Authors Note: For anyone who ever wanted to play with Jinx's hair, this chapter is for you<3
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"Bunny, where were you? You missed all the fun! "
Lav sighed tiredly as she lugged herself through Jinx's hideout, taking off the mask around her face and throwing it on her desk.
"Out," Lav responded, looking over at the girl. She had something hidden behind her back.
"Jinx," She groaned, "what do you have?"
"Ohhhhhhh, nothing important."
Lav knew that tone immediately; it definitely wasn't "not important."
"Jinx, I'm tired." She began, she didn't want to deal with the girls' antics right now.
"Jinx, I'm tired," Jinx said back in a mocking tone as she fiddled with whatever was behind her back.
"Stop being obnoxious," Lav said as she quirked her brow at the girl.
"You stop being obn-, obno-." She stuttered a little, her lips trying to hide her giddiness. "Whatever the fuck you just said." As she chuckled to herself before walking up to the lav.
"I stole," she whispered, even though they were the only beings there.
Lav couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "What did you steal?" She asked, humoring her a little.
Jinx finally revealed what was hiding behind her back, pulling out a blue-glowing orb.
"What the—?"
"Stone." She cut her off, giggling to herself, walking back over to the edge of her hideout. There was some contraption on the floor, along with books and notes.
"Did Silco put you up to this?" Lav asked, feeling unsure.
"No," The girl muttered as she fiddled with the gadget in front of her. "I did it because I wanted to. He said Sevika was going to fix it, but I knew whatever that orge did wouldn't fix it for him, so I stole this."
"You shouldn't have to steal something to solve a problem." Lav felt irritation rise through her at how blind Jinx seemed when it came to Silco. "If you make a mistake, you make a mistake. Simple as that. But you don't run off and steal! Especially from piltover, nothing ever comes good from topside. You don't have to do things to make people in your life stay. They should want you in your life despite your mistakes. "
Jinx peered over her shoulder to see Lav seething slightly to herself before getting up and walking back over to her.
"Hey, are you okay, toots?" Jinx reached forward, her cold hands pushing some of Lav's hair out of her face. Before calming herself, Lav took a deep breath. "I'm fine, just worried, that's all. What does it even do? "
"Well," Jinx began, making her way back over to the stone and her notes. "It's all about these runes. They form some kind of math-y, magic-y, gateway. " She said as she flipped through her notes, Lav could have sworn she felt like Jinx wasn't just talking to her. She peeked over at the doll hanging from the ceiling and the spiky-haired statue over in the corner. They felt more familiar than usual.
Jinx threw the notes away as she inspected more of the machine. "To the realm of heebie-jeebies."
Lav silently nodded, pretending she had any clue what jinx was talking about. "Uh-huh, right, just be careful, jinx."
"Yeah, yeah, okay mom," she replied, waving her away.
"Jinx."
"Bunny." She said back, her mocking tone returning.
Lav rolled her eyes, on the verge of finding this conversation humorous and annoying. She sighed before sitting down in Jinx's desk chair, propping her feet up and turning on their shared record player. Rock music began to echo through the hideout. Lav felt herself relax with the music, humming along as she tilted her head back.
She listened to Jinx murmur to herself as she tried to figure out whatever that stone did. She looked at the syringes on the desk, what singed had said ringing in her ears. "I deserve to know," Lav whispered to herself, the rock music casing her voice as she sat there in deep thought.
"And this turns it on." She heard noises coming from where Jinx was sitting, paying them no mind, too lost in her thoughts. "So here goes."
Lav suddenly felt the chair beneath her shake as a loud explosion-like sound came from the contraption before her. Jinx fell back slightly, keeping herself on the ground, holding her head in her hands as she watched the blue orb spin. Visions from that day flashed through her mind, the guilt of what happened hitting her over and over again as she saw Mylo and Claggors' faces get buried under the rubble.
Suddenly, the orb stopped, and slowly, everything returned to normal.
Jinx panted, staying on the ground before crying out. "No! It was a mistake! It was a mistake! " Lav jumped from her chair, swiftly making her way over to the girl.
"Hey, I know. It's okay." She soothed the girl as she kneeled beside her, taking her hands away from her face in fear that she might hit herself on accident.
"No," she cried out weakly, "It was a mistake." She continued to mutter incoherent words under her breath as Lav held her, making sure not to put too much pressure on her and startle her.
"Jinx, come back to me. You're not there, you're here with me. "
Shakely jinx raised her eyes to the woman in front of her. "Lav?" She asked, her once foggy eyes becoming somewhat clearer.
"Yeah, it's me," Lav replied, holding her closer, her small form melting against her touch.
They sat like that for however long Jinx needed. Lav began to rock her slightly back and forth, making sure the girl knew she wasn't alone. But she didn't dare ask what jinx saw.
They had somewhat of a nonverbal agreement; Lav didn't ask Jinx about the voices in her head, and Jinx didn't ask Lav about the nightmares in her dreams. Not until they were both ready.
Lav gently ran her fingers through her scalp, her hand getting slightly tangled in her hair. "Jinx," She started, "can you hear me?" Lav felt the girl nod slightly against her, and she took that as an okay to continue. "Are you here with me?"
The girl paused before whispering, "I'm here, bunny."
Lav lifted herself off of the floor before she took Jinx's hands, leading her over to the couch. Gently, Lav placed her down on the sofa, turning jinx slightly to face the opposite direction as she crossed her legs, her back facing towards her.
Lav slowly took Jinx's hair clips out before gently unbraiding her long blue hair. Jinx shivered against her fingertips.
"Are you cold?"
Jinx just nodded. "I've always told you the lanes were cold. Your hands are always freezing." Lav said, smiling slightly. She finished the second braid before letting all of Jinx's hair down, her powder blue hair cascading all around them and over her shoulders. Lav reached out for the discarded comb on the coffee table; it had pink and blue crayon scribbles all over it. Taking a section of Jinx's soft hair, she began combing through it, taking her time on each piece, making sure to detangle it before moving on to the next.
"Where were you when you left Silco's office?" Jinx asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I went to see Singed," Lav answered with the truth, seeing no point in lying. "He healed my bullet wound," She continued as she reached a particular tangled part, combing through it with more vigor.
"Why him? I feel like you've been spending a lot of time there lately. It's... strange." She mumbled the last part of the statement as she looked at the old stuffed bunny sitting tucked away on the couch.
"Think of him as what Silco is to you. He helps when I need him too, and in my case, I think he at least tries to care. "
Lav tried to lighten the mood by giggling a little. "Besides, I don't think I can keep coming back hit after hit. My body is frail. " She laughed at her irony.
"No, you always make it back to me ...You always do, bunny. Even when everyone else leaves." Jinx whispered.
Lav ignored that statement, feeling how jinx sighed in content as she ran the comb through the top of her head.
"You know bunny, you remind me of someone."
"Oh? How so?" Lav had just finished brushing her left part before, moving on to the other.
"She was like you, always there for me."
"Yup, sounds like me." She chuckled.
"Oh, you have nooooo idea," Jinx said, leaning to pick up the bunny in front of her, staring at it with furrowed brows and narrowed eyes.
"You also remind me of someone."
"Who?" Jinx seemed on edge at that statement.
Lav quickly deescalated the situation, thinking up a quick explanation. "I don't know... No one important. "
Lav thought back to the pink-haired person from her dreams, feeling her heart drop a little.
She needed to take Singed's medicine soon. Before her dreams merged with her reality.
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In the undercity, there was always one place you could go to get rid of your troubles and fears, relax a bit, indulge in some risky activities, and then forget about it all by the next morning. The one place where all the secrets were spilled.
The Brothel.
Lav loved this place. She stood outside the back door, not even having to knock as the guard let her in. She was a regular around here.
She felt no eyes on her as she entered, remembering her side note to double-check if Jinx had followed her. Lav hated the idea of Jinx being left alone with Silco, but he sent her off duty, telling her he needed alone time with his daughter. Lav followed his order, despite the anxious thoughts of how much more poison silco could fill up the teen's head.
But tonight, Lav was going to relax, even if it killed her. She swiftly made her way through the brothel, on her way to the back room.
"Back so soon?" Lav smiled as she made her way into the comforting office, enjoying all the shades of pink and red displayed throughout the room. "You know, I couldn't stay away," Lav said, sitting down on one of the couches. She felt safe with the old yordle before her. As mentioned before, anyone could spill their secrets here. For once, Lav didn't have responsibilities to anyone. It was like becoming an entirely different persona. She was no longer Jinx's lapdog, but just... herself.
"Any requests for me?" the girl asked, smirking slightly. There were always requests for her.
"Please, I can't keep up. Any time you leave this place, there are hundreds of poor souls looking for you. What do you do to them? " The old yordle asked, taking a draft of her smoke before letting it out with a puff. "Actually, on second thought, I'd rather not know."
"That's the fun part, the mystery." Lav smirked before standing up, reaching for her designated mask on the wall, securing it around her face before looking at herself in the mirror. The mask gave her the ability to go unrecognizable in this place, covering most of her face, just allowing a glimpse of her lips and eyes. The last thing she needed was anyone finding out she worked here and blabbing to Silco... or Jinx.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a poor soul to steal tonight." Lav strutted out of the room, bumping shoulders lightly with a person on her way out. She didn't pay them any mind as she opened the curtain leaving the office.
She heard the distant yordle let out a gasp of surprise, "Would you believe it?"
Lav continued on her way, making her way over to a free designated room when she heard a rich accent, causing her to stop in her tracks.
"My parents named me Matilda, after my great grandmother Matilda, the-uh, um..."
She smirked to herself, a perfect target.
"Pim," Lav began, laying her hand across the said man's shoulders, giving him a soft smile before looking over at the women before him. Oh, she's cute.
"I think I can take it from here. We don't want to startle her, do we now?" Lav batted her eyelashes up at him, and she heard him cough a little under his mask before getting flustered. "Yeah, of course-right."
"Great," Lav cooed, before intertwining the woman's hand with her own. "So I'll take—what did you say your name was again, love?"
"Matilda." The girl replied sheepishly, looking startled. Lav remembered her name; she just wanted to tease her a bit more.
"Right, Matilda, what a lovely name," she says. The girl just gulped, her blue eyes flicking down to their intertwined hands and Lav's face. Perfect.
She waved Pim off before leading "Matilda" over to an empty room. It was quite pretty; it had floral decorations and a forest-esque feel to it.
Lav led the girl to the couch, letting go of her hands before sitting down, her knees tucked beneath her as she let her outfit reveal more of herself. She patted the seat next to her and to her surprise, the girl smirked before sitting down and joining her.
Lav reached up, gently taking the hood off of the woman's head, allowing her dark blue hair to come into the light. The women's cheeks became painted pink as she looked up at her.
"You seem nervous, love," Lav said, reaching out, laying her hand only a few centimeters from the woman. "Anything I can do to help with that?"
"No, I'm not nervous." She let out a cough before clearing her voice. "I'm not nervous, it's just that this place is so... different."
"Really? How so?" Lav asked, leaning a bit closer, not enough to make her flustered, just enough to where she noticed she had a small gap in between her teeth. Cute
"Well, to begin, I've never been to a place like this before." Ah, there it was. It wasn't hard to see Matilda wasn't from around here. Her nervousness and accent gave you the idea, but what gave it away completely was the way she carried herself. Lav could tell she came from a wealthy family because she exuded an elegance that was rare in the lanes.
This is why Lav loved this job. It allowed her to meet new people without the identity of working for Silco. She loved psychoanalyzing people, hearing their stories, where they came from. It all piqued her interest while allowing her mind to switch off from her own problems. She never, not once, slept with a customer. To her, it just felt wrong to use someone for personal pleasure and then leave. So how does she keep getting requests? By talking to them, sometimes signing to them, and just playing with their hair. They would always come back, asking for advice or for her to listen to their thoughts.
"You're not from around here, are you?" Lav asked, laying her head on her arm as she peered into Matilda's dark blue irises.
"No, I, um, I'm not." She whispered back, her eyes falling to the ground slightly.
"Piltover?" She inquired, leaning up and tucking a hair behind Matilda's ear.
"Indeed...How did you know? "
"My intuition, plus your accent; it's thick and very pretty." Lav added
"Have you ever been? To Piltover, I mean."
"Once or twice," Lav began, not hiding her curiosity or excitement about the subject. Sure, she hated piltover and everything it stands for, but she couldn't deny its beauty. "I've only ever imagined the gardens. I've heard they're beautiful." she giggled.
"Matilda" listened to her, soaking up every word spilling from her mouth, leaning slightly more in, her face also resting on her hands. For the first time, Lav didn't have to fake her attraction to a client as she looked the alluring woman up and down as she continued her rant.
Suddenly, Matilda cut her off. "You have a lovely voice," Her accent coming off lavishly in her ears.
Now it was her turn to blush. "You think so?" She asked, her eyes flickering slowly to the woman's lip, their faces only a few inches away. No relation to the client, Lav. She kept reminding herself. Maybe it was a bad idea to come here tonight.
Lav returned to her train of thought, giving the woman's lips one last glance before pulling away slightly. "Your name isn't really Matilda, is it?" She asked, slightly raising her eyebrows.
She watched the women's smirk fall on her face before shaking her head. "Won't tell anyone?" She asked, and Lav shook her head. For some reason, maybe Caitlyn was crazy, but she felt she could trust her. Plus, it wouldn't be the wildest thing she's done these past two days...
"It's Caitlyn. My name is Caitlyn."
"Well, Caitlyn, it's nice to meet you."
♪
As Lav made her way quickly out of the brothel, she jumped up the stairs from the back entrance. She felt the cold air nip at her skin as she made her way through the lanes. She needed to get home to Jinx before it got too late, but she couldn't help but smirk to herself as her thoughts went back to the Caitlyn girl.
"Come on, Miguel, she said you'd know exactly where she is. Just speak up."
Lav kept her head down as she walked past two bystanders on the street, not paying them much mind. She tilted her head slightly, her heightened senses allowing her to see clearly as she walked by: a woman with the hood of her red jacket up, talking to some poor soul who appeared nervous.
Lav smiled a little. The hood covered most of the woman's face, but she caught a glimpse of her paralyzing blue eyes. She watched as the woman continued to curse out the man in front of her before her blue eyes flickered to hers, and unreadable expression on her face. Lav smiled at her. Pretty, she thought as she continued on her way, not thinking twice about the encounter as she made her way down to the end of the road.
"I wake up to the sounds of the silence that allows, For my mind to run around with my ear up to the ground-"
Lav listened to some band on the street as they jammed out, throwing a coin into their guitar case, tipping them on the way as she made a turn, heading for the last drop.
Suddenly, Lav felt footsteps behind her, matching her strides. She could feel whoever it was burning holes into her back. The mental note of double checking if she was being watched once again returned. She stopped her steps. Now standing in the dark empty street, the presence stopping with her.
Almost like a ghost, they whispered,
"Shortcake?"
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Authors Note: Did I make lavender the women in the brothel scene? Yes, yes I did. I just couldn't help myself it seemed too perfect lmao.
FINALLY, our lovely lady vi is back, the story is gonna pick up speed now. I just wanted to establish Jinx's and Lavender's relationship before we got back into vi and lav's love story.