𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 || A Timebomb Fanfic

Broken Bonds

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·

The air felt heavy with tension as Ekko approached the Firelights' base, his heart pounding in his chest. He had no time for any more games-Jinx was out there, and the Firelights were too close. But before he could make his way inside, a familiar figure stepped out from the shadows, blocking his path.

Sira.

Ekko froze. Her presence was like a stone in his gut, her figure outlined against the dim lights of the alley. His first instinct was to push past her, to search for Jinx, but the sight of her, standing there with that unreadable look on her face, made his heart tighten in ways he couldn't explain.

"What do you want, Sira?" His voice was sharp, cutting through the night air.

Sira met his gaze, her expression calm, but there was something in her eyes-something that made Ekko's blood run cold. For a moment, he saw it. Guilt. And something else, something that hurt more than he wanted to admit.

"I want to talk," she said, her voice softer than usual.

Ekko's anger flared. "About what? About how you betrayed her? Or about how you tried to drag her back into your mess?"

Sira's eyes softened for a brief moment. "It wasn't like that, Ekko."

"Wasn't like what?" Ekko shot back, his fists clenching. "You betrayed her, Sira. You used her to fix your mistakes, to drag her back into a life she wanted to escape from."

"I wasn't trying to fix anything," Sira whispered, her eyes downcast. "I was trying to protect her."

"Protect her?" Ekko let out a bitter laugh. "You put her in more danger than she's ever been in."

Sira looked up at him, her face pale. "No, Ekko. You don't get it. I didn't just betray her. I-" She paused, her voice faltering, before she continued, "I betrayed you too."

Ekko's expression hardened. "What?"

Sira took a hesitant step forward, her breathing shallow. "I... I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want to lose us."

Ekko narrowed his eyes, his anger mixing with confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I-" Sira hesitated, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "I fell for you, Ekko. A long time ago. When we were teenagers."

Ekko froze. Her words hung in the air like a storm waiting to break. His anger gave way to disbelief. He stared at her, not knowing whether to be angry or just... hurt.

"You what?" he asked, his voice low and thick with emotion.

Sira's gaze dropped again, her voice barely a whisper. "I've always loved you. Since the first time we met. I know it sounds stupid, but I couldn't help it. I never knew how to tell you."

Ekko blinked, his mind reeling. This was not what he had expected. This was not what he needed to hear right now, especially not with Jinx out there, running from everything and everyone.

"You love me?" Ekko spat the words as if they were poison. "So this is about you, then. This whole thing, the Firelights, Jinx-everything we've been through-it's all been about you trying to get me to notice you?"

Sira flinched, the hurt in her eyes obvious. "No, it's not like that, Ekko. It never was. I didn't... I didn't do this because of you. I did this because I didn't know how else to save Jinx. I didn't want her to go down a dark path alone. I thought if I could bring her back into the Firelights, if I could make her see that we still needed her, things would get better."

Ekko's gaze burned with fury. "You think she needs saving? You think she's just some broken girl who needs to be fixed?"

Sira winced, but her eyes stayed locked on his. "I didn't mean it like that. I never thought she was broken. I thought-"

"You thought you could control her, didn't you?" Ekko interrupted, his voice rising with each word. "You thought if you kept her close, if you kept her under your watch, she wouldn't be a danger to herself. But all you've done is make things worse."

Sira swallowed hard, her face pale. "I know. I know I messed up. But-"

"But what, Sira?" Ekko's voice was full of fury. "You've been lying to me this whole time. You knew where Jinx was, you knew what she was doing, and you still let your feelings for me cloud your judgment."

Sira's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she held her ground. "Ekko... I love you. I didn't want to lose you, too. I thought if I could just fix things with Jinx, if I could make things right with the Firelights, you and I... maybe we could have... I don't know, a future."

Ekko took a step back, the weight of her words sinking into his bones. His heart was conflicted-there was anger, confusion, and something that felt like betrayal. But beneath all of that, there was an ache, a pain he didn't know how to deal with.

"You can't just fix everything with love, Sira," he said, his voice softer but filled with a cold finality. "You can't just throw everything we've been through into the fire and hope it all comes out better."

Sira's shoulders shook, but she didn't cry. Instead, she took a step forward, her voice trembling. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Ekko. I thought if I could just be close to you, if I could show you that I cared, maybe we could have had something... more."

Ekko closed his eyes, his hands balling into fists. He couldn't deal with this right now. Not with Jinx still out there, not with the Firelights waiting to descend on her.

"I can't do this, Sira," he muttered, his voice hollow. "Not now. Not when you've done this to her. Not when you've done this to us."

Sira stood still, the hurt on her face visible. She'd hoped for something more, something different. But the damage had already been done.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I never wanted to be the reason for this. I just- I just wanted you to know how I felt."

Ekko didn't say anything, his eyes burning with unspoken words. There was nothing more to say. The fractures between them were too deep.

As he turned and walked away, Sira's voice echoed in the empty alley. "I love you, Ekko."

But the words fell on deaf ears.

·:*¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨*:·