Damn, I want to see you get devoured.

by Nettles_of_the_Deadend

Summary:

Ekko could have said no, that he was in the middle of a crisis and had a headache, and just glossed over the problem. But it was important, one more step towards uniting the people of the suburban district. So he had to bite his tongue and go to the old prison to request the release of a grumpy vastayan, with the paperwork in his favor and an impending moral struggle. Ekko slips through the cell block, hoping the inmate hasn't gotten too stuck in the past.
OR
The first meeting between Cait and Vi, but with Student!Ekko and Rebel!Scar from an Alternate Universe.

Notes:

They definitely deserve more fanfics. This has a light undertone. It's out of character with many plot holes. It's a bit silly, but the idea has been floating in my mind.
This will be part of a series, by the way. Until I get sick of the AU. I tried to make Scar call Ekko with a bunch of ridiculous nicknames. It didn't work. It felt out of character. Anyway, Vander and Silco are raising Scar's little daughter. And there are several random, nonsensical details.

"It's Ekko's turn this time," Mylo said casually that morning, as if he were delegating dishwashing to someone else. Ekko had agreed, not paying attention to what was being discussed, and he deeply regretted it when Vander gave him a stack of papers to file and an old photo of a vastayan. He wanted to complain, but he couldn't argue with the older man, so he bit his tongue and headed to Stillwater in a horrible mood.

He could have objected, claiming he was suffering from a headache, a sense of derealization, and a particularly overwhelming crisis. However, it wasn't the right thing to do. Not when he saw Benzo's sorrowful face when he found him in those states, or Powder's scared yet understanding look when she found him spaced out.

He didn't complain or object; he left, promising that he would bring the subject back with Vander and that they would have dinner there.

In theory, it was simple. In practice, it was f---ing difficult.

Ekko just slipped through the cell block, hoping the inmate wasn't a complete jerk who clung to a criminal Zaun, a life of rebellion and destruction that no longer corresponded to the new ideals of the suburban district. Vander would surely employ him and give him temporary housing while the guy got his life together. He hoped so; they didn't want an agitator who would cause an era of division and attachment to complicated, bygone times.

He could imagine his afternoons and nights with the vastayan, working as one of Vander's many waiters, settling into their routine. And he almost got excited about the idea.

Ekko wanted to convince himself that that's how it would be, but as soon as he stepped into the right hallway and faced the seventh cell, a shiver ran down his spine. It was the omen of a possible storm and the feeling that everything was about to go to hell.

"Is this my last supper?" From the dark depths of the cell came a deep male voice, full of amusement and bravado, but also with a hint of flirtatiousness that made his hair stand on end. Ekko cleared his throat, determined to keep, at the very least, a good face.

He heard slow, careful footsteps until the vastayan's characteristic face emerged into the light. A scar ran across his lip, and his eyes were a brilliant green color that reminded him of the Firelights. A silver ring was hooked in his pink nose. Ekko felt a blush bloom on his face and his stomach warm with something like nerves when the man smiled at him.

He was a good-looking jerk.

"As you know, it's your release day, and to avoid problems, I've decided to be your guide on your way home." The rehearsed speech got stuck in his throat when the vastayan started to laugh, one guffaw after another, as if Ekko had delivered the punchline of a joke. The boy watched the other's Adam's apple bob, how his large hands gripped the bars effortlessly, and how his chest heaved.

"Damn, I want to see how Zaun devours you," he exclaimed, resting his head on the bars. He was hunched over, with a fanged smile and narrowed eyes.

Ekko remembered the charming face Mylo made when he was flirting, but his friend wasn't taller than him or had a deep voice... and he certainly didn't have biceps the size of his head. His mind conjured one of Powder's silly jokes about people who have photos with their partners' arms wrapped around their necks.

Damn Powder, damn Mylo, and damn Vander for putting him in charge of something like this.

He needed an escape. Feigning exasperation, Ekko rolled his eyes and left. Though he could feel the vastayan's deep green eyes following him.

"I'll be waiting outside," he called back before disappearing.

His heart raced. He quickly left the cell block for the small, bare reception area. When he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, he noticed he had been sweating. He slid his green jacket off his shoulders and tied it around his waist, staying in his usual white shirt. Even though the air was fresh, Ekko felt like he was suffocating.

He hoped the matter with the vastayan would be over soon.

He really did.

 

(♡)

 

"Well, if it isn't the little man," Ekko really wanted to disappear when Scar—because only a guy accused of disturbances could have that name—showed up at his table to... flirt? Chat? Annoy?

He heard Powder gasp in surprise, guessing that his friend had a smile on her face. Claggor choked on his drink, and Mylo started watching him like a prankster who had found his perfect victim.

It had been a week since he managed to get Scar out of prison. Now he regretted it, because Scar was everywhere. Wherever Ekko was, the vastayan seemed to find him to bother him. Or to flirt, he didn't care. Vander was delighted, arguing that it was just what Scar needed to fully integrate. Ekko wasn't so sure. Silco even seemed to be conspiring against him.

Scar apparently arrived at their table with Powder and Ekko's long-overdue orders, conveniently, since Ekko didn't remember him taking their order. Especially since everyone there knew what each person usually had and their personal tastes.

It was a trap set by Powder. He gave her a scowl filled with anger and had to endure his friend's smug smile. Scar's wide arm obstructed his view, and he gave in to the temptation to look at him.

Powder smiled maliciously, raising an eyebrow that said "well, well" in her teasing tone.

Then, Scar placed a slice of pie (Ekko didn't even know they made pies now—it all felt like a conspiracy) in front of him and had the audacity to say, in the deepest tone he could find:

"Savor it, sweetie," before walking away.

One, two, three, four seconds passed before his friends burst into loud laughter and slapped the wooden table. Ekko now really wanted to disappear, since Scar now enjoyed calling him by any ridiculous nickname he could find. Powder and Mylo were happy to add a bunch of stupid nicknames to the list.

"Honey," "savior boy," "shorty," and "little man" were his usual lineup. And it wasn't like Ekko resented every interaction they had. Of course not.

"Damn it, Ekko, if you say no, I'll say yes!" Mylo yelled, clutching his stomach from laughing so hard. Ekko shushed him, horrified by the idea of others hearing them.

It was useless.

"Oh, sweetie! Savor it, sweetie!" Powder gasped dramatically, with her hand on her chest, like a dramatic actress in a play. That renewed the round of high-pitched, breathless laughter at the table. Ekko slid down his chair to make himself smaller. His face felt feverish with embarrassment.

"Oh yeah! Savor it, Ekko! It's typical vastayan sweetness."

"You're disgusting, Mylo," Claggor objected, but he was still smiling, delighted with the joke. When did his brilliant friends turn into a bunch of idiots? And what about all the double-entendre jokes? Where did they come from?

Ekko felt like he was dying; he wouldn't survive.

"I think you should give him a chance," Ekko nearly bounced out of his chair when he heard Claggor, his always reasonable and fair friend, say that.

The laughter subsided, and Mylo and Powder nodded in unison.

"This isn't about chances!" he yelled instinctively, but it only seemed to encourage more stupid ideas.

"Oh! Tonight you can go with him as your date!" Powder suggested, excited, almost glowing with anticipation.

Ekko thought about the small party they would have in honor of the peace in Zaun. He thought about Vander and Silco lagging behind, slow dancing when they thought no one was watching. He thought about Mylo's goofy gaze every time the DJ came into view.

He thought about his friend, his sister, entering with her arm linked to Sevika's. And the idea didn't seem so... terrifying.

"You just want Vander and Silco to focus on me and not on you, with your partner who's thirty years older than you," he objected.

Powder gasped, fake-dramatically, followed by a teasing howl from their friends. She pretended to stab herself in the chest.

Everyone laughed, even him.

"Well... are you gonna do it?" she inquired.

"Of course not!"

Unfortunately, Ekko swallowed his words.

Only ten minutes after saying he wouldn't do it, that he wouldn't do it even for an exorbitant sum of money, and that he wouldn't even consider it.

Swallowing his words tasted sweet, but it must have been because of the slice of pie Scar left him.

He slid down the bar, with the expectant gazes of his friends on his back, trying to get Scar's attention.

He tried to look casual, as if he didn't care. His heart didn't agree.

"Something up, little man?" the vastayan asked, carefully drying a glass.

"So... will you be here tonight?"

He felt so stupid using the "flirty" voice that Scar used when talking to him.

"I have a date," he replied, and Ekko felt himself deflate.

"Oh, okay," he said, even though his mind was replaying the thousand and one things he had noticed about Scar for it all to end up in... whatever this was.

"Oh yeah, he's a charming guy, you know? A little grumpy and pretty easy to annoy. I honestly think he's beautiful, and at our first meeting, I hinted that I wanted him to be my last supper."

Wait a minute... Ekko looked at Scar, who was smiling and teasing.

"You're such an idiot," he muttered, though he could feel his lips stretching into a smile.

"Nine o'clock at the entrance?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Of course, sweetie."

In the distance, he heard his friends whispering.

 

 

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Ekko and Scar in other universe (falling in love like two idiots)