Arcane X Reader (Open)

The flickering neon lights of Zaun cast a soft glow over the cluttered desk where Jinx sat, legs crossed, utterly absorbed in her journal. The tip of her pencil skated across the paper in swift, confident strokes, leaving behind a mess of frantic yet deliberate lines. A hum of satisfaction left her lips as she added the final touch, your hair, just the way it always looked when you laughed.

She bit her lip, staring down at the tiny sketches of you littering the pages. Some were rough, just a few strokes capturing your grin or the furrow of your brow when you were focused. Others were detailed, like the one where you were leaning against a wall, arms crossed, looking at her like she was the best thing in the world.

Jinx exhaled sharply "Ugh, what am I doing?" she muttered, pressing the journal to her chest like she could squeeze the feelings right out of it.

The door creaked open.

"Jinx?"

She jolted like she'd been struck by lightning, snapping the journal shut so fast that a few loose pages fluttered to the floor. Your head tilted as you stepped inside, glancing at her suspiciously "What's that?"

"Nothin!" she yelped, clutching the journal and twisting her body to hide it behind her back. The forced casualness of her grin only made her look guiltier.

Your eyes narrowed playfully "Uh huh. Definitely looks like something"

"Nope! Just, y'know, top secret, super duper Jinxy business!" She shifted, sending another page skidding toward your feet. You bent down, curiosity piqued, and picked it up before she could stop you.

It was a sketch of you. Not just one, but an entire cluster, tiny versions of you mid laugh, brooding, looking surprised, all drawn with a care and detail that made your chest tighten.

Jinx lunged forward "Ack!- gimme that!"

You held it out of reach, smirking as she scrambled to grab it "So, this is what you've been up to, huh? Doodling me?"

Her face was a wildfire of pink, and she let out a groan, burying her head in her hands "I-It's not like that! I was just bored, and your stupid face is just- ugh, forget it!" She turned away, arms crossed, acting like she hadn't just been completely caught.

You grinned, stepping closer "Hey, I think it's cute"

Jinx peeked at you through her fingers "...You do?"

You held the page up, admiring the way she saw you, through chaotic, expressive strokes, each version of you bursting with life "Yeah. I like seeing how you see me. You really pay attention, huh?"

She let out an exaggerated groan, smacking her forehead against your chest "Ugh, you're gonna make me explode"

You laughed, wrapping an arm around her "Guess that means I'm sticking around for more sketches?"

She huffed, but a smile curled at her lips as she mumbled against you "Fine, but don't get used to it, dumbass"

And yet, as you peeked at the journal in her hands, you already knew she'd been sketching you for a long, long time.

A comfortable silence settled between you both before Jinx tugged at your sleeve "Hey... wanna see more?" Her voice was unusually soft, almost hesitant.

You raised a brow "More? You mean there are more?"

Jinx rolled her eyes, flipping open her journal to another page "Duh. What, you thought I only did a couple? Pfft, amateur"

Your eyes widened as you took in the dozens of drawings, scenes from when you two had gone on missions together, moments where you'd caught her sneaking glances at you, even a couple of doodles where you looked like you were in the middle of telling a joke.

"You really do pay attention" you murmured, touched by the amount of care she had put into them.

Jinx scoffed, shoving your shoulder lightly "Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy on me. It's not like I'm obsessed or anything" But the way her cheeks darkened gave her away.

You wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close "Well, I think they're amazing. And I think you're amazing, too"

Jinx groaned, hiding her face against you again. "Ugh, stop being sweet, it's weird"

You only chuckled, holding her a little tighter "Too bad. You're stuck with me now"

Jinx sighed dramatically, though you could hear the smile in her voice."Yeah, yeah, I guess that's not the worst thing ever"

As she flipped through the pages, she suddenly paused on a sketch of you looking particularly ridiculous- your face scrunched up mid-sneeze. You gasped. "Hey! You drew me looking like that?!"

Jinx cackled, snatching the journal away before you could retaliate "Oh, you better believe I did! And there's more where that came from"

You lunged, playfully grabbing for the journal, but she danced out of reach, holding it high above her head "Nope! These are classified!" she teased.

With a grin, you let her win this round, watching as she tucked the journal under her arm "Fine, keep your secrets. But I better be seeing more good ones soon"

She gave you a lopsided grin "Oh, don't worry, dumbass. You'll be seeing plenty"