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Is she ugly? Is that why she’s never been kissed before? Actually, that can’t be it. Ugly people kiss all the time. Example number one being Mylo. How can it be that Mylo's kissed more people than she has?! He has like a four-year advantage on her, but still!
It’s moments like these that she really misses Vi, she could use the sisterly advice right now. But rather than coming back home to visit her own family, she went to Piltover with her stupid girlfriend to visit her family instead.
“I promise me and Caitlyn will stay over at Vander’s during our next break,” her sister assured while they were facetiming. Yeah right, that’s assuming her evil, Piltovan girlfriend didn’t seduce her away again.
Jinx gets startled out of her train of thought by the announcer’s boisterous voice saying, “Brutality! Kung Lao has won.” Shit, she wasn’t paying attention at all.
“Hell yeah!” Ekko hollers, “I won. Again.” He turns to her with a triumphant grin on his face.
“Yeah, yeah. ‘Grats, I guess,” Jinx mutters, tossing the controller to the side of her bed.
“You good?” Ekko asks, his grin transforming into a curious frown. “I just beat you like six times in a row and you don’t even care. What’s up?”
Jinx groans, “It’s stupid.”
“So? Not like that’s new with you.” He laughs when she punches him in the arm for that.
She huffs a frustrated breath, contemplating her embarrassing predicament again. Just what was she doing so wrong that no one wanted to kiss her?
Well, she did almost get kissed, but she absolutely did not want to be by– ugh Thieram.
Thieram – who she lovingly (read as: spitefully) called Chuck because he was too much of a coward to correct her – had come to her doorstep with flowers to ask her to the junior year dance.
Now, she had fully intended on laughing at him before slamming the door in his face, but unfortunately, Vander was home and reminded Jinx that she was still dateless and that Chuck was so nice for asking.
“He’s a nice lad,” Vander grinned, “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”
Well, she didn’t. For someone who could barely look her straight in the eye most times, he sure had some nerve to grab onto her waist after she begrudgingly granted him one dance. That alone pissed her off enough, but then she realized he was closing his eyes and leaning in to kiss her.
So she punched him in the nose.
Jinx thought it was super funny, and so had Ekko. They had a good laugh about it. Until Vander received a phone call from the principal and she got into trouble for picking fights. That part was not so funny.
So maybe punching the one person who actually wanted to kiss her was not a good idea, but come on, there had to be better options out there than Chuck E. Cheese!
And then came Mylo’s stupid, intolerable ass who laughed at her once he heard the story. “Bet you just punched him ‘cause you have no idea how to kiss.”
“Shut up, you toad!” Jinx screeched.
“Hit a sore spot, didn’t I?” Mylo taunted, while Claggor just helplessly watched them go at it but decided not to intervene.
“The only sore spot you’ll hit is your ass when I knock you–”
“Kids!” Vander shouted, causing them both to jump in surprise. Crap, they didn’t even hear him come in. “Knock it off or you’re both on laundry duty for the entire month.”
“Yes, sir,” they unenthusiastically replied in unison.
God, why did Mylo have to come home for summer break? Couldn’t he just stay in his musty college dorm so she could continue her life unbothered?
“Uh, earth to Jinx?” Ekko waves his hand in front of her face. “You wanna tell me what’s wrong or can I keep crushing you in Mortal Kombat?”
“Don’t get cocky,” she scoffs, “you were not crushing me.”
“Yeah, right. Say that to my six-win streak.” He bumps his shoulder against her own and encouragingly smiles at her. “Come on, tell me what's up?”
Jinx groans, struggling to roll around so she can lie on her back. Her one-person bed is definitely not built for both of them anymore. It was never an issue when they were kids, but now that they’re older, they have to squeeze together so they can both lie down comfortably.
She stares at the popcorn ceiling as she considers his offer. Should she tell Ekko about her embarrassing predicament? It is stupid, though. Even by her standards. But she can’t stop thinking about it and it’s ruining their hangout session.
Well, worst comes to worst he’ll just laugh at her. In which case she’ll retaliate by suffocating him with her pillow and throwing his corpse out of the window. But she’s known him since kindergarten and they’ve been through enough stupid stuff over the last thirteen years of their lives that she trusts him not to.
“So, you know…” Ekko curiously raises an eyebrow as he waits for her to continue, “howI’veneverkissedanyonebefore,” she quickly mumbles, ignoring the way she can feel her face warming up.
“You realize I got no clue what you just said, right?” he deadpans.
With a frustrated groan, she shoots upright and exclaims, “I’ve never kissed anyone!”
A beat of silence. He just blankly stares at her and Jinx is contemplating the quickest way to die. Then he bursts out into laughter.
“Stop laughing!” she screeches, reaching for her pillow and smacking him over the head with it. Thank god no one else is home. If Mylo overheard her too that would be so much worse.
“Hold up, mercy, mercy!” he yelps between laughs.
She scowls at him but relents anyway and stops her attacks while he comes down from his laughter. Back to contemplating death, it is. Maybe she can jump out of the window. Jinx is fairly confident that jumping out of a second-story window is a better alternative to…this.
“I’m not laughing because you’ve never kissed anyone,” he explains, moving to sit upright beside her. “It’s just funny how that’s what was eating you up. It’s not even a big deal.”
“Easy for you to say,” she complains. “You’re not the one going into senior year as a virgin who’s never been kissed.”
Because for reasons that are absolutely beyond her, Ekko is popular. He has been since freshman year and she knows he’s more…experienced than her, so to say.
In fact, she totally blames the Chuck incident on him. Jinx was planning to ask him on a platonic date so she didn’t have to deal with the whole promposal nonsense, but apparently, Taliyah had already asked him out and he didn’t have the heart to reject her.
And as someone who’s known him since he cried when he found out Santa Claus wasn’t real, Jinx doesn't get what everyone else sees in him…Well, maybe she kind of, sort of, slightly sees it? After all, from a purely objective, platonic viewpoint Ekko isn’t an eyesore.
Okay, fine, he’s hot. Puberty did him good and it’s obvious he uses it to his advantage. But what the hell is Jinx doing wrong then?! God, maybe she is ugly. Well, no better person to ask than Ekko, she supposes. He’s had to look at her for most of his life so he can probably pass honest judgment.
“Is it because I’m ugly?”
Ekko gives her the most unimpressed look that she’s ever seen. “No way you’re seriously asking that.”
“I am!” she insists, trying very hard to ignore the creeping anxiety that maybe she’s right. She knows she’s not a supermodel by any means, but she never thought she was that bad to look at. “Just rip off the bandaid and say it.”
“Jinx,” he sighs, “you’re not ugly, don’t act stupid now.”
Being called “not ugly” isn’t exactly high praise, but she supposes it’ll do. But that doesn’t really answer her question. “Then why does no one want to kiss me?”
“Might be ‘cause you terrify half the people in our school,” Ekko laughs. “Did you forget you sucker-punched the last guy that tried to kiss you? Not very inviting.”
"So what?" She rolls her eyes. "Half the people in our school suck, I wouldn't even kiss them if they paid me."
"Well, there's your answer."
Jinx frowns in confusion. "What?"
"You're so worried that no one's ever kissed you, but have you ever wanted to kiss someone?"
She opens her mouth to retort. And then closes it with a frown. Shit, he has a point. It's true that Jinx doesn't have anyone specific in mind she'd like to kiss. She's just sick of being inexperienced.
Mylo's words ring through her head again, striking closer to home than she'd like to admit.
"Bet you just punched him ‘cause you have no idea how to kiss."
Dammit, he really got to her, that asshole.
"Well, how do I make it good if I…don't know how to kiss?" she asks.
"By kissing, I guess?" Ekko shrugs. "Just go slow and let it happen naturally, practice makes perfect."
Jinx groans at that. "How the hell am I supposed to practice when-" She abruptly cuts herself off, feeling a light bulb turn on above her head at the obvious answer right in front of her.
"That's it!" she starts again, visibly confusing Ekko.
He frowns. "Uh, what is?"
"Teach me how to kiss!"
"You want pointers or something?"
"No, idiot," she groans, "kiss me."
A beat of silence. Jinx impatiently waits for his answer, but all he says is, "Me?"
"Yes, you."
"Just checking again, you wanna kiss me?" Ekko looks like he's in genuine disbelief and she quickly wonders whether asking him was a mistake, after all.
"God, if you don’t want to kiss me that badly, just say it." She laughs at him, ignoring the genuine twinge of hurt at the thought.
“I didn’t say that. It’s just,” he sighs, "isn't it a waste? Like, don't you want your first kiss to be special and romantic, or some shit?"
"No, I want it to be good. Besides," Jinx averts her gaze, suddenly very interested in the buttons of her controller, “I, you know, trust you and stuff so…” she trails off with a helpless shrug, eyes flickering back to Ekko for his reaction. Dammit, she’s definitely blushing again, this is so humiliating.
His expression softens into one of understanding and he nods. “Alright, if you’re sure.”
They shift on top of her bed to comfortably face each other and she nervously grips the comforter beneath her hands, her heartbeat accelerating.
Jinx feels hyper-aware of everything all of a sudden; of her old, metal bed that creaks beneath their movements; of the light still flickering from her outdated tube tv; of the faint hum from the standing fan in the corner of her room; but most of all of Ekko, right in front of her, about to kiss her.
Ekko raises his hand to cup her jaw and, embarrassingly enough, she flinches at the touch.
“Relax,” he assures, “it’s just me. If you don’t want to do this, we can still stop.”
“I’m not scared,” she scoffs, “just show me how to do it already.”
“Alright, if you say so,” he says with a laugh.
Ekko leans forward, his eyes closing as he slowly inches forward. Jinx can hear her heartbeat drumming in her ears. Ekko’s face is getting closer and closer to her own. But oh-so-slowly. Too slowly. And the suspense is killing her.
God, can’t he just get this over with? Taking matters into her own hands, she squeezes her eyes shut, purses her lips, and quickly leans forward to meet him in the middle.
They both yelp when their noses bump into each other.
“What the hell, Jinx?” Ekko’s eyes flutter open and he glares at her in confusion.
She glares right back at him, grumbling, “I thought you were supposed to be good at this! What was that?!”
“I am good at this!” He scowls. “Never had anyone torpedo their face straight into mine before.”
“Well, if you're so good at this, use your…hoe experience to help me!”
“There’s no way you’re slut-shaming me and asking for my help in the same breath,” he deadpans.
For a moment, they simply glare at each other. But everything about this situation is so awkward and ridiculous that Jinx ends up snorting, she can't help it. And after she breaks, Ekko shortly follows behind her, and soon they're full-on cackling on her bed.
"Sorry," Jinx says, wiping away stray tears from her laughter, "maybe I am a little nervous."
"It's cool, I got you," Ekko assures. "Do you wanna keep going?"
Jinx takes a steadying breath and sits up straight again. "Yeah, let's try that again."
"Okay," Ekko cups her face in his hands and subtly angles her head to the side, "this should prevent another nose-bumping accident. And remember, breathe through your nose."
"I know how to breathe, asshole." She rolls her eyes.
"Alright, alright," he laughs. "Just close your eyes, okay?"
Jinx nods and shuts her eyes as she waits for him to kiss her. She feels a soft pressure against her lips, but she’s barely even registered it and he's already pulling back, removing his hands from her face. That felt like it was over before it even started.
Her eyes blink open and she blankly stares at him. "That's it?"
"Well damn, how much do you want me to teach you?"
"Everything! I wanna know how to really kiss someone. Not the kind of peck you'd give your grandma," she complains.
Ekko awkwardly clears his throat. "Alright, if you're serious about this."
He shuffles a little closer to her, placing a hand on her neck and brushing his thumb over her jawline.
“So the thing about a good kiss is,” he quietly says before leaning in again, but this time he stops short of kissing her, and instead brushes his nose against hers, “it’s about anticipation.”
His eyes are hooded as he looks at her, and it's intense and smoldering. Jinx feels her breath hitch when he tilts his head and leans forward.
Her eyes automatically fall shut as he closes the distance between them until his lips softly brush against hers. She tries to chase his mouth when he pulls away, but Ekko shifts his hand around her jaw and gently pushes her back so she can't.
“You have to make them want it,” he whispers, pressing soft kisses against her cheek, her jaw, the corner of her mouth– but never directly on her lips, “but don’t give it up right away.”
And he presses his lips against hers, but he pulls back again before she can chase him. He continues the pattern, constantly dancing just out of reach, but close enough that she's hyper-aware of him.
"Ekko…" she whines, surprised by how breathy she sounds.
He just smiles at her – it's infuriatingly self-satisfied and, worst of all, oh-so attractive – before finally leaning in to properly kiss her and-
Oh.
She gets it now.
The brush of his lips against hers makes Jinx dizzy with want. And she keeps coming back for more and more now that he finally lets her. She gets why he told her to breathe through her nose now. Otherwise, she might’ve gotten so lost in kissing him that she'd actually forget to.
Jinx latches onto the collar of his shirt, desperate to do something with her hands and also trying to ensure that he doesn't pull away again. Ekko's hand moves from her jaw to the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair and gently tilting her head so he can deepen the kiss.
His tongue brushes against her lips and Jinx can't help but gasp at the sensation. He takes advantage of the fact to sneak his tongue past the parting of her lips. And it feels so good, but Jinx doesn't quite know how to navigate the kiss around it, feeling overwhelmed as she awkwardly pushes her tongue back against his.
Ekko breaks the kiss and whispers against her lips, "Easy," he kisses the corner of her mouth, "not too much," and then the other one. "Just follow my lead, okay?"
She means to hum in confirmation, but the sound she lets out is so desperate and wanton it makes her feel embarrassed. There's no time to linger on the feeling, however, because Ekko leans in to put his mouth on hers again.
And Jinx is quickly realizing it's very difficult to think about anything else when he kisses her.
She's starting to understand the rhythm of the kiss, moving her lips against his and matching his pace with more ease. Her grip on his shirt relaxes and she slides one of her hands down to his chest instead, her fingers slipping beneath his collar to trace the skin of his collarbone.
But it's not enough. His body is too far away, and she needs him closer. She breaks the kiss and moves to straddle him, slinging her arms over his shoulders. Ekko doesn't protest, far from it, he adjusts his position so she can comfortably sit on his lap, before grabbing onto her waist and attempting to pull her even closer.
Their bodies are flush against each other when she leans in to kiss him again. She doesn’t know whether it’s on purpose or not, but his fingers ended up sneaking beneath the hem of her shirt, and Jinx shivers when the pads of his fingers brush against her spine.
His tongue teases the seam of her lips again, she’s ready for it this time, yet she still can't help but sigh when she feels it. It's hard to match his pace when her head is spinning with pleasure, but Ekko moves slowly and softly, allowing her to follow his lead.
Jinx thinks she understands why people do this now. Kissing Ekko is addictive. So much so, that she doesn't want to stop, but she's not getting enough air like this, so she reluctantly pulls back to catch her breath, leaning her forehead against his.
Ekko’s eyes flutter open and he stares back at her. It’s weirdly intimate and very…non-platonic? God, everything about this was non-platonic, wasn’t it? She inhales through her mouth, hoping it’ll help her catch her breath faster. Because embarrassingly enough, Ekko managed to leave her out of breath.
Jinx straightens up so that she’s no longer so close to his face that it’s a little too easy and tempting to lean back in and kiss him again.
"Uh, thanks." God, why does she sound so breathy? "I…think I get it now." She licks her lips, and her heart stutters when she sees Ekko's eyes flicker down to track the movement.
"You sure?" His voice sounds like gravel. "I'd be happy to help if you need more…practice." He tears his eyes away from her mouth and looks back into her eyes. His pupils are dilated and his hands are still on her waist.
Jinx feels like she can't breathe as she dimly nods. "Yeah, I think I could use more practice."
God, he really is good at this. How is it her fault that she can’t say no when he looks at her like that? When he kisses her like that?
Jinx leans back into him, learning from his movements and brushing her nose against his first. She’s always been a fast learner, and she’ll show him that she can make him just as breathless.
She abruptly freezes when she hears the staircase creaking. Ekko frowns up at her, concerned at the way she abruptly tensed up above him.
“What’s wro–” he starts, before getting cut off by Jinx shushing him.
She could never forget the sound or the pattern of those footsteps after spending so many nights as a kid pretending to be asleep when she heard them at night. It's the sound of Vander walking upstairs.
“Jinx?” Vander calls from the hallway, his footsteps becoming louder and louder against their old, creaky floorboards.
She’s certain Ekko is a mirror image of her right now, as he looks at her with the same wide-eyed horror she feels. She can hear the sound of her doorknob turning. And she and Ekko are– Shit. Jinx panics and does the first thing that pops into her head to avoid getting caught.
She rolls off of Ekko and proceeds to push him off the bed.
He hits the floor with a thud and a yelp. At the same time, Vander opens the door.
Ekko’s hissing from his position on the floor as he rubs his sore elbow. Oh, he landed on his elbow first, Jinx grimaces at the sight. That looks painful.
Vander’s eyes curiously dart between the both of them. “Are you kids alright?”
“Yep, we were just gaming,” Jinx says at the same time he responds, “No, Jinx pushed me off the bed.” She glares down at him in disbelief. What the fuck?! Was he trying to get them caught?
Vander looks equally puzzled at their conflicting stories and repeats, “So, you were gaming and then Jinx pushed you off her bed?”
“Yeah, I just beat her again.” Ekko points at the victory screen still visible on the tv with a laugh. Oh, thank god they were too…distracted to turn it off. “She’s always been a sore loser.”
“Yep,” Jinx agrees, awkwardly laughing, “you got me! I did do that.”
Vander looks at them both skeptically and Jinx anxiously holds her breath to see if he believes their lousy excuse. “Right. Well, I just ran into Benzo and he told me he was looking for you.”
“Oh,” Ekko quickly shoots up straight and lifts himself off the floor, “I better get going then.” He turns to Jinx as he exits her bedroom. “Thanks for having me over, see you around!”
She awkwardly waves at him as he disappears down the stairs, Vander sternly eyeing her the entire time. It’s only after they hear the front door shut that he says, “Next time Ekko comes over, how about you leave your door on a creak.”
Jinx doesn’t even have the heart to protest. She just dumbly nods in hopes that he’ll leave faster so she can scream into her pillow over how mortified she feels. And maybe also to take a cold shower, afterward.