Dragon Family Values
Disclaimer – I do not own Fairy Tail
Summary: Natsu and Sting move in together. Sting x Natsu
Author's Note #1 – I'm using the 100 Theme Fanfiction Challenge for this collection. I thought it'd be something different.
Author's Note #2 – This one I am rating T.
Author's Note #3 – These drabbles are pretty much one-shots and are not related to each other in any way unless otherwise indicated.
Author's Note #4 – Yes, this is a Sting x Natsu drabble. I'm hooked on them being a couple at the moment.
Blood (Rated T)
"I can't believe we're really doing this," whispered Natsu as he looked up at Sting with a vibrant smile on his face.
"I think it's about time we moved in together," commented Sting softly, wrapping an arm around the fire mage's shoulders. He stared at their house which was nestled in the woods; it rested equally between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth. Though the surrounding forest looked ominous and somewhat oppressing, it was home. And it was going to be their home from now on. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Natsu stated excitedly, hugging Happy to his chest. "And I'm glad you let me bring Happy along."
"It's no problem," Sting remarked with a grin. "Besides, Lector will be here, too. Not often since he likes hanging out with Frosch."
Natsu laughed at that. "We're gonna have a blast here, right Happy?"
"Aye!"
"Let's get you settled in, okay?"
Natsu smiled again, letting Sting lead him into his new home. He couldn't wait for their new life to begin.
It was late evening by the time Natsu had finished placing his small amount of possessions in Sting's room. No, it was their room now. He'd have to remember that.
The door to the bedroom was closed and Happy was playing around; he figured he should let Happy get used to the place one room at a time. While Happy explored, Sting took a shower in the adjacent bathroom. That's why Natsu was quite surprised to hear footsteps outside the bedroom door.
Natsu shooed Happy away from the door so he could peek out into the hall. No one was there. That was strange. Closing the door, he went back into the room.
However, Natsu's head shot up when he heard a knock on the door. Slowly approaching the bedroom door once more, he opened it and peered out into the hall. But, like last time, there was no one there. He shut the door and just stared at it. This was so strange. No one should have been here. Lector was at Sabertooth. And it was already seven.
Shrugging it off as his imagination, he went back toward the bed and promptly jumped out of his skin when he heard a bang. His head shooting in the direction of the bathroom, Natsu figured Sting had just dropped something.
But then he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned to look, he found Happy sitting down on the floor and staring at the door. His tail swished every so often. And it honestly looked like he was listening to something.
Natsu approached the door and crouched so he was at Happy's level. And that's when he heard it.
Scratching.
And then something touched his shoulder.
"Ah!" Natsu screamed, jumping up and ready to fight his attacker with his fists; a blast of fire zoomed around the room. But it was only Sting. "You scared me!"
"I didn't mean to. I thought you would have heard me. What are you doing?" asked Sting, rubbing his hair dry with a towel.
"I heard a scratching sound on the door," replied the fire mage.
"It's probably just Happy."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Happy's right here and he doesn't do that sort of thing. All he does is fly, complain, and eat fish."
"Hey!"
Frowning, Sting looked down at happy and found him staring back at the door after his declaration. Kneeling next to Happy, he began listening, and he heard a scratching sound. Opening the bedroom door, he walked out of the room and put his ear to the wall.
He heard nothing.
Coming back into the room, he shut the door, and the scratching began again.
"Maybe we have mice," stated Sting absently. He then approached the wall and banged on it. The scratching immediately stopped. Perhaps he'd scared off whatever had been making the noise. "I'm sure it's nothing."
"But…never mind," said Natsu, brushing the whole thing off. Perhaps he was just hearing the sounds of the house. It was a new environment after all. He just had to get used to it. That was it.
Sting smiled when he got up that morning. He enjoyed being able to see Natsu sleeping next to him. And knowing that the fire mage probably wouldn't be up for a while, Sting rose from the bed, got dressed, and headed out of the room as quietly as he could with the idea of making breakfast for his lover running through his mind.
Heading downstairs and into the newly renovated kitchen he'd constructed before Natsu's arrival, Sting stifled a groan when he noticed one of the chairs had been left out. "Natsu," he grumbled. Didn't he know how to push in a chair?
Sliding the chair into its proper place, Sting looked up and his stern expression faltered. All of the cabinet doors were open. It looked as if someone had just decided to open everything. Even the door to the oven was open.
Turning on his heel, Sting marched back down the hall into the room he'd reserved for guests. Happy was staying in there at the moment. "Why did you open the cabinets?"
Happy's eyes widened. He shook his head madly in protest of being accused of such a thing. "I didn't do it!"
Sting grumbled to himself. "All right. I apologize for snapping at you. Maybe a draft did it." He left Happy then and went back to the kitchen. Sting began shutting the cabinets and he closed the oven.
Later that night, Natsu lay curled up against Sting, his head resting on the white dragon-slayer's chest as he listened to his heartbeat.
"You didn't have to get that crazy with Happy," Natsu said, rubbing his hand on his lover's stomach.
"Yes, I did," Sting replied sharply. "If he's not going to respect our home, he should go back to Faiy Tail."
"You have no proof he did that in the kitchen."
"Maybe not, but he is a mischievous little thing. We'll need to keep an eye on him."
"Whatever," Natsu stated softly, making himself a little more comfortable. But he had to turn his head when he noticed the bathroom light flickering. Both he and Sting watched the light flicker until it promptly went out.
"Stupid lights," grumbled Sting as he slid off the bed. Natsu chuckled and followed him into the bathroom, where Natsu flicked the light switch off and on. The light bulb seemed to have gone out.
Climbing onto the counter, Sting grabbed a towel and unscrewed the light bulb. He stared at it for a moment. It didn't look like it had burned out. Maybe it had only been loose. Screwing the light bulb back in, he told Natsu to flip the switch.
Light flooded the bathroom. There was no flickering. However, as soon as Sting reached the bathroom door, the light flickered and went out.
"I'll change it in the morning," said Sting, flipping the light switch off. "Let's just go to bed."
"Okay," replied Natsu. "I'm glad we've finally moved in together. I really appreciate the renovations you made to the kitchen, too. I'm gonna have fun in there."
"Heh," was the only reply he received.
Once they returned to the bed and were under the covers, they cuddled up next to each other, fully prepared to go to sleep.
Click.
Light flooded the bedroom. Sitting up in the bed, they realized it was coming from the bathroom.
"I thought you turned it off," said Natsu.
"I did," insisted Sting as he got out of the bed again. He headed for the bathroom and discovered that the light switch had been turned on. But he'd turned it off!
Flipping the light switch again, he went back to bed. And a few minutes later, he and Natsu heard the light turning on again.
"What in the world is going on?" Sting snapped, throwing the blankets off and storming out of the bed. He went up to the light switch and turned it off once more. "Let's see it turns on after this." Natsu hovered in the doorway, watching as Sting got up onto the counter again and reached for the light bulb.
"Shit!" the white dragon-slayer hissed, making Natsu jump.
"Are you okay, Sting?" the fire mage asked in concern. "Sting?"
"I'm fine. I just burned my hand on the bulb. Hand me that towel, will you?"
Natsu did as he was asked and began watching his lover deal with the light bulb again. Sting removed the bulb and tossed it into the trash. Then he stepped off the counter and inspected the light switch, making sure it was turned off. When things were to his satisfaction, he placed his arm around Natsu and led him back to the bed.
"Let's get some sleep," whispered Sting, letting Natsu curl up against him. And as Sting drifted off, Natsu lay wide awake, wondering just what was going on with his new home.
Natsu grinned. He couldn't wait to dig into his lunch. He set his scarf on the table since it was a bit stuffy in the room, and set down his plate and soda. He then reached for his drink but frowned when his hand didn't make contact with it. Glancing around the kitchen, he spotted his soda on the floor. How had it gotten there?
He got up from his chair and retrieved the can and set it back down next to his plate. Sitting back down, he kept his eyes glued to his lunch and reached for his scarf since he began feeling uneasy.
He couldn't find it.
Leaping out of his chair, he stared at the spot it should have been, but it just wasn't there.
"Natsu, why is your scarf on the floor?"
Natsu's head shot up in the direction of the bedroom door. Happy stood in the doorway, the fire mage's scarf on the floor in front of him. Swallowing hard, he approached happy. And when he was close enough to grab his scarf, he snatched it up.
Then he just stood there, staring at Happy, who was staring at him. It was really kind of weird. But eventually, Happy shrugged at his friend's odd behavior and left, so Natsu turned around to get back to his lunch.
He froze.
It took all the courage he had to walk up to where he'd placed his meal. With a shaking hand, he poked his soda can; it fell to the floor, opened and empty. And the food that had been on his plate was gone.
The scarf fell from his hands as he stood there shaking. What was he supposed to do now? Should he tell Sting? Would he even believe him?
Not knowing what to do, he sank down onto the floor and closed his eyes, rocking himself back and forth. He didn't want to admit he was scared, but he was. He really was!
Sting pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes. His guild mates were becoming harder to handle every day. Since when had they become so reckless?
Leaning back in his chair, his gaze shifted as his eyes then panned his house. It was nice being at home now since Natsu was living with him. That meant he could spend more time with his lover.
Smiling at that, his gaze once again shifted, but his head shot up when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. His head snapping to the right, he stared at the corner of the far side of the room. He could have sworn something was over there.
Maybe it was just his imagination. Or maybe it was just Happy.
A few minutes later, however, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye again. Believing that Natsu was trying to play tricks on him, his head snapped up again, fully prepared to start scolding.
But he froze and felt his blood run cold.
Standing in the corner of the room, stood a shadowy figure, boding evil and threatening. It didn't move, but Sting could feel the malice emanating from it. He stood and stared it down.
Sting finally blinked. And when he opened his eyes again, the figure was gone. Had it only been his imagination? He really hoped so.
When Sting got to their bedroom that night, he found Natsu staring at Happy. And neither of them was moving.
"What are you doing?" Sting asked.
Without turning, Natsu answered, "He won't go onto that part of the floor." Natsu indicated the space in front of the bed.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," replied the white dragon-slayer honestly.
"Watch," said Natsu as he picked up Happy. He set his friend down on the floor in front of their bed. But as soon as Happy's feet touched the floor, he jumped back onto the bed and began freaking out.
"Don't put me down there!" Happy hissed. He then crouched on the bed and stared at the floor as if he were watching something they couldn't see.
Frowning, Sting knelt down and stared at the floor, too.
"I don't know why he won't go there," stated Natsu as he shrugged his shoulders. "He won't tell me."
"When did he start acting like this?" inquired Sting.
"Uh, maybe about ten minutes ago?" Natsu replied unsurely.
And then suddenly, Happy was perfectly fine. He hopped off the bed and started wandering around the room as if he'd never acted like he had a few minutes ago.
"He's been acting weird lately," commented Natsu absently.
Sting couldn't help but agree. Something was…off. And he really wished he knew what it was.
Bang!
Sting and Natsu jumped at the sound of their bedroom door slamming shut.
"The wind probably just blew it closed or something," said Sting, shrugging off an eerie feeling.
"It wasn't," stated Natsu.
Sting pondered things for a moment before making a decision. "I'm going to look around."
The white dragon-slayer practically had to pry Natsu's fingers off of him, but once he had, he decided to investigate the hallway.
Heading into the guest room, he flipped on the light switch and found that the light wouldn't turn on. That was strange, to say the least. But there was a logical explanation for this, right? There had to be.
However, he didn't want to remain in the room any longer for some reason, so he headed back for the door. Leaving the room, he quickly made his way down the hall until he got to their bedroom. Shutting the door, he stared at it before a voice brought him out of his stupor.
"Sting, are you okay?" asked Natsu, looking concerned. Happy was curled up in his lap.
"I'm not sure. Something's not right." Sting really hated to admit that, but what had gone on was just too strange. "Let's just get some sleep."
Natsu ushered Happy off his lap and into the center of the bed. Pulling down the blankets, Sting got in. All seemed well, until the fire mage shrieked and jumped out of the bed.
"What is it?" Sting gasped after Happy clawed his way across his stomach.
"I-I felt something," said Natsu, inching away from the side of the bed. "It felt like someone sat next to me."
"Are you sure it wasn't—?"
"Yes, I'm sure it wasn't Happy!" cried the fire mage. "Can we sleep with the light on?" Natsu asked softly.
"Fine," replied Sting as he turned on the bedside lamp. "Come on. Get back in the bed. Let's try to get some sleep."
They both settled back down; however, sleep was the furthest thing from either of their minds.
Natsu was the first one up for a change. He hadn't slept a wink last night, but he'd tried to do his best. And now he was down in the kitchen preparing breakfast. As he set about making some eggs, he felt someone nudge his arm. Turning around, he fully expected to see Sting.
But no one was there.
His heart racing a mile a minute, he looked around the vacant kitchen, waiting to either be touched or to see dishes flying about the room.
Nothing.
Shrugging it off, he turned back around to begin cooking the eggs. A few seconds later, he felt a hand run through his hair. Screaming, he spun around, knocking the pan of eggs onto the floor. Pressing himself up against the counter, he shook like a leaf as his eyes panned the kitchen again.
No one was there, so who was touching him?
"Natsu, what are you doing?" called Sting, entering the kitchen.
"Something touched me. Twice!"
Sting sighed. "It was probably just your imagination," commented the white dragon-slayer.
"I did not imagine it!" Natsu snapped.
"Sting."
The two of them froze after hearing someone whisper the white dragon-slayer's name.
"You heard that, right?" Natsu deadpanned.
Sting nodded.
"I told you I wasn't imagining things."
Sting and Natsu settled into their living room. With everything that had gone on so far, it seemed the safest option. But with the white dragon-slayer now pacing back and forth, Natsu became more and more unnerved.
"I don't understand what's going on," Sting said, finally stopping. "I don't…there has to be an explanation for this."
"There is," began Natsu. "The house is haunted."
"If it was haunted, don't you think something would have happened prior to you moving in?"
"Wait," started the fire mage, "this stuff didn't start happening until I moved in? Did I cause this?" Sting had moved into the house a few months before him so that he could get everything in order. Nothing had happened then, so why now?
"This house is not haunted. And it has nothing to do with you moving in," Sting snapped, breathing heavily, his white breath—.
Wait. White breath?
Sting took a deep breath and exhaled again, the same white mist appearing in front of his mouth. Why was it suddenly so cold?
"Sting?"
And then, as suddenly as the cold spot had appeared, it was gone and the room's temperature was back to normal.
"You still think this place isn't haunted?" inquired Natsu, looking uneasy.
Sting still refused to say that the place was haunted. There just had to be a logical explanation for everything. But was he willing to jeopardize the well-being of Natsu to prove it?
It had finally reached late evening without any more unexplained incidents. Natsu was in their bedroom doing whatever it was to keep himself occupied. He was probably keeping himself entertained with Happy.
And here Sting was, sitting in a chair in the living room, trying to figure out what to do. Sighing, he leaned back in the chair and stared up at the ceiling. What was he supposed to do? He'd wracked his brain, trying to find an explanation or reason for why strange things were happening in their home, but he kept coming up with nothing.
Was the house really haunted? Or was it just a figment of their imaginations? Were they suffering from some sort of mass hysteria?
Groaning, he stood and stretched, making his way out of the living room and toward their bedroom. He paused, however, when something caught his attention.
Turning around, he looked about himself, trying to detect where it was coming from. He saw nothing, heard nothing.
"Sting."
The white dragon-slayer inhaled sharply. He'd heard his name again, but this time it sounded harsher than before, like the one saying it was angry.
"Sting!" the voice hissed again. The voice was becoming more pungent now.
Bolting for the bedroom, he burst inside, frightening Natsu. Slamming the door shut, Sting stared at the door, trying to ignore the fear that seemed to linger around him.
"Sting?" Natsu called out unsurely.
Suddenly, the door burst open of its own accord, startling the white dragon-slayer. He fell back against the bed and watched in horror as the house seemed to come to life.
The pictures on the walls began flying off, banging as they flew across the room. Books started falling off the shelves while the lamp kept turning itself on and off. It was like the house was seething in anger.
"Ah!" Natsu cried.
Sting turned his gaze sharply in the fire mage's direction, but he was too late to react.
"Help!" Natsu screamed as his body was viciously dragged by an invisible form across the floor and out of the bedroom. He continued to scream, even as the bedroom door shut after him.
"Natsu!" Sting shouted, racing toward the door. He grabbed the knob and yanked it. But he failed in opening it. It was as if someone had nailed the door shut. And hearing Natsu's screams and pleads for help didn't make things any better.
Sting pulled harder on the door. When there was enough space for him to place his hand between the door and the frame, he made to grab it, but the door snapped shut, nearly slicing his fingers off.
"Natsu!" This couldn't be happening! Sting ran his hands through his hair, panic coming to the forefront of his mind. What was going on? What was happening to Natsu?
Growing angry, he kicked the door. But that only served to anger whatever apparition was at work. For as soon as he had assaulted the house, his body flew across the room and hit the bed.
Sting breathed heavily, pain stinging his chest. As he pushed up his shirt, he gasped when he saw what looked to be scratches on his skin.
Jumping to his feet, he threw caution to the wind. "STOP!" he roared.
Everything stopped. It was quiet. Deathly quiet.
And then the door creaked open, revealing an eerie calm in the hallway. But there was something else that made it all the more worse.
Natsu was quiet as well. And he was nowhere to be seen.
He cautiously made his way out into the hallway, taking it one step at a time as he followed the scorched trail left behind by Natsu. Why was it so quiet?
"Natsu?" Sting called out anxiously. Where was he?
As he made his way down the stairs, the familiar scent of Natsu struck the white dragon-slayer. Maybe if he followed it, he'd find Natsu.
Sting headed for the living room. "Natsu?"
There, against the wall, was Natsu. And he was clawing at his neck like someone was keeping him in place. When Sting realized the fire mage's face turning red, he understood that Natsu was being choked.
"Natsu!" he gasped, running over to him. But he slid to a halt when something appeared next to the fire mage. An apparition?
Whatever it was, it had its back to him. And it seemed to be examining Natsu.
"You stay away from him!" Sting yelled, grabbing a book and throwing it at the entity. It flew right through it.
The manifestation spun around at that, and Sting stumbled backward when he noticed the human-shaped being.
Suddenly, the house began vibrating, rattling as if they were in an earthquake. Natsu plummeted to the floor, gasping for breath. Sting raced over to him, picking him up bridal-style as he hurried back over to the far side of the room.
The apparition approached them as the wall behind it began to form words in a sickly red color.
Get Out!
"We're getting out of here!" Sting said, clutching Natsu in his arms as he ran for the opening of his house.
As soon as the two of them made it outside—including Happy, who'd followed them from behind—the front door slammed shut.
Reaching the very edge of the forest, Sting finally set Natsu down on his feet, inspecting every inch of him. "Are you all right?"
The fire mage nodded, still trying to get his breathing under control.
Once they'd settled down somewhat, the two of them looked back toward the house. And that's when Natsu started laughing. Sting looked at him in confusion.
"I'm sorry! I can't hold it together anymore," cackled Natsu. "Come on out."
"Come on out?" Sting repeated. What the hell was Natsu talking about?
"Have you learned your lesson, Sting?"
The white dragon-slayer's head snapped in the direction of the voice. "Rogue?"
Said dragon-slayer crossed his arms and glared at Sting. "I hope you'll remember this the next time you try to pull a prank on me."
"Wait a sec," started Sting, "this whole haunting thing was you?" Rogue nodded. "And you were in on it?" he demanded, turning his attention to Natsu.
"Only at the very end," replied the fire mage, his laughter now under control. "After I got dragged out of the bedroom, Rogue's shadows kept you locked in so that he could tell me what he was trying to do. I played along in the end."
"What the hell is wrong with you, Rogue?!"
Rogue continued glaring. "You put fake blood on Frosch and made me think he was severely injured! Do you have any idea how terrified I was? This was my way of getting you back!"
"So everything was you?" Rogue nodded. "How come I didn't smell you?"
"I came across an herb that masks scents, even to the noses of dragon-slayers," replied the shadow dragon-slayer.
"And it getting cold in the house? We saw our breath," said Sting.
"I may have asked for Gray's help on the matter."
Sting and Rogue stared at each other before the white dragon-slayer finally broke the silence. "Truce?"
"I knew you'd see things my way."
Author's Note – I needed to get Sting x Natsu out of my system for a little bit. Please review!
*Next Theme – Rainbow*