"So this is what ya found, huh?" Kled narrowed his eyes at the sight ahead.
Nero had led Skaarl and Kled back to the rip in space he found. Luckily for them, the creatures beyond seemed to hate the light of Runeterra. The more Kled stared into the abyss that was before them, the more his mind seemed to slip from himself and become drawn to it. He shook his head and turned away from the portal. Faint whispers echoed into his mind. Kled grumbled, rubbing his forehead.
"I don't like it." The yordle sneered.
"Believe me, I can't stand it either," Nero said, squinting ahead for it still, "It appeared right before morning struck and never moved from this spot,"
Skaarl was the one of the trio that was curious, sniffing around towards the portal in front of them. Kled tugged her back by one of her ears, getting a rather disappointed whine out of the lizard.
"We do somethin' about it, Nero?" Kled turned a single eye towards the rip again.
"What would you do about a sudden rip in space? Stitch it closed?" Nero folded his arms, raising an eyebrow.
"Fair 'nuff." Kled turned in the other direction and got to walking off. "Guess it's not our problem then!"
"W-What do you mean!?"
"If it can't be fixed, it ain't broken. Leave it be."
"But it's dangerous! Did you see what it did to me!?"
"Hell, I'm dangerous!" The yordle waved his axe around. "Ain't nobody gonna wanna bother with that anyway, so why should I?"
Nero sighed, caving in to follow Kled back towards camp before turning his head and noticing Skaarl sniffing around the border of the portal. The drakalops had spotted something poking a tendon out of the rip, prodding at the ground around it, but shying away at the sunlight. Nero began to walk up and reach for an ear, just as he saw Kled usually do it. He halted as a creature's arm whipped back through the portal, grabbing Skaarl's neck and dragging her inside, dirt and all. There was a screech from the lizard, sharp enough to make Nero cover his ears.
Realizing Skaarl had gone through, he turned his head to Kled, who had hunched over and pulled his ears down to cover them from all sound, seemingly frozen where he was. It was only after Nero had put a hand on his shoulder that he realized the older yordle was shivering. Nero didn't understand why, but that was all out the window when Kled turned, his eyes wide in genuine fear- the first Nero had seen thus far- and run towards the portal.
"SKAARL!?"
"Kled, stop." Nero grabbed his arm.
"WE GOTTA GET HIM BACK!"
"We don't know what's across there!"
"Who cares!?" Kled yanked his arm away. "I done dealt with worse! Ain't nothin' too tough for Kled!"
Nero sighed in slight annoyance. Talking down Kled always was difficult.
"I want him back just as much as you do, but...we have to be smart about this, okay?"
Kled huffed and gave a nod, facing the portal again.
"Whoever put you here..." The yordle took a glance at the outer edges where it seemed to merge with the air. "...is gonna pay in blood."
Night...
Kled took a deep breath before stepping onto the sidewalk of one of the streets of Noxus. He hated this city; it was full of so many things he didn't like! Besides tacos, those always made things better.
"You got money, Nero?"
"If I did, for what...?"
"Tacos."
"Why tacos?"
Kled turned and shook Nero, squinting.
"You got money?" he asked again.
"Yes, but not in your currency." Nero shrugged.
"My currency?" Kled started laughing. "Noxians, Ionians, Demacians- They all has the same shitty money! Gimme."
Kled was given a coin bag. The older yordle moved it around in his hand, smiling at the weight it had. Just enough, it seemed.
"What's this for again?" Nero's ear twitched.
"I'm buyin' us food. Quality goods."
"You mean you're eating your problems away."
"NAH, I'M JUST GREEDY!"
Nero shook his head at that, peeking around a corner. He wasn't exactly keen on showing himself to anyone, especially considering he may be recognized. There had to be some mention of his disappearance to Darius. Luckily for him, Kled wasn't bothered by the possibility of them being seen. He walked right out in the open and raised an eyebrow at the other yordle.
"We're at the lower part of Noxus. People don't give a damn here. Come on out."
Nero glanced both ways before scuttling out in the open, his ears flattening.
"You afraid?" Kled put a hand on his back.
"Fear's a natural reaction considering I'm sort of a fugitive..." Nero looked towards the buildings, letting his gaze wander upwards. "What fascinating craftsmanship."
"Ehhhh I suppose it's somethin'. Never was too fond of them city folk."
Nero still found it strange that he was able to love something so foreign to what he was used to. Maybe being so far away from home wasn't a bad idea. Then again...
The younger yordle turned his head to Kled. "Are you more of the reclusive kind of person? Despite you being loud, you only ever have one person by your side,"
Kled took in a breath at those words. It was only then that Nero mentally cursed himself for reminding Kled of what happened earlier in the day. Kled faced the ground, his ears lowered. Nero quickly wrapped his arms around Kled. Kled just hung there in Nero's embrace, silent.
"I didn't-"
"It's alright. I'm fine."
The emptiness Nero felt in Kled's voice was gut-wrenching.
Later...
Kled handed Nero back his coin bag, sitting next to a tiny shop just on the corner of a street. The older yordle's ears twitched as he scanned the old streets around him. Nobody respectable ever came back here. This corner of the city was mostly inhabited by those thrown out of society; they were shunned by their own people. It was for this reason that everybody behaved as if they knew one another. In their hearts, they were all family.
Nero, after shaking off his sheepish mood, watched the city folk move along the sidewalks and cracked streets, giving the occasional wave and greeting. Despite his initial fears, he managed to relax himself. Kled put a hand on Nero's shoulder.
"Nice place, yeah?"
Nero loved the rare moments where Kled would speak calmly. Being in this city's atmosphere made him feel less alien, but Kled seemed to be unaware of this. Sure, he was the same loud, obnoxious yordle he always was, but the city painted him as more a comedic, grumpy old man rather than a war veteran.
The reason for that being the occasional times Kled would throw a rock at a stranger that passed by. Nero had to profusely apologize every time this happened, and Kled was enjoying every second of the younger yordle's expense. Nero wasn't having any of it. He grabbed Kled's ear and yanked on it, bringing him to a quieter part of that city corner.
"What is wrong with you!?" Nero hissed, "This is not how we conduct ourselves!"
"I'm trying to have fun after a day of misery! Guess yer gonna fuckin' deny me that, huh?"
"Taking your anger out on a mass of people because of something few caused is not how you have fun, Kled!"
"...Ain't that how you landed yerself here?"
Nero raised a finger before quickly closing his mouth, his eyes widening. Kled was right. Kled, seeing Nero's expression, folded his arms.
"...You got yerself trapped in this hellhole cuz...you hated me."
"Kled, I didn't-"
"You did. You hated Noxians 'cuz of the invasion on Ionia. And more personally, what they did to yer kin. Ain't that right? I-I'm fuckin' right...huh?"
Kled's face fell.
"Kled, even if I was angry, I don't hate you."
"...Ever since today happened, all I've been able to focus about is the bad shit. Skaarl leavin'. You wantin' t'leave, but changin' yer mind."
Kled began fidgeting, pacing in a circle.
"And, after getting to know you better, I thought to myself 'What if you wanted to leave again? I can't let that happen.' So, I tried to mellow down. Make m'self more...okay for you? A-And I'd like to think it worked...didn't think you were too interested in me."
"Why wouldn't I be? Talkative guy, keeps good conversation, pokes fun and enjoys being made fun of- you're plenty likable."
"...It's just...eh...how could you fall in love with this...? You gotta admit, I have too many flaws. I'm stubborn, irrational- I nearly threw my life away back there to dive into the unknown-"
Nero put his hands on Kled's shoulders, his tone much louder than before. "It was because you were willing to give yourself for a friend. And I have just as many flaws as you do if not more. If you're irrational, I'm the dumbest yordle on Runeterra! Look at what I've gotten myself into!"
He huffed, pursing his lips. "...And I couldn't ask for anything better. You've done a lot more for me than you think. You taught me to fight without my magic. You taught me that there's always gold where it looks like nothing...You have the courage that others don't."
Kled couldn't have given a bigger smile at what Nero said. He pulled the younger yordle in for a hug and really laid a kiss on him. For a brief moment, Nero's heart stopped. He immediately sank into it, his face reddening. The two sat there, Nero finding himself pressed against a wall as Kled
Nero was the first to break the kiss, leaving Kled with a disappointed sort of whimper.
"We'll get Skaarl back for you, Kled. But...we're going to need more people. It's too dangerous by ourselves."
He leaned in and pressed his forehead to Kled's. "But...are you willing to work with others?"
"...If it means I get to stand by yer side...what do I have to complain about, Nero?"
And that was all that needed to be said.