ekko didn't want to interrupt. he didn't argue.
the sounds of the children playing, firelights shouting after the ones too close to breaking somethingโor themselvesโblurred into the background. all background noise behind her voice. the world was filtered out as jinx spoke with every ounce of her tangled heart.
a few thoughts crept in while she spoke.
how often was she given space to talk like thisโwithout flinching, without deflecting? how often did someone actually let her finish? how many actually cared about her well-being without dark intentions?
he didnโt dwell on those questions long, but they humbled him. reminded him not to speak too quickly.
so when he dropped the rock, he didnโt toss it. didnโt flick his wrist to skip it across the puddles like he mightโve done back when things were easierโwhen they were smaller. he just let it go.
he allowed gravity to take care of the rest. it thudded softly against the root between them with finality. it was a sound that seemed to belong more to endings than arguments.
but our boy savior didn't walk away here. he didn't turn from her. he didn't feel the need to breathe sharp or raise his voice in protest. none of that. he stood there as a guardianโhis arms loose at his sides, shoulders feeling the slight weight of wearinessโand just took her in.
ekko took in the way she dressed herself in armored garb. and that armor looked heavier than usual today. a different kind of weariness taking a toll on it.
and because his mind couldn't shake it, he replayed how she crookedly cackled at his proposalโa laugh that didn't quite reach her chest. he observed how her tiny fists, twin balled wrecking balls that leveled enough futures that could be chronicled several volumes, were trembling. and how maybe these were the words she practiced in a dark crawlspace somewhere. words that could have been rehearsed in silence in the event she ever had the guts to say them out loud to someone who cared to give her grace.
โโโโโ you wouldn't let me down. i trust you. โ he said, offhandedly. there was a part of him that was surprised by it. he didn't expect it to come out like thatโstripped, simple, clean, yet raw.
but he was never one to dance around with his words and played it elegantly. not during times when it really mattered. he couldn't afford to. truth was the only currency he had with her.
so, the eight words that fell from his lips were statements he meant with all of his heart.
his boots scraped over the moss, shifting him a little closer to jinxโbut not too close. the last thing he wanted to do was have her feel cornered. he'd figured he made a safe enough closure on the gap between them so that if her walls cracked, he'd be there to catch whatever poured out.
โโโโโ you think vi ran 'cause of you? maybe. maybe she got scared. maybe she thought she could do better somewhere cleaner, safer. maybe we both represent a past that hurts too much. i dunno what goes on through that girl's mind. i wish i did... but that ainโt our crime. โ
ekko eyes fell to her hands againโfists still clenched like she could wring out all the blood, all the mistakes, if she squeezed hard enough.
โโโโโ jinx, you got a brilliant mind. a mouth that don't quit. a pulse still beatin' in a city that tried its best to kill it. you already rebuilding somethin'. maybe you just don't see it yet, but i do. and iโll take โcrazyโ over comfortable if it means i get to see that.t. โ
he gave her a second to chew on that as he moved againโslowlyโreaching out to gently uncurl one of her fists with a single gloved hand.
if she flinched? fine. if she pulled away? that was her right..
right now, his fingers weren't pushing. they asked. and if she let him, his thumb would drag over the space between her knuckles, over the fresh oil stains, the blood she longed washed off, like he was tracing the edges of something rare. something almost lost.
โโโโโ jinx, you wouldn't let me down if you stayed. you'd only let me down if i saw you let yourself down. if i didn't see you give yourself the second chance you deserved. โ he tilted his head, giving her a bitter-sweet curl at the edge of his full lips. a smile she wouldn't be able to see. he could only say this as someone who missed her too often could say it.
โโโโโ so if this ain't a yes, cool. take your time. do what you gotta. i'm not here to trap you. but donโt act like you don't matter here. you do. โ
and this time, he didn't ask what she thought.
because she'd already told him.
