I was in serious need of some Sting and Natsu bromance after the recent manga chapters. Plus, Sting was such an adorable little jerk that I couldn't resist writing something about those two. This is not a yaoi, just to clarify.
A certain blond headed dragon slayer was wandering around Crocus aimlessly, arms crossed behind his head. Future Rogue had been defeated just the day before, so the guilds that participated in the Daimatou Enbu had yet to leave. Sting decided he needed a break from the chaos that was his guild at the moment, seeing as, technically, they didn't have a guild master. Gemma and Minerva were missing, though he had no problem with their disappearance. The mage sighed, dragging a hand down his face in frustration. There was so much that needed to be worked out.
Sting took another corner, finding 'Bar Sun' to be alight with excitement. He smirked fondly, knowing it had to be Fairy Tail causing so much ruckus at this time of night. Pausing, he mentally debated dropping in to have a word with the slayer he'd found an all new admiration for. Nodding to himself, he decided it couldn't hurt.
Shoving his hands in his pockets, the light mage veered off towards the bar. He stepped inside the doors, going unnoticed by the others who were too busy partying to be bothered. He surveyed the area, eyes skimming over several vaguely familiar mages. He pushed his way through a few crowds, finally finding Natsu to be sitting at a table near the back of the room with Lucy and Happy. He was currently arguing with Gray, who sat a few tables over, with a stance that threatened to start a brawl.
"Yo, Natsu-san!" Sting called, catching the other's attention before he had a chance to walk over and land a fist in the ice mage's face.
A few people that happened to be in their vicinity tossed questioning looks towards the Sabertooth mage. Natsu turned to look at him, confusion painting his features for a split second before a grin broke out across his face.
"You come for a rematch?" The salmon headed fire mage asked, fists lighting up with his obvious excitement.
"Natsu!" Lucy groaned. "Can't you give it a rest for once?"
Sting grinned back, shaking his head. "Not today." He replied, watching Natsu drop his stance in disappointment. "I just wanted to talk for a bit."
The fire mage nodded in response, following the blond as he motioned towards the door. Folding his arms behind his head, Natsu silently wondered what Sting could possibly want to talk about if they weren't about to fight. Once they stepped outside, he continued to follow the other as he led him somewhere quieter. Natsu took a seat on a large rock nearby, Sting following his actions not too far afterwards.
"Oi, what's this about?" The fire slayer asked, raising a pink brow at the light mage.
Sting took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before he replied. "Thank you." He said sincerely.
"Eh?" Natsu definitely wasn't expecting a thanks, of all things, from the mage.
The blond sighed, realizing he would have to explain. "You showed me that a guild is nothing if it doesn't protect its members, and for that I owe you. Sabertooth will not be without compassion any longer."
Natsu shook his head, taking the other mage aback. A look of seriousness that was rarely seen outside of battle was etched across his face as he replied, "No need to thank me. My words have no power unless you believe in them."
Sting's confusion soon melted into amusement. He let a smirk play on his lips. "Don't be so modest. Your words weren't the only contribution in opening my eyes, you know. Your actions said more than you ever could have."
The fire mage's onyx gaze met the other's azure as he spoke. "You always knew didn't you?" Sting's eyes widened a bit, confirming Natsu's thoughts. "You knew what was right, but you never acted on those feelings because it would've gotten you kicked out of your guild."
The blond sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I used to believe it, when I first joined the guild. After a while, I'd come to accept Gemma's teachings. I looked out for Rogue and Lector, but I was well aware of what would happen if one of us became weak."
Natsu stayed silent for a while, thinking over Sting's words. He couldn't imagine a guild that didn't protect its nakama. In fact, he refused to consider something like that a guild at all. After a while, he shook his head.
"Oi, let's not dwell on this right now." The salmon headed mage declared, flashing his signature grin. Jumping up, he extended a hand towards Sting to help him up as well. "We should be celebrating!"
"You're right." The white dragon slayer agreed with a nod, taking the offered hand to pull himself up.
Natsu began leading the way back to the bar, already back to his usual high-spirited self. He had reason to be, after all. Future Rogue and the dragons were no longer a problem, and Fairy Tail regained its rightful place as the number one guild in Fiore. To say that they were happy would be putting it lightly.
"Oi, Natsu-san." Sting called, causing the other to stop. The fire mage turned to face him yet again, as if telling him to continue. "Friends?" He asked, offering a hand.
Natsu smirked, gripping Sting's hand in agreement. "Friends."
Wheeew. I needed to get this out of my system. They may be severely out of character, and if they are, I apologize. Oh well, sue me.