Whether You're Powder or Jinx, Just Be Yourself!

[Check Out My P4treon For +40 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]

===

"Vander?"

Sevika, standing behind Jinx, recognized the familiar glint in the eyes of the beast before her. Overwhelmed with disbelief, she staggered back, leaning against the wall to keep herself from collapsing.

"Aren't you... dead?"

Sevika's voice trembled as she stared wide-eyed at the figure before her.

"No, that can't be!"

"Back then, Silco handed your body over to Singed. Could it be that he—"

The words Sevika blurted out in shock revealed much of the truth.

Jinx glanced at her but had no energy to delve into the past. Her mind was in a haze, as if she had drunk Shimmer-laced alcohol or been struck by a wooden mallet. Her vision blurred, and she couldn't muster a single word.

"Though his appearance has changed greatly, deep down, he's still the Vander you remember."

Link patted Jinx's slender, tense shoulder. "Our deal is complete."

Jinx turned to look at Link, her lips parting, but no words came out.

Link glanced at Sevika and forcefully pulled her up.

"Let's go. Don't disturb their reunion."

Dragging Sevika into the tavern, Link closed the back door behind them, leaving the father and daughter to their moment.

"I..." Jinx managed to utter a single word, but her mind was a jumbled mess, unable to form coherent thoughts.

"You've grown thinner, child." Vander carefully placed a flower he held in his left hand behind Jinx's ear, treating her as if she were a priceless porcelain artifact. His left hand gently caressed her face, filled with tenderness and care.

"Oh, you got a tattoo."

Vander noticed the blue cloud tattoos on Jinx's shoulders and arms. Jinx's nose tingled, and her eyes welled up, but she forced herself to act casual. "It's just a trend among young people, no big deal."

"You should see Vi—she even has tattoos on her face now!"

Jinx crossed her arms, her gaze darting around, unsure where to look. Eventually, she turned her head away, though her eyes kept flickering back to Vander.

Noticing her glances, Vander sat down on the floor, stroking his own fur. "Furry, huh? Like that stuffed toy you couldn't sleep without when you were little."

"Yeah, it is furry, but—" Jinx twirled a strand of her bangs around her finger, pulling it taut before releasing it and repeating the motion.

"I think it's... pretty cool!" Jinx's eyes kept darting toward Vander. "You haven't been around the streets for a while. Young people these days are pretty open-minded. Your look is actually really cool, seriously."

Vander gazed at Jinx, his mind drifting to the image of someone standing in front of a gramophone, their back turned to him.

"You look so much like your mother—" Vander began, but Jinx fell silent. Her memories of her mother had long since faded.

"I once promised her..." Vander sighed softly. "To find a way out for you, for the undercity. To give you the best life possible."

"Even if that meant digging riverbeds until my hands were covered in blisters!"

"But in the end, I not only failed to keep that promise, but I also lost my best friend, my brother."

Jinx tightened her arms around herself, her shoulders trembling.

"When I brought you and Vi home, I told myself in the mirror that I would give you the best, let you grow up carefree, and help you leave Zaun, so you wouldn't repeat our mistakes."

"But in the end, I was too overconfident."

"I should have paid more attention to you, understood you better, instead of just focusing on Vi."

"Back then, I naively thought that if I took care of Vi, she would take care of you, and everything would be fine."

"But in the end, I was just a failure."

Vander hung his head in regret. Jinx looked up, her lips quivering as she shook her head. "No... Vander, you're not. I..."

"It's alright, child." Vander reached out to stroke Jinx's hair, his eyes filled with warmth. "Not being able to guide you properly, letting you repeat our mistakes—that's my greatest failure."

"But it's not too late—" Jinx stammered. "We... and Vi, we can start over. We can find a place, open a new tavern for you."

"We can go to Bilgewater, to Shurima, even to Noxus!"

"We can..."

"No." Vander shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere, child."

"The mistakes I made are mine to fix."

"I know we can't go back to the past, but at least I can make things right now." Vander pulled Jinx into a tight embrace. "Link told me a lot about you. I know what you've been through these years, and I know what you've done."

Jinx shuddered, burying her face in Vander's chest.

"It's okay." Vander spoke softly. "No matter what you've done, I'll carry the burden for you."

"No matter what you face in the future, I'll shield you from the storm."

"You, my daughter."

Vander looked into Jinx's eyes. "Whether you're Powder or Jinx."

"All you need to do is be yourself."

At that moment, Jinx could no longer hold back her emotions. Tears streamed down her face as she clung to Vander, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ah..."

Her voice grew hoarse from crying, as if she were trying to shake off the storm that had loomed over her since childhood.

"It's alright now."

Vander gently patted Jinx's back.

"I'm here. Dad's here."

........

Inside the tavern, Isha's first instinct upon hearing the faint sound of crying was to run outside.

But before she could get far, Link grabbed her by the collar and hauled her back onto the barstool.

Isha glared at Link, clearly annoyed.

Link flicked her forehead with his finger. "Don't go causing trouble. Give them a little more time."

"If she doesn't let it all out, how can she start anew?"

Isha's forehead reddened, but she kept glaring. Link chuckled and knocked on the table, calling out to Sevika.

"Hey, got any milk or juice?"

"Get this little one a drink to pass the time!"

Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 90 on my patreon go take a look and remember if you reach 280 stones of power I will publish the next chapter.