There was something condescending about the up-turned corner of his mouth and as if renouncing every lesson of discipline drilled into him Garenās gaze caught upon it. It wasnāt that his confidence was without justification after all, Noxus prided itself on power, on competence, it was the allure of it that unnerved him. With or without his consent his attention lingers, long enough that it elicits a rasp of amusement from Darius which jostles him from his stupor. He deliberately tempers his expression to be mild, permitting a potential adversary to garner even a slither of vulnerability from him was unspeakably foolish and Garen had prided himself on being a competent soldier. Despite that heat threatened to colour his cheeks, ignominy he would call it, because it was easier to swallow than the truth. He had, in fact, been caught staring, far too long for it to be considered anything other than unrestrained interest. As someone who wore decorum like reinforced armour this was an unprecedented moment of weakness on his behalf.
ā did you see something you like ? ā the taunting timbre of his voice was almost as unbearable as his tantalizing mouth. Resisting the urge to refute him, depending on an existing tension to make his words convincing, he steps into the infinitesimal space between them. Abruptly he seizes Darius by the collar, pulling him closer with the same conviction he strode into battle, as if it might extricate him from that feeling. If he could disrupt the arrogant curl of his mouth perhaps he could forget the way it stirred something in him, denial, at such a close proximity, tasted bitter.
ā As always youāre far too arrogant for your own good.ā that reprimand is a shared breath, all mettle reduced to a tremulous exhale, when he kisses Darius he wields every last sediment of his resolve. Thereās nothing tentative or gentle about it, itās the sort of kiss that will inevitably dissolve into teeth sinking into his bottom lip and the taste of iron smeared across his tongue. Itās effectively banished that smirk and even as he pulls back, breathless, he doesnāt immediately release his iron-clad grip, the tension as potent as the taste of Darius on his mouth. ā thatāsā¦ a better expression..ā
