Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Always with you, sis.”

The release of a hand. The pull of a pin. An explosion of color. And it’s over. 

At least, it was supposed to be. 

The shimmer coursing through her veins made it almost too easy to flee from the explosion and into the air ducts. But her sister didn’t need to know that. She couldn’t know that. 

Vi was never going to give up. She’d said it herself in that cell only a few short days ago. If Vi couldn’t walk away, Jinx would. And she did.

She pulled the pin. She walked away. And soon she would leave Piltover behind for good - and the people she loved with it. 

It was for the best. They’d had their last hoorah. They’d beat the Noxians and saved the city and a bunch of other heroic nonsense. Better to leave them with those good memories than risk sticking around and tainting them the next time she screwed up. 

Mylo. Claggor. Silco. Vander. Isha. 

Everyone she loved. Everyone she let get close died. Either by her hand or because of her inability to prevent it. It was her curse and her burden alone to bear.

Vi and Ekko had both come close to being added to that list. For a long time, Jinx thought Ekko already had been. That moment on the bridge had been another memory that haunted her both day and night. 

But Ekko had made it off that bridge alive. Jinx wasn’t entirely sure how - it hadn’t come up in their time together prior to the battle, though they’d covered pretty much everything else. Turns out stopping your childhood best friend from blowing herself up was a great conversation starter. 

Ekko had given her a second chance. Offered her an opportunity to build something new and forget about the past. And that’s exactly what she would do. 

Though, she doubted faking her own death and leaving the city was what Ekko meant by building something new. But if he didn’t want her doing that, he really should have specified. 

She’d make a life somewhere far from Piltover. And Vi and Ekko could build their lives right here where they belonged. Far from Jinx and far from the curse her presence brought. 

Jinx frowned as the airship rose into the sky, blasting off into the sunset and promising adventure in the unknown worlds outside the bubble of Piltover and Zaun.

She stepped back off the dock, watching the airship become a speck on the horizon before tugging the hood of her cloak over her head and retreating into the undercity. 

Leaving, as Jinx was slowly realizing, was easier said than done. 

No one bothered her as she made her way through streets and alleys. They had no reason to. After all, Jinx was dead. And she would remain to be. 

A walk through down memory lane would knock some sense into her. Say goodbye to her home once and for all and get on the next airship out of the city. The plan would succeed. And Jinx would cease to exist in the eyes of Piltover and Zaun. 

She slowed, sliding through a large crowd with her head ducked down. The flickering of flames caught her eye and she peered out from under her hood to survey what Jinx quickly realized was a memorial of sorts. 

People moved in and out, solemnly depositing small slips of paper into the fire to honor their fallen loved ones. It was a nice gesture, she supposed. Though, she couldn’t help but wonder how many had fallen with no one left behind to mourn or remember them. 

Unexpected tears sprang to her eyes at the thought and before she knew what she was doing, Jinx dropped a name into the fire. 

She watched the paper burn, turning black at the edges and curling in on itself. Jinx knew it was these memories - this sentimentality - that kept her from leaving, but there was no one else. No one else would mourn or remember. So Jinx would. 

She wouldn’t let Isha become just another body or another slip of paper in the flame. She would remember - for the both of them. 

Maybe the memories held her back, but they were the one thing she couldn’t let go. 

After all, if Jinx didn’t remember, who else would?

***

Jinx pulled her cloak tighter around her as the nights chill seeped into her bones. She didn’t know where she was going anymore, her feet moving on their own accord and wandering the familiar dark paths of Zaun. 

Against her will, memories began to play at the edges of her mind. 

“What was she like?”

Ekko glanced at her, his hand pausing on her forearm where it had been painting just moments before. 

“Who?” He asked finally, resuming the brush strokes and keeping his head low as he concentrated. 

“Me. Her,” Jinx shook her head and rolled her eyes, “The…Powder you claimed to meet.”

Ekko thought about the question, “She was like you.”

Jinx scoffed. 

Ekko prodded her playfully as he twisted her arm to continue his work, “You aren’t so different. I looked at her and I saw you.”

“I stopped being like her a long time ago, Ekko.”

Ekko hesitated, his eyes darting up and examining her face - for what, Jinx did not know. 

“You changed,” Ekko said carefully, “I have too. It doesn’t mean the old us are dead. It just means we get to choose what parts of ourselves we want to keep.”

“And here I thought you were all about leaving things behind,” Jinx commented, avoiding his gaze and busying her hands with dabbing paint on his forearm. 

“Oh, there’s plenty I’ve left behind,” Ekko tilted his head, “I’m much cooler now, in case you hadn’t noticed.” 

“Sure,” Jinx chortled, “At least you can make it through a fight without falling on your ass now.”

“I only did that once!”

“Keep telling yourself that, Little Man.” 

“Well, your aim could use work,” Ekko shot back, finishing the design on her arm and tilting her head to analyze the piercing he’d given her, “You miss at least half your shots.” 

“Still bitter I kicked your butt at paintball, huh?” 

“You calling me a sore loser?”

“Well, I’m not calling you a sore winner,” Jinx snickered, “That would involve actually winning.”

He flicked paint at her and she retaliated with a swipe of her brush across his shirt. 

Their laughter echoed in her mind as the memory faded and Jinx found herself at the bottom of a ladder. The scene felt familiar, but she couldn’t quite place why. 

Jinx pulled herself up, if only to get off the streets and find somewhere to lay low for the night. The cityscape of Zaun stretched out before her as she moved onto the roof. 

Her eyes scanned the horizon as she shifted closer. Her eyes widened suddenly and she shot backwards into the shadows as a familiar silhouette appeared at the roofs edge, outlined by the lights below them. 

Ekko. 

He seemed to be in his own world, twirling a small piece of paper in his fingers. If Jinx didn’t know any better, she might have thought he looked sad. 

This had been a mistake. A walk down memory lane? Yeah, right. Her plan was screwed if anyone saw her - especially if Ekko saw her. He’d just go running to Vi and then where would they be? Right back at the beginning with Vi wasting her life away trying to keep Jinx out of trouble. 

It all happened so fast Jinx doesn’t even think her shimmer abilities could match it. She lurched back towards the ladder at the same time Ekko turned, eyes widening at her cloaked figure. 

And like some cruel joke, a gust of wind blew her hood back right as his gaze reached her face, one hand reaching toward his belt - likely to grab a weapon. 

His hand froze, his eyes widening even as he blinked repeatedly, almost like trying to dispel a daydream.

Jinx’s chest heaved, her breaths coming in short bursts. How fucking hard was it to just get on a ship? She could’ve been gone by now, hidden in some far away land and knowing that they could all go on without her. That they were free of her. 

But no, she just had to climb a ladder and ruin everything . Just like she always did. 

Ekko’s mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. 

“You- You’re…” His dark eyes roved over her form as if searching for some sign of injury or some explanation to what was in front of him. 

“Dead,” Jinx finished, so quiet it was almost inaudible, “Supposed to be, anyways.”

His eyebrows knit together, “Vi told me you were dead. There was an explosion and you-”

“I am dead,” Jinx said tensely, turning away and tugging at her hair, “And I’m staying that way. Just…forget you saw me, Ekko.”

Ekko shook his head and took a step in her direction. His hand stretched out as if to comfort her. Or maybe just confirm she was really there.

 “Vi- she’s been a wreck,” Ekko said finally, swallowing hard, "And I-… You- we have to go see her. Let her know that you’re-”

“ No!” Jinx whirled around, “No, no. You can't tell Vi. She- she can’t know. It wasn’t supposed to go like this!”

“How was it supposed to go?” Ekko questioned, still seeming a bit shellshocked, though he was catching on quickly if his expression was anything to go by, “You disappear and just let everyone think you’re dead? What good will that do?”

“It’s better this way, Ekko,” Jinx moved further away on the roof, kicking off her cloak and letting out a sigh, “Things are better when I’m not here. I can't hurt anyone if I'm dead.”

“Thinking you’re dead hurt more than anything you could’ve done when you were alive.” 

Jinx let out a puff of air, wrapping her arms around herself as another gust of cool night air swept over the rooftop  “You’ll get over it. Just let me go, okay? This has to end. It’s not going to end until I’m out of the picture. Until no one else dies because of me. ”

The roof fell silent. She heard Ekko sigh, a sad but almost amused sound.

Jinx heard shuffling behind her, but didn’t dare look. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. 

Please, let me go. 

Jinx let out a shiver as she felt something warm wrap around her shoulders. Her eyes shot open, watching in bewilderment as Ekko secured his coat around her shoulders. He met her eyes and shook his head almost imperceptibly. 

No, it seemed to say, I won’t.  

Ekko held out a hand, “Come with me.”

Jinx stepped back. 

He sighed, giving her a look far softer than she deserved, “I want to show you something. It’s important.”

Jinx hesitated, keeping her hands close to her chest even as she relaxed into the warmth of his coat.

“I have to go, Ekko.” 

“It won’t take long,” he promised, then lowered his eyes, seeming almost shy , “Let me show you this one thing. If you’re still hellbent on leaving afterwards…well, it’s not like I’ll be able to stop you.” 

Jinx tilted her head in consideration, analyzing his expression for any hint of what he was up to. After a moment, she let out a noncommittal grunt and turned away. 

She felt his eyes on her and groaned. Why was walking away so hard?!

Jinx turned back around slowly, glancing down uncertainly at his outstretched hand. It would be foolish to stick around, but Jinx was curious. And if she was entirely honest, giving an old friend a proper goodbye might be a step in the right direction at getting out of the city with some semblance of her plan intact.

Jinx took his hand briefly before motioning out towards the city. 

“After you, Little Man.” 

***

Jinx came to a halt as they neared the entrance to the Firelight’s base, sliding back into the shadow of the sewers. 

Ekko must have sensed her unease because he turned back to look at her with a reassuring look on his face, “It’s late. Everyone will be asleep by now. They won’t see you.” 

“And what if you’re wrong?

Ekko avoided her gaze, that sad look making its way onto his face again. She’d seen it far too many times already. 

“Would it really be so bad if I was?”

Jinx couldn’t form a response to that. Or maybe she just didn’t want to. 

She brushed past him, pulling the coat tighter around her shoulders despite herself. “So what’s this important thing you’re showing me?”

Ekko’s mouth quirked ever so slightly and he tilted his head in the direction of the entrance, “This way.”

They emerged moments later, the firelight tree standing tall against the night. It was impressive what Ekko had accomplished here. It only made her more determined to leave before she ended up destroying it. 

Ekko led her away from the tree and to a familiar wall - Jinx had seen it her first time at the base just a few short days ago. She rolled her eyes. 

“Seriously? You already showed me this. I get it. Remember all the people you lost blah blah-”

Jinx's mouth snapped shut as her eyes fell on the mural. Or rather, on its newest addition. 

Ekko watched her from the corner of his eye before leaning forward to inspect the painting, “I asked Vi to help. I never got the chance to meet her, so I didn’t really-”

“You…painted her.”

Ekko glanced over at her, then nodded, “She meant a lot to you. I didn’t want anyone to forget her after you left. Besides, she sounded like a pretty badass kid.” 

Jinx let out a wet chuckle at that, running her fingers hesitantly over the painting of Isha, her smile frozen in time with two fingers poised against her helmet, imitating bunny ears. 

Jinx tilted her head, eyes welling with tears as her fingers brushed Isha’s face. Jinx could almost see her, flickering in and out at the edges of her vision. But she knew she wasn’t there. She never was. Not anymore. 

Not since the commune. Not since she’d taken Jinx’s gun and- 

Pew .

She pulled back like she’d been burned, wrapping her arms around herself and turning away, “She’s dead because of me.”

Ekko frowned, shaking his head with concern in his eyes, “There was nothing you could’ve done. You told me what happened, remember?”

“I could’ve stopped her!” Jinx turned back to him, her voice rising, “Or better yet, I could’ve never let her get close to me! She’d still be alive if she never met me!”

Ekko tried to touch her, but she pushed the hand away, moving to sit on the ground against the wall, her outburst leaving her drained and empty.

“It’s my fault she’s dead, Ekko.” 

 “That wasn’t your fault,” Ekko slid down beside her, considering her for a moment, “You wanna know what is your fault?” 

Jinx turned her head slightly, confused. “What-?”

“It’s your fault she was happy,” Ekko began, his eyes never leaving hers, “It’s your fault she had a better life with you than half the kids here in Zaun get. It’s your fault that she finally got to live . You’re the reason she lived, Jinx. Not the reason she died. You wanna blame yourself for something? Blame yourself for making Isha the happiest kid in the undercity because she got to know you .” 

Jinx wiped tears from her eyes, her voice shaking, “If she’d never met me-”

“You think she’d have been better off?” Ekko cut her off, not unkindly, “Undercity is a rough place for any kid, Jinx. She wouldn’t have been happier anywhere else than with you.”

Ekko sighed, leaning his head against the wall as he continued, “You see yourself as a stain on our lives, like you ruin everything just by being around us. But have you ever considered that we’re happier when you’re here? That maybe - just maybe - we don’t see you that way. And that it’s our choice to get close to you?”

Jinx opened her mouth to speak, but Ekko continued, giving her a slightly amused smile. 

“We know what we’re getting into. We choose it anyway, because it’s worth it. Any risk or peril is worth knowing you, Jinx. You can outrun it all you want, but you’re not leaving for us. You’re leaving despite us. Because no matter what you think , we want you here. And if you go? We won’t forget. We won’t be better off. And we won’t stop missing you.”

Jinx couldn’t find the words to argue. She needed to leave, didn’t he understand that?

Jinx put her head in her hands, trying to make sense of his words. He was just being Ekko. He didn’t- he couldn’t understand what he was getting into. Jinx would ruin everything he’d built and he would hate her, despite his pretty words and the kind smile he gave her now. He would hate her. 

But all the fight had left her. She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay and she hated herself more for it. So much for breaking the cycle. 

“I-…” She paused, her voice breaking, “ You’re making a mistake, Ekko.” 

“Maybe, but that’s my choice to make,” Ekko replied instantly, like he expected that argument. Was she truly so predictable? “You can't blame yourself for the choices I choose to make.”

“Maybe not,” Jinx conceded, “But I can still think you’re an idiot for making them.”

“Well, then I guess you’ll have to stick around,” Ekko’s mouth quirked up into a half smile, “Just in case I make any more mistakes.”

“You’re not fooling anyone, mister.” 

Ekko chuckled, “Maybe not.” He pulled himself up and turned to offer his hand out, “Cmon, there’s something else I wanna show you.”

Jinx let out a huff, leveling him with a deadpan stare “You never give up, do you?”

“No idea what you’re talking about,” He quipped, “Just want to show an old friend something before she skips town.”

Jinx rolled her eyes despite the way the word ‘ friend ’ lit up something inside her. She missed being his friend. She missed being anything to him. To anyone. 

Friend. Sister. Daughter . 

Jinx had lost all those titles one way or another. Sometimes more than once. Jinx didn’t see how sticking around the Firelights would change that. She could be Ekko’s friend again, but who’s to say she won’t do something to lose the title again?

Ekko didn’t seem to think she would. Maybe it would be in her best interest to push him away and spare him any pain, but Jinx was already tired of running and she’d barely even begun. Ekko was stupidly optimistic and as much as Jinx would loathe to admit it, she kinda needed some optimism right now.

With a noncommittal grunt, she took his hand and pulled herself up, “Alright, buster. Let’s get to it.”

***

“Is that…?”

“Your lair,” Ekko scratched his head, “What I managed to salvage, anyway. I thought we could fix it up so I got as much as I could. And then I found out you were…”

“Dead?” 

“Yeah, dead. Which you’re not anymore.” 

“Don’t test it. There’s still time.” 

Ekko shot her a glare but softened quickly, “If you die, who’s gonna help me clean this up?”

“You actually think we can ? Look at it!”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ekko put a hand to his chin, “Little bit of polish, a new coat of paint. I’d say it’s got potential.” 

“How’d you even get those propellers back here?!”

“Are you going to keep asking questions or are you going to help me fix it?” Ekko tossed her a wrench, which she caught instinctively.

Well, Jinx could never pass up a project. Especially one this big.

She sighed.

“Hand me the steering wheel.” 

***

Jinx stirred with a groan, shifting slightly before pausing as she took in her surroundings. Gone was the debris of her lair that Ekko and her had spent hours repairing. Instead, Jinx found herself in what looked like a bedroom , decorated simply and littered with tools, gadgets, plants and books. 

Jinx frowned and rubbed her eyes, moving forward to get up when she saw him. 

Ekko was passed out in a chair in the middle of the room - facing the bed - with one hand propped up to hold his head as he slept. 

Jinx stood cautiously, surveying his features as he slept before taking another scan around the room as she realized it must be his. She vaguely recalls drifting in and out of sleep after they repaired the engine and she supposes he must have brought her back to his room after she conked out. 

Jinx pouted slightly, realizing he’d given up his bed for her, and sent a glare his way though he surely wouldn’t know it in his sleepy state. 

Dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon, casting fractured shadows across the floor as light slid past the tall tree and into the window of the room. It was doubtful anyone would be awake yet. And Ekko seemed too deep in sleep to notice if she slipped out.

It would be so easy. They’d gotten their goodbye, hadn’t they? That was all she’d wanted. But then Ekko had opened his stupid mouth and said all those pretty words and made her feel wanted. It had been enough to make her hesitate. To consider what life might be like if she stayed here with the Firelights. The image that came to her certainly wasn’t bad. It seemed peaceful . 

Jinx took a step forward, towards the door. She was being an idiot, there would be no future here. Not for her. Not with them. The only way to guarantee a happy future for the Firelights was to make sure she wasn’t part of it. They would be better off. Ekko would be-

Have you ever considered that we’re happier when you’re here? 

Jinx stopped in her tracks as Ekko’s words came back to her. Those pretty words. Those stupid, pretty, and annoyingly persuasive words. He was an idiot to want her to stay. And she was an idiot for wanting it too. 

He’d be better off without her. 

But would he be happy ?

As much as Jinx wanted to say yes, she didn’t know. She remembers the look in his eyes on the roof before she’d been caught. Grief and regret had stirred there, only to be replaced with something akin to relief when he’d seen her. 

Jinx had done countless horrible things in her life, but could she be so cruel to take that from him again? Disappear into the wind without so much as a hug goodbye? Leave him to wonder all over again? 

Jinx lifted her foot to step forward, then stopped. Her eyes snapped over to Ekko again as he shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

Jinx let out a chuckle despite herself. Why subject himself to the discomfort? She’d slept in far worse than a chair. It’s not like she needed the bed. And yet, there he was curled up in a glorified desk chair-

Jinx’s thoughts came to a screeching halt as her eyes wandered to the desk and back to Ekko’s sleeping arrangement. He’d moved it. The chair. From the desk to the middle of the room. Facing her . 

Oh. 

He knew she might leave. He expected it. And he’d given up a comfy bed for the chance to wake up in time to convince her not to. 

He was so stupid . 

Stupid and selfless and too kind for his own good. He’d lost her so many times already and he was still trying to save her? 

He wasn’t gonna let her go. And Jinx hated that she didn’t want him to. 

Jinx stomped back towards the bed, plopping on it with a childish amount of annoyance and laying down with a growl. 

She couldn’t leave. Because Ekko was stupid and sweet and kind and it would hurt his feelings if she did.

And Jinx didn’t have the strength to hurt him. Because she was stupid too. 

She pouted again, absentmindedly grabbing onto a blanket and throwing it in his direction. He barely even stirred as it smacked his chest and pooled in his lap.

Caring about people was real fucking annoying. And inconvenient. And stupid . 

But as she wrapped a blanket around herself as the sun rose over Ekko’s features, she decided that - at the very least - they could be stupid together. 

***

It was only a week after Jinx had made her decision to stay that Sevika arrived. 

Jinx isn’t sure how she knew, or even if she did. All she knows is that she spun around in her chair, engrossed in her latest project, to find Sevika staring back at her with Ekko in tow. 

Jinx froze. Sevika said nothing for a long time, her eyes scanned Jinx’s face with an unreadable expression. 

It struck Jinx at that moment that Sevika was probably angry with her. If not for her death, then for Isha. The three of them had spent months together, after all. Sevika had cared for the kid in her own way and Jinx was certain she must have learned of Isha’s passing by now, though Jinx never had the chance to directly tell her. 

She’d been let off the hook for Silco, though she still didn’t know why. Only that Sevika knew what Jinx had done, but had never brought it up. Jinx has been too scared to broach the topic. 

Jinx doubted she’d be so forgiving now. Isha was different. Isha was just a kid . And it was because of Jinx that- 

Sevika scoffed, “Should’ve known an explosion wouldn’t be enough to take you out.”

Jinx relaxed, but just slightly. She looked accusingly at Ekko, “You told her I was here?”

Ekko raised his hands, “I didn’t invite her here.”

“One of your friends let slip she was here,” Sevika sent him a sideways glare, “Might wanna cut that loose end before the rest of the Undercity hears about it.” 

Ekko just grunted.

“Come to finish me off for real, then?” Jinx leaned back in her chair, heart beating fast even as she schooled her expression. 

Sevika rolled her shoulder, flexing her mechanical arm, “Need a tune up,” Sevika’s voice was gruff, but lacking in any real anger, “And you’re the only one who knows how to handle this damn thing.”

Jinx hummed, her reservations slipping away as she moved forward to examine her handiwork, “If you took better care of it, then I wouldn’t have to-”

“You gonna fix it or not, brat?” 

“I would if you’d stop moving ,” Jinx retorted, pausing shortly before adding in a mutter, “Ogre.” 

Sevika puffed out a breath, but stayed quiet as Jinx worked out the kinks in her arm, Ekko dutifully handing her tools and glancing between the two like he might have to break up a fight. 

“There,” Jinx blew a strand of hair from her face, “Try not to break it this time.”

Sevika ignored her at first, flexing the arm appreciatively. Slowly, she lowered her arm and looked at Jinx for a long moment. 

“Saw the mural outside,” Sevika said eventually, her tone betraying nothing, as per usual. 

From his place near the desk, Ekko watched closely. 

Jinx turned away from them both, squeezing her eyes closed as a little girl with a miner's hat played at the edges of her vision. 

“She’d like it,” Sevika said in a grunt.  Jinx turned back just slightly as she continued, “You sticking around here awhile? Last thing I need is some Piltie mechanic blowing themselves up trying to fix this damn thing.” 

Jinx glanced at Ekko - who suddenly found his shoes very interesting - then back to Sevika, “Sure. Not like I have anything better to do.” 

Sevika just grunted, turning to leave. 

Jinx couldn’t help herself, sending her a two fingered salute, “Good day, Councilor. ”

Sevika shot her a glare, jerking her arm in Jinx’s direction as her gaze moved to Ekko, “Good luck with that one. I’m officially off Jinx duty.” 

“Aw, you don’t mean that,” Jinx teased, stage whispering conspiratorially to Ekko, “Just wait, she’ll be back tomorrow to check on me. Big softie. ”

Sevika just waved an arm, cursing Jinx under her breath as she walked out of the lair. 

“See you tomorrow, ‘Vika!”

“ No, you won’t! ”

Sevika returned the next day. Completely coincidental, of course. Just to drop off some supplies for the Firelights, she’d insist gruffly. 

The fact she stayed around a few extra hours, mostly spent in Jinx’s lair, was entirely inconsequential. 

As was the fact she returned to do the same at least once a week from then on. Jinx wondered if it was just a habit by now, Sevika looking out for her. She’d certainly been doing it long enough. 

Some habits die hard.

And some, Jinx thought as she installed some new features on the woman’s arm and engaged in their usual bickering, didn’t need to die at all. 

***

Jinx rarely ventured outside her lair. She had little reason to, especially considering she slept there more often than not. Often enough that a room for her hadn’t been set up in the base itself. 

Her interactions with Firelights besides Ekko were sparse, but they were all welcoming nonetheless in the few times they’d seen Jinx wandering about the base. 

All that to say, Jinx really didn’t know much about the other Firelights. And she didn’t mind that. Not until now , that is. 

Not until she’d entered the mess hall at Ekko’s insistence (though it’d been at least an hour since he’d done so) and found him engrossed in conversation with a firelight girl. 

Jinx was hit with a sudden and inexplicable desire to know everything about the girl. What was her name? How long had she been here? Was she close with Ekko?

The questions rattled around her mind with an annoying persistence as she poutily filled a plate, practically stomping over to the table where Ekko sat with the girl and plopping in the chair opposite them. 

Ekko’s gaze fixed on her, shifting towards her and away from the girl. Jinx felt oddly smug that she’d pulled his attention away, her foul mood melting away as easily as it had formed. 

“I was starting to think you forgot to show up,” Ekko quipped, sending her a casual smile. 

Jinx shrugged, “I got caught up. Things to do, shit to blow up. The usual.”

“Well, I’m glad you could make it,” To her dismay, he motioned to the girl beside him, “Have you met Tawny?” 

Jinx suppressed a growl, “Nope.”

Hello again, foul mood. 

The girl - Tawny - smiled shyly, “I’ve heard so much about you! It’s nice to put a face to the name.” 

“Uh-huh.” 

If either of them noticed her lackluster response, they didn’t show it as they picked up their conversation where it left off, Tawny letting out a soft laugh as Ekko reminded her of some sweet memory Jinx didn’t dare to focus on. 

They seemed close. Like they’d been friends a long while. Jinx hated it. She hated it and she didn’t know why. All she knew is that she longed to drag Ekko back to her lair. Back to sharing laughter and jokes as they worked on their latest projects. Back to where his attention was on Jinx and only Jinx. 

Maybe that was a bit selfish. And perhaps overly possessive, but it’d been an embarrassingly long time since Jinx had anyone to call a friend. She barely knew what it was like to have a friend anymore. It never occurred to her Ekko didn’t have nearly as much trouble forming attachments. And why would he? Ekko was kind. Likeable. 

And Jinx? Jinx had a tendency to blow up anyone in her immediate vicinity. 

Ekko laughed at something Tawny said, briefly squeezing her shoulder as the two shared a smile. Jinx slid down in her seat with barely concealed rage. 

Jinx quickly realized it was not concealed enough when the pair suddenly turned to look at her, faces mixed with surprise and concern. 

Jinx just raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she’d done but attempting to play it off anyways. 

“Are you okay? You uh-“ Tawny chuckled nervously, eyes darting between Ekko and Jinx, “You kind of…growled?”

Jinx tilted her head, her pink eyes gazing unsettlingly into Tawny’s soft brown as a somewhat unhinged smile spread across her features, “I see dead people.”

Maybe it was petty and entirely unnecessary, but Jinx couldn’t find it in herself to care as the girl squirmed under her gaze. 

Tawny’s eyes widened, “Oh! That’s…uh, lovely?” 

Ekko shook his head disapprovingly, giving her an exasperated look as he slid his hand down his face, “Jinx, knock it off.”

Jinx feigned innocence, crossing her arms, “I didn’t do anything.” 

“You’re freaking her out.” 

Jinx allowed her eyes to flash a bit as she not so subtly sized up the girl beside him, who was watching the exchange like it was a tennis match. 

“I saw that,” Ekko grumbled, sending an apologetic look towards Tawny who smiled uncertainly. 

“The voices in my head told me to do it.” 

“It’s fine!” Tawny interrupted before Ekko could respond, “I actually have to get going, but I’ll see you two around!”

Jinx sent her a two fingered wave, fighting back a triumphant giggle. She was unsuccessful, if Ekko’s expression was anything to go by. 

Ekko smiled at Tawny as she stood to go, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you later, Tawny. Tell Phoebe I said hi, eh?”

Tawny blushed, but nodded and sent the two a wave as she left the mess hall, kind smile still attached despite Jinx’s antics. 

“Phoebe?” Jinx found herself asking, unsure why she even cared.

Ekko didn’t respond immediately, looking her over like he was trying to solve some type of puzzle. Finally, he said, “Her girlfriend. They’ve been together a couple years now.” 

Jinx puffed out a breath. “Nice for them, I guess.”

“What’s up with you?” 

Jinx straightened slightly at his serious tone, shrugging and picking at her food to give herself something to do, “What? Nothing. Right as rain!” She paused, quirking a brow, “Wait, how can rain be right ? How do you know it’s not left-? ”

“I don’t think that’s what it means,” Ekko supplied, leaning forward. “And I don’t believe you.”

“Why not? I’m very believable.” 

Ekko raised an unimpressed brow, still looking as though he was trying to decipher her expression, “You were trying to get her to leave.”

“Oh, really ?” Jinx snagged his drink, sipping from the straw and ignoring his weak protest, “I’m intrigued. Tell me more about my evil master plan to run off all your little pals.” 

Ekko furrowed his brow, unaffected by her antics and looking almost concerned , “Seriously, what’s wrong? You’re acting strange.”

“More so than usual?” 

“You’re avoiding the question.” 

Jinx just leaned back in her chair, setting down the cup and giving him a blank stare. 

He wanted an answer. Truthfully, she didn’t have one. 

Tawny had done nothing wrong, but the sight of the two talking and being so close had bothered Jinx immensely. It wasn’t like Jinx had never seen him interact with the other Firelights before, but it was different then. It wasn’t so personal. So familiar .

Jinx knew logically that Ekko had known most of the people here for years. Knew that they must all share a close bond. But some part of Jinx just assumed she held a special place in his life even when she stopped being part of it, that none of the other firelights could know the things she’d learned in their youth together. 

None of his friends here had seen him fall on his ass trying to copy Vi’s moves. Or had spent hours fixing up junk to try and sell it to whatever idiot they could swindle in Benzo’s shop. None of them knew how he comforted her when Mylo’s teasing got a little too harsh. How he’d rolled up his sleeves and told her he’d set Mylo straight only to fall right back on his ass. They didn’t know how much it meant to her that he’d even wanted to try.

They didn’t know that their rebel leader had once been her best friend. 

If Jinx was being honest, he still was. After he saved her, she thought he might think so too. But he had new friends now. People he’d made memories with long after Jinx was out of the picture. She’d been replaced . 

Replaced by people who fought for him. Died for him - occasionally at her own hand. Replaced by people who deserved his kindness more than she ever could. By pretty brown eyed girls who make him smile the way he should be smiling at her - 

Oh. There it was. 

The real problem. The answer to his question that he was probably still waiting for.

“ Fuck.” 

Jinx was jealous . 

It was stupid and entirely unwarranted, but she still was. Because she didn’t want Ekko to talk to Tawny. She wanted Ekko to talk to her . Wanted to go back to the lair where it would be just them and their banter and their silly drawings and the late nights where she falls asleep on his shoulder because she knows that means he’ll still be there when she wakes up. 

She wants his attention. She wants Ekko. 

“Fuck?” Ekko repeated quizzically, “You’ve been staring into my soul for ten minutes and all I get is fuck ?”

“I was thinking.”

“About?” 

“…Problem for another day.” 

Ekko looked amused, the concern melting away slowly but surely, “Meaning?”

“Meaning I’m going back to my lair now.”

She stood abruptly, only making it a few feet before spinning around and eyeing him expectantly. 

“Are you coming?” 

Ekko motioned to his half eaten food.

Jinx grumbled, scooping up his plate and speeding off in the direction of her lab as he scrambled after her. 

“ Jinx! Hey, hold up-!”

Jinx let out a cackle as he caught up with her right outside the lair, pointedly grabbing his plate back before pulling her inside with a fond shake of his head. 

Well, she certainly had his attention now . 

***

“I’m just saying-”

“ No.” 

“Jinx, it’s been months-”

“Not happening, Ekko.” 

Ekko paused his scribbling briefly, giving her a patient look, “She’s your sister. You’re really just not gonna tell her you’re okay?”

“She’s doing just fine without me,” Jinx huffed, twitching in her seat and glancing over at him, “She’s got her fancy mansion and her fancy girlfriend.”

“Neither of which can replace you. ”

Jinx jerked her head to the side reflexively, “Pfft, as if she-”

Ekko made a discontented noise, gesturing at her to resume her previous position. Jinx rolled her eyes, but complied as he returned to his sketch. 

“Why am I doing this again?” Jinx grumbled, doing her best not to move. Not a particularly easy task for her. 

“Drawing calms me,” Ekko replied distractedly, glancing up at her every few seconds. 

“What’s that got to do with me ?” Jinx snorted, “Go draw your tree or something.” 

“Maybe I find you calming.” 

Jinx cackled, “Said no one ever.” 

Ekko shrugged and the pair fell into silence for a while, the humming of machinery around the lair the only noise to break the comfortable silence. 

“I can’t keep this from Vi, yknow?” Ekko began, keeping his eyes on the paper in his lap, “She’s like family to me too. It doesn’t feel right hiding this from her.”

Jinx frowned, “It’s not like she’s asked. Or even visited you. Seems like she’s moved on from us fissure folk.”

Ekko shook his head, “Has it occurred to you she hasn’t come down here because it would remind her of you?”

“…No.”

Ekko just hummed triumphantly, his pencil sliding almost absentmindedly across the paper as he filled in details Jinx couldn’t see from this angle. 

“Why do you even care? You never brought this up before,” Jinx huffed with indignation, gesturing wildly with one hand before freezing and dropping the hand at his pointed grunt. 

“This has gone on long enough, don’t you think?” 

“Agreed. Can I move now?”

“That’s not what I was referring to, and no.”

Jinx hesitated, dropping her gaze, “She’s gonna be mad.”

Ekko paused, giving Jinx that look . That look she could never quite decipher, but loved anyways, “She just wants you back. That’s all that’s gonna matter to her.”

“I faked my death , Ekko,” Jinx turned away, but he didn’t protest her this time, “I can't exactly just pop into Kiramman’s fancy little castle and say ‘oh nevermind, I’m fine .’ I went too far.” 

“You did a stupid thing-,” Ekko paused at her glare and quickly amended, “Okay, a really stupid thing because you thought it would be for the best. You were wrong. But you’d be even more wrong to let Vi go on thinking her baby sister died in front of her after just getting her back.”

“You don’t think she’ll hate me?” Jinx’s voice was soft. Broken and unsure. Weak. She felt like a child again, desperate to make her sister proud. To impress her. To prove herself. 

And where had that gotten them?

Ekko’s response was immediate, his tone warm and reassuring. 

“Now that’s just crazy talk.” 

Jinx turned back towards him slowly as he continued, watching her softly with his dumb brown eyes, “Vi can do a lot of things. Punch a guy's lights out for sure, but hate you? Never. Not even if she wanted to.” 

Jinx wrapped her arms around herself, leaning back in her chair and keeping her eyes low, “I…guess it wouldn’t hurt to say hi, right?” 

Ekko jumped to his feet, depositing the sketch onto her desk with a thud, “Great! Let’s go.”

“ What -?!” Jinx yelped as he tugged her to her feet, “Ekko-! We can’t go now ! I’m wanted in Piltover, in case you forgot!”

Ekko turned, holding on gently to her arms, “No one’s gonna be roaming the streets looking for a dead girl, or have you forgotten you’re legally dead?”

Jinx rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips, “So, what? We’re just gonna waltz up to an enforcer’s house and knock on the front door? Great plan, genius.” 

“Well, what would you suggest?”

Jinx smirked, opening her mouth to reply. 

“You wanna break in, don’t you?”

Jinx pouted, “You think that low of me? I’m hurt.” 

Ekko sighed, “Fine, sorry. What’s your plan?”

“Break in.” 

Ekko gave her a deadpan stare. 

Jinx smiled. 

He broke first, gesturing off to the side, “Okay, okay. Just go get the hoverboards so we can get out of here, alright?”

“So bossy,” Jinx quipped even as she obliged, sending him a two-fingered salute as she did so. 

“I’m already regretting this.”

“Uh, Ekko?”

“What’d you do?”

“We only have one hoverboard.”

Ekko’s eyes widened, “What happened to the one I gave you?”

“…Blew it up?” 

Ekko let out a long suffering sigh, “Just hop on.”

“Can I drive?”

“No.” 

“ Damn .”

***

“You’d think an enforcer would have better security.”

Ekko huffed out a quiet laugh as he slid open the window, climbing inside and turning back around to help pull her up. 

Jinx’s feet found the ground and she tugged down the hood on Ekko’s coat, moving forward into the room with a mix of caution and curiosity. Ekko trailed behind her, seeming reluctant to part from her now that they were in Piltover. 

Ekko turned to her, “Maybe this wasn’t such a good-”

BAM!

The door burst open and the pair found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun. The woman behind it infuriatingly familiar and sporting an eye patch. 

A lot of things happened at once. 

Caitlyn's eyes - eye - widened as it fell on Jinx, her gun wavering just slightly. Ekko instinctively stepped in front of Jinx. 

Another figure entered the room. 

“Cait! What’s-”

VI’s eyes fell on the pair. On Jinx. 

Her mouth moved, but no sound made its way out. She shoved past Caitlyn and right past Ekko, pulling Jinx into her arms. 

“You- you’re…” VI’s teary eyes scanned her face, her hands brushing Jinx’s face, “Please tell me this is real.” 

Jinx’s eyes welled up with tears, letting out a sob and wrapping her arms around her big sister. Vi held her tight, her body trembling. 

Both their legs seemed to give out and the sisters fell to their knees, cradling each other and letting out all the feelings they’d been keeping in the past months as they cried. Fear, loss, and regret poured out as Vi found her voice. 

“I thought…” Vi sniffled, shaking her head, “I lost you. You- you were gone. And I thought I’d never-”

“I’m sorry,” Jinx all but wailed, burying her head in her sister's shoulder like she was a child again, “I thought you wouldn’t-…I’m sorry.” 

She repeated the words probably a dozen more times and Vi shushed her, “No, no. You’re here now and that’s- it’s okay. You’re okay. Just…just stay , okay? Don’t go again, please. I just got you back.”

The words might have seemed scolding if not for the soft, desperate plea they were spoken in and the way Vi hugged her even tighter.

Jinx nodded. It’s all she could do. How could she think she could go on without her sister? Jinx had wasted so much time afraid to face her when all she really wanted was her sister back. 

The pair managed to pull themselves together after a few minutes and belatedly remembered they weren’t alone. Ekko and Caitlyn stood off to the side, giving each other an awkward side eye, their eyes misty with tears they both pretended weren’t there. 

Vi pulled Ekko into a hug, “Little man! I’m sorry I’ve been so..I just- How did you- where did you find her?”

Ekko separated reluctantly from the hug, his eyes shifting guiltily, “I…”

VI’s expression sharpened, “How long ago did you find her?”

“She- she kinda found me ,” Ekko scratched his neck and dropped his gaze, “And I- it’s been a few months, but I-”

“ Months ? You’ve known all this time that she-! And you didn’t tell me?”

Jinx came in between them, eyes flashing despite herself. She couldn’t bear Ekko looking like a kicked puppy on her behalf, “It’s not Ekko’s fault! I-…I wouldn’t let him tell you. He wanted to. It’s my fault. Don’t be mad at him.”

Caitlyn twitched at the movement, hand moving almost instinctively towards her rifle, but she pulled it back at the last moment. She didn’t speak. 

Vi sighed shakily, “ Months . All this time you’ve been…and I didn’t even know.”

“I know,” Jinx groaned, turning away, “I know! It was stupid and I shouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry. Ekko’s given me the whole speech about a thousand times. I’m just…I’m sorry.” 

“No, I-,” Vi sighed, pulling them both in, “I’m sorry too. For everything that happened. I just- I’ve missed you. Both of you. I didn’t realize how much I…”

“Caitlyn? Dear, what’s going on?

Caitlyn yelped, quickly shutting the door and leaning against it, “Um! Vi and I are- uh, working! On a- um-,”

She gestured wildly, trying to come up with an excuse as the male voice came closer. 

The man, who must have been her father, coughed, “Oh! I’ll…um. I’ll be in the sitting room.” 

They remained quiet as the footsteps faded, an awkward silence filling the room. 

Ekko coughed, “Did- did he think you were-?”

“Ekko!” Vi hissed as Caitlyn blushed a deep red, gesturing at Jinx. 

“I’m not a child !” Jinx said petulantly, “I know what he’s talking about.” 

Vi cringed, “I really don’t want to have this conversation with my sister .” 

“Sevika liked brothels,” Jinx continued flatly, “And gambling, but brothels were a big hit. I’m not clueless. ”

“Can we move on? Please?” 

Caitlyn nodded, her voice pinched, “Yes, yes. Let’s move on. Why did you two break into my home?”

“To see Vi,” Ekko said, his voice uncertain. 

“We have a door! ”

“I’m a wanted criminal,” Jinx pointed out once again, amending her statement at Ekko’s snort, “Okay, fine. Legally dead wanted criminal. Are you happy?”

Ekko just shook his head fondly. Vi watched the interaction with a slight raised brow. 

“Yes,” Caitlyn said slowly, gaining their attention once again, “I'm quite aware of what you are.”

Vi frowned, eyebrows pinched together as she moved towards her girlfriend, “Cait, I know-”

Caitlyn raised a hand, “It’s fine, Vi. I had my…suspicions about your sister already.”

“Wait, what?” Vi scoffed in disbelief, “What, you knew that she-?”

“No! No, of course not,” She took a deep breath, “I was investigating the possibility. I saw no reason to get your hopes up without any evidence.”

“What was your theory?” Jinx asked, finding herself curious on whether or not Caitlyn was remotely close. 

“You used your speed to escape into the air ducts prior to the explosion,” Caitlyn said a bit tersely before turning distractedly, “I printed some schematics. They’re here somewhere…”

“You should’ve told me.”

Caitlyn paused, eyes wide with regret, “You’re right, I- I should’ve said something sooner. I just didn’t want to let you down. You were already so…”

“I know,” Vi sighed, “Just no more secrets from now, yeah?”

Caitlyn nodded, smiling almost adoringly at Vi. 

“I’m gonna puke.”

Ekko facepalmed, “They’re having a moment.”

“And it’s making me sick. ”

Vi unexpectedly wrapped her in another hug, letting out a soft chuckle, “Sorry, I- I’ve missed you, Jinx.”

Jinx fought back another wave of tears, “Missed you too, sis.”

They embraced each other a moment longer before pulling back, Jinx turned to see Ekko studying his pocket watch. 

“A little on the nose, isn’t it?” 

Ekko slid it back into his pocket with a flourish, “Shut up.” 

Jinx’s retort was cut off as Vi stepped forward, sighing, “You have to go, don’t you?”

Ekko nodded regretfully, “It’s late. Risky to keep her around here too long, especially with…”

He trailed off, silently motioning at the closed door where Caitlyn’s father had very nearly caught them. 

“Will you be back?” Vi asked, tugging her sister closer like she couldn’t bear to let her go yet.

“You can’t,” Caitlyn interrupted. 

Vi looked crushed, “Caitlyn, please-”

“Ekko’s right, it’s too risky to have her come here,” Caitlyn continued, putting a hand on VI’s shoulder, “You should meet at the Firelight’s base. You’ll both be safe there. Besides, it might be…good, for you to visit your home.”

Vi nodded, her posture relaxing as she pulled Jinx and Ekko into one last hug, “I’ll come by tomorrow, okay? Don’t go anywhere.” 

“I won’t,” Jinx promised, “As if Ekko would let me, anyways. He’s such a buzz kill. ”

Ekko shushed her as he tugged the hood of his coat back over her head, fussing with the edges to adequately cover her features. 

“It’s dark out,” Jinx deadpanned, “Who’s gonna see me?” 

“Patrolling enforcers, for one,” Caitlyn said, moving to the window they’d snuck through, “They’ll be coming to circle around in just a moment. You should wait.” 

Jinx huffed, punching Ekko’s arm without any real force behind it, “I told you to let me bring Zapper.”

“Yeah, because killing enforcers is exactly what you need right now,” Ekko shot back.

“Zapper?” Vi echoed confusedly, her eyes moving back and forth between the pair. 

“Her pistol,” Ekko explained.

“You name your guns?” Caitlyn asked in disbelief. 

“Of course I do,” Jinx lifted her hand, ticking off names as she dropped fingers, “Fishbones, Rhino, Pow-Pow-”

“Pow-Pow?” Vi interrupted softly. 

Jinx smiled brightly, “Yeah! Yknow, like-” She made a finger gun, miming gunshots, “ Pow! ”

Then she softened, dropping her hand and shrugging, “And well…Powder, I guess.” 

Ekko hummed, “Don’t forget Mouser.” 

Jinx crossed her arms grumpily, “Mouser didn’t work.” 

Ekko shrugged, “I thought it was cool.” 

“I liked Mouser,” Vi offered, “I liked all your inventions.” 

“So you don’t think they’re ugly chicken shit?” 

Vi huffed out a laugh, giving her an apologetic look, “No, I didn’t mean that.”

“Me neither,” Then Jinx frowned, tilting her head as she continued, “Well, I actually did mean the part about your over designed bitch mittens. Talk about tacky. -”

“Oh, yeah? Well you-”

“Enforcers should be out of your way now,” Caitlyn cut in, giving them all a pointed look. 

The sisters shared a look before embracing a final time, Vi promising once more to be at the Firelights base early the next morning. 

Ekko slid the window open and hopped out, turning to help steady Jinx as she followed suit, climbing over the window sill as she sent her sister one final wave.

Vi waved back, watching them closely from Caitlyn's side as they departed. 

Jinx clung to Ekko’s side as he kicked off on the hoverboard and the pair flew into the night, leaving nothing but a green streak of light in their wake. 

Jinx felt lighter than she had in a long time, breathing in the night air and nuzzling closer to Ekko - just so she doesn’t fall. No other reason, obviously. 

Jinx hadn’t even realized how much regret had been weighing on her until she felt it leave her. The moment she saw Vi again, it felt like someone had put a bandage over an open wound she hadn’t even noticed was bleeding. 

Now, Jinx could feel that wound closing - hopefully for good. She’d spent so long chasing the idea of a family she’d lost. And after Isha she tried to outrun the notion entirely, but now? Jinx had her sister back. 

And nothing was going to change that. 

Not this time. 

***

“Ekko? Ekko! ”

Ekko shot up, immediately feeling a weight on his shoulder and freezing as he took in Jinx’s sleeping form beside him from where the two had been holed up the night before working on some upgrades for the lair. 

His eyes focused quickly on the figure in front of him as he gently shifted Jinx off of him without stirring her. 

Vi was crouched in front of them with an eyebrow raised pointedly at their position. Ekko fought a blush and pulled himself up, Vi following suit. 

“Sorry, late night project,” Ekko stretched, following Vi dutifully as she stepped away from Jinx, allowing the girl to sleep peacefully a little while longer, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Really? You have no idea?” Vi asked, voice thick with sarcasm. 

Ekko shifted uncomfortably, “Look, I know I should’ve told you that she was-”

Vi huffed impatiently, “No, no. It’s fine- I mean, no it’s not fine and you should’ve told me, but I get it, okay? We’re cool.”

“Oh, good,” Ekko said, relieved that Vi wasn’t angry with him, “Then, uh, what are you-?”

Vi crossed her arms, eyes narrowing, “What are your intentions with my sister?”

“My… what ?” 

“Oh, don’t play the innocent boy routine, little man,” Vi huffed, pointing an accusatory finger at him, “Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you two were acting yesterday. And don’t for a second think that I didn’t know about your little crush when we were kids, either.” 

Ekko’s mouth opened, then closed, his mind failing to catch up with whatever Vi was accusing him of, “Vi, I don’t…wait, do you think Jinx and I are-?”

Vi sized him up before relaxing with a sigh, “Okay, you have no idea what I’m talking about.” 

“You thought I was dating your sister?” Ekko’s mind raced at the mere thought. 

“You would too if you saw you two yesterday!” Vi said defensively, then deflated, “Look, I-…I’ve already missed so much, okay? She was out there growing up without me while I was trapped in a box ! I just- I don’t want to miss any more important moments. And you can’t blame me for wanting answers about my little sister possibly dating someone!”

“Vi, I get it,” Ekko assured, “Trust me, I do. But Jinx and I aren’t- it’s not like that . She doesn’t see me that way.

Vi hummed, eyes narrowing again, “But you do. You like her,” She wagged a finger in his face, “And don’t bother lying about it, little man. I sniffed that out ages ago.” 

Ekko shook his head, smiling despite himself, “Is this really so important to you?”

“Hey, I just wanted to make sure you knew I’d kick your ass into next week if you hurt her,” Vi raised her hands in surrender, but gave him a teasing look all the same, “And you’re deflecting.”

“What’s there to say?” Ekko questioned softly, turning and running his fingers against some of Jinx’s scribbles pinned to the wall, “I had a crush. I…I loved her. I still do. Probably always will. I’m not really hiding it.”

Vi’s mouth quirked up into a half smile at that. She leaned back against the wall, her eyes roving over the pinned drawings. They both fell silent for a moment before Vi glanced up at him, huffing out a soft chuckle. 

“You know,” She began thoughtfully, “I always kinda thought she liked you too, back then.”

Ekko could feel his heart trying to rip itself out of its chest even as he schooled his expression, looking at her from the corner of his eye, “Why’s that?”

Vi shrugged, bumping her shoulder against his, “Oh, nothing in particular. An older sister knows things, y’know?”

Ekko snorted, “Yeah, right,” His face fell slightly and he looked away from her as he continued, “That was a long time ago.”

“We’ve all changed since then,” Vi admitted, shaking her head, “I felt stuck for so long in that shitty prison. Part of me thought everything would pick up where I left off when I got out of there. But everything was different. I was different.”

Vi tugged a picture down, running her fingers across the lines and brush strokes, “I almost forgot what her smile was like. Then you two dropped through a window and suddenly it was all I could see. She was comfortable with you. I haven’t seen her like that in a long time. Happy. Content .”

“She was happy to see you .”

“And who convinced her to do that?” Vi raised an expectant brow, but he didn’t answer, “You’ve helped her a lot, Ekko. Even I can see that. I don’t know what that means for you, but I just- I want you to know it means a lot to me that you’re making her smile again.”

Ekko pulled her into a hug, if only to hide his tearful eyes, “You’ll see a lot more of it now. If she ever decides to wake up.”

Vi laughed, slapping a hand on his shoulder, “You’re a good kid, Ekko. Be good to her and I won’t have to punch your lights out, ‘kay?”

“I told you already, we’re not-”

Vi turned around the picture she’d been holding, shoving it into his hands with a pointed look. It was a sketch of himself with little hearts scribbled near his head and the words ‘BEST BOY’ scribbled in large blue letters with a large arrow pointing to his face. 

Ekko couldn’t hide his blush this time, even as he pushed down the hope fluttering in his chest, “This is Jinx we’re talking about. She’s probably just goofing around.”

“Oh, you’re hopeless,” Vi muttered, rolling her eyes and kicking her foot out, accidentally knocking over some junk Jinx had left piled in case they needed any odds and ends for their work. 

Ekko paused, seeing a glint of green poking through the mess. He bent down to retrieve it, his eyes widening at the sight.

The hoverboard he’d given Jinx. Very not blown up. It was unmistakably Jinx’s, covered in graffiti and splashes of paint in her signature colors. 

Vi snorted, looking over his shoulder at the device, “Let me guess, she told you she lost it or something and you two had to share?”

“She told me she blew it up!”

Vi tapped his shoulder teasingly, as if to console him, “Yeah, classic Jinx move. Hide your shit to get what you want,” Vi smiled proudly, “I taught her that. She used to hide Mylo’s crap until he’d agree she was a better shot than him.”

Ekko huffed out a chuckle at that, nostalgia and disbelief coursing through him as he debated whether Vi could truly be right. It didn’t seem possible. Sure, the other timeline was proof enough that it was , but Ekko was certain he wouldn’t have missed something like this. The Powder from the other world hadn’t been subtle and nor was Jinx in any world. There was just no way- 

“Oh, you found my hover board!”

Both Vi and Ekko let out startled yelps, looking over to see Jinx leaning over Ekko’s other shoulder, surveying the board in his hands. 

“You told me you blew it up,” Ekko pointed out, trying to gauge her reaction. 

“Did I?” Jinx put a hand to her chin, her mouth twitching like something was funny, “Oh, well. Blown up, lost in a pile of junk. Same difference?” 

Before Ekko could even argue, Jinx had moved on. She pulled her sister into a quick hug before dragging Vi further into the lair to show her all the trinkets and gadgets she had laying around, practically bouncing on her heels as the two talked like no time had passed. 

It was adorable . 

Ekko laughed to himself, shaking the thought away as he always did when his feelings started to leak out. Vi was just being protective of her sister and teasing Ekko over a one-sided crush. It was nothing more than that and Ekko wouldn’t let it be. Wouldn’t let the thought of a past life or an alternate world distract him from giving Jinx what she needed. 

Jinx needed a friend. Nothing more and nothing less. 

And he would be her friend. Nothing more and nothing less.

That’s what they were to each other here, and Ekko wouldn’t trade that for anything.

It was enough. Whatever she had to offer him. Whatever parts of her life she allowed him to see. It was enough. 

Jinx was enough. 

He had her. Had her friendship and her laughter and her smile. 

What else could he possibly need?

***

“In chaos I reign, tear this place apart…”

Jinx bopped her head to the music, spinning around in her chair to toss the screwdriver back to Ekko and sliding back across the desk to look over the sketches they’d drawn up. Her lair was in great shape considering it had been entirely torn apart after being crashed into a clock tower, but there were always improvements to be made. 

The guardrails, for one. Ekko had been insistent about the added safety measures when they’d started rebuilding all those months ago. Jinx couldn’t say she blamed him for being uneasy. In a way, it was…nice to know that he cared. That he wanted to assure her safety even though she’d been spent years just fine without the rails. 

Though, that didn’t mean much. She hadn’t cared if she fell before. On some days, it was tempting to teeter close to the edge and wonder what it’d be like on the way down.

Not now, though. Now, she welcomed the extra security. The extra assurance that there was something between her and a free fall on the days where it started to become a temptation. 

Jinx shook those thoughts aside, tugging her goggles down around her neck and sauntering over to the wall to examine a sketch, juggling a bolt in one hand as her hips swayed to the music.

“In chaos I’m free! Destruction is art! Rebel Heart!”

Jinx found herself distracted from her task as she moved in time with the music, hopping and spinning around as the beat intensified, letting out an involuntary huff of laughter when she noticed Ekko watching the display with a confused, fond expression. 

“What, got two left feet?” Jinx taunted, bopping her head as she tugged him to his feet and ignoring his attempts at protest. 

“I’m really not much of a-”

“Too bad, buster,” She interrupted, bringing her arms up above her head and looking at him challengingly, “You wouldn’t make a girl dance alone, would ya?” 

Ekko rolled his eyes, shaking his head with a laugh, “Alright, have it your way.”

His movements were controlled compared to her own. His soft, calculated rhythm was a stark contrast to her energetic display as they danced together. 

Neither of them were particularly in tune with the music blaring from Jinx’s record player, but that had never mattered less. Not with Ekko there in front of, his eyes sparkling and a laugh bubbling up from his throat. 

“I’ve been here from the very start..”

He grabbed her hands unexpectedly, spinning her around and eliciting a shocked squeak of laughter to burst out of her as Ekko tugged her out and then back in. 

“I will give you my rebel heart…”

“And here I thought you weren’t a dancer,” Jinx giggled, swatting his arm but remaining close, “Been holding out on me?”

“I’ve got a few tricks,” Ekko replied cheekily, twirling her around once more, “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Jinx’s responding laughter faded out with the ending notes of the song, turning back towards him and freezing as the pair came nearly nose to nose. The sudden silence pulled them both back into reality as they became hyper aware of their close proximity. 

Jinx said nothing as she caught her breath, her hands braced on his upper arm and unsure if she should move them. She didn’t want to. 

Ekko had a loose hold on her waist, his other hand resting gently around her wrist. He hadn’t moved either. 

His eyes roamed her face and she felt her eyebrows pinch together somewhat involuntarily at the attention. He seemed to be looking for something in her eyes and Jinx hadn’t the faintest clue what it was. Or if he’d find it. 

The beginning notes of a new song began to play, but Jinx hardly registered it. She tilted her head ever so slightly, pink eyes flashing of their own accord as they met his searching gaze with a question of her own. 

Something seemed to snap him back into reality, blinking once - twice - and pulling away ever so slightly, the hand on her waist squeezing lightly before letting go entirely. 

Jinx didn’t pull back, watching him through a mask of calm she hoped would adequately cover her racing thoughts and pounding heart. 

“Do…” Ekko hesitated for a moment, his eyes wandering again, “Do you wanna get some air?” 

Jinx let out a thoughtful hum, more to herself than a response to his query. Slowly, she nodded and brushed past him to grab his coat, more out of habit than anything else. Something told her they’d be leaving the base. 

Besides, it was a pretty comfy coat. 

He didn’t protest, just watched her with a faraway look in his eyes as she approached. 

“Where to?” Jinx asked breezily, sliding her hands in the pockets and toying with the trinkets she’d left in there last time she’d stolen the jacket. 

Ekko didn’t respond immediately, giving her that look again. Not for the first time, she thought about confronting him on it. 

Why do you always look at me like that, Ekko?

It remained an unspoken question. And it probably always would be. 

Ekko shifted his gaze away from her with some difficulty, motioning outside, “I, uh. I have a place in mind.”

“After you.”

His mouth quirked, but he didn’t respond. They fell into step together, side by side as comfortable silence settled over them, the notes of a forgotten song playing on in their wake. 

“Mais ma meilleure ennemie, c'est toi

Fuis-moi, le pire, c’est toi et moi.”

***

“How often do you come here?”

Ekko shrugged, keeping his eyes on the horizon. The undercity was stretched out before them, a maze of twinkling lights and chaos that remained just out of reach from their place on the roof. 

“I come here to think,” Ekko replied vaguely, glancing over at her.

“So not often, then?” 

Ekko let out a startled chuckle at the tease, “Very funny. No, I…” He thought for a moment, hands twitching at his sides, “I came here a lot after…When I thought that you died.”

“Because of her?” Jinx asked softly. 

Ekko just hummed quizzically, as if he didn’t understand. 

“Her. Powder?” Jinx clarified, rolling her eyes to try and play it off, “ Other me. You told me you came up here with her.”

“There is no her ,” Ekko reminded her gently, “Just you. I came here because of you.”

Jinx mulled that over in her head. It wasn’t the first time he told her that and likely wouldn’t be the last. It was one of those days where Jinx wasn’t sure if she believed him. 

“Do you ever…” Jinx didn’t look at him as she found her words, almost fearful of what she might find in his eyes, “Do you wish you’d stayed there?”

“No.”

The response was immediate, automatic even. Like he didn’t even need to consider the option, as though the answer was so obvious it didn’t require any thought. 

“Stupid,” Jinx muttered, pulling her knees to her chest as she focused her gaze outwards to the city and not the boy beside her.

“You would’ve died if I hadn’t come back,” Ekko’s voice was tense, but his anger didn’t seem directed at her. At least not entirely. 

“I guess,” Jinx picked at her nails, “It just…it sounds like you’d have been better off over there. Better than this shithole, anyways.”

“It’s not so bad in this world.” 

Jinx scoffed, “I’d list all the reasons you’re wrong, but I don’t have enough fingers,” She wiggled her prosthetic middle finger pointedly, “Caitlyn made sure of that, remember?”

Ekko shook his head, wrapping his fingers around her hand to stop the picking, “I know you miss them. I do too, you know that. But I don’t belong in that world and you don’t either. You’re where you’re meant to be. And you’re who you’re meant to be.”

Jinx tried to argue, indignation rising in her. How could that be true? Hadn’t he seen what she was supposed to be? What she would’ve become if she hadn’t messed it all up? 

Jinx didn’t understand it. How could he say this world was anything but a nightmare? She’d destroyed every part of it that had once been beautiful. Her home, her family.

Ekko interrupted her before she could point any of that out, “This world might be a shithole, but it’s not all bad. It couldn’t be, not when you’re alive and breathing. I don’t need a perfect world, I just need you.”

Jinx grumbled, hiding her face in her knees to keep him from noticing the deep flush in her cheeks, “You and your pretty words. Honestly, don’t you get tired of being sappy?” 

“Was that trying to be a compliment?”

Jinx blew her bangs out of her face, “Take it however you like, it’s still gross.”

Ekko’s only reply was a soft squeeze of her hand, which he still hadn’t let go of. Jinx squeezed back, unfurling slowly from the ball she’d curled herself up in.

Neither of them spoke for a long time, even as Jinx’s head found its way into the crook of his neck and their legs tangled together as their feet dangled off the edge of the roof. 

Ekko rested his cheek against the top of her head, his free hand curling around her waist in a loose embrace.

He spoke eventually. His voice barely audible, the words whispered into the night’s cool wind. 

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

Jinx’s initial reaction was a soft laugh, a teasing quirk of her lips as she replied, “You better be.”

But after a moment, she softened. Jinx nuzzled in closer, letting her eyes fall closed as she sighed, giving his hand another gentle squeeze. 

“Me too.” 

***

Ekko was late. 

Just a quick mission, he’d told her. Sabotage a shipment being smuggled into Piltover by some of the Chembarons goons and then be gone. He made it sound so easy , like he’d be home before sunset. 

So why wasn’t he?

The sun was gone now, leaving an all consuming darkness in its wake. And Ekko still hadn’t returned - hours after he promised he would. 

Jinx had paced enough by now to wear through the floor, but there still hasn’t been a peep from the team Ekko had brought along, much less the boy himself. It was complete radio silence. And Jinx could feel that familiar fear crawl into her heart the longer it persisted. 

He could be hurt. He could be dead and Jinx wouldn’t even know until it was far too late. She’d nearly gone after him herself as the hours ticked by with no sign of a triumphant return in sight, but Jinx isn’t even sure if there’s anything to find. And that thought terrified her. 

“You should’ve gone with him,” Mylo hissed in her ear, making her flinch back. It had been so long since she’d let herself get bad enough to let him back in her head, but she could feel it now. Could see apparitions and flashes of color dancing at the edges of her vision.

“He’s fine,” Jinx replied, even though she knew deep down she was only talking to herself, “He’s fine . He’s not- he has to be fine.” 

She barely heard Mylo’s response over the cacophony of voices. Jinx grabbed at her head, shaking rapidly as she tried to dispel them. 

Jinx let out a shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut. She should’ve gone with him. Maybe she could’ve helped. Maybe she’d know why Ekko hadn’t come back yet. She’d know if she should even bother hoping he might still. 

Stupid. Jinx was so stupid. She’d warned him, hadn’t she? And he didn’t listen. He made her think it could be different this time. But he was gone. Ekko was gone and she was sitting here alone. Was that her destiny? To sit alone while everyone she cared for dropped like flies no matter how she tried to stop it? Was that her curse? 

Jinx’s vision flickered as a small, familiar figure shot out from her periphery, shooing away the others as they tried to close in. She gave a satisfied nod as the hallucinations fell back. 

Even in death, Isha found a way to protect her. 

Jinx inhaled slowly, wiping her eyes and stumbling to her feet. Jinx shouldn’t have let him go. Should have told him it was stupid and annoyingly heroic and that he should stay back with her. Then Jinx wouldn’t have to worry. Ekko would be safe - far from where anyone could hurt him. 

But she’d let him go. And he still hadn’t come back to her. Didn’t he realize how worried she was? Didn’t he understand that Jinx couldn’t do this without him? Ekko’s the one who told her to stay. Why was he trying to leave her now? Why isn’t he home yet? Why did he have to go at all? Was he alive? Dead? 

Dead. The word haunted her. It followed her everywhere. But Ekko was different - always had been. He wouldn’t die on her. He knew that would make her sad and Ekko hated making her sad. He was coming back. He had to be coming back. Ekko wouldn’t make her cry. He hates it when she cries. 

Jinx kicked over her chair. Where was he? If not dead, then where ? How was she meant to find him and bring him home if she doesn’t know where he’s gone? 

She reached blindly for her tools, tears continuing to sting her eyes as she pushed herself to just do something . Her hands moved on their own, clumsily attaching the items at her desk together to make something useful. Jinx hadn’t the faintest idea what she was doing or what she’d do with it, but her body was working on a different frequency than her brain which had dissolved into panicked, half baked thoughts. 

Don’t be dead. Please, don’t be dead.  

The misshapen metal slid from her grasp, clattering to the desk like the useless junk that it was. Jinx let out a frustrated scream, hurling it against the ground and watching it scatter into a million pieces.

It wasn’t working. Nothing was working! Jinx was as lost now as she was before and he was still gone!  

Jinx fell to her knees, covering her head with her hands and letting the world around her dissolve until all she could hear was her own shaky breaths. 

Where are you ?

The thought repeated over and over in a sickening loop and Jinx lost track of time entirely until a muffled noise reached her ears, growing louder and louder as her senses returned. 

“-Inx! Jinx !”

Her head snapped up, nearly choking on air as she truly breathed for the first time in hours. 

Because there he was. Ekko. Standing right in front of with his stupid eyes filled with concern. Standing there like he should be worried about her and not the other way around. Like Jinx hadn’t just lost her fucking mind over him possibly being dead. 

Jinx didn’t allow her thoughts to fester much more than that as she surged forward, moving faster than her mind could even process and hardly registering the fact he was speaking to her. 

“Jinx? What’s wrong? Are you- ah!”

Ekko went crashing to the floor as Jinx wrapped herself around him, tackling him in a hug and relishing in the moment when she realized she’d hit something solid. He was real. He was alive . Alive and not dead or gone or lost and Jinx squeezed him even tighter because it’s all she could do right now, her words coming out senseless and incomprehensible. 

Ekko hesitated just a moment, clearly worried about whatever had her so riled up. But something in her quiet babbling must have clued him, his arms slowly wrapping around her as he lifted them both into a sitting position. 

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine, see?” Ekko rushed to reassure, holding her tighter, “A bit banged up, but I’m okay. It’s fine , Jinx. I’m fine. I’m here.” 

Jinx finally managed to string together a sentence, her voice coming out angry and fearful even as she buried her face deeper in his coat. 

“Where the fuck have you been?!”

“They didn’t take too kindly to us trying to stop their deal,” Ekko explained as he gently lifted her head up and she saw fresh bruises forming on his face, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I- I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Jinx shook her head forcefully, anger giving way to guilt for snapping at him when he was already hurt, “ No! No, I- I should’ve gone with you. I should’ve-”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Ekko said, grabbing her hands and trying for a bit of humor as he shrugged, “Already got my ass kicked, don’t need to worry about anything happening to you.”

“What if something happened to you ?”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Ekko scolded softly, “We’re not kids anymore, I can hold my own in a fight. So can you, if memory serves. Nothing is going to happen to me, okay?”

To prove his point, he tugged her hand to his heart, “See? Still beating and everything. It’s not stopping anytime soon,” He wiped her tears with his other hand, “I’ll check in next time, I promise. Every ten minutes if that’s what you want.”

“Make it five,” Jinx muttered, trying to remain stern even as the crushing weight she’d been feeling for hours finally lifted from her shoulders. 

“Done,” Ekko agreed, giving her a sad smile, “Any other requests?” 

Jinx looked down, staring at their intertwined hands, if only to reassure herself he was truly there, “Don’t die, okay? I’ve got enough voices in my head.”

“I won’t,” Ekko promised, squeezing her hand, “Same goes for you.” 

“I’m not the one who got their face bashed in,” Jinx huffed, eyeing his wounds with concern despite the snarky tone. 

Ekko shrugged dismissively, “It’s not that bad. Doesn’t even hurt- ow!”

Jinx grabbed his face abruptly, surveying the damage for herself as her eyes roamed his face. Her hands slowed in response to his exclamation, shifting his head this way and that with a caress of her hands. 

“See?” He winced then pretended he didn’t, “Right as rain.”

“My right or your right?” Jinx teased distractedly, fingers grazing his cheekbone. 

“Oh, I’m always right,” He chuckled at his own joke, eyes softening as her focus remained on his injuries. “Jinx, it’s fine. Really, it’s not as bad as it looks.”

Jinx hummed in recognition, letting one of her hands fall. The other stayed curled against his cheek as she found herself unable to let go completely. Every touch and caress reminded her that he was real and she wasn’t ready to let go of that assurance. 

His brown eyes somehow softened even more as they roamed her face. He leaned almost unconsciously into her touch, his gaze finally locking onto hers and seeming to drink in every detail. 

Jinx tilted her head, a smile toying at her lips despite the racing of her heart and the sudden quiet in her mind. 

His eyes dropped for a fraction of a second, but Jinx caught it. Caught the slightest tint to his cheeks as his eyes snapped back up to her own from where they’d settled just a moment prior. 

On her lips. 

Jinx almost didn’t believe it, even as it played out before her and then again and again in her mind. Surely, she was seeing things. 

But the look in his eyes was unmistakable. She noticed it. And he knew that she did. All that was left now was to see who would crack first. Would she voice the unspoken? Would he? Would they let the moment pass entirely, treating it as though it never happened? 

She didn’t want that. 

And it seemed Ekko didn’t either. 

He hesitated, his eyes scanning her face for any clue as to what she was feeling as he began to speak, soft and uncertain. 

Jinx got tired of waiting. 

“Jinx…I-”

Jinx grabbed his face with both hands, tugging him forward into a kiss. He made the slightest surprised noise, freezing up adorably before leaning into her just as quickly. 

Jinx had absolutely zero idea what she was doing if she was entirely honest with herself, but she took some comfort in the fact that Ekko didn’t seem quite sure either. All Jinx knew for certain was that she was kissing Ekko. And that she really liked doing it. 

Ekko caught on quick, pulling her closer and tilting her head to get a better angle. Jinx hummed her approval, arms wrapping around his neck as their lips moved against one another, finding a rhythm that suited them both quite nicely.

Things stayed that way for a while. Jinx would have preferred it to last forever, but all good things had to come to an end. The two parted slowly and reluctantly, catching their breaths as their eyes met once more.

He was staring at her. The same way he always did, but this time he didn’t seem to mind that she’d caught him. 

“Got something to say, mister?” Jinx smirked, leaning back to cross her arms and give him a playful look, “Comments? Questions? Concerns? Anything other than a blank stare?”

“I love you.” 

Any retort Jinx could have conceived died in her throat, her hands slipping out from under her and sending her to the floor with a surprised scream. 

Talk about embarrassing .

She remained sprawled on the floor, crossing her arms stubbornly as she heard him chuckle, “I meant to do that.”

“Yeah, sure you did,” Ekko chortled, pulling her back into a sitting position despite her lack of cooperation. 

“You’re laughing at me,” Jinx accused, pouting to the best of her ability 

“Only a little,” Ekko brushed her hair away from her eyes, his touch feather light. 

Jinx harrumphed, fighting a blush, “Little man’s got moves now, huh? You been practicing in the mirror?” 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time, Jinx,” Ekko replied honestly, giving her a small smile, “No practice necessary.” 

“Yeah, whatever,” Jinx scoffed, uncharacteristically shy. She dropped her gaze as heat flooded her cheeks, “Gonna have to do better than that, smooth talker.” 

Ekko chuckled, his eyes bright as he got to his feet and walked over to the mess around her desk, pulling her chair back into its upright position. 

Jinx followed behind cautiously, leaning down to scoop up the shattered metal pieces scattered across the floor. Ekko joined her a moment later. 

It dawned on her in the comfortable silence that followed that she never said it back. Those three words that had seemed to come so easy to him. It made Jinx feel guilty, ashamed for brushing over his confession. She wondered if he thought Jinx didn’t feel the same. 

She did. She did and she wanted to tell him, but those words never came so easily to her. It had been so long since Jinx had even said them to anyone . So long that she wondered if she even knew how to anymore. 

Loving Ekko was easy, but finding a way to tell him felt impossible. The words clogged in her throat, feeling foreign as they sat trapped inside her even as she desperately hoped to let it spill out. 

Jinx slowed in her cleaning, letting the bits and pieces slide out of her hand as she turned to Ekko. An odd sense of panic filled her as she tried to confess - to assure him he wasn’t the only one who felt this way. He deserved to know, didn’t he? Jinx couldn’t bear for him to believe she didn’t care. 

“Ekko, I-”

He grabbed her hand, “I know.”

Her eyebrows pinched together, but Ekko seemed entirely unconcerned, gazing at her softly - almost reassuringly . 

Jinx shook her head, bewildered, “But- but I didn’t…”

“You don’t have to,” He lifted her chin, “I know, okay? You don’t need to say anything.”

Jinx felt her throat tighten and sighed with frustration,“I want to.”

Ekko just pressed a kiss to her hand, “I’m in no rush.”

Jinx couldn’t help but let out a snort, “Right. You’ve got all the time in the world, don’t you?”

Instead of responding, Ekko just gave her a fond look, pulling her into a soft, chaste kiss that she eagerly reciprocated.

Jinx pulled away first, unable to hold back a giggle as a thought struck her. 

“What?” He asked, amused.

“Vi is gonna kill you!” Jinx said with delight. 

Ekko laughed, “Don’t be so sure.”

Something about the way he said the words made her raise a brow, intrigued, “You know something I don’t?”

Ekko shrugged innocently, “Just that your sister and I might have already covered this topic while you were passed out at your desk.” 

“ What?” Jinx asked in disbelief, shoving his shoulder playfully, “What did you do ?!”

“Nothing!” Ekko defended, “It was all her. She thought we were already together.”

“Really?” Jinx said with interest, eyes sparkling as she leaned forward, “She threatened to punch you, huh?” 

“Why does it seem like that makes you happy?” 

“Like you wouldn’t love to have your own personal attack Vi.”

“I can punch people just fine on my own, thank you.” 

“Said like someone who doesn’t have a personal attack Vi,” Jinx grinned triumphantly, “Don’t worry, I’ll make her take off the bitch mittens first.” 

“How considerate of you,” Ekko replied sarcastically, wrapping an arm around her shoulder nonetheless. 

Jinx hesitated for a moment, “Did she- Was she okay with it?”

It wouldn’t change anything for her. She wouldn’t let Ekko go if for some reason Vi disapproved. But it was also her sister they were talking about. Jinx doesn’t know if she could ever fully grow out of wanting to impress her or wanting her approval. 

“I’d say I got her blessing,” Ekko’s tone was playful, but Jinx could tell from his expression that he meant it. And that Vi’s approval meant as much to him as it did her. 

Jinx relaxed against his shoulder, “Good.” 

“Good?” He echoed, a hint of hopefulness to his voice. 

“ Very good,” Jinx admitted softly, “Would hate to have to kick her butt for being mean to my boyfriend.”

Jinx refused to meet his eyes as she said the words, but the noise he made and the way he held her closer was answer enough. 

Jinx closed her eyes, nuzzling in even closer as she let out a long, contented sigh. 

In that moment, there was something Jinx wasn’t sure she’d ever experience again. Peace .

No fear gripping her heart. No ghosts haunting her from the shadows. No monsters in her head. Nothing to fight and nothing to lose.

This was where she belonged. She belonged with the Firelights - breathing in the fresh air and finding comfort in the mural of those loved and lost on the nights it’s too hard to sleep. 

She belonged here in her lair, creating new memories and new gadgets. Trading in a lifetime of loneliness and destruction to dancing and painting and laughter that never dies. 

She belonged with Vi. Discovering each other again, learning to be a family and learning to love both who they are and who they used to be. What was the real difference between the two, anyway? 

Jinx belonged here . With Ekko. A lifetime of near misses. A lifetime of opposite sides - of fights that felt like a dance only they knew. A dance that she never wanted to end. A dance that - now - never would. 

Because she was here . Not off in some faraway land - a fate she once believed she deserved. Not subjecting herself to a life of loneliness for the sake of those who never wanted her to go. Jinx had found her place among them. No more running from the past. No more walking away. She was here. 

She was home.