Work Text:
Jinx didn’t really pay that much attention to her nails. She painted them pink and blue when she remembered. But Isha had noticed the vibrant colors, and without matching nails, her hair and clothes didn’t seem as exciting.
Jinx was dragging a brush across her nails, not bothering to fix a smudge or missed spot. She was painting her nails just to keep her hands busy, the voices were persistent last night, even after she had laid down with Isha.
She finished her nails, blowing on them to dry them quickly. As she was aggressively waving her hands in the air, Isha came over, eyes still sleepy, hair messy.
“Hi bug.” Jinx said, smiling as Isha climbed on her lap, “What’s up?”
Isha tapped on the nail polish bottle, then at her own nails. She then signed, “Me too.”
“You want nails like mine? I don't know, Scuttlebut didn’t win last night.”
Isha huffed and crossed her arms. Her pout was so sincere that Jinx had to bite her lip to keep from smirking.
However she couldn’t help but give in, “Okay, okay, I’ll paint your nails. What’s next? You want pink eyes too?”
Isha stared at Jinx’s eyes, seriously considering it.
“Not an option, kid,“ Jinx said, quickly shutting down that thought. She never wanted Isha to go through the pain she had, which was the cause of her bright pink iris’s, ”Gimme your hands.”
Isha held out her hands, splaying her small fingers out in Jinx’s rough palm. Jinx reached for a rag and began to wipe down Isha’s fingers.
“Your hands are grimy. What were you doing?” Jinx asked, rubbing the rag against Isha’s cuticles.
Isha just shrugged, unbothered.
“Eh. It doesn’t really matter.” Jinx muttered, reaching for the paint bottle. She set it down beside her, “I need you to hold still. I don't wanna get paint all over you. The dye from a couple days ago is still on my fingers.” Jinx wiggled her fingers for effect, “See? Strong stuff. Doesn’t really come off.”
Isha nodded, stiffening her wrists.
Jinx gently held Isha’s thumb in her hand, making sure that each part of her nail was painted and that it didn’t smudge. She continued to paint Isha’s nails with the same carefulness that she didn’t have for herself.
When she finished, Isha pulled her hands back to inspect Jinx’s work.
“What do ya think?” Jinx asked, twisting the cap back on the bottle and placing it out of Isha’s reach.
Isha smiled and started to sign. Jinx’s hands came down to gently clasp over Isha’s before she could get anything out.
“Sorry kid, just forgot. You need to wait for it to dry. I’ll blow on it for you.”
Isha rolled her eyes, but her mood quickly changed after Jinx began blowing on her nails. She began to giggle as Jinx’s cold breath hit her fingertips.
“Tickles huh? It’ll be dry in a minute. Til then you want me to tell you Stinkmaw’s backstory?”
Isha nodded, eyes widening. Jinx gently picked her up, settling her on her hip as she walked over to their blanket pile. She sat her down gently on her lap, and Isha curled into her, head on her chest. Jinx began to run her fingers through Isha’s tangled hair, scratching at her scalp gently.
“So, Stinkmaw started off as a young bug in the streets…”
Jinx began to spin the story for Isha, fingers still gently picking at the knots in her hair. Punk music played faintly in the background from where Jinx had forgotten to turn it off. Splotches of paint dotted her work table, and Isha’s crayons were spilled out all over the floor. But despite the mess, Jinx felt a sense of purpose that she hadn’t felt in months. Isha was here, keeping her grounded, and that was enough for her.