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They sway a little as they make their way back home in the empty streets of Zaun. It's two in the morning — probably not the best time to be walking alone at night, but well… they're drunk. Besides, Jinx's home is three blocks away from Ziggs' house, and Ekko's is two blocks from Jinx's. Hopefully not too much distance to really have to worry about it.
It seems that they're trying to hold a conversation — emphasis on trying — between the slurred words and giggles none of what one says reaches the other. Still, they manage to communicate in their own way, holding hands and then hugging as they walk, until the closeness and their unsteady steps almost make them trip, eliciting a new wave of laughs between the two. Then they resume their walk, clinging to the other until their hands are joined again and the cycle repeats.
By the time they reach her home, Jinx's eyes are closing on their own; she at least hopes to make it to her bed before falling asleep. They stop in front of the door, Ekko waits for her to enter her home before walking back to his own. Jinx takes out her keys, but instead of opening the door she turns to look at him. She speaks something that sounds close to his name and a 'see you later' before leaving a soft and tender peck on his cheek.
And as if nothing had happened, she turns around to insert the key into the lock. To her surprise, the door opens on its own. A sleepy faced Vi inspects them suspiciously for a moment. Jinx just walks past her and up the stairs, swaying from side to side. The redhead woman scans him then, and asks if he needs a ride home. He shakes his head, stupidly pointing at the street and informing her that his home is near. Something he knows she knows, but he's too drunk to remember right now. Vi frowns in concern, and after some insistence lets him go telling him to send her a text once he arrives home. Ekko gives her a military salute and turns around to head home.
Once he reaches home, the countdown starts. Shoes, socks, and shirt find the floor, so do his pants before remembering his phone is in one of its pockets. He fumbles to take it out, and lets his tired body fall into the bed once he does. He tries to unlock it, failing the first two times. And, as he tries to remember what he was about to do, the countdown ends and he falls asleep.
⋆꙳❅*❆
The sound of an incoming call wakes him up. His head hurts, and no matter how hard he tries, he is not able to read the name in the caller id. Ekko struggles to sit, regretting it instantly as a wave of nausea forces him to take a deep breath. The phone stops ringing, and he once again makes an attempt to see the screen, to look at the hour this time. His vision is blurry, but by the shape of the numbers, he guesses that it must be between eight and nine in the morning.
Another deep breath to push down the nausea, and he gets up; phone still in hand. He rubs his eyes as he makes his way into the bathroom. He unlocks his phone only to find it flooded with worried messages from Vi. A curse escapes his mouth as he answers her text with an apology, reassuring her that he arrived at home in one piece; he simply passed out as soon as his head touched the bed. After sending it, he lifts his face, only to discover his lips smeared with a purple lipstick he knows so well. Suddenly, last night comes back at him like a punch in the gut.
He fucked up.
With his hands on his face, he curses at himself. Months of planning and preparations only to ruin it on a random Saturday night. You see, Ekko had a plan. One that required him to act slowly and be patient. One that, if successful, would gently make her fall in love with him. Crowned by starting the year with the taste of his childhood best friend's lips on his own.
Ekko likes to think that part of him knew it from the beginning, since he saw her on the first day of school when he was twelve. However, the truth is that he was too young to even imagine it. Only sensing that the blue-haired girl in front of him would somehow be important for him from then on. It took him eight years to decide he had had enough of hiding his messy feelings, he knew what he wanted and he was gonna get it — get her.
However, there was a method to his madness. He had years of knowledge and a strong connection with her; everything was on his side. Ekko can read her like no one else — it was just a matter of shifting their dynamic a little, courting her without her even noticing. The only way he was sure to win over the blue firecracker that unknowingly had him in the palm of her hand.
And he had ruined it in just one night. He just needed to wait a few more weeks — what was his drunk self thinking? But… she was so beautiful, with her eyes shining over the fireworks, the blush on her face due to the alcohol, and her lips slightly parted, asking to be kissed. She had looked like the most beautiful woman in the world at that moment — he just couldn't help himself.
To be honest, he can't believe his dumb and corny talk about the mistletoe tradition actually worked.
Twice.
And she let him, just like that. Tough, he's not sure if that was because his plan is working or because she was simply too drunk to know better. Will she remember once she wakes up? And more importantly, did she like it? Ekko can't help but feel giddy at the memory. Part of him can still feel the way her lips felt on his, her body in his hands. The kiss was… everything he expected. Her lips were soft and sweet, and she kissed him back like she wanted it.
The image fades in from his eyes, replaced by his reflection in the mirror. A flustered version of himself returns his gaze, the lipstick only accentuating his embarrassment once he remembers the way Vi looked at them. Ekko sighs. They need to talk, he'll just send her a text and… A reminder pops up on his phone screen. Today is the event for the kids in the firelight center, an event for which both of them volunteer and would require them to be there early and until late at night. Ughh. He needs to think about this — it's gonna be a long day.
⋆꙳•❅*°.ೃ❄️࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
10 a.m. and the only message from Ekko is… unrelated.
[Tuff Tuff ❤️] 9:55 a.m. :
Hey
Remember the event at the firelight's center
Pick you up at 2:30?
Just that, no mention of the night before. It is possible that he doesn't remember? It was his idea to begin with, and he dares not to remember their first kiss. Stupid mistletoe tradition. Jinx thinks while letting herself fall dramatically on her bed. In any case, she needs to be prepared. And more importantly, she needs to decide if she's gonna talk about this with him, or if she's simply gonna pretend she doesn't remember.
But what if he does?
That makes her think of something. Maybe this is the opportunity she'd been waiting for. If he does remember, and thinks she doesn't, that means that he'll be more aware of her. And if she acts along the lines of plausible deniability, then she has a chance of seducing her boy savior.
"You can do this," she encourages herself while she gets up to pack her outfit for the event.
A wide grin appears on her face as she evaluates the elf clothes on her hands. Who would've thought that her chance of wining his heart would present itself so smoothly. For a moment she even considers pretending to be late and changing while on the road. Jinx grins imagining his flustered expression while she dresses on the passenger sit — or maybe she can change in the back and catch him stealing glances from the rear-view mirror.
No no no. First she needs to make sure that he indeed remembers. Besides, Ekko is the kind of person that prefers the hints rather than bluntness for this kind of things. Jinx bits her lips imagining the many other ways in which she'll torture him today. It's simply perfect, and all because her smart boy was feeling romantic and bold last night. That man's heart will be conquered by her today — one way or another.
⋆꙳❅*❆
By the time Ekko arrives in his old beat-up car to pick her up, Jinx is mentally prepared to pretend she knows nothing. Her greeting is cheerful as usual, not wasting time before starting her yapping about nothing while she throws her backpack into the back seat. And Ekko… well, he definitely remembers. Jinx makes sure to comment on how much they drank the night before, and how she doesn't even remember coming back home – which is true. However, she keeps the comment vague, making her forgetful façade seem genuine.
Tension is thick around them, though she keeps her nonchalant attitude and does her best to not laugh at how Ekko is unable to look her in the eyes. She even comments on how quiet he is today, giving him a way out when she asks if he's still tired from the party. Ekko stutters a nervous answer, forcing Jinx to bite the inside of her cheek to not let out a mocking cackle. There's something particularly adorable about this shy and guilty looking version of her best boy.
"You think the kids will like my costume?" She asks in order to change the topic.
"Y-yeah, definitely"
"How do you know?" She teases "You haven't seen it."
"I had to work that day," he says, rolling his eyes at her, "besides, I already have one."
"Well, now it gets to be a surprise!" She chirps.
Failing to hide his nervousness, he glances at her for a second before focusing on the road again. The kiss is definitely a blessing in disguise — how else would she have the chance to see him like this? And luckily for her, the day has just begun.
⋆꙳❅*❆
The firelight center is beautifully decorated this year. A big part of the ornaments seems to be crafts made by the kids, which helps to give it a more homey style. There are already some people hanging the remaining decorations while wearing mismatched elf uniforms, since they have to get them on their own due to the lack of funding for the center. Most people, like Jinx, don't particularly mind, since it's pretty useful for volunteers who need it for various events in the winter. Although Jinx has her own motives to particularly like this arrangement, like giving it her own style and — now that chance presented itself — serving as a tool in her plans.
They get into the storage room being used for changing into their costumes. What seems to be curtains are working as divisions between two improvised changing spaces, allowing them to keep their conversation. Luckily for them, they are currently the only ones using the space. It's annoying that they can't use other rooms for this. However, if they want to keep the illusion for the kids, some sacrifices are needed. The children are still playing outside, but it's not unheard of one or two kids sneaking inside to catch a glimpse of 'Santa' before time. Jinx can only thank she was not assigned to entertain the kids, because apart from still being a little hungover, there wouldn't be enough chances for her to talk with Ekko.
"Are you ready yet?" She asks, doing her best to contain her excitement as she applies the last details to her elf eye shadow.
"Almost, I think I should've listened to you after all." Ekko answers with a groan. "The vest is kind of small for me."
"It seems that Little Man is not so little anymore," her tone is playful, lamenting not being able to see his reaction to her comment.
"Ugh, I was just trying to save money," he protests, finally getting out of the improvised fitting room.
Jinx blinks at him with innocent eyes, tilting her head a little. "What do you think?" She asks, and then proceeds to twirl around to show her outfit.
"G-good," Ekko stutters, and although she can see that he is honest, that's not exactly the reaction she wanted.
"Only good?" She pouts, focusing her eyes on the floor for a dramatic effect. "I-I tried so hard to dress cool for the kids." Yeah, the kids…
"Stop it, Jinx," his words make her blood run cold. Did he discover what she's doing? "Don't drag this out and just laugh at me already."
"W-what do you mean?" She croaks out her response.
"Are you not going to make a joke about the vest?"
A relieved sigh almost escapes her lips. She scans his outfit carefully; it does seem kind of small for him. He's right, she would usually make a joke at his expense. But no, this isn't the time to make jokes, she needs to be on her best behavior today — or closest to it.
"How dramatic. Just unbutton it," she rolls her eyes at him, "and use a safety pin or something."
Then, she turns to the mirror to finish her makeup. She takes her time, feeling his gaze as she puts the lipstick on; resisting the urge to search for his eyes in the mirror until she finishes her task. Just as planned, Jinx catches him staring at her, in time to watch him blush slightly at being discovered.
"Can I help you?" She arches a brow at him.
"Umm, do-do you have a… a safety pin?"
Jinx smirks. "Yeah, in the smallest pocket of my bag"
Ekko nervously fumbles with the pocket until he finds what he's looking for. Jinx ends up laughing at him anyway. She's gonna have so much fun today.
⋆꙳•❅*°.ೃ❄️࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
She's torturing him, Ekko decides. There's no other explanation. And the worst part is that he has no proof. Jinx is being her usual chaotic and funny self, cracking jokes at his expense and rambling about a million topics. Even so, he feels it in the small things — in her shameless actions.
…
"Ekko, can you hold me while I hang the candy crane?" He had offered to do it himself since he's taller than her, but Jinx put on her sad puppy eyes — and Ekko is only so strong against her. He has to do his best to hide the trembling of his hands when he holds her by the waist. Why does her elf dress have to be so tight?
…
"Ekko, can you pass me a mistletoe for the main entrance," Jinx asks with a bright smile, extending a hand in his direction. The memory comes back to him for the hundredth time today — guilt washes over him, making his hands all sweaty. Jinx's face remains impassive, yet her pink lips look as inviting as last night. He gulps before giving her the mistletoe decoration.
…
"Ekko, can you help me fix my stocking?" Her hands are busy hanging a Christmas banner.
"You can do that yourself, once you finish with that." He protests while eying her thigh-high, red and green, striped stockings.
That makes her pout. "Please, I'm getting itchy."
And, at the end of the day, Ekko is but a man.
…
"Ekko…" Jinx starts again before someone else's voice drowns hers.
"Ekko, I've been looking for you," and Ekko has never been so happy to be interrupted by Scar.
"Yeah?" His tone is suspiciously relieved.
"You've been promoted," Scar announces, "now you're Santa."
"What? But I don't have the clothes for that."
"That's why it needs to be you," he explains, "the spare is more or less your size."
"I'm not sure–"
"C'mon, do it for the kids," Scar insists.
"Fine." Ekko relents in the end.
"Great, Eve left the costume in the changing room. Put it on, we'll see you in the main hall." Scar then makes a gesture towards Jinx to indicate her to follow him.
"See you later… Santa." Jinx says with a mischievous smile.
⋆꙳•❅*°.ೃ❄️࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
The kids look happy about finally getting their gifts handed out by Santa himself, and that alone is almost worth having lost her chance to keep annoying/seducing Ekko. Almost. He looks good in the Santa clothes — too good in her opinion. And as if he wasn't eye-catching enough, now half of the volunteers are shamelessly looking at him. Well maybe not half, but enough of them to annoy Jinx.
Also is obvious he has already noticed. Smiling at the tall blond guy that is handing him the kids' presents. Or thanking the brunette girl every time she brings another kid to receive their gift. That was supposed to be one of Jinx's tasks, but of course something had to get in her way.
"The kids love you, Jinx. Keep them entertain while they wait for their turn to receive a gift." She probably jinxed herself with her earlier thought. Stupid Scar with his stupid ideas. And look, Jinx likes kids — she wouldn't have volunteered to this if she didn't — also, she's glad she can help Zaunite children make their Christmas a little more magical. However, she can do that while keeping a close eye on her boy savior. There are enough people here than can keep them busy. Why can't she be the one helping him with the presents?
This gets in the way of her plans; so annoying. The 'seduction' tactics were working — she saw it in his face. Ekko was so close to falling into her trap, and now he gets a moment to cool himself. Nuh-uh, that won't do. She needs to think of something to conquer his heart once and for all.
And well, she could've just been honest with him. Maybe meet him in a private place once the event is over, and have the hard, long talk about their feelings and shit. Yet, the game is just so tempting; the idea of having him on edge, being perceived as a temptation for the person that has the same effect on her. How can she resist the feeling of her eyes trailing over her body every time she shows him a silver of skin here and there, or the agitation in his voice when she makes some innocent comment that would make his imagination run wild.
Wasting her chance of playing a little is not exactly her style. Besides, how else is she meant to use all her accumulated knowledge about him? Ugh! Jinx will have her chance; she's already waited this long. What is a couple more hours after all?
⋆꙳•❅*°.ೃ❄️࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
After the event ends and the kids are sent to bed, the volunteers that arrived later — like them — stay for cleaning duty. There's a lot of movement in the room, and with everyone dressed as an elf, the place truly looks like the Santa workshop. If only to join the vibe Ekko thinks about changing back to his elf costume, he discards the idea almost immediately. They are just cleaning the place and all the kids are gone — no need to keep the theatrics.
Part of him is making excuses to prolong the last of the night before the inevitable comes. He needs to tell Jinx what happened between them, just because it is the right thing to do. Would that ruin his plans for wining her heart? He can't know, just hope it doesn't. It's a matter of finding the right words, painting it like a drunken… Not a mistake, never a mistake. The kiss is not something he regrets, he just wishes they would've been sober for it — so both of them could remember their first kiss.
The right words won't come to his mind, and by the time he's carrying the last bag to the garbage container, he fears he's just gonna mess it up once more. All he needs is a lead, a small clue on how to approach the topic. Ekko hears voices talking near the garbage containers.
"…you gonna need a ride back home?" The first voice asks.
"No, it's okay, Ekko is taking me home once we're done with the cleaning." He recognizes Jinx's voice.
He's not sure if he should let them know of his presence. His intention is not prying into their conversation. Or that is until the first voice that he now deduces must be Amy — one of Jinx's close friends — starts talking again.
"Ekko, eh… Are you finally making progress?"
"I'm working on that."
"Yeah, of course," Amy's tone is sarcastic, "You've been working on that for the last few months"
"Hey!" Jinx protested. "Just so you know I did make progress last night."
"Yeah sure," Amy teases.
"I was gonna tell you how he gave me a demonstration about the mistletoe tradition, but I don't think you want to hear it."
"Wait, he did what?"
A mix of fury and excitement runs through Ekko's body. She remembers. And it's been playing dumb all day, with all those 'innocent' requests that — as he suspected — were meant to torment him from the beginning. Ekko silently puts the bag on the container and goes back in without being noticed. At least now he knows what to do.
⋆꙳•❅*°.ೃ❄️࿔*:･*❆ ₊⋆
The last volunteers finally leave the changing room, allowing Jinx and Ekko to get inside and change their clothes. Initially Amy had accompanied her too, but when she realized she was gonna be third wheeling, she bit the bullet and went home still in her costume. Giving some random excuses and wishing Jinx good luck with a wink.
Now it's only the two of them, perfect for her plan. Ekko is sitting in one of the chairs near the only table, lost in thought. Perfect. He was about to break before Scar interrupted them, so she just needs to pick up where they left off. What is the best strategy now? She gets close to him slowly, taking advantage of his distracted gaze. And preparing her most innocent doe eyes, she's ready to pretend to… A pair of hands take her by the waist and pull her into a lap — Ekko's. Jinx looks stunned for a moment, before reacting in time to compose herself and turn her head to look at him.
"Hi, Santa," Jinx purrs in a tone she hopes sounds more flirty than nervous. Ekko's face remains stoic.
"You lied," his accusation makes her breath hitch.
"No, I d-didn't," her stutter is not convincing at all, and Ekko raises an eyebrow, "when did I lie?"
His hands travel down to press on her hips, and it takes everything on her to not let out the needy whine trapped in her throat. "You said you didn't remember the kiss"
There's a hint of anger in his tone. One that against all odds, makes her blush. "N-no, I said I didn't remember coming back home." Jinx averts her gaze. "T-the k-kiss is the last thing I remember,"
Ekko leans in, closer to her face. Why is he so close? Just a breath away, and for a moment, she believes he's gonna kiss her again.
"Did you like it?" He asks instead, gently cupping the side of her face with so much care that it feels odd compared to the tone of his previous question.
"Aren't you mad that I didn't tell you?"
"I'm furious." Ekko admits. "But did you like it?"
Jinx nods, Ekko's frown softens and his whole body relaxes. A small smile appears on his lips, before letting out a sigh. "You should've just told me that you remembered."
"And miss my chance to mess with you? Not my style, Buster." Jinx smirks, "And you could've done the same."
"I was going to after the event ended."
The silence stretches for a moment before Jinx moves to rest her head against his shoulder. "Now what? Are you gonna make a public statement so everyone will finally shut up about us?"
"What?" He asks confused, and Jinx rolls her eyes at his question.
"Ekko, everyone has been trying to match us up for months…" then her cheeks blush, and she suddenly turns shy, "and…I would love to… unless you don't want…"
Jinx starts to try to get off his lap — her instincts telling her to run away. Ekko stops her. "Bunny—"
"It's okay if you don't want this. Don't feel pressured just because we're friends." She tries to escape again, but Ekko keeps holding her by the waist.
"Blue, if you let me—"
She keeps word vomiting at the same time that she tries to stand up. "And I know that it's gonna be weird keeping our friendship now that you know that I like you but—"
"Jinx, stop moving, please," the urgency and the almost desperate grip he has on her just to keep her from moving makes her stop.
Oh.
"Sorry"
"Can you at least let me talk before assuming the worst?" He lets out a frustrated huff, and takes a short moment to compose himself.
"I love you, Jinx. And I'm not saying this just because you're my friend or because we kissed."
Jinx looks at him with wide eyes, yet she keeps her mouth closed. Ekko takes her hand in his before speaking again.
"I'm genuinely in love with you, and I want you to be more than just my friend." His hand squeezes hers as his thumb gently strokes the back of her hand. "If that's also what you want."
Ekko's words leave her stunned, and it takes her a moment to process what he just said. "That means my seduction plan worked?"
"A plan?" He laughs, "Jinx, I've had a crush on you for years."
"What?" She blurts out with disbelief. "You mean that I could've been kissing your pretty face for years now?"
That makes him laugh even harder.
Jinx groans, covering her face out of embarrassment. "I guess that explains why everyone has been so insisting on getting us together"
"Well, I know how to correct that," he starts, prying her hands away from her face and getting his face closer to hers. "And also make up for the lost time."
"Like a Christmas gift?" She asks. "Aren't you gonna ask me first if I've been a good girl, Santa?"
"Both know you've been a menace," Ekko declares getting even closer, close enough that she can feel his breath tickling over her lips. "But I'll overlook that for now."
⋆꙳❅*❆
Both feel giddy once they get in the car, having changed in a hurry to get back home — his, since the probability of no one being there is higher — and catch up on the missing chances. There's still a few details to discuss about what this change in their relationship entails. However, that can wait for the next day. No more than a few words are exchanged while on the road, but it's not uncomfortable, not even silent. Jinx put on a random playlist to hum on the way, and excited giggles fill the air in the time between songs.
When they reach his home and find all the lights off, they share a steamy kiss while Ekko struggles to open the door. Love confessions fall from their lips on the way to his bedroom, which they surprisingly reach without stumbling along the way, since they refuse to let go of each other.
It feels like the perfect time, since nothing dares to interrupt them. They won't discover until a few hours later that both forgot their phones in Ekko's car, flooded with missing calls and 'where are you?' texts from Jinx's siblings. Not for any particular or important reason — just siblings having the perfect timing to be annoying. Still, that brief disappearance will force the two of them to announce their new relationship a little earlier than expected the next day.
But for now, the bedroom door closes and locks from the inside, and a haze of emotions fills the room. Hands, lips and eyes wander, discovering those places that until now had remained out of reach. For some reason, between them, this kind of contact feels familiar. And, at the same time, it's completely different from what they've experienced with others. Like discovering the new ways they fit together, molded over they shared time to be each other's missing pieces.