AN:

I want to start this out by saying, since I first watched this series on its release that I love this dynamic. I love this ship. This ship stays rent-free in my head and all that could have been just cuts me like a knife. But I know my approach of romance ships are often diluted in things that aren't said and things that build-up as time passes. I wanted to write at least a oneshot of this ship. Even if its written like a romance prelude or something.

That and I wanted to take a break from all my conspiratorial fics I've been writing for the past few months lol

This fic is also inspired by that one scene in Zankyuu no Terror (Terror Resonance in english) on the motorbike

I hope you enjoy :)

Second window by the second floor, the curtain drawn but with the light spilling between the gaps.

Any minute now.

Immediately, the curtain draws open, revealing that cheeky grin on her face. She opened the window, looking down on him;

"Vi's not home," Powder whispers loudly at him. "She won't be home till morning!"

Ekko smiled, then pushed himself off the telephone pole and walked closer to the Vander orphanage house. "And is that how a straight-A student should be doing in the middle of a school night?" he tutted jovially.

"Oh, come off it, fellow trouble-maker," Powder retorted as she began climbing down the to the first-floor's roof. "We've got a city to paint."

He chuckled at this, tucking his hands into his pockets as he noticed she was dressed rather daring than usual. A sleeveless crop-top, revealing her tattoos she usually hides underneath her uniform, skinny jeans and oversized, lace-up boots.

"You sure you wanna come and hang around, dressed like that?" Ekko pointed just as she landed on her feet. "The wind's gonna freeze you over before Vi gets you."

"Oh, I know," she shrugged, then tugged at his jacket. "That's why I'm gonna steal this off you before that happens."

"Hey!"

"Come on, Ekko, you always end up giving it to me," she whined.

"And I'm still waiting for you to give back the other one," he retorted.

"I promise I'll hand it over later, so come on," she persisted while tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

No, you won't.

Despite the thought, he reluctantly took off the jacket and handed it to her.

"Yay!" she didn't hesitate and put it on and began flopping the loose sleeves in the air like a kid. "Since when did you get long arms, little man?"

"Since puberty, now get on or else Mylo's gonna spill."

Ekko then sat on his bike and switched it and tossed his second helmet on her. He put his own helmet on as she to sat behind him and wrap her arms around his waist.

"All set?"

"Fire away, little man!"

He held back the urge to retort at her newly made moniker for him and revved the engine before driving out into the open road.

City lights passed through them like a blur, the warmth on his back by her embrace staved the cold away from his skin. She had always been Vi's sister for the longest he's ever known. Her older sister's shadow who clung to her arm almost every day. Now that Vi had cleaned up, took up the job in the police force; Powder had been acting more and more detached. Never taking anything seriously as she behaves like everything's a party.

He couldn't speak for her, but he could only grasp an idea of what's going through her head.

Upon arrival their destination in a closed alleyway, Powder hopped off her seat with a spring to her step. Ekko parked his bike away from the road, observing their location and turned to the wall where their last work of art had been.

"Looks like they got us again," he head pointed to the tags on the piece they made together.

"Huh," she scoffed, sounding amused.

With a spring in her step, she stood in front of the tagged piece and eyed the way the bold, black lines over written the splash of neon colours that took shape of a wind-up monkey.

She tilted her head, pouted then shrugged. "Not bad."

Ekko eyed her profile and knew exactly what that expression meant. "Really?"

She gave a quick nod, "Not like it isn't godawful like the mural under the bridge, right?"

"Pow Pow-"

"Oh, come off it-"

He wound his arm over her shoulders, leaned against her side in quiet comfort. He gave one good look at the tag on their work and patted her shoulder. "You're right, maybe its not that bad, but the question is, are you alright with that?"

She immediately leaned against his arm. "No, not really."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"…"

"Pow Pow?"

"The day can't get any shittier than this, huh."

He rested the side of his head against hers. Rubbing her shoulder as he sensed she might breakdown any moment. Except, she doesn't.

"Okay! Let's give them something else to admire," she the stretched her arms forward and made a square-viewfinder with her two her index fingers and thumbs.

Aand she's closed off again.

Crybaby Powder was what some of the orphans used to call her. Had Vi not sucker-punched the bully who teased her like that, who knows what could've happened. Maybe that was where it all started. He couldn't really tell. But he didn't have it in him to ask.

"Alright, Van Gough, what's the plan?" he asked.

"Still thinking," she said, pointing her viewfinder hands somewhere on their graffitied brick canvas.

Ekko lifted his head up to see what she was seeing; how the world looked through her eyes. It took a second before she immediately escaped from his arm and headed over to his bag that was attached to his bike. Missing her warmth, he cracked a smile and shook his head;

"Got something?" he asked jovially.

"Oh, I got something alright," she shot back and grabbed two cans of paint, tossing one of them at Ekko- "Catch!"

He caught the item and checked the colour choice. It was cerulean blue. At this, he realised-

"-Vi's definitely gonna know what's up if she finds this," he chuckled.

"Oh, come on, she patrols an entire city away," she retorted, picking up another can and made her strides to the wall. "We changed it up for a while, but they're gonna realise whose art they're messing with."

And with that, Powder begins her mayhem, spraying the first mark over the black tag.

As soon as the two troublemakers were done, Ekko then drove them back on the road, leaving behind her signature monkey drawing over the tag.

Serves them right, she thought triumphantly.

She held onto Ekko as air drag freezes her cheeks, watching the cityscape view as they flew past the bridge. Something about the sights of these joyrides made it easier to silence the voices in her head and make her forget the bad days.

Before she even realised it, Ekko had driven them by the docks; a few miles away from the beaches. As soon as he killed the engine, Powder hopped off the seat and laughed; "Ekko, where- what's going on? Why the Docks?"

Her friend shrugged as he locked his wheels; "I figured a change of scenery could do some good."

"Aw, for me?" she grinned mockingly.

Ekko shrugged again then hooked his arm over her shoulder, nudging her over towards the direction of the beach. "I just felt like it."

"Pfeh, of course you felt like it. But I'm not getting sand on my shoes, got it?"

He gave a thoughtful pout before he nodded; "Alright. We're not gonna be walking that close to the water anyway."

"We're not?"

"Just hanging out, y'know?"

Powder then leaned against his side as they walked, snaking her arm at the back of his waist. Teachers like to talk. Classmates like to talk. Somehow, it took middle-school to emphasize the fact that skin-ship between friends isn't normal. Or that, you'd have to be in a relationship to even be allowed to hug and lean against each other. About how its about respecting the other's personal space.

She still didn't believe in all that crap. But for Ekko's sake, as she was the crooked A-student of the class, she had to keep her hands off of him on campus grounds. "Jinx" Lane apparently scares off his friends whenever she's around.

"Hey, Ekko?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"...You alright, Pow Pow?"

She wanted to say it. Wanted to say exactly what's been weighing on her mind. But she decided-

"I guess I'm doing okay."

He huffed and patted her shoulder; "You and I both know by now that saying that means something else."

She forced out a laugh, shaking her head; "I mean, it's really a small thing. Nothing too serious or some life-changing shot like that-"

"-In other words, there is something, but you don't want to say it."

"Thank you, captain obvious," she retorted.

It took a few steps in silence before he finally said in resignation; "Alright, fine. You don't have to tell me. If you feel like you do- I'm all ears."

Powder chuckled, almost touched but more relieved. There was warmth to the words, but the subject matter at hand still overweighed the troubles in her mind.

'I'd like you to think about this opportunity.'

She should be relieved. She should be excited. But if she took the offer, it would mean leaving everything behind. She knows these streets. She knows these roads. She knew these people. But even then-

Do they even know who I am? Would they even notice if I'm gone?

"So about that talk in astronomy club-" she switches gears, her nervous laugh forced out to hide behind the fear. Thankfully Ekko would follow her pace as she digs the fear back six-feet under her mind's eye.

Thanks for reading :)