Jinx's cigarette dangled in between her fingers, her candy colored eyes skimming over the alley, detecting any movement possible, even as she brought the smoke to her lips, inhaling deeply. Cheshire, leaning against the dirty wall raised an eyebrow, and Jinx smiled before she turned her head in the opposite direction, exhaling the plume into the smoggy air.
"Nasty habit", the black haired woman commented jokingly, a hand splayed over her puffy belly. Jinx let loose a dry chuckle, her voice scraping against the brick work.
"Yeah, Wally says so, too", she replied, purposefully taking another deep drag in, mischief in her eyes. When she pulled the cig away from her heart shaped lips, she retained the smoke. "I think he finds it hot though."
Cheshire wiped her hands on her maternity jeans, shaking her head and smirking at her friend's antics. Jinx's smile was thin but genuine, the teasing glint in her eyes the same as when she would play not-so-innocent pranks on store owners.
It's been a long time since then.
Cheshire, now better known as Jade and Jinx, best known as Nicole had grown into friends in the good side rather than acquaintances through the villain grapevine. The brunette was far from the good guy Nicole had become, instead, choosing to straddled the line of neutrality. The two of them were never going to be accepted back into the more malicious side regardless, what with their partial or, in Nickie's case, full, high heel face turns.
The two of them had way too much in common NOT to be friends, and Jade remembered when they would come to this same alley a few months back and smoke cigarette after cigarette. They would talk about why they left, their boyfriends, their jobs. Jade's sharp eyes would catch the glint reflecting off of Nicole's promise ring, the one her speedster boyfriend gave her on their first anniversary as a couple and think about when Roy would come to see her again.
Not often enough, it seemed.
Certainly often enough to knock her up though.
Jade sighed. She missed brandy and smoking, missed dancing into the middle of the night and the cool feeling of a blade expertly twisted between her fingers. When she first left the life of villainhood, three full years ago, the only link she had to nostalgia was this dirty hall, laughing with the pinkette about stupid stories and smiling at conquests.
Now, she couldn't even smoke.
Jade knew Nicole was different. Nicole didn't miss the feeling of crumbling walls or the feeling of being feared. They weren't similar in that light. Jinx was almost fully converted, and by her own choosing. Though, the humorous memory of the bad luck witch going through stores and setting fire to the various magazines proclaiming lie after lie about her relationship still flit through the ex-assassin's mind. Wally, then Kid Flash, now just Flash would laugh when he followed after her, telling the owner to put it on Robin's tab.
Regardless, there was a special way she and Wally worked, twisting around each other like a woven basket. Their relationship was practically air tight: or, at least, water tight. Jade had watched them splinter only in the beginning, later finding them working through the knots.
It took a lot of commitment for them to do that.
Jade wished Roy had that kind of commitment. But, in his own way, she knew that he did. He, after all, checked himself into rehab when he found out about the baby. And even if he wasn't there to hold her hair back, he would still send her calls and messages, telling her he was getting better, telling her he was trying.
She wishes it were enough. But while Jade grows bigger and bigger, bloating off of maternity, Nicole grows more glowing. Of the two of them, it was ironic that the bad luck witch got, well, lucky. What else could you call her? She had a faithful, committed boyfriend, a promise ring, for Christ's sake, a warm bed, a steady job, and a cigarette dangling from her lips.
Jade really, REALLY missed cigarettes.
Jinx almost cackled when she saw the downturned expression on her friend's face. She exhaled, letting her arm drop down to her side.
"Well, don't look so overjoyed to be a mum", she said, her torso shaking lightly.
"It isn't all you'd think it is", Cheshire replied, rolling her eyes. Jinx shrugged, her lips curling up as she took another drag.
"Maybe I'll find out one day."
Jade snorted. "There's no maybe about it."
Jinx laughed again, putting out the smoke against the faded wall behind her, her eyes shining. "Not for a while."
"Yeah, if Wally the Angelic has any say in it, you two will be properly married before that goes down." Jade laughed, knowing it was true. Jinx followed suit.
It was good to laugh about things like that.
Nickie remembered when such thoughts: love, marriage, LIVING to be old enough to have kids, were thoughts like wisps of smoke. You reach your hand out and find air.
Now, it was tangible. Now, Nicole had a lover who was overly cautious with her, certain not to cause harm, ready to help, able to watch her back genuinely.
Jade rubbed her stomach.
Jinx's smile softened.
"We've gotten so boring", she said, but the fondness rung out like a bell through the momentary silence.
"I like boring, a bit", Cheshire replied, her eyes colliding against Jinx's. The latter closed them briefly, finally settling back against the brick wall.
"When's Roy gonna be back?" the pinkette asked, choosing to change the subject.
"Says he'll be gone for a few more weeks."
"Wall's still furious."
"I'd be too."
Jinx cracked an eye open. "Always meant to ask why you weren't."
Jade shrugged, lifting her foot up and settling the bottom of her shoe against the bricks. "He needed someone on his side."
There was silence for a moment before Nicole smirked, looking up at the night sky. "Yeah. I'd probably do the same."
"You HAD to get the proper redhead."
"Oh, ain't NOTHING proper about Wally past 10 pm", Jinx said, grinning, all white teeth and mischief. Jade made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat and threw a rock, taking in the sharp laughter in the stifling, humid night as she deliberately missed, grazing her close friend's ear.
"Yeah, because I need to know what you and carrot top do after dark."
"He's a natural redhead, at least", Jinx joked back, dodging the second rock and falling back, her chuckles making her entire torso rumble.
Jade smiled. There was so little of her old life in the scene. Back a few years ago, Jinx laughing was almost unheard of, and for Cheshire to joke was ludicrous. The idea that she would be pregnant with a hero's baby, that she would love him and vouch for him: she could have never predicted. That she and Nicole would trust each other with their real names, with talk about their lovers, with moments unguarded in an alleyway, knowing when they left, they both had a nice, warm bed to sleep in. Jinx would settle back into Wally's arms and Jade would wait for Roy's call, wait for his "I love you, goodnight".
She missed smoking.
But she is happy to trade it for laughter, overly detailed girl talk, and family instead.
I don't know why, but I LOVE the idea of their friendship. I also like Roy and Wally having a friendship as well. :D
Lotsa dropped shipping hints.
A shipper gonna shiiiip.