The war had come to a mutual truce between the two factions, and Garen had long since retreated to a nearby village, his men in need of food, rest, and medical attention. He himself was in a rather rough shape after leading the assault for days on end, he hadn't gotten proper sleep in weeks, and the Might of Demacia had his limits.
"Commander here is the report, troops accounted for, supplies, convoys, caravans, weapon shipments, as well as ally camps and possible enemy movements have all been relayed. The prince also sends his regards."
"Thank you, captain," he gruffly stated, thumbing through the manilla folder containing sensitive information. He couldn't be bothered to look, though, he was tired, sore, and simply put, he was impatient, and none of the men understood why.
Garen stopped by the tavern, men saluting him as he walked through, soldiers and ordinary folks alike frequenting the tables. He tucked the folder under his arm and tossed a generous pouch of coins to the Innkeeper. "For all your trouble." They had only arrived a few hours ago, but the soldiers had wasted no time getting stoned. The tavern was rowdy as the commander took a seat at the bar, ordering an ale. Like most men, he enjoyed drinking, but as the highest-ranking officer on sight, god forbid he be caught drunk.
The soldiers sang of his bravery, and Garen looked on with amusement, downing his drink slowly, his gaze lingering on the stairs leading to the few vacant rooms up above.
"The Might of Demacia, so fierce, so brave! In him, we trust, in him, we lay our swords! He conquered the darkness, led us to victory, and killed those sorry sons of bitches!" They were miserably off tune, and the commander chuckled, rising to toast his fellow men.
"Sober up you lot, we're still at war!" The men cheered downing their last drinks, and Garen smirked, glancing at the subtle movements in the shadows. He flicked a gold coin to the Innkeeper, motioning to the stairs, and the man shot him a grateful nod. As the commander stood, he grabbed a bottle of ale, the soldiers hollering for him to stay and have a bit of fun.
"No sleep for the wicked!" one man shouted, and Garen gave a hearty laugh waving the men off as he took to climbing the stairs. His grin faded as he reached the top and finding the nearest open room. He stepped in closing the door behind him, and dragged a chair up against the handle; he would prefer not to be disturbed tonight.
"It's quite cold out tonight. You don't need to stay outside," Garen said. With an agile body, the assassin slipped in through the window, landing like a feather against the loose floorboards. "Elegant as always."
"Why do I always have to be the one to sneak in?" Katarina huffed, tugging on the hood to reveal her reddened cheeks, the biting cold still lingering on her pale skin. Garen shot her an amused look, and his grin only grew, the image vivid in his mind.
"Ah, yes, because I am so widely recognized for my stealth tactics." The red-haired assassin scowled and brushed him away.
"You'd be spotted in under ten seconds."
"Oh I don't doubt it, this body was not meant for sneaking around, you know?"
"Is that so, then what is this?" she mused, pointing between the two of them.
"Hiding in plain sight." The two regarded each other with warm eyes, they had missed their playful banters, and taking a step forward, Garen embraced the Noxian woman, going as far as hoisting her into his arms. He had missed her familiar scent and silky hair. The commander knew how much he was asking of her when they met like this. Her absence would be noted, and it called for a lot of caution on her part. It was dangerous, and while their relationship was dear to his heart, he knew one day it may cost her life.
"I noticed the guards were quite thin at the western front earlier today, did you plan that?"
"Perhaps," the commander smiled, easing her back down onto her feet. "It would be a shame if you were to be caught. I would have to punish you." His suggestive words forced a chuckle from the assassin, and she threw herself on the bed, back resting against the headboard as she took a pillow in hand.
"Swain is a real prick, I wouldn't be too upset if you managed to strike him down one of these days—and those brothers, they never shut up. One victory is all it takes for them to drown in booze. They will fuck anything that can fog a mirror." Her rant continued, and Garen patiently listened as he unfastened his armor, his grin widening as she briefly mentioned his little sister.
"You didn't hurt her, did you?"
"That scrawny little girl, I wouldn't have the heart," she sneered, and Garen gazed on fondly at the seemingly cold woman.
"Doesn't hurt to bruise her ego once in a while." They both exchanged wolfish grins, and heavy laughter followed. Katarina abruptly quieted herself, the back of her hand pressed to her lips as she cleared her throat.
"No one will hear us, those men don't know how to quiet down once they're drunk, and they'll be at it for a while."
"This is weird." Garen smiled softly, opening the bottle of ale as he took a swig, handing the bottle to Katarina, in hopes for the alcohol to warm her. She didn't have much meat on her bones, and Demacia bless the clothes she wore, scandalous at the best of times.
"How so?"
"I grew up learning to hate men like you. I really did, you and your noble principles. Men like you are despicable, all bark, no bite. Pretty boys who think the world is served to them on a gold platter."
"Pretty?" Garen took a seat on the edge of the bed, motioning for the bottle, and after a few gulps, he laughed. "There's nothing remotely pretty about me, and my bite is definitely bigger than my bark."
"I was set firm in my beliefs, and the first time I met you, I hated you from the bottom of my heart. What kind of fool saves his enemy from falling rubble, I thought you were the biggest moron in all of Runeterra. No one had ever saved my life before, and to think you were my enemy, it was unthinkable, and I hated myself. You and your stubborn noble principles."
"Ah. I would share my initial thoughts of you, but I think I would end up with a broken arm by the end of the hour." Katarina rolled her eyes.
"I've always been surrounding by scum, and the more I thought about you, the more I compared you to others. You seemed decent, that's all."
"Hmm, and then you fell in love."
"I never said the word love," she denied hastily, but the blush on her cheeks spoke otherwise.
"Are you still cold-"
"This is dumb. This war is stupid. Our relationship is stupid. Everything is stupid. I don't even know why I came here." To his surprise, the assassin curled up against the headboard, hiding her face, and the tears that threatened to escape. He didn't take her words to heart and crawled to her side, pressing a hand on the headboard as he loomed over her. Garen embraced her gently, resting his head on top of hers, his comforting words doing little to reassure her. It was the first time he had seen her breakdown.
"Last week, I failed a mission..." her voice trembled. "The target had been warned ahead of time, and by the time I caught up to him, it was too dangerous to engage. It was the first time I had failed such an important assignment. It was also the first time I was tortured. I never thought myself to be expendable...until that day. I thought I was going to die, rot away in some dungeon, slowly bleeding to death, and the worst part, all I could think of was you." His hold on her tightened, she had bared her heart to him, and he did not want to betray that trust.
"Everything will be alright. Things have a way of working themselves out."
"You're an idiot," she scoffed.
"I believe those words came from your lips," he chuckled. Katarina glanced up at him, wiping away her tears. Garen caught her wrists and led them back down to her side, pressing a chaste kiss to her lips. He rested his forehead against hers, the soft and loving gesture forcing a shaky breath from the assassin. "It will all be okay, I promise."
"No. Please don't promise."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that." A fresh set of tears cascaded down her cheeks, and Garen rested a hand under her knee, moving her to lie against the sheets. He pressed her close to him, visibly relaxing as her head rested in the crook of his neck. Garen was quick to find a small and delicate hand splayed across his chest, resting his atop hers and taking the time to intertwine their fingers, he hummed. "I won't judge you for crying, let it all out," he whispered, pressing his lips to her temple.
It was unbecoming of the hardened assassin to shed tears on the shoulder of the enemy, but Garen more than welcomed it. It was endearing, she was vulnerable and defenseless before him, and despite the moment not quite being right, he basked in the feeling. It was precious. In the end, every man was still human, still had a heart and a conscience, and she was no different.
Before long, she had fallen asleep in his embrace, and Garen, glancing back to the secured door, closed his eyes, relaxing as his cheek pressed against her forehead. The two slept soundly, the rowdy men downstairs fading into thin air.
Morning came earlier than expected, and Garen jolted awake as a soldier pounded on his door. "Commander, we're getting ready to depart, we leave on your command."
"I'll..." he glanced at Kat, she looked so peaceful in her sleep. "I'll be out shortly, just need some time to myself."
"No problem, commander, ready when you are." He let a small groan escape his lips and gently nudged the lady awake, watching her eyes flutter open. He hid a smirk behind the back of his hand and stared at the ceiling. She was an assassin, she usually woke up to the slightest noise, yet here she was sleeping soundly in his arms, even the knock hadn't woken her.
"Feeling better?" he asked, watching her rise from the bed, raking a lazy hand through her disheveled hair.
"A little, yes."
"Well, duty calls," Garen smiled softly.
"Hmm, I should probably get going. Besides, this is highly inappropriate." They shared a grin, and Katarina straddled his lap, pushing the Might of Demacia on his back as she leaned forward, capturing his lips. "We should run away together." She smiled against his lips, and Garen chuckled, retaliating with a quick kiss to her lips before sitting up, wrapping an arm around her waist to help her keep balance.
"We wouldn't have the nerves."
"For once, I agree with you." Garen slipped the assassin off his lap and stood to gather his armor, sliding it back on, one piece at a time. Katarina pushed her hood back on and jumped up and down slightly, readjusting her center of gravity before heading to the window.
"Hey, hey, hey, where you going? We're not finished yet."
"We're not? Five minutes is hardly enough time-" He cut her off, taking hold of her slender fingers, leading her hand to his lips.
"I know this is hard. It's not ideal. But when the time is right—I'll wait as long as it takes." He kissed her wrist, but with the look on his face, he did not seem willing to let go.
"You have to let go, Garen."
"I don't want to." With a gentle tug, he led her back into the embrace of his arms, pressing a kiss to her head. The world was cold and cruel, and he didn't know when he would see her next, or if she would even be alive. Then again, she was a master assassin, he had fought her many times before, and she was definitely a tough opponent. No one. Nothing could conquer her; of that, he wanted to be sure. The woman in question rose on the tips of her toes, pressing her lips to his, it was a passionate kiss, full of longing, and Garen deepened it before pulling away.
"We're marching north. Might want to make your exit south, should be relatively clear—be safe. I know you don't like to hear those words, but I...you."
"I...you too," she mocked, and he chuckled softly, nuzzling her nose. "I'll be safe. See you soon, stranger." Garen loosened his grip, and in record time, she slipped away from him and out the window, graceful as ever. He threw his cloak over his shoulders and reached for the folder he had set aside the night before, only to find it gone. He burst out in a fit of laughter, and ran a hand down his face, he should have seen this coming, but at least it would serve as the perfect alibi.
They cute.
Hope you enjoyed! Happy New Year guys!