Jinxed | Jinx Arcane Oneshots

Tinkering Hearts | FLUFF

FLUFF

It started with explosions.

Which, in hindsight, shouldn't have surprised me. When you're dealing with Jinx, things tend to blow up before they come together. Still, when the second detonation of the day rattled the floorboards of her hideout, I leaned back in my chair, yelling over the din.

"Everything okay back there?"

"Peachy!" she called back, her voice carrying a note of barely controlled chaos.

The smell of burnt metal and singed wires wafted out from her workshop, mixing with the ever-present tang of Zaun's polluted air.

I wasn't sure what she was working on, she'd been secretive about it all day, mumbling about "brilliance" and "genius" while swatting my hand away from her workbench anytime I got too close.

"You're not building a bomb again, are you?" I asked, half-joking but not entirely confident in the answer.

Her head poked out from behind the curtain separating the workshop from the main room, a smudge of grease on her cheek and her signature manic grin firmly in place. "Pfft, no. Bombs are easy. This? This is gonna blow your mind, not just... well, you know."

"That's great to know," I said dryly, but her energy was infectious. Whatever she was up to, she was clearly pouring everything into it.

For the next few hours, I watched from the sidelines as she tinkered, cursed, and occasionally sent sparks flying across the room. It wasn't until the third time something caught fire that I decided to step in.

"You sure you don't want some help?" I asked, leaning against the doorway of the workshop.

She turned to me, her blue braids swinging as she waved a wrench in my direction. "Nope. Hands off, this is a solo mission. Top secret. Classified. You'll see when it's done!"

I raised my hands in surrender and backed off, letting her dive back into whatever chaos she was creating.

By the time she emerged hours later, the sun had set, and Zaun's dim neon glow had taken over. She looked exhausted but triumphant, holding something behind her back. Her grin was still there, but it was softer now, a hint of uncertainty flickering in her bright pink eyes.

"Alright, Y/N, feast your eyes on this masterpiece!" she declared, pulling the object from behind her back with a dramatic flourish.

It was... something.

A small, mechanical contraption sat in her hands, cobbled together from gears, scrap metal, and bits of wire. It looked like it had been through a war. Dents, scratches, and uneven edges everywhere.

"What is it?" I asked carefully, not wanting to crush her enthusiasm.

"It's a gift, duh!" she said, shoving it into my hands with a surprising gentleness. "For you."

I turned it over, trying to figure out what it was supposed to do. "And.. what does it-"

"Wind it up!" she interrupted, practically bouncing on her heels. "C'mon, c'mon, it's the best part!"

I found the tiny key on the side and gave it a cautious twist. The contraption clicked to life, its gears whirring and a faint ticking sound emerging. Slowly, the center of the object, shaped vaguely like a heart, started to move.

Two tiny metal halves opened up, revealing a small glowing crystal inside that pulsed with light, almost like a heartbeat.

"It's.. wow," I said, genuinely impressed despite its rough appearance. "You made this?"

"Who else?" she said, crossing her arms with a smug expression. "It's, like, a mechanical heart. For you. Because you've got my back and.. I dunno. Shut up, it's cool, okay?"

I looked up at her, and for a moment, her usual bravado faltered. There was a faint flush on her cheeks, and she wouldn't quite meet my eyes.

"Jinx," I said softly, holding the little heart carefully. "This is amazing."

Her grin returned, but it was smaller this time, almost shy. "Yeah? You really think so? I mean, it's kinda trash, but, like, good trash, right?"

I laughed, shaking my head. "It's not trash. It's you. Chaotic, a little rough around the edges, but brilliant."

Her eyes lit up at that, and she rubbed the back of her neck, clearly unsure how to handle the compliment. "Well, what'd you expect? I'm the best."

I turned the heart over in my hands, watching the crystal pulse. "Why'd you make this for me?"

Her pink eyes darted to the side, and for once, she seemed almost nervous. "I dunno. Just felt like it. You're... cool. And you put up with my crap, so, you know. You deserve something cool, too."

It was such a her answer. Deflecting with humor, even when she was being genuine.

"Thank you," I said, my voice quiet but sincere.

Her grin widened, and she finally looked back at me. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all sappy on me, or I'll take it back."

I smiled, winding the little heart up again to watch it tick. "Guess I'll have to keep it forever, then."

"Damn right you will," she said, flopping down onto the couch beside me and throwing her legs over mine like she owned the place.

As the mechanical heart clicked and whirred between us, Jinx leaned back, her head resting against the arm of the couch. She looked content, her usual chaos tempered by a rare moment of peace.

"Don't break it," she murmured, her voice soft.

"I won't," I promised.

And for a moment, everything felt perfect. Just me, her, and the little heart she'd poured so much of herself into.