Yours, always and forever | Timebomb fanfic | ekko×jinx

7. Shattered bonds

She lurked in the shadows, her heart racing, her thoughts a tangle of fire and chaos, spiraling and twisting like the neon lights that burned in her mind. Ekko. The mission. The weight of what she had to do. No going back. No going back. She had to do it, she had to make sure nothing went wrong, but-her way. She could make him stay away. She could. Without hurting him. Without... killing him.

But the weight of the decision was suffocating, pressing down on her chest like a hundred pounds of fire. Don't mess this up.

Her blood was on fire, itching, crawling beneath her skin, restless. The seconds stretched like an eternity, each one dragging her deeper into the madness. She could feel the anxiety gnawing at her, a beast waiting to tear her apart.

Then-footsteps. A shadow slithered toward her, breaking through the darkness like a ghost she couldn't outrun. And there he was. Ekko. Right there. Standing in front of her. Her heart skipped, then hammered. She should've turned away. She should've. But she didn't.

His gaze was steady, unyielding, and there it was again, that pull. That thing that made her lose herself in his presence.

He stopped, staring at her, his face a perfect mask of calm. The silence between them was suffocating, wrapping tighter and tighter around her throat until she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't-feel.

"I thought you wanted to be left alone," his voice broke through, smooth, but cold, like a knife grazing her skin.

Jinx crossed her arms tightly, pulling herself in, trying to keep the tremor in her limbs under control. No, no, no... She couldn't lose it. Not now. Her mind was a whirlpool, spinning, twisting, sucking her deeper, and yet, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him.

"I did. I do." Her voice cracked, strained, hollow, like the words were ripped from her. She didn't know why she said them. She didn't know what she was feeling anymore, except this unbearable weight pressing down on her chest.

His gaze softened for just a moment, his words cutting through the haze of her mind, like they always did.

"But you still came back as soon as I called you."

She flinched, her breath hitching. The guilt came like a tide, relentless, crashing over her, drowning her.

"You said it was important." He answered quickly, almost like he didn't even realize he was trying to reach her. God, she could hear the desperation, the care in his voice-and it made her feel sick.

The tension in the air thickened. It was all a game now, wasn't it? A game she was too far in to win. Every part of her wanted to break. To shatter. To scream. But she couldn't. She had to keep her mask intact. She had to.

A breath slips from her lips, heavy, ragged. Damn him. Damn him for getting under her skin, for making her feel things she swore she'd buried. She can't deny it-he's right.

"Yeah, well... didn't think you'd actually show up," she mutters, her eyes dropping to the ground, anything but him.

"Well, I'm here now. So what is it?" His voice, smooth, calm, but sharp-always sharp.

She hesitates, her heart hammering, racing, pounding like it's trying to escape her chest. She knows what she wants to say, but the words-they're caught in her throat, choking her. Everything inside her wants to scream it, to rip the truth out, but her mouth betrays her. It's not that easy.

"Ekko, I-" Her breath falters, her voice too fragile, cracking under the weight of it all.

God, just say it. Say it.

"I need to warn you." The words tumble out like poison, each one leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. "We can't pretend... it's good. This-us-talking like we didn't hate each other, want to kill each other, for years. We can't. You have to stay away. From me. From everyone loyal to Silco."