the tension in the air was palpable as jinx paced back and forth in her hideout, her fingers twitching with restless energy. you stood a few feet away, still in your enforcer uniform, which felt heavier than usual under her scrutinizing gaze. she wasn’t holding a weapon, but the intensity of her presence made it clear you were still on dangerous ground.

“you’ve got some nerve showing up here dressed like that,” jinx sneered, but there was no real venom in her voice.

“i didn’t have time to change,” you said, trying to keep your tone steady. you met jinx months ago under less than ideal circumstances, but something had shifted after that. a strange, tentative connection had formed between the two of you, one neither of you seemed willing to name.

jinx stopped pacing, her bright pink eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. “so, what? you’re here to arrest me? turn me in?”

you shook your head. “no. i just wanted to see you.”

the admission hung in the air like a challenge. jinx’s lips twitched into a smirk, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “careful, enforcer. people might think you’ve gone soft.”

you sighed, stepping closer. “jinx, i’m not like the others. you know that.”

her smirk faltered, and for a moment, her expression was unreadable. then she turned away from you, picking up a random gadget from her workbench and fiddling with it as if she couldn’t bear to meet your eyes. “doesn’t matter. you still wear that uniform. you’re still one of them.”