She longed to learn who she was and only he had the answer. Problem? He was in Sabertooth and she was in Fairy Tail, two rival guilds. On the road to get answers, she finds herself falling for his partner. [StingxOC] [RoYu] [NaLu] Other pairings inside.
The Shadow's Light
Sting X Nina (OC)
A Huge Moment!
She had been right. If there was one thing her mate was good on, it was making her change her way of thinking, but it was a perk of loving someone like Sting. He always seemed to look on the bright side and she knew it wasn't only because of him being the Light Dragon Slayer, but just his personality in general. Her nose twitched as she tilted her head from her chair on the porch outside, seeing said man carrying two glasses of what she could tell was a mixture of rosemary, oranges, rhubarb and a hint of clove. She scooted to allow him to relax with her as she took a drink, smiling.
That made him smile, too. "Before ya ask, no. There's nothing bad in it... Just something Minerva made me try one day to relax." He explained.
"Really? Well, I'll need to thank her... Cause I think I found my second favorite non-alcoholic drink in the world." She hummed and took another drink.
"Oh? What's the first?"
"You might be surprised, but, it's actually honey flavored tea with a hint of peppermint." She said, picturing it as she sipped the other drink. "Mira always made them for me when I was growing up in Fairy Tail, mostly because I was too young for other drinks. I was hooked and never looked back. You gotta try it one day. I'll call Mira and ask her how to make it. But, this is a great second."
"Huh. I thought you'd like tea. Rogue does." Sting chuckled as he took a drink himself. "You two are defiantly siblings. You both drink tea... Though Rogue likes just black tea..."
"Gross... He seriously needs to try other things. I hate black tea... Too bland for me." Nina made it her mission to get her blood brother to drink another kind of tea before an idea hit her. "I got it! I'll mix in either some sage or jasmine and see if it works!"
"Might be a bad idea, babe. Ya know that Yukino smells like jasmine and I'd rather not see him ignoring her in favor of tea." He pointed out.
She deflated. "True... I'll experiment on him... Can't be too hard to find the best one. Like with me, Mira said that the honey 'symbolizes' my sweetness while the peppermint is my, well, temper."
"She nailed it... You do have quite the temper, yet you are also such a sweetheart." He agreed as he put his empty glass on the table and relaxed against the back of the chair, chuckling as Nina seemingly turned into a cat by curling more into his side as she continued to sip her own drink. His mind replayed the last few hours of the day with a grin on his face. All of yesterday, the two rarely left the bedroom, only leaving to eat and bathe before going another round of sex. It was like they were horny teenagers the way they acted and they knew they wouldn't have it any other way. They did find out he could almost go all day if he decided to eat her out beforehand, while learning she had a really dirty mouth. "I'm just glad no one knows about how you're the opposite in bed."
She rolled her eyes slightly and huffed. "Can't really help that... You're no better. I'm still wondering how I'm still able to use my legs after last time."
That had him laughing outright. "Hey, if I remember right, I tried to stop... But someone had their hands in my hair."
"I needed somethin to hold onto... Plus, it's so fluffy now!" She giggled and brought her free hand up to ruffle the blonde locks.
"Tch... It'll be back to normal eventually... I feel lazy today." He stated as she finally finished her drink and made it join his as they just sat there, watching the sunrise. In the back of his mind, he wondered how she'd react to his plan. He just got sidetracked by the whole heat thing, but it affirmed how great they were together. He had talked to Erza a few days ago about seeing about gathering up a few others from Fairy Tail for the surprise. He was surprised when the Requip mage said she'd be willing to hunt down at least those dearest to Nina, a knowing smile on her face followed by a threat.
Flashback
Sting looked up from his pile to see not only Laxus, but Rogue in the doorway. He had to admit, he was right now terrified, but he needed to do this to keep Nina in his life permanently. However, facing the two men who were her brothers was another beast in itself. "You came... Mind closin the door?" He said, getting Rogue to give him a glance before doing so.
"Alright, bub... You wanted to see me and Rogue... Why?" Laxus stated more than asked. "So help me if you made Nina cry."
"If you did... I swear..." Rogue added.
"Nothin like that! I'd never do that! She means the world to me, why would I be that stupid?" He said. "I wanna do right by her, but I needed to go about it the right way... I love that woman more than anything... I wanna marry her and make her not only my mate, but my wife... And with Skiadirum finally at peace, you two are the most important men in her life next to me... You're her brothers in one way or another... So... I know you both think she deserves better... Hell, I think the same thing, yet she chose me... Dunno why, but she did... But I will promise to always be there for her. I ask for your permission to marry her."
The two stared at him before exchanging looks and Rogue sighed with a shake of his head. "You got that right. She deserves better, but now I think anyone better won't do anymore... You're the best for her. I see how she glows whenever she talks about ya... Trust me, I've heard every praise from her... I'll support it..." Rogue saw his partner relax a few muscles before looking at the other man that had served as Nina's adoptive brother when Rogue himself was unavailable.
Laxus simply chuckled. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. The way she goes on and on is almost annoying, but I see how much she loves ya by the way she just keeps smilin... Keep her that way and I'll be happy... I'll go along with it... Just remember what Erza said."
That had him relax fully. "Yeah, I get it... 'Romance' her and stuff... I got it... In fact, I'm gonna talk to her sometime tomorrow. I managed to contact her and told her that I needed to talk in person. Nina only knows Erza's gonna be 'passing through'." He knew that next to Yukino, Erza was Nina's best friend, as was Mira, but he had already explained himself to Mira earlier today before talking to Rogue and Laxus.
"Damn, planned it out?" Laxus whistled before shaking his head. "And how long have ya been plannin this?"
Sting gulped and grinned. "Well, since I met her, actually! Weird, huh?"
Rogue deadpanned before sighing. "Very... I'll never get how she fell for you when you were such an asshole... But, that's her in a nutshell." Him and Laxus seemingly had the same idea with how they grinned in unison. "Speaking, I can tell ya her favorite spot, next to the library, obviously..."
"Actually, we can do one better. We can take ya there." Laxus added as the three headed to a spot and had to fist bump with Rogue at how excited Sting had gotten at the place.
~Later the next day~
Sting gulped before sighing. "Well, wish me luck." He said, kissing her cheek and heading out, following his nose to see the familiar red-head standing near the entrance to town, wearing a rounded single-piece pauldrons with a breastplate and a fused collar with a heart shaped opening in the upper part of the chest while the collar and the lower part of the breastplate have a layered design. Unlike the other one he had seen her in, the upper arms are now protected by a rerebrace followed by a pair of curved elbow guards and then a pair of gauntlets extending up to the her elbows. It also has a removable cape with wave patterns on its end, a belt on its waist and a pair of poleyn protecting her knees followed by a pair of greaves and sabatons. He grinned. "Thanks for stoppin by."
"You mentioned you had something you needed to tell me in person... If you are here to tell me you made her upset, I will put yo-"
"I didn't! I would rather hurt myself than her! I just talked to Rogue and Laxus about this, but they told me you will need a say in it... I want to give the entire world to Nina, but I'm not that good... So, I'm figuring to just give her my world, ya know? I wanna marry her in, well, normal terms rather than dragon terms... Like, take my last name and stuff... I will protect her with my life and keep her happy... Just... I'm askin for ya to give me your blessing." He blushed at revealing how much Nina meant to him, but it was true.
Erza took a little longer to respond, but when she did, she brought him into a bone-crushing hug. "I knew it! I would be honored to let you marry her. I know she speaks highly of you and I want her happiness as well... And it now includes you. You may have once been an enemy to me, but now because of Nina, I now will consider you a part of my dear family... Do call me when you actually do it... I'll drag Gray and Juvia with if I have to... I happen to know where they are... I'll let Nina know after my mission is done."
Sting was trying to get his breath back before grinning. "Thanks. Nina was right, you're not too scary when you're happy!"
That made Erza laugh. "She knows me almost as well as I do... Take care of her..." With those words, she strolled off and vanished from Sting's sight.
His heart began flipping in his chest, knowing he had the blessings of those closest to Nina as he made his way back to his love.
Sting let her relax a bit before shifting slightly. "Guess I gotta get back to actually doin my duties, eh?"
She giggled as she also sat up. "Well, I guess Rogue and them are probably banging their heads at the wall... I could help... I mean I helped Gramps when I wasn't hanging on Laxus's hip. And it'll help out."
He had to smile at that prospect as they cleaned up before returning to the guild, with him having his hand on her waist, of course. "I might be crazy, but is it strange that I can see tiny feet causing chaos?"
"You too? I thought I was crazy." She said, already missing his rosemary scent, but knew it'd come back again next year. It made her wonder about her own heat and when it'd strike, knowing she would be like Sting, unaware until probably the last moment. Plus, she wanted to know how she smelt to him during her own heat. She had already told him how he smelt, perhaps in-between a round of sex, learning so much about him and herself over the past few days because of it. When they entered the guild, she waved at Orga and Laxus, who were apparently in the middle of arguing over the board but stopped in order to grin at the two before Orga started another argument.
The two opened the door and burst out laughing at the sight: Rogue had passed out in the chair, Yukino against his arm on the floor and Minerva against the front of the desk. Sting grinned when the three finally woke up. "Goddamn, you three are hilarious. I told ya that paperwork was boring."
Minerva stretched before standing up. "Looks like you were right... But, we made a...dent..." She then noticed that while, yes, they had done what was there before the two left, there was another pile again. "I never imagined they'd multiply."
Nina nodded as Rogue stood up and helped Yukino stand as well. "Gramps used to avoid it for a reason. Even though the Council hated it... All they could do was send warnings... He, of course, ignored those, too... I'm surprised they didn't... Ya know..." The memories of how many times the Council threatened to shut them down now hit harder now that Makarov had actually done that exact same thing. While she had Sabertooth now, her heart still broke at how her original family was now in the wind. She understood how Lucy felt and it hurt her just as much, considering she grew up knowing Fairy Tail as her family. When Lucy had told her, she had felt her world shatter. If not for Sting and the others, Nina felt like she would've been like Lucy: lost.
Sting instinctively rubbed her arm out of comfort. When they had downtime over the past few days, she told him how torn up she actually was about hearing that Fairy Tail had been disbanded and he made it his job to keep her happy, something he was always going to make his priority. After all, he did promise those closest to her to do so and he'd be a real ass to go back on his words. Besides, he knew that if they were to actually heed Makarov's words from before the war on Tartaros, he felt they would need to have all those she loved around. He looked to Rogue with a nod, as if answering his unasked question.
"Well, since you're back, you can take over your job." Rogue stated as the three left the room, him slyly handing a box while Nina went about putting the completed papers into envelopes to send them back to who wrote them.
Nina had to admit that most of these papers just needed stamps, which was why it was easy for some. However, she noticed the other pile was the most time-consuming: needing his actual signature. She was surprised that, unlike Macao, not all Guildmasters had advisors. It gave her an idea and grinned as she finished. "I just had an idea. Macao has Wakaba be his, well, helper, I guess. He called it an 'advisor'. Wakaba helped him with some of the duties of the job. I could help, since it'll help you get things done!"
That got him to smile and nodded. "Plus, it'll keep ya in my sight. Don't need ya disappearing again."
"Oh, hush up... I didn't do that on purpose!" She teased and took a chair to sit opposite his as he let his jacket hang on the back of his chair as they tackled the paperwork together, surprisingly getting most of it done before he decided to call it a day. "B-But, we're almost done."
"C'mon, Lita! We were cooped up for days. I think it's time to go out to enjoy the day." He reasoned. "We can always do more tomorrow."
Nina blinked before nodding. "Alright. But, you gotta make sure you keep to that, Champ." She took the ones that were done as they left the room, stopping so she could drop them off for the mail person to come get them as they met up with Rogue and Yukino before her nose picked up Mirajane's scent and saw that, ahead of them, the She Demon herself was talking with Laxus. Unable to stop, she bolted and nearly sent them both to the ground if Laxus hadn't put a supporting hand on the back of his own mate. "MIRA!"
"Hey, you..." Mira said with a laugh. "How've you been?"
"Ya know, still here." She giggled. "Why're you here?"
"Can't I visit? Or is it wrong for me to see not only my mate, but my own sister?" She giggled along with Nina.
"I never said that!" She pouted as she finally let the waitress go to brush some tears out of her eyes. "Don't forget, I offered for ya to join, too..."
"I know. But, it didn't seem to suit me. Besides, me and Lisanna became quiet popular at a few restaurants." Mira explained before going to hug Yukino as well. "I see you're smiling a lot more!"
The Celestial mage actually flushed at that. "Thanks... I guess being home makes it that way..."
"There ya go!" Mira said with a smile as she grinned at the other two Dragon Slayers. "That reminds me... Lisanna was just here..."
"Li-Lisanna's here too? What's goin on?" Nina was floored. "It's not my birthday or anything..." As she finished that sentence, she caught the younger Strauss's scent in time to get her own hug. "Lisanna!"
"Your nose is as strong as ever!" She giggled.
Sting watched with a smile at how Nina began glowing at this surprise and knew that the next few might just break her completely as he walked over and, like Laxus often did, put a hand on top of Lisanna's head. "You were the hardest to get in contact with..."
"I was busy!" Lisanna said in her defense.
Nina, however, began smelling other familiar scents: Erza's, Gray's and Juvia's. She glanced over Lisanna's shoulder to see the three others and felt like her face would break from how big her grin had gotten. "Erza-chan! Gray! Juvia!" She said.
Juvia joined the Lisanna-hug. "You look amazing!" The Water Mage said.
"Thanks! Did you do something with your hair?" She questioned.
"Yes! I stopped cutting it and even my darling said I looked great like this!" Juvia gushed.
Gray, however, facepalmed and shook his head. "Not those words exactly... I just said it suited her... Her imagination is still a pain." He said before grinning. "S'up, Rose?"
Nina laughed. "Not much, Ice Princess." Once she was released from one hug, she was yanked to meet the hard metal of Erza's own version of a hug. "Ow... Still strong as ever, Erza-chan."
"As are you. I can tell." She stated as the five of them caught Nina up on what they knew after the disbandment and what they've been doing in the meantime.
Nina sat at a table at a nearby restaurant and smiled at how little had actually changed between those she held dear. She grinned at Juvia. "Soooo. You 'moved in' with him?" It got the reaction she expected: the poor girl flushing and giggling like a little child.
"Yes... We train together, too, so our love is even stronger! Do say you and Sting-san are also living together." She shot back.
She shrugged and had to think for a bit before nodding, figuring that the house they had spent the past few days in was theirs. "I'd assume so... Considering..." She had to flush herself as her mind decided to finally replay every moment from the past few days.
"Oh, my..." Juvia apparently caught on and blushed as well before smiling. "Well, I'm happy for you! When my darling marries me, you will be one of my bridesmaids!"
Nina sighed. "Juvia... Baby steps... Baby steps. It's Gray. Just getting him to compliment you is a big step already."
"Speaking, are you and Sting-san living together or... is it a 'living in sin' kind of thing?" Juvia asked.
"W-Wha? No... I mean, maybe? I dunno, to be honest. But, I'm just happy to be with him, ya know?" She admitted.
"I understand fully! This is why you are not a rival for me, since I know you love Sting-san as much as I love Gray!" Came the reply.
"And I know you won't listen, but it's obvious that Lucy has eyes for only Natsu... Both of those idiots are just too scared!" She groaned and banged her head on the table before they joined back up with the rest, Juvia apparently wanting to talk to her alone first.
Sting chuckled and kissed her forehead. "Enjoy that?"
She sighed. "I forgot how much Juvia goes into Grayland whenever I mention him... How the hell do ya deal with it, Gray?"
"Don't know. I just let her be." He replied. "By the way, I gotta admit I still have a hard time seeing ya so happy..."
Nina rolled her eyes. "Jealous already? Not your thing..." She then felt Sting pull away and as she turned to face him, she saw him down on a knee, which turned her the same shade of red as Erza's hair. "S-Sting?"
"When I look into your eyes, I can see a reflection of the two of us and the life I hope we'll share together. When I met you, I knew I'd met my match. It was only a matter of time until we arrived at this moment. How it turns out is all in your hands. Will you, Nina Lita Rosana Dreyer-Cheney, marry me?" The sheer amount of love he held for her was on display in both his words and his eyes as he opened the box containing the ring that he had help picking out from Yukino and even Rogue. It had red rubies and diamonds set into an intricate heart butterfly designed, preset engagement ring.
Her brain stopped working for a few seconds before the largest smile broke out on her face. "Yes... I'd be stupid not to say that..." She said as happy tears started to fall from her eyes as she watched his slide the beautiful ring on her left ring finger before standing up in time for her to fling herself into his arms and kissing him. "I love you."
"Heh. I love you too, Supergirl."
Whoot! This might be the longest chapter in this story by far! It was 3,898 words! I also need to redo all the other ones, since I find myself wanting to really try and follow the actual story, while focusing on Nina & Sting!
~~Kiwi~~