A repost from my Tumblr, missazurerose. I did this in like 5 parts and always meant to post the whole thing together but never did. I was gonna do some more proofreading to it but clearly I never got around to it. So sorry if there are some glaring errors in this. It's high time the whole thing uploaded.

Drastic Measures (StingYu fluff)

Yukino smiled as Rufus and Orga left for their job after checking up on her again. Everyone in the guild was checking on her periodically after her abduction by Abyss Horn several days before. She was still a bit embarrassed that she was overpowered so easily but Minerva reminded her it was easy for one mage to be overpowered by an entire dark guild. The highlight of her days, however, was easily the fact that Sting himself insisted on walking her home each night from the guild hall. Even when she knew he had business as the guild master to attend to, she was thrilled that he took the time to see her home safely.

Turning back to the bar, she sipped her drink, her cheeks turning red at just the thought of being around him. Yukino wasn't about to deny that she'd had a crush on Sting for years, long before he became the master of Sabertooth, but she always felt unworthy of his attention. But she had to remember, even back then, Jiemma had recruited her for the guild, so she had to have a place here.

"So what's with the smile?" Yukino gasped at Minerva very suddenly slid onto the stool next to her.

Yukino turned to her guildmate, nervous at the sly smile on her face. "Wh-What smile?"

"No one smiles and blushes like that because their drink is that good. And Anamaya isn't the best bartender in the world so it can't be that."

"I...er..."

"Waiting for the end of the day so your precious Sting can walk you home?"

"No!" Yukino squeaked, her face turning bright red. "Why would you say that?!"

Minerva held in a chuckle. "As if I need to interrogate you to know that."

Yukino hunched over the bar, trying to calm down. "Don't say anything..."

She sighed. "It's not like anyone in the guild doesn't know." She pat Yukino on the head. "We're all taking bets on when the two of you will come to the guild in the morning together because he spent the night at your place. What is it that pesky blue cat from Fairy Tail says? He llllllllllllllllikes you."

"WHAT?! What are you talking about?!" Yukino shot up again, mortified at the implications.

"It's not a big deal you know." Minerva leaned back on the bar. "And you'd make a reasonably cute couple."

"What's going on here? Is everything alright?" Yukino's heart stopped when Sting appeared at her side, his brow furrowed. "Are you okay Yukino? What did you do Minerva?"

She laughed again. "Don't worry, Master. We're just having a little girl talk."

Sting looked at Yukino who was still bright red. "Are you sure?"

Yukino nodded vigorously, hoping he would leave. "Everything's fine."

"If you say so..." Sting didn't look that reassured but he left them alone.

Minerva smirked again. "See? At the mere thought that you're in distress, he comes running."

"He's just being a courteous master..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Watch." Yukino stayed silent as Minerva pointed to one of the other guild members and levitated them up into the air.

"P-Princess! What are you doing?!" The poor mage cried out as she began to twirl him in the air.

"Minerva, cut that out." Sting called from across the guild hall, not even looking up from the paperwork he was going over.

"I was just testing my range." She set the mage down then stared at Yukino. "And you really don't think he sees you differently?"

"Well...I was abducted recently...th-that's why..."

"Honestly Yukino. Please don't be so naïve. It's very unbecoming."

"Sting-sama isn't interested in me like that..."

"The boy hoarded your cookies and was carrying them around with him. " Minerva was getting frustrated. She had no idea Yukino was this thick. "But fine. Don't believe me." She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't say I didn't tell you."

Yukino hid behind her drink, trying to stop blushing. But her eyes kept wandering to the table where Sting and Rogue were going through more guild documents. Was Minerva right? Did Sting care about her as more than a guildmate?

Across the room, Rogue looked up at Sting as he kept glancing up at Yukino. He sighed. "Are you ever going to ask her on a date or are we going to continue the longing stare across the room for another three years?"

Sting scowled, his cheeks turning pink. "Sh-shut up. I'm just worried there are still remnants of Abyss Horn around."

"They wouldn't dare attack her in the guild. And we all know that's not what you're worried about."

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"If you actually though the dark guild was still a threat, you'd have teams staying with her at all times. You just take the opportunity to walk her home every night."

Sting paled. "Shut up."

Rogue shook his head and put Sabertooth's seal on one the documents in front of him. "Just because you tell me to shut up doesn't mean it isn't true."

Several hours later, Yukino was packing up to leave. No jobs she was interested in were posted so she'd just have to try again tomorrow. As if on queue, Sting appeared at her side, ready to leave. She couldn't help but blush when he took her bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Er...Sting-sama...you don't have to..."

"I'm still walking you home. There could still be any number of mages from Abyss Horn looking for revenge..." He frowned.

"O-okay..." She blushed and left the guild with him.

Across the room, Minerva was glowering over her drink at the table with Rogue. "I'm starting to think Orga's going to win the bet."

Rogue sighed. "Let's hope not. I can't stand another year of this."

"What time frame did you bet on again?"

"Within two weeks of Yukino's rescue. And they're about to hit the start of the second week." She sighed. "What about you?"

"Same. I didn't expect Sting to be so shy about it."

"You know, if we're going to win this bet, we may have to take drastic measures."

"Princess...we shouldn't get involved."

"There were no rules against it. And I hate to lose."

"Yes, but if you get even remotely close to Yukino's house while they're together, Sting's going to know it's you."

"Yes well...I think I'll go see a man about a perfume or two."

Rouge grimaced. "Those are some drastic measures..."

Yukino hoped Sting didn't notice her ever present blush as they walked through town to get to Yukino's apartment.

"Thank you for walking me home again Sting-sama..."

"A-Any time, Yukino." Sting looked away, pretending to keep an eye out on the people around them. "I want to make sure you're safe."

"Um...Sting-sama?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you know it wasn't me that morning? Even Rogue and the Princess didn't notice."

"Well...I mean...I've never known you to be late...even when Jiemma was around. And I would think if you were going to be late for anything, you'd send a message...and uh..."

Yukino peered at him curiously when he trailed off, his cheeks getting pink. "What?"

"Never mind."

"What's wrong Sting-sama?" She'd never seen him turn so red.

"Snow Smoke, okay?" He finally muttered and looked away.

"Snow...?" Yukino titled her head to the side. "My perfume?"

"You only wear Snow Smoke for special occasions. You would never wear it for hanging around the guild."

It wasn't that he was wrong. But Yukino never expected Sting to pay attention to her perfume choices. Snow Smoke had to be imported from halfway across Fiore from one small town that specialized in perfumes that seems to capture the essence of nature. It was extremely expensive and Yukino could afford maybe one bottle every few years. But it was still her favorite. "You...you noticed..."

"You can't get anything past a dragon slayer's nose. I think the Snow Smoke was what worried me most."

She stopped for a second to hug him. "Thank you, Sting-sama." Her heart fluttered when she felt his arm around her shoulders for a second, returning the hug. Minerva had to be on to something. Rogue certainly didn't pick up on little things like that. No one in the guild noticed something as insignificant as that.

His mind blanked when her arms encircled his chest. "Uh...you're welcome...I guess..." He wasn't really sure how to respond. He just really wanted to hold onto her but didn't want to do so in the middle of the street.

As they reached the stairs of Yukino's apartment, she turned to him. "Sting-sama?"

"Yeah?"

"I was going to bake the last of the float cookie dough today. Do you want to come up for a bit and have some? I could make tea too?"

His mind shut down again. Yukino invited him up? Sure it was for tea and cookies but he'd finally get to see her home. "S-Sure."

Yukino lead him to the third floor where she had a corner apartment. As soon as he stepped in the door, he was almost overwhelmed by her scent in the room. It was like being surrounded by a hundred Yukinos and he loved it.

He looked around, trying to gather his thoughts and acclimate himself to the apartment. "Nice place. Any pets?"

"Not really."

"What do you mean not really? You either do or you don't."

"Well, there are some birds that are kind of like pets." She walked over to the window and opened it up. As if on cue, three white birds fluttered onto the sill and chirped at her. She took a scoop from the bag of bird feed on the floor and spread it just outside the window. "They aren't the only ones. Just the ones that come most often."

Sting smiled as one of the birds nuzzled Yukino's hand after eating a bit. "Cute."

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll start some tea. What kind do you like?"

"What do you have?"

"I have a lot. White, black, earl gray...I should still have some green and breakfast blends. There's some fruity ones too."

"I prefer white tea."

"Somehow I'm not surprised. Does Rogue prefer black tea?"

Sting winced at the irony of it. "Yeah." Yukino giggled from the kitchen. He supposed it wasn't so bad if it made her laugh. Checking for a second to see if she was coming back, he slouched down in the cushions and took a deep breath. He figured Yukino had to nap on this couch fairly often as it smelled just like her shampoo. Not wanting to seem creepy, he straightened up again. "Is it just you here?"

"Yeah." She called from the other room. "Since it's kind of far from the guild hall, the neighborhood isn't as popular and I can afford a better unit by myseld."

"Wait, you're not having any money problems, are you?"

"What? No. I'm doing fine. But my money goes farther over here. And it's a lot quieter here than it is closer to the guild."

"Yeah, I guess all those wanna-be mages do cause a mess."

"Do you want sugar?"

"No thanks. I like most tea as is."

"Okay." She came out with two mugs. "Here you go."

"Thanks." He took the mug from her and watched as she sat on the other side of the couch. "Everything's been okay here at night, right?"

She nodded, blowing on her tea to cool it a bit. "Peace and quiet. If anyone was still lurking, I'm sure you scared them off."

"Well...I'm still worried." He sipped his tea. "There could still be other dark guilds around that knew about Abyss Horn's plan."

Yukino used her mug to hide her smile. She was really starting to believe Minerva. Sting really seemed to be reaching for reasons to walk her home. No dark guild would dream of coming after her now, knowing he had decimated the guild and guild hall by himself without breaking a sweat. "Of course Sting-sama..."

"You don't have to call me that you know..."

"What?"

"Sama...I mean...I guess when we're at the guild if you really wanna...but we're not at the guild right now...it's just the two of us...hanging out for a bit."

Yukino blushed, looking away. She couldn't even think about not addressing him with such respect. He was her guildmaster. And even if he wasn't, he outranked her as a mage a hundred times over. "I...I couldn't..."

"Yeah you could. Just try saying my name without it."

"Sting-sama..."

"Just Sting."

"But you're the master of Sabertooth..."

"If it'll make you stop calling me Sting-sama, I'll declare Rogue as the master tomorrow."

"Sting-sama! You can't."

"I'm the master. I'll do whatever I want."

"But..."

"Just try to call me Sting."

Her heart slamming against her ribs, Yukino set down her tea for fear she'd drop it. "I...er...S...Sting-s-!"

Much to her surprised, Sting placed a finger on her lips before she could finish. "Just Sting."

She swallowed hard as Sting was suddenly very close. Uncomfortably close. But not close enough. Before he could say anything else, she jumped off the couch. "The oven should be hot enough for the cookies now. I'll start on them."

He sighed heavily when she disappeared into the kitchen. He was so close. He didn't want to scare her or anything but he had, to a degree, made up his mind to try to further his relationship with her. Getting up slowly, he walked into the kitchen. She had rolled out a sheet of the dough and was starting to cut out the small wing shapes.

"Can I help?"

"Sure. You could start putting the cut out ones on the sheet." She pointed to the two baking sheets on the counter.

After the cookies were in the oven, Yukino went to the cabinet to the ingredients for a new batch of icing. Struggling to reach the powdered sugar on the higher shelf, Sting walked up behind her and reached up for it.

She turned bright red when she felt his entire body against her back. If the counter hadn't been right in front of her for support, she might have fainted right there. "Here you go." He handed her the sugar and suddenly, Yukino wasn't sure if he had any idea what he'd just done to her heart. He was, after all, consistently one of Sorcerer Weekly's mages you want to be your boyfriend and here he was, getting extremely up closer and personal in her own home.

"Th-Thank you."

Sting sat and watched her make the icing while finishing his tea. "Do you have any other specialties?"

"Ummm...float cookies are probably my best...but I'm not a bad baker or anything...and I like to make pancake art."

"Art?"

"You know, make drawings with batter."

"Hope I get to see that some morning."

Yukino said nothing for a moment. The only way he'd be here in the morning is if he stayed the night. Was he really implying he wanted to spend the night with her? "Um...maybe I'll bring some to the guild."

"I'd rather see you make them."

Yukino's heart stopped. Looking up at him he looked dead serious. "Um...we'll see."

They chatted as the cookies baked and cooled down a bit. Yukino boxed up most of them for Sting and handed them to him. "Thank you again, Sting-sa...Sting..."

"You're welcome. But it was nothing really. I want to make sure you're safe."

She smiled, blushing as she walked him to the door. "I won't keep you any longer. Good night."

"Good night." He very quickly leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, much to her surprise. He was gone before she had a moment to react. Alone in her apartment, her hand rested on her cheek, her skin warm from his touch.

"Sting-sama..." She whispered to the empty air. "Please be careful with my heart."

Outside the apartment, Sting looked around. He felt like someone was watching him. But nothing smelled odd. He didn't even smell any people around. After poking around a bit, he decided it was just his imagination and paranoia. Truthfully, he was terrified someone may still come after Yukino. And he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her again.

After Sting's form disappeared around a corner, a woman cursed softly. "So close."

"Princess...you can't rush these things." Rogue and Minerva appeared from the shadows of one of the alleys. "And I can't believe you convinced me to come with you."

"Come on Rouge. First, we have a bet to win. Second, don't you want your partner to be happy? He's been pining for her for over a year. And she's had a crush on him since she joined the guild. Not that most of the women in Sabertooth haven't. I mean, it's either you or Sting."

"What?"

"Well, Sorcery Weekly isn't putting Orga on the cover now are they? Even Rufus hasn't gotten a cover. Anyway...tomorrow we're getting him to stay in there."

"How? Lock him in?"

"All we have to do is make him think someone might be after Yukino again..."

"Princess...we shouldn't scare her..."

"We'll tell them what really happened after we win the bet...eventually..."

Rogue sighed heavily. "I suppose someone has to stop you from going overboard."

"That's the spirit. Let's go plan."

"That counter-perfume you got from Blue Pegasus is something else. He really didn't smell us."

"Ichiya may be hideous...man-creature...but he knows his perfumes."

"Sting-sa...Sting?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to ask you...where's Lector? He hasn't been coming along when you walk me home."

"He's uh...with Rogue." Sting scratched his head. He couldn't very well tell her the Exceed had told him he was willing to give Sting some alone time with Yukino every day and would hang out with Rogue until he showed up. "He's...learning some new magic. He didn't want me to see it until he figured it out."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah, I just can't really imagine what he's learning. He never really seemed interested in anything but flying."

"Well, it's nice that he's trying. I heard Wendy's partner learned transformation magic."

"I guess I'll just have to see what he's doing later."

As Yukino started to unlock the front door, she looked back at Sting. "Um...I don't have any more cookies to make but would you like to come up for tea again?"

"Sure. That'd be great." Sting smiled and followed her up to the apartment.

Yukino brewed two cups of tea and handed Sting his.

"Thanks." He took a sip before setting the cup down on the table in front of the couch. "Hey Yukino?"

"Yes?" She cocked her head to the side, surprised by the sudden seriousness in his voice.

"Are you happy at Sabertooth?"

Yukino's eyes widened. "What?"

He looked her in the eye. "Are you happy?"

"Of course I am. Why would you think I wasn't?"

"After what happened during the Grand Magic Games-"

"Sting...the guild was completely different back then. You have been a wonderful guild master and Sabertooth has become the family I hoped it would be. I think Sabertooth is stronger now than it ever was under Jiemma. And I wouldn't have stayed if it wasn't."

"I'm glad...I was worried you might still have thought of leaving for Mermaid Heel or Fairy Tail..."

"Never. I am a mage of Sabertooth. I intend to keep it that way."

"Good."

Sting started to lean toward Yukino, fully intent of kissing her. Yukino slowly closed her eyes hoping she wasn't fooling herself into thinking things would get more serious with him. Just as Sting was about to touch her lips, something slammed into the window.

Yukino screamed, flinging her teacup across the room, shattering it on the wall. Sting was on his feet in an instant, assuming someone was about to come through the window for her.

"Come out you bastard!" Sting growled, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.

He was met with silence, just Yukino's trembling breath behind him. They didn't move for several moments. Sting sniffed the air. Again, he didn't smell anything out of the ordinary. It was starting to worry him. He was sure someone watched him leave last night but smelled nothing. Who was spying on her?

"S...Sting..." She slowly got up from the couch. "What do we do?" She trembled, thinking about the last attack, when half a dozen mages from Abyss Horn had overpowered her and tore her clothing to shreds. She had honestly thought they were going to have their way with her that night. The thought of being around any of them again was almost too much for her heart to take.

Sting grabbed her hand and squeezed. "I'm right here Yukino. I won't let them touch you again."

"Sting..."

"I'll kill every last one of them, I swear." Sting growled. "I need to check it out."

Yukino reluctantly let go. "Please be careful..."

"Those bastards don't stand a chance." Yukino saw the fire in his eyes. He might actually kill them. He slowly walked over to the window, wondering how they could get her on the third floor but he reminded himself they already got her once so they were capable of anything.

Cautiously he opened her window. The smell, or lack there of, concerned him most at this point. The entire Abyss Horn guild hall and all its members had the same dank, musty odor clinging to them. Everything smelled fine now. Looking around, the streets were completely empty, no sign of anyone that might have thrown anything at the window.

"Do...do you see anyone?" Yukino asked nervously clutching her keys tightly.

"No...I don't smell anything either..."

"Maybe it was one of the birds looking for more food..."

"We both know that was no bird." Sting closed the window. You know after that there no way I can leave you alone tonight. If anything happened to you again, I'd never forgive myself."

"Sting-sama...you... You're a very caring guild master..."

"It's not because I'm the master of Sabertooth... It's... Never mind."

"What?"

"Don't worry about it. Let's deal with this right now..."

"But if you don't smell anything, how can we even..."

"I don't know yet. But I won't risk putting you in danger again."

"What do we do now then?"

"Well...they don't seem to be launching an immediate attack. And I don't want to go down there and give them the chance to come down here." He glanced around the room. "Why don't I clean up the cup and you pick out a lachrima recording. We'll try to relax...if anything happens, I'll be here."

"You don't have to clean up my mess..."

"I don't want you anywhere near that window. Toss me some rags or something and go pick out something to watch."

"O...okay."

By the time Sting moped up the tea and cleaned up the smashed cup, Yukino had the player running. They settled down on the couch, both keeping one eye on the movie, the other on the window.

Glancing down at Yukino while the lachrima movie played, he could tell she was trying not to fall asleep. But by now, her nerves had gotten the better of her and she was exhausted. He carefully slipped his arm around her shoulders and let her lean against him.

"You've seen this before right? Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

"But...Sting..." She blushed suddenly so close to him. But she couldn't deny how tired she was.

"Get some rest. I'll wake you up if something happens."

"But I..."

"Sleep Yukino."

Before she could even wonder how she was supposed to fall asleep being this close to him, she was out. Sting looked down at her and shifted her into his lap so she could lie down. Yukino didn't even stir when he moved her.

Resting his hand on her hair, he smiled. "Well, it's something I guess."

Shifting to get comfortable, Yukino turned her head toward Sting. Suddenly, Sting became very aware of what a bad idea wearing a short shirt was. Every time she breathed out, it tickled his stomach, giving him goosebumps.

"Shit..." He whispered as he looked up at the ceiling, trying to ignore it or figure out how to move her head without waking her. Gently combing his fingers through her hair, he tried to concentrate on the movie. "Come on Yukino..."

Maybe she heard him, maybe it was just luck but her head rolled to the other side, smiling as he combed her hair. He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally he could keep one eye on the movie, the other on the window. He still wasn't sure what he thought it was. Maybe it was just a bird looking for food. But the force of the bang on the window had been too strong to be a regular old bird. It was just once however. Was it a kid practicing magic who took off after hitting the window? Was it a warning shot?

He sighed. At least for now, he'd try not to worry about it. He'd just worry about the exhausted Stellar Spirit mage in his lap.

About an hour later, Yukino woke up to the ending song in the movie. "Hmmm?" Looking up, she realized Sting was above her. His abs were right next to her face. "Wha?"

Seeing she was awake, he smiled. "Feeling better?"

She blushed deeply and sat up. "Er...yes...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to fall asleep..." Running her fingers through her hair, she looked away. "How did I even end up in his lap?"

"I would have woken you up if I minded."

"Sting, what is this really about?"

"What is what about?"

"Walking me home at night is one thing...but staying here...letting me sleep on you..."

He looked away for a moment, his cheeks slightly pink. So it was going to come down to this was it? "You don't already know?"

"Obviously not."

"Rogue didn't think I was that good at hiding my feelings..."

"What?"

"You really don't get it?"

"Please spell it out for me..."

He looked at her for a moment, wondering if he really should. But at this point, there was no turning back. He leaned in closer. "I love you, Yukino."

She gazed into his eyes, her mouth slightly open. "You...? Really? Me?"

"Yeah, you. And I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you again. So you're kinda stuck with me tonight."

She smiled, though her face was still red. "Sting...there's no one else I'd rather be stuck with. I love you too."

Sting grinned and pulled her into his lap. "Good. Otherwise that woulda made tonight really weird." Tipping her chin up, he hovered close to her lips. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

"Yeah." She murmured as Sting tilted his head to kiss her softly. For a moment, her world stopped. His lips were a lot softer than she thought they'd be. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moaned softly as his hands wrapped themselves around her waist. "Sting..." She breathed softly when he finally let go for air.

"You're really cute when you blush, you know that?" He kissed her cheek, hugging her tightly.

"I can't help it. I've never been kissed like that before." She tugged at his hair.

"Even if you had been, I'll make you forget all the others." He pulled her to his chest, kissing her even more intensely than before. Even her lips were sweet and he had one hell of a sweet tooth. Yukino's mind went fuzzy as he nipped at her lower lip before kissing her again. "Yukino..."

She felt his hand creep toward the guild mark on the side of her stomach. As she started to moan, something slammed into the window again, causing her to reel back and scream. Sting growled and in a flash he was on his feet, pushing Yukino behind him so he was between her and the window.

"Somebody's out there...bastards..." He was torn about what to do. If he left the apartment to find them, she'd be left alone. If he kept her close, he'd be putting her right in harm's way. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Yukino clutched her keys in one hand and his arm with the other. "What do we do?"

"I don't know...whoever it is hasn't actually tried to come in here..."

"What if we are overreacting?"

"I'm not taking that chance. No one's touching you...except me maybe."

He grinned when she swatted his arm. "Now is NOT the time Sting."

He reached over and took her hand in his. "Just trying to lighten the mood." He started to walk to the window. "Stay close to me. I'll see if I can see anything..."

Yukino practically glued herself to his back as he peered out the window. Even holding onto his hand, she didn't feel good. After a few moments, Sting sighed. "I don't see anything...don't smell anything either...I don't know what's going on..."

"If it had only been one time...I would have been okay...now I don't know what to do..."

"I guess I'm camping on your couch tonight."

"Wait...what?"

"I can't very well leave you alone tonight. Something weird is going on."

"I...I appreciate that Sting but you're too tall for my couch. I'll take the couch."

"Yukino...if they come in, they'll reach the couch before the bedroom. And I'm not kicking you out of your own room."

"But-"

"Don't argue with your guild master."

"I was gonna say...the bed's big..." Her face turned bright red.

Sting paled for a second before turning just as red. "Wait...what?"

"Well...I mean...it's a big bed...I kinda move a lot in my sleep...but there's room for two without getting too close...er..." She hid her face in her hands. "No. Forget I said it. I can't believe I just said that..."

Sting scratched his head. "Er...well...it's probably better for safety if we're close to each other...and it's just one night."

"Well...as long as we don't tell anyone in the guild about it..."

"Right. Our secret."

Ten minutes later, Yukino was still staring at her pajamas, wondering what she should wear. On the one hand, one of her shorter nightgowns would be sexier. On the other, if something did happen in the middle of the night...it wasn't very practical. She finally decided on a pair of shorts and sleeveless shirt. It wasn't exactly attractive but that wasn't really the goal here.

She walked out of her room. "Is there anything you need before-oh my god Sting!" Yukino gasped and turned around when she saw him standing in her living room, nearly naked. He'd folded up his clothes and left them on the corner of the couch, leaving himself in just a pair of boxer shorts.

"What?"

"You didn't say you slept in just your underwear."

"Well, I don't have any other clothes. And I don't think you have anything that would fit me."

She winced. "No...I guess I don't..."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his bare chest. "What's wrong Yukino? Don't you like what you see?"

Bright red again, she swatted at his arm. "You're horrible."

Unphased, he kissed her cheek and let her go. "Would it make you feel better if I put my pants back on?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He took his pants out of the stack of clothes and put them back on. "I should tell you, on warm days, I usually sleep naked."

"You are truly horrible." She huffed. "Now seriously, is there anything else you need before bed?"

"Nah. I'm okay. I already cleaned up and all that."

"Okay...umm...do you want the left side or the right?"

"I can take the couch you know. It's really not a big deal."

She blushed and looked away. "I'd feel better if you were here..."

Seeing how scared she really was, Sting wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. "Say no more."

Yukino wrapped her arms around him, loving the safe feeling he gave her. "Thank you."

After settling into bed, Sting hesitated a moment before rolling over to rest his arm on her waist. She gasped, not prepared for him to touch her. "It's just me."

"I know...I just...I've never done anything like this before..."

"I haven't either. But I guess I'll feel better being closer to you."

"Sting..." Yukino rolled over and curled up in his arms. "Thank you."

He wrapped his arms around her, needing to feel her against him. "Any time you want me to stay, I will." Sting kissed the top of her head. "We better get some rest, just in case."

"Yeah...good night Sting. I'll make pancakes in the morning."

"Sounds great. Good night." He couldn't help but wonder just how he was able to keep it together with her in his arms like this. Maybe it was the fact that the reason he was here was because she was still in danger. But if nothing else, he was happy his feelings were out there and that she returned him.

On the street below, a small shadow fluttered down to an alleyway. Minerva waited for the figure to land.

"So? He never came out of her apartment."

Lector smirked and gave her and Rogue a thumbs up. "Curled up in bed together."

Rogue sighed. "Not that I'm not happy but I don't know that you needed to scare them a second time."

"We had to make sure he was staying. I'm not sure I could stand another week of them staring at each other across the guild."

"You just wanted to win the bet." Rogue scolded her as they left the alleyway.

"You're here too aren't you?"

"I'm just making sure you didn't stage an all out attack on her apartment to keep him in there."

"A couple thumps on the window was more than enough. He was probably planning on staying after the first but the second was just a precaution. If they're in bed together now, everything went fine."

When Yukino first opened her eyes, she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Something heavy laid across her waist, confusing her more. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to sit up to figure out what was going on only to be pulled back to bed.

"Eek!" She yelped falling back into bed.

"Yukino...it's too early for that."

Hearing Sting's voice, her heart stopped. He stayed the night? In her bed? How? Why? She frantically tried to remember the day before. That's right. Something had been at her window and Sting insisted on staying with her. "I...sorry..."

Sting tugged her closer. "Let's sleep in today."

"But...we have to get to the guild..."

"Nah. Master's orders."

"Sting!" Yukino protested as he nuzzled her shoulder.

"It's still so early." He nipped her neck, enjoying hearing her soft moan. "We can send a message to the guild that we'll be late."

"I thought we weren't going to tell the guild we spent the night together. That would be more than a little obvious."

"True...but no matter what we do, they're gonna know. So we might as well be obvious." His fingers crept to where her guild mark was under her shirt.

She gasped and swatted at his hand. "Sting! I'm getting up and taking a shower."

"Fine. Can I join you?"

"You're horrible!" She grabbed her pillow and whacked him with it. "It's entirely too early for that."

Sting grinned as Yukino grabbed a robe and went into the bathroom. Rolling over on the bed, he buried his face in the pillow and inhaled. Perfume or no, he loved the way Yukino smelled. It was probably the first thing that had attracted him to her. He could still remember the day Jiemma brought her to the guild.

He and Rogue were talking about an upcoming job when he smelled her for the first time. She was like a breath of fresh air compared to everyone else in the guild. Most of the other women in the guild overdid it on perfume whereas with Yukino she just naturally smelled good and when she did wear perfume, it only enhanced her scent rather than trying to mask it with whatever the current trend was.

Being one of the two top mages in the guild, he figured she'd be an easy catch. He'd walked up to her later in the day and offered her the chance to be his girl. He remembered the way she looked at him with disdain and turned him down with a simple no. He hadn't known what to do. No woman had ever said no to him.

He smiled when he remembered the way she brushed him off despite his demands to know why. Yukino was no weakling. Even back then, she stood her ground and declared she hadn't joined Sabertooth to mess around with men. And the whole event just convinced him further that she could be his match.

There were times he still felt terrible about the things he'd said about her when she was excommunicated. He had bought into Jiemma's stupid ideas. He couldn't stand himself for believing power was the only thing that mattered. On the one hand, the Grand Magic games that year had been a pretty devastating loss after being on top for seven years. On the other hand, it had made him a better person. It had made the whole guild better. And it brought Yukino back under much better circumstances.

"Sting, are you even listening to me?" A sharp poke from Yukino startled him.

"Huh?"

She giggled. "Get in the shower Sting. I said I'd make pancakes after I get dressed."

"Oh...um...ok." He looked at her. Her hair was still dripping from the shower so she must have just walked back into the room. He finally sat up, watching her go to her closet. "It's not fair."

"What?" She turned, a blue dress in one hand and a small white jacket in the other.

"You look entirely too cute in everything. Even a robe." She blushed as Sting got up from bed. "Irresistible really."

"Sting..." She looked away as Sting embraced her. "It's really too early."

Kissing her forehead, he smiled. "Never too early to remind you how beautiful you are."

"I...didn't know you were such a romantic..."

"Keep it a secret, okay?" He murmured in her ear. "People will starting thinking I should join Blue Pegasus."

Yukino giggled and kissed his cheek shyly. "Blue Pegasus wishes they could have someone as strong as you. Now go shower so I can make breakfast."

"Alright."

"There's a lachrima washer in the bathroom too if you want to throw your clothes in on a quick cycle. They'll be clean and dry by the time you're done showering."

Yukino slipped into her clothes and hummed as she went to the kitchen. Even if the circumstances that had caused Sting to stay the night weren't the best, she was happy with the outcome. Everything looked fine in her apartment. Whatever was outside seemed to be gone. Maybe things could get back to normal, as normal as a mage's life could be anyway.

After mixing the pancake batter and preparing some coffee, she was pouring it into smaller bottles when Sting showed up in the kitchen dressed with a towel over his shoulders. She smiled. "You're just in time. I was about to start."

Sting watched in rapt attention as Yukino started making an outline of a cat's head with the bottle of pancake batter. After filling in several details, Sting realized she'd made Lector. She flipped it over revealing a perfectly shaded picture of his partner Exceed.

"That's amazing. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I was on a job one time where the inn did pancakes like this. And I really wanted to try it. And I always liked to draw but it took a lot of practice and ruined pancakes to get the timing right." She flipped the pancake onto a plate for him. "There's fruit over there too."

She made a large stack of pancakes in the shapes of various guild members. The faces were pretty detailed but the ones she attempted to do the entire body did only end up vaguely resembling the intended guild member. Even if she didn't think it was that good, Sting loved it.

After they ate, Yukino looked at the clock. "We better get going or else everyone at the guild is going to wonder why I'm late again."

Sting sighed. "I guess if we have to."

"That's not master-ly of you Sting."

"I'd rather we just stay in bed and all watch lachrima recordings."

Yukino stood in front of a mirror, fixing her rose. "Well, tomorrow is our day off. We could stay up late tonight if you want."

Sting perked up at the thought of staying over again. "That'll work."

"Just stick the dishes in the washer and I'll let it run while we're at the guild." Sting did as he was asked and cleaned up the breakfast dishes. Yukino was still fussing with her hair when Sting entered the front room.

"Here. Let me." Sting took the rose from her hand and after running his fingers through her hair to smooth it out, slipped the clip into her hair. "There." He grinned when she blushed. "You're extra cute when you blush."

Grabbing her apartment keys, Yukino tucked them away with her celestial keys. "Let's get going."

"Okay, okay." Sting lamented the walk to the guild wasn't longer. He knew after they stepped foot in the guild, they wouldn't have a moment's peace. Sure enough, the moment they walked in the door, all eyes turned to them. To Sting's horror, that idiot Jason from Sorcerer Weekly was there.

"A budding romance in Sabertooth? COOL!" Yukino gasped as Sting reached to grab Jason's camera. But it was too late and the first picture of them as a couple just had to be Sting growling while Yukino looked horrified.

"Dammit Sting! You were supposed to hold out another week!" One of the mages yelled from across the room.

"What?" Yukino and Sting lost interest in Jason in favor of the other guild members.

"Congratulations Sting. You're braver than I thought."

"Huh?"

"A Star Light Romance! The perfect title for a feature! We've got to get you into the studio for a couple's photo shoot!"

"What?" Sting forgot to be angry for a moment in place of confusion.

"It would be the perfect story!"

"Shut up already!" Sting grabbed Jason and unceremoniously shoved him out the door. "Come back later!"

"Pay up losers! They're official now!" Minerva laughed while several other mages grumbled. "We did good Rogue."

"What is going on?" Sting growled.

"Sting...everyone bet on when you'd end up spending the night at my place...because you've been walking me home every day..." Yukino remembered what Minerva told her earlier that week. "And we did walk in here holding hands..." She blushed again.

"WHAT?" Sting fumed. "I oughta throw all of you out of here! Why are you betting on your guild master?"

Minerva glanced up from the jewels she was counting. "Honestly Sting. Everyone knew you liked Yukino. And what with the way you single-handedly took out more than half of a dark guild just to get your not-yet-girlfriend back, we all knew it was just a matter of time. Thankfully you work faster than everyone else thought. But I knew you wouldn't be able to hold back for that long."

Sting looked at his partner, also counting money. "You too Rogue?"

"I had faith you'd be able to tell her."

"Then why do I feel betrayed?"

Eventually things calmed down and Sting was talking to Lector while the others listened.

"So you're telling me there's no new magic? The only reason you went with Rogue was to give me time alone with Yukino?"

"You'll thank me later." Lector smirked.

"You sneaky brat." Sting crossed his arms.

"Frosh thought it was a good idea. Master Sting and Miss Yukino look very happy together. Frosh also thinks it was a good idea for Miss Minerva to have Lector knock really hard on Miss Yukino's window last night."

Sting and Yukino slowly got up from the table. "What did you just say?" Sting turned on Minerva. "Did you...?"

Minerva and Rogue paled. Yukino pulled her black key out of an inner pocket of her jacket. "That was terrifying! And you're telling me that was Lector the whole time?"

"Frosh, you weren't supposed to say anything!" Minerva scooped up her money.

"Hey! That's cheating!" One of the other mages called out.

"We never set any rules about helping!" Minerva shot back.

"That's not fair!"

"Fine. How about we place a new bet?"

"No!" Sting and Yukino cried out. "No more bets!"

"Do Sting and Yukino get married first or does Yukino have the first baby born into Sabertooth?"

"Minerva!"

"Shut up! I'll excommunicate all of you! I'll start this guild over!" Sting howled.

"Wedding!" Several mages shouted.

"Sabertooth cub!"

"No way Sting's gonna be able to keep his hands off Yukino for long!"

Yukino turned bright red. Sting slammed his fist on the table, smashing it in two. "That's it! All of you are taking a trip to Blue Pegasus and doing whatever task Master Bob wants done, no matter how menial or weird it is!"

Several hours, broken tables and threats of excommunication later, the guild had finally calmed down. Yukino and Sting were up on the second floor looking down over the floor where some people were cleaning up the mess from the fight.

Yukino looked at him, smiling. "Well, that was sort of fun in it's own way."

"I'm just glad no one was actually after you. Still pissed at Minerva and Rogue though."

"The execution was bad but their hearts were...more or less in the right place." She leaned on his shoulder.

"I guess I can't stay mad at them." He wrapped his arm around her. "They'll still be on clean up duty for weeks for it though."

"I didn't say you should let them off or anything." She looked down again. "Minerva told me about the bet after the first couple times you walked me home. I just never dreamed they'd do anything like that."

"I hope they weren't serious about the second bet. I mean...er...not that I wouldn't love to get married or start a family with you but you know..."

Yukino blushed and giggled. "I know Sting. But I'm not in a rush. For now we'll just stick to sleeping in on the weekends."

"Sounds good to me." He kissed the side of her head. Yukino smiled and turned to him so she could kiss him properly. As they shared a rather innocent kiss, at least compared to the way Sting had kissed her last night, a couple of cheers came from the ground floor.

"Starlight romance!"

"Way to go, Sting!"

"I'm telling you, baby first!"

Sting debated if he should ignore it or jump over the rail and pummel everyone. Yukino smiled and grabbed his hand. Looking down at her he saw the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"You take the right and I'll take the left?" Sting grinned at her suggestion.

"Sounds good to me." Hand in hand, they jumped over the rail, straight into a room of screaming mages.