Chapter Text
The streets of Zaun were never quiet. There was always something happening somewhere. Pipes rattled overhead, machinery groaned behind metal walls, footsteps echoed through the narrow streets, and the distant hum of the city never seemed to stop. The air was thick with smoke and strange chemical smells that Jinx had long since stopped noticing. Usually, she liked the noise. It kept her company. Silence gave her thoughts too much room, and Jinx had never been particularly fond of what happened when she had too much time to think.
Lately, though, there was someone who had started filling the silence for her. Isha. Jinx hadn't exactly planned on getting attached to the little girl. In fact, she hadn't planned on getting attached to anyone. That was the problem with people. They got close, they became important, and then somehow everything fell apart. Jinx knew that better than anyone. So she'd tried to keep things simple with Isha. They were partners. That was it. Partners who happened to spend a lot of time together, who occasionally ate together, worked together, explored together, and slept in the same hideout when it was too dangerous to go anywhere else. Definitely not friends. At least, that's what Jinx kept telling herself.
Jinx sat on the edge of an old metal platform, her legs swinging lazily over the side as she watched Isha rummage through a pile of scrap below. Isha had been searching through the same pile for nearly ten minutes, carefully moving pieces of metal aside and examining each one before tossing it behind her. Jinx rested her chin in her palm and watched with growing amusement. "You know," Jinx called down, "most people look for useful stuff." Isha ignored her. Jinx grinned. "I'm just saying. You could find food. Or weapons. Or something that isn't completely covered in rust." Isha pulled out a bent piece of metal and stared at it before throwing it aside. "Exactly." A few seconds later, Isha found something else and held it up proudly. It was a tiny broken gear. Jinx stared at it, then at Isha, then back at the gear. "That's what you've been looking for?" Isha nodded. Jinx hopped down from the platform and crouched beside her. She took the gear between two fingers and turned it over. "Okay," she admitted. "That's slightly less garbage." Isha smiled.
For some reason, that tiny smile made something strange twist inside Jinx's chest. She immediately stood up and brushed imaginary dirt from her trousers. "Don't look at me like that." Isha tilted her head. "Yeah, you know what I mean." Isha shook her head. Jinx sighed dramatically. "You're impossible." Isha grinned. Jinx rolled her eyes, but she was smiling too. That was how it usually went between them. They bickered without words. Isha followed Jinx around, even when Jinx insisted she didn't need following. Jinx complained whenever Isha got too close to one of her inventions, even though she secretly liked having someone interested in the things she built. Slowly, without either of them noticing, their lives began to fit together.
One afternoon, Jinx was sitting at her workbench, surrounded by wires, metal parts, tools, and several inventions that probably should not have been left unattended. She was tightening a screw when she heard a soft clatter behind her. She didn't turn around. "Isha." Silence. Jinx continued working. "I can hear you." Another clatter. Jinx slowly turned her head. Isha was standing beside a box of spare parts, holding something behind her back. Jinx narrowed her eyes. "What are you hiding?" Isha shook her head. "That's not suspicious at all." Isha smiled. Jinx stood up and walked over. "Come on. Show me." Isha hesitated before bringing her hands forward. In them was a small metal animal. It was rough and uneven, made from scraps of gears, wires, and pieces of old machinery. One of its legs was slightly shorter than the others, and its head was tilted at a strange angle. Jinx stared at it. "You made this?" Isha nodded. Jinx picked it up carefully and examined every little piece. The way the wire had been twisted around the body, the tiny gear used as one of its eyes, the careful way Isha had connected everything together. "You made this yourself?" Another nod. Jinx looked at her. "Why?" Isha shrugged. Jinx looked back at the little metal animal. "It's terrible." Isha's face dropped.
Jinx immediately panicked. "I mean—" She waved her hands. "Terrible in a good way! Like... intentionally terrible." Isha stared at her before starting to laugh. Jinx sighed. "Okay, that sounded worse." Isha laughed harder, and eventually Jinx laughed too. She placed the little metal animal carefully on her workbench. "I'm keeping it." Isha's smile softened. Jinx pretended not to notice. The days continued like that. Jinx would disappear for hours and return with strange objects she'd found throughout Zaun. A colourful piece of glass, a broken music box, a strange metal spring that made a satisfying noise when she twisted it, or a little toy that didn't work anymore but had a funny face. Isha kept everything. In return, Isha began leaving things for Jinx. A drawing tucked underneath her pillow, a shiny screw placed carefully beside her tools, a flower she'd somehow managed to find growing between two cracks in the concrete, or a little bracelet made from scraps of coloured wire. Jinx pretended she didn't care. She cared a lot.
One evening, Jinx came back to their hideout after being gone most of the day. She pushed the door open with her shoulder and dropped a bag onto the floor. "I brought stuff." Isha immediately ran over. Jinx grinned. "Whoa, slow down." Isha looked inside the bag. There were pieces of candy, some small mechanical parts, a cracked pair of goggles, and a tiny purple bottle that Jinx had probably stolen from somewhere. Isha pulled out the goggles. Jinx laughed. "Those? Oh, those are mine." Isha put them on. They were far too big for her. Jinx stared before bursting out laughing. "You look ridiculous." Isha crossed her arms. Jinx crouched down and adjusted the goggles properly. "There. Now you look ridiculous and slightly more prepared." Isha looked up at her and suddenly hugged her.
Jinx froze. She hadn't been expecting it. For a moment, her arms stayed at her sides. Then, slowly and awkwardly, Jinx hugged her back. It was strange. It was unfamiliar. But it didn't feel bad. Jinx closed her eyes for a second before whispering, "You're getting clingy." Isha didn't move. Jinx smiled. "...I don't mind." Isha stayed close for another few seconds before letting go. Jinx looked away quickly. She didn't want Isha to see how much that had affected her. She wasn't used to someone choosing her. That was the part that scared her. Isha wasn't afraid of her. She didn't care about Jinx's reputation or the things Jinx had done. She just cared about Jinx. And Jinx had no idea what to do with that.
A few weeks later, they were exploring an abandoned section of Zaun when Jinx noticed Isha falling behind. She stopped and looked back. Isha was standing near a broken wall, staring at something. Jinx walked back. "What'd you find?" Isha pointed through the gap. There was a small room on the other side. Most of it had collapsed, but sunlight streamed through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating dust floating through the air. Isha stepped inside, and Jinx followed. There wasn't much there. A broken chair, an old table, and a few scattered books. Isha picked one up and carefully brushed dust from the cover. Jinx watched her. "You like books?" Isha nodded. Jinx took it from her and opened it. Most of the pages were damaged. "This one's basically dead." Isha frowned. Jinx immediately corrected herself. "Not dead. Just... needs some work." Isha smiled. Jinx handed it back. "You can keep it." Isha looked at her. Jinx shrugged. "What? It's not like I was going to read it." Isha hugged the book to her chest.
They stayed in the little room for a while. Eventually, Isha sat on the floor and began looking through the pages. Jinx sat against the wall beside her, watching the sunlight move slowly across the floor. It was peaceful. Too peaceful, maybe. Jinx's mind began wandering. She thought about Powder, about Vi, about everything she'd lost, and about how different things might have been if someone had simply stayed. Jinx looked over at Isha. The little girl was still reading. "Hey." Isha looked up. Jinx hesitated. "Do you ever..." She stopped. Isha waited. Jinx looked down at her hands. "Never mind." Isha moved closer. Jinx sighed. "I'm not good at this." Isha tilted her head. "People stuff." Isha smiled slightly. Jinx continued, quieter this time. "I don't really know how to... keep people." Isha stared at her. Jinx laughed awkwardly. "Sounds stupid, doesn't it?" Isha shook her head.
Isha reached over and took Jinx's hand. Jinx stared down at their hands. She didn't pull away. Isha squeezed her hand once. Jinx's eyes softened. "You really mean that, huh?" Isha nodded. Jinx looked away. "You're gonna make me emotional." Isha smiled. Jinx gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "You're stuck with me, you know." Isha nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I know." Jinx leaned back against the wall. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like she had to keep one eye on the door. She didn't feel like she had to be ready to run. She didn't feel like she had to pretend everything was fine. She could simply sit there. With Isha. And somehow, that was enough.
As the sun disappeared behind the buildings, the room became darker. Jinx pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on, shining it against the ceiling. Isha looked up. Jinx made shapes with her hands in front of the light. A rabbit. A bird. A strange little monster. Isha laughed. Jinx grinned. "Okay, okay. Your turn." Isha tried to make a shape. It came out looking like nothing. Jinx stared. "What is that?" Isha shrugged. Jinx laughed. "That's not an animal." Isha pointed at Jinx. Jinx gasped dramatically. "Excuse me?" Isha pointed at the shadow again. Jinx stared before laughing. "Okay. Fine. It kind of looks like me." Isha nodded. Jinx shook her head. "You're weird." Isha smiled. "So am I."
They stayed there until it was completely dark outside. Eventually, they walked back through Zaun together, Jinx carrying the broken book under one arm while Isha held onto the little metal animal she'd made. Neither of them said much. They didn't need to. Their shoulders bumped as they walked. Every now and then, Isha looked up to make sure Jinx was still there, and every time she did, Jinx was.
Maybe that was what being close to someone really meant. Not promises. Not perfect words. Just staying.
Jinx looked down at Isha and smiled. "Hey." Isha looked up. Jinx held out her hand. Isha took it. Jinx squeezed her hand gently. "Let's go home." Together, they disappeared into the glowing streets of Zaun, no longer quite as alone as they had been before.