Ending the Cycle || A Timebomb Fanfic

V

Happy thanksgiving to those who celebrate <3

------

The journey aboard the blimp stretched into days that bled into nights, the vast expanse of sky becoming their shared sanctuary and their prison. Below them, oceans churned and forests sprawled endlessly, while above, storms loomed like specters, their thunderous growls a reminder of the uncertainty that lay ahead. The horizon was both an invitation and a warning—a tantalizing glimpse of the unknown that waited for them in Demacia.

Inside the cramped cabin, Jinx and Ekko navigated a different kind of storm, one that brewed between them. Their company was solace, a fragile anchor in the turbulence of their lives, yet it also peeled back the layers of pain, guilt, and unspoken words they had carried for so long. At first, the silence was heavy, broken only by the hum of the blimp's engines and the occasional crackle of lightning outside. But as the hours turned into days, that silence softened, giving way to quiet conversations and reluctant confessions.

Ekko found himself watching Jinx more closely than he ever had before—not as the chaotic enigma who had fought against him in the streets of Zaun, but as the girl he had once known. The hardness in her eyes, the sharpness of her tongue—these were defenses, not truths. Beneath the smudged paint and the manic laughter was a person frayed by years of torment. She was still dangerous, unpredictable, and maddeningly frustrating, but now, Ekko saw the vulnerability threaded through it all. He didn't just tolerate it—he began to cherish it.

Jinx, in turn, found herself unsettled by Ekko's presence. His calm resilience contrasted starkly with the chaos that swirled within her. She'd expected judgment from him, even hatred, but what she found instead was something far more disarming: patience. Ekko didn't push her to speak when she wasn't ready. He didn't flinch when she snapped at him in frustration or retreated into her own mind. His steadiness unnerved her because it chipped away at the walls she'd built so carefully.

One evening, as the blimp sailed above an endless stretch of darkened sea, a storm broke loose around them. The wind howled, and rain lashed against the windows, the vessel groaning under the strain. Inside, Jinx sat cross-legged on the floor, her back against the wall, staring at the storm with wide eyes. She didn't flinch at the flashes of lightning—she thrived in chaos, after all—but there was a tension in her shoulders, a restless energy she couldn't shake.

Ekko joined her, sliding down the wall to sit beside her. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the storm outside doing all the talking. Finally, Jinx let out a dry laugh. "Fitting, isn't it? A storm outside, a storm inside." She tapped her temple for emphasis, her smile brittle. "Guess it's always like that with me."

Ekko glanced at her, his expression soft but serious. "Storms don't last forever."

She turned to him, her smile fading. "You sure about that? Feels like mine's been going on for years."

"You've weathered it this long," he replied. "That's gotta count for something."

Her gaze dropped to her hands, scarred and calloused from years of wielding weapons and wreaking havoc. "Yeah, but at what cost? I'm a mess, Ekko. A broken, dangerous mess. You're better off leaving me behind before I drag you down with me."

Ekko leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You think I don't know what I'm getting into? I'm here because I want to be. Because I see you, Jinx—not the mask, not the explosions, not the chaos. You."

The weight of his words hung between them, and Jinx didn't know how to respond. She was used to being feared, despised, or pitied—but to be seen? Truly seen? It terrified her more than anything else.

As the storm began to wane, their conversation drifted into quieter territory. They spoke of their childhood, of rooftop adventures and foolish dreams, of a time before everything fell apart. For Ekko, it was a way to remind her—and himself—that there was still a part of her worth saving. For Jinx, it was a bittersweet reminder of the girl she used to be and the life she thought she'd lost forever.