Chapter 23 – Parting

Sabertooth Guildhall, Summer Time,

Year X792

Natsu Dragneel

Sting fell off his chair, laughter rolling from his throat as he looked from Gray to me and back again. "You mean…" he said in between gasps of air, "You two ended… up wrecking that conference r… room just because you could… couldn't agree on who's stronger… me or… Rogue" Sting giggled childishly. I pouted and folded my arms as I glared at the blond.

"It's not that funny…" I grumbled, before sending a small glare toward the Ice Mage beside me. Gray noted this glance, however he maintained his silence. It had been three days since our failure to capture even a single Blade Troupe member, and whilst Arthur had already departed to make his next move, Gray and I had remained to 'make sure everything was okay'. In reality, we were just spending the majority of our time with our respective boyfriends, however as Rogue and Sting held much loftier positions in their own guild than Gray and I did in Fairy Tail, we would sometimes be left to our own devices whilst Sting and Rogue dealt with guild matters. Normally, it would bother me to spend time with the Ice Mage, and admittedly we had often come to blows in these times together, however it was also somewhat fun to have someone with which I could discuss relationship stuff with, who would also understand my point of view. Today had been another day when Gray and I had begrudging opted to spend time together, and despite our usual antics we had found ourselves somewhat enjoying the time, discussing some aspects of our relationships. Unfortunately, once we began comparing our boyfriends' strength, a small argument arose that may have resulted in the destruction of one of the Sabertooth guild's numerous petty functionary rooms.

Rogue had found us mid-fight, and separated us with a particularly frustrated Shadow Dragon Roar, before barking at us both and then finally depositing us at Sting's office to be 'scolded', obviously forgetting the very childish nature of his Guildmaster, who had instead chosen a completely different tactic. "Okay, I should probably give you each a punishment" Sting said as he climbed back into his chair, a vaguely amused, yet still somewhat serious, expression forming on his face. "I guess for starters you should probably clear up the mess you made… after that… why don't Rogue and I come up with additional punishments" the White Dragon Slayer's eyes glinted with mischief. I smirked at the blond, whilst Gray frowned.

"I guess that makes sense… although somehow I think Rogue probably would punish me… whilst the flame brain would get off easy" Gray complained. Sting shrugged.

"That may be true… I'll see what Rogue says, for fairness sake" Sting responded, before standing up. "Now, I've got a meeting to have with the two Zollzero Family representative's here at the guild, so could you two please just keep it down and not destroy anything for a while" Sting added. I rolled my eyes before nodding.

"Sure, fine" I replied. Sting smirked, before making a move to walk past me. Just as he came within arm reach, however, I grabbed him and spun him around to face me. Then I gave him a quick, crushing kiss. Gray just stood and watched the sudden interaction, a slight sigh emanating from his mouth.

"You just couldn't go a couple hours without kissing?" he muttered. I broke off from Sting and let the blond go on his way, before glaring at the Ice Mage.

"Shut up and come on, we've got cleaning to do" I stated with a smug tone. Gray rolled his eyes once more, before moving to follow me. Sting then followed behind, obviously unperturbed by the sudden kiss. I saw him smile gently at me, before winking. I smirked back over my shoulder, just as the White Dragon Slayer ducked into another room. Once he was out of sight I returned my gaze to Gray, who was grinning wickedly. I frowned at him, silently questioning him on what he was smiling at.

Gray raised his eyebrow. "I didn't realise you were this touchy-feely in your relationship" he mocked me. I shook my head.

"Well, Sting's my boyfriend, of course I'd wanna touch and feel him as much as I can" I responded, as if the statement should go without saying. The Ice Mage chuckled at my reply.

"That's not what that means, stupid pink lizard" he commented as we headed back to the destroyed room, "To be 'touchy-feely' means you are always close, like… you can't stop expressing affection" Gray added informatively. I shrugged.

"Whatever, come on and help me with this. The sooner we clean up the sooner we can report back to Sting and then…" I trailed off as I began smiling uncontrollably. Gray just heaved a sigh.

"Does the promise of something sexual always make you so energetic, because if so I'd fuck you if you clean this up yourself" Gray mumbled. I laughed at him.

"Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I'd rather have my own hot blond boyfriend, than your icy ass" I chuckled. Gray seemed surprised by my response for a moment, before shrugging; for once he didn't have a response.

I smiled victoriously to myself as I began picking up the larger splintered remnants of the chairs that had stood in this room only an hour ago.

/

Sabertooth Guild, Summer Time,

Year X792

Sting Eucliffe

The meeting didn't run for too long, and I left at the first available opportunity. It seemed that Arthur had already had a discussion with the two stoic, stone-faced Zollzero representatives, and had given them their instructions to deduct a small sum from the remaining total. It wasn't much, but it was still enough to relieve a little pressure.

As I walked down the corridor back towards my office, I had an idea that sent me spinning on one foot and more quickly walking back down that same stretch of corridor, to the room where Natsu and Gray were supposed to be. "Well… wow, this place looks cleaner and more organised than before you two smashed it up" I commented, as I looked over the room upon entering. Natsu and Gray were sitting on two of the few remaining chairs with satisfied looks on their faces. "Hey Sting" Natsu greeted me, jumping up from his seat. I shook my head to stop him, before he leapt the distance to either hug, or kiss me. Or both.

"Save that for later, Natsu" I said to him to stop his advance. The pinkette pouted, but complied with my request.

"So, are you gonna continue punishing us?" Natsu asked me as he retook his seat. I pouted in thought for a moment, before grinning.

"Well… nah, not since you've done such a good job cleaning up. I'll tell Rogue to let you two off" I stated with a slight chuckle. Gray smirked at me, before standing up.

"I'll tell him. I need to ask him something anyways. You two can have your little moment" he stated. I looked toward Gray before holding out my hand.

"Actually, I'm supposed to talk to Rogue in a couple minutes. He's probably in my office already, waiting. I'm afraid you two will just have to wait a little longer, even though I know it's a pain" I said. Gray looked to my outstretched hand for a moment, before shrugging.

"That's alright, if I can't see Rogue yet, I might as well go do some training or something" he replied. I smiled apologetically, before allowing the Ice Mage to pass by me and exit the room.

I then looked over toward Natsu. The pinkette beamed at me. "Are you gonna blow me off like you just did Gray?" he asked me. I raised an eyebrow.

"You're saying you want me to blow you here?" I replied with a slightly coy smirk at my crude rewording of the request. Natsu sighed and rolled his eyes at me.

"Tch… you know what I mean, then again…" the Fire Dragon Slayer gave a wicked grin. I shook my head at him, before turning to leave.

"Yeah, I know what you mean" I stated, before gesturing for him to follow me. Natsu acquiesced with my silent request and followed me the short distance to my office. "But I've got this work to do, unfortunately being a Master isn't all easy, I don't even get to go on many jobs. Working at Fairy Tail with you was a bit of a holiday for me" I explained to Natsu. The pinkette nodded in understanding, but still seemed annoyed by my statement.

"Yeah, I know. You said all this already, but… I don't know Sting, I kinda just want you to… pay attention to me" he whined. I smiled at the childish request of my boyfriend.

As we reached the door to my office, I pulled Natsu close, before looking up and down the straight corridor. Then I grabbed Natsu's waistcoat, and dragged him in for a kiss. It was slow and felt weirdly long, despite the fact it only lasted a few seconds. "How about we go to a restaurant tonight. We can have a good time then maybe…" I trailed off, giving Natsu a suggestive raise of my eyebrows. The Fire Dragon Slayer seemed unsure for a moment, before beaming at me.

"Alright, it's a date" he cheered loudly, before catching himself and looking around suspiciously. There wasn't anybody around to hear him, we were safe, for now.

I nodded at him. "Right, you can do whatever you want for the rest of today, then later I'll come find you. I've got some ideas in mind for places to eat, so I'll let you choose where you want to go" I said with a grin. Natsu nodded, before making a move to leave.

"Okay, see you later" he smiled.

Once the pinkette was gone I allowed my smile to drop a little. It's not gonna be for much longer… but I wanna make him as happy as I can I thought, as I opened the office door.

Inside I was met with a sour-faced Rogue. "Do you actually manage to keep your relationship secret, anyone could've heard Natsu's shout there" the Shadow Dragon Slayer commented upon seeing me. I scowled at him; it seemed someone had overheard Natsu. Luckily it was just Rogue… Yukino's not here yet I thought thankfully.

"We keep it secret fine, I mean… no one's guessed at it yet… except maybe Edric… and Medea… and Arthur…" I trailed off as I realised even those who had not known Natsu and I very long had easily worked out the fact we were in a relationship.

Rogue just sighed. "Have you told him yet?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"No. It's just… he's so happy when he's with me… I don't want to tell him and make him sad" I replied. Rogue frowned.

"You've got to tell him Sting, otherwise it'll hurt when he has to leave without you. Gray already knows that I'm not coming with him, besides it'll only be until this debt's sorted, after that… you could be together" Rogue stated. I nodded, we had already talked about this before, several times since our arrival at Sabertooth.

I'll tell him after our date tonight… Rogue's right, besides… he's only gonna have to put up with me not being around for a little while I thought to myself.

Rogue waited for me to sit down in my "Master's" chair before he began going through our current guild affairs. Yukino joined us a little later to help discuss events, we still had a way to go before we could fully repay our end of the Zollzero's debt, and unlike Fairy Tail, who had more passively dealt with the financial issue, Sabertooth had almost exhausted it's supply of high-paying jobs and guild finances. We need a plan…

No matter how bad things seemed, I still couldn't help but allow my mind to wander as I had several ideas about Natsu and my date later fill my head.

Shaking my head to dislodge the distracting thoughts, and taking a deep breath, I settled my mind on the task at hand. "Right" I said to emphasise this. Yukino and Rogue both smiled at the action, however they said nothing. Soon after I made some decisions, did the necessary paperwork, then left the rest for Rogue and Yukino to deal with.

It was time for Natsu and my date, and with what I had to tell him I had to make sure this night was perfect; or else, Natsu might not accept what I have to say.

/

Sabertooth Town, Summer Time

Year X792

Natsu Dragneel

Sting strode about the town with a confident smile on his face. Every time he looked towards me he beamed bright enough to illuminate the rapidly darkening streets. His smile was the most beautiful thing, however tonight I knew it was covering for something else. What's he keeping secret? I pondered as we walked side-by-side. To make sure Sting didn't suspect I knew something was up, I maintained my own smile, even if I was wracking my brains searching for a reason that the White Dragon Slayer could be upset, or annoyed. Maybe he's still getting over the failed job? That didn't seem to be it.

Eventually we stopped at a small place on a quiet street. There were already people sitting outside, enjoying meals. Sting looked to me as I glanced about the outside of the small establishment. "Well, do you wanna go in here?" he asked me. I frowned for a moment, as I noticed the other patrons giving us slightly side-ways glances. There sure are a lot of couples… I noted. Sting, however, seemed to ignore this fact, so I decided that the place must be okay. With a nod, the White Dragon Slayer led the way inside.

At the door, an older, kind-faced woman met us. "Master… Eucliffe?" she muttered in surprise before looking over to me. Sting gave her a slight smile.

"Hello" he greeted her smartly, "I know this is last minute, but do you have a table? We don't have reservations or anything, but I heard this place was popular and just had to come check it out" he added with a slightly sweeter tone. I wanted to hit the blond for using such a sickly-sweet tone. He should only be doing that to me… I complained internally, Besides, isn't it bad for Guild Masters, especially famous ones, to be abusing their power just to get good tables?

The elder waitress' expression changed from one of surprise to a more well-rehearsed smile. "Well, although it isn't proper… we do have the private rooms at the back available. They would normally have to be paid in advance" she muttered, before taking out a book from a side table and scanning over the contents. "There are two available, since one cancelled and the other failed to arrive" she commented. Sting heard the two options and grinned.

"We'll take whichever" he confirmed, before producing a small wallet of money, "er… how much is it for the rooms?" he then asked her. The elderly woman smiled.

"It's three-hundred thousand jewel normally, however since both of these rooms have been prepaid already, and we don't return deposits… you may use them for just the prices of the food you order" the woman said in a reasonable voice. Sting grinned brightly upon hearing this.

"Really?!" he exclaimed in a rather loud tone. The woman nodded, before gesturing for us to follow. "Thank you" he said happily, before looking to me to seek my opinion on the matter. I just shrugged and smiled, giving the blond a thumbs-up. Sting nodded, and we followed the waitress into one of the immaculately kept backrooms.

Once we were sat down, we ordered our food and drinks, then sat together in a pleasant quiet. I grew pensive, for once I was unsure of what to say. What I really wanted to ask was what was on Sting's mind, however a part of me said to just wait for him to tell me. I knew he would, eventually.

Sting just kept smiling at me, although behind his eyes I could see a slight nervousness.

Keeping only to a little chatting, we ate, ordered deserts, then ate again, before finally leaving the restaurant. "That place was nice, although… don't you think there were a lot of couples there? I know that technically we're also a couple it's just…" Sting chuckled.

"You're embarrassed about other people knowing about us?" he asked. I shook my head.

"You know it's not that, if anything its you who needs to decide whether we're telling people or not, since it could… you know, affect you as a Guild Master" I responded, before pouting, "I'm fine with people knowing, even if some homophobic assholes show up at my door… they'd soon figure out that they aren't gonna be stopping me from seeing you. If they tried I'd just burn their butts" I grinned mischievously. Sting chuckled along with me.

"I know, and I'd do the same… well, I might not burn their butts, but I'd certainly kick 'em down. Rogue'd probably do something too" Sting stated. I nodded.

"Yeah. I guess Gray probably would help too… since he's also like us" I reasoned, "Although, if he tells anyone about us, I'm burning him bad too" I added calmly. Sting sighed.

"Then you'd have to deal with Rogue" he commented. I shrugged, earning a surprised expression from Sting.

"Well, it's not like I haven't beaten him before… just like I beat you too. Plus, I even fought that Future version who was even stronger, and I still won" I mused. Sting frowned at being reminded of his defeat in the Grand Magic Games almost two years ago.

"Hmph… I can't say about future me, but I'm stronger now at this point in time, and so is Rogue" he pouted in a mock-sulking tone. I just shook my head nonchalantly, before leaning closer to him as we walked side-by-side down the street back towards a hotel that Sting was fond of. We had mutually decided that it would be better if the two of us spent the night at a hotel instead of at Sting's apartment, especially if we wanted to 'have fun' before we slept and not get caught in a compromising position. Plus, it meant we didn't have to be quiet.

Whilst I waited to the side of the front desk, I smiled at the prospect of once again having sex with the blond, although I still wanted to ask him about what was on his mind. As Sting returned with the room key, I debated outright asking him there, however I finally decided that it'd be better to ask him tomorrow. That way I don't have to ruin this nice night together… I reasoned.

/

"Well… welcome to our castle for the night, princess" Sting laughed as he unlocked the door, gesturing for me to enter first. I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"I'm not a princess, if anything I'm the Fire Dragon that'd be guarding the princess" I replied, before entering the room as Sting had gestured for me to. As Sting followed me in he continued chuckling, before locking the door and placing the keys onto the coffee table. I flopped down onto the comfortable sofa, eyeing up the blond as he negotiated his way around the other side of the low table in order to sit beside me. As Sting sat down, I smiled at him. "Tonight, was nice" I said. Sting smiled and opened his arm so I could lean against him. I did so, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself" he replied in his usual, pleasant voice, "I wasn't sure if we were gonna get the table at that place, since I was pretty sure you had to have a reservation, I guess we just got lucky there was some cancellations" he added wistfully. I gave a little laugh upon hearing Sting say this.

"Are you sure that's it?" I asked him amusedly.

Sting gave a puzzled frown. "What're you talking about?" he questioned me, earning a smirking expression from me.

"Are you sure we didn't just get that room because of how you sweet-talked that lady, using your Master title to get it?" I commented with raised eyebrows. Sting gave a look of genuine surprise, before making a sheepish face.

"Well… I guess people do tend to treat me differently since I became a Master… but when did I sweet-talk her?" he seemed completely unaware of his change of tone back at the restaurant.

I sighed. "Never mind, it's just… you sounded so sickly-sweet" I stated. Sting smiled at me as he heard this.

"Oh, so you mean how my tone changed? I guess I did try to sound more pleasant, but it wasn't that bad, was it?" he said. I pouted.

"It almost sounded like you were flirting with her" I responded dryly. Sting laughed at hearing this, before reaching down to my chin, holding my face so it was looking directly up at his.

"Sorry about that" he said, before giving me a quick, tender kiss. I smiled at the small gesture of affection, and moved to try and deepen the kiss, however the White Dragon Slayer pulled away. "But I can promise you I wasn't trying to flirt. It's interesting you'd get jealous of me talking to some older woman like that, when you know I don't have any interest in them" Sting finished. I gave another pout, although this one was more playful.

"I just… I want to be the only one who gets to hear anything sweet coming from you" I stated in a slightly embarrassed tone, giving an unwanted blush that coloured my face a shade close to that of my hair.

Sting gave a purring noise at hearing my little confession. "Aww… too cute" he beamed, before capturing my lips in another sweet, short kiss. "Alright, how about we make a deal" he then added. I furrowed my brow.

"What kind of deal?" I asked him. Sting smiled cunningly.

"A deal where I won't go making you jealous, and in turn… you only get to act this cute when you're with me and me alone" the White Dragon Slayer grinned. I smiled brightly at the blonde's premise.

"Alright, that's fine with me. I wouldn't act cute for anyone else anyways, because it's only you I'll let see and call me cute… especially when we fuck" I answered, before wrapping both my arms around the White Dragon's neck. Sting gave a wild-eyed look over my body.

"No one is gonna get to see you naked but me" he declared boldly, before grinning. "But you do know you've just admitted you're cute?" he added with an amused tone. I pouted, before pulling Sting down so we were lying on the sofa together.

"Shut up, you're cute" I retorted childishly. Sting rolled his eyes.

"Whatever" he replied, before beginning to kiss along my jaw, "Now, you said about fucking…" he chuckled.

I smirked at him with a slightly lewd look to my face. "Heh heh, are you feeling hot there?" I asked Sting in a darker tone. Sting smiled.

"Well, I am feeling some heat somewhere" he replied, breaking off from his kisses along my jawline. I laughed and kissed along Sting's exposed neck.

"Good, because anything hot is perfect for a Fire Dragon Slayer" I mused in between kisses. Sting just rolled his eyes and pinched my cheek, before moving to capture my lips in his own.

/

"Mnmph… Natsu…" Sting purred as we kissed. The White Dragon Slayer was laying on top of me on the sofa, his body heated but still, unfortunately, clothed. I smirked, before raising my hips a little and grinding against Sting's awakening member.

"Sting" I groaned in reply, as I caused delicious friction between our two concealed members. The blond began to grind down, forcing me into a more submissive position below him with the force of his hips. Normally I would be happy to obligingly allow myself to be dominated, at least for the most part, however tonight I was feeling a little more playful. With a wicked grin, I deepened our kiss and began to push up against the blond. Sting looked deep into my eyes as he felt my tongue begin to invade his mouth, a glimmer of intrigue passed over his face as he began to notice my slight resistance.

"Wanna fight for it tonight, Natsu?" the White Dragon Slayer asked me as we broke apart. With his eyebrows raised, and that cocky smile present on his face, I felt a great pang of want, however I suppressed that, for now.

"Maybe I want to switch things up a bit" I grinned back at the other male, my hands moving over his chest, pushing him up slightly to emphasise this point. Sting chuckled darkly.

"Hmm… I'm game, but you're gonna have to make me get down tonight, since we haven't done anything in a couple days I'm feeling a bit more dominant tonight" Sting replied deviously, before pressing me down into the sofa with his own body weight. Some people may have found the action to be oppressive, however I saw it as a challenge, and my Draconic Instincts were just dying for me to rise to it. I laughed cockily.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't give you warning" I stated, before making my move. With a deft grab and one swift motion Sting was launch up and rolled over on the seat with me lying on top of him. The blond looked stunned at the sudden change I had caused. Before he could recover I kissed him sloppily, my tongue immediately making it through his lowered defence to begin its assault on his wet muscle. Maybe practicing doing those grabs and tosses with Gray earlier wasn't such a bad idea I noted mentally, a silent thought of appreciation being sent out to the Ice Mage for teaching me that move, although it was supposed to be used in fights and not in moments like this. Sting didn't seem to care though, as he began recovering from the sudden position change, his hands exploring my body, before grabbing at my butt roughly whilst I ground down on his member in hard rhythmic thrusts. "Agh… I didn't know you could do that, did you learn that flip in a fight?" the White Dragon Slayer commented as I moved from attacking his mouth to instead trailing kisses down his jaw and neck. I smirked in between each kiss.

"Well… now you do, and… yeah, I guess I kinda did learn it from fighting" I replied, before I bit down lightly on Sting's collar bone. This elicited the most beautiful noise from the blonde's throat; I had to do it again.

"N-natsu…" Sting moaned as I timed my second playful bite with a particularly hard thrust. With a wicked smile on my face I eyed up the blond. "If you keep that up I'll come before we can get to anything more… fun" Sting commented with a hint of warning in his tone. I just chuckled.

"If you can't keep up with me, why don'tcha do that trick with the light thing to keep yourself hard?" I asked him. Sting rolled his eyes.

"You know I can only do that on other people, I'm immune to light-based spells like you're pretty immune to fire spells" he said, matter-of-factly. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"I was just joking" I stated, before running a hand down Sting's exposed abdomen. "But fine, I won't do that again" I added after a moment. Sting almost looked disappointed at hearing this, however he then noticed my bright grin. Before he could ask what it was that I was smiling about, though, I enacted my plan. With one hand on Sting's chest I pulled up the blonde's shirt to expose one of his nipples, whilst simultaneously with the other hand I slid my hand down his pants and took a firm hold of his member. "Instead of doing that, I'll do this instead" I laughed darkly.

Sting almost made a move to protest, however I stopped him in one swift, well timed, attack to both his nipple, with my mouth, and his member, with my other hand. The two conflicting sensations silenced any potential of protest from the blond as I ripped a stream of moans and other noises from his mouth to preoccupy him. "Gnn… Natsu… you're mouth so… s-so hot" Sting exclaimed as I flicked my tounge over the pink bud whilst also slowly stroking his member, enough to make him feel good, but not enough to make him come too soon. After a few more strokes I let go of his member, and withdrew my hand. Looking up at Sting's flushed face, I flicked my tongue one last time over his nipple, before instead licking the small traces of precum from my hand. The sight seemed to appease the blond, as I felt a slight grinding motion from his hip.

Finally satisfied that I had tortured my boyfriend enough, I moved up to his face and captured his lips one last time. "Come on, let's get on that comfy looking bed" I said to him breathlessly. Besides, any longer and it'll be me coming first… this is pretty hot I thought as I took a hold of Sting's hand and led him up off the sofa, over to the bed.

Maybe if I let him top… then he'll decide to tell me what's bothering him I thought briefly, before quelling that line of reasoning; I didn't feel right using sex to manipulate Sting. He'll tell me when he feels it's right to I reassured myself as I spun around and smirked at the blond. Sting then kissed me and began pushing me down onto the bed as he always did.

/

It didn't take long for us to get naked. We had already had enough practice stripping each other whilst making out, so soon it was just a matter of actually fucking. "Sting… put it in…" I whined impatiently, as the White Dragon kneeled on top of me, finger slowly moving in and out of my hole.

Sting smirked, before looking over my body, with my legs being held apart by his thighs and waist. He then raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I haven't even got two fingers in yet… if you aren't stretched then… it'd hurt" he commented. I pouted and nodded.

"Of course, I'm sure, besides… I know you won't hurt me" I replied with a flat tone, edged with genuine care and belief in my lover. Sting just chuckled, although I noticed a hint of unsureness in his voice.

"Well… okay, but just tell me if it gets too much. I'll stop, or give you time or whatever" he stated, before taking the lube he had left on the bedside table and squirting a good amount onto both my butt and his cock. "I'm gonna go in slow, so-"

"If it hurts I'll say so" I finished his sentence for him. Sting pouted and began lining up with my hole. Then I felt the tip press against my entrance. "I'm going in" he said. I chuckled, before I began to feel the slow burn of stretching as the blond entered my body.

At this point I had felt Sting's cock inside me a number of times, however this was the first time I had allowed him inside without as much preparation. Damn… this is harder than usual… I shouldn't have messed around so much beforehand… then I wouldn't have been so desperate… I chided myself internally as Sting continued to slowly push inside with his throbbing member. I looked deep into the blue ocean of the blonde's irises, the flickering light there calming me. I knew he would be looking for any sign of discomfort or pain, any hint that I wanted him to stop, so I kept my smile on as best I could. Once Sting was fully seated inside, I let out a deep breath. "W-was that too much… Natsu?" Sting's voice was overflowing with worry. I shook my head and chuckled a little.

"No, it's fine Sting" I said, "It's not my first time doing this, remember" I added with a sly wink. Sting seemed unsure and waited for a moment to give me time. I just took a few moments, before smiling at him and moving my hips a little to signal to him I was ready. Sting took one last look at my face, before glancing over my body. Then he began to move.

It was slow at first, Sting obviously still aware that this could be painful, however I was already impatient and my patience was not going to hold out much longer. With one last breath, I reached up toward the White Dragon Slayer and pulled him in for a kiss. It was sloppy, with tongue's flailing, however it was passionate, and it helped to take the edge of the feelings of growing heat from below. As I let Sting go, and lay back into the bed to allow the blond to continue, I saw the White Dragon grin. "Heh… I don't know but… I kinda like this version of you in bed, when you take a bit more command" Sting smirked.

I blushed slightly at his comment, before I moved my hips a little. "Why don't you show it then, and fuck me" I replied with a darker, huskier tone of voice.

Sting smiled wider, before trailing a hand over my body. "Very well…princess" he chuckled. I pouted, however before I could raise a protest, Sting used my earlier tactic against me, and began to pull at one of my nipples with his index finger and thumb, whilst also delivering a pleasure-inducing thrust to my butt. "Ahh…" I moaned aloud. Smiling victoriously, the blond continued with this attack, moving with his hips, angling at different thrusts as I slowly dissolved into a moaning mass of flesh beneath him. Eventually, however, something sent me spiralling out of my pleasure-induced state into a whole new realm of delicious sexual pleasure. "Ahh… Sting… t-there… again!" I moaned in between gasps as the blond struck my prostrate at just the right place. Sting laughed, an odd noise mixing pleasure and cockiness.

"Hah, good…" he breathed, before angling his thrusts the same as previously, earning more and more moans from me.

Eventually, both Sting's thrusts, and my moans became sporadic, less controlled, and more driven by need. "Natsu… I'm gonna… I'm close" Sting panted as he continued to drive his cock into my ass. His body was slickened from the activity and looked so sexy I was desperate to feel him come inside me, however I was only viewing him through lust-lidded eyes, my brain having long switched off from the assault to that spot. "Mmm… 'kay" I mumbled, as I felt my own orgasm near. "Me too".

Sting smiled, before grabbing at my member and giving it a few strokes. "Together" he declared. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to time my orgasm right, and instead of 'together' it was more like 'one after another'. First, I came, covering Sting's and my chests as I moaned. "S-Sting… Sting… Fuck! Fuck me!" I gasped as my vision whited out slightly from the ecstasy I was experiencing. Then, Sting came, with the hottest, sexiest noises possible.

"Gn… nghh… Nah… Natsu" he exclaimed loudly, loud enough that surely the rooms either side of us must have heard.

We each rode our respective orgasms to completion, then Sting finally pulled out and flopped down on the bed beside me, giving off a contented purring noise. "That was… good…" he breathed. I turned my head to look directly at the blond.

"Just… good?" I panted. Sting chuckled.

"No, it was great… amazing…" he corrected. I nodded, before moving slightly to wriggle under the covers. Sting did the same, then he embraced me beneath the warmth of the sheets.

/

We lay there, tired, but not sleepy, since it was still quiet early in the evening. Each of us just enjoying the feeling of our afterglow. After a while, though, Sting shuffled uncomfortably. "Sting?" I questioned aloud, looking toward the White Dragon's direction. The blond smiled at me.

"What is it, Natsu?" he asked me. I frowned. Should I just ask him?

"Um…" I couldn't decide if now was an appropriate time to bother the White Dragon, however I couldn't think of another one. "Well…" I began, before faltering.

"Is something the matter?" Sting's voice was tinged with concern, as he sat up in bed, shuffling over close to me, so he could properly see my face. I smiled nervously at him.

"Well… er… I wanna ask you something… but…" I trailed off. Sting looked down over me, with an intrigued expression on his face. I decided to sit up, if I was gonna question him even after such a wonderful night I wanted to do it face-to-face, rather than curled up under the concealing covers. Sting waited for me to get comfortable sitting should-to-shoulder with him, then he spoke. "What do you want to ask me about, is it something important?" he said. I frowned for a moment, before pouting unsurely.

"I'm… not sure if it is important but… okay, I was just wondering but… has something went on with you at the guild, only… since coming to see me, and then taking me to that restaurant… I kind thought you looked… I don't know, tense?" I wasn't exactly sure of the right words to ask the blond, so I figured my little rambling might make him understand. After looking at him for a few moments, I noticed a faint change in his scent; Apprehension.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd notice but… look Natsu, I didn't want to tell you this before our date, in case it ruined everything, and then when we got here you and me kinda got distracted…" Sting rambled on for a moment, "It's just… well… I'm the guild master of Sabertooth and then… there's this responsibility so-" I cut Sting off with a kiss.

"Just tell me, I'll be okay if it's something to do with your guild. I love you after all, so it can't be something too bad, right?" I asked Sting this, knowing it would calm him. With a slightly more confident smile the White Dragon Slayer nodded at me.

"Rogue and the others, Arthur included, said it's probably better for me to stay here at Sabertooth… so I… well, we won't be close for a little while. I thought you could maybe come here on your way to and from missions but… basically, we're gonna be apart for a little while" Sting said with a voice of nervousness.

I took a moment to absorb this information, then I smiled at Sting. "Is that what's been eating you up all night, you worried that this might upset me?" I asked Sting, with a tone of faint amusement, but still seeking confirmation from the blond. Sting looked taken aback for a moment, before nodding weakly.

"Well… yeah. I thought it might upset you that I was choosing to stay here rather than go with you" Sting stated. I chuckled a little upon hearing this.

"I guess it is a little frustrating that I won't get to be with you all the time, however… well, I kinda already expected this" I commented calmly. Sting gave a look of surprise.

"You expected it?" he mumbled. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

"Sting, we're in different guilds, and you're a Master, so of course I expected it. You had to go to Sabertooth some time, and I kinda figured you'd end up staying. Gray said so too… I guess he's already had to be apart from his boyfriend from time to time too, so he could understand, and he warned me that it'd probably be the same for us too" I explained. Sting pouted for a moment as he absorbed this.

"You and Gray had a nice long chat today, eh?" he mused. I shook my head.

"Nah, mostly today we were training. Yesterday when you and Rogue ditched us we talked… for most of the time. I guess we argued a bit too" I grinned sheepishly. Sting grinned back at me.

"Just so long as you know… but we've still got a few days left, and I plan to spend as much of them with you as I can. Then, once the debts over with, we can maybe get together and work something out" Sting said in a marginally more upbeat tone.

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan… plus, even though I'll be at Fairy Tail, I can still take the odd mission near to here… or even just take a little detour on my way back. Like you said, I can always come on by when I'm on a job" I winked reassuringly at Sting. The White Dragon Slayer nodded in agreement.

"Alright… so… I guess everything's… okay…" he sounded a little unsure how to proceed after this little revelation. He obviously didn't expect me and Gray to talk… or to plan out our own little plot to take jobs together just so we could visit Sabertooth I thought with vague amusement. Deciding to help Sting along with this, I leaned over to him and kissed his cheek.

"Yes, everything's okay. Unless there's something else you wanna talk about?" I stated with a slightly sarcastic tone. Sting looked over to me and shook his head.

"No, there ain't anything else. Although… there is one thing I wanna do. Kiss you to sleep" he said with a cocky flutter of his eyebrows. I smirked back at him.

"Well, then… why don't we get started" I replied, before leaning in. "Just so you know… I've still got plenty of energy left if there's something else you wanna do before we go to sleep" I added with a dark tone of voice.

Sting smirked wickedly. "Hmm… tempting… but I think we should make sure we can still walk tomorrow… otherwise Rogue'd probably complain" Sting answered. I shrugged.

"It'd only be a problem if you couldn't walk tomorrow… I don't think anyone'd care if I couldn't" I answered. Sting groaned.

"Just shut up and kiss me, or else I really will end up taking you up on your offer" he said, before silencing me with a kiss.

Then we slept, wrapped up in each other's arms, both of us happy and content.

Outside, the summer night was quiet. It had certainly been an interesting Summer; however, it was, as I was soon to find out, all only a prelude for a much worse Autumn.

End of Chapter 23

Chapter Hint; Another 'Friendly' Hello