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Warm sunlight shone through the window and illuminated Jinx’s face. Her eyes fluttered open, and she hummed in contentment as she shifted in Ekko’s arms. Isha was nestled against Jinx’s side; her tiny hand was wrapped around Jinx’s braid. Isha stirred as soon as she felt Jinx move, she always woke up when Jinx did.
The bed was a little cramped, but it worked for them. Isha and Jinx couldn’t stand sleeping on their own, so they were perfectly satisfied with the tight quarters and Ekko was generous enough to offer them a place in his bed with no complaint. Ekko was just happy to see Jinx getting some actual rest.
Ekko knew Jinx felt guilty about hogging his bed, so he had to constantly reassure her that it was okay. They had shared beds all the time as kids, this wasn’t too different. The main difference was that they were a lot bigger and now there was another kid in the bed with them.
After she first moved in, Jinx insisted on sleeping on the couch, she didn’t want to push Ekko out of his bed, she felt bad enough that she was invading his home. Most of those nights had ended up with Ekko sleeping on the couch with her to make her feel safe after she’d wake up screaming from nightmares. After about a week of that, she relented and joined him in his bed and the nightmares became a lot less frequent.
Things had gone similarly with Isha. They had tried to give the kid her own bed, but she had refused to sleep in it. The one time Jinx had attempted put Isha in it after she had already fallen asleep on the couch, Isha woke up crying a few hours later and Jinx ended up carrying her into their bed anyway.
Jinx stared at the ceiling for a few minutes and formulated a checklist in her mind. It was Janna’s Eve. It was her first time celebrating since before Vander died and it was Isha’s first time ever. She wanted to make it special for the little girl, her little girl. She wanted Isha to have good memories, a full belly, and lots of new toys.
As though she could read the older girl’s mind, Isha’s head popped up beside her and big, amber eyes peered down at her.
“Morning, bug.” Jinx whispered with a smile.
Isha returned her smile with a toothless, lopsided grin. Isha had lost one of her front baby teeth a few weeks prior so there was still a gap where the tooth had been. It made Jinx feel all weird and fuzzy thinking about Isha growing up.
Jinx started to sit up but was quickly pushed back as Isha tackled her with a hug. It reminded Jinx a little too much of the first time Isha had done that. When the girl had thrown herself between Vi’s metal gauntlets and Caitlyn’s perfectly aimed rifle, willing to risk her own life to save Jinx’s. She tucked that thought away to the back of her mind, today wasn’t the day for that.
Isha clung to Jinx like a koala as she rolled out of bed. Jinx wrapped her arms around the girl to better support her weight. Jinx would sometimes feign annoyance about carrying the girl, but everyone knew she loved it. After she had spent months thinking she lost her, she had no intention of wasting any second she had with the little girl. She knew one day Isha would get too big or would simply stop wanting to be carried, so she savored the moment as she carried Isha out of the room.
“The boy savior needs his beauty sleep.” Jinx joked and Isha erupted into giggles. Isha had taken to Ekko quickly once they finally had the chance to meet. She had known the little girl would like him. He was good with kids, loved to draw and build, and knew sign language from some of the other members of the Firelights, so he was able to communicate with Isha right away.
Isha had both Jinx and Ekko wrapped around her finger. Jinx had adapted to the role of a mother quickly, but she hadn’t expected Ekko to take on a parental role for Isha. He was already giving them a home, his bed, food, and a safe community, she didn’t want to put more burden on him, but Ekko adored Isha as much as Jinx did and made it clear he wanted to help take care of her.
Jinx set Isha down on one of the stools and got to work on making breakfast. She and Isha weren’t big breakfast people. She had been used to going days without meals, so eating early in the morning every day made her stomach hurt. Isha had gotten more used to having a full belly and a healthy number of meals, Jinx had made sure of it. Isha simply didn’t like most breakfast foods, at least not the ones that were more readily available in Zaun. Eggs were the most obtainable breakfast food and Isha despised them. The one time they had dared to make Isha eggs, she had refused to eat them and thrown a tantrum. It had spooked Jinx, she knew kids threw tantrums, hell she could throw one hell of a tantrum and she wasn’t even a kid anymore, but Isha had always been so calm. They hadn’t even been forcing her to eat them, but Isha had freaked out anyway. Once she had calmed down, she had sat on Jinx’s lap and signed ‘gross’ and ‘slimy’. Jinx couldn’t blame the kid, she wasn’t a fan of eggs either.
Now, everyday the had the same thing. One slice of toast with butter. It was just enough to give them some fuel until lunch and it was bland and light enough it didn’t make Jinx’s stomach hurt.
As Jinx worked on buttering the toast her eyes caught on the invitation that sat on the counter. It was stupid fancy Piltie paper with a dark blue border and the Kiramann crest on the edges. The handwriting was Vi’s though. Her sister wanted them to come over for Janna’s Eve.
She thought it was a stupid idea. Her, casually going over to the Cupcake’s perfect mansion to celebrate a holiday, that had been very important to their dead adopted dad, for the first time in nearly a decade with her basically estranged sister. Add in the fact that Caitlyn had been a fascist dictator who gassed out their people and threatened to kill Isha, yeah, what could go wrong?
She wondered how many strings Vi had pulled with Caitlyn to get her to agree to this. After the war ended, Caitlyn called off the manhunts for Jinx and pardoned her for her crimes. She knew she only did it for Vi, if it had been up to the Cupcake, she would’ve been hanging from a noose in front of all of Piltover and Zaun. Vi must’ve given Caitlyn some really good sex to have convinced her to invite Jinx to Piltover. She fought the urge to gag at that thought.
The weird thing was, Jinx couldn’t bring herself to hate Caitlyn anymore. She would never like Caitlyn, not after everything she had done to Zaun and everything she stood for, but at least she made Vi happy.
The fact that Caitlyn had done so many horrible things and clearly harbored a boatload of guilt over her actions made her feel a strange sense of understanding toward Caitlyn now. She, too, had committed unspeakable crimes in the name of grief. She had been the one that had turned Caitlyn into the monster. Ekko had told her that he never trusted Caitlyn, but that he had given her a chance because Vi did trust her. He wasn’t fond of Caitlyn either after everything she did, but he did say that she had been different when he met her before the war, more hopeful and naive.
Then Jinx killed her mom and had driven her mad from grief. Caitlyn had told her that hating her meant hating herself and that she was tired of it, so Caitlyn had been working to understand and forgive Jinx so that she could forgive herself and move on. Jinx was the opposite, she was tired of hating Caitlyn, so instead she amplified her own self-hatred. She was to blame for everything, after all.
This was why she was reluctant to go to the dinner that night; she feared the anxiety and guilt that would consume her as soon as she walked through those doors. How could she celebrate a holiday with the person whose mother she killed. She hadn’t intended to target Caitlyn’s mother, but that didn’t make her any less dead.
Isha noticed the dazed look Jinx’s eyes and immediately picked up on the shift in Jinx’s energy. She watched intently as Jinx finished making their breakfast. The older girl moved on autopilot as she placed the toast on a plate and grabbed the knife to butter it.
Jinx had always had her moments where she would space out and see or hear things that weren’t there. It had seemed to freak Sevika out, but Isha was never bothered by it, sometimes she would see things in the shadows or hear ominous voices calling for her too. She had learned to be on alert when this happened though. Sevika had told her that Jinx could sometimes lose it and lash out when she got like that, Isha never worried about it, she knew, without a doubt, that Jinx would never hurt her, but she did worry about Jinx hurting herself.
Isha watched as Jinx buttered the toast and passed it to her without a word. No jokes, no acknowledgement of her, she was stuck in some distant realm of her mind.
Isha watched as she walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a mug to make tea. Isha had already been considering going to get Ekko, but then Jinx’s hand twitched and she dropped a the mug and it shattered on the ground around her. Isha made up her mind and slipped out her seat and dashed back to the bedroom to wake Ekko.
She gently tugged on Ekko’s arm until he groaned and opened his eyes. He turned over to look at her and yawned.
“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” He asked groggily as he sat up.
Isha peered at him with wide concerned eyes and urgently began to move her hands to explain.
“Mom is upset.” She signed, hoping he would understand the deeper meaning.
“Is she ok?” Ekko’s eyes widened with concern and he quickly threw the blankets off of himself.
Isha’s eyebrows furrowed and she nodded then signed ‘broken cup’.
“Sh- shoot. Ok, I’m coming.” He stuttered, nearly cursing. He tried not to around Isha, but he knew it was a moot point because Jinx cursed around the girl with no restraint. Isha rushed out of the room back towards her mother in all but blood and Ekko followed closely behind.
Jinx was kneeling on the ground, only half aware of her surroundings. She was still stuck in her head, but she knew the cup had shattered and she didn’t want Isha to step on any of the pieces. What she had failed to realize was her knees were bleeding as she unknowingly knelt on shards of broken glass. She couldn’t feel much of anything when she was dissociating like this, so it didn’t bother her.
“Oh, Jinx.” Ekko sighed as he saw her kneeling on the broken glass, frantically trying to clean up the mess.
“Hey, Jinx, can you look at me?” Ekko said softly as he crouched down in front of her.
“Hmm?” She hummed as she glanced toward him, only half aware of his presence.
Ekko grimaced as he noticed the small puddle of blood beneath her knees. He gently grabbed her hand to stop her frantic attempts to clean the glass, and he pulled her into his arms.
“Stop. I have to clean it up, so Isha doesn’t get hurt.” She whined and tried to push out of his hold.
“Isha’s fine, Jinx, she knows to stay away from the glass. You, on the other hand, now have cuts all over your knees from kneeling on glass.” Ekko gently scolded her. He sat her on the couch and Isha dutifully brought him the first aid kit.
“Thanks, kiddo.” Ekko said softly as he took the kit from her.
He pulled out disinfectant, gauze, and bandaids and got to work with fixing up her knees. She had gotten a couple nasty cuts from one of the large pieces of glass.
After he bandaged her knees, he cleaned up the remaining glass shards and made her some tea in a plastic cup. He found it ironic that she liked such a Piltie-esque drink, but apparently, Silco used to make it for her when she would have bad days or nightmares, so it helped soothe her nerves.
As he waited for the tea to finish cooking, he tried to wrack his brain for what could’ve set her off, then he noticed Vi’s invitation on the counter.
Oh.
He knew she had been stressed about it, but she hadn’t let on just how stressed she was. Clearly, the build-up of it being tonight had taken its toll on her. If she was like this for most of the day, they wouldn’t be going anyway. There was no chance he was taking her to Piltover in the midst of one of her episodes. That wouldn’t end well for anyone involved.
He walked back to the living room and smiled as he saw Isha curled up beside Jinx. The girl was practically glued to Jinx, but both he and Jinx found it endearing. Jinx was playing absentmindedly with Isha’s hair when Ekko passed her the tea and sat down beside her.
Jinx carefully took the tea, not wanting to spill any of the hot drink on the little girl beside, and sipped it slowly. She could feel the stinging on her knees from the cuts, it was a sign she was finally coming back to reality. Isha’s warm, little body helped ground Jinx.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Ekko asked, already knowing what her answer would be.
“Nope.” She said quickly, popping the ‘p’.
“I think we need to talk about it if we’re gonna go to Caitlyn and Vi’s tonight.” Ekko sighed. He was worried about her, worried about how tonight was gonna go if she was having and episode this early in the day.
Jinx groaned and rolled her eyes.
“I’m fine, ok. It was just a broken mug. I didn’t mean for it to break, it just slipped out of my hand.” Her voice wavered, revealing her true emotions.
“This isn’t about the mug, and you know it.” Ekko said sternly, trying to draw more information from her.
“I’m fine, ok. I wasn’t even fully spaced out. I probably just didn’t get enough sleep or something.” She huffed in annoyance, she didn’t need Ekko spending all day worrying about her like some kind of mother hen, she was fine. They had bigger priorities today.
Ekko rolled his eyes, his own annoyance flared. She was so stubborn. He didn’t understand why she still felt the need to put on a facade around him.
Jinx quickly finished her tea and ruffled Isha’s hair. She had promised Isha she would teach her how to make cookies and she didn’t intend on breaking that promise.
“Jinx, will you please just talk to me?” Ekko practically begged.
“Nope, not right now. I’m busy, Isha and I are about to make cookies.” She said as she stood up and headed into the kitchen with Isha trailing behind her.
Isha looked back toward Ekko and shrugged. She knew that most of the time it was better to just let Jinx move on and focus on something else. She would keep watch over her mama and make sure she was ok.
Jinx put a record on her phonograph and danced around the kitchen as she gathered mixing bowls, cookie sheets, and ingredients. Isha watched her with a bright smile, she could tell that Jinx was already feeling better. Isha loved seeing Jinx happy, it made her happy too.
Jinx spent the next hour instructing Isha on what to do to make the cookie dough. She showed Isha how to crack an egg, how to measure out ingredients, and of course, let Isha mix the dough until her arms got tired. After the dough was ready, she got out a spoon and scooped up a little bit of the dough, making sure to get some chocolate chips on it.
“Wanna try it?” Jinx grinned. Isha looked at her with skepticism, she knew cookies were yummy once they were baked, but she was suspicious of their current texture and flavor. Jinx chuckled and popped the bite of cookie dough in her mouth to put Isha’s mind at ease. She ignored the whispers in her mind that taunted her with the thought that Isha was becoming too much like Powder.
Jinx scooped up some more of the dough and gestured toward Isha. The little girl shrugged and opened her mouth. The texture was gross and kind of slimy, but it did taste good. She nodded in approval and Jinx grinned.
Jinx ended up rolling the cookie dough herself, Isha didn’t like the greasy feeling that the dough left on her hands.
Their baking endeavors took up most of the day, while Ekko wrapped presents and watched them from the other room.
Later that afternoon, he walked into the kitchen and started gathering his own supplies. He had put himself in charge of cooking the ham and potatoes. He did not trust Vi or Caitlyn’s cooking.
The kitchen was warm from the heat of the oven as he and Jinx worked around each other, their movements woven together in a dance that only they knew the steps to.
Isha watched her adopted parents with adoration. They never seemed to realize how in tune with each other they were at all times, but she did. She saw their stolen longing glances and the slight flush of their cheeks when they would make eye contact.
After Jinx put the last batch of cookies in the oven to bake, she pulled Isha off her perch on the counter.
“Alright kiddo, let’s get you all dressed up,” Jinx said as she walked into the bedroom and pulled out the little dress and leggings she had made for Isha.
Isha huffed as she grabbed the dress. She didn’t want to dress up for some stupid Pilties, but she knew Jinx had made the dress for her, so that made the situation a tiny bit better. She quickly changed into the black and green dress and Jinx beckoned her over to do her hair.
Doing hair had become a special thing for them. Jinx would brush, dye, and braid Isha’s hair and she would help Jinx with her braids. It was comforting for both of them to be able to do the other’s hair.
“Braids again?” Jinx asked as she picked up the brush and pulled out some hair ties. Isha nodded enthusiastically. She loved getting to match with Jinx.
Jinx gently brushes out Isha’s hair, being extra careful not to tug too hard on any knots or tangles. Her fingers move skillfully through the little girl’s hair as she makes two small, neat little braids. The hair chalk had started to fade from Isha’s hair, so her natural chestnut color was on more prominent display today. It was only a matter of time before Isha started pestering her about redying it.
Jinx lifted Isha up, so she could see herself in the mirror on top of the dresser. Isha was still smaller than the dresser, so she couldn’t see unless she climbed on the bed or Jinx picked her up.
“Look good?” Jinx asked as she held Isha on her hip. She watched herself in the mirror and examined how natural it looked. It was still weird to her. She had never planned to end up with a kid, she had assumed she’d be a terrible parent, but she was surprisingly good at it.
Isha nodded and buried her head in Jinx’s shoulder, soaking up all the affection she could while she was being held.
Ekko watched from the door, a small smile on his face. Isha brought out parts of Jinx he feared had been lost for good. When Jinx had thought Isha died, he had watched as she spiraled into a deep depression. She had only stayed alive for his sake, she didn’t want to put him through that grief after he had tried so hard to save her. When Isha came back, the light in her eyes returned. He would never get tired of seeing how soft and happy Isha made Jinx.
………………………………………………………………………….
The walk across the bridge and through the shiny streets of Piltover is quiet and tense. Ekko knew that Jinx was on edge, but he feared that pushing her to talk would only make it worse. He prayed to Janna and any other gods that would listen that she would be okay and that they would make it through this night without any incidents.
It was easy to know when they had arrived. The Kiramann mansion was massive and practically sparkled in the dimming golden sunlight. The trio reluctantly approached the heavy wooden front doors. Ekko knocked three times, he had no idea how they could hear anyone knocking in a house this big. His question was answered when two guards answered the door and allowed them in. Ekko didn’t miss the way they kept their eyes on Jinx as she warily entered the mansion.
Jinx’s eyes darted around the room, taking in her surroundings. She had been here once before when she kidnapped Caitlyn, yet another act she felt immensely guilty for. She didn’t know if her previous mania and paranoia or the current soul crushing guilt and depression was better. At least now she was less likely to lash out and murder everyone in the room.
When she had been here before, she hadn’t paid any attention to anything except the path to get out. Now she was looking around in awe, fully taking in the lavish furniture and posh decor.
There was a large tree in the corner with rows of lights and ornaments hung on it. There was garland outlining every doorframe and hallway. Jinx couldn’t decide whether Vander would’ve hated it or loved it, she wasn’t sure her thoughts about it either. Beneath the tree there were stacks of neatly wrapped presents, Jinx suddenly felt self-conscious of the small pile of presents under their own tree at home. She wanted Isha to have the best holiday ever and clearly she was already lacking in the present and decor department.
Isha could sense Jinx’s tension and squeezed her hand, hoping to bring her some comfort. Isha hated when Jinx was upset.
Jinx’s head jerked up as Vi came bolting down the stairs and practically tackled Jinx with a hug.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come.” Vi whispered as she hugged her. They hadn’t seen each other in over a month and Vi had desperately been missing her baby sister.
Things had been better between the sisters, but still weird. Jinx would never stop loving Vi and Vi would never stop loving Jinx, but they had their own lives on opposite sides of the bridge.
“Yeah… I wasn’t sure that I was gonna come either, to be honest” Jinx mumbled into Vi’s shoulder.
“I’m glad you did come. I missed you, sis.” Vi’s hand cradled Jinx’s head. Jinx didn’t know what to say or think, she did know that she was starting to feel very claustrophobic.
She gently pried herself out of Vi’s arms and chuckled nervously as she backed up toward Ekko. She fought the urge to bolt out the door when Caitlyn walked down the stairs looking as prim and proper as ever. Even the eye patch she had looked fancy, but Jinx could still think up a few pirate jokes that would at least get a chuckle out of Isha and Ekko.
“Hello Ekko, Jinx.” Caitlyn said in an awkward greeting. She had been supportive of Vi wanting to invite Jinx and Ekko over for the holiday, she knew how much they both meant to her and how much the holiday meant. Vi had told Caitlyn stories of their Janna’s Day celebrations with Vander, so she knew it was very dry important to the sisters, or at least to Vi. Jinx looked like she’d rather be anywhere else.
Caitlyn had expected it. Jinx had never liked her and she didn’t exactly hold much fondness for the wild girl after the crimes she had witnessed her commit and the death of her mother. She knew Ekko didn’t particularly like her either. After her crimes against Zaun, against his people, she couldn’t exactly blame him. The boy had also grown fiercely protective over Jinx in the past months as well, a rather startling development considering he had been the first one to tell Vi that Jinx was too far gone to be saved. Then there was Isha, the small child that Jinx had claimed as her own. The very child that Caitlyn had pointed a gun at and threatened to kill in a desperate attempt to kill Jinx. The sharp glare of those big, golden eyes as Caitlyn approached the trio confirmed her suspicions that her actions would not be forgiven anytime soon.
This was bound to be a very tense evening.
Isha wrapped herself around Jinx’s leg as Caitlyn moved closer, as though she expected Caitlyn to take Jinx away from her. Nobody could blame the child, the last two times Isha had seen Caitlyn had ended in some form of tragedy.
Jinx softly petted Isha’s hair to soothe her. She knew the kid was picking up on her emotions and that she needed to get her shit together before Isha decided she needed to do something drastic in the name of protecting Jinx. Janna knows the kid has a bad habit of doing exactly that.
“Caitlyn.” Ekko returned Caitlyn’s greeting with a curt nod and he subtly shifted to shield Jinx and Isha.
He knew nothing would happen, not with Vi here. She wouldn’t let Caitlyn hurt Jinx again and he had watched Jinx drown in her guilt for the last several months, he knew she wasn’t about to pick any fights tonight. Any violence from her would be quiet and self-inflicted and somehow that scared him more.
“Shall we start dinner?” Caitlyn proposed as she nervously glanced at Vi for reassurance. Vi stepped to her side and grabbed her hand.
Jinx nearly rolled her eyes, but stopped herself. Who was she to judge Caitlyn for seeking Vi’s reassurance when she was practically cowering behind Ekko? When had she become so weak and pathetic?
Jinx tried to shake off her anxiety and put on her facade of sarcastic nonchalance.
She watched as Caitlyn and Vi walked past, leading the way to the dining room. She also noticed the way Isha’s eyes were full of feral hatred and locked onto Caitlyn’s arm. She had seen that look dozens of times before when Isha would bite. She squeezed Isha’s hand to draw her focus away from Caitlyn and gave her a stern look. Isha biting Caitlyn was the last thing Jinx wanted to happen tonight.
Then she really might shoot Isha.
Jinx stumbled and nearly fell as Mylo’s voice echoed in her head. Normally he was so quiet with Isha and Ekko around. It had been months since she had heard his voice. Why? Why did he have to come back now of all times?
“You ok?” Ekko put his hand on her shoulder to steady her.
“Peachy.” She grumbled through gritted teeth. She wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up under the blanket and not wake up until all the snow had melted and Janna’s Day was forgotten for the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Jinx zoned out for most of dinner, only speaking when spoken to or politely nodding when asked a question. She knew Ekko could tell something was up, Vi probably could too. It didn’t matter, none of it mattered, she didn’t matter.
“Jinx, are you ok?” Vi asked with concern.
“Yep!” She replied with a forced smile. Beneath the table she clenched her fists and dug her nails into her palm. She really wished everyone would stop asking her that.
“Are you sure?” Leave it to Vi to keep pushing when she clearly didn’t want to be pushed.
“I’m fine, Vi!” Jinx snapped. She flinched immediately after realizing she had yelled. She was trying so hard to stay calm, but she was unraveling at the seams.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” She announced as she abruptly stood up and walked out of the room. She just needed a minute to collect herself, to calm down. Everything would be fine.
She practically fell into the bathroom and shut and locked the door. She turned on the sink faucet and crumpled to the floor. She curled her knees to her chest and rested her back against the wall as she buried her face in her hands and tried to catch her breath. She didn’t get why she was so out of breath, why it felt like no matter how much air she sucked in she was still being suffocated. Her breathing rapidly increased until she was fully hyperventilating. Tears rolled down her face as she tugged at her hair.
Jinx felt like she was dying. She was going to die alone in a Piltie bathroom because her mind and body were at war with each other. Part of her didn’t care and
was ready to allow herself to get swept away in a sea of darkness, but then she remembered Isha, her light in the dark. She had to pull it together for the little girl who was probably standing outside the door worried sick. She was Jinx’s little shadow; she never strayed far from her.
There was a knock at the door and Jinx froze. Her breath hitched as she reluctantly waited for whichever concerned member of her ragtag family to announce themselves.
“Jinx?” Vi called through the door.
Vi knew she and Jinx had their differences, they always had. She knew that Jinx didn’t like Caitlyn and that Caitlyn had her reservations about Jinx, but she had hoped that maybe for one night they could set the conflict aside and enjoy a holiday together. She hated that her girlfriend and sister were at odds with each other, even though things weren’t as extreme as they had been before and during the war.
She also hated the way Ekko looked at her. He made it clear that he thought she was a sell-out for siding with the Topsiders. The first chance he had to have a private conversation with her, he chewed her out about it. He basically said he was tolerating her and Caitlyn for Jinx’s sake and that if anything happened, he would side with Jinx. She knew she deserved the call out after everything that had happened, everything she had done.
Caitlyn had been shocked to hear about Ekko’s sudden closeness with Jinx, but Vi hadn’t been surprised at all. Ekko and Powder had been inseparable as kids and she knew at least he had a massive crush on her. She saw Powder steal glances at him and the way her face flushed when Mylo would tease them, so she suspected Powder liked him too. Then the world fell apart and the next time she saw them both, they had been willing and ready to kill each other. Then the world fell apart again and some pieces must've fallen back into place because they showed up wearing matching outfits and covered in paint of each other’s colors and symbols with the entirety of Zaun behind them.
She was glad that her sister had Ekko back. She knew how happy they made each other.
Behind the door of the bathroom, Jinx sighed as she heard Vi’s voice. She really never would give up on her. Jinx almost yelled at her to go away, but she knew that wouldn’t get them anywhere. She had to face her sister at some point tonight. She wiped the tears from her face and pushed herself off the floor. She hesitantly opened the door and looked up at Vi.
Vi stood still for a moment, somewhat shocked Jinx had actually opened the door. Then she carefully pulled Jinx into an embrace. She felt her sister go rigid before melting into the hug and breaking down into sobs.
Vi slid to the floor with Jinx wrapped in her arms and her head resting on her chest. She had done this with Powder many times when she would have panic attacks. She suspected Jinx had been having one, but she could only guess as to why. Her sister had her fair share of ghosts and demons that haunted her, she wished she had the power to scare them away like she had when they were kids.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Vi finally asked as she gently ran her finger through Jinx’s soft blue hair.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Jinx mumbled. She still had her face pressed against Vi’s chest, so the words came out muffled.
Vi didn’t know what to say. She knew that they would both know she was lying if she said there was nothing wrong with Jinx. Her history of terrorism and seeing or hearing things that weren’t there confirmed that something wasn’t quite right, but that would only make Jinx feel worse.
“There’s something wrong with all of us, I think. The war and everything else that happened messed us all up pretty badly. We all did things we regret and wish we could take back, but I think our only option is to try to move on me do better in the future.” Vi said softly as she loosely braided a small section of Jinx’s short hair. It had grown out over the recent months and was back down to her shoulders, it suited her nicely.
Jinx sighed. Vi sounded like Ekko. Shit, Ekko and Isha were probably freaked out. She was going to ruin Isha’s first Janna’s Day because of her stupid, messed up brain.
Vi could feel Jinx’s anxiety and tension. She tenderly petted Jinx’s head and hummed their mother’s lullaby.
Tears rolled down Jinx’s face as she recognized the quiet melody.
Dear friend across the river…
The song had a new meaning now that she and Vi were living on opposite sides of the bridge. Two sisters split between the sister cities. She wondered what their parents would think of that, what Vander would think of it. She already knew what Silco would think, she was pretty sure that he was a permanent part of her subconscious.
She hadn’t been held by Vi like this since before that night. It was soothing, for a moment she could just be the scared little girl who missed her sister and not the monster she had become.
“Do you remember how much you used to love Janna’s Day?” Vi asked quietly. She could remember Powder’s excited giggles and restlessness on Janna’s Eve because she couldn’t sleep.
Jinx shrugged. She remembered, of course, she did, how could she forget? It wasn’t about the holiday itself, it was about seeing how happy the rest of her family was.
“I remember not being able to sleep because I was excited to open presents,” Jinx replied softly.
“Yeah, I remember too. You kept the rest of us up with all your tossing and turning.” Vi teased with a chuckle. Jinx rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t suppress the small smile that formed.
“You used to love it when Vander would take us to look at lights too. You were the littlest, so Vander would always end up carrying you and Mylo would get jealous.” Vi snorted at the memory of Mylo’s petulant whining.
Jinx closed her eyes and tried to picture it. The twinkling lights scattered through Zaun, the warmth of Vander’s jacket, the smell of beer and cologne. It was a good memory. She missed him. The world was so cruel, teasing them with the potential of getting him back only to rip him from them again. Now she was left with a festering wound in her heart and memories she had spent nearly a decade trying to bury.
She was glad to have this memory back though.
“Ekko and Isha are waiting with Cait in the living room, whenever you feel up to joining them,” Vi whispered. She didn’t move, she would let Jinx be in charge of deciding when she was ready to get up and join the others.
Jinx nodded but made no other effort to move. She wanted to stay like this a little while longer. She wanted to pretend that nothing bad had happened, that nothing had changed between them.
Finally, Jinx pulled away from Vi and quickly wiped away her tears again. She was getting tired of crying.
She followed Vi to the living room and as soon as she walked in, Isha leaped off the couch and crashed into her. Jinx wrapped her arms around her and sat on the couch beside Ekko. She pulled Isha into her arms and shifted until she found a decently comfortable position for both of them.
Caitlyn gave her a look that she couldn’t quite decipher. It wasn’t forgiveness, she didn’t want Caitlyn’s forgiveness, she deserved to be hated. It wasn’t hatred either though. It was a silent truce. One day they would talk and maybe they could understand each other better, but for now, the best they could do was form a truce on account of their love for Vi. Loving Vi outweighed any remaining tension between the two blue-haired girls.
Caitlyn got up from her seat and walked toward the Christmas tree. She silently sorted through the presents and made three piles. Vi had been the one to do all the shopping, Caitlyn had simply assisted in purchasing the gifts.
Vi was practically giddy with excitement as she passed out the presents. First she set Isha’s stack on the couch beside the girl, then she set Ekko’s stack in front of him, and finally she handed Jinx her pile.
Jinx wasn’t sure how she felt. They had never gotten this many presents when Vander had been alive. It hadn’t mattered though, the thought was what counted, that was what Vander always told them.
Looking back, she was grateful they had gotten presents at all. It couldn’t have been easy for Vander to afford a decent amount of presents for five kids, he had always made sure to include Ekko in the festivities as well.
It usually went like this: they would wake up to the stockings that they had hung on their bed frames full of trinkets and goodies, then Vander would come down to get them and they would be allowed to go upstairs to see what ‘Janna’ had left them. It was always whatever gift they had been most excited about when making their lists for Janna. After the initial excitement of getting their gift from Janna wore off, then they would exchange gifts with each other. In total, there would be five gifts under the tree per person, one from each member of the family.
Opening presents was fun, obviously, but Powder loved what came after the most. She would show off her new gadgets and scraps to Vi, eagerly chattering about what she was planning to build, and then she and Ekko would spend the afternoon in the basement tinkering away. She was looking forward to recreating that tradition for the first time in years.
“Shall we open presents?” Caitlyn asked, cautiously eyeing the little girl beside Jinx for any signs of malice. Caitlyn was pretty sure Isha was plotting to kill her, she wondered how much Jinx had taught her about shooting.
“Not yet.” Jinx set her pile aside and got up to grab the bag that she and Ekko had brought. She pulled out six presents, three for Vi and three for Caitlyn. Vi had been easy, all of them knew Vi well enough to have ideas for what to get or make for her. Caitlyn was harder, a lot harder.
Ekko had been shocked that Jinx was even considering getting Caitlyn any presents, he had told her she shouldn’t after everything. She knew he was probably right, but she couldn’t shake the guilt that had been eating her, so she caved and threw together three presents for her and slapped Isha and Ekko’s name on the tag.
She hands the stacks of sloppily wrapped presents to Vi and Caitlyn.
“You didn’t have to, Jinx.” Vi told her sister, with an almost exasperated look. She was always trying to be the provider, always expecting nothing in return, but Jinx was having none of it.
Jinx just shrugged and sat back down. Isha looked up at her with wide eyes, sparkling with excitement. Jinx smiled and nodded, answering Isha’s silent question.
Isha tore open the wrapping paper of the present and squealed with joy when she pulled out a toy pistol, similar in look and size to her own. This one, however, shot foam bullets and not lethal bullets.
Isha unwrapped toy after toy all with equal enthusiasm. It was more toys than she had owned in the entirety of her life. Jinx groaned at the thought of finding a spot to store all the new toys. She was gonna have to build a bigger toy chest.
She watched as everyone else opened their gifts and waited to open hers last, just like she had as Powder. Vi and Caitlyn both got little dolls of themselves that Jinx had made.
The gift she was most proud of was her gift to Vi. She had etched her signature monket onto a bullet casing and stuck it on a leather cord. Then she spent days making miniature gauntlets, both Vander’s and the bitch mittens, and then she threaded them onto the necklace as well. It was a reminder that no matter what, they were family.
Vi, being the big sap she was, had gotten teary the second she opened the box and had quickly rushed over to give her sister a hug. Jinx helped Vi put the necklace on, it was such a normal sisterly thing to do.
Caitlyn opened one of her presents, a rifle necklace with the Kiramann crest engraved onto it. She had to admit she was impressed with the craftsmanship. What really threw Caitlyn off was the glowing blue orb nestled in the box. One of the last remaining Hextech gems.
“I figured you could find somewhere safer for it. The war is over so I don’t really need it for weapons anymore.” Jinx explained for Caitlyn could even ask. Caitlyn nodded and tucked the gem away for now, refusing to acknowledg the way Jinx’s hands were shaking.
Jinx somewhat hesitantly opened her presents. She was relieved to see mostly practical items. There was neatly folded fabric for her to make some new clothes for herself and Isha, and maybe boy savior if she was feeling generous. There were tons of scraps that she intended to tinker with as soon as possible, her hands practically itched as she sorted through all the nuts, bolts, and screws available for her projects.
Her final present was in a tiny box, she opened it to find one of Vi’s old bracelets that had some bullet casing bullets knotted onto it. Great minds thought aliike, or however the saying went.
“It had been Vanders before me… I thought maybe you would want a little piece of him.” Vi said almost shyly. Jinx flashed across the room and gave her sister a hug. Vi helped her put the bracelet on. When had her life gotten so domestic?
After the presents had been opened, they spent time chatting and playing games. Slowly the tension in the room began to disappear as the group became reacquainted with each other.
The evening’s festivities came to an end when Isha curled up on Jinx’s lap and fell asleep. Ekko and Jinx agreed to head home so that they could put the little girl to bed. They expressed their gratitude for everything and said their goodbyes as they prepared to leave.
Just before Jinx could walk out the door and into the chilly night air, Vi pulled her into a tight hug.
“Happy Janna’s Day, sis.” Vi muttered as she practically squeezed the life out of Jinx.
“Happy… Janna’s… Day.” Jinx managed to choke out, relief flooding her when Vi finally let go. Vi really did have one hell of a grip.
The walk home was peaceful. Lights twinkled in the darkness of night and she admired the displays as the walked deeper and deeper into Zaun.
Isha was sound asleep in Jinx’s arms, she barely even noticed the little girl’s extra weight, it didn’t bother her. As they walked across the bridge, Jinx began to hum her mother’s lullaby, maybe one day she would teach Isha the words.
When they get home, Jinx admired the way their shadows danced across the walls from the warm lights that were hung throughout the apartment.
She went straight to the bedroom and tucked Isha into the bed. She pressed a kiss to the little girl’s forehead and then hung a stocking full of all her favorite sweets and goodies from the foot of the bed. She knew Isha would be excited to find it in the morning.
Jinx sighed and walked back into the living room. For the first time all day, she finally had a moment alone with Ekko.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked, watching as she sauntered toward him.
“I’m fine. Vi talked me off the edge.” She quipped and she rolled her eyes. She tried to make humor of the situation, but she knew Ekko wouldn’t appreciate it.
“That’s not funny, you know.” He stared at her with exasperation. No matter how much he tried to get her to see her life as important, she was always so willing to joke about it or throw it away.
“Yeah, I know...” She sighed, trying to dig herself out of the hole she had started.
“Seriously though, I’m fine. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Isha was happy, so I’m happy.” She shrugged and looked at him with wide, expectant eyes. Her puppy eyes had gotten her out of all sorts of tricky situations or uncomfortable conversations. Ekko fell for it every time.
Ekko wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some mistletoe to dangle over her head.
“Where’d you even get that from?” She snickered and rolled her eyes.
“Stole it from Caitlyn’s” He responded with a nonchalant shrug.
Jinx cackled with delight, she may have a truce with her sister’s girlfriend but it didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a little harmless prank. She highly doubted that Caitlyn would even realize it was gone.
Jinx leaned forward and their lips met. It was a gentle, yet passionate kiss. With the risk of Isha waking up, they tried to keep things quiet, subtle, and as appropriate as possible. It worked for them, they both enjoyed stolen kisses in the middle of the night and warm cuddles in their bed. They were content with their life and their relationship.
Ekko brushed his thumb along Jinx’s cheek as they broke away from the kiss. His eyes sparkled with affection and he looked at her as though she was the most important thing in the world. She would always be the center of his world.
Jinx blushed and turned away from the eye contact. She knew Ekko loved her and she loved him too, but she was still working on allowing herself to accept that love. Slowly, but surely she was making progress, but she still had a while to go.
“We should head to bed. Isha will be upset if she wakes up and we aren’t there.” Jinx whispered, turning toward their bedroom. He followed after her, always drawn to her like a moth to the flame.
He watched as Jinx lifted her sweater over her head, leaving only the tank top she had on underneath. Her skin seemed to glisten in the moonlight that crept through the windows. She looked ethereal in the silver light, as though the moon itself had chosen her to embody its beauty.
“You’re staring again, Little Man.” She teased as she turned around to smirk at him.
“Sorry…” he mumbled as his face burned with embarrassment. He quickly turned away.
Jinx laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“I’m kidding, Ekko. We’ve been living together for like six months and we literally share a bed.” She purred as she nuzzled his neck.
He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. For a moment they were the only thing in the world that mattered. Then, Jinx heard Isha whine softly in her sleep and her attention immediately shifted to the little girl.
Jinx crawled into bed beside her and gently brushed Isha’s messy curls back and out of her face. She wrapped her arms around the girl and pulled her close to her chest.
Ekko climbed into bed and fidgeted with Jinx’s hair. It was the same pattern every night. Jinx held Isha and Ekko held Jinx. Their small, rickety bed became a safe haven until the sun rose. There was nowhere else any of them would rather be than in the arms of the person who loved them most.