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Jinx dodged and weaved through the streets and alleyways that defined the Undercity, her boots stomping through the puddles of dirty, chemical-filled water. She could hear the shouting behind her wisp further and further away as the Enforcers failed due to their inexperience outside Piltover. Ducking into an old and dilapidated building, she clung against a wall, waiting and listening to be sure that no one else was still on her trail before flinging the shoulder straps for her weapons off of her and dropping them onto the floor, her body following soon after as she sat down.
… Behind… Be… hind you…
“Hrnng… Shut up, shut up!” Jinx shouted as she rubbed her temples trying to silence the voices bouncing around in her head and making it throb.
Move… Move now!
“SHUT UP!”
She screamed and threw an empty bottle at the wall, needing something to take the brunt of her frustration. The bottle shattered as it smashed against the wall and the shards fell to the ground, followed by the peculiar sound of it crunching underfoot. With lightning reflexes, she shot up with her pistol tightly poised and her trained finger only hesitating from letting metal go between a poor fool’s eyes because of the specific fool standing on the other end of the barrel. Utterly unfazed by the weapon pointed at his head stood Ekko, a ghost from her past that refused to stay in the past - where he belonged.
Silence filled the room as their gazes locked together for what felt like years, neither saying anything. The barrel stayed true on Ekko as Jinx slowly inched her way across the room, ushering Ekko to move the way she wanted her to. She could feel his eyes stare through her as they took slow steps around the room, calm and prepared to make the first move. His shoulders hung low as his arms stood weakly held in the air as if he was tired.
Or he just didn’t take her seriously.
She swore could see the pity that he felt when he looked at her, as if she was some poor, helpless animal on the side of the road. The disgust he failed to hide was so obvious to her now. How could she have not noticed it earlier? He turned out to be just like everyone else.
Why? Why does it all turn out this way?
Her eyes now bore through his, trying to claw her way deeper to find out what he could possibly want. She stared and stared but his expression was unchanging, his soft brown eyes just stared back and pleaded with her. This had turned to a standstill into an unbalanced game of power and Jinx couldn’t lie to herself any longer - He was winning. She turned and quickly ran, refusing to be in the same vicinity as him anymore cause she didn’t know what she would do if she stayed for even a second longer.
I’ll just come back for Fishbones and PowPow later. I-I’ll keep running and running until he’s gone and-
“Stop! Wait!”
Suddenly, his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer, hugging her tightly and stopping Jinx in her tracks. She could feel his heartbeat thump through his chest and his slow breath on the back of her neck. His tired hands gripped her waist as his thick fingers gently dug into her hips, wanting to feel as much of her as he could. Jinx could feel her heart rate skyrocket, threatening to leap out of her chest, as butterflies swarmed in her stomach and flooded her entire body.
I… I… Ekko, Please…
Anger, sadness, regret, grief. It all rushed through her mind yet none could stick for even a few moments before disappearing, fleeting in the whirlwind of emotions within. She grimaced and her body tensed up as she gasped for air to quell the sobs getting caught in her throat and the tears that blurred her vision. Vander, Silco, Vi, Mylo, Claggor: they were all there for her, and she failed them all. They claimed that they would stand beside her and yet here she was all by herself.
It's because of me… She thought. “Stop Ekko please. I need to believe that you hate me. I NEED to know that everything is my fau-”
“You don’t have to run away anymore. You don't have to blame yourself, it was never your fault… Come back to me, let me help you” Ekko whispered softly in her ear.
Jinx could feel her voice waver as she forced out her words. “What would everyone else think?”
Ekko gently placed soft kisses on the pale base of her neck, “That doesn’t matter to me. Let them think whatever they want. I know the real you.”
She could feel herself sinking deeper into his hold as she went limp, unable to keep herself standing as the shaking in her legs turned into buckled knees. Ekko matched her and cradled her as he got on his knees, taking one of her hands in his to gently place his lips against her knuckles, white and stiff from gripping her guns.
Everywhere he touched, Jinx could feel the tenseness in her muscles melt away as if a wave of peace and comfort was washing over her; and she wanted nothing more than to be completely and utterly consumed by it. Every tear he wiped away was a problem that his presence solved, every tender kiss was a loyal act of worship, and each word he whispered was a promise to serve her to his utmost ability.
The two crossed souls sat together quietly, with only quiet sobs to fill the air. The clouds passed by as the city around them toiled, unsure of the future that awaited them, unsure of whether or not it would be a peaceful day again. Trust was broken between the powers above and the people below. But none of that uncertainty mattered to these two because they knew they could trust the other to stand by their side, more than they could trust the sun to rise the next morning.