Darius

You could tell that Darius was extremely pleased with himself, for you could hear the bellows of his laughter from across the bar. You found yourself shaking your head as you sifted through various papers and notes. His last battle must've gone well, as it usually did. This was the Hand of Noxus after all.

You flicked your eyes up in time to see him clashing his beer cup with another man's and waving it around wildly, grin spread across his face. You pushed thick rimmed glasses further on your face as you observed his less-than armored physique and white streak of slightly disheveled hair. How one could be so casual was a mystery to you. A mystery you often wondered how to obtain. You returned to your studies.

Becoming a champion wasn't going to just fall in your lap, after all.

And yet, his laughing rang through your ears like a memory of happiness and ease. You decided to glance up once more, only to find that Darius was heading your direction; rather, the direction of the bar, close to where you were sitting. He casually leaned over the structure, feet away from you, and ordered a round of drinks. Two men approached behind him, obviously part of his party. You tried to remain focused on the papers before you, your heart racing at the realization of his proximity. You'd only ever observed from a distance, but now...

"What's with her?" A voice interrupted your thoughts. It was Darius', but to whom was he referring?

"Her?" One of his comrades laughed. "She's constantly in here, takin' up all the space to read. She's a nerd... A nobody." They seemed to laugh off the matter, and you knew they were referring to you. You quietly cast a glance in their direction, finding Darius' eyes on you, or perhaps the mess of information in front of you. Slightly miffed at the boys, you began to gather up your papers.

"Looks like you offended her." Teased the second man in the group.

"Who cares?" The first scoffed. "Let her get mad. She can huff and puff, but she can't knock this house down. I could dance circles around her." You felt a twinge somewhere and you let the papers from your hands drop. You stood quietly, pulling the glasses from your face and setting them down. Darius was staring at you now, and the lackeys hadn't noticed you'd moved.

Without realizing, you came up right on the closest of the men and pulled his arm, twisting it behind his back and pushing his face until it quickly met the bar. He wobbled, clearly disoriented. The second man, realizing what was happening, pulled his fist back. Quickly, you raised the man now at your disposal, pulling him enough for the man to throw his punch right into armor instead of you. The man cried out, waving his fist around, and you seized the opportunity to thrust the one in your hands at him, knocking them both to the ground, scrambling and confused.

"Dance around that." You mused, patting your hands together. A bellow sounded and you turned to find Darius laughing at their grunts and curses. The bar was suddenly enthralled in your fight, and was cheering all around you. you shrugged slightly.

"I'll teach you." you second man had pushed his companion off and was now gunning for you, swinging his arms in wild punches. You dodged each swiftly, bobbing left and right until your back hit a pillar. Seeming victorious, the man smirked as he threw himself as hard as he could into his swing, only to find the wooden pillar meeting his knuckles as you dodged out of the way. Growling and pivoting towards you, you decided to trip him and, using his momentum in the fall, kicked him down as hard as you could, knocking the wind out of him.

"Bitch!" You heard a shout from behind you. You turned your attention to the man now running a you, kicking up from your crouched position and nailing him right in the face, lifting him from the ground and sending him flying. You turned to capitalize it when you were lifted off the ground by your arm. The bar went quiet as you stared up into the smirking features of the towering man.

"I think you've won this fight." Darius purred. "I'd appreciate no further injury to their pride. They're no match for you, and I'm not sure they can afford the medical bills." He teased slightly as he set you back to the ground. The bar began to pick back up with its normal banter as You watched his comrades from the corner of your eye trying to pick themselves up, battered and bruised. "I'm impressed by your speed."

"...Thank you." you felt a little strange being in such a close proximity, and the anger was subsiding to be replaced by the throbbing heartbeat in your ears. You nodded and tried to push past the man, only to be pulled back by his hand on your arm.

"Come. Sit with us. I'd like to make up for the idiots under my care." He smiled. You gulped.

"I'm not one for social gatherings, but I do appreciate the gesture." You tried to shrug him off, but he refused to budge. You thought, briefly, you might have to tango with him as well. To be honest, you weren't sure you would win that fight, and you certainly didn't feel like finding out.

"Then I'll join you." He said calmly, escorting you back to your mess. Your mouth hung open, but you knew protesting would do no good. He was bigger, and already had a firm grip on your arm. Quietly, the two of you sat down and he ordered two drinks before beginning to sift through your papers. You weren't sure if you should stop him as he grinned over them.

"Something funny?" You raised an eyebrow.

"This must be some clever trick." he asked, raising a couple of the pages to you. "Almost all of these are my strategies; things that I've done." He seemed to smirk when your face flushed. He was smart, of course. How dumb of you to assume otherwise.

"They are solid plans. Of course i would study them." You said with a shrug, hoping that would end the subject. You snatched the papers from his hands and returned your glasses to your face. You neatly organized them away from the drink that was now being slid towards you.

"Here." He said, lifting his glass to you.

"No, thank you, I-"

"Drink." He warned, although the seriousness seemed lost somewhere behind that smile. Diligently, you raised the glass to your lips and took a swig. You nearly retched at its contents, cough and spitting.

"What the hell is this?" You exclaimed through his laughter.

"Alcohol. It tends to ease things, like tension." He teased, to which you responded with a knew what alcohol was, but this stuff tasted disgusting.

"Perhaps if you had just left me alone, I would be less tense." you huffed. You gathered your things and made to stand.

"Ouch." He sighed, setting his glass down. He pulled you back to the seat, a little more gently than he had handled you earlier, and raised a hand to your face.

"What are you..." You trailed off as he pulled the glasses and papers away from you and set them on the table.

"I'm sorry my... aloof behavior isn't as appealing as you anticipated." He chuckled softly. "I mean't to make light of things. I simply want you to relax. I supposed i'm good at being a brute, not so much the strategics. *You* on the other hand..." He motioned to the guys back at his table, tending to wounds you had inflicted. "That was quick thinking. I said I was impressed once already, but I meant it."

"...Thank you." You said again, and he began shifting through the papers once more. you took a deep breath, tucking your hair behind your ear and looked up at him. "So... Why are you suddenly interested in my... Techniques?"

"You remind me of someone." He said simply. "You are trying to get into the League?" It was a question as well as a statement, like he already knew but wanted confirmation. For being a "brute", he was a lot smarter than he let on.

"...It's true. Someday, I want to prove that I'm not just a "nobody". That I can do things..."

"I think you've already done enough." He laughed as he gestured to the table with the two men, both of their faces bruised, and one still bleeding from the nostrils. "I think a little more than just pride was damaged there."

"Serves them right for having a big mouth." You huffed.

"Fair enough." He mused. "I think we should try this again." He said as he stood. He held his hand out to you with a smile. "Let's make a better impression of ourselves." Hesitant, you merely stared. He seemed to like you... He hadn't thrown you across the bar for roughing up his men, so that seemed like a good sign. What was the worst that could happen, if you had him by your side? So, you took it, and he led you to their table, drinks in hand.

~Timeskip!~

"Oh my..." You breathed. The world was spinning, signifying you had had far too much to drink. But you couldn't let the boys out drink you, no sir. After all that big talk about how you could drink them all under the table, you were expected to prove it, and by the gods, did you. Except, of course, the brute across from you was still up to par, and he was swaying just as much as you were.

"You good?" He tilted his head, and drunk vision made the movement so much bigger than you anticipated. "I'm surprised you're still even conscious."

"I'm not entirely sure how long I will remain that way." you said, trying to keep your body from turning in the rhythm that your head was. "I had... a lot."

"Indeed you did." He laughed. "It's nice to have someone at least sober enough to chat with." He stood, wobbling slightly (or was that your vision?), before making his way to you. "C'mon. Let's go get some air to clear that head."

"Standing? That sounds dreadful." You laughed.

"C'mon, I'll carry ya." He said, scooping you up into his arms before you could do much protesting. Not that you had the energy to protest. You felt like a limp noodle in his arms. They were big, and warm, and they carried you into the night air as if you were weightless. Breathing in cool air seemed to ease the stomach pains, but you still felt a touch of dizziness.

"Darius, You don't have to... I can walk..." You gave, but he only gripped you tighter.

"We'll sit on that bench for a while." He said, motioning to it. It only took him a few strides before he was easing you onto the cold wood and flopping next to you.

"Well... Thank you." You grinned up at him.

"For carrying you?" He raised an eyebrow at you.

"For being a big softie." You mused. "For having such a tremendous reputation, you sure turned out nothing like I expected."

"Oh?" He leaned on his knees, grinning at you. "And what did you expect?"

"I... Well, I expected to be swept under the rug." You said this as you began counting on your fingers the number of things you could think of. "You didn't pummel me when I beat up your men, which I had anticipated. You're intimidating, but... Friendly. You're firm, but kind. You claim to be this big brute, but you really are smart... You're reputation makes you ruthless, and yet, you found time to be kind to me." You stared at each other for a moment before he cleared his throat with a chuckle.

"You caught me at a good time." He said, leaning back on the bench. "I didn't pummel you because your impression was intriguing... Or was it an indention in that guy's face?" You laughed at his joke, and he hummed his amusement. "You're laugh is... oddly comforting." Looking into his face, you could tell that the comment was genuine.

"I'm... Glad that you find it comforting." And you were merely smiling at each other for a while before you turned to hide your bashfulness.

"Might I see you tomorrow?" He asked quietly.

"What?" you turned back.

"Tomorrow... Will you be here?" He asked. The serene look on his face while he watched your movements sent a weird sensation trickling down your spine and into your stomach.

"I... suppose, if I'm not babying too much of a hangover." You said quietly.

"Then, I shall come to check on you, if you are not here tomorrow." He grinned. "For now... I'll walk you home." He stood and offered you his hand. You took it, and he lifted you gently, asking for the directions to your house. After explaining it to him, you quietly walked together to your home, although not at all awkward.

"Here we are." You said, turning to him at the foot of the door. "Thank you, again, for walking me home."

"My pleasure." He grinned. and you both stood there, the silence between the two of you now becoming awkward. To break the silence, Darius laughed. "Hesitant. Are you trying to work up the courage to ask me inside?" He smirked when you felt your face heat up, and you were sure you were lit like a fireworks celebration.

"D-Darius!" You managed to exclaim.

"i'm just teasing." He chuckled. He ran a thumb over your cheek while that laughter faded into just a smile. "Until tomorrow... Goodnight." He said quietly before pulling away, heading back the way you two had come. And you watched him go, your heart pounding in your ears the entire time.