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"I ruined another date." Jinx unceremoniously drops her bag on the cafeteria table and slumps down in her seat. Ran raises a curious eyebrow at her as she dramatically sighs, but is otherwise content to ignore her. Eventually, Jinx turns her head to her.
"Tragic," Ran responds without looking away from her phone.
"It is tragic, you heartless fuck. I'm never going to get a relationship at this rate."
Ran rolls her eyes but asks nonetheless. "What was the problem this time?"
"He wanted Mountain Dew."
"So? Isn't that your favorite drink?"
"Yeah, but Ekko hates Mountain Dew."
Ran gives her an incredulous look that makes it clear she wished she never asked.
“What?” Jinx starts, “If I start dating someone, obviously Ekko’s going to be around a lot so they can't be a Mountain Dew lover." Ignoring that Jinx herself was a Mountain Dew lover. She was his best friend and therefore the exception. Introducing another one would ruin their perfect balance, though.
"Let me get this straight. You can't date someone who likes Mountain Dew because of Ekko." Ran raises a skeptical eyebrow.
Jinx nods. "Yeah, obviously."
"Because when you date someone you're going to be around Ekko with them the entire time?"
Jinx nods again, though more hesitant this time. Honestly, it didn't sound that weird in her head but it does when Ran says it.
Ran rolls her eyes again. "Is this an elaborate prank or is this unironically coming out of your mouth?"
"I'm being serious!" Jinx groans, "Ekko and I are a package deal."
"Then date Ekko. Problem solved," Ran replies like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Which it definitely isn't.
"I can't," Jinx insists, "I've known him since kindergarten, it's like illegal. Or something."
Ran gives her a long, unimpressed stare before popping in her earphones. "Don't talk to me again if you're just going to talk shit."
Jinx tosses an empty soda can at her. "You're a terrible friend."
Ran flips her off without looking away from her cellphone.
“Hey!” At the sound of his voice, Jinx turns around to see Ekko heading her way.
“Ekko!” Jinx yells, excitedly rising from her seat….Which is a totally normal and casual reaction when seeing your best friend, even if she can see Ran roll her eyes from the corner of her vision. It doesn’t matter because Ran is just like that.
His face lights up in a grin. “I got something for you, hold on.” He nods towards Ran, “And hey, Ran.” She nods her head in acknowledgment but otherwise doesn’t even so much as look up from her phone screen.
Jinx raises an eyebrow as Ekko unzips his bag and sets it on the table so he can rummage through it. “What do you have, then?”
He pulls out a pair of welding goggles, holding them out for her. “Here, you lost your old pair, right?”
Jinx’s face lights up. “Oh yeah, thanks!”
Without thinking about it she reaches forward and wraps her arms around Ekko, enveloping him in a hug. He hugs her back, arms wrapping around her waist and patting her back. And somehow…this doesn’t feel very friendly. But it’s nice. She likes it– Oh my god, why does she like it? Get it together, Jinx!
With that she breaks out of the embrace, awkwardly laughing while grabbing the goggles from Ekko’s hand and sitting back down. “Well, here’s hoping I don’t lose these too.”
He shakes his head with an amused huff. “Please don’t. I’m not made out of goggles.”
Jinx rolls her eyes at him. “Then why do I keep you around?”
Ekko crosses his arms, annoyingly smug. “Because I’m awesome and you’re lucky I tolerate you?”
“I’d sell you for a single corn chip if the opportunity presented itself," Jinx cackles at Ekko’s bemused expression.
He sits down beside her and grumbles, “See if I’m ever getting you shit again.”
Ran’s eyes dart between both of them like she’s just annoyed they’re both breathing the same air as her before she suddenly says, “So your date sucked again, right?”
Jinx scoffs, confused and annoyed that Ran is bringing this up again. “Thought you didn’t want to hear about my shit anymore?”
Ekko curiously looks between the two of them. “You went on another date?”
Jinx turns back to him, nodding in confirmation. “Yeah, he was a loser though, but oh well, maybe the next date will be better.”
“You already have a new date?” He questions disbelievingly.
She shrugs. “No, but I’ll find one eventually, I guess.”
Honestly, Jinx wasn’t even concerned with dating at first. She lived seventeen peaceful years of her life single and was content to keep it that way.
While her peers were busy being horny and stupid, she was learning the various ways chemicals could blow up and different mechanic designs she could make. And she had Ekko by her side for over half her life, sharing the same sentiment as her. Sure, he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the blowing-stuff-up part, but he tolerated it which is probably about as good as it got.
It was nice and comfortable. Until it wasn’t.
Ekko got taller, his voice started dropping, his features got sharper and more angular, and he started to get muscular. Frankly speaking, he was hot.
Jinx thought Ekko was hot– and it was gross and wrong and against the codes of friendship. And she doesn’t know when it happened, but at some point his smiling at her made her feel…weird. And she kind of liked it? It was horrifying and clearly a sign that Jinx has been single for too long.
So she figured it was time she started dating. So far every date has been a bust, though. The first girl was nice, but she was too nice. Like Jinx was too scared to be mean to her because what if she started crying? She can’t have that. She needs someone she can push a little and who will push back.
Then she went out with this guy from her chemistry class but they – ironically enough – had no chemistry to speak of. He was way too edgy for her anyway and he didn’t even care about science. She needs someone to nerd out with a little, someone who can keep up with her ideas.
Which left her with her previous date. She didn’t even like the guy. His name was Chuck or something? But well, he asked her out so she figured what the hell. And what the hell indeed. He was just…alright? So Jinx couldn’t explain what exactly was wrong with him (aside from the Mountain Dew thing) but if the vibes are off they’re off, okay?
Jinx just needs someone who really understands her. Someone who she connects with on a personal level. Someone who it just clicks with. She needs– Her eyes automatically dart towards Ekko. No! Not Ekko, let’s not make it weird.
“I don’t get it.” He frowns at her in confusion. “Why do you keep going on dates with people you don’t like?”
“How should I know whether or not I like them if I don’t go out with them?” She shrugs.
“Maybe Jinx just sucks at dating.” Ran helpfully supplies, making Jinx glare daggers at her and Ekko laugh. “Why don’t you go on a practice date or something?”
“A what?” Jinx frowns. Where the hell is Ran – the least helpful person in the world – going with this?
“Yeah, why don’t you go with Ekko? You guys are just friends, right? So he can give you pointers or whatever and you can finally figure out what you want.”
“You’re insane,” Jinx scoffs and at the same time Ekko responds, “Sure, I’m down.”
Their heads whip towards each other in confusion.
“You–” her voice cracked, god that’s so embarrassing, “you want to go on a date with me?”
Ekko shrugs, suddenly looking very interested in the strings of his hoodie. “I mean, if it helps you out, it’s not a big deal. We hang out all the time anyway, right?”
"Okay." Jinx blurts and instantly hates herself for it. What the fuck? Why did she say that?
But then Ekko smiles at her and says, "Cool, just let me know when and where," and she realizes she's truly a lost cause because all she can do is dumbly nod.
"Ekko, over here!" Some guy from across the cafeteria calls.
Ekko waves at him before turning back to Jinx and Ran "Well, I'm off now. Just text me the details, I guess."
With that Ekko is gone, Ran peacefully continues scrolling through her phone, and Jinx's soul is currently floating off to some astral realm while she tries to process what the hell just happened.
She shoots up straight, banging her hands on the table. "What the fuck, Ran?"
Ran sighs and rubs her temple in exhaustion. "Can I just have a moment of peace in this shit school?"
Jinx glares at her. "I'm never covering for you again when you cut P.E. to smoke weed under the bleachers."
Ran rolls her eyes. "You are unless you want the principal to find out who caused the evacuation last month by setting off fireworks in the hallways."
Shit, she and Ran have way too much dirt on each other. She needs better friends. Friends who are not aware of her punishable activities or are so attractive it makes her want to punch a wall.
"What's the problem anyway?” Ran shrugs. “If you are into him you should be grateful I scored you a date. If he's just your friend then it shouldn't matter anyway because it's just practice."
"Because…" Jinx trails off. Goddammit, Ran has a point. She would like a refund on this friendship because it sucked. Jinx picks up her bag and walks off frustrated. "Because fuck you!" She very maturely yells as she walks out of the cafeteria.
"You're welcome, bitch!" Ran yells back, before focusing on her cellphone again. At peace now that she's finally alone instead of dealing with the bad reality show that is Jinx trying to date random people she clearly doesn't give a shit about.
When Jinx gets home after school, the first thing she does is run to her room and collapse face-first into her pillow. Maybe if she stays like this she'll die of lack of oxygen and all her problems are solved. You can't go on a date if you're dead, it's a life hack…or not because you wouldn't be alive anymore, but whatever.
Eventually, she turns to her side because she decides she’s not dying today after all (at least not purposefully). She’s lucky she didn’t have any afternoon classes with Ekko because she would probably just jump out of a window to escape.
He’s her best friend and they’ve been together since they were five. He was there nearly every time she cried because she scraped her knees. She was there when he fell out of a tree and broke his arm. And they’ve shared every stupid secret and joke with each other through the years.
The only time they’ve ever really fallen out is when they entered high school and ended up with different friends, both accusing each other of leaving the other one behind. It was rough, but eventually, they decided they were still going to be each other’s best friends even if they had no more common friends.
Ekko has always been there. A constant in Jinx’s messy and eventful life, and she likes it that way. Dating someone is…different. There’s these expectations or something? She’s not really sure because she hated every date she’s been on– Fuck, maybe Ran is right and she’s just terrible at this.
The point is that dating Ekko is a no-go. What if they break up? How are they supposed to go back to their eternal friendship from that? Maybe he doesn’t even like her back. He told her he just agreed because it’s like any other time they hang out. This is all so fucking stupid. What is she going to do?
Just as Jinx groans in frustration and sits up straight to punch her pillow, her bedroom door opens.
“Pow?” Vi asks, brows furrowed in concern. “Are you okay? You didn’t say anything when you came home.”
“I’m going on a date,” Jinx says as if she’s getting executed.
“Okay?” Vi confusedly asks, taking a seat on the edge of Jinx’s bed.
“With Ekko.”
“Oh,” Vi smiles at her, which is definitely not the reaction Jinx needs right now, “congrats. I’m sure you’re going to have fun.”
Jinx groans again, pulling at her braids in annoyance, “Not congrats. I’m going on a date with Ekko. Is that not weird? He’s my friend. You don’t date friends. Right?”
Vi raises a confused eyebrow. “Well, if you don’t want to go on a date with him just tell him.”
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to date–” Jinx clamps her hand over her mouth when she realizes what she’s saying, eyes nervously darting over to Vi who gives her a knowing smile that makes Jinx want to suffocate herself with a pillow again.
“It’s okay if you like him,” Vi assures.
“I don’t.”
“Pow, you just said–”
Jinx interjects, “I think you’re hallucinating. I didn’t say anything.”
Vi crosses her arms and gives her The Look. The look that means she’s being a serious big sister now and that Jinx needs to stop messing around. Jinx has seen this look come and go her entire life but there have been few occasions where it’s actually been directed at her. She nervously swallows and grabs onto her pillow for emotional support.
“Do you want my advice or not?” Jinx meekly nods in response to Vi’s question. Her sister has this annoying ability to make her act like a little girl again.
“I just…” Jinx fiddles with her pillowcase, “think I’m nervous. What if I mess it up?”
Vi ruffles her hair and gives her an encouraging smile. “Look, you and Ekko are thick as thieves. Nothing is getting between your friendship as long you don’t let it.” She leans in closer with a conspiratorial grin. “And here’s a little secret. The best lovers are each other’s best friends. So you’re one step ahead of the curve if anything.”
Jinx nods, letting out a tired sigh and slumping down against Vi, who comfortingly pats Jinx’s head as she does. She feels a little more…grounded now. Her sister just has that effect.
She was embarrassingly relieved when Vi told her she wouldn’t be going to college and instead would stick around to take care of her. Sometimes she felt pretty terrible over it – she was holding her sister back – but Vi assured her that she was happy this way, working as a boxing instructor to pay the bills and teaching others in their community how to defend themselves.
“Besides,” Vi once jokingly said when they were talking about it over breakfast, “who else is going to flirt with all the pretty girls in our town?”
Jinx gagged over that. She did not want to think of her big sister hitting on people. It was weird.
“Look,” Vi starts, making Jinx look back up at her, “if it really makes you uncomfortable, you can just cancel. I’m sure Ekko would respect your decision. But if you do want to go, you don’t have to feel bad about it. Don’t rob yourself of things that make you happy, okay?”
Jinx nods, sitting upright and steeling herself. “Yeah, it’s totally fine. I guess I should text him the where and when.”
Vi smiles and stands up. “Great. I’ll get started on dinner then. You okay with pasta?”
The next day Jinx’s resolve crumbles and she realizes it’s not totally fine. She’s so nervous it’s embarrassing.
What is she even nervous about? It’s Ekko of all people – she literally witnessed him getting high as a kite when he got his wisdom teeth removed and crying because the sun was following him home – objectively speaking, she should be the least nervous around him.
The date starts in an hour and she’s still pacing around her room in a towel because she doesn’t know what to wear. It’s never been this nerve-wracking to find an outfit for a date. She literally showed up to her last date in sweatpants because she overslept and it was more comfortable. But this time she’s going on a date with Ekko and she can’t stop overthinking it.
What if she’s overdressed and looks stupid for putting in so much effort? What if she’s underdressed and looks stupid because she didn’t put in any effort? It was a tricky balance.
After contemplating it for another fifteen minutes, like it was a math equation instead of an outfit, she settled on just wearing baggy jeans and a crop top. She might look stupid if she’s overdressed so it’s casual enough, but at least she can say she put in some effort (it’s not sweatpants after all).
Jinx figured the sooner she got this over with, the better. So she messaged Ekko that they should have their date on Saturday, which is today, and he agreed before she could chicken out and delete the message.
She’s vibrating in her seat while eating breakfast. Okay, calm the fuck down Jinx. It’s just a practice date. What’s the difference between a practice date and an actual date? She’s not entirely sure yet, but whatever it is, she’ll most likely find out once she actually gets there. Vi is currently at work so she doesn’t have anyone who can calm her down this time.
Realizing she only has twenty minutes left, she quickly shoots out of her chair and gets ready to leave. Alright, enough driving herself insane. This is not a big deal. Maybe if she said it enough she could gaslight herself into believing it or something.
Slightly more insane than she was before, Jinx arrives at the arcade they agreed to meet. Ekko is already there. At her arrival, he looks up from his phone with a smile and Jinx feels that last remaining sliver of sanity exit her body. She’s not going to survive this.
“Hey,” he nods in greeting, “you ready to go in?”
To her relief, he looks just as casual in just jeans and a t-shirt. So at the very least she’s not over or underdressed. That’s a good start, right?
Jinx nods and walks into the arcade. She picked this place because they hang out here all the time, so at the very least she has a semblance of an idea of what to expect. They can just do their usual stuff and it won’t be weird at all.
“Hey,” he grabs her by her arm, “are you okay? You’re not saying anything.”
“Yes,” she squawks before clearing her throat. “Of course I’m fine. Why?”
He raises a curious eyebrow at her before joking, “If this is how you usually act on dates, no wonder they don’t work out. You should at least talk to them.”
She scoffs and smacks his arm. “Yeah, well maybe you’d be better off talking less.”
He smirks at her and challenges, “Then why don’t you shut me up?”
Her heart nearly jumps out of her chest because– because it sounds like he’s flirting with her. But friends don’t flirt with each other, right? He’s probably just saying it for practice. Because this is a practice date so she has to practice flirting. Of course. That makes sense.
In that case, it won’t be a crime if she flirts back, right?
She moves closer, hovering in his personal space and whispering, “I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” His eyes widen in surprise, and she backs away laughing, ignoring the way her heart hammers in her chest.
He clears his throat, the tips of his ears suspiciously red. “Whatever, let’s just go.” He grabs her hand and leads her further into the arcade.
Jinx lets him drag her along like some useless bag of potatoes. Because he’s holding her hand. And Ekko’s hands are larger than her own, enveloping hers entirely. She already knew this, of course. And definitely not because she spent the last couple of months intensely staring at his hands when he wouldn’t notice. Just because they’ve known each other for a long time, of course.
He turns back to her. “So, what do you want to do anyway?”
She hopelessly thinks, “You.”
“What?” Oh shit, she actually said that out loud.
“I mean,” she nervously laughs, “that you can choose.”
He curiously looks at her for a moment longer – Jinx’s urge to get out of here and jump into a ditch increasing with every second – before he shrugs and looks around the arcade. “Okay then, how about we play a racing game?”
Jinx’s face lights up, her embarrassment momentarily forgotten as she races to the machine and drags Ekko with her. “Oh, I’m going to annihilate you.”
“Yeah, right. You can’t drive for shit.” He scoffs as they take their seats and he inserts a coin into the machine.
“We’ll see for how long you can say that.” Jinx devilishly grins and Ekko looks rightfully unnerved.
Jinx whoops in triumph after winning, Ekko rolling his eyes at her. “Of course you won, you gremlin. You kept crashing into my car on purpose.”
“Whatever, stop being such a sore loser.” She clicks her tongue, still basking in her victory.
He scoffs, “Well, I’m onto you this time. Let’s have a rematch.”
She smirks, popping another coin into the machine. “Don’t cry if you lose again.”
And Ekko does win this time. She grumbles over her loss but quickly decides to compensate for it by moving on to another game. They play nearly game in the arcade in hopes of beating each other. Jinx has completely forgotten why she was even nervous in the first place. Hanging out with Ekko is way too fun for any of that nonsense.
It’s only by the end of it, when she’s sitting on a nearby bench, waiting for Ekko to return with drinks that her nerves return. Left with only her thoughts, she can’t help but overthink again. She might just be going mildly insane but she keeps getting the sense that Ekko is flirting with her.
Then again, he’s not acting all that differently from how he usually does, she’s just more aware of him because this is a date. Does that mean he’s always flirting with her? No, that definitely can’t be the case. It really just is her going insane.
“Sorry, that took a while.” His voice snaps Jinx out of her thoughts. Ekko takes a seat beside her and hands her a can, the feel of cold metal in her hands startling her. “Here you go.”
Jinx looks down at her hands. “You got me a Mountain Dew?” She faintly asks, her heart clenching in some odd sentimentality over it.
“Yeah. Why? You don’t want it?” He asks, confused at the thought of Jinx not wanting a Mountain Dew.
She shakes her head and opens the can, taking a sip.
It’s her favorite drink. Ekko, of course, knows it’s her favorite drink because they’ve known each other forever. But Jinx similarly knows that Ekko hates Mountain Dew and he usually wouldn’t go out of his way to buy it out of spite alone. And maybe she’s just reading all the signs wrong and he’s doing it this time to be friendly.
Because they are friends. But sometimes Ekko reaches out to touch her and it makes her skin feel like it’s on fire. They’re friends but sometimes Ekko laughs and it makes her feel warm all over. They’re friends but sometimes Ekko says something or looks at her in a way that makes her want to do something very unfriendly.
But at the end of the day, they’re just friends. Two plus two is equating seven and Jinx is not sure where her math went wrong. And she’s losing her mind over it- has been losing her mind over it for far too long. So with a newfound resolve, she sets down her can and turns to face him. He looks at her determined expression in confusion and sets aside his cola can, turning to face her as well.
“You know, this date is almost over,” she starts, and he slowly nods, unsure where Jinx is going with this. “Do you know what people usually do at the end of a date?”
Ekko stares at her a moment longer. His throat bobbing and her eyes instantly dart down to track the movement. “What?” Is his only response.
She leans forward until their faces are barely a hairbreadth apart. “They kiss.”
And if she’s been reading into all of this wrong, Ekko will just scoff and push her away. In response, she can make fun of him and say she was just joking, before heading home a little worse for wear, but at the very least with an answer. That is, if he doesn't like her back and really is just doing this as some weird way to help her out. But if by any chance he does–
“Okay,” he responds, sounding as faint as she feels.
Jinx feels her heart jump out of her chest when he puts a hand on her cheek and leans closer. She’s hyper-aware of him as their faces inch closer. So close she’s able to count almost all of his lashes individually.
Her eyes flicker shut and she feels his lips touch hers. Jinx feels like jumping out of her skin, heart pounding in her chest. Every brush of his lips against hers makes her feel like she’s on fire. She wraps a hand around the back of his neck, trying to pull him as close as possible from their current positions.
She faintly hears her can clatter off the bench behind her, but she can’t bring herself to care when Ekko is kissing her, trying to pull her closer as well with a hand around her waist. When she breaks the kiss, her heart still hasn’t calmed down. But with their bodies so closely pressed together, she’s not entirely sure if it’s hers or Ekko’s instead. Maybe it’s just both.
He grimaces and for a moment she panics. Jinx screwed up. Maybe he was just curious. Or he did it because he felt pressured. This was a stupid mistake–
“Your mouth tastes like Mountain Dew.” He says with a smile. Abruptly bringing her thoughts to a stop.
She laughs in disbelief, the tension leaving her body. “Shut up, idiot.”
He laughs too, and despite his words, he leans in to kiss her again. And Jinx thinks that maybe breaking the rules of friendship isn’t such a bad thing after all.