[She looks up at him, clearly a little surprised by his words.
It's hard to accept most of them, but that last part has her expression straining a little. After an unsteady breath, she gently nudges him with her foot.]
And you didn't? [There's a wry smile.] Those people... clearly cared a lot about you. Something that seemed to go both ways.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He treated me like-... like his daughter.
[Jinx hurriedly presses her palms to her eyes, shoulders trembling just a bit. Why did he have to act like he cared so much, just to be so-...??
It hurts... so much...]
no subject
Maybe that's what you were to him, then.
[Silco was still a terrible man. Still fucked up all to hell. And yet, he recognized that in some way - he must have tried with Jinx.
He looks up with a soft sigh.]
If it's true he was betrayed by everyone, then... maybe he saw some of that in you. Some of himself.
Good and bad's often more muddy than it is black and white.
no subject
I... doubt it was really that.
[Jinx listens to the rest, brow tense.]
... Maybe. But... don't even know which I'd prefer.
no subject
[It's quiet, gaze averted. It's... possibly the most forward he's been about how he feels. The most he's ever verbalized right to her.]
What I'm tryin' to say is...
[He finally brings his gaze back to her.]
We were just kids, you know? After everything I've heard... I don't think you were wrong. Delusional. Anything like that.
[He leans back in the chair, letting out a sigh as he looks at the ceiling.]
I don't think I ever wanted to admit it, not even to myself, but part of why it hurt was... because I was jealous.
I'd never be okay living with Silco. But somehow, after everything that happened, you found family again. You found a place to be.
no subject
It's hard to accept most of them, but that last part has her expression straining a little. After an unsteady breath, she gently nudges him with her foot.]
And you didn't? [There's a wry smile.] Those people... clearly cared a lot about you. Something that seemed to go both ways.
no subject
It eventually got to be something like that, yeah. It took... a lot of time.
Things were pretty rough for awhile, there.
[In between grieving, losing most if not all his close contacts, and then trying to just survive?
Well, Ekko grew up fast, that's for sure.
After a moment, he puts his hand on her shoulder.]
...for what it's worth? I'm glad we're both here... no matter what kind of twisted path we had to endure for it.
no subject
Yeah? [Jinx can feel her stomach do something a little weird, from that touch being combined with the gesture.] I... feel the same way.
[There's a softening of her expression as she looks at him.]
no subject
[Now it's Ekko's turn to be surprised and flustered. It wasn't that he doubted her or felt she'd lie about this, it was just...
She'd been through a lot. Arguably, far more than himself. So it's just -
It's a lot that she'd consider this... them? Worth all that.]
no subject
[She sounds very certain of that, too.]
no subject
Ekko has no idea what to do. His mind has just blanked out, and... his face is warming up, for sure.]
...heh.
[He pulls away, hand coming up to awkwardly rub at the back of his neck for a moment as he glances to the side.]
So, uh... You feeling a little a better, now?