Work Text:
Will you become my daddy?
Ekko didn't understand any of the words she was showing with her hands and fingers at first. For years, he had helped out in all sorts of institutions dealing with abandoned children as a volunteer, but he had never before met anyone who couldn't speak... or wouldn't. He deluded himself, as Jinx did at first, that the girl was simply afraid to speak or the trauma had made her silent, but later the doctor confirmed the worst - she couldn't speak.
This posed no problem for Jinx and she took in the girl, whom she loved faster than anyone else in the world. He might have been a little jealous, but he realized that his eyes were not as beautiful as the big, golden eyes of Isha, who had everyone wrapped around her finger, bringing joy wherever she went.
Ekko loved the little girl who appeared in Jinx's life once and for all and was never going to disappear from it. Isha often sat next to him on the couch, brought books that they read together (actually, he read and she looked at the pictures), and even once dragged him into her room to help her sleep. He then lit a rabbit lamp by her bed, covered her with a pink monkey blanket and kissed her forehead.
That's when she asked for the first time if he would become her dad…
...but he didn't understand her.
He just smiled and left, feeling bad that he didn't understand everything she wanted to tell him.
He closed the door to her room quietly, as if the quietest noise could wake her up. In fact, she was a sleeper, which Jinx considered a gift, it allowed her to do a bit of work in the evenings and spend time with Ekko, without having to constantly escort the girl to bed.
“Did she fall asleep?”
“Faster than usual,” he sighed, approaching his girlfriend, who was trying to prepare a romantic dinner for them to eat while watching one of those kitschy comedies on TV. The movie didn't matter, what mattered was his presence, which she missed a lot lately when she was out of town on business for two weeks. Silco and Vi took over Isha's care – she knew they took great care of her, she didn't complain, but Jinx missed her daughter every day and tried to call as often as possible to see if she was doing well.
Jinx looked at him, hearing a note of worry in his voice.
“Are you alright, Ekko?” She asked quietly, putting the wooden spoon aside so she could approach him. “What's going on?”
She was never exceptionally calm or caring... unless it was about him and their relationship. It might seem that she was afraid of losing that, which is why she was doing all these lovely things, so that he would never have a reason to leave her. She didn't have to worry, he wasn't going to leave. It was still cute that she was worried, so he never protested, seeing her gentle side.
“I'm still learning sign language, and I didn't think that it's so difficult,” he said, trying to smile. “Isha caught on so quickly.”
“You know, it's her way of communicating, but... she also makes mistakes,” she laughed, facing him. “A lot of mistakes.”
“I hope you're not teaching her to curse.”
“I left that to Sevika,” she replied with a smile. “Just kidding!” She added, seeing his terrified look.
He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, since Jinx was unpredictable, but it had to be enough for him.
“Isha showed me some signs, but I don't think I quite understood what she meant,” he finally admitted, feeling her waiting gaze on him. He knew he had to confess, actually hiding it from her made no sense at all. Isha would probably tell her about it in the morning.
“Do you remember what she signed?” She asked softly.
Ekko sighed and showed what he remembered.
Jinx smiled warmly as she saw the various signs. She had been learning sign language for a long time, although that didn't make much sense at first either. As time passed and she understood more and more, she was glad that she would be able to teach it to her child, and their communication would improve. Isha loved to talk about her day and the adventures she had while being cared for by Silco or Sevika or Vi... so much joy accompanied these stories that they became their tradition.
“Oh, that's easy, Little Man. She asked if you would become her dad,” she explained with a smile.
“HER DAD?!”
“Don't tell me you're surprised. She notices things. She knows you're not staying here as a guest.”
“What do you mean? Does she know that we...”
“No, silly!” she laughed. “She knows that you are important to me. We talk to each other about everything,” she shrugged her shoulders.
Ekko thought about it for a moment. Isha was important to them, and in some way she must have imagined the three of them as a family. Part of their happy daily routine was taking walks, playing together, cooking or reading bedtime stories. Sometimes they traveled in the car together, and Isha would look at the passing world outside the window, muttering something under her breath or making sounds full of happiness. She had her own room in the apartment, and her mascots found a place on the bed, while books lay on the shelf and toys in colorful boxes. The whole world was organized in her childish mind, and she was ready to explore it all, knowing that she had a place - her home. And they were part of her home. And while it was clear to him that Jinx was a mom, he never thought he could be a dad. For Isha, it was obvious.
“What do you think about this?”
“Why are you asking me?” Jinx raised an eyebrow. “She asked you this question. Just answer her.”
Ekko smiled, already having an idea.
“Is something burning?” he asked when, after a long moment, he felt the dish burning.
Jinx jumped up, then ran to save her showpiece dish, which had some sort of shortcoming every time - it was often undercooked or something was not cooked. Now it's time for the burnt version. Cooking has never been her specialty.
“Let's order pizza,” she finally said.
“Pizza sounds good,” he said with a quiet giggle, then pulled her close and kissed her.
❀ ✿ ❀
Isha sat down at the table, smiling as a few banana pancakes appeared on her plate, which she loved topping with chocolate sauce. She also ate some fresh fruit, most likely bought by Ekko. He loved healthy food and insisted that Isha eat more vegetables and fruits, which didn't bother her at all. While Jinx was preparing another mac & cheese, they were eating blueberries on the couch. They didn't fit together perfectly, but it somehow worked positively in their relationship.
“Where is Ekko?” Isha signed.
“He is preparing something of a surprise for you. He said, you can't tell her,” she smiled. “So don't try to soften me up or bribe me, I gave my word.”
Isha looked at her in disbelief. Giving the word sounded serious, like something that could not be bent. Besides, surprises were usually fun. She was sure she could handle the wait, if it wasn't too long. She was never very patient.
“It's definitely worth the wait,” Jinx said, as if reading her mind. “In the meantime you can make a drawing for grandpa Silco, he's going to take you to his house for the weekend. I'm sure he would love a little gift from you.
She loved to draw, and the characters in her children's works were most often their whole family. Everyone already had at least one of their portraits in their home, as well as a lot of drawings depicting bunnies, which have always been her favorite pets. She knew that auntie Vi put her artwork in a special folder, while at Silco's, each is hung on a special magnetic wall. She liked both ways of respecting her gifts very much. It was nice to see the drawings find good homes.
Jinx was cleaning up after breakfast when Ekko returned to their apartment, carrying a wrapped item. Isha loved unwrapping gifts, so he thought this might add more fun. He and Jinx agreed that they would not give her gifts without an occasion, however... one could consider this day as one to remember.
The girl ran up to him as soon as she heard him return. She hugged him as if she hadn't seen him for more than a few hours, which was adorable and immediately melted his heart.
“What is this?” She asked, looking at the package he was holding.
“This is a small gift for you,” he said, smiling. “Here, you can unwrap that.”
Isha looked at him uncertainly.
“It's not my birthday today, nor did I do anything to deserve it...”
Jinx shook her head, walking over to her. She squatted next to her daughter.
“You get lots of gifts from your grandpa and you never whine, stinker.”
“Because he is my grandpa and says I shouldn't refuse,” she explained.
“I'll have to talk to him,” Jinx laughed, knowing that Silco loves to spoil them and no amount of talking would work.
Ekko encouraged her with a smile to accept the gift. She took the heavy thing wrapped in pink unicorn paper. She didn't know why all the girls loved them, but she wasn't one of them. However, it was still nice that Ekko thought of the packaging.
She didn't wait a moment longer and began unwrapping it.
She opened her eyes wide as she tossed aside the rest of the colored paper. It was a new skateboard, perfect for her small size. She immediately placed it on the floor and tried to stand on it with one foot while pushing off with the other. This would most likely have ended in a fall if Ekko hadn't been there, who reacted quickly, catching her.
“Be careful,” he smiled.
“Will you teach me to ride?”
“Yes, we can go to the park if you want to start now,” he said, and she quickly nodded. “I also bought protective pads and a helmet so we wouldn't end up in the hospital today.”
“Wisely, this kid loves to give me small heart attacks,” Jinx snorted, enjoying her daughter's excitement that not only did she adore Ekko, but she could also share interests with him. It was good for both of them.
“Thank you!” Isha was more than pleased, this was the fulfillment of one of her fondest dreams, although she didn't mention it to anyone. She thought it would be something like tattoos, that she would have to wait until she grew up to try to learn to ride. Jinx always laughed that the girl was indestructible, and yet she happened to get hurt while playing, and then the young woman became very protective - which didn't always please her daughter. She was already big. Eight years old sounds like a pretty grown-up child.
“You're welcome, kiddo. We'll try this out as soon as you get dressed,” he promised her, and she quickly ran to her room to get ready.
“Where's the gift for me?” Jinx raised an eyebrow, smiling at him.
“You have the day off, that's a big enough gift,” he laughed, preparing the water bottles they were to take with them to the park. “The two of us will spend some time together, you catch up on work, and in the evening we'll order pizza and watch some silly movie of your choice.”
“You seem to have planned everything,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Yes, as usual. You know me,” he smiled at her.
“Thanks for that,” she just said. “I'm sure that for the next week she will only talk about this.”
Isha put on a sweatshirt that was a little too big, as if she wanted to resemble Ekko, which, combined with her pink leggings, looked cute. She grabbed her helmet and asked Jinx to put on her protectors pads. The girl knew that despite all the craziness that surrounded her mother there was a desire to keep her daughter safe. On cold days, she would help tie her scarf, put her knives back in their place or tie her shoelaces (although Isha convinced her every time that she could do it herself).
They both knew that all these moments were extremely precious and would soon pass away when Isha grew up. Therefore, the girl allowed herself to be cared for, and Jinx took every opportunity to help her, struggling to accept her daughter's growing up.
“You're ready, bunny,” Jinx said softly, adjusting her helmet.
Isha nodded, then hugged her mom, knowing that she was staying in their small apartment.
“Take care of yourselves!”
Ekko smiled at her as Isha already ran outside, holding her skateboard tightly. She was more than excited to finally be able to learn something new. It seemed exciting, even if the beginnings would surely be difficult and she would score a few falls. It was worth trying and trying and trying...
❀ ✿ ❀
“You're doing great, kid!”
Isha hadn't been as proud of herself in a long time as she was that day when she managed to skate for the first time (after many failed attempts). Ekko still helped her up when she fell, always offering a soft smile and arms for her to hug. She felt safe and cared for in his company. She knew she could count on him...
After fun, he took her out for ice cream and let her choose two flavors. She chose her favorite and Jinx's favorite, knowing that crazy combinations often make surprisingly good ones.
“You know... I've been thinking a lot lately... about all of us,” Ekko said calmly, not looking at her. His gaze was focused on the colorful birds searching for food near them.
Isha looked at him uncertainly, hoping that his words meant nothing bad. She couldn't bear to be separated from him if he decided to leave. Besides, they had spent the day together and it had been too good to decide to leave now… this couldn’t be it. She mentally crossed her fingers that he wasn’t thinking of any radical changes.
“It’s nothing bad, I promise!” He added quickly, seeing the look on her face. “I’m still learning sign language… and many words are still a big mystery to me. I’m not as talented as you,” he smiled, and she giggled in response. “…but I’m still trying to work on it. Can I tell you something?”
She nodded, and Ekko put down his ice cream cup.
“I feel honored that you chose me to be your dad," he signed.
Isha looked at him, not knowing what the most appropriate reaction would be. Without thinking, she smiled through her tears and fell into his arms, unable to believe that he had finally agreed to this. She couldn’t have been happier.
“So, will you teach me more?”
“I will teach you everything.”
“I can’t wait, little bunny,” he said softly, hugging her tighter.