Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Jinx’s Bomb
“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?"
If there was ever a question that plagued Jinx’s life to no end it was this one. Whether directly or indirectly, others’ answer to this question seemed to shape her life on a fundamental level. It was a question that she didn’t quite understand herself.
After all, what was a daughter?
She was one, she supposed, or at least she was to three different fathers.
One that sired her.
One that took her in.
And one that raised her.
To which of these three men was she truly the daughter of? Jinx didn’t know but if a daughter was undoing then she was definitely one to all three of the fathers she would never see again.
Honestly, overall, it was an annoying question in the end and a pointless one. She’d rather focus on the present and her babies, each that she carefully constructed with her bare hands.
Oh!
Perhaps a daughter was like a gun? Though that didn’t make sense either, after all, Pow Pow was never “undoing” unless, well, it was undoing other people in which case the gun equals daughter idea might have some merit.
Whatever, she was done wondering about this.
Jinx, as a rule, refused to ponder on one issue for too long, preferring to go with the flow. Most times she could answer any question that came to her. For example, a while ago she asked herself if she was the only one who didn’t belong but after months of researching (stalking) and a quick trip around Runeterra with a prototype teleporter she borrowed (stole), she found the answer to that question.
No, she wasn’t the only one that didn’t belong.
And she even solved this by grouping up and playing with them for the day!
After all, if they all didn’t belong where they were, perhaps they belonged together? At least for that one day anyway. As fun as it was, they were all busy, and as much fun as she had while fighting with the others her teleporter didn’t operate for free.
Until she could borrow (steal) another gemstone that wouldn’t be needed for her babies, her teleporter was to be used for emergencies only!
See, and people thought she couldn’t be responsible.
“Hm, where to next?” Jinx mused as she sat in a cave that made up her make-shift hideout in the mountains of Ixtal. She had been on a trip because playing (harassing) with Vi and Caitlyn had gotten boring and even Jinx was self-aware enough to know that nothing good would come from her being bored.
Nothing at all.
It would lead to her trying to raise the stakes of their game and knowing how competitive she was she might end up breaking one of them which just wouldn’t do. If they were broken, the game would end after all! So, Jinx decided it was best to play some other games away from Piltover and Zaun so that her games with Fat Hands and Big Hat could regain their appeal.
“Let’s see I didn’t plan on returning just yet,’” Jinx murmured. “I should have time to go see either Noxus or Demacia. Flashlight’s in Demacia, but she’s the only thing in Demacia. If I go and she’s out on a mission, that would be a waste of a trip.” Jinx shrugged. “Noxus it is, I can at least play with some assassins there!”
With a bright grin and her carefully thought out (made on the fly) plans to travel to Noxus, Jinx laid back in her sleeping bag for the night. As her eyes closed, the question she had been pondering quickly vanished as it always had.
After all, it's not like it would ever mean anything to her.
Until it did.
-1 week Later: Noxus: Frontier-
“Sheesh! How many noble houses does a girl have to bomb to get an assassin or two around here?” Jinx questioned. It had been four days since she arrived in Noxus and three since she began her reign of terror and still no rich prick had sent anyone to play with her yet.
Granted, she decided to not go to the main cities this time and stuck to the rural areas but the least the farm owners could do was spare an irate guard or something! With a sigh, Jinx was beginning to think this plan would be a bust.
Releasing a frustrated huff, Jinx rolled her eyes and blew her bang from in front of her face. Seriously! She did good work! This was almost insulting. What? Did they all have something more important to deal with or something-
An explosion in the distance shook Jinx from her thoughts and she whipped her head around to see a rapidly growing forest fire in the distance. Curiosity quickly overpowered her near non-existent sense of self-preservation and Jinx took off toward the flames hoping to find something remotely interesting in what was supposed to be arguably the most violent nation on Runeterra.
With her body scarred and numbed by years of recklessness, Jinx paid no attention to the flames tickling at her body. Instead, she continued to run toward where she could now hear dozens of pained and fearful screams. It wasn’t long before she finally saw what would unexpectantly change her life moving forward.
Mere yards away were the guards and assassins that Jinx had been looking for, crawling away from what was possibly the most adorable little girl she had ever seen and a giant cool (horrifying) looking stuffed bear.
“Run!” One of the assassins shouted as he desperately tried to crawl away, flanked by two others that looked to be in even worse shape than him.
“What’s the matter? Are you done already?” The girl questioned with a pout that pulled at Jinx’s heartstrings. “But we just started!” with a bright smile, the girl raised a palm toward the assassin that was now pleading desperately for mercy. “Eeny, meeny, miney, burn!”
A torrent of flame erupted from the girl’s palm, something that made Jinx’s jaw slacken as the assassin was suddenly engulfed in flames. His skin darkened as his screams tore from his throat while he was burned straight to the bone.
“Witch!” One of the assassins screamed as his companion fell silent. “Monster!” The assassin reached to his side and pulled out a knife which he threw at the girl only for it to be blocked by the arm of the massive bear. Jinx watched as the bear growled and stalked toward the survivors, towering over them menacingly.
Jinx watched the two be subjected to a fate far worse than being burned alive as the bear tore through them without mercy. Throughout it all, the little girl watched unblinkingly and her smile never faltered as the two were slaughtered. A little blood splattered on her face but she didn’t notice it or Jinx. Not until the last of her playmates breathed their last breaths.
“Yay, Tibbers!” the girl cheered, hugging the bear after it returned to her. It was only then that she turned to find Jinx who was looking around in awe, captivated by the flames and destruction that surrounded her. With a curious expression, the girl looked at Jinx with a deceptively innocent expression. “You want to play too? It’ll be fun!”
When faced with such a question after witnessing the visceral carnage released by the little girl mere moments earlier, there was only one response Jinx could have had to such a question. Lifting Pow Pow, Jinx aimed at the little girl as a wide grin threatened to split her face in two.
Despite her age, Jinx knew that this girl was likely on the stronger side of people she’s played with and she couldn’t help but shudder in excitement. Her bright pink eyes glowed as her chest thundered in her heart.
“Oh yeah, let’s play!”
With that, Jinx charged forward at the smiling girl.
-later-
Fun.
Fun!
So Fun!
This was all Annie could think as she watched the cackling woman shoot at both Tibbers and herself. She felt exhilarated as she found herself laughing along with her new playmate. Finally, she found someone that could play with her!
This woman didn’t scream when her flames consumed her. No, she just laughed more and shrugged off the burns that, even now, Annie could see healing before her very eyes. This playmate was the best! Even her blood was pretty, it was practically shining and had a pinker tint than the boring red blood of all her other playmates.
There was no fear in the woman’s face either, only joy, and she was fast too! Faster than even Tibbers was. A bullet shot from her playmate’s mini-gun grazed her cheek and Annie found herself a bit self-conscious about the boring color of her blood but that bit of insecurity was dwarfed by the excitement she felt.
Finally, she found a playmate that understood!
Others would always try to aim for her face or her chest to end the game early which was so boring. This playmate only grazed those parts. Annie was a smart girl and she could tell that the woman could have landed those shots if she wanted to.
But, like Annie, she didn’t want the game to end too fast either!
It was strange for Annie as she and Tibbers were stronger, way stronger than her current playmate but the laughing woman was oh so fast and smart too! Annie guessed the woman had played this game much longer than she had and knew things she didn’t even know she didn’t know!
Annie, even now, somehow managed to lose track of her only to turn around to find the large gun slamming into her side and knocking her over.
Amazing!
Annie rolled until Tibbers caught her and lifted her in his arms. With a competitive gleam in her eyes, Annie pointed at the cackling woman. “Your name! What’s your name! You’re so much fun!”
“Jinx! It stands for Jinx!” Jinx answered without hesitation. “What’s yours?”
“Annie!”
“Well Annie, this has been a riot but it’s getting past your bedtime.” Jinx’s grin managed to somehow widen. “Let’s finish this and get you to sleep!”
At this, Annie pouted for the first time that night. “But I don’t want to go to sleep!”
“Hey I get it, but trust me, kids your age need it,” Jinx told her, once more patting herself on the back for being responsible. “The longer you sleep now, the easier it’ll be for you to stay up and play when you’re older!”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Annie and she smiled almost menacingly at Jinx.
“You can’t make me sleep if I make you sleep first.”
Jinx paused as she conceded that the kid did have a point. “Just you try, Firelight!”
With that declaration, the two resumed their battle and it wasn’t long before Jinx ran out of ammo. Jinx tossed Pow Pow to the side and jumped to the right to avoid a massive blast of fire. Instinctively, she reached for Fishbones before deciding against it.
She didn’t want to kill the kid!
At that thought, Jinx slung off Fishbones as well. Without them weighing her down, Jinx shot toward Annie at unprecedented speeds, leaving only twin pink trails of light in her wake. Surprised, Annie quickly raised her hands in front of her and simply engulfed everything in her sight in a massive inferno.
After all, if she couldn’t hit Jinx, she’d just hit everything instead!
For a moment, Annie thought she won but soon a hand covered in soot shot out from the flames, wielding a strange-looking handgun. Annie didn’t have time to blink before the hand squeezed the trigger and a blue bolt of lightning slammed into her.
Oddly enough, though the electricity hurt, hurt more than anything she had been hit by ever, it didn’t last long as her vision completely blacked out. The last thing Annie was aware of when she fell off a roaring Tibbers shoulder was that she was smiling as she went to sleep.
Today was really fun.
-The Next Morning-
When Annie came to the next morning, the first thing she was aware of was that her head was resting on something warm. Now, while whatever she was resting on wasn’t particularly soft it was still softer than the ground she had expected. Opening her eyes, she saw a pair of pale legs shooting out in front of her and she could feel long narrow fingers raking through her hair.
Annie rolled over a bit and saw that she had been laying on Jinx’s lap as the woman hummed a song to herself. Their surroundings were a wasteland and the bodies of her earlier playmates were still there but the sunlight shining down on them let Annie know that she had been there the whole night.
And Jinx stayed with her.
When Annie felt the fingers stop moving, she saw Jinx look down at her. Though her smile was there, it seemed a bit more subdued. More gentle than manic like the previous night.
The previous night…
Annie clutched Tibbers, who was now small once more, tightly in her arms as she realized that it wasn’t a dream.
“Rise and shine, Firelight,” Jinx said, her expression surprisingly gentle, and for a moment in Annie’s eyes, Jinx’s image was replaced by the image of her mother who once wore a similar expression. Annie blinked rapidly as the image corrected itself and she once more saw Jinx above her. “Would have woke you up, but I didn’t have the heart with you so cute and comfortable.”
“Did you sleep too?” Annie questioned quietly, noting that while Jinx didn’t appear tired, she didn’t look all too well-rested either.
“Me? Nah, had to be sure you didn’t have any more playmates coming while you were sleeping,” Jinx told her. “Game wouldn’t be fun if they started it before you were awake, right?”
Annie stared at her for a moment, unblinkingly, as she held her bear tighter.
“Are you real?” Annie questioned and though she felt Jinx stiffen, the woman’s smile just twitched before widening ever so slightly.
“Yeah, Firelight, I’m real,” Jinx answered before she felt the wind knocked out of her when Annie latched onto her waist. Jinx found herself squashed with Tibbers as Annie held them tightly. She could feel Annie’s nails digging into her skin and didn’t even have to look to know she was bleeding.
“I had fun last night,” Annie murmured against Jinx's stomach. “Can we play again?”
“I’d like to,” Jinx answered honestly. “But I can’t stay here, I’m just passing through. To be honest, I was waiting on your parents or someone to show up before I left, Firelight. Where are they?”
“Gone,” Annie answered, and Jinx’s smile waned a bit, her heart thundering in her chest for reasons she didn’t know as a sick feeling of déjà vu began to hit her. With a trembling hand, Jinx placed it on the back of Annie’s head and ran her fingers through her hair.
“And your playmates?”
“They only show up after I get myself food or to get away from the rain and snow,” Annie answered. “Everyone wants me to play, but no one wants me to stay. They think I’m a monster…do you?”
“Yeah, I do,” Jinx answered honestly. “But you want to know a secret? I’m one too.” Jinx’s grin threatened to split her face as Annie looked up at her with childlike wonder. Gently, Jinx moved her hand and cupped Annie’s face.
“They say monsters shouldn’t have been born.”
“If that was true, the world wouldn’t have made us now, would it?” Jinx asked and Annie wore a cute frown as she pondered Jinx’s words. “But that’s okay, let them think what they want. It doesn’t matter.” Jinx shifted a bit and gathered Annie in her arms. “I’m glad you were. Born, I mean. Last night was a riot!” Jinx’s expression then softened. “I can’t stay but…wanna come with me?”
The only response Jinx received was the feeling of something wet on her stomach and the feeling of Annie nodding her head.
Resting her chin atop the child’s head, Jinx was taken back to a different time, a different place and for a moment Annie was replaced by a young girl with blue hair that had lost everything. Soon she once more she found herself surrounded by flames as Annie’s grip tightened, but Jinx didn’t mind.
“It’s okay, let it out,” Jinx said as she held Annie tighter.
“We’ll show them. We will show them all.”
Jinx’s eyes shone brightly as she unknowingly repeated those words that she heard so long ago.
-1 week later-
Jinx was no stranger to being out of her depth but even then, not even she knew just how hard it would be to take care of a child. It had already been a week and Jinx was surprisingly stressed for the first time in years. Which was weird because on paper, the task was simple.
Be better than Vi.
See? Straightforward, not that hard. All she had to do was not leave Annie alone which she was already making sure not to do because people would start going missing if she did. That wasn’t something Jinx particularly cared about, but international travel with a child meant she had to keep the body counts low.
Still, simply being there wasn’t enough. She had to do more than keep Annie company. She’d protect the girl, again like Vi used to do for her, but Firelight could take care of herself…within reason. Firelight was powerful, but despite how it looked while fighting her, Jinx knew that Annie did not have complete control over her power. To put it simply, Annie was a ticking time-bomb-
-wait!
That was it!
Annie was a time bomb!
Jinx slapped herself on her forehead. Duh! It was so obvious now. Annie didn’t need a Vi she needed the same thing her other babies did. Momma! Jinx realized then that she had been looking at this all wrong. At that moment she thought of the musings she had earlier about the nature of daughters.
Daughters were bombs.
They had to be carefully constructed, tested, and primed before they could be let out on the world to erupt with their beauty and change their surroundings forever. Firelight was potentially the biggest, most powerful, bomb she ever had. She required extra special care and nurture before she could be safely let out into the world years from now.
This also explained why the voices had been silent. They always went away when she was working on something extremely dangerous for the first time. Sure, they would pop back up when creating the new explosive became routine but until then, even they knew to shut up or else they all would get blown to hell.
Jinx released a sigh of relief, suddenly this task became much more manageable now that she knew how to think about it.
“Okay, let's start from scratch. Daughters are bombs.” Jinx began to herself. “Which means I, as a former daughter, was a bomb as well. I want her to explode even better than I do, to shake the whole world so what can I give her that I lacked?” Jinx began to pace. “He made me who I am, but he did it alone. All I can do for Annie is what he did for me with my own spin cause that’s all I know. I don’t know how to learn anything else.”
The first step in tackling a new challenge was to lay out the variables and understand your limits. Then you had to adapt, improvise, and overcome.
“All I remember were ‘dads’, what I lacked was a ‘mom’ or at least one that I remember,” Jinx murmured. “Technically I’m her ‘mom’ now but I only know how to be a ‘dad’. If she’s gonna better than me, a better bomb, then the component she needs that I lack is a ‘mom’ that knows how to be a ‘mom’. Shut up guys! That makes perfect sense when you think about it, don’t start talking now.” Jinx muttered, glaring at the guns on her hip and strapped to her back.
Jinx took a deep breath.
“Great, I know what ‘piece’ the bomb is missing, now I need to make sure it’s the correct ‘model’, a good fit.” Jinx mused. Jinx supposed kidnapping someone to play ‘mom’ wouldn’t be an issue, though they couldn’t be from Piltover. Topsider arrogance aside, that would attract Fat Hands and Big Hat and they would want to play.
And for once Jinx had something more important to do.
“They’d also have to be able to deal with Firelight’s…fire,” Jinx muttered. For now, she could deal with the fire and knock Annie out before they could become too bad to cause her any real issue. That said, Annie was a kid.
Kids grew.
Which meant Annie would get bigger and stronger and so would her flames. Jinx was a lot of things, but a mage was not one. Hacking Hextech and actual magic born from one’s body were two different things entirely. The only one who could teach her little bomb how to control her explosion would have to be a mage themselves.
Which means “mom” needed to have magic.
That or she’d have to stuff Tibbers with Petricite which wouldn’t be fun at all.
Throughout her musings, a picture was slowly painting itself of the “mom” component and when it was done, Jinx froze before a grin split her face.
Of course!
It was obvious.
She knew just who to ask and they were overdue for a playdate anyway. She’d have to gather some blackmail and some ammunition in case of resistance, but Jinx was sure they would come around and be willing to play house.
After all who could turn down building the world’s best bomb!?
With that thought in mind, Jinx removed her teleporter from her satchel and smiled at it, glad to see that it had enough juice for two more trips. If there was ever an emergency, it would be this.
“I’ll wait until I get Firelight settled in Zaun,” Jinx decided before she put up the device.
Speaking of her little Firelight…
Jinx froze when she realized that she was walking down the beaten path in Noxian countryside alone. Startled, Jinx turned to see fire in the distance before she ran off toward it. It wasn’t long before she saw a burning plantation with Annie standing in front of it. The little girl stood unharmed with the smuggest expression Jinx had ever seen on a child.
Tucked under Annie’s arm was a cookie jar, which she dug inside as she giggled.
“I said please.” Annie sang. Annie had noticed Jinx seemed troubled by something earlier and decided to try and cheer her up. Cookies always got her in a good mood, so she snuck off while Jinx was lost in thought to ask the owners of the plantation if they had cookies.
They did.
But they didn’t want to share.
So, Annie decided to improvise.
As the screams of those in the building echoed as they tried to break free, Annie turned and offered a cookie to Jinx. Soon Annie found herself lifted and tucked under Jinx’s arm who ran away from the building like a bat out of hell. Jinx probably should have scolded her but in her mouth was a pretty damn good cookie.
“Okay, maybe not leaving someone alone is a little harder than I thought.” Jinx muttered as she continued to book it while Annie cheered clearly enjoying the “ride”.
Again, the first step in tackling a new challenge was to lay out the variables and understand your limits.
Jinx now knew, without doubt, she would need a little help.
-2 weeks later-
“This is bullshit.” Lux thought as she moved away from the window of her cell where she stared up at the night sky.
Now, one would be surprised to know that such a thought came from none other than one Luxanna Crownguard but given the events that followed Sylas’ attack, her thought was understandable. No amount of nobility or excuse could help her after she displayed her full power in front of so many of the Demacian soldiers.
The whole country knew, quite clearly, that she was a mage.
And now she was paying for her selflessness.
Her honors and accolades?
Stripped.
Her status as nobility second only to the Royal family?
Revoked for the sake of the family if anything. Despite everything, Lux refused to leave the Crownguard name in a worse state than she was born into. She’d likely be erased from the family history but at least she wouldn’t be a stain.
Any goodwill Lux had built up was spent in a single day and remained the only reason she hadn’t been executed immediately. At the very least, she could try to plead for exile. It was either that, life imprisonment, or death. Even the Illuminators couldn’t reach her in this hell she put herself into.
Still, she didn’t regret it. People were going to die and she would save them again and again if she had to. That didn’t mean she didn’t fear what would come next. With her likely disowned by now, she’d still be quite vulnerable to being executed but she would be willing to act despite this fear. Lux didn’t know if that made her brave or a fool, but the former made her feel better about walking into the unknown.
All she wanted to do was help and perhaps make it so that people like her wouldn’t have to fear existing in their homeland. Unfortunately, it was a wish of hers that would remain unfulfilled, at least, in her lifetime. With this sorrowful realization, Lux shut her eyes.
-Flashback-
“And with that, our no longer resident samurai is back home!” Jinx cheered before turning to Lux. “Alright Flashlight, let’s get you back home.”
“Do you have to call me that?” Lux groaned, her cheeks blazing as Jinx grinned at her. She didn’t know what was worse, Flashlight or Sunshine.
“Yeah, you’re so bright and when night came your powers literally lit up the field so we could see,” Jinx reminded her. “Only reason we won.”
Lux blushed at the reminder of being used as a flashlight by her teammates to win. “Are…are you sure my secret is safe?” Lux asked nervously.
Jinx waved off her concerns. “Yeah, I got blackmail on everybody. How do you think I got everyone to participate? Trust me, Sunshine, yours is far from the worst secret I dug up. Everyone just needed to enjoy the day and keep their mouths shut. Still, I gotta ask, do you want me to take you home?”
Lux frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it was a bitch getting this thing to work with all the Petricite in Demacia but it did. I got you out without a trace,” Jinx told her. “Sure you wanna go back to a place that hates you?”
At this Lux clenched her fist but nodded. “I have to,” Lux answered softly. “I have my duties as a Crownguard.”
“I don’t get you rich folks,” Jinx shook her head. “That’s just a last name, hell I don’t even have one, why do you let that stop you from being happy?”
“I am happy!”
Jinx looked surprisingly skeptical. “Are you?”
Lux opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before swallowing. “People need me, people like me who are afraid of what they are. If no one else fights for them in Demacia, how can things get better for them? For us? I’m in a position in society to make a change, if I can help even one mage, I’ll be happy.”
Jinx stared at her for a moment before sighing. “You shine too bright for your own good. You’re fighting and risking your life for a world that made me of all people, you know that right?” Jinx shook her head. “And they say I’m crazy. Suit yourself, sister, let’s get you home. Call me if you change your mind.”
It was then that, just like the first time, without warning Jinx grabbed her and teleported her home. Lux would later find it very difficult to explain that she wasn’t sick after Garen caught her vomiting in her study.
-Flashback: End-
“Why am I thinking about that now?” Lux wondered as she opened her eyes. It had been over a year since that almost dream-like day. That day where a criminal, one of the most wanted in Runeterra, gave her a taste of freedom. A day, a single day, where she could be unapologetically her and use her powers without restraint.
Lux hadn’t seen Jinx since, but when things got rough and her spirits were low, she’d go back to that day to get enough joy to push her forward. Whenever the thoughts drifted to Jinx, she couldn’t help but smile a bit. They had never even met before then, yet they fought together and spoke as if they had been doing so for years.
That joy, that unapologetic freedom that Jinx had made Lux more envious than she ever thought herself capable of being but there was no ill will. Whatever came next, Lux would be happy that this cruel world still contained people who could be so happy and live so earnestly. Maybe if she was lucky enough to be exiled, she could run into that crazy woman again. If she did, Lux wondered if she would say “I told you so”.
“Call you if I change my mind?” Lux murmured, repeating the instruction Jinx had given her with an exasperated smile. “Just how would I manage to do that?” After all, Jinx left no way for Lux to contact her. Lux was very good at her job but Jinx eluded capture for a good reason and was practically impossible to find.
At that moment, a sense of foreboding filled Lux, and her ear twitched as she heard something rushing toward her. Eyes snapping open, Lux couldn’t even yelp before the cell simply exploded with enough force to shake the entire prison.
Coughing, a dust-covered Lux shakily rose to her feet as smoke poured out from the now gaping hole in her cell wall. Eyes watering from the smoke, Lux tried to wipe them as a shadow quickly moved to through the smoke.
“Gotcha!” An all too familiar voice said and Lux felt her jaw drop when she saw Jinx gripping her bound hands, already halfway through picking the lock on her shackles.
“Jinx!”
“The one and only!” Jinx said before unlocking the shacks on her hands and moving to the ones around her ankles. “I tried to sneak into your study again, but like, you weren’t there. Wasn’t hard to find out what happened though, the details are on every news report in the kingdom. After that, it was just a matter of finding which cell was yours which wasn’t hard with you moping around looking out at the stars like some sort of princess trapped in a castle.”
Lux flushed. “I was not moping!”
“Oh, you so were!” Jinx cackled as she finished with her legs. “But that’s fine, I’ll play the knight this time. Now come on, we have to go. I don’t have a babysitter so we need to hurry.” Jinx extended her hand toward Lux. “I don’t even have to use blackmail.” Jinx gave her a sad smile. “Shone a bit too bright didn’t you, Flashlight?”
Pain flashed across Lux’s face but she nodded all the same.
Still, she didn’t grab Jinx’s hand.
“Jinx, you’re known for property damage, even here,” Lux told her. “If I go with you, that’ll be a much more serious crime. They won’t stop hunting you, you’ll be an enemy of Demacia.”
Lux didn’t know Jinx well, but she had only done right by her and Lux wanted to repay that in kind. Going with Jinx would only cause the tattooed woman problems and put her in more danger than she already puts herself in.
“Flashlight, come on, I’m me,” Jinx said as if that explained everything. “Everybody wants to be my enemy, what’s one more country? But if it makes you feel better, I’ll blow something up in Piltover later to make an alibi. Assuming you and the others from our last playdate continue to not spill the beans about my newest toy, this can’t be pinned on me.” Jinx held up the teleporter. “Now stop worrying about others and be selfish for once, it’s time to go.”
To her credit, Lux only hesitated for a moment before grabbing Jinx’s hand.
“Wait…” Lux spoke up as something that was nagging in the back of her head popped to the forefront. “…why would you need a babysit-”
Lux was unable to finish her question as she suddenly found herself teleporting away.
-Zaun: Outskirts-
“And…home!” Jinx said as they popped up in front of one of her safehouses that existed far out into the outskirts of the Undercity, cloaked in the shadows of one of its last remaining, and largest, forests. Lux quickly rushed to the foliage and emptied the contents of her stomach into a bush. “…and it's dead,” Jinx pouted when her teleporter died.
Damn, she really liked that thing.
“You good?” Jinx called out and Lux wiped her mouth after she finished puking her guts out.
“Am I good? Jinx!” Lux hissed. “A little warning next time, please!?”
Seriously, how could she get Jinx to understand that snatch and grab was not good teleportation etiquette!?
“Shhh!” Jinx hastily shushed her which made Lux look at her in surprise.
“Why are you shushing me?” Lux whispered back, still a little irritated.
“Because I just got Firelight to sleep and if my hair gets burnt one more time, I’m shooting someone,” Jinx told her and it was the first time Lux had ever seen Jinx not smiling. It was right then that Lux understood that Jinx took her hair very seriously but that didn’t answer her question.
Or at the very least it didn’t deal with the root of her confusion.
“Who’s Firelight?” Lux whispered and Jinx gestured for the blonde to follow her inside. All in all, the safehouse was neater than Lux expected. Sure, there were gun parts and scrap littered around but it was focused in a single area that Lux assumed was Jinx’s workshop. It also smelled fairly good inside compared to the rest of Zaun thanks to Jinx’s scented candles and a filtration system that Lux could hear humming.
There was also a pull-out couch that had a surprisingly clean mattress and a kitchen and bathroom to meet all of Jinx’s needs.
“You’ll sleep there, sorry Flashlight, had to give up my bed,” Jinx told her as she led Lux down a small hallway and cracked open a door. Something inside the room Jinx open made her smile more, and when Lux stepped inside, she saw the most adorable little girl she had ever seen buried in a mountain of pillows and blankets next to a stuffed bear.
If Lux wasn’t so confused, she’d probably aww at the sight.
“…Aww.”
Never mind.
Slowly closing the door, Jinx turned to Lux with a raised eyebrow. The blonde flushed when she realized she did that out loud and quietly cleared her throat. Soon, she leveled Jinx with an even stare.
“Murders, acts of terrorism, and public nudity are all one thing, but kidnapping children?” Lux just looked disappointed now. “Come on.”
“The public nudity charge was only a four-time thing-wait-did you look up my record?” Jinx questioned and Lux managed to keep her hardened stare even if her cheeks burned a bit more.
“Don’t change the subject. Who is the girl?”
“She’s my bomb, I mean, my daughter,” Jinx answered and when Lux’s jaw dropped as she looked at Jinx incredulously, Jinx realized she needed to start from the beginning. “Let me explain in the kitchen, want a beer?”
Beer wasn’t Lux’s drink of choice, but even she knew she’d need some kind of alcohol for the upcoming conversation.
-Hours Later-
“And now we’re here.” Jinx finished as Lux downed her fourth beer that night since the conversation started. It was a scary thing, really, learning just how Jinx’s mind worked. Lux’s eye twitched several times as Jinx went down the rabbit hole that she called a thought process that led to her grabbing Lux. “So yeah, she’s my daughter though she’s not at the point where she will start calling me mom or anything.”
Lux took a deep breath and sat back in her seat.
All in all, it was actually kind of heartbreaking. Jinx clearly saw herself in Annie and wanted to make sure she was better than her. Jinx had a lot of flaws, hell she was practically all flaws, but it was clear that she was aware of them. Not only aware, she accepted them all with pride, but even though she wasn’t ashamed she still recognized them as flaws and not things to be celebrated.
“My…my…dad taught me how to survive,” Jinx told her. “He taught me how to accept myself, but he didn’t teach me how to live you know?” Jinx wrung her hands nervously but her smile never wavered. “It’s why I do what I do. I always put myself in situations where I have to survive and not live because it’s all I know how to do, Sunshine.”
Damn, that was sad.
But Lux refused to shed a tear in front of Jinx, she could do that in private. Still, Lux’s expression did shift into one of sadness.
“I…I don’t know how to nurture people, that’s what moms do right?” Jinx asked. “I’m supposed to do that for her but I don’t know how to. I don’t know the first thing about being a mom. I barely even remember mine, but you know yours, right?”
“Jinx, the only thing Lady Crownguard taught me was how not to be a mother,” Lux said dryly.
“Still better than what I got.”
And damn was that the truth, Lux had to admit to herself. Jinx didn’t even have an understanding of what not to do. The best Jinx could do was ensure Annie’s survival which would probably end up turning Annie into another her.
Lux shuddered for the world at the thought of a Jinx that could create explosions with her mind.
Lux, personally, had no ill will toward Jinx. A few more drinks and she’d probably admit to finding some of Jinx’s atrocities amusing. That said, this was a big decision to make and one she needed to make soon. It was then that Lux really looked at her, and Jinx found herself suddenly nervous as she never had someone look at her like that.
Like she was someone worth reading in the first place.
“I can’t make you stay,” Jinx said suddenly. “Not without some prep-time anyway. You’re probably the most dangerous one in this house right now. Still, I need you to complete this bomb with me. You’re the only piece that fits.”
“If I could only help one mage…” Lux murmured to herself and after a while, she made a decision. “There are two beds, where are you sleeping?”
Jinx perked up at that. “Ah, don’t mind me, I’ll grab my sleeping bag and go to my workshop. Wouldn’t be the first time I camped out in there.”
“Around all those scraps, parts, and explosives?” Lux questioned before shaking her head. “No, think about the example you’ll set. Never sleep on the floor of your own house, Jinx.” Lux told her softly. “You’re worth more than that, you can share the bed with me. It’s certainly more than big enough.”
“Are you sure? I mean I don’t mind-”
“Jinx,” Lux smiled at her. “It’s fine. Your chivalrous attempt has been noted but it’s unneeded. You already broke me out of prison tonight didn’t you, my ‘knight’?”
Jinx blinked before she burst out in a barely restrained laugh. “So, you admit it!”
“I’ll never admit to ‘moping’ as you put it, but once again you’ve offered me freedom.” Lux smiled slightly. “I’ll accept it this time,” Lux said before she yawned.
“Damn, it’s gotten late,” Jinx muttered. “Want to crash?”
“Please, it’s been a long day,” Lux said as she stood up. “We can hammer out the details in the morning, but I would be happy to mentor Annie. It’ll do me good to have a purpose after…well…everything.”
“You’d always have a purpose,” Jinx said with a shrug. “People don’t shine as bright as you and get to live without doing something impactful. You’re a light in the darkness, always helping people find their way.”
Lux suddenly stopped, causing Jinx to bump into her. For a moment, Jinx thought that she might have said something wrong. This concern grew a bit when Lux’s shoulders shook a bit but before she could scramble up an apology Lux spoke.
“Thank you,” Lux said, her voice hoarse. Jinx saw her quickly wipe something from her face before she continued toward the front room, never once looking back at Jinx. “I was very lucky to meet you.”
Now it was Jinx’s turn to stand frozen as Lux made her way to the bed.
“Lucky? But…I’m Jinx…” Jinx murmured. Something began to shift within Jinx, something that burned even more intensely than the shimmer but just what it was she still didn’t know. All she could do was continue forward into the unknown as the voices went silent…at least until Jinx checked on Annie one last time.
“Is there anything so undoing as a daughter?”
Jinx clutched at her chest, nails digging into her skin as she continued to watch Annie sleep soundly with her usually impish expression now gentle and befitting a girl her age. They had been together for just under a month, yet Jinx already knew that Annie had carved out a place in her life moving forward.
“No…I don’t think there is.” Jinx murmured. Even now she could feel it, the beginning of her ‘undoing’ but for someone so focused on survival and the thrill of doing so she felt herself become strangely content.
Her little bomb would be the greatest, and if she was caught up in the explosion then so be it.
Silently, Jinx closed the door and got ready for sleep.
-The next morning-
Lux was a tried and tested soldier that had fought and seen things some thrice her age would pale at. Despite her gentle demeanor, Lux’s heart was surprisingly hardened against most horrors. That all being said, she most definitely did not shriek like a little girl when she woke up and saw two curious eyes peering down at her no matter what Jinx would later claim.
Heart pounding in her chest, Lux gripped at it painfully as Jinx continued to laugh from beside her. Lux shot her an annoyed look before looking at Annie who continued to stare at her unblinkingly.
“H-Hello…” Lux cleared her throat and smiled at Annie as she sat up. “You must be Annie, Jinx told me a lot about you.”
“Hi.” Annie’s lips curled up into a small smile. “Do you want to play?”
Lux was going to respond but stopped when she heard Annie’s stomach growl.
“How about we eat first, then play?” Lux offered kindly.
Annie tilted her head, thinking it over, before nodding. “Okay.”
“Don’t worry, Flashlight,” Jinx yawned. “I snagged your rod and sword last night as well and put them in my bag. I’ll show you where they are before you go play. Beating her is like the quickest way to get her to warm up to you.”
To her credit, after she nodded, it only took Lux three whole seconds to look at Jinx in confusion.
After all, why would she need her weapons to play with a little girl?
To be continued...