Hi and welcome new and old lads ! I'm glad to be able to share with you this TimeBomb fanfiction from the universe of Arcane. I had the idea on my mind for a while as I love Jinx and Ekko characters.

English is not my first language so I may leave some mistakes in my text. I hope you'll like the story anyway ! Please review to tell me your opinion, theorize how it will continue and give me some advice if needed !

Thank you for joining the ride, and enjoy :)

Chapter 1 : To feel for my enemy

Jinx began to shake as she let go of her weapon. The explosion had been so rough it had left her blinking furiously and trying to focus on a blurry landscape. Everything was on fire, or at least she thought.

The intensity of the missile she created was absolutely terrifying. As the blue light had turned brighter and the eerie sound had grown louder in her head, she had started seeing flashbacks she just hated to see.

A blue monkey marching towards the enemy. Clapping on what could be seen as a blue gemstone. Aiming to save friends and family. Finally working for once.

And for what ?

To see the future shatter while thinking she had done good.

As she had been thrown away, ejected violently through the glass fragments and the stone pieces, a smile had grown on her face.

"I did it ! It worked ! "

But nothing ever works, with her.

After all, she jinxes every job.

This time, it was different.

This thing she had shot was waybigger, worked in a complex manner and had a power that could be compared to those of the giant explosions she had provoked with a few gemstones seven years ago.

A wave of nostalgia filled her heart, rapidly followed by a deep sorrow in a somewhat calm mindset. She did not need to see what would happen. After all, her calculations were the results of years of hard work and explosives that were improved to match a defective mind full of twisted intelligence. So she just grabbed Fishbones and left.

Vi surely hated her now, but when had she truly loved her ? She was always a Jinx in her eyes.

Her sister was a liar. A traitor. She did whatever with an enforcer and did not kill her when the young woman asked her to. So why bother ? She could just rot in this mess of a city that was going to go up in flame anyway.

"See if I care …"

Jinx did not want to feel anything anymore. This shot had her in a strange place, where she was comforted and completely messed up at the same time. But that was what Silco would have wanted, right ?

Silco …

"I killed him… I KILLED him."

She crawled under a rock, not far from the devastated land she had left everything in.

The plushies, the toys, the humans, her memories, maybe even herself.

After all, she had seated in a chair that meant she was definitely Jinx now. A new person born from the flames of hatred and treason.

Her nails moved through her hair, creating knots and scratching her head while her breathing got louder, resonating in the small space created by some boulders resting almost gently above her. She started biting her lip, nearly hurting herself in the process, while her pupils were dancing incoherently in her eyes, following some confused visions she did not even understand.

She was able to contain her emotions before but now, everything was flooding her at once. Her shot, the cries of Vi and that enforcer, Silco, his last words, the invisible rope strangling her heart and making her nauseous, the ringing in her head, her shaking, her tears, her pain…

It was too much. Jinx shouted and shouted. And maybe people could hear her, but she did not care. Her heart was pouring, she was feeling so much pain in that bloody body of hers. So much she could not contain everything.

What could have been ? If she had not been abandoned ? If she had shot Vi when she had the chance ?

She was completely broken. And even her usual voices had disappeared.

So maybe nobody loved her anymore ?

Her throat seemed entangled in strings that were more and more numerous. Her head was vibrating and her vision got blurry.

"WHY ? WHY WHY WHY ?"

She hit her head again and again, laughing and screaming until she felt numb and fell to the side. The tears rolling on her cheeks created a small puddle on the ground, mixed with some blood coming from her forehead. Or maybe her eyes ?

She did not even care. Feeling was a burden. Would she be able to take her heart out of her chest if she tried ?

The emotions all shut down at once. The air caressing her skin was the only thing left. Hot and nearly burning her arms, frozen and tensed, so much that her veins were showing.

She finally heard the explosion, far away.

And her eyes opened again.

She had done it.

"Dad. We showed them all."

And just like that, her smile went back. She got up with a twisted emotion, strange mix between some kind of victorious stare and the traces of her tears, coming from red eyes containing the memory of her suffering.

And with that, she took Fishbones and started walking with small jumps, those of a child who just got candy for something good she did.

"What a great daughter I am."

Ekko was sitting on a chair in the room he called his office.

He watched as Heimerdinger was looking through some plans he made. They had spent several hours, or even days, he could not really tell, talking about science and mechanical procedures he had in mind. It was really interesting to speak with a person so wise from time that he had literally lived for centuries. And about time, he knew a bunch.

Which reminded him he had lost one of his precious clocks not that long ago.

The pain in his leg shot suddenly and made him wince.

What a coincidence.

The young man sighed.

"What is it, young lad ? Is it your leg again ?"

"Don't worry professor, it's okay."

" You're clearly not okay. Let me go get that medic friend of yours."

And with that, the small creature left the room.

Ekko's face changed from a mask of happiness to one of fatigue and confusion.

Even if he was so interested in everything he had discussed with his new friend, mainly one amazing time theory, something else had been in his mind. His last fight, this terrifying, sad, heartbreaking fight.

He had felt many emotions. Anger at first. Determination. He was so ready to kill her. She had destroyed a lot, nearly everything he had hoped for in a blink of an eye. She had killed parts of his new family.

Throughout the years, he had tried to reach her countless times. He could not simply forget her, the girl he had a crush on and was his best friend, when she was seemingly kidnapped by the enemy. He realized soon that she was actually willing to be with Silco.

The first time they saw each other, two years had passed since this tragic day. They were both thirteen.

But as Ekko had tried to mature, to remember the ones who passed and to live on for them, to search for Vi in hope that she would still be alive … Powder was drowning in her own turmoil. As soon as he had seen her, he had run to her, tears in his eyes. It was the only person he used to know who was still alive.

She had looked at him for a while and, before he could reach her, she had pointed a gun at him. A scrapped and strange looking one, but a gun anyhow. He had stopped in his tracks, stunned, hurt. Even if she had not shot, it had felt like she did, deeply in his heart. He was wounded.

"Powder ! Come with me, I can save you, I…"

"I don't need to be saved."

"But … Silco took you and … I thought you were dead …"

"I'm not."

"I'm sure Vi wants to see you too and …"

"DON'T MENTION HER !"

He had cried silently, his hand trying to reach out for her.

"I … Quiet ! I'm trying to think ! He's a friend … I think ? Stop !"

And she had left, running so fast that anyone would think her life depended on it.

This day, he had realized she was much more damaged than what he thought initially.

A few months later, their paths had crossed again. This time, Powder had just looked at him from afar and then she flew, which led Ekko to think he may be hallucinating sometimes. He had tried to follow her once, twice. Each time she would either run or disappear.

The second time he was able to interact with her, they were both fifteen years old. Powder had surely gotten older. She had long hair, attached in two braids and decorated with some wooden pieces and bolts. Her face had gotten thinner, and her round and cute contours had been replaced with an angular jaw and sunken cheeks. Her grey eyes had gotten a blue sparkle and she started wearing heavy make-up. She even had some tattoos and her entire outfit seemed like it was stollen in some kind or circus and improved with leather and laces.

Ekko himself had gotten taller, his hair was longer. Still, he was smaller than her.

In another situation, she would have said "still a little man" and he would have laughed.

"Powder, I …"

"It's Jinx."

The young man had trembled. He remembered she had told him that Mylo used to say that she "jinxed everything". This name may have gotten to her head. Or maybe Silco told her she was a Jinx too ?

He could not bear this idea.

"…How … are you ?"

He was lost at words. She had run from him so many times and clearly, she wanted nothing to do with him anymore. But still, he would try to save her.

The young girl had not answer at first. She had laughed a bit, at first it was small and almost shy. And it soon became maniacal.

"Soooo good. I have soo many weapons now ! And my chompers work ! Isn't that amazing ? Wanna play ?"

The look in her eyes. Oh, the look in her eyes had been devastating. It had madness, pain and maybe some kind of humor ?

"Hm … yeah … But before, I still gotta save you."

"I. DON'T. NEED. SAVING !"

She had laughed in an angry way, her voice breaking, nearly as she had not agreed with herself.

"But …"

"Ooooh the boy savior wants to help me now ? Where were you four years ago ?"

Ekko had not understood.

"What are you saying ?..."

"You ABANDONED ME ! Like the others !"

Of course, the young boy was hurt. He had tried to look for her, many times. But he had also concentrated in building a safe place for some friends that were

"I would never abandon you. Never."

For a while, he had thought that a glimpse of hope had flashed through her eyes.

And then, it had happened.

One of her new friends, Maria, was looking for him, and she had arrived on the scene.

"Ekko ! We need you with the …"

BANG.

There she laid, dead, on the ground.

Some smoke still coming out from Jinx's gun, tears falling from her eyes and a mad smile plastered on her face.

"Liar."

…

From that moment, Ekko changed. He started believing Jinx was beyond saving, little by little. Or at least that was what he hoped to believe. He convinced himself that Powder was gone and there was nothing to do. He created a strong wall and a mask in which he buried himself, both literally and metaphorically.

But that wall completely cracked as soon as he saw Powder's face, bloodied by his own hands.

Yes, it was Powder, he was sure of it. The way she looked at him and smiled gently could not be mistaken. He had not seen this face from her for several years.

At first, he had taunted her with their old game without really thinking she would take the bait. But she did.

After all, they were both children.

Hurt, damaged, broken beyond repair children.

And that may be why Powder tried to kill them both. Because in that one flash of her old self, she decided she did not want to hurt anyone anymore. Because she really saw Ekko, and they really understood each other, even for a moment.

For a while, the boy was astounded. He could not believe he saw her sad face, and this smile he had missed so much more then he realized. He hoped, for just a tiny moment, that she would get her back.

And then he saw the bomb. A bomb that was not attached to him, or even that close. He could run away and avoid the explosion, by jumping in the water. He could end this suffering, and the constant killing of members of his new family.

But his instincts told him otherwise.

"NO !"

In a fast and controlled movement, he hit the bomb as hard as he could with his weapon, launching it in the opposite direction, but he had waited too long. It exploded close to them anyway and he was ejected so so far. The intensity of the detonation ringed in his ears, smashed through his lungs and stole his breath. He protected his head with his arms thanks to his defensive reflexes and his entire body tensed allowing him to bend so he could handle whatever fall was awaiting him. He did not know if he would fall in water or on the concrete, but both could be deadly depending on how he would handle the situation.

He fell in the water.

An agonizing pain woke up in his leg, that was twisted in the process. It was like falling on a hard surface and he fell it in the entirety of his body.

As much as he wanted to shout, he only managed to gulp some water and choked. His will to live drove him to swim however he could to reach the side of the river. Fortunately, it was not that far and he succeeded in grapping the small ladder, climbed on it with only the strength of his arms and fainted.

…

A while later, he woke up with an unbearable pain in his leg. He did not know how much time had passed or the state of the bridge. Did Jinx survive ? He could not tell. And he hated himself for feeling worry for his enemy. In fact, he worried so much that the weigh he felt in his chest was nealy as painful as his broken leg.

And that is how Professor Heimerdinger found him, shaken, confused, wounded.

He stopped himself before asking him to go to this bridge and check if there was a corpse. The feeling was terrifying. He did not want her to be dead. He still wanted to save her. What he told Vi earlier … That was a lie. He knew in his core that he did not think Powder was forever lost. At least … not after the look she gave him on that bridge.

But maybe … he would not have to think about that anymore.

After all, she was surely gone ?...

Ekko sighed. A simple look, small pitiful eyes had shaken his resolve to save. Oh what a pitiful boy savior he was.

He looked at the window, eyeing the gigantic tree he had chosen as a home. He was glad he had founded this place and he loved his new family but something in him was broken, especially since the bridge accident. And it was not just a bone.

A while later, Heimerdinger came back with one of Ekko's friends that was indeed a doctor. He was the one helping him most and he also checked on his leg every day. The young man smiled at him and he allowed him to have a look.

But something seemed so terribly wrong. A tension filled the air. He realized he had not looked at the professor properly since he came back. When he did, the look on his face shook him.

He looked … completely broken.

"Heimerdinger ?..."

The creature did not respond for a while. He seemed shaken to his core, so much that it made him look older than he really was (and boy was he old enough already..).

"The council …"

"The council ?"

"I think.. something happened to them."

Ekko raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know ?"

"While I was away, I heard an enormous explosion, coming from the upper city. If I am correct, it was exactly in the area of the main building. And that pink smoke that covered all of the horizon was … ominous."

"Pink … Smoke ?..."

The young man froze.

Pink ?

He only knew one person who used pink and blue for her explosives.

"What the fuck ?..."

Had she … survived ?...