Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was early. Too early.

And he was already pissed off.

Fourth day in a row waking up restless, this one worse. An unusual weight behind his eyes and a sour taste in his mouth. The sun had barely touched the edge of the sky, still dragging its way up.

His feet hit the floor heavy, sore. Ankles stiff like always after a night of bad sleep or no sleep at all. He sat there a minute, spine curled, hands dragging down his face. His skull pulsed at the temples.

A hangover.

For the first time in months. Clinging to the last week of normalcy in his life.

This was supposed to be a lazy, free day. But he ruined it, indulging in sweet, slow poison.

He needed to go to the rink. Practice a little. Shake off everything about the day before.

The day he signed the contracts. With Silco. And his team.

Grabbing his phone, the light strained his vision until he turned the brightness down and pulled up the web.

He searched:

‘Jinx and Ekko partnership.’

Nothing.

‘Jinx and Ekko official.’

Nothing again.

‘Jinx and Ekko.’ ‘Jinx new partner revealed.’ ‘Ekko new partner revealed.’

Still nothing. Just past articles speculating their rivalry, how much they seemed to hate each other.

A relief. At least there were no leaks yet.

Silco worked fast. He wouldn’t be surprised if something was out already. Anything to make his rep look good.

He kept scrolling, curiosity pulling at him.

Suggested posts now:
JANUARY 26: FIGURE SKATER JINX SENT TO HOSPITAL AFTER HEAVY FALL

Private pictures of her leaving the hospital popping up. Still? Geez.

His thumb began to ache. He realized he was gripping the phone too tight now.

Flashes of that night made his chest tighten.

Statements claimed she was fine. Skating blogs repeated the same thing. No serious damage, just a couple bruises.

He sighed to himself. Get out of your head.

He was about to click off until he saw the next one:

‘Jinx and Sett Call It Quits: Partnership Ends After Nationals, A Sad Start to February.’

‘Jinx: Can This Rising Skater Finally Make It to Worlds After Last Year’s Near Miss?’

Okay. Nothing new. That was enough for today.

He tossed the phone to the side of him and groaned, standing up, trying to stop his racing thoughts.

Thinking the warm water of the shower would help… it did the opposite.

What if they didn’t work?

He couldn’t imagine two people who had this much disdain toward one another just magically clicking on the rink.
Could they even access any chemistry through training?

There was something off too.
She was off.

When he saw her a couple days ago, it wasn’t the Jinx he was expecting. She was behaving strangely. At least from how she acted with him.

Innocent? No, that wasn’t the word.

Fake? No, not entirely. She was always alive and energetic.

There was just a hint of lightness in her he hadn’t seen before, that he didn’t understand.

It made him feel like he stepped into some weird dimension.

From the compliments, smiles, side hugs. It all zapped him. Felt like too much.

She also never mentioned anything about last winter, how it sent them into that domino effect of losing their partners.

The heated emotional argument that took place was haunting him.

And then she fell, disappeared, only to end up here like none of it occurred.

Was he going crazy? He was so lost.

And there was that smile of hers he couldn’t get out of his head. So sure it was because of how rare it was. A smile he had only seen when they were kids.

Jinx never genuinely showed any positive emotion toward him other than satisfaction at this point of their life. She smirked and grinned sure, but never a smile that was reserved just for him. Just of her being. Something without the arrogance behind her eyes.

He shook his head. Trust Viktor. Trust Viktor. Trust Viktor.

It was still hard. He still couldn’t believe he was so on board with this new agreement, especially since it involved Silco. Blasphemy.

Silco’s reputation was terrifying.

Everyone knew he was ruthless, cutthroat, but just enough to sneak by, making all his motives and teachings technically seem fair.

And Jinx was basically his prodigy.

He hated being trapped into this. But with Seraphine gone, the offer was too good to ignore. And this is what Silco counted on.

It made him feel a little cornered. But Ekko knew being clever in this would benefit him more.

His head rested on the wall, eyes shut, softly fisting his hand at his side. He let out a long exhale.

“I’ve officially sold my soul,” he sighed, letting the water drown him once again.

—

On his way in, he immediately spotted her. Dark purple open-stitch jacket, black leggings. Her blue hair tied up in a high ponytail.

No. Not today. What is she doing here? A sudden panic flooding him again.

He paused next to a bench, mouth slightly open, slouching his bag down, letting himself watch for a second.

She looked so magnetic, just effortlessly swaying her legs as if the ice were layers of clouds and not a hard, cold structure.

And this wasn’t even her really putting in effort, just warming up, stretching her joints so she could practice some jumps. He guessed.

Ekko didn’t think he’d get used to her being here anytime soon.

Her, Here. In Montreal. All. The. Time.

She suddenly looked his way, made eye contact. Quickly caught off guard, she turned in another direction fast, but he noticed her pacing slowed down.

Closing her eyes for the slightest second, she fixed her posture again and continued swaying, She was the only one on the ice.

He looked around, distracting himself for at least a couple seconds.

There weren’t many people here yet. Seemed to be just two kids putting on their skates with their parents by their side. A brunette boy and a blonde one with shaggy hair.

He couldn’t go now. She’d realize he was trying to avoid her.

So, he sat.

Clicking on his phone again. He checked the weather. Pathetic.

At least he found out the day would warm up later. Not exactly a surprise, given spring had started. But it also wouldn’t surprise him if they got hit by piles of snow the next day.

Nothing was helping. He could still see her from his peripheral vision.

He attempted again, checking his email, playing back and forth with apps, yet Jinx’s presence demanded his attention.

And she made noise. It was like the longer he looked at his phone, the more she spun around.

Jinx started doing slow camel-sit combos, checking her movements, spacing her arms out and speeding up as she lowered, then rising again.

She was testing the atmosphere, waiting to fully trust it. Probably here for the sole purpose of relaxing. Her movements only focusing on fluidity.

His attention fully on her now, she paused, then stared. Then circled her legs again.

Even her skates asked for recognition. Loud and marked, like always. She loved graffitiing them.

If she ever had to replace them, her signature would remain. Tiny, but visible.

The sharp sounds increased. She faced him again, now glaring. Her speed slowing even more.

She shook her head at him expectantly. Oh.

He quickly opened his bag, trying to grab his skates. Her noises now diminishing.

His cheeks reddened. He was being an idiot.

Jinx focused her attention back as she increased her speed to her default rhythm.

Moving more smoothly again, she started gliding her skates far away to the other side of the ice, trying to gain momentum.

Skating to the edge, she then turned back with ease, driving her speed toward his side. Her arms floating beside her, like smooth waves.

When she neared the center, she sprang up, lifted her skates off the ground, and started spinning effortlessly into the air.

Her body twisted with precision before landing in a smooth, flawless double axel.

Finally, her shoulders relaxed as she steadied herself, with her leg up, then swaying side to side.

Well, at least he was seeing something he finally recognized in her.

The kids gasped and pointed at her. “Mom, when can I learn that?”

It was a standard move, but she knew if she had an audience that would be impressed, it didn’t matter.

Show-off. He scoffed.

He adjusted his feet, finally setting his blades on the ice.

She gravitated toward him, slowing her movements, until she was right in front of him.

He noticed her earbuds now. She reached for the phone inside her sweater pocket, adjusting the volume.

She glanced back and forth, zipping it back inside as she exhaled a breath.

“What were you listening to?” He waited for her usual snarky remark.

A simple “None of your business” or a song suggestion that would shoo him away and make him regret asking in the first place.

He’d usually shoot back with, “No song ideas to steal from this time?” or “Your taste is still shit I see.” Total lie, but what she didn’t know would annoy her.

She’d glare. He’d glare back, then laugh at her reaction.

But sometimes she’d do something out of left field that would make him wish he walked away. Depended on her mood.

It made him remember a past interaction between them.

That run-in with her at a short program last year.

Her and Sett were warming up for their performance. Ekko was peacefully texting Scar about his day. His headphones were on, no music, but still drowning out the outside for a bit.

Then she had to ruin it.

The little freak connected her phone with his Bluetooth when he wasn’t paying attention, blasting Rob Zombie on full volume, making him fall off his bench with a sharp yelp. She laughed and laughed about it.

“EKKO444?”

“You made it too easy.” Too shocked to reply, he just looked at her. The audacity.

“Does your AirDrop have your name too?” Her head and arms flew back, not even hiding her loud-ass cackles.

“Uh,” The Jinx in front of him spoke again. Her voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts.

“‘Lunch’ by Billie,” she said flatly, her mouth perking up as she continued. “I almost dropped these back there.” She pointed to her buds.

What? Still no attitude, not even a hint of bite. Just… calm.

He nodded as a moment of silence passed between them.

His shoulders tensed, a hint of annoyance surfacing. Any trace of confidence in him was quickly getting buried.

Then a tiny braid on the opposite side of her side bang caught his attention.

It was tied neatly with the rest of her hair, almost glued to her scalp. It wasn’t a bad look.

Oh shut up.

Her eyes glanced down his arms, landing on his hands, but quickly looking away.

Suddenly too aware of himself, he realized he wore the laundry day sweatpants, and his long-sleeve faded green t-shirt.

He searched for something in her eyes, an answer he was unsure of. Maybe a mean comment that would give him access to their old way of conversing.

She met his stare with a curious expression. He said nothing, she said nothing either.

Then a chuckle escaped her as she spun back around. And it wasn’t malicious, just… friendly?

“Come on.” Leading him to follow.

There it was again…Matrix Jinx? An alien? Something of that sorts.

He reached her side, following her space. Anything but whatever that was.

They glided around the ice, forming a circle all around it, quickly adjusting to her sways. Good sign for their flow at least.

The little kids joined them on the ice, making Jinx and Ekko’s movements more cautious. The kids skated freely.

They seemed more experienced than average, but he had never really seen them around.

Must not practice around here much.

The touch of Jinx’s hand suddenly caused a jolt in him, his body pushing back a little.

He glared at her in protest. She glanced at him, eyebrows furrowing confused.

He pulled away from her grip, her mouth slightly open now. Eyes closing for a second as her mouth plastered on a small pout. Her freckles so up close.

This was new.

He had never seen this look on her. It stung his chest. The feeling upsetting him, and he didn’t know why.

Before she could speak, they suddenly heard the faint sound behind them. It was Silco’s voice.

“JINX!” he yelled.

Jinx stopped at her tracks almost immediately.

“JINX!!” This time it was way louder. Oh, he was mad.

“Let’s go, let’s go-” She spat fast, trying to get out as quickly as possible.

She tugged at his shirt without thinking, causing his blades to slide under her control.

“Jesus, can you relax?”

He was back in real life now. The one where the girl in front of him was pure madness.

Nerves subsiding, at least the focus from her was off him for now.

“Why is he yelling?”

They couldn’t see Silco, but they heard him getting closer from the opposite direction.

The kids looked around curiously, a little startled, scooting closer to their parents who had a pissed off expression on their faces. Couldn’t blame them.

Finally off the ice, Jinx kept marching forward, looking back at him expectantly.

Her lack of answers pissed him off. He grabbed her wrist, cautiously—but the irritation was written all over his face.

She gasped at the contact as she faced him again, finally stopping.

“Tell me,” He insisted.

But she kept peeking behind his shoulders, eyebrows furrowing in sheer panic.

Her pupils flared, eyes going wide as Silco finally came into view on the other side of the stands.

“I took something from his portfolio bag,” Jinx spat out quickly but fidgeted, antsy.

“JINX!!!”

Ekko turned towards the voice in curiosity. Silco stood there in black clothing, fists clenched at his sides, his distant scowl aimed towards them, well more Jinx.

He almost wanted to laugh at the sight of him losing his composure. It was unusual, yet he always knew it was there.

He noticed she was now in her socks, a bag next to her. Her eyes glued to him as if she was waiting for him to do the same. Any excuse to avoid the voice that felt closer each second.

The minute his guards were secured on his skates and put away, she suddenly tugged on his wrist harder, pulling him toward her again.

“Let’s go somewhere! Anywhere! Uh, coffee! Yes? COFFEE!!!” She rambled, not looking back, as if she’d made up her mind. She officially decided she was dragging him with her.

He felt too defeated to fight against it today.

“I can’t even put on my shoes?!” Why was he even listening to her? 

“On the way!”

How had this already begun? Of course it wasn’t going to be a regular partnership. Even hoping for anything else felt like a setup to a bad joke.

Silco’s voice faded as they kept going, but his anger was still felt from a mile away.

—

After a few minutes of wandering in panic and confusion, they stood at the front of the line at the nearest coffee shop they could find. It was almost empty at this time.

Ekko had his personal favorite, so he never really explored this one. It all smelled the same, the rich aroma of freshly coffee beans filling the air.

But there was a difference, this one had a sweet scent, the smell of piled of baked goods hanging in the air.

The space was filled with walls and clustered seating that kept them mostly hidden from the outside…exactly what Jinx wanted.

“Welcome to The Piltish Brew. May I have your names for the order?” A ginger with short hair asked them, a sour expression on her…yet she seemed a bit confused, like Jinx and Ekko were an odd thing to see at the same time.

Ekko noticed Jinx’s eyebrow shoot up slightly, and he stepped forward, nervous about how quickly things could escalate if she kept that up.

“Jinx and Ekko,” He told her. She wrote it down, lazily then asked for confirmation on the spelling, both of them nodding in response.

“Thank you. And what can I start for you today?” The ginger said, a bored tone in her voice. He noticed her name tag, ‘Maddie,’. She either managed the store, or she didn’t care to leave it.

“I’ll take a caramel frappe—medium,” Jinx said without hesitation, stepping in front of Ekko to the left. Then, she glanced at him, waiting.

The barista blinked rapidly, then gave Jinx a slow once-over.

Her lips tightening, her expression screamed: ‘Really?’ clearly irritated.

Jinx glared back, crossing her arms, her eyebrows shooting downwards, then moving her head side to side as she slightly shook it, ‘You want some of this?’ written on her face with her legs standing taller.

Ekko was about to try to de-escalate the negative energy by giving out his order. (A basic espresso was all he really needed.) But then the redhead shifted her attention to him.

She gave him a once-over too, grimacing before flicking her gaze back to Jinx then to him again. A knowing look that basically said, ‘Control your mess.’

It quickly grated on him. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly felt the urge to back the blue-haired menace beside him.

“I’ll have what she’s having too,” He said with a cold stare, changing his mind and irritating the girl more.

Maddie shifted, fingers twitching, finally catching on. He felt Jinx brush shoulders with him, still focusing on her, but with a smug smirk on her face now.

Ekko didn’t move, and Jinx didn’t seem to mind. She never seemed to notice how these subtle movements were affecting his reality.

It felt like whiplash.

He decided to pay as he stepped closer to the counter now, sliding his card in, and before he could press anything else Jinx did it for him. ‘No tip’ confirming on the screen.

What the fuck.

“Coming up,” The employee announced, now rolling her eyes and leaving them there waiting. No point in hiding her annoyance now.

“She’s definitely spitting in our drinks,” Ekko huffed.

“I’m watching her,” Jinx said, laser-focused on the preparation of their drinks now.

And Jinx kept her word, firmly narrowing her eyes, staring directly at the process of her drink being made.

Once the drinks arrived, she looked relieved. “Alright, let’s simmer down…” He motioned to the seats near the back.

“One sec. You can go sit though,” She didn’t have to tell him that twice.

“Oh Maddie, I would LOVE a croissant on the side! Wait, make that two!” Damn.

He’d always wondered how she operated in regular moments like this, and now he saw it firsthand.

Even though he hated her attitude, it felt weirdly familiar. The sharpness breaking through put him at ease.

He couldn’t relax around her softer exterior. Not when it felt…wrong.

She finally came into view, dropping down in front of him. A bag landing on his side of the table. The croissant, he presumed.

His jaw quickly tightened, unsure of what to do now. She stared at him blankly, like she was lost in her own thoughts too.

So what did he do? Interrogate.

“Explain.”

Jinx immediately caught on, but sucking on her straw seemed the most interesting thing in the world to her.

She focused hard on the whipped cream, avoiding his eyes.

“Jinx,” He stared her down.

Her drink made a slurping sound. Annoyance flared up again.

“What did you steal from Silco?”

“Ugh,” She scoffed, eyes rolling in defense.

“Okay, first of all, I technically didn’t steal anything that wasn’t mine. Silco was just holding it for me. He just didn’t realize that.” Her eyes finally met his again, taking a bite of her treat.

“Is that all?”

Chew. Silence. Swallow. Silence. Chew. Gulp. Slurp?Silence. Slurp.

Ekko grabbed his drink, leaned forward, frustration building.

“Jinx, I have things to do. Is this you messing with me again? I don’t have time for your tricks.”

“What tricks?” She squinted, leaning back, surprised by his sudden shift. Then she chewed on her piece of bread, his croissant still lay there untouched.

Can she ever be serious?

He laughed bitterly. “Okay, I’m gonna…” He stood up, ready to leave. But her mouth gaped open, catching his attention. He saw her eyes drop like she couldn’t believe he was about to do that. Just like that.

“Why aren’t we partners?” Her words sent a shiver down his spine.

“What?”

She huffed, a blush creeping across her cheeks, whatever it was, she felt embarrassed to ask. He stared down at her, her fingers tapping on the outside of her coffee.

“I mean,” She hesitated, sitting up straighter.

“Why… haven’t we been skating together all these years? I… that was our plan.”

“Is this a trick question? What planet are you on?” It came out harsher than it should have, but he was fed up. She stared down, avoiding his gaze.

He slid down in his seat again.

“You literally left, came back, and partnered up with Sett?” He said, It was the truth, but he refused to recall major details.

They were not gonna start an argument here.

Or maybe they were. Because where the hell was this conversation even going?

Jinx blinked, taken aback. “But… why?”

Ekko shrugged stiffly, looking away for a second. “What do you mean why? You were there?”

She shifted in her seat, like something was holding her back.

“I know those facts, but I still-”

“I mean,”

She put her hands on her head, trying to concentrate, clearly struggling with something. This startled him.

“Hey, hey,” He reached for her shoulder. She stiffened.

“Sorry, I just-”

Jinx leaned in, voice softer now, like she was piecing something together. “So all those rumors… about us not getting along… they’re real?”

He paused, studying her. She really seemed lost, like she was in disbelief. He shook his head, furrowing his brow.

“I don’t know what’s going on, Jinx. But yeah. They are.” He said calmly, concern growing in his eyes.

Something was clearly happening, and she was freaking out over it.

He watched her drink her frappe, looking unsure of what to do next.

Like she was about to say it, but still holding back.

Silence stretched. He finished his drink, and still, no words were exchanged. They both stared down at the table.

A lot of tapping, chewing, some slurping.

He grabbed the bag and reached for the croissant, he hadn’t intended on eating that today, but god he needed it during this.

A couple more seconds passed, her endless change of sitting positions nagging at him.

He chewed on his piece of bread,
Then, finally, she spoke.

“Ekko, I don’t remember you.”

Chapter Text

December (Over A Year Ago)

The sound of his knocks vibrated through the walls of her hotel room, it was the same building he was currently situated in as well.

The door finally squeaked open,

“Well you’re not my thai food.” He heard her faint voice as she settled onto a couch, without a care in the world.

His hands felt heavy, shaking with anger, and then she resumes to open her manga like she was just expecting him here, like he wasn’t there seething, storming inside. Not enough reaction to capture her attention.

She lazily flipped the page, ignoring him as she continued reading. She turned her page diagonally, trying to get a look at something. A blue lollipop in her mouth, her long hair down wrapping around the sofa, like it could squeeze it.

Glossy layers flowing around her effortlessly. Ekko imagined snakes taking over her head, would make more sense than her waves in this instant.

He quickly snatched the manga and set it at the table. She finally sat up, a little bothered but not nearly as much as he wanted her to be.

“What happened to manners?”

“…ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW???”

He could feel her smug grin before even looking at him. She wore a spaghetti strap tank, grey sweats that were far too big on her, and her tattoos glowing, as if her skin was just moisturized.

She finally turned her way his direction fully, the too small braids on her front tucked nicely behind her ears. Her usual side bangs out of sight. He’d only seen her this way a couple of times, didn’t know why it made him wonder.

Maybe because she looked more…human.

“What can I say? You reap what you sow little man.”

“YOU PUT YOUR WHOLE NAME ON THE BACK OF MY JACKET??? HOW IS THAT THE SAME THING. I ONLY-“

“Let me stop you right there.” She moved her hips in a dramatic beat, turning away from him then coming back to her original place.

“The little owls on my skates, that you thought were…oh! so funny!-” Her fingers moving in air quotes now, the lollipop in between her fingers.

“GOT ME NEGATIVE 0.25 GEO!”

“Now how would that even happen…?” Ekko remembered that, but had trouble connecting the owls to it. If he wasn’t so mad at the moment, he might have cared. 

“Judges wouldn’t count that!” He denied, stepping closer. “And it was months ago!”

Even her white skates were fading in color. No one could have noticed them by the way he drew on them. And if they did, what she did was worse. I mean these were sectionals, did she not think she could also get in trouble.

“Oh you underestimate how much my anger seeped into my performance little man.” She looked at her nails, analyzing them but not really.

“I suggest you don’t pull that shit again.” Her eyebrows lowered. That warning tone would usually cause him to back off.

He knew how good she can be at things like this, make them worse in a second.

But he was just too pissed off this time.

“You know what, I don’t give a shit Jinx, not when you went too far with my own clothes!!!” He finally invaded her space, he seemed to grow taller from Jinx’s perspective.

Studying him now, as her eyes trailed up and down.

His bundled locs swept to the side as he wore a matte black long-sleeve top, with green slashes stitched across it like broken clock hands. His pants were loose and lightweight. Both of the material made for the ice.

His black and white platform sneakers now replacing his skates, and the famous forest green Jacket with added gold spikes. 

He hadn’t exactly had the time to dress back into his normal clothes, storming to where she was located was the only thing on his mind up to this point.

She looked as if she was calculating something, maybe planning another sabotage already? Wouldn’t put it past her.

Still, It made him uneasy. Even beneath the heat of his anger.

“They probably wouldn’t have even cared,” She shrugged.

“You would’ve just looked like you were supporting some peers, nothing wrong with that.” Oh she was pushing, hard. But he could not take her serious with the small blue stains on her mouth.

“Or they would have gossiped about it for years!!! Do you want both our careers in the trash or what?” He bit back.

Her nose crinkled at that. She crossed her arms, still annoyed. But then her face lit up in a way he could never really interpret.

“And what would they be saying?” She smirked, her elbow almost poked him. They were too close. Taking a step back, she seemed to notice the distance now.

He didn’t even wanna know. People had been misreading them for years. Somehow catching random shots of them bickering, or crossing paths at events. It always looked worse than it was.

Or better, apparently. Some swore they were secretly together.

As if. How did it not bother her?

“You know… you’re lucky Seraphine caught the glow before the lights fully dimmed!” He huffed, Jinx now glared at him, daring him to say more.

She suddenly turned her head sideways, her lips pursing as she looked up at him forming a tiny smile.

“Have you checked your sleeves?” Her tone mocking in innocence.

He backed off her, feeling a another wave of frustration coming on.

He tugged on his Jacket, finally taking it off, feeling her eyes fully on him, waiting.

Reaching for the inside of his sleeves, he folded them inside out-

She was good, so good it made him want to immediately burn this jacket now.

There were scribbles, large skulls, dashes of her colors all over. And a bunch of small animals with really sharp teeth doodled in, if they came to life they would be laughing at him. The boom and pows scattered all over, not giving any room to breathe.

The tint was different than her pink graffiti-like glow in the dark one. This one being visible to light.

It was everything that represented her style. The way she liked expressing herself.

On the end, towards his hand was her signature with a dash behind it.

“Not my fault you didn’t catch it,” Her hands clasped as she turned her back, moving further from him again, her steps riding the triumph.

“Oh! and Seraphine has some too! Went easy on her, since ya’know… she wasn’t my target.” Her satisfied tone did it for him.

“PUTAIN, JE TE MÉPRISE!” 

(FUCK, I DESPISE YOU)

Her head quickly snapped back at that one. The empty lollipop stick now hitting the floor.

When he started cursing in french, that’s when he realized he could get under her skin somehow. He didn’t know why, wasn’t even intentional this time… but it still worked.

She left every conversation after he showed his anger in the language.

It was weird. Her slight pauses, red tint on her cheeks, the hasty exits, Ekko never understood. It was like none of the argument happened afterwards. She left him alone with his thoughts.

Like she set some sort of boundary, or was it their way of saying their usual goodbyes?

“Yeah well!-”Her first clenched at her sides,

“Putain you back!” 

This time she shoved his chest, he held his breath a little too long to even process it. It was little pushes, and silently kicking him out. He wasn’t even done making his point.

And-what the hell did she say? In any other instance Ekko would laugh at the error, but she looked so determined and angry to get him out of there, he just let her. It was a win to see her get annoyed at least. 

Then her breathless sigh caught him off guard, her touch more prevalent now… movements more slowed down. Just long enough for him to notice.

Her hands felt cold, but the feeling was…soft. They hardly made physical contact, so for her to do this…

The urge to laugh faded, She was either plotting his murder, or the exhaustion on her on her body finally caught up with her mental.

He tossed the Jacket on her floor  abruptly, it wouldn’t do any good to him now.

Quickly pausing to glance down at it, she scoffed but didn’t think to move it. Her lips tightened into a scowl, it made him unsure of what it meant.

What he did know was that they wouldn’t go anywhere like this.

With the impatience of her constant pushes, he stumbled outside now. The door was only a centimeter away before he felt the air whoosh right in his face.

It was clicking in his head. This was really how it was always gonna be…

He felt his chest ached, wishing for one second that he could have a glimpse a Powder, from anywhere.

This girl buried her, dug her in an unknown area, and left her for dead.

—

Present

There was a visible girl in front of him. But she was mute, more like his ears were numb. Repeating the last sentence that had come out of her mouth. The previous ones reverberating like shockwaves.

“Ekko, I don’t remember you.”

“Ekko, I don’t remember you.”

“Ekko, I don’t remember you.” It sank deeper each time, carving itself into the darkest corners of his mind. Like it was being swallowed by an abyss he couldn’t climb his way out.

There was the three first strong emotions that crept on him. Well not exactly, four in total.

One, Fear… the unknown waiting for him.

Two, Disbelief… This had to be a joke right?

Three, Relief…?

The final one tugged at his chest, the one he felt himself deny. But it somehow felt like the most powerful.

Grief.

At least close to that feeling.

Something was lost. But he couldn’t think of what. His need to mourn something was pulsing through him.

It was a lot to take in, he had to focus on the best one, the one that represented a freedom. Or a clean slate…a figure skating partnership with no real conflict in between. Relief.

She was blinking fast, studying her next move… Her hands snapping in motion.

“Ekkooooo….?”

“Space Bo-“

“Can I just-“ Her words kept rumbling and mixing in his head.

No, she’s lying. Right? She’d had to be.

But Jinx could not fake this much politeness for long, could she?

No. She nearly freaked out for even telling him that piece of information.

The front of her hair moved slightly, her side bang moving side to side as she stared right at him. He shy’d away, looking down.

But then he stared back for a moment, and he could swear he saw someone, a little blue haired girl with a short braid, rarely visible, She was laughing and grinning at him. Her fingers shaping a bunny next to her face, as they moved back and forth, daring him.

“OW!”

A sudden sting finally caused him to shake. The pinch of her hand on his shoulder, quickly made him straighten up, leveling his posture. His fingers feeling the table, as if he was finally fully back in the physical realm.

“Jinx!” He complained, slightly raising his voice.

“Hmm….” The air felt thick, her purple tainted lips shot upwards,

“Still so jumpy.”

He plastered on his poker face, a grin spreading. He suddenly felt like testing her.

“I don’t believe you.” He started, bluffing, wondering what she would attempt.

Expectedly, she didn’t look phased. As if she knew this is what his first reaction would be.

“Why would I lie?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Ekko-“

“And you never call me that.”

“What do I call you then?”

“Little Man.”

A snicker erupted in the room, a dagger of stares suddenly shot at them from the counter. Her hands moving at the speed of her chuckles, as her eyes fluttered closed.

Silent echoes of her kid-like laugh in the back of his mind.

Dammit.

Her eyes shot up at him again, focusing on his face more. He let his eyes roam her face as well, longer.  From this angle he could see her freckles, tiny little things that made him wanna poke at with his fingers. An urge that hadn’t left him since they were small.

“Is that what it is huh, Ya miss it?” A glint of mischief in her voice broke through.

“It’s just familiar. That’s all.” He admitted. It was true, that one just stuck with them. But that smug of hers bugged him for some reason.

“Listen there’s more. I just need you to hear me. Then you can ask me all types of questions.”

“Do I even have a choice to object?”

“No.”

His arms crossed, a hint of a smile creeping on his lips. It was hard not to find this amusing, as much as it was shocking. She was so bossy, she probably bossed Sett around like this all the time huh,

“You think this is funny?” An unserious tone in her voice almost caused him to chuckle.

She sighed, finally grabbing a hold of something in her bag… ok. But then she hides a file under the table, sitting on her lap.

“So this amnesia thing,” She started. He adjusted in his seat, his focus now on the conversation.

“It’s weird, it didn’t change a lot in my life. I remember my routines, my skating, being partenered up with Sett, Silco… I remember my whole life. I just don’t remember you and…Vi. Not after the whole thing with Vander and them…happened.” His body twitched at the mention of all them, specially Vi. Ok, quick game over. One mention of her sister, and things started feeling real. 

“Doctor said my amyg-“

“amyl-“

“Ugh. Hang on.” She finally set a folder of papers on the table, reading one of them. “I know what it is I just need to pronounce it.” She skimmed the words till she finally found what she was looking for.

“Amygdala!” She grinned, lifting the paper in the air, cheering.

“Okay, so that thing in the brain is important. But apparently it wasn’t really damaged much. It’s like a sprain. This whole memory thing is ‘psychological’ for the most part.”

Her shoulders brushed against the table, fingers wiggling at each other.

“I think of you, and it’s just all one big blur…”

“Ekko, the last memory I have of you is… when you were waving goodbye at me. I just picture your sad, pouty face. Of course, much shorter than you are now.” Her eyes scrunched together, but there was a spark in them he hadn’t noticed before. She was closer now, like she was hesitating on something.He had never heard her be this...gentle.

Taking a bite of his bread was all he could do. Please stop looking at me like that, please.

“So that’s why you came back here?”

“I spent some time with Vi, but we got into a disagreement.” She said, looking ashamed. “I asked her about what’s been going on between her and I lately, and… she just left a big chunk out.”

“So you’re here hiding from her?” Well, that made more sense.

“Why would I sign my life over to this place just to hide from her? I needed to come.”

“I wanted to see you.” She wanted to? Damn.

Her hand reached for his, landing on top of his knuckles as he held the croissant with the other hand.

His breath hitched. It made him drop the croissant onto the bag. She started tracing her thumb over his hand, and he froze.

So, she was being serious. This wasn’t something she’d do if she wasn’t telling the truth. Not in a million years.

Something fluttered inside him, but he didn’t know what. His senses were betraying him. Her touch was overwhelming.

“Look.” He slowly pulled his hand away, now feeling like it was trembling.

“I don’t wanna deal with your wrath like Vi has. So before you say anything else, you should know the last time we saw each other ended horribly.”

There was a long pause. Her face betrayed confusion. 

“Horribly how?”

He sighed, facepalming. He couldn’t believe he was going to drop this on her here. But somehow, it felt less intimidating with the knowledge that she might not remember what he was about to say.

“Jinx, we argued, then you slapped me.” Her eyes widened, staring at him in disbelief. At least that was out in the open. 

Seconds passed, and then her laugh broke out. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” He didn’t crack a smile, not until she realized he wasn’t joking.

“What did you do?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

What? That was the last thing he thought she would ask.

He was about to bark back something in defense, but her tone wasn’t cruel or rude. Just curious.

“What did I do? Did you just hear what I said?”

“I—I mean,” she stammered, “What led to that… um, happening?”

“Unless you did do something.” She teased, challenging him a little. Wow.

Her spunk kept coming back in little bursts. He never knew when that fiery energy would decide to stay. 

“Wouldn’t matter much rehashing it now. At least not yet. Let’s just hope you remember on your own.”

It sounded logical, but he really didn’t want to dive into it again—not with her in this state. He knew the story would come out biased on his side.

A sudden thought hit him.

“Wait, you will remember again, right?”

“Yes. Thankfully.” She sighed in relief and tossed the folder aside.

He felt unsure whether to grab it, but the urgency took over. He reached for the folder.

She seemed to trust him with all of it. It was strange.

There were copies of her scan reports and some of her medical history. He flipped to the main page, but between that and the scans was a sheet that pointed out other things. Some from a doctor, some from a psychiatrist.

‘Borderline’ stood out on the list. He flipped the page over quickly and looked up at her, nervous.

He’d known about that since they were preteens. That didn’t mean he wanted to pry.

All the papers looked official. No way Jinx would go out of her way to fake something like this.

“Now do you believe me?”

He nodded slowly, facing the truth as he put the papers away and slid the folder aside.

“Are there other things you forgot? Just… random stuff… like situational?”

She thought about it. “Mmm… there are other things. Like the last conversations I had with Sett… gone. I just remember us performing, and then… well, you know.”

“Must’ve been something pretty impactful then.” He said it with a tone a little too accusatory for his liking. As soon as he saw her face, he instantly regretted it.

“Impactful how? Do you know something?”

“No.” It wasn’t a lie, but he also didn’t want to admit that the tension between Sett, Jinx, and Seraphine had shifted at that time. It was part of a larger puzzle. Pieces of a story he still hadn’t put together…the reason Jinx and Ekko had that fight in the first place.

“So now you can quit that wary behavior, right?”

“I haven’t been acting wary,” he shot back.

“Sure you haven’t. It's the reason I'm even telling you this. Silco didn't think it was a good idea. He said it wouldn't affect anything, but I know he's wrong.” So wrong.

Ekko knew he was reacting strangely, too. But, come on. She would too if the roles were reversed.

He was usually smooth with his words, cheeky. But who could stay collected if these sudden changes kept happening?

Still, if it weirded her out, then it must’ve been more noticeable than he thought. He needed to get his groove back. And now that he knew the truth… he wasn’t that worried.

Maybe once they practiced, things would start looking up.

Maybe.

A shadow loomed over them, as if he needed more surprises today.

“Jinx.” Silco’s voice rang out sternly as he looked down at both of them. The whole café seemed to fall silent, as if they could sense Silco’s commanding nature.

They froze. Of course, he was here.

“Ekko,” he acknowledged. His words in a professional manner. 

“I hope you’ve gotten these choices of caffeine out of your systems by Monday.” His tone sharp with warning.

Jinx looked down at her nails, a hint of guilt on her face. Small glances at Ekko confirmed her embarrassment.

Ekko felt like retorting. Only because that ‘suggestion’ sounded more like a masked order. Even if his concerns were valid, they weren’t on the rink right now. Haven’t even started. They didn’t need this sudden power move.

If he couldn’t say anything, he’d push back by drinking the damn frappé. Silco’s eyes skimmed Ekko’s, a silent stand-off.

The drink suddenly tasted so much better.

“Well, now that you’ve taken it upon yourself to handle things, Jinx,” Silco made his way closer, grabbing hold of the documents.

“It’s time to go.”

“How did you even find me here?” Jinx huffed in annoyance, protesting his sudden demand.

He narrowed his eyes at her, waiting for her to get up.

“Fine.” Something told him she was in for a lecture. A big one.

She stood up, next to him. Silco motioned behind her, but she suddenly looked back with a nervous, yet hopeful smile.

“See you Monday, little man.”

Chapter Text

December (Over a year ago)

Sett appeared in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

“What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” she faked nonchalance, just enough to keep her dignity.

“I can literally hear everything through the dang wall, Jinx,” he accused, but she didn’t give in until he officially confirmed what he was getting at.

“I saw you earlier… writing on Ekko’s jacket.” Her body stiffened. There it was.

Of course he knew. He always KNEW. They were always in sync, always in the know. Like weird, freaky twins who sometimes passed thoughts to each other. That was why he was such a great skating partner in the first place.

“You guys are just cannons waiting to go off.”

She put her hands on her waist, preparing for the lecture. Normally, she wouldn’t have listened to just anyone’s constant scolding, but she respected Sett. Their level of understanding wasn’t something you just brushed off.

“Can you guys keep this thing between yourselves? Not everything has to be for public consumption.” She didn’t like how he said that. It sounded like an insinuation, like she was caught in some trap.

“‘Thing?’ sheesh, you make it sound so suspicious.” She shot back, breathless, like she had to say it fast. That only made her sound more unsure. But she didn’t even know exactly what she was arguing against now.

“And that ‘thing’ you saw was just payback for something he pulled on me before… Even if I did go a more extreme route.” She admitted it, but without a trace of guilt in her tone.

“Yeah. Very extreme. And you know what else it was?”

She gulped, already knowing the next words would piss her off.

“Possessive.”

“You trynna mark him?” Her face felt like it was going to melt. No way he just said that. Where did that even come from??? That stupid heat burning her cheeks irritated her even more. She hated how observant he was sometimes. Possessive… Possessive!?

“Are you going nuts?!” Silence. He subtly smirked, giving her a knowing look. Oh. She wanted to smack him.

“You don’t get it! I hate him. You wouldn’t understand how far this goes. So just… ugh! Stay out of it!” Her embarrassment was off the charts now.

“And what do you even know? You’re barely going out with the girl you’ve been pining over for years!” It was a cheap shot, but she knew it would land.

He finally threw his hands back.

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry for making you mad. I’m just trying to give some advice here.”

“The advice being…?”

“Just… play fair, at least during performances. Wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Ekko’s fury by association.”

Jinx knew there had been some shift in her mind about Ekko these past few months. Something weighing her down. It wasn’t a secret to her. But for someone else to notice it? That couldn’t happen.

Or worse, figure it out before her? Before she even came to terms with it? That was nightmare fuel.

She scrunched down, her head lowering as her arms crossed, avoiding her friend’s eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

This was all new to her. The need to be near Ekko. To make him mad so he’d come back and taunt her.

She thought about earlier, how his chest had heaved up and down faster than usual. The thrill of seeing everything amplify when he was angry was something else.

After years of hateful stares, quiet competitive play, and snarky banter… these arguments felt fresh. Longer. It was like they finally had the guts to officially come at each other’s throats.

But she hadn’t expected this. How intense it would feel.

How her stomach would churn when he gave her shit, the way he pushed her with performances and acted like he was the coolest guy.

And when she did it back? She knew she’d hear an earful. And that gave her motivation… to beat him, to become the best.

Yes, maybe she HAD overdone it. Just a smidge. It had been easier to hate him when there was distance. Less proximity. Now it felt like something was backfiring.

I mean, the brooding and hostile attitude was always effective, and she didn’t mind it.

But sometimes just sometimes… she wished she could officially meet this version of him.

A version of them without all the baggage. One where they patched things up and became friends again.

But he always chose wrong. And she always chose wrong. Which gave her the perfect justification to stay angry.

At least when she wasn’t face to face with him. Because he always liked to remind her they weren’t those kids anymore. He always managed to reveal new sides of himself, things she didn’t recognize.

Like when he started speaking in that damn accent. That annoying, annoying accent. It upset her stomach. It was like a bunch of alarms going off in her head. Everything became too much, and she wanted out.

She still didn’t know what he meant earlier. He knew French at an advanced level. She constantly traveled, never stayed long enough here to learn it. Maybe she should have.

The more he spoke like that, the more it sunk in… the fact that it wasn’t just some old hold from the past. It was something more. And it was fucking terrifying. Especially when she was sure she was going through this alone.

She also worried about the fact that his venomous words sounded too harsh. Too real. He knew the earlier sentence was laced with hate. She wasn’t an idiot.

Because what if it pushed him away completely? So much that he wouldn’t even want to be in the same continent as her?

She remembered how she caught his eyes earlier though. Like they longed to say something but he held back. When his fists clenched, she almost reached out to grab his hand…and almost told him to let whatever he was holding on the inside out. But she didn’t.

She dug herself into this hole. She didn’t deserve it. Not like she wanted him close anyway. Her friend was long gone.

Why would she want this person?

The one who was okay with them being so far apart?

“Oh! Your food came.” Sett snapped her out of her thoughts. The Thai food lay there on her bed now.

She checked her phone, food app notification confirming the order was here.

“Thanks,” she said. He winced a little, like the bag was tiring him out. Damn… tonight’s performance must’ve gotten to him. Still, she didn’t like seeing the exhaustion on his face.

She felt tired and sore, but it felt as if she could resist it longer tonight. Anything to relax her and give her time alone for a minute. Conscious.

“Alright, gonna get some sleep now. Don’t wake me up with another throw-down between the two of you,” He said, as she glared at him in challenge while he motioned with his hands that he was backing off.

“Yeah, you be careful. Wouldn’t want to tell Seraphine I can hear your snores through my walls.”

He looked taken back but then caught sight of something on the floor she couldn’t see from where she lay. But then she felt it.

“She already knows.” He said it like a joke, but she was too distracted by what he had picked up.

Did he just grab Ekko’s freaking jacket?!

“Stay cozy.” He finally walked toward the door.

“Ugh!” Finally frustrated, she threw a pillow his way, knowing it wouldn’t really hit him. He easily dodged it with the door. Her eyes rolled. At least she was finally alone.

Her attention suddenly drew to something else. A scent distracting her, alarms going off again.

She looked at the jacket, finally letting out a sigh.

Why was she disappointed in a way? That he disposed of it… 

She would never admit this. Usually anger was a good excuse for it, but the owls he wrote on her skates hadn’t made her mad. They had the opposite effect.

And that was even more humiliating. In her present life, she could go AWOL all she wanted, but to feel out of control during a performance? It really threw her off.

So this being Ekko’s first attempt to finally catch her off guard had just worked too damn well.

Her hands slowly reached for the jacket. She sized it up once it was right in front of her. This needed to go to the trash. Or at least stay miles away from her.

Because, geez.

His scent was already filling her nostrils. Ugh, it smelled so damn good. What cologne was that? She almost brought it close to inhale until she realized what was happening.

A surge of panic crept through her. No. Oh my god. No. What was she doing?!

Out of reflex, she dropped it as fast as she could, pushing it toward the edge of the bed. Suddenly feeling very repulsed by the thing.

Oh.

OH FUCK NO,

The feeling came back. The one she kept pushing away. And she realized this wasn’t just missing her old friend anymore.

This felt like a need she got when she wanted something from a guy. A familiar want — just not when it usually came to him.

It couldn’t be.

Fuck……

She pressed her hands to her forehead as she leaned back. Her whole body felt the temperature change. Like that information was finally sinking in, rotating through her bloodstream.

His scent still lingered…

Was she actually attracted to this idiot?

—

Present

Oh, you want a villain let me show you how I evil

Jinx mixed her eggs as she pranced around the kitchen, head bopping to her speaker. Her thoughts wavered back and forth between her breakfast and her ideas.

She could see it clearly… their short program entrances.

Jinx on the left side of the rink, Ekko on the other. A remix of their songs colliding.

Oh, you think I’m difficult,

I’ll show you I’m a devil

Sharpshooter lethal, top of food chain like an eagle,

The song would keep playing as the spotlight hit her, finally revealing her with the most insane outfit she could think of. Her markings on it. Except this time, she had Ekko’s too.

Fuck yeahhh, She thought, bopping her head as she spread avocado on her toast.

Then BOOM! Dynasties and Dystopia kicks in. The lights dim on her, making her disappear from the crowd again.

Grabbing her butter knife, she started singing along.

Ooh, yeah he mad, I’m racking up white diamonds

Ekko’s cool owl mask gets thrown onto the ice. The light now shines on him.

Throw me in the sky,

you would swear the sun shining

oooh, yeah he mad, I’m racking white diamonds

Throw me in the sky, you would swear the sun shining…

BOOM! THE BEAT DROPS!

He starts with small butterfly jumps, spinning in the air like a switchblade snapping open. His speed goes so fast, he was almost blurry. Then he quickly turns them into his famous backflips. Still on his side of the rink. Now, with more lights illuminating him only until the chorus passes. He finishes perfectly… landing with the smoothest edges.

Then he follows up with even faster butterfly jumps as the song keeps going.

He retrieves way back so he could meet her in the middle when he finished. His song gets muffled, the lights dimmed on both sides.

Dig my nails into your peach, dead and diseased like…

WOW.

The lights finally turned back onto them, spreading as they both circled around the rink, getting closer to each other.

PAINT THE TOWN BLUE RIOTS ALL AROUND YOU!!!

They finally speed up and meet,

BOOM! ’NOTHER BEAT DROP!

They’re supposed to clash. But they don’t.

Ekko jumps high and launches forward with more intense butterfly jumps. She swings her skates faster, then slides under with her knees, fully expanding her body. She touches the ice with grace, her head leans back to watch him from below. They pass each other like two shooting stars going in different directions.

Finally, they pause at a short distance. Jinx rises back up, Ekko grabs her hand as they skate in circles for a few seconds. They start preparing for their next move: a death spiral. He hardly gives her a chance to breathe, but she was fine with that. He began to circle her arm-

DING!!!

The toaster ejected the bread. It threw her off. She stumbled back, remembering she’d been waiting for it.

Oh shit. Okay.

“Focus,” She told herself, finally putting some eggs on the pan while sprinkling salt on them. She felt herself grin as she stared at her food, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Oh, she couldn’t wait to know what Ekko would think about all of this. Even if he wanted to change anything, he’d have to admit the idea was fantastic. I mean come on… the anticipation of the two of them coming together? Especially when they had an odd reputation surrounding them. Allegedly… Their skating had to outshine that, and she wouldn’t doubt it would.

She tallied up their accomplishments over the recent years. She wasn’t that informed on Ekko’s, but she’d done her research before getting here.

Jinx and Sett had won three World titles, two Olympic golds, and a silver they didn’t talk about much… But it was all good senior level stuff.

Seraphine and Ekko weren’t far behind. Two Worlds, one Olympic gold. She was sure they would’ve taken gold last winter, if Seraphine hadn’t left around that time. At least they made it to Worlds.

According to her Google searches.

And now it was their turn. The final mission. She couldn’t help but think this was how it was supposed to be now.

She was sure that together, nothing would stop them from at least getting to The Grand Prix this year.

It should have always been that way.

But thinking like that also made her feel guilty. The years with Sett were always some of the best. But she couldn’t deny that a part of her always wanted to know what level she and Ekko would be on if it had been them. Especially since there were a bunch of missing pieces in her head at the moment.

Not knowing the full story was eating at her, but she didn’t want to just attack Ekko with all the questions she had. She’d done enough already.

Her eggs looked done. She turned everything off as she began to take them out and set them with her bread and avocado. Flipping them around, she noticed one side was more overcooked than the other.

“Eh.” Brushing it off, she finally let herself have the last moment of quiet before she had to officially go to practice. No music anymore. Just her, her thoughts, and-

Her phone buzzed. She picked it up, the screen lighting up.

Sett: Good luck on your first practice Jinx! Don’t miss me too much.

He remembered. The corners of her mouth lifted, always so supportive. But then it dropped when she remembered.

It was a text back after two whole weeks.

He was acting off, and she had no way of reaching him besides texting or calling. She knew when he was avoiding her. There was just no way someone like him would be that… distant.

She’d resorted to texting when she realized he wouldn’t pick up. He was his usual self when he texted though. Always sending her his weird emojis. The mustache guy with glasses being his go-to for some reason.

Everyone was acting so cautious and careful around her, it was starting to get annoying. It’s fucking weird that the guy you spent time with every day for years just suddenly sends you updates once a freaking month.

This wasn’t him, and she was starting to worry. What if he didn’t come back to his usual self? What if one day he just ghosted her? As if their friendship was nothing. Could that be their new normal?

One friendship breakup was bad enough.

What the hell even happened the night of the fall. Can her freaking mind recover already…

Thinking could be exhausting.

She scrolled the apps on her phone until she found what she was looking for.

The videos of Ekko that surfaced online. For study purposes, of course.

—

“I… like it.” was all Ekko said. They were warming up, and he kept hiding his face after the ideas she spewed at him. She could see there was a smile he wanted to hide. Maybe not say too much… to keep her from rolling on the floor.

It had been an hour of stretching, and working on some spins before Jinx finally couldn’t hold in her idea for their first dance. Ekko had seemed hesitant to even be in this room with her, and here she was, vomiting all these thoughts to him. It was like the quiet exercises relaxed him more than casual conversation. But she couldn’t help herself any longer.

“Do you?” She tried to sound calm, but the pitch in her voice betrayed her.

“But…” But???

“I’m not going to show you any backflips, Jinx.”

Oh… “What why?!…” she exclaimed, trying to refrain from sounding so disappointed, and failing.

“It takes a while to learn.”

“I’m a fast learner.” She smirked, her hands circling around her waist as a wicked glint in her eye caused him to shift in his seat.

She was starting to like the nerves she gave him sometimes. The good nerves at least, not the ones that had him practically running away from her.

Especially since the past few days have just felt like… rejection. But in this case, his resistance felt more playful. It wouldn’t hurt to win this if it caused him to give in to her requests.

“Why don’t we just talk about it more when we start one of the routines.” She suggested, matter-of-factly.

Although he didn’t seem to like that she was going that direction. He gave her a hard scrutinized look.  Spreading his legs out on the chair across the room, as his elbows reached his knees, he was oblivious to the command he demanded in a regular space.

And he looked good doing it…

“I’m not agreeing to that.” he said firmly, as if he now decided he was putting his foot down for this. She could only smirk,

“We will see.”

“Jinx, it can be dangerous can we just-” His attention panned away from her. He eyed something behind her.

Curiously, she turned as well and saw a brunette man with his back against the chair near the entrance, his hand on a cane, eyebrows quirked up as if he were amused.

Jinx studied him. He wore a fitted maroon training top and some black skating pants, Her eyes darted to the leg brace that accompanied his outfit. It was smaller than she expected. Then her eyes landed back to the white cane. A foolish immediate thought came to her: she kind of wanted to decorate it. Those blank spaces served as a canvas waiting to be messed with.

She coughed immediately when she realized he was studying her too.

“Something on your mind, Ms. Powder?”

“You must be Viktor!” She bounded closer to him now, quickly invading his space.

“It’s Jinx.” she grinned, her hands moving in fast motions before finally offering a shake. “Heyaaah new Coach.” She raised her eyebrows and almost saluted. But maybe that would’ve been too much.

She had only seen him on video call when they were making arrangements, but seeing him in person was different.

Didn’t remember much of him, but she knew he was around during competitions. The videos of Ekko’s performances gave her a glimpse.

Funnily enough, he was more intimidating than he looked in the clips. There was a quiet authority in the way he carried himself, and if she could see it, everyone who interacted with him probably could too.

Bet he was a softie on the inside though.

“That was a fun conversation I was listening to, forgive me. Just wanted to know if you could crack Ekko down to his special move.”

Oh shit, Ekko was in the room still. And he just saw that whole exchange. He just witnessed the nervous doofus she could be.

She expected his face to still be full of disapproval from their last topic of conversation… but all she saw was a look of reassurance. A quiet, “You’re fine.” written across his face. And a glint of something warmer in his eyes, something she couldn’t decipher.

“Ya think I could?” She lowered herself down to his level and gently nudged her elbow around his shoulder.

Ekko started walking to the door, like the subtle individual he was. Jinx huffed as she now retreated back into her own space. That didn’t last long.

Viktor just shrugged at her as he gestured her to follow them, now that one of them was already out the door.

Ekko looked back at them when he heard them, then proceeded. Jinx took it upon herself to start interviewing her new coach.

“I was told you guys CAN provide some lunch this week, what is it?”

“Leftovers from a potluck we had. We’re trying to get rid of the food.” And here she thought they were being generous from the heart.

She sighed as he side-eyed her in a curious way. Both walked in sync, Ekko’s ear perked up.

“It wasn’t good anyway.” Ekko voiced. Of course he was listening. Got it. It’s a no on that then.

“Who is our choreographer? You know, besides mine. Sevika does not get along with just anyone. Will they approve of my ideas? And do you think Silco will like him? He’s pretty-”

His eyes darted to her when he realized she was going to keep on rambling, then he cut her off before she could continue. “His name is Jayce. And Jayce won’t mind your ideas. Although you might mind his safe approaches. But no need to stress for that now. Anything else, Ms. Powder?”

“Safe? What does that mean? Don’t tell me my signature braids will have to go?“ Viktor finally chuckled, “Your braids will be fine.”

Ekko slowed his movements a little. They were finally reaching the ice rink. Viktor’s hands paused on the handle entrance as the three of them stood there now, side by side.

Silco was in front of them, on the other side. He was talking to the Zamboni driver, probably making sure the ice was fresh for today. He was very precise with private sessions. Always making sure everything was set a night before.

Viktor had a strange look on his face. It wasn’t disgust, or happy. He saw the man in front of him like they were in the wild and Silco was the creature they had to be cautious on how to proceed. He wasn’t that far off, but they looked at him like he would burn their car or something.

It made Jinx want to giggle. The seriousness of all of it. Sure, her guardian could be stern. But when he was just being himself, he mostly acted like a cartoon character from Barbie around her.

And when they skated alone, he had some whimsical moves up his sleeve. He glided around the ice like he knew it. On bad days, the worst Silco could remind her of is maybe that Otto from that one Barbie Rapunzel movie. While the others probably only saw Gothel.

Damn, if Silco could read her thoughts…

She let out a muffled chuckle as she pictured him saying the same one-liners Otto said in the movie. Her hand covering her mouth. ‘Give him to me… uhhh.’ Don’t laugh.

Preminger from Princess and the Pauper also came to mind. ‘Why don’t you stick to your books… schoolboy.’

Her loud cackle almost slipped… Ekko glanced at her, looking slightly confused now.

Girl, enough.

When her attention set back to Silco, she realized Viktor was already on his way over there. Silco was looking at all of them with a blank expression, like always. The professional must be turned on.

“Let’s get started.” he said, without any follow-up.

Jinx knew Ekko had questions. She had them as well. Like how long it would take for them to start choreography, or what competitions they were possibly going into. When would they announce themselves.

She had begged Silco to not let them skip another season. She needed to get back in her zone. But she always knew it wasn’t entirely up to him. It depended on how this new partnership turned out. It wasn’t about rushing it. Ekko and Jinx were hardworking skaters. Everyone on this level was. They had to be. And from what she’d seen in videos, Ekko was incredibly talented.  So a little time crunch wouldn’t stop her or him from achieving anything. She knew Ekko thought the same. He wouldn’t have been here if he wasn’t.

She just loved… all of this. So much. Skating was a good escape for her sometimes, and She needed it now more than ever. To adjust, and to drown out some noise. 

She turned back to Ekko. He crossed his arms, questionably. No bad attitude but still determined to get the answers he needed that day.

“I want to see how both of you move and synchronize with one another for today. And Viktor is on board. Today it’s all about your rhythm.” Sounded boring.

Ekko and Jinx nodded at him in unison. Jinx took it upon herself to insinuate and guide Ekko to follow behind her. She didn’t grab his hand this time. She wanted to, but he got all weird about it the last couple of times. Saving it for when it was necessary was better. Sure it bummed her out. But as of right now, it wasn’t demanded.

They glided next to each other. Jinx faced him. Ekko let out an exhale as he looked forward, then at his shoes, then at hers.

They took graceful strides, in parallel to each other. Jinx a little behind, just by a centimeter.

She was thinking too much. The other day had gone smoother. Maybe because now there were eyes on them. Testing their dynamic out. It felt very personal.

Ekko was doing fine. She didn’t think he had a problem matching with her. If he was unsure, he didn’t show it. Not on this part.

“You’re staring too much at my face, and not at our skates.”

That felt like an accusation, until he muttered the next part.

“Is the princess of Zaun Street nervous of the coaches?” He teased and cracked a smile as she glanced back and forth from the ice to him. Then his jaw slacked, looking surprised that he said that.

Did he just reference a childhood memory? Was she hallucinating? Could he tell she was in her head? 

Jinx hadn’t thought about that abandoned rink in years. Back in Chicago, before they got discovered.

It was the place Ekko and her started their skating journey. They practiced and shared their love for the sport without a care in the world. The rink was located in a sketchy area, hidden from the average view. Outside of Windy City, where Ekko and Jinx sat and watched from afar. They made wishes, and talked about their future, their goals. Zaun Street was a landmark, on a hill looking in. It was where they met up.

And going forward, Ekko and Jinx just had to investigate the area more. They got in trouble a couple of times, by Vi or Mylo mostly. But when they saw what Ekko and Jinx had been up to, and that their skating could turn into something, they encouraged it more.

Now here they were, bunch of years later trying to regain some of that spark back. Well, seemed like it. His question was tripping her out.

“Princess?”

They moved faster, facing one another and occasionally checking down. But the less they checked, the more steady their flow felt. Like they were focused in on each other’s movements that they did it without thinking.

“Don’t like it?” He smirked. But he scratched the back of his neck looking uncertain.

She didn’t know what he was doing, but it was working. Her body felt more in control as she let herself loosen up more at the same time.

“I don’t mind it, Little Man.” She teased back, and his pupils dilated. “I do however call my sister-in-law an ice princess, so I kind of view that word sarcastically.” She explained further, not giving him time to retort.

They got closer to where Viktor and Silco stood. Both of them watching with focus. Jinx felt herself tense up again. It was embarrassing.

She should have been fine with new people watching her start up again. It just felt different now. Even if it was just Ekko and his coach. Maybe that fall had affected her more than she liked. Because her confidence felt like it was on the back burner right now.

A warm sensation suddenly snuck up on her. Her palm felt another one intertwining with hers. She almost halted to a stop. His hands felt giant against hers. Soft and comforting. Warm and inviting. Shit.

They squeezed her a little, in a way that told her to wrap her fingers around his as well.

It’s okay...for now. She felt her chest take in the feeling. She breathed in and out. Relaxed again.

Now it was just them in her mind. No other distraction. Even if there was still a small audience. Did he know? Could he read it on her face? The pressure she was feeling?

He must have, because he was doing this. Holding her hand. Their speed increased. Their flow got better.

His thumb suddenly rubbed the space between her index finger and thumb. Like he was soothing it.

Her face felt warmer. Yeah, she liked this too much. Way too much. And he was only doing it to help her… not because he wanted to.

Or maybe he needed the comfort as well? She hoped for this alternative.

They went on like this as the hours passed. Their hands touched when it made sense, then let go when they felt like being free.

They went in repetitions around the ice. Sometimes round and round. Sometimes in a straight line. Like gym suicides but instead it was them testing their speed rather than punishment, gliding back and forth.

There were no comments from Silco or Viktor yet. And with Silco, that meant it was going better than she expected. Didn’t know what it meant with Coach Viktor.

The practice lasted about four hours.

“Great start,” Viktor started. “I have a class coming in soon. Tomorrow we will be doing more side-by-side jumps. Given the hours will officially be longer, we need to see how you guys mirror each other at the moment.”

Silco stood there listening. “And depending on how that goes, we’ll see if we can start with lifts as well.” Viktor finished.

Then Silco stepped forward, “I’ve noticed you two seem focused at different times. The beginning was expected. Your movements started mimicking each other very well an hour in. But I could tell that your heads weren’t in the same place all the time. We’ll need to fix that.”

Ekko and Jinx agreed, nodding. Not even a protest from one of them. They knew he was right. But it still got to her, when Silco noticed her smallest missteps. He glanced over at her, silently asking if she was okay with what he just said. She quickly nodded in understanding.  Okay, then...To the regular non skater what they were doing probably seemed effortless. But nothing got past Silco. 

As they all got off the ice, Jinx felt relieved. She scanned the room to see where Ekko had gone. He was crouching down putting his skates in the bag. She swore she could see his bicep pulse.

She reached her bag, her eyes not leaving the sight of him as she began to sip on some water. The black long-sleeve he wore was tight, along with his pants. They flowed a little at the bottom, but barely. His locs were tucked away in a ponytail giving her a better view of his side profile. The small hoop earrings styled him in a way that made him seem more laid-back.

But that quickly changed when she noticed him stiffen. As if he could feel her staring in a way. She gulped louder.

Yes Ekko, you have pretty biceps, pretty hair, a pretty face. Ugh. How could she not stare. She was not going to shy from it either. It’s not like it meant anything, she was just admiring her new partner. Her old friend.

He really grew into himself.

Then he did something she wasn’t expecting. He started examining her as well. He was putting the bag over his shoulder while doing it. His jaw tightened as he scanned her up and down.

She was wearing all black as well. Black leggings. Black long sleeve. They matched in a way. Except her shirt was pressed even tighter around her. Flexible but the material felt very glued on once it was set.

He looked away briefly, then glanced back expectedly. As if he knew she would get closer. And she did.

“You look easy to lift.” He started. She stilled. Not the first thing she thought he'd say.

“I am.” Her eyebrow raised. “But I also have strong muscles, so if my movements resist, you’re gonna have to advance and keep up.” She challenged him. Her braids swung around her as she talked. He froze a little. She almost chuckled. Her tone flirty in a way. Making it sound like her statements had a double meaning. She sometimes didn’t mean it. But it was fun to do it.

He watched her braids whoop on her legs as they slowly settled on her hips.

Jinx let herself grow them to a length where the judges wouldn’t have a say on them but were also viewed as a hazard to the public. She liked to mess with them. In a smart way. They sometimes ended on her thighs. Sometimes around her torso. It depended on what she was going for with her performances.

Right now they were at a good length. Ending right where her waist began. But she could do more if she wanted to.

Ekko blinked fast. “I have to go- uh… Errands.”

Man, escape faster. She almost rolled her eyes. “You do that.” She said flatly. Trying not to sound harsh. But it was hard.

The shift between them was very obvious now. Walls were up again. She hated it. How quickly it switched off the ice. Now it was all hot and cold.

She needed patience. Jinx knew that. She knew that over time navigating this and skating together would get better. It had to.

Her hand waved him goodbye, as he nodded and swiftly turned around. Both left in different directions. Silco was waiting for her on the other side. Something that never changed.

“You have another session today.” Silco immediately dumped the info on her.

Ugh. She knew what that meant.

Therapy.

For her brain. And the memory loss.

She wasn’t sure if she liked going yet, but she’d do anything if it meant things would accelerate.

Still,  she couldn’t wait for the day to be over. Not because she didn’t enjoy practices. Firsts just always kinda sucked.

Chapter Text

Early January (Last Year)

His phone dinged.

Unknown Number: don’t tell me you’re going to bowling night
                                   

Ekko: who’s this?

Unknown Number: take a wild guess (blue jellyfish)

Ekko: who is this.

Unknown Number: ok. i’ll give you a hint. she’s a gold medalist, skates like the prettiest butterfly to ever exist, has kicked your ass in the championship.

Ekko: typing

Ekko: …

 Ekko: wtf?

 Ekko: Jinx?!

Ekko: you’re seriously invading my phone now?

Ekko: do you ever sleep?

[New contact name: Jinx? Update]

No. His fingers moved to click x on the notification.

(ding)

Unknown Number: wow.
Unknown Number: boring texter too (turtle emoji)

His thumbs twitched.
[contact updated: Jinx?]
Shit. Undo. Undo.

(ding)

Another text.

Jinx: do you have any redeeming qualities?
His fingers moved with speed, itching to respond this time.

Ekko: you’re not funny.

Ekko: and… butterfly? (laughing emoji) more like mosquito. You go for blood, and try to suck the life out everyone in your way.

[Jinx loved “and… butterfly? (laughing emoji) more like mosq…]

(Ding)

Jinx: how did you know it was me so quickly (purple devil emoji)

A groan escaped him.

Ekko: no one else talks about themselves like that

Ekko: also, delete my number. how did you even get it? if i get spam texts from sketchy sites, i’ll know it’s you.

Ekko: i’m serious.

Jinx: (purple devil emoji) (purple devil emoji) (purple devil emoji)

Jinx: you didn’t try to correct me on 'pretty', how sweet.

There it was. Riling him up in a matter of seconds. And that ego of hers was huge. It was dumb to even entertain this. And especially after the last time he saw her. Block her already.

The quick dings came fast. He hadn’t realized she liked to text that much.

Jinx: and thanks for the idea.

Ekko: you’re getting blocked.

Jinx: i’m gonna be joining sett tomorrow night. can’t block me in real life, can ya? i wish you could though. bummer xp

Ugh. Of course this came back and bit him in the ass. Of fucking course. He sighed in frustration, his phone now laying next to him on the bed.

He hadn’t fully taken in the fact that Sett and Seraphine had become a ‘thing.’ It’d been a long time coming. Seraphine was subtle, Sett wasn’t. And while it amused Ekko, he hadn’t expected things to change this fast when it finally happened.

(Ding, Ding, Ding)

And now Ekko was getting punished for it.

He groaned. There just had to be a catch. The universe couldn’t be too nice.

‘Please be my buffer, Ekko.’
He briefly remembered when Seraphine had asked him to join her and Sett on their first date. Just in the beginning. Icebreakers and all.

Never would he do a thing like that again. Even if, at the time, Jinx was nowhere to be found. A yoga class, a prison, folding clothes at a laundromat— He didn’t care. That had been luck.

But this time around? He might not be. When he accepted this recent invite, the thought of her had come and gone. He’d deal with it if she was there.

But now that it was confirmed?
A whole afternoon with Jinx?
Felt like the most exhausting evening.

He’d come home obliterated. Knowing how she was with him, he’d probably suffer five humiliation stunts minimum, courtesy of whatever she had up her sleeve.
He was toast.

He picked up his phone to cancel on Seraphine.
She’d understand, right…?

All that stared back at him were three texts from Jinx.

Jinx: you can just not go
Jinx: i’d love the satisfaction of knowing my presence has this much power over you
Jinx: (chicken emoji) (chicken emoji) (chicken emoji)

And mood instantly flipped.
He pressed mute on the notifications. That stupid bait she always pulled. He hated it.
Hated that it worked.

Because part of it was right.
Her attendance shouldn’t affect his choice to go. No way that was happening.

—

Present

The water of the small pond near his place looked so calming. The sky could use more stars though. But the crystal-clear image of the moon reflecting on the water distracted him from that. And such a pretty view for him to reflect on his actions. He kept staring at the tiny ripples that made the white ball wiggle. Pulling himself down, he squatted for a second, just staring blankly at it.

‘Princess of Zaun?’
‘You look easy to lift?’

The words had embarrassed him the second they came out of his mouth.
Really? That was how he was going to showcase his strength?
What a self-absorbed weirdo.
And the way he’d sprinkled admiration when he mentioned Zaun…

“Ughhh.” He face-palmed, still on his knees. It shouldn’t be normal to feel this embarrassed over little things like that.

Practice had felt like a breeze earlier. Or whatever that was…an opener, with not much going on.
However, the momentum they gained on the ice felt like a good start. And besides his dumb comments, it went smoothly.

It was the after part that wound up his anxiety.
They had gotten along fine. The conversation came easy.
But something kept nagging at him. The same realization that flooded his mind if he thought about her for too long.
It felt stronger when she was right there in his line of sight, waiting for him to say something. Waiting for him to try.

Jinx was here.
In the flesh.
Alive.

A horrible image liked to crawl up whenever he remembered that.

The ice, red.
Jinx lying on it.
Blood at the side of her head.
Unresponsive.
Her eyes weren’t closed. They were wide open.

Her body surrounded by mist, as if it were growing colder by the second.

In this version, he was closer.
Standing over her.
Casting a shadow.
Just staring. In shock, In panic.

He crouches down and checks her hand.
Pressed on her wrist, searching.

No pulse. Just her.
Still. Stiff.

Jinx was never stiff.

It didn’t happen like that. He knew it.

But that didn’t matter.
It was an intrusive and painful what-if.
The kind that kept rattling: what if she had fallen the wrong way? What if she made one wrong move?

That was when her being here hit him again.
He wanted to lunge forward.
To hold her and not let go.
Because she was safe.
She was here.
She was real.

Not a ghost.
Pieces of Jinx. Scrambled, but real.
And a guy, anxious, just staring at her again.

He had to be more grateful.
This should be his focus.
She was breathing.
She was alive.
She had space to exist. To wander. To choose.

Not buried somewhere cold with nothing left to leave a mark on.

He had to let go of grudges like that too, even if all the reasons behind them ate at him. Maybe if he spent more time with her? outside the usual? Would that be the solution? Let all the hurt from the past go. Sink into what their partnership could become.

Could he ignore the parts that triggered him? Like the memories of her fury, the ones that cut deep enough to make him flinch even now? He didn’t have to forget. But maybe store them for now. Could that work?

He looked down at the ground, a smooth pebble caught his attention. He picked it up and tried to make it skip across the water.

It flopped.

Exactly how he felt right now.

Was there still a chance she cared? Even a small one?
The Jinx he knew. The one from before the fall.
Maybe that’s what he needed. Proof that she still cared, somewhere in the mess.

It was harder to ignore that he didn’t miss her in some way. She was a big part of his life, even if it had been long since then. And to deny that having her here didn’t give him some hope of them having a similar bond again? He’d definitely be lying.

But he needed reassurance.
That when all her memories returned, she wouldn’t run.
Wouldn’t leave him again.

They were skating together for a reason.
Trust had to start somewhere.
He just didn’t know how to make the jump yet.

He stood up and tossed another pebble.
This one skipped twice before falling.

How did one remove the fear of it falling apart?

The only thing he was sure of was that his gut was never wrong. If there was something here, there was something here. He’d have to try.

Now if he could just figure out how to get those images out of his head.

—

“Again,” Silco commanded.

“But that was a clean jump…” Jinx muttered, aiming the comment at Ekko while making sure her lips stayed unreadable to Silco.

“We were a little late on the landing,” Ekko admitted. That had been their millionth side-by-side jump.

They’d spent eight hours in the rink. A lot of conditioning, the right amount of breaks. After so many edge drills, they were finally onto jumps.

Silco was trying things in a slow manner. Jinx clearly wasn’t a fan. Viktor had let him take over for most of the day. But he was always like this during the first few practices anyway. Letting the skater settle into themselves first.

Jinx glared. Still grimacing from whatever Ekko had said. She turned away slowly, then conceded.

Hmm. Moody Jinx. Not exactly new, but it had been many months since he’d seen it directed towards him. A reminder that her grumpy-ness was ingrained in her already.

They were about to go again when the sound of another phone going off caught their attention. Silco turned immediately, focused on the call coming through.

Jinx huffed. She was impatient now, pacing in one small area. She cracked her fingers, pulled her shoulders back, rocked side to side. All of this before even a full minute passed.

Her blue braids flicked with every twitch, like they could move on their own if they really wanted to. Ekko cracked his neck, trying to be subtle. Viktor and Silco wouldn’t notice. Viktor’s voice echoed in his head anyway. It’s bad to crack your joints, Ekko. You’re going to get arthritis. Right. Then why did it feel so damn good?

He glanced over. Viktor was glued to his phone now. What was up?

Then he heard it again, beside him. Jinx copied his exact movements. The Same stretch. Her bright pink sweater shifted up as she reached high. Her neck cracked three times, sharp and satisfying. It almost made him want to do it again.

She noticed.

“Hey. Come closer,” She said, eyebrows already plotting.

“Steady me,” She added, pointing at her waist.

“For what?” He asked, though he still moved toward her. And when he reached her, her scent hit him.

First came warm vanilla. Soft and sweet. Then a sharper twist followed. Candy-like. Fruity. Like the second perfume coated the air around the vanilla, adding a freshness that he liked. He imagined the vanilla as the layer of a sweet white cloud. The fruity scent was the rain that stole the attention.

He drew himself closer, wondering if her hair would carry the trace of it. It sort of did. But he could also smell some rose on it. The shampoo chemicals followed; That specific smell was the easiest one to spot. No whiff of her own pure scent yet. Everything covered it.

He didn’t like that. Too perfect. There was a strange curiosity to know what her natural odor was. If he just scooted even more, maybe he’d find it hidden underneath all the pretty fragrance.

Then she looked up at him, blinking slowly. Her shoulders rolled, side to side, like she was aware he was sniffing around but didn’t say anything. Was she judging him silently?

“Just-” She said, shaking her head and grabbing his hands. She moved them to her waist. “Grip hard.”

His chest tightened. He should have stepped back. No way she was bossing him like this.

But his hands stayed. They gripped harder on their own, and now they were fully face to face.

Then she twisted.

Five or six loud cracks came from her spine as she turned sharply to one side. Then again. Four more on the other.

She was using him like a wall. Like he used to use chairs, lockers, the ground. He was an anchor right now.

And he could feel the stares.

“Had to show you how it’s done.” She said, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulders.

He turned. Viktor looked up just long enough to throw him a disappointed glance. Silco’s head was tilted down, still on the call, face unreadable.

She snickered…He let go. She knew what she was doing. Jinx could smell nerves like blood.

He rolled his shoulders, then stretched. Arched his back until it bent like elastic. If he wanted to, he could fold it all the way near his feet. But that would look insane in this moment.

One solid crack shot down his spine. Fast and clean. He didn’t do it often, but damn, that felt good.

Ekko didn’t have to look. He could feel Viktor’s disapproval radiating towards him and how he’d probably want to scold him for doing it. The surprised look on Jinx’s face made it worth it.

He straightened again. She followed. They slipped back into rhythm.

“I’m impressed,” She started.
“But don’t think-”

“HOW’D IT GET OUT?!” Silco shouted from a distance.

Ekko froze at the sudden outburst. He felt Jinx grab his shoulder as she slightly wobbled horizontally. He quickly adjusted her, grabbing her arm, then gently nudged her back into place.

What the hell was that about?

Silco now paced back and forth, steam practically coming out of his ears. Off the ice, his fury radiated across the rink. Viktor glanced at them with a defeated look, like he was about to tell them their fish died or something.

They skated over quickly, but Silco didn’t even glance at them.

“What’s wrong?” Jinx asked. She slouched into a more uneven posture, like her body was already bracing itself for bad news. Ekko felt her lean in closer to him without realizing it. She hovered near his side, completely unaware of her anxious habits.

“Apparently a lot of people now know that you two are partners,” Viktor sighed, annoyed.

“Wouldn’t that be good news?” Ekko asked, confused.

“The faster they know, the better,” Jinx added with a shrug. Her back straightened the second she realized it wasn’t something tragic, or catastrophic.

“No, it’s not,” Silco cut in. That was what he was spiraling over? Seriously? Ekko had half expected him to already be the one to blast it to the world. Guess he was wrong about that one.

“I specifically wrote down the plan, Jinx. And you know that.” Silco came to stand in front of them, dragging his index fingers horizontally across his forehead. His phone was still pressed to one ear. “Hang on,” he muttered into the call.

“You can’t be doing interviews right now. Or anything tied to publicity. The only thing we need is sponsors. And we have that covered. You know how the media is. I had everything planned, you two were supposed to be declared when you first performed. Now we have to deal with all the harassment that could come of it. And you’re not ready for it.”

His eyes landed hard on Jinx. She opened her mouth, ready to fire back, but then shut it again when he turned away to continue his call. A frustrated sigh escaped her.

Ekko wanted to defend her. To say something. But he hesitated. He didn’t really know her now. Not enough to be sure she was ready. Silco did.

Could she handle this kind of attention?

“You shove it up yours Singed! Get the hell out of my services. You failed!” Silco’s voice echoed across the rink again.

Ekko glanced over. Silco had clenched both fists, his head jutted forward, body still behind. He looked seconds away from stomping his foot. Like a furious animated bird.

Jinx didn’t flinch. She seemed used to these outbursts. Silco’s PR meltdowns didn’t shake her. Ekko wasn’t sure how he felt about that. His career had never reached the point where some fame could become a burden. He’d assumed hers hadn’t either. But maybe something had changed.

People’s curiosity definitely grows when your whereabouts are unknown.  Aside from the updates Silco let out, reassuring her safety and return, no one knew much else. It was only a matter of time. Shit, even he had searched for things, only to find the same tired headlines. He could only imagine the people that admired her...

A phone rang. This one wasn’t Silco’s.

Jinx quickly moved past him to the bench. She rummaged around until she pulled out a phone attached to a much larger, softer sweater than the one she had on. When the screen lit up, it drew a scoff from her lips. But she answered anyway, lifting it to her ear with the kind of casual irritation that didn’t feel truly angry.

“What do you want?” She muttered. Her voice had dropped, slightly raspier, almost bored. It wasn’t real anger. It sounded like the kind of snark you saved for someone you were comfortable with. The kind that came without fear of a messy reaction.

Ekko turned away, giving her space, but her voice followed him.

“Of course I’m still mad. What gave it away?” She said, her tone cracking higher with every word.

That mean voice stirred something in him.

“Oh yeah? Did Caitlyn tell you that?”

Oh. It was Vi.

Jinx’s fists balled up, her back straightened, heels lifting slightly off the ground.

She was gone now. Mentally somewhere else. Zoned out. No acknowledgement of him at all.

But then she made sudden eye contact with him, the tops of her cheeks shifting to a warmer color. She started to move forward but instantly rushed past him.

“It is very recent! I don’t need to explain anything right now!” were the last angry bursts he heard from her as she rushed past him, her echoes growing farther away. And there went Silco’s daughter.

Ekko sighed silently. News spread fast. Even in Montreal...

The full weight of it hit him.

Vi knew now. About them. About how big this was. That had to be a loaded conversation for the three of them later. Vi wouldn’t miss the chance. Did Jinx not mention it at all after all those months? Was he just a last minute decision?

All signs pointed to yes. It almost made him laugh, because he couldn’t be surprised. He had signed off on this decision on a whim as well.

“I’ll see you two tomorrow,” Viktor said behind him.

Ekko blinked. Right. Viktor was still here. He assumed the words were meant for him, since everyone was already gone.

Then he noticed something.

Her bag sat forgotten on the bench. Her hoodie above it.

He stared at it for a moment, unsure. He could take it to her now or wait and let her come back for it. A few seconds passed. Then he sighed.

This was stupid.

He grabbed the black duffel bag, the name Jinx scrawled across the front in big pink letters. Loud and screaming in your face. Totally her. The letters stretched wide, leaving space on the sides.

That’s when he saw them.

Tiny drawings, scattered along the fabric.

They were quietly hidden in the corners. Like seeking you out, but not asking for the attention. It was just so… Powder. And the mix of chaos and vibrance Jinx brought with it.

Each stroke of the tiny paint and glitter told its own story. Some areas still blank, waiting for a new doodle. Another tiny piece of her.

There were faces, giant Xs, loops and swirls orbiting wild expressions. Angry monkeys. Even… sharks? Some graffiti looked cracked, like faded designs on an old T-shirt.

But it was the skulls that pulled him in.

Two sat near the bottom corner. One was green, the other one pink. The green one had downward slashes above its eye sockets. Somehow it looked furious.

But the pink one looked tired. And it was staring up at something.

He followed the bag upward with his eyes. At the very top corner sat another pink skull, this one clearly upset. Little dots dripped down from its eyes in glitter. Purple and shimmery.

His breath caught.

Something twisted in his chest. It was tight and heavy. He didn’t know what to name it.

He looked up, trying to shake it off.

Viktor was watching him with a strange kind of attention. Careful yet analyzing. Ekko quickly adjusted the bag on his shoulder and nodded in goodbye.

Viktor nodded back. But his gaze lingered on the bag.

Viktor knew the past effects Jinx had on him. And knew a little bit about their past. Ekko didn’t want to talk about it. Pretending Viktor couldn’t see through him made it easier.

The lights flickered, then shut off.

Some staff was signaling closing time.

Outside near the entrance, he spotted her.

She stood by the vending machine, unwrapping a protein bar. Her posture was slumped, eyes cast down toward her phone. Her face was hard to read, the purple shadows around her making it even harder. But she was focused. On something.

He walked toward her. Their eyes met through the reflection.

“Vi said he-” She paused.

“My bag,” her voice perked up as she turned around and faced him. “Thanks.” …The t-word again.

It still felt uncanny, but Ekko was starting to welcome it. Strange, but not the kind of strange that made his eyes twitch or his brain short-circuit.

She kept eyeing her bag on his arm. Anticipatingly. Caught between opening her protein chocolate bar and reaching for it.

“Vi told me to say hey to you, since she found out we’re partners. It’s the most joyous I’ve heard her in years. You guys keep in touch?” Her voice pitched a little at the last part. She leaned forward, eager to hear his answer. Her hands reached his shoulders as she unclasped the bag from them.

“Not really.” She frowned a little. He felt her hands loosen around his sleeves, like the traces of hope in her faded. He didn’t want her disappointment. It didn’t make him feel at ease for some reason. He wanted to fix this, say a little more.

“Not much… but I’ve seen her around and stuff.” He caught that glint in her eyes again, like she’d been reassured. He wanted to join her on it but chickened out.
So he settled for a small nod.

And it wasn’t an overshare either. Over a year ago, he would’ve had to say they never kept in touch at all… Vi tried sometimes. But she was always with other people. Cait and her friends. So he never really tried to have better chats with her.

Until last January. And he hadn’t really paid much mind that it all traced back to Jinx. Till now.

“Well then she exaggerates. Because she talks like it’s common.” She began unwrapping the chocolate.

“You want some? Before I take a bite. Ya’know… if you’re careful about germs or somethin’.” She said with a knowing yet gentle tone. Like she noticed things about him she shouldn’t have.

So what did it matter that he kinda was? Pause. Just…Okay, she was too damn observant for his liking.

And If he really thought about it, it wouldn’t gross him out if she already had that one bite. If anything, that wouldn’t even cross his mind if she offered. Which didn’t make sense. Familiarity or not. 

“I’m good.” It was the polite thing to say. And If he really wanted some, he would get one anyways. She looked excited to eat it, and he had to get out of there before his nerves got the best of him again.

He gulped a little as he leaned toward the machine. She shrugged at him and took a small bite, satisfied. “More for me.”

But it was quickly replaced by a jumpy mess of braids huddling toward him. She quickly took her hoodie from his hold. Roughly as she rushed to put in on. Like it would shield her from something.

“What are you-”

“What the hell is Marcus doing here?!” She whispered, cutting him off. She was almost shrieking, hiding behind him. Not scared. More surprised.

“Ekko, look over there!” How can you even shout through a whisper? Leave it to her to make even that dramatic. She pulled his shoulders down a little, trying to move him toward her.

“Okay, relax.”

He briefly looked to where jinx told him to. There was a man standing near the lobby, as if looking for something. His back was to them, not spotting them yet. Something told him there wasn’t much time left.

“Relax?!” Jinx almost shrieked again. “That is a reporter. He usually sends his little pap friend to follow and ambush me whenever I’m here.” Her breathing was getting heavier by the second. Like the frustration of it was tiring her.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Is that even allowed?” He followed up, curious.

“Doubt it. But he’s just so good he rarely gets in trouble.” She rolled her eyes, as if thinking back on it.

She started peeking over his shoulder, and he wondered if this would become a habit of hers. Attempts to hide from people.

“Will the friend be there if we go outside?”

“Probably.”

“Where’s Silco?”

“He already left. Had to make some calls.” As far as he knew, Viktor was gone too, probably doing the same. Maybe the GM could help? Nah. Heimerdinger wouldn’t scare them off. He’d be too dismissive about it. At least on such short notice.

“That might be why Marcus is here?” He suggested, trying to find a lighter solution.

“Marcus has no business being here. Silco would hate that he’s here unannounced. Only thing pissing me off is how quick he is. Always sniffing around.” Her whisper lost its edge, her voice coming back to normal volume. “And that’s not even the worst part! He does at the most unexpected times.” She became snappy, voice louder, charged with heat.

Jesus… had she been dealing with this bullshit all this time?

Before thinking, Ekko grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her toward the thick, round pillar a few feet from the machine. His hands on her shoulders, feeling the material of her hoodie.

It was fast and reactive. No time to explain. She let out a small gasp, looking up at him, reading his face. But he was too busy scanning around, not minding her demeanor.

“You know what, it’s fine, Ekko. If he wants to see me shout at hi-” Her breath caught mid-sentence because he suddenly moved them again. Instinctively. Her back pressed harder against the pillar, closing the gap. He leaned forward, still not meeting her gaze, bringing his index finger to his lips. Urgently.

She blinked.

Behind them, the reporter turned, eyes scanning the opposite wing. Not this way yet. Ekko’s shoulders eased down a little.

When he finally looked at her, she was still watching him. No questions in her eyes, just quiet awareness. Her mouth parted like she was about to say something again but didn’t. Leaving him at a loss for words.

Something about the quiet, the stillness… it made everything ten times louder. Taking in that they were hiding from something, together, felt sneaky. Like being this close without other eyes on them was against the rules. And he didn’t know why.

Then he quickly glanced over her face. He noticed the corner of her lips twitch. Her nose scrunched again, making the freckles around her nose appear smaller. He was close enough to feel the warmth from her sweater. Everything felt blinding for a second, like someone shunned the brightest light in his face.

He spazzed a little, pushing himself back. “I’ll just tell them they have to go.” He mumbled, almost like that was an excuse to move. She looked away, then crossed her arms, finding something else to cling to.

“Or we can just go through the back and let the doofus go through every room until he finds nothing. I’d rather yell at them but… I don’t want more lectures from Silco.” She suggested. He was thankful she ignored his odd behavior.

“So last time he actually-”

“Yes. All three hours later. After that delicious frappuccino.” She smiled, looking up at the ceiling, a little too wide for it to be real. But as soon as her eyes drifted back down, they stared off into the distance behind him, as if avoiding his gaze. He distanced himself more. Maybe they were still too close. Maybe it wasn’t something she liked under circumstances like this.

“Stay on this side.” Before thinking, he grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him. She obliged, making it easy for them to maneuver toward the back exit. He felt like her bodyguard for some reason. Protective like one too.

After a couple of turns, they were closer to the back door. No sudden movements behind them. No one chasing them. They seemed clear.

“Did you walk here?” Letting go of her hand, he opened the doors. The night sky instantly surrounding them.

“Yes. Since yesterday.” She answered, and he raised his eyebrows. She did it back.

“I like exploring.” She shrugged.

“Well, you’re going to hate snow days. You won’t see many now though. Well, maybe you might—who am I to predict? But mostly in win-” She squinted, a little devilish smirk forming. Her head tilted left, as if analyzing his sudden talkative state. That’s when he realized his mistake.

The weather? Was he seriously trying to talk about the weather? It was valid. But my god, shut the hell up.

“I’m taking you to your place.”

“I’m fine, Ekko. I can jus-”

“Let’s go.” He cut her off, like giving an order. “Do you want that cameraman to learn your way home?”

Well, it wasn’t a question. Did she really think he’d let her walk back the front route after that? Given her sudden ‘deer caught in headlights’ stare, she hadn’t expected his reaction. But she still followed behind him, straight to the parking lot. The corners of his lips twitched upward as he heard steps behind him. Maybe he was a bodyguard in another life. He was good at it.

He straightened his back as he spotted his black Jeep Wrangler. His hands rummaged his bag, quickly finding the keys on the side pocket. He unlocked it. Jinx was finally beside him. He could feel those curious blue eyes stare at him, then at the Jeep. Then at him again.

“A Jeep.” There was a pause in her observation. “In Quebec… You…” Another pause,

Me? Me what?

“Makes sense.” She finished. As if it didn’t leave him with questions.

What was that supposed to mean? He opened his mouth to ask, but she was already practically jumping into the passenger side. Moving side to side, as if to get a feel of the leather. Then, a small smile tugged at her mouth. She was enjoying this. The Jeep. Little mischievous thing, already unknowingly marking her spot. Looking like she belonged there.

Before he could even finish that insane thought, his phone buzzed. Really loud. Like someone ignoring his ‘Do not disturb’ notifications loud.

He opened the text as he got to his side of the door. He felt a small wave of excitement when he saw the name of the person texting him. But it quickly dropped after seeing the subject of it.

Seraphine: You and Jinx?! Skating!!!??? I MANIFESTED THIS.

Ekko: Why are you manifesting things like that.

Seraphine: I just knew it had to happen. Don’t question my methods.

Ekko: You knew nothing.

Seraphine: I knew for years.

Why was she suddenly speaking like the wisest being to ever graze the planet?

Seraphine. You guys are too good of skaters to not have given it a go! And I was wondering when she would return :(

Ekko: here we go again

Ekko: i have to go, i’ll call soon

Seraphine: Send baby blue my love! so happy she’s back in the rink. xx

Ekko: you are my closest friend, not hers.

Serpahine: we can all be a family. 

Wow.

He put his phone away, finally climbing in. To his surprise, Jinx was cautiously still. Just curiously looking around, pursing her lips as he situated himself in.

“This is perfect for snow days.” She leaned back. Her tone playful waiting for him to join her on the joke. But Maybe it wouldn’t be just that. Because sitting here, this moment, it was unfamiliar, but it felt nice. With company. Her company.

The two of them here. The contrast just felt… oddly natural.

But he would never admit that. It could’ve just been the smaller space. Whatever it was, he wouldn’t even let himself get used to such feeling.

They had a destination to get to.

Chapter Text

Early January (Last Year)

The place was nearly full. Crowded, even more as she approached her seat near the bowling lanes with a bottled drink in her hand. The question whether he’d be there was quickly answered when she heard his laugh, then several other laughs around it. She skimmed the seats, searching, only to find him. It’d been his turn, and he was now returning to his spot. He plopped down, almost man-spreading. His arm around the seat of a girl she wasn’t familiar with, as he adjusted his black leather jacket. On top of that, he laughed again as one of his guy friends joined him. She looked at his shot, and yep. All the pins were knocked out. His reading glasses on him, and it stopped her in her tracks a little.

Then, she noticed girls behind their section, ogling him. Too young. They’d seemed like they were in middle school. Like Ekko was the highlight of their night. All it would take was for him to flash his pearly white teeth at them, and they’d probably faint.

And who was she to act like she was any better?

She’d betrayed herself the other night.

Might’ve imagined that shit-eating grin on top of her during a time of need.

It just kinda happened. Stressful day. She was in bed, couldn’t sleep. So sue her for getting herself off.

Then a random thought came to her. She thought of loose blonde locs. Black sheets, beige under the covers. Him sinking down… and fast forward, she slept like a baby that night.

Her fists bottled up, her palms feeling like they almost drew blood at her sides. Like she was cutting off her circulation by how much she didn’t want to be thinking like this. Not here. Not when she was seeing him in real time. Like he himself was evidence of her guilty conscience.

My god, having a vivid imagination sucked.

And there was the strawberry lady, quickly adjusting herself around her best friend. Jinx cautiously took a step back, making room. Seraphine smiled at her. “Baby Blue!”

Jinx gave her a blank stare, almost announcing her disinterest. But then she thought of something better.

“Shortcake.” She shot back, nodding, smirking slowly in a playful manner. Even stepped forward, as if she were the tall one. Seraphine, who was still getting used to the username, scowled as if she tasted something sour. And Jinx loved every second of it.

“We’re like the same height?!” Seraphine whined for a second, but then caught on to Jinx’s teasing.

“You know what I mean.” Jinx picked up a lock of her hair as Seraphine raised her eyebrows at her. Being compared to a little cartoon must be taxing. But it was just so easy and fun to poke at her. 

Sett rolled his eyes, slapping her hand away. His way of telling Jinx to cut it out. But she knew Seraphine never really got offended, so why not?

Jinx mocked in surprise while a giggle escaped Seraphine reacting to the two of them.

The thing about the strawberry lady, she didn’t care for Jinx’s grump tells. She welcomed them, even when Jinx didn’t want to feel welcome. It kind of reminded her of someone. Shorter, tousled brown hair. Inability to un-cling from her. 

For a second there, she hadn’t noticed Ekko was staring at them. Glancing between both of them. His glasses were tucked on his shirt now, right above his chest. That told her he needed them to see from afar. She wondered if he wore contacts when he skated now.

…And she was doing it again.

Getting lost in thought.

Curious about things she shouldn’t be.

She crossed her arms, almost scowling, as she sat on the corner furthest to him. But the seats still pointed towards his direction. When she looked at him again, he was already chatting away.

That time did make her roll her eyes.

Then she heard him.

Calling her.

His voice sent small shivers down her arms. Had she maybe just heard him in her head?

“Hurry up.” Nope.

“What?” She shot daggers in his direction, clocking his tone. But everyone was staring at her. 

He pointed his eyes towards the lanes.

Oh. It was her turn.

That smug boy thought this was another competition. She could see it on his face. How happy he seemed to bark out her name, like she was holding up a line at an amusement park.

But nobody seemed frustrated with her. Just him, impatient and annoying. And to think, she was the one that practically convinced him to be here.

She wanted to tell him to fuck off, she’d go when she wanted. And she would’ve resorted to that. Had she sucked at bowling.

Knocking all the pins down would gladly shut him up faster. So that’s exactly what she did. Simple solution. Especially considering she felt nerves start to get to her.

So when she sat down proudly, and he faked that smile, she turned away.

She wasn’t up for it.

Maybe it was the shame.

Maybe it was the fact that he was watching her like a hawk, and she couldn’t understand why.

But she felt… a little shy. As if anything that came out of her could cause reckless destruction. So she stayed quiet.

So she zoned off to her phone. The typical way to escape social situations. Making sure to look unbothered, of course. Who would notice? Sett was busy with Seraphine. The skating acquaintances from her team were there, sitting near her. But they wouldn’t care either. 

Sett stood up abruptly, as Seraphine smiled at him from her seat while their fingers let go of each other, slowly and lingering.

“I’m going to the restroom for a second. If you wanna take my turn, go ahead.” Sett said to Seraphine on the left side of him, yet he headed the opposite way from where the restrooms were. She would know, she'd gone when she got here.

That was… weird. And an unnecessary blatant lie at that.

Where was he going?

She was watching him, just to see where he’d end up… but then her phone buzzed.

New Message

Boy Savior (owl emoji): You almost missed.

Jinx: I never miss

Boy Savior (owl emoji): You would if you almost tripped

Was that a threat?

Her face remained expressionless. She didn’t look at his direction yet.

One more stupid attempt at an insult and she would lose it.

She straightened her posture, as if to look more mean. She hoped he’d get the hint and leave her alone.

But if he didn’t get that, he’d certainly get her next text.

Jinx: Also jump off a bridge

His reply took longer than usual. She tapped her fingers, leaning back and scrolled somewhere else. So she wouldn't seem like she'd been waiting for it. She even looked around. She surprisingly noticed Kayn (her ex) at the front of her row talking to her mutuals on her side. What the hell? When did he get here? And why did it take her so long to notice. 

He got up for his turn, then nodded at her after he felt her stare. She tried to smile back, but it looked more like a shrug. Great, two people to avoid. Why did she come here again?

Suddenly, her phone buzzed again. 

Boy Savior (owl emoji): I feel like that would hurt

More buzzing.

Boy Savior (owl emoji): But you can try and make me

Make me...

What the fuck…

She knew those were fighting words in their language. But she just couldn’t help but think of something else…

Her head finally snapped to where he was sitting.

He was still spread fucking open. Just waiting for someone to straddle over him and just—

Ugh!

She sneered at him, angrily. But not enough for anyone else to notice. Quickly, she stood up, ready to leave the little angry bubble they were stuck on.

She moved away from the seats, walking away.

She looked back at Ekko, fully expecting to see him grin or laugh after thinking he pissed her off. But she didn’t see that. Sure, she wasn’t being herself, and she knew that. But it was better than having him near her, torturing her before she got to process this more.

His eyebrows were scrunched up at his phone. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he was confused at her silent escape.

She had to get out of there. Sett was somewhere out there anyway.

Why not go bother him?

In fact, he’d been acting strange for weeks. Walking out of rooms due to suspicious phone calls. Attitude changes after practice, like it took all of him to be there.

Then there were the little white lies. Lies like the restroom one. Unnecessary and sketchy ones.

She had to see what he was up to. She was hoping her intuition lied to her, and that she was worrying for nothing. And at least this would keep her mind from wandering.

--

She was peaking from the inside. It was the wrong thing to do. To spy around on Sett.

But he was talking to a guy. The man looked way older, wearing a hood. And they were arguing. Seth was handing something to him. As if it were a freaking drug exchange. But it wasn’t.

Right?

It was escalating. Their arms and bodies now moving around each other hastily.

Oh shit.

She had to stop this right? He could see spit flying out of the man’s mouth as he raised his voice. And that was enough for her to step outside. Then she recognized the man.

No. No.

That… idiot!

What was he doing here?

She stepped out of the glass doors, jogging a little. First, she made sure Sett was able to hear her. And then she did it.

“Sett!”

He quickly snapped back at her. Immediately clutching his sweater as if she didn’t just see him stuff something up there. What the hell?

She then glared at the man. That scum, the one who didn’t deserve any piece of him. He’d abandoned Sett, time and time again. Every time he came back worse. And Jinx had to watch him get manipulated all over again.

Once he heard one of Sett’s friends calling him, he immediately scurried off. But not like he was afraid, more like she was just an inconvenience. Nothing compared to the horror on Sett at the moment.

She finally got to him. And almost head-butted him for being so dumb.

“Are you serious?”

He looked at her, pained. Ready to surrender, she saw it for a split second. The mask slipping. The one she didn’t know he was hiding.

She couldn’t bombard him with every set of questions she had. So maybe, maybe she’d choose the option that would let her figure out the rest for herself.

“Is that who I think it was?” She asked, knowing the answer, but secretly hoping his dad had a twin.

—

Present

“Turn right here.” Her back pressed harder and comfortably against the seat, the side of her head resting on the cold glass next to her. They hadn’t spoken a word. It felt mutual, just the sound of a radio with French commercials she didn’t understand.

“I know.” He said it matter-of-factly while looking at her, as if it were crazy to question his sense of direction. Then he looked back at the road ahead. She’d given him the location of her current stay after refusing to use a GPS, which was a no-brainer once she realized he’d probably driven all over already.

“So, do you like this Jeep?” he suddenly asked. It took her a moment to connect back to what he was referring to. Her nails scratched the side of her tights; pictures of him with a red sports car resurfaced in her mind—a picture that made him look effortless, gliding around Montreal without a care in the world. More risky, like he’d bet on anything. He looked the same now. Just more calm and collected. Maybe on edge sometimes, but it wasn’t untamed.

She wondered where that car was. Did he sell it? Trade it? She could not bring herself to ask. That would imply just how much research she’d done on him. No thank you.

“Well, when you mentioned snow, I just pictured you riding it in that type of atmosphere.” He looked at her, taking it in.

“Ya’know…Frosty Ekko and his Jeep.” She didn’t say how pretty she pictured him. Bigger jackets, gloves, the air he exhaled turning misty.

She also didn’t want to go on about how, if this were Chicago, she’d picture him in a Lexus LC, or… a motorbike. And in Paris, red or black vintage Mustangs, Vespas. It was so him. 

The only thing she was curious about was why he chose to stay in the coldest city she could imagine. This town obviously froze at points. Unlike him.

And it made him seem tortured in a way. But what did she know? Maybe he found solace in the stillness. She wouldn’t take him for someone to stay here forever. But right now, it seemed to be part of him.

“It just fits you,” she thought.

He kept glancing next to her, and she opened her eyes to see him smile in relief. The answer seemed to satisfy him.

She looked forward; the taller buildings were finally coming into view.

“Oh, next stop, turn left.” She leaned forward. That earned a small chuckle out of him. “Jinx, I know.”

“Still.” She liked confirming it.

The song on the radio captured her attention. The melody was like heaven to her ears. The French vocalists made her want to sink into the world they were describing. What song was that?

She glanced at him; he stared at her, unsure of what she was doing but not taking his eyes off the road for too long. She opened her camera app.

“I loveeeee it.”

The words on the radio screen read: Ma Meilleure Ennemie by Strome Pommae. She was definitely searching it up later.

The pretty melody kept playing.

Ugh. What was it about? She didn’t even know what the words were saying, but she was in awe. The girl sounded defeated, yet dreamy. The tone mesmerized Jinx. Made her want to dance. To feel it in her bones. The male voice sounded in pain, like he was communicating with the girl through the song. She needed this injected into her veins.

Her hands immediately circled around the radio, turning up the volume.

She glanced back at Ekko to see his reaction

“Tu sais c’qu’on dit,” he said, opposed to singing. But he still covered his mouth, laughing. Like it embarrassed him a little. Then he started mouthing it silently, letting the singer do its thing. She liked this side of him.

Her finger moved the volume up a bit more as she closed her eyes. She lay her head on the window, arms stretched outside, riding her hands in a wave. This was perfect. The breeze was hitting, the song was hitting, and Ekko was swimming in the current.

But the SUV stopped soon enough. The tune of the music was still playing, very close to the end. And Ekko let it fade on its own.

When it finished, she looked around her temporary neighborhood. People were still outside, surprisingly. A group of friends laughing at a distance, an elderly couple getting in her building, her doorman.

Who was holding a box. The delivery also man came into view, stepping back into his vehicle. Was that her new sewing machine?

Jumping out, she went straight to it.

“Chuck, is that my—”

“Yes.” She had only been in the suite she was staying in for almost two weeks, but she had always greeted the doorman; it was becoming a good morning routine. He was shy, so his answers were always one word.

She looked back at her bags, fearing Ekko might’ve driven off. Unlikely, but still. He was getting out of the Jeep.

Jinx grabbed her box, her body slumping slightly. A machine must not be the only thing, because this thing was hefty…she could handle it though. So she turned back, proceeding.

“Ah, fuck!” She jumped back.

Ekko was right in front of her now. It made the box tumble.

“Shit,” Ekko quickly grabbed the package from her hands. First, she felt a surge of relief. Then the guilt made its way to her.

“Uh, you don’t have to.” She grabbed the bag from his shoulder quickly, hoping to make the fact that he was now carrying a bigger package easier.

“It’s fine. Lead the way.”

—

“You can set it there.” She pointed to the couch. Ekko glanced around.

He gently set the box down, as she placed her bag and keys next to it. He kept looking behind her, focused on something.

It quickly dawned on her that he was in her space.

It wasn’t her permanent place…she was moving next month. But seeing him here was new, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Maybe she’d let him decide for her.

“What is that?” His voice rang in front of her, pulling her out of her thoughts.

He walked further, then stopped, still giving a pointed look to her corner.

There lay her little workshop, a big set of fairy lights around a desk she recently bought. Colorful designs splattered across posters on her wall. Only because she wasn’t allowed to paint outside. The coffee table that was supposed to be at the center of the living room was now next to it, holding unfinished dresses, some skates next to her chair, some not even her size. The spot she’d allow herself to make hers. Easily movable.

“Oh, that.” She shrugged, scratching the back of her head.

“Um, it’s just my designs. Sometimes I like to mess around with my costumes.”

“Ya’know…like make ‘em mine.” He probably knew that, given her history of outfits, but there was still a stunned look on his face.

“Mess around? These are so good.” She flushed a little at the compliment, facing away from him.

She had benefited from this little hobby, enough to make a good amount of money. But she wasn’t just going to blur that out. There was even a website. Easily accessible if one tried to look for it, but not well known. Just how she liked it in this point in time.

“I like fixing them right now more than starting from scratch. It’s all the time I have for now.” She was deflecting a little, not mentioning she wished she could do it full time sometimes, when skating routines felt gruesome, and she wanted a break. She also couldn’t understand the reasoning behind that type of thinking at the moment, because right now, she felt like skating her feet away.

He kept his gaze on the corner. She moved toward it, letting him know it was okay to look.

Was it though? Her little spot could be a mess sometimes.

“Uh,” she rushed over, giving it a quick once-over. To her relief, nothing was out of the ordinary.

When Ekko got there, he immediately studied everything. From her sketchbook to her polaroids of the final products. He quickly noticed the mannequin next to her, bare, in need of a costume.

“Ugh, Moxy, what did I say about you standing there naked?” She spoke to it, immediately putting on some discarded fabric around her.

A shuttered giggle came from behind her but quickly stopped, as if he was embarrassed to be laughing at an immature joke of hers.

She smiled to herself anyway, not facing him yet. That noise from him made her feel good. Especially because she knew it was something he couldn’t help. Joy directed at her.

He kept observing her black shoes. The ones she’d been recently working on. He kept his eyes on the tiny pair, the exact copy of her big ones.

“I didn’t know you wore size 2 in kids.” Oh, he thought he was funny.

“Those are from my favorite little costumer.” Given that the tiny costumer was never allowed to pay. She was the reason she’d even decided to start her little business, rather than keep her designs to herself.

Ekko’s gaze drifted, then landed on a polaroid, almost hidden beneath another. A tiny Isha grinned up at him, pigtails bouncing from the day she decided to copy Jinx. The sparkly blue dress fit her perfectly.

Jinx’s fingers itched to tuck the memory somewhere safe. She missed her little sidekick more than she realized.

“The tiny costumer.” She pointed a finger gun, answering his silent question. He didn’t ask more, just nodded.

She quickly went back to the couch, grabbing the box as if it weighed nothing.

It did, but she knew she was strong enough.

“What about you? What does the Mr. Boy Savior do when he’s not gliding on the ice?”

"Hmm." He thought about it for a second,“If I’m not in the gym, gymnastics. Or practice. I give skating lessons.” There was a glint in his eyes, small lines at the sides as a hidden smile fought to come out.

“You’d be surprised how many people want my expertise.”

“Not really. It’s pretty understandable.” She said, grabbing a boxcutter and hurriedly opening her package. Something purple already peeking out.

“Who do you teach?” She asked.

“Mostly kids. But the love for this sport comes in all ages, including the elderly.”

Jinx raised her eyebrows at that, imagining an old couple learning to skate. That could turn ugly pretty fast if she were the one teaching. But Ekko, she was sure, would go with the right amount of caution. Even catch them if they almost fell.

By the look in his eyes, he seemed to love it. The coaching aspect of it all.

“Have you ever taught someone before?” he asked, and her thoughts quickly shifted to little Isha. Unsure if she wanted to dive into that whole rabbit hole right now.

“Yeah…

You…

Remember?” She said, resorting to jokes.

“You did not teach me?” He denied, just as she suspected.

“You were all wobbly before me.” She laughed, finally opening her packages. There was the new machine, and clear bags wrapped around the beautiful vintage fabric she ordered. Below it, were two pairs of skates. The obvious anchors that kept the box grounded.

Ekko’s eyes stayed glued to the bag with the purple fabric though. His mouth slightly parted. She didn’t know why.

As if he noticed her staring, he jumped back to the conversation, surprisingly not losing the beat.

“That, that… doesn’t count. It was like riding a bike. You know that. Once we got the hang of it, it was a blast.”

They stood there, rocking back and forth as they spoke. Everything felt easier for that one second. Like a casual day between them. Exactly as she’d imagined it. She wouldn’t waste the opportunity.

Especially since he was distracted by her package. She saw him glance at it one more time, but she just narrowed it down to curiosity.

“Hey, what did you think of the song back there?”

“I think I made it obvious.” He stated.

“No, you didn’t.”

He playfully rolled his eyes. “Jinx, I can see where you are going with this…”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she started spinning around, moving toward the center of her living room. Looking like a ballerina. It had a purpose. And maybe also to show off her spins on regular ground.

She briefly reached for her phone.

“No idea what so ever.” She huffed, as he leaned back against the wall, carefully studying her. She searched for the song after glancing at her gallery, then pressed play.

“C’mon…” She rasped, challenging him.

A speaker around them went off. The volume lower, unless she decided to turn it up.

“Imagine Silco, it would make him so mad that we were dancing without his authority.”

His eyes narrowed down at her, finally coming to the conclusion that she was a perceptive being. But to be honest, anyone could spot Ekko’s discomfort with Silco. It was interesting to witness.

“Jinx.”

“Ekko.” Her eyebrows matched her evil smile as she extended her hand hoping he’d follow. So far, he always did.

The music got louder. And The melody from the ride played again.

--

After thirty minutes, they’d gotten carried away. Different songs started playing, so they decided to move onto lifts. But by the time that happened, Ekko was the one that kept insisting to replay Ma Meilleure Ennemie. Just to repeat certain moves, like replaying the best part of the song. It seemed to capture a lot of emotions in him, so she went along with it.

Now, they were practicing a twist lift.

“Wait—move your knee more inward. It will make the rotation smoother when I actually throw you up.” His voice was even. Not even one hint of him being out of breath yet.

“I usually do that when I’m up there.”

“Well, try it before. Tucking it early will help me keep you balanced while I throw you, and it tightens your spin. Just a small timing adjustment.”

“I’d have to get into position faster to transition.”

“I’m aware of that.”

She knew it would work, but it was an undoing of how she and Sett usually did it, and she’d have to get used to this. Her braids also blended into moves like this… if they didn’t twist right and turn perfectly here, she’d have to switch them, which wasn’t hard, just unexpected.

Without another word from him, she tucked it in, closer to her body. And waited patiently.

He still didn’t move.

“Any day now…” She hummed.

“Sorry, I’m still on the fence about throwing you here.”

He hesitated. Still steadying her. And she just stayed waiting.

Silence.

“Fine. Only for this one. We can do another type of lift after.” She was sure he only agreed because they were already in position, but she’d take the win.

She beamed at him.

It felt like she was getting her first lollipop from the doctor’s office.

“Oh wow, don’t you start spoiling me, physics boy.” He said nothing, but he could feel his grip on her leg tighten. And for a moment, just a single moment… something stirred inside her legs.

Then, she felt petrified.

What the.

“Alright, count to four.”  His voice brought her back to focus, as her eyes flickered away from him.

“Four?” …Why not three?

“It’s just my lucky number.”

And with that, they counted. Four seconds later, she was practically flying.

--

“So do you… like… never sweat?” He asked her.

The room was getting stuffy. She’d forgotten to change the temperature from the chilly mornings.

And somehow, she still managed to feel her blush creep in.

“What?” Was she hearing him right?

She almost felt like laughing, stunned by the sheer randomness of it.

“I mean just look at me. I’m full of it.” Oh, I know. She thought to herself. It was starting to distract her for some reason. The type of reason that made her wonder if practicing here was such a good idea.

“I’m sweating like a mothe—“ He stopped himself, like he hadn’t meant to go into heavy curse territory. She cackled. Harder than she should have.

Because what could she even say to that? She thought about teasing him. ‘Yes, you are.’ But what if he took that the wrong way? He didn’t smell unpleasant.

It was more like smelling gasoline. The scents completely unrelated, yet she wanted to take the same actions. Whiff him up, sink into it. Kinda addicting.

And the more she thought about it, she felt so drawn to it. She shouldn’t be finding this as intoxicating as it felt. It was sweet, spicy, and almost erotic. That raised many red flags in her brain.

Her legs began to tangle. Her shoulders desperate to flail over. Ekko’s grasp on her never wavered. He pressed harder around her waist, a silent signal that he was about to let her down.

She wiggled herself, his grip pressing again as he moved her down, slow and swift. She dared not look at him as their chests pressed against each other for the next couple seconds.

They both stood there, her body aching to move forward. To feel him a little longer. He was so brawny, it fucked with her. Made her imagine things she hadn’t thought of. Thoughts reserved for late nights. Bad ideas to entertain. And he was not invited to the fantasy yet.

It didn’t scare her though. To see him in this light… But it was dangerous. And if Ekko could read her mind—

It was just the way his hands felt against her. How he held her as he leveled her, so easily, so… flexible. It just made her… curious. The slight brush of his fingers making contact with her thighs, or her waist, Made warmer all over.

But things like this were common. Right? To feel a chemistry with a partner. At least in their case. That’s how they’d work...

It was almost too much to take in though.

Because he was here again, different than before, in many aspects. Her Ekko. All of this just screamed off-limits. Nothing like her past partnership.

With Ekko, it was almost electrifying.

So electrifying, that it felt forbidden. God, no scratch that. That made it much worse, and more tempting. He was the guy who’d always sworn to protect her. Her oldest friend. Just there, begging to plague all corners of her mind. And now… maybe even her bod—Shut the fuck up.

It had only been a few days, and this is what happens?!

Maybe they should hush and just continue. That was the problem. Their mouths kept yapping, trying to do both things at once.

She looked at him again, now fully. He was wiping off the forehead sweat. His watch now visible to her. Completely unaware of the war in her mind. Fuck.

“I am sweating. By the way.” She quickly zipped down her tight sweater, “It’s just—“ she said breathy as the sweater undid around her. It left her in a black sports bra. “Not as noticeable because it was hiding underneath.” She let out a shaky breath, smiling at him.

Apparently it wasn’t such a good idea. Because his eyes widened, and she couldn’t tell what the hell she was doing wrong.

Was it the flashy blue tattoos? He seemed to skim around them, perplexed, then looked away. As if they could burn him if he wasn’t careful.

She smirked, purposefully. Just to see what he would do. Hopefully it wasn’t obvious that this was how she tried to take charge in situations. Slightly embarrassing ones.

“Let’s go again.” Was all he said, except… he decided it was time for his own sweater to bounce. He wore a dark grey sports tank. His arms shook in the air, the muscles now hard to ignore. And she could swear a small drop of sweat dripping down sparkled.

…Just when she thought she was done with the gawking.

She nodded, agreeing. Almost gulping.

Why the hell was this even making her hard to breathe?

Shaking her head, she finally decided to focus on their objective. Enough of whatever transpired in her head seconds earlier.

The touch of him resumed, fingers stretching near her hips and rib-cage. Her feet quickly off the ground, “So, physics boy, you didn’t say what you were doing next?” Her position now in a plank above him. He seemed as if he was counting something in his head.

“Uh, seat lift?”

Next thing she knew, she was on his shoulder. The position a little more comfortable than the last.

“Ah, this one is my favorite.” She sighed happily.

Ekko suddenly grabbed her torso, and set her down again.

"And why is that?"

"It's... comfortable."

“You are just tired.” His voice so close to her ear almost made her shudder. His hands were still on her waist, locked and firm. Both bare in the hold.

“Maybe we should stop now.” The way he said that. Her breath hitched.

The hand on her left loosened, but then she felt the sensation of his touch at the top of her hand. The other one still around her stomach, balancing her out to the ground. A sudden jolt up her spine.

Then she gasped.

It happened so fast.

Brief images in her head took over.

The feeling of his palm around her knuckles. She’d felt this before.

Little bursts of a room, a cold, spacey hospital room flashed in her mind.

And he was standing over her. Just… soothing her. When she gathered this was a memory, she moved away from his touch.

She started running circles around the hand he had come in contact with a few seconds ago, and back then.

She stood there, a little frozen. Still not facing him. He was probably mind-fucked for the millionth time over her random sets of actions.

“Y—you. You were there.” She mumbled.

It was all she could manage. It was the first real memory after all.

He was silent for a few seconds. If she hadn’t heard his lengthy sigh from behind her, she’d swear he had disappeared. The gracefulness he carried was a superpower of his. It was just so quiet, even his walk toward her made no noise.

Given he was in socks, but still. It didn’t stop her from shivering the sweat away when he came real close again, and whispered,

“I was.”