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Assistant: Title: A Tooth Out Of Line
        Author: LothricLoser LothricLoser 
        Chapter: 12/13 
        Summary: There's only three constants when it comes to Jinx:1. She never leaves anything behind.2. She never visits two nights in a row.3. She never stays into the morning.Ekko was used to this. Fine with it. If it meant that at least some nights he could hold her, know she was fine, he could deal with it. Even if he wanted more. So much more.But when Jinx starts breaking each rule, one by one, Ekko realizes that what they have is not enough. But he's too much of a coward to ask for more. And it's ruining his life.
        Contents: Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve
    

    


      
        
          
          (See the end of the chapter for  notes.)
          
      
  

  
  
    
    The sun rose slowly, peeking over the horizon more and more until there was enough to shine through Ekko’s window. The curtain did little to stop the warmth of the sun from pouring onto his back.That wasn’t what pulled him out of sleep, though. He was deep under, not even his biological clock could tick him awake. It was like his body needed this, was allowing it, extra time beneath. Not everything was so kind, though. Somewhere off to the side, a vibrating hum, like a quick pulse atop wood, rumbled. It was short, just once, not enough to wake him. About a minute passed and it happened again, that short sound. This time, there wasn’t such a long break between the rumbles, a third one quick on the heels of the second.That was the one that started to wake him up, like raising an anchor, one steady pull after the other, the weight threatening to tumble out of hands and dig back under the sand. He grumbled, eyes still closed, mind still half under, as he shifted, just a slide of the joints. He wasn’t on top of the mattress, at least not directly; the small part of his mind that was awake could tell him that. Whatever he was laying on was still soft, but there were some bony edges, and it didn’t have a lot of give. His limbs had fallen between valleys, resting on the actual mattress below. There was also what felt like a lump pressing up into his collarbone.Another rumble off to the side and he stretched, deep, starting from the middle of his chest and spilling out, the fibers of his muscles winding, bowing inwards. Hands and feet slid against the sheets. His limbs rubbed against fabric and something smoother and warmer than that. Everything pulled tight before releasing, dead weight again.Ekko’s head ended up falling deeper towards the mattress, finding a space between the shapes beneath him. His lips landed on something soft yet taut, that same warmth he felt resting against his limbs. He couldn’t decipher what it was, mind still slipped halfway underneath, but it felt nice beneath his lips. Familiar. He slowly dragged his lips left, just twisting his head, fitting deeper. The soft surface started to curve, a slope upwards, and he lightly trailed his lips along, rising as if by ski lift. There was another rumble, the sound getting a bit clearer as more sleep was seeping out of him. But not enough to fully wake, just to flick his eyes a tad open, like cupping water in your hands and slightly spreading your fingers so it can trickle out. But only that small trickle.Even with his eyes just the barest open, he could see colors. Wine-colored splatters along pale, like pressed purple plums upon canvas. The sight of it had his mouth near watering, unsure why, either the conscious or unconscious part of him holding the answers. But whatever state he was in now, inbetween it all, just had him dipping in, eager to slip a sip of wine past his lips.He landed right on top the largest of them, a mark that looked like a spilling of port. He pressed in harder than before, eyes fluttering back shut, lips splitting open to taste. His tongue rolled lightly against the surface, mind half expecting a full bodied red to pour in his mouth.But this was better than wine. A light tang, like brushed off salt, and that supple, bittersweet that only one thing tastes of. He left lazy, open-mouthed kisses along skin, each one overlapping with the next. There was still the occasional rumble, three at a time, two at a time, odd patterns of sounds, but Ekko could barely hear them now, distracted. He stretched again, shifting his arms closer, pressing skin against skin, as he curled his head in more, mouthing deeper into that neck.Neck. It was a neck. He was starting to piece things together, loosely, like grasping smoke, but only gathering ash. His limbs were coming online, able to do more than stretch and relax, raising himself just a bit up, so he could run a line higher up skin, right to where neck met jaw, and then,  suck .It was instinct, that was his defense, subconscious desire unbridled by exhaustion. Desire that was built, brick by brick. Desire that was also the hammer, ready to knock it all down. So, it was instinct, and years of bricks, and one solid, sleepy swing. Again, that rumble that started this, trying to shake him out of slumber, going off once more a few feet away. But that wasn’t what finally woke him up. No, it was a sound coming from just beneath him, worming up the throat he had just been mouthing at, and spilling out the lips right next to his ear. A loose, low moan, right as he released the suction from under the edge her jaw.And it was  her jaw. Jinx’s. That moan had his eyes flashing open, his mouth hovering just off her skin, puffing soft breaths down. Those mottled marks of purple were on  her  pale skin, ribbons of  her blue hair edging at the upper corner of his eyes. He pushed himself up, pressing his weight onto his elbows, just off the side of her ribs. The slight jostling of the mattress as he moved must’ve alerted her somewhat. He didn’t want to be too narcissistic, imagining that as he added distance, her subconscious wanted to remove it, wipe it away. But, as he lifted off, just a few inches, with a grumble edging past her lips, her body canted up towards his.She stretched, like a bow being pulled taut, ready to fire. Her back curved, pressing her chest up into his. She must’ve been wearing something thin, he thought, since he could feel her nipples poke into his skin. He shuddered, eyelids shuttering closed as his head collapsed back down, trying to breathe through that feeling, keep himself calm. Now that he was more awake, he felt a bit too culpable for what was happening. Even if all he wanted to do was sink down into her.Her chest fell away and he tried not to whine at the loss, tried not to descend with her. But, before he could even rein himself in or cut the line, a leg slowly rose between his, like she was innocently stretching, a cricket’s call, until her thigh pressed up into his ‘not-so-innocent’ length. It was that pressure, full against him, that made him realize he was fully hard, his c@ck digging back against her.He blamed it, all the blood trapped down below, for the reason why his body faltered, dropping, barely able to catch himself before he crushed her. He couldn’t stop his hips from falling, rubbing up along her thigh, pressing his own up in between her legs. Just like his body, he tried to catch the gasp in his throat, only able to muffled it into a low groan that he spilled right against her neck. She groaned back, like a call and response, like an echo, shifting up against him.From the back of his mind, something was telling him to look at her, to confirm something, anything. Not just rely on small, needy sounds, on the pressure of limbs and hips. He pushed his upper body back up, too greedy to remove his hips, relishing in the warmth on his thigh from between her legs, addicted to the feel of her leg pressed up against his erect length. He hovered over her, looking down and taking her in.Her arms were loose, laying up over her head, threaded through waves of her hair. Blue was spilling across the mattress, all around her, and he realized it was a miracle he hadn’t managed to pull any of its strands, with his hands shifting around in the morning. There were those purple puckered marks all along one side of her neck, a fresh one starting to appear beneath the corner of her jaw. His eyes trailed up from that mark, pausing at each small, barely there freckle before finally landing on her eyes. Her eyelids were low, incredibly so, threatening to shut close, fighting to stay open against each fluttering twitch. He could barely tell that they were open, just the smallest sliver of blue peeking from beneath long lashes.He didn’t know if that meant she was awake enough or not, but before he could wrestle himself into a better man that cared about making certain, a movement at her lips had his eyes flicking down. The tip of her tongue, glistening pink, jutted out from between her lips, and then slipped back in. It affected him like a beckoning, like curling fingers, asking him to come closer.He was going to lean down, lean in, kiss her properly, sober of all liquor, looking to be drunk only on her, all vodka and nightmares just distant memories. Only him, her, and the distance between their lips. He swore he was going to do it, one hundred percent, and even got halfway there.Until heavy knocks on his door interrupted, a racking rhythm pounding, loud enough to be heard even here in his bedroom. He froze, confused by the sound, why anyone would be at his door this morning. That small pause was enough apparently, wasted time always f@ck@ng him over. Jinx’s eyes fell fully shut, her head turning lazily to the side, like someone shifting in their sleep. He still hovered, watching her, confused thoughts beyond just that outside intruder plaguing him, wondering if Jinx was ever awake, or was it just a trick of the morning light?And then another series of knocks, and muffled words from beyond his front door, loud enough to bleed into his room, pulled him out of it.“Ekko?” Zeri shouted from outside, “You in there?”Zeri? Ekko tried to rack his mind for why the f@ck she’d be here, but everything was jumbled. He half considered just saying f@ck it, letting his mind stay frazzled, and laying back down. If Jinx was just asleep, he could join her that way. Even if he wanted something else, always wanting something more.It was that desire that had him hesitating yet again. Last night had been…a lot. Multiple whiplashes of emotions and touches, ending in her comforting him and him pulling her in. He felt better, lighter, but still unresolved, which made him feel guilty, taking lips to her skin. He needed space, he needed air, he needed-Another heavy set of knocks.-To open that f@ck@ng door.He sighed, and started to push himself off of Jinx, slowly stripping his body from hers, even if it felt like flaying skin, layers of him stuck to her, bl@@dy red. He felt woefully dramatic, pathetic, but still he moved gently, to disturb her as little as possible. Once out of bed, he moved silently to the door, closing it softly behind him. The knocking was louder out here, and he approached the door, rubbing a palm into his eye, trying to remove the last bit of sleep. He unlocked the door but he barely inched it open before Zeri was slipping in, shoulder knocking into his as she brushed by.“Thank god, man,” she said as she quickly passed by, entering his apartment, leaving Ekko to stare blankly at the open space where she had just been, “Sorry, you just weren’t answering my texts, and I really need to p@ss.”She was reaching for his bedroom door before Ekko could even think about stopping her, still wondering about why she was here, why she needed him to answer her texts.He remembered, vaguely, the rumbling that woke him up, recognizing now that it was the sound of his phone vibrating atop his nightstand.Instead of figuring that out, he should’ve been stopping Zeri, who now had the door knob turned, and was pushing into his bedroom. Where Jinx was.“Wait, Z-” He rushed out, trying to get her attention, get her to back away from the room.Zeri stopped herself though, after she took a full step in. She paused, staring at his bed, before backing out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her. She leaned up against the door, looking at Ekko, with wide, curious eyes.“There’s a girl asleep in your bed.” She said, just plainly, but he could tell immediately what she was insinuating.“She’s a friend.” He replied back, just as plain. It was the truth, even if it felt like a lie coming out. How could he even explain to Zeri any of this?Zeri’s eyes narrowed, not believing him, and she flicked a finger out, pointing low at him, “You’re sporting a full on erection right now.”Sh@t. He forgot about that. Forgot about the fact he was barely wearing anything too.He covered himself as best he could, hands over his shame, as he argued back, “It’s just…normal morning sh@t. Happens.”She gave him a look, one that easily told how much she didn’t believe him.He rolled his eyes, “Why are you here, Zeri?”“Uh, the gym?” She flung back at him, “Remember?”No, he didn’t remember. Obviously didn’t. Had spent the last couple of days wrapped up in Jinx and his  feelings  to remember his schedule. Did he really sleep in late enough that it was already time for the gym? “Sh@t, no, yeah…” He trailed off, still feeling jumbled, like his mind was walking on sea legs, “F@ck, I forgot.”It wasn’t like him. His body tended to follow the clock, and he lived by his routine. When did he get knocked off the rails? When did he stop caring that it happened?
   You know when, exactly when, and who, and how. Exactly how much blue it takes to flood your life, erase even your sturdiest of sandcastles.  
“...You still good to go?” Zeri asked, watching him oddly, like she also was questioning what happened to his typical patterns.“I…,” he started, but stopped, considering what he should do. He thought about Jinx, in his bed, amongst waves of blue. Thought about returning, already willing to drown. But there was still this morning, and then last night, all of it. And the day before. And the months before, and the years, every second, every action and inaction, every moment and every absence, like weights slipped into his heart. He needed to clear his head, come back fresh, lift something other than his hands, his head, his heart.“Yeah, I probably-Yeah. I’m good to go.” He straightened up, nodding to Zeri.She still regarded him cautiously, but seemed to accept it, shrugging, “Cool.”She just stood there though, both of them staring at each other. Him, still covering himself. He dipped his head, raising an eyebrow at her, silently asking her what more could she want.She jabbed a thumb backwards, towards his room, “I still need to use the restroom, though.”He sighed, deeply, “Okay, fine. Just…Don’t bother her.”Zeri gave him a really weird look, like halfway offended and halfway shocked, but instead of arguing, she just gave him a thumbs up, face still stuck like that, and opened back up the door. She walked into the room, footsteps softer than before, but still looked over at Jinx. She didn’t stop mid stride, just spun around to give Ekko a pointed look, from him back to Jinx, placing two hands together by her face and laying against them, giving the visual sign of ‘sleeping’. Then, she slipped out of his view, entering his bathroom and closing the door.Now, free from any eyes, Ekko brought his hands up, collapsing his face into them. Embarrassment aside, he still was dealing with this morning, his body not used to waking up late, but certainly eager for what transpired. And what more could’ve happened. He needed a cold shower. But there was no time to have one, so he just splashed water from the kitchen sink onto his face. He leaned over the sink afterwards, watching the water drip off his nose into the drain. Stalling, certainly, but he was stuck in possibilities again. What was worse? If Jinx was awake or not?But nothing was solved before by his hesitation. In fact, everything always got worse. So, he towelled off his face with a kitchen hand towel, and entered his room.Jinx was asleep, arms and hair still loose around her head, face tilted towards the door, resting against the mattress, eyes shut. No twitching, no fluttering, no stretching. Softly, soundly asleep. Ekko didn’t want to wade in it, the thought that she was always asleep and he crossed a line, or that she was awake and his pause had her turning her head from him. He willed the tide to pull away from his legs, so he could actually move.He went to his dresser, pulling out some compression shorts, to hopefully hide his problem until it goes away, and a pair of track pants. He put those on standing by the dresser, the pressure of the shorts uncomfortable, having to reach in and adjust himself, pulling his d@ck to the side to hopefully hide it better. But with the shorts and the track pants, it wasn’t as obvious, and hopefully, even without the cold shower, it would be gone before the gym. Grabbing a t-shirt and some socks, he sat down on the edge of the bed, facing the windows, his back to Jinx. Just a precaution, to stay calm and cool himself off. He bent down, putting on each sock, and then leaned back up. The second he did though, he felt a breath on the nape of his neck. He shivered to a stop, about to reach for his shirt, but now just wanting to turn to see her. Before he could do anything, her forehead landed right where her breath had, like a premonition immediately coming true.“Who’s in the bathroom?” She asked, mumbling, her voice pure gravel, rocks eroded by sleep.Her words puffed out atop his spine and he held back another shiver, unwilling to knock her off. He responded, trying to keep his back as still as possible through his answer, “It’s just Zeri.”Her forehead rolled against his back, until just her temple rested on him, “The friend?”“Yea, my friend,” he said, and, feeling like Jinx had another question, an obvious one, of what’s happening, but wanting to save her the effort to form it, he continued, “We have a gym sesh.”“Hmmmmm,” she hummed, exhaustion clinging to that vibration, and she leaned off of him.Ekko turned his head to the side, trying to get a glimpse of her, but only barely catching an edge of blue.If he had said the wrong thing, he would take it back. Tell Zeri no gym today, or tomorrow, or any for the foreseeable future, if Jinx would just place her head on his back again.But before he could turn further, make any sort of proclamations along those lines, show how desperate he had become, a nail landed on his shoulder blade, stopping him. It trailed along his skin, slicing in very straight lines: across to the right, diagonally down, again to the right, diagonally back up. And then repeated. He knew that pattern, had done it so often in his life before. His tag, essentially his name, a simplified design of an hourglass. She was tracing over the lines of his tattoo.“Egotistical much?” She mumbled, sleep still on the edges but less so, like fingers slipping off the edge of a cliff.“What?” He smiled, torn between turning more to see her and keeping her nails on his skin, “Too much? I’m surprised you haven’t done the same.”“Mmm, thought ‘bout it. Mine’s cooler than yours too, so it’d make more sense.”He huffed a soft laugh, “My tattoo isn’t cool enough for you?” Her hand moved, dragging that nail across his back, to the edge of his other shoulder blade. She carved her nail along his skin with purpose, straight lines, drawing some sort of his design from the left to the right, back across his back.She whispered, “We could get you better ones.” Her design ended right off the side of his actual tattoo, an ‘X’. It clicked for him then, all the lines she was drawing suddenly formed in his mind so clearly, he could see it already tattooed on his back.‘JINX’He’d definitely get her name tattooed on his skin if she asked him to. And that thought had him knowing he was too far gone now.“Yeah?” He threw back over his shoulder, trying to goad her into telling him to get it, “Whatcha thinking?”She placed all five nails onto his skin and trailed down his spine. He stretched into it, nearly groaned into it too, but held back. Her chin hooked over his shoulder, face now incredibly close to his. That devilish, lazy smile on her face, but obviously still tired, with eyes lidded low on his, only breaking eye contact for slow blinks.Her hand landed down low on his back, right above the waistband, and her nails started swirling around there, not as deliberate as she was across his back.“How ya feel ‘bout a tramp stamp?” She tugged her grin higher.“Really? That’s your idea?” He grinned back, teeth peeking out as he couldn’t control how wide it got.“Mm-hmm,” she nodded as much as she could, with her chin pressing into his shoulder, “Thinking something like pistols and peonies.” He thought about joking back, like how it’d look real stupid on him, but her closeness was too distracting.“Yeah?” He asked, softly, his eyes having fallen to her lips, watching them purse around those puffs of air, ‘pistols and peonies’.“Yep,” she said back, matching his tone except for a pop at the end of the word. Her lips flushed out full at the sound, begging to be kissed.Ekko could be asleep again for all he knew. Dreaming, absolutely dreaming, of soft words, nails on skin, and pink lips.And so, he leaned in.His life was haunted by the barest of distance, just a lean away.That always got interrupted.“Ope, sh@t, sorry!” Ekko could kill Zeri. That was what he thought as his eyes shuttered closed, jaw clenching, as he breathed quick out his nose.He turned his head the other way, casting an evil look towards Zeri, who was standing by the now open bathroom door, hands raised in apology.“Didn’t mean to interrupt!” Zeri rushed out, at least looking genuinely sorry, “Just was, uh, done. Hi, I‘m Zeri. Ekko’s friend. Just friend.”She said it like she’d said it a hundred times before, a rehearsed way to try and stamp out any sort of jealousy. The reaching out for a handshake was also part of it, like this was a business transaction. Zeri gets to see her friend, and whatever girl Ekko is seeing gets the ‘security’ that she’s not a threat. It rarely worked, but Ekko never really cared, considered it the girl’s failing to not see how platonic Ekko and Zeri were.But now, he did hold his breath, worried about how Jinx would react.She leaned off of him, and he tried not to openly mourn the loss, but a bit flickered across his face. Jinx’s hand came into view, stretching out towards Zeri’s hand, and clasped, shaking once, firmly up and down. “Jinx.” She said, letting go of Zeri’s hand before leaning back down against the pillows, lounging like a queen, “He mentioned ya. Nice to put a face to the name.”“Oh, he mentioned me? That’s good.” Zeri looked over at Ekko, again with an odd, hard to read look, but he was already standing to avoid it, grabbing his shirt to finally finish getting dressed. She turned her attention back to Jinx, “He mentioned you too.”He tugged his shirt over his head, pulling it down until he was fully decent again, but sent a confused glare Zeri’s way, unsure what she was talking about, not wanting her to say anything that could scare Jinx off. He glanced over at Jinx, wanting to read her expression at whatever Zeri could say.But Jinx was looking at him. Well not him. Right above his waistband, where the shirt was too short to fully cover, leaving about half an inch of skin revealed. Her face was starting to flush, that ripe blush that he kept finding on her skin, more and more often. Her eyes finally flicked up, catching his, noticing that he noticed. He couldn’t help it, a cocky grin at his lips, looking down at her. She swivelled her head away, back towards Zeri.“Did he?” Jinx smirked, but her voice was a bit higher than normal, a squeak that she coughed to cover up. She resettled her tone, something more akin to her normal jesting,  “What horror stories has he told you?”“Horror stories? Why would they be horror stories?” Ekko asked, tilting his head, trying to get her attention again, but she didn’t even glance at him, as though she knew he’d count it as a win, her eyes back on him.Jinx leaned towards Zeri, using a hand as if to block out Ekko, but whispering loudly, obviously meaning for him to hear, “Whatever he said, take it with a grain of salt. He can be a bit dramatic.”“Me?” Ekko pointed at himself, incredulous, but a smile still on his lips, “The dramatic one?”Jinx kept that hand up, but lowered her fingers except for one, flicking him off. He chuckled, and she finally glanced back at Ekko, raising an eyebrow at his arguing, as though saying, of course he’s the dramatic one. He would’ve kept fighting, if she also wasn’t smiling herself.She turned her attention back to Zeri, nodding over at Ekko, like Zeri would be on her side instead of his. He wouldn’t put it past Zeri, but her expression was another odd one. Maybe all his attention had now been attuned to Jinx, that he couldn’t get a read on anyone else anymore. She was looking between them like she also couldn’t figure out what was happening.“Uh, no, he didn’t say anything horrible. Didn’t say much really,” Zeri leaned back, looking to Ekko, “He just said, what was it? Oh, yeah. ‘Unrelated.’”She made air quotes with her fingers, smirking at him.“Unrelated?” Jinx switched her attention back to Ekko, tilting her head as she repeated the word.He really didn’t know what Zeri was trying to do here. If she was subtly bringing up his blatant lie at work, or just looking to make fun of him. He didn’t care for either, very aware that she could say something to Jinx even worse. Like mentioning a drunken confession, a girl he could never get over, that just so happened to be in his bed.He shook his head, then gathered up his dreads, tying them back in a ponytail, as he responded to Jinx, “Ignore her, she’s just saying sh@t.”Zeri, mock offended, gasped, “Just saying-”“Zeri.” Ekko cut her off, giving her a tight, plaster smile, “I’ll be out in a second.”He flicked his eyes to the door and back, trying to push her to leave. She rolled her eyes, before landing them back on Jinx, smiling down at her.“Nice to meet you, Jinx. Hopefully, you’ll stick around.” Zeri said, casting a look at Ekko and then leaving the room, closing it behind her.Ekko and Jinx watched the door close, sitting in the remnants of her words. Pointed, needling. ‘Hopefully, you’ll stick around.’ Insinuating the opposite. It aggravated him, tension pouring in his hands, so he flexed them out, to drop it. He went to his closet, pulling out his gym shoes and putting them on, trying to brush past Zeri’s words, not point them out.But Jinx wasn’t stupid.“The f@ck was that?” She spat out, not fully sounding angry, more uncertain, like a cat hissing at a strange hand just ‘cause it was unfamiliar.Ekko finished tying up his laces, trying for calm and unaffected as he replied, “I’m telling you, just ignore her.”He stood up and walked around the bed, “She’s probably just p@ss@d I’m making us late.” Stopping by the nightstand, he reached for his phone, connecting that Zeri had sent him numerous text messages before having the show up at his door. But as he picked it up, he accidentally knocked it into the shot glass, a clink ringing out through the room. It acted the opposite of a tuning fork, still resonating throughout, still pinging in his ears, but clouding the air, flashing memories of last night through his mind. Hands on hips, nails on skin, legs between legs. Then, lips on lips, a kiss, a kiss with her, that he had wanted for what has felt like forever. But tied to it now, was him pulling away, and her face as he did so. He looked over at her, hoping that his words about Zeri were enough to dismiss the tension caused by her.But Jinx didn’t appear assured. Her attention on her fingers as she picked around her nails. Not harshly, but avoidant. Just by watching her, it felt like she was picking at his heart instead, tearing small holes, blood pumping loose into his chest.Ekko leaned over, so he could whisper right to her, “Hey. You okay?”She didn’t look back at him, but her fingers hesitated, then squirmed, no longer picking, but lightly tapping randomly into each other. He tried to recognize any sort of pattern, but her hands disappeared beneath the sheets, hiding away from him.“M’fine.” She muttered, sinking down lower into the bed.He wanted to lean further, erase the distance she added between them. So, he did. Placing a hand on the bed next to her so he wouldn’t fall over as he ducked down, “I can cancel, if ya want me to.”Her body had sunk against his hand, pressing up into his arm, and Ekko decided it was a good sign that she didn’t pull away. Instead, she turned her head up to him, hair spilling down her back, over her shoulders, meeting his gaze with those blue eyes. She just looked at him, no real expression, only open eyes and a flat line across her lips, and then tilted, her face rotating under his.He really just kept finding himself here. Her eyes flicked down, and he wanted to take it as an invitation. Even if nothing they were saying was leading up to this. But a finger jammed into his chest, stopping his lean.“Nah,” she dug in deeper, a sharp pain splitting underneath, like a gunshot, “You can’t afford to miss a day, chest looking a lil’ small.”He laughed, the movement of it causing him to rise up more into her finger, “You’re such a liar, my chest looks great.”“Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that, Little Man.” Jinx gave him a cheeky little smile, twisting her finger and then releasing, but flicking the spot as if he needed a reminder. He didn’t, already catalogued the pain into his mind, feeling the remnants radiating out, vibrating along his muscle fibers. He missed the sharpness already.“I can skip,” he said, sincerity dripping off his words, “It’s not a problem.”He watched as she considered it, her eyes drifting along his face, like a sailor scanning the horizon, looking for somewhere to land. Maybe she found it, with how her smile shifted, losing its impish twist, settling into something that matched his tone.“Go,” she said, soft despite the commanding word, “I have more sleep to catch up on anyways.”Ah, he did interrupt her sleep didn’t he? Twice. In the middle of the night, all wound up and frantic, needing comfort, assurance. And then this morning, either by his lips or by Zeri’s presence.He stood up, with great regret, but his stalling was probably turning obvious by now. Still, he hesitated, glancing at that shot glass then back to her.“I’ll be back,” he said, unable to leave without letting her know.She rolled her eyes, but there was a genuine smile on her lips. She sunk deeper into the bed, squirming under the sheets, blinking long and slow up at him.“I’ll be here,” Jinx said back, all hushed, like it was still the middle of the night, and not a bright, sunny morning. It felt like a promise.-Zeri stood off to the side as Ekko locked up his apartment, watching the motion as he turned the key.He must’ve been grinning like an idiot, or something, ‘cause when he looked up at her, her brow was furrowed, mouth open slightly in shock.He tried not to get too annoyed by all her weird looks, but he couldn’t help his head falling to the side a bit in exasperation, “What?”She waved a hand out to the now locked door, “You’re letting her stay alone in your apartment?”“Yeah? So?” He walked to the stairs, as nonchalant as he could appear, though he knew why she was asking. He never really let anyone be there without him. Just safety measures, old habits he couldn’t kick. He continued, “She has a key anyways.”That might’ve been a mistake to mention. Zeri near yelled, “She has a key!?!”Ekko headed down the stairs, desperate to get this conversation away from Jinx as quick as possible.“I told you, she’s just a friend.” He said back, over his shoulder.Zeri stood at the top of the stairs, calling down after him, “Oh yea? Then who the f@ck did that to her neck, Ekko?”He flipped her the bird, not turning around, determined to get outside, and hide the flush he felt warming at his cheeks.It wasn’t until they were in Zeri’s car, halfway to the gym, that Ekko realized that this morning was the first time he woke up with Jinx still  in  his bed. And now, it felt like he wasted it. -Zeri, for her part, seemed to stop asking questions. That was until he was mid-rep into his first bench set. Waited until he couldn’t escape.“Why you keeping her a secret, E?” She bent her head forward to look directly down at him, posed behind the bench in case he needed a spot.He barely stuttered in his movement, just pausing a bit at the bottom to huff out his response, “I’m not.”“Oh sure, definitely didn’t pretend she was nonexistent yesterday. ‘Unrelated’, remember?”“Maybe, I didn’t want you makin’ a big deal.” He huffed, lifting the bar up, pausing at the top with a grunt and then pushing it back, racking it. Zeri’s hand wrapped around the bar to make sure it was secure on the rack, before he leaned up from under it.“I’m not trying to make a big deal, I’m just…you know, worried ‘bout you.” She said.He folded his face into his hands, sitting at the edge of the bench, breathing in to center himself. His breath rushed out as he dropped his hands, vaguely shaking his head as he looked out into the gym. No particular direction, just away.“I know,” he pushed himself off the bench, “But I told you I’m done with that ‘cycle’ sh@t. I’m actually…feeling a lot better now.”He slid a heavy plate off one side of the bar, lowering the weight for Zeri, as she did the same on the other side.“‘Cause of this girl?” She asked.“Her name’s Jinx.” Ekko responded, short and clear, rounding the rack to get into spotting position.“Jeez, fine. ‘Jinx.’” She dropped down onto the bench, “Sorry, not used to having to remember these girls’ names.”“Yeah, well, she’s different.” He snapped back, before realizing his mistake, confirming Zeri’s suspicions.Zeri grinned, like the cat who caught the canary, looking up at him upside down, laying along the bench, “I knew it, you’re smitten.”“We’re…” He almost dismissed it again, repeating the whole ‘just friends’ adage that he knew was b@llsh@t. Fully b@llsh@t on his side. On Jinx’s side…He knew there was attraction, that was certain. Knew there was care, the kiss she left on his face last night when she cradled him in her hands might as well have been branded on him. But love? What he confessed last night, the sheer weight of his anger, his shortcomings, still felt like not enough. He felt lighter, he did. But deserving? The truth was, though, that he  was  smitten. Head over heels. Just talking to her got his heart racing. He loved her as Powder, even fell for her when she became Jinx, and now? He knew for certain, whatever name she had, however she grew, or changed, whatever little things, behaviors, scars, bombs, anything she picked up, couldn’t put down, he’d love her.What stopped him from confessing was always his anger, his shame. But now that he revealed that to her, and she accepted it, held him together in his hands, what was stopping him now? Opportunity? Certainty? The right moment? Maybe that was it, knowing he’d only have one shot, just one moment to make right. No do-overs or re-dos.But what was actually holding him back, he knew. He still didn't feel like he deserved her.“Yeah,” he sighed, gripping the bar tight, feeling the metal in his palm and then releasing, “Yeah, I’m…’smitten.’”Zeri gasped from below, “Oh my god.”“Just, hit your set, Zeri.” He nearly lifted the bar up for her, threatening to drop it on her chest, just to get her to focus on something else. She gripped it, lowering it down, then up, then back down again. Ekko thought he might’ve been getting a bit of reprieve, seeing her rep it out. But no, she just had to pause at the bottom.“Come on,” she huffed out, fighting against the weight, “Tell me ‘bout her.”He spread his arms wide, resting his hands on the tops of the rack. Part of him wanted to keep it secret, all his feelings. He never was one to spill it out. It took nightmares and alcohol and pressure building up for years for him to talk to Jinx about his guilt. Even Vi doesn’t know about that, just knew something went wrong. But that was part of it, he never really talked through any of this. Vi and him were still in a weird place, and he probably should reach out soon to clear the air. But even then, he couldn’t talk to her about Jinx. Pretty sure he’d end up with a black eye.He couldn’t talk to Jinx about herself either, she’d probably also punch him if he started waxing poetry about how he saw her. Couldn’t even handle him asking her how her day was without extreme suspicion.That really just left Ezreal, Scar, and Zeri. Ekko’s heard how Ezreal’s talked about girls, either getting all gooey-eyed or acting nonchalant. If he told Ez about Jinx, he couldn’t even imagine the restraint he’d need to not give Ez the black eye, with how annoying he’d indefinitely be. Scar was already in an established relationship, which made him incredibly frustrating to talk out even Ekko’s hookup issues with. Learned that lesson quick, not to tell him sh@t, with how Scar would just give him a disapproving look, a look that carried a whole lecture, telling Ekko to just settle down already.Zeri  was the best option out of all of them. She cared, enough to recognize his patterns, reached out when she thought he needed it, pushed up to an extent without crossing lines. She even knew why he was like this, always having problems with dating, struggling with it. But that was part of the problem. How much she knew. How would she react if she learned Jinx was that girl he mentioned, drunkenly confessed about back in college? She didn’t know everything, though. So maybe Ekko could say some things, without tipping her off.“She’s…special,” he started, slow and hesitant, “She’s brilliant, really. She’s studying at Zaun U, but not like, young. She’s our age. I don’t know exactly what’s she’s studying there, but it’s probably something incredible, knowing her.”All hesitancy had seeped out of his mouth, as he raised his head, looking out at nothing. Full confidence, all his compliments about Jinx just spilling out, “She’s gorgeous too. I mean, you saw her. But it’s not just her body, it’s how she wields it. Like she’s a weapon, cutting through the air, no matter how thick or thin. She walks like she’s moving through a minefield and you just want to chase after her. Even if you might get blown up. “I feel both always on my toes and yet so f@ck@ng settled around her. I can’t explain it, but it feels like how you want to feel with someone. Like a deep tissue massage, the only way to have true relaxation requires someone to dig into your muscles.“She’s witty, funny, explosive. And, everytime I’m with her…I feel seen. Sometimes in the worst ways, but even that’s good. All my failures, my anger, my wasted potential, she fights back against it, forcing me to actually see it, recognize it. There’s just-There's no one like her. Of course I’m f@ck@ng smitten, who wouldn’t be?”He flicked his hand across the empty air, as though pointing at all the crowds of people he’d certainly have to fight through if any of them met Jinx. Hell, just last night he had to deal with three of them. But no one else had Jinx back home in their bed but him. He rested his hand back on the rack, thinking about that, about everything he said, about Jinx back home, waiting. Could he say all that to her? “Ek-ko, H-help.” Zeri strangled out from below.He whipped his head down, where Zeri was struggling against the bar that was pressing too high on her chest, threateningly near her neck.“Sh@t, sorry,” he reached down and lifted the bar off of her with one hand, racking it safely away.She folded up, breathing heavy, rubbing at her neck.“Okay,” she wheezed out, “Note to self, don’t get you to talk about her while I need a spotter.”“You okay?” He kneeled by her, genuine concern on his face.She dropped her hand, a cheeky smile slowly inching on her face as she turned to him, “I don’t know what was worse: getting crushed by the bar, or hearing you word vomit about a girl. Like, jeez, man, I think you might be worse than Ez.”Alright, that’s the last time he helps her. He rolled his eyes and stood back up, sliding his weight onto the bar.“I’m leaving you for dead next time,” he said, not looking at her.“Oh, come on, it’s a joke,” she hopped off the bench, seemingly now uninjured, adding weight to the other side of the bar, “I thought it was very sweet how you talked about her.”“Well, that’s all you’re getting out of me.”He dropped down onto the bench, sliding under the bar. But, before he could lift it up, Zeri interrupted him.“Have you told her all this?”He stopped, shifted his hands on the bar, as if just trying to adjust his grip.“No,” he admitted, “I don’t really know how.”“Holy sh@t, you’re such a dude,” Zeri groaned, leaning her head all the way back and then snapping it forwards to look down at Ekko, “Just tell her, what’s the worst that could happen?”He ran his ring finger along the smooth line of the bar, back and forth.“She doesn’t feel the same,” he grumbled, “She thinks I’ve been doing everything for some ulterior, selfish motive and decides she can’t trust me. Leaves, never comes back. Ya know, the typical, terrifying reasons.”“I highly doubt she’d be like that.”“Yeah, well, you don’t know her.” Ekko lifted the weight up, holding it above himself, getting a feel for how heavy it was, and then repped it out, slow on the way down, powerful on the way back up.Zeri let him have his silence, so he could focus on his breathing, his set, not drop over two hundred pounds onto his chest. At least, she was, for a short moment.“Oh!” She leaned back into his view, pointing a finger up, like she got an idea.He huffed, not responding, just trying to keep the rhythm steady.“How ‘bout you let me get a read on her? And then, I can tell you if you’re good to go for it or not.”He ignored her, starting to hit the wall on his set, struggling up against the weight.“I might not  know her, know her, but I've been around enough of these girls that I’m pretty good at telling when they’ve fallen for you.”His last rep was threatening to crush him, his chest about ready to give up as he inched it up, higher and higher, but slower, more wobbly. She really was supposed to be ready to spot him instead of talking about this, but he was able to finally straighten out his arms, nearly throwing the weight back onto the rack.He laid there, hefting out a breath or two, before responding, “She’s not one of ‘those’ girls.”“I know, I know,” she patted the bar, moving around to hover off the side of him instead of above his head, “But it’s the same principle. I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to tell if she’s like full on interested or not.”He didn’t respond, just staring up at the ceiling, breathing in and out.She knelt down by him, and said, “Come on, I promise I’m just trying to help.”Maybe it was a testament to how desperate he’d gotten, but he found himself telling Zeri, “Fine.”-When they got back to his apartment, Ekko, against his better judgement, deciding to trust Zeri, left them alone together while he took a shower. He thought maybe they’d ‘talk’ or something along those lines, so that Zeri could get a good read on Jinx’s feelings.But when he exited the shower, putting on a pair of sweatpants and a loose muscle tank, he heard yelling from the living room. He quickly moved through his room, shoving open his door.“You gotta be f@ck@ng kidding me!” Zeri yelled. Ekko had been ready to disarm whatever the situation was, but he froze in his doorway, looking out onto the scene. Jinx was cackling, leaning against the armrest, holding her stomach, as Zeri was gesturing wildly, angrily at the TV, a pink joycon gritted in her hand. “This is f@ck@ng b@llsh@t!” She yelled at the screen, a game of Mario Kart split in half, with Jinx’s side reading 1st place and already done with the race, while Zeri’s character was being picked up from falling off the map, solidly in 12th place.“There’s no way! No way anyone could stay on this f@ck@ng map at 200cc, it’s impossible!” She kept yelling, as though the game could hear her, and fix itself to fit her grievances.Jinx kept laughing, starting to wipe away tears, clearly enjoying Zeri’s struggle. She must’ve seen Ekko from the corner of her eyes, ‘cause she turned her head towards him, giving him a grin that was all teeth. She had re-braided her hair and they hung off the side of the couch, flowing down. Her clothes were still the ones she had worn to bed, but he finally was alert enough to pay attention to exactly what they were. A soft pink tank top that ended just above her belly button, held up by really thin straps, the width of pencils. He had felt the material earlier, knew it wasn’t thick enough to hide much, and now he could see the proof, how it was like a second skin, flush against her, lightly cupping her br@@sts, unable to hide her nipples jutting out. She also apparently had rummaged through his side of the dresser, stealing a pair of his sweatpants. The top was rolled down a couple times, making them ride low on her hips.He probably shouldn’t have worn sweatpants too, now that he thought about it. Not great at hiding anything. But it wasn’t just her clothes or her hair or all that open, revealed skin that was getting him going. It was the sound of laughter out her mouth, the length of her neck as she threw her head back, and that little gap between her teeth as she grinned at him.Yup, smitten.“If it’s so impossible, how’s Jinx already won?” He said, happy to make fun of Zeri as he approached the coach. He placed his hands on either side of the armrest Jinx was leaning against, caging her in, leaning over, but speaking directly to Zeri. He did sneak a slight peak down though, just to see Jinx still grinning, head turning to follow him until she was looking directly up at him. “‘Cause she’s f@ck@ng crazy, man. I don’t know how she did it.” Zeri grumbled as she tried to finish out the map, all gritted teeth and narrowed eyes.Ekko felt a puff of air under his chin as Jinx laughed up into him.“If only she knew, right Ekko?” Jinx said, breath on his skin quickly replaced by two fingers, dragging them down the column of his throat. His eyes lidded at the feeling, as though she was pulling those down instead. He really shouldn’t have put on sweatpants.He tilted his head, looking at her all upside down, eyes hovering over lips. “Hmm?” Was all he could respond with, distracted by her touch, by her clothes, her skin and lips, and how she said his name.She rolled her eyes, which looked a bit funny from this view, “Ya know. How crazy I actually am. Or have you actually told her some stories?”He hadn’t told Zeri anything really, except all the contents of his heart. But he felt like messing with Jinx. He smirked, “I plead the fifth.”A harsh sting pulsed on his skin as she flicked her fingers hard up into his chin. “Such an ass.” Jinx said back, but with no heat behind it, a smile still on her lips.Neither of them pulled away though, him just hovering over her, her face turned up. He thought about the logistics of an upside kiss, how it would feel. Would her nose bump into his chin? Would it count as their first kiss or their second, weighing out if drunken failed kisses still count as kisses? Would gimmick kisses, like being upside down, be good enough to replace a failed first kiss? But whatever it would be, however it would happen, it should probably be private. He remembered that technically they had an audience, someone that was supposed to be getting an unbiased read on Jinx’s feelings, instead of yelling at Mario Kart. Maybe he should just kick her out so he could kiss  Jinx in peace, even if he still didn’t think it was the smartest decision. He glanced up at Zeri only to be met with the most amused, eyebrow-raised expression she had ever given him. Like she was watching what was supposed to be a smart, hunting dog chase its own tail until it got too dizzy to stand. And he was the f@ck@ng dog. Clearing his throat, he straightened up ‘til he was standing back up. His cheeks felt warm, like he had been caught doing something stupid. He rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, “You guys hungry? I can make something.”“I don’t think  I’m  the hungry one here.” Zeri an open palmed hand over her chest, a proud smile peeking out from her ‘joke’. Ekko gave her the most unimpressed stare he could imagine, shoulders dropping, deadpanned across the face. He rolled his eyes, walking to the kitchen.Jinx called after him, “Why don’t you just order food? Ya always have to make it?”“I have food, Jinx. There’s no need to spend double the cost just to get something delivered.”“Ugh,” she groaned, sinking deeper into the couch, “Such a stickler.””Oh tell me about it,” Zeri leaned in, like she and Jinx were best friends, already abandoning him, “We tried to get him to take a cruise with us one time, but he refused.””It’s a waste of time and money,” he argued back from behind the fridge door, “You’re literally spending the vacation on the transportation instead of at the destination.”Zeri ignored him, “Our Piltover friend even offered to cover most of it, apparently he knows the cruise line owner somehow. Just typical piltie connections.”“That made it worse, Zeri. We’re not charity cases.” He shut the fridge door, juggling ingredients for chicken wraps. “You didn’t have to see it as ‘charity’, E. You could’ve seen it like robbery, like we were stealing money from the man.”“You have a piltie friend?” Jinx asked, fully turned towards him, her arms loosely crossed atop the back of the couch, “How the f@ck did that happen?”He paused, holding a bottle of mustard poised to squeeze out on the wraps he had laid out. Looking up, his eyes met hers, but he couldn’t decipher any anger, just curiosity. Maybe a bit of frustration, like that’s something he should’ve told her.”We work together. Met on the job.” He returned back to the wraps, shaking the mustard bottle before squeezing it out.”His name’s Ezreal, and he really has a knack for getting under Ekko’s skin,” Zeri shifted closed, faux whispering into Jinx’s ear, “But I have a feeling Ekko actually likes him, despite everything.”Jinx seemed to mull it over, her eyes shifting from Zeri to Ekko’s, narrowed, her jaw working slightly. He thought it might be her trying to decide if he could ever really have a Piltover friend. Or, if he did, was that a traitorous act or not?But instead of an accusation, calling him a traitor, a piltie lover, what left her mouth was just a question.“Was this the guy you almost punched?” She tilted her head, a slight furrow to her brow, but no signs of blame or criticism on her face. Only wondering.Zeri whipped her head towards him, “You told her about that?”Great. Zeri’s response definitely didn’t make that seem weird now. He shrugged, avoiding both their stares as he added chicken to the wraps. His answer, to both of them, was just a, “Yeah.” Spoken more to the chicken than anyone else.“Was that supposed to be a secret?” Jinx asked. He didn’t know if it was a question to him or to Zeri, so he just focused on finishing the wraps.“No, not really.” Zeri answered, “He just…tends to not talk about certain things.”There was a pause, and he considered lifting his head, to see what Jinx thought about that. But there was still this odd embarrassment lingering. Not just about how shocked Zeri was, or how she just told Jinx he never really confessed sh@t. But how he spiralled last night, talking to Jinx about almost punching Ezreal.So, he just added cheese, lettuce, and started to roll the wraps together.“But he talks to you.” Jinx said, and, at the barely contained acid in her tone, Ekko lifted his head.She had her chin lifted a bit, almost glaring at Zeri through narrowed eyes, like a cat regarding a scurrying mouse, deciding if it was worth the energy to bat at. Zeri, for her part, didn’t seem to know the potential danger she was in, that she had just stepped into a minefield, got too close to Jinx’s territory. Her ire just a thin line, placed in tripping range, set to blow. But Zeri seemed to have natural instincts at disarming, maybe years spent being his friend. Shoulders tensed, jaws clenched, hackles raised, and there was Zeri, holding up her hands, innocent, all ‘you wouldn’t hurt an unarmed woman, would you?’“God no,” she shook her head, “It’s typically like pulling teeth trying to get him to talk. I just happened to be there this time.”Jinx’s eyes flicked from Zeri’s face to her guiltless, raised hands and seemed to relax. Just a tad, like reducing the tension on a spring. She could still pounce, she just wasn’t so obviously poised to strike.Ekko let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding, rubbing his hands like brushing away crumbs, wraps ready to serve. “Okay, you can stop talking ‘bout me now. Food’s good to eat.” He slid the dishes a bit apart at the island counter, one out towards the left, another to the right. He gathered the cutting board he was using to put everything together and dumped it into the sink. When he turned around, Jinx was there, right in his space, batting her eyes up at him. Her hands were clasped behind her back as she slightly swayed her shoulders.“Aw, making lunch, how domestic. Right,” she said, and then she leaned up into him, rocking onto her toes, chest pressing against his as she whispered up into his ear, “ Daddy ?”His eyes blew wide, taking a quick breath in through his nose. She fell away from him, back down onto her heels, but giving him the most shameless smile, looking up at him with deadly blue eyes. He wasn’t that kind of guy, didn’t really care to be called that. And Jinx was most likely just trying to f@ck with him, payback for making food instead of ordering it. Making fun of him for it. Like a dad serving lunch.But he knew by now, nearly everything she did, like dragging nails across his skin, pinching at his neck, his nipples, commanding him to get on his knees, whether he previously thought he hated it or not, he could get off to it. As long as it was her. However, he really didn’t need that bit of gossip getting spread around the factory. And though Zeri could be considerate, he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist laughing with Ez and Scar over this.He lifted his hand, shaking a pointed finger at Jinx, once, stern, just like his voice, despite how tight his throat felt, how it threatened to break around one word, “Don’t.”She cackled as she spun, bouncing her shoulder off his chest. Her laughter filled up the room even as she walked away from him, swaying her hips back and forth ‘til she was bending down, elbows on the counter. It wasn’t a completely suggestive position, not low enough for her to fully arch her back. But he could see clouds on her lower back, trailing up and down her right side, slipping under her clothes. The pants were so low that he could see her hip dimples, two perfect spots begging for his thumbs to dig in. There was the valley of her spine too, climbing up under her shirt. Just all these lines and curves, designed to be touched, caressed. And then, she looked back at him, over her shoulder, the lower half of her face obscured by that shoulder. It had him imagining gripping her braids and pulling, so her head would yank even further back, and he could see all of her. He felt stirring in his pants, a feeling he had been trying to push down since he realized his mistake in choosing sweats. But then her eyes flicked down, right below his waist, as though she could tell, and back up to his, a glint shining in the blue.Jinx was going to be the death of his sanity, his control, himself. He was certain of it. The only thing stopping him from stepping up behind her, grabbing a hold of her waist, and thrusting into her with reckless abandon, was his friend’s presence, that he couldn’t really recall why she existed here, right now.  “Thanks for this, E,” Zeri said, on the other side of the counter, seemingly obviously to Ekko’s peril, “Though next time, just let me order us some food.”He breathed in deep and then released it all out in a sigh, trying to calm down. It was a bad trick, but clenched his hands, flexing his arms subtly, trying to get the blood to stop rushing south. He replied, stiff, “Fine. Next time.”Jinx had straightened up by the counter, standing over the wrap, seemingly done with trying to tease Ekko, for now. She regarded the wrap with an unsure expression, like opening your lunch bag and only finding a PB&J, nothing else.“What, no chips?” She waved up a hand, as though he’d make a bag of chips appear out of thin air. He huffed, going into the fridge and taking up a snack bag of baby carrots, dropping it into her hand. She didn’t move, just glaring at the small bag of carrots like it was a personal insult. “Ha-ha, real funny.” She said, face and voice both stony, “Now where’s the chips?”He sidled up next to her, placing his own elbows on the counter. Thankful that the height of the counter could hide any surprises from below. “These,” he took the bag out of her hand, ripping open a small hole, before returning it, “are better than chips.”“You can’t be serious.”“Okay, I’m not. But they are better for you, and do taste good.”She gave him a petulant look that he could only grin back at, until she took a carrot and pressed it up to his lips.“Then you eat them,” she said, tone low and enticing.Maybe he had been conditioned, trained like a dog, but when she put something to his lips, there was no resistance as he opened his mouth, letting her slip it in ‘til he could bite and take the rest of it in on his own. As he chewed, he watched her face shift from that pursed annoyance, to sheer disbelieving glee, a grin stretching across her lips as she stared at his mouth. A single, short laugh erupted from the other side of the counter and it had both Ekko and Jinx snapping their heads towards it, away from each other.Zeri held the wrap in one hand, the other hand slapped across her mouth, as if she were trying to hold back more laughs.“Sorry-uh…” She trailed off, looking for an excuse for her laughter before landing on the wrap, “This wrap is just…real good.”She gave a thumbs up, stuffing her face with another bite. Ekko’s whole face felt warm, which at least meant the blood was back above his waist, but the end result was still embarrassment. He knew this moment was definitely going to spread around the factory like wildfire.He didn’t shift away though, kept his shoulder pressed into Jinx’s, turning his head back to her as she lifted up the wrap to try herself. Possibly being a bit too attentive, but he really wanted to please her, see if he could make something she’d enjoy. Since she really didn’t care for his eggs.Jinx brought the wrap to her mouth, and he tried not to think too many thoughts about how her hands wrapped around it, how her lips edged over the length, disappearing into her mouth. He really was too far gone, if her just eating something cylindrical had him thinking like this. But then she bit down, tearing off a bite. And as she chewed, her eyes fluttered a bit, a soft moan around a mouthful.Yep, definitely saving that sound, tucking it away in his mind. A muffled, stuffed moan.Jinx seemed to recognize what sound she made, eyes flicking over to meet Ekko’s. He was probably giving her the most self-satisfied look, grinning wild, watching as she narrowed her eyes at him, but that flush colored her cheeks. “Weren’t expecting it to be that good, huh?” He nudged into her shoulder, addicted to the way she rocked back into him, despite the annoyance on her face.“S’fine,” she swallowed, not looking at him anymore, but that just gave him the perfect view of the pink spreading to the tips of her ears, “Simple, but the chicken’s good, I guess.”He chuckled, “Thanks, roasted it myself.” She rolled her eyes, “Course you ‘roasted’ it. A show off like you would point that out.”“Me?” He played offended, “A show off?”She finally looked back at him, where he had a hand on his chest, hamming up his performance, but still grinning.She scoffed, but her lips were twisted up at the corners, “Oh, one hundred percent.”“Hm, I don’t know about that.” Zeri said, an interruption that had Ekko remembering again that he wasn’t alone with Jinx, both their heads turning to Zeri, who was wiping mustard off her hand with a napkin. “I mean, Ekko doesn’t really scream ‘show off’, does he?” Zeri placed down the napkin, sliding it up the table, grinning at Jinx. He could tell she was playing at something, but he really didn’t know her angle. Jinx’s shoulders raised against his, and he looked again at her. Where before she had appeared like cat, ready to bat at a small mouse, now she looked like a lioness, glaring down an approaching hyena, getting too close to a kill she wasn’t done feasting on. Confident, lazy, but just to hide the danger, lips ready to tug up in a snarl.“I think I might know him better than you.” She roughed out, nearly a growl. Ekko considered stepping in, stopping this before Zeri really tempted fate. But she didn’t seem threatened or worried, more like she had gotten Jinx to take the bait.She leaned forward, wrap forgotten, as she said, “Okay, convince me. How’s Ekko a show off?”Jinx matched, leaning just as far forward, lips finally pulling up to reveal her teeth. But she wasn’t snarling. She was grinning. Like she was aware she was being baited, but didn’t care. Just wanted a fight. Just wanted a win.“Have you seen him?” Jinx threw the first jab, jutted her thumb out sideways towards his direction, “No one ends up looking like that unless they’re  trying to show off.”“He’s just a bit of a health nut. And likes ‘appearing strong’.” Zeri blocked, countering. But ‘appearing strong’? Ekko was slowly realizing this could easily turn into them just vaguely insulting him. Or, directly.“And that’s part of it! He loves to puff out his chest at guys all the time.”Okay, he wasn’t just ‘puffing out his chest’, and definitely not to show off. He just liked to stop fights before they started, get people to stand down without getting violent. But, he guessed, he did get a sick thrill out of watching guys turn around, tails between their legs.“That’s just when he’s like, p@ss@d or threatened, it’s more like a fear response.”“A fear response?” Ekko had to interrupt, jutting in, offended, jaw half hanging open as he waved a hand up, glaring at Zeri.But both Jinx and Zeri ignored his outburst.“Oh, no, you should’ve seen him last night. He was itching for a fight.” Jinx slipped another hit in, her voice electric, like she was ready to cheer on a bloodbath. “I was not ‘itching for a fight.’” Ekko turned his attention back to Jinx, giving her a similar, though toned down, expression that he had given Zeri.Jinx finally turned from Zeri, regarding Ekko, his expression. She tilted her head, lips twisting as she looked up and around, reconsidering her view on what happened.“Okay fine, but you  were really proud that you shut those boys down.” She patted him on the chest, leaving her hand lingering there.The temptation to flex his pecs was there. He might’ve been more of a show off than he thought before they started this argument. Anything to get her attention and hands on him. He also loved hearing her call those guys ‘boys’, demeaning them, casting them aside. Confirming they weren’t an actual threat.“See?” Jinx waved at Ekko, speaking again to Zeri, “Look how proud he looks, even now.”Zeri narrowed her eyes, viewing him, his slightly flexed chest, his pleased expression, “Okay, maybe. But that’s not really ‘show off’ level.”But Jinx kept her foot on the gas, “He has a lot of graffiti tags around Zaun, some of them in high ass places. Noticeable places. Like he wants people to see them from the f@ck@ng skyline.  And , he got that tag tattooed on his back. That’s like putting your name on a license plate. Complete show off level.”No counter argument prepared, Zeri mulled it over, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. Ekko thought she might’ve finally been stumped until she grinned, finding a new hold.“Okay, but, come on. Have you seen his actual car? What show off drives that around?” It was a good argument, even if it also offended Ekko and his car, something that even he believed would be a winner. Though, he still was on the fence of whether he didn’t want to be a show off or he wanted Jinx to win. But she didn’t need his support at all, grinning back at Zeri, not missing a beat, “The kind of show off that drives that motorcycle instead.”Zeri’s whole posture froze, like she had completely forgotten about his bike, or didn’t think Jinx would know about it. She shifted on her feet, speaking to him instead, “...You showed her your bike?”He nodded, about to respond verbally, but Jinx butted in.“I got him to take me on a ride, and once we hit the outskirts he-” She snapped her fingers and slapped her hands forward, miming how fast he had zipped off on the road. Ekko was distracted again, watching Jinx with a fond smile, proud at how happy and excited she looked, just recalling the ride. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as he responded to Zeri, “Yeah, I took her out to the Wildwoods.”“You took her to the outlook?”Sh@t. He didn’t notice what trap he had walked into. Should’ve picked up on it back at her initial question. He had spoken to her at the gym about how special Jinx was to him, but this was confirmation that it was real. Not just infatuated words. Actual, solid actions. Physical evidence.He nodded, stiffly, caught like a thief, guns trained on him. He kept his gaze away from Zeri, but looking at Jinx was no better. She kept flicking her eyes from Zeri and back to him, like there was a knotted thread floating in the air between them, and just by sight alone, she could read the words they represented.“What?” She asked, frustrated that she couldn’t piece it together out of the air, “What’s so weird ‘bout that?” “Oh, nothing really, just realizing how deep this goes.” Zeri responded, cocking her smile along with her hip, watching Ekko, like she had it all figured out. She didn’t give Jinx enough time to question that statement though, “He just doesn’t really like riding with people. That extra helmet is just in case he  needs to pick someone up and his car’s out of commission. At least, that’s what he told me the rules were. But-”Her eyes dragged over to Jinx, that cat-canary smile still there, “I guess he’s already broken a lot of rules for you.”Ekko glared at Zeri, trying to catch her eye so he could shake his head, tell her to stand down.“Rules?” Jinx asked, all sly, like she was on the verge of picking a pocket, slipping out a wallet, finding gold.Ekko tried to jump in, stop her from stealing something she shouldn’t have her hands on, “There’s no rules. My friends just think I have ‘patterns.’”“Nuh uh, Little Man,” she jammed a finger up against his lips, hushing him, “I asked your friend. Not you.”His brain short circuited, just from the feel of her finger on his lips. He was fighting against his conditioning, to take in whatever pushed up to his mouth. Zeri saved him from doing something regrettable, like sucking in her finger just off instinct. But with what she said next, he really wished she didn’t.“You know Vi!?!” She shouted out, pure disbelief.Jinx’s finger dropped from Ekko’s lips. Matching Zeri’s confusion, she tilted her head, “What?”“You called him ‘Little Man’. I’ve only ever heard Vi say that.” Zeri whipped her head over to Ekko, “You took her to meet Vi?”Ekko was still reeling from it all. Jinx’s finger, what he almost did, and now the mention of Vi. Like tossing a grenade into a bunker. He knew why Zeri was so shocked. Vi has met exactly zero of the girls he’s ever been with. But if it was revealed that Jinx was Vi’s sister, Zeri would definitely be able to connect the dots. That Jinx was  that girl . The one he mentioned years ago. The root of everything.He spread out his hands, like trying to calm down a pack of wolves, fruitless but speaking slow and steady, “I think maybe we should stop-”“Wow, he really hasn’t told you anything, huh?” Jinx interrupted, crossing her arms and jutting out her hip. Almost like she was on the verge of offended.And then she said, what Ekko really hoped she wouldn’t.“Vi’s my sister.”The room felt like the moment after a nuke went off. Like all sound was blasted away, so there was pure silence. A moment for reflection, as you watched the explosion rumble and rush towards you.“Your sister?” Zeri asked.Jinx nodded, once, sharp.Zeri leaned forward again, slowly placing her hands on the counter, “How long have you known Ekko?”Jinx scoffed, the question offending her, like it was stupid to ask, “Since we were kids. Basically grew up together.”“And…there was a period of time where you weren’t talking?”“Z,” Ekko stepped in, trying to stop her from confirming, bringing this up, “Don’t-”“What are you getting at?” Jinx snapped back, lips twitching, her fingers drumming along her arms. Her eyes flicked to Ekko, narrowing at him before turning that expression onto Zeri. Zeri didn’t seem to think anything was the matter, just grinning, pleased, as she dragged her hands down along the counter, back to the edge. Ekko caught her eye, shaking his head, stiff, stern, trying to dissuade her.But, no dice. ‘Cause that’s his luck.“You’re that girl.” Zeri said, like striking the nail once and true, driving it into the stud. Ekko might as well have been that stud, with how his heart clenched. The truth pouring out from the hole it made.“What does ‘that girl’ mean?” Jinx threw back, nails now digging into her arms. He wanted to cover her hands with his, pry them off her flesh, so she wouldn’t hurt. But he was nailed down still, remember?“You know, why he’s like this,” Zeri waved a hand at Ekko, from the top the bottom, “‘The girl he left behind.’ The reason for all his problems. That’s you.”If the earlier moment was the silence before the explosion finally reached you, this was like the being at ground zero. A split second where you hear nothing, ‘cause you were evaporated, turned to dust, instantly.“Okay!” He clapped his hands, speaking through clenched teeth, “Great having you, Zeri, but it’s time you head out. You had those plans, remember?”He rushed around the edge, grabbing onto Zeri’s arm and tugging her towards the front door.Zeri let herself be dragged through the front door, smiling and waving back at Jinx, “Bye Jinx! It was so good to finally meet you. Can’t want to see you again!”Ekko slammed the door behind them.-Ekko didn’t let go of Zeri until they were at the bottom of the stairs. He probably would’ve kept dragging her out, but Zeri finally twisted out of his grasp, pulling away from him.“Jeez, Ek-” She started, but he wasn’t going to let her finish.“Why the f@ck would you say that to her?” He snapped, pacing back and forth in front of Zeri. Zeri’s eyes narrowed at his tone, as if he didn’t have a right to it. He felt like he had a f@ck@ng right to it.But she spoke back calmly, making him the weird one, “She is that girl though, isn’t she?”There was too much anger already simmering, vibrating fast enough that the sheer friction could set his whole body aflame. He counted, ran his thumbs along his fingerprints, breathing in and out. Not smothering, more like, trying to extinguish. Like water over a campfire, make anger just wet coals. He closed his eyes, imagining Jinx’s hands cupping his cheeks, fingers curling under his chin.“Yes but not-” he breathed out, “She’s not the reason I have problems.”“You said you couldn’t hold a relationship cause, and I quote, ‘there’s this girl’, that you knew for a long time, but you lost contact with.”“But that was all me,” he patted his hand multiple times on his chest, drumming a fast beat that nearly matched the speed of his heart, “Not her. It wasn’t her fault.”Zeri actually paused at that, considered, her brow furrowing as she leaned against the wall, “I…I didn’t mean it like that. I was just trying to say she’s the girl you’ve been hung up on. I mean, she is  that girl , and now she’s back in your life? And you didn’t tell me?”She raised a hand up, palm to the sky, looking at Ekko with such offense, like he was somehow in the wrong here.“I didn’t tell you,” he replied, “cause you weren’t gonna act normal about it. And look what happened? You made it sound like I blame her for sh@t.”He waved a hand violently towards the stairs. Zeri looked out in that direction, back up towards where his apartment was.“Okay, well just tell her you don’t? Or hell, I will.” She pushed herself off the wall, headed back up, but Ekko slid in front of her, blocking her way.“No, you’ve done enough.”“Ekko, look, jeez,” she threw her hands up, “I didn’t know it was going to be that big of a deal, okay? I thought, I don’t know, that you’d laugh, or she would, or whatever. I mean, what are the chances? You reconnect with the girl you’ve been head over heels for…since when exactly?”His shoulders fell, looking down and off to the side. He mumbled, “...Since I was seven.”Why was he confessing? He didn’t know. Maybe he was too much of a pressure can, shaken all day, filling with nitrous. Or maybe, finally talking about Jinx with anyone just had him spilling it all out, like a siphon. You get it started on one end, and it keeps flowing ‘til you’re empty.“Holy f@ck@ng sh@t, Ekko, I thought like highschool or something. Seven years old?”Yeah, seven years old. And then eleven. And thirteen. Fifteen. All through college. Through his first career job. These last few months. These last few days. All of it. Maybe sooner. Maybe later. At this rate? Until his final breath.He couldn’t look at Zeri, couldn’t confirm just how pathetically in love he was. But he already did, didn’t he?“You have to tell her.” She said, like it was the most certain thing in the world, the most obvious next step.He dragged a hand down his face, “Z-”“No, come the f@ck on, Ekko.” She snapped at him, “I don’t know why you insist on torturing yourself, but you gotta f@ck@ng stop and think. You’re not just hurting yourself here. Everytime you punish yourself, you’re hurting the people who care about you. Hell, you’re hurting her!”“I’m not-”“You are.” She stepped closer, jabbing a finger at his chest, “It doesn’t take a f@ck@ng genius to see she’s into you too. And not just sexually, though, god f@ck@ng d@mn. Cool it when you’re around people.”She raised her hands just outside her head, speaking to him like he was an idiot, “She’s probably just as in love with you as you are with her. And you, oh my god, talking about how you can’t cross a line or some sh@t, while also openly flirting with her? Like, come on, man. What are you doing here?”It wasn’t-It wasn’t like that. He wasn’t using her or anything. He just…he needed to be sure. Needed to know she wanted this before he crossed the canyon, before he invaded her space, crowded her with his love. ‘Cause he didn’t deserve hers, but if she wanted his, he’d give it to her. “It’s not like that. I just…I don’t deserve her.” He hushed out, admitted, shamefully. But Zeri gave him no sympathy, “That’s f@ck@ng b@llsh@t. It’s not about deserving. Life isn’t about doling out punishment or reward. It’s just a series of events. There’s no karma, no justice. Just us, trying our best.”He knew that. He did. Just…for everyone else. He still was struggling when it came to himself. Even if Jinx said he was good, even if the whole world did, he couldn’t change his self view overnight.He was quiet, unable to respond. Hands clenching by his side as he stared down at the ground.“Hey,” Zeri placed a hand on his shoulder, tone soft, encouraging him to look up at her, “I know you’ve been through some sh@t. Had to do some sh@t to survive. And, I bet, she has too. I can never truly empathize with what you Lanes kids had to go through. But, I know for certain, you’re trying your best. You’ve been for years now. And, you’re doing the same with her. “I think she sees that. I mean, why else would she be here unless she wanted to be? Unless she trusted you in some way? She doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl that puts up with sh@t for the hell of it.”He huffed a laugh, “Yeah. She’s not. She’s really the opposite. Would kill me in my sleep if she wanted me dead.”“See?” Zeri patted him on the shoulder, “She’s here for  you . So, just be honest. With her. With yourself. With what you want out of life, and go for it. Whatever happens, at least it’ll be a step in the right direction.”She ducked her head, making sure he made eye contact with her, “But, I’d bet Ezreal’s whole trust fund that it’ll go well. And, even if it doesn’t, which it so won’t, at least then Vi wouldn’t kick your ass for dating her sister.”He snorted, shaking his head.“Who, I so call dibs on telling about this, by the way.” She smirked and he pushed her hand off his shoulder, smiling as well though.Ekko said, with a short laugh on his lips, “I haven’t even told her any of this yet. Like even Jinx spending nights at my place.”“Holy sh@t, you’re so dead,” she laughed with him, “You and your f@ck@ng secrets man, weighing you down. Don’t you already feel better though? At least starting to get this off your chest?”Ekko breathed in, letting his chest rise and fall. It did feel lighter. No fire, no weights. Maybe a bit sore. Not just from the lifting. But from the years caging his heart in.“Yeah, I have been. Feeling better. Talking about… everything really.” It was true. Everything. Not just telling Zeri, but last night. Talking for the first time ever through his anger, his shame. Not being punished for it.Maybe he wouldn’t be punished for this as well. He let just one weight slip into his heart, a piece of iron, with the word ‘hope’ carved into it.“Okay. I’ll talk to her. I'll tell her.” He nodded as he spoke, then breathed out again, hyping himself up.“It’s going to be fine, E. No matter what, I promise.” She smiled at him, something sweet and proud. He couldn’t help it. He pulled her into a hug. She was a pain in his ass, especially today. But he needed that. Needed all of it. Walking tightropes, dancing through minefields. Sometimes, you need to just be pushed, fall head first into danger. There was that line from that song. ‘All I’ve ever learned from love // Was how to shoot at somebody who outdrew you.’Ekko wasn’t going to shoot, though. He’d be the one to draw first, but he wanted Jinx to pull the trigger. Whether she missed, or whether he was bulletproof, he’d live. As long as he had hope, he’d live.He said goodbye to Zeri, and headed upstairs.
  
  

    
      
        
        
          Who forgot about the gym session promise Ekko made to Zeri in like, what? Chapter 2? I can't be bothered to check that right now.I expected to get this chapter out by Wednesday. That didn't f@ck@ng happen. As you can see, it's somehow 14k words. I hate myself. Why am I like this.I've been going back and forth updating between this fic and the companion one, but this time I'll be jumping into writing the finale for just this one, so it should be a shorter wait for the next chapter. Which is my apology to y'all for doing like one last rug pull. I refuse to make promises on when that'll be out, gimme like a week, maybe a week and a half max. Every chapter I've published has been published the moment I finish writing them. My editing process is just me, reading it out loud, and adjusting what sounds weird or adding something I think is missing, or removing sh@t I can't be bothered to fix. F@ck@ng Winnie the Pooh with all these bothers. Don't read into my tone. My football team lost one of our star safeties before the season even started. And it's late.I was bringing the writing process sh@t up cause I'm going to take an actual day after I write the final chapter to sit on it and then edit (like I should be doing), so that I feel like I'm ending strong.I am weird about online stuff, as I've mentioned before, but I do have a twitter that I'm going to start using to post updates on what I'm writing. Please don't feel like you have to follow me, I mainly post art I think is cool or the occasional football clip, or get into arguments with people about sports. But I will be posting updates. So yeah, you can find me on twitter at @LostatLothric.'
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
User: Summarize the chapter based on the content provided, ensuring to follow the set format and emphasize key aspects within the specified length.
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