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cauldron-of-oddities · 18 hours

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meeeeeeeeeeeeeee I have a prompt

bird races! maybe Ekko and Powder race but he's also trying to prepare her to beat Mylo or something. Claggor is tired. Vi is mildly amused. Vander is pointedly ignoring everything

Feel the Rush

Peace and quiet, something rare in the Last Drop, usually it was full of chatty and rowdy patrons or bickering and noisy teenagers. Vander hummed along with the record player as he wiped the well-worn bar down, zoning out in the familiarity of the action. He stopped mid swipe. It. Was. Quiet. Oh dear Janna, it was quiet.

No sooner had the thought occurred to him when a flurry of feathers rushed past with the skawk clucking of Mylo with something in his beak and Powder bursting in behind him. Vander let out a long-suffering sigh.

“Be careful, you two!” The warning, unfortunately, came too late.

Nothing could quite describe the feeling of anger, frustration, and embarrassment Mylo caused. It brought out the worst, most impulsive side of her.

“That's mine!” She shouts as she makes a dive for the pheasant and tries to grab the bane of her existence. Only Mylo takes a sharp turn at one of the tables and has her crashing into a table leg with her shoulder. The cry she lets out has Vander winching. It hurts. Badly. And her eyes sting with both pain and failure. Why did such things always happen to her?!

Vander pinched the bridge of his nose and moved to help her up. She couldn't hold back a sharp gasp as he did. “Careful, let me check that."

“Now, what's this about?” The question stern.

With a crack in her voice from the pain, she begins “He took the chain I picked!"

“Hey! You left it, and you're only going to use it in one of your wonky contraptions!” Mylo wines.

“I put it there, I said I wanted it! Vi and Claggor heard me."

“You snooze, you lose, klutz."

“Enough! No fighting."

Between the finality in Vanders tone, Mylo's dismissal, and the pain, she feels so small. Why? She was finally proving herself, and it still wasn't enough.

“Pow!” She suddenly feels Vi cradle her cheeks before trying to hug her, which results in another squeak.

“What did you do?!” Vi's already balling her fist at Mylo.

“She bashed into the table, not my fault!"

“Vi!” Vander snaps. “You run ahead to the healer and give a heads up."

“Mylo, you know you all get to pick one thing from the loot to keep.” Vanders tone firm.

“But,”

“You get closing chores for the rest of the week. No buts."

“Claggor, you sort the loot and make sure your brother doesn't run off. Come on Powder lets get you sorted."

…

For two weeks, she sulks, she's ‘grounded’, injuries she learned carried over. Luckily, it was only badly bruised, still to be on the safe side. No strenuous activity for a week or two was advised, which included flying. Her mood already sour, having been deprived of something that gave her such a scene of freedom, only got worse, with Mylo's pestering. Here they were arguing again. Couldn't he just leave her alone?

“Fuck you! It's all your fault I have extra chores!"

“Shut up! It's your own fault! You shouldn't have taken what I'd already claimed!"

“I'm the older one. I get the first pick!"

“That's not fair! You're never fair!"

All she wants is to fly and stop feeling less than him. She's the wronged party here, and she really wants him to shut up.

“Tell you what you brat, you beat me in a race you get to keep whatever you want from the next time, if you don't muck it up!"

Powder is not quite sure what possessed her, but it was definitely her who finished issuing the challenge.

“The next ten times! And I get to pick from everything!” She's angry, done with being last in line, done with stupid Mylo, thinking he's better than her because he's older, because she's smaller.

She glares at Mylo, daring him to accept or maybe a part her hopes, back down. That was not to be, even if it wasn't Mylo saying it.

“I heard that, and I'm keeping you to it, Mylo. She'll beat you, no trouble."

Vi's voice chimes out from the doorway. There'd be no backing out now. Powder has that dreaded insecure squint again and is running her fingers over the long feather of her earring. She knows her nerves are on full show, but Vi carries on.

“Two weeks from now, we'll have a race, I'll set out the track, get popcorn, and a flag.” Vi's buzzed for this, Powder can hear it in her sister voice, then with a gentler pitch; “You can do it, Pow. This is your chance.''

"Pfffff, I got this in the bag. Good luck. Don't jinx yourself.” With that, Mylo sauntered away.

…

Oh, the nerves were making her feel nauseous. She’s only just healed and just ready to fly again. And here she goes and agrees to this stupid race, but Mylo was just so, so, so aarrrchh! Could this day get any worse?

“Hey there, heard from Vi what's going down, and I thought, maybe you'd like to practise with me?"

Ekko's face is suddenly close, and his hands are over hers. At the feeling, she stops digging her nails into her palm.

She wants to curl in herself and, at the same time, unravel. Ekko's suggestion to practice does sound like a good idea, and spending some more time with him is always good. Maybe when they're done, they could go by Jericho's again.

“Come on, let's go catch some wind currents.” How could she say no to that grin? With a laugh and just before he shifts “Catch me if you can.” he pulls her along. Oh, he wants to play chase? It's on.

She’d always been a klutz, tripping over things that were barely there, her inventions failing, always somehow causing an accident. It ate at her even if Ekko told her there was nothing wrong with her, and Vander and Vi told her she just needed to grow into herself. She still feared she'd never improve.

But here she was, at neckbreak speed chasing Ekko, weaving over and between the many interwoven buildings of Zaun, catching wind currents and seamless gliding. This was fun. This was freedom. She gave into this game they'd created wholly.

Flying had come to her with ease, driven that first time by an urge to get away. Now, it was driven by how free she felt. But she'd remained just that bit cautious. Long dive drops, narrow passages, and sharp turns, her mind supplied her all the reasons she wouldn't be able to do them. She didn't even notice these obstacles, the thrill of chasing Ekko's graceful form rushing through her.

That was until she saw Ekko tilt sideways, suddenly parallel between two walls of a very, very narrow passage.

She lets out a panicked kaw as she gets close, he's almost through, and she has no option but to try or crash. So she does, heart rising to her throat, adrenaline kicking in as she dives between the walls. Breaking through on the other side with an upward swoop, she crashed into him and sent them tumbling to the nearest roof as they shifted back.

Are you ok? She blurted out. She'd never forgive herself if she hurt him.

“Woooo! Look what you did. You caught me, Blue!” She did, didn't she? And then the other bit registers. Blue, she likes that, her still stunned mind supplies. Does that mean she's his favourite?

At that, she realises just how they've landed. It sent blood rushing to her cheeks and thinking that the day could not only get better but exponentially better.

She's leaning over him, one of her knees between his legs, and they're almost nose to nose. Should she lean in just that inch closer? Their breaths mix, and he's not moving away either. It would be so easy, and she wants very much.

“You worried?” The question snapping her back to reality. “Don't be, you were awesome, all sleek and fast, and that dive!” It's hard not to give in to the ego boost, and then he adds the cherry on top. “If you win, you can pet me as long as you like."

She's stunned for a moment before she lets the addicting feeling of just going with the flow take her. “As you are?"

“I ment as an owl!!!”

“Isn't that more of a prize for you?” She giggled. It's a pity she can't really see his blush. He looks adorably bashful.

Were either one really sure of what they were doing anymore? No. Was the likely answer, but she really didn't mind, and neither did he, she thought. Later, she thought, this may well be her new favourite game. Could it be his, too?

…

Vi had gone all out. Up on the roof of the Last Drop, she'd painted the start and finish line, two long rods with a strand of colourful flags between them. Claggor and Ekko had taken a seat on the edge of the roof.

She wondered if she really should do this. If it went wrong, Mylo would never shut up. Her lip stings a bit as she realises she's been biting it. Ekko turns around at that and gives her encouraging thumbs up. Does he have a sixth sense for her worry?

As Powder lets his grin distract her, she feels Vi put her hands on her shoulders and look her in the eye.

“Ok, I know I kind forced this, but I think it'll be fun and I do think you got this, Mylo's cocky, sure he can run through the narrow passages but he ain't got half your grace and he can hold his breath till he chokes but he is just that bit slower.” It's a whole spiel, but if Ekko and Vi believe in her, she could try, right?

It's at that moment Mylo starts pestering her again. “Readly to jinx yourself?” That's all it takes for that spark to ignite again “You wish! You get jinxed!” If he wanted to keep calling her that, she'd twist it back. Vi doesn't leave much time for bickering, calling them to the start line. "Alright! Follow the flags, up to the Entresol and back here. On your marks!” With that, her sister waves the flag.

Vi had made a proper obstacle course of it. Plenty of drops and narrow alleys where Mylo could run, but she can dive now, and then the stretch to the higher level has him straining. And Vi was right, when flying, she is that little bit faster even if her speed bursts are less explosive. It's exhilarating.

The last stretch back one final narrow alleyway. Powder remembers her rush when she'd chased Ekko. Would he be by the finish line to catch her? Mylo hits the ground running and she dive bombs through, and just in front of Mylo, where he needs to take off, just when there's room to spread their wings again she rises ahead and straight under the row of flags.

Ekko's standing there and sod it, she's too happy to care, just over the line she shifts mid air and tackles him with her victory hug. She did it, she did it! He spins her, and oh, what a rush in all the senses of the word.

...

Vander opens the door to the roof with a tray of drinks and lets out a sigh. He's not quite sure what triggered all of this. But they were having fun, except Mylo, who, by the looks of it, was entering a massive sulk.

He wondered briefly if it was ok to just be done with your children and their shenanigans occasionally.

“Better luck next time, Mylo, and you might, just might, want to consider this a lesson. Who was out practising, and who was out boasting, hmm?” With that, Vander sets a drink down and pats Mylo's shoulder consolingly.

Thank you for the promt @letters-to-rosie hope you like it.

#timebomb #ekko x jinx #the owl and the crow #ask #So I said short #it is not #fun plot ran away with me #Ekko learns from his mistakes #so practising is logical #and that's a good thing for powder/jinx #also more time together

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