Chapter Text
A soft ticking noise filled the room, only barely audible over the noise coming from the bustling streets right outside his small room, so unfamiliar, yet he knew where everything was,from the smallest pin to the secret exits….
Tick..
Tick..
Tick..
His hand ran through the cool metal of the object that was suddenly to big for his small hands…
Had it worked?
He looked outside the tiny window, admittedly his home was never the safest of places, especially after Vander died, yet as he stared out into the city, it seemed different, the most calm he had seen it in years in fact
He let out a sigh, his eyes wandering to his invention, it had worked
Vander’s zaun was calm and peaceful, as peaceful as it could be atleast, and as much as Ekko wanted to relive his childhood memories, he knew he couldn’t, he had work to do
And a future to change.
Ekko immediately wanted to find them, he needed to know how far back he had gone, was he to late? Did he come back to early? He needed to know before he planned anything ahead
Yet, as he walked down the steps he stopped dead in his tracks face to face with someone who he hadn’t seen in years, Benzo, as quickly as he could he slipped the device in his pocket pausing slightly as he hit a roadblock that probably should have been more obvious to him…
Who was he again?
Before losing almost all his family
Before he had to find a way to survive on his own
Before he was forced to keep his home from collapsing in on itself
Before he was a leader….
He didn’t have much time to think about it, well, he didn’t have a choice, the older man noticed him before Ekko could even react “good morning!” Ekko said quickly doing his best to shove down the anxieties in his chest
Benzo raised a brow humming softly, Ekko ignored the rapid beating of his heart
Had he just blown his cover? No, he wouldn't suspect that Ekko turned back time to prevent the deaths of his family and prevent zaun from sinking further and further into chaos
Right?
After abit of awkwardness and Ekko doing his best to not make any eye contact with the man, Benzo’s eyes softened ever so slightly “you good little man? Something bothering you” he said after awhile
Ekko flinched slightly as shook his head “nope! Not at all” he said as his eyes travelled to the door, he needed to know
Before Ekko could open his mouth Benzo cut him off with a chuckle “go meet your friends, just be sure to get back before your shift” he said simply, Ekko grinned nodding, he ran to the door stopping as his hand reached for the handle, it had been so long…
Ekko turned taking abit of pride in the startled sound Benzo made when he suddenly wrapped his arms around him in a hug, Ekko stayed there for abit longer than what was necessary taking in the strange yet familiar warmth of the man he hadn’t seen in many years
Before Benzo could react Ekko was already out the door leaving the very confused man
“What the hell is up with that kid” he muttered, despite his words there was a (admittedly exasperated) smirk on his face as he shook his head...
—
Ekko hesitated for only a moment before he opened the door…
A large part of him expected to see an unfamiliar man by the bar…but that didn’t happen
Instead, there was Vander, the man who he had seen almost like a father figure, the man who made there home as peaceful as possible, the man who gave them all a future, the man who did everything he could to protect them
Ekko sucked in a shaky breath, he could feel tears building up
The thought of turning to leave briefly crossed his mind, but he decided against it strolling up to the counter like he had done so many times before
Vander turned his attention towards the Ekko a warm smile on his face “do you know where-” once again Ekko’s words got cut off, he probably would have been frustrated if the voice didn’t make him freeze in place
Ekko turned his breath getting caught in his throat…
There she was Jinx- well not Jinx, it was Powder, Ekko didn’t know what to think, he hadn’t seen his best friend in a long long time, it was like some sort of dream…
Ekko was pulled roughly from his thoughts when Vi ruffled his hair “little man!” she said “Benzo giving you a break?” She asked, Ekko instinctively had to stop himself from reaching up to fix his hair “nah, just isn’t my shift” he said his eyes wandering to the other two
Mylo…Claggor…..
Ekko couldn't help but smile, but it soon faltered as a thought entered his mind
His eyes traveled to Vander, who seemed busy at the moment, he tuned to Vi "did you guys have any exciting heists?" He asked ignoring the anxiety that crawled into his chest, was he to late?
Vi raised a brow as Mylo groaned "no, nothing much around here, haven't had a good haul in ages" he said stretching slightly
Ekko sighed in relief, he wasn't too late.
Vi gave him a look "what? You got something in mind?" She asked, Ekko shook his head "nah just wondering" he said as nonchalantly as possible, his eyes landing on Jin- Powder for a fraction of a second before he stretched
"Well i gotta go help Benzo with the shop" he said turning and walking out the door blatantly ignoring the confused looks of his frie- family….they where his family.
Ekko reached into his pocket pulling out his not so small invention, the soft ticking providing a sense of comfort, grounding him, reminding him that this was real, he was here and that he could change things....
He smiled before slipping the object into his pocket...
Well….time to get to work.