A/N: Veeeeery short time frame on this one. Written in about 45 minutes. Yay?
Ezreal sat glumly in the Institute's surrounding garden, desperate for something to occupy his mind. He had thoroughly surveyed the area surrounding the Institute easily thousands of times, and found it boring. He was also scheduled for a few matches later that day, so he didn't necessarily have time to wander off. He sighed and leaned his head back against the tree, near the edge of the garden, where a small pond resided, as well as the front entrance of the Institute.
Everything had just been... wrong, since she left. Ezreal didn't know where she'd gone and why. Last he'd seen of her, she was crying terribly just a few trees to the left of where he now sat. It seemed all he could do since then is miss her.
It was a daily routine. Go to morning matches. Think of Lux. Drink. Think of Lux. Eat. Think of Lux. Afternoon matches. Think of Lux. Drink himself to sleep. Dream of Lux. Lather, rinse, repeat. It was an endless cycle he couldn't seem to break. No one could break it, really. Except, maybe, for Lux herself.
Which is why he found it so unbelievable that she was walking his way, baton in tow.
He couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes, squinted, pinched himself, everything he could to make sure what he was seeing was real, and his now-present smile only seemed to grow with each step she took as he confirmed that this was, in fact, reality.
"Ezreal?" the blonde called out to her explorer companion, not entirely sure if the depressed mass of tattered clothes and the scent of alcohol was, in fact, the sweet kid from months before. He stood and waved for her to come faster, and he started to amble towards her, as fast as his semi-drunken legs could take him. They met in the middle, close to the pond, and Lux, disregarding the clear observation that he was drunk, excitedly wrapped her arms around the explorer's neck and buried her head in his chest. Breathing in the thick, lingering scent of Graggy Ice, she started to cry. Ezreal was somewhat confused at first, due to his bleary state of mind, but he eventually started to cry as well.
"Where..." he started, tripping over his own words. "Where've... you been?"
"Places. All unimportant. All that matters is..." Lux started to say, backing into a looser embrace to take in what Ezreal had become since her absence. "...is that you're a mess. What happened to you?"
Shame washed over Ezreal in a type of waterfall, its force nearly driving him into the ground. He looked down at himself and realized exactly what she meant. He was a wreck, and he couldn't let her think it was her fault at all... he couldn't do that. Not at all.
"Times are hard, babe." He pulled her closer and stroked her hair, providing no further explanation, but he figured it was better that way, and while she couldn't help but wonder, she figured he wasn't telling her for a good reason. _I'll bug him later,_ she mentally noted, nuzzling into his chest with a smile.
"Lux?"
Her eyes flying open, she looked up towards the broken boy.
"I don't know why you left or where you went, but... I love you. Just thought I'd say."
A/N: Yes, this is written for you, and yes, you know who you are. Love you, dear.