"Come in," Jinx said, fidgeting with a complex contraption of her making.
Ekko entered the room - a makeshift home where she could work in peace, away from the others. She found comfort in solitude - it was all she knew. Piles of parts and diagrams littered the desk as she sat working into the night.
"Hey I just wanted to see if you were ok," he asked.
"Yah I'm fine just…" she replied, before the sound of a part snapping broke concentration.
"GAH!" she screamed, throwing her instruments against the wall in a chorus of anger.
"...it's ok, we probably didn't need that," he said.
"I… I can't do this," she replied, lowering her head against the desk.
"What do you mean?" he asked calmly, to not upset her further.
"This. Them. I thought I could handle it, I can deal with being hated, but… all of their little sad, dirty, grubby faces, giving me…"
Ekko glanced at her, removed his shoes, and scooted further into the bed, resting his back to the wall.
"Hey. Come here," he said, extending a hand to her. The ritual of the spirits. The night Jinx was reborn created an intimate bond between them. They would recreate their body placements whenever the need for candor arose. It served as a reminder that they were not alone in this world - they could trust each other, fully.
Jinx nodded, smiling, and made her way towards the bed and his embrace. He wrapped her body around his legs as she rested her head against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat comforted her; she knew it's rhythm well. An old, familiar friend.
Ekko reached for a blanket, wrapping it around them to shield from the cold. They spent a few moments in collective silence, basking in the other's energy as shadows from the candlelight danced from a distance.
"Ekko… are you real?" She asked, quietly.
He paused, concerned the demons had come to pay her a visit.
"Not…" she continued, "...I mean this… us… I mean that's not what I'm asking, I'm…" Since her escape from the well, she despised herself for feeling needy, it only reminded her of agony. She was supposed to be strong, for them. For him. But her newfound identity required basic affirmations; less so than her old self but enough for satisfaction.
Progress. Different steps to the same archaic tune.
"Why did you bring me here?" she asked, candidly.
Ekko laughed, softly. "This morning, you stood in front of an angry crowd, demanding your head. Then, you spoke your truth, and we all bore witness. Now, they're ready to burn down every bakery from here to Noxus in effigy. And you wonder why I brought you here?
She smiled, gripping him ever so tighter.
"You think I'm joking?" he continued, squeezing her softly in return. "Our cook declared a ban on cupcakes minutes after you stepped off-stage. Our weapons experts are downstairs trying to figure out how they can infuse chocolate brownies into our sticky bombs. Our strategists have renamed Piltovians as 'the cupcakes'. Our struggles took a backseat to this. And it's all for you."
"Ugh", she said, "...but I like cupcakes. They're delicious."
"You should have thought of that before sparking the holy pastry wars," he countered with a grin.
"Shut up," she replied, softly.
"Ekko, you know that's not what I'm asking. I'm…"
"Yes," he said, comforting her. "This is real, at least for me." He rested his chin on her head. "Which is… surreal to think about. So many nights lying awake thinking of this moment. Fulfilled dreams, it's…"
"...crazy," she finished.
"...a gift," he corrected her. "I never believed in anything that I couldn't touch, feel - tinker with. But having this is… unexplainable."
She repositioned herself on his lap and nuzzled herself deeper into his body.
"All those times…" she asked with a whisper, "why did you come back… you knew what I was, that I could have…"
"...killed me?" He asked. "I tried to forget, bury it, tell myself you were gone. It was easier than admitting there was something left. But I was lying to myself. When I saw you on the bridge, I knew you were still there, somewhere. And I realized you would never let her hurt me."
"You… what?"
"The fourth shot," he replied. "I was buying time, trying to calculate your tendencies. I had an answer for the first three, but the fourth, no matter what I did, was a puzzle I couldn't solve. So I took a chance."
Her head snapped from his body with the suddenness of a frightened gazelle. "A… chance?" she asked incredulously, narrowing her eyes in disbelief. "You thought I wouldn't kill you, on a chance?"
"Yes," he replied, placing a hand on her ear, gently guiding her head back to his chest. "And it paid off. In spades."
"You're an idiot, you know that? I should shoot you in the face right now for being so stupid," she said, gripping him tigher.
"Seriously,' she continued, taking a concerned tone. "Don't do that again. No more… chances. Not for me."
"Stop giving me a reason not to."
"I gave you plenty of reasons!" She fired back, "I shot you, I shot your people, I tried to blow you up, I… I…"
"They weren't enough," he replied, planting a kiss on her head. "They'll never be enough."
"All the perfectly, wonderfully, terrible men in the world, and I had to fall for the only good guy in the city," she quipped in protest.
"Yep. It sucks. You're kinda stuck with me. Sorry."
"Grr…" she replied, in a mix of affection and frustration. Their attention returned to the shadow, gleefully dancing with their partners of flame.
"You know how this is going to end…" she grumbled. "You bring me here, I feel.. something for you. I feel… something for the little… cute, dirty, pauper faces… then 'boom' it's gone and I'm left holding the ashes."
"...you mean you're afraid that you're going to lose us," he replied.
"You know my history. You were there."
"I don't think you understand," he replied. "You see it as loving something and watching it die in your hands. But you didn't kill your friends, you saved Vi. You didn't kill Silco. You saved Vi."
"What's your point?"
"My point is…" he continued, "to me, the things you truly love don't leave you. You protect them, at any cost, even if it means giving up something you love just a bit less. You are the eye of the hurricane; destruction on the borders, safety in the middle. I would even go as far as to say you're… the girl savior?"
"Stop it." She replied, giving him a sharp poke in the ribs.
"Don't like that name? Then I guess I'll have to come up with a pastry title… the Baroness of Butterscotch?
"..."
"No? How about… the Queen of Quiche?
"DON'T YOU DARE RUIN QUICHE FOR ME!" she said, playfully pushing him against the bed, opportunity in grasp. She blitzed forward like a prisoner starved of sunlight, kissing him deeply, heavy breath in tongue, revealing unholy intentions on the floor of the church steeple.
A knock on the door. A jarring, infuriating, why-does-this-happen-at-the-worst-times knock on the door.
"WHAT?" she screamed towards the inanimate object standing between her and her snack.
"Err, I'm sorry to intrude, it's Heimierdinger, is Ekko… available?
Jinx closed her eyes, slowly dropping her head to his in frustration.
"We tried, girls… we had him," she said while staring at her chest, "but somehow the boy savior escaped our dastardly plans yet again. Back in the boobie jail you go," she said, adjusting her blouse.
Ekko laughed, kissed her forehead, and raised the starved pair upright on the bed.
"I'm here, Heimerdinger. Come in."
The doorknob jingled lightly, then paused before the door creaked ajar, opening the stage for Heimerdinger to enter.
"How does he do that? The knob is three feet over his head," she whispered.
"Shh… be nice."
"I'm being nice!" she replied, "I just don't understand how he breaks the laws of physics."
He chuckled, "Stop it, he's coming in."
She dropped her head into her pillow, fashioned out of Ekko parts.
Heimerdinger walked into the room, clearly assessing the situation for the first time, and diverting his eyes accordingly.
"Err, I'm… sorry my boy I'll come back another…"
"No, it's fine," Ekko replied. "What's on your mind?"
Jinx gripped Ekko tightly as a child would her favorite toy when challenged by another's claims. Her eyes glowed ever so brightly in protest of the intrusion.
"I.. erm… should I…" Heimerdinger began, unsure if his news were appropriate for all ears.
"Oh for fucks sake.." Jinx replied, "you knocked on my door, came into my room. Now you're not sure if you should say things in my presence?"
Ekko shrugged his shoulders in agreement. "She has you there, Heimer. And I'm comfortable here. Whatever you have to say, you can say it to us."
Jinx stuck out her tongue in an I-told-you-so fashion.
"Erm, yes well, it's about Sevika…" Heimerdinger began.
"Auntie Sevika?"Jinx replied. "What about her?"
"She's come to collect on her debt. You have to understand my boy, after you left, we were left with no way to make ends meet… I was sustaining the efforts for a while, but Jayce got word of my… activities, he froze my funds…"
"It's ok Heimer," Ekko interrupted. "You don't have to apologize. We all know how much you've sacrificed for us, personally."
"Yes, well… unfortunately the past sacrifices don't resolve the matter at hand. We had to… negotiate with Sevika to stay afloat. She agreed to wait until you found your… friend. But now, you're back, and the bill is due."
Jinx groaned, rolled her eyes, and rested her head on her Ekko pillow. "So you decided to fund heaven by making a deal with the devil?"
"Erm, well," Heimerdinger responded, nervously.
"Thank you, Heimer. Call Scar and the others to a meeting, ten minutes. We'll figure this out."
"Ten minutes?" she protested, "but we were.. I was so close to… I mean I guess we could…"
"Hey," Ekko said, bringing her closer, "It sucks, I know. We'll get there. Right now, I need you in this, with us." He kissed her cheek, lightly.
"GAAAH," she screamed, fed up with complimentary kisses as a second place prize. "Fine. FINE. BUT ONLY IF HEIMER SHOWS ME HOW HE OPENED THE DOOR!"
Tonight, she would have satisfaction - one way or another.
"I… lass, I… turn the doorknob," Heimer responded, with a puzzled look.
"NO. YOU SHOW ME. RIGHT. NOW." she said, raising herself from the bed with the energy she reserved for Ekko. She scooted Heimerdinger towards the challenge.
"What are you.. Ow... young lady I'll have you know I'm a distinguished member of the…"
"LESS TALKING MORE JIGGLING." she replied, halting his objections.
"I, erm… I mean I can't reach it from this side…"
"THEY'RE THE SAME HEIGHT ON BOTH SIDES. STOP IT." she said, nudging him towards the handle.
Ekko rubbed his eyelids in blissful disbelief. The future was uncertain; a formula of confusion and strife. Yet,somehow, he was living his best life, with his best people.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
Jinx. Lady parts.
If they don't get serviced soon, there will be hell to pay.