Luxurious Anarchy (Lux/Jinx)

Chapter 27: Trouble

"Is it time yet?"

Lux looked away from the much doodled upon binoculars Jinx had handed her a few hours ago. The Chem-Empress of Zaun lay on the crumbling edge of the old dilapidated belfry, a ribbon-wrapped detonator held lazily in one hand.

With a small sigh of contentment, Lux went back to her binoculars, trying to spot the signal flare that meant their ultimatum had been delivered. "Not yet, my heart."

A guttural groan of discontent echoed down the belltower and across the lanes, "But I'm fucking booored! Can't I just-"

"No Sunflower, you can't just hit the switch and call it a day."

Jinx sat up, pouting for all she was worth, "Oh come oooon Sunshine, it's been hours! Choss's mole must have chickened out! I say I hit the big red button, we watch the fireworks for a few minutes, and then we can home and just fu-"

"Get down!" Lux hissed, dropping the binoculars and grabbing Jinx by one arm, dragging her off the ledge and down onto the floor, throwing herself flat as well.

"Lux, what the-"

Jinx's voice hitched in her throat, and Lux knew she was radiating fear. Knew her soulmate could feel it, knew somewhere deep inside herself that if she didn't get it the fuck together they would lie here, insensate, paralyzed, useless, worthless!

A hand, slim but strong, calloused but moving with calculated softness, cupped Lux's face, Jinx's thumb tracing her cheekbone.

"I-I'm here, Sunshine. I got ya, okay?"

Lux nodded, but couldn't find it in herself to get up or let go of her soulmate. She breathed in with a shudder, exhaled with fear on her breath.

But the warm hand on her cheek kept her grounded, and it wasn't too long before she had the strength to sit up, to let Jinx out from underneath her.

Jinx crawled over to the ragged edge of the belfry, only just poking her head over the ledge to look out over the city and the sky.

"Oh. That's bad, isn't it?"

"Mmm-hm," hummed Lux, crawling over to her lover's side to drink in the vista of Demacian airships now crowding Piltover's airspace. In silence, they watched several warships open like obscene flowers, disgorging whole flocks of silverwings and their riders, a smothering blanket of argent feathers and steel lances.

"Fuck this," snarled Jinx, and she stood up with barely contained fury, vibrating with the need to lash out. "Tryna keep this all polite and civ-e-lyzed, and those dickbags called in extra soldiers?"

Lux scrambled to her feet, the sensation of Jinx's white hot rage clashing with her own ice cold fear in her chest. "Babygirl, I recognize those vessels, it's not just soldiers. Mageseekers, the Vanguard, for fuck's sake, one of those ships is the royal family's personal vessel! I would struggle to imagine a worse scenario than this!"

"Uh-huh," Jinx sneered, throwing Pow-Pow's carrying strap over one shoulder, hoisting Fishbones up with her free arm, "watch me un-worse-ify this scenario."

"Jinx!"

Lux's call came out sharp, sharp enough to bring Jinx to a halt. Turning shakily, neon pink eyes looked up into sky blue ones, and each found tears in the other.

"Jinx," Lux said, softly, gently. She started to crouch back down, motioning for her soulmate to do the same, relief fluttering in her chest when Jinx put Fishbones down and kneeled down in front of Lux.

"I just want to help, I just wanna make you unafraid, I'm sorry, I'm-"

Lux eveloped Jinx in her arms, gingerly drawing her into her cuirass clad chest. "I know, Sunflower, I know. But you can't shoot them all down. We're exposed up here, and Fishbones isn't..."