"Thank you, Dr. Ziegler," Akali expressed over her shoulder to the woman walking behind her. Every fine detail of the room, from the very strategically placed leather chaise longue to the ornate flowerpots spaced evenly along the white windowsill, dissolved from her attention as she stepped through the door. It wasn't until she reached the reception desk that she turned around to face the scintillating blonde before her.
"Please," she insisted warmly, offering her hand. "Call me Angela."
An hour a week for a few months. That was all Dr. Ziegler—Angela asked of her. It was dipping her toe in the vast, daunting ocean that was therapy. Akali had tirelessly browsed the internet for the best therapy clinics in Ionia, and fortunately for her, the cyberspace did not disappoint. Within the first session, Akali was able to clear her mind and truly see the world around her; after the fiftieth, she could slip into solid slumber for hours.
"Take care!" Akali waved before walking down the steps of the clinic.
Akali couldn't discern which irritated her more: the sweat that clung to her like a second skin or the grumble that made her stomach sound and feel like a bottomless pit. The hospital had been particularly hectic today, and with the piles upon piles of paperwork she had to file, there simply was no time for dinner (or an actual lunch, and the bag of chips she ate earlier did little to satisfy). Akali stole a quick glimpse at her watch. Only an hour until midnight. Thank god it was a Friday. Her feet dragged against the pavement. Tomorrow morning, Akali would curse at her scuffed shoes, but at this point in time, she was far too enervated to care.
By the time she reached her doorstep, she'd firmly decided to forsake dinner for a rejuvenating shower. Sleep would wear away the hunger. Enamored by the thought of face planting her pillow, Akali almost missed the fact that the kitchen light was turned on.
Odd. She couldn't remember turning it on this morning. That's because she didn't. She stopped where she stood, her hands hovering inches from the door knob. A profound realization hit her.
Oh god.
Fear pumped into her with every heartbeat. Showing little mercy to her lock, Akali jammed her key into the knob and rushed in, slamming the door with a kick of her foot. Her bag was unceremoniously dumped beside the door, her jacket carelessly flung in the direction of the television, but all of this was irrelevant in comparison with what would happen if she didn't reach the kitchen in time.
Her eyes widened as they fell upon a shadow hunched over the stove. Akali's fingers looped around the doorway of the kitchen, swiveling her body around, but it was too late.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Akali physically flinched as the fire alarm wailed into the midnight sky, probably waking everyone in a ten mile radius. Thoroughly defeated, she snatched a stack of paper and waved her arms frantically above her to silence the deafening alarm. After her ears were just about ready to bleed, the noise extinguished innocently, as if it hadn't alerted the whole neighborhood of its existence. Her eyes narrowed and shifted to the culprit, who was hunched over the stove with obvious guilt.
"Zed."
He gulped, inching slowly away from the stove.
"I told you this was a new stove. It has more power than the old one, so if you're going to cook something, you have to monitor the heat closely."
What did he burn this time?
With heavy steps, Akali marched toward the stove and peered into the simmering pan, which was still simmering a charred block of god knew what. She turned to face him, but any reprimands died in her throat as she saw how guilty he looked. Zed avoided her gaze by staring intently at the wooden spatula, which had the same charred substance congealed to the tip. Her glare softened and Akali moved to dump the pan's contents into the garbage.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, gently taking the pan from her hands. "I was trying to make risotto because I knew you'd be hungry when you got home, but I—"
Akali placed her index finger to his lips, silencing him. "Don't kill yourself, Zed." She glanced at the singed pan and sighed. "I'm tired. I'm going to shower and head to bed."
She almost brushed past him, but caught herself just in time. "I appreciate that you went through all this effort." She wrapped her arms around Zed's neck and nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder. A smile crept on her face when Zed returned the embrace and pulled her flush against his body. Her fingers cupped his chin lightly and brought it closer to her lips. The coarse stubble on Zed's jawline tickled her as she kissed him.
"Good night," she whispered in his ear before stumbling straight to the bathroom.
"One job and I managed to fuck it up." Akali heard Zed reprimand himself once she turned the corner.
Seeing Zed so crestfallen prompted memories of the first time she had found him ransacking her kitchen in an earnest attempt to whip up dinner for her. That day, perhaps three months after the war ended with no word from him, Akali had arrived home late and famished. When she approached her house, the stench of smoke had assaulted her nostrils. After the initial shock of stumbling upon Zed in her kitchen subsided, she doused the flames that threatened to envelope the building.
A tacit understanding formed between them that night. It was a silent agreement to never speak of the past, a promise to look forward and never behind. And so Zed never told her where he had been for those three months, and Akali didn't ask. She frankly didn't want to nor need to. And after cleaning the kitchen from the ceiling to the crevices between the floor tiles, Zed slipped into the shadowed night once more, the only sign of his presence the dishes propped up in the drying rack.
Akali thought it best not to dwell on how he just…knew. Attempting to make her food on days she would have most likely gone hungry, she soon realized, was how Zed had gone about trying to forgive himself for everything he had done. It was a rather considerate and eccentrically benign gesture. Laborious at times, but for the most part, adorably benign. With each and every unidentifiable meal placed in front of her, Akali found herself little by little eagerly anticipating his late night visits.
Like every other night, Akali stared blankly at a wall and tried to make sense of whatever the hell was going on between Zed and her, driving all traces of sleep away despite how fatigued her body felt. But like every other night, when the bed dipped under the weight of a new presence and sinewy arms protectively hugged her stomach, Akali merely snuggled closer to the warmth, and all thoughts that banished sleep melted away into the night.
"Relax."
"I shouldn't be here."
"Everyone who helped in the war is invited to the gala, so you should, in fact, be here."
"What if someone recognizes me? Look, people are staring at me!"
"They're staring because they think your fidgeting will trigger an earthquake."
Zed rolled his eyes sarcastically, but a small smile graced his lips. Akali ran her hands over his shoulders to smooth his suit. "Forgive me. I'm just a bit paranoid without my mask."
"I understand, but try to enjoy the party. It is for us, after all." He pressed his lips in a thin line.
Akali leaned back in her chair and sighed, adjusting all the imaginary creases in her red evening gown. Her eyes travelled to the five empty seats at the table. Three would later be occupied by Karma, Kennen, and Shen, who would arrive later in the night. The other two were reserved for Irelia, who was with the Elders, and Sona, who was rocking out on her etwahl with the orchestra. For now, it would just be the two of them, not that Akali minded.
"He still doesn't approve of us, does he?" Zed queried, strategically shifting his gaze to the side.
Not this again.
"At least Shen acknowledges your existence," Akali joked. Zed remained mute, his stare still downcast. "He doesn't necessarily approve of us, but he has accepted it. It's progress, however slow it is."
The boisterous conversations in the ballroom hushed to a silent murmur, seizing Akali's attention. All heads turned to the stage as Irelia, donned in her uniform, stepped onto the podium with a glass of champagne in hand.
"Good evening, ladies and gentleman." A few returned her greeting. "As most of you know, Ionia was attacked by a legendary creature almost a year ago. The Ionian troops, the reason we are able to celebrate tonight, fought fearlessly against the Baron Nashor, an enemy that not even I was prepared to fight against. Their efforts and sacrifices helped successfully defend our home."
The room burst into applause.
There was a brief pause in Irelia's speech. "But there is a tragic cost to such relentlessly destructive wars. During those few days, thousands of lives were lost." She stopped to clear the lump in her throat. "Tonight is dedicated to everyone who participated in the war. To all of my soldiers who have lost their lives or limbs, to the medics who saved countless of people, to the citizens who helped rebuild the town, and to the unexpected allies Ionia now has." Her glance at Zed was subtle, but he caught it nonetheless.
"This is for you."
She lifted the glass to the chandelier above, and everyone in the hall followed suit.
"And now, we feast!"
Hundreds of servers waltzed into the ballroom and weaved their ways through the maze of tables. A young man politely took Zed's and Akali's orders. Within a few laughs and some small talk, dinner flew by, and the waiter returned to retrieve the plates.
A spotlight shone onto the stage, focusing on a man in a maroon tuxedo. His effortless saunter to the microphone was grace itself. The sound of a lonesome piano filled the tranquil air, and bit by bit, the orchestra gradually slipped into the song. On cue, most of the guests stood from their respective tables and strolled onto the center of the ballroom. A blur of colors passed Akali's vision, capturing her complete attention until Zed disrupted her reverie.
"Shall we?" He offered his hand. With a dazzling smile, Akali took it.
The orchestra played louder as they wandered to the dance floor.
"You're in my arms, and all the world is calm…" The man's voice haunted her as Zed placed his hand on her waist.
"The music playing on for only two…" Nervously, she put her hand on his arm and straightened her frame.
Zed led the first stride but instead of elegantly stepping back, Akali stomped awkwardly onto her left foot. All she could hear was Zed's soft laughter as she looked at the surrounding couples to ensure no one saw her mishap. The second attempt resulted in her near collision with the ground.
"I don't feel like dancing," Akali sighed exasperated, giving her back to Zed. Before she could exit the floor, Zed drew her back in with an amused smirk.
"You've danced with death before. Believe me when I tell you regular dancing is much easier."
Akali blew away a devious piece of hair as she let Zed take her hand once more. Her eyes immediately shot down to the floor to scrutinize her feet's movements, but his hand lifted up her chin until all she could see was him.
"Trust me."
To the music, Zed stepped forward, and Akali stepped back. Their eyes never left each other, partially due to his unyielding stare. He commanded confidently, and with lesser certainty, she followed his movements. Somewhere in time as they swept the floor with the other couples, they melted into each other's arms, and in that fine moment it was only them. Every twirl, every whisk, he coerced and she complied.
"So what are we going to do now?" His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough to pull her back from her trance. "What's going to happen to everything?"
Akali replied truthfully, "I don't know." She shrugged the best she could. "But I know what I need to know."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Do pray tell."
His hand moved to the small of her back to dip her. Akali grinned.
"I finally know happiness."
This is the last late update you guys will have to deal with. :'D I wanted to finish this before I start college D':
I had so much trouble deciding what to include in this epilogue, and more importantly how to end it. There was just so much conflict on how to conclude this story. but to the important part of this A/N...
I want to thank all of you who reviewed and read this entire thing, the first story I've ever completed without bullshitting it entirely(?), and I would have not been able to finish without your support (seriously, I still can't believe my first fanfic got this many reviews). I apologize to those who I did not personally thank for reviewing because I had no idea the "Reply to a Review" button existed until a few months ago (YEA EVEN AFTER TWO YEARS I'M A NOOB AT THIS KILL ME) but I do remember every single one of you who reviewed. Your criticisms have taught me well, and now I'm a better writer, I think. I truly am grateful for all of you guys.
It feels weird to no longer have to update this story. Gaaagh I can't believe I started this when I was fifteen (and on a vacation). Literally two years of my life have passed in the short span of twenty chapters. Frankly about 90% of this fanfic was improvised chapter by chapter... yea I'm still working on how to map out stories better which is something you guys helped me see. Maybe in the future, I will edit this, but for now I'll let it be.
Fun fact: the names of all my chapters are song titles except for the first. It's a tradition I made for myself. Did any of you guys notice? LOL
tfw the A/N is longer than the actual chapter
As always, thank you so much for reading, and for the last time that I can say in this story, have a sunshiny day! c;
MUCH LOVE TO EVERYONE READING THIS BECAUSE HELL YOU GOT THIS FAR CONGRATULATIONS!
-STRAWBERRYNIRVANA