A/N: The behavior in this chapter is very ableist, and that is by design. Part of me thinks Piltover could be very bad at handling disabilities. Not necessarily physical ones, they have the technology to help a lot, but more hidden and mental disabilities I can see the people there just being very very bad at handling them. Disregard and disrespect would be the norms, people assuming those with disabilities can't function or take care of themselves, and when they see it happen they assume it's a fluke or maybe the exception. (Because Piltover is sooo advanced and only accepts the best.) And even those who care (like Hayden's parents in this instance) never truly understood how to take care of them, they were told that they can't think for themselves and that they're mentally children, they have to speak down to them, and so much more. If you're a parent who doesn't know better, and professionals tell you these things will help your child, you're probably gonna do it. And that's this society that I'm framing Piltover as. Hayden has diagnosed ADHD and probably undiagnosed Autism, and she's definitely high functioning, but she's still treated like this. It would absolutely be worse for others with more noticeable or affected disabilities.

Hayden had been sitting on the floor in the same spot for over half an hour before she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Hayden, sweetie, are you okay?" The voice of her mother came into the room before there was a groan that she recognized as her father's.

"Dear, I think she was just having another meltdown. She's fine, we made sure there's nothing she could hurt herself with in there."

No matter how many times she said she didn't want to hurt herself they never believed her. They now thought she was simply a bomb waiting to blow up at the slightest things. If she told them Jinx was here they probably would think she was hallucinating too. She closed her eyes and tried to tune out their voices. She doesn't hate her parents, she couldn't. They tried so hard to help her and care for her, and a big part of her just feels guilty. She left them. She left them with no explanation and now she's what? In love with an actual criminal? She could understand why they thought she had gone crazy. Most times she even contemplates the idea as well. But she was fine. They never understood that she was capable of making her own decisions and knowing what they entail. She wasn't a baby. She didn't need to be coddled or protected... maybe she wanted to be protected by one person in particular but....

Which didn't matter anymore because Jinx left her.

With that thought now at the forefront of her mind, she shifted onto her side and curled herself up into a ball before looking down into her hands. She was still holding her gun. She started to aimlessly trace the design drawn on the weapon made just for her. She had loved it, she still loved it, but the idea of using it on her parents- for Jinx to even suggest that was- it was too much. She clutched the weapon to her chest as close as she could, hoping to get some form of comfort from the cold metal, but wasn't surprised when she didn't.

Jinx gave up on her, just like Caitlyn did, just like her parents did, just like everyone else. Then again.... Her parents never actually gave up on her since it barely felt like they ever truly trusted her to begin with. Well, with her being locked in her room they probably thought this was their only way to keep her, but she hated it. She hated it there, she wanted to go back and be with Jinx. The girl who accepted her, and not only that, she helped her adjust, helped her fit in, went out of her way to make her comfortable.

...It wasn't Jinx's fault, it was her fault for leaving in the first place. Her eyes drifted back down to the gun as she loosened her grip on it. Was this going to be the last thing of her partner that she got to keep? Her parents took away everything else she had come here with, she wouldn't allow them to do the same with her gun. It was too special, too personal. Thoughts of protecting her last piece of Jinx were all she had as she slowly drifted off

[-]

She awoke to the feeling of someone trying to remove something from her hands. She barely gave herself time to blink away the sleep in her eyes as she shifted and pointed her gun at the offender.

"Hayden! Where did you get that?" The desperate voice of her mother cut through nearly all of her drowsiness as her eyes quickly opened and realized she was pointing her gun at her father. She quickly pulled it behind her back and just stared at him.

"Hayden you don't know how to handle that, give it to us. It's not a toy, it's dangerous."

She stared back at him with an incredulous look. "I know what a gun is, and I know how to handle one. I was an enforcer not even 2 months ago!"

"And obviously that was a mistake! You go on one job to the undercity and then you what? Fall for a criminal? We should've never let you take such a dangerous job! Or you should've stayed at the desk, none of this would've happened-"

"I was never happy at the desk, and I'm sure as hell not happy now! Why won't you two-"

"Don't raise your voice at your father! We know you're dealing with a lot of big emotions right now but that's no excuse-"

She was-she was talking to her the same way she did when she was an upset 7-year-old. She's not a child! Why can't they-why did they refuse to see her as- was it so unbelievable that she could take care of herself? Maybe she didn't make good decisions but they were still hers to make, right?

"Mom! I'm not a CHILD!" It was a high-pitched stressed out scream, and Hayden knew she felt so worn out. She just woke up, she could not handle this right now.

Her mother's eyes softened as her father pulled back and she walked closer. Hayden's eyes went wide as she shook her head and clutched her gun behind her back. She knew what was going to happen. She always tried to-to silence her and never would listen because when she yelled it meant she was "overwhelmed" or "too upset" never that she wasn't being heard, never that she just wanted them to hear her.

"Baby it's okay. We know you're not a child. We just want you to calm down."

Seeing the woman kneeling on the ground in front of her was too much. She wiped her eyes with one of her hands, "Mom please, s-stop this. I c-can't-I-I-"

"Shhh, shhhh, sometimes everything can become too much and that's okay. Why don't you pass me the gun and we can talk out all those confusing feelings."

Her tears wouldn't stop as she grit her teeth. She wasn't-she wasn't confused! She was upset! Rightfully so! Right? She didn't deserve to be treated like a child, right? Jinx never treated her like that, which always meant the world to her.... But her parents loved her so wouldn't they also just want the best for her?

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no-" she closed her eyes and held both her hands up to her ears to block out her mother's voice. She didn't notice as her mother went to reach for the gun in one of her hands, but a sharp noise quickly caught her attention. It was the sound of a very familiar gun shooting her window lock, which wasn't even locked to begin with.

Her breath hitched as she slowly allowed herself to hope as she looked out the window and saw the girl who she desperately wanted to see.

Jinx easily pushed the window open and slid into the room, taking note of the two silent and gaping parents along with Hayden sitting on the floor.

"Hey sweetheart. Did you miss me?"