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Shirou Emiya was a tired man.

There were, of course, a ton of differing reasons as to why, and all made good sense. He had just fought in the 5th Holy Grail War, a war between seven Masters and their Servants- heroic spirits from time and space- in a fight to the death. He'd gone through so much mental and physical trauma, including but not limited to:

Dying multiple times and being revived

Having to confront his future self who was a bastardization of his ideals

Coming to terms with and overcoming said ideals

Pursuing his romantic relationship with Rin Tohsaka

Taking care of Sakura Matou

And who could forget number 6: Destroying the holy grail, or as it truly was, all the world's evil, Angra Mainyu. And that was done in one night, no less. All that was a good reason to be tired, but it wasn't. Although it was related.

Others may have said it was his part-time job, his position as the top marksman in the Archery Club, cooking for Saber, or a whole lot of smaller things, but it wasn't. What he was suffering from was an abhorrent amalgamation of apparent ailments that led to a tumultuous headache he couldn't shake, and that was the fact that

THEY WERE STILL. HERE.

The war had ended! He'd seen many of them die in front of him. But now, without warning, they'd just come back to life. And due to the miracle that almost every single Master had been spared (save for the priest, Kotomine Kirei), they were back to their old Masters in a fight for literally nothing. And the worst part?

They weren't fighting. They all just kind of… got along, or at least refused to fight. No gas leaks were reported, no mysterious serial killers… all was well except for the reincarnated heroes wandering amok. So now Shirou found himself in his hometown, trying to be a new Hero of Justice, and with this to deal with. So he was damn tired, alright.

That night, he headed home in a blurry haze. Work had been terrible for him- all he had to do was move crates and yet he dropped one full of bottles almost immediately. By the end his boss had let him leave early out of pity. He slid open the front door, throwing his shoes at the rack, and walked in.

And then Saber greeted him in his kitchen.

"Shirou!" She looked at him with a stern gaze. "It's dinner time. I need you to get cooking."

"Saaaaaber…" He had to lean on the wall for support as he addressed her, his always already closing. "I just got home…"

"And that is no excuse. A true hero must be in prime physical and mental condition every waking hour. Now make us both something to eat, please, and get something in you. I will not have you go to bed with an empty belly, and that's over mine. Over my stomach, Shirou! Surely that means something to you."

It did. If Saber wasn't eating, it meant she was concerned. And he didn't like seeing anyone concerned for him. So, with a heavy sigh, he headed into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he was met with the smell of fresh vegetables, which helped perk him up a bit. Eyeing a broccoli, he immediately had the meal planned, and got to work cutting vegetables.

"So you went out to the market today, huh?" Shirou asked Saber, who was sitting at the kotatsu patiently, her legs folded.

"Oh, no, actually." Saber smiled, waving a hand dismissively. "Actually, Sakura stopped by to deliver them. I tried to thank her, but she left in quite the hurry."

Oh no. Shirou sighed as he stirred the vegetables in a pan and began adding sauce to the mixture. So she hasn't forgotten. He knew she wouldn't. He and her had… been a thing. Rin knew it, and he and Sakura definitely knew it. But Rin was the one he loved now. They were together, and he was happy.

But she's not. His mind told him. He tried to put it out, but that little fire that burnt away at his mind kept going. So he decided to try and change the subject.

"Did any of the, uh… other Servants come over? Or did you see them at all…?"

"No, Shirou." Saber shook her head, with a little frown. "Concerningly, none of them have made their move. Wherever they are, or whoever… They're almost impossibly discreet. I'd advise you to exercise caution, Shirou. Just in case-"
"-I get attacked again, I know." He began to cook the rice, pulling out a packet of sesame seeds. "Don't I have Avalon, though?"

"Shirou, we are not relying on the sheath every single time. It was bad enough the first time around."

"...I didn't mean it!" He sighed, taking out the rice and mixing it in with the vegetables, adding some sesame seeds to finish it up.

And that was a lie. He totally did. But who could blame him for wanting to use a free revival every now and then? He felt he earnt it, with all the work he'd done.

Still, he didn't say it to Saber, and by the time he'd plated up, she was too focused on the food to care about the negative sentiments, instead devouring the meal after a prompt thanks. Shirou slowly ate away at his own portion, which was by itself a quarter of Saber's own meal's size. After finishing most of it (with the excuse of wanting to feed Saber), he quickly dismissed himself and went to bed, practically collapsing onto the futon without a second to waste. He was out cold, not even in the duvet.

And so he slept, but had he not been so hasty to get out of bed the next day, he might have noticed something. How during the night, Saber had noticed him shivering, and with the delicate nature of a child plucking a flower, tucked him into his bed until she was satisfied he was warm.