Notes: I started this on my phone on a road trip weeks ago and when I sent it to my computer I just didn't feel like finishing it, but I had this sudden StingYu thing tonight and I suddenly decided to finish it.
Yukino spooned the lime flavored ice cream in her hands with a plastic spoon, she stirred the contents within the container, before scooping it up and placing it in her mouth.
Her fingers were numb and wet from cool condensation that was starting to layer the outside of the plastic. Yukino's hands were that cold, she couldn't even feel the spoon that her stiff fingers were holding onto. She kind of regretted getting ice cream for a late lunch, after all, it wasn't even that hot out. Despite the displeasing feeling of feeling cold, the ice cream itself was probably one of the best she'd tasted for a while —Yukino had to remember to thank Minerva when she saw her next — after all she was the one who suggested the ice creamery.
It was the afternoon, but the sun wouldn't set for a few while yet and Yukino was on her way home from a rather long job. Every step made the muscles in her in her legs burn a little and she tried to concentrate on not dragging her feet, but it was becoming difficult. Yukino's eyelids felt heavier every minute that passed and she was convinced she could sleep in the gutter if she really wanted too — she was utterly exhausted. The girl's job was to deliver a magical artifact for a seller, but of course things went wrong and people with wrong hands wanted it for themselves. She had managed to avoid that happening with the help of her spirits and it was a successful mission in the end, thankfully.
Yukino already decided on the train earlier today, the first thing she was going to do after informing the guild of her job complete, was to take a long bath and then have an early night. Because of this, she was pretty eager to get home.
"Yukino!" a familiar male voice called from afar and she only saw a blonde and blue blur coming towards her from an angle, before a hand touched her stomach and a body twisted around to her other side. The hand moved with his body before stopping on her hip. He nudged her slightly and the ice cream cup in Yukino's hands slipped, but thankfully luck was on her side because despite her numb fingers and the outside layer of condensation, Yukino had managed not to drop it.
"Hey, Sting-sama!" Yukino scolded holding her cup tighter as they continued to walk. "I'm holding something here." She continued, but Sting wasn't listening. Instead, he was just smiling down at her as if he was relieved to see her. Still holding her waist, Sting leaned towards her for a second and kissed her hair — just in front of where the blue flower that sat in her silver hair. Yukino smiled in retaliation to his sweet gesture and despite this not being the first time he had shown public affection like this, it still made her feel flustered.
"Sting-sama, I'm fine." She told him as she scooped out some of the ice cream and moved the spoon up to the man's mouth — offering him to taste it.
"What have we talked about Yukino? Sting — just call me Sting." He said before taking the offering of food from the spoon in her hands. Beside her, he felt warm and she felt a little better as she continued to eat it as he held her.
"Sorry — It's a habit — I'll keep trying." She replied watching his expression — he was still frowning, but she doubted it was because of the lime flavored ice cream. She wasn't lying, saying his name without the suffix at the end of it was foreign to her but she did try, but it had come second nature to add the suffix — she did, after all, hold a high respect for him and she had always felt that way.
Yukino drew back her spoon from Sting's mouth and put it back in the cup.
"Anyway, how was it?" Sting had made it a habit since they began dating to ask about her day and the jobs that she went on. Him being the Master obviously made it so he couldn't go with her and missions she did on her own, do worry him from time to time.
"Well, it started off good…" Yukino began as she took another scoop of her lunch, she paused to put it in her mouth and swallow it before continuing her story, "but there were these guys and…" Yukino watched as her boyfriends' face turned into a frown and she shook her head.
"They wanted what I was delivering but they weren't a big deal. I handled it and here I am."
"Handled it? You kicked their ass's didn't you?" Sting was smiling again and Yukino found that it was infectious.
"More of less."
Sting let go of Yukino's waist and stepped a single step aside from her. He raised a blue gloved hand with a wide smirk on his handsome face. He raised his hand in the air as he said "that's my girl," and silently asked her for a high five. Yukino raised to her toes and slapped her hand with his.
Yukino was never unconfident in what she could do, but she always felt just a bit stronger when he showed pride in her abilities.
Sting moved to walk beside her again but didn't place his arm around her this time — but he walked closely to her and placed his hands in the pockets of his slacks instead. Yukino then looped an arm through the crook of his arm and held onto his bicep. She pulled him close.
Sting didn't say anything, just looked at her curiously with his scarred brow raised.
"The ice cream made me feel cold." She replied bashfully and Sting smirked.
"Fair enough."
"Sting-kun! Yukino-san!" A small voice called from in front of them.
"Lector!" Sting called out in reply. Both stopped in their tracks as a maroon cat came flying down the road. Lector stopped just in front of Yukino and smiled at her.
"Welcome home, Yukino-san."
"Thank you Lector-sama." Yukino smiled and Lector moved to sit on his best friend's shoulder.
"Sting-kun you were suddenly gone, and now I know why," Lector told him and Sting only shrugged.
"I could smell Yukino's scent, I wanted to walk her back." Sting defended his sudden abandonment of the guild hall, and Lector shook his head and let out a lengthy sigh, but Sting knew Lector wasn't truly bothered by it.
"You're going back to the guild Yukino-san?" Lector asked after a few paces of quiet walking.
"For a little while, yep," Yukino said before finishing the last of her ice cream.
As they set off for the guild once more, Yukino tossed the plastic container and spoon in one of the public bins.
The guild hall had always been the most remarkable buildings in the city, and Yukino had always thought so since she first joined Sabertooth, but only this past few years had the guild truly become her home. As they stepped through the threshold of the hall, familiar faces greeted her. They three of them spotted Minerva talking to Rogue and she paused mid-sentence to wave hello. Rogue turned his attention from Minerva to the door of the guild.
"Yo!" Rogue greeted from the bar.
This sort of greeting always happened — Minerva would wave with a sweet smile, Rogue would come over and ask about the job and Rufus would congratulate her on another successful mission.
Everyone greeted her in their own ways — but it wasn't just her — they greeted everyone who had been gone on a mission for a day or more. To everyone, this guild had become more than a job to get by financially and a way of getting stronger. Somehow the man she loved had changed the guild to something so much more and she loved him for it.
Sabertooth was once a job for her — a way of being strong — and everything had changed when Sting took over as Guild Master and had asked for her return.
She thanks every day for her choice, she thanks everyday Sting took the initiative to ask her to come back, because Yukino knew that wherever she might have ended up — there was no way she'd ever be this happy.
Sabertooth is now her home, she was grateful to them all — especially her Guild Master — she never wanted this to ever change.