League of Legends Series

Varus x Lulu

I hope you all had a good Christmas! :)

"Varus, Varus, Varus!" Lulu chirped, approaching the hunched over figure. As usual, the brooding man stared dully into the rift, legs dangling off the edge of the grassy plateau. "The rift will eat you up if you sit any closer to the edge, you know?" The darkin offered a tight smile in return and glanced back to the rift.

"How were the cupcakes, Lu?" She pondered the question, but he knew the answer: not purple enough.

"Don't try to change the conversation, mister!" the yordle scolded. Varus seemed more solemn than his usual complexity, and Lulu took a seat beside him, her fingers loosely gripping the edge of his cloak. "Has your day not been purple enough?"

"Not purple enough, indeed." He stole her hat, despite her weak protest and plopped it on top of his head with a goofy grin. With a shake of her head, the sorceress summoned bubbles with the hope of cheering up her dearest friend. She had caught his attention alright, and the darkin popped one of the bubbles with his sharp nail, the residue falling into his eyes. He let out a stream of curses under his breath, ignoring the girlish giggles beside him.

"You look with your eyes, silly, not your hands." Her matter-of-fact tone did little to ease his irritation, and with a grunt, he glanced up. Varus' glare was not lost on her, and an innocent smile crossed her lips. With mild contempt, the archer proceeded to pop half a dozen bubbles before Lulu slapped his hand. "Leave the bubbles alone. You're hurting their feelings!"

"They're bubbles, they don't have feelings," he retorted calmly, popping yet another bubble. "You know, Lu, you know me better than most. I'm not like you. I don't enjoy people, much less interacting with them. People like you, and in return, you like them. You're concerned for me, I can tell, but I am at peace by myself. You don't need to worry so much."

"That's not true! Most find me strange, if not annoying. I like being happy and outgoing. For example, it makes you smile." The darkin nodded with a small smirk and patted her head.

"I must find strange and annoying rather appealing then." The sorceress grew silent, and Varus smiled softly, gazing back into the black abyss beneath his feet.

"Tristana is waiting for me, so I'll see you tomorrow, bye!" If Varus was good at one thing apart from nocking arrows, it was reading people, and her blatant lie only served to amuse him further. With an understanding nod, the yordle took her leave a little too hastily for his liking. In a moment of weakness, she glanced back, and the darkin winked, sending her off with flushed cheeks.

Admittedly, Lulu felt terrible lying to her friend, and worst of all, ditching him when he could use the company. However, being around him was an impossible task; her hands grew clammy around him, and her heart felt heavy, not to mention how dry her mouth got at times when she lacked the willpower even to respond. Her anxiety was overwhelming and got the better of her. Every single one of their meetings ended the same way, with Lulu excusing herself with a half-baked commitment that didn't even exist. She hated herself for it.

Like any sane person, she was afraid of messing up their relationship by saying something utterly ridiculous. Her brain seemed to stop working around the darkin at times, and she felt silly for acting so childish. She didn't even have friends; most were acquaintances. Lulu never had plans with others, she spent her time baking, or scavenging the woods for brewing ingredients. What upset her the most, though, was Varus, he knew she was lying, but never did he question her. "Agh! I'm so stupid!" she cried out, resting her head against the front door of her mushroom hut.

Varus once again found himself sitting on the edge of the plateau, staring down at the abyss, calling out his name. Its soothing voice, singing of darkness and corruption, like a siren calling out to a man with nothing to lose. Lulu was late. The darkin peered down, wondering how far he might drop were he to leap. It was unusual for her not to show. Perhaps, she had a valid reason to be worried for him; he too was concerned with his sanity. The siren's call grew louder every passing day. He heard its voice in his sleep, calling out to him, tempting him with a promise of nothingness, yet the price would cost him everything.