Note: This is another little one, but I wrote a standalone piece called "The Day Before" that I would suggest reading before this one! Hope you enjoy :)

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A burning fire pulled them together, their hands exploring each other in a desperate attempt to extinguish it by any means. They were completely inebriated with each other, their lips moving with fervor, their bodies pressing against each other as if trying to smother any oxygen left to feed the flames.

Ekko's jacket fell on the floor with a soft thud, slipping away as Jinx discreetly pushed it down.

Sliding her hands up his chest, her fingers mapping every contour, she felt his heart beating like an earthquake beneath her palm. It woke her up from the fever dream and suddenly she shoved him away, punching his stomach.

"You fucking asshole! You just left me behind!" She snapped.

"What… What do you mean?" He staggered back, clutching to his stomach, his face twisted in pain and confusion. His eyes, wide with turmoil, roved over her. "You… You look different. Your hair—your eyes!" He grabbed her by the shoulders with more force than he intended, pulling her closer.

Under the heavy spell of relief he had felt when he first saw her, he hadn't really noticed the changes in her. But now they were becoming obvious. And overwhelming. Concern furrowed his brow. "What the hell happened to you?!"

Jinx looked away, trying to shrink from his gaze. "I'm not sure I can explain it… I don't fully understand it myself." She muttered, feeling like an aberration, an anomaly herself.

"Then try." He demanded, his tone sharp.

"You know how you told me about this different universe… And Powder?" His eyes narrowed. "Well, it's me!" She threw her arms up in the air in mock cheerfulness, smiling nervously.

"Powder?" He asked, his eyes bulging, piercing her.

"Or Jinx. It doesn't really matter now." She replied, with a somewhat melancholic tone in her answer. Shame was eating her alive. No matter which name she chose, she felt like a fraud.

"What? How?"

"What What?" She mimicked him, stuttering in jest. A pinch of sneer fell through the mask. "You really thought you were the only genius? The only one capable of traveling through–-"

"The anomaly". He said, completing the sentence in harmony with her, as realization struck him. His face paled, his feet shifting backward as if the weight of her words physically pushed him.

"You didn't."

"I did! Pretty obvious, no?!" Her voice was thick with sarcasm now. "Jeez! You're starting to sound like my other little man…" She rolled her eyes, deflecting her feelings.

Ekko raised his voice. "You have any idea how dangerous it is? The damage it can do?!"

"Pretty sure I do, just look at me" She pointed at herself, her laugh hollow, masking the pain that burned under her eyes.

"No," he pressed. "I mean the damage it can do. Period. Look around! All of this, it's its fault!" He pointed to the city below them, where destruction and strange figures lay everywhere. People stumbled, hoping to find their loved ones, only to find them gone, one way or the other. The cries could be heard on the wind, far away, like a whisper of death itself.

"Actually… I know." She admitted softly. "I remember it all, I was here."

Ekko shook his head, struggling to understand. He stayed silent, the words snuffed out of his mouth. So, she continued.

"The anomaly… I don't know if it was the same for you… I don't think so." Her eyes drifted far, to another universe. "You didn't change. Physically, I mean. But you were so different. I knew…" She fell quiet, losing herself in her thoughts.

"Powder!"

"Yes!" She replied, returning to the present. "Well. I remember being Powder." She paused for a moment, gathering courage. "And I remember being Jinx." She added. "I remember everything."

"How—"

"How could anyone handle this?" She interrupted, raising her brows with anguish. Quickly shifting to a smirk, she raised her defenses again. "Yes, I know, I'm that special! The one and only, Jinx!" She swept into an exaggerated bow, attempting to masquerade once more her pain.

"Jinx, stop!" Ekko's voice cut through her act like a knife. "Stop joking! Enough with the theatrics. It's not funny." His anger flared as he yelled at her, making her eyes burn. "Do you see anyone around you laughing?!"

She turned away abruptly, her fists clenched, her nails drawing blood on her hands. Shame and anger churned inside her, threatening to explode, taking down everything in its path.

You're damn strong. Don't you dare cry.

She couldn't make herself believe in the words. This time, rage didn't seem easy to come out, wrecking everything and everyone—like Jinx had done so many times. Just like, this time, she couldn't simply lower her defenses—as Powder did—, to get the help she so much needed.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as she started to leave. "I get it. I'm not who you wanted to kiss. I'm not your pure, goody-goody Powder."

Before she could take a step further, Ekko caught her hand and pulled her back. His lips crashed into hers with passion, their tongues dancing with yearning. One hand wrapped in her hair, another sliding down to her hips, he pushed her in, closer, with pressure.

"Do you have any idea how long I dreamed of this?" Ekko murmured, his voice heavy and melting, his eyes red with lust.

"Well, I thought I did." She quipped in her sassy tone. "Yesterday, when you were drawing on me, you looked thirsty. You're not so subtle." She smirked.

Ekko chuckled and Jinx felt a flicker of relief. Maybe he could love who she'd become too. As Jinx, she couldn't admit it… She couldn't expose herself like that. But now…

She traced his lips with her fingers, leaning in. Their eyes met, slowly giving in to a tender kiss that rapidly grew into something more, their tongues intertwining, savoring every second. Her hands roamed from his neck down his torso, lazily moving until she reached the edge of his shirt. She slipped her fingers under it, lingering on his skin, feeling his warmth, the shapes of his muscles. She was delighted. A soft moan escaped her lips as she lost herself in the moment. Ekko tensed, pressing his hips against her, his breath ragged.

Before she could pull his shirt up he caught her wrists.

"Don't…" He said, his voice strained. "You don't even know who you are right now."

"And I don't care." She closed the space between them again, leaning in.

"You are hurt, you are bleeding."

"And I don't care." She repeated herself, pulling him by his shirt.

"But I do." He said firmly, his hands framing her flushed cheeks, forcing her to look at him. "I care. And you deserve better."

Ekko. Always the boy savior. Except now he's a man.

She buried her face on his neck, hiding the uncomfortable vulnerability he had exposed.

Ekko picked up his jacket and spread it on the floor, making a soft surface for them. He sat by her feet and extended his hand to her, inviting her in. Together, they spent the night there lying on the makeshift bed, her head resting on his chest as he looked at the stars. There, in silence, they tried to make sense of the pieces that didn't really fit together, yet.