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Jinx sat across from Ekko, a makeshift table acting as the only barrier between the two. She wasn’t sure why Ekko had invited her out to this dump of a shack on the outskirts of the city, but she wasn’t gonna complain; she hasn’t had the time or space to relax since the Last Drop was seized by Enforcers. And hey, if this was a trap, Ekko would understand if she had to break a few Firelight bones right? Though as the seconds ticked by with neither saying anything, she began to feel nervous. She positioned her hand toward the butt of her gun, prepared for any unwanted third parties. Tired of the silence, she opened her mouth - preparing to test the waters - but before she could even get a word out, Ekko cut her off.
“There's no one waiting outside. You don't have to worry.”
She looked at the boy before her. His arms rested on his knees as he stared at the ground, and she didn't need to see his face to know that he was processing a lot of thoughts.
“Forgive me for the silence. I’m just… thinking about what to say.”
“Oh no, please, take your time; I'm in no rush,” she joked as her hand relaxed and moved away from her pistol.
Doesn't seem like he’s lying
A few more agonizing minutes passed and Jinx was getting fidgety. Her fingers tapped like drumsticks on her chair as she quietly beatboxed to the beat. But before the climax of her song, Ekko interrupted her once more.
A quiet chuckle. “Heh. Old habits die hard huh?" Jinx raised an eyebrow in confusion. "No tables or chairs were safe when you were around. I would always join you, and I swear Vander was one step away from an aneurysm”, he looked up and made the first eye contact the two had since she first walked in.
“Do you remember?”
His nostalgia-filled voice revealed how he desperately wanted to hear a certain answer. With how the conversation was going, it was clear that Jinx would not be able to continue her song. As she looked into his hickory eyes, she couldn't help but feel that they weren't looking at her. Not Jinx. They seemed to be searching for someone else. His gaze combined with hearing that damned, abandoned name from her past made her anxious. Her chest tensed as she tried to stay calm while her heartbeat was faster than ever. This had to be a trap - right?
“I-I do... I remember.” She said warily.
At that response, Ekkos eyes softened. His head dropped again as he let out a sigh of relief, though his arms still seemed tense; as if he couldn't be sure. She really did remember those times - though she tried not to dwell on them.
“What else... Do you remember?” He asked, stumbling on his words.
Her brow furrowed; she understood what he was asking for now. He didn't want Jinx. He wanted her. The one that was ditched a long time ago. Jinx could feel her jaw clenching.
“Next time, invite the person you want to talk to. Oh, wait! She's dead", she lashed out. "I'm Jinx and only Jinx. Remember that and don't ever try to make me someone I'm not.”
Jinx stomped up and pushed her chair back, walking towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Ekko asked
“Where do you think? Is there another door in this junk that I'm missing?” Her hand was on the butt of her gun, ready to shoot any obstacles - living or not - in her way. “And don't tell your little Firefly hench-”
“STOP!”
Ekko jumped, his sudden outburst silencing the room - the only sound now being his seat hitting the floor. Jinx couldn't force herself to turn, deeming it best to stay still and just listen. She heard his shoddy breath echo through the room as if he wasn't ready for his outburst.
“I'm not here as the leader of the Firelights. None of that today. I'm just here as Ekko. The boy from Benzo's shop. Little Man, your info dealer. Ekko, your childhood… friend.”
Jinx stared at the door, unsure of what to do. “So why is Little Man showing up today?” she uttered.
“Being a 24/7 pain in the ass of Chem-Barons becomes a real pain in the ass after a while, ironically.”
She swallowed the knot in her throat, bracing herself. “Who do I have to be here as?” She didn’t want to know, but a part of her wanted to see where this went.
“You only have to be here as Jinx. No one else. Just indulge me for a bit, please?” His begging tugged at her, pleading that she sit down again - and the look in those eyes of his convinced her. Once again, they sat facing each other but the mood had changed. Ekko was the one sitting at full attention now, while Jinx was hunched over, avoiding his eyes the best she could. Try as she may though, she couldn't resist taking a peek. Ekko sat there, his eyes intently focused as he tried to think of another question, then for a moment, he matched her eye contact.
Jinx quickly turned away in embarrassment and started bouncing her leg to try and convince herself that he didn't catch her.
“Pfft,” Ekko laughed. He giggled and giggled until it turned into a burst of boisterous laughter and he was holding his stomach. Jinx’s face flushed red as she sat up now.
“W-what? What are you laughing at?” She demanded.
“Nothing, nothing. It’s just, I haven’t seen that face of yours in so long that I wasn’t expecting it to still be the same.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Stay the same? What do you mean?”
“You would always make that face whenever we got into trouble. I swear, whenever we got caught it was over 'cause you’d always be a dead giveaway.” He said, struggling to stifle his giggles. Jinx went quiet, pursing her lips and looking the other way to hide her face.
“What else do you remember?” She asked, barely above a whisper.
“A lot... but not enough…”
The room fell silent, both hesitant to take center stage. Then Ekko made his move.
“How old were we then? 10, 11 years old? I only met you when I was 7. That's 4 years' worth of memories. Followed by a decade and some more of having to build up an entirely new family from scratch while fighting for my life.”
Jinx turned around, steeling her nerves, and looked Ekko in the eye.
“Do you know how much that hurts? How much I wish we could’ve worked together at the Last Drop or at Benzos? All the birthdays we missed?”
Jinx could see the tears welling in the corners of his eyes and hear the slight quiver in his voice. She tried to say something back but found it hard to piece the words together. The two could hear taps on the metal roof above them- rain was beginning to set in.
“Why weren’t you there then?” She asked. Ekko rubbed his eye and met her gaze, a serious expression on his face. “If you - if Little Man - wanted all that, why wasn’t he there with me that day? Why didn’t he go with me to help save them? Why did he leave me like the rest of them?”
Ekko froze up, and while closing his eyes tightly, he took a deep breath. “Cause Little Man was scared. He was afraid. Terrified. Name it and he was feeling it. He knew y'all were in danger, that you guys could have died. He wanted to help. To help his best friend. He wanted to be a hero - the savior - he always thought he was. But his legs wouldn't move. He wanted to save the world, or rather the person that was the world to him, but he couldn't even save himself.” Ekko choked up at the heels of the last words, tears now falling down his cheeks. He wasn't alone; Jinx could feel her eyes watering up, and the voices began their buzz. But before they could overwhelm her, she felt a hand rest upon hers.
“And not a day goes by where Little Man doesn't wish he could go back in time to fix everything. But he can't. So let Ekko try now.”
Jinx couldn't bring herself to look up at him; she knew that if she did, she would just break down then and there. So instead, she just leaned into him. Feeling his body shake - their sobs harmonizing in a symphony.
“He still wants to try? Even after all the time that was lost and now that his friend is gone?” She asked, her voice barely intact.
“She isn't gone. Just… misunderstood,” he grabbed her chin and pulled it up to face him. “And there would never be a better time to start.”