Hello there!
I'm back for another chapter!
I have 4 more hours of work, and I honestly just want to go home and *nap*. Also, a coworker gave me a bottle of booze! Not my birthday or anything, but I'm super happy about it!
Dommie, this is next, let me know!
Giggly, because my Ivy is adorable.
I hope you like it :)
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Fairy Tail. I do, however, own the rights to this story and OC characters that might appear in the future.
Chapter XV: The Troubled Saber
X—X
"Hey, Yukino." Sting leaned over the counter with a smile.
"Oh, hi Sting!" the Celestial Mage looked up and smiled. "How was the meeting?"
"Deliciously boring." he groaned, sitting down at the bar. "Three days too long."
"Well, you're back now, and that's all that matters."
"Yeah, glad to be too." the dragon slayer took a sip of the drink she placed in front of him. "Ivy's in the library?"
"No, mission." Yukino finished cleaning the glasses.
Sting frowned and looked around the guild. He spotted Dobengal sitting with Rufus. "With who? Dobengal is sitting right there."
"Alone. Relax, it was an easy one. She'll probably take more time getting there and coming back than doing the actual job." she snorted. "Doubt she'll ever go on another mission with him."
"...what's that supposed to mean?"
She froze. "Hm... nothing."
"Yukino."
"That's my name."
"What do you mean, Ivy will never go on another mission with Dobengal again?"
"I... look, it's not my story to tell, Sting."
"Give me a preview."
"...Dobengal came to Ivy with a few revelations about himself that involved her, and Ivy wasn't the most... comfortable about it?"
"Did he put his hands on her?"
"No!" Yukino exclaimed. "Ivy didn't say anything about that. And she's going to kill me now, so thanks. I promised I wouldn't tell you a thing."
"Oh, I'm planning on having her tell me every little detail."
"Ivy is really good at keeping secrets, Sting."
"Not from me, she's not." he scoffed. "That little shit needs to learn to keep his hands away from my woman."
"Your woman?"
"Woman, mate, whatever you want to call it. She's mine."
"Does she know that?" Yukino asked.
"...somewhat." he looked away.
"Sting, you need to be honest with her."
"And how do you propose I go about that?" he raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Ivy, so this is gonna sound weird, but you're my literal soulmate, and the dragon in me wants to claim you as such, so would you come here and let me mark you?"
"I'd develop a few parts, but yeah." Yukino nodded.
Sting took a moment to reply. "...why aren't you with Rogue?"
"Why would I be with Rogue?"
"You're his."
"No, I'm not."
"But you like him."
"Long before this."
"Why can't you pull him to a dark room and have your way with him?"
"First of all, that's called rape. Second of all, he wouldn't want that. He doesn't want me."
"First of all, it's only rape if he's against it," Sting smirked. "He's my brother, Yuki. I know who he has feelings for."
"And you think that's me?"
"I know that's you." he licked his lips. "Go on a mission with him. Fix that whole situation, won't you?"
"...I have to man the bar."
"Ivy and I will handle it."
"Sting."
"Yukino."
"Eucliffe."
"Agria."
"Dragon Slayer."
"Celestial Mage."
"Prick."
"Cocky."
"Asshole."
"Dick."
"Idiot."
"Pot."
Yukino snorted. "Fiiine. I'll do it."
"Great, I'll let him know." he threw back the rest of his drink. "Send Ivy to me when she comes back, okay?"
"Okay."
–X–
"Hey."
Sting looked up to see Ivy poke her head inside. He smiled and motioned her inside. She closed the door behind herself and walked to his bed. Sting sat propped up against the headboard, a couple of folders around his stretched legs. He reached out a hand, and she took it. He pulled her to him and she went willingly, crawling over to him and swinging one leg over him, straddling his lap.
"Hey there." Sting put down the folder and placed his hands on her hips. "How are you?"
"I'm okay. A bit tired," she admitted, letting her arms loosely wrap around his shoulders. "You?"
"I'm fine. Better now that you're back," he smirked, and she giggled.
"Did you miss me?"
"Of course I did." his thumbs ran over the naked skin between her skirt and her shirt. "The sun was starting to go down, and there was no sign of you. I was getting worried."
"I'm here now. How was the meeting?"
"Boring." his eyes fluttered shut when fingers began to comb back his hair. "How was your mission?"
"Oh, it was something. Already dropped off the report on your desk."
"Thank you. Any non-existent monsters?" he opened his eyes to see her smirk.
"Who knows?"
"How do you have it ready already?"
"The train ride was long." she shrugged. "Had nothing better to do."
"You could have thought about me." he licked his lips.
"Why think... when I have you right here?" she trailed a finger down his face and, when she reached his lips, he nibbled on it.
"You can have me any time you want." his hand raised up her chest, across her collarbone, and stopped on the side of her neck. "You know that I'm all yours."
"Good." she leaned down and pressed her forehead against his.
"What happened?"
"A little misbehaving monster that was terrorizing a village. A Vulcan." she let her hand fall to his shoulder. "Sealed him back in the mountain until he learned proper behavior."
"So... centuries?"
She giggled. "Who knows?"
"You went solo." Ivy nodded. "Why?"
"Because I think I'm strong enough."
"I know that you are strong enough, but... why not take Minerva or Yukino? Hell, even Dobengal."
He watched how her expression became guarded. "Like I said... I wanted to prove myself."
"Ivy... you know you don't have to lie to me." he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. "And the more I get to know you, the less you can lie to me."
"... I don't want you to worry." she gulped and pulled away to look at him. "I'm handling it."
"I deserve to know if there's something going on in my guild."
"You do." she nodded. "...are you really pulling the 'Master' card now?"
He smirked. "The thing about getting to know you... you get to know me back."
"Silly dragon." her eyes found his. "A day after you left for the meeting, Dobengal came to talk to me. He said there were a few things that needed to be clarified between him and me. And I agreed, there were."
"...go on."
She watched him, eyes blazing, jaw locked, and hands tight on her waist, but she carried on. "We went to the library. I heard someone already there, so I wasn't alone with him. And he starts complimenting me, telling me how much he admires me, how much I seem to mean to him. I tell him we don't spend enough time together for him to feel that way towards me, but he says he does."
"Did he try anything?"
"He said he didn't need a year to fall in love with me." she shook her head. "And I told him, again, I don't feel the same way, and I would appreciate some distance between us from now on, because I wouldn't accept his feelings, and he needed time to get over me."
"Ivy, did he try anything?"
"He said he wouldn't get over me, that his heart was true, and maybe someday he could win mine, and I told him that my heart already belonged to someone. My love, my heart, my soul already was in someone's hand. And he got upset, I guess reasonably so, and demanded to know who."
"Sylvia, did he touch you?"
She gulped when his voice gained a feral tone, but she kept going. "I told he had no right demanding such a private answer from me, but I would give it either way. I said your name, and he got angry and said that you would just use me, abuse me, and throw me away. And I got angry, I told him he should be ashamed of himself for speaking so ill of you. And then he said he'd win me over."
"What the fuck did he do?"
"...he tried to grab me. I pushed him away. And I guess he saw me as the weaker part of that fight because he forced it. But suddenly Rufus was there, pushed him away, and told him to leave. I left on a mission the next day."
"Sylvia-!"
"He tried, but he didn't touch me. I think he wanted to kiss me, but that's not happening." she violently shook her head.
"I'm gonna kill him." Sting declared, and the dragon inside him purred in agreement.
"No, you're not." she cupped his face. "Sting."
"No one touches what's mine, Ivy." he snarled.
Her cheeks turned a vibrant shade of pink, but now was not the time to think of how good it felt to hear that. "Sting. Please, look at me."
He did as she asked, and she noticed how the round pupils in his eyes had turned into vertical slits. She cradled his face and pressed a kiss against his forehead, then to his nose, both cheeks, eyelids, and finally a short but gentle one on the lips. He opened his eyes and licked his lips, lessening the grip on her waist.
"No one can say that I'm not yours; I am. Just like you are mine." his eyes flashed. "But he can't take me away from you. No one can. You won't let them."
"Damn fucking right."
"So why worry? I don't want to leave your side. You're my personal heater, why would I give that up?" he chuckled, and she smiled brightly. "So, you don't need to worry about him. He can't do anything."
"I can at least knock him around some." he tried, and she placed her thumb over his lips.
"There's no need, my sweet dragon. I'm here, am I not? With you?"
"...yeah."
"He can't, and won't touch me."
"He better."
"But you have to promise not to hurt him."
"Ivy-!"
"Promise me, Sting."
He glared at her, but she didn't move. She didn't even flinch. Good, his dragon purred, mate shouldn't be afraid. He knew he would never hurt her, but he would never let anyone try. The soft skin under his thumbs felt too soft, too pure, and he was damned if he let anyone mar it. She cocked an eyebrow, and he relented.
"...fine." she smiled brightly. "I promise I won't hurt him."
"Hm, isn't that a good dragon?" she teased and booped his nose. "Good boy."
"You're playing with fire, little phoenix."
"No... I'm playing with you."
"Woman, don't go around saying things like that." his hand lowered to her hips and tugged her closer. "You don't know what they do."
Ivy let a sly grin appear on her lips and placed one hand on the headboard beside his head. She raised to her knees, Sting's face millimeters away from her chest, and she pulled his chin up. He straightened up and gulped, hands lowering to her thighs. He watched her, periwinkle eyes sparkling with mischief, and he found himself completely at her mercy.
"Show me."
Sting lowered his head and pressed his mouth to the inch of skin revealed on her torso. Ivy gasped but simply watched, pressing her knees to the mattress. His nose hitched the shirt up, but she made no move to stop it. His hands raised up and beneath her skirt, making Ivy squirm. She felt his smirk against her skin but made no move to stop him.
Sting suddenly tugged her closer, and she had to grab the headboard with both hands to not lose balance. She gasped when she felt him squeeze her thighs, hands just below the curve of her butt. She grasped the back of his head and tugged him away from her skin, noticing how he had left a pretty red bruise over her stomach.
"Sting..."
But he said nothing, simply kissing his way up her shirt and the valley of her breasts. Her breath stuttered, and Sting allowed himself to drag his teeth over the visible cleavage. He kissed up her collarbone, and licked a strip up her neck, making her shudder. He whispered something against her skin, in a language Ivy didn't understand, but it wasn't long before he pulled away from her skin and looked into her eyes.
They were darkened, pupils blown, and her heart skipped several beats when he dragged his tongue over his lips. Ivy tugged on his hair and bent down, pressing her mouth against his. Sting immediately took over the kiss, hand dragging up her body sensually to grab a handful of her hair. She let out a needy whimper and pressed impossibly closer to him.
Sting let himself get lost in the sensation of her body against hers, and it wasn't long before he realized Ivy was on her back, splayed on the bed, and the blond was hovering over her, one hand pressing both her wrists to the bed and another holding her thigh around his waist. He gulped and pulled away from her, only to smirk.
"You're a clever little seductress, you know?"
"Can't help it if I want your hands on me all the time," she whispered in a rough voice.
"Never mind that you're a fucking tease." he leaned back down. "I love it so much."
"Won't you come back, then?" Ivy bit her lip.
"Always." he dragged the tip of his nose up her neck. "My little phoenix."
–X–
Dobengal walked calmly, whistling a tune from his childhood. He carried a handful of books in his arms, and he smiled, hoping to catch a certain redhead in the library. It was late, there was a possibility she was already in her room, asleep. But he would take that chance because he needed to talk to her.
He pushed the library door open. The lights were on, but he heard no one inside. Ivy's boots weren't perched up against the wall. So, he pouted but still carried the books to the nearest table. He heard no one there, but he felt as if he was being watched. He turned around, frowning, but other than a gush of wind, he heard nothing.
"Hello?"
Silence answered him, but he wasn't one to take things lying down. He pulled a magic circle on his hand and stepped back. Orga or Rufus were probably trying to prank him again. He sighed and rolled his eyes, calling out to his friends. Although he was one to love jokes, today wasn't the best day for him.
"Guys, knock it off!"
Dobengal walked to the door and decided to leave them to their secrecies when he heard steps. He turned to the side, ready to tell them to back off when he found himself speechless and against a bookshelf, toes trying to touch the ground.
He opened his eyes and gasped. Standing in front of him, clutching to his throat was no other than his Master. But he looked a bit different. White scales ran up the sides of his body, covering his arms, and the sides of his face. His mouth was curled in a snarl, and a steady but blood-curling growl escaped between his clenched teeth.
"S-Sting?!"
The dragon slayer's navy eyes darkened; his pupils turned fends. The hand on Dobengal's throat tightened its grip, and the mage gasped, grabbing his wrist. Sting lifted him up a few more inches and stepped closer. The brunet gulped and stammered out an apology, but the dragon slayer merely growled.
"S-Sting, what are you d-doing?!"
"Stay. Away."
"What?!"
"She's mine. Stay. Away."
"You can't claim ownership of someone! S-she can share my feelings!"
"Silly boy," he smirked, and Dobengal gulped. "Understand. You have no say in the matter. She is my mate. I am hers. There is nothing you can do."
"M-Mate?"
"In your pathetic little human culture... she's married to me. And this is a marriage where divorce equals death."
"D-Does s-she-?!"
"Oh, she knows." Sting snarled. "And trust me, by the way she falls on my lap, she does not mind."
Dobengal gasped. "Keep your hands off my mate, boy. Or next time, I won't be as gentle."
A/N: Drama with a pinch of cute?
:D
Let me know your thoughts on this new story!
Lots of love from this weirdo,
LoneeWolf :)