𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 || A Timebomb Fanfic

Fractured Pieces

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

The moonlight barely penetrated the cracks in the roof of the old workshop where Ekko had set up base. He stood by the window, staring out at the sprawling city that stretched below him like a maze of steel and stone. He could feel the weight of the past few nights pressing down on him. Jinx had been in his thoughts constantly, her face haunting him as he tried to make sense of everything that had happened.

It wasn't just the bombs or the chaos, though they had become an all-too-familiar part of their twisted dance. It was her-Jinx, or Powder, or whatever she wanted to be called these days. Every time he saw her, it was like a puzzle piece falling into place, a fragment of a life he had once thought he'd lost. But there was so much more beneath the surface, things he couldn't quite reach no matter how hard he tried.

He still remembered that brief moment in the tunnel, the way she had looked at him-vulnerable, angry, terrified, all at once. And for that split second, he thought, just maybe, he could get through to her. But she had slipped away, like sand through his fingers, before he could say the words that had been sitting at the edge of his tongue.

Ekko let out a heavy breath, rubbing his hand over his face. "Focus," he muttered to himself. There was no time for self-pity. He couldn't afford to dwell on what wasn't. He had a mission. The Firelights had a job to do, and he had to lead them.

But no matter how hard he tried to push it aside, Jinx kept crawling back into his mind, like a song on the edge of his memory. The way her eyes had softened-just for a second-when he'd called her Powder. The way she had almost said something, but then the walls went back up, higher than ever.

He turned away from the window and paced the room, his boots tapping rhythmically against the metal floor. It was late. He hadn't slept in days, and he could feel it starting to wear on him. His thoughts were fragmented, his mind buzzing with everything that had happened. The shipment. Jinx. Silco's plans. The Firelights.

And now, the looming question: Where do we go from here?

---

Jinx, meanwhile, was not far from him. The undercity was a maze of dark alleys and hidden places, but she knew them all well. The same shadows she used to hide in were now her playground, and she had long since learned to move through them like a ghost.

Tonight, she wasn't out looking for trouble. No, tonight, she was hunting for something different. For answers. Or maybe it was just to feel something other than the endless rage that simmered inside her.

The thought of Ekko gnawed at her like a persistent ache. She hadn't seen him since the night of the shipment-hadn't heard his voice or felt the weight of his gaze on her since they stood in that tunnel, staring each other down. But that moment replayed in her mind over and over, like a loop she couldn't escape.

You're not Powder anymore.

She had told him that. And it was true. She wasn't Powder. She wasn't that scared, broken little girl anymore. She didn't need him to save her. She didn't need anyone.

Yet, there was something about him-something she hated-and maybe, if she were being honest with herself, something she still wanted.

Jinx's fingers itched for her weapons, the familiar comfort of destruction close by. But tonight, for the first time in a long while, the thought of blowing something up didn't fill her with the usual thrill. Instead, her hands shook with something she couldn't quite name.

---

Ekko's comm beeped, pulling him from his thoughts. It was a message from Sira, one of the Firelight scouts. His eyes scanned the screen, reading the coordinates.

"Another shipment," he muttered to himself, glancing out the window once more. The Firelights were getting closer, but there was still something pulling him back to Jinx. Every time they clashed, every time they found themselves in the same space, it was like a magnetic force drawing them together, whether they liked it or not.

He grabbed his gear, slipping it into place with practiced ease. His mind was still racing with everything that had happened between him and Jinx. Every word she had said. Every word he hadn't said.

There was a part of him that wanted to chase after her, to find her and have that conversation-about Powder, about Jinx, about what they had lost-and what could still be saved. But he knew that wasn't the right time. Not yet.

Later, he told himself. There's time for that later.

He was about to step out of the workshop when the door creaked open behind him.

"Ekko?" a voice called from the shadows.

Ekko turned, his body tensing as he caught sight of Sira stepping into the dim light. She looked serious, her usual lighthearted demeanor replaced by something more solemn.

"What's up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We've got a problem," she said, her voice low. "Another shipment. But something doesn't feel right about this one. I've seen that vendor before."

Ekko frowned, his mind snapping back to business. He followed her out into the street, his thoughts still tangled with Jinx.

The Firelights were about to move on another shipment, but deep down, he knew that the real mission was still Jinx. She was still out there. Still slipping through his fingers.

---

Jinx had her own plans. The night was quiet, and she was alone, her eyes scanning the rooftops of the undercity. She had a destination in mind-one that Ekko had mentioned during their brief encounter in the tunnel. A warehouse, a place she hadn't visited in a while.

She wasn't sure why she was drawn there, but something was pulling her in.

As she approached the building, her hands curled into fists, her anger bubbling to the surface once more. This was where it had all started-the beginning of her transformation into Jinx, the chaos she had embraced. The place where she had lost herself, where Ekko had stopped being the boy she once knew and became the enemy.

She swung herself onto the roof, her boots landing lightly on the cold metal surface. Her heart raced, but it wasn't from fear. It was something else. Something darker.

She didn't know why she had come here.

Jinx crouched, her eyes fixed on the entrance below. She could feel it-the pull of destiny, the weight of the past crashing into her.

And she knew, deep down, that sooner or later, she would see Ekko again.

---

As the hours passed, Ekko found himself on the roof of a nearby building, surveying the area. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The night was too quiet. The usual hum of the city had died down, and even the Firelights had fallen silent.

And then, he felt it-a familiar presence. His body tensed, his heart quickening. She was close.

Jinx.

He hadn't expected her to show up at the warehouse tonight. But there she was, her silhouette barely visible in the shadows as she crouched on the roof, watching, waiting. His breath caught in his throat. He didn't know if he wanted to confront her or run. Maybe both.

But one thing was for sure-this was the moment they had been building toward.

Slowly, cautiously, he moved toward the edge of the roof, his voice low as he called out to her.

"Jinx."

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

You are all probably wondering how I'm uploading these chapters so fast 😭. I have already finished the story in my note app, so all I gotta do is publish it (lol)

Hope you are all liking the story so far! :)