Chapter Text
Sevika inhaled deeply, a cigarette clutched loosely between her teeth, already half gone. It glowed in the dim night, its warm orange battling for attention amongst luminescent neon paint and colourful flashing bulbs. Her eyelids hung loose, and she surveyed the blue haired girl in front of her with casual fixation. Jinx hummed to herself as she worked, her tongue sticking out from the corner of her lips, smudging her lipstick slightly. Every so often, she would change positions. One minute she would be laying down on her stomach with her legs swinging back and forth, and the next she would be rocking on the balls of her feet as she crouched in a pile of loose bullets and crayons.
“What are you making?” Sevika asked, finally.
“Shush, you're ruining my process,” Jinx dismissed, barely glancing up.
Sevika took another drag on her cigarette, her eyes wandering over bony shoulders and slender hips. “I hope you plan on cleaning up after yourself, I’m not going to mother you like Silco did.”
Jinx smirked, her eyes flashing as they flicked up. “I certainly hope not,” she said lightly.
Isha wandered over to Jinx, trying desperately to sneak a crayon for herself. She blocked Jinx from Sevika’s line of sight, and Sevika quickly turned away, banishing her unsavoury thoughts. The three of them had been living together like the world's most dysfunctional little family, and the closeness of it had been an adjustment to say the least. Jinx, it turned out, was far more casually physical than Sevika had bargained for. She’d always noticed when she would hang off Silco’s arm or lounge in his lap, but she’d never considered what it might feel like to be on the receiving end. Too many times Sevika had been lost in an erotic daydream, when it would be interrupted by the petite girl planting herself against the apex of Sevika’s thighs. Only, it was less of an interruption so much as an unexpected addition. She would hum and work on her trinkets, bouncing slightly to the tunes in her head, grinding her little ass until Sevika couldn't pass it off as innocent. Was she doing it on purpose? did she even know how? After making Sevika that ridiculous new arm, Jinx had repaired the old one so she would have something more convenient for everyday use. Gestures like that shouldn't have gotten to Sevika so strongly, but they did. They made her question everything.
“I’m going out,” Sevika said suddenly, flicking her cigarette onto the ground and crushing it under the heel of her boot.
“Where are you going?”Jinx demanded, pouting.
“Out.”
“Why? You have everything you need right here.”
Sevika sighed and surveyed the girl darkly, her tongue grazing her canine. “Not everything.”
She pulled on her jacket and left the hideout, trying to get the image of Jinx’s big sad eyes out of her head. She was an adult, she didn't need a full time babysitter, and yet Sevika felt guilty for leaving her alone. It was better than giving in to temptation, at least, that's what Sevika told herself.
The streets hummed with sound, a mix of drunken fights from various alleyways, bass heavy music that spilled from open club doors, and the occasional cry that Sevika didn't have time to investigate. There were less gritty aries of Zaun, places that were separate from the shit that filled the neighborhood streets. As much as it pained Sevika to admit, vander’s death had been a nail in the coffin, turning an already broken city into a hellscape ruled by addiction and crime. Silco had thrived in it, encouraged it, but at least he had plans to free them. At least he had a vision for the future, however flawed.
Sevika pulled a loose cigarette from her pocket and tried to light it, failing miserably until she sighed and gave in. it wasn't meant to be, just like her and Jinx. She could still remember the way Silco talked about her, dismissing the girl's clearly flawed personality and instead, praising her chaotic genius. “She’s volatile, Sevika. Unpredictable. But she’s mine.”
After Vander’s death, Sevika had left the inner city and lost herself for years, drowning her guilt in drugs and sex until she couldn't recognise who she was anymore. Silco had saved her, brought her back from the edge and promised to save Zaun for the low price of her loyalty. So she gave it without question. The first time she met Jinx, it had taken her a while to realise that the hyperactive loose wire was Powder, the shy little girl who used to follow her big sister like a blue shadow. It was jarring to say the least, and angering to have a constant reminder of Vander and who she was before he’d betrayed Zaun by conspiring with the enemy. She’d hated her. Sometimes, she still did.
Sevika found herself outside an old bar, one she had been a regular at once, but hadn’t visited for months. Its sign hung crooked above the door, flickering green light illuminating it with a stuttered, eerie glow. When she walked inside, she was greeted briefly by a couple of old friends, and a glass was slid to her from across the bar as soon as she sat down on one of the worn stools. Her spot, she'd gone to it on instinct. It was all so familiar, but she wasn't the same person anymore.
“Sevika? Fancy seeing you here!”
Sevika turned to face a man she quickly recognised as someone she had slept with. He was on the smaller side, strong but thin, with damp amber eyes and thick black hair. Jordan, or maybe Jaxon? She couldn't remember his name, but honestly didn't care to. He leaned closer with a wide smile, ignoring her attempts to will him away with a hard stare.
“I heard that you’ve been taking care of baby blue since she killed her old daddy.”
Sevika tensed at the mention of Jinx, the wanted posters on the wall behind her feeling suddenly more dangerous.
“Don't know what you’re talking about,” she grunted, taking a cursory sip of her drink.
“Protective, are we? I thought you hated the little urchin, but I suppose she is pretty. Does that make it worth it? Now Silco’s gone, she’s your consolation prize? Why don't you share a little taste? I promise I don't bite, unless she likes that of course.”
Sevika slammed his head against the table, then took another sip from her glass. No one in the bar even glanced in their direction, reminding Sevika of why she had liked it there in the first place. He dropped to the floor, his groans buried by the sounds of conversation and music. The other patrons of the bar stepped over him as they passed by, treating him the same way they would a patch of piss, soaking into the wooden floorboards.
It wasn't long before Sevika was drunk, but she stayed late anyway, playing with the idea that she might just not go back to Jinx this time. Maybe she would be smart and cut ties with the girl before things went too far. Those thoughts didn't last long, and she stumbled back to the hideout as the clock struck one AM.
Jinx and Isha were curled up in their makeshift tent when Sevika made it back, the two of them sleeping in a pile of pillows and blankets. Jinx's hair was wrapped about them, and Isha clutched one of the braids like it were a toy she slept with for comfort. Neither of them snorred. Growing up in the under-city, one learned quickly when to count your blessings, and stay silent.
Sevika sighed, then sat down in her chair and worked on removing her arm, her fingers slipping over the cold metal as her eyes blurred in and out of focus.
“Let me help you.”
Sevika looked up in shock, not having heard Jinx move at all, and yet the girl stood directly in front of her, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She wore one of Sevika’s shirts and it hung loosely from her slender shoulders, soft creases falling from the tips of her nipples, which stuck out, unsupported by a bra.
“I don't need help,” Sevika slurred, looking away.
“Yes you do,”Jinx said softly, removing the arm and then laying carefully on the ground. “I thought that maybe you had abandoned me,” Jinx whispered.
“Tempting,” Sevika muttered, shrugging off her jacket and tossing it to the ground. She avoided Jinx’s gaze as she made her way to their rations and grabbed a handful of random snacks.
Jinx was at her heels in an instant, trailing after her like a shadow. “So? Where’d you go? Did you find someone to take the edge off?” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, her grin sharp and teasing.
Sevika shot her a warning glare, but Jinx only laughed, her voice light and airy. She reached out to tug on Sevika’s sleeve, her fingers brushing against her arm. “C’mon, Big Guy, you can tell me. I promise I won’t get jealous.”
“Drop it, Jinx,” Sevika said, her tone low and firm.
Jinx fell silent, then cleared her throat. “Are you mad at me because I didn't clean up?” she asked softly.
“No, no I’m not mad,” Sevika clarified, drawn in once again by Jinx’s big eyes.
“Then come to sleep.” she tugged Sevika towards the pile of blankets and pillows.
“Jinx, no-”
“Come on! I’m cold, and you’re warm.”
“Cuddle with isha if you want to stay warm.”
“Or, I could hold both of you, and have the best sleep of my entire life.”
JInx pushed Sevika into the tent and then plonked herself down beside her, braids piling between them like soft rope. Isha snuffled in her sleep, and Jinx scooped her up in her arms before curling herself into the crook of Sevika’s waist. She was cold, and Sevika pulled her closer on instinct. Their breathing began to sync together, creating a soothing rhythm that lulled jinx to sleep.
Sevika had never felt anything like it before, the comfort, the closeness, the affection. For the first time, her loyalty had been met with care, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Jinx and Isha were like love incarnate, her family, her everything. In that moment she knew she would do anything for them, nothing else mattered. Silco had been both right and wrong, Jinx was volatile, she was unpredictable, but she had never belonged to him or anyone, much less Sevika. instead Sevika belonged to her, and she would have laid down her life in an instant if it made the girl happy.