Archive of Our Own

Pulling back is the hardest thing Jinx has ever had to do, but she manages, somehow. She tears her eyes away from Ekko and holds Isha’s face in her hands, like she had after the Stillwater prison break. Just like then, Isha trembles in her grasp but leans into her touch, seeking comfort, seeking Jinx. 

“Don’t you ever do that again,” Jinx hitches, trembling. “You scared me to death, kid.” 

Isha sniffles, fat teardrops rolling over her lashes. I was saving you, she signs, and Jinx almost has a fucking heart attack. She shakes her head furiously, more tears brimming. 

“I can’t lose you,” she says, voice steadier than she feels, and she’s a little impressed with her own gumption. “You’re my kid. It’s not your job to keep me safe.” Isha half-whines at that, but Jinx only shakes her head again, the fire under her skin settling into something resolute. “Never again.” 

It isn’t a question when she and Isha clutch one another again. She feels so little under Ekko’s huge coat, and a small giggle bubbles up in Jinx’s throat. 

“Jeez, Ish,” she rasps. “You a Firelight now?” Isha mimics her giggle, sitting back slightly in Jinx’s lap. 

I listened, she says, hands barely peeking out from the sleeves of the coat. Jinx reaches to roll them up automatically. I found Ekko. 

Warmth blooms in her chest, and Jinx becomes aware again of the way the man himself is only a foot away, still smiling softly. Her knapsack is in his hand. Jinx swallows, glancing up at him before looking back at Isha—she never wants to look away—

“You did,” she whispers. “What’d I tell ya, kid?” Isha turns, beaming at Ekko over her shoulder, and he blinks, like he wasn’t expecting her to. She moves her hands in clear view for both of them. 

Boy savior. 

Ekko doesn’t even want to imagine the look on his face at those words. Even worse is the smile on Jinx’s face as she gazes lovingly at Isha, a hand reaching to twist one of her braids fondly. 

Scar, sitting before the mural, clears his throat, and Ekko jolts. His eyes snap towards his friend first, takes in the teasing smirk, and almost rolls his eyes. Instead, he leaps into action. Ekko steps closer, extending a hand, and Jinx takes it without hesitating. Isha wraps herself around Jinx as she stands. 

“Right,” Ekko swallows. “Let’s get you guys somewhere more private, before everyone wakes up and sees you here.” His mind has caught up to him now, certainly it wouldn’t do the Firelights any good to see Jinx here, and he’s cursing his own impulsivity and rash actions. He’s got to get them out of view, somewhere safe—

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Scar interjects, draining his mug of what Ekko already knows is the blackest coffee known to man. “You’ve missed a lot, boss.” Jinx groans. 

“Batsy, I swear—” 

Ekko can’t help the way he whirls to gape at her. What does Scar know that he doesn’t? He tries to rack his brain, tries to envision what sort of familiarity could warrant—

He blinks. Turns back to Scar. “You knew Isha from Stillwater,” he remembers. “You were in Stillwater?”

Scar nods, nonchalant as anything. “A lot of us were at the riot,” he says. “You were…” he swallows, shakes his head. “You weren’t here. And shit got real bad. We had to unite. All of us.”

Jinx shakes her head, clicking her tongue. “Stupid ogre,” she mutters. “Sevika got it into her head I could be some big fat hero.”

“She was right,” Scar says, and Ekko’s eyes bug out of his head. Last time he spoke to Scar about Jinx, he said (and Ekko is paraphrasing here) we’ll all be better off when she’s long gone. “She broke us all out.” 

Ekko looks back at Jinx, quietly amazed, especially when he sees that she’s slightly flushed. When she catches his eye, she scowls, hefting Isha higher in her arms. 

“Don’t get all mushy on me now, time-boy,” she grumbles.

“Too late,” slips out before he can help it. Now they’re both rendered silent, broken only by Isha’s tiny snickers. Jinx opens and closes her mouth. Blinks. 

“Yeah, I don’t really feel like dealing with all that symbol of Zaun crap, so if that offer for somewhere more private is still up for grabs…”

“Yeah!” Ekko nods. “Right. Yeah—this way.” 

Scar falls into step beside Ekko, smirking. 

“Shut up,” Ekko hisses, all too aware of Jinx trailing behind them.

“I didn’t say anything,” Scar says, and lifts a hand to mask a yawn. “I’m wiped. Gotta get back before Callus wakes up.” Ekko raises a brow, looking his friend over.

“You didn’t sleep?”

Scar scoffs. “More like Jailbreak didn’t,” he says. “Kid just sat by the window the entire time. As soon as the sun came up she was yanking at me to come down and wait for you.” 

“Jailbreak?” Ekko snorts. Scar glares sideways at him. It doesn’t deter Ekko one bit.

“She wouldn’t let me call her by her name,” he glares. “She actually hissed at me.” Ekko huffs a small laugh. They come to the split landing and he can’t resist pulling Scar in for a quick hug. His brother doesn’t hesitate to return it. “Glad you’re back, man.” 

Ekko smiles softly. “Me too,” he says. He pushes Scar lightly in the direction of his room. “Go. Get some shut-eye.” 

It heartens him to see Scar offer Jinx a friendly nod before he goes his separate way. Ekko turns back to Jinx, nods at the stairs. “C’mon.” She falls into step beside him, adjusting Isha again in her hold. Ekko almost offers to take her, spare Jinx the weight, but chokes that thought out as soon as it appears. He doesn’t want to overstep.

“This place is amazing,” Jinx murmurs as they near his room. He smiles sideways at her. 

“It is, isn’t it?” 

“I didn’t even know something like this could exist in the Undercity,” she confesses, and Ekko doesn’t need to ask to know she’s talking about the tree. “It’s almost unbelievable.” 

“I thought I was making it up when I first saw it,” Ekko admits, getting to his landing and opening his door. When he steps over the threshold into his room it’s like a weight lifts off his shoulders. His eyes flutter shut for a moment, just soaking in the feeling of being home. It doesn’t fade when he opens them again and holds the door open for Jinx to step in after him. 

He closes the door and turns to look at the space. It’s not exactly messy, but there are some clothes strewn about, some papers here and there. 4 months worth of dust. He’s not sure what to think about the fact that his room was left undisturbed even when the Firelights thought he was dead. He saw his own face on the mural, and yet…

His throat bobs, and he clears it, swinging the Z-Drive over his head and placing it on a desk along with his scarf. He jerks his head towards his bed.

“Here, you and Isha can lay down. I’m sure she’s tired.” 

Jinx stills, mouth parting. She blinks at him. 

“Ekko,” her voice is soft. He tries to ignore the way it makes his heart skip a beat. “We can’t take your bed.” 

“Who says it’s mine?” She levels him an unimpressed look that has him chuckling. “Lay down,” he repeats. “Isha’s basically asleep already and you look exhausted.” 

Jinx scoffs at that. “Me?” she asks. “You’re the interdimensional traveler here. You look dead on your feet, buster.” Ekko rolls his eyes, but a whine from Isha has them both stilling, both looking to the girl immediately. She lifts her head from Jinx’s shoulder and raises her hands. 

Share, she Signs. Simple. An ode to how tired she truly is. Jinx blinks. Ekko feels his face heat up when all she does is look back at him, a decision set in her eyes. 

“Well,” Jinx says. “You heard the kid.” Then she’s crossing the room in two easy strides and plopping right down on his cot, scooting to the side. When Ekko remains staring dumbly, she raises an impatient brow. Isha shoots him the same anticipatory look and even extends one of her hands towards him—the manipulative little imp. 

“It’s not a very big bed,” he says under his breath even as he relents, crossing the room and perching on the edge of the mattress. Jinx is already shucking Ekko’s coat off of Isha and depositing it at the foot of the bed, snorting softly as she catches his words. 

“Little bed for Little Man,” she jokes, and Ekko can’t help freezing. She notices, stilling the same as him. She lifts her head, meets his eyes, and they’re so close. She frowns. “What?” 

His heart beats in his chest. His tongue darts out, wets his lips reflexively. “Up until a few months ago, no one had called me that in years,” he says softly. Jinx’s brow furrows for a moment, and he can see her replaying the conversation in her head. A spark of recognition lights up her eyes, and her mouth morphs into a small ‘o’. She clearly has no idea what to say, and it’s all so endearing that he can’t help smiling. He glances down at Isha, sagging against Jinx, looking more content than he’s ever seen her. She’s clearly fighting her exhaustion, and Ekko feels his smile soften. 

He saves Jinx from having to answer by getting up and drawing the curtains, blocking out the light of the rising sun. He toes off his boots, washes off what little remains of his face-paint, and turns. Jinx has unlaced her own boots, setting them gingerly on the floor, and is taking off Isha’s shoes. The girl herself is mostly reclined, blinking owlishly, yawns that threaten to split her face in two. 

He thinks he might have gotten out of sharing his bed when Isha turns her head. She looks right at him, extends her hand again, and he just about melts. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to make sure she was okay tonight, either. Not after Heimerdinger. Not after her reunion with Jinx. Ekko feels a small smile grace his lips. Isha catches it in the dimness of the room and matches him. 

He rolls his eyes fondly as he crosses the room again. Jinx lays with her back almost against the wall his cot is pushed against, and Ekko finds it surprisingly assuring. He lays next to Isha, essentially sandwiching her between himself and Jinx, and he feels ridiculously safe in the knowledge that if anyone were to come into the room, they’d have to go through him to get to either of the girls. His next breath comes easily at the thought, and he relaxes further into the mattress. Jinx’s eyes are fixated on Isha, curled against her chest, and watches her eyes flutter closed. 

She exhales when Isha’s breathing evens out. 

“2 weeks,” she murmurs. Ekko’s eyes flick to her, soft. She swallows. “She was with you for 2 weeks. And it wasn’t even 2 days for me.” 

“Time dilation,” Ekko says, mindful of his volume. “I still can’t believe it's been 4 months here. I was only there for a week before Isha showed up.” 

“Thank Janna,” Jinx whispers. “Thank Janna you were there, Ekko.”

It’s been so long hearing her say his name, he barely even basked in it when he first showed up to her hideout, but hearing it now might as well be hearing it for the first time. 

He swallows. “Can I say something crazy?” 

She raises a brow as if to say look who you’re talking to, and he huffs a small laugh. The corner of her mouth twitches, and she gives him a short nod. He takes a steadying breath. 

“Even though it was only a week for me and four months for you guys, I think it was meant to be that way. I think that the universe knew that Isha needed to find me, so it made the wait a little longer. It had to be sure that I was still there when she showed up.” 

He can’t quite decipher the look on Jinx’s face, and he realizes after a second that it’s because she doesn’t quite know how to decipher his words. He almost takes them back. He doesn’t.

Jinx lets out a shaky breath. “I don’t think that sounds crazy at all,” she whispers, and something uncoils in Ekko’s chest. He can see her blinks getting heavier, her body slowly loosing some of its tension. He unconsciously mirrors her. 

It feels… warm. Warm in a way that he never even felt with Powder, and maybe that’s because of Isha, tucked between his and Jinx’s bodies, more at ease than he could’ve imagined, and the steady triumph that wraps around his heart because he did it. He brought her home. 

“Goodnight, Jinx,” he whispers. The corner of her mouth twitches ever so slightly, and she nuzzles further into his bed, further into Isha. 

“Goodnight, Ekko.” 

Isha wakes first. She has no idea what time it is, but she does know that it doesn’t matter, because before she’s even opened her eyes she can smell leather and axle grease and gunpowder and everything she’s missed so dearly over the past few weeks. She lets out a contented sigh and blinks her eyes open. She’s not curled into Jinx exactly, but rather cocooned on her back between her and Ekko. Her face is turned into Jinx’s neck, but the rest of her is open, and one of Ekko’s hands brushes against her side, like he’s checking she’s still there even in his sleep. 

She feels indescribably warm, and even though Jinx’s braids are no longer here for her to fiddle with, she reaches out and tugs gently on her bangs instead. It doesn’t take long for Jinx’s nose to scrunch up and blearily open her own eyes. Her gaze lands, first and foremost, on Isha, and she smiles reflexively. She lifts a hand of her own to gently card through Isha’s hair, and she presses into Jinx’s touch. It’s only then that she registers the gentle weight around her feet, and the warmth just above her head. She blinks, waking up a little more, and sees Ekko, still conked out on Isha’s other side. She’s briefly taken back by how peaceful he looks in his sleep, and shifts, tries to push herself up, face warming as she registers how close they are. Her head bumps into something, and she stills when she realizes it’s his arm.

Okay, she thinks. Take two. 

Rather than pushing up, she wriggles down a little, scooting until she can sit up without bumping his arm. Isha looks more than content to watch her do this and Jinx blinks as the picture becomes clear. The weight around her feet were Ekko’s, their legs becoming entangled as they’d both migrated closer to Isha in their sleep, and his arm—the one she bumped into—was curled up around Isha and past where Jinx’s head was, like he was subconsciously trying to cradle both of them within his reach. 

“Huh,” Jinx blinks again. “Okay.” She looks down at Isha, who has turned her head and is gently touching one of the casings in Ekko’s locs. He sleeps unencumbered, not even stirring as Isha plays with his hair. Jinx can’t help but smirk a little. Little Man always was a heavy sleeper. Once he was out, he was out for the count. 

Knowing Isha’s in safe hands, Jinx untangles her legs from Ekko’s and slides out of the bed, stretching and looking about his room with her hands on her hips. There’s a small kitchenette, and a half-pulled back curtain that lets her see a shower, and looks down at herself. She feels gross. Probably smells gross, having spent the previous night in an actual jail—even if it was a Piltie one, though that makes her feel even grimier than if it weren’t. 

She shudders and looks over at Isha, catching her eye. 

Gonna clean up, she Signs and points to the curtain. Isha follows her finger, spotting the shower too, and nods. She sits up, crawling out of the bed as Jinx crosses the room and inspects the small bathroom. She catches sight of herself in Ekko’s mirror and grimaces. Her face is smeared with makeup, blotchy from crying, and she marvels for a moment that Ekko let her get into his bed looking like this. 

Good lord. 

She’s stripped down and stepping under the warm spray of water by the time Isha slips past the curtain, making sure it’s pulled closed behind her. It’s a testament to their relationship that Jinx doesn’t even question this. 

It was weird at the start, she can admit that. She hadn’t shared her space with someone since she was Powder, and the way the hideout was set up meant that there was no way to use her bathtub without Isha, well… seeing. Honestly, if it weren’t for how indifferent Isha was to the set up, Jinx probably would’ve found it way weirder. 

Suffice to say, she got used to it pretty quickly. She scrubs a hand over her face and relishes in the simple act of feeling clean. She looks down at Isha, who seems content to poke around Ekko’s bathroom, nosing in the cupboard below the mirror and picking through his things. 

“You need a clean, Ish?” Jinx asks. Isha shakes her head, and Jinx shrugs. The kid didn’t seem dirty, didn’t smell dirty last night, so she’ll trust her judgement. She washes quickly, marvels at how much easier it is to wash shoulder-length choppy hair instead of what she had before, and turns off the water. Ekko only has one towel, and she blinks at it before shrugging and drying herself off. 

“What kind of person only has one towel?” she can’t help asking Isha, who shrugs. “It’s like he never considered that I might need one, one day. Selfish bastard.” She reaches for her clothes and grimaces at the state of them. Her top has seen better days, and her pants are filthy along the calves and the hems. She almost doesn’t want to put them back on. She crosses her arms, mouth twisted for a moment. “Hey, kid, did you find any scissors while you were poking around?” 

*

Ekko wakes to an empty bed and immediately flings himself out of it. Maybe it’s that he’s spent the last two weeks with Isha practically glued to his side, maybe it’s still coming down from the whole hopping-dimensions thing, maybe it’s that he can’t help but remember he had to rewind the Z-Drive five times to save Jinx—

Whatever the reasons, he hurriedly pulls on his boots, not even lacing them as he stumbles about the room. He tries calling for them, but to no avail. 

Don’t panic, he tells himself.

Too late, he thinks as he all but runs out the door. He cranes his neck over the railing, directly down to Scar’s room. He looks through the drawn curtains and heaves a breath of relief so great he almost faints when he catches a glimpse of blue hair. One of the straps of his overalls sags over his shoulder as he makes his way down, and he doesn’t bother to fix it, all he’s thinking currently is that he needs to see them both alive and well for himself. 

Luckily, he doesn’t pass by anyone as he races to Scar’s. He can hear his friend’s booming laugh and hastens his step. The relief is already settling into his bones when he turns the doorknob and steps through the threshold. 

“Thank Janna—” he chokes on his spit, feels himself blush to the roots of his hair when Jinx turns around in her chair. 

Legs is his first thought. 

Belt is his second. 

And lastly; that’s my coat. 

He almost can’t believe what he’s seeing. Would think he was dreaming if it weren’t for the smug smirk painted across Scar’s face as he looks at him over Jinx’s head. 

She looks fucking incredible. Nothing like the broken girl he’d helped pick off the floor of her hideout just last night. She’s clearly cleaned up, but she’s changed. Instead of the leather halter top and striped pants he’s come to recognize her in, she’s cut her pants into shorts (see the aforementioned legs) and instead of her halter top, she’s wearing a barely-thick-enough leather strap around her chest and draping over one shoulder (see the aforementioned belt). Worst of all, his Firelight coat is slouched around her. 

And then she smiles—lord have mercy, she beams at him. He closes his mouth with an audible click that makes his jaw ache. Isha, seated beside her, perks up and waves animatedly. 

“Good noon, Firelight,” Jinx grins, kicking out the fourth chair at the table in invitation. 

He blinks. “What?” he croaks. Jinx frowns, gesturing plainly to the chair. Scar looks even smugger, which promptly kicks Ekko’s ass into gear. He sits, blinks about the table. Callus sits on Scar’s lap, teething at something or other, and Isha, across from him, beams and lifts up the jam toast she’s making a dent in. Jinx is still frowning slightly at him. 

“What’s up with you?” she asks. 

“I didn’t know where you were,” he says. “I thought something happened.” 

“Oh,” Jinx blinks, looking unsure of how to respond. “Sorry?” He huffs a laugh despite himself. 

“Nah, it’s alright. I overreacted,” he crosses his arms on the table, relishes in the slight stretch, and nods at Isha. “Good breakfast?” Isha nods. 

“You didn’t have any food,” Jinx says.

“On account of being MIA,” Scar says, voice tinged with amusement. Ekko shoots him a look. 

“Oh, so you’ll clear out my food but you won’t pick my laundry up off the floor?”

Scar nods. “Yeah.” 

Ekko just shakes his head, amused despite himself. He runs a hand over his face. “Is there coffee?” Scar jerks his head towards the counter and Ekko stands without another word. Scar’s brews are always stronger than what Ekko prefers, but he’s so exhausted he’s willing to suffer through it. 

“You drink coffee?” Jinx asks, a surprised note to her voice. Ekko glances at her over his shoulder as he pours a mug, sipping and grimacing, then sipping again. 

“When I’m desperate,” he says. Jinx snorts, pulling one knee up to her chest. 

“Speaking of desperate,” she starts. “When can we get back to the hideout?” He almost loses his grip on his mug. 

“You don’t want to stay?” he blurts, eyes widening. Jinx blinks, rearing back slightly surprised. 

“When the hell did I say that?” she asks. “Isha loves it here. She’d bite me if I tried to drag her away.” She jabs a thumb at Isha as she says this who nods proudly, apparently agreeing wholeheartedly. “No, we need to go back because I didn’t bring any of my stuff.” 

“Stuff,” Ekko echoes. “Like—clothes?” 

“And towels,” she nods. “You only have one. What’s up with that? Literally everything you own is for one person. Good thing Isha didn’t need to shower this morning too. I wouldn’t have been able to dry her off after I finished.” 

How the fuck did he end up here? 

“You used my towel,” he says tonelessly. She snorts.

“What, was I supposed to air dry?” 

That’s not an image he needs in his brain, and he takes a generous swig of Scar’s shit coffee. His brother watches their exchange like it’s the most entertaining thing he’s witnessed all year. Jinx is still eyeing him expectantly, so he swallows and clears his throat. 

“No problem,” he says. “I can’t take you right away, though. I’ve got to get filled in properly about everything I’ve missed. And you’re gonna have to help explain whatever war is apparently coming our way.” Jinx nods. 

“Fine,” she crosses her arms over her chest. He very pointedly does not track the action. “You’ll have to lend me some stuff, though. And get a second towel, at least.” 

“I’m surprised you haven’t already rooted through my dresser,” he says, entirely genuine. 

“Like I want to see whatever unmentionables you’ve got stashed away in your underwear drawer,” she fires back without missing a beat and he chokes. 

“Didn’t you have a bag with you?” Scar asks. Jinx nods her head at Isha, who’s finishing off her toast. 

“All her stuff,” she says. “We’re not exactly the same size.” She gnaws on her lip, then adds quickly. “And I wasn’t really thinking about myself.” Something passes over Scar’s face then, and he glances down at Callus, who is seemingly entranced by Isha. Unsurprising, Ekko thinks. Callus had to be 2 by now, and last Ekko saw, he was doing his damndest to befriend everyone he came across. 

“I never thanked you,” Scar says suddenly. Jinx flushes magenta, sinking down in her chair a bit. Her attention is instantly redirected to her cuticles. 

“Didn’t do it for any of you,” she grumbles. 

Scar snorts. “Trust me, we all know. But you still got us out.” 

“Whatever,” Jinx scowls. Then her expression turns slightly pensive. She glances up at Scar, eyes assessing. “Any word on Sevika?” Isha looks up at that, looking at Scar expectantly. 

“Still rallying Jinxers and old Chembaron goons at the Last Drop, last I heard.” 

Jinx’s shoulders relax noticeably, as do Isha’s. Ekko clocks both with interest. He didn’t think Jinx and Sevika could give two shits about one another, especially after Jinx was rumored to have killed Silco herself, but what did he know? He’d been gone 4 months in an alternate universe. Surely that granted a guy a little leeway. Jinx glances at him and Ekko nods.

“We can swing by when we get your stuff,” he says. “And I’m assuming whatever she’s been up to is linked to this war everyone but me seems to know about.” 

“That’s what happens when you trip into an alternate timeline, I suppose,” Jinx says. Ekko makes a face while Scar huffs a small laugh. He stands, Callus dangling happily from his grip. 

“I’ll go rally the troops,” he says. “We’ll meet in an hour.” Ekko nods, finishes off his coffee with a repressed shudder, and watches Scar leave his room, closing the door behind him and leaving Ekko, Jinx, and Isha, who is polishing off her toast. Without Scar to act as a buffer, Ekko is once again uncomfortably aware of Jinx’s apparel (or lack thereof, his brain unhelpfully chimes). He stands and pushes away from the table, putting his mug in the sink. 

“You both sleep ok?” 

Jinx hums. “Like babies. It almost makes me think having a real bed is worth it.” 

“You don’t have a bed?” Ekko asks, one brow raised as he turns back to face her, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Nah,” Jinx shakes her head. “More like a nest of blankets.” Ekko’s brow furrows slightly. 

“That doesn’t sound very comfortable.”

“Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it,” Jinx says. “What, don’t tell me Powder had a proper bed?” Ekko’s heart skips a beat at the mention of Powder and he has the sudden urge to clear his throat. He settles for swallowing thickly. Isha notices and smirks, the little devil. 

“Not in the hideout,” Ekko says. “She did have a small couch, though.” Jinx glances at Isha, who nods and finishes the last bite of her toast. Ekko crosses the room in two short steps to take her empty plate. Jinx’s arms are crossed on the table. 

“Be straight with me, kid,” she tells Isha. “What’d you think of the other me? Didn’t want to trade me in for the new model?” Ekko glances over his shoulder as he rinses off Isha’s plate, wanting to catch her response. 

It comes as no surprise that Isha adamantly shakes her head, hands immediately coming up to dispute that line of thought. He catches something about the eyes being different and bites back a grin. He towels off the plate as well as his mug and sets them back on the counter when he hears Jinx snort. 

“The other you had earrings?” She asks and Ekko turns back around. She looks like the cat that got the cream, Isha her devious conspirator at her side. His breath almost catches at the sight they make together. It’s more obvious than ever when they’re side by side that Isha belongs to Jinx. He never could see it with Powder, but the comparison is undeniable here. His brain catches up to her words a second later and he huffs a small laugh. 

“Yeah, he did. Shiny little things. And he wore his locs in a ponytail.” 

“No,” Jinx whirls back to Isha with delighted eyes. “Tell me more.”

Ekko’s lips twitch as he watches Isha’s hands fly. She tells Jinx about the preppy shirt and the blazer, and he coughs, a little flustered when she remarks on his muscles. 

He had smaller arms, Isha says, and Jinx’s eyebrows shoot up into her hairline. 

“The other Ekko?” She asks. The kid nods, then a mischievous glint that’s all Powder ignites in her eyes and Ekko’s stomach swoops. 

Isha lifts both of her hands like making shadow puppets and mashes her fingertips together, making kissy faces, and Ekko’s face burns. Jinx’s shoulders snap back like a ruler, a shit-eating, slightly incredulous grin on her face as she swivels to look back at Ekko, and she positively lights up when she sees how flustered he is. 

“Oh,” she murmurs, and Ekko wants to dissolve through the floor. “Got a little interdimensional action, eh space-boy?” 

“Not like that!” Ekko sputters. “You—she!—and the other me were a thing in that universe, that’s all.” 

“Well, I’m sure Powder has great taste, but man, she’s missing out on those biceps of yours,” Jinx remarks as casually as discussing the weather, and cackles when Ekko sputters and glances away quickly. “I forgot how fun it was to tease you!”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” Ekko tries to sound annoyed but he can’t hide the way his lips twitch into a smile when both Jinx and Isha giggle. 

It’s midday when the three of them make their way down the steps to the ground. Jinx is on edge, Ekko can see it in the tight grip of her hand around Isha’s. People stare, they beam at Ekko, offer him a wave. There are some curious looks shot in Jinx’s and Isha’s direction, but no sneers, no glares like he might have anticipated. It relieves him, to say the least. Even still, Jinx’s shoulders grow tighter and tauter the more steps they descend. It’s impulsive, but Ekko reaches back and takes her free hand. She jolts, and he almost pulls away, but then her fingers curl around his, squeezing once tightly. He smiles, unable to help himself, and she rolls her eyes like he’s being ridiculous but he can see the way some of the tension eases from her figure. 

People have congregated before the mural when they reach the bottom step, awaiting Ekko’s words. He gives Jinx’s hand another squeeze and smiles out at his people. 

“I’m sure you all know who this is,” he addresses. “But you haven’t met her kid yet.” He smiles at Isha, who upturns her nose fondly at him. “This is Isha. She and Jinx are gonna be staying here from now on.” 

Marin, a 40-something year old woman, steps forward first, just like Ekko thought she would, with a warm and inviting smile. Jinx takes a half-step back, hands tugging reflexively to position Isha behind her and stepping slightly behind Ekko, eyes wide. It’s such a show of trust from her that for a moment all Ekko can do is blink. 

The rest of the crowd picks up on the slightly volatile energy and retreats, with a few comments about how it’s good to have Ekko back. Marin stays, her smile never leaving her face as Ekko squeezes Jinx’s hand reassuringly. 

“This is Marin,” he introduces. “She helps to look after all the kids.”

“Kids and parents,” Marin corrects gently. “It takes a village, and all that.” Jinx’s eyes search Ekko’s, and after he nods, she relaxes some. She steps aside and allows Marin to glance at Isha. Marin crouches, still maintaining the same distance and smiles. 

“Hello, Isha.” 

Jinx clears her throat. “She doesn’t talk,” she says. “She uses Sign.” Marin glances at Jinx and nods. 

“I don’t know a lot, but I do know some words,” Marin says. “We can all start dedicating more time to learning it.” Isha perks up at that, tugging on Jinx’s arm and grinning. Ekko grins too, then catches Scar’s eye over Jinx’s shoulder. The Chirean inclines his head as if to say get a move on and Ekko swallows. 

“I’ve got to head to that meeting,” he tells Jinx. “Do you want to come with or stay with Isha?” Her eyes go wide. 

“You’d let me join?” She blurts out. Ekko nods, and she opens and closes her mouth. Even when they were young it was rare that he could ever catch her off guard, and he can’t help the sly grin that twists his lips. She catches it instantly and scowls. “Shut up.”

Ekko snickers. “Well?” The way Jinx’s eyes glance back down at Isha tells him everything he needs to know, and his answering smile is softer. “No sweat. I’ll come find you guys after.” 

He gives her hand one more squeeze, ruffles Isha’s hair, and then sidesteps them. Jinx cranes her head over her shoulder to watch him fall into step beside his number two, then glances back at Marin, who has straightened back up. She smiles. 

“You’re welcome to join us with the other children,” she says, already half-turned away. Isha follows in her footsteps, tugging Jinx along by the hand before dropping it to Sign quickly. 

He brought me here in the other place, she tells Jinx. We painted you. 

“Me as in me?” Jinx asks, one brow cocked. “Or me as in her?” Isha shakes her head. 

You, she says. With your eyes and your braids. We missed you. Jinx almost falters at that, not expecting that Isha would’ve included Ekko. But at the same time, she knows that Isha wouldn’t just say that. Maybe the boy savior actually did miss her—Jinx. 

“Is there anything you both need?” Marin asks. “We’ve got plenty of hand-me-downs.” Jinx shakes her head. 

“I brought most of Isha’s stuff, and we’re gonna swing by our place in a few days, Ekko said.”

Marin nods. “What about you, dear?” Jinx blinks. 

“Huh?”

“Is there anything you need?” Marin asks, eyes too earnest for Jinx’s liking as she glances over her shoulder. “I meant what I said; we take care of every member of the family around here. You’re not the first single mother to come through, either.” Jinx’s cheeks flush at that but she doesn’t refute it. Before Isha’s trip through space and time, she would’ve beaten the shit out of anyone who dared to call her a parent, but the fact of the matter is that as soon as that explosion happened, Jinx’s first thought was my baby. 

It was crazy. She and Isha were only 13 years apart. She’d certainly felt as if Isha could be like a younger sister, but it wasn’t until she thought she’d lost her that the relationship cemented itself in Jinx’s mind. 

“I’m fine,” she says quickly. Marin casts her another look, this one eerily akin to Sevika’s stop bullshitting me stare. It’s so familiar that Jinx almost missteps. 

“Honey,” Marin says matter-of-factly. “When you’ve done this as long as I have, it becomes obvious when a parent gives their share of food to their child. You aren’t skin-and-bones, but it’s clear that Isha has been well-fed. Helping yourself helps her.” Sometimes Jinx hates her pale disposition, if only because it makes her flush all the more prevalent. She averts her gaze, kicks a rock, clears her throat. 

“Towels,” she manages, if only because she can tell that Marin won’t give up until Jinx gives in. “Wonderboy only has the one.” Marin chuckles at that. 

“Such is the life of a bachelor,” she muses. “When I first met my husband, he had exactly one bowl, one plate, and one cup, the scoundrel… here we are.” Jinx swallows as they come to a stop in front of a group of children, teens, one or two other women, and a man. Marin smiles at them all and introduces both her and Isha, then sweeps off with a promise to find Jinx some towels. About three kids the same size as Isha come bounding up, peering intently. Isha leans back against Jinx’s legs for a moment, neck craning back to look up at her. It takes a beat for Jinx to realize that Isha is asking her permission. It’s not something she would’ve done pre-Ekko, and Jinx can’t help but wonder if it’s a result of Isha’s own traumatic experience or just the way she’s almost certain the boy savior operates, likely never letting Isha out of his sight for more than an hour in the other timeline. 

She tries for an encouraging smile that she’s pretty sure comes off as more of a grimace. “Go on,” she nods. Isha’s face splits into a wide grin before she bounds away. Jinx has to stop herself from reaching after her. Her eye catches one of the women, only a few years older than her it looks like, with a baby wrapped to her back. There’s a fading bruise on one of her cheekbones. 

“Jinx, right?” She holds out a hand. “I’m Briar. I was in Stillwater.” Jinx almost takes a step back, looking down at the woman’s hand with wide eyes. To Briar’s credit, she withdraws her outstretched hand without any fuss. 

“Please don’t thank me,” Jinx says. “I can’t take much more of it.” Briar snorts, unoffended. 

“Alright,” she says easily. “I just wanted to tell you, none of us let them touch her.” She inclines her head towards Isha, and Jinx’s interest in the conversation is restored. She blinks. 

“What?”

“In Stillwater,” Briar says. “It was pretty obvious who she belonged to, what with the way Sevika tried to fight to get to her, but even if we hadn’t known…” Briar points at her cheek and the fading bruise there. “I got this shoving an Enforcer away from her, actually. They were rough with us, but we did our best to keep her out of the line of fire.” 

It’s more than disarming, and Jinx understands suddenly why Scar tried to thank her earlier. She doesn’t love the feeling. She nods stiffly, throat tight with uncertain emotion, and Briar smiles as if the matter is settled. 

“She’s a tough kid,” Briar says, breaking the tension as Jinx snorts in agreement. She wraps her arms around herself, relishes in the comfort of Ekko’s coat, and nods. 

“That’s one word for it,” she mutters, and feels something like approval when Briar laughs. 

Two arms wrap around her waist, nearly knocking her off balance, and Jinx glances down to look at Isha, who grins. Come draw, she Signs, all but dragging Jinx off to the far wall, where the kids she was playing with are creating chalk murals. Not sparing her new friends a second glance, unaware or uncaring of the looks she garners, Isha points out a scribbled drawing of herself, Jinx, and Ekko. Jinx snorts when she catches sight of a sour-faced Vi and an actual cupcake next to them.

“Not bad,” she tells Isha. “Don’t let Little Man see, though, you’ll give him a complex.” Isha snorts in a similar manner to Jinx and knocks their arms together, then puts a piece of green chalk in Jinx’s hand. She huffs a laugh when the girl instructs her to draw but acquiesces, doodling firelights—the bugs, not the nuisances—while Isha hums and sketches a Yordle. 

“You’re good at that,” a squeaky voice almost has Jinx jumping, and she looks to her left to see one of the girls Isha was playing with blinking at her firelights.

“Thanks,” Jinx mutters, looking from the girl's purple dusted hands to a matching purple mural of scribbled flowers. “You’re not too bad yourself.” The girl’s shoulders straighten with unmistakable pride, and Jinx rolls her eyes, though not as bitingly as she’d intended. Stupid Isha, making her soft. 

“Who’s Little Man?” the girl asks, and Jinx’s eyes flash over to her. She swallows. 

“No one. Ekko, back when we were kids.” 

One of the boys perks up. “You knew Ekko when he was a kid?” The kid sounds impossibly reverent, like the very concept of Ekko, the big, bad Firelight leader they’ve all come to know and love as a tyke is unfathomable. The notion is so absurd that Jinx snorts.

“Yeah, I did,” she says wryly. The kids don’t pick up on her tone at all, only gape and ooh and aah. It isn’t long before they’re peppering her with questions about what he was like, if he was smaller or bigger than them, and Jinx eventually caves. She scrounges up whatever chalk Isha can find and shrugs out of Ekko’s giant coat, dropping it in a heap and rolling up nonexistent sleeves just to make Isha grin as she steps up to the wall. She finds her groove easily. She doesn’t do realism all that often, it feels cruel, sometimes, for reasons she can’t quite explain, but she finds herself giving her all to portraying Little Man as best she can. 

Payback, she thinks idly, recalling the painting of Powder that adorns his Firelight mural. The kids are giggly when she’s finished, and she dusts her hands off, wiping them on her bare legs and grinning despite herself. She and Isha are both covered in chalk and color, and they’ll need to wash up before bed. If they were back in the hideout she wouldn’t bother but she doesn’t want to color up Ekko’s bed. 

He looks so goofy, Isha Signs and Jinx snorts, playfully tipping her miner's hat over her eyes. 

“He was,” she says. A playful scoff behind her has her whipping around, and her grin grows when sees Ekko standing with his arms crossed, an amused smirk on his face. 

“Who’re you calling goofy?”

“You know exactly who,” Jinx fires back. “Or was that some other snot-nosed brat who used to terrorize Enforcers?”

Ekko hums, a playful glint shining in his eye as he moves to stand beside her. “I don’t know,” he evades. “Why don’t we ask the snot-nosed brat who was always right beside me?” Jinx scowls, cheeks flushing, and his smirk only grows. She steps back as all the kids start to crowd him, scowl softening into an almost-smile, especially when it becomes obvious to her that although he pays them all attention, his eyes are primarily for Isha. Someone clears their throat and she looks over her shoulder. Marin is standing looking far too pleased for Jinx’s liking, and in her arms is a bundle that Jinx’s eyes bulge at. 

“That looks like a lot more than two towels,” she says. Marin smiles. 

“You’d be right,” she says. “A lot of people pitched in. We’ve got towels, some old clothes for Isha, a few clothes for you, too, just until you get your own things, and,” Marin lowers her voice and winks. “A few lady things.” Jinx flushes—at what, she’s not entirely sure—and takes the bundle. Her monthly is irregular as all hell, but she appreciates the thought. 

“Thanks,” she says, the word a little stilted and unfamiliar in her mouth. Marin’s smile only widens as she nods. 

“Of course.”

“What’s that?” Ekko asks, having shed his little entourage.

“Just a few things we scrounged up,” Marin says. “Jinx mentioned she and Isha were staying with you.” 

Although her voice holds no teasing insinuation, Ekko flushes. At the flustered look on his face, Marin’s lips curl into a small smirk. Jinx is none the wiser, rifling through the bundle. 

“Who else?” Jinx asks rhetorically. And although he’d never admit it aloud, Ekko feels the same. Maybe it’s having had Isha around but he can’t imagine the girls staying in a separate room. What if Isha needed him? He knows she gets nightmares, had held her through one or two while they were away, and yeah, she’s got Jinx back now, but Ekko can’t turn off his concern for her. 

And what about Jinx? What if she needed him?

(What if he needed her?)

Yes, it was much easier and much simpler for Jinx and Isha to bunk with Ekko for now. 

He glances down at his pocket watch, then catches Jinx’s eye as he tucks it back in his pocket. He nods his head towards the stairs. “C’mon, we can find some space to put those things away before supper.” 

Ekko holds his hands out for the bundle and is both surprised and pleased when Jinx lets him take it. She looks over her shoulder and whistles to catch Isha’s attention. She’s still doodling and laughing with the other kids but bounds over once she’s beckoned. She quirks a brow, asking what?

Jinx mimics the head-jerk Ekko had done prior, settling her hands on her hips. “Ekko’s gonna find a spot for our stuff.” 

And Isha hesitates, eyes flicking back to the other kids in a way that has Jinx’s brain stuttering. Isha’s never hesitated to follow her. Jinx thought it was an antisocial thing since she didn’t wander around to any of the other kids at the commune they took Vander too, but maybe that was because Jinx felt uneasy and off her gait, too wired to entertain letting Isha explore the weird place. 

But apparently this is a comfortable enough setting for Isha, and Jinx realizes with a jolt that she’s never actually seen Isha interact with kids before. She looks… younger next to the other brats in a way that almost makes Jinx lightheaded. Isha’s eyes flicker back to her, and whatever Jinx’s are portraying is enough for her to straighten. 

Are you okay? She asks. 

Jinx swallows. Ekko, having been watching, clears his throat and catches Isha’s attention. 

“Did you want to keep playing?” he asks. Isha nods, a little shy about having it said so plainly. Jinx swallows again. Her hand reaches out, steadies itself on Ekko’s arm as her brain wraps itself around the situation. He glances at her. “It’ll only take us fifteen minutes,” he murmurs. “You’d be able to hear if she called out.”

Isha’s eyes volley between the two of them expectantly. Jinx’s chest feels tight. A vehement are you fucking crazy is on the tip of her tongue, and then—

“Scar!” Marin greets jovially and Jinx’s head snaps in their direction. Scar smiles as he ambles over to them, his Chirean toddler hanging off his shoulders like he’s a jungle gym. Callus, Jinx thinks his name is, locks eyes with Isha and screeches with delight. Scar must be used to it because he doesn’t flinch or cringe away. 

“Jinx?” Ekko asks, and she blinks, tearing her gaze away from Scar. Isha is still awaiting an answer, and Jinx’s eyes flicker to Ekko, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. He catches her meaning instantly, nodding. 

“I’ll ask him to keep an eye on her,” he says, maintaining that undertone and then slipping away. Jinx, somewhat mollified, looks down at Isha. She nods, throat tight. 

“We’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” she says, heart somersaulting at the way Isha’s eyes light up. “But if anything happens, the big bad Bat is gonna be here. If he dies, scream and I’ll find you.” 

Isha rolls her eyes with a grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Fifteen minutes, she nods. By the time Ekko is back at Jinx’s side, Isha is already running off again. Jinx catches Scar’s eye as Isha darts off. Pink eyes widen, feeling caught and vulnerable in a way she hates viscerally. Scar just nods once before looking away. Jinx takes a deep breath and turns to Ekko. 

“Lead the way,” she says, instinctively falling into step beside him as they begin to walk back towards the tree. She can’t help glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. 

“You don’t have to come up,” Ekko tells her, tone deceptively neutral. “I can run this stuff up myself and you can organize it all later.” 

“I’m fine.” 

She almost misses a step when she looks over her shoulder again. The only reason she doesn’t is because of Ekko’s hand steadying her. 

“Jinx.”

“I’m fine,” she gnashes her teeth together, eyes flashing lightly. Ekko switches tactics as they climb the stairs. 

“Scar’s got her,” he says. “I wouldn’t have left Isha with him last night if I didn’t trust him.” Jinx reflexively bristles because she already knows that. 

It’s irrational, this sudden fear that when she comes back down the stairs, Isha will be gone, will have disappeared like she’d never been there in the first place or whisked away to another dimension—only this time, Ekko won’t be there to save her, not when he’s here with Jinx. 

“Fuck,” the word escapes her before she can stop it, shaky as she climbs and squeezes her eyes shut. She waits for Ekko to comment, almost desires it, wants an outlet to vent to, someone to take her restless energy out on, but he doesn’t. He just keeps climbing. 

It should irk her. 

It doesn’t. 

Ekko was right that they’re still able to hear the sounds of children’s laughter once they get to his room. It’s fainter, being carried by the wind, but nonetheless there. Jinx doesn’t even have to strain her ears to pick out Isha’s laugh. Ekko swings open the door to his room and sets the bundle on the bed, Jinx following.

She has to say something to take her mind off the imagined horrors Isha could be facing right now—

“It’s cleaner than I thought.”

Ekko, who had beelined for his dresser and was rooting through the drawers, clearing the bottom one so Jinx and Isha could have a small space, blinks, looking back at her. 

“What?”

Jinx waves a hand vaguely. “Y’know, I thought you’d have gadgets everywhere like my hideout.”

“Oh,” Ekko says. “Yeah. I did at first, but then I almost blew myself up tripping over a half-constructed hoverboard. I’ve got a separate workshop now.” Jinx snorts, feeling some of the tension ease from her shoulders as she crosses the space. She sits cross-legged before the empty drawer and begins to fold Isha’s clothes. Ekko sits beside her. “I’ll show it to you.”

“You better,” Jinx says, a small grin playing at her lips as she catches his eye. “Because if we’re gonna go up against fucking Noxus, I’m gonna need a new gun.” 

Ekko scoffs lightly. “Try three.” 

Jinx’s eyes glean then, so alike the spark of genius he’d recognized in Powder’s that he leans in subconsciously. “Or one with the power of three,” she says, eyes flicking to the Z-Drive on the table. Ekko tracks the motion, leaning back as she finishes sorting through the pile of linens Marin gave her. 

“That’s right,” he says, quiet amazement in his voice. “You cracked hex tech.” 

She can’t help grinning at him this time, enlightened. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? The way the runes speak to each other, the way every equation has to be balanced exactly.” Ekko nods excitedly. 

“What inversions did you use?”

They spend more than fifteen minutes up there, both sat on the floor of Ekko’s room, eyes alight and matching grins as they exchange scientific theories and discoveries, feeling like kids again. 

Jinx loses track of time altogether until there’s a bell toll that has her spine snapping upright, eyes widening as she looks toward the door. Ekko blinks, then cracks a sheepish smile. 

“Looks like we got a little carried away,” he stands and offers her a hand, which she takes without hesitation, snorting. 

“Just wait until you let me into your workshop,” she grins, following him out the door. She cranes her neck over the side of the railing, spots Isha signing rapidly at Scar before the mural and lets out a relieved breath. “It better be big enough for all my stuff, otherwise we’ll have a problem.”

Ekko snorts this time. “Who do you take me for? There’s plenty of room; two desks in there right now and I bet we could squeeze a third one into the corner, give Isha a little workstation of her own.” 

“She’d like that,” Jinx smiles. 

It doesn’t occur to Ekko until after he’s done exactly that, only a few days later, how effortlessly Jinx and Isha have slotted into his life. 

He can't imagine it any other way.