Teen Titans © DC Comics
Nostalgia
He married Linda Park, not her. He loved Linda Park, not her. He was with a normal, pretty, Asian girl named Linda Park, not her. He had beautiful twins with Linda Park, not her.
Jinx was invited to their wedding, supportive of Wally West otherwise known as the Flash in recent months. She dressed pretty in a dark purple dress, but she remained as far away from him as possible. In short, he had shattered her heart when he broke up with her. They decided to stay "friends," but Jinx knew that was impossible. Certainly, her friendship with Cyborg was unchanged even though they had a mild romance, but it was nothing serious like the one she had with Wally. She thought he was her savior, the "good" she could become. She still remained on the path of vigilantism, an Honorary Titan still, but hardly put her heart into it anymore.
Yet, she lamented on how Wally dumped her. It was too swift, too fast, just like the speedster. He took her hands and told her that he had found another: Linda Park. Now, Jinx liked Linda as a human being, being kind and generous. Linda even offered some money to help buy clothes when she had forgotten her wallet. She never expected her romance with Wally to end. What did Linda have besides beauty? Well, she was even-tempered, unlike the young witch, and had rather nice breasts to put things lightly. Wally wanted to remain friends, and she was ready to destroy their apartment if Wally did not leave with Linda in thirty seconds. She kept their apartment in Hype City, New York, watching them leave for Keystone City, Kansas in a taxi. The next she heard from Wally was at his wedding a few months later…
A few weeks later in present day, she was alone in a bar. She had her shoulder-length, black wig on with brown contacts in to blend with the crowd. Jinx absentmindedly stirred her martini with a straw, hand to her cheek. The wedding was only three weeks ago, and the West twins' first birthday was a day ago, making her depression skyrocket. Deep down, she still loved Wally, thought he was her soul mate. She still respected Linda, even though the resentment for her raged in her chest for "stealing" Wally when she was one of the nicest people on the planet.
"Excuse me, miss…"
Jinx offered the voice a quick look, finding an African-American man around her age with black dreadlocks and emerald eyes gazing down at her. She blinked once, twice, almost mistaking him for a human Cyborg without the massive build. His smile was kind and warm, gesturing to the stool next to her.
"…but is this seat taken?"
"Oh, go right ahead," she replied, taking a tentative sip of her apple martini.
"Thanks," he chirped in delight, sitting right next to her.
She watched him order a light drink, noting his white jacket and black jeans. He was somewhat muscular, taller than her by a few inches, but Jinx immediately looked away when he caught her staring at him. A wry smirk came to his face, making Jinx lace her face in wrinkling annoyance.
"Checking me out, are ya?"
"I am not, and. I'm not interested in a relationship right now," she sniffed, glancing towards her drink and drank it swiftly.
"That's all right," he stated, waving his hand nonchalantly. "I'm not seeing anyone myself. Judging by you sittin' all alone, I'll bet someone broke up with you."
The urge to hex the pompous, arrogant bastard out of the stool was rising steadily. For a brief second, her eyes flashed pink, but she gasped as she realized her mistake. However, the damage had been issued. One of the wooden poles on the stool broke, sending the man toppling to the floor with the drink he ordered staining her jacket a darker hue. He blinked in surprise, earning a few light snickers from the surrounding people.
"Man, what a crappy stool I picked," he grumbled, removing his jacket and tied it around his waist. He revealed a shirt that matched his eyes, but suddenly pointed to the stool on Jinx's right. "So, can I sit there?"
"Um, sure. Sorry about the chair," she muttered as he took another spot by her.
"Ah, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault." The man gestured to the lead-painted walls and unsteady, wooden tables. "I think this entire place is going to fall down in a second or two. So, I'm Johnson. What's your name, pretty lady?"
"Lucky," she stated quickly.
"Well, I guess I'm 'lucky' to be sitting next to the prettiest girl in the bar," Johnson joked, placing his hand on his cheek, an elbow on the table to support him.
It had to be the cheesiest line she had ever heard. Well, besides, "there's something different about you…I think you can do better" from Flash. Rolling her eyes, she smirked and crossed her arms. "That was a horrible pun."
He laughed vibrantly, almost like a child finding a new toy. Johnson grinned, gazing at her, which instantly brought a feeling of odd curiosity to her face. She still had her chalky, gray skin, making her stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the other hammered wenches in the bar. They both glanced over to a particular one that was making out with some random person while another taped it.
"That's sickening," Jinx muttered.
"Completely. Can't believe she'd degrade herself like that." Johnson shook his head, pointing to the vodka bottle in her hand. "Those guy's just use girls. Some of 'em get desperate enough to get a man that they make themselves look like completely wasted idiots."
Jinx stood up, making Johnson do so as well. She smirked at the intrigued man, raising her hand and snapped her fingers. Immediately, a surge of pink cut through the table, making the alcohol bottles smash against the floor. Glass scattered, slipping on the liquids and ended up with the girl gasping. She pushed away from the drunken stooge, shouting at the boy next to her who was holding a video camera. The girl snatched it and broke it, sending the two men into a frantic cry as she stormed out furiously with her pocketbook.
Johnson chuckled, patting her shoulder and winked. "Well, aren't you a special girl…Jinx."
She whirled her head to him, eyes wide in shock as he gently poked her contacts, flipping them out of her eyes. Her disposition fell into instant shock, attempting to recuperate from the realization that he knew who she was. Jinx crossed her arms, pulling her meager, dark violet vest over her and zipped it up. Briskly, she paid the bartender for her drink and brusquely walked past him.
"Huh? Hey, wait!"
"Look…" Jinx turned around once she was a few yards out of the bar, finding Johnson running out with shock written all over his face. "…this is nothing personal, Johnson, but I really want to be alone for a while."
"B-but don't you recognize me?"
"Should I?'
Johnson frowned, slapping himself in the forehead. He stomped over to a black truck, fumbling through the backseat. He glanced over to her, flicking his head to the side as a gesture for her to come. He grinned slightly when she did, knowing how much of a curious girl she was. Slowly, he pulled out a dark green helmet and slid it over his head. It had a long, massive eye that blinked to life, and the helmet as a whole covered half of his face. He smirked at her disbelieving face, grasping her wig and threw it over his shoulder and into his car.
"As you know, I was always bad at puns. Maybe I should reintroduce myself since your head is trippin'. I'm Seymour Johnson, but you know me as See-More of the H.I.V.E," he jeered, flaunting his exuberance with a bow.
"S-See-More? How can you be-?"
"Alive? Well, I got out at the last second. I saw Gizmo shout to run, but I was too far away to make it since that mute kid was kicking my butt." See-More shrugged indifferently at her crass smirk. "Anyway, before I could do anything, all I see from my big, ol' eye is you attacking our friends, Jinx. What you got to say for that?"
She remained placid, keeping her gaze steady at See-More's threatening tone. A low sigh escaped from her pale lips, finding the gravel on the ground to be the epitome of attention. What could she say in her defense? That Kid Flash tricked her? See-More was not that stupid, but how long had it been since that fateful day when the Brotherhood was defeated? Five or six years at the most. His remembering of the events in synchronized, chronological order surprised her. His memory had always been a little off, but his perfect recollection brought a jab of strained pain to her heart.
See-More sighed through his nose and tapped the truck door. "Do you want a ride or is your pretty boy speedster comin' to pick ya up?"
"No, See-More, he…he broke up with me."
He paused, staring at her blankly. Less than three seconds later, a massive exclamation point ejected itself onto his helmet as he gaped. A question mark replaced it, bombarding her with questions on why, how, when, and a threat of killing Wally. He leaned in closer to Jinx with each rapid question, nearly pressing his forehead against her own as she wrinkled her face in flustered awe. Realizing his blunder, See-More quickly detached himself and leaned into his truck with a shy finger to his cheek.
"So, uh, why?" he asked after his apology.
"Well, he found someone else-"
"I'm gonna kill him."
"-and married her."
See-More gawked, mouth flopping open like a fish as Jinx chuckled in humor. "Bu-but…what? Girl, I had no idea. If-if I had known, I would've been there for ya."
"I know. You were always that nice guy, See-More," Jinx murmured, smiling lightly. "So, how are you here?"
He smirked. "When you've got an all-seein' eye like mine, you can get away pretty quick. I cut a hole in the wall when I saw the guys get frozen and jumped out before mute kid could get me again. I got back to Jump a few weeks later after I scored some stolen dough to get on a plane, but when I saw you with…him…" He bit back a scowl, gritting his teeth and uncomfortably crossed his arm. "…you looked so happy. So damn happy that I didn't want to ruin your new life."
"See-More, I'll be honest…" She tapped his truck door. "Is your offer still available?"
He grinned, nodding. "My door's always open for you…Lucky."
"Don't call me that. It's a stupid name an ex-boyfriend used to call me."
"Ah, Kid Kold. Never liked that guy. Too…pompous and frilly."
She giggled lightly, stepping into his truck and gazed around in it. He had simple items including a wallet and phone, making Jinx wonder who his contacts where. See-More removed his helmet, gazing at it lovingly before tossing it in the back. Noting she followed his throw, he started the truck and drove off.
"Anywhere special you wanna go?" he wondered.
"Nah, just a drive would be nice," Jinx replied.
"All right, Jinx, I mean, Lucky…"
She punched his arm roughly, making him wince. "Don't call me that, See-More! I'm serious."
He chortled nervously, knowing the full-length of what she could do to him. Recalling a rather painful experience of her hexing a ceiling and making it fall of him brought a shiver to his spine. He glanced back over to Jinx, asking what she had been up to in recent days.
"Honestly, not much. I mean, I've been doing the hero business for a while with Wally, but when he dumped me-"
"I'm gonna wring his neck. Scrawny, little neck's gonna look so fine on a noose."
Jinx rolled her pale pink eyes, smirking at his scowling face. She knew from the moment Wally sped through as Kid Flash that See-More detested him. He was chucked into Jump City Bay in a tornado caused by the speedster with Kyd Wykkyd and made a fool out of when Kid Flash thrashed their base. He made morons of all of them, including the incidental destruction of Jinx' room, even though she caused it herself.
"Anyway, I still got my apartment in New York, so I guess that's okay," she admitted. "What about you?"
"Well, when you left, I've been stealing to survive. I was still a pickpocket, just like you said, robbing parking meters when I was sixteen to about eighteen until I got enough to enroll in a community college. I had my smarts from the Academy, so I managed to graduate a few months back." See-More continued to drive on into the black night, content to be at Jinx' side. "All I'm doin' now is working in an eye doctor's office. I'm one of his assistant since I've got some knowledge on eyes. It's a decent pay, enough to pay for my apartment and stuff."
"Where are you living?"
"I live around here, actually." See-More stopped a red light, switching his full gaze to her.
"Jinx, there hasn't been a day gone by that I haven't thought of you."
She could feel her jaw tighten at the sudden statement. Her composure tensed, shyly glancing over to him. The bold words struck a chord of dismal hurt in her heart, knowing she had betrayed one of her best friends. Jinx sighed, lowering her eyes to the floor.
"I always thought about the Brotherhood and what life would've been like if I hadn't joined up with Wally. We'd still be together…all of us…"
"I think we all would've liked that. Gizmo, Mammoth, Kyd, Billy, you, and me. Even though there were six of us, we were still the H.I.V.E Five."
A jerking beeping snapped them out of their thoughts, and See-More realized the light had turned bright green. Hurriedly darting off, See-More glared over his shoulder to the car behind him, mumbling obscenities before realizing what sorts of men were in the rusted car.
"Well, well, it seems we've pissed off some guys," he commented with a sneer.
"What's that supposed to-? Oh," Jinx deadpanned, expression falling as she gazed out her side mirror.
The guys from the bar were gaining up on them quickly, weaving through the cars before speeding up next to them. One of the rowdy men, the one filming them, rolled down his window and began to drunkenly shriek curses at them, using a handful of racial slurs. See-More's knuckles whitened as he clenched the steering wheel tightly. Man's wasted ignorance never ceased to surprise him, knowing the influence of alcohol truly could poison one's mind. However, one comment sent him over the edge.
"Yer li'l, gray, pinky bitch looks like a crappy porn star, but I'd sure like ta ride her good! That ugly whore would look great underneath me!"
See-More rammed his truck into their's, sending the two drunks off the rode and into a ditch. Their screams brought a satisfied smile resting on his face as Jinx gaped in horror. Before she could sputter out a protest. See-More placed his a finger to her lips, effectively cutting her off as he winked.
"You were thinking the same thing, weren't you, Jinxie?" he sneered.
Cut off guard by the use of his old nickname for her, she sulked and sank into her seat. "You got to it before me."
He laughed, still sounding like a child. Jinx smirked up to him, realizing that he hadn't changed. Not a single fact about her dear friend was altered. See-More still had his corny charm and laugh, even his old helmet that she used to tease. Though, seeing his face for the first time in years brought a sense of odd handsomeness to the one who used to be shorter than her. With him being taller and strangely, well, pretty, Jinx would have believed he was reborn into a whole different being.
"So, checkin' me out again?"
"I am not!" Was the immediate reply from her mouth like an automated reflex.
See-More felt a cheeky grin rip at his lips. "C'mon, girl, you know you like what you see."
"Go…jump in a ditch," she quickly grumbled.
"Can't. I just filled the nearest one up with two drunken assholes."
Jinx laughed, actually amused by the sly comment. He always could lift her spirits such as when she was forced to repeat her last year at the Academy after failing to defeat the Titans. See-More bought her a plush, skull doll with an adorable face that could have lit up an entire city. She cooed and gushed over the doll, giving him a giant hug that had inadvertently caused the sweltering crush to explode in See-More's heart. Jinx glanced around the apartment building they were suddenly in front of, realizing it was her home.
"You know where I live? That's pretty creepy," she commented, rising an eyebrow.
He smirked. "I told you that I lived around here, too. I saw you come out a few times with…him. I didn't wanna intrude or anything. Might've ended up with my butt getting hauled into a jail cell." A somber sigh escaped his lips, but he realized his fumble and straightened up. "Well, uh…yeah, I dunno."
"You never had a clue on what to do with your life, See-More," Jinx sneered, shaking her head.
"Hey, I had occasional clues," he whined, stiffing up his lower lip in a pout. "Besides, I'm not broke or anything, so that's a good thing." He glanced down at his truck's digital clock, muttering that it was past midnight. "Crap, I've got work tomorrow, and I gotta get up a seven."
"Hey…See-More?"
"Yeah?"
Without warning, Jinx leaned over and pecked his cheek. A fervent, crimson blush darkened his complexion, making him gaze at her in exploding wonder. His heart felt like it would burst at any moment, lips spread apart in lopsided gape. A low, happy hum emerged from the back of his throat, grinning cheekily as she blinked in surprise.
"You still have your crush on me, don't you, See-More?" she sneered.
"No!" he cried, blushing still. A pause, and a blunt look from Jinx made See-More sigh. "Yes, and you knew all along, didn't you?"
"If I rejected you back then, I'd only hurt you. I only cared about myself, though, when it came to the Brotherhood of Evil. That's what broke me apart from you and the guys."
"I thought that if I did what you asked, helped capture Flash, we'd…we'd…"
"What?"
See-More's voice quieted to a whisper, head hanging almost in shame. "We'd end up together."
Jinx' mouth opened in surprise, watching See-More turn away and rest against the leather seat. Her eyes refused to leave him as he closed his. When she thought about See-More, all she remembered was that he was always there for her. When Brother Blood took over the school and forced her to repeat her final year at the H.I.V.E Academy, See-More was the only one who did not make fun of her. He complimented her, never mocking. See-More was the most concerned for her, even more than her two regular teammates Mammoth and Gizmo. He even tossed in his luck with her by assisting her capture Kid Flash. She wondered how badly his heart was torn out when he saw her demolish their friends, send them to their icy deathbeds.
Jinx' nails dug into her palms as the harsh reality slapped her: she broke his heart.
"Jinx?" See-More began, grasping her shoulder as she began quivering. "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," she murmured shakily.
"Hunh? What for?"
"Everything…"
See-More hesitated, watching her shake before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and brought her to his chest. "You don't gotta be."
Jinx wrapped his arms around his neck, sniffling lightly. "I really did miss you."
"I missed you, too."
Silence encouraged them to embrace each other tightly. See-More wondered if he was dreaming, lost in one of his dreams again of being with her. His fingers hesitantly caress the tips of her heavenly, silky pink hair with her gentle breathing on his neck. She was real, a living angel that returned from her falling grace to his welcoming arms. Jinx was still Jinx, his beautiful, wonderful Jinx.
"Hey, See-More, what time do you get off work tomorrow?" she questioned, pulling away.
He frowned internally, having wanted to remain with her for a little longer. "I get a break at noon for lunch, and my day ends at four."
"Great! Swing by here again, and I'll treat you!"
A quiet bomb went off in See-More's mind, grinning widely at her proposal. "Th-that sounds wicked! I love you, I mean, it!"
As See-More covered his mouth, flustered at his exclamation of love, he kept his eyes downcast. However, Jinx merely giggled into her raised knuckles, making him blush still. Patting his shoulder, she leaned closer and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.
"You're just so cute when you blush, Johnson," she sneered, opening up the truck door and stepped outside. "See you tomorrow, okay?"
"…'Kay," he squeaked, nodding almost stupidly. As she began to stepping back towards her apartment, he called out the window. "I'll be here! Don't worry 'bout a thing!"
"Knowing you, I won't have any concerns!" she yelled back, waving to him as she opened the door. Watching See-More start up his car, she shared a farewell gaze with him and waved once more. When he sped off, Jinx smirked. "I guess there are some people that just don't change. Thanks, See-More."
Meanwhile, See-More drove straight through a red light, happily singing, "I got her back, baby!"
Then, he was pulled over for speeding.
"Crap," he mumbled.
…
SEE-MORE IS SO DAMN HUGGABLE.
Plus, his voice is so effing win. I always was more of a SeeJinx supporter than any other Jinx pairing anyway, so I just had to write this. :D
Also, another little side note, Linda Park does marry Wally West (Kid Flash in the show) in the comics, so don't bash her. Not her fault that DC paired her with him.