Work Text:
Jinx couldn’t remember who hit her.
Was it those damn jackbooted enforcers that were chasing her after her latest art escapade to educate the Pilties on a more beautiful style of art?
Or was it one of those chem-rats that wanted a piece of the bounty on her head?
Or could it have been one of those Firelights trying to take her down? They’ve done it before after all.
Who could say? It may have just been a sump-rat trying to swipe some loose change from her.
Whatever it was, it hurt. The wound on her side burned as her body raged to keep itself warm then swiftly froze over as the shimmer in her blood kicked into action. It was a strange never ending cycle of back and forth that dulled her senses.
She just needed to escape. To get off the streets.
The sound of boots seemed to get closer. Or was it one of her intangible companions screwing with her? Or was one of the above pursuers actually catching up to her?
There’s no time to think about it. She just needed to get away from them.
God, the wound stung.
Her entire body ached as her head pounded against the skull that caged it in place.
Her vision blurred and she felt on the verge of collapsing.
It was cold. Zaun always had a distinct unplaceable chill to it, usually she barely noticed it, the shimmer in her blood making her run colder than it was outside. But now Jinx felt the chill bite right into her bones.
She slumped against a wall in a random alley.
The sound of boots now far distant.
At least she lost them.
She chuckled to herself. If she was going to die, at least she would die away from those who would have relished in celebration, parading her corpse about.
Well, if she died here, it could still happen. But at least she wouldn’t need to know who got to her.
It’s not like she deserved anything better anyways.
She felt her body lose its strength as she hit the wall of the alley and slid down in an unceremonious heap on the grimey and now bloody ground.
She sighed.
Thoughts, intrusive and otherwise, flooded her head as she waited for her eventual death.
One thought found itself recycling in her mind, food.
The thought of Jericho’s street food found its way into her mind.
His sloppy mystery meat that she’d wolf down with her came specifically.
That person was now happily with her cupcake.
Cupcake’s food too.
She felt a smile play at her cheeks. Ironic.
Ironic because Jinx couldn’t taste any food anymore.
Ever since she’d been saved by Dad and Doc, the shimmer made Zaunite fare tasteless.
Ever since then, she barely ate, only when her stomach ached desperately in hunger, calling for food. She would watch Pilties and Zaunites eat their food, of all types, watching as their faces contorted at the tastes but she’d never know what it was like herself.
Well, to be fair, Piltie food, and any food really that couldn’t be eaten with hands wasn’t food at all.
Jinx mused in her thoughts as she continued to lay limply in a puddle of her blood, bored. Death sure took its time. The shimmer unfortunately bought her time, but at this point it was just delaying the inevitable.
She toyed with the idea of offing herself with Zapper, but it was shot up, it took a stray attack for Jinx, basically useless now. Pow-Pow and Fishbones were shed in a hopefully safe hiding spot as she made her escape earlier. It would have been difficult to use Pow-Pow to do the job herself anyways.
She was bored out of her mind. Apparently her companions decided now was a good time to be silent, maybe they were patiently waiting to eviscerate her when she joined them in death. But… It really wasn’t all bad, at least it’d be nice to see Silco again.
The distant sound of laughter snuck its way into her ear.
Jinx sat in rapt attention at the sound, for once it wasn’t mocking in the slightest.
It was… happy .
Strange.
She had to be hallucinating.
Delirium at the point of death it looked like.
The laughter kept echoing, and Jinx found herself wanting to laugh along.
Then came a cheer, a happy cheer. It wasn’t like the cheer tinged with envy like the Topsider’s Progress Day when someone revealed their new invention. Jinx was so terribly curious. Where in Zaun was she that she could hear things like that?
She turned her head towards the source of the sound and saw the faint warm glow of light in the distance.
Maybe it wasn’t Zaun, maybe this was heaven or whatever version of the afterlife that was here to taunt her. Just giving her a glimpse before dragging her down to the torturous fate she deserved. Letting her hear what it could’ve been if she didn’t jinx everything as she sat in the darkness so far from the light.
It looked like heaven was here to taunt her further, because she soon caught a whiff of food.
Strange, no one can smell shit in Zaun. Because Zaun smelled like shit.
Even stranger yet, that Jinx could smell it. Dying is crazy.
But what was truly strange was that Jinx, the same Jinx that could not taste food anymore, felt hungry.
Her curiosity got the better of her. Or maybe it was the ravenous hunger of her stomach, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten in a long long time. Maybe it was the pain from the attack she took. Whatever it was, she was too damned curious. If she was going to die, she may as well satisfy her curiosity.
Everything else be damned.
She mustered the last bit of strength in her body and pushed herself up against the wall and dragged herself towards the light, the laughter, and the smell.
It took ages to get there, but Jinx quickly realised that she was in the abandoned part of Zaun - the heart of the Under City before it became what it was now. Before she killed Silco.
No one lived here, no one should be here. It was lawless, even by Zaunite standards. Anyone who came here never came back. She had made sure of it.
Jinx had shot the place up in a fit of rage and carnage after Silco’s death. Everyone slowly found themselves chased out by her and Pow-Pow.
But the building before her she had paid special attention to. She made sure not a soul stepped in a fifty foot radius of the building.
Her former home. Vander’s, then dad’s place. The Last Drop.
It was somehow still standing.
But it no longer held the visage of Vander nor Silco. Gone were the neon, and gone was the smell of pipe smoke.
There wasn’t even a single electric light shining from the windows.
Yet before her was the source of the laughter, the cheering, and the smell.
Is this what heaven looked like?
She felt the urge to push the door open. But when she put her hands on it, it wouldn’t budge.
Figures.
Of course heaven wouldn’t let her in after all.
Jinx stared bitterly at the door. She couldn’t even feel angry. After all, she knew she deserved it.
Heaven’s not gonna let a jinx in.
Well, if that’s what heaven wants, the least heaven could do was to get rid of her damn body.
Yes, she’d just stand there and die right in front of its gate. Then it would have to do something with her body.
But heaven had other plans.
The door opened.
She nearly fell through the doorway as her hand instinctively moved to her holster.
The smell, the laughter, the warmth of the place rushed out at Jinx. Before her stood a person she recognised.
Chuck .
Huh, well Chuck was a good fella. He deserved heaven.
"Whoa there Miss Jinx, don't worry, it's safe here, looks like you could use a warm meal. Come on in."
The pistol whipped out all the same and found its way beneath Chuck's chin. "Don't worry Chuck, I ain't comin in."
Without another word, Jinx turned on her heels to leave. If this was heaven’s idea of a sick joke, well then fuck that.
"Wait!"
A blonde haired woman, with pure blue eyes, wearing an apron far too out-of-fashion burst through the front door past Chuck, catching Jinx’s arm.
The warmth in her voice seemed to chase away the chill in her bones, even bringing warmth to her chilled fingertips. Warmth especially radiated from the gentle grip her soft hand had on her harm. A pleasant tingle erupted where their touch connected. Their eyes locked and something unspoken seemed to pass between them. The angel cleared her throat, she must have felt it too if the blush in her cheeks meant anything. "Won't you come and stay the night? You sure look like you could use a meal."
She smelled delicious, the warm smell of meat and dough emanating off her. The light of the place shone behind her, creating a halo that gave her hair a gold glow. She really was an angel.
“You’re a really pretty angel.” Jinx slurred before she lost consciousness.
—
Death felt comfortable.
Death felt like a soft bed.
Death felt, no smelt like the sun and soup.
Death also made a soft snoring noise to her right.
Snort.
Jinx’s eyes shot open at the sound.
She saw the wooden ceiling, a patchwork of pieces of wood with scrap plastered on it. Likely to block out the bullet holes that had let rain in.
She turned her head slowly, squirming as pain caught up to her woken state.
There was the angel asleep in a chair and laying on the bed, her head pillowed by her arms and golden blonde hair draped delicately over her face. The strands fluttered as her soft snores caught them with their small breeze, sending them into the light, glittering with gold.
She looked so ethereal and cute.
But the angel had no wings it seemed, maybe she had to revise her understanding of whatever afterlife she was in.
Jinx’s curiosity got the better of her, she wanted to see if the angel had many eyes like she had heard from one of the more fringe groups of Zaunite fanatics.
Her hand slowly crept towards the face of the sleeping angel.
But a rumble erupted out of nowhere, stopping her in her tracks.
Jinx moved her hand to her stomach in a panic, and winced as she hit awound.
Strange, it seemed like you carried your wounds to heaven.
“Excuse me!” Said a squeaked and embarrassed voice. It carried a certain melody to it, catching Jinx’s attention.
The angel awoke and her hands were also on her stomach. So angels can get hungry too? Interesting. Or maybe Jinx was the food. Now that would be a fate.
Oh, the angel also had the prettiest blush.
Oh and the angel made eye contact with Jinx.
Oh , apparently angel’s blushed too. Jinx wondered if she could get her to do that more, it was such a pretty color on the angel.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door to the room, snapping their gazes away with a familiar voice, Chuck again.
“Excuse me, Granny Lux, I brought food for you and Miss Jinx.”
Granny? Jinx nearly busted out laughing as her eyes squinted at the angel in confusion. The angel had turned her attention to the door so Jinx took a moment to study her. There wasn’t a single wrinkle or even blemish on her perfect skin. She didn’t look at all like a ‘Granny’ in fact Jinx herself probably looked older than her with the Zaunite fumes she had grown up with and all the scars that littered her body. Maybe angels didn’t age?
The door opened and Chuck entered holding a tray of food, filling the room with a delicious scent. Jinx had never smelt something like it, but if she could taste it, she knew that it would be delicious.
The rumbling came again. But this time not from Jinx.
The angel’s ears went beet red, eliciting a small smirk from Jinx. It was too cute, too pure. Heaven was amazing .
The angel quickly stood and took the tray of food from Chuck and turned to Jinx, tray of food in hand.
“Good morning Miss Jinx,” started Lux, trying to act as if nothing had happened, “It looks like you’re better now, would you like to have breakfast?”
“Well, I’m not sure if it's better ,” he mimed air quotes around the word, “Is the right word, Granny Lux. Miss Jinx had a huge hole in her side.” Piped Thei- Chuck.
‘Granny’ Lux looked at Jinx, “Well, do you feel better now, Miss Jinx?” Jinx stared back. So angels only have two eyes. Pretty blue eyes, so deep just like great pools of clear water, they were like nothing that existed in Zaun. Jinx found herself wanting to get lost in those eyes forever.
“Miss Jinx?”
The angel was talking to her!
Jinx immediately short circuited and desperately tried to sound casual, “Oh, alive and kicking!” She made a show of waving her hands then instantly regretted it as she grimaced, the pain shooting back harder. She grunted,“ Well alive, mostly.”Jinx swore she saw the pretty angel before her chuckle. The pain was worth it.
“Well, Miss Jinx, I’ll let you have your meal in peace then, I won’t intrude any longer.” Replied the angel - Lux, passing the tray of food to Theiram, and taking from it as she placed the bowls of soup and fresh bread before Jinx.
Jinx just stared, watching the ange- Lux put the food down, her every movement graceful and delicate, before her. For a second Jinx almost reached out to touch her, to disrupt the graceful movements. Maybe she would see Lux blush again.
Then the ang- Lux turned around, “Ok, Theiram, let’s go, I’ll eat downstairs.”
Before she knew it, Jinx’s arm shot out and grabbed Lux’s wrist, stopping her in place. Oh, her skin was soft. There was a pleasant tingle where she held Lux’s arm, part of her never wanted it to stop. It was so warm. She was so warm.
“Yes? Do you need something Miss Jinx?”
“Yes, you, wait no, I mean Miss you, nope,” Jinx stuttered, fumbling.
“Take your time, Miss Jinx.” spoke Lux calmly, though a small blush was spreading to her cheeks. Jinx felt her heart tug at her chest. The warmness in her voice was as if light itself made noise.
Jinx took a breath. “It’s just Jinx. Drop the ‘Miss’. I’m not some fancy person.”
“O-ok, is that all, Jinx?”
If there were firelights in Jinx’s stomach, they made themselves known at that moment. When was the last time anyone said Jinx like it was her name and not a curse. Jinx remembered.
“No. I want you.”
Lux shot Jinx with a quizzical look.
“I meant,” Jinx scrambled, “I want you to eat with me.” Wow, this was a first, Jinx thought. “Please. ” Jinx begged, her voice cracking. Wow, today was a day of firsts indeed.
Lux looked at Jinx and smiled, it was so soft almost dare she say hopeful. Taking the tray back from Theiram Lux smile only grew wider as she spoke, “Sure. If you’re ok with ol-”
“Granny Lux!” squeaked Theira- Chuck.
“What is it, Theiram?” asked Lux patiently as she sat back on the chair by Jinx’s bed.
“I-I don’t mean to offend you Miss Jinx, but,” Theiram gulped as he turned to Lux, speaking quickly, “Granny Lux, Miss Jinx is dangerous. The- the bullet holes in this place came from her! She’s the Loose Cannon! ” He whispered.
Chuck wasn’t wrong. But still Jinx was pissed and stared daggers at him. If her eyes could impale him, they would have, but he went pale either way at the sight.
Jinx felt a soft touch cover her hand. “Well, Theiram,” started Lux calmly, “Jinx here hasn’t hurt me the whole night, so I think I’ll be just fine.” She turned to her smiling, Jinx’s heart ached at the warmth of the gaze directed at her. Maybe she could stay in heaven forever, maybe Lux would want her to stay. They held eye contact as Lux spoke and it felt like an unspoken conversation passed between them. One that said Lux trusted her, “I can take care of myself, dearie.”
Dearie ? She was jolted out of her thoughts, barely holding in a confused laugh. Why was someone like her speaking like an old-timer? Also, what was this burning sensation Jinx felt in her chest?
“O-ok Granny Lux. If you say so.” Theiram said meekly before turning around and closing the door, leaving the two alone.
After the door closed, Lux turned to Jinx and they looked at each other. There was a slight tension in the room, it almost made Jinx twitchy like she was doing all the wrong things.
You’re making it awkward, Jinx.
“So, why do they call you Granny? You look a long way to go before you’d be a Granny.”
Lux looked startled for a second before regaining her composure. “I’m flattered, but what do you mean Jinx? Can’t you see the wrinkles and the gray hair I have?”
Jinx chuckled, “Nope, all I see is smooth skin and blonde hair, Lux.”
Lux looked really startled this time, she let out a strained chuckle, “What? No I do not!”
“Now if you tried to pass yourself off as an angel, I’d buy that, but an old-crone?” Jinx couldn’t help the loud laugh that bubbled out of her, “Pfft, impossible Lux, you’re beautiful !”
Lux felt her eartips warming but she also felt her heart sink. Did she forget her spell?
She looked at the mirror in the room, no, she still looked all grey and wrinkly as intended.
If that is the case, that meant, "Do you know magic?" asked Lux.
"Magic? Lux the only magic I know is you," Jinx teased.
It didn't look like the joke landed. Lux's face turned to a frown. "Jinx, how do you know I know magic?"
"You know magic? Cool! Can you shoot fireballs? Or fly? Or or or can you make lightning?" Jinx asked excitedly.
Lux was stupefied. "Wait, then what did you mean earlier?"
“Well I meant you’re really pretty. Like magic! I haven’t seen a prettier person than you in all of Topside or Zaun!”
Lux was confused. A part of her felt slightly giddy that this stunning person before her with the shiny pink eyes, beautiful electric blue hair, and lean frame would think of Lux as beautiful. Another part of her felt angry, exasperated that she got tricked so easily into revealing her secret. Then it clicked.
“Jinx, are you a shimmer addict?” asked Lux.
“A shimmer addict?” asked Jinx back, shocked at the question.
“Yes. Your blood had a pinkish hue to it, and your eyes glow pink too, so I thought…”
Jinx cackled. “Nah, Lux I ain’t a shimmer addict, well, not yet at least. I’m shimmer infused .” Jinx pointed at the pink colored veins in her wrist.
“Shimmer, infused?”
“Yeah.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that I was given shimmer to save me from dying.” replied Jinx flatly. “Apparently, doc said it was a special untested brew. So my body produces it on its own now too,” giggled Jinx.
“That could explain why you’re immune to my disguise then.” replied Lux, grimacing as she realized she spoke her thoughts aloud.
“Disguise?” Jinx asked quizzically.
Lux squirmed in her seat, trying to avoid the penetrating gaze of Jinx.
“What are you hiding from Blondie?” Jinx asked, ducking her head into Lux’s gaze. Her tone changed. “If there’s someone out to hurt you, I’ll kill them for you.”
“What? No, don’t!” Lux said quickly.
It didn’t seem to dissuade Jinx, nor the now pulsing of Jinx’s shimmer-colored veins with her increasing agitation. Lux was so kind she didn’t deserve to be hunted, she knew what it was like, it wasn’t something an angel deserved.
“Jinx, stop, please . You’re bleeding again!”
Jinx didn’t stop.
“Ok, fine!” Lux surrendered with a sigh, “It’s my family… my home. They hate people like me.”
The answer seemed to incite more of Jinx’s rage, as she got up from the bed.
She quickly lost her footing with the pain, Lux rushed over to catch her before she could fall. Lux held Jinx down on the bed, her face so close to Jinx’s as she breathed the same gunpowder and machine grease that had lulled her to sleep last night.
Lux sighed, “ Please , Jinx, don’t.”
“Lux, fuck them. How could some stupid Pilties think that?” She hissed. “To think that they would make you run all the way to a place like this just to hide from them! What’s wrong with you anyways?”
“Jinx, they aren’t from Piltover. They’re Demacian. They hate magic.”
Jinx raised an eyebrow, and closed her eyes, trying to remember the map of Runeterra that Silco always had in his study.
“Demacia’s far away Lux.” Jinx started slowly, “What are you doing all the way over here?”
“I- I was kicked out.” Lux grimaced, “Well, technically I escaped.”
“Kicked out?! Escaped ?!” Jinx exclaimed in indignation, her voice getting louder with each word.
Lux put her hands up in frustration, “Why do you care so much, huh?!”
“Why do I care?! How is this fair for you Lux? You’re so far from home, and you’re in a shithole like this! And for something you can’t even control. It’s fucked up and you deserve so much better. I can tell you’re a good person, you helped me . That’s a lot more than almost anyone else has done.”
Jinx’s words cut Lux deeply. She felt her tears well up in her eyes. No one has ever stood up for her like this.
Sobs racked Lux’s shoulder, unable to hold it in any longer. Everyone in Zaun saw Lux as a granny thanks to her disguise, and she hadn’t had a chance to let her hair down. She felt all her pent up emotions burst from her like a dam.
Without a thought Jinx rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Lux in a tight embrace. Jinx squeezed tightly, just as Silco did for her, rubbing circles around her back, making sure Lux was comforted as she wailed. Sure Jinx’s wound hurt, but she couldn’t stomach seeing the angel before her in such pain.
The smell of gunpowder and machine grease was overwhelming to Lux, but yet she found the scent of Jinx calming. Lux listened as Jinx told stories of her escapades throughout Piltover and Zaun. Lux thought it was cute that Jinx would tell such shocking and frightful stories to Lux as an attempt to comfort her, but she appreciated the gesture greatly. Lux felt her heart sting as she realised how much Jinx had gone through, and yet here Jinx was with her giving her the comfort that she needed herself.
After the sobs finally stopped heaving through Lux’s body, Jinx asked her about herself and her past.
Lux told Jinx how she had escaped right around the same time the declaration was issued that she was no longer a Crownguard. Apparently, it said that she was some witch that possessed the body of their dead daughter.
Jinx then asked what she was doing in Zaun.
Lux said that she had just kept running and running until eventually, she found herself in Zaun, on the doorstep of the Last Drop.
She made do with what she had and started living there. She used magic to disguise herself and bought what she needed from the markets by pawning whatever she could find.
Then one day, some kids, sumprats really, came to the door smelling the Demacian food she had cooked to remind her of home. She saw the survivor in them and fed them. And slowly, day after day, week after week, the numbers grew and grew and here she was now. With their help, they fixed up the place and it was a tavern in the old part of Zaun where only the survivors knew of.
“Demacian food eh?”
“Yeah, it’s not really an authentic taste of Demacia. I can’t get the proper ingredients for it, but it’s as close to home as it can be.”
“Home?” asked Jinx.
Lux let her shoulders drop. “Yeah, home. They hated me, but I love them.” But she perked up. “Well, let’s eat, the food’s probably already cold.”
Lux tore the bread and dipped it in the bowl of soup and put it in her mouth. The soup was thankfully still lukewarm, but Lux has had worse before.
Lux looked at Jinx, who was already staring at her.
“Aren’t you going to eat Jinx? Don’t tell me the food isn’t agreeable with you.”
Jinx blinked recognising that she was being spoken to. “Heh, well, no offense, Lux, I can’t really taste anything anymore ,” She pointed at her pink-colored veins, “So I prefer watching you eat. Just give me some leftovers or food scraps.”
Lux felt something kick inside her. She tore a piece of bread, dipped it in soup and pushed it to Jinx, beckoning her to open her mouth up.
“Lux, seriously, I can’t taste anything. I don’t want you to have to waste perfectly good food.”
Lux, seemingly determined, only shoved the piece of bread at her further.
Jinx gently grabbed her hand and slowly pushed it towards Lux’s mouth. “You should eat, your stomach was rumbling earlier.” Jinx teased.
Lux felt heat shoot up in her face. She’d pay Jinx back for that, she swallowed the bread in her mouth.
Lux regarded Jinx for a long moment, first looking into her almost glowing pink eyes. When was the last time Lux had someone she could be herself around? Someone who actually saw her? She felt a burning sensation in her chest as she stared into Jinx’s eyes. They were so entrancing she felt as if she could almost fall into them with their depth. Her gaze shifted downward, over the gente spattering of freckles on the bridge of Jinx’s nose, and down to lips. They were so pink and looked soft and so very enticing.
Her gaze shot back up to her eyes just in time to watch Jinx’s gaze fall to her own lips, watching as Jinx bit her lip, entranced at the sight.
Feeling Jinx’s grip loosen on her wrist, Lux leaned over and pulled Jinx into her without much of a thought and kissed her. The first and only coherent thought Lux was able to have was how cold Jinx’s lips were and the fact that they were way softer than they looked. Initially Jinx’s body froze as their lips met but no more than a second later she immediately relaxed into the kiss, their lips moving ever so gently against each other almost as if in worship.
Lux thought Jinx would eventually push her away once she realized what was happening but she only ever felt Jinx smile into the kiss.
They broke away reluctantly only after they both finally ran out of breath.
Jinx licked her lips, her eyes closed as she seemed to savor the aftertaste, slightly out of breath.
Lux felt breathless herself, “How was that? Could you taste that?”
That earned a happy chuckle from Jinx, “Yes, well. If this is what Demacian food tastes like, I’d love seconds and thirds and ya know I think I’ll also go for fourths.”
—
It took a few days. Well, maybe Lux coaxed an extra day (or two), telling Jinx that she needed to recuperate more, and Jinx herself had coaxed another day (or three) by saying some part of her body still hurt.
But it didn’t change the fact that eventually, Jinx had to leave.
“Well it looks to me like you have a great place here Lux.”
Lux watched longingly, as Jinx tightened the bandoliers on her body. She spun her broken gun and holstered it. Lux didn’t want Jinx to leave but she knew she couldn’t make her stay.
“Aww, Angel, don’t look so sad.” It was as if Jinx had read her mind, pulling her into an embrace and teasing as she leaned up to nip at Lux’s neck, looking up at her coyly through her eyelashes. “How could I leave heaven for too long? I’ll be back soon, besides I’m in love with your Demacian cooking .”
She winked at Lux before slipping into the shadows. A demon couldn’t stay in heaven for too long, she might corrupt the angels. And wouldn’t that be a shame, but in the end she knew she could never stay too far away from her delicious apple.
As Jinx slipped away she could just barely hear Lux’s whispered prayer, “In this life, and every other,”
Jinx joined the prayer, knowing the words in her heart, her whisper joined Lux’s, “I will find you.”