Lalala~ Enjoy!
I loved to watch her practice.
It wasn't something she permitted me to do often - it was something I had to figure out on my own time, and she wasn't about to invite me along to something so private, so intimate. There were nights that I would let her into the tower, nights when I wasn't sure if she was good or evil, but I opened the door anyway, for better or worse, and offer her a place to stay. There were times that she denied my offer; and times that she'd accept, eyes adverted to the ground, hesitant and a little withdrawn.
She hated relying on people for things, but the more I offered, the more frequently she'd accept. I found that she was more apt to staying the night when I didn't let her in - it was nights that she let herself in, either through a window or by hacking into the security system. She was much more comfortable doing things on her own terms and making sure that I was not going to get in trouble for aiding her.
Sometimes, she didn't tell me she was there, but I always knew, and I always knew where to find her. She had her own stash of clothes in my closet and I'd find her dirty ones on the floor, underwear and all, and at first I wasn't sure if she'd just gotten a shower and left... or what she had done. It wasn't until I'd happened upon a pile of her clothes and shrugged it off, going down to the gym to train, that I recognized what she was really doing.
It was Dick's specialty, acrobatics, and it was probably why Titans East had such a large gym with such a scale of gymnastic equipment, nearly mirroring Jump's gym. The door had slid open silently, and it was probably my only saving grace as I walked in and heard the thumps of feet on the balance beam. There were no noises of pain or strain - Jinx was far too feminine and reclusive to be so loud - but I could hear her sharp intakes of breath and sighs as she took off down the beam, landing twists and turns.
Her hair was tied back from her face in an unfamiliar style, a headband struggling to stay on and keep the hair from her face and the back of her neck, sweat on her face and her chest heaving. She was barefoot and I could see every muscle in her leg contort and dance under the skin as she fought to stay balanced, even while doing the most difficult, complex looking maneuvers.
It wasn't about keeping her form or being pretty; it was trying to make sure she'd keep afoot, even with the heaviest combat. For some reason, her clumsiness and occasional misstep made watching her that much more endearing.
She reached the end of the bar, feet pointed in the air and her hands gripping the fabric. She was shaking, muscles protesting and struggling, and I could only stare as her back arched and her feet touched the bar in front of her hands, standing up from the motion with as much grace as a cat. Jinx's face broke out into a smile, proud and genuine, something I hadn't seen on the girl since I had given her the rose months earlier.
And then she noticed me, eyes narrowing and a blush rising to her face.
"What the hell, Kid? Can't I practice in peace? ...H-How long have you been standing there?"
She may not have fallen, but I think I may have fallen for her in that instant.