feral | sting eucliffe

LXX | BP

Episode 70: Broken Promises!

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Y/N GASPED, her senses on overdrive. A sleepy Lector was in her arms, curled up and still dozing off every now and then. She ran into the kitchen, finding Sting struggling to peel a way too cooked pancake off of the pan. "Pancakes? How'd you know I was craving those and waffles?" She seemed like a little kid, a bright smile adorning her lips.

Sting snickered under his breath, recalling her last sentence before she fell asleep. He shrugged innocently, still scraping at the pan with the spatula fruitlessly. "I don't know, wild guess." He grunted a few times, his muscles flexing as he gritted his teeth in frustration. She giggled, watching him grow more and more irritated.

No doubt that if she'd let him go any further, he'd bend the spatula itself. The girl stepped in, gently grabbing her wrist as his arm instantly relaxed. He looked over at her, blinking curiously as she slowly slipped the cooking tool out of his fingers. "Maybe I can cook it? I may have been on the run, but I know how to make a proper breakfast."

She teased, softly laughing. Sting pinked at her cute expression, muttering under his breath as he left the kitchen and sat on the living room couch, scooping up Lector. The exceed purred and rubbed his head against the warmth, seeming content. Sting slightly smiled at that before hearing soft humming from the kitchen, followed by a quiet sizzling.

Hearing her softly sing and seeing her hips sway made him elated. He didn't realize how much he could've missed her presence until today and now seeing her making an attempt to recover even after the loss of Nikos made him even happier. She was making an effort. She wanted to live; a will that he'd never seen in her before.

His grin grew as she watched him effortlessly prepare breakfast, stacking pancakes with ease before sliding the plate to a different part of the counter. A part of him wanted to devour them, but he wanted to at least be courteous enough to wait for her to finish cooking. As if sensing his want, she turned around and looked over at him. "You can eat now if you want."

He quirked a brow before shaking his head. "Nah, I'd rather wait for you." Y/n shook her head with a small smile, her expression almost disapproving. "Really? Well, Lector's already started." Sting gaped, looking down at his exceed-less chest. Indeed, the flying cat had escaped the heat of his grip unknowingly and seated himself at the breakfast bar, gnawing on pancakes.

Sting stormed over quickly, joining his partner and eating his own serving. Y/n only shook her head at her boys, continuing to cook. Lector finished first, patting his belly, obviously satisfied. "You could've at least waited for her," Sting scolded under his breath as Lector shot his head up, ears perking. "You didn't wait for her either!"

Y/n laughed at their antics, placing a few pancakes on a plate of her own. "I'll join you two as soon as I clean up the kitchen," She paused for a moment, realizing that Sting was the only one that was left eating. "Or more like join you." The girl gave Sting a pointed look, but a small smile danced on her lips nonetheless.

Lector yawned and stretched, wings sprouting from his back. "Well, I don't feel like waiting here and dying of boredom. I'm going to Rogue's place!" He slipped out one of the open windows, wings flapping as he flew off. Y/n mumbled, watching him fly out. "He really does have a mind of his own, doesn't he?"

Sting snorted, taking another forkful of pancakes. "Tell me about it," She caught his tone and rolled her eyes, giggling softly. As she finished up washing the dishes, she turned around to turn off the still burning stove. Her fingertips brushed against the dial as her ankle suddenly twisted mid-spin, a slight hiss escaping her lips.

Sting's cobalt eyes instantly widened in alarm. "Shit, are you okay?" She nodded quickly, sparing a quick glance at her own ankle. "I should be," Y/n muttered, pursing her lips despite the pain. Questions crossed Sting's mind. Despite their happy-go-lucky morning, they still had a lot of things to discuss; especially when it came to her suddenly going MIA.

"Why'd you leave?" His question struck a strange silence.

Instantly, the air became tense as the stove clicked, the fire dying out as the dial finally completely turned underneath the grip of her fingertips. "I grew up outside this 'homey' atmosphere. We were never safe. When we were in danger, we would run. I think that's why." She quietly answered, refusing to look at him.

He tensed, gripping the fork tighter. "You think?" The words slipped past his lips before he could clear up his tone, her head instantly shooting up as her eyes held a mixture of panic, worry, and defensiveness. "Y-Yes, I think. I'm not entirely sure myself either, Sting. I didn't grow up in a safe environment like you; I never once felt what home was like."

Sting furrowed his brows. In his mind, it wasn't making any sense. "And now that you do, you decide to run away from it? That doesn't make any sense." The pent up frustration and lack of sleep mixed into a dangerous concoction of anger, his voice rising as his volume grew. He stood up, towering over her despite the breakfast bar separating them.

"I-I don't know—"

"—how do you not know? You were safe; you were warm! You were okay! We didn't even cross any boundaries—"

"—I don't know, Sting! Alright?! I was scared, and when you're that terrified, you run. It's called a fucking fight or flight response and my entire life I was raised to 'fly'. I wasn't prepared for this much of a change and I wasn't prepared for Nikos to die either. I was absolutely fucking terrified; that's why I ran. Is that what you want to hear?!" 

Her outburst was sudden and almost scary as his voice got caught in his throat. By now, the female was fuming. Her hands were balled into fists on either side of her as she stared at Sting, a look far from fear lingering in her eyes. He stared at her some more, silently studying her before going around the kitchen and cornering her against the counter.

Almost instantly, she wanted to run off and slide off the counter behind her. However, she knew that Sting wouldn't do anything to hurt her. He would never. He swore to Nikos that he wouldn't. However, Nikos is dead. And promises are always meant to be broken, right?