Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or any of its characters.
Playing Nurse
Tohsaka busily stirred the contents of the pot. A notebook lay open near her and Rin would constantly check it and sometimes nod with a smile. She has grown a little taller. The mage's long, black hair was tied in her trademark pigtails but her features have somehow matured. Her color preferences were still much the same even though four years have passed since the fifth Holy Grail War as she still wears dominantly red and black clothing. The pink apron however is a welcome departure from her usual getup.
"Hmm...maybe it needs a bit of chocolate." Rin murmured.
A she said this, Rin opened the cupboard overhead and took out some cooking chocolate. She didn't even look to confirm if what she got was the right item. It was as if she already memorized the everything there is in the large Japanese style house.
A faint sliding sound distracted Rin from her cooking. She smiled and grabbed a towel, wiping her hands before heading toward the door.
"Welcome home, Shi-What happened to you?!" Rin asked incredulously, her smiling fading and turning into shock.
Standing on the doorway was Emiya Shiro. He looked tired and in pain. In the span of four years, Shiro had changed a lot. His hair was now white on his temples and he has considerably grown taller, now needing to look down a bit to face Rin. He is wearing a black armor-like suit which fit his body snugly. However, this is tattered and has holes in lots of places.
Even in this state, Shiro managed to smile at Rin.
"I'm home, Rin. Don't worry. I'm fine. They're just scratches." Shiro said.
"What do you mean they're just scratches?! You're bleeding! Here. Let's go to the living room." Rin angrily replied.
Instead of arguing, Shiro merely smiled and allowed Rin to guide him to the living room. After living together for the past four years, he has learned that arguments with Rin will always end up with him losing and Rin making him see the logic behind her statements.
"Sit down." Rin firmly barked her order.
Shiro complied meekly, taking his usual position in the table. The table was a mess. Papers were lying around and there were also some artifacts on it. Rin opened a drawer near the kitchen counter and took out a first-aid kit.
"Don't mind the mess. I'll clean it later." Rin stated.
"The Clock Tower overworking you again?" Shiro laughed.
After the fifth Holy Grail War, Rin joined the Mage's Association and for now has been working as a researcher. Shiro also works for the Association but his work is more of the physical and painful type, having to deal with the mages that break the Association's guidelines and "arresting" them to prevent further damage.
"Not really. I finished the research a while ago and I'm just testing some theories out before I worked on dinner." Rin replied as she took out the contents of the first-aid kit.
"Can you raise your arms?" she asked.
Shiro nodded and raised both of his arms. Wthout warning, Rin swiftly removed Shiro's shirt, much to the latter's dismay.
"You could've been a little gentler on that." Shiro grimaced.
"I have no choice. That thing you wear is magically enhanced so I can't cut it with my scissors. So I just have to remove them like that. And if I gave you a warning, you'll expect the pain and it'll last longer." Rin smiled sweetly.
Shiro shuddered. Sometimes Rin can be scary.
"On second thought, she REALLY is scary." Shiro thought.
Rin began to clean Shiro's wounds. Most of them were scrapes but two of them required more attention. Shiro's back has a long bleeding wound, as if slashed by a blade and his right shoulder was punctured by something sharp.
Shiro winced but stayed quiet. He looked at Rin. What he saw surprised him. Rin looked as if she was about to cry.
"Ri-Rin! What's wrong?!" Shiro asked, alarmed.
"No-Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Rin replied as she now began to wrap the bandage around Shiro's torso.
But after she said this, her tears fell down her cheek. Shiro faced her solemnly and asked one more time.
"What's wrong?" Shiro said, his voice full of concern.
"..." Rin remained silent, finishing up on Shiro's bandages.
"Rin..." Shiro mumbled.
After a few more seconds of silence, Rin wiped her tears with her hand and looked at Shiro.
"It's because of you, you dummy! You should be taking better care of yourself! How many times do I have to patch you up?! How many times do I have to worry?! How many times do you want me to think that I might lose you?!" Rin suddenly cried out, her tears still streaming down her face.
Shiro was surprised. The cool facade gave way and her feelings gushed out. Rin wiped the tears with the back of her hand as she tried to look away. However, Shiro gently touched her face to make Rin face him. Shiro solemnly gazed at Rin's eyes before he spoke.
"...Rin...I'm sorry." he began.
"For all those times that I walked straight out of that door without knowing about how you feel. For all those times you had to patch me up...For all those times that I made you worry...I'm sorry..." Shiro continued.
Rin was silent as she only gazed at Shiro.
"I know it won't suffice for everything...I've been selfish. I kept on going and pursuing on what I think is right. But I failed to consider the feelings of those around me...especially...especially you." Shiro finished, his face turning red as he said the last words.
He wiped away the tears on her face with his hand gently, softly caressing her. Rin sniffed. Her tears have stopped and a comfortable silence hung in the air. After a few moments, Rin smiled.
"I know you didn't mean it. Besides, I told you I'll support you every step of the way, right?" she said.
Upon hearing this, Shiro smiled as well. It's true. In everything he has accomplished and experienced, it was Rin who was there by his side.
"For that, thank you Rin. I promise I'll start taking better care of myself." Shiro said, still with the smile intact.
"You better. We're going to be broke if you keep cleaning out our medical items here in the house...or maybe you're just enjoying my treatment?" Rin said with a devious grin.
"Well, she's back to her usual self now." Shiro thought with relief.
"Maybe I am. I'm a good patient, right?" he replied.
Rin frowned and smiled.
"You're getting too full of yourself, baka." she laughed.
"Oh but you love this idiot, don't you?" Shiro countered.
For some reason, he felt confident. Perhaps seeing Rin's softer side prompted him to be more assertive today.
And it seems to be working. Rin blushed furiously at his statement.
"Wh-Who would fall in love with an idiot like you? You're clumsy, an oaf, and...and...and an idiot." Rin stammered.
"You just repeated your insult. You're really bad at lying, Rin." Shiro continued to tease.
Instead of replying, Rin smacked Shiro's bandaged shoulder. Shiro yelped in pain.
"And that's what you get for being naughty and for making me cry. Now, get changed and then I'll pamper you with dinner." Rin smirked.
Shiro smiled. He was still shirtlessand his confidence still hasn't diminished. As of the moment, it was now or ever.
Two strong arms snaked their way around Rin's waist, earning him a gasp of surprise from her.
"Can I get pampered now?" Shiro smiled.
Rin laughed.
"No. You're still injured. This is why you should be taking better care of yourself. But for now..." Rin trailed off.
She leaned forward, closing the gap between her and Shiro. Her lips met his and the kiss was as passionate as much as it is sweet. After a few moments, they had to come up for air.
Rin giggled while Shiro smiled at her.
"I love you, Rin." Shiro said.
Rin merely smiled, still in Shiro's arms. She was about to reply when the stench of something burning assailed them. The pot that Rin was busily attending to a while ago was belching black smoke.
"Oh no! I forgot!" Rin exclaimed.
Afterword: Well, hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this oneshot. I originally intended it to be a really light, fluffy story but for some reason, it turned into this. I wanted to write this as an exercise to get myself back into writing form to update some of my ongoing series but still, I sincerely hoped you liked it. Again, thanks for reading and reviews are very much welcome. yusuke13 signing out.