Chapter Text
Jinx doesn’t know why she started taking Isha to pit fights. In her defence she didn’t know that Vi was fighting when she took the kid to her first match. In fact, she nearly didn’t recognise her older sister. She’d dyed her hair black and let it grow out but still having half her head shaved. Such a stark contrast to the pink she’d had her whole life. Her face was streaked with dark makeup, highlighting the powder blue of her eyes that were glittering with rage. She and Isha sat in the stands; a hood pulled over Jinx’s head to keep her distinctive hair hidden. They watched as Vi threw brutal punches, ducked, weaved, hit her opponents with a vicious efficiency. The crowd roars in excitement as Vi knocks a guy out with a swift uppercut, and Jinx can’t help but grin with them.
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Everyday was the same. Wake up, train, eat, fight, win, drink, pass out. She was tired. Tired and alone. So more often than not, Vi drank herself into a stupor after fighting, sometimes she even fought while drunk. She danced around in bars, head spinning from alcohol, seeing her face everywhere. Tonight, she stumbled her way up the stairs to her cramped room but paused when she heard scuffling inside. She shoves the door open violently, and grabs the intruder, slamming them against the mirror without half a thought. When she sees who it is she almost let’s go in surprise.
“Heya sis.” Jinx croaks out, her purple eyes shining. Vi clenches her jaw, adjusting her grip so her sister can breathe.
“What are you doing here.” she snarls, then hisses when she feels something bite her leg. She looks down to see the kid who protected Jinx in the fight with her and Cai- she shuts down the thought and focuses on the small girl latched onto her leg whose amber eyes were narrowed at her. Vi releases her grip on Jinx and the kid immediately bolts over to her and plasters herself to her sister who surprisingly cups the back of her head in comfort.
“What do you want Jinx.” she says tiredly, stepping backwards until her legs hit the makeshift bed and sits down heavily with a sigh.
“I-“Jinx cuts herself off and grips the girl- Isha tighter as if to ground herself. “I’ve been watching your fights.” she says finally. “And thought I’d try and talk to you.” she mumbles. Vi rears back and pushes herself to her feet, feeling stone cold sober.
“Talk?” she scoffs incredulously. “I don’t want to hear another word come out of your mouth.” she grits through her teeth, storming out of the room and down the stairs to the alley. There’s a flash of blue and her sister is suddenly right in front of her, the violent purple of her eyes glowing eerily in the dim light.
“You wanna hit me? Go ahead. Get it out of your system-“ Jinx is cut off by the hook to her face which sends her stumbling back. Vi watches as she spits blood and straightens with a wary expression.
“Ya done?” she asks, sceptically. Vi clenches her fists, her hands trembling. “Not even close.” she growls and tackles her sister, sending them both crashing to the ground. Jinx lets out a grunt as Vi’s body crushes hers into the hard cement. They roll around like children, slipping in nasty hits and cheap elbows against one another. Vi ends on top of Jinx again and leers down at her, eyes wild and teeth bared. Her sister stares back at her, pale skin smeared with blood. Vi feels sick at the sight and quickly scrambles off her and leans against the cold brick wall, lungs burning and head in her hands. She doesn’t even realise her panting breaths have turned into heaving sobs until she sees tears dripping onto the grimy floor.
She hears Jinx crawl over to her and cries harder when she feels a tentative hand on her shoulder, feeling all of the hatred and hurt she felt towards her sister fall away with her tears. Leaning into the touch, she buries her face in her the younger girls’ bony shoulder and clings to her desperately. Jinx stiffens but relaxes into the embrace, wrapping her arms around Vi’s neck and clutches her just as tightly as tears begin to leak from her eyes as well. The two sisters sit in the dirty alley together, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“I’m sorry.” Vi chokes out hoarsely. “I’m so sorry Pow- Pow.” Jinx sniffles at the nickname and pulls back slightly to rest her forehead against hers.
“Me too.” Jinx whispers. “I want- I just want to be a family again.” she whispers. Vi opens her mouth to reply when a small body slams into her sister, effectively cutting her off. Isha scrambles until she’s eye level with her sort of mother and places her small hands on either side of her face, tilting her head in a questioning manner. Jinx smiles softly and leans into the touch.
“I’m okay Bunny.” she murmurs reassuringly. Isha nods and removes her hands from Jinx’s face to sign.
“No more fighting?” she asks hopefully. Vi frowns slightly, not quite understanding what the kid is saying. Her sister notices and quickly translates.
“She wants to know if we’re done fighting.” she says quietly, Isha turns around in her lap to look at Vi, her expression curious yet wary, as if not knowing what to expect from her. The older woman smiles gently and nods in agreement.
“No more fighting kid.” she promises, watching as the girl relaxes marginally and shuffles out of Jinx’s lap and over to her. She gestures to her face and imitates tears with her fingers then points at Vi. “Sad?” her eyes seem to ask. Vi lets out a raspy laugh.
“Yeah kid. I’ve been sad for a while.” she admits roughly, her mind straying to everything that’s happened. Isha turns to sign something to Jinx who nods in reply, the kid then crawls all the way over to Vi, hesitating before slowly wrapping her arms around her neck. Vi freezes for all of a second before tentatively returning the embrace, her large hands coming to rest on the girls back and hugging her to her body. When Isha pulls away, she gestures to the three of them and signs a word that Vi understands. One Vander used to show her, Powder, Mylo and Claggor when they were kids.
Family.
She hears Jinx’s breath hitch and Vi glances at her sister who’s almost trembling. She holds out an arm wordlessly, her eyes saying more than any words could. I love you. I forgive you. Jinx wastes no time in scurrying over to her and Isha and throws her arms around them both. Vi holds the two girls tightly to her and thinks that maybe this family thing doesn’t sound so bad after all.