feral | sting eucliffe

LXIX | WH

Episode 69: Welcome Home!

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HIS NOSE TWITCHED AND that's all it took. Brows furrowing briefly, his blue eyes held a sudden spark as his head tilted up. "She's back," The male quietly spoke, looking to his left where a large empty spot on his bed was shown off through the sparkling moonlight that poured through the windows. Lector yawned softly, rubbing his paws against his drowsy eyes.

He mewled, asking his partner something, but Sting was too caught up with trying to find out where she was. Lector flinched slightly, catching the scent. He gave up on attempting to get the dragon slayer's attention, letting his furry head flop back onto the bed and closing his eyes again. Sting walked down the hallway, quietly closing the bedroom door behind him.

The blond quickly pulled on a cobalt hoodie, the scent wafting to his nostrils as his head shot towards the windows nestled above the living room couch. Immediately, he darted outside and landed swiftly. His shoes slammed against the pavement quickly, steps smacking against the cobblestone loudly and maybe alerting people watching or others nearby, but he didn't care.

In the distance, he saw a cloaked figure slowly limping away. He sped up, panting heavily as his footsteps grew louder and louder. "Y/n! Y/n!" The male shouted her name like a mantra as if it was a spell that would summon her. His feet skidded on the floor beneath him as he set his hands on his knees, keeling over and breathing heavily.

Sting tilted his head up, staring at the figure that he hoped to be the love of his life. He studied her, seeing the lack of weight on her right leg. There were tight bandages wrapped around the space between her calf muscle to her ankle, as well as her thigh. The end of her cloak was more jagged and covered with dirt, ruining the pure white color that it used to be.

She glanced back at him, their eyes were clashing for a second. Just seeing her was a trainwreck of emotional trauma and relief to hit him, his heart cracking at the sight of her. Using some of his remaining stamina, he approached her. It seemed that her feet were glued to the ground, but there was still the expression of hesitation on her face as her foot turned to run.

A small smile stopped her as she stared at him, letting his figure get closer and closer to her. "Be honest with me," He said softly, tiredly dropping his head onto her shoulder. Days filled with fatigue finally took their toll on his body and it didn't take a genius to predict how dark the eye bags were under his cobalt eyes.

She listened quietly, her breath hitching at the sound of his voice. It'd felt like so long since she'd heard him speak. "Are you happy out there? Are you okay?" Sting continued, shuffling closer to her as Y/n loosely wrapped her arms around him in an effort to help him stand up. "You. . . " Y/n lost her voice, getting choked up over her own words.

"You aren't mad at me?" The girl questioned with a broken tone.

He chuckled softly, his breath tickling her skin. "Mad? Of course, I'm mad," Y/n flinched, seeming afraid to touch him now. He paused briefly before talking again, "But not at you. At myself, because I didn't see this coming when I should've." Tears pooled in her eyes. She didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her actions. Wasn't that the reason she attempted to leave?

It was her way of trying to be independent, which evidently failed. "Chase may have said some mean things back there, but he's concerned too. Galena even showed up; I saw her earlier." Sting tilted his head up to look her in the eyes, standing up fully as he stumbled slightly, failing to catch his footing briefly.

She held him by his forearms as he smiled gently down at her. "So, are you truly happy out there?" He glanced down at her wound, studying it for a moment. It definitely looked nasty despite the bandages covering it; the amount that she used and the fact that it hadn't been changed in hours was concerning in itself. "You're clearly not okay."

Y/n sniffled once, twice. She missed the comfort of her home, the chimes from Lector, and how safe she felt in his arms. Even now, as she was holding onto him, his presence was enough to remind her what home remotely felt like. Y/n shook her head, crying as she buried her head into his chest, sobbing hysterically.

"I tried," She spoke in a cracked voice. "I really did." He didn't say anything, kissing the top of her head tiredly. He held her, letting her release her grasp on his forearms. Sting sighed under his breath, "Let's go home, Y/n." She nodded as he felt her face rub against his clothing, a sign of her agreement to the statement.

The two leaned against one another, trekking home slowly. They stumbled a few times, but were there for each other, holding onto the other as if their life depended on it. Finally making it home, Y/n barely bothered to change out of her attire. Although Sting lacked his own sleep, he sighed and changed his love's bandages, as well as removing her cloak.

Her drowsy form scrambled for warmth of some sort, burrowing herself under the blankets. Lector—who had woken up at the noise—grumbled about being awoken before moving to the couch. As Sting draped her cloak and his hoodie on a chair, he grabbed his now asleep exceed, setting him on the bed too. 

The three cuddled, using each other as a source of warmth. Y/n sleepily latched her fingers onto his, something he found oddly heartwarming. A small smile laced his lips as he watched her slowly open her eyes as if coming to a conclusion. "Yes," She quietly said, making him look at her confusedly.

Since Lector was asleep and both were tired out of their minds, they were forced to be extra quiet. "Yes, what?" He whispered back, sharing a conversation as if they were both scandalous teens on their way to break the law. She smiled cutely, his cheeks turning pink as she did so. "Yes, Mr. Pancake will marry Mr. Waffle." Y/n clarified, grinning more.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, but you're adorable, so I'll let it slide."