It was only a few days ago when the fires that Powder set in motion consumed everyone she loved. She can still conjure the noxious fumes and ash that choked her under pouring rain, even when her throat already ached from sobbing. But one person, the boy who was her closest friend, survived that tragedy. And he came back for her. He would always come back for her.

Ekko balances on the thin, slick rooftop ledge, edging closer to the window as wind and leftover water threaten to throw him off of the building. He reaches the window and maneuvers until he can knock and peer inside. The boy sees Powder startle inside of her barren room. A tint of joy colors her surprise and she rushes to meet him and open the window, but when she speaks, all of the joy is replaced with fear.

"You can't be here. He might hurt you." She warns in hushed tones.

This room, this whole complex, isn't safe and despite Ekko's excitement at reuniting with her, he has to remember that. Powder may be protected here, but the crime boss who gave her this bedroom has no reason to allow more stragglers into his home. It surprises her that Ekko made it this far at all, considering the number of guards that Silco hires around his property.

"I know, I'm here to save you!" The boy steadies himself and leans in, extending his arm for her to take. "Come with me!"

As soon as Ekko heard rumors that his friend was seen with Silco, he found the criminal and followed him, hopping from one distant rooftop to another, until he reached this building. It took hours of scoping the grounds and the guard routes to decide when to make his approach and to plan their escape route.

He would be quite proud of himself right now if he wasn't so terrified. But he coyly hides it behind an adventurous demeanor.

"I… I can't." Powder's eyes cast downward but distantly, and it's as if he can see the memories of the burning cannery flash through her mind.

Ekko steps in quickly, quietly. "What do you mean?"

His friend beamed at the sight of him when he first arrived, but now Powder fights back wave after wave of emotion. Guilt. Grief. Remorse. Ekko can see it in her trembling lips and darting eyes and the way she clutches herself so tightly. How does she bear it all?

"You must hate me... I'd hate me too."

"What? No!" He brings his hands to her shoulders and tries to be strong for her, but his voice starts wavering at the sight of his friend crying, and at the knowledge of what happened that night. The tough front Ekko wears falters as he remembers Benzo, lying dead on the street.

"Silco caused this, all of it, not you."

Powder doesn't reply and can't look him in the eyes anymore. Her shoulders start to quake. She searches for all the ways she can tell him how sorry she is, but manages to say none of them.

He holds her closer, whispering false promises, trying to be there for her in the way he wishes someone could be there for him. "Hey… it's okay… we'll be okay."

Now that they've found each other, he wonders what they could do next. He doesn't know where they'll stay or how they could fend for themselves. He just knows he doesn't want to be here, under the same roof as the monster he blames for killing their family.

He even wonders about what could have been. If Vander hadn't already adopted four children, he would have adopted Ekko instead of asking Benzo to take him in. In an alternate timeline, Ekko would have grown up under the same roof as Powder. Maybe he could have saved them.

But thinking about what could have been isn't helpful right now. Powder is suffering and all he wants is to save her. Ekko's arrival is his plea for her to share her burden with him, to let them face this trauma together instead of growing up alone.

"Let's go. We'll lay low at Benzo's shop." His voice hitches at the mention of Benzo, but he tries to hide it as well as any child can.

Powder snaps into the present as Ekko tugs her arm. She pulls her arm back and clutches herself instead. "No... I don't want to be there."

"Why not?" He raises his voice then clamors to hush back down. "Anything's better than being around that psycho!"

"It's… I…" Her eyes dart around the room. She murmurs, "I keep thinking about them. Seeing them."

Before Ekko can respond, Powder closes the gap between them and wraps around his frame. She hugs him so tightly, as if this was their last moment together.

She blurts out "Thank you for coming, I missed you too, but I- "

Footsteps ring in the hallway.

The boy isn't willing to take chances with Silco and his men. In a few steps he's already at the windowsill, ushering for Powder to join him. But her arms fall to her side and she just stays where she is, legs frozen, only looking at him with a torn expression.

She whispers, "Go home. "

But truth be told, he doesn't know where home is anymore.

Ekko runs out of time. He's forced to step outside and moves to a further rooftop. He's shivering. The Undercity is always damp because the trenches aren't given the same steady breeze of the topside. Here, smoke and fumes come from both the city and the mines, trying to choke you into submission.

But Ekko grew up with that. The cold smoke is not why he shivers, why he's struggling for air.

He's looking through the distant rooftop and sees Silco come closer and closer to Powder. He's not ready to see that maniac hurt her. But he's frozen, and he's beating himself up for being weak yet again. It wasn't so long ago he watched his adoptive father's murder, where he also failed to help.

The boy grips the chimney next to him tighter. His calloused fingers whiten amid the green glow of the Lanes.

Silco kneels down. Is he seeing that right? He's kneeling? He can't make out the words from that snake's mouth.

And then Powder leans in and hugs the man who just destroyed their families. Not unlike how she hugged Ekko moments ago.

Pure bewilderment. Eyes widen and brows furrow in a mix of shock, confusion, and a tinge of anger. None of this makes sense.

Powder and Silco move to sit down out of sight. He hops along the roof to get a better angle, but he can't see any more of their interaction. Maybe Powder moved to keep Silco away from the windows so he wouldn't see Ekko? If she hadn't, only Maker knows how long he would have stood on those grimy rooftop tiles, trying to make sense of what's happening.

Minutes pass. Ekko's rushing heart and pounding breath begin to slow down. His confusion and anger don't leave, but the shock resolves into determination.

She is his best friend. The last visage of a world they shared before it all fell apart.

He can't give up on her.

"I don't know what lies he's telling you. But I'll be back for you. And one day, I'll make Silco pay."

And so, he makes his way down, crooked ledge to crooked ledge, into the familiar, disheveled streets of the Lanes.


For months, Powder keeps losing herself in her thoughts. Gradually, her room fills with doodles of monsters and explosions of every color. It was as if by drawing them she could remove them from her mind and place them on paper instead. But each time she looked at the images, the pain became deeper, more permanent, like the slow burn of charcoal.

Silco gave all of her basic needs, but he wasn't her family. Their house put a roof over her head, but it wasn't a home.

So she steps out onto a street not far from her new house, one foot at a time, eyes casted down to avoid the glaring sun. The hulking silhouette of what used to be a man follows her, his veins glowing with violet. A lanky boy sways next to her in tattered clothes and grey skin.

We would have lived if you weren't such a jinx.

Useless.

"Psst! Hey Powder!"

The blue haired girl spins around and spots a balcony where a scrawny, white-haired boy waves to her. "Oh, hi."

"I got you something!" He holds out a paper bag and prepares to climb down.

His first visit wasn't the last. Each time she felt more comfortable meeting him and watching him trespass on Silco's grounds. But if he ever asked direct questions about the factory or about Silco it led to pained expressions, vague responses, and her pushing him away.

She doesn't want to talk about any of it, and since there's no signs of her being abused, he doesn't push her. Slowly and steadily, he's learning how to toe the line with her by trying to keep their talks light.

Then Ekko hops down, slips, and falls on his ass.

Powder can't help herself. "HA-" She snorts and her snorts mix with her laughter in the most contagious way.

Even with his embarrassment, Ekko is beaming, and even proud that he made her laugh. He misses that laugh.

"Okay, Little Man, what is it?"

Now that Ekko is closer, Powder's nostrils perk from the smell of the bag. It's a familiar aroma, promising warmth and layers of grilled, umami flavor. She would know the smell of Jericho's anywhere.

He wants to share a meal with her, like they've done a thousand times before. "I brought lunch! Hope you're hungry."

The Undercity doesn't have green parks or public communal spaces. Only Topsiders can squander their space like that. These streets were built crammed together, the shops hobbled with whatever resources people could scramble. As far as these kids are concerned, abandoned crates in an alleyway are just as good as any park bench. And so they hop on some crates and dig in.

Inside the bag, there are sea-green frog legs that are bigger than their forearms, roasted on sticks and browned to perfection. There are slugs of every color marinated in a red, savory sauce. And there are sweet bread rolls to scoop it all up.

The smell is intoxicating. Biting into it is warm and comforting. It evokes the feelings of being with family, but without being a reminder of their family.

"This is so good!" Powder speaks between bites, mouth still stuffed with frog meat. "Thank you!"

"Mhm!" Ekko gulps before replying, "Happy to do it!"

"Did you have to steal this?" She says casually. If he did, she wouldn't have minded.

He's comically offended, hands in the air. "What? I would never!"

"Ha! So you did?"

Ekko settles down, preparing to brag. "Nah, I made Jericho give me this for free. I suckered him into it, and now we can feast!"

"Wow, so heroic." she retorts, then giggles at him.

The story is mostly true. Ekko is still getting used to fending for himself again. In the past, Benzo would bring home plenty to eat, or send him off with a few coins to haggle with. He quickly learned how to sucker the merchants into trading their food for way too little. He only stole when he felt like it or when the merchant was being a dick.

Now, the coins Benzo left behind are running out. He has to steal more often than he would like, or face going hungry. Jericho noticed Ekko was losing weight and gave him much more food than he asked for. Then the first thing he thought to do was share it with Powder.

The boy and girl settle down as the food disappears into their bellies. There's an easy silence between them as they watch the passing flow of people.

Now that they're starting to rest he's noticing her more. He notices how her hair has grown longer than it's ever been, past her shoulders, and it looks really cute on her. Not that Ekko would ever admit to that.

"It's been a while since we've done this. Eat together, I mean. I missed it." Powder says softly, genuinely.

"Yeah.. Me too."

They haven't had this much time alone together since the incident. Finding the opportunity took effort. Over the last several months, Ekko has taken to spying on Silco, trying to learn about his criminal dealings, but also to learn which times and places are safe to approach Powder.

"How have you been?" She's curious. When she's dodging his questions, she doesn't get to hear much of his life.

"Oh you know, still beating up thugs and showing the Lanes who's boss." He says coyly.

Powder giggles at that and it feels like the world makes sense again. For the first time in a long time she can believe that everything is normal. Her friend centers her, reminds her that there's always something to smile and laugh about. She loves him more than either of them realize.

They continue on, speaking idly about everything and about nothing, grounded in the pleasure of sharing their favorite food.

All around them, rumors of Shimmer and what it can do are spreading through the Lanes like wildfire. In a society defined by poverty and hardship, the promise of power is incredibly enticing. And their home already has plenty of drugs and addicts, so the threat of dependence on the drug just sounds like a gentle warning. The only thing stopping the flood of Shimmer is that Silco lost so much of it in the fire. Once the mad chemist recovers from his burns, they'll ramp up production again and release it to carelessly wreak havoc and amass power for themselves.

But the children's future was already uncertain, this added threat doesn't mean anything to them yet. It hasn't triggered Ekko's vendetta as a Firelight, or awakened Jinx's chaos. They're not fighting to the death over the fate of the city.

For now, the incoming peril is just words in the air.

For now, they're just two children caught in a frightening world, trying to find comfort in each other.


Jinx is seated on the roof over an unnamed Undercity street, dangling her long legs over the edge and humming a cheery tune. She's almost seventeen years old, but she only thinks about how much she's grown when she adds a new knot to her ever-growing braids.

From dark-painted lips, deep breaths condense into puffs matching her bright blue cloud tattoos.

There's a chill in the air but the cold night doesn't bother her, no more than the image of Mylo's corpse standing next to her.

"Ekko said he was going to be here, so he'll be here." She replies to the ghost.

"I know he's late."

"Ugh, stop saying that. He's not going to leave me. How about you go away instead?"

Mylo doesn't leave. Figures. In a blink, he squats next to her duffel bag, watching her with beady white eyes. The bag has a fading doodle of Mylo in hot pink, with his tongue out and eyes crossed out.

She distracts herself by eyeing the movement of the street. It's as thin as an alleyway but it bustles with life. The night allows the city to glow with it's lamplight and green fluorescence. Perfect lighting for the drug addicts and alcoholics to feed their temptations below.

Jinx perks up when she hears steps clang against the metal of a nearby fire escape. Then there he is. Sometimes she forgets how much Ekko's physique has changed. Parkour and street brawls have sharpened his muscles well, and he caps it all with the short dreads that he's still growing out.

"Sorry I'm late." Ekko has to catch his breath and makes his way over more slowly than normal, even though he's never tired at this time of night. "I was helping Scar with some errands."

Ah right, that fuzzy dude with the bat-ears. She remembers the older Chirean. To her, Scar was just another street rat that Ekko befriended, at least until a group of enforcers chased him down for pickpocketing a Topsider. Ekko got the better of one of the enforcers, knocked him out with a wrench, and they got away.

Ekko wouldn't shut up about their victory, and ever since then, Scar follows him around like a lost puppy. Scar takes far too much of Ekko's time and energy when he could be with Jinx instead.

Well, fuck that guy. Must have been some "errand."

She rises and saunters over to close the gap between them. Her lips curl to a playful pout. "I don't know if I can forgive that so easily."

She gently bites her lower lip, looking hungry, determined. When she stands so close that she can feel the heat radiating from his body, her fingers slide lightly along his chest. Ekko can't take his eyes off of her.

He plays along. "Is that so?"

"Mhmm." She hums so deeply it's almost a growl. "But I do know exactly what I want you to do with me that'll make it all better."

His brow rises with curiosity over what she's suggesting. Then she points behind him. "You see that brand-spankin'-new billboard over there?"

Ekko follows her gaze, where he sees a huge cartoon of a smiling enforcer with Topsider propaganda plastered on saying:

Piltover Wants You!

In a sillier tone she continues, "That ugly thing has been begging for some style and I just happen to have some fresh paint! Help me give it some flair and then all is forgiven."

Ekko laughs and looks at her with affection in his eyes. A little anti-enforcer graffiti might be exactly what they need to cheer themselves up. "I'm in."

Jinx's smile rises from cheek to cheek and she bounces away to get her bag. In her glee, she notices that Mylo is nowhere in sight.

Without needing a running start, she vaults across the street to the next rooftop, and then again to the billboard railing. Ekko catches up a moment later.

She hands him a can of neon green spray paint, knowing that's his preferred color for vandalism. To the other side, she gets to work on her iconic monkey bomb doodle.

"I hear they treat enforcers from the Lanes like garbage." He says while redesigning the enforcer's face.

"Yup! Yet they still try to recruit here. How dense can they get?"

The duo continue on like that, weaving their art work with small talk. People on the street below notice the spraying. Then they ignore it and move on, completely unfazed by the sight of teenage vandalism.

"I'm supposed to train with Sevika tomorrow." Jinx says the name with a groan.

"You know I hate Sevika as much as you do, but she does know how to throw a punch."

"I mean sure, whatever, but it's such overkill. Silco is just too worried about my next mission."

Ekko freezes.

She doesn't detect his unease and instead prepares her Silco impression, which sounds more like a deflated balloon than a crime lord.

"He's always like 'Everyone betrays us, and you have to be prepared, and blah, blah, blah.' But I'm ready! And I've kicked your butt before so I know I can fight."

A cold sweat loosens the boy's grip on the canister. Jinx pauses mid-spray and frowns. The part about winning over him should have drawn a reaction.

"Uh, hello? This is the part where you're supposed to be like 'That was one time!' and get all -"

"- How can you still work for that monster!?" He shouts. His chest heaves from anger he didn't mean to show her.

They're both shocked by the outburst. Even people on the street glance up again.

Ekko's erratic breathing begins to slow down as his regret mixes with his temper. "He is vile and cruel and he's hurt so many people."

So have I. It's the first words that come to her mind, but she can't speak them because she can't face that reality right now. Even more painful is the thought that he might agree with her.

Mylo returns. He leans forward from behind Ekko, laughing as if he said something hilarious. His ashy skin looks so pale next to the skin of the living.

Jinx's tears start to blur her vision, but she denies them leave. "How many times do we have to go over this?"

She knows that her friend's fury is for Silco, not her. But still, she aches from the feeling of being scorned, of being rejected.

"Silco's not perfect, but he was there when I needed him."

"So was I." He steps closer, pleading with her, just like he did all those years ago, back when he was a naive child who thought he could save her. He promised that if they ran away together they would be safe, but they never did.

"You could have been with me." Ekko holds her hand. She refuses to look at him.

Could she? Could a homeless boy and a homeless girl lost in grief really fend for themselves? She braces herself for what she wants to say next.

"You weren't enough."

He's taken aback. Jinx's voice softens but she doesn't relent, because now it's her turn to render his heart.

"What were we supposed to do, Ekko? We were just kids…"

A tear escapes from her eye. She doesn't bother hiding it.

"You were barely scraping by! And I… I was…"

A failure? A broken toy? Mylo snickers from his corner. The taunt echoes in her mind endlessly as she loses focus.

Recognition washes over Ekko. He remembers what it means when she gets that distant look in her eyes. "I didn't mean to - I know I didn't have enough for us."

"It wasn't just that." Deep breath. She wasn't raised to be weak. Not anymore. "Silco made me strong. He accepts every part of me, even when you can't."

Jinx searches his eyes to confirm the truth in her words.

"I want to help him."

The boy truly can't decide how to reply. He loves her, but does he accept her, knowing that she distributes Shimmer with the man he despises? And when she was Powder, wasn't she right to not live with a child who could barely hold off starvation?

Seconds feel like minutes as he paces. Ekko keeps glancing at her like he wants to say something. He has an unsure apology in his eyes, but never gives it voice.

Her temples pulse against her skull. She takes a deep breath, trying to quell the incoming headache, but it doesn't work. So she lifts her spray can and starts painting.

They go back to their art and stop speaking. Nothing breaks the silence but the creaking of the railing and the white noise of the street. When they're done they hop back to critique their handiwork.

The billboard is drenched in cyan, hot pink, bright yellow, and neon green accents. The enforcer has crossed out eyes and a shocked 'O' for a mouth, and he's holding a money bag that's spilling out. Next to him is an exploding monkey bomb. BOOM is painted in huge letters over his neck.

In spite of everything, Jinx smiles at the sight.

When she inches closer and rests her head on his shoulder, Ekko finds some bravery. "I am so, so sorry. It's just… I'm not ready to see you get hurt. And I wish I could have done more for you."

It's only a partial truth. She knows that there's more he isn't telling her. But it's enough. She sees how much he cares.

She brings her hand to his cheek, her caress begs for him to look at her. His expression softens with the love that she was missing and it all but melts her into a puddle of powder blue.

Jinx hesitates, then leans in, and presses her lips against his. The previous tension gives way to sweet release as warmth rushes down her body, shooting into her core with each brush of their skin. She knows he feels it too when his arms wrap around the small of her back and pull her closer into him, until the space between them becomes just a memory.

Her fingers thread through his hair and over his lean muscle, grasping onto the strength she finds underneath. His hands spread over her bare skin and she gasps at the touch, which opens her lips and invites him to kiss her again and again, each one hungrier than the last. In her daze, all her demons are muffled against the loud desire to revel in this strange, delicious sensation. She wants him to keep going, to devour her, and she can so vividly imagine it.

Instead he comes up to catch his breath and steady his racing heart, and she's already longing for his lips again. But he doesn't let her go and she would never want him to. They take their time to just hold each other and rest their foreheads together, enjoying the warmth from each other's breath and bodies.

Ekko knows every corner of the Lanes, and a few years ago, he found an abandoned building that was off Silco's radar. They cleaned and furnished one of the rooms, and it became one of their private hideouts. Jinx thinks of all the times she would ask to go there with him when she was terrified of being alone. They would joke around and eventually fall asleep together, and the warm comfort of his body would banish the ghosts away.

There's a plea in her eyes when she asks, "Can I stay with you tonight?"

He can tell that this request is different from the others. Her visions aren't haunting her right now. But there's always a hint of nervousness when she asks for something. She always fears being pushed away, being rejected. It makes it hard to say no to her.

He needs space to process what he feels. But for tonight, he can't be without her.