Chapter Text
Why does my heart go on beating?
Why do these eyes of mine cry?
Don't they know it's the end of the world?
It ended when you said 'Goodbye'
The End of the World-Skeeter Davis
The wailing of the police sirens had ceased long ago but their cry still ringed distantly in Ekko's ears.
It was too quiet in the police station. After the interrogation was through they took Ekko to a waiting room. The others were already there, Marcus with the rest of his friends standing on the far corner away from him and Powder.
Vi was the only one absent. Ekko hadn't seen her since they got arrested.
“I told you, we shouldn't have followed them.”
“My dad's gonna kill me, man.”
“My parents’ lawyer is here. She's going to handle it, okay?”
Ekko's sweaty hand flexed around Powder's, holding her tighter. It was so quiet that they could hear every whisper coming from the other side of the room.
“Hey,” he whispered to her.
Powder turned her head to look at him. Dark blue eyes, red from crying and filled with fear.
A similar kind of fear had settled deep under Ekko's skin. Still, he felt the need to comfort his girlfriend as best as he could.
“It’s going to be alright,” he lied. “Vi’s gonna be here any minute now.”
Powder managed a small nod, her hand squeezing Ekko's.
In fact, Ekko knew very well that nothing would be alright. They weren't caught doing petty thefts like stealing from the deli. This was a real house they intended to steal, owned by some upstanding Piltover citizen, so far away from the Lanes they stood out just by existing.
The cops would take one look at them and decide who was to blame.
Ekko looked at Marcus and the rest of his group. They wouldn't have a problem. Rich, bored Piltover kids with their lawyers just a call away. They would hardly get a slap on the wrist for breaking into a house. For him, Powder and Vi things were different.
“What were they even doing there?”
Powder's voice was low, so low it was a miracle Ekko had managed to hear it. She hadn't spoken a word since she entered the waiting room and fell on his arms.
Ekko swallowed hard. “I don't know,” he lied again.
Marcus glared at him before turning his head away from Ekko. Ekko wanted to scream.
Nothing would be alright. They had called the orphanage when the cops interrogated him. At fifteen, Ekko needed an adult to be present at the interrogation. Sister Mary answered the phone but no one came. She said Ekko was no longer their responsibility. It made sense. One less mouth to feed, one less body occupying a bed. The scarce money the orphanage had going to the younger kids that needed more care.
He would go to jail. And if he didn't he would be kicked out of the orphanage, probably expelled from school too. He would never work at Benzo's shop again. The thought almost brought a fresh wave of tears to his eyes that Ekko managed to hold back. Benzo would be so disappointed in what he had done that he would never want to see him again.
It wasn't fair.
Suddenly, the door of the waiting room opened. Ekko and Powder held their breaths, praying Vi would appear.
“Uncle?”
Powder shot up from her chair, falling on Vander's arms. Ekko almost did the same but managed to remain rooted in his place.
“I'm so sorry,” Powder managed to say between sobs, letting her tears run freely down her cheeks again. “I am so sorry, please don't hate me.”
“No one hates you,” Vander reassured the young girl, wiping her tears.
“Vi. Where's Vi?”
“Your sister is still in the interrogation room.”
Ekko glared at the cop. He hadn't spared a glance at her while she escorted Vander into the room. She was tall and looked imposing in her police uniform. Her sharp gaze travelled to Ekko briefly before it landed on Powder again.
“Ekko.”
Vander's voice pulled Ekko back to reality. The man was kneeling on the floor, one of his arms holding Powder as she weeped on his shoulder while the other was extended towards him.
Without hesitating this time, Ekko got up from his chair and wrapped his arms around Vander's neck.
He felt like a little boy in his arms, so helpless it physically pained him. A lone tear ran down Ekko's cheek.
“We're sorry. We're so sorry Vander, we should have never even gone to Piltover.”
“It's alright. It's going to be okay.”
More lies. They sounded so sweet when they were offered in times like this and Ekko almost believed him. But no lies as sweet as they were could change the bitter reality.
Vander's hoarse voice spoke right in his ear. “I called Benzo. He is on his way. Do not worry, alright?”
Ekko nodded, not trusting his trembling voice to speak. He quickly wiped the tear that slid down his cheek, embarrassed at being seen crying.
Vander pulled away, wiping Powder's cheeks.
“Don’t cry now.”
Powder sniffed her nose. “I want to see Vi.”
There was a brief silence. Vander exchanged a quick glance with the cop who was still standing by the door.
“You know what? I think my good friend Grayson might do us a favor and let you see Vi.”
Powder looked at Grayson with hope and hate blurred together in her eyes.
“Just for a few minutes,” Grayson clarified.
“You can go while me and Grayson have a little chat,” Vander offered a warm smile at Powder, the kind of smile that made his blue eyes shine. “And when you're done you can come back here with us.”
Powder nodded. She looked back at Ekko, taking his hand in hers giving it a final squeeze before she followed another cop that Grayson summoned, out of the waiting room. Ekko wanted to pull her back to him, afraid of letting her go.
When Powder disappeared behind the door, Vander turned to him.
“I want you to be strong for a little longer okay?”
“Yes,” Ekko said, absentmindedly. His thoughts were with Powder, far away from this room.
Vander placed his massive hand on Ekko's shoulder, squeezing it encouragingly.
“This will all end soon, Ekko. Don't worry while I'm here.”
“Vander.”
Grayson's tone was commanding as she gestured to the door. Sighing, Vander nodded curtly, squeezing Ekko's shoulder one last time before following Grayson out of the room.
Ekko had always been good at observing things around him. Like now, when he noticed that the door was only partially closed.
Ekko's mind screamed at him to stay put but his legs took him close to the door. He couldn't afford getting in even more trouble but eavesdropping seemed a better crime than attempted theft and trespassing.
“It’s not looking good.”
A deep sigh came from the other end of the door. Ekko recognized it as Vander's.
“The oldest one. She confessed everything. Took up all the blame.”
The cops' voice again, low but not threatening. Almost understanding, somehow.
“Powder and Ekko?”
“They denied everything. Same as the others.”
“What others?”
The cop let out a deep sigh. “There were three Piltover kids with them. One of them is the commissioner’s son.”
“And what do they say?”
“That Violet approached them. They claim she proposed stealing from the Talis’ penthouse.
They also provided evidence that she had stolen before, around the Lanes district.”
Ekko's heart thumped wildly in his chest. His body was paralyzed with fear. Ekko had to lean his back against the wall so his legs wouldn't fail him.
“They want to charge her as an adult.”
“She's only seventeen, Grayson.”
“I know,” the cop's tone was sympathetic.
“But there is nothing I can do. The commissioner needs someone to make an example of. Someone that isn't his son.”
“And what about the others? How old are they? What will be their punishment?”
“You know how it is, Vander. Their lawyers will pin the blame to Violet and the judge will allow it. Nobody will care about the daughters or immigrants or an orphan with no one to support him. I wish I could change how things are but I just can't.”
Vander was silent. At that moment Ekko truly felt like his heart would burst.
“For how long?”
“A year at juvenile at least. Three at a regular prison.”
“Three years?” Vander rasped, his tone louder than ever before. Ekko flinched, involuntarily.
Despite his gentle nature, Vander was terrifying when he was angry.
“She's not yet eighteen, not for another four months! She's just a kid! They didn't even manage to steal anything before your lot arrived!”
“I know. But she has prior criminal history. There's nothing I can do.”
The cop's voice was back to being sympathetic. The disgust Ekko felt made his stomach turn in slow circles. He felt sick and angry all at the same time, a terrible mix that made his blood run hot in his veins.
The unfairness of it all had him wanting to bang his head against the wall.
Vander's voice reached his ears before he could think about anything else.
“What about Powder? And Ekko?”
“They stayed silent. I think that's what the older one told them. She was protecting them.”
“What will happen to them?”
Ekko could count the seconds that passed until Grayson's answer came.
“Juvenile.”
Ekko's whole world shattered before him, the broken fragments of his life cutting him deep. Blood everywhere and the promise of a better future, away from the Lanes and by Powder’s side, gone.
The thought of her made his body tense up. Powder. He had to go find Powder and get out of here.
“No,” Vander's voice echoed in his ears, loud and clear. “No. You won't take more of my kids.”
“Vander–”
“Powder's just fourteen! Fourteen! I am not letting you take my other daughter too! I am not, I will not let you, Grayson!”
It was quiet again. So quiet. Ekko could only hear the drumming of his heartbeat in the unbearable silence.
“There is another way.”
Ekko's head whiplashed around. His heart fluttered with renewed hope and he clung to it desperately, as he went closer to the door.
“It is not an easy way but the younger kids will face almost no legal punishment.”
“Spill it, Grayson.”
The cop paused for a moment.
“We will interrogate you. You can confess it was your idea to send them to the penthouse, that it was your plan all along.”
Vander didn't respond right away.
“What happens if I do that?”
“If we charge you with child endangerment, Violet's sentence will be shorter. Maybe just a year in juvenile and that’s it. The kids will pass on to the juvenile court system but it will favor them if you turn yourself in. They might even make it out with a clean record.”
The cop paused again, taking a deep breath. Ekko held his own.
“Child endangerment might lead to six or even ten years in prison. You should consider that.
And know that I am saying all this to you for old time’s sake.”
Vander answered immediately, already having made up his mind.
“Okay,” he said, his voice as steady as ever. “I'll let you take me in but I need to make a phone call first.”
“Of course.”
“And Grayson. Thank you. Truly.”
Their whispers became even more distant as Vander walked away from the door.
“Silco,” Vander's barely audible voice spoke. “I hope you hear this message.”
Ekko inched even closer to the door, pushing himself to listen as best as he could.
“God, I'm shit at this. I'm sorry about everything…”
More incoherent words that Ekko could not place were heard. He tried to focus more.
“It's Felicia's kid. Please do it for her if not for me…”
And then absolutely nothing at all could be heard from the other side of the door. Vander and the cop had left him alone to process everything he had overheard.
In the blink of an eye, Ekko rushed towards Marcus, throwing him to the wall.
“What the fuck?” Marcus grumbled before Ekko grabbed him by the collar, pushing him up against the wall harder.
“I told you to fucking wait,” Ekko spat out, hate contouring each of his words. “Why did you follow me?”
“Get your hands off me!”
Marcus elbowed Ekko on the sides, making the younger boy step away from him. Ekko clutched his aching side as he looked at the three men glaring at him. He was outnumbered and it was fucking stupid to start a fight in a police station but he felt like he was going to asphyxiate if he didn't speak now.
“If you had waited none of this would have happened! But you show up with no warning and expect things won't go to shit!”
“If you had taken us to a real job sooner we wouldn't have followed you!”
Ekko saw red. For months, Marcus and his usual group of friends were bothering him throughout his shift at Benzo's. Too bored to attend the lectures at the university of Piltover they sought amusement in Zaun. One time they happened to walk in on the store when Vi was showing him the ring she had picked from a passerby at Piltover.
They had been pressuring him to take them to Vi's next job and Ekko was too scared of them to turn down their constant insults and jokes at his expense or even tell Benzo or Vi about them.
“Well no one asked you to call your commissioner daddy when things became too real, did they?”
Marcus purshed his lips, biting back his words. To entitled assholes like him, it was always hard to be called out on their mistakes.
“You fucked up,” Ekko hissed, the pain in his sides hurting less than the pain in his heart.
“And because of you, Vi's going to juvie. And her uncle to fucking jail.” Marcus shrugged.
“Then I guess he should have taken better care of his nieces and not let them turn into fucking thieves if he wasn't ready to face the consequences.”
Ekko’s fist made contact with Marcus’ nose with an ear-splitting sound that almost shook the walls around them.
“Fuck!”
Marcus kneeled to the floor, covering his bleeding nose with his hands as his friends pulled Ekko away from him.
“You broke my fucking nose you bastard!” He wailed as hot blood ran down his jaw.
Ekko smirked at Marcus' despair. Drop after drop of blood ran down his nose and Ekko was immensely thankful to Vi for teaching him how to throw a decent punch.
“You and your fucking kleptomaniac bitch are going to be locked up for a very long time!”
He slurred, pushing away one of his friend that inspected his broken nose.
“It's all your fucking fault!” He went on, yelling in frustration.
“You told us we could come with you so it's on fucking you that this bitch is going to jail!”
“What?”
Ekko’s heart stilled at the sound of Powder’s voice. He quickly turned his head around.
Powder was standing on the door, a cop trailing behind her.
“What happened here?” The cop asked, immediately stepping in to inspect Marcus’ wound.
Powder wasn't phased by the commotion. “Who’s going to jail?”
Powder couldn’t learn that Vi and Vander were going to jail. Not like this.
“N-no one,” Ekko said but Marcus’ voice echoed louder.
“Your fucking sister!” He yelled, yanking his head away from the cop and taking a step closer to Powder.
“And your fucking father too. Or whatever he is to you.”
Powder's eyes travelled between Ekko and Marcus, not knowing what to believe. She swallowed hard, pushing her shoulders back.
“You're lying,” she said confidently.
Marcus chuckled. His blood had painted the front of his designer shirt red as he took another step closer to them, passing his arm around Ekko's shoulders.
“You know, me and Ekko are really good friends. And he has told me everything about that sister of yours. It's not her first time being arrested is it?”
Powder's brow furrowed as she looked at Ekko in question.
“What is he talking about?”
“Nothing!” Ekko pleaded. He felt so helpless, completely under Marcus' thumb.
“Oh, come on Ekko. Drop the act, man.”
Marcus took a step away from him and closer to Powder. He eyed her up and down and the look on his face dictated he wasn't seeing anything of value.
“Ekko told us to come to the Talis’ house. He told us all about your sister's petty thefts and how she wanted to upgrade. And all those will send your sister right to jail. If you don't believe me, ask him.”
Powder's eyes fell on Ekko. She looked absolutely crushed. Ekko despised Marcus for making her feel so low, and despised himself even more for allowing it to happen. The fear of making things worse weakened him and as much as he hated to admit it.
Marcus was right.
It was all his fault. Vi and Vander would go to jail because he didn't have the guts to stand up for Marcus.
Her lower lip trembled. Marcus clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Go on,” Marcus urged. “Ask him.”
“Is it true?”
Powder’s voice was so frail it reminded Ekko of when they were kids. They would all play after school in the basement of The Last Drop and Powder would whisper to his ear, with that frail, small voice of hers.
“Tell me!” Powder raised her voice, nothing like the little girl Ekko once knew.
“Stop it now, or I'll call the chief,” the cop threatened with no real power behind his words.
“Did you tell him all that?”
Ekko couldn't run away from the truth. If only he had spoken to Powder about them earlier none of this would have happened. But he was so scared. Scared she would think he was weak.
“Yes.”
The cry of pain Powder let out made Ekko's heart rip in half.
“Powder, please. I can explain–”
Powder’s shoulders shook uncontrollably as tears began streaming down her cheeks. His body responded immediately to the sight of her in pain, rushing to her side.
“No!” She backed away from him. Tears overfilled her eyes as she put distance between them.
“Don't come any closer!”
“Powder, please,” his voice trembled.
“You know,” Marcus passed his arm around Powder, just like he had done with Ekko. The broken bone of his nose seemed painfully distorted as he brought his face close to Powder's ear.
“Your boyfriend over here hasn't been running his mouth just about your sister you know.”
“Marcu–” Ekko's voice cracked. Powder was the only thing he had for himself. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.
Marcus didn't pay any attention to Ekko as he whispered to Powder's ear.
“He told me how easily you bend over for him. And it got me wondering. Do you only do it for him?”
Powder pushed herself away from him, gasping in shock. Her chest heaved as she looked at Marcus in terror.
“Why?”
Ekko could feel the betrayal in her voice, the sheer hate that began rising to the surface. He had pushed the knife in her back, the only person she never expected to be betrayed from.
Her eyes that were once looking at him with fondness and admiration, burned with hate as she looked right at him.
Love had turned into hate and affection into disgust.
“I never want to see your face again.”
Powder's chest heaved from her sobs as she turned around and darted out of the waiting room.
“Powder!”
Ekko’s mind was blank as he immediately ran after her. He had to stop her, to explain to her that the truth wasn't what Marcus had made it out to be.
“Hey!” The cop yelled, rushing after both of them.
Before Ekko could even make five steps out of the room, a wide wall stopped him right in his tracks, almost sending him to the floor.
“Woah!”
Benzo let out a surprise noise, catching Ekko before he could trip over. “Where do you think you're going, little man?”
“Stop!”
The cop passed by them, running down the hallway in search of Powder. Ekko went to follow him but Benzo's grip on his arm prevented him from doing so.
“Benzo,” Ekko managed to say. His eyes were searching for Powder around him, his mind filled with the worst scenarios than most of which had already become reality.
“Are you okay?”
Ekko couldn’t pretend any longer. The mask of the mature and collected man he wore diligently, slipped from his face as he let his tears fall.
“Oh, my boy.” Benzo gently pulled Ekko in his embrace, his bigger frame shielding the boy from his sorrow.
“It’s all my fault,” Ekko said between tears. “It’s my fault and now I ruined everyone's lives.”
“You didn’t ruin anybody’s life.”
“I did!”
Ekko pushed Benzo away from him. His nose was running but Ekko was beyond caring.
“Vi and Vander are going to jail because of me! I gave her the tip to go to that house! And… and those assholes that called the cops followed us because of me! It’s my fault!”
Ekko pushed his hands through his thick hair, tugging on them in frustration. Benzo placed his hands on his shoulders, making Ekko look at him.
“It is not your fault, Ekko.”
“But–”
Ekko’s voice threatened to crack again. He took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from crying even more.
“I fucked up,” he said as calmly as he could. “They are going to throw me out of the orphanage. They said I’m not their responsibility anymore.”
Benzo let out a sigh. “That may be my fault, my boy.”
Ekko watched puzzled as Benzo pulled some folded papers out of his pocket.
“I wanted to give them to you at your shift tomorrow but with how things turned out…Oh, just take them now.”
Reluctantly, Ekko took the papers in his hands. At first his eyes trailed over the legal documents, not understanding what they really were. The realization hit him like a wave as he looked up at Benzo, speechless.
The old man looked a little agitated. “I’ve been saving up for some time. I suppose I should have talked about it with you first but I wanted to surprise you. You know Ekko, I never wanted a family, a–a son I should say, until you walked into my life–”
Before Benzo could finish his sentence, Ekko hugged him tightly. The adoption papers slipped from his hand as he held Benzo tighter. There were no words that could describe the immense happiness and relief Ekko felt at that moment even if he would feel guilty for being happy afterwards.
“Why you–” Benzo pulled away, wiping a stray tear that had managed to slip from his eye with his thumb. “Oh, don’t get all mushy on me now.”
Ekko laughed lowly. He had thought he would never be able to laugh again. He hid his face in his hands as he tried to grasp the reality of the situation. So much had happened in so little time and he needed some time to process everything.
“They said you are free to go for today,” Benzo patted Ekko’s back.
“Let’s go home.”
Ekko followed Benzo as they left the police station, the old man going on about the options they had to choose from for their dinner. And for a moment, just for a split moment, Ekko forgot the look of betrayal in Powder’s eyes even if it would come back to haunt him years later.
ⴵ
Ekko’s eyelids slowly fluttered open as he woke up.
It was dark in his small room. It wasn't his alarm that had awoken him but rather a melancholic song, something belonging to his childhood.
Quickly, his hand reached to the nightstand table, grabbing his phone. Ekko let out a sigh of relief as he laid back on the bed. His first alarm hadn't gone off yet and he had plenty of time before his first lecture of the day.
As he laid on the bed he focused on the melody of a 60’s song that played from the kitchen. Benzo must be making breakfast and listening to his old tracks again. The tune was familiar, a similar kind of song that would be heard in The Last Drop once upon a time ago.
Ekko pushed his palms against his eyes. Why was he dreaming about that time seven years ago? His subconscious seemed to punish him even after all that time.
The flash of blue eyes, set alight with hate made him open his eyes wide. He would never be able to forget the look in her eyes. The well known guilt clawed at his mind, threatening to drive him mad.
No matter how many hours Ekko spend on regretting everything that he had done, time couldn't go back. His world had ended the day he lost Powder. He only hurt himself more by thinking of the past.
Ekko pushed himself off the bed, casting all his thoughts aside. He had to start living in the present now.