Invisible Shadows
When Ezreal and Levi reached the end of the path, they could hear the falls. They climbed up one last ridge of rocks, and then looked out at the vast, misty space before them.
"Isn't it beautiful, Levi?" Ezreal asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Before the brunette could even think of words to say, he braced the cartographer for a passionate kiss. "This is amazing!" Levi cried. He quickly resumed the kiss, breathlessly stealing Ezreal's mouth with triumph.
"I thought you'd enjoy seeing it," said the blonde man, with a relaxed smile.
They climbed down to the water's edge and sat with their feet dangling into the cool, refreshing pool. The falls stretched several dozen feet from end to end. Rocks protruding from the water near the top of the cliff created breaks in the expansive curtain of motion.
"Do you want to see what's behind the falls?" Ezreal asked.
Levi stood up, in agreement. Ezreal took the man's hand, and led him across the rocks to an opening. The water roared all around them until they were inside the hidden cave behind the falls. The sound was still there, but it had softened to a gentle lull.
The cave was adorned with statues and stone decorations. At the center, stood a deep well. The markings on the stones surrounding the well were written in what appeared to be an ancient language.
"Do you know how to read this, Ezreal?" Levi asked, fascinated.
"I've always wanted to figure out what it says, but I'm afraid these characters belong to the oldest known written language of Piltover's ancestors. No one has ever been able to decipher the meanings of them."
"I wonder if this is a wishing well," Levi suggested.
"It's possible. Why don't you give it a try?"
The short brunette walked up to the well and peered down into it. He pulled out a coin from is pocket, tossing it down the well. Almost a minute had passed when Levi finally heard the faint splash of the coin as it fell into the water.
As dedicated as he was to the slaughter of the titan race, Levi knew he wasn't truly happy. He knew there was no other way for him to survive, until he met Ezreal. He hoped to someday be able to spend more time with the cartographer, but he knew he had an important call to answer.
"Did you make a wish?" The blonde asked, putting his hand on Levi's shoulder.
"Yes." There were tears forming in Levi's eyes. He didn't want Ezreal to notice them, but he couldn't hold them in for any longer.
"Levi, I understand that you can't stay here with me, nor can I return to the Special Operations Squad right now." Ezreal could tell that he was right, about why the brunette was sad.
"What if one of us dies? Almost all of my friends are dead, now. The titans are only getting stronger, and now the threat of extra-terrestrials exists," Levi said, still trying not to completely lose control of his emotions.
"It isn't worth worrying so much about death. It's inevitable. I wish I could say something to make you feel better, though. I can't imagine the degree of pain you must have gone through."
"You're right, but it just hurts so much. I was in love with Eren, the young soldier who was killed by the alien woman. I've accepted the fact that it happened, but the memories still haunt me."
"Levi, please don't cry. The past is something to remember, but more importantly, to move on from. I love you very much, and I want to help you realize that there is so much to look forward to. Not one of your soldiers or friends died meaninglessly. Each one of them were putting forth the effort to save humanity from the titans."
The short, dark-haired man wiped his eyes, and wrapped his arms around Ezreal.
When the pair emerged from the jungle, they got back in the car. "Do you still want a driving lesson, Levi?" Ezreal aksed. "These back roads aren't frequently used, so this would be the best place."
Levi quickly grew excited, as he and Ezreal exchanged seats. "I'm ready!"
Since the brunette was considerably shorter than the mapmaker, he moved the seat closer to the wheel so his feet would reach the pedals and the clutch. Ezreal showed him how to start it, giving it the right amount of gas until the car came to a steady idle.
Levi stalled a few times, but he eventually figured out how he was supposed to switch gears. "You're getting it, Levi!" Ezreal said, encouragingly.
They continued down the bumpy dirt road, until they reached a fork. "What do I do now?" Levi asked.
"If you want to follow one more stretch of road, that's okay with me. Try going a little bit faster, if you're comfortable."
By the end of that stretch, Levi was buzzing with excitement. He pulled the car off to the side, so Ezreal could take over. "That was so fun! I love the sound of this engine. It's clean and smooth."
"I like it, too. I'm going to have to wash the car before I go back to work on Monday," said Ezreal, noticing that the once spotless paintjob was dirtied with mud all the way up the sides of the doors.
Once they got back, Ezreal left the muddy car in the driveway. He went inside to shower off. When he was finished, he didn't know where Levi had gone. The blonde peered out the front window, only to notice that Levi had washed the entire car. He was standing outside with the garden hose and a sponge, scrubbing off the dirt.
Ezreal ran outside, giggling. "You really can't leave anything less than spotless, can you?" The man laughed.
"Shut up, alright?" I just wanted to have it cleaned so you wouldn't have to worry about doing it tomorrow.
Levi was drenched in water and mud, with his pants rolled up, and his shirt off. "Looks like you're the one that needs a bath, now."
Monday morning, Ezreal left for work. When he arrived, Armin and Mikasa were waiting for him outside his office.