A/N: I meant to have this chapter up by like, mid-November, but I've been having a shitty time lately, and I didn't have the time or motivation to write. I'm feeling a bit better, so hopefully the next chapter will be out in a timelier manner.
That being said, happy belated holidays and a future happy new year!
Also, if you haven't already- everyone should go read Sub Rosa by Kaylightly. It's M Talon/Lux and it's amazing.
Some of Lux's common sense caught up with her the next morning.
Not right away (because she was too comfortable to pay her more negative thoughts much attention at first), but slowly as she eased out of a pleasant slumber. Admittedly, it was a lot easier than usual for Lux to tune the thoughts out; she was warm, wonderfully so, and her skin felt hyper sensitive where it touched Talon's, and she felt more well-rested than she had in weeks. And oh, was she happy; she'd yet to move or open her eyes, but she could feel without having to look that Talon's arm was draped around her and that his hand was curled around hers where it rested on her pillow, and she could feel his chest pressed to her shoulder and that even if she was warm (edging towards burning, the more her thoughts raced) the faint brush of Talon's even breaths on her bare skin left behind a fine trail of goosebumps.
Common sense told her she should not be in bed with the assassin, but she'd been ignoring that advice for quite some time, and was never happier to be doing so than right at that moment.
And since she didn't want to spoil the feeling with anymore pointless worries, Lux took a small breath and relaxed deeper into Talon's easy embrace, savoring the comfort the touch offered and delighting in the knowledge that right then, she had no other obligation than to enjoy the circumstances she was given. Sufficiently satisfied, Lux eased open both eyes, her lazy gaze drifting immediately to her loosely curled hand, still resting on her pillow. Talon's hand wasn't touching hers all that much, just the tips of his fingers resting against the back of her hand, and she slowly pulled away from the ghost of the touch, flipping her hand palm up and pressing it to his, and then ever so carefully pulling his hand a little closer to her face. She paused, taking note of the steady breathing still fluttering over her neck, and convinced that Talon was still sleeping, she traced her finger over a thin slash of white on his skin, a scar that curved around his wrist and arched onto the back of his forearm. From there, Lux's finger mapped out a line of other scars, travelling over the ridge of every knuckle and ringing every finger, surprised that she'd never really noticed the sheer multitude of marks on his skin before. Granted, she usually spent her time with Talon lip-locked or arguing, so she valued the quiet moment she had now to simply observe.
She burned with curiosity now, alongside the heat that still flushed her skin, and she wanted to know how the scars had been etched into his skin, if he remembered receiving them, where was he what was he doing how did he feel.
Everything. She wanted to know everything.
Lux again had the obligatory feeling that she shouldn't, obviously, want such things, but the thought was immediately swept away and forcefully forgotten. There was no sense of duty, however long instilled, that could deter the need she felt for answers, and for Talon- she realized that now, although whether or not the epiphany was genuine or influenced by the fact that was still wrapped up in him and his touch and his smell and every memory that came trickling back to her from the night before was still left to be determined.
And determined later.
She was suddenly intolerant of the silence and stillness, and Lux chewed her lip as she debated whether or not waking Talon was in her best interest; she very much doubted he would be too upset, and, she reasoned, he'd been asleep long enough- longer than her, anyway. She wiggled her left arm free from where it'd been falling asleep under her pillow, carefully rolling over so that she was facing Talon's chest. She waited for a reaction, but there was no movement from his end, and she tilted her head upwards, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his jaw as she ran a hand between them, her fingers slowly skimming over the muscles of Talon's stomach, his chest, letting it finally rest on the side of his neck. The touch wasn't especially light, which Lux certainly appreciated, and it had the desired effect; with a heavy sigh, Talon stretched the arm he'd had around Lux, slipping it beneath the blanket that had bunched around Lux's shoulder so that it laid flat against her back and his fingers were free to tangle in her hair. A shiver ran down Lux's spine, followed immediately by a fresh trail of heated skin, a sensation that was almost entirely lost to her when Talon tucked his chin to press a sleepy, somewhat uncoordinated kiss to her parted lips. He breathed deeply, correcting the position of his lips and using the arm he had laid across Lux's back to gently press her chest completely to his, making Lux's skin flush all over again and causing her fingers to curl just a little bit tighter against his neck. Evidently amused, Talon smiled against Lux's mouth, leaning back so that he had the room to speak.
"Good morning."
Lux bit her lip, deciding on if she should reply or kiss him again instead, but had the question answered for her when Talon leaned away and out of easy reach, although the grip she had on him, and he on her, kept him from moving too far- for which she was certainly grateful. He propped his head up on his free hand, grinning at Lux with that lopsided smile of his, and for once Lux smirked right back and bigger.
"Morning."
His eyes flicked over her face, tracing over every inch of heated skin, and although it would have normally, the gaze didn't make her feel vulnerable or like he was searching her face for some answer that eluded him; instead, she felt like he was simply appreciating her and that she was drowning in his gold stare, and she'd never been so eager to lose herself in someone before.
And she might have been imagining it, because oh did she want to, but she'd bet anything that she wasn't the only one who'd forgotten to swim.
As if she'd actually been drowning, Lux's breath hitched in her throat the longer she met Talon's eye, and she had the weirdest desire to speak, like there was something in that moment that she had an obligation to voice. She even opened her mouth, but no words came to mind and the moment passed in silence. Curious, Talon tilted his head in his hand, raising a brow at the somewhat frustrated expression on Lux's face.
"What?"
She gave it a moment, but she still didn't have the words to describe the urgency, almost, that gripped her, so she shook her head.
"Nothing."
He pursed his lips against a bigger smile, but seemed content with letting the matter lie; instead, he turned to rest flat on his back, still keeping his arm tight around Lux so that she was prompted to move with him. She crossed her arms over his chest, allowing him to slide his hands up the slope of her back to tangle in her hair, bringing her face to his with a sigh that washed over her skin. Lux closed her eyes and melted into the circle of his arms, for the most part allowing him to guide the kiss, letting her pliant lips mold to his. Her heart hammered away when he entangled his fingers further in her hair, but he held the tight grip for only a moment before releasing the gold strands and shifting his hands to the sides of her face, gently tilting her head up and to the side. Sensing his motive, Lux leaned forward, her chest sliding against Talon's in such a way that left her breathless, and she was strangely thankful that Talon moved his lips from hers to her freshly exposed neck. Lux tried not to make it completely obvious that she was struggling to right her breathing, but the endeavor became futile when his mouth mapped a line of kisses starting at the corner of her jaw and that trailed down her neck. Talon alternated between the soft press of lips against her skin and the gentle graze of teeth, and the repeated sensation kept Lux's breath from returning and had flutters of anticipation twisting her stomach.
Talon stopped the short journey at the hollow of Lux's throat, although Lux felt that he should be progressing, not pausing.
"Are you staying?" he murmured, and the heat of his breath sent another pleasant shiver across her skin.
It took Lux several long seconds to gather the wherewithal to form a response; once her muddied thoughts were collected enough to process what Talon had actually said, she desperately wanted to reply with a simple yes and not think anything beyond that, but somewhere past the haze of desire that clouded her decision making, Lux knew she couldn't.
"I can't."
She knew she'd overslept and that she'd ducked out a little too early from the previous night's festivities, and the likelihood that someone had already been to her apartment to check on her was pretty high. If she wanted to avoid being caught, she'd have to head back sooner rather than later.
"But you want to."
It was so far beyond unfair the way he said it; low voice husky, lips still ghosting across her skin, her body entirely on fire where it touched his. It was coercion, a duress she could not refuse.
So she didn't.
"Yes."
Lux opened her eyes, and even if she couldn't see it, she could feel Talon's smug expression the same way she could feel his hands still cupping her face, and it was evident to the both of them that despite her initial refusal to stay, Lux wasn't going anywhere; with this realization in mind, Talon relinquished his position in favor of hers, and Lux was all too eager to be accommodating. He easily settled into a comfortable position between her legs, which she promptly wrapped around his waist, but paused right after; now poised a few scarce inches above her, it was simple for Lux's eyes to lock onto Talon's, and it was easy for her to completely let go of any need she had to be elsewhere. She again felt that there was something direly important that she needed to say on the tip of her tongue, but words ceased to exist beneath the weight of Talon's level stare, and Lux would rather not spend the time she had with him searching for words she might never find.
Talon didn't seemed burdened with that strange desire to put a voice to whatever emotion burned beneath Lux's skin, for which she was grateful; he moved with her instead, slow but building, and it had to have been only seconds before Lux forgot everything that wasn't him, his skin, the pleasure he so willingly gave to her and took in return.
What a wonderful thing drowning was.
Loath as she was to admit it, Lux actually couldn't prolong her stay any more than she had already; it was well into the morning when she'd decided the first time that she needed to be on her way, and when she actually got around to doing it, the morning hours were close to fading. It was no easy thing to disentangle herself from Talon, and she begrudgingly uncurled from his side and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to spot where she'd left her clothes on the floor the night before while rubbing away a slight stiffness in one of her shoulders.
It seemed at first, to Lux, that Talon was intent on making her departure especially difficult; he slowly ran a hand up her back, the pads of his fingers rough against her skin, and Lux let herself momentarily enjoy the touch until Talon's hand paused, and he deliberately stroked his thumb over one of the knotted scars on her back.
With the course her morning had taken, Lux had practically forgotten the deformity, but she stiffened as she thought of what Talon was looking at now; a column of scars on either side of her spine, two perfect rows each containing twenty even lines of ropy scars. Each slash was about finger sized, both in length and thickness, starting at Lux's shoulder blades and continuing downwards until each of the columns ended at the base of her spine. She knew what Talon was seeing; the scars that looked like horizontal tally marks, each one the exact same size, equidistant, disturbing in their perfect likeness of each other. She knew he had bigger, more grotesque scars marking his own skin, but there was something painful about how deliberate Lux's were, and it was clear that each had been carefully, painstakingly put there with purpose.
Lux leaned ever so slightly forward, enough for Talon to get the hint and drop his hand, but she could still hear the question that he did not voice.
What happened to you?
The silence that followed was expectant from Talon's end, and very, very careful on Lux's; she didn't want to recount the story right then, not entirely, but she wanted to see how much she could say. It was incredible progress for her to allow the scars to be seen at all, and in a moment of boldness, she forced herself to speak.
"I… lied. About never being caught."
She tried to say more, tried to add more sense to the explanation, but Lux's voice failed her.
The truncated confession offered a very incomplete view of the whole story, but she knew it would be enough for Talon to piece together enough of what'd happened for himself. The words hung heavy between them, and although Lux did wait, Talon knew she had nothing more to say and did not answer her, nor did he move. Lux went on to collecting her clothes, feeling the gold she craved so much following her every move until she'd left the bedroom.
Certain she was out of sight, Lux took a steadying breath that resonated deep in her chest, dispelling the weakness that gripped her knees and threatened to make her hands shake. The momentary discomfort gave way to other, more pleasant things that Lux would rather focus on; things like wonderfully sore muscles and the flush that refused to leave her skin, and Lux allowed herself a small smile as she padded through the living room to the small kitchen.
The scars didn't matter here- not in Talon's apartment, where lines ceased to exist and pasts were forgotten in favor of what dominated the present.
Content with her morning and still reluctant to start her day, Lux helped herself to a glass of water (moving none too quickly), smiling around her cup when she spotted Talon's discarded cloak on the floor. Following that same line of sight, Lux's eye fell on something that wasn't in the room before: a letter, prim and sealed, perfectly centered beneath the mail slot in the door. Lux walked over, fingers closing around the thick paper and recognizing the seal stamped onto the outside. It was from the summoners, that much was clear, and she flipped it over as she walked back to the kitchen counter, eyes tracing over the neat and flowing script that spelled out Talon's name. She slowly took a seat at the counter, setting down her glass and darting a glance at the bedroom.
She probably shouldn't open it.
Lux had hardly even thought the words before she slid a finger under the sealed flap of the envelope, carefully tearing the paper and extracting the letter that was most definitely not meant for her. It was an announcement, written in that same neat penmanship that Talon's name was, proclaiming the addition of quite a few new champions to the League. Lux skimmed the paper, sufficiently interested, raising a brow at both the rather high number of additions and a few of the names she saw scrawled on the page. She was engrossed enough that she paid Talon no attention when he joined her, at least not until he was standing behind her shoulder and snatching the letter out of her hands.
"Are you reading my mail?"
Lux turned in her seat, grinning at Talon while he read the letter for himself. She intended for her answer to be quick and witty, but Talon hadn't bothered to put a shirt on, and her reply was a tad bit delayed and tight lipped.
"I would never."
He spared her a withering glance before turning back to the missive, but he didn't seem as interested in the content as she was; a couple seconds went by before he handed the letter back to her, and took the unoccupied seat across the counter.
"You read the bottom, right?"
Lux wasn't sure since he'd finished with it so fast, but he nodded, somewhat tiredly running a hand over his face. With all the new additions to the League, the Institute was holding a rather impromptu match that afternoon, and Talon was one of the lucky few that had gotten drafted in. Lucky being a rather objective word, considering he looked none too excited about it.
Lux took another small sip of her water, trailing her gaze over the letter once more before placing it on the table between them. Talon watched her face, more interested in her expression than he had been in the letter.
"Do you know the names?"
They were all Ionian, and not incredibly well-known to those who didn't live in the far-off country; Lux, however, had spent a bit of time in Ionia and with renowned people like the Duchess and Captain Lito, and recognized the majority of the people that had allied themselves with the League.
"Vaguely- they're not very involved with the elders of Ionia, and I've only ever met one of them."
Lux's finger trailed over Shen's name, along with his assigned title, recalling the brief time years ago that Karma had introduced her to the almost scarily stoic ninja. Ionia's ninjas were, as Lux said, more involved with themselves and their personal dealings than things like the elder's politics, and Lux unfortunately knew very little about them. But she did know that the last name on the list, Zed, was someone that Karma both hated and feared, and the remaining three (Akali, Kennen, and Syndra) all tugged at her memory in a frustrating sort of way when she couldn't quite recall why they were so familiar. She'd have to ask Karma, if she got the chance.
"Sounds exciting," Talon remarked dryly, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. She supposed that put in the same situation, she wouldn't be too happy about being drafted for the match either.
"I should go check if I got a letter."
Lux sounded disappointed, even to herself, but Talon only smirked.
"You didn't. Mid's taken."
Seconds ago, Talon could care less about being in the match, but he wasn't one to miss an opportunity to gloat. Lux rolled her eyes, a little displeased at how difficult it was to keep them focused on his infuriating expression and not his very bare chest.
"I can still support."
The response only made him grin wider, and Talon leaned across the table, dangerously close to a rather put-out Lux.
"Are you going to support me, Crownguard?"
Lux pressed her lips into a very thin line that did nothing to hide the heat blossoming across her cheeks, but she was quick to snap back this time.
"More like watch the Ionians wipe that infuriating grin off your face."
Unfortunately, her retort did nothing to erase said smile, which Lux decided she'd allow the longer it was focused on her. She really couldn't stay any longer though, because she had to be getting back to her apartment anyway, and if she had been put in the match then she didn't have a lot of time to get something to eat before it started.
She hopped off the chair, walking to Talon's side of the counter and placing what she'd initially intended to be a quick kiss on his lips; she really couldn't help laying a palm on his chest (lower than was probably necessary) and Talon wasn't helping any when he grabbed a handful of her sweater and tugged her closer, and she eagerly ran her tongue over his bottom lip when she tasted fresh mint on his breath.
It was an interesting, but rather ineffective, goodbye.
Very reluctantly she pulled away and freed herself from Talon's grip, making sure to grab her scarf off the counter and shooting Talon a quick, breathy goodbye.
"Good luck with your match."
And before she could be further enticed to stay, Lux left the apartment and all it offered behind.
Lux had never been more on edge about leaving Talon's apartment than she was that morning.
She was wearing the same clothes as she was last night (because it wasn't like she could borrow something from Talon) which everyone at the Garden Grill had seen her in, and to make matters worse, she'd left her baton in Quinn's apartment; she desperately wished that she had it with her, because it would be a simple thing to endure her walk of shame while she was invisible.
In lieu of magic, Lux had to resort to being extra careful; she snuck down hallways and peeked around corners, thanking her rather transient luck that no one seemed to be out and about. She made it out of the Noxian wing without seeing anyone, and Lux had relaxed a significant amount by the time she was nearer to the Library and the mess hall than Talon's apartment.
Of course, Lux ran into a bit of a problem the second she let her guard down; she was technically in no man's land, so to speak, so she didn't think that being spotted was really very damning, but it had more to do with the specific person whose path she crossed. She recognized Swain and his hunched form right off, even though they were on opposite ends of a lengthy hallway, and she couldn't help the almost infinitesimal stutter in her step when she caught the glance he darted at her face.
And it wasn't just his chilling gaze, but the piercing glare of that unnatural raven of his, and Lux thought that even Talon had never struck her with a look quite like this before.
In an effort to keep up her façade of nonchalance, Lux kept her walk smooth as she continued down the hallway, reminding herself that this was far from the first time she'd been forced to be around Swain; she'd seen him countless amounts of times in and out of High Command, and under much less favorable circumstances. Besides, she was well out of Noxian territory at this point and there was no reason for Swain to suspect her of doing anything she shouldn't be, much less for him to make the jump to her being with Talon.
Even with that reasoning, Lux's chest felt tight as she passed him in the hallway, the clack of his cane against the tiled floor making her heart thud, and when he was finally beyond her, it took an overwhelming amount of self-control not to let out a gusty sigh of relief. She just kept walking, never pausing and never looking back, until that particular hallway was behind her and she could no longer hear Swain's uneven gait.
And then Lux heaved that relieved sigh.
She felt so ridiculous when she was alone, trying to calm her pounding heart, because Swain had walked past her without a single word or interaction. In fact, after his initial glance at her when she first entered the hallway, he hadn't he even looked at her.
Lux chided herself on her needless paranoia as she crossed into the Demacian wing, wringing her scarf between her hands as she made a beeline for her apartment. She felt much better now that she was close to home and hadn't run into anyone important, and by the time she was fitting her key into the lock of her apartment, Lux had basically forgotten her brief encounter with Swain.
She checked the floor when she was inside, spotting a letter from the summoners that matched the one Talon had received; she picked it up, tossed her scarf onto her kitchen counter, and tore into the expensive paper as she walked slowly to her room.
It had the same announcement she'd seen already, but no summons for the match; she was definitely relieved, even though she'd said to Talon she would have supported, and she certainly didn't mind having the morning to herself instead of being forced to fight the new Ionians.
And her first order of business with her morning free was to take a shower.
She eagerly ditched the letter and stripped away last night's clothes, stepping into a shower that quickly built up to being scalding and scrubbing her skin and her hair with a wash of mandarin-scented bubbles. It was the perfectly peaceful and soothing moment that Lux needed to simply process the course her life had taken in the past day.
It didn't really have to be monumental; figuratively sleeping with Talon had felt like a bit of an eventuality to Lux with the way things had been progressing, but it didn't necessarily change anything. She'd still slipped away when she had to, and Talon was still the same person he was before she'd slept with him. He would consider last night as no big deal, surely.
And Lux told herself the same thing, completely ignoring that it in no way felt true when applied to her.
She cut the water to her shower when her raw skin began to cry for relief, and swaddled a towel beneath her arms as she padded away from her bathroom in search of something to wear. She picked something shapeless and comfortable, as per her usual, returning to the bathroom and giving herself a cursory glance in the mirror before leaving. The benign outfit was in place and Lux was satisfied with it, but she frowned as something dark caught her eye.
The maroon beginnings of a bruise that Lux didn't remember receiving colored the flesh at the base of her neck, and she pursed her lips when she realized her sweater wasn't going to cover it.
It didn't hurt, not even when she prodded it with a finger, but it would be annoying to hide; she made sure to grab her scarf again before she left her apartment, wrapping it loosely around her neck all the while she cursed Talon.
Her second order of business for the day was to get her baton back from Quinn; luckily for Lux, her apartment wasn't very far away from her own. She tucked her wet hair behind her ears and self-consciously adjusted her scarf maybe a hundred times while she walked over, pausing before Quinn's door to adjust the sun-colored fabric once more before she was satisfied. Then Lux knocked, and waited.
It was an unusual amount of time before the knock was answered- enough that Lux was beginning to think that Quinn was out. However, the brunette came to the door with bleary eyes and a yawn, and waved Lux inside without saying anything.
"Did I wake you?"
It definitely appeared that way; Quinn was in rumpled pj's and her hair was an absolute mess, and Valor was nowhere to be seen. Confirming her suspicions, Quinn nodded, and pointed to where Lux's baton was still laying on the couch.
"Yeah, but it's fine. I should be up anyway."
Lux retrieved her baton, not knowing until that moment how much she'd missed having it at her side; she curled her fingers around the cool metal, and turned to raise a brow at her friend.
"Rough night?" she inquired, the barest hint of sarcasm coloring the very real curiosity.
Quinn nodded, leaning against her kitchen counter and stifling another yawn.
"Vi got into a drinking contest with Kat, and that wasn't even the most interesting part of the night. You missed out."
Lux blinked in surprise at that little tidbit of information, but she definitely didn't regret leaving early; besides, Kat had a tendency to throw sharp things when she was drunk, and Lux was a bit relieved that she'd avoided that particular event.
"I'm not sure I agree with you on that one."
Quinn smiled like she wasn't really sure she did either, and changed the subject.
"Do you have plans for today?"
It was an entirely innocent question, but Lux's hand tightened around her baton, and it was a bit tougher than usual for her to keep her face straight.
"Sort of. I was going to get breakfast and go see new match, if I have the time."
Lux put a lot of effort into making it sound like watching the match was a bit of whim, and not really her priority for the day; she'd forgotten her friend had just woken up and didn't know about the new champions until Quinn frowned.
"Match? What match?"
Lux looked back to the door and pointed to the letter that sat on the floor, evidently unnoticed by Quinn. She strode over and tore through it just as Lux had twice already that morning, sleepily rubbing an eye while she skimmed through it. It was funny the way Lux could tell she'd been drafted into the match, because Quinn went from barely awake to darkly frowning at the innocent seeming paper very quickly.
"Of all the rotten luck…" she muttered, tossing the letter on her counter.
Lux offered an apologetic smile, which was all she could really do for her.
"I think that's my cue to be on my way. Good luck!"
Quinn gave a halfhearted wave as Lux let herself out, and when the apartment door was closed behind her, she couldn't help but feel fortunate that Quinn hadn't questioned her at all about her leaving the birthday party early, or why she hadn't come for her baton earlier… or anything else, really. It wasn't like Quinn made a habit of prying, but Lux felt like her friend was letting her off a little bit easy.
Which she appreciated.
There was a bit of a swing in Lux's step as she once again left the Demacian wing, wandering aimlessly at first before she realized that she was actually starving, and that getting something to eat would be a good way to spend the free time she had before the match started. There were more people walking around closer to the mess hall; Lux waved hellos to the Sheriff and a very unhappy and exhausted looking Vi, neither of which could join Lux for breakfast because they were both on their way to actually participate in the match. Lux wished them the same luck she had for Quinn and Talon, and entered the mess hall alone.
There were a few summoners around and a pair of yorldes off to themselves, but no one Lux really recognized; she helped herself to a plate of fruit and a granola bar, finding somewhere alone to sit while she slowly picked through her food.
The match promised to be interesting, that was for sure; Lux was eager to see what kinds of teams there would be, which was difficult to predict considering all of the new champions. If there was one thing Lux was hoping for, it was that Quinn and Talon were on the same side of the rift, because the alternative would definitely not be something that Lux wanted to watch. Actually, Lux was beginning to wonder if she wanted to watch the match at all.
She chewed thoughtfully around a strawberry, deciding that she'd stay until Talon did something embarrassing and that she didn't have to watch anymore after that.
There was a viewing room set aside for League matches that Lux headed for when she was finished eating breakfast, out of the way and more towards parts of the Institute that Lux had yet to explore. The room was set up a lot like a cinema would be; a large screen dominated the back wall of the room, and there were two sets of chairs set up in rows. Lux was a tad bit surprised to find that a lot of the available seating was taken; she quickly scanned the room, deciding to skip over a free chair in between two summoners and one next to Darius in favor of the only other free one next to Karma.
She was sitting in the very back row, next to the door, so Lux didn't have to walk far to pause beside the open seat.
"Do you mind if I sit?"
Karma looked up, seemingly distracted, but gracious as ever.
"Not at all."
Lux took the seat and balanced her baton on her lap, noting that the screen was still dark and that Karma looked uncharacteristically unnerved; she was chewing her lip, and more than once twisted the hem on the side of her skirt between her hands. Lux observed the behavior, wondering if it was acceptable for her to ask about it. They were… acquainted, sort of.
"Are you okay?"
Even though it was soft and tentative, Karma's head snapped up at the sound of Lux's voice, and the look on her face after that was slightly embarrassed.
"Yes, thank you."
She really didn't look okay, but the screen lit up before Lux could further question the issue, and they both turned forward in their seats. The view onscreen was of the forested Rift, lingering first above the blue team and then the red. Lux was relieved to see that, on the blue team, were Quinn and Talon, and she recognized Shen and the two other ninjas that must have been Akali and Kennen. The camera didn't linger on Talon or Quinn like Lux would've wanted, and panned over to the opposite team. There was the Sheriff, there was Vi, and there were the two Ionians that had to have been Syndra and Zed, along with that same purple yordle with the outlandish hat that Lux swore was in every single match.
Lux thought the teams were a bit on the strange side, but it made sense considering that half the champions present were new and didn't have clear, designated roles yet. Everyone chose their lanes and set off, and when the point of view lingered on Talon a bit before the match really started, Lux tried not to make her interest too obvious.
This would actually prove a bit difficult as the game progressed; it seemed that most of the action that would follow was centered around the middle lane, which meant that Syndra and Talon were constantly on the screen. It was a bloody, messy match that had Lux cringing no less than five minutes in, and it wasn't long before she pinpointed why it was that Karma was seemingly so unnerved; she watched with a sharp attention just like Lux did when the mid lane was the focus of the show, and of the two mid laners, it was easy for Lux to deduce who she was watching. She couldn't really fathom what her fascination with Syndra was, but about fifteen minutes into the match Karma stood up and politely excused herself, and Lux didn't miss the sick look on her face that she tried to hide.
It was probably mirrored on her own features, by now.
She watched Talon collect a fair share of kills in his name, but those dark Ionians were brutal; they never gave a life without taking one in return, and Lux was finding it rather difficult to watch both Talon and Quinn constantly being revived from their temporary deaths. It made matters worse that everyone seemed deadly focused that game, and there was not a single misstep of Talon's for Lux to tease him about later.
The game promised to be a lengthy one, although Lux wasn't sure how much more of it she wanted to endure; it was a bit of a relief that sometime later Ezreal joined her to watch the game, taking Karma's vacated seat and looking like he had expected her to be there.
"Hey, Lux," Ezreal greeted, immediately kicking his feet onto the headrest of the chair in front of him.
"Hi."
Ezreal folded his hands behind his head and regarded the screen with a contemplative frown, letting out a low whistle when he saw the score. It had long since dipped into the double digits for both teams, and the game still showed no definitive sign of coming to a close.
"Geez. The Ionians don't mess around, do they?"
Lux shook her head, pursing her lips as Caitlyn fell prey to Akali yet again.
"No they do not."
He was quiet for a minute or so, observing the slaughter, and spoke again without turning.
"I'm a little surprised that you're here, actually. I figured this wasn't really your thing."
He really didn't sound surprised, and Lux opened her mouth to say so, but Ezreal cut her off.
"On second thought," he said, turning to her with the strangest twist to his mouth, "I guess I'm not as surprised now that I know who's actually in the match."
As if to accent his point, the screen panned in on a fight in the blue side's jungle, showing with disturbing clarity Talon pulling his blade from the body of the invading jungler.
"Yes," Lux replied, lips stiff but expression cool and unaffected. "I came to see Quinn."
It was painfully clear that he did not believe her, not for a second; Ezreal sat normally, fresh anger distorting his features in the face of Lux's lie.
"For some reason, I really doubt that."
Lux shrugged, attempting to appear calm even though her hands were painfully tight around her baton and anger swirled sickeningly with the fear in her gut.
"If doubt is all you have, then I suggest you stop insinuating things that aren't true."
She turned back to the screen, grateful that the view was focused on Shen and not someone a little more… sensitive.
Lux could feel Ezreal practically fuming at her side, and she cringed when his voice sounded out, deadly low and scathing.
"So I imagined you kissing the Du Couteau, right? Just like I imagined you leaving with him last night."
Lux actually felt her stomach drop, and at this point it wasn't even self-control that kept her staring at the screen, but more the fact that she'd frozen and didn't think she could move even if she wanted to.
"Yes."
It wasn't convincing, not in the least.
"What exactly are you planning to get out of this, Lux? You can't possibly delude yourself into thinking that murderer cares about someone other than himself. It won't last."
Ezreal's words were knives, cutting through Lux and to fears she didn't even know she had until that exact moment. Her hands twisted around her baton, palms slick, and her throat was painfully tight when she answered.
"I know," she whispered, forgoing the lie. It wasn't going to do her any good when Ezreal had already convinced himself he was right.
"So? Are you just waiting for someone else to find out?"
Lux whipped around in her chair, fixing him with a glare that she hoped was severe enough to perfectly convey her meaning.
"No one is going to find out. This is none of your business, Ezreal."
Fear made her words deadly, and there was an underlying threat to her voice that she'd never directed at any of her friends before. It was clear by the shocked look on Ezreal's face that he didn't anticipate the sudden snap, and it took him a very long second to recover.
"Lux, I'm telling you this because I care about you, and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt. Stop seeing him."
Lux knew he cared, could see it in his eyes, and it made that fear in her gut twist in a new, guiltier way; she could only imagine what this looked like to someone who hated Noxus as much as he did. She could only imagine what it would look like to Quinn and Jarvan and everyone else, if they found out.
That was why Ezreal couldn't tell anyone.
Somewhere behind them, the match ended, but neither blonde paid it any attention; Lux couldn't look away from Ezreal, and he couldn't from her, and there was a challenge in their eyes that they were both so painfully determined to win.
"You said it yourself," Lux breathed, voice constricted. "It isn't going to last."
That wasn't what Ezreal wanted to hear, evidently; he wanted a complete agreement, undeniable proof that Lux was going to immediately cut off Talon and never see him again. The inevitable, but eventual, death of the relationship was not what he wanted, and his face bunched up in anger again.
"Does he even know that you've spent the last decade spying on him and his family and all of the people they know?"
Silence greeted the question, and that was all the answer that Ezreal needed.
He seemed to realize that Lux wasn't going to be immediately persuaded to change her mind; he stood, leaving Lux alone in her chair, and turned to spit one last thing at her.
"I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to kill you."
And then he stormed out, amidst a flood of other people leaving the view room.
Lux sat there, stunned, her mind slowly processing the interaction. The fight felt like it must have lasted hours, but she knew it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, and even though Ezreal's words echoed loudly and painfully in her mind, no one around her seemed to notice that the fight had even transpired. Her chest still felt icy and tight and she couldn't pull in a full breath, and every word she recalled cut her with fresh pain.
Ezreal was… right. He was right about so much.
She knew seeing Talon wasn't going to last. She knew that, if anyone ever found out, it would destroy not only her reputation, but no doubt it would be met with severe backlash from their respective countries. It was a dangerous, selfish thing she was doing, but she did so with the confidence that she would not be caught.
Which was not the case anymore.
What hurt more than that knowledge though, what hurt more than Ezreal's disgust or the fear that she would be revealed as a traitor, was the fact that Ezreal had cut to the heart of Lux's unspoken worries in a matter of seconds.
You can't possibly delude yourself into thinking that murderer cares about someone other than himself.
Because she did just that, Lux realized; somewhere, at some point in time while she was confessing her past to him in their training room or falling asleep beneath his arm or kissing him with her heart in her throat, Lux had convinced herself without ever realizing that Talon Du Couteau cared about her.
That, to him, this wasn't just some meaningless fling that he would discard when he no longer felt the need to continue it.
It was stupid, of course. Talon said he was interested in her, but that wasn't the same thing as caring about someone. Lux could tell the difference.
She'd also never expected anything more from him, so it was easy -painfully so- for her to dispel that illusion. If she had wanted someone to care for her, someone to find real meaning with, she would not have chosen a Noxian. It may not be smart of her to be seeing him in the first place, but Lux was smart enough to know what Talon was capable of, and to adjust her expectations accordingly. What Ezreal said hurt so bad because she was no longer able to admit that she didn't care for Talon- but even with that knowledge, nothing changed. It didn't matter if she cared for him, because admitting it didn't mean that the feeling was reciprocated.
It didn't change that, for now, seeing each other was still what Talon and Lux wanted, no matter how much or how little that was.
She still felt raw after the fight, playing Ezreal's words over and over in her mind, but she knew that he wouldn't be the one to give her away; he wouldn't tell Quinn or her brother or any of her superiors because he still cared about what happened to her, whether he wanted to admit or not. He wasn't going to completely upend Lux's life because he didn't approve.
But he wasn't going to be her friend, either.
At least, for now, it was clear he wanted nothing to do with her. It made Lux's heart ache to realize that something she'd never planned on had strained a friendship she'd had for so long, but she also believed that Ezreal wouldn't dismiss her forever, especially considering that her fling with Talon wasn't going to last forever, either.
It didn't make her feel better, exactly, but Lux's initial panic had a much looser grip on her chest, and she breathed a bit easier than she had when Ezreal first showed up.
It was a mess, well and truly, but she was sure that it would sort itself out.
Things like this always did.
Although not as distraught as before, Lux was definitely in need of comfort after her fight with Ezreal; her first thought, after everything that had happened, was to seek out Quinn or Garen, but she knew they weren't capable of offering the relief she sought. She found herself heading from the view room to where the champions were released after a match, shrouded in the magic of her baton, peering around the corner of an adjacent hallway while she waited impatiently for who she did want to see.
She didn't have to wait long; splitting off from the rest of his team, Talon headed for the hallway Lux knew he would, the one where she waited. She dropped the spell, once again fully visible, and if Talon was surprised to suddenly find her standing in the mouth of the hallway, he did an amazing job of not showing it. With a subtle glance over his shoulder to make sure that no one was following him, he hurried over to Lux with not the most approving look she'd ever seen on his face, and a frown buried beneath the shadow of his hood.
"Should you be here?"
Vaguely Lux's mind registered that she probably shouldn't be, but she paid the thought no mind, nor did she acknowledge the blade still strapped to Talon's arm or anything else, really, as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest. The beat of his heart beneath her ear was steady and he smelled like fresh forest air and the tension clinging to her bones melted, falling away completely when he tentatively placed a hand on her hair.
And it didn't feel bad, not right then, to care.
A/N: Reviews
iFireLightning- Are you proposing?! Here's the next!
TheMixKage- Thank you ^-^ Will do!
Oceanbourne- Okay I'm feeling entirely lost after all this time, but let's see. I guess what I was trying to convey in chapter 19 is that no one really knows what Swain is up to, or what's important to him. It's scary to the Demacians to think that Swain will leave the League to potentially start another war, and in my mind, Demacia is too proud to let the League fight their war. It's too personal at this point, so they'd leave the League themselves and they would be back to square one. I think everyone is wary of the summoners because they're so powerful and they don't know if they can really trust them yet, since the League is still a very new thing, but they're grateful for the peace that the institute offers. So, war is a maybe, and no one's sure what to think of these super powerful summoners. Not sure if that makes sense, but definitely feel free to ask me more, even though I don't think I've been super helpful so far lol.
As for the bit at the end- that was definitely intentional. I like keeping scenes like that incongruent for the most part, because I think it reads better, but I know not everyone shares that opinion.
WhiteWinterDragon- Ahhh, poor Garen doesn't really get his money's worth from me, but I'm trying. She's definitely learning to enjoy herself more, and Talon is certainly a part of that. Thank you!
Adonna2424- I've been playing The Poro King during free week Ezreal and I swear to you all, that made me SO CLOSE to just killing him off this chapter. It's honestly disgusting how much I hate Ezreal at this point. Ahhh, sorry! Will try to keep updates from being so long. You're welcome, and thank you for the review!
Whirlwind67- ugh no, I loved writing that chapter. Writing them all do normal things is weirdly enjoyable, so you're definitely not alone there.
zZzSapphireBluezZz- Both! It's feedback like yours that reminds me there are things I forgot or need to work on, and I did plan for everyone to get a little more development c:
Okay I just bought Enders game because of you, and I haven't finished it yet, but I can definitely say that when I said cliffhanger before, I didn't mean the kind where it's like… painful. I mean the sort where I kind of set myself up to continue, but it wouldn't be devastating if I didn't. Does that make sense? I'm basically saying don't worry lol the cliffhanger isn't going to be super bad or anything.
Riven in due time c;
Tasskuss24- thanks! Well, Talon pretty much did it in the last chapter. No spoiler! But you will have the answer soon. I will, and thank you tons!
Ulcaasi- Boy will he ever. Conflict is good. Continue to feel conflicted, it gives me strength.
Glaesii- Sorry, for the wait then and the wait now :T Working on these update times! Thank you though c:
Marinette Dupain-Cheng- HE CAN'T, BECAUSE HE HAS TO RUIN EVERYTHING. Honestly it's always a lulu support. Always. I think so too -w-
Thank you thank you! Writing siblings is surprisingly fun. Who would've known?
Guest- Thanks!
GarenKat Fangirl- hello allow me to express my enthusiasm over YOU.
I think it's pretty interesting to write the things that they share and the small things they don't, which really highlights the weird af relationship they have going on. A bit of both, I'd say. He knows she's very secretive around other people, but since he's an orphan who grew up without a family and doesn't even know when his real birthday is, I doubt he's someone who regards birthdays with any importance, you know? I don't think that the General is someone who would celebrate them ridiculously either. Also, people are usually the center of attention on their birthdays, which is definitely not something Talon likes.
I haTE EZREAL so naturally he's going to ruin everything. Rip.
Thank you thank you THANK YOU. I aim to please c; Also Quinn is safe STOP WORRYING
Nic- Hey! Ahh, I wish I could too, but M writing is evidently not my forte. Aww c:
Clawatme- I'm glad you are! Thanks for the review :)
Littlemissbreanne- Thank you! I am definitely trying my best on that one.
Guest- Thanks! I wish it would update, too.