feral | sting eucliffe

XX | BB

Episode 20: Beautiful Butterflies!

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STING GROANED, separating and trying to make them get out of their comfort zone was harder than he thought. They were so used to being together, that it was practically impossible to make them partner up with someone else. Since the Kyuuseishu had no idea of Crocus's layout, they had to go with someone from Sabertooth.

Akane had taken her pick first, vowing to go with Rogue and Frosch because "Frosch was too damn cute". Y/n had chosen to go with Sting since they'd talked a bit last night and she'd known him a bit more than the others. Rufus and Yukino eventually wandered off, talking about hair tips and a potential trip to the salon.

That left Nikos with Orga since both were reckless idiots. The two didn't mind the pairing, fist-bumping before speeding off into the distance. "That leaves you two," The light dragon slayer pointed at Minerva and Chase. They shared a look, shrugging briefly, but that didn't hide the awkward glint in Chase's eyes as he wandered off.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Y/n quietly questioned, looking over at Akane. She busied herself with Frosch, poking her cheeks and cuddling her, Rogue radiating with slight jealousy beside her. "Chase is stupid, but not that stupid. At least, I hope." Y/n giggled softly at that, shaking her head at the sixteen-year old's antics.

Sting grabbed Y/n's hand, beginning to walk in a random direction. "So, where to?" She gently pried her fingers from his grasp, but he didn't seem to notice. "I-I'm not exactly sure. What's your favorite place?" She smiled kindly as he looked over his shoulder since he'd walked up ahead unknowingly. Coughing as his cheeks pinked, he turned back around.

Getting rid of the blush, he cheered. "The food, of course!" Lector put his paws up in the air, happy about the outcome as well. "Yay, food!" Y/n stopped them, placing a hand on Sting's shoulder and gently pulling him back. His furry maroon exceed turned back around, confused as to why Sting wasn't following.

Y/n looked over at him, "How about we go for lunch? We did just eat breakfast, so I think it's better if we hold off on any kind of food, so we can have a better meal at noon." She tilted her head with a bright smile. Sting, thinking of her as a goddess in that one moment because of her foolproof, yet simple plan, furiously nodded. "Good idea!"

A small sigh left her lips, glad that she didn't have to eat more than she could possibly digest. "Now that you know where I want to go, how about you tell me where you want to go?" Sting turned to her with a considerate grin. Her cheeks flushed, heartbeat speeding up as she fumbled with her fingers nervously. She was slightly hoping that he didn't ask that question.

"Um, you see," She mumbled under her breath, confusing him. "Is everything okay?" He tilted his head, his mind now being washed over with waves of worry and concern rather than excitement. The girl moved her hands in a frantic motion, shaking her head. "I-I'm fine, promise! Um, I just. . . I don't really want to explore Crocus," Y/n said, her words barely reaching his ears.

If it wasn't for his significantly better hearing, he probably wouldn't have understood a bit of what she was saying. He blinked momentarily as if briefly taking everything in. "Is it because of the crowds?" Her head tilted up at that, revealing a blushing boy who was nervously scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, you said you don't like being cooped up."

He looked around, "Crocus is really all about that. It's filled with tiny shops and swarms of people, so I figured—" She nodded, smiling as he understood her. Usually, Nikos was the only one who seemed to be able to tolerate her on this topic. "It's exactly that, actually. You read people too well for your own good, Sting." She tilted her head with a warm smile.

His cheeks flushed again as Lector cheered for his best friend, "Alright, Sting! You're on a roll!" He jumped into the air, paw pointing towards the sky. Y/n giggled at his antics, shaking her head as she looked over towards him. "Is there maybe a garden or a dock around here?" He nodded slowly, the pink not fading from his face. "Y-Yeah. It isn't far, it's a butterfly garden."

Her eyes brightened at that and an odd feeling encased Sting. Why did he suddenly feel determined to keep that spark in her eyes forever? "C'mon," He grabbed her, pulling her along as she kept up her pace with him. Suddenly, she slipped from his grasp and ran forward, realizing only a few minutes after when she was a bit farther from them.

Sting had stopped at a large leafy arch, grinning at her as red covered her face. "It's this one." He pointed as she grew embarrassed, slowly walking over to him. He found it oddly adorable, blinking at her a few more times before the trio entered the garden together. Instantly, Y/n seemed to be taken by the breathtaking display of the flora.

She traced her fingers on some light pink petals as they walked past, eyes widening when she saw more flowers that ranged from indigo to orange, to a shade just a few tones lighter than a leaf. A monarch butterfly flew over, flapping its wings as it landed daintily on her finger, eliciting another giggle from her lips.

Sting smiled, watching her in an admirable manner. She seemed to be truly happy and it was obvious that those moments were rare for her. A lot of what she did was fueled by her past, he realized and even though he could be dumb at times, he'd at least thought this over while accounting everyone into the equation.

However, Y/n seemed to be the most affected. She refused to talk to people she didn't know, struggled with large crowds and small rooms, and didn't like stepping out of her comfort zone. Y/n seemed really connected with animals as well and Sting couldn't tell if it was because of her magic or out of naturalism.

"Sting, look!" She called, some butterflies perched on the right hand she held up. He grinned, acting like a child. "Whoa, that's so cool!"