Chapter Text
Ekko wakes, he tries to move his arms, panic raises in his chest as his movement is stunted. A restraint keeps his arms where they are, he opens his eyes and is met with darkness. A blindfold keeping him in the dark.
“He’s awake,” A foreign voice fills his ears, Ekko feels his pulse quicken but he doesn’t react, trying to gauge what he can of his surroundings. He needs to find a way out of here as soon as possible. Ekko rattles his wrists again, they don’t budge causing Ekko to mentally curse.
“Leave us,” A familiar voice says, Ekko feels his blood run cold, a lump forming in his throat.
“Are you sure?” The foreign voice asks.
“I’ll be fine Lux, now shoo,” Ekko couldn’t feel his body as he tries to steady his breathing. A yelp leaves his lips as a hand rips his blindfold off.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” it takes Ekko a second to adjust to the light and make out the person in front of him. Who is he kidding, he knows who is front of him regardless of if he can see them or not. As Jinx comes into view, he can’t help but stare. The face that has not left his dreams in the past few months is now standing in front of him, a smirk on her face. “Not going to say anything?” She asks.
Ekko’s mouth feels dry, “Jinx,” he manages, it’s weak. A flush covers his cheeks, as he can’t help but feel embarrassed.
“That’s me,” She says with a laugh. Jinx analyzes his face, “What thought I was dead?” Her grin smug.
“How,” Ekko breathes, despite agreeing to this manhunt, he never let himself accept that she could be alive. He can barely process that she is in front of him now.
Jinx takes a step back, sliding into a chair, “Oh you know, a bit shimmer, a bit of luck, climbing through a cramped air ducted, slipping onto a blimp, beating up an annoying conductor, it's all pretty boring.”
“Why?” Ekko can’t believe what he is hearing
“I had to break the cycle,” She shrugs, staring past Ekko. The gesture was enough that Ekko can tell she wants to say more but she stopped herself. She spins in her chair, “What it’s not like you expected me to stay after that shitstorm of a battle.”
A small part of Ekko breaks, it was a mistake for him to come here. Of course, she didn’t feel the same way, this wasn’t some alternate reality where they could be together, this is his reality.
Jinx notices the small deflation in Ekko and changes the subject, “Do you think no one would notice?”
Ekko looks up, meeting her piercing stare, “What?”
“You know for being a so-called boy-genius, you really are quite dense,” Jinx stands up and makes her way to the back of Ekko.
Ekko strains his head to follow her movement but she disappears from view, “What do you mean?”
“Oh so he does speak more than one word,” She trails a finger down his restrained arm, “I thought you were broken, something that I need to sink my claws in and fix.” She whispers this into his ears, sending a shiver down his spine. She moves her head, his body nearly whimpers at loss of proximity.
“Do you think no one would notice the stranger from the broken land of Piltover and Zaun. Did you think no one would talk about the traveler, especially when he is asking about the Lux Crownguard.” She draws out her words, letting Ekko weigh each one of them, “Did you think that the Window would just magically be open when you needed a way in.” Jinx’s lips form a devilish grin.
Ekko’s head snaps up, “You knew?” She gives him a nod and a shrug of her shoulders, “You knew and you still fought me?” Ekko can’t help but be completely bewildered.
“I thought it would be fun, a little workout for you and me,” she walks to a nearby table, grabbing an object Ekko can’t quite see, “You should be thanking me, you clearly needed it.”
Ekko scoffs at that, “I think we need a rematch, neutral grounds just so it’s fair you know?”
Jinx walks up to Ekko, “I could be persuaded to do that, I guess,” doing her best to show disinterest. Ekko can feel her breath on him, their faces close, he can’t help but glance at her lips, remembering his kiss with Powder all too well. He closes his eyes, nearly leaning in when he hears a click, and Jinx steps back.
His wrists are free, he rubs them, “What exactly was the point of locking me up?”
“I just liked the way you looked in them,” she teases.
“Glad to see you haven’t changed, Jinx.” Ekko stands up, sizing up his surroundings.
Jinx turns and before she can stop herself, she rushes into Ekko’s arms. Ekko stands there for a second in shock, this was so unlike Jinx. He then allows himself to feel the moment, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. After a moment she pulls back,
“It’s good to see you again, boy-savior.” A genuine smile on her lips, as she ruffles his hair.
Ekko eyes soften, “Jinx I need you to come-” she cuts him off,
“Come time-boy, we are late for dinner,” she grabs his hand and starts pulling him out of the room.
He lets himself be pulled, “You know your sister calls me that, time-boy.” Jinx nearly stops before resuming her pace,
“Well it's a good name.”
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Dinner came and went, Ekko went through awkward interactions with Lux, but it was worth it to see Jinx smile. But now, he can’t sleep, images of Jinx fill his brain, he replays every word she said. He didn’t even get an opportunity to bring up returning to Zaun with her. His confidence wavering everytime he thought to bring it up, not wanting to ruin the moment. It has been so easy, to be here with her, it feels natural, laughing with her, hearing about her life. He feels so vulnerable with her, something he doesn’t allow himself to be in Zaun. He tosses and turns in his bed, the events of the day leaving him adrenaline filled.
Ekko slips out of bed, opens his door and heads down the hall, in search of something to lull him into sleep. He walks until he hears voices, Jinx and Lux talking in a room. He hides out of sight, leaning in to hear better.
“What do you want?” Lux asks.
“I don’t know, why do I have to want anything,” Jinx sighs.
“You will have to choose at some point, I don’t know him but there is zero chance he stays here.” They were talking about him, Ekko moves his body, hiding himself further from view.
“I have a life here,” Jinx's voice is soft, making it hard for Ekko to hear.
“Come on babes, we know that this was just a short stop, a distraction from your true life. And don’t give that you don’t matter or they are better off without you. One doesn’t travel to a foreign city chasing a dead person, if they didn’t care deeply for the person they were looking for.” A silence follows, Ekko hears a shifting of sheets. They were likely embracing.
“Maybe they are just delusional,” Jinx quips.
“He is here J, and I think you should go with him.”
“Lu,” Jinx voice breaks, “He hasn't even asked me yet, maybe he doesn’t want me to go.” She throws her hands up.
“That’s because you haven’t let him ask you, you cut him off every time he started too.” Lux rolls her eyes.
“What about us?” Jinx blows her nose.
“I’ll come visit, you can introduce me to your sister, and her stuck up girlfriend you don’t like.” Lux jokes trying to lighten the mood.
“She’s not that bad, she’s just a piltie, besides I think you and her will get along just fine.” Jinx can't help but sound happier, a giggle escaping her lips
“So it’s settled, I will visit you in Zaun.”
“I wanted to break the cycle, what if it continues when I’m back, what if I mess it all up,” JInx rambles, her voice barely a whisper. Ekko has to hold his breath in order to listen.
“You won’t, I know you won’t.” Lux reassures her.
Ekko felt that his presence has become an invasion of privacy, he turns and steps. But his foot makes the floorboard creak. Shit. He reaches of his z-drive, missing of course. He barely has time to get his thoughts together before he feels her behind him.
“Ekko?”
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Caitlyn has barely been able to focus since that night in the bar, she has just been going through the motions. Flashes of Vi fingering her from behind interrupting her thoughts, while Mel and the rest of the council talk about unity. She couldn’t find it in herself to care about what they were saying. Her work with enforcers has slowly been piling up her desk, Steb taking the majority of her workload. The only thing she cares about is Vi. She has been sending enforcers down to The Last Drop to report on business, among other things.
Vi’s words shake through her body, I wish I had a dick, Caitlyn couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if Vi did, and used it on Caitlyn, to feel her thrusting in. Caitlyn bites her lip. That’s how Caitlyn ends up in this room, a small closet in her house, that contains nothing but a box. Caitlyn makes her way to it, taking a key from her pocket, unlocking the box. She knows that she should have destroyed it, if it fell into the wrong hands it would be entirely her fault. But she is a woman with faults. Caitlyn opens the box and her breath hitches. Her mouth watering at the object, a gift from Jayce. He had given it to her as a joke, she had tucked it away after realizing how bad hextech was, but she never destroyed it. Now she was desperate to give Vi the chance to feel something new. She pulls the object out of the box, feeling the object for all of its worth, a perfect 8-inch hexstrap.