Chapter Text
Jinx didn’t recognise the person staring back at her. That girl had sunkissed skin, a rounder, younger face and a fuller waist, like someone who ate regularly. Short blue hair spun up into two space buns with neat bangs framing her forehead.
After being hauled back inside by a very peeved Vander, she tore away from Ekko’s intense staring and mumbled an excuse before running to the toilet.
She carefully unwrapped the string binding her buns, letting it fall loose around her shoulders. For a while Jinx ran her fingers through it, rubbing soft strands between her fingers and shaking her head to feel the cool breeze on her neck. It really did show her of the constant weight her normal hair dragged, now it had been cut off. She shook her head like a dog, relishing in the freeness it gave her. Underneath the main layer of hair a flash of pink caught her eye. Pulling her hair back over her ear, she picked out the mismatched lock and held it up to the mirror.
“Hm.” Jinx dropped it in favour of holding up the necklace around her neck. For a moment, she scrunched up her face, trying to remember where she remembered it from. Then, it hit her. This was Vi’s old necklace.
"Powder.”
Jinx yelped, spinning around. She hadn’t even heard the door open, yet Vander stood, covering the exit with his giant body. A streak of panic lanced through her.
“Oh- hi, Vander!” Jinx spluttered, attempting a nonchalant smile. It came out a stressed grimace.
For a moment, he just stared at her, eyebrows furrowed. “You wanna tell me what just happened?”
Of course. He wanted to know why she had gone all psycho and tried to kill Ekko and Silco. Apparently, that wasn’t a normal thing in this universe.
Well, Jinx, time to think! She can’t exactly admit the truth. So, she said the only logical thing.
“Drugs.” Jinx blurted out. “You were right, I was off my shit. Some guy gave them to me. Made me see all kinds of things.”
“Wh- You did drugs some random guy gave you?” Vander exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise.
“Yyyup.” Jinx chuckled dryly, leaning against the sink and looking anywhere else.
Get me out get me out get me out.
“Powder-” Vander stopped to collect himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What the fuck, kid?”
“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t-” Jinx mumbled, hugging herself. “I freaked out, okay?”
“Yeah, you sure as hell ‘freaked out’. You almost killed Ekko and Silco! What were you thinking?” Jinx flinched as Vander raised his voice, eyes stinging.
“I- I don’t know-”
“I’d expect this shit from Mylo, but you?”
“I’m sorry.” Jinx whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Come on, Powder, didn’t I raise you better than this? Did you know what you almost did?”
“I’m sorry.” She choked out, throat tightening.
“You almost killed your uncle! You had a damn knife to his neck! If Ekko hadn’t grabbed me in time-”
Jinx cut him off by launching at him, sobbing as she clutched desperately onto his shirt. Real. He was real.
“I love you. I love you, dad. I’m sorry- it was a mistake, it was a mistake-”
A deep sigh reverberated through Vander’s chest, and two strong arms wrapped her up in a large hug.
“It’s alright, Powder. I know. I love you too, kiddo.”
They stayed like that for a while, Jinx burying her face into his chest and breathing in his familiar smell, his warmth enveloping her.
“We all love you. Especially Silco and Ekko. The boy will calm down, I’m sure. You really did a number on him, though. Don’t need people thinking you’re an abusive girlfriend, eh?”
Jinx blinked. Girlfriend?
Vander pulled back, holding her by the shoulders. His tone went darkly serious. “So don’t do that shit again, alright? Now go apologise to him.”
Walking out of that bathroom felt like a dream. Vander- dad- had just chewed her out. For something perfectly banal as drugs.
A crazed laugh broke out of her. Around her, the Last Drop was relatively crowded as the sun sunk and candles started being lit. People close to her, men and women wearing the same upfashioned garb, glanced at her with concerned looks. Jinx leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, burying her face in her hands. Across the room, she noticed Ekko sitting by himself in a booth, leg bouncing as he scribbled furiously in his notebook, chewing on his fingernails.
Welp, Jinx thought. Time to explain all this shit.
And, reluctantly, she pushed off the wall, wiping the sweat from her brow.
-
For the first time in what felt like forever, Jinx’s head was quiet. It always shut off when she worked, the incessant noise numbing to the flowstate of invention. Stacks of old metal parts and used wireboards covered Powder’s notes and trinkets. A heaping of wires and glass plating had been stacked in a corner. Jinx sat, hunched over, hair tied up in a ponytail (a very weird feeling), and one leg up on the chair as she worked.
She’d been at it all night, and it showed. Sometimes her hand would slip, accidentally slicing her finger open or burning a hole into the metal.
Jinx leaned back, taking a breather, turning the grenade in her hand. This was her twelfth one made- all that was waiting was the finishing touches.
It wasn’t even a conscious decision to start creating. Whenever her mind bogged her down, her hands started moving. It was therapeutic- she didn’t have to think of anything at all. Most of the time, she could escape from the whispers in the back of her mind, too.
Footsteps echoed behind her. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced over her shoulder, relaxing at seeing it was only Ekko. The boy looked very apprehensive as he stepped around her supplies, wearing a loose, light green top.
“Pow- Jinx? What… what you up to?” Ekko asked, coming up to the desk.
“Oh, you know.” Jinx smiled lazily, pulling the pin off the grenade. It jittered in her hands, metal teeth chattering louder and louder before she hurled it over her shoulder. “Arts n’ crafts.”
Ekko’s eyes widened. “Wha-”
BOOOOOM!
Pink light illuminated the space as the grenade exploded, sending glitter and confetti streaming down over the bridge. Jinx laughed, swirling on her chair. Behind her, Ekko lowered his arm from where it had flown up to shield himself, a bead of sweat dripping from his face.
“So, what’s the news?” Jinx called over her shoulder, lowering her goggles. She turned the bullet in her fingers, moving in close to get precision with her solder. Shame Ekko had to turn up. She was just getting in the groove of things, too. You know how annoying it is when your entire workspace is shifted around? She had finally set things up in a way that made sense. And that was after she had to search around the markets for gun powder and bullet casings. All day. It’s like the entirety of Zaun contradicted the goody-two-shoes disease. Old Arnie’s store, filthy, scummy- perfect for buying explosive materials-, was now selling cronuts . With free samples. Ridiculous. Sure, she still had crumbs on her shirt, but honestly, at least she had the Zaunite etiquette of grabbing the whole tray and running.
Footsteps clanked as Ekko moved to watch over her shoulder where she inserted a teaspoon of propellant into the bullet. A practiced maneuver- making bullets was second nature to her now. “You’ve been busy, I see.” Ekko poked a cronut sitting on a tray dangerously close to falling off the desk.
Jinx pushed her goggles up, turning to glare up at him. “They were free! What dummy gives out samples in Zaun? Here, I kept you one.”
Ekko caught the cronut tossed at him, blinking in confusion. “You- huh?”
“Oh get over yourself, I didn’t poison it.” She rolled her eyes, turning back to her bullet casings. With a final press of her soldering gun, it was fully sealed.
A few metres away from the desk stood a large chalkboard scribbled with
“When did you have time to do all this?” Ekko’s voice was muffled as he bit into the cronut, little crumbs spitting out onto the table.
“Y’know. This morning.” Jinx said casually as Ekko picked up a vial of gunpowder and turned it in his fingers.
“It’s only 11am.”
“The morning starts at midnight.” Jinx corrected, reaching over to grab the shoddy gun she had slapped together just before he came in. Being out in the sunlight, weaponless, had given her a horrible itchy feeling all throughout her body. This version of her had a disappointing lack of weapons- she had looked around the hideout, rifling through canvases and pots of paint, yet the most dangerous thing Jinx found were scissors. Walking around Zaun in the pale light of the barely-risen sun had been unnerving, to say the least. Mostly because of her vulnerability- any second now, a goon would pop out and go for the easy kill. The rest of that feeling came from the streets she had walked down a thousand times now a foreign labyrinth of unknown buildings. So, the sooner she had her trusty creations with her, the better.
“Did you get any sleep?” Ekko asked through his cronut. Jinx shrugged, flicking out the gun’s chamber to pop in the freshly made bullets. A sputtering sounded behind her, like someone choking on their food.
After a few seconds of hacking coughs, Ekko finally broke down the food he swallowed. Is that a gun? ” Ekko spluttered, as if personally offended by the weapon’s existence. With her other hand, she pushed the chamber into place with a click! “You just made a gun in a few hours? Does it even work?”
“Let’s see!” Jinx grinned, spinning on her chair and lifting the gun to point it at Ekko’s head.
The boy went still. Shock plastered his face, eyes widening. It was too fun to resist- his intake of breath was audible and his hands flew up in front of him defensively- so different from how Ekko would usually react.
C’mon, Ekko. Lunge forward. Zoom around on your stupid hoverboard. Give me my damn target practice.
Instead, the boy had completely frozen in place. That same expression- one of complete unrecognition- returned. Boo, buzzkill.
Jinx tilted her head, cocking the gun. “Duck.”
As if he finally realised she was actually going to shoot, Ekko dropped, covering his head.
BANG!
The force of the gun slammed her arm back. Behind Ekko, a good distance away, the bullet exploded perfectly into its target- a lantern upon a pole- sending shattered glass careening off into the drop. A trail of smoke curled from the muzzle, and Jinx blew it away, satisfied. Instinctively, her thumb clicked the hammer in preparation to fire again, but the chamber refused to turn. Frustrated, Jinx hit it with her palm, spinning back on her chair. “Stupid bolts.” She muttered, turning the faulty weapon over in her hands.
Next to her, Ekko pushed himself back to his feet, breathing shaky. “You- you pointed that at me.” He gasped out, anger twisting his face. “What the hell?”
“Yeesh, chill out. It was a joke!” Jinx grinned cheekily, moving her goggles back down.
“A joke?” Ekko said, voice raising. Man, was he really that angry? It was pretty funny though, to see him puff up like an offended cat. “You pointed a gun at me!”
“You know, my Ekko is a lot less of a wuss.” Jinx snapped, pushing her goggles up as she turned to glare at him.
“Yeah, well my Powder is a lot less of a psycho !” Ekko retorted, smacking the gun from her hand. It clattered against the table, knocking over a pot of oil. Black liquid splashed over an open notebook half buried by a box of nuts and bolts.
Ekko cursed, leaning over Jinx to fix the pot and drag the notebook out. Using his sleeve, he rubbed off as much oil as he could, but half the pages were ruined. As he flicked through them, Jinx noticed a lot of goofy drawings and love hearts. Huh.
After a few moments, he turned back to her, shoulders relaxing. “Sorry- It’s just- It’s a little unnerving to see you fire a gun at me.” Ekko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know violence is a lot more common in your world. But still, c’mon. You scared me.” He turned the book in his hand, treating it oh so delicately.
A few seconds of silence passed between them. Jinx sighed dramatically, picking her gun and a nearby wrench up. “Okay, Mr Boreface. Why are you here, anyways?”
A look of surprise crossed his face, like he had forgotten himself. Eventually, he stuttered out an answer, crossing his arms across his chest.“I- well, I thought we could go out and talk. Maybe at Julie’s shop, like usual?”
“No idea what you’re talking about. Not Powder, remember?” Jinx said, rolling her eyes whilst she tightened one of the nuts on her makeshift gun’s handle.
“You don’t got Julie’s in your world?” Ekko raised an eyebrow. “Man. You love that place. Well, we have to go now.”
Swapping her wrench for a pink crayon, she scratched some swirly eyes on each face of the gun. “Didn’t we already talk?” Jinx said, scribbling teeth around the muzzle. Perfect. She held up her creation, admiring the quick work. Rows of half finished grenades sat before her- last thing she wanted to do was to leave her precious work to go talk to some alternate loser Ekko about how much her life sucked.
Yesterday, after Vander had chewed her out, Ekko took his chance to drag her to a corner of the bar and drill her on everything about her world. Luckily, it seemed he only started eavesdropping when Jinx mentioned the parallel universe, saving her from the nosy comments on how her family died. Still, the constant repetition of “So, you’re really from another universe? For real?” almost made her lunge over the table and strangle him again. Unsurprisingly, Ekko was very curious about her being a wanted criminal, unbelieving at times, and asked a million questions on the state of Piltover and Zaun. He drilled her all about the anomaly and hextech, but most of the questions she could barely answer herself.
Ekko furrowed his brows. “You haven’t told me anything about you yet. And why you wanted to kill me the moment you saw me. Which, by the way, still haven’t heard an apology.”
Rolling her eyes, she rotated the chamber, satisfied to see it moved smoothly. “Sorry for beating your ass.” Jinx said in a very non-apologetic tone, taking off her goggles and tossing them on the desk as she stood. “You should get some fighting lessons.” Looking back at him, she noticed the dark splotch around his neck had bloomed outwards. Something almost like guilt hit her. Jinx shook her head, banishing it away. His fault for not being able to defend himself. You can’t fight, you die. That’s just the way of life.
Ekko glared at her as she passed him, twirling her gun and putting it in her belt. “You can’t just carry that around. You’re gonna get arrested.”
God, this guy was a loser! Sighing, she stuck it in a large pocket where it could be concealed by buttoning up a flap. “Happy now?” Jinx snapped, dusting off the powder and grease on her overalls. She brushed past Ekko, not missing the way he flinched back instinctively. That same nasty feeling returned. “Coming?” Jinx called over her shoulder, strolling casually to the exit.
“Just gonna bring a gun, cool, that’s cool, not gonna get arrested or anything-” Ekko mumbled almost incoherently under his breath, but followed behind nevertheless.
“If it makes you feel better, I only have 6 bullets.” Jinx said.
“Yeah, no, that doesn’t.”
-
“So, Hextech, it’s powered by these blue crystals?” Ekko pointed to the quick diagram Jinx had scribbled out on the half-ruined notebook he took with them.
“Yep.”
“And because it never got invented here, we’re gonna have to go find the crystals and then use them to build a reactor to then build the anomaly.
“We?” Jinx raised an eyebrow.
Ekko stared at her like she was crazy. “Well, duh. I’m gonna help you, of course.”
Great. Like she needs his help. She preferred to work alone.
Then again, she really was at a loss at where to start. If anything, Jinx needed an actual professional to help out- too bad Heimerdinger was too far up his own ass to be useful.
For a while, they discussed formulas and equations, scribbling them out on the stained pages. After a while, Ekko leaned back, scrutinizing her with a quizzical look.
“Why did you do it?”
“Do what?’
“You know. Blow up that building, or whatever it was.”
“I-” Jinx paused, remembering that day. “I was angry, I don’t know. At Piltover. At everyone. Do I need a reason?”
Ekko chewed his lip, staring at the table like he was considering something. Jinx narrowed her eyes.
Probably rethinking his choices, going to a tea shop with a terrorist.
“Two strawberry matcha spins with brown sugar pearls?” A woman called out, holding up two unnaturally pink drinks. Jinx suspected this was the aforementioned ‘Julie’. She was a tall, dark-skinned woman with choppy purple hair and a notable septum piercing.
“That’s us.” Ekko whispered, like it was some secret they shared. Scraping his chair back, he hopped up and walked over to the counter.
As he walked away, Jinx took that time to survey the space around her. The tea shop was pretty crowded, so their conversation couldn’t be heard over the ambient chatter. They had picked a place close to the window in the corner, so Jinx could sit with her back to the wall and see the entire room. Up near the counter, Ekko chatted amicably with Julie and another person who came up for his drink- a man with spiky blonde hair and shiny gold teeth. They all laughed at something he said- Ekko must be a frequent customer.
Jinx crossed her arms, looking out into the street. People, happy people, walked past, carrying shopping, children and drinks. On a quaint little bench stood none other than the pretentious rat man, his moustache curled up happily as he sang his stupid ditty. Luckily, he was far enough for the obnoxious noise to be nothing more than a distant tinkle. A surge of rage burned behind her cheeks, and she wanted nothing more than to take his banjo and ram it up his fat nose. How dare he? He was supposed to be an esteemed councilmember, and he hadn’t even tried to get home? Just accepted the fact Hextech hadn’t been invented yet, like he couldn’t do it himself? And when she expected him to do what a scientist should do and help her, he declines because of his own bias? Who cares if she blew up a few of his old pals?
“It would be better for the greater good of our world if you did stay here.” The words echoed in her mind.
Pssh. Like she cared what he had to say. Of course the world would be better if she never existed- she’d known that since she was 12. He’d have to try harder if he wanted to make her feel bad.
Just before she stood and went outside to go shoot him, a drink appeared in front of her. Across the table, Ekko sat, holding his own matching tea.
Jinx raised an eyebrow, holding up the drink curiously. Ekko gave her a little nod of encouragement. “Go on. It’s your favourite.”
Something sweet and solid and definitely not tea hit the back of her throat. Immediately, she spat out whatever balls had infiltrated her mouth, sending liquid splashing over Ekko’s face. “What is that?” Jinx exclaimed, sloshing the drink around.
A surprised laugh broke out of Ekko as he went to wipe his face with his stained sleeve. “Never tried boba?” Jinx shook her head.“They’re brown sugar pearls. It’s good, trust.”
Giving it another chance, Jinx slurped, more cautiously this time. It was a lot more pleasant this time, having expected the ‘pearls’. A fruity explosion of flavour burst in her mouth, and she looked up, chewing on the balls. “Huh.”
An amused smile curled Ekko’s lips. “Like it?” Jinx’s enthusiastic slurping was answer enough. She had never tasted anything so sweet. Most foods in the undercity were either super spicy or sour- it was rare to find a sugary food. This topped the cronuts she stole this morning.
“So, why do you and Heimerdinger call yourself ‘ Jinx ’?” Ekko said. “Is that, like, a gang name?”
A dry chuckle escaped her throat. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”
If anything, that made him even more curious. “I won’t judge.”
Jinx glared over her drink. “It’s my name, okay?”
“What happened to Powder?”
“I’m not Powder. You should know that by now.” Jinx hissed, nails scraping into the table. “Or should I shoot Julie to get the point across?”
A thick silence fell. Ekko stared blankly, eyes creased in disgust. For the way he sat back, Jinx half expected him to get up and leave. Instead, he shook his head, frowning at her .“You got problems, man.”
Jinx blinked, surprised, and then shrugged. Leaning forward, she caught the straw and drank more of her boba. Absently, she dragged Powder’s notebook over and started flicking through the pages. Most of them were half-finished scribbles for art compositions or inventions. She stopped on a diagram of the torch-design she had used to beat Ekko with.
“I can’t exactly start calling you ‘ Jinx’ in front of Mylo and Claggor though.” Ekko said, making her look up.
Jinx opened her mouth and then closed it, thinking. Whenever Vander called her Powder it didn’t bring up hallucinations, or mocking laughs, or scratched out faces screaming for her to stop. It just felt… normal. Like all those years ago. He didn’t know. He didn’t have to know. No one did. It was different because of Ekko- first of all, they had agreed upon separating both girls' names just to avoid confusion. That’s before he pried into what Jinx meant.
“Whatever.” Jinx sighed. “Call me Powder in public. I don’t care.” She’d hate it, but he was right. It would make things a lot less annoying if she just pretended to be this universe’s Powder.
Ekko nodded, looking pleased with himself that he had gotten her to agree with him. They fell back into quiet solitude, with Jinx flicking through the pages.
“Vi kicked the bucket here, right?” She said suddenly, breaking the silence. She’d had her suspicions, but the way Ekko’s face dropped all but confirmed them. Of course she was dead- the shrine with the burning incense, Silco’s words, and her general lack of existence so far. By the way she was painted (presumably by herself- this Powder was one hell of an artist), she had died when she was about 14. Back when she was still pretty cool. Across from her, Ekko remained silent for a few moments, putting down his drink.
“...Yeah.” He finally said quietly. “About ten years ago.” Ekko glanced up. “...She’s alive in your universe?”
Jinx rolled her eyes, leaning back and bringing the straw up to her mouth. “Yeah, she joined the Piltie goons and tried to kill me. Yaaaay sisters. I totally kicked her butt, though.”
“What? Vi hated enforcers.”
“Well, she always said enforcers should ‘get fucked .’ One thing about Vi, she always
follows her own advice.” Jinx glowered, lowering her drink.
Caitlyn. Her replacement. Oh, she bet they were having a fun goddamn time now, with her gone. Probably keeping all of Piltover awake with their noise.
Mocking blue eyes stared at her, a smug grin spreading across her face as she pointed a gun at Jinx. Behind her, Vi, no, not Vi, not Vi, a monster with two glowing eyes that cut through the smog, the choking smog, fists raised, and she stood with her, with her, not her but her Caitlyn not her not her why was it never her.
A surge of fury rose up her throat, and she dug her nails into her palm to distract herself. Jinx shook her head, banishing their faces from her mind. Maybe she would be here. Up in her fancy Piltover mansion, living it up with her parties and balls.
Jinx oughta pay her a visit. Her lips curled up, delighted at the ideas popping to her head, most of them related to the gun pressing through her pants.
“But- Vi loved you. She would never hurt you.” Ekko’s voice brought her back to the tea shop.
“Her girlfriend blew off my finger. Future in laws, huh?” Jinx tilted her head. “She’s apart of the strike team that’s gassing Zaun out as we speak. Beating civilians. All to get to yours truly.” She winked, gesturing with the drink in her hand. “Topside doesn’t play fair.”
Topside never played fair. A new surge of hatred rose up towards Heimerdinger- he judged her for playing dirty, yet stood aside while Piltover destroyed everything Zaun had. Everything she had.
“What happened?” Jinx asked, omitting the ‘did I do it?’ she chose not to say. Ekko hesitated before he started explaining, speaking slowly like it was a pain to get each word out.
The mansion. An explosion, like she remembered. Yet this one was a lot worse- killing both Vi and crippling a young girl who had been there at the time. That’s what caused the council to critically analyse the relationship between Zaun and Piltover, leading them to agree to help the undercity. And Hextech, evidently, was never developed further, due to its fatality. Thus, a utopia had been born, one that could’ve been if not for that one difference. Funny, how one person can change the fate of the entire world.
Funny, how it was Vi’s death that fixed everything.
“How are the rest of them?” Ekko started cautiously. “Vander, Mylo, Claggor-”
“Speaking of Vander!” Jinx cut in, eager to change the subject. No way were they about to get into that can of beans. Ekko already looked at her like she was some broken carousel toy that needed a new music box- knowing she essentially murdered everyone he loved was too much. Jinx rested her chin on her palm, raising an eyebrow. “He said something very interesting.”
Ekko blinked, tilting his head. “Yeah?’
“Well, he called me your ‘ girlfriend’. ” Jinx grinned, spitting the word like a punchline. “Funny, huh?”
Silence. Then, a deep flush spread across his face, all but confirming her sarcastic rhetoric question. “Oh.”
Wait, what?
“Seriously?” Jinx exclaimed. This nerd? Sure, the whole owl mask and hoverboard shit was pretty hot (though she would never admit that to anyone else), but this spindly silk wearer? Come on, Powder. This guy was so boring. Jinx avoided his expression purposefully, letting him fumble as she flicked casually through Powder’s notebook. Across from her, Ekko shifting in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.
“..Yeah. She- we-, are….a thing, yeah.” Ekko let out a little chuckle. Her gaze flickered over to him. He wasn’t looking at her, instead turning the drink in his hands. The light caught it, reflecting pink rays onto his cheek. He looked so… gentle.
Realising she was staring, she scoffed, closing the book. Ekko blinked, glancing up, face twisting as it always did when he got a bad thought.
“Powder. Shit, I haven’t even thought about where she could be. If you’re here, could that mean..?”
“She’s in my body?” Jinx finished instinctively, tapping the table in thought. Huh. She hadn’t thought about it either- the insanity of this reality caused her to forget all about her own. Anxiety spread over Ekko’s features, presumably as he remembered everything she told him.
“But- that’s just a theory. She could be anywhere. Shit, she could be anywhere. This is bad. This is really bad.”
Jinx glared at him. “Geez, calm down. I’m sure you’re right- it only made sense she, like, swapped cognizance with me or something. Like I said, I think it’s like a map. The multiverse, you know.” She swirled her drink mindlessly. “Oooor, she’s a bunch of splattered atoms gobbled up by that anomaly.” A little giggle spilled from her mouth. Ekko glared at her. Jinx frowned. “What? It’s possible!”
“Let’s just consider the possibility she swapped with you.” Ekko sighed, spreading his hands on the table. “Is she going to be okay?”
Is she going to be okay? Jinx almost laughed at the question, had Ekko not look like he was about to cry from the stress. From what she knew of Powder right now, she was a goody-two-shoes art kid who hangs out with her nerd boyfriend and makes little stuffed toys for her poor dead sister.
Picture that in Zaun. In the body of a wanted criminal. Yeah, not a pretty sight. Jinx gave her about a day before she was a mangled up body in some ditch. God, that would be so embarrassing. She cursed her alternate self- you better not be a goddamn idiot right now.
The following realisation caused a deep pit to open in her stomach: if Powder got herself killed- could Jinx even return ? Certainly not to a corpse.
Shit.
Realising Ekko was staring expectantly, she shrugged nonchalantly. “Eh. I’m sure she’s fine. Gee, she drives you insane, right?”
Ekko blinked. “No- of course not.” A small, surprised smile played across his face. “I’m never more comfortable than when I’m around her. That’s why I’m so worried- if Zaun is what you say it is… she doesn’t know how to fight, or build weapons, like you. I- god, I don’t know what I’ll do if we can’t get her back.”
Her chest grew inexplicably tight. Though every part of her screamed to look away, to shut up and move on, she just… couldn’t.
“What’s she like?” The words had tumbled out before she could stop herself. Ekko let out a chuckle, leaning back against his chair. He looked relieved to be distracted from his mental spiralling.
“Well, she lights up a room. She’s funny. Really funny. And when you smile, it’s like the whole world fades away. And damn, you’re smart.” He grinned, shaking his head. “I know you’re sick of hearing about your ‘wasted potential’, but I agree. You’re brilliant, and you don’t even know it.”
Jinx was perfectly still. Her mind was searching for a way to rationalise this, to wait for him to stop and yell ‘Kidding!’ and then list the real qualities about her. Insane, sadistic, impulsive. That’s her. That’s real.
“And you just care so much about everyone else. Gosh, you’re probably the kindest person I know. You wouldn’t hurt a fly. Unless that fly really, really deserved it.”
Something dark and bitter had sprouted deep within her. Akin to that feeling of looking at Vi and Caitlyn. Jealousy? Was she really feeling jealous of herself? Cruel whispers echoed through her mind. Not good enough not good enough why am I not her why am I not her.
“Stop.” Jinx whispered, hands curling around the edge of her book. Not hers. Powder’s.
“And your eyes get this mischievous little twinkle when you think of a new invention.”
No one would care.
“And you drool when you sleep.”
The world is better without you.
“Soiled my best shirt, you did.”
Because you’re a Jinx, you hear me? Mylo was right. A jinx. A jinx a jinx a jinx vi vi ill kill you ill kill you all . you all shut up ekko you’re a liar LIAR LIAR
"And I love you so much, and gosh, I don’t tell you that enough, do I?” Ekko chuckled. “You’re just so easy to fall in love with.”
“ Stop !” She yelled, slamming the book close. Ekko flinched, staring at her with wide, confused eyes. All around her, people stopped talking, looking to see what the disturbance was. A dozen eyes, all on her. What a pitiful girl. What a waste. Why were they laughing? Ekko was laughing too. He was. He thought this was all so funny, telling her all the good things about Powder. All the lies to make her hate herself even more.
Jinx couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t keep listening to all the things she wasn’t, all the things that would’ve made someone actually want her.
Powder’s not real. None of this was real. She can’t be real, because that proves there was a chance. A chance for her to actually be loved.
Gritting her teeth, she scraped the chair back and stood up. “Thanks for the drink.” She muttered, sliding out from behind the table.
“Jinx, wait-” Ekko moved to grab her wrist, but she ripped it away, snarling.
“Leave me alone!” Jinx snapped, beelining for the door. Don’t follow me don’t follow me don’t follow me.
Thankfully, Ekko stayed where he was as she stormed out of the teashop, insides burning with a swirl of embarrassment, anger, and jealousy. The sunlight burned her retinas, and she immediately collided with a tall, spindly man.
“Piss off!” Jinx snarled, earning a nasty look as she pushed him off and rushed to the nearest alleyway. Anywhere out of the burning, hateful sun.
-
“Hey, sis.”
Jinx flopped down on one of the couches, resting her head on her knee. In front of her sat the altar she had avoided all day, blocking it out of her mind so she could just forget Vi’s face for a moment. But now, knowing what happened, it wasn’t too scary to confront. Surrounded by a canopy of colourful curtains and hanging lanterns, the shrine was really quite pretty. Wax candles sat atop books next to a bundle of purple flowers, and the wood itself had been painted a pale blue. In bronze plating, Vi’s name had been carved onto the drawer. Atop, the painting of her sister’s younger self stood, next to a cute plushie of her and a cup of incense sticks.
Leaning over, Jinx picked up the plushie and turned it in her hands, running her fingers through the woolen pink hair.
“It’s funny, you know.” A small smile played across her face. “In every reality, hextech kills the family. Good thing it didn’t get invented here, huh?” The plushie’s eyes reflected the candlelight.
“Real shame you died, huh?” Jinx said. “Probably for the best, though. By me accidentally exploding you, you saved everyone else from getting the same fate.” She chuckled dryly. “Died a hero, and no one knows. Plus, you saved yourself from having to see what Mylo grew into. Yeesh.”
She fell silent, lost in the painting’s depiction of her sister. Whenever she thought of Vi, her mind immediately went to images of this fearless hero, her fists flying through the air, full of power and anger. Those giant bitch mittens really did nothing to help with her portrayal. Jinx remembered how easily she tore apart her gun, face twisted in hatred- that was the moment she realised her sister was actually determined to kill her.
But, looking at her now, Jinx realised she forgot all about Vi. She forgot the gentle touches, the consistent encouragement of her inventions, her fiery protectiveness because she had loved her.
Well. She had loved Powder.
Staring at her now, Jinx finally realised how young she had been. Vi was just a kid when- when-
Flash of pain across her cheek she had hit her why did she hit her she was sorry
Because you’re a Jinx no no no vi don't leave me you left me
Realising she was squeezing the plushie hard enough to make her eyes pop, she loosened her grip. Gently, she leaned forward to place her back next to the painting, picking up one of the incense sticks.
“You know what’s really funny?” Jinx continued, using a nearby matchbox to light a stick. Sweet, curling smoke rose from the end, tickling her senses. Slowly, she waved it around, watching the smoke dance in the air. “Not even in a separate universe are we happy together. I guess you could say we’re cursed, huh?” A dry, humourless laugh escaped her. She held the end of the incense up to the rest of the sticks, lighting them one by one.
When they all burned, she sat back, hugging her knees as she watched the smoke rise up into the air.
“Knowing this place is real… changes things.” Jinx said quietly. “Any second now, I think I’m gonna blink and poof! ” She made a breathy noise with her lips. “It’s all going to be gone.” Behind her, the equations and formulas on the chalkboard had spread to the floors- mad scribblings of diagrams and her trying to recreate the experiment that had gotten her here in the first place. The problem was, she hadn’t known what she had done. She had designed a new contraption that would automatically cycle through runes and formulaic framings for the gemstone- when she went to take it out of the canister, it simply exploded. It’s hard to recreate a complete accident in scientific terms.
“The more I work on trying to recreate the anomaly, the more I realise… what if I just don’t go back?” A bitter smile spread across her face. “Not like you’ll miss me, eh?”
Jinx sighed, head lolling. If Isha wasn’t dead by now, she would be by the time she actually found the gemstones to be able to build the reactor.
Then, there was the fact that Powder probably got herself killed. If she was there at all.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed over her. Sighing again, she leaned back against the soft couch, eyes fluttering shut.
-
Jinx wasn’t quite sure how in a few days she’d gone from a wanted terrorist prowling the shadows of Zaun, leaving trails of bodies in her wake, to standing in a plant store squished between her two dead brothers chattering about the qualities of succulents versus ferns. But, yeah. That’s what was happening. Life did have a funny way of surprising her- only this time, it wasn’t with horrible pain and grief. No, this time, it was the terrifying reality of having to act normal around Mylo and Claggor. To be fair, it wasn’t too hard to stay quiet whilst Mylo riled himself up, running around the place gaping at the different flora and accidentally knocking over pots.
The two men had hunted her down and practically dragged her out of her hovel to go on a shopping trip. They needed to get a present for Gert’s party- whoever Gert was. Apparently, the party was in a few days- Mylo couldn’t accept Jinx’s continuous assertions she was not going. Jinx didn’t bother to ask why Mylo thought a plant was the best gift. The less he even looked at her, the better. Every time he did, the whispers grew louder, a dark panic clawing up her throat.
Blood splattered on the rubble. A long metal pole, sticking out from a body. No. No. She only wanted to help. She only wanted to help.
“Earth to Powder!” Mylo’s voice rang into consciousness, and Jinx was aware he was waving a hand in front of her face. “Were you even listening?”
“What?” Jinx snapped, slapping the hand away. Mylo raised his hands, like she had just proved his point.
“Like I said, Claggor. Grouch! First, she refuses to hang, and now she ignores me! Plus, do you have to look like you’re being put through torture?” Mylo whined, crossing his arms. Claggor rolled his eyes.
Jinx opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, sighing. “Just- repeat what you said, okay?”
“I asked what you’re wearing.” Mylo nudged her, immediately dropping his frustration in favour of childish eagerness. Jinx flinched as she made eye contact with him, remembering the scratched out eyes that haunted her nightmares. Swallowing, she glanced down at her- Powder’s- overalls- what did the idiot think she was wearing? Mylo scrunched up his nose. “No- to the party, dipshit. Though, that is a valid question. Have you seriously been wearing the same clothes for the past four days?”
“And?” Jinx snapped, glaring at him. What was wrong with her clothes? They were way cleaner than the ones back at home.
“Well, has anyone said you absolutely stink?” Mylo fanned his nose for extra emphasis. “Take a shower, dude.”
Jinx raised her arm to sniff herself, eyebrows furrowing. She smelled the same, mostly- if anything, she smelt better than usual. Normally, her only ‘shower’ would be whatever fresh rain water she could find careening out of a water pipe. Nothing like the luxury of a Piltover mansion, but it did the job to get the bugs out her hair. Most of them. This Powder probably cleaned herself daily- that explained why their standards for her hygiene were so high.
“You also got crazy eye bags. What were you doing all night?”
“Inventing a reality-bending machine that will transport me to an alternate reality. One away from you and your stupid moustache.” Jinx retorted.
Mylo gasped indignantly. “You said you liked it!”
“It looks like a caterpillar crawled on your face and died!”
“At least I don’t smell like a homeless crack addict! There it is again! You’re being a dick! ”
“Lay off it, you two.” Claggor warned, shoving the smaller man away as he attempted to square up with her. Mylo scrunched up his face, storming off to another aisle, muttering something about ‘looking at the begonias in peace , thank you very much’.
Jinx rolled her eyes, turning away from Claggor to go look at the ferns. This was stupid. So stupid.
It suddenly hit her that she had just gotten into a fight with Mylo. Her totally not dead brother. Something heavy settled in her chest, and Jinx found it hard to swallow. Faintly, a bell tinkled as another customer presumably walked into the store.
“Oh, if it isn’t the prince himself! Tell me, what do you think Gert will like more, hydrangeas or peonies?” Mylo’s voice echoed through the aisles.
Ekko’s voice responded. “Have you seen Jin- I mean, Powder?”
Why is he here again?
Behind the pots and leaves, Jinx could pick out his shadow standing next to Mylo. God, why did everyone have to be stalking her?
Presumably noticing the annoyed expression on her face and her death glare through the ferns, Claggor gave her a curious expression. “Ekko’s here?”
“Apparently.” Jinx huffed.
“Is everything alright between you two?” He said softly, tilting his head.
“Why would anything be wrong?” Jinx faked a smile, tearing her gaze away from the two boys.
Claggor shrugged. “You two have been acting weird for the past few days. Like, really weird. Every time I mention you to Ekko he starts sweating. Profusely. That’s like, his tell for when he’s lying about something.” He rest a kind hand on Jinx’s shoulder. She flinched back, wary. “I’m your brother, Powwie. You can always talk to me if you need something.”
Jinx blinked, excessively, trying to ward away the stinging in her eyes. “Since when did you get so mature?” She said weakly, chuckling. Jinx remembered that pudgy kid with goggles, who was too scared to pickpocket by himself or even look at the brothel woman who catcalled them on the streets. This was not the boy she knew- this was now a strong, tall, intelligent man, one who actually got to grow up into the person he deserved to be. But still just as kind to her as he was when Mylo nagged her.
Claggor smiled, and a wave of grief crashed through her. Sniffling, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him. A surprised noise escaped from the man, but he immediately curled his arms around her, picking her up off the floor playfully. “I love you, man. But Mylo’s right- you do stink.”
A broken laugh escaped her, reverberating through Claggor’s chest. She buried her face in his shirt, wiping off the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks. His heartbeat beat underneath her ear, steady, alive. “Put me down, you big oaf.” Jinx grumbled, feet dangling uselessly. I missed you. I missed you so much.
Claggor laughed, gently placing her back down and moving back, yet still keeping an arm wrapped around her shoulders. How is this real? Can this be real? “Okay, spill. What’s going on, dude? You and Ekko get in a fight?”
Jinx shrugged, savouring his touch, yet at the same time fighting back the urge to rip herself away.
You killed him. All your fault your fault your fault! If only he knew. If only they all knew.
“Hey, you two!” Mylo’s annoying voice sounded behind them, and he ran up, half crashing into them with his lack of coordination. Behind him, Ekko rounded the corner, eyes widening as he saw her. Jinx gritted her teeth, looking away. “I found it! Gert’s gonna love it!” Mylo exclaimed. In his hands sat a large venus fly trap, which he demonstrated by sticking his pinky in one of its mouths. Claggor raised an eyebrow.
Jinx cleared her throat, stepping away from her brothers. “Welp, sorry to blow you guys off, but I gotta head out.” She grinned at her own joke. “Get it? Blow? Like blow up?”
The two of them shared a confused look. Jinx sighed. Tough crowd.
“Geez. In another universe you would’ve found that hilarious.” Or not. Y’know, cause you’re dead. My bad! Popping finger guns, she spun away right as Ekko walked up, opening his mouth to speak. Call her a jerk, but she didn’t want to speak to him today. It was hard enough dealing with Mylo’s incessant chattering- at least that she could tune out. Ekko’s was all deeply personal and deeply annoying. Plus, she had only gotten a few hours of sleep from her all nighter the other day, which wasn’t all that unusual, but her body suffered that lack of shimmer she relied on. All through the night she had continued her diagrams and plans for the experiment, scratching out equations and numbers into the floor in an almost trance state. Now, she had a pounding headache to make up for it. So, before Ekko could speak, she hurried out another goodbye and sped out of the plant store, leaving the three boys staring in her wake.
-
This world was too strange. Being able to walk freely around Piltover really iced the cake on that. She had expected to have to get there her usual way- sneaking through sewer drains to get past the heavy enforcement patrols on the borders. However, by chance, she humoured herself to see if things had actually changed. Jinx was surprised to say they most definitely had.
Warm sunlight beamed down on her face as she walked along the Bridge of Progress, connecting Zaun and Piltover with its towering metal frame. What once had been blocked by rows of enforcers on each side now was a welcoming marketplace of trade and commerce. Shops lined the sides of the bridge, the glittering ocean a beautiful backdrop to the lovely summer’s day. Vendors called out in a friendly manner, men, women and children all crowding around sweet stores and food trucks.
No one gave her any mind. It was a strange feeling- one she had never experienced in her life. Wherever she went, people always noticed her, for better or for worse. Ever since she was a dirty undercity kid walking through the lanes. People would hold their purses tighter, give her threatening snarls and purposefully step on her toes. When she had gotten older, establishing her reputation as Silco’s weapon, they had instead scurried out of her way, fearful or intimidated.
Now, she had to squeeze past people just to keep walking straight. Two children ran along, almost knocking her over as they chased a kite the first one held, their laughter bright and youthful. Jinx glared after them, crossing her arms as she pressed on.
Ahead, a large metal plate sat across the centre of the bridge, where it would separate to allow boats to pass through. Memories assaulted her vision- exploding butterflies, dying enforcers, the boy saviour…
Pulling the grenade to end their lives.
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to step over it, eyes narrowing at the crows around her. As she walked over the end of the bridge, onto Piltover cobblestones, she was sure an enforcer would stop her, pat her down and arrest her for the gun in her pocket. However, all she got was a friendly smile from an officer standing guard.
Raising her eyebrows, Jinx entered the golden city. For the first time, as a welcome guest.
The longer she explored, the less the horrible imposter syndrome prevailed. Instead, it was replaced with the familiar scorn directed towards Piltover’s towering white mansions, sparkling streets clean from any blemish. The people here lived in plentitude, and it showed- every topsider she passed, like usual, looked to have not a single worry on their minds.
Still, she observed the stores with curiosity as she passed. Just because these fancy pants rich kids had cool shit, didn’t mean she couldn’t ogle at them.
At one point, Jinx had paused in front of a large glass window. Inside, upon white mannequins, displayed a variety of dresses. A strange feeling overtook her as she stopped to gaze over their well-made fabrics. Jinx had never been shopping. She only knew how to steal or barter.
One of the dresses caught her eye- a slim blue dress with an almost stained glass effect. It had a large black belt, spaghetti straps and a handkerchief skirt. Jinx found herself staring at it, imaging herself wearing something like that.
Pssh. Don’t be ridiculous.
Inside the store, a little girl with red hair in a bob stood on a stool as a shopkeeper measured her, kind eyes creased. Next to her, an enforcer stood- but the way he placed a hand on the girl, Jinx assumed it was her father off duty. The man turned to say something to the shopkeeper and Jinx felt a jolt go through her chest as she saw his ovular face and dark blue hair.
Huh. That was the head enforcer on the bridge, all those months ago. The one she had killed.
A strange emptiness spread inside her, and she turned, hurrying away from the shop.
-
After a while of walking, Jinx stopped at a courtyard she vaguely remembered from all those years ago- she was getting close to her destination. Following the main path, she eventually stopped on a street side, squinting through the bright sun to observe a towering Piltover mansion. On the side, Jinx could distinguish wooden boards filling in the large hole in the side of a balcony that seemed to be destroyed a long time ago.
This was it. Mr Progress’s apartment. Of course, she was banking on the fact he still lived here- if not, she would just interrogate the person who did to find where he went. It was pretty quiet around here- only a few people walked up and down the street.
Jinx wandered closer, almost getting hit by a motorised vehicle on the way. The base of the resplendent building caught her eye, however. A few scraggly flowers sat around a small picture frame, a candle or two surrounding it. Next to it, a woman sat in a wheelchair, her back to Jinx as she walked up.
Jinx squinted, trying to figure out who that was in the painting. Eventually, she got close enough to recognize.
It was the Man of Progress. More specifically, a memorial to him.
Shit.
Unable to believe it, she walked closer until she stood next to the woman, paying her no mind.
That was him alright. His stupid square face, smiling dorkily in what looks like a cut out photo from some kind of acceptance ceremony. Underneath, engraved in cheap steel, sat a rusty plaque. Squatting beside it, Jinx picked it up to squint past the deterioration.
Jayce Talis. 910 AN - 934 AN. A brilliant mind, taken too soon. Gone, but never forgotten.
Jinx sniffed, noting the single bouquet of dying flowers lying pathetically next to the picture. Seems pretty forgotten to her.
No wonder Mr Progress hadn’t travelled to this universe with Rat Man. He didn’t have a body to travel to.
Well. Shit.
That’s who she was relying to get the crystals from. If he was dead, then-
“Did you know him?” A posh, kind voice spoke behind her. For some reason, it sounded eerily familiar. She was too frustrated to care, though.
“Nope. Seems like no one else did, either.” Jinx grunted, pushing herself to her feet. “Sorry to bother your mourning, lady.”
“You don’t sound very sorry.” The woman replied. Jinx turned, eyes narrowing. She definitely knew that voice. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was.
On the woman’s lap sat a bouquet of fresh lilies. Her clothes, freshly pressed and obviously of fine quality, hugged tightly to her slim figure. Her dark blue hair had been pinned up in a respectable bun, and her light blue eyes watched her, narrowed.
A burning hatred greater than anything she had ever felt scorched within her, and her hand went flying for the gun in her pocket.
For she knew this wheelchair bound lady. Oh, she goddamn knew her.
It was Caitlyn.