Jinx blinked at Jonathan, watching the way he breathed, how he refused to make eye contact.
She tilted her head.
"…Are you having an… orgasm?"
Jonathan twitched. "Umm… no?" he panted, eyes wide. "I just love tea!"
Jinx squinted at him and drank the rest of her cup.
"A little too much, if you ask me."
She set the cup down and let out a breath. "How long?"
Jonathan tilted his head. "How long what?"
"How long have you been working for Silco?"
He waved a dismissive hand. "I work for Singed. Which is basically the same thing, anyway."
He tapped a finger against his lip, thinking. "Been his assistant since… before I even met you, actually."
Jinx looked down. "Before we met… so you were always like this?"
Jonathan nodded, casually pouring himself more tea.
"Don't look down like I betrayed you or something." He gave a strained smile. "We're on the same side now."
He took a sip, placed the cup down, and started breathing faster.
His hand came up to cover his mouth as his breath hitched.
"Nothing's changed," he muttered, tapping his chest. "I'm still Jonathan. I'm still perfect."
Jinx let out a sharp laugh. "Perfect?"
She tilted her head again. "Perfect people don't fantasize about fucking teacups."
She leaned back, trying to cross her arms—then winced, grunting as she remembered her right arm was broken.
"But what do I know?" she muttered. "I'm absolutely not perfect in any sense."
Jonathan shrugged. "You drank tea, so you've got a tiny pinch of perfection in you." He held up his fingers, pinching the air for emphasis.
"Wow. That means a lot coming from a guy who fantasizes about teacups," Jinx said, rolling her eyes.
Jonathan smiled warmly. "Thanks."
Jinx stared at him, deadpan. "That wasn't a compli—" She stopped herself, sighed, and muttered, "Actually… just fix my arm."
Jonathan glanced lazily at the busted limb. "Right now?"
"No, sometime next week. Yes, I meant now!"
She hurled her empty teacup at him.
Jonathan caught it with one hand and calmly set it on the table. "Fine, let me fix you."
He got up, walked across the table, and stood in front of her.
With a flick of his fingers, he motioned, "Shoo, Shoo. Back up."
Jinx scooted her chair back with a loud scrape.
Jonathan hopped down, crouched in front of her, and examined her broken arm.
He gave it a casual poke. "On a scale from one to ten, how much does it hurt?"
She flinched hard. "Ow—! That fucking hurts!"
"So… a ten," he said flatly, standing up. "I'll go get my stuff."
He headed for the door, then looked over his shoulder. "I'll be right back!"
.
.
.
Just like he said—he was right back, arms full of supplies, some clearly not intended for medical use.
He knelt beside her again and gently reached for her arm.
"How fast do you want it healed?" he asked, voice oddly soft. "Fast and painless… or slow and painful?"
Jinx narrowed her eyes. "Did you just mix those up?"
Jonathan shook his head. "Surprisingly, no."
"Fast and painless it is," he muttered, already at work, his hands surprisingly gentle.
Jinx watched him move—quick, precise, and careful.
She sighed quietly. "Have you… heard about what happened to Vi?"
Jonathan didn't look up. "Dead, right?"
He said it too casually. "A pity she died so young."
Jinx stared at him. "Are you sad?" she asked, uncertain. "You two were… togeth—"
"All done!" Jonathan interrupted, standing abruptly.
Jinx blinked, then lifted her arm. It moved smoothly. No pain.
"What the hell…" she flexed her fingers, then her elbow. "How?"
She looked up at him. "What did you do?"
Jonathan smiled faintly. "I fixed you."
Then he tilted his head and gestured vaguely to her body. "A small part of you, anyway."
"I can't fix this," he said, motioning to all of her. "Not that I'd want to."
Jinx raised a brow. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that—only because you stopped me from becoming a lefty."
"Lefty?" Jonathan muttered. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She waved him off, smirking. "You wouldn't get it."
Jonathan turned back toward the lab, heading to put his supplies away. Jinx trailed after him, hands in her pockets, leaning on the wall as he worked.
"So… you helped the old man make shimmer, huh?" she asked, casually watching him.
Jonathan nodded as he set tools in their places. "Yeah. I helped Singed. Some days we worked side by side. Some days, I was the experiment."
Jinx's eyes widened. "That old fart tested shimmer on you?"
Jonathan sighed, unbothered. "I tweaked it a bit, so I'm fine. I'm perfect, actually. Or… almost perfect."
"You tweaked it?" Jinx echoed, squinting at him. "Didn't think you had any talents besides fighting and telling creepy bedtime stories."
Jonathan closed the last drawer, brushing his hands off. "Well, feel free to come back anytime."
He moved to the door and gave her a faint glance over his shoulder.
"I've got more stories to tell."
And with that, he opened the door.
Jinx strolled after him, stopping just before the door. "What were your words again?" she muttered to herself. "Ah, right."
She looked back at Jonathan with a grin.
"I'll be right back!" she said, walking backward out of the lab.
————————————
Jonathan returned to his room once she was gone. He let out a slow yawn.
"I don't fantasize about fucking teacups," he muttered, collapsing face-first onto the table.
Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling.
"I'm the closest thing to perfection," he mumbled, voice getting softer. "Just need to get over a few fears and then I'll…"
Sleep took him mid-thought
—————————-
Thus chapter was supposed to be longer, with the date with Caitlyn.
But I decided to make that a separate chapter.
I didn't decide, I just didn't have time