Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was a blur since Isha was… gone…

The first thing Jinx noticed since then, fully noticed, was Ekko reaching has hand out towards her as she was about to pull the pin on one of her bombs (again?? It felt like she had done this before, a faint feeling of DeJa’Vu swimming around her brain).

She had no real memory at the time of how she had ended up on the ledge, bomb in hand… she was just left with the lingering feeling of wanting to disappear. To no longer feel so much but so little at the same time. She had been through so much pain and heartbreak already in her life, she didn’t think she could take any more.

Jinx heard Ekko start to speak, listening with her head tilted slightly towards him.
“You know I learned from someone…very special… that no matter what happened in the past…it’s never too late to build something new. Someone worth building it for.”

Jinx looked at Ekko then, really looked at him… her old childhood friend…for the first time since they had tried to kill each other on that bridge. She saw the device he held in his hand – pink monkeys inside, as if she herself had helped him with its creation. Jinx saw the desperate expression on his familiar, but also different after so long, face - as if he had been trying to save her for much longer than a few seconds.

Ekko had looked back at her whilst he continued speaking, gazing into her eyes as he did so. Jinx met his gaze and let go of the pin, stepping back ever-so-slightly from the edge.
Exhaustion overcame her and she slumped to the ground, setting her bomb gently beside her as she hugged her knees between her arms, resting her head on them. She heard Ekko sit down next to her and they sat in silence for a few minutes, Ekko catching his breath and Jinx trying to breathe in and out slowly herself.

Breaking the silence, Jinx asked in a hoarse voice “who helped you build that?”

Ekko took another deep breath, shaking his head slightly before looking over at Jinx again. He couldn’t believe he had managed to save her. It had felt like hours that he had been turning back time, when it must have only been a few minutes. He took a second to really observe her; taking in her much shorter blue hair minus her usual braids (had she cut it herself? She must have done…), the slightly blue tint to her now usually violet eyes, the obvious exhaustion visible from the bags under her eyes, the otherwise invisible weight she must have carried every day showing itself in the slump of her shoulders.
In Ekko’s eyes, whether she was Jinx or Powder, she was beautiful in every universe.

Ekko realised he had been staring at Jinx for a little too long without answering her question when she started to look back at him with confusion, uttering a “boy saviour? Did ya hear me?”

He shook his head to clear the thoughts with a sheepish expression.
“Sorry Jinx, I spaced out a bit there…”

“I thought that was my job,” she joked in response.

Ekko laughed quietly, thinking about how he would even begin to explain the alternate universe situation.
“You’re gonna think I’m spouting utter nonsense but… we ended up going into an alternate timeline.”

He looked at Jinx, expecting a look of disbelief. She was looking at him, however, with an air of pure fascination.
“We?”

“I was with Heimerdinger and Jayce. I don’t know where Jayce ended up, but Heimerdinger and I appeared in an alternate Zaun. Vander was there, Milo and Claggor were alive, so was Benzo. There was another…you…there. Powder. She was you but… different.”

At that, Jinx’s posture stiffened.
“So, a “better” version of me?” she asked, resting her head on her knees.

“No Jinx, not ‘better’. Just different, she had less trauma and grew up completely differently.” Ekko said calmly, trying to reassure Jinx.

She looked up from her knees again, taking in what Ekko had said. If there really was another ‘her’, who had remained Powder… maybe she had hope that she could begin to heal one day from her trauma, from all the loss she had suffered.

“Milo and Claggor were alive? And Benzo? And Vander was…not how he is right now? What about Vi?” Jinx listed off question after question, taking a breath once she had finished.

Ekko contemplated telling her about Vi. He didn’t want to cause Jinx any more pain, but he also didn’t want to lie to her. He would NOT lie to her.
“Milo and Claggor grew up a whole lot, they were great brothers to Powder. When I saw Benzo was alive, I couldn’t believe it. Getting to hug him again, the man who was basically my father…” Ekko drifted into the memory, feeling many emotions attempting to spill to the surface all over again at the loss of his childhood father-figure. He cleared his throat slightly before continuing.
“Vander was behind the bar as he always used to be. He made amends with Silco too, they worked at The Last Drop together.” He paused, gauging how Jinx was doing with the mention of her third father-figure.

She looked deep in thought, but not reacting too much to the mention of Silco. Ekko knew a lot about Jinx’s time with the man, but not everything. He knew there was a lot that had happened in Jinx’s life since they parted ways after everything with Vander and when Vi was arrested.

“and Vi?” Jinx pressed, needing to know about her sister. Was she happier in this alternate timeline? Were they both still together?

Ekko’s eyes said it all to Jinx, they were filled with what could only be described as grief. She felt her own eyes begin to fill with tears.

Not now. Not in front of Ekko. She thought as she aggressively wiped at her eyes.

Ekko edged closer to Jinx, stopping when their shoulders just barely touched. He didn’t want to scare her off but wanted to offer her comfort, if she chose to take it.
Jinx stiffened in surprise, then rested her head on Ekko’s shoulder. He moved his own head, so it rested atop Jinx’s soft, blue hair. They sat like that for a while, until it was time for action.

“What’s next, boy saviour?” Jinx asked with a slight smirk, not having yet moved her head off his shoulder.

Ekko chuckled to himself, reluctantly raising his own head to look at his surroundings.
“Saving the day of course.”

Jinx shifted, moving away from Ekko so he could stand, whilst he subconsciously touched his hair in the process.

“If we’re saving the day together, we need matching outfits…” Jinx uttered with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she pulled him along with her by grabbing his arm, the one not holding onto his time device.

“Matching outfits?” Ekko muttered quietly, allowing himself to be dragged along by the girl he was still amazed was alive.

Chapter Text

They ended up in Jinx’s hideout. She let go of Ekko’s arm when they arrived and started rummaging through the piles of stuff dotted about the place. Ekko took in his surroundings, the haphazardly placed bits of metal, tools and paints dotted around, drawings everywhere his eyes could see. It was similar in a lot of ways to alternate-timeline Powder’s hideout, just less organised and more chaotic. Much more Jinx. He smiled to himself, soon brought out of his daydream by his reflexes narrowly dodging the bit of metal pipe Jinx had thrown out of her way.

Ekko spent the next few minutes trying to avoid being hit in the head by flying objects, unable to get Jinx’s attention to ask if she wanted any help.
She looked over to him all of a sudden with a grin on her face, holding paints and various other objects in her arms. He moved forward to help her, and together they set the things down onto the floor. They nodded to each other in mutual understanding before getting to work, starting by modifying their weapons and transport.

Afterwards, Ekko allowed Jinx to alter his clothes as she saw fit, having a moment of shock when she reached her arms around him to cut his t-shirt into a crop top. She was gentle with her touch. Much gentler than Ekko would have thought she would be. He inhaled sharply as her thumb unexpectedly touched the bare skin on his lower back. He felt a blush begin to creep up his neck and onto his face, hoping Jinx wouldn’t notice. He remembered the small crush he'd had on her back in their childhood, it had resurfaced during his experiences with Powder in the alternate timeline, and seemed to have transferred back to his Jinx. Not that she belonged to him of course, she was entirely her own person. He knew she would never feel the same way about him in this universe anyway, so he tried to push back down his resurfacing feelings.

She finished cutting his t-shirt, avoiding looking at him directly in the eyes as she stepped back to admire her work. She grabbed two paintbrushes and the different coloured paints, handing a brush to Ekko. They silently began painting each other, taking care with their brushstrokes. Jinx painted a big pink X on Ekko’s chest, gesturing for him to do the same to her. He hesitated for a second before obliging, being ever so gentle in the process. Jinx painted her name on his arm, and he painted his name on hers.

Time passed quickly whilst they painted each other and finished all of their preparations. During this time Jinx spoke a little about Isha, telling Ekko snippets of information about her new younger sister that had, quite literally, fell into her life. When she was talking about Isha, a look of pure love shined on Jinx’s face. She looked so different to the Jinx from the bridge. He could see a glimpse of his Powder. How she was before all the events that led to her becoming Jinx. Ekko couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness that he had never had the chance to meet Isha.

“I think we should have a rest for a bit, we have a few hours still until sunrise.” Ekko suggested as Jinx handed him a cup filled with drinkable water, which he gratefully accepted.

She sipped some water from her own cup, only just having realised how thirsty she was. Had she even drunk anything that day? Probably not…
“Okay.” Jinx said in response, making her way over to the sofa and sitting down. Leaning back, she patted the seat next to her for Ekko to come and join her. He needed to rest too; they didn’t really know what kind of situation they would be ending up in come sunrise.

Ekko carefully sat down beside Jinx, keeping his distance. He wasn’t sure if she felt safe around him just yet, so didn't want to get too close into her personal space.

Jinx curled her legs up to the side of the sofa and placed her head on Ekko’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep relatively quickly with how exhausted she was. Ekko leaned his own head against the back of the sofa, closing his eyes in contentment.

They stayed like that whilst catching up on a few much-needed hours of sleep. Ekko awoke first to find Jinx’s arms wrapped around his waist, her head on his chest as she slept, her legs had moved, and her feet were now grazing the floor gently. Her face peaceful for the first time in a long time. She felt safe with Ekko, even if she only knew this subconsciously at the time.
His own arms were wrapped around her small frame. In their sleep they had sought comfort from each other. Ekko blushed profusely, although he was reluctant to move his arms away from the sleeping girl.

Jinx stirred from her sleep, lifting her head to meet Ekko’s gaze as he looked down at her with his deep brown eyes. Noting their close proximity, she blushed slightly herself as they both untangled themselves from each other, trying not to shiver as the chill of the room became noticeable again.

Jinx cleared her throat before speaking in a tone slightly croaky from sleep, “Right… shall we get going then? It’s about time we saved the day.”

Ekko took in their outfits they had made the previous day, noting how Jinx’s top (well, it was more of a belt really…) would probably make her cold. She wouldn’t be able to fight properly in that case. So, for no reason other than to protect her from catching a cold, Ekko removed his jacket and placed it over Jinx’s small shoulders. She smirked at him, wrapping it around herself and placing her arms through the huge sleeves. They shared a sad smile before jumping into action. It was, after all, time to save the day…

Chapter Text

~~~~~~~~~~Jinx~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything was a blur of bright colours, loud noises and violence. Jinx and Ekko flew in on their airship, working like a team who had been training together for years for this exact moment in time.

Before they knew it, they were separated. Jinx going after Vi and Ekko helping the firelights.

It was as if Jinx had blinked – for the next moment she was hanging onto Vi’s hand, hanging from a ledge, her sister with an intense look of desperation on her tear-stained face. Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Jinx could feel herself falling. All she could think was how she didn’t want to hurt her sister anymore. She believed Vi’s life would be better off without her in it. The ‘jinx’ in her sister’s life would be gone. She would be gone. Maybe it was time now. Time for her to leave, permanently.

With one last emotion-filled look at Vi, Jinx uttered what she thought were her last words to her sister. To anyone.
“Always with you, sis.”
She hit the hex gemstone out of Vi’s glove, falling, falling, falling…

As she pulled the pin, prepared for the warm and peaceful (she hoped) embrace of death, she thought of how she could be the saviour for once. She could be the person helping others, instead of the one hurting them.

In the flash of light that came with the pin being pulled, Vander’s eyes were looking at her instead of the monster he had been made into. He threw her in mid-air, his last act one of love, of saving his daughter.
Jinx screamed out “dad” as she flew through the misty air towards a vent in the old, slightly crumbling wall of the building.
She crashed through just as the full force of her bomb went off, taking Vander with it and pushing her further through the vent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Ekko~~~~~~~~~

Ekko had the sudden need to find Jinx. He knew something wasn’t right, he could sense it. The fight was still ongoing around him as he flew off on his hoverboard towards where he’d last seen that flash of bright-blue hair.

When he entered the high-ceilinged building, all he saw was Vi, sobbing her heart out on a ledge, her face hidden in her hands. A quick glance around had no sign of Jinx. He sat down beside his childhood older sister, hand hovering above her shoulder unsure of whether to offer comfort or not. They hadn’t seen each other since he told her Powder was gone. They were virtually strangers at this point.

“Vi?” he tentatively called out to her, deciding to place his hand on her shoulder after all as he came up beside her and sat down next to her on the ledge.

She turned towards the sound of his voice, face wet with tears.
“She’s… gone…” Vi stuttered before leaning into Ekko’s side. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her solid form whilst she sobbed into his crop-top-clad chest. He tried to process what Vi could possibly mean when it hit him… she obviously meant Jinx.
Jinx cant be gone, not like that… she had to have survived somehow…

They sat together for a while before Vi moved her head away, Ekko’s arms loosening their hold on her. She explained to Ekko exactly what had happened, trying not to start sobbing again as she did so. Explained how Jinx had sacrificed herself to save her sister. How she looked almost peaceful as she did so, which hurt more than he would have thought, as he wished for peace for her but not when it meant her death.

He rose from the ground, holding out a hand to help Vi to her feet. She hesitated a second before taking it, heaving herself up to standing with a huff of breath escaping loudly as she did so. She balanced precariously on his hoverboard as they made their way down to the ground, taking in the destruction Jinx’s bomb had caused. They found Vander’s body, clutching the bomb in his huge hands. He was actually gone this time, no coming back from this. Vi leaned carefully down, closing his eyelids with the love of a daughter who had lost her father once again. Vander looked at peace for the first time since everything had happened back when Jinx was still known as Powder.

Vi was knelt down, gazing at who was once her father with heartache written all over her features. The explosion had killed him on impact; however, his new body was so tough it hardly looked like he had been hit by a bomb at all…
Ekko began to look for signs of Jinx. A flash of blue hair, his huge jacket which he knew she was wearing, the gun she was carrying before everything had happened.

He was jolted out of his search by Vi’s desperate-sounding voice.
“Ekko…Vander had the bomb in his hands… I can see fragments of it still there.”

Ekko spun to face Vi, confusion clouding his features.

She spoke again, clearer, with a tinge of hope in her voice.
“Jinx had the bomb Ekko, not Vander, so how did he end up with it? Shouldn’t we have found Jinx’s body nearby, or some sign of her like her bright-blue hair? She must be somewhere else in this room. We have to find her Ekko. We might still be able to save her…”

Vi was rambling desperately, hoping against hope that her sister was still alive somewhere. They nodded to each other in mutual understanding, going off in different directions to search the huge room they were in for any sign of the blue-haired girl.

The fact they hadn’t found a body after almost an hour of searching the rubble and crumbling areas of the room was simultaneously bringing them hope and despair. Just as Ekko was about to admit defeat (albeit reluctantly, painfully) he saw it. What looked like the bottom edge of his dark-brown jacket poking out of a vent a quarter of the way up the wall from the stone floor. In the four seconds it took for him to reach the vent, he had gotten his hopes up rather high. He had almost shouted out to Vi, however he wanted to check first. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Vi even more, dangling the hope of her sister being alive still in front of her face and then having to snatch it away if it wasn’t actually the case.

He dragged over a nearby crate, standing atop it so he could see inside the vent. He could’ve sworn his heart stopped beating for a split second and he’d stopped breathing. Sprawled out into the vent was Jinx. His jacket almost falling off her small shoulders, her eyes closed. She was awfully still, and he couldn’t see if her chest was rising and falling as it should be or not.
Ekko reached in and carefully pulled Jinx out and into his arms, being as delicate as he could be to ensure he didn’t bump her head in the process.

He placed her gently on the ground once he stepped off the crate, resting her head in his lap. Leaning down slowly, he put his cheek near her mouth, waiting to feel or hear her breathing.
What felt like hours, but could’ve only been seconds, passed before he felt a gentle tickle of warm breath on his cheek. Jinx was alive. Jinx was alive…

“VI! I FOUND HER!” Ekko yelled out.

She ran as if she had just been injected with Shimmer, panting and out of breath as she sank to her knees next to her sister. Vi and Ekko shared a look of immense relief.

Vi looked down at her sister, reaching out to gently hold one of her hands, the one with the prosthetic finger Jinx had made for herself and drawn a smiley face on. Tears began to fall down her face.

Ekko didn’t realise he also had tears streaming down his own face until he tasted salt when he licked his dry lips. He shared a relieved look with Vi whilst subconsciously caressing Jinx’s hair back from her face.

A small cough escaped from the blue-haired girl, causing Ekko and Vi to gasp involuntarily. Ever-so-slowly, she blinked open her violet eyes, flitting between two people who she was not expecting to see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Jinx~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m…alive???

Jinx’s brain was suddenly flooded with the memory of what had happened mere hours before, remembering her last moment with Vander as he saved her from blowing herself up alongside him. The love of a father for his daughter shining through even when it was least expected.

As she opened her eyes, two familiar, tear-streaked faces came into view. Her sister. And Ekko. The boy saviour, here to save the day, again. She didn’t want to admit how happy she was to see him alongside her sister, so she settled on a wonky smile to them both.
“Didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did ‘ya?” Jinx croaked, locking eyes with Vi and gently squeezing the hand that was holding her own.

Vi gently pulled her no-longer-a-baby baby sister into her arms from Ekko’s lap, Ekko sitting on his knees watching the two sisters have a moment together.
Vi sobbed into Jinx’s hair, whispering how much she loved her and to NEVER do something like that again, did she hear?!
Jinx just nodded into Vi’s warm embrace, hugging her sister back tightly, not wanting to let go anytime soon. Vi gently held the back of Jinx’s head throughout their hug, even more careful than usual as she didn’t know how injured Jinx potentially was.
Jinx treasured this moment with her sister, feeling relieved for the first time in a while that she was alive. When Ekko had saved her the previous day, she went along with the process of trying to help everyone, especially after finding out about the alternate-timeline where she had stayed Powder. But now? In the warm, strong arms of her sister, Jinx believed she really could live. Be alive, not be a jinx to everyone around her. Vi’s solid arms grounded Jinx in a way she hadn’t been in a very long time.

Vi eventually let go of Jinx, nodding at Ekko and mouthing to him ‘your turn, little man’.

Jinx turned to Ekko, looking at him briefly in the eyes, her violet ones to his brown, before wrapping her arms round his neck in a hug. It took a few seconds for him to process what was happening, but he soon hugged her back just as fiercely, arms around her waist. He couldn’t believe she was safe. She was alive.

Reluctantly, Jinx let go of Ekko after a few minutes. He helped her to stand, and with him on one side and Vi on the other, they hobbled out into the street.

Everything seemed to have happened without them. The battle was over, the hexcore destroyed.
As they staggered out together, the beginnings of peace seemed to radiate around. Something good would hopefully come out of all this. If only Isha was there to see it…

Chapter Text

When the hexstone had exploded, somehow it had sent Isha tumbling into an alternate timeline. The very same timeline Ekko had previously visited with Heimerdinger…

Powder was examining the portal in which alternate-timeline Ekko had disappeared into all of those months ago when a young child quite literally appeared out of thin air in front of her.

An eruption of blue, sparkling light swirled throughout the portal itself as the silhouette of a small child grew more corporeal by the second. Powder stared in wonder, observing carefully. The first thing she could properly see was short, choppy hair - an interesting shade of brown mixed with vibrant blue (much like her own sapphire-blue hair) – underneath a grey hat covered in mostly-blue drawings with a pair of doodled-on goggles sitting atop it. As if it had never even happened and Powder had imagined it all, the blue light evaporated completely within two minutes of its first appearance.
It definitely did happen however, as a child stood in front of the portal, her vibrant amber eyes blinking in confusion. The young girl couldn’t have been more than 6 years old; wearing striped, purple leggings, a black sleeveless jacket with a white cross on the front, some kind of brown thread or leather with beige-white beads around her neck and bandages on various parts of her body. She also had what looked like pale-blue cloud tattoos (that surely must have not been real given her age) on her right upper arm.

Powder’s blue eyes and the child’s amber ones met simultaneously, the latter’s forming a spark of recognition as she took in Powder’s appearance. The blue-haired young woman was wearing her usual grey dungarees and a blue short-sleeved top with a dark pink collar, her hair in space buns as normal.

After what could have only been a minute at most, the child ran to Powder, encircling her little arms around Powder’s legs. She looked down in shock, frozen at the sudden contact. The child clung onto Powder tightly, as if afraid of what might happen if she let go. Powder gently touched the top of the child’s head, or really, her hat, and the girl looked up at her nervously, not letting go in the process.

“Hey there, what’s your name little one?” Powder asked as calmly and reassuringly as she was able to.

The child looked up at her for a few seconds before deciding that it was safe to let go of Powder’s legs. She used her hands to fingerspell her name – I – S -H – A.

Powder knew the very basics of sign language. Ekko had taught her after learning some beginner signs himself, which seemed to now be coming in useful.

“Isha?”

The young girl nodded, a small smile now on her face as she came to the realisation that she wouldn’t be misunderstood, at least, not completely.

“That is a beautiful name.” Powder whispered to Isha with a warm smile.

Isha’s own smile grew wider at the compliment. She stepped back slightly, whilst still staying relatively close to Powder, to look around at her (semi-familiar) surroundings. As Isha spun around slowly, Powder noticed two little blue braids at the back of her head, poking out from underneath her hat. They were coming undone a little, but otherwise had stayed intact during her time in the portal. Powder watched the young girl with interest, wondering how she had even managed to activate a portal of any kind at such a young age.

Once Isha was content with her surroundings – Powder’s secret workshop was similar in a lot of ways to Jinx’s hideout in her own timeline, the main differences being that it was a lot tidier and better organised – she faced Powder again, examining her intently.

She began signing something, and Powder realised it was the word “Jinx”.
Isha tilted her head in question, pointing at the blue-haired woman.

The memory of her time with alternate timeline Ekko came flooding back to her. The Powder of his universe went by the name Jinx as a young adult. Could this be the person Isha was referring to?

Powder shook her head slightly at Isha.
“No, I’m not Jinx. My name is Powder.”

She was unsure how much she would be able to explain to the child, as alternate timelines were something that even she herself had found difficult at first to even begin to understand.

Isha tilted her head to the side, staring at Powder more intently than before.

“Isha, do you know how you got here?” Powder asked, blue eyes meeting amber ones.

Isha shook her head to say ‘no’, looking a bit confused for a short moment about how she could have possibly ended up there.
Then she started signing something.

Powder could make out the word “blue”.
Isha also accompanied this word with a few different hand gestures. She mimicked an explosion with both hands after mouthing the word “pow” and aiming one hand at the air in an imitation of a gun.

Powder, deep in thought over what exactly Isha meant by all that, was suddenly startled by the sound of a nearby door opening and closing. She turned, trying to gauge if someone had entered her lab or if she was hearing noises from elsewhere.

Isha, upon hearing the unexpected sound, flinched visibly and hid behind Powder’s legs, her tiny arms clinging to them as she poked part of her head round to try and see what was happening.

Powder felt herself relax slightly as she caught sight of familiar white hair and warm, brown skin. Her Ekko appeared in front of her. He had looked as if he were about to say something when he stopped, noticing the small child peeking around Powder’s legs, clinging onto her tightly.

“When did you… uhm… acquire a child??” Ekko asked, bewildered.

Powder giggled slightly at the look on her boyfriend’s face, his eyebrows arched even higher than usual and creeping into his hairline.

“Ekko, this is Isha.” Powder said whilst holding her hand out for Isha to take.

The small child let go of Powder’s legs, taking her hand instead. She leaned into her side whilst shyly looking up at Ekko.

“Isha appeared from the portal about half an hour ago… there was a flash of blue light and once it disappeared, Isha was left there. We’re trying to figure out how, and why, she ended up here with us.” Powder continued, trying to explain the odd situation to Ekko.

He looked at the little girl in question in mild disbelief.
“The portal? Do you think she’s from the same universe as that other me?”

“I think there is a high chance of that, yes. She seemed to think I was someone called Jinx, and I know the me from the other timeline went by that name. She was no longer known as Powder there,” the blue-haired girl said in response.

Powder also told him about what Isha had signed to her moments before he had arrived, wondering if he could possibly make some sense of it.

Ekko looked deep in thought for a moment, contemplating the situation they had found themselves in. After the other him had disappeared back into his own reality, Powder had tried to explain all that had happened during those two months. Ekko had felt as if he were asleep the whole time, as if everything experienced during that time was a dream. It was the most disconcerting feeling he had ever experienced, and probably would ever experience. Ultimately though, he believed the whole alternate timelines situation, even more so now with Isha having appeared.

“So, Isha. There was some kind of explosion, was there? It was blue?” Ekko asked the little girl, who nodded in response whilst still holding Powder’s hand.

Ekko looked back to Powder.
“It must have been something to do with one of those hex crystals.” Powder pondered aloud.

She looked down at Isha.
“Are you hungry, Isha? We could get you a snack and some juice. We can then try and sort this out together, so we can get you back home. Sound good?” Powder asked the little girl.

Isha nodded in response, signing “yes, please”.

Powder led the way to her workshop desk, Isha still holding her hand as she trailed along behind, Ekko following after them.

Once Isha was settled on a blanket with an apple juice box, a couple of cookies, an empty notebook and some pens for her to draw with, Powder and Ekko got to work on figuring out how to get Isha back home to her own timeline.

They worked seamlessly together for several hours before Powder realised it was probably past dinnertime already. Isha had been occupied with drawing, occasionally coming up to check their progress in between.

“We should probably stop for today, get Isha a proper meal that doesn’t consist of cookies and fruit juice. We can sneak her through the Last Drop and come back tomorrow once we’re more rested.” Powder told Ekko, snapping him out of his concentration.
He nodded in agreement, putting down the pen he had been using onto the worktable.

Powder crouched down to where Isha was sitting, her little face scrunched up in concentration as she coloured in her drawing of a blue monkey.

“Isha, how about we go and get some dinner?” Powder asked the girl quietly, so as not to spook her.

Isha glanced up at Powder. She put her colouring pen down onto the blanket and stood up, taking the hand that Powder offered her into her own.

The three of them left the lab together, Ekko following behind the girls.

They arrived at the Last Drop and Powder managed to sneak them round to the back door, through the kitchen and up to the small apartment situated on the floor above without anyone noticing them. Isha had not let go of her hand the entire time, clinging to her as if she was her lifeline.

Once inside the apartment, Ekko turned to Isha.
“Do you like mac ‘n’ cheese?”

Isha nodded enthusiastically, smiling at him. He smiled in reply before spinning back around, making his way into the small kitchen to get started on a simple dinner for the three of them.

Powder smiled down at Isha, saying “you can have a look around if you want to. I don’t know what your home is like, but I’m guessing it’s a little different…”

Isha let go of the older girl’s hand, wandering around the open-plan space and observing her surroundings. The living room consisted of a well-worn navy-blue sofa, covered with a pale-blue blanket and pastel-purple cushions, a small wooden table with an even smaller tv sat atop it and a tall, slightly misshapen bookcase filled with too many books. A counter-island separated the living room space from the kitchen, which was fully pastel-coloured. Three closed doors led to what must have been the bathroom and bedrooms.

Powder showed Isha where the bathroom was and soon enough dinner was ready. They sat together at the kitchen island and ate in contented silence. Once finished, Isha looked at the two young adults inquisitively. Powder was glad to have Ekko with her as he had a greater understanding of sign.

“Will I sleep here?” Isha signed in question.

Ekko and Powder exchanged glances before Powder answered, her tone calm and gentle.
“Yes, as long as that’s okay with you? We can make a cosy space up on the sofa, or if you’d prefer you can sleep in my bed, and I can sleep on the sofa for tonight?”

Isha shook her head, signing “sofa is okay”. She seemed like she didn't want to be a bother.

Powder nodded in response as she got up to clear their dinner plates away. Ekko spent the next few minutes telling Isha about their timeline, attempting to ask her questions about her own. She didn’t know the other Ekko, had not heard of him at all, so obviously this Jinx person hadn’t told her anything about that Ekko. Vi was still alive, which he knew anyway as Powder had learned that and told him about it. She had felt in a way like she was mourning all over again, for a life she never got to have. A life where her sister was still alive.

Isha’s eyes started drooping, indicating how tired she must’ve been. Powder held out her hand and walked Isha into the bathroom, setting down one of her oversized t-shirts on the bathroom floor for Isha to change into and use as pyjamas. Isha looked at the t-shirt before turning to Powder, holding her arms up as if asking for help.

Powder just about melted on the spot, asking if Isha wanted help and waiting for the response of a nod before she helped the little one get changed ready for sleep. The child’s parent or guardian must usually help her, Powder thought to herself. Or, she was just a lot sleepier than usual.

Once ready for sleep, Powder tucked Isha into a blanket on the sofa, a pillow propped beneath her head. Her hat having been removed and placed on the floor near the end of the sofa. Ekko watched his girlfriend lovingly as she said goodnight to Isha, gently stroking a piece of blue hair away from the little girl’s eyes before turning the main light off. A small lamp glowed warmly beside the sofa, the light from the kitchen still on too.

Powder and Ekko said goodnight to each other, Ekko leaving to return to his own apartment nearby. They did often stay over each other’s homes, but felt it best not to tonight in case Isha didn’t feel comfortable – she was still wary of Ekko it seemed, although she was warming to him after their time together at dinner.

Locking and chaining the front door behind Ekko and turning the kitchen light off as she walked past, Powder went into her bedroom to get ready for bed herself. Vander lived in a small house near to the Last Drop now, having given the apartment to Powder when she showed no signs of wanting to leave Zaun. He was happy for her to have it.

Before she crawled into bed for the night, Powder reopened her bedroom door just a crack. She wanted Isha to know which room she was in, just in case she needed her in the night. She remembered as a child how she had Vi with her most nights. How her sister would comfort her if she had a nightmare. Ekko would often stay over for sleepovers too, even more so after Vi died. Vander was always there for Powder as well, if she ever needed him.
Isha was all alone in this timeline, away from her family, away from anyone she knew. So, Powder wanted to make sure she felt as safe as she possibly could.

She drifted off to sleep and dreamed of her time with alternate timeline Ekko. How different would her life have been, if he had never showed up all those months ago? She wouldn’t have met Isha, that’s for sure, and even after only knowing the child for less than 24 hours, she felt immensely protective of her. She needed to do whatever she could to help her get home.

Powder awoke in the early hours of the morning to the sounds of muffled crying. She inched out of her bedroom quietly, noting that the once-peacefully still lump on the sofa was now moving slightly. She edged closer to the child, whispering her name.
“Isha… are you okay, sweetheart?”

The little girl moved her head from where she was crying into her pillow, bottom lip trembling as she tried to stifle her cries. Powder sat down next to her, opening her arms to ask if Isha wanted a hug.
Isha immediately fell into the hug, crying into Powder’s shoulder. Powder gently stroked her hair in a way she hoped would bring comfort to the child.

Once her tears had subsided a bit, Powder asked, “did you have a nightmare?”

Isha nodded into her shoulder, gripping onto the older girl’s purple pyjama t-shirt tightly with her little fists.

“Do you sleep by yourself at home?” Powder questioned.

Isha was still quite young, although Powder would have thought she’d be of an age where she slept in her own bed. Not that she knew a great deal about children though, apart from having been one herself once…

Isha shook her head.
“Jinx.” She signed, after moving her arms back from where she had been hugging Powder.

“You usually sleep next to Jinx?” Powder asked, wanting to check she understood.

Isha nodded, tears beginning to fall again.
Powder gently swiped at some of the tears, cupping Isha’s face in her hands and meeting her amber eyes.

“I bet you miss her, huh?” Powder mused quietly, getting another small nod out of the child.

Sighing slightly in resignation (although, she really didn’t mind at all) Powder asked Isha if she wanted to sleep next to her for the rest of the night. Isha signed “yes” with her hand, changing up from her usual response of nodding.

Powder scooped Isha up into her arms and carried the sleepy child back to her room, settling her down on her bed. She pulled up the covers for Isha and they settled down next to each other, heads on pillows. Isha’s breathing slowed quickly as she fell back to sleep, content and feeling safe in the presence of someone so similar to Jinx in so many ways, ways that only Isha could see. Soon, sleep welcomed Powder into its warm embrace. She slept peacefully beside Isha.

The sunlight streaming through a gap in the curtain greeted Powder as she awoke, feeling the weight of something other than a blanket curled up next to her. She turned her head to the side, observing the sleeping form of Isha. The little girl had snuggled up to her in her sleep, putting an arm over Powder’s stomach and gripping onto her pyjama shirt. Powder felt a surge of protectiveness she had never felt before, swearing to herself that she would get Isha back home to her family. Such a sweet, wonderful child deserved every happiness she was able to have, and Powder would do everything in her power to help her.

She smiled at the child as she slowly stirred awake, letting go of Powder as she sat up – yawning and stretching like a cat.

“Breakfast?” Powder asked, to which Isha signed “yes please”.

It took three more days to figure out how to get Isha back, which in reality, wasn’t long at all considering she had only shown up four days ago. Those three days passed quickly, with Isha never leaving Powder’s side the entire time. She sat in the workshop, helping Powder and Ekko at times but mostly colouring and drawing. She slept next to Powder each night, always waking snuggled into her side, seeking comfort as she slept. Powder would miss the little girl a lot. She had become particularly fond of her, and their time together made Powder wonder about the Isha of her own universe. Was she anything at all like this one?
It seemed likely that they were existing simultaneously in this universe, considering how Isha had appeared, although Powder couldn’t help but wonder what might happen once the little girl returns to her own reality. She knew she would feel like something was missing. She knew she had grown used to having Isha around, even though it had been less than a week.

Ekko and Powder had been able to figure everything out so quickly this time around mostly due to the fact that they still had all the calculations from when Heimerdinger and alternate Ekko were last there. And, of course, Powder’s blue hex crystals.

As they prepared to say goodbye to Isha, the child gave Powder a drawing she had made of them both. Written in the child’s untidy scribble were the words ‘To Powder, love Isha.’
Powder felt tears spring into her eyes as she gratefully took the gift, using a magnet to pin it up on the wall above her workstation, in pride of place. Isha beamed.

Ekko held out his hand for a fist bump, to which Isha fist bumped him back.
“It’s been fun, kiddo,” he said as she stepped back, giving him a smile and a thumbs up in reply.

Powder knew it was time to say goodbye to the little girl. She felt like she was losing someone important to her all over again, except this time, they weren’t dying like with her sister. They were going back to their home, to their family.
She crouched down to Isha’s level, taking her tiny hands in her own. They met each other’s eyes, too many emotions to name passing between them.

“Thank you, Isha, for the time we have had together. It’s been wonderful getting to hang out with you.” Powder said meaningfully, smiling at the child.

Isha let go of Powder’s hands, signing “thank you, Powder.”

She then threw herself at Powder, wrapping her tiny arms around the blue-haired older girl’s neck. Powder encircled her own arms around Isha’s tiny form. They hugged tightly for a few moments before letting go, albeit reluctantly.

Isha straightened her hat and entered the portal device, waiting patiently for Powder to activate it. With her Ekko beside her, she pulled the metal lever… and they watched together as Isha gave them a proud salute before disappearing into a cloud of blue sparkles, a relatively quiet bang issuing as her form became less corporeal.

Powder sunk into Ekko’s arms, an intense mix of relief and sadness, but also acceptance, flowing through her.

Isha looked around as she appeared back in her own timeline, taking in her surroundings. Now she just had to find Jinx…

Chapter Text

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isha ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isha reappeared into her own timeline nearly as quickly as she had vanished in the first place. It was almost instantaneous. One moment she had been saluting Powder and Ekko in parting, the next she was back in Zaun. She could tell it was Zaun from the crumbling, dark buildings surrounding her. The air thicker, although not quite as smoggy as she remembered it. She had appeared in an alley near the remains of The Last Drop, it’s sign half-broken and hanging from what was left of the building.

The little girl began to walk slowly forwards, trying to figure out where she should start her search for Jinx. She clasped her small hands together in an attempt to comfort herself, anxiety seeping in as she wandered through Zaun all alone. She hadn’t been fully alone since she had met Jinx. Even in the alternate timeline she had Powder at all times. Isha smiled faintly at the thought of her time with Powder. Although short, it had meant a lot to her. Helped her not miss Jinx quite as much. Now she was back though, she felt an almost physical ache in her chest at how much she missed the blue-haired woman. She knew that the moment she saw her she would run to Jinx and hug her as tightly as she could. She never wanted to be apart from her again.

Isha continued her slow walk through the streets of Zaun, sticking to the shadows of buildings as much as she possibly could.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jinx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jinx had stumbled all the way to the Firelights tree with the help of Ekko and Vi on either side of her. They had made their way through the dark streets of Zaun mostly unseen, thanks to the fact most people were regrouping after everything that had happened. Lots of people needed medical attention, and there were a lot who had lost a loved one in the battle.

Jinx knew she had come close to being one of those people lost. Despite everything, and how much her heart still felt cleaved in two after losing Isha, she was relieved to be alive. To be there with Vi and with Ekko. She loved her sister and was so thankful she was also still alive… and Ekko… oh, Ekko. Jinx had so many feelings trying to fight their way to the surface of her thoughts when his name echoed around in her brain. With a great effort, she pushed them all down to think about later…at a time when she wasn’t in physical discomfort and slight pain.

Ekko and Vi hadn’t told Jinx where they were taking her, initially having shared a knowing look with each other and a mutual nod of agreement. So, when they emerged from a tunnel into the open space where the Firelights resided, Jinx’s jaw literally dropped. A magnificent tree had appeared in her line of vision. A plant actually growing in Zaun was a miracle in itself, but an actual TREE! That was something else entirely. Jinx was mesmerised by the sight in front of her, turning her head slightly to look at Ekko in disbelief.

“You were the one who found this?” she whispered, her violet eyes sparkling with awe.

Ekko blushed ever so slightly at the sudden attention he was receiving from the blue-haired girl and awkwardly ran the hand not holding onto Jinx’s shoulder through his white hair.

“Yes. It really is wonderful, isn’t it?!” Ekko responded enthusiastically, smiling warmly at Jinx.

After giving Jinx a moment, the three Zaunites made their way to Ekko’s hut near the bottom of the tree itself.

“I’m sorry if it’s a bit messy, I wasn’t expecting any visitors,” Ekko said whilst using his spare hand to unlock and push open the wooden door.

As they hobbled in, Jinx’s eyes flitted around the room, taking in her surroundings. It was a cosy space, with a small double bed pushed up against the left wall – which was covered with green patchwork blankets and a few plump pillows – and a wooden bedside table beside it, overflowing with books piled high enough to be on the verge of toppling over. A small, rounded window sat on the wall alongside the bed, the mint-green curtains pulled open - revealing the remaining rays of sunlight as they shined through, giving the room a warm glow. On the opposite side of the hut was a dark, wooden desk piled high with various papers. There was also a wonky wooden bookshelf, a few books stacked haphazardly on the shelves, and a mahogany chest of drawers with clothes spiling out of a few of the slightly open drawers. A worn armchair, seemingly made out of some kind of navy-blue fabric, sat next to the bookshelf across from a closed door that more than likely led to Ekko’s bathroom.

Ekko helped Vi to gently drop Jinx into the armchair before flitting around his room, attempting to tidy a little. The two sisters watched him in shared amusement as he did so.

Once somewhat satisfied with his tidying frenzy, Ekko grabbed a first aid kit from a cupboard in his bathroom. As he did so, Jinx saw smooth mint-green walls and the corner of a white-tiled shower through the open doorway. The bathroom, although small, looked clean and well-maintained.

“Let’s assess the damage here, shall we?” Ekko asked ever so gently as he crouched down in front of Jinx, setting the first aid kit on the floor beside him.

Jinx nodded, allowing him to check her over for any injuries. He was gentle in his touch, as if afraid to hurt Jinx even more. His brow was furrowed in deep concentration.

Vi hovered around them both, watching her younger sister with concern and the love only an older sister can possess flowing off her in waves.

Ekko, sensing Vi’s anxious energy, asked her if she could grab some water for them all. This gave her something to do, something she could help with, so with a gentle squeeze to Jinx’s shoulder she left Ekko’s hut – shutting the door behind her as she went.

Although Vi was temporarily gone, the anxious energy in the room had not entirely left with her. When Jinx realised that she was alone with Ekko, for the first time since before the battle, she couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive. The image of them waking up snuggled together on the sofa in her hideout appeared vividly in her mind, causing her to feel a slight blush appear on her face. She hoped Ekko wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t as if friends didn’t hug…

When she and Ekko were kids, they often had sleepovers where they slept near each other. Sometimes they woke up holding hands, as if they had reached out for the other in their sleep. It was probably a ‘normal’ friendship thing, Jinx supposed, although she wasn’t entirely sure as her one real friend had only ever been Ekko.

Sometimes there were people around her age in Silco’s gang, at least as she got older, but she never formed any real friendships with any of them. After all, they usually died pretty quick or Silco shipped them off to other jobs to keep Jinx focused on her own tasks. To keep her under his control. If she didn’t have anyone else, she was easier for him to influence. She did have Sevika she thought, but she was more of a ‘distant aunt who merely tolerated your presence’ kind of a person. Jinx didn’t even know if she was still alive. She would have to find out… she owed the ogre that much at least.

Jinx was brought out of her reverie by a sudden pain shooting up her left arm, where Ekko had seemingly just touched it. She flinched slightly, the only indication to Ekko that she had felt any pain at all.

“Sorry, Jinx, did that hurt?” he asked apologetically.

“A little.”

She looked at him now, his eyes meeting hers as he kept checking her arm to see if anywhere else had any pain. Ekko’s kind, brown eyes showed such care as he looked at her. It made her feel warm. It made her feel safe. He made her feel safe. She blushed a little at the thought, a voice in her head (probably Milo, it seemed like Milo) saying that she was going soft. Maybe though, just maybe, that wasn’t as bad as she thought…

After Ekko had bandaged up the sore part of Jinx’s arm and a few cuts and scrapes on her legs and stomach (his hands so gentle, she had almost shivered at his warm touch), he began to move away to put the first aid kit back in the bathroom.

“Where do you think you’re going with that, boy saviour?” Jinx asked teasingly, smirking at him as he spun back round to face her.

“To put it away…” he managed to utter before Jinx was speaking again, cutting him off as she did so.

“Not so fast. Let me check you for injuries too. I know you didn’t fall off a ledge, but you were in a battle, Ekko.”

Jinx had switched from a teasing to a caring tone about halfway through speaking, causing Ekko to sigh in resignation and help her walk over to his bed. There was more space there for them to both sit down, so she didn’t have to stand up for too long or attempt crouching down like he had been doing when treating her.  

He handed Jinx the first aid kit and she checked him over, showing the same gentle care which she had shown when they were painting each other and getting prepared the previous day. He knew it was no use in insisting he was fine, so let her get on with it. He secretly relished in her soft touches. Not that he’d admit that to anyone, least of all her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Isha ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what felt like a very long time to Isha and her little legs, she turned a corner to what looked at first glance like a tunnel that led to a dead-end. She stepped closer, feeling the need to investigate further just in case. Jinx was known to dwell in well-hidden places that were difficult to find.

She tip-toed forwards as silently as she could, down through the pitch-black tunnel for several metres. She stopped, listening carefully. Silence surrounded her at first for a few minutes and she almost turned back, wondering if it had been silly to think she might actually be close to finding her m- to finding Jinx.

Suddenly, Isha could hear the faint sound of voices coming from behind the ‘wall’. She crept forwards until she was close enough to touch it. What she found felt like vines, lots and lots of thin floaty vines. Isha bravely pushed a hand forwards, stumbling slightly as her hand went straight through the things. She pulled her hand back for a second in a surprise before taking a deep, slow, calming breath and plunging straight through.

Isha was met with the fading rays of dazzling sunlight. She blinked a few times as her eyes got used to the sudden light after the darkness of the tunnel. When she could see properly again, she let out a small gasp at the sight in front of her. A huge, magnificent tree stood before her, surrounded by little huts. There were a few people – whom she assumed were Zaunites - milling about, although they were busy with preparing food or doing other jobs and took no notice of the little girl who had just appeared from the tunnel.

She gazed around the area in awe, eyes widening as a familiar head of red hair appeared in her line of sight, standing near a water pump. Isha could only see the back of the muscular woman, but she was sure it was Jinx’s older sister, Vi. She didn’t know Vi very well at all, but she had a feeling if she tried to communicate with her, she might know where Jinx was.

Vi turned at the sound of small, timid footsteps approaching where she was standing. Isha looked up at her expectantly, about to move her hands to begin signing a question. Vi’s face went white in a look of pure shock, as if she had just seen a ghost… and this was the moment Isha realised that perhaps it was assumed that she was… gone. The thought shook her to the core. If Jinx thought she was dead, how would she react if she saw her alive? Would she be happy to see her? Or was she relieved she was gone? She wouldn’t have the responsibility of a child anymore…

Before Isha’s anxious thoughts could spiral any further, Vi seemed to snap out of her shock. She dropped the plastic cups she was holding to the ground as she reached out for Isha, crouching down to her level to wrap her into a warm hug, one of her hands cupping the back of Isha’s head lightly.

Isha froze for a moment, unsure how to react. No one had hugged her for a very long time, other than Jinx, and Powder from the other universe. She realised she liked it though, and returned the hug. Her tiny arms wrapped around Vi, her hands clutching at her red jacket as if afraid if she let go, everything would disappear, and she would be back in that dark tunnel.

“You’re alive!” Vi whispered into the little girl’s hat, holding her close as she gently stroked her upper back with her thumb. Isha nodded into her shoulder.

“We need to get you to Jinx, Isha… she thinks you’re…” Vi trailed off, leaving the sentence unended as they ended the hug simultaneously.

Vi stood up, holding her hand out for Isha to take, if she wished to.

“She’s right in that hut over there,” Vi said as she tilted her head to point in the direction of where Jinx and Ekko currently were.

Isha shyly took Vi’s outstretched hand. It felt different to Powder’s hand, which felt almost exactly the same as Jinx’s. Vi’s hand was bigger for one thing, stronger, more calloused. Isha realised she felt safe with Vi, and that was the feeling that kept her from becoming too anxious as they walked over to the hut Vi had pointed out.

Isha kept hold of Vi’s hand as the red-haired woman knocked gently on the door, opening it once a man’s voice (one that sounded oddly like that of Ekko in the alternate timeline) called out “come in”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jinx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door creaked open. Jinx was lying on Ekko’s bed, resting. Ekko was in the small bathroom putting the first aid kit away. As Vi poked her head around the door, looking a lot paler than usual – almost as if she had seen a ghost – Jinx sat up, concerned.

“Everything ok, sis?” Jinx asked tentatively.

Vi stood for a second in the threshold of the room, seemingly unsure of what to say. She cleared her throat and then said, whilst stuttering slightly, “you might want to s-sit down for this. Oh, wait, you’re s-sitting already… Maybe you want to stand up then…uh…”

At this odd and unfamiliar behaviour from her older sister, Jinx cautiously got up from the bed, using the furniture in the room to help her move forwards and keep her balance. She was beginning to feel concerned about what might be happening.

As she walked closer to the door, she caught a glimpse of blue and brown hair behind Vi’s legs, and all of a sudden, she felt her heart leave her body. She must have been seeing things, surely?! But the second she started to second-guess her own sanity (or lack thereof most of the time), the little girl herself peeked around Vi’s legs.

At the sight of Jinx, tears appeared in her widened, amber eyes.

Isha quietly uttered (although, it being her first verbal word spoken, she might as well have shouted) the word “mama” as she let go of Vi’s hand and ran at Jinx, moving in a speed rivalling that of Jinx’s shimmer.

The blue-haired woman had crouched down, almost in a daze. Isha sprang towards her for a hug, with Jinx wrapping her arms around her little girl. The tears came then, both of them sobbing into the other’s shoulders, holding on as tightly as they possibly could without crushing one another. They held on, not letting go, for a long time.

Vi watched on as her own tears fell, Ekko moving to stand next to her and put a hand on her shoulder as he witnessed a side of Jinx he had never expected to see. That of a mother.

Jinx loosened her grip just enough to look at Isha’s tearstained face, moving one hand to caress the little girl’s cheek and gently wipe away some of the tears still flowing from her amber eyes.

“How are you here, bunny?” she whispered, as if speaking too loudly would cause the whole moment to shatter and Isha to be taken with it.

Isha moved back to free her hands for signing. Jinx still had a hand cupping the little girl’s face as her eyes took in what Isha was saying.

“Blue…a portal. Another universe. Powder…helped me get home.”

As Isha signed, Jinx’s eyes grew wider at what she was being told. She looked at Ekko, who had also been watching Isha.

“Alternate timeline… and someone named Powder helped you to come home?” Jinx asked Isha in her gentlest tone, wanting to ensure she had understood.

Isha nodded in response. She told Jinx about how she had appeared in Powder’s workshop right in front of the blue-haired woman who looked so much like Jinx but so different at the same time. She told her about how Powder had looked after her for almost a week as she worked on how to get Isha home. She said how she had stayed with Powder in her apartment above The Last Drop.

Ekko had been watching the conversation in silence along with Vi, although Vi didn’t know much sign so only had a half idea of what was being said.

Isha tilted her head around Jinx when she sensed their presence, and was shocked at how much this Ekko really did look like Powder’s Ekko. This one was bigger, he had more muscle and looked a lot stronger too. He also had a white sand timer painted on his face. He had the same kind smile though, the same calming presence.

“Ekko?” Isha signed, an inquisitive expression on her face.

Jinx looked up at Ekko at this moment, seeing his look of surprise for a short moment before he shook his head and gave Isha a warm smile.

“That’s me, little one. It’s nice to meet you, Isha.”

She smiled back at him.

“Did you meet another Ekko when you were with Powder?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Isha nodded, signing “He was Powder’s boyfriend. He helped her with the portal, and he made me mac ‘n’ cheese.”

She signed with a seriousness showing the mac and cheese was just as important to her as the portal, which, he guessed, sounded about right for a 6-year-old.

Jinx avoided looking at him at the “Powder’s boyfriend” comment. She knew about alternate universe Powder as Ekko had told her, and she sensed there were more details involved there that he hadn’t told her. She had a feeling she might have to bring that up with him eventually…

“Do you know how they got the portal to work, Isha?” Ekko asked with genuine wonder.

“Blue crystals. Powder had some in her workshop.” Isha signed.

Ekko froze, thinking back to how long it had taken him, Heimer and Powder to get his Z-drive working in the first place. She’d had hex crystals that whole time?! He supposed it made sense, since in this timeline Jinx, back when she was his Powder, had taken some blue hex crystals from Jayce’s apartment all those years ago. So, he guessed the same must have happened in the alternate timeline too. Either way, he was surprised at his lack of annoyance at that fact. Seeing Jinx reunite with Isha made him realise how happy he was that Powder had those gemstones.

He shook his head slightly to exit his constant stream of thoughts and met Isha’s eyes.

“Wow, that makes a lot of sense, actually.”

Isha smiled at that, and moved her gaze back to Jinx, who kissed her forehead in the most motherly gesture Ekko had ever seen from her.

“Did you call me ‘mama’?” Jinx asked Isha in a whisper, her eyes softening; pure love radiating from her gaze.

Isha froze momentarily, as if afraid Jinx would reject that notion. She met the woman’s gaze and was struck by the intense feeling of genuine love she saw there. Isha gave a slight nod.

Jinx moved so she was cupping Isha’s face with both hands. “I love you, bunny,” she said, strong and clear so her… daughter…would know without a doubt.

A few more tears began to swim in Isha’s eyes as she signed back to Jinx; “I love you, mama.”

Jinx pulled Isha in for another hug, removing her hat so she could gently kiss the top of her head.

“I am never letting you go again, bunny, never.” 

Chapter Text

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vi  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vi watched through eyes blurred with unshed tears at the scene in front of her. Seeing the pure love her sister had for Isha was simultaneously heart-warming and heart-breaking, and the fact that the little girl had called Jinx ‘mama’? Well… that was what caused the tears welling in her powder blue eyes to begin falling freely, running down her face and onto her red top. Ekko was standing beside her with a hand on her shoulder, watching Jinx and Isha with a thoughtful expression.

As she roughly wiped the tears away, a new thought entered her mind. One word, standing out against all the other swirling thoughts and emotions. Caitlyn.

After the battle, all she was focused on was Jinx. Finding her alive. When she had done that, she was focused on helping Ekko to get Jinx to safety. Above all else, her (not-so) little sister was her priority. It was like everything else faded to the background. Until Jinx was safe, Vi couldn’t think of anything else. Now though, she felt a surge of guilt rush through her. She hadn’t even thought about Cait. Not even for a moment. What kind of girlfriend was she?!

Urgency rushed through her as Jinx and Isha had parted from their second tight embrace, having had a conversation about where Isha had been. She crouched down in front of her sister, touching her shoulder as she did so.

“Powder, I have to go… I need to make sure Cait is okay. I promise, I will come back. You’re stuck with me.”

Jinx placed her cold hand atop her older sister’s as she met her eyes.

“I understand, sis. You’re stuck with me too; don’t ya forget it!”

The two sisters held each other’s gaze for a moment longer before Vi stood back up, gently ruffling Isha’s hair as she did so.

“See you later, little man. Look after my sister,” she said to Ekko as she left, pointing two fingers towards her eyes and then back to him in an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture, her determined stride already out the door before Ekko could respond.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jinx  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jinx knew she had to let go of Isha eventually as it was nearing the little girl’s bedtime. As she did so, Vi told her she had to go to look for Caitlyn. Jinx had suspected they would end up together no matter what happened. She still felt a whole range of emotions when it came to the posh Piltie, but after almost dying again and getting Isha back, she didn’t feel the same sense of pure, unadulterated loathing she usually felt when it came to Caitlyn. Perhaps she was maturing somehow, as if having Isha call her ‘mama’ had shook her into an adult… or she was just fed up with being so angry most of the time. Anger was exhausting, and she didn’t want Isha to see her like that anymore. She wanted a happy life for her child, because that’s what the little girl was now. She was Jinx’s kid and that meant that Jinx had to be there for her. She didn’t want the little girl to go through losing any more people, and that also included Vi. Jinx would love for Vi to be in their lives, and that also meant Caitlyn. Ekko had told her about the alternate timeline, where Vi was no longer alive. She would take her sister’s Piltie girlfriend over that reality any day. Jinx concluded that she would just have to put up with the posh woman, and hope she didn’t infuriate her too much. Or try to kill her… again…

“Do you mind if we sleep here tonight, Ekko? We can be out of your hair in the morning.”

“You can definitely sleep here, Jinx. You don’t have to leave so soon though. We have plenty of food here at the Firelights base, and it’s a safe spot for you and Isha.” Ekko said, a look of concern evident on his face at the thought of her leaving so soon.

“You also need more rest after what happened. I can help you take care of Isha whilst you recover.”

Jinx thought for a moment before agreeing. Ekko left briefly to find some spare clothes around the Firelights base for Isha to use as pyjamas, and some for Jinx too. When he returned, he busied himself with getting his bed all comfy for the two of them, and found a spare pillow and blanket for himself to use – he planned to sleep on the armchair, hoping it wouldn’t be too uncomfortable…

Jinx and Isha exited the bathroom soon after. Much to Ekko’s surprise, Jinx was wearing one of his purple t-shirts alongside the shorts he had found for her. It was already a bit oversized on him. On her, it was like a dress, falling just above her knees. She smirked as she caught him staring and he looked away quickly.

After turning off the main light, so only the faint glow of the bedside lamp illuminated the room, she carried Isha over to Ekko’s bed, settling her under the covers as she lay down next to her. Her violet eyes gleamed in the dim light as she looked over at Ekko.

“What are you waiting for?”

“I figured I’d sleep in the armchair, to give you both enough space you know?” Ekko said somewhat awkwardly.

“Ekko.” Jinx whispered softly. “It’s not like it’s the first time we slept next to each other. Besides, you’ll get a sore neck sleeping in an armchair.”

He thought for a moment, deciding to just agree with her. She was right after all; it wasn’t the first time they had shared a sleeping space. Far from it.

“I’ll just change into my pyjamas first.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vi  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vi went straight to the Kiramman manor, suspecting Cait might have gone back there. The streets of Piltover were just as quiet as those of Zaun as she crept through them, sticking to the shadows. Once she reached the manor, she slipped in through the window leading to Cait’s bedroom. She was relieved her girlfriend never thought to lock it.

The room was almost completely dark, the only light the faint glow of the moon through Cait’s window. Vi glanced around. Her girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. Sighing in a mix of disappointment and anxiety, she crept out of the room and into the darkened hallway. Perhaps Cait was in the kitchen or some other room in the rather large house.

She found Cait in the huge kitchen, sat at the dark blue counter with a still steaming mug of something that smelled like tea. Vi stood watching for a moment before entering the kitchen and placing her hand gently on her girlfriend’s shoulder.

Cait leaned into her girlfriend’s touch, knowing it was Vi from her footsteps and the firm but gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Caitlyn… I am so sorry for not coming to find you sooner. Jinx almost died and I was helping Ekko to get her to someplace safe, then Isha – Jinx’s kid, believe it or not – reappeared as if out of thin air, and we all thought she was dead, Cait, but she wasn’t. I still don’t really understand that situation either as she was signing something to Jinx but I don’t know enough sign yet to understand her fully, and then Jinx and Isha were hugging and when I finally had time to breathe my mind went straight to you and…” she trailed off, catching her breath after spilling all those words out into the otherwise near silence of the Kiramman kitchen.

Cait placed her hand over Vi’s, turning slightly to lean her head against her girlfriend’s arm.

“Violet, it’s okay. I knew you would come back to me eventually. I assumed it was something to do with your sister. Is she alright? You said she almost died?”

“She’s as alright as she can be, Ekko patched her up best he could. The fact that Isha is alive, though? That will definitely help Jinx heal. The amount of love she has for that child is something else. She’s taken on this role of being the kid’s mother. It’s the last thing I would’ve expected of her, even after seeing her with Isha at Viktor’s camp. Back then it just seemed like more of a sisterly thing, like what me and Powder had before I went to Stillwater…”

Vi shook her head as if to dispel any unwelcome thoughts of her time at the prison. One day she would need to process that time of her life, but that day was not upon her just yet. Too much else was going on, like making sure her girlfriend was safe.

“Cupcake, are you okay?”

Caitlyn turned slowly to face Vi, the redhead gasping when she saw the patch over her girlfriend’s left eye. Her warm hands gently caressed Cait’s face as she looked at her closely.

“What happened?” Vi whispered.

A tear fell onto Vi’s hand, she was unsure whether it was her own or Caitlyn’s, as Cait told her exactly what had happened when Vi was with Jinx…

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jinx  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jinx woke up the next morning to Isha snuggled in between her and Ekko, the three of them cuddled together like a little family. She smiled at the thought, feeling less scared at the idea of the future. A future where Ekko was by her side.  

“I can sense you watching me, you know.” Ekko whispered, opening his eyes.

Jinx felt herself blush, stammering “I didn’t know you were awake!”

 “So, if I weren’t awake, you’d continue to stare at me?” Ekko said with a chuckle.

Jinx scoffed, violet eyes meeting brown ones in defiance.

“Yes, actually.”

His eyes widened in surprise at her words. Her voice rang with an air of confidence, attempting to mask the faint anxiety she felt.

It was at that moment that Isha blinked her eyes open, looking between the two of them and sensing that something was going on between her mama and Ekko. She sat up, both of their gazes following her as she did so.

Ekko snapped out of his daze first.

“How about we get dressed for the day and find some breakfast?”

Isha smiled at his suggestion as her stomach rumbled. Jinx realised Isha probably hadn’t eaten since the previous day when she was still in the alternate timeline, the day having gone by so fast when she arrived back in her own universe and had immediately tried to find Jinx. Breakfast it was, then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ekko  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week passed by in a haze, Ekko enjoying every moment of his time spent with Jinx and Isha. The two had unofficially moved in with him. They ate together at mealtimes, played together when Ekko wasn’t working with the other Firelights to figure out everything going on after the battle, and slept in Ekko’s bed together every night. He had realised by day two that he would not be able to keep his feelings for Jinx hidden for much longer. His childhood crush was back full-force, and if he was honest with himself, it was definitely more than just a crush now. He also thought it had never really gone away entirely, just paused during the years Jinx was working for Silco. When he had failed to rescue her.

He could sense a change in Jinx, too. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, and if she didn’t feel the same way as he did then he would always be happy with their friendship. He did wish for romantic love alongside the platonic love, however. As that’s what it was for him, he was head over heels in love with her. The fact he hadn’t tried to kiss her yet was beyond him.

Isha had gone to sleep early that night, the day having worn her out more than usual. Ekko and Jinx sat side by side on the wooden bench outside Ekko’s hut, watching the few stars they could see poking through the otherwise cloudy night sky. Jinx’s head was resting on his shoulder, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She never could sit fully still for long. He took a moment to really look at her. Her now-short blue hair with a long side fringe hiding part of her left eye. Violet eyes which sparkled in the faint moonlight gleaming through the clouds, her near-constant eye bags lessening with every full night of sleep she was getting. She was wearing one of his t-shirts again, it was becoming normal sleepwear for her. Not that he minded. Seeing her wearing his clothes made his heart flutter, beat faster in his chest. In every universe, she really was beautiful.

He didn’t know what overcame him, but he gently reached for her right hand and clasped it in his own once she had ceased her fidgeting. She gazed up at him with those radiant eyes, and he said the first thing that came to his mind.

“You are beautiful in every universe. Especially in this one.”

Jinx froze for a moment, as if to make sure she had heard him correctly. She looked into his brown eyes, sparkling like the stars in the night sky. His gaze radiated the truth within his words. She lifted the hand not holding onto his and gently cupped his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

Ekko breathed in sharply as he felt her hand on his face, glancing between her eyes and her lips in question. Jinx closed the already tiny distance between the two of them, their eyes meeting once more before she gently pressed her purple, slightly chapped lips against his. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but wow. They smiled into each other as their lips met again, gentle and slow, as if savouring this moment.

“I love you, Jinx.” Ekko whispered as they pulled apart a few moments later. “After everything that’s happened, I can’t go any longer without telling you.”

Jinx’s forehead brushed against Ekko’s as she whispered back, “I love you too, Ekko.”

He stood up from the bench, pulling her with him, and wrapped her in a tight hug. Jinx melted into his arms, hugging him back just as tightly. They stayed like that for a while, only parting when they both began to yawn; the busyness of the day having caught up to them both. They went back inside Ekko’s hut holding hands, joining Isha for another peaceful night of sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Vi  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a week since Vi had left the Firelights base to find Cait in Piltover. She was now about to push through the vines to enter the base, Caitlyn in tow.

“Cupcake, it is so important that no one finds out about this place, even now. Especially now. These people need the safety it provides.”

“I understand, Violet. I promised you, remember? I won’t tell anyone about this place, or show them. Can I please take the blindfold off now? It’s beginning to itch my eyes.”

“As soon as we’re through these vines,” Vi said whilst simultaneously pushing her girlfriend gently forwards.

“Vines?!” Cait spluttered as she felt them hit her in the face as she walked.

Vi gently squeezed her girlfriend’s shoulder to signal she could remove the mask, and watched as she took in the scene around them. The tree was just as magnificent as ever, sunlight glinting through the branches and leaves. Children ran around playing as adults worked on various things nearby.

“A tree? In Zaun?”

Vi laughed at the reaction from Cait, as it was oh so similar to that of Jinx when she had first seen the Firelights base. They really weren’t so different, despite what they both believed. She explained as briefly as she could about the base, telling Cait she would share more later on. Cait nodded, teal eyes still sparkling in awe at the tree.

She led her girlfriend towards a picnic bench closer to the tree itself. She could spot the tell-tale bright blue hair of her sister anywhere, even without the long braids. Ekko was sat beside Jinx as they both watched Isha play with the other children. They looked just like loving parents, Jinx resting her head on Ekko’s shoulder and his arm wrapped around hers. Vi froze momentarily as she realised something must’ve happened there. They had seemed comfortable around each other when she’d last been around them, but not quite to this level. She was happy for her sister, though. As long as little man was being a gentleman and treating her sister right. She’d have to have a talk with him some other time. Just to be sure.

Caitlyn and Vi stopped just before they reached the bench, Jinx and Ekko looking up when they noticed the shadow blocking their view of Isha.

Jinx stood instantly, appearing in front of her older sister in a flash of shimmer pink and wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Vi didn’t hesitate to return the embrace, being careful not to squeeze her younger sister too tightly in the process, her left hand resting gently on the back of Jinx’s head.

“I am so glad you’re safe, sis. I can’t lose you again.” Jinx whispered into her sister’s shoulder, only loud enough for Vi to hear.

“I am not going anywhere, Pow-Pow. I love you so much, too much probably. I am so sorry for… everything. I’m most of all sorry for leaving you. I was gonna come back, I really was. I needed to calm down, process what had just happened. I didn’t mean to hit you, either, I promise I would never do that again. Then I ended up in Stillwater, and all I could think about, all that got me through the hell that it was in there, was you. I knew that you needed me, and as soon as I got out, I tried to find you. No matter what happens, I will always be there for you. I am never letting you go again.”

Vi felt tears running down her face as she hugged her sister closely, having finally being able to tell her all that she felt. Words that had been left unsaid for far too long.

Jinx squeezed her sister tighter as she breathed out an “I love you too, Vi.”

The sisters hugged; emotions too big to hold in the tears that had begun to fall freely down their faces. Ekko and Caitlyn watched from a close distance, both tearing up themselves at the display of obvious love and care that was in front of them.

Despite her mama and Ekko being in a quieter area of the base and the fact she was busy playing with the other kids, Isha had noticed when her aunt Vi had turned up. The child appeared as if out of nowhere and hugged the legs of both her mama and aunt. They both looked down at her, smiling through their tears.

“Hiya, Isha.” Vi said, voice slightly croaky from crying, as she ruffled Isha’s hair. She wasn’t wearing her usual hat that day since she found out she ran faster without it falling off her head every few minutes.

Isha looked inquisitively at the tall, blue-haired woman standing behind Vi.

Vi and Jinx let go of each other, the former moving so Cait was in view.

“Isha, this is my girlfriend, Caitlyn,” she said whilst gesturing to the tall woman.

“Cait, this is Isha, my niece.”

Isha beamed at being referred to as Vi’s niece. Jinx had referred to Vi as Isha’s aunt, so hearing that Vi felt the same way made Isha happy. She looked up at Caitlyn and signed a “hello” in greeting.

Caitlyn returned Isha’s smile with a warm one of her own, “hello, Isha. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Isha giggled a little anxiously and leaned into her mama, who was avoiding looking at the tall woman.

“Jinx. I’m glad you’re still alive.” Cait said politely, in the same way you would perhaps say hello to an acquaintance in passing. Vi looked anxiously between the two women she loved most in the world, hoping against hope that they would at the very least be civil with each other and not whip out a gun.

Jinx briefly met Caitlyn’s eyes, and with all the courage she could muster, mumbled “same to you.” She then added on  “Cupcake,” with a smirk directed at her sister.

Caitlyn laughed lightly at that, not having expected anything other than negativity or at the very least, indifference, directed at her from her girlfriend’s sister.

Vi smiled as she looked at the people around her. Her family. She vowed to never let anything happen to them again. They deserved their happiness after all they had been through, and she would make sure they all got it.