Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

How could this happen?

Jinx sat on one of the many uncomfortable chairs in the hospital lobby with her head in her hands as Ekko wrapped things up with the receptionist at the front desk.

She repeatedly hit herself on her head.

They should’ve never gone to that party.

–flashback–

“Come on Vander! Please! Silco and Benzo already said yes, and we’ll make sure we’ll be extra careful and all that!” Powder pleaded with Ekko by her side, not making a very convincing statement.

Vander sighed, cleaning a cup at the bar in The Last Drop. “It’s just… you’re both barely an adult and parties are quite… extreme.”

Powder rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing we can’t handle! Right, Ekko?” She asked, pulling him against her side, hand snaking around his waist.

“We’ll be responsible.” Ekko reassured him.

“Responsible my ass!” Mylo chimed in from a table to the left.

“Shut up Mylo!” Powder replied, not even glancing in his direction, too busy making puppy eyes at Vander.

“It’ll be fine, Vander. They’ve grown up a lot and they’ve proven themselves to be quite responsible at times.” Claggor said, going against Mylo.

“Alright.” Vander slumped as Powder cheered, thanking him and giving Ekko a high five. “Be careful, don’t drink too much, don’t get in trouble with strangers and make it home safely.”

Powder didn’t seem to be listening, which didn’t make Vander feel better about letting them go, but Ekko gave a nod in recognition, making him feel a little bit better.

Powder and Ekko walked, arms looped together, down the uneven streets of Zaun.

Jinx was jumping up and down with excitement in her white dress, while Ekko walked, with more concealed excitement, next to her, wearing a graffiti shirt and black baggy pants.

The closer they got, the more the music flooded their ears and the sight of people of all types standing in line to enter the bar ahead.

“Ready to party Little man?” Jinx nudged him as they stood at the back of the line.

The line wasn’t that long, it would probably take about ten minutes to get to the front of it.

“Course Little lady.” He playfully nudged back.

Since their childhood Ekko had gotten the nickname; Little man, and after Vi found out about the small crush child Powder had on him, she jokingly called her: Little lady.

Child Powder was ashamed of the nickname, but when they became official in her teenage years, she embraced it.

“Oh man, I can't wait to try a Manhattan! I’ve heard it tastes amazing! Oh my god! What about a Piña Colada? Hmm. I don’t know, maybe too tropical for my tastes. What do you want to try?” Jinx went on a mini ramble, as they slowly moved to the front of the line, very excited.

“A Mojito! Mylo wouldn’t stop talking about it when he had it for the very first time.” Ekko answered, recalling that moment.

Jinx nodded in agreement, also seeming to remember.

Before they knew it they were at the front of the line and were let in by the bouncer.

“Ready?” Jinx grabbed Ekko’s hand.

“Ready.” He gave it a small squeeze as they entered, loud music blasting in their ears.

“Come on!” Jinx shouted over the music, dragging him between the hordes of people to the bar.

They had ordered a Mojito and a Manhattan for starters, switching the drinks every few minutes with each other, in between their conversation with a woman they met.

As the woman excused herself to go dance they ordered 6 shots of Vodka, each taking a shot and a chaser.

Jinx let out a whoo as Ekko coughed and laughed.

They burned through their money, quickly feeling and looking drunk as hell stumbling on the dance floor, the promised responsibility long forgotten.

As they drunk danced next to others that were also clearly intoxicated, Powder felt so alive.

The feeling of letting loose, the blaring music that filled her ears and Ekko by her side.

She couldn’t stop smiling as she danced with him, who also had a stupid grin on his face.

It felt like they were dancing forever. They wanted to dance forever.

The two didn’t know when or how they left the bar but they did.

Stumbling on the sidewalk in the late night as they made their way to their shared apartment, the lamp posts lighting the way.

After they set foot in the familiar space, the rest was a blur.

All they could recall was waking up next to each other the next morning with a big headache and no clothes in sight.

They have been together for three years and haven’t done anything.

They weren’t in a rush and were fine with how things were.

It’s safe to say they weren’t happy that they rushed it in the spur of the moment and couldn’t even recall the events.

It was a mutual agreement to pretend it never happened. (Idk just need them to kinda want to forget it or smth for the plot.)

Although it’s not the most ideal solution, it was what they chose.

That evening they dropped by The Last Drop to show Vander that they were alive.

—End flashback—

“Careful there.” Ekko's grounding voice said, holding Jinx’s hands in place to stop her from hitting herself again.

Jinx looked up, eyes filled to the brim with tears.

For two weeks everything was going back to normal between the two and the ‘incident’ was being forgotten. But of course it had to come back and kick them in the ass.

Powder hugged Ekko’s middle sniffling.

Without hesitation Ekko returned the hug, softly rubbing her back. “It’s ok. Everything is ok. We’ll figure it out.”

After a while of silence and sniffles that slowly died down from Jinx she let him go and wiped her nose.

“I don’t know what to do…” She admitted looking down at her feet.

Ekko lifted her chin up with his soft hands, making her eyes meet his.

“Well, what do you want? It’s your choice and it always will be. Do you want to keep it or not? Either way we’ll get through it together.” He told her reassuringly.

“I-i…” Tears clouded her vision.

She was barely eighteen. She just started college, she doesn’t have a stable job and she’s already a wreck on her own. Would she even be a good mother? And Janna, what would her family think? She wouldn’t be able to go to another party ever again. And what about Ekko, would they think of him any different?

This was all too much, it was hurting her brain.

What did she want?

“I want to… keep it.” She hesitantly chose.

She didn’t really know why. Something just screamed at her to keep it. So she will.

“Ok.” Ekko wrapped her in one more hug before they headed back to their apartment.

The walk was long and quiet, but far from uncomfortable. They definitely needed to talk about things when they got home, but for now the silence granted them a chance to gather their thoughts.

Once they arrived they sat on their small couch, more distance between the two than normal.

Now, the silence hung thick in the air. It was the time to talk about it, but starting the conversation was a task none of the two wanted to do.

But feeling the need to, Jinx took the initiative. “I don’t want to tell everyone just yet.” She started. “It’ll take a few months for the bump to even show and by the time I can’t hide it anymore, it’ll be around Christmas time. Then I think I’ll be ready. Probably.” She took a deep breath and Ekko held her hand.

“I’m scared.” She shook. “What… what if I’m not a good mother and screw our child over?”

“You won’t. I'm sure. I’m scared too, but if we’ve learned anything it’s that if we’re together everything will turn out fine.” He looked her in the eyes.

“That was too cheesy.” Despite the girl's claim, a small smile graced her face.

Everything would be alright.

Chapter Text

The first six weeks were nothing special.

Except for feeling a bit more fatigue and needing to urinate more, she felt fine.

According to a book they brought; the development of an embryo, the baby was the size of a pea, definitely not big enough to give her that entire pregnant ‘look’, for which she was dreading.

Since she and Ekko talked after they came back from the hospital, she’d been spending most of her free time at The Last Drop.

Mylo, Claggor, Vander, and Silco were there pretty much everyday and noticed the girl’s more frequent visits.

Vander and Silco had pulled her aside to ask if she was ok, while Mylo just flat out said that she was up to something fishy. Which earned a small punch from Claggor, who was just happy to see more of her.

Vi came every other week, being quite busy with her career and wife. She also noticed how Jinx was always here when she visited, but didn’t pry because there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

But while they saw more of her, they saw less of Ekko.

They’d go to school in Piltover, come home, Jinx would often leave to go to The Last Drop, while Ekko would clear out their storage room (it was a bedroom first, but since they decided to share a room, it became a dumping space). It was the perfect size for the baby’s new nursery, so it was the obvious choice. Jinx offered to help multiple times, but he refused because everything in there was his so it only made sense for him to sort it out.

–

At the end of the first trimester, she really started to feel it. Her breasts ached and the recurring morning sickness made starting the day hard.

The baby was now the size of a plum, causing Powder to wear t-shirts instead of her normal crop tops.

The rest at The Last Drop noticed her change in clothing and commented on it, only getting ‘too lazy to wash my good clothes these days’ as an answer.

When Vi had visited that week, she immediately picked up on the whole change and kept glancing at her wondering if she needed to say something or not. In the end deciding against it as she’s allowed to wear other clothes.

The nursery, which was now bare, had buckets of paint standing on protective plastic covers.

They had spent days at the hardware store trying to find colors to paint the boring white walls. In the end, they decided on two colors: baby blue and baby yellow.

–

During the second trimester, reality finally seemed to dawn on her and the stress started to kick in.

She was most distressed about everything she’d have to know about having a child. Don’t get her wrong, she’s smart and knows about what to and not to do when pregnant, but she’s one brick short of a load when it comes to child care.

Like, what do you do when they cry? Do you try to make them laugh? How would you even make them laugh? Perhaps with a joke? But they wouldn’t get it.

When do you feed them? How do you know when they’re hungry?

Or diapers, Janna knows she doesn’t understand how they work.

She and Ekko know they’re in deep shit with this, so Ekko’s only solution was to buy a few (more like 15) parenting books.

Jinx was a bit skeptical at first, but after reading one, she felt like she knew the ins and outs.

Like who knew swaddling was a thing? And that baby proofing stuff is a serious task? It even turns out that your voice can soothe babies, whether it’s with songs or just talking.

She burned through the books and even found herself rereading them, for comfort or just to pass the time.

Jinx pretended like she didn’t see Ekko’s proud smirk when he’d find her reading those books.

In between all their stress and her symptom changes, they went to their first ultrasound, where it was confirmed that they’d only have one baby and that the due date was on March 11th.

Although her morning sickness subsided, she felt moodier than ever. Crying sessions came as fast as they went and more started to annoy her.

Her patience was thinner with Mylo’s jokes and little mistakes made her doubt her overall ability on everything.

She’d feel bad for the moments she’d snap at Ekko and they’d get into a small fight.

Although he never took it personally, understanding her situation, it still felt bad to lash out at someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.

During the first half of this trimester, the baby had grown from a plum to a small book.

From then on her she couldn’t hide her bump anymore so she stopped going to The Last Drop and school.

She told her professor about her situation and he was very understanding.

Mr. Heimerdinger would make notes of each lesson to pass on to Ekko, who would give it to Jinx to make sure that even with her absences she’d still pass.

That way it’d be like no time has passed when she’d come back and she won’t have to repeat a year.

Since she stopped going to The Last Drop, Ekko would stop by more, always coming up with excuses to stall them till their Christmas dinner, which was seven weeks away.

Before they knew it, it was time for their second ultrasound, where the couple found out that they were expecting a girl.

Towards the end of her second trimester, her bump had grown a lot and she’d blown up like a balloon.

She only fitted Ekko’s shirts and some of her own oversized pants.

Her back hurt and she grew more anxious for the big dinner.

How would they react? How would she tell them?

She didn’t know if she’d ever be ready to tell them, but she had to do it before she’d show up with a baby in her arms.

–

It was officially the start of her third trimester and the day of the Christmas dinner.

She heard from Ekko that it would be with the most people they’ve ever had when hosting.

Mylo, Claggor, Vi, Benzo, Silco, Ekko and herself came each year. Throughout the years Caitlyn, Vi’s wife; who Jinx didn’t like, was added to the list. And apparently Vi had become good friends with Caitlyn’s friends: Jayce and Viktor, so they were added to this year's list.

The name Viktor rang a bell, but she quickly forgot about it since they still had lots to do for tonight.

The two couldn’t decide when or how to tell them so they decided on going with the flow. (Which would hopefully not lead them to eternal doom.)

–

Jinx wore a big Christmas sweater which obscured her bump pretty well and with the handful of presents she brought, her bump would be out of sight till the time was right.

When she and Ekko reached the door to the familiar bar they took a deep breath, put on smiles and opened the door.

They were met with a nice smell of home cooking. Everyone was here already except for Vi, Caitlyn and their plus two.

“Hey guys.” Claggor greeted. “Been a while Powder.”

Powder laughed awkwardly as she shuffled to the head at the table, placing the presents on the ground when she sat. Ekko headed to the kitchen after giving a nod to the two, who he had seen two days prior. “Yeah, I've been quite busy.”

“For what? Seven weeks? I call bullcrap!” Mylo chimed in, setting the table.

“Call it what you want.” Powder rejected a glass of wine that was offered to her by Claggor.

Mylo scoffed with a smile as Claggor took a seat next to him.

“Thought I heard you.” Silco walked out the kitchen and walked over to Powder, giving her a kiss on her head.

“How’s the food going?” She asked, moving her chair a little more towards the table, just in case.

“Good. Vander, Benzo and I have cooked quite the feast this year.” He claimed.

“Can’t wait to try.” Powder smiled.

When Silco headed back to the Kitchen, Vander arose from it, heading over to Powder and engulfing her in a half hug, from their awkward position.

“Been emptier without you here.” He said, looking her up and down. “You’re ok, right?”

“You worry too much! I’m fine! Ask Ekko. I’ve been busy as hell.” She deflected.

“If you say so…” He answered, not convinced as he retreated back to the kitchen.

Not even a moment after the door swung open and 4 people entered.

“Hey sis!” Vi immediately headed to Powder who was more focused on the three left by the door. “I haven’t seen you for 2 months!”

“Ah, sorry. Been busy.” She half answered, already sick of repeating the same excuse.

“Can understand that. Oh! Right. Everyone, this is Jayce” She pointed to a tall, fit man with tanned skin carrying two bags which seemed to be all of their presents “and this is Viktor.” She pointed to a shorter man with a cane, who was holding the other guy’s hand.

Jinx wondered if they had something going on.

“Hello.” The two greeted together, which got a hey back from Claggor and Mylo.

Shit. Now Jinx realized how she knew Viktor. He was one of her upperclassmen.

She did not want some rando from another class to know about her pregnancy.

Before she could give it more thought, Caitlyn walked up to her, engulfing Vi’s hand in her own. “Always a pleasure, Powder.”

“It’s Jinx and can't say the same.” Jinx narrowed her eyes.

“Come on. Can’t you at least pretend to like each other? It’s Christmas!” Vi tried.

Jinx rolled her eyes as Caitlyn’s eye twitched. “Whatever sis. Good to see you two… I guess.”

Vi accepted that and left Caitlyn there to go to the kitchen.

Powder did not want to be alone with her so she turned to the next best option. “Hey. Viktor and… Jake, right?”

“Oh, um. It’s Jayce actually.” He corrected, still standing at the entrance with Viktor.

“Come on over, don’t be shy.” Jinx encouraged.

“Ok!” Jayce fumbled with the presents, hastily placing them under the tree, before walking over to Jinx, where Viktor had already made himself comfortable in a chair at the table.

“Powder… you’re in course 1, right?” Viktor said, starting the conversation.

Jinx sighed, not bothering to correct him of her name. “Glad you remember.”

Jayce and Caitlyn took their seats, leaving an empty space next to her.

“So… have you started a new project?”

-

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Benzo, Silco, Vander and Ekko were finishing putting the cooked food on plates.

“You’ve got something on your mind, boy. What is it?” Benzo noticed, asking him while Silco and Vander were washing some dishes.

“Um, are there any dishes that don’t have alcohol or seafood?” He tried to ask nonchalantly.

“Yes… why do you ask?” Benzo looked at him suspiciously.

“No particular reason. Just… on a diet!” He lied.

“Ok… well these two and those two over there are ‘diet’ friendly.” He pointed out.

“Great! Thanks.” Ekko smiled, avoiding eye contact.

“Hey Little Man!” Vi draped an arm around him. “How’s life treating you?”

“Vi! Well… pretty good if you ask me.” Ekko reflected, grinning.

“Blegh!” Vi stepped back. “TMI.”

Ekko brows furrowed before he realized what she meant, eyes widening. “What! That is not what I meant!”

Vi bursted out laughing, accompanied by Benzo, who chuckled. “Chill, Little Man. I’m joking.”

She gave him a small pat on the head, while he was grumbling about something, before going to bother Vander.

After a few minutes, the dishes were done, so they brought them out.

-

“Food’s done!” Benzo came out of the kitchen accompanied by everyone who was in the kitchen prior, each holding two dishes.

“Finally!” Mylo exclaimed.

Everyone who wasn’t seated took a seat.

Vander was on one head of the table, with Viktor, Jayce, Caitlyn, Vi and Powder to his right. And Silco, Benzo, Mylo, Claggor and Ekko to his left.

“Cheers!”

Everyone rose a glass with wine, all except for Jinx, who had apple juice.

“Not up for a drink?” Vi inquired, taking a big sip from her cup.

“Nah, gotta take care of Ekko if he drinks too much.” She fibbed.

“Look at you, being all responsible!” Vi punched her lightly on her arm. “Proud of you.”

Powder laughed awkwardly.

Powder felt her hands clam up and mind stop while everyone was piling up their plates with food. Except for Caitlyn and Jayce, who had help from Vi and Viktor.

She felt stares from Silco, Vander and Benzo who noticed her empty plate.

Ekko coughed and filled her plate with pregnancy friendly food, which only consisted of four of the ten dishes on the table.

“Thank Janna for the food. Everyone dig in.” Vander said, being the signal to start eating.

Powder didn’t feel that hungry, instead being filled with worry. But despite the lack of appetite she forced a spoonful of food in her mouth, letting herself chew it slowly to stall for as long as she could.

The table was filled with multiple conversations about school, life, work, basically anything.

She didn’t feel good. Now that it was finally time to tell them, she couldn’t. It was too much.

Her heart beat accelerated and she felt her breathing become unsteady.

Focus. Focus.

She felt herself start to spiral, till a warm hand engulfed her own and she snapped back to reality.

Nobody seemed to notice her little attack, except for Ekko. He gave her a look of reassurance, making her feel better.

A few minutes later the conversations died down and there was a small moment of silence.

It was now or never, she took her chance.

“I’m knocked up."

Chapter Text

How did that saying go again? The calm before the breeze or something? Anyhow, that didn’t really matter, but it did describe this moment perfectly.

For a few seconds it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, before voices rang out loudly.

“What the fuck! When?” Vi stood up, focusing on her, while her piltie friends sat in silence, shocked by the sudden reveal.

“WHAT?!” Vander exclaimed, worried but also having a sense of deja vu.

“Isn’t it a bit too soon?” Silco stared up at her with concern.

Benzo brows scrunched together, seeming not surprised, looking at Ekko knowing.

“I knew something was up!” Mylo pointed at her.

“Not the time, Mylo. Are you ok?” Claggor reprimanded before acting as worried as usual.

“Woah there…” Jinx chuckled nervously. “One at a time.”

“Since when?!” Vi asked, repeating her former question.

“About… six months.” She cringed.

Vi’s face fell. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!”

“Well I wasn't ready! Am I supposed to tell you and have everyone freak out while we, ourselves, couldn’t think straight?”

Vi recoiled at Powder’s small outburst, falling back into her chair with Caitlyn placing a hand on her shoulder.

Benzo had a hunch that this is what was going to happen. “Are you guys set on being parents?”

“Yes.” Ekko, himself replied, squeezing his girlfriend’s hand tighter.

Vi whipped her head up to look at him, glaring daggers, seeming to remember Ekko’s existence. “You’re both still young! What the hell were you thinking!”

“Wait it isn’t-” Claggor got cut off with a very angry Powder.

“Don’t you dare pin the blame on him! I don’t need your ‘protection’. We are both to blame!” She leaned towards Vi before falling back against her chair.

“It happened during the party… didn’t it.” Vander realized, looking at Powder with an expression she couldn’t read.

Powder stilled at that. “Y-yes. I’m sorry.”

The two looked down in shame.

Silence hung thick in the air, the tension hung thick in the air.

"Congratulations." Someone said.

Jinx’s head snapped up meeting Silco’s gaze. “W-what?”

“Although I still don’t know what to think, It’s the hardest for you. And seeing as you decided to keep it, I should congratulate you.” He said, responsibly, but still seeming to hold onto some things he wanted to say.

“I- thank you.” Jinx smiled softly as he stood up and gave her a hug.

“Yes. Congratulations.” Claggor followed.

A round of congratulations went around, from everyone except for Vi and Vander.

“Are you mad?”

Powder stood up for the first time, revealing her bump.

She squirmed under the gazes that fell on her stomach.

“No. I’m… not mad. Just… I wish I could’ve helped you with this.” Vi answered first, clenching her fists.

“I’m sorry.” Powder placed a hand on her stomach. “But we choose to do what we thought was best and it’s not like I’m not pregnant anymore.” She joked.

Vi smiled and pulled Powder into a hug. “Yes. Sorry. Congratulations.”

As they pulled away, Vi focused on her stomach. “Is it a boy or girl?”

“Girl.”

“Vander?” She turned to the big guy at the other end of the table. “Are… you mad?”

Vander sighed. “I’m not mad, just… you’re one hundred percent sure you want this?”

“Yes.” She answered without hesitation. “And plus, it’s too late to back up now.”

Vander got up and pulled her into a bear hug. “She’ll be very lucky to have you two as her parents.”

“I hope.” Jinx smiled.

Ekko exhaled a breath he’d been holding, happy that he’d narrowly escaped Vi’s wrath.

-

The rest of the evening went well.

They continued eating the prepared feast, this time with Vander and Silco placing more than enough pregnancy safe food on her plate, trying to get her to eat enough for two.

Which resulted in a very stuffed Powder.

During the dinner, the topic stayed about the baby.

Things being asked about the arrangements, a baby shower (something Jinx didn’t think about yet), her symptoms and the list goes on.

By the end of it, she felt giddy. For some reason discussing her future child brought her joy and Ekko seemed to feel the same, having a beaming smile on his face.

After dinner, they cleared the table and gathered around the tree, sitting in front of it on the ground.

Powder was offered a stool, but having no intentions of being treated differently, she sat against Ekko beside the tree, who gladly wrapped an arm around her.

As gifts were exchanged, everyone had smiles plastered on their face and laughter could be heard by most. More rounds of drinks were passed around as everyone enjoyed each other’s presence.

–

It was about midnight when it ended.

A drunk Vi and Jayce who were spouting bullshit, were being hauled out by Caitlyn, who congratulated Powder once more and the pregnant girl accepted with little to no bite. Viktor apologised for Jayce and bid his farewells before leaving with the three.

Powder sat on one of the couches with Mylo and Claggor, waiting for Ekko, who was helping Vander, Silco and Benzo with the dishes.

“I can’t wrap my head around you being a mother. Like you, you?” Mylo leaned against the couch.

“Yeah yeah. No need to put it like that.” Powder waved him off.

“Have you decided on a name yet?” Claggor asked a question that surprisingly hasn’t come up yet.

“No… I never expected it to be so hard to choose! This one word is a decision she’s going to live with for her whole life. I really don’t know.” Powder explained, leaning into her hands.

“There's no rush.” Claggor added.

“Oh, Oh! I know one! How about Pucky!” Mylo exclaimed.

Powder cringed as Claggor shook his head.

Just then, someone came up behind Jinx, wrapping their arms around her neck and giving a kiss on her cheek. “Ready to go?”

Jinx looked up and smiled at Ekko. “Yep. Put all of our gifts in a bag over there.”

“Great.” Ekko let her go and grabbed the bag of gifts that was left on the table, with another bag already in hand, presumably packed with food.

As he did so, Jinx said bye to Mylo and Claggor and went to do the same to the men in the kitchen.

“Ready to go?” Silco checked, ruffling her hair.

“Presents, check. Food, check. Now just a goodbye hug, then I’m ready.” Powder listed off, before she dove into a hug.

“Take care, you and your baby.” Silco stroked her head then let go.

“We will.” She placed a hand on her stomach.

Vander pulled her into a hug, lasting longer than Silco’s. “Get home safe.”

“Of course.”

As they parted, Benzo pulled her into a quick hug, before she left the space.

She was met with Ekko standing at the door with his coat on, ready to go. She followed in pursuit, shrugging her coat on that barely fit.

–

They trudged on the streets arm in arm, leaning against each other. Every breath creating a puff of smoke in front of them.

“It went well.” Ekko looked back at the big reveal. “Though I was sure Vi was going to jump me for a second.”

Jinx chuckled. “Yeah, always so overprotective.”

Ekko kissed the top of her head, causing her to breath out with content.

“Hey… do you have any idea what to name her?” She asked, recalling the conversation with Claggor.

“Do you?” He asked.

“Truth be told, I don’t. I don’t know what to name her. Like do I choose a random name? Or do I name her after something?” She ranted, stopping under a streetlight, waving her hands around.

Ekko listened, watching with a small smile. “Don’t worry.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “We’ll figure it out.”

With the words of reassurance, Powder seemed to relax.

Ekko pulled her into a side hug as they continued walking, talking and laughing on the way back.

–

When they arrived home, Powder jumped in the shower immediately, while Ekko emptied their bags as he waited.

A few minutes later, Jinx stepped into their shared room in red and black checkered pyjama pants and an oversized black t-shirt.

Ekko took this as his chance to take a shower, and left the room with his clothes in hand.

He didn’t shower long, maybe five minutes, before re-entering their room.

Jinx laid on the bed, facing away from him. He first thought that she was sleeping, but quickly realized she wasn’t.

She laid eyes open, blinking slowly, seeming tired.

“Not sleeping yet?” Ekko got in bed, bringing himself closer to her, leaning his head on his hand.

“Was waiting for you.” She turned to him, their faces inches apart.

He hummed, bringing a hand up to brush away a strand piece of hair. Their eyes locked and they both smiled sweetly. Ekko leaned down, bringing her into a tender kiss.

Jinx leaned into it happily.

After a few seconds they parted and Jinx buried her head in his chest.

“Goodnight.” He said, wrapping an arm around her.

“Night.” She replied, voice muffled by his t-shirt.

The couple fell asleep, entwined in each other's arms, their legs tangling together under the blankets. Their breathing slowed, and their faces relaxed into peaceful expressions. The stress of the day melted away, and they slipped into a slumber, surrounded by the warmth and comfort of each other's presence.

Chapter Text

During the first half of the third trimester, they completed the nursery. The walls were baby blue with baby yellow stars randomly painted on them and a few cute posters of animals here and there. There was a white crib at the back, with a comfy chair next to it for them to sit on, a changing table to the left and a big drawer filled with clothes to the right.

Their family helped a ton, they chipped in with the costs, even though the couple protested. (Child benefit was enough to buy the stuff they needed and they weren’t too far off from applying for part time jobs.) Their family would come to their apartment a few times in the week to help or just to hang so she wouldn’t have to go all the way to the last drop, often bringing home cooked meals.

Her bump couldn't get any bigger. She couldn’t see her toes or bend over. Her back hurt like hell and moving was tiring. She could even barely sleep, which caused her mood to drop a lot.

She was lucky to have Ekko around. He’d talk her through her break downs, give her a massage and help a ton around the house.

Jinx felt like she’d hit the jackpot, she was so grateful for Ekko.

They didn’t host a baby shower, but something kinda like it. They invited their family (including Viktor and Jayce, whom Powder had also befriended) and spent an afternoon hanging out and having fun.

Of course, the guests brought gifts, resulting in them receiving a ton of toys, picture books and clothes.

From then on, it was just a matter of waiting.

It was week 36 and they’d packed the hospital bag. It had all the essentials, stuff like extra clothes, toiletries, blankets and so on.

They had checked the bag more than five times, ensuring they packed everything they wanted.

During that time, her belly dropped significantly.

In four weeks it was their due date.

It was going scarily fast, but slow at the same time.

Imagine their surprise when she hadn’t gone into labour in four weeks time, but in two weeks.

Her water broke on a random Saturday in the afternoon at around three.

Wasting no time, she and Ekko rushed out the door with their stuff, arriving at the hospital soon after.

When the staff was aware of their situation they were put in a delivery room, where they changed Jinx, placed her on the bed, did tests and put an IV in her arm to lessen the pain that was starting to come.

In the meantime Ekko called Vander and informed him about what was happening. Seeing as it was midday, he was still working, but he quickly told Gert to fill in for him as he rushed to hospital.

Ekko then called Silco, who was still at home, and once the man was filled in, he speedily left the house.

Thirdly, he called Vi. She was training in her personal gym in Piltover and she dropped her phone when she heard the news. It would take her longer to get there, seeing as she was all the way at the other end of Piltover from where the connecting bridges were.

Lastly, he called Benzo. The man went overseas for a month to broaden his sails and was devastated that he’d miss the birth of his granddaughter. He offered words of reassurance to the two and made a promise to visit as soon as he could.

Having done that Ekko immediately went to Powder’s side, offering a hand as she was breathing hard, obviously in pain.

She squeezed his hand so hard, it felt like it was going to fall off. But Ekko let her, only imagining how painful it was for her.

Powder grunted and groaned as the contractions would come and go, creating unbearable pain.

Sweat formed on her forehead as the girl reassured herself, telling herself it would all be worth it when she held her baby in her arms.

Ekko stroked her head and rubbed his thumb on her hand, trying to offer comfort as much as he could.

It’d been about twenty minutes of this going on, when Silco and Vander entered the room.

Silco rushed to Powder's side, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “Any updates?”

“She’s having contractions, the time between them keeps getting shorter.” Ekko squeezed her hand slightly.

Powder took a deep breath, the contraction seeming gone away for now. “This hurts like hell.” She remarked.

“It will all be over soon.” Vander reassured, taking a seat in the chair next to Ekko.

Powder groaned, already done with the pain, knowing it would get worse.

After a quarter hour, Vi bursted through the door, huffing. “I got here as soon as I could!”

She rushed to her side, taking the spot Silco was standing at.

“Are you doing alright?” She asked concerned, seeing the state of her sister.

“Never better!” Powder joked, grunting as another contraction started.

Just then a nurse walked into the room with a clipboard in hand. “I’ll have to ask everybody except one to leave the room, we need to do some more tests.”

With that the three left as quick as they came after giving words of affirmation to the pained girl on the bed.

Ekko moved out of the way as more Nurses entered the room and they did checks on Powder.

She was now seven centimeters dilated, meaning she wasn’t too far away from delivery.

The nurses started to prep the space for the birth, working efficiently and coordinated.

Powder continued to tough out through the contractions, taking deep breaths to help her through them.

–

Vi worriedly paced in the hall outside of the room the couple was in, texting her wife and friends, updating them about what was happening.

Seeing as it had been four hours since Powder had gone to the hospital, it had already turned dark outside.

Vi knew that giving birth was a long process, but waiting for updates or really just anything was torturous. She couldn’t help marching back and forth while clock-watching.

Silco sat on a bench against the wall while Vander went to grab something from the vending machine.

“It will be fine.” Silco was undismayed, talking to Vi who didn’t seem to listen. “Me and Vander have been through the same thing with your mother.”

That caught Vi’s attention, so Silco continued. “We can only imagine how painful it will be. But once the worst is over, the pain will dull and she’ll have the baby in her arms.”

Vi huffed, taking a seat next to him, her leg bouncing up and down.

Vander returned with two bottles of water, giving one to both of them.

Vi took a big gulp, the bottle crushing under her grip. “I just feel so useless sitting here! How long will it take?”

Vander looked over at her. “The doctors have everything covered, we’ll only be in their way if we’re in there and Ekko’s in there to support her.”

Vi looked down, seeming to agree, but her impatience still kept her on pins and needles.

The three stayed quiet for a while. A few short conversations here and there while they picked up some dinner from the cafeteria. Not soon after they finished eating low quality mashed potatoes and green beans, concerning noises emitted from Powder’s room

Vi jumped up from habit and ready to storm in there, but being stopped by Vander who placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her. “Soon.”

–

The crying baby was placed in Powder’s arms by the nurses who were cleaning the room, getting ready to leave.

A flood of emotions washed over her tired body and overwhelmed heart.

The tiny bundle was soft, wisps of dark brown hair stuck to her forehead, her skin still discolored, but she was already perfect in every way.

She rocked the little thing and couldn't help but reach out to touch the baby's tiny fingers. The feeling of having something so delicate and promising in your arms is something she’ll never forget.

The pain and stress of labor dulled, being replaced by an overpowering sense of awe and joy at the miracle in her arms.

Ekko left out a small breath, also seeming in awe but with a hint of relief that Powder was as ok as she could be.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing his thumb across the flushed skin.

Vi burst through the door of Powder’s room after getting the clear from the nurses who had finished and left the room.

She felt concerned, but that feeling quickly disappeared when she spotted Jinx, who looked very tired with tears in her eyes holding her baby in her arms with Ekko by her side.

Vi stared at them with astonishment, seeing how beautiful their little family looked.

Silco brushed past Vi, heading towards Powder, wanting to make sure his daughter was ok. He gave her a kiss on top of the head and focused his gaze, like Powder’s, on the baby.

“She’s beautiful.” He commented, earning a soft nod and sniffle from Powder.

Vander stood next to Vi, placing a warm hand on her shoulder, having a soft expression on his face. Seeing his daughter so independent made him feel all funny on the inside.

“Have you thought of a name?” He inquired.

Powder looked at Ekko, who nodded, thus she spoke up. “Yes. I think it is only right to name her after someone very special. Everyone, meet Isha.” She gently motioned to her baby.

The three went wide eyed.

“Isha… as in Felicia?” Vi said.

“Yeah. I want mom to be a part of this too.” Powder shed a few tears along with her sister.

“It’s perfect.” Vander said and Silco nodded.

This was a moment they would never forget. The feeling of hope and happiness hung in the air, it felt like it’d last forever.

With a new addition to the family, they had a feeling the future would have a lot in store for them.

–

Ekko and Jinx walked through the door of their apartment with their hands full. Ekko was holding the bag they had packed for the small trip and Jinx was carrying Isha in a travel carrier, who was wearing a brown onesie, a chunky coat with a thick blanket draped over her.

They were able to leave the hospital the next day after Isha’s health checks and injections.

Jinx still felt tired and sore as she headed to the nursery, moving a sleeping Isha carefully from the carrier to her crib. Taking off her coat and draping another thick blanket over her, ensuring she’s warm enough for this weather.

She leaned on the crib, looking at her baby as Ekko came up from behind and gave her a hug.

“You did wonderful.” He praised, before he advised. “You should get some more rest.”

Jinx hummed, giving him a small peck. “I will.”

She left the nursery, leaving Ekko behind as she entered the bedroom, this time taking off her own coat, tossing it on the floor, making herself comfy on the bed before letting the slumber take her.

–

It had been a pretty quiet hour after Jinx had fallen asleep.

First, Ekko unpacked the hospital bag, then he cooked some chicken noodle soup, finally he took a seat in the chair next to the crib.

He was flipping through the parental books before loud crying interrupted his focus. Ekko shot up and looked inside the crib to see Isha crying.

Come on Ekko! You can do this!

He mentally prepared himself.

He wanted Powder to get a little more shut eye so he’ll deal with this.

He carefully picked up the crying baby, bringing her close to his chest and started rocking her lightly.

“Shhh… shhh… it’s ok.” He reassured her, hoping it’ll do some good.

It wasn’t working and Ekko started to stress out a little.

Think. Think… right!

He grabbed a pacifier from on top of the drawer and placed it in her mouth, while still rocking her.

To his luck it worked and she fell asleep not soon after.

He carefully put her back down and took his seat again.

He huffed out, happy he actually did it.

–

About an hour later Jinx walked out of their room, with more energy than before.

Ekko, who was now seated at the table, still flipping through those books, noticed her. “Hey sleepyhead. Get enough rest?”

Said sleepyhead took a seat right next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yeah… how’s Isha?”

“Fine. She woke up once but got her back to sleep.” He said with a hint of proudness in his voice.

Jinx smiled, tracing things on his hand with her finger. “Good.”

“Oh! You hungry?” Ekko asked, remembering the soup he had made earlier.

“Ooo, what’d you cook?” She asked.

“Just some chicken noodle soup.”

“Nice! I’ll gladly take a bowl.”

-

The next few days were tiring.

With waking up multiple times in the night, countless hours of crying and dozens of diapers being changed, the couple was very busy.

They hadn’t invited the family over just yet, wanting to get used to her first.

There was a night where it was too much for Jinx.

She’d woken up at two due to Isha’s crying and thus went to put her back to sleep. She tried everything, feeding her, a diaper change, binkies and swaddling her, but nothing worked.

She sat in the chair, rocking her and she felt utterly useless. She started crying with Isha, now trying to get herself and her baby to stop crying.

Ekko got woken up by the noise and went to the nursery to find them crying together. He was very worried. He took Isha and tightened the swaddle a little more and that surprisingly worked.

When he put the baby back down he went over to Jinx, who still had tears falling from her eyes and kneeled down in front of her, concerned.

“You ok?” He started, rubbing her arm.

Jinx shook her head.

“Are you tired?” He asked, wiping away some stray tears.

She nodded, more tears falling.

Ekko made a motion for a hug and Jinx leaned into him. Ekko rubbed her back to sooth her.

“It’s ok. I know it’s hard, but it’ll get better. You’re doing a wonderful job.”

Her crying turned into sniffles, having recollected herself, she felt a wave of tiredness wash over her.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” He released her slightly, to look at her.

“Yeah.” She answered, voice hoarse.

With that, Ekko stood up with her and led her back to the room. Tucking her in and pulling her close to him.

“Don’t worry about Isha. Just sleep. I’ll take care of it.” He said before falling back asleep.

And a while after, Jinx followed.

–

It had been about two months since she had Isha.

Jinx still wasn’t back to her old self yet so she didn’t want to go back to school with Ekko and leaving Isha with someone else so young just didn’t sit right with her.

She had gotten better at taking care of Isha and she felt more confident in her parental abilities. Plus, Isha’s crying had gone down forty percent, so the nights weren’t that much of a problem anymore. Isha didn’t really babble as much as Jinx thought babies did, but she didn’t pay much mind to it, maybe she was just naturally quieter than others.

Some days, Vi would come over, sometimes bringing Caitlyn and would spend time with the family.

She was very fond of the little thing, seeming to love the idea of having one of her own, always dropping small hints for Caitlyn, to which Caitlyn acted like she didn’t see them.

Mylo and Claggor had come over and much to Mylo’s disappointment and Powder’s amusement, Isha would cry when being held by him.

Isha did however enjoy being held by Claggor, which made Mylo jealous.

Vander, Silco and Benzo came over too. Helping around the house and spending time with their children and grandchild.

–

Isha was now eight months old and Powder had gone back to school for the new semester. Being able to leave Isha with different members of her family for the day, most days she’d be dropped off at her sister's house.

To be honest, she hadn’t really looked at the notes she had gotten from Professor Heimerdinger, but to put it bluntly, she was really smart. So she caught up in no time.

She went back to her old routine with a few additions, waking up early, getting Isha and herself ready, dropping Isha off on the way to school with Ekko. And when she made her way back, she was alone since Ekko had his job (he tutors first years for an hour or two after school), she’d pick up Isha, cook, have some quality time with her and Ekko, then the family would go to bed.

But one evening, right before Ekko came home, something special happened.

Powder had quickly gone to the Kitchen to start cooking food and Isha was laying down on a special blanket with toys by the couch.
She placed the uncooked spaghetti in the boiling water and was cutting up some vegetables to blend for the sauce, when something touched her leg.

In reflex, she jumped back and looked down, only to see Isha staring up at her.

Powder paused.

Did Isha just crawl all the way to the Kitchen?

She smiled wide. Jinx quickly washed her hands and picked Isha up, walking back to the living room, where she placed the baby back on the soft blanket and went to stand a few steps in front of her.

“Isha, come here.” She softly called.

The little girl didn’t seem to understand what she was saying, but seeing that her mother was too far for her liking, she slowly moved from a sitting position to a crawling one and steadily made her way to the beaming girl.

Powder wasted no time scooping Isha up. “You did it!”

Isha let out a few giggles.

Just then Ekko opened the front door, with his school bag slung over his shoulder.

“Ekko! Perfect timing!” Powder exclaimed.

Ekko paused, taking off his shoes and glanced up at her curiously. “How so? It better not be because you burnt something again.” He joked.

Powder rolled her eyes playfully. “Not this time. Just look!”

Ekko focused on Powder as she put a wiggling Isha down, who was happy to see Ekko.

Isha wasted no time crawling towards him, this time a little faster.

Ekko stared wide eyed, before, just like Powder, scooping her up and planting fat kisses on her cheek. Which earned more giggles.

The couple was beaming, till a faint whiff of smoke reached their noses.

“Powder.” Ekko looked at her with an expression that screamed ‘really?’

“On it.” She let out a forced chuckle, rushing back to the Kitchen.

–

Isha was now one and a half years old.

She could walk and pretty much understand when Powder or Ekko would talk to her. Her cheeks are still plump and now she has a mop of short, dark brown wavy/curly hair.

She was pretty smart for her age. She was very observative and could grasp new concepts with ease.

But Powder and Ekko are still worried. Isha hasn’t said her first word yet and she didn’t really babble. Here and there she made small noises like grunts or wimpers, but that was it.

So, they sought out advice from Vander, wanting to know if it should cause concern that her speech wasn’t developing at the age it would.

The couple walked into the Last Drop, with Isha being held by Powder, shaking a white stuffed bunny.

It was midday on a weekend and it was pretty busy, most tables had people eating and enjoying their day.

Vander waved them over to the bar in the middle, with Mylo and Claggor sat on the high stools placed in front of it.

“Hey, what brings you here?” Vander grabbed three cups, one smaller than the two, placing a straw in two of them before filling them with orange juice.

“Hey-o!” Mylo waved.

“Hey little man, lady and girl.” Claggor teased.

“Say hi Isha.” Powder waved to her family, showing Isha how it’s done as Ekko sat next to Claggor.

Isha repeated the wave with the bunny in her hands, leaving out the word: hi.

Powder’s face fell a little and she gave up, sitting next to Mylo.

Vander slid Ekko a drink and slid the drinks with straws to Powder.

Powder changed Isha’s position from her hip to her lap, grabbing Isha’s bunny and putting it on the counter, placing the smaller cup in both of Isha’s hands. “Be careful.”

Isha gave a single nod, already sipping from the straw.

Powder grabbed her own cup, taking a sip before sighing and setting the cup back on the beverage station.

“What's wrong?” Vander tilted his head in her direction, Mylo and Claggor faced her while Ekko looked at her knowingly.

“W-well I don’t know… I could be nothing but…” Jinx started off, nervous, though she didn’t know why.

“Well, spit it out. We don’t have all day.” Mylo pushed her, earning a smack on the back of the head from Claggor.

“It’s just, is it normal that Isha hasn’t said a word yet?” She wrapped her arms around the little girl, still slowly finishing her drink, picking the nail polish off her nails.

There was a beat of silence and Powder looked up to see the three in thought.

“Well I’m no expert, but I’m sure it’s not something to worry about. She could just be a slow learner…” Vander thought the last bit out loud.

“Yeah… I don’t think it’s something serious.” Claggor added.

“I don’t know shit about this so I’m agreeing with them.” Mylo shrugged.

Isha placed her cup down and picked up her bunny again, flapping the ears around.

“If you say it’s fine, I’m sure it is.” Ekko looked relieved.

“Yeah…” Jinx still felt like something was off, because Isha wasn’t really a slow learner.

But before she could give it more thought, the snuggly companion got shoved against her cheek with a few giggles emitting from the little girl on her lap.

“You asked for it!” Jinx menacingly raised her hands, wiggling her fingers, slowly moving them towards Isha while the girl squealed.

She started tickling and poking the small girl while she laughed and wailed.

The four boys next to her had soft smiles on their faces, watching this cute moment between them.