𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 || A Timebomb Fanfic

Rewind The Broken

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The rubble still smoldered as Ekko pulled himself from the debris, coughing through the dust cloud that lingered in the air. His pulse pounded in his ears, but he wasn't shaken. Jinx's grenades were like her personality: loud, chaotic, and full of surprises-but not enough to catch him off guard.

Wiping the soot from his face, he stared at the trail of destruction she had left in her wake, a mixture of frustration and something deeper weighing on his chest. Jinx. Powder. He couldn't separate the two anymore, no matter how hard he tried.

Above him, the sky was the same dull gray, tinged with neon. Zaun always felt alive, its mechanical heartbeat thrumming through the pipes and sewers, but there was a sickness spreading-one that seemed to pulse from Jinx herself. He clenched his fists. This couldn't go on forever. He wouldn't let it.

Ekko's mind was a whirl of thoughts as he activated his Z-Drive, rewinding time just enough to avoid the worst of the explosion. As the seconds peeled back, the debris reassembled around him, the shattered glass floating upward as though caught in a reverse storm. He couldn't help but think about how much of their lives had become like this-time looping, the same battles, the same faces, repeating again and again. Always chasing. Always running.

"She's gone," he muttered, realizing Jinx was already blocks away by now, no doubt planning her next act of madness.

He stood on the rooftop, his gaze sweeping over the city below, searching for the faintest sign of her. She was like smoke-impossible to catch, slipping through his fingers every time. But he'd find her. He had to.

The Firelights were counting on him. Zaun was counting on him.

But beyond that, something in him needed to reach her, to stop her before she lost herself completely. He didn't just want to stop the chaos-he wanted to save what was left of the girl she used to be. The one who hadn't been consumed by the madness, the one who'd laughed with him when they were kids, dreaming of a better future.

"Why are you still trying?" a voice asked from the shadows, and Ekko stiffened.

Emerging from the dark, a Firelight scout, her face obscured by the glowing mask she wore. The green light of her hoverboard flickered, illuminating the tension on her lips. Ekko recognized the voice-Sira. One of his closest allies.

"You can't catch her, Ekko. You know that," she continued, stepping forward, her voice steady but edged with concern. "Every time you chase her, you come back with more bruises and less hope. She's gone."

Ekko glanced over at her, but didn't answer right away. Sira didn't know Jinx-didn't know Powder the way he did. She didn't understand the connection they had, even if that connection was now frayed and twisted beyond recognition.

"She's not gone," Ekko said, a hint of defiance in his voice. "Not completely. I can still reach her."

Sira sighed, folding her arms. "You always say that. But how many more times are you going to get blown up or tricked before you realize she's never coming back? The Jinx we're fighting now... she's a bomb waiting to go off. She's dangerous."

Ekko's jaw tightened. He knew Jinx was dangerous. He'd seen it, felt it. But she wasn't just a villain to him. Not yet. "Everyone's dangerous in Zaun. We've all got demons, but she's still in there. I know it."

Sira shook her head but didn't argue. Instead, she stepped closer, pulling up a holographic map from her wrist. "We've got a new lead on Silco's old crew. They're moving something big through the undercity. Word is, Jinx might be involved. You want to save her? Maybe this is your chance."

Ekko stared at the glowing map, his heart quickening. Another lead, another chance to catch up to her. But deep down, he knew that every time he faced her, the distance between them grew wider, like a crack spreading across glass.

"I'll handle it," he said, his voice quiet but firm.

Sira placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just... be careful, okay? We can't afford to lose you too."

Ekko nodded, but his thoughts were already miles away, on rooftops and darkened alleyways where blue braids trailed like ribbons in the wind. He would find her. He would stop her. He had to believe that there was something left to save.

With a quick burst from his Z-Drive, Ekko disappeared into the night, moving through Zaun's veins like a ghost, always one step behind Jinx.

The chase had begun again.

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