Disclaimer: The characters belongs to Hiro Mashima
Written for the When We Take Different Paths event on Tumblr.
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Tired
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In later times, Sting had been thinking he was going to set up a new personal record or something. He couldn't remember a time when he had felt more exhausted than those last months. It may have been the change of pace, which didn't really fit his hyperactive spirit, or just the never ending little problems that rose every day. The added responsibility to wake up early every morning, every day, slowly ground down his excitement piece by piece. He had always preferred to spend as many time as possible in his bed. It was comfortable.
If someone had told him, years ago, that he would miss killing monsters and being covered on their fluids, he would have laughed on their faces. And maybe kicked them later, since he was fond of hurting annoying people. He was working on it, just to keep the guild safe. Some sacrifices had to be done, and so he had spared a lot of Council workers from his fury more than once. A shame, to be honest.
Anyway, the whole point was his exhaustion was reaching new peaks never found before. And yet…
For some reason, he couldn't find it in him to be bothered by it. Even when his life was mostly work, work, work and sometimes a few naps, he wouldn't give it up for anything. Not when everything else was going so well. Being chronically tired was a fair exchange for every other improvement he had since the games were over.
He never dreamed of being a Guild Master, and yet he assumed that role with no doubts when it was offered to him. No one opposed and, soon enough, Sabertooth setted into a new dynamic with Sting at their heads. It was utterly motivational for him to see how much his guildmates have grown since then, how different their lives were. The town where the guild was on changed too, its citizens didn't look permanently scared anymore and that lifted his guild mates' spirits in a way no one could have predicted.
While the Council wasn't really pleased by their new performances, the guild had been getting way more job requests than before, some of them even requesting specific members by their skills or their charm. The clients seemed more grateful than ever, and some sent small gifts from time to time. Overall, the guild was at its top like never before in every sense, except maybe economics. Which, okay, wasn't really good, but they were hanging there!
And yet, the best thing for him was the one currently lying on his bed. One improvement that probably should be seen has small and irrelevant but in fact, meant the world to him. Yeah, he was selfish so what. His boyfriend was sleeping, as he usually was now when Sting finally get home from the guild, and his soft breathing was almost inaudible in the silent room. The blond carefully sat on the bed's side, trying to not disturb the resting man, but unable to catch his hand from caressing Rogues cheek.
This, he thought while moving a strand hair lock out of his peaceful face, this was worth three thousand times more than feeling a bit tired now and then.