Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Well, it wasn't every day you found out you were going to be a father. 

It was a slap on the face, a bucket of cold water thrown over his head. He was confused, so confused. But also ..happy? 

That terrifying anxiety still clung to his skin— questions flooding his mind like a river. Was he fit for the role? Was she? They were still so young, but clearly fate had other things in store. He was at a decent age to have kids, so why was he freaking out? 

Was this the right decision? 

He hadn’t known at the time, but time had a way of answering all of his questions. Months later, after his wife had the baby— Jack.

Classic name, but it suited him, plain and simple. The two of them had never been the kind to get creative when it came to names of all things. People played too much sometimes, and their kids suffered the consequences. 

It took a few sleepless nights to build a new routine, learn how to be parents, a whole new world that they found themselves slipping into with ease, after some practice. 

Everything settled— the puzzle pieces fit. It made sense now with his character, who he prided himself to be, always there for his friends, always wanting to take care of people, always a bit of a dad before he actually even became one. 

And this one.. his pride and joy, was a little bundle of personality of his own. At just a few months old, he'd already picked his favourite song, the only one that would calm him down when throwing a fit. 

Who knew babies could be so into rap? The song was one from his band, thank god— none of that baby shark bullshit. Had it been, he didn't think he’d handle listening to it every day that well, but even this song, their song, was getting old very quickly too. It grated his ears at that point, and he could point out every single mistake they'd made in the track production wise. He was also sick of the lead singer’s voice, really. 

The lead singer— his best friend, business partner, and the one to also laugh at that complaint. No sense of pity to his tone of voice. 

He'd met the little trouble himself, agreed he was adorable as fuck, helplessly so. The little handmade mittens, the flowery onesie, god he couldn't handle it. Scar and Aba made them cute, for sure. Cute and with real good taste in music. 

They were having this conversation all over again, Scar swearing up and down he was never producing a song like that one again, while Ekko teased the fuck out of him. The two rolled down the street on their skateboards seamlessly, swerving around crowds of people, piles of trash or chairs and tables set on the sidewalks by coffee shops— years of practice under their belts. 

They'd been doing this since they were kids, fuck’s sake. Now they both stood tall at twenty five, with different lives of their own, yet still so intertwined in everything they did, their thoughts, ideas, morals, likes and interests. 

The dynamic had slightly changed when Ekko became his boss, of course, running the community center and turning it from nothing into something that could genuinely afford to help citizens with their children, bond families, do some good. Still, with the responsibility of it all, even in their disagreements, their bond only grew stronger. 

Their friendship would always remain solid, despite that dynamic, despite any other contributing factors in their lives— because if you asked either of them, well.. they’d been through the worst of it together already.

They only came to a halt, jumping off and catching their skateboards right as they came face to face with that familiar, dark neon green sign. ‘The Last Drop’ ,a bar with a reputation, a bar with history, only slightly altered overtime due to the new owners adding modern adjustments.

Still, it held onto that same shape, the same dark, bricked walls, the same logo. You couldn’t miss it. 

And as they walked in, Ekko was already heading for the bar. 

He could've gone straight to the booth with Scar, but he wanted to say hi to the bartender and get his drink— catch up, even. So when he didn’t see her behind the bar, he was obviously confused. 

Before he could look around, she popped out from the bottom, holding onto a new set of shot glasses. 

Her gaze fell on him almost immediately, setting the glasses down before greeting him with a smirk “Little man! Always on time, aren’t you?” 

“For a drink? Hell yeah.” Ekko nodded, watching as she rolled her eyes at him. 

The Last Drop was not a once in a while thing, it was a twice a week kind of thing. Wednesdays and Fridays, eight pm sharp— took them a while to figure out the earliest everyone could be off of work, school, or any other occupations, but once they did, it was easier to see each other, because that was the purpose of this, not the drinks, not the music, the people. 

They could catch up, make sure their responsibilities didn’t split their found family apart.
In general, if you went to the bar any day of the week, you could probably catch a familiar face. An acquaintance from work or school, or your best friend. It was a big bar, nostalgic to everyone who’d grown up around the area, and therefore, the most popular. The upgrades and changes with the new owners surely helped bring in the younger crowd too. 

It hadn’t always been this busy, the music this loud, the lights so bright or the graffiti all over the place. It was once quite chill, but chill didn’t really attract the nightlife of the city. They had to adjust. An adjustment that proved to be fruitful. 

“See, if more people had that mentality, this place wouldn’t be so out of whack.” she rolled her eyes “Swear some people walk in just to stir up shit.” 

If there was one thing The Last Drop was known for, was trouble. Have it be that particular group of drunks sneaking in drugs, some old lady trying to discreetly get you into her pyramid scheme, fresh twenty one’s celebrating birthday parties with their friends and throwing up all over the place, couples sloppy making out, someone sneaking behind the bar and breaking glasses, a mariachi band, questioning where the strippers are (they thought this was a nightclub, and yes, yes that did happen). 

“Busy night, Vi?” he questioned, raising a brow. 

She slid him his usual drink, a whiskey sour— the one she'd ignored everyone else's requests to prepare first, before leaving out a huff.

“You have no fucking clue. It's been like this since three, but I'm making Jayce cover the rest of the shift so I can hang out with you guys. If I keep standing here, I'll smash someone's face in at some point.” she groaned, making him sniffle a laugh. 

The woman could tear you up real good— that he'd witnessed before. They'd trained together as well, but Vi’s favourite way of working out wasn't the gym, it was boxing. Punch, kick, blood, the whole of it. She used to be much more into it when younger, but relaxed now that she was nearing her thirties. 

Her fiancée wasn't too fond of the hobby, however, so she had to give up fighting in the ring, and only boxed to blow off steam and sneak in a workout, similar to the gym. 

For her, Vi would do anything, so she'd left the ring. After all, the bar gave her enough opportunities to get into fights and arguments. Jayce would often step in— the man wasn't a great bartender per say, but he sure knew how to deal with the financial responsibilities of owning the bar, and all that paperwork stuff she wasn't interested in, so he was useful. 

He watched as Vi prepared other people's drinks–- the woman he always looked up to as a kid, wearing a leather vest that showed off her strong biceps and parts of her tattoo, quite intimidating on one part, and making sure everyone knew if she'd flirt with anyone, I'd be one of the ladies.

Her short hair had grown into sort of a wolf cut, jet black with stripes of red in there. It suited her, just like the small face tattoo she had on her cheek with her name, a decision no fifteen year old should have the power to make, but they hadn’t grown up in the safest of neighbourhoods in proper care, so mistakes were made. 

Some more devastating than a tiny face tattoo. 

“I'll wait for you at the table.” he tapped the counter with his fingers, grabbing the drink before turning around to head to the usual booth they sat at. It was a rather large one, round, colored royal green. Near it on one side, a large window, graffiti art painted on the brick walls above it. 

He could already see Mylo, Claggor and Scar in some sort of conversation, in his line of sight, though the two former seemed like they were bickering more than conversing. 

When they saw him approach, Claggor yelled out “Hey hey hey little man!” 

That damn childhood nickname would never leave him it seemed, but it did make him laugh as Mylo followed Claggor’s hello with a whistle.  

“Where'd ya get that jacket?” 

He looked down at his outfit— nothing out of the ordinary. Wide legged worn jeans, paired with a simple white tank, chains hanging around his neck (his favorite one, the one being the one with the firelight logo, handmade), matching the loop piercing in his left ear. The jacket Mylo was referring to, a thick, brown leathered thing purchased most recently.

☼  https://pin.it/4c8jydwOZ  

“Where do I get all the other ones?” he cocked a brow— loose white dreads blocking his vision for a second, before swinging his free arm at Mylo, leaning in for a brief hug, then doing the same with Claggor before taking a seat on the booth next to Scar, placing his drink on the table.

“Thrift?” he raised a thick brow, before taking a swing of his own drink. 

“Yeah, Jinx got it a while back.” he shrugged, taking a swig of his whiskey- the bitter taste something he’d hated the first time he’d tasted it, but had grown to love with age, making it his go-to drink.

“Of course she did.” Mylo rolled his eyes.

Ekko didn’t miss the teasing tone, he never did, but he’d learned ignoring it was always the best course of action when it came to those comments. They were looking for a reaction— the same flush of his cheeks or awkward smile he’d get when he was a little boy, teased about that same girl. 

But she was no longer that girl, and by extension.. he was no longer that boy. 

“Where even is that little thing?” Claggor commented, humming “Y'all usually show up together.” 

“Not sure. Didn’t answer my last text.” he pointed out, shrugging “If not late classes, maybe still at work.” 

“Busy girl.” Scar muttered, nodding along. 

“And if not at work or school, getting into trouble.” Mylo pointed out, smirking.  

Ekko rolled his eyes, resting back on the booth as his eye caught the second owner of this bar, Jayce Talis. 

He was usually in the office space upstairs, so Vi must've already told him to come down and help. The man was almost forty, but looked a lot younger. He was quite tall, large in muscle, chiseled jaw, five o'clock shadow, and by extension, amazing luck when it came to sleeping with women. Holding one down, on the other hand? Almost impossible. 

He was a smart guy with influence and money, yet sometimes he came across like a himbo. Or.. maybe that was his own distaste for the man talking, rather than the objective truth. 

He turned, catching Ekko’s gaze before greeting him with a polite smile, taking the attention as enough of an excuse to walk up to the booth. 

Ekko let out a deep sigh. 

“There's my boys!” Jayce strolled in, grabbing a chair from another table, setting it so it faced the booth when he sat “How’s the evening treating you?” 

“Honestly boring ‘til Ekko and Scar arrived.” Mylo shrugged honestly, pointing at the two men. 

“Fuck off.” Claggor rolled his eyes, swirling his drink in his hand. 

Even at twenty eight, Jinx’s older brothers bickered the same they did when they were thirteen. It was equally annoying and fucking funny. 

“Well gentleman I fear it's going to be a busy night. Keep an eye out for me, won't you?” he questioned, raising a brow. 

Keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour, Ekko translated in his head. Him and Vi often relied on them to point shit out on the nights they were here, often too swarmed at the bar to deal with everything else.  

He crossed his arms, cracking his neck as he moved it from left to right. 

The movement caught Jayce’s attention, and he raised his eyebrows “How's the Firelight center been running, Ekko?” 

“Fine.” he shrugged lazily, looking away “Haven't done much but paperwork these days.” 

That was mostly underselling it, but he wasn't going to sit there and have a conversation about his kids community centre with Jayce, out of all people.

“I know what that's like.” he nodded in agreement. 

Ekko forced himself not to roll his eyes at his attempt to relate. At some point before he was helping run the bar, Jayce had tried to convince him a partnership would be the best decision he ever made. Benefits including more funding, bettering the conditions of the community centre for the small small price of letting him take half of the ownership. He named a few bright ideas, most of which he had to shut down immediately. 

The two of them saw things very differently, that was for certain. He couldn't trust him to keep the kids in mind when it came to decision making. Ekko’s focus was on them, and Jayce's.. well.. it was in progress. 

And yet he had to see him practically every time he came to The Last Drop, not only due to him working at the place (with very limited ownership) but also his friendship with Vi, which made no fucking sense to him, personally. 

But somehow, it worked. 

“Jayce?” Vi called out, walking over to the booth “Aren't you supposed to be behind the bar?” 

Jayce raised a brow, turning his head to look up at her “I thought you were covering it.” 

“I wasn't.” Vi bit back. 

“Then who is?” Jayce furrowed his brows. 

Somehow.. Ekko wondered. 

“No one! Go go go!” she clapped her hands, making the man sit up in a rush. In minutes, he was running off in the direction of the bar. 

Ekko lifted a brow, looking back at Scar, making the man sniffle in a laugh. 

“Ugh.” Violet fell right on the chair Jayce was previously sitting on, man spreading, then raised a brow at her brothers “So? What's new?” 

“Fixed up a rolls-royce boat tail for some rich old man. That was the highlight of my week.” Mylo spoke up, sheepishly shrugging. Claggor whistled at the mention, while Mylo kept his eyes on Vi “Would it kill y'all to add some appetizers on the damn menu? I always get hungry when we’re here.” 

Mylo had a few years under his belt working as a mechanic, and every time he spoke of the job it was either something mundane or technical. Claggor worked with him for a long time—- just enough to save some money and open up his own gym. Ekko showed up pretty frequently, like the supportive friend everyone teased him to be.

“I gotta half eaten sandwich behind the bar. Been there for a week but I trust you can stomach it, right?” Vi smirked at him.

“Fuck off.” Mylo grumbled under his breath, making Claggor snort a laugh. Vi turned to him, speaking up “And you, big guy?” 

“Had an annoying group of teenagers show up today and refuse to get out. Ekko scared them off though.” 

“Little man?” Vi raised a brow, looking back at the man sitting next to him— definitely no longer little. His chiseled jaw, sharp cheekbones, and broad shoulders, enough to prove it. Proof she pretended to be blind to, having known the guy since he was a teeny tiny ten year old “What'd you do?” 

“Nothing.” he let out a laugh, raising a brow “Claggor’s being dramatic. The two boys were very obviously just trying to impress the girls, so I just offered some kind advice as to how you actually use the machines.” 

Vi grinned, as Claggor cracked up again “You should've seen their stupid little faces, throwing insults while they walked out the door. The girls still seemed interested in sticking around though— shifted their focus to him instead.” 

“Oh why didn't that work out in your favour huh?” Vi gasped, rolling her eyes. 

“That wasn't what I was trying to do there. They couldn't have been older than eighteen. Fuck that.” he rolled his eyes “Sent them out the door.” 

“Why not send them through my door?” Mylo rolled his eyes, “Selfish, if you ask me.” 

“Ew.” Vi scoffed “Find someone your age, dimwit.” 

“I'd have to agree with that statement.” Scar peeped up, making Ekko leave out a chuckle. 

“Wait a minute.” Vi shifted in her seat, her stare focused on Ekko again as she spoke up “Where's my baby sister?” 

“I don't know.” Ekko had to repeat himself once again “I can't tell you, her schedule’s been a mess lately.” 

“It's a little too late at this point for both school or work.” Claggor suddenly pointed out, furrowing his brows. 

“She overworks herself sometimes.” was the only answer he could think to the statement, trying to make sense of her whereabouts. 

She’d stayed at work ‘til ten once, but those were extra hours she’d added herself, too into that current project to leave it. Even her mentor/boss of sorts, had gone home earlier than her. 

“Why weren’t you together in the first place?” Vi raised a brow, finding that alone suspicious. 

“Oh fuck’s sake.” he rolled his eyes, patience running thin “We're not together that often.”

“Bullshit.” Scar coughed out next to him, earning him a quick glare. 

Scar smiled at him apologetically, while Claggor and Mylo cracked up behind him. 

“Well I'm gettin’ worried here.” Vi tapped her fingers on the wood of the table. 

“Why? It wouldn't be the first time she's late, ya know?” Mylo peeped up. 

He had a point— the girl was almost always late to all their outings, to school, to work. It was kind of her thing, and the only times she was actually punctual, would be the times she’d stroll in with Ekko.

Vi had yet to figure out how he did that, keeping her on time versus getting late by having to drag her ass along, but she wasn't going to question it. She wouldn't complain about that part of their little friendship. 

“I know but it's late in the night.” Vi rolled her eyes “If I wake up to some bullshit text or phone call tomorrow morning, I swear to god I’ll lose it.” 

Jinx also didn't tend to make the best decisions, throwing herself in dangerous situations way too casually, or acting out on impulse. 

Vi had to bail her out of overnight jail once, the offense was minor, merely caught for vandalism and talking back to authorities, but that phone call had made her blood run cold nevertheless. 

She was a little too comfortable with getting in trouble— a factor that would always keep Vi on her toes, making her anxious if she were alone for a long amount of time with no response.

“I'll call her again.” Ekko pulled out his phone, tapping on the contact he'd named ‘Blue’, before pressing the phone to his ear. 

He took a sip of his drink as he waited for her to pick up, but she never did. Not on the first ring, or the second, or the third. 

“Sheesh. Not answering Ekko? Now that concerns me.” Mylo scrunched up his face, making Ekko throw him a sideways glare. 

Jinx wasn't great at answering texts or calls in general, but if there was one phone call she'd never miss, it'd be Ekko’s. 

“Her phone’s probably on silent.” he argued, looking back at Vi “Or she’s listening to loud music.”

Wherever there was Jinx, there was music. Music loud enough to make your head explode.

Yeah.. she wasn't great friends with their neighbours, to put it lightly. 

“Maybe.” Vi rubbed at her jawline, looking away from him and out of the window. 

He could already tell the woman was getting stressed by the lack of response from her sister, but was easily distracted when another figure approached their booth. 

A tall woman, pin straight midnight blue colored hair, wearing a perfectly ironed and perfumed blouse along with a pair of skinny jeans, neatly tucked into her knee high boots. 

“Cait! You showed up.” she enthusiastically claimed, before sitting up and wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulder. 

Caitlyn let out a small laugh, returning the small peck Vi left on her lips, before regarding their audience. 

“Hey all. I hope I'm not intruding.” she spoke up, voice thick in a british accent, as she sat down on the opposite end of the booth next to Vi’s chair, posture so perfectly straight Ekko wondered for a second if it was uncomfortable to hold, or if her body had been that well trained at being proper. 

She didn't come to The Last Drop as often as the rest of the group, but it wasn't a surprise when they did see her— she was, after all, Vi’s fiancée and Jayce's little sister, though not by blood. 

But that was the case for Mylo and Claggor as well. They weren't directly related to Jinx and Vi, but the four of them had been adopted by the same man— Vander, when they were all young, and just never left each other’s side since... despite his passing.

“Not at all.” Claggor offered her a smile, a kind gesture she seemed to return, as Vi patted the girl's shoulder “I'll go tell Jayce to make you your favourite. Little man, keep calling.” she pointed at Ekko, before heading back in the direction of the bar. 

Ekko pressed his lips, before tapping on her contact again, this time, the phone laid right on the table as he listened to it ring, rather than his ear. 

“Call who?” Caitlyn spoke up, curious of the situation. 

“If it ain't obvious.” Mylo snatched Ekko’s phone off the table, showing off the contact name.

Caitlyn knit her eyebrows together at the name, still slightly confused.

“Don’t be a dick.” Ekko rolled his eyes, snatching his phone right off Mylo’s grasp, pressing it to his ear this time. He had too much trust leaving it on the table, apparently. 

It was then the realization set in her mind— she didn’t hang out with the group that often, so she hadn’t actually heard him refer to anyone by that nickname, but.. there was only one person Ekko could intimately call Blue.

She shuddered at the thought. 

“Don't tense up. You know her better than this.” Scar patted Ekko’s shoulder in encouragement, as he noticed the nervous tap of his foot, while the phone remained unanswered. 

There was nothing wrong. Her phone was probably on silent— he thought. Probably… probably. 

Scar’s words were supportive-,the man had always had a more gentle, calm way about him that made Ekko question if they were really the same age sometimes. 

He was just two inches taller, a slight tan to his skin, with green eyes, jet black hair, and a nicely sculpted face that didn't go unnoticed. The kind of attention he never entertained back, similar to Ekko, in that way. 

Though he had a better reason not to. 

“I'm kicking her ass when she shows up.” Ekko let out a mumble of frustration, slapping the phone on the table. 

“Uh huh.” Claggor nodded, before shaking his head in disbelief. 

“She is an hour late at this point.” Cait pointed out, humming as she checked her own phone for the time. 

“Alright, if she doesn't show up in thirty minutes we're taking the car, right?” Claggor spoke up, looking back at Scar and Ekko. 

The two men nodded back at him. Ekko swallowed the last bit of his drink— the burning sensation not helping his own anxiety about the entire thing. 

Vi showed up a second later, asking if she’d answered Ekko yet— to which he'd shook his head no. She'd sat down next to Cait again after, deciding to wait just a bit more, as they all made light conversation. Somehow, the topics of weddings always seemed to come up around them. 

“I don't know about doing one at all. I mean what's the point?” Vi sighed, looking back at her fiancée “It'll be more about us entertaining your parent's fancy guests than our own event.” 

“I know.” Caitlyn mumbled, before shrugging “Simply signing the papers would save us a lot of trouble.. though I still would prefer to have some sort of celebration.”

“Well we can still do that, it just doesn't have to be the wedding.” Vi pointed out. 

Cait grimaced at the idea, swirling the straw of her fruity, non- alcoholic cocktail around in her drink, that she hadn’t even had to ask for. Somehow, Vi had memorized all of the group’s favorite drinks by heart, which she found adorable. 

“Compromise, that not an option?” Scar suddenly spoke up, shrugging “I had to make some compromises when it came to my wedding too.” 

“Simpler said than done, with my parents.” Cait looked back at him, though sending him a tight lipped smile that told him she appreciated his suggestion. 

“You’re like what? Twenty nine?” Mylo intervened, raising a brow “Can't try to please the folks your entire life.” 

“It's not about people pleasing as much as it's about..” control, she let her words trail off, not wanting to go too deeply into her relationship with her parents in front of everyone.

No one but Vi could understand that part of her. 

“Don’t stress yourself, cupcake.” Vi pushed her shoulder with hers, the nickname falling off her lips like it was her birth given name rather than something she'd come up with on the spot when they started dating “We'll figure it out.” 

“I think there's more relevant stressors right now.” Ekko spoke up, his voice rough as his eyes set on VI “Like the fact that it's been an hour and twenty five minutes and the texts aren't even sending anymore.” 

Her phone was probably off, but why? 

A song that reminded him of her played in the background of the bar too, another constant reminder of her missing presence, like she was teasing him, without even being there. 

I'm crazy, but you like that, I bite back
Daisies on your nightstand, never forget it

“Well.” Claggor drummed his fingers along the table, before nodding “Now we can properly panic.” 

“Fuck’s sake.” Vi muttered under her breath, before lifting herself off her chair “We gotta search. I'll drive Cait and Claggor, and Ekko— you drive Mylo and Scar.” 

I blossom in the moonlight, screw eyes
Glacial with the blue ice, I'm terrifying

“I don't think we'll need to search far…” Mylo’s words trailed off, as he looked out of the window, the entrance to the bar was easily visible from their position, and he swore he caught a glimpse of blue out there, even in the darkness of the night. 

“What?” Vi furrowed her eyebrows. 

I'm no Cinderella, but I like the shoes
Big glass platforms, bitch, I'm choosy

His suspicions would only be confirmed, when heavy boots walked up to the booth. Mylo pointed behind Vi, making his sister turn around.

“Hi.” 

She cocked her head to the side almost innocently, drawing everyone's attention to her— perhaps one of the many things she was good at, famously so, no matter the situation.

Ekko sat up at the sight of her, relief washing over him as he took in her figure— no bruises or scratches on her exposed skin, revealed by the short cut of the light blue sleeveless shirt she wore, doing a shit job at even covering up her chest— small pins and clips holding it together in in the front in the most unstable way, as if it was about to pop open further. 

A pair of light wash, wide legged jeans hung low, sticking to her hips by some miracle alone, considering the bagginess and exposing more of her blue cloud tattoos on one side of her body, trailing from her arm and shoulder, down her waist. The jeans paired with a belt, and a pair of black hand warmers adorning each hand. Her platformed boots only peeked out underneath her jeans. 

Her long blue hair parted in her usual style— two braids that reached her upper thighs, with one of them hanging over her shoulder. Her side bang, shadowing half of her face in allure. 

She had necklaces stacked on her chest, along with the several piercings she always wore on one ear, lobe, middle and upper cartilage. What was new.. was the belly button piercing his eyes slipped to. 

☾  https://pin.it/7qreQiOku 

Long blue hair, blue as a bruise
Only trust a fella for some light amusement

A smirk made its way to his face, and when she met his eyes–- they danced with malice. A silent greeting of amusement, as if she hadn’t caused him to worry just minutes ago.

I'm no prey, but I am pursued
Pray for me, nana, on the church's pews

“Pow!” Vi called out, fully turning to face her “Where the fuck were you?” 

No dickstraction can confuse me
Whiskey in my hip flask, nothing fruity

“Around.” she replied, eyes casually slipping to Cait, then the little drink she held on her hand. 

She scoffed. 

Chapter Text

“Around?” Vi repeated, voice loud and sarcastic. Her eyebrows furrowed, hands at the back of her hips— she looked like someone’s angry dad. 

He still slightly cringed to himself when she used that tone, still remembering the way I’d have him shaking in his boots when he was kid. Him and Powder would freeze in the middle of whatever they were doing, a fleeting–- terrified look to both of their eyes. 

And now.. Jinx stood there, smirk tugged to her lips, as a scoff left her mouth. 

“Between progress boy on bar duty and princess tea and crumpets sitting over there” she weaved her hand in Caitlyn’s direction “You might've as well told me not to bother coming in.” 

“Powder-” Vi’s tone another warning “We almost went out on a search for you, dumbass.” 

Jinx rolled her eyes— her old name slipping off her sister's tongue only annoying her further. No matter how many times she'd tried, she'd been the only one who constantly refused to call her by Jinx. 

It probably had to do with the fact that she'd been the inspiration behind that damn nickname in the first place. Guilt, or whatever, but it didn’t stop Mylo, who was in the same position, to respect her decision. Sure, it might’ve felt like a sword through his heart at first, but she couldn’t bother to care. 

It was the right price to pay. 

“You should know me better than that, sis.” she gave a simple pat to her sister's broad shoulder, before walking right past her— her eyes immediately locking on Ekko’s. 

“Sup’ boys?” 

She turned, easily slipping in the tiny space between him and Scar— the two men moving on each side to make some room, so she wasn’t sitting on their laps at once. 

She rested her back on the booth, and when Ekko turned to look at her at his side, she had her eyes on him already, giving him an amused smile. 

Smug little bug. 

“Don't look at me like that.” he scoffed, flicking at the tip of her nose. She scrunched her nose in response, moving away from his hand “I texted. I called. I got nothing.” 

Instead of answering immediately, her gaze caught her sister, watching as she claimed the 
seat next to Caitlyn— probably where she'd already been sitting before she got here, but it didn’t make it any less annoying. Caitlyn had her eyes on her too, narrowed, testing. If looks could kill, she'd be dead on the spot. 

Something inside of her flipped in excitement, liking being the reason behind that scowl. If she had to live with this— her older sister, with someone like her, she’d do her best to make sure it wasn’t a good time for either of them.  

Her eyes shifted back to Ekko, before she pulled out her phone, previously tucked away in the back pocket of her jeans, before dropping it on top of the table carelessly.

“It's dead.” she pointed out. 

Ekko stared at the half-cracked screen of her phone, unimpressed. The thing had been on its last breath for a while now. Jinx had spray painted all over the back of it— yes, the back of the phone, not the case, as it didn’t even have one. The paint had dried, flakes of it had fallen off. It also looked like it was owned by a feral cat rather than a human with the amount of deep scratches on the screen, and at the back of it. Scratches Jinx simply refused to give an explanation for. 

She declined to let go of it until it properly died in the war, like a true soldier— she said, but the thing had been in that condition for two years now, desperate to meet its final fate. No matter how many times Jinx threw it around, it wouldn’t fully come apart, as if it lived off of rage alone. 

It was rather impressive. 

“In more ways than one.” Mylo piped up, amused at the state of the thing. 

“I figured, but it wasn't dead the entire time. You could've answered before that.” Ekko explained, completely ignoring Mylo’s comment.

“I was busy.” she whined “Can’t really hear anything when music’s bouncing off the walls, ya’ know?” 

Ekko shot Vi a knowing look, and she rolled her eyes. 

When he looked back at Jinx, the furrow of his brow didn't relax “We’ve talked about this, it's not an excuse. You can take small breaks when you’re working and check your phone.” 

“Who said anythin’ ‘bout work?” she snorted. 

When he gave her a confused look, the realization set in. She hadn't told him yet. 

“Oh right.” she cleared her throat “I'm taking dance classes.” 

“Dance classes?” Vi spoke up first, raising a questioning brow “Aren't you the same girl that called me two days ago whining about having too much to study to finish off your little invention for work? You're taking up more things?” 

“It is not the same.” Jinx rolled her eyes, arms crossed in defiance “It helps distress me, actually.” 

“Does it?” the amusement in her sister's voice letting her know she didn't take her seriously in the slightest.

“Yes.” she mocked. 

“And I don't know about this because?” Ekko looked over her at his side, still processing that information. 

Jinx let out an annoyed sigh “It's only been a few days, daddy. Don't fucking start.” 

“Don't call him that.” Claggor whined, Mylo and him both wearing similar disgusted expressions. 

Jinx rolled her eyes at the two of them— she wasn't sure why every time the word slipped her mouth they'd take it in a way that was sexual. She was only teasing Ekko about his stupid need to have information as to where she was all the time, like an overly controlling parent. 

But of course, they made it weird. 

“Idiots.” she snorted. 

“Did you get that piercing on the way from the studio?” Ekko flashed her a smirk, unfazed, still eyeing the glittery metal pierced through her belly button. 

It was the most Jinx thing he could ever imagine. It just looked.. like it belonged there. He was more surprised she hadn’t gotten that done when she did her ears.  

“Somethin’ like that.” she hummed, a similar smirk on her expression, before she looked back at Vi “Am I getting served or do I have to steal somebody's drink?” 

Cait pinched the glass of her drink just a little harder— she had no doubt Jinx would have no problem doing that. 

As if she could sense the tension, her wicked eyes turned to her “Relax mommy long legs. I wouldn’t touch that flowery thing of yours with a ten foot pole.” 

“What the hell did you just call me?” Cait screeched, eyes widened, mouth agape at her audacity. She was fully insulted, and even more embarrassed in the case that the words would be taken any other way.  

“Didn’t Vi tell you? You look an awful lot like our dead mom.” her eyes practically sparkled in mischief “Between mommy issues and daddy issues, we’ve taken our picks around here.” 

She left the entire table speechless, staring right at her. 

Before Vi could launch herself at her sister, Cait blocked her way with her arm. Her glare pierced through Jinx once again, as she straightened herself out “Take that talk to therapy, Harley Quinn— though I assume no therapist would put themselves through the mental torture of talking to you.” 

“Harley Quinn. Aren’t you original?” 

Her entire fucking school practically called her that, among other less forgiving nicknames.

“And I’m still waiting for my drink.” she rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion, staring up at her sister. Talking to Caitlyn fully sober was like scraping at glass, or at least that’s what her voice sounded like to her anyway, sharp, high-pitched and unsettling. 

Vi, on the other hand, was still very much fuming. Taking sharp breaths through her nose, fists clenched at her sides like she was willing in the control not to send blood shooting off her sister’s nose. 

“You show up here an hour and a half late, phone dead in the middle of the night with a new piercing and a half torn shirt, after you worried the fuck out of us, insult my fiancée, and you're still asking for a damn drink?” Vi snorted. 

“What’s wrong with my top?” she pouted, looking down at the thing. 

She's meticulously cut though it and poked holes in it with pins and needles until it sat just right on her body. Her clothes weren't just clothes, they represented who she was. 

Though.. to be fair the top two clips had popped open in dance glass, exposing more of her chest. She'd tried to put them back again, but they didn't last, so she simply gave up— putting her faith on jesus. God wouldn’t possibly let her top fly off like that in the middle of dance class, right? She’d been arrested for indecent exposure once, and once was more than enough. 

Ekko was staring at it right beside her, noticing just how damn exposing the thing was. He could see the outline of her nipples, but that was nothing new. That was Jinx. If he said anything to try and justify it, Vi would have his head on a platter in seconds, especially considering the offensive slightly creative insults she’d just thrown at Cait. 

“Fuck’s sake.” Vi ran her palm down her face, before sighing “I'll go tell Jayce to make you the damn drink if it shuts you up.” 

“No.” she whined “You make it or I won't drink it.” 

Vi raised a brow at the childish protest- come on. Jayce wasn't that bad at making drinks. 

He'd been half of the reason the bar had gotten the popularity it had after their dad's passing, anyway. He'd left the bar to both her and her sister–- but Jinx said she wanted no part in running it, so she had to find another partner. 

Let's just say Jinx wasn't too happy that out of all people, it ended up being Caitlyn’s stupid stuck up brother figure. 

Either way, she had the freedom to step in on decisions when it came to running the bar, despite not actively doing it herself. A part of it was legally still hers— that was the reason for all the graffiti decorating the inside walls in fluorescent lighting, her monkey symbols everywhere along with X’s, and Ekko’s Firelight and True Damage symbols, which he’d helped paint up there too. Vi would lie if she said she didn't like it though, and it did actively contribute to making the bar that much popular. 

Despite everything, her little sister was quite talented.

“Fine.” 

Cait rolled her eyes at the scene— all Jinx had to do was bat her eyelashes at her sister twice and she'd crumble and do exactly what she wanted. Vi had a soft spot for her baby sister, one that she would find endearing if her sister was anyone, anyone other than that psycho. 

“I haven't seen you in a while.” Jinx spoke up once Vi left, looking up at Scar with an innocent smile, as if she hadn’t just said the wildest shit a minute ago “How's the baby?” 

Jinx and Scar weren't particularly close, but she'd see him here and there, usually right next to Ekko. All she knew about him related to Ekko's words and the few small conversations they'd had over the years. 

He was Ekko's best second hand, the most helpful when it came to running the Firelight Center. His help alone was the reason Ekko could still go to school and run the center at the same time— he had a lot of trust in the guy. That’s why he was also part of True Damage, and he was like a brother to him blah blah blah. 

You get the picture. 

Scar looked down at Jinx, surprised that she knew about his newborn son, or was even asking about him at all before nodding “Keeping us busy, for sure.” 

“Oh right, the baby!” Mylo spoke up— still not used to having one of the friends in the group with a child. Ekko had mentioned Scar had a child, and they congratulated him in the group chat, but it was a while ago. The man hadn’t shown up to their meets for a while considering how busy he was “What's his name?”

“Jack.” Scar shrugged. 

“Cute name. Congrats man!” Claggor congratulated again, and Mylo smiled. Scar just nodded at them in appreciation. 

“Have you met him yet?” Jinx whipped her head back to look at Ekko. 

“Yeah, I actually have. He's adorable.” Ekko nodded, grinning “He's obsessed with one of our songs. It's the only thing that stops him from screaming his head off.” 

“Makes the two of us.” Jinx grinned, before looking back at Scar “I wanna see him.” 

“Jinx around a baby?” Mylo gasped “Don't do it man.” 

Scar cracked up at that, and Caitlyn said nothing, knowing she'd quickly agree with Mylo if she did so. Jinx was already annoyed by Mylo’s presence most of the time, but she hated her even more. She didn’t feel like causing yet another fight. 

“You're being a dick again.” Ekko called out, rolling his eyes. 

“So what, you'd trust her on babysitting duty?” Mylo laughed “Come on, she's the furthest thing from being all motherly, right Vi?” 

Vi, who’d just walked up to the table again, raised a brow at the conversation before sliding a drink in front of her sister and sitting down on her chair. 

“You're right Mylo. I'd see you much more fitting for the role.” Jinx snorted, making Ekko press his lips, trying to hold back a smile “You can't even be a housewife with your lack of a dating life. Pathetic.” 

“Ouuuuh” Claggor laughed, clearly amused. 

The worst thing you could do is try and nag Jinx, yet Mylo tried his luck every damn time. Old habits die hard. 

“Oh let's not talk about dating when you change your men like yesterday’s socks. At least I’m trying to find the right one.” Mylo bit back. 

“At least I can get laid.” 

Claggor slammed his fist on the table, now fully cracking up. 

“Shut up!” Vi yelled over all the noise, and all their eyes turned to her “What the hell were you even talking about in the first place?” 

“Well I don't know how we went from talking about my son to that, but yeah.” Scar shrugged, before turning to Jinx “I'll take him with me so you can meet him next time.” 

“Thank you Scar.” she softly smiled at him, before turning her head to Mylo and sending him a deathly glare. 

She wouldn't even lie to herself and say she was good with kids- they weren't her crowd, that's for sure, and she'd never imagined herself in the traditional role of a mom. That was out of the question too. She could barely take care of herself, often almost feeling like she was babysat by Ekko or Vi. 

But she didn't hate kids in general. Didn't have the weird disdain some people had. If anything, she'd love to see the world through their eyes again, back when she was Powder.. before all the.. well… 

what turned her into this. 

“The bar just emptied out for the first time today.” Jayce showed up again, walking over to the table with a sigh, resting his hands on the table before raising a brow at Jinx’s presence. He’d seen Cait walk in, but not her “What’s up, Jinx?” 

“Don’t make me talk to you.” she crossed her arms, resting back on the booth. The action raised her boobs a bit higher, and his eyes fell to them almost instinctively. 

Vi whacked at his head from the back, making him jump “Ow!” 

He held the back of his head, eyes now on Vi “The fuck was that for?” 

“Don't look at my damn sister.” she rolled her eyes. 

Vi would probably beat up anyone that did so, but the fact that Jayce tried it, of all people, pissed her off more. The man was twice her age!

Unfortunately for her, her sister seemed to get a lot of attention wherever she went, be it on purpose or not, with her fashion choices, lack of care for consequences and defiance. 

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” he laughed awkwardly, eyes shifting from Vi to Ekko, who clenched his jaw “Just wanted to ask how her drink was.” 

Caitlyn shook her head in disappointment. 

“Get outta here.” Vi snorted, pushing at his back. 

He straightened his posture, rolling his eyes before heading back to the bar. 

“I really need to set him up with someone.” Cait made a face, looking down at her drink “He can't keep a girl for more than a week.” 

“Not if he keeps looking over his shoulder all the time.” Vi agreed, rolling her eyes. 

Jinx was disinterested in the conversation, staring off into the distance until she felt Ekko's hand on her knee. 

“You haven't taken one sip yet.” he nodded towards the drink. 

She shrugged, before picking up the very drink she’d whined so much about, as his hand left her knee. It was blue raspberry liqueur, a sweet and sour mix with blue curacao, coconut cream, lemon lime soda, syrup and blue sugar or edible glitter rimmed around the glass. 

She’d forced him to try it once— it was the sweetest thing he'd ever tried. So sweet it made him nauseous, but Jinx practically ran on a sugar crush, so it was her favourite. It was always either pure sugar or hard whiskey, no in between. She took a sip of her drink, before licking the rim of her glass with her tongue to get a taste of the edible glitter. 

He looked away forcibly. Sometimes she'd just do things without even realizing what it looked like. 

“How often do you go to the dance classes?” Vi suddenly turned her attention to her sister, after talking to her brothers for a while. 

Jinx hummed, straw in her mouth before she let go of it to answer “Just twice a week.”

“So twice a week you'll be super late, got it.” Vi nodded. 

“I gotta take this energy out somewhere.” she shrugged. 

“Was the sling for that same purpose?” Ekko chuckled, both arms spread over the booth as he rested back. 

She looked back, noticing the ever prominent canine teeth on his charming smile, to the tank top highlighting his chest, and his spread legs under the table. She rolled her eyes. 

“Sling?” Cait suddenly spoke up, furrowing her brows “Like aerial sling?” 

She wouldn’t have expected Jinx, of all people, to practice that art. 

“One of her many recent hobbies.” Ekko shrugged. 

“What's that?” Vi raised a brow, and Cait sighed pulling out her phone before showing her a picture. 

She raised her brows, before leaving out an “Ooooh” 

“Dumbass.” Jinx murmured to herself. 

“Wait, I wanna see.” Mylo leaned in over the table. 

“Dumbass number two.”

“Oh shut up. How do you even do this?” Vi raised a brow, looking back at her sister “Don't you need to be like, super flexible or something?” 

Jinx stared at her like she'd asked the dumbest question possible, because she had. She picked up dance and aerial sling because she was flexible. She'd been weirdly contorting her body since she was a child, so it shouldn't come as a surprise, but somehow.. here they were. 

“She is.” Ekko furrowed a brow “Half the time when I walk in her room she's floating on that thing.” 

“How many times are you walking in her room?” Claggor spoke up, his voice awfully protective of his sister. 

“Just when I wanna check in on her.” Ekko turned to look at him shrugging “Help her with a project or tell her dinner's ready. Shit like that.” 

“Tell her dinner's ready?” Mylo titled his head to the side, the confusion clear in his voice “You're making her dinner?” 

“Well yeah I cook most of the time.” Ekko furrowed his brows, now a bit more confused as to why they were staring at him like that “Jinx will burn toast.” 

That earned him a jab at his side, and he grunted. 

She smirked. 

“What?” Vi seemed just as confused as her others “How many times do you go to her apartment? Are you guys doing sleepovers again or something?” 

To her knowledge, the two hadn't been doing sleepovers since they were twelve, when.. well they all kind of.. split apart as a family, but that was a story for another day. 

She didn't know the two had started doing that again and knowing they were no longer kids, the indication wasn't a welcomed thought. 

“Her apartment?” Ekko questioned, blinking “It's our apartment. We've been living together for a month now.” 

“What?!” this second time her voice was louder, and the rest of the people surrounding the table seemed to share the same shock, staring at the two of them like they'd taken part in some kind of crime. 

“She didn't tell you?” Ekko raised a brow, before looking down at Jinx. 

She looked up at him, light blue eyes glowing like crystals in the dark, wearing a sheepish smile. 

He furrowed his brows. 

“I forgot okay!” she threw her hands up in the air in a dramatic fashion “I thought you already did. If not I'd come out at some point anyway, just didn't expect it to be a month in.” 

“How in the fuck—” Vi cursed with a bite to her voice, as she stared at the two of them “Have we been hanging out for an entire month, consistently, and none of us knew about this.” 

“I guess you don't ask enough questions.” Jinx let her hands fall to her lap before giving her sister a careless shrug. 

“I'm scared what else I'll find out if I do.” she furrowed her eyebrows, eyes glancing back and forth between the two of them. 

“A month?” Claggor seemed to be in deep thought, as he tapped his chin with his finger “An entire month of my little sister actively living with Ekko, what the fuck.” 

“How does that even work between you two? Please tell me it's not the same bedroom.” Mylo grimaced. 

“He just mentioned my bedroom dumbass. We sleep separately, thank you very much.” she huffed, blowing her long side bang out of her face “He’s my roomie.” 

“Roommates.” Vi repeated, still not sounding convinced, before she looked back at Cait “You're believing that?” 

Caitlyn shrugged “Sounds plausible. Easier on the finances too.” 

“It's one of the reasons we made that decision.” Ekko pointed out “Jinx’s lease on her last apartment was ending so she had to renew it, while I was looking for a different apartment at the time with better conditions and more space. Jinx said she hated her landlord and was questioning even renewing the contract at all, and that's when I got the idea.” 

“Yeah and now we have a better apartment in a better neighborhood with lots of space.” Jinx grinned, before taking another sip of her drink “Win-win, no?” 

“All of these conversations were taking place and I had no clue.” Vi blinked, still flabbergasted “How the hell did you even move all your shit by yourself? Couldn't even call for help?” 

“I had Ekko! And two boys from one of my uni classes that owed me one, let's just say.” Jinx shrugged “The real feat was packing all our shit. We had to pull an all-nighter just to finish because the truck was coming in the morning.” 

Yep, they’d gone through each and every item the other owned while packing it into boxes.. he’d caught sight of several pieces of lingerie that day, while pretending he hadn’t seen a thing. 

“It was tiring, but sorta fun.” Ekko shrugged, shoving off the thoughts at the back of his mind “The guys were fucking annoying though.”

“Here we go again.” Jinx mumbled under her breath. 

“They'd pick up a box or something and look over to Jinx for her reaction. This happened every damn time.” he knocked on the table with his knuckles “They did more showing off than lifting, and I had to lift most of the shit anyways. Let's not talk about all the damn flirting.” 

“I said they owed me favors, not that I liked them.” Jinx looked back at him, annoyance flickering in her eyes “And they helped anyway so who cares?” 

“They sound obnoxious as fuck. I don't blame you, little man.” Vi nodded “Good that you didn't entertain it though.” 

If there was anything Vi could trust Ekko with, it would be looking out for her little sister, even if she hated when he did so. If any of those guys had been out of line.. she could trust he'd put them right in their place. 

“Whole time it could've been us by the way.” Mylo shook his head. 

“It would've taken twice as it did with those noodle arms” Jinx mused and Mylo gasped, offended. 

Vi bit her lip so as not to crack up laughing, before furrowing her eyebrows at Jinx “Don't talk to your brother that way.” 

Jinx only wickedly chuckled, crossing her arms as she rested her back against the booth once again. Ekko's arm remained spread on top of her head. 

“Well I'm glad it's going well. It's surprising—” Vi’s eyes then flickered back to her sister, before looking back at Ekko again “But I'm glad.” 

“What are you trying to insinuate, fat hands?” Jinx mocked, scrunching her nose at her sister.
 
Ever since she put those boxing gloves on, there was no avoiding that stupid nickname. She should’ve known better, really.  

“Not gonna lie Jinx, living with you was a nightmare.” Vi admitted, shrugging as Cait held onto her laugh. I’d been fine and dandy ‘til she turned twelve, but after that.. it all just kind of went to shit “You never fucking pick up after yourself, can't cook for shit, refused to lower your music no matter what, stole all my clothes, had to force you out of your room just to hang out. Don't know how Ekko does it.”

“You're so mean.” Jinx slumped on her seat, lower lip sticking out in an adorable pout. 

The two of them lived together with Vander at the time, so she wasn't all that old.. but most of those habits remained true to this day, so she couldn't even argue back. 

“Well we usually just pick everything up together and I do the deep cleaning.” Ekko shrugged  “Her room is the only space she can make as messy as she wants. She does cook for me here and there if I'm tired, even if it's blue colored noodles.” 

Vi made a disgusted face at that, as Jinx grinned up at Ekko. 

She loved sneaking food coloring into their food, be it pink, red, blue or green–- why eat simple boring noodles when they can have a fun colour to them!! 

“Music’s good. I don't know how many of my clothes you have, though.” he admitted, before looking down at her directly “Um, also we usually just play video games or work in the same room and call that hanging out.” 

“Not many at all.” she batted her eyelashes at him. 

Lies. 

Her mind reminded her. 

“Uhuh, well glad it's working out for ya” Vi huffed a breath “She's like an angel now, huh?” 

“Maybe the problem was always you. Have you thought about that?” Jinx mused, watching as Vi rolled her eyes. 

“I can confirm she isn't. I mean, I'm always strict when it comes to keeping my space clean but we've been compromising, and it's honestly refreshing to just be able to relax sometimes, without sitting in your house like you're expecting somebody.” Caitlyn spoke up, adding to the conversation. 

Usually with her parents, she had to spend an hour every morning getting ready before joining them for breakfast, then her dad would have meetings he held in his office space. She'd spent most of the time taking private lessons or, when mum was feeling generous, out in the garden. 

“She's pretty good at cooking and fixing up things. She makes the house feel like a home.” Caitlyn shrugged, turning to notice Vi’s eyes sparkling with adoration at her every word. 

“That sounds very sweet.” Scar nodded, chuckling. 

Jinx turned to Ekko, leaning on his ear before whispering “I’m gonna vomit.” 

He couldn't help but smile at her— this was probably the best reaction she'd ever had to Cait saying something like that. He would’ve expected another blow up. 

The two used to be even more at odds in the beginning, refusing to even be in the same room once they met, a lot of hurtful words had been exchanged back and forth, but.. after witnessing first hand what Vi had turned into during the tiny ‘break’ from the relationship, it was clear she loved Caitlyn way too much not to be with her.

He remembered Jinx crying her eyes out at the realization and at her sister's state. She’d shut him out, refused to even talk about it, but after a while he got through to her— held her when she sobbed. 

Caitlyn's family was behind a lot of.. bad things, to simply state. You didn't have that kind of power and money without stepping on a few necks, and stepped on them they did— were as selfish as to shut down an orphanage, among other fucked up things that were terrifying to read on the news about. They used their status as a means to con, and their influence to crush little people under their boot, any chance they got.

They were classist as fuck— hated Vi for Caitlyn too, which was why the first break in their relationship even happened. Then, they gave up trying to convince her after they got back together the second time.

But.. Caitlyn had said she didn't agree with her parents tactics nor was she the one behind those decisions, which was at least something. She did still work for her father’s company, which was still concerning. It did at the end of the day, give her some authority. 

So.. yeah, he was proud of Jinx for not saying another snappy remark, especially when Vi looked so… happy. 

He agreed with the glare on her face, the nausea that came with watching your sibling flirt with their significant other, that was fine, that was normal. And fuck it.. he could admit her insults were at least funny.

“Leave a thing or two for the wedding vows.” Claggor spoke up, making Caitlyn flush as she looked away. 

Jinx’s glare hardened at the mention, scraping her nails on the desk in front of her. 

Ekko knocked her hands down with his own, out of Vi’s sight, before giving one of them a light reassuring squeeze. 

“Okay well, I don't wanna talk about this anymore.” Vi shook her head, embarrassment evident in her voice at her younger siblings seeing her in such a light. 

She hadn't acted tough her entire life to let a few sappy words from her fiancée get to her. She’d at least save the tears for the wedding. 

Jinx let out a scoff, before taking a swig of her drink.

“Let’s talk about that dumb hobby of yours. The sling's in your bedroom right?” she went right back to their previous conversation, staring back at Jinx, desperate to push the attention away from her and Cait. 

Jinx set her glass down, blinked, a bit surprised at the sudden shift, before shrugging “Yeah?” 

“How'd you manage to convince him to let you do that now that you're sharing an apartment?” she then questioned, laughing. 

“It was between setting that up, or a stripper pole.” Ekko answered instead, “I had to make a sacrifice.” 

“Why the fuck would you want a stripper pole?” Vi’s voice was suddenly loud again, watching her baby sister like she'd betrayed her or something. 

“Why the fuck not? It's fun.” she grinned, before looking back at Ekko “I still think you're afraid of my potential.” 

Ekko stared at her— he didn't know why, but imagining her on a stripper pole came easy to him. She probably would be very good, and he had conflicted feelings about all of it. 

“You know what?” he spoke up, furrowing his brows “Maybe I am.” 

Mylo let out a gagging sound at that, making Jinx glare his way. 

“Well you know what— I have to see where my baby sister lives now. Little apartment tour? We can head out in my car and watch a football game with you guys after.” Vi suggested. 

“That sounds like fun.” Claggor agreed. 

Caitlyn clicked her tongue “It's pretty late Vi. I have to wake up early tomorrow for a meeting.” 

“Talkin’ like I’d let you in in the first place.” Jinx grumbled under her breath, making Vi shoot her a glare. 

Cait rolled her eyes— she didn’t even have a stupid meeting. She just didn’t want to hang out with her more than the absolute necessary amount to make Violet happy. 

“Yeah I don't think I can make it either, my wife's been long enough by herself with the baby.” Scar shrugged. 

“I’m up for it.” Claggor shrugged. 

“Alright so it's just the five of us then.” she shrugged. 

“And you're not even gonna ask us if we want you there?” Jinx raised a brow, pointing between her and Ekko. 

“Nope. This is payback for not telling me sooner.” Vi grinned. 

Ekko let out a sigh as Jinx groaned, slipping down on her seat. 

Chapter Text

Jinx and Ekko's apartment was on the eighth floor, and by the time the group even made it to the building, it was late enough that the elevator, like the rest of the ground floor, was empty.  

It was big enough to fit all five of them with a little bit of a squeeze, though he’d ended up backed up by the mirror doors, with Claggor’s elbow digging at his side. Thankfully, the torture was not incessant. 

Ekko's previous apartment had been on the sixth floor, a lot more tinier with no working elevator, so this was quite the improvement. As much as he enjoyed a good workout (which was forced upon him every time he brought home groceries), eight pm after three hours at school and six others working at the Firelight Centre, was not his ideal time to do one.

Once they got to the door, Ekko pulled out the keys and unlocked it, gesturing for the group to head in with his hand before locking the door behind him. There was a small entryway where everyone took off their shoes, with some counter space on the side for him to throw his keys on. Practical, routine. 

 And it led straight to the living room. He heard the first whistle when Vi had stepped in “Damn!” 

He remembered there being exactly three things that sold him and Jinx on this place, despite it being a little bit outside of their budget at the time.

One, that couch. 

It was a neutral colour, but quite wide, big enough for both of them to lay down at the end of the day, with even more room to spare. When she'd jumped on it for the first time, she'd practically sunk into the cushion among the throw pillows— it was that damn soft. 

And every time she fell asleep on it— which, admittedly— was way too many times to count at this point, he knew they’d made the right choice.

As the rest of the group walked in, he made sure to turn on all the orange and yellow lamps around the room, leaving the overhead light off, the way he and Jinx often preferred it. 

It created a rather cozy, inviting ambiance, enhanced by soft lighting and natural elements. Something that felt almost, almost stress free. The kind of environment they both so desperately needed at the end of each tiring day. 

Especially Jinx, as she struggled to handle stress in the best of ways. He figured little changes like the lamps instead of the overhead lights, vanilla scented candles, lilies and roses set up on shelves— both a smell of freshness and a sight of green, and usually soft, almost that lullaby sort of the music, would usually work to roll the stress off her shoulders, knocking her out instantly. 

Huh.. maybe it was a little bit of his fault that she always seemed to fall asleep on the couch, but as long as she was comfortable, it didn’t really matter. It's not like she had any idea about any of his thoughts behind simple decor, and he planned to keep it that way. She’d probably think he was babying her again, which was untrue. 

At the end of the day, they shared this space, so he shared the benefits of taking care of it.

The candles on top of the tiny wooden coffee table remained unlit— knowing the energy of the people in the room, I’d be simply dangerous to light them now. That table was getting knocked over at some point in the night, he was certain of it. 

The couch faced the tv straight on, and if you turned your head to the right, you’d probably find reason number two as to why they chose this apartment. 

Windows. 

Large, wall sized windows adorned with sheer curtains that allowed all the natural light inside every morning, washing their living room in colors of the sun, and gave one sick view of the city at night. 

They were a constant feature around the entire apartment, and he adored them. In the living room specifically, there was a window and a door near the couch that took you directly outside to the balcony.

“This looks pretty nice n’ cozy.” Claggor commented, patting one of the pillows on the couch before throwing himself on it. 

Mylo, on the other hand, headed for the kitchen. It was facing the living room, as it was open plan, so it was very easily noticeable. 

“You guys got any snacks?” he opened one of the cabinets. 

The kitchen was a narrow space, so not the biggest, but it had its own charm to it. Wood cabinets, countertops of light-coloured stone, a small textured rug covering some of the floor, and a small dining area near the window in the corner, a square wooden table. He liked sitting there in the morning, eating his breakfast while watching the traffic downstairs— sheer, light green curtains that billow gently in the breeze, grazing the edge of the table. 

Surrounding the space were lush green plants, some in decorative pots, and glowing string lights. It was clear Ekko was behind most of the decoration, because Mylo knew his sister— there was no way the space would feel this homey with her touch of chaos. 

Also, the plants would probably all be dead by now. 

“Don't touch my snacks asshole!” Jinx panicked, running over to Mylo. He barely had the chance to snatch the bag of chips from the cabinet, when she jumped on his back. 

It caught him by surprise, and he stumbled, dropping the bag of chips, as well as losing his balance quickly after, having the both of them land on the floor with a soft thud. 

They groaned in unison, as Vi and Calggor started cracking up. Jinx pushed Mylo’s back off of her, not happy about the fact she'd cushioned some of his fall. 

“Are you okay?” Ekko furrowed his brows, barely containing a smile as he walked over to the two of them. 

“My back.” Jinx whined, and Ekko chuckled, pulling her up by her hand. Her own hands massaged the back of her hips, and she grunted, glaring down at Mylo. 

“I'm fine too, thank you.” Mylo rolled his eyes, getting off the ground and dusting off his palms as he glared at Ekko, then looked back at his sister “You're fucking crazy. It's a bag of chips.” 

“To be fair, you did grab her favourites.” Ekko raised a brow, making Mylo’s glare return to him in seconds. 

“Alright, alright.” Ekko raised his palms in the air, backing off of the situation. 

Jinx stuck her tongue out at Mylo, when Vi suddenly spoke up “Yo the bathroom’s nice!” 

Ekko chuckled, walking up to her as she stood at the threshold. 

“We’ve only got one so thank god it's spacious.” he shrugged. 

There was a counter in the bathroom with two sinks, and some countertop space on the sides, which was a little messy at the moment, but that was usually the case. Well— Jinx’s side, to be specific. 

They specified their sinks the day they organized their bathroom toiletries down on the drawers, leaving a few things up top like the toothbrushes, deodorants.. and for some reason, Jinx’s make up was always everywhere.

Several of her items were set at the side of the sink, from lipsticks and brushes to her favourite eyeshadow palette that always remained there, waiting for her to come back the next day and dig her brush into her favourite shade of black. He’d seen her do it so many times, he was certain he could put that eyeshadow on her himself. 

Either way, he didn't mind the mess, as long as she kept it to the counter on her side. He wasn't particularly a neat freak himself— if he were, living with Jinx would've been a nightmare. Instead, he knew her chaos so well, I’d be off-putting not to see or experience it at least once a day.

Everything in the bathroom was almost the same as he’d left it that morning. Everything but the smudged lipstick, a deep dark purple, at the centre of the mirror set on top of the counter. He could imagine her little kissy face when she left it there, and it made him smile.  

She must've liked how her makeup turned out. 

He noticed Vi’s eyes flicker over to the shower, or reason number three that sold them on this apartment. 

Beige tile (well.. mostly), spacious, rain shower and handheld shower heads, a bench with enough space to sit on. Currently, that space was only half occupied by bottles of shampoos, body washes, hair conditioners, and a bunch of other hair care stuff he couldn’t name. That girl didn’t give a fuck about a lot of things, but her hair was the exception, which is why, he figured, it was still healthy despite years of bleach and dye.  

Vi, on the other hand, was eyeing the blue dye staining the tiles of the shower. 

“Did you kill a smurf in there or something?” she commented, pointing at the tiles. 

Ekko snorted a laugh, shaking his head “It's Jinx’s damn hair dye. I scrubbed the shit out of it but it wouldn't come out. Even if I do, she'll probably stain it again so honestly I've accepted it as part of its charm.” 

“Uh huh, how charming.” Vi rolled her eyes. The dye was everywhere in splotches of paint, even around the handle of the hand held shower head, but her eyes focused on what she could decipher as two blue palm prints on the wall.

They were small, so they were clearly her sister's. One of them was firmly planted there, and the other one looked like someone had dragged their hand down, forming lines of paint with their fingers. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, eyes flickering over to Ekko “She was just dying her hair right?” 

“Yep.” Ekko shrugged, walking out of the bathroom. 

She shook her head, walking behind him. Maybe it was her dirty mind. 

The room facing the bathroom door was the one she took interest in next. It didn't seem like Ekko or Jinx wanted to guide her on this tour, so she was just guiding herself, really. 

She just wanted to know what was going on in her sister's life a little more, seeing as she'd apparently missed such big news. What better way to start than snooping through her stuff? 

“That's my room.” Ekko pointed out, noticing her walk in. 

Eh, he was taking the fall too.

Claggor and Mylo looked inside from the threshold in faint interest. 

“Pretty comfy in here little man.” Vi nodded. 

His room was exactly him. The king mattress was big, covered in the blue’s and brown’s of his sheets. A simple green rug set underneath it. More pots and plants of green leaves, set by the large window with the same kind of pale green curtains set in the kitchen. 

What seemed like a study area in the corner of the wardrobe with his laptop and shelves filled with books. Two of his favourite guitars lean on the other corner, among other clutter and boxes of stuff. 

There were a couple posters on his walls, some from the artists he looked up to, some from his own band, and a bit of graffiti on one side, along with a few childish drawings overlapping one another. 

Claggor noticed them first, pointing them out, just as Jinx wiggled herself in the middle of her brothers, in order to walk in “What's with those drawings?” 

“We have an art program at the centre but not a lot of kids interested in trying it out so to motivate them to get creative, I told them I'd hang the drawings in my room.” Ekko pointed out, grinning as he pointed them out “Had to keep my word.” 

Jinx firmly jumped at the side of his bed, raising a brow at the little sketches. Sunny skies, little bugs and worms with faces on them, a dinosaur, a bunny, a princess, an ice cream cone, and what she could only perceive as two tiny frogs wearing sunglasses standing on top of a camel.

One of the paper’s quite literally just said ‘Ekko’s room!!’ in barely comprehensible childish writing, and she assumed the stick figure underneath it was supposed to be Ekko… in his room. 

“Oh they got creative alright.” Jinx snorted, and Ekko rolled his eyes, chuckling. 

She hadn't really ever gone to the firelight centre, but she’d seen enough of the aftermath of Ekko's days to know running it was a lot. 

Let’s just say it took a.. long time, to repair their friendship into this, something a little bit more similar to what they had when they were kids. For years after her teens, they only hung out here and there. She was terrified of getting close to him again, and fucking hell.. a chill still ran down her spine when she thought about it. Thought about.. fucking it all up again like she always did.

But he’d always been so patient, waiting and waiting, not pushing. He was the only person she trusted after Silco. The only one able to still pull her out of the most difficult of situations. She trusted him with her life.. maybe a bit quite literally.

So, anyway, yeah— seeing each other was a bit difficult for a while there, and they didn’t even have the time of day when they lived separately so she’d never been involved with his little firelights or met anyone other than Scar when it came to his band. She did blast his songs when she got the chance to, which was anytime when he wasn’t home or when she wore her headphones. 

He didn’t need more of an ego, though he insisted he didn’t have one. 

Bullshit.

“How adorable.” Vi laughed, rolling her eyes  “I don't know how you deal with those suckers all day.” 

“I've got staff.” Ekko pointed out “They keep me sane.” 

Jinx giggled at that. 

“Which one’s your room?” Vi raised an eyebrow, looking down at her sister. 

“Next door.” Jinx grumbled, pointing at the wall that separated them.

Ekko walked out first, and she jumped up to follow after him as everyone else trailed behind.

“You might not wanna go in there.” she warned, but of course, her warnings were ignored, and Ekko opened the door. 

She sighed, crossing her arms as she stood next to him, watching as Vi strolled in like she owned the place. 

Her room was a little less… presentable, to say the least.

Her bed was a similar size to Ekko’s, white and pink sheets messily placed. The windows inside the room were quite big too, adorned with white thin curtains. Then there was the usual stuff like her workspace, wardrobe, the sling hanging by the foot of the bed, the bedside desks— a lamp placed on the right side of it, with her lacy bra thrown on top of it, a few empty cans of energy drinks to the side, and an empty bottle of wine on the floor.

Several items of clothing lay all over the fluffy rug on the floor, from miniskirts to pants and shirts, tights or pieces of cut out fabric. 

There were several pieces of graffiti on the walls. She used them as her canvas every time she got bored. Thank god they could repaint, if they ever moved somewhere else, because she didn’t think she could stand living there facing such bland walls every day.

She had a few posters of her own from bands and musicians to cartoon characters she'd printed the photos of to stick on the wall, with a few string lights hanging here and there adding to the messy, unconventional look. 

“Oh my god.” Vi scrunched her nose in disgust “Pick up your shit, Powder.” 

“Hey— looking this good is a process.” she pointed at herself, before walking in the room right next to her “You try and clean this up at seven am. Not like I was expecting anyone to see it.”  

“She's got a point. We did just barge in.” Claggor shrugged, leaning on the threshold of the door “And you're not a neat freak yourself.” 

Vi rolled her eyes, weaving her brother off. 

“Of course Ekko's up there.” Mylo rolled his eyes, noticing the True Damage poster among all the other ones over her bed. 

“I am?” Ekko raised a brow, peeking his head in. 

To be fair, he never really paid enough attention to the walls when he walked in.

“Oh no! I'm the most supportive friend in the world. You caught me.” Jinx raised her hands up in a dramatic fashion. Her sarcastic tone, a complete contrast to the soft smile Ekko wore as he stared at her.

She didn't let herself take notice of that expression, pushing Vi and consequently her brothers, out of her room instead “Everyone out. I gotta change!” 

“Make sure to throw that top in the trash in the process!” Vi protested before she was fully pushed out, and Jinx slammed the door behind her back. 

“This brings back memories.” Vi mumbled to herself, shaking her head as Ekko chuckled. 

There were two more rooms in the apartment, one of them bigger than the other. The tinier one was still empty. Nothing inside but a blow up mattress and a few empty boxes inside, leftover from the move. 

It was supposed to be a guest room of sorts, but they hadn’t gotten around to buying the furniture for it, so it just sort of remained empty.

The bigger room, Jinx loved to call the fun room, despite how many times he pointed out how dirty that sounded. It was kind of a mix of everything. A recording studio, a gaming room, a painting studio, a tinkering shop— anything to keep their hands moving in their free time.

It was a bit moodier in atmosphere, lit up by led lights, switching from blue, to pink, to red, yellow and green. What covered more space was Ekko's music production set up including the computers, the midi controller, microphone, headphones and cables among other things— to help produce his own music even outside of the actual studio they had to rent hourly. 

It wasn’t its only purpose though, as he’d usually use the two computers to game with Jinx, or stream his gameplay when he felt like it. A couple of neon signs set up on the wall facing the computers, and Mylo pointed them out immediately. 

“Oh, I've seen that background in the recent streams.” he spoke up “It all makes sense now, with the new apartment and all.” 

“You watch them?” Ekko raised his eyebrows as Mylo shrugged “Put them in the background sometimes when I'm working.” 

“Oh, that's cool dude.”

“I've commented in the chat to bully your gaming before and you haven't answered once.” Mylo pointed at him accusingly. 

Ekko laughed, shaking his head “Kinda hard to pay attention to two things at once man.”

Usually when he played, his attention was on the game. He wasn’t great at interacting with the chat, despite his best efforts.

Vi, on the other hand, kept looking around. The tinkering station was but a desk in a different corner of the room, with a bunch of tools spread over it randomly. It was messy, dirty with papers and mathy scribbles she couldn’t even begin to decipher— most definitely her sister's. 

Other furniture included a bunch of places to sit like the tiny couch, messy with throw blankets and pillows, bean bags and office chairs.

And then there were canvases, some of them still blank, stacked in the corner, and two or three of them leaning against the wall to dry. One of them featured a stylized green and blue forest, another one a mess of colours blended together. There was an easel with oil paints resting in the midst of it all. 

What was most interesting, being two paintings hung on the wall. One of Jinx, one of Ekko, right next to each other. 

If there was anything to ask about, it would be those paintings. She hummed, analyzing the contrast between them in faint interest. 

“You've been keeping busy huh?” she teased, and Ekko turned from Mylo to her, noticing her stance as she looked over the paintings. 

“Oh it's been a while since we did those. It was a game we played. I had to paint her and she had to paint me.” the explanation rolled off his tongue easily, like trying to justify something she hadn’t said yet. 

Because he knew it was coming.

Jinx was laying on a bed in a relaxed pose, blue hair wild and free falling at the edge, and she was slightly turned to one side, with her legs bent and raised, one draped over the other. 

She was dressed in a loose white garment that fell gracefully around her, her arms resting naturally, one hand near her head and the other tucked close to her body. She looked comfortable, even.. vulnerable. 

Her eyes shut, wearing a neutral expression on her face. The bright blue of her hair contrasted the soft, muted colors of the bedding and background, and to be honest.. she'd never in her life seen her sister portrayed that way. 

☾ https://pin.it/2OKYdLiwS

So ethereal, so calm and relaxed— the pure opposite of who she knew her to be. Was that truly how Ekko saw her? Was she missing something, or was he just blind to her actual character? 

“It's beautiful.” Vi commented, shrugging “Only you would portray my sister like a sweet soft damsel in distress.” 

“That's not even close to my thoughts behind that painting at the time.” he raised a brow, a bit offended by Vi’s own understanding of his work “I painted what was in front of me. Nothing more, nothing less.” 

He drew a line on the sand. One Vi seemed to step on with every invasive question. 

“Wait a damn minute so you had her on the bed wearing damn near nothing posed for hours for a painting?” Vi gasped, and for a second his heart stopped.  

Claggor and Mylo suddenly turned their attention to them, now interested in the conversation.

If his life were portrayed in a kid’s cartoon, there would be obvious beads of sweat at the side of his forehead by now, as the three stared him down. He was certain he could handle a damn police interrogation better than this. 

“It was a picture!” he argued back as fast as he could, shaking his head “I didn't fucking pose her or tell her how to dress. She fell into that naturally when we were at her old apartment, and I snapped a picture I later used as reference. Jinx did the same when we were looking for a car for me to buy but I ended up with the bike instead.” 

He was frustrated, he wasn’t going to lie. Every time, it's like they were waiting to catch him on something he couldn’t even dream the possibility of, without anxiety creeping up his neck. He loved teasing her, and she loved doing it back, twice as worse, but for now that was all there was to it. Again—

nothing more, nothing less.

When it came to Jinx, he was happy with what he could get, and just two years ago, when he was looking for a quicker way to get to work and school, he made the mistake of letting her tag along in his search for a car.

They didn't buy no goddamn car that day (though they tested a few which is how she got the picture of him in that car, that she later ended up referencing), he spent his hard earned money on a motorcycle instead. 

It didn't take too much pursuing really. He fucking loved the bike the second his eyes fell on it, and Jinx’s excitement only added fuel to the fire. To hell with practicality. He could still hear the squeal that almost left him deaf in one ear when he decided on the purchase. 

“Oh.” Vi raised her eyebrows at the explanation, noticing the furrow deep within his brows. 

“Goddamnit Vi— give me a break.” he grunted, walking back until he fell backwards on the couch. 

She still had questions, but she left them hanging in the air, deciding she’d already teased the boy to his limit. The sight was amusing. 

Claggor laughed, patting his shoulder, before pointing to Jinx's painting of him “I'd say her portrayal is a little crazier in that sense.” 

Her painting was way more stylized, less concerned with anatomy and more with the splash of vibrant color. 

It was Ekko casually sitting on one of the cars they'd tested, excluding a rather confident and relaxed demeanor. Back leaned against the swat, one arm draped over the steering wheel while his legs stretched out, one foot resting on the edge of the seat. 

There was an underlying intensity in his expression. Smirk tugging at his lips. 

She'd put him in a bright pink shirt adorned with her monkey symbol (that she usually used to identify herself with in her graffiti). She'd even added her name to the bottom of his damn shoe, and the rearview mirror. 

The painting was striking with neon tones of colour, yet the bold contrast enhanced his form, making him the focal point amidst the stylized chaos of the setting. 

☼ https://pin.it/5EusGNrid

“I was wearing a different shirt, to clarify. Jinx has yet to print shirts with her symbol, though I assume the day will come.” he laughed, making Vi roll her eyes. 

“I'm still watching you, little man.” she mused. 

“Ekko!” 

Her scream had him jump to his feet— on high alert, despite her voice from the other room sounding more angry than panicked. 

But maybe that was the reason to panic. 

“Yeah?” he yelled back, heading out of the door without a second thought. 

When he entered her room, he looked around for the reason behind the yelling, but there was nothing that immediately caught his eye. 

Nothing but her change of clothes, that now included a simple and cropped grey tank and a pair of light and dark blue gingham shorts, folded over once at the base of her hips, leaving her belly once again, exposed. 

☾ https://pin.it/7hUgT0uDb

“The crow is back. Did you fucking feed it again?” she glared, pointing at her window sill, and sure enough a dark feathered crow tapped at the glass of the window with its beak. 

He laughed, scratching the back of his head “Uh.. maybe.” 

“Fuck you.” she cursed, walking over to him. Manicured finger to his chest. 

“When?” 

Her eyes widened— of all the replies, she didn’t expect that one. For a second, she was thrown off her game as he stared down at her. Then, just as quickly, she found her words.

“And I thought you had no sense of humour.” she scoffed, eyes glancing up at him before dragging down, then meeting his again with quiet challenge. She walked past him, brushing her shoulder to his arm too casually, too purposefully. 

“You underestimate me.” he commented, not turning to her but walking over to the window sill instead. The crow was still there, so he just opened the window, used to its presence “And this guy seems pretty determined to stay. Maybe call a truce?” 

Truce? 

That feathery thing was lucky she hadn’t slapped it off with her slipper yet. Those loud, annoying caw’s haunted her nights, asleep or not, it was agitating— every time she’d try to brush the bird off the window though, I’d fly right back the next day. 

That thing had it out for her, she was convinced. 

Hell, where did it even come from? You don’t just see crows out in the city every day, they’re no pigeons. Yet, this one didn’t seem to mind human presence, which made it all the more impossible to get rid of.  

Ekko, as her ever loving friend, of course— befriended the thing. Even now, it was completely unfazed by his presence, not minding the large finger petting its feathered head. 

“You're just doing this to piss me off at this point.” Jinx crossed her arms in front of her chest, raising a brow at him. She wore that frown that always made her look adorable, but mentioning that would make the frown turn into a glare. He’d learned his lesson on that front. 

“Me? Nah.” he smirked, leaving the bird alone and walking up to her. 

She noticed as his jacket slipped off his arms, exposing his well trained body. Biceps bulging out of his tank top “I'll head off to change. Put the game on to distract your siblings in the meanwhile, or we're not getting any sleep tonight.” 

She bit the inside of her cheek, watching him walk off, big leather jacket clutched in one hand.
He could probably crush her with those shoulders. 

The thought crossed her mind. It was fleeting, but the fact that it even came up confirmed there was something truly wrong with her, because she wouldn’t exactly mind going out that way. 

But without him to distract her— her eyes went right back to the crow, because of course, it was still there. 

“Oh fuck off.” she weaved it off with a hand, walking over to the window and slamming it shut. 

The bird simply moved to a different corner of the window sill, and she groaned. 

“I will eat you for dinner!” she tapped at the glass of her window with her long nail, right in front of the bird— wild eyes staring back at the feathered devil “Ya’ can't taste that different from chicken, right?” 

Finally, the bird flew off the window sill, and she furrowed her eyebrows, opening the window again “That's right! Share the message with your friends!” 

The glare didn't leave her face as she snatched a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from her nightstand and headed into the living room. She noticed Vi already flipping through the channels on their tv, while Claggor and Mylo were talking about something, all sat on their couch. 

“What the hell were you two fighting about back there?” Vi looked away from the tv to face her sister once she noticed her walk into the living room. 

Jinx walked over to her, snatching the remote from her hand and switching it to the game she was certain Vi was looking for, before rolling her eyes “Don't worry about it tuts.” 

She threw the remote on the couch, and Claggor raised a brow “Aren't you joining us?” 

“Give me one damn second.” she grumbled, opening the door to the balcony. 

The second she stepped outside, her eyes widened. She didn't expect to see a full on lounge area there, considering they didn't have one. 

But it was all there; a tiny cozy looking, cushioned couch featuring several pillows and a throw blanket— surrounded by yellow lights and plants. 

Ekko had talked about fixing up the balcony before but she didn't know he'd done all this. Mostly because he kept saying not to go to the balcony because there was a ‘bug problem’ there he was trying to keep under control, so she had to smoke out of her window for a while. 

Well well, she smirked. 

I guess there was no bug problem after all. 

She let herself fall back on the cushions, before lighting up the cigarette and resting back. 

For all of five minutes, her mind was at peace. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

It was around two am when they decided to call it a night. If there was any doubt on if the rest of the group would leave or sleepover, it was long gone now. Sleepover it is. 

They'd been yelling and throwing popcorn around for about two hours now, and somehow in all of that ruckus.. Jinx had fallen asleep. 

How? He didn't know. She'd been resting at the corner of the couch, legs lazily spread behind Vi’s spot there, head turned towards the tv. What was that expression about finding peace in chaos? Maybe this was the true meaning behind it. 

And now that the game was over, everyone was yawning and ready to go to bed. 

“How the hell did she just knock out like that?” Mylo questioned, raising a brow as he gestured towards his sister. 

“She's tired.” Ekko replied.

I'd been a long day for all of them, but waking up for school, then heading to work, plus a few more hours of dance.. yeah, the exhaustion made sense. He was struggling to keep his own eyes open to be honest, but he did so long enough to set up some blankets over the blow up mattress for Vi, leaving Mylo and Claggor to sleep on the couch. 

The very couch Jinx was still occupying. 

He'd usually just throw a blanket over her and head to bed when he noticed she'd fallen asleep like that, but clearly, they needed the space tonight. He sighed, walking over to her side, not wanting to wake her, considering the possibility she wouldn't go back to sleep again. 

Sleep was a weird thing when it came to Jinx. She had the power to stay up two to three nights in a row living off of energy drinks and sugar alone, but then she'd just crash randomly during the day. Anytime, anywhere. 

Her professors could probably confirm the statement. 

Either way, sometimes when he’d wake her, she went back to bed, other times she refused to. He couldn't risk it this time— they all needed to wake up early in the morning anyway. Her body desperately needed this rest. 

“Powder! Wake up!” Vi patted at the head of the couch as she walked by, in order to shake her awake. 

“Don't.” Ekko grimaced. 

“What are you gonna use true love's kiss or something?” Mylo scoffed, making Ekko roll his eyes. 

“Shut up.” he muttered, hands gently sliding through the tiny space between her neck and the throw pillow. The other one, wrapping around the back of her knees. 

He lifted her up effortlessly, and she stirred slightly in his arms, humming. A small smile tucked at the corner of lip, as he turned, heading for her bedroom. 

Vi, Mylo and Claggor shared tired, confused looks. 

“I’m choosing to ignore that.” Vi rolled her eyes, heading for her bed "G'night". 

Chapter Text

“Good lord, they're still here.” 

The words should’ve never left her lips, but her mouth had betrayed her, as it always seemed to do. 

And so there they were, Mylo and Claggor had taken seats around their tiny table in the kitchen, Vi sitting on another chair facing Ekko with a mug in her hand, and Ekko leaning on the counter, looking completely ready to start his day, wearing a gray hoodie jacket with a zip front in a relaxed fit. The jacket had a simple design, showcasing a small logo on the chest and a zippered pocket on one side, with wide-legged gray jeans to match.  

☼ https://pin.it/7oDEHSs7B

He had his dreads in a ponytail, showcasing the fade at the sides of his head, as his eyes flickered over to her. 

“Ah, so your eyes work. Wonderful news.” her older sister gave her a thumbs up, making her brothers laugh. 

She sighed. She'd just rolled out of bed, and cleaned up in the bathroom, so she was nowhere near ready. Pj’s still covering her frame, while her braided hair was a big blue mess of its own with pieces sticking out from her braids and a few framing her face along with the side bang that loved to cover her vision. 

“I’ve got somethin’ that might cheer you up.” Ekko spoke up, lifting up her favourite mug of coffee. It was a pale pink, with the words ‘My tummy hurts again and I'm mad at the government’  written on top of an illustration of a very fat frog. 

She jumped at the sight, running over to him and only coming to a halt to grab the mug. 

She analyzed its contents, seeing the whipping cream on top, but still a little reluctant as her eyes flicked over to him “Three spoons of sugar, cocoa powder and—” 

“And whipping cream with sprinkles, yes.” he filled in her sentence, as if she couldn't already see the whipping cream and sprinkles slightly sticking out of the mug. 

“And you didn't purposefully hold back on the sugar?” she raised a brow, pointing up at him. 

He laughed, shaking his head “It’s as indulgent as you like it. Taste it.” 

She hummed, still a little skeptical, bringing the mug to her lips. She never really let him make her coffee for fear he'd try and make it healthier like his bitter, disgusting black coffee, but she was putting her faith in him this once. 

“I cannot believe you're gonna drink all that this early in the morning.” Mylo made a disgusted face “The more shit he put in there the more alarmed I got he was trying to poison you.” 

She tasted the coffee, and it was absolutely… perfect. 

A grin spread to her face, as she licked her lips to get rid of the creamer, before staring at Mylo “If sugar could wipe me out it would've happened a long time ago, plus— Ekko says I have to eat something in the morning before I take my pills. It's better for ya.” 

“I didn't mean whipping cream.” he clarified, smirking down at her. 

He'd tried to fix these damn habits of hers for a couple of years now, and had only half succeeded, considering she still didn't listen to him when it came to most things. She did sometimes consider his suggestions, which he was grateful for.

“Details.” she rolled her eyes, taking another sip of her coffee (or dessert, as Ekko liked to refer to it) as she leaned in on the wall opposite to the kitchen counters, feet next to his on the opposite side, due to the narrow space. 

“Come on! Just means you'll see more and more of me in your clinic in a few years, you know? They say to eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away, but what if I want him closer?” she smirked, giggling at her own joke. 

He stared at her amusingly, before bursting out laughing— couldn’t keep his face straight at that one. 

Ekko had just graduated with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree, but he had a good three years of residency in front of him, in order to properly earn his profession. However he was still allowed to practice medicine now, and get paid for it, though under supervision. 

His degree did intertwine with the work he did at the community center, positioning him as someone who bridged medical practice with community health initiatives. This way, he could balance his passion for medicine with his commitment to the community while still fulfilling the role of a dedicated physician.

Did his hectic daily schedule suffer due to the fact that he couldn’t duplicate himself? Abso-fucking-lutely. 

“That's it— you're moving out today. I'm not leaving you alone with him.” Vi shook her head, making a face at her sister's flirtatious comment. 

She was half convinced she’d jump his bones someday, and she didn’t think Ekko had the power to fight her off either, and then their friendship would be fucked up, which then would put her in a predicament and group outings impossible. She’d be desperately grasping at strings to try and keep the damn group together because she couldn’t really abandon either of them. The last thing they needed was for what happened during their teen years to happen again, just when they’d started to somehow heal.

The thought was as terrifyingly bitter as whatever the fuck Ekko was sipping on. 

“You're a decade late.” Jinx shrugged, smirking down at her sister.

Then, she noticed the mug in her hand; Ekko had probably prepared all their coffees this morning, considering Vi would have no clue where they kept all their shit. How cute.

“Are you driving Claggor and Mylo to work?” 

“Yeah, did you need a ride?” Vi raised her eyebrows at her little sister. 

Her shift at the bar usually started around three pm, so she had time to kill until then. Her plans included getting her brother's to work, considering they'd driven here in one car, and then take a big fat nap when she got back home. 

“Possibly. What time are you leaving?” 

“In about… ten minutes, give or take. Mylo needs to get to work early.” Vi checked her phone, before looking back at her sister, then pointing to her coffee “Think you can finish that in that time?”

“You think that's my biggest worry? Look at me!” she pointed at the pj's she was wearing. Not even in her darkest nightmares would she consider facing the world without a pair of stockings or a spiked belt thick enough she could knock someone out if whipped at someone’s head. That was her persona, in a way. Seeing her in pj’s was a fucking privilege. 

“Why didn't someone wake me up earlier?” 

“Alarms exist.” Mylo pointed out. 

“No, shit sherlock. You think I woke up just now naturally? I have time to get there if I take the bus. Didn't think you guys would sleep over so I could go with you.” she groaned. 

She absolutely hated the bus. Trapped in an enclosed space with like fifty sweaty people who kept throwing her judgmental or hungry looks was not her idea of fun.

Then, her mind went to her only other option, as her eyes locked on Ekko’s. She assumed he wouldn’t be going with them, since he already had his motorcycle. The one she begged to hop on any chance she got, because the asshole wouldn’t trust her with it alone. 

Considering she had her driving licence revoked, she couldn’t really fault him too much for that. 

She could already see his expression shifting, understanding what she wanted without her having to say it at all. Still, his face remained stoic as they held eye contact. 

“Pretty please.” 

Her voice was soft, eyebrows furrowed, blue eyes big and sparkly, lips plump and pouty. 

Though he knew her tricks so well, he still fell trap to them every time, as he let out a sigh, looking down at the watch on his wrist “You have forty minutes kitty. I gotta start my rounds at eight.” 

Vi rolled her eyes. See? Weak. 

“Bet.” her sister’s smile winded, showing off her tooth gap. She left her half-finished mug on the edge of the counter and it almost slipped off before he caught it with the back of his hand, preventing them ten more minutes of cleaning coffee and creamer off the floor tile. 

She didn’t even notice as she ran off, and he called out to her again “Pills!” 

She halted her steps in the middle of the living room, slumped, then turned right back around. He grabbed two different pills from the cabinet at the side of his head, offering them to her. 

She grabbed them, swallowing them at once with her coffee, before giving him an annoyed eye roll and running off towards her bedroom again, slamming the door shut. 

“Can she even function without you?” Claggor wondered, letting out a laugh.

“Clearly not. Why do you think they’re living together?” Vi scoffed. 

“Yeah yeah.” he weaved her off. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The motorcycle came to a halt once they were on campus, a few feet away from Jinx’s university. The sun was bright, the grass was… mostly green, and students walked off in each and every direction. Some chatting with friends, some hurrying to classes. A few groups gathered outside of the school, chatter especially loud and annoying. 

The roar of the motorcycle as it came to a halt alone, had already made some people look their way. It was a Harley Davidson, jet black, clean polished due to Ekko's care for it.

Jinx swung her leg to the opposite side, letting go of his waist as she hopped off the bike. Ekko stayed put, putting one of his feet to the ground as he simply took off his helmet, hanging it on the handle, in order to talk to her before he left. 

Jinx struggled strapping off her helmet, hands pulling at the strap. He chuckled, placing his hands under her jawline and properly strapping it off, before taking it off her head. 

She shook her head— that helmet was definitely not hairstyle friendly, and she had actually spent time on styling her hair today too.

Her usual braids had been split into four, strapped tightly right past the centre of her head, before twisted there again, making her usual long hair much shorter and manageable as she went about her day.  

As for her outfit, she'd decided on matching dark wash denim for her top and bottoms. Her top had a cropped, sleeveless design, characterized by intricate lacing along the front and sides, as well as a high neckline adorning her neck like a choker. She'd left half of the lacing undone, exposing some extra skin between her breasts and waist. 

The pants clung to her hips; denim, with the same black lacing details along the sides, adding more of a slightly ripped appearance.

☾ https://pin.it/6AT0NFn6Z

“Alright, time to terrorize this place.” she looked around with a wicked smile, noticing the eyes examining them. Some on the motorcycle, some on Ekko… mostly on her. 

“That's the spirit.” he rolled his eyes “Now when are you on and off work today?” 

“Three to six pm.” she snapped her fingers, pointing at him playfully. 

“Do you have dance?” he raised his eyebrows. 

“That's wednesdays and saturday nights, so no, I do not.” she offered “Why are you always so curious about my schedule?” 

“Because Vi calls and asks me instead of you every time.” he shrugged, making Jinx roll her eyes. He laughed, shaking his head “And uh, I finish at seven today if everything goes to plan. I'm gonna need you to head to the market and get us some groceries so I can make dinner immediately when I get home.” 

Her eyes sparkled with ideas, and he cocked his head to the side “And when I mean groceries, I mean some veggies too, not just chips and sour candy. I don't know what meal you expect me to make with those.” 

“Well, we can experiment.” she mused “Now get outta here I'm gonna be late.” 

“Using me as an excuse for your poor time management skills, aren’t we?” he strapped the helmet back on his head, handing her her laptop bag before revving his motorcycle “Don’t miss me too much, Jinxie.” 

“Saying it out loud won't make it true!” she called out after him, but he'd already swerved off. 

She turned around, holding onto her bag as she muttered to herself “Asshole.” 

The time on her broken phone said she had exactly three minutes until her first class. She shrugged, bending down to pull her packet of cigarettes and lighter from the cuff of her boot, before lighting one. 

Even in jeans, pockets were a luxury she didn’t have.

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“The fluid mechanics of my ass.” she mumbled to herself, staring back at her laptop. Information upon information. Research upon research. 

Too. many. useless. words. 

This damn website was filled to the brim with info dump masked as useful and educational content, and honestly? Her attention span was fried— deep fried, if you may.  

Her eyes skimmed over the information, catching different words and sentences here and there, until she formed her own understanding of the words. She took another gulp of her Monster energy drink before slamming the can on the desk, quickly typing a few notes on the laptop, while bobbing her head to the music in her headphones— a more recent release from True Damage. 

Her study sessions and work didn’t look much different from each other at this point. She was in her second— and last, year of her Mechanical Engineering Master’s program. A lot of her classes were based around physics, mathematics, materials science, and more, which directly connected to the work she did at the lab, creating, testing and modifying devices. 

The engineering workshop/lab was a university-affiliated one. They had a few researchers there, while she developed prototypes for new inventions, testing their functionality, and iterating designs based on feedback (which was the part that pissed her off most about the job). 

She’d gotten the opportunity to work there after one of her professors (now also mentor and boss), had been impressed by her inventions, intrigued by her skills and logic. Since then, her life had been aerodynamics this, kinematics that, along with a funny czech accent she liked to mock behind his back. 

Sure, she liked what she did, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to complain, wail and bitch about every element of it  anytime she could. She didn’t know how else to make it through this degree. It was a coping mechanism or whatever.  

She’d also had exactly one cigarette, half a chocolate and was in the process of finishing her second energy drink this far. If it kept her alive, it was lunch. 

Her eyes only lifted from her laptop when she felt some movement on the desk, only to see a blonde girl take a seat in front of her, setting her own lunchbox down as if this was a high school cafeteria table and she’d been invited over to the table by some invisible person sitting next to her. 

Her eyes shut tightly, and she let out a long, frustrated sigh.. this is why I don’t work on campus. Maybe if I keep my eyes shut she’ll think I’m sleepwalking… uh, sleepworking??? 

“Jinx! Can you hear me over those headphones?” the overly enthusiastic voice dragged her out of her too good to be true fantasy. 

“Unfortunately I can, Lux.” she replied, pushing her headphones down to her neck, before fully facing the blonde girl with blue eyes. 

“Oh so we’re on nickname bases now huh?” she teased, opening up her little lunchbox, before pulling out a sandwich “Would you like some?” 

“You’re on nickname bases with the whole campus. I don’t think anyone even knows your full name.” she raised a brow, before rolling her eyes. She wasn’t sure she knew it either. “And no— a little busy here.” 

“Aren’t you always?” Lux huffed, shaking her head as she put her sandwich down. 

Then, her eyes lingered just a minute too long on her half laced denim top, and she smirked “Cute top.”

“Wasn’t what I was going for.” her voice monotone, eyes fixated on one of the prototype designs she’d been researching for, as she rested her chin on her hand.

“Would you prefer I said enticing?” she purred, biting her lip “Smoking hot?” 

“You sound like you’ve been smoking pot.” she rhymed her words perfectly, before sending her a sarcastic smile of her own “Go get laid sunshine. Again, bit busy here.” 

Her nonchalant voice only seemed to turn her on more, as if her being mean had the exact opposite effect of the one desired. Lux surely liked a challenge, which the blue haired girl still failed to realize. 

“I mean I would be, but you’re busy.” she winked. 

It was one kiss. 

New year’s eve party. She was like twenty, had one too many drinks, and she was lonely as fuck. It was her last new year’s before Ekko pulled her out of her slump and helped her stitch shit together with Vi. 

She didn’t even know anyone in that club, so she kissed the stranger closest to her— Lux. Then, she kissed another girl after, crackling and laughing with them. The difference? 

That one didn’t chase her around like a lost puppy begging for a bone. That stranger still remained a stranger, which was good. Lux was but a reminder of a night that made her cringe to herself, thinking of her actions. The way she used to be. 

She’d never really fully slept with a girl. She wasn’t planning on it either, though she didn’t plan most things she did. Still, even in her wildest threesome daydreams, Lux was not involved.

Yeah she was pretty in a literal sense, but also pretty annoying.  

“Trust me, If I were free you’d be twice as disappointed.” she pulled her laptop off her desk, throwing it in its designed bag, before sitting up. 

“What about a coffee date?” her words were more frantic when she noticed Jinx sit up. 

“No.”

“Uh… a glass of water?” she blinked, speaking before thinking.

“I quit water.” 

“Oh come on! I’m surely better than those assholes.” Lux rolled her eyes, pointing behind her to a group of men standing next to the building’s entrance, that she hadn’t noticed had been staring at the two of them the entire time. 

And the second her eyes flicked over to them, they started howling like dogs. 

There were so many of them she could open up a shelter. 

“I don’t have to settle, sweetheart.” 

With that, she started walking towards the entrance, needing to be in the actual building for her next class. Of course, the action came with its price. 

‘Oh damn she’s coming!’

‘Swing those hips baby!’

Nausea bubbled in her stomach, as she showed them her middle finger “Suck my dick.”

“You’d need one for that.” one of them called out, laughing. He seemed to be the one initiating the group to act like idiots. A tall, lanky dude with a bunch of piercings. 
         
Just before she walked in, she turned—lips lifting in amusement.  

“But you’d still do it wouldn’t you?” she teased “I do have one, and it’s definitely bigger than yours.” 

He raised his brows. 

“Hot pink, and it doesn’t bark like you.” she continued, enjoying the sudden silence as they listened to her “And guess what else it can do, that you never could?” 

He scratched the back of his neck, looking around at the guys, suddenly uncomfortable. 

“Make me cum.” she grit her teeth, finally walking off. 

The boo’s, bitch, loose cannon, and Harley Quinn comments followed the minute she was out of sight, rounding a corner. She let out a deep sigh. 

Wonder what Ekko’s up to.

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Zeri, have you seen Gert today?” Ekko spoke up, entering the community center’s staff lounge.
The blonde girl with pigtails turned her attention from the plate of food she was taking out of the microwave, raising her eyebrows in surprise at her boss’s sudden entercane.  

“She’s in the activity room, if I’m not mistaken.” Zeri offered, with a polite smile.

Oh hell, she hoped the other girl wasn’t in trouble.

“Thanks.” Ekko gave her a curt nod, fast paced footsteps heading for the children’s activity room. 

After he’d been done with his morning rounds checking on patients this morning, his full attention had been on the community centre, catching up with Scar on the few hours he missed, asking how the early morning had went for the kids, before drowning himself in paperwork, organizing files and data, sifting through the list of programs as he checked on performance as well as looked over reviews from parents. 

He liked feedback much better when it came face to face, but he regularly checked on their website to make sure he wasn’t missing any serious concerns. Obviously, he couldn’t please everyone— especially when it came to entertaining other people’s children, so negative feedback was inevitable, though their reviews were always mostly positive. 

He’d allow himself one more hour of working at the centre, before grabbing lunch and heading to the hospital again. All his days were a constant back and forth. His phone would only mostly stop buzzing after hours or on the weekends. Any other time, if he was at the hospital, people needed him at the centre, and if he was at the centre, then he was needed at the hospital. 

He’d probably bitten off more than he could chew the day he chose both career paths, but at this point the two were so neatly intertwined he couldn’t imagine doing one without the other. Keeping himself busy was never going to be a bad thing in his mind. 

“Gert.” he spoke up from the threshold of the door, weaving a hand at the woman “A word?”  

She looked up from the little boy she was helping with his drawing, pushing the dreadlocks away from her face so she could see, before patting the child’s back encouragingly and walking towards him. 

Her smile was semi-nervous. Ekko wasn’t the one to yell unless necessary, but she’d been working at the community centre long enough to recognize the stress displayed on his face. 

“What’s up, boss?” she questioned, casually, raising a brow. 

“First off, just wanted to mention the new art activities have been a hit with the kids and their parents. Apparently, the kids loved playing with the clay and making sculptures.” he informed, offering a smile “Keep giving me your bright ideas.”

She chuckled, nodding “I’m glad to hear it.”

“I did see some chatter on the reviews about some kids feeling left out, especially in the group activities, so please— be careful about that.” he added “Maybe check in with the kids more often, ask them how you think it went for them on one on one conversations; gives the quieter kids a better chance to speak up.”

“Will do. I can’t believe I missed that.” she shook her head “I thought everyone was being entertained.” 

“We can’t know how they’re feeling all the time, but hey, asking goes a long way.” he shrugged “Report back to me if there’s a cause for issue.” 

Before Gert could say something else to that, a little girl with pigtails ran over to Ekko holding a paper in her hands. 

“Mr. E!” she enthusiastically jumped, holding the paper his way for him to see “Look! Look!” 

Ekko looked down at the kid, chuckling. She was no older than seven, a ball of energy hardly ever contained. 

They had an open-door policy, which allowed the kids to approach him or any of the other staff at any time of the day for whatever reason, be it a question, needing assistance, or simply to say hi. 

So the kids recognized Ekko way too well. He was involved in almost all the big activities the centre held, and would check in with the staff, kids and parents all the time. Even his employees would even talk about him to the kids when he wasn't there, be it in the form of a compliment, a joke, or using his title to get the kids to behave. 

Ekko stared down at the drawing on the little girl's hands. It was a family portrait of sorts— little bobble headed stick figures with coloured brown hair holding hands, most likely her parents, with her in the middle, and a smaller child on the side, probably her siblings. 

“Oh, did you draw your family Stace?” he questioned, tone completely changing from the serious edge it usually had, to a more curious- with-wonder voice. A sweeter, warmer tone.

It was to be expected, but it did make Gert sniffle in a laugh at how abrupt I'd been.

Stacy nodded with a cheerful smile, pulling at his finger to get him to walk over to her original place of work— a children's desk and chair. 

Despite the list of things he needed to do only getting longer the more he stood there, he couldn't say no. He was weak in that way. Plus, his time would never be wasted when it came to these children anyway. They remained his responsibility for the hours they stayed there.

So he complied, watching as she rubbed the wrinkles out of the paper with the tiny palms of her hands, setting it up on the desk, before pointing at one of the figures “This is mom.” 

He nodded, crouching down to her level. 

“This is dad.” she pointed at the other figure “That's me, and that's my sister!” 

“Nice. How old's your sister?” he questioned, smiling at her warmly. 

“Uhh..” she blinked, before raising her palm in the air, a little confused as to which of her fingers to put down. She settled on her middle finger, almost making an awkward looking rock and roll hand sign. 

“Four? She as cute as you?” 

“I'm the cutest.” Stacy huffed, making him laugh. 

And it was the most genuine, stress free laugh he'd let out all day. Gert smiled at the scene as she stuck some more children’s drawings to the walls of the room.  

“She cries a lot.” the little girl offered more information “It's annoying, but mom says I gotta deal with it. Oh! Do you have a girlfriend?” 

His eyebrows furrowed at the question, but he was quite used to the kid's random switch in topics and sometimes borderline nonsensical comments, so he answered her curious question anyway. 

“I do not, Stace. Why do you ask?” he raised a brow. 

“Momma said you probably did. She said you're too pretty not to.” she hummed amusingly. 

Ekko had no idea if the kid even knew what she was saying, but the comment did make him just slightly uncomfortable. 

“Oh yeah? What did dad think about that?” he questioned.

Gert couldn't help it, she slapped a hand in front of the mouth to try and sniffle in her laughter again. 

The gesture stole Ekko's attention, and he noticed her turn around so he wouldn’t see her, but he could see her shoulders shaking, probably fighting for her life not to crack up loudly.

“Dad says you suck.” she nodded with an innocent, wide smile. 

“Bummer. I was certain we could be friends.” he shrugged, earning a giggle from the kid. Then her eyes widened with a different discovery. 

“But why don't you have a girlfriend? You're like… old.” her eyebrows furrowed, as she studied Ekko's face intently. 

Oh.. so we're back to this. 

“How old do you think I am?” he raised his brows, half curious to hear the answer. 

“You should be like.. sixteen.” she tapped her pointer finger to her lips “Or.. fiftyseven.” 

“How specific.” 

He could barely contain his own laughter at this point, leaving out a chuckle as he shook his head. 

“You're practically a fossil.” she pointed out accusingly. 

“Thanks Stace. I'll keep that in mind when I'm looking for a girlfriend.” he chuckled “Do you even know what a fossil is?” 

She shook her head no, and he smirked. 

“Alright, get back to your little drawings.” 

“If you find a girlfriend, will you make a baby?” he wasn't sure why, but he swore that specific question was called out even louder, as he sat up. 

He cringed, gaze averting to Gert who'd just straightened herself slightly from holding her stomach as she laughed, in order to leave the room entirely. 

He sighed, turning to face the little kid “Well I've clearly got my hands full with all of you, don’t I?” 

The little girl snickered wickedly, and about the same time his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He expected it to be some text from his co-workers at the hospital, talking about an emergency of sorts. He'd gotten those types of texts way too often these days. 

Instead, his phone screen flashed with a message from someone else. 

Blue: 
I think I just got kidnapped but like.. politely? 

Chapter Text

Jinx, what in the actual fuck are you talking about? 

He was pacing to his office at the community center as he watched the message sent. He needed to get there earlier for work, but now it was also the only quiet place he could think for some space to think. He'd probably need it to pull Jinx out of whatever situation she'd gotten herself into this time. 

Just as he sat on his office chair, another buzz from his phone made his eyes flicker to the screen. 

Blue: 
I got into the wrong Uber but it wasn't even an Uber. Just some guy LOL 

His eyes widened as he started typing on his phone again. Panic shooting through his entire chest. 

WHAT? Where are you?? Call the police! 

Jinx’s next response came quicker than expected. 

Blue: 
He gave me a Capri Sun and said he was “heading that way anyway”. 

He stared at the message in confusion. The urgency of the situation seemed to have flown right over her head. It was either that, or she didn't give a fuck. Both options— varying degrees of concerning. 

Jinx I swear to god you're gonna end up in a documentary someday. 
Tell me where you are and get out of the damn car!

He waited for her response, anxiously tapping his foot to the ground, scared her replies would cease in mere minutes if he didn't use his time wisely, and do something to save her. 

Blue:
We're listening to divorced dad rock. It's oddly peaceful. 
He just asked if I wanted McDonalds <3 

He almost froze as he stared at the messages, eyes scanning the words over again to make sure what he was reading was correct. Had she lost her mind? Letting this random man take her to a second location? He knew she was smarter than this— they both did, which made the situation that much more worrying to him. It’s not that she didn’t understand, it’s that she didn’t care.

His fingers moved at lighting speed as he typed another message.  

Which McDonald’s???

When he didn't get a quick reply back, he hit the call button, not keen on wasting more time. By some miracle, she picked up.  

“Hi there, boy saviour. Sorry we were just getting the fries.” her giggle sounded giddy, as if this whole situation wasn’t dangerous at all. 

His eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“This isn't a fucking date. It's a potential crime!” he reminded her, voice bouncing off the walls of his office “Please tell me you have his licence plate.” 

“Nope, but I do know he orders twenty nuggets, no sauce.” she pointed out. 

“Blue, this is insane!” he hissed. 

“I think I just accidentally got adopted.” 

“Again?!” he couldn't help himself from asking, furrowing his brows ”You’re twenty four!” 

“Do you think it's weird that I feel safer here than in my last actual uber?” she wondered. 

“Jinx.” he growled her name in frustration, wiping down his face with the palm of his hand. He didn't need this now— not in the middle of all the shit he had to deal with at work. He was certain she knew it too. Maybe she was just doing it to fuck with him. 

“Oh.. can you say my name like that again?” 

Yep, definitely fucking with him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, leaving out a heavy sigh from his lungs. He was pretty sure he was red in the face from the fear and frustration alone, while she taunted him, acting like she did this on any casual thursday. 

Who was he kidding? He wouldn’t be surprised to learn she did and just wasn’t telling him.

Then, he heard some shuffling and someone's voice in the background. Jinx spoke up again “Huh? Oh no, just a friend.” 

He rolled his eyes. He wanted to bang his head against the wall until it went numb. 

“Holy shit.” he murmured, more so to himself. 

Jinx must've caught on that, because she spoke up again. 

“Ree-lax! We're friends now, but I can send you my live location so we're both less irritated, deal?” she questioned. 

He grunted, rolling his eyes.

“Why the fuck did you even need an Uber anyway? Weren't you at school?” 

“Two hours of lecture got cancelled and I remembered I needed a few documents I left at home for work later. I needed to go get them.” she explained. 

“You couldn't take the bus?” he questioned.

“Ew.” 

He could imagine the cute scrunch of her nose at that sound. 

“Fuck’s sake, you're gonna be the death of me.” he muttered, wiping at his jawline with his hand. 

“Probably, but don't worry, I'd kill myself to join you.” she quipped. 

“How thoughtful.” he deadpanned, leaving out another sigh “You're gonna listen to me and do what I say, alright? I don't need any more arguments. He tries to touch you, he's dead.” 

“Yeah yeah.” she weaved him off. 

He pinched the skin between his brows. 

“First, send me your location and don't stop texting me. If you do, I'm calling the police or heading there myself.” he threatened “Don't let him drop you off right in front of our building. Tell him to stop at least ten minutes away, got it?” 

“You're so demanding.” she purred.

“Blue, I swear to god I'm not fucking around.” 

“Alright, alright.” she finally gave in, leaving out a sigh of her own “What a party pooper.” 

“Proudly.” 

“You’ve reached another level of daddy.” she hummed “Go take care of your damn kids.” 

“I am.” 

“Ha! I knew you were babying me!” she pointed out accusingly. 

He smirked. They could probably stay on the phone all day, bickering about the dumbest shit. Too bad he didn't have all day, and the situation was a bit more pressing than that.

“Wouldn't have to if you weren't in the literal situation parents warn their kids about.” he reminded her “You'd enter a white van for a lollipop, wouldn't you?” 

“Depends on the kind of lollipop.” her voice held that low rasp to it, probably credited to her smoking habit, as she spoke in that seductive way about her. 

He wouldn't lie, he was knocked off his game. Maybe even a bit speechless. He was used to her flirty behavior and dirty humor— it was just her, and maybe he even entertained it at some point too, made her laugh.

It was rare one of her silly dirty jokes actually got to him though. They were mindless, harmless fun, but something about the delivery of those words made his insides twist. 

He cleared his throat, settling on his words “Just send me the damn location.” 

With that, he hung up on her, breathing a sigh of relief. His phone buzzed again with another notification, and he looked down. 

Blue: 
Rude!!!! 

He chuckled to himself. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Vicky!” 

“I said if you call me that again, you're fired.” the voice behind the words was cold and harsh. 

She grinned, completely ignoring it, as she walked over to his work desk, staring at his profile as he scribbled more mathy nonsense on a sheet, she’d probably need to decipher later. He looked tired, but there were no days where her professor wasn’t, which made him that much less tolerating of her bullshit. 

Too bad. 

“Well am I?” she challenged. 

The lab had been super quiet until she walked in, so she'd gotten quite a few nasty glaces from her co-workers, even one or two annoyed sighs when she slammed the documents on her hands and her laptop, on top of Viktor’s desk.

Boo hoo. Nerds.

Viktor looked up from his work, finally facing her with an almost stoic expression. 

She giggled, smiling evilly “That's what I thought, professor.”

After the whole fiasco with Finn, her now new friend, she'd made her way back home in one piece following Ekko's stupid safety rules. She hung out around the apartment for a while before leaving again, having to take the bus back to work this time… and you guessed it, yet again, by Ekko’s stupid safety rules. 

She couldn't even take a normal Uber now. Ugh, I shouldn't have texted him in the first place. 

“Don't get cocky Miss LaRue. Have you been working on the prototype I assigned you on last time?” he questioned, czech accent emphasizing his every word.

He was a slightly taller, lanky dude with brown hair, a tiny mole on his cheek, and a slight hunch to his back, due to leaning over his desk most of the time. Still, his sharp jawline and cheekbones gave him a more refined look. 

“What do you take me for?” she huffed, pulling out her laptop from her bag “I've been working on this shit for a week. It better work with the new tweaks I have in mind.” 

“I'm sure you'll figure it out, even if it doesn't.” he encouraged, as they watched the laptop screen load. 

This piece of technology was the only one that hadn't suffered too much, being owned by Jinx, as she didn't take it with her everywhere, and mostly just used it for school and work. Plus, if she cracked it— she couldn't afford replacing that and the phone, and she'd be in dire need of replacing this one, considering she couldn't do anything without it. 

“Have you been staying up again? You look like you haven't slept much.” Viktor shrugged, tapping his pencil on his notes. 

“Gee thanks, and look who's the one talking.” Jinx huffed, rolling her eyes “My sister and the man of progress own a bar, so what do you think?” 

“Man of progress?” Viktor raised an eyebrow. 

She truly had the weirdest nicknames for people. 

“Yeah the tall and rich, handsome dude, Jayce Talis.” she rolled her eyes “He sneaked his way into the contract by his friendship with my sister. It's so fuckin’ annoying.” 

If he'd heard her call him handsome just now, he would've lost his mind. He wasn't her type, he was too old, but she wasn't blind by any means. 

“Jayce Talis?” he repeated the name, furrowing his brows “I know him.” 

Jinx raised her eyebrows at that, glancing at him for only a second before opening up the work apps on her laptop. 

“How do you know him?” she hummed. 

She hadn’t expected that. I guess they were around the same age, but still, Viktor didn't look like the type of guy to stand all that pretentious talk, much less tolerate it.

“He was my lab partner. We worked on a few projects together.” he shrugged “We met in college.” 

“Huh.” Jinx looked up at him, leaning her hips on the desk as she turned to him again “I think you should tell him to come back to the lab. He keeps getting stupider.” 

Viktor let out a dry chuckle “We don't talk much these days.” 

“Come by the bar then. The Last Drop.” she shrugged “You'll probably catch him there making the most horrible drinks known to man.” 

“We'll see.” Viktor rolled his eyes “Now show me these tweaks you were talking about.” 

She smirked, looking back at her laptop. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The few hours they had off after work had to be spent wisely, so both Jinx and Ekko were always indulging in their hobbies, especially if they didn't have anything to prepare for the next day, and could just relax.

Which is why Ekko sat on his gaming chair, facing the computer with the camera on him. I’d been a while since he'd done a stream, and he thought today was a good day, considering he was in a good mood. 

Remembering the actual events, it was surprising, but he wasn’t going to complain.
He'd arrived home two hours ago, made dinner with the few things Jinx had brought home and they’d quickly finished their meal before parting paths again. He wasn't sure what she was doing in her room, but she'd been in there for a while. 

It wasn't a surprise, when the music started bouncing off the walls with the song Maneater, but it sure was a little bit embarrassing considering he live on stream, and you could probably hear it. 

He had a decent amount of followers, so the chat was always running with comments, most of which he missed some of the time, but as he finished one of the rounds of the game, he took a peak at the chat after the game, noticing a comment. 

Why the fuck are we listening to Maneater rn.

He chuckled, looking at the camera “If you can hear that music, that’s my roommate. Sorry guys.” 

The song quickly changed from Maneater to Doja Cat’s Boss Bitch. He rolled his eyes, shooting Jinx a quick text asking her to lower the music a bit, since he couldn’t get up and walk away mid-stream.

Instead of lowering the music, she shut it off completely, and he raised his eyebrows not thinking much of it as he looked back at the chat again.
“I need more music from True Damage” he read, before smirking “Well I hope you’ve been listening to our most recent release. It’s—”

“Do you not love me anymore?” a voice rather dramatically called out, and he whipped around to see Jinx as she walked into the room, slamming the door behind her “Is that what that is? Because you love my music taste. I know you do.” 

She was standing there, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at him accusingly. Her eyebrows furrowed, nose scrunched, lips into a pout that showcased betrayal. She was wearing a large black t-shirt, and he wasn’t certain by any means that there was anything underneath it. If she had on shorts, he couldn’t see them.

The shirt hung loosely onto her frame, slightly off the shoulder and showing off her collarbone. She’d probably hacked at the neck with scissors too. At the front of it, in large, blocky letters he read: ‘If you find me relatable, seek help.’ 

“I do, I do— I’m just sort of in the middle of a stream.” at that, her eyebrows raised as she took notice of the camera, suddenly aware of their audience “Cute shirt though.” 

She then looked down at her shirt, before rolling her eyes, dismissing his comment. She crossed her arms as she spoke up again “You playing League?”
Ekko’s attention turned back to the chat, as Jinx leaned on the desk next to him in faint interest. A part of her shirt still in the frame, as she attempted to read any of the comments coming in from a distance. 

“Yeah, wanna join?” he raised a brow. 

She smirked, walking more into the frame, standing in front of his chair as she spoke “You gotta death wish or just an embarrassment kink?” 

He hummed, seemingly unaffected by her words. 

“All bark, no bite.” 

She gasped, mouth open wide as she stared at him. Then her piercing glare returned “Oh we'll see who bites. Set it the fuck up.” 

“Alright alright.” he laughed “Entertain the chat for me, won't you?” 

She hummed as she watched Ekko open up the other pc to set up her account, leaning by his chair and staring right at the camera “What kinda entertainment we talkin’?” 

“Don't.” 

His warning only made her giggle, as her eyes scanned the comments. 

‘Who is she?’

‘YO SHE'S SO HOT.’ 

‘HER HAIR IS GORGEOUS SHE’S SO PRETTY’

‘Bro THAT'S your roommate????’ 

‘Can’t tell if they’re fighting or flirting tbh.’ 

‘HER SHIRT LMAO.’ 

‘JINX GET OUT OF EKKO’S STREAM.’ 

Of course, the last comment was left by Mylo. 

She cackled, pulling a chair as she pointed her middle finger to the camera “Suck it Mylo!” 

“What did he say?” Ekko's laughing now. 

“Being an ass as always.” she rolled her eyes, before biting her lip “I don't know how to do this stream thing. Am I just supposed to talk to myself?” 

“You already do that without the camera. Wasn't the difference?” he cocked a brow. 

“Oh fuck off.” she rolled her eyes, before looking back at the camera “Ya hear that? This is the man behind the charm. Welcome to my Ekko exposé.” 

“What are you trying to expose exactly?” he laughed, not snatching his eyes away from the other computer. 

The dirty joke was on the tip of her tongue, but she settled for something less suggestive.

“I'll figure it out along the way.” her eyes randomly fell on his shirt, and she smirked to herself before looking back at the camera, seeing yet another comment asking for her name “Call me Jinx.” 

As predicted the comments started questioning her name, which was nothing out of the ordinary. She’d had that experience so much in her years at school she stopped introducing herself all together. They had enough nasty nicknames to throw her way anyway. 

‘Jinx???’ 

‘Who names their daughter Jinx??? YIKES.’ 

‘That’s a nickname, right?’ 

‘Wait so like the word? I'm confused.’ 

‘She can Jinx me anytime idc.’ 

She grunted, already annoyed.

“I named myself that, because I'm a walking curse. Why? Well after four dead parental figures you kinda start feeling like that.” she spit.

Ekko’s eyes widened, as he whipped his head around to stare at her. 

“My bio parents, then my adoptive dad, then my other adoptive dad. Dead, done, deceased. What a shit hole we live in.” she rolled her eyes, before turning to notice Ekko’s panicked look. She smiled “Did ya’ set up my game yet?” 

“Uh..I.. yeah.” he stammered. 

“Aw thank you!” she jumped in her seat “Now get over here and watch me kick your ass.” 

He was still wearing that slightly jarred look as they switched places. He'd never get used to how easily she jumped emotions like that. How easily she could talk about traumatic shit one minute and then be all sunshine and rainbows the next. 

The comments seemed to agree with him. The whole chat was practically filled with question marks, pointing out her shirt, feeling sorry, or even doubting her story.

He dismissed it as they started playing together. It wasn’t really their first time doing so. They’d play all types of video games together all the time, and every time.. they got overly competitive, so it wasn’t a surprise when they were twenty minutes into it and Jinx was already screaming her head off as he laughed. They played for about an hour or so, both yelling with the chat exploding in comments all overly invested in their game. 

And finally, by game number three, Jinx slumped on her office chair, pushing the keyboard away with a scoff “This game is shit, and every time I play, it somehow gets shittier.”

“Told you I’d get more kills. You just need to remember that diving in without thinking can get you burned. Especially with their jungler around.” he leaned on his own gaming chair, turning it to face her.

“You think I’m scared of a gank? I’m practically a magnet for kills. Ya’ got lucky with the last one.” 

“Oh please, last game you died three times before I even finished my first core item.” he pointed out. 

“That’s called being aggressive! If you played with my level of confidence, we’d be unstoppable.” she huffed, flipping her braid to the back of her shoulder. 

Ekko sighed, rolling his eyes. 

“It’s not about confidence, Miss LaRue. It’s about strategy.” 

“Oh look at me I’m so smart because I overthink my every move.” she mocked with a fake deep voice, using her hand to talk to him. Her nose was scrunched again in pure disdain. Disdain he only found that much more amusing. 

“Right well I think we can wrap it up here g—”

He didn’t know when, he wasn’t sure how, but in that split second Dare by Gorillaz blasted from the computer. The very computer Jinx was playing on minutes ago. 

He turned to see her let go of the mouse, smirking at him. 

It's coming up, it's coming up
It's coming up, it's coming up
It's coming up, it's coming up

It's dare (Uh)

“What? You gonna tell me to lower it again?” she teased.

It's dare (Ohh-ohh-ohh)

“What are you—” 

She sat up from her chair, biting her lip in a smile as she swayed back and forth with the music.

Ekko laughed, shaking his head as he covered his smile with the palm of his hand.

You've got to press it on you
You've just been thinking
That's what you do, baby (Ohh-ohh-ohh)
Hold it down, dare

She mouthed the lyrics, pointing at the camera as she swayed her hips, and his eyes couldn't help but fall to her ass, covered by the thin material of the shirt. 

It was then he realized how damn short the shorts she had on had to be, as she lifted one of her arms just slightly and the fabric moved up with it, exposing her sorry excuse for shorts. They were black, exposing the plump, lower part of her ass. 

The way her pretty little waist expanded onto her hips wasn't lost on him. The slope to the arch of her back. Shit. 

Jump with them all and move it
Jump back and forth

And feel like you were there yourself (Ohh-ohh-ohh)
Work it out

Her arms smoothly moved back and forth with her hips in an effortless way, that made it that much entrancing. It was hard to snatch his eyes away from her, especially when she moved her hips in a circle, slowly turning herself away from the camera to face him.

Never did no harm, never did no harm
It's dare

“Come on!” she invited, slightly jumping with her movements. 

He didn't move. Eyes stuck on her like glue, palm still covering half of his face, scared she would see something in his expression he couldn’t name. 

Scared the camera would… shit, the camera.

It's coming up, it's coming up
It's coming up, it's coming up
It's coming up

“Alright that's enough Blue.” he laughed, awkwardly lifting himself to move around her to turn off the stream, but he wasn't even talking to her. 

More so, the audience bothered him. Their eyes on her bothered him. He noticed the crazy amount of thirsty comments coming in like an unstoppable tidal weave. He was sure the number of people had only doubled, encouraging her dancing, wanting more of it, wanting to see more of her. Among the dirtier ones, he noticed a few even asking if he could fight. He wasn’t sure how that was connected to anything.

It's dare (Uh)

His eyebrows knit together in confusion, but before he could make sense of what that meant, or even stop the stream, Jinx threw her arm around his bent frame, as she leaned in to look at him. 

“What? Not into this one?” she hummed “Don’t worry, I know what you like.” 

She switched the song on the other computer to one of his songs; Giants, by True Damage. 

He rolled his eyes, laughing as he shook his head as he heard his own voice blast off from the speakers. 

Moving too fast, life is moving in slow-mo
I'm a God, better ask if you don't know
Homie, better put your pride aside

“I don't know what the fuck this stream even is anymore.” he laughed, turning to see her jumping in place. 

They'd strayed miles away from what his usual streams were like, jumping from one thing to another, but I guess that was the effect of.. Jinx. 

I'm a Benz and you're more like a Volvo
Your best stuff looks like my worst
Synapses fire and burst
Got the whole crew with me
'Bout to deal damage, you know we ain't average

She bopped to the lyrics, walking over to him as she grinned. 

Then she leaned slightly on the table, catching a comment by a name she recognition “Well Akali approves.” she mused.  

I ain't gonna say this again but this is my time
Better look in my eyes, I'm a genius in disguise
Wear my heart on my sleeve

“She's here too?” he chuckled, eyes scanning for her comment. Sure enough, it was there. 

TURN THAT SHIT UPPP 

He laughed. 

And you forced to oblige to a king in his prime
Everybody get in line
Sit back, watch the stars align
I finesse live my life on the line

She mouthed his own lyrics to him, and he smirked, only watching her with his arms crossed. 

“You know every word huh?” 

Her face fell, eyes widened just a little bit as she backtracked, turning off the music completely. 

“No.” 

With that, she turned and ran out of the room, leaving him alone in silence. He hummed to himself, chuckling, before speaking up “Good night.”

He stopped the stream.

 
•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Yo what the fuck was that stream last night?” 

Friday night at a local coffee shop, those were the exact first words said to her as she sat down with Ekko. This time, they'd come in together, though at a different location from their usual spot, as Vi had decided to take the night off. 

Her eyes were questioning, skeptical, as she stared at her sister and the boy next to her. 

“You watched it too?” Ekko furrowed his brows. 

“Mylo send the link to the group chat saying Jinx was on it.” she informed them, and Jinx couldn't help the guttural groan escaping her throat. 

Bastard. 

“Oh.” Ekko nodded, turning to see Mylo’s amused smile. 

Who the fuck hadn't been watching that damn stream last night? 

“The comments were..” Vi trailed off, scrunching her nose in disgust, before looking back at Jinx “What the hell was that?” 

“What the hell was what?” Jinx scoffed “Playing? Dancing? You gonna send me to court for having fun in my own home?” 

“Oh don't play that game with me. You know what you're doing.” she tapped on the desk in front of her “It confirmed I'm not crazy about that tension, though.” 

For a second both of them froze, like kids caught in a lie. The tension Vi spoke of, only getting heavier between them. Jinx’s mouth fell slack, and it was Ekko speaking up first.

“People love making shit up” Ekko grit his teeth, as he looked away, panic settling well within his bones.

“It did promote our song a bit at the end at least.” 

That voice didn't belong to anyone sitting around the table. Ekko whipped his head to notice Scar had just come up behind him, holding Jack in his arms, his wife standing right next to him. 

“You guys all made it! ” he laughed, more than thankful for the distraction, brushing off his words to hug Scar, leaving a small pat on Jack’s head before shaking Aba's hand. 

“Oh look at you guys! Aren’t you adorable!” Vi jumped on her seat, laughing. 

After a few more pleasantries Scar and his wife slid into the booth, still holding onto Jack. 

“You actually brought him!” Jinx chuckled, staring at the cute baby on Scar’s arms. He was all dressed up in baggy jeans and a cute striped shirt, and she could easily point out both of his parents features of that tiny face. 

“I keep my promises.” Scar grinned, as Aba took their son away from his arms “Yep! Baby’s first time at the coffee bar.” 

“He could get into the Last Drop with that outfit. No need for ID or anything. He fits in perfectly.” Claggor commented, making everyone laugh. 

“We aren't staying long tonight, we've got a family thing, but we wanted to stop by due to Jinx's request.” Scar explained, turning to look at her. 

“Aren't you the sweetest?” Jinx rolled her eyes, teasing him, before shrugging “He's the coolest baby I've seen yet.” 

“You wanna hold him?” Aba offered, chuckling at the comment. 

Jinx’s eyebrows shot up at her offering, not expecting the invite. She'd never really ever gotten to hold a baby. What if she somehow dropped him? Knocked his head somewhere? Made him cry? 

Fuck no. 

Maybe Mylo was right. She wasn't made for this. She just wanted to meet the little guy from a safe distance, not hold him. 

Mylo’s grimace at Aba’s offer did not help ease her nerves. She had to recover the shock on her face to shake her head “Probably for the best that I don't.” 

It was an awkward laugh, playing right into the perception people usually had of her, because she was scared, like her mere touch would do something bad to the little thing. Too innocent, too small, too valuable to curse. 

Everyone that surrounded her at that table, had suffered the consequences of associating with her one way or another. 

“You'll be fine.” Ekko smiled, an ease to his voice as he patted her back encouragingly “Lemme see what I can do here.” 

Aba chuckled, nodding as she gave the baby over to Ekko instead, shaking off the tiredness from her arms. 

Jinx raised a brow as he held the baby right next to her. Teeny tiny hands barely wrapping around his pointer finger, dark hair scruffy on his head, a little bit of drool dripping from the side of his mouth. 

He was too cute, and maybe even cuter in Ekko's arms. It’s like his arms were magic, a place of safety to burrow into, when it came to kids. It was funny, how damn different they were in that way.  

The baby’s eyes seemed distracted, looking around and taking in the surroundings, scanning faces in wonder. 

“See? He's quite calm.” Ekko hummed, chuckling as he bounced the baby slightly on his arms. 

Jinx rolled her eyes, smiling at him “Yeah yeah.” 

“Ekko's the best. I've never trusted a single man more with a baby.” Aba laughed “The firelights give you some practice don't they? Scar’s the exact same.” 

Ekko smiled, shrugging sheepishly. 

“Don't do that. It goes right to his head.” Jinx pointed, looking back at Aba. 

She chuckled. 

Ekko’s attention wasn't on the girls though.

“He's starting at ya.” he hummed, bumping Jinx's shoulder. 

Her eyes fell to the baby, and sure enough, the little sucker was staring with such intensity, you'd think his green eyes were about to pop out of his skull. 

“Are we doing a staring competition?” Jinx furrowed her eyebrows, but she couldn't help the smile that easily slipped to her face. 

“You have no chances at winning if that's the case.” Scar commented. 

The amusement in her smile was evident as she reached out, touching his nose with her finger. 

The baby’s eyes dropped to the finger, making him cross eyed for just a second. Ekko and Jinx cracked up, and when Ekko wordlessly pushed him onto her arms, she didn't protest. 

Her arms wrapped around the tiny thing, finding him lighter than she thought he'd be, and a weird feeling settled into her chest, making her slightly uncomfortable.

Big eyes, innocent and pure staring into her own, like they could see right through her. 

She couldn't help but touch his chubby cheeks, making a slightly disguised face when some of the drool went onto her finger. 

“Ew.” she giggled. 

Ekko stared at her with a smile on his face, only turning to notice Scar’s raised brow. He pretended like he didn’t see it, turning to face Mylo, only to see his and Claggor’s evident shock as they stared at their sister. Even Vi had been silent, a little stunned. 

Almost as if everyone except him didn’t expect the gentle nature of the interaction. It was almost.. off putting, so out of line, maybe even a vision they'd never thought they'd see. He didn’t quite understand it. Didn’t know why Jinx even being a little bit vulnerable, was so jarring. Sure, she kept a tough front, but these weren’t strangers, they were her family.

He decided this wasn’t the time to think so much into it, turning his attention back on the blue haired girl who was more confidently cradling the baby in her arms, lifting him to her chest as she tickled his neck slightly, making him wiggle. 

It made her laugh.

He liked that laugh. 

“Alright, back to mommy you go, but don't forget to call me or something. We're besties now.” she cooed, and Aba chuckled. 

Jinx lifted herself on her seat, carefully placing the baby on her arms from across the table, before dropping herself right next to Ekko. That annoying hole in her stomach was still there, always a ball of anxiety she couldn’t shake. 

But at least it was over now.

She turned, not expecting Ekko’s eyes to be on her. There was something behind them, a pure rawness and honesty. He always seemed to look at her like she could do no wrong, like she was something greater than she actually was.

It made her want to scratch and peel her skin off, hide— because whatever he was seeing… it wasn’t her. 

“Don't look at me like that.” 

“Like what?” he laughed, careless, easy-going. 

She chewed on her bottom lip, with no clear answer to that question. Thankfully, the buzz on her broken phone distracted her and she reached out for it. 

The screen lit up with a message from someone she’d never thought she’d ever have to face again.

Ogre: 
I've got something you might want to see. Tomorrow night. Six pm sharp. Don't be late. 

A location tag was sent right underneath the message. 

It made her blood run cold.

Chapter Text

Three hours. 

That was the amount of time she had on her hands. Right, she could manage that. All she needed to do was move silently, slyly, and quickly. Piece of cake!

The guilt gnawed at her chest as she pulled her faded, grey wash, tight-fitting jeans past her hips, buttoning them with shaky hands. 

Because she was thinking of him, of lying to him, of the promise she once made to never go back to that place. The very promise she was going against today. He would be upset. He would be mad. Very mad. 

But she had no choice, or at least it didn't feel like it. 

She threw on her black jacket. Exposed skin to leather, zipping it up just halfway, leaving the deep V show off a bit of her chest. The jacket had a leather hood attached to it— a special, worn down, yet just interestingly weird enough piece to steal her attention when she’d been out thrifting. It fit her figure tightly, sticking to her skin in an almost uncomfortable way, but none of this was going to be comfortable. She denied herself the privilege of comfortably on the daily, but today.. god, she almost didn't deserve it. 

This wasn't a good idea, but she'd already made her mind up. She'd put some sick trust on that ogre to not have lured her in with a false promise just to make a kill, sell her, or hold her captive in any way. It could sound a bit dramatic, but those were actual sceneries she didn't think Sevika would have an issue going through with, especially if she had a goal in mind. Stepping on necks was what she did best, and she was certain she’d break hers with no problem, if she got the chance.

And yet, she trusted her. She couldn't fucking figure out why. Maybe it was because she was the only other person that knew Silco the way she used to… the only one she could share the grief with, and grief.. oh, it did weird things to people. It messed you up beyond repair. She didn't think either of them had been quite the same after his passing, though their relationships to Silco couldn't be more strikingly different. 

He was her dad.. and he was Sevika’s boss. A business relationship that grew more familial as the years went on, though she doubted either of them would agree with the notion. Sevika could complain about doing his dirty work all she wanted— at the end of the day, she missed him for his faults and wrongs, just the same.

Her knee socks went next. Thick, white socks she could easily slide over her skinny jeans, before putting on her leather boots— only slightly shorter than her socks, because of the way the fabric folded on itself.

She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. She wasn't scared about anything happening to her, really, she was scared of all her loved ones reactions if it did. Though she still regularly engaged in that reckless behavior she just couldn't shake, it was somewhat controlled, not directly walking into some monster’s mouth, which is what this whole thing felt like. 

It felt a lot like her past. It tasted a lot like blood and drugs and punches to the gut, and no matter how much she tightened her braids against her head, blue hair pulled at her scalp, it did nothing to ease her stress. She ended up pulling both of her braids all the way up to the crown of her head, decorating them with black bows, as if she had all the time in the world to do so.. stalling, overthinking.

☾ https://pin.it/6FgEikHge 

It was almost easier to do all this when she didn't care, when she had no one at her side to mourn the loss of. Now the guilt settled within her. It felt like some kind of relapse, in a way. 

She rubbed at her temples, trying to calm her nerves, taking deep breaths, just the way Ekko had so many times taught her to. She rubbed at them so much, her otherwise pale skin turned a flush pink, directly opposing the dark eye makeup, and that purple-ish lip she always seemed to reach for. 

It's going to be okay. It's three hours. More than enough time to get in, oversee the situation, and get the fuck out. No harm done. 

She could say that to herself, but she knew, as she grabbed her fanny pack, strapping it three times, around her waist, her ass and one of her thighs, that thinking that way was a bit naive. Things didn't usually go as she wanted them to. 

Fuck, they almost always went the other way. She'd clearly accepted it, though— accepted her Jinx. 

But Jinx at her prime, in her teen years, was no longer the same Jinx she was now. This was a more controlled version of her, a force of nature that had to also relearn how to be a good friend, how to be a good sister, how to take others' feelings into perspective. 

All that bullshit, therapy talk, that felt directly contradictory as she slid her lip gloss into her fanny pack, dropping in a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and lastly, her gun. 

A holster would probably be more practical, but the fanny pack could keep it hidden, which was what she was going for. This gun.. Ekko didn't like the existence of it. Kept it locked away, hidden well inside of a tiny safe in the wall, covered by a framed photo of the two of them. An innocent picture taken at a short time after they were finally back in each other’s lives. 

She remembered it being snapped in the backyard of someone's house party. Ekko had wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her in for a kiss on her cheek as the person— she didn't remember who it was, took the photo of them with their camera. His large hand around her shoulder blocked half of her face from the proximity, and she directly blocked the kiss to her cheek with her own hand to his face. Both of their eyes staring back at the camera in an almost overly casual way.

https://pin.it/2cQhRzVPM

They were in some weird tango at the time. Neither of them knew what the hell they even were, but the fuzziness and confusion of it all made it that more nostalgic.

There was no particular reason why that photo was the one covering the safe. Maybe it was because it had the biggest frame— something trivial like that. She didn't think about it too much when she grabbed the gun, with the keys she knew to search for in Ekko's room. 

He wasn't hiding them from her. He knew she was stable enough not to grab it and just.. well, anyway. If they were ever somehow in danger— if their past came to haunt them, they could both do something about it. Still, Ekko kept the keys. They were safer in his space, much less likely to get lost. 

Technically, that's why she'd decided to grab the gun that day. She was heading directly to the beast, and going to that side of town with no means of protection would be twice as mad. She wasn't sure if Ekko would be mad she took the gun.. maybe he'd understand, or maybe he'd lock the safe and refuse to tell her where the keys were located ever again. 

She wouldn't blame him for either, but she had to do this now. 

She walked down the hallway and out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. Though it was a Saturday, he was at band practice with True Damage, said he wouldn't be back ‘til nine that evening, which bought her just enough time to say okay to that stupid text. 

She walked into the elevator, crossing her arms in a way that felt almost defensive. She'd thought about that text ever since she got it, wondering of the context. If it weren't directly connected to Silco, Sevika wouldn't have contacted her. She had something to show her. Something something.. 

What the hell was there left? She already knew the old man had filled her head with lies, after she found her way back to Vi, actually talked to her, and found out Silco hadn't told her the full story. 

A part of her still resented him for it.

The other half? 

Fuck, it missed him. 

She ended up in the parking lot, on top of Ekko's motorcycle with her helmet on before she knew it. There was no bus that would ever directly take her an hour away to that side of town. It was almost forgotten in a way, left to rot with the few people that still remained there, either too deep in poverty or crime, to be able to move. 

Scar had picked Ekko up on the way, so he hadn't needed to take it, which she thanked god for once he’d left. If he could see her now, he'd probably lose his mind— she wasn't sure which part of it he'd yell about first; 

the gun?
the stolen motorcycle? 
her destination? 
the desperation to cling onto Silco? 
their broken promise? 

Oh.. oh fuck. 

Why did she go through with this? It had the potential to convince him of the fact that she was simply unsalvageable, too much, too selfish. Their friendship could, once again, be in jeopardy. 

And shit, the thought of that had her heart running a mile. The cold wind hitting her body didn’t serve to relax her the way it usually did when she was in the backseat, clutching onto one of Ekko’s bomber jackets. Instead, it made her adrenaline spike in a way that threatened to overwhelm and choke her up.

She was more concerned about a damn friendship, than the possibility of being thrown into jail, or worse, being kidnapped on the side of the street by some freak. 

Priorities. 

She snickered to herself, but it felt bitter. None of it felt funny enough for it to be genuine. 

This was fucked up. 

He's going to hate me. He's going to hate me. He's going to hate me. 

She shook her head as if she could shake the thought with it. The wind hit her knuckles holding onto the handles, as she concentrated on the loud roar of the motorcycle, the vibration between her thighs, the fast paced streets views looking like glances in time. Those tiny glaces, slowly transforming from her usual sights of shops, bars and restaurants or institutions, to broken down abandoned homes, graffiti, dark alleyways, decaying plants and motels with yellow walls, scratched and haunted, drenched in melancholy. 

A ghost town of memories. A large part of it remained the exact same as it was when she was a kid, frozen in time. The only thing changed from that period of her life to her teens, being that at one point, the area used to be semi-livable. No longer was that the case. It quickly turned to the place to go to, to hide from the police. Crime practically thrived here. 

Which was why Silco kept her here, building his empire, doing his dirty work along Sevika. She wasn't sure how she'd ended up from this dump, to her wonderful apartment with Ekko. Two different worlds, though one shoved down and hidden. 

The tattoo parlor she pulled in front of, was a similar, familiar sight. Greyish blue walls with nothing much to show for it. It was basically a cheap cube shaped shop, almost always empty. Yet, she'd trusted the man that owned it with a needle to exposed skin, drawing on swirls of blue clouds, fingers digging into her with pressure.

It wasn't her exact destination, but she had a different type of business to take care of here first. 

She practically shoved the door open in a way that came off almost mad, demanding. Sometimes, she credited her relentless confidence alone for keeping her alive for so long among these streets. 

If you looked scared, you looked weak. If you looked weak, you might as well be a wiggly worm on a hook, ready to be thrown in freshwater filled with piranhas. 

Gobbled up. 

The parlor was just as empty on the inside as it was on the outside, well, apart from the tattoo artist himself, who practically jumped at the sudden interruption of silence. 

He stared at the door, eyes widened in surprise.. and terror, so much terror. 

“Chuck.” she tested the nickname in her mouth, leaving the dingy door swing behind her as she walked in with a wicked grin “Long time no see.” 

“J-Jinx.” he stammered, eyes flickering over to anywhere but her face “You're.. you're..” 

“I'm here.” she quipped, walking a few inches closer to him. 

Thieram didn't take too kindly to the proximity, taking a step back like the magnetic field around her was enough to burn him. His jaw was locked, tense, and apart from the slight winkle at the sides of his eyes, he almost looked the same. Short brown hair, shaggy, on top of his head, shaved at the sides. Strongly sculpted face with dark circles under his eyes. 

There was no mistaking the guy that almost accidentally tattooed over her nipple. 

“And I'm gonna need a tiny little favour.” she giggled, showing him with her pointer finger and thumb, just how small that favour was “You see, I've got a sweet ride with me right outside, and I'm not crazy enough to leave it out to get snatched. Think you can hold onto it for a few hours for me?” 

“Oh.. uh–” his eyes flicked in confusion between the open door behind her, and her face “Sure I—”

“Perfect!” she jumped, leaning her elbow on his shoulder, that she could barely reach in the first place, because she was short, and Thieram, was one tall and lanky dude “I knew I could count on you, Chuck!” 

She pushed at his shoulder, sending him stumbling slightly to the side of the tattoo bed, before walking out to pull the motorcycle inside the place with her. 

This is the safest place she could think to bring it to. If anything happened to this baby, she was pretty sure she'd kill herself before Ekko got the chance to kill her. 

Save him some time. 

Thieram’s eyes widened at the sight, and she could already see the flicker of amusement and interest there, inspecting over the bike.

But before he could get any ideas, she was standing in front of him again, pulling him down to her level by the collar of his shirt. 

“A scratch on that paint, and the needle goes right into your eye, got it?” she grit her teeth “Hide it, unless you wanna be behind bars for the rest of your life. Don't forget all the shit I have on you, right baby?”

He swallowed, nodding his head in an almost panicked state. 

She rolled her eyes, pushing him away again before heading out of the door “Don't miss me too much!” 

She was on her way again, this time on foot. The place wasn't a long way from here, but she remained vigilant, eyes flickering over every corner in what a normal person could only describe as paranoia. 

To her, it was but a survival instinct.

It was unsettling how easily she could slip right back into the patterns of who she used to be when she was here. The threatening, the intimidation tactics, the hypervigilance with every step she took. 

How was it so easy? Had he taught her so well, the lessons a kid should never have to learn? 
She didn't know what to think. Didn't know what to expect. Didn't know if the building was even in use when she got there. Judging by the flickering neon sign and the three men standing around the entrance, she assumed it wasn’t abandoned. 

Well, this is where the location tag brought her, so she swallowed her nerves, unzipping her fanny pack just slightly, taking stubborn steps ahead.

I guess her reputation around this place wasn't that dead after all, obvious in the way three big, burly men seemed to step out of the way as she walked up to the entrance. Their eyes burned her skin as she passed through, almost stunned in place. 

For a second there she thought one of them might open their mouth, say something, but he never did so she kept her head up high, one hand hovering above her fanny pack as she passed through. 

Once inside, she threw the hood of her jacket on. Though you could still see her braids hanging against the front of her chest, the blue of her hair drew a lot more attention when she had the hood off. 

When she wanted the attention, it worked in her favor, reminding them of Silco’s little demon child. When she wanted to hide in a crowd, it shadowed her face, giving her privacy, even just slightly.

She let her eyes wander around when she walked in, expecting some booming music, alcohol and nasty men, considering the building reminded her of a club. Instead, it seemed to have been turned into something.. something completely else. 

There was a long hallway there, separating different tiny rooms, resembling a brothel, more than a club. 

She noticed on the right corner, a front desk of sorts. A woman sat there, short figure, perhaps in her fifties, wearing overly heavy makeup and a flashy bra top, busying herself with filing her nails. 

When she walked up to the desk, the woman gave her a look, analyzing her figure. Eyes running up and down her body, before leaving out a pesky tsk. 

“Ya’ sure you wanna spend your prime years here young thing? You're beautiful.” her voice was deep, raspy with age “Men would pay thousands for a photo of your ankle. I say you try that route first.” 

Did she really look like she was here to sign up to be a prostitute? 

“I'm here to see someone.” she kept her tone flat, disinterested “Do you know someone by the name, Sevika?” 

“Yes, she frequents quite regularly.” the woman nodded, giving her a shrug “If she's come in today, she should be in number nineteen. Word of advice? Knock before you walk.” 

She let out a deep sigh, rolling her eyes before turning to walk down the hallway, searching for number nineteen written on the door.

The whiny moans, groans, yelps and screams coming in from several rooms made her quicken her pace, heat rising up her neck, making her a little warm in the face. 

Why the fuck would she bring me all the way over here? 

Finally, number nineteen showed itself at her side, and she stopped in front of it. 

She was known to barge in, but she'd take that ladies advice on this one, not wanting to risk seeing things that would scar her permanently. 

She grit her teeth in disgust, knocking on the door with her fist loudly. 

It took a minute before the door opened wide, and there she stood, thankfully fully dressed. She looked almost the same as the last time she'd seen her— big, muscular, tall. Her hair was the only difference, jet black cut into a short bob at her jawline. 

That irritated look never seemed to leave her face. She clenched her teeth, the side of her lip lifting just slightly in an uncomfortable smirk. 

“Didn't think you'd actually show up.” 

Jinx stared up at her, narrowing her eyes, before crossing her arms in front of her chest, leaving out a scoff as she looked away “I almost didn’t.” 

It wasn’t a complete lie. She’d went back and forth with herself for a while, gritting teeth before deciding she had to or she’d never stop wondering. 

The two stood there, the moans in the background serving as uncomfortable background noise. Finally, Sevika shook her head “Follow me, kid.” 

So she did, right down the hallway, before they completely left the brothel. They passed the street, making their way into a dingy apartment. I guess Sevika stayed around here often to need one, even after they went their separate ways, both getting out of the hellhole that was this area.

Huh. 

The apartment smelled like smoke and booze. Not a lot of stuff in it but the cheap basics. She saw Sevika rummage about in some box in the corner of the room, and her patience started wearing thin. 

“Why the hell did you bring me to that damn place if we were just going to leave it anyway?” she put her hood down, exposing her hair and face better, putting the bags away from her face. 

“Because” Sevika turned around, facing her with a nasty smirk on her face “I wasn't going to wait around for your ass to get here. Even if you didn't, my time was not wasted.” 

“I wouldn't call that a productive use of time either.” she rolled her eyes as she threw herself backwards on a wooden chair, right next to the only window bringing in a little bit of light, spreading her legs casually “There’s way better places than that one, ya’ know? Is your little girlfriend still working there? That why you keep comin’ back?” 

“Shut the fuck up.” Sevika’s voice was rough, gritting teeth through anger “You little weasel.” 

She only giggled, humming to herself as she looked around, as if thinking of more ways to be annoying to her greatest potential “Do I not get a treat for coming all the way here? Where's the hospitality lady?” 

“Thought you would have matured a little through the years. You're still Silco’s pesky little kid.” she scoffed, raising a brow before sitting down on the chair across from her. 

“Well I wouldn't say you're that much different. Have you ever tried to smile or is your face permanently stuck that way?” 

“You sure get your lack of humour from your father too.” she sounded unimpressed, looking away from her, before changing the subject “That boy still in your life?” 

She rested her head on her hand on top of the table, raising a brow at the question “Which one?” 

Sevika looked back at her— the same stoic expression on her face, maybe a little bit more aggravated than usual. 

“Yes.” she admitted, rolling her eyes. 

Sevika raised her eyebrows, almost seeming impressed in a way, though no longer looking straight at the blue haired girl “Still a weak spot, then?” 

“Shut the hell up.” suddenly, she was annoyed, staring at her with a glare on her face “Do I look like I came all the way over here to chat?” 

“Didn't seem to mind doing so a second ago.” Sevika smirked, before pulling something from her jacket. 

She backed up a bit on her chair, out of pure instinct, before seeing what she was actually holding. 

An envelope. 

She slapped it on the desk in front of her, and Jinx stared at it, confused eyes shifting from the envelope, back to Sevika. 

“I visited the remnants of his office, lately. Found this, addressed to you. No other trinkets or documents remained.” 

She stayed silent, heart beating out of her chest. 

After Silco passed, she was certain she’d taken every little piece of him with her. How had she missed this envelope? 

Gently, she picked it up, turning it around only to notice written in his unmistakable cursive handwriting, the words; 

To my daughter. 

She clenched her teeth, as the words alone welled up in her chest. She kept her eyes on the words, unmoving, as the threat of spilled tears became more evident. Her heart beat louder in her ears, chest going up and down in quick breaths. 

She traced the edges of the envelope with her fingers, afraid to see what's inside. What had he possibly had to say, that he had to wrap in an envelope for her and tuck it away like that? 

Suddenly, remembering Sevika was still staring at her, she found her voice, giving her a shaky, small voiced “Thank you.” 

It sounded genuine, honest, gullible, and it made Sevika immediately uncomfortable. She cleared her throat, sitting up as she walked away from the table all together, not facing her when she spoke up. 

“You can leave now.” 

Jinx quickly stuffed the envelope inside the pockets of her jeans, sitting up and heading out of the door without an argument. Hand to the handle, when Sevika spoke up again “Kid?” 

She whipped her head around, furrowing her brows, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Whatever that letter says… don't come back here, ever.” 

Unable to mutter another word, she only nodded, finally walking out. 

Once she made her way outside, she took a deep breath, shaky hands reaching for the packet of cigarettes and lighter in her fanny pack. 

She lit up a cigarette, only letting out a sigh of relief after she took a drag. Looking around, the street seemed just as abandoned as a minute ago when she'd walked all the way there, so she took her chances, taking a seat on the side of the road. 

She probably shouldn't linger around here for a long time— every minute she sat there, she risked getting beat up, mugged, kidnapped, hell they could do anything with the way her guard had crashed down beneath her feet. Plus, she didn't have much time, needing to go back home before Ekko noticed she'd been gone. 

But she couldn't get her feet to move just yet, almost like an invisible force was pushing her down. This slump.. it reminded her too much of Silco, and I guess, if this was the last time she’d be here…

..what was the harm in staying just one more minute? 

She took another drag of her cigarette, fishing the envelope from her pocket again, caressing it with her thumb as she thought about opening it. 

She was terrified to, afraid of what she’d find out. Was it a strict to do list he'd left for her, devoid of emotion, that would leave her disappointed? A letter addressed to her, counting the mistakes she'd made? Or.. was it more personal? Is that why he couldn't just come up to her and say the words? 

Fuck, what if it was empty and she was just anxiously hesitating for no reason? Now that would be even worse than the stupid list of chores. At least that would be something left of him.

She played with the glued paper, scraping it with her nail over and over, still hesitant to rip it apart. 

Before she could make any hasty decisions, the loud caw of a bird in the silence of it all, made her jump. She looked up, noticing yet again, a feathered crow on top of a broken street lamp, leaving out another caw as it stared at her.

What was it with these black feathered things? 

She stared back at the bird with a piercing glare, filled with resentment. 

“Fuck you.” she hissed loudly “Stupid bird.” 

She grunted, but before she looked away, she noticed something particular about the bird. 

The grey feather at its side, etched in between all the black ones.. in the exact spot.. as the very bird that had seemed to make her window sill its hangout spot. 

It was the same fucking crow. 

Her eyes widened, and for a minute she just sat there, staring at it in silence. What were the chances? 

“You following me?” she yelled out, like the bird could open up its beak and answer to her in english. 

“Stalker! Oh my god!” she grunted, rolling her eyes “I could still grill you up, ya’ know? Why do you wanna die so bad?” 

Fucking hell. 

She was having a full on, one-sided conversation with the bird. Maybe Ekko was right. She truly did talk to herself a lot, on more than one occasion. She groaned, throwing her almost finished cigarette on the ground before stomping on it with the heel of her boot. 

Then.. the crow flew away, but it didn't fly far. It went on a straight line, right over to the roof of a broken house. She stared at it in disinterest, resting her cheek on her palm, before leaving out a long.. painful sigh. 

I need to leave. 

She shook her head, stuffing the envelope back in her pocket as she stood up. Guess she’d have to wait a bit longer to open it.  

Just as she did, the crow moved in another straight line, flying over to a pile of rubble and trash next to an alleyway.

She stared at it, raising a brow. 

Caw— the thing practically screeched. 

Her eyebrows furrowed. Why did it almost feel like.. it wanted to say something? 

Had she really lost it? Had she stared at the bird long enough that now its usual behaviour seemed odd? Even her hallucinations used to feel like less of an insane concept.

She shrugged, hands in the pockets of her jeans as if she had all the time in the world, dragging her feet over to the bird, walking across the street, then taking a few more steps to approach the alleyway. 

What the hell am I doing? Ugh. 

She needed to get out of here, and fast, but she was aimlessly following a bird around instead. Okay yeah, maybe she was mistaken when she thought she had enough hobbies. Clearly, she needed more. 

Surprisingly, the crow didn't move even as she approached. She stood right next to the rubble, staring right at it, and all it did was stare back. For a second, it seemed like a weird staring competition had ensued, but then.. it spread its large wings, flying away. 

Before she could leave out another insult, she stumbled back on her feet as a force crashed right onto her legs. Her eyes widened, and she immediately looked down. 

A child fell to the ground, staring up at her with a terrified look on her face.  

Chapter Text

Things happened fast— too fast. 

She didn't get too of a good glance at the kid. All she could see was a hat. An oversized, green bucket hat on top of her head. Then the ruffled short brown hair, covered by it. Her messy clothes, and..  big amber eyes tensed, widened, scared. 

She stiffened as she heard rough, men’s voices yelling out curses. Footsteps, quick, sharp, louder with every second. 

A tiny squeak escaped the kid’s throat, and she jumped on her feet. 

Next thing she knew, Jinx felt a tug on her leg, looking down to see the little girl had hidden behind her, wrapping her arms around her thigh, tears running down her dirty cheeks, as she kept her eyes squeezed shut as if she was in pain. The grip was strong, forceful, like she expected to be thrown away.

Confused and shocked wouldn't even begin to describe the feeling. Frozen in place, with a strange kid clutching to her like a lifeline. If her reaction and those voices were anything to go by, danger was around the corner. 

Panic made its way to the center of her chest, but before she could mutter out a word, the presumed danger, showed itself in the form of two men, halting their quick pace in front of her, noticing her presence. 

She furrowed her eyebrows, lowering her head just slightly— lazer sharp stare piercing through them, as her hand hovered above her fanny pack, fingers twitching, waiting. Her teeth were clenched, her other hand balled into a tight fist, long nails poking at her palm causing the type of pain she was too familiar with, but it helped keep her present, vigilant, calculating a sudden move based on their body language alone. 

But their first move was not physical, it was a warning shouted through gritted teeth.

“Get out of the way, bitch.” 

Well… it seems they didn’t recognize her. 

Bigggg mistake.

She'd make to sure to introduce herself then. Wouldn't wanna make a bad impression, now would we? 

She was certain they expected her to follow their orders with the demanding way they waited. The one that spoke, being a large, burly man with a pierced eyebrow, a receding hairline, and an annoyingly mocking smirk. 

The so far silent one, seemed to look down on her like she was mere dirt at the bottom of his shoe. He had a similar build, maybe a little less muscular with an old hat perched overtop of his head. Overall, not the most intimidating men she’d ever seen.

Both could very well be in their forties or fifties, chasing a tiny child around. 

Embarrassing. 

That all too famous wicked grin made its way to her face, and she watched the man’s smirk drop, furrowing his brows in confusion instead.

“Make me.” she spoke up, mocking him as she bit her bottom lip. 

It probably wasn’t smart to lead with an invitation to physically beat her up, but that’s what a normal person would think. The adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her feel a little braver than she should honestly be for someone who hadn’t had to fight in a long time.

But she wasn’t being just silly. There was a strategy to coming off fearless and insane. The psycho act would take them by surprise every time.  

She wasn't sure why the hell she even got herself wrapped into this. She could technically just move out of their way, watch them pick the child back up and leave while she kicked and screamed. 

Maybe they were her parents or guardians, chasing after a little troublemaker. 

But the language in which he spoke, paired with the kid’s traumatized reaction made her doubt that thought. No child, no matter how much of a troublemaker or crybaby, would be trembling in fear unless abuse of some kind was involved. She already looked like she wasn’t being taken care of. 

Family or not, these men were not good people. Finding them in this area didn't help their case either. 

She didn't know why the child was here, though. She was sure there were no children left living here, but maybe that'd been a blind assumption to make. 

She was a child on these streets too for a while, though a bit older. No one protected her safety, or innocence. So.. here we go. One last game, for Powder’s sake. 

“I don't know what the fuck’s wrong with you princess, but you're gonna have to move before I leave you for dead on the side of the street. That child is a runaway!” he shouted again, big, buff, angry, pointing at the kid still hiding behind her leg.

“Has anyone ever told you you get like.. tomato red when you're angry?” she wondered, cocking her head to the side “Shit, with that face, I'd run away from you too.” 

She cackled. 

Then, it came. 

The move. 

His wrist, lifted in the air, palm balled into a fist heading straight for her face. She was quicker, pulling out the gun from her fanny pack and pointing it up, inches away from his face. 

He gasped, hesitating as he backed off with a slight stumble.

She smirked, hand on the trigger, giving him a tiny smile “Personal space and all. You get it, don't you?” 

Their eyes flickered over to each other, before looking back at her.

From their actions alone it was safe to assume the two idiots were not armed— probably walked around these streets parading muscle and knuckles to get what they wanted. 

She kept a gun on her at age fourteen, learned how to shoot way before that. Silco had given her all the ammo to be able to protect herself as she did his dirty work. That knowledge remained, though no longer necessary… she never forgot. 

She didn't think she ever could. 

“I'm feelin’ trigger happy today. Don’t test me unless you want your brains blown up on the wall behind you.” she pointed with her finger, still holding onto her gun “Or lack thereof. If you had any you would’ve ran off when you saw me.” 

“You're bluffing.” he grit his teeth. 

The other man, raised one of his palms in the air, using the other hand to pull at the other's jacket, eyes widened as he finally spoke up “Not this one, Rico. Leave the kid. It's not worth it.” 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he cursed, glaring at him now. 

Jinx sighed, wrist already getting a little tired from holding the gun directly to them. The child holding onto her leg hadn't loosened her grip, and the tiny pinch was starting to hurt too. 

“Silco’s girl.” he bit back through clenched teeth. 

Well, I guess his fried brain cell lived to see another day.

She watched, as the guy she now knew by the name Rico, turned to stare at her. Then.. that click of recognition. 

She giggled, pulling the trigger. 

The bullet shot past them and onto the wall, leaving a hole there. The two of them gaped at it, before looking back at her. She rolled her eyes. 

She’d specifically made sure the bullet shot right in between them, instead of targeting one of them directly, just to scare them off a little. She’d never really killed someone like that, but they didn’t have to know that. All they had to know.. is she had the balls to do it. 

Maybe the idiots weren't even directly from here, the way they were staring at her like they’d just realized she meant what she said. Panic evident in their eyes. 

“Next one's going in your mouth.” her voice was bitter venom, as she pointed the gun to Rico, who a second ago seemed very keen on talking. 

Now, he stayed silent, taking a step back out of instinct when the gun pointed directly at him.

Then, the other guy grew the balls to speak out. 

“Keep the damn brat!” 

With that, he turned the corner, running right off. Rico shot her one last glance, before following suit. 

She waited, still. Gun held up in the air just in case one of them dared change their mind, or if they had any little friends hiding around the area. She analyzed her surroundings, moving her arm around as much as she could without moving her feet. No direct threats. No sign of a person, not even a stray cat or rat. 

So, she dropped her arm, spinning the gun in her hand before dropping it back in the fanny pack. 

I’d proven useful after all.

She felt the pinch on her leg loosen too, as the kid skittishly hid from her behind the rubble.

She zipped her bag back up, before turning to face the rubble, as the realization hit her. 

Right. 

She'd shot a damn gun in front of the kid. She wasn't sure how old she was, or if she even knew what a gun did, but she'd assume she'd seen one before if she lived around here. 

She'd threatened them, sure, but that act alone was not the act of a safe person. She wasn't a safe person. 

The kid was smart to recognize that and hide. 

And yet, at this point.. she'd risked her own life for this one, and couldn't just let her roam the streets and probably put herself in danger again. She wasn’t sure, what to do with her really. She could call the police.

Well, if she didn't have the gun on her, of course. They had a permit to keep it in the apartment, not carry it or shoot it. 

She grimaced, before crouching down to take another look at the kid, still hiding from her like some kind of stray cat. 

She could still see her through the very gap she’d sneaked through, formed by a large plank of wood in the pile. She was hugging her own knees, face squished in between them, covered by her hat, tiny shoulders shaking. 

The sight pulled at her heart strings in an uncomfortable way. She pressed her lips into a thin line. 

Ekko would know what to do. 

The boy savior was not a fun nickname she’d come up with, it was part of his identity. He was always there for anyone who needed help, which was admirable, though still had its.. faults. He was also.. annoyingly good with kids— she didn't need to see it, to know it. But he wasn't here, so she had no choice but to try and figure this out on her own.

“Hey kid. You okay?” 

As predicted, the child didn't even bother lifting her head to look at her. 

Though she expected nothing less, a frustrated sigh still left her lips. What the fuck was she supposed to do now? She didn't have enough time in her hands to just sit around here and try to lure her out, and then hand her to authorities. 

She had less than an hour on her hands. Even if she jumped on the motorcycle now, Ekko would still make it home before her. 

Shit. 

“That must've been scary huh?” she added, humming as she waited for any kind of movement, anything that indicated the little girl could hear her. 

Still.. nothing. 

“They’re gone now though. They're not coming back.” she shrugged, cringing at her own effort to comfort the kid in any way. She was not cut out for this “If you just come out, I can take you to safety. The nice man or lady at the police or cps will help you! I can't just leave you here now, can I?” 

This time, the child did move. 

Further away into the rubble.

She dragged a palm down her temple in frustration, lifting to her feet. 

I'm fucked. I'm so fucked. How did this even become my problem? I came here for a damn letter! 

Okay, alright, deep breaths— she needed to relax. Needed to figure out how to get out of this situation while also making sure the kid got some help. She wasn't evil enough not to give a fuck about what happened to her after all that. 

With a long sigh, she walked away from the rubble, hands on her hips as she thought over her shitty options. 

One, call the police, wait for them here while they pick her up. Get arrested because she was in the possession of a gun that was recently used (not suspicious at all that she had a traumatized child on her hands). Get arrested again if they find out about the technically stolen motorcycle, that she also had no license to drive. Also, watch her friendship with Ekko crumble to the ground when he finds her in jail. 

Two, leave the child to be someone's else’s problem. The issue was, there was no one around here she trusted enough. I mean the lady at the brothel seemed… fuck no. And Sevika… would probably rather take a bullet. Taking her there was almost worse than leaving her here. At least here maybe her parents could find her or.. or she could go find them… or, those men could find her first.

Fuck. 

Three, take the child with her. Put away the gun and motorcycle right as it was, before calling authorities, but could she do that? Could she just take her? How to even go about that when her transport was literally Ekko's motorcycle? What would Ekko think if he got home and saw her there? Could she even get the child to trust her enough to take her with? 

Either way, her friendship with Ekko was on the line. She couldn't escape from that consequence, terrifyingly enough.

She groaned to herself, noticing just then how far she'd walked from the rubble— she’d passed the street completely. Turning on her heel, she started to walk back when she noticed the child had …actually come out of hiding. 

Not only had she done so, she'd taken a few steps forward, big eyes staring back at her. There was still a good amount of distance between them, but at least now she could see her fully. 

She couldn't be older than three or four, wearing a pair of bright yellow pants and a brown, short sleeved shirt. Both pieces, worn down. There was dirt on her cheeks, her hands, her clothes and shoes. Messy curly bangs that almost covered her eyesight as she stared back. 

Jinx let out a shaky sigh, that weird feeling gutting at her insides again. No matter the consequences.. she couldn't just leave her, could she? The child hadn’t even tried to escape when she’d had the chance to. She was just staring back at her, hesitant to walk anymore steps forward, or a few steps back.

Instead of attempting to get closer to her again, she stood a good three feet away when she spoke up “Hey.. is there anyone I can take you to? Parents or..?” 

She waited, biting her lip, and just when it seemed like the kid wasn’t going to say anything.. her head dropped as she stared down at her feet, shaking her head no.

Okay.. we're getting somewhere.. I think? The possibility that she could be an orphan seemed more likely to her now, though that wouldn’t be fully confirmed until case workers looked into her background. 

“Did you know those guys that chased you?” she asked another question, a little hesitantly, careful as to not upset her or scare her, and have her go back to hiding “Were they bad to you?” 

The kid seemed frozen, and stared at her for another good minute, but Jinx didn’t rush, she waited. Then, the kid finally mustered up the courage to give her a curt nod.

She clenched her jaw, eyes shifting away before returning back to the tiny, frail figure in front of her. 

She knew in some capacity that the kid had had it rough, but confirmation made her stomach twist, nausea building up there quickly. 

She was so small, so skinny, so fragile. How could they.. 

Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away. This wasn't the time to think like this. All she needed to do was make sure she was safe, and then she could live with herself… probably. 

“Okay.” she took a sigh, finally taking a few careful steps towards her. 

The kid seemed to panic slightly, taking a step back, but she didn't turn to hide or run. Jinx crouched down in front of her, cocking her head to the side to better see her eyes, hidden behind those loose curls “You got a name?” 

The kid shifted in her place, eyes looking anywhere but her face as if she was trying to avoid the question. Then, her small hands reached up, pulling her hat from her head. 

Jinx stared in confusion.. before noticing where her tiny finger lay on the hat. Messily drawn letters, reading…

I S H A  

“Isha?” Jinx questioned, and she nodded, quickly. It was the most enthusiastic nod she'd gotten from her this far. 

“Okay.” Jinx offered a smile, watching her put her hat back on her head “Well, Isha.. you wanna go on an adventure with me?” 

Her eyebrows furrowed, and Jinx added “No bad guys there, I promise. We're going a long way from here.. to my house.” 

The child wiped at the dirt on her cheek, before giving her a tiny nod. She didn’t hesitate like Jinx thought she would.

“Alright well.. we gotta walk all the way there first.” she shrugged, sitting up and dusting off her knees with the palms of her hands, before turning around to walk. 

She expected the child to keep up at her side. Instead, there was no one there, so she looked back at her. 

Finally, she followed, though in tiny, slow steps. 

She turned her head back around, analyzing the street and lanes to see if she could find a shortcut. 

There were no buses directly in this area but there was one connecting her city with another one that passed on the outskirts of it. They'd have to walk at least forty minutes, but she was certain if they got there, she could get a bus home. 

The motorcycle.. she'd have to come back for it, crossing her fingers Thieram wouldn't let anything happen to it unless he wanted his own life at risk. 

She sighed, looking back again to notice the kid was still following, but the distance between them only grew larger with every step she took. 

“You're gonna need to walk a little faster than that kiddo.” she yelled back. 

Instead of the usual quiet nod or picking up pace, she heard a sob. 

Her eyebrows raised, and she whipped around to look at her again. The girl was standing there, quite literally sobbing.

Now confused as to which part of that sentence had warranted so many tears, she ran up to her, crouching down in front of her again. 

“Hey hey hey— what's wrong?” she wondered. 

Isha held her leg with her hands, and her eyes widened in understanding, immediately. 

Of course she’d be hurt, you dumb bitch.You might've just made her injury worse. 

She grimaced, clenching her teeth “Shit, so sorry. I didn't notice.” 

There were no obvious injuries on her exposed skin and the injured leg was fully covered by the fabric of her pants. 

“We gotta get you out of here quickly though.” she spoke up again, pressing her lips. 

The more they lingered, the more they risked getting into a spat or a tussle of some kind. Plus, the kid was hurt, and though it seemed like she could stand fine, she still needed to be escorted right to the hospital for a check up. 

Ekko would've helped. 

Ugh. Why couldn't this have happened to someone who knew what they were doing? 

“Alright. Imma pick you up, ready?” 

Isha was still wiping at her nose with her fist, tears still trickling down her cheeks and nose. 

She sighed, gently wrapping her arms around her, careful for any other injuries— before picking her up entirely. One hand kept her bottom up as the other wrapped around her back, placing her in her chest. Legs wrapping around her waist.

She was way lighter than Jinx thought she'd be, so she picked up pace— eyes flickering over every corner as they often did, patting Isha's back here and there to calm her tears. 

After a minute or so, even the tiniest of sobs came to a halt, thankfully so. She refused to lift her head up to face her or the surroundings, instead, she burrowed into her neck, hair tickling her skin as she walked. 

Jinx’s grip tightened around her slightly, heart beating out of her chest at the sudden proximity the kid was seeking out. It was quite normal for a kid at her age to need some comfort, but she didn’t feel exactly like the right person to be able to provide that. She wasn’t exactly comfortable with physical contact when it came to strangers, but this was a kid.

She ignored the fuzzy feeling in her chest, concentrating at the task in hand, finding her path. She also had to make a conscious effort not to think about Ekko and that disappointed look on his face. 

She didn't think she could handle it. 

After a while of walking, the intensity of the situation had subsided. She was still walking fast, but it was in casual strides, as they'd left the dangerous area, only five minutes away from the bus station. Thankfully, no more nasty interruptions on her way.

Even Isha seemed to have melted into her arms. She hadn't lifted her head at all, and her breaths were calm, ticking her neck, so she assumed she'd fallen asleep. Her arms were now a little bit more sore than they were forty minutes ago, but she was to reach the station in a bit, so she didn't concern herself with that. 

Exactly five minutes later she made it there, and it finally felt like luck was on her side again when she noticed the bus stop in front of the station the second she got close.

There were two other people that climbed up with her, and it wasn't too crowded inside either, so she managed to find a spot to sit quite quickly. Leaving out a sigh of relief as the kid now sat backwards in her lap, instead of exhausting her arms. 

She seemed to wake up with the sudden movement, if she were even ever asleep, lifting her head off her chest to analyze her surroundings with tired eyes. 

Her look-around ended Jinx, wide eyes staring up at her. She seemed to be in thought… thoughts Jinx couldn’t read. 

So she just patted her back again lightly, arms still wrapped around her as she gave a reassuring nod “Almost there.” — her voice no louder than a whisper. 

The kid didn't say anything, stuffing her face back in her chest as if wanting to hide again. Jinx traced her back with her fingers in a more relaxed state, quickly paying her ticket before resting back. 

The fact that the motorcycle was left behind bothered her. She hadn't meant to leave it there for so long. It was supposed to be thirty minutes maximum, not a whole hour and a half. 

Shit.. what if he starts to think I’m not coming back for it?

At this point, she knew she'd be in some sort of trouble. Knew Ekko would find out about the whole thing anyway.. so she made a decision that spiked her anxiety through the roof, but it was truly now or.. later. What’s the difference?

Careful as to not disturb Isha, she pulled her phone from her back pocket, unlocking it before staring at the black screen, chewing on her bottom lip nervously. 

Her thumb made it all the way to his contact, before she bit the bullet, tapping on it with her finger and putting the phone up to her ear. 

She waited as it rang, hands a little bit restless now, heat creeping up her neck, guilt filling her chest up entirely. 

“Sup Blue?” 

It took exactly two rings to reach him, and he sounded calm as ever. 

She let out a shaky breath, knowing she was about to completely ruin his day and his mood. 

“Um..” she swallowed the knot in her throat when she spoke “Are you still at the studio?” 

“Was about to pick up everything and leave, why?” he questioned “Want me to tell Scar to pick you up on our way home?” 

She hissed to herself. 

Right. 

She'd told him she was in dance class, just in case he got home before her. She'd completely forgotten about that. 

I mean she did, technically have dance on saturdays, but she hadn't attended. 

“Oh, um.. no, I—” 

“Something's off.” he noted, not giving her time to finish her sentence. 

Fuck. Was she that easily readable? She’d barely said two words.

“Everything okay Bluebird? You don't sound great.” his voice dripped in worry. 

She squeezed her eyes shut. Damn it, he must think she was having one of her episodes or something. 

“I’m— I'm alright.” she reassured him, before forcing herself to speak up again “I need your help with something.” 

She cringed at her own words, waiting for a response.

“Anything.” he noted. 

Well, he'd definitely regret saying that one. 

“I didn’t go to the classes. I'm sort of.. in the middle of nowhere, but I took the bus home. I don't have time to explain but—” she hesitated “Remember Chuck?” 

He stayed silent for a while. A beat of silence passed, and a knot formed in her throat, heart practically jumping out of her chest. Before she could explode with anticipation, he spoke up.

“Chuck..” his voice raspier, tighter “Theiram?” 

“Yeah” she nodded, like he could see her “Listen I.. left your motorcycle at his tattoo parlor. I can't go back to pick it up but I don't want to leave it there any longer. Can you please go pick it up? Just tell him I sent you.” 

“You did what?” 

There it was.

“I know, I know, I'm sorry! I'll explain everything when I get home, I promise. Please.. Ekko..” his name left her mouth in the most desperate way, drawn out and on the verge of tears. She didn’t care, not now.

“You promised you were never going back there again.” the way his rough voice slightly trembled, made her heart break further. 
He wasn't even yelling about the motorcycle anymore. 

“I.. I know.” she swallowed “I had to.” 

For a minute there, she could only hear his heavy breathing, most likely trying to shove his anger down, as she tried to take control of her own emotions, so as to not burst out crying in public. 

“Send me the exact location. We'll talk when I get home.” 

With that, he hung up. 

Her heart dropped right down to her stomach. 

Well.. she’d done it. She let out a sigh, wiping away at the water in her eyes, quickly sending him the location with trembling fingers before leaving the phone on the seat. 

She looked down at the little girl.  

Her grip remained the same, if not tighter, so she wrapped both of her arms around her again… turning her head to look out of the window. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Welcome to my crib.” she spoke up, and Isha lifted her head off her chest to look around. 

She'd clung onto her for dear life— the entire way home, barely making as much as a squeak. Jinx had even had to manage getting the keys and unlocking the door while holding onto her at the same time. 

She was a little tired, to be honest. That trip had been way longer than expected, and she was thirsty, hungry and sleepy. Either way she didn't have the time to worry about that, knowing she’d have to figure out the situation with this kid, and that she'd also sent Ekko off to undo her mistake. Now.. she was expecting a blow up of some kind. 

She couldn't stop thinking about all the ways she always managed to disappoint him. Her stomach was almost sick, upset in a way she knew she wouldn’t be able to get over unless he was no longer mad at her. She was sure she wouldn't be able to eat even if she tried to. It had happened before and this time didn’t make that much of a difference.  

With a sigh, she unmolded the child from her arms, putting her down on the living room couch. The girl seemed hesitant to leave the warmth of her arms, clinging onto her jacket just a little bit before she let go. 

Her eyes still searched the place. She looked unsettled, slightly concerned. 

It must all feel so foreign to her… 

Jinx pressed her lips, bending back up before giving her a small smile “Give me a minute kid. There's no one else in here but you and me. We'll figure this out.” 

With that, she walked off, locking the gun back in the safe, giving the photo of her and Ekko one last look, before heading to the kitchen to get some water for her and the kid too. 

She walked over to the couch, holding a glass of water, offering it to her. 

Isha stared at it, eyes flickering from it to her face with furrowed brows. She seemed hesitant to drink it. Jinx pulled the glass of water back to her lips, taking a tiny sip of her own, before offering it back to her. 

Isha stared at her, now feeling a little more comfortable to take the glass from her and sip on the water. 

“Smart kiddo.” Jinx noted, before leaving out a sigh of relief. 

She watched as she gulped it down, taking the glass from her and leaving it on the coffee table, before kneeling in front of her. 

“You hungry? I'm not a great.. “ she hesitated “..not even a good cook, but I can pour some cereal into a bowl. You like cereal?” 

The kid didn't respond, and she was starting to think she had some sort of mutism. At first she thought she didn't speak because she didn't trust her, but now she believed the kid could mutter out a small yes or no, the same way she could shake her head.

Instead, the kid shrugged. 

She hummed, about to say something else when the front door flew open. 

She froze, breath hitching to her throat as she turned to see Ekko, standing at the entrance, breathing heavily. A frown evident on his face. 

He let the door swing shut behind him, dropping his jacket on the floor as he walked towards her. 

“You better have a good explana—” 

He froze, the words falling off his lips as he noticed the tiny kid on the couch, hiding her face behind one of his pillows, trembling in fear.

His mouth went dry, completely thrown off. Whatever he was about to say a minute ago, had almost evaporated in the air between them. His mind went completely blank for a minute, looking from the child, back to Jinx's face. 

She looked panicked too, eyes widened and glossy. Her eyebrows were furrowed, a small pout to her lips. 

His eyes flickered in between them for a second, before he finally found his voice. 

“Jinx.. who's this?” 

Chapter Text

“Ekko.. this is Isha.” 

Her voice was soft, almost even a little shaky as she stood from her crouched position on the floor, straightening herself up to face him. 

It wasn’t what he’d expected. 

Usually, when Jinx got up to mischief, she was almost too careless, completely unapologetic about it. Despite their phone call, he believed he was coming home to that version of her, probably sprawled on the couch, munching on something as she ignored every word coming out of his mouth about respecting each other’s belongings, riding recklessly on his motorcycle and how that could’ve ended her up in jail, and going back on her promises for… fuck, he didn’t even know why in the first place. 

That piece of information was the only one that could help him understand her or justify her actions to a certain degree. It was all he could think about the entire ride home. 

There was no way she’d just woken up one day and decided to visit the most traumatizing place of their past. She had no ties there anymore… as far as he knew. 

Well, Theiram surely seemed to remember her still. Of course, that motherucker refused to give him his own bike back until he showed him actual photo proof of them together. While he hadn’t been someone of significance in his own life, he knew well the way teenage Jinx liked to mess around with him for her own amusement. 

And for his own mental health’s sake, he’d decided to believe those words were not meant in a sexual way. 

Point was, they both knew how important that promise had been to them at the time. How those words alone allowed them to move forward and get to where they were now. How.. how they’d felt more like a confession of… 

He wasn’t sure how to describe it even in his own head. The only thing he knew was that after what she’d tried to do that night.. the mutter of her voice, that simple “I promise” had made his heart beat again in a way he hadn’t felt since.. the incident. 

He should’ve known it was never that simple if she willingly chose to go there. He should’ve known he was coming home to glossy eyes and shaky hands. 

But he could’ve never known, it’d be two girls displaying the same upset.

“Isha.” he repeated the name, voice gruff from the anger he’d yet to let go of completely. He searched her bright blue eyes for a bit more information on how that little girl had ended up on his living room couch, but those eyes said nothing but ‘I’m sorry.’

He swallowed down the knot in his throat, eyes falling to see the kid on the couch whom he’d scared unknowingly. 

His mouth was dry, and he didn’t even know why. Usually, he knew exactly as to what to say when it came to comforting kids. He was used to the tantrums and crocodile tears. Somehow.. this felt different entirely. 

“I found her.. “ Jinx paused, and he turned to notice she was looking down at the kid too “.. there.” 

He clenched his jaw. 

Kids… there were kids left? There were still kids being raised in that place? His stomach bubbled with nausea at the thought, but it explained the way she was dressed, the grime coating her skin, that terrified reaction to yelling, that made her want to curl in somewhere seeking safety and warmth. The fact that she had yet to turn her head to look at him, keeping it firmly squished against a pillow at her side like a baby ostrich in cartoons sticking its head in the sand in a silly attempt to hide.

He watched as Jinx took a step closer to the couch again, awkwardly patting the kid’s back “Isha, Ekko’s my friend.”

He took a deep breath. 

Jinx had saved her, that much became clear to him. His heart swelled in adoration, knowing there were not a lot of people out there that would be willing to do the same. He was still confused, still furious about the situation, and yet couldn’t help but command her actions.

She had a soft heart. 

He didn’t know much.. or anything really, of what had happened, but a child with a past there could need immediate medical attention or at least be rehomed. He needed to forget about everything else, and just make sure.. Isha, knew she was in good hands.

“I’m so sorry kiddo, did I scare you?” he spoke up, now directly addressing her as he took a step closer to Jinx. She straightened herself up, tucking her bang behind her ear as she watched Ekko crouch down to her level, in front of the couch, cocking his head to the side, fingers laced together casually “It’s alright if you wanna hide, but I wanna make sure you know you’re safe, right? No threats, no bad guys. Whatever you saw over there, it’s gone.”

Jinx bit at her bottom lip as she watched the interaction, the honey sweet words coming out of Ekko’s mouth. Even in his posture, he looked like he knew exactly what he was doing. 

A shaky breath left her lips, as she dropped her tense shoulders, even for just a second. 

It was going to be okay now.

“I often hid like that too when things got too much, but I preferred a blanket.” he suggested, slightly lifting to his feet to grab the soft blanket folded at the other end of the couch “Keeps you warm and cozy.” 

He gently dropped the blanket on her shoulders, and Isha ceased the moment, immediately pulling the blanket down to hide herself underneath it. 

Ekko let out a sigh, looking back at Jinx. 

She furrowed her brows at him. 

How was helping her hide getting them anywhere in trying to make sure she knew she was safe here?

“Do you know her..” Ekko trailed off, hesitant to drop the word parents around the kid. He didn’t know what relationship she had with the word, but he knew damn well it couldn’t be any good seeing the state in which she was in.

He liked to believe a parent wouldn’t do that to their child. It just didn’t seem possible. Then again, the world was filled with people that shouldn’t have had kids in the first place.

“No.” Jinx crossed her arms, eyes dropping to her feet “Kid said she didn’t have them. Two strangers were chasing her when I saved her.”

An orphan. 

Or at least by her own word, but then again she was very young, so they’d need to reconfirm that with authorities, though he wanted them to look into these particular strangers first. 

“Did you call the police? CPS?” he questioned, furrowed brows with an almost too formal tone. 

Jinx didn’t like it. It made her inside feel like they were being lit on fire. That wasn’t the way he was supposed to speak to her. 

She didn’t know what the normal way was, couldn’t describe it or give it a label, but she missed the tone of voice he used when it was just the two of them the second it was gone. 

“No.” her reply was just as distant. 

It felt like a barrier split them apart though they stood no more than three feet away. The very conversation they couldn’t be selfish enough to worry about right now. 

“Why?” 

The gun. 

Jinx hesitated, fingers curled into her hands as she avoided his eyes “I wasn’t thinking, okay?”

A lie. 

A blatant lie. 

In his book, she didn’t even try to sound convincing. He knew damn well she’d know what to do before she brought her home. 

But he didn’t pry. He couldn’t really, not now, so he took her words at face value as he picked up his own phone from his pocket. 

“I’ll make the calls.” 

He walked right past her into the kitchen to put some distance between them, so the girl wouldn’t directly hear him on the call. 

Jinx didn’t look back, her eyes on the kid in front of her, or rather.. the bump in the pink blanket. 

Surely, she must be hungry? 

Though she doubted Isha trusted her enough to take food from her, knowing how she hesitated to drink plain water, she couldn’t just stand there and not try. She didn’t know how long the police or CPS would take to arrive at their apartment, so until then.. she might as well say she tried. 

With a newfound determination, she turned to head into the kitchen as well. 

She noticed Ekko standing on the very far corner, looking down at the traffic below from the kitchen window, phone to ear, his other hand in the pocket of his jeans. He wore a loose fitting pair, matching with his denim, short sleeved overshirt, and off-white graphic tee.

Details she hadn’t had the time to pay attention to in the grand scheme of things, but couldn’t help notice now that they were in this situation. He looked like he’d come over straight from the firelight center.

☼ https://pin.it/ycmt7XYMQ

“Yeah, we think she might be an orphan. We’re not too sure based on…”

She stopped listening, turning her head and getting on her tiptoes to grab one of the many boxes of cereal on the upper cabinet. She shook one of the boxes, and it sounded like it was nearly empty, so she disregarded it, grabbing another one. 

The noise was enough of a distraction for him to turn around, furrowing his brows in confusion as he tried to keep his concentration on his own case with the police. 

Froot Loops.

Still a bunch of them left, so she quickly grabbed a bowl from another cabinet and poured them in, opening the fridge next to grab the almond milk. 

“Yes, she’s with us. She’s safe, just looks a bit shaken. The situation seems like something you might want to look into.” Ekko spoke up, eyes still remaining on Jinx. 

She pretended she couldn’t feel his stare burning through her, pouring the milk before leaving it on the counter, grabbing a spoon and quickly walking away to head into the living room. 

She mixed the cereal in the milk as she walked, leaving the bowl onto the table and this time, taking a seat right next to Isha.
 
The kid seemed to jump slightly as she felt the cushion of the couch shift under Jinx’s weight, peeking her eye out to see which of the adults it was. 

When she saw Jinx, she didn’t move, but she did let the blanket fall right off and block her vision of this odd house, once again. 

“Before.. my friend there interrupted us—” Jinx rolled her eyes. She could still hear his voice, though a bit fainter, coming from the kitchen “I was talking about cereal. I’ve got Froot Loops. Ya’ wanna see?” 

Isha slightly shifted under the blanket, and Jinx could see the hesitation behind her next action as she did it, slightly lifting the blanket up to reveal her eyes. 

Jinx smiled at her. It was a silly, almost teasing smile. 

She had none of Ekko’s tactfulness when it came to kids, but she had something different. 

Her ease. 

She didn’t make a whole deal out of her revealing her head, blanket dropping to her shoulders, despite how glad she was to see it happen. 

“Listen, they’re my favorites.” she pointed out, grabbing the bowl off the coffee table again and dropping herself right next to her again “I like cocoa puffs too, but these ones have a bunch of different colors, ya’ see?”

She put the bowl almost in front of her on the couch, still holding onto it so it wouldn’t fall and spill straight over the cushion.

Isha did indeed look down to look at the different colours as Jinx pointed them out, before she looked up to meet Jinx’s eyes again. 

“You ever tried them?” she raised a brow. 

Isha shook her head no, and her stomach dropped once again. 

What kinda kid hadn't tried the most basic cereal out there? 

“You wanna try?” she offered then, pushing that thought away, as she lifted a spoon in the air filled with froot loops. 

Isha narrowed her eyes at the spoon in front of her, leaning over it to sniff it first.

The sight made Jinx giggle, which had Isha’s eyebrows raise in slight surprise. It seemed that reaction alone reassured her of Jinx’s intentions. The simple, almost too casual way of the situation seemed comforting to the child, in an odd way. 

So she opened her mouth wide, and Jinx fed her the first spoonful, watching right after as Isha crunched on the cereal, cheeks filled like a squirrel storing hazelnuts in its mouth. 

“Ya’ like it?” she questioned right after the girl had swallowed down the food, raised eyebrows and all. 

Instead of saying anything, Isha simply reached out for the bowl with greedy hands. 

Jinx grinned, dropping the spoon in there before placing it down on her lap, watching as the kid picked up the spoon herself (holding it in the weirdest way she’d witnessed in classic kiddo fashion), attempting to fill another spoon and drop the cereal into her mouth.

She was almost half successful, with a couple of froot loops finding their way down her shirt instead. 

Jinx hummed “Taking that as yes.” 
“They’re on their way.” Ekko’s voice came up behind her, and she turned to look at him before giving him a straight nod. 

But Ekko was a bit frozen in place at the sight in front of him. Not only was the child no longer hiding, Jinx was sitting right next to her in the most casual way as the kid messily fed herself the very cereal she prepared minutes ago. 

Impressed wouldn’t begin to describe the full of it. He gave her the blanket originally just because he knew she was seeking a comfort neither of them could give due to the situation, so the blanket would do, though it worked against them short-term. 

He hadn’t expected her to come out of there so fast, assumed I’d take some more building of trust, or they’d just leave it up to CPS when they got there.

Then again, Jinx had somehow brought her all the way home alone on a damn bus, and was the one to save her in the first place. Maybe she was less of a stranger than he was, though they’d both met her on the same day. 

His own thoughts confirmed in the way the kid froze at the sight of him, spoon hanging in the air like she expected him to take the treat from her. 

He pressed his lips into a line— the faintest of smiles “Eat up kiddo. You’ll need the energy.”

It wasn’t exactly the healthiest, most nourishing of foods for a kid, but it was a delicious one, and that’s all she needed right now. Something good and sweet to eat.

Isha’s eyes flicked over to Jinx at the same time Jinx looked back at her, giving her a nod. 

And she started eating again.
 
Yep, the trust was there.

The thought gave him some comfort, but he didn’t even attempt to sit next to them for fear of scaring the kid off. Instead, he busied himself with setting up a few chairs in the living room, knowing more people were about to come over there soon, and the police would probably try and question them for information.

He’d rather them sit on chairs than directly next to Isha, and intimidate her in that way. 

He set up two chairs on the side of the couch, two more facing it. 

He sat on one of the latter ones, facing Jinx in her own sitting position. Legs crossed, resting back, biting on a manicured nail. He could practically see the thoughts running through her head. 

He couldn’t blame her. It was the damn same for him. How the heck did they manage to find their way here, waiting for the police to arrive in uncomfortable silence, not addressing the elephant in the room that was angrily stomping at this point, with a little girl munching on Froot Loops, the sight of which was too endearing for him to look away from. 

She was small, too small. He didn’t know her exact age, but it was safe to assume she’d be a little more filled out, a little bit taller too, had she lived in normal conditions. Wherever the people that failed her were, he hoped they burned in hell. 

That face, though some of it covered in grime, oversized hat hiding her entirely when she looked down, still revealed her young age in the way her cheeks still had baby fat on them, rounded features with a pointed chin. Big amber eyes and an adorable tooth gap. 

He loved the one Jinx had just as much. It’d been that one constant in her look as she grew up, from Powder to Jinx. The cute tooth gap. 

The kid was cute too. Very much so, and a light smile found its way to his face, despite himself. 

“Ekko.” 

His name on her lips sounded almost a little hurt, vulnerable, as she stared at him. He turned to look at her, and she pressed her lips “I think you should take a look at her right leg. She can stand fine but couldn’t walk before so I had to carry her here.” 

His eyebrows shot up.

She’d carried the kid all the way home?

No wonder that little girl trusted her with food when she quite literally trusted her to carry her for an hour with no idea as to where she was ending up in the first place. Well, it was either trust or sweet childish naivety.

“Yeah, I can.” he nodded reassuringly, turning to look at the kid “What do you think, Isha?”

The little girl’s eyes met his, and she just stared at him blankly. 

“Could I take a look at your leg and make it all better?” he questioned again, voice sweet and soft “It’ll only take a minute.” 

Her eyes didn’t leave him. In fact, he didn’t think she even blinked once the entire time she stared at him. Finally, when she looked away, her eyes found Jinx again, as if she expected Jinx to answer for her. 

“Can’t avoid it forever, can we?” Jinx raised an eyebrow at the kid, completely oblivious to it herself. 

Isha didn’t seem entirely convinced, scraping the bottom of the bowl with her spoon. She’d finished almost all of her cereal. 

Suddenly, Jinx lifted herself off the couch, walking out of the room and into the hallway. Isha’s eyes almost chased her desperately, and he grit his teeth. Here’s to hoping she was just an easily attached kid and would do the same with the case worker that was on their way, because if she was just attached to Jinx, that would cause a whole lot of trouble.

“Are you full Isha?” he questioned, and she turned back to him, giving him a tiny nod. 

That was the first time she’d ever responded to something he’d said. A small win, but a win nevertheless. So he stood up, taking the bowl from her and placing it on the coffee table instead.

Jinx rushed back into the room not a second later. He didn’t see what the thing in her hand was until she sat down, a plush, off-white bunny stuffie. Long ears at its sides pulled into two tiny pink bows. 

He was surprised to see she’d picked that one up considering all the other choices of stuffies she had in her room. That particular bunny had history, so he wasn’t sure what she was thinking as she brought it out.  

It was basically as old as her. Jinx and Vi’s mom had gifted them that bunny. Stuffies were a privilege not all kids in that shady part of town could afford, so it was a big deal when she came home with it. He remembered Vi and Jinx fighting over it like their life depended on it. That thing had been thrown around, pulled until ripped apart, even floated right down a river once and he’d had to catch it for her.  

But it never really got lost in time, because of Jinx’s care for it. After a while of fighting Violet had finally given up and left the bunny to her younger sister. Despite the adventures she’d take it on, she still looked after it wonderfully, washing it, stitching it back up every time there was a new rip, replacing the cotton inside until it felt good as new. Even those bows were placed on the bunny by her.

Honestly, it was incredible she never lost it as a teenager either. During the day intimidating dangerous criminals with her crazy act, and by night still sleeping with a stuffed bunny. I guess at the time.. it was all she had left of her innocence and her family. 

I’d been a nice surprise to find out she still had it when they moved in together. The thing sat on Jinx’s nightstand now, untouched unless it needed taking care of. 

And that’s how his plush had remained a nice off-white, soft and intact. It did have the look of a well-loved stuffie, though. 

“This is General Tuff Tuff Marshmallow Mayhem Pippin Pattinson.” she held the bunny in her hands, showing it off to Isha “The first.” 

He shook his head, looking down to hide his smile. Couldn’t help but speak up “Don’t think there’ll ever be a second.” 

When he looked up, Jinx sent him a quick glare, before turning her attention back to Isha. 

“I call him Tuff Tuff for short.” she explained, sitting the bunny on her thigh “And guess what? He’s older than you, practically.” 

Isha’s attention was mostly on the bunny, following its movements as Jinx played with it in her hands, then looking up at her face she explained. 

“He’s got many stitches in many places. His leg hurt once, so I had to inspect it.” she pointed out, raising a finger and pointing it directly to the bunny’s leg. 

Isha leaned in closer, palms pressed on the cushion of the couch, needing a special and in detail view of the bunny. 

How the fuck was she so good at this?

“See here? That’s a stitch I did, and now he’s all good.” she smiled, shrugging, before looking back at Isha “I’m sure your little leg won’t need a stitch, but Doctor Ekko can take a look and make it all better just the same.” 

He swore he saw a tiny smile on the child’s face as Jinx handed her the bunny, inspecting it with wonder in her eyes and touching the tips of its ears, tugging, before hugging it to her chest tightly. 

Jinx was practically grinning, everything else forgotten about as the girl clutching the bunny to her chest became the best thing that had happened all day. None of it mattered at the moment, so selfishly, he wanted to stay in it, not think about anything else. 

“Sweetheart—” 

Had he not had his own eyes on Isha, he would’ve seen the way Jinx’s eyes looked over to him the same time the kid’s did, after he spoke. 

“What do you say?”  

Isha made a face, looking down at her bunny again before looking back at Ekko with a determined nod. 

“Atta girl.” he grinned, placing the palms of his hands on his knees as he lifted himself off the chair “I’ll get the kit.”

Jinx rolled her eyes at him. 

You’re welcome. 

He came back a second later with a few basic medical necessities in a case, opening it up on the floor next to the couch, sitting on one knee to look straight at Isha. 

Suddenly, the girl seemed nervous again, pushing her back further away from him, onto Jinx’s side as she sat next to her.

“It’ll just be a second.” Ekko reassured again, and Jinx nodded, reaching over the girl’s head in order to grab the hem of her pants, rolling the fabric up her leg gently so Ekko could take a look. 

He was grateful for her doing so, considering Isha was accepting of her touch. He wasn’t sure how she’d react to his, but I guess there was no better time like the present to find out. She’d definitely scraped her knee badly all the way down, dried blood and dirt blended in with ripped up skin. 

Fuck, yeah that’s gotta have stung like a bitch when it’d happaned. He was surprised she hadn’t been balling her eyes out this entire time. 

Still, he showed no obvious reaction on his face, instead pointing at her other leg “And that one’s okay?”

Kids did most commonly scrape both of their knees, so he just wanted to make sure. Isha nodded, and he patted her knee gently with his hand, looking for a reaction.

When there was none, he concentrated on the hurt knee “Okay I’ll just need to clean this up a little bit. What do you say kiddo?”

 Isha nodded again, and he smiled. 

The best way to do this would be to have her leg under running water, but he couldn’t really do that at the moment, so he grabbed some unscented wet wipes, gently cleaning up her wound. 

Isha jumped at the first contact, and he expected hissing or pulling away as he continued on, but she didn’t leave out a single sound. The only way he recognized it hurt was by the frown on her face, the tension and stiffness to her body— little fingers digging into the plush of the bunny.
Jinx was leaned in over her slightly, arm spread out over the head of the couch as she watched Ekko work. Isha looked back at her towering frame every other second, as a temporary distraction from the hurt of it all. 

After cleaning up her skin well, instead of going for something strong like alcohol that could slow healing and probably have her screaming and crying from the burn, he opted for vaseline, applying a thin layer of it all over the leg.

Isha hummed, and Jinx raised her eyebrows, looking down at her “See? Not too bad huh?” 

Ekko lifted her leg slightly, wrapping a non-stick bandage around the whole area, making sure it was nice and snug before tying it all together. 

Isha patted over her hurt leg with her hand, as if to test if it still hurt. 

Ekko chuckled at the action “You’re a very brave girl Isha. Wanna pick a sticker to put on top?” 

He presented her with a few choices, and she put her finger in her mouth in thought, eyes scanning over the stickers. 

He usually kept a few of them in his white coat too. Stickers and lollipops— that’s the way he rewarded the young kid patients he’d be assigned to from time to time at the hospital. 

She picked a tiny blue heart with her finger, and Ekko smiled, taking it out and placing it over top of her knee, before bringing out a strawberry flavored lollipop. 

Isha gasped, and could barely wait until he unwrapped it to take it from him and directly put it in her mouth. 

He laughed again, and Jinx smiled, rolling her eyes “Can you give me one of those wipes?” 

He raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded as he handed one over to her. 

She grabbed onto Isha’s chin, and the little girl stared at her with wide eyes, lollipop still in her mouth as she wiped at her cheeks, cleaning her skin off the grime. 

She moved around quite a bit, but Jinx managed to get all the larger spots of dirt, revealing some cute freckles overtop of her nose.

Ekko simply watched as she moved onto her hands and arms, wiping them like she’d done this a hundred times already. There was a familiarity in the actions that fucking confused him, because apart from the other day of her holding Jack for a good two minutes before handing him right back, he’d never seen her interact with another child for as long as he’d known her. 

How?

That trail of thought was immediately interrupted by a heavy knock on the door, and Jinx’s eyes snapped back to him the same exact time he looked back at her.

They stared at each other for a second, before Ekko nodded “That’s them.” 

She watched as he lifted to his feet, going to get the door, and her eyes fell back on Isha “Hey kid?”

The little girl looked up at her again. 

“There’s about to be a bunch of people in here, but they all want to help you, okay? There’s no need to be scared. They’ll take care of you. You understand?” 

Isha played with the bunny’s ear absentmindedly, giving her a tiny nod. 

Jinx pressed her lips into a thin line, looking back as she saw Ekko let two cops inside. A man in his uniform who looked about in his fifties, dark skinned, bald with a thick mustache, and a woman who looked a lot younger— perhaps thirties, with tan skin and dark hair tied into a pristine low bun. 

Suddenly, the tension in the room could choke.

“Good to meet you too, Mr. Durand. We got a call regarding an orphan child that was found and believed to show signs of abuse?”

Ekko nodded, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he stood tall in front of them.

“Yes. She’s safe now but the case is worth looking into.” he nodded, shaking the man’s hand before shaking the woman’s.

Jinx lifted herself off the couch, arms crossed as she walked over to the three of them standing near the doorway. She had a skeptical look on her face, as they noticed her approach.

“And this must be the wife. How are you doing, miss?” the same police officer spoke up, offering her his hand.

She raised an eyebrow. 

Chapter Text

Wife. 

Not even girlfriend, wife. 

Jinx looked up at Ekko “Be honest, do I look old?” 

Ekko laughed awkwardly as he watched her shake hands with both of the officers “We’re friends.” 

“My apologies. I stand corrected.” the officer nodded, before pointing at himself “I’m officer Brown. This is officer Terra. Nice to meet you both. Is the child here?”

“On the couch.” Jinx pointed behind her. 

The officers nodded, both walking towards the living room. Ekko and Jinx followed suit.

Isha looked up at the approaching strangers. She still had the bunny in her lap, her pant leg scrunched up, showing off her bandaged leg. She backed up against the couch almost instinctively, eyes scanning the faces around her with quiet intensity. Hand pulling on the blanket, attempting to put it over her head once again.

Then her eyes landed on Jinx, and she lost the grip on the blanket, letting it fall back once again.

“Hi sweetheart. Are you okay?” the woman they now knew as officer Terra, crouched down to her level. 

Isha stared up at her with worried brows. 

“A scrape on her leg was the most obvious injury we noticed so I took care of that really quick. Of course I’d need to do a thorough examination to conclude if she needs any more treatments.” Ekko explained as Officer Brown took notice of her bandaged leg. He raised his eyebrows back at Ekko “Treatments?”

“Ah.. yes sir. I’m a resident doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at St. Rose Hospital.” he further explained.

Officer Brown gave him an impressed nod “A very well-achieved young man. Thank you for taking care of her Doctor. Additionally, we’re also grateful to you both for getting involved with this case and looking out for the kid's wellbeing in general.” 

Ekko gave him a small smile back, nodding. 

“So everything seems to be in order here until CPS arrives.” Officer Terra straightened up after she got no reaction from Isha, looking back at Ekko “I should ca—”

“We already made the call.” he interrupted her words “They said they were sending someone on the case.” 

“Good work.” Officer Terra nodded in appreciation, giving him a half smile “Do we know anything about the little girl? Has she said anything in your time with her?”

Though the question was referred to him, his eyes dropped to Jinx. 

“I suspect her as having some sort of mutism.” she spoke up, now gaining everyone’s attention. She was looking down at her feet, arms crossed “From the moment I saved her ‘til now she hasn’t said a word. She responds to my questions by nodding or shaking her head.”

“Maybe she’s simply afraid to.” Officer Brown offered. 

Jinx thought back to the way Isha had allowed her to feed her and clean her up, looking at the officer with skepticism, before shaking her head “Nah.” 

He raised his eyebrows. 

“It could very well be a trauma response.” Ekko chimed in, “She needs a full examination.” 

“We will make sure she’s checked into a hospital. However, we do need to wait for CPS to arrive on the case first.” Officer Brown spoke up “Any other details you might know?”

“Her name’s Isha. It’s written on her hat.” Jinx infomed. 

“Isha?” Officer Terra nodded “We will look for that name as we do our research into her background. Thank you.”

Jinx and Ekko nodded. 

“Alright well, can we please ask the two of you a few more questions on the case so we can investigate this further?” Officer Terra questioned.

“Of course, yeah. You can take a seat.” Ekko pointed to the chairs he’d set up and while the officers did so, Jinx walked over to Isha again. 

She found the tv remote, flipping through a few channels until she found a random cartoon. Snoopy it is.

Isha’s eyes widened at the tv.

Jinx looked back at her, ruffling her hair “Keep yourself entertained kid.” 

Isha nodded, eyes already scanning the tv in childish wonder. 

“Your care for her is quite admirable.” Officer Terra complimented.

Jinx sat next to Ekko on the chairs, raising her eyebrows at the compliment. She had not one clue how to receive it properly. What did someone even say to that? Thankfully, Ekko spoke for her.

“She’s a very sweet kid. She seems to trust J—” Jinx’s eyes flickered back to him “P-Powder, quite a lot.” he smiled, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. 

This was the one instance where she didn’t need that name out there. Legally, she was Powder. Powder had a clean slate. 

Every other minor ‘crime’ she’d been involved in, was registered under the name Jinx (thanks to Silco), so she was careful about mentioning that name to authorities. 

“I’m going to need to build a bit of a profile when it comes to the two of you, if that’s alright.” Officer Brown spoke up, before narrowing his eyes at Jinx “And your full name miss.. is Powder—”

“LaRue.” Jinx spoke up. 

“Beautiful name. May I know your profession as we already know Mr. Durand here works as a D.O?” Officer Terra looked back at her. 

“I'm a mechanical engineer.” she shrugged, before pointing at Ekko “He’s also the owner of a children’s community center.” 

She wanted the attention on him, rather than on her. 

“Really?” Officer Terra raised her eyebrows, nodding as she jotted down some notes, before looking at Ekko “And you’re how old?” 

“Twenty five.” Ekko replied “The center grew with me, really.” 

“A very impressive pair indeed.” Officer Brown nodded, before looking back at Jinx “Miss LaRue, can you please recount everything that happened today and how you stumbled across Isha?” 

Jinx licked her lips, shoulders tensing. 

“Uh.. yeah.” 

And that’s how she ended up giving a long-winded explanation as to what had happened, with officers interrupting her here and there to ask further questions. She mentioned just about everything apart from Sevika, the brothel, and the gun, instead opting for the explanation that she’d verbally threatened the two men instead of pointing a gun at them.

Details.

Ekko listened intently as well, as it was his first time hearing the full story too. 

“May I ask what an accomplished young lady like yourself was doing all the way to that dead part of town in the first place, Miss LaRue?”

Ekko’s eyebrows furrowed, flickering from the officer and back to Jinx.

Jinx grit her teeth slightly, pausing to think as she joined her hands on her lap “I.. I grew up there.” 

Officer Brown’s once skeptical look turned slightly empathetic, and he nodded. 

“Went back to see if there was anything of nostalgic value left behind from my childhood home.” Ekko crossed his arms as he sat back, jaw clenched. Jinx’s ‘childhood home’ was ashes to the ground, so she was definitely lying. “It was supposed to be a short trip, but then the kid sorta bumped into me and everything unraveled from there.” 

“Is there anything else about these chasing men that you’d like to add? We’ll be doing a thorough search to find them starting from the location you provided.” Officer Terra questioned next. 

Jinx had already explained about everything from the way they looked to the way they talked and walked, so she thought over if there was anything else she’d missed.. 

There was one more thing.

“Rico.”

“Hm?” the officers both stared at her. 

“One of the men called the other by that name.” she added. 

“Oh! Now that’ll be helpful.” officer Terra smiled “Thank you so much miss, and thank you again for saving that sweet girl. You truly are a hero.” 

Jinx grimaced. 

A hero? Fucking laughable, wasn’t it? 

She was but a dirty, scummy liar. One little good thing did not erase all her past mistakes. These people had no fucking clue who they were talking to. 

A wolf in sheep’s clothing, or whatever the fuck that idiom was.

However, she couldn’t exactly say all that, so all she did was give a curt nod, looking away from that smiley face that made her uncomfortable to her core. 

Then another loud knock on the door made them turn their heads towards the entrance, interrupting the questioning.

“Should be CPS. Excuse me.” Ekko sat up from his chair to open the door, as the officer’s nodded. 

Once again, he was right. The woman at the door was a white, blonde and lanky woman wearing a pencil skirt and vest. Her hair, down in messy weaves, and she introduced herself as ‘Reina’, the worker CPS had sent on Isha’s case. 

Immediately the police greeted her, and after a few words with Jinx and Ekko, she walked straight over to Isha to check on her wellbeing. 

Isha didn’t seem interested in the case worker’s questions, still distracted by the tv that played different episodes of Snoopy. 

Jinx couldn’t help but find that a little funny. 

“We will be taking custody of the child for her safety and conduct a few further assessments. As this situation does point to potential abuse or neglect, we will work alongside the police in order to investigate. Thank you so much for your concern and willingness to help.” Reina smiled at the Jinx and Ekko, and all they could do was nod back. 

Something just didn’t sit right with Jinx in this whole thing. She was glad the kid would finally get the help she needed, but after all that.. they’d pretty much just watch her disappear. No updates as to where. Nothing.

She’d lie if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit bothered or concerned by that fact, because it didn’t really guarantee she’d be okay. She was very small, very fragile. She needed her family. 

But if she had no remaining family and got put through the system.. well the system in itself was a different monster with its own problems. It failed a lot of kids like her every day. She wasn’t guaranteed a family, nor the warmth of a big bed, good food or lots of toys. A lot of those shelters were lacking, be it because of a funding issue, or something else entirely. The staff could be welcoming, or careless people with a job. It was a gamble.

She’d also almost been put in an orphanage after Vander’s death. Then Silco stepped in as her ‘remaining’ family. An ‘uncle’ she hadn’t even known existed until then, that Vi still insists was ‘creepy as fuck’.

Safe to say, as a fellow kid with a troubled past, she knew Isha needed better in order to grow into a stable adult. The very reason Jinx valued the word family so greatly, was because she lost it all at fifteen.

So.. yeah, she was skeptical.

“Of course, our first step will be admitting her to a hospital for a full assessment on her injuries.” Reina added, as Jinx’s attention returned to the conversation going on around her.

Ekko nodded, hesitating for a second.. before speaking up. 

“Is there a specific hospital you’re taking her to?” he furrowed his eyebrows “As a physician at St. Rose Hospital, I’m confident in my recommendation for it considering the care the facility provides. I would love to personally work with Isha and give her a proper assessment, while checking on her regularly as I’m quite concerned with the case. If that’s alright, of course.”

Jinx raised her eyebrows, looking up at him. 

She wasn't expecting him to recommend his hospital, but perhaps they were both a little too invested as to what happened to her now. Leave it to that savior complex to kick in and have him go far and beyond, to request he help her himself. 

As a guy so caring and smitten with kids, she didn’t know why the idea hadn’t even come to her. This was the most Ekko thing he could do.

“While we at CPS, and I would say, the police as well—” Reina pointed to the two officers “Have our own protocols to follow regarding child welfare cases, I hope I speak for all when I say your recommendation as someone with medical credentials is quite helpful Mr. Durand. I feel the situation would reassure us about the child’s safety and well-being, considering how strongly you seem to care. Plus, it seems the kid already knows you. The less strangers the better, I would say.”

She looked back at the officers at the end of the sentence, and Terra nodded, agreeing with her “We could definitely reach an arrangement, make a couple of phone calls and let you know. We will just need your contact information.”

Ekko smiled, giving a more enthusiastic nod now “Of course. If you could provide us with further information regarding the investigation on Isha’s case as well, I feel we’d both be grateful. We just wanna make sure that little girl gets justice.”

Jinx nodded in agreement with the statement. It was as if he could hear her thoughts sometimes, and every time it happened, she loved him a little bit more for it. 

“Of course. We could give you a call regarding our findings after they’re made official.” officer Brown nodded. 

“And how about the kid’s future? If she ends up having no one to go back to..” Jinx trailed off, raising an eyebrow at Reina. 

“Well once the child is stabilized, we can have discussions regarding her future placement. Be it, a group home, receive foster care, or if there’s any alternative arrangements we could make for her. While we do appreciate your concern, we might not be able to give ongoing updates regarding that as there are confidentiality laws that protect the privacy of the girl.” Reina grimaced, before raising her eyebrows as she stared back at Jinx “Unless, of course, you want to be involved in the child’s future care.” 

Jinx just about froze. Her eyes widened just slightly, lips parted, fists clenched at her sides. Her body had gone cold. She wanted to laugh at the idea. It seemed ridiculous enough, but the anger stopped her from doing so. 

Sure, she’d expected the answer, but hearing the confirmation pissed her off that much more. 

What the fuck do you mean she needed to practically sign up to be a caregiver to receive any updates about where that girl was heading to after her hospital stay? Confidentiality laws go to hell. She just wanted to make sure the girl ended up in a good place and that she was safe, without offering herself up as an option.

Because.. honestly? She was a horrible one. Doing anything like this long-term seemed an almost untouchable, unthinkable reality, and it was definitely not what she thought her future to be. She barely had any care for herself, which was also the reason she refused to get any pets. 

But Isha wasn’t a pet. She was a full on person that needed an actual caring and loving mother. Someone older, responsible, whose dream was to be a mom someday. 

Plus, she was convinced they could make a call and tell her the decision they made, without being so damn stingy about it. 
  
As if seeing the anger simmering dangerously close to the surface on Jinx’s face, Ekko took a step in front of her “We understand. Thank you.” 

Reina nodded, giving him a smile. 

They both provided their contact information, were there any follow ups in the case, and Jinx was still standing there, glaring off into space as Reina walked up to Isha still laying on the couch. 

At this point, she looked tired, eyes blinking away the sleepiness. Even ignoring that eventful day and having no idea about the timing of the last time she actually rested, it was nine pm now. An appropriate bedtime for any child.

“Time to go, precious. We need to make sure you’re all good, and then you can go to bed, okay?” 

She offered her own hand for Isha to take, and Isha furrowed her brows, before looking back at Jinx. Jinx met her gaze at about the same time, furrowing her own brows back at her. 

When Isha didn’t meet Reina’s hand for her to hold, she simply placed that hand behind her back, patting it lightly to encourage her to hop off the couch “Come on sweetheart.”

With a slight push, she did end up getting off the couch, eyes still locked on Jinx as she carried the bunny with her. Jinx’s lips pressed into a thin line, as she looked away. 

Reina smiled, continuing to encourage her to walk all the way to the entrance, where the other two officers were waiting so they could all escort her to the hospital.

She took slow, hesitant steps behind Reina’s legs, as Ekko and Jinx stood next to each other, watching her go. 

Then, the second Reina looked away, she bolted. 

Even with her bad leg, she somehow managed to run, but she didn’t run outside like expected. Instead, she took the exact opposite way. 

Reina gasped, not expecting the switch up. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched where the child had ended up. 

To Jinx, arms trapping her right leg into a hug.

The adults in the room were all staring at the kid in shock, here including Ekko, and Jinx. 

The situation seemed familiar with the way she’d clung onto her for dear life when she’d saved her, but this was different. There were no enemies here.. though she wasn’t sure on how much Isha knew that.

What the hell was she even supposed to do? Was it a ‘save me’ hug? A thank you hug? Maybe a goodbye hug?

She didn’t know. Frankly, she didn’t think she’d find out, so after the initial shock on her face had worn down, she crouched down to Isha’s level as the little girl let go of her leg. 

She barely had a chance to look at her face when she then bolted into her arms instead, squeezing her neck into a proper hug. Jinx gasped this time, just slightly, before slowly and awkwardly wrapping her own arms around her, patting her back. 

She was more than aware about all the eyes on her at the moment. 

“You’re a good kid.” she murmured into her ear. 

Isha didn’t as much as twitch into her arms. Her head remained buried deep into her neck like she’d known Jinx for months previous to everything that had gone down. In reality I’d been mere hours.

The officers looked at each other in confusion, and Ekko’s eyes flickered from the little girl hanging onto Jinx’s neck back to Reina, who stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. 

“Probably just needed to say goodbye.” he offered up a few words, sending her an awkward smile. 

Reina returned it, nodding “Of course.”

After a few seconds, Jinx gave another encouraging pat to Isha’s back “Alright kiddo. You need to go with the nice lady over there.” 

Isha didn’t move. 

Jinx chewed at her bottom lip, now holding onto the child a little bit awkwardly. What the hell was she even supposed to do?

“Alright.” she repeated, laughing lightly as she detached her from her body.

Isha let out a whine, once again launching for her neck. 

It did not look like a goodbye hug.

“Oh god.” Reina furrowed her brows “Has she grown an attachment already? How?”

“I-I don’t know what to tell you.” Jinx stammered over her words, deciding to fully carry her onto her arms since she didn’t want to detach from them either way “We met today.” 

“Could also be a trauma related response. She’s too young to be without a mom.” Reina nodded, crossing her arms. 

Jinx clenched her teeth, eyes flickering back to Ekko who was staring at her with concern and confusion painted clear on his face. 

What the hell was going on?

“Hey.” Jinx patted her back again to get Isha’s attention, wanting to look at her face. 

The child refused to engage, and she simply sighed “We’ll see each other again, okay? Don’t know how, but I’ll make it happen. You’ll see.” 

The deathly grip around her hair and neck loosened, as Isha finally looked up at her face with big eyes, letting out a sniffle. 

Jinx furrowed her eyes in worry, nodding with a half-smile “Promise.” 

Isha huffed, falling back on her chest. That did get a genuine small laugh from her “I swear, I do, and I also promise that lady over there is gonna take a lot better care of you than me. She looks like she can make some killer soup, don’t you think?”

Ekko smiled, shaking his head. As if soup was gonna seem tempting after she’d had an entire bowl of sugary cereal. Still, he thought her attempts were sweet.

Jinx’s eyes flickered to Reina, and she simply furrowed her eyebrows at the odd statement, before awkwardly laughing it off “Well..”

“Ekko will see you again too. Make sure you’re the most annoying patient he’s ever had, won’t you? Make a fuss. He loves a challenge.” 

This time he actually laughed, rolling his eyes at her. Behind all that teasing though, he recognized what she was trying to do. 

Jinx was smart. She formed an expectation in Isha’s head for her to see her, and especially Ekko again. Now if CPS picked a different hospital, they’d simply upset the child for no particular reason. 

And with the look the three of them shared, they’d just realized that too. 

But Jinx acted oblivious to her sinister work, walking over to Reina with Isha in her arms “You can just carry her, ya’ know? Might find gettin’ her places easier.”

She could surely tell you a thing or two about that. 

Reina seemed mildly annoyed at this point. The smirk on Jinx’s face was no less of a challenge. A challenge she couldn’t directly respond to, instead prompting her with a fake smile and a nod of agreement. 

“Don’t forget Tuff Tuff, okay?” Jinx smiled down at the child, pushing the bunny that had been squished between their chests towards her, making Isha detach one of her arms in order to hold it “Take care of him for me.” 

Isha simply pouted, but she nodded as Jinx passed her over to Reina’s arms. Reina kept her up, but Isha made no effort to hug her the same way, arms wrapped around the neck’s bunny instead.

Finally, the case worker was able to make it all the way to the entrance without a run off. 

“We will be in contact. Thank you so much for your assistance.” she nodded towards the two, offering another polite smile as the officers opened the door.

Isha stared back at the two of them, from the arms of the case worker, wearing that same pout.Jinx could swear she saw a glistening tear to her eye, before the kid disappeared from her line of sight.

The officers shared their own thank you’s, before the door slammed shut. 

And Ekko and Jinx stood in the aftermath of it all. 

Tired eyes, slow, rhythmic breaths, and a choked up need for air. You could probably hear a pin drop, as their minds ran with questions, thoughts of the day tangled up together into a puzzle that no longer made sense.

It was a long pause, before one of them dared to move. 

“I need a cigarette.”

Jinx walked right past him into her bedroom to grab her packet and lighter. He didn't go after her. Didn't know what to say even if he did. 

So instead, he walked into the kitchen, thinking about dinner, because thinking about dinner was less complicated than trying to figure out what the hell had happened today. 

While he was taking out ingredients, he heard her feet pad the floor all the way to the balcony, but he didn't turn around to look. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Hey.” 

He saw her turn her head at the sound of his voice, as he stood at the balcony door. 

She'd been out here for an hour now, and he'd started to get worried. The night was getting chiller after all, and the sound of the traffic down below was obnoxiously loud. 

It all seemed like an afterthought to her, as she sat on their lounge seat, cuddled up between the throw pillows. He'd noticed she'd changed clothes, now wearing an oversized, slightly faded band hoodie of the Sex Pistols, that he used to own until she'd stolen it and just never gave it back, despite looking like she was drowning every time she wore it. 

It was paired with those same cheeky black shorts he caught a glimpse of thanks to the fabric riding up on her right side. A pair of white knee socks adorned her long legs, as she sat with her knees drawn up, ankles crossed. An ashtray with several cigarette butts lay on top of the slightly wide balcony railing, just off on the side. 

Her braids were messier, one of them laying on top of her chest as she stared at him. The dark, smudged makeup around her eyes mismatched her rosy pink nose, cheeks and lips. Clearly, the cold had peppered a few kisses on her pale skin. 

She looked breathtakingly beautiful.

He had to lick his lips, and blink a few times to remember the reason he’d come out here in the first place. 

“Got some space?” he cocked an eyebrow, fully stepping outside and closing the balcony door with his elbow, as he held onto two steaming hot plates of lasagna in his hands. 

Jinx let out a silent huff, corners of her lips slightly lifting as she scootched to the side of the seat. 

But as he sat down, he realized just how small it was for him. She made it look bigger than it was, the way I'd swallow her up whole into the cushion, but it was more of a loveseat size, so once he sat down, they were a little snug, which made it a bit difficult to hand her the plate. 

She took it anyway, and he turned slightly towards her for more of a comfortable position, placing the plate on top of his thigh. 

She placed hers against her chest and knees, and for a minute or so, they ate in silence. Hot food against the cool night air. 

“Thank you.” Jinx's voice was quiet as she spoke up after a while “It’s really good.”

She'd sort of forgotten about everything she needed to do after that whole ordeal, here including her hunger. The hot food was warming her up from the inside out, and it was a delicious, hearty meal her body had quite literally silently pleaded for. 

He'd always been such an amazing cook, but fuck, what was he not great at? 

“Glad you like it.” he replied. 

Though he'd had the biggest portion size of the two plates, he still finished his quicker. Jinx ate a lot slower, but even then, her plate joined his, and he set them down on the ground off to the side, so he could pick them up later as he walked in. He offered her a small bottle of water after he drank his, and she took it, taking a few sips herself. 

“What a day…” he sighed, resting back more comfortably against the cushion. Their arms pressed against each other. 

“Tell me about it.” she murmured, letting the now empty bottle fall off the seat and roll to the ground. It didn’t faze him, eyes shamelessly staring at her profile. 

Eyes she avoided as she pulled at the hem of her knee socks, before speaking up again “Did you get the call?” 

Ekko left out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. 

“It's been an hour already. She must've been checked in someplace else.” 

“Hm.” Jinx nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line. 

“You know.. you're incredible.” his large hand fell on top of her knee, covering her knee as well as her hand entirely, stopping the nervous motion of pulling at the hem of her socks. 

The breath knocked out of her for a second, and she didn't look at him. Couldn't. 

Why was he being so sweet? 

“For saving her.” he added, voice a silent whisper, as her trapped hand shifted underneath his. 

“Clearly, she liked you. Maybe a slight bit too much, but you have that effect on people, don't you?” he laughed. 

It was a breathy, airy sort of sound, but she couldn’t get herself to sit back and enjoy it like every other time. 

And as Jinx pulled her own hand back, the palm of his hand still remained wrapped around her knee, stable, warm. 

“Can we stop acting like everything's okay?” 

The laughter fell right off his lips, and she hated herself for it. His eyebrows furrowed, staring down at her profile. She had yet to look at him. 

“You can't possibly tell me you're not angry anymore, that I went behind your back.” she stated, suddenly meeting his eye in an intensity he hadn't expected “That I broke..” 

She couldn't finish that sentence, so she looked away from him again, back to avoiding his gaze. 

His hand slipped off her knee, and she missed the warmth of his palm there the second she realized it was missing.

“I was pissed.” he replied coolly, shrugging “If this is about the motorcycle, I no longer am. I don’t need to lecture you about things you already know.” 

She hadn’t expected that, the frown on her face twisted into a weird expression.

“And if it's about you going back on your word, I just want an answer. If it's about something else you're not telling me..” he hesitated, shrugging slightly “Then yeah, I'll probably be pissed again.” 

Her head fell back, hitting the cushion, eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed. 

“What kind of answer?” she whispered. 

“One that isn't a lie.” he replied, and her eyes snapped back open “Why did you go there, Blue?” 

She swallowed the knot in her throat. There was no escaping the answer to it. There were no more lies she could tell that he couldn’t immediately catch her on. 

So she reached out on her other side, picking up the envelope that she'd been avoiding opening this entire time, settled at the other corner of the seat.

She'd smoked five cigarettes in the span of an hour thinking about the whole thing, Silco, the crow, the kid, the letter and the one thing she'd procrastinated doing was actually opening it. 

“Here.” 

She dropped the envelope on his lap, watching from the corner of her eye as he picked it up, read the words on the paper. 

She expected some sort of angry reaction. Instead, another weave of silence passed them. 

He didn't say anything, just stared at it with furrowed brows, so she spoke up again instead “Sevika sent me a text yesterday. Said she had something I needed to see.”

“And you trusted her.” he stated. 

“And I trusted her.” she repeated with a nod, leaving out a sigh “She handed me this.” 

“And.. you haven't opened it?” 

She stayed silent, eyebrows furrowed as a shaky breath left her lips, a low rasp to her voice “I'm scared, Ekko.” 

He reached out his hand, wrapping it around her shoulders. Her head dropped to his chest almost naturally, tucked right under his chin. 

The letter lay on his lap, and she stared at it, her breaths short, ragged. 

His whisper was lost to the wind “Take your time.” 

Chapter Text

Silco.

He'd hated that name for as long as he'd known it. Hated him for what he represented, hated him for what he'd done to people, hated him for what he'd done to her. 

The girl in his arms, so absolutely broken by his death that she was afraid to read a damn letter. It was hard for Ekko not to resent him for it, like this whole thing had been pre-planned, that she was supposed to find the letter this way, that he was supposed to haunt her narrative long after his demise. Control that went beyond the grave. 

Perhaps he hated most how he knew all that wasn’t true, because no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t paint him entirely as the villain. Couldn’t paint himself entirely as the hero either, though in Silco’s demise he’d found her alone and scared, held her together, told her that maybe it wasn't supposed to be like this. 

Maybe it could be different. 

If he were there, she would've never left. He could tell you… because he tried it once before. Maybe he resented him for that too, as for years he’d felt absolutely powerless to the grasp he’d had on her life, watching from the sidelines as his childhood friend turned into someone else, someone he didn’t know. He watched as he used her trauma as ammo, manipulated her, used her in more ways that he could describe to do her dirty work. He was the only reason Jinx had the history that she did. 

And she loved the old man dearly. Missed him, so much too. Even in death, his ghost clutched her shoulders with his bony hands, kept her frozen beneath his touch. His words, threatening or otherwise, black scribbles on white paper. 

A letter. 

Jinx shifted in his arms, now holding that same letter to her chest. He could tell by the way she held it that she wasn't ready to open it, so he didn't want to push her, didn’t want to invade her privacy in that way. After all, this had nothing to do with him. He was certain she'd do it eventually.. and he'd just have to pray she'd be alright when she did. 

And if she needed him.. he’d trust she’d run to him. Simple as that.

So, when he spoke up, it was with the intention to shift her attention elsewhere.

“I can't believe you let go of Tuff Tuff like that.” 

Jinx seemed a little surprised at his words, and she raised her head to look at him. 

“So easily too.” he added, shrugging “Guess I always thought that bunny was coming to the grave with you with how protective you were of it.” 

Jinx smiled, moving from his grip to rest her head on the couch again, turning to look at him “I think it served its purpose. It was just standing next to my bed. All I could do with it right now is traumatize it.” 

Ekko raised an eyebrow at that, half-intrigued “Really now?” 

“Those innocent plush eyes do not belong on my bed.” she chuckled, smiling up at him “Plus, now it can have another purpose. It helped Powder, and I guess.. Isha reminded me a little bit of her. She needs a friend. It's better off with her, ya’ know?” 

“I thought it was just me thinking she looked like you when you were really young.” he hummed, before smiling at her “It's sweet what you did, really.” 

“Ew.” she grimaced, making him roll his eyes. 

“Fine. It was half-decent at best.”

She gave him her best teasing, toothy grin, making his own smile widen before he looked away from her face. He found nothing good ever came of locking eyes with her for a second too long.

Instead, he shrugged “It just.. sucks that she didn't wanna go. You were with her for like five to six hours though.” 

Jinx stiffened “She'll find better.” 

“I'm glad I met her, I just wish we could’ve helped her a lot faster.” his eyes flicked back to her, but her head was turned away completely. “Police would've been able to catch those guys on the spot.” 

“Where are you getting at?” she hissed, suddenly looking at him with wild eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows at her shift in tone, unexpectedly cold “I said I couldn't, okay?” 

“No, you said you weren't thinking.” he threw her own words back at her, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to take control of the sudden weave of ugly emotions that had overtaken her. 

It was fun to pretend, for even just a second. She'd almost forgotten about it. Almost. 

But he never did. 

It's like he could just sense every time she was hiding something. She wouldn't be surprised if he did. They knew each other well enough, she supposed. 
One sudden movement, shift in tone, one glance, and it was like they knew what the other felt, needed or was hiding without having to say it. A blessing, in some ways. 

Now? A curse. 

“I took the gun.” 

The words left her mouth before she could stop them, quick and sharp. The anxiety bubbled over her stomach the second she said it. Her hands now a little clammy, even in the cold air. 

He didn't say anything immediately, and she hated him for it. Hated how that was almost always what he did. She almost preferred a blow up, as the silence, even just a minute long, felt deafening. It just ticked her off even more, scared her to her core that something was very wrong. 

That she'd done something very wrong, and now… now he would just... leave. 

He stood from the seat, and her eyes snapped back to him, widened. Her chest felt heavy, no amount of breathing could fill her lungs as she stared at his back, afraid she might’ve somehow manifested her thoughts.

He rolled his neck to one side, pausing, muscles tense under his shirt, before turning around to stare back at her. 

She analyzed his face, serious, demanding… not surprised. And the second she realized it, he broke the silence.

“I knew something was off when the picture frame had shifted.” 

She squeezed her eyes shut. 

Really? The fucking picture frame gave it away? 

Not the bullet count? Not the placement of the gun inside the safe? He hadn’t even needed to open the safe to detect it.

If she was a psychopath for taking the gun, he was a psychopath for noticing it by a picture frame. 

“Didn't wanna believe you'd go that far.” his eyes were down on the view from the balcony now, watching cars speed by, resting his arms on the railing. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was crisp.

That cut something in her. She didn't know what it was yet.. she could just feel it bleed.

“It was for protection.” 

She hated how wobbly her voice sounded, like she was on the brink of a breakdown. She hated how scared she was to lose him, hated how with every small argument all her brain could think was: will he leave me?

It couldn’t be healthy, and she still failed to understand why he had the ability to make her feel this way, break her and put her back together with a single touch. Even her sister, her own blood sister, didn’t have that power over her. 

She hated how much of her heart lay on his hands, but she also knew that at the same time… a piece of his laid on hers. 

“So why didn't you tell me?” he looked back at her, not moving from his previous position. 

Her throat closed up. What could she say to that? 

What could she possibly say in order not to tear the remaining trust between them apart? 

They held eye contact for a good minute, before he straightened himself up again “We could've done it together, Blue. If it was so damn important to you.. I’d be there.” 

“You would've stopped me.” she bit back, furrowing her eyebrows.

It was easy to get hung up on what if’s, to say those sweet words now, after everything was said and done, but she knew this man like the back of her hand. Even the idea of it would’ve been a firm no. 

“Maybe at first, yes.” he admitted, and the glare on her face deepend “But I know you too, Pow. I know there’s nothing I could do to stop you once you put your mind to something, so I would’ve been there, like it or not. Fuck, I would've given you that gun myself if i knew you were going all alone.” his shoulders moved with every breath he took, ragged, the intensity of his anger sealed for too long. 

He would've, he truly would've, because he trusted she wouldn't do something dumb with it. He trusted she knew how to use it, and use it well, if necessary. 

She knew every word spit out of his mouth, though in simmering anger, was the damn truth, but she still couldn’t help but get angrier at the mention of him coming with her like some babysitter. Shit, she’d survived on those streets for years without him just fine. Last time she checked, her name was the best weapon she could use, and that was a weapon he did not have. 

“Have you ever thought that maybe sometimes my business has nothing to do with you?” she stood up too now, glaring daggers at him “Why do you feel the need to control my every action with a ridiculous sense of justice? How long until you realize I don't owe you an explanation for shit that's only mine to deal with?” 

She could see his jaw clench in anger, before he finally blew up. 

“How long until you realize that you don't have to do it all alone!”

His voice was rough, hoarse with emotion, fallen shaky by the end of his sentence. She could feel her own hands trembling at her sides as his wide eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t recognize, nor name. 

Then, another pause, before he shook his head, looking away from her eyes “I just..thought you knew that. I thought..” 

He left the words trail off, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, and the next time he looked at her, she’d be staring right back with a sparkle in her eye, looking shaken up, yet still.. holding onto anger the same way he was. 

“You’re right, Pow. You don't owe me shit.” that caught her off guard, and she sucked in a breath. His gaze was solely focused on her, like he couldn’t see past her even if he tried “I guess I just thought you trusted me enough to tell me.” 

She wished he couldn't slapped her. It would've hurt less. It would've fucking stung, but that pain would be fleeing. 

This kind of sting would slowly build itself up inside of her, until it burned her whole. 

And even as his phone started buzzing in the pocket of his jeans, he didn't look away from her. He held the intensity of his gaze on her for a long moment, until she felt like she could no longer breathe at all, nor stand on her own two feet properly. 

Then, he looked away, placing the phone to his ear as he turned away from her. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, legs felt unstable, shaky.. so she let herself fall right back on the lounge chair, catching her breath like he’d choked her with his hand wrapped around her neck. 

“Doctor Durand speaking.” 

His voice sounded gruff, deep and husky like he'd just woken up. He tried his best, really tried to keep it stable, but it was difficult to do with all the anger build up. His mind was fully consumed by her. 

Blue, Blue, Bleue. 

His heart was beating out of his chest at the confession. Nothing about this felt normal. Nothing about them felt normal at times. 

He didn't know what the fuck this was. Maybe it was the years of history weighing on their shoulders, making every interaction between them into something way deeper than a normal friendship, but he didn't know in what sense of the word. 

He'd known Scar all his life too.. though a few years less. They'd had arguments before, and it sucked, but it didn't leave a fucking gaping hole in his heart where it seemed she’d etched herself in. His mind was a torture device when it came to the girl too, often replaying images of her, reminding him of her voice, every time he knew he fucked up.

And perhaps that haunting was more normal when they weren’t in contact, but even now, the second he felt her slip beneath his fingers was the second his mind flashed with images of her pretty, sparkling ice blue eyes. 

“The authorities have admitted a girl into the hospital with your recommendation saying you requested you be notified as you personally wanted to work with her?” 

He recognized her voice. Amber. One of their front desk employees. 

But the words leaving her mouth were surprising. He'd given up the chance that they would've used his recommendation at that point, but maybe they had. 

He furrowed his eyebrows, hope spreading to his chest as he replied, quickly “Yes. Is she there now?” 

“Has been for around thirty minutes, I think. Kelsy was on shift before me and was supposed to call you, but you know how Kelsy is.” he could practically see her eye roll from all the way there “The nurses have been taking care of the girl but you're gonna need to get here and do the examination. She seems quite shy.” 

Shy. 

Well that was one way to put it. 

“I'll be there. Tell the nurses they make sure she gets a nap while I'm on the way.” he suggested. 

“I'll pass the word. See you in a bit.” 

“Right.” he hung up the phone, now turning around. 

Jinx’s eyes hadn't left him. They seemed a bit more wide with interest, with hope. 

“I'll be doing a night shift. Make sure you lock the front door and get some sleep. I'll take the extra key.” he spoke up, clearing his throat. 

Her eyes followed him the two extra steps to the threshold, where he turned to look at her again. 

“Unless of course, you find that controlling.” 

The second he left, one word practically rang in her mind. 

Asshole. 

She kept switching between wanting to cry and throw something at the wall. She didn't know which combination of the two this one was, especially now that she'd gathered from the context of the phone call that they'd admitted Isha to the hospital he works at. 

So maybe they hadn't lied. 

That was at least one thing taken care of, so she shooed it off her mind quickly, leaving her with thoughts of their argument instead. Was there a right or a wrong? Had she gone too far? Had he gone too far? It was a ridiculous loop with no clear answer and so terribly hurtful to think about. 

Her heart was still sensitive as she picked up the letter with cold fingertips, and this time didn't hesitate to finally rip the envelope apart. 

Fuck it. She was already in a bad mood, and if she was going to cry, she might as well give herself some grace and say it wasn't only because of a man. 

Nope. It was because of two. 

With an annoyed huff, she unfolded the paper in the envelope, snuggling herself back into the lounge chair. She'd lie if she said she didn't miss his presence already. His body next to hers, always providing warmth for her own cold skin. It was one of the reasons his hugs felt so warm and comforting. 

But now he was no longer here. He wouldn't be here for a while. She was .. alone. 

And she could recognize the paper in her hand. It was the same paper Silco used for all his printed documents. A slightly thicker one with rough texture and an almost yellowish tone. 

The sight and feel of it alone made her want to vomit, but she couldn't back down now that her eyes already caught the words on the page. 

‘To my daughter, 

If you ever find this letter my dear, I better be dead.’

She let out a huff, talking to no one in particular “No worries on that part, dad.” 

‘You’re grown now. You remind me of your mother, every single day just a little bit more.’ 

Her lips parted, eyes widened. 

Silco had never dared talk to her about her mother.. 

‘From your eyes to your hair, in the way you smile.Your resilience, your wits and your fighting soul. She's a ghost that will always remain in your eyes. Some days, I can't bear to look at you. Sweet Felicia, I hope you forgive me.’ 

The letter crinkled in her hands as she fought the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks, swallowing down the knot in her throat. 

She'd only ever seen one picture of her biological mother next to Vander and Silco.. and right now, she had no clue where that picture had ended up. She made a mental note to ask Vi, wanting to look at that photo one more time to either confirm or deny his words.  

‘I bet you know the truth about what happened by now. Sevika must've told you.’

Sevika knew? 

Her stomach dropped. A tight, sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. This many years..  she knew for this many years, and she didn't say one fucking word? 

Even Silco thought she'd say something eventually, but no.. she'd been his second hand for a reason, she supposed. Loyal, to a dead man. Loyal, even at the price of her own immorality.  

As the shock slightly wore off, she was no longer that surprised. Of course she hadn't said anything. Of course, Vi had been the one to break that illusion in order to gain her trust again.

‘Clearly, this type of life isn't for everyone, but you're strong now, more than capable. I wouldn't be surprised if you had every one of those bozos wrapped around your little finger, taking your rightful place at the top, and resuming our operation. All I've worked for. Now that.. makes me so proud of you, my pretty girl.’ 

It was like the dam finally burst, and every single emotion rushed to her face all at once, taking control of her mercilessly. She let out a scream, screeching from her very soul, the tears ran down her face inconsolably, her breaths were short and ragged as the letter fell to the ground. She covered her face with her hands, rocking herself back and forth gently, seeking comfort in the motion. 

All he’s worked for.. all he’s worked for and it’s gone. It got him killed, and he knew it would happen at some point. Making enemies with the wrong crowd had its consequences. 

But how could he wish that same fate on.. me?

Her bottom lip wobbled, eyebrows drawn up in worry. 

All she’d ever wanted was to make him proud, and sometimes.. she thought she did, surpassing the amount of sales she had to do per day. She’d see it in that satisfied smirk on his face, after she’d added up all the numbers, but he’d never actually said it. Other days, she wasn’t so lucky. He wouldn’t yell, wouldn’t push and abuse her. He’d simply shake his head in disappointment. 

The very fucking motion that would have her in a breakdown two seconds later, as she tried to once again prove herself all those days later, again and again until she got it right with no breaks in between, no sleep. She’d punish herself, not allowing herself to go home until she’d reached her goal or exceeded it. At the time, it seemed… normal. 

The need to appease him… she thought it died with him, but clearly, it was still here. As now, she had full confirmation that he’d been wholly disappointed in the life she chose for herself, for saying yes to Ekko, for reuniting with Vi. She’d thought so before, but the confirmation tore her apart just the same.

This soft life was not what he wanted for her. He wanted her to control his stupid drug operation, make more money, and take his place. 

‘Whatever that letter says… don't come back here, ever.’

Perhaps Sevika had a feeling that that was his true wish. Her words were a warning, but why?

Why feel differently about Silco’s wish? Why not support his vision now? 

Maybe it had to do a lot more with her, than with him. Maybe the ogre didn’t think she was ready, she wouldn’t be able to run things the same way he did, it was a protest against having to work for her all together.

But something told her she wasn’t grasping the full truth of her warning. 

Whatever it was, it no longer mattered, because it was all destroyed years ago. Half of those ‘bozos’ were now in jail. The other half, killed amongst each other, and she couldn’t help but think that would’ve been her fate too had Ekko not stepped in on time. If she didn’t get to kill herself first, that was.

With trembling hands, she bent down once again, wanting to read the remnants of the letter with a newfound morbid curiosity. It couldn’t possibly get worse than this anyway. She was already a disgrace to his legacy, or whatever the fuck there was left of it. 

‘Words can lose weight through repetition, so I choose them carefully. My pride was always you, Jinx. You and I.. we have the same soul, the same thirst for power and justice. Don’t forget that, and don’t cry...’

‘...you’re perfect. 

— S.’

A raw sob escaped from her chest, and she covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. Her throat tightened, eyes burning with hot tears. How did he know? How did he always know? It was like he was here, watching her break down in real time. 

She swore she could see him, and the vivid illusion of his stoic face only built her heart-break and rage further. 

A shuddered breath left her quivering lips as she sat up, holding the letter over the balcony like a threat he’d be able to see. She could just let it go, she could just unpinch her fingers and watch it float with the wind, let it decide its fate. Show him exactly what she thought of his stupid little drug empire, and his sickly sweet words. 

No.. no.. she could burn it. She could light it up, let it turn to ash in her hands the same way he disintegrated. It made sense his last words disappeared just the same way his body did. 

Or maybe, she could look at his ghost in the eyes as she ripped it all to shreds like it meant nothing. What he wanted meant nothing. She wasn’t who she used to be. He had control over her no longer. 

Her mind raced with ways to destroy the piece of paper, like the act that alone would take all the pain away, like it would feel as good as revenge for all the lies he’d fed her with full confidence.

The tears continued to trail down her cheeks, her neck, her shirt (his shirt) no less uncontrollably than before, but the anger didn’t simmer down, as she made her final decision.

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

His knuckles hit the back of the open door as he stepped inside, and the little girl’s eyes popped open at the sound.

“Sorry to wake you, Ish.” 
Her little head practically sprung up from the pillow at the familiar voice, eyes widened when she saw him, like she hadn't believed he'd show up at all. 

“Put your head down sweetheart. You're straining your neck.” another voice spoke up, and he turned to notice Reina behind him, arms crossed as she watched the girl with a small smile. 

Isha stared at her, before putting her head back down, snuggling herself into the sheets of the hospital bed once again, all curled up into a ball. 

The bed was three times her size. She was too tiny. 

“Pleasure to see you again, Doctor Durand.” Reina greeted politely, as he turned to fully face her. 

“Pleasure’s all mine. Are you spending the night here?” he questioned, raising a brow at the case worker. 

“I do need to, yes. The girl is my responsibility as of this moment.” 

He nodded at that, understanding her point as he turned to walk over to the hospital bed. Isha was still laying under the covers, but she looked much better than before. 

The nurses had given her a shower, and took care of her immediate needs. Without her hat on, he could see her brown curly hair sticking out in several directions on top of the pillow, and it was an adorable sight to see. 

“You look good, Isha. Tuff tuff seems to be doing well too.” he noted, noticing Jinx’s bunny on the pillow right next to her head. 

Isha's eyes flickered over to the bunny, and she grabbed it, holding it to her chest. 

He smiled. 

Jinx had been right. She did need that bunny more than ever. 

“Oh she will not let go of it.” Reina laughed behind him, smiling.

“That’s fine. I guess we’ll just have to check on Tuff Tuff too, huh? Those stitches sure look wonky.” he pointed out teasingly. If Jinx had been there to hear it, she would’ve slapped him at the back of his head for the comment, no doubt.

Still, the thought felt happy. Happy in the way a nostalgic memory could be, because right now, she probably didn’t even want to look at him. He didn’t allow his mind to travel down further with the somber thought, as the sound of a tiny giggle interrupted it. 

It was almost silent, but he heard it, and Isha was smiling, with her index finger tracing the trail of stitches of the bunny, forming odd shapes. 

His heart lifted at the sight like the smile could erase all his negative thoughts. Maybe it was just that weakness he had when it came to kids, but he swore he wanted nothing else in life, but to be surrounded by childish, happy giggles. There was time for that, of course, but the thought crossed his mind sometimes regularly— working with children had that effect on you. Well.. it was either that effect, or the one Zeri had once mentioned ‘I only come to work to remind myself I don’t want children. Yeah, they can be cute, but thank god they’re not coming home with me.’ 

The rest of his staff had cracked up, and though he hadn’t seemed particularly amused at the comment, he let go of it. There was a reason she was hired in the first place; she was good with the children. Her personal wants, distastes or desires were none of his business as long as she did her job well.

Isha was a sweet girl, heart-crushingly so. He just wanted to make her feel comfortable and safe, as the hospital environment could feel overwhelming for a young child. Everything was maybe a little too big, a little too many shades of grey and bleak blue. The tools, even the simplest ones, could also look like scary devices used to hurt them. 

Despite his calm demeanor, the factors did contribute to the amount of panicked cries and screaming he’d often get with child patients. He gave space for the parent to comfort the child, form a shield of security around them while they were in the scary room. Removed himself from the situation if it got too bad, then came back in once things had calmed down slightly.  

But there was no such security like the warmth of a parent for Isha. All she had was a little plush bunny. 

“We’ll just start by checking your temperature, okay Isha?” he questioned, holding up the thermometer as he ignored the heart-breaking thought “Have you ever seen one of these?” 

She just stared back at him for a second, before shaking her head no “You wanna touch it?”

He didn’t want her to think any of the things he would use, could hurt her. He didn’t know what she’d been exposed to and what she hadn’t, so he had to be extra cautious. Maybe even make it into a game in order to keep her calm and entertained.

Isha lifted herself up, now only resting her back against the pillow as she held onto the thermometer, flipping it around with her fingers with faint interest. 

“It goes right under your arm. It’s a little chilly at first, but you get used to it.” he smiled, taking the thermometer from her and placing it under the bunny’s arm “See?”
Isha’s eyes widened as she stared at the bunny in his hand. Ekko then took the thermometer off, pretending to look over the results “Woah, would you look at that.. he’s cold as ice! Quick, warm him up!” 

Isha laughed, throwing her arms around the bunny and squeezing it to his chest. He grinned “Now let’s see yours, shall we?” 

Through little games like that and a lot of communication (like making sure she was familiar with the tools or asking her permission to make her feel in control of the situation) he managed to do a thorough check up of her health, from her temperature, her heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as check on any visible injuries or signs of abuse beyond the knee scrape with not a lot of struggle. 

All his little questions and games not only served to make her feel safe, but they were pretty much part of the examination. It helped him assess her responsiveness, cognitive function, look out for any signs of trauma, as well as observe her emotional and psychological state.

In order to rule out any medical reasons for speech difficulties, he also performed a hearing test, an oral-motor exam, and a neurological one. 

After he was done, he encouraged her to get some more rest, reassuring he’d be there when she woke up as well. The little girl was still quite tired, so as he tucked her in with the bunny, she almost fell asleep in an instant. It brought a small smile to his face. 

Him and Reina left the room a second later in order to speak. Ekko closed the door behind her, tucking his hands in the pockets of his white coat, as he let out a sigh. 

“I can’t draw full conclusions on her state considering I don’t have any past records of her, but I’d say she’s an overall healthy child.” 

Reina nodded “We've been doing our research in order to get those records and still communicating with the police. Once I have all the information I’ll provide it for you and we can re-evaluate. All we have right now is her name and age. The police found her birth certificate and can confirm she’s only four.” 

Ekko nodded.

“That would be helpful. All I can say for now is that there were thankfully no alarming physical injuries, bite marks or anything like that that could show signs of a struggle. Apart from the scrape on her knee, she’s fine. Her temperature is normal. She doesn’t seem to have any breathing difficulties, and she responded to my questions well.” he informed as Reina hummed, taking in the information “She’s a bit underweight for a four year old, so we need to keep an eye on her nutrition. She needs regular, healthy meals.” 

“Of course.” Reina nodded “How about her oral exam? Any signs pointing to medical reasons for her speech difficulty?”

Ekko shook his head at that “Thankfully not. Physically I’d say she’s perfectly capable of speaking. Again, I can’t completely rule out everything else and say she has selective mutism caused by anxiety or traumatic events, as we don’t know what she’s been through. Once I have that piece of information everything should fall into place. For now, selective mutism is most likely.”

“Well that’s the best we could hope for.” Reina smiled, nodding “We’ll take her to a child psychologist as well. See what they conclude, but that’s after her stay. How long should she be held?” 

“Typically, for minor injuries and no sign of serious medical or psychological issues, she might stay just for an observation period to assess her emotional state and ensure she remains stable during the night. If everything checks out, even with the new information on her past, she could be discharged the following day—typically within twenty four hours after the initial assessment.” Ekko explained, shrugging “I’ll be here the entire night so I’ll keep an eye out if you need to get some sleep.”

“Oh would you? I’d be grateful, though I’ll let you know how well the two coffees I had after dinner perform first.” she laughed, running a hand through her blonde hair. 

“I’ll probably need a couple too for tonight.” he agreed, giving her a light laugh “Let me know if either of you need anything. I’ll check back in regularly.” 

“Thank you.” Reina now grinned with a newfound happiness to her face, a stark contrast to her more stoic expression “The little girl sure fell into the right hands after Miss LaRue saved her. It’s so rare to see people so willing to help in cases like this on such a level, especially with your knowledge and kindness.”

Ekko raised his eyebrows, clearing his throat before he spoke “I mean.. I personally don’t see why not if I have the ability to. I’m in this career path for a reason.” 

“Yes.. yes, of course.” she nodded, leaving out a small chuckle as she looked down. 

There was an awkward pause, before Ekko nodded again, clearing his throat “Well.. just let me know.”

“Will do.” she called out as he turned, walking away down the narrow hallway. 

The sterile smell was something his nose was quite used to, so it didn’t bother him even as he was hit with a stronger whiff of it after passing another open door. He navigated the hallways of the hospital like it was his damn house, because with the amount of hours passed here, and the way he often needed to run up and down them.. he’d gotten well familiar with the structure of this building. 

As he headed in the direction of the break room to grab some water, he heard his name called out from behind.

“Doctor E!”

He turned to see one of the nurses calling out to him from the end of the hallway. He stood there as she ran up to him, jet black hair caught into a claw clip at the back of her head. Her green eyes, staring back at him in what he could honestly only describe as excitement, as she grinned up at him.

“What’s up Key?” he questioned, as the two of them started walking together down the narrow hallway. 

“Well, I was talking to everyone else about how you’re the only person that would choose to pick up a night shift on your day off. I mean seriously, what the fuck’s wrong with you?” 

He laughed at that, rolling his eyes “Well, I wasn’t planning on it.” 

She raised an eyebrow at that, and he weaved her off “Don’t worry too much about it.”

But of course, she wasn’t one to let go of things easily.

“It's to do with that little girl, doesn’t it?” she questioned, humming “Do you know her or..”

“Not.. exactly.” he cleared his throat, shaking his head “Were you one of the nurses on her case?”

“Oh yeah. Emma and I cleaned her up and threw away her old clothes.” she explained.

Ekko’s eyebrows furrowed at that, as he came to a halt in the middle of the hallway. She stopped walking the second she noticed he did, looking up at him in confusion.

“You threw away everything?” 

Keyla blinked, cocking her head to the side “Uh.. yeah? The case worker suggested we do so.”

Something didn’t feel quite right about that. It felt like a disservice, though he wasn’t sure why. Couldn’t find a name for the negative emotions suddenly taking over his chest. 

Maybe it was because it felt a little bit like stripping her of her past self, in favor of a cleaner, sterile version. Sure, she shouldn’t be made to wear the rags again, but it was that little hat that he found himself most intrigued by. 

Because it had her damn name written on it, and there was no way she’d written those letters herself, with most likely no one to teach her to do so. That trail of thought took him to the option that it could be someone else’s handwriting— be it a guardian or a parent, someone that mattered to her. 

Maybe one day that hat could be a memory she’d like to dig into more, so taking away that option didn’t feel quite right.

Or.. he was just overthinking the shit out of it. 

“She struggled to let go of the hat.” Kay added as the silence between them stretched, like she could hear him thinking about that hat in particular “But we couldn’t exactly wash her with it on.”

“Where is it now?” he furrowed his eyebrows “Did you really just take them directly out to the trash can?”

“I assume Emma did.” she shrugged, narrowing her eyes at him “Why? Is there something in the clothes or..”

“Can you go get Emma for me?” he questioned instead, interrupting her trail of thought. 

She nodded, though still confused, and turned on her heel “Sure.” 

He let out a heavy sigh, standing in the middle of the hallway as he watched her walk off with a frown etched across his face. 

Why did he even fucking care?

Chapter Text

The banging on the door matched the rhythm of the banging in her head. It took her several minutes to differentiate one from the other, still groggy and tired with sleep. She’d slept face down onto the pillow, lifting her head with one eye half closed, drool wet at the side of her mouth, and eyebrows furrowed at the loud knocking, as well as the pain in her head. 

The banging on the door only intensified, and she mumbled out a ‘fuck’, as she wiped away the drool with her hand, and reached for her phone placed on top of her nightstand. 

9 am 

The list of people with the audacity to bang on her door so loud at this hour in the morning wasn’t long, so she was super confused, and maybe still a little delirious as she didn’t bother turning upright, instead just putting one of her legs down on the floor and dragging her body up with it. 

The combination of annoyance, exhaust and grogginess was not a good one when it came to anyone, never mind Jinx. Whoever had the balls to do this would have their ass handed to them in approximately the amount of seconds it took her to get from the bedroom to the entrance.

She whispered a string of curses under her breath as her feet pad the floor, when suddenly, she remembered last night. 

Ekko had left to do his night shift. 

Ekko had a fuckin’ night shift. 

What if it was him banging his fist behind that door because he’d forgotten to take a key like he said, and he’d probably called and she hadn’t noticed before when she checked the time? How long had he been out there for while she slept unaware like an idiot? 

Oh shit.

With this new thought in mind, she hurried to the door, fumbling with the keys to unlock it before she snatched it open, eyes widened with concern.  

Concern (and hope) that melted right off her expression the second she came face to face with her older sister instead. She had an obnoxiously giddy smile on her face, holding onto a tiny box she barely registered the existence of, as she stared back at Vi like she’d personally stolen the light from her eyes, crushed her soul and kicked her puppy all at the same time. 

A raspy “Oh.” fell off her lips, her face twisted deeper into a frown. 

She knew showing Vi where she lived was a bad idea. I'd been one blissful month of her not knowing her location. Now? She was bound to get the same sisterly surprise visits she did at her old apartment. It started as a thing Vi did to check in on her, make sure she was taking her meds and things like that. Then, it simply turned into a thing she did for the hell of it, I guess. 

If she were to be fair she’d have to admit she’d showed up to her house unannounced once or twice too, though stopped when she’d consequently come face to face with Caitlyn who also ‘lives there’, because they’re ‘engaged’ and ‘planning a life together’ or whatever.

She'd did however enjoy catching her off guard like the time she’d walked in as Cait had just come out of her luxurious bathroom with nothing but a towel loosely wrapped around her frame which also hit the floor as she was startled by Jinx’s presence, practically jumping out of her bones. 

Let’s just say the woman still got defensive when Jinx would mention it to make fun of her, recalling the event like something out of a horror movie, cheeks flushed in embarrassment. 

On the other hand, it was hilariously entertaining to Jinx who wasn’t fazed by nudity in the slightest. Her biggest reaction being a smirk followed by the word ‘Sup?’ as she watched Caitlyn struggle with the towel before running off, mortified. 

Ah yes.. classic in law horror stories. 

It was then her brain registered Vi’s lips parted in shock as she stared back at her, wholly offended at her little sister’s reaction to her presence “Well jesus Powder, stop jumping for joy you might knock your head somewhere.” 

Jinx’s face expression didn’t really shift, unmoving like the glare was permanently etched to her every feature. 

“Took you long enough. I was starting to think I had the wrong floor.” she complained further, rolling her eyes, before her eyes flickered down to her outfit “You look like hell, by the way.” 

Jinx let out a guttural groan.

She was wearing the exact same outfit as last night, though one of her knee socks had slipped down her calf, and the sweater twisted in her sleep. Her shorts felt way too low on her hips— lower than her underwear were, and she hadn't had the time to adjust anything because of the annoyingly loud banging her dumb sister had woken her up to. 

At some point, after the several emotional breakdowns last night, she'd miraculously locked the door, before heading to bed with Ekko’s voice still ringing in her brain. He was the only reason she even made it there in the first place. 

Ekko, Silco, Ekko, Silco. 

That’s how she’d gone to bed last night— with their names ringing in her brain back and forth over the rhythm of her every breath, wetting her pillow with more horrible tears. 

She hadn't seen herself in the mirror yet, nor did she want to, now overly aware of the fact that she did have black eyeshadow on last night, which proceeded to run down her cheeks. She hadn't even thought about washing her face, so she could only imagine the state in which it was in. Her skin felt dry and crusty— a feeling that only settled within her after Vi's insult. Strands of blue hair blocked some of her vision, settling over her eye like they almost always did. Her braids hang down her chest, just as messy. 

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you.” she let out a loud hiss, resembling a feral cat, followed by another almost grawling sound when she spoke again “There's a fucking doorbell! Why doesn't anyone ever ring the damn doorbell?!” 

Her arms were spread wide at her sides, enhancing her anger. 

“This thing with the old Hello Kitty sticker on it?” Vi raised a brow, touching the button covered by the sticker at the side of the door. 

It indeed worked, as an annoying brrring played right after. 

“How is anyone supposed to notice that!” her shoulders raised in defense of herself, huffing. 

Even the police and CPS hadn't noticed there was a button behind the sticker, so there was some credit to Vi's words, but Jinx wasn't feeling exactly logical at the moment. 

“Just press on the Hello Kitty! Press it!” Jinx yelled at her, leaving out a loud ‘ugh’ as her arms raised and fell down at her sides again, turning on her heel to walk back into the living room. 

Vi followed on her trail, rolling her eyes and closing the door behind her with the heel of her boot, walking into the living room before placing the box she was holding onto the coffee table. 

Only then, did Jinx notice it was the pastry box, fully sealed on top. The sight of it didn’t excite her as much as it usually would’ve.  

“You know, sometimes it makes sense that the only person who could handle your emotional teen faze was a drug lord. I fear I wouldn’t have made it.” Vi raised an eyebrow, hands on her hips as she stared back at her little sister. 

The dark joke didn’t feel as funny after she’d read the contents of that letter. His name on Vi’s lips only made her recoil further. 

She turned to look at her, faking nonchalance as she rolled her eyes “Why the fuck are you even here?”

“Sister bonding time!” Vi whooped, smiling back at Jinx. A smile that once again faltered when Jinx stared at her with hurt in her eyes “You look like you need it, anyway.” 

It wasn’t hard to notice she’d been crying. The streaks of black exposed the dry path of every tear she’d shed, and her eyes were still quite red and puffy. For a second there, she worried something awful might’ve happened. It didn’t look like a quick crying session. It looked like a mind numbing, heart wrenching breakdown. 

“I don’t need you.” Jinx spoke up, her voice was low as she looked down at the floor. Her stubbornness, always familiar to who she was. 

Vi just gave her another smile— this one a little softer than the last. 

“Yeah yeah.. get in here you big girl.” she opened her arms wide. 

Jinx let out a sigh, but took two steps forward either way, stepping into her sister’s embrace without lifting her head off the floor. Vi squeezed her shoulders comfortingly, patting her back as Jinx rested her head on her shoulder. She always felt extra small in Vi’s muscular arms and broader stature. Guess some things never changed since they were kids. 

The hug lasted less than a minute, with Jinx stepping back and rubbing the palms of her hands over her face to push her bangs away, smearing dry mascara further over her cheeks. 

“What happened?” Vi furrowed her brows, before looking around “And where’s Ekko? He wakes up early, doesn’t he?” 

“Night shift.” she mumbled, looking away. 

Huh.. maybe this whole thing was about him then. 

She knew Jinx tended to get into a terrible headspace if they had any fights. She cried about a lot of things, but there was a difference between ‘I feel overwhelmed’ tears and ‘I think Ekko hates me’ tears, an allegation Vi couldn’t even fathom with the way that man bent over backwards for her, daily. 

She rolled her neck to the side, cracking it before looking back at her little sister “Get in the shower and change. We’ll talk about it later.” 

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Jinx insisted with a huff. 

“Yeah, we’ll see about that. Just go change. I can't look at you anymore.” she weaved her off, before letting herself drop down on the couch “Where’s that stupid remote?” 

Jinx clicked her tongue, even more annoyed with her as she turned away “Bitch.” 

Somehow, her feet still took her to the bathroom, because deep down she knew she was right. Vi was almost always right.

In less than an hour, she took her shower and did her morning routine. The hot steam helped her skin moisturize itself in a way, and annoyingly, she did feel slightly better—- even her headache loosened its grip over her head.

She’d changed into a pair of pj shorts, not having any plans to leave the house, with a black tank top that hugged her figure, slightly exposing the top of her hot pink bra underneath through the lace. And of course, right on her chest, was a hot pink cross. The words written underneath it? ‘Orgasm Donor’.

She might or might have not painted that one herself. Ekko hadn't found it as funny as she’d thought, sadly enough, but she still wore it. 

When she walked back into the living room, Vi had her feet on the coffee table, the remote in one hand, a half-finished cupcake on the other, with some remaining frosting at the side of her lips, and the pastry box was now wide open with a selection of different cupcakes. 

She would’ve appreciated the sweets, if she didn’t know the nickname her sister had for her stupid fiancée. The reminder made her grimace, as she walked by, kicking Vi’s legs off her coffee table with her own as she passed “You and your fucking cupcakes.” 

She dropped on the couch next to her right after, staring at the tv as Vi settled the channel on a random football game. Jinx might technically have a sister, but she basically grew up with the equivalent to three older brothers instead.

Vi turned to look at her with a grin “They’re delicious! Try them.” 

Her dirty mind flashed with another metaphor, and she groaned “Ew, fuck off.” 

“What?” Vi screeched, the palm of her hand over her heart like she was pleading innocence “I’m being literal Pow. Try them!” 

Before she knew it, an oreo cupcake was held up in front of her like some grand offering. Jinx raised an eyebrow, inspecting it. 

It smelled quite good. The crumbled oreo looked delicious, frosting white and creamy.

“I hate you.” she whispered, taking the cupcake from her hand to take a bite out of it, because her hatred for the nickname was not strong enough to combat her sweet tooth. 

God damn it Vi. 

Her sister laughed victoriously, clapping her hands “There ya’ go! Don’t you already feel a billion times better?” 

“Yes, you just erased five to seven years of trauma with sugar.” Jinx’s sarcastic reply didn’t land as well as she wanted to with her mouth still being half-full of cake. 

Vi chuckled, rolling her eyes “Just shut the fuck up and admit I know better.” 

“On my deathbed.” she retorted, after swallowing down the food. 

Well, it saved her from making breakfast at least. 

Vi hummed, before changing the subject “Didn’t know you were such a Snoopy fan.” 

She was directly pointing out her snoopy pyjama shorts. After all, she’d seen that tank top before and the joke of it had expired. 

“Am not.” her voice once again muffled as she took another bite of the cupcake. 

“Riiight. That’s why you had like three hours of watch time on Snoopy episodes just yesterday. Your account history exposed you already, dumbass.” Vi cracked another laugh. 

Jinx lips sealed back up, eyes widened as she put what was left of the cupcake away on the coffee table, remembering the actual little girl responsible for that watch time. 

So much had happened yesterday, that she found the best way to cope with it was simply not address it, and keep hanging out with her sister like it was a usual sunday. Well it would be, if it weren’t for the fact that her phone didn’t have one missed call, not one text from Ekko since last night, and he had yet to get home though it was fully morning now. 

Maybe there was an emergency? 

God, she didn’t want to think about it, but she was also curious as to what had happened to Isha. Why? She couldn’t answer that still. Maybe it had to do a little bit with her need to feel wanted, needed even, which as horrible as it sounded— she’d felt both as Isha had clung to her like a lifeline. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like a caregiver, instead of someone being handled with, or taken care of. 

Her eyes squeezed shut, lips once again pouted onto a frown as if she didn’t want to think about it further. Those kinds of feelings were a puzzle even therapy couldn’t make sense of… at least that was her own understanding of it. 

“You alright?” Vi furrowed her eyebrows, now noticing her sister’s pensive state. 

Jinx swallowed, giving her a tiny nod as she brought one of her knees over to her chest, hugging it, eyes once again glued to the tv. Was there really not anything more interesting than football right now?

“We gotta talk about it, ya’ know?” Vi spoke up, shrugging “Remember what Vander used to say.. better out than in!” 

Jinx furrowed her eyebrows at that, eyes still mindlessly scanning over the tv “Pretty sure he used that line whenever he let out a huge burp.” 

“It applies!” Vi insisted, finally making her little sister crack a smile as she shook her head. 

What a dumbass. 

Vi smiled proudly at the achievement, before speaking up again “Seriously.. what happened between you two this time?”

“Us two?” Jinx raised a brow, turning her head to look at her. 

“I mean.. yeah?” Vi raised her eyebrows, shrugging “This looks like an Ekko crisis.” 

“Ekko crisis?” Jinx repeated, the concept of it alone sounding ridiculous. 

But then.. her phone, which she’d left on the coffee table, finally rang and she practically dived for it.

Vi’s eyes managed to scan the contact even as she snatched it away, and her eyes widened “I was so right! 

Jinx glared at her, not wanting to answer for the mere fact of wanting to prove her older sister wrong, but she was still worried, and curious as to what had happened, so she couldn’t get herself to ignore it. 

Instead, she jumped to her feet— heading out towards the balcony for some privacy. 

“Just.. give me a minute.” she insisted, looking back at her sister before closing the balcony door behind her. 

Then she took a deep breath… and picked up the call. 

“Hey.” 

Her heart started pounding against her chest at the sound of his voice alone. It was deep, sounding calm and collected, with a slight hint of the exhaustion she could only imagine he was feeling. 

“Hey.” she echoed, swallowing down the knot in her throat. 

What else was there left to say? Her anger had dissolved, only leaving a slight feeling of melancholy and want in its wake. 

And from the sound of his voice alone, she could draw the same conclusions. 

“I hope I didn’t wake you.. but..” he hesitated, and she chewed on her bottom lip “Isha’s being discharged in an hour. I just learned of it. If you want to see her again.. you know.. keep your promise..” 

“Yes.” she interrupted him immediately, nodding to herself “I’ll be there.” 

“Okay.. okay great.” he sounded relieved as he let out a sigh “You have to hurry though.” 

“I know.” 

She hung up the phone, eyes widened as her heart rate only intensified by the panic, turning on her heel and opening the door to the balcony again to come face to face with Vi again, who shamelessly backed away from the door. 

“Well.. that didn’t give me as much context as I’d hoped.” she pressed her lips into a thin line. 

Jinx would’ve rolled her eyes, if it weren’t for the urgency of the situation “I need you to drive me somewhere, like right now.” 

“What?” Vi placed her hands on her hips, watching as Jinx walked past her. 

“Please! You wanna fix this? Help me.” she hissed. 

She didn’t even know where to start explaining all of it. All she knew was.. she couldn’t disappoint the kid. 

“Where the hell are we even going?” Vi lifted one of her arms in the air to enhance her point, now defeated. 

“Ekko’s hospital.” 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

Vi dropped her off right in the parking lot after Jinx hugged her bye, promising to give her some context on the situation the next time they saw each other. Then, she sprinted into the building without a second thought, scrunching up her nose at the sterile scent that hit her face the second she walked in. 

I fucking hate hospitals. 

She hadn’t had time to really dress, so she was still in her tank top and had only changed her snoopy shorts for a pair of way more presentable, loose ripped jeans. Thankfully, the lobby was slightly empty as she headed to the front desk, facing the ginger girl hair in front of her “Hey.. where’s Ekko?” 

The girl raised an eyebrow at the odd question, never before seen this girl in her life “Uh.. Ekko Durand? The P.O?” 

“How many Ekko’s could possibly work here.” she hissed. 

“Jinx.” 

She whipped around at the sound of his voice, breath suddenly knocked out of her, watching him with wide, hopeful eyes. It was as if he knew she’d just arrived. 

And he stood there.. looking exhausted, drained and wistful in a way. His stance, stiff and hesitant, hands in the pockets of his white coat, his eyes locked on hers, eyebrows furrowed with worry, eyes glistening with tender affection. 

She’d already made the question when their eyes had met.. and he’d already given her the  answer. 

Still, her voice was almost shaken with emotion when she refused to believe it, speaking up only to seek the rejection of the answer he held in his eyes “They..”

She swallowed the knot in her throat, bile forming in her stomach almost immediately. Of course, this would happen to her. Of course, she’d been too late. She was always too late, always wrong, always a fucking disappointment in human form. 

“Yeah.” Ekko confirmed with a slight nod “They took her.” 

Her eyebrows furrowed, lips forming a pout as she shook her head, looking away from him. 

She had to stop making promises she couldn't keep. What a fucking shitty problem to have. What a shitty person to be. 

Isha had only let go of her neck with the promise that they’d get to see each other again. Now? That all seemed impossible. Ekko tried to give her a chance, and she still missed it. She didn’t even want to know how she felt before she left this place, escorted by CPS workers to god knows where. 

And it felt like the last straw, after the rollercoaster of emotions she’d been through since yesterday. This little dumb thing was the first thing to activate her tears for the first time today. She just felt.. defeated. 

A choked cry escaped her lips, tears blurring her vision— the only person in her line of sight being Ekko. 

And he was still looking at her with that somber, kind and gentle expression on his face. The kind of care she barely even registered as she ran up to him, throwing herself into his arms, not knowing a better comfort than his scent engulfing her senses.

She was sick of self-soothing, sick of arguing and so so sick of crying. She needed him, craved the warmth of his embrace when he crushed her whole, needed to feel present to know he was there still— the kind of bad habit she picked up on soon after he saved her from herself. That feeling of abandonment lingered in the air even years later. 

Ekko caught her in his arms without a stumble, wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders as she nuzzled her face against his chest, seeking more and more of him. 

His hold was tight, stable, and her body fit in his almost too effortlessly. He understood her. Knew this wasn't just about Isha. It was about them, it was the last crack on the glass before it shattered. 

Her tears broke his heart as he held her close, nose in her hair as her scent filled his nostrils. He hadn't realized how tired he was until she got here. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until she'd thrown herself into his arms, and he cared about nothing else. 

Not their last argument, not the fact that they were still inside his workplace, nor Kelsy’s curious stare behind the front desk. 

He just rubbed her back in circles, pressing a kiss at the side of her head “It's not your fault baby bird. Come on now, it's alright.” 

His words were loving whisperers in her ear, only for her to hear. She snuggled her head closer into his chest, if that were even possible, arms still tightly wrapped around his torso. His gentle words and overwhelming sense of security managed to calm her down, settle her few loud sobs and hard shakes into tiny sniffles. 

He was too used to this, too good at it. She hated it. 

“Been a tough weekend for both of us.” he sighed. 

She mumbled something incomprehensible, and he smiled just slightly, grabbing her face to encourage her to look at him “C’mon Blue. I gotta take my bag and we'll be on our way home. I'll even make you whatever you want for dinner, no matter how ridiculous.” 

Jinx stared at him through wet lashes, flushed cheeks and lips, eyes big and sparkly, slightly dilating at the sight of his face in such proximity. 

She shook her head no, but he didn't drop his hand, still holding onto her jawline.  

“You’re an idiot if you think I'll let you cook after a night shift.” she sniffled once again, wiping away the remaining tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. 

“Then we'll order some fast food.” he offered, still staring at her with those gentle eyes. Oh, how he knew how to please her “You wanna wait on the couch while I go grab my bag?” 

He nodded towards the empty couches in the lobby, and she turned to look at them, shaking her head no once again. She didn't think she could handle being away from him again now, even if it was just for a few minutes. She didn't care that it sounded like a selfish, childish thought. 

And he didn't seem to either, pulling her delicate hand with his “Then we'll go together.“

He pulled her with him down the narrow hallway, holding her hand tightly as they walked on the same step, with her slightly leaning onto his side. Ekko would weave a hand, say a hi or two as they passed by his co-workers, or even patients. He was so loved, so needed in this place, and she didn’t miss the grinning smile every single girl there would throw at him either. 

She found herself latching onto his arm, as her sadness turned sour. 

Whatever, it's not like today could get any worse. It’s not like she’d broken the heart of a tiny little orphan girl. That was textbook, villain shit. 

She grimaced at the harsh reminder, hating herself further, but she didn’t speak, waiting by the door as Ekko retrieved his stuff in the break room, ignoring the curious eyes scanning over her, and when he walked out, now with no lab coat on, she latched onto him once again. 

Neither of them spoke all the way to the parking lot— he looked, and probably felt spent, worn out. And her? Well her mind was doing all the talking, insulting, throwing curses at herself, one hateful word after the other. She wished she could just stop, but it felt next to impossible. Those voices only got louder every time she told them to shut up, Ekko wasn’t mad at her now. 

He took them home on his motorcycle, proceeding to order some french tacos while they made their way up the elevator. She could see both of their reflections clearly in the large body mirror of it, as a thought not much like the others crossed her mind. 

That officer was right— with the way Ekko leaned back, eyebrows knit together in exhaust and frustration as he spoke on the phone, the two step distance between them, and her with her crossed arms and sour look on her face, they did look like an old married couple. Probably one on the verge of divorce, but the thought was oddly amusing nevertheless. 

Once they got out, he updated her on what had happened at the hospital, Isha’s condition, as well as answering her many many questions. After their food arrived, they sat together on the couch, munching on the tacos, more concentrated on their careful conversation, than the random sitcom playing on their tv. A few minutes after she was done with her food (once again, because she actually took a bite from the taco rather than inhaling half of it at once as he usually did), Ekko’s eyes lit up with a thought.  

“I almost forgot.” he spoke up, turning around to take something out of his bag. Though he’d had no sleep yet, he sounded more energized already. 

It was definitely because of the food, and yet,  he couldn’t help feeling as if Jinx’s presence alone had contributed to it too.

She was still sitting there, mulling over in self-pity as her eyes followed his movement in faint interest. He pulled something out, before dropping himself right next to her on the couch. 

And her eyes widened in recognition, lips parted in surprise, as she looked between the tiny childish hat on his hands, and his face. 

“I retrieved it later on and washed it.” he spoke up, handing her the hat. Her fingertips grazed over the letters of her name, as another knot formed in her throat. I’m sorry, kiddo “I wanted to hand it over before they took her but..”

She noticed the way his shoulders tensed with the pause, before he spoke up again “Well.. they did so without telling me.”   

She clutched the hat in her hands, now glaring at nothing in particular “They can do that?” 

“After the observation period is over? Yeah, they can.” he let out a sigh. The buzz of his phone distracted him and he grimaced at the sound “I swear if these people ask me one more question—” the words fell from his lips at the ‘private’ number, calling his phone. 

It couldn’t be one of his co-workers then, could it? A lot of those contacts had names to them.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at the screen, and Jinx leaned onto him, catching a sight of the screen before rolling her eyes “Just answer it.” 

He listened like a dog. The second the words left her mouth the phone was pressed to his ear. The reasons why were unbeknownst to him. 

“Hello, this is the police department in your area— Officer Brown speaking. I’m looking to speak to Mr. Durand?” his eyes widened, not expecting a call from the police so soon. 

Actually, he wasn’t sure they’d bother to call him at all. He had to blink away his sleepiness, locking eyes with Jinx as they shared a stunned look with each other. Though the phone was not on speaker, it was silent enough in the room that he knew.. she’d heard the man on the other end of line too. 

His eyes never left her face, as he spoke up.

“This is him.”  

Chapter Text

Jinx practically jumped on her seat as she hit his arm with her hands, mouthing ‘Speaker! Speaker!’ 

Ekko weaved her hands off, putting the phone on speaker as he lowered it, holding it up in between them. 

“Good talking to you again, Mr Durand. Just wanted to simply notify you of the situation regarding the little girl's case like we talked about.” Officer Brown proceeded to speak at the other end of the line “The kind of information I will be sharing will be simply public information you can also read up on a few days from now, as news articles come out.” 

“Thank you for your call anyway. I appreciate being let in on the news early.” Ekko spoke up, knit eyebrows as he stared down at the phone in concentration. 

Jinx stared at his profile. Though she sometimes liked to tease him for his overly serious demeanor, she couldn't help but find it.. enticing.. in a way? Maybe it was the sound of his voice.. professional, deep, demanding. 

Whatever it was, she was glad she didn't usually see him around work. The thought intrigued her as much as it freaked her out. Her brain was sometimes her biggest enemy. 

“Of course, I mean it's the least we could do after Miss LaRue saved the girl and took her in. Seems she might've helped a few other kids along the way as well.” 

Jinx’s eyebrows raised in surprise, as Ekko looked back at her. 

What the hell was that supposed to mean? 

“Oh? How so?” Ekko questioned. 

“Isha had escaped a group home when Miss LaRue came across her, come to find.” Officer Brown stated “And according to the documents we found, she's been living there since the day she was born.” 

Jinx’s eyes widened immediately. A group home? 

She'd already been in the system once. Whatever happened, couldn't have been good for her to feel the need to escape. The system had already failed her, and she was only four. Now, she was right back in it, thanks to them.  

Oh the thought made her nauseous, and by the way Ekko stared back at her with that same concern, it seems he was thinking the exact same thing. 

“So she didn't have any parental figures or guardians for the first four years of her life?” Ekko clarified, and though his voice was stable, Jinx could tell by his facial expression that the news deeply disturbed him. 

“Exactly, Mr. Durand. According to the documents signed when she was first admitted, she already didn't have a father when her mother was pregnant with her. Apparently the father was killed in some kind of drug deal gone wrong. We don't know much about it, but unfortunately things like that are common in that area. Thankfully, today not as much.” he cleared his throat “Her mother on the other hand died due to pregnancy complications after just a few days with Isha at the hospital. Without any other known relatives, she was sent directly to a group home to be taken care of.” 

“Woah.” a puff of air escaped his lips. 

He was staring down at the floor in pure shock. I guess he already knew things couldn't have been good for the girl by the state of her alone, but.. her history was nevertheless heartbreaking. 

A four year old who'd never even known a stable family. 

Jinx had her arms crossed, legs now pressed against her chest as she looked away from the phone completely. 

Drug deals and pregnancy complications. Common, of course, so why did the news make her so much more uncomfortable? Life truly was shit. It wasn’t fair at all. 

“We don't know if her parents were even together. Her mother still had her maiden name when she passed away, so Isha was registered by that last name. Isha Bénie.” 

Jinx bit her lip, still thinking to herself. 

Bénie…. Blessing. 

Her heart tightened in her chest. 

“I see.” Ekko hummed, hand massaging his jawline “What happened in the group home?” 

He was afraid to know the answer to that question, but it was the main one he needed to ask. 

“Well when Isha was first sent there it was working regularly, so she was taken care of like any other kid. However the last two years the group home was replaced and run by other staff— staff we're finding out that did not have the credentials nor the experience required to fulfil their roles dutifully.” Officer Brown explained “They might have taken the roles in an alleged corrupted manner. We don't know how, but it slipped right past everyone's noses. Mistakes like these can be fatal.” 

“So, Isha’s escape…” Ekko trailed off. 

“Was to be expected. The staff were neglectful towards the children, that much we can speculate. There's also some alleged abuse allegations that have to be taken to court to be confirmed, made by the older children at the group home as they agreed to speak to us. After the staff change, not a lot of kids were left in the home. It was a total of six with the oldest being fourteen and the youngest being Isha.” 

So that's what he meant when he said Jinx had saved the other kids too. Thanks to them bringing the police’s attention to the girl, they'd also brought it over to the ‘group home’ she came from, and therefore the other children’s well being too. 

Isha’s espace had opened a door for all of them. 

“So this case is being taken to court.” Ekko cleared his throat, jaw still strained at the amount of awful updates he was hearing. Of course, of course all of this had slipped right by them. What a fucking shitty system. 

“If the staff pleads not guilty, yes, but we’ve got damning evidence. We did a thorough investigation of the home, finding proof of neglect at the dirty and messy state of it. We don’t know if there was any physical abuse— from what the children have said it was mainly physiological, with them oftentimes locking the kids inside the house, which you can see from the doorbell camera, leaving the oldest to try and take care of themselves as well as the youngest children with whatever remained in the kitchen, as they hadn’t bothered to hire a cook after the last one had quit. The children said yelling and threats were common. We also have proof in documents that the home refused several applications for fostering or adoption without looking into them in the first place. It seems they just wanted control over the children.” 

Ekko shook his head— all of a sudden, this conversation was getting too much to handle. The types of people willing to do shit like that were monsters, and this was a prime example. He’d dedicated his livelihood to taking care of others, especially children. All those happy-go-lucky little buggers making a mess out of his center every damn day. 

And yet he loved them all.

This case felt especially triggering, imagining their sweet faces. 

“That’s…that’s horrible.” he managed to mumble out, hand over his mouth. 

On the other hand, Jinx’s lips parted, mouth hung open at the information. It sounded like.. like fucking prison. 

Those poor kids, being forced to take care of themselves for two full years with no place to run to. That begged the question, how had Isha managed to sneak her way out? And were the men chasing her part of the staff?
 
And she couldn’t help but intervene in the conversation. 

“So who’s Rico and the other guy?” she spoke up, eyebrows furrowed as she stared down at the phone. 

“Oh, Miss LaRue—” Officer Brown spoke up, unaware until she’d spoken up, that she was part of the conversation “Right, Rico Ramirez and Charles Bates. They both had an extensive criminal record, and were believed to be the partners of two caretakers in the home. It seems that day they hadn’t locked the door as the men entered the building, and an argument broke out amongst the couples accusing of cheating. Apparently, no one noticed the little girl crawl her way to the door and escape. The older kids said the staff were mainly worried they would do so, which is why they usually locked the door, but no one expected the youngest to escape. The twelve year old was the only one who’d noticed her leave through the commotion, and he mentioned she might’ve done so out of fear, with no real understanding of not being allowed outside.” 

“Oh my god.” she muttered. No wonder she’d been so freaked out when she’d bumped into her “She’s a brave girl.” 

“For sure.” the officer agreed. 

Jinx looked back at Ekko, who still looked sick to his stomach. The guy could not handle this kind of thing well, especially when kids were involved. 

So her hand sneaked its way onto his lap, grabbing his other hand that wasn’t holding the phone up. His eyes flickered over to hers, and she pressed her lips into a half-smile. 

After that, his hand fully covered hers, accepting her affection wordlessly. 

“How are the kids doing now?” she questioned, leading the conversation so Ekko wouldn’t be forced to speak up if he didn’t want to.

“They’re fine, they’re happy to have left the place— mainly. CPS is handling all of them, looking for fostering and adoption options, as well as any relatives they didn’t get a chance to meet when they were directly admitted to that home.” he informed “They were all handled in a similar way to Isha, but seeing as her case became separate once you found her, the other kids were sent to a different hospital. We’re keeping them anonymous to protect their safety, but just know they’re in safe hands now, making their way to recovery and hopefully their forever homes.” 

“That’s good to hear.. at least.” Ekko finally spoke up, leaving out a sigh “May the system not fail them again.” 

Jinx’s eyes widened at the statement not expecting it from him in the first place, speaking to a police officer. 

Officer Brown seemed to clear his throat uncomfortably “The kid’s cases will be followed with a watchful eye. As for the responsible adults, they’ll get what’s coming to them in jail. We’re trying to handle this the best way we can, with the resources we do have.” 

“I understand.” Ekko muttered, nodding “Thank you for taking the time to make the call and clearing up some of our confusion.” 

“Thank you for your interest. Have a blessed day, son.” 

“You too.” 

The line went dead then, leaving room for the uncomfortable shift in the atmosphere between them. It was all too quiet now, even with the tv still running at a lower volume. Ekko stared into space with a glare on his face, and Jinx stared at him, still in a bit of disbelief herself. 

Their hands were still clasped together, neither of them willing to move. 

“You need to go to bed.” Jinx spoke up, voice no louder than a whisper. 

His eyes fell on her at the sound of her voice, and she cocked her head to the side “We have work tomorrow, again.” 

Her messaging was clear. Yes, it was awful, but there was no use in sitting with it now that it was all over. Life went on despite what happened. There were no breaks, no space to sit with struggles or tragedies. 

And while it was usually her wallowing in self-pity, these words were also proof she’d made some progress with that thought herself. He was proud of her. Proud of her for going out of her way to chase something, though it was dangerous too— proud of her for bringing decent protection, and helping someone, helping a lot of people in consequence.  

And to hell go that stupid promise, if those kids had their lives back thanks to her taking a risk.

He surprised her— his stoic expression never changing, but his hand left hers as both of his palms cupped her cheeks. Her eyes widened almost immediately, unsure of what he was doing or where it was coming from in the first place. 

And then he leaned in, leaving a kiss between her furrowed brows. 

She froze, her face heating up almost immediately as he pulled away “Proud of you, Jinxie.” 

With that, he stood up, yawning as he walked down the narrow hallway, opening the door to his bedroom. 

She stared after him, mouth hung open and her face still flushed. 

Had she imagined that. Did he really say what she thought he just said?? He was.. he was proud? He was proud!! 

What the fuck. 

She blinked then, slapping herself on the cheek with the palm of her hand. 

Get over it. You’re embarrassing yourself. 

And yet, the disbelief lingered even as she got up, heading to her bedroom to grab her laptop to work on a few things for the next day, drowning out any distractions that rose with his affection. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

It took Ekko too long to realize the dirty plates of lasagna were still out in the balcony, and he wouldn't even have realized it at all, if it weren't for the fact that they were his favourite plates to serve food on, and two of the set were missing. 

He'd thankfully come home early from work on Monday, as it hadn't been too crazy in the hospital, took another fat nap, then woken up an hour later to prepare something for dinner. 

Jinx swore she already ate, and he didn't believe her one bit. 

So he made them dinner, and she ate some of her plate, distracted by her work. Still, some, was not none.

It would do. 

He went to wash the dishes when he realized the two he was looking for were still on the balcony, so he made his way outside. As he picked them up, along with empty bottles of water, his eyes caught onto Jinx’s ashtray.

Still sitting on top of the railing, but now a letter had been placed underneath it, carelessly left hanging by a corner, dangerously close to simply flying off. 

His eyebrows furrowed, then his eyes flicked to the lounge spot, catching sight of the ripped up envelope. 

It was Silco's letter. No doubt. 

She'd opened it.. he wondered why he never told her as much, but he couldn't be too surprised. When it came to big feelings like this, it was hard for either of them to express them in words. That’s where body language and expressions came in handy.  

But why had she left it out here? Did she forget about it? 

Then again, the placement of the ashtray was purposeful.. or was he looking too into it? He couldn't tell. Yet another photo frame situation. 

Whatever it was, he knew she'd want it safe within her room, even if she never opened it again. Even if he’d rather have that letter fly away from her, he knew he couldn't make such a decision for her— not after what she’d gone through to have it in the first place. 

With a sigh, he picked up everything around the balcony, placing them back inside before heading out again to pick up the letter, so he could take it to her room. 

Except.. it was fully unfolded, so his eyes caught sight of words the second he touched it.

Dead 

Sweet Felicia 

Pretty girl

He grit his teeth, forcing his eyes away from it. He couldn't step on her privacy like this. This was between them. 

It had virtually nothing to do with him, so he shouldn't read it. 

He knew that. Knew that fully well, even as he checked back to the balcony door, making sure Jinx hadn't popped out of nowhere like she usually did, before he set his eyes back on the letter. 

She was never going to tell him about it, so this was his only chance to try and understand her. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

Ekko knocked on Jinx’s door before he could hesitate to do so. He heard her groan before yelling out “If you’re thinking of coming in, just do it. You know knocking irritates me!” 

He laughed to himself, shaking his head as he pushed the door open “Well excuse me if I want to respec—” 

Jinx was perched on top of her bed with her hands hanging in the air, pulling a tank top down. He caught sight of her under boob pressed against the fabric, before she could bring it all the way down, eyes widened as he turned right back around. 

“Fucking hell Jinx.” he cursed, dragging the palm of his hand down his face. 

She only laughed “You know there’s no point in turning now, right?”

He turned right around to face her again, with a small glare on his face “Why would you do that?” 

“I like seeing you huff and puff ‘bout it.” she winked, taking a sour candy off the packet on her nightstand.

The tank top had thin strips, cropped up to her belly button, still clearly showing off her nipples.. and fuck, he was but a man. 

Her little tops were always distracting, always a little too revealing, always dancing on the line of what was appropriate, and what wasn't. 

He was certain it wasn't something she thought about. Careless as she was, she wore a top because it looked cute. His eyes flickering down involuntarily was just collateral damage.

He tried his best to be respectful most of the time, but if she wouldn't give him the same grace.. well, they could both play this game. 

So he made a show of lingering his eyes a second too long, before speaking up “Well then, next time I'll make sure to be less predictable.” 

His voice was laced with a suggestion that intrigued her, her eyebrow quirked up as she stared into his eyes, waiting to see if he had anything else to add to that. Something that didn't make an implication. 

But he never did, even as her eyes bore into him, face flushed in seconds. It wasn't the words, no it was the way he'd said them. It was the way he stood on his word. 

Because if there was anything Ekko was good at, it was keeping promises. 

Something she clearly could not seem to do. 

The side of his lips lifted slightly as he spoke up again, noticing the sudden quiet that had overtaken her “Weren’t you supposed to be working, anyway?” 

Jinx licked her lips, looking away from with a shrug. 

“I did.. for a few minutes.” 

He raised a brow.

“But then I went on my phone…and then I went on my laptop. A minute later I was eating sour candy topless while listening to a video essay. It happens.” she muttered, looking up at him innocently. 

The second she said it, the image wouldn't leave his head, throat suddenly dried up when he spoke “Not surprised.” 

“And why are you here?” she smirked, cocking her head to the side before placing the palms of her hands in front of her, crawling just a step closer to the end of the bed before falling on her back, looking up at him with a smile. 

His eyes tried hard not to follow the mesmerizing movement, from the way she lifted her hips, to the way they sinchined in at her waist. If he were standing on her other side, he’d probably get to see a lot more than her back dimples, with the micro shorts she had on. 

And though getting lost in his daydreams was fun, he needed to snap out of it. This.. was not okay, that he could recognize, but he wasn’t surprised at his own thoughts— he’d had them before. They were dangerous, unsuspected, but not foreign. 

Point was, he wasn’t going to mess this up between them. This was the most peace they’d known in fucking forever, and he’d like to keep it that way. It would help to answer her question, however, which registered in his mind perhaps a minute too late.

And then he realized.. he might just fuck up her good mood in seconds. 

But the risk needed to be taken. Upfront and honest.. that would always be the best route. And once he pulled out the now folded piece of paper from his pants pocket, he noticed the flicker of recognition in her eyes. 

She sat up, as he offered it back to her, wordlessly.. nervously. 

She took it, manicured fingers grabbing onto the paper as she looked up at him. 

He searched her face for any sign of anger, shock, resentment, possessiveness… there was nothing. 

He couldn't be too sure if the sudden lack of care was reality, or just another one of her masks. Still, she looked down at it in an almost.. bored way, hand holding onto the paper, while her forearm rested on her knee casually. 

“Why'd you leave it out there?” he spoke up, voice a little softer now.

He'd exposed himself, willingly. She knew he read it, but she didn’t seem mad— not at all, like she’d expected the possibility that he would.

Instead, she smiled, a puff of air leaving her nose in a half-there mock laugh “Couldn't decide if I wanted to burn it or tear it. Thought fate.. or the weather, would have a better say.” 

He hummed, taking a spot next to her on the bed, legs spread, as leaned forward to look at her face. 

A half-smile of his own greeted her when she looked back at him. 

“Well if you ignore all the manipulative bullshit, he spoke fondly.” he smirked, his voice slightly mocking on his next words “My pretty girl.” 

Jinx would've expected an uneasy ‘I'm sorry’. She would’ve expected an ‘Are you okay?’.

Worry, concern, sympathy. 

He gave her none of it. That conversation had expired along with Silco, and she was damn glad he didn't fucking say any of it, didn’t repeat the same old words, didn’t look at her like some sort of broken object.

After all, words did lose weight through repetition. 

Instead, she smiled back at him, biting her bottom lip teasingly “You're a fucking idiot, you know that?” 

“Well I'm not perfect. You on the other hand—” he trailed off, bumping his shoulder to hers with a bit more force than necessary. 

It made her fall backwards on the bed, as giggles escaped her lips. He grinned, looking back at her laying there, staring up at him with light in her eyes. 

If there was any doubt in her mind on if she'd made the right decision before, the one that failed to pride her father.. it was no longer a concern now. 

The pain of knowing it wasn't what he wanted for her remained, but she felt a little more sure of her decision every time he looked down at her with pride in his eyes, and pure sweetness in his smile.

Suddenly, his opinion was all that mattered. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Little man!” Vi called out to him the second he walked into The Last Drop. 

She was sitting at their usual table with her brothers, while he walked in with his band behind him, dressed in a black satin short-sleeve button-up shirt, worn unbuttoned, along with a black tank top, visible under the open button-up, with several layered silver necklaces on top, including one that showed off his firelight symbol, which was as well the symbol of True Damage, the band. 

They matched the silver rings worn on his fingers, dark-washed jeans with a worn, rugged texture completing the look he usually wore for performances or nights out. His dreads were tied into a bun, showcasing the fade at the sides of his head.  Of course, though, there was a pop of color, namely the blue streaked cross painted on his face— a fun thing Jinx added to the mix of things ahead of another performance, that had accidentally now became his TD brand. 

☼ https://pin.it/5ohsr3lUn

It was the first time he’d brought the band in here, despite The Last Drop being a prominent place in his life. 

The band was created around the same time he’d turned twenty. They’d seen some successful years together, went out to celebrate small wins, and all that— but each member treated True Damage as a side gig, something they did for fun. 

It was good. It meant opportunities like these were taken with enthusiasm and no stress, but it did also mean that they’d sometimes get so busy I’d be hard to meet for jam sessions, never mind hanging out as a group outside of the studio. 

Tonight… would be a good opportunity for both. 

Mylo wasn’t shy, leaving out a loud whistle as they approached. He wasn’t sure if it was to tease him, or an immediate appreciation for Akali at his side. Though he supposed the two things could be the case at once.

“So this is the band huh?” Vi spoke up over the music, laughing as she extended her hand “I’m Vi. Nice to meet you all.” 

“Ekko has mentioned you.” Ezreal nodded, taking her hand and shaking it “Thanks for the opportunity.”

He was tall, well-built, dressed in dark wash jeans and a leather jacket. His blonde hair illuminated by the lights in the bar, swoopy surfer bangs and a charming smile. 

“Of course. I mean it only made sense.” she shrugged “You put on a mean show.”

They’d done other gigs here and there, smaller and bigger— it helped contribute to their image, their brand, the popularity. The shows were the main reason Ekko had so many followers on social media, despite him being active exactly.. once a blue moon.

He couldn't tell you exactly why he hadn’t figured this out with Vi sooner. She said she wanted to add a live show aspect to the bar, make it more fun and popular. Jayce had agreed, seeing money signs at the idea. They had the space for it— a corner of the bar they’d now turned into a proper mini-stage. 

Ekko was only informed by this when he got Vi’s phone call, where she practically begged him to come perform at least one song. He wasn’t opposed to it, not really— The Last Drop had a good amount of frequent customers, crowds of his own age or younger and older, people that could be interested in their music. 

It was a win-win. Still, he hadn’t promised her anything up until he communicated with the rest of the group, arranging schedules and such. Then, Wednesday night was on. 

A couple of introductions, a song, a couple more drinks.. and… let’s face it, an early night out because literally everyone had some sort of occupation that required waking up with the sun. 

The hello’s were brief and polite as they sat around the table, joining Vi and her brothers. Just a minute after they sat down, Mylo was already throwing offhand, flirtatious comments at Akali. 

“So.. Akali, was that your name? How did Ekko fail to mention you? Such a crime.” he shook his head, smiling at her “Pictures don’t do you justice.” 

The light brunette cocked her head to the side. She had her hair tied in a ponytail, blonde highlighted ends and curtain bangs, framing her face. Her every feature was sharp, sculpted, dark, flattering her makeup. She wore a pair of wide legged leather pants, along with a tight, short matching tank top, showing off the nice curves of her body and her lightly sculpted midriff. 

“Really?” she sounded not at all disturbed, if not.. amused “Well he didn’t fail to mention you. Mainly, your failed dating attempts.” 

The comment earned a good laugh out of Vi and Claggor, while Mylo glared daggers at Ekko. He knew Akali was attractive, so he’d simply.. gotten ahead of an awkward situation, was all. He wasn’t mean with his words, just warning. 

“Sorry man. I can give you someone else’s number though. One of the nurses at the hospital saw a group picture, said she’d be interested in you for a date.” he spoke up, encouraging. 

He felt a little bad for squishing his chances with Akali, but he knew there was no way she’d say yes in the first place. It just so happened one of his friends at the hospital was talking his ear off about not having a date, when he showed her that picture, pointing out Mylo. 

She complained about her ‘lack of a dating life’ to him so often, so it was just knocking out two birds with one stone. 

“Man, you always wanna keep the hot ones.” Mylo scoffed, before rolling his eyes “She have a picture?” 

The comment didn’t come from nowhere. The few fans of his music, followers and such, had a thing when it came to him and Akali together. He wasn’t sure where the fuck they got that from, as they both had never even considered it an option in the first place, but people mentioned the way their voices complimented each other, something about a look they’d shared one time on stage, friendly banter.

Bottom line.. it was bullshit. 

But of course, Mylo was quite active on social media, so he’d know. He was as supportive of a family friend, as invasive. 

“I don’t have a photo of her, but you talk to her and set it up so you can see her.” he sounded a bit less empathetic, a little bit more annoyed after his comment “Akali’s got great options but they don't include me.” 

She hummed at that, smirking back at him. 

“Whose options do include you?” Claggor spoke up “Ya’ act like a married man sometimes.” 

“I won’t disagree.” Scar laughed, giving a look to his friend. 

“Tell me about it. Every time the opportunity presents itself he ignores it. It’s fucking mental, really.” Ez spoke up, throwing an arm around Ekko’s frame “He’s married to his work.”

“First off, I’m still here.” Ekko spoke up annoyed at the fact that they kept talking about him like he wasn’t listening. He shrugged off Ez’s arm, before looking back at him “The fuck are you complaining about man? Those same opportunities find their way in your bed either way. You should be thanking me.” 

“If you’re insinuating I wouldn’t get laid otherwise, you’re dead wrong my friend.” Ez smirked, shrugging “Besides, cools ya’ off a bit. With the amount of work you do, it’s a need.”  

Ekko rolled his eyes. Honestly, him and Ez were pure opposites on that side. Ez didn’t turn down anyone, loved basking in the glory of it all, while Ekko.. well he measured, even calculated his options. Sure, getting laid was nice here and there, but there was nothing of substance to it. 

When he weighed his options, something more long-lasting was his priority, and though he knew a lot of women.. none of them truly stood out to him that much, but they didn’t need to. He’d never complain about more friends. 

“It’ll be a need when I say it’s a need.” he replied, simply, swinging a shot of his drink. 

“Leave the man alone. We don’t have a lot of him left.” Vi spoke up, laughing “What song were you thinking of performing tonight?” 

“We have a new one we’re about to realise, actually.” Akali spoke up “Thought I’d be a good opportunity to throw that out there and test the waters.” 

“Sounds fun. What’s the title?” Claggor spoke up.

Akali smirked, before looking back at Ekko “Teeth.” 

Ekko rolled his eyes at that look.

“Well I’m excited.” Vi grinned, before looking back at Ekko as well “Before you get on stage though, I meant to ask you about this weekend when I drove Jinx over to your hospital. The girl was frantic. What was that whole thing about?” 

Well… that was quite literally the last thing he expected to leave her mouth. 

He sort of just froze, staring back at her like a deer in headlights. This was definitely not the time, nor place to discuss the very serious matters he and Jinx had gone through that weekend alone. Where would he even start? What the hell was he supposed to say? Why hadn’t Jinx told her anything if they were together in the first place?

“Jinx.” Ez tested the name in his mouth “Where have I heard that before?” 

“Ekko’s roommate.” Scar reminded him, rolling his eyes “Long time friend.” 

If he wasn’t frozen in place, he would’ve seen the way Scar used his fingers as apostrophes, Ez’s confused glace, and the slight realization in Akali’s face. 

Instead, that conversation flew right over his head, still staring at Vi when he spoke “You drove her there?”

How in the actual fuck would he work his way around this one? He didn’t want to lie to her, it wasn’t a secret of the sort, but he preferred to do it one on one.. or preferably, with Jinx around as well, in case she wanted details of it hidden. 

Like the fact that she’d retrieved Silco’s letter— a situation that tied to this one. Maybe that’s why she hadn’t mentioned it, afraid the conversation was to lead there, and she’d have another situation with Vi, the same way she did with him.

Fuck.

Where was she when you needed her? 

“Yeah.” Vi nodded, a little weirded out by his reaction “I came over to cheer her up. Did you guys have a fight or something?” 

Vi clearly had no social awareness nor the ability to read the room at the moment, or she would’ve seen the tight corner she just stuffed him in. All eyes on him, now interested about this little ‘fight’ of theirs. 

I mean, it was one of the reasons he imagined she’d been upset about, but not the one that mattered most, especially now after they figured it out together, in private. 

“Uh.. no.” he cleared his throat “It was nothing. It was just uh.. why didn’t Jinx tell you?”

He was getting a little nervous, and getting even more nervous at the thought that she would think he was being suspicious. He’d known Vi just as long as Jinx, considered her his only older sister figure, and despite them not having the same relationship he had with Jinx, she could still figure him out sometimes too. 

And her eyes.. they were already narrowing at the questions he was throwing right back at her.

“She promised she would tonight.” Vi spoke up anyway, before rolling her eyes “But she’s been a little busy since she arrived.” 

At that, she pointed across the bar, and it wasn’t hard to spot her— not with her vibrant blue hair and little outfit. Every other member of his band turned at the same time, interested to catch a glimpse of this Jinx, Vi kept talking about. 

She was standing by the bar, chatting to Jayce as he slid two drinks her way. Her blue hair was well-braided, one of her braids well intertwined with black ribbon. 

He struggled to figure out when she’d went back home to change from dance. Despite living together, they hadn’t met all day. Ekko had gone to work as usual, and Jinx had woken up later, he presumed.. to head to classes, then work as well. 

They usually communicated through texts to update each other, but the only thing she’d texted when he mentioned The Last Drop was ‘I’ll be there.’ He assumed she’d be late due to her dance class, but no.. she’d been here before he even arrived. 

Her frame was hugged by a tightly fitted, black spandex body-suit with spaghetti straps, oval shaped, strategic cut-outs exposing her midriff and hips, where he noticed metal ring connectors. The body suit fit nicely right into a pair of matching micro shorts, strategically slightly unzipped, distressed, frayed, and raw-hemmed, embellished with silver grommets, studs, and safety pins, along with side corset lacing with thick eyelets that gave a peek at her thighs. 

She matched that with a pair of black fingerless gloves, and thigh-high floral lace stockings that only peeked slightly above her knee high, leathery black, worn-in cowboy boots. A thick black choker wrapped around her delicate neck, a contrast to her light blue hair, but absolutely in tune with the rest of her outfit.

☾ https://pin.it/AEzeAUZ22

He saw her grab the two glasses, teasingly sticking her finger up at Jayce with one of her hands while also holding onto the glass, before turning right back around and walking over to a different booth.. 

to sit on some guy’s lap. 

Chapter Text

Ekko recognized him instantly.

Straight hair, jet black, swoopy bangs parted in the middle, dark eyes and eyebrows and a smirk that made his skin crawl — dressed in a pair of pants and a dress shirt, open to the center of his chest, gloves covering his hands.

Hands on her hips.

His eyes went wide, his top lip twitched slightly, and then.. his eyebrows furrowed, anger boiling within him instantaneously.

“What the hell is he doing here?” he questioned, quick, sharp, eyes still locked on them — in the way she sat between his legs, in the way they clinked those glasses together before taking a sip at the same time, looking into each other’s eyes with amusement. 

He wanted to fucking ruin him.

Vi stared at his profile, a little shocked at the reaction. She'd expected the anger, but perhaps not to this degree. 

She shared a glance with Mylo and Claggor, before speaking up “She.. brought him here.” 

And then his eyes snapped back to her, wild, demanding “Why?” 

“I don't know, Ekko.” she threw her hands up, rolling her eyes “I have no idea how they met up again, I just saw her drag him in.” 

“You let him in.” he insisted. 

“Well I can't exactly deny access to the guy just because you don't like him.” Vi pointed out, glaring back at him. 

Ekko narrowed his eyes at that, features taking a more relaxed state, if only just a little.. because he knew he wasn't being exactly logical, but his pride didn't let up. 

“And it's not like Jinx would listen either way. I can’t order her around like I used to anymore.” Vi scoffed “Honestly, I don't like him either, but you need to get your shit together man.” 

He exhaled sharply through his nose, head snapping away from her — back to them, back to watching the way she clutched the hem of his shirt in her hand, bringing him closer with a smirk, before letting her grip go and watching him bump right into the back of the booth again like a loser. 

He wanted to scream. 

“Who the hell is he?” Akali spoke up, sharing a confusing look with Ez before looking back at the scene. 

She recognized Jinx, of course. She’d only seen her once before on the screen of her phone, dancing on Ekko’s stream, but who wouldn’t recognize her at first glance?

The girl with bright blue hair wrapped into thigh-length braids, icy blue eyes, those swirly blue tattoos traced along a figure that turned heads without trying, moving with the poised confidence of someone who’d never known awkwardness, her sometimes funny, and other times (like tonight) bold way of dressing and that sarcastic, dry sense of humor that was sharply introduced on Ekko’s live too. 

She’d made an impression, but she was certain a character like that could make an impression on anyone. She carried her own spotlight, striking and unshakable, and she couldn’t help but find that… fun. 

“His name is Kayn.” Vi spoke up, rolling her eyes before taking a sip of her drik. Akali raised a brow, intrigued “My sister met him in her teens. They had a fling, I guess? Contact came in weaves, brief, never consistent, sometimes there — other times not. Guess we’re in the contact period again.” 

Her eyes flickered towards them in faint interest, before finding Ekko’s profile — each word seemed to grind against him, his shoulders tensed, spine rigid. She took note of it. 

Vi snorted, pressing her lips into a thin line before adding to the story “They're kind of a destructive duo. He's an absolute asshole. Held back from bashing his head in myself a bunch of times, but here we are.” 

“I knew Ekko would lose his shit when he saw him too.” Claggor spoke up, shaking his head “Was hoping we could avoid all this.” 

Ekko's eyes found his, and he shook his head, jaw still clenched, lips curled into a snarl like he'd tasted something specifically bitter. 

Yeah, he was mad. Kayn was a pattern he thought she'd escaped long ago. Ekko had no idea where the fuck he'd popped up from again, or why she'd chosen to go back. 

It was maddening. He’d only ever hurt her, yet he was the only man she'd had an actual thing with. Usually, she'd pick them up and put them down depending on her mood. He didn't exactly like the use of people like that either, but at least he knew there was complete detachment there, and they weren’t exactly great people themselves anyway — knew exactly what they were looking for when they got too close. 

Trouble. 

And oh, did she give them exactly that. 

This... well, she acted like it was detached, but he knew there was no way she’d keep saying yes, if there wasn't some sort of toxic attachment going on. If she didn’t find him attractive in the least.

And that.. made him sick to his stomach. 

With that biting thought in his mind, his hands hit the table and it shook slightly as he stood abruptly, the sudden movement snapping eyes back to him. 

And for a second there, Vi was terrified she'd have to break up a fight between two men in her bar again. Sure, it wouldn't be the first time it happened — but it would be the first time I'd involve Ekko. 

Instead, he looked back at the faces staring up at him, as the corner of his lips raised into a bitter smirk “Well, let's put on a show.” 

Ezreal raised an eyebrow at him, while Akali matched his smirk, looking back at Scar who shrugged, standing up next. 

Just like that, the group made its way to the stage.The lights went completely dim as they got on, causing confused chatter and surprised reactions from every person inside.

Everyone, including Jinx, who looked away from Kayn, eyes flickering around in perplexity. 

Power outage? She assumed. Where the hell was Vi and why wasn't she doing something about this? 

“What the fuck.” she muttered under her breath.

She adjusted on Kayn’s lap, crossing her legs as his hand left her hip, landing on her thigh instead “Well, we can just take advantage of the situation.” 

His hand made its way a little too high up her thigh, caressing the skin there. She slapped it, making him hiss under his breath. 

“Or I can take advantage of the fact that if I were to stab you, no one would be able to see.” she threatened, a wicked smirk on her face she was certain sent a message in the dim light.

“If you plan to do it, stick the knife through my heart.” she could hear the amusement in his voice. It made her hum in response, licking her lips. 

It started as a low pulse, a heartbeat in the dark, the sound of a rhythmic song crawling into your teeth, slow-burning building pressure… but a low growl beneath the surface. 

It took over the speakers, forced your attention. So loud it was impossible to ignore. 

Then, it swelled, trembled, a flash of light — and slammed through the floor like thunder. Her head snapped back to the flash of light, the stage lighting up in time with the rhythm, on then off.

Green, blue, red, pink.

Green, blue, red, pink. 

And then.. his voice.  

“Some days you're the only thing I know”

Her eyes widened in immediate recognition. She could differentiate his voice from anyone else’s immediately, but she couldn’t see him up there, not fully— at least.

His silhouette, on the other hand, was familiar, the outline clear, precise, front and center standing among other band members. 

“Only thing that's burning when the nights grow cold.” 

“Didn’t know this place held live shows.” Kayn spoke up, scoffing as his eyes followed her line of sight. 

She didn’t pay too much attention to what he said, but yeah, I guess today was a special occasion. She should’ve expected it, but nothing could’ve prepared her for the way his voice sent unwelcome shivers down her spine.  

“Can't look away, can't look away
Beg you to stay, beg you to stay, yeah” 

I'd been a long time since she'd heard him sing directly into the mic like that. It was different, a lot different from the recorded versions of his songs that she listened to on repeat. 

The kind of rawness, strength and rasp that she didn’t hear often over the rap. It was darker.. not his usual genre, not his usual type of lyrics either. 

“Sometimes you're a stranger in my bed
Don't know if you love me or you want me dead” 

She listened in, tried to connect the words to something that held familiarity, but drew a blank. I guess she hadn't listened to all of True Damage after all. That, or this song was new, unreleased. 

“Jinx?” Kayn questioned, grabbing onto her jawline, roughly pulling her attention back to him. If she wasn’t so distracted, she would’ve found it hot. 

Instead, she hissed like a cat getting restrained into a carrier, pulling her jaw away from his grasp before standing up, realising herself off his grip completely. 

“Push me away, push me away
Then beg me to stay, beg me to stay, yeah” 

A string of curses followed in her wake as she dodged tables on the way to the stage. And then, when she got close, the lights turned on again, though dimmer, still flickering with different colours. 

The difference? She could see him now, up close, clear, standing there in a wide stance, a mic in his hand.  

“Call me in the morning to apologise
Every little lie gives me butterflies” 

It’s like his voice caught fire as he hit the note, climbing like a spark dragged up a wire — strained, urgent, raw. He let it tear out of him, not smooth, no — cracked at the edges, riding the razor-thin line between control and collapse. 

She stood there dumbfounded, noticing she was the only person standing in front of the stage with people watching from their seats instead. It exposed her to more eyes, as if she was part of a show she didn’t sign up for. 

“Something in the way you're looking through my eyes” 

And his eyes found her, immediately. It wasn’t hard to, after all. She stood out, even more than usual, impossible to ignore. 

Her mouth went dry as she held his gaze, unrelenting. He looked good up there. So good. 

“Don't know if I'm gonna make it out alive” 

And then he looked away from her again, and her eyes snapped away from his, finally taking notice of his band members standing next to him. 

Ezreal, playing guitar, Akali at his side, on the keys, and Scar in the back, on the drums. It was her first time seeing them in action.

“Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet
Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth!” 

His tone twisted, higher now, bright and sharp, like a blade catching light. The bitterness curled in the back of his throat but he pulled through it. Part of it pleading, part of it accusation. 

A smirk made its way to her face, watching him stomp up and down on the stage to the beat, shaking the poor stage with his feet. 

“Late-night devil, put your hands on me
And never, never, never ever let go!” he shook his head, insistent, yet desperate, and she noticed the way people came alive around her. Whatever crowd was listening from the sidelines were now there with her, jumping to the same beat, buzzing energy and alcohol.

And she saw it, saw that fire only get bigger within his heart, confident, amused. 

“Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet
Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth” Ez jumped with him, in the same rhythm, feet slamming down the stage carelessly, encouraging “Late-night devil, put your hands on me
And never, never, never ever let go.” 

She couldn’t snatch her eyes from him long enough to know who the people at her sides actually were, but she was certain Vi was at her side just by the sound of her voice, whooping like she was at a full on concert instead of in her bar.

Then his eyes found her again, now amongst the crowd. Her lips parted, expectant. She saw the furrow of his brow, the way he seemed frustrated just as excited. That undertone of bitterness still there when he sang. 

“Some days you're the best thing in my life
Sometimes when I look at you, I see my wife”

A knot formed in her throat, heat burning though her entirely. She didn't know where it came from, didn't know how to distinguish it either. Why was he staring at her? Look away.

Look away.

She did before he could, feeling the shake of her shoulder, Vi’s way of demanding her attention. The expression on her face seemed questioning. She didn’t have an answer.

Didn't know what to make of it. 

“Then you turn into somebody I don't know
“And you push me away, push me away, yeah” he hit his own chest with his fist, nodding to the lyrics. 

His eyes scanned the crowd, still building up, anger spit in every word.

“Call me in the morning to apologise
Every little lie gives me butterflies”

Her eyes locked onto him again, maybe a little too mesmerized. Then, a stupid, almost amused smirk made its way to her face, noticing Ekko wasn't the only one shooting her glances. 

“Something in the way you're looking through my eyes
Don't know if I'm gonna make it out alive” 

It was Akali, flickering her eyes in a questioning manner. It was Ez, scanning her up and down. It was Scar, looking between Ekko and then her. 

“Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet
Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Late-night devil, put your hands on me
And never, never, never ever let go” 

The crowd was lost to the music now, jumping on the same rhythm with Ekko, clapping along, and the others on stage. Wide smiles on their faces, washed over in glory. 

And she couldn't help but bop her head to his music, the same way she'd done countless times before, almost instinctively. 

“Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet
Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth
Late-night devil, put your hands on me
And never, never, never ever let go” his smile winded, pointing at the crowd, entertaining them thoroughly. 

It seemed unstoppable now, energy like a current through her veins that zapped every time he looked down at her, and she met his eyes with a wicked glint of her own. She didn’t know what was between them, but it felt like an invisible string, a malicious yet exciting kick. 

“Blood on my shirt, rose in my hand
You're lookin' at me like you don't know who I am.” a hand on his heart, he scanned the crowd as he sang. 

She licked her lips, heart thumping through her chest as she watched him drop his jacket on the floor, muscle all in display. 

She swore she heard the girls nearby scream extra loud, and she imagined them screaming until their heads popped one by one like balloons. The announcement outside was to encourage fans, but they hadn’t screamed like that until he took his jacket off.. and that? 

Pissed her off. 

“Blood on my shirt, heart in my hand
Still beating.” and he hit the high note, voice strong and stable through every sound word he'd practiced the song a billion times before. 

And she couldn't get enough of that rasp, cut-throat sound of it. 

“Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet
Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth” and so the chorus started again, this time with a different rhythm, a more silent, sensual appeal to it but his voice dominated the rhythm, with no help of instruments. Just rhythmic, gasped breaths played on loop, feeding into his own voice. 

His eyes fell on her again, holding tension, cutting edges. 

“Late-night devil, put your hands on me
And never, never, never ever let go” 

She took her bottom lip between her teeth, smirk widening in spite, darling him to look away. He didn’t. Not this time.

“Fight so dirty, but you love so sweet
Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth”

He returned that amusement once again, never looking away. Her heart caught in her throat. This.. this was different.  

“Late-night devil, put your hands on me
And never, never, never ever let go
Teeth
Teeth
Teeth
Never, never, never ever let go” 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

Things had settled — mostly. There were still people requesting a do-over, but they’d already given it to them once, and singing the same song for the third time was maybe a little bit more than what was originally planned or promised. 

The bar was buzzing with the leftover energy from the show, and Jayce and Vi looked mighty pleased. He’d even come up to congratulate them, while Vi had thrown an arm around his shoulder, head-locking him like he was a misbehaving kid. There were people coming up to them now, asking them questions, asking for a photo. A group of teenage girls were huddled by the corner, giggling every time he turned his head to look at them. 

It was fine. It was good. All that anger realised itself into chaotic energy which translated nicely on stage, and he felt a bit better. The band, along everyone else made their way to their usual booth, except this time.. Jinx was there. 

As they all took their seats, she stood, hips leaned against the table, arms crossed, eyes focused on Ekko as he approached. He didn’t look at her, not until he walked all the way up next to her, throwing his jacket over to the booth before he turned his head. 

The energy had clearly shifted, and whatever it was.. it felt heavy. 

His face was much closer now, just a few inches between them. She waited, but he didn’t say a word. She didn’t either, and they stood there in silence, furrowed brows and unsaid words.

The music in the background had switched to a random song Vi usually had on loop — Uptown Birds by Odetari.

“That was a good show.” she broke the silence, eyes narrowed in on him like she was trying to figure out where all this tension came from. Why he was staring down at her like he couldn’t decide between cursing her out or holding her close. 

He didn’t offer her a clear way in.

“That one wasn’t.” he bit back, nodding towards the booth she was previously sitting at. Jinx furrowed her brows, head turning for just a moment to look back at it. It was empty now.

Was that it? Was that what he was so pissed about?

Guess she’d expected it when she’d decided to come to the bar specifically early, knowing Ekko and the band would arrive later on.

She’d failed to keep them apart, obviously, because she hadn’t even seen him walk in. No one had told her anything, so.. he saw them.

What was there to say about it now?

“Probably because I wasn’t looking to entertain anyone but myself.” she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Faking nonchalance was something she probably did too often, acting unaffected, like this wasn’t anything, it didn’t mean anything, nothing meant anything.

“Well I hope it was worth it.” he threw right back at her. 

The corner of her mouth twitched, breaking the façade just a crack.

“This is getting ridiculously awkward.” Vi called out, pulling them out of their little bubble to see the rest of them sitting there, looking between them in confusion “Sit down, both of you.” 

Ekko listened, rolling his eyes as he fell back in the booth right next to Ez, legs spread. Jinx did not, placing her hands on the table, leaning slightly forward.

“So.. Jinx?” Ez pointed her out, raising a brow. She gave him the faintest smirk, cocking her head to the side “That’s me.” 

“Perfect.” his smile widened, perhaps a bit too brightly, like he was talking about her rather than her name. That alone, earned him a sharp jab at his side by Ekko. 

It knocked the breath out of him, and he held his side with a groan “Jeez, man.” 

Ekko just took a sip of the drink Vi had refilled, free off charge. He’d seen that look on his face too many times, like an idea just popped into his brain. 

And to be honest? He was too agitated by the whole situation with Kayn to let that slide. It was not happening, as long as he could breathe, that was. He didn’t need to explain himself, didn’t want to look inward, to see where that feeling even came from. 

It wasn’t happening because he said so.

Yes, that’s it. 

Akali laughed at Ez, before extending her hand over to Jinx “I’m —”

“I know.” Jinx interrupted, but met her hand halfway, shaking it deliberately “I used to be a fan, ya’ know? Listened to Giants on repeat.” 

“Used to?” Mylo scoffed, taking the opportunity to tease his little sister.

“Up until Ekko started being a jerk a minute ago, yes.” she shrugged, and her voice held a bite to it, but her movements didn’t — hand caressing the edge of the table towards him absentmindedly. 

Ekko let out an annoyed sigh, shutting his eyes for a second, as if he was dealing with a misbehaving child. 

“Sit down.” Vi spoke up through grit teeth, pulling on one of her braids. 

Jinx gasped, pulling her hair back from her grip with a death glare. 

“Let’s not pretend you didn’t know what you were doing, bringing him here.” Ekko spoke up again, and her head snapped back to him. 

She scoffed, cocking her head to the side “Trust me, if I wanted to see you frustrated I would’ve taken my top off again.”

“Again?” Vi choked out, sharing a look with her brothers to see if they were hearing this. They were. Mylo and Claggor looked offended, as if the situation had anything to do with either of them. 

Scar practically choked on his drink, and Akali pat his back with the palm of her hand, shaking her head. Ez was staring at Ekko’s profile with a raised brow, as if he expected him to turn and give him some answers. 

Neither of them even bothered to address what was a barely-there situation in their books, as Ekko grit his teeth. Jinx continued talking “Would you prefer I brought him over to our apartment instead?” 

It was an unsaid rule when they’d moved in together, that hook-ups or anything of the sort was kept strictly outside of their apartment. Considering they hadn’t had a proper conversation about it, neither of them knew why they couldn't do that, as it was an awfully inconvenient rule to just blindly follow. 

But it felt weird now, so.. they hadn’t crossed the line.

“It wouldn't be our apartment anymore.” he raised a brow, scoffing “Move in with him at that point.” 

“Maybe I will.” 

“Good luck.” 

“Keep it.” 

“Guys!” Vi intervened once again, this time standing on her seat. 

Jinx and Ekko turned to her, suddenly realizing they’d leaned in closer as they argued, with Jinx almost hovering over him. They expected her to shut it down or threaten to throw them out.
 
Instead, she had a question “Can we concentrate on the bigger matter at hand here? What do you mean you’ve taken your top off?” she stared at Jinx, eyes widened. 

Jinx’s face fell, looking at her with boredom like they’d she’d discussed it twenty times already and Vi just wasn’t there for it. 

She just didn’t see how it was relevant, or why anyone would give a fuck about something so stupid. So, once again, she chose not to answer. 

The only thing that came out of her mouth was a mumbled “Shut up.” as she dropped herself on the booth next to her sister. Of course, she’d sit now that she hadn’t been told to do it. 

And as if she couldn’t help it, she spoke up again “I just don’t know what the big deal is.”  

Ekko’s eyes hadn’t left her face, shoulders squared as anger bubbled beneath his skin, hot and volatile, staring at her like he wasn’t done with her either, but before he could say anything, Vi spoke up instead, like she’d just caught up to the actual point of the argument.  

“He's bad news, Pow. Leave it at that.” 

“And you think I’m good?” Jinx looked back at her “Come on, I’ve kicked so many dogs barking up my door before they even had a chance to roll over. Do you think I’m naive, Vi? Do you think I'm looking for love or commitment and he’s gonna break my poor little heart? Do you even listen to yourself?” 

Vi let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head as if she regretted even butting in. Jinx, did make a point, and maybe Ekko and her were just being over-protective again for no reason, but there was a reason they didn’t like Kayn specifically, as opposed to those other ‘dogs’.

Ekko seemed to grasp that too quickly. 

“It's not about love, it's about the cycle.” Ekko spoke up, and she turned to look at him again, narrowing her gaze on him “You don't have to be in love, you just have to be addicted to a pattern.” 

Jinx raised a brow, and looked at him — really looked at him. 

Because the way he thought of it, while smart, was absolutely wrong. There was no pattern to it, that's what made it unpredictable, fun, distractive. 

She hadn't seen him in years, she hadn't ached to, either. 

This reunion was casual, it was nothing, it would always be nothing, just like the rest of her quests for seeking out pleasure. It was only now a thing because Ekko got angry, and she was starting to think there was something else behind that anger they weren’t touching, accidentally or on purpose. 

“Addicted?” she questioned, almost laughed. His eyebrows furrowed “The only addiction I have is nicotine. Nothing more to it.” 

“He's using you.” his fist hit the table.

“I'm using him.” she admitted, stood her ground, unfazed “It doesn't have to be healthy, or stable, or loving. I don't give a fuck, and you shouldn't either. Why do you, Ekko? What do you want from me?” 

The question caught him off guard, and he sat there, for the first time — frozen under her gaze. His breaths were shallow, ridden with tension. 

Maybe.. maybe he’d been seeing red for too long. Maybe he’d overreacted. Maybe he truly was the one being illogical here.

Because he didn't have an answer. Not really. Not today. Would he ever even figure that out for himself?

The silence was defending, awkward glances being shared left and right like it was everyone else that’d walked in on them, instead of them bringing this fight to the table (too literally). It resembled a couple’s fight regarding jealousy, instead of a disagreement between friends. 

Everyone seemed to see it, apart from Ekko and Jinx. They stared at each other like it was a competition as to who would look away first, tension thickening in layers, buzzing, too far gone to cut.

It took a long minute, and he hesitated, licking his lips before he snapped his gaze off her “I'm just trying to keep you safe, Blue.” 

Those words were less angry, almost sounded soft, in the aftermath of boiled down anger.

It surprised her, eyes narrowing on him before leaving out a sigh. Instead of once again, arguing her case of not needing anyone to take care of her, she looked away from him too, “Right, whatever.” 

Every fight boiled down to the same thing — their past. Her needing him to protect her from everyone, from herself. And as if hammering in something of the past again, he spoke up “Fine.” 

She swallowed the knot in her throat, licking her lips “Fine.”

The quipped little word felt like a childish jab, to end a heavy fight like that. Something two kids yelled back and forth after a stupid argument, because.. they used to be those kids, except now, the words signified something completely different. 

It was a way for them to say that it wasn’t that serious, it was still a stupid childish argument, not more to it. And at least.. if they answered each other, they knew they could move past it. 

It was a resolve, bringing some comfort to both of them, though neither of them had ever discussed doing it. It just… was the way it happened. 

Vi, didn’t have any of that context, but she did remember their little childish fights ending the same way. It was familiar, and it dissolved some of the tension off Vi’s shoulders too. It was just bickering. 

Right?

Everyone left a minute after that, making excuses of needing to be somewhere or head to bed, to get an early start tomorrow, or having to look over the bar (Vi), until they were the only ones sitting there across from each other. 

And then they stood.. and left in silence, still together. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The next two days were uneventful, to say the least. Of course, that was mostly credited to work, but even when Ekko and Jinx were home, they were mostly off doing their own thing. It was easy to spend the remaining five hours in one room, sleeping, working or otherwise wasting time. 

Just because they lived in the same house, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be somehow absent from each other’s lives if they so chose to.

But they didn’t. Not Ekko, at least. He felt a little bad about what happened still, kept trying to get her to talk to him again by bringing food to her room, offering help with her inventions, or even buying her her favorite sour candy from the supermarket. 

She'd always make that face. The scrunched nose, the pressed lips, the narrowed eyes. 

He found it a bit amusing, if not entertaining, but he couldn’t exactly express that without expecting a kick to the groin in return. 

So he kept his mouth shut, like a smart man. The only thing he was grateful for, was that she was no longer actually mad at him. There was a difference between actual anger, like the one on her face when they fought at the bar, and this.. this sass, saying no just for the sake of saying no, huffing and turning away like he wasn’t even worth the time of day. 

But just as she’d once said, he enjoyed a challenge, sue him. So that didn’t deter him, especially if he could see how hard she tried to keep acting annoyed. It was adorable, he had to admit. 

She just reminded him of an angry little cat.. with sharp claws.. but, still little. He had to hide his smile, especially when she’d snatched the sour candy off his hands the second she saw it, like she knew it belonged to her already (she probably did… he wasn’t much of a sour candy type of guy). 

And yet she played it off like she didn’t care, locking herself in her room again right after.  

So yeah, most of his own anger had dissolved. He hadn't seen Kayn around again, so that helped, but the metal image of them together did haunt him, if only just a little. It was like an annoying little memory that clung to the back of his brain, making him grimace as he cooked dinner, or scoff here and there while he sat around in his office, thinking about her instead of actually working. 

He wasn't sure why he was so damn bothered. He knew he should trust her to make her own decisions, and it's not that he didn't.. he just didn't like this particular one. Him, being one of them. 

He shoved that thought off his brain — out of sight, out of mind (for the most part). 

It was on a Friday after work he'd randomly walked into her room, checking to see if she was there, as I'd been sort of quiet when he walked through the door. 

He didn't find her in there, but before he closed the door behind him, something did catch his attention. 

And it was because it felt out of place in there, different, new. 

Isha's tiny hat, sitting by the window sill. He wondered why she placed it there, if she'd done it on purpose or if she'd just ended up leaving it there accidentally. Why would she want it out there anyway, so easily on display? The only thing it did for him, was remind him that he felt like he failed her in some way, despite technically doing the right thing.

He was angry at himself over that too. Angry he couldn't do something more for her. It just didn't feel enough. It didn't feel right. 

Just another lingering thought, tugging at the edges of his mind.

So he shut the door, not being able to face the reminder. There was now a knot in his throat, dread covering his shoulders like a blanket.

He didn't question it, turned away, because she wasn't there. She wasn't in her room. 

And as he walked down the hallway, he heard a sudden clash in the bathroom. 

Then, a frustrated, loud “Fuck you” followed in its wake.

He raised a brow, knocking on the door of the bathroom instead “Jinx? You alright?” 

“Peachy.” she grunted, and the corners of his lips raised into a smile. 

The woman could breathe and it could probably make him happy. He didn’t know what had gotten to him lately, but he couldn’t seem to wipe the stupid smile off his face. 

“Need help?” he offered, now leaning against the bathroom door. 

“I'm fine, thank you.” 

There it was, that same tone, the same little huff of annoyance, as if she was still thinking about how he had the audacity to offer her help.

“Well you said thank you this time. I'm counting that as a win.” he pointed out. 

She groaned “I don't have time for your nagging right now! This is hard as it is on its own.” 

“What is?” 

“If you're gonna keep asking questions, just open the damn door already.” 

His hand was on the handle immediately, but then.. he hesitated “Wait.. are you dressed?” 

“Uh..” she paused, as if thinking, before speaking up again “Mostly?”

“Good enough.” he muttered to himself.

If she was gonna flash him again, so be it. If this must be his fate then who was he to try and bend it? He was but a man at the mercy of his destiny, after all.

So he opened the door. 

She stood in the shower, wearing nothing but a big shirt, slightly soaked — the one she always wore to dye her hair. It was originally a nice purple. Now? It had blue dye all over it, fresh and old all at the same time. 

It wasn’t worn enough — he could tell you, he'd bought it and put it on exactly two times until she decided to wear it around and attempt to dye her hair with it on one day.

Obviously, she'd gotten dye on it the second her hands touched the box. He wasn't angry, just told her to keep it, or, as he worded it.. ‘add it to the collection of stolen goods.’ 

It was a dress on her — its short sleeves reached down to her elbows, neckline stretched over her collarbones, the length of it ending at her upper thighs, and it was mostly wet, sticking to her body, covered in more splats of blue than usual. 

There was no water running, but her hair was damp where she’d gotten dye on it, and every time she moved, even just slightly, the hair would rub against the shirt, wetting it further. Apart from that, she’d turned on the shower a few times to rinse out dye, almost slipped in there twice now, so yeah.. she was wet, tired, and frustrated beyond belief.  

Believe it or not, dying it in the shower is how she’d always managed it, jumping in there after she was done dying her roots, to put the color in the rest of her long hair. It kept the blue chaos contained to a corner of the bathroom floor, rather than staining everything she touched. 

If she didn’t absolutely loathe hair salons (as strangers touching her hair and trying to make chit-chat was her personal nightmare), and if she had the attention span and patience to sit there for five hours, it would’ve been great help, but this was just the way things had always been, and so it remained. 

Her virgin hair was dark, brown to black sort of dark. He hadn't seen that shade on her since she was a kid, except for on occasions when she'd let her roots grow in a little too long. 

Either way, it suited her. Everything just seemed to suit her. Always stunning in every damn state. 

The proof was right here, even as she held onto a faded wet blue hair strand, attempting to rub the dye in using her hands (Gloves? Annoying and always too big for her anyway. A brush? Merely useless on her length of hair), concentrated on the task to the point she didn't even look up at him when he’d opened the door. 

She had her back to him, slightly bent down as she worked, wet hair sticking to the fabric of her shirt, the naked skin of her arms, and the exposed backs of her thighs. She probably wasn’t wearing anything underneath. That’s what the ‘mostly’ was about, wasn’t it? 

The thought sent heat through his body, and he ignored it, looking away to see the mess she’d made instead. 

Suddenly, the frustrated grunts made sense. 

She was trying to do this completely on her own, but he knew, they both knew, she'd gotten a little too comfortable letting him do the rest of the hair after she was done with her roots. Doing it all on her own again after her hair growth could be overwhelming, to say the least.  

Judging by the angry pout on her face, he was right to assume so. 

“You doing good over there?” he questioned anyway, closing the door behind him and crossing his arms, leaning against the door with a tiny smirk. 

She’d been giving him a hard time for two days. Giving in without her even asking him to, was too easy.

“Perfectly fine, as you can see.” 

As if the universe had its own sick sense of humour, she took a step, and immediately slipped on the hair dye spilled on the tile (yes, again) (the dye was probably what had ended up on the floor earlier), and she grabbed onto the shower door for dear life, staining it blue too. 

“Shit.” she cursed. 

“Uh huh.” Ekko nodded, before placing his hand back on the handle “Well since you've got it all under control I’ll —” 

He didn't even get to finish his sentence, by the time she yelled out “Wait!” 

When he turned to look at her again, she was still holding onto the shower door, looking defeated, exhausted, almost in pain.

She looked at him, that pout coming in full force as her eyes glistened “Please, just for a little bit. I..” she swallowed, her voice cracked “My arms hurt, like really bad, and so does my back.. and my legs are killing me too, actually. I've been in here for an hour, I can't breathe and I —” 

It was his time to interrupt her rant, finally approaching her “I know Blue, I know.” 

That pout was all it took. She stared up at him still, tears of frustration still threatening to dampen the softness of her face.

His smile was almost tender, as he reached out to caress her cheek. Her eyes now half-lidded, as she leaned into his touch, desperate.  

“You wanna turn around for me?” 

Her eyes snapped back to his, now slightly widened, heat creeping up her neck. Did he have to word it like that? 

“Uh.. okay.” she mumbled, pulling away from his touch, wiping her eyes with her wrist to avoid getting dye on her face, yet unknowingly getting a stain on top of her nose at the movement either way.

So she turned around, palms now rested against cold tile — fresh blue prints over older ones, as she looked back at him, watching the way he lifted the shirt off his back, throwing it on the floor for the time being. Each muscle stretching with his movements, something twisted low in her stomach.

He'd learned his lesson. Whatever shirt he had on always ended up painted blue by the end of the session, so he'd resorted to taking them off completely. 

Now, in only a pair of sweatpants, he stepped inside the shower, and the space felt just a little bit smaller with her backed up against the wall like that, wet hair sticking to wet shirt, showing off her ass, thighs damp in water, or was it sweat sticking to her skin?

He licked his lips, eyes clinging to her every curve, meeting her eyes where she looked back at him with the same kind of longing. 

“Well.. what are you waiting for?”

Chapter Text

He reached for the plastic gloves where they lay on top of the shower bench, putting them on, before grabbing a small strand of her hair right at the side of her face. 

He then reached into the bowl with the mixed dye, lathering her hair in blue, starting from the base of her head, re-dipping, dying the rest of the long strand, before throwing it over her shoulder to separate it from the rest of her hair laying down her back. 

Every move he made was deliberate, practiced routine. Something to keep his hands busy as the silence stretched between them. 

An accidental, subtle knock of the bowl with his knuckles, shifting it just slightly to the right, the soft crinkly sound of the gloves, the sound of his feet moving just slightly behind her, the too fleeting brush of his fingers at her waist, or her neck, a wisp of breath followed by a soft exhale. 

They’d done it a few times before, so why did it feel so.. different? Usually, this was a relaxing process for her. She’d close her eyes while his hands threaded through blue hair, lathering dye, because for some reason she didn’t mind him touching her hair—- quite the opposite. They’d giggle here and there, or argue back and forth about something dumb. 

But this was.. not the same. The air felt charged with something unnamed. It just felt so.. so tight. She felt as if she moved her feet, and took just a step back, she’d crash straight into a wall of chest. 

She wondered if he felt it too, watching him from the corner of her eye, over her shoulder. Half of her face hidden by the arm she had extended to the wall, keeping balance while he pulled on her hair. 

There was a slight furrow to his brow as he went through each movement, eyes fixated on her hair and nothing else. And when she didn’t read anything particularly telling in his body language, she started examining his body instead. 

His arms flexed as he reached forward for more dye, the muscle shifting beneath his skin, biceps pulling taunt, than easing as he adjusted. His shoulder blades, broad and wide, inviting her to fold herself into them, craving a sense of safety, naked chest, dark golden brown skin clouded her vision.

She took her bottom lip between her teeth unconsciously, still a pout to her face. Eyebrows furrowed up, as she kept herself distracted. 

Her eyes moved down his arms, noticing the veins in his forearms when he flexed his hands. He moved in a way that wasn’t exaggerated, just real. Alive. 

And she wasn’t sure why she was noticing every little thing, or why she couldn’t get herself to pry her eyes away from him. She’d seen him shirtless countless times, but not like this.. not so close, not with so much time in her hands to just.. linger.

She waited, wanting to test the possibility of his reaction if she just leaned herself onto his chest. Would he push her away, or would his hands cup her hips, caressing circles of blue onto her very skin? Was that normal? It was just a hug.. technically. All she craved was a hug.. there was nothing wrong with that, surely. 

Her low-lidded stare trailed down, down— his abs were all sharp edges and shadows, the kind of definition that made her heart skip. She could get further lost in her head, wondering how his skin would give under her palm: warm, solid, the ridges of his stomach shifting subtly beneath her touch. 

She was in such a daze, so hot in the face, she barely had time to process when he leaned into her ear, a chill creeping up her neck, leaving goosebumps in its wake “Don’t fall asleep on me, baby blue.” 

And though his voice was no louder than a whisper, she gasped, then jumped like a cat who touched water, gripping onto the shower handle without looking to hold her balance.

Turns out, that was a mistake. A yelp escaped her mouth as the shower sputtered to life, dousing them both in a shock of cold. Ekko reacted quickly, slamming the handle down before they could get completely drenched. 

“Jinx!” he yelled out, voice accusatory as she turned around, staring up at him with wide eyes “Shit, I’m sorry. You just..” she bit back her words, sounding breathless “y-you surprised me.”

He took his gloves off, shaking the water from his dreads as he loosened them from the ponytail. His chest had droplets of water slipping down it now, his sweatpants slightly wet too. 

She forced her eyes back to his face, gritting teeth.

Maybe she needed to be doused in cold water more than once. 

“Well, I’m sure you’re wide awake now.” he grunted, watching as she pressed her lips together. 

Honestly, he’d started to think she’d relaxed into his touch a little too much before, and her eyes had heaved as she stared, with what he could only assume was sleep, attempting to pull her under. 

He didn’t think she was so far gone in her own world, that a few words would startle her enough to jump on her feet. And now they were both wet, well— Jinx had been damp from the beginning, now she was completely soaked, that he knew for certain.

He wondered if the goosebumps down her arms meant she was a little cold due to the sudden bite of the cold shower, despite how hot it was starting to get in the bathroom. The blue in her hair was mixed with water now, sending some of the dye to their feet. 

Jinx groaned, leaning her head onto the wall as she hit it with her fist. 

Clearly, she’d needed that cold splash of water to wake the fuck up and shoo away the dirty thoughts creeping up her brain about her best friend of all people. It was like the universe slapped her across the face, told her to snap out of it. They’d done this before— what the hell was the big deal?? 

Fuck. 

“It’s alright your hair is still dyed. I’ll just keep going where I left off.” Ekko sighed, putting his gloves back on. 

She didn’t give a fuck about her hair anymore. The only thing she knew was that she was tired, she needed some sleep, and most importantly, she needed to forget that he was standing so damn close to her still, shirtless. 

It was probably the bleach fumes poisoning her brain, or her exhaustion making her slip down a trail of thoughts she’d locked away years ago. 

God, what kinda fucked up am I?

“Can we..” she hesitated, cheek pressed against cold, wet tile “talk this time?” 

“Sure.” he let out a huff that resembled a laugh “What do you wanna talk about?” 

His hands were in her hair again, as she hummed, pulling herself away from the wall of the shower “Well.. um.. remember that one crow that fucked up my sleep schedale every night?” 

“Sure, let’s blame the crow.” he replied, now fully getting behind her as he’d made it halfway her hair. 

His eyes involuntarily slipped down to her ass again, just barely covered by his damn shirt. Thighs completely on display, plump, water trickling down them. He clenched his jaw, looking back at her hair.

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t entertain his words “I saw it that night.” 

“That night?” he questioned, voice rough, dryer than usual. She barely noticed.

“After I took Silco’s letter.” 

She felt him freeze up behind her for just a second, before getting back to the task at hand, almost like pretending the hesitation hadn’t been there at all “Really?” 

“Yeah. it was dumb, but I sorta.. followed it. It stopped next to an alleyway. That’s where the kid bumped into me.” she explained the chain of events, licking her lips as she looked up at the bathroom ceiling. 

“That’s odd.” he hummed, another brush of his fingers at her waist. It had to be on purpose at this point, the way it almost made her hiss “Found you all the way there?” 

She ignored it, kept talking. Talking was good. 

“You know what’s even more odd?” 

He raised a brow, leaning further away to the side to look at her face. Her eyes finally met his “Haven’t seen the sucker since.” 
 
“Huh.” 

“Yeah.” she nodded, as he moved behind her again “Huh.” 

The two things were probably not related, and maybe the crow would be back someday, but where his mind immediately drifted to was Isha’s hat, on the window sill inside her room. 

“Do you..” he paused, leaving out a sigh “..ever think about her?” 

“I..” she stiffened under his touch, hands brushing down her hair “I.. guess so. Yeah.” 

He nodded, and she turned to look at him, now that he was on her other side “Just hope she’s doing okay.. ya know?” 

“Yeah.” he nodded, looking down “Yeah.” 

And then.. he froze for a second, eyes slightly widened as he looked from the floor, to her, then at nothing in particular, head tilted, brows pinched. She could practically see the cogs in his head turning, and her eyebrows raised “What?” 

His eyes snapped back to her, and he pressed his lips. She waited for an answer, but he simply shook his head “Nothing.” 

“Nothing?” she grunted, almost offended “No, I saw that face. What is it?” 

“Just remembered something I had to do for work that I haven’t gotten to yet. Nothing more to it.” he explained, now concentrating on dying her hair again. 

“Liar.” she huffed. 

His hands went back to pulling her hair, and she pressed her lips, holding back another hiss. 

Silenced, once again. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Miss LaRue! You're early.” 

Jinx's head snapped towards the voice calling out to her as she walked into the studio. 

It was her dance instructor, Kira, a woman only in her thirties. She had a short layered bob with blunt bangs, strands of hair pulled back at the crown of her head, looking ready to escape the tiny pony as they were cut too short. She had a few piercings, some tattoos, and always wore a variation of a sweat set to class— today it was black sweatpants and a matching, cropped hoodie. 

Jinx raised a brow at the comment, pulling out her phone from her sweatpants to confirm that yep, it was six pm.

“I'm on time.” she blankly stated, eyes scanning the room of girls either warming up, talking to each other, or digging through their bags. 

Jinx threw her own bag carelessly and it crashed somewhere against the wall, watching as Kira approached her now, arms folded. The giggles were loud today, the studio lights felt a little brighter than usual. She held back a groan.  

“Which is early for you.” she pointed out. 

Jinx huffed at that, eyes flicking back to her. 

“I swear I didn't do it on purpose. I dragged my feet all the way here but no luck.” she shrugged, smiling up at her sarcastically. 

The woman was lanky, tall. Tall enough to make her feel like a midget. 

“Oh, I bet.” Kira laughed, weaving a hand towards her “It'll be a first watching you warm up.” 

Due to Jinx being always late, she always just ran in mid-song, threw her bag at the wall and practically jumped into the group, finding her position among the others. 

She'd startled the girls on more than one occasion, popping out of nowhere, but after a while they got used to it, continued the dance as usual. She slipped in seamlessly, found the rhythm and made it hers. 

“I don't need warming up, I'm already hot enough.” she winked, a loose smirk tugging at her lips. 

Kira rolled her eyes, scoffing “Make sure your joints don't break on the way down then, hot stuff.” 

Jinx weaved her off as Kira walked away. She scanned the room again— stiffened slightly in place. 

She hadn't spent that much time with this group of girls— barely remembered their names, but I guess it wasn't the case for the group that huddled over the corner, laughing and giggling over god-knows-what. 

The sound agitated her instantly, though she wasn't in the best mood that day in general. Instead of paying them any mind, she walked up to the mirror wall, raising her hands above her head, pushing her hips to the side in a lengthy stretch that exposed even more of her torso, belly button piercing practically sparkling under the studio lights.  

She wasn't much of a sweatpants girl before she started taking lessons, and then she figured she needed something less restrictive of her movements, so she started wearing them from time to time. Now? It was perhaps a bit too easy to reach for them every time.

Today the pick was a pair of high waisted, light beige ones, a relaxed, slightly oversized fit.

She'd paired those with a cropped, sleeveless tank, tied in a knot at the front of her chest, creating a plunging neckline and open sides, then layered a couple of necklaces around her neck, because what was the point of going anywhere if people didn’t hear her rattle before they even caught sight of her?

☾ https://pin.it/juoOIwdhF

Her hair was braided into their usual style, though slightly worn down by the day. She'd covered it with a sports cap. Nothing too complicated. Nothing too crazy. 

And then.. the music blasted, and she turned, hands on her hips as she noticed Kira bend down in front of her laptop on a desk, scrolling through what she could only assume was the playlist that connected to their speakers. 

They’d practiced the choreography for São Paulo a couple of times now, so she recognized that sound immediately. The beat itself etched herself into her heart, as energy buzzed through her entire body. A grin spread to her lips. She was fucking ready. 

Kira looked up, before clapping her hands in their direction “Alright. Take your places.” 

So they did. Jinx wasn't too far where she was supposed to be. She just took two steps back from the mirror, watching instead as all the other girls took their places around her now. 

She was in the front row, off to the side, as Kira walked up in front of them.

“Okay, so I reworked some of the choreo, but first of all I'm gonna need a bit more distance between you guys so you don't hit each other in the face.” 

A few giggles spread around, and Jinx just sighed, crossing her arms as she heard them shift slightly. 

“Jinx come forward. Leila you can go a bit more in the back. Julie, you go right next to Kim.. aaand.. Sera? Put some distance between you and Jinx.” 

She moved the girls by their shoulder like they were chess pieces, arranging them to her liking. As she moved Seraphine, she pushed her slightly in the back. 

“Really?” she spoke up, suddenly looking up at Kira “I've been at the center of this group for months only to be pushed to the back by a newcomer?” 

Sigh. 

This was going to be a long couple hours. 

“Don't take it personally sweetheart.” Jinx’s voice was flat, sarcastic. She didn't turn to look back at the pink haired girl, keeping her eyes on her nails as she scraped some of the blue manicure on her middle finger with her thumb. 

A tsk leaving her mouth.

“I wasn't talking to you.” she huffed. 

Finally, Jinx looked up, catching only a glance of her reflection which she was facing, before looking back at the girl that was in the mood for a cat fight. 

A cat fight she wasn't feeling particularly chaotic enough to enjoy, but hey, she wasn't the type of person to stay silent when getting picked on either. Instead, she lived up to the Harley Quinn nickname a bit too well. 
These girls had been talking about her non-stop since the first day she walked in, and while she usually had that effect on people, it quickly turned to hushed whispers of gossip, eyes flickering over to her from time to time then pretending they weren't looking when Jinx would turn to face them, like her stare alone could burn skin.

These weren't girls. They were women. High school truly never did end though, did it? 

Unfortunately for them, she'd been an absolute nightmare in high school. 

“No, you were talking about me.” Jinx clarified. Her voice was oddly calm, collected. 

It seemed to catch even Kira off guard, who at this point was used to Jinx practically bouncing off the walls with energy. 

“Which is slightly more embarrassing.” she shrugged. The corner of her lip tugged into a subtle smirk. 

It only seemed to make Seraphine more annoyed, as her eyebrows furrowed, staring back at her with a death glare. 

The girl was pretty. Long bright pink hair, blue eyes, dressed in a short, baby-doll looking dress. 

“Listen, corpse bride—” Oh, that was a new one. One point for creativity “Don’t underestimate me. I've been here way longer—” was four months really all that long? “And I follow that choreo to the tea. Something you clearly can't do.” 

Blah blah blah. 

She was falling asleep on her feet. Dance class was supposed to be fun, realive her of stress, not a repeat of what she went through in college already. 

It wasn't that she wasn't capable of not following the choreography, she just chose to make the changes where it felt unnatural for a certain movement, or add a twist to Kira’s instructions. 

It made it fun. It made it her own. 

Kira wasn't exactly strict anyway, and instead of yelling at her to stick to the fucking script, she considered her suggestions, made changes that were there today only because she did it once and it looked cool. 

It was that simple, and probably the reason she stood at the center of the group now. The better dancers were always placed in the front, and it probably helped that Jinx's look was interesting, long blue braids and matching icey eyes, unusually intricate clothing pulling your eyes towards where she stood anyway. 

At least that's what Kira was thinking, but she didn't exactly say that. 

“Alright let's not make this a thing now.” Kira spoke up, shaking her head “You're both great. Jinx’s in the front for this one because the choreo was tweaked by her so much that it's hers now, and she can perform her own moves better.” 

“Well that's ridiculous.” Sera rolled her eyes “Isn't the whole point of being here to follow the damn choreography?” 

Kira narrowed her eyes, paused for a moment, before speaking up “No, the point of being here is creating art through your body. Let the music guide you. That’s what I’m about, anyway. Just because I have the vision, doesn't mean it'll always translate in movement as well as it does in my head. Now, let's stop wasting time.” 

As Kira moved to the front again, Jinx’s eyes lingered on Sera “Try to keep up, shortcake.” 

Her cheeks turned as pink as her hair and she scoffed, and as Jinx turned. Kira rewound the music, finally giving them the que that it was time to start.

Jinx buzzed with excitement once again, wasting no time to drop into position. She was ready to sweat until dancing felt like sex. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

He hadn't said a thing that night. 

Not to her, not out loud. 

But she'd been right, of course. There was an idea that had popped into his head out of nowhere. Once he couldn’t believe didn’t come to him sooner.

He hadn't known what to do with it at first, thought about the logistics, if it even made sense, if it would even be possible. He didn't know, but he wouldn't know until he fucking asked.

So that's what he was doing. He was at work, technically, locked in his office with a billion other things to worry about, but his mind was set on this one thing. He knew it was dumb to dwell on it, procrastinating his entire work in the process, so he'd picked up the phone and dialed that number before he could overthink it too much.

And now he was waiting as it rang, hovering over the phone as he sat on his chair, resting his head in his hand. 

After a third ring, a voice came through “You have dialed Child Protective Services. How may I help you?” 

He took a deep breath. No backing down now.

“Hello there. This is Ekko Durand. This might sound like an odd request, but I'm looking for a case worker by the name of Reina Virelli regarding a specific’s child’s case.” his eyebrows knit together “She provided her number but failed to answer on the first call. I was hesitant to call again, knowing how busy it can get. Didn't want to be a bother. I hope this was the right way to go.” 

“Oh, it's alright sir. Yeah, Reina Virelli works in our unit. Are you interested in adopting one of the children she’s been assigned to?” her voice sounded polite, rehearsed. 

So why did it feel like pure pressure on his chest? 

He knew that if he said no, there was no way he'd get a call back, but he didn't exactly want to lie and have Reina meet up with him, only to say ‘just kidding!’ when she arrived. I'd crush Isha too, if she were to know what was going on. 

It’s not like he could even consider the option at this point in his life.

So he couldn’t do that, but he had to do something. If he was going through with this, he had to make sure he got a call back from Reina, even if it meant..  telling a few white lies. 

“Not.. exactly.” he cringed at himself. Who the hell even did this? Why was he even doing this? Shit. “The situation’s a bit more nuanced. I'm a physician. One of the children in her care was recently hospitalized after being saved to check on her overall health. Her blood test results just came back, and I think it's worth discussing the results with her.” 

“Ah.. I see.” she paused for a second, then spoke up again “Is this the case of Isha Bénie? I was just told about that recently. You and your roommate were the ones that saved her, no?” 

“Precisely.” he replied “I just wanna make sure Reina is fully informed. If you could let her know of my call, it would be wonderful. As a doctor.. I'd advice she has a physical copy of her blood results. If we meet I can explain exactly what I've noticed regarding Isha's health as well. Perhaps tomorrow, if it works for her?” 

“I'll definitely ask and let her know to contact you immediately. If not a call, she'll most likely send you an email. Thank you so much, Doctor Durand.” 

“Of course, and thank you for letting her know. Have a good day.” 

“You too.” 

The line went dead, and he collapsed backwards on his office chair with an exasperated sigh. Alright, that wasn't too bad. 

He was playing a game, he knew that. He just needed to make sure he kept being careful about it, worded his sentences in a perfect, professional manner that made this look like an actual case, instead of it being just an idea that might not even end up working out in the first place. 

He didn't care. He had to try. 

What was the point of his entire career, if the only person he couldn't save was a four year old with the cutest sounding giggle. A small scrawny girl that trusted Jinx, despite her previous reality showcasing adults incapable of having human compassion. 

She deserved better than to be thrown back in the system so carelessly. She needed a community. 

He couldn't tell Jinx. Not yet. Not if this whole thing didn't work out. 

After what happened, he was certain she couldn't handle another failure, and all he wanted was to make her happy. 

This was.. perhaps a tiny way, in which he could do so. 

The door to his office opened with no warning, and he turned, seeing Scar standing at the threshold. 

Of course. 

He was the only one that had the balls to walk in like that, not bothering to knock. 

“Hey boss, half your kids are losing their minds out there.” Scar commented, a half-smile on his face “Zeri mentioned something about a recent weekend trip she went on, and now all they can talk about is trips and adventures. What's the verdict?” 

Ekko leaned further back on his chair, turning just slightly in the direction of the door to face Scar with a smirk of his own, head propped up on two fingers at the side of his head “The verdict on what? An excursion?” 

“Indeed.” Scar nodded, strutting in carelessly towards him with laughter to his voice “They won't take the trips from their own parents. They wanna go on one ‘all together’” he used his fingers as apostrophes.  

“You sure the parents have nothing to do with this? They don't wanna go on their own separate trips. They wanna use our money. Seems suspicious to me.” he hummed in an equally teasing manner. 

“Could be, who knows? It's free for all they care.” he laughed, rolling his eyes. 

Ekko sighed, shaking his head as he looked down, considering the idea. 

“I've got too much on my plate.” a hand ran through his braids, before he looked up at Scar again “I don't know. We'll see.” 

“Yeah, you go out there and tell little Stacey we'll see. I'm sure she'll be mature about it. She nearly bit my hand off for telling her she couldn’t give herself a haircut with craft scissors.” Scar scoffed, crossing his arms as he halted his steps, now dropping onto the chair directly in front of Ekko's own desk. 

“Dude, what the hell do you want from me?” Ekko groaned “I'm not exactly looking for more chaos in my life.” 

Scar snorted, raised a brow “After what happened at The Last Drop, I wouldn't either man.”

Ekko's eyebrows furrowed at that, before he rolled his eyes “Right, you gonna tell me it was stupid? ‘Cus I already know that. Don't bother.” 

“Well yes, but not exactly the point.” he shrugged, then his gaze fell on him again “Look, I get it— jealousy’s a bitch, and Jinx’s the kind of pretty that gets people in trouble. It's fucking tough.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ekko raised a brow, shaking his head in disbelief “Jealous? Of who? That douchebag?” 

“The douchebag that had her ass on his lap, yes.” 

Ekko cringed once again, hissing like he'd touched flame with the palm of his hand. 

“Shut the fuck up.” 

“See? Even the mental image makes you lose your shit.” Scar pointed at him, eyes widened. 

“It's cus I don't like him, not because I want her.” he clarified “I've known her my entire life. She deserves much better after all she's been through.” 

“Better as in you?” he raised a brow. 

“Alright.” Ekko crumbled up a piece of paper, throwing it straight at his head “Outta my office, now.” 

Scar laughed, but got up anyway, rolling his eyes “Real mature man.” 

The door closed behind him, and Ekko let out a heavy sigh. Great, now he had to figure out how to get that image out of his damn head again. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

It took a few hours, but the email came. 

He hadn't seen it right away— been asleep when it came, but then he woke up the next morning and it was right there. 

She'd said yes to meeting up, asking to drop by the hospital. 

He'd said yes. 

So when he got a call from the front desk about someone being there to see him at around one pm in the afternoon, he knew it had to be her. 

The blood test result was in his hand. He hadn't lied about that part, but he'd sure as fuck lied about there being anything important to talk about. 

He just hoped he could talk his way around it, give that suggestion in a way that sounded like an opportunity rather than a dumb idea. 

He was nervous sure, slightly restless as he hurried to the front desk, but he realized there was no turning away from it after he'd seen her sat in the lobby, waiting for him, legs crossed. 

This time her blonde hair was in a ponytail, and she wore a blouse and business pants.

As he approached the couch, she stood, extending her hand out to him immediately “Mr. Durand! So good to see you again. Is this a good time?” 

He shook his hand, letting go before he offered her a smile “Was just about to go on my lunch break, actually. Perfect timing. We could go sit in the hospital’s dining area while we discuss, if it's alright with you.” 

Reina seemed surprised at the suggestion, but after a pause, she nodded “That sounds good. Are those the blood test results?” she pointed down at the piece of paper he held in his hand. 

Ekko nodded as the two started walking side by side. He handed her the results. 

“Yes, you may look over them before I explain.” 

Reina nodded, already looking down at the paper as the two made their way down to the dining area of the hospital. 

It was quite large, but cozy enough, with round tables adorning every inch of the space. Chatter coming from every direction. 

The two sat down after getting their coffee’s, and that's when Ekko spoke up again. 

“Thanks for meeting me. Hope it wasn't too long of a drive.” he spoke up, holding the cup of coffee to his lips. 

“It was fine. You were right. I would need this—” she held the piece of paper in one hand, knocking on it with her knuckles with the other “if she ends up getting adopted soon. No point in doing another blood test.” 

Well, I could've just emailed it to you. 

Nope, his excuse was that he wanted to specifically talk to her about the blood test result while she was present. Yes, that's why this was happening. 

It completely made sense.. right? 

“I thought so.” he cleared his throat, before raising a brow “There uh.. any good options so far?” 

Reina looked up at him, a smirk tugging at her lips “Trying to sneak confidential information, are we?” 

“What? No.” he weaved her off, scoffing as he sat back, looking away from her “Just asking a question.” 

The conversation seemed oddly casual, compared to their first time meeting when she came to get Isha. He didn’t know if to credit that to his own conversational skills, her trusting him more, or the chatty environment around them. 

“A question that might apply you're interested?” she looked at him, raising her eyebrows with hope in her eyes. 

Ekko looked back at her, once again cringing to himself as he replied “Just wanna make sure she's been doing okay.” 

Adoption was not in the cards right now. He was twenty five, with a business to run and another career to complete, not to mention the fact that he was single, and lived with a roommate. 

She needed mom and dad not.. well.. this, whatever the hell he was doing. 

“Right, well.” Reina sighed in barely-hidden disappointment “She's okay. She's a very timid girl, but we've been working with a child therapist to break her out of her shell a little bit. It seems she doesn't even wanna talk or hang out with the kids that came from the same home as her.” 

“Really?” his eyebrows furrowed “Are you overseeing their cases as well?”

“Yes.” Reina nodded, pressing her lips “I've thrown myself into paperwork looking for options for all. The other kids seem to have either some remaining family members that weren't even looked at before they got thrown in the previous group home, so they’re thankfully together again. There's been a few options popping up here and there that weren't previously explored with foster parents. I'm doing that now. We just need to go through the legal process.” 

Ekko nodded at that, crossing his arms as he scratched his elbow with his other hand “And Isha, in particular?” 

“I’m hesitant to introduce her to any couples yet, but we'll have to eventually. Just sifting through candidates, still.” 

Ekko hummed in response, looking down at his coffee. 

He just hoped whoever that was, that they were good people. What a gamble. 

“Seems you have a lot on your plate.” he spoke up.

“A lot of kids, limited options.” she sighed, before shaking her head “Whatever, I didn't come here to complain about my job. How are her blood test results?” 

“Right.” Ekko cleared his throat, strengthening up, remembering this wasn’t some casual conversation “So the test came out overall well. Her blood count was normal, no infections, diseases, or risk factors, as far as I can see.”

Reina nodded at that, hanging on his every word. 

The attention made him uncomfortable, knowing he was about to spew a bunch of nothing out of his mouth. 

“I just wanted to talk about her nutritional status. Her blood test did show low vitamin D, low iron, and low zinc.” he specified, pointing at the results on the paper that was now set on the table in the middle of them “So I would suggest you give her some red meats, leafy greens, beans for iron. She needs more sunlight too, fortified milk and eggs for her vitamin D deficiency.” 

Reina nodded. 

“Whole grains, meat, dairy, seeds and things like that for zinc.” he spoke up “Or you can purchase a children’s multivitamin, though I'd recommend she got those vitamins through food instead.” 

Reina nodded again, expecting him to add further context to this discussion.

He didn’t. 

So she furrowed her eyebrows “Uh.. anything else?” 

“Not really. As I said, everything checked out.” Ekko replied, forcing a smile. 

Fuck, he'd already brought her over here, talked about the results and he hadn't managed to circle around what he actually wanted to talk about the entire time. 

A colossal failure.

Reina’s confusion seemed to be even clearer now, as she looked at him like he was insane for bringing her all the way here just to tell her the kid needed to eat more food.. which she already knew… because the girl was underweight.

They'd already talked about this. 

After a second too long of her staring at him with that face expression, he cracked. 

“Okay, that wasn't the reason I brought you here. I apologize.” he sighed, and her eyebrows raised “I have a.. proposal regarding Isha, and I wasn't sure how to thoroughly explain myself through an email or a phone call.” 

In reality, he wanted her in front of him because he believed he was way more convincing face-to-face. At least that’s how he usually conducted his business deals. 

“For someone who's not adopting the child you sure seem to have a lot of suggestions.” Reina crossed her arms. 

Fuck my life. 

“Yeah.. well..” he scratched the back of his head, grinded his teeth “She poked her way through my heart too fast. I just want the best for her, but I'm not in the situation where I could consider adoption right now.” 

“Right.” Reina bit back. She seemed annoyed now, and he couldn't blame her. 

“Listen..” he cleared his throat, spreading his hands on top of the desk, ready to be honest on his intentions “I run a children's community center. Those children are all young and I know and care about each of them thoroughly.” 

He saw a faint flicker of interest in her eyes, encouraging him to keep going. 

“We have a lot of programs that help with their development, education and social skills. I think that's what Isha's missing right now. I'd like to give her a community there.” he shook his head, before shrugging “She's a bit young, yes, but she'll be under watchful eyes for all hours she spends there by my staff. We can see how she's doing and adjust to her preferences.” 

Reina hummed, tilting her head slightly. He couldn’t tell if he was getting through to her or if she was completely disinterested in his offer. 

“Our programs vary from after-school classes to help with their homework when parents can’t, enrichment activities, to sports leagues, fitness, visual and performing arts, life skills like cooking, nature and outdoor programs and STEM programs.” he went through the list in his head, narrowing his eyes, before looking back at her “And most importantly, speech development and ASL classes that she most definitely needs.” 

Isha was only four. She could communicate a little bit with expressions or shaking her head yes and no, but she didn’t know sign language. With her background and considering her age, it made sense, but it would help reintegrate her with everyone else, give her a way to talk with no pressure of doing it vocally, and express herself better, if she started learning to.

Ekko fished a pamphlet out of the pocket of his white coat, placing it in front of her. Reina’s eyes flickered down to it “Everything you need to know about the Firelight Center is here. I’m not trying to sell you on anything. Signing up is completely free. I just think that it would benefit her greatly.” 

Reina stayed silent for a moment, looking over the green coloured pamphlet in her hands, before looking up at him with a heavy sigh “This sounds great and all, but I think the decision belongs to her future adoptive parents. I’m a social worker.” 

“Actually” Ekko cleared his throat “If the child is in foster care or under state custody, you do have the authority to enroll them in development programs. We’ve worked with adoption centers and orphanages before. Some of my kids are similar to Isha in that way.” 

That seemed to surprise her, lips pressed into a thin line. 

“Adoption takes years for some kids, and it sadly never happens for others. All I knew is, she needs the tools to be able to deal with either, and build a future for herself. This is the best I can offer her right now. It might take some things off the personnel that provide her immediate care as well. We give each kid more attention than the personnel are able to. This benefits you and them, more than me, actually.” 

A smile of amusement appeared on her face as she shook her head, looking up at him “You do make some great arguments, Mr. Durand.” 

“Wouldn’t be running this if I didn’t.” he sat back on his chair. 

“You’ve done your research too. You’re a very smart man.” she complimented. He raised a brow now— where was she going with this? “I have to do some research, and confirm that what you say is within my ability. If so, I’ll be giving you a call. Do we have a deal?” 

She offered him her hand once again and he shook it “Of course, though I’d request you communicate to me otherwise as well. Think you can make a decision within two days?” 

“Excuse me Mr. Durand.. but has anybody ever told you you can be very stubborn?” she commented, crossing her arms.

“More often than you’d think.” he smirked. 

Chapter Text

Claggor opened the door to the backseat of his car, and Jinx hopped out almost immediately, feet planted on the pavement of the driveway. 

She let out a sigh, cocking her head to the side at the familiar building in front of her. It was a modern home with a large, well-kept garden, a variety of flowers lined up in the front, most of them violets. 

Apart from the garden, she was also aware of their big, square pool in the backyard as well as cute grilling area. There were many rooms inside that strictly served as expensive decoration, there for the sake of being there, like a statement that said yes, they could afford that luxury. 

Though she’d been here a few times now, she still couldn’t fully wrap her head around Vi living in this… this mansion. It just seemed wrong, it felt off, because this whole thing was so far from who she was, who Jinx knew her to be. A person that didn’t care about wealth, didn’t care about much as long as she had the basics, living a normal life like everyone else. 

If she wasn’t with Caitlyn, she would’ve probably taken the money from running Vander’s bar and invested into an apartment. Hell, they could’ve been flatmates in another life. 

Instead she lived in this mansion, and while she’d only ever want the best outcome for her sister, even stepping inside felt a little dirty to her, because it was dirty money, handled and gifted right from Caitlyn’s parents. 

When they first started dating, Caitlyn was looking for different options of housing for the two of them right off the bat. Let’s just say, that in the beginning her parents weren’t thrilled about her picking ‘someone like Vi,’ and Vi didn’t dare step inside their own house for a long time. But then.. they warmed up to the relationship, and got them the house as an apology and early engagement gift.  

One day, she had no idea where her sister was or what she even looked like. The second, she’d found out she lived in a mansion with her pretty spoiled fiancée, and pretty much flipped out. 

While she’d neve been a fan of what Caitlyn and her parents stood for, she swallowed down little things like this every time, because she knew how much it all meant to Vi, who at the end of the day.. deserved to be happy. 

And while they grew up with barely anything to scrape by, they’d all found their paths eventually. Vi with Vander’s bar, Mylo as a seasoned mechanic, Claggor owning a gym to himself, and her still chasing after her engineering degree while she actively worked as an engineer herself. 

She remembered Ekko encouraging her to make something of herself at the time, ‘use those rare talents’ and make a name. He was the reason behind her better decisions at life, funnily enough, but hey.. who’s surprised? She was honestly just glad that her job allowed her to cover the cost of her own schooling, as she made a decent amount of money herself. 

When she used to live in her old apartment, she didn’t have much experience in that job, and was only starting out, surviving off a tiny paycheck with some debt to her name. 

But she’d never been the type of person to be stagnant with a period of her life. Everything moved too quickly, and it was the same thing for her career. I guess, she truly had a knack for engineering, to be able to move on up within three months of working in the lab, with a nice paycheck increase. 

She was now at a point where she no longer had any debt, and if she were to move out again.. she’d still be able to live normally. Not wealthy by any means, but normal. 

For now, at least. 

Ekko was the craziest out of the entire group though. He’d been motivated, wanting to make something of himself since she knew him as a tiny boy. It didn’t surprise her to find out all those years later, that he was chasing two dreams at once, intertwined yet so separate. 

The Firelight Center went from a babysitting service to a huge business that made him a good amount of profit, despite most of it not coming directly from the pockets of parents anymore. That’s how he paid for his own schooling, and finally, finally he’d started getting paid for that effort when he started off his residency at the hospital. He’d told her how his plans for the future right after he finished his residency, were to open up his own clinic, quite beneficial yet a lot less mentally and physically exhausting, intertwined with running the Firelight Center. 

And though he wasn’t there yet, wouldn’t be there for another three years, he was already ripping the benefits of his hard work with the amount of money he made from both career paths, joined by some passive income credited to True Damage’s music. 

He was living completely fine on his own before her, so she didn’t believe she’d added to his life that much. Their finances, while split, still contributed to the household in different ways, though she was aware Ekko paid for shit most of the time despite what she said. I’d caused a bunch of bickering of its own when they first made up and started hanging out again, but at this point.. money was just money, and they shared it with each other with no stinginess whatsoever. 

They’d shared things together as a family when they were kids, from food to found items, to articles of clothing, so they’d both grown up with that same mentality. It’s why it made it so easy for them to live together, why Ekko wouldn’t so much as blink at seeing her in yet another one of his damn shirts. She wasn’t sure when things went from ‘mine’ to ‘ours’. She wasn’t sure a time before ours even existed, but I guess if she were to guess, it had to be the time they stopped talking to each other for a good five to seven years. 

But living together hadn’t been just something they did because they felt as if they missed out enough on each other’s life. It was a mutual decision that benefited their finances, so between his money and hers, they weren’t living too badly either, and the future seemed bright in that regard. 

Point was, she wasn't as much put off by luxury, as she was by the plain display of it, and that’s what this house felt like to her… a display. 

But fuck, her opinion was only hers at the end of the day. People had different ways of going about things, and if this was Cait’s… if this was Vi’s …. she couldn’t really say anything that she hadn’t already said, and she had to at least be accepting of it. 

So, despite her annoyance, she trailed behind her brothers on the way to the front door. Mylo fell back in the same step with her for just a second, nagging her shoulder with his elbow “What’s got you so quiet, huh?”

Jinx rolled her eyes, then shrugged, looking up at the building while trying not to get blinded by the sun that had absolutely no business still being out at 7:45 pm, but hey.. summer. 

“Just trying to calculate the trajectory of a rock hitting their bedroom window and the speed I’d have to run not to get caught.” she crossed her arms, still squinting her eyes as she looked up.

“Knowing Caitlyn, there’s probably cameras filming us as we speak. I wouldn’t try that if I didn’t want to sleep a night in jail.” Mylo scoffed. 

“I’ll rely on her money to bail me out anyway.” she hummed, smirking at the thought of Caitlyn putting her in jail only to have her sister bail her out immediately after with their joined account funds, and the rift I’d cause between them. 

A girl could dream.

“I bet Ekko would’ve shown up there with a stash of cold hard cash before Vi even got the chance to find out.” Claggor spoke up, looking back at Jinx with a grin after he rang the doorbell. 

“Yeah, that’s true. Vi would give you some shit for it at least. Ekko’d only flip out at Cait.” Mylo agreed, nodding as they laughed between the two of them.

“I love that it’s either Vi or Ekko and you two dumbasses would’ve let me rot in there, huh?” she bit back, ignoring the sly Ekko comments they kept throwing at her. 

“Maye for a while til’ I build the cash up.” Claggor shrugged.

“Nah I’d totally let you rot.” Mylo nodded, no hesitation in his voice. 

“Fuck you!” she gasped, jumping in his direction and throwing a bunch of tiny, yet chaotic slaps at the back of his head, while he curled in himself, yelling. Claggor cracked up, and Jinx didn’t even stop when the door swung open to reveal Vi at the threshold.

She looked at Claggor, then back at her other siblings with a smirk on her face “Welcome in, ya’ idiots.” 

Vi had sent a text to the group chat two days ago, calling everyone for lunch and to just ‘hang out’ since they didn't usually do that at Vi and Cait’s house, despite the hosting potential it had. 

Jinx had agreed reluctantly, and Claggor and Mylo picked her straight up from her apartment after she got ready. She’d thrown on a simple white top that featured a graphic design near the chest area. It was one of her more casual everyday tops, as it was made of a soft, stretchy, and only slightly sheer fabric.

It was form-fitting, hugging her upper body snugly, only slightly cropped, revealing a portion of her lower stomach and emphasizing the waistline and torso.

She’d matched it with a pair of mid-wash blue denim shorts. The hem raw and frayed, decorated by a few prominent seams, a waistband with belt loops, and double buttons.

It sat low on her hips, worn in a way that revealed the waistband area and enhanced her exposed midriff. Slightly loose around the hips, as if appearing slightly oversized or unbuttoned. Beneath them, dark, opaque tights covered her elongated legs. 

☾ https://pin.it/68notRpGl

Definitely way more on the casual side of things, but she was just going to her sister’s for lunch after all. Nothing too special.

And she'd barely sat on the living room couch, when Caitlyn rounded the corner, weaving hi. Jinx immediately furrowed her brows, fighting the urge to scowl as she looked back at Vi “What is she doing here?” 

“I live here.” Caitlyn replied, brushing her comment off as she took a spot on the couch next to Vi “Did you bring out the drinks love?” 

“We’ll have them later.” she replied before looking back at Jinx with a forced smile “Pow, I'm sorry. I just knew you wouldn't agree if I said she'd be here so...” she trailed off.

Jinx groaned, covering her face with her hands.

“Vi I will walk out that door right now.” her voice came out mumbled behind the palms of her hands. 

“You’re such a child.” Vi rolled her eyes, before speaking up, trying to change the subject “And where’s your other half, anyway?”

Her hands dropped from her face as she gave her a vague shrug “Oh he’s—”

Her eyes flickered up, meeting the smug look on Vi’s face. Her lips parted in shock for just a millisecond, before she erased that expression from her features, replacing it with a nasty glare instead, as she felt her cheeks heat up involuntarily “Oh, you think you’re funny huh?” 

She cracked up almost immediately, and her brothers soon followed. She rolled her eyes, looking away from them as she tried to keep a neutral face, not giving in to their teasing. 

‘Her half’, pfft, he was the only one missing from their group. Who the hell else was she supposed to be thinking about? Dammit Violet. 

The urge of wanting to go home only got stronger. 

“Oh, my sweet PowPow.” Vi teased, smile as wide as it could get “I guess you two made up then huh? That sure didn’t take long.”

One of her eyes twitched, and she knew that was the first indicator that she was so pissed off, she could do something she’d regret . So, she followed the therapy talk bullshit, instead of acting up.

She sat up, brushed some invisible dust from her tights and turned around. The action seemed so casual, you wouldn’t think she had an infused bomb inside of her, about to explode. 

“Where are you going?” Vi spoke up, now confused.

“Home!” Jinx yelled out, already approaching the door. 

If Ekko himself wouldn’t have been the topic of this teasing, she could’ve at least gotten on call with him and ranted her heart out about how insufferable her older sister was, but no.

If she told Ekko about this, he wouldn’t take her seriously. She could already see the smirk lining his lips, and about a dozen ‘my other half’ jokes following it in the next few days.

This was cruel.

“To hell you are.” Claggor laughed, and she barely even blinked before he was at her side, thrown over his shoulder like a sack.

Jinx screamed, then kicked him several times in the stomach with her knees, and in the back with her hands “Which side are you on!”

He let her go shortly after, letting her fall on the couch with a tiny thud, now holding a hand on his stomach and speaking with a  grunt “It’s the first time Vi has invited us for lunch. Don’t screw this up.” 

I was trying to leave so I could do just that, you dumbass. Having me here is not going to help your case.

Idiot. 

“Well then how about she stops mentioning Ekko. He’s not even here!” Jinx protested, glaring up at her brother and then looking back at her sister again.

Cailyn raised an eyebrow at the scene. Why was she so disturbed by it anyway? Jinx was barely ever disturbed by anyone’s comments, to an infuriating amount too.

Vi sighed, rolling her eyes “Fine, alright I’ll leave you to it. I’m sorry. It’s just funny, and entirely Mylo’s fault for showing me those videos.” 

“Hey don’t throw me under the bus!” Mylo protested, throwing his hands up. 

“What videos?” Jinx mumbled, hands crossed, still slumped on the couch. 

“Well they’re more like clips from the livestream stitched together with music on top.” Vi described, narrowing her eyes “I can’t believe that shit went viral.” 

“I know what an edit is, Vi.” Jinx’s voice sounded annoyed, and she sat up straighter “What the hell are you talking about, viral?” 

“You haven’t seen ‘em?” Mylo cocked his head to the side, looking back at Jinx “It’s either clips of people trying to copy the dance you did on the livestream or others that are now shipping you with Ekko. First Akali, now you. The guy can’t escape it.” he laughed. 

“People are trying to learn a dance with no fucking dance moves?” she furrowed her brows. That dance was all hips and a little bit of hand movement. She practically did nothing “And since when do they ship Ekko with Akali?” 

She’d listened to True Damage for years and this was the first she was ever hearing of this. It pissed her off inexplicably. 

But she also hadn’t expected to get any sort of attention from that livestream, actually, even if that was the case she was certain I’d be negative with all the bullshit she’d spewed out that night. 

But copying her dance? Last thing on her mind. 

“Do you even spend any time online?” Claggor raised a brow. 

“Whenever I’m procrastinating yeah, but I haven’t seen any of this shit. My feed is..” she hesitated, shaking her head as she thought about the weird, always odd art that she always came across, along with the memes that required a special sense of humor, among other abnormal interests “You don’t wanna know what my feed is.” 

“I’m slightly concerned.” Vi raised a brow, then shrugged “But yeah, people liked you on that live. Either that or they think you’re fucking weird, which.. they aren’t wrong.” 

“Hey!” Jinx protested, before her mind snapped back to the way she’d talked about her past on that live.

Alright fine, maybe she had a point.

“Weird wouldn't be the first word I’d use to describe her.” Caitlyn mumbled, crossing her arms.

Jinx’s eyes flickered over to her in an instant. 

“You’re gonna be the one to talk, posh princess?” Jinx raised a brow at the comment, and the two women glared at each other. 

Vi let out a heavy sigh, resting back on the couch “I think you two should spend some time together, you know? Just keep an open mind an—”

“Hell no!” the two blue haired girls protested in unison, much to Vi’s disappointment. Claggor and Mylo sniffled a laugh.

At least they could agree on one thing, right?

“Frankly, I’m insulted you would ask that of me, darling.” Caitlyn looked back at Vi, arms still crossed with an annoyed look on her face.

“Cupcake.” Vi sighed. Jinx cringed internally. “I’m just looking for some peace of mind here. Is that so much to ask?” 

There was a little bit more to be said there. Peace of mind was one thing, but she wanted them to get along because they were going to fully be considered family, at some point. 

And this? 

This just wouldn’t do.

“Yes.” Jinx replied instead, giving her a sly smile “Also, I thought we came here for lunch. I’m getting hungry.”

“Since when do you get hungry?” Mylo huffed. 

She grabbed a pillow behind her, and it rolled over Claggor’s back before ultimately landing on Mylo’s face. 

A satisfied smirk came over her at Mylo’s grunt, but then he threw it back at her. She was fast, standing up and avoiding contact with the pillow entirely, before sticking her tongue out at him.

“Please do not play with the throw pillows.” Caitlyn had her hand rested on her forehead now, a stressed out look on her face as she witnessed the fight.

Jinx rolled her eyes. They’re literally called throw pillows, dumbass. 

“Yeah I’m pretty sure one of those costs a kidney.” Vi shrugged, before pointing to the kitchen “Now come help me set the table.” 

“Shouldn’t you have already done that?” 

“Can I steal this pillow?” 

Vi turned, then looked back at her siblings again. 

“Claggor, don’t be ungrateful, and Mylo, no you cannot steal the pillow.” her eyes then flickered over to the door “Jinx, stop trying to sneak out!” 

“Shit.” she mumbled, pouting as she crossed her arms, looking down at her feet. 

“This is gonna be a long afternoon.” Vi sighed. Caitlyn shrugged, patting her shoulder “Well this was your bright idea so.” 

Vi gave her a look, and Caitlyn raised her arms in her defense. 

 Lunch was being prepared completely Vi style. What did that mean? 

Well, Mylo and Claggor sat next to each other on the dining table which was near the kitchen island. Caitlyn was setting up plates, while Jinx got on her tiptoes and looked over Vi’s shoulder, watching her prepare their homemade burgers. 

She had a whole ‘ burger station’ going on, with all the ingredients set up on a huge plastic tray, in separate square shapes. She was making all different types of burgers, based on everyone’s preferences, while they all chatted during the process.

Jinx was happy. The simple setup reminded her of their childhood a little bit. When she first heard ‘lunch’ she was sure she’d be made to sit around a huge ass table and eat some calamari or whatever, in complete silence. 

But this was nice. It was familiar, and she was finding it hard to believe Caitlyn was going with it. When the woman grabbed a sandwich with her hands and put it in her mouth, she damn near gasped. 

She’d touched her food with her hands!! This was the first time she was seeing such a sight, and honestly? It seemed.. so strange. 

“I want another piece of ham.” Jinx demanded in her sister’s ear, still peeking up from over her shoulder just to annoy her a little bit further. One thing about Jinx? Maybe she wasn’t the greatest cook, but she’d make damn sure the chef was entertained while they prepared the meal. And by entertainment, she meant annoying the fuck out of whoever was cooking. Ekko could tell you a thing or two about that experience.

It probably wouldn’t have the highest rating.

The thought made her giggle. 

“And make sure you don’t get pickle juice on it. That’s disgusting.” 

Vi sighed, but followed the orders anyway. 

Jinx’s smirk only widened, that much more pleased “Also, extra french fries.”

Vi grunted something under her breath, grabbing some french fries.

Before she could throw them on top, Jinx stopped her, long nails digging in her sister’s shoulders as her eyes widened “Wait! Don’t throw them on top of the tomatoes! I don’t want them touching my fries.”

“Well what do you suppose I do, you brat?” Vi spit, looking back at her. 

“Put them on the side.” Jinx giggled in her ear.

Duh.

Vi could be so silly sometimes. 

“Alright fine jus—” she flailed her arms at her sides “Stop touching me. Go sit down goddammit.”

Jinx bit her lip, tickling Vi’s waist with her fingers before ducking and making a run for it, laughing as Vi’s attempt at slapping her failed.

Vi groaned, dramatically loud. 

Claggor and Mylo chuckled, though Mylo’s laugh was muffled by the burger he was actively shoving in his mouth like it’d grow legs and escape out of the door before he got the chance to take the first bite in.

Caitlyn shook her head, finding the whole thing entirely childish and dumb. Every loud giggle out of the blue girl’s mouth was grating her ears, but she didn’t let it show. 

What’s the point? She’d like the fact that she was annoying her and do it more. 

Crazy bitch in law. Didn’t that just have a tune to it?

“You really need some girl friends, you know? Other people that match this energy.” Vi commented, weaving her hands around in Jinx’s direction as if she could grasp the energy by the movement alone “Whatever this is.” 

The corner of her lip lifted and Jinx hummed, approaching the island with her hands cutely clasped behind her back. She was on the other side of it now, resting her hands on top of the marble countertop as she watched Vi plate her burger. 

“Why girl friends specifically?” she questioned, tilting her head to the side. 

“Cus you hang out around enough men.” she weaved her off, before looking up from the burger “And you could benefit from some female friendships, doing make up or whatever the fuck you like to do.”

Jinx rolled her eyes at that, scoffing “I have female friends.”

“Oh yeah?” Vi raised an eyebrow, not believing a word out of her sisters mouth “Any female friends that don’t wanna fuck you?”

So Lux didn’t count then.

There was a period of time there where Lux would come in at The Last Drop, waiting for her to show up because she knew that was her sister’s bar. Sometimes she’d get lucky and Jinx would actually turn up. Others, she waited for hours and then just.. left. 

Stalker-ish? Oh yeah.

And Jinx would’ve been scared had she not had her own set of issues, tendencies and mental problems. The only reason the girl wasn’t banned from the bar yet was because Jinx said she didn’t give a fuck. 

A hiss escaped through the gap in her front teeth “Nope.” 

“Told ya.” Vi chuckled. 

She pressed her lips at that information, thinking. Honestly, she’d never thought she had a gap in her social life, but perhaps it was something she needed to look into. It would be kinda nice to hang out with people that would understand that side of her better.

But honestly, if she’d never noticed it before, then it probably wasn’t that much of a big deal.

“Speaking of friends, you never told me why Ekko didn’t come. I kind of wanted us all together today.” Vi furrowed her eyebrows, as Jinx took a seat on the kitchen island instead of joining everyone else at the table. 

She didn’t know why, but she was having fun with her sister. She wanted to stay close to her while she prepared an ungodly amount of sandwiches (her, Mylo and Claggor could eat.)

“He’s still at work in the hospital. Been getting a little crazy over there.” Jinx sighed, pulling her plate in her direction and taking a bite out of the burger Vi had prepared for her. 

Vi sighed, clicking her tongue. 

Jinx looked up at her, still chewing on her food. What was up with that face?

She swallowed her food, licking her lips as a sudden evil idea came to her mind . I know what can cheer her up.

“Hey princess.” she swiveled in one smooth motion in her stool, turning to face Caitlyn with a cheshire cat grin. Cait raised her eyebrows, looking up from her burger, a little scared to know what was swirling through the other girl’s head “Did you know my sister here wrote a song about you?” 

Mylo and Claggor looked at each other, already sniffling in their laughs as the knife fell from Vi’s hands “Jinx, no.”

“A song?” Caitlyn raised a brow, sort of intrigued. 

“Indeed.” Jinx replied with a british accent of her own, sliding off the seat completely “She even produced it with Ekko’s help. Of course, at the time you two were having a little bit of a rough patch, but still, it’s one of my favourite songs.” 

Caitlyn sat back on her chair, really looked at Jinx. What was the reason behind her even telling her this, and why did she like the song if it were a song that directly connected to their relationship, which she’d made clear, countless times, that she was against?

It made no sort of sense.

“If you don’t shut the fuck up.” Vi threatened. 

“Oh don’t be shy.” Jinx weaved a hand in her direction “It’s so good! You should listen to it.” she looked back at Caitlyn.

“No, it’s totally not good and you should not listen to it.” Vi insisted, finishing up her last burger and sliding it Claggor’s way, washing her hands as she looked back at her fiancée “I would’ve shown it to you if it were decent, cupcake.” 

“For once, I’m on Jinx’s side. The song’s good Vi.” Mylo smiled, and only got a glare back in response. 

Huh .. Mylo and Jinx never agreed on anything. Maybe she was telling the truth? And Vi was just shy to show her because she’d never sung a song before and well.. that period of time had been so vulnerable for them. 

The thought touched Caitlyn's heart. 

“It doesn’t matter anyway. There’s a reason I didn’t ask Ekko for a copy of that damn song.” Vi rolled her eyes, sitting down on the chair next to Cait with a thud, and her plate of food in front of her.

“Why lucky you, I listen to it all the time sooo..” Jinx fished a USB out of the pocket of her jean shorts with a smirk “I like to keep it with.”

Oh come on, she was such a supportive sister. 

Vi gaped at her “Don’t you fucking dare.” 

“Oh come on, Violet.” Caitlyn shrugged, knocking their shoulders together a little bit “I’m getting kind of curious. I’m sure it’s a wonderful song and even if it’s painful to listen to, I want to hear it.” 

She wanted a perspective, if that made sense. That period of their relationship on the rocks like that—- had been so damn rough, and she’d spend most of it dwelling and fighting with her parents. She wondered what Vi did, how she’d handled it. They didn’t usually talk about things like that. 

This could be a little bit more insight into her.

“No, it’s not that it’s just that..” Vi grimaced, looking back at her before looking up at Jinx again.

Unfortunately for her, Jinx was no longer standing there. She’d grabbed Vi’s laptop where it was sitting off on the side, and set it on the countertop, connecting the USB to it. She rested her head on her hand as she bent slightly at its level, humming a tiny tune as if she wasn’t directly doing something she had no permission to do.

As if her intentions behind it were innocent. 

“Jinx I swear to god I’m gonna ki-”

‘… Didn't think I'd see the rest of the year’

Vi’s eyes widened as she got interrupted by her own voice, loudly playing from her laptop, yet bouncing off the walls at the ridiculous volume. The ghost of memories clung to her skin right off the bat, making her hiss. 

Caitlyn’s lips parted, curiosity taking the best of her. She’d never heard Vi sing before, only hum here and there.

‘I'm starting to hate it here (mm)

Go to bed and watch me disappear

For days on end’

Jinx had one hand on the countertop as she stared back at everyone else with a smirk playing on her lips, despite the sad lyrics.

Caitlyn furrowed her eyebrows in worry, listening to the lyrics, a hand at her heart. It was hitting her like a truck too.. the pain and sadness in her voice, the doom of it all. 

Vi still sat next to her but instead of seeming melancholic or nostalgic in any way, she looked like she wanted to bite Jinx’s head off instead. Next to them, Mylo mouthed the lyrics dramatically, making Claggor laugh lightly.

‘… Talked to Loris about adult life

On the balcony

Beneshrab sagayer

I feel my lungs give up

Before I've even started living yet

Harou le medina gedida

Mish adra atnafis hena’

She could still remember making up those lyrics at the time. God, even the fact that she’d been in the studio with Ekko was hard to believe, but it only pointed out the desperation of the situation she was in, how far she’d gone, wanting, needing anything to make herself feel better. 

Little man was there. God knows, the man was always there when you needed him. For once, she’d been the one looking for advice. It was in the form of a question ‘What do you do to make yourself feel better?’

‘Art.’ he’d answered. 

He poured his emotions into pieces of artwork or strings of cords, making up lyrics.

She’d already seen blood too many times, punched and kicked until her knuckles felt numb and that didn’t make her feel better, so maybe a softer approach was what she needed. 

She didn’t think she could sing, not really. Ekko could sing, yes, Jinx could too, but her? Never even came across her mind. The concept made her laugh. 

But depression was no joke, so she’d found herself in that studio anyway. Just her and little man. She didn’t know what to sing. Didn’t know where to even start, so he guided her, gave her a tune.. soft at first, telling her not to feel pressured about lyrics, just sing what's on her mind, no matter how ridiculous. They’d laugh at it later. 

So she just started singing about how she felt, what she’d done that day, then asked him if they could add some lyrics in another language, just for fun, just because she knew Ekko did that in his music a lot. 

And they did so.

‘… I don't know what's going on, but it's gonna get better

I don't know what's going on, but it's gonna get better’

Caitlyn’s eyebrows furrowed, frowning as she placed a hand on Vi’s shoulder in a comforting manner. Vi looked back at her, and she just offered her a small smile because, thankfully for them it did get better. 

It seemed she at least knew that at the time too.

“I don’t know why you felt the need to hide thi—” Caitlyn trailed off, interrupted by the next lyrics ‘I feel like I might give birth to something, very beautiful’

Her eyebrows shot up, and Vi bit back another grimace. There was an apology written in her eyes, and the most awkward smile she’d ever seen on the girl’s face.

Yeah, sweetheart, this is why. She was quite literally just throwing words at the wall and seeing what stuck. And yeah, she was talking about the song in that lyric, but was that clear to everyone? She didn’t fucking know!

All she knew was that she was completely lost, and even almost gave up until Ekko completely changed the tune, drawing her back in, because this.. this sappy shit, was not her style.

‘… Don't stop, get a drink

Throw up in the kitchen sink

I don't wanna feel

I don't wanna feel’

And it was clearly what Jinx was waiting patiently for, as the second the beat dropped she started mouthing the lyrics too, but a bit more menacingly. Her smirk contained a clear ‘gotcha!’, when she saw Caitlyn’s eyes practically bulge out, shoulders jumping at the sudden change in tune, as if this was now an entirely new song.

And then she was just.. frozen. 

She’d expected some kind of ballad, and it seemed it was exactly that in the beginning. Not.. not whatever this was . Yeah.. the fact that Jinx liked it now made much more sense. How had she been so naive? 

‘… D-d-d-don't stop, get a drink

Throw up in the kitchen sink

I don't wanna feel

I don't wanna feel anything’

While Jinx had the time of her life, now jumping up and down and singing, Vi couldn’t help but cringe as she watched Caitlyn’s expression. Still shocked, still slightly concerned. 

Because the lyrics were concerning, but they were truthful, if anything. One drink after the other until she choked, and she preferred singing about that feeling of addiction high and the numbness that followed it, to facing her actual complicated feelings about the woman that now sat right next to her, with a ring on her finger.

Maybe she’d been scared of her judgment. Maybe that was it.

‘… D-d-d-don't stop, get a drink

Throw up in thе kitchen sink

I don't wanna feel

I don't wanna feel anything’

Jinx was being annoying now, still smirking like she’d won something, enjoying the confusion in Caitlyn’s expression. She kept her eyes on her as she bopped her head to the song, singing and laughing to herself.

The realization that she truly did listen to the song often, didn’t hit Vi until the next lyrics, which she knew perfectly too. 

‘… Ask me how I'm feeling, it's like I'm tongue-tied

Wish that I could let it out, but you know me (uh-huh)’ she placed her hand on her heart, looking at Vi with a teasing smile ‘I'll keep it inside’

And Vi just glared back at her, not exactly sure why she was letting this happen in her own damn house, letting Jinx of all people tease her about being bad at expressing her feelings and her coping mechanism when Jinx was the same, if not worse. Cigarettes, drinking, not eating, the complete shut-down for days..  

The woman had sold drugs for years to stay alive, for god’s sake, but I guess that’s what made her teasing so unserious. They were the same and yet so different in so many ways.

‘I'm not living for the moment

I'm just living for the minute

… Today's a good day as any

To try and push past my limits (uh)’

And she flipped her hair, was still giggling with Claggor and Mylo now clapping along to the song, egging her on. Jinx had her eyes on Caitlyn, she wanted to see the anger behind her eyes. She wanted to do anything to make her feel at least just a little bit agitated. Rub in the lyrics Vi had sang in her past like a wound freshly opened. 

So she took strides approaching her and Caitrlyn’s eyes widened the second she noticed. 

‘I'm not cooked, babe, I'm fried’ she teased in her face, still mouthing the lyrics, almost acting like she was her own sister ‘Tonight is eenie meenie mine’

She touched her right cheek, then her left cheek, ending on giving her a boop in the nose like she was a child. 

But instead of the infuriating fury she expected, Caitlyn was mostly still left completely shocked, but now also blushing profusely. 

‘… D-d-d-don't stop, get a drink

Throw up in the kitchen sink’ Jinx looked away, back to dancing ‘ I don't wanna feel

I don't wanna feel anything’

And then.. it stopped. 

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she snapped her head towards the computer. Vi had detached the USB, glaring at her with the fury she wanted to pry out of Caitlyn a minute ago.

Well.. shit.

“Jinx” she hissed “Was any of that necessary? You can’t just let us have a good time for a few hours, can you?” 

“I was enjoying it.” Claggor spoke up, and Vi snapped her head towards him, glaring daggers. He pretended to cough, looking away. 

“Well jeez sis, you’re taking this a bit too seriously.” Jinx shrugged, hands placed on her hips.

“Because it was supposed to be serious. It was supposed to be—” Vi hesitated, still grimacing as she shook her head “..fun” she bit back “We were supposed to be having a good time, so when I told you about the damn wedding date you wouldn’t freak out.” 

It almost didn’t process in her head at first— the meaning behind those words. She was the one frozen in place now, lips parted, eyebrows furrowed as she looked back at Vi with what she could describe as.. betrayal.

Vi swallowed nervously, looking away from her and back at Caitlyn.

“September second.” she spoke now, less infuriated, yet no less stressed out. Caitlyn gave her a small smile, nodding “This is an official invite.. I guess.”

“Well.. congratulations you two. Glad you made up your mind about the whole thing.” Mylo shrugged, and Claggor nodded “Hell yeah! We’re excited to attend.”

Caitlyn thanked the boys, but Vi’s attention was back on Jinx now, who stiffened under her stare once again. Jinx’s eyes were on the floor again, and she was hugging herself.

Vi chewed at her bottom lip. Her voice was soft when she called out to her “Jinx?”

Jinx clenched her teeth, still looking down, unable to look straight in her face now, because she didn’t want to take her happiness anyway. Didn’t want Vi to see how miserable the news made her feel.

This is why Vi wanted Ekko here for it too. He was part of the family. She wanted him to hear it from her, and.. honestly? Jinx would’ve had a better time finding out if he’d been there to comfort her. 

In moments like these, Jinx almost seemed unreachable to her, but she wasn’t to him. Never to him.

And I guess Jinx knew it was a possibility that they would go through with it. They were already engaged, so it was the natural next step. Except.. when they took so long to decide on if they even wanted a wedding, Jinx was starting to comfort herself in the feeling that at least she wouldn’t have to be there for it if they tied the knot and didn’t do a whole hours long thing including of toasts, bouquets, flower girls, maids of honor, vows and… Caitlyn’s parents.

She’d have to suck it up, and three months from now, get herself all dressed up to play fake happy families for the sake of her sister’s important day. 

The thought made her nauseous. 

“Are you..” Vi words were stuck in her throat, and Jinx held back a hiss through her teeth, looking up, but her eyes just couldn’t seem to stick in her direction, always falling to the side as she spoke “Yeah.. congrats.” her voice was dry, raspy and harsh.

Vi bit her tongue, furrowed her brows, not happy with the response. Then Caitlyn walked up to her, always the support, wrapping an arm around her waist and patting her back, reminding her that they were a team. 

All it reminded Jinx of was the feeling of being replaced, no matter how dumb that sounded, no how many times Vi said it wasn’t true. 

If Caitlyn took her last name too.. what was there left of her?

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she fished it out with a frown on her face, looking down at the screen. 

It was Ekko.

Of course it was Ekko. 

Because the man was always there when you needed him.

Chapter Text

Right, so things had gotten a little crazy in the past few days. 

The hospital was always buzzing with movement—pages going off, nurses calling out updates, monitors beeping in almost every room. 

He moved between patients, checking charts, adjusting medications, and assisting in procedures that ran later than scheduled. 

He was constantly juggling rounds, documenting notes, and responding to calls from attendings and specialists. There was always something to follow up on, someone to check in with, and little time left to breathe.

And on top of it all, he now had his coworkers asking about the blue haired girl he kissed. Rumors spread like wildfire, as Kelsy of the front desk, had told anyone within reach about the whole thing, describing the romanticism of it all, and lastly.. Jinx's remarkable ‘Orgasm Donor' shirt that the girls had a whole giggle fit over. 

How in the world these people had the time to even think about it all, was beyond his understanding. Sure, he had the Firelight Center straining on him too, but the hospital had been the bigger burden these past few days and in between all that, people still managed to find time to tease him about it. In a way though, joking was the only way to keep everyone’s spirits intact in the midst of stress.  

He didn't care about who saw when it happened (there was nothing there to see anyway). Didn't care about it now, so not much regret there, but it did surprise him how things were so easily painted in such a romantic light when there was nothing of the sort going on between them. 

It wasn't just them, no, it was people on his socials now too. Fans of True Damage, suddenly finding interest in Jinx for her wacky loud personality, her little cute dance, and obviously.. how beautiful she was. 

He didn't think anything would come off the livestream, but one thing surely did. People shipped them now too, as Ez had so nicely informed him through a phone call. 

Funny thing was, they hadn't even talked about it. He didn't even know if she knew. Though he supposed it didn't really matter. 

What mattered was today. Today was the day he'd been waiting for. 

Not only had the ‘Go-go-go’ situation finally calmed down at the hospital, but.. there was a special new firelight joining the rest. 

He'd gotten the call exactly after two days from the little coffee talk he'd had with Reina, and she'd confirmed that she was already trying to sign Isha in. 

Once she was signed, the little girl was to show up. Today was her first day. 

It was just for two hours. Just a trial kind of day, I guess. The decision was made for a few reasons. 

First, it was due to Isha's past with the group home, and how that would affect her here. It wasn't the same thing— her reality outside the center resembled her past more, but Reina still thought it was good to stay cautious for the first few days. 

Second, it was the overwhelming environment. He'd admit, the kids were loud when they wanted to be, so he was especially nervous for when Isha showed up. Reina could take one look at the rowdy kids and say ‘nope’, so he needed them to behave today. Isha was described as ‘shy’, and ‘timid’ a lot of times. He didn't want to scare her off on the first day. 

Lastly, her age. The age range between the kids at the center varied from five to twelve, so even in her preschool program, she'd be the youngest one there. A full four hours right off the bat would be a lot. 

He didn't know if she would like it here, exactly. He hoped she would. He hoped he could make this place feel a little homey, in a sense, make her feel comfortable enough to let go and have fun. 

“The kids said they'd be in their best behavior.” Zeri spoke up, while he recognized her presence a minute too late.

He'd been so deep in thought, he forgot he was standing in the hallway in front of one of the classrooms she'd popped right out of. 

He raised his eyebrows at the information, looking down at her. 

Zeri then shrugged “Your choice on if you believe them or not.” 

“Zeri.” he threatened, and she lifted her arms up in the air in her defense “Hey! I'm working with what I have! Aka, playdough and prayers.” 

“I know.” he mumbled, looking towards the classroom again “I'm just a little bit.. nervous, I guess.” 

He'd called in a meeting with the staff this morning, just to explain Isha's situation, her past and information they might need to help approach her the best that they could, when he wasn't present, that was. For the next few days, he'd make it a point to look over her, but in case she wanted to stick around long-term.. well it was a little impossible for Ekko to be the only one caring for her every day, due to his hectic schedule. 

Plus, he wanted her to see the other members of his staff as her friends too. 

It made an impression, that meeting, because he never usually held those for reasons like this. He'd done it once, and it was the time they took in a few kids from an orphanage they were working with, but this was different. It was one kid. 

Odd, but natural (to a degree) for Ekko to stress details. Even more odd, for him to be the one directly watching over her at first. He'd never done that with a specific kid before either. 

Zeri and Gert were a little confused, but went with it. If Rumi and Ethan (the rest of the kid’s teachers) had any sort of similar reactions, they weren’t obvious. 

So to have this grown man, her own boss, standing in front of her nervous about a little four year old joining the preschool program, made no sense to her. 

But before she could pry into his business just a little bit, heels clicking echoed down the hallway. 

The two turned in the direction of the sound, just as the woman rounded the corner, coming into full view. 

And then she stopped in front of them, holding a little girl's hand.

“We meet again, Mr. Durand.” she reached out her hand to him. 

Ekko smiled, nodding and joining her hand with his “Welcome to the Firelights.” 

Except his eyes weren't on the woman in front of him at all. They were on the little girl standing next to her. She looked.. different. 

She was washed, dressed and presentable, of course, wearing an oversized, long-sleeve knit sweater in a pale pink with an embroidered design of a dinosaur on the front. The sweater had dropped shoulders and wide sleeves, and he found himself questioning if that was on purpose, or if they just hadn't bothered to put her in something that was her size. 

Along with the wide-legged, cream-colored pants made of a soft, textured fabric, she looked like she was swimming in her clothes, but of course, she did look adorable in them too. 

✰ https://pin.it/4c4K0AEeT

What made a quick impression on him though, weren't her clothes. It was her expression as she slowly looked up at him. 

Of course he didn't expect her to be fully recovered by the time they brought her in, but he sure as hell didn't expect the sunken in eyes staring back at him, void of light, along with the slight shadows under her eyes. 

She looked a little pale, even for someone with tan skin. There were beeping alarms going in his brain the second he saw her. Little things like that that shouldn't be too obvious stood out to him overall everything else. 

Even the actual look on her face— that of pure shock, at seeing him again. Eyes blown wide like she’d been struck.

“Hope you've been doing well.” his eyes flickered over to Reina, and she nodded, smiling as they let their hands fall to their sides “I’ve been quite alright, thank you.” 

Then, he realized someone else stood next to him, whom he had yet to introduce.  

“This is Zeri.” he gestured to the girl at his side, and she smiled, weaving politely at Reina and then Isha “She's one of the kid's teachers. Covers a few of our programs.” 

“Ah. Nice to meet you.” 

While the women exchanged pleasantries, he kneeled down on the ground at Isha's level, and her eyes moved with him, now looking at him straight on. 

“How have you been, Isha?” 

The girl stared at him like he'd spoken a different language. She didn't nod, didn't shake her head either, just blinked. 

“She's a little surprised. Didn't know she'd be seeing you again, I suppose.” Reina laughed, then patted the kid's back twice, pushing her forward “Go on. Say hi.”

His eyes stayed on her the whole time as she stumbled forward. His smile kind, eyebrows a little worried, eyes full of endearment.

And maybe she'd found something in that expression that gave her courage to take the next few steps forward, because the next thing he knew, she stood right in front of him, yet not quite touching him yet. 

Hesitant, even in the way her hands twitched at her sides.

He opened his arms wide as an invitation, and finally, she took the next few steps forward in order to hug him. 

Tiny hands wrapped around his neck, and fuck he almost cried. Why? He couldn't tell you, not one bit. It made no sense. 

But he'd wrapped his arms around her now, and her hands had faltered down, with him being too tall, too big for her to hug even at her level. 

Instead, Ekko's arms wrapped around her warmly, and he caressed her back, once, twice. 

A relieved sigh escaped his lips, like he hadn't been sure what her reaction to him would've been before. Maybe that was weighing on him too, without realizing. 

And he only let go when she took a step back, looking down at the ground. 

He didn't quite sit up yet, but he did look up at the women in front of him— mainly Reina “Has she been.. getting sleep?” 

He could see the clench of her jaw all the way down from his kneeling position, as she sighed, probably deciding lying didn't make sense as he'd already noticed. He was a doctor after all. 

“She refuses to.” Reina pressed her lips “That's what the caregivers said. I don't know why, and they've been trying all sorts of things, but maybe it's an age thing.” 

“Ah.” Ekko nodded. 

Check.

He made a mental note to try and figure that out for himself, even though the kids here didn't usually take naps. At preschool age most kids already fought taking a nap like the plague. Some of them didn't need one anymore at all. 

But fighting night sleep? That wouldn't do. 

“She's gotta get in a routine.” he advised, now fully sitting up “No sugar before bed. Physical activity also helps tire ‘em out.” 

Reina nodded “I'd assume the caregivers know all that.”

“Any signs she seems restless even in sleep? Could be a deeper rooted problem there.” he questioned. 

“Ahm.” she raised a brow “I.. I'd have to ask, honestly. I don't think that's the case though.” 

“Alright.” he nodded, clearing his throat “Just making sure.” 

“You know this is quite handy.” Reina hummed, then smiled at him “To have the boss of the center be a doctor. Parents must feel safer in that sense, huh?” 

“Oh yeah. Mister E. here has helped a lot of parents with their kids. Sometimes he just figures it out by just watching them.” 

“Alright.” he weaved a hand towards Zeri, uncomfortable by her flattery. His attention turned to the little girl as he spoke “Ready to get in there Isha?” 

The little girl was still standing next to him, and once again, she didn't nod to give him a clear answer, but she did lift her arm, grabbing onto the fabric of his pants. 

He smiled, ruffling her soft curly baby hair as Zeri opened the door to the classroom. As they all walked in, she clapped her hands in an attempt to quiet down the noise from the group of kids in the class. 

There had to be at least eight of them in this one classroom, chatting with each other, playing with toys, hitting each other and falling over, sometimes even doing all at once.

The preschool program was uh.. a different beast, from the other ones. 

“Hey hey!” Zeri called out “What did we say before? Inner voices. We go shhhhh.” 

She placed her pointer finger in front of her mouth, making a display of it. The kids started giggling and copying the movement, some more confused about it then others, blowing spit out of their mouths instead of air. 

It’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?

“Now show me your inner voice.” she called out, before pointing to herself as she whispered “This is mine.” 

The classroom started whispering among themselves, some of them whisper-screaming, but the effort was adorable nevertheless. 

“Miss.. I can’t..” one of the boys pointed to his mouth, gasping “I can’t..”

“You don’t have to hold your breath to whisper, Eric.” she called out, now whisper-yelling herself, ‘cus if she started talking normally.. they would definitely copy that too.

The boy took a large inhale of air, before patting his chest and giving her a thumbs up. 

Zeri shook her head, rubbing her forehead. 

Reina, Ekko and Isha were all standing by the threshold. Ekko was looking at Reina’s expression, trying to read her reaction to the whole thing. 

She’d covered the lower part of her face with her hand, trying to hold in a laugh that was quickly spreading to his lips as well. 
 
He looked down at Isha then, and her eyes were scanning the room, hand still clasped to the fabric of his pants.

“You’re welcome to stay for the first hour if you want to see the activities.” he offered, speaking to Reina who then turned to look at him “I can also get another staff member to give you a tour of the place.” 

At the sound of his voice, all little eyes turned on the two, whispers getting louder. A few of the kids calling out in an attempt to get his attention “Mr.E!”, “Mr.E!”.

He ignored those calls for now, being a little busy. 

“It’s alright.” Reina weaved a hand at him, chuckling “I’ve done my own research on this place, and I do trust your judgement. Pretty sure it’s not protocol, but I think I’d trust you with my cat too.” 

Ekko snorted at that. He’d take that as a win.

“Probably shouldn’t. I’ve got no experience caring for cats.” he laughed. 

Reina rolled her eyes, then dug into her purse, crouching down in front of Isha “Before I forget.” 

She pulled out her bunny, and Isha made a run for it, grabbing it from her hands and clutching it to her chest like she’d been deprived of its warmth for too long.

“Alright then, I’ll see you in two hours sweetheart. Be good.”

She gave one last smile to Ekko and a weave towards Zeri, before she walked out, closing the door behind her. 

Ekko ruffled Isha’s hair once again, as a tiny ploy to grab her attention. She looked up immediately, huge owl eyes staring up at him.

He chuckled at her expression.

“Let’s go sit ya’ down somewhere.” 

So that’s what they did.

The first thirty minutes or so, the kids sat in a circle in silence (for the most part), as Zeri read them a story out loud, making exaggerated hand movements to make sure to keep their attention. One of them would peep out here and there, asking a silly question, which would result in a sea of giggles.

But Isha didn’t laugh once. He didn’t know if she was even following up with the story. She sat as part of the circle, legs criss-crossed on the soft carpet with a pillow right next to her, and her bunny on her lap, rubbing at its ears with her fingers.

Zeri didn’t call out to her either. He instructed her against it, not wanting to pressure her or place any sort of unwanted attention on the kid, especially since she didn’t really have a clear way of communicating to her yet. 

Ekko sat on the side on a chair that was definitely way too small for him, crushing it under his weight. His head rested in his hands, legs spread apart, eyes on Isha, yet heavy with sleep. He hadn’t gotten much of that lately, and he was starting to tune out Zeri completely, counting in his head the list of things he had to complete for the day, mind sneaking off to Jinx and wondering what she was up to at this hour. 

He hadn’t told her about this whole thing yet. Wanted to make sure it was all set, with no chances of something going wrong, before he told her she could come over to see the kid(if she’d like to, of course). He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when he’d get to tell her tonight.  

Zeri would sneak a glance at him here and there. The sight of him sitting in that cute little pink chair was funny, but his presence was nevertheless intimidating. At the end of the day, he was her boss. Having him present made her act differently, trying a little harder to be as present as she could with the kids, even sitting up straighter. 

Meanwhile, it seemed he hadn’t even noticed. Eyes lingering on Isha as if he was actively looking out for threats that weren’t even there. 

It was odd.. right? This was odd.

Or was she the crazy one? 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The next activity included finger painting, something a little more engaging for the kids. He thought maybe Isha would appreciate something to do with her hands, instead of just sitting around in a circle passively. 

Granted, he'd also thought the first activity would be better considering it was her first day, and he didn't want to push her to do anything yet. 

But maybe she was more of an art kid? 

He didn't even know why he was stressing himself so much. Thinking way too deeply into details that sometimes didn't matter, but he had a habit of doing that regarding every aspect of his life. 

Anyway.

He'd taken Isha to a different classroom, Rumi was in charge of this one. The kids were still sitting on the floor, just now on a more flat surface, being handed out papers and washable finger paint. 

This one was quite a preferred activity for all the kids, though it did result in a lot of washing and wiping around after. 

Rumi explained the activity they were going to do, while putting her dark hair into a ponytail so she wouldn't get paint in her hair. Her bangs were left to frame her face. 

He stood behind her, watching Isha as she looked at the paints hesitantly. The other kids had already started getting paint on every single surface but the paper, while she still sat there.. almost like she was waiting.. for something. 

Her eyes flickered up, and the second they met his, he was already walking towards her. 

He sat next to the girl on the floor, voice no louder than a gentle whisper “Hey there. Need some help?” 

He'd already rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He really wasn't keen on getting paint on this one today, but if it meant getting to help Isha open up a little, fuck it. 

“We can draw a house.” Ekko offered, pointing to one of the drawing references Rumi had hung in front of the classroom wall, just to help give some idea of what they were supposed to do. The kids could follow them to a tea, or choose to make something of their own. It was free rein, really.

Isha looked up at him, then stared at the picture of the house he was pointing at. She let out a little ‘Mmh’ pressing her lips. 

Then her little hand went and dipped right into the blue. 

He hadn't even had time to react by the time she was lathering her piece of paper with blue. Not one color in the reference picture was blue, so I guess.. maybe she didn’t wanna draw a house then.

She didn’t pick one specific shade of blue either, dipping back and forth from the light baby blue, to the dark blue, making outlines in the smear of light blue paint. 

To be honest, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking at this point, so he settled for pointing out the color instead “You really like blue huh?” 

He still remembered her choice of the blue hearted sticker she’d picked the day Jinx saved her. Maybe it was a coincidence, but she was quick to prove that theory wrong.

She didn’t look at him, but he did see her head tilt forward into a tiny nod, and he hummed “Funny. That’s my favourite color too.”

Isha then paused her play, looking up at him instead, straining her neck a little as he sat a tiny bit to the side behind her. 

He smiled, patting her head with his hand “It’s coming along.”

That pulled her attention away from him and back to the piece of paper in front of her.

“Mr. E! Are you gonna paint something too?” the little boy on his other side asked him, grinning up at him with a smile on his face, two of his front teeth missing.

He chuckled, nodding “Sure kiddo. We’ll see.” 

“You’re part of this now. Embrace it.” Rumi spoke up, looking up from the kid she was helping, wiggling her fingers smeared in red towards him.

He laughed at her, shaking his head, looking back down at Isha’s outlines that had now turned into shapes. An ovale, a triangle attached to it. It finally hit him.

“That a shark?” he questioned.

He got the most enthusiastic nod back yet, Isha’s head bobbing up and down in excitement.

He was a little surprised. Maybe she truly was an art kid, having a decent understanding of shapes and color without any schooling yet. It wasn’t just slashes of thick paint smeared together. There was purpose behind the placement of that paint. 

“Great job” he exclaimed, encouraging “He does need some eyes to see. Where do you think we should put them?” 

Isha seemed pensive about that one, tilting her head back from the artwork to examine it properly, her pointer finger at her chin.

Finally, she pointed at a spot inside the lines. 

Right on what was supposed to be the tail.

He laughed, nodding “Right. I suppose we can do that, but we can place it here too.” he suggested again, pointing where the eyes were actually supposed to be. 

Isha’s eyes widened like she understood his point, dipping two fingers in white now, and placing the ‘eye’ just right off on the side of where Ekko had pointed. Close enough.

“Mhm, and guess what else we can do?” Ekko raised his brows, dipping his little finger into black, and dropping that dip of paint right on top of the white “He can actually see the fishies swimming past him now. A big guy’s gotta get his dinner.”

Isha gasped, and she clapped her hands in excitement, mixing the paint in them together. It had him smiling down at her like an idiot, grateful to have brought some of her vision together. 

And yet he couldn’t help thinking of a young Powder when he looked down at her. Setting aside her more shy demeanor, their mannerisms were similar. It was such tiny things, from a flicker of her hand or an expression on her face, be it a smile or a frown. Ridiculous things like that that no sane person would pay attention to, be it on this girl or the one he met when he was nine. 

Maybe that clouded his judgment when it came to the kid too. Maybe he’d recognized that familiarity before he even had the chance to think about it too much, and maybe that’s why he found himself going beyond necessary to try and help.

Fuck, maybe he just needed therapy.

“Now, we have to decide on something quite important.” he pointed out, and Isha’s eyes were back on him in an instant. There was a little light behind them now, an innocent sparkle she held onto.

And she’d shifted in her spot, turning to be able to face him better too. The paper lay flat in between them “Is he a good shark or a bad shark? Is he happy, is he sad, or is he angry?” 

Isha seemed to think that over for a second, before scrunching her freckled nose, furrowing her eyebrows, curling her lips into a snarl. 

He held back from cracking up at her cute, overly-exaggerated angry expression. 

“Alright, he’s angry.” he chuckled “So he’s got to have sharp teeth, right?”

The concept excited Isha even more, and she nodded. He dipped his ring finger in white “Well, we can create some triangles like so..”

By that time they were done, that shark painting truly was a success. A hit even with all the kids that’d lean in or hover to look, exacerbated by the concept of it. Isha had added some detail, and by detail he meant blood around the teeth. She’d done it all while smiling too. 

He was still deciding if that was a cause for concern.

Either way, he didn’t get out of the job paintless— one of the kids definitely flickered some green droplets towards him accidentally, and Isha had gripped at the sleeve of his gray dress shirt with her hand, leaving a fresh tiny blue palmprint there. He’d grimaced, but hadn’t said anything.

They ended up hanging the shark painting on the wall, and then he took her to the next program, which was more educational in a sense, introducing letters and numbers, the names of different colors, the names of different animals, and more.

He stood at Isha’s side the entire time, helping her with every new concept he could, but by the end of it, he sensed she was starting to get a little grumpy, a little less cooperative, even looking away from him while he was trying to explain.

It wasn’t long until Reina showed up though, and once again they had to say goodbye. He reassured the girl he’d be right there waiting for her when she showed up tomorrow, but he wasn’t sure how much she believed him. 

He hoped she could start to build some trust there with people, maybe starting with him. He’d seen the sparkle in her eyes today. He knew he’d like to keep it there. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

It was later that day when he'd decided to make the phone call. He was walking towards his motorcycle, weaving some of his staff members goodbye, keys stuffed in the pocket of his dress pants, phone held up to his ear. 

Then she answered his call. 

“Ekko?” 

His eyebrows knit together at the sound of her voice.

He expected a loud, energetic ‘Ekko!’, maybe a cute giggle following it, or maybe it’d be dry, bored ‘Sup’, maybe even a whine at the other end of the line, requiring something ridiculous of him or maybe just complaining right off the bat. 

He didn’t expect that somehow serious voice, the way she said his name so meekly. That wasn’t Jinx. He’d known this girl his entire life. 

God, he felt like a dog, already perked up, protective, concerned at the tone of her voice when she spoke his name alone. 

He hoped she’d been asleep. That could be an explanation for that sound. Jumping to conclusions over nothing was just another way to slip into insanity.

“Hey Blue.” he spoke up, now standing directly in front of the motorcycle “You still at Vi’s?” 

He wanted to save the news for when they got home. Needed to see her full reaction to it, be it confusion, shock or an indifferent ‘That’s great.’

Whatever it was, he wanted to see it on her face. 

“Yup.” 

This time her tone was dry, closed off, like the pages of a book glued together and slammed shut. There was no way to open it again, without tearing it apart all the same.

He grimaced. 

“Well I'm heading home. Are you guys done with your little lunch-dinner thing?” 

“Ahm.. I guess.” her voice trembled.

He clenched his jaw as he picked up his helmet. Shit, something happened, didn’t it? 

Vlaggor and Mylo could take her home the same way they brought her to Vi’s, and despite that knowledge, he still found himself asking “You need me to pick you up?” 

Not want, need. Not pick her up from somewhere, just hold her.

The understanding was mutual, yet never addressed.

“Yes.” it’s like she just let out a breath of air, relieved, yet longing “Now, please.”

And he was already on the motorcycle, revving the motorcycle engine alive “Be there in thirty, Pow. Patience.”
“Not known for it.” she replied. 

So he hung up the phone, strapped the damn helmet on and ..got out. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

It was exactly thirty minutes later when he got off his motorcycle on Cait and Vi’s spacious, cobble-stoned driveway, shaking his hair into place as he took his helmet off, leaving it on top of the motorcycle instead. 

And I guess he’d lost his discretion the day he’d decided to buy the damn thing, the roar of it as he revved right before the bike jerked to a stop, loud enough to make his presence quickly known. 

Loud enough for a blue haired girl to already be standing at the threshold of that mansion, eyes wide as they locked with his for a split second. 

And then.. she ran.

The wind had picked up too, long braids whipping through the air behind her as she sprinted down the driveway, shirt riding up her midriff at the motion, then clashed into his chest full force. 

He laughed, stumbling back, one step closer to the motorcycle “Woah there.” 

His hovering arms quickly wrapped around her shoulders, the same way hers had tied around his waist, head dipped low into his chest, not looking at him. 

Her scent engulfed his senses the second she’d collided onto him — warm, heady, sugary vanilla laced with gasoline. It was familiar, and it still made him fuckin’ dizzy. 

He pressed his nose into her hair, just holding her for a moment, feeling her body pressed to his, the feel of her chest, the way it moved against his with every silent breath she took. The way those breaths relaxed, as she found the comfort that was always just.. right there.

Beneath his arms.  

Ekko would describe these hugs as the closest thing to heaven, after a tiring workday, after a few too many hours apart, but never would he say it aloud. 

He still wasn’t sure as to what was happening. What was wrong? He didn’t even get to ask that question, lifting his head at the sound of Claggor’s voice “Hey hey hey little man!” 

He was with Mylo, the two heading to his car. I guess they were leaving at the same time regardless.

He smiled, weaving back, as they were still at a distance, thanks to the size of the damn driveway. 

He noticed Vi and Caitlyn stood at the threshold now too. Couldn't read the exact expressions on their faces, especially from afar, he just knew they were staring at them. How long had they been standing there?

“Don’t crash into something on the way home!” Vi yelled out, when he’d looked their way.

He laughed, light, airy, unwrapping one of his arms from Jinx to send her a thumbs up. She stood tucked to his side either way.

His attention was back on the blue haired girl, but the second he looked down, she’d already unraveled herself from him, grabbing the second helmet on his motorcycle. The one that was just an extra, not technically hers, yet only ever been on her.

He could tell she didn't want to face him directly, but she had an obvious frown on her face. A humorless, bitter expression that didn’t match the situation, hidden behind that long bang that covered the half of her face. 

So he found the moment, slipped his hand under her jaw before she could put more distance between them, making her look up at him. 

He noticed a flicker of surprise in her expression, her eyebrows still furrowed up, lips pressed into a pout, eyes sparkly, or watery— he couldn’t tell. 

There was no anger behind that expression. Just.. an agony of some sort. 

His heart twisted at the realization.

“What happened?” 

It wasn't louder than a whisper. It wasn't anything anyone else but her could hear. 

She sank her teeth into her bottom lip, bruising the plumpness a darker purple, before ultimately shaking her head out of his grasp. 

He let it go.. for now.

As Claggor and Mylo pulled out of the driveway in the car, Caitlyn and Vi were still standing at the threshold, staring at Jinx and Ekko.

He helped get her helmet on, strapping it underneath her chin securely, before putting on his own.

Caitlyn's eyes snapped back to Vi, who was still clenching her jaw, stiff as a pencil “I'm sure she'll come around. Maybe not for me, but for you.” 

Vi sighed, took none of her encouragement as her lips pressed into a thin line “Are you kidding? She kept turning her head towards the window every few minutes to see if she could catch sight of Little Man. That's how desperate she was to get away from me.” 

Caitlyn hummed at that, unbothered by her fiancé’s bitter tone “Maybe it has to do less with you, and more with him.”

The possibility was there, in the way she practically flew into his arms when he'd arrived. He took care of her even now, turning his head towards her like he’d said something they couldn't hear or see, thanks to the helmet he had on, while Jinx’s arms laced around his torso, holding tight, turning her head in the opposite direction to look away.

And then he sent them one last weave, before pulling out of the driveway with a fast, loud growl of the engine. 

At that moment, she understood they were more similar than different. No wonder her little sister liked him so damn much.  

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The minute they got home Jinx plopped down on the couch in the living room, eyes locked on the ceiling, arms crossed tight to her chest. She hadn’t run to her room. He considered that a win.

Ekko sighed, pressing his lips as he sat down next to her, elbows on his knees, as he turned his head in her direction.

They stayed like that for a minute, just her frozen in that position, and his eyes lingering on her figure. If she hadn’t locked herself away, he knew the answer to the question he’d asked back at Vi’s was coming. She wanted to talk to him. That was enough for now.

As predicted, she was the one to break the silence “September second.” 

Ekko's eyebrows furrowed at that, as he straightened himself up, looking back at her. 

“Save the fucking date. We're going to a wedding.” she had a sarcastic smile on her face, her eyes still looking up at the ceiling. He wondered what was so suddenly interesting about it.

He put the pieces of her words together immediately, humming with a nod “So.. they settled it.” 

“Yeah.” she croaked. 

Another beat of silence passed. She didn't look at him. 

He pressed his lips “I'm sorry.” 

His hand landed on her thigh, grabbing onto her own hand that lay there. He squeezed it once “I'll be there.” 

Her eyes slipped down to their joined hands, and she pressed her lips. 

His words shouldn't have felt as comforting as they did. She'd already known he'd be there. He was family too. 

And yet the event didn't feel quite as maddening, when she thought of him holding her hand just like this, every time she came close to breaking down and ruining her sister’s happy day with her crappy tears. Maybe he shouldn’t be made to do so, but there didn’t seem to be anything tying him to the role. He volunteered, every time.

She let out a breath, eyes finally lifting to meet his face, inspecting the solemn stare of his own expression, as he too was staring down at their hands. Hers completely covered by his. God knows the amount of times she’d teased him about the size of those damn hands. 

“Thanks.” she shrugged, looking away again. She could feel his eyes on her now “I already pissed off Vi today anyway. I’d call it even, but I don’t think she’d agree.” 

Well… now that made even more sense. For a person who sure liked to test people's patience, including her sister's, she really hated making Vi seriously mad at her. 

She wouldn't say it, but he knew.. her sister was one of the most important people in her life. Jinx loved her dearly, still looked up to her, still clung to her when she could. 

So when she'd get angry at her,it stung. And if the situation had anything to do with Caitlyn, picking her side, it practically burned her inside out. It was not the same situation as a few years ago, but the scars remained, the fear lingered, he could see it on her face.

No wonder she'd been so upset. 

And yet, he couldn't help the next few words that left his lips “What did you do?” 

Curse his big mouth. Sometimes he came off a little too blunt, too forward, and spoke before thinking. 

He expected to see a glare on her face at the question, afraid she’d shut down on him, or yell. Instead, she pressed her lips together, looking like she was trying to repress a humourless smile. 

And that's when he knew I'd been the right question to ask. 

She licked her lips, eyes flickering over to him, voice no louder than a murmur “I.. played Feel Anything for Caitlyn.” 

An eyebrow shot up immediately, followed by the lift of the corner of his lips as well. He seemed shocked for a second, and he huffed, some sort of cracked laugh leaving the back of his throat. He seemed a bit confused, and she wasn’t sure if he wanted to laugh or scream. She couldn’t read whatever emotion that one was on his face. 

So she stared at him the entire time, lips still pressed together as she tried to keep herself from smiling so he wouldn't start scolding her. She knew the humor in the situation had merely been in her head, not greatly translated into real life, like most things. 

She already knew she'd fucked up. Vi’s reaction to it said everything. 

Ekko still stared at her with that face, when he repeated the words “You… played Vi’s song.. for Caitlyn.”

She nodded again, now biting onto her lower lip with all her might, still trying to keep a straight face. Ekko still seemed surprised, expression switching back and from about to crack up to about to yell. 

“And what should you do, the next time you see them?” he questioned again. At this point, it was becoming clear he was leaning more into the ridiculousness of the statement, trying his hardest not to crack up, and she couldn't help but love him so much more for it. 

Warmth spread to her chest like a blanket, because fuck, no one would ever understand her crazy like him. 

“Apologize.” she replied, smiling a little before hiding her smile again, determined not to be the one to break first. 

He'd leaned in a little closer, as they both stared at each other, eyes widened like they were having a competition instead of a conversation. 

“Good.” his voice cracked “Because I won't have the self control to make you say that again.” 

That did it. 

The two immediately cracked up, laughing together for a good minute as Ekko wiped a tear away from his eye, one hand on the back of the couch as he gripped onto it for dear life. 

Jinx's giggles started out loud, then only became a little faded as she slowly slipped down on the couch in his direction, forehead touching his chest, his arm now directly behind her. Her giggles muffled into the fabric of his shirt. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he questioned, still laughing “God I would've paid to see that.” 

“She was…” Jinx gasped, lifting her head for a second from his chest before it fell right back down “She thought it was a touching song. You should've since her face when… when..” 

She didn't even need to fill in the sentence, as another fit of laughter came over the two of them. Ekko leaned on the back of the couch fully now, and Jinx's head slipped further from his chest, down to his lap. 

“Shit.” he cursed, wiping another tear from his eye as their laughter finally faltered slightly, mostly spread out, leftover giggles now “We're going to hell.” 

“Kind of you to join me.” Jinx giggled, turning her head in his direction to look up at him. The angle gave her a great view of his jawline.

His eyes flickered down to her laying on his lap, and he smiled, shaking his head “I’d follow you anywhere.” 

He hated how much that sounded like a confession, instead of the funny bit it was supposed to be.

“Promise?” she grinned, one of her hands pulling onto the fabric of his dress shirt. 

She felt a different texture there, other than linen, and looked away from Ekko to where her hand touched his shirt, noticing the blue flaky paint on him. 

Or more specifically, the tiny blue palm print of a child’s hand. It reminded her of her own, the ones still refusing to wash away from the tiles of the wall in the shower, just.. twice as small. 

“I do.”

Her mind barely registered those words, still running with a few questions, the main one being how the hell the paint had managed to get on him in the first place. 

He noticed, eyes following down her extended arm right where they pinched at the fabric of his shirt, and he noticed what she was looking at. 
His heartbeat picked up instantly. 

“Oh.. uhm.” his eyebrows raised, having completely forgotten about the fact that he still had some paint on him.

Her eyes then met his, and she raised a brow “Lost a paint fight with a toddler?” 

He pressed his lips, now set into a more softer smile “Sort of.” 

She narrowed her eyes at him, puckering her lips like she was sceptical of her own assumption. 

“Jinx.. you remember what happened at the hospital right?” he questioned “Right before Isha—” 

“Okay.” she interrupted him, lifting her head off his lap immediately “Don't wanna talk about it again.” 

Before he left her with that stinging sensation for too long, he added to his statement “I called Reina again a few days later.” 

Her head snapped back to him so fast he thought she cracked it. Her eyes blew wide and wild “What? Why?” 

She shuffled in her seat, now fully turning to face him. She seemed properly intrigued now, finally willing to hear him out. 

“We talked.” he smiled slightly. Jinx’s nose scrunched in distaste at the word “Long story short, the kid’s a Firelight.” 

And there it was… the expression he’d been imagining for a few days now, almost exactly the way it happened in his head too.

Her lips parting in a silent gasp. Shock taking over every feature. The blue in her eyes so wide it reminded him of the ocean. 

“W-what?” she stammered. 

His eyebrows furrowed, now wondering if something was wrong. Was that not considered.. good news? He’d expected at least a half-smile of some sort. 

“I wanted you to get your chance to keep your promise.” he replied, now a little softer, eyes locked with hers “I know how hard it was when you tried the first time, and lost to no fault of your own. Now.. you can come see her again, at the Firelight Center, whenever you’d like.. if you’d like.” 

He held his breath as she stared back at him, piercing blue still on him like lasers. Her rose shaped lips still parted, cupid’s bow drawing his attention. 

And then.. she let out a tiny huff. 

“You…” her lips puckered around the word “You called CPS, and signed her up to be a firelight…just so I could have a chance at keeping my dumb promise?” 

“W-well” he stammered, one arm lifting to rub the back of his neck. The motion pressing his biceps together, bulging out. Even in her shock, Jinx’s eyes slipped to them for a split second, almost undetectable, but there “It was for Isha too, of course. I think she could benef—” 

He grunted, as she threw herself on top of him, wrapping her arms around his neck, squeezing tight. She’d thrown herself at him twice today. He had to be doing something right.

His mind went blank for a second, and he just stared.. until she pulled away to look at him, a wide smile lining her pretty lips “You're such an idiot.” 

The words made his smile lift up too, though a lot softer. 

She let out a tiny squeak, throwing her arms right over his shoulders again, snuggling her head to his neck in excitement, strands of blue tickling his skin.

She's so damn cute. 

He laughed, one on his hands rubbing at the small of her back. She was one  shift to the right away from fully being on his lap. Instead, she sat directly on only one of his legs, straddling it.

The way her back stretched like a cat, as she reached out, ass perked up in those shorts, had his eyes slipping to it, mouth going dry. 

Holy fuck.

He tried not to think about the fact that she had herself pressed to his leg, as she pulled back again, that smile still widening in glee, innocent, clueless “So is that handprint..” 

“Hers.” he nodded “We finger painted today.” 

She chuckled at that, looking down right in between them, teeth pressing to her lower lip the way they always often did. Her eyes found his again, now a little more aware of her position on top of him “Well… there should be a limit to my fuck up’s, right?” she let out an awkward laugh.

He couldn't tell if her cheeks flushed pink, or if he imagined that pretty sight. 

“Sounds about right.” he murmured, cocking his head to the side, eyes flickering down to where her top covered her chest.

And she practically shot up. 

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she stood in front of him now, almost like she'd been burnt by his stare alone. If she wasn't blushing before, it was obvious she was now. 

“The.. “ she swallowed, sounding breathless “The limit.” 

And she turned, walking away. 

Ekko raised a brow. 

Chapter Text

Jinx thought this would be easier. 

She'd go to the Firelight Center the next day with Ekko, visit the kid and make sure she's fine, come back home, bada bing, bada boom feel like she'd done something right for once. 

But there were tiny obstacles in her way. Annoying, not entirely huge, but not insignificant enough to ignore. 

For example, she planned to go to the Firelight Center with Ekko the next day after he told her the news, but then he told her Isha wasn't even there for the full four hours, only two. 

And they were the last two hours rather than the first, meaning they were in the afternoon. Three to five. After she was supposed to be already clocked in at work, considering she was at school in the morning.

She could skip school anyday. She didn't mind that part. Attending was mostly just so she could actually be allowed to take the damn exams, as entirely neglecting her attendance would probably get her kicked off.

But learning wise? She knew she'd be good for those exams if she pulled a few all-nighters,downing monster energy drinks, lighting up cigarettes in between and maybe even adding some sugary snacks to the mix, just the right amount of chaos to have Ekko walk in and snatch her things away throwing them in the trash as he rightfully grew concerned. 

This might or might not be a real telling of the last time she was going through that period of exams… god knows she was attempting to wrestle the packets and snacks off his hands, but he’d usually find a way to throw her off like she weighed nothing. 

They’d constantly bicker about it until Ekko would finally say he didn’t even care anymore, only for him to waltz in her room the very next day attempting to talk her off the lifestyle like she was some kind of crazy addict. 

She wasn’t. She just knew what worked for her, and if a few energy drinks, snacks and listening to loud streams of games to fill the dreaded silence gave her enough willpower to fuel a rocket launcher, she wasn’t changing her ways. Ekko could’ve been triple-board-certified with a Nobel Prize in bedside manner and a PhD in emotional manipulation— he still wasn’t winning this. 

Anyway— work was something else. Viktor was stingy as fuck. She might just be his favourite employee (and he'd insist she's his least favourite, actually, but they both knew the truth), and that still didn’t help in this instance.

It just meant she had a lot more projects to work on than the others in that damn office, the most complicated ones too because Viktor knew she was insane enough to try and solve an impossible puzzle. She practically kept the lab running with ideas and inventions (humbly claiming so, of course) and she was needed there every day to some capacity. 

She could leave for a few minutes, say hi and come back but that just seemed like a waste of time. To tell you the truth, she was curious of what the center looked like from inside, how Ekko ran it all. She'd had no contact with it this far apart from just looking at the building from afar.

So she wanted to be able to stay a while, maybe talk to the kid if she was up for it, see how Ekko ran it all. It’d take her a while to even get there, never mind staying to do all that. 

That being said, Isha was a bit hard to catch in the two hours that she stayed there, and Jinx's more recent week would be slightly consumed by the latest project she was working on with Viktor, that…honestly? Was driving her crazier than usual.

It was ridiculous, and with each passing day that she wasn't passing by, was another day with that sinking feeling in her stomach, and anxiety making it impossible to concentrate on the task at hand. Her mind wasn't helpful. The second that dreaded feeling took over it told her everything she didn't want to hear, from how useless she was to how she wasn't enough, how she wasn't doing enough, she wasn't even taking the opportunity Ekko so sweetly provided for her, never mind having thought of something for herself to begin with. 

But..

On the fourth day, things would change.

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

Ekko had been keeping well on his promise to be there for Isha every time she'd show up to the Firelight Center and look over her, even though it took a few adjustments with his shifts at the hospital in order to do so. He was determined to be there. Nothing was forcing him to, honestly.. something just told it was the right thing to do. 

Call it a gut feeling, he didn't know. He was just following it blindly. His sense of justice would allow him nothing less.

The second time she came in wasn't too different from the first day. She didn't want to interact much with the other kids, but he noticed she liked to do stuff with her hands, be it painting, playing with cubes and putting stuff together where it fit, trying to figure out tiny riddles. The school program was alright, kept her busy and she seemed interested, until she wasn't. 

She did not like sports. Wouldn't move no matter the words he used to encourage her. Didn't wanna do the stretches, hop in place, run in a circle, she was having none of it. 

Ekko figured. Every kid had their preferences of which programs they usually enjoyed, so he quickly learned to pull her out from that one, replacing it with a different activity he thought she might enjoy.

While pulling her in and out of programs was supposed to be a choice the parents made, Reina told him from the start that he could tweak the programs they originally picked for her based on her likes and dislikes. When he first introduced her to the options, she had no idea what to pick. She didn’t know the kid at all, so he was the one that made the original choices too.

He didn't pressure her to adjust herself to the situations (at least not yet, as she was quite new to this and very young). He tweaked them after her, and every time she had to do something new, he was on top of her instructing or encouraging. It didn't surprise him now that every time she'd encounter a new situation like a new activity, her eyes would flicker over to him, like a silent plea for help. 

And how could he ever deny that face? 

Despite doing everything in his power to entertain the little girl, by the third day he was noticing a pattern. 

At the end of the two hours, she'd get unusually grumpy. He wasn't sure what it was on the second day, but when she actually started crying and pushing her homework away on the third, he knew what was up. Noticed the way she’d rub at her eyes with her fists until they turned red, wetting her cheeks in her own salty tears. 

It was from the lack of sleep. She needed to sleep more every night and she needed her daily naps too. 

He didn't know what to do with the situation at first. She started sobbing out of nowhere, and no comforting words would reach her. The other kids were noticing, and he was afraid the meltdown would encourage more tears from the rest. You think one crying preschooler was tough? Try eight of them, in one room. 

It was up to god at that point. 

So first things first, he needed to get her out of there. 

And he did. Picked up despite her protests, and the notebook she was clutching fell to the ground. Her bunny, Jinx's bunny, had already been thrown and slammed onto the wall once. He wasn’t sure what the thing did to deserve that abuse, but he figured Tuff Tuff wasn’t new to it— with Jinx being its previous owner and all. 

Gert and Zeri were staring at him wide-eyed, like they'd never seen a meltdown before, despite dealing with them daily. 

He wasn't sure what the hell those faces were about. Just told them to keep going with the class while he left the room entirely. Her tears were wetting the collar of his shirt, curls tickling at the side of his face. He kept her up with one arm, held her head pressed to him with the other, like the pressure would help ground her even just slightly. 

Her cries echoed down the hallway, so he turned the corner to get into his office. He passed by Scar who raised an eyebrow at him. Ekko weaved him off, didn’t comment. 

He had to do something for the girl. Couldn't let her cry for the next thirty minutes while they waited for Reina. 

But Reina wasn't a mother either. She was merely a social worker, and Isha didn't seem particularly attached to her in any way. He doubted her presence would help in this case. She'd just leave the situation for the care-takers to handle, which was fair, that was how the jobs were split. 

But he didn't know how those people handled a crying fit either, and as long as she was in the Center? He was responsible for her well-being, and he took that fact seriously with all the kids. 

His office wasn't anything fancy, it wasn't too big or anything, but it was the most silent room in the building. Not a lot of noise got in, not a lot got out, which was helpful when he was particularly stressed. 

He bounced her just slightly, wasn't sure what the hell to do next. He didn't speak a word, didn't tell her to stop crying, just let the tears run as he walked around the office in a circle, keeping the movement going. 

The hum of silence became a little bit more obvious even to Isha, as her crying faltered slightly. It was still there, just not as strong as before, not as overwhelming. 

So he kept going, rubbing her back in the meanwhile. She didn't look up once, face still pressed to his shoulder. Hands clutched in tiny fists. One of them thrown over his shoulder, the other hanging loosely at her side. 

Her tears were merely sniffles after a few minutes of doing so, and he felt her snuggle her head a little bit closer to the crook of his neck. 

His heart beat out of his chest at the gesture, but he didn't let it show. Kept his voice even and low when he whispered, lips near her ear “It's alright. You can sleep now.” 

Her once fast breathing was a little slower now, a ragged, raspy quality to those breaths, like she'd let out all the tears she could, all the frustration was out there now, floating somewhere. 

What mattered was, it was no longer in her. 

And he wasn't sure where those words had come from himself. He just knew it was what she needed to do.

The problem was, he had nowhere to settle her down. This was a community center, not a daycare. The youngest kids were five, and they already didn't need naps on a daily basis anymore. They were also here for a maximum of four hours, not a whole day. 

Point was, there was no room in the whole place specifically for sleeping, meaning there were no beds. 

A quick look around the office told him he was screwed. Nothing but chairs as far as the eye could see, and he was scared of putting her down outside in case other kids walked up and woke her up. There was a lot of noise out there. 

But he couldn't deny her of that sleep when he knew how badly she needed it. It's like the words he'd previously said were a spell he'd casted, because she'd already gone completely limp in his arms. He could feel her soft breaths at the side of his neck. 

She was definitely asleep. 

Slowly, he walked towards his office chair, taking a seat with the kid still on him, making sure he didn't wake her up as he leaned back on the seat.

For the next thirty minutes he stayed like that, sat on his chair, back rested with her head under his chin, sprawled on top of his chest like he was the bed in question. One of his hands held her up against him, the other keeping busy with a pencil in his hand, jotting down notes from a few medical documents he was looking at on his laptop. Just because there was a sleeping child on him, did not mean he could slack off on work. 

He would've probably paralyzed himself forever, or just sat there until the kid probably woke up herself and wanted out of his arms, but to his luck (or lack thereof), after thirty minutes, the door to his office opened. 

In came Scar, with Reina trailing behind him. The both of them had that exact same look on their faces when they set their eyes on him— confusion mixed in surprise. 

“She's here for the kid. Figured I'd show her in.” Scar cleared his throat. 

Ekko nodded, pencil dropping from his hand “Thanks.” 

Reina then walked forward, approaching the desk a bit more “I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt uh.. whatever this is.” she gestured to him. 

He laughed — it was soft, airy. The vibration of his chest bouncing Isha slightly on top of him.

“She had a little fit and then fell asleep.” he shrugged, his voice low as to not wake the girl just yet“I know she hasn't slept much so I just.. let her.” 

“Ah.” Reina nodded, pressing her lips “Then I suppose I should thank you. I do wonder how she fell asleep on you in the first place, when she refuses to even get in bed other times, but.. kids are just kids, I guess.” 

“Yeah.” he murmured “And I didn't mind it much, no worries.” 

Reina narrowed her eyes at him, while Ekko looked past her, back to Scar who was still standing at the threshold “Will you go pick up her bunny? I think either Gert or Zeri should have it.” 

“Alright.” Scar raised his brows, nodding before leaving the room. 

While they waited, Reina hadn't snatched her eyes away from him once. 

And when she spoke up, she looked a little off to the side, her voice reflective in a way he’d never witnessed before “Funny how the ones with the softest hands always second-guess holding a life, while others drop them without looking back.” 

He furrowed his eyebrows, caught off guard, didn't know what to say. And she didn't say anything else either. Didn't apologize for coming off in a certain way, for crossing that personal boundary in what was strictly a professional relationship.

But he didn't require that of her either. He just sat there in silence, a bit dumbfounded by the comment. What did that mean for him in this instance? What exactly were Reina’s intentions here— were they pure or looking to simply get a kid off her back? 

He didn’t know, he’d probably never fucking know, but right now.. that tone of voice almost made him believe that she meant what she said. Maybe there was more to it, things she’d witnessed in her career that he hadn’t ever even thought about. Maybe she saw something in him he was simply blind to see? 

Was he blind, or was he acting blind? How could he even begin to think about shit like that with everything he had on his plate, and all that he was missing from his life? He couldn’t fathom it, even picture that sort of life until he was way older. Was he just.. scared? 

He wanted to say something, didn't know what. His lips parted but nothing came out, and before he knew it,  the door cracked open once again and Scar walked in, dropping the bunny off on top of his desk.

Ekko nodded towards him in a grateful manner, and maybe it was that movement, or maybe she'd already been awake for a while now, but she moved, head lifting off his chest, eyelids heavy, squinting up at him as he looked down at her. Her curls were a little bit squished on the side she'd slept on him, messy yet soft. She looked absolutely adorable. 

Still quite tired, still sleepy. Thirty minutes weren't nearly enough to replace all the sleep she wasn't getting.

But she was already awake now, and it was time to go. He couldn't ask for better timing.. right? So why was he so hesitant to let go? Why did he want to keep holding onto her, let her find a safe space within his chest while he counted the tiny freckles dotting her nose?

“Time to go now, Isha.” he watched the expression on her face as he spoke, all mellow and soft.

She shifted in his arms, furrowed her eyebrows slightly, then turned her head— noticing Reina’s presence. Instead of stretching and peeling herself off of him though, her head fell right back on his chest with a soft thud, as she let out a tiny whine, almost like a hungry kitten looking for its mom.

“You and I both.” Reina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. 

Scar couldn't help but laugh. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

He didn’t know why, but those were stuck with him. They were with him the entirety of the day after at work, when he got home and hugged Jinx, and then again in the morning as he woke up, heading out for a shift at the hospital. 

He hated how much he let them consume him. He thought over to what he was doing, if it was good enough, if he truly could begin to see himself in that different of a light, if he could step up just like that and I’d all be a smooth transition. 

He thought of the fuck-ups too, where that vision didn’t fit, why, when would it ever be able to fit? He thought himself unfit to have these thoughts right now, despite his expertise. Caring for children in general and having your own, were not similar in the slightest. Two different worlds, two different roles. 

But what did that social worker even know about it anyway? Why was she insistent? Why was he even still fucking thinking about this? 

It didn’t matter— he had to get that through his head and let it go for the sake of his work, as he’d felt lost in his own mind since the previous day, unable to concentrate on his list of tasks as well as he usually did.

Unfortunately for him, he was still thinking about the whole situation as the afternoon rolled around, while also helping one of his other kids tie his shoes. His job didn’t help with the confliction really — it made it worse.

He thought of Scar and how he’d felt about being a father at his age, how he’d settled into the role, wondering if he’d be the best person to seek advice from if he ever… considered it.

But even speaking of such a thing felt too huge of a thing to just do. Was he being ridiculous to even think about it in such a serious way? 

As if his own thoughts had summoned the man, he walked right through the classroom door with an announcement “Big boss, your girl's here.” 

Everyone in the room perked up at the words, Zeri raising her eyebrows in surprise, Rumi cocked her head to the side in confusion, Ethan raising a brow and Gert looked up from the kid she was helping and up at Scar. 

For all they knew, their boss did not have a ‘girl’. 

They were all in the room, as previously asked to by Ekko who needed some extra help with the grumpy preschoolers, considering things were mostly calm at the rest of the center anyway.  

Ekko furrowed his eyebrows, just as confused as he spoke “My…” 

She peeked in first—just her head, that grin, and a playful flutter of her fingers by the threshold as Scar walked off.

“Jinx.” his smile widened, and he lifted up from his previous kneeling position on the floor, already done tying the kid’s shoes as he ran off. Any previous confusion in his mind was deleted automatically, as other thoughts fogged up his brain.

She stepped over the threshold, letting her hips sway in a slow, teasing circle, like punctuation on her entrance, her braids swaying with her motion, one thrown over her shoulder, the other behind her back.

But she didn't walk up to him. No, she crossed one ankle over the other, leaning behind that door, eyes scanning the room as she let him approach instead. 

When she knew he was within reach, she finally threw him a look “Impressive as always, boy saviour.” 

He wasn't sure what she was referring to. Perhaps it had to do with the building or the business, as she'd never been inside before. Her eyes seemed to scan the surroundings in faint interest, taking in the environment. 
He didn’t care about any of it right now. The only words he could think to say being:

“You made it.” 

His heart was practically at his throat. He'd been waiting for this day for a while now, not pressuring her by any means, but he couldn't wait for her to come to the center, looking forward to her reunion with Isha too. 

And now she was here. In a way, it looked off.. like his personal life bleeding all over his professional one. Her being here.. that shouldn't be what it felt like, but it was. 

He quite liked seeing her here though. She looked cute, wearing a denim mini dress that cut right over her hips. Medium-wash, high collar, with a fitted, structured silhouette that didn't fail to execute the shape of her body. 

A zipper at the center of it, trailing all the way down, yet zipped up to the center of her chest, showing off the slight curve of her boobs. 

Those fluttering fingers before, looking pretty decorated by black, lace-up fingerless gloves, ribbon running through eyelets. 

His eyes trailed down to her thighs again, still thinking about the short cut of the dress. Her sheer stockings, only leaving a slight bit of her upper thigh uncovered, tempting. 

Then, those slouchy leg warmers on top, topped with a cream frilly trim peeking out, from underlying built-in lace.

☾ https://pin.it/2IOSAtQiB

She looked good, so good he couldn't even begin to imagine the view from behind, with the cut of that dress, but he had to maintain some dignity, so he pushed that thought away. He could recognize his best friend was attractive and had a sick sense of style without.. well, wanting her.

But his eyes lifted from her chest to meet her gaze, she was smirking like she already knew the exact effect she’d have on him, because it was expected.. it came with who she was. 

A little minx.

“How?” he questioned, ignoring the inappropriate thoughts running through his mind, about no one other than his friend. 

It was the best way to cope. He couldn’t let himself slip up again, couldn't afford to.

“Told Vicky I had a thing, and ran all the way here.” she shrugged like it was nothing. He raised a brow, skeptical. Viktor? Accepting ‘a thing’ as an excuse for missing work? 

“I do have to go to work on Saturday, though, of course.” she pressed her lips, looking away from him. 

He chuckled. 

Yeah.. that was more like it. 

“Ya’ hurried so fast you didn't notice all this on your nose?” he laughed, hand to her cheek, thumb smearing the smudge of soot and oil streaking the bridge of her nose, evidence of the fact that she hadn’t slipped off work so easy, not without working on something anyway. 

She scrunched her nose in some kind of protest, pulling her head away slightly, then rolling her eyes at him. 

Kids were still chatting in the background, now a little louder, some pointing fingers towards the new face, some disinterested. 

And then there were Gert and Zeri, who'd since moved a little closer to each other, exchanging whispers, no better than the kids they were taking care of. Zeri pulled at Scar’s sleeve as if he had all the context they were missing.

Even Rumi and Ethan exchanged a look. It was odd to see Ekko in this light. He'd never looked twice in anyone's direction, but his eyes had been all over her the second she walked in. 

It made sense, the girl looked like a model, but.. that wasn’t it, there was something else there. The smile spoke for itself, that simple gesture of touch showing how comfortable they were with each other. 

They looked comfortable, cute and… familiar, so maybe Scar was right. Maybe he had had a secret ‘girl’ this whole time. 

Hearts were broken all around, hopes and dreams crushed, because who didn't have a boss- employee fantasy when your boss was that hot? Zeri was but human, after all. 

“Whatever, not like I’m not here to see you anyway.” she crossed her arms, shrugged, leaving out a tiny huff. 

He grinned, completely unbothered “Oh yeah? Well for now, I’m all you’re gonna get.” 

Jinx raised an eyebrow at that, the amusement on her face faltering for just a frightening second “Am I late again?” 

His heart ached at her question, the smug smile on his face turning into a tiny, genuine one, furrowing his brows.

He leaned in, just slightly, lowering himself as his forehead bumped hers playfully “She’ll be here any minute, Blue.”

The smile bloomed on her face, now twice as big. He couldn’t help but grin back at her as he pulled away, but then he noticed her fix her face, weaving a hand in his direction “Right, I figured.” 

He rolled his eyes, clearing his throat “Anyway.” he pointed towards the rest of his staff, that up until now he hadn’t noticed, had had their eyes on him “Quick introductions— that's Zeri, Gert, Ethan and Rumi.” 

Jinx's eyes followed Ekko's finger, analyzing every face he pointed out like she was trying to memorize anything suspicious about the bewildered or perplexed stares they stared at her with.

“This is Jinx.” his hand landed on her shoulder. He squeezed her there, a warm, friendly gesture. His hand big enough to cover the entirety of her shoulder. 

Everyone either sent her a nod of acknowledgment, or a friendly weave. She raised a brow, then looked back up at Ekko “I’m not remembering all that.” 

Ekko sent her a scolding glare, and she hummed in amusement at the sight. God, how she enjoyed seeing him angry. 

Everyone found that a bit odd too. No ‘nice to meet you?’ no ‘how are you?’

Scar didn't blink. He was too used to Jinx's antics by now. 

“And you guys…” Zeri struggled to put her question into words “she is…” she let the sentence trail off, eyes shifting from Ekko to Jinx. She was nervous to look at the blue haired girl in the eye, mostly because she felt her piercing gaze on her the second those few words left her mouth, a faltering uncertainty behind them.

Gert raised her eyebrows. Leave it to Zeri to ask the important questions, though Scar had pretty much said as much. I mean the answer was obvious, wasn’t it?

“The reason he’s still single.” the blue hair girl replied with a mischievous, playful grin, cocking her head to the side, the tip of her tongue peeking out, pressed to her upper lip.

Ekko’s jaw went slack.

He hadn’t expected that answer, but Jinx had always been unpredictable.

The worst of it wasn’t that, it was the way the words made him react, like she’d brushed the dust clean off from a truth he’d always turned away from. Like she’d exposed him completely, the confidence behind her words enough to manipulate a man into thinking she was right about any given thing.

But when his eyes fell on her, spotting that silly grin, he knew she was cracking up at her own joke in her head.

A joke.

Yes.

But Zeri hadn’t seemed to fully grasp it, the same amount of confusion on her face as the one on Ekko’s. She’d asked a question to clear things up, not to gain more questions. But here she was, even more conflicted now, wondering if this was somehow an inside joke between the couple, or if it was the truth.. that Ekko was still single, but maybe not in his own mind. 

What both of those options had in common? Neither seemed platonic. 

“Jinx, remember?” Jinx shrugged, turning to Ekko now “Can’t be surprised about bad luck if you keep hanging out with me.” 

Oh.. was that what she meant?

“It’s got nothing to do with luck.” he hissed. 

He hated every time she talked about herself that way. Heard it too many times, but if there was one thing at the end of the day that he was certain of.. was that she was no Jinx. 

Jinx turned to him, lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but was swiftly interrupted by the door opening behind them once again. 

There was a good distance between them and the threshold at this point, but they did stand perfectly at the front of it, so when they turned… their eyes immediately set on the blonde woman standing there, dressed in a body-con dress, hair up in a claw clip, make up perfectly applied— not a smudge in sight. 

Reina.

Ekko smiled, Jinx stared at her with furrowed brows, like she hadn’t expected to see her despite knowing she’d most likely be the one to bring Isha to the center. She hadn’t thought about that too much, figured Isha would already be here when she came by, and therefore she wouldn’t have to see the social worker. 

But for once in her life, she’d been early.

“Good afterno..” Reina trailed off as she came face to face with Jinx. The surprise obvious on her own face now too “Oh! Miss LaRue.” 

The woman was beautiful. After a while of not seeing her, it was easy to forget about the fact, but Miss LaRue truly had a special essence about her, from the way she looked to the way she moved and how she spoke.

Jinx didn’t say a word to her back, eyes casted down, trailing from her figure to the younger, smaller one standing next to her. She wore a pair of loose, seemingly oversized black pants, and a similarly big t-shirt, a pale greyish-blue, the short sleeves of which reached right down to her wrists. Hair messy in her signature baby curls.

And then there were her eyes… practically blunging out of her head at the sight of Jinx. Lips parted too, half in shock- half in the sort of fascination the little girl was too young to grasp. She seemed frozen. 

Jinx was pretty sure Reina said something to her— something about not understanding her own surprise at her presence, considering she was Ekko’s roommate. Ekko replied, said something too. They laughed.

But her eyes lingered on Isha, the same way the little girl seemed to stare back at her. A smile had lined her lips, the ghost of the emotion sneaking up on her unconsciously.

The smile was knowing, perhaps a bit sly, cat-like, and then.. playful. 

She lifted her arm in the direction of the young girl, pointed two fingers her way. Shot her wrist up, a silent ‘Pew’ mouthed through her lips, like an inside joke, a reference no one else would understand. 

Reina furrowed her brows at the gesture, finding it slightly concerning. Jinx hadn’t as much as spoken a word back to her, and she was now mimicking shooting a gun. It was odd, and confusing, but before she could word out her thoughts, her eyes laid on the little girl next to her. 

The one that still stared at Jinx like she was a fairy princess come to life, or some kind of mermaid you’d read about in a children’s book. Then her lips— they twitched, corners lifted in a smile that seemed shaky, yet unmistakingly there.

Her eyes twinkled, and then.. she bolted. 

It caught everyone off guard. 

Careless, desperate, a force had crushed right against Jinx’s legs. The squeeze of little hands at the back of her knees. Her face squished between her legs.

It felt.. familiar. 

So she didn't stumble. It didn't take her by surprise this time. 

She just smiled, laughed, then placed a hand over top of her brown curls, pushing the kid slightly away as she crouched down to her level, so as not to hurt her. 

The little girl had tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Jinx wasn't sure why. Didn't know if the tears were good or bad, or if they had anything to do with her. 

Despite everything, she didn't know how to handle them, so instead of trying to comfort her and fail, she let out a tiny giggle “We gotta stop meeting like this.” 

And Isha matched her smile almost immediately, throwing herself in her arms now, hands twined behind her neck as she reached up. 

Jinx pulled her in, squeezed her tighter. 

Ekko was confused. How the hell she'd managed to avoid those tears was beyond him. How Isha had replicated her smile even when she was on the brink of tears was surprising too.

But nevertheless, the sight filled his heart to the brim. Everything he'd done up to this point, well worth it, at his reward. 

Watching the girls reunite like they'd been kept apart unfairly, despite not having much of a relationship otherwise. 

Jinx couldn't deny the warmth at the center of her chest, the genuine smile lining her lips at the gesture. Why this little girl seemed so taken by her was well beyond her knowledge. She probably deserved none of it, but she'd take it for now. 

She'd tolerate it, that was all. 

Isha's embrace was just as desperate, just as tight as last time. They hugged for longer than necessary, but when Jinx tried to pull back, the little girl refused. 

Ah.. so this was going to be an ongoing issue then. 

Instead of forcing her off, she rolled her eyes, found no point in pushing her away now. The next words that left her mouth seemed sarcastic, with a hint of amusement to them “Like gum to a shoe.” 

An arm wrapped around her bottom, effortless in the way she usually moved, lifting the girl in her arms with her. 

Ekko was full on grinning now— he’d already known Isha liked Jinx quite a bit, but he hadn’t expected the same amount of clinginess to make a reappearance, similar to the way they’d been right after Reina had taken her from their house. 

And Reina was thinking of the same thing, though twice as conflicted, not understanding how the ‘Pew’ gesture had turned into this… into Isha’s smile seeming so bright after god knows how long, the kid in the blue girl’s arms like she was some sort of long lost family member. 

It made no sense.. and that disturbed her, because she didn’t enjoy mysteries. It was as if a  piece of the puzzle had gone missing, preventing her from seeing the bigger picture. 

“Well someone seems excited.” she forced a smile.

Jinx’s eyes lifted to meet hers again, now holding the kid between her arms like.. like she was hers.

Or was her own perception of the scene skewed? Maybe there was nothing there that necessarily indicated that, maybe she was reading too much into an embrace.

But there was yet another on-looker befuddled by the situation. Scar had questions, many questions. 

“Guess we’re friends now.” Jinx hummed, an amused smile on her face as she stared back at Reina. 

“I guess so.” she laughed, then weaved a hand towards Ekko “I’m taking it as Miss LaRue will be looking over her too today?” 

“Sure hope so.” Ekko laughed, lifting a hand and patting Isha’s back as she still clung to Jinx “I’ve had a hectic day already, and she seems to like her better anyway.” 

It was hard for Isha to interact with any other adult there apart from Ekko. The past few days, though Ekko had been mostly present, the rest of his staff had tried to interact with her too, the same way they did with the rest of the kids.

She wouldn’t even meet their eyes, so to say that everyone who witnessed the scene were astonished, would be an understatement. Whispers about Jinx’s possible connection to Isha murmured back and forth. How did Ekko fit into that equation? Why did nothing seem to make sense?

“She’s got great taste.” Jinx teased, eyes lifting to meet Ekko’s.

Ekko shook his head, smiling at her. 

He couldn’t deny that one.

Reina looked back and forth between them, raising a brow before she spoke up “Well then, I’ll be on my way.” 

Similar to every other time, she took Isha’s bunny out of her own bag to hand it to her “Sweetheart, here’s the bunny.” 

It was as if the girl had suddenly gone deaf. Not one reaction from her, little face remained snuggled to Jinx’s neck.

Reina couldn’t even know what she looked like. Was she smiling? Was she still crying? Was she getting sleepy? 

“I’ll hold onto that.” Ekko offered, and she nodded, simply handing him the plushie instead. 

Jinx found it odd the bunny had been on her instead of Isha in the first place, but she didn’t speak a word of it.

“Right well, see you in a bit.” she weaved a hand, turned, then left the room, door closing behind her. 

“Well well..” Ekko smirked, walking up to Jinx as he stared down at the kid in her arms “Look at you.” 

“Whisper a word about it, you’re dead.” she pointed up at him, completely serious too.

“Jinx knows about the girl?” 

The two turned towards Scar who’d once again approached, and Jinx almost hissed through her teeth.

Right, Scar was here, and he was very much part of their friend group. 

If he did talk about this to everyone else, I’d be the same situation as with his baby when she’d held him, except maybe worse, maybe even more awkward and embarrassing, because her siblings had a bad habit of overreacting about the littlest of things.

God, how did one even start to explain the chain of events that had led them to this, here, today.

Scar waited for the answer as he looked in between the two. He thought he knew everything.. apparently, he didn't know shit. 

Ekko had clearly kept some critical information for himself here. He thought Ekko watching over that specific girl was a bit odd, but chalked it up to the special circumstances the girl had been in, and his overall need to care.

When he saw him walk into that office with the girl restless, sobbing in his arms, he started doubting if it was only that. Started questioning that theory, but not quite out loud yet.

Now it seemed Jinx knew the girl too. How? Why? 

Ekko seemed perplexed for completely different reasons, raising a brow back at Scar “The girl?” 

Why had he specified it that way? Like his relationship with this kid was particularly special to the others among his little firelights. 

Jinx’s eyes flickered over to Scar “Technically, knew her before him.” 

“What?” Scar’s eyebrows shot up. 

Why hadn't they talked about this at the bar? Did Vi know? Did they discuss this whole thing on one of the days he wasn't there? 

“Long story. I'll explain later.” Ekko weaved him off. 

Gert and Zeri suddenly got excited, knowing they'd be all over Scar’s ass until he told them exactly every word of the story. 

The fact that he didn't even know was weird. If he hadn't told Scar, he truly hadn't told anyone.That was his brother. More family than a friend. 

Isha then finally lifted her head off of Jinx’s neck, rubbing at one of her eyes. Jinx’s eyes flickered to her face, so close she could count every damn freckle on that cute little nose of hers. 

“Who dressed you like this?” Jinx questioned the little girl, pulling at the fabric of her pants “It’s a fashion crime.” 

There was oversized for the sake of fashion, put together, well-flowing, and then there was whatever the hell they’d thrown on the kid today.

To be fair, Ekko hadn’t noticed much difference between the outfits she wore from the first day. It was mostly a variation of the same pants, different tops, some days it was the same exact outfit. This was the first day she was wearing two pieces he hadn’t seen yet. 

Isha had her thumb in her mouth, shrugging at the question way too casually. 

It made Ekko hold back a laugh. 

Jinx had been holding a hand behind her back for a minute now, and when she brought it forward, he noticed Isha’s hat. Ekko didn’t know when the hell she’d even taken it from her bag, but he was glad she remembered to take it in the first place.The thought had missed him completely. 

“Here.” Jinx grinned, placing the hat over Isha’s head, before pulling at the edge of it, hiding her eyes in the process “Now you’re much more fashionable.” 

Isha gasped, little hands flying to the top of her head to touch the hat. She pulled it off her eyes, now letting out a giggle as she looked back at Jinx. 

Jinx bit at the bottom of her lip, in a sort of awe that was too hard to hide even for her.

And Scar found it surprising. Not the being good with kids part— he already knew that now, but at how easily Isha’s smile seemed to bloom at her every word. A giggle here, a smile there, like this wasn’t the same girl that just yesterday threw a whole fit over her homework. Like they hadn’t been the most careful they could be with her, not to trigger any strong emotions.

He’d never seen the girl happier, and he’d never seen Ekko look as whipped as he did right now, smiling at the girls just for the sake of.. smiling. He was certain it wasn’t voluntary, or he would’ve noticed and straightened himself out by now. 

But then there was a buzz, and Ekko pulled his phone out of the pocket of his pants, grimacing, before looking down at Jinx again.

“I gotta take this. You're gonna be good with her for a sec?” he questioned, before gesturing behind him to the toys "Help her stack some blocks together or something. Ask Scar if you need anything.”

“I think I'll be fine for a few minutes.” Jinx rolled her eyes at him, always so overly-reassuring in a way she’d probably find annoying on anyone else but him.

He chuckled, patting the top of her head before turning and heading out of the door. 

Jinx fixed the fly-aways on top of her head with her hand, sighing before looking down at Isha “Well.. you got any bright ideas?”

Isha shrugged once again.

“So nonchalant.” Jinx rolled her eyes, then put the kid down. 

Isha giggled at the comment, running towards her area of play. Jinx followed after her, and Scar ordered the rest of the staff to get back back to work, quit staring (though they pretended not to). The rest of the kids needed their attention before they got a little bit too rowdy. 

So everything went back to normal, except today Jinx sat on the floor with Isha instead of Ekko, talking to her like she was a fellow adult, explaining theories and concepts while she helped build the building blocks. 

The craziest part about it? Isha was fully invested, eyes flickering from her face to her hands that held the blocks, nodding as she started putting shapes together herself. 

Scar watched the two for a while from the other corner of the room, like watching the way they interacted could tell him anything about their relationship previous to today. 

When that didn’t work, he sat up and headed out of the door to find Ekko, maybe corner him until he spilled his guts. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

Jinx hadn’t known peace for the full two hours she’d been at the center. It wasn’t because the kids were loud, no, it was because Isha wasn’t the only preschooler absolutely taken aback with the length of her hair, the blue hue of it. 

She had kids coming from all types of different directions, asking annoying little questions or pulling on her hair. She was trying her best not to get overly stimulated, even letting the little hands touch her hair as long as they didn’t start fucking pulling on it, which Ekko had walked in on, after Scar had interrogated him in the hallway for thirty minutes or so. 
 
He’d found it odd, considering Jinx hated when strangers touched her hair, and though the expression on her face wasn’t particularly pleased, the scene spoke for itself. 

He’d discovered something new about his best friend. Something he should’ve probably already known, yet had somehow missed in the years they’d been together. 

She didn’t only tolerate kids. She liked them, and she didn’t like anyone in general. 

The realization had hit him like a truck, and he wasn’t able to stop smiling as he stared at her, huffing and rolling her eyes yet somehow still fixing the bow on Jen’s hair and entertaining Stace’s ridiculous questions.

Through it all, her focus still lingered on Isha, but the girl wore the same expression on her face, like the other kids surrounding them were annoying her more than they were annoying Jinx. 

Every time she’d pull at Jinx’s hand, demanding her attention for herself. Scrunching her nose when the other kids would sit too close to her, moving closer to Jinx like she wanted her all to herself. 

Ekko sighed, shook his head, then joined the group, shaking things up a little, splitting some kids in between them, taking them over so Jinx wouldn’t get frustrated at the attention. It could be a lot, especially for someone who didn’t interact with little suckers on the regular. 

Stace’s questions only seemed to get more ridiculous after his appearance, now questioning if Jinx truly was his ‘pretty and secret girlfriend.’

He ordered Ethan and Gert take over some of the kids between them at some point, distracting them with toys and games they’d make up on the spot. 

After that, the pressure seemed to lessen. The tension on Isha’s shoulders disappeared as she looked between Ekko and then Jinx, finally the focus of their attention now. The two proceeded to play with her, and the classes after were similar in that way. They moved on from free-play to arts and crafts, where Isha proudly showed off the shark she’d created the previous day, that Ekko had hung on the wall of the classroom. 

Then they proceeded to make something else, taking all kinds of liberties with the tools. Ekko and Jinx bickered about every little detail just as much as they laughed, which made Isha a lot more comfortable with their dynamic.

She seemed a bit more lively now, a little bit more accepting to different people too, like the other kids. 

They even solved a puzzle all together, obviously leaving Isha to do most of it as it was quite easy (age appropriate), and helping just where she was struggling, to aid her thinking and motor skills. 

And Isha had quite never paid as much attention to math as when Jinx explained it, using weird metaphors and exaggerations and making her giggle in the process. Ekko seemed way too pleased with the result, letting her take the reins on helping her with the work Ethan assigned to everyone. 

Predictably, she got sleepy, but this time there was no stress, frustration or any struggle behind it. 

The girl was lying on her belly on the floor (Ekko figured she worked better when she wasn’t restrained behind a desk), with a sheet of questions in front of her that Jinx would explain, and then she’d proceed to think, before checking off the answer.

Ekko sat nearby, talking to Scar about some business related ventures. 

Isha had shifted from her spot, while still in that same position she’d crawled her way to Jinx. Her head now lay on her lap, hand hanging off to one side holding a pencil, half-heartedly checking off answers.

After Jinx went on a little bit of a tangent of her own, she cracked a joke, expecting a giggle of some sort from the kid, but it never came.

She looked down at her lap, noticing Isha’s eyes were now fully closed, pencil long rolled off to the side. Her head laid peacefully on her upper thigh, small, even breaths coming from her little nose and slightly open mouth. 

The sight pulled at her heart strings in an uncomfortable manner, as she wondered how the hell the kid had managed to fall sleep in the middle of a classroom with so many other kids around too, everyone chatting, screaming and the occasional crying whale here and there

She pressed her lips, hand hovering the kid’s face. Then.. hesitated, before letting her fingers soothe over the softness of her cheek, once, twice…next, pushing some of the curls covering her eyes off her forehead.

Her heart clenched in her chest, and she bit down on her tongue. There was something a little odd.. perhaps special in a way about this little girl. Special enough to remind her of memories from her own childhood, that made her shudder.

Before the thought took reign of her mind, Ekko spoke up, having suddenly noticed Isha asleep on Jinx’s lap, when he’d turned his attention away from Scar.

“She fell asleep again.” he claimed.

Jinx swallowed down her feelings, licking her lips as her eyes found Ekko’s “Again?”

“She fell asleep yesterday too. She doesn’t get a lot of shut-eye in general.” he explained. 

The corner of her lip lifted slightly “We have that in common.” 

Ekko figured they had a lot more things in common than that, but he didn’t comment on it.

“She needs daily naps.” he sighed “We have nowhere to put her down though.” 

Scar hummed at that, before shrugging “I can move one of the armchairs from Zeri’s classroom to your office and we can get her a blanket.” 

Ekko raised a brow at that, then turned to Scar, nodding “That’s.. actually a good idea.” 

After the boys dealt with that whole thing, she needed to figure out how to actually take her there without ruining her nap. 

Jinx looked down at the little kid that was still miraculously asleep, before very carefully and gently— the most gentle Ekko had ever seen her be, sneak her hands underneath her body, lifting her slightly, cradling her head as she rolled her over, so she was facing up.

The kid did move slightly on her own, and she looked like she was about to wake up when one of her hands reached up to Jinx’s chest. 

But she didn’t move again, so Jinx just pulled her in further, standing up slowly with her in her arms now, ignoring Ekko’s and Scar’s stares as she passed by them, the heat already catching up to her cheeks.

She didn’t even know why she let this sort of attention affect her. Maybe because it had to do with a side of her no one, not even herself, even knew she had until she’d properly interacted with a little gremlin for more than a few minutes.

There was nothing too special about it, nothing mushy in the way they were thinking it. That smile on Ekko’s made only made her want to kick him.

She was not soft. This was not her. 

Maybe she was acting without realizing it, doing what was expected of her as a woman… yet again, she’d never bent to those social ideals her entire life. 

So this was widely confusing and annoying— which is why, she shoved the thoughts out of her head as she set Isha down on the armchair. She was small enough that she had space there, but she still scrunched up like a little worm as Jinx set her down, tucking in a soft blanket at her sides.

It was dark and silent enough that she’d be fine here for a few minutes, so Jinx lifted, didn’t allow herself to linger and stare, instead quietly walking up the threshold Ekko leaned against, watching her with that weird expression on his face again. 

His smile almost too soft and sweet. It made her insides melt right with it. She hated the vulnerability of it, wanted some sort of distraction to push it all away.

Thankfully, he didn’t say a word as he let her pass by next to him, closing the door to his office behind her in the process. His arm remained on the handle, stretched out as he leaned in close to her ear “You’re good at that, ya’ know?” 

Jinx grinded her teeth, eyes snapping back to his with the fury of a thousand suns “Say that again and you’re losing your dick.” 

Ekko raised a brow, but didn’t comment on it, a smug look taking over his face. He expected nothing less for his words

Before he could say anything, the two looked away from each other as they heard the hurried footsteps of someone down the hallway. 

Then.. she stopped right in front of them.

Reina, except..  she was thirty-five minutes early. 

Ekko let go of the handle behind Jinx’s back, slightly confused, as they faced her serious gaze.

“I need to talk to you.. both of you.”

Jinx and Ekko exchanged a look.

Chapter Text

“Uh.. yeah.. sure” 

Ekko wasn't sure what else to say. He stared at Reina like she'd popped out of nowhere, because in a way.. she had. 

He didn't know what warranted her presence so all of a sudden, wearing that serious of a look, but he found himself suddenly getting nervous at all the possibilities this whole thing could be about. 

Jinx didn't speak up, but she had an eyebrow raised, waiting for the woman to go on so they could all move on with their day. Why Reina would want to speak to her as well was confusing, but hey… maybe she’d found something in her records relating back to Jinx and thought she was a danger to the people around her. 

Boo fucking hoo. 

“Sorry if that seemed... abrupt.” Reina then cleaned her throat, straightened up her shoulders “I'm assuming the little girl is with the other kids?” 

“She's asleep again, actually.” Ekko spoke up, pointing behind him at the door of his office. 

Reina raised a brow. 

“On an armchair this time.” he added some context. 

Jinx furrowed her eyebrows, looking up at Ekko — where the hell was she sleeping last time? 

“Ah.” Reina nodded, a small smile on her face “Well then, there's no better time.” 

“For what?” Jinx spoke up now. 

Hurry up lady, I don't have all day. 

“Uh..well I did some research.” she started explaining “I found something out about the girl—” 

Her sentence was interrupted by a high pitched scream of a kid running right past them and down the hallway. 

Reina craned her neck looking back at the sudden disturbance, while Jinx raised her eyebrows in surprise. 

“Sorry.” Ekko apologized to Reina, before yelling in the direction of the boy “Get back in class, Aden!” 

“I got it!” Gert yelled out instead, and Ekko turned to see Gert running down the hallway right after him. 

Jinx snorted a laugh at the scene, covering her face with the palm of her hand right after, wanting to hide her grin. 

Ekko looked down at her, noticing as she tried to contain her giggles and he pressed his lips, looking back at Reina again “There's an empty classroom two doors down.” 

She nodded. 

So they headed straight for it. Once inside, Reina let out a sigh, clasping her hands together like a teacher about to start class “Right, well.. let me explain myself better.”

Ekko nodded. Jinx let out a sigh, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as she started fidgeting with the rings on her fingers.

“This regards Isha’s attachment to Miss LaRue.” she gestured towards Jinx.

Jinx glanced up to Reina immediately— that sentence alone enough to grab her attention. It was also something she’d been wondering about herself, though she liked to believe Isha was like that with everyone.. maybe it was just a bit more obvious when it came to her. She didn’t know what to think at this point.

She didn’t know what way Reina was looking to discuss it either. 

“There’s something to be said about it. I’m sure we’ve all noticed.” she looked up at Ekko, shrugging slightly. “I didn’t find it significant enough to mention it originally, thought it was maybe a coping mechanism or adoration contributed to the missus' heroic actions that day.”

There’s that word again.

She grimaced. 

“While that might still be a factor, it’s no longer the only one.” she nodded, glancing back and forth between the two.

“What do you mean?” Ekko was quick to question, furrowing his brows. 

“I realized this morning when the two reunited that that attachment was still there despite the separation for that period of time.” she explained “ It surprised me— I thought I might be missing something, so when I left I did some digging through Isha's records. I didn't think I’d find anything.. but I did.” 

Jinx pressed her teeth to her bottom lip, biting hard. She had a bad feeling about this now— didn't want to keep listening to whatever was about to come out of her mouth. It couldn’t be good, the fact that she even felt the need to look into it was enough of an indication. 

Her eyes shifted, focusing on Jinx as the next words left her lips.

 “It has to do with her biological mother.” 

Jinx blinked, held her breath, clenched her fists at her sides. 

It wasn’t even the words, it was the way she was saying them, deliberate, slow, focused, and mostly on her. 

It felt like being kept up in the air with no safety net. Just waiting for that dreadful, threatening fall, like cutting the string off a puppet. Snip, bye bye.  

Ekko crossed his arms, biceps clenching at the movement, drawing Reina’s eyes to them— just a slight glance. He didn’t notice, sneaked a look back down at Jinx himself, slightly concerned about the whole thing.  

How did Jinx in any way relate to Isha’s biological mother, when the kid herself had barely even made contact with her.  

“Wrenne Bénie.” Reina cleared her throat, before sighing “There were details to her story, though it was cut short after Isha's birth.” 

Jinx and Ekko looked back at her. 

“She didn't pass immediately. She got to hold her daughter for a few days after birth as she tried to recover. Obviously, her condition only got worse, but that didn't mean those days weren't precious to both of them. The nurses at that hospital were quoted saying the kid was almost always on her.” Reina pressed her lips into a thin line “Isha might not have known her mother, but she knows what she felt like. I think a part of her still remembers, though she might not be aware of it completely.” 

Jinx's mouth went dry, and there was a burn at the pit of her stomach, like a parasite trying to eat her from the inside out. 

Why would she say all this? Why tell them now? Why tell at all? 

Similar questions ran in Ekko's mind too, searching for answers. His heart hurt for the child… for Isha, but her mother, who never got to see her grow older too. 

“One more interesting thing about the mom.” Reina hesitated, clenching her teeth, before she let out a breath “Her hair was coloured bright blue” 

It felt like a punch to the gut. 

Jinx’s eyes widened, Ekko looked back down at her again.

Those words, Reina’s stare was locked on her just the same as she created a connection between her and Jinx. The possibility that it was never really even about who she was anyway, just her blue hair and a baby’s hazy memories, faintly recalling her mommy. 

She wanted to cry. 

“But that's…” Ekko tried to protest, sounded breathless, his own mind a scramble as he own mind refused to believe the story she was telling “You think she—” 

“I think.” Reina nodded “That's all. This is just an assumption, just something to note. I talked to Isha's therapist after I found out, and she agreed that it could be a factor into how Isha interacts… how she sees Miss LaRue.” 

Oh, she was feeling sick now. 

Her face felt hot beyond belief, her body shaky, her stomach weaker than before, bile rising in her stomach. 

It made her skin itch. It made her uncomfortable, and she felt terrible. She didn't know who she felt more sorry for—Isha or her miserable self.  

“She said it's plausible that a newborn could form an early association with the color blue, especially if it was a prominent feature of her biological mother. Here's how she explained it in a neurological and physical sense—” Reina looked up at Ekko, then her eyes shifted to Jinx again “It’s called early sensory imprinting. Newborns are very responsive to sensory input—touch, smell, voice, and even high-contrast visual elements. While a newborn’s vision is still developing, strong colors or contrasts, like vivid blue hair against paler skin can stand out. If her biological mother had bright blue hair and held the baby to her chest frequently even for just a couple of days…it's possible for a visual-sensory association to form.” 

Ekko let out a sigh, shaking his head. 

He was greatly aware of how a visual-sensory association worked, though it could be particular in its cases. I’d never occurred to him that Isha’s situation was anything of the sort. I mean who the hell would even think of that as a possibility in the first place? What were the chances that Wrenne had blue hair? 

What Reina said were mere facts. It was just biology in that sense— a connection formed by the nature of a child and their mother. There was something so outstanding about it. The concept fascinated him, just like the medical side of everything always had. 

But… this wasn't just a concept, it was a reality for someone like Isha. 

“I’m sure Mr. Durand could tell you better.” Reina gestured towards him “But while conscious memory doesn’t start forming until around age three, implicit memories like associations with smells, colors, or emotional states can form much earlier. Isha may not remember her mother or the hospital, but her brain might retain a positive emotional imprint linked to the color blue, especially if that time, being skin-to-skin with mom, warm, fed and held, was comforting.”

Jinx bit her tongue so hard the taste of iron filled her mouth.  

When was the last time that little girl had even felt loved in that way? Clearly, it was before she was able to even open her eyes. It was cruel what life had done to her— and her childhood hadn’t been the easiest either. She barely remembered her own biological mother. 

And sometimes.. she thought that was for the best. 

Her eyes had drooped down to the floor long ago, tears threatening to cloud her already hazy vision, dirtying her cheeks in black. 

This was so messed up. 

He reached out for her— Ekko’s hand clutching her shoulder, reminding her to stay present, reminding her that he was there too. She shut her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath, willing the tears away.

But Reina had no context, no idea how deeply it hurt for them too, so.. she continued to speak.

“So.. yeah, Isha could instinctively feel comforted or drawn to you, Miss LaRue, not only because you saved her, reinforcing that comfort.” her voice was softer now, no longer strictly matter of fact as she stared back at Jinx “But also because the blue might be a symbolic trigger for a buried emotional memory she might not know she even has.” 

She was speechless. Truly, utterly, speechless. 

And that didn't happen often. 

Because what could she say to that? I'm sorry? You're welcome? Should I dye my hair? Should I cut it off? Should I keep pretending that the kid loves me for me while knowing damn well it's because of my stupid hair? Should I keep lying to myself? Should I keep lying to her? 

Fuck. 

Fuck you. 

She could've done without that information, could've lived her entire life in ignorant bliss, at times a little bit suspicious about the connection but never thinking of it enough to do her research. Hell, she didn't even know if Isha would be part of her future like that, even as just a little friend she'd like to visit at the Ekko's Center from time to time. Anything could happen. 

It stung, and maybe that part didn't even have to do with Isha or the situation. Maybe it was her own fear of rejection seeping through, the fear that no one could truly just love her for her instead of the act that she was putting on that day. 

Silco used to love Jinx. His Jinx. She was no longer here. 

Vi used to love Powder. Baby Powder. She wasn't here either, hadn't been for a while.

Who even was she anymore?

Ekko stared down at Jinx, growing stressed at the expression on her face. That of hurt turned to anger, followed by.. just numbness. 

He was still processing Reina's words himself, still wondering if what she said was true or if it truly even had that large of an effect over Isha. 

Some signs pointed towards it— like her naturally being drawn to Blue, it being her favourite colour and all. That… that would now make sense, if she still vaguely recalled that color being the first thing she saw right after she was born.

And… and… 

He froze, as a different thought bled into his previous one. The words formed themselves before he could stop himself, as he looked down at Jinx, his voice soft, easy “Remember when I.. I mentioned she looks a lot like you as a kid.” 

Jinx's heavy eyes met his, looking drained of emotion.

But she nodded, so he continued “If she looks like you… then that means…” 

He didn't need to fill in the blanks. Her own mind did before he even had the chance to speak up again, as her lips parted in a sudden, silent gasp. 

“I look like her mom.” 

That was it. The simple fact she could no longer even deny herself. 

They hadn’t even needed to look at the picture of the woman— the implication was right there, staring at them in the face, and yet.. it left them astonished. 

What else was there to say?

The hair was one thing. Her face.. she couldn't change. 

It brought a whole new perspective forward. What was Isha thinking in her little head, when she'd seen her for the first time, running straight to her like that? When she'd gripped on for dear life? When she hid herself from her again— scared of a ghost she could barely recall?

It was an illusion. All of it. None of it was real, and the most fucked up truth of it all? 

The little girl would never even know herself.

“That…” Reina shook her head, just as shocked by the revelation as she looked away “That could be it.” 

The three stayed in silence then, just for a minute, processing everything being said, everything that once seemed simple, now complicated beyond belief. 

The silence was heavy, tense, and Jinx cracked under the pressure. She let out a harsh breath through her nose, grinding her teeth as her eyes lifted to meet Reina’s again. This time.. she saw red “And what the hell do you suggest we do about it?” 

Reina hadn’t expected the sudden harshness of her words, but as she stared at Jinx’s face, she knew she'd stepped too far into foreign territory. That face was not of anger, it was anguish, given retaliation. 

Her eyes narrowed. 

“Well, legally, I can't ask anything of you. Morally..” she raised an eyebrow “I see two options.” 

Jinx narrowed her eyes back at her, the glare evident on her face. 

“Since your relationship with the girl is already intertwined, the natural next step would be adoption.” she suggested. 

Jinx squeezed her eyes shut, rage suddenly fueling her from the inside. 

“Or, if you're not ready for.. admittedly such a drastic change, you stay away from her before she gets more attached to you, and refuses to get adopted by anyone else.” Reina shrugged like it was nothing “You could ruin this girl's entire life by just refusing the commitment.”

Ekko furrowed his eyebrows, jaw falling slack. Jinx didn't even know how to react anymore. She just wanted to laugh. 

“At the end of the day— and trust me, I've seen this happen before— she will see you as a mother figure more than whoever ends up adopting her. Then the adoptive parents cut you off to fix it. It’ll be worse the longer we wait.” 

A huff of air escaped through her nose, the sides of her lips lifting into a startling smile. She had the ability to chew her up and spit her out right there.. and any other time, she’d take it, oh, she’d take it. 

Not this time. Not here. She’d grind her teeth, lips sealed shut, because she couldn’t… wouldn’t ruin this for him too. 

She could be angry all she wanted, kick, scream and yell.. it was all useless, because while harsh, Reina's words held truth to them. This wasn't about her. It wasn't about the social worker either. It was about the child and her comfort and safety. 

It didn't surprise her that her absence would be what would be best for her in that regard. She'd always held onto the thought that so much of her family's lives would've been better without her here, and while Isha was.. not necessary in that category… she still had time to grow up and find herself. 

Rejection was hard, no matter which shape or form it took. It seemed no matter how much her gut told her to keep looking out for the girl, how much her mind kept her in her thoughts, that she needed to let go. She’d just held onto her again, and now she needed to let go. 

“No.” 

The voice was deep, cut-throat and harsh. It came from her side, belonging to someone she knew better than herself.

Reina's eyes lifted from Jinx, looking up at Ekko, and he was still clutching Jinx's shoulder, maybe tighter than before, now with a glare on his face.

She didn’t even twitch. 

“Excuse me?” Reina furrowed her own brows. 

“You heard me.” Ekko replied, then lifted a brow “If.. Powder so reminds Isha of her mother in that regard, why ask to separate them?” 

Her brow quirked up. Had he not heard what she'd been saying this entire time? 

This side of Ekk.. Mr. Durand, seemed.. foreign. It didn't make sense to the idea of him she had in her mind. That logical, responsible, capable, mature type of man. 

“This whole conversation was a guess on your part, in the first place.” he suggested, shrugged. 

Jinx's eyes lifted to meet his face, finding the crevice underneath his jaw in full view. 

She hadn't expected him to go against the social worker, that's for certain. Usually, it was in her character to retaliate, but in the one instance she'd kept her silence, accepted her fate — he'd stepped in like he couldn't let it happen for her. 

“We don't know what Isha feels like. We don't know if she reminds her of her mother necessarily as you’ve insinuated. Either way, she needs a sense of normalcy around her. If Jinx's presence provides one for now, I think that's fine. She needs a friend, maybe that’s all it’ll ever be.” he shrugged.

“But I don’t assume she sees Miss Powder here as a friend now does she?” she crossed her arms, arguing back. 

“Again, a simple assumption from you. She very much could grow to. I just have a feeling you’re stripping her of her potential by thinking more about the future than the now.” he bit out, threw his hands up “You’re just trying to make her more malleable so she’s easier to adjust to her new family, instead of them making room for her.” 

Reina gasped, a hand on top of her heart. She couldn’t even believe he’d gone there. 

“All I’ve ever wanted for that child was her safety. You’re insulting my capabilities to do my job by your accusations.” she grinded her teeth “Do you really think we’d be standing here arguing if I didn’t care?”

Jinx was wide-eyed, for once caught in a crossfire instead of directly being the cause of it. Ekko opened his mouth to argue back, but before a word left his lips, she turned to face him, stepping in the middle of him and Reina.

“Stop.”

Her hand was on his chest. Ekko’s eyes dropped to her, conflicted. 

“That’s enough, Ekko.” 

He frowned. Isn’t this what she wanted? Was he doing the wrong thing by just pointing out the flaws in Reina’s assumptions, and the things he’d noticed getting to know her? Was it so wrong to for once be honest? 

But Jinx looked pissed at him, as if he was the one to blame. Weren’t they supposed to be a team? This.. none of this seemed to be going the way they expected. This wasn’t how they usually dealt with conflict, but the occasion had switched their roles in an overwhelming way.

Their eyes remained locked, breathing rough and heavy, as if the conversation had taken its toll on both of them.  

Reina remained stagnant, her arms crossed, eyes shifting from him to her, picking up on a different type of undertone that she suspected had been there all along.

And then… the door behind Ekko cracked open. 

All eyes turned to it, to see Scar at the threshold. His index finger was gripped tightly by a tiny hand. The little girl’s curls were messy, eyes heavy with sleep. 

“Someone wasn’t too happy to be waking up alone. Thankfully Gert pointed me here.” he nodded, either oblivious to the intensity in their stares, or thinking it was in all in their favor if he just didn’t point it out.

Ekko exhaled once, eyes dropping to the frail girl next to him, nodding “Thanks.” 

Scar raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word as Isha let go of his hand. She was looking right past everyone, eyes locked on Jinx like she was the only person she was even capable of seeing.

And Jinx.. she stared back at her— her once careless attitude long gone. She seemed hesitant, avoidant in her stance and gaze, almost frozen in place, not knowing what to do.

Neither of them moved, none of the adults at least— it was up to the kid, and all she did was yawn once, rubbed at her eyes with her fists, before waddling sleepily over in Jinx's direction. 

Jinx swallowed down the knot in her throat, as her mouth went dry. Had this been a few minutes ago— before their conversation with Reina, this would've been fine. Now? Now it just felt.. it just felt like the kid was proving her point. 

She furrowed her eyebrows, grinded her teeth. The child wasn't taken back by the absence of warmth or the lack of a greeting, she still stood right in front of her — in the middle of Ekko and Jinx— her arms raised in the air like this was simply the new normal around here, being carried. 

Jinx stared down at those little hands, opening and closing in a request that seemed too young even for her. Her big, sleepy amber eyes staring up at her with a quickly forming pout to her face. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her. 

And.. she broke. 

All the previous emotion rose back right to the service, pushing away the ugly rage. She bent down ever so slightly, scooping her up in one go. 

Isha let out a tiny giggle as she did so, and Ekko simply stared. Jinx didn't meet his eyes, hugged the girl, eyes staring down at the ground between them. 

A single tear slipped down to her cheek, wiped before anyone else could notice, but he did, he saw it.

And she didn't turn to face Reina either. She wasn't prepared to meet the look on her face. I'd look too much like she'd won. 

She held onto her tears as well as she could, squeezing the giggly girl to her chest as if it was the last time.. because it was. 

And the entire time, she could no longer enjoy it. All she could think about was.. ‘You think I'm your mom, don't you?’

God, the fact that she could even be compared to such a figure, such a title, was laughable to her. A mother. She'd never be a mother, never thought she'd want that her entire life, never thought it a possibility, never really even fantasized about a wedding.

She had bigger things to worry about as a young girl, and now that she was older— more capable, finally free, she still had the same mindset. The domestic life had never been for her, and she couldn't lie to this kid, make her believe it was. 

Even if their assumptions about Isha were not factual, it wasn't right to operate under the idea that they could be. 

This.. this was a mess. 

Jinx patted her back, opened her eyes, as she spoke up— her tone light, as if the slip of the tear he’d seen had been an illusion “Alright, one last bye bye hug bunny.” 

She wasn't sure where the nickname came from. It was just easy for her mind to make connections between people and things— make up her own nicknames for each face. This was an instance. Tuff Tuff was staring right back at her, clutched in Scar’s right hand, along with Isha’s hat. 
Isha pulled her head away from her shoulder, looked up at her face, stiffened once, like her smart little brain had figured out the change in tone anyway.

Jinx stared straight at her with a tiny smile. 

She could understand now why Isha felt such a connection to her, but how did it make sense that she felt a connection with her too? It didn't make sense in her head, because none of it was logical in the first place. Her feelings were just a jumbled up mess she couldn’t even bother sifting through.

What was it about this tiny kid that cracked her facade so damn easily?

For a second there, it was silent. Ekko's hand lifted, palm pressing to Isha's head— covering the entirety of it from the back, as he ruffled her cute curls. 

Jinx’s eyes glanced up just in time to see the soft smile pressed to his lips as he did so, and Isha looked up at him in surprise, before giving him a toothy smile of her own. 

This was bad. 

The longer they lingered here, the worse it would be. She had to rip off the bandaid, let go. 

And as if Reina heard her thoughts, she spoke up behind her “Time to go, Isha.” 

The last thing she remembered before she left was Isha's face as she walked, stopping to turn and look back with every other step, Reina pulling her by the hand. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

She hadn't allowed herself a single tear until she got home, but the second she was through the threshold, she practically threw the keys to the wall and let out a scream, clutching her face with her hands as the flood of tears streamed down her face. 

She didn't know why she was even crying. When did all of this even start affecting her so much? She'd barely spent time with that little girl and yet the thought of never seeing her again reinforced some more negative thoughts in her head— self-hatred at the center of it. 

Jinx. 

As long as she held that name, she'd never be anything different for anyone else. This was for the best. Reina was right— it needed to be done. 

It didn't make it suck less. No, it made it worse. 

So she cried and cried. 

Cried about what Isha had been through, the cards she’d been dealt with, cried about feeling useless at helping her though she wished to do nothing but that— almost like she was a reflection of herself, and she was trying to save little Powder all over again, but failing, making it all worse by just merely exiting. 

And she cried for herself, for her sister, for her brothers and what they’d all been through, because the whole thing had triggered it. She knew what it was like to be the child whose fate was up in the air, being discussed by adults making decisions you couldn’t make, and now she also knew what it was like being that adult, trying to solve these issues to no avail. 

And she cried for Ekko, because she knew how hard he’d been trying, knew how hard he’d always tried his entire life. He deserved better too— his heart spread so wide, he was so kind, so sweet, so… so the complete opposite of who she was. 

He’d never given up, even when she thought he had for all those years ago. She swore to herself that he’d given up on her to make herself feel justified in her decisions, but it wasn’t the truth. 

He hadn’t. 

And he would always be her… everything, I guess.

She spent the entirety of the day with a pit in her stomach and dread washed over her, a pile of cigarette butts once again building up in the ashtray. The alcohol didn't help either— it just made her dizzy, and she cried until she passed out.

Wasn't sure when or where until she woke up on the couch an hour later, when Ekko finally came from work. 

They didn't say a word to each other. She was still in a haze, coming down from her breakdown, slapping herself sober— he was still tense. She assumed his day hadn’t gotten any better after she left.

They didn’t necessarily ignore each other, there was no tension between them, there was just nothing. They were both dealing with the situation separately. 

And he'd come home late, so it wasn't too long after dinner that he headed for the bedroom, ready to put this entire damn day behind him.

But then… the door to his bedroom opened just a crack. 

He turned, freezing right as he was about to pull the shirt off his back.

Then the door fully opened, and she stared at him. Nothing particular around that look— but he knew it well. He hadn't seen it in a while, not since they were kids, and yet.. he remembered. 

So he pulled the shirt off, throwing it at a chair in the corner of his room. He stood there in a simple white tank and sweatpants, and she wore a matching set— a black pair of shorts and tanks with thin straps, a bow at the center of her chest, adding a touch of femininity. Her face freshly washed, bangs curlier around the frame of her face, like she’d just come off of a hot shower. Her flushed cheeks and the slight dampness to her braids, enough of an indicator. 

Her eyes seemed tired as they fell to the ground after a while of looking. Ekko could see the conflict in her mind as the silence stretched between them, neither of them sure as to how to.. start.

He didn’t know where they stood after everything, but I guess.. it no longer mattered. Not to him, at least.  

So he put that to the side for now, and broke the silence “You know…I was thinking…” 

Jinx's eyes lifted from the ground as she heard the sound of his voice for the first time since he'd come home. A gruff edge to it, credited to how tired he was. 

“Just…about…” he hesitated, still staring at the wall “How.. cold it's been lately. I usually wake up in the middle of the night to close the windows. Have you felt the chill?” 

He moved then, walking around his bed. 

Jinx's eyes tracked his movements, staring at him tenderly, as she held back a small smile. 

Motherfucker. 

She didn't answer him, didn't give him the satisfaction. It felt too vulnerable, like she was asking for something she didn't deserve. What mattered was.. she didn’t need to.

He turned off the light, only leaving the lamp at the side of his nightstand illuminated his room, and then.. he slipped under the sheets. 

She watched— a fire in her heart, as he turned to her again. 

All it took was a tiny nod, and she was already walking up to him, probably a little bit quicker than necessary, and slipping under the same sheets, in the same bed, right next to him. 

Just like when they were kids. 

It wasn't the same. It sure as hell wasn't as innocent, but they could pretend it was, maybe for just tonight.

She'd walked in hoping he could read her mind, and he'd done so perfectly, knowing she needed the company, the reassurance that he was still there.. that she wasn't all alone. She’d cried enough, all she wanted now was to just lay there in the warmth, starry-eyed and naive as she used to be.

Her head hit the pillow, blue spilled over his pillow case. He laid there on his side too, and for a second.. they just stared at each other, got lost in the moment, in each other's eyes. 

Ekko inspected her face as it was pressed to his pillow, the shape of it so distinctively her. From the arch of her dark eyebrows to her pretty ocean eyes, those pinkish lips, missing the dark lipstick, and those feckles— faint, but deliberate, like tiny kisses overtop of her nose. 

He knew her face well, could probably draw it with his eyes shut— god knows he'd done it enough under the influence of alcohol. That stash of portraits and sketches, never to see the light of the day. 

It was different when he drew her and she was fully aware of it—- like painting each other as something to do on a Saturday night, and an entirely different thing to fight insomnia for the third night in a row, hacking at pencils until they were sharp enough so he could draw the one thing he wanted off his mind, her.

His once best friend, being exploited by how he saw Silco at the time, a predator. 

That felt like a lifetime ago now, but he still thought about it, he still remembered. Relief washed over him at the sight of her there— on his pillow, because there was nowhere else he’d rather see her. His younger self would think it was a dream. 

“Thanks.” 

He saw her lips move against the pillow, wondering how that movement would feel like against his… shit, what was she saying? His mind registered the sweetness to her voice almost too late. It sounded nothing like Jinx.. this was just… PowPow. 

He nodded, content with letting the moment pass. 

She wasn't. 

“Not just for this.” her quiet voice resembled more of a whisper “For today too… for everything you did to try and make it.. right.” 

“All I did was make it worse.” he whispered back, being honest with himself “You were right.” 

A flicker of surprise made her eyes open wider, appearing bigger.

He pressed his lips. 

He'd thought it over for a while after everything that had happened. Jinx's reaction to all of it made sense— she was mad too at some point, but she didn't put up a fight, knowing it wouldn't go well for Ekko if she did.

But he'd messed it up for himself. After Reina had left today.. he had a nervous knot in his stomach, like he'd get a follow-up email at any moment after, talking about pulling Isha out of the Firelight programs, making up a dumb excuse to why, or simply pointing out his irrational behaviour. 

He'd made a fool of himself, regretting every word, though he still stuck by his opinion. The anxiety chewed him up so bad he called her just a few hours later after she left, and by some miracle.. she picked up the call. 

He apologized for his behaviour and the words he’d used, explaining he just wanted the best for the kid— seeing Isha happy was at the root of it all, and he didn't know enough to accuse the woman so harshly of something he had no proof of, downplaying her integrity and insinuating she did her job with malice. 

The conversation was just long enough for him to be able to explain himself, though it almost sounded like a plea not to make any drastic decisions regarding Isha's future instead.

She said it was alright and that she'd perhaps been a bit harsh too. The conversation ended there, and while he felt slightly better after apologizing.. he still feared Isha's absence the next day. 

“Thanks for trying to shut me up.” he spoke up again. 

Jinx let out a huff through her nose—- a lazy smile on her lips as she lifted her head off the pillow, moon-heavy eyes looking down at him as she moved closer. 

He swallowed, watching her, not knowing her next move. All he knew was that whatever she chose it to be.. he'd go with it. 

“Someone has to, sometimes.” she whispered, licked her lips, eyes drawing up to his face.

Fuck, he loved the angle of her face in this position, a soft glow illuminating her features on one side, as more striking shadows stuck out to him on the other. Her head a little bit titled as she stared down, lips parted by nothing but willing gravity, bright eyes glowing in almost pinkish hue— as the lights played tricks with his vision. 

And then.. she leaned further down—- her head hit his chest, hands at the sides of it, now also resting on top of him. 

He watched as her eyes fought to stay awake, his only wish being that she couldn't hear the beat of his heart speeding up under her touch. 

They'd never done this. 

When they slept together as kids, it was almost always the way they were laying before. In the same bed, sometimes staring at each other, sometimes not, letting sleep get the better of them, or not sleeping at all— making up stories and staying up all night giggling among themselves. 

And while they hadn't slept together again as adults, Jinx was generally a physical touch enthusiast, absolutely loved taking over his space, so he got used to her randomly jumping in his arms when she got excited, or her head dropping to his lap while they watched a movie— things of that vain, casual yet sweet. 

It just felt a little bit more intimate, maybe a bit more deliberate tonight. Maybe it was the setting, too romantic, or maybe it was his delirious thoughts of exhaustion, or the alcohol still having a grip on Jinx's decision making— he'd seen that bottle of wine emptied out when he'd walked in. 

And while her eyes remained closed, calm, his hand hovered right over her figure, before gently sitting on her bare shoulder, tracing the curved lines of her tattoos with his thumb. 

She hummed, and it almost sounded like a purr. He smiled softly, lifting the bangs that hid his view of her face, tucking them away behind her ear. 

Next, his fingers hooked underneath her jaw, raising her head up a bit, as the center of her head hit his jaw. 

Her eyes finally opened, still heavy with sleep. He wanted to leave a kiss on each one of her pretty eyes, silencing any negative thoughts she might carry in her head, tonight or forever. 

He had an arm underneath his own head, giving a boost to himself as he looked down at her. His voice but a hush when he spoke “I meant what I said back there, I hope you know that.” 

Jinx let out a soft sigh, her hand moved slightly on top of his chest, now near the side of his face. 

“It doesn't matter, Ekko.” 

His eyebrows knit together “I won't allow it, Jinx. If I am to do what's right by her, by you, then I can’t accept it. It’s another disaster waiting to happen.” 

He couldn’t even imagine Isha’s face if he straight up told her she was never to see Jinx again. The girl would be inconsolable.

She puckering her lips just slightly in thought “Then what do you suggest? Sneaking around?” 

“Maybe.” he smiled, his warm hand over her cheek now. Her eyes fluttered closed again. 

He couldn't seem to snatch his eyes away from her face. 

“It'll work out, you'll see.” his voice melted honey, sweet, reassuring “Just leave it up to me.” 

The next words took a while to come from her, but a silent mutter as sleep took over her consciousness more and more “Silly… silly man.” 

He cracked a smile, thumb hooked behind her ear tenderly. Fingers lay flat on pale skin, flushing the subject of his affection. 

“Night night, Jinxie.” 

Chapter Text

A hum, a rumble, buzzing. 

It faintly bounced off his ears, consistent but low at first. His hand flinched, disturbed. 

The vibration came again, insistent now, rattling faintly against the wood of his nightstand. 

He stirred, barely. 

A low hum buzzed against the nightstand, subtle at first—almost like part of the dream. His hand flinched beneath the covers. The vibration came again, insistent now, rattling faintly against the wood.

Fingers blindly fumbled across the sheets, slow and unsure, knocking into a pillow, then brushing past.. skin. 

The vibration paused just as his eyes switched open, blinking groggily. 

Blue.

All over. 

Her head right under his chin, sapphire, long stringy strands of hair, still loosely braided, one of them lay over his arm, like a snake wanting to restrain him— the other down her back, ending at her exposed middriff.

Her little tank top had ridden up, exposing the path of her tattoos at her side, decorating her waist, her hips. 

She lay almost directly on top of him. A leg thrown over his waist, stretched, absolutely exposed. 

And right on top of her bare thigh.. there lay his hand. 

He froze as he realized, staring down at his hand and then— the vibration resumed, stubborn.

A groggy breath slipped from his nose, heavy and muffled. Still dark. Or maybe just early. 

Too early.

The buzz kept going.

He sighed, his other arm finally swinging out to the side, finding the phone and shutting off the alarm. Silence. Sweet, solid silence.

“Took you long enough.” 

He looked down, right where the muffled voice had come from, raspy and husky. 

Jinx groaned, lifting her head slightly to look at him—- she squinted, blinking, attempting to open her eyes. 

He smiled. 

“Sorry.” 

She didn't share the amusement, puckering her lips in distaste. She moved her hips— not to get off, no, to straighten herself up, her body still very much on top of his. 

He didn't know when that happened. How, it even did. Jinx must've used him as her personal body pillow during the night— not that he minded, of course. 

With the movement of her hips, his hand that once lay on her thigh, shifted, now right over the apple of her ass. 

Jinx's eyes properly switched open then, as if she hadn't even registered his hand being there when she woke up in the first place. 

He flicked his wrist away, clenching his teeth “Sorry.” 

They hadn't even properly woken up yet, and he'd already inconvenienced her twice. 

Jinx raised a brow, the corner of her lip lifting ever so slightly “Real smooth, mister.” 

He let out a low rumble of annoyance, eyes flickering over to the ceiling “Wasn't trying to be.” 

“Clearly.” 

He rolled his eyes “Good morning, by the way.” 

“Decent at best.” 

“For fuck’s sake Jinx— it's barely seven am.” 

She giggled, hiding her face in his chest again. 

He tried to stay annoyed, he really did, but starting his morning with the sound of that giggle didn't seem so bad. The amusement on his face was evident, as he looked back down at her. 

“Get off.” 

“Make me.” she lifted her head, pink tongue sticking out between her teeth. 

He was about to respond, but she moved again, pressing herself to him to make her point of doing the exact opposite of what he said.. and then froze. 

Ekko's eyes widened. He swallowed— his mouth drier than sand. 

Jinx stared right at him, her ass over his lap, the length of him pressed between her legs, impossibly large to ignore. Her lips parted, and she let out a soft breath—- it hit his face. 

She hadn't been thinking, clearly, because the possibility of morning wood hadn't even fucking crossed her mind. I guess they truly weren't ten anymore, huh? 

She bit her tongue with her front teeth, not moving closer, not moving away. Her mind screamed one thing, her body another. 

What the hell are you doing? You heard him! Get off! 

Butterflies took over her lower belly, building anticipation. The desired feeling was there, right in between her legs— and oh, she wanted more. 

Wanted to press herself further into him, not move away. She was curious honestly, and what was so damn wrong with that? It was innocent, stupid curiosity. 

But then again, curiosity did kill the cat.

And this time, when his hand landed on her hip, she felt his palm print practically burned to her memory. The length of his fingers pressed on top of her shorts, applying pressure. His hand so large, she could feel it cover her entire side. 

“Shi— uh…” Ekko bit back, his hand on her hip not to guide her, but grab, pull her off. 

And she finally snapped out of it. 

“Oh.” hips lifting as she swung her legs to one side, getting off, now fully sitting on the bed. Could this get more fucking awkward?

What the fuck even was that? 

 “Damn it I just didn’t..  I-I didn't realize you uh..” she stumbled through the last of her words, until she gave up on them up entirely. Her mind was a scramble of phrases that did not make any sort of sense together. She didn’t often feel so flustered, stammering though her words.

What the hell’s wrong with me?

His eyebrows furrowed “I what?” 

She grinded her teeth. 

Was it not obvious? Or was he trying to purposely embarrass her? 

Her eyes flickered down to the bulge in his pants almost involuntarily, before she met his eyes “You know..you're...” 

He lifted a brow at that, stared. 

She furrowed her eyebrows at his expression, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. 

I feel like a damn teenager again. 

“I’m not.” he clarified “I wasn't hard.” 

He left out the part where he'd started getting hard the second she pressed herself to him, even grabbed her hip to get her off before she actually felt it. 

It was the very reason he now pulled the sheets to his waist. It'd gotten too tight in there, too fast. The way his body would react to even the slightest suggestion of attention from her was concerning to him. 

Jinx seemed confused, cocking her head to the side. 

All of that, and it was.. soft? 

Oh. 

Oh. 

The realization hit her like a brick, made her cheeks flush beet red. She'd made it so awfully uncomfortable for the both of them for no real reason. Of course, he wasn’t hard. She didn’t think it would be because of her, more so just morning wood, but still. 

Alright.. maybe sleeping together again wasn't such a bright idea. 

Oh, and she needed to get laid, like.. yesterday. She couldn't believe the thoughts that ran through her mind a minute ago were truly hers. Maybe she just missed it, that was all. Nothing less, nothing more. He just happened to be there, right in between her legs. 

Fuck.

Pull it together, this is Ekko. It’s not a nobody. 

She got off the bed like it burned her, adjusting her clothes over her body, before she took a deep breath, looking back at him— now a glare etched to her face. 

And when she spoke, she sounded just as serious. 

“If you ever mention that, I'm kicking you out.” 

Her expression didn't faze her when he spoke “That’s the first time you've ever threatened me with something other than castration.” 

“I’d rather stop talking about your dick from now on.” she spit, walking over to the door before slamming it shut. 

He lay there, a hand supporting the back of his head. 

And slowly but surely.. his lips lifted into a smirk.

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The day had started out a little bit awkwardly (which…he didn't mind, especially as he didn't see that side of Jinx all that often), but he hadn't realised the same curse would then follow him. 

He got to the Firelight Center later on in the day, having worked at the hospital for way too many hours in a row— just at the perfect time Isha was supposed to show up. He planned his schedule around her now, and he hadn’t realized he’d started doing it. 

There was some uncertainty behind that schedule now. Despite his conversation on the phone with Reina yesterday.. things were left sort of.. hanging in the air. If she didn't bring the girl in today.. well, he wasn't sure what he was going to do. 

He'd had that nasty thought in his head all day, and it only got worse as the hours passed by. Now that it was about time for her arrival.. there was nothing else he could even think about. What the hell would he even do at that point? Give up? Show up there (where?), and demand for her back?

He couldn’t. He knew that, but at this point.. he also couldn’t seem to give up on her. Letting go felt, impossible.

So with that running through his mind, he left his motorcycle at its usual parking spot, anxious pace picking up towards the doors of the building he owned. And then.. an excited scream.

A child’s scream.

His halted his steps just as he was about to walk in, confused.

The kids weren't supposed to be outside yet. There were none around. Even the area seemed generally empty today.

So he turned, and his eyes caught the target almost immediately. 

Isha. 

The little girl was pointing at him as if spotting him outside of the building was a concept she'd never before even considered. The excitement was evident on her face as she giggled to herself next, and started in his direction, Tuff Tuff’s ears flying in the wind. 

Ekko's eyes winded as she collided with his legs the same way she always did with Jinx’s. The gesture felt uncharacteristically sweet. A laugh of relief left his lungs as he patted the top of her head “Hey Ish. How ya’ doing?” 

He looked up just in time to see Reina slowly walking up to him, and he grimaced to himself.

She stopped in front of him, watching as the kid detached herself from him for just a moment, reaching for his index finger instead, attempting to get him to go inside. 

He'd never seen the kid so excited right off the bat— so gleeful to get inside and get on with the day. Something had changed yesterday, and he could take a wild guess that Jinx probably had something to do with it. 

He wondered if she thought Jinx was waiting for her inside, which is why she was so excited. 

Shit. 

That better not be the case. 

“The ladies said she got ready all by herself today.” Reina spoke up, as she still watched Isha. Her voice was void of any emotion "She seemed excited.” 

“Oh.” he raised his eyebrows. 

Say something else you idiot. 

“I'm uh.. glad that's the case.” he nodded. 

She didn’t look at him, arms crossed, her expression unreadable as she kept her eyes on Isha, desperately trying to push him inside with all her might. Tiny hands placed light pressure at the side of his leg, pushing forward.

For all the kid knew, this man could be cemented to the ground. He wasn't even flinching. 

Ekko watched Reina’s expression, and could tell the tension was still high. She wasn't even looking at him. Everything just felt.. heavy, this morning.

Yeah.. he'd messed up royally. 

“I know I said this before.” he spoke up. Her eyes flickered over to him for the first time since she’d gotten there “But I truly am sorry for yesterday. It just.. hit a little close to home, I guess.” 

Reina squinted at him, cocked her head to the side. She seemed hesitant at her next words, but she spilled them anyway “Do you mind me asking, how close does your relationship with Miss LaRue go? You don't need to answer that if you think it's unnecessary. Pure curiosity, is all." 

Ekko's eyebrows shot up at that. Huh, had she noticed something? He wasn’t sure why she needed that information, but then he shrugged, figured there was no harm behind it “Well we've known each other since we were basically kids..”

Reina seemed surprised to hear that, but Ekko continued “We didn't have much growing up but each other, so.. yeah, I'd say we're pretty close.”

Reina clenched her jaw, nodded, as she stared back down at her feet. 

After a beat of silence, she spoke up again. Her voice with some rawness to it “I understand. Obviously, you'd want to see her happy.” 

“Yeah.” he admitted “And Isha too. I'm glad you brought her over anyway.” 

Isha jumped on her feet at the mention of her name, now grabbing at Ekko's shirt in another attempt to push him inside. 

“One single minute is all I ask for.” he laughed, bending down and grabbing the little girl with his hands, picking her up as if she weighed a feather, so she was in his arms now, more controlled, and less likely to kick and push so damn much.

Isha made a little stank face, but didn't protest any further. She just remained in his arms, playing with the strings of his hoodie.

“I won't lie, I thought about it.. evaluated the situation.” Reina spoke up. 

His eyes turned back to her, heart clenching in his chest. 

So his fears hadn't been unfounded. 

“But then I saw her today and just didn't have the heart to say no.” she sighed, shook her head “Plus, this is her education and future we're playing with here. This place is her best and only option in that regard.” 

So.. it was mostly just transactional. The offer he'd made to Isha was one they couldn't just get anywhere, so it was either the Firelights Center or.. nothing. Funding wasn't looking too good these days. It never did when it came to orphanages, group homes or transitional homes like the one Isha was staying in. There was a blind eye turned to those issues. 

And Reina would’ve honestly loved not being there that morning, but this wasn’t about her at the end of the day. It was all just professional.. of course. 

“Yeah.” Ekko agreed, swallowing down the tension as he turned his attention back to the kiddo in his arms “We're gonna learn some sign language today, aren't we?” 

Isha stared at him, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. 

Ekko smiled at her. It was soft, sweet honey.

“You know sign language?” Reina sounded a little surprised again. The concept intrigued her enough to draw some emotion from her voice. 

“I have an entire program dedicated to it. I'm not the best at it though.. don't remember as much as I'd like —” he admitted, then shrugged “But we'll learn together.” 

“Well then.. I'll leave you to it.” she commented, weaved her fingers in the air just slightly, turning on her heel to walk away.  

“Yeah…” he trailed off, more so to himself as he watched her leave. 

Fuck's sake. 

He'd some damage yesterday that would take weeks to recoup from, and he needed this relationship with this woman to go well, seeing as she had decision making skills over Isha's life. 

All that work put into this shit, only for the illusion to shatter in one day. God, he’d been stupid.

He let out a sigh, shaking his head as he finally walked inside. 

Isha clapped her hands, bouncing with energy in his arms. The childish excitement and wonder was contagious— made him smile as he tightened his grip on her, walking into the classroom. 

He weaved at Zeri, saying hi and she raised her eyebrows at him as he set the child down. She ran off almost immediately. 

“Are you picking her up on the way now too?” she laughed. 

“Yeah sure. I even let her drive my motorcycle sometimes.” Ekko rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping off his tongue.

“I bet she drives better than you.” Zeri teased. 

Ekko raised an eyebrow at that “Oh, how dare you.” 

She giggled, grinning up at him. 

His eyes set back on the child that was now wandering around the classroom like she was actively searching for something. 

The little girl had her eyebrows furrowed, and her index finger in her mouth as she looked around as if she was lost in a maze.

Ekko swallowed the knot in his throat at the sight, walking up to her and crouching down “You looking for something, honey?” 

Her eyes flickered over to him, before she nodded, then held Tuff Tuff up in the air in his direction. 

He grinded his teeth. 

Shit. 

“Jinx?” he questioned, not wanting to hear the answer to his question. 

Just as he suspected, she nodded. 

“Oh.. is uh.. Jinx coming in today too?” Zeri questioned, already nervous at the suggestion.  

Ekko grimaced at her question, shaking his head as he looked back at Isha “Maybe another day, Ish. Jinxie was pretty busy today.” 

Zeri raised an eyebrow at that. 

Jinxie? 

I guess it was possible he'd only said her name that way to make it sound softer and cuter to the kid. A pet name, if you may. 

Isha's eyes widened as she watched Ekko. Her bottom lip starting to wobble immediately, threatening another tantrum.

Fuck. 

“But we can still have a lot of fun together, you know? Don't you worr—”

She burst out crying. Just a minute ago she'd been the happiest little girl on earth and now tears streamed down on her face in an uncontrollable way. It was like a switch had been flipped, and even that… damn it, even that reminded him so much of Jinx.

The bunny dropped to the ground at her feet, and Ekko sighed, pulling the little girl closer in his arms “I'm sorry baby.” 

Isha coughed in his shoulder, before continuing on to cry, her whole body shaking like she had absolutely no control over it. 

He thought back to the conversation with Reina once again, remembering the way she'd been wanting to sever those ties between Jinx and Isha before the girl got too attached. 

But, what they hadn’t considered was..

what if it was already too late? 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

“Missin’ me already?” Jinx spoke up the second she picked up the phone. 

She heard Ekko let out a heavy sigh at the end of the line, and she giggled to herself. 

Viktor’s eyes flickered over to Jinx's desk in faint interest. She was sitting on her chair, feet up on the desk as she leaned the chair backwards, dangerously close to falling right back with it, holding the phone to her ear. 

He shrugged to himself, looking back down at his notes. She'd get what came to her. 

Jinx held a wrench on her other hand, attempting to make it spin as Ekko spoke up again “Well someone definitely does.” 

Her eyebrows furrowed at that, and then.. shuffling, a ruffling static sort of noise coming from the other end, like Ekko was moving the phone around. The next sound she heard was someone else at the other end of the line. 

A distinctive cry. 

Her eyes winded as she put her feet down on the ground so fast she stumbled, almost falling over. 

Viktor snorted, but didn't look up again. 

Before she could speak up, Ekko pulled the phone back as he spoke “We're not doing great today.” 

She raised an eyebrow at that, grinding her teeth “Isha?”

“She was so happy when she came over and hasn't stopped crying since she realized you wouldn't be here.” he sighed “I've tried everything from distraction to corruption.” 

She didn't know what to say. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She didn’t know what to do or say.

So there was a gasp of silence, neither of them having an answer. This kid had become such a good part of their lives at this point, that they were having to make decisions they’d never thought they’d have to make between them. 

She shook her head, eyes gazing over to the rest of her coworkers in the lab, then the messed up project on top of her desk like a puzzle waiting to be put together, figured out.

“Well shit Ekko I can't—” she hissed “I can't just—” 

“I know.” he interrupted her again, then sighed “I guess I was just hoping.” 

“You heard what Miss HR Violation said.” her tone turned bitter “Are you sure you wanna risk it?” 

Ekko seemed to hesitate to speak, considering the out-of-nowhere nickname Jinx had just placed on her. What made her think of Reina like that? He had no idea, but he also had other matters, more concerning to discuss than Jinx’s creative nicknames. 

“And what if we're already there?” 

She hadn't expected him to say that. Her heart dropped to her stomach, another pause of silence on the phone— this one more intense. She held her breath, but the crying continued. 

She could hear the little girl’s plea from the background, and her hands twitched, her front teeth sunk into her bottom lip. God, she felt weak. 

The sound wrecked her. No rhyme or reason to it. It was just emotional— the very thing she hated. How could she deny the kid when all she ever sought was safety? 

She didn’t feel like a safe person, but a four year old couldn’t comprehend how truly of a fucked up person she was, from her past, to her compromised morals down to the lifestyle she lived today. 

She was not her mother. She never would fucking be.

But what if playing pretend once or twice could help elevate that pain? She wasn’t better than this. She often seeked short-term solutions for problems herself, even if they fucked her up later on. 

But would this truly be such a bad decision if Ekko was supporting it? Ekko? The man that most of the time preserved her sanity? 

But she was scared. Caring for someone was always scary, and she felt like.. she already did.

Finally, Ekko broke the silence. 

“Just listen to her Jinx. You think this is normal?” he sighed “She needs you, and I.. we need to talk about this.” 

She bit her tongue, thinking about it. 

Seeing her again.. it was tempting. Honestly, she enjoyed the little girl's company, her sweet hugs and affection. She wanted to see her.

The girl could live without her, certainly, but she was at a fragile age, broken by her past and circumstances. Clearly, Isha saw someone familiar in her, and while the sentiment made her uncomfortable.. she trusted Ekko to figure this out without her, but until then.. she wanted to feel like she could help him the same way he always seemed to be there for her. 

“Alright.” she whispered. It came out raspier now, but she tried to keep her tone light “I’ll save your ass.” 

He let out a snort, laughing with relief  “Thanks, Pow. I’m sorry you have to—” 

“It's fine.” she interrupted him, rolled her eyes “I wanted to see her before any of this happened anyway. I'm just.. concerned, I guess. I don't wanna fuck things up for her Ekko. I always do.” 

“You haven’t. You won't.“ he sounded certain, steady, and she wished she trusted herself as much as he trusted her “Now hurry, Zeri looks miserable.” 

She could imagine the blonde girl with pigtails attempting to hush Isha to no avail, trying everything and just getting yelled at instead. 

The picture she painted in her own head lifted a smirk to her lips “Yeah.. I'll be there.” 

With that, she ended the call, spinning in her office chair and coming into a direct halt in the opposite way now, a hand outstretched on the desk to stop herself from spinning further. 

Viktor looked up at the dramatic spin, squinting his eyes at her. 

“Right, so, I’ve gotta thing.” she announced, sitting up. 

“You have many of the things lately Jinx.” he replied, not anymore interested in the situation than he was a minute ago. 

“I asked for a day one time—” 

“Yesterday.” Viktor interrupted, lifting his index finger as if to make a point. 

Jinx slumped her shoulders, rolling her eyes “Oh come on! The one time I wanna do something nice..” she mumbled to herself, kicking the foot of her chair with her own foot.  

A few of her co-workers glared at the noise. She showed them her middle finger. 

“Something nice?” Viktor questioned, his thick accent on full display “You're capable of such behaviour?” 

“You know for someone without a life outside of work, you cannot afford having a whole lotta sass.” she spat back “I'm just tryna help..” 

She hesitated, thinking, before she bit the bullet “A friend?” 

She didn't know what to call her. They were quite literally nothing, that's it, but if she had to put a label on it.. friend was safe. 

Yeah.. yeah.. a tiny friend. 

Viktor looked back at her, shrugging before he looked down at his notebook again. 

She left out a heavy, frustrated sigh, willing to compromise more of her free time “I’ll finish up here after hours.” 

He stayed silent for a minute.

Jinx waited, stared. 

After what felt like an eternity, Viktor’s eyes flickered over to her “Go.” 

She didn't need to be told twice. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The scene she walked into shouldn't have been as staggering as she found it to be. There was nothing new to see, it wasn’t a revelation of any kind. It was just Ekko— sweet and great with children Ekko, being exactly well… that.

But something about looked so.. so.. fuck, she couldn’t even get herself to think of him that way. The concept seemed raw and vulnerable, and even made her uncomfortable in a sense, thinking that this might someday be his.. future.

She’d be his past. 

Her hands shook at her sides as she tried to take a deep breath, get those thoughts out of her head before they choked her. 

Yet, she couldn't look away, couldn't take another step forward and expose her presence. 

She'd walked in just a minute ago, and was walking down the same hallway she did the first time with Scar— but before she could round the corner, she saw Ekko. 

Ekko, walking up and down the hallway, repeating the motion again and again, a sniffling child tucked within the safety of his strong arms. He held her up against his chest with one of his hands, her face hidden in the crook of his neck— the mess of curls almost fully covered by the palm of his other hand that rested there, like supporting her head against his shoulder. 

He bounced her here and there, lips forming an almost silent ‘Shh’.

And her heart leapt in chest, her lips formed a tiny ‘O’. She almost didn't want to make her presence known— just to see a minute more of the display in front of her, Ekko, being so absolutely sweet to the most innocent of creatures, even if it killed her on the inside.

It was bittersweet. The alarms in her mind were going off, but her chest filled up to the brim with a foreign kind of warmth too. She wished she could've found an excuse to come with Ekko to his work earlier just so she could've seen how he took care of the children sooner.

Everybody always talked about Scar and Ekko being great with children, but she hadn't known what that truly meant, hadn't seen what that exactly entailed until.. well, until now.

“Oh hey—” 

Jinx jumped, whipping her head towards the person that had rudely interrupted the trail of her tinner thoughts.

Scar, his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised as he looked down at the blue haired girl.

“Jesus Christ— a warning?” she hissed through her teeth. It was silent enough that the words wouldn't echo down the hallway and expose her entirely. 

“Sorry.” he chuckled, then shrugged “Why we spying on Ekko?” 

“We aren't.” she clarified “I mean I wasn't—” a groan followed right after “Just go away!” 

“I work here.” 

“Is bothering me part of your job?” she barked. 

“Jinx.” Ekko called out. 

She turned— hadn't realized she'd completely stepped off the corner, now in full view of him, and her voice had gotten louder too. 

Her eyes widened. 

Scar cracked up. He understood Ekko now— why he loved teasing Jinx. She was like a firecracker, ready to explode at any moment. No wonder the two bickered so damn much.

Jinx turned to him just to send another death glare, before looking back at Ekko who was walking up to them now, the child still within his arms. 

He seemed relieved, happy, even. Isha tucked her head away from his neck, her little eyes widening at the sight of Jinx. 

The minute she realized, she was reaching out to her, arms hung up in the air, eyes still teary. 

Jinx's gaze softened. She pressed her lips as she took a shy step forward, and Ekko placed her right in her arms. Jinx wrapped her arms around her, but Isha didn't squeeze her back just yet. 

She still had her eyes on her, blinking away tears. The girl was probably so stunned, like she’d cried her into fruition. 

Jinx wouldn’t say that was so far from the truth. 

She couldn't help but wonder what she was seeing. Who she saw as she looked up at her like that, her eyes sparkly yet needy, wanting. Was she such a blinding reflection of her mother? Did Isha even remember what she looked like? Probably not. It was probably just a tiny bit of her consciousness that remembered, pleaded. 

It must be so confusing to be so little, with no tools for unpacking something so big.

She titled her head to the side, looking right back down at her.

Her heart fluttered in her chest, annoyingly so.

“Giving Mister E. one hell of a time, I see.” her comment landed flat on its head. Her voice having lost the rough edges it always held onto.

Isha didn't smile, but she did slowly lean her head forward to her chest, taking deep, shaky breaths, still calming down from her tantrum. Jinx’s scent alone enough to relax her quickened heart-beat, settling her within minutes.

Jinx wasn't sure what else to say, so she stayed silent, holding the girl to her chest, head tucked under her chin. 

Oh, sweet thing... you have no idea who I am. 

“Thank you.” she looked up at Ekko, and his face was kind, his smile sweet, his eyes a little tired. 

She felt naked, vulnerable under his stare, so she avoided his gaze, looking away “It’s… barely a thing.” 

“Huh.” Scar nodded, and the both of them turned to him, like having forgotten he was there for a second. Scar had his hands on his waist as he looked down at Isha “It's like your touch is magic.” 

Ekko looked back at Jinx, nodding in agreement. 

It very much could be, for all he's concerned. 

Jinx rolled her eyes, bouncing Isha higher in her arms. One of her hands landed on one of Jinx’s braids, touching the blue. Her tired eyes fixated on her own hand, as she cuddled into her. 

Oh, Jinx hated how warm she felt. 

“So, what are you gonna do about this?” Scar raised a brow, pointing in between them, but his eyes landed on Ekko. 

Ekko sighed, patting Scar’s shoulder “No fucking idea, dude.” 

“I just wish the schedule wasn't such a mess. I could come here for a couple of days until we figure something out, but Viktor's so… ugh.” she groaned.

Ekko raised a brow “You'd be willing to do that?” 

Jinx looked up at him, shrugged “It's no sweat off my back.” 

The two stared at each other for a second. Then, he spoke up again.

“Wait.. I can just tell Reina to bring her on a normal schedule starting next week. She'll be here for four hours. You can hang out with her for the first two, then head off to work on time. I can get Scar to take you.” 

Scar raised an eyebrow back at Ekko. When did he volunteer to be a personal chauffeur again? 

“Perfect.” Jinx grinned now, then her smile faltered just slightly “Apart from the fact that I’ll have to sneak around.” 

“I know.” his voice was low “I’m sorry, Blue. It’s temporary. I just don’t think cutting you off from her life with a knife is the way to do it. It’ll just damage her further.”

Isha sniffled a little, wrapping her hands around her neck.

Jinx looked down, biting the side of her lip.

“This is fucked up, Ekko.” her voice was a whisper. 

“It’s just foreign.” he offered. She looked up at him, searching his eyes. 

“Has her social worker talked about her adoption options?” Scar narrowed his eyes in thought, looking in between the two.

He saw something there he was certain neither of them were ready to address.

“Don't think she's allowed to unless I express interest.” Ekko exhaled a breath. 

Scar nodded, accepting the answer for now. 

What a fucking mess. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

It wasn't long after Jinx and Ekko took Isha to the first class, and the day went on as usual. Isha was back to who Jinx could only assume was more like herself— a cheery, loving, bouncing-off- the-walls-with-energy four year old. 

She could very much work with that. Actually, she loved that she could get her out of her shell even to that point. Jinx matched her energy perfectly, overly hyper herself to the point the two bounced from activity to activity without the need to wait, and when Jinx saw her opportunity.. she ran into Ekko's direction to jump him. 

It worked, he stumbled, almost falling over as Jinx pulled him backwards. Isha was giggling in Jinx's arms, her hand on Ekko's other shoulder.

He loved the sound so much he decided he wanted more of it, tickling her sides until she managed to sneak under his arm and run back to Jinx, who herself was laughing her ass off. 

The two did some crafts with the other kids, before moving onto homework and less ‘fun’ stuff. The homework this time included some ASL lessons. They had a huge book in front of them with different signs and meanings, clumsingly practicing communication with their hands. 

Ekko joined in with the girls, teaching them the basics, refreshing his own memory of the language. He hadn't truly practiced it in a long time, having learned it quite young— same as Isha, maybe a little older. 

He had very faint memories of practicing with his own dad when he was a kid, as his dad was deaf. Even after his parent's passing later on when he was older, he never wanted to forget it— it felt like a little piece of his own dad with him, so he held onto it. 

His adoptive dad later on encouraged him to properly learn, understand the importance. Ekko remembered Benzo better than his biological dad, and how he'd raised him like his own son right up until.. well, his demise. 

He didn't want to think about it— all the people he'd lost as a kid, but little things sometimes triggered unwelcomed memories. Jinx knew… of course. She knew Benzo, knew exactly how he'd grown up, having a similar fate when it came to her own parental figures in her life, if not worse. 

So if there was someone that would understand, it’d be her. 

And when he looked away from Isha and back to the blue haired girl, her gaze didn't leave him. She squinted her light eyes, lips parting ever so slightly with a question she wasn’t sure how to ask.

He gave her a soft smile, giving her her answer. 

And she smiled back, looking away from him once again. 

Though he was still technically working, having Jinx around did make his day significantly brighter, his workload a little easier to roll off his shoulders. He wasn't sure why, just liked seeing her and Isha enjoy themselves. Spending time all together just felt weirdly… right. 

Isha ran out of steam a little bit quicker that day, having been using a little bit more energy than she was used to. Ekko didn't comment, just brought her into his office again, tucked her in safely, his thumb caressing her soft cheek lovingly before he left the room.  

Jinx jumped at him— from the front this time, arms latching around his neck as she hovered on her tiptoes ever so slightly. He looked down, breaking out into a laugh. 

She had her own smile hidden behind his neck as she squeezed him tighter, getting a good whiff of his delicious cologne and not-so-sumble feel of his muscles, before letting out a long sigh “Gotta go before she wakes up.” 

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in, as if rejecting the very idea of it. 

Her feet were on the ground now, and she pulled away ever so slightly to get a view of his profile from the side “But don't think you've gotten rid of me yet. I'll see you again tonight, pretty boy.” 

Her voice was pure gleeful teasing, biting, curious of his reaction. 

Ekko raised an eyebrow, turning to look down at her with a smirk of his own “I wouldn't dream of getting rid of you, Blue. I think ten year old me would kill me.” 

Jinx giggled in his shoulder. He grinned, now staring right back at each other, faces inches apart. 

“Yeah, you had a stupid crush on me.. didn't you?” she teased, leaning in slightly. 

His smile slightly faltered, heartbeat picking up almost immediately, now a little bit nervous under her gaze. 

Just the way she liked it. 

“D’ya think it ever left?” she pushed further, nails hooked onto the fabric of the shirt covering his shoulders. 

Their lips a breath away. Her eyes lowered to his lips, before flickering back up, like it was a sick form of torture she enjoyed putting him in. 

He refused to back down and let her get away with it. His own eyes tracing the form of her rose shaped lips.

“You don't have to make up stories about me liking you, kitty.” he spoke up, eyelids still low “We both know it's just wishful thinking.” 

“Everybody wants me.” her hot breath wafted against his lips, her voice low and raspy “You’re just the first to deny it.” 

And she had him, tightened the invisible rope around his neck, pulling him forward, and all he wanted to do was bite.

He grinded his teeth, and the corner of her lip curled into a pretty smirk,patting his chest before pulling herself back away from him “Just kidding.” 

Right. 

She threw a wink at him before she walked out, taking her sweet time. His eyes drawn to the way her hips moved, how tight those jeans hugged her ass, the curve of it perfectly drawn into her thin waist.

She played a game on him, and she'd won, as she always seemed to. 

That's what it was, wasn't it? Flirt for the sake of flirting, mess around a little, crack a joke or two. This was her. He wasn't special. She treated men like this all the time, if not worse, depending on how much she liked them.

He knew he was at least high on the list of men she liked— she wouldn't be living with him otherwise, but the fact that he could imagine a list in the first place put him in a sour mood. 

He needed to get out of his head, play her game a little bit, and stop letting her affect him so greatly. She savioured his reaction, satisfied herself with it. 

But next time… she'd be the one left hanging dry. That was a promise. 

And while he stood there, too deep into his own thoughts, he failed to see Scar who was watching, had been for the last part of the interaction. 

His eyebrows furrowed and he scoffed. Oh, something was brewing. 

Chapter Text

Jinx and Ekko walked into The Last Drop together that night. The bar was busy as ever, buzzing with energy. Their stride was casual, slow and lazy.

Neither of them seemed to match the energy in the bar. They were a little extra tired from the busy day... a little bit sleepier than usual. 

Jinx could go for a drink, she always could, but she would rather have it in bed tonight. The only reason she was there was because she wanted to see Vi and her brothers. She'd been too busy to see them now for an entire week, and if she went past that, Vi would start sending her annoying passive-aggressive texts.

‘Funny how all the chaos has left my life lately. I feel SO PEACEFUL.’

‘You’ve been gone so long, I’ve started forgetting what your ugly face looks like.’ 

‘So.. this is how I find out I'm your least favourite person. Cool.’

She was sure it also had to do a little bit with their past. If she didn’t constantly show up, Vi would worry that she’d just .. run off, so she had to reassure her here and there.

They walked in the direction of their usual booth. The second Claggor spotted them, he whistled, drawing their attention to the table before yelling out “There they are!” 

Vi turned on her seat, weaving at them with a smile. 

Ekko chuckled, while her face fell flat at the sight of the woman sitting next to her— Caitlyn.. again. 

Oh give me a break. 

Her hand slipped right out of Ekko's as she took a U-turn back from where they came from. 

Ekko looked back, missing the warmth of her hand, and he just grabbed it right back, dragging her forward again. 

“No!” she whined, pulling back on his hand. 

“Sorry Blue.” he chuckled, pulling her with him despite her protests. He didn’t need to even work hard to pull her with him. Her resistance was useless. 

Her feet dragged, but they did make it over to the booth. Vi pat Ekko's back, before attacking her own sister with a hug. 

“So, how are you guys doing?” 

“Could've been better.” she muttered under her breath, eyes switching over to Caitlyn. 

The girl looked up at her with the same snobby annoyance on her face. She scoffed, looking away and shaking her head like Jinx was the only immature one there. 

The holier-than-thou attitude was about the quickest way you could get Jinx to land a boot on your head, but she held back, fingers twitching at her sides.  

“Just sit down.” Vi pushed her towards the booth, unaware of the silent threats running through Jinx’s mind.

She listened— didn’t have much of a choice as she dropped right next to where Ekko sat. 

“Pretty busy today.” Ekko noted, as Jayce placed their drinks in front of them. 

“It's been like this all afternoon. I'm this close to losing it.” Vi spoke up, showing him her index finger and thumb almost touching “Whatever. How was work?” 

“Fine.” Ekko nodded.

“Fine my ass. I left him alone to get a snack for a minute and he almost fell asleep against the wall.” Jinx rolled her eyes. The man would’ve dropped to the ground any second if she hadn’t woken him up. 

Mylo raised an eyebrow, confused on how something like that could even happen. 

“I'm fine.” Ekko spoke up, then bumped his shoulder to Jinx’s “You worry about yourself.” 

Ekko's jobs had always been a lot, but there were easier and then more difficult days. Because of Isha, he was spending more time out with the kids at the center, especially now that she was there with him for four hours, so some of his much needed alone time at the office had been cut off. Sometimes he worked there, and sometimes he walked in for just a minute of silence. The problem with that now? While Isha was there, he couldn’t, or she’d make it her life’s mission to go find him, and she already knew what the door to his office looked like. 

And then there was Jinx, having to do the whole back and forth, then having to replace the hours of work she missed later in the night. It was draining them in two different ways, not that they'd admit to any of it, of course. 

Jinx didn't even want to tell anyone about the cute little girl that had so easily stolen her heart to the point she was sacrificing her life’s work to frequent the Firelight Center daily. Her brothers would probably make fun of her for it. Vi would be so damn confused, and then she'd have to explain the entire damn thing. They’d probably look at her like she was insane, and quite honestly? She didn’t want those looks— not from her family.

They didn't really need to know until it concerned them in any way. Right now? This was her choice that she was making. 

Lucky for her, Ekko was of a similar agreement. Singling Isha out because of her situation and what happened just didn't feel right. He was simply taking care of her just like he took care of any other kid. What was there to say? 

The two hadn't even communicated those sentiments to each other. The agreement seemed to be silent, like a casual alliance. Most things between them didn’t need addressing. They didn’t speak, they just did.  

And let’s just say.. they were lucky Scar was too busy with his own baby to show up on their little hang outs most of the time.

“I'm fine- er. ” she huffed, making him laugh a little “You are.” 

Mylo faked a gag, and Jinx showed him her middle finger. So quick with it you’d think it was automatic.  

The topic slipped right back into talking about work and the word exhausted was used to its possible capacity. Adult conversations weren't really her favourite, especially when Caitlyn started talking, so Jinx tuned herself out completely. 

Instead, she rested her head on her hand, slightly tilted. Her eyes low, wondering over Ekko at her side, as they always seemed to do. Her side glance caught sight of his hands, softly gesturing as he spoke. 

Her eyebrows raised, as a fun idea came to mind, so she acted on it pretty much immediately. Thinking about her actions before she did them truly wasn’t her forte. 

She grabbed Ekko's hand, dragging his arm over the table in front of her. Then, she reached for some pencils in her bag. 

Ekko raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything, going on to talk to Jayce about god knows what while laying his palm flat on the table, her smaller hand holding it there demandingly. 

She reached for the pencil case, unzipping it and then absolutely went to town, holding his hand down with now two of her own. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she used his skin as her personal blank canvas. 

“You're just gonna let her do that?” Jayce finally spoke up, gesturing Jinx's way. 

She didn't look up. She didn't care to. 

“She does it when she gets bored.” Ekko laughed, “What's the harm?” 

“She's literally stabbing a pencil into your hand man.” Claggor snorted, raising a brow at him. 

“Tell me you've never gotten a tattoo without telling me you've never gotten a tattoo.” Jinx’s voice was all rasp as she spoke, now colouring on her doodles. 

“Stabbing’s pretty dramatic.” Ekko raised a brow, agreeing with the statement. 

Not that he wouldn't let her do it. The girl could draw blood, and he'd still sit there and let her, as long as her delicate fingers lay over his. What's one more bruise if it reminded him of her? 

“I can't imagine it being professional in a hospital setting.” Caitlyn spoke up, raising her eyebrows. 

“Hospital’s usually go for competence, not couture.” Jinx lifted her head to stare at the other girl. 

“That's not what I meant and you know—” 

“Does it matter?” Vi interrupted her fiancée, patting her shoulder “Let's not argue this late. You've got all of tomorrow to.” 

Jinx raised an eyebrow at that “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“We’re going thrifting.” Vi grinned, lifting her index finger and twirled it in the air, indicating everyone in the group “All of us.” 

“And when exactly were you planning to share this information with us?” Ekko blinked. He had so many medical documents to study and examine, he didn’t know where to even start with that pile of work.

“Well maybe if you came here earlier you would know.” Vi pointed at him “We had a whole conversation.” 

“We came on time.” Ekko rolled his eyes. Vi smirked, shrugging “Not my problem, little man. Point is, Mylo wants to look for some jackets like the ones you have and Claggor wants to look at a few stuff too.” 

Then, her smirk widened as she looked back at Caitlyn “Maybe we can even find some stuff for the wedding.” 

“Don't insult me.” Caitlyn scoffed. 

Vi chuckled, taking a swing of her drink. 

“Do we have to take her?” Jinx pointed towards Caitlyn with her thumb “She's gonna complain the entire time.” 

“I will not.” Caitlyn protested, folding her arms in front of her chest. 

“Whatever you say, cupcake.” she snorted, looking back down at Ekko's hand as she continued the design. 

This time, Ekko's head leaned right next to hers to look down at exactly what all the poking was about. 

The overall design was one that looked like a tattoo, done with black ink. Extended lines from his fingers to his wrist, bent and curved in creative ways, with sharp edges, spikes and flame-like points that radiate upwards to his wrist. 

Then, in between, there were just tiny doodles all over, decorated in pinks, blues, greens and reds. Doodles like a yellow sun, a few little blue clouds, a small bunny, his firelight symbol, her name written in pink in the center, and…his eyebrows furrowed.

“What are those?” he questioned, pointing with his other hand.

“That's you as a worm.” she pointed to his hand with her finger, pointing at a wiggly looking thing with seemingly pointy teeth “And that's me as a worm.” her finger moved over to another wiggly figure, this one with long braids sticking up at its sides in a cartoonish manner. 

Ekko's eyes flickered up to her, but her bangs were hiding part of her face. She turned slightly, and now he could see more of the side of her face. Still, it didn’t feel enough.

His eyebrows furrowed, and she smiled at him, proud of her work. He fought the urge to push her hair away from her eyes, knowing it would look like a display in a room full of people.

So he chuckled instead, shaking his head “Okay.. what's up with my teeth though?” 

“I don't know. Have ya’ looked in the mirror lately?” she mused. 

He raised an eyebrow at that “You tryna gaslight me right now?” 

“No.” she rolled her eyes “Smile.”

He did, showing off his teeth. She took her index finger to his sharp canine teeth, tapping one with her long painted nail “Uncanny.” 

“Take your finger away before I bite it.” he warned. 

She giggled at that, looking right back down at his hand again to continue on with her little drawings. 

Caitlyn squinted— her eyes on the blue haired girl, because as far as she was concerned the person sitting in front of her right now might as well be a different person. 

She'd never paid it too much attention, but tonight it was almost a little bit too obvious to ignore.

Her whole face practically lit up, a smile so innocent and sweet it didn't even look like hers. She was used to her wicked grin, her teasing smirk or loud laugher— but not giggles, definitely not this giggle. 

They sat shoulder to shoulder, everything about it was casual, except.. weirdly different. She’d always wondered to herself how a person like Ekko, someone so different from her, so mature, responsible and smart could be so connected to someone so… well, batshit crazy.

But maybe she wasn’t like that all the time. Maybe her eyes lit a little brighter with childhood innocence when she looked at him, or maybe he entertained her crazy sometimes, returning the same ‘fun’ toxicity.

There had to be some give and take for it to work. Right?

Who even were these people? 

All of a sudden, she couldn’t figure it out, so she turned to look at Vi for an answer but she was also staring at them with a raised brow, scratching the side of her neck. She wasn’t confused, she was simply pondering.

And she knew that look on her face all too well— should I say something or not? 

Claggor faked a loud cough, before looking back at Vi, ignoring the two “This the part where we pretend we don't notice?”

Vi snorted a laugh, as Jinx snatched her eyes away from Ekko's hand, furrowing her brows, to notice everyone's eyes on her. 

Usually, there was other chatter going on in the group, so their little conversations felt a little bit more private. She hadn’t realized there had been silence until she looked up and all of a sudden, it felt like she was starring in a show she didn’t fucking sign up for.

The thought made her greatly uncomfortable, cringing to herself in her head. 

She glanced back at Ekko at the exact time he looked down at her, before she spoke up in a snarky tone, masking her embarrassment “Glad to know we're tonight's entertainment. Ya’ idiots got nothin’ better to do?” 

“What are you so defensive about? He barely said anything.” Vi pointed out Claggor with a smirk on her face. Usually, it was Jinx bothering the shit out of her. So what if she wanted to get even?

Jinx's eyes narrowed in on her sister “Don't play games with me. That's my thing.” 

Vi cracked up laughing, and Jinx rolled her eyes, pushing Ekko's hand away before she slumped against the seat, her arms crossed. 

“Oh would you look at the time!” Ekko spoke up, looking down at his doodled wrist, where Jinx had added a literal ‘watch’. She'd also added more accessories— a ring shaped sketch on his ring finger “It’s getting late.” 

“It's ten pm, dude.” Mylo laughed, knowing he was just trying to get away from the sudden attention. 

“My bedtime.” Ekko pointed out, before sitting up with an exaggerated stretch “Let’s fucking go.” 

“Hell yeah.” Jinx called out, stretching her arm up, and he pulled her out of her seat in one pull.

“Meet us at Honey Drip tomorrow!” Vi called out before they ran out too far. 

“Okay!” they replied in unison, heading out of the door. 

Vi laughed as she turned on her seat, shaking her head “Kids.”

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────• 

“Jinx!” he called out, his voice booming into the empty apartment. 

He'd seen her once when she woke up, and just told her to hurry and get ready so the others don't have to wait for them. She said okay and went back into her room, slamming the door shut (she had to stop doing that— the hinges wouldn't survive her wrath much longer). 

After he got everything ready for himself, he called out to her, but she didn't respond, so he walked into her room, empty. 

Confused, he searched every crevice of the damn apartment to see if she was still there but maybe had her headphones on, so she couldn't hear him yelling. This was classic Jinx. 

Now he stood at the door with keys dangling from his hand, after yelling her name one more time to no avail. 

Where the hell is she? We were supposed to go together. 

He mutters a few curses under his breath as he locks the door, taking the elevator all the way down. His phone to his ear, waiting for her to pick up. 

As he walks through the garage to get outside, with the phone still to his ear, he looks back at his motorcycle, just to make sure she hadn't stolen it again. 

She hadn't. Well, not yet. 

And his jaw dropped. He ground to a halt, actually might've also stopped breathing just in general. 

Because there she was, laying right on top of his motorcycle, straddling it with her legs— her back perfectly curved into the fullness of her ass, half exposed due to her denim shorts, dangerously tiny with frayed edges that rode high on her hips. Thigh-high chocolate brown leather boots with chunky heels on the pedals.

Her top was a soft, baby pink that hugged her every curve. It clung to her waist like it was made for her, showing off the subtle strength of her frame. Her elbows rested on top of the hand clutches— her own phone in her hand as she scrolled casually, face hidden in the shadow of her Von Dutch trucker hat in brown and pink. She didn’t seem aware of his presence. Not yet.

He was almost paralyzed, rooted in place. His eyes analyzing every curve of her frame like he was saving it for later, put it into paper or.. or.. 

Fuck, he didn’t know what to do. He knew he should probably move, take his eyes off of her, this wasn’t good. He knew this wasn’t good, and yet.. he didn’t make a sound. Was it due to shock, or was it because he didn't want her to notice him for a little longer, give him enough time to enjoy looking at her like this with no shame for once, just pure hunger. 

Because she's still fucking arched on top of his motorcycle, the bottom of her ass falling out of her shorts, fully displayed in that angle, and suddenly, he can't fucking think straight. 

He's too busy thinking about what I'd be like he approached her, his fingers twitching, the palms of his hands yearning to feel the smooth skin of her hips just like they'd done a few days ago as he'd held her on top of him. This time, backing her up against him instead, playing with the frayed hem of her shorts, hands riding higher and higher between her thighs, into her shorts, squeezing. He wanted to sink his teeth into it, claim her. 

And then, he'd unzip those fucking shorts. 

A twitch of his hand.  

That’s all it takes, and the phone that was once pressed to his ear, slipped right through his fingers, taking a hit on the concrete, exposing him immediately. 

Because she turns her head— he can't see her eyes that well yet, still hidden into the shadow of her hat and swoop of her bang. What he's certain of, is that he saw a smirk. A fucking smirk. 

Her lips, full and painted purple, spread to that darned wicked smile. 

“Took you long enough Boy Saviour.” her tone is light, teasing, as she straightens her back, then turns to face him fully. One of her hands lands on the seat behind her ass. 

But he still hadn't moved an inch. Phone at his feet, embarrassingly so, like the object had no actual worth to it.

He didn't like that she was moving. No, he wanted her there— right against his motorcycle, or on top of it, shit maybe on the front, holding her thighs up and taking her right there, in public, just to get some damn revenge on those stupid shorts. 

Holy fuck. Holy shit. What the hell’s wrong with you?

“You don't look well.” she hums, tilting her head to the side teasingly, like she could read his own mind “Can I help?” 

She can help, god she could fucking help yes. She just had to part her lips a little bit.. or a lot.

He grinded his teeth, frustrated at himself, now fighting to shut off that annoying part of his brain. God, what was he thinking? Seeing her in this light wasn't a good idea— they'd been friends for more than a damn decade. He wasn't going to wreck that. They’d been doing so good. No. No. This had the potential to break everything.

But he'd never been like this, never for anyone else that he could even remember— every time, it was just her. Every single thing about her. Why? 

He wondered if she'd ever thought about it too. Wondered if she was as horrified with her thoughts as he'd been, or if it was the opposite. If she didn’t think of consequences, if she slipped those clothes on just to rile him up, because she’d done shit like that before. It was a test he would always fucking fail. 

Of course, that could also be his own ego or self-importance talking, but if so… why did her eyes twinkle in mischief? She’d already beat him once at this game. He’d been unprepared then.

“I…” his voice came out rough, raspy and thick of lust. Nothing followed, just silence. 

So he cleared his throat, bent down and grabbed his phone, not even bothering to check if I'd suffered a crack or two, before shoving it in the pocket of his dress pants carelessly. 

Then, he walked towards her.

She watched him right up until he was standing next to the motorcycle, next to her, lids low, slightly weary. 

Now that he was close, he could see the detail at the front of her top. The neckline was low, teasing just enough of her lacy white bra and a dainty satin bow, sweetly vicious. 

The denim shorts he already loved had soft pink ribbons laced flirtatiously through the sides. Her flat, toned stomach on full display, catching light of the sun that sneaked its way through the garage doors. 

☾ https://pin.it/5kW5EPYvs

Now that.. had to be the last fucking straw. 

How bad would it be if his hands were to carefully wrap around that tiny waist to hold her down? How god awful of him to think of ripping the rest of that pretty top apart so he can see more of her dainty bra, then tear that shit off too with his teeth, leave red marks all over her, bite and suck every goddamn inch of her pale skin into fresh bruises. 

Concentrate. 

She was already looking at him like she knew what he was thinking. He couldn’t give her the satisfaction.. not again. 

“Come on.” she pat the seat in the middle of her legs with her hand. Her lips curved into another smile “Give me a ride.” 

If she knew the effect she had on him, she wasn't telling him as much. If she'd noticed his eyes lowering to her breasts, she hadn’t readjusted her top to try and cover up. If she were even slightly put off by his demeanor, his eyes, dark and wanting as he looked at her, she also hadn't uttered a word about it.

It drove him crazier, if that were even possible. He'd rather she address it— no matter how embarrassing, tease him with something annoying like ‘My eyes are up here’ or ‘Enjoying the view?’

It would break the spell, and he’d snap out of this damn trance, roll his eyes and mutter out some snarky comment of his own. She wasn’t backing down this time, and he wasn’t making an effort to either. 

This could end.. regretfully, to say the least. 

“I was…” he licks his lips, his mouth drier than sand “I was looking for you.” 

“That so?” she hummed, raising a brow. 

One of her elbows rested on top of the handle again, bending down slightly, crotch rubbing against the seat. 

His eyes dragged low on the seat in a heartbeat. He'd never wished he was a sentient object more in his life. 

“Was it hard to find me?” she questioned, right through her teeth. 

His eyes glanced up at hers, grabbing onto the thick burgundy crossbody strap of his bag to move it at the center of his legs in an effort to hide exactly what he could only assume she was referring to. 

“Yes.” he admitted, forceful and biting “You didn't pick up my call.” 

“Why would I? You found me eventually, didn't you?” she questioned, her eyes scanned down his body once again.

The white ribbed tank fit snug, highlighting his strong physique without trying too hard, clean, fitted, confident, biceps bulging out. The grey tailored trousers added structure, sitting high at the waist with crisp pleats and a smooth finish. A black leather belt pulling the look together with minimal fuss.

The thin gold chain around his neck catches her eye without overpowering. Clean lines, strong presence, and a cool, understated energy, deliciously him. 

☼ https://pin.it/1XiVnhrSe

“I was waiting for you.” she speaks.

“Yeah?” he questioned, and an eyebrow raised, his hand rested against the head of the motorcycle, trapping her get-away, and stayed there, itching to touch her instead. 

“Yeah.” she responded, her voice a little more breathy. 

“Uh..” he's convinced his body will go up in flames at her stare alone, so he shifts his gaze, forcing the words out of his mouth “We're.. walking. It's five minutes away, Blue.” 

“Fuck me.” she grumbles out, rolling her eyes. 

 He damn near complies. 

She lifts herself up, throwing one of her legs over the motorcycle and onto her other side. Then, she sits on the motorcycle on one side, feet dangling down. 

“If we have to.” she speaks up, about to jump off the motorcycle. 

He moves so suddenly it makes her gasp, only a few inches away now, the palm of his hand pinching her inner thigh, holding her in place. Her other leg dangling a little lower to the ground. Her eyes are big, sky blue and expressive as she stares up at him in shock. He doesn’t seem to share that surprise, eyebrows knit together like he was studying her instead.

He looks down at her, and her big eyes search his for answers as to what this was— what was he doing? 

His hands grips her tightly, too tight, and she only swallows, doesn’t stop him. The pressure is good, it helps her concentrate on where his fingers lay instead of her speeding heart-beat.

Then he moves again, just close enough that he’s standing right in between her legs, yet not touching her otherwise. One of her hands jumps to his shoulder, trying to keep herself from falling on one side. 

He’d not fazed, his eyes are on her legs now, pushing them apart the closer he moves. It’s so slow, so deliberate, that it feels sadistic. 

His grip doesn’t loosen, and he’s suddenly taken over her personal space. She willingly let him, why? 

Finally, his eyes lock with hers again, and she sees something— a peek into his mind, much more of a mess than his sure movements. There’s a shared confusion mixed in with something else, something deeper and much stronger that they can’t name.

Something that could mess up the relationship between them irreversibly. 

She licks her lips. She'd imagined this scenario in her head before, and it sure as fuck wasn't going the way she’d planned it. In her version, he played by her rules— she’d lure him in boldly, trap him and have him her way.

But that was a fantasy, just a little something she liked to think about when she couldn’t fall asleep, couldn’t concentrate on her studies, something that made her smile spread wide, because it wasn’t real. 

But now.. it almost felt tangible , and it shouldn’t be. 

She hadn’t thought about the details much, not even realizing that his touch raised so many goosebumps from her skin, made her flush and tremble all at once… perhaps because that never really ever happened to her in these types of situations.

This was different. This was Ekko. 

So there she was, wanting to lean into him as much as he’d let her, wrap her leg around him and trap him, sink her claws into his shoulder and arch her back to reach his lips. She couldn’t, she shouldn’t, so she’s.. stiff, instead. 

And fucking hell, he was making it increasingly difficult not to think about shit like that when he stared at her like he was begging for some kind of sign… and that's all it would take. 

This wasn't Ekko. It couldn't be him. He was measured, mature, thoughtful and sweet. This was an act of an irrational, selfish man. 

She loved it. 

He wets his lips, a teasing invitation that has her eyes slip to them, and slowly but surely.. he smiles. 

Smug. 

Dumb. 

Idiotic. 

Psychotic. 

Fuck you. 

Her eyes are blown wide, staring at him in pure rage as his smile turns into a wide, charming grin. 

His next words make her want to pull her hair out. 

“Just kidding.” 

She gasps. 

She actually gasps. 

The audacity, the fucking audacity. 

How the hell had she managed to fall into this damn trap? This was her thing. Why would even do that, try and play her game? She wanted to kill him. Kill him.

Oh, oh, we'll see about next time. Loser!!! Absolute loser!!! 

Ugh. 

“Well.” he chuckles after her gasp, slapping the inside of her thigh with his hand before letting it fall to his side “We should probably get going.” 

Her left eye twitches. 

“You piece of—” 

His phone vibrates. He hisses, lifting his index finger in the air as he interrupts her, leaving her mouth hanging. 

“Gotta take this.”

He does, he turns around, walking away as he speaks on the phone “ Stop yelling. We're on our way.” 

Her eyes narrow, and she jumps from the motorcycle, keeping her head high as she glares at his back out of the corner of her eye. 

Oh, you don't know how far I'll go to prove a damn point. I

He was going to regret this, majorly. 

For now? She had to wait. Bite her tongue and let him think he won, knowing damn well she'd make sure he’d never be able to outdo her. 

She makes her way outside, letting the sun kiss her pale skin, pace picking up as he calls out after her. 

“Jinx! Wait!” 

She'd practically turned off the ability to hear, walking down the street to the familiar road of the coffee shop that they agreed to meet at. It was local, and quite close to their apartment in particular. So was the motorcycle necessary? No, but it sure as hell would’ve been more fun. 

Anything, would’ve been more fun than this. 

He catches up to her at some point, leaving out an annoyed sigh, but keeps to her side and pace, while the sun threatens to chase the shade right out from under their feet.

It's nothing to the scorching, angry flame within her chest. 

They don't speak further, and when they walk into the coffee shop, he's now just trailing behind her. 

Jinx spots her sister immediately— not that it's difficult to with her kind of build, and walks up to the table, pulling one of the spare chairs before dropping on it with a thud. 

Her legs are spread wide, her arms folded in front of her chest, and her eyes? Well.. they still see red.  

“Morning.” Ekko clears his throat, actually choosing to greet the people around as he takes a seat on another random chair next to Claggor. 

Which just so happens to be in front of Jinx. 

She doesn't even want to look at him. Every time she does, she sees that stupid smile and it makes her teeth grind in anger. 

This isn't how it goes. She did not want him. He wanted her. 

Most fucking definitely. 

“Morning?” Vi raises an eyebrow, the greeting less of a salutation and more of a question, as her head turns to her sister. 

“Someone's not too happy to be awake this early.” Mylo chimes in, and he flicks at her nose with his index finger. 

Her anger seethed and bubbled over.

“Do you really wanna die today?” she finally speaks up, her tone threatening and wild as she stares at Mylo like he'd ruined her entire life by the force of his index finger alone “Because I swear to god I'll do it.” 

Caitlyn presses her teeth together, her eyebrows furrowed. Coming from Jinx, in that tone, it sounded like a very real threat. It’s like Mylo could sense when she wasn’t in the mood, and decide to try his luck anyway. 

“Jinx!” Vi scolds her “Don't talk to your brother like that.” 

“Right when you stop talking to me, like that. ” she turns her head to her, glaring. 

Ekko watches, his eyes slightly widened— alright, maybe he'd gone a little bit too far before. He knew better than to play ego games when it came to Jinx. 

But it hadn't happened voluntarily— not at first— his mind had gone against him, turned her into his own fantasy, and all he wanted was to test the waters, see how far they were both willing to go. 

But he..  hesitated a minute too long, and that’s all it took for fear to take over, so he wore a mask instead, convincing her it was simple revenge. 

The point was, it wasn't fake, but admitting that would be admitting to something burrowed so deep within, he wouldn't even dare mutter. 

“What's wrong with you?” Vi scoffs, then her eyes fall to her parted legs, and her jean shorts don't make it difficult to see the large red mark on the inside of her thigh “And what's wrong with your leg? That a rash or something?” 

Jinx's eyes fall to the sensitive spot Ekko had been torturing just a minute ago, and she scoffs. Curse her stupid pale skin “Whatever helps you sleep at night, sis.” 

She grabs the back of her chair with her hand from behind, sitting up as she pushes the chair against the table roughly “I'm grabbing a coffee.” 

The minute she walks away, Vi slowly turns her head back to Ekko. 

He looks away, only to face Mylo and Claggor narrowing his eyes at him as well. 

“What?” he hisses. 

“What happened?” Vi questions, and his eyes are back on her. 

“How would I know?” he furrows his eyebrows. 

She doesn't seem convinced, tapping her fingers against the table before rolling her eyes— letting it go, which he's quite grateful for. 

Eventually the tension falters as they all gradually properly wake up while having their coffees, leaving room for casual chatter, and Vi found it to the perfect time to make the ‘reveal’ that they wouldn’t be driving anywhere. 

“Why?” Jinx can't help but ask immediately. 

Vi raises an eyebrow at the question, looking back at her little sister “You're the thrift queen here. Didn't you say there were some cool shops nearby you visit all the time?” 

“Oh.” her eyebrows raise, and then she nods “Yep. They're in a row on the same street.” 

“Which is why I don't wanna spend all day in traffic.” Vi nods, and Jinx hums, shrugging. 

“Wait so all of you walked here too?” Ekko raised a brow. It made sense for him and Jinx due to the close distance, but the café was a little bit further for everyone else. 

“Yeah, and we still managed to get here earlier.” Mylo pointed out. 

“I do my best, alright.” he murmurs under his breath. 

I do my best — with Jinx, is what he meant. 

Jinx scoffed, "Sure you do.” 

His eyes lift to meet hers. How the hell is she still mad? 

“Stop fighting and get your asses up. Jinx, lead the way.” Vi gestures towards the exit. 

Jinx rolls her eyes, but gets up anyway. She doesn't wait for anyone to follow, and as she’s walking out, the pastries lined up for sale draw her attention.  

She makes a mental note to come back and get something sweet later, and then another thought pops into her head. One that seemed just a little out of place with her usual thinking.

Would Isha like one? 

She's not certain why the girl is on her mind on a Saturday like this, but I guess seeing her had become a tiny routine she enjoyed. Jinx wondered what she was up to today— if she was getting enough sleep, enough play, or if she was noticing her missing presence. 

The thought turned bitter, and she shook her head, leaving the café immediately. Come Monday, she'd treat them both to something sweet. 

Maybe even Ekko.. if he pleaded for his forgiveness. 

Chapter Text

“Still mad?” 

He pushed her side playfully.

The group were on their way to the first thrift shop, each duo having a chat of their own. Jinx was walking in front of everyone, not joining in the conversation, that was until he walked up to her. 

And to tell you the truth, the anger had subsided a little bit…. but that was before he had the audacity to ask the stupidest question ever. The reminder of how much he didn’t care was more infuriating than anything. 

So she sent him a glare from the corner of her eye, before quickening her pace. 

Ekko pressed his lips into a thin line. 

Alright then… that was definitely a yes . 

“What did you even do?” Claggor spoke up, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

Ekko sighed. If he was truly honest about the answer to that question, I’d be Claggor himself kicking his ass. Her brothers and older sister were all quite protective of each other, and especially of Jinx, since she’d always been the little one. 

After what she’d gone through, it made sense. He felt the same, but he also knew their relationship was something else entirely, which is why he could also be considered a target sometimes, despite growing up right alongside them. Vi, Claggor and Mylo made no exceptions. 

“Played her game.” he rolled his eyes, before walking away from the embrace. 

Claggor turned around to Mylo who was trailing behind him, eyebrows furrowed “What the hell's that supposed to mean?” 

“Why do you even bother?” he scoffed, weaving him off. They’d stopped trying to figure out what the hell was going on between them a long time ago. Every day it was something new. 

Claggor shrugged. 

Eventually Jinx stepped into one of her favourite shops, and directly went ahead to browse her options. Vi joined right next to her, while Caitlyn trailed around in a different section, touching things, making faces, then walking past them. 

The music was too loud in here, there were way too many damn people, and why the hell was the lighting so dark? How's anyone supposed to see or buy anything in the dark??! Was this a nightclub or a thrift shop? 

Ridiculous. 

She turned, noticing Mylo and Claggor picking things out, discussing with each other and setting them down. Mylo put a jacket on, showing it off to Claggor and Ekko. 

Ekko pat his shoulder, giving him a tight lipped smile before looking around— his eyes set on the Blue once again, like it was purely instinctual. 

She was talking to her sister now, making disgusted faces at the options she presented, while trying to hold onto a few hangers of clothes herself. The pile only grew bigger the longer they spent in the store. So much so, she was struggling to walk or look at anything else with a bunch of clothes blocking her vision. 

He saw his opportunity, turned the corner and walked over. She didn't even notice him approaching until the clothes were being lifted from her arms, and her eyebrows furrowed, as she looked up to see his face. The clothes now hung on his forearm. 

He didn't offer her a smile, not an apology or a word at all. Jinx didn’t like those confronting discussions. He'd learned his lesson once. Sometimes their best conversations were spoken through with their eyes alone. 

She wanted to believe the gesture was corny, just a stupid way for him to try and get on her good side. And despite it all.. the softness in his eyes had her heart wrapped in the type of warmth she couldn’t exactly name. 

So she swallowed it, squinted at him, before speaking up in her usual snarky tone “Show off.” 

He cracked a smile as she walked away down a different aisle, looking for more clothes to add to the pile. He knew he’d won right then.

“Why aren't you such a gentleman?” Vi teased in his ear, making him jump slightly and glare back at her “Here, keep this.”

She shoved a jacket to his chest, cackling as she walked off. 

Ekko held onto the jacket, leaving out a long sigh. If this was his fate, so be it. He just didn't like Jinx being mad at him like that. So what if he got stuck being used as a hanger? What else was he here for anyway? He wasn’t looking for anything himself. He didn’t feel like he needed anything, particularly. 

She walked past him again, this time stopping by a pile of folded, mostly oversized t-shirts. 

Whichever she picked would suffer the wrath of her scissors and pins, that's for certain. Shit, most of these clothes would— she usually bought shit you'd never even pick up, but that’s what he liked about her. She had a vision. She knew how to make something look like hers entirely from the cuts and stitches to the spray paint and doodles. 

She may believe that her ‘thing’ was just chaos, that there was no sense of self poured into her projects, as she didn’t even know who she truly, really was. 

But honestly? He saw her brighter than anyone else. Admired her confidence and her artistry, her sharp-witted intelligence and the more he thought about her, the more she became a muse. 

So curiosity got the better of him, as he looked down at the clothes he was holding, an oversized button up, a few tank tops, knee socks, a large fur coat and a mini skirt among others. 

The mini skirt drew his attention, so he pulled it out of the pile, examining it. It was a small dark denim number that looked more like a belt than anything else. 

He tilted his head, staring at the piece of clothing, attempting to imagine it on her instead. 

Good god, I'd do her justice. 

“Hey Ekko! This one's got your name all over it.” Jinx called out, pulling out a large t-shirt with the words ‘Douchebag’ written in white, bold letters. 

Mylo and Claggor started cackling behind her, and he rolled his eyes, unimpressed. At least she was talking to him again. That’s all he wanted. 

“This one too.” she hummed, crumbling the shirt into her hand and throwing it his way. 

He caught it with not too much trouble, letting it unfold to reveal another shirt with a word on it. 

Daddy. 

Glitter pink, bold letters. 

He looked back at her, sending her his best ‘really?’ look. She smirked at him, still slightly leaned forward on the pile of clothes, and it was in his very best interest if his eyes didn’t slip to those damn shorts again. 

“Powder please. Save it for therapy.” Vi sighed, having seen the top once it unfolded in Ekko's hands. 

He cringed, not having realized she was behind him again. 

Jinx's response to that was sticking her tongue out, before heading off in another direction again. 

It didn't long after that for Caitlyn to start complaining— predictably so. They'd been in the store for like an hour and she hadn't found something even remotely interesting, and she was getting sick and tired of the loud music and chatter. 

Vi comforted her while keeping an eye out for Jinx, so she could tell her to get all her things and pay so they could leave, but.. she couldn't really see her anywhere from where she was standing. 

And that's because Jinx had gone a little too deep into her search, and Ekko's hands were quickly filling up as he waited idly by. Not near her per say, just..  around, I guess, scanning clothes with his eyes. 

Jinx was going through a few pieces, pushing each out of the way in order to see the next one in full. She was quite quick with it, mindless even, and did only realize as much when she suddenly stopped.

Because that piece of clothing stood out among all the other dark clothes she was looking at. It wasn't anything new per say, but it sure as heck had no business being in that aisle, considering it was a children's cardigan. 

It looked quite cute, chunky and cozy. Adorably sweet and kiddy. 

She looked up, and sure enough, the children's aisle was right across from this one, including of similar, wonderfully colorful options.

She pulled the knit from the small hanger. He hands caressing the top of the fabric. It seemed hand-made of a soft, creamy off-white yarn. Good quality, nicely structured, featuring large textured strawberry appliqués in a pastel pink color with light green leaves.

She hadn’t even realized when the corners of her lips had lifted into a shy smile.

Would Isha like it?

✰ https://pin.it/6FReXOgOq

Her smile faltered, as she shook her head. No. She wasn't supposed to be doing this.. I'd probably get the little girl more attached, and that's the last thing they needed. 

To be fair, she didn't know the kid's likes and dislikes.. maybe she wouldn't give a shit about a cardigan, but she knew the social worker would. Was she… or, I guess.. anyone else, allowed to gift something to the girl? 

She clearly needed one, she needed a lot more clothes, actually. There was nothing particularly wrong about the clothes they were putting her in while under state care… except of course the quality was cheap, they were a little thin, a little too flat, too big, too… grey. 

She clutched the cardigan in her hands, furrowing her brows, conflicted. 

This was stupid.. why was she out here debating herself on if she should buy a child's piece of clothing, out of anything else? Not ever in her life had the thought crossed her mind. She’d stopped and looked, as you do, but never actually considered buying one.

As she went further and further into her head about the decision, Ekko took notice of her frozen state, so he set the clothes he’d been holding for her down on top of one of the desks, to pick them up later. 

Then, he approached her from behind. 

She was so lost, she didn't even notice his presence near her neck, until he spoke into her ear “Buy it.” 

Her lips parted in surprise, but she didn't show it. Didn't turn her head or make a sound. The hesitation was still gnawing at her. 

Finally, after a few seconds of just staring down at the cardigan, she turned her head to look up at him, her voice no louder than a whisper. 

“But Reina—” 

“I'll deal with her.” he interrupted. His words assured her more than anything “It’s just a gift. The kid could use some clothes anyway.” 

She stared up at him, licking her lips. 

Before any words ever even left her mouth, Vi found them “What the hell are you two whispering about?”

Jinx and Ekko turned to see Vi standing there, her hands on her waist as Caitlyn stood behind her with an annoyed expression on her face. 

“Uh.. drugs.” Jinx quickly spoke as she hugged the cardigan to her chest, her body still turned in an effort to hide the cute thing as she looked back at her older sister. 

Ekko snorted a laugh as he stepped away from her, and Vi rolled her eyes. 

“I think I got everything.” she then announced, unceremoniously walking off again. 

“Finally." Caitlyn let out a deep sigh. 

It wasn't until the cashier was going through Jinx's choices, scanning them so they could make the payment.. that Vi noticed the children's cardigan in between all her other choices. She thought it was a mistake at first, waiting for Jinx to say something. 

Her sister didn’t say a word, just paid the price and Ekko took the bags. Honestly, their finances were mixed, so she’d technically paid with their money. It was a little something from the both of them. 

Vi asked the question the second they were out of the store “Why on earth did you just buy a child's cardigan?” she questioned.

Jinx scrunched her nose in irritation— she was hoping Vi hadn't seen it, but of course, she just had to be right there while the cashier was going through all her clothes. 

“Project.” was her answer. 

Vi furrowed her eyebrows, looked at her like she was insane “It's a knit cardigan Jinx. If you cut it, it'll just be strings of fabric. It won't hold any type of shape.” 

“What if I just wanted the yarn?” she shrugged. 

“You…” Vi blinked “Buy a ball of yarn?” 

Jinx stared at her for a minute, before shrugging as she walked off. She truly did not owe her sister an explanation for a purchase she made with her own money. 

“How are you not fazed by this?” she commented, looking back at Ekko. I mean, he’d helped her stuff the cardigan in the bag like it was just like any other of her picks. 

He raised his eyebrows, still holding onto the bags, then gave her a tiny shrug. 

Vi looked back at Caitlyn “Am I the crazy one here?” 

“I’m definitely not the one with the crazy sibling.” she huffed, looking back at Ekko. 

He raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything. 

“Jinx, do you have something you wanna tell us?” Mylo loudly questioned in an annoyingly teasing tone. 

She showed him her middle finger as she walked, not turning to even look at him. 

The next store was close by, but unfortunately for them.. it was closed. 

So they walked for ten more minutes, and arrived at the next one. The employees let them know they were doing maintenance, so they'd paused on sales for the day. 

Jinx groaned as they walked off “Well, that's all I got folks. Now scram.” 

“What do you mean scram? I got nothing.” Claggor raised his arms up. 

“You're too picky.” Jinx rolled her eyes. 

“No, the clothes are shit.” he argued back. 

She took a deep sigh “Right, so why don't you take us somewhere else huh genius?” 

“Do you not know some other place?” Vi raised an eyebrow, interfering in the argument as she looked back at Jinx. 

“Of course I do.” Jinx scoffed “But you didn't wanna drive so we're stuck in this area.” 

Vi clenched her jaw, pressing her lips and looking around like she could find the solution to their problem in real time. 

And she did. 

“Why don't we take the bus?” Vi gestured to their right, pointing out the bus station on the side of the street, still holding onto a bag with her hand “Maybe we'll have more luck.” 

“Darling.” Caitlyn placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing her lips in annoyance at the idea “Shall we just head home? I promise, whatever you're looking for we can get online.” 

“It's not about the clothes it's about—” she hesitated, gesturing to everyone “This! Us doing stuff together!” 

“Can y'all just make up your mind before we melt into the pavement?” Mylo groaned. 

Claggor rolled his eyes. 

Caitlyn let out a sigh “Right. Fine. Let's go, I guess.”

“Ya’ sure? I've heard the reason why everyone usually stands in these buses is because they spray rat poison on the seats to get people sick and kill off the population.” Jinx warned, before shaking her head “The smell is pungent." 

Caitlyn looked back at her in pure disgust. 

“Jinx stop making up shit to scare my fiancée. Let's go.” she wrapped an arm around the taller girl, and the two started walking ahead. 

“Lame.” Jinx murmured to herself, but followed suit. 

Ekko smiled. 

Thankfully they didn't have to wait too long for the bus, but a crowd of people got on with them, so the bus was practically stuffed to the brim. 

Caitlyn was full on glaring at Vi once they got on, as she sheepishly looked back at her. How was she supposed to know I’d be so damn full? The two were staring right at each other as they stood amongst others, and Calggor and Mylo were right next to them, also holding onto the bus handles. 

Jinx and Ekko got on last, so they were pushed to another corner of the bus, just a few feet away. 

Vi looked back to try and see where they’d ended up, only to find Ekko standing by a corner with Jinx standing in front of him. The bags set at their feet. 

She offered her a thumbs up, and Vi nodded, looking back at Cait and her brothers. 

It was hot and stuffy, and Ekko was looking around, hyper aware of the stuff they had as well as Jinx, grabbing her arm to move her out of the way if anyone wanted to get out at a stop because she simply couldn’t be bothered to think for herself when he was around. 

Meanwhile, Jinx was looking down at her feet— one of her boots had unzipped slightly. How it’d even managed to do that? Beats her. She'd just noticed, and she was stuck in a bus full of people for the foreseeable few minutes, staring down at her feet with no ability to do anything about her stupid zipper.

Tragic. 

“Can I know what about this morning pissed you off so much?” Ekko questioned, his lips to her ear. 

The hair at the back of her neck stood up, and she grinded her teeth. Couldn't he just stand there for a second and be silent?? She didn't need this right now.

She didn't need this ever, actually. Not his dumb confrontation, or his unnerving proximity. 

She shut her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath before answering him, not turning her head “Do you just wanna have this conversation right now because I can't escape?” 

He huffed a laugh, the air landed right at the nape of her neck, causing stupid goosebumps  “Maybe.” 

“Idiot.” 

“Come on now.” he coaxed “Be nice to me, Blue.” 

Fuck you. 

Why did he need to whisper right in her ear like that? After this morning, it couldn't be an accident. The jerk knew what he was doing, and he liked it. He hadn’t learned his lesson yet, and that was her bad. 

But her plans included a little bit more.. planning, let’s say. 

She’d make sure to leave him hot and stuttering. 

“Shut up.” she hissed back, not entertaining him.

He sighed, but stayed silent. The bus jolted, crowded so tight that breathing felt like a shared act. She kept staring down at her feet. Finally, the person in front of her moved, and she had the space to fix her damn zipper. 

So she bent down, but not before backing up into Ekko, making a show for it. He fucking deserved it. Her ass to his crotch, and he went rigid at the sight. His jaw clenched, breath sucked sharp through his teeth. Heat flared in his chest, not just from the brush but from the fact they were crammed shoulder to shoulder with strangers. He seethed. 

That was it.

His hand shot out, rough around her wrist. With a sharp tug he yanked her upright. A sharp gasp left her mouth, her eyes widened, arm bent awkwardly against her own shoulder, as he locked her in place. Her back arched under the pull, shoulder blades pressing against him, her head tipping back until wild blue braids brushed his jaw. 

“What’re you..” she turned to look at him, but he wasn't looking at her. His eyebrows were furrowed, as he looked forward.

She followed his gaze, right where Vi, Claggor and Mylo stood, all watching them, all glaring at him, promising more than an earful when they got off.

“Oops.” she whispered. 

Jinx was more concentrated on the way he held her like she was a live wire, straining and sparking in his grasp, her arm twisted enough to remind her who was stronger.

The bus rocked again, bodies pressed closer around them, but she might as well have been the only one there. Her chest heaved, spine bowed, mouth curled in a smirk that only deepened when he leaned down close enough for her to feel the heat of his words.

“Yeah.” he hissed, his eyes dropping down to her, every syllable vibrating with barely contained fury “Oops.” 

It wasn’t enough, but it sure as fuck returned her smile. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

The space outside of the Firelight Center was basically a park, with all that you’d expect of it. It wasn’t huge, but it was big enough to include a seesaw, a merry-go-round, swingset, a slide, chin-up bars, a sandbox and a couple of more things scattered around. 

The weather was nice. Not too hot, not too cold, and he’d made a promise to the kids that one of these days they’d organize so that lectures would be held outside, but… who was he kidding? It was a playday more than anything. The kids were more than thrilled about that.

Just as any of his other employees, he was outside too, sitting on a small chair, h is eyes completely focused on Isha. 

The little girl had been quite excited to come in today, though she did seem a little tired. Still, it was the first time he’d witnessed her interact with the other kids, which was a pretty big deal. She usually paid them no mind, but today the kids were all running around outside playing tag, and she seemed to have joined the game sort of accidentally. 

She was just running around and one of them tapped her, yelling “You’re it!”. Turns out, the munchkin could get quite competitive, so she started running after them right the next second.

And yes, before you ask… he did have to comfort up to three kids that had tripped while running so far. Isha hadn’t tripped on her face yet, but with the way she waddled around? He didn’t want to snatch his eyes off her just in case she did. 

Every turn she took, every little jump or stumble, made him think she was a second away from faceplanting, and somehow, every damn time, the little girl avoided the actual consequence. 

He was grateful, of course, but damn it was he also stressed.  

Scar would throw him a look here and there, laugh at Ekko’s paranoia, knowing damn well he’d gone through it for weeks himself after they’d brought the baby home from the hospital.

Ekko hadn’t even noticed, to be honest. His eyes scanned Isha as she went to pick up Tuff Tuff. She was wearing the same clothes she wore Friday, but her shoe laces were undone, and she was stepping on them as she walked up to him with the bunny. 

“C’mere.” he spoke up, and as she approached, he scooped her up in one go, moments before disaster actually struck. 

She let out a little yelp, and then giggled as he sat her down over his knee, reaching out behind her to tie her laces “Where do you think you’re going like this hm? You’d think you’d learn from other’s mistakes but no, you wanna be next. ” 

The giggles filled his ears, as he rested his chin overtop of her curls, tying both of her laces with a lazy grin on his face. 

“Awww shucks.” Gert called out to him from a few feet away “Aren’t you guys adorable?” 

Ekko rolled his eyes, and as he looked up again, he noticed her. Jinx was making her way to the play area outside with Zeri in tow, probably just showing her where everyone was. 

She wore a sporty yet fitted sleeveless crop top with a high neckline with a vertical stripe down the middle with a pair of slightly baggy cargo jeans that had multiple pockets, along with a brown leather belt, adding a subtle accent to her waist.

☾ https://pin.it/Gkvcq3Uew

“Oh, and look who’s already here?” Ekko pointed out Jinx walking over to them. 

Isha jumped down from his lap, and he laughed, making sure she was stable before she could run to Jinx like she did every time— I’d turned into a harmless habit. It also helped that her stumble and run was unbearably cute. 

Jinx set her bag on the ground as if expecting the girl, picking her up instead “How ya’ doin’ swift bunny?” 

Isha grinned at her, wrapping her arms around her neck tightly. 

Jinx’s smile was bright “C’mon, I've got something you might like.”

So she set her back down on the ground, digging through the bag she'd brought with her. 

Isha stood by, attempting to lean over and get a view of exactly what Jinx was going to pull out of it. 

“Whatchu got there Blue?” Ekko questioned, walking over to her. 

Gert pulled at Zeri’s shirt from where they were standing, pointing them out. 

Zeri furrowed her eyebrows at her, before seeing the scene for herself. 

They'd been trying to figure out their relationship from the sidelines with slight context clues and dialogue alone. They could not afford to miss the golden opportunity to spy on them while they were ‘working’. Yes, they’d sort of confirmed they weren’t together when Zeri had first asked, but did anyone believe that? Of course not. 

Too bad Ethan and Rumi were taking care of the older kids inside, but they’d definitely get the news of it later. Jinx had been a hot topic at the center since the first day she’d walked in. 

“Nanna yer’ business, really.” she looked up at him, speaking in a mocking tone as she took out two boxes that he could only assume were filled with pastries. 

His eyebrows raised “Sure as hell seems my business. What's all this for?” 

“The kids.” she answered in a ‘duh’ tone “Well, only these ones. I can't feed the entire Firelight Center.” 

Ekko laughed at that “Thanks. More sugar is exactly what we need right now.” 

“Inconveniencing you was just a plus of my already incredible idea.” she winked. 

She'd gone back to the café and bought not one, but two boxes of sweets for the kids. Originally, she just wanted to get just a pastry for Isha, but she didn't wanna leave everyone else out. That would surely cause the type of chaos she didn't particularly like — she could deal with hyper kids, but not crying ones. 

Crisis? Averted. 

Ekko shook her head, before looking away from her “Zeri! Get some paper plates.” 

The blonde girl practically jumped up to run inside, a little panicked on if he'd realized she wasn’t doing anything other than listening in on the conversation.

When he looked back down, Jinx had already pried the first one open, and he knew where she'd gotten the sweets immediately. He saw those chocolate mini french cakes with whipped cream every time he walked into Honey and Drip. 

Isha's eyes practically sparkled as she looked at them, as Jinx hummed “They look good huh?” 

It didn't take long for the rest of the kids to gather around them, as if they could smell the pastries from where they stood. Ekko had to lift both of the boxes in the air to stop everyone from trying to grab at them with their bare hands, and by the time Zeri had arrived with the plates, Scar had pulled out a table outside for her to set them on. 

Gert took the mini cakes and set them into plates while Zeri started giving them out one by one. 

Isha was handed one as well, and she immediately ran to Jinx and Ekko with it. Ekko sat on the same tiny kid's chair as before, his legs spread apart and elbows rested on his knees as he looked down at Jinx. 

She sat criss-crown on the lawn right next to him, giggling about how he made the kid's chairs look like toys with his stature. She sure as hell liked how well those dark, high waisted dress pants suited him, and how well the matching, yet casual t-shirt clung to his biceps, not that she’d ever give him the satisfaction of finding out as much. 

☼ https://pin.it/6HOOSKXRG

“Hey ya’ got one! Why don't you try it?” Jinx raised her eyebrows when she noticed Isha approaching her with the paper plate in hand. 

Isha furrowed her brows at her, then shrugged, dipping her head and opening her mouth wide to smash the mini cake in. 

“Woah there.” Ekko placed two fingers at the front of her forehead, stopping her right before her nose dipped into the cake. Jinx held back her laugh “Let's get some forks around here.” he looked back up at the girls standing near the table, who were weirdly already looking his way “Gert?” 

She nodded, walking over to him and handing him a plastic fork. 

“Thanks.” he smiled, before handing it to Isha “Now dig in.” 

Isha scrunched her nose at him, but did as she was told, stabbing her fork at the side of the mini cake and pulling out a piece, only to lift it up so quickly that it flicked itself off and fell to the floor.

“Alright.” Jinx laughed as Isha let out a whine “Gimme that.” 

She took the plate and fork away from her little hands as Isha sat down next to her on the grass. Jinx set the plate on her knee as she separated a piece of the cake.

“Open up.” she spoke up as she placed the fork with the cake in her mouth. 

Jinx and Ekko waited for a minute, studying her expression as she chewed— her eyebrows raised, her nose scrunched and her lips pressed together. 

Then, she raised her hand up to her chin, moving it forward and then downward. 

‘Good.’

That’s the word she signed, and Ekko and Jinx recognized it instantly, remembering the sign from the book as well. It was one of the first words they practiced.

Jinx gasped slightly, looking back at Ekko. 

He grinned, still staring at the kid “That’s right. It’s good. Smart girl.” 

Isha giggled at him, before looking back at Jinx who bit her lip as she grinned down at her “Oh you’ve earned a huge bite missy. You’re not ready for this airplane.” 

Jinx ended up feeding her the entire mini cake while she yapped Ekko’s ear off. Isha would run around with the other kids, go down a slide or climb, just to drop down and run right back to Jinx to get another bite, and then she repeated the process from what seemed like an unlimited source of energy. 

Ekko had his eyes half on her, half on Jinx, as she talked about the new project she was working on with Viktor. 

Eventually, Jinx remembered that she had yet to give the little girl the cardigan she'd bought for her, so as she went down the slide for the third time, Jinx got her attention by weaving her hand up.

She ran straight to her, once again stumbling slightly as she arrived, much to Ekko’s wracked nerves. 

Jinx laughed, stopping her in place by holding her shoulders “I've got something for you.” 

Isha raised her eyebrows at that, and Ekko smiled, resting his head on his fist. 

“There.” she took out the cardigan, before turning it to show it to the girl “Please tell me you like strawberries.” 

Ekko laughed at that, shaking his head “I think she likes it, Jinx.” 

She lowered the cardigan that was blocking her vision to look down at the little girl who was jumping in place, eyes sparkling as she pulled at the end of the cardigan with her fingertips. 

“Phew.” she rolled her eyes “Let’s get it on then shall we?” 

Isha raised her hands in the air, waiting, and Jinx chuckled, pulling off the white shirt she was wearing, leaving her in only one layer before wrapping her in the cardigan. 

“She looks freaking adorable.” Ekko reached out, ruffling her curls with the palm of his hand. 

Jinx hummed, tilting her head to the side. It looked exactly as she thought it would, and it was equally impressive that she’d managed to get the sizing right. Between those cute curls and the strawberry cardigan, the cuteness aggression seemed unavoidable. 

So she pulled the little girl into her lap, squeezing her in a hug that made her shriek then burst into giggles.  

“Look at them!” Zeri whispered, nudging Gert with her elbow “All sitting together like a little family. There’s no way that girl isn’t biologically theirs.” 

“There’s no way they aren't together.” Gert snorted, agreeing as she cleaned up the table. 

“They are.” Scar commented as he walked by. Zeri and Gert froze, whipping around to face him, only for him to add “They just don't know it yet.” 

“Oo-kay!” Zeri pushed his shoulder “What the fuck man.” 

Scar grinned back at her. 

•─────⋅☾☼⋅─────•

After Isha’s short daily nap, she seemed extra groggy and grumpy. I mean, she always was to some extent, knowing Jinx wouldn't be there when she woke up (and sometimes even refused to go to bed until inevitably, her eyes would start to close as Jinx coaxed her to sleep). 

So Ekko took her back outside, hoping she was still in the mood to play. 

She just sat on the sandbox, throwing sand around. 

He sighed, looking up. They were just waiting for Reina now. She was a little later than usual, so the parents were already collecting their kids. 

He sent them a couple of polite smiles and weaves when they looked his way, but otherwise, he was just standing near Isha waiting with her. 

One of the kids ran right past Isha and into the arms of his mom “Mama!!” 

The woman laughed, catching the kid in her arms and leaving a smooch on his forehead “Look at you! Why are your hands all yellow?” 

The kid giggled, and she laughed “Right, well, let's go clean you up. Say bye to Mr.E!” 

“Bye!” the kid weaved a hand in Ekko's direction, and he laughed, weaving him back “See you tomorrow!” 

It was only when he looked back down, that he noticed Isha's eyes, blankly staring at the mom taking the boy away. 

And then he noticed it again, when another one of the parents came by. 

She was no longer playing— her eyes just followed the parents of the children being picked up, one by one. He wasn’t certain as to what capacity she could understand why the parents were so sweet to their children, why it was so different when Reina picked her up, why things had to be this way for her. 

The difference was there, he knew she could tell. He couldn’t read her thoughts or way of processing, but he knew it from the look in her eyes. He knew it in the way she scrunched up, bringing Tuff Tuff to her chest to hug him tighter. Her eyes were lingering, as if waiting if one of them would notice her, come for her, comfort her. 

And he was there, he just stood behind her, outside of her direct view. His gut churned, his heart sensitive to that longing, a protective instinct taking over him fully. He wanted to scoop her up and tell her that she already belonged, she didn’t need anyone else, that there was a place out there just as warm and loving, an embrace just as gentle and comforting. 

And he felt guilty, guilty for his hesitation, guilty that he hadn’t noticed this before, guilty that he couldn’t save her from the life that was given to her. Because this shouldn’t be the way things had gone. None of this should’ve ever happened. 

But the real truth was.. there was no escaping it. He knew it. He’d fucking lived it. The longing, the yearning, the need for warmth, community, belonging, the need for his mom, for his dad, for Benzo. 

And it all came crashing back, because Isha was a mirror. She was a mirror to his pain, to his suffering, and this was his one chance to do something not only for her, but for the inner child inside of him too. What felt like the only option, the one that made sense.  

Taking a step forward felt too much like a decision, so he remained frozen. Frozen in doubt and uncertainty, placed somewhere in between his desire to save, and how he pictured the rest of his life. How something like this could be his biggest blessing, or a permanent pause. 

His fists clenched, his eyes were dark and weary and he stared down at her. His mind so boggled up that he was no longer able to speak, never mind notice Reina as she approached. 

“Hi, how are you?” she questioned. 

Nothing. His face was blank, ghost-like. 

Her eyebrows furrowed. Maybe he hadn’t heard her? Seen her? 

She looked down at the girl, noticing the cardigan right off the bat. It was thick, off white and pink, and definitely not what she was wearing the last time she’d seen her.