Author's Note: Wow... so I totally forgot that I was in the middle of writing a fanfic. Sorry about that, guys! Anyway, here's my Tristana/Ziggs fic as promised, a story centered on friendship. Hope you enjoy it, and I'm sorry that it took me so long to post this one. To make up for it, I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. League of Legends doesn't belong to me... neither do any of its characters. You guys know the drill.
Tristana skipped merrily down the halls, humming a soft, nameless tune as she carried her large, cannon-ball firing bazooka by her side. It's been a while since she'd had such a good match. She did feel bad that she had to fight against Teemo that game. They had always been good friends… but apparently his summoner was a dunce. She could easily see the annoyance in his eyes as he was forced to walk into stupid fights, controlled by a summoner who wouldn't know what strategy and map awareness were if they punched him in the face.
As she turned the corner, her skipping slowed down to a cautious gait and her humming stopped. Her ears twitched slightly. As she slowly made her way down the hall, she felt the burning sensation of eyes tracing her every move.
A sharp intake of breath sounded off behind her. She ducked as a dart flew over her head. She fired her large bazooka into the ground, sending her flying through the air and behind her stealthy best friend. She pressed the hot rim of her smoking gun into Teemo's back.
"Nice try… but no. Could you breathe any louder? I thought for a second that I was getting followed by a rapist, not ganked by you. Someone a little upset that we lost?"
Teemo's serious expression seemed to melt away as he realized he had failed to surprise her. He smiled with embarrassment and nodded. Tristana had been friends with Teemo for a long time… but she had to admit how he transitioned between his combat personality and his casual personality freaked her out.
"Yeah…. but that's not entirely my fault… actually… it wasn't my fault at all! You saw how that summoner handled me! Dear god, do they let anyone become summoners now?" Teemo sighed and walked alongside Tristana. "Not like it really matters. I can't even surprise you walking down the halls of the Institute."
Tristana laughed softly. "Oh come on, Teemo… Your eyes are like lasers. If someone's not in the heat of battle, they'd easily perceive the death glare. The air is charged with your attentive stare… scoping out weaknesses and waiting to strike."
Teemo smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway, good game, Tristana… well done." Teemo held out his hand and Tristana took it, standing next to him for a good minute and a half doing their secret handshake.
Tristana opened her door to find someone in her chambers. He seemed like another Yordle, and he was fiddling around with the cannon-balls she used for ammo and muttering something to himself that she couldn't make out.
"What the hell are you doing! Do you know how expensive that ammo is!" Tristana screamed, almost failing to resist the urge to blow him the fuck up. The Yordle looked up from his hands, now covered in gun-powder, with the biggest and creepiest grin she'd ever seen. In a flash, he bolted in front of her, standing so close to her that she could feel him breathing heavily in her face.
"Hi… I'm Ziggs." He said to her, holding a filthy hand up in greeting. Tristana didn't have a problem with dirt… but something about the Yordle raised warning flags in her head. None-the-less, she smiled and cheerfully introduced herself. "Tristana. Now… is there any particular reason you're in my chamber… messing with my stuff?"
Ziggs took his goggles off and raised an eyebrow at her. "Your stuff? This is your room?..." His giant grin faded to a smaller smirk, as if he was challenging her. "No offense, toots… but there's no way a girl like you packs such… explosive… powerful ammo." He said… pausing as his eyes seemed to lose focus.
Tristana smirked as she lifted her trusty bazooka higher, with her name carved on the tip of the barrel. "Believe what you want. The proof is right here… now I ask again… what are you doing?"
Ziggs narrowed his eyes as if inspecting her. He then pulled his goggles back on and shrugged. "I was just taking a look. I've only cracked two of 'em open. I'm your new roomie for now. The summoners told me they ran out of room to stick new champions. It's temporary… and as much as I'd like to tell you I'll be quiet and out of the way, I won't be. I'm an explosive enthusiast… I couldn't help myself when I saw your ammo lying around."
Tristana smirked with interest. A kindred soul. She didn't know what it was about explosives really… but she was obsessed with them as well. Every time she was on the battlefield armed with her trusty weapon, she'd love watching the crazy explosions with awe. Even off the Fields of Justice, she'd shoot her cannon at nothing just to watch the explosions go off in the air. She'd often tried to get Teemo to join her, but he wasn't all that interested. He had always said that projectiles should only be as large and lethal as they needed to be to get the job done. The explosives were a little distracting and overkill as far as he was concerned.
"So… you like explosives… what exactly were you doing cracking the ammo open? It won't blow up unless hit with enough force." Tristana asked in confusion. Ziggs laughed… a rather crazy scientist kind of laugh… and told her "I wasn't trying to make an explosion… I know how the ammo works… I was opening them up to see if I can make a better explosion!"
Tristana raised an eyebrow, taking offense to Ziggs' words. "You saying my ammo ain't powerful enough for you?" Ziggs chuckled at her. "Hell no, your ammo's plenty powerful… but as far as I'm concerned… you can never make a big enough boom!" Ziggs darted to a far off side of the room where a large bag that Tristana hadn't noticed earlier was sitting. Pulling out a knife, he slashed at the cloth and a bunch of unlit bombs and sealed vials came rolling out.
Picking up one of the vials, Ziggs swirled the liquid around. "I've always wanted to be a scientist, see?... But there's one fatal error in my scientific ventures…" He pulled out another vial, opened both, and poured the contents of one into the other. The liquid fizzled together and Ziggs poured it down his throat… and the sound of an explosion went off. He pushed Tristana to the side and burped loudly, smoke and fire whizzing out of his mouth.
"My shit always explodes." Ziggs said while wiping a sleeve over his mouth. Tristana's jaw hung open at what he just did. She blinked twice… then eventually, laughed softly after realizing he was completely okay. "That was pretty fucking awesome." She said with a smile.
"Thanks. So yeah… as a scientist… I'm kind of a failure… but instead of sulking about it, I do what I'm good at. I figure I can use my Hexplosives for good… so here I am… ready to blow up some people in the name of Bandle City." He told her, his massive grin still in place.
Tristana was intrigued by Ziggs' story… never had she met anyone that was as interested in explosives as her. Like her, Ziggs didn't consider explosives as weapons of complete and utter annihilation. She wasn't a fan of violence and destruction… she wasn't a Noxian after all. She just thought that explosions themselves were just plain cool as hell. And that being around them made her feel like a total badass.
They spent a long time talking and eventually night had fallen without either noticing. Tristana packed some ammo up and lifted her large bazooka, smiling slightly at Ziggs as she began to leave the room. "Hey, don't make a mess, okay? I'll be back."
Ziggs' head gear had been removed while they'd been talking, and his large, weird grin had faded a little and he had a more normal expression. He raised a brow at her, wondering where she'd be headed off to so late in the night… and a little miffed that she cut their conversation short… he was having such a good time talking to her.
"W-where are you goin'?" He asked… half of him wanting to tag along. Tristana rubbed the back of her neck and she blushed with embarrassment. "I was going to… shoot my bazooka in the air. It's kind of a waste and pretty pointless… but it's so calming for me. You can tinker with my ammo here if you want, I won't be long."
Ziggs dragged a sack out from another corner. "Sounds fun… how about I come with you? I'd love to see the explosions… Maybe make a few of my own." He said, inviting himself and hoping he wasn't turning red. Tristana smiled, glad that he didn't laugh at her and nodded. "Sure… I'd really like that."
It started with Ziggs launching a couple of bombs into the air, followed by Tristana shooting them down. The explosions were loud and… well, explosive. Fire lit up the night sky and smoke drifted in the wind. The explosions going off excited the two small Yordles, their pulse raising as they began launching explosives into the air with complete abandon… their eyes lighting up as sparks and fire flew through the sky. The loud, abrupt booming created a beat that only explosion lovers like themselves could appreciate. They ran across the meadow, weaving and drifting together, almost dancing as their fireworks shot across the sky, bright and powerful, dimming even the stars.
Tristana and Ziggs lay in the grass next to one another, Tristana nearly out of ammo and Ziggs' satchel of bombs almost empty. They were both breathing heavily after creating one of the most amazing arrangements of explosions either of them had ever seen.
"So… why the League, Ziggs? Your bombs are phenomenal… Why use them to fight for the League? You could make weapons to sell… or create flashier bombs to set off during festivals… kind of like fireworks… but better!"
Ziggs smiled sadly at Tristana, then looked up at the night sky. "Nobody takes me seriously out there. I'll never make my mark out there unless I can get enough people to see that what I do is useful. As it is now… I'm a failed scientist. Horribly failed… nothing I ever make works."
Tristana encouragingly patted Ziggs' shoulder. "Oh come on… it can't be that bad. I'm sure there would be a bunch of people that would appreciate what you do. I mean, I think what you're capable of is pretty amazing."
Ziggs put up that enormous grin. "Yeah… I know… but I don't want a select few to see value in what I do… I want the world to know just what I'm capable of. I'm not a failure, I just pursued the wrong goal. I want to show them all how well I've adapted to what I'm good at. The League gives me a chance to show all of Valoran that they were wrong to mock me. I'm not a failed scientist… I'm a phenomenal demolitionist."
Tristana grabbed Ziggs' hand and began slapping and pounding it as he held it out towards her. "This is a handshake sacred to me and Teemo… but I want to share something special with you, too."
Ziggs pulled of his goggles, happiness and gratitude sparkling in his eyes. He pulled a small ring out of his satchel and put it on Tristana's finger. "I'm not gonna steal a handshake sacred to you and Teemo… I've got something much better for us.
He showed Tristana that he had a matching ring on his hand, he made a fist, and he held it out to her. Tristana stared at the ring on their fingers intently. He smiled at her and said, "Pound it."
Tristana curled her fist and pounded Ziggs' fist, the two rings connecting and a miniature flare of gunpowder burst from them. Sparks and smoke flew from where the rings connected. Tristana looked at the tiny explosion in awe. She then looked up at Ziggs and said "That… is severely cool."
Ziggs smiled at her. "This'll be our 'sacred' handshake... Friends?" Tristana nodded at Ziggs. "You bet."
Author's Note 2: Well, there you have it. Trist and Ziggs, explosives enthusiast and best of friends. Hope you guys enjoyed, please let me know what you guys think, I love getting feedback, even if you didn't enjoy it, I'd like to know why. Thanks, and I'll get to work immediately on my next chapter. Hope you look forward to it!