[Arcane] TimeBomb - Deleted Scenes S2

In the Quiet Aftermath

Context: The moment after Ekko saves Jinx from committing suicide.

—

Jinx's eyes flickered toward him, an almost imperceptible shift, but it was enough. Enough for Ekko to feel the weight of her attention, the crack in the armour she had worn for so long. He had been chasing her through time, through loops of failure, but now—now it felt like they were finally standing on the same plane, both of them out of breath, both of them staring down the abyss.

Ekko took a slow step forward, his fingers still resting lightly on the time-loop device. He had seen her in countless loops, each one darker, each one more desperate than the last. He had watched her push herself to the edge, and now he was standing here, heart pounding, trying to hold on to whatever fragile hope remained.

"I'm not here to tell you what you've done is forgivable," he said, his voice softer now, as if the rawness of her gaze required tenderness. "I'm not here to tell you you're anything other than a mess of scars and shattered pieces. But I am here to tell you that you don't have to keep falling apart. Not alone, anyway."

She didn't move, didn't speak, but he could feel the pulse of her emotions in the tense silence that stretched between them. She was waiting for him to say more, to fill the empty spaces where their history bled through.

"You think you're alone," Ekko continued, taking another step, but still leaving space between them. "But you're not. You're not alone, Jinx. Not as long as I'm here. And I've got a hell of a lot more fight in me than I had before because I'm not done with you. I haven't given up on you."

Her lips parted slightly as if she were about to speak, but then she stopped, as if unsure what words she could offer, what could possibly make sense in this moment. Her gaze flickered away from him, to the edge of the platform where she had stood just moments ago, contemplating the depths below. The sound of her uneven breathing filled the space between them, a heavy and broken rhythm.

Ekko thought back to the choice he'd made. He could've stayed in the timeline where Powder still lived—where she was whole, loved by the family that had been torn away from her. A life where his world was untouched by the pain of the present, where they could have found peace in a different reality. But he had chosen this one. He had come back to this timeline, even when he knew what it meant—to return to a Jinx he no longer recognized, to a city on the brink of destruction, all for the chance to save her. Or at least try.

"What are we doing here, Ekko?" Jinx's voice broke the silence, her words almost a whisper.

"What's left for me to fix? I don't even know who I am anymore."

He didn't answer immediately. He didn't need to.

Because, somehow, even through all the pain and madness, he understood what she was asking. She wasn't just questioning herself; she was questioning everything—every choice she'd made, every person she'd lost, every wound she had inflicted on the world.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her eyes finally meeting his again, but this time, there was something different there—something softer, less shielded. "I'm not the little girl you knew, Ekko. I'm... I'm a weapon. I'm a jinx. Everyone around me dies."

"No," Ekko said firmly, his voice low but certain. "You're not a jinx. You've always been more than that. I'm not trying to make overcome what you've done. I'm trying to show you that you still have the chance to be more than what you think you are."

Her lips twitched, the faintest hint of a sardonic smile playing at the corner of her mouth. But it wasn't the usual twisted, manic grin she wore like armour. This was something else—something softer, less consumed by rage. "And what? What do I do with that, huh? After everything? Do I just... start over? Be someone else?"

Ekko took a breath, and this time, he closed the distance between them, stopping just in front of her. He could feel the heat of her presence, the crackling energy that still surged beneath the surface, but he wasn't afraid of it. Not anymore.

"You don't have to start over. You just need to take the next step. Build something new, Jinx. For yourself."

He reached out, almost hesitantly, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not about being perfect. It's about finding something worth fighting for. Maybe that's you. Maybe it's me. Maybe it's... whatever comes next."

For a long moment, she didn't move. The world outside their bubble of quiet tension seemed distant like it had stopped existing entirely. It was just them—Jinx and Ekko, standing on the edge of something both terrifying and beautiful.

Jinx blinked, noticing the blood smudges on Ekko's cheek and the cuts along his jawline, remnants of his time manipulation. Her fingers twitched, a hesitant motion before she reached up, almost as if drawn to him. She touched his face gently, her fingertips tracing the jagged edges of the scars, her touch light but insistent.

"You've been through hell... to save me. Haven't you?"
Ekko froze, his heart stuttering as the weight of her touch settled in. Her eyes searched his, the vulnerability in them almost unbearable. He nodded, a tight smile forming despite the rawness in his chest. "Wouldn't let you fall apart alone."

Jinx swallowed, a quiet exhale slipping from her lips as she slowly removed her hand from his face. There was something in her gaze that Ekko couldn't quite place—something unfamiliar, but fragile, and maybe... just maybe, something like hope.

"I can't promise you anything," she whispered, her voice quiet but steady. "But maybe... maybe we can figure it out. Together."

Ekko's heart skipped a beat. He didn't need more than that. He didn't need her to have all the answers. Just her willingness to try was enough. "That's all I'm asking for."

—

Author's note:
Hey guys! This scene might not be action-packed, but I wanted to wrap it up in a way that felt more impactful emotionally. I felt the writers didn't do enough to fully explore the emotional depth and complexity of their relationship or make the suicide rescue feel as convincing as it could have been. I wanted to show that Ekko truly got through to her, so I focused on exploring that side a bit more here.

I hope this gives a bit more insight into my thought process and why this scene plays out the way it does. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the other scenes to come! 💙