A-Z Jhin and Jinx

A — Applause

"And that is how death became two," Jhin said before he took a bow.

Jinx shot up from her seat, clapping with so much force it turned her hands red. The Ionian looked deep into the girl's pink eyes, seeing they were full of admiration. The same look of admiration of a child seeing a magic trick for the first time. His days of being a theater performer were long gone and him being a wanted murderer didn't let him return, no matter how much wanted to.

But whenever he was with Jinx, the young girl always asked him to perform. Sure it wasn't the most conventional thing, using his bedroom as a stage, but it worked for her. Even if he had done the same thing for her over and over, she still reacted like it was her first time. Not to mention he was always happy to do it because with her it always felt like opening night.

He would feel nervousness whenever she reached over to grasp his hand just like when the curtain opened. He felt excitement when she got to the tips of her toes to kiss him just the sound of first hands clapping. He loved it all.

She was the applause in his life.

B — Bad

If there was one thing Jhin questioned about his relationship with Jinx it would be: why would she want to be with someone so… bad? Even if Jinx wasn't a saint herself, why would she love a murderer? Was she sick or just reckless? Did she even consider that he could pull his gun on her? Why did she love him?

As he looked across the table, watching her clean her rocket launcher, Jhin narrowed his eyes in thought. She scrubbed off gunpowder Fishbones had gotten caked in his jaws. The Ionian made sure she unloaded it before she stuck her head in it's mouth.

"You do realize how much of a bad man I am, correct?" He spoke up.

"Huh?" She mumbled as she kept on her task. Jinx glanced up, seeing her Jhin's thought-clouded eye under his mask. She tilted her head in confusion, "Bad man? Not my Jhiny."

"You can't ignore what I've done." His voice raised slightly, indicating that he was a bit ticked off with the girl's ignorance.

"Are you… mad at me?" She looked at him fearfully. Jinx didn't like it when he was angry. Jhin caught himself snapping at the girl for no reason. He cleared his throat before continuing to drink his tea. He swallowed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"No," he sighed. "I'm just puzzled. May I ask you something?"

"Shoot," Jinx said with a giggle. She pointed at Fishbones, "Get it? Shoot?"

"Yes," he chuckled along. "I was wondering… why do you take so much interest in me?"

"Because you're smart, handsome, tall, you tell really good stories. Also, you're dumplings are totally amazing." She grinned, "I don't think you're a bad guy, Jhiny. You just make a living different than an ordinary person. People just don't see you the way I do."

"Wow, Jinx, that was surprisingly insightful."

"Oh, you didn't let me say how good you are at kissing," The girl giggled mischievously.

C — Curiosity

There was a night Jinx was left alone in Jhin's home while he dealing with a "difficult critic". Easily bored, the girl decided to snoop around while he was away. Jhin's home was small yet interesting. He had works of art hanging on every wall and books littered everywhere. But Jinx wasn't going to stare at a picture of a lake while she waited for him.

She walked into Jhin's study, a room at the back of his home he specifically told her not to go in.

Jinx looked around his work desk, seeing letters from different factions asking him to "perform". That was his codeword. Jinx wasn't dumb— she knew they were asking Jhin to kill someone. Wandering around some more, she found herself in front of a tall bookcase. Her pink eyes scanned the books. They were what she expected Jhin to have: books on Runeterra folklore and classic literature. In other words, nothing she was interested in.

At the top of the bookcase, she saw a small wooden box. She hopped up to grab it and she felt dust caked on the top. It looked like it hadn't been touched in awhile. Curiosity getting the best of her, Jinx opened it.

Inside she saw old, faded photos and stained newspaper clippings. She squinted at the words on it: Grand Opening of New Ionian Theater. As she read along, she figured it was an article about Jhin's theater life. The life before all this. The picture accompanying it showed a group of costumed theater performers. She smiled when she recognized her Jhin right in the middle, still wearing his usual white mask.

"Find something interesting?" A dark voice asked from behind her.

Jinx jumped and hid the box behind her back. She looked over at Jhin in the doorway with his arms crossed. The girl slowly backed away when walked over. Forced against the bookcase, Jinx searched for any excuse she use to justify why she was in his study. He opened his hand, silently asking for whatever she was concealing. The thick feeling of guilt was forming in her gut as she handed the dusty box to Jhin. The Ionian sighed while he glared down at it.

"I…" Jhin said lowly, walking over to a chair. He sat down as he read along the faded newspaper, "I remember this exact moment." The Ionian glanced up at Jinx, who was still pressed against the bookcase. He asked her to come over with a small wave of his hand, "Come here, I'll tell you all about it."

D — Dance

Jhin, trained in the fine theater arts, danced remarkably. He could waltz, he could tango, and he could even tap dance. The Ionian was so talented, he was able to watch someone else dance and memorize each move.

Jinx had two left feet. In other words, she couldn't dance. She usually ended up looking like a fish out of water if she even tried. Not to mention her hyperactive personality made it hard for Jhin to teach her.

They stood chest to chest, hands laced with the other's, in Jhin's study. The Ionian could tell Jinx was itching to get this over with. She wasn't a big fan of the classical music playing on his ancient phonograph.

"Just one more lesson and we will stop. If you can get it right, I'll make you those dumplings you love." Jhin saw her pink eyes twinkle with determination. Jinx forced herself into the leading position, placing her hand on Jhin's hip and taking him by surprise. He hurried to get his feet moving with her's. She lead him around the room, twirling every now and then.

"Come on, Jhiny! Keep up!" The blue-haired girl giggled.

"J-Jinx, you aren't even following the pace of the music!" Jhin was getting dizzy now. His girl's manic laughter overtook the violins and flutes. He had to get her to stop before she flung him across the room. "Alright, lesson's over! We're done!"

"Wahoo! I'm starving," Jinx let go of Jhin, letting him get levelheaded as she ran to the kitchen.

"I… think that's enough dancing for a while…"

Notes: After going back and re-reading my last "A-Z" stories, I was inspired to write one for my other favorite pairing: Jhin/Jinx or Jhinx. (There aren't a lot of stories about them and I'd like to change that :3c)

See you next chapter.