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Your feet pounded against the ground, breathing heavy as you ran from the group of enforcers. You knew you should’ve been more careful, more cautious, but something about the assholes made you blow a fuse and forget yourself.
You knew this place better than them though. This was your home, your place, even with people like Silco breathing their corruption into it. You swerved, nearly falling and smashing against a wall, trying to regulate your breathing as you ran down the thin alley.
You could still hear them behind you. God, you were so very screwed. You were getting exhausted. They were persistent as hell. And just as you thought you were done for, a firm hand grabbed onto you and then you were- flying?
Then, a sense of familiarity came to you. You knew what this was. You turned to the enforcers and flipped them off as they stared at you flying away and soon enough, you landed with a slam far away from them. You turned to a familiar face and grinned, “Ekko-!”
“What were you thinking?” Oh shit. Okay. So he wasn’t happy with you. You understood that.
You took a deep breath, “I was just- yknow- I thought I could do this by myself. You do stuff like this all the time.” You could feel the frustration rolling off him in waves. So maybe that wasn’t the best thing to say.
“Yeah, with other people! I don’t run off on my own. We had no idea where you were and then I see you trying and failing to shake off a group of enforcers.” Okay, ouch. “I wasn’t failing.” You mumbled, kicking a pebble.
“This isn’t about your ego y/n, it’s about the fact you could’ve been seriously hurt. I get it. Trust me, I understand as much as anyone wanting to show those assholes what we’re capable of. But we also gotta be smart about it. That’s all.”
You sighed, “I know! I know and I was being smart. I just- I got so mad Ekko. I always get mad and I feel like I have to prove it to myself that we aren’t what we say they are.”
“I know. We’re all angry.” He said, walking to you. “Just be careful, okay?” He put his hand on the back of your neck, pressing your foreheads together. He was so solid, so real. It grounded you. It reminded you who you were and why you still fought.
You swallowed down the lump in your throat, wrapping your hand around his wrist. “I…will try to be.” He huffed out a laugh, “I guess that’s the best I’m getting.”
You nodded, “it’s all I can offer.”
He snorted, pulling away from you and putting the board that had been the reason for your escape safely against an object on the roof, sitting on the ledge. “Come on, sit with me.” You sat down next to him, his head falling against your shoulder and you leaned on his head. There was a moment of quiet.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
It was your favorite question. You always wanted to know what he was thinking. He laughed against your shoulder, the sound filling you with a love you would never be able to fully describe.
“You’d need a quarter for everything that goes on in my head.” It was your turn to laugh. “Good thing I have quarters too.” Silence fell over you and you waited for Ekko to speak. You never pushed. You let his words come out naturally.
“I just want to make this place safer. For everyone. Everything we are is shunned and hated, but why? Who decided that? We fight for everything. And I’m not saying I’m giving up on that fight, I’m just saying….when does it stop y’know? I don’t want our kids growing up in this.” You listened and when it seemed like it was over, you nudged him. “Our kids huh?”
He looked confused, before his eyes widened. “Not like that! I meant like, the kids in Vaun. Right now. I want them to grow up in a better place than I did.”
You grinned, your smile teasing, “Suureee…that’s definitely what you meant.” You breathed in and out, before getting serious. “Ekko. Your efforts- our efforts- will not be for nothing. The world will shift, it always does. The fight you have is blinding. It’s something no one can touch. Things will get better.” You leaned down and kissed his head, his eyes shutting for a second. “Yeah. Just gotta fight and hope for the best?”
You shook your head, “nah. We are the best. We just need time to show it.”
He hummed, “Yeah…just need some time.”