feral | sting eucliffe

XXVIII | ITI

Episode 28: In the Infirmary!

—

HE GROANED, looking to the side and slightly stretching. Bleary-eyed, he didn't recognize the scenery around him. teal curtains hanging around the large windows as sunlight streamed in. On the small table beside him, a glass of water, a box of tissues, and a tiny container filled with ointment. Next to that, an unrolled spiral of bandages.

Rubbing his head, he shifted up to sit up in the bed. It definitely wasn't his bedroom, Sting deduced, looking around some more. His cobalt eyes landed on a female laying on the bed beside him, her h/c hair in a slightly messier state than he ever saw it at. Even then, she looked stunning. Shaking his head with red cheeks, he looked away.

The door opened, creaking quietly to reveal his partner. "Oh, you're awake," Rogue was leaning up against the door, a small smile on his face. He had a smug expression, arms crossed as he tilted his head towards the white dragon slayer. Rogue must've caught him staring at Y/n, making Sting grow more flustered by the minute.

A scowl shaped his lips, "So, what if I am?" Rogue rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in a surrender mode while Frosch shuffled on his shoulders at the motion. Her onesie scrunched up as she happily swung her legs, humming a happy tone. Lector—who managed to slip through the door—tackled the blond. "Sting!" He yelled happily.

Sting smiled, petting his best friend. "Hey, buddy." Lector laughed, snuggling deeper into Sting's bandaged abdomen. Earring dangling, he looked over at his human best friend, blinking. "Why is she in the infirmary? She was the one that knocked me out," He mused, jabbing a thumb backward at the sleeping female.

Akane kicked the door, causing Rogue to curse and narrowly avoid the hit. It was clear that she knew what she was doing, looking over at him with a smirk of her own. "Because she overestimated how much she could take. Plus, you both hit the ground, so Y/n was bound to take some damage." She pointed out blatantly, stating the obvious.

Rogue grumbled, rubbing his shoulder and sending a scowl her way. Akane moved past him nonchalantly, stealing the stool that used to be beside Sting's bed before shifting it next to Y/n's bed. Lifting Y/n's head slightly, she removed the bandage wrapped around her head, scrunching it up and setting it on the little table on her right.

The other four watched her actions curiously, but Lector diverted the attention to something else. "You did great, Sting!" Lector cheered, pumping his tiny paws up into the air. Sting grinned, tilting his head and ruffling his partner's fur with his hand, "Thanks, little buddy. I couldn't do it without your cheering." He winked, still crediting his catty sidekick.

Akane smiled. She admired their little family and even though Lector hadn't really done much, the encouragement that he got from Sting was absolutely adorable and incredibly heartwarming. Looking back at her actual task, she rubbed some ointment over Y/n's bruises before wrapping the bruise with the bandage again.

Wendy had healed Y/n earlier, but since she had multiple minor wounds and one large cut, it would take way too long for her to heal it. Also, it'd be too exhausting since her magic capacity wasn't large enough to heal that much in one go. Carla probably wouldn't let her in the first place anyway. "Have you always cared for her like that?" Rogue asked.

The question piqued Akane's interest as she turned around, looking over at him with a perked brow. "What do you mean by that?" Rogue blinked, keeping his arms crossed. "You're caring for her like a little sister—" Akane burst out laughing at his statement. Pushing her forehead to the side of the bed, she kept laughing as her black pigtails swished.

Calming down slowly, she coughed lightly and had to punch her chest. The girl cleared her throat before staring over at the shadow dragon slayer. "—Y/n's seventeen. I'm sixteen; if anything, I'm the current baby of the Kyuuseishu since Galena left." Akane snorted, covering her mouth as she still found the entire question amusing.

Sting blinked, smirking as he pointed at Akane. "You're baby." 

Her magenta eyes shaped into a harsh glare as she whipped her head towards him, "And you'll be regretting that once you're six feet under if you don't shut up now." She hissed in a deadly manner. It was obvious that she didn't take to those kinds of things very well, especially if you weren't considered close to her. 

Y/n flinched awake at the bickering that ensued, her fingers lightly lacing around what she could grasp. Her fingers twitched, tapping against Akane's wrist unintentionally. Looking over at her, Akane grinned. "You're finally awake; I'm glad. Chase and Nikos have been driving me crazy," She rolled her eyes, snickering under her breath.

Y/n smiled weakly, a tired look in her e/c eyes. "Now you know how I felt when you left me alone to go on that rooftop in Stella." Akane rolled her eyes, staring at her as she laughed softly. Shaking her head, Akane leaned back slightly. "I doubt it; you were surrounded by other mages. Plus, we were in the midst of a battle." Y/n snorted, rolling her eyes whilst ignoring her comment.

Sting forced himself to sit up further, shoulder blades digging slightly as his elbows planted into the sheet-covered mattress underneath him. "Nice to know that I wasn't the only one that went down," He teased, glancing at Y/n. The h/c haired girl scoffed, averting her eyes as she attempted to sit up as well, but failed. "But you were still the first to pass out, were you not?"

Sting looked away in a pout, his ego damaged as Rogue let out a slightly muffled chuckle. Y/n blinked, realizing that he was in the room as well. Then again, Akane blocked most of her view of the others anyway. She waved lightly, Rogue returning the greeting with a curt nod. "I could really go for another nap," Y/n hummed, fatigue itching at her eyes as darkness covered her vision.

Akane moved off the stool, patting her sister's head. "Get some sleep," Moving past Rogue once again, she smirked and opened the door, hitting him with it again. "See you later, loser."