Work Text:
Jinx was stumped.
It’d been a couple weeks since Ekko had taken her to the aquarium. And since she’d vowed to come up with their next date idea, which had, in the following weeks, been a keen reminder to Jinx that she sucked at planning things.
She’d always thrived on spontaneity, doing whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. She didn’t like plans. Or organizing. Or any of that lame stuff Ekko was so great at.
Unfortunately for her, she did like Ekko. And she’d promised to plan their next date. And plan it, she would!
…After a short break.
Jinx hopped out of her chair, stretching her arms above her head as she ventured outside her lab and into the Hideout. She’d go bug Ekko for a while, that would give her some inspiration.
Jinx wasted no time, following the now familiar path up the treehouse steps after dodging a gaggle of children playing in the clearing and peeking inside his lab. Ekko was facing away from the door, sitting at his desk and scribbling away in one of his many notebooks. Bingo.
She slipped inside soundlessly as she eased the door shut, creeping forward and stepping around the creaky floorboard that always gave away when someone had come in. Oftentimes, it was Ekko’s only indication that someone had arrived, so wrapped up in his work it was practically child’s play to sneak up on him.
She was only a few feet away, inching closer to jump her unsuspecting victim when he spoke up.
“It’s rude to sneak up on people, Jinx.”
She slumped, moving into his line of sight and pouting petulantly. “You’re no fun.” She hopped onto the desk, swinging her legs over the edge and peeking at his work. He closed the book before she could. “How’d you know I was there?”
“I always know when you’re up to something,” Ekko replied smugly, tapping his temple. “Like a sixth sense.”
“You’re so full of shit.”
He shrugged, relenting. “The door creaks.”
“Damn.”
He smirked, leaning over to continue working. Jinx huffed loudly, drawing his attention back with his eyebrow raised in question.
“Did you need something?” He asked innocently. She stuck her tongue out.
“I’m bored.”
“So?”
Jinx waved her arms expectantly. “Entertain me!”
Ekko gave her an unimpressed look.
She sighed loudly, leaning over his workspace. “What are you even working on-?”
Jinx reached out to open the notebook, but Ekko intercepted quickly and unsubtly snatched the book into his arms. He shrugged casually as she eyed him skeptically, trying to play it off as his cheeks turned red. “Nothing. Just some equations.”
“Equations?” She echoed, unconvinced.
“Yep,” Ekko said firmly, planting the book in his lap. “They’re not finished.”
Jinx narrowed her eyes, then glanced away innocently. “Okay.”
She could sense his doubt, but Jinx didn’t waver. She examined her nails, peering at him from the corner of her eye as he slowly released his grip on the book. Foolish boy.
Jinx lunged, fast as lightning, and snatched the book from his hands. He let out a shout, trying to catch her as she danced just out of reach and hid her prize behind her back as he advanced.
“Very funny,” Ekko huffed, trying to sound stern even as his eyes twinkled in amusement. He gestured at the book. “Hand it over.”
Jinx hummed in thought. “Mmm….no.”
Ekko pounced, trying to sneak it out from behind her. Jinx cackled, maneuvering around him and flipping the book open to the page he’d hidden from her as she ducked out of his reach.
“Wait-!”
Her own face greeted her, a half finished sketch of her likeness filled the page. A swirl of unfinished but familiar clouds peeked from just above the end of the page, where her sketch counterpart sat looking over her shoulder in a candid pose.
Jinx tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at him. He gulped, looking shy.
Her gaze dropped back to the page in consideration, tone light as she spoke. “Do you just sit up here all day drawing pictures of me?”
“No!”
She flipped the page, exposing yet another drawing of her and shattering his weak defense. Jinx giggled, dodging yet another attempt to grab the notebook.
“Little Man’s got a crush!”
Jinx let out a shriek as his hands found the other side of the book, tugging her forward along with it as she refused to let go.
Her eyes narrowed, pulling experimentally on her side. Ekko held fast, gripping it even tighter. Jinx readied herself.
Ekko took the bait and gave the book a hard tug in return, just as she’d hoped. Jinx released the book abruptly, watching as the momentum sent him fumbling backwards and onto his ass.
She covered her mouth with her hand, a pitiful attempt at stifling her laughter.
“Graceful,” she mocked relentlessly as he glared up at her, a smile turning up his lips at the corners despite his ire.
“You’re twisted, you know that?”
Jinx nodded proudly, grin splitting her features as she offered out a hand to pull him up. “Are you just realizing that now?”
In answer, he grasped her hand and yanked her down with him. Jinx let out a surprised yelp as they collided on the floor, Ekko’s arms circling around her as she tried to flee and pulling her back in.
“Not so smug now, are you?” He teased over her squeaks of laughter.
“Cheater!”
“You play dirty, I play dirty!”
“It’s only funny when I do it!” She protested.
Ekko remained relentless, arms holding tight to her waist as she slumped against him in defeat. He laughed softly at her petulant glare, fingers trailing soothingly up her arm and tracing her tattoos.
She watched the motion for a few minutes, a thought sparking in her mind as his fingers ran over each line and spiral.
“Why don’t you have any tattoos?” She wondered aloud, glancing up to watch his reaction. It seemed strange, someone as artistic and creative as him never exploring the possibility of putting that art on himself. Someone as sentimental as him never marking himself with a permanent reminder of past times. No, he kept them confined to sketchbooks and memory.
He eyed her curiously, looking a bit surprised by the question. “Never really thought about it,” he admitted honestly after a moment of thought. “Why?”
“Just curious,” she hummed in reply, tilting her head in consideration as an idea started to creep into her mind. “Do you want one?”
“I don’t even know where I’d start,” Ekko said, shrugging a bit and appearing thoughtful. “I wouldn’t want one just for the hell of it. It would have to mean something.”
A lightbulb went off in her mind. Jinx shifted, turning to face him properly and climbing into his lap. “What if I made you one?”
“You wanna design a tattoo?” He echoed slowly, like he was trying to understand. “For me?”
“Duh,” Jinx rolled her eyes, poking his cheek. “That’s what I said, dummy.”
“And who exactly would be putting it on me?”
“Me!”
“I’m not letting you anywhere near me with a tattoo gun,” Ekko protested lightly.
“Oh, c'mon! It’ll be fun!” Jinx shook his shoulder softly, giving him her best pleading look and leaning forward conspiratorially. “I’ll even let you give me one!”
“Neither of us have ever used a tattoo gun,” he reminded her, though Jinx could tell her enthusiasm was winning him over.
“So?”
“Wow,” Ekko said flatly. “Can’t argue with that logic.”
“Ekko!”
He raised his hands in surrender, a grin forming on his face. “Fine, fine! I guess it could be fun.”
Jinx cheered, shooting a fist into the air.
Ekko’s smile widened at her enthusiasm. “So, what do you want?”
She tilted her head. “Hm?”
“Your tattoo,” he supplied.
“Dealer’s choice!” Jinx said brightly. “It’s only fair since I’m designing yours.”
“Okay,” Ekko replied slowly, not seeming too reassured by the lack of parameters in her plan. “Where do you want it?”
Jinx smirked. “Anywhere you want.”
His gaze dropped involuntarily down her body, considering her words. Jinx bit her lip to keep from smiling, knowing she’d convinced him.
“Sooo?” She pressed, leaning forward. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” Ekko replied pointedly, then smiled. “It’s a date.”
Jinx grinned, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly. “Finally! I’ve been trying to think of one for weeks!”
His eyebrows knit together. “Thinking of what?”
“Date ideas,” Jinx continued flippantly, completely missing the ways his eyes darkened. “I know I said I’d pick the next one, but it turns out planning really isn’t- oh!”
Ekko surged forward, crashing their lips together in a firm, brazen embrace. Jinx squeaked, melting against his mouth and letting out a soft sigh.
The kiss didn’t last long, Ekko pulling back slowly and bracing his hands against her cheeks, his eyes soft. “You’re sweet.”
“Sweet as arsenic, maybe.”
He shook his head fondly, kissing her once more. “Nope,” he murmured firmly. “Just sweet.”
Jinx blushed, disentangling from Ekko and pulling herself to her feet. “Don’t you have a tattoo to design?”
“I don’t suppose you’ll give me any hints to what you’d want?” Ekko asked hopefully, following after her and scooping up his discarded notebook.
“Not a chance.”
He sighed. “I’m guessing I won’t get any information about what you have planned for me either?”
She offered a faux pout. “What, you don’t trust me?”
He snorted. “I probably shouldn’t, but I do.”
“I guess you’ll find out soon enough if that was a wise decision,” she remarked teasingly, moving towards the door with half baked ideas swirling around her head.
“When?” He called after her. Right.
“Uh, tomorrow night?” She offered with a shrug. That seemed like enough time to design something good. And for her to find somewhere with the supplies necessary.
He huffed out a chuckle at her subpar planning skills. “Works for me.”
He paused, then leveled a warning finger at her. “But no ass tattoos!”
Jinx offered a wicked smile, slipping out the door and letting out a soft cackle.
“No promises!”
⏳
Ekko studied the note Jinx had left on his desk, an address haphazardly scribbled across the scrap paper alongside some heart shaped doodles for decoration.
He turned the corner, seeing the tattoo shop come into view. He wasn't sure why she’d decided to come early, but he decided it was safer not to ask too many questions. As he neared the door, he found the lock had already been pried open. Ekko pushed it open, locking it behind him just in case and turning to greet his girlfriend.
As usual, just the sight of her made his mouth go dry.
A deep blue dress hung a few inches above her knees, held up by thin straps and a thick black belt over her waist, though it seemed more decorative than anything. She wore her usual boots and her hair down, splayed over her shoulders save for a thin braid tied just behind her ear.
Jinx didn’t notice him immediately, occupied with inspecting a tattoo gun, turning it in her hands with a grip far too loose for his liking.
She turned at the sound of footsteps, grinning when their eyes met and holding up the tattoo gun as if it were a weapon. “You ready?”
“Not really,” he admitted lightly. He was a little nervous, if he was honest with himself. Not about the pain, but about whatever his unpredictable girlfriend planned for him.
He’d love it regardless, because it came from her. But it didn’t make it any less nerve wracking to be going in blind.
“Don’t look so worried,” Jinx huffed lightheartedly, setting down the gun and offering a smile. “You’ll love it.”
He shrugged off his jacket, shoulders relaxing somewhat at the reassurance. “Yeah, yeah. You have my full cooperation.”
Jinx stepped into his space, arms curling around his neck and biting her lip in anticipation. “Does that mean you wanna go first?”
“Hell no.”
She laughed, dropping her head against his shoulder for a moment. She peeked up at him. “What have you got for me?”
He hummed, extracting himself gently from her hold and reaching into his pocket for the design while she plopped eagerly into the chair. He pressed the paper into her hand, watching her reaction closely to make sure she liked it.
A splatter of bullets filled the page, colored in pink and shooting off in different directions. He’d spaced them out along the page, trying to map out their location on her skin from memory alone.
Jinx hummed appreciatively. “Sick.” She leaned back in the chair, propping her forearms up on the armrests. She wiggled her brows at him. “Where ya putting ‘em?”
“I was thinking…” Ekko moved to her side, trailing his fingers over the space in her tattoos, already imagining how the bullets would look nestled in between the spirals of blue smoke. “Here?”
Jinx’s mouth quirked as she watched his fingers move along her arm. She nodded approvingly. “I like your style, Little Man.”
“I just thought of what you’d do.”
Jinx grinned at that, turning back to examine the paper. “What made you choose pink?”
“Figured it’d look nice with the blue,” he replied, leaning over her to look at the design. Then, somewhat quieter. “And it’s your favorite color.”
She smiled at that, keeping her eyes on the design. “Most people think it’s blue.”
He planted a kiss on her head before moving to get the supplies together. “I know you better than most people.”
“You certainly do,” Jinx got comfortable on the chair, watching him familiarize himself with the equipment. She shrugged softly, looking away. “I wouldn’t let anyone else do this.”
He slowed, glancing up from the ink cartridge and gesturing curiously to her tattoos. “You had someone do those, didn’t you?”
She shrugged again, shaking her head like she was dispelling an unpleasant thought. “Yeah. I just…”
She didn’t finish the thought.
Ekko frowned, stepping away from his task and eyeing her with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Jinx replied quickly, ducking her head and looking slightly embarrassed.
“Hey,” he squeezed her hand, forcing her to look at him. “What is it?”
She sighed, tapping her fingers anxiously on the armrest. “I might…slightly be kinda freaked out by needles.” Her nose twitched in annoyance at the confession and she lifted her hand, pinching two fingers together. “A little bit.”
Ekko hoped his surprise wasn’t too visible on his face, she seemed reluctant enough to admit it as is. Jinx had always seemed fearless to him, running head first into danger and enjoying every second of it. He certainly never would have imagined that needles would be the one thing she was scared of.
But looking at her face, reserved and anxious beneath the embarrassment coating her features, Ekko got the impression there was more to it than just irrational fear. Something she didn’t seem keen to share.
“I’m guessing there’s a story there,” he ventured, offering a reassuring look. “And I’m guessing you have no interest in telling it right now.”
“Two for two,” she joked, though it lacked some energy. “Give the boy a prize.”
“You sure you want to do this?”
The whole thing had been her idea, but the last thing Ekko wanted was to upset her by triggering whatever bad memory she was keeping inside.
Jinx gave a small, genuine smile at that. “I’ll be fine. It’s not…” she didn’t finish the thought, gesturing vaguely and giving him a small, reassuring shake of her head. “If it’s you, I’ll be fine.”
He lifted her hand, pressing a kiss to her wrist. “That’s good enough for me.”
He brought the equipment over, prepping her arm the way he’d spent the last day learning how to. He wasn’t sure if she’d bothered with research, but he hopes at the very least she knows what she’s doing by the time it was his turn.
“It’s not a great date conversation,” Jinx muttered lightly as she watched him prepare everything, like she was trying to apologize for not opening up.
“I’ve got all the information I need,” Ekko replied breezily. “I don’t need to know the why right now.”
Jinx perked up at that, leaning over to press a short kiss to his lips in gratitude. She brandished her arm once they’d separated. “Alright, do your worst.”
“I’d like to remind you I have almost no idea what I’m doing,” Ekko remarked as he began, carefully pressing the gun against her skin as the machine began to make a slight whirring sound. Almost like a drill. “So if it looks like shit-”
“Don’t worry so much,” she interrupted softly, watching intently as the needles moved along her skin, leaving behind crisp dark lines of ink. “If it sucks, I’ll just make fun of you. Everybody wins.”
“How exactly am I winning in that scenario?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy my mockery.”
He chuckled at that, the pair falling silent for a while as he focused on keeping his lines straight and following the design.
The outline went well enough, Ekko allowing himself to relax a bit as he paused to change out the ink and start coloring the bullets. He glanced at his girlfriend. “Okay so far?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Jinx replied confidently, then sent him a teasing look. “Why? Nervous?”
“Can’t a guy worry about his girlfriend in peace?” He said with an air of theatricality as he readied the gun again.
“Not without ridicule.”
Jinx inhaled a bit sharply once he started up again, though she quickly waved away his concern. “You surprised me,” she said defensively, blushing a bit.
“Uh-huh.”
The process became smoother after that, Ekko getting into a rhythm as he colored and shaded the bullets. Skin was far different from the usual materials he drew on, but once he’d gotten used to the feeling it didn’t feel all that different. Keeping a steady hand was easy enough after his years of working on delicate inventions and paintings.
Ekko shifted closer, leaning forward in concentration and feeling her eyes on him, following every movement. Her free hand crept into his hair, pushing his dreads from his eyes and toying with the hair cuffs decorating his hair, many of them given to him by her and bearing her various doodles and symbols.
Ekko caught himself leaning into the touch, refocusing on his task and glad his head was down to hide the blush creeping up his neck. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“Maybe,” she replied slyly. “Going a little stir crazy over here.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Should’ve known the biggest obstacle tonight would be your attention span.”
He finished his last bit of shading just in time for her to pout in faux offense at his tease. He set down the gun, raising his hands in surrender. “All done. Happy?”
Jinx stretched, carefully not to bump her arm against anything. “Extremely.”
Ekko glanced around, realizing he didn’t have a clean rag to wipe it down with. He stood and spotted a door leading into a back room. “I’ll be right back.”
“You better,” she called after him teasingly. “You’re not leaving without some ink.”
He laughed to himself, exploring the back room and rooting through the shelves for a few minutes until he found a rag and some antibacterial soap, along with a cream he was probably meant to put on as well. After inspecting the shelves a bit more and reading through the directions on some papers about tattoo care, Ekko returned to the front room.
“A little much, isn’t it?” Jinx commented as he applied the antibacterial soap and cleaned the area carefully. “I didn’t get anything like this the first time and I was fine.”
“It’s a miracle you didn’t get an infection,” he replied flatly.
“It’s a miracle everyone doesn’t have infections,” Jinx snorted, examining the bottle he’d brought. “I doubt they use this on half their customers.”
Ekko had to admit she was probably right about that. For Zaun’s standards, the tattoo parlor was actually pretty nice. But Ekko didn’t doubt that they had to cut some corners to keep things running. Almost everyone did. You don’t get decent tattooing equipment like this in the undercity without some serious haggling. Ekko could respect that, if not the heightened chances of infection due to less than standard sanitary practices.
Jinx clapped her hands, wriggling out of the chair eagerly the moment he’d finished. “Your turn!”
Ekko grinned despite himself. “Alright, what’d you come up with?”
Jinx hesitated, biting her lip. “Can I surprise you?”
Ekko raised an eyebrow, trying not to look too nervous at the request. “Should I be worried?”
Jinx shook her head insistently, laughing a little at his worry. “Trust me?”
“I’ll play along,” he agreed hesitantly, then added. “As long as it’s not going on my ass.”
She didn’t reply immediately, which made Ekko worry for a moment that that’s exactly what she was planning. However, when he turned to question her, he found her gaze pinned firmly on his behind, head tilted in contemplation.
His face felt hot. “Jinx.”
Her gaze snapped away, though her expression held not even the slightest hint of shame. “What? It could work,” she said breezily, eyeing him in admiration and shrugging casually. “You’ve got a nice ass.”
“You can compliment it all you want as long as the tattoo gun stays away from it.”
Jinx winked at him, then gestured upwards at his chest. “Take off your shirt.”
He stared at her blankly. “…Why?”
“I can’t work on a covered canvas, can I?” She tugged pointedly at the front of his shirt. “Think you can manage it yourself or do you need help?”
“I know how to take a shirt off,” Ekko retorted, rolling his eyes and obediently tugging it over his head.
She smirked. “Coulda fooled me.”
He ignored the comment. “Where exactly are you planning to put this mystery tattoo?”
Jinx hummed, not responding immediately as she circled him. Moments later, he felt her cold fingertips trail across his back. “Here?”
Her fingers moved across his back in a wide arc, tracing a pattern he couldn’t decipher with a featherlight touch.
“And…” Ekko swallowed hard, struggling to stay focused with her hands on his skin. “How big is this?”
“About…this much?”Jinx ran her fingers over his skin again, tracing out a large section and making him gulp. “Think you can handle it?”
“I think I can manage,” Ekko said confidently, groaning slightly at the loss of her hands when she pulled away to get everything ready for him.
Jinx toyed with the chair for a moment, adjusting it back until she was satisfied, then gestured for him to lay down. Ekko obliged, sliding somewhat uncomfortably into the chair and resting on his stomach as she began prepping the area.
He expected her to take the seat next to him once she’d finished prepping, but instead she disappeared from his view. Moments later, Ekko felt a weight press against his lower back as she climbed atop him and straddled his waist.
He let out a choked laugh, trying to appear casual despite the position. “There’s a chair right there, if you didn’t notice.”
“I noticed,” she replied cheekily, her fingertips running along the muscles on his back. “I like this better.”
She leaned over him, hair tickling his skin as she spoke lowly. “You don’t mind, do you?”
His voice came out strained, even to his own ears. “Not at all.”
She giggled to herself, fully aware of what she was doing. “Ready?”
He hummed, relaxing into the chair as best he could and bracing himself. “As I’ll ever be.”
Yet, instead of the discomfort he’d prepared for, Ekko felt soft lips place featherlight kisses against the back of his shoulder, like a final reassurance. “You’re too tense,” she chided.
Ekko loosened his muscles. It wasn’t the pain he was worried about, truthfully. He’d had his ass kicked too many times to be concerned about temporary discomfort. The waiting, however, was agonizing. He needed it done with. Going in blind, to both the process and the end result, was stepping further out of his comfort zone than he’d like.
But it was Jinx, so it was fine. He could be uncomfortable for her. He trusted her.
After getting his confirmation once more, Jinx started up the machine. It whirred to life with that mechanical, drilling sound and met his skin.
It was a strange feeling. Painful, but not unbearably. Like a burning hot needle was being dragged along his skin. Ekko reminded himself not to tense up, more out of instinct than in protest to the feeling.
He could feel it thrumming beneath his skin, the pain sharp in some areas and dull in others. He didn’t quite know what to make of it, only that Jinx seemed satisfied with how he was responding based off her hum of approval.
“Not so bad, huh?” She asked lightly after a few minutes of quiet concentration on both their ends.
“Easy peasy,” he joked, focusing his attention on her voice instead of her hands. “I might even take a nap.”
“Don’t get cocky, tough guy,” Jinx retorted, humor in her tone. “I still have a ways to go.”
“I don’t suppose I’ve earned a hint?”
“Hmm…” Jinx let the question hang in the air for a moment, then clicked her tongue. “Nope.”
“Worth a shot.”
⏳
Ekko doesn’t know how much time passed.
The soft whirring noise of the tattoo gun had faded out. Her weight was still pressed against him, accompanied by a sharp sting along his back where she’d tattooed him.
“Well, look at that,” Jinx mused lowly, shifting carefully off of him and disappearing off to the side where he could not see. “You survived.”
Ekko hummed in agreement, sliding off the chair cautiously to follow after her. “Unless it gets infected and kills me.”
Jinx rolled her eyes dramatically. “Do you wanna see it or not?”
He approached the mirror hanging on the opposite wall, twisting his head to look at the reflection and finally see what his girlfriend had insisted on keeping a surprise.
A pair of wings sat folded against his back, long and feathered like an owl. Shades of rich gold and white highlighted the dark lines, giving the wings a glowing, almost unreal appearance when it hit the light just right.
Ekko realized with a start that she’d taken inspiration from his mask, the gold and white threaded between the dark outline identical to that of the owl helm that had become his trademark.
Ekko was speechless, glancing at her reflection in the mirror to see her watching cautiously, bottom lip caught between her teeth as if worrying about his reaction. He swallowed.
“That…is incredible.”
A relieved smile broke out on her face. She stepped closer, examining her work. “You like it?”
“Of course I do,” he managed. It didn’t seem like enough, but it’s all he could muster at the moment as he stared in awe at the tattoo she’d given him. It was perfect, probably the exact thing he’d have asked for if he’d ever put much thought into what he’d want. It was a testament to how well she knew him, bringing to life the symbol that he’d built his identity around.
He twisted further, frowning. There was something else, a small blur of black catching his eye as he moved. He leaned closer, examining the symbol etched onto the back of his shoulder. An addition he hadn’t even known she’d done.
An hourglass. His hourglass, to be exact. His symbol. The emblem of his people and his community, permanently engraved into his skin.
Jinx watched him somewhat shyly, clearing her throat before he could muster up his gratitude at her attention to detail. “I have a small confession.”
He raised an eyebrow, automatically suspicious as he turned to look at her properly. “What’d you do?”
“Have a little faith, will ya?” She scoffed, momentarily distracted by his wariness. “I didn’t kill somebody. Jeez.”
“Not recently, at least,” he muttered unhelpfully. She rolled her eyes.
“I…might have borrowed the tattoo gun while you were in the back earlier,” she admitted coyly, then added defensively when he gave her a look. “I wanted to try it out!”
“You gave yourself a tattoo?” He gave her a once over, not seeing any evidence of a tattoo. Nowhere visible, at least.
“You should’ve known better than to leave me unattended, honestly,” Jinx snorted, far too amused for his liking. He just prays she had the sense to sanitize the area first. Knowing her, though, it was unlikely she had. “I mean, cmon, you left me with a tattoo gun!”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, a chuckle escaping him at her impulsivity. “Where exactly is this tattoo?”
Jinx grinned, tapping over her left shoulder with a single finger. “Right here!”
He blinked in disbelief. The angle seemed impossible. “You tattooed the back of your own shoulder?”
Jinx shrugged casually. “I’m flexible?”
Ekko fought back a smirk at that, focusing instead on the timing of her confession. “Why are you just mentioning this?”
Jinx shrugged again, innocently tucking her hair over her other shoulder and turning to show him her impromptu tattoo. “Figured you’d wanna know we were matching.”
An hourglass, identical to his own nestled against faint freckles and old scars, sat proudly against the back of her shoulder. The black ink shone brightly against her pale skin, drawing subtle attention to the symbol.
His symbol. She’d marked herself with it, for anyone to see.
Ekko surged forward instinctively, ignoring the slight sting as his tender skin protested the sudden movement. His hands found her skin, twisting her around and pulling her into a bruising kiss.
Jinx stumbled into him from the force of it. A gasp tore from her throat as their lips met, her hands wavering in midair for a moment as if she didn’t know what to do with them. Eventually they settled into his hair, tugging softly and letting blunt nails dig ever so slightly into his scalp as she tried to pull him in even closer.
They broke apart for mere seconds, chests rising and falling rapidly as they panted for breath before unceremoniously colliding again. Jinx took a few steps back, tugging him along as she tumbled back onto the chair and guided him atop her.
The position suited them nicely, lips locked firmly together and hands grasping for any clothing or skin to latch on to to keep them against each other. His hand raked through her hair, the other resting on her thigh just below the edge of her skirt. Her hand clasped around his arm, a soft mewl escaping her parted lips when he flexed.
Awareness of his brand new tattoo remained just inside his periphery, the tender pain subsiding just slightly as his focus remained locked on drawing more pretty sounds from his girlfriend's mouth. Jinx didn’t seem to share that problem, leaning recklessly into every touch he offered without a hint of discomfort. Even when the hand tangled in her hair grazed the new tattoo along her shoulder, she seemed wholly unbothered. Jinx instead tightened the embrace, bringing them impossibly closer as her front brushed against his in an automatic grind.
Ekko paused with his lips halfway down her neck, dark thoughts of biting down on that small hourglass on her shoulder momentarily on hold as her display of desire brought him back to reality.
“We- uh…we probably shouldn’t…” Ekko trailed off halfway, voice coming out breathless as he panted against her skin. “Probably shouldn't do this right now.”
He’d certainly like to do this now, but fresh tattoos and forced entry weren’t the most romantic combination. Sanitary reasons aside, it was probably unwise to spend much longer here without knowing when the owners might show up. Or whether any law enforcement would be alerted like last time, unlikely as that was in the Lanes.
“You started it,” Jinx reminded him, faux annoyance in her tone. She sat up slightly, forcing him to lean back to properly look at her, though not before she stole one last kiss. “I doubt we’d be the first to do this here, anyway.”
“Yeah, that makes me feel so much better.”
Jinx rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Such a germaphobe.”
“Excuse me if I don't find bacterial infections sexy.”
“Live a little, would ya?”
Despite the comment, Jinx didn’t actually seem to mind the interruption too much. She leaned forward and swiped her tongue up his neck, likely just to be a nuisance, then disentangled from him and hopped up from the chair.
The temptation unfortunately didn’t subside even with her an arms length away. Her hair was mussed, wavy stray pieces falling in her face and only getting more adorably messy as she ran her hands through it. One of the straps holding her dress had slid down her arm, exposing her shoulder and making his mouth water with repressed desires. It was damn near impossible to look away.
Jinx caught his eye, raising a taunting eyebrow and tilting her head questioningly. The motion sent soft tendrils of hair gliding mesmerizingly down her neck and bare shoulder - an action he was almost certain was intentional. “Do you plan to put a shirt on?”
“What-?” Ekko glanced down at himself, face feeling hot as he remembered he’d tossed it aside at Jinx’s request when he’d gotten the tattoo.
Jinx looked far too smug for her good, scooping up the discarded top and throwing it at him. It smacked against his chest, his hands grasping it quickly and tugging it on despite the skin on his back screaming in protest at the fabric touching it.
“You should really pay more attention,” Jinx remarked innocently, watching him pull the shirt over his head before prancing to the door with little regard to the mess they’d left of the shop’s equipment. Ekko didn’t bother trying to stop her, following after her with a fond shake of the head and a silent apology to whoever had to clean it up.
They’d left for the shop fairly early to ensure they’d have enough time to tattoo each other. Even still, the smallest hints of sunrise had already begun to leak into the sky as they stepped outside and made their way down the sidewalk. Bursts of orange and pink mixing like paint, bleeding into the black and soaking in a new day.
“Home?” He asked as they fell in step beside each other, Jinx automatically sliding her hand into his.
She shook her head, scanning the streets like she was looking for something new to entertain herself with. “Not yet. It’s barely even morning!”
“What do you suggest?”
Jinx tapped her chin, leaning into his side conspiratorially. “We could vandalize some shit.”
“I should’ve known that’d be your go to answer,” Ekko let out a teasing sigh, bumping her shoulder. “My fault for asking.”
“It’ll be fun! I used to do it all the time!”
“Uh-huh,” Ekko hummed, considering. “And what, exactly, did you do?”
“Oh, y'know," Jinx shrugged, gesturing vaguely. “Property damage, light some stuff on fire. Throw stinkbombs at pedestrians, drop paint balloons on pedestrians-”
Jinx gasped and grabbed hold of his shoulder, stopping them short in the middle of the sidewalk as her eyes shone with excitement. “Oh, can we please drop paint balloons on pedestrians?!”
“Paint balloons?” He echoed questioningly.
“Like water balloons,” Jinx explained impatiently. “But you use paint instead. And sometimes glitter.”
“And you…threw them at people?”
“Duh? What else would I throw them at?”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, “I had a paint balloon thrown at me a few years ago.”
Her eyes widened. She offered an innocent smile, tugging on his hand to continue walking down the street. “Well, I’m sure whoever did it had a good reason.”
“My hair was pink for a week!”
“Be grateful you didn’t get one with glitter!”
“How did you get away with this for so long?” Ekko grumbled, catching up with her as she finally slowed down.
She shrugged dismissively. “Not like anybody cared what I was doing.”
Ekko found that response far more sad than she probably intended it to be. He knew that even with Silco and Sevika around, Jinx had been left largely unsupervised. It really wasn’t surprising she’d resorted to terrorizing people in her free time, whether to simply entertain herself or to get some type of attention. Even if it was negative.
Of course, Ekko had no doubt that she enjoyed terrorizing people. She’d loved harmless pranks and bouts of mischief even when they were children, all that had really changed was that Jinx was far less harmless these days.
Still, she seemed delighted by the idea. And it seemed safe enough, more of a nuisance than anything. A little paint never hurt anybody, even when hurled at you full force from a building. It’d be fine.
He tugged on her hand, tilting his head when she met his gaze questioningly.
“We don’t have paint,” he told her, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. Just because he could. “Or balloons.”
Jinx pouted, considering that. Finally, she sighed dramatically. “Fine, we can stop at my lab. I have plenty there we can use.”
“Deal,” he agreed, then tugged on her hand again as she made to move forward. She huffed at him. He pulled her closer. “But first, when’s the last time you ate?”
Jinx blew a piece of hair from her eyes, glancing away as she thought about it before eventually shrugging. “Sometime recently, I’m sure.”
He chuckled, nodding to himself and wrapping his arm around her torso as he began walking them down a side street and away from the path to the hideout.
“Jericho’s it is, then!”
⏳
“Why do I have to carry everything?” Ekko grumbled, toting buckets of paint and baggies of spare balloons up to the roof and depositing them next to Jinx.
“Hey, I carried these!” Jinx protested, gesturing to the large bags filled with the balloons they’d filled at her lair. “Don’t be a baby.”
Jinx cast a striking figure against the lightening sky, having changed out of her dress at the hideout and exchanging it for a cropped black and purple top, the bottom tied with a buckle and a pink ‘X’ criss-crossed over her chest. The matching pair of shorts were hardly visible beneath the large belt crossed over it, more pre-made balloons dangling from it where you’d typically find ammo stored away.
She looked good. Good enough that Ekko hadn’t thought to argue when she’d so graciously bestowed him the task of carrying nearly all their supplies.
His arms were greatly regretting his weakness. Damn his girlfriend and her irresistible charms.
Ekko knelt, peeking over the edge of the rooftop they’d chosen as their base of operations. “Do we really need so many balloons? There’s not that many people out.”
“Have some faith in my genius,” Jinx shot back, dismissing his concerns. “They’ll come soon enough.”
It wasn’t long before she was proven right, sparse groups of pedestrians going about their business in the streets below. Jinx grinned, creeping towards the edge of the roof with a balloon in hand. “Here comes victim number one.”
Jinx reached out, letting the balloon dangle precariously in her fingertips as she watched her target approach closer and closer.
Waiting, waiting, waiting…
SPLAT!
A stream of swear words echoed from below as they both reared back, ducking low to avoid being spotted as delighted giggles spilled free from Jinx’s lips. She peeked hesitantly over the edge and watched as the pedestrian stood angrily wiping paint from their clothes, to no avail.
“And here comes the double whammy,” Jinx whispered devilishly, plucking another from her belt and letting it soar down to drench their unsuspecting target in a fresh coat of neon green paint.
More swears, threats, and general hatred were flung into the air, followed by hurried footsteps as their victim fled before more paint could be rained down upon them.
Jinx let out a triumphant cheer, bouncing up and down in excitement. Ekko grinned at the display, relieved he’d opted for a more breathable shirt as she thrust a balloon into his hand and dragged him to the edge. “Your turn!”
He examined the streets below. “Who?”
Jinx rolled her eyes, but directed his gaze to a burly man leaning against a wall across the street. “Him. Ya think your aim’s good enough?”
“My aim is just fine, thank you.”
Ekko lifted the balloon, praying his unsuspecting victim was the forgiving type, and launched it across the street with all his might.
The balloon exploded smack dab against the man’s chest, staining his shirt a vivid pink and ducking to the ground at the man’s responding yell of rage.
Jinx cheered, clapping enthusiastically and giggling as if she didn’t care if anybody heard her. Laughter bubbled up his throat, joining in her delight even as he remained flat against the ground.
She offered him another balloon, eyes sparkling. “Whaddya say? Double whammy him?”
Ekko peeked over the edge, watching the man yank at his shirt unhappily and swear at every passerby. Another balloon might just send the man from angry to murderous.
“Bring it on.”
Jinx grinned, pulling back before her balloon could drop into his hand. “Wait.”
Ekko raised a brow as she knelt, rummaging in her bag of tricks and tossing him a different balloon, decorated with a smiley face with x’s for eyes. A devilish smirk spread across his girlfriend's face.
“Glitter paint balloon.”
Ekko matched her smirk, taking the balloon without hesitation and watching with a little too much satisfaction as it burst over the man and sent the poor soul into an uproar.
Ekko nearly tackled Jinx to the ground, tumbling atop her as the man yelled for them to show themselves. He forced his laughter down so as to not be heard, though his grin was easily visible to her, even as he clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her shrieks of ecstatic laughter.
“You,” he released her mouth for just a moment, sealing their lips together in a short kiss, the two of them smiling too much to have a proper one. His forehead fell against hers. “Are a horrible influence.”
Her chest rumbled with barely suppressed laughter. “You love it.”
“Hell yeah, I do.”
He kissed her again, properly this time, lips moving softly against each other as they melted into each other.
They pulled apart slowly. Ekko watched as Jinx tilted her head thoughtfully, like she was listening for something. She sat up, grinning conspiratorially and leaning forward to whisper into his ear. “I think he’s gone.”
Ekko pulled himself up, reaching for a balloon with one hand and offering his other to pull her up. “Shall we?”
Jinx took it immediately. “We shall!”
They stumbled back to the edge, giggling like children as balloons flew, one after the other, and stained the street below every shade of paint imaginable in splatters of color. Like the streets and people were their own personal canvas.
Jinx snatched up another balloon, her hands dyed in rainbow colors from filling fresh balloons. She let it soar, barely taking a second to look before locking in on a target. The shot connected, exploding against their victim in a near radioactive shade of yellow.
A split second of silence followed, unlike the others who screamed in offense the moment the hit landed. Then:
“JINX!”
Their eyes widened in unison as they turned to each other, hands flying to their mouths in a vain attempt to keep down the raucous laughter bursting from their throats.
Ekko nearly choked on his own laughter, wheezing as he backed away from the roof's edge to hide, though it was pointless. Their target knew quite well where and who they were.
“You-!” Ekko broke out into another laugh, trying to pull her along with him. “You hit Sevika!”
Jinx was doubled over, pure delight lighting up her features at having - even unintentionally - getting one over on the woman. “Did you see her face?!”
Ekko tried unsuccessfully to quiet his laughter, risking a glance back at where the neon yellow shot had landed to catch another glimpse at the woman’s reaction.
He paled. “Shit.”
Jinx coughed, clearly trying to pull herself together. “Hm?”
“She’s gone.”
“What?”
“We’re dead, aren’t we?”
Jinx let out a pfff. “It’s Sevika! I can take her.”
Ekko caught a slight shimmer in the leftover yellow paint on the street, leaning closer to confirm his suspicions. “Jinx…”
“What now?”
“That was a glitter balloon.”
Her eyes widened comically, her hand wrapping around his wrist and her other smacking hurriedly against his shoulder. “Go! Go!”
They escaped down a ladder, breaking into a sprint down the street with their laughter echoing around them. Explosions of paint splattered against the ground at their feet, Sevika having found their nest and hurling threats and balloons after them in revenge.
“Run!”
After a few blocks, they couldn’t take anymore. Their persistent laughter and their impromptu escape left them both winded and clutching their stomachs as they stumbled into each other and slid against a graffitied wall to rest.
Jinx slumped against him, using his shoulder as a pillow as she caught her breath. Small squeals of laughter still escaped as she pulled herself together.
He buried his nose in her hair, pressing a kiss to her head. He grinned, unable to help himself.
“Her aim could use some work.”
The floodgates opened once more, a loud yelp of laughter escaping Jinx as she buried her head desperately in his shoulder to muffle herself. Ekko felt drunk from the sound of it, so sweet and addicting he couldn’t help but spurn it on.
His fingers found her torso, tickling her sides mercilessly and delighting in the breathless, desperate laughter that followed as she tried to flee his attack.
She tossed and turned in his arms, managing to escape the onslaught long enough for her hands to grasp his face and unleash an attack of her own as she peppered his face with kisses. An attempt to distract him, Ekko was sure. But an enjoyable distraction nonetheless.
His fingers ceased their relentless tickling. Jinx smiled against his cheek, rewarding his mercy with a firm kiss to his lips.
They only managed a few minutes, both of them smiling into the kiss and forced to separate, but not before sharing a few quick, chaste kisses as they parted.
Ekko pulled her against him, their foreheads falling together as she curled into his lap. His arm circled her waist, the other running along her shoulder and finding the hourglass etched there with his fingers. He traced it with a featherlight touch, gliding his finger along the pattern over and over and over. Until the feel of it was memorized and stored away into his mind to always remember. A permanent reminder to anyone that saw it that she was his.
“I love you,” he murmured into the air between them, eyes lifting so he could relish in the smile he earned in return.
Her hand trailed up his arm until she found the matching tattoo along the back of his shoulder, her own finger copying the movement into his skin with reverence. There was caution there too, her touch soft as a whisper. Like she was ensuring her touch wouldn’t cause the tender skin any pain even as she longed to feel him. To memorize every groove and line until she could find it with her eyes closed.
A permanent reminder. A reminder that he was hers too.
Their hands seemed to fall away at the same time, gliding down to sit between them and fingers intertwining from where they met in his lap. Her grip tightened in his, bringing his hand up to press her lips to the fingers that just moments ago had traced his symbol across her skin.
His thumb grazed her lower lip. Jinx smiled, eyes falling closed at the gentle touch.
“I love you, too.”
⏳
Bonus scene: the next day (Sheriff’s Office)
Caitlyn sighed, rubbing her temples as she set aside another file. It was a necessary part of her duties as sheriff, if an unpleasant one.
Knuckles rapped against the ajar office door, her head snapping up to see Vi entering. Caitlyn’s shoulders relaxed at the sight of her girlfriend.
“Please tell me you’re here to do the rest of this for me?” Caitlyn sighed hopefully, running her fingers over the stack of seemingly endless reports and reviews.
“Actually…” Vi guiltily held up two more files, offering a sheepish smile at Caitlyn’s groan. “Ran into Steb on the way in. He asked me to drop these by.”
Caitlyn accepted defeat, taking the offered files and setting them in front of her. “Just when I thought this pile couldn’t get any bigger.”
“Think this might help?” Vi pulled a bag with a restaurant logo from her back, the savory smell nearly making Caitlyn melt into the desk in relief.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
Vi sat down in the chair opposite her, unpacking the takeout for them to share. “That directed at me or the food?”
Caitlyn groaned as she bit into a large bite of food, manners be damned. “I don’t think you want me to answer that right now.”
Vi just laughed, tucking into her food while Caitlyn reluctantly flipped open one of the new files. She let out a hum of surprise, seeing that the report came in from Zaun.
Part of the long process of healing the sister cities was ensuring Zaun was equally as protected as Piltover. A task they’d been neglecting for far too long, but even still it was rare for anyone to actually report the crimes they witnessed in the lower city. They, rightfully, didn’t trust the enforcers to handle such matters after the corruption witnessed on the force.
It had taken months to weed out the last of the corrupt officers in hopes of creating a force dedicated to protecting both cities. Caitlyn took it as a sign in the right direction that at least a few people felt safe enough to report problems in their area, even if it was just cases of property damage or petty theft. Anything is better than nothing these days.
Caitlyn frowned down at the file. It was really only a paragraph of information, with no witness reports and little to go on. Only the testimony of a shop owner who’d arrived at his tattoo parlor only to find the lock busted and equipment used.
Caitlyn ran over the testimony one more time. The owner didn’t report anything stolen, only used by unauthorized individuals. A curious case, certainly. Caitlyn set aside the file, making a mental note to send another officer or herself to the scene to see if they could learn more from the owner and narrow down any suspects.
She opened the next file, noting that it was also from Zaun. This one was pages long, multiple witness testimonies and vague suspect descriptions.
Caitlyn began reading, a forkful of food halfway to her mouth when she paused. A sense of dread consumed her as she scanned the eye witness statements.
Multiple victims, assaulted with paint filled balloons launched at them from afar. Caitlyn’s eyes narrowed, dropping to read any information on the suspects.
Two assailants, likely firing from a rooftop based on the balloon trajectory. The descriptions were varied, due to conflicting witness testimony. Likely from the fact the suspects were too far away to make out any clear details from the rooftop they’d operated from.
Caitlyn flipped through the pages, eyes catching on a witness describing one of the assailants.
Bright purple clothing. Blue hair. Maniacal laughter.
“Oh, for the love of- !” Caitlyn slammed the file shut, Vi startling in surprise across from her. Caitlyn would’ve apologized for the fright if she wasn’t busy digging in her bottom cabinet drawer.
“Cait, what’s- ?”
Her hand wrapped around the liquor bottle she kept for special office occasions, popping off the lid and taking a long chug until her throat burned.
She plopped the bottle back down onto the desk, putting the two files together and groaning loudly.
“What’s wrong?” Vi asked gently, examining her girlfriend worriedly.
Caitlyn sighed, pinching her nose in exasperation and sliding her hand down her face. “Violet?”
“…Uh-huh?”
Caitlyn slid the files across the desk, letting her head fall against the desk as she vowed to go home early tonight.
“Add those to the Jinx pile, please.”