Oh The first time Ekko realized what you meant to him, it wasn’t some grand revelation. It was quiet. Subtle. Like a song that had been playing in the background for so long, he hadn’t noticed the lyrics until now.

You’d always been there—bickering with him over scavenged parts, laughing at his terrible jokes, standing by his side when things got rough. And somewhere along the way, between late-night talks on Watchtower rooftops and the way your hand fit so easily in his, something changed.

“You don’t gotta do all that,” he told you one night, watching as you patched up a scrape on his arm after a rough run-in with enforcers. “I’ve had worse.”

You rolled your eyes, lips quirking into that smirk that always made his chest feel tight. “Just shut up and let me take care of you for once.”

He did. Because deep down, he liked it—having someone look out for him. Having you look out for him.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months. And suddenly, it wasn’t just about the fights you had each other’s backs in, or the nights spent fixing up his board in comfortable silence. It was the way his heart jumped when you laughed. The way he caught himself watching you like you were the only thing in Zaun worth seeing.

One evening, as the city lights flickered below, he finally spoke up. “You ever wonder what it’d be like? If things were different? If we weren’t always fighting, running, surviving?”

You glanced at him, curiosity in your eyes. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, then shook his head with a grin. “Forget it.”

But you didn’t. Because the next time his fingers brushed yours, you didn’t pull away. And when he finally found the courage to cup your cheek, to lean in like his whole world rested on this moment, you closed the distance first.

And in that kiss, in that soft, stolen breath, Ekko knew—he didn’t just like having you around.

He wanted you.

Now, always, forever.