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It was simple. Ezreal was the sun.
Everyone loved the warmth of the sun, but no one loved the sun. There were many things to hate about Ezreal, the Noxian could list them off by memory, and quickly run out of fingers to count; but most notably.
His burning obnoxiousness; scorching passion to get himself in trouble; to take risks beyond his skill, to dive headfirst without a plan into anything. To be so obnoxiously self-confident, so self-righteous, so untrained...
And so damn lucky. Whatever miracle had kept him alive so far seemed to be fuelling his outlandish ego. For every time he charged headfirst into some new ruin, he came back with a few scratches, a scorched ass and a pile of stolen goods he could pawn off to a museum or back-alley trader. Every time he crossed into the boundaries of Noxus he came with that same grin; that smug know it all expression as he waltzed into the city, pissed off a local and blinked away in a blur of gold with a grating echo of laughter.
He was loud; boisterous with a fervent desire to be the most irritating creature on the planet, between him and a leech Talon could hardly decide which was more unpleasant to find latched to his leg. At least the leech could be pried off and tossed back into the river it came from and not return. Ezreal, on the other hand, would not. He was persistent too; despite being given the cold shoulder, shoved away and his presence scolded, he still followed him around for at least an hour, trying to talk his ear off.
He talked too much. Grating at Talon’s ear with the repeating words of his latest exploit;
“Check out this cool statue I found.” , “Hey watch the arm, I just got it relocated- those water traps are no joke!”, “Not the face” , “Have you ever tried solving a three-stage circle theorem algebraic monolith text puzzle in the span of thirty seconds?”
A never-ending barrage of stories; that fed into his ego, the babbling blond following him until he had talked himself tired.
Perhaps it was his own fault. He chided himself on that, yes. That always bugged him. For when they had met, he could have ended the pestering noise within a second yet... when he was leering over the blond with the blade to his throat there was something-
Stupid.
It was simple. Ezreal was the moon.
Everyone loved the look of the moon. Everyone loved the shimmering silver in the sky welcoming weary travellers. Everyone loved the idea of the moon, a time where the buzz of the world was all but silent. No one really loved the moon. Just as no one really loved Ezreal.
He was pretty, sure. Talon had almost memorised the exact number of freckles that traced the bridge of his nose -there were more on the left side – he had could point out the little crease at the corner of his mouth when he smiled, or the way the little blue marks seemed to glow a little brighter when he was embarrassed or flicker with his anger. He had taken note of the way his hair was sometimes a little too caked with gel or the jacket held a scent different to that of mud and cologne.
He was just as pretty as the moon; from a distance he was effortless, from close he was vaguely cracked with the callouses on his fingers and the scraps on his knees. From a distance he was charismatic, a social butterfly that fluttered from place to place. From close-up he was desperate, a needy rodent foraging for any scraps offered. Just a little bit of attention, just some kind of validation, any kind of acknowledgement.
At first you would think someone like him would be so free, so well put together but Talon had learnt better. He was not someone who would provide stability, he was someone who avoided commitment. Like those in love with the moon would never commit to basking forever in its gaze. Perhaps they were alike there, Ezreal would pretend to be loved and Talon would pretend he could love.
Perhaps that is why their first meeting left him alive. Perhaps Talon had been simply too pathetic.
It was simple. Ezreal was the stars.
A guidance in the dark, the only things that would truly tolerate the moon. That could ever say they loved the coldness of the night sky. The shatter remnants of things lost. The aftermaths of death painted the sky so beautifully. Yet they were always overshadowed by the light of the sun, the splendour of the moon. Always overlooked until they were useful. Unable to exist without loss.
Perhaps it was loss that made Ezreal how he was, it was a strange day when he told Talon. His grand dream, something that didn’t hold the arrogant splendour of glory or jewels.
“If I'm famous enough, maybe... I’ll find my parents again you know? They’ll see how cool I am and want to find me.”
It was childish in a way, yet Talon had no scornful comment to offer. Perhaps it was because he too knew it was it was like to desire validation of a parent. To feel a sort of debt to those who offered you survival.
He was the stars for he was always something people remembered; he was always overshadowed. He was bold and flashy but he was never truly enough. He could never compete with the crown of the moon, or the splendour of the sun. He would always be an accessory, praised for beauty, welcomed only for moments of use. Never truly loved, never really wanted.
Much like Talon himself.
It was simple. Talon was in love.
He was in love with the sun and it’s burning gaze, the overbearing boldness as it pranced to him and tugged on the hood. The gleaming smile offered, the arrogance of its boldness.
He was in love with the moon in all its forgetfulness, he could mourn the moments without its cool touch. To lie about his feelings when the pretty moon cast its gaze upon him. To admire every new cut, bruise and scar that formed upon the skin. He loved the moon for its craters and the beauty they brought.
He was in love with the stars, in love with the imperfections of the accessories of the night. Biting his tongue when he feels the urge to remind them how he sees them, the ego that is forever overshadowed doesn’t need feeding he lies to himself. He loves them not for how they guide but for how he could get lost in the ramblings.
Talon was in love with Ezreal.