Chapter Text
It was loud, enough.
Lights filtered through every corner of the room, flashing, blinking, flickering across every glistening surface, bouncing off the walls of the club. The dance floor was no different, being consistently filled to the brim with desperate energy and each personal need to forget about something.
It smelled of sweat, perfume, warmth of bodies grinding and dancing along each other. Some brought their friends, an ex they couldn't get over, and some came alone, like Jinx.
Blue braids swayed lazily as she did, energy and intoxication running through her veins as she moved effortlessly across the patterned tiles.
She hardly enjoyed her own company, but luckily (or unluckily), she was never truly alone.
Some guy offered her a drink after deliberately ‘bumping’ into her. It could've been an accident, but his tone only read ‘excuse’. So she didn't take up the offer of meeting him in the back for a "good time". Janna knows what an awful make-out buddy he would be, she could already smell the nicotine leaking from his lips.
She never got too close to him, just enough to slip the little leather wallet from his back pocket. While he was too concentrated on making himself look cool, and totally not like a douchebag.
Easiest 50 bucks she ever made.
Jinx now leaned against a back wall, humming to herself as she counted the slightly crumpled bills in her hand, not bothering to be discreet.
It wasn't like she couldn't fight off any thugs who decided to catch a bright idea.
She bit her lower lip, pausing her movements as she noticed yet another text vibrating against her hip.
“Ugh, can't a girl have a little fun?”
A slim hand slipped the particularly cracked device from the small bag slung across her shoulder, squinting as the light lit her face when she flicked it on.
4% battery, great.
Little man: coming home any time soon?
[sent: 1:34am]
What a buzzkill.
_
Ekko Pov
It was an...arrangement. One that made sense, at the time.
Ekko was studying for an engineering course, and Jinx needed a roommate.
Her previous building manager had gotten tired of the countless noise complaints from her neighboring tenants, and she thought he was a real stick in the mud about what time rent was "due", so it just made sense to get the hell out of there, and get a brand new roomie. One like Ekko, her best friend in the whole wide world, and casual fuck buddy. Totally casual.
The boy didn't account for the fact that she'd never be home. Nor that she never cared to be. A conflict of interest, probably. But he still found himself waiting for her to walk through the door of their shared apartment, no matter the hour. His mind wasn't the type to rest with uncertainty, and he had to know she at least made it to the front before passing out against the welcome mat.
Which has happened.
It wasn't anything fancy, just a little place to get them by. Something just for them, a space of their own. Ekko had his cabinets, a shelf in the fridge, and so did she.
It worked.
Or it did, until the fridge continuously went empty, and bills racked up by the hundreds.
He wasn't playing around this time.
So there he sat, eagerly on the edge of their sofa, boots already tied to the top as he waited for her inevitable request for a ride home.
How could he say no to a face like that?
*buzz*
Pow: wuldnt u like 2 knw
[Sent: 1:40am]
A scoff, short and annoyed. He sat up quickly, snatching the keys from the counter before making his way out the door, not bothering to grab a jacket.
Great. The hard way.
__
Jinx Pov
“Another, pretty boy.”
Her voice was raspy, but had a certain sweetness to it that earned her just about anything she asked for.
“Yeah, not happening. Go home.” The bartender replied promptly, giving her a look that told her she was cut off.
Just about.
“Ugh, you're no fun, y'know that? Really should loosen up a little --turn that frown upside down~”
She sang the last bit, mostly to herself.
Jinx rolled her eyes, pupils dilated to the max. She leaned back, --gripping the edge of the counter as she came to the quick realization that the stools had nothing to lean on. How embarrassing.
Her eyes widened, and her body felt just a little more sober than it was a second ago. She heard the bartender scoff, choosing to ignore it, mostly for his sake.
*buzz*
Little man: Outside.
[Sent 2:01am]
She smirked.
Right on time, Savior Boy.
__
Ekko Pov
Ekko pulled into the lot with a little more aggression than necessary, shutting off the car with a flick of his keys in the ignition.
He took a moment to lean back in the seat, inhaling deeply through his nose, with a quiet exhale through slightly parted lips.
Large hands gripped the wheel as he tried to remain composed. Jinx wasn't the type of person you could get through to by yelling, and certainly not by nagging.
He had to change his approach.. And his clothes.
Ekko's style wasn't something he took lightly, he liked to look good. And he felt more in control when he did. Which came in handy when he was dealing with..her.
Stripping off his button down shirt, toned arms were exposed through the large holes of a muscle tank. A light tan color that contrasted nicely with his darker skin.
Oh the lengths he would go to to hold this girls attention, for more than 2 and a half seconds.
Once he was satisfied with how he presented, he unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car, shutting the door just to lean against it, arms crossed lightly over his chest with a huff.
He gripped his phone in one hand, glancing at the time on the screen, even though he already knew how late it was.
How late she was.
__
Jinx Pov
“Alright Chuck, gotta go, my rides here.”
Jinx gripped the edge of the bar counter as she slid off the stool a little less than gracefully. Her tone was playful, but you could tell she was exhausted, and really dreading the ‘stern talking to’ she was sure to receive from the boy outside.
Weaving through sweaty strangers, she pushed her way to the front of the club. Her vision was blurry, and all the lines seemed to come together just to taunt her. But she made it eventually.
Slowly but surely she found the double doors, leaning her body weight against it to shove it open with a grunt.
Heavy ass door.
“Ekko..” she mumbled, a quiet groan under her breath as she searched for the familiar navy blue hatchback. One that was gifted to the boy before his old man shoved off.
Tragic that he kept it.