The Struggle, Ezreal
Once the weekend arrived, Ezreal was exhausted from work. Coming home to a spotlessly clean house was one of the advantages of having Levi around.
When Levi heard the garage door open, he closed the book he was reading, and started towards the kitchen. As soon as the blonde man stepped in, Levi quickly analyzed him before saying anything. Before Ezreal could drop his coat on the kitchen table, the brunette took it from him and draped it on the back of a chair.
"Thanks, Levi," the cartographer said, smiling tiredly.
"How was work?" The shorter man asked, delicately.
"It was okay. I'm very glad it's Friday." Ezreal pulled Levi closer to kiss him gently. The blonde smiled, and then asked Levi what he wanted to do.
"It's your time off too," Levi reminded him.
"True, but you will only be here for one more week. I kind of want to spoil you, while you're here, Levi," Ezreal giggled.
Levi thought for a minute. "Honestly, I just want to spend time with you. That's the only reason I came to Piltover. I've never felt this strongly about someone before."
"Levi, come here. You are precious." The blonde man pulled Levi closer to him again, and kissed the top of his head. "Are you sure there's nothing you want to do or see while you're here? I'd love to show you around the city, or maybe a little bit of the countryside. I'm leaving it up to you."
The brunette thought for another few moments. "Well, if you insist, I'd love to see the countryside. Do you think you could teach me how to drive? I've always admired these amazing recreational vehicles that everyone has here."
"Hey, that sounds fun! You have to be careful, though. It's harder than it looks, but I'll give you a quick lesson," said Ezreal.
"Oh my!" Levi suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot, there's a pie in the oven!" The short man ran over to the oven and quickly opened it. He turned it off and grabbed a pair of oven mitts.
Ezreal was relieved when he saw that Levi's creation wasn't burned. "It looks fine, Levi."
"I wanted to make you dinner, and since so many people eat pizza here, I assumed you would be familiar with it."
The cartographer laughed. "Yes, we do eat pizza here. I do enjoy it! I've never had homemade pizza before, though."
In the morning, Ezreal woke up to the smell of French toast and bacon. Levi was in the kitchen again, making breakfast. The blonde rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and got out of bed.
"Good morning, Levi," Ezreal said, from the doorway leading to the kitchen.
"I hope you're hungry," Levi replied, shoving a plate of food in front of the other man.
They sat down and ate breakfast together. Ezreal stirred his coffee in slow circles. Levi was quiet. This wasn't particularly unusual, but according to the cartographer's perceptiveness, he wondered that the older man had something on his mind.
"Is something the matter, Levi?"
The man answered immediately. "When this week is over, I have to return home."
"We'll worry about that when the time comes. Let's just enjoy this time while we have it. I was planning on taking you to see the Piltover Falls today," said the cartographer.
"That sounds wonderful, actually. I wish I could be as carefree as you," Levi responded.
Soon, Ezreal and Levi got ready to leave. They packed snacks and bottles of water in the trunk of the car. Ezreal started the engine and put down the top. It was a bright, sunny day.
After a half an hour of navigating the streets of Piltover's outskirts, the city was far behind them. The roads begun to change from pavement to bumpy gravel, and then to mud and dirt.
"We're almost there," said Ezreal. "This is the agricultural district."
The blonde looked over at Levi, and saw that he was fixated on the surrounding landscape. As the car flew by the tall grass lining both sides of the road, it created a chain of movement. The grassy fields swayed with the breeze like ripples sprawling across a body of water. In the distance, there was a mountain range. On the other side, was Piltover Falls.
Levi looked over to Ezreal, whose blonde hair was also reacting to the wind. He didn't say anything, but he wanted to tell him how gorgeous he looked.
When they arrived at the trail to the falls, Ezreal parked the car in a small clearing next to a sign that read "Piltover Falls". The path up to the falls was seldom used. It was beginning to grow over in places.
Ezreal, being the explorer, led the way. As he held a thorny vine aside so Levi could get by, the sharp thorns got stuck to his hand. It started to bleed, but the cuts weren't bad enough to bother tending to immediately.
"Hey, what happened to your hand?" Levi asked, a few minutes later, noticing the freshly drying blood on the cartographer's hand.
"It's nothing, it was just a branch. I'll wash it off later," said Ezreal.
Levi remembered the numerous times the blonde had gone out of his way for him so he wouldn't have to risk getting caught by the encroaching flora. "I've fought countless titans and lived, so you don't need to beat yourself up trying to protect me from getting a few little scratches," the shorter man said, as a passing aside.
"I know that, but I'm the one dragging you through this jungle. The least I could do is prevent you from getting hurt," said Ezreal, as they continued to forge forth on the steepening path.
"Don't worry about such small matters. It's inevitable that trekking through terrain like this won't leave us unscathed. I don't know what the falls are going to look like, exactly, but I have reason to believe that they'll be beautiful. That's why it's worth the hike, right?" Levi asked, following the blonde.
"You're one to talk," Ezreal chuckled. "If even a hair was out of place, you'd be the first to see to it."
"Hey, let's leave my perfectionism out of this," Levi pouted.
Ezreal laughed. "I see what you mean, Levi. Reaching our destination will be well worth the trip, I promise."