Zaun’s streets were never quiet, but tonight, the noise felt distant—like the city itself was holding its breath. You stood beneath the shattered remnants of an old bridge, the air thick with smoke and regret. Ekko faced you, his jaw tight, fists clenched at his sides. His usual spark was gone, replaced by something colder, something fractured.

“You should have told me,” he said, voice barely above a whisper, but it cut through you sharper than any blade.

“I tried,” you choked out, your chest tightening. “Ekko, I tried. But you were too busy playing hero, and I—” You stopped yourself, shaking your head. “I had to make a choice.”

His laugh was bitter, humorless. “Yeah? And you chose to betray me instead.”

You flinched. He wasn’t wrong.

“I thought I was protecting you,” you admitted. “I thought—”

“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me!” Ekko snapped, his eyes burning with something raw. “I lost people because of you. People I was supposed to protect. People who trusted me.”

Tears blurred your vision, but you refused to let them fall. “Do you think I don’t carry that with me?” Your voice cracked. “Do you think I don’t hate myself for it?”

Ekko exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face before shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Your stomach dropped. “Ekko—”

“I don’t know if I can forgive you.” His voice was barely above a whisper, but it shattered something deep inside you. “And I sure as hell don’t know if I want to.”

The worst part?

You didn’t blame him.