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Red, black, and blue--the colors of bruises, of darkness, and… of Zed's vision as he desperately tried to flee from the entire enemy team.
Syndra had been such a tempting target; the armor she wore was thin--hell, it was hardly armor--and made her weak to his blades. And, after nine kills, she had racked up a bounty that could provide Zed a powerful weapon to secure the lead of his own team.
Surely nobody could have expected she was baiting him. Surely not. But she had been, and now, with his thin armor covered in burns and lacerations that dug all the way through to his flesh, Zed was barely escaping with his life.
Blood clung to the path he left behind, creating a trail, and he realized he needed to slip through the shadows to truly escape. So he did, and with darkness guiding his steps, he found solace in an overgrown corner at the edge of the jungle. The tall, mystical boulders where he knew the Krugs liked to play towered before him, just around a corner, their stone surface peeking out from behind a wall of vines and low-hanging branches.
Zed collected himself, breathing heavily, before raising his wrist brace so he could begin the channel back to base.
But before he could press the recall button, a flash of blue and the whisper of leaves interrupted his momentary peace.
He knew that armor anywhere. That mask. Those eyes.
"Shen--?"
Zed was silenced by a pair of lips meeting his own. His back was firmly pressed against the wide trunk of a tall oak tree, but his hand pressed against the strong chest of the leather-clad warrior before him. The kiss was needy and rough, but the soreness that blossomed from it was tantalizing. He could’ve sworn he felt teeth on his lower lip.
For a moment, the assassin was too stunned to resist. Shen had appeared from out of nowhere, as if he had somehow learned the secrets of the Shadows. Surprise rose on the backs of butterfly wings into Zed's stomach, then his chest, then his throat, and then just behind his nose.
At first, it felt cool, like fear.
And then it was warm, like embarrassment.
And then it was red hot anger.
This sudden rage granted the assassin the strength to pull his face away. Who did Shen think he was? Who was he to wrestle control away from him like this?! "What are you doing?" Zed snapped, confused, but mostly pissed off.
Shen ignored his words, though, and cupped his cheek to pull him back, bright blue eyes staring deeply into burning amber. A growl escaped Zed's lips through grit teeth, and he slapped the other man's hand away. "Don't touch me."
But Zed knew that the expression on his own face, despite the anger, went against his words; he could feel it in the heat on his cheeks. And he knew, deep down, some sick part of him didn't want Shen to stop.
And Shen knew it, too.
Slowly, Shen reached for Zed's cheek again. The movement was tentative, and, though Zed would never admit it, it was kind of sweet.
Their lips met again in a much softer kiss that deepened as the seconds passed. Zed kept a palm pressed against Shen's chest, pushing weakly, but Shen held his ground, his other hand placed near Zed's head against the wall of bark behind him, keeping the assassin caged in.
Zed's heart pounded against his ribcage and his eyelids fluttered, but he kept them mostly open, anxiety making the hair on the back of his neck rise. It overwhelmed his rage. What if they were caught?
But then... more important thoughts swam to the front of his mind…
Like how this was the first time Zed was allowed to see the blue warrior's full face. Shen had a strong jaw, short, dark hair that he kept in a tiny ponytail, and of course, those radiant blue eyes that seemed to steal the light of the moon and stars. Zed had assumed they were only that bright because of his mask, like his own metal helm. He was wrong.
For a moment, he got lost in those shimmering orbs, and when Shen closed them, he followed suit. He was pulled into their watery pools, cold, gentle, and surrounded by a peaceful silence, with the comforting darkness encroaching on him like the shadows he had made friends with since he was a child.
Perhaps… this wasn't so bad. Shen's touch… it was nice. And despite the power he held over Zed, and his brutish strength, something about how he held him there… and how he embraced his mouth… betrayed a deep, underlying tenderness that Zed found himself yearning for.
The sharp snap of a twig made Zed snap back out of his trance. He pulled his face away abruptly and stared into the jungle.
No, he doesn't need anyone's affection. Love only gets in the way of the fight.
"Shen, get the hell off of me."
Zed's skin felt hot. He was breathless and he hated it. He hated all of this. And he hated Shen for making him feel this way.
Someone was here, and like hell if he was gonna let them see him like this, friend or foe.
Shen seemed to realize it, too. The man looked down at his bracelet which displayed the position of his teammates, ignoring the glare Zed was giving him.
When the man looked back at him, Zed froze. Don't look at me. Confliction and embarrassment flooded the assassin's mind, burning his flesh and making his heart roar in his ears like thunder. He hated the way that Shen's gaze made him feel like prey about to be captured, cornered and helpless.
"Go," Shen commanded, pulling away to allow the ninja to move. The authority in his voice sent a little tremor down Zed's spine.
But stony obstinacy rooted his feet to forest floor. "Fight me. Kill me, damn it!" he snapped irritably, reaching for his weapons. He wasn't something to pity! He was not a mouse to be played with!
But in the time that Zed had spent entranced by Shen's eyes, the warrior had already begun channeling a recall. The assassin noticed too late.
"Go, before they kill you," were Shen's last words before Zed's blades collapsed onto thin air, light blue wisps of magic the only remnants of his tormentor.
"No!" With a roar of frustration, Zed stumbled forward, breathing hard.
Well, if they hadn't heard them before, they had definitely heard him now.
It didn't really matter anymore. That goddamned Shen was ruining everything. Zed knew that after this, he wouldn't be able to concentrate. He'd lose so many more games. He'd lose so much sleep trying to sort these feelings. He needed to kill him, outside of the Rift, and rid of his presence permanently. He needed to--
An arc of powerful light soared through the trees, shaped sort of like a bird. It was harmless to the plants themselves, but devastating to any enemies it came across. Before Zed could dismiss his anger and even think about running, Ezreal's Trueshot Barrage wiped him from the game.
God damn it, Shen.