Quick note about this chapter. It contains OCs for Ezreal's parents created by my good friend Lunar Starling. He gave me permission, and it's wonderful that he did, because he's a huge inspiration to me. Thank you so much Lunar.
Chapter One: The Time for Grief.
Characters:Darius, Ezreal, Jayce (mentioned), Nadina and Pender Claremont (The OCs described above)
Word Count: 5,000
Pairings:Darius x Ezreal
Warnings: Mild sexual tones.
The cold, dark cabin of the carriage shook and rattled as it made it's way down the rocky road. Heavy rain, and at a few times, thunder made it's presence very well known to the driver, and passenger alike. Darius, the Right Hand of Noxus, sat inside the carriage, a dark, heavy leather cloak draped over his form freely. It furled and swayed in the bouncy movements of the carriage, and the light of the storm flashed upon it, creating a small show. Darius stared down at the floor of the cabin, his bright green eyes, like burning green suns in the vast of space, seemed to not be focusing on the wooden cracks of the floor below him, but rather yet on something far and distant, yet still vastly important to him. He closed his eyes and took in a deep, steady breath. He couldn't forget the countless nights he spent at his destination. The aroma there was starting to be as familiar to him as the one of home. The bed he had there was small, cramped, with less designer furnishings than the one he had in Noxus, yet at times he felt more at home there, more at peace, more happy than when he was in Noxus, in his own bed. He knew the reason why, and when that image crossed his mind, he couldn't help but to crack a smile on his dry, hard lips. He lowered his head, and allowed images and memories, pure ones, to flood him. He couldn't help but to widen his smile, to allow that joy, that happiness take him. It conquered his body, he was an absolute slave to it, and he gave himself to it willingly, and happily.
After many hours of travelling like this, the carriage stopped outside the now familiar city to Darius. He stepped out, and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small, dark purple coin bag. It was velvet, and had gold trimmings on it, which shimmered and shined in the pale light coming from the city as Darius pulled out a few gold coins, and paid the driver. He nodded a farewell to him, and soon the sound of Darius' boots gently slamming down onto the ground filled his ears. It was, to any who spent time with the man, a familiar beat. Like nearly everything else about the man, it was commanding. To enemies it instilled fear, and to allies it gave courage. Darius had been told this, and while he thought it silly, and immensely stupid, he said nothing. He had an army to lead, and he would take any tool he could to lead that army to great victories.
Darius quickly found himself inside the great city. Bright, flashing, multi-colored neon lights blinked and shined, advertising businesses or events, or anything that the creator wanted them to. Darius walked through the streets of the city, sticking close to the buildings, where the shadows, along with the cloak, helped hide his figure, and his identity. He continued walking for awhile, before turning and making his way down an alley. This maze of back streets would confuse some, and indeed confused Darius at first, but he had walked this path far too many times to be lost in it's puzzle now. He came across a single sign in the alley, one much fainter than the neon lights of the city streets. It dimly light the area around a door, and upon reading it, said "The Lucky Coin." Darius smiled as he read the all to familiar words, and made his way for the door. He stepped inside, and glanced around. The building was a bar, and while it might have had a bad name for one, it was still a fine, if not run down establishment. The few patrons who were seated inside gave nothing more than a glance to the door, in acknowledgement to the new arrival. Darius walked up to the bar, and from his coin bag tossed out a few golden coins, before giving a nod to the bartender. He'd been here before, that much was obvious, and the bartender knew his order, and knew what to do. Darius took his time going over to an empty booth. Whenever he visited, he always tried to sit in the same booth. One that, to anyone else just seemed like a normal booth, yet Darius chose this one because it was close to the back, had a full view of the bar in front of them, and more importantly, the front door.
Booths lined the entire 3 walls of the bar, with the center being dedicated to various pool tables, and the front wall being the bar area. Darius liked this bar, far more than others, if only for the fact that it's pool tables were the traditional style. Most bars in the city used neon lights and holograms, much too bright for Darius' eyes, and they always played their music far too loud. This bar was as close to the bars in Noxus that Darius could find, and while he greatly enjoyed the new fresh city, and what it had to offer that Noxus didn't, he felt the need to gently ease himself into it, not dive head first. He needed time to adjust, time to take everything in. He was so glad that the person he was meeting that night agreed, and understood.
At the mere thought of him, as if on coincidence, the door opened, and a much smaller, much more timid figure than Darius entered the bar. He wore, much like Darius, a cloak that draped over his figure, but instead of a leathery brown, it was a dark, velvet black, one that seemed soaked from the rain. Pale blue eyes glanced up and around the bar for Darius, before the figure quickly made it's way towards him. He bumped into a patron, and muttered out an apology as he also bumped into a near by pool table. Darius held in a laugh at the display of clumsiness. It was one of the most charming things about the man. The small figure quickly sat down with a sigh and shook his head.
"Trouble getting here?" Darius asked, smiling slightly as he lowered his hood, letting his blackish brown hair flow freely. He reached out and slipped an arm around the shoulders of the figure, who tossed his head back to remove his hood, showing a flash of blonde.
"Sorry, I'm probably late." Ezreal said, looking up at Darius with a wide smile. "I missed you." He said softer, before leaning in to give Darius a deep, slow kiss. Darius let out a small moan at the surprising, yet honestly expected display of affection, and returned it, sliding his other arm across the table to gently hold his lover in his arms.
"I missed you too." The larger said softly, pulling back as he reached up to gently brush Ezreal's hair out of his face. "And you aren't late. I just got here not that long ago." He said, which was evident by the bartender just now setting the drinks Darius ordered on the table. Neither of them paid attention to the bartender, just like the the bartender was paid not to pay attention to them. To Darius, loving someone was a weakness. Not one of character, not one of morals, but a weakness that his enemies could target, and could use. He took every precaution imaginable to keep this a secret, for the sole reason for enemies of Noxus not finding out. Ezreal turned and smiled as he saw the drinks being set down.
"Yeah, uh I was talking to a friend. They wanted to keep me, but I got myself away from them." He said, reaching out to take his drink, and lean into the strong chest of the man holding him. He smiled with comfort as he sipped his drink, and licked his lips.
"Which friend?" Darius asked, letting an arm free from holding Ezreal to mimic his actions, except he took a long, heavy drink, to quench his thirst from the ride. Ezreal fell silent for a moment, considering whether or not to lie. It'd be a bad idea, Darius could tell when Ezreal was lying, and he knew that.
"Jayce." Ezreal simply stated, taking another, larger drink than he did before. "Jayce wanted to see me." He muttered out, preparing for what was coming next. As if on cue, Darius' expression shifted from a delightfully happily comfort, to one of anger, and disgust.
"Jayce?" He snarled out, looking down at Ezreal with a deep frown. "Why are you talking to him? I asked you not to, I asked you to-" Ezreal cut him off by pushing himself away from Darius' embrace.
"Because he's my friend, ok?" He said, louder than he wanted to. He took a moment to make sure he was talking quieter before continuing. "Because he's like, my only friend ok I don't have many others, you know with being an explorer and all. And I get lonely! You aren't always here. Because I've got fucking no one else." His tone went from quiet talking, to barely muttering his words. Darius leaned his head back, and looked over Ezreal intently.
"You have me." He said quietly, sliding his arm away from Ezreal to take another long drink. "Or so I hope you'd realize that."
"I meant I don't have anyone here, don't fucking do that ok?" Ezreal said, looking over at Darius. "You're a big bad guy who doesn't get hurt by words, don't-"
"I know what you meant." It was Darius' turn to cut Ezreal off, looking over at him with a smile. "I was trying to clarify your statement. That's all." He forced himself to smile a bit wider. He'd gotten good at this. Forcing smiles, forcing happiness. It was hard for Ezreal to tell the difference anymore, and he fell for Darius' lying face.
"Alright." The blonde said softly with a smile, before sliding himself back over, and resting the side of his head against the large, muscular upper arm of the Noxian. "Sorry. I don't want to fight, you just got here." He said, sliding his arm behind Darius' back and giving him a half hug. "I love you." Ezreal said quietly, closing his eyes.
"I love you too." Darius said, leaning slightly into Ezreal's embrace, before setting the glass down. He turned his head, and gave Ezreal a genuine smile. "I have news." He said quietly. He didn't want to talk about Jayce anymore, he didn't want to voice his fears, or the crushing feeling in his chest that he was ignoring. "If you'd like to hear it." Ezreal simply gave Darius a nod of approval, and took the chance to snuggle himself closer.
"Go ahead." The Piltovian muttered out, enjoying the warmth of Darius too much to be able to focus on anything else.
"Draven moved out yesterday." Darius said quietly, smiling slightly as he reached for his drink. He didn't want to celebrate just yet, he was waiting on Ezreal's reaction, which was far more important to him just now, than the thought of Ezreal moving in with him, which is what Darius meant. With Draven out of the house, Ezreal was fully capable of moving to Noxus to live with Darius. The Explorer looked up at Darius, confused for a half moment before the information sunk in, and his face light up, almost as bright as one of the many neon signs in Piltover.
"He's gone?!" He nearly yelled out, forcing himself to contain his excitement. Darius simply nodded and drank, keeping the glass against his lips. "That's… That's great! I-I mean I don't think I can move in just yet," Darius' heart sunk. He froze for a moment, before lifting the glass to drink heavily. "my parent's wouldn't want me to just disappear." Ezreal continued a fraction of a second after he started. Darius considered for a moment, and while he was right, he could never be too sure. He simply lowered his glass and forced another smile, before looking down at Ezreal.
"Well, I'll just have to talk to them." He said quietly. Ezreal looked up at Darius, a bit of worry on his face yet gave him a wide smile.
"That might work." He said, leaning up to give Darius a kiss. Darius gave his full effort in making the return kiss natural, yet inside he didn't want to move. Darius paused for a moment, and slid his now empty glass across the table. "When can we go see them?" Ezreal asked, giving Darius another, harder kiss.
"Tomorrow, if you'd like." Darius said, forcing his voice to be warm. Ezreal smiled wider and nodded, before pulling himself into Darius' lap.
"We should celebrate." He said, his tone much lower, closer to a whisper, and with a hint of lust. Darius smiled and chuckled, slipping his arms around Ezreal's lower back, pulling him closer.
"We should." The Noxian said in agreement, putting his emotions aside, willing himself to be happy. "How would you like to do that?" Ezreal could help but grin as he leaned in, and kissed Darius' cheek.
"Well, you know what I say." He whispered out, a soft moan in his voice. "Noxians, I fellate those guys." Darius grinned and couldn't help but laugh. It was a pun Ezreal came up with after… Well, Darius didn't want to think about when Ezreal came up with the pun, but more so, he wanted to focus on the events unfurling.
"The motel is just a simple walk from here." Darius murmured out, pressing his hand against Ezreal's back and gently sliding it upwards. "We could celebrate there." Ezreal let out a, while forced, playful moan and nodded, leaning down to give Darius' neck a gentle bite.
"I'd love that." The blonde said, pressing his body against the Noxian. "I need it." He whispered. Darius smiled, and turned his head to gently bite Ezreal's ear.
"Me too."
Ezreal and Darius quickly made their way towards the front door of Ezreal, and his parent's home. They had awoken late in the motel room, and after a few groggy kisses and hugs, and Ezreal asking for another round and being denied because of time, they quickly bathed and got dressed, before making their way to the large, luxurious home. A small green lawn sprawled out in front of it, divided by a cobblestone walkway to the front door. Bushes, filled with various colored flowers, lined the exterior of the house, with a small porch and awning over the front door. Ezreal and Darius approached the front door, and the smaller of the two reached out to open the door. Darius ahd shut out, and bottled up his fears and worries from the night before, yet as Ezreal lead him inside the door, and called out to his parents, new fears and worries filled him. Yet his face remained stoic, and unchanging, showing no signs of it.
"In here!" A loud, female voice called out from a nearby room. Ezreal raised a hand, asking Darius to wait as he stepped across the marble floor, making his way into the other room. Darius could hear, yet not quite make out a conversation happening, and soon, a flash of blonde followed by a pretty face leaned out from the doorway.
"Come on in." Ezreal said, flashing Darius a wide smile. Darius nodded, and quickly folded his arms across his back. He was used to being introduced to people. For parties in Noxus, whether they were political or social, and at sometimes for both, he knew how to act. He made slow, long strides across the floor, and entered the doorway, forcing the happiest and most genuine smile he could.
"Mr. and Mrs. Claremont. A pleasure to finally meet you." He said, looking at the two. They were seated in armchairs next to each other, facing the doorway. Ezreal's father wore a happy, almost excited smile, while his mother wore an obviously forced smile. Possibly not obvious to others, but Darius knew forced expressions when he saw them. He gave both of them a small nod of his head.
"Mom, Dad, this is Darius." Ezreal said quietly. He had already explained to them, just before, that he and Darius were dating, and that it was Darius he had been seeing for the past two years. He smiled, and shifted nervously beside the large Noxian, who usually made him feel safe, but nothing short of a foot thick steel wall could make Ezreal feel safe from the piercing gaze his mother was giving off to Darius.
"Darius Kastner." Ezreal's father said proudly. "Wonderful to meet you sir." He stood, and despite the light touch from his wife, bowed deeply. Darius returned the bow, with equal depth and respect.
"As I said, the pleasure is mine sir." He said, before raising himself to look at Ezreal's mother, giving her a gentle stare as he examined her, without moving his eyes, a tactic he'd long since learned to do. "And a pleasure to meet you." He continued, giving her a smile.
"I'm afraid the pleasure will have to remain with you. Please, call me Nadina. This is my husband, Pender." She said, reaching for a elegantly designed and carved wine glass. She took a small sip and pursed his lips into a smile. "Why are you here?" She said. Darius smiled a bit wider. She was to the point, she was high society, she seemed ruthless. She'd fit right in, at Noxus, Darius thought.
"I've invited your son to live with me." Darius said, tilting his head slightly, examining Nadina's reaction, or in this case, what seemed to be a lack there of.
"No." She simply said, setting the glass down.
"Mom, I'm of legal age I ca-" Ezreal started, but was cut off by a gaze from his mother.
"I said no." She said, barely squinting her eyes at her son. "You will not live in Noxus, and you will not live with a murderer."
"Nadina!" Pender said loudly, before laughing and raising his hands to shake them. "Forgive her, Mr. Kastner, please." Darius chuckled and shook his head.
"Quite fine." He muttered out, giving Nadina a grin. He could tell the situation now, and how it would unfurl, and knew he'd won already.
"Our son is not-" Nadina started before Mr. Claremont stopped her by reaching over and taking her wrist gently.
"Dear, he's over eighteen years old. And if we wanted him protected, especially in Noxus, who better than the man most feared in Noxus? What's going to happen to Ezreal there, with Darius watching his back?"
"Be sold to LeBlanc by a military general looking to make good money." She said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
"Mom, Darius wouldn't do that." It was now Ezreal's turn to stand up for himself, to take his ground. "I love Darius. He loves me. I'm moving to Noxus, and you can't stop me." His voice quivered, yet he seemed brave, and courageous. Darius couldn't help himself but to give Ezreal a glancing smile. Nadina looked at the three around them, and scoffed, shaking her head.
"I know when I'm beat." She muttered out, raising a hand to dismiss the couple. "Go. I'll drag your dead body from Noxus in a year from now." She said, shaking her head. Ezreal sighed and shook his head.
"Mother -" The blonde was cut off by another piercing glare.
"What? Are you seriously expecting to be completely, totally safe in a city known for killing, raping, human trafficking, and drugs?" She spat out.
"Nadina!" Pender exclaimed, giving her wrist a gentle squeeze. "That's enough, don't berate the city that Ezreal's boyfriend comes from!" Nadina turned to glare at her husband, before jerking her hand away from him.
"You know I'm right." She said, looking up at Darius, a snarl outlining her frown. "Aren't I?" Darius simply held a small, timid smile as he looked at Nadina.
"There's as much law breaking, sex, drugs, violence, of all kinds in Noxus, as there is in Piltover." He said, smiling a bit wider. "From someone with experience in both cities, I must say that I see it more apparent here in Piltover. In Noxus, we at least try and hide from the law." He said, tilting his head slightly. "Then again, while they do a fine job from what I know, we have multiple leadership roles when it comes to law enforcement, not two young, very talented, trained girls protecting an entire city." Nadina squinted her eyes and stared at Darius hard.
"Don't trash my city." She growled out.
"Don't trash mine." Darius growled out, much deeper, much louder. She wanted to try and play Darius' game, the game of intimidation, and while he let her take the reigns, and think she ran the show, his patience had worn thin. "You hate me, and you hate Noxus, understandably so. Ezreal's coming to live with me, if he wants. He came to give you the pleasure of not simply disappearing. This is his choice, one that I assure you, had no influence or sway from me." Nadina scoffed and shook her head.
"You expect me to believe that?" She asked, unconsciously shifting back further in her seat from fear. She knew the stories of Darius, what he was capable of, and she absolutely feared him.
"I expect you to believe that if Ezreal steps into my city, he'd be given the same amount of protection that I would." Darius said, leaning slightly forward, but enough to make everyone think he'd walked right up to Nadina. Ezreal placed a hand on his chest, and pushed him back.
"Enough." The blonde whispered out. "I'm trying to move in with you, and have my parent's still love me." He said, smiling up at Darius to pat his chest before looking back at his parents. "Darius knows, better than anyone, what can happen in Noxus." Ezreal explained. Ezreal knew some, not all, of what happened to Darius as a kid. He knew the basics, and just a bit more, but nothing specific. "He wouldn't let me get hurt. I'll be staying at his house, with him. Guards will be around the house at all times." He said, trying to reassure his mother, who simply shook her head.
"Leave, both of you." She said quietly, pouring herself a refill of wine. "You have my blessing to move to Noxus." She muttered out, looking up at Ezreal sadly. "Just promise to visit." She said, offering him a soft smile. Ezreal smiled back and nodded, walking over to lean down and give his mother a small hug.
"I will." He whispered, giving her a gentle squeeze. "Thank you." He pulled back and smiled widely at his dad, not even having the chance to hug him before Pender threw his arms around his son, and gave him a large, tight hug.
"I'll miss you son." He said quietly, biting his lip to hold back tears. "I love you. Visit like your mother asked, ok?" He said. Ezreal nodded and buried his face in his father's shoulder, continuing to hug him.
"I will, I promise." He said, before pulling back and offering his father a smile. "I love you too, dad." He swallowed and stepped back, walking over to grab Darius' hand, and pull him away. "Come on, let's pack." He said, smiling up at Darius as he lead him to the entrance hall.
Ezreal stared out of the window of the carriage, taking in the sights. They'd just arrived in Noxus, and Ezreal looked around in awe at the city. He'd been here once before, to snoop around, but he never saw the city streets quite like this. The bumpy, cobblestone road soon changed to smooth bricks, and the carriage stopped bumping and jumping, and gave them a much smoother ride. Darius was engrossed in a book, and paid no attention to the city he grew up in. He'd seen it countless times before, and it held none of the wonder it did to Ezreal. The Piltovian looked up as he saw the high rising Citadel before him. His jaw slacked a bit in awe at it's stature, and how menacing it looked.
"Noxus is… Exhilarating." Ezreal couldn't find another word to quite describe it. Darius didn't look up from his book, until he found a place to mark. He closed it and set it aside, before looking at Ezreal with a smile.
"You think so?" He asked, glancing out of the window. "We're close to my house." He remarked. Darius didn't live far from the Citadel, easier and shorter walk to work that way. "We'll be out of this carriage in no time." He said, stretching his legs as best he could in the cramped space. Ezreal smiled and nodded as he continued to look out the window. When the carriage stopped in front of Darius' house, Ezreal smiled excited, and opened the carriage door, nearly jumping out onto the pavement.
"Come on!" He said excitedly, reaching and grabbing his bags. Darius chuckled and gently grunted as he squeezed himself out of the carriage, and tipped the driver. He reached over, and picked up most of Ezreal's bags as he started to carry them inside. "Wait, babe I got them." The blonde said quietly, trying to take a few of the bags. Darius shook his head and looked down at Ezreal with a wide smile.
"It would be easier on me to carry them, than on you to." He said. He let out a deep breath as he approached his door. For the first time since Ezreal and him left the bar that not so long ago night, Darius breathed easily, breathed freely. He didn't control himself, his fears of everything Ezreal might do left him. Darius' lover was here now. Not in Piltover. He couldn't deny anything, any longer. Darius opened the door, and carried Ezreal's bags inside. "Feel free to look around. I'll put your bags away in our room." He said, giving slight emphasis to the word 'our'. Something that, while he's said before in reference to motel rooms, now had a more profound, deeper meaning. This was their place now. Their home. Darius smiled and carried Ezreal's bags up to their room, and set them down on the bed. He decided that they could unpack later, and started to make his way downstairs, stopping upon hearing Ezreal's voice.
"I told you, I'm in Noxus." Ezreal said quietly. He was in the kitchen, and had a phone call from Jayce. Darius hadn't invested in a cell phone, they weren't popular in Noxus, and were mostly used in Piltover. It could also be used to link Ezreal to Darius as a weakness, so Darius decided not to get it. "No." Ezreal said quietly, sounding a bit frustrated. "No, I'm not coming back soon… Listen, just… I'm sorry! Jayce…" That was all Darius needed to hear. His heart sunk and his chest hurt. He thought quickly, and against his better judgement, decided to listen more. "Jayce, I can't…" Ezreal said, sounding sorry. "We can't see each other again. Look, we were… I don't care what you thought about us, we were just friends… Jayce I still want to be friends… No, no we can't do that anymore." Darius' face never changed. He looked ahead and swallowed the lump in his throat. "We were nothing!" Ezreal pleaded quietly into the phone. "Don't call me again." Ezreal said, stopping before he hung up. "Don't tell me you love me either." Darius closed his eyes, and turned to go back up the stairs. Ezreal looked at the sound of Darius going upstairs, and looked confused. "Bye." He said, snapping his phone shut. "Darius?" He called out, sounding cautious.
"What?" Darius called back, heading to his room. His word sounded more like a statement than a question, as he went into his room, and walked over to his armchair, sitting down and opening a small fridge beside him, taking out a bottle of whiskey. Ezreal quickly made his way upstairs, and after a bit of searching, found Darius.
"Hey." He said warmly, smiling at Darius before it faded. "What's up?" He asked, looking at the drink in Darius' hand. Darius returned Ezreal's gaze and raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing, why?" He asked, taking a drink from his glass. "Enjoying a drink after a long trip." He said, forcing a small smile. Ezreal looked over Darius as he leaned against the doorway.
"You heard my phone call." Ezreal said, realizing the situation.
"I heard you on the phone and decided to give you privacy." Darius said after taking a long sip. He sat the glass on a small stand beside his armchair. Ezreal sighed and walked over, making room on the bed before plopping down on it.
"What all did you hear?" He asked quietly, looking at Darius apologetically. Darius shook his head and forced a smile at Ezreal.
"I couldn't understand you." He said, letting his arms rest on the chair. "I didn't pay too much attention to your conversation." Ezreal looked over Darius and nodded. Thankfully, or maybe not, the Piltovian couldn't tell when Darius was lying, he was far too good at it.
"It wasn't important." Ezreal said, shaking his head and looking at the ground. He opened his mouth to continue, or maybe correct himself, but closed it. "I love you." He said quietly, looking up to give the Noxian a weak smile. Darius willed himself to smile wider and nodded.
"I love you too, Ezreal." He said quietly, while his chest felt as it would collapse on itself. He decided not to question it. He couldn't understand any good that would come from it. If he told Ezreal he was listening in, Ezreal might be upset at the invasion of privacy. If he told Ezreal his fears, Ezreal would be upset that Darius would think that of him. Darius mentally shook his head, as he smiled wider at Ezreal. "Welcome home." He said quietly, forcing the pain, sadness, and rage in his heart aside.