Seconds (Ekko x Reader)

Lessons

She was close, too close. His mind has been through possibly thousands of equations, but he still was stumped. And needless to say, as the two of them sat there, he was frustrated.

But, at the same time, he loves a challenge.

Ever since Ekko was little, his parents knew he carried a gift. Extremely intelligent, Ekko has made simple gadgets since he was a toddler. Mind endlessly working, calculating, and scheming. Every second needed to have a purpose. He needed to live life up to the last moment.

But here, sitting with her, he should've been doing other things. He could've worked on the new hoverboard or taught the kids more battle tactics. He should've been fixing the roof that was constantly leaking. So many things that were objectively better to do in this situation.

Yet he was relaxing with her. The strangest thing about it was that it didn't feel wrong. Ekko was doing something good for himself. Usually, he was repulsed to think that he would spend any amount of time doing something for his gain.

So confusing. "So, Newbie," Ekko said, trying to distract himself. "What was that back there? That light trick?"

Her other ear flicked. "That's the Arcane I hold. It's a Fox vastaya thing. I'd rather not talk about that right now, though." Sighing, she lifted her head.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to bring a sensitive thing up."

"No, it's not that. I'm just tired." Standing up and smiling, she jumped to another branch. Light as a feather. "See you later, Ekko. It was nice chatting." This girl. Why was she so reserved about this power? The other one seemed way more intrusive, yet she didn't want to discuss this.

Ekko only waved and watched as she shrank into her room. No light was left from the firelights, and all the kids seemed to be in bed. The entire place was empty except for him. Usually, he'd be working now, fixing something or devising another raid-

Why the hell was his brain so scrambled?

"One thing at a time, just keep pushing." Often Ekko and his mindset were to keep things simple. Act first, and ask questions later. If you never make a decision, it will cost lives.

The next day, they were told that they could finally go out. Grabbing the hoverboard, he put some parts that had yet to be attached into his satchel. And he was almost proud when he saw the Newbie in her new mask. Her mask was similar to a Kitsune mask style he's seen in art pieces around the lanes. Granted, the ears were cut own to make room for her own. Blazing eyes stood behind.

She stuck to him like a fly in molasses. And he would've been annoyed by it in any other situation. But he could understand how it must feel for her. It was the dead of night, and fewer people were in the streets. First things first, he had to get the lights into her hoverboard. Easy enough to do.  He just had to go to the trader's shop.

"Oh, how are you doing, Firelight? Come to get more-" She stopped talking, tilting his head to get a better look. The woman shook her head. "Are you trading her? You could get a rather high price," she smiled wickedly. "I'd let you-"

"She's not up for bargaining," Ekko interrupted. "I'm only here to get some red bulbs, you have any?" She frowned, leaning back. And without another word, he gave what was due and left.

And now, they were on the rooftop of a relatively high building. "Okay, so the first thing you want to figure out is how to steer." He stepped onto the hoverboard, jostling under his weight. "To go forward, you just put pressure on your front leg. Don't put too much, or you'll get too fast."

She clutched her hoverboard closer to her chest, looking over the edge of the building. Etching his hoverboard closer, he sat down, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey," Ekko said softly. "We don't have to do this right now if you're too nervous." She shook her head.

"No. I'm ready." Laying out her hoverboard, it revved to life.

"Step by step," Ekko eased. "Small movements. Nothing crazy."

"You know you're not helping by doing that-- give me a second and I'll-" Jutting forward, she put both feet on the board. Arms out and eyes wide, she looked back up at Ekko. "Oh wow, you weren't kidding about that," Ekko crossed his arms.

"No, I wasn't. Just take your time. Here, I'll guide you. Just step to the side a bit." She put one of her feet closer to the other, still scared to make any more prominent movements. He stepped beside her slightly, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Okay, now just tilt your feet forward slightly-- Good."

"Oh, son of a- I don't like this." Ekko laughed under his breath.

"Hey, you should've seen the prototype I made. Way more dangerous."

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING."

"Okay, okay it's fine. Here look, let me steer. Hold on, Newbie." He smiled under his mask, just wishing he could see the look on her face as they zipped through the undercity. This place could've been pretty past the polluted air and dirty shops. But now, as the ground beneath them became a blur, none of it mattered. He felt exhilarated! Ekko was sobered, however, as he felt her arms around him get tighter. One thing before they landed, though. . .

He flipped them upside down. The wind whipped through their hair. And the Newbie choked back a startled scream. "Hey, don't worry, I got you," he laughed over his shoulder. Steadily, he slowed the board down to a halt onto another building. He held out his arms, catching the girl.

"Don't. EVER. Do. That. Again," she panted. "I swear I'm going to kill you if you do." He patted her back.

"Awe, c'mon. That was fun and you know it." She only glared at him.

"Easy for you to say. Warn me on that shit."

"You're right. Sorry, I-"

BOOM.

The building next to them exploded, crumbling it into ashes.

Jinx.