Chapter Text
The aroma of coffee beans and pastries filled the air. Behind the counter Ekko was wiping down the espresso machine, it was almost 6, closing time on Sunday’s. His eyes wandered to a booth, one occupied by his childhood best friend, now roommate, Jinx.
She was an engineer at BlueBolt. It was an up and coming tech company and she mainly just fixed what the scientist broke. It was good enough money, enough to pay for there apartment atleast.
They lived together since they graduated high school. Jinx went to Piltovers top college on a scholarship. A scholarship Ekko was offered as well but he didn’t wish to go to college. He used the money from his late parents he had been saving to open this very shop, it was right on the border of Zaun and Piltover, the person spot in his opinion.
He was snapped out of his trance by her groaning and throwing her head back. Her eyebrows pushed together in frustration as she took a drink of her coffee that was more Splenda than coffee. She had been tinker with a little laptop battery for a few hours now. Ekko was frankly terrified it was going to blow up, it would be her first time causing a fire in the shop.
He looked at her and smiled. She was a good friend, his first and best friend. She was the only person who got him through Benzo death. He was killed when Ekko was 11, and he would have been bounced back into the foster care. If mot for vander, jinx’s adopted dad. He was a big man, who always was smiling and smelled like after shave and booze. The house was packed, 5 kids in one bedroom, but they made it work. He grew up with her. She was his everything
With the machines all clean Ekko moved to go behind the booth the blue haired girl was sitting in.
“Boo”
“FUCKING HELL”
Jinx’s hand shot up in reflux, Ekko who was used to this dodged and slid to be next to her on the bench.
Doesn’t Vander always say not to piss odd the person who pours the drinks?
Jinx rolled her eyes and leaned her head on his lap, moving to be laying on the bench, hands on the air tinkering.
“Are you almost done? I want to head home” Jinx complained. “I’m all done cleaning. I’ll do a sweep of the back and then I’ll bring the car round front” Ekko stated, standing as he spoke to take off his apron that was covered in coffee spills and bright colored paint.
He hoped over the counter and walked into the kitchen behind the swinging employee only door. He checked each oven making sure they were off and the controls were locked, all appliances were unplugged and went to take out the trash.
The alleyway was shared with the thrift shop next door, but they each had their own dumpster. Ekko went to round the corner to open the bin when he heard a clank behind him, a lid falling over. He tuned around to see a little girl, no taller than his waist staring at him like a dear in head light’s. She had messy brown hair, her pants were disheveled, and she looked shell shocked.
Ekko just stared at her for a second before he saw her take a step behind her and rushed out something to stop her. “Hey wait kid!”
The girl, clearly not into talking to a 6,1 man who’s hair probably looked more crazy then hers after that apron came off, sprinted off and started to scale the fence separating them from the main road. Ekko didn’t even have time to blink before she was gone, gone in 4 seconds flat. Well shit.
He started to walk up to his car, a blue beetle he had bought from an old lady who had recently retired and no longer needed and was willing to let it go for a low price. Yet he couldn’t shake the girl from his head. She looked malnourished. She was way too old to be let walk around the Zaun area alone, and that was clearly the direction she took off in. Zaun had approved alot in the prior few years but no where near child friendly. Heck not even PG-13. He started the car and drove in around the front to see a clearly tired jinx locking the front door with the spare key she had that he didn’t remember giving her but she just acquired a few months ago.
She threw her work bag into the trunk and jumped into the passenger seat throwing her feet onto the dashboard. “What took so long? I was starting to wonder if you got cold feet and ran away and left me at the alter”. Ekko chucked starting to head into the lanes, a division of Zaun. “Pft, as is there would be an alter to begin with, but no, I saw this little girl out by the dump, looked like a run away. Tries to talk to her but she took off. Poor girl. I would have gave her something to eat if she has let me get close”. Jinx looked unfazed, still scrolling on her phone. “ yeah that sounds sad” it was clearly half assed but Ekko didn’t mind. She never liked kids, but he did for sure. He set up a kids only section in the library where they could come up to a counter of there own and get free cookies, it was a almost like a mini “Rewind and Grind” that was what the shop was called.
They kept driving but Ekko just couldn’t shake the feeling that something important had happened. Or like he forgot something. You know that feeling? Yeah that’s all he could feel.
Eh knowing how crazy he and Jinx life is it could be anything.