Parallel Lines

Irritable

"What're you looking at, Mylo?!" Jinx shouted, her voice rising in agitation. Y/N watched her quietly, then moved to sit beside her. "Just shut up!" Jinx snapped, her blue eyes narrowing, though her expression wavered as if she was unsure of her own words.

Y/N didn't react, her white hair catching the faint light as she sat cross-legged. She met Jinx's eyes with a softness no one else ever saw. That vulnerability made Jinx feel something rare: pride. Y/N trusted her, at least enough, to let her guard down. When Y/N reached out a hand, though, Jinx flinched.

"What." Jinx's voice was sharp, but it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"I heard about what happened," Y/N said softly.

Jinx scrambled to defend herself, words tumbling out too fast. "It's stupid, I know! I-it's not like I still think about her! She's just a girl with pink hair, nothing special! Sisters are stupid," She added hastily, laughing nervously. "I-I mean, she's not important! She's dead!"

Her voice cracked slightly, but she pushed through it, her tone growing louder and angrier. "Now Silco thinks I'm weak! 'Sevika will clean everything up!' Blah, blah, blah! I'm not weak!" She curled up, pulling her knees to her chest as her gaze fell on the bombs at her side. "I'm... I'm not weak, right?"

Y/N shook her head and reached out again, her fingers gently brushing against Jinx's braids. "You're better at being you," She said, her voice steady. She began undoing Jinx's braids, her touch calm and deliberate. "You did well today."

"You're lying," Jinx snapped, glaring at her, daring Y/N to contradict her.

"Have I ever lied to you, Bluejay?" Y/N asked, raising a brow as she ran her hands through Jinx's tangled hair.

Jinx hesitated, then muttered, "No."

"Exactly," Y/N said, a soft smile on her lips as she started to re-braid the long blue strands. "You did good today. You took out most of the fireflies, and it was flashy. You know how much I like flashy."

Jinx's lips quirked up at the corners, her posture relaxing slightly. "What did you do today?" She asked, her voice quiet.

"Oh, nothing much," Y/N replied lightly. "Had to oversee some Shimmer shipments. Made sure everything ran smoothly."

"Tell me something interesting," Jinx sighed, stretching her arms as she sat up straighter.

"Well," Y/N began, her tone laced with amusement, "Some guy tried to rob a woman, but I slipped one of your bombs into his bag."

Jinx let out a genuine laugh, her shoulders shaking. "Was it one of the new ones?"

"You bet. You told me to test it out, didn't you?" Y/N grinned.

Jinx rocked back and forth, a smile lighting up her face. "You always kind of... Get me," she said softly.

"We've known each other for years. A bird can't fly without both of its wings," Y/N said with a smirk as she moved from the first braid to the next.

"Is it going to take much longer, Ma?" She asked, her impatience bubbling to the surface.

"If your hair wasn't so long, you wouldn't be sitting here," Y/N teased.

"Well, I don't want it short like yours," Jinx retorted, sticking out her tongue.

"What's wrong with my hair?" Y/N asked, mock offense in her tone.

"It's too fluffy. I can't get mine to look like that," Jinx grumbled. "Is it done yet?"

"Almost," Y/N reassured her. "Just one more."