Chapter Text
It wasn’t happening.
It wasn’t.
It had to be nightmare of some sort, maybe Yasuo was going to suddenly wake up covered in sweat and startled like never.
He had to wake up but reality wouldn’t allow him to.
He was awake already, standing in the middle of chaos. His thoughts assaulted him at once, like reality dawning on him, heavy and violent. Yasuo’s body was close to give out soon but he couldn’t, not now.
With his last strengths he carried Yi away from the fights.
This was an illusion, nowhere was safe in a battlefield but maybe he could hope to find a place where they wouldn’t be surrounded by Noxian soldiers.
Tears already started falling, staining his face along the blood of those he had slayed.
No…
“Y-Yi, it’s alright, just hold on a little longer…”
This was practically dead weight. Yasuo refused to think of him like it, he just blocked that possibility. Yi still had enough in him to shakily stand and lean on Yasuo but every step threatened to be their last.
They had to leave, get away as far as possible.
The lack of answer killed him with worry, he knew Yi was in a sad state after that terrible blow he took for Yasuo but he wasn’t gone yet.
“We’re almost here, I-I swear. Don’t let go, I’ll patch you up, all will be fine, all will be fine…”
It wasn’t fine.
Yasuo knew it too well.
All it took was one bad situation, too many enemies and not enough distance between them. One second of inattention and everything could change forever.
“Yi?”
Oh no.
“…Still here…”
“Don’t talk, don’t talk…”
Yi wasn’t gone, he still clung too Yasuo’s scarf, breathing interrupted so often by another painful noise.
Too weak though.
After a few steps, Yi’s legs didn’t seem to hold him any longer and he collapsed hard on the harsh ground.
“Yi! I’m here, just hold on…”
That wouldn’t do. Yi couldn’t get up anymore.
“Please, we have to move…”
This wasn’t happening right now.
Yi didn’t even try to move from that, already struggling to breathe. Some fresh blood pooled beneath, Yasuo’s turned to ice seeing this.
“No, no, no… Don’t go, we can do it!”
The biggest effort he could make. No way Yasuo was able to carry him, his body had gone through so much. He did his best, dragging Yi after rolling him on his back to the nearest rock, a close tree.
They made it there but Yasuo just felt awful for putting Yi through that. Anything to keep him. Illusions could be sweet. As soon as he got Yi there, supported enough to almost sit, Yasuo held his face with all the gentleness his bloody hands could offer.
“Hey, doing good…? All is fine, I’ll take care of you.”
He was losing him.
It was true and Yasuo had nothing to stop it from happening before his eyes. He could just watch Yi fighting for his breath, barely making a move except pressing his hand over his side where blood seeped through broken armor. Looking up seemed to be the worst effort for him but he did it, gazing up at Yasuo with a lot of silent pain but also something soft. Glad.
That only made Yasuo tear up a bit more, pressing his forehead to Yi’s.
“Baby…?”
“…It’s alright… Go, before… they get you too…” Even his voice was reduced to a whisper, close to its end.
“I’m not leaving you here. We’ll leave together.”
“No… I’m already broken…”
Every word hurt, even physically. Yi would have probably tried to say more but Yasuo kept him from it since that was painful enough. The most careful hug he ever gave and Yi couldn’t return it. He slowly grabbed Yasuo’s other hand and held it, that was all.
“W-We’ll find a way… just stay with me, please…”
Would his tears even stop?
“Yasuo…”
The way Yi called his name, it made him look up and so he found that smile, so weak but so precious. No… It broke Yasuo’s heart. In a desperate attempt, he kissed Yi while praying it wouldn’t be the last.
They both knew it was, in fact.
Short lived happiness, tainted by their incoming fate. The kiss ended shortly after. He was about to lose Yi.
“Thank you…”
“No! I’m here, it will be fine, stay…”
Yasuo squeezed his hands as hard as he could, as if this would keep his lover. He saw in real time when Yi left, eyes no longer blinking and that quiet smile frozen in time.
Something in him broke.
“Yi… Don’t…”
It was too late, he was gone.
No matter how hard Yasuo clung to him, shook him, there was nothing to be done. He had lost his only love and he wasn’t about to wake up. Reality got unbearable, it choked him slowly.
It can’t be…
Of course they knew that war was risky. This wasn’t their first, they had already fought another war, nearly a decade ago. They had survived. Now Noxus had claimed yet another victim.
A name, burned into Yasuo’s thoughts.
NOXUS!
There was still one thing to be done, although it wouldn’t bring Yi back to him. Rage boiled up to the surface, only balanced by his pain after the impossible loss. Rage to hurt back. Pay everything back in blood.
This wasn’t what Yi would have wanted.
Yasuo didn’t care.
He had nothing to lose anymore, it was too late.
With that new fury he ran back to the battlefield, blade in hand and ready to sow death again. Run, until no one would be able to stand anymore, he or his enemies.
All alone now.
Yasuo was running to his death and he knew it. It was done, he had lost Yi so he might as well join him the fastest he could, by taking down as many soldiers as possible with him.
It took surprisingly longer than he thought.
Only at the end, surrounded by too many and too weakened by the fights and heartache.
There fell Yasuo, face covered in tears and blood.
At last he could find Yi again.
Everything turned dark as he pictured that smile one last time.