Hello there!

I'm back for another chapter!

I know I skipped a week. I needed time. I'm sorry. I'm feeling better, I guess I'm hEaLiNg. This chapter is a filler, not going to lie, and I wanted to have something of weight before I post the chapter that changes the course of the story. If you want to skip this one, I get it. If you don't, enjoy the sweet friendship between the girls.

Giggly, I'm glad you like it! There will be more spice soon!

Dommie, trouble? Naaaaaaaah! At least not yet xD Also, I like that. Call me that. Drama will come, be patient.

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 XVII: Fairy Tail's Home

X—X

Sting woke up to warmth and tenderness. He felt a small hand petting his wild blond locks. His head was cushioned, and he realized he was lying down on his side. He opened his eyes and noticed the 'cushion' was a warm, comfortable lap. And, one sniff later, he knew exactly who it was.

The smell of sunshine and berries was even stronger in the position he was in, and as much as we wanted to turn around and bury his nose in the source, it would be… inappropriate for the place they were in. He looked up and smiled.

She was beautiful. The rays of sunlight got caught in her hair, displaying shades of gold, ember, and fire. The locks that were not tied in a low messy bun framed her face. Her periwinkle eyes were fixated on the sights on the other side of the window, a smile on her full lips.

His heart skipped a beat. He wanted to get to Fairy Tail so that he could come clean to her and finally have her understand just what she meant to him. He simply hoped she felt the same, or at least was willing to allow herself to feel the same. He could no longer imagine his life without the little phoenix by his side, and quite frankly, he did not want to try.

The periwinkle eyes looked down into his deep blue ones, and the smile grew a bit brighter, though a blush colored her cheeks. Her small hand moved from his hair to cup his face, her thumb brushing over his cheekbone. Sting licked his lips and gulped.

"Morning." She whispered.

"Hey." He tried a smile.

"Slept well?"

"Thanks to you." He grabbed her wrist and pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist.

"I'm glad." She nodded. "We still have fifteen minutes until the end of the ride."

"Hm… I wonder what can we do."

"You can get some more rest." She declared. "I have a feeling Natsu will want to fight once you step foot in the guild."

"We're not here because of him."

"Why are we here?" She cooked her head to the side. "You never told me…"

"You told me you missed Levy and Lucy. And I… need a little assistance in this matter. That I need to take care of. And… yeah."

"And I'm here because…?"

"Because I want you by my side." He scrapped his fangs on the sensitive skin.

"I'm always going to be by your side, Sting."

"Do you promise?"

"For as long as I'm allowed to breathe." She reassured him, and he smiled.

"Good. I need you."

She smiled and squeezed her thighs together, bringing a slightly muskier version of her scent to Sting's nose. The young man swallowed hard and turned to face her stomach, pressing his nose to her lower abdomen. She yelped, but the dragon slayer merely rubbed his face against her, taking deep breaths.

"Fuck, you smell so good." He groaned.

"I showered." She giggled.

"Not that, little phoenix." He placed her hand back on his hair. "Your scent… Mavis fuck, it drives me crazy. Always has."

"Even when we first met?" she asked.

"I had to still my breathing when I put my guild mark on you to keep myself from burying my face in your neck, Ivy." He admitted. "When you leaned back to give me more room, I swear I almost lost it."

"…Rogue doesn't react the same way to my scent." She frowned.

"That's because Rogue reacts to someone else's scent the same way I react to yours."

"Why? What does it mean?"

"… not yet. But I will tell you. I promise."

"Mkay." Ivy nodded. "Come on. We're here."

The two stepped out of the train – Sting thanked the higher deities for steady ground – and they began their walk to Fairy Tail. The Dragon Slayer allowed himself to become a guide of sorts to the petite Sound mage, who drank up every word and eyed everything with a wonder he vowed to never let her lose. He found himself staring at her plenty of times during their trek, which often led to her softly asking 'what else?'.

And he would stammer out a reply, insert a joke and a flirty line. And she would blush, sometimes complain when the line was especially perverted, or lightly nudge him away when it was sweet, or even romantic. All in all, he was completely and utterly enraptured with the red-head beauty.

"Ah, we're here!" Ivy exclaimed, and Sting looked up.

"Aah… it appears we are." He nodded. "Come on."

The blond pushed the two large doors open and stepped inside. The brawl currently happening within stilled, slowly turning to look at who had entered during such a vicious time. A beat of silence followed, and then two. Ivy peeked from under Sting's arm and smiled, giving them a little wave.

"Hey guys!"

"Ivy!"

The guild erupted in cheers. Foes let go of each other, magic attacks were dispersed, and a handful of people ran to bring Ivy into the midst of them. She went with a delicious giggle, and Sting let himself relax at the sight of her bright smile. She turned back to beckon him to the middle, but he waved at her.

"Hey, I'm the one who brought her here in the first place! Why welcome her and not me?!"

"Because Ivy is nice and she'd never pick a fight in my guild, boy." Sting glared at the old man standing on the counter next to him.

"She doesn't even pick a fight in her own guild, let alone in others'." He rolled his eyes.

"Why are you here, boy? I thought everything was arranged with Council matters." Makarov frowned.

"It is. I was hoping to borrow the expertise of two of your residents on a… private matter." Sting gulped. "I'm here as a friend, Makarov, not as a Master."

"And as a Dragon Slayer, I assume?"

"…you'd assume correctly, yes."

"They are yours." Makarov nodded. "Take whoever you need."

"Thank you-!"

"Sting."

"Yes?"

"She is not one of my children. She will always be under your wing, as she has been since the beginning." Makarov started.

"I know."

"But I have grown fond of the little spitfire. Not everyone speaks to me the way she did when it came to saving you. Not everyone does what she did to rescue someone from Forbidden Magic. Not everyone can bear pain like which she bore, for you and all the other Masters."

"…I know." He swallowed hard.

"Dare hurt her in any shape or form, and I will have you hanging from the tallest of the Magic Council's towers by your left nut… in the dead of winter."

"Y-yes sir."

"Good," Makarov smirked and slapped him in the back. "Ah, why are you so serious, my boy? Have a drink!"

"Y-yes…" He nodded shakily. "Thank you."

Sting sat down at the counter and Mirajane was quick to pour him two fingers of the strongest brew she had. He thanked her with a small smile and she winked, turning to serve other patrons. He felt someone sit down next to him and took a deep breath, twirling the amber liquid in the glass. The two sat in silence for a moment, gathering their thoughts.

"Ye're finally going through with it?" He asked.

"I'm ready to tell her the whole truth. What she is to me, what we are." Sting nodded. "Whatever happens next, I'll take it."

"Ye really think she's going to turn ye down?"

"I don't know what she wants to do. But I'll wait."

"Ye're even more stupid than me, Lightbulb." He rolled his eyes. "But I'll wait for the opportunity to say 'I told ye so'."

"…how did you do it? With her?"

"I can't take all the credit. Squirt had her own fair share of book knowledge. I just… filled in the gaps." The man sighed. "It was fucking nerve-wracking, but… she surprised me. She's always done it, but… she just took it. It surprised me how easily she accepted the whole situation."

"She didn't have questions?"

"It's Levy we're talking about." Sting chuckled alongside him. "She still has them. But sure, the first conversation was filled with questions. And it was stressful and embarrassing, but she got all the answers she wanted from me."

"… you think she has feelings for me? Under this whole mate thing?"

"… I'm not going to even bother answering that stupid ass question." Gajeel scoffed. "What do ye need?"

"Keep Ivy here. Try not to feed her too much information." Sting took a deep breath. "I need to prepare everything."

"Damn, already preparing the nest?"

"Don't be an idiot." Sting shoved his shoulder, his cheeks bright pink. "N-no, it's just… temporary."

"I know, I'm just playing with ye." He chuckled. "I'll keep her busy. Or rather… Shrimp and Bunnygirl will."

"Thank you, Gajeel."

"Be honest, Sting. And most importantly… don't hold back."

–X–

"Hey, girls."

The four looked up to see Sting smiling down at them. They were sitting on a blanket, propped up by pillows, in a secluded corner of the library. Lucy raised an eyebrow, Levy smirked, Juvia nodded and Ivy grinned. The dragon slayer shuffled when all of them seemed expectant, and the blond cleared his throat.

"Hm, I'm picking Ivy up." He reached out his hand.

"Aw, already?" Lucy pouted.

"Ivy could stay a bit longer!" Juvia complained.

"Are you coming back for dinner?" Levy asked.

"I-!"

"No. I'm… stealing her for the evening." He licked his lips.

"Ah, nice!"

Ivy took his hand and stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Guess I'll be going now, girls. See you tomorrow!"

"Good luck!"

"Go easy on her, Sting!"

"Don't forget to relax!"

The two turned red as they left the library and the guild. Ivy swung the hand Sting hadn't let go of yet. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Do you trust me?"

"With my life."

The two crossed the city on foot, and Ivy filled the time with chatter about the day she had with the girls, how Lucy and Natsu were doing, and how Levy had begun plotting to set Bisca up. Sting silently thanked her; he was already nervous enough. She smiled brightly when he entwined their fingers and carried on.

"Okay." He let out, taking a deep breath. "Turn around."

"What are we doing?" She frowned as he produced a black sash from his pocket.

"We're almost there. I'm blindfolding you the rest of the way."

"…okay." She turned around and let Sting wrap the black cloth over her eyes.

Once it was secure, and her world in darkness, she yelped when the ground suddenly disappeared from beneath her feet. She felt the rumble of his laugh against her arm and pouted. Ivy let her head fall against his shoulder and sighed.

They walked – well, Sting did, she was carried – for a few minutes more until Ivy sensed Sting shift. She noted they crossed a threshold, but Sting didn't put her down. Instead, they crossed a room, another archway, and he finally let her stand on her own.

"There's a door in front of you. Untie the blindfold only once you're inside. Freshen up if you want. There's a set of clean clothes inside, Mira chose them for you. I'll… wait out here for you."

Ivy nodded and reached out a hand, opening the door and walking inside. When she heard it close behind her, she quickly undid the blindfold. She was inside a bathroom, a beautiful and bright room with gray tile walls and white and brown furniture. The bundle of fabric on the counter made her smile and she decided to heed Sting's suggestion.

She stripped bare and stepped inside the large shower. One hot, bubbly shower later, she grabbed a fluffy towel and moved to the mirror. She combed her dry hair into loose waves, undoing the crown braid, and turned to the bundle of clothes. She smiled at the lavender shade and took it.

Two pieces of pastel blue lace fell to the floor, and Ivy turned red. But she bit her lip and put them on, wondering how Mira got her exact measures and if Sting would get a chance to see them. She then put on the dress and took a deep breath, turning to the door and opening it.

She gasped. The room was absolutely breathtaking. The ash wood mosaic wall contrasted beautifully with the other three white ones. The maple wood paneled floor was smooth and rich, matching the rest of the decoration. Against the mosaic wall, there was a vase with a tall green plant, a dresser with a white lamp on top and a stack of books next to it, and a ceiling vase with a beautiful green ivy between the dresser and the bathroom door.

The wall to her left was fully covered with a sheer white curtain with yellow fairy lights falling down its length, a comfortable armchair with green pillows, and another ceiling vase in the far corner.

To her right was the window, letting the twilight sun shine golden and orange tones inside the room through the parted sheer white curtains. Against it was the bed, a queen-sized maple pallet bed, with a white comforter and green and orange pillows propped up, sided with a matching bedside table.

The far wall, where the bedroom door was, was rather simple, with yellow fairy lights falling in waves from the faux ceiling, and yet another ceiling vase. The middle of the room was covered with a beige fur rug, one that Ivy could see herself curling against with a sheet over her.

Sting looked up when she stepped inside the room. His heart skipped several beats as her bare feet slowly padded their way inside the room. She had a small tattoo of a swallow taking flight on the outside of her right ankle – how had he never noticed that – and her hair was down, fiery orange waves cascading down to the waist.

Mira had great taste and an eye for fashion, but he had to personally thank her for the choice because Ivy looked borderline angelic. The lavender fabric was light, and the sundress fitted her perfectly. The flared skirt tightened around her waist and shaped her generous hips, and the off-shoulder neckline suited her greatly, showing just a tease of her cleavage.

"Hey." He got up from the armchair.

"This is…" She walked up to him. "What is this place?"

"… A little over two years ago, Rogue and I were traveling through Fiore when we came to Magnolia. I… saw this house for sale, and I fell in love with it. Cheap, not too far from the city, but not too close. I've been… adding to it little by little. My retirement plan, if you rather."

"This room is beautiful. I can only imagine the rest of the house is just as pretty." She let out.

"It is… maybe I'll give you a tour afterward."

"…why are we here, Sting?" Ivy frowned. "Why such an important place today?"

"…we need to talk, Ivy."

A/N: Let's fkg do this.

Let me know your thoughts on this new story!

Lots of love from this weirdo,

LoneeWolf :)