𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: A timebomb collection

Caught In The Towels: Reversed Edition

Ekko stepped out of the shower, steam trailing him as he wrapped a towel loosely around his waist. The mission had been brutal, but the hot water had worked its magic, easing the tension from his sore muscles. He grabbed a towel to dry his hair, walking into his bedroom without a second thought, relishing the silence.

But that silence didn’t last long.

“Surprise!” came a sudden, familiar voice, followed by a fit of awkward laughter.

Ekko froze, his eyes narrowing as he whipped his head toward the source. There, lounging on the edge of his bed, was Jinx. Her arms were outstretched in an exaggerated pose, her boots kicked off, and a nervous smirk spread across her face.

“Jinx?” Ekko stammered, gripping the towel around his waist tighter. “What are you doing here?”

Jinx blinked, the bravado slipping from her face as she clearly hadn’t expected him to be… well, practically naked. Her eyes widened, a deep flush creeping up her neck, and for the first time in as long as Ekko had known her, she seemed at a loss for words. “Uh… well… I, uh…”

He raised an eyebrow, watching her squirm, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction at the tables finally being turned. “You okay there, Jinx?”

Jinx shot up from the bed, her usual cocky grin faltering as she quickly tried to regain her composure. “I… I was just… y’know, sneaking in, like usual.” Her hands fluttered awkwardly in the air, as if that explained everything. “It’s no big deal, right? You break into my place all the time!”

“Uh-huh,” Ekko said slowly, still standing there with just a towel. “But you didn’t think I might be… busy? Maybe in the middle of something?”

Jinx’s eyes darted everywhere but him, trying her hardest not to look directly at his exposed skin, and failing miserably. “I—I didn’t think you’d be in a towel!” she blurted out, her face burning a bright shade of red.

Ekko couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, kinda bad timing on your part.” He took a slow step toward her, towel still firmly in place, but just close enough to make her squirm even more.

Her eyes widened further, and she started backing up. “Oh, no, no, no—you stay over there, mister! I… I’m just here for, uh… some stuff. Just checking in, y’know. Not here for… anything weird.”

“Anything weird?” Ekko teased, taking another step forward. “You sure about that? You’re looking a little… uncomfortable.”

Jinx’s face was now a full-blown tomato. “Shut up!” she squeaked, backing into the wall. “I didn’t know you’d be—this!” She gestured vaguely at him, completely flustered. “Why are you standing there like that?”

“I just got out of the shower, Jinx,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “This is my room. What’s your excuse for sneaking in?”

Jinx crossed her arms defensively, looking anywhere but at him. “I-I told you! I just wanted to… uh… get an update on the mission!” she stammered, the confidence draining from her voice as she felt more and more cornered. “But if you could, like, put on some pants or something, that’d be… cool.”

“Oh, now you’re shy?” Ekko smirked, reveling in her discomfort. It wasn’t often that Jinx was caught off guard, and he wasn’t about to let the moment slip away. “You’ve seen worse than this, I’m sure.”

“Shut. Up.” Jinx buried her face in her hands, laughing awkwardly. “This is different! I wasn’t… I didn’t…” She peeked through her fingers, the redness in her cheeks making her look almost innocent.

Ekko chuckled, grabbing a shirt from his closet. “Fine, fine. Let me put you out of your misery.” He started pulling the shirt over his head, but not before catching Jinx sneaking another glance.

Jinx immediately looked away, muttering to herself. “Stupid Timeboy, all ripped and… towel-y.”

“What was that?” Ekko teased, buttoning his pants.

“Nothing!” Jinx shouted, her voice an octave higher than usual. She grabbed one of his gadgets from the desk and started tinkering with it, clearly desperate to distract herself.

Once fully dressed, Ekko leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching her with an amused grin. “Y’know, you don’t have to be so flustered. It’s just me, after all.”

Jinx huffed, her face still burning. “Oh, shut up, Ekko. Just because you’re comfortable walking around like a… like a—”

“A what?”

“A… towel boy,” she blurted, waving her hand in frustration. “Doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t, y’know, caught off guard!”

Ekko couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. “Towel boy? Really?”

Jinx groaned, burying her face in her hands again. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” Ekko said, still chuckling as he moved over to her. He reached out, gently prying her hands away from her face. “You just hate that I caught you off guard for once.”

She pouted but didn’t pull away, her cheeks still flushed. “Okay, maybe.”

For a brief moment, they stood there, face to face, the playful banter fading as something more settled in the air between them. Jinx glanced up at him, her blue eyes still wide but softer now, her usual chaos momentarily subdued.

“You gonna break into my room again?” Ekko asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Jinx blinked, her bravado returning. “Only if you promise not to be half-naked next time.”

Ekko raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t seem to mind.”

Jinx’s blush deepened, and she shoved him lightly, trying to hide her embarrassment. “Shut up, Timeboy.”

Ekko laughed, stepping back and letting her have some space. “Alright, alright. I’ll try to keep my clothes on next time.”

“Good,” she mumbled, trying to regain her usual swagger as she fiddled with his gadget again. But Ekko couldn’t help but notice the small, almost shy smile lingering on her lips.