a / n : a little character exploration this time around ! & as a heads up , there are several alterations i've done in terms of canon - like making evaine & jericho an engaged couple prior to all these modern day events ( dethroning of boram , execution of the rose , ionia campaign , swain's uprise , etc. ) but also making evaine & emilia a part of the same body much like old lore had her at . evaine is the host & emilia is the spirit of the first incarnation of leblanc that body-hops .

also lowkey wrote this bc i don't see enough swain & lb stuff & rivalry shenanigans .

The crisp night echoed around them with an orchestra of the busy city sprawling below the towers of High Command - the distant echoes of tangled voices , clanking metals , and the footsteps of the night guard making their rounds about the cobblestone paths all melding together to become nothing more than clinks and clangs of an ever growing empire . But Evaine needn't look past the windows to know such sights anymore . She could envision them all in her mind with a clarity unlike any other , having seen and heard such things for centuries on end while she lingered in the veil of shadows that ran amok the Immortal Bastion .

Yet beyond all of her thoughts, something felt different tonight . Evaine runs her hands down her shoulders ever careful to keep the blanket atop her chest out of modesty , her fingers running across the dots of light scattering across her skin from the cityscape below . Emilia was quiet , her usual voice left only as a lingering hum of pensive thought within Evaine's consciousness .

And were she to be honest , Evaine was unsure of her companion's silence .

She toys with the sheets around her , sitting at the edge of the mattress with her fingers wrapping and clenching the fabric mindlessly . A part of her enjoys the solitude of the hours between midnight and sunrise ; the lights were brighter , the people that thrived during such times were quieter , and the streets held the bliss of sweet silence she no longer found in many places . It had become a haven of sorts when Evaine woke in the early hours to deal with the business of the Black Rose , and a chance of reminiscence all to herself when in the company of her lovers . But never with Swain - and she didn't expect it to be the same with him as silence had never been in either of their better favour throughout their previous lives . They were bright and bold as they always have been , hand in hand in their wit and ambitions beyond all others ; their minds set on each other first and their lips second .

Did he remember that when she drove the blade through his chest that day ?

Her wandering gaze takes her around the room in quiet ponder ; easily finding Jericho restlessly tumbling around half asleep with the blankets having migrated to his side of the bed . It had become a near typical routine these days to wake up before him , to the sights of the floor having become littered with her silks and satin and his leather garments . . . But the unopened bottle of wine that sat patiently on the endtable of the bed was certainly a rare occurrence .

Their bed .

She missed the kindred feeling of his arms around her at night for years , the scent of peppermint and baking that had overcome their home and even the loose shirts Swain let her wear during the cool summer nights . Now that she lingered on it , it felt rather selfish of her to say that she immediately seized the opportunity to feel his heat on her chilled skin and his lips atop of hers . Yet despite his frustrations , the bittersweet taste in the back of her tongue , and the papers that flew away from his desk when he sat her above all for the rest of their evening - she could not apologize for the warmth that concluded their tryst .

❛ Evaine ? You're still awake . . . ❜ A groggy voice breaks her train of thought as he came from behind her with his arms slipping around her slender waist , warm and quiet as he always was . She turns to him in eager surprise , as LeBlanc had scarcely heard the rustle of the sheets and the creak of the mattress , but none mattered in his embrace . The heat of his skin pressed against her chill , that familiar tint of his favoured cologne mixing with the subtlety of rosewater and vanilla lingering in her touch . . .

❛ I am . ❜

She sighs against the sensation and leans back as a chin rests on the bridge of her shoulders and Jericho raises himself up from his place to kiss her cheek and move aside a strand of her loose hair . He had never woken up to find her like this , she muses , but it was certainly a pleasure in light of their first evenings together .

❛ I don't often sleep during these times of the eventide . ❜ Evaine murmurs . She turns to him with eager fingers cradling her lover's jaw in a sweet caress , nails lightly scraping against his stubble . She mutters something about a trim and chuckles airily to herself , though Jericho merely rolls his eyes .

❛ Try to join me in rest then , it would do you well to get sleep ❜ He says and brushes back more wayward layers of deep violet hair . She would need to fix it again in the morning , though it was Jericho's fault for it's current state .

The full moon shines past the glass and into his bedroom ; softly illuminating Swain's features in it's celestial glow all the while revealing scars that were old and new scattered across his war torn body . Most of which she had felt in a single evening more than enough for her own comfort yet have never seen until now .

The years have truly changed them . . .

❛ I'll be fine , but you my darling , out of all should sleep more . It's only been a few hours . ❜ She whispers in return . Weary crimson eyes already harbor the traces of crow's feet at their edges , though she doesn't dare wander to meet his burning stare .

❛ Old habits die hard , I'm afraid . ❜ Swain shrugs and pulls her close when she scoffs and moves them back against the headboard of his bed . LeBlanc drags him down for a deep kiss , needy and desperate as she feels his calloused hands glide down to her bare chest ; clawed fingers dipping downwards to caress her in his warmth before they drift in between her breasts to find her hips .

She parts for breath for a second , lithe fingers scaling upwards to pull at silver hair when he suddenly moves her legs around his waist and his fingers find the bundle of nerves between her legs . Their lips part for air , her mouth echoing with his name as he finds her neck , teeth nipping at porcelain skin while his attentions are drawn to leaving a trail of kisses every which way . His fingers find a pace to move to and she arches her back from the mattress , whimpers echoing between them and her threat shadowed with every sharp pull at his hair .

Jericho hums against her , his voice quieter than she could remember hearing through his military regime ❛ You're thinking again , aren't you ? ❜ . He humours the thought for a second and nibbles softly , palming her breasts and whispering hushed compliments against her skin before he goes to match the necklace of purple lipstick she left on his chest earlier in the evening . Yet his words were enough to stop her as Evaine leans back on the pillows from his touch with a sigh of exasperation and weary muscle , teeth nipping at the bottom of her lips when her throat aches with unspoken words .

The images clutter and shift around her mind . From the public execution of the Black Rose , the fires , the rain that fell on his shoulders as she watched him from afar in shame . It makes her weary , she thinks . Of this game , of venom lying beneath their sugar laced tongues and his visions not her vision and how much she detests the knife that slips through her chest when he pulls her close .

But when his fingers slip deeper , LeBlanc only yearns for more of his intoxicating touch , urging him with a breathless moan as Swain leaves a mark on her collarbone . A chuckle would leave him , his eyes darting quickly to her and a devious grin finding it's path to clever lips .

❛ Jericho , I will end- ❜ She cuts herself off with a cry when he bites lightly , half pleasure and half in pain from her startling sensitivity . Jericho's hands immediately wrap around her body as she quakes , a curse slipping through when he finds that spot within her and paces his fingers quicker . Her rising moans meld with his breaths , legs pushing against his back for anchor while her hips move in tandem of his thrusts and Evaine shudders his name . Fingers curl within and she's breathless , broken phrases of old Noxian spilling from her shaking lips when she succumbs to her high .

Leblanc lays back against the mattress , defeated and Swain gives a deep chuckle at the sight . He softly kisses her , a hand combing through the mess of her hair all the while disregarding the thighs that had slipped tighter around his body to shift them around in a single movement of her hips . Swain's back hits the downy mattress in a hasty second , hands pinned to the sides of his head with force as deceptive as his lover ; crimson shifts back to rest on the figure of his queen sitting atop of him , the blankets having found their place around her body and the fire in her eyes driving him forth .

❛ You vixen . ❜ Jericho teases , grinning at her sly feat .

Evaine pulls his arms above his head then , her free hand brushing short locks of violet hair behind her head and eager hips moving down against his hardness , wringing a shuddered moan from him . A triumphant smirk crosses her lips and gilded eyes take in the sight of his fine vessel ; silver hair splayed around the pillows and his skin riddled with dark spots marking him as hers and hers alone . Visceral , yet calm in the midst of his desires .

❛ Would you have me any other way? ❜ She lilts . Her hands shift away from Swain's wrists and let her nails quickly dig into his chest , sparing him no time as she slips him into her . Their breaths leave them in shudders , his touch resting on her hips and his thrusts meeting hers . Evaine leans down to kiss him and Swain's fingers tangle in the curls of her hair to pull her closer ; their moans and breaths mingling with each other . The force of his hand tightened around her waist and she needn't think twice to slap his grasp away with a stern glare and an iron grip around his wrist . Jericho's own gaze reflects the bitterness in her eyes , followed by a brief grunt as he suddenly surges forward and tips her body back unto the mattress .

❛ Yes . ❜ Was the simple groan he utters . His hands pull harshly at Evaine's thighs and lock them around his waist , hips jutting forth as he buries himself deep into her with a guttural groan . Their foreheads touch , her silver laden tongue turning to lead as she keens sweetly for her General and her glare fades away into submission . Evaine's fingers make their trail upward to his shoulders and he moves to leave his mark around her chest , her pace as erratic as his when her nails leave crescents into the General's skin . Elegant legs come to raise themselves higher , her heels digging into the blades of his shoulders as she's leading her grip to the strands of his hair and moaning his name to the night .

❛ Take me , take all of me . ❜ She hisses against his lips desperately . Jericho merely silences her with a quiet bite on her breast and locks Evaine down beneath him . His body presses her further into the softness of the mattress and she arches her back into slow deliberate thrusts that leave her writhing and trashing against the General . She ought to have kicked him for his outright disobedience and the raspy chuckle that left his lips .

❛ Then do it . ❜

and within another second he had moved her arm around her body again , this time to move her unto her side with her leg swung around his hip and an arm cradling Jericho's head . He's kissing her neck again with little bites and marks , panting against her skin as he does all the while wild thrusts urge her further descent . Evaine becomes lost in her flurry of moans and pleas , head canted back against Swain's shoulder with obscenities slipping past her lips . Her voice peaks higher and louder and she's a breathless mess when Jericho finds the perfect spot that leaves her trembling in his arms ; fingers digging deep into his hair and tugging it with a shudder .

His restless groans and shaky breaths melded with her desperation , and she kisses him shortly before he hits that spot within her again and again . Evaine nearly screams as she comes , shaking and tightening around his hardness . Jericho races after her gasping until he turns her unto her stomach and shoves himself as deep and hard as he could until Evaine is grasping at the sheets from sensitivity and he's come to a halt with a mess between their legs .

Jericho moves off of her in a near instant and tumbles onto the pillows beside them , though Evaine takes no time in claiming his lips in a breathless need for his attentions and drapes herself over his body . He runs his hand through her hair and parts them for breath with a deep hum of contentment . Evaine rests her head peacefully on his chest and a deep silence taking place of their words instead .

Along with the bitterness of it all , she admits quietly . Though she knew that Jericho was aware of it too .

Evaine could feel it even in the roughness of his palm , forever tainted with the remnants of scars that litter across his otherwise flawless jawline and the clean cut across his left arm where the demon now found its place . The once silent Emilia berates her in the back of her mind for it all , scolding her of the importance of their coup and the reasons why Jericho had to be left behind after the Black Rose's public executions , left behind in Ionia to bleed to death , left to die in the ranks of Noxian nobility .

His thumb runs across her cheekbones and she's swallowing past the lump that settled its way in her throat . A second later and she's on her elbows drawing Jericho in for a deep kiss she doesn't care for deserving - because Evaine needs him again and Emilia craves for the taste of control with the tips of her fingers ghosting at the nape of her raven's neck to let their foreheads touch .

❛ Evaine . ❜ She tilts her head subtly at the soft whisper of her name rolling off his tongue , cradling him close . Darkened lips hover close to his but never touch and Evaine sees his eyes drift away from hers much like the day she stepped into his audience chamber . She sucks in a little breath of irritation and kisses him with all she had left within her , moving her hands to rest on his shoulders and -

Jericho pulls them apart , his expression schooled with a quiet disdain beneath it's surface and in a split second Evaine could taste the poison that lingered between their exchange . Now she's bitter , frustrated , and all the more reminded of the reality that was their trysts . To make matters deeper , Emilia was far from hesitant on letting her vexations slip . She could see the unspoken words , and strikes first .

❛ Why do you never look me in the eyes ? ❜

The question catches him off his guard , and she sees it in the betrayal of his aloof gaze widening by the slightest . The sight alone sets her blood alit and her heart aching for the feeling of her daggers settled in the grasp of her hand . Jericho's still and leaned back against the headboard of his bed , his stare pointed above him .

❛ Simple . There is no need to . ❜

Evaine sets a bit of distance between them , her touch drifting from making any form of contact with his skin . Her throat burns and her legs are quickly making their way to the side as if ready to leap any moment . She likes to think that she knows these times all too well - when the wine is sapped dry and they've thoroughly spent the entirety of their frustrations between each other's legs - and with it the countless ways she can pluck at his nerves until he kisses her with vigor again .

But tonight wasn't such a night like the others . Nor does she have the patience to sit and wittle away at needless thoughts , and it seemed that there was no need to entertain him any longer for the evening .

❛ So be it , General . ❜

Evaine pulls at one of the blankets that lay beside her and drapes it warmly around her bare body as she moves away from the bed and towards the doors of the balcony . Jericho is silent in her wake , and she hears the sheets move when she opens the door .

❛ Do-❜

She turns to him then with a single scoff ❛ Do us both a favour , my darling and rest , won't you ? ❜ . Not a moment longer and Evaine steps out of the door in a trail of shimmering sand before she's vanished into thin air . Yet her clothes remain on the floor and Jericho stands from the bed to pick them up and place them at the bottom drawer of his wayward closet .

He folds them , despite the eccentric strands here and there ; and even tucks in her beloved feathery boa alongside the few others she had left as tokens . With everything settled , Swain pulls a robe around himself and uncorks the bottle of wine left on his bedside .

He scarcely worries about tying the ribbons at this point , all too knowing that in the morning she would pull at them in frustration . There would be venom on her tongue and his marks across her body all the while they spill their secrets .

Like children .

Like the past .