"You made this yourself?" Magnolia asked, not having to fake the wonder in her voice as she gazed at the little contraption in her lap.
She and Jinx were enjoying a quiet morning together, as Magnolia tidied from the night before. Jinx had brought her a small, animatronic monkey holding a pair of cymbals. It was incredibly detailed, tiny pieces all coming together to form such an intricate toy.
Jinx beamed proudly. "All by myself! I've been making them for years." Leaning in conspirationally, she added, "Look what else it can do."
Taking back the toy, she turned the key in the back a few times, before setting it back on the table in front of them. To Magnolia's amazement, the toy began to circle around and chime a little tune. She laughed in delight.
"Jinx, this is wonderful! You're so clever!"
The monkey continued its little dance as they both watched, turning in circle after circle and gradually slowing down. When it came to a stop, Jinx sucked in a sudden, startled gasp, her happy expression wiped clean. A quiet, distant ticking seemed to come from within the toy.
"Jinx?" Magnolia asked carefully. But the girl was transfixed, vacant gaze locked on the monkey. "Jinx?" Magnolia repeated with more force.
Not understanding why, but realizing that the monkey seemed to have triggered something in Jinx, Magnolia reached out to grab the toy and get it out of sight. As if set off by that movement, the girl cried out and lunged forward towards the table with a shout.
"Jinx!" Magnolia cried out in alarm. Jinx fell short of reaching the toy, but the force of her colliding with the table sent it careening into Magnolia's lap. Still confused at this strange reaction, Magnolia looked down into her lap.
And then the monkey exploded.
Magnolia rocked back in her chair, eyes squeezing shut. There was a moment of silence, following the loud bang, and the sensation of something warm and sticky splattering all over her.
She realized that nothing else was happening. There was just the liquid that was dripping from her face and into her lap.
Suddenly, Jinx screamed. Blinking her eyes open in alarm, Magnolia reached for Jinx, who only screamed louder at the sight of her. Rearing back in shock at her reaction, Magnolia looked down at herself and had to hold in her own shriek of terror.
The whole front of her dress was soaked in red liquid. It looked just like blood, streaking across her skin and soaking into the fabric. With the rush of adrenaline and terror, came the sudden realization that it couldn't be blood. She would be dead from a wound that produced that much blood.
Magnolia brought a hand in front of her eyes to inspect it closer. Paint! It was just red paint. The monkey must have been filled with it, set to detonate it all over when the key finished turning.
Relieved, Magnolia almost laughed before she realized that Jinx had disappeared. In her fear, she had scrambled under the table. Curling into a ball with her arms over her head, she rocked back and forth, heavy, shaking like a leaf.
Magnolia vaguely registered hurried footsteps coming down the stairs as she knelt beside Jinx and carefully tried to pull the girl out from under the table.
"Hey, hey," she murmured softly, pulling Jinx's arms away from her face, "Come back to me, baby. It's just paint, Jinx. Just paint."
Jinx's little chest kept rising and falling rapidly, but she met Magnolia's eyes. Magnolia wiped gently at the tears on her cheeks. "You're okay, buddy. It's just paint."
"It was all my fault, all my fault. I'm a jinx!" the little girl wailed and launched herself at Magnolia. She was winded with the force of it but quickly cuddled the girl up into her lap, holding her tight and rocking her gently.
"It's okay," Magnolia assured her, again and again. "It's not your fault. It was an accident."
Jinx sobbed harder, face buried in Magnolia's shoulder as she held her tightly.
As they sat there, weathering the storm, a warm hand landed on Magnolia's other shoulder. With a start, she realized that she had not heard Silco approaching them with his quiet gait. He squatted in front of them, laying a hand on Jinx's head.
He looked so full of concern and love as he gazed at his adoptive daughter that Magnolia couldn't help the tug that her heart gave. It was impossible to so much as resent him when he kept giving her these little glimpses of his tender heart.
Softly, he pressed a kiss to Jinx's temple, coaxing the girl to look at him. "Don't cry, Jinx," he murmured, "It wasn't your fault."
Her crying slowing, Jinx peeked up at him. Silco swiped a thumb across her cheek, leaning in to press his forehead against hers. Magnolia stiffened slightly at his proximity, at the intimacy of the moment. She felt like she was intruding on something private, something she wasn't meant to be a part of.
"What happened?" he asked gently of Jinx. The girl's face scrunched up in frustration.
"I forgot that this one was a paint monkey, not just a regular walking monkey." Her gaze widened with fear. "I thought it was like the bad night, all over again."
The bad night? Magnolia didn't follow, but Silco seemed to understand. Straightening, he firmly grasped Jinx's face between his hands.
"We talked about this Jinx," he implored. "That wasn't your fault either."
Jinx nodded once, the movement small and defeated. Silco pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, soothing her.
When he pulled back, Jinx looked at Magnolia sheepishly.
"I'm sorry I ruined your dress," she whispered. Magnolia smiled down at her warmly.
"It's okay Jinx, I've got others." Jinx returned her smile tentatively.
Releasing her, the two of them rose. Magnolia looked around and assessed the damage. The paint had made a spectacular mess, all over the table and nearby chairs.
Jinx looked around too, flushing in embarrassment. Magnolia waved her off before she could say anything else. "I've got this, you go get cleaned up. You've had a hard day."
When the blue-haired girl only continued to look at the floor dejectedly, Magnolia continued.
"Did you know there's only one cure for a hard day?" Magnolia asked her, expression serious. Jinx's head perked up and she watched her with rapt attention. Leaning in like she was about to tell her a secret, Magnolia pretended to check for eavesdroppers.
"A hot bath and a giant cup of cocoa," she said in a hushed voice, maintaining her very-serious-adult expression.
Jinx's face scrunched up in disbelief. "That's something you tell babies. It's not true."
Magnolia shrugged non-chalantly and made to walk away. "You don't believe me, that's fine." She turned back to Jinx with a mischievous expression. "But it certainly can't hurt to try," she added with a wink.
Jinx rolled her eyes but turned to her father with a small smile. "Can I have marshmallows in my cocoa?" she pleaded. Silco ruffled her hair affectionately.
"Of course," he assured, and guided her towards the stairs. Magnolia watched as they ascended the steps, hand in hand. Jinx's shoulders still drooped, but she seemed to have made it out of whatever dark place the accident had sent her too.
At the top, Silco let Jinx carry on ahead of him, turning to look at Magnolia. When she met his gaze, he gave her a single, silent nod before following his daughter down the hall.
Magnolia snorted a laugh and got to cleaning. Even in gratitude, Silco was one reserved bastard.
It took twice as long to finish cleaning with the additional mess, but there was a silver lining. It was Tuesday, and Silco had given her those evenings off from serving. Tuesdays were typically the quietest nights, not too busy for the bartender to handle by themselves.
Dragging her exhausted body upstairs, Magnolia popped into her bedroom to grab her toiletries and pyjamas, before carrying on down the hall to the bathroom. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about taking a bath since she'd suggested it to Jinx. It was probably best to ask for permission first, but her aching feet told her to just beg forgiveness later instead.
The bathroom still smelled of the bubble bath that Jinx had undoubtedly used, the scent light and relaxing. She must have just gotten out, as the lights were still dimly lit and the room was full of lingering steam. Dumping her things on the counter, Magnolia reached for the hem of her dress to pull it off over her head.
"A bit bold of you, I must say," a voice said from behind her, "although not entirely unwelcome."
Magnolia yelped in surprise, tugging her dress back in place and whirling around. In her tired slog, she'd failed to notice that Silco was already occupying the tub, quietly soaking in the steaming water. He was too tall to fit fully, his shoulders and arms above the water. One hand rested comfortably on his stomach, the other hung over the edge, holding a glass of amber liquid. His body disappeared into the water at the bottom of his ribs, obscured by the bubbles.
Magnolia opened and closed her mouth, unable to find the words. Silco only regarded her coolly, casually swirling the ice in his drink.
"What are you doing?" she finally demanded. Magnolia had observed Silco as many things, but she would never have pegged him as a bubble bath taker.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Curing a hard day," he replied in a tone that implied that it was obvious and downed the rest of his drink in one go. "Seemed to work well enough for Jinx."
"Well, if you treated her to a glass of whiskey too, I'm sure it did," Magnolia quipped. Silco huffed a laugh.
"We stuck to cocoa, as per your instructions," he replied. His expression turned serious as he met her gaze again. "Thank you," he said quietly, "for being gentle with her."
Magnolia smiled at him softly and ducked her head in humility.
"Just following your example." Silco smiled at that, looking proud.
After a beat of silence, Magnolia made to gather up her things. "I will leave you to it then," she told Silco. She'd only have time to shower later, but it wasn't like she could shoo Silco from his own bathroom.
"No need," he responded instantly. Turning back around with a furrowed brow, Magnolia got a front row seat to Silco gracefully rising out of the tub. Naked as the day he was born but without a care in the world, he stepped out onto the mat. He was a lean man, but wiry, the muscles standing out on his frame as sharply as his cheekbones. His pale skin was interrupted here and there with scars, most of them the smooth, white texture of wounds that had healed years ago. There was a light dusting of dark hair on his chest, fanning across his pectorals before running down the center of his abdomen down to his-
Her face burning, Magnolia forced her gaze to a spot on the ceiling. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Silco bend over to pull the plug out of the drain, resisting the urge to ogle his backside. It occurred to her for the first time, how wildly inappropriate this was. She was in a small, hot room with a strange man who was unabashedly nude before her.
Magnolia brought her eyes to Silco's face as he approached her, firmly refusing to look any lower. He wore an amused, self-satisfied expression, his eyes not shying away from meeting hers.
"I was finished anyhow," he clarified.
She held her breath as Silco reached casually past her to grab a towel from the rack to her left, getting into her personal space. He was really developing a habit of doing that and seeming to enjoy her discomfort when he did. He dropped her gaze as he briskly dried off and Magnolia couldn't stop her eyes from wandering. His usual suits hid a remarkable pair of broad shoulders, the muscles shifting in a most inviting way with his movements. There was a little bit of water caught in the curve of his clavicle that she suddenly had the wild urge to lick away.
Finally wrapping the towel around his waist, Silco gave her a last amused look.
"Enjoy," he purred, before turning towards the door. Unable to resist, Magnolia watched as he walked away, admiring the view.
Flustered, aroused, and embarrassed, Magnolia cursed and stripped. Dismissing the idea of a bath entirely, she angrily flipped on the shower, selecting the coldest setting possible.
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Author's Note: It's a short and sweet sorta chapter. I had something completely different planned, but then I saw the fanart posted by Lo Bennett of Silco in the tub this morning and my brain refused to think of anything else. You can find them on Instagram under lobennettdraws. So please accept this measly offering while I recover from that yummy image.
Next chapter likely coming tomorrow - it's mostly done and boy are we going to have some fun, my dudes! ;)