𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 || A Timebomb Fanfic

Fractures Beneath The Surface

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

The city was awake, its streets humming with the familiar chaos of the undercity. Lights flickered above, casting eerie shadows over the rusted metal and dilapidated buildings. Ekko paced the narrow alleyway, his mind running wild. He hadn't seen Jinx since their last encounter on the rooftop, and the weight of her absence felt heavier than he wanted to admit.

Every second that passed, the memories replayed in his head-the way her eyes had burned with anger, her voice sharp and cruel. And yet, there had been that moment. That brief flicker of something unspoken in her expression before she vanished.

He knew better than anyone how hard it was to keep your guard up when the weight of the world was on your shoulders. But Jinx had always been different-an enigma he couldn't figure out no matter how hard he tried.

"Focus, Ekko," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair. "You've got a job to do."

But even as he spoke, he knew that this wasn't just about the Firelights anymore. This was about her.

Suddenly, his comm buzzed in his pocket. A message.

He pulled it out, glancing at the screen. The coordinates were for a place he hadn't been in weeks-a rundown warehouse on the edge of the undercity. The last place he expected to find her.

Jinx.

His heart skipped a beat.

---

The warehouse was cold, the air thick with dust and the smell of oil and rust. Jinx sat on an old crate in the center of the room, her legs crossed, her arms folded tightly over her chest. She hadn't been here in years, but the place felt oddly familiar-like the remnants of a life she'd left behind, pieces of a broken puzzle that still haunted her.

It was quiet, too quiet.

She could still feel the ghost of Ekko's voice in her mind-his words, his accusations. You're running.

And maybe she was. But it wasn't from Ekko. Not exactly. She was running from everything she had once been. From Powder. From the girl who had hoped for a better world.

Her fingers drummed restlessly on the crate as she stared at the wall ahead. Her mind raced, her thoughts twisted in endless loops. She should be out there, causing chaos. She should be breaking things, blowing up whatever came her way. That's what she was good at.

But tonight, something felt different.

The silence stretched on, thick and oppressive, until the sound of footsteps broke it.

Jinx's head snapped up. She tensed, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the room. A figure emerged from the shadows-Ekko.

He was alone, his expression grim, his gaze locked onto her like a predator honing in on its prey.

"Jinx," he said, his voice low and steady. "We need to talk."

Jinx stood, her body already on high alert, her fingers itching for her weapons. "Do we?" She tilted her head, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. "I'm kind of busy right now, Ekko. Got things to do."