Chapter 20 – A Dragon's Den

Magnolia, Summer Time,

Year X792

Natsu Dragneel

I woke to the faint light of dusk. "Wha… I fell asleep?" I mumbled, looking around with a perplexed expression. A slight chuckle met my dazed slurring.

"Good evening, sleepy dragon" Sting laughed, looking down at me. From the angle he was to me, I guessed I must have fallen asleep in his lap. Awww… I couldn't even manage to stay awake for ONE nice day together I complained internally.

I narrowed my eyes at the blond. "So…" I didn't have anything to say, however that just seemed to amuse Sting further.

"I can tell what you're thinking" he said, before changing his voice to a very loose interpretation of my own. "Damn it, I fell asleep. I wanted to spend time with Sting, I'm so stupid. Right?" he sniggered.

I frowned for a moment, before smiling. "Everything 'cept that 'I'm so stupid' bit" I replied. He rubbed the back of his head.

"It's alright, after you ate you fell asleep, however I couldn't stop looking at you. You were sooooo cute" Sting grinned sheepishly. I continued looking up at him, allowing a small content smile to pass over my face; there was something weirdly comforting about laying in this position, with my head in his lap.

"So long as you weren't bored I guess that's fine then" I reasoned, ignoring his comment on my cuteness. Sting ruffled a hand through my hair, before leaning down and capturing me in a short, sweet kiss. I smiled into the kiss, however after a moment a thought flickered across my mind. Widening my smile slightly, I reached up and slid a hand through the golden locks on Sting's head. The White Dragon gave a little purr at the action. That's it… I thought to myself, as I continued stroking Sting's hair playfully. Then, just as I felt Sting relax into the kiss, I pressed my tongue to his lip and entered without warning.

Sting's eyes, which had just closed, suddenly shot wide open with surprise. The cerulean orbs looked deep into my dark eyes, however I noted immediately the flickering light of amusement. And maybe a little lust too.

We broke away after a few minutes. I smiled up at Sting as the blond wiped his mouth with his hand. "Is someone feeling a little heated after his nap? A late morning wood perhaps?" Sting mused.

I raised an eyebrow at Sting. "What are you trying to say?" I asked him in response.

Sting laughed. "Nothin' much" he replied. I grinned back at this.

"Because to me it seems like more than just me is feeling a little horny. Especially when I'm lying in some other guy's lap" I emphasised our current arrangement as much as I could. Sting went wide-eyed for a moment, as he realised that I knew exactly which one of us was had a hard on. Then he blushed. Adorable…

"F-fuck…" he muttered embarrassedly.

I smiled again, harder this time. "Well… maybe later, okay?" I winked at him and began laughing a little.

Sting looked to me for a moment, before blushing deeper, and then smiling himself. "Well… we did agree to have sex again didn't we; I've still got to get my end of the deal to fulfil" he grinned. I nodded, before another thought passed through my mind.

"Yeah… er… also, do you know what time it is now?" I asked. Sting pouted in thought for a moment, before shrugging and shaking his head.

"Nope. I don't have a watch or anything on either" he stated. I laughed, before looking out over the hillside, over the town and the sparkling water beyond the guild hall. I shrugged back at him.

"I think it's getting late" I stated. Sting nodded in agreement with this assessment.

"Yeah, me too" he agreed. After this a slightly uncomfortable silence fell over both of us. In our quiet state, we could hear the faint noises of the town beneath us; the sounds of people bustling around, chatting, and even the sounds of the forest nearby, with its birds singing their melodious tunes.

I couldn't have felt more peaceful here if I tried, especially with Sting beside me. If I focused I could even hear the faint thud-thud of the White Dragon Slayer's heartbeat. "Sting…" I mumbled without realising it.

Sting looked at me with an intent expression. "What is it Natsu? You want to get up?" his voice was full of care.

I looked away, embarrassed by my accidental slip-of-the-tounge. "Oh… um…" I looked around trying to find some kind of excuse, and failing poorly.

"Just thinking about something?" Sting asked me after a moment, clearly reading my thoughts through my expression. I nodded.

"Yeah" I admitted, giving a slightly sullen expression.

Sting just laughed and shook his head. "He he, at least I know what you're thinking" he mused.

I laughed aloud. "I was just thinking that… you know…" I was at a loss for words; I couldn't find a single word in my vocabulary to express the feeling I was experiencing in that moment.

Sting ruffled my hair once more. "That's okay, do you want to go somewhere else now?" he asked me. I pouted in thought for a moment, before looking back at Sting once more.

"Well… I've got an idea, but first… did you get that thing you needed to buy?" I asked him. Sting looked confused for a moment, before his eyes went wide and then settled to be part of a faint glittering grin.

"Oh, that" he said, rubbing the back of his head again, "Yeah, I got it. I slipped away and bought it whilst we were looking for the food earlier" he admitted. I grinned back at Sting upon hearing it.

"Well then… how about I go take you somewhere that we can have some more enjoyable moments… together?" I asked him. Sting nodded.

"Alright" he agreed with all the eagerness of a child going to a candy store.

/

Sting and I went to my house, as it was closer, handily. "So… did you pick this hill because we were so close to your house, or was it just convenience?" Sting questioned me as we walked, our hands joined, fingers intertwined. I chuckled and shrugged.

"Maybe it was both" I responded with a cocky smile.

Sting laughed. "Not that I mind" he mused, before leaning in, "Since either way we get to have more fun. I've still gotta pay you back for last night after all" he added. I raised an eyebrow, before leaning in to kiss Sting briefly.

"Well then, let's see what you've got up your sleeves" I replied with a sly smile. Sting's eyes flickered with an internal amusement for a moment, before he looked down the path, where my house stood proud, despite its crumbling façade. With only barely a moment of thought, Sting glanced back toward me, before dragging me forward hurriedly. "Come on!" he giggled.

I didn't even have it in me to protest as I was forcefully dragged along to my house by the blond; after our little wake-up kiss, I was just too horny to not want whatever Sting had planned inside his own head. When we neared the house, Sting slowed, and used his entwined hand to pull me up in front of him. I took one look at his face and knew what was coming. His lips pressed against mine in a more forceful kiss, his tongue seeking entry almost immediately. "Mphm… Sting…" I mumbled into the kiss.

Sting did not respond, except for a slight step closer to me, his arms wrapping around my body and bringing me into the warmth of his form. As he held me close, I used my hands to try and open the door at my back and allow us both into the house. Damn this is hard without being able to see properly I thought as I fumbled with the door knob. Still Sting did not break away, until at last another sound wrenched his attention away from the moment.

"What are you two thinking about doing here? Hmmmm…." Happy looked to us accusingly as he floated in mid-air beside us.

/

Sting and I both jumped at the sudden sound. As if by reaction alone, we pushed each other away to stand awkwardly before the blue exceed. "Happy… you're… here…" I mumbled in surprise. Sting looked to me, then to Happy, and then back to me once again.

"You thought this place was empty, right Natsu?" Sting asked me. I looked sheepishly to Sting and nodded.

"Errr… yeah, obviously" I replied, which made me look back to Happy. The front door was still closed, so I realised the cat must've came out through the open window beside him. With a frown, I looked more intently at my partner. "So, what are you doing here Happy; didn't you say that after you'd help Lisanna at the market, then you were going on a longer job with Gray and Lucy whilst I had to go to Sabertooth with Sting?" I asked the feline. Happy shrugged nonchalantly.

"I did help Lisanna, however Gray had stuff to do, so me and Lucy postponed the job until tomorrow. Anyway, this is my house too Natsu, so you shouldn't be surprised about me being here" Happy answered, eyeing me suspiciously.

I cast my gaze downwards at the exceeds words, however Sting spoke up. "I'm sorry you caught us Happy, we thought the place'd be empty, if we'd known we wouldn't have… done… that…" the White Dragon said, trailing off as embarrassment made it difficult for him to describe or even mention exactly what he and I were doing only moments before. Happy laughed.

"Really, because it didn't look like that from where I was sitting. I bet if I had stayed quiet you two wouldn't have even noticed I was here and would've went upstairs to do something naughty" Happy said in a chiding tone of voice. Sting frowned slightly.

"Okay, so we were intending on doing something like that…" he admitted, before smiling reasonably, "But I promise that we won't do anything now" he said. Happy looked behind us to the rapidly setting sun; he could see that night time was fast approaching.

"If that's true then I guess you can stay here" Happy said, "It's getting late so I wouldn't want to make you walk back into town" he added in a compromising tone.

I smiled. "Thanks buddy" I said, happier now. Happy nodded.

"You're lucky you've got such an understanding partner, Natsu" the exceed grinned, as he opened the front door, "And just because I'm so understanding, I'll even sleep on the couch, whilst you two get the bedroom to yourselves, just so long as nothing… adult happens, deal?" Happy smirked at us both. Sting and I both nodded.

"Deal" we agreed.

As we followed Happy into the house, Sting leaned close to my ear. "Well… looks like you're gonna have to wait even longer before you get to see what I have in store" the White Dragon whispered. I looked back at him.

"Yeah, I know" I replied with a mock pout of disappointment.

Sting laughed at my expression.

/

Sting and I went to my room together, with Happy busying himself downstairs preparing our old sofa to be his bed for the night. Sting flopped down on the bed with a heavy sigh. "So, it looks like we won't be having fun after all" he complained. I chuckled as I closed the bedroom door behind us.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped since Happy's here and all" I responded. Sting sat up and looked at me.

"But you know…" he grinned, trailing off as his eyes glittered mischievously. I shook my head at him, already pre-empting what he was about to say.

"No. Not with happy here" I said in a stern voice. Sting pouted.

"But… why? We only need to be quiet" Sting said, in a tone that sounded far more reasonable than what he was actually suggesting. I rolled my eyes. Well… I guess our roles have reversed a little since this morning… Flickers of memory passed through my mind of this morning, with Sting telling me quiet firmly 'No' to my offers of sex.

"But if Happy finds out then he'll stop trusting us and will not let you stay over with me here again" I reasoned, trying a different tact to quell my boyfriend's persistence as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

Sting smiled and sat up moving in close to me. "But that's only if he finds out" the blond said with a wicked grin.

I frowned at him. "If you are so desperate for this then fine, but I'm counting it as your half of our deal" I stated. That made the other Dragon Slayer stop for a moment. But only for a moment.

"Alright, I'll agree to that. It's not me who loses out here anyways, since that means you won't get to see what I had planned" Sting grinned.

"Tch…" I cursed inwardly at the failure of my little plan and how it was now backfiring on me. Sting took my silence as an invitation, as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, hands brushing over my chest and abdomen. I looked back over my shoulder at the grinning blond.

"So, do ya wanna do it?" he asked. I shrugged, before falling back and laying down on the bed. My sudden movement caught Sting unawares and he ended up falling back on his butt as I lay and watched him upside-down.

"Depends… what did you have in mind? If we wait until Happy goes to sleep and then mess about we may not get caught. So long as we're really quiet" I said to Sting. The White Dragon Slayer pouted for a moment, before chuckling.

"We could wait for Happy to sleep," he said in a more reasonable tone of voice, which was immediately broken by the wilder smile he wore on his face. "Or maybe we could…" he trailed off as he leaned over to me and began kissing my upturned mouth. I allowed him to have his moment of fun, before Sting broke off and finished his sentence. "Or maybe we could just try to keep in really quiet?" he finished. I raised my eyebrows for a moment, however I knew that we could keep debating this all night, and we'd still end up having sex anyways; afterall, I was too horny after waking up in Sting's lap to continue arguing against the blonde's advances forever.

"Alright, but still… what ya got in mind?" I asked him, this time with more willingness in my voice. I'll not count this as our deal just yet… but only because I'm curious about Sting's plans I thought to myself.

/

Sting stripped himself down immediately as he smirked at me, my question left unanswered as his eyes glittered with amusement. "Just strip" was all the blond said in response.

"Alright" I mumbled, as I stood up and began removing my clothes. As I turned around, naked, I saw Sting equally as naked laying on my bed. "So, what now?" I asked him, since he seemed to be calling the shots.

Sting giggled and stood up. Moving close, he drew his arms around my waist and began kissing me. As Sting kissed me, he began pushing me back, until my bare back was against the hard wood of the bedroom door. What's he up to? I thought suspiciously, in amongst delicious flicks of my tongue against the other male's.

As we broke for air, Sting grinned wide again. "Now… be very quiet Natsu" he said. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"But what are ya gonna do?" I asked him. Besides having our boners rubbing against each other in our current position, I could not perceive Sting's thoughts, or guess at exactly how he intended to pleasure me. The White Dragon Slayer just chuckled darkly, under his breath.

"Not figured that out yet, huh?" he questioned rhetorically. I remained quiet, as Sting continued giggling, before the blond began kissing along my jawline and neck. "Well then…" he talked in between kisses, each fluttering peck getting lower and lower on my body until he was finally on his knees. What about… now?" he asked, looking up from his kneeling position. I raised my eyebrows again, a faint smile touching my lips.

"Again, didn't you have enough this morning?" I responded, with a faintly amuse tone of voice.

Sting shrugged. "It's not like I could get bored of it" he replied.

I laughed. "Well… ya managed to interest me" I stated, before wiggling my hips a little to highlight my hardened member, only inches from Sting's face.

Sting looked at the appendage for a moment, before looking back up at me. "Just remember" he began with a wicked smirk, kissing the tip of my cock, "Be quiet" he emphasised the word as much as he could.

I grinned. "Just get started already, the longer we do this the more likely we get caught" I said. Sting chuckled, before shrugging.

"Alright" he stated, before moving his head forward to begin swallowing down my member.

It wasn't long before I was desperately trying to strangle the moans that threatened to burst forth from my throat. "Mnmph…so… goo-d…" I said in a muffled voice, as I used my hand to cover my mouth and stop any unwanted noises from escaping. Sting looked up at me as his head bobbed up and down on my cock, tongue more expertly flicking around the head and slit, each action making heat rise in my groin.

He chuckled as he clearly enjoyed the sight of me desperately trying to silence myself. For a brief moment, the White Dragon Slayer removed my member from his mouth, using the time to mock me. "If it's getting too hard for you to keep quiet, why don'tcha just let it out?" he smirked up at me. I growled behind my hand.

"Bastard… don't stop" I said gruffly. Sting continued grinning at this, so I reached out and ran my hands through his blond locks, before using the grip to move him back towards my cock.

"Someone's horny" Sting mumbled, before taking in some my member once more. I moaned as Sting toyed with the head, before finally taking everything down to the base. He bobbed up and down once again, his hands moving deliciously over my abdomen, before sliding down to grip my butt and thighs. It all felt amazing; however, the task was short lived as behind a gasped breath I gave my one and only warning.

"S-Sting… coming…" I said in my still muted voice.

The White Dragon Slayer looked up at me and locked eyes, as he began gulping down streams of my seed. "Agh… mphnm… good…" I barked as waves of orgasmic pleasure filled my body and surged along my spine all the way to my brain.

I rode the wave of pleasure for its full duration, never letting go of Sting's head with my one hand, whilst equally never removing the hand that was covering my mouth, lest an accidental moan escape my lips. As the orgasm subsided, I finally lowered my hand from Sting's head and the blond removed my cock from his mouth. Standing naked before me, I noticed he was still hard, so I decided to reach out and touch his member. "Don't…" Sting said with a voice that was surprisingly firm.

I furrowed my brows at him. "You don't want release? Or do you not want me to stroke it?" I questioned him, my mind trying to process exactly why the other Dragon Slayer had recoiled so suddenly.

Sting shook his head. "I don't want you to release me… I'm kinda saving up" he said, with a slight note of embarrassment touching his voice. I continued frowning for a moment, before shrugging off.

"Well… if you're sure" I muttered, before going over to the bed and clambering inside. Sting turned off the light and then, went to the other side of the bed and followed suit. Even in the darkness I could see that his member was still hard, but untouched. "Are you're really sure you don't want me to do anything, why are you saving up?" I asked him, as the situation made me feel increasingly uneasy.

Sting blushed a little at my question before he answered. "After getting caught, and not being able to actually fuck you I decided… I'm gonna wait… until tomorrow. The next time I have sex with you I want it to be done properly" he stated. I pursed my lips in thought for a moment, as I took this information in.

"Does this have to do with our little deal?" I asked him, as a fluttering thought filtered through my consciousness.

Sting smirked and nodded, a little more confident now as his embarrassment faded. "Yeah. It'll make it a lot more fun next time, trust me" he said. I nodded in semi-understanding.

"So, if that's the case, why'd you make me have come?" I chuckled. Sting eyes glinted with mischief.

"You'll see" was all he said in reply, before he scooted closer to me in the bed, wrapping an arm around my body and trailing shapes down my back. "Now go to sleep, it's gonna be a long day of walking tomorrow" he added.

I smiled, and briefly considered quizzing him further, trying to gain any additional information that I could about his plans; however, I decided to let it slide. Knowing him it'll be something amazing… besides, I'm kinda sleepy now after that I thought to myself as I let my eyes flutter closed. "Alright, but I'm not gonna wait around forever letting you have your way" I said to him.

I heard Sting chuckle back at me from the darkness. "That's okay, it won't be for much longer" he stated. After that I felt his face close to mine, and then a soft kiss was pressed to my lips, with only the barest flicker of his tongue as an accompaniment. I could taste my semen on his lips and smiled faintly. "Now good night" he said. I hummed softly, content.

"Good night to you too" I responded. Not long after that I fell asleep for the second time that day, with the pleasant snuffles of Sting's sleepy breathing lulling me into a peaceful dream.

/

Fairy Tail Guild, Summer Time

Year X792, the following day

Sting Eucliffe

After our 'fun' the night before, Natsu and I awoke, got dressed, and then headed straight to the guild with Happy in tow. Discretely we questioned the exceed on how he slept, double checking that the feline had not overheard anything untoward happening in the bedroom where he would normally be curled up with Natsu. Thankfully, in his own words, he had 'slept like a log' and seemed oblivious to our activity the night before.

As we entered the guild, Natsu left me to quickly go and find Lucy with Happy. The exceed was supposed to be going on a job with her and Gray today, however it appeared that only the Celestial Spirit Mage was currently present in the guild hall. Natsu had offered to help 'track down' Gray, whilst I sought out Rogue to get ready to leave with him when the pinkette returned.

After about ten minutes I also found myself at a loss, however, as Rogue was nowhere to be found. "Now that's weird. Normally he's always picky about being on time for stuff, it's not like him to be late" I muttered to myself as I wandered through the guildhall's numerous passageways. Mirajane had noticed me looking around before and had confirmed the Shadow Dragon Slayer's presence in the guild, with him having ordered coffee from her a little while ago. So where could he be now? I wondered to myself.

When I was sure I had searched the whole building, I returned to the central bar area. "Still not here?" I questioned as I re-entered the place where I had begun my fruitless search.

"Hello again Sting, have you still not found Rogue?" Mirajane asked me from behind the counter as the Take-Over Mage noticed me standing there. I shook my head at her.

"Nope, it's like he vanished" I said. Mirajane pouted in thought.

"He could have left, maybe. Are you running late for something important?" she asked me, with a sincere smile on her pretty face. I shrugged, remembering not to let others know about the group that Natsu and I had been hired by the Zollzero's to defeat.

"It's not very important, just that I was gonna head out with him and Natsu on a mission. We're gonna pass by Sabertooth on the way so I can check on things there" I said to her, telling mostly the truth. Mirajane smiled.

"Maybe you should ask Natsu, he's been running around looking for Gray, so he might have seen Rogue whilst he was searching" the female Mage suggested. I smiled at her.

"That's actually a good idea. I'll try that" I said to her, happily taking her advice on this. Giving Mirajane one last smile, I headed over to where I saw Natsu, Lucy and Happy all sitting.

"Hey Sting" Natsu greeted me, before I had even sat down, "Ya found Rogue?"

I shook my head. "No, that's why I'm coming over. You haven't seen him on your search, have you?" I asked the three wizards. Lucy, Happy and Natsu all shook their heads.

"No, we haven't found Gray either" Lucy commented, "And if we're much longer we aren't gonna make the next train to where our job is" she added with a slightly more complaining tone of voice. I frowned.

"So, neither of them are here?" I asked, more rhetorically although Natsu nodded all the same.

"Seem's like that" he said, before wrinkling his nose. "I could smell their scents here though, so they must've been here earlier at least" he stated. I absorbed this information and began to think of possibilities.

"That could mean they went into town for something, I know Rogue's worked with Gray on a job to pay off the debt, so maybe they became friendlier?" even to my ears this theory sounded odd, however it was the only conclusion I could come too. Lucy shrugged.

"I guess so… they both like Frosch too, so maybe they have other things in common?" she added. I nodded, and looked to Natsu.

"I think that in order to solve our problem what might be best is to look around town. If me and Natsu go out and find them, can you two stay here at the guild just in case they come back?" I looked to Happy and Lucy as I said this. They both nodded in understanding.

"Alright, you're Dragon Slayer noses should be able to track them, right?" Lucy replied. Natsu scoffed at this statement.

"You should know better than anybody how good my nose is Lucy" he mused. I smiled.

"Well then, time's wasting. Let's go!" I chuckled, before tugging at Natsu's arm to get him to follow me out of the guild and out into Magnolia town.

After catching trails of scent here and there, Natsu eventually followed the Ice Mage's scent all the way to a bar elsewhere in town. Looking to me confusedly, he shrugged, before leading the way inside. The inside of the place was relatively well-kept, for a bar at least, however the place was nearly barren of customers. Only two people remained in the whole establishment; one of which was very familiar to both Natsu and me.

"Oh, if you're lookin' for Gray, he came by here with Rogue a little while ago, something about finding something he lost last night" Cana said, with the slight slurring that came only from blood-alcohol content so high that only Bacchus of Quattro Cerberus could beat it. I frowned.

"That's weird" I said, "Do you know where they went after that?" I asked the drunken Cana. The Card Mage shrugged.

"Don't know. I was too busy teaching all the guys here how to drink properly" she laughed. I realised that the empty state of the bar must've been the result of her scaring away all the would-be patrons.

"Alright. We're gonna go now" Natsu said, before turning to leave. Just before we left, however, Cana stopped us one last time.

"Oh… I think they said something 'bout having to get something from Gray's place" she stated. We both nodded and thanked her for the information, before leaving hurriedly. As I ahd never been to the Ice Mage's apartment in all my time at Fairy Tail so far, Natsu led the way whilst I absentmindedly wondered why Rogue would be helping Gray to search for something.

After a few minutes walking, my mind roiled with possibilities, most of which seemed either too-ridiculous, or too weird to be possible. It was only as Natsu lead the way to the apartment that Gray lived in that a faint realisation struck me.

/

Natsu knocked on the door, as we stood quietly waiting. I could hear some movement inside the apartment, but no sound of voices that suggested who was on the other side. "Maybe they didn't realise the time?" Natsu voiced to me as we continued waiting. I shrugged.

"Maybe…" I responded, not so sure.

After a few minutes, Gray appeared at the door, in his undies; nothing new there then. "Hi guys, what're you doing here?" he asked us, in a calm, nonchalant manner. I narrowed my eyes instantly at the Ice Mage. That smell… Rogue's here… and… oh… a big smile broke over my features as I met the dark-eyed gaze of the Devil-Slayer-Maker-Mage.

"We were looking for you, Lucy and Happy were worrying because you're late, and they're gonna miss the train they said" I informed Gray, who smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry… guess I lost track of time. I was busy looking for something" he replied. Natsu smirked.

"Really" he said, glancing at me. From his gaze, I could tell he also could smell exactly what I already had, and had also came to the same conclusion. "Is Rogue here too, because Cana said she saw you and him leave together?" he pressed Gray for answers. The Ice Mage floundered for a moment, before nodding.

"Yeah, he was… helping me look, since he's got that Dragon Slayer nose and all, I figured he'd be useful" he responded, obviously oblivious to the fact that both Natsu and I knew that this was all untrue. Even more amusingly he acknowledged the fact that we Dragon Slayers had great sense of smell. Natsu and I both played along for as long as we could, although from the pinkette's grin I could tell it would be for all that long.

"Well if that's the case could we go get him, we've also got stuff we need to do and we're quite busy" I stated, in a flat voice that left little room for the other wizard to disagree. Gray shrugged.

"Well yeah, but he's-" before Gray could finish his statement, Rogue appeared in the doorway, a frown already on his face.

"Give it up Gray" he said in a mildly annoyed tone. The Ice Mage looked in surprise to the Dragon Slayer.

"Rogue, I thought you were going to hide in my bedroom" he complained quickly. The Shadow Dragon Slayer shook his head and looked between me and Natsu; I noticed his clothes were still slightly ruffled, as if he had needed to put them on in a hurry.

"They already know. They can tell from the smell, right?" he looked to me specifically to answer this. I grinned brightly and nodded.

"Yeah, we can" I agreed. Gray looked around confused for a moment, before sighing, as the realisation struck him that Natsu and I had known about what they had been doing only moments before (from the strength of the smell) since the minute he had opened his apartment door.

"Guess you guys should come in for a minute then" he said, opening the door wider and ushering us inside.

/

The inside of Gray's apartment was surprisingly well-kept, unlike Natsu's place. I sat on a sofa offered to me, Natsu right beside me. Gray and Rogue both remained standing, each obviously unsure how to deal with this situation and uncomfortable for having it occur in the first place. "So, you two are… together then. That's quite a surprise" I stated, trying to clear the air and confirm exactly what was going on between Gray and my friend.

Gray and Rogue both nodded in response to this. "Yeah, we are" Gray said, before looking to the smiling face of Natsu, "And I bet you're gonna make fun of us, right Flame Brain?" he added with a sharp tone. Natsu looked to me and chuckled.

"Well, I could make fun of you" he said. Gray sighed again.

"This was why I wanted to keep it secret" he said in a dejected tone. Rogue looked to Gray, before looking towards me, his eyes already asking me if it was okay to reveal mine and Natsu's shared secret. I smiled at him, but held up a hand to signal him to remain quiet, for now at least; I had a better plan in mind for how this could play out.

"Calm down Gray, we're not gonna make fun of you. I love Rogue like a brother, so I couldn't make fun of him, or you, over something small like this" I stated, trying to sound more mature. Gray looked to me intently.

"Really?" he said, clearly somewhat sceptical. I nodded.

"Yes, of course" I confirmed with a nod, before a smile played over my lips as I put my momentary thought into action. Whilst I still had Gray's attention I continued. "Besides, if I were making fun of you two, then I'd be pretty hypocritical, right Natsu?" I looked to the pinkette beside me, who nodded in return.

"Right" he said, "Because we're also doing stuff like this" he added, before leaning in and capturing my lips in a short kiss. The action seemed to catch Gray by surprise as his eyes widened when I looked back at him after finishing the kiss.

"So… wait, you two are together?" he asked us, with a confused expression. I nodded.

"Yes, we have been for about a week or so. Rogue knows already, too" I smirked at the Shadow Dragon Slayer. Gray whipped his head around to look at Rogue.

"You did?" he asked, predictably. Rogue nodded.

"Yes. I knew that Sting and Natsu had gotten together… it was just around the same time me and you did… after our job dealing with that blight curse a while ago" Rogue stated to the Ice Mage. Gray smirked.

"So, both you and Sting came to Fairy Tail for more than one reason, huh?" he mused. Natsu laughed along with Gray.

"Well, I don't know 'bout Rogue, but Sting seems to have had quite the little crush on me when he began working here" the pinkette laughed. I yelped as he revealed this fact, before blushing deeply.

"Natsuuuu…" I whined, unable to stop the embarrassment from rising in my chest as he revealed this private information to other people. I covered my face with my hands for a moment, before looking back to Gray. Both he and Natsu were shaking with laughter, whilst Rogue and I looked at each other, humiliation clear on each of our faces. At least it's not just me who's stuck with this problem I thought to myself. Rogue smirked a little, before deciding to intervene.

"As interesting as this is, Gray, we do need to go on our respective jobs you know. It's only because of your… insistence… earlier that we've ended up in this situation" he stated. Gray looked to Rogue, and stifled his laughter as he was reminded of this.

"Alright, I'll get going in a minute" he said. Rogue sighed.

"You're clothes first though" he stated. Natsu and I watched the short display, before my boyfriend leaned in with a chuckle on his lips.

"And Rogue's already starting to sound like Juvia" he whispered to me. I laughed. Rogue noticed our whispered commentary, and growled.

"No matter how bad you think you've got it, at least your boyfriend wears his clothes" he said as Gray began walking off towards, what I assumed, was the bedroom.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but our problem is that, as we're both Dragon Slayers, we don't want to keep our clothes on" I replied. Rogue sighed and rolled his eyes.

"You can control that, if you want to though" he said. I shrugged.

"I could say the same back at you if I wanted. Oh… and just so you know, I'd shower before we go out, otherwise any other Dragon Slayers will be able to tell that you and Gray had sex" I smiled back at him. Rogue frowned at me, before moving to follow Gray. He looked back momentarily, before muttering something inaudible. I just smiled. "Don't worry, we'll wait for ya" I stated, before pulling Natsu in to a close embrace, kissing the pinkette's cheek.

A little while later, Rogue, Gray, Natsu and I emerged from the Ice Mage's apartment and set off for the guild, making sure to tie up any loose ends before leaving for our respective jobs.

/

A little while later, however…

"I know this isn't what you expected Gray, but it's still pretty important" I said as we walked. The Ice Mage just looked confusedly around our group.

"I still don't get why I'm going with you all now too" he stated. I smiled.

"Well, Lucy and Happy ditched you because you took too long, then Arthur sent Thomas a message saying that we'd need one extra person for the mission. Instead of involving someone else from Sabertooth, because they're all pretty busy as it is, we figured that you'd be an excellent candidate, seeing as how you we're not on a job" I replied, laying out the reasons plainly, despite the fact that Gray already knew all of this.

Gray sighed. "So, what exactly is it we're doing anyways, something for those Zollzero people?" he asked. I pouted for a moment; it was a valid question, and seeing as how he would be helping us, I saw no reason not to tell him the truth. All the same I kept quiet, just in case.

"Well, it's complicated… just wait 'till we meet up with Arthur, then he can explain it to you" I replied. Gray folded his arms over his chest as he walked beside Rogue.

"Alright" he stated, before growing quiet. I looked to Natsu as we walked. The pinkette was glancing between me and Gray. I furrowed my brows at him; right before we left, after making our little travel re-arrangement, I made Natsu promise me that he wouldn't start too many fights with the Ice Mage, primarily because, from what I had heard at Fairy Tail, their fights often got excessively destructive, and I didn't want another bill being sent towards my guild.

After an hour or so walk, Natsu's stomach grumbled. I laughed, and looked around at where we were. "Hungry Natsu?" I mused. The pinkette nodded.

"Yeah, we didn't eat much this morning, so I've got nothin' in my stomach" he said. I smiled cockily at this comment.

"Well for breakfast we only had whatever was edible from the stuff you had left in your fridge, so don't blame me for it being so small" I replied, reminding Natsu of our measly breakfast, since neither he nor Happy had bothered to buy groceries for a while. Natsu pouted at this comment, however he knew he could not argue against it; it was the truth after all.

"If we keep walking, we'll be at the town in another ten minutes. We could get something to eat on the way to the guild" Rogue suggested. The black-haired Dragon Slayer had not really spoken much since we had left Magnolia, however I was glad he was not sulking because I had dragged his boyfriend along on our mission.

Looking to Natsu for confirmation, the Fire Dragon Slayer smiled brightly and nodded. "I think… I should be able to wait ten more minutes" he stated, albeit a little unsurely.

I nodded and smiled. "Alright then, let's get moving then" I declared, before setting us off at a brisker pace to the one we had previously been walking at.

/

Not long after that, we arrived at Sabertooth with pastries in our hands. Upon arriving at my hometown, I immediately took a detour and went to the little bakery shop I knew on the outskirts of town. The girl inside saw me, and my companions, and quickly produced about a dozen little pastry treats, including a few Palmiers, which I already knew Natsu liked from our beach trip. Gobbling the snacks, we marched on towards the guild. Hunger sated temporarily we arrived at the guild at around 1PM, only to be met with an unfamiliar face. "You sure took your time" Arthur Zollzero greeted us.

The man stood at about Gray's height, with his blond hair neatly cropped on his head, and his dark blue suit jacket open at the front, to reveal the white shirt he wore underneath. His green-blue eyes scanned our faces with wry amusement. "You took a little detour to grab some snacks?" he mused, as he noted the stray pastry crumbs on our faces. I shrugged.

"We had to leave earlier than we thought to make it here for the time you said, so we didn't have time to have breakfast" I said, with half-truth.

Arthur smiled, as two more people arrived to greet us; these faces were a lot more familiar to me at least. "It's been quite a while Sting" Yukino said, as she rushed up alongside Minerva.

"A guild shouldn't be without it's leader for so long" Minerva commented as she also approached. I smiled at the pair of female wizards.

"I've heard from Rogue all about how you two have been keeping things running as usual. I knew the guild would be okay with you guys here" I replied. Minerva smiled back at the remark, before looking to Arthur.

"We should continue the discussion in the office" she stated. Arthur and I both nodded in unison.

After that Minerva and I led the way into the master's, that is to say my, office. It was quite a squeeze to fit everyone in, but somehow, we managed. Arthur, as the one with the information, took the seat behind the desk, whilst Natsu, Gray, Minerva, Rogue, Yukino, and myself all had to stand around and watch him. With all of us assembled Arthur began to speak.

"For the sake of good planning, and faith, I have informed all of you here about the group that may or may not be threatening both the Sabertooth and Fairy Tail guilds" he started. I glanced around and noticed nods of understanding from Minerva and Yukino. So, he decided to involve them too… I wonder why? The question remained unasked, and unanswered as Arthur continued. "For the sake of Gray, however, I will quickly go over everything so far; Firstly, there is a group that actively rivals the Zollzero family. Due to their hatred of us, they have decided to target several affiliated Zollzero business, as well as your two guilds due to your connection with us" he took a moment to allow this to sink in. "After confronting them in Magnolia, and failing, it has been left up to me, as the only remaining member of those active in the family, to finally deal with this issue. To that end, I have come up with a plan that will require the skills and talents of everyone here in this room" Arthur stopped to observe the effect his speech was having on us. Almost everyone look content with what had been said so far. Almost.

"So, we're here to deal with group because you guys could manage to do it?" Gray asked, in a flat voice. His expression told me he was just looking for confirmation, however his tone seemed rather aggressive.

Arthur nodded at the Ice Mage all the same. "Yes" he stated. "Back in magnolia, Edric, Thomas, Medea, Kenji, Haruki, Natsu and Sting all failed to capture the member of the group that was present there. The group in total has five members, and since some information gained after that little enterprise showed that they were already active in this town, it stands to reason another member is present here as well" Arthur stated. Gray nodded in understanding.

"Alright" he stated, growing quiet once again. With no other questions, the blond Spatial Mage continued.

"So, as for the plan, it is quite simple, but should be very effective" Arthur began again, "It will occur in three parts. Part one will be achieved by myself. Basically, I will begin to spread a rumour that Sabertooth, working alongside Fairy Tail, has been hired to guard a very rare, very expensive artefact, that I, as a Zollzero member, intend to steal" as Arthur explained this, he ruffled about his person, before producing an expensive-looking antique brooch. "This will be the artefact. It is an expensive brooch, but it has no particular rarity or magical abilities. I will spread some additional lies to make it seem more valuable" he explained as he placed the object down on the desk so we could all see it.

"Will this be enough to lure people out?" Minerva asked as she looked at the 'artefact'.

Arthur nodded. "Even if they do not believe it to be all that valuable, the fact that I am after will be the real bait that should lure in our intended prey. Equally, because it is known that the Zollzero family is after it, it is unlikely that any other group would go for it, seeing as how it would 'anger' us" he explained further. Minerva nodded in response to this.

"So, you're going to use this to lure them out, then we, as the 'guards' capture them?" she asked Arthur, a slight smile playing with the Territory wizard's lips. I smiled in amusement at this. Even m'lady is interested in this job…

Arthur nodded once again. "Yes, that is part two of my plan. Tomorrow you will guard this object at a specific location, or rather, Natsu, Gray, Rogue and Sting will" Arthur stated. Yukino furrowed her brow at this information.

"We're not going to be present?" she asked. Arthur shook his head.

"No. If all of you were to be there, it may discourage even our rivals from showing their faces. Instead, I want Minerva and you to be stationed nearby. If things get… problematic, then Minerva may use her power to transport you in and you two can assist us, additionally you can help block off any chance of escape they could have" Arthur stated flatly. Minerva and Yukino both nodded at this plan.

"Understood" Yukino said, in a more understanding tone of voice.

I then spoke up. "So, what's part three of your plan then?" I asked Arthur. The blond Mage smiled.

"I'm going to, for the sake of appearances, 'break in' to this secure location you're guarding. You're then, conveniently, going to allow me to steal the brooch, and begin to make my escape. In this time, it is likely our opponents will make their move, and either attack me when I'm breaking in, or when I begin to make my escape. Either way this'll lure them out and then, once they're out in the open, allow you all to help me capture them" Arthur smiled contently at his plan. I smirked back; this plan did seem to show some promise.

With a nod, I looked at the group. "So, you all understand what's gonna happen then?" I asked them. The group around me all nodded, which made Arthur laugh.

"Guess I'd better get to work then" he stated, before standing up. "Oh… but one last thing" he added, just as we began to move towards the door and into some less restricted space. We all turned towards him. "This is going to work but you're going to have to keep up appearances, so act natural all the way until the plan tomorrow" he stated. I smirked at him.

"That's exactly the same thing Edric said when we went through with his plan last time" I commented. Arthur nodded.

"It's a very important thing" he smirked back.

/

As we all left, we each split off into groups. Rogue stayed with Gray to fill him in on everything that had happened in Magnolia, whilst Natsu and I quickly darted out the guild's exit. The other Dragon Slayer had seemed surprised by my sudden need to leave, however he did not protest until we were out of the building and heading down a discrete, empty street away from the guild. "Hey Sting, I thought we were going to get lunch at the guild" he stated as we walked. I smiled at him.

"Well, we could go back to the guild for lunch" I replied, before putting on a big grin, "However, I thought you might like it more if we went and got lunch at my place. How about it, wanna see the White Dragon's Den?" I added. Natsu looked to me suspiciously.

"I thought you said you lived with Rogue?" he questioned me. I rubbed the back of my head.

"Well that's true… but I…" I couldn't help the wry smile that played with my lips. "Alright, wanna see the White and Shadow Dragon's Den?" I corrected. Natsu smirked at this.

"Okay, but I don't see why we couldn't have lunch here first though?" he stated. I stopped for a moment and gave a slightly embarrassed expression. Natsu cocked his head to the side in silent question as he saw me do this.

After a moment, I answered. "After last night… I was hoping that, maybe… you might want to… have some fun too. Properly this time" I added a little nervously. Natsu chuckled at my suggested and brushed a hand to my cheek.

"Awww… did that walk make you horny?" he poked fun at me. I shook my head.

"We can have lunch first though, if you're that hungry" I stated, trying to smother any embarrassment I was feeling at that moment. Natsu just laughed even more at hearing this.

"Hey, I'm always hungry" he said, before leaning in, "for a fuck with my boyfriend" he added with his own wry smile.

I looked at him with surprise, before smiling back. "Well let's go then. We can eat there too, unlike you we actually buy food" I stated smugly. Natsu gave a mock look of offense for a moment, before settling back, once more, into his smile.

I couldn't help the spring in my step as I walked along with Natsu towards mine and Rogue's apartment, however a niggling thought remained at the back of my mind, and it wasn't until I actually reached the apartment that I realised.

I hadn't told Lector I was back yet. In fact, I hadn't even seen the exceed yet.

Yet.

End of Chapter 21

Chapter Hint; Traps