#⌊ 000. ⇀ ooc. ⌉
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x-reader-things · 9 days ago
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“I don’t want to fuck this up.”
Ekko x gn!reader [could be read as either romantic or platonic]
Summary ; In which you and Ekko help each other find your spark of creating again.
Requested? ; No. Self indulgent.
Warnings ; hurt / comfort, grief, a hint of survivors guilt but mostly just guilt in general, loss of a friend [unnamed uncanon character], not exactly a warning but hair is mentioned w / no specific hair type described.
Word count ; 2.3 k words
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You stare at the mural in front of you.
Tall and daunting. The tree grew around it like a shield, and the portraits were protected by the home built above in the branches.
Rain pattered on the ground. It had begun to soak through your clothes, dotted cold and unwelcoming on your cheeks. Slid off your head and yet caught into your hair at the same time. You were lucky it wasn’t pouring.
It smelled. A mix of petrichor and something putrid. No doubt from the smog that always left the sky over Zaun grey, and never clear enough for the sun to fully peak through. Such is the usual, for the undercity.
None of that mattered, though.
You were tasked - well, you took it upon yourself - to paint a portrait of another fallen Firelight. You were an artist like most of them were. You painted in your downtime for a while, up until recently.
The past year hadn’t been kind to you. Even with the Firelights being there, existing as a home. As a beacon of hope. For change. It wasn’t enough to fan the flames of the dimmed spark of creativity, that you longed to feel once again.
One failed mission after the next. An injury in your leg that had you benched for weeks. Chembarons were getting reckless, and enforcers were relentless - you feared when the other shoe would drop, when shit would hit the fan.
And then, the recent loss.
A close friend of yours.
The guilt was impudent. Almost impertinent. It seared into your bones like an angry flame that simmered and waited. Stars, you hated it so much. It never went away, no matter how much you tried to distract yourself by throwing yourself headfirst into work.
You took up more tasks despite the stinging twinge in your leg. You did more chores under the guise of letting fellow firelights take a break. Some meaningless and small, others bigger and more meaningful. Busying your mind so you didn’t have time to think too much.
And you took this task, especially, because you thought you could handle it.
You thought this would knock you out of your stupor, let you create again, out of respect for your fallen friend. Give yourself an outlet to let things be, let your mind be content, albeit in a melancholy way.
But the moment you stared into the blank space you were given to work with, all you could do was freeze.
One wrong move, and you’d fuck it up for good. One wrong stroke of a brush and a spray can would mess up the image of that friend.
And starting would ruin the blank space even more. It’d have marred the image you had in your mind, the one you needed to begin soon, lest you get sick from the rain. You didn’t want to mess it up.
You didn’t want to fuck it up.
You didn’t want to ruin the image of your friend.
The friend who you lost because the phantom pain in your leg grew too much to the point where it screwed up your footing on your hoverboard, made you swerve around an incoming bomb being thrown by a blue haired woman working for Silco, made you knock into your friend who lost their own balance and fell with a mind shattering scream, and then—
“Still haven’t started yet?”
Light thunder crackled in the distance, the rumbling amplified by your hyper vigilance.
Startled, you took in a sharp breath, and instantly turned to where you heard the voice from. You hadn’t even realized you were holding your breath in. Your lungs were grateful for the intake of air.
On the wooden balcony below you, you caught sight of the main firelight leader. Ekko.
Arms crossed, eyes tired, head tilted in the usual way he did while regarding something he needed to comprehend. The twisted locks of his hair moved with his head, vibrant against the greyed out colors surrounding you both. Usually, the grounds and the walls surrounding the firelight hideout were more colorful. Today, the rain made it more somber.
“I…”, you tried to form a viable excuse. Whatever your words were caught on the tip of your tongue, and refused to make themselves known. Your eyes flitted back to the blank part of the mural, and back to Ekko.
You wondered if he’d understand.
“I. Can’t.”
Your words were stilted. Hesitant. They cut through the rain like a knife. Unsettled in the air.
Ekko straightened up ever so slightly. He dipped his head the slightest bit lower, with a blink and a raise of his brows. His dark brown eyes urged you to continue.
“I-I can’t—“, you repeated, arms dropping to your sides in defeat. Your thoughts were buzzing in your mind and you couldn’t stop the words from flowing in time. They tumbled out in a jumble you swore on you could comprehend, and your arms gesticulated as you paced on the creaking wood below your feet.
“—every time I try, I just. Can’t. And I need to do this, I have to. I promised I would. And I can’t stop thinking about what happened but I need that to stop, I have to do this because they’re my friend and I can’t fuck this up, I can’t ruin the image of them. And I can’t fucking—“
You kicked a paint can at your feet. It soured over the ground below you, and felt to the grass well below the balconies.
“—bring myself to pick up a single one of these paint cans.”
Ekko’s eyes followed the paint can while it fell. It hit the dirt below, and the distant thump was drowned out by the rain. He clicked his tongue, and sighed with a shake of his head.
You were angry. You were grieving. It’s not like he could tell you to stop, nor would he ever. Any and every Firelight knew what it was like. Seeing you like this, though - abound with ideas, but with no spark, no drive anymore…
It reminded him too much of himself.
He was a leader. The leader of the Firelights. He focused his time on making their hideout a home. Bit by bit, he picked up the broken pieces of Zaun. Did his best to, at the very least. The chembarons, Silco and Shimmer proved difficult, along with Piltover.
With all that work, and all that responsibility, it left him restless. Left him exhausted. Even with the help of Scar, his second hand man, and many others within the community he created, it still weighed him down. Every time he opened that journal of his, without the need of making a blueprint for a new gadget to create, without the need for a map for a plan, the pages were blank.
When he tried, those pages were ripped. Those pages were full of jagged lines, or crinkled up and tossed to some corner of his messy room. He’d stare at those pages for hours, head in his hands, and wonder where the hell his spark went.
When did he lose it?
How?
Ekko took a few steps forward, and pulled himself up to the platform above. With a grunt, he heaved over the wooden railing as carefully as he could. The rain made everything they stood on wet, and prone to slip on. When he stood up, and dusted his hands off, he got a clear look at you.
You forced out a sound, a mix between a scoff and a wry laugh. Ran a hand over your head, and pushed water droplets flat onto your hair. Tore your eyes away from where the paint can used to be, and back to the mural. “Been stuck for months. And the one damn time I need to create, for them—“
You sharply gestured your arm out to the blank spot - an eerie crème colored sight compared to the rest of the wall, save for a few cracks - and your voice trembled. Water droplets fell from your hand as it flicked away from the top of your head.
“Hey—”, Ekko reached a hand out, and rested it against the opposite arm that stayed at your side. He grasped your elbow, and gave it a gentle tug. It tore your attention away from the wall, and back onto him. His voice was calm, almost somber. “— C’mon.”
He took in a breath, and his other hand made a breathe-in motion. You followed in suit, the smell of petrichor invading your nose, air filling your lungs. The tension in your shoulders went tighter.
After a few seconds, Ekko slowly breathed out. You followed him, and the tightness in your muscles faded ever so slightly.
Once Ekko was sure you were calm enough, he scoffed out a small breath, and the corners of his mouth twitched up in a wry sort of smile. It was small, but it was there.
“I… get what you mean”, he started. His voice was in a softer tone. One you didn’t hear as often, compared to his ‘Leader Voice’. It blended into the ambient noise of the rain, yet it was perfectly clear for you. Never broke the calm like the thunder did.
“When I got good enough, I started this—” Ekko looked at the wall behind you, an old ache settling into the small pinch between his brows. “—the mural. Thought that since i the skills, I could put this up. Thought that I could make something good, make something to remember them by, for...”
He sighed through his nose. You followed his gaze, and landed on the portraits you’ve known for years. Six portraits. The oldest ones. The same style, the same paint, the same process.
All were Ekko’s. The people he knew, before the Firelights had become The Firelights. Before he had to grow up as quick as he did.
“… your family?”, you asked tentatively, to complete the sentence for him. Ekko hummed in acknowledgment, and the smallest hint of a smile grew on his face.
“Yeah. My family.”, another sigh, and his shoulders dropped when he looked up at the rest of the mural. “Back then I created so much. Started this tradition, whenever we lost someone. Helped to create so many things for us. For the Firelights. A lot like you did, when you first started here, y’know? But now—”
Your eyes met again.
“—you can’t even look at a blank page anymore.”, you finished. He gently squeezed your elbow, and your hand had instinctively found its way to rest against his forearm.
“You get it”, he nods. “So…”
He let go of your arm to lean down and grab a paint can. Your hand lingered against the arm of his jacket, the outside of it already littered with dark spots from the rain. When Ekko stood up, he shook the spray can at his side. The mix bearing hit against tin of the can, and mixed the paint up enough to be properly used. After that, he took your hand off of his arm, and turned it so that your palm was facing up. He placed the paint can into your hand.
“—Let’s just… Take things slow. See how things go from there, alright?”
The cool metal of the can soaked into the skin of your hand. Your fingers curled over it, and tightened their grip.
“I don’t want to fuck this up.”, you whispered.
The very thought of starting the portrait you dreaded to creeped up from the back of your mind. The cold seeped back into your spine. You wouldn’t say it out loud but it terrified you to the very depths of your being.
“You won’t.” Ekko’s voice broke through the anxious haze that began to cloud your head again. His hand remained on the other side of the paint can in your hand. A promise that he wouldn’t leave you alone. “I got you. Besides—“
He gestured to your leg. A reference to the injury. “—standing up here alone for hours at a time won’t be good for that leg of yours. Figured you need someone to help when you need to rest it.”
You gave him a weak smile. A small thank you for the thought. He wasn’t wrong. Standing for that long would hurt. However…
“It’s gonna make it real, Ekko.”, the tremor in your voice returned. Warmth stung behind your eyes. Warm tears, against the cold air. “Losing them.”
The tremor in your voice this time had finally broken it into pieces.
“I know.”, Ekko murmured. He definitely knew. “It’s gonna hurt for a long time. But this—“
He waved his hand towards the mural. “—is the first step to healing. I’m gonna be right there with you.”
You nodded, and wiped a stray tear that fell from the corner of your eye.
“Alright.”
Ekko moved his hand away from the can, and you walked forward. You stepped on the creaking wood of the step stool in front of the mural. The intimidating blank stretch of the concrete felt way larger than it appeared. But when you took a deep breath, and caught the encouraging nod of Ekko when he went to your side a little ways away, the tension fell away.
The rain pattered calmly behind you.
The cold didn’t sting as deep. Neither did the guilt.
You shook the can at your side again, and raised it up to the wall. You sniffed once, and exhaled a shaky breath.
One spray after another.
One shape formed into an ear. Another, a nose. Soon the eyes.
And soon, a face. A little extra help from Ekko turned that face into a person. Your friend.
Nothing was marred, nothing was ruined.
And for once, the world seemed a little less cruel.
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criticalfai1ure · 17 days ago
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this is a psa to say your muses should kiss mine.
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crimesoughtarchive · 5 months ago
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And wow just like that anon was turned off!
If you wanted to read what they sent, it's under the cut!
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tttrashmouth · 1 year ago
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“no gillion you’re the light of my life”
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vxmpirehunterd · 5 months ago
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{I just need everyone to know that D fought the equivalent of Cthulu in his canon verse and won. I can't with this motherfucker. How can one man be this strong?! }
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justsigma-bsd · 5 months ago
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I'm sobbing how did this happen-
(Ignore the drafts please)
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chiefatticcreator · 8 months ago
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he looks so silly
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"the chapter master said it's my turn in a Gladius DLC"
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nanasshii · 3 months ago
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I need Yuji in Dandadan where he can actually be happy for more than 5 seconds
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habitual-creatures · 3 months ago
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-Mystery guest
You bastard... you fucking self absorbed bastard.
Get the FUCK away from me!
I don't want to talk to you.
You fucking prick.
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resonette · 4 months ago
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why is the xavier abyssal chaos Like That
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criticalfai1ure · 2 months ago
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tell me why it’s 80° the one halloween i’m dressed in a turtleneck sweater.
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crimesoughtarchive · 4 months ago
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is it to early for horny thoughts?
I just think someone should grab cassians horns and see how fast he goes into subspace
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goldngods · 4 months ago
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hello friends! quick update: i'll be working on my replies & ask memes this evening and will probably have everything queued up by tomorrow!
current drafts: 04.
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askfallenroyalty · 2 years ago
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I have a political question: how come humans allow Monsters to retain absolutist rule? Surely, in the peace process one way or another they would've made them adopt at least some democracy (and it's not like they would be bad at it, if the scraps of information we have in Deltarune are anything to go by). And is there any plan on changing this in the redraw version?
I think that's a huge oversimplification and misses how even the UK, second biggest imperialist kingdom, still has royalty. (And they're not "just" figure heads, they still have power and waste tax payer money. Parasites)
Not going Deep into it but for example the US will aid against democracy if it benefits them. It's an established plot point that the reason humanity hasn't out right exploded monsterkind as capitalism is making a return and uses monsters for profit
Theres also missing context I haven't got to explore much of yet- humanity had a third world War and it was a near apocalyptic event. But its also been a while so modern tech has only advanced (handwaves) only by a few decades instead of the full 100 years. We'll see more of this with Raine+Franky and Billy+Ursus backstories.
This is mostly my way of overlooking the details of the future. Why don't they have flying cars and super advanced tech? Fucked up war. Climate Change? Fucked up war. Any country name changes? Fucked up war. I can keep it as earth but I can name drop fake country names so I don't have to talk about IRL politics
The hyper capitalism of modern times is returning and tech has only really recovered within the last couple decades. It's an active fight to keep human rights and more socialist practices. Asriel decided to lean into capitalism (learning in part from MTT’s success) because it's easier than opposing the world forces who are already predisposed to hate you because you're literally a non human race. Which I... get.... but it tangibly worsens monsterkind.
Raine will gradually push the capitalsim-to-survive narrative and embrace a different form of government that embraces the people
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pizzatheif · 2 years ago
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FULLY ignore my dirty mirror, MY NEW FAVORITE SHIRT FINALLY CAME IN !!!
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bulletblessed · 5 months ago
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tags
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