Seconds (Ekko x Reader)

Chapter Four: Promises

The months were a complete blur of hysteria, enforcers, and goons running the streets. When they got to the worst, the Firelights went out to help those caught in the crossfire.

"Where's my pipe?" Ekko asked, turning to Vi. It certainly wasn't the most conventional weapon to have, but it was his, and his alone.

"I think it's over by my gauntlets on the table." Vi shook her head. "Ekko, I don't know if it's the right thing to go out and do this. What about the kids?"

"They can handle themselves, Vi," he snipped. "I know you haven't been here for long, but we Firelights always help the innocent no matter the cost." He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but the lack of sleep and food hadn't been helping.

Those weeklong days.

"We have to fight. You've said so yourself." Vi sighed, defeated. She put her hands in her jacket and walked over to Caitlyn, who was unloading and reloading her new gun for the third time.

"You okay?" Vi asked her. Caitlyn no longer bore that absent look but was instead determined. Ekko couldn't blame her. After everything that happened, all you could do was react. Tonight was different, and tonight they could all take some action.

Caitlyn seemed to have felt it too because she bravely looked at Vi with a tight smile. She put the gun in her holster, running her hands along her thighs. "I'll be fine," she assured. Taking another breath, she faced the door. "Let's go."

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The streets were worse than they could've ever imagined. Addicts line the streets, with bar fights around every corner. Ekko tried to block it out, to move on like he always does. He tried to be angry or even determined to stamp out any action that Silco and Jinx would've done. But he wasn't.

He just felt lost.

He couldn't let the others know, though.

Vi and Caitlyn took their shifts near the heart of the city. Chirean took the back patrol, and Ekko went straight for the bridge. He didn't want to go back there himself. Too many memories. But he knew that he would be the least threatening-looking person there.

He took out his hoverboard, sighed, and glided along the rooftops, searching for people that weren't too different than him—just kids born in a messed-up century.

As he got closer to the bridge, he heard a cry. It seemed like it came from a man far away. The sound didn't sound like he was in pain, but then again if it crossed over the bridge...

And then he looked down.

In the first moments, there was a couple of sparse Pilties shopping. But now, there's an entire flood of them choking the sides of the streets. Silently, he glided down to the crowd, careful to stay where no one could see him. He hovered just above the crowd's heads, unnoticed.

Ekko narrowed his eyes and saw a large man in the center of the crowd. His stature was large and imposing. He made these grand gestures seeming to move to. . .

A Vastaya? He didn't know there were any here other than Chirean. Her ears were pinned, glowering at the ground.

Then he saw the sword.

It bore down on their tails, and he felt he should look away. But for some reason, he didn't. It only made him angry. Ekko found his emotions burning through his chest, anger, and sympathy. They brought red-hot swells in his chest. One thought replayed through his head.

He knew that he had to help her.

Ekko stared out at the group for what could've been only a few minutes. A man walked up to the Vasaya, circling her like a hawk. Suddenly, he turned to the crowd. He had a pointed face covered up by a black mask. He was sickly, almost to where it was surprising he was even standing.

"One million gold!" The crowd gave an even greater uproar, the Anti-Arcaners protesting the purchase, and the outraged bidders distraught that they lost the bid. The Vastaya cowered, falling to sit on her knees. She covered her face with her hands, shaking ever so slightly.

The Pointed Man walked up to her, kneeling. He seemed to study her and her tails that were still out. He motioned for the crowd to go past them, and slowly, they did. Leaving her, the large brute, and the Pointed Man. They looked like they talked for a while, with the vastaya making herself smaller.

He watched them as the sun started setting long after the Pointed Man left. Curiously enough, as the Pointed Man left, Ekko noticed he was headed towards the undercity. Probably one of Silco's goons.

The sky turned from dusty yellows and oranges to a darker purple. Meanwhile, the Vastaya was put back into the barge. And as the platform connecting the dock and the ship went up, Ekko was slowly etching forward, hugging around the buildings. Crewmates became quieter, retreating to hotels and the ship's dorms, as he noticed.

He hovered over to the helm and looked over the deck. Seeing that everyone was gone, he hopped off his hoverboard and quietly walked over to the small door he saw she was brought into. He pressed his ear against the wood.

Finding no sound, he carefully turned the knob of the door. Strangely enough, it was unlocked.

As he walked in, he saw a small cage in the corner. And inside, he found her. The vastaya lifted her head, curious. She froze, retreating far back into the cage as she could go. Ekko noticed the cuffs around her hands. He knelt to her, carefully placing his hoverboard onto his back straps.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "I'm not here to hurt you, I promise." She looked him up and down and came closer. Suddenly, she lunged in his direction, attempting to bite his hand. Ekko hissed in pain but didn't seem to waver. Her eyes widened. "See, I'm not going to do anything. Even if you try to hurt me, I'm not going to do anything that would hurt you.

"You-- want to help me?" she said, only loud enough that Ekko could hear her. "How can I trust a man who doesn't show his face or even reveal his voice?" He should've thought about that, how he must've looked to a girl who's been abused for who knows how long.

And even though he didn't want to do it, he took off his mask.

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WOO another chapter. Currently writing this while having my fairy lights green (for obvious reasons) and eating gummy bears. It's a surprisingly good combination.

This is one of the few stories I am excited to write, and I hope you all enjoyed it.

See you in the next chapter!