Archive of Our Own

Ekko Morales could think of a million better ways to spend his Friday afternoon. 

The downtown basketball court with Ajuna, for one. And his dad’s inauguration night into the Zaun PD as a Captain, for another. 

Or even web-slinging between skyscrapers in the dead of night again with J- 

…

Never mind. Not her. 

Nor any else of them either, for that matter.

There’s a whole array of things he could be doing tonight, and none of them involve being chained to a punching bag, stranded in the wrong universe with an angry version of his best friend glaring daggers at him. 

“Scar, we’re friends,” he says, pleadingly, “We used to play basketball with my dad - we still do, sometimes. Please - I know there’s good in you. I know you’re more than just the Prowl-” 

SLAM! 

The punching bag lurches back, sending Ekko swinging violently with it. He grits his teeth, tries to steady his head from the impact. Just as quickly as he’d sent it reeling, Scar stops the bag with a sudden push. The air stills, thick with tension, as Ekko braces himself for the hit. 

It doesn’t come, though Scar seems no less pissed off. The boy holds up his glove, sharpened to a point at the finger tips, then smirks. “I’m not the Prowler.” 

“Huh?” 

With an easy push, Scar sends him spinning. Ekko presses his head against the bag again in an effort to centre himself against the momentum. His vision blurs. Air starts streaming out of his lungs. 

It stops again, abruptly. 

Ekko barely has time to blink his eyes and clear the dizzying haze before something leaps down from the rafters and lands before him. A figure, shrouded in a large green coat and dark, steel-tipped boots. 

It - he? - straightens slowly, sharp eyes gleaming emerald green against the gloom.

Ekko swallows hard, when the figure steps forward into the fractured warehouse light, the glow flickering across him in broken shards of blue and green.

With a snap of the wrist, Scar tosses something - the glove - and he catches it on instinct. He slides it on, and it sheathes around his arm with metal rings. The man doesn’t speak, but moves around him in a slow, silent circle, the coil of a predator. There’s a weight in his gait - something measured and deliberately deadly. 

“I’m not from here - your universe,” Ekko says, voice dry. “If you let me go, let me save my dad, I’ll get out of your hair.”

He looks up. The black owl mask stares back, alien and unblinking, neon-green lenses glowing like something alive.

“Figuratively,” Ekko mutters.

The masked man halts, just inches away. His voice comes through the mask, deep, mechanical, and chillingly familiar. “Your dad is still alive?”

Ekko stares back, frowning. “What?” 

“You said he’s still alive.” 

“...Yeah,” he says, slower this time.

A tilt of the head. Ekko could’ve sworn there was a smirk beneath the mask. “Huh.”

His heart hammers away in his chest. “Who are you?”

A gloved hand slips up, grips the black owl mask within its claws, and pulls it away. Ekko’s breath hitches. 

It’s him - only with white hair and a sharp, menacing glare and eyes that have seen far, far too much. 

His jaw falls open, eyes wide in disbelief. The world tilts sideways as the other Ekko steps closer, studying him like a specimen under glass. 

“I’m Ekko Morales,” he looks back through hooded eyes, voice smooth as cut stone, his chin lifting in cruel amusement. “But you…”

He slips the mask beneath one arm.

“You can call me the Prowler.”

“Mr Morales - moving in the dark.” 

Ekko freezes, then blushes when Sevika’s spotlight falls on him. 

“You’re late, again.”  

He straightens up, books still clutched in his arms. “Well, Einstein said time was relative, so…maybe I’m not late. Maybe you guys are early.” 

Ekko is met with…absolutely nothing. 

“Tough crowd.” 

That earns him a laugh. He barely sees where it’s coming from, barely has time to process any of this before he’s shuffling quickly into the nearest empty desk and ducking his head down. 

From beside him, there’s a quiet ‘psst!’. He looks over, through the corner of his gaze, and spots her. Blue hair, long braids, blue eyes, a raised eyebrow.

“I liked your joke,” she whispers, and he almost melts at the sound of her voice. She’s grating, sarcastic, and…completely his type. 

“Really?” 

“I mean it wasn’t funny,” she adds, still all hushed whispers, “That’s why I laughed. But it was fun,” the girl shrugs, and gives him a cheeky smirk. “So I liked it.” 

Oh man. Is Ekko falling in love? 

“You know,” he leans in, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen y-” 

A whiteboard marker lands square on his forehead. He yelps, then rubs at his forehead in irritation.

The girl bites into her fist to suppress a giggle. That’s gonna leave a mark.

“Morales,” Sevika calls from the front, barely looking up from her laptop. “Shut up.”

He’s pretty sure he’s Spiderman. 

About ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine nine nine…nine per cent sure. 

It’s cocky, he knows, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’s diagnosed himself via the art of comic books. Last month, he came down with the flu and didn’t need a doctor to tell him that when he read Jayce Talis getting the flu after fighting Doc Octopus in the middle of the Pilt River. 

The Jayce Talis in his world isn’t nearly as cool. 

He’s pretty sure the man is an up and coming media darling with the way he’s constantly heralded on screen next to his fancy wife, Mel Medarda. Now, she’s the power in their power couple dynamic. Ekko has seen her plastered all over the news with all her charity work and foundations. Her influence has made its way down into the Lanes, where they’re - begrudgingly - finally getting the streets cleaned out of all the literal trash piling up. 

He doesn’t like Piltovans, and doesn’t like how little they usually interact with the little folk when it’s far easier living in their fancy skyrise apartments, but Mel isn’t from Piltover. She moved in from Noxus, so is therefore a badass in his books, and he’s finally able to walk to school without stepping in someone’s week-old puke pile, so Ekko is happy. 

Happy enough. 

What he’s not thrilled about is the way his pants are too short and his shirt is too tight, when his mum only just extended the stitching in his uniform last week. The internal monologue that usually echoes in his head is suddenly, deafeningly loud, and for some reason his hands are so…sticky? 

Ekko rummages through his drawers, careful not to linger on any pages too long lest the stickiness prevail and ruin his pristine comic book collection, and pulls out The One. 

It’s Jayce Talis - the cool one, not the simpering idiot on the news every morning - discovering his powers. 

Just like the flu, Ekko examines the symptoms.

Same loud thoughts. 

Same random growth spurt. 

Same sticky, sticky hands. 

“Oh man,” he realises the comic book is now firmly stuck to his hands, even when he waves frantically to separate them from its pages. “How did this even happen!?” 

A page flickers before him, illustrating Jayce getting bitten by a radioactive spider - the origin story. 

It comes back to him then. Spray painting in the tunnels with Scar, laughing together like they haven’t done in months, leaving behind a dead spider that decided to pierce its fangs into his skin the night before. 

“Shit,” Ekko looks in the mirror, and doesn’t recognise himself. His shoulders are wider, his height taller, his black locs now falling over his eyes. “I’m Spiderman.” 

The new girl flips upside down, standing tall despite literally defying the laws of gravity as she perches herself beneath a large branch. She pulls off her hood, revealing a shock of blue hair and a cheeky, cheeky smile.

Ekko gapes, stammers, feels his eyes bulging out of his head. 

“Jwanda?”

“Jwanda?” Jayce says incredulously. “That’s a uh-nice? name?”

“It’s Jinx, actually.” 

She shakes out her hair, which Ekko notices is now considerably shorter, and dyed with hints of pink and purple. He thinks it looks pretty cool on her, even if he’d been the reason it happened in the first place. 

“I like your new…hair,” he finishes lamely. Ekko Morales - casanova. 

“Thanks,” Jinx says flatly. She slings a web up and brings the monitor straight into her grasp. “Now, let’s get out of here.” 

Nothing could have prepared him for this week. 

In a twist of fate, he’s become friends with several versions of himself. 

Jinx, whose eyes light up pink whenever she fires up her webs. Whose sister is a police captain. Whose friend Isha died in a freak accident she couldn’t prevent, but feels like she could’ve. 

On a longer night, Ekko had found her, sitting on the stairs of the fire escape, completely listless in thought. He’d understood it immediately, and sat down beside her - silent as a mouse, but there. 

Isha, from the future, who’s mute and swings around on a robot her parents built for her before she passed away. Her father… him. Her mother…Jinx. 

That had been an emotional reunion, even if he’d been reeling from the news of his wife. His alternate reality wife - Jinx.  

Jayce, another Jayce, who he’s pretty sure isn’t doing too well but seems hellbent on denying it, but is super transparent whenever he sees a video of Mel talking on-screen and glazes over with tears. 

Vi, in black and white, the roar of a stadium somehow always following her whenever she poses mid-fight, like she’s in the middle of a pitfighting ring. 

He finds out later that she’s Jinx’s sister, but obviously from an alternate reality. Their dynamic is…confusingly violent. 

And Heimerdinger - a talking poro? He calls himself Spider-Yordle, whatever that means. The man is a genius, and uses string theory to store his massive hammers and weapons in some pocket dimension that he utilises every single fight. 

It feels like watching his dad’s old cartoons every time they interact. 

They train him, teach him to fight - to stand up and keep going, even when he feels like giving up. 

It’s uncanny how much they feel like old friends when he’s only just met them a few days ago. 

But nothing could have prepared him for the other twist of fate. 

Scar is the Prowler. 

The Prowler, who’s hunted him through train tunnels and almost succeeding in killing him several times over, had Ekko not discovered his ability to turn invisible out of fear. 

The Prowler, who Silco shot in cold blood, after letting him go atop Benzo’s rooftop, head shaking in disbelief. 

Scar, whose last words haunt him - follow him as he slides through the open window in his dorm room and lets out a strangled sob-scream. 

I let you down, man, I let you down. 

You're the best of all of us, Ekko. 

You're on your way. Just... just keep going... just keep going...

They all try their best. All the Spider-people, even his dad, when he’s tied up in webs and unable to move or speak. 

Nothing works. 

Nothing except the electricity crackling through his veins as he takes that leap of faith and lets go of all of it - the pain, the grief, the fear seizing him up as he thinks of all the ways he could die tonight going up against someone like Silco. 

His eyes light up. Green lightning pulses out, freeing him from his constraints. 

It’s time to save his friends from the multiverse. 

By the time he leaves Benzo’s place again, his suit is black and green, and he vanishes into the night. 

A hadron collider sends his friends flying back into their universes. 

Jinx shares a hug with Isha before the girl returns home, with her scattered robot clutched firmly in her hands. 

Vi shares a hug with Jinx , thanking her for a rubix cube, then salutes Ekko before jumping into the light. 

Heimerdinger gives him his hammer, which he’s pretty sure will fizzle out within the day, but he accepts it gratefully anyway when the yordle spins his way home. 

He turns to Jinx, and lets himself smile.“Do I get to like the hairdo now?” 

She takes off her mask, shakes out her hair, and he swears his breath catches again. 

“You know I’m older than you, right?” 

“Only by three months.” 

“It’s pretty significant, if you ask me.” 

He leans in. “Well, Einstein said time was relative, right?” 

She chuckles, then spins around, ready for launch. Jinx smiles at him softly. “Friends?” 

He clasps her hand in his. “Friends.” 

“See you around, Ekko.” 

And then she’s gone. He watches her jump, watches her land in the collider in shades of pastel blue and neon pink. 

Sucks how his first ever crush isn’t even from the same universe. 

And Jayce almost fights him, almost succeeds in staying, almost convinces Ekko to let him stay when Silco emerges from the rubble, furious…until Ekko turns invisible and turns the tide in his favour. 

A well aimed shot, a grip on Jayce’s suit, and the man is hanging off Ekko’s hand, his eyes fearful. 

“What if I mess it up again?” 

“You won’t,” Ekko says with a smile. “It’s all a leap of faith.” 

Jayce leaps. His eyes stay fixed on him the entire time, with palpable fondness creeping through. “Not bad, kid.” 

They’re gone. They’re all gone. 

Ekko balances the hammer in his hand, gives it a few swings, then calls Silco over. 

The man is strong, and ruthless. Agile, despite having no powers to guide him through the mess of a collider struggling to contain several universes in the basement of a skyscraper. 

“You don’t know what you’re doing, boy,” he snarls. Ekko avoids a hit with his cane, then swings onto the bus driving past. 

He sees it then - the stuttering figure of a large man staring at them in disbelief. Silco turns, and his face turns deathly pale. 

“Vander…” he barely manages to whisper, before the man turns in disgust and walks away. 

The fight is messy. He gets knocked down several times. Ekko’s pretty sure he’ll be bruised all over in the weeks to come, but Silco emerges far worse. 

After a well aimed hit of his hammer, the largest spiderweb he’s ever created in his life, and a note plastered to Silco’s top, the fight is finally over. 

The hadron collider sent his friends away. 

He starts to heal, starts to cope. Listens in class and makes friends with his introverted roommate Ajuna. Grows an extra head and bulks out considerably more, and becomes a local neighbourhood sensation. 

He spends his days at school, and his nights running circles around his dad, wondering at what point is he finally going to break the news. It’s not like it’s easy. He can’t just walk into Zaun PD, drop his mask and let it rip that he’s the menace wrapping up robbers in spiderwebs and causing thousands of dollars in property damage. 

Insurance companies don’t even pay out the Spiderman clause anymore because of him (and his predecessor).

What would their reaction be, even if he’d told them in the confidence of their home? 

“Ekko, we’ll love and cherish you even though you’ve been lying to us for a year”? 

Fat chance.

It all changes, however, when Jinx does the impossible - like he’d always known she would. 

“Hey, Ekko, wanna hang out?” 

They make it to the top of a bank building and sit on a ledge overlooking the entire city. It’s his favourite spot to enjoy the silence, especially when the world gets a little too loud. 

Mum’s going to lose her mind when he finally makes it back to Dad’s birthday party, but he can’t find it within himself to care when all he’s done is lie lie lie to his parents’ faces about his double life. 

The week has been rough. There’s a new villain in town that he can’t figure out, one who summons portals and dimensions and claims that he created him - the Spot. None of it makes sense, and mum caught him getting a B in Spanish. That wasn’t a fun night for the Morales household at all. 

“Got something on your mind?” she pulls him out of his thoughts with a nudge to his shoulder. Her hair’s a bit longer, more of a half-shaved bob, though there’s still streaks of pink running through it. 

“A lot,” he admits, “None of it as cool as you traversing the multiverse, apparently.” 

“It is pretty cool,” she grins. “I’ve seen so many places and they’re so cool, and you gotta see Hobie’s universe! I think you’d love it there,” she says it all in a rush, like she’s been itching to let it all out for months. 

Ekko smiles, then catches that last detail. “Wait, who’s Hobie?” 

“Just some guy,” she says breezily, when in actual fact it is so not breezy to him, and leans in. “Why, you jealous?” 

Yes. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he teases back, delighting in the way her face flushes as he leans in closer. Their lips are inches away, so close he can feel her breath against his lips. Her eyelashes flutter. Her blue eyes flick down to his lips. 

Ekko smirks, then straightens up. He looks out to the horizon again, smiling to himself when Jinx lets out a huff in annoyance. 

“Alright,” Ekko grins, “what’s the mat-”

She kisses him. Firmly on the lips. His brain short-circuits.

As quickly as it’d come, Jinx pulls back, looking like she’s just committed the biggest mistake of her life. 

“Forget it, I don’t know what came over me.” 

She looks away. 

“I liked it,” he says quietly. 

Jinx lifts her eyes and meets his again, the moment stretching between them like a drawn breath. He shifts closer, slow and deliberate, until their hands brush - and then fall together, fingers intertwining like they’ve always belonged that way. Hers are small and delicate in his, a contrast that makes his heart ache.

“In every universe, Spiderman falls for Jinx.” He leans in. “In every other universe, something bad happens to him.” Her gaze flickers down to their joined hands, then back up. “It’s what I am, Ekko. A Jinx.” 

She starts to pull back, her hand twitching, her body recoiling, but he doesn’t let her. He grips her hand tighter, grounding her, tethering her to him. Ekko pulls her gently toward him, until there’s barely space between them.

Her breath stutters, her lips part in surprise, and he raises his free hand to her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

His touch lingers there, soft against her cheek. 

“First time for everything, right?” 

He leans in and kisses her. Properly, this time. 

It starts soft - a tentative brush of lips, but quickly deepens as something electric pulses between them. 

The sunset bleeds across the sky behind them, casting a warm amber glow over their entwined figures. 

And in that light, she feels like everything he’s ever wanted. Her lips are warm, pliant, tasting faintly of mint and adrenaline. She smells like metal and jasmine, sharp and sweet all at once.

Ekko feels his heart being swallowed whole by this incredible girl who captivates his soul. She’s in every page of his sketch book, every dream he can imagine, and now she’s finally here and finally kissing him. 

He slips his arms around her waist, drawing her closer until their bodies align. Her hands rise to his shoulders, then into his hair, fingers threading through his locs as she moves against him, slow and sure. She shifts into his lap, straddling him, pressing herself closer - chest to chest, heartbeat to heartbeat - and kisses him like she’s starving.

Jinx sighs into his mouth as he grips her by the waist, hands sliding along the smooth fabric of her suit, feeling the heat of her through it. Her lips part wider beneath his, tongue flicking against his in a teasing caress that has him groaning low in his throat.

When they finally part, breathless and flushed, he rests his forehead against hers. Her lips are kiss-bruised, her eyes wide and shimmering. In them, he sees everything: the fire, the fear, the fierce, unspoken undercurrent of… something they’ve never admitted until now. 

Ekko pulls her into a hug, and watches the sun set over Piltover and Zaun.

“Welcome to Spider Society!” 

It’s insane. He is both overstimulated and fighting the urge to not freak out in the middle of what seems like a million other Spidermen casually walking around. At some point, during Spider-Sevika’s introductory tour to the lobby, an actual tyrannosaurus rex dressed in full gear roars at him. 

Ekko has never seen a dinosaur in the flesh before, but he’d be pretty disappointed if he ended up travelling to the Late Cretaceous period only to find that none of them were Spider-Dinos. 

He’s introduced to Viktor, a man in a grey suit with red cloak tendrils flowing behind him. When he approaches the platform, Viktor appears…almost robotic, with the way the metal curls around his body and ends with his face completely obscured by a silver helmet. Twin yellow eyes blink at him when he greets him, emotionless in their appraisal. 

“Ekko Morales,” he says, in a thick accent. The helmet phases back, unveiling a gaunt man with piercing golden eyes. Ekko finds it hard to meet his gaze. “Our…anomaly.” 

The thing with Ekko and adults is that they always seem to like lecturing him. Maybe it’s something in his face, in the way he openly glares at them with defiance, that spurs them to give him unwarranted advice, or a life lesson they think he should be learning just by standing his ground. 

In Viktor’s case, he’s immediately put to blame - for being an anomaly, for being the reason the multiverse is in shambles. One action, of a crazed man searching for his old mate, and a spider sent into the wrong universe, and it’s all. His. Fault. 

Ekko’s fists clench together. His nostrils flare, furious. 

“I don’t know you,” he grinds out through clenched teeth. “And I sure as hell don’t appreciate being talked to like I’m some dumb child.” 

“You’re correct,” Viktor says, impassively, though his eyes flare with something dangerous. “You don’t know me.” And launches into yet another backstory about his life and the importance of maintaining canon events - something dumb, about making sure everyone follows the right order or it falls apart. 

Ekko doesn’t believe it. He doesn’t believe a second of it. He spits at Viktor’s feet. “Bull shit . You don’t know that.” 

There’s a pregnant silence, followed by a slow, sarcastic clap. 

Viktor buries his head in his hand, clearly exasperated. Sevika rolls her eyes. Jinx just grins. 

“You took a spit on the establishment. I salute you.” 

Ekko stares. “I-what the hell are you?” 

He’s staring at something…strange. It’s a man, but not quite?

He moves through the room like an ever-changing collage, tall and dressed in a studded leather vest with a guitar strapped to his side. He’s glitching, ever shifting, his pace unmarred by the fact that he’s grabbing whatever spare nuts, bolts and parts are within his line of sight. He crackles with attitude. Every word out of his mouth sounds like a manifesto on anti-establishmentarianism and the downfall of organised society. 

Ekko’s fury stalls, thrown off track by sheer confusion. 

The figure lifts his mask. “Name’s Hobie,” he says, smirking. 

Ekko’s jaw clenches. 

It’s him - Ekko . Kind of. But older, cooler, taller , with longer dreads and several facial piercings and the kind of swagger Ekko tries to emulate on a daily basis. 

From the corner of his vision, Jinx is practically swooning. It makes his teeth grind. 

“Oh, and Jinx,” Hobie adds, cocking a brow at her. “You left your toothbrush at my place.” 

Ekko’s brain shorts out. 

“Toothbrush?” he repeats, voice cracking just slightly. 

“Vik! Go easy on the kid!” 

None of that matters (it matters a bit), however, when it’s Jayce - his Jayce, the one who was spiralling last they saw each other - running up dressed in a pink bathrobe and a baby pouch slung across his shoulders. 

Inside is…the cutest thing Ekko has seen in his life. 

He’s only sixteen. He has no idea what to do with a baby, or how to hold it for that matter. Do babies even know how to smell yet? 

Clearly none of this concerns Jayce, because she’s immediately thrust into arms, all giggles and cooing. 

“You had a baby?” 

“I had a baby!” Jayce cries, clearly excited. He whips out his phone and proceeds to show him an endless album of baby photos he’s pretty sure aren’t any different from the last. One of them lands on Mel, cuddling the baby and grinning at the camera. “And we patched things up,” he adds softly. “Thanks to you .” 

It almost warms him up - almost. 

“Jayce,” Viktor says, his voice low in warning. “Thanks to him , our multiverse threatens to collapse.” 

“He’s right here,” Ekko swivels around, glaring, and feels the tension in the room resurface. “I don’t care about your stupid multiverse. I’m gonna save my dad.” 

“I cannot let you do that,” Viktor says, sadly. 

Are the walls caving in, or is it just him? 

“Ekko,” Viktor steps off the platform, “Being Spider-man is a sacrifice. You have a choice between saving one person and saving every world.”

Ekko looks around, sees the sad faces of his friends - of Jinx - and realises something very, very wrong. 

“You could’ve visited me any time,” he says quietly, though he knows she can hear him loud and clear. “You knew the whole time, didn’t you?” 

“Ekko, I-” she gulps, “I couldn’t…figure out how to tell you.” 

Disappointment floods his chest. He tears his eyes away, feels his soul split in two when she lets out a strained noise. He locks eyes with Jayce. 

“You’re not here for a social call, are you?” 

The man hangs his head. “No.” 

He’s being cornered, ambushed like prey. Just before he has time to even think about making a run for it, there’s a red, crystalline forcefield caging him in. He pounds against the cage, feels it closing in the more he pushes back. 

There’s screaming on the other end, from Jinx, from Jayce, their faces spitting at Viktor in fury. None of it matters. None of it matters at all - not when Wyeth Morales is on the brink of death and he’s quite literally beyond the fold. 

Ekko feels it again - that crackle of electricity coursing through his veins. He takes a deep breath, catches Hobie’s knowing smirk, then lets go. 

And then, it’s a chase. 

Wyeth gives him strength. 

Inna gives him courage. 

Ekko wills it all to come back, to help him find an escape from this nightmare of a reality and somehow find a way to save his dad. 

The Prowler, unmasked, takes a seat next to Scar. They both sit there, watching him closely, watching for any signs of…something, he’s not sure. 

He’d almost be comforted by the fact that they’re friends in every universe, if it weren’t for the crushing fear of being tortured by an evil alternate reality version of himself. 

The television chatters away in the background. This universe’s Jonah fires away his daily reports live to air, citing another turf war from the Sinister Six Cartel. He has no idea what it means, but it sounds bad. Really bad. 

He’ll have to fight his way out of these chains, away from himself, away from a sextet of bad guys, and somehow find a way to travel through the multiverse, defeat Spot and save his dad? 

The laundry list is getting bigger by the second, and he doesn’t have time for this. 

Ekko doesn’t have any time for this at all. 

“I’m getting out of here,” he says, with renewed strength. He has it in him for one more blast - one more surge of energy before he needs to hide somewhere to recharge. It’s been a long day, and Ekko can feel his bones screaming for rest. “You can either back me up, or back off.” 

Prowler Ekko lets out a dry, humourless laugh. “Yeah, right. You and what army?” 

His fingertips crackle. The electricity returns. His hands are tied, but he’s pretty sure Scar’s eyes widen as soon as he realises what’s about to happen. Ekko smirks. “This one.” 

He plunges a hand into the bag and feels it detonate with energy beneath his touch. The force of the blast propels him backward, the canvas-rubber pressing hard against his spine. But he uses the momentum, twisting midair to slip free of the chains and land on his feet.

Ekko hits the ground just in front of them, catching their stunned expressions for a split second - then bolts.

The building is tall, a maze of endless staircases and crumbling concrete. But in another world, he’s called it home for sixteen years. Even in its decayed state, he knows it. He knows where to catch his breath, where to vanish, and exactly which fire escapes lead to freedom.

He ducks into a storage cabinet, heart pounding in his throat.

The Prowler lands in the hallway with a heavy thud, gesturing for Scar to continue the search downstairs.

It’s only now, as Ekko watches from the dark, that he fully grasps just how lethal he could be. It's like watching a shadow of himself in motion - only more hardened, more haunted. He can practically hear his counterpart's mind working: scanning the hall, measuring the angles, listening for the faintest hitch in breath.

What Ekko’s never had, though, is a mask with infrared vision.

A second later, he’s yanked out of the cabinet, a cold grip closing around his throat. His back slams into the wall, hard. He chokes, gasping, as the mask peels away from the attacker’s face.

“Are you an idiot?” the Prowler growls, voice low and furious. “You’re gonna get us killed.”

Ekko coughs, still pinned, but smirks through the pain. “Lot of that going around. Get in line.”

The Prowler doesn’t laugh. His grip tightens.

He has to think fast, or he’s gone back to square one again.

“I get it,” Ekko rasps, voice strained. “You’ve lost Dad.”

That gives him pause.

“But what if you didn’t have to? What if you could meet him again and tell him what you never got to say? We could save him - keep him from dying like he did here. You and me.”

The fingers around his throat falter, then fall away. Ekko stumbles forward, catching his breath.

“I’ll go,” the Prowler says, voice lower now. “I’ll take your place.”

Ekko steadies himself, eyes locking with his double’s. “You can try. But there’s no taking my place if he’s already dead. You’d just be grieving in a different universe.”

A long, tense silence passes between them - one that hums with a reluctant understanding.

And then a window shatters, followed by a blast of light and sound. 

Jinx bursts through, arm raised, her furious eyes blazing with panic.

“Step away from him!” she shouts, and before either Ekko can speak, she’s already moving, a streak of pink and blue slicing through the air. 

She’s on the Prowler in an instant.

Webs snap through the air. 

Jinx fights like a storm - fast, unpredictable, striking from impossible angles. 

She swings around the hall, ricocheting off walls, flipping from ceiling beams, vaulting over broken rails. Every movement is a sharp, furious, reckless ordeal, yet Ekko swears he sees her smile when she realises it’s not a fight easily won. 

She likes it. 

“You’re not too bad,” she calls out, “for an owl.” 

The Prowler grunts, momentarily disarmed by a web aimed straight across his eyes. He wipes a hand across his mask, clearing his vision. “Funny thing about owls,” he says, eerily calm, “they eat spiders.” 

His hand shoots out, grabbing onto a web Jinx throws his way before yanking it back. Jinx lets out a loud shriek as she barrels straight to him.

Prowler Ekko is scarily precise and efficient to the point of perfection. It’s clear he’s been in his fair share of fights.

No punch is left wasted, not a movement unplanned. He’s brutal, each blow landing with bone-rattling force, shaking plaster from the walls. She dodges his punch at the last minute, breathing heavily. 

Where Jinx is wild, he’s calculated. She improvises; he dismantles. He weaves through her attacks with unnerving ease, every dodge executed with razor-thin margins. He’s holding back - barely - but there’s nothing gentle in the way he moves.

It’s a clash of chaos and control, and for a moment, Ekko can’t look away. He’s stunned.

Then the building starts to groan - cracks splitting up the walls, dust raining from the ceiling.

No time.

Ekko lunges in.

“Stop!” he yells, grabbing the Prowler from behind and holding him back with everything he has. 

To his surprise, Jayce appears from the smoke, throwing himself between Jinx and the fight. He locks his arms around her, holding her back just as she rears up to strike again. She's baring her teeth, fury radiating off her in waves, eyes locked on the Prowler.

The Prowler breathes hard, still half-tensed for the fight, then slowly lowers his arms. He eyes them with a wary glare. “Friends of yours?” he asks, voice low.

Ekko snorts, more bitter than amused. “Something like that.”

A charged, heavy silence falls. 

Ekko lets go of himself - literally - and stumbles back a step, wiping a streak of sweat from his cheek. “What are you guys doing here?”

Jayce straightens, still holding Jinx by the arm. “We came to help,” he says slowly. “You don’t have to believe us, but it’s true.”

His eyes land on Jayce, hard and unyielding. “Could’ve used that help a little earlier.”

Jayce winces. “We didn’t know where you were until-”

“Until what? Give me one more excuse, Jayce. I think I’ve heard ‘em all from you now,” Ekko snaps, then jerks his head toward Jinx. “And you - what the hell were you thinking charging in like that? You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”

Jinx crosses her arms indignantly. “I wasn’t just gonna sit around and wait for you to die, genius.”

“You didn’t even have a plan! And we,” he adds, gesturing madly between himselves, “were making headway before you decided to topple the entire building!” 

“I’ve got a web slinger and a bad attitude - what more do I need?” 

“Maybe common sense?” Ekko yells back. “We were clearly just talking!” 

Jinx stops struggling in Jayce’s arms, looking at the both of them in disbelief. “Wha-you and dark Hedwig?” 

“No,” Ekko lets go of the Prowler, who thankfully makes no move to surge forward. “Me and…you mind?” 

With a grunt, the Prowler reaches up and pulls off his mask, revealing a roguish, self-assured smirk.

Jinx’s jaw practically hits the floor.

Jayce gawks. “How come he’s so much cooler than you?” 

“Hey!” Ekko snaps, glaring at him.

Jinx rips off her own mask, needing to see him clearly - needing to confirm that, yes, he really does look like that . The white hair, the swagger, the abs showing beneath the hem of his top, the grin that shouldn’t be legal.

Prowler Ekko’s eyes light up the moment he sees her, amused and intrigued. “Nice moves.”

Jinx recovers fast. Her shock fades into a sly smile, lashes lowering just a touch. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Ekko makes a choking noise. “Excuse me?” 

The Prowler ignores him. He steps closer to her, confidence practically radiating off. “You always hit that hard, or just when you’re rescuing pretty boys?”

Jinx tilts her head coyly. “Depends,” she flutters her lashes at him. “You always fall that fast, or just for girls with a thing for explosive webs?” 

Ekko throws up his hands. “I hate this. I hate this.” 

Jinx laughs under her breath, still locked in his gaze.

The Prowler just grins, clearly unbothered. “Get your girl, Morales,” he says, his voice silky smooth, “Or I will.” 

The moment hangs, ridiculously surreal, but it snaps in an instant when Jayce steps forward, cutting through the haze.

“You two done?” he asks, his voice calm, but edged with urgency. “Ekko, we came to help save your dad.”

The mood shifts. Ekko’s consternation vanishes. He turns sharply toward Jayce, eyes hard.

“It didn’t concern you before, Jayce,” he bites back. “This is my dad, and my business. And by the way,” he adds, voice cold, “you’re the last person who gets to decide what I do.”

Jayce holds his gaze, hands raised slightly in peace. “I know,” he says, quiet but steady. “I’m sorry, Ekko. But I’m here now, and if we want to save your father, we need to move. Now. ”

They’re far from forgiven. 

But he sees their point. The Spot’s growing stronger by the second and he’d barely held ground fighting against him the last time. 

The assistance, despite coming from certain people he’s still grumpy at, is much appreciated.

Ekko barely spares her a second glance, choosing instead to focus on his - Prowler Ekko, not him - and Scar’s debrief on the current climate. 

“Not as easy as running out on the streets here,” Scar grunts, “Ever since the Cartel was established, we’ve been hiding in the shadows. S’not so bad in the daytime, but you all sure as hell chose the worst time to arrive.” 

The guy barely seems fazed by them. Even in his own universe, a literal sinkhole in the middle of the road hadn’t even earned more than a blink in surprise from him. 

His stoic expression had remained, even as he saw Jinx and Jayce standing in front of him in full suit, and even as the rest of them filed into the hallway.

Ekko had been beside himself seeing Vi walk through, followed by Isha and Heimerdinger close behind. 

“We just need to open the portal,” Jinx says, shrugging. “Could do it anywhere.” 

“Yeah,” he - Hobie - adds, “Right here would work too.” 

“Make it quick,” Ekko says, frowning at a crack in the adjacent wall. “I’ve got a feeling you’ll need to relocate soon.”

The Prowler looks at him impassively. “It’s seen worse.” 

“Okay,” Jayce claps his hands together. “Here’s the plan-” 

“Whoa whoa whoa ,” Ekko waves his hands in front of his face, “Since when were you in charge of this operation? It’s my-”

“Our,” says Hobie and the Prowler. 

“- our dad. We should call the shots.” 

Jayce stares at him, then steps back. “By all means.” 

Everyone looks at him expectantly. Ekko takes the floor. “We got one shot at this. I’ll take on the Spot. If Viktor’s coming after us, I’ll need you,” he points to Jayce, “and you guys,” he points to Jinx, Vi, Isha and Heimerdinger, “to hold them off.” 

“That’s insanity,” Vi says, arms crossing in protest. “You can’t take on the Spot by yourself. He is quite literally gathering all his strength from the multiverse.” 

“It’s my fight, Vi,” Ekko grinds out. “I created him, so I’m dealing with him.” 

“He was a scientist working for Silco,” Heimerdinger says gravely, “He created himself, Ekko.” 

He has nothing to say to that, but frowns nonetheless. “There’s no time. Just hold off Viktor,” he says, with an air of finality. The others protest. He ignores them, and turns to Hobie and the Prowler instead.

“You two need to keep dad safe. Get him away from the action.” 

Prowler Ekko’s voice is quiet. “You trust me with him?” 

“I trust you to keep him safe,” Ekko asserts, with a pointed look. “He’s your dad too, even if he’s from another dimension.” 

Hobie glances between them, then folds his arms together with a smirk. “You got it, boss.” 

The Prowler nods, though his face betrays a hint of something…hopeful. 

Finally, he turns to her. His hard expression softens, just a fraction. She tilts her head, eyes full of things left unsaid. Ekko sees the worry in her eyes, and offers a small smile.

“All fired up?” 

“Yeah, Boy Saviour,” she murmurs. “We’re all set.” 

She resets the dial, punches in the coordinates, then launches the portal. It’s a far cry from the clean golden rings he’d gotten used to. This one pulses and twists like a living mosaic - Hobie’s style, no doubt. 

One by one, they step through.  

Just before he crosses the threshold, Jinx catches his hand. 

“Ekko…I-I’m sorry.” 

He stops. Her voice pulls him back like gravity. Ekko, turns his head slightly, just enough to catch her eyes - and the moment he does, the heat behind his anger dissolves. 

“Don’t sweat it.” 

“But I am,” she breathes, “Vi quit the force. She’s not captain anymore, and my world…it’s still okay.” 

He turns full to her then, drawn in by the quiet sincerity in her voice. Her eyes hold his, full of something deeper than a mere apology. They shimmer in pink, but still he sees it - steady, fierce - clear as day. It’s faith . 

“We’re gonna save your dad,” she says, with the kind of promise that burns into his bones. 

Ekko’s breath catches on that spark again - the same fire he’s been chasing after all night. 

Jinx reaches for his hand, fingers slipping between his, and gives it a squeeze.  

Letting go of her means relinquishing the hope swelling up in his chest. They’re going to save his dad, or die trying. 

He doesn’t let go. 

Together, they step through the portal, hand in hand, as it swirls shut behind them, collapsing in on itself with a soft pop , vanishing from the air like it was never there.

Earth-1610, here we come . 

The plan goes awry as soon as they land in Earth-1610. 

Knowledge is power, and information is key. He has neither of those in his arsenal, having suffered through too much lost time in the Prowler’s dimension. 

Had Ekko still been at Spider HQ, he would’ve known ahead of time that the Spot was already laying waste to the city. 

Half of the Bridge of Progress is gone. Piltover Academy is history. By the time they round the corner, Jericho’s food stand is getting sucked up into a dimensional rift. 

And a mere ten blocks away, every officer attending Zaun PD’s inauguration ceremony is up in arms shooting at the Spot. 

He hears the mocking words, taunting him to come out and fight. 

Ekko gives his counterparts a hard, hard look, willing them to remember what’s at stake. They nod, firmly, then dart away. 

From there, it’s all a blur. 

Bullets are dodged, left, right and centre, as Ekko leaps his way into the action. The Spot is summoned straight to him, and he swears this disfigured monster of a man grins as soon as he spots him. Ekko can barely keep count of the number of dimensional holes he leaps over to avoid being sucked into his trap. 

None of them roll with the plan either. To his left, Isha’s sitting in her robot and spinning funnel webs around the Spot as Jinx tries her very best to disarm him with her explosives. To his right, Heimerdinger’s whipping out a new mechanised hammer and attempting to play hit the mole every time the Spot makes a reappearance. 

Ekko makes a leap for a nearby building in an attempt to guide the Spot away from the site, and it almost works. 

Until Viktor and Sevika make their appearance. 

Jayce and Vi tag team to hold them off, but they’re tired, and their opponent is relentless.

They pull him away from the scene, urging him to stand back, to let the canon event happen and keep the multiverse intact. 

Ekko grabs Viktor by the shoulders, shaking him, yelling at him to see reason. 

“Fuck the multiverse - the Spot’s already destroyed half of my universe!” 

Behind him, the sky crackles with ruptured dimensions, warping the horizon like glass about to shatter. All around them, Piltover and Zaun are barely recognisable - smoking ruins, fragmented skyscrapers, and the aching silence of everything already lost.

“Do you really know if he’ll stop at just mine, even if he kills my dad?” Ekko gives him an imploring look. “ Please . Help me, help me save him, and I’ll do what you want.” 

Viktor hesitates. His eyes flicker. Not with fear, but with grim calculation.

“This shouldn’t be happening,” he mutters, mostly to himself. “He’s…he’s not following the canon at all.”

“Exactly,” Ekko snaps. “This isn’t fate anymore. It’s slaughter.”

Sevika crosses her arms, but her posture shifts. She looks at Viktor. “You really gonna sit this one out, while he tears through everything we’ve ever known?”

Viktor exhales slowly, then meets Ekko’s gaze.

“I will help you,” he says, voice low, measured. “But if there’s still a way to stabilize the timeline after this…you’ll listen.”

Ekko nods, breathless with relief. “Deal.”

“Let’s move.”

The battleground swells with chaos.

Jinx unleashes another round of glittering, unstable explosives that detonate midair with a burst of neon fire, forcing the Spot to phase in and out erratically. 

Isha’s robot clamps down with spinning webs that tangle around one of his portals - just long enough for Heimerdinger to bring down his hammer, knocking the Spot back with a satisfying crack.

Ekko zips through the carnage, detonating his lightning seconds at a time to gain ground, dragging the Spot’s attention as far from the civilian zone as possible.

For a moment - just a flicker - they have the upper hand.

Then the air shifts.

A black hole opens just behind them. The energy lashes out, wild and starving, and in the chaos, the Spot emerges right where no one expected:

Behind Wyeth.

Prowler reacts first, lunging forward with a roar, claws drawn and slicing through a void-tether. Hobie throws a magnetic disc, trying to disrupt the portal’s pull. It hits - but not hard enough.

The Spot grins, manic and breathless, as his void stretches forward, tendrils snapping like whips.

Ekko skids to a halt. “Dad! ”

The Spot’s portal clamps down. His father is dragged toward it, inches away from being consumed.

Prowler grabs him, holding on with both arms, digging his heels into the street. “ I’ve got him—! ”

But the pull is too strong. The ground beneath them crumbles. Hobie dives in, wrapping a cable around both of them, anchoring to the nearest lamppost, but even that starts to bend under the pressure.

Ekko sprints forward, heart pounding. “Hold on - hold on! ”

For one breathless second, it looks like they might win.

Then the Spot lets out a snarl and opens another rift beneath them.

The street vanishes.

Hobie and the Prowler are thrown back. The portal slams shut -

And Ekko’s dad is gone.

The silence that follows is instant, and devastating.

Sevika tracks him down to the former Hextech HQ…the site of the collider incident. 

As soon as the words leave her mouth, Ekko’s gone, leaping across rooftops and barrelling his way to the place where it all started. 

Wyeth Morales’ words echo in his ears. 

When I look at you, I just see this spark in you. It’s amazing. 

Whatever you choose to do with it, you'll be great.

I love you, Ekko. You don’t have to say it back, though.

The others eventually catch up, but he’s already storming down to the basement, heart hammering away in his chest, his footsteps echoing across the empty space. 

Ever since Silco was locked up, this building’s been in a state of disrepair. Distantly, Ekko wonders why Spot hadn’t decided to destroy this place first. 

He then sees his father, tied up in rope, struggling as he’s sitting on a chair before the Spot. 

“Let him go,” Ekko snarls, immediately running up to-

“Uh uh uh,” Spot waves a finger in front of him, “Wouldn’t wanna do that .” 

A hole popping up in front of him causes Ekko to rapidly divert. He swings out of the way, far enough to avoid getting another hit, but close enough to launch at his enemy. 

“You know,” Spot continues, with an air of breeziness, like he’s talking about the weather. “I just made the most fascinating discovery. Here I was, hopping across the multiverse, planning your downfall, when I came across an old file.” 

Spot pauses, waving his arms out before him, making jazz hands. “You ever heard of Ekko Morales?”

Ekko freezes. Shit. 

His dad’s eyes widen, voice muffled against the gag in his mouth. 

“Oh, that’s right.” Spot rips the muffle away, to which Wyeth yelps. Ekko jumps to the ground, walking toward them, hands raised in the air. “Good. Now that got your attention.” 

“What have you done with my son?” Wyeth growls out, furiously. 

Spot tut-tuts, amused. “Nothing he’s not aware of already. Isn’t that right, Ekko ?” 

Wyeth’s eyes shift to him, widening in alarm. “You’re lying.” 

“Oh, no,” Spot holds a hand across his chest, “Multidimensional being with a vengeance complex, yes. But a liar?” he lets out a maniacal laugh. “That’s a Spidey specialty. Show him, or I’m zapping him into the void.” 

At his tone, Ekko immediately lifts off the mask. The look on his dad’s face could’ve killed him right there at then. 

“Your business is with me,” Ekko says slowly, “Leave him out of this.” 

“See, I don’t think so. I think everyone in this city is going to rot,” Spot’s dark circles spasm in the air, terrifyingly sharp.

Ekko stands in front of his father, mask off, hands raised. The Spot circles them like a vulture, spinning space itself with every twitch of his fingers. “I’m just starting with the main course.” 

A black void crackles into life above Wyeth’s head, aimed to swallow him whole. 

And then - thwip!

A webline whistles through the air, striking Spot’s wrist and yanking it back a fraction too late. The portal fizzles out. 

Another line shoots through the dust-filled light. 

Ekko immediately shoots a web at his father, pulling him back just in time as Jinx swings and lands hard in front of him. 

“Sorry, Spot. Buffet’s closed.” 

“Oh, come on,” Spot growls.

Ekko launches forward, slamming into him with full force. The two go tumbling down a ramp, smashing into rusted tech and shattered consoles. Spot opens a hole to counter, but the Prowler bursts through it from the other side, throwing a knee into his gut. 

“Wrong exit,” he mutters, blasting a shock into the Spot’s side. 

The room explodes into chaos.

Hobie crashes through the ceiling, guitar swinging, sending frequency shockwaves through Spot’s unstable portals. Vi scrambles to untie Wyeth as Prowler and Ekko double-team Spot, forcing him on the defence. 

Holes open left and right, but they’ve learned by now - shared it through their sixth sense. Each hole is a pattern. Each delay is a weakness. 

Still, it’s not enough. 

Spot roars and unleashes a vortex from his chest, black circles ripping outward and pulling at the walls. The ground begins to crack as reality folds in on itself. 

That’s when Viktor enters, carrying a strange metal pole.

In his thick accent, he nonchalantly says, “Now would be a very good time to run,” and slams it into the ground. 

A pulse erupts from the device. 

Time bends in a spiral. Ekko stares at it, dumbfounded, then realises what it is when he squints at it closely. 

A loop. 

“One chance, Ekko!” Sevika shouts, “Get him in the loop!” 

Ekko doesn’t hesitate. 

He races up the wall, rebounds from a suspended pipe, and dives through one of Spot’s own portals - reappearing right behind him. He slams his feet into the Spot’s back, sending him stumbling to the pole. 

“Got you.” 

The pole whines . 

The air around the Spot distorts, rippling like water, spreading around him like a web. Each step he takes is repeated, then looped.

He tries to open a portal, but it spawns behind him instead and drags him back to where he stood seconds earlier. 

“What the hell is this?!” Spot yells. 

“Something you cannot escape,” Viktor says simply, pressing a few buttons into his arm-piece. “This ends here.” 

He turns him - to Ekko, his face shifting back and forth as he stands there struggling through time. “I’ll end you.” 

“No,” Ekko glares, face hard. “We’re ending you.” 

The energy field intensifies until it consumes the entire space with white light. Spot is pulled back, every move caught in a recursive cascade, repeating in an endless loop of kicks and screams. 

Then, silence. 

The core shuts down, and Spot is gone - folded into the dimensional ether, trapped in a closed circuit of time. 

They’re panting, exhausted, and covered in ash and bruises. Smoke still curls from the basement entrance as they slowly emerge into the cracked light of day. 

Jinx is already there, crouched beside Ekko’s dad, gently cutting through the last of the bindings. Her face is smudged with soot, but her eyes are clear and focused. She helps him to his feet, slipping under one arm to steady him. 

He staggers, his breath ragged. He looks at each of them in turn, struggling to make sense of it all. And then his gaze lands on Ekko. 

Ekko steps forward, slow and uncertain at first, then runs into his open arms. 

“You came for me,” Wyeth whispers.

Ekko’s chest tightens. His eyes sting. He swallows hard, trying to form the words. “I didn’t mean to lie,” he says, barely audible. “I just…I didn’t want to lose you.” 

Wyeth pulls him into a fierce, grounding hug. “I love you,” he says, “You don’t have to say it back. I know.” 

Ekko closes his eyes and grips the back of his dad’s shirt like it’s the only thing keeping him standing.

“You’re not mad I’m Spiderman?” 

He rests a hand on Ekko’s head, letting out a heaving sigh. “We’ll talk to your mother first.” 

Ekko doesn’t have to look to know it’s her, slinking her way over with feather-light footsteps. 

He sits atop the old bank building, the one overlooking the blurred line between Piltover and Zaun, watching the horizon begin to burn orange with sunrise. He’d needed a moment alone, but strangely, her presence doesn’t disturb the silence.

“Are you always this broody after a fight?” Jinx’s voice is soft, lighter than usual, like she’s scared one wrong word might shatter something delicate.

“Only after saving the world.” Ekko offers a crooked smile. “Twice.”

She walks over, takes a seat beside him - close, but not touching. The silence stretches for a moment. Then, “So…what now?”

Ekko glances at her. “Guess I gotta hold my end of the deal. Help Viktor keep the multiverse from eating itself again.”

He pauses. “And you?”

Jinx shrugs, but her eyes don’t leave him. “I don’t know. Never really planned past the chaos.”

He laughs softly through his nose. “Sounds about right.”

Then-

“I meant what I said,” she blurts. “When I grabbed your hand.”

Ekko turns to face her more fully. “Yeah?”

She nods, nervously picking at the strap of her glove. “I know I mess things up. I blow things up. Literally and…you know, emotionally.” Her voice wavers. “But I don’t wanna do that with you - not again.”

Ekko looks at her for a long moment. “You scare the hell out of me, Jinx.”

“Yeah?” she forces a grin. “Join the club.”

He shifts a little closer. “But I’d rather be scared with you, than safe without you.”

Jinx sucks in a breath, blinking fast.

“So let’s do it right this time,” he says. “No more secrets. If you’re in, I’m in.”

“You sure?” her voice is barely a whisper.

“Yeah,” he says, firm now. 

A smile curls at the corner of her lips. “God, we’re sappy.”

“Only a little,” he grins back.

She leans her head on his shoulder. He lets it rest there.

The sun sets.

The fires are out. The chaos has quieted. But the scars on the city - and their bodies - are still fresh.

Viktor’s working overtime on damage control, and he’s pretty sure he hasn’t seen Sevika more stressed and tired than at this very moment. 

The good news, however, is that they’re fine …if millions in property damage was ever considered fine, but nothing unfixable by way of those weird, giant spiderverse dimensional containers Viktor seems to have at his disposal. 

It’s how Ekko finds himself catching a quick break on the ledge of an old rooftop, the wind tugging gently at his locs. His mask is in his lap. Beside him, the Prowler leans against the wall, arms crossed, the soft green glow of his tech flickering as it slowly powers down.

For a long time, neither says a word.

Finally, Ekko breaks the silence. “You ever wonder what it’d be like if someone else had gotten bit instead?”

The Prowler turns to look at him, mask off, brow arched. “All the time now,” he answers. “But then I remember…you didn’t choose to get bit. You just chose what to do with it.”

Ekko nods slowly, staring out at the fractured skyline. “I used to think being Spider-Man was someone else’s job. Maybe someone who believed the world would always make room for heroes.”

He clenches the mask in his hands. “But maybe there isn’t anyone else left. Not here.”

The Prowler studies him carefully, then steps forward. The version of Ekko from another dimension looks weary, and hardened. But there's something gentler in his eyes tonight.

“You don’t have to be a saint,” he says. “As long as one of us gives a damn and still gets up to fight, that’s the best we can do.” 

Ekko exhales, a small, tired laugh escaping him. “You know, you’d make a decent Spiderman.” 

“Now you’re really being funny,” he chuckles , which stumps Ekko for a second. “Got a radioactive spider for me now too?”  

“I’m serious,” Ekko says, “I saw your world. You’re still fighting - for your city, for our dad. For people who don’t even know your name.” 

He reaches out, sets a hand on his counterpart’s shoulder. “If that’s not Spider-Man, I don’t know what is.”

The Prowler looks down at the mask in his hands - a legacy now, not a burden. Slowly, he takes it and holds it up to the dimming light.

“Maybe it’s time my city had a Spider-Man of its own.”

Ekko grins faintly. “Go give ’em hell, Prowler.”

The wind stirs again, catching his coat. The city below breathes through cracked fissures, alive despite havoc wreaking through its underbelly.

And in the vast, complicated tangle of the multiverse, at least here and now…they won.