Chapter Text
A warm sliver of sunlight greeted Ekko as he awoke moments before his alarm began to sound, the faint chime of musical notes enveloping him as he attempted to open his eyes. How was it 6:30am already?! The warmth of his duvet, pulled up to his chin, was making it increasingly more difficult to get up that morning. It was the beginning of October; the leaves were changing from a magnificent green to beautiful, vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow. The days were beginning to get a bit colder, the nights drawing in closer as autumn came into full swing.
Pushing aside the heavy duvet, he swung his legs round and sat on the edge of his bed, sighing as he did so.
It was a Monday. The start of another week, probably another long week at that. He loved his job, really, he did, but sometimes teaching was a LOT. He had known to an extent what he was getting into when he studied at university, of course he had, but to actually BE a teacher? Be responsible for the learning, wellbeing and happiness of over 20 children almost every day? That was something else entirely.
It was Ekko’s second year teaching. He had the same classroom as the previous year, teaching a year one class. He shared a teaching assistant; Elora Lindbeck, with the other year one teacher; Gert Tavares. Unfortunately for him, today was Gert’s day having Elora to support her class, so he was virtually alone on Mondays with 25 children. He knew he could do it, as he had done every Monday since September, however it was exhausting trying to teach that many five- and six-year-olds alone.
Gently rubbing the sleep out of his brown eyes, Ekko got out of bed and grabbed his clothes for the day from where he had hung them on the wooden door of his wardrobe. He often prepared his clothes for the next day before he went to sleep, as it made his mornings a lot easier.
He exited his bedroom, closing the door softly behind him with a click. The landing was near-silent as he walked towards the bathroom, a faint glow of sunlight illuminating the doorway as it shone through the bathroom window. The only sound was that of his feet padding along.
After using the toilet and getting dressed for the day into his chosen outfit; juniper-green chino trousers with a chestnut brown belt, a sky-blue shirt with the top button undone so he could breathe more easily and the sleeves half-rolled up, and one of his usual pairs of funky socks; koalas his pattern of choice for the day. The children loved to see what socks he wore each day, it was much like with Elora and what dress she had on; she liked to wear different colours and patterns.
Ekko padded to the kitchen for some breakfast, hearing faint sounds of movement coming from Jinx’s bedroom as he walked down the stairs. Good, he thought, she must be awake. They had both stayed up a little too late the previous night gaming, which he was certainly beginning to regret considering the early hour he had to get up. They’d had fun though, laughing in mild frustration as they kept dying during battles – despite the mutual decision to play in story mode aka what was supposed to be ‘easy’ as it was their first time playing that particular game. They’d spent far too long in character creation before having even begun too…
Smiling to himself, Ekko poured out some frosted flakes cereal into a slightly chipped dark blue bowl, grabbing himself a spoon and the milk from the fridge before settling at the oak kitchen table to eat.
“What’s got you so smiley at such an ungodly hour?” asked Jinx, voice gravelly from sleep as she opened a cupboard to grab the coco pops cereal.
He had been so deep in thought he hadn’t heard her approach, almost dropping his spoon as he jumped slightly in his chair at the sudden arrival of his best friend standing in front of him. “Just deciding whether or not I regret staying up late last night gaming…” he mused, chuckling at the glance she threw his way before joining him at the table with her own bowl of cereal.
“So, same again tonight then?” she asked with a smirk, pouring milk onto her cereal before beginning to eat.
Ekko sighed dramatically in mock exasperation before shooting her a wink. “You know it. Although perhaps not quite as late, or the children will start commenting on the bags under my eyes…”
A giggle escaped Jinx as he pushed his chair back to rinse his bowl and spoon, before stacking them into their small dishwasher.
“I’ll be home earlier tonight as our staff meeting got moved to tomorrow instead.”
“Oh great! More time for gaming then when I get back from the workshop.” Jinx replied with a wink of her own, turning back to her breakfast.
Ekko smiled back at her before going back upstairs to finish getting ready for the day. He brushed his teeth, opened up the green curtains in his bedroom and grabbed his laptop case off the mahogany chest of drawers opposite his bed.
With one last glance at his relatively tidy bedroom to ensure he had everything he needed, he made his way back downstairs to put on his deep brown faux-leather shoes. Just as he finished tying his shoelaces and stood back up from the ottoman in the hallway, which was next to the staircase, Jinx brushed past him on her way to get her own shoes. Her blue braids, nearly at her hips in length, swung from side to side. The navy-blue dungarees she wore for work, with a short-sleeved olive-green t-shirt, showed underneath the black hoodie tied around her shoulders.
They left the house at the same time, 7:45am, after Ekko checked Jinx had her lunch with her. He knew she wouldn’t eat otherwise, the hours blurring as she hyperfixated on whatever her task was for the day until suddenly it was time for her to go back home.
After locking their teal front door, they went to turn their separate ways for work. Jinx impulsively kissed Ekko’s cheek with a “see you later” before spinning around and walking away quickly towards the bus stop further down the road.
Ekko almost dropped his keys in shock. Catching them in time, he unlocked his car and sat in the driver’s seat. His face felt warm as he placed his laptop bag on the passenger seat to the left of him and buckled his seatbelt. Jinx had kissed him on the cheek before, so it wasn’t entirely anything new, but the last few times had felt different. Different in a way he didn’t really understand just yet. He knew he didn’t dislike it though, and that scared him a little.
Shaking his head in an attempt to dispel the swirling thoughts, he checked his mirrors before reversing off their asphalt driveway, turning the radio on as he went.
The drive to the primary school Ekko worked at only took about 10 minutes at most. He probably could walk some days if he wished to, however that would mean getting up earlier as it would take half an hour, and sleep was not something he would give up on easily. He pulled into the staff car park adjacent to the school itself at 7:55am. His official start time was 8:15 but like most other teachers at his school, he often arrived by 8am in order to prepare for the day ahead, especially on a Monday.
Usually, he would sign in on the electronic sign in screen before popping to the staffroom to make a thermos of tea on his way to his classroom. However, today he was interrupted from his usual routine before he could set foot in the staffroom.
“Good morning, Ekko. Might I borrow you for a moment?” Ms. Medara, headteacher at Piltover Primary School, asked politely, her voice as calming and melodic as usual.
“Good Morning Ms-” Ekko paused, correcting himself after the pointed look directed his way, “-Mel.”
The tall woman smiled, motioning for him to follow her into her office. Her ink-black hair was braided elegantly atop her head with golden threads throughout. She wore crisp, white trousers with a floaty golden blouse and white shoes with a slight heel, making her appear taller than she already was.
Ekko followed the woman into her cosy office, which was situated across the hall from the staffroom. The smaller room was awash with golden sunlight streaming through the windows, making everything glow and feel inviting, safe. He sat in one of the cushioned, black chairs facing Mel’s desk. She herself sat in the high-backed chair behind her desk.
Ekko had no idea what she would want to speak to him about. He couldn’t help but feel nervous and that he’d somehow done something wrong.
Mel gave a reassuring smile. “I apologise for the short notice, Ekko, as I have only found out this information this morning. We have a new child starting today, and she will be placed into your class. Her name is Isha. As of half an hour ago, we have limited information. I will update you when informed of more. All we currently know, apart from her name of course, is that she has situational mutism, and she is in the foster care system. Her social worker will be bringing her in this morning and collecting her at the end of the school day. This arrangement will continue for this week as she settles in. She will be arriving ten minutes before the start of the school day, so that she can meet you and see her new classroom before any other children arrive. I know that Elora is in Gert’s class today, however I will ask her to pop into yours so she can meet Isha too. I understand this is a lot of information I have just thrown at you, so if you have any questions, please do let me know.”
Ekko listened intently the whole time Mel was speaking, taking in all that information. He nodded when she was done, uttering a “thank you, Mel” before they both stood and he left her office, tea all but forgotten as he strolled straight through the long corridor to his classroom so he could prepare for the new arrival.
After writing his usual ‘good morning’ message on the whiteboard at the front of his classroom, he sat at his desk and switched on his laptop. His next task was to make a peg and drawer label for Isha, so she knew where to put her things. He could at the very least print them out ready and hopefully Gert could spare Elora for a few moments later in the morning to laminate them for him.
Ekko was walking back from the staff room printer when he noticed the time; almost 8:30am. Isha would be arriving any moment and he didn’t feel at all ready. Usually when there was a new pupil arriving at the school, the teacher was given at least a few days’ notice and they then had time to prepare things such as their workbooks, so this was all a bit stressful.
Almost as soon as he had re-entered his classroom and set the printing down onto his desk, there was a gentle knock at the propped-open door. Mel was stood at the threshold of his classroom. A shorter woman with dark brown hair pulled up into a bun at the back of her head, a sprinkling of freckles dotting her nose and gold-framed glasses stood beside her. She wore a burgundy blouse underneath a smart, gold-rimmed black jacket, black slim-fit trousers and a pair of black ankle boots.
“Ekko, this is Sky Young, Isha’s social worker. Sky, this is Ekko Reed. He will be Isha’s teacher,” Mel said in introduction, as the two young adults in question shook hands.
Ekko glanced down to where a little girl was standing beside Sky. She had choppy, brown hair that was slightly longer at the back than at the front and wide, amber eyes. A worn, dark-brown hat sat atop her head. She also wore a semblance of the school’s uniform: a pair of black trousers, an off-white polo shirt with a dark blue cardigan (the school cardigan/jumper colour was purple; however, this was close in shade) and black, scuffed Velcro school shoes over well-worn dark blue socks. She had an old, well-used backpack and was tightly holding onto a navy-blue raincoat in both hands.
She was looking up at him with mild interest. He crouched down to her level, smiling warmly in a way he hoped would help her feel at ease. “You must be Isha. I’m Mr. Ekko.”
Where teachers in most schools would usually be called Miss, Mrs., Ms. or Mr. and then their surname, Mel had no problem with the teachers in her school using their first names instead if they preferred to, as long as they used an honorific at the beginning. Hence, Mr. Ekko instead of Mr. Reed. He much preferred using his first name, and couldn't imagine the children calling him 'Mr Reed'.
Isha gave a tentative smile back, standing slightly closer to Sky for a moment.
“Why don’t we have a look at your new classroom, Isha? I can show you where your peg will be so you can hang up your backpack and coat,” Ekko prompted gently, standing up when Isha nodded her agreement on the matter.
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He led the way into the classroom, Isha gazing around the room as she took everything in. The tables were arranged in a way so that four children could fit at each table; in squares within the centre of the rectangular classroom. Around the edges of the room, against the pale-blue painted walls, were various drawer units, boxes filled with different toys and activities and lots of other things Isha couldn’t really see properly as they were inside the boxes. Drying racks for paintings sat upon some of the white drawer units, filled with multi-coloured drawers. On the far side of the room, opposite Mr. Ekko’s teacher desk and the whiteboard, was the most magnificent tree Isha had ever seen. It was painted from floor to ceiling and spread its branches and leaves all along that back wall. Underneath sat a few beanbag chairs and cushions on top of a rainbow rug, along with two small bookshelves filled with neatly stacked picture books. She couldn’t stop the smile that came as she looked at the tree in absolute awe.
She spun around after a few moments to follow Mr. Ekko through a pale-blue painted door into the adjoining cloakroom. Coat pegs lined the square room, sunlight drifting through the window in the outer doorway that she assumed led to the playground after a quick glance through it. There was another pale-blue door across from the first, which must have led to another classroom as it had a sign reading, ‘Butterflies Class – Miss Gert’, in the middle of it, which was surrounded by butterflies painted all the colours of the rainbow. Two more doors stood opposite to the outer door, the pegs dotted around them, leading to the toilets. There were two cubicles in each room along with two white, porcelain sinks and an electric hand-dryer on one of the mint-green walls. She turned to see Mr. Ekko’s propped-open door, noticing the sign reading ‘Fireflies class – Mr. Ekko’ and how it was surrounded by painted fireflies. They looked like they were glowing brilliantly, as if they were the real thing.
Mr. Ekko pointed to the peg nearest to his classroom door. “This will be your peg; I just need Miss Elora to finish making your name label for me later on today. She is our teaching assistant. We have to share her with Miss Gert, but she does help in our classroom some days. You will hopefully meet her later on. You can hang your jacket and bag on your peg.”
Isha listened carefully to what her new teacher told her, hoping this ‘Miss Elora’ was as nice as Mr. Ekko seemed to be. Especially if she would also be around in the classroom sometimes. Isha placed the raincoat she had been tightly holding onto on her peg before she shook off her backpack, setting it down onto the wooden bench which ran underneath the pegs in order to remove her water bottle. She then removed the raincoat before she placed her backpack on her peg, replacing the coat over the top. Once happy with how she had placed everything, she scooped up her purple water bottle and strolled past Mr. Ekko back into the classroom.
He followed behind, showing Isha where the water bottle shelf was. After putting her bottle in the middle of said shelf, she watched as he placed a small whiteboard with her name written neatly on it at the table nearest his desk. “Each morning, we practise writing our names. Tomorrow you will have a laminated sheet like the rest of the class, but for today you can use this whiteboard. Are you happy to sit here? I thought you might be able to sign to me more easily if needed,” Mr. Ekko said kindly.
She couldn’t help but smile shyly at him, as it was the first time a teacher had ever tried to make things easier for her. She signed “thank you”.
It was at that moment that Sky entered the room, crouching down to Isha’s level. “I have to go now; I need to talk with Ms. Medara first but then I have other jobs to do. I’ll be back to collect you at the end of the school day.”
Isha waved goodbye as Sky left the room, following Ms. Medara down the corridor to her office.
As he checked the time on his watch, Mr. Ekko told Isha it was time to open the door to let her classmates in. Butterflies fluttered in her tummy. In the past, Isha had not really had any friends. When other children realised that she communicated in a different way to them, they would soon give up on trying to be her friend. Or worse, they would be unkind to her. Despite only being in her second year of schooling, she had been to four different schools since starting Reception class when she was five, as she had been to many different foster homes. It never got easier.
Mr. Ekko seemed to notice her anxiety as he held out his hand to her, asking “would you like to help me open the door?”
Isha timidly took his hand, leaning into him as they went into the cloakroom together to open the outer door. They stood side by side as the first few children filtered in, hanging up bags and coats on their pegs.
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The rest of Monday went by in a blur. Ekko kept a close eye on Isha throughout the day, smiling when by lunchtime she already had a few new friends. Or, at least, some of the other children were playing alongside her. Elora had come into the classroom mid-morning to meet Isha and to sort the laminating for him. Isha seemed comfortable around Elora already, which was a great start considering she would be in his classroom the next day.
Isha had left with a smile on her face as she was met by Sky at the end of the day, and that was all he could have hoped for.
He finished tidying the classroom in the areas the children had missed during tidy up time, and grabbed his bag ready to head home. He knew the next day would be a late finish due to the staff meeting and wanted to make the most of getting to leave earlier on a Monday.
He popped by Mel’s office as he was leaving to let her know how Isha had gotten on that day. She told him they would speak more about Isha the following day as Sky had given her more information on the child.
Ekko made it home before Jinx did, miraculously unlocking and entering the house before 4:30pm. A rare occurrence indeed for a teacher. He went straight up to his bedroom to change into comfier clothes – a green, baggy t-shirt and a grey pair of joggers. It was usually Jinx’s turn to make dinner on a Monday as he was always home late that day. Ekko sent Jinx a quick text to ask if she wanted him to cook instead, already knowing the answer would be some form of an excited ‘yes please!’ with a random string of emojis at the end.
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Jinx hated cooking, but she didn’t deem it fair for it to always be Ekko’s responsibility. He already made her lunch almost every day and reminded her to bring it with her; the least she could do was cook for him a couple times a week- especially on the days he was home later than she was. However, when Ekko texted asking if she wanted him to make dinner that night as he was already home, she happily took him up on that offer.
She had certainly had an interesting day. After impulsively kissing Ekko on the cheek earlier that morning, she had speedily walked away towards the bus stop whispering to herself “why did I do that?!” repeatedly. She had kissed Ekko on the cheek before, but that time had felt different somehow. She wasn’t entirely sure whether it was a ‘good’ different or not…
Her day had gone by relatively quickly; her boss, Heimerdinger, having given her the task of fixing up an old clock. Not the most interesting of things but Jinx enjoyed tinkering with it all the same. She had, after multiple prompts from Ekko, set an alarm on her phone for 1pm so she remembered to eat lunch and take a short break. Without which, she knew she would hyperfocus for hours on end until Heimer told her it was time to go home at 5pm.
She waved goodbye to the short man, who was attempting to tame his wild mane of white hair into his coat hood, and left the workshop to make her way to the bus stop.
Jinx had endeavoured to learn to drive aged 19, having recently reunited with her sister. Vi had attempted to teach the blue-haired girl in her red, run-down Toyota. It had not gone well, however, as Jinx found the whole thing immensely overstimulating. She had deemed herself unteachable when it came to driving and they never spoke of the matter again. Ekko was more than happy to be the designated driver whenever they went anywhere too far to walk or too expensive via public transport, and she didn’t mind relying on him. He had been the constant in her life since they were kids. She never wanted to let him go, and it seemed he felt the same about her. He really was her best friend, and she knew she cared for him deeply.
Before she knew it, she was home, placing her boots on the shoe rack in the hallway and dumping her bag down on the ottoman near the carpeted, indigo-blue stairs. Jinx entered the kitchen just as Ekko had put a casserole dish in the oven.
“Dinner should be about half an hour,” Ekko said in greeting with a warm smile, as he turned from the oven to face her.
Jinx greeted him with a tight hug, as was a usual occurrence after arriving home from work. Whether it had been a great day, or an average day, or an absolutely shit day, they always shared a hug at the end of it. She believed that was a sign of their friendship and how close they were to each other. Ekko melted into her arms, hugging her just as tightly. He breathed in the familiar scent of metal and sweet pear body spray, the kind she used every morning before she left the house.
After a few minutes, or possibly longer, Jinx pulled away to go and get changed out of her work clothes. She came back into the kitchen wearing a purple oversized t-shirt that looked suspiciously like one of Ekko’s shirts, although he wouldn’t say anything, and a matching pair of grey joggers.
They ate chicken casserole for dinner, sitting together at the table. After Jinx had told him about her average day at work, Ekko mentioned a new student having joined his class. She would never tire of hearing about Ekko's day; his stories always captivating. She could hear in his voice how much he cared about his students; warmth wrapped around every word he uttered and his eyes sparkled more than ever.
“My new student, Isha, is quite shy. She uses a mix of Makaton sign and seemingly random hand gestures to communicate as she has situational mutism. I feel like I’m already starting to get the hang of understanding her though. She’s a really sweet little girl; I think you’d like her.”
Jinx smiled at Ekko's words; at the obvious fondness he felt for the children he taught. He was a great teacher, for that she was certain. “You say that about all of your kiddos. Isha does sound cute, though.”
As Jinx loaded the used plates and now-empty casserole dish into dishwasher, Ekko went to turn on their gaming laptops.
In their living room, they each had a mahogany desk, positioned beside each other at the left side of the rectangular space. A sky-blue rug sat in the middle of the hardwood, oak floor. Walls were painted in a minty shade of green, casting the room with an aura of calm. At each desk sat a gaming chair - electric blue for Jinx, emerald green for Ekko. On the opposite side of the room, a large window covered by white, wooden-slatted blinds overlooked the driveway at the front of the house. To the left of the window, a mahogany end table held their tv. A grey, reclining 3-seater sofa and a mahogany bookshelf stood opposite. On top of the rug sat a matching coffee table, surprisingly tidy for once with only two coasters resting atop it.
As the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the horizon, Ekko closed the blinds to shut out the darkness.
They made themselves comfortable at their desks, with bottles of water prepared as otherwise neither of them would remember to drink anything for the next couple of hours. A fluffy, blue blanket was draped over Jinx's lap for warmth. She often ran cold, especially when sitting in one place without moving all that much for hours at a time.
The next couple of hours blended together in a blur of laughter, Jinx almost rage-quitting on more than one occasion when they repeatedly died in battles, and a jokey argument over who each of their avatars would romance in this save. They both wanted the same character so talked it all out before deciding to see which of their own avatars seemed to have more chemistry with her and then go from there.
Ekko saw that it was nearing 11pm, so decided it was time to call it a night, especially since he knew the following day would be long due to his staff meeting. Jinx agreed, yawning as they both saved the game before exiting it and shutting down their laptops simultaneously. Ekko left the room with Jinx trailing behind him, turning off the light as she went. After checking the front door was locked and chained, they padded upstairs, heading into the bathroom together to brush their teeth before bed. They usually did this at the same time as there was space near the sink for them both, and they more often than not went to bed at the same time as each other.
With a mutual “goodnight”, the pair entered their own bedrooms. Turning the light on, Jinx shut the door behind her with a gentle click before pulling off her joggers and swapping them for one of her usual pairs of pyjama shorts – blue with a pattern of white clouds. She kept Ekko’s oversized t-shirt on. She often wore his clothes around the house; there was just something about them that brought comfort. They usually smelled like him for a few days after he had worn them, the comforting mix of apples from his shower gel and the mild floral fabric conditioner they used when washing their clothes. She would then put the t-shirt in the wash and ‘acquire’ another one he had worn for a few hours and put down somewhere.
Ekko made her feel safe, and therefore his clothes did as well. It was like he was giving her a hug whilst she was wearing them. Which was a completely normal thing to feel when wearing your best friend’s clothing, of course.
Jinx’s room was about the same size as Ekko’s. An oak wardrobe, matching her bedframe, was against the wall to the left of the entrance. One wardrobe door hung slightly wonkily from where she had previously yanked it open on one too many occasions, using too much force for the poor object to handle. A dressing table sat opposite the wardrobe, a few types of make-up and Jinx’s signature blue and pink nail polish cluttering the space. It looked like organised chaos, which was very much Jinx. Piles of clean clothes cluttered the floor near her wardrobe, as she hadn’t the energy to put them away yet. The ‘floordrobe’ increasing in size was a cause of frustration Jinx dealt with more regularly than she’d like to admit, however she always got around to tidying it eventually whilst blasting whatever music she was hyperfixated on a the time. Drawings of blue monkeys and various designs of things she hoped to create dotted her blue-painted walls. A small, oak double bed covered with pink and blue polka-dot bed sheets, and several soft blankets of various colours, stood in the middle of the wall directly opposite her bedroom door.
Despite the temperatures growing colder as they entered Autumn and edged ever closer to Winter, they would not have the heating on until at least late October. It simply cost too much, so they held off as long as they could. They also turned the heating off at night when it was the time of year for it, as for some reason neither Jinx nor Ekko could breathe properly at night with it on. Jinx remembered Vi having the same issue when they were children, Milo always complaining that Vander had turned the heating off at night because the girls were ‘too sensitive’. She rolled her eyes at the thought of how ridiculous her foster brother had been when they were kids.
A small, pink lamp sat on her bedside table too, which she turned on after turning off the main bedroom light. She had a bottle of water beside the lamp, half-full still from that morning.
Her last thing to do before bed was to take her Melatonin pill, otherwise she would have no chance at all of a peaceful sleep; a rare occurrence in itself. After taking her pill with water, Jinx turned the lamp off and fell into bed, wrapping her soft duvet around her in a comforting cocoon. She slept peacefully that night, dreaming of spending the rest of her life alongside Ekko. In an entirely platonic way, of course.