Undertow | Ekko x Reader

The soft crunch of soil beneath his boots marked the moment they stepped out of the sewers and into open air. Ekko kept his grip firm on the rope binding her wrists, the fibers taut between his hand and hers. She didn't struggle, though—hadn't since they started walking. That, more than anything, made him keep glancing back at her. Her unusual quietness left him unsettled. 

Y/N's eyes were sharp, always darting around, drinking in her surroundings like she was already forming a plan to escape. Even now, with her wrists bound and him leading the way, she looked ready to pounce. But there was something different, too. She wasn't biting back at him, wasn't throwing out cutting remarks like she had earlier. The defiance was still there, simmering just beneath the surface, but it was... muted. 

"Not much farther," he said, his voice low. 

When the light from the sewer gave way to the soft, natural glow of the clearing, Ekko stepped aside to let her see it. The Firelights' base rose ahead, an intricate network of makeshift structures built into and around the massive tree that stood at its heart. It was a marvel, even to him—a symbol of everything they fought to protect, everything worth saving in the Undercity. 

The tree loomed, its thick trunk splitting into gnarled branches that seemed to stretch endlessly toward the cracked sky. Its bark was dark and deeply textured, every groove etched with time and resilience. The canopy was alive with shimmering green leaves, interspersed with softly glowing lanterns that cast warm, golden light over the clearing. The air here smelled cleaner, rich with the scent of damp earth and wildflowers that bloomed stubbornly in the underbrush. 

Y/N froze in her tracks. 

Ekko didn't move, letting the rope slacken between them as she took it all in. For a moment, she didn't say anything, her eyes wide as they traced the sprawling branches and the lanterns swaying gently above. Slowly, she turned, craning her neck to see every detail, her bound hands forgotten in front of her. 

"When I found out your base was in a tree," she said finally, her voice soft, "I didn't think... I didn't think it'd be this." She gestured loosely with her hands, the motion restricted by the rope. "I mean, who expects this? A whole tree... this size... in Zaun?" 

Ekko smirked faintly, leaning his weight back onto one leg. "Not exactly what you pictured, huh?" 

She shook her head, spinning in a slow circle again, her lips slightly parted in awe. "No. Not even close." Her tone was quieter than before, almost reverent, as if speaking too loudly would shatter the illusion. 

"This is what you ran from earlier," he said, watching her closely.

She stilled, her bound hands tightening slightly around the rope. Her gaze flicked back to the tree, lingering on its branches and the soft glow of the lanterns. For a moment, she didn't say anything, but her expression shifted—just slightly—into something softer. 

"I didn't know," she murmured finally, more to herself than to him. 

Ekko's smirk faded, replaced by something quieter, more thoughtful. He didn't tug on the rope to pull her attention back. Instead, he just watched as she stood there, her guarded exterior cracking under the weight of the moment. She looked vulnerable now, and that vulnerability stirred something in him—a faint, nagging curiosity about the walls she kept so tightly built around herself. 

"Life's still here," he said after a moment, his voice quieter. "Even down here. You just have to know where to look." 

She glanced back at him, her lips parting like she wanted to say something. But whatever it was, she kept it to herself. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the tree, her fingers flexing slightly against the rope around her wrists.