Guess who's back? Back again? Ethanial's back! Tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back...
Hi! That is correct, I am not the one who's back. Still on a semi-hiatus and right now my life is pretty much... a mess. So, when will the next chapter come out? Who knows? I am obliged to apologize for my lack of content but my situation right now is kinda tricky and I fucking hate editing.
Anyway, this chapter amuses me. And I hope you enjoy it too and it somewhat entertains you as well. But remember, more is yet to come! This isn't even close to finishing (be it a good or bad thing).
Thank you very much for the reviews, follows and favourites. And for reading so far on. I really appreciate it all. You have no idea how elated your reviews actually make me feel, especially when I've had a shitty day. 'Nuff excuses, I'll let you get on with reading.
Chapter 11
"Now that we've been over alcohol, we're going to talk about sex." Darius muttered, turning around and walking away to grab something from his room.
Ethanial groaned, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance as he watched the man return, something in his hands. He tossed whatever it was onto the table in front of the boy and the teen stared into a box of condoms, his lip twitching.
"What…" He wanted to say something but instead looked over at the General, who sat in his usual spot, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Do you know what these are?" He asked his son.
"Yeah, do you?" Ethanial snarled back at him, implying that that's what they should've worn so they wouldn't be in this mess.
"Condoms break, you know?" Darius growled back, leaning in slightly. He'd understood the full meaning behind his son's words and was a bit pissed off about it. It's not like they'd thought about protection. The Noxian had thought that because they'd stopped aging, their reproductive system had been put on pause too. Boy, had he'd been wrong. He was no expert in sex education, but that's the only way it made sense. That or thinking that someday, Lux would have to go through some sort of menopause, right? He sighed and continued lecturing his son. "All the more reason to learn how to put them on."
"Why bother learning?" Ethanial spat, crossing his own arms. "It's not like there's anyone my age here."
"But there might be someday." Darius sighed, giving the box a nudge, so it was closer to the boy. "Who knows what's going to happen. Learn, just in case."
The teenager looked at his father as he got up and walked to the kitchen.
"Get one out, come on."
"I refuse to do this with you!" He growled. "I'm not showing you my-!"
He was cut off as the General walked in with a cucumber.
"We're going to practise with this."
"Oh."
"C'mon, get it out, I don't have all day."
"I still see no point in learning." Ethanial huffed, hoping that if he was stubborn enough the man would eventually give up.
"Do you know what groupies are?" The man asked him, his eyes set on his.
"Yeah…?"
"That's why I want you to learn."
"Why would women bother with a boy like me?" He growled, but his hands moved to the box and he got out a few of the condoms, looking over them.
"You know there are girls your age outside the Institute, right?" Darius sighed,
"It's not like I'll have a chance to meet any of them."
"You really have no idea about the world. Anyway, tear the wrapper off. Don't use your teeth."
"Why not?"
"You might pierce the condom that way, and that makes it useless."
"I get it, I get it." He fumbled with one of the small packets before he managed to get the slippery thing out. "Ew."
"Calm down, it's just lube. It's used for-!"
"I KNOW WHAT IT'S USED FOR!" Ethanial yelled, his face red as he grabbed the cucumber and looked up timidly at his father with an object in each hand. "Now what?"
"You've got to find the head. It's got a little tip for the semen to accumulate when you ejaculate."
"This?"
"Okay, so this is the crucial part, okay? Listen, you've got to put it on the right way up."
"How could I possibly fucking fail?"
"Could you be serious for a minute?"
"I am being serious! Look, it's the right way up, I don't have it mixed up, I'm not a moron."
"You don't have to be a moron to make a simple mistake. Good, now grab the tip with your finger and your thumb. Place it on the head of the cucumber."
Ethanial struggled a bit before he'd succeeded to do it properly. But once it was on, he looked at his father.
"Good. Now, don't stop holding the tip, okay? Pull the condom down, until the base."
"Like this?"
"Yes! Look, you've done it!"
"That's it? That wasn't hard."
"Now do it again. Wait, first take it off carefully. Use your imagination and think of a way to take it off without making a mess."
"There is no mess."
"I said use your imagination. There will be some day."
"There, done."
"Do it again. Walk me through it this time."
"Alright, alright. Grab the condom, open it without using teeth, look for the right way up. Here it is, found it. Grab the tip with my two fingers and put in on. Don't stop holding it while I slide it all the way on."
"Nice, you're a quick learner."
"Are we done now?" Ethanial sighed, still frustrated.
"You know, condoms aren't just for preventing pregnancies." Darius muttered. "They're there to prevent you from catching sexually transmitted diseases. So, you know, use one even in homosexual relationships."
"WHAT?" The boy gasped, nearly dropping the cucumber. "What are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything, I'm teaching you."
"That did not sound like teaching!"
"Just, whatever you do, put a condom on, okay?"
"I think Darius thinks I'm gay." Ethanial muttered. Ekko looked at him, and confirming his friend was being serious he burst out laughing.
"Oh my God! Why? What made you think that?"
"He told me to use a condom in my homosexual relationships!" The boy slapped his face as the other continued laughing. "Shut up, it's not funny!"
"It is! It's fucking hilarious. But more than him thinking you're gay, I think it's more of him worried, trying to do the right thing, y'know? A just in case scenario?"
"I'm pretty sure he thinks I've got the hots for you."
"Do you?"
"Shut up!"
"Oh come on! Lighten up! I don't think he thinks you're gay. I think it's more of a… we're in the age and things might happen?"
"WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN?"
"Relax! I'm not implying anything! You're young, you might just want to experiment."
"Do you want to experiment?"
"I do wanna do stuff, yeah. But not with you or other men, so calm your head."
Ethanial silently fumed as Ekko looked him up and down, trying to stop himself from giggling.
"So, how did you get to that conversation with him?"
"He decided I needed the sex talk."
"Oh, wow. How did it go? Did not expect that from Darius."
"He showed me how to put a condom on. And told me to be careful, that kind of stuff."
"I was actually going to do that." Ekko muttered, looking off into the distance.
"What?"
"Well, it's a bit more complicated I guess? Back when I was into Jinx… I'm talking about a year ago, something like that? Yeah, you were fourteen. Okay, so I went to the pharmacy, you know, where Janna works. And I bought some condoms because I was hoping to get lucky with Jinx. I had kinda asked her out and we-"
"You had kinda asked her out?" Ethanial raised an eyebrow. "Slow down, I think you're skipping way too many important details."
"So I asked Jinx out on a date. Happy now? And she'd said yes but her idea of a date and my idea of a date are a bit… different. Well, whatever, I bought the condoms hoping that I'd score. So when I went to pay for them, Janna was there with that lovely smile of hers and she asked me if I had a girlfriend and I kinda… couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth so I just said I was going to teach you how to wear one just in case and she was delighted so, uhm, yeah."
"That… what. Did you use me to flirt?"
"I wasn't flirting! I was just embarrassed. And I never got to use them with Jinx so I thought 'hey, why waste them?' and thought that teaching you wasn't a bad idea but I never got round to do it."
"You so used me to flirt."
"Did not! It was an honest thought I had at the time."
"So what happened on that date with Jinx?"
"It wasn't so much a date as it was her trying to vandalize the Institute."
"Oh I remember that! You were behind it, too?"
"I, well… I might have helped? I mean, it was a lot of fun painting everything pink."
"And you didn't tell me!?"
"I was sure you'd run your mouth! I'm telling you now so don't get so pissy. I had a lot of fun and tried to kiss her but she sort of… There is no way I can describe this without you fucking laughing in my face."
"What did she do, Ekko? Or what did you do?"
"I playfully slammed her against the wall and she just smirked at me so I just kinda thought it was the mood, y'know? Like it was her inviting me to do it. So I leaned in and closed my eyes and she… shoved the paint can against my mouth and started running away, laughing. That was my wake up call. I thought she couldn't have possible misread my actions and that was her way of saying 'not interested' and I gave up on her."
"So you decided to crush on Janna instead."
"I didn't decide anything! She has the most beautiful smile ever and just happens to be very comforting and nice every time I visit the pharmacy when I pretend to be sick."
"Are you going to ask Janna out on a date?"
"Might do, some day. When I think we're close enough."
"Close enough?"
"Yeah, I'm still working on it. We're gradually becoming friends. I ain't gonna push it. Now," he grabbed Ethanial and pulled him into a tight hug with one arm. "About that conversation with Darius…"
"Shut up!"
"Nu-uh! I wanna hear more! What else did he say?"
"I'm not telling you! You just wanna have a laugh at my expense!" The Light's Child pushed him away gently, which started a shoving match.
"You're my friend! You're supposed to tell me!"
"Not if you're gonna make fun of me!"
"Oh, c'mon dude. I'd tell you about it."
"You're such a liar!" Both of them burst into laughter, and somehow the conversation died out as the pushing got more intense.
Ezreal and Candella walked into the Institute gardens looking scruffy and dirty, but extremely happy. Not even the presence of Draven flirting with Irelia was enough to put a damper on the explorer's day.
"We're back!" He cheered, his eyes twinkling.
"You were gone?" The Noxian man answered, clearly confused. He turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow.
Ezreal watched as Irelia got away in relief before looking back at Draven, who seemed very interested in his daughter.
"Oh, my niece made it back alright!" He smiled at her.
"Draven, Candella isn't related to you by blood." The explorer sighed, rolling his eyes.
"She's not? Oh, good. Call me when you're 18, honey."
"I'll gut you."
"Hey, no reason to be so harsh! Whoa! What the fuck happened to your face?"
"My face?" Ezreal raised an eyebrow, incredulous. He lifted a hand to touch his features and his hands grazed over the slight stubble that had appeared in the two weeks he'd been away.
"Is that supposed to be a beard!?" Draven laughed, almost wheezing. "Oh my God, you can't even grow facial hair, that's hilarious!"
After she'd heard the news of his return, she went after him to confront him.
"You took Candella with you without telling me!" Lux screamed, her face red in anger.
Ezreal slowly turned around, sighing. He knew he'd eventually have to deal with her.
"Of course I did. She's my daughter, I get to take her out on adventures."
"It's fucking dangerous out! Especially for her! What were you thinking!?"
"She can take care of herself perfectly well, stop fucking mothering her! And even if she couldn't, I can! She should get out and see the world! She's not gonna learn any other way!"
"You fucking just took my child without my permission!"
"Because you would've said no! And since when do you care about permission? It's done already, Lux. And surprise, surprise, nothing fucking happened. Why the fuck are you even screaming at me in the first place?"
"Because you left without warning me and taking her!"
"Like you care what I do. The first conversation we have after all that's happened and it's you telling me off. What a fucking surprise."
"Well, if you hadn't left we could've talked this over."
"No, don't you dare pin this on me! You had plenty of chances, you just didn't care!"
"Ezreal…"
"And don't 'Ezreal' me! You're doing all of this back to front. I try to get something good out of my disastrous life and you fucking scream at me. And what the fuck is this I've heard that you made Ethanial Noxian!?"
"Ethanial's Noxian! What of it?"
"How dare you change the nationality of my child without my permission? See what you've done there? You don't give a fuck about permission!"
"He's not your child!"
"Oh yes he is. I took care of him his whole childhood. Hell, I was there for him even more than you because you were too busy fucking some Noxian thug."
"HOW DARE YOU?" She screamed, about to slap him but he was quicker, grabbing her wrist and moving it away from his face.
"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" He spat, his voice filled with hatred.
"Don't you dare speak of me and my family like that!" She snarled, bearing her teeth at him.
"Or what? You'll take my children away from me? You'll walk out on me? You'll spit on my love? YOU'VE ALREADY DONE EVERYTHING THAT COULD HURT ME, LUX."
She was stunned into silence, her mouth forming a cute little 'o' at his words. Her eyebrows raised before finally forming a frown. She pulled herself away from him and they both took a step back, scared that the other would resort to physical violence.
"And I'm not family anymore, right?" He growled. "But Darius is? What twisted and fucked up notion do you have of a family? I'm Candella's father!"
Lux started sobbing, which took Ezreal by surprise. He was instinctively drawn to protect her, to put his arms around her and comfort her, but he resisted, trying to keep the same deadpan look on his face.
"My own fucking brother told on me to my parents and they disowned me! So, yeah, I do have a fucked up family, thanks for asking! That's why I had no other choice but to become Noxian and make Ethanial a Noxian too."
"Well, Garen's a cunt. And a fucking hypocrite as well. But there were other ways out, Lux. Why didn't you think this through?"
"I did think it over! And this is what I want. I wanted to become part of a place that would accept me for who I am. And Noxus did. They welcomed me in with open arms, not caring about my past life or mistakes. I'm glad I'm Noxian. I'm glad Ethanial is too. For once he has an origin, somewhere he can call home."
"He did anyway, Lux! Home is where your heart is, not some stupid nationality."
"He didn't have an identity, Ezreal. And now he has. Everything worked out for the better."
"This is ridiculous. I don't think I can stand hearing you spout out such stupid things any longer. Everything you're saying is wrong. Did you even bother to ask Ethanial what he wanted?"
Her lip trembled for a second and the explorer knew he'd hit the jackpot. He rolled his eyes and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest again.
"So, now what?" He asked after a long silence.
"I'm not changing our nationalities. We don't belong in Demacia."
"Not that. Our living arrangements. Because, here's the thing: whether you like it or not, we share a child. And before you go batshit insane on me, I'm talking about Candella, not Ethanial. Seems there's nothing I can do to about him."
"Darius, Ethanial and I are currently living in an apartment together. We've discussed this already and want you to live with us."
"Like Hell I'll do that. So I can watch you fuck him? How stupid do you think I am? How fucking delusional are you? You think we could all pretend to be some fucking happy family? Well, reality check: that's never going to happen. You screwed up my life. And nothing you ever say or do is going to make up for that."
"Ezreal, listen…"
"No, you listen. You've decided what you wanted. You want him. I don't care if you start spouting your usual 'I want you, Ezreal' nonsense, I'm not going to buy it." He snapped at her. She almost giggled when he'd imitated her voice in a falsetto halfway through his rant. "You've robbed me of enough happiness and I'm not going to play into your hand anymore."
"That's not what I want!" She sighed, defeated. "Look, I want us all to live together because I think it's the better living arrangement. We all get to take care of the kids together."
"They're not five anymore, Lux. They don't need all that much taking care of."
"Look who's spouting nonsense now. Sure, you don't have to fucking change any nappies, but we still have to teach them things and discipline them."
"And I've already told you I don't want to live with you or that… man." Ezreal had bitten his tongue to stop himself from calling Darius something that would set off Lux.
"So, what do you suggest? I can't think of something that would make everyone happy!"
"Because there is no such thing." The explorer grumbled, running a shaking hand through his hair.
"Ezreal, please. At least try it, first. You don't know Darius, he's a lovely man, I think you'll like him."
"I've always thought I was some kind of masochist, you know? I mean, all those years, I could tell something was off. I wasn't sure what, and I would have never guessed that it was this, but… I couldn't help but think something was up. But I still stayed with you, despite my doubts, despite how much you hurt me on a daily basis. But there's a limit even to my own masochism. And it's this. I'm done sacrificing my happiness for you."
He paused and looked at her. She could see the pain in his eyes, noticed the lingering doubt in his features. He fumbled for words and when he found nothing more he wanted to say, turned around and started walking away.
"Ezreal, wait! What are we going to do then?" She started following him.
"Beats me!" He answered back, not bothering to turn to look at her. "Why not ask the kids what they want? Or why don't you do like you always do and just do what you want to do?"
Lux stopped in her tracks, watching the back of the blond explorer as he walked away, making her feel empty all of a sudden. She raised a hand slowly, as if she was about to go after him and grab him by his shirt, but thought about it and let her arm fall limply to her side.
"Ezreal?" Ethanial knocked on the door of the apartment he used to call his home. He'd already looked everywhere else for the explorer and was about to lose hope when the blond finally answered.
"Ethanial?" He asked, confused, when he saw the boy fidgeting in the entrance. "Come in, I guess. What's the matter?"
"I want to live with you." He muttered, looking down at the ground, dragging his foot lazily against the floor as he spoke.
"Ah, sure? But, why?"
"I hate it with Darius and Lux." Ethanial frowned, clearly unhappy. "And… I've missed you, dad."
The way his son still called him his father made the explorer's heart skip a beat.
"Sure, you can live with me." He breathed in heavily, running a hand through his blond locks, before smiling, unexpectedly happy and, for some reason, relieved. "I'd love it, actually. Have you got your stuff?"
The younger one hesitated, before throwing himself at the blond, hugging him, holding himself back from crying.
"I thought you wouldn't come back! I thought you'd left me forever!"
"Oh, Ethanial, I would never do that. I love you."
"I love you too, dad."
A few days later
Ezreal watched Ethanial's daily rutine from the kitchen counter every day. The boy woke up in a bad mood, barely had any breakfast and left for his matches. He came back, beaten up and in an even worse mood, barely spoke to the explorer and went back to his room, to do whatever it was he was doing in there. The blond wasn't sure the kid was sleeping as much as he made it look like he was, since he'd noted the dark circles around the boy's eyes. Until one day curiosity got the best of him and he decided to take action.
"So, Ethanial, I want to speak to you." Ezreal knocked on the boy's room and entered, a mug of coffee in his hands.
"What is it?" The other growled, a bit miffed that he was being annoyed that early in the morning. The older teenager walked over to his bed and sat on it.
"I've noticed you've been a bit… weird lately. I know it's normal with everything that's going on but… I'm just here if you want to talk to me about it." The explorer offered, smiling at the grumpy kid who was still in his bed.
"Ugh, Ezreal, it's too early…" He groaned, tucking himself and closing his eyes.
"I don't get too many chances to speak with you, Ethanial. With all your matches and how busy we both are. Are they too much for you? Is that it?"
"No, I'm handling those fine. Everyone's being very supportive."
"So, what's wrong? Are you still upset with Lux? With this whole situation?"
"Yes, but it's not that either. I mean… I…"
"I'm listening."
"I've been feeling this weird sensation lately…" The boy started, blushing. Then he stopped himself. It wasn't something he could really tell Ezreal. It was something incredibly embarrassing and… well… difficult to explain. How could he tell the explorer that he couldn't help himself and pictured Katarina when he masturbated? Even the thought made him flinch. It was so awful. He hated it but he couldn't stop himself. Every time he desperately needed release, her smirking face would pop up in his mind, her naked body begging him to cum.
He swallowed, nervous. He looked at the expectant blond, who was still smiling at him.
"So, I might be a little… sexually frustrated?" He tried to say, but it didn't seem like it was enough. It's not like he couldn't pleasure himself, it was more of an ordeal he'd started to hate.
Ezreal was a little taken aback but he quickly composed himself.
"That's… a bit… odd. I wasn't expecting that. Don't you know how to take care of it?"
"Yeah but what if… it's painful to do so?"
"Fuck, Ethanial, you should've told me earlier. We need to get you to a doctor now!"
"Not… not painful in that sense." The boy closed his eyes tightly and breathed in slowly. "It doesn't hurt when I…"
"Is it some kind of emotional pain?" Ezreal picked on the problem quickly, much to the relief of the younger teen. "Are you having some sort of conflict?"
"Yeah, something like that."
"Do you have feelings for someone?"
Did he? Ethanial couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that he felt. Sure, Katarina was hot, something she must know for a fact with the way she dressed. But from that to grow feelings for her…? The boy wasn't sure.
"I don't know?" He frowned, unhappy. This whole situation was awful. Every time he wanted to masturbate he pictured himself having sex with Katarina. He'd seriously tried to think of anyone else. He'd forced images of a naked Sona, sexy Miss Fortune and any other woman he found remotely attractive but they all ended up turning into Kat. Which ended up infuriating him. So he'd start pumping his member furiously, the assassin sprawled out unclothed on his imaginary bed, begging for him to fuck her stupid. And when he'd ejaculated, he'd feel awful. He'd seriously regret the disgusting act he'd just committed, and he felt ten times more frustrated.
After a silence, Ezreal decided to speak what he thought might be troubling the boy.
"Masturbating is something natural, Ethanial. You shouldn't be ashamed of doing it. I don't know what you might have heard, but it's not something bad, quite the contrary. It's good for you."
"It's not that!" The boy groaned, dragging his hands over his face in frustration. "I can't speak to you about it! You wouldn't understand!"
"Maybe I will. Try me." He tried to comfort him, smiling and reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.
"No!"
"Well, do you want me to arrange for you to speak to someone?"
"Someone? Like who?"
"A doctor? A psychologist?"
"I don't need anyone!" The boy growled, his brow furrowing. "That's it! Get out! I don't need you rubbing your nose in my business!"
"Ethanial, I just want to help you… I know this is a difficult time and…"
"Shut up!" He hid under the covers, closing his eyes tightly and covering his ears. He didn't want to face this situation anymore and he hoped that if he hid enough, Ezreal would eventually tire out and leave. Which did in fact happen. Ethanial still waited a bit more before leaving the comfort of his bed to sigh in relief.
This was a secret he had to keep to himself.
Why? Why was he against Katarina of all champions? He grunted, feeling the familiar anger and frustration welling up inside of him. He could've been able to hold up against anyone, including Lux, but Kat? He just watched as she smirked at him, the playful grin getting on his nerves more than the threat of her humiliating him again.
And what was worse was the growing problem in his trousers that was caused by that smirk directed at him. And the fact that she had a very welcoming cat costume on wasn't helping at all. In fact, it was doing quite the contrary.
The minions walked into lane as he tried to control his breathing and failed miserably. He missed to last hit a total of four from the first wave and he heard her snicker. He'd actually gotten a lot better at League and he'd wanted to show off the skills he'd acquired, but her presence was making it impossible for him to do anything properly.
She threw her daggers at him, gracing him, and much to his surprise, making his dick twitch uncomfortably. He looked down and blushed, but forced his gaze on the enemy minions, to stop himself from thinking about it.
'Control yourself!' He growled at himself, his light sword slaying a small creature, much to his delight.
"Heads up, Ethanial!" Ekko shouted from somewhere in the jungle. "You seem to be having some trouble. I'll gank ya soon."
Oh, yeah, right. His friend was the jungler. Maybe if he could get a kill on her it would do wonders for his self-esteem and finally she'd stop with that smug smirk of hers.
It didn't take long for his friend to fulfil his word. He came in from the side with half his health, roughly how much Ethanial had left. Katarina threw her daggers, hitting both of them, but Ekko persisted, going after her. She ignited him and stabbed him, twirling, damaging them both. The Light's Child had reacted slowly, going in to fight just when his friend was retreating, the damage from the assassin and minions enough to make him die before the Noxian boy blinded the woman. With her abilities reset, it wasn't hard for her to get a double kill.
"Ethanial?" Ekko asked, his voice showing worry more than anger. "What happened there?"
"I… uhm… I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting the gank."
"But I warned you!"
"I know, I know. I just…"
"Whatever. I'm keeping the blue, though."
It wasn't a surprise for any of them that it ended in defeat.
"So, uhm, Ekko?" Ethanial muttered, looking at the stars in the sky. His friend had gone to visit him and invited him out for a walk. They were in the gardens, enjoying the pleasant weather.
"Yeah?" The other answered, waiting for the younger to tell him what was wrong. He wasn't going to press the issue, though.
"You're not smoking today?" The Noxian nearly kicked himself. He wasn't sure how to address what he wanted to say so he'd tried with a distraction.
"Nah. I found out Janna doesn't like smokers, so I decided to quit. Not like it was hard or anything."
"I'm glad to hear that, actually. So… there is something I want to talk about… You like Janna, right?"
"Ethanial." Ekko snapped. "Just spit it out already."
"Alright. I might, just maybe…"
"Have a crush on Katarina?" The Boy Who Shattered Time finished for him after waiting for nearly a minute for the other to spill the beans.
"Well I wouldn't put it like that…"
"Then what would you say?"
"I don't know what I feel for her. I don't think it's as strong as having a crush on her. How did you…?"
"I'm your best friend. Of course I would notice when you act so obviously in love with her. I would be surprised if no one else noticed."
"But… how!?"
"I went to gank you and you just stood there admiring her." Ekko muttered with a deadpan look. "Your cs was off by more than a hundred. You failed every ult in every team fight she was participating in."
"Oh, God. Do you think she knows?"
"Yeah, probably." Ekko nodded absentmindedly, but then turned to look at his friend with concern. "So, uhm, why Katarina, if I might ask?"
"It's not like I wanted to have feelings for her! They just sort of happened." Ethanial groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "I hate this!"
"It's part of life. It will fade."
"I don't like this! I hate this! I hate her!"
"You obviously don't hate her."
"Yes I do. She's disgusting. She's a hateful woman and I really can't say anything good about her."
"Stop lying to yourself!" Ekko yelled, frustrated. "You fucking like her, get over it! It's not the end of the world. At least have the courage to admit you have feelings for her."
"But I don't!? I don't think I have!"
"Then explain your behaviour today. Why did you do fuck all if you weren't smitten by her?"
"My body just reacts to her!" Ethanial snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.
"And does your body react like that when you're with some other woman you find equally or more attractive than Katarina?"
The Noxian sighed. "No." He muttered.
"I know it's hard the first time you start feeling things for someone." Ekko had calmed down and was trying to reassure his friend. "It was difficult for me, too. When I started to like Jinx I tried to convince myself that I wasn't and stuff like that. Well, I actually fell in love with her, so we're not really talking the same kind of thing, but, I have been where you are, so I do know what I'm talking about."
"But you don't! I don't love Katarina! I'm not even sure about this crush thing."
"Stop being so fucking pig-headed already!"
"You're the one being pig-headed! I'm the one with the feelings and you aren't listening to me!"
"Because you aren't listening to yourself. Trust me on this."
"Why would I trust you? Because you liked Jinx?"
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"
"I mean just because you had feelings for someone that doesn't mean you know what I feel!"
"Okay, fine. What do you feel, then?"
"I don't know!"
"See? If you don't know then why don't you let someone who knows help you out?"
"And how would you help me? You didn't end up with Jinx."
"But I got over her! I don't love her anymore. Isn't that what you want with Katarina?"
"I want you to stop fucking talking about her. I'm literally going insane right now. Why Katarina, for fuck's sake?"
"That's a good question." The other spoke, unable to suppress the snarky tone from his voice.
"What are you implying?" Ethanial grit his teeth, directing an angry look at his friend.
"So I tried to go the right way about this but you've pissed me off, so I won't bother sugar coating my words. What the fuck do you see in Katarina?"
"Like you're one to talk? Hello? You liked Jinx?"
"Loved. The heart wants what the hearts wants. Apparently you just wanna fuck that Noxian woman stupid. If you've no feelings for her… It's just a matter of how attractive she is to you, right?"
"Like you didn't wanna do that to Jinx."
"For your information, no, I didn't." Ekko growled, furious. "It didn't start off like that. I really cherished her. She wasn't just a sexual object to me."
"Like I believe you."
"Why wouldn't you believe me!?"
"She's a fucking psychopath. You can't possibly be so deluded to think she had an awesome personality and that's what you liked about her."
"I did like her personality. Heck, I still do. I think she's funny and charming. So maybe she's a little crazy but that just makes her special. What does Katarina have, apart from a pair of tits?"
"Well, at least she has tits."
"But that's about it. She's an assassin and that's all she lives for."
"Jinx is a fucking terrorist!" Ethanial yelled, scowling at his friend.
"And your uncle is balls deep in Katarina!" Ekko screamed, finally losing his cool. "And why are you so fucking defensive of her if you don't have feelings for her?"
Ethanial went silent. He couldn't even look at his friend, he just stared at the ground, fuming silently. Maybe the other did have a point.
"And I don't have to defend myself or my previous crush to you. Nor to anyone." Ekko continued, getting up and kicking something. "Fuck! Now I'm really fucking pissed off."
"So… what if I do like Kata?" Ethanial whispered, still not looking up.
"Forget it. I don't wanna hear about it. I don't fucking care anymore. Just leave me alone." Ekko grumbled, walking away muttering to himself.
The Light's Child watched as his friend stormed off, guilt creeping up on him.
He felt like he was about to crack. The pressure, these alien feelings, the unyielding rage that came with anything, it seemed like it was all too much to bare. He breathed in and closed his eyes, hoping tomorrow would be a better day, and made his way back to Ezreal's, to try and get some sleep.
Guess who's back? Back again? Ezreal's back! Tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back...
Hoo boy, I can't be the only one that's missed Ezreal, right? Aside from Ethanial, of course. And he came back with some resolve, too! Good for him.
Hope this chapter was to the satisfaction of my Ekko x Jinx fan, but I feel like they'll probably kill me. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better Ekko is over it now and is living happily (so don't kill me please).
Hope you've enjoyed this so far and thanks for reading! See ya... some time!