but nothing was as it should be. Ekko was walking on eggshells around her, not knowing what was appropriate to say after their talk by the jukebox at Isha's welcoming party. Everything was back to normal, they were supposed to be friends but nothing felt right. 

“I kind of have somewhere I need to be.” 

Jinx batted her eyelashes, cursing her wandering mind. 

“Oh, yeah. I mean no, I don't need you for anything else.”

Ekko looked around at the blocked entrance of his room. “Do you mind? You're kind of in my way.”

“Oh!” Jinx stepped aside. “I'm sorry. You go ahead, I'll be right outside.” 

Ekko knocked on Isha’s already half-open door. 

“Can I come in?” 

Isha shrugged as an answer, not raising her head to look at Ekko as she continued to color the coloring book she had in front of her. 

“Go on,” Jinx whispered as she leaned against the door. 

Hesitantly, Ekko stepped into the room, sitting down on Isha's bed. Isha raised her head enough to send an angry glare at him, before abandoning her color book and grabbing the plushie Ekko had gotten her when she was in the hospital, tightly gripping it. 

Those sisters would be the death of him. 

“I wanted to thank you for your drawing. It's beautiful.”

Isha remained silent, sending daggers with her glare his way. Ekko rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to approach her. 

“Look, it's not easy for me to leave either. I'm going to miss all of you. Especially, I'll miss seeing you on the breakfast table and sharing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before school. And if you're mad at me, I'll only be more sad when I leave.” 

Isha's pout deepened at Ekko's words. She set the plushie down and crawled towards Ekko, opening her arms for a hug. From the door, Jinx let out a sigh of relief. 

“Why do you have to go?” 

Ekko furrowed his brow, pushing himself to appear strong and not melt at Isha's weak voice. He hugged her back, patting her back sympathetically. 

“Because I can't stay here forever.”

“Why not?” 

“It's not my house. It's yours and your sisters and now both your dads. I can't stay here any longer.” 

Isha pulled away, looking at Ekko with glossy from tears eyes. “But you're family too.” 

“That's different,” he said, carefully wiping her eyes with his thumb. “I'm a family friend, not a part of the family. I already stayed too long.” 

“Then have a wedding like daddies will and marry Jinx so you can be really my brother.” 

Ekko didn’t know what an aneurism felt like but he was pretty sure he just got one. He simply stared at Isha with his lips parted in shock, wondering what kind of response he should give. 

“One wedding is more than enough for now!” Jinx cut in, walking into the room. “My mental health won't bear another one.” 

Isha’s shoulders dropped as if the possibility of Ekko marrying into the family was her last possibility to make him stay. 

Ekko pinched Isha's cheek, trying to get her to smile. “I won't disappear okay? I swear, you will get bored of seeing me.” 

“Really?” Isha asked, sniffing her nose. 

“Yes,” Jinx added with a smile. “Me and Ekko have this presentation coming up and we still need to rehearse how it will go. He will be around the house all the time.” 

“And we will go for burgers?” 

“Absolutely. At least twice before the wedding.” 

Isha’s lips twitched into a weak smile. Promise? 

I promise, Ekko signed back. 

Jinx hugged Isha, trapping her in her embrace and tickling her. 

“Now turn that frown upside down!”

Isha shrieked, trying to tackle Jinx but failing miserably. Ekko chuckled, watching the two sisters play-fight. He could watch them all night, adoring the way Jinx laughed with her mouth wide open, her face flushed red from the effort of tickling Isha. If only he hadn't had to leave. 

Ekko checked the time on his phone, cursing internally. 

“I have to go.” 

Jinx sat up on the bed, her short hair a mess of tangles. 

“Where are you off to?” 

“I'm meeting with the guys at a college bar near campus.”

“The Black Swan?” 

Ekko nodded, checking his chat with Seraphine one final time. Jinx craned her neck to look at his phone. Her smile dropped when she saw the name on the chat.

“You're only meeting with the guys?” 

Ekko held Jinx's gaze. He didn't know which was brighter, her blue hair or blue eyes. Like a calm sea they greeted him each time he looked at her. It was so goddamn distracting. 

He could lie to her or avoid the question. But he wanted her to know that he would be with Seraphine, wanted her to know he wasn't still hung up on her, even if he actually was. 

“No.” 

Jinx pushed her tongue against the inside of her mouth. “Sera?” 

“She may be coming later too.” 

“Is it a date?” 

Isha’s head bobbed from Jinx's to Ekko's direction in question.  

Ekko swallowed. “No, nothing like that. We are just meeting.”

Of course Ekko would meet with that pink-haired heiress just as she had told him to do. Over the last few days Jinx had regretted her words to Ekko by the jukebox. She hated how self-destructive she became when she was angry but now it was too late to take her words back. 

Ekko held his breath. He had given her an opening. If she had regretted driving him away from her now was the time to make it up. 

Say something. Make me not go. 

Jinx gave him a small smile. “Knock her dead.” 

Ekko had almost grown immune to the pain by now.

“I don't think I will.”

“Yeah, you get what I'm saying. But I still believe Sera is a stupid nickname for the record.” 

“I like it!” 

Jinx shushed Isha who quickly turned to Ekko, giving him two thumbs up as Ekko rose from the bed. 

“Have fun on your date!” 

“Thanks kid,” Ekko patted Isha’s head. “See you around, Blue.” 

Jinx's head whiplashed around. 

 “Blue?” 

“Yeah,” Ekko shoved his hands in his pockets, casually. “Blue like you.”

Jinx scoffed. “What's that?” 

“It's a stupid nickname.” 

He flashed her a devilish smirk before he disappeared from her sight, leaving Jinx alone to handle all that. 

Isha turned to her sister. “Does Ekko have a girlfriend?” 

“No!” Jinx croaked out. “No, no, don't say that. I just like to tease him about a girl friend he has. No girlfriend. Just a friend that is a girl.” 

Jinx pushed the thought of Ekko and Seraphine as a couple out of her head. It would never work out. And yet her sister and Caitlyn couldn't be any different and they were head over heels for each other. 

Jinx remained silent. In truth, she brought this on herself. If she had been more honest about her feelings maybe Ekko wouldn't be on his way to meet up with Seraphine. And if she hadn't tried to make his life a living hell, Ekko would still want to stay with them and not run away from her. 

What goes around eventually comes back around and Jinx’s karma was really not on her side. Everything she had done, the way she had treated him made it clear on who was the better choice between her and Seraphine.

“It doesn't matter,” Jinx pulled Isha closer to her. “Doesn't matter anyway.”

ⴵ

Ekko brought his glass to his lips, tasting the bitter taste of the cold beer. There were not as many people as he had feared would be in the bar and the songs that were playing were mostly old punk songs that he had on his playlist. 

Surprisingly, he was having a really good time. 

“I like her.” 

Ekko turned his head to the stall next to him. Mylo set his whiskey glass down, looking towards Seraphine. She was talking to some of her friends that happened to also be in the bar. 

As if she felt their gazes on her, she turned her head, giving a small wave of her hand at Ekko. 

“What I can't figure out is why she likes you,” Mylo said with a smirk. 

Ekko rolled his eyes, smiling. “Fuck you, man. I told you it's not like that.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Sure. Whatever you say.” 

It was good to see Mylo back to his usual cheeky self. He was still a little distant and hesitant to come out of his room but he appeared like what happened between him and Gert, never took place. 

“You can do worse,” Mylo said, his tone betraying a hint of irritation. 

Ekko knew exactly who Mylo was referring to. Jinx had told him she would apologize to Mylo but if she had kept her word, Ekko had not heard anything from Mylo. 

Ekko's eyes returned to Seraphine's form. She was wearing a mini sleeveless dress and her hair was falling down her back in curls. The shiny glitter on the corner of her black eyes could be seen even in the darkness of the bar. 

“It's not like that.” 

“Maybe it should be.” 

Mylo was looking intensely at Ekko. His grip on the whiskey glass was turning his knuckles white as he brought it to his lips, taking a generous sip. 

“You need to stop being so hung up over that bitch, Jinx.”

Ekko shook his head, turning away from Mylo. He understood his anger but he also wouldn't allow him to badmouth Jinx. 

“Speaking of which,” Mylo whispered before Ekko felt a touch on his shoulder. 

“Didn't take too long did I?” Seraphine asked, her voice as soft as velvet. 

“Nah,” Mylo smiled at her, standing up from his stall. “But I have to go find Claggor before he gets black out drunk. I'll leave you two to it.” 

“Subtle,” Seraphine commented when Mylo disappeared into the crowd. 

“That's Mylo.” 

Ekko swirled his glass, the leftover beer on the bottom resembling a tiny wave of a golden ocean. He could feel Seraphine's eyes on him. She gave him to understand that she looked at him with some eagerness. Ekko understood it just fine but couldn't help but remember another person's look also.

“Can I count on you to talk to your godmother?” 

“You know you can. I'll talk to auntie as soon as I can.”

A sense of relief washed over Ekko. At least one thing in his life he could control. 

Seraphine tilted her head, her soft pink hair falling off her shoulder. 

“Did you only meet with me because of my godmother? ‘Cause if you did, I would have worn a dress that didn't make me feel so ridiculous.” 

“What? No! And your dress looks fantastic okay, you look good in it.”

Seraphine smirked. “You think I look good in this dress?” 

“I–” Ekko stammered. “Yes. You know you do. Everyone's been staring at you all night.” 

And I was true. Since she walked through the bar's door everyone without exception had been staring starstruck at Seraphine. She was flawless. It made Ekko wonder how Jinx would look in such a dress, how her tattoos would perfectly support the sleeveless fit. 

“So you told me to meet with you because you wanted to talk about my godmother offering you a job and…”

Her question was left unfinished for Ekko to conclude. 

“And to see you.” 

Seraphine made an adorable cringing face. “You gotta do better than that.” 

“Because,” Ekko tried again. “I wanted to see you. Because I missed talking to you.” 

“You did?” 

Ekko surprised himself with how honest he was. “I did.” 

Seraphine's smile brightened.  

“If you hadn't noticed already I like more than just talking to you.” 

“I still wonder why,” Ekko said with an awkward shrug. The last thing he wanted right now was a confession he had to reject by the person who he depended most on right now. 

Seraphine took a step closer to Ekko who was still sitting in his stall. She was already taller than him so the situation was a little awkward. 

“I can think of a few things.” 

Before Ekko could realize it, she was kissing him. Ekko's mouth was closed even after he understood what was happening, not kissing her back. 

It was strange being kissed like that. But not unpleasant. Seraphine's perfume was fruity and delicate and her hands cradled his face gently. 

Ekko's hands curled around Seraphine's waist, pushing her away from him and breaking the kiss as delicately as he could. 

“Will you buy me another drink?” Seraphine asked, licking the lips Ekko had just kissed. 

Not trusting his voice Ekko nodded, letting Seraphine sit next to him while his mind ran freely on blue dyed hair and cloud tattoos. 

Chapter Text

I'm so mature, I got me a therapist to tell me there's other men

I don't want none, I just want you

If I can't have you no one should

I might

I might kill my ex, not the best idea

His new girlfriend's next, how'd I get here?

Kill Bill-SZA

“And he said it's not a date, nothing like that. Tell me why would he meet with her if it wasn't a date? And in a college bar too? Please! She doesn't even attend our college!” 

Sky fixed her glasses higher up her nose, trying hard to not roll her eyes as Jinx went on with her rant. She had been going off like that for the past hour.

“And he also introduced her to his friends. I mean who does that? Not that I care. I already know them. But why does she have to know them too?” 

“Okay.” 

Sky sat up on her seat, fixing her blazer. Finally, an opportunity for a constructive conversation that didn’t involve Seraphine appeared.

“You've mentioned one of Ekko's friends before. And how you've wronged him.” 

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest, defensively. “Mylo.” 

“Yes. Have you apologized to him yet?” 

“No,” Jinx sat heavily on the couch. “I haven't really found the right time to do it.” 

“It's been a long time. Surely you could have done it sooner.” 

“It's just hard. I don't know him that well and I completely fucked up with him. I guess I'm just embarrassed and don't want to revisit that again.” 

“You will stop being ashamed once you come forward to him and acknowledge your mistake.”

Jinx shook her head. “You always make it sound so easy, doc.” 

“It is that easy. You are just making it hard by ignoring your feelings and lying because it is more convenient.” 

“Fuck,” Jinx raised her eyebrows. “Okay. That kind of hurt.” 

“Just speaking the truth. Like you should be doing.” 

“Okay, I will. I just…I just can't believe how things changed so fast.”

It felt like it was yesterday that Isha was still in the hospital but now, aside from some persistent headaches and an aversion to loud music it was like the accident never happened. The wedding was set for next month, Progress Day was only weeks away and Benzo’s big reopening was set for the end of next month. And then Ekko…. Ekko had moved out a week ago but Jinx could swear she still felt his presence in the house. Jinx missed him more than she would like to admit. 

She hated to think he may have gone on another date with Seraphine that she would never know about. At least if Ekko was still staying at the house maybe she could keep an eye on him but now she has no way of ever knowing.

“How are you fathers?” Sky’s voice made Jinx turn her attention back to her. 

“Better than ever. Dad's practically living in our house. They were making pancakes and kissing in our kitchen this morning. It's torture.” 

“And how are the wedding preparations going?”

“Good. Everyone is so busy. I wish they could postpone the wedding until August or September but dad says they waited long enough.” 

Sky nodded. “You sure are busy. You have that big presentation coming up too.” 

“Please don't remind me,” Jinx moaned, leaning her head back on the couch. The last thing she wanted right now was the reminder that she had to go up on a stage all smiley alongside Ekko. 

“I'm sorry but can we go back to how Ekko totally went on a date with her?” 

Sky raised an eyebrow. “I am surprised you are so offended by his actions. Weren't you the one who gave him your approval to date Seraphine?” 

Jinx's mouth hung open without a word leaving her lips. Sky got her there, she would not lie. 

“Okay, maybe I did that. But I didn't expect him to just jump on the opportunity like he did. I mean he could have at least waited some time after we fucked and then go out with her!”

Sky blinked rapidly at Jinx's vulgarity. 

“Perhaps he is using the opportunity you gave him to come closer to Seraphine as an outlet after you specifically told him that it was a mistake you two became… intimate with each other.” 

“He said that! I just went along with it because I was too embarrassed!” 

“And what if he said that because he too was embarrassed? From my understanding this wasn't the first time you two were intimate and you have been the one that gave Ekko mixed signals for months.”

Sky leaned forward on her seat. “Maybe you should consider doing the same.” 

Jinx creased her brow. “What do you mean?” 

“Finding someone else. There are other men out there.”

Jinx let out a frustrated sigh. Deep down she knew that Sky was right but Jinx was not very fond of realizing she was in the wrong. And she didn't want anyone else. She already had what she wanted and that was Ekko. Now she just had to win him back. 

“Ekko is fine, thank you very much.” 

“Then talk to him. Tell him what you truly feel even if you embarrass yourself. And apologize to his friend for God’s sake!” 

Jinx rolled her eyes as she got up. “Okay, mom.” 

“Have a wonderful rest of the day, Jinx!” 

Jinx slammed the door shut, sending a fake smile to Sky's receptionist as she walked out of the office. Like she needed Sky's reality check to make her already anxiety infused brain spiral even worse. 

The moment the car door slammed shut, Jinx leaned her head against the steering wheel, lightly hitting her forehead against it. 

It was still too early to pick Isha up from school and that meant she had a lot of free time on her hands. Jinx knew what she had to do. She just didn't want to do it. It was so easy to ignore your problems instead of facing them. But Jinx couldn't run from them forever. Eventually they would catch up to her. 

With a groan she threw her head back. 

“I must do it,” she mumbled to herself. “I must go.” 

Her father's jeep rolled out of the parking lot and into the street. 

ⴵ

The common room of the university was not the hell Jinx expected. She knew she maintained a sort of reputation among the college kids that she hadn't tried to obtain in the slightest. Just by hanging out with the likes of Kayn and Akali earned her more shocks looks and whispers that she liked. 

But this time there were no dumbfounded looks or whispers of her name. Everyone was too busy studying or talking to notice her as she stopped in front of the small table that Mylo and Claggor occupied. 

Mylo raised his head from his laptop, sensing the presence of someone in front of him.

“What the–”

Jinx smiled widely, hoping she didn't look like a psychopath. She clutched the giant pot of sunflowers she bought from the flower shop even tighter than she was before.

“You have some fucking nerve!” 

Mylo shot up from his seat, anger radiating off his body. Claggor did the same while side-eyeing her. Jinx fought the urge to roll her eyes. Okay they hated her. Did they have to make it that obvious? 

And here she thought making the first step would be a good idea. 

“I don't even want to hear whatever excuse you have to be here,” Mylo said, raising his hands in the air. “I'm out.”

“If you leave I’ll scream.” 

Mylo abruptly turned around, covering the small distance he put between him and Jinx in a matter of seconds. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He hissed under his breath. 

“Too many things but I try not to open that door.” 

Without waiting for Mylo to speak again, she handed him the pot, the sunflowers hitting him on the face. 

“For you.” 

“What's this?” 

“An apology gift.” 

Mylo's look was hateful, giving the flower pot back to Jinx. “I don't want a fake apology from you!”

“Just leave okay?”

“It's not a fake apology!” Jinx said offended. “I'm being genuine, okay? I'm really sorry.” 

“Then why are you apologizing now?” 

Jinx exhaled, frustrated. She just wanted to make amends but it was way harder than she had feared. 

“I know this apology is way past it's due but it's real. I didn't know how to approach you before. But I am really sorry for what I did.” 

“You really expect me to believe that?” 

Mylo pointed at Jinx, defensively. “You used me to get back to my best friend. So why don't you go back to Finn and the rest of your friends and leave us alone?” 

“They are not my friends,” Jinx clarified, cringing at the truth in Mylo’s words. “And you are right about everything. But I wanted to properly apologize.”

“And you think I will forgive you?”

“I did that. And I feel awful for everything. You especially didn't deserve any of it. I was just mad at Ekko but it turns out I was wrong about that too. I'm just wrong about everything!” 

Claggor and Mylo gave her a concerned look. Jinx could feel heads turning their way and she hated being a spectacle. She cleared her throat, trying to get her feelings in check. Maybe she should have rehearsed what she would say.  

“I wanted to hurt Ekko because I thought that he had hurt me deliberately. But he hadn't.”

“What did he do?” Claggor asked, his voice softer than before.

Jinx closed her eyes. Of course Ekko had never told his closest friends about what happened that night or how much she had accused him afterwards. He was way too polite to talk about her and her family's business even to his best friends. 

“When we were kids we intended to rob a penthouse.” 

The statement somehow sounded even more real as she spoke it amidst the busy common room. Jinx had never told anyone what happened seven years ago. Nobody aside from her family knew. But speaking about it to someone else was cathartic in a way.  

“We were young and really stupid and my older sister was good at pickpocketing so we were ambitious. But we got caught, obviously. And I used to blame Ekko for it but turns out he was as innocent as I was to all this. I mean aside from the intended robbery. We were pretty guilty about that.” 

Mylo and Claggor looked at Jinx, not trying to mask the shock on their faces. Jinx gave them some time to filter her words. It was a lot to take in. 

“Ekko?” Claggor rasped out. “Ekko wanted to rob a house with you? And you got caught? Real life cops arrested Ekko?” 

Mylo's eyes were ready to pop out of his skull. “No fucking way. I don't believe you.” 

“I mean it's true. We don't exactly parade the fact we got arrested. So it would be good if you two were hush-hush about it too, okay? We wouldn't want to lose our scholarships.” 

Mylo passed a hand over his face. “I can't believe it. Why did he never tell us?” 

“I literally just told you why.” 

“I don't know,” Claggor turned to Jinx. “And why did you blame him for that?”

“‘Cause I thought he lied to me and used me for…reasons unrelated to our conversation. Point is I was wrong. And Ekko forgave me even though I blamed him and hated him for so long and that made me realize just how bad I've fucked up in general.”

Jinx let out a sigh. 

“Listen, what I did was petty and really fucking selfish and no one in the world is more ashamed than I have been the last month because of how awful I have been to you. But I'm really trying to be better. And I know I don't deserve to be forgiven for that alone. If there is any way I can make things up for you, not because I want to feel better about myself but just because I really want to help you, just know I'm here.” 

The silence that followed her confession stretched out for impossibly long. Jinx held her breath, awaiting Mylo’s reaction. 

With a heavy sigh, Mylo rubbed his eyelids, tiredly and conflicted. 

“Okay, give me the flowers.” 

Jinx smiled as she passed him the giant flower pot. 

“This is not me accepting your apology yet,” he clarified, holding the pot in his embrace. “The flowers are just nice.”

“Water them once a week and try to keep them in a sunny place,” she recited the words the florist told her earlier. “And I know I'm not that good with words but I am hoping she is better.” 

Jinx turned her head, gesturing to the entrance of the room where Gert stood. She shifted her weight from one leg to another, waiting awkwardly. Mylo looked at Gert and then back at Jinx, confused. 

She shrugged. “I told you. I’m trying to make things right.” 

Mylo's eyes returned to Gert again. She waved at him, hesitant and embarrassed.

“You told her to come here?” 

Jinx nodded, encouragingly. “Go talk to her.” 

The sunflower pot was once again returned to Jinx's arms as Mylo walked towards Gert. When they met they exchanged a few awkward glances before they walked out of the room together, walking to a quieter place, away from everyone else. 

The faintest of smiles spread across Jinx's face. She hated to admit it but Sky was right. Doing the right thing gave Jinx a sense of serenity. 

“You really mean to tell me you and Ekko really wanted to rob a house?” 

Jinx turned to Claggor, who she had almost forgotten was still there, nodding her head. He let out a chuckle. 

“You know Ekko used to always talk about you but he never told us that. I'm gonna kill him when I see him. Keeping the most interesting facts about himself hidden.”

Jinx's heart almost leaped out of her chest. “Did he?” 

“All the time.” 

The small flame of hope burned brighter than before in Jinx's heart. Maybe nothing was lost yet. 

“It took some balls to apologize after what you did,” Claggor said. “But you were such a cunt to Mylo. And to Ekko.” 

“I know. I can't say anything other than I'm sorry.” 

Claggor considered Jinx's words, eyeing her up. Finally, he offered her a gentle smile. 

“We were all wrong. I was wrong about you. So I'm sorry too.” 

“You don't have to be sorry. I tried really hard to be a bitch to everyone. The fact I convinced you is a compliment really.” 

Claggor laughed and it made Jinx smile wider. She wanted Mylo and Claggor to like her and not just because they were Ekko's friends. They were the kind of friends she should have. 

Jinx turned to Claggor, finally having the chance to ask him the question she was most curious about ever since she reached campus. 

“Where is Ekko anyway?” 

ⴵ

Jinx looked through her binoculars at the café across the street. On the second table to the right sat Ekko and opposite him Seraphine, laughing and talking casually about something Jinx would never know. 

With a huff Jinx pulled the binoculars away from her face, setting them on the dashboard of the jeep. The sound made Isha, who sat on the passenger seat, turn her head to Jinx's direction. 

“Are we going home yet?” 

“Not yet. We're in a stake out remember? We are like undercover cops tasked with keeping an eye on the target. So we are staying until the target leaves, okay?” 

Isha turned the page of her math book. “It sounds like we are stalking Ekko.”

Jinx glared at Isha. “More doing your homework, less commenting.” 

Isha shrugged, turning back to her homework. After Jinx picked her up from school they drove to the cafè where they were parked for the last half an hour. Isha was starting to get a little hungry but she had to admit that watching Ekko in secret was kind of fun. 

“What are they even talking about?” 

Jinx craned her neck, trying to get a better view at the inside of the café. The jeep was at a safe distance so they had no fear of being seen unless someone actively searched for them but that also meant it was hard to keep an eye on Ekko from such a distance. 

Inside the café, Ekko said something that made Seraphine erupt in giggles. Seraphine reached out, passing her hand across Ekko's arm as she continued giggling. Jinx felt her stomach turning into a knot. 

Isha looked up from her book. “Do you think Ekko will bring her to the wedding?” 

“No, no, no, no,” Jinx gripped the wheel with all her might. “Dont even joke about that.” 

Jinx refused to believe it was too late. Despite only realizing her feelings for Ekko recently, she knew they ran deep. They had been through so much together and she had loved him despite everything even if she didn't want to admit it. And Jinx knew that Ekko's feelings weren't so feeble. 

He couldn't have moved on. He couldn't have, not now when she was ready to give him all her love.

“Why don't you like Ekko's girlfriend?” 

Jinx closed her eyes. Isha's innocent questions were making all this much harder than it already was.

“First of all she is not his girlfriend. And second of all I don’t like her because she and Ekko make a terrible match.” 

“Why?” 

“Because they are nothing alike! Ekko is funny and kind and so incredibly smart. And he is also hardworking and never complains and he is such a devoted person, once he gets his mind on something you know he will finish it no matter what. And not just that, but also generous and an incredible engineer and I can't help but think he should be with someone a little closer to him. Someone he can talk to and know there won't be any judgment or misunderstandings. Someone he can relate to.” 

Someone like me, Jinx added in her mind. 

Jinx turned to Isha after her heartfelt confession. The little girl was looking at her with her mouth open and eyebrows raised. 

“You like Ekko.” 

Jinx's cheeks colored. “No, I don't.” 

“You so do!” Isha chippered. “You like him! You liiiiiike him!” 

“No! Isha stop screaming! I don’t, okay, I don't!” 

“Is that why you didn’t like him when he first came to stay with us? Because you had a crush on him?”

Jinx groaned, hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment. 

“I don't have a crush on him,” her voice was muffled by her hands that were still covering her flushed face from her sister’s prying eyes. 

“But you do! I know you do! And you will marry like daddies will one day, right?” 

Jinx covered Isha’s mouth with her palm. 

“Stop talking or I will confiscate all your crayons and markers for a month.” 

Isha glared at her sister, unable to speak. When Jinx pulled her hand back, Isha remained silent. Jinx let out a sigh of relief. 

“You like him,” Ish accused under her breath, pouting. 

Jinx really wished she was anywhere else right about now. She could do a lot of things, legal or not, but lie to her kid sister wasn't one of them. 

“Okay. Maybe I do like Ekko just a tiny bit.” 

Isha clapped her hands together in joy. A serious look from her sister made her pause. 

“This stays between us okay? Ekko will never, never hear about this okay?” 

“But why? If you like him you should tell him!”

“I can't tell him. Not now. It's too complicated. You will understand when you are older.” 

Isha took the binoculars, gazing outside the window at the café. 

“You're prettier than her,” she said, eyeing Seraphine up. 

“No, don't say that. It's not about looks, okay?” 

Jinx exhaled tiredly. She didn't want to antagonize Seraphine because of Ekko. This wasn't a love rivalry and she certainly did not hate Seraphine because of it. Seraphine left her completely uninterested. But Jinx didn't think that a relationship between them could work. Not in a million years. 

“It's not nice to put women against each other over a man,” Jinx said. “Or to compare them. And when you grow up you should definitely not stalk your crush when your little sister is present.” 

Jinx rested her head against the steering wheel. She was so tired. And she was behaving like a ridiculous, petty child.

One last time she looked at the café. Ekko was smiling, in his own composed way but he was smiling. He clearly enjoyed Seraphine's company. She at least had not actively tried to ruin his life for two months. 

God, I am so...

“Let's go home,” Jinx suddenly said. “Want to stop at a drive through and get some food?” 

At the prospect of food, Isha gladly set aside the binoculars and her stake out job. 

“Yes! Can I get ice cream and a milkshake?” 

“No, you will have to pick what you want most,” Jinx said as she turned the key.

“I'll tell daddy you took me with you to stalk Ekko.” 

“What flavor of ice cream you want with your milkshake?” 

Chapter Text

Is she friends with your friends?

Is she good in bed?

Do you think about her?

No, I'm fine, it doesn't matter, tell me 

Is she easy-going?

Never controlling?

Well-travelled?

Well-read?

Oh, god she makes me so upset

Obsessed-Olivia Rodrigo

The sweet singing of Seraphine echoed through the walls of the nursing home. Residents and staff were all captivated by the delicate tones of her voice as she continued to sing in a way that was nothing short of beautiful. 

Ekko leaned his back against a wall, enjoying the song. Seraphine was standing on the small stage of the music room capturing everyone's attention with her singing voice. Ekko could swear that he had never seen the residents so quiet before and even the solemn Scar was moved to literal tears by Seraphine's singing.

“A little break so our singer can rest,” the pianist spoke through the microphone, earning a round of applause as Seraphine climbed down the small stairs of the stage. 

“You were amazing,” Ekko said, moving to greet Seraphine. 

“Thank you,” she smiled, drinking some water to cool herself down. 

“Thanks for volunteering today. It might not be much to you but I'm telling you the folks loved you.” 

“My pleasure. I love when I get to share my singing with others. And all the residents are so lovely!” 

Ekko’s smile broadened. Whenever he mentioned he was working at a nursing home to someone his age, there was always an aversion from their side. Young people didn't want to be involved with the elderly, afraid of witnessing what inevitably one day they would have to face. But Seraphine wasn't like that. Ever since she arrived at the Firelight’s Home she greeted all the residents warmly, asking them what songs from their youth they wanted to listen to today while also being incredibly kind to all his colleagues. 

Ekko could not be unmoved by such manners. Seraphine had a warm heart, correct opinions and a sharp mind. Her personality was easygoing and her company was desirable to Ekko. 

Which is why he felt like a total asshole. 

“I hope nothing is wrong. Between us I mean.” 

Seraphine looked at him in question, her lips glistening from the water she was consuming. 

“I just want to come straight to you. I got out of a rough situation with someone and I am not looking for anything serious.”

“You are still fussing about that?” Seraphine rolled her eyes, playfully. “We already talked about this, Ekko.” 

“I know, I just don't want to lead you on. I can't get into a serious relationship right now. I am not ready to make such a big step.” 

“A serious relationship is not what I am looking for, either.” 

Seraphine licked her lips. “I just want to get to know you. It's a casual thing. We're having fun, right?”

A weight was lifted off Ekko's shoulders at Seraphine's reassurance. His feelings for Jinx were still persistent and Ekko felt like he was using Seraphine, especially after she kissed him. The confirmation that they were both on the same page filled him with a sense of peace. 

“Just having fun,” he agreed. 

Seraphine tilted her head, her black eyes shining with mirth. “Is this your way of asking if I'm okay with us sleeping with others?” 

“Of course not! I would never imply–”

“I'm messing with you,” Seraphine clarified with a teasing smile. “But for the record you can. No strings attached between us, right? You don't have to feel tied down to me.” 

Ekko opened his mouth but immediately closed it again without saying anything. He would have said something stupid if he had spoken.

Seraphine turned one last time to Ekko as she went up the stage.

“It's still up for today, right?” 

Ekko nodded. “I'll see you at the bar!” 

Seraphine flashed him a smile before she grabbed the microphone and resumed her singing program.

ⴵ

“That pig!”  

Jinx's fist landed right in the middle of one of Isha’s decorative pillows with the face of a magical girl from one of her favorite cartoons on it. 

“That heartless pig!” 

Another punch at the magical girl's face. Vi, who was sitting cross legged just a little further from the pillow, eyed Jinx with genuine fear. 

“That–that heartless, selfish pig!” 

The magical girl plushie was thrown across Isha’s room. Jinx’s chest heaved as she sat heavy on the bed. Her older sister fought the urge to put the folder she was holding in her hand between them as a shield.

Swallowing hard, Vi turned to Jinx with her most gentle tone. “Are you okay?” 

“No!” Jinx shot up, pacing back and forth again. 

“How can I be okay when she is singing to helpless, lonely grandpas? How am I ever going to compete with that? Why doesn't she save puppies from burning buildings next? That will be easier!”

“Jinxie, you are really giving this too much–” 

“No!” Jinx groaned again, kicking the pillow. “I don't accept defeat! I don't Vi!” 

Jinx had reached many low points in her life. This was the lowest of them all. 

“Look, Jinxie, let's just forget about Ekko for a second and focus on the wedding.”

Vi took out of the folder two fabrics cut in matching square shapes. 

“What color should we go with for our bridesmaid dresses? Periwinkle or lavender?” 

Jinx sighed, placing her hands on her hips. “I honestly don't give a fuck, Vi.” 

“Look I know you are upset about Ekko getting with Sera but we have a wedding to plan and I need my little sister to help me pick a color.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes. “Aren't you even a little mad at dad after I told you about the letters he literally hid from us?” 

“I am,” Vi admitted, trying to decide between the two colors. “But it is hard to stay mad at your parent when you have to plan his wedding.” 

Jinx couldn't argue with her sister’s logic. As much as she wanted to remain distant from Silco until he learned his lesson it was more than just hard to not share his happiness. He was literally glowing with joy. Jinx had never seen her father like this and she was so happy for him. Even if she was still a little bitter at what he had done.

“And speaking of letters, they prove it. Ekko was crazy about you. He couldn't have written all those letters to you for nothing.” 

“He was, was crazy about me. Past tense. Now he is all Seraphine this and Seraphine that! God!” 

Vi watched as Jinx grabbed another decorative pillow and threw it against the wall. She shrugged, turning to her folder. 

Ekko would arrive to pick up Isha and Jinx any minute now. Their promised burger date was set for tonight and Isha was already ready and waiting in the living room for Benzo’s old car to roll into their driveway.  

“Have I been awful to him because of my own selfish plan of revenge that led to nowhere? Yes. Yes I have. And did I regret it? Of course I did. But did he have to turn around and go out with her?” 

“Didn't you tell him to do that?” Vi asked without raising her head from her folder. 

“Yes but I didn't expect he would actually do it!” 

Jinx plopped down on the bed, making the mattress creak. Vi didn't know the entire history between her and Ekko. Jinx would literally die before she admitted to her sister all the times she had fucked her childhood best friend in their house. Jinx had simply filled Vi in on the basics, excluding any talk about sex. 

Vi patted Jinx’s head, affectionately stroking her hair and showing her support. 

“I like him so much,” Jinx groaned in despair. “And I hate that it's too late.” 

“Hey, it's not too late. Nothing is lost yet. Ekko may not even be in a relationship with Seraphine.”

At the mention of Seraphine’s name, Jinx jolted out of bed, anxiously resuming her pacing. 

“I just can't believe it,” she mumbled to herself. “She is so perfect. Literally flawless from every aspect. Have you checked her socials? All her photos are so staged it screams fake. And she even has paid sponsorships. Ekko would never like someone like that!” 

Vi furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait, you've stalked her socials?” 

“What are they even going to talk about, hm?” Jinx kept going, unbothered. “Her family owns like half the music industry. Ekko knows nothing about music! And he is an engineer! They just don't match!” 

“Maybe they'll find things they have in common. I mean, at first glance me and Cait don't have much in common but–” 

One dreadful look from Jinx made Vi pause her rumbling. 

“Whose side are you on?” 

“Yours, sister mine,” Vi smiled, innocently. 

Jinx paced around the room, the wheels in her head turning restlessly. 

“I was his one and only girlfriend for years. I mean that says something right?” 

“That he didn't want to date at all after the experience he had with you?” 

Jinx sent a glare at Vi. “No. That he cherished what we had and didn't want to re-live it with someone else.” 

“Jinx, I fully support your delusions but this–” 

“I mean this is not a competition but I clearly win,” Jinx scoffed, proudly. “We were each other's first everything. Not even Miss Perfect can beat that.” 

“Wait.” 

Vi batted her eyelashes in confusion. “What do you mean first everything? You and Ekko only reunited a few months ago and you couldn't have–” 

Realization dawned on Vi. Jinx bit her tongue at her accidental slip up. Under no circumstances was Vi supposed to know exactly how close her and Ekko had become seven years ago. 

Vi’s expression was deadly serious. It actually scared Jinx. 

“How old were you when you first had sex?” 

“Vi, let me explain–” 

The sound of a car honking twice was immediately followed by Isha screaming from downstairs. 

“He's here! Ekko's here!”

Vi jolted out of bed, running to the door. 

“I'll kill him!” 

“No, Vi! Wait!” 

Jinx chased Vi down the stairs and out of the house. Ekko had just got out of his car when he saw Vi storming towards him. His smile immediately dropped. 

“You!” 

Ekko backed away as the furious boxer chased him around his car. 

“What did I do?” Ekko asked, flabbergasted. 

“Oh, you know very well what you did!” 

Jinx stepped between her sister and Ekko, shielding Ekko with her body. “Vi, stop it! It was me! I started it!” 

“Well he should have known better! He is older than you!” 

“By seven months!” 

Ekko looked at Vi and Jinx as if they had gone completely mad. “What is happening?” 

“What is happening is that you took advantage of my baby sister to have sex with her!” Vi hissed between gritted teeth, raising an accusing finger at Ekko. 

Ekko's face drained its color. “What.” 

“Vi, stop!” 

Tears of embarrassment were threatening to fill Jinx’s eyes. This was just great. Amazing time for Vi to act as the protective older sister. 

“He didn't, okay? I was the one that initiated it! I was young and in love so if you have to blame someone blame me!”

Ekko blinked at the words uttered by Jinx. She was a little too busy trying to save him from her sister's wrath to notice it. 

“Listen, listen!” Ekko jumped in on the conversation, ready to back Jinx up. “I know it was really stupid of us to do what we did at such a young age but nobody pressured anyone into it and it just happened? It wasn't planned!” 

“You take responsibility, you hear me, Elliot?” 

“What is going on?” 

Isha stood on the driveway looking at the trio with confusion in her honey colored eyes. 

“Nothing baby, get back inside,” Vi said between gritted teeth, moving towards Ekko. 

“But Ekko is supposed to take me and Jinx on a date!” 

Vi turned to Ekko. “Are you trying to corner my sister?”

“No, God!”

“What does corner mean?” Isha asked, confused. 

“Isha wait for us inside!” Jinx screamed, still acting as a human shield for Ekko. 

“I can't believe you two never told me! You filthy liars! I blame you, Elliot!” 

“I'm sorry!”

“And you were living in the same house all this time! Isha could have heard you two!” 

Vi looked at Ekko and then back at Jinx. Her demeanor had changed from angry to confused and slightly disappointed. Jinx hated making her sister look at her like that. 

“All this time? Why didn't you tell me anything?” 

“I don't know! I always had to handle shit on my own so I just keep everything that happens to myself!”

“Oh, Jinx.” 

Vi stepped forwards, locking Jinx in a tight hug. Jinx didn't hesitate to hug her sister back, resting her head on Vi's shoulder. 

“You can always talk to me. I am always here for you.” 

“I know, It's just…It's been a lot.” 

Vi eyed Ekko. “Clearly.” 

Jinx pulled away, holding Vi's hands. “Ekko didn't do anything wrong. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was still angry at him back then.” 

Vi let out a frustrated exhale. “We have so much to talk about.”

“Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?” Ekko asked, visibly disturbed by the uncalled situation he found himself in. 

Before any of the sisters could answer, Isha returned to their side with her huge backpack in hand. 

“I'm ready!”

ⴵ

Jinx anxiously sipped from her milkshake, trying to avoid Ekko's eye. On the stall next to her Isha dipped her fries in impossible amounts of ketchup while Vi, who insisted she came along with them, ate her burger in peace.  

The awkwardness could be sensed from miles away. 

“You want more fries, Isha?” 

Isha beamed at the prospect. “Yes!” 

“Okay, but no more ketchup. Does anyone want anything else?” 

Jinx and Ekko both shook their heads negatively. Vi shrugged. 

“Okay.” 

Before she got up she bent over to whisper threateningly at Ekko. 

“I'm keeping an eye on you.”

“Oh my God,” Jinx moaned in embarrassment, hiding her face in her hands.

“Just reminding him to act like a gentleman while I'm away.”

When Vi and Isha reached the counter to order, Jinx turned to look at Ekko for the first time since they arrived at the burger place. 

He offered a crooked smile when he caught her looking at him. “I forgot how scary Vi can be.” 

“I am so sorry, Ekko. You can say anything you want to me, I deserve it all but I'm so sorry.” 

Ekko chuckled, his demeanor still a little hesitant after Vi yelled at him. 

“All good.” 

Jinx closed her eyes. Why was he always so damn understanding?

"Aren't you angry at me just a little bit?” 

“Angry is not the word I would use. More like confused.” 

She knew that was coming. Jinx didn't have the time to blush at all the things Vi had said to Ekko previously. 

Ekko leaned forward, getting as close to Jinx as the table would let them. 

“Why did Vi attack me like that all of a sudden?” 

Jinx swallowed. “Uh, we were talking and you know, some stuff came up that I hadn't exactly told Vi about and she lashed out at you.”

Ekko nodded, keeping his gaze low out of embarrassment. He had an idea on what those ‘stuff’ were. 

“You hadn't told her?” 

“Are you kidding? You saw how she was today, imagine if I had told her seven years ago. She would have beat you up to a pulp.” 

“Come on. I can throw a punch.” 

“Yeah, because Vi taught you. You would have never won a fight with her.” 

Ekko laughed. Despite her immense embarrassment Jinx managed a weak chuckle of her own. 

“So,” Ekko sat up straighter, pushing a few dreadlocks that had escaped the loose bun he had pulled them in. “How did you end up talking about that time?” 

“Oh,” Jinx looked around the restaurant, giving herself time to think of a convenient lie. 

“We were reminiscing about the past, you know because of the wedding and all and I accidentally brought it up and the rest is history.” 

Jinx smiled innocently, hoping this was enough to back up her outright lie. Ekko's silence would give Jinx a heart attack. 

“But can we talk about something else?” Jinx waved her hands around, trying to ease the tension inside of her. 

“I kind of don't want to talk about how crazy my family is.”

“Crazy is a strong word.” 

“Crazy is the right word.” 

Ekko smiled. Not having anything to say, the two of them kept silent. 

“Mylo told me you apologized to him.” 

This came as a complete surprise to Jinx. She picked her milkshake, taking a sip to do something with her hands.

“That was really nice of you.” 

“No, it wasn't nice, it was the bare minimum.” 

Ekko's expression betrayed the silent admiration he felt. Someone that owned up to their mistakes and actively tried to make up for them was worth all his appreciation. 

Jinx looked away, pretending she didn't notice it. She still felt bad about what she had done to Mylo and Gert. She didn't want to be congratulated for something that would never happen if it wasn't for her. 

“You said something earlier,” Ekko said after another brief silence. “When Vi was all in my face and shit.”

Oh God. 

“About you being young and in love.” 

“Did I?” 

“You did. You said you were young and in love when we were younger.”

“I was.” 

Something lit up in Ekko's brown eyes. He didn't want to get his hopes up but he was already playing a losing game. 

“Right.” 

Jinx fidgeted with the straw of her milkshake. 

Now is your chance. Say it. Just spit it out. Tell him you still love him!

“Actually, I–” 

Jinx never got to complete her sentence. Isha appeared on their stall, setting her fries on the table. 

Fries! She signed happily while climbing back in her seat on the stall. Ekko and Jinx averted their eyes from each other, busying themselves in scanning the restaurant around them. 

“Ekko?” 

Ekko turned at the sound of Isha calling him. 

“Yes?” 

“Are you going out after this?”

“Uh,” Ekko blinked, a little taken aback by Isha's straight forward answer. “Yes I am. Why do you want to come along, pipsqueak?”

Isha smiled. “Jinx should come.”

Jinx whiplashed her head around. “No, I shouldn't.” 

Isha stuck her tongue out at her sister before turning to Ekko again. 

“Since you moved out, she has been missing you and she wants you to hang out more! She goes to your old room all the time too!”

Jinx placed her palm over Isha's mouth, effectively shutting her up. 

“Kids are such liars at this age,” she laughed awkwardly, wrestling Isha who fought to be free of her tight hold. 

It's true! Isha signed with her hands since her mouth was still muffled. 

“Do you want to hear all the ways that little sisters can get stolen away by monsters that live under their bed?” Jinx hissed out. 

“Actually Jinx, you can come.”

The sisters stopped their mini fight to look at Ekko dumbfounded. He had a small smirk on his face as if watching them play-fight was the greatest entertainment in the world. 

Isha smiled victoriously at Jinx. Her plan to bring Ekko and Jinx closer was a success. It was her duty as Jinx’s sister after all to ensure her crush on Ekko wasn't one-sided. 

Jinx could thank her later. 

“I would actually really want you to join us. Mylo's gonna be there and he would want you to come too.”

The prospect of being invited to Ekko's friend group was appealing but there was a pink haired factor that could ruin Jinx's night. 

“I'm sorry but I can't.” 

Isha let out a gasp. “Why not?” 

“Because I have this thing I need to do,” she said between gritted teeth, sending an ‘I'll deal with you later’ glare at Isha. 

“Besides, I am not dressed appropriately.” 

“What are you talking about?” Isha looked at Jinx up and down, taking in her purple tank top, mini jean skirt and the star shaped clips in her hair. 

“You look beautiful!” And turning to Ekko she asked with her most innocent look. “Doesn't she look beautiful, Ekko?” 

Ekko took his time admiring Jinx. His eyes ran over the familiar features of her round face.

“Of course she does,” he agreed with the softest tone of voice that he only reserved for when he was talking about her. 

Isha’s shit eating grin was enough of an indicator that she had won this fight. That little gremlin would have to be dealt with much later as it seemed. 

Jinx fought the urge to groan. “I'll come.” 

Ekko smiled. “Alright then.” 

Isha winked at Jinx as obviously as humanly possible, making her scowl. Could this family get even more embarrassing?

“I'm back!” 

Vi set down a tray full of cheeseburgers on the table before she took a seat and began to inhale her food hungrily. 

“What did I miss?” She asked between bites, her chin and hands covered in sauce and crumbs. 

Jinx shared a look with Ekko. 

“Nothing,” Isha said with an innocent shrug of her shoulders, munching on her fries. 

“We need to have a talk about lying later,” Jinx whispered to Isha loud enough that only she heard. “And betraying the trust of your big sister.” 

Isha's smile didn't drop from her face not even for a single second.

Chapter Text

Fuck each other

And it's hard to keep my cool

When other bitches tryna get with my dude

Streets-Doja Cat

“Okay, okay. Take a shot if you… have ever ridden a bicycle.” 

Loud laughter followed Mylo's words. He was quick to join in on the uncontrollable laughter that was heard around the small table of the bar.

“That's not how you play the game!” Claggor protested. 

“Are you just trying to make us drunk?”

Mylo rolled his eyes, bringing his glass to his lips. “Oh, just drink already!”

Not needing further convincing, Gert and Claggor chugged their drinks, earning a round of applause from Mylo. Jinx joined too, having her fifth shot of the night while Ekko hesitated for a moment. 

“Ekko! Drink up!”

Ekko complied, turning his glass upside down, proving that there was not a single drop left on the bottom. 

“Satisfied?” Ekko asked with a cocky smirk that made Jinx feel like she was on fire.

They had been playing a heated game of Never Have I Ever since Ekko and Jinx arrived at the bar. At first, things were a little awkward between the group but as the game proceeded, everyone lowered their guards and allowed themselves to have fun. 

Jinx was really enjoying herself. Most of all she enjoyed stealing glances at Ekko. He was comfortable among his friends and that made him confident in a way that had Jinx’s stomach fluttering with imaginary butterflies. 

“Okay, who wants to go next?” 

“Me!” 

Gert pondered on what to say, swirling her glass in her hand. Mylo's eyes remained locked on her every movement and Jinx let out a sigh of relief. Her mistake was in the past now. 

“Never have I ever been in love.” 

The silence that followed only lasted for seconds but to Jinx it seemed like it stretched out for eternity. 

Her guilty eyes fell on Ekko only to find him already looking back at her. A look, that was all that they exchanged and it spoke volumes. They emptied the contents of their glasses in silence. 

“No way,” Gert laughed, looking at Mylo's empty glass. Jinx said a silent prayer. The rest of the group was too preoccupied with Mylo to notice that her and Ekko's glasses were empty as well. 

“What? Hard to imagine me being in love?” 

“A little, yeah.”

“At least I'm sitting this one out,” Claggor said in a singsong voice, raising his still full glass. “A few more of these and I'll have to be carried out of here.” 

Ekko placed his glass down, not once letting his wandering eye land back on Jinx. 

“I think I'm going to sit the next round out.” 

A unanimous groan left everyone's lips. 

“Come on man!” 

“The night's still young! We just began playing!” 

“You had less than I did,” Jinx said. “You can play another round.”

Ekko leaned back on his chair. “I have to drive your ass back to your house, Blue. And I would prefer to do that sober.”

The nickname rang in Jinx's ears over and over like a damn alarm. The familiarity behind it, the way Ekko's voice dropped just a few octaves when he pronounced it, was all making her head spin in nauseating speed. 

Jinx grabbed the vodka bottle, filling her glass to the brim and gulping it down in one go. 

“Fine,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her palm. “You can drive me back.” 

Ekko was about to respond when his attention was drawn to the door. Jinx followed his gaze and all the thrilling enthusiasm she felt since they arrived at the bar disappeared in the blink of an eye. 

Seraphine Lee was walking up to their table with her little white shorts and matching pink top that fitted her like a glove. Seraphine waved her hand at Ekko, her pink acrylic nails looking elegant in her long fingers. 

Jinx had hoped she wouldn't show up. But alas.

“I'll be right back,” Ekko said, getting up and moving towards Seraphine. 

“Who is that?” Jinx heard Gert whisper.

“That's–”

“That's Ekko's talking stage,” Mylo rushed to respond before Claggor. “Or situationship. We are not sure yet. Ekko's pretty secretive about those things you know.”

“If he has something important to share with us, he does.” 

Jinx could have sworn she felt Claggor's eyes on her but she did not turn around to make sure. Her eyes remained on Ekko and Seraphine, the bitter taste of jealousy spreading on her mouth as they reached the table.

“Guys you know Sera. Gert, this is Seraphine. Seraphine, Gert.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Seraphine took Gert's hand in hers. “God, I love your necklace, where did you get it?” 

“Oh, it was a gift from my parents.” 

“It looks great on you!” 

Gert giggled in a way that didn't really fit her character as far as Jinx knew. Seraphine was only there for less than five minutes and she was already winning Gert's favor, something Jinx had tried to do all night. 

“Hey Sera,” Mylo said while Claggor simply raised his hand as an acknowledgement. 

“And uh,” Ekko stammered over his words as he pulled a chair for Seraphine to sit on. 

“Jinx right?” 

Jinx plastered her best attempt at a smile on her face when Seraphine took the seat right next to her, where Ekko previously occupied. 

“That's me.”

“It's so good to finally meet all of Ekko's friends!” 

Jinx bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to not respond with the meanest comeback she could think of. All of Ekko's friends. Oh, she was going to be sick. 

“So what are you guys up to?” 

“We were playing Never Have I Ever. Wanna join? Take a shot for every thing you have done.”

“Oh, I would love to but I can't drink,” Seraphine said with an almost condescending smile. “I have to preserve my voice for my upcoming solo.”

“Then why are you in a bar?” Jinx muttered under her breath. 

Seraphine turned to her with a smile. “Did you say something?” 

“Hm?” Jinx asked with a faux perplexed look of pure innocence. “I didn't say anything.” 

Seraphine inclined her head, dropping the subject but one deadly look from Ekko made Jinx sure that he had heard her.

His eyebrows were furrowed and he looked like he was ready to scold her, as if Jinx was some naughty child that was disobeying orders. Jinx fought the urge to scoff. 

Seraphine turned to Gert. “Gert, are you also studying to be an engineer?” 

“Electrical engineer, actually.” 

“Gert's in a band,” Mylo said with a teasing smirk, dodging Gert's playful smack on his arm. 

“Really?” Seraphine asked, intrigued. 

“Ekko told us your family owns a record label. Maybe you can listen to a demo by the Chem Sisters. Hey, that hurt!” 

“Oh my God, stop,” Gert muttered embarrassed, hitting Mylo's arm to make him stop talking. 

“You never told me your friend was a musician!” Seraphine turned to Ekko, placing her hand on his thigh. Jinx's expression turned sour. That was her Ekko that she was touching so casually. 

“I didn't think to tell you,” Ekko said casually, her touch on him seemingly not bothering him at all. 

“Gert, you can swing by the studio sometime and we can have a listen. What type of music are you guys playing?” 

Jinx rolled her eyes, unable to stop her reactions. She wasn't sure how much of the goody-two-shoes act she could handle. It was too infuriating. 

Ekko's arm was resting on the back of Seraphine's chair, an almost domestic gesture that nearly filled Jinx's eyes with tears of anger. 

“But it is so nice that you guys are all engineers,” Seraphine said after a while, taking a ship from the non-alcoholic beverage she ordered. “Must be exciting.” 

“So exciting!” Jinx chippered, ignoring Ekko's persistent look that signaled her to knock it off. 

Seraphine's smile became hesitant. It was becoming harder and harder for Jinx to mask her annoyance towards Seraphine. Jinx knew that Sera had begun noticing her passive aggressive answers. And it wasn't just her. Jinx often caught Gert, Mylo and even Claggor sending concerned glances at her. 

“So,” Seraphine turned her body almost completely towards Jinx. “How are you feeling that you will be working with Ekko?” 

Jinx was taken aback by her sudden and confusing change of topic. 

“Progress Day is next week and we have already turned in our presentation. Our work is over.” 

“No, I meant when you will be official coworkers. When Ekko comes to work at Kiramann Industries like you.” 

Jinx's gaze immediately shifted to Ekko. 

“What?” She asked with a soft voice that was layered with confusion. 

Ekko had spoken to her about his thoughts of working for Cassandra but he had never said they were final. Somehow Jinx expected he would consult her before making such a decision. 

“You're working for who now?” Claggor asked with raised eyebrows. 

“Why didn't you tell us?” 

“I wanted to. It just all became so fast.”

“Oh, yes. He is signing a contract next week.”

Ekko seemed agitated, his eyes darting between Seraphine and Jinx, not sure where to land. 

“I was going to tell you Blue, but I never found the right time.” 

“But–”

“Blue?” Seraphine let out a laugh that to Jinx's ears sounded pretty mocking. “Is that a nickname for you?”

Jinx pushed her lips together in irritation. They were having a serious conversation and she wanted to talk about the stupid nickname Ekko gave her? 

“But isn't Jinx already a nickname?” Seraphine asked Ekko instead of Jinx, her eyes looking at him with childlike wonder. 

“It is,” Jinx answered through gritted teeth on Ekko's behalf.

Seraphine inclined her head, her long pink hair falling down her shoulder. There were small styled braids on her straight hair. Jinx suddenly missed her own long braids and wished she had taken off the star hair clips. Suddenly, they seemed too childish. 

“What is your name then? Your real name.” 

Everyone was eerily quiet as if they were all holding their breaths waiting for what would happen next. Jinx took in a calculated breath.

“Powder.” 

“Powder?” Seraphine let out an amused chuckle. “Is that really your name?” 

Jinx remained silent. Maybe she thought Jinx was being sarcastic to her again and decided to give her a taste of her own medicine.

“My name derives from the Bible,” she went on, taking her silence as a confirmation to keep going. “I have never heard such a name as Powder before. Where is it from?”

She had said her name like it was a joke. Jinx could tell her that this wasn't her actual name, just the name her parents picked when they immigrated to Zaun, that she had a real name,, that was as nice as hers but it wouldn't change anything. 

Ekko's arm remained draped across the back of Seraphine's chair. Jinx had lost. 

“Excuse me for a second,” Jinx got up from her seat. Her eyes were set straight ahead as she took a seat on a stool at the bar. She just needed to be alone. 

“Can I get you anything?” The bartender asked as soon as Jinx sat on the stool. 

“Whatever is strongest. Thanks,” Jinx said, supporting her head in her hands. 

A glass with some unidentified liquid was set in front of her. She paid and Jinx closed her eyes and tasted it, the strong liquid burning her throat. She cringed, setting it down. 

“Hey.” 

Jinx didn't have to turn around to know Ekko was standing right next to her. If she wanted to be honest with herself she didn't want to look him in the eye right now.  

“What was that back there?” 

“What was what?” 

Ekko shook his head. He wasn't angry, far from it, simply concerned and somehow that made Jinx feel more bad about herself. 

“You know what I'm talking about. Why were you so passive aggressive to Sera? She is really upset.” 

Jinx glanced behind her shoulder. Back at the table, everyone was around Sera offering their comforts and patting her on her back. She closed her eyes, turning in front of her again. 

“Listen, I'm sorry. My social battery is low and I become mean when that happens.” 

The immediate apology left Ekko at a momentary loss for words. He was used to Jinx's feisty personality that always had to fight back even when she knew she was in the wrong so this sudden change left him puzzled. 

“I mean it's alright,” Ekko stole a sidelong glance at Jinx. 

“Are you okay?” 

It was a good thing that lying came naturally to Jinx at this point.

“Just tired from the wedding preparations. And the presentation for Progress Day. I'm a little anxious about that too.” 

Ekko offered her an understanding smile, her lie believable. “I get it. Seraphine will understand too.” 

Jinx furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?” 

“She wants to talk to you. Alone. She just wants to apologize about bringing up your name and all.”

Jinx shut her eyes tightly. Of course she wanted to rush and apologize to her. Jinx hated how few things she could find to actually hate about Seraphine. Hating on someone so flawless was exhausting. 

“I apologize for that on behalf of her too. I should have said something.” 

“It doesn't matter,” Jinx muttered, eyes still shielded. “It's just a name. I don’t mind being called by it anymore.” 

As Ekko leaned on the bar next to her he took advantage of her closed eyes to look at her properly. A small smile spread on his face. 

“I mean sometimes even I forget that your actual, real name is Thekla.” 

Jinx opened her eyes, sending a done look at Ekko. He let out a small laugh at the look on her face, that made Jinx crack a faint smile. 

“It's such a bad name,” she said, trying to not let her smile be known by Ekko. “My parents always picked the worst names for me.”

“Hey, I like your name.” 

Jinx was full on laughing now. “It's hideous.” 

“It's charming. Very Greek. I really like it.” 

“God, I can't believe you actually remember it.” 

“Course I do.” 

Jinx didn't permit herself to melt at the fact that Ekko remembered such a crucial thing about herself all those years now. Instead she wetted her lips with the unnamed liquid in her glass. Even if it only touched her lips, it was still too strong. 

“Sorry I ruined today.” 

“You didn't ruin anything. The guys really like you and Gert has been asking about you since you left the table. And so did Seraphine.” 

Jinx felt like she was on the brink of tears. She was so childish in her behavior towards Seraphine. 

“Do you like her?” 

Ekko took a little longer than usual to respond. They didn't always think alike. Seraphine was nice but at times she acted as if the world around only existed to serve her. It made sense for a girl that was born rich but it sometimes annoyed Ekko. 

“Yeah, she's cool.” 

That wasn't really answering her question but Jinx didn't want to persist. 

“She's coming here now, okay? Just talk with her. And try to be nice. Please.” 

Ekko squeezed Jinx's shoulder before he left her side. A bar stool was dragged next to Jinx's as Seraphine sat next to her. 

“Hi.” 

“Hi yourself.” 

Seraphine bit her lower lip. “I hope I didn't overstep earlier.” 

Jinx threw her head back. God, she was so tired. 

“You didn't.” 

“I just want to say that Powder is a wonderful and unique name.” 

“Seraphine.” 

That was the first time Jinx called her by her full name. It was a mouthful. Jinx wondered how Ekko would stand to call out her name like that each time. 

“You don't have to do this.” 

Seraphine's plump lips closed, silenced by Jinx. Jinx pulled out a half-empty cigarette box from her pocket. She was supposed to quit but she needed something to take her mind off this whole disastrous mess. 

She offered a cigarette to Seraphine. “You want one?” 

“I can't.” 

“Oh,” Jinx felt like a complete idiot. “You have the voice thing. Sorry.” 

“Are you allowed to smoke in here?”

The cigarette was hanging from Jinx's lips as she lit it. Seraphine's slender eyebrows were furrowed in disgust at the cloud of smoke that left Jinx’s parted lips. 

“We're indoors. I think it is not sanitary.” 

Jinx gestured with the hand that was holding her cigarette at the bar around them.

“Everyone else is smoking.” 

“You don't like me do you?” 

The question was as unexpected as it was true. Jinx was left dumbfounded, simply staring at Seraphine's solemn face. Her features were not as pretty when she wasn't smiling. 

“I get it. You and Ekko have been friends since you were kids, right? It must be hard having me around when you've known each other for so long.”

Ashy smoke trailed between the two women as Jinx exhaled the smoke of the cigarette. 

“If he told you that then it must be true.” 

Seraphine's eyes searched for Ekko in the crowded bar. It didn't take a genius to understand there was more between Jinx and Ekko than they let on.

Seraphine was treading on dangerously thin ice. 

“How well do you know Ekko exactly?” 

Jinx blew out the smoke of her cigarette.

“From base to tip.” 

Seraphine turned her head around, her eyes as wide as saucers. Suddenly everything came into place. The weird tension she felt between Jinx and Ekko whenever they were together, it all just clicked. The stolen glances she thought she had imagined, the prolonged eye contact between the supposed best friends. It was all there since the first day she met them. 

“Oh.” 

Jinx flickered the ashes into the ashtray, stealing anxious glances at Seraphine. 

“He didn't tell you that, did he?” 

“No. But it all makes sense now.” 

The flame of the cigarette was put out when Jinx squished it against the bottom of the ashtray. 

“Are you interested in Ekko?” 

“I'm not uninterested,” Seraphine replied, her voice unusually cold. 

Jinx swallowed thickly. She expected as much. Her words to Seraphine weren't exactly gentle. 

“I don't know what history you two have and frankly, I don't care but Ekko has moved on.” 

Seraphine's words spoken in the refined tone of hers were like a dagger pushed in Jinx’s heart. She turned her head to glance at Ekko. He was away from her, lost in the crowd. 

“Are you two dating?” 

Seraphine pouted, almost like she was considering her options. 

“We are not,” she finally settled on saying the truth. “Not yet, at least.” 

Jinx lowered her eyes, not wanting Seraphine to see how relieved she was. But Seraphine's keen eye noticed it before Jinx could hide. 

“You know they say you should never trust a man with a female best friend. I can see why now.” 

Seraphine looked at Jinx up and down, measuring her. 

“Are you going to be a problem?” 

Jinx blinked. “No.”

Seraphine hummed satisfied, hopping off her stool. There was not a word exchanged on her part as she turned around and began walking back to the table. It was fair. Jinx deserved that treatment from Sera after what she had just told her. The only thing Jinx could do was stare at Seraphine's back as she came up behind Ekko and hugged him tightly. 

Jinx had never felt as small as she did then before in her life. 

She zeroed her attention to Ekko and Seraphine. They were not hugging any more, thank fuck. Instead, they were sitting next to each other, talking. Their heads were so close as they whispered to each other they were almost touching. Would Seraphine ever know how badly Jinx wanted to be this close to Ekko in public like that? 

She should pull herself together and eventually, forget about Ekko. But Jinx had not seen anyone she thought was his equal as much as she tried to forget him.

Jinx had every knowledge that she looked like a child that watched someone play with their favorite toy.

Not baring to keep wallowing in self-pity, Jinx got up from her seat. Nobody would notice she was gone. She knew they wouldn't. Jinx just wanted to be alone for a while. 

As soon as she walked through the exit, she pulled the last cigarette out of the box. Her lighter produced a small flame that ignited the edge of the cigarette when someone called out to her in a way that only one person in the whole world could. 

“Thekla!” 

Jinx froze. She could handle a lot of things but not Ekko calling her by her given name. Not right now. 

She turned around, pushing her lighter in her pocket as Ekko jogged to get to her. 

“Can you please not call me that?” She said as soon as he reached her. 

“I thought you didn't mind anymore.” 

“I don't but…not now. Just don't call me that now.” 

Ekko's brown eyes were filled with worry for her as he regarded her. Jinx brought her cigarette to her lips, filling her lungs with smoke. 

“You should quit this shit.” 

Jinx let out a hoarse chuckle. “It's just a cigarette.” 

“Still. It's bad for you.” 

“Why do you care about how much I smoke?” 

The question came out much harsher than Jinx wanted. Jinx looked down at the concrete. She was now yelling at Ekko unprovoked. Perfect. 

“I'll walk back home,” she said, softer, kinder. “I want to get some air.”

“You're not walking back home alone, Jinx.” 

“Why?” 

“Because it's dark and your house is at least half an hour on foot. I'll drive you.” 

“You don't have to.” 

“Yes I do.” 

Ekko turned around, walking to his car. Reluctantly, Jinx followed but couldn't bring herself to get in the car. Instead, she sat on the hood of the car. Space, she needed space. 

“What's wrong?” 

That voice again. Sweet and tender and careful with her. Always careful, in a way Jinx had never been to her own self. 

And when Seraphine tells him about what they talked about Ekko was going to hate her. 

Jinx showed her cigarette. “I just want to finish this one first.” 

Silently, Ekko sat next to her, waiting for her to finish up with smoking. Jinx glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

“You win.” 

Ekko seemed confused. “I win what?” 

Jinx smiled in a way that was nothing close to happy. Her sorrowful smile made the blue in her eyes turn cold. “This. Whatever this is. You win.” 

Ekko’s deep confusion was painted all over his face that was illuminated by the street light that hung above them.

“I don't understand.” 

Jinx dropped the cigarette on the street, stepping on it. It didn't really matter anymore. 

“It's nothing. You should get back inside.”

“No,” Ekko stood up too, gently holding Jinx's wrist to stop her from walking away.

“Don't push me away again.” 

“I'm not,” Jinx lied. 

“Yes you are. That's what you always do. You keep shutting me out.” 

“Just get inside Ekko. Seraphine is waiting for you.” 

Ekko's heart was beating so hard, his ribcage hurt. 

“She doesn't hold a candle to you,” he whispered. “She is not even an option to me.” 

Jinx's cheeks heat up. Ekko took a step closer, making Jinx raise her head to look up at him. 

“Just say it.” 

“Say what?” 

“You know what,” his voice had dropped several octaves by now. Jinx fought the urge to shiver. 

“Just say it. Yes or no?” 

“You know the answer.” 

“Then just say it. I just want to hear you say it.” 

Unexpectedly, Ekko's hands cupped her cheeks, lovingly. His thumb traced the outline of her bottom lip, eyes transfixed on the plump skin. Jinx's lips parted, her body temperature rising dangerously high. 

When Ekko drew his eyes from her mouth it was to look at her lips one last time before she craned her neck upwrads, kissing him.

Jinx hoped that was enough of an answer for Ekko.  

Chapter Text

I bet she could never make you cry

‘Cause the scars on your heart are still mine

Woo-Rihanna

Progress Day arrived with the much expected noise and chaos that all major events do. The university campus had transformed into an outward paradise that could easily accommodate students, scouts from different researched based foundations and scientific fields, the press and the VIPs that were all unanimously scattered around the premises. 

Ekko's nightmare had just only just begun.

“Benzo, I think you took enough pictures for one day.” 

Benzo finally pulled his phone out of Ekko's face, wiping his tears with a handkerchief. 

“You have no idea how proud you make me,” he sobbed, the lenses of his glasses fogged from his heavy crying. 

“If only your parents could see you today! Oh, you have no idea how proud you make us all!”

“Come on, dad.”

Ekko hugged his father affectionately, trying to get him to calm down. Benzo had been like this ever since he arrived in the university grounds, snapping photos of Ekko and telling everyone who was brave enough to stand beside him that the young man in the green suit was his son, the valedictorian of his year and the co-inventor of the coding system that was headlining today's event.

Benzo sobbed some more, his tears of joy for Ekko's success streaming down his face nonstop. If Ekko was in a better headspace his father's pride would have moved him to tears as well and they would both be weeping messes. But Ekko felt as stiff as a board, having barely slept and he couldn't offer anything more than a forced smile to put his father's mind at ease.

Pulling away, Ekko patted his father's shoulder.

“How are you? Are you good?” 

“I'm terrific. This is the happiest day of my life, Ekko. I really can't be more proud of you. And you deserve all of it.” 

A shiver of pride ran through Ekko at Benzo's words. He had never thought that he would make it this far, that he would be so openly acknowledged for what he tried so hard to achieve. And even if his parents weren't there to see his success, Ekko was happy that he got to at least share it with the man that had raised him in the way his parents would want. 

“All your professors are so enamored with you! They say you will be getting a lot of job offers tonight!” 

“Do you think I'm making the right choice?” 

Benzo's face betrayed his confusion. Ekko cleared his throat, making sure nobody around them was listening as he elaborated. 

“That I decided to apply to work for Kiramann Industries.” 

“As long as you have decided it, then it is the right choice,” his father assured him with a smile. 

Ekko wished he could feel reassured by his father's blind trust but in reality the last days had been torment. He had been rethinking his choices and with the contract signing being just two days away, Ekko had never felt more conflicted. 

On one hand he would provide for his father and pay back Vander. On the other he would be agreeing to everything he stood against for years. But then he would be letting down Seraphine. 

Ekko's stomach felt hollow at the thought of Seraphine. 

He needed someone else to tell him what he should do because he could not make the choice for himself. 

“I trust you and I trust your judgment, Ekko. You wouldn't just make a choice without having considered all the possibilities beforehand.” 

Benzo made a small pause before continuing.

“But nobody would judge you if you changed your mind.” 

Ekko's gaze lifted from the ground. His father gave him a knowing smile in return. Ekko should know better than hide from the man who had raised him. 

“Nothing is settled yet. Your name is not in any of their contracts. There is still time if you were to change your mind.” 

That small smile spread on Ekko's face in relief. 

“Thanks dad.” 

Benzo's eyes were submerged in prideful tears again. 

“Don't thank your old man. I'm just happy I get to be here for you.” 

Wiping his tears with his thumb, Benzo turned from Ekko, hiding his tears in embarrassment. 

“I'll go find Vander and the rest of the family. I'm sure they are here somewhere.” 

With a final hug to his son, Benzo trailed away from Ekko in search of Vander. Of course the whole family had come to support Jinx but Ekko had been too busy to properly greet them. And somewhere between her family arriving and him having to talk to professor Talis about some minor details of the algorithm they had used, Jinx had gone missing. Probably she was hiding away from the reporters snapping pictures at the event or was just having a smoke break without letting anyone know. 

Her whereabouts only interested Ekko because in an hour they were supposed to go up on a stage and represent their school in front of all the guests. Other than that she wasn't even a passing thought to him.

Ekko searched through the crowd for the characteristic blue hair of his project partner but got lost in the sea of countless bodies moving about and reviewing the new technologies. 

A slap on the back of his neck brought him back to reality. 

“Thinking of running away?”

Ekko let out a not so annoyed grumble. 

“Fuck you,” he said making Mylo clutch his chest where his heart was. 

“And this is how he talks to his best friend. I'm hurt. Really.” 

Claggor placed his giant arm around Mylo, holding him in place so he wouldn't annoy Ekko further. Their friendgroup dynamic was back to normal. Mylo being his over the top self, Claggor keeping him in check and Ekko being as moody as ever. 

“Ready to go up on that stage?” 

Honestly? No. 

“Ready as ever,” he reassured them despite the trembling of his hands at the prospect of getting on that stage alongside Jinx. He hadn't even talked to her after the night at the bar. After the kiss. 

Mylo looked around. “Where's Jinx? Zaun's royalty have to be united at all times.” 

Ekko creased his brow. “Zaun's royalty?” 

“Yeah, that's what the media have nicknamed you two,” Mylo made an extravagant gesture. “Zaun's royalty, the brightest minds of the dimliest city.” 

Ekko couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped his lips. Even Claggor turned his head away from them to hide the grin on his face.  

“Something along the lines of that! But seriously where is she? Because I'm peeking at Sera coming your way and I don't think she will appreciate it if Jinx is around.” 

Ekko's head immediately whiplashed around, searching for Seraphine. He didn't try to rationalize the anxiety that overfilled him at the mention of her name. 

“Fuck,” he mumbled under his breath when he noticed her making her way towards them. He wasn't ready to come face to face with Sera, now or for the rest of the week. Or month. 

“You noticed it at the bar, right?” Claggor asked, keeping his eyes at Seraphine, discretely. 

“The fact that Jinx looked at Seraphine like a child that watched someone play with their favorite you? Yes, I did.” 

Claggor rolled his eyes at Mylo's comment. “No, moron. The way Jinx just left after she talked to Seraphine. What do you think happened?” 

Ekko didn't respond. The past few days, he was trying really hard to not think about what happened during and especially after Jinx's conversation with Seraphine. About that kiss they shared outside of the bar before she turned around and left him there, his whole body burning with lust and anger. 

“In true Jinx style,” he said, his voice sounding unusually harsh. “Straight up leaving without saying anything. I'm used to her by now.” 

“But you went to check on her, didn't you?” 

The tips of Ekko's ears burned in embarrassment. Ekko was fully expecting Mylo to make one of his usual sarcastic comments but he simply pressed his lips together in a passive smile. For the first time, Ekko wondered if his friends actually liked the girl he had introduced to them as his potential girlfriend. 

“Do you guys like Seraphine?” 

“If you like her then–”

“No. I want your honest opinion on her. Do you like her yes or no?” 

Claggor played with the buttons of his vest, avoiding the question. Mylo shook his head, his expression uncharacteristically serious as he spoke to Ekko.

“Do you like her?” 

Ekko wished that question was never uttered because he had been running away from answering it himself for weeks. 

“I should be in love with her. She is proper in everything she does.” 

“But you're not,” Claggor finished for him. 

As if Ekko could ever be charmed by a Seraphine after loving someone like Jinx for eight years. It was a harsh truth but it was the reality of things. 

Ekko would have given another vague response to Claggor if it wasn't for Seraphine's little squeak. 

“Well, I'm stunned.” 

Ekko fought hard to let out a small, awkward chuckle as Seraphine fixed his black tie and the identification card he wore around his neck that professor Volek gave him.

“You look extremely handsome.” 

“Thanks. You uh, you too. Beautiful as always.”

Seraphine smiled at his awkwardness. Her long hair was pulled in a high ponytail and the purple floral dress she wore flowed down her body gracefully. 

“How does it feel to be the man of the hour?” 

“I'm not?” Ekko's words sounded like a question rather than a statement. 

“Yes you are. Auntie Cassandra is ecstatic with your program! In fact she sent me to search for you.” 

“It is not my program. I didn't come up with it on my own.” 

Seraphine took his hand in hers, eagerly pulling him. 

“I'm going to steal him for a minute, boys.” 

“By all means,” Claggor raised his shoulders, not really having a choice of another answer as Seraphine dragged him away from them.

Seraphine dragged him through the crowd, her nails lightly grazing the skin of his hand as she held on tight. 

“Okay,” she said when she stopped a little further from the VIPs section of the garden. She fixed Ekko's evergreen colored suit, giving him a smile. Ekko felt like he was going to pass out. He couldn't face Cassandra and her likes when he was such a mess. 

“Wait, Sera. Just wait a minute, alright?” 

Her smile was replaced by a worried expression. “What's wrong?” 

“I uh, I just remembered I have to check my mic with Jayce before I get on stage.” 

The absurdity of his own sayings made him cringe. In reality he didn't even need a microphone. He would simply stand next to Jinx and smile, only saying two sentences once Jayce's speech was over to thank the school and council. 

He needed something more convincing than that. 

“Me and Jinx have to do a rehearsal to see if our mics are working for when we do the presentation.” 

“Jinx?” Seraphine's hands were still on Ekko's body, switching between fixing his glasses higher up his nose or playing with the golden hoops in his ears. He was a little taken aback by how forward she was being in public. 

“Yes. She is my project partner, remember?” 

“I remember.” 

Seraphine placed her palms on Ekko's chest, silently observing the old, worn out buttons of his jacket. She opened her mouth and Ekko was fairly certain she was going to comment on why he hadn't bought a suit for the event. Nothing could have prepared him from what came out of her mouth. 

“You didn't tell me you two used to date.” 

Ekko was doomed to just stare at Seraphine wordless and with every knowledge that his jaw was touching the floor. 

When he found the inner strength to speak up, his voice came out hoarse. 

“Jinx told you?” 

“She did,” Seraphine said with a raised eyebrow. “She told me she knows you from base to tip. Which is funny because you said you two were childhood friends.” 

If Ekko's jaw was touching the floor before then now it must have gotten dislocated from the rest of his body. Ekko's thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion. Why would Jinx say that to Seraphine if not to brag? To show off that she had been first where Seraphine could only dream to reach. 

“I don't know why she would say that.” 

“So it's not true?” 

“No– Well, yes…” Ekko stumbled over his own words, trying to find a better way to express the complicated truth. 

He took a deep breath, getting his mind in order. 

“Me and Jinx are a lot of things. Yes, we are childhood friends and yes, we did used to date. Briefly, when we were still kids.” 

Seraphine bobbed her head, acknowledging Ekko's words, her long ponytail swinging from the movement. 

“I just wish you told me sooner.”

Her answer must have been sufficient. Ekko would then apologize and the matter would be set to rest. But a part of Ekko that he normally kept hidden or under control, bubbled in infuriating anger. 

“You didn't tell me about any of your exes. Why should I have told you about mine? We are nowhere near that part of knowing each other.” 

“You should have because I met her and I was completely oblivious to the fact you two were far closer than I had anticipated.” 

Seraphine's tone was not angry but she was getting there. Ekko felt like such an idiot. This wasn't like him. Where had all this rage come from? 

“I'm sorry. I don’t know what's gotten into me. You're right. I’m really sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Seraphine resumed her task of fixing his jacket, probably just an excuse to touch him some more. 

“I don't like her. I know she is your friend but I don't like her at all.” 

He took in a sharp breath through his teeth.

“Yeah, you're allowed to not like her.” 

“I don't know, I just don't think she is someone you should consider your friend. My godmother never liked her either. She is just so… tacky. Did you see what she wore at the bar? My God. Those star hair clips made her look like a toddler.” 

Ekko had only known Seraphine to be kind and gentle so hearing her talk in such a way left a sour taste in his mouth. Maybe he would have blamed her attitude on her justifiable anger if she was badmouthing anyone other than Jinx but Ekko could feel his blood start to boil. 

Seraphine was allowed to not like Jinx but she wasn't allowed to talk in such a way about her in front of him. 

He took a step back, putting a noticeable space between them. Seraphine's arms fell on her side as he pulled back from her. 

“At least you won't have to work with her.” 

Ekko halted in place before he could even take a step away from Seraphine. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You didn't know? She broke her contract with my godmother yesterday. She is out of our hair for good.” 

It was the second time today that Seraphine had caught him entirely off guard with something that she said. But this… this was the last thing Ekko ever expected to hear. 

Ekko's brain hurted from the effort of thinking so hard. He had to get away, to be alone with those overwhelming thoughts for a while. 

“I have to find Jayce,” he muttered, turning around. 

“Ekko!” Seraphine immediately caught up to him. Ekko barely contained the annoyed groan that threatened to pass his lips. He just wanted to be alone for one fucking second and he couldn't even have that. 

“Not now, Jinx.” 

Seraphine froze. “My name is Seraphine.” 

It wasn't done out of spite. He hadn't meant to call her by Jinx's name but it was the first thing his brain jumped to. It was a genuine mistake. 

“Right. Sera.” 

Seraphine's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. “I think you need to find Jayce and get a hold of yourself before you get on stage.” 

Ekko didn't have the chance to apologize or to even speak as Seraphine turned on her heel and headed to her godmother. Ekko was surprised with how little he cared that he had upset her. 

That made him a shitty person, didn’t it? 

Not having the mental capacity to think about anything at this point, Ekko made his way through the crowd, searching for a quiet place away from the buzzing of the science fest. 

He just wanted to turn his mind off. And for someone who was always thinking that meant he turned clumsy. 

Ekko didn't even see professor Volek in front of him until he bumped into him, nearly sending him to the floor. 

“Careful, mister Elliot!” 

“I am so sorry!” Ekko helped his professor regain his footing, leaning on his cane. 

“I am so sorry professor, I did not see you there!” 

Viktor raised a hand, dismissing Ekko's rapid apologies. 

“No harm done. Now, did you find Papaioannou?” 

“Sir, with all due respect but if Jinx heard you call her like that–”

“It is her name is it not?” 

Viktor began walking back to their post. As the representatives of the university, Ekko and Jinx's program was displayed right next to the seats of the professor's board, meaning everyone was able to view it. As expected, a small crowd was gathered around the table as Jayce explained the mechanics of it to them. 

“Immigrants like us must not forget where we came from. I did not change my name to fit in and she shouldn't either. And besides I could not have her walking around with an identification card that spelled ‘Jinx’. Jinx is not a name. It's a noun.”

“Viktor and Thekla are hardly in the same name category, sir.” 

Viktor turned to Ekko, his whiskey colored eyes betraying he was a little bored by the conversation. 

“Your given name holds a significance like no other. I am sure Papaioannou will find it in her to forgive me.” 

“I will make sure she does.” 

Ekko was one more surprise away from a mental breakdown. 

“Doctor Young? What are you doing here?” 

Jinx's therapist wore her brightest smile as she appeared next to Viktor. Her curls were framing her face like a soft cloud and she was not wearing her usual glasses. If Ekko didn't know any better he would say she was dressed for a date and not a science festival. 

“Hello Ekko. Congratulations for today.” 

“Thank you very much. Are you here for Jinx or…?” 

“Oh,” Sky lowered her eyes in childlike embarrassment. “That too but I am personally interested in STEM studies. I've been following professor Volek's research on multidisciplinary design optimization for quite some time. It is so inspiring. Everything he does is inspiring.” 

Viktor lowered his head, a faint grin spread on his lips. That was the closest thing to happiness Ekko had seen him show on his face. 

“Doctor Young flatters me.” 

“Please, I told you to call me Sky.” 

“Only if you stop calling me professor.” 

Ekko wasn’t sure what was happening but he didn’t really want to stick around to find out. 

“I'll go find Jinx,” he conveniently lied but neither Viktor nor Sky paid him any attention as he drifted away from them. 

Now all Ekko had to do was find a nice quiet place where he could finally settle his mind at ease. But that too had to wait because a familiar figure stood out.

With a soft smile he approached his old mentor. 

“Professor Heimerdinger?” 

“Ekko!” 

The professor took Ekko's hand in his in a warm handshake. 

“I can not believe you are here!” 

“I would never miss your day for anything.” 

And leaning forward, he whispered so that only Ekko could hear him. 

“And don't get your hopes up but miss Medarda personally invited me to attend the event. I think the council will propose that I return next semester. They can only stay away from me that long.” 

Ekko let out a pleasant chuckle. His mood had vastly improved just by seeing Heimerdinger after so long. 

“Are you ready to halt your music career to teach again, professor?” 

“I am going where I am needed,” and as if he suddenly remembered the man in the suit to whom he had been talking until Ekko arrived, he turned to him. 

“Lad, I want you to meet an old friend of mine. Ekko, this is doctor Corin Reveck, head of the research and development division of NASA.” 

Ekko shook hands with the man. He was tall and lanky but his handshake was firm. Ekko had never met an aerospace engineer before. Years ago when he was first accepted into PIT he had considered taking that route but changed his mind for something more practical. Standing before one of the most important engineers of NASA was thrilling to say the least. 

“Very pleased to meet you sir.” 

“Likewise. That program you and your partner designed is quite something, mister Elliot. Congratulations.” 

Ekko nearly blushed. “Thank you sir. I’m really honored. And my partner would be too if she was here.” 

Heimerdinger looked around. “Where is miss Jinx? I haven't seen her at all.” 

“Probably by Cassandra Kiramann's side,” doctor Reveck said with a condescending smile. “Once she has them sign for her she never lets them out of her sight. Like a hawk.” 

“Oh, come on Corin. Cassandra is not that bad.” 

“I suppose I shouldn't be so harsh on her in front of you,” doctor Reveck said, turning to Ekko. “After all she is to be your future boss. We should congratulate mister Elliot on his contract signing, Cecil.” 

“No,” Ekko shook his head so fast his brain must have knocked on his skull. “I have not signed a contract yet. And I don't think I ever will.” 

Doctor Reveck raised an eyebrow in interest at Ekko's sayings. Ekko swallowed hard, needing to make everything clear. 

“And Jinx… my partner I mean, she broke her own contract. Neither of us are working for Kiramann Industries.” 

“Well in that case,” he took a business card out of his jacket's pocket, handing it to Ekko. “You and your partner should give me a call.” 

The business card could not have weighed more than a feather but it felt heavy on Ekko's hand, like the weight of a treasure chest that was just offered to him. His washed out authentic NASA shirt that he treasured ever since Benzo bought it for him as a teenager and all the space documentaries and science magazines he and Jinx consumed when they were just kids passed through his mind like an old film.

The opportunity was shaped from every one of Ekko's dreams. He couldn't wait to share the news with Jinx.

“Minds like yours are needed down at the Space Center,” Reveck said behind his shoulder. “I will be waiting for your call.” 

“Thank you sir! I–I mean doctor Reveck!” 

Heimerdinger gave two thumbs up at Ekko before he followed after his old friend and began greeting the rest of his former colleagues, leaving Ekko dizzy from happiness. 

The small NASA logo on the side of the business card practically glowed in the afternoon sun before Ekko pushed it in his pocket and began walking as light as a feather. 

“Ekko?” 

God had a sense of humor. He had to because there was no way Ekko was going through all this. 

In horror, Ekko turned around to find Zeri, the girl who he had made out with to get back to Jinx, glaring at him.

She folded her arms over her chest. “What, no phone call, no follow request, nothing at all?” 

“Zeri!” 

Ekko looked around him in panic, trying to find an escape route. It appeared in the most unconventional form he could have ever expected.

Grabbing Zeri's forearm, he lightly pushed her to Kayn's side. Kayn, who was minding his own business talking with one of his friends, looked at Ekko as if he had gone completely crazy. 

In truth, Ekko felt a little crazy at the moment. 

“Have you met Kayn? Kayn, Zeri. Zeri, Kayn. Great, I have to go now!” 

Before any of them could say a thing, Ekko began running in the opposite direction, not sparing them a glance in fear that they would follow after him. 

Drifting away from the busy crowd, Ekko slipped into the back of the stage they put up for the fest. The curtain was down and nobody was near the stage area and foolishly, Ekko thought he would be alone there as he entered the backstage. 

Sitting on a wooden box Jinx looked up from the phone she held in one hand while bringing the cigarette she held in the other to her mouth. 

Of-fucking-course.

Ekko leaned his back against the unstable wall. He was too fucking tired. 

“Volek's looking for you.” 

The cigarette’s smoke that Jinx blew out made Ekko nauseous. 

“Sorry but I'm not turning up any time soon. I would rather not witness my therapist making eyes at my professor.” 

Ekko threw his thumb over his shoulder, meaning to point at Volek and doctor Young. “What the fuck was that about? I've never seen Volek smile before. It was borderline creepy.” 

“I don't know and I don't care. I'm mad at him. He has me walking around campus with three last names in one identification card. My father's, Vander's and Silco's.” 

Jinx scoffed at the thought of her legal name. “I'm officially running for worst name of the century.”  

“I like your name.” 

Crystal blue eyes returned to the screen of her phone while Jinx continued to smoke. It was like he wasn't there. Like she didn't even see him. 

The insomnia of the last couple of days was messing with Ekko's head, making him spiral in anger. Everything was suddenly bothering him. Seraphine, the Kiramanns, the contract, Progress Day, her, her, her. Always her.

“I told you to quit this shit,” Ekko said, grabbing Jinx's wrist and snatching the cigarette from between her fingers. Ignoring her yell of protest, he brought it to his own lips. 

Fuck, he needed that. 

“It's going to kill you,” Ekko murmured, letting the puff of smoke trail from his half-open lips before it dissipated. 

“You just told me to quit and you snatch my cigar–”

“Can you just let me be?” Ekko snapped at her. “For fuck's sake?” 

Jinx blinked, her head tilted upwards to look at Ekko as he puffed out clouds of smoke like a maniac. He was mad at her. Jinx didn't want to push him. 

She got up from her seat, giving Ekko some space. The backstage floor creaked under the heels of her black platform sandals as she walked back and forth, the long skirt of her dress dangerously close to getting tangled under her feet. 

Neither of them were as well dressed as they had been at the opera. The dress she wore, she had obviously picked herself. It was black and long, with thick straps on her shoulders and that was just about it. There was no glitter, no pop of color or a funky belt that would make it obvious that this ensemble was hers. 

It was like she wanted to be hidden today, away from everyone's attention. The prominent dark circles under her eyes that she had stubbornly tried to cover with concealer were a loud indicator that she had been as sleepless as him. 

What was he doing? This wasn’t like him at all.

Ekko dropped the cigarette to the floor and stepped on it. 

“You know, you told me I won the other night outside the bar. But it doesn't feel like I won anything, Blue.” 

Jinx's shoulders visibly tensed for a second before she turned around. She looked at him with her lips pressed together in a pout. She was beautiful, of course she was but ever so often she would make an adorable face like that and it would be like the first time Ekko laid eyes on her all over again. 

“Are you mad at me?” 

There was no point in lying to his first love. “Yes I am.” 

Jinx swallowed audibly. “You talked to Seraphine.” 

“Yes.” 

Jinx gave a simple nod at the confirmation of her fears by Ekko. She had it coming. Whatever was happening was because of her own inability to speak about her feelings and claim what she wanted. Jinx had tried to take action and stand up for what she wanted when she broke the contract she made with Cassandra. But it was over. She had lost. Jinx had fumbled Ekko, the best she could ever have.  

“I'm so fucking angry at you.” 

Thick tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she had lost him forever after her conversation with Seraphine but damn, it hurt to be called out like that. 

“I’m angry at you because you would rather blow yourself up than express your real feelings.” 

Jinx raised her tearful gaze at Ekko in question. He took a bold step towards her, the space between them shrinking. 

“I'm angry at you because I thought that once I left your house I would finally get you off my system. But I can't. You are persisting to be everything my heart and body wants.” 

Jinx's breathing quickened as she took a step back, away from Ekko. She needed to regain the acceptable space that they had maintained up until then or she would lose it. 

“And I'm also angry at you because I never got over you. Not for a single minute.”

Her eyes were locked on Ekko's as she walked backwards, unable to tear her gaze off his. She was moving dangerously close to the wall behind her but she didn't care. She only cared about the words Ekko spoke in his low raspy voice.

“I'm just so fucking angry because I want to hold your hand and not think anything about it,” he whispered, his eyes transfixed on the curve of Jinx's mouth. 

Ekko didn't know what had pushed him to spill out his guts like this but pure adrenaline pumped through his veins with each thing he admitted. After months of half-truths he bared his heart to Jinx and was ready for whatever came along with it. 

Jinx let out a small noise of surprise when her back hit the wall. Immediately, Ekko placed a palm next to her head, caging her against the wall and his body. 

“I want to sleep, just sleep, next to you for a whole night without fearing you won't be there in the morning. And I'm angry at you because you thought that I would ever want to do all that with someone else.” 

A few tears slipped from Jinx's eyes. Only he had the privilege of watching her at her most vulnerable. Jinx wouldn't have it any other way. 

Ekko gathered her tears gently with the pad of his thumb. 

“Don't cry, Jinx,” he whispered. The name he used didn't really matter to Ekko as long as it was hers. 

Ekko's thumb lingered there, caressing the flushed skin of her cheek. But then it trailed further down, traveling to her lips and running along the flesh of her bottom lip, depicting its softness to memory. 

She was a scar in his heart that always bled, never quite healing, never quite letting him forget. And a woman like her, with her own heart pierced, wounded, almost broken couldn’t be anything else than his salvation. 

“Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you? What this means?” Ekko whispered against Jinx's lips, pushing her hair away from her face with care. Her own hands came up to his face, cupping it tenderly as she stared into the bottomless darkness of his brown eyes, praying to disappear into their abyss. 

“It means I am in love with you, Thekla.” 

It took some skill to leave Jinx as speechless as she became the moment Ekko confessed the gravity of his feelings towards her. And it took equal skill to leave Ekko as surprised as he became when Jinx leaned forward to kiss him. 

They took their time with the kiss. Ekko could taste the ashy aftermath of the cigarette in Jinx's tongue and he knew she must taste the same on his own. His glasses made it hard to kiss her properly so Ekko pulled back for just a second, taking his glasses off before he dived back into the kiss. 

Ekko's tongue pushed inside her mouth, hungrily deepening the kiss and nothing made sense any longer. 

I'm dying, Jinx thought as Ekko's hands ran down her back, the fabric of her dress slightly rising up. Her arms slung around his neck, pulling his body weight down on her, needing him closer. It was like he was making her feral every time he touched her. 

Ekko pushed Jinx back against the wall, taking her wrists in his hands and pinning them above her head, wanting to take his time to admire her. 

“You’re perfect,” he murmured absentmindedly, as if he was in awe of her. Her father always told her that she was perfect but Jinx had never felt it until now. 

“Let me touch you,” Jinx squirmed in Ekko's hold, trying to set her hands free. When she finally managed to be freed, Ekko let out a throaty chuckle. 

“Impatient little thing.”

Jinx ignored his teasing as she slipped the dark green jacket off his shoulders, tagging off the ID from around his neck in the process. She kissed the teasing grin off his lips while she worked his tie. Ekko let her undress him, obediently. He enjoyed watching Jinx believe she was in charge of this. 

Biting on her bottom lip, Jinx watched as the last button of Ekko's dress shirt came undone. Her fingers cascaded down his abs, gaze sharpening at the way Ekko's chest heaved when the pads of her fingers made contact with his skin. Jinx wanted to lick his abs, to feel his solid body on the tip of her tongue. So she did. 

“Jesus,” Ekko threw his head back when Jinx's tongue ran across his muscles, tasting the slightest bit of sweat on his skin. 

Helping her rise back to her full height, Ekko slowly spun her around. 

“Turn around for me,” he whispered while he pushed her front against the surface of the wall. 

Jinx let out a small moan when Ekko's arms came around her, hugging her from behind. She couldn't run even if she wanted to as he pressed his body against hers, molding into her form. Ekko's hand curled around her neck, making her turn her head around so he could kiss her fiercely, in the way she deserved. 

Jinx's moans were silenced by Ekko's mouth as his free hand hitched up her dress. He parted her thighs, his fingers hooking on the lace of her panties and dragging them all the way down and off of her, placing them safely on his pocket. 

“I can't keep my fucking hands off you, baby,” Ekko said when his lips slipped from hers, gropping her thighs and appreciating her body in a way that had Jinx's walls clenching around nothing. 

It was laughable how fast he turned her on. 

Jinx pushed her ass against Ekko's hips, angling her body to support herself against the wall. Responding to her, Ekko hitched her dress  higher up, leaving her completely bare. 

Where they really going to fuck when they had to be up on that stage for the presentation in less than an hour? Her panties were in Ekko's pocket. Was he really going to let her climb that stage with nothing underneath her dress?

The possibility sent an embarrassing thrill down Jinx's spine. 

“Tell me what you want, baby,” Ekko kissed her neck, his chest pressing against her back. “I'll give you anything.” 

“Ekko,” she whined, already a desperate mess. 

“Fuck, I haven't even touched you yet.” 

Ekko squeezed Jinx's ass, red hand print imprinted on her skin before his fingers brushed against Jinx's pussy. An embarrassingly loud shriek left Jinx before she could contain it, smacking a hand over her mouth. 

“Is this what you want, baby?” Ekko spread Jinx's soaked walls with his fingers, slowly grazing her clit.

“Yes,” Jinx breathed out, stars sparkling behind her eyes. “Yes, yes, yes, please Ekko!” 

“Whatever my girl wants.” 

Ekko's middle and ring finger passed through Jinx's entrance with ease, filling her sufficiently before he slowly began fingering her in a steady pace. Not too rough but not too gentle either. Just enough to have her wanting more. 

“I love you so much,” he said right against her ear while working her up and Jinx knew he meant it, she knew it in her bones. 

Jinx wanted to say it back but suddenly she was empty again. Looking behind her shoulder she saw Ekko retrieve his fingers from inside of her. Her ran his tongue over his slick coated fingers, licking her essence from his fingers and plumb lips. Jinx nearly came from that alone. 

Hastily, Ekko unbuckle his belt. Holding her breath Jinx watched as Ekko pulled his pants down, her mouth watering when she caught sight of the curve of his already hard dick. It was so big she was sure if he fucked her upright against the wall, she wouldn't be able to walk properly for days. 

He took himself in hand, bending his upper body so it engulfed hers. 

“This is what you do to me,” he said, stroking himself while looking at Jinx's face. “This is how desperate for you you make me.”

Jinx let out a swallow gasp. “But Seraphin–”

“Fuck her. She is literally nothing to me. We aren't together and we will never be. You're the only one, Jinx.” 

A pleasant warmth, like a warm blanket had enveloped her body spread in Jinx's chest. She had been really stupid in thinking that Ekko's feelings didn't run as deep as hers. 

Turning behind her, she peppered a kiss on Ekko's lips, earning the most adorable of whimpers from him. 

“I need you Ekko,” she said and that is all it took for Ekko to position himself between her spread legs and push the head of his dick inside of her before he plunged himself inside her warmth in a single jerk of his hips.

Jinx let out a vulgar moan and Ekko was beyond the point of caring about whether someone would hear them. His arms wrapped around her waist, hugging her tightly as Ekko began pounding into her, the precious control that he took so much pride in maintaining, nowhere to be seen. 

Ekko was still angry. And he just fucking needed to let it all out. 

“Take it, ma.” 

Jinx sobbed in need, one side of her face pressed against the hard surface of the wall while Ekko fucked her. 

Ekko laughed cruelly against Jinx's ear. “I know you like it when I call you ma. You get so tight around me every time, I swear you try to cut my blood circulation.”

Ekko's dick pressed right against her g-spot, making Jinx's eyes roll back. 

“Ekko!”

“Keep calling my name like that and I'll put a baby in you, fuck.” 

He switched between pinching, groping and slapping her ass and thighs all while his mouth was busy leaving hickeys that would bruise by tomorrow morning and Jinx loved it. He loved her. Right now and always he loved her. Jinx's hands reached behind her, grabbing Ekko's wrist as he held her in place. 

His dick throbbed inside of her, already dangerously close to cuming. 

“I love you,” Ekko's voice was broken as he buried his face in the crook of Jinx's neck. “I love you so much, I can't believe you're real.” 

His right hand left her hip, traveling in the apex of her legs. Her juices coated his fingers as he rubbed his thumb flat on Jinx's clit. Jinx's thighs trembled as she was pushed to her limit. 

“Damn baby,” Ekko said between gritted teeth as he felt his own release overtaking him. 

Both bodies trembled violently as they climbed down from their highs. Jinx leaned against the wall, her gaze searching for Ekko's immediately once her brain began to function again. They held eye contact for what felt like an eternity before Ekko leaned forward planting a kiss on her temple. 

“Love you,” he mumbled like a sacred prayer as he gathered the sweat from her brow with the edge of his dress shirt. 

“Do you mind if I use this to clean you up?” He gestured to her panties that he took out of his pocket. Jinx looked away in embarrassment, giving a firm nod. 

Carefully, he wiped their mixed fluids from her thighs, letting the skirt of her dress drop to cover her nakedness. It didn't fail Jinx's attention that hs did not return her panties back to her, instead pushing them in his pocket again. 

Ekko ran a hand through his dreads as he fastened his pants. He had to take care of the mess that was his sweaty shirt and find his glasses when he felt Jinx's hands tug at the buttons of his shirt, doing them for him. 

He gently clasped his hand around her wrist. “Jinx.” 

Jinx looked up at him. Her hair was tangled and her face was so flushed she resembled a tomato. The fresh love bites on her neck had already begun to take form. 

Her lips parted as if she was just about to say something but another voice interrupted her. 

“Elliot!” 

Their necks snapped around at the sound of Volek's heavy accent. Fumbling in the semi-darkness of backstage, Ekko managed to find his glasses and his discarded jacket just as Jinx finished buttoning up his shirt. 

Volek entered the backstage looking at the two of them with a look that borderlined disgust. 

“What happened here?” 

“N–nothing professor,” Ekko croaked, hoping the smell of sex wasn't as heavy as he thought it was. 

“Did you two get into a fight?” 

Jinx and Ekko looked at each other's disheveled appearance. 

“No!” 

“Alright,” he didn't sound convinced at all. “We have to be on stage in ten minutes. Make sure you look presentable when you do.” 

Before he left, he turned around, pointing his walking cane to Jinx. 

“You. Come with me. You haven't been to your post for over an hour and people are starting to think the co-creator of the program is a figment of my imagination.” 

Jinx's eyes bounced back to Ekko in distress. The last thing she wanted was to be taken away from him. 

“Now, Papaioannou!”

She let out a small groan at the use of the name that made Ekko let out a small chuckle. 

“It's alright,” he said, taking her hand and squeezing it. “We will talk later.” 

Their fingers stayed interlinked as long as they could before Jinx had to pull away.

Chapter Text

(Do I wanna know?) If this feeling flows both ways?

Do I Wanna Know?-Arctic Monkeys 

“Congratulations Ekko!”

Ekko smiled at the nurses who passed by him as he pushed Mrs. Brown's wheelchair down the main hallway of the Firelight’s Home. Progress Day was days ago but he was still being congratulated by his colleagues and even random people on the street. A Zaunite's invention being the main headline of one of the most important celebrations in Piltover was a big thing for the community. 

“Your photo was everywhere on social media, man! You’re famous!”

“Thanks,” he mumbled a little embarrassed while he finally rolled Mrs. Brown back into her room. 

“You are such a nice young man,” Mrs. Brown smiled as Ekko reviewed her medical chart. “I have a granddaughter, you know. Would you be interested?”

Ekko let out an embarrassed chuckle. It wasn’t the first time Mrs. Brown had tried to make a matchmake between him and her granddaughter, who Ekko had never even met before.

“Ah, what am I saying?” She laughed, patting Ekko’s hand. “A handsome man like you must have someone in his life already, am I right?”

He kindly smiled at the old woman’s teasing, handing the medical chart to a nurse who prepared Mrs. Brown pills while he helped her get back in her bed. 

“We will miss you here in the Firelight’s,” she suddenly said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“Come on, Mrs. B,” Ekko grinned, trying to lift up the woman’s spirits. “I am not leaving until next week. You have plenty of time to try and talk me into dating your granddaughter.”

“Ah, you just love to tease an old woman like me but I see you smiling to yourself! I know there is a girl you woo! Is it that lovely girl with the pink hair who sang to us?”

“Uh,” Ekko looked down at his shoes, avoiding Mrs. Browns' expecting gaze. 

“It’s not her, no.”

“Well whoever it is, she is one lucky gal. But in case things don’t work out you know where to find my granddaughter!”

He gave her a reassuring smile before he slowly withdrew from the room, allowing her to get some rest after she had her medication. It was already noon and Ekko’s shift had ended as he headed to the locker rooms. 

The sudden realization that this may as well be the last time he was doing this almost daily routine dawned on him. Ekko had been working in the nursing home for years. He knew all the residents by their first name and the fact that soon he would never return, left him with a tangle of emotions he wasn't ready to face. 

“Kid!”

Ekko turned around at the sound of Scar’s voice. The head nurse walked up to him with a faint smile on his lips. Ekko had gotten used to his boss’ strict expression but the smile was a welcome change. 

“Are you clocking off?” 

“Yes but if you need help with anything I can stay a little longer.”

“No, no it's all good. I just wanted to congratulate you again about the big presentation. You made all of Zaun really proud, you know.” 

Ekko immediately relaxed. “Thanks, man.” 

“How have you been holding up? Graduation is coming up, right? If you need some more day offs just tell me. Gotta focus on what's important.” 

“Nah, it's good. I will have enough time to prepare for graduation when I'm off work and also help my dad move into a new home, so I already have everything settled.” 

Scar let out a chuckle, impressed. “I should have figured. You always have everything planned beforehand, don't you?” 

“I try to,” Ekko scratched the nape of his neck. 

“Well, I just wanted to let you know that me and the rest of the staff were thinking of throwing you a farewell party. That okay with you?” 

“You guys don't have to get into trouble.” 

“You've been part of the Firelight's crew for more than two years. Everyone's in on it. It's just a little something we want to prepare for you before you leave.” 

Ekko could feel his cheeks burn, both flattered and embarrassed at the lengths his colleagues were willing to go for him. He would miss everyone and a farewell party was the best excuse to see all of them one last time.

“Yeah, okay. I would really love that. If it's not a bother, I mean.” 

Scar threw a light punch at Ekko's arm that still kind of hurt. 

“Own it, Ekko. You deserve all of it.” 

Ekko shook his head but it didn't succeed in getting the stupid grin off his face. 

The moment he entered the locker room, his phone buzzed in his pocket. 

Claggor's caller ID greeted him as he picked it up, placing his cell phone on his ear.

“Hey, man.” 

“It's a perfect Saturday day, the weather is sunny and you need to get your ass over to Lambda Kappa because they are having a pool party.” 

Ekko opened his locker. “What are you guys doing at a frat party?”

Loud noises and water splashing could be heard in the end of the other line.

“Mylo realized he spent the entire spring break depressed about the misunderstanding with Gert and decided he wants to graduate with a bang.” 

He chuckled, taking his scrubs off. “Yeah, that sounds like Mylo.” 

“Wanna talk to him?” 

“Sure. Pass him along.” 

More noises and yells were heard as Claggor passed his cell phone to Mylo. 

“My liege!” Mylo screamed so loud, Ekko had to get his phone away from his ear. 

“Come to Lambda Kappa house immediately! And bring Jinx! Gert says she wants to see her!” 

“What, we like Jinx now?” Ekko asked, putting his black jeans on. “I thought you hated her.” 

“Yeah, yeah okay. I may have been a little wrong about her. But what she did was shitty, you gotta admit!” 

“I know,” he stuffed his work clothes in his backpack, sitting down on the bench. 

“Are you coming or what?”

“I just got off work. Can I get a rain check on this one?” 

“You sure? The prospect of seeing Jinx in a wet bikini is not enough to convince you?” 

Ekko's cheeks heat up so fast he was sure he may have gotten a fever. 

“What the fuck did you just say?” 

Mylo laughed hysterically. “Gert tell Ekko to come over.” 

“Ekko!” Gert's voice was equally loud. “Come over! And bring Jinx!” 

“Jinx is busy with the wedding preparations,” he mumbled under his breath, still beyond embarrassed by Mylo's comment. 

Mylo placed the phone back on his ear. “When's the wedding anyway?” 

“Tomorrow, dickhead. And what the fuck did you say earlier?” 

“Gotta go now! Clag, Ekko wants to talk to you!” 

Ekko ran a hand through his dreads in annoyance as Mylo dodged the question and passed the phone back to Claggor.

“I'm only going to come to that pool party so I can drown Mylo.” 

Claggor's laugh sounded muffled through the music and the general party sounds around him. 

“Good idea. I endorse that notion.” 

“Clag?” 

"What's up man?” 

Ekko leaned his head back against the lockers. This was the absolutely worst time to ask the question that had swirled his mind for weeks but Ekko just had to know. 

“I know this is definitely not the right time and place to have this conversation but do you like Seraphine?” 

Claggor remained silent but the loud voices around him decreased, as he walked away from the crowd to talk to Ekko. 

“You never answered the question,” Ekko pointed out. 

“Yeah, I know.” 

“So?” 

“She is great. I don't know her that well and I already know she is great.” 

“So?” 

“So what?” 

“If she is great then why don't you guys like her?” 

Claggor let out a tired sigh. “We like her. Seraphine has literally done nothing wrong to us. It's just that… Ekko we don't have anything in common. I get that she is making an effort when she is around us but she only talks about the concerts she wants to attend and what philanthropic galas her mother wants her to attend. I mean, I could only afford to attend one concert my entire life. We can't exactly relate to each other and it shows.” 

“It shows?” 

“Everytime I mention my folks back at Zaun her eyes go wide and she ensures me she is ‘very connected with her Zaunite side’. I don't know, man. She seems like a genuinely nice girl but she is kind of conceited.” 

Ekko was left to ponder on the points that Claggor made. He had noticed them before but he had thought they would fade with time. 

“Have you talked to her?” 

“No,” Ekko rubbed his temples. “I had a meeting with her godmother yesterday to sign a contract but I canceled it. She has gone radio silent on me since then. I think she is angry about that.”

After a brief silence, Ekko sat up, taking his backpack in hand. Suddenly, he felt tired. 

“Listen, I'll call you later. I'm still at the Firelight's and I need to go home ‘cause my dad wants the car. You guys have fun, alright?” 

“See you later.” 

Ekko pushed the phone in his back pocket as he exited the building. After his talk with Claggor it became more and more evident that he really needed to talk to Seraphine. 

He just didn't think it would happen so fast. 

Leaning on a black sports car, Seraphine waited for him with her arms crossed over her chest. 

Ekko's Addams apple bobbed as he walked towards Seraphine. He had expected he would at least have some time to think of what to tell her. 

“Hey.” 

Seraphine pushed her sunglasses on the top of her head. Her annoyance was painted all over her face and mannerisms. 

“Have you been waiting here long?” 

“Yes.” 

“Sorry about that.”

“For what exactly?” 

Seraphine brow was creased as she openly glared at Ekko. 

“Are you sorry for making me wait or for turning down my godmother like that?” 

“Sera,” Ekko brashed himself. Her anger was more than rightful. 

“I get that you are upset but I never made any promises to her. I said I would consider signing a contract with them but another offer that resonates more with me came up.” 

“Very convenient to drop out exactly when Jinx ended her own contract.” 

Ekko frowned. “Jinx had nothing to do with my decision.” 

“Oh, really?” Seraphine said scoffing. 

“Yes. This is my decision and mine alone. I had been thinking about it for some time and I didn't even know that Jinx had broken her contract and even if she hadn't, I would have still done the same.” 

Seraphine's glare softened a little, the cracks of her sadness seeping through. Ekko felt a jerk in his heart. He truly felt awful for hurting her. 

“Look, I'm so sorry. I know you talked to your godmother about the contract and I feel awful that I involved you in all of this.” 

“So what, were you just using me to get to my auntie?” 

“Of course not!” Ekko took Seraphine's hands in his, squeezing them to emphasize his point. “I genuinely wanted to know you from the moment we met at the opera. I didn't even know you knew Cassandra Kiramann!”

Seraphine couldn't deny the truth in that. It was her who had pushed for a meeting between Ekko and Cassandra. In a way she had kickstarted this whole mess while only having the best intentions. 

“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, Ekko,” she sobbed. “How could you throw it away?” 

“Sera…”

“I threw in a good word to my auntie for you and you just made me look like an idiot in front of her! Do you understand that you could be working for the number one manufacturing company in the world? How can you be okay with working in places like this but not at Kiramann Industries?” 

The accusation in her voice made Ekko drop his hold on her hands. He couldn't recognize her. 

“I like to work when I know I can make a difference.” 

“Yes, because you don't have a choice! If you worked for my godmother, money would never be an issue! You could be something more than just a Zaunite with a scholarship! You could make a name for yourself!” 

“It's not about the money,” Ekko's voice was a whisper. His disappointment in Seraphine knew no end. 

“It's about what's morally right. What would make me and the community I grew up in proud.” 

Seraphine clicked her tongue, looking away from Ekko. 

“I thought you would understand.” 

“I understand that you are making a mistake that you will end up regretting. I wanted to help you!”

“Help me in what?” 

Ekko took a step closer to Seraphine. She had no other choice but to look him straight in the eyes. 

“Did you like me or did you like the idea of what I could become?” 

Seraphine opened her mouth but quickly closed it again, regretting the immediate answer her mind came up with. 

“I like you Ekko,” she set on saying. “I just think you could be more.” 

“But this is who I am.”

Ekko gestured to the nursing home, Benzo's car parked only a few feet away from Seraphine's sports car and to himself. The washed out fabric of his jeans. His shirt with the tiny holes from having it washed too many times. The ancient backpack he had since high school. 

“I may live in Piltover but I'm Zaun. This is who I am. This… this is who I will always be. I don't want to achieve status or earn more money than me or my dad need to live. I want to help people. I want to make a change.”

Seraphine looked at him with glossy from tears eyes. Once again, Ekko clasped her hands in his, looking down at their interlinked bodies. They were fundamentally different. 

“You are a great girl, Sera. You're smart and so talented and I know you have kindness in your heart. But you can't change me. I am not a blank slate that you can fill out the way you want. I am never going to back out on who I am and you have to respect that. We would never work out.”

“I wish you weren't such a gentleman,” Seraphine let out a cry as tears rolled down her eyes. Ekko brought her hands to his lips, kissing them in a way that could only be described as camaraderie on his part. 

Seraphine drew back, wiping her tears in embarrassment, too proud to be seen crying out in the open.

“Did you even like me?” 

“I do like you,” Ekko hesitated. “But not in the way you want me to.” 

Seraphine lowered her head. “It's Jinx isn't it?” 

“I should have been honest with you from the beginning. I really wanted to give us a chance but I wasn't emotionally prepared.”

Ekko let out a deep breath. God, he was so pathetic. 

“To be honest, I don't think I will ever be emotionally prepared. She is very confusing you know. Fucks your right up.” 

Seraphine let out a laugh despite the tears that wetted her lashes. 

“I'm sorry,” she finally said. 

“I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have used you to get over my ex. You don't deserve that. No one does but you especially.”

Seraphine threw her long hair behind her shoulder. “It'a not entirely your fault. You were searching for a love you already had with someone else.” 

The words pierced right through his heart. He couldn't have phrased this any better. 

“Something like that.” 

Seraphine folded her arms over her chest, defensively. 

“So? What now?” 

“So,” Ekko let out a breath through his nosestrills. “I guess I'll see you around.” 

“Yeah,” Seraphine smiled bitterly. “Thought so.” 

“You don't have to disappear,” Ekko offered, gently. “I will be here if you need anything. As a friend.” 

Seraphine nodded. “I might need a friend.” 

Ekko smiled, opening his arms and hugging Seraphine one last time. The hug only lasted a few seconds before she drew back, sniffing her nose and trying to block more tears from resurfacing. 

“I guess I'll see you around,” she said, getting into her car and pushing her sunglasses back on her nose.

Ekko watched her car drive off until there was no sign of her anymore. Only then did he enter his own car with his heart much lighter than before. 

ⴵ

“If I hear another Spice Girls song, I will riot.” 

Jinx let out a cackle that was barely heard through the sound of the music that travelled through the living room. She set down the plate of mini sandwiches next to the rest of the food that was served for the bachelor guests to enjoy. 

She couldn't believe that the day of her father's bachelor party had arrived. After weeks of tasting different cake flavors, trying the world's most uncomfortable shoes and handwriting the address of each guest on the wedding invitations, finally she could say that tomorrow all this would end. 

Standing next to her by the buffet, Vi tried to lower the hem of her dress, which was identical to the one Jinx wore. They were Vander's gifts for them, each for one daughter. 

Isha was wearing a dress just like that but she was spending the night with Silco in his apartment. Their father said he didn't want a bachelor, just to spend a little time with his daughters and since Jinx and Vi had to help around with Vander's bachelor, Isha would spend the night celebrating with Silco. 

“I love dad but wearing those dresses is a humiliation ritual,” she said, playing with the huge bow on the front of her dress. “I look like a present.” 

“No, we look like curtains. Look at that flower pattern. It's like something someone's grandma would hang on her house.” 

Both sisters laughed at the comparison. The party around them was in full swing. Benzo and the rest of Vander's friends were having fun and Vander stood overjoyed in the middle of it. 

“It is so great to see him have fun like that,” Vi said, swinging an arm over Jinx's shoulder and pulling her younger sister close to her. 

Jinx smiled softly, passing her arm around Vi's waist and holding on to her sister as they watched their father tell a story to a group of his old friends. Finally, after everything he had been through for their sake, Vander could enjoy his life without worrying. 

But there were thoughts lingering on the back of Jinx's mind that permitted from share her father's joy. 

“How are you?” 

“I will be ecstatic tomorrow when I won't have to worry about the wedding anymore. You?” 

“No, I mean,” Jinx cleared her throat. “Are you mad at me?” 

Vi turned to her. “Why on earth would I be mad at you? Did you burn those muffins you baked earlier?” 

“No, the muffins are fine,” Jinx lied. In fact the muffins were burned to the crisp and hidden in a Tupperware container for Jinx to munch on later. 

“I meant my contract. Are you mad about that?” 

Vi's lips parted. With the upcoming wedding, Jinx only had enough time to announce to her family that she had broken her contract with Kiramann Industries. She knew she had Silco's support in anything she did and Isha wasn't a problem but Vander and Vi's reaction made her fearful. That is why she had been avoiding having a conversation with either of them. 

She was afraid of their disappointment. 

Vi squeezed her tighter. “I am not mad. Not at all.”

“Really?” There was hope in her tone. “I mean I quit my job and your girlfriend's mom is my boss.” 

“Jinxie, Cait doesn't mind and I don't either. It's your job and your life.” 

“I thought you wanted me to work for Cassandra.”

“I want what is best for you,” Vi said, turning to Jinx.

“Sure, it would be nice if you worked for Cait's mom. But I knew you couldn't stand working for her since day one. Now you have earned enough money to be able to choose who you work for. So go for it.” 

“Are you serious?” Jinx blinked, confused. “You're not mad at all?”

Vi ruffled Jinx's hair. “I’m not. It's not like I ever liked Cassandra. And Cait recently had a fight with her so she is totally on your side too.” 

“What did they fight about?” Jinx said, passing her fingers through her hair in an attempt to comp them. 

Vi smiled bitterly. “Me.” 

“Shit. Vi, I shouldn't have–”

“No, it's okay,” Vi smiled, cockily. “Cait finally stood up to her about our relationship. You should have seen her. My baby was so tough I wanted to grab her and kiss her right there and then.” 

Jinx smiled and Vi pinched her cheek like she did when they were younger. 

“Sorry if I was being a bitch to you about the Kiramanns. I should have never forced you to make a decision you didn't want. But I wanted them to accept me and you are my sister. Turns out I don't even need their acceptance.” 

“Well, thank you for apologizing. And I'm really glad that Cait isn't here to see you because I don't think she would have fought for you if she saw you in this dress.” 

Vi raised her middle finger to Jinx, making her laugh. 

“I'm going to find something to drink if I need to survive the rest of the night.”

“He got down on one knee so I got down on two!” Their father laughed with his friends loudly. 

Vi cringed in disgust. “I'm out of here.” 

And with that she trailed away from the living room, still trying to lower the mini skirt of her dress. 

Jinx smiled as another song from the 90's playlist her father picked started playing. She gathered the empty plates and abandoned wine glasses from the buffet, returning them to the kitchen. She liked to be useful and was more than happy to keep her hands and mind occupied. 

She had been too busy to have the time to think about what took place backstage on Progress Day. Jinx didn't want to think about it. 

She just wanted to focus on her parents' day. They had been all waiting for it for so long and finally everything was settled. She would think about everything else after. 

“Jinx.” 

Jinx turned her head. Vander trailed to her with a smile Jinx could only describe as devious. 

“Do you want help with carrying those plates?” 

“No, I'm good, dad. You should get back to your party!”

“I will, I will. I just wanted to talk to you alone for a minute.” 

The plates Jinx held in her hand nearly slipped from her fingers. 

“Right now? Can't it wait until after the wedding?” 

“It has to be now, sweetheart.” 

Jinx set the plates down in resignation. She would rather hear the earful from her father after all this was over but it seemed she didn't have a choice in the matter. 

Vander smiled, gesturing for Jinx to follow him back to his bedroom. 

“We will have some quiet in here,” he said as Jinx closed the door behind her, already crossing his bedroom to search for something in his nightstand table. 

“What did you want to talk about?” 

“Ah,” Vander took out a photo frame from the drawer of his nightstand table. “I wanted to give you this.” 

Hesitantly, Jinx took the old photo frame in her hands. A small gasp passed her lips as she gazed at a previously unseen photo of her parents on their wedding day. 

“Silco found it when he was cleaning out his apartment,” Vander said, looking at the photo. “Felicia gave it to him a long time ago.” 

Jinx couldn't take her eyes off her mother in her white wedding dress. 

“She looks beautiful.” 

“And you look so much like her,” Vander cupped Jinx's cheek.

“Me and Silco didn't know your parents back then but we always wished we could be at their wedding. And now you girls get to be on our own.” 

Jinx's eyes burned. 

“God,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes to make the tears go away. “I promised myself I would only cry tomorrow.” 

Vander laughed but his own eyes were filled with tears. 

“Can I keep this?” Jinx asked, shielding the photo frame against her chest. 

“Of course you can. But show it to Vi too. She would want to see it.” 

Jinx glanced back at the picture one more time, not getting enough of seeing her parents’ faces. 

“Do I really look like mom?” 

“You do, sweetheart. Every day you resemble her more and more.” 

Vander gently put his arm around Jinx, hugging her. 

“I don't really say it as often as I should but I am really proud of you Jinx.” 

“Yeah, right,” Jinx stepped back. “You are disappointed because I quit from Kiramann Industries.” 

“Don't ever say that,” Vander said seriously but his tone never lost its gentleness. “I have never and will never be disappointed in my daughters.” 

Jinx blinked at her father, confused. 

“You're not?” 

“Of course not, Jinx.” 

“But,” Jinx sat on the bed, the photo of her parents resting on her thighs. “You always say I should live up to my potential and not waste the opportunities that come my way.” 

Her father sat beside her, his presence reassuring in a way that was always constant throughout Jinx's life.  

“I do want you to live up to your potential. And that means being true to yourself. You finally know your worth, Jinx. You looked at those Piltie losers and said I do not want to end up like your lot and left. They are the ones who need you. Not the other way around.” 

A new wave of unshed tears blurred Jinx's vision. Vander comfortedly patted her knee. 

“You are so smart and I just didn't wanted you to end up like me, having to work your ass to afford the basics. But you are so much like your mother, Jinx. You take chances. And I couldn't be more proud of that.” 

Jinx carefully set the picture aside before she buried herself in her father's embrace. Vander's strong arms came around her and only then did Jinx allow a single, shameful tear to roll down her cheek. 

“I lost a lot of money when I broke the contract,” her voice came out muffled by her father's shirt. 

“We can sell the house. We'll figure it out. But it's not something you have to handle on your own.” 

Jinx pulled back, wiping her cheek before her father noticed she had shed a few tears. 

“But you still have the scholarship, right?” 

“Yes dad,” Jinx rolled her eyes. “They are not going to throw me out when graduation is just weeks away.” 

“Just checking. You never know how those people think.” 

Jinx let out an almost inaudible laugh. She gazed at her parents' picture one last time. She looked like her mother. And her father and the two men that had raised her. She was a combination of all the people she loved and she loved them back. 

And there was nothing wrong with accepting the love others gave her even if at times she felt undeserving of it. 

“Dad?” 

Vander looked at Jinx expectingly. “Yes?” 

“Would you mind if I left your party a little earlier?” 

ⴵ

There were strangest things in life than a knock on a dorm room at midnight. But to Ekko, it was the most bizarre thing that had happened to him all day. 

Setting his book aside, he went to open the door, half expecting to find a drunk Mylo being carried by Claggor but not even his wildest guess could have predicted who stood at his porch. 

Jinx smiled. “Hi.” 

Ekko was still in a daze. He looked at her up and down, taking in the old fashioned print of her dress and the hideous bow in the middle of her chest. He had no idea why Jinx would wear something like that. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“I was at my dad's bachelor party and I remembered I had forgotten to give you something.” 

She gestured to a red envelope on her hand that Ekko had overlooked when he was looking at her. 

“Come in,” he said, stepping aside and letting her in his dorm room. 

Jinx let her gaze run around Ekko's room. She had to do a double take when her eyes fell on the second bed pushed to the opposite wall. 

“What's that?” 

“My roommate,” Ekko whispered, trying not to wake up his sleeping roommate. “He is a heavy sleeper but let's keep it quiet, okay?”

This wasn't at all how Jinx had imagined this late night meeting would go. She had at least imagined it would just be the two of them. Not losing hope, she extended the envelope to Ekko. 

“This is for you,” she whispered as Ekko opened the envelope, curious about what it contained. 

It took a few seconds for Ekko to understand he was looking at lawsuit papers. 

“What's this?”

“Silco owed me a favor for those letters he never gave me. So I asked him to sue Marcus.” 

Ekko's jaw hung open. He looked back at the papers. It was a letter of intent to sue addressed to Marcus Wallis, signed by Silco's hand with his law firm's name all over it. 

“You are suing him for abuse of power?” 

Jinx nodded. “My father searched the matter and there are more people who have complained about him. You won't have to do anything other than give a statement. Only if you want of course. Dad says there can still be a trial with just the other victims so you don't have to feel pressure.” 

Ekko had never felt more touched by a notion. Nobody had ever done something like that for him. 

“I don't know what to say.” 

“You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to see it before I mail it in the morning.”

She shrugged, nonchalantly. “I mean it's the least I could do after everything you've done for Isha. Don't think I forgot how much you helped.” 

Ekko's lips were still half-open, unsaid words begging to spill from his mouth. Jinx licked her own lips, remembering the feeling of Ekko's mouth on hers. 

A loud snore from Ekko's roommate brought both of them back to reality. 

Taking the papers, she placed them back on the envelope. 

“I guess I'll see you at the wedding tomorrow. And sorry for the intrusion.” 

Ekko acted fast, grabbing Jinx's arm before she could turn around. 

“You don't have to leave.”  

Jinx hesitated. “It's late and the wedding is tomorrow.” 

“So sleep over. Get some rest and you can go home tomorrow.” 

“Your roomate–”

“My roommate is knocked out. And even if he wasn't, it's my room too.” 

Jinx's mind was struggling to come up with more reasons on why she should leave. Her feet were aching from wearing heels for hours and the prospect of laying down seemed too tempting. 

“Jinx. Stay.” 

The pleading tone of Ekko's whisper made Jinx shiver. 

“Okay.” 

Ekko smiled. “Okay?” 

“Yeah, okay.”

He let go of her arm, taking a step back to give her some space. Jinx played with the itchy fabric of her dress, awkwardly. 

“Can you lend me some clothes?” She whispered, maintaining her voice low enough so the roommate wouldn't be disturbed. 

“I really want to get out of this monstrosity.” 

“Sure,” Ekko rushed to his dresser, picking out a well ironed shirt and a pair of brand new sweatpants. 

“Why are you even wearing that thing? I mean no shade but red and orange aren't exactly your go to colors.” 

“It's Vander's pre-wedding gift for us. Me, Isha and Vi have matching dresses.”

“I'm really sorry.” 

Jinx smiled, clutching the clothes to her chest. “Turn around.” 

Obediently, Ekko turned around, allowing her privacy to change. The ruffling of Jinx's clothes was messing with his perverted mind but Ekko maintained his gaze focused on the wall. 

“You can turn back around now.” 

Ekko did so but immediately regretted it. Seeing Jinx in his clothes in the middle of his room under the soft light of his nightstand lamp was not good for his poor heart. 

He swallowed hard. “Comfortable?” 

Jinx looked down at the baggy clothes that covered her. If Ekko wasn't standing right there she would have smelled his shirt and giggled like a schoolgirl that she got to be in Ekko's clothes. 

“Better than what I previously wore,” she said, kicking the dress that laid on Ekko's floor. 

Ekko nodded, keeping his eyes at the fabric of the hideous dress that Vander had picked. He couldn't look at Jinx without feeling the urge to hug her. 

“Do you want me to lend you a toothbrush or something? I may have one laying somewhere around.”

“Sorry but can I just lay down? It's been a long day.” 

“Yeah, sure,” Ekko stepped aside, offering her his messy bed. “All yours.” 

Jinx's eyes travelled from the bed to Ekko. “Lay down.” 

“Me first?” 

“It's your bed.” 

“Yes but you are my host. You should lay down first.” 

“So you don't mind that we will share a bed?” 

“We don't have another choice except…”

They both glanced at the roommate. His back was turned to them as he continued to snore and mumble incoherent nonsense in his sleep. 

“I'm not sleeping with that guy.” 

“Me neither.” 

“So we should just sleep together.” 

“Right.” 

A beat of silence passed before Jinx spoke up. 

“We have fallen asleep on the same bed before.” 

“If my memory doesn't fail me, yes.”

Jinx bit her lower lip, unsure of her next move. She could continue to stand five feet away from Ekko and debate on what they should do next or just get on with it. 

“Right,” Ekko broke the fine silence, pushing the covers aside and laying on his back in the bed. 

The first step was made. Now it was Jinx's turn. 

She looked at the bed. Ekko could hardly fit in it alone. How the fuck would he make room for another body besides him without falling out of the bed? 

The answer was simple. Jinx would have to sleep on top of Ekko to save space. And Ekko knew it too. That's why he had kept his eyes glued to the ceiling instead of looking at her. 

With a sigh, Jinx climbed on the bed. She slipped on top of Ekko, trying to not hurt him as she slowly sank down on him. Her thighs on each side of his hips and her head perfectly positioned on the crook of his neck. 

The moment Jinx's familiar weight sank down on his body, Ekko pulled her closer, his hands moving to the small of her back as he held her. 

They both remained completely still. 

“Am I hurting you?” Jinx whispered right in Ekko's ear and he knew she hadn't intended for it to be so sultry but goddammit, he was already at his limit. 

“No. No, not at all.” 

“Okay.” 

“I'm sorry about the bed being small.” 

“It's not your fault. I'm sorry for staying over.” 

“I wanted you to.” 

Jinx buried her face in Ekko's shoulder. This was so embarrassing. Her crotch was laying flat on Ekko's stomach and she knew that if she ground her hips she would feel the strong muscle of his abs. 

“Jinx?” 

She nearly fell out of bed at the sudden call of her name. 

“Hm?” 

“I broke things off with Seraphine.” 

The complete silence was disturbed by the roommate's constant snoring. Jinx would kill that fucker if he kept snoring like a chainsaw. 

“There wasn't anything serious between us that needed to be officially over,” Ekko spoke in the almost darkness of the room. “But I wanted to give her a proper answer. An honest one.” 

Jinx swallowed audibly. “Did she get angry?” 

“No. She understood. We would never work out.” 

Jinx's fist curled around the bedsheets, holding on to them. 

“It's a shame.” 

Ekko's brow furrowed. “What?” 

“It's a shame things didn't work out.”

“Jinx what the fuck are you talking about?” 

“It's just…” Jinx let go of the sheets, her freshly manicured for the wedding nails glowing in the minimum light of the room.

“I always pictured you would end up with a girl like Seraphine. You know, smart, sophisticated, not a total train wreck. Someone you deserved.” 

Ekko could feel Jinx's wild heartbeat against his own chest. 

“But what about what I want? Doesn't that matter?” 

“What we want is not always what we deserve.” 

“I disagree,” Ekko pulled her body more firmly against his. Jinx let out a sharp breath when they found each other impossible close. 

It hadn't failed Ekko's attention that Jinx never said she loved him back after his confession on Progress Day. Was he even prepared for the answer Jinx would give him? Did he really want to know the truth? 

“I know very well what I deserve and what I want. And they both happen to be the same.” 

Jinx was really glad Ekko couldn't see her face from the angle they were in. All her insecurities had fogged her vision. How could Ekko leave someone like Seraphine for her? She had made his life a living hell and Ekko may have forgiven her but she would never forgive herself. 

Jinx was aware of each one of her flaws and they were a lot to count. She didn't deserve such a gift as Ekko's love. And he definitely didn't deserve the ticking time bomb that was her, counting down the minutes until it detonated. 

“I'm a patient man,” Ekko's whisper nearly made Jinx squirm. “And I'm going to keep saying it until that stubborn head of yours understands that I am in love with you. Flaws and all.” 

Jinx bit down on her tongue so hard she tasted the silver honey of her own blood. 

“Have you talked to Doctor Reveck yet?” She said instead. Jinx couldn't let herself destroy Ekko any further. He didn't deserve that. 

Ekko closed his eyes, fatigue catching up to him.

“No. Have you?” 

“Not yet. We should have a meeting together. I mean he made a job offer to both of us right? And we are a team.” 

“That we are.” 

Jinx swallowed, the bitter taste of her blood feeling foreign on her tongue. She shouldn't have bitten her tongue so hard. The wedding was tomorrow for God's sake! How on earth would she make a speech with a swollen tongue? 

And all because she couldn't utter four simple words. 

I love you too.

Ekko wrapped his arms firmer around Jinx's waist. 

“Good night, Blue.” 

“Night.” 

Jinx counted Ekko's heartbeats until her eyelids fluttered close. Asleep on his chest and nuzzling against him, neither had to worry the other was going anywhere. 

They were both in the right place. 

Chapter Text

I still remember the first fall of snow

And how it glistened as it fell

I remember it all too well

All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)-Taylor Swift

Having to live with selective amnesia was a challenge that Jinx tried not to think about. It was like a whole chapter of her life had been wiped out in favor of protecting her mental health, all the bad memories of the past having been lost. 

But the happy times, she remembered those. 

And seeing Vander and Silco walk out of the city hall, hand in hand was the happiest moment of her life, engraved in her memory forever. Nobody could take that from her. 

Jinx looked around at the wedding venue with a small but proud smile on her lips. The after party lived up to the expectations of such a wedding. Guests swung to the music on the dance floor or stayed seated on their tables enjoying the food the busy waiters left in front of them. 

There was a buzzing of joy everywhere around the hall. 

“I got to say,” Jinx whispered-yelled at her sister's ear in their native language. “You outdid yourself!”

Vi smirked behind the rim of her champagne glass. Her mascara was a little smudged from shedding a few tears during the wedding ceremony.

“I told you that burgundy was the right color for the decoration! Silco was the only one who shared my vision!” 

The newlyweds were sharing a slice of their wedding cake (cookie flavored by Isha's demand) whispering secrets to each other while watching Ekko dance with their youngest around on the dance floor. 

Isha giggled as Ekko spun her around, some strands of light brown hair having escaped the elaborate French braid that Jinx braided for her that morning. The nose canceling headphones shielded her ears, protecting her still sensitive hearing as Ekko guided her to the rhythm of the music. 

Jinx's heart tugged at the sight in front of her. It wasn't just the fact that Ekko was in his dark green suit, the same one he wore on Progress Day that made her chest all tight but his gentleness with Isha.

It was making all this so much harder than it needed to be. 

Vi scoffed next to her, pulling Jinx out of her daze. 

“Why is public enemy number one dancing with Isha?” 

“Jesus, Vi.” 

“I was too busy with the preparations to handle him but don't worry. There is a conversation we need to have soon.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Does this have to happen on our parents wedding day?” 

“Well,” Vi set her champagne glass down, placing her arm around her girlfriend's waist. Jinx didn't even notice Cait approaching them. 

“I didn't say I would do it now.” 

Caitlyn left a kiss on Vi's lips. Jinx took a sip of champagne, masking her grimace. 

When she pulled away, Cait smiled at her. 

“Hello Jinx.” 

Jinx raised her glass, her mouth still full of champagne. Unexpectedly, Caitlyn left Vi's side, trapping Jinx into a hug.

“Oh, okay,” Jinx patted Cait's back, awkwardly. “Hugging.” 

Cait pulled back, holding Jinx by her forearms. “How have you been?” 

“Good? I've been good, yeah.” 

“Good! You should be good! And if some things were said between you and my mother just know that I fully support you. I mean, I love my mother but I know she can be a little tyrannical at times.” 

“Tyrannical?” Jinx laughed. “Cait, only you could use that word unironically in a sentence.” 

Cait laughed, holding on to Vi. The indigo colored dress she wore contrasted perfectly with Vi's bright red hair. Even their preferred colors were the total opposite of each other but they made it work.

“You guys look good together,” her words held all the truth in the world. Jinx was thankful Vi had Cait in her life. 

The couple shared a look, getting lost in each other's eyes. 

“Would you mind if I steal her for a dance?” 

Jinx smiled. “Keep her for the rest of the night if you can.” 

I will talk to Ekko later! Vi mouthed to Jinx as Cait dragged her to the dance floor. 

Don't you dare! Jinx mouthed back. 

The couple disappeared into the crowd and Jinx had nothing better to do than return back to the newlyweds’ table. 

“Dearest,” Silco greeted as soon as Jinx took the seat next to him. 

“Did you get hungry, sweetheart?” Vander laughed, his hand always clasping Silco's. 

“Yeah,” Jinx pulled her half-eaten plate in front of her. She had been making progress with eating, following Sky's advice to eat small amounts of food throughout the day, hardly having any second thoughts before eating. 

Jinx stabbed a potato with her fork and drank some wine while the dj switched the song. In the distance she caught sight of Isha signing something to Ekko before she grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the crowd. 

Isha stomped towards the table, offering them a mega-watt smile. 

There's my little dancer! Jinx opened her arms, hugging her. 

Did you get tired?

Yes! 

Isha grabbed a glass of water, gulping it down. Her French braid was completely undone and the collar of her bridesmaid's dress was drenched in sweat. 

Okay, no more dancing for a while okay? You need to rest now. 

Jinx raised her eyes to Ekko, hesitantly. He was standing a little further, rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt after taking his jacket off. A few veins popped in his forearms. Jinx swallowed.

“Did she exhaust you?”

Ekko shook his head but Jinx could see the slight rise and fall of his chest. 

“It was fun. I can still go for another dance if the kid wants me to.” 

Isha turned around quickly, as if she had been paying attention to their conversation. 

Ekko you should dance with Jinx now!

Ekko is tired. Jinx answered for him. You made him dance for so long and he needs to rest now. 

Isha's eyes searched for Ekko's, puppy dog eyes begging him to back her up. 

“I don't mind,” he offered, voice steady through the loud music. “If you don't mind.” 

Jinx's shoulder slumbed in defeat. She had convinced herself that after the wedding ceremony it would be easy to avoid a direct confrontation with Ekko but she had forgotten that Isha was still trying to set them up. 

Jinx pinched Isha's cheek before she got up. The little girl grinned entirely satisfied with herself as Ekko offered his arm for Jinx to take.

Silco's eyes narrowed as he watched the couple trail away. 

“I still can't believe you and Benzo let Ekko stay in the room next to Jinx's.” 

“Why?” 

“Because, dear, they used to date when they were younger. Was I the only one scared they might rekindle?” 

Vander looked at him with his mouth agape, staring in shock. Silco shook his head. 

“Don't tell me you didn't know. It only takes one look at them to understand it!” 

The music changed into a slow R&B song just as Jinx and Ekko reached the dance floor. Jinx looked at the couples around her who immediately began swinging to the rhythm. 

“Is it a good time to tell you that I don't know how to dance?” 

Ekko grinned. “You know how to dance.” 

“Not this kind of music. I need something more chaotic to get my moves on.” 

“We'll figure it out.” 

The air was knocked from her lungs when Jinx felt Ekko's arm come around her, palms resting high on her back. She moved awkwardly, placing her hands on his shoulders, mimicking the way a couple next to them was dancing. 

“Just move slowly,” Ekko whispered, making Jinx shut her eyes tight. “And from afar it looks like we are dancing.” 

“The problem is what people who aren't looking from afar will see.” 

“Don't think about them. They don't matter. Just focus on me.” 

Ekko pushed her closer to him, guiding Jinx to the sound of the music. Looking down at her feet, Jinx made slow steps left and right and hoped this could pass as dancing. 

When Ekko spoke up it almost made her lose her balance and step on him with her heels. 

“There was a thief in my room today.” 

Jinx blinked. “Really?” 

“Oh, yes. She was gone before my alarm went off so I didn't catch her. Stole my board as a means of escape, I believe. Though it is kind of funny to picture her skating down the road in that dress she wore last night. The pattern of it kind of looked like a carpet.” 

Jinx couldn't suppress her smile. Ekko gave a satisfied smile of his own while looking down at her. 

“I didn't mean to leave without saying anything but it was too early to wake you up and I had to get home fast to get ready for the wedding.” 

“I understand. You had to get out of that dress as soon as possible.” 

Jinx let out a carefree laugh. Ekko would never get tired of hearing that sound. 

“I really like this dress,” his palms slid a little lower, caressing the fabric of the teal gown Jinx wore. 

“Vi let me pick the color.”

“I can tell,” Ekko nodded. “You looked good on that black dress you wore on Progress Day but this is different. It is true to you if that makes sense.” 

It did make sense. The bright teal shade of the bridesmaids dresses was eye-catching but not too bold to take the attention away from the married couple. It contrasted nicely with the baby blue color of her tattoos and Jinx had made sure to play with green and blue tones on her makeup as well. 

Of course he had noticed how much she loved to play around with the colors of her clothes and makeup. Ekko knew her too well. Jinx couldn't hide anything from him it seemed. 

“Are you saying you are glad that Vander didn't pick the bridesmaid dresses?”  

Ekko smiled. “Yeah, that's exactly what I'm trying to say.” 

But his smile quickly faded when they remained quiet. He had been making an effort to be in a good mood all night but the truth was that he was too lost in thought to allow himself to actually have fun. 

Jinx lowered her head. She shouldn't have left his dorm without at least leaving a note but she really had to get home in time. Now she felt terrible for something that couldn't be changed. 

“I'll return your skateboard as soon as I can.”

Ekko was taken aback by the abrupt change of topic. 

“Hang on to it for a while if you need it. I have Benzo's car now that he isn't moving between Piltover and Zaun so much.” 

“Does he like his new apartment?” 

“Yes. It's nothing fancy but it's close to the shop and that's enough for dad.”

Ekko continued to guide Jinx as they danced in silence. Those long pauses were really uncomfortable when there were so many unsaid things between them. 

“It was a beautiful wedding.” 

Jinx let out a small relieved breath when Ekko broke the agonizing silence. 

“Thank you. Vi had all of us working day and night to make it happen.” 

“Would you ever want to get married?” 

Immediately upon asking that question, Ekko regretted it. 

He cleared his throat, trying to take the attention away from what he had just asked. 

“Stupid question. I am just trying to make small talk. You don't have to answer that.” 

“No, it's not a stupid question,” Jinx's fingers flexed against his shoulders, holding him tighter. 

“To be honest, no. I don't think I am really marriage material. Plus, I don't want another last name, I already have too many.” 

Ekko didn't laugh at her joke. 

“Why do you say that?” 

“Because I don't think anyone would want to be tied down to me. I mean for a while it might be fun but forever is a long time to spend with me.” 

Noticing his confused frown, Jinx added. 

“They would get bored of me. Probably grow tired of how childish I can be and leave. I get it.” 

“Jinx, you couldn't be boring even if you tried.”

“I know I am. My temper is terrible and no one can handle that everyday. Eventually, people get bored of me and just stop bothering. I don't blame them.” 

Ekko considered her silently, his eyes steadily searching Jinx's face. 

“Then they weren't right for you. Because I promise you, if someone bothers to get to know you even a little they would never want to get away from you.” 

Ekko's hazelnut glare had turned soft, like he was actively aching for her to understand him. 

“Just because you are not the picture of perfection as you have it in your head, doesn't mean you can't be lloved. You can. But you have to let someone in, Jinx.” 

The song ended and a much more funky tune echoed through the wedding venue. Jinx dropped her arms from around Ekko's shoulders, falling like dead weights on her sides. Her heart was beating too fast to allow her head to form any thoughts. 

“Can I cut in?” 

They both turned at the sudden intrusion. A smiling Vi appeared by their side, trapping Ekko in a headlock. 

“Vi, now is not the time,” Jinx managed to croak out, voice strained from all the emotions she was feeling. 

“Me and Ekko will have a small chat. Don't we?” 

Vi loosened her grip, letting Ekko free himself. His eyes flickered to Jinx and then back at Vi. 

“Make it quick.” 

“You don't get to tell me what to do, Elliot.” 

“Phaedra!” 

Vi's eyes widened in shock at being called by her name after so long. 

“I didn't curse at you,” she said to Jinx, almost offended. 

“Behave, okay? This is still Silco and Vander's wedding. Don't ruin their day.” 

Then, passing her arm much more tamely against Ekko's shoulder she smiled.

“I am always behaving accordingly. Can't say the same for Elliot over her–”

“Phaedra!” 

“God, what's up with you and that name today? You haven't called me like that in years!” 

Wanting to avoid being called by her Greek name another time, Vi pushed Ekko away from the dance floor. Jinx didn't have a single clue what Vi was going to say to Ekko. Probably try to scare him off or tell exaggerated lies about her. 

She didn't have the emotional capacity to care about that right now. 

Her heart and head were still acting on their own, never agreeing on what to do or say when it came to Ekko. Jinx needed a drink to help her figure this mess out. 

The kitchen of the venue was on the far end of the room, almost hidden behind giant curtains that draped on either side of the room that made it look like a giant stage. She walked up to a waiter and ordered a glass of champagne, the strongest liquid they had to provide. 

Waiting for her drink to arrive, Jinx walked up and down anxiously. 

“Here?”

Jinx's entire body froze. That was Ekko's voice, coming from the other side of the curtain. She couldn't see him just as he couldn't see her but he was there. 

“Yeah, here. We are away from the crowd,” Vi's voice came to Jinx's ears. 

Of all the places in the venue, they had picked this corner to have their little chat. Jinx leaned against the curtain, trying to listen better. 

“I would actually prefer it if we were with the crowd.” 

Vi let out an annoyed scoff. “I'm not going to actually pick a fight with you. It's just fun to rile Jinx up. Plus we both know that wouldn't end well for you.” 

“Naturally.” 

“I just want to talk to you about Jinx.” 

Jinx held her breath. She imagined Ekko did the same. 

“Listen, she is my little sister. I've known her ever since I can remember myself and there is not a thing I wouldn't do for that girl. And she has been through a lot. Some of which you are responsible for.” 

“I know,” Ekko said in resignation. 

“Now, I know you too and I know you are not a bad man but that's my little sister. Jinx is very sensitive even if she doesn't show it. She wants to give all her love to others but is hesitant to accept it. Her feelings are in line here and I still don't know if I can trust you to not hurt her again.” 

Ekko remained silent for a moment too long, preparing what to say. 

“The last thing I want is to see Jinx hurt. All those years I couldn't live with myself because I knew I hurt her even if it wasn't deliberately. But I grew up. All I do is be honest with her. I never want to let her in the dark about anything in my life.”

“Yeah, you're not really convincing me.” 

“Shit, Vi–”

“And what happened to Seraphine? I thought you were trying to get with her.” 

“I wasn't. It was your sister's idea so we could stay friends.” 

Vi paused and Jinx could clearly picture her with lips in a pout as she usually did when someone was making a good point. 

“Right.”

“Vi, I love her.” 

Jinx clasped a hand over her mouth. Ekko had told her he loved her but she never expected he would admit it so openly to her sister. Like he was proud of it. 

“I want to keep her heart safe. I know I can.” 

“Does she know that?” 

“Yes.” 

Ekko hesitated before speaking again. 

“But she doesn't feel the same as me anymore. She has made that clear.” 

“Has Jinx told you that?” 

“Not explicitly.” 

Vi let out a small laugh. “You are way too old to be acting like lovesick teenagers.” 

Ekko didn't respond. Jinx anxiously waited for his reply but it never came. 

“I need to get some air,” Jinx heard him say through the curtain. 

“Did I scare you off?” 

“You didn't.”

“Good. But if you ever make her cry I will find a way to get away with your murder.” 

Ekko must have given Vi a non verbal answer because after that there was absolute silence. Hastily, Jinx pulled the curtain aside. 

Vi jolted in surprise at the sight of her sister. “How long have you been hiding in there?” 

“Where did he go?” 

“Seriously, this is stalker behavior.” 

“Where did Ekko go, Violet?” 

Vi batted her eyelashes, a little scared of her sister at that exact moment. 

“Outside. He went that way,” she motioned to the exit door. 

“Thanks,” Jinx left a peck on Vi's cheek, leaving her to freak out about her behavior alone, as she made her way to the exit. 

The garden surrounding the venue was quiet, the moonlight casting its weak light on the flowers in the bushes. Only she and Ekko disturbed the nature's peace as she slowly walked under the wooden arch decorated with wisteria where Ekko stood. 

When he heard her coming, Ekko rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, trying to make the tears in his eyes disappear before he turned around. 

“I can't listen in silence without speaking up anymore.” 

His silence did not intimidate Jinx. Instead, it fueled her with the courage she needed to continue. 

“Do you remember the first time I kissed you?” 

Ekko narrowed his eyes in confusion, trying to recall the incident. 

“I was in sixth grade and you were in seventh. It was the winter formal but I had never been to a school dance before and I was scared of all the people so we were sitting outside the school's gym. And it snowed that night for the first time that winter.” 

The memory felt distant but at the same time familiar, like returning to a place of your childhood you had long forgotten about but still feeling welcome. Jinx's soft smile widened when she saw the recognition in Ekko's eyes. 

“A snowflake landed on the tip of your nose and I kissed it away. I was so giddy afterwards even if it wasn't even a proper kiss. But it was real. It was real to me.” 

Jinx took a step closer to Ekko, making him tilt his head downwards to look at her face properly. 

“I remember. Despite everything we have been through, I remember us. But you know what I don't remember?” 

Ekko's voice was strained. “What?” 

“Loving you. I can't remember loving you because I was never parted from that feeling. I never stopped loving you all those years.” 

Ekko was not in any position to calm his emotions when Jinx uttered those words, so unlike his always calm exterior. 

“I'm the worst,” she said with a small embarrassed chuckle. “I've blamed you and I've been so unjust to you and now I tell you that I am in love with you. You really don't deserve this, Ekko.” 

Tears welled up in her eyes, so many of them that Jinx had never thought possible. 

“I am a terrible person,” she sobbed, covering her eyes with her hands. “I get angry and I hold grudges and every other person that entered my life left because I drove them away and I'm fine with it, I'm fine if it's them but not you. Never you.” 

Ekko couldn't just stand there and pretend she hadn't just pierced his soul. In one strand, he closed the distance between them, shielding Jinx in a hug. 

“Am I too late?” Jinx cried out against his chest. 

Ekko pulled back, enough to see her face. He cupped her face, looking at her with so much love in his eyes that Jinx was afraid she would drown in it. 

“You are stupid you know that?” 

“Don't call me stupid,” she sobbed out, tears still running down her face. 

“Hey, I didn't mean it,” Ekko wiped her tears, trying to hold back his laughter. 

“I just think it's stupid that you ask me such things when you know that ever since you got back into my life I can not imagine it without you in it.” 

Jinx blinked away her tears. “You mean that?” 

Ekko laughed, bending down to connect their foreheads. 

“I do. I want to wake up next to you every day from now on. So you better not leave at the crack of dawn again, okay?” 

Jinx smiled and it nearly tore Ekko's heart from how utterly adorable she was. 

“I can't stop smiling.” 

“You better get used to it. That's how it's gonna be from now on as far as I'm concerned.” 

Her smile widened even if her cheeks hurt from the effort. Jinx had thought she had tasted happiness before but this was a whole new kind of joy. Utter, complete joy. 

Ekko wiped the final tears from her cheeks. 

“I never want to hear you say that loving you is some kind of burden when it is literally the greatest gift life offered me.” 

Jinx hid her face against Ekko's chest, hugging him so tight as if she wanted to merge their bodies together. 

“I love you,” she mumbled against the cotton of his dress shirt. “Don't know why it took me so long to say it.” 

Ekko kissed the top of her head. She would never know exactly how happy those words made him but Ekko would try his best to show her every day of their lives. 

“I love you too.” 

Their lips sealed the promise and somewhere in the world the first snowflake of the year must have fallen glistening from the sky.

Chapter Text

I love you don't act so surprised

BIRDS OF A FEATHER-Billie Eillish 

“I am sorry but can you hurry up? It's kind of an emergency!”

The cashier gave Jinx an annoyed look as she took her time weighing the box of sweets. Hastily, Jinx took her phone out of her pocket as the cashier took her sweet ass time. She was so terribly late. Ekko would murder her and he would have every right to do so. 

“Cash or card?” 

Jinx gave the cashier a handful of cash. 

“Keep the change!" She said, grabbing the box and rushing out of the patisserie. 

Her phone vibrated in her pocket as she ran down the central street of Piltover. Balancing the box under her arm Jinx managed to pick it up. She didn't have to look at the caller ID to know who was calling her.  

“I'm late, I'm sorry, I love you, please don't be mad at me!”

“Where are you?” Her boyfriend asked from the other end of the line. “It's about to start!”

“I know, I know. I'll be right there, promise!”

Ekko turned around on his seat, looking at the sea of students dressed in their formal attire of black graduation gowns. The auditorium where the graduation would take place was full, families and graduates-to-be having taken their assigned seats and waiting for the ceremony to begin. 

“Your family has already arrived. Please tell me you are about to enter the auditorium.” 

Jinx ran through the street, dodging the moving cars around her. “I am about to enter the auditorium.” 

“Baby, I love you so much but I will actually kill you if you miss our graduation.” 

Jinx could clearly picture Ekko shaking his head while pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. It was a good look on him even if his disappointment was directed at her.

While she ran back to campus she tripped on a small rock that almost sent the box in her arms flying. 

“Σάλτα γαμήσου και εσύ πρωινιάτικα!”

“Was that directed at me? Because I would prefer it if you cursed at me in a language that I can understand.” 

“Ekko,” Jinx said very seriously. “I am not missing our graduation. Or your speech. You worked so hard for it!” 

“Are you talking to your girlfriend again?” 

The voice of Ekko's roommate was distantly heard from Ekko's end of the line. 

“I'm on the phone Hwei,” Ekko whispered to him. 

“Is emo boy there with you? Tell him I said hi!” 

As a loner, Hwei valued his personal space and quiet time more than anything and both those things were taken from him the moment he was introduced to Jinx. They were complete opposites and Hwei had to endure her constant presence in his dorm room because of how head over heels his roommate was for her.

Ever since the wedding two weeks ago, Ekko and Jinx had been inseperable. The assurance that they were not alone in love made them so attached to the point Jinx would sneak into Ekko's dorm to spend the night much to his roommate's displeasure. 

“Well after today that won't be a problem any more.” 

And turning his attention back to Jinx on the phone, he asked between clenched teeth.

“Are you almost there?”

“I mean keep talking and I will be.” 

“Jinx!”

“Alright, alright. I'll be there in five minutes! Ten tops!” 

“Don't make me kill you. I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

Ekko hung up the phone, ignoring Hwei's judging look. 

Chancellor Medarda approached the podium and the buzzing in the auditorium ceased at once. In the area that was assigned for the families of the students, Ekko could see Vander and Silco call and text in search of Jinx. 

Ekko checked the time on his father's watch. 

“Come on, Jinx, where are you?” 

Jinx's gown flattered in the wind as she ran through the campus grounds. She had spent all week altering it, using Ekko's spray cans to give it the color it lacked. Blue, purple and green streaks of vivid color went down her back as she finally reached the auditorium. 

“And now I would like to call up on the stage this year's valedictorian and class elected speaker, who is graduating today with an invitation to join NASA's engineering crew…”

Chancellor Medarda made a brief pause. She looked more like a goddess than a college chancellor, with her black and gold dress that highlighted the warmth of her dark skin.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present Ekko Elliot.” 

The auditorium erupted in applause as he stood and walked to the stage. Ekko was fairly certain he could distinguish Benzo's proud whistling as he shook Mel's hand and took her place behind the podium. 

Letting out a ragged breath, Ekko looked down at his notes. 

“Good morning esteem faculty, beloved families and most importantly, my fellow graduates.” 

Ekko raised his eyes to look at the crowd, hesitating for a second. He didn't want to do this when Jinx wasn't there. 

Suddenly, his eye caught the movement of a familiar figure pushing through the crowd to reach her seat. 

An immediate smile spread on Ekko's lips as Jinx gave him a double thumbs up when she claimed her seat. 

“It is an honor to be standing here on such an important day,” he continued, Jinx's presence filling him with the strength to continue. 

“Today marks the epilogue of our academic journey. A journey that was as long as it was memorable and educational. We managed to overcome the obstacles that were thrown our way and to grow as people without ever losing the factors that make us, us. Over the last years we learned knowledge that doesn't only apply in a classroom but in life too.” 

From the crowd Jinx smiled at Ekko with glossy from tears eyes. If only those gowns had pockets for tissues. 

“We have achieved our goals and found new dreams to chase and as we stand here today, we are on the threshold of a new beginning. But today doesn't mark the beginning of the rest of our lives but the beginning of another chapter that we ourselves must write. As we embark on this new journey, I want to congratulate each one of you for showing the strength to be proudly standing here. And to use the words of the person I am proud to call my father, let the past stay in the past. And gaze into the future.” 

Ekko took in a sharp breath. The whole auditorium was hanging from his lips. 

“Congratulations graduates.” 

Loud cheers followed his words as he shyly took his place next to his professors. 

“Very well,” Viktor whispered to him as Mel began calling the names of the graduates to step on the stage and gather their diplomas. 

The list of names seemed neverending as he stood and smiled politely at each graduate that came on stage, until Ekko heard that characteristic name. 

“Thekla Papaioannou.”

Jinx rolled her eyes but the smile on her lips was unmistakable. She got up on stage, heading straight towards Ekko and ignoring the designated route to the podium. Grabbing him by the collar she pulled him down for a kiss. 

The crowd let out cheers and whistles as Ekko wrapped his arms around her waist, eagerly responding to the kiss.   

When Jinx pulled away, Ekko fixed his graduation cap, trying to get the proud smirk off his face as their professors shook their heads. 

Jinx walked up to the podium, opting for a high-five and not shaking Jayce's hand before taking her diploma from Mel and posing for the pictures. 

“Oh my God!” 

Benzo smothered Ekko in a hug after the ceremony had finished. 

When he pulled away, he wiped his tears, clutching the enormous camera that he had used to document the ceremony with and Ekko's diploma in his hands. 

“I couldn't be prouder of you. You have exceeded in every way.” 

“Please stop,” Ekko said, feeling his own eyes ache with incoming tears. “I am going to cry.” 

“Congratulations my boy.” 

“Thanks, dad.” 

“But I think I am not the only one who wants to congratulate you.” 

Through the crowd Ekko clearly made out the colorful hem of Jinx's gown. 

“I'll be right back.” 

“Take your time,” Benzo said, patting his son's back. 

Ekko opened her arms and enveloped Jinx in a hug. 

“I missed you,” he said against her hair. 

“We just saw each other like five minutes ago.” 

Ekko pulled away. “I know.” 

“Ekko!” 

Isha jumped in Ekko's arms, wanting a hug of her own. Ekko was more than happy to comply as he swept the girl off her feet and spun her around. 

“Careful!” Jinx said, as Ekko placed her down with as much caution as possible. She knew she had nothing to worry about but after the accident Jinx had been too fearful of Isha. 

“Congratulations!” Isha giggled when Ekko placed his graduation cap on her head. 

“Thank you, kid. And congratulations to your sister as well.” 

Jinx pulled Ekko closer to her. “Why don't you tell her yourself?” 

“Congratulations, baby,” he whispered against her lips but before he could taste them, someone pulled them apart. 

Vander cleared his throat, pulling the couple away from each other. 

“There are children around.”

“Jesus, dad!”

Silco placed his arm on Vander's shoulder. “Please excuse him, Ekko.”

Vander had been trying to get into terms with Ekko and Jinx's relationship ever since he learned about it. He was too protective of his girls even when it came to Ekko. Vi had gotten that from him. 

“Congratulations,” he said, offering him his hand. 

Ekko shook his hand. “Thank you sir.” 

“Ekko!” 

Vi grabbed Ekko and Jinx, headlocking both of them. 

“Congrats! Your speech was so sweet, it made dad cry!” 

“It did not!” Vander said, offended.

“I can't believe you two are graduates! I'm so proud!” 

Jinx freed herself from her sister's hold, fixing her graduation cap on the top of her head. 

“Okay can I have my boyfriend back now please?” 

Vi rolled her eyes, letting go of Ekko and raising her arms in surrender. 

“All yours. I wanted to congratulate Benzo anyway. Hey dad, there's Benzo!” 

Jinx rolled her eyes as she grabbed Ekko's hand and guided him away from her family.

“We won't take long,” Ekko promised, looking behind his shoulder at his girlfriend's family but secretly he was thankful for Jinx's interference. He needed a moment with just her. 

“I thought we would never be alone,” she said when they sat on the marble steps that led to the dormitories, far away from the families that still lingered on the premises. 

“Have you congratulated Clag of Mylo yet?” 

“We will have plenty of time to do that at the after party.”

“Are you sure you want to go? I know parties are not your go to.” 

“College just ended. If I don't go partying today then whenever am I going to go?” 

Ekko peeked at the baby pink box that rested on Jinx's thighs. 

“Is that giant box you carry around the reason why you almost missed our graduation?” 

“Oh!” 

Jinx handed Ekko the patisserie box. 

“This is for you! Go on, open it!”

“For me?” Ekko asked, both curious and confused. 

“Yes! Now open it!”

Slowly, he undid the ribbon before opening the box. The delicious smell greeted him as soon as he opened the box full of honey-walnut brioches. 

“Happy birthday!” Jinx exclaimed. “You didn't think that I would forget, did you?” 

Ekko was left to stare at the content of the box. He didn't know which was more touching. The fact she had remembered his birthday when he himself had forgotten about them or that she had gotten his favorite dessert to celebrate it. 

“You remembered.” 

“Duh. Graduation is not that big of an event to overshadow your birthday.” 

She tilted her head, trying to look at his face better. 

“So how do you feel at your old age? Twenty three. Damn, that's old.” 

He shoved her away, playfully. “Shut up.” 

Jinx laughed and Ekko's world had never been more complete. 

“Thank you,” he said and those simple words held more importance than all the speeches he could give. 

“For what? I didn't even get you candles to blow. Really, it's a poor excuse of a birthday surprise.” 

“No,” he shook his head. “Thank you, Jinx.” 

She gave him one of those warm smiles of hers that reminded him that he was the luckiest man in the world, not just because he got to see her smile but because he was the reason for it. 

“You're welcome,” Jinx said, kissing his lips. 

“I love you.” 

Ekko's eyebrows raised in surprise. He was still getting used to hearing her say those words without holding back. 

“Don't act so surprised!” She complained, a little offended. “You know that!” 

“Of course I know it's just… Can you say it again? I want you to say you love me every day, all day, until I get used to it.”

Jinx brought her face closer to Ekko's. She was looking at his full lips that she had just claimed in a kiss.  

“Won't you get sick of it?”

“Never in a million fucking years.”

All this praise would surely get to Jinx's head one day, if it hadn't gotten already. 

“I love you.”

Ekko left a quick peck on her lips. “Again.” 

“I love you, Ekko.” 

He kissed her again. 

“Say it once more, baby.”

“I love you.” 

But when Ekko bent over to kiss her again, she dodged it, grabbing a brioche and stuffing it in her mouth. 

“Hey!” 

Jinx grabbed a handful of still warm sweets and ran away from Ekko, laughing. 

He shot up and darted after her, wanting to appear annoyed but trying really poorly to hold back a wide smile at his girlfriend's antics. 

“Get back here!” 

Jinx didn't stop as Ekko chased her through the crowd of engineering graduates and their families.

He didn't care that he was supposed to be the composed and serious valedictorian, the role model of all graduates because when he was with Jinx he didn't have to be any of those things. He just had to be himself and that was enough for her as it was for him. 

So no, he did not care at all. 

Chapter Text

I'm a curse hanging around you-Green Day, Jinx

5 years later 

The autumn chill travelled through the window that Ekko had left open for her. Finally fall had arrived in Texas even if it was already way past the middle of October. 

If Jinx hated one thing about moving to Houston to work at the Space Center that was how warm it always was. She loved her tank tops and walking barefoot in the house but she missed the breeze that pierced her skin and actually made her shiver in the cold.

She smiled as she carefully got out of bed, placing her hand under her belly as she followed the smell of cinnamon coming from the kitchen. 

Her husband was preparing breakfast in the kitchen of their small apartment. Ekko's back was turned to her as he took out a pan from the oven, filling the room with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. 

Jinx didn't waste a second as she walked up to him, placing her arms around his waist and hugging him from behind. 

Ekko let out a hoarse laugh, placing his hand on top of Jinx's. 

“Good morning, baby.”

Jinx groaned, pressing her face against the cotton of Ekko's olive shirt. 

“It's finally cold enough.”

“I know. Did you get cold because of the open window? I only left it open because I wanted you to see it's cloudy outside.” 

“No, I'm glad you did. Thank you.”

Jinx let out another small groan as she tried to get her body closer to Ekko's but that known barrier wouldn't let her. 

She scoffed as she let go of Ekko, taking a step back. 

“Your children aren't letting me hug you.” 

Ekko turned around with a small smile on his face. His very pregnant wife was glaring at him like it was his fault her big belly was getting in their way. 

Well. It kind of was his fault in a way he supposed. 

“I'm sure they are very sorry about it,” he said, placing his palm on top of Jinx's belly. His wedding ring, identical to the one on Jinx's finger, reflected the warm light of the oven as he caressed her skin through her nightgown. 

“Oh, yes they are. They just told me.” 

Jinx couldn't fight the small laugh that escaped her. 

“Come here,” he said as he pulled her in for a hug. They had to position their bodies awkwardly to avoid applying too much pressure on Jinx's belly but that was enough. 

Ekko let his fingers travel down the french braid that cascaded down Jinx's back. She still dyed her hair blue even if she had stained all of their towels but now she opted for a singular braid instead of two, like she did when they were younger. 

He loved the way she styled her hair and loved it even more when she helped him with his own hair. But then, Ekko loved everything about her. 

“I baked you cookies,” he kissed Jinx's brow before pulling away. “And I'm preparing some apple cider too.”

Jinx smiled to herself. All her favorite fall routines wrapped up in a perfect cloudy morning. 

She sat down on their table as she waited for Ekko. They would have to buy a bigger one after the twins arrived. They might even have to move to a bigger house altogether, as much as it pained Jinx. She didn't want to be parted from their little apartment, their first home, their domestic paradise that was filled with a myriad of memories. 

That little crack on the wall that Isha accidentally made with a pan the first time she visited them when she was trying to help Ekko cook. The souvenir from the last trip Mylo and Gert went to, that is just a little broken after being shipped from two different continents. All their weddings photos where their parents are seen weeping and that they of course had to frame and put on their walls. 

Maybe they could take some with them when they moved out but it wouldn't be just their house. And that both excited and scared Jinx. 

Ekko placed a plate of French toast and another one filled with cookies in front of her, even filling her a glass of warm apple cider. She was really lucky to have landed such a doting husband. But then again Ekko would have to be exactly that or Vander and Silco would come knocking on their door and barking at Ekko about all the ways in which their daughter should be taken care of. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like shit,” she said, stuffing her mouth with food. “I still haven't figured out the algorithm problem. It kept me up all night.” 

“Jesus, Jinx. You're seven months pregnant, baby. You should try to at least get some sleep at night.”

“I'm seven months pregnant but I'm also an engineer.”

Ekko couldn't argue with that. Jinx was the head of their division, already having proven her worth to every single person that worked in NASA. They were lucky to have her in their team and he couldn't be prouder of his wife for running the entire division like the navy. 

“I guess one day you will stop being pregnant but you will never stop being an engineer.” 

Jinx smiled with all her teeth. “Exactly. So let me worry about the algorithm because Clag has been nagging me about it for days.”

“We can always make him the godfather so he stops nagging us around the office, you know.”

“That's such a good idea! Why haven't I thought of that before?” 

Ekko leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. “You're not the only genius in this house, you know.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes. “Cocky, much?” 

“I successfully got an engagement ring around your finger. I'm the cockiest man you're ever going to meet, baby.” 

Jinx would have given him one of her usual sarcastic replies but she felt a soft flutter on her belly. Ekko understood immediately as he rushed to kneel next to his wife and feel their babies kicking. 

“Do you feel it?” Jinx asked, guiding Ekko's palm where the twins were kicking. 

Ekko had to bite his lower lip so it wouldn't quiver as he nodded to Jinx. He had felt the babies kicking before but every time it happened 

“I wonder which one is kicking right now.”

“Probably both. They are so restless.” 

And whispering to her full belly he added. 

“You took that from your mommy, you know.” 

“You're such an asshole,” Jinx said, shaking her head but still smiling. 

“Language! The children are right there.” 

Ekko's palm was still affectionately resting on top of her belly and Jinx took her time to admire him. Her hand cupped his cheek, needing to touch him somehow to ground herself. 

“Do you think we will be good at it?” 

Ekko raised his eyes to his wife. “I know it. I'm terrified but I know we will be good parents.” 

“I'm terrific too,” Jinx confessed. They had talked about this many times before. They were both ready to be parents but as her due date neared Jinx was becoming more scared of the unknown future than ever before. 

“I just don't want to mess this up. Mess them up.” 

“Hey,” Ekko scolded her gently. “You won't. We're in this together, okay? You don't have to do anything on your own.” 

Jinx's lips quirked up in a gentle smile. 

“I hope they take everything after you. I will never have to worry about anything if they become like you.” 

Ekko leaned against Jinx's hand as she continued to cup his face, leaving a kiss on the inside of her hand. 

“I don't worry about how our kids will end up. With you as their mother, I know they will be perfect. Just like yours was to you and Vi.” 

Those pregnancy hormones were really no joke. Jinx had to blink away the tears in her eyes. She was contemplating if she should kiss her husband until they were both incredibly late for work or if she should pretend to be the responsible adult of the sutiation. 

“I have to go get dressed,” Jinx said standing up as her husband followed. 

“I'm going to make you late for work again. And then we will have both Clag and Reveck nagging us.” 

Ekko chuckled. Jinx furrowed her brows. 

“No, I'm serious! I always get you in trouble.” 

“So? I want you to get me into trouble, Jinx. I wouldn't have married you if I didn't want to.”

Jinx struggled to come up with an answer. She didn't have doubts about herself, not anymore. But ever so often doubt would cloud her mind and then Ekko would set all her doubts at ease.

He really would be a great father. 

Jinx smiled as she cupped Ekko's face again. 

“Haven't you figured it out yet?” 

Ekko creased his brow. “Figure what out?” 

“I'm always going to get you into trouble. I'm a curse hanging around you.” 

Ekko's smile warmed Jinx's heart as he leaned in and captured her lips with his. 

“The best of curses and the worst of blessings,” he whispered against her lips before he kissed her again. 

And as they shared a kiss in their kitchen they were both right there, right then, together.