They didn't even make it to the room. Sting was two-thirds of the way up the stairs when he started smelling fear on Lucy, waiting until she actually said something to comment.
"Um, actually, I'm kind of hungry."
He paused, glancing back over his shoulder. She looked nervous, biting her lip as she waited for a response. She kept her gaze down, something she'd done since being rescued from Everlue's.
"Sure you aren't avoiding going to our room?" he joked, rolling his eyes. "Having second thoughts already?"
Her stomach grumbled, working in her favor. She peeked up at him, giving the man a small smile. "I am hungry."
"Fine," he sighed, deciding arguing with her was futile. "But we can eat downstairs. Can we at least drop off the bags?"
Lucy nodded, the scent of fear going down a little as they spoke. "Yeah, good idea."
She ended up leading the way, brushing past him to grab the key and hurry up the rest of the stairs. He followed along, mindful of their surroundings as they walked. He hadn't found a reason yet to be concerned about much of anything, but he'd had his guard up since they went back to Crocus.
So far two similar situations happened to her here, the latter far worse than Natsu's botched mating attempt. He was fully prepared for her to panic, though he wasn't sure what he actually planned to do about it.
As they walked to their room Sting followed behind her, his mind not really focused on the situation at hand. They passed a pair of men, Lucy several steps ahead of him. The duo watched her as she passed, giving each other a look as she did so.
Sting didn't have to be right next to them before he smelled it, the stink almost overpowering from their sudden reaction to her. Lucy, even wearing denims and a t-shirt, had a look that people didn't ignore. And that was all too clear to him when he smelled the lust radiating off the duo, their eager looks suddenly fueling his senses.
He didn't even remember doing it. One moment he was trying to walk past, the next he had grabbed the closet man and thrown him into the wall, letting the light in his hands spring to life.
"Looking at something?" he asked, eyes angled at the man he hadn't grabbed. He shook his head quickly, waving his arms in front of him. From the smell it was apparent this guy wasn't a wizard. Turning his attention back to the one he was holding up off the floor, he cocked an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Sting?" Lucy asked, but he refused to look her way. He could feel the man devouring her with his eyes, the lust bubbling inside him.
"Stay there blondie," he seethed, declining to use her name. He didn't think these guys needed to know. He tightened his hand on the guy's shirt, dragging him a little closer. "Well?"
The guy glanced sideways at her once more before scoffing, shaking his head even as his eyes raked over her. "Nothing."
Sting growled before letting go, throwing him back into the wall. He immediately felt Lucy's hand on his arm, urging him away. Shaking his head, he let her drag him off.
What was that? He was being irrational just now. Lucy kept her hand on his arm until they made it into the room, throwing down her bag as she spun around.
"What are you doing?" she hissed, hands resting at her hips. "They weren't doing anything."
Sting bit his lip, the nauseating smell playing back in his head. She was none the wiser to what just occurred, but he couldn't get the primal instincts out of his head.
He wanted to shut the door and keep her with him all night, away from prying eyes. That made absolutely no sense, and if he tried anything of the sort he assumed all of her zodiacs would come out full force to fillet him.
But if he left his mark on her –
Sting reared back from her, spinning away to pace towards the window. Where did that thought come from? A month ago he ridiculed Natsu for trying the same thing, and now here he was with similar ideas? Was his head screwed on wrong?
He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Why did he suddenly feel so protective of her out there? Even when he found her at Everlue's –
Everlue. Yet another thought that gave him pause. He was furious over what happened to her, but the idea of the man's name caused a newfound amount of anger to quell inside him, as though the man violated something that was distinctly his.
Screwing his eyes shut, he felt a headache coming on. Maybe he had.
"Sting?" she asked, sounding more confused than before. He cleared his throat as he turned around, well aware that he had zero lead way if he lost control with her. Lucy was in a fragile state of mind after the last job, and if he messed anything up right now she would never trust him again.
He was surprised the idea hurt so much.
"Sorry, headache," he explained, blinking.
"Okay," she said slowly, still looking confused. "Do you want to go down to dinner now?"
The idea of running into anyone else who might stare at her made him want to be physically ill, and he had to swallow before answering. "Uh, no. Why don't we just order room service?"
Lucy's eyebrows shot up, and as soon as she crossed her arms he knew he was in for it. "Oh, now we can't even go downstairs to eat? Afraid I might come undone if someone breathes my way."
"That's not-"
"I'm not an idiot Sting," she sighed, her shoulders drooping. "I know you want to make sure no one else hurts me. But everyone we pass doesn't have it out for me."
He paused, arching an eyebrow as he leaned into the wall. "Sure you aren't telling yourself that?"
She didn't flinch but her shoulders tensed once more, and he could see her guards rising up again. "Everyone isn't out to get me. Just those men."
"Those men who don't know we're coming," he agreed, unrelenting. "The ones I'm not going to let anywhere near you?"
Lucy shook her head. "Quit kidding yourself Sting. You and I both know you can't keep running around Fiore with me. You have an entire guild to run, and Rogue might really come unglued if you stay away too long. Our time is limited to however long you can stay away, and then I'll be continuing on my own. I have to find Everlue and the others."
Sting bit his lip, refusing to rise to her bait. He could tell she was baiting him, wanting him to get angry and fight with her. It was an attempt to chase him away, one he didn't fully understand.
If she was still so damn afraid, why was she fighting him tooth and nail?
He gave up, throwing up his hands. "There's no reasoning with you right now. Do you want some food or not? Order room service or I'll grab something while I'm out. I need a damn walk."
Lucy's arms dropped to her sides, blinking several times at his words. He clearly threw her a curve ball just now, but he didn't care. She mumbled something about dinner, and he turned and walked out without another word.
He needed to clear his head. Arguing with her was futile.
Lucy remained where she was for several moments after Sting left, the heavy hotel door banging closed as he departed. She let out an audible breath in the silence, and vaguely wondered if he could hear that as he left.
Why did she do this? What the hell was wrong with her?
Sinking into the nearest bed, she pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Stupid! Why she thought getting a joint room was a good idea was beyond her, but she felt safer knowing someone else was there. If Everlue and the others somehow found her she wouldn't be totally alone.
Asleep and alone. If Sting didn't stay in the room tonight she wasn't sure she could sleep.
Removing her hands she took several deep breaths, thinking back to the hallway. She'd known those men were looking at her, familiar with the tells as they passed. But she wasn't prepared for Sting's reaction.
What was he doing? Why was he ever reacting like this? Bouncing her knees she glanced around the quiet room, wondering how long he planned to be gone. Her eyes fell on her bag, an idea forming.
A stupid idea.
Drawing out her lacrima, she let the call go through silently. She wasn't totally certain what she intended to say, and if she even wanted her friend to answer –
"Lu?"
She blinked, staring down at the image of Levy through the screen. The blue haired girl looked concerned, her brows pinched together as she stared at the celestial mage. She hadn't contacted the bookworm since coming to Sabertooth, and she was sure by now the poor girl was worried. "Hey Levy."
"Oh, Lu!" she cried, leaning a bit closer to the screen. "I've been so worried! I can't believe I let you take that request-"
"It's not your fault," she interrupted, a small smile tugging at her lips over Levy's concern. "I got a little banged up but I'm okay."
Levy frowned, glancing around before she got up, the image moving as she stepped away from what looked like the guild hall. Several moments later she spoke again, appearing to be outside. "You got beat up, huh?"
"You could say that," she grumbled, her hand involuntarily clamping on her thigh, willing her expression to stay neutral. Giving her fears away wouldn't do any good. "But I'm getting better."
She pursed her lips before speaking again, her eyes dancing across the blonde's face. "You aren't at Sabertooth anymore, are you?"
She hesitated. "No."
Levy sighed, shaking her head. "I told Gajeel you'd go out and try to do something about those men that attacked you. What exactly happened? Sting didn't say much, and Makarov said you got beat up. Why are you not back yet?"
"I need to deal with something first," Lucy sighed, feeling her guards rising up again. She contacted Levy for a reason that evaded even her, and now she realized she wasn't sure if she could even be truthful with the girl.
"Is Sting with you?" she asked, catching Lucy off guard.
"W-what?" she gasped, eyebrows shooting up. "How-"
"Gajeel guessed he'd go wherever you went when you left," she explained. "We have a bet going."
"A… bet?"
Levy nodded, a knowing twinkle in her eye. "I told him about some of your interactions with Sting."
Lucy tilted her head to the side, "what interactions?"
"Oh, all the ones I can think of." She grinned, her yees briefly closing. "He thinks from the sounds of it, and how Sting found you with next to impossible odds, that he's your mate."
She froze, eyes widening as her grip tightened. How the hell did Gajeel of all people come to that conclusion? What were her friends told?
"And I agree," she continued. "Yukino gave us a rundown of Sting finding you, and the near impossible likelihood that someone could do it. He's actually the one who mentioned it in the guild hall earlier today."
Her heart sank. Did that mean ironhead said so in front of all her friends? She was surprised her lacrima hadn't blown up by now.
"Erza and Gray said it was absurd of course," she explained, winking, "but Natsu was really quiet. He didn't say anything actually. Maybe he thinks the same thing."
"Oh please tell me everyone isn't gossping about this," she groaned, finding her voice again. "How could you let him say that in front of everyone!?"
"It slipped out," Levy said sheepishly, shrugging. "We hadn't talked much about it before, and after getting the rundown it's the first thing Gajeel said. And honestly, it doesn't seem totally wrong. How would one person have that much energy to accomplish so much in such a short time?"
Lucy felt her blush deepening. "Well Natsu-"
"Oh, no, no, no," Levy snapped, shaking a finger at her. "No deviating. We're talking about Sting here. He somehow found you in a random location far away from where you were, beat up the people holding you and managed to make it back to the guild and into the infirmary in a couple hours."
She grew quiet. Levy wasn't wrong, but from the sounds of it she was none the wiser on why Sting had to drag her back to his guild.
"So what happened?" the bluenette continued, arching an eyebrow.
Lucy forced herself to not swallow, afraid of giving anything away. "Oh, the usual. I got kidnapped, beat up a little-"
"A little?" Levy echoed, sounding unconvinced. "Yukino said you were half dead when he brought you back. Do you know how much yelling master had to do to keep everyone from storming over there to beat up whoever did this?"
"Well-"
"By the way, who did do this?" she asked, interrupting. "Yukino said something about Everlue? That's someone you fought before, right?"
She stilled, the name alone enough to cause her heartbeat to increase. She didn't want to think about Everlue and the others, not while sitting alone in the room. One of the benefits to having Sting there was he took the bed by the window, and with his dragon senses he'd be able to hear if someone was approaching –
Lucy paused, completely forgetting about her friend on the line. Increased hearing…
"Did your senses increase when you got together with Gajeel?" she asked, completely forgetting what Levy just asked. "Did your hearing get better?"
Levy's eyebrows shot. "Uh, yeah. My hearing and my sense of smell got a little better when Gajeel started pursuing me, and when he first marked me everything intensified." She blushed, a smile tugging at her lips. "W-when we mated everything intensified-"
Lucy jumped up off the bed. "Mated?!"
Laughing, Levy shook her head. "I won't give you one detail until you come home! So hurry up and complete whatever you need to do so we can talk! Who knows, maybe by then you'll have mate of your own."
Levy's words faded as they said their goodbyes, Lucy's mind traveling a million miles away. She replayed the last few moments of their exchange in her head as the idea took form, the whole thing a little surreal.
Mates. Could she really have a mate? The only person she ever even humored was Natsu, and that was a no go.
But Sting?
"Mates," she whispered, letting the word roll off her tongue. She'd heard it enough times to know that it was something of a possibility, the whole idea jarring. Sting himself seemed to take the idea with a grain of salt, and the entire time she'd known him she hadn't seen any hint that he was pursuing someone for such purposes.
It might explain her heightened senses earlier, something she hadn't been quite able to explain.
But… mates?
Lucy dropped the lacrima onto the bed, approaching the nearest mirror to study herself. It would be ironic if they ended up being mates after their rocky introduction.
She stared at herself, the layers she'd used to hide her skin since last week.
You're so ugly.
Everlue's words echoed in her head, a reminder of the contrasting reactions he had to her body versus Nigel, who was all too eager. Between getting undressed by one man and being ridiculed by the other, the whole experience was a jumble of mismatched reactions.
She turned to the side, studying her figure beneath the t-shirt. Maybe she really was ugly, but passable enough for people like Nigel.
The men from the hallway earlier were interested in her, but she wondered for what reasons. There had to be something fundamentally wrong with for one man to find her repulsive and the other alluring, yet they could both belittle at the same time.
She hesitated before grabbing the hem of her shirt, drawing it up to below her bust. There were no lasting marks there, no telltale signs that anyone touched her. She ran a hand over her stomach before pausing, letting it linger on the waist of her jeans.
She felt stupid, tears pricking her eyes when she remembered the man gripping her ass as they led her to the wall, feeling her up before they started trying to inspect. It was because she'd worn a skirt that he could do that, she'd left herself open –
Before she knew what she was doing Lucy found herself unbuttoning her jeans, sliding them halfway down her legs before turning to stare at herself in the mirror again, looking for the lasting impression of a handprint that wasn't there.
No matter what she did, what clothes she threw on, she could feel their touches lingering there. Five minutes longer and –
Lucy gasped when the hotel room's door opened, looking up to meet Sting's eyes when he entered. She'd gotten distracted, needing to check herself over in a moment that wasn't opportune. She froze, remaining as she was, with her jeans pulled down to her knees and her back to the mirror, tugging the lacy underwear to one side to observe.
She felt her blush returning, and it took a moment for Sting to let the door fall shut and advert his eyes.
"Ah – uh – uh, what are you doing?" he asked, looking towards the ceiling, clearing his throat unsuccessfully.
Lucy squeaked, immediately bending to return her jeans to their rightful position. She scrambled, her fingers working against her for many moments before successfully returning the denim to her hips. She didn't bother buttoning them, launching herself onto her designated bed to throw the covers over herself, head and all.
She'd done it again. She was putting herself in harm's way, doing things that begged herself to be hurt. Why she did that she didn't understand, she knew it was risky –
"Stop panicking," he said, interrupting her thoughts from outside the blanket. His voice was strained, tight, but further away than she expected. "I should've knocked."
Lucy hesitated, the burn of the blush remaining as she slowly pulled the blanket down past her head to peak out. Sting had dropped the food on the lone dresser, the food jumbled in his haste. He was by the window now, faced away, and she couldn't see his reflection from this position.
She could feel the tension in the room without having to say a word. She put him in an awkward situation, and if he was someone else she wasn't certain how him finding her in such a compromising situation would've gone.
He wouldn't even look at her, something she didn't expect. Was she that repulsive to look at?
Lucy bit her lip, feeling dumber than before. He saw her mostly naked and didn't react, in fact he wouldn't even glance her way. Of course they weren't mates.
He was being nice, that was all.
"Sorry," she said quietly, keeping the blanket where it was. "I – I should've used the bathroom."
Sting cleared his throat, remaining rigidly where he was. "S'okay. Don't mention it."
He didn't even flinch. Lucy pressed her legs together, feeling the pinpricks of tears trying to form in her eyes.
Maybe Everlue was right. She was putrid.
"Don't cry," he said, sounding alarmed. "Please. I didn't mean to upset you."
"You didn't," she whispered, staring down at the blankets. Her arms came around to hug herself, the blanket slipping just past her shoulders. "I – I'm sorry."
"Why the hell are you sorry? You didn't really do anything wrong."
Lucy didn't respond, her encounter with Everlue echoing in her mind. She wasn't sure who's reaction to her was worse anymore, between Everlue and Nigel. Maybe they were both right, her appearance was in the eyes of the beholder.
And Sting knew, better than anyone, what happened. Of course he'd find her ugly. She'd easily let someone take advantage of her, and they almost got away with it.
"I should've fought them more," she said quietly, well aware that Sting would hear her even if she whispered. "I didn't fight enough."
"You fought plenty," he replied, remaining by the window. "They took advantage while you were down Lucy, there's no shame in that. You did all you could, and you're doing more now."
"I let them touch me," she said quietly, hearing the gentle shuffle as Sting spun around. She didn't lift her gaze, keeping it fixated on the covers. "I left myself open."
Sting was by the bed before she realized, remaining at the foot of the bed instead of coming to her side. "You didn't do anything Lucy. They did this by their own choice, not due to anything that's your fault."
She briefly lifted her gaze before doing a double take, sitting a little straighter on the bed. "T-the scales-"
"I told you this happens sometimes," he said quickly, cutting her off. Last time the scales were a dusting on each cheek, but now they were a solid fixture on his cheeks and forehead, down to his neck and jugular. Lucy blinked, leaning closer to him.
"I've never seen it before unless you are in Dragon Force," she whispered, thinking of the few times she'd seen scales on Natsu and even Gajeel. They never just appeared, and usually it was caused by magic usage, not anger. She moved forward, letting the blanket fall off as she shifted to her knees, reaching out until she was almost touching the scales.
Lucy hesitated, glancing at Sting's eyes as though to ask for permission before touching the scales. She'd never tried before, brushing them on difffernt occasions but never taking the time to examine them with any of her friends. He remained rigid but nodded anyway, and it was all she needed to brush her fingers along the smooth texture.
They were a lot softer than expected, but sharp at the edge. A good defense against attacks, but not uncomfortable for the slayer. She let her finger trail along his cheek to his jawline, tracing the patter back again.
Sting didn't react until then, sucking in a breath sharply but otherwise remaining stony. Her gaze briefly flickered to his eyes before moving on, looking at the array of scales down his neck and jugular.
She couldn't help herself. There was something mesmerizing about the white reflective disks, something she didn't understand but couldn't look away from. Moving closer she sat directly in front of him, running her fingers from his cheek down to the side of his neck, watching his body tense.
He inhaled sharply when she traced the scales on one side of his neck before moving to the other, leaving his jugular for last. By the time she touched the covered skin there she thought he might come undone, his fists clenched together so tightly she was certain he was going to cut off circulation soon.
Lucy leaned in closer to observe the scales on his neck and Sting finally moved, one hand coming out to grasp her shoulder. She looked up, realizing his eyes were brighter than before. There was magic leaking off of him, illuminating the light around his body.
"Don't do something we can't come back from," he said hoarsely, his voice barely restrained. Lucy took a second to process that information, reading the depths of restraint in his eyes.
He was trying exceedingly hard to remain as he was. For better or worse she was pushing his buttons, and Lucy couldn't quite explain why she felt so calm when he was obviously tense.
She held his gaze another moment before leaning forward, unsure what she wanted to say to that. Everyone's words echoed in her head, from Natsu to Levy to Everlue even.
Everyone, anyone, who mentioned anything about mating to physical appearance. Something about her got to Sting, it was one of the few reasons he would be there with her now.
One of them should pull away before she did something really stupid, but she couldn't help herself. Sting made her feel safe, even in ways she didn't fully understand yet. She leaned in closer, her breath tickling the bids of exposed skin on her neck.
Sting reacted, reaching out to grasp both of her shoulders so he could push her away. It wasn't what she expected, her eyes going wide when he pushed her back, sitting as far on the edge of the bed as he could, keeping her an arm's length away.
"Lucy," he stressed, closing his eyes. "Please, you've gotta stay back."
She tilted her head, watching his reactions. He wouldn't focus on her, his arms tense despite the gentleness of his grip. His eyes remained closed, like he couldn't focus on her. The scales didn't recede, and she had the same, strange desire to lean forward and inspect them.
She filtered through everything she knew about Sting, and his reactions right now were about as un-Sting-like as they could get. He wasn't usually restrained and controlled, he spoke his mind and got snarky.
This wasn't him. He was restraining himself, and the longer he held her there the more the rumors and hints started to make sense.
She could smell something in the air, but what she should label it eluded her. She didn't usually notice scents this much, and she wasn't sure what to do with the smell now.
Lucy almost chickened out, swallowing audibly before she tried to speak. Sting kept his eyes closed, like it was the only thing hinging him to reality. "Sting?"
"Hmm?"
She wet her lips, wondering if he'd open his eyes up and laugh in her face. "Are… do you think we're mates?"
A/n: Hello hello! Sorry for the delay in updating, there's been a lot going on in life. This isn't supposed to be a cliffhanger chapter, it's actually done this way because I'm undetermined how I would like to write the next part of this discussion. I've done a couple drafts and none are satisfying, so I wanted to get this much out to you guys. I'm struggling a little with the plot, so any thoughts are appreciated! Hopefully the next chapter won't take over a month! Let me know what you guys think.