The Boy Savior - Ekko x Reader - Season 1

Chapter 3

Being in Zaun, you weren't expecting any lights to be blinded by, so you hadn't prepared yourself for the huge amount of sunshine that struck you when the door opened. You had to blink a few times to get your eyes used to it. Then the next thing you felt was the fresh air that stroked the skin on your face as you stepped outside. It wasn't fogged with chemicals from the mines nor the shimmer factories' smoke tainted it - instead it felt soft and pleasant so you immediately took a deep breath - you enjoyed it pretty much that you could breath without the slightest irritation.

You were already surprised enough by the sunshine and clear air, but when your eyes were finally able to take in the sight in front of you and your brain could process the images, you almost had to sit down. Even your breathing stopped for a second. It was beautiful - probably the most beautiful thing you had ever seen.

A huge tree was standing in front of you - a real, living one! You had only seen drawings of plants in your parents' books before and you always thought that they looked beautiful even on the sketches. But in real life it was completely different. It was so lively, so enormous and the way the hundreds of little firelights flew around it made it look like an image straight from a fairy tale - the ones your mom used to tell you to help you fall asleep. On its huge trunk, edifices were built all over which were painted with colorful and lively images. You felt like you weren't even in Zaun anymore...

You saw Ekko watching your reaction from the corner of your eyes but before you could have said anything you heard him talk instead. "I still don't know your name."

You swallowed and looked away.

"...Y/N." You said. You hadn't heard your own name since your family died. Your throat felt dry as you said it out loud and it felt so stranger...

"What are the Firelights exactly?" you asked to distract yourself instead and you couldn't help your eyes jumping back to the tree. You just had to watch it, even though you got more curious with each passing second about both Ekko and what his group was.

They must had been completely different from what you had thought about them at first if they managed to build all this... Especially if you thought about how young this boy by your side was.

He gestured you to follow him - towards the tree and the people that were either occupied around its huge trunk or were just simply chilling - as he answered your question.

"We are fighting for a better future - not just for those who need a shelter, but for whole Zaun." Ekko waved at someone sitting by themself on the ground, tinkering with their hoverboard as he talked. "People at Piltover should learn that progress doesn't belong to just one city... that is why we are trying to stop Silco and everyone like him." He said and the way his eyes shone as he talked - and what he talked about - reminded you of your brother and you felt your heart sink. "People like them just cement Piltover's view about Zaun..." he added and you thought about how your brother and Ekko probably would have been best friends if they ever had the chance to know each other...

You searched his face under his furrowed brows. You saw how serious he was as he talked about Zaun's matter and that he really meant what he talked about - and you felt respect growing towards him inside your chest...

In your life - you hadn't met a lot of people that was true - but apart from your brother, you had never heard anyone talk about the future of others. Not even your parents. Everyone always tried to keep themselves and their closed ones alive and never thought about strangers. At all. But that was the way you learned Zaun was. A place filled with scared, selfish and vulnerable people. And you understood the motives of those who only thought about themselves, because you were almost just like them... Even though you had the ability that could have helped many...

"Oh, look! The fiery one!" someone joked as you walked past them. You looked at the direction and saw a young girl with bright, pink hair walking towards you. Probably had been there at the warehouse as well. Ekko chuckled lightly and agreed with her right away.

They were friends, you could see that as they talked to each other. And you also saw the way everyone had looked at the boy when you walked past them - with respect and care and he looked at them the same way. This whole place felt like one huge family if you looked at it closer.

"She's Eden here and Eden this is Y/N." Ekko introduced the two of you to each other. You had to blink when you heard your name. "I gotta go now, but she will show you around and where you can sleep." he said as he patted the shoulder of the girl. "I'll try to check up on you later but you make yourself comfortable. It's your home now as well." he smiled at you from his own height before turning his back on you, leaving you there and you felt your face warming up after that smile...

"I hope there's no hard feelings." Eden said as she pointed towards the back of her head and you got that she was probably the one who knocked you out at the warehouse.

"I deserved it after all..." you said as you touched your nape. It wasn't hurting anymore so you almost forgot about it.

"To save myself, I just did what Ekko told me to!" she joked and you let yourself smile for the first time in a while.

Everyone Eden introduced you to was nice and welcoming. Some of them who were there at the warehouse shot some jokes at you, but you could see they had no hard feelings towards you. You couldn't stop wondering how everyone here seemed so carefree and some of them even happy. You saw so many children playing and laughing... You tried to recall if you had ever seen this many calm faces in your whole life before but with each passing second spent at the Firelights you were surer you hadn't.

This place felt like a hidden paradise, somewhere inside Zaun. And it completely swept you off your feet.

To reach the room you got, you had to climb up a rope ladder. Eden told you it was highly advised to learn how to use a hoverboard because most of the compartments and rooms were built way up on the trunk of the tree, but you kindly refused. You felt exhausted like you had never before. All you wanted was to be on your own finally to be able to process everything that had happened to you.

"Hey, so this is your room." Eden opened the door for you. "Not big, but it does it." she smiled and stepped away so that you could enter. "I know that right now you might feel overwhelmed, I have been in the same shoes." She smiled at you kindly. "We are all starting over here to be honest. Everyone understands you one way or another so you don't have to feel alone."

"Thank you, Eden." You said honestly. You wanted to talk to her more but not today. Today was too long already.

"Tomorrow I'll have to take care of some business with Ekko and a few others, but once we'll back, feel free to come to me if you want to talk." Eden said before saying goodbye to you.

When the door of your room finally closed behind you, you leaned your back against the hard wood and let out the biggest sigh. You closed your eyes for a few seconds but then forced them open to look around the premise.

It was small, that was true, and only had space for a tiny bed and a little cupboard but through its window you could see the crown of the tree. You immediately went to sit in the windowsill and watched the green leaves looking even more magical as the day was coming towards its end and the sun was slowly leaving the sky. Inside the foliage, hundreds of firelights were flying peacefully, their green lights scattering through the surface of the leaves.

You just sat there for hours taking in the sight, the smell and the peaceful sounds. You wanted to sleep but neither your mind nor the beauty of this place let you rest.

It felt safe. Safer than any other place you had seen in Zaun and still, you were anxious. Your parents had kept teaching how you should always keep your talent a secret, but here you felt like you could finally make yourself useful, even help others.

You were a healer after all...