Work Text:
“Ezreal’s in the Sump.”
“Good for him,” Ekko replied, accidentally slamming the door on Shomi’s foot, wincing, then rewinding to catch it right before the devastating crack. His friend simply glared at him through their shades, face perfectly torn between irritated and amused.
“Are you serious?”
With an overdramatic sigh, Ekko circled back into his workshop, grumpily slipping off his gloves. His project could wait, he supposed, reaching for his bat and board, then returning to the door.
“Where.”
“Just on the wrong side of the sumpsnipes’, not too far from the Voice Cage.”
“Fuck. Anyone on him?”
“Not as of a few minutes ago, but I wouldn’t take my time catching up with him, even if I were you.”
Strapping his weapon onto his back, Ekko mounted his board, shaking his head at Shomi as it powered up.
“You know, you could’ve just saved him yourself if you saw him.”
“Could’ve. Piltie twinks aren’t so much my thing, though – that’s more your schtick.”
“Fuck off.”
“Let me know if you get laid,” Shomi called as Ekko levitated higher up into the Gray, “or, you know, at least tell him that you like him this time.”
“That’s the thing, Shomi: I don’t.”
Ekko flipped them off as he zoomed away just to prove it. In the end, neither of them were very convinced.
True explorers are never lost, but in that moment, Ezreal might have been slightly… disoriented. Which was totally not his fault. It’s not like he’d forgotten to note how many turns he’d taken while chasing that weird cat with the glowy gem in its mouth, meaning he could definitely, 100% find his way back to the Lift before it got dark out. Or wait, was it already dark out? The smog made it hard to tell.
Anyway, as much as he tried to convince himself that the low grinding noises he kept hearing were some distant machine and not the chants of an oncoming cult, that possibility seemed less likely by the minute - he couldn’t help but notice the spider-like markings on the grimy walls getting more and more frequent. Finally giving in to his precautions, he shot a quick glance left, then right, ensuring no one could witness his singular moment of uncoolness, then hit a quick 180, speedwalking back in the direction he came. Could he take on a bunch of thugs in combat? Sure. But that didn’t mean he particularly wanted to.
He only made it a few steps before a familiar mechanized voice rumbled from behind him, causing him to halt:
“You must be real serious about getting a full tour of Zaun, ‘cause you act like you’re looking to get dumped to the bottom of a Sump mine, the hard way.”
Ezreal smiled, raising his hands in faux surrender as he turned to behold the leader of the Firelights himself. “You know me, always trying to get the authentic local experience.”
Although he was unable to see Ekko roll his eyes under the mask, the gesture was obvious. The Zaunite lowered his board until their heights matched, closing the distance between them and staring Ezreal down as if he might shove him against the wall.
“What the fuck are you thinking, being in the Sump this late – no, at all!”
Ezreal flinched, stumbling to regain his confident persona in the face of such aggression. “I was checking out some glyphs and I lost track of time. What’s the big deal? I can take care of myself.”
“Like Hell you can, Piltie pretty boy walking straight into the Spider’s territory,” Ekko huffed, circling his companion. “You don’t want to fuck with them, man. Shit’ll knock you out before you can even blink your magic ass away.” He cracked his neck. “I’ve lost good people to them.”
Ezreal shifted uncomfortably, eyeing the fresh layers of dust on his leather boots. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well at least you’re sorry and not dead,” Ekko decided after a moment. He sighed. “C’mon, let’s get you out of here before that changes.”
Ezreal glanced from the boy to the hoverboard. “You can fit two people on that thing?!”
“It’ll be a tight fit, but we can try. Here:” Ekko turned away from Ezreal and squatted down, looking back over his shoulder. “It’d probably be best if you ride on my back.”
Ezreal couldn’t help but grin as he climbed on. “Aw, no bridal carry?”
Another eye roll. “Not unless you want me to drop you face-first into the sewers, princess.”
A gasp: “You wouldn’t.”
A smirk: “Try me.”
It was a few minutes later when they lowered themselves into the Firelights’ lair. Ezreal had been there before a handful of times, mostly just stopping in to inform Ekko of some new threat he’d found in the ruins. He didn’t know the secret knock – he’d tried to guess it a few times, but all too often, the stone gate would open to reveal a gaggle of children laughing at his failed attempts. He could always tell whether Kay or Shomi was home based on whether he had to try one time or twenty.
“Last stop, all passengers must disembark,” Ekko sang, evidently far more relaxed once back inside the confines of his home. Once Ezreal climbed off his back, he removed his mask, running fingers through his hair as his hood fell back. “Sorry I can’t take you back to yours, but crossing the Bridge at this time of night is almost as bad for me as the Sump is for you.”
“Nah, I get it,” Ezreal nodded. “Thanks for the ride. Um…” He examined Ekko, gesturing vaguely before finishing, “What now?”
“Come in. I got a couch for ya.” Ekko gestured to the door with his head, popping up his board and heading inside, expecting Ezreal to follow.
Which he did, after taking a moment to process that Ekko’d just invited him to spend the night. Which, of course, was something he’d done with a number of other people, for a number of reasons, but most of them weren’t so very chill about it. Most of them were all like, “Oh, Ezreal, you’re so sexy and handsome, please sleep with me,” and hey, who was he to say no to that, but something about Ekko’s undeterred confidence and perfectly relaxed tone made Ezreal’s heart race. He let his eyes linger as Ekko walked away, right around the other boy’s… door handle, shit the door had fully closed while he was standing there gawking like an idiot, way to go, EZ, “Wait up!”
Ezreal rushed inside to see Ekko was starting to clean up his workbench, storing the pieces of some unfinished project for another day. The inside of the room was dark, save for the candle on his desk and the faint glow of the charging hoverboard, so he found himself stumbling over the cracks in the creaky floorboards.
Sure enough, there was a musty couch in the middle of the room, probably snatched from some junkyard or another, although it’d been cleaned up nicely. The sheet and pillow already placed on it suggested it was someone’s long term bed, since Ekko hadn’t had enough time to set this up just for him. Ezreal was about to ask how they were both gonna fit on there, when Ekko nodded toward a scrap of cloth hanging from the far wall.
“I’ll sleep in the hammock tonight – you take the couch. There’s a water tap in the corner if you want to wash up or anything.” Ekko yawned, taking off his hoodie and crossing the room. “I think we’ve both had full enough days already, so I’m gonna pack it. Try not to make too much noise.”
Then he took his shorts off.
Ezreal tried, but failed, but still tried not to stare at Ekko in his underwear. At least when Ekko raised an eyebrow at him, firing a “Do you mind?” across the room, he didn’t seem fully annoyed – his voice toyed with ridicule and amusement, as well.
“Not at all,” Ezreal shot back, completely keeping his cool and surmising that it must be okay for him to partially undress as well. After removing his gauntlet, he carefully folded it into his leather jacket and placed it on the workbench where Ekko wouldn’t let him forget it, setting his goggles down on top. Kicking off his boots by the foot of the couch, he then wiggled out of his pants – yes, they were tight, so he had to wiggle, okay – before turning back to see Ekko in the corner, eyes fixed on him.
“Do you mind?” Ezreal smirked.
“Just waiting for you to stop being so pleased with yourself and put out the lamp,” he answered, hands folded behind his head, “Also, you gotta get some better-fitting pants, dude.”
“Nah-uh! You can’t have loose clothing when you’re exploring, or you’ll get caught on corners or traps or all sorts of things. I’m a professional, so I need to wear them – it’s an occupational thing.”
“You just think they make your ass look good.”
“Um, they make my ass look great. Don’t act like you haven’t noticed.”
“I haven’t. Now are you gonna put out the light or what?”
With a quick breath, Ezreal blew out the candle, forcing the room into an all-but-complete darkness. The arcane markings on Ezreal’s cheeks still glowed, though, softer and more brilliant than the silver moonlight sneaking in from the cracks in the ceiling - yet he still found himself blinking his way back to the couch, just in case the nighttime shadow monsters reached through the floorboards and grabbed his ankles.
Ekko couldn’t sleep.
This was not an unusual occurrence, with the myriad of traumas and worries dancing through the Firelight leader’s brain, but tonight, there was a tinge of excitement to his anxiety. Ezreal was really sleeping right over there, in his bed – his couch, whatever – in nothing but his underclothes.
He ran a hand over his face, mentally chastising himself for being so weird about it. Ezreal was an acquaintance, something like a friend, but mostly a nuisance, really. He should not be getting so worked up over the adventurer accepting his invitation to spend the night, especially since he couldn’t exactly refuse.
Still, Ekko could appreciate the view, the soft, peaceful look on Ezreal’s sleeping face. He’d conked out rather quickly, and Ekko grinned, taking it as a sign that the explorer felt safe with him. Maybe he was just an overly trusting fool, but maybe it meant something more. It was curious, though, that the lights on Ezreal’s cheeks flickered while he was asleep, a slow and steady blink not unlike that of the charging hoverboard. Ekko fondly wondered if the Piltovan wasn’t actually the robotic sleeper agent he’d always accused him of being. He couldn’t help but get a closer look.
Slipping out of the hammock, he nimbly shifted his way over to the couch, knowing the floor of his hideout well enough to avoid the creaks. He didn’t fully know what he planned to do, but he knew that it started with getting a better look at Ezreal. Being very careful to avoid touching the boy beneath him, Ekko placed his knees on either side of Ezreal’s hips, planted his hands on other side of his head, and leaned in inquisitively. It appeared that his markings were brightening and dimming in correspondence with his breathing, glowing fiercer as his chest rose, then dying out as he exhaled.
Then, Ezreal jolted, markings glimmering to their fully lit state as he opened his eyes and slowly attempted to sit up. Panicked, Ekko rocked back onto his knees, now keenly aware that he was straddling the other boy’s lap. Well, shit.
“I- I wasn’t doing anything freaky, I swear!” Ekko started, fearing that whatever trust Ezreal’d given him had surely left the building in the last few seconds (rest in peace, friendship), “It’s just, uh, your cheek things were blinking while you slept. It was keeping me up.”
Ezreal eyes shone under said cheek things, but while he appeared startled, he did not look disgusted, instead....curious? “Wait, they blink when I sleep? I never knew that.”
The explorer attempted to sit up further, but Ekko quickly put a stop to it, knowing that shifting further back would mean pressing their hips together, and let’s just say that would reveal something rather inconvenient about the current state of his lower half. So, no, instead, Ekko pressed one hand to Ezreal’s face, brushing a thumb under his eye and guiding his head back into the pillow. Ignoring the return of Ezreal’s startled expression, he stared into the brightness of the boy’s markings instead, forcing his brain to stay on topic. “What even are they?”
“They’re… uh…” Okay, so maybe Ezreal was a bit distracted, too. Completely understandable, after waking up with his crush on top of him, and with the way Ekko was staring at him now, just, fuck it:
Ezreal pushed past Ekko’s hand, sitting up until their noses were practically touching. “Look, Ekko, it’s pretty obvious… you… like…”
Their lips met, so briefly and spark-like it could easily be dismissed as an accident – one of them leaned in a bit too far, and, oops, it happened! They hadn’t meant to kiss. It was just a mistake, right? In the following seconds of silence, they seemed to wordlessly ask each other that question, breathing unevenly against each other’s chests.
Ekko was the first to decide that no, it wasn’t a mistake at all, and press his lips back into Ezreal’s with more intention this time. The adventurer quickly adjusted, shifting himself into a more comfortable position and kissing back with equal fervor. They held the liplock for a while, until Ezreal was smirking into the kiss so hard that it made it hard to continue.
“Jerk,” the explorer laughed, playfully shoving Ekko’s arm, “why didn’t you tell me you weren’t straight?”
The Firelight leader looked adorably puzzled. “I… thought you knew?”
“How was I supposed to know that?!”
“You were flirting with me like you knew.”
Ezreal rolled his eyes. “I flirt with everyone. I meant it with you, though. Didn’t think it’d get me anywhere, but still fun to try.”
“Um, it didn’t get you anywhere.” Ekko scrunched his nose fondly. “There are a number of things I like about you, Ez, but your pick-up lines… not one of ‘em.”
The adventurer pouted. “They couldn’t have been that awful. You certainly don’t seem like you hate me.”
“Whatever gave you that impression,” Ekko mocked, hooking a finger under Ezreal’s chin and going in for another kiss. Their embrace was warm and unstable, each tentatively testing new things and receiving hot and passionate approval. It wasn’t until several blissful minutes later that they broke apart again.
“So,” Ezreal breathed, “what now?”
“Like, for tonight or for now on?”
“Tonight. Let’s save ‘now on’ for the morning.”
“Fair enough.” Ekko pressed a kiss into Ezreal’s collarbone. “I’m afraid we can’t actually do too much here without shaking the wholeass tree.”
Ezreal smirked mischievously. “Would that really be so bad?”
“I’m not even humoring that with an answer.”
“Okay,” he resigned, “well, would you mind sleeping here with me?”
Ekko’s eyebrows shot up. “Like, on the couch?”
“Yeah. But… I want to be on top.”
The Zaunite paused for a moment as if about to speak, then simply nodded. “Okay. Let’s switch.”
The pair fumbled around awkwardly for a bit, but finally Ekko had his back against the couch and Ezreal on his chest, face nuzzled into his neck.
“Better?”
“You tell me.”
Ekko kissed the top of Ezreal’s head. “Sleep well, okay?”
“You too. But wait, if the light from my markings was keeping you up before, won’t it be like, ten times worse now?”
Ekko simply smiled. “I’ll get used to it.”
A sharp knock on the door. “Ekko!”
His eyes flew open to the blinding glow of the sun on his face. It must have already been mid-morning. “Just a minute!” he called instinctively, his consciousness suddenly reminding him that the weight on his chest was, in fact, another person, who was groggily waking himself up.
Ekko beamed at the groaning mess of blonde bedhead before him. “Mornin’, sunshine.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ez rubbed his eyes as he climbed off the couch, bedsheet falling off with him.
Clearly, he was not a morning person, Ekko noted, hopping up from the couch before tossing Ezreal the blanket. “Here, go to the corner with the hammock for now. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Before the sleepy explorer could fully process the statement, Ekko was going for the door, not bothering to get dressed. Ezreal guessed that made sense, with the Firelights being like family and all, but couldn’t help but feel a tinge of jealousy that he wasn’t the only one to see his partner in such a state.
The door swung open to reveal Scar and Kay. The chirean spoke first: “Sorry to wake you, but we got word of a situation out by the Foundry. Nothing too urgent, but we should check it out before the flugs do. Also, Kay wanted to ask you about some experiment thing.”
With a nod, the girl stepped forward, about to speak, when-
“Ayo is blondie in there?” Shomi called, swooping down on their board and dropping into the doorway, peaking around Ekko’s arm.
Kay’s face lit up. “Omigosh! I totally didn’t see you in there! Hi, EZ!”
Ezreal thanked Janna that he’d managed to get his pants on in time, and did his best to look as chill as possible, leaning against the hammock. He offered a small wave which Kay enthusiastically returned.
“Ea-sy indeed,” Shomi smirked.
Ekko bonked them on the head. “Knock it off.”
Meanwhile, Scar’s mouth formed an understanding ‘o’ before he roughly ushered the younger Firelights away from the door. “We’ll come back later, Ekko. Find me when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, sounds good,” Ekko managed, nodding appreciatively at his right-hand-man as he closed the door and turned back to Ezreal with a sigh. “Sorry about that.”
“Nah, it’s chill.” He appeared more entertained than anything. “You, uh, wanna talk?”
Ekko frowned, picking up the jacket-wrapped gauntlet on his workbench. “About?
“About from now on.”
“Oh. Right.” Crossing the room, Ekko pressed the bundle into Ezreal’s chest. “Stop by sometime, okay? And not just when you need something. We could hang out, or get food or something like that.”
Ezreal paused for a moment, taking the gauntlet with a slight smile. “Sounds good.”
As the explorer put on the rest of his clothing, Ekko added, “Oh, and feel free to keep flirting with everyone. Just… let me know if you mean it with anyone else.”
Before the Firelight leader could mull over it too much, Ezreal snuck up behind him, closing the distance between them and using a finger to tilt Ekko’s face toward his.
“I’ll let you know if it happens, but not very likely.” He kissed Ekko on the nose.
With a grin, Ekko jokingly shoved his head away. “Okay, Twinkles, no need to get all sappy on me. Come back soon.”
Undaunted, Ezreal leaned in on Ekko’s other side. “No goodbye kiss?”
“And what makes you think you deserve that?”
Sticking his bottom lip out, the Piltovan sulked his way toward the door. “You’re so mean to me.”
With a brief eyeroll, Ekko charged over and pinned Ezreal’s wrists to the door, kissing him fiercely.
“There. Satisfied?”
“No,” Ezreal challenged with a shit-eating grin.
Ekko bit his lip, pulling Ezreal away from the door so he could yank it open. “Get outta here before you cause any more trouble.” He slapped Ezreal’s ass on his way out.
Desperately needing the last word, the prodigal explorer whirled back around to fire, “So what I’m hearing is you do like the pants?”
Ekko flipped him off, then slammed the door shut in reply, leaning back against it with an ear-to-ear smile that he just couldn’t seem to get rid of.